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What is a Private Members’ bill?

One of the most noteworthy ways that MPs can push their agendas is through the Private Members’ Bill. Here’s a quick analysis on some of the key features of Private Members’ Bill. Private Members’ bills...

Posted 20 Oct 2022

What is an Early Day Motion?

The Early Day Motion (EDM) is a little-known but quietly critical part of Westminster. Here’s a quick guide on some of the key features of an Early Day Motion: An EDM is a motion submitted...

Posted 13 Oct 2022

What is a Select Committee?

One of the most important aspects of British democracy is the Select Committee. Select Committees are groups of parliamentarians chosen by their colleagues to conduct scrutiny of the government. Here’s a quick explanation of some...

Posted 06 Oct 2022

Quebec’s 2022 election reveals error of not scrapping first past the post

Back in 2018 we reported on the excitement in Quebec which was set for a move from First Past the Post (FPTP) to proportional representation, following a commitment from the Premier of Quebec, François Legault, to the...

Posted 05 Oct 2022

The party that came 4th in the vote came second in seats

The ERS team at a historic Labour Conference

The campaign for fair votes recently achieved a historic victory when Labour Party Conference voted for a manifesto commitment to proportional representation for general elections. This is a massive moment for democracy in the UK....

Posted 05 Oct 2022

Darren’s Diary - Behind the scenes at Labour Conference

What electoral system does India use to elect the Lok Sabha?

India, the largest democracy in the world, has a system of democratic federalism which has both large amounts of parties and Westminster-style First Past the Post (FPTP) voting. The Indian Federal government is made up...

Posted 29 Sep 2022

2019 saw 37 parties enter Indias lower house

What is an All Party Parliamentary Group or APPG?

One of the lesser-known institutions of Westminster is the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). Here’s a quick overview on some of the key features of an APPG: An APPG is a group of MPs and Peers...

Posted 29 Sep 2022

Labour Party conference backs proportional representation

In a historic vote, Labour Party Conference has voted for a manifesto commitment to proportional representation for general elections. This is a massive moment for democracy in the UK. Now all major parties, bar the...

Posted 27 Sep 2022

A massive moment for democracy in the UK

Long running survey finds majority support proportional representation

The publication of the latest findings from the long-running British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey this week saw a record-breaking high in public support for electoral reform. Since 1983, the following question has been included on...

Posted 23 Sep 2022

Only 44 percent want to retain the current electoral system

How do elections work in Latvia?

Latvia’s election this Saturday (1st October) has been in the calendar for a while – a referendum is required to dissolve the Latvian parliament early. Such a vote can be called either by the president,...

Posted 15 Sep 2022