ERS in the Press – November 2018 Here is just a highlight of the coverage our campaigns have received in the press this month. MPs call for end to ‘political gender gap’ at Westminster We coordinated the media for the Centenary Action Group’s campaign... Posted 30 Nov 2018
Why are there Bishops in the House of Lords? When most people think of Bishops they imagine a man or woman saying prayers in a cathedral, not making the laws that govern all of us. But there are Bishops today who sit in the... Posted 29 Nov 2018
A so-called by-election is showing the Lords up as a disaster for democracy Here’s a strange fact, a week ahead of the centenary of women’s right to stand for Parliament: 90 seats in the Palace of Westminster are effectively reserved for men. Voting has just begun for the... Posted 15 Nov 2018
Lords lost in stasis as fake reforms go nowhere Politics is often dominated by disagreements, but one thing almost everyone agrees on is this: the House of Lords is too big. At 800 members, we have the largest second chamber in the world. So... Posted 02 Nov 2018
Inside the backbench burial ground of Private Members’ Bills Most of the legislation that Parliament passes is introduced and backed by the government. But for thirteen Fridays in each parliamentary session, backbenchers steer the agenda. For those days, Private Members’ Bills have precedence over... Posted 31 Oct 2018
ERS in the Press – October 2018 This month we’ve had some fantastic coverage of our issues in the press, here’s just a highlight. Calls to lower UK voting age as Welsh assembly considers change. Our call for a “united franchise” –... Posted 30 Oct 2018
4 things wrong with the latest ‘reform’ claims from the House of Lords… If a new proclamation is to be believed, the UK’s unelected second chamber is apparently ‘on course’ to reduce in size, ‘within the timeframe set out’ in a report by a House of Lords committee... Posted 25 Oct 2018
These ‘sham elections’ in the House of Lords must end – as the first step towards real change Today, with 12 votes, the Earl of Devon won the by-election to decide who will replace Earl Baldwin of Bewdley in the House of Lords. Wherever you stand on the House of Lords, the Prime... Posted 04 Jul 2018
Revealed: The Lords is increasingly out of touch with modern Britain To many of us, the House of Lords looks very much like a private members’ club – a cosy corner of Westminster, where unelected peers vote on our laws. But just how out of touch... Posted 18 Jun 2018
There’s a sham election happening in Parliament. Here’s what you need to know The idea that people can become lawmakers for life – simply because they were born into the ‘right’ family – is, to most of us, absurd. Yet in the UK, in 2018, this is the... Posted 04 Jun 2018