7 democratic developments to watch out for this year What does democracy look like in a pandemic? It’s a question that came up a lot last year – and 2021 seems no different. This year could see some major developments when it comes to... Posted 18 Jan 2021
Five times the ERS set the news agenda in 2020 Despite the difficulties of 2020, the ERS kept up the pressure and make the case for political reform in a crowded news cycle. From promoting our key campaigns through our analysis of the 2019 election... Posted 13 Jan 2021
What is the House of Lords Appointments Commission? A little-known non-departmental public body, the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC), has recently been thrust into the spotlight, following the Prime Minister’s latest round of appointments to the House of Lords (if you weren’t... Posted 12 Jan 2021
Here’s how much the PM’s new unelected Lords could cost us The House of Lords was already bursting at the seams, but the latest batch of appointments from the Prime Minister has taken it past breaking point. Over 800 unelected lawmakers will be voting on decisions... Posted 04 Jan 2021
Replace Lords with a senate of the regions to help ‘level up’ Overhauling Parliament’s London-dominated second chamber would help empower the UK’s nations and regions, writes a senior director at the Electoral Reform Society. It’s been a year since Boris Johnson’s victory in the 2019 general election,... Posted 22 Dec 2020
Building a better democracy – 2020 and the Electoral Reform Society It’s hard to think of a more troubling year in living memory. But the public health crisis has, perhaps counter-intuitively, put issues of democracy at the forefront. The election may feel like a distant memory,... Posted 07 Dec 2020
ERS in the Press – October 2020 This month has seen a renewed interest in proportional representation internationally. Willie Sullivan backed up the case for a fairer voting system in Canada, drawing on his experience in Scotland. “If you want a system... Posted 29 Oct 2020
Hereditary peer by-elections have been paused. They should be scrapped entirely The House of Lords just keeps getting bigger. Following the PM’s appointment of 36 new unelected peers, each week sees more introduced to a chamber that is bursting at the seams. The Lords themselves have... Posted 18 Sep 2020
Voters have had enough of the unelected Lords. The PM and peers need to listen up The first of the Prime Minister’s 36 new appointments to the unelected House of Lords have started to take their seats. They do so at a time of growing public outrage at the state of... Posted 07 Sep 2020
ERS in the Press – August 2020 As governments respond to the global pandemic, the issue of how voters are represented has not gone away. In fact, in many ways, it has become more salient. PR in the public eye In August,... Posted 04 Sep 2020