An election could happen at any time – electoral law needs to be urgently updated Last week, the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee published its response to the government’s Online Harms White Paper, where it called for urgent legislation to safeguard future elections. Echoing the... Posted 11 Jul 2019
Support grows for new way of doing democracy, as hundreds discuss Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland plans It’s clear that there is a growing appetite for a new kind of democracy, after hundreds gathered on Monday evening to debate plans for a Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland. At a sold-out panel Q&A hosted... Posted 10 Jul 2019
Four pitfalls and opportunities for the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland Next Monday, the firing gun will be started on the Scottish Government’s plans for a ‘Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland’. Hundreds will gather to discuss what this might look like, what it might involve, and how... Posted 05 Jul 2019
We’ve told Parliament the case for updating our campaign rules – now it’s time to act Current electoral legislation is not fit for purpose. The core elements of our electoral law date back to Victorian times, with legislation failing to keep up with societal and cultural changes, and developments in digital... Posted 28 Jun 2019
Why we’re calling on Boris Johnson to take part in the TV debates In our fragile democracy, we need all the opportunities possible to hold public figures to account. So it’s all the more galling when one of those opportunities is stripped away. Now a broadcaster (Sky) has... Posted 26 Jun 2019
Why a directly elected PM could trigger a constitutional crisis This piece was originally published by The Times In the current Conservative Party leadership election MPs and party members will select the next leader of the party — itself no strange thing. We’ve seen similar... Posted 21 Jun 2019
Citizens’ assemblies can help us move beyond a broken Westminster model of politics This piece was originally published by The Scotsman. Talk of citizens’ assemblies is in the air. Former Conservative leadership contender, Rory Stewart has suggested holding one to break through the Brexit impasse. And on Monday,... Posted 20 Jun 2019
Democracy needs you: Cross-party group seeks evidence for how to update Britain’s ‘wild west’ campaign rules Last month saw a landmark in the push to overhaul Britain’s dangerously out-dated political campaigns laws. MPs from across the political divide stepped up efforts to update Britain’s analogue-age election rules, by launching the All... Posted 10 Jun 2019
ERS is the Press: May 2019 In a month that began and ended with elections for local councils and the European Parliament – both of which showed the changing nature of British politics and the continued decline of the two main... Posted 05 Jun 2019
Volatile voting: Why the next General Election is going to be a shambles Voters want to shop around more than ever – but they will be calamitously constrained by Westminster’s electoral system, according to new analysis by the ERS. 2015 and 2017 saw the highest levels of voter... Posted 04 Jun 2019