Voter ID rules criticised by MPs, election watchdog and election administrators This week three separate independent reports have exposed the extent of the unnecessary damage voter ID has wrought to our democracy. Voter ID was rushed through for the local elections in May which meant voters... Posted 15 Sep 2023
The Mid Bedfordshire by-election shows how First Past the Post warps our politics It finally happened. After weeks of speculation and, more latterly, mounting criticism, Nadine Dorries officially resigned her seat in Mid Bedfordshire, triggering yet another by-election. Since the former culture secretary announced her resignation back before... Posted 29 Aug 2023
Short, long, or in-between: How long do parliaments last? Regular elections are a core part of any democracy, but how regular should they be? There has been a lot of variety on what the right length is, both around the world and in the... Posted 25 Aug 2023
Resignation honours are the worst, but all patronage is bad The fact that Liz Truss’s short-term premiership can result in lifetime appointments to the house of House of Lords has rightfully angered many. But it is just an example of business as usual in Westminster,... Posted 23 Aug 2023
Voters trusted themselves to vote at 16 – let’s expand the franchise Do you think you should have been able to vote from 16? New research commissioned by The Body Shop and The British Youth Council has found that 64% of adults would have liked to have... Posted 18 Aug 2023
Liz Truss’ resignation honours could be a turning point for reform News reports this weekend revealed that Liz Truss’s controversial honours list is making its way through the vetting process with the Cabinet Office and House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC). This suggests that the UK’s... Posted 16 Aug 2023
First Past the Post locks many talented people out of politics This week, Politics Home reported that Regional Tories Are Snubbing Parachuted MP Candidates In Favour Of “Local Champions”. It seems that number of Conservative candidates with a background in local government is increasing at each... Posted 11 Aug 2023
Where are the policies for renters? First Past the Post keeps the focus on homeowners With the current cost-of-living crisis and soaring interest rates, mortgages and mortgage holders are all anybody can talk about, including our political parties. Posted 28 Jul 2023
Proportional representation helped women get elected in 2022 In January 2023, the global proportion of women parliamentarians just was 26.5%, indicating that there’s a way to go before we have equal numbers of men and women in parliament around the world. While quotas... Posted 27 Jul 2023
Should the ERS look at the rules for… Tennis? As tennis players line up for the Wimbledon semi-finals, and candidates hit the doorstep for multiple by-elections, we’ve been thinking about how useful sporting analogies are when it comes to politics. As, when you think... Posted 14 Jul 2023