The Electoral Reform Society has a full programme of events for the party conference season.
TUC Congress – Tuesday 10th September
Workers Vs Westminster: How trade unions can help build a better democracy
Holiday Inn Brighton Seafront, BN1 2JF – 12:45 PM – 2:00 PM
Featuring: Unite Assistant General Secretary Howard Beckett, PCS National Officer Lynn Henderson and the Electoral Reform Society Director of Research Dr Jess Garland.
Includes a buffet lunch.
In partnership with Politics for the Many: From the Chartists pushing for universal suffrage, to the Scottish TUC’s role campaigning for a Scottish Parliament, trade unions have often been at the forefront of demands for a democracy that puts working people at the centre.
Join Politics for the Many, the trade union campaign for political reform, to discuss unions’ responses to the current ‘constitutional crisis’.
Lib Dem conference – Sunday 15th September
Reining in the Political “Wild West”: Digital Campaigning, Electoral Transparency and Security
Purbeck Room, Highcliff Marriott Hotel, BH2 5DU – 6:15 PM – 7:15 PM
Featuring: Wera Hobhouse MP, Fair Vote Director Kyle Taylor, and David Howarth, Professor of Law and Public Policy at the University of Cambridge.
Includes wine and canapes.
In partnership with the Social Liberal Forum: From dark money to secretive online ads, join us at Lib Dem Conference for a discussion on campaign regulations in the 21st century.
The main legislation regulating political parties’ campaigning activity and finance dates back to 2000 – before Facebook (2004) or Twitter (2006) existed, let alone had any role in political campaigns.
Parties and campaigns can now collect huge quantities of personal information with little oversight. How should parties respond?
Labour conference: Monday 23rd September
- Politics for the many: Transforming Power for a Real Democracy (Labour conference)
Tennyson Room, Jurys Inn Brighton Waterfront, BN1 2GS – 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Featuring: Labour’s Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office Jon Trickett MP, former MEP David Martin, researcher/writer Christine Berry, Cllr Amna Abdullatif (Manchester), and ERS Director of Research Dr Jess Garland.
Includes a buffet lunch.
Join Politics for the Many for a panel discussion on how to create a political system that ‘works for working people’.
- Democracy Broken: Can Labour Save Politics from Itself?
Lancing Room, Holiday Inn Brighton, BN1 2JF – 5:30 PM – 6:45 PM
Featuring: Unite Assistant General Secretary Howard Beckett, Lisa Nandy MP, ERS Director of Research Dr Jess Garland, and Newham Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz.
The Electoral Reform Society and the Fabian Society present “Democracy Broken”. In a time of constitutional upheaval, we debate how democracy should be extended locally, regionally and nationally.
Conservative Party conference – Tuesday 1st October
Fair and Free – Ensuring the Integrity of Elections in the UK
Jurys Inn Manchester Central, M1 5LE – 12:45 – 2:00 PM
In partnership with Bright Blue, a panel of:
- Damian Collins MP
- Hugo Rifkind, journalist
- Daniel Hannan MEP
- Prof Rachel Gibson
- ERS Chief Executive Darren Hughes
- Alexandra Jezeph (chair)
Speakers will debate the need for updating campaign regulations for the 21st Century, amid growing discussion of ‘dark ads’, political funding risks and disinformation.
Includes a light buffet lunch.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The ERS is the UK’s leading pro-democracy organisation. Check here for updates/more information as it comes in: https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/join-the-movement/events/