Local Elections: Diverse voices are being drowned out by the undemocratic voting system in England and Wales We are now but two weeks from the 2018 local elections. If you live in London you will have the chance to elect councillors for the first time since 2014. If you reside in the... Posted 19 Apr 2018
More votes but fewer seats? Surely you’re joking? Imagine if at the next General Election one party received the most votes, but another – with fewer votes – returned more MPs. It sounds wholly unfair, undemocratic and absurd. But that is exactly what... Posted 05 Mar 2018
How Westminster’s voting system is holding back gender equality In the centenary month of women securing the franchise, looking back on the politics of previous decades throws up some grim reminders of discrimination. Take just one: when Janet Fookes was first elected to represent... Posted 13 Feb 2018
How we vote has to change if our voices are to be heard It came as no surprise this week that the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed nearly three in five people (57%) in the UK feel their views are not being represented in British politics. It is the inevitable consequence... Posted 24 Jan 2018
Full recall would be a free-for-all of unintended consequences A spate of recent controversies has renewed demands for ‘full recall’ – where ten percent of voters can sign a petition, triggering a local referendum on whether an MP should lose their seat and a... Posted 19 Jan 2018
Ministers are ignoring the elephant in the room when it comes to boundaries The government’s Minister for the Constitution has claimed that millions of voters living in oversized constituencies are being under-represented. Speaking about the current boundaries, Chris Skidmore MP said: “It is an affront to democracy that 27 million people are under-represented.” ... Posted 03 Jan 2018
The myth that Westminster’s voting system is ‘strong and stable’ has been bust for good If ‘strong and stable’ has been the motto of Parliament’s First Past the Post voting system, June 5th put an end to that myth once and for all. For the third time in a row,... Posted 24 Aug 2017
First Past the Post’s Third Strike We’ve heard it time and time again in different forms: First Past the Post is ‘strong and stable’. It seems that myth has been well and truly bust. This is the third election in a... Posted 12 Jun 2017
Scotland’s multi-party system can never be represented by First Past the Post At the close of the polls on Thursday, people in Scotland will have faced 10 opportunities to vote in the last eight years. Of these elections and referendums, the general election is the only completely... Posted 08 Jun 2017
The scourge of tactical voting A fifth of voters feel unable to back the party they most support this election, according to polling for the ERS. It’s more than twice the number as in 2015. This is a situation foisted... Posted 07 Jun 2017