Which European countries use proportional representation? Of the 43 countries most often considered to be within Europe, 40 use some form of proportional representation to elect their MPs. The UK stands almost alone in Europe in using a ‘one-person-takes-all’ disproportionate voting... Posted 26 Dec 2018
How does proportional representation work in Germany? Elections to Germany’s Bundestag – Germany’s House of Commons – are held under Mixed Member Proportional Representation (MMP). This electoral system seeks to combine features of Westminster style first past the post voting – in... Posted 18 Dec 2018
There is no room left in the House of Lords and no appetite for yet more peers Whether it’s a restaurant, a stadium, or your belly – when something is full, logic determines you stop adding to it. This basic principle should be applied to the House of Lords, but it isn’t.... Posted 14 Feb 2018
Fighting for fair votes around the world – lessons from the Global Greens Congress Proportional representation has been a longstanding campaign of the Greens. But not just here in the UK – democratic reform is often a key plank of Green platforms. So it was fascinating to see leaders... Posted 07 Apr 2017
Why can’t we vote online? The following is a guest blog from Jason Kitcat, who is on the Advisory Council for digital campaigners, the Open Rights Group. At first blush it’s understandable why many would think that Internet voting is a good... Posted 04 Sep 2015
With Proportional Representation small parties get the influence they deserve It’s sometimes claimed that under proportional representation (PR), tiny parties have a lot of power, as they get to decide who to go into coalition with and therefore who forms the government. Under First Past the Post (FPTP), these... Posted 23 Jun 2015
Did Proportional Representation put the Nazis in power? Probably the first time many of us heard of Proportional Representation (PR) was in a school classroom studying the Second World War. For some people this may have been the last time they heard about other voting... Posted 05 Jun 2015
Rhodri Morgan on the constitution “If we Brits could write a constitution for the Germans in 1947/8, why can’t we do it for ourselves?” When it came to discussing our inaugural annual lecture themed around the next 15 years of... Posted 17 Oct 2014
On dual candidacy, let’s play nice The UK Government has confirmed its intention to lift the ban on dual candidacy in its Draft Wales Bill. In a nutshell, dual candidacy is when an individual contests both a constituency seat and a party... Posted 18 Dec 2013
Making Wales a bit less like Ukraine Some more good news from today’s Queen’s Speech. And this time it’s for something that’s actually in it. The Coalition Government is now pledged to bring forward draft legislation to reform elections in Wales. The current... Posted 08 May 2013