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Indy front page makes the case for AV
Just over five weeks out from the referendum, today’s Independent makes electoral reform its lead story, laying out the case for the alternative vote. The front page editorial explains: “So why should...
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New research: Plural British voters are “happy to express a range of...
The AV referendum has seen a weekend of claim and counter claim from politicians. Meanwhile, the Institute for Public Policy Research have published new research which sheds more light than heat on the...
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Fear rules the facts as No campaign surge into a 16-point lead
Another day, another surfeit of myths from the No To AV campaign, with lashings of fear, hysteria and anger thrown in to boot. Just an ordinary day in the referendum campaign then, with today’s...
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AV is a small but significant step in improving our political system
Darren Johnson AM represents the Green Party in the London Assembly I’m supporting a Yes vote on May 5th because it will mean people can start to vote for what they really believe in. For too many...
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The Nasty Campaign: the lies and smears of No to AV
The No to AV campaign hit a new low yesterday when it emerged that Conservative party HQ had encouraged national newspapers to print pictures of Papuan tribeswomen breastfeeding pigs, suggesting that...
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Blunkett admits AV cost claims were “made up”
This blog has detailed the lies and deceit of the No campaign for months. On the eve of the AV referendum, leading No campaigner David Blunkett admits that the claims about the cost of the reform were...
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AV, Europe, Scotland… Where’s Cameron’s consistency on referendums?
The government has some inconsistencies that it ought to clear up between his response to an EU referendum and his response to a Scottish referendum, not to mention the holding of the alternative vote...
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Tories threaten to ignore their mandate on Lords reform
. Reform of the House of Lords, it appears, is now a red line for a considerable number of Conservative backbenchers. The Telegraph reports the government’s plans to replace the Lords with an...
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Labour must get back to its principles on Lords reform
. Katie Ghose is the chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society There is a real danger political infighting around Lords reform may derail the process entirely. At this crucial juncture, before...
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Where next on boundaries?
Katie Ghose is the chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society Yesterday opposition and government MPs finally strangled David Cameron’s ill thought out boundary review. The vote was a victory for...
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4 ideas to make our political system more democratic
TweetThe Telegraph reported yesterday that a House of Commons committee has called for the abolition of the monarchy’s role in signing off new laws. The Political and Constitutional Reform committee...
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The Maria Miller affair shows we need the right to recall MPs
TweetIt was reported early this morning that culture secretary Maria Miller had resigned. Not because she was sorry for her behaviour during the investigation into her parliamentary expenses, but...
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Boris fever highlights the undemocratic nature of ‘safe seats’
TweetAs the case of Boris Johnson demonstrates, safe seats are treated like aristocratic estates Boris Johnson yesterday admitted something that most of us already suspected: he is looking around for a...
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Six months until the election: we look at the polls
TweetHow accurate have voting intention polls been in past elections? With the general elections scheduled to take place exactly six months from today, attention is focused on the polls. Current YouGov...
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Wales handed the power to decide on 16-year-old voters
TweetFollowing Scotland’s example, the Welsh assembly hopes the move will lead to an increase in democratic engagement Ministers in Westminster have confirmed that the Welsh assembly will be handed the...
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Comment: Let’s make this the last ever ‘lottery election’
British politics is now truly a multi-party phenomenon. The SNP could win over 50 seats, potentially overtaking the Liberal Democrats, while UKIP and the Greens together currently have the support of...
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This May will be a boost for female representation – but there’s a catch
With less than a quarter of MPs currently women, a 50:50 parliament seems like a distant hope. But there are grounds for optimism. Based on polling trends and an analysis of every party’s candidate...
View ArticleOur ‘democracy’ is stacked in favour of certain voters
How democratic is Britain? On the face of it, pretty democratic. We tick all the boxes: fair elections, a free press, free speech and assembly, the right to petition and more. But look a little...
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More than half of LFF readers think voting should be compulsory
In our last poll, we asked readers whether it should be made compulsory to vote. Over half (54 per cent) of respondents said that they thought voting (or actively abstaining) should be mandatory. 42...
View ArticleComment: Is it fair the Greens have one seat when proportionally they deserve...
It’s a sad day for democracy when a party’s vote increases fourfold and yet they are left in exactly the same position as they were five years before. But that’s exactly what happened to the Greens...
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