100 things we learned about democracy in 2013: Part three

To mark the end of 2013, Democratic Audit has collected 100 of the most important, surprising and downright disturbing things we have learned about democracy this year. Here is part three of our list, covering everything from non-voting lothario Russell Brand to the (financial) value of your vote.

Read numbers 1-25 26-50 51-75 76-100

51. Despite claims to the contrary, democracy is not overrated at all. Find out more here.

52. Russell Brand has led a varied and exciting life, but his escapades have never taken him to the inside of a polling station. Find out more here.

Durham: Home of political disproportionality

53. The Conservatives in Government row with one another almost as much as they do with the Liberal Democrats inside the Government. Find out more here.

54. The implementation of Individual Voter Registration could see thousands of people – disproportionately from lower income and BAME backgrounds – thrown off the electoral register. Find out more here.

55. Police and Crime Commissioners have the power to sack their Chief Constables. Find out more here.

56. The UK has the lowest youth participation rate of the EU-15 countries. Find out more here.

57. The best way to get people involved in elections is through talking to them face-to-face. Find out more here.

58. The wording of the Conservative Party’s proposed EU referendum could hardly be more flawed. Find out more here.

59. It is almost impossible to predict elections using social media, but the data can be of some use. Find out more here.

James Wharton MP, sponsor of the Conservatives’ European Union referendum bill

60. People are more likely to distrust politicians because they can’t answer a straight question with a straight answer than anything else. Find out more here.

61. Brazil, Austria, Nicaragua, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man, and parts of Norway all have votes at 16. Find out more here.

62. 90% of the UK public believe the country is run by a few big entities, solely concerned with looking out for themselves. Find out more here.

63. More than half of the MPs elected at the 2010 General Election took a pay cut. Find out more here.

64. Despite taking a pop at Russell Brand for not participating in elections, Jeremy Paxman also sometimes opts not to exercise the right to vote. Find out more here.

65. People who have served on juries are more likely to vote. Find out more here.

66. In Britain’s first past the post electoral system, some votes are worth 22 times more than others. Find out more here.

67. People are more likely to vote if they think their neighbours do, too. Find out more here.

Russell Brand: non-voting, lank-haired revolutionary

68. Durham has the worst ‘proportionality’ of any constituency in the country. Find out more here.

69. Electorally vulnerable MPs are less likely to hold a directorship than other MPs in an election year. Find out more here.

70. 37% of the population support job sharing for MPs, while 38% oppose it. Find out more here.

71. The UK has 21 non-Ministerial departments, without clear lines of accountability to Parliament and within Government. Find out more here.

72. The UK citizenship test presents a male-dominated view of history. Find out more here.

73. Internal party dissent is less likely in countries with majoritarian voting systems like the UK. Find out more here.

74. Voters in Britain care just as much about the source of outside income that MPs receive as the amount. Find out more here.

75. Economic investment declines in certain sectors declines in the run-up to an election, due to uncertainty. Find out more here.

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We will be publishing the final instalment of 100 things we learned about democracy in 2013 on Democratic Audit tomorrow. View the full series so far here.

Note: This post represents the views of the authors and does not give the position of Democratic Audit or the LSE. Please read our comments policy before commenting. Shortlink for this post: https://buff.ly/1iSmZJi

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Photo credits:
Durham: Glen Bowman
James Wharton MP: Wikimedia Commons
Russell Brand: Wikimedia Commons