Tag: Jonathan Tonge

Book Review: Britain Votes 2015 edited by Andrew Geddes and Jonathan Tonge

Book Review: Britain Votes 2015 edited by Andrew Geddes and Jonathan Tonge

In the edited collection Britain Votes 2015, editors Andrew Geddes and Jonathan Tonge present essays analysing the main issues and outcomes of the 2015 UK General Election. Offering a concise and well-rounded account of an election often promoted in the media as one of the most unpredictable of recent times, this book is recommended reading for […]

Votes at 16: Seeking a more enlightened debate on youth disengagement from politics

Votes at 16: Seeking a more enlightened debate on youth disengagement from politics

Democratic Audit recently produced an collection of pieces which addressed the question of whether it is right to re-examine the UK’s minimum voting age. The aim of the publication was to heighten the level of debate around the issue, an aim which one of the contributors, Andrew Mycock, shares. Here, he argues that one of […]

The Government needs to implement Youth Citizenship Commission proposals to turn schools into ‘sites of democracy’

The Government needs to implement Youth Citizenship Commission proposals to turn schools into ‘sites of democracy’

As part of our series on youth participation, Andy Mycock and Jonathan Tonge consider the progress made in the five years since the Youth Citizenship Commission made a series of recommendations to government. They find that many of its proposals have been adopted, although without much fanfare. One area where there has been little change is in the […]

Votes at 16 should be part of the systemic reform needed to counter youth abstention from democratic institutions

Votes at 16 should be part of the systemic reform needed to counter youth abstention from democratic institutions

Andrew Mycock and Jonathan Tonge argued on Democratic Audit recently that lowering the voting age to 16 in the UK should not be considered while much wider and political reform is required to engage young people. In this post Benjamin Bowman responds, suggesting that enfranchising should be part of this systemic reform, and would place the right […]

Ed Miliband should recognise that 16 and 17 year olds can be part of our democracy even if they do not have the vote

Ed Miliband should recognise that 16 and 17 year olds can be part of our democracy even if they do not have the vote

Ed Miliband has recently backed a call from Democratic Audit and a range of youth organisations to lower the voting age in the UK to 16. In this post, the latest in our series on youth participation in democracy, Andy Mycock and Jonathan Tonge make the point that votes at 16 will not be a panacea […]

Beyond the Youth Citizenship Commission: Young People and Politics

Beyond the Youth Citizenship Commission: Young People and Politics

Gordon Brown established the Youth Citizenship Commission in 2008 to investigate how to increase the involvement of young people in British democracy. Although recommendations were taken forward by the previous government,  youth disengagement remains a problem. In the first of a new series on Democratic Audit, Jonathan Tonge and Andy Mycock introduce a set of proposals […]