Education can provide both the opportunities and capabilities to make active citizens of our young people
The General Election once again showed the extent of yawning divide in terms of political participation between older and younger citizens. James Sloam and Ben Kisby reflect on the extent to which young people (dis)engage from politics. By analysing data from the European Social Survey, they conclude that educational institutions are a vital factor in influencing young people’s […]
The replacement of the Human Rights Act has been kicked into the long grass – let’s make sure it stays there
The Conservative Party’s 2015 General Election manifesto committed them to the repeal and replacement of the Human Rights Act. Arman Sarvarian argues that the Government’s decision to postpone the measures (announced in yesterday’s Queen’s Speech) is a good one, but that lawyers, concerned citizens, and the Conservative Party should resist it if and when it reappears. Similar […]
“A significant loss to UK democracy”: Experts respond to the abolition of the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee
The incoming majority Conservative government has opted to abolish the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, which unlike the other commons committees does not exist on a statutory basis. Democratic Audit UK asked experts and practitioners to respond to the news, who are united in considering it a foolhardy decision which will do little to […]
A response to Daniel Hannan: a “UK Sovereignty Act” would make no legal sense
Do we need a UK Parliamentary “Sovereignty” Act, as proposed by the Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan on ConservativeHome, to reassert sovereignty over the European Union? Mark Elliott argues that such an Act might make political sense for the Government, but that Hannan’s argument is based upon fundamental misconceptions about the legal status of the UK and EU’s […]
Political parties need to take greater responsibility for Pakistani and Bangladeshi clan politicking in order to protect our democracy
Recent controversies in local elections in Tower Hamlets and the General Election in Bradford West have highlighted the issue of voter fraud and the behaviour of ‘biraderi’ (Pakistani and Bangladeshi ‘clan’) networks. Eleanor Hill argues that political parties have a responsibility to act in order the prevent potential future controversies. Similar PostsThe contest in Bradford […]
The 2015 General Election was free, but not necessarily fair
The 2015 election result shows just how absurdly unfair our voting system is. To change it we need political pressure from a movement for democratic renewal outside of Parliament, argues Peter Evans. Similar PostsStrategic voting in the 2015 general election: why Liberal Democrats didn’t vote for their own partyIn the 2015 General Election campaign, politicians […]
EVEL, Brexit, and the SNP: what does the 2015 election mean for the House of Commons?
The Conservatives shocked everyone by winning a small majority at the 2015 General Election, despite predictions of a hung parliament and the possibility of constitutional wrangling over who had legitimacy to form the next Government. As they bed down for another five years, Louise Thompson looks at what their unexpected victory means for parliament, focussing […]
Europe’s hidden economy: how governments can bring undeclared work out of the shadows
The so called ‘shadow economy’ refers to work and financial transactions that take place outside of the view of public authorities. Colin C. Williams writes on the scale of this problem in Europe, noting that while the estimated size of the undeclared economy in the EU is around 18.4 per cent of GDP, it is […]
Electoral systems are significant in determining the structure of electorates
Analysing a vast database of district level election results, Gudio Tiemann shows the political consequences of electoral systems at the district level, concentrating on the effects of (local) district magnitudes on the fragmentation of (local) electorates and the context-dependency of electoral system effects. The straightforward focus on the district level addresses where the causal forces behind Duverger’s […]
The abolition of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee is a loss to Parliament and British democracy
The incoming majority Conservative Government have made one of their first decisions the abolition of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, currently Chaired by the Labour MP Graham Allen. Andrew Blick, who worked closely with the committee argues that the decision is a poor one, and that its work – both high profile and more […]
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