Keep your distance: on the relationship between European integration and religion
The European continent has a history of religious entanglement and change, while its recent past has been in large part defined by the experience of European integration. But how do the two interact? Simona Guerra argues that EU integration can become a turning point for religiosity, and widen the gap between that part of the society moving […]
The new House of Commons is on the whole no more experienced than the last
A new House of Commons was elected at the General Election, where an almost unprecedented number of frontbench MPs – including Ed Balls, Esther McVey, and Jim Murphy, all lost their seats. But how experienced is the new House of Commons? Oliver Hawkins argues that, depending on how you measure it, this set of MPs is […]
Austerity is in serious danger of sending the role of councillor into a slide towards irrelevance
The local government sector has seen unprecedented cuts since the 2010 General Election. With the Conservatives back in power again following 2015, austerity can be expected to continue. Neil Barnett argues that these cuts, as well as other long-term trends such as managerialism and de-politicisation have combined to gradually undermine the role of the councillor. Similar PostsThe […]
The 2015 General Election shows why we need a ‘None of the Above’ option on ballot papers
The 2015 General Election saw a Conservative majority government returned (albeit on a minority of the vote) for the first time since 1992. While the First Past the Post electoral system may be disproportionate and antiquated, Jamie Stanley of the None of the Above campaign argues that a more pressing matter is introducing a ‘None […]
Five political problems with ‘Full Fiscal Autonomy’ for Scotland
The SNP have turned the Scottish political map yellow, routing Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives in winning nearly all of Scotland’s seats. The scale of the next transfer of power from Westminster to Holyrood has been up for debate, with ‘full fiscal autonomy’ (FFA) being suggested. Paul Cairney argues that there are at […]
The UK has just held a General Election – but how democratic are we as a country?
Democratic Audit UK has long led the way in assessing the health, strength and durability of UK democracy, with the 2012 Audit of Democracy showing worrying trends and highlighting the numerous systemic problems with the UK’s constitutional and political settlement. Here, Karima Bousbah, Miriam Hänni, Lea Heyne, Lisa Müller and Saskia Ruth apply a new […]
A ‘Brexit’ referendum is now inevitable, but as things stand, Britain would vote to stay in the EU
A Conservative majority government was, contrary to all pre-poll expectations, elected on Thursday night. It is expected to hold an referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union, either in 2016 or 2017. But would the UK vote to stay or go? In this article, written pre-polling, Paul Whiteley and Harold D Clarke argue […]
Three more years of Cameron – but it will be a rocky road ahead
Confounding the pollsters and the pundits, voters in England have given David Cameron another three years as Prime Minister, collapsed the Liberal Democrats to a shell and dashed the Labour elite’s dream of edging back into power via a minority government. Patrick Dunleavy unravels what was and was not historic in the 2015 general election results. Similar […]
The election has transformed Scottish politics, and created a context where another referendum is possible
The SNP have swept the electoral map in Scottish, winning all but three seats. With a Conservative government south of the border, Craig McAngus argues that the ‘significant change’ threshold put on another referendum by the SNP may now have been breached. The SNP have won 56 of Scotland’s 59 seats. This is an unprecedented […]
Follow the LSE’s General Election 2015 live-blog
Democratic Audit UK Managing Editor Sean Kippin and Research Assistant (and Democratic Dashboard lead) Carl Cullinane are joining with our LSE colleagues Joel Suss, Cheryl Brumley, Stuart Brown, Jack Blumenau, and Chris Gilson to bring you up to the minute coverage of tonight’s General Election count, on the LSE General Election blog. Click here to […]
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