Tweeting for peace? Twitter may help to defuse sectarian tensions in Northern Ireland
Research by Paul Reilly investigates the ways in which the peaceful protests of loyalists and nationalist residents of Northern Ireland in July 2014 were digitally mediated. While acknowledging that social media has often been used to reinforce divisions between rival communities in Northern Ireland, his findings suggest that Twitter may have untapped potential in facilitating modes of […]
The relationship between political donations and peerages shows the need for party finance and House of Lords reform
Allegations that membership of the House of Lords and large political donations go hand-in-hand stretch back hundreds of years, with Tony Blair at one point questioned by police on the issue. Here Andrew Mell illustrates a direct statistical link, and argues that it shows the need for reform of both the House of Lords and […]
Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, a minority Government doesn’t need a “confidence and supply” arrangement to be able to govern
During the election campaign, much attention has been focussed on the prospect of some kind of accommodation, or deal between the Labour and Scottish National Parties. However the discourse on the nature of such an arrangement rests on outdated notions which do not take into account the Fixed Term Parliament Act (FTPA) which changes the […]
A new method for addressing parliamentary boundaries shows the extent of Britain’s “safe seat” problem
With the the 2015 election upon us, there is much talk of safe and marginal seats, and the main parties approach to each. In this post, Max Goplerud examines a perennial concern about the British electoral system—the prevalence of safe seats—using historical data and a new method for addressing boundary changes to illustrate the extent of […]
Book Review: Policy Change, Public Attitudes and Social Citizenship: Does neoliberalism matter?
Neoliberal reforms have both revealed and effected a radical shift in government thinking about social citizenship rights around the world. But have they had a similarly significant impact on public support for these rights? This unique book traces public views on social citizenship across three decades through attitudinal data from New Zealand, the United Kingdom, […]
Party manifestos fail to offer clear commitments on the redrawing of Parliamentary boundaries
Will the rules for the redistribution of Parliamentary constituencies be changed by the next government – as recommended by a House of Commons Committee? Or will another disruptive exercise reducing the number of MPs begin within a year of the 2015 election, as currently scheduled? As Ron Johnston, David Rossiter and Charles Pattie show, there […]
Evidence from the US shows that political satire makes young people more likely to participate in politics
It was recently announced that Trevor Noah will succeed Jon Stewart as host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, a program which increases the likelihood that young people who watch will participate in politics, according to research by Amy Bree Becker. She writes that such programs can have a real impact on voters’ attitudes and that […]
Voters care about government formation even when the landscape is fragmented and coalition signals are ambiguous or absent
Advocates of proportional representation often claim that a reformed electoral system would eliminate the need for tactical voting, along the lines we are currently seeing the UK general election. Drawing on evidence from Belgium, Tom Verthé, Stefanie Beyens, Fernanda Flacco, Louise Nikolic, argue that voters do care about government and coalition formation even when the political and […]
Europe’s war on migrants – while we argue, thousands perish in the Mediterranean
Recent weeks have seen the full extent of the consequences of withdrawing the Mediterranean Mare Nostrum patrols for migrant boats, with thousands dying since the EU affected the policy change. Heaven Crawley argues that its time for the rest of Europe to follow Italy’s lead and act on the crisis, instead of pursuing endless talks […]
Diverse, popular, and growing in importance: Voter Advice Applications and the 2015 General Election
In advance of the 2015 General Election, there are now more Voter Advice Applications (VAA’s) than ever before. These websites provide users with a list of policy-based questions, allowing them to match themselves to a political party. Dr Matthew Wall argues that the VAA’s on offer display a range of characteristics and crucial methodological differences. As we […]
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