Income and wealth inequality have become increasingly important drivers of political activity over recent years, following the 2008 financial crisis. But what impact does economic polarisation have on political polarisation? Han Sung Min argues that in some cases income inequality and party polarisation proceed together, but not in others – with electoral systems providing a key explainer […]
The British state is being dramatically restructured by the ongoing wave of devolution deals but the focus so far has been on devolving economic powers and the delivery of public services. The next step should be to devolve decisions about how local democracy is organised to the cities, regions and local authorities, to help reinvigorate […]
Dawn Langan Teele writes that although the recent film Suffragette bucks the elite perspective of the suffrage movement, any film which focusses exclusively on the militant wing ignores the key role played by the tens of thousands of non-militant suffragists. Her recent research focusses specifically on the alliance between the nascent Labour Party and the […]
In Bring Back the Bureaucrats, John J. Dilulio Jr. concisely and passionately outlines the dangers of Big Government by stealth in the USA as bureaucratic tasks become increasingly outsourced to proxies including charities, business contractors and local government. Ruth Garland writes that the book resonates with current debates over the provision of public services in the UK […]
Scotland’s Parliament was set up with the partial intention of creating for Scotland a superior system of Government than was enjoyed at the UK level. But how effectively does is scrutinise its executive? In advance of the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections, which the SNP are expected to dominate, Peter Lynch looks at some of the […]
The attacks in Paris have shocked the world, with governments seeking to enhance security measures to prevent such tragic events repeating themselves. Conor Gearty looks at the motives and tactics of terrorist groups, and argues that groups like “Islamic State” ultimately cannot build but only destroy, which is why our civilisation will endure provided we […]
The House of Lords has amended the EU Referendum Bill to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in the forthcoming EU referendum. The issue will now return to the Commons, but what difference would such an extension to the franchise make? Alan Renwick and Barney McCay examine the evidence. Similar Posts16 things you need to know […]
The shocking events in Paris have jolted Western governments into action, with the UK’s Conservative government seeking to increase and enhance security measures to prevent a similar occurrence happening in Britain. Part of their approach has been to announce the forthcoming introduction of new laws to assist the security services surveillance powers – a move […]
How influential is the UK in EU decision-making? In the third in a series of articles, Simon Hix presents evidence on the countries EU member states choose to cooperate with during negotiations in the Council of the European Union. He writes that UK officials appear to be the best connected of all the member states’ […]
Kezia Dugdale recently attracted attention for proposing that the party she leads, the Scottish Labour Party, should have a far greater degree of autonomy from the London-based British Labour Party. Eric Shaw looks through the ramifications, arguing that though the move raises questions, its logic is entirely inescapable given the SNP’s current dominance. Similar PostsEuropean […]
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