Duverger’s law states that a first-past-the-post electoral system – such as the one in use in the UK for Westminster elections – will support and sustain two party politics. But in recent years, the UK has seen what is essentially a multi-party system emerge, despite systemic constraints. Christopher Raymond looks at how this has come […]
Jeremy Corbyn, originally a rank outsider, is now the Leader of the UK Labour Party. He did so by gaining an enormous democratic mandate with over half a million voters registering a preference for him. His critics argue that his blend of pacifist leftism is unelectable, but Chris Game argues that to the contrary, if […]
British politics was rocked in 2009 by the Parliamentary expenses scandal, which revealed the full extent of MPs claims, and provoked a near unprecedented media storm and damaged Parliament’s reputation significantly. Nan Zhang shares research from China, which shows that though anti-corruption measures can have both a positive and a negative impact on public perceptions […]
The Government’s defeat in the House of Commons shows that it most likely will have to accept the purdah restrictions that it previously rejected as unworkable. Here, Sara Hobolt explains what purdah is and why the issue has been so controversial. Similar PostsEnfranchising 16 and 17 year olds won’t create a new politics, but a more […]
The attempt to control some people can all too quickly escalate into an effort that depends for success on controlling everyone, argues Chandran Kukathas in comparing immigration controls with South Africa’s notorious apartheid laws. Similar PostsBook Review | Refuge Beyond Reach: How Rich Democracies Repel Asylum Seekers by David Scott FitzGeraldWhy don’t immigrants vote more?Book […]
In a recent report by Mathew Lawrence and Sarah Birch the Institute for Public Policy Research has made several proposals for improving the quality of British democracy. One of them involves politicising the traditionally fiercely independent and neutral Boundary Commissions, by requiring them to gerrymander constituency boundaries to produce fewer safe and more marginal seats. […]
The Government’s policy for the creation of a “Northern Powerhouse” has received much comment, with the idea taking its first hit when the government announced that it would delay the promised introduction of new electric trains on key routes. Here, Paul Lakin argues that despite this, there is much potential for the idea – but that […]
Adopting a historical approach, Florian Schui provides an insightful and thought provoking narrative on the concept of austerity, finds Lee Gregory. The text achieves its main aim of introducing the historical roots of austerity, essential to understanding the contemporary context. Schui offers an excellent account of why the idea of austerity has embedded itself in […]
Labour’s leadership election has come under scrutiny for its inclusion of a new category of ‘registered supporters’ who pay £3 in exchange for a say – on an equal footing with full Labour members – in electing the party leader and other key positions. Danny Rye argues that this experiment should not be seen as […]
UK policy and political debate on immigration and asylum seekers has been increasingly driven by abstract, quantitative descriptors. What we need instead are stories and images of individuals in order to trigger empathy and concern, argues Christina Boswell. Similar PostsAn independent Scotland may find it impossible to pursue a more liberal immigration policyBook Review | […]
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