Tag: Sarah Birch

Britain’s poor view of politicians is more to do with their inability to answer a straight question than perceived corruption

Britain’s poor view of politicians is more to do with their inability to answer a straight question than perceived corruption

British politicians have an appallingly poor reputation with the British public, with many regarding them as slippery, corrupt, and concerned chiefly with their own financial well-being. But, as Sarah Birch and Nicholas Allen argue, Britons are actually less concerned than German or French citizens with outright bribery, and more irritated by politicians refusal to give straight […]

Votes at 16: what the UK can learn from Austria, Norway and the Crown dependencies

Votes at 16: what the UK can learn from Austria, Norway and the Crown dependencies

Implementing the proposal in Ed Miliband’s party conference speech to lower the voting age would make Britain one of only a few countries to allow 16 year olds to vote. In this post, Democratic Audit asks leading democracy experts to share findings from nations that have introduced this change, focusing especially on Austria, Norway and, […]

Young Britons should vote early, and vote often

Young Britons should vote early, and vote often

The Australian Federal Election again showed that making turnout mandatory is proven to increase turnout, with over 86% of the population voting, compared to just 65% in the UK’s 2010 General Election. Professor Sarah Birch argues that the time has come to tackle the crisis of youth disaffectedness with politics by introducing compulsory voting for the […]