Tag: Stuart Wilks-Heeg
There is still a very long way to go before votes at 16 at general elections becomes a reality
The negotiations between the Scottish and UK governments over the terms of the Scottish independence referendum have resulted in a deal widely trumpeted as allowing 16 year olds to vote when the ballot takes place, probably in Autumn 2014. Unsurprisingly, this move has re-awakened the wider debate about lowering the voting age, with some arguing that it […]
Time to tackle the growth of the ‘payroll vote’
The number of Members of Parliament who take the ‘Government whip’ has continued to grow. This trend is exacerbated by a larger number of members of the House of Lords who have become Ministers, who escape the kind of scrutiny which we associate with the House of Commons. Stewart Wilks-Heeg argues that is time to […]
Who governs Merseyside? The significance of Heseltine’s new report
Anyone who took part in our ‘Who governs Merseyside?‘ event at the Bluecoat on 6 October will surely attest that the quality of the debate was exceptionally high. The ‘expert panel’ more than lived up to its billing, despite the fact that two of its members were unable to attend on the night. Yet, we barely […]
Talking sense on Lords reform: why the PSA’s new Briefing fills a crucial gap
Stuart Wilks-Heeg On 19 May 2010, just weeks after the General Election, the new Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, promised that the incoming coalition government would preside over ‘a wholesale, big bang approach to political reform’, amounting to ‘the biggest shake up of our democracy since 1832’. It scarcely needs pointing out that, following the […]
What’s happening to our democracy?
Stuart Wilks-Heeg, 28 February 2011 Our fourth Audit of UK democracy, due for publication later this year, deploys International IDEA’s ‘State of Democracy’ assessment framework and is built around 77 separate ‘search questions’. As we consider the huge evidence base which our Audit is generating, however, one ‘overarching’ question which is not part of the framework becomes […]
Reduce and equalise? Why electoral geography matters
Stuart Wilks-Heeg 9th July 2010 Whether or not we end up voting under a different electoral system at the 2015 General Election, it looks almost certain that most of us will be voting in different constituencies. The Parliamentary Reform Bill, which will make provisions for the referendum on AV and for fixed term parliaments, will also […]
Postal voting and electoral fraud
Stuart Wilks-Heeg, 26 April 2011 Malpractice accusations are now almost part of the UK’s election calendar. Every Spring, in the week or so before local elections, and just after the dispatch of postal ballot to voters, media reports of electoral fraud allegations begin to trickle in. Invariably, the vast majority of cases are reported to […]
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