Tag: Cristina Leston-Bandeira
Engaging the public with the scrutiny of legislation requires more than just asking for their views
Cristina Leston-Bandeira and Louise Thompson examine the impact of a stage of the legislative process piloted by the House of Commons in 2013, during which the public were invited to comment on a bill undergoing parliamentary scrutiny. They explain why, despite an impressive response, the Public Reading Stage failed to make much of an impact.
The Digital Democracy Commission report is about far more than just digital
The Speaker’s Commission on Digital Democracy recently reported, recommending amongst other things that online voting be introduced in time for the next General Election. One of the Commission’s members, Cristina Leston-Bandeira, highlights the key elements of the report, and expresses hope that real change could be afoot. After a year of extensive consultation across the […]
The best of Democratic Audit’s 2014 coverage of democracy’s technological advance
Is the future of democracy digital? In 2014, Democratic Audit UK carried numerous pieces of analysis, research, and argument concerning the interplay between technology, politics, parties, and representation, with the best appearing below in the latest of our 2014 round-ups. Similar PostsSocial media may have the potential to truly enhance our democracy, but there is […]
The best of Democratic Audit’s 2014 coverage of Parliamentary reform
The UK’s archaic Parliamentary system remains in dire need of reform and renewal. Recent events resulting from the Scottish independence referendum – particularly the Prime Minister’s plans to exclude Scottish MPs from voting in English domestic legislation – threaten to elevate our constitutional incoherence to hitherto unprecedented levels. The Democratic Audit blog has kept a close eye […]
Parliaments use social media mainly as a reporting tool rather than for public engagement
The UK Parliament and its counterparts across the globe are increasingly connecting with citizens through social media. Cristina Leston-Bandeira gives an overview of a new study into the Twitter and Facebook strategies of national parliaments. She finds that in the UK, 80% of Parliament’s social media postings tend to be used to report parliamentary activity rather than […]
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