Tag: Stephen Barber
The Sun newspaper has set out the terms for Britain remaining in the EU
The UK has voted to Leave the European Union by a small margin. However one of the Leave side’s largest cheerleaders, the Sun newspaper (owned by Rupert Murdoch), has spelled out the potential arrangement under which it could support the UK’s continued membership of the EU, as Stephen Barber explains. Similar PostsThe ‘othering’ of ‘Red […]
The Tax Credits dispute illustrates both the need for Lords reform, and why it is unlikely to happen any time soon
The Government is currently in conflict with the House of Lords over reform of Tax Credits, with at one point the possibility of a Lords ‘shutdown’ being inflicted by the Government. Stephen Barber argues that the conflict shows precisely why the Lords needs reform, but also shows why it is unlikely to happen any time […]
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 […]
UKIP’s rise could spark unplanned but welcome constitutional reform
UKIP’s rise has caught the establishment by surprise, with the main parties doing all they can to prevent the further rise of the right-wing populist party. However their success is likely to be limited by the difficulty that new parties have in breaking into a House of Commons distinguished by its continuing use of First […]
David Cameron and Nick Clegg are stretching the British constitution, but our confrontational style of politics looks set to continue
Few expected the Coalition Government formed in the wake of the 2010 General Election to last as long as it has. This has been made possible by a process of what Stephen Barber described as ‘stretching’ of the constitution, disregarding some conventions while altering others. Despite this, our confrontational style of politics doesn’t look set […]
Cameron and Miliband are both right on the constitution – But for the wrong reasons
As the constitutional fallout from the Scottish Independence Referendum campaign continues, Stephen Barber looks at how the two main party leaders down south are addressing ‘the English Question’. Cameron and Miliband may be acting from short term partisan motivations, but this doesn’t mean they’re wrong. While any plausible constitutional settlement is complex, it must be based on […]
A small British Senate is the best alternative to the bloated and undemocratic House of Lords
House of Lords reform was scuppered in 2011 when the Conservatives opted not to back the Liberal Democrats’ plan in sufficient numbers. With David Cameron recently opting to appoint a new tranche of Lords and bringing the total size of the chamber to the highest level since 1999, talk of reform has returned. Stephen Barber […]
There is no evidence of a trend towards inexperience among British party leaders
Don’t be fooled into thinking our party leaders are inexperienced, says Stephen Barber, who has recently published research addressing the question. In this post he argues they have plenty of exposure to high level executive politics before becoming MPs, although many have never had a job most of us would recognise. There is a popular […]
Democratic Audit's core funding is provided by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Additional funding is provided by the London School of Economics.