Author Archive: Democratic Audit UK
Forget independence for London – but the capital now needs its own devolved government more than ever
London has vote to remain in the EU while the rest of the UK – and especially England – voted to leave. This has led to calls for London to declare independence. Independence is not going to happen. But as Tim Oliver argues, a fully devolved government for London is possible. It’s time the UK […]
Let down and left out: Young voters and the EU referendum
The EU referendum campaigns and mainstream media displayed a staggering indifference to younger voters, writes James Sloam. He highlights how the switch to individual voter registration, the timing of the vote, the exclusion of 16- and 17-year olds and the media circus of exaggerated claim and counter-claim all left young people unenthused by the campaign and strongly opposed to […]
We need a root and branch review of referendums in the UK
Assessing the role of referendums is a challenge because they are on the fault-line of representative and other forms of democracy. Katie Ghose argues that more clarity is needed on who triggers them, and proposes three essential reforms for future referendum campaigns. Similar PostsLearning the lessons: What other referendums can teach us about the EU […]
Desperate times and desperate measures: Could the UK force the EU to negotiate before Article 50 is triggered?
Many on the British side have suggested initial deals should be hammered out before the Article 50 process begins. However, France and Germany are set against early negotiations and now appear to welcome Brexit as an opportunity to pursue greater EU integration. Sean Swan argues that, with strong and coherent leadership, Britain could potentially use […]
Detoxifying the UK’s exit from the EU: a multi-national compromise is possible
Public discussions about how the UK is to exit from the European Union have been too simplified, and have failed to come up with any solution that recognizes that only England and Wales in fact voted to leave. Brendan O’Leary outlines a way forward where those nations wanting to remain in the EU might be […]
Book Review: The Coalition Government and Social Policy: Restructuring the Welfare State edited by Hugh Bochel and Martin Powell
The diverse essays included in The Coalition Government and Social Policy: Restructuring the Welfare State, edited by Hugh Bochel and Martin Powell, provide a fascinating and useful contribution to our understanding of recent political history in the UK, argues Mike Pym. The editors’ intention is to ‘locate the coalition’ in the political landscape and uncover the […]
The Brexit debate is far from over: there will have to be a further vote
Britain has voted for Brexit. What comes next is remarkably unclear. James Strong argues that four questions remain, and whether it is a general election or a second referendum, further polls will be required. Similar PostsWhy there should be a general election before Article 50 is triggeredA great or Pyrrhic victory? The dangers ahead for […]
Who will succeed David Cameron? A brief history of takeover Prime Ministers
Following David Cameron’s announcement that he will resign following the EU referendum, Ben Worthy assesses the experiences of Prime Ministers who have taken over mid-term, and considers what can be taken from this as we look forward to the upcoming Tory leadership battle. Similar PostsGoing, Going, Gone: How Safe is David Cameron?A tale of two […]
The EU referendum as a bad participatory design process
The EU referendum fails as a participatory design process in two important ways, namely that participants are deeply ill informed about the issues at hand, and that participants are unlikely to reflect the makeup of the country as a whole. Jimmy Tidey argues these highlight a broken process and writes that classic participatory design techniques could […]
The idea that English nationalism has powered support for Brexit is unduly simplistic and requires re-examination
English sentiment has been important to the tenor and character of the Vote Leave campaign, but Michael Kenny writes there are reasons to be sceptical that English nationalism has had a clear, causal role in the EU Referendum. He asks whether the picture of the ‘two Englands’ – one progressive and cosmopolitan, the other populist […]
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