Book Review | Posh Boys: How the English Public Schools Ruin Britain by Robert Verkaik
By 08/06/2019 0 Comments Read More →

Book Review | Posh Boys: How the English Public Schools Ruin Britain by Robert Verkaik

In Posh Boys: How the English Public Schools Ruin Britain, Robert Verkaik explores the role that public schooling plays in reproducing inequality in Britain, showing how public schools enable wealthy families to pass down their privilege to their children who subsequently have greater access to the most lucrative and powerful areas of British society. Grounded in statistical evidence, this is a valuable contribution to debates surrounding social mobility in the UK, writes Ross Goldstone.

Posted in: Book reviews
Tough and tender: the winning formula for the next Prime Minister
By 07/06/2019 1 Comments Read More →

Tough and tender: the winning formula for the next Prime Minister

Eleven Conservative MPs are currently running to succeed Theresa May. Whoever emerges from this contest as the next Prime Minister, they will need to have the human and technical skills to tackle both the emotional divisions of the country and the challenges of Brexit, writes Tony Hockley.

Posted in: Conservative party, Prime Ministers
Who runs elections and how can they be improved? Independence, resources and workforce conditions are essential for good election management
By 06/06/2019 0 Comments Read More →

Who runs elections and how can they be improved? Independence, resources and workforce conditions are essential for good election management

In new research published today about how elections are run around the world, Toby S. James, Leontine Loeber, Holly Ann Garnett and Carolien van Ham find that organisational independence matters for well-run elections, and that election management could be improved with more resources, improved working conditions for election employees – and a better gender balance in electoral management bodies.

Posted in: Elections and electoral systems
Have changes in counterterrorism legislation before and after 9/11 curtailed civil rights?
By 03/06/2019 0 Comments Read More →

Have changes in counterterrorism legislation before and after 9/11 curtailed civil rights?

Nicole Bolleyer examines the extent and form of legal changes across five western countries in the decades that span 9/11 and finds that in general the level of legal constraints on civil liberties has grown, though with considerable variation between countries and in types of restrictions.

Posted in: Extending human and civic rights
Book Review | The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties by Paul Collier
By 01/06/2019 0 Comments Read More →

Book Review | The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties by Paul Collier

In The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties, Paul Collier offers a forthright discussion of capitalism today that seeks to diagnosis and propose remedies for the anxieties shaping divisions between families, cities and nations. Staying away from clichés, ideology or populism, Collier calls our attention to pragmatism and the ‘hard centre’, and he is impressive in doing so in this notable book, writes Mehmet Emin Bayram.

Posted in: Book reviews
Brexit has shown the limits of Britain’s broken ‘Westminster model’ of politics
By 31/05/2019 3 Comments Read More →

Brexit has shown the limits of Britain’s broken ‘Westminster model’ of politics

The results of the recent European Parliament elections demonstrate how the traditional model of UK politics based on two ‘main’ parties is fracturing under the pressures of the Brexit process. Jess Garland sets out some proposals for reforming the system in line with voters’ wishes for a more cooperative style of politics.

Posted in: Elections and electoral systems, Parliament
#DeniedMyVote – why many EU citizens were unable to vote in the European Parliament elections
By 30/05/2019 0 Comments Read More →

#DeniedMyVote – why many EU citizens were unable to vote in the European Parliament elections

On Thursday 23 May, the UK participated in European Parliament elections. Citizens of all EU countries should be able to vote in these elections in the country they live, but many non-UK EU citizens found they had been excluded from the electoral register and were unable to vote. Toby James explains how the government’s long-term failure to improve our electoral laws and short-term pressures led to many people being denied their right to vote.

Posted in: Elections and electoral systems, European Parliament elections 2019, Extending human and civic rights
Representing interest groups: umbrella organisations enjoy preferential access to the legislative arena but not to the media
By 29/05/2019 0 Comments Read More →

Representing interest groups: umbrella organisations enjoy preferential access to the legislative arena but not to the media

Lobbying for access to parliamentary and media debates potentially allows organisations to represent the interests of their members and exert political influence. Wiebke Marie Junk looks at which types of interest groups are favoured when it comes to lobbying access in the United Kingdom and Germany. She finds that access to the legislature is higher for ‘umbrella’ organisations that unite many member groups, while representing a higher number of individual people does not seem to matter.

Posted in: Informing and engaging citizens
European elections 2019: what will happen in England’s South East?
By 22/05/2019 0 Comments Read More →

European elections 2019: what will happen in England’s South East?

This is the UK’s biggest European regional constituency, returning ten MEPs. So it is the area where the most proportional results are feasible, and where smaller parties (those that can reach 6–8% support) have the best chance of gaining a seat. Traditionally a Conservative stronghold in all other elections, UKIP nonetheless came first here in 2014. That inheritance has now passed to the Brexit Party, which fields Nigel Farage as their top candidate and is now certain to win four seats here, and probably a fifth. Since Conservative support has apparently slumped, the Liberal Democrats are sure of winning a seat and should get two if current polls are right. The Tories, Greens and Labour should all get one seat each, and with small increments in support each (plus Change UK) might vie with the Brexit Party for the last of the region’s seats. With voters able to cast only a single vote for a party list in the election, which takes place on Thursday, 23 May, the Democratic Audit team reviews likely outcomes for the parties and the main potentially electable candidates.

Posted in: European Parliament elections 2019
European elections 2019: what will happen in Scotland?
By 22/05/2019 0 Comments Read More →

European elections 2019: what will happen in Scotland?

In 2014 four parties won two or one of Scotland’s six seats, with the SNP topping the poll at 29%. This time SNP support is high enough that they are sure of winning three seats, with the Brexit Party also guaranteed a seat. The remaining two seats are up for grabs between the big two and the other parties (Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens). With voters able to cast only a single vote for a party list in this PR election, which takes place tomorrow, 23 May, the Democratic Audit team reviews the likely outcomes for the parties, and looks at who the potentially electable candidates are.

Posted in: European Parliament elections 2019, Scotland
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