Achieving accountable government
If bombing the Middle East was the way to peace, it would be the most peaceful place on Earth
MPs yesterday voted to deploy bomb attacks against ISIS/Daesh strongholds in Syria, in response to their attack on Paris earlier this month. Here, Sean Swan argues that this is midguided, and despite the understandable yearning to be seen to ‘do something’, the Middle East has been bombed by the West before without achieving the desired results, and […]
European Union policy would change in a number of areas if the UK were to vote to leave
How will the direction of EU policies change if the UK leaves? Doru Frantescu, director and co-founder of VoteWatch Europe, predicts five likely changes if the European Parliament loses its British members. Similar PostsThe UK’s renegotiation: What a fair deal between London and its European partners might look likeIt would be a democratic travesty for Brexit not to be […]
There is a candour deficit among political parties when it comes to fiscal debates
There was something highly implausible about the pre-election fiscal debate. The Autumn Statement saw George Osborne dramatically soften the blow facing Whitehall departments and cuts are to be a quarter of the size planned just seven months ago, despite the fact nothing fundamental has altered in the economy. Gavin Kelly writes that this highlights “candour deficit” […]
Why governments think that freedom of information is for nincompoops
The Government has recently announced a review into the Freedom of Information legislation introduced by the New Labour government led by Tony Blair, who has let it been known recently that he deeply regrets his decision. Benjamin Worthy looks at what to expect from the commission, and observes that politicians are less likely to support […]
Politicians are more likely to forward constituent inquiries to the appropriate level if they are of the same party as the recipient
The UK has enjoyed a significant degree of multi-tiered governance since the introduction of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, with recent events suggesting this dynamic will intensify further. Here, Audrey André, Jonathan Bradbury, and Sam Depauw look at constituent correspondence patterns, and find that politicians are much more likely to forward correspondence to the appropriate […]
The US stands as a cautionary tale for what happens when a media system is dominated by market values
While America’s media system is atypical, understanding its weaknesses may offer important implications for the future of public media like the BBC. Victor Pickard discusses the structural problems facing the American media and the corporate libertarian ideology that holds them in place. He argues that until corporate libertarianism is dismantled, it is difficult to achieve […]
Income inequality and party polarisation proceed together in some countries, but not in others
Income and wealth inequality have become increasingly important drivers of political activity over recent years, following the 2008 financial crisis. But what impact does economic polarisation have on political polarisation? Han Sung Min argues that in some cases income inequality and party polarisation proceed together, but not in others – with electoral systems providing a key explainer […]
Democratic revival can come from devolved democracy
The British state is being dramatically restructured by the ongoing wave of devolution deals but the focus so far has been on devolving economic powers and the delivery of public services. The next step should be to devolve decisions about how local democracy is organised to the cities, regions and local authorities, to help reinvigorate […]
Terrorism does not destroy, provided we restrain our excusable instinct to dive into the false security of a police state
The attacks in Paris have shocked the world, with governments seeking to enhance security measures to prevent such tragic events repeating themselves. Conor Gearty looks at the motives and tactics of terrorist groups, and argues that groups like “Islamic State” ultimately cannot build but only destroy, which is why our civilisation will endure provided we […]
Proper scrutiny must not be set aside in Britain’s response to the attacks in Paris
The shocking events in Paris have jolted Western governments into action, with the UK’s Conservative government seeking to increase and enhance security measures to prevent a similar occurrence happening in Britain. Part of their approach has been to announce the forthcoming introduction of new laws to assist the security services surveillance powers – a move […]
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