Achieving accountable government
Austerity is in serious danger of sending the role of councillor into a slide towards irrelevance
The local government sector has seen unprecedented cuts since the 2010 General Election. With the Conservatives back in power again following 2015, austerity can be expected to continue. Neil Barnett argues that these cuts, as well as other long-term trends such as managerialism and de-politicisation have combined to gradually undermine the role of the councillor. Similar PostsThe […]
The UK has just held a General Election – but how democratic are we as a country?
Democratic Audit UK has long led the way in assessing the health, strength and durability of UK democracy, with the 2012 Audit of Democracy showing worrying trends and highlighting the numerous systemic problems with the UK’s constitutional and political settlement. Here, Karima Bousbah, Miriam Hänni, Lea Heyne, Lisa Müller and Saskia Ruth apply a new […]
A ‘Brexit’ referendum is now inevitable, but as things stand, Britain would vote to stay in the EU
A Conservative majority government was, contrary to all pre-poll expectations, elected on Thursday night. It is expected to hold an referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union, either in 2016 or 2017. But would the UK vote to stay or go? In this article, written pre-polling, Paul Whiteley and Harold D Clarke argue […]
The constitutional implications of the rise of the SNP
The UK Constitutional Law Association blog has asked constitutional lawyers to review the main party manifestos ahead of the May elections, drawing out key constitutional proposals. Below Aileen McHarg discussed the constitutional implications of the rise of the SNP. Similar PostsAudit 2017: How democratic are the central institutions of devolved government in Scotland?Scottish Parliament Election preview: The […]
Ed Miliband does not need the go-ahead from Nicola Sturgeon to become Prime Minister
Who will be Prime Minister at the end of the 2015 General Election process? David Cameron could be set to remain the Leader of the largest party in the House of Commons, but without an obvious path to a majority. Ed Miliband, meanwhile, can count on the SNP to at least vote against the Tories […]
Is a British Senate any closer now? Or will the House of Lords still go on and on?
Labour enters the 2015 election pledged to make creating a British Senate a key part of a new Constitutional Convention. The SNP surge in Scotland gives much greater urgency to the idea, since a new upper House could be one of the most important components for re-binding together a fully federal UK. Richard Reid and […]
The emergence of a genuine system of multiparty politics in the United Kingdom is a positive development for British democracy
In 1955 more than 90% of voters opted to back either Labour or the Conservatives. In 2015, this figure could drop to its lowest ever, even lower than 2010 when only 65% backed the established parties. Many factors lie behind this trend, but it represents a positive development, argues Vittorio Trevitt. An intriguing development that […]
An invitation to adventurism: the Fixed-term Parliaments Act can and will crucify a minority government
A spirited argument has broken out on Democratic Audit UK and on other blogs regarding the implications of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act for what kind of Government may emerge from the General Election. In a previous blog, Colin Talbot argued that a minority government could govern relatively comfortably given the Act, which makes bringing […]
Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, a minority Government doesn’t need a “confidence and supply” arrangement to be able to govern
During the election campaign, much attention has been focussed on the prospect of some kind of accommodation, or deal between the Labour and Scottish National Parties. However the discourse on the nature of such an arrangement rests on outdated notions which do not take into account the Fixed Term Parliament Act (FTPA) which changes the […]
The UK Supreme Court must recruit its members from a more diverse range of backgrounds
The previous Labour Government introduced a new UK supreme court, replacing the old system in which the legal committee of the House of Lords – the ‘Law Lords’, would fulfil this task. Dr Rachel O’Cahill-Callaghan discusses the need for demographic diversity in this body, and also the need for diversity of background, experience and values. Similar PostsThe rule […]
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