Achieving accountable government
Repeated government ‘makeovers’ have not created a government machine that works better and costs less
What do we have to show for thirty years of makeovers in UK central government? Has a relentless focus on cost-cutting damaged traditional administrative values? In a wide-ranging study of UK central government, Christopher Hood and Ruth Dixon found that not only did formal complaints and legal challenges to central government rise sharply over the three decades up to […]
Events in the local elections in Tower Hamlets have provoked national interest and display worrying signs of division
The Tower Hamlets political scene has long been known for its unique flavour and numerous idiosyncrasies. May 22nd’s Mayoral election was one of the most interesting chapters yet, with the incumbent Lutfur Rahman winning re-election in controversial circumstances. Here, the former Leader of Tower Hamlets Council Michael Keith, reflects on what the election means for […]
The limitations of data make it impossible to know exactly what percentage of the UKs laws are made in the EU
Those who argue against Britain’s continued membership of the European Union frequently highlight the percentage of UK law which in some way originates with the European Parliament, with their opponents arguing that these numbers are overstated. In the recent TV debates between Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage, the two wrangled over the figure, with the […]
Patient power could be the driving force behind a revolution in the NHS
Public service user engagement is all the rage across the UK’s three main political parties, with agreement from all ends of the political spectrum that the more we here from people who use services, the better. Here, writing about a new report from OPM, Michael Bonnet and Ingrid Prikken argue that patient power could be the driving force behind […]
20 things we learned about democracy in May 2014
Our election special last week highlighted the key insights arising from the European and local election campaigns. In this post Democratic Audit rounds up the things we learned about democracy this month from other sources, as well as the fallout from those election results. We take in lessons from India, Australia, Canada, the United States and […]
Recent events at the Intelligence and Security Committee make it increasingly difficult to justify the current arrangements for scrutinising the security services
The Intelligence and Security Committee is the only parliamentary body tasked with overseeing the work of Britain’s intelligence services, and has come under sustained criticism following revelations about the scale of surveillance that these bodies carry out. Andrew Defty argues that an alleged recent ‘leak’ from the committee could make it difficult to sustain the argument that the […]
The most successful Select Committee in the last parliament is now the most degraded
The Public Adminstration Committee is tasked with overseeing the work of Government oversees the work of the civil service and of government administration. In the previous 2005-2010 Parliament it was Chaired by the-then Labour MP Tony Wright. Committee member then and now Paul Flynn argues that the current chair Bernard Jenkin has overseen a decline in the […]
The Green Party’s Natalie Bennett on UKIP, political disengagement, and the European and local elections
In part two of her recent two-part interview with Democratic Audit’s Sean Kippin, Natalie Bennett, the Leader of the Green Party, talks about her experiences of party leadership from outside of Parliament or local government, May’s Local and European elections, youth political engagement, and the rise of UKIP. Similar PostsThe Leader of the Green Party, Natalie Bennett, […]
A number of factors determine Cabinet size, while Cabinet size itself affects public spending levels and policy outcomes
As Democratic Audit research has shown, the size of British Cabinet has grown exponentially in recent years. But does this itself have any impact on policy? Indridi H. Indridason presents evidence that it does, particularly in terms of public spending levels, and shows that cabinet size relates more generally to the size of the Government overall. Meanwhile, a […]
Professor Archie Brown on redefining, revolutionary and transformational political leaders
In a previous post, Archie Brown argued that the notion that ‘strong leaders’ are better equipped to win elections and display leadership is flawed, with the opposite in many cases being true. In the second part of an online Q&A session with Professor Brown, he explains the concept of redefining and transformational leaders – those political leaders who do, […]
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