Achieving accountable government
Democratic round-up: Parliamentary scrutiny of the UK’s security services
Tomorrow, for the first time, the heads of the three main UK security services will be questioned in public by members of the Houses of Parliament on the Joint Intelligence and Security Committee. Sean Kippin takes a look at the latest news about the session, the activities of the security agencies, and the effectiveness of […]
Whitehall policy making cannot be improved unless we begin evaluating the performance of ministers
The policy-making process in Whitehall continues to be dysfunctional, with a reluctance to evaluate the performance of Ministers and a troubled interface between Ministers and Civil Servants holding back better Government. Despite improvements under the Coalition government, Matthew Taylor finds himself unimpressed by a new Whitehall guide to better policy making, which does not address these key […]
Government “Tsars” need to be accountable, too
The use of Government “Tsars” – experts brought in to advise Ministers on particular policy areas – has exploded in recent years, with the current Government appointing over 100 since coming to office in May 2010. Here, Ruth Levitt and William Solesbury show that the role of these “Tsars” is ill-defined and poorly recorded, and conclude that they fail […]
Increased opportunities for corruption plus reduced accountability equals a dangerous recipe for local government
A recent report from Transparency International UK highlights increased opportunities for corruption and reduced accountability for local authorities. Nick Maxwell examines the legislative and policy changes that are contributing to the increased risks of corruption, and argues for the consideration of corrective and preventative policy measures. Similar PostsHow transparent and free from corruption is UK government?The government […]
The Edward Snowden disclosures need further public debate and scrutiny in the UK
The revelations about the scale of GCHQ and NSA activities following disclosures from Edward Snowden have caused outcry across the world. Michael Jacobs suggests here that British reaction has been surprisingly muted, by contrast, and argues that we need a wider public debate about the appropriate balance between security and civil liberties. Similar PostsJustifications for […]
Interview: Richard Gordon on the need for a written constitution
Democratic Audit features short audio interviews with leading experts on the state of democracy and human rights. As part of our Constitution UK project, Richard Berry spoke to Richard Gordon QC, who recently published a draft constitution. Listen to the interview here, and read Richard Gordon’s explanation of why the UK needs to make the shift from parliamentary […]
Interview: Philip Coggan of the Economist – “We may have ‘one person – one vote’, but we don’t have ‘one person – equal influence'”
Philip Coggan, aka ‘Buttonwood’ of the Economist, recently spoke to Democratic Audit’s Sean Kippin about his new book ‘The Last Vote: the Threats to Western Democracy’, where we’ve gone wrong and how we might go about confronting the challenge. In the second part of this two part interview, Coggan talks about the threat of the financial system to our democracy, […]
Hand-waving as renegotiation: The UK’s (and EU’s) limited options
David Cameron has committed a future majority Conservative Government to a renegotiation of the terms of British membership of the European Union, followed by an in/out referendum. While much has been made of the political implications of a British exit, less attention has been paid to the substance of what a renegotiated settlement might amount […]
The debate on accountability of public service partnerships needs to be evidence based
The Democratic Audit blog has previously carried articles on government outsourcing by Stephen Wilks and Dan Silver – who argued that the government policy in this area has real implications for democracy. In response, Simon Parker of the New Local Government Network said that opponents of outsourcing were fighting the last war. Here, in response to Parker, Simon […]
The Government needs to legislate to confirm Parliament’s role in conflict decisions
Parliament’s rejection of proposed British military intervention in Syria represented a constitutional landmark. Although Parliament lacks any formal role in the decision, the Prime Minister pledged to abide by MPs’ will. Graham Allen MP, chair of the Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee argues here that these events provide the opportunity to clarify Parliament’s war […]
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