Crowdsourcing the Constitution
Can a constitutional convention offer real and radical change?
Following an economic and financial crisis in 2009, Ireland became one of the first countries that attempted to provide for a citizen-led programme of constitutional reform. Senator Ivana Bacik speaks about her experience as a politician who took part in the Irish Constitutional Convention. She suggests that a constitutional convention can offer real and radical change. Similar PostsHow democratic is the UK’s basic constitutional […]
20 things we learned about democracy in November 2014
Traditionally, November isn’t a particularly pleasant month, with autumn giving way to winter, and Christmas just too far away to provide any real solace. But did we learn anything about democracy that might cheer us up? Democratic Audit’s Sean Kippin does his best to do just that, bringing us factoids about white vans, immigration, Prime […]
20 things we learned about democracy in October 2014
What happened in October 2014 that democrats will find interesting? Lots, it turns out, including revelations about the position of names on ballot papers, drones, and of course UKIP. Sean Kippin rounds up 20 interesting pieces of information that made themselves known this month. Similar Posts20 things we learned about democracy in January 2015How democratic […]
20 things we learned about democracy in September 2014
September 2014 was a big month for democracy, with party conferences and of course the Scottish independence referendum. Democratic Audit’s Sean Kippin rounds up 20 things that we learned about democracy this month, and talks about the referendum and conferences, but also elections in the House of Lords, human rights, and KFC chicken. Similar PostsThe […]
20 things we learned about democracy in August 2014
Parliament was in recess throughout August, despite calls for its recall. Even so, none of this meant that British democracy stopped last month, with numerous interesting facts, factoids, and observations revealing themselves. Sean Kippin of Democratic Audit selects the best and most interesting. Similar Posts20 things we learned about democracy in March 201520 things we […]
Five minutes with Graham Allen: “unlike most democracies, the UK lacks a document that sets out the rules of the political game”
The Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, chaired by Graham Allen MP, has launched a project which aims to consult with the public about whether the UK needs a written constitution, and what such a document should contains. He argues that the country would be better governed if we took the chance to give ourselves what […]
20 things we learned about democracy in July 2014
July 2014 was a quieter month for democracy, with things settling down into a lull for the summer. But that doesn’t mean that nothing of note happened, with Sean Kippin bringing you the latest instalment of our 20 things we learned about democracy series, which is once again bursting with choice nuggets of democracy information […]
The Icelandic experience challenges the view that constitutional process must be exclusionary and secretive
In the wake of the financial crisis which nearly bankrupted Iceland, the country began a process to create a new constitution which could maintain the confidence of a public understandably disenchanted with their political elite. What followed was a ‘crowd-sourced’ project which ultimately fell at the final hurdle. However the experience did show that it is […]
Mapping the path to codifying – or not codifying – the UK’s Constitution
Does the UK need a written a constitution? While the case for codifying our rights and putting them beyond the meddling of politicians and civil servants seems to be very strong, some prefer the current collection of legal, social and political customs and convention. In launching a new report on the UK’s constitution, the Chair […]
Scotland would benefit from adopting a more ambitious approach to its constitutional future
The Scottish Government this week released the first draft of an interim constitution for an independent Scotland, as well as details about the nature of the Constitutional Convention that would come together in order to write a final document. Alan Renwick argues that though some elements of this are encouraging, a bolder approach – particularly […]
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