Extending human and civic rights
Western states are still too scared to mount a serious defence of the rights of migrants
December 18 2014 was International Migrants Day, marking 24 years since the UN General Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. It should make us pause and think about the many migrants, particularly irregular ones, who live among us, argues Rosa Freedman. Similar […]
The assumption that less immigration equals less inequality is fundamentally flawed
An increasingly narrow UK migration debate is centred on the shared desire to keep poor migrants out, with many arguing that mass immigration exacerbates inequality. But, as a new book by Katy Long shows, there is in fact overwhelming evidence that enabling freedom of movement can play a vital role in combating poverty and opening up opportunity, not […]
Dogs, water and coffins: an untold story of British torture in Iraq
The UK’s closely US-aligned national security policy in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre led to numerous allegations that the UK security services were involved in torturing terror suspects. Peter Finn and Sam Raphael argue that UK acted appallingly during this time, and that the country has historic form in this […]
The best of Democratic Audit’s 2014 posts on gender and democracy
The Democratic Audit UK blog, since its launch in July 2013, has sought to highlight the issue of gender in politics, with the aim of creating a more equitable balance in terms of gender representation and the UK’s political institutions. The below are eight of the best posts that DA has carried in 2014. Similar […]
How many judicial review cases are received by UK government departments?
In a recent debate in Parliament, the secretary for justice Chris Grayling was unable to provide a number when asked how many judicial review cases are brought against government ministries. Ruth Dixon looks at the numbers, finding no evidence of an explosion of judicial challenges to central government departments. During a debate in parliament on 1 December, Chris […]
UKIP isn’t alone in failing women, with the top parties poorly placed to offer a women-friendly alternative
UKIP has been in trouble this week over comments made by Nigel Farage about breastfeeding and then a sex scandal involving their chairman. Rainbow Murray argues that UKIP isn’t alone in having a ‘women problem’, with none of the main parties in a strong position to capitalise on the weakness of the party’s problems in […]
Having a legal right to settled accommodation empowers homeless people in Scotland
Scotland is exceptionally unusual in granting virtually all homeless people a legal entitlement to settled accommodation. Drawing on comparative research with single homeless men in Scotland and Ireland, Beth Watts asks what difference such legal rights really make to experiences of homelessness. Similar Posts‘Your tenants are gay, get over it!’: how housing services discriminate against […]
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 […]
How has the UK national press described Bulgarians and Romanians?
In new research, Dora-Olivia Vicol and William Allen examine how the media reported on Bulgarians and Romanians in the run-up to transitional controls being lifted. A textual analysis revealed that the nouns identified as explicitly ‘Romanian’ tended to centre around criminality and economic poverty, and this was especially the case in tabloids. Similar PostsBook Review | Breaking […]
‘A policy that kills’: The bedroom tax is an affront to basic rights
Billed as a way to reduce under-occupation and encourage people back into work, the ‘bedroom tax’ has not met the goals set out by policymakers, writes Insa Koch. Instead it is creating hardship for many of the over 500,000 households affected by the tax, forcing many into a situation where they are forcibly evicted from their homes. Moreover, […]
Democratic Audit's core funding is provided by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Additional funding is provided by the London School of Economics.