Extending human and civic rights
Revenge porn should be treated not as a scandal, but as the sex crime it is
Recent months have seen the publication of nude pictures of Jennifer Lawrence among other celebrities, with the actor describing their appearance as a sex crime. Laura Hilly agrees, and argues that the UK government should move swiftly to ensure that incidences like this, and ‘revenge porn’ more widely are treated as the crime they are, and […]
With Italy’s rescue operation for migrants in the Mediterranean being phased out, it is vital that Frontex is given greater support from EU governments
Italy has announced that its ‘Mare Nostrum’ operation, which has rescued thousands of migrants in the Mediterranean, will come to an end, although there is conflicting information over precisely when this will occur. A new operation led by the EU’s external border security agency Frontex, named ‘Triton’, has been launched and will aim to help […]
The ‘investor route’ to UK citizenship should be reformed
Wealthy foreigners looking for a quick way to get permanent residence in the UK can take the ‘investor route’. David Metcalf explains how simple reforms to the system, including visa auctions, would benefit all UK residents, regardless of their wealth or age. Similar PostsWhy applying for citizenship is an anxiety filled process – and not just for applicantsHow Covid-19 is […]
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 […]
Now is the right time to introduce tough gender quotas for the Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament has a better record than Westminster in seeing women elected. Despite this, progress of late has stalled, with women’s representation now slipping backwards. Meryl Kenny and Fiona Mackay argue that the current ‘constitutional moment’ in the wake of the Scottish independence referendum provides an opportunity to get serious about the problem, and […]
Why democracy doesn’t always improve human rights
The promotion of democracy has often formed a key component of strategies for improving human rights across the world. Courtenay R. Conrad writes that while this relationship between democracy and human rights is well established, in practice democratic institutions are not always capable of constraining human rights violations and in some cases may even make […]
Political attacks on journalists’ sources undermines democracy and must be stopped
The big story in journalism in recent years has been the revelations around phone hacking, and the Leveson inquiry and establishment of a new press regulator which followed. Tim Crook argues that this is far less significant that a recent story that has emerged which showed the police using the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) […]
Ethnic inequalities – and the prejudice, discrimination and racism that underlie them – persist to a significant degree
It is often said that we have moved into a ‘post-race’ policy environment, in which politicians in particularly keen to claim that ethnic inequalities no longer matter. However this is not necessarily the case, says, counters James Nazroo of the University of Manchester, who argues that in fact they remain both significant and important, with policy implications. […]
“An opportunist piece of electioneering”: experts criticise the Conservatives’ Human Rights Act repeal pledge
David Cameron recently announced his intention to repeal the Human Rights Act were his Conservative Party to be returned to Government following the General Election scheduled for May 2015. Democratic Audit asked human rights experts to contribute their assesment of the idea, particularly in light of further details of the proposal outlined by the Justice […]
Despite a degree of accommodation to change, white British citizens remain largely opposed to increased ethnic diversity
Immigration is one of the key political issues that will decide votes at the forthcoming General Elections, with the average British citizen hostile both the level of immigration that has already taken place, and the prospect of more. In a new Demos report, Eric Kaufmann and Gareth Harris map the ‘white’ response to immigration: ‘voice’, ‘exit’ […]
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