Extending human and civic rights
It’s time for an end to special religious privileges: we need a secular state
Should the Anglican peers in the Lords be joined by religious leaders from other faiths? Ought the BBC be required to make religious programmes? Should religious groups enjoy more legal protection? The Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life set out 37 recommendations – which, argues Steven Kettell, are deeply problematic in a society […]
Contrary to recent reports, coups are not a catalyst for democracy
Coups used to be associated with the rise of dictatorial regimes – but since the Cold War, many have been followed by elections. Yet the regimes that emerge are often undemocratic. Oisín Tansey says these elections are frequently window-dressing and are held in order to secure favourable trade deals and placate international organisations. More often than not, coups […]
My 25-year fight for trans equality: Stephen Whittle’s talk at the LSE
Stephen Whittle (@stephenwhittle) is a trans man, activist and Professor of Equalities Law at Manchester Metropolitan University. In a lecture given at the LSE, he discusses Press for Change – which was founded in 1992 and campaigned using social education, legal case work, and parliamentary lobbying to successfully change the UK into what is now one of […]
Britons are applying for Irish citizenship to get an EU passport. Is this a problem?
Since the Brexit vote, many British citizens have sought citizenship in other EU member states – notably Ireland – on the basis of ancestry or other provisions, often without any intention of living there. Should we welcome this development? Or is it problematic that people can claim citizenship on the basis of ancestry, especially if large […]
Pick of 2016: the best of Democratic Audit
2016 was an extraordinary year. With Donald Trump’s presidency less than three weeks away, Article 50 due to be invoked in March, local and mayoral elections in the UK and ground-shifting votes in Europe, 2017 promises more seismic change. Here’s a selection of some of Democratic Audit’s most thought-provoking pieces from 2016. Similar Posts
When Americans believe in redistribution and the right to a job, they’re more likely to vote Democrat
The concept of democracy often means different things to different people. But are there elements on which people can agree or disagree? Judd R. Thornton and Kris Dunn examine the relationship between US citizens’ beliefs about democracy and how they vote. They find that while most people believe that free elections and protecting civil rights are […]
Schools and healthcare in some post-Soviet hybrid democracies have improved. How?
After the end of the Cold War some ex-communist countries embraced full democracy, some became hybrid regimes while others backslid to authoritarianism. Andrea Cassani, Francesca Luppi, and Gabriele Natalizia examined the quality of education and healthcare in these states. They found that while the more democratic a country the better its public services, some hybrid regimes have also […]
‘Citizen of the world’? Think again: British citizenship after Brexit
National identity is fundamental to citizenship, Theresa May told Conservatives in October, and self-styled ‘citizens of the world’ are deluding themselves. Matthew Grant traces how British citizenship has been endlessly redefined for political purposes since the second world war – first becoming associated with whiteness, and now with the non-European. The scope of what constitutes ‘belonging’ is shrinking. […]
Book review: Hunger Pains – Life Inside Foodbank Britain
In Hunger Pains: Life Inside Foodbank Britain, Kayleigh Garthwaite draws upon eighteen months spent volunteering as a foodbank worker in Stockton-on-Tees to take readers through the workings of a foodbank and to reflect on the experiences of those who use them, including discussion of shame and stigma. This is a revealing, impassioned and self-reflective book on […]
‘If something isn’t done we’ve hit democracy’s high water mark. That’s billions of people and their life chances’ – Brian Klaas
For the first time since the end of the Cold War, the world is becoming less democratic. In The Despot’s Accomplice: How the West is Aiding and Abetting the Decline of Democracy, the LSE’s Brian Klaas argues the West is helping to prop up dictators and hybrid regimes. He talks to Democratic Audit editor Ros […]
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