Informing and engaging citizens
2015 was not an ‘internet election’ but both data and social tools did matter
Andy Williamson writes that while the 2015 General Election was not an internet election, it was an election where both data and social tools mattered. He looks back what can be learned from the digital campaigns in 2015 and predicts how these lessons are likely to shape the use of digital ahead of elections taking […]
Promoting English learning is an important first step, but much more needs to be done to support integration
Phoebe Griffith argues that David Cameron’s push to support language tuition in migrant communities is laudable but partial: many other positive steps could be taken to ‘level the playing field’ for migrants and, in so doing, support their integration and resilience. Similar PostsPoliticians haven’t been honest with the public about immigration. They still aren’tThe politics […]
The EU policymaking paradox: Citizen participation is a must, but the shaping of policies has become too technical
Criticism related to the EU’s democratic deficit became more prominent in the aftermath of the financial crisis. According to Firat Cengiz, it is crucial for European citizens to become more involved in policymaking processes if this deficit is to be overcome. However, she points at an inherent problem affecting areas such as competition policy, where the increasing prominence […]
Representative samples are an issue for the pollsters – but so are respondents who lie
The British Polling Council recently published their report about what went wrong with the polls in the 2015 general election. The report dismissed problems associated with voter registration, question wording, postal voting and mode of interviewing and opted for unrepresentative samples as the key factor in explaining what happened. Here, Paul Whiteley and Harold Clarke […]
China’s rise is not making the world more authoritarian, at least not for now
The rise of China has become one of the contemporary mainstays of geopolitical debate, with implications for the United States, Europe, Africa and perhaps most of all the rest of Asia. But what of its impact for democracy? Does the existence of an economically successful non-democratic player mean that other countries are seeking to replicate […]
If the UK votes for Brexit continuing EU member states will have predominant power in exit negotiations
The EU referendum could be held as early as June so clarity is needed about what will happen in the event of a vote to leave. In this post Alan Renwick explains Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which sets out the procedure for leaving the EU. Under it a second in/out referendum of the type floated by […]
By pre-announcing his resignation, David Cameron has made himself something of a “lame duck”
David Cameron announced prior to the last General Election that he intended to retire as Prime Minister, using an odd analogy about a breakfast cereal in doing so. Here, Kingsley Purdam, Dave Richards, and Nick Turnbull argue that Cameron has inadvertently created a situation similar to that faced by second term US presidents, that of […]
Attempts to find solutions to the ‘problems with democracy’ should avoid attempts to overcome individualism
Assessing how to tackle widespread democratic malaise, disengagement from, and distrust in politics have taken up a great deal of attention over recent years (not least on Democratic Audit). Matthew Flinders has recently given a public lecture in which he attempts a diagnosis. Here, Kevin Gillan responds, arguing that attempts to find solutions must avoid […]
Recent changes to electoral registration could see as many as 10 million people slip off the electoral register
Labour faces an enormous struggle to win another general election, with strategic issues combining with the Government’s changes to electoral registration leaving them in a very tricky political situation. Paul Hunter, sharing research from a recent Smith Institute report by Jane Thomas, argues that it is difficult to believe that the government hasn’t played fast and loose […]
Contemporary politics requires the simultaneous having and eating of cakes, as Jeremy Corbyn is finding out over Europe
The UK will hold a referendum on the country’s membership of the European Union at some point over the next 12 months or so. Henrik Bang argues that the forthcoming referendum has shone a light on the nature of contemporary politics, particularly in terms of the changing nature of the Labour Party – now led […]
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