Parliament
How ‘the story’ subsumed ‘The Vote’: we have no meaningful direction about the terms of Brexit
What did the 52% who voted to leave the EU want? In the first part of a lecture delivered at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, David Kershaw argues that pro-Brexit politicians and media have presumed to interpret the vote as a mandate to ensure Brexit results in the controls on free movement which are likely to […]
What’s going wrong with English Votes for English Laws – and how can it be improved?
The ‘English Votes for English Laws’ procedural rules have attracted much criticism since they came into use a year ago – variously described as complex, divisive and not making England’s voice heard. Daniel Gover and Michael Kenny look at how EVEL is working, and how it could be improved. Similar Posts‘English Votes for English Laws’ —a viable answer to the […]
Without liberalism, democracy is dreadful. Fortunately we have both
It is quite all right to hate democracy. T. F. Rhoden dislikes democracy immensely. Without classical liberalism, he argues, it is normal to mistrust democracy in its purer form. Democracy is dreadful without the classifier “liberal” in front – because liberalism is a safeguard against democracy’s inherent decadence of rule by the people. Whatever one thinks of Donald Trump’s […]
New women MPs shift their party leftwards – but female leaders don’t
What happens when voters elect more female MPs? Zac Greene and Diana O’Brien reveal that the presence of more women broadens the range of issues discussed, but has no impact on introducing new issues to party manifestos. The presence of women MPs shifts a party markedly to the left – though there is no evidence a female leader has […]
Schrödinger’s pardon: the difficulties of the Turing Bill
When the ‘Turing Bill’ – which would have granted pardons to people with historical convictions for consensual gay sex – was talked out by the government last week, there was confusion and misunderstanding about the ramifications. The practical problem is that the old law did not distinguish between non-consensual and consensual gay sex. James Chalmers explains […]
Reluctant elites: democratic innovations are popular – but rare. Brexit shows why
People want more say in the democratic process – by voting in referendums and taking part in town hall debates, for example. But in fact these kinds of democratic innovation are rare. Caroline Close and Lidia Núñez explain how parties in power have a vested interest in keeping things the way they are, particularly given how risky referendums can […]
800 peers and counting: how can we cut the size of the House of Lords?
The Lords has faced increasing criticisms over its size – now well over 800 members – and David Cameron was criticised for his excessive peerage appointments. We now not only have a new Prime Minister, but a new Lord Speaker who has spoken out clearly about the need to reduce the size of the chamber […]
Long read review: Politics: Between the Extremes by Nick Clegg
The UK government of 2010-2015 was the first UK coalition since 1945 and faced the consequences of the 2008 financial crash. In Politics: Between the Extremes, former Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg explains the challenges of being the small, Liberal partner in the coalition, and argues forcefully for the importance of […]
The empathy gap: understanding why some people don’t vote
Not everyone votes. Using data from the 2015 Finnish National Election Study, Kimmo Grönlund and Hanna Wass look at what factors make a person less likely to go to the polls or get involved in politics. They warn against assuming non-voting is a matter of personal choice and suggest ways to overcome the ‘solidarity deficit’ that emerges […]
Eastminster: how the Westminster model took root in British Asia
The ‘Westminster model’ outside the British Isles tends to be associated with the former British settler colonies such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. In a new book edited by Harshan Kumarasingham, the influence of British ideas on democracy and institutions across the Asian continent is examined. He discusses how the ‘Eastminster’ countries developed political systems with […]
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