Parliament
The Leader of the Green Party, Natalie Bennett, on fixing our broken politics
Democratic Audit’s Sean Kippin recently interviewed the leader of the Green Party Natalie Bennett in advance of a talk she was giving in the Palace of Westminster about the future for political reform. In part one of a two part interview, they discussed what needs to be done to modernise our political and constitutional arrangements, and […]
20 things we learned about democracy in April 2014
April 2014 is thought to be the most democratic month in human history, owing largely to the Indian general election taking place this month. In the UK, however, democracy wasn’t shown in its best light, with Culture Secretary Maria Miller resigning over her expenses, while Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage held a rather ill-tempered debate […]
The Maria Miller imbroglio shows that the MPs expenses system is beset by complexity and political meddling
The Culture Secretary Maria Miller has resigned following a controversy over her expenses. She is the latest in a series of politicians to brought to heel over expenses since 2009, when the original scandal was triggered by the Daily Telegraph’s investigations into exactly what MPs were claiming for. Ben Worthy argues that the Miller imbroglio illustrates that the system is currently beset […]
20 things we learned about democracy in March 2014
March 2014 was an eventful month for democracy, with April set to be even more eventful yet. From dancing to election results, to Islamophobia and local government, Democratic Audit brings you the 20 most interesting things that came across our radar this month. Similar PostsThe real reasons referendums have become so common – and so […]
Constitutional reform: an opportunity to respond to the opportunities and challenges of an ageing society
Constitutions have the potential to give a voice to minority groups in society. Ilona Haslewood from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation explains how a constitution could improve the quality of life for older people. She mentions how thinking about constitutions will give us an opportunity to collectively think about what kind of older age we want for ourselves. Similar PostsWhatever […]
How have Belgian parties changed their behaviour after the introduction of a gender quota for election candidates?
Many democracies have relatively low levels of female representation in public life, including the UK, where less than a quarter of MPs in the House of Commons are women. Other countries have introduced quotas to address this problem, including Belgium. In this post, Bram Wauters, Bart Maddens and Gert-Jan Put explore how Belgian political parties responded […]
Prime Minister’s Questions underpins an expectation that politics is an activity best performed by men
Prime Ministers Questions has been under the microscope of late, with the Hansard Society publishing a report which shows in some depth how little the public think of its rambunctious and partisan nature. Joni Lovenduski argues that the weekly ritual reinforces male stereotypes of leadership, and in doing so creates barriers to female political leadership. Similar PostsEssential […]
British democracy is made stronger by greater diversity, though we still have much further to go
In a recent debate in the House of Commons on representativeness, MPs debated just how much Parliament resembles the country it serves. During that debate, the Labour MP for Slough Fiona Mactaggart talked of the importance of representativeness, and made the case for a redoubling of efforts to improve Parliament in this key regard. Similar PostsFemale parliamentarians […]
Essential scrutiny or a national embarrassment? Experts respond to the Hansard Society’s report on Prime Minister’s Questions
The Hansard Society recently published research which showed the public’s disapproval of the shouting and braying that takes place at the weekly Prime Minister’s Question time. But is this merely a sign of a healthy democracy? We asked a number of experts on Parliament and democracy to respond to the research, and give their views […]
We are increasingly being governed by people with a diminished experience of the world beyond politics
There is a growing trend for people to come into politics more or less straight from university. They are undoubtedly clever but this does not compensate for a deficiency of experience in other walks of life that might inform their political judgements. Tony Wright argues that as the recruitment agency for politicians – the political […]
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