On 21 July, Ministers published a report that found the UK Government failed to counter Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum, despite a mounting body of evidence of global efforts to use and abuse digital platforms to influence democratic outcomes. As a result, how can we be sure that what we are being told […]
Voter ID at British Polling Stations – Learning the Right Lessons from Northern Ireland
Asking voters to produce a form of identification before voting will be piloted in five English council areas this May. The move represents part of the government’s response to a series of recent recommendations for measures to safeguard the electoral process from fraud. While the pilots will provide important opportunities for policy-learning, Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Visiting […]
Communicating with the electorate: Are politicians in or out of touch?
As the 2017 General Election candidates – many of whom are standing for this first time – intensify their campaigns for election, Rosalynd Southern and Kingsley Purdam explain the importance of effective communication with the electorate for building political support. Communication skills and an ability to connect with the electorate are key attributes for politicians […]
Failed political predictions and the future of opinion polls
The 2015 UK General Election, the EU Referendum and, most recently, the US Presidential Election all produced results which most major pollsters and media outlets failed to predict. Amongst growing distrust of opinion polls across the Western World, Thomas Loughran considers the use of political opinion polls and where to go from here. The decline […]
Regional crime tsars face their first real test – but where are the women?
Thursday 5 May is a ‘Super Thursday’ for all kinds of non-Westminster elections, with candidates running for office for London Assembly and Mayor, many local authorities, the Scottish Parliament, Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies. Polling also takes place for 40 of the 41 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales – but as […]
Democracy and devolution: an agenda for the Greater Manchester mayor
There are democratic gains to be made from the election of a Greater Manchester mayor, argues Francesca Gains – but only if the right checks and balances are built in. On 5 May vast swathes of the country will go to the polls. Voters will elect a new mayor and assembly members in Greater London, […]
Democracy Delayed: Nigeria waits for its election
General Elections in Nigeria were postponed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the 28th March and 11th April 2015. The reason for this postponement is a fractious topic. In my previous blog, I stated that some, especially officials of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) were calling for the postponement of the elections […]
Why the British National Party didn’t get more votes
A lot has been written about who votes for the extreme right-wing British National Party – but little about why more people don’t vote for it. Stephen Ashe examines what the lack of support for the BNP means for anti-racism and anti-fascism. Between 2001 and 2009, more than 50 BNP councillors were elected and the […]
Nomination of Mr Juncker – A tentative step forward for European democracy?
David Cameron failed to block Jean Claude Juncker from being nominated by the European Council for the post of European Commission President. Dr. Georgios Papanagnou takes a look at some of the weaknesses in the campaigns by Cameron and the British media. In the end “this time was not so much different” – Jean Claude […]
Fixing our European Parliament is first step to greater democracy
A series of reforms that started roughly around the late 1970s have transformed the European Parliament from an ineffective institution to an assembly with significant powers, writes Dr Georgios Papanagnou. But he argues that there is much still to be done – and this should be an urgent priority for the European political class. There […]