Electoral Reform

12.11.2015 Brexit

Really, what’s the UK’s problem with EU democracy?

It’s a familiar refrain: that the EU is not adequately democratic. You’ll hear it in the Brexit referendum campaign, most notably from the advocates of the UK leaving, but even David Cameron’s letter to Donald Tusk this week (full letter

25.03.2011 EU Politics

What do you do about corrupt MEPs? Openness is vital, but give voters more choice as well

Since news broke on Sunday that three MEPs – Zoran Thaler, Ernst Strasser and Adrian Severin – were prepared to accept money in return for tabling amendments to legislation, I’ve been trying to work out what conclusions to draw from all of

28.07.2010 UK Politics

How the current ‘debate’ about election reform is giving precisely the opposite of a principled outcome

So wrangles about how and when to hold a referendum on the future of the UK’s election system rumble on… and how messy the whole thing gets. The only given is that there will be a referendum sometime in this

25.05.2009 UK Politics

Now is always the wrong time for opponents of electoral reform

As the initial anger about MPs expenses starts to subside a little, so proposals for more radical changes to British politics emerge as means to restore public confidence in the system. Alan Johnson has backed calls for a referendum on