Category: Democracy
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Putting people first, making the public case for Proportional Representation
If you’re far enough into policy discourse to be reading a blog about Proportional Representation (PR), it’s somewhat likely that you already know what the main arguments are on either side of the electoral reform debate. As Tom Brake detailed in his blog earlier in this series, detractors of PR claim that it leads to […]
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The future of Scotland’s electoral system
The use of the Additional Member System (AMS) in Scottish Parliament elections has been in place since its opening in 1999. It has never been subject to a majoritarian style vote, and so it is almost impossible to tell if a change in systems benefits any one cause or party. However, the election of certain […]
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Proportional Representation – tropes and triumphs
Just a few days ago the Conservatives came within a cat’s whisker (or three) of a leadership contest. With their advocacy of a voting system which ensures ‘the candidate who wins the most votes …is elected’, it may come as a surprise to learn that First Past The Post (FPTP) would not have been used […]
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Proportional Representation, a sensible solution
The United Kingdom’s voting system in General Elections is perhaps one of the simplest in the world. Voters choose their favourite candidate in their local area (usually based on the party they represent), put a cross in the relevant section, then put their ballot in the designated box. The ballots in each constituency are counted […]
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My Social Democracy
Over the past forty years, politics has shifted radically, ebbed and flowed, and been shaped by the changing world around us, but the values that underpin my belief in modern social democracy have remained constant. So what does social democracy mean to me? Fundamentally, it’s centred around a strong sense of social justice, based on […]
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Devolution and vaccines
One of the main topics I have looked at throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the impact that devolution has played throughout our response, with this period arguably being the biggest test of this system of government and whether it works. I have previously written about some of the issues that have been exacerbated by […]
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Parties need independent complaints procedures
The last decade in politics has not only been messy, but it has also been difficult. It has been divisive. It has been inherently discriminatory. And at the moment, I feel that it is important to point out that this is not only the case in terms of mainstream politics, but also when it comes […]
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Centre and local policy making
If you have been watching Centre recently you may have noticed that we have seen quite a few changes. The style of our papers, our procedures, Centre’s internal complaints and safeguarding procedures and our website have all seen large upgrades. The organisation I started five years ago has come a long way since it first […]
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As a New Zealander, I know Proportional Representation can work
With 11.6% of the vote, you would assume the Liberal Democrats would be left with around three times as many MPs as the SNP who only received 3.9% of the vote. We know this is wrong as only a system like First Past The Post would mean 11.6% of the vote is 11 seats and […]