Following changes to the Labour leadership election procedures under Ed Miliband, critics claimed that this election would be swamped by affiliated members from the trade unions who could opt in to get a ballot (unlike the old system in which they were capped at a one third share). However, Mark Wickham-Jones finds that trade unionists came nowhere near playing the […]
Jeremy Corbyn, originally a rank outsider, is now the Leader of the UK Labour Party. He did so by gaining an enormous democratic mandate with over half a million voters registering a preference for him. His critics argue that his blend of pacifist leftism is unelectable, but Chris Game argues that to the contrary, if […]
Labour’s leadership election has come under scrutiny for its inclusion of a new category of ‘registered supporters’ who pay £3 in exchange for a say – on an equal footing with full Labour members – in electing the party leader and other key positions. Danny Rye argues that this experiment should not be seen as […]
Jeremy Corbyn’s consideration of female-only carriages in public transport shows an ignorance of the causes of sexual harassment and what it may take to solve the issue, argues Paula Zoido-Oses. Similar PostsTrade union members did not shape the Labour leadership result as much as in past electionsFar from destroying the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn could save it from […]
Win or lose, Corbyn’s success adds credence to the conclusion that Britain is in the midst of its first prime ministerial primary, writes Josh Cowls. The most significant factor for this is Labour’s new voting system and its lower barriers to membership. These changes have blurred the lines between party membership and the American system […]
The UK currently has dedicated European affairs committees in both houses of Parliament – despite the EU’s permeation into most areas of Government policy. Dr Julie Smith looks at examples from the Netherlands, from Ireland, and from the House of Lords and argues that the UK should follow the Dutch example, and share the European […]
Jeremy Corbyn was recently announced as the Leader of the Labour Party, surprising everybody in beating established candidates such as Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper, despite having never held a frontbench role. His critics suppose that his status as an outsider, somewhat outside the mainstream of his parliamentary party, may mean that he has a […]
The revised edition of Danny Dorling’s book Injustice: Why Social Inequality Still Persists provides an analysis of contemporary issues and practices underpinning inequality and a concise interpretation of the main causes of the persistence of injustice in rich countries, together with possible solutions. Gaja Maestri finds that despite touching only marginally on broader scholarly debates, the book remains […]
The Labour government of 1997-2010 introduced pre-appointment hearings for some ministerial appointments, formalising a de facto system which had been developing gradually. Felicity Matthews shares research which shows that these hearings have created a new balance between the executive and parliament to an extent, but that there have been unintended consequences such as ‘scrutiny creep’ and […]
The voting age for UK general elections is 18, meaning that 16 and 17 year olds aren’t eligible to vote, despite being adults for the majority of a five year parliament. Research has shown that it would be an effective tool in narrowing the UK’s turnout gap between old and young – the widest in […]
Jim Gallagher reflects on what the Scotland Bill tells us about the Scotland-UK relationship and devolution more broadly. He argues that the Bill presents a challenge to the unwritten constitution, and that now is the time to clarify and codify the territorial aspects to make a statement about how and why the Union hangs together. […]
Duverger’s law states that a first-past-the-post electoral system – such as the one in use in the UK for Westminster elections – will support and sustain two party politics. But in recent years, the UK has seen what is essentially a multi-party system emerge, despite systemic constraints. Christopher Raymond looks at how this has come […]
British politics was rocked in 2009 by the Parliamentary expenses scandal, which revealed the full extent of MPs claims, and provoked a near unprecedented media storm and damaged Parliament’s reputation significantly. Nan Zhang shares research from China, which shows that though anti-corruption measures can have both a positive and a negative impact on public perceptions […]
The Government’s defeat in the House of Commons shows that it most likely will have to accept the purdah restrictions that it previously rejected as unworkable. Here, Sara Hobolt explains what purdah is and why the issue has been so controversial. Similar PostsIn order to foster a shared appreciation of the EU’s historical role, better public […]
The attempt to control some people can all too quickly escalate into an effort that depends for success on controlling everyone, argues Chandran Kukathas in comparing immigration controls with South Africa’s notorious apartheid laws. Similar PostsOur sterile quantitative debate on immigration needs to be humanised with stories and imagesPraying for both teams: How religion both […]
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