Majoritarian voting systems and parliaments are a terrible way to govern pluralist societies - here are some simple ideas that could do a far better job. We should be considering them.
In 2010, the UK’s underspecified caretaker conventions caused the “Squatter in Downing Street” controversy, when Gordon Brown remained in office after Labour’s election defeat, and the country still lacks adequate rules to govern caretaker situations.
A real democratic energy is building-up in the United Kingdom but the existing system doesn’t seem able to vent or channel this demand for fresh thinking about how we live our lives.
We should elect ministers directly, give them a substantial slice of votes, and combine their votes with those of other ministers, other elected representatives, and also direct votes from the public. What might this look like in practice?
Britain’s political future will be determined by which parties can turn the crisis of the established party system into an opportunity for realignment, just as they did 100 years ago.
We can't just sit around and wait for equality to happen.
My committee's new report on voter engagement is the most radical set of proposals for some time. But we want feedback, we want to know what the public think would improve the situation.
Might random elections retain stronger accountability while avoiding the PM's power of discretion?
Unelected, dysfunctional and yet increasingly active, the House of Lords is in urgent need of fundamental reform.
The Coalition introduced the Fixed Term Parliaments Act in 2011. Now some Conservative MPs want to repeal the Act. But Fixed Term Parliaments are good for UK democracy.
