democracy

On 13 November the (relatively new) Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, announced the government’s intention to abolish Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales. The dramatic and unexpected announcement made some bold claims – that the PCC … [Read more...] about With PCCs abolished, who polices the police? 

As set out by UCL’s Tasneem Ghazi in a recent post on the Constitution Society blog, petitions have a long history in British democracy. Their meaning and role, however, have changed over time. This is particularly true in local government, where – … [Read more...] about E-petitions in local government: revitalising citizen engagement in democracy?

The electronic petitions process enables members of the public to submit a formal request calling upon Parliament or the Government to undertake some form of action. On 6 January, Parliament debated an electronic petition calling for another general … [Read more...] about Are Online Petitions Useful? Parliamentary Petitions in UK Democracy

The starting gun on the next general election has yet to be fired, but party apparatchiks have already spent years fighting a hidden campaign: not over votes, but cold, hard cash. As party HQs woo the wealthy, party members across the country have … [Read more...] about Reforming Party Funding: No Silver Bullets

Referenda have been a controversial topic in the UK for the past decade and some of the most heated debate has revolved around the issue of repeating a referendum. In what circumstances is it legitimate to push for a second referendum on a topic? How … [Read more...] about Does ‘no’ mean ‘not now’? Exploring the perceived legitimacy of repeat referenda

What to say about the UK's whipping system, apart from the fact that one of Boris Johnson's former aides has just made it the subject of what the Guardian describes as a 'Jilly Cooper-esque satire'? My research for the Constitution … [Read more...] about Cracking the whip: the UK’s party control system

British democracy is based on the principle of representation. Our governments must command the support of a majority of the House of Commons, which, because it is directly elected by universal suffrage, is regarded as representative of the public. … [Read more...] about The case for compulsory voting in the UK