uk election: all articles

A historic general election looms in the UK. But what is the real state of British democracy? From Tony Blair to foxhunting, voter apathy to Scottish and Welsh devolution, openDemocracy unlocks the mysterious heart of the British political system.
Thursday 22nd May

What Mayor Boris Johnson signals for the Left

Boris Johnson's election demonstrates a wider public distaste for the very idea of politics
Sunday 26th June

Britain's tipping-point election

The ice of Britain’s political system is melting. A potent coalition for electoral and constitutional reform is assembling. Tom Nairn registers an inexorable shift.
Tuesday 17th May

Undemocratic reform

What lies beneath the campaign for reform of Britain’s first-past-the-post electoral system? Dominic Hilton investigates.
Tuesday 10th May

Britain's tactical voting revolution

A mad electoral system rewards Tony Blair, but British citizens are making it work for themselves, finds Dominic Hilton.
Tuesday 3rd May

'A little British revolution'

On the eve of Britain’s general election, Tom Burgis reports from the midlands town of Mansfield where an independent councillor is campaigning to storm a Labour citadel.

Operation Muslim Vote, a political seduction

British Muslims are rethinking their political allegiances in the context of social exclusion, post-9/11 political pressure and the challenge of remaking their communities. Tony Blair’s New Labour could feel their backlash, says French-Algerian journalist Naima Bouteldja.

The war for Muslim minds - in east London

In a tumultuous corner of a tired, formulaic British election, Dominic Hilton is exhilarated, alarmed and amused by the electrifying passion of that rare thing: real politics.
Monday 2nd May

Voter power can make the difference on climate change

One party in the current British election has made climate change its priority – the Greens. Yet many dismiss a vote for them as a wasted vote. James Humphreys, a Green candidate in London, argues that, on the contrary, it sends a powerful and effective message.
Sunday 24th April

Britain's intelligence secrets: under the influence

The row over Iraq intelligence focused attention on the Joint Intelligence Committee, the top coordinating body of Britain’s secret state. But how does the JIC operate? As Iraq forces itself onto the British election agenda, Dan Plesch finds a disturbing answer.
Wednesday 20th April

Vote for independence!

An army of independent, single-issue candidates is challenging the party machines in Britain’s general election campaign. Tom Burgis on a new age of guerrilla politics.
Tuesday 12th April

Tony Blair and the Iraq war: in the eye of the law

The legal advice that sanctioned war in Iraq falls over Britain’s general election campaign. Geoffrey Bindman examines an issue that won’t go away.
Monday 11th April

Don't vote for Bullshit

Tom Nairn offers his advice to voters in Britain’s general election.
Wednesday 6th April

Is Britain a banana republic?

As Tony Blair launches Britain’s general election campaign, a postal-voting scandal is further undermining voters’ trust in their political leaders.
Tuesday 29th March

Why can't politicians tell the truth! ever?

Britain’s election: a crisis in the opposition Conservative party exposes the country’s malaise of political distrust, says Dominic Hilton.
Thursday 24th March

If it's politics, it's just not cricket!

As Britain’s general election approaches, an anti-terrorism law reveals to Dominic Hilton why British politics is beyond a joke.
Friday 18th March

Trust me, I'm a politician

Britain's election: what’s causing voter apathy? Dominic Hilton visits Birmingham, England’s second city, where a vote-rigging scandal and Conservative leader Michael Howard offer some answers.
Wednesday 9th March

His Majesty King Blair I

Tony Blair, the most self-consciously modern of political leaders, rules over a political system far less at ease with the world. Dominic Hilton examines a very British paradox.
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