Keith Sutherland

Keith Sutherland is a researcher on random selection in politics at the University of Exeter. His books The Rape of the Constitution? and A People’s Parliament are published by Imprint Academic.

The Brexit lottery

Like all referendums, the ‘Brexit’ vote will be a lottery. Why not go the whole hog and take the decision by lot?

By Keith Sutherland

/ 18 Apr 2016

The Brexit lottery

Like all referendums, the ‘Brexit’ vote will be a lottery. Why not go the whole hog and take the decision by lot?

By Keith Sutherland

/ 18 Apr 2016

Chinese Democracy: ‘scientific, democratic and legal’

A recent lecture by Professor James Fishkin reflects on Chinese experiments in deliberative democracy.

By Keith Sutherland

/ 5 Jul 2010

Whiggery Pokery

Most of the commentators on this site assume that the results of the election indicate a ‘progressive majority’ in the UK. For example, activists such as Billy Bragg and Peter

By Keith Sutherland

/ 11 May 2010

Cleggmania in the age of "audience democracy"

The enthusiasm of this site for Cleggism is becoming a little embarrassing. Last night the BBC news showed the yellow battle bus standing by in a supermarket car park while

By Keith Sutherland

/ 25 Apr 2010

If It Quacks Then It’s a Duck

Any lingering doubts over whether or not UK governance has entered a ‘presidential’ phase were dispelled by last night’s televised debate. As a result of a relatively anodyne exchange

By Keith Sutherland

/ 16 Apr 2010

Ashes to Ashes and the Theatre of Democracy

We can no longer know who or what we're voting for. Politics and media conspire to deliver fictional candidates. How will the fiction turn out will be revealed ... next parliament

By Keith Sutherland

/ 5 Apr 2010

Ministers: Here are your P45s

If politicians are not up to their jobs and perhaps can never be, why not try appointing those who are?

By Keith Sutherland

/ 28 Mar 2010

Positive action or a portrait in miniature?

Political representation and diversity

By Keith Sutherland

/ 2 Mar 2010

Where’s the Democracy?

The annual British Academy lecture was delivered this week by M.H. Hansen, a leading authority on Athenian democracy and the ancient Greek polis.

By Keith Sutherland

/ 27 Feb 2010

A Mixed Constitution

A proposal for a modern mixed constitution with a randomly-selected Parliament

By Keith Sutherland

/ 15 Feb 2010

The party's over (but our political theorists ain't bovvered!)

Just back from the annual political theory workshop at Manchester Met and astonished at the total lack of engagement with the current political crisis. I know that political theory is

By Keith Sutherland

/ 7 Sep 2009