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Published in: Home: OpinionFirst-past-the-post was meant to deliver stability. It’s time to junk itOPINION: Our chaotic electoral system is the result of 60 years of tweaks to a fundamentally unjust base
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Published in: openDemocracyUKNot standing by – can civil society fix British democracy?All of us – whether charities, non-profits, unions, faith groups or donors – can no longer afford to treat...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKLords reform must address both chambers; Clegg's proposals are a dead-endThe British are now being presented with a proposal to replace the Lords with a wholly, or partially elected...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKThe Commons debate on Libya: a milestone for British democracy?
The Commons debate on Libya has been dismissed by some as irrelevant, as military intervention has already begun....
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Published in: openDemocracyUKSay no to AV; Britain needs an entirely new system
Our current First Past the Post voting system is failing us. Unfortunately, the Alternative Vote is not the answer....
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Published in: openDemocracyUKOn the Alternative Vote, who speaks for history?
After a provocative letter telling Times readers that 'history teaches us to vote no to AV', a response was...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKWhy the AV campaign really will matter
Pollsters have detected a voting pattern on the AV question, which new YouGov research explains. Voters are more...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKThe Cabinet Manual: Who will own this 'set of guidelines' on UK governance, and what will be included?
Yesterday, the Cabinet Secretary gave evidence on the draft Cabinet Manual, which summarises the rules and...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKWell done Wales, hello English media!
I'm relieved that Wales voted 'yes' to the increase in powers for its Assembly. The question of independence is...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKThe early days of a better nation? Wales will decide today“Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation,” was how the Scottish writer Alasdair Gray advised his...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKElectoral reform dilemmas: are Britain's single-member constituencies out of date?
If parliament is to shift from representing places to representing people, we may have to leave single-member...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKScotland, England and Britain: Gerry Hassan debates Nick Pearce
The United Kingdom's national questions will come to the fore of British politics over the coming years. But it is...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKThe Welsh referendum campaigns are being stifled by electoral rules
n the lead up to the Welsh assembly powers referendum on 3 March, both the Yes and No campaigns are going for a...
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Published in: HomeTahrir Square, February 4, 2011, 5.30am
Interviewee: Islam El Tahtawey is a 23 years old Egyptian opposition demonstrator, a junior auditor in Cairo.
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Published in: openDemocracyUKScotland’s Stamp Act: Could the Scotland Bill lead to the demand for independence?Few seem to appreciate the constitutional implications of the Scotland Bill, currently making its way through...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKIt is time for an English voice
England is the one nation in the UK without a democratic forum in the shape of a Parliament or Assembly, and which...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKLabour starts to think
The shape of the debate about the future direction of the Labour Party is emerging.
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Published in: openDemocracyUKIn agreeing to enfranchise UK prisoners, we forget that voting is more than a right
The decision by the European Court of Human Rights to enfranchise UK prisoners reveals a more general attitude...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKWhy is AV and constituency size lumped in one bill? Don't accept this back-room deal.
Just why has the proposed reduction in constituency sizes and number of MPs been linked together in a single bill...
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Published in: openDemocracyUKThe Scottish National Party must take the next step
Gerry Hassan reflects on four years of the first ever Scottish Government committed to independence. He describes a...
