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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 2h

A majority in Parliament may look impressive on paper, but it can conceal a fragile reality.

How many votes did Labour get in 2024?

On election night in 2024, the headlines celebrated a Labour landslide. Crowds cheered, pundits predicted a bold new direction, and the idea of a strong majority government dominated the

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 1d

With so many parties in play, First Past the Post is an agent of chaos at the heart of our political system buff.ly/L9Celua

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 2d

If the referee can be leaned on by one team, trust in the game evaporates. The Electoral Commission must return to being independent. buff.ly/KdNBguT

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 3d

The former government's Elections Act made the body that polices fair play in elections consider the priorities of the politicians it oversees. buff.ly/KdNBguT

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 4d

It takes an act of parliament to strip a peer of their plush seat in the House of Lords - we need an elected second chamber, so peers can be held accountable by the public. buff.ly/PjuwuuI

Michelle Mone has 'no wish' to return as Tory in House of Lords

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said Mone should be stripped of her peerage over the Covid PPE scandal

www.bbc.co.uk

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 4d

Members of the House of Lords should be held accountable by the public. We need an elected second chamber so we can decide who sits in parliament.

UK government urged to strip Michelle Mone of peerage

A company linked to the Glaswegian entrepreneur has been ordered to repay £122m after breaching an NHS contract.

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 4d

The current government’s strategy statement on forthcoming electoral changes does not commit to restoring the Commission’s independence. This is a missed opportunity. buff.ly/KdNBguT

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 6d

A new report from Spotlight on Corruption highlighted the impact of ending Electoral Commission independence on the UK’s democratic standing.

Why Electoral Commission independence matters

This week, a new report from Spotlight on Corruption highlighted the impact of Electoral Commission independence to the UK’s democratic standing. The report lays bare just how far the

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 7d

We were at Liberal Democrat conference to meet MPs and their staff - here is our report

Strong support for fair votes and jubilant mood at Lib Dem Conference

I have just returned from a very sunny weekend in Bournemouth at the annual Liberal Democrat conference.As is usually the case at the Liberal Democrats annual meeting, the mood was jubi

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 8d

We have a "a chaotic political environment where small shifts in the level and distribution of parties’ support can have a massive impact on the outcome." due to First Past the Post - why not just reflect how we actually vote? buff.ly/L9Celua

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Reposted by Electoral Reform Society

Ben Stanford @drbenstanford.bsky.social · 9d

This should really be a given, especially for a Government pledging to clean up politics and remedy some of the worst behaviour of the past Governments. It's also one of those things that isn't necessarily a problem today, but it certainly could be under a future authoritarian Government.

Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 9d

The government must restore the independence of the Electoral Commission

UK government urged to restore Electoral Commission’s independence to protect democracy

Oversight of watchdog could be abused by a future authoritarian government, report warns

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 9d

The government must restore the independence of the Electoral Commission

UK government urged to restore Electoral Commission’s independence to protect democracy

Oversight of watchdog could be abused by a future authoritarian government, report warns

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 10d

Radio 4's The Reunion spoke to people involved in the 1999 attempt to reform the House of Lords. We can't wait another quarter of a century for something that should have happened a hundred years ago.

BBC Radio 4 - The Reunion, House of Lords Reform

Kirsty Wark reunites those involved in the 1999 reform of the House of Lords.

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 11d

Of the six by-elections that took place on 11 September, in five of them the winning candidate took their place in a council chamber with the support of fewer than one-third of the voters.

Councillors keep winning with less than a third of the vote – what can England and Wales learn from Scotland?

Each week, usually on a Thursday, a number of local council by-elections take place around Britain. As with UK parliamentary by-elections, these take place when a representative either r

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 11d

Nobody is suggesting the UK should copy America's Senate - there are lots of ways to create an elected second chamber without it ending in gridlock. buff.ly/YRe0nS3

Why an elected second chamber won’t lead to gridlock

Looking across the Atlantic at America’s Senate, it’s clear why concerns are often expressed that an elected second chamber may challenge the primacy of the House of Commons and at t

electoral-reform.org.uk

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 13d

The Single Transferable Vote is a form of proportional representation where you vote for individual candidates rather than parties. That means independent candidates stand a real chance of winning election.

Why independent candidates win with the Single Transferable Vote

Currently, there are 14 independent MPs in the House of Commons, which might seem to suggest Independent candidates can win under First-Past-The-Post (FPTP). But these MPs are only indep

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 14d

Does the setting shape the spirit of our democratic conversations?

What Denmark’s Folkemødet can teach us about rebuilding trust in democracy

This summer, I visited Folkemødet, Denmark’s annual democracy festival held in the coastal town of Allinge on the island of Bornholm. It’s a place where citizens, politicians, NGOs,

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 15d

How should the government address the distortions of our political system? MPs in the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Elections have set out one approach, a National Commission on Electoral Reform

MPs suggest National Commission on Electoral Reform

In our increasingly fragmented and volatile political environment, the case for electoral reform becomes clearer every day. And as the political landscape changes, so too will the route

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 16d

When councillors can win their seats on less than a third of the vote, their party can seize the town hall on a similar share. It's about time England and Wales followed Scotland and adopted a fair, proportional voting system.

Councillors keep winning with less than a third of the vote – what can England and Wales learn from Scotland?

Each week, usually on a Thursday, a number of local council by-elections take place around Britain. As with UK parliamentary by-elections, these take place when a representative either r

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 18d

The Commission is a proposal for a time-limited independent review, informed by the evidence of experts and the values of the voting public. electoral-reform.org.uk/mps-suggest-...

MPs suggest National Commission on Electoral Reform

In our increasingly fragmented and volatile political environment, the case for electoral reform becomes clearer every day. And as the political landscape changes, so too will the route

electoral-reform.org.uk

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 21d

MPs have proposed a process that builds consensus and inspires public trust, and crucially, builds the pressure for change. electoral-reform.org.uk/mps-suggest-...

MPs suggest National Commission on Electoral Reform

In our increasingly fragmented and volatile political environment, the case for electoral reform becomes clearer every day. And as the political landscape changes, so too will the route

electoral-reform.org.uk

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 24d

How should the government take the next step in addressing the distortions of our political system?

MPs in the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Elections have set out one approach this week: a National Commission on Electoral Reform. electoral-reform.org.uk/mps-suggest-...

MPs suggest National Commission on Electoral Reform

In our increasingly fragmented and volatile political environment, the case for electoral reform becomes clearer every day. And as the political landscape changes, so too will the route

electoral-reform.org.uk

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 24d

No member of our parliament should feel so safe in their position - we need regular elections, so the public can say who goes and who stays. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Can Mandelson be stripped of his peerage after the Epstein scandal?

Stripping the disgraced ambassador of his peerage would be politically useful for Keir Starmer but, as Sean O’Grady explains, it isn’t quick or easy

www.independent.co.uk

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 25d

In Norway, you don't need a PhD in Psephology to work out the impact on parliament of the way you vote. electoral-reform.org.uk/norways-elec...

Norway’s election shows how multi-party politics doesn’t have to mean random results

Norway went to the polls on 8 September for their general election. The Scandinavian country has now used proportional representation for over 100 years and the outcome of the election i

electoral-reform.org.uk

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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 25d

The government are doing the right thing by scrapping First Past the Post for mayors - but why return to the traditional system when we can take the opportunity to bring in a better one? www.libdemvoice.org/elected-mayo...

Elected mayors are here to stay. Let’s upgrade their elections properly

This year’s local elections in England saw tremendous council gains for Liberal Democrats across the country. Even after the highs of last year’s General Election, we remain a party on an upward…

www.libdemvoice.org

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