Podcasts about Electoral Reform Society

Join Fiona, Marlene and Lynne as they look back at everything April threw their way - from local activism to international campaigning.   In this NOT-a-livestream episode, the trio break down their month, share behind the scenes stories and react to standout moments from Holyrood and Westminster. Subscribe for sharp chat, smart laughs and solid political insight - even when it's pre-recorded! Key themes included are:  00:00:19   Believe in Scotland's litter picking campaign 00:02:27   Yes4EU's Brussels delegation 00:07:00    Electoral Reform Society's Scottish Spring conference 00:12:14    Scottish election study polling 00:20:14    Dave Doogan takes on Starmer 00:21:53     Stephen Flynn on Grangemouth v Scunthorpe 00:24:41     Sarah Sultana calls out Rachel Reeves 00:25:50     Downie at the bottom of the barrel 00:27:41     Holyrood petitions committee considers the ICCPR 00:34:57     Angus Robertson unconvincing on independence 00:38:26     Tories digging for dirt get put back in their box 00:46:20      Democratic senator Jon Ossoff in the lion's den 00:49:49      Poundshop Trump gets the Led by Donkeys treatment 00:53:08     More dates for your diary in May Get tickets for Yes4EU's Europe Day Event here (in person and online options)  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scotland-in-the-eu-good-for-scotland-good-for-europe-tickets-1279560011439 Find our podcast about the ICCPR here https://scottishindypod.scot/all-scottish-independence-podcasts-episodes/iccpr-claiming-our-rights/ Find out more about the Scottish Election Study here https://scottishelections.ac.uk/ The Scottish Independence Podcasts team produce a NEW podcast episode every Friday search for Scottish Independence Podcasts wherever you get your podcasts.  Remember to like and subscribe! Contact Us: indypodcasters@gmail.com  Visit our website https://scottishindypod.scot for blogposts, newsletter signup and more episodes Subscribe for free to our Youtube channel @scottishindypodExtra for more of our video footage and clips.  video premieres most Tuesdays at 8pm If you've enjoyed this podcast you might like to buy us a coffee?  https://ko-fi.com/scottishindependencepodcasts or choose us as your Easyfundraising good cause. Music: Inspired by Kevin MacLeod Industrial Cinematic by Kevin MacLeod  

Will the peace talks lead to lasting peace in Ukraine? Journalist Irina Matviyishyn will give us the latest from Ukraine. Jose Peralta from Hybu Cig Cymru is with us to defend HCCs posts about agricultural emissions and Rory Francis from the Snowdonia Society explains why it's important to be scientific about climate change. After an unannounced inspection of Parc Prison found that drugs are widely available there, Vanessa Frake-Harris tells us how she cut down on drug use at Wormwood Scrubs during her time there as governor. And following the Pope's funeral, Papal knight Lord Don Touhig and practising Roman Catholic Delyth Jewell MS mourn his passing.Jess Blair from the Electoral Reform Society and Plaid Cymru group leader on Vale of Glamorgan council review the papers.

The Electoral Reform Society was in Petersfield this week, advocating for a proportional representation voting system. Speaking at the Current Affairs group at One Tree Books on Wednesday 12 March, Ian Simpson, from the Electoral Reform Society (founded in1884). spoke about the need for a voting system that reflects more fairly people's views. He is optimistic that the experience of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and the London Assembly, with proportional voting systems will bring change, but admits it's a tough nut to crack! He spoke to Mike Waddington. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are few people that have been at the centre of Welsh national politics for as long as Mark Drakeford. As a councillor, special advisor, Assembly Member, Cabinet Secretary, Minister, and First Minister - as well as leader of Welsh Labour - his experience is unrivalled. In this session recorded at Labour Party conference Mark is interviewed by friend of the pod Jess Blair (of the Electoral Reform Society) about his thoughts on Welsh democracy past, present, and future, the key debates around redesigning the electoral system for the Senedd in 2026 and beyond and some of the big challenges he faced bringing the legislation through both our national parliament and the Labour Party itself. Mark also takes questions from the floor about widening representation in the Senedd, republicanism, House of Lords reform, and expanding the franchise. You can follow our speakers here: - Mark Drakeford MS: https://x.com/MarkDrakeford - Jess Blair: https://x.com/JessBlair7 - ERS Cymru: https://x.com/ERScymru As always, you can find the latest from us on the socials @hiraethpod, including BlueSky here: https://bsky.app/profile/hiraethpod.bsky.social We hope you find this podcast interesting and useful. Please do send feedback, it's always great to hear what our audience thinks. Thank you for listening to the podcast. If you have enjoyed it, please leave us a nice rating or comment on your podcast app or on YouTube and, if you are able to do so, please consider supporting our work from just £3/month on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hiraethpod

What does the continued fracturing of the UK's political landscape means for our democracy going forward? After a preliminary vote on proportional representation surprised almost everyone in Westminster by passing last week, will this Parliament might finally see some movement on electoral reform? Lisa Smart, Liberal Democrat MP for Hazel Grove and vice chair of the new All Party Parliamentary Group for Fair Elections, Dr Jess Garland, Director of Research and Policy at the Electoral Reform Society, and Robert Ford, Politics Professor at the University of Manchester and author of the Swingometer newsletter, join Alain Tolhurst to discuss whether fragmentation is here to stay. To sign up for our newsletters click here Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

James Williams explores the potential impact on Wales of a second Trump presidency with economic advisor Eurfyl ap Gwilym and the Electoral Reform Society's campaign to convince local authorities to adopt proportional representation ahead of the next council elections with Jess Blair of ERS Cymru

The left-wing alliance in France won the most seats in parliament in a dramatic election, dealing a surprise blow to the far-right party of Marine Le Pen. Meanwhile the push for electoral reform in the UK has received a shot in the arm after the “most disproportionate election in history”, according to campaigners and academics. Longstanding reform campaigners have become uneasy bedfellows with Reform UK's Nigel Farage in recent days after Labour secured a 174-seat majority with just 34% of the popular vote. “This election has thrown the spotlight on to the electoral system as the result was the most disproportional on record,” said Darren Hughes, the chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society. “We have already had a growing chorus of calls for PR [proportional representation] in the aftermath.” Farage said the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system was “unfair” after Reform took 14.3% of the popular vote – making it the third biggest party by vote share – but won only five seats. The Green party received 6.8% of the vote for its four seats. Tune in every Tuesday at 7AM on KPFK.org

The left-wing alliance in France won the most seats in parliament in a dramatic election, dealing a surprise blow to the far-right party of Marine Le Pen. Meanwhile the push for electoral reform in the UK has received a shot in the arm after the “most disproportionate election in history”, according to campaigners and academics. Longstanding reform campaigners have become uneasy bedfellows with Reform UK's Nigel Farage in recent days after Labour secured a 174-seat majority with just 34% of the popular vote. “This election has thrown the spotlight on to the electoral system as the result was the most disproportional on record,” said Darren Hughes, the chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society. “We have already had a growing chorus of calls for PR [proportional representation] in the aftermath.” Farage said the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system was “unfair” after Reform took 14.3% of the popular vote – making it the third biggest party by vote share – but won only five seats. The Green party received 6.8% of the vote for its four seats. Tune in every Tuesday at 7AM on KPFK.org

The left-wing alliance in France won the most seats in parliament in a dramatic election, dealing a surprise blow to the far-right party of Marine Le Pen. Meanwhile the push for electoral reform in the UK has received a shot in the arm after the “most disproportionate election in history”, according to campaigners and academics. Longstanding reform campaigners have become uneasy bedfellows with Reform UK's Nigel Farage in recent days after Labour secured a 174-seat majority with just 34% of the popular vote. “This election has thrown the spotlight on to the electoral system as the result was the most disproportional on record,” said Darren Hughes, the chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society. “We have already had a growing chorus of calls for PR [proportional representation] in the aftermath.” Farage said the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system was “unfair” after Reform took 14.3% of the popular vote – making it the third biggest party by vote share – but won only five seats. The Green party received 6.8% of the vote for its four seats.

The left-wing alliance in France won the most seats in parliament in a dramatic election, dealing a surprise blow to the far-right party of Marine Le Pen. Meanwhile the push for electoral reform in the UK has received a shot in the arm after the “most disproportionate election in history”, according to campaigners and academics. Longstanding reform campaigners have become uneasy bedfellows with Reform UK's Nigel Farage in recent days after Labour secured a 174-seat majority with just 34% of the popular vote. “This election has thrown the spotlight on to the electoral system as the result was the most disproportional on record,” said Darren Hughes, the chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society. “We have already had a growing chorus of calls for PR [proportional representation] in the aftermath.” Farage said the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system was “unfair” after Reform took 14.3% of the popular vote – making it the third biggest party by vote share – but won only five seats. The Green party received 6.8% of the vote for its four seats.

The left-wing alliance in France won the most seats in parliament in a dramatic election, dealing a surprise blow to the far-right party of Marine Le Pen. Meanwhile the push for electoral reform in the UK has received a shot in the arm after the “most disproportionate election in history”, according to campaigners and academics. Longstanding reform campaigners have become uneasy bedfellows with Reform UK's Nigel Farage in recent days after Labour secured a 174-seat majority with just 34% of the popular vote. “This election has thrown the spotlight on to the electoral system as the result was the most disproportional on record,” said Darren Hughes, the chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society. “We have already had a growing chorus of calls for PR [proportional representation] in the aftermath.” Farage said the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system was “unfair” after Reform took 14.3% of the popular vote – making it the third biggest party by vote share – but won only five seats. The Green party received 6.8% of the vote for its four seats.

The left-wing alliance in France won the most seats in parliament in a dramatic election, dealing a surprise blow to the far-right party of Marine Le Pen. Meanwhile the push for electoral reform in the UK has received a shot in the arm after the “most disproportionate election in history”, according to campaigners and academics. Longstanding reform campaigners have become uneasy bedfellows with Reform UK's Nigel Farage in recent days after Labour secured a 174-seat majority with just 34% of the popular vote. “This election has thrown the spotlight on to the electoral system as the result was the most disproportional on record,” said Darren Hughes, the chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society. “We have already had a growing chorus of calls for PR [proportional representation] in the aftermath.” Farage said the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system was “unfair” after Reform took 14.3% of the popular vote – making it the third biggest party by vote share – but won only five seats. The Green party received 6.8% of the vote for its four seats.

The polls are indicating a landslide victory for Labour come the election on July 4th. But that hasn't stopped the calls - from both the left and the right - for citizens to vote tactically. But what does that really mean in Britain's broken electoral system?Joining Nish and Coco on the PSUK sofa is Femi Oluwole, activist and campaigner, and Joe Twyman, a seasoned pollster covering his 9th election. Together they discuss whether this is an election for people to vote with their heart or if being “strategic” is more important and whether our new parliament has any hope of delivering long overdue reform to our electoral system.We also hear from Jessica Garland from the Electoral Reform Society.Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.ukWhatsApp: 07494 933 444 (UK) or + 44 7494 933 444 (internationally)Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheukTwitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheukTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheukFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheukYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/podsavetheworld Guests:Femi Oluwole, YouTube Campaigner, Tactical Voting activistJoe Twyman, Co-founder and director of Deltapoll Audio Clips:Sky NewsBBCITVChannel 5PoliticsJoe Useful links:Come to see Pod Save the UK live at Edinburgh Fringe!https://www.gov.uk/registertovotehttps://www.getvoting.orghttps://tactical.votehttps://stopthetories.vote/https://www.sprintforpr.uk/

As attention switches to party manifestos this week three people first-hand experience of writing them; Rachel Wolf, who co-wrote the Tory 2019 manifesto, Marc Stears, part of the team who wrote Labour's 2015 manifesto, and Lord Richard Newby, who wrote the Lib Dems' in 2017 and chaired this year's one too, talk about how the documents come together, as well as their impact on campaigns. Also on is PolHome editor Adam Payne and former Conservative special advisor Fred de Fossard to discuss if three weeks out the Tories might have already given up on winning, Lucia Hodgson, partner at strategy firm Charlesbye, comes on to discuss some exclusive new polling, Dr Jess Garland from the Electoral Reform Society talks about the looming deadline to register to vote in this election, PolHome reporters Tom Scotson and Zoe Crowther dial in from the campaign trail, and we have the second set of clips from our Election Diaries project in partnership with ThinksInsight. Presented by Alain Tolhurst, and produced by Lulu Goad, Ewan Cameron and Nick Hilton for Podot.

It was a watershed moment in October 2022 when the Labour Party conference overwhelmingly voted to include in its manifesto a commitment to change the voting system to proportional representation after the next election. Just the year before, despite mass support in the membership, the motion failed because the affiliated Trade Unions opposed the motion.To discuss this historic shift, what the changing the voting systems means to the trade union movement, and where next, we're excited to be joined by Lynn Henderson and Nancy Platts.Lynn is the chair of the Electoral Reform Society and also chairs Politics for the Many – the trade union campaign for electoral reform.  In her day job she is a senior national officer at the Public and Commercial Services Union, the UK's largest trade union for government workers.  She is also a Trustee of the  Jimmy Reid Foundation, a think tank for radical political thinking, based in Scotland.Nancy Platts is a Consultant at Campaign Collective – a social enterprise which works with not-for-profits and other campaigners, providing high quality marketing, communications advice and PR support, and is the co-ordinator of Politics for the Many.Support the showEnjoyed the podcast and want to be a live audience member at our next episode? Want to have the chance in raising questions to the panelist?Support our work and be a part of the Compass community. Become a member!You can find us on Twitter at @CompassOffice.

Alistair Carmichael, former Cabinet minister and Liberal Democrat MP, Dr Jess Garland, director of policy and research at the Electoral Reform Society, and Naomi Smith, CEO at the campaign group Best for Britain, join PoliticsHome's Alain Tolhurst to take a look at the state of democracy in the UK, from the campaigns to alter our voting system, to controversial new rules on voter ID and changes on how much parties can spend. Presented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton for Podot, edited by Laura Silver

This event was part of the IfG's Labour Party Conference 2023 fringe programme. Speakers: Mick Antoniw MS, Counsel General of Wales and Minister for the Constitution for the Welsh Government Cllr Julia Buckley, Leader of Shropshire Council and prospective parliamentary candidate for Shrewsbury Darren Hughes, Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government This event was chaired by Jess Sargeant, Associate Director at the Institute for Government. This event was kindly supported by the Electoral Reform Society.

Rishi Sunak was spooked, after a leak, into announcing his roll-back from Net Zero measures. This resulted in condemnation, not just from political opponents and environmental groups, but from within his own party and industry.We look at what might be behind this and ask if this is a last throw of the dice to stave off electoral disaster.Talking of disasters and Sunak he claimed yesterday that he was shocked to discover the runaway costs of HS2. Is he holding the poison chalice of a 2009 Labour vanity project that's gone too far to cancel?Lesley spoke to the Electoral Reform Society about the structure of Scottish local government. How democratic is Scottish local democracy?If you want to contribute to the consultation on Democracy Matters Phase 2 follow the link below https://www.gov.scot/publications/democracy-matters-phase-2-consultation-local-governance-review/Much has been made about the Unionist and Labour Party links of Unison's head of local government, Johanna Baxter, in the light of the union going ahead with three days of strike action after Unite and GMB called theirs off. Is too much of Scotland's politics being seen through an independence prism?The DCA in Dundee will be screening Jane McAllister's movie To See Ourselves this evening at 6pm Tickets are still available athttps://www.dca.org.uk/whats-on/event/to-see-ourselves-qandaAll the screening dates can be found on the website-  https://toseeourselves.film/see-the-filmYou can also find links here: https://linktr.ee/newlicht  ★ Support this podcast ★

There have been yet more controversial appointments to the House of Lords. Is it fit for purpose? How can we fix it? Ros Taylor is joined by Darren Hughes, chief executive of Electoral Reform Society, to explore how the House of Lords has gone wrong and what we can do about it.  “There haven't been a willing set of retirements from the House of Lords.” “Who regulates the regulators?” “Don't forget we still have the Liz Truss list to come!” www.patreon.com/bunkercast  Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Uncovered we take a look at new legislation which requires voters to present ID at polling stations this year. Under these new rules voters across England, Scotland and Wales will need to present photo ID from a list of approved forms. Data and investigations Editor at NationalWorld Harriet Clugston has been looking at research from the Cabinet Office and as well as some Electoral Commission data to understand what the impact of his new legislation might be. Harriet also speaks to Jess Garland, Director of Policy and Research at the Electoral Reform Society campaign group, to get their take on these changes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Half of Britain (51 per cent) wants the voting system to change, according to the British Social Attitudes survey, while only 44 per cent want to retain the current system. Most Labour supporters are in favour and this year the Labour Party conference voted for a manifesto commitment to proportional representation for general elections. Anoosh Chakelian is joined by special guest Jess Garland, director of policy and research at the Electoral Reform Society, to talk all things voter reform. They discuss the significance of proportional representation and the recent rise in public support, where the various political parties stand on the issue, and how a change to the system could be brought about.You can submit a question for You Ask Us at newstatesman.com/youaskus, and sign up for the Morning Call politics newsletter at newstatesman.com/politics/morning-call. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of The Local Authority podcast features panellists Peter Stanyon, chief executive at AEA Elections; Darren Hughes, chief executive at Electoral Reform Society and Claire Hazelgrove, community and political engagement director at TPXimpact. The panel look at all aspects of how elections administered by local government could change, including how can councils encourage more people to vote, the potential for emerging technology and whether other democratic innovations such as citizens assembly and referenda enhance or diminish representative democracy. The panel also take a deep dive into local elections, including increasing attendance, the need to ensure council chambers are more representative of their local population and whether the electoral system should be changed. Listen on all podcast platforms. 

From fines for the prime minister to shocking allegations of harassment, bullying and sexism in the workplace, Parliament has been bedevilled by scandal once again.We're joined by Dr Hannah White, Jennifer Nadel and Darren Hughes to explore What about the structure and culture of our politics results in such awful behaviour – and how we build a new politics.Hannah White is Deputy Director of the Institute for Government and author of Held in Contempt: What's Wrong with the House of Commons? (https://www.waterstones.com/book/held-in-contempt/hannah-white//978152615669 3)Jennifer Nadel is Co-Director of Compassion in Politics and an award-winning journalist.Darren Hughes is Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society and a former government minister in New Zealand.It's Bloody Complicated is recorded every second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Become a Compass member to join our live recordings and put your questions to our guests: https://action.compassonline.org.uk/podcastSupport the show (https://www.compassonline.org.uk/podcast/)Support the show

Britain is now such a place where a boring man having a curry is somehow the equivalent to corruption, law breaking and doing an interview in a suit you just done a sick on. No the Labour leader isn't very interesting, or good, but our Prime Minister doesn't know who Lorraine Kelly is and you have to wonder if he'd pass a citizenship test. Or a breathalyser one. The usual jokes and a chat with Jessica Garland (@JessicaJGarland) at the Electoral Reform Society (@electoralreform) on our now even more broken democratic system. Donate to the Patreon at www.patreon.com/parpolbroBuy me a coffee at https://ko-fi.com/parpolbroUSE THE CODE ON THE PODCAST AT BRITISH BOXERS FOR 15% OFF: https://british-boxers.com/REVIEW THE PODCAST AT: https://lovethepodcast.com/parpolbroUSUAL PODCAST BLABS:LOOK AT TIERNAN'S WEBSITE: www.tiernandouieb.co.uk/Follow us on Twitter @parpolbro, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ParPolBro/ and the fancy webpage at http://www.partlypoliticalbroadcast.co.ukMusic by The Last Skeptik (@thelastskeptik) – https://www.thelastskeptik.com/ – Subscribe to his podcast Thanks For Trying here.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/partlypoliticalbroadcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How should political parties fund themselves if not through individual donors? Dr Sam Power, a lecturer in corruption analysis in the Department of Politics at the University of Sussex, says the pool of donors to British political parties has always been small but the danger is that they anchor policy thinking in one direction. Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, tells Bloomberg Westminster's Caroline Hepker and Roger Hearing that reform is urgently needed including a cap on political donations. Matthew Lesh, head of research at the Adam Smith Institute, argues donations flow from people with a genuine interest in politics and it is up to politicians to make decisions in the public interest. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Changes to the law that would put investigative journalists on a par with foreign spies? Demands for photo ID at the ballot box? Adrian Goldberg explores Britain's Authoritarian Creep in company of Byline Times editor Hardeep Matharu, Meirion Jones, Investigations Editor at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Jess Garland from the Electoral Reform Society. Listen to Authoritarian Creep Part One here Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White.

Changes to the law that would put investigative journalists on a par with foreign spies? Demands for photo ID at the ballot box? Adrian Goldberg explores Britain's Authoritarian Creep in company of Byline Times editor Hardeep Matharu, Meirion Jones, Investigations Editor at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Jess Garland from the Electoral Reform Society.Listen to Authoritarian Creep Part One here Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times.Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The government is looking at new cases, the new variants, hospital admissions and the vaccine rollout success before it makes up its mind about going ahead with the full reopening of England's economy. Peter Dowd, Labour MP for Bootle says the government is right to be cautious now, though we shouldn't forget the mistakes they made at the beginning of the pandemic that made all this necessary. Willie Sullivan, senior director at the Electoral Reform Society joins to discuss reform of the House of Lords following allegations that a billionaire gave half a million pounds to the Conservatives just days after he was ennobled. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Welcome to this podcast. The occupation of your phone (or whatever?). Anyway, it's the second track on Document.Content warning: more politics than usual.Perhaps you should join the Electoral Reform Society. Or just tear it all down. Keine Macht für niemand.More of Ally can by found over at https://russophilesunite.podbean.com/G.D.G.C. cover-art clothing available at https://deerlistener.teemill.com/

With the very welcome recent progress on electoral reform in Wales, I invited Jess Blair from the Electoral Reform Society Cymru to join me on Never Mind The Bar Charts.Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it.Show notesHow electoral reform makes government better.The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Bill.STV explained (words).STV explained (animals).Public support for electoral reform.Join the Electoral Reform Society.Jess Blair on Twitter.Music by Hugo Lee.New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts.Enjoy the show? Spread the wordFollow the show on Twitter.Like the show on Facebook.Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.

Marked as explicit because of derogatory language.   Fleeing from hammering and drilling sounds coming through the wall, Charles Adrian talks about books that were given to him towards the end of the fourth season of his podcast.   More information and a transcript of this episode is at http://www.pageonepodcast.com/.   You can find a handy primer on the limitations of a first-past-the-post voting system, along with links to information about alternative systems, on the Electoral Reform Society’s website here: https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/voting-systems/types-of-voting-system/first-past-the-post/   You can read about Caroline Lucas, who at time of recording this episode was the UK’s first and only Green Party MP, on Wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Lucas   Revolutionary Letters by Diane di Prima is also discussed in Page One 185.   Rebecca Solnit, mentioned briefly here, is discussed more fully in Page One 135.   The episode of the podcast Reply All that Charles Adrian mentions about the activist barricaded inside his apartment while the police massed outside is here: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/wbhgk9. The episode is from the podcast Resistance, which you can find here: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/resistance   The Sadean Women by Angela Carter is discussed more fully in Page One 123. Other books by Angela Carter discussed on the podcast are Wise Children (Page One 54), The Passion Of New Eve (Page One 76) and The Bloody Chamber (Page One 86, Page One 135 and Page One 141).   The homepage of the Battersea Arts Centre is here: https://bac.org.uk/   Books discussed in this episode were previously discussed in Page One 121 (http://www.pageonepodcast.com/season4#/121-bettina-john/) and Page One 122 (http://www.pageonepodcast.com/season4#/122-chris-goode/).   Episode image is a detail from a photo by Charles Adrian.   Episode recorded: 17th November, 2020.       Book listing:   The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing (Page One 121) Revolutionary Letters by Diane Di Prima (Page One 122) The Sadean Women by Angela Carter (Page One 123)

This week it's an election double-header. First, Warren takes us through a Week In Bullshit on Trumpism: is the USA really so polarised? Will Trump supporters ever swing back to the centre? And how much is the media exaggerating the threat of the populist right? Moving on, we interview Jon Narcross of the Electoral Reform Society about their work, what a better system of voting might look like, and how change might come about here in the UK. See the ERS's work here: https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/ If you're a Labour member, check out Labour for a New Democracy here: https://www.labourforanewdemocracy.org.uk/ Like what you hear? Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/connectedanddisaffected Find us on Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/C_and_D_Podcast/ Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/canddpodcast?lang=en Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/connectedanddisaffected/ Subscribe on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2xVDd0NSp6gsh6Ku2odlop or find us on ITunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conn…ed/id1244893114

Boris Johnson heads to Scotland for the first time since winning the 2019 election, as polls suggest growing support for independence. But is it too little, too late? Anthony Browne, Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, tells Bloomberg Westminster's Roger Hearing and Sebastian Salek why there shouldn't be another referendum, even if the SNP wins a majority in next year's Holyrood election. Plus, how easy is it to hack a U.K. election? Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, explains why it's not just the voting method we should be worried about.

Apologies if you got a truncated version of this episode first time around. The podcast host has been playing up a bit but you should now be able to hear the interview all the way through to the end. How must the Liberal Democrats change in order to win more often? Listen to me discuss this with Lisa Smart, chair of the party's Federal Communications and Elections Committee (FCEC). Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Lisa Smart's election to chair the party's main elections committee. The show with Tim Bale talking about what opposition parties must do. The independent review into the 2019 general election. Support electoral reform? Join the Electoral Reform Society. The Star Trek reference. The pros and cons of Steve Webb's approach to being a minister. How to make targeting work. Lisa Smart on Twitter. Enjoy the show? Spread the word Follow the show on Twitter. Like the show on Facebook. Subscribe, rate or review via your favourite podcasting platform - links here.

The interview starts with Sam outlining how the documentary about Eliot Spitzer, called Client 9, got him interested in corruption and how it inspired him to study an MA in corruption research at the University of Sussex. Sam describes the research questions he sought to answer with his dissertation on party financing and corruption. Namely, he unpicks the relationship between money and politics, using interviews to examine whether the amount of state subsidy has an effect on perceptions about corruption and which types of corruption it brings about. Here he builds on Michael Johnston’s work on syndromes of corruption Sam describes how his dissertation shaped his perceptions about the amounts of money involved in politics, referring to the famous example of Stuart Wheeler who held the record for the highest donation of 5 million pounds to a political party in the UK. One of the main insights from his work comparing party financing in the UK and Denmark is that perceived donor based corruption does not differ between the countries even though the party financing is mostly private in the UK and largely state-funded in Denmark . Sam describes how he went about conducting elite interviews and how he managed to get people talking about corruption. The interview tackles the question of what even counts as corruption when it comes to financing political parties: is it access or influence? Sam, Christopher and Nils discuss the complex nature of networks of influence in politics and how perceptions and reality about the effect of money on policy might at times differ starkly. Sam refers to the so-called Thomas theorem - if people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences - and how perceptions about corruption often might follow a similar logic. Zeroing in on perceptions about corruption Sam compares the public’s views on corruption to a thermostat. The last part of the interview deals with Sam’s work on Facebook advertising and party financing. It shows how Facebook advertising works and how it essentially differs from classical political campaigning. One main difference is that it allows political parties to use Facebook and similar services to test ads. For more information about how social media is used in political processes Sam recommends “Who targets me?” Christopher drawing on work by Helen Margetts which argues that “Social Media May Have Won the 2017 General Election” asks about the corruption risks that emerge with social media advertising by political parties. Sam describes several corruption risks that arise from social media political campaigning, referring to the challenges outlined in a recent report by the Electoral Reform Society

The Women’s World Cup in France was an unprecedented success in terms of media coverage and popular interest but Lesley questions just what the legacy, if any, will be for the women’s game in Scotland. Lesley was one of the distinguished panel, which sat in Edinburgh, courtesy of the Electoral Reform Society, to answer questions from the press and public on the potential role of Citizens Assemblies in determining Scotland’s democratic future. How did it go? Today sees the introduction of the clunkily named Northern Ireland Executive Formation Bill in Westminster. The absence of the Northern Ireland assembly has provided the opportunity for two Labour MPs, Conor McGinn and Stella Creasey, to introduce amendments to bring the province into line with GB legislation on same sex marriage and abortion. We consider what position SNP MPs should take on these devolved matters.

Ever feel like you missed something important when it comes to the news? A fact, a detail, or an event that it feels like everyone else knows about, and now you'd look like a moron if you asked someone to explain? Well, here's a podcast that will ask those questions so you don't have to.This week Danielle Ward gets elections explained to her by Lewis Baston, a political journalist and author formerly of the Electoral Reform Society. Danielle is joined by comedy writers Sarah Morgan (Wilsons Save The World, The Fear) and Joel Morris (Philomena Cunk, The Ladybird Books For Grownups).Questions asked and answered include:What happens if Theresa May never calls another election?How can we get young people interested in voting without making polling booth selfies legal?Should we lower the minimum age for voting? And should we introduce a maximum age for voting?AV Vs PR: whoever wins, will we lose?....so if you've sort of been guessing the answers based on a gut feeling, why not listen and find out for sure? And then subscribe to stay equally informed about other issues, as we get around to them.All our guests are on Twitter, so go and say hello - @gralefrit, @sarahlmorgan and @lewis_baston, and Danielle is @captainward. The show itself now has a Twitter account: @AnyStupidQs. Follow it for information about upcoming episodes, recordings, and extra bits of the show that had to be cut for any reason.Produced by Ed Morrish (@edmorrish)Music from www.akmmusic.co.uk See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Episode 130 - HARD POWER! Let's all have some! None of that soft power we use for, er, pillow fights...I'm so tired. This week is all about Labour's 5 Brexit terms, Special places in Hell, and Tiernan (@tiernandouieb) speaks to Dr Jess Garland (@jessicajgarland) at the Electoral Reform Society (@electoralreform) about Citizen's Assemblies (@UKassemblies). Plus: Some Sexy Brexit Valentine's Tips!Sign the Electoral Reform's petition here: https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/campaigns/electoral-reform/#action-cta-anchorDonate to the Patreon at www.patreon.com/parpolbroBuy me a coffee at https://ko-fi.com/parpolbroWatch Tiernan's comedy specials on Next Up Comedy at: www.nextupcomedy.comJoin Tiernan's comedy mailing list at www.tiernandouieb.co.uk/contactFollow us on Twitter @parpolbro, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ParPolBro/ and the fancy webpage at http://www.partlypoliticalbroadcast.co.ukMusic by The Last Skeptik (@thelastskeptik) - https://www.thelastskeptik.com/ - Subscribe to his podcast Thanks For Trying here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

**Agenda** 1600 - 1605 Welcome and introduction to ‘Our Smart Region’ project * Auriol Miller, Director, Institute of Welsh Affairs 1605 - 1615 Keynote speech - The difference smart technology can make * Alan Fletcher, Business Development and Lab Manager, Knowledge Media Institute, Open University  1615 - 1645 Laying the foundations for a Smart Region * Ann Beynon, Member of the Valleys Taskforce (Chair)  * Brian Popperwell, Chief Operating Officer, Next Generation Data * Prof. Paul Harrison, Pro Vice Chancellor Innovation and Dean of Computing, Engineering and Science, University of South Wales * Michael Powell, Rural Programmes Manager, Monmouthshire County Council To include Q&A session 1645 - 1655 Presentation of ‘Our Smart Region’ project report * Keith Watts, Smart Region Project Coordinator, IWA 1655 - 1725 What could a Smart Region look like? * Valerie Livingston, Director, Newsdirect Wales (Chair) * Alan Fletcher, Business Development and Lab Manager, Knowledge Media Institute, Open University  * Jess Blair, Director, Electoral Reform Society * Prof. James Lewis, Academic Director, Y Lab To include Q&A session 1725 - 1755 Next steps for the region * Auriol Miller, Director, IWA (Chair) * Kellie Beirne, Programme Director, Cardiff Capital Region City Deal * Peter Fox, Leader, Monmouthshire County Council To include Q&A session 1755 - 1800 Summary and thanks * Auriol Miller, Director, IWA

The trials forcing voters to bring identification with them to polling stations could start reversing the rising turnout levels in British general elections. So what should we do about it? The Electoral Reform Society's Darren Hughes speaks to Conor Pope, Alison McGovern and Henna Shah.Further reading:*UK's voter ID trial in local elections could be illegal*‘It's a warning shot': Experts say ICO's fine to Facebook signals seriousness of its GDPR enforcement*Here's why posters replacing white actors with black actors appeared in London See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today's episode I speak with four everyday people who have been participants in deliberative mini-publics in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. Each person has their own unique take on being a randomly selected participant in a deliberative mini-public, but they all agree they would recommend being part of a deliberative mini-public to family and friends. First up is Ben McPeek who was a member of the Residents’ Reference Panel for the Davenport Community Rail Overpass project in 2015. This Reference Panel was commissioned by Metrolinx and designed and facilitated by MASS LBP.  I spoke to Peter MacLeod from MASS LBP about their work on episode 6 of the podcast. Next, I spoke with Lewis Adams who was a juror on the Infrastructure Victoria Citizens’ Jury in 2015. Infrastructure Victoria was developing a thirty-year infrastructure plan for the State of Victoria in Australia and ran a multi-faceted engagement program which included two concurrent citizens’ juries: one in the capital - Melbourne and the other in Shepparton in regional Victoria. Lewis was a juror on the regional Citizens’ Jury. The Infrastructure Victoria Citizens’ Jury process was designed by the newDemocracy Foundation and involved a range of facilitators (including some of the people who I spoke to on episode 11 of the podcast) under Nation Partners who were responsible for delivering the overall engagement process. I also spoke with Caroline Victor who was a juror on the Cats and Dogs Citizens’ Jury in South Australia in late 2014. This citizens’ jury was established by the Dog and Cat Management Board to advise on measures to reduce the number of unwanted dogs and cats. This process was facilitated by DemocracyCo, whose co-founder Emily Jenke I spoke to on episode 10 of the podcast). Recruitment for this citizens’ jury was undertaken by the newDemocracy Foundation. I was working for newDemocracy Foundation at that time and managed the recruitment for this citizens’ jury. The Dogs and Cats Citizens’ Jury won the IAP2 Australasian Core Values Award in the environmental category in 2016. And finally, I talked with Andy Holdup who was a member of the Citizens’ Assembly South in Southhampton in the UK in 2015. Unlike the other three processes covered in today’s episode, which were all commissioned by government agencies to get input into decisions they were making, the two Citizens’ Assemblies run in Sheffield (Citizens’ Assembly North) and Southhampton (Citizens’ Assembly South) were commissioned by the Electoral Reform Society with a number of academics interested in democratic reform as a project to demonstrate the value of engaging with everyday citizens on key governance issues, in this case the devolution agenda. In episode 8 I spoke with Professor Graham Smith one of the academics involved in the Democracy Matters project about these assemblies and in particular about the experimental aspect of the process where Citizens’ Assembly South included local politicians as well as citizens. And in episode 10 I spoke to Titus Alexander the lead facilitator for these Assemblies. The Democracy Matters process won the UK Political Studies Association Annual Award for Democratic Innovation in 2016.   There are only two more episodes to come for Season 1. Next week I'll be talking to Professors Graham Smith and Brigette Gießel about how they evaluate democratic innovations, including deliberative mini-publics and the following week I'll be talking to a number of critics of deliberative mini-publics to get a different perspective on these democratic innovations. I hope you'll join me for the final two episodes of Season 1 of Real Democracy Now! a podcast.

Katie Ghose and Mark Bergman join Newsweek’s Josh Lowe and Mirren Gidda as they discuss changing spending regulations and whether they can change the underlying political cultures that have cultivated it. Donald Trump has often sought to damage Hillary Clinton with allegations that she's trying to spend her way to victory, backed by Wall Street donors. But every firebrand has to sell out some time, and this month, Trump began airing his first ads. In the American system, where there are limits on donations but not on spending, a cash-based arms race between candidates is probably inevitable. It got us thinking about how rules governing election spending affect a country's politics. There are different systems in the U.K., across Europe and elsewhere, each with their upsides and downsides for voters. So what's the best system for managing the relationship between politics and money? Where should public funds come into play? Katie Ghose is the chief executive of the U.K.-based Electoral Reform Society... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this week's podcast Lesley talks about her encounter with Huw Edwards on the TV. She also recounts the Electoral Reform Society meeting and its aftermath. She also mentions Affa Sair, and  a forthcoming ball in Fife. Oh, and Obama too.  

The #IWADebate in partnership with Cardiff University asked the question 'Would compulsory voting give the unheard a voice?' Katie Ghose, Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society, argues that alternative methods of electoral reform would offer a much more positive vision of democracy than compulsory voting.

It's all TV appearances, football, Paisley, Porty and PR this week.  It's time to talk about the unasked questions of 'Question Time'  and Michael White's moustache. We also talk about the possibility of Scots boycotting the forthcoming football friendly with Qatar. There are also some startling revelations about PR from the Electoral Reform Society.  

Mark is joined by broadcaster and historian Dan Snow to discuss the previous week's election campaigning especially the BBC Question Time debate with the three main party leaders and given that Dan is an ambassador for the Electoral Reform Society and it's Mark's favourite pet political subject they speculate on how and when reform may just happen for Westminster.

For the 32nd episode of the For A' That podcast, Andrew and I were joined by Juliet Swann who is a feminist and environmentalist whohappens to work for the Electoral Reform Society.She also did a turn for the Women For Indy Voices project this week.We talked about the interesting work that this society has been doing and the Democracy Max initiative. How can we improve our democracy, regardless of a Yes or No vote. We know what the usual commentators think, but what have the public been telling the electoral reform society.What about the William McIlvanney statement this week? Was it notable in and of itself or was the coverage it received more worthy of analysis?The wacky world of Willie Rennie's logic gets a quick look in and we also talk about the possibilities provided by beard ownership.