Becoming more informed in politics can be daunting. There’s so much information to consume and it comes at you so fast that it’s easy to become intimidated and give up. Here are some of the best politics-related Twitter handles, in no particular order, to get you up to speed on British politics

Electoral Reform Society

Well, this may be tooting our own horn a bit, but I think we have some pretty cool Twitter accounts. Follow our main account for all the news on Electoral Reform in the UK, to see the articles we’ve written for our website and to find out about what we’re up to. Follow ERS Cymru and ERS Scotland to find out about our work in Wales and Scotland respectively.

@electoralreform, @erscymru, @ersscotland

Britain Elects

I’m sure at some point or another everyone has wondered whether everyone else agree with them. Is the current Prime Minister popular? Does Labour look set to win the next election? Do people agree with my view on healthcare? Different polling companies ask questions in different ways, so can have different answers. Britain Elects aggregates surveys and polls, which have been verified by the British Polling Council, to get an overview of the mood of the country. So regardless of whether these surveys cause you to rejoice or despair at the current zeitgeist of the country, it’s always good to stay informed.

Britain Elects also previews upcoming elections, including local council by-elections – a level of analysis often lacking in the press.

@BritainElects

TLDR Politics

If you don’t know what TLDR stands for, it means: Too Long Didn’t Read. Sometimes there are articles that look really important and I feel like I should read them, but I don’t have the time – they’re too long and I didn’t read. TLDR tries to make news stories as short as possible so you can stay informed and save time. They write short articles and film snappy videos. While of course at the ERS we’re mostly focused on UK news, TLDR also has Twitter handles for the US, EU and the rest of the world. If you’re looking for bite-sized up-to-date news TLDR politics is the best place to go.

@TLDRNewsUK

Ballot Box Scotland

Ballot Box Scotland took inspiration from Britain Elects, but focuses on Scotland. As well as covering polling, Ballot Box Scotland is a great reference for easily accessible election results. Their work presenting local Single Transferable Vote and national Additional Member System results is often far clearer than the local councils counting the votes. An impressive body of work for a voluntarily run site.

@BallotBoxScot

Simple Politics

Simple Politics advertises itself as a conversation starter by posting simple updates on British politics. These updates could be anything from future rail strikes or the pros and cons of onshore wind. Updates are very short and can be read in less than a minute, so if you’re looking for expeditious updates on British Politics that leave you to better informed than before, look no further than Simple Politics.

@easypoliticsUK

Election Maps UK

As any opponent of First Past the Post knows, election maps often decide who wins in First Past the Post elections. As boundaries move, groups of voters are included or excluded in each seat, changing the political make-up of the seat and the likely result. Election Maps UK specialises in mapping results and polls, something vital as the UK goes through a boundary review.

@ElectionMapsUK

Electoral Reform Memes

From complicated jokes about the finer points of electoral system design, to crude roasting of First Past the Post, Electoral Reform Memes has everything you need to put the LOL into PsephoLOLgy

@electoralmemes

Also…

Special mentions go to Victorian Election Violence @VictorianEV_UK An ESRC/AHRC project based at Durham University that explores the regular violence that went alongside elections between 1832 and 1914. UK Parliamentary Constituencies (since 1885) @parlconst maps the evolution of the UK’s Parliamentary Constituencies.

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This week’s big electoral story is America’s midterm elections and the failure of the predicted ‘Red Wave’ to materialise. However, an underreported story has been the high number of cities that accepted proposals to introduce fairer voting systems. A ‘Fair Voting’ wave is rolling across the United States.

The United States is one of the few countries that still use Westminster-style First Past the Post (FPTP) voting. Most democracies use some form of proportional representation. But, things are starting to improve in the USA.

American cities adopt the Alternative Vote

Unencumbered by the politics of the 2010 coalition, the Alternative Vote (or Ranked Choice Voting as it is known in the United States) has proved popular when judged on its own merits in America.

The Alternative Vote (AV), like FPTP is still a ‘winner takes all system’ and is not proportional. However, it does mean that voters aren’t punished for picking candidates who aren’t from the big two parties – something important when independent candidates are standing.

In 2016 only 10 cities in America used the Alternative Vote, now over 50 American cities use AV and that number is only growing.

At the mid-term elections on the 8th of November Multnomah County (the largest County in the state of Oregon), Evanston (Illinois), Fort Collins (Colorado), Ojai (California) all voted yes to propositions to ditch the antiquated FPTP system and towards the fairer AV. We are also awaiting the results of the Seattle proposition on AV; it can take quite some time to count up results in American elections.

Additionally, voters in three cities Corvallis (Oregon), Albany (California) and Palm Desert (California) all used AV for the first time in this November’s elections.

Whole state votes to scrap First Past the Post

Not only have all these cities abandoned FPTP but the entire state of Nevada voted to flip to AV. As this is a constitutional amendment, it will have to be confirmed again in 2024 to take effect, but the momentum is clearly with AV and this vote is definitely a step in the right direction.

Nevada will be joining Maine and Alaska as states that use the Alternative Vote for statewide and federal general elections.

Major American cities adopt the Single Transferable Vote

The AV results are all fantastic news, but it gets better. The cities of Portland (Oregon) and Portland (this time in Maine) have voted to introduce the Single Transferable Vote (or as the Americans call it, Proportional RCV). The Single Transferable Vote (STV) is a proportional voting system which aims to produce a city council that reflects the way the electorate voted. We use this system in the UK to elect Scottish and Northern Irish local councils, as well as the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Fairer voting systems are gaining salience across the US as the polarising impact of First Past the Post makes itself clear. In the past two years, Congress and more than half of American states have considered legislation to introduce fairer voting. Countries saddled with First Past the Post nearly always have groups of activists trying to scrap the system.  Fairvote, the leading proportional representation organisation in the US, is fighting hard to build momentum nationwide.

Add your name to our call for fair votes in the UK

One of the most exciting parts of Westminster proceedings is the Ten Minute Rule bill. Here’s a quick outline of some of the key features of this sort of Bill.

A Ten Minute Rule bill is a type of Private Members’ bill which give backbench MPs the opportunity to make a case for legislation they wish to see passed into law. A Ten Minute Rule bill allows an MP to make an uninterrupted speech that is no longer than ten minutes. Another MP will then be given the opportunity to make an opposing speech, which must also last no longer than ten minutes. The House will then decide whether the bill should proceed to a first reading.

Like other Private Members’ bills, Ten Minute Rule bills are debated on thirteen Fridays over the Parliamentary session. Only one Ten Minute Rule bill is allowed to be introduced on these days.

It is very rare for a Ten Minute Rule bill to pass into legislation. Since 1945, at the time of writing, only sixty Ten Minute Rule Bills have passed into legislation. Despite this, MPs still do use Ten Minute Rule bills for various reasons. Ten Minute Rule bills can be used to help give momentum to an issue which may then result in government acting on it later. It can also raise the profile of an MP among their colleagues and constituents. For these reasons, Ten Minute Rule Bills are essential in providing MPs the opportunity to make their voices heard.

If you would like to see an example of a Private Member’s bill, click here to watch Caroline Lucas’ 10 Minute Rule Bill on proportional representation.

Here is a list of Ten Minute Rule bills that are currently in consideration.

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Members support our work in parliament, in the press and online – making the case, and backing it up – for how we can fix Westminster’s broken system.

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One of the most noteworthy ways that MPs can push their agendas is through the Private Members’ Bill. Here’s a quick analysis on some of the key features of Private Members’ Bill.

Private Members’ bills are legislation introduced by MPs and peers who are not government ministers. They can technically be passed and come into law but they rarely do so. Instead, they typically aim to, draw attention to a certain issue, gather support from other members of the house and influence government legislation.

There are three ways to introduce a Private Member’s bill: the Ballot, Ten Minute Rule and Presentation.

In the Ballot, members wishing to put forward a bill put their name into a ballot box which is then drawn from on the second sitting Thursday of a parliamentary session. Members whose names are drawn will then have the opportunity to give a first reading of the bill.

A Ten Minute Rule bill is a type of Private Members bill in which MPs are given the opportunity to make a ten minute speech on a piece of legislation they’d like to pass through Parliament. After an MP makes their ten minute speech another MP will have the opportunity to make an opposing speech before the House decides whether the bill should be introduced.

During a Presentation Private Members’ bill a member may introduce the title of a bill but it is not allowed to be debated on. An example of a Presentation title would be: A Bill to require the Leader of the House of Commons to move a Motion prohibiting Members of Parliament having paid second jobs; and for connected purposes.

Private Members’ bills are debated on thirteen Fridays per parliamentary session. Private Member bills are given priority over government bills on these Fridays, but with so many bills there is not enough time in each parliamentary session for many individual bills to go through the required phases to become law. The House of Commons Library has a briefing on successful Private Members Bills.

If you would like to see an example of a Private Member’s bill, here’s Jonathon Reynolds MP’s 10 Minute Rule Bill on proportional representation.

 

If you would like to find out what Private Members’ bills are being debated in Parliament you can find them here on certain Fridays.

The Early Day Motion (EDM) is a little-known but quietly critical part of Westminster. Here’s a quick guide on some of the key features of an Early Day Motion:

An EDM is a motion submitted for debate to the House of Commons which does not have a fixed day for debate. Due to there not being a fixed time to debate EDMs, and there being so many EDMs submitted, very few are actually debated. For example, on the 27th of April 2022 eight EDMs were submitted, none of which were debated.

Instead, MPs will use EDMs to put across their view on a specific topic, other MPs can then also sign the EDM. Therefore, in practice EDMs signal an MP’s political position or support on a given matter. It is typically backbenchers who sign EDMs, government ministers do not tend to sign onto them, and Speakers are forbidden from doing so.

EDMs can be used to canvass support for a specific topic and to portray the level of support for said topic. As an example, an EDM in support of proportional representation was able to gather seventy signatures, showing the significant level of support for the motion in parliament.

EDMs can be on any subject from the implementation of a fairer voting system, to the maintenance of the Trident nuclear weapons system to the celebration of a noteworthy person’s birthday. In conclusion, while EDMs are rarely are legislated upon, they are useful in portraying the views of members of the House of Commons.

If you would like to see the full list of contemporary EDMs you can find them on parliament’s website.

Join the ERS to support our work

Members support our work in parliament, in the press and online – making the case, and backing it up – for how we can fix Westminster’s broken system.

Join the ERS

One of the most important aspects of British democracy is the Select Committee. Select Committees are groups of parliamentarians chosen by their colleagues to conduct scrutiny of the government. Here’s a quick explanation of some of the key features:

Select Committees have a minimum of eleven members who come from different parts of the UK and are made up of different parties based on their size in the House of Commons. During the 2017 – 2019 parliament a typical Select Committee had: five Conservative members, five Labour members and one Scottish National Party member. Committees could have members from other parties if the brief of the committee was more relevant to that party. For example, if the committee was on Levelling Up in Northern Ireland there would likely be Democratic Unionist Party members sitting on the committee.

Select Committees are formed either by the House of Lords or the House of Commons. The members are chosen by either MPs or Peers (depending on if the committee is from the Commons or Lords respectively) from their own party. After all the members have been appointed a chair must be elected. In order to be eligible to chair a Select Committee the parliamentarian must secure the signatures of 15 MPs or 10% of the members from their party, whichever is lower. Most chairs of each select committee are then elected by the whole House via the Alternative Vote.

Once the chair and the membership has been decided a Select Committee will start their meetings which can happen any time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays or at specific times on Mondays and Thursday.

A House of Commons Select Committee is set up to observe spending, policy and administration decisions of each government department. For instance, the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee scrutinises the work of the Department of Health and Social Care. MPs from the Select Committee get to choose their own lines of inquiry.

Not all select committees exactly match a single department. The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee has eight lines of inquiry at the moment including the effectiveness of the Electoral Commission and one on English devolution. This means that government departments receive a greater level of scrutiny than the parliamentary calendar allows for in the House of Commons chamber. Commons Select Committees hold enquiries, call for written and oral evidence and question government legislation.

Lords Select Committees do not shadow government departments as their Commons counterparts do. Instead, Lords Select Committees explore more broad subjects relating to the UK. For example, there is a Science and Technology, Economic Affairs and Communications. Lords Select Committees will investigate how decisions made by Parliament effect their subject.

Joint Committees work in the same way as both the Commons and Lords Committees and are made of members from both houses. Joint Committees either deal with broad subjects as the Lords Select Committees do or they can be especially assembled to scrutinise government bills.

After the committee’s evidence has been gathered and published the government are legally obliged to respond to it. Select Committees do not have any power to enforce their recommendations. However, Select Committees provide much needed scrutiny and help ensure better governance.

If you would like to find a committee you’re interested in, you can find them all on parliament’s website.

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Members support our work in parliament, in the press and online – making the case, and backing it up – for how we can fix Westminster’s broken system.

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One of the lesser-known institutions of Westminster is the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). Here’s a quick overview on some of the key features of an APPG:

An APPG is a group of MPs and Peers who have an interest in the same topic. As the name suggests APPGs welcome members from any party. Topics of an APPG can range from issues impacting civil society to niche political interests.

For example, there is an APPG for Electoral Reform and there is also one for Zoos and Aquariums. There is also an APPG for every country in the world, including many territories such as the Falkland Islands. Overall there are more than 750 different APPGs.

An MP or Peer may choose to be part of several APPGs or no APPGs. Only MPs and Peers can be members of an APPG although people who aren’t an MP or Peer often attend APPG meetings.

Smaller APPGs will typically be run by an MP who acts as an officer but the larger APPGs are usually run by an outside organisation, charity, think-tank, union etc. with a special interest in the subject matter of the APPG.

The purpose of an APPG is to raise awareness of the relevant issue, to provide a forum between MPs, Peers and external stakeholders. For example, the APPG for Electoral Reform that we support is a forum between MPs, Peers, academics and campaign groups who share evidence and support for proportional representation and wider democratic reform.

APPG’s do not have a legislative function but perform an important function of democracy. For example they can make useful recommendations to the government off the back of empirical research. The APPG on Coronavirus recommended that the government spent an extra £50 million on its ‘Living with Covid’ plan after the APPG had finished a report on Long Covid.

In summary APPG’s provide a crucial framework for MPs, Peers and interested parties to discuss a whole range of important issues that really matter.

Join the ERS to support our work

Members support our work in parliament, in the press and online – making the case, and backing it up – for how we can fix Westminster’s broken system.

Join the ERS

You may not know, but there are Parliamentary debates that occur outside of the Commons or Lords and these occur in Westminster Hall. Here’s a quick primer on some of the key features of a Westminster Hall debate:

Westminster Hall Debates take place between Monday and Thursday and give MPs the opportunity to debate any issue, ranging from major constitutional questions to concerns about the local surgery closing, outside the Parliamentary calendar set by the Government. Westminster Hall debates tend not to actually happen in the Hall itself but in smaller committee rooms. When debating, MPs sit around a horseshoe-shaped table, this is designed to promote cooperation and is in stark contrast to the Commons chamber where rows of seats face off against each other.

MPs can apply to hold a 30, 60 or 90 minute debate through the Speaker’s Office. The Speaker’s Office then hold a ballot to decide which debates occur when. Debates in Westminster Hall are more informal than the House of Commons chamber. For example, there is no division to vote on the matter and there is no tabling of amendments.

Any number of MPs may attend a Westminster Hall Debate, but the debate is always chaired by a Deputy Speaker. Westminster Hall debates have no legal power and are not able to impact legislation, but they are still useful for MPs. These debates can be used to establish an MPs position on different matters, highlight political support and facilitate detailed discussion when there is not time in the main parliamentary chamber. Westminster Hall debates are therefore key to facilitating good political discourse in Parliament.

Westminster Hall Debate on proportional representation

If you would like to find upcoming Westminster Hall debates they will be listed here: https://whatson.parliament.uk/

If you would like to find historic Westminster Hall debates they are listed here: https://www.parallelparliament.co.uk/debates/search

Join the ERS to support our work

Members support our work in parliament, in the press and online – making the case, and backing it up – for how we can fix Westminster’s broken system.

Join the ERS

Today, almost every election held on the island of Ireland uses the Single Transferable Vote (STV). Bar elections for the 18 Westminster seats from Northern Ireland – every other election, on both sides of the border, uses the system. In fact, the Republic of Ireland has successfully used STV for over 100 years. But how did Ireland leave behind First Past the Post?

The last UK general election in Ireland to use First Past the Post was in 1918. The poll was the first opportunity in eight years for the Irish people to make their voice known at the ballot box due to the First World War. The results marked a turning point in Irish politics due to the collapse in support for the moderate nationalist Irish Parliamentary Party, which had dominated the Irish political landscape since the 1880s, and a growth in support for the Sinn Féin party.

Under First Past the Post, Sinn Fein won a landslide – taking 73 out of 105 seats (69.5%) on just 47% of the vote.

The ‘question of Ireland’ was a contentious issue at the time and no UK prime minister wanted to be the one to ‘lose’ Ireland so, in an attempt to stem the influence of rising independence movement, the government passed the 1919 Local Government Act of Ireland. With First Past the Post benefitting Sinn Fein, this act would allow the use of proportional representation, specifically the Single Transferable Vote, in local elections. Rather than one person representing everyone in a ward, under STV, bigger wards elect a small team of representatives. This allows for results to more closely reflect the way the electorate voted.

It was hoped that the Local Government Act would stop Sinn Fein’s gaining seats out of proportion of their actual votes. But far from opposing the move, Sinn Fein took up the challenge and adopted proportional representation as part of their wider commitment to empowering the Irish people. In fact, Arthur Griffith, who founded Sinn Féin, had welcomed the foundation of the Proportional Representation Society of Ireland in 1911 (initially as a branch of the ERS, then known as the Proportional Representation Society).

STV would be first used at the local level in Ireland during the 1919 Sligo by-election. The outcome of the election was celebrated and Irish Times wrote that it was “a thoroughly workable system” and it provided the “Magna Carta of political and municipal minorities”.

In 1920, it was used for local elections and enshrined in the Government of Ireland Act, although the House of Commons of Southern Ireland the act created was soon superseded by events in the War of Independence. STV was becoming an intrinsic part of Irish politics though.

Following independence, STV was adopted for Irish Free State elections in 1922 and its use was entrenched in the Irish Constitution, ratified by the people in a referendum on 1 July 1937.

Where there were challenges to the system, they were beaten. A referendum in 1958 was held in 1959 to switch the Republic of Ireland’s voting system back to the FPTP voting system. This proposal was narrowly rejected by 52% against to 48%. A second referendum was held on the same issue in 1968 which more decisively rejected the plans by 61% to 39%. The experience in the Republic of Ireland is one familiar the world over – once people become used to a proportional electoral system there is little appetite to switch back to First Past the Post.

Add your name to our call for proportional representation in the UK