In May's local elections an unprecedented number of contests saw only one progressive candidate standing. By accident and, under the radar, by local design, progressive parties not competing had a…
30 May, 2022
Democracy
09 May, 2022
Lesson on candidate selection from North Hertfordshire
Since 2019, a Labour-Lib Dem coalition has held control of North Hertfordshire District Council. At the 2022 Local Election, this was strengthened with Labour gaining two seats against the Tories…
02 Jul, 2021
Phew! Labour given a lifeline it must now take
It’s a huge relief that at least one Red Wall brick teetered but didn’t fall. Congratulations to Kim Leadbeater, the Labour campaigners and all the progressive voters in Batley and…
27 Apr, 2021
Democracy at work
Progressives should seek to change the law to allow workers to elect representatives to company boards, writes James Doran. Photo by Benjamin Child on Unsplash In the aftermath of the…
01 Apr, 2021
Place and People Before Party: how can we make a progressive alliance a reality in Hartlepool and beyond?
On May 6th, we were already going to see the biggest and most important set of elections this country has ever seen outside of a general election. The Welsh Senedd,…
18 Mar, 2021
Constitutional reform must be led by people, not politicians
Everybody knows the UK’s political system is broken. Fixing our democracy can only be led by the citizens it exists to serve. That's why Compass has joined 17 other organisations…
01 Feb, 2021
The British Confederation of States
The desire for Scottish ‘independence’ may now be irresistible but the opinion polls suggest an outcome still in the balance. What would independence mean in practice? Joining the European Union,…
08 Jan, 2021
Why Trump won in 2016 and why the movement will not die with him
While the success of Donald Trump in 2016 was a shock to many people, the movement that supported his successful campaign to the White House has been bubbling in the…
20 Oct, 2020
How the system hurts UK democracy
Shortly after the UK general election of December 2019 I wrote a policy article for the spring 2020 edition of Global Discourse, setting out what my involvement in politics has taught…
17 Sep, 2020
Working differently within our current democratic structures
Grace Barnett’s recently published Compass paper, 'Democracy, Participation and Civil Society' contains wonderful examples of pioneers of the “cultural infrastructure for a new democratic settlement”, all with the aim to…
12 Jun, 2020
A People’s Inquiry?
As the first empirical comparative study (published by the OECD) into deliberative democracy emphatically shows that citizen participation in public decision making delivers better policies, strengthens democracy, and builds trust,…
20 May, 2020
What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding? How kindness can drive an agile, creative, and deliberative democracy
'The feedback I’m receiving certainly reveals a positive local picture, one where statutory organisations, established and newly developed Voluntary and Community Sector organisations or groups, and the informal network of…