A New Year brings with it new supporters of electoral reform including business leaders and The Economist. Here are the top lines and stories from the UK, Parliament and trade unions. How our voting system affects jobs, pay, and investment Topping the list of things that trade unions tell us they want to talk about are ‘industrial issues’ such as …
Continue readingA guest blog by Mark E Thomas, Founder of The 99% Organisation Most constitutional reform is based on the “good chaps theory” of politics according to which, although politicians vary in their effectiveness and competence, they’re all working for the good of the country. What is happening in the United States today shows the power of a bad actor, even …
Continue readingOur campaign for democratic reform is rising from the grassroots and reaching the people in power. Here are the top lines and stories from the UK, Parliament and trade unions. In the UK The latest YouGov poll, released on 28th October, shows the chaos that will be caused by retaining the First Past the Post system as voters continue the …
Continue readingTrade unionists understand power, but our crumbling First Past the Post system is not designed for us to wield power. It’s designed to manage our disillusionment. That’s why support for proportional representation (PR) is now the mainstream. Since 2022 it’s been backed by 80% of Labour Party members. From Andy Burnham to Wes Streeting, from John McDonnell to Luke Akehurst, …
Continue readingI quite enjoy games of chance. Every few weeks, I play low-stakes poker with a group of people who have become firm friends. I also like playing Dungeons and Dragons whenever I can organise enough people to do it. Throwing an eight-sided dice is a great way to kill a troll. However, I’m less convinced it’s a great way to …
Continue readingWe have good news! Things are starting to move rapidly in the right direction for democratic reform. Here are the top lines on recent events in the UK, in Parliament and in trade unions. In the UK The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) has published the latest findings from their British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey. The survey has been conducted …
Continue readingMeeting NASUWT members in Liverpool It was a pleasure to take an exhibition stall to NASUWT conference in Liverpool earlier this year and launch our updated ‘Trade Union Case for Political Reform’ booklet. Just like MPs, support for electoral reform is growing amongst trade unionists and it was pretty non-stop on our stand. We had so many interesting conversations, answered …
Continue readingEvery year on 28th April, we gather to remember those who lost their lives, health, or livelihoods to unsafe work. Workers’ Memorial Day is a reminder that safe work is a right—a right too often sacrificed at the altar of profit and political neglect. But this year, as we mourn the dead, we must also confront a systemic threat to …
Continue readingIt’s International Women’s Day again. A time of year that often leaves me reflecting on why we still need a special day each year to highlight the lack of equality in our society. It is 55 years since Barbara Castle, as Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity, introduced the Equal Pay Act 1970. The catalyst for that legislation was …
Continue readingFor the political junkies amongst you in the trade union movement who enjoy dissecting election results, you’ll have noticed how many of media outlets are now running stories telling us what Parliament would look like under proportional representation. Channel 4 has produced a great video report that explains how it would look and why. As it’s Heart Unions week, this …
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