Information
- Founded:
- 2007
Events
3 past eventsSee All
- David Blunkett: Democracy and ...
Portcullis House
Wednesday, November 26 at 7:00pm - People and Politics Day Europe
Central Hall Westminster
Tuesday, March 18 at 10:00am - Popular Participation in Const...
Siemans Room, Savoy Place
Thursday, February 21 at 10:00am
Notes
3 of 150 notesSee All
- How Healthy is our Local Democracy? 9:49am Jun 18
- Unlock Democracy deplores Lords’ failure to cap party donations 10:17am Jun 17
- Unlock Democracy welcomes Lords vote to ban donations from “non-doms” 6:16am Jun 16
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Commenting on the House of Lords’ decision to vote down proposals to cap party donations, Deputy Director of Unlock Democracy Alexandra Runswick said: “A week after Gordon Brown’s grandiose call to clean up politics, this amounts to a grubby stitch up between Labour and the Conservatives...
Commenting on the surprise Government defeat in the Lords on an opposition amendment banning non-residents and so called “non-doms” from donating to political parties, Alexandra Runswick, Unlock Democracy’s Deputy Director said: “We welcome the Lords’ decision to block donations from tax...
A new survey from YouGov has suggested that 50% of the electorate have definite plans to vote in Thursday’s European Parliament election, much higher than previous polls have suggested. Even accounting for inaccuracies in the voting register this suggests a nominal turnout of 43-45%...
Following Gordon Brown’s comments on this morning’s Today Programme, Director of Unlock Democracy Peter Facey said: “Gordon Brown’s announcement that he will be establishing a ‘National Council for Democratic Renewal’ is both timely and welcome...
With the current debate about democratic reform currently waging across the UK, Unlock Democracy is publishing the chapters written by the main party leaders in their recent book Unlocking Democracy: 20 Years of Charter 88: It’s time for a new politics by David Cameron and Nick Herbert Talking...
One week from the local and European elections, Unlock Democracy have launched the Voting Green Cross Code, a three step guide as to the measures you should take to protect your ballot from electoral fraudsters...
Commenting on the amendments to the Political Parties and Elections Bill, supported by both Labour and the Conservatives in the House of Lords, to increase the reporting thresholds of donations, Director of Unlock Democracy Peter Facey said: “It beggars belief that Gordon Brown and David Cameron...
Commenting on the publication of the Justice Committee report on devolution (published 24 May 2009), Director of Unlock Democracy Peter Facey - who gave oral evidence to the Committee - said: “Devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are key achievements of the Labour government but a...
Commenting the revelation today that David Cameron and Jack Straw are to begin ‘cross-party’ talks on constitutional reform, Director of Unlock Democracy Peter Facey said: “Westminster cannot be trusted to get itself out of the mess it has created; it is high time the public was given a say...
Your browser does not support iframes. Click here to continue. With the current crisis in Westminster, you could be forgiven for not realising we are just a couple of weeks from an election...
Unlock Democracy today welcomed the resignation of the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Michael Martin MP. Commenting on the Speaker’s resignation Unlock Democracy’s Director Peter Facey said “The Speaker had lost the confidence of the House of Commons and the wider public...
Following the statement made today by the Speaker of the House, Peter Facey, Director of Unlock Democracy commented: “This statement highlights the inadequacies of our current parliamentary system and how unaccountable it has become, when backbench MPs cannot even table a motion for...
In this issue: A C Grayling on the need for a written constitution. Lewis Baston on the case for electoral reform as a means of fighting the far right. Mark Serwotka on the trade union case for electoral reform. Steve Hewitt on the experience of minority government in Canada...
These resources are to be used in conjunction with our People and Politics Day Europe DVD which can be purchased here. Who is the DVD for...
Unlock Democracy publish a new report today highlighting how the Human Rights Act has protected civil liberties in the UK since its introduction in 1998. Protecting rights: how do we stop rights and freedoms being a political football...
This pamphlet is based on a speech delivered by Francesca Klug at the Convention on Modern Liberty on 28 February 2009 in a workshop of this title. Our lecture and pamphlet series are intended to provoke debate on and interest in issues relating to democracy and human rights...
Unlock Democracy today welcomed the Governments announcement on Individual Voter Registration following an eight month campaign on the issue...
Unlock Democracy has welcomed the Conservative Party’s new policies for local government and decentralisation and urges David Cameron to go further...
Following the announcement this weekend that Sir David Freud will be given a life peerage following his defection to the Conservative Party, Director of Unlock Democracy Peter Facey said: “Following the cash-for-peerages scandal in 2006, the process for appointing people to the House of Lords has...
Unlock Democracy today publishes three essays on democratic reform by leading figures in the main political parties. Each essay is based on Unlock Democracy Lectures given by each author in autumn 2008...
This pamphlet is based on a speech given by Daniel Hannan at Conservative Party Conference in 2008, at an Unlock Democracy lecture. Our lecture and pamphlet series are intended to provoke debate on and interest in issues relating to democracy and human rights...
This pamphlet is based on a speech given by Charles Clarke at Labour Party Conference in 2008, at an Unlock Democracy lecture. Our lecture and pamphlet series are intended to provoke debate on and interest in issues relating to democracy and human rights...
The row over the cash-for-influence scandal that has engulfed the House of Lords has caused much debate. Once more, questions are asked. Why exactly do we have a completely undemocratic chamber? Elect the Lords! Pertinent questions yes, but I would argue that this wouldn’t go far enough...
‘The Government has never said that rights are contingent upon responsibilities’, Jack Straw assured the Joint Committee on Human Rights on Tuesday last week...
IT is remarkable we are even debating whether legislators should also be able to work as paid lobbyists, but that’s the British constitution for you. We need greater transparency about lobbyists’ activities...
At the weekend the Sunday Times reported that four Labour peers had indicated to undercover reporters that they were willing to amend legislation for cash. Now we learn that it is estimated that one in five peers works as a paid consultant...
Commenting on the revelations in the Sunday Times that four Labour peers had apparently agreed to submit amendments in the House of Lords for a fee, Director of Unlock Democracy Peter Facey said: “The idea that members of either House of Parliament should be working as paid consultants for...
It’s official. We’re in a recession! I know, who would have believed it?! I almost dropped my spoonful of cornflakes when I heard the news! Yes, I’m going to suggest something radical, something almost unheard of in the modern era. A coalition government to tackle the economic crisis...
The Obama presidency has renewed America. I don’t wish to jump on the George Bush bashing bandwagon - simply put, because I don’t think he was a bad president. But it is clear from the last few days that Obama will strengthen the US’s relationships abroad and with its people at home...
A. It is only catholics who royals are prevented from marrying whilst preserving their position in line to the throne… liberal, no? This anachronistic law could be reformed, giving equal rights to woman and catholics within the monarchy...
Today the Government unveiled a constitution for the NHS in England that defines patients’ rights to healthcare and, in turn, their responsibilities to the NHS. Already critics have charged that the document is a gimmick of no real worth...
Commenting on Gordon Brown’s surprise withdrawal of the Freedom of Information (Parliament) Order - which would have exempted Parliamentary expenses from the Freedom of Information Act - Director of Unlock Democracy Peter Facey commented: “We are delighted that the Government has finally seen...
Last Thursday, as the Government announced plans to build a third runway at Heathrow, a newly-tabled statutory order was flying under the radar: the Freedom of Information Order...
The following letter was published in the Guardian today: With the approval of parliament, our government is planning to hold more information about us than ever before...
On the day that £200 billion of taxpayer cash was pledged, in Vince Cable’s words, in order to ‘give the kiss of life to a corpse’, the corpse of course being the British banking system, there was at least a victory for common sense elsewhere...
This message is being emailed to all Unlock Democracy subscribers on Monday morning. Dear friend, Today I had intended to write to you to encourage you to take part in the Convention on Modern Liberty, of which Unlock Democracy is proud to be a partner organisation...
On Wednesday, the Government appointed Mervyn Davies Trade and Investment Minister. Mr Davies, until taking up his public post, was CEO of Standard Chartered bank...
You may have seen in the news this week that Gordon Brown has appointed the Banker Mervyn Davies to be a Business Minister. The Prime Minister of the day can do this, without any scrutiny, on a whim...
Yesterday’s plans unveiled by Jack Straw to hold inquests into cases involving national security without a traditional jury raise some interesting, and potentially concerning implications for our democracy...
As the bombs rain in Gaza, and protesters gather to denounce Israel, I find myself asking the same question as I did two year’s ago over the invasion of Lebanon - how, and I mean really, how can people who apparently believe in democracy and human rights, be tacitly defending the like of Hamas...
Commenting on comments last night by Peter Wardle, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission, calling for the government to introduce individual voter registration, Unlock Democracy Director Peter Facey said: “Peter Wardle’s intervention comes at a crucial time...
By Douglas Carswell and Daniel Hannan Available on lulu.com...
Banker Mervyn Davies has been made a life peer so he can serve as a trade minister as part of Gordon Brown’s plan for a “government of all the talents.” Nick Robinson observes that “he will effectively replace the ex-head of the Confederation of British Industry Digby Jones, who left in the...
Our public meetings are a chance to learn about how the Act works and how you can use it. Please attend any meeting near you and please bring others...
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