It has, without consultation or a change in the law, slammed shut the principal way that investigating corruption of the register may be properly conducted.
Also: Poll suggests SNP have a mountain to climb on independence; Cameron admits he asked Queen to intervene in 2014; and more.
In April 2020, Lutfur Rahman will have his disqualification lifted. He will be free to stand in the 2022 local elections. Will the police have learned anything?
“When otherwise sensible folk, holding down serious jobs, devise and propagate all manner of conspiracy theories, as well as insult Scottish Government analysts…”
When there are genuine threats, foreign and domestic, our democracy needs better protection than this visibly failing organisation.
Over the past three years, we have seen large chunks of our bureaucracy – civil servants, quangocrats and other officials – working to frustrate the referendum result.
The specifics of the case warrant all the critical scrutiny they’re receiving, but we must not lose sight of the bigger picture.
She accepts the regulator has the last word, but says that “We were rule-compliant according to the legal advice we were given at that time”.
If we do not update the rules governing our elections and referendums, their credibility faces a perfect storm of threats.
In 1872 the secret ballot was introduced to prevent open voting. 137 years later, the United Kingdom cannot guarantee a secret ballot in our capital city.
Plus: Marion Little carries can for CCHQ – and many agents of all parties will think: “there but for the grace of God go I.” And: Am I creepy?
Our democracy is poorly served by widespread ignorance about campaign technology, and the fact glamorous alarmism wins more headlines than grubby reality.
If the Cabinet Office won’t help defend democracy, why should ordinary citizens do it? The wrong signal is being sent out.
An effective umpire must command the confidence of both sides with regard to both its impartiality and its basic competence. At present, it doesn’t come close.
From ‘fake news’ to micro-targeting, crowd-funding to data rights, we explore the key areas of focus for an overdue review of the rules of our democracy.