Why do the men in Westminster now dress so badly? Westminster once expected powerful men to look powerful. Now some of its most influential figures seem determined to look as though they've slept in a hedge. New essay 👇

Small thing but the Mandelson files really show you how personal endorsements and (the brokering of) connections get used to further ideological & personal agendas in politics. “X is a grown up” “If you’re working on [issue] you simply must speak to Y” “Z is in town, you should meet”, and so on.

My last piece got me called a sexist. Let's see what happens here: I’ve come to the conclusion that Westminster is Rupert Campbell-Black behind closed doors and the HR dept in public. On @samanthaniblett.bsky.social 'Summer of Sex' and Westminster’s performance of purity. tinyurl.com/2zm8jpur

So I see I should’ve been using my Bluesky…

Go on, you know you want to!

According to @transparencyuk.bsky.social, £38.6m in UK political donations since 2010 came from unincorporated associations with little to no transparency. Yesterday, APPG member @philbrickellmp.bsky.social called on the Government to close donation loopholes and safeguard our democracy 👇

On foreign donations into UK politics, this isn’t about one person or one party. It’s about preventing a small number of very wealthy and powerful foreign donors from subverting British democracy. That should be a goal we can all agree with. UK electoral law is long overdue a drastic update.

Our new report on the 2024 General Election, A System Out of Step, explores in depth the most disproportional election in British history, in terms of how we voted and what we got. Our research reveals the full, worrying picture from this election. www.electoral-reform.org.uk/a-system-out...

By my reckoning, last Wednesday marked the first time that MPs have voted in favour of a bill to introduce proportional representation for elections to the Commons A symbolic turning point? bylinetimes.com/2024/12/10/b...

Launching ourselves onto Bluesky in fashion with our report into the 2024 GE! Proving once and for all it is the most disproportional in British electoral history and one of the most in the world.. @electoralreform.bsky.social

Wednesday’s Lords debate on the proposed removal of hereditary peers looks to be an almost exceptionally high number of hereditary peers speaking during a debate..

Loopholes in the law are allowing “dark money” to infiltrate UK politics, with almost £1 in every £10 donated to parties and politicians coming from unknown or dubious sources, analysis reveals. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Happy St Andrews day, quite right that I’m travelling back home to Scotland today too 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Something something memetic warfare something something we’ve been doing this since the dawn of the internet

🚨 LAUNCHING TODAY 🚨 Nearly two years ago, @tortoisemedia.bsky.social unveiled the Westminster Accounts, a free tool designed to give people greater understanding of the money that flows through parliament. Now, with Peer Review, we take on another arcane part of our system - the House of Lords

If Avanti West Coast has a million haters, I’m one of them. If they have one hater, it’s me. If the world hates Avanti West Coast, I am with the world. If the world is with Avanti West Coast, I am against the world. If Avanti West Coast has no haters, I am dead.

Lovely first day of Welsh Labour conference with @electoralreform.bsky.social

An absolute great of Scottish literature and a wonderful analysis.

Our wonderful Director of ERS Cymru @jessblair.bsky.social is now on Bluesky! One of the most switched on people around when it comes to Cymru politics <3

The Welsh coastal path in Aberaeron was bloody gorgeous this afternoon

Keeping the special relationship alive and well @electoralreform.bsky.social with a guest blog from the co-founder and senior advisor to @fairvote.bsky.social Rob Richie on the electoral reform situation in America www.electoral-reform.org.uk/what-kamala-...

Hereditary peers attempting to justify their role as ‘democratic’ when they are universally recognised as indefensible by parties of all colours is so amusing. Some may be genuine but the 92 have received influence and a vote for life based entirely on the accident of their birth. t.co/5HNLD2G8Rs

Had noticed Bluesky is quite male-dominated so far – some wonderful suggestions of women to follow here 👇

The DLR is the most superior method of travel in London, I won’t hear arguments to the contrary