Times Higher Education. The UK's Erasmus return is a step in the right direction. 20 April.
Our report, 'Unlocking opportunity: Why the UK needs Erasmus Plus', found that over 1 million people in the UK have benefited from Erasmus Plus since the original programme began in 1987. Now we have rejoined, a new generation will have the opportunity to train, study, and work across Europe.
What does it mean for democracy to be local? ERS Scotland is part of the Build Local Scotland campaign, a group who want to see the end of centralisation and a return to local control in Scotland. www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...
Trust is not just about safeguards. It is about whether people feel their voice matters. If the system repeatedly fails to represent their choices, if they are excluded from the process, people lose faith in democracy. buff.ly/Q0yWmam
"Matthew Goodwin has been paid a salary of up to €10,000 a month [from Hungary's state-funded MCC], according to leaked documents obtained by Hungarian investigative journalists Direkt36 and reported by the Good Law Project"
That could all end if Orbán loses...
open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
🧵 Democracy feels like it's in a rough state at the moment across the globe, and we hear various explanations, like polarisation, extremism, disinformation, and loss of trust. But what if those explanations are mainly symptoms and we've been trying to treat them rather than the underlying causes?
Bulgaria has asked the EU for help to fight off interference from Russia.
Russia's meddling is a threat to democracy.
Countries must protect their elections and democratic processes.
www.politico.eu/article/bulgaria-turns-t...
This is interesting… my instinct is that the fewer barriers there are for people to vote the better. But I am glad that they are trialling it first. It seems to be a lot of work on voting that has not been commented on at all… which is weird
Flexible voting pilots at local elections May’s local elections will see a number of pilots of different forms of ‘flexible voting’. These are intended to test whether giving people a greater range of options for how they cast their ballots increases participation and satisfaction with the voting process without raising costs unduly. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government sent a prospectus for the scheme to councils in August setting out four arrangements that could be piloted: allowing voters to cast their ballot at any polling station in their local authority area; creating central polling hubs in places such as shopping centres or railway stations; running mobile polling stations that might go, for example, to care homes, universities, or community centres; and early in-person voting at selected venues before polling day. After consideration of applications from councils to take part, ministers announced in March that four pilots would go forward in May. These cover two of the four possible arrangements that had been mooted: Cambridge, North Hertfordshire, and Tunbridge Wells will pilot early voting at selected voting hubs; Milton Keynes will pilot on-the-day voting hubs. For...
Did you know that the government is trialling 'flexible voting' in some parts of the country in May’s local elections?
These will give people more options about where they can vote and test early in-person voting.
Read more in Monitor 92 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo....
Following from @sarahowen.org.uk earlier this week another MP having to abandon their public presence due to threats and attacks.
Its not a coincidence, I suspect, that its another woman.
Something is badly broken
With some error corrections on my part (and, for 1 candidate, the Notice of Poll's!), I make it 690 unique candidates; you can find the whole lot here, though please do shout if you spot any mistakes or missing candidates!
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
England The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill was at report stage in the House of Lords at the time of writing, and it has not as yet been subject to significant changes. As indicated in the previous issue of Monitor, the bill seeks to standardise and clarify the powers available to each type of ‘strategic authority’. It also proposes to require all local authorities without elected mayors to use the leader and cabinet system, in which the councillors elect a leader (usually the head of the largest party) and that person then appoints a cabinet in which individual councillors are given specific policy responsibilities. In March, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said that she is developing ‘a roadmap for future fiscal devolution’ in England. This would devolve some tax revenues to regional mayors. The government’s process of restructuring local government in two-tier areas to a unitary pattern has continued. All two-tier areas in England have now submitted proposals to reorganise into single unitary authorities. The process is furthest advanced in Surrey: the county and district councils there are to be replaced by two new unitary authorities, which will hold their first elections in May. In four further areas – Hampshire, Norfolk & Suffolk, Essex...
Have you heard that strategic authority mayors may be getting new financial powers?
Are you up to date with the restructuring of local authorities and creation of new strategic authorities in England?
Read more in Monitor 92 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo....
Younger people face different problems and politicians need to focus on these as well as the (high voting) over 60’s
Second recent update on UK-EU youth mobility negotiations shows both sides trying to find compromises in what are poorly defined asks. Theoretically an easier negotiation that the far greater detail needed when talking alignment. www.ft.com/content/4eaa...
"Research for the Association for Citizenship Teaching and for this book demonstrates that the GSCE in Citizenship Studies has a statistically significant impact in boosting young people’s political interest, confidence and participation, particularly among those from less advantaged backgrounds."
These are good ideas. We need to change the rules to respond to a changing world. If we just leave the rules as they are, our democracy will become degraded
You can vote at 16 in Scotland and Wales but not (yet) in England and Northern Ireland
Infographic reminding all residents of Scotland to register to vote. The key points are in the post text.
The next Scottish Parliament elections are on Thurs 7 May.
Any resident of #Scotland, 16+ (UK, EU, or any nationality, w/ legal right to stay here) can vote.
Make sure you’re registered to vote by 20 April.
www.mygov.scot/voting-in-el...
Please share, remind your friends.
#ScotParl #ScotParl2026
“Australians can now live & work freely in the EU for 4 years and vice versa
That means they now have 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 EU rights than British people. Free movement offered millions of us fantastic opportunities but Brexiteers slammed that door shut, most shamefully on their own children”
I’ve long covered MAGA politics but I was shocked by what I heard at CPAC. It has radicalised yet further. It’s a movement convinced it must not only save the US but Western civilisation. Because in their mind, the UK and Europe has already “fallen” to Islam.
Watch 👇
youtu.be/t3Y_ozT_p3g?...
ON THE BLOG: Mandelson scandal is another reminder that the standards regime needs a legislative overhaul
Peter Riddell argues news of yet another standards scandal shows ministers must be proactive, seeking to future proof the system through legislation, rather than reacting to individual crises
This UK govt really need to allow a bit of leeway on this new rule. Saying ‘it’s been on our website since 2024’ in defence doesn’t really cut it
19-year-old student,from Oxfordshire is stuck in Madrid after a university trip
18-year-old British-Danish national left stranded in Mumbai
Here’s a clip from the rehearsals www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXCf...
There’s a great show about her on in London at the moment sohoplace.org/shows/marie-... I saw it last Monday and Beverley Knight was phenomenal
Polls have closed in the first of this year's five German state elections, in prosperous Baden-Württemberg. It's looking like a remarkable win-from-behind by the Greens under @oezdemir.de. Full results over the course of the evening.
Exclusive The I Paper: Nigel Farage's dream of entering No 10 could be scuppered by tactical voting.
Leftwing voters are significantly more willing to vote tactically than those on the right, polling by BMG Research suggests.
Story link in tweet below👇
American politics are increasingly backward looking. Is the UK the same? Will expanding the voting age to 16 and 17 year olds change the focus to our future?
