Mark Kieran

🎥 BIG MONEY IS CORRUPTING OUR POLITICS 🎥

UK politics has a big money problem 💷

The super-rich use money to buy honours, influence and access to power. It erodes trust in our politics and undermines our democracy.

The UK needs a cap on donations to end big money in our politics.

More below ⤵️

I see Liz Truss has launched her new ‘at home’ prostate exam service.
i.guim.co.uk/img/media/52...

National Commission on Electoral Reform | Open Britain Millions of votes don't count under First Past the Post. Sign the petition for an independent National Commission on Electoral Reform to review how Britain elects its MPs.

🤔 Votes at 16 sounds like a great idea. But what's the point if First Past the Post means millions of those votes will effectively go in the shredder? Let's give the next generation a political system that works for everyone (not just the wealthy and well-connected).
www.open-britain.co.uk/ncer

I remember once talking to a guy who was in the middle of a two-tab LSD trip...he made infinitely more sense than this mad, tedious prick. 🤪😴

💯 “The electoral system is at breaking point now, because we're in this multi-party system, because of political fragmentation.”

🎙️ @alexsobel.co.uk, chair of the @appgfairelections.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk #CrossQuestion

Starmer’s New Best Friend...Tommy Robinson Plaudits from Robinson should be a flashing red light on any government's dashboard.

Plaudits from Tommy Robinson should be a flashing red light on any government's dashboard. Here's the thing that will stop future governments having to dance to his tune... open.substack.com/pub/uglypoli...

🎲 “The case for First Past the Post absolutely breaks down... when an election result feels random, its hard for that result to feel legitimate”

🎙️ @dmk1793.bsky.social discusses our call for a National Commission on Electoral Reform on @ohgodwhatnow.bsky.social

💯 “I think this is the way forward”

‘Mistrust is Populism’s Weapon’: Lord Puttnam on the Death of Public Trust – and How to Resurrect It The former Labour peer warns that Britain’s democratic crisis is rooted in a collapse of trust – and in the stories politicians tell to exploit it

Lord Puttnam has given an excellent interview in @bylinetimes.bsky.social following our event in the House of Commons last week "preventing disinformation and misinformation in campaigning".

You can read it here. www.bylinesupplement.com/p/mistrust-i...

Ahead of the Elections Bill we've held a key meeting at the House of Commons on "preventing disinformation and misinformation in campaigning".

Thanks for excellent contributions from David Puttnam, @elliechowns.bsky.social, Justin Madders, @iancolinlucas.bsky.social, @georgefreemanmp.bsky.social.

Thanks for putting on this event with us @appgfairelections.bsky.social

“The truth matters. We need to challenge this now because otherwise it's only going to get worse.”

Justin Madders on the need to go beyond a code of conduct for political campaigning in order to address disinformation

@reformpoliticalads.bsky.social

Great to hear from our Vice Chair @elliechowns.bsky.social at tonight's event with @reformpoliticalads.bsky.social

Cleaning up political advertising is part of our mission to deliver clean and fair elections, by:

🛡️ Countering disinformation
🗳️ Replacing First Past the Post
💷 Eliminating dark money

🙃 “If you advertise a packet of crisps there’s four different sets of regulations you have to abide by. If you’re advertising for a political campaign there’s practically none.”

@alextait.bsky.social sets out some of the challenges, evidence & best practice in regulating election advertising

Packed room for extremely timely event on how to stop misinformation and disinformation in political advertising.

Big shout out to @reformpoliticalads.bsky.social and @appgfairelections.bsky.social for putting this event on tonight.

📰 How can we tackle disinformation and misinformation in campaigning?

🚀 We'll shortly be kicking off our joint event in Parliament this evening with @reformpoliticalads.bsky.social

How do you know? I mean, how do you know that you have all the information necessary to identify a solution that is workable, is credible in the eyes of practitioners, commands widespread public support, and has the authority to persuade opponents that the case for change was won fair and square?

What point are you making?

The APPG is not interested in jumping to conclusions about what system best suits the country’s future needs. That is the task envisioned for the NCER, on the back of a full national debate informed by a range experts and the views of the Voter’s Forum (a representative group of ordinary people).

That said, given the current volatile political environment, it would be foolish not to keep an eye on other potential ways forward that may arise…and none of us are fools.

As far as I know, Neal and @compassoffice.bsky.social are squarely behind the call for an NCER as the current best way forward, as are @makevotesmatter.bsky.social, @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social, @electoralreform.bsky.social, @labour4pr.bsky.social, @libdems4er.bsky.social and others.

Remember, we’ve never said the NCER is the ONLY way to achieve this goal. I’m always keen to hear alternative views. If you have a better idea, one that avoids the pitfalls that have stymied this cause in the past and gets around the challenges you mention above, maybe set it out here?

Oh, sorry. I thought you had calculated it yourself. (I too hear lots of people say all sorts of things…there isn’t enough, time, money, political will, stocks of fairy dust…a million different things…doesn’t mean they’re well informed.)

Hi Ewan. Great Substack. 👍🏻
Interested to know how you conclude that the time for a National Commission on Electoral Reform has passed, given we are likely 3.5 years away from the next election.

What a Black Sheep Joke Tells Us About Nigel Farage One criminal act should not indict a whole community.

Ok, the joke may be a bit niche but you STEM types will like it! 🤣 And the piece contains an important message for everyone. open.substack.com/pub/uglypoli...

The first time? Clearly not been paying attention for a VERY long time.

Exclusive: Andy Burnham’s plan for Britain Inside his Manchester kingdom, Labour’s prince across the water outlines his radical blueprint

🌹 “One of the events @andyburnham.bsky.social will attend in Liverpool this year will be a @labour4pr.bsky.social rally on Sunday evening, in favour of proportional representation. "The idea of a government elected on a minority of the vote is untenable," he tells me.”

I still can't quite believe that the very first attacks from Labour on Farage's bonkers idea to kick millions of people with INDEFINITE right to remain out of the UK were to argue that it's infeasible and wouldn't save anything like the amount he claimed.

How about:
- It's WRONG
- It's IMMORAL
?

🗳️ What’s next in the fight for fair votes?

👏 We were delighted to co-host this fringe event with @libdems4er.bsky.social, discussing how our call for a National Commission on Electoral Reform can help deliver PR

🙏 A huge thanks to our panel and audience

In London, hate will never win.

💡 “This is a clear proposal for the Government to set up a National Commission that could independently ask the big questions about our democracy”

📢 MPs made the case for fair votes & a National Commission on Electoral Reform in the #InternationalDemocracyDay debate

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