UK Democracy Bulletin, 7th November 2022

Note from the Editor: Apologies for your delayed edition of the UK Democracy Bulletin this week.

Fortnightly news, jobs, grants and gossip from the democracy sector, brought to you by James Moulding, Max Roche and Louise Dunmore. The UK Democracy Bulletin is a join project of the The Centre for Democracy and the UK Democracy Network. Read by 400+ democracy organisations. We read everyone’s newsletters & research so you don’t have to. If you want us to cover yours, let us know: hello@centrefordemocracy.org.uk

Highlights

Democracy Awards place your nominations!
UK Open Government Network help shape the network
English Boundary Changes announced 8th November
Fairness Foundation launches Fairness Index
Online Safety Bill withdrawn and watered down
Electoral Reform Society Cymru annual conference coming up
Northern Ireland elections deferred to 2023

In case you missed it…

You can read this Democracy Bulletin email on Medium.

UK Democracy Network are hosting a new annual conference this December in London — sign up for free here.

Thanks to our contributors

Thanks to everyone who joined us last week for our Democracy Meetup. This week we were joined by Will Snell — Fairness Foundation, Perry Walker — TalkShop, Jessica Metheringham — Unlock Democracy, Roger Wilson — Unite to Reform, Jessie Joe Jacobs — UK Democracy Network, Tom Brake — Unlock Democracy and Kevin Keith — UK Open Government Network.

Upcoming Legislation

More than 300,000 sign petition to halt Public Order Bill

Liberty and Greenpeace UK joined forces to deliver a damning public verdict on the controversial new public order legislation with over 300,000 people coming together to re-kill the Bill. The Public Order Bill resurrects those elements of the now Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act that were previously thrown out by the House of Lords.

Public Order Bill receives Second Reading in House of Lords

During the debate in the Lords, peers warned that tourists and members of the public could be caught up in the new restrictions. Labour peer Vernon Coaker warned of effectively unlimited stop and search powers in the vicinity of protest, whilst Lib Dem peer Brian Paddick–a former Police Commander–remarked that the new law further erodes ‘people’s right to assembly, free speech and peaceful protest’. The Public Order Bill is due for Lords committee stage on 16th November 2022.

Labour Party appears to side with Government on Public Order Bill

In a wake up call to campaigners hoping for any future Labour government to roll back on controversial Conservative protest law, in an interview with radio station LBC, Keir Starmer argued that he supports longer sentences for those ‘who are gluing themselves to roads and motorways’.

Online Safety Bill withdrawn due to limited parliamentary time

The Online Safety Bill has now been withdrawn in its current form from the Commons’ schedule. It is expected that a new ‘watered down’ version of the Bill will be proposed later this month by Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan. Civil society groups have criticised the move stating that its withdrawal leaves children at risk.

Fears raised over lack of parliamentary scrutiny proposed in Retained EU Law Bill

Hansard Society have highlighted concerns over the ‘sunset clause’ in the Retained EU Law Bill, which would see any piece of EU retained law revoked by default at the end of December 2023 unless ministers actively decide to save it. Since becoming prime minister, Sunak has promised to tone down the government’s zeal for axing EU law due to fears it would severely restrict the machinery of government.

Democracy Sector

Help renew the UK Open Government Network

For the last decade the UK Open Government Network (UK OGN) has taken civil society into the heart of the UK government. Hundreds of reformers have worked with civil servants to secure policy commitments related to open government — yet now, the UK Government is ‘under review’ for failing to meet the 77 strong Open Government Partnership (OGP) criteria. Kevin Keith, Chair of the UK OGN, reports that they have not had the resources equal to the task over the recent period, and as a result civil society confidence is low precisely at a time when interest in open government is high, off the back of recent government crises. The OGP has funded Involve to deliver two online workshops to serve as a reset for the network — help shape the UK Open Government Network and click here to sign up now. Additionally, the OGP recently published information on their proposed strategy shift, read it now.

Democracy Awards nominations are now open

UK Democracy Network are hosting their first ever Democracy Awards dinner to recognise and champion outstanding work being done across the sector. Taking place at their first annual conference in December, the awards will cover five categories: Equality & Power, Democratic Innovation, Democracy Campaign of the Year, Outstanding Contribution to Democratic Change, Empowerpowerment, Transparency and Democracy Rights. Nominations close 21st November — make yours now.

Fairness Foundation launches Fairness Index

Will Snell, Chief Executive at Fairness Foundation, reports that they launched their Fairness Index — a new online resource that brings together key data on the ‘fair necessities’: wealth, education, pay, tax and health, to build a comprehensive picture of how fair Britain is today. The Index includes a special page dedicated to democracy-related fairness matters. Sign up for updates from the Fairness Foundation here.

Jessica Metheringham is creating a democracy board game

Avid boardgame designer at Dissent Games and Chair of Unlock Democracy, Jessica Metheringham, is looking for up to ten people to contribute to the design of a new democracy game. They’ll likely get started in the new, but if this sounds like your jam — get in touch.

#DemocracyDrinks arrives in London on 16th November

It is the UK launch of the UK chapter of #democracy drinks which are held in a number of countries around the world. Alice Stollmeyer, who has been setting these up throughout Europe, will be joining for part of the evening. The event will run from 5.30pm to 8pm and will be held at Boardroom, Second Floor, North Wing, 55 Broadway, London, SW1H 0BH. For more information contact Shaun Roberts at Unlock Democracy.

Talk Shop launch Win-Win Workout

The new deliberative format launched last week by Perry Walker and Bob Bollen at Talkshop and aims to counter increasing polarisation in public life. Win-Win Workout emphasises common ground and shared solutions — find out more on their website. Their next event, focused on rewilding, using the Win-Win format will be held on the 7th December.

Democracy Action to become part of Democracy Network

Earlier this year Democracy Action went on pause to consider its next steps. They will now become part of the UK Democracy Network’s core activities producing their monthly newsletter.

Elect Her crowdfunder to support women in the 2023 and 2024 elections

Elect Her has launched its first-ever crowdfunder to provide financial support for women in the upcoming 2023 and 2024 elections. They want to ensure women from all financial backgrounds can be represented.

Electoral Reform Society Cymru gearing up for their annual conference

Hosted in Cardiff next month, the ERS Cymru annual supporter conference will welcome Mick Antoniw MS, Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution, as keynote speaker for an action packed conference replete with workshops and updates on the Welsh government’s ambitious programme of democratic reforms. Would you like to know more?

Don’t miss: Koreo’s bi-weekly RADAR newsletter

Each fortnight, Jonny Will Chambers and the team at Koreo, take a moment to drill down what they’ve seen or heard into their RADAR newsletter, often touching on questions and topics of democratic transformation. Read last week’s issue and subscribe for your next read.

Institute for Government asks: Does the UK’s human rights regime need reform?

On Wednesday 16th November, the Institute for Government are hosting an online panel looking at whether the government should consider reform to how rights are upheld in the UK, a hot topic considering recent moves towards more authoritarian policing methods and attempts to usurp the Human Rights Act — Register now.

New report unpicks causes of global democratic backsliding

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace have released a new report looking at the overarching causes behind the ongoing global decline in democratic values and practices. The paper focuses on three main types of backsliding: ‘grievance-fuelled illiberalism’, ‘opportunistic authoritarianism’ and ‘entrenched-interested revanchism’, and explores how civil society and international actors can respond to the crisis.

Citizen Network launch first global cooperative to foster citizenship

On Monday 24th October, the Citizen Network Cooperative was launched. Connecting twelve international organisations, the co-op will promote active global citizenship by creating a framework that supports individuals to take action in their community and learn from others around the world.

Demos hiring for multiple roles

Demos are still on the lookout for a Director of Policy and Impact. They are also now recruiting a Head of External Affairs and a Researcher. Check out the job descriptions for more details on all roles.

TPXimpact are looking for a Deliberative Democracy Officer

The exciting new role will involve working with the Democracy Lead and colleagues across TPXimpact (formerly FutureGov) to shape and deliver impactful projects that put people at the heart of their change-making process.

Research Associate wanted for a project on Digital Campaigning and Electoral Democracy

The University of Manchester is looking to hire a Post-Doctoral Research Associate to work on the Digital Campaigning and Electoral Democracy Project (DiCED) directed by Professor Rachel Gibson. DiCED is a large-scale comparative project that studies the drivers and effects of digital campaigning in 5 countries and 7 national elections during the period 2020–2023.

Black Europeans, a new immigrant and Black-led organisation has been launched

Co-founder Ake Achi says: “As it stands, migrants are seen as victims who need to be saved, not as social innovators who are capable of standing up for ourselves.” Black Europeans stated goal is to monitor the EU settlement scheme, aiming to combat systemic racism post-Brexit and offer representation to all EU citizens from the Global Majority.

Hope Not Hate hiring five new roles

Senior Policy & Engagement Officer, Community Response Co-ordinator and Press & Communications Lead are just some of the roles Hope Not Hate are advertising for. Hope Not Hate is a leading organisation responding to and tackling far-right politics in the UK. Find out more and apply here.

Charities too ‘respectable’ to win change, Janey Starling argues

Writing for openDemocracy last month, Janey Starling, Co-Director at LevelUp, says charities are too fixated on doing ‘good’ and being polite, that charities have stopped fighting for social justice. Janey states that ultimately ‘charities cling on to their service contracts, offering tepid policy briefs, while the government does whatever it wants’.

Institute for Government publish new report on austerity in public services

The new report ‘Austerity’ in public services: lessons from the 2010s argues that the Chancellor’s expected push for austerity will be far more damaging to public services and harder to deliver than the coalition government’s 2010 austerity programme — in short, that there is no meaningful ‘fat to trim’ from existing budgets, many of which are still feeling the impacts of a decade of spending restraint and pandemic pressures.

Democratic Reform

Proposed English boundary changes to be announced on 8th November

The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) has announced a new map of proposed boundary changes will be published on 8th November. The changes will aim to equalise the number of electors between constituencies. From 8th November, the final public consultation period will open for four weeks, ending on 5th December. The BCE will publish all comments received during the secondary consultation stage. Welsh constituencies are also undergoing review for which you can find more information here. Roger Wilson at Unite to Reform highlights the need for a shared baseline of GE2019 results ahead of new boundary changes, warning that without these party activists and campaigners will face confusion.

Compass to launch new national campaign Win as One

The new national campaign from Compass seeks to make the case for a better political system, supporting a new generation of changemakers to step up and represent their communities in the next election. Win as One candidates will place particular emphasis on delivering electoral reform. More details to follow.

New voting clause in Levelling-Up Bill rejected by UK Government

The voting clause allowing local authorities to choose the voting systems they operate in their areas has been rejected by the UK Government.

Lib Dem Tim Farron MP remarked the clause was entirely reasonable if the government was serious about devolving power and trusted local people. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Deheena Davison, asked that the clause be withdrawn, stating, “the Government absolutely cannot accept it…Ensuring confidence in the voting system is paramount. Having different systems for neighbouring areas risks confusion for electors.”

Centenary Action Group to host panel discussion on women’s representation in Parliament

The parliamentary event on 17th November will discuss how political parties can increase the number of female MPs and what cultural changes are required to retain them. The event is an in-person question and answer session with time for networking.

Social Market Foundation make a democratic case for independent fiscal policy

A new briefing from the Social Market Foundation suggests that empowering technocrats to take charge of national fiscal policy could circumvent the current over-politicisation of macroeconomic policy. Following the move to make national monetary policy independent through the Bank of England, the briefing suggests that democratising fiscal policy would allow it to be decided on by independent experts, leaving elected officials to make allocative decisions.

50,000 march on Westminster to demand a second referendum on Brexit

The National Rejoin March took place last month with thousands of protestors taking to the street calling for Britain to re-join the EU. Re-joiners argue that the current crises facing the country can be traced back to the 2016 referendum and call for a general election and a second referendum on Brexit.

Integrity & Transparency

Braverman reinstated as Home Secretary despite breaching ministerial code

Suella Braverman has been reinstated as Home Secretary six days after she was forced to resign for sending confidential government information to private email addresses. Dave Penman, head of the FDA civil servants’ union said the reappointment was a clear sign of ‘double standards’ and it shows that ministers can ‘act with impunity if it suits the prime minister’. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer accused Sunak of making a ‘grubby deal’ with Braverman, offering her a place in the cabinet in order to secure her support in his leadership bid.

Elections

Labour MP Chris matheson resigns over ‘unwanted sexual advances’, triggers Chester byelection
The findings by Parliament’s bullying and harassment watchdog, as well as the standards commissioner, found Matheson had breached the sexual misconduct policy of the House of Commons. Whilst an independent expert panel then recommended his suspension from Parliament, Matheson said last Friday that he has instead decided to step down, triggering a byelection in his Chester seat following his appointment to the Chiltern Hundreds.

Government to push ahead with Voter IDs ahead of May elections despite criticism

Peter Stanyon, Chief Executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators, has written to the Department for Levelling Up and Communities warning that it could not guarantee the May 2023 elections would run smoothly if the government went ahead with plans to introduce voter ID. Speaking to the Byline Times, Lib Dem peer Lord Chris Rennard said the scheme amounted to “a Trump-inspired form of voter suppression” that could prevent as many as 2 million from voting as they are unlikely to have to correct forms of ID. For more info on the scheme to introduce voter IDs, check out this House of Commons research briefing by researchers Neil Johnston and Elise Uberoi.

Onward polling reveals extent of collapse in Conservative electoral fortunes

New research from Onward has underlined the crisis facing the Conservative Party. The survey of more than 10,000 members of the general public at the end of August found that 35% rate their chances of voting Conservative as zero percent and 46% rate it as extremely unlikely. However, the majority of lost Conservative voters indicated that they don’t know who they will vote for at the next election, suggesting Labour still have some way to go to capitalise on the ongoing crisis within the Conservative party.

New research suggests lower voting age improves voter turnout

New research from Germany has shown that allowing 16 and 17 year olds to vote in elections improved voter turnout among voters in their late teens and throughout their twenties. The research comes following a 2021 commitment from the new coalition government in Germany to lowering the voting age at a federal level for European Parliament elections. The findings add to a growing body of research from a number of international contexts that reducing the barriers to voter enfranchisement leads to greater levels of political engagement.

Devolved Democracy & Local Government

Northern Ireland elections deferred to 2023

The UK Government has pushed back fresh elections to the Northern Ireland assembly amid reports that a breakthrough has been found in the controversial Brexit arrangements that have caused the Democratic Unionist Party boycott of Stormont. NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris claims PM Sunak has overruled his authority and stepped in to take direct control after meetings between Rishi Sunak and Irish Taoiseach Michael Martin.

Localis release Policy Toolkit to improve engagement in the public realm

Public organisations and local councils are realising that there is more to be done in partnership with communities and residents, according to think tank Localis. Their new toolkit, The Connected Society, provides actions and policy options to enhance engagement based on the lessons learnt from recent work in Kensington and Chelsea Council. Localis are also celebrating their twenty-first anniversary in December — join them for a drinks reception at the Bishop Partridge Hall, Church House, Westminster on the evening of Tuesday 6 December from 6.00pm onwards.

Democracy & Media

Twitter will become a ‘supercharged engine of radicalisation’ under Musk, warn civil rights advocates

Elon Musk has finalised his takeover of social media platform Twitter amidst concern over plans to liberalise content regulation in the name of ‘free speech’. President of the US-based company Media Matters said the platform would become a ‘supercharged engine of radicalisation under Musk, adding to pre-existing concerns about the growing inability of social media platforms to control the spread of misinformation.

Join Impress for the launch of their News Literacy Report

Impress’ new report explores how the public interacts with news, their experience using different news mediums, trust levels of the public towards the news and how they feel about their own media literacy — as well as the role that regulation could play in improving journalistic standards. The new report will be launched on Zoom on the 30th November 11am, register now.

BBC’s Chris Mason falsely reports on Johnson’s support in Tory leadership race

Political editor for the BBC, Chris Mason, came under fire last week for mistakenly tweeting that Johson had accrued the requisite 100 MPs to place him in the running to become leader of the Conservative Party. Writing in the Byline Times, former BBC reporter Patrick Howse criticised the ‘schoolboy error’ and considered the damaging effects on the BBC and UK political culture.

BBC local radio faces funding cuts

A fresh round of BBC cuts will see the 39 local radio stations across the UK share more shows, with sources telling the Guardian this could be the end of truly distinctive local platforms — creating 131 new local news jobs whilst cutting 179 other roles in the process. Media minister, Julia Lopez, said the government was ‘concerned’ and ‘disappointed’ by the planned cuts, and ‘serious questions’ would be raised if local content production was damaged.

Major new report into climate disinformation launches ahead of COP27

Are you a local or national journalist reporting on this month’s UN COP27 climate crisis conference? Climate Action Against Disinformation — a coalition of organisations pushing back against climate misinformation efforts — have published this critical new field guide for journalists to help navigate climate misinformation in reporting over the next period. Find out more on this month’s Drilled podcast talking to the report’s authors.

And Finally…

Amanda Tattersall on negotiating big and small and and slow in campaigning

In this beautiful personal piece for Griffith Review, Amanda Tattersall the Co-founder of GetUp & Sydney Alliance and a major social change leader unpacks their experiences from community and political organising, a must read for any organiser.

Featured Upcoming Events

The Centre for Democracy maintains a full database of events from across the democracy sector.

View the database here — Have we missed something? Add it here!

Active Job Listings across the Democracy Sector

View the full database of upcoming job listings here — have we missed any? Add them via this form.

Apply ASAP

Apply by 7 Nov: Director of Policy and Impact at Demos (£75,000)
Apply by 7 Nov: Researcher at Demos (£28–30,000)

Jobs with upcoming deadlines

Apply by 14 Nov: Head of External Affairs at Demos (£45–47,000)
Open Deadline: Deliberative Democracy Officer at TPXimpact (£32–39,000)
Apply by 30 Dec: Research Associate in DiCED at University of Manchester (Salary not given)
Open Deadline: Democracy Development Coordinator at King’s College London Student Union (£28,563 — £34,514)
Open Deadline: Voter Registration Ambassador at I Have a Voice (London Living Wage)
Open Deadline: Communities & Campaigns Manager at Best for Britain (£35,000)
Open Deadline: Chief Operating Officer at Democracy Club (£40k pro rata)
Open Deadline: Board Member — Treasurer at New Economy Organisers Network (Voluntary)
Open Deadline: Board Member — New Economy Expertise at New Economy Organisers Network (Voluntary)
Open Deadline: Legislative Director at Fair Vote UK (£38–45k)
Various role openings at College Green Group
Various Democratic Services roles at Association of Democratic Services Officers
Open Deadline: COP26 Communications Officer at Wellbeing Economy Alliance (£30k pro rata)

Unsalaried job listings #ShowTheSalary

Open Deadline: Contract Specialist (Part-time) at Purpose (salary not given)
Open Deadline: Campaigns Adviser at Digital Action (salary not given)
Open Deadline: Senior Software Engineer at Apolitical (salary not given)

We’ve been experimenting with the format of this email and the accompanying meetup, if you have any feedback we’d be glad to hear it.

If you can’t make our weekly meetup, you can always drop in to the meetup document of the current fortnight and add to it by going to democracymeetup.org.uk.

See you next time, add to your calendar

James, Max, Louise and the UK Democracy Bulletin team