Tag: Electoral Reform Society

Leadership contenders in the three main parties in Wales have been urged to "change the face of Welsh politics" by promoting diversity and tolerance. The Electoral Reform Society Cymru called on all Labour, Conservative and Plaid Cymru hopefuls to back its ideas. It wants 45% of assembly candidates to be women, action to encourage minorities and a crack down on abuse. Director Jess Blair said the leadership elections provided an "unprecedented opportunity" to tackle inequality. In July, the Electoral Reform Society Cymru warned that "shocking" levels of harassment and abuse were putting people off running for political office. Excrement and razors sent to politicians 'Put politics to one side' on abuse All change for Welsh party leaders? "We know that politics currently fails to properly represent the communities we have," Ms Blair said, pointing out there had never been a non-white female member of the assembly. At present, there seems to be a real lack of appetite to do anything about this. For Labour, five contenders have come forward to succeed Carwyn Jones, who is stepping down at the end of the year after nine years as first minister. On Friday, UKIP AM Gareth Bennett was named winner of a three-way contest to lead the party's Senedd group following a ballot of grassroots members.

A total of 121 Welsh politicians told the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) they have suffered abuse. The ERS said harassment and abuse were among the barriers putting people off entering politics. Senedd harassment survey 'sobering' Claims made of assembly sexual assaults A total of 266 politicians responded to the ERS survey, including 224 councillors, 26 AMs, 11 MPs and one MEP. She told BBC Radio Wales she had been sworn at and had comments about her appearance and racist abuse about her name and wedding dress on social media. "I haven't really ever experienced those things, because I've got the most [Welsh name], Bethan Jenkins, I come from the south Wales valleys, and you've never had to face those sort of racist comments before," she said. "People say to me 'well just put up with it', and 'get on with it', but should we really have to," she said. Another recounted that they were once "slapped on the bottom", and that someone had attempted to pull them under a tree and kiss them. One respondent told the survey: "When I worked for politicians I had access to their social media, answered the phone on their behalf and opened their correspondence. 'Massive barrier' They added that a constituent had stalked them to their home. "I have been a councillor for 14 years, I've won four elections and I've never had so much hassle or dissent as I have had in the last two years," Debbie Wilcox, leader of Newport council, said in evidence to the ERS.

Adopting Bruce Grocott’s bill now before parliament would abolish them simply and swiftly. Readers might ask why the Electoral Reform Society, formed to campaign for a change to more proportional voting systems, is denigrating the current Lords and demanding an elected alternative. The answer is simple. By common consent an elected Lords would not be chosen by the same first-past-the-post system as the Commons. Indeed, if the Lords were elected more proportionately, it would arguably have more legitimacy than the Commons, forcing the Commons to go over to a more proportional system. Like Hughes I would welcome such a system. However, as democrats we have to remember that the 2011 referendum went against such a change. David Lipsey Labour, House of Lords • Parliament can’t afford to be left behind, affirmed Gaby Hinsliff (Our politics has lost touch with the way we live, 23 June). Just as millennials do their politics differently so too, I suggest, do those of us who have experienced politics over a much longer period. Our electoral system no longer reflects the will of the people, but rather entrenches a two-party system.