Released early this month by an independent commission of ten UK citizens from all walks of life, Power to the People asks: why has engagement with "formal democracy" declined?

It's not apathy, news media, overwork, or a distractingly high standard of living. The causes: a new, more educated citizenry expecting to affect politics, blocked social mobility, a party system based on a bygone class structure and perception that the electoral system "wastes" votes.

The prescription: eighteen points relating to who governs Britain, how those bodies are chosen and who gets to choose them. Parallels with the American experience are striking.

[ Download summary and report ]
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[ Britain's Electoral Reform Society ]