n this short volume of essays, the leading think tanks debate the pros and cons of a range of approaches to putting democracy in the United Kingdom on a firmer footing. It features contributions from CentreForum, Demos, the Fabian Society, ippr, Policy Exchange and Reform.

Neil O’Brien, Director of Policy Exchange writes in his article In search of reform, not gimmicks :

“I think the key issues to tackle are the UK’s overly strong party system and the drift of power in the hands of bodies that are not accountable. So for that reason it is not so much constitutional reform that is needed as political reform. We need to weaken the party system and put power in the hands of those the public feel they can influence.”