In the lead-up to the General Election in May, the LSE is running a series of panels about the election. In each of these events, LSE academics will outline the key challenges facing the country and consider a range of possible responses. Below you can watch videos of past events, and you can see a list of our upcoming events here.

The future of the British Constitution 

Date: 21 January 2015
Speakers: Simon Hix, Tony Travers, Andrew Blick, Martin Loughlin
Chair: Kate Jenkins

The fallout from the Scottish referendum has been profound for the whole of the UK. The Smith Commission has proposed radical further devolution for Scottish taxes and powers, while there are demands to deliver ‘English votes for English laws’. William Hague, on behalf of the government, has put forward four options for possible reform. Any change to the British ‘constitution’ will be difficult because there is no settled starting-point. This panel will examine options for the future of the British constitution in 2015 and beyond

What happens to your vote?

Professor Conor Gearty, Director of LSE’s Institute of Public Affairs and Professor Simon Hix, Professor of European and Comparative Politicsat the LSE discussed the how your representatives get elected, why the political party you didn’t want can get become the government and what alternatives there are to the current system.

Do you think our current electoral system is working? Make your opinion known at www.constitutionuk.com. Share your ideas, as we crowdsource a written UK constitution.

Past Elections

Date: Tuesday 27 January 2015
Speakers: Robert Worcester, David Butler, Vernon Bogdanor
Chair: Kate Jenkins

The 2015 general election will be momentous. It is virtually impossible to predict the outcome of such a tightly-run race. Labour and the Conservatives have seen their National vote share decline from 97 per cent to 65 per cent between 1955 and 2010. UKIP, the SNP, the Greens and other incumbent parties are possibly on the rise. This special event brings together a number of Britain’s leading election and constitutional experts to consider what past elections can tell us about the 2015 contest. Which were the great general elections, and who were the great party leaders?