Observations

Joshua Paisley is joined by Simpsons enthusiast Damon Balgen to examine two of the show's most politically charged episodes - Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish and Sideshow Bob Roberts - and ask how much has really changed since they first aired in the 1990s. The conversation unpacks Mr Burns' cynically managed gubernatorial campaign, complete with mudslinger, garbologist and a fateful dinner with the Simpsons, before turning to Sideshow Bob's stolen mayoral election, attack ads modelled on the infamous Willie Horton spot, and a Republican Party headquarters that looks fit for Dracula. From voter fraud by deceased pets to the perennial question of whether it's the economy or the character assassination that wins elections, the episode explores what The Simpsons - four decades on - still gets right about political corruption, media manipulation, and family dinner table division. And just how Springfield would handle Brexit.

John Ault speaks with Neil Forsyth, the writer behind the critically acclaimed BBC Scotland series Bob Servant Independent, about the creation of one of television's most memorable fictional candidates. The conversation traces Bob Servant's origins — from a Dundee cheeseburger van owner replying to spam emails to the self-appointed saviour of Broughty Ferry's local by-election — and explores what makes him such a sharply observed portrait of a certain kind of political hopeful. From the relentless self-belief and legacy-hunger that drives Bob into the race, to the structural appeal of election campaigns as a writer's device, and from Brian Cox's unlikely comic turn to the real-life Dundonian publican who ran on a roadkill platform, this episode examines why fictional elections so often reveal the truest things about the real ones — and why Democracy Volunteers considers Bob Servant Independent among the worst portrayals of elections ever made.

Ethan Reuter speaks with Iain Dale, award-winning broadcaster, author, and political commentator, about the 1979 general election that ended five years of Labour government and brought Margaret Thatcher to power as Britain's first female Prime Minister. The conversation traces the decade of industrial strife and economic malaise that set the stage for Thatcher's victory, from the collapse of post-war Keynesian consensus to the Winter of Discontent's rubbish-strewn streets and unburied dead. From James Callaghan's fateful decision not to call an election in October 1978 to the pioneering political messaging of the "Labour Isn't Working" campaign, and from the IMF crisis that shattered national confidence to the monetarist ideas Thatcher magpie-like assembled into what would become Thatcherism, this episode asks whether 1979 was an election the Conservatives won or one Labour simply couldn't avoid losing — and what its legacy means for opposition parties rebuilding today.

Ethan Reuter speaks with Professor Stephen Fielding, Emeritus Professor of Political History at the University of Nottingham, about the 1964 general election that brought Harold Wilson's Labour Party to power after thirteen years of Conservative rule. The conversation explores the context of Britain's economic decline, the Profumo affair, and the modernising rhetoric of Wilson's "white heat of technology" speech, while examining whether the election truly delivered the transformational change it promised. From Alec Douglas-Home's aristocratic disadvantage in the television age to the racist campaign in Smethwick, and from the Liberals' surge to Labour's wafer-thin majority of four seats, this episode unpacks one of the closest elections in modern British history and questions whether its legacy matches its reputation.

Ethan Reuter speaks with Professor Stephen Fielding, Emeritus Professor of Political History at the University of Nottingham, about the 1964 general election that brought Harold Wilson's Labour Party to power after thirteen years of Conservative rule.The conversation explores the context of Britain's economic decline, the Profumo affair, and the modernising rhetoric of Wilson's "white heat of technology" speech, while examining whether the election truly delivered the transformational change it promised.From Alec Douglas-Home's aristocratic disadvantage in the television age to the racist campaign in Smethwick, and from the Liberals' surge to Labour's wafer-thin majority of four seats, this episode unpacks one of the closest elections in modern British history and questions whether its legacy matches its reputation.

Democracy Volunteers deployed observers across the Netherlands for the parliamentary elections in October. Deploying 32 observers and experts, 25 of whom were based in the European Netherlands and the other 7 on the BES islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.Democracy Volunteers has now observed in The Netherlands on 8 separate occasions, deploying 99 observers, across 63 of the 345 municipalities and special municipalities, attending 619 polling stations, observing 19,833 voters casting their votes. We have spent 308 hours in Dutch polling stations. On average we have spent 47 minutes in each polling station during these 8 observations.You can read the full report on the Democracy Volunteers Website: www.democracyvolunteers.org

One of the world's largest technology companies has made protecting elections a core part of its mission — but why does a tech giant care about democracy, and what exactly is it doing? In this episode, Lily Russell-Jones speaks with Dave Leichtman, Microsoft's Senior Director of Global Elections, about the company's work safeguarding democratic processes around the world. The conversation explores the threats facing modern elections, from foreign interference campaigns by state actors like Russia, China, and Iran, to the spread of AI-generated deepfakes and misinformation. Leichtman explains how Microsoft works with election officials and observers to enhance cybersecurity, combat phishing attacks, and block the generation of deepfakes during election periods. He discusses the company's AccountGuard programme, which protects political campaigns from hacking attempts, and its partnerships with organisations like Democracy Club in the UK and the National Association of State Election Directors in the US to ensure accurate election information reaches voters. The episode also examines the productive uses of AI in election administration — from translating voter materials to processing campaign expense reports — while addressing concerns about the technology's potential to undermine trust, displace workers, and erode critical thinking skills. Drawing on his experience observing elections in Zimbabwe with the Carter Center, Leichtman reflects on the importance of end-to-end transparency in democratic processes and the critical role of election observers as human rights defenders.

Lily Russell-Jones explores the government's plans to expand acceptable voter ID to include bank cards, a key part of wider electoral reforms announced in July. The episode features Professor Ed Fieldhouse from Manchester University, who discusses research from the British Election Study showing that around 5% of voters lack valid photo ID, and how this disproportionately affects younger, less affluent, and geographically disadvantaged groups. The conversation examines the balance between election security and voter access, with insights from Adam Diver, a veteran unable to vote at the last election, and Megan Fitzgerald from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, who provides an international perspective on voter identification requirements. From the impact on turnout to the state's responsibility to prevent disenfranchisement, this episode offers a comprehensive look at one of the UK's most debated electoral reforms.

Harassment and abuse directed at political candidates and elected representatives is on the rise — the Electoral Commission found that 70% of candidates experienced abuse or harassment at the 2024 general election. In this episode, Lily Russell-Jones explores the growing crisis and what's being done about it. She speaks first with Hannah Phillips of the Joe Cox Foundation, which campaigns for safer, more respectful political culture in the wake of the tragic murder of MP Jo Cox in 2016. Hannah discusses the many forms intimidation takes, from online threats to in-person harassment, and how it is deterring people — particularly women — from entering politics. Later, former MP Lisa Cameron, who served East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow from 2015 to 2024, shares her personal experience of threats during her time in Parliament and reflects on the government's proposed reforms, including plans to remove candidates' addresses from public records and introduce tougher sentences for those who harass electoral staff. Together, the conversations offer a clear-eyed look at a problem that threatens not only the safety of those in public life, but the openness and health of our democracy.

Twenty percent of voters cast their ballot by post at the 2024 general election, but is postal voting working as it should? In this episode, Lily Russell-Jones speaks with John Ault, Director of Democracy Volunteers, about the rising challenges facing postal voting in the UK—from missed deadlines and delayed deliveries to the particular struggles of overseas voters. Through Stephanie Carlton's story of being unable to vote despite applying on time, the conversation explores how administrative bottlenecks and an overstretched postal service are undermining democratic participation. John argues that while recent government reforms extend deadlines and allow emergency proxies, they don't address the fundamental problems with postal voting, including susceptibility to family voting and logistical failures. With only six percent of overseas voters in Australia successfully returning their ballots on time, should the UK be looking beyond postal votes to in-person alternatives—such as embassy voting and advance polling hubs? This episode examines whether convenience has come at the cost of reliability, and what it would take to truly enfranchise the 1.5 million Brits living abroad.

With dozens of English councils facing local government reorganisation, the government has given 63 authorities until 15 January to request a delay to May 2025 elections. In this episode, Lily Russell-Jones speaks with Peter Stanyon of the Association of Electoral Administrators about the unprecedented dilemma facing local democracy. Should elections proceed as planned, or should councils postpone to focus on reorganisation? The conversation explores the tension between democratic accountability and resource constraints, the Electoral Commission's strong objections to delays, and the real-world challenges facing electoral administrators caught in the middle. From the cost of democracy to concerns about councillors serving six-year terms without facing voters, this episode examines a critical moment for local governance in England.

In this After Dark special, host Joshua Paisley speaks with Professor Steve Fielding about the 1972 Oscar-winning film The Candidate, released just months before Richard Nixon's landslide victory over George McGovern. Robert Redford plays Bill McKay, a handsome young radical community lawyer picked to run an unwinnable California Senate race against an 18-year Republican incumbent—on the promise that since he can't win, he can say whatever he likes.Professor Fielding explains how the film reflects the fractious Democratic Party of 1972, moving left with candidates like Eugene McCarthy while Nixon peeled away white working-class Democrats on racial lines. McKay resembles Robert Kennedy and especially John V. Tunney, the real 36-year-old idealist who won California's Senate seat in 1970. The scriptwriter Jeremy Larner had worked for McCarthy, and director Michael Ritchie had worked on Tunney's campaign—they knew what they were depicting.The conversation explores McKay's journey from principle to product. At the start, asked about busing to integrate schools, he declares "I'm in favour of it." By the end, he says "we need to look into it." His campaign managers cut his hair, change his ties, edit his factory visits into dynamic clips while suppressing footage of angry Black women at a community hospital. The film shows the alienating reality of 1970s campaigning—the distorted shopping mall speech where he can't see or hear his audience, getting punched in a urinal, ticker tape parades—all still closer to real people than today's complete abstraction through screens.Professor Fielding reveals the real John V. Tunney lasted just one term before being swept out in 1976, predicting McKay would likely do the same—or quit in frustration, wondering "what am I here for?" The film's most depressing insight isn't that villains corrupt candidates, but that the process itself inevitably does. It ends with McKay's famous line after unexpectedly winning: "What do we do now?"—a question he can't answer because he's no longer the person he thought he was.

In this After Dark special, host John Ault speaks with Ursula Buchan, granddaughter of novelist John Buchan and author of the definitive biography Beyond the 39 Steps, about how elections shaped her grandfather's fiction. Before becoming famous for his spy thrillers, Buchan spent years as the prospective Conservative and Unionist candidate for Peebles and Selkirk, visiting every farmstead in the Scottish Borders and attending hundreds of village political meetings—experiences he would mine for his novels.The conversation explores the most famous election scene in British fiction: Richard Hannay's impromptu speech in The 39 Steps, where an innocent man on the run gets dragged onto a political platform and must improvise a rousing address. Ursula explains how Buchan used this device to satirise the Liberal candidate "Sir Harry" spouting aspirational nonsense about the German menace while Hannay knows there's a real spy ring operating—Buchan's way of suggesting Liberals were dangerously unworldly about what was coming in 1914.But The 39 Steps isn't Buchan's only election novel. In John McNab, three eminent men behaving badly hide out during a poaching adventure while attending a political meeting in a Masonic Hall packed with 2,000 people—where Buchan skewers both the witless Duke who introduces the speakers and the cabinet minister who spouts the same platitudes he's said a hundred times before. In Castle Gay, published in 1933, Buchan explores the rising threats of communism and fascism through another by-election, having recognised that these movements could manipulate "the plain man who now has a vote."Ursula reveals how Buchan understood media power long before most—writing press communiques from GHQ under Field Marshal Haig, serving as Lloyd George's Director of Information, and overseeing propaganda films including The Battle of the Somme. When Hitchcock adapted The 39 Steps in 1935, Buchan famously told British Gaumont directors it was "much better than the book"—understanding that film was a different medium requiring different storytelling, and that media could be harnessed for good or corrupted for ill. From political humbug to the power of newspapers, this episode explores how a man who never actually fought a general election became one of the great chroniclers of British democracy in fiction.

Celebrate the season by supporting democracy. Our Christmas Auction is now live, with 100 unique lots to bid on – from unforgettable experiences to signed memorabilia and festive treats. Every bid helps us train observers and protect transparent, fair elections across the UK and beyond in 2026. Bid now, share with friends, and make your Christmas giving count.https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/democracyvolunteerschristmasauction20251

In this After Dark special, host Joshua Paisley speaks with Professor Steven Fielding, a political historian at the University of Nottingham, about the 2006 BBC drama The Amazing Mrs Pritchard. Written by Sally Wainwright (who would go on to create Happy Valley and Gentleman Jack), the six-part series imagined what would happen if an ordinary Yorkshire superstore manager won a landslide election and became Prime Minister—on a platform of moving Parliament to Bradford and asking the people what should go in the Queen's Speech.The series aired in October 2006, just after Labour's 2005 victory on only 35% of the vote—when more people didn't vote at all than voted for Tony Blair. Professor Fielding explains how Ross Pritchard embodied the frustrations of that moment: the sense that left and right no longer meant anything, that Westminster was a bubble of middle-aged men speaking gobbledygook, and that politics could be simple if only someone honest would take charge. She promises never to lie, wins 54% of the vote, and forms a cabinet of women from all parties who somehow get along perfectly—a "benign feminist populist" who declares car-free Wednesdays and lets the people write government policy.But as Fielding reveals, UKIP saw something else in Mrs Pritchard. They set up a fake BBC page claiming "we are the real Ros Pritchard"—recognising that her populism, however well-meaning, tapped into the same frustrations that would fuel Brexit, austerity anger, and Nigel Farage's rise. While The Thick of It offered no solutions beyond satire, at least Wainwright tried to imagine answers—even if they were naïve. The series ended on a cliffhanger about her husband's money laundering scandal, never to get its second season.From Westminster bubbles to the danger of authenticity in an age of manufactured politicians, this episode asks whether we'd actually want the honest outsider we claim to crave—or whether Mrs Pritchard really was a feminist Donald Trump.

In this episode, host John Ault speaks with Chris Mullin, former Labour MP and author of A Very British Coup, about his 1982 novel that imagined what would happen if a radical socialist Prime Minister won a landslide—and the establishment decided to destroy him. Published when Tony Benn was in the ascendant and making the establishment nervous, Mullin created Harry Perkins: a Sheffield steel worker who wins power on promises to scrap nuclear weapons, leave NATO, and restore industries to public ownership.The conversation explores the real-world inspirations behind the fiction—from Mountbatten's whispered coup talks against Harold Wilson to Cecil King's attempt to install a "businessman's government," and General Sir Walter Walker assembling a private army in the 1970s. Mullin reveals how American diplomats took him to lunch to discuss the "threat" of Michael Foot, how MI5 agents infiltrated CND (exactly as his novel predicted), and how the BBC continued vetting journalists in Room 101 even after being exposed.When Channel 4 adapted the novel in 1988, Ray McAnally's brilliant portrayal made Harry Perkins briefly a cult figure—though the TV version ended with a car crash rather than Mullin's intended very British coup: no tanks in the streets, just gentlemen in clubs conspiring in Pall Mall. Mullin also discusses his sequel The Friends of Harry Perkins, his cameo as a vicar in the 2012 remake Secret State, and why today's Labour government is "no Harry Perkins"—trapped by tax pledges made to avoid falling into a Tory trap, running a country with a massive majority but only a third of the vote.From fictional coups to real establishment conspiracies, this is the story of a novel that caught the zeitgeist and gave us a phrase that entered political vocabulary: "a very British coup."

In 1988, Channel 4 aired A Very British Coup, a political drama that imagined what would happen if a radical socialist Prime Minister won a landslide—and the establishment decided to destroy him. Adapted from Chris Mullin's novel, the series follows Harry Perkins, a working-class Labour leader who promises to scrap nuclear weapons, leave NATO, and restore industries to public ownership. But the intelligence services, civil service, press, and foreign allies conspire to bring him down.In our forthcoming episode, we'll be joined by author Chris Mullin himself to discuss this BAFTA and Emmy-winning drama that remains one of the sharpest depictions of how unelected power can undermine democracy. What happens when the people vote for change and the system decides otherwise? Subscribe now so you don't miss it.

In this special episode, host Lily Russell-Jones explores one of the government's most controversial electoral reforms: lowering the voting age to 16. With Scotland and Wales already allowing younger voters in some elections, is this a positive step for democracy or a risky experiment?Eddie Barnes from the John Smith Centre at Glasgow University shares polling that reveals young people themselves are divided—48% support getting the vote, but 32% disagree and 20% aren't sure. The most common word 16-year-olds use to describe politics? "Confusing." Two-thirds say they don't feel prepared by schools to vote, and three-quarters of those unlikely to vote cite not knowing enough about politics as their reason.Psychologist Dr. Lynette Thompson explains the neuroscience: while 16-year-olds are cognitively capable of voting and there's little biological difference between 16 and 18, the adolescent brain's prefrontal cortex won't fully develop until the mid-20s. She distinguishes between "hot cognition" (impulsive decisions) and "cold cognition" (considered decisions like voting), but warns about social pressure, identity formation, and how 16-year-olds struggle more with fake news and are more influenced by peer pressure when forming political opinions.Finally, 17-year-old Alex Nurton from the UK Youth Parliament argues passionately that young people deserve a voice on issues like climate change that will affect their future far more than older voters. He calls for mandatory political education across the UK, pointing out that nothing fundamentally changes when you turn 18—yet policies consistently ignore 16 and 17-year-olds.From brain development to ballot boxes, this episode examines whether giving young people the vote will strengthen democracy or whether we're asking them to make decisions they're not yet equipped for.

In this episode, Ethan Reuter speaks with historian Taym Saleh about the 1924 general election—the autumn showdown that cemented Britain's two-party system and buried the Liberal Party as a national force. After three elections in just 23 months, Stanley Baldwin's Conservatives swept to a crushing 200-seat majority while Herbert Asquith lost his seat and the Liberals collapsed from 155 MPs to a mere 40.The conversation explores how Britain's first Labour government, formed almost by accident after Baldwin's disastrous 1923 tariff gamble, became trapped between proving its respectability and surviving without a majority. Saleh explains how Ramsay MacDonald's attempts to normalize relations with Soviet Russia and his handling of the Campbell Case—when prosecution was dropped against a communist journalist who urged soldiers not to fire on striking workers—fueled Conservative warnings about socialist subversion and constitutional threats.Then came the Zinoviev Letter: a forged document, supposedly from a senior Soviet official instructing British communists to infiltrate Labour, published by the Daily Mail days before the election. Though historians now know it was fabricated, likely by Russian émigrés in Berlin, it crystallized the campaign's fundamental question: was socialism un-British?But the real story isn't about dirty tricks—it's about how Baldwin's mastery of radio broadcasting, his soothing constitutional rhetoric, and his genius for understanding what voters wanted transformed Conservative politics. While the Liberals produced innovative proto-Keynesian economics, they fielded only 300 candidates. Labour lost power but won clarity: they were now the sole progressive force. This is the election that killed three-party politics and established the socialism versus anti-socialism dividing line that would define British politics for generations.

In this special episode recorded on location in The Hague, Joshua interviews Harry Bush about Democracy Volunteers' seventh observation mission to the Netherlands. Harry explains how Dutch elections work differently from the UK—the entire country acts as a single 150-seat constituency using proportional representation, with voters choosing both a party and a candidate from lists of up to 80 names. This creates ballot papers so massive that counting them used to take hours just to unfold, leading five municipalities to trial smaller designs.The conversation examines two key electoral integrity challenges: proxy voting, where 10% of Dutch votes are cast by someone else (voters can carry up to two additional polling cards on election day), and accessibility, which varies widely because voters can use any polling station in their municipality rather than being assigned to one. Despite these issues, Dutch elections achieve 80% turnout and demonstrate strong civic engagement, offering valuable lessons for democracies worldwide.

In this episode, Ethan Reuter speaks with historian Taym Saleh about the 1906 general election—the winter showdown that delivered the last great Liberal landslide and set the stage for the welfare state. After riding jingoistic euphoria to victory in 1900, the Conservative-Unionist coalition collapsed spectacularly, reduced from a 150-seat majority to a miserable rump of just 157 MPs.The conversation explores how Joseph Chamberlain's crusade for tariff reform and imperial preference tore the Conservatives apart. His two loaves of bread—one slightly smaller under protection—couldn't compete with Liberal warnings of the "dear loaf," horse meat sausages, and the hungry forties. Saleh explains how Prime Minister Balfour found himself trapped, unable to resolve his party's civil war without triggering an outright split, while the Liberals united around free trade, cheap bread, and opposition to "Chinese slavery" in South African mines.But the 1906 landslide contained the seeds of future upheaval. The Gladstone-MacDonald pact gave Labour its crucial breathing space, winning 29 seats that would grow to dominance after the First World War. The Irish Parliamentary Party's 83 seats positioned them as kingmakers for future crises. And the Liberal government's ambitious reforms—old age pensions, national insurance, the foundations of the welfare state—would trigger a constitutional crisis with the Conservative-dominated House of Lords, culminating in the 1911 Parliament Act that neutered the upper chamber forever. This is the election that killed Conservative dominance, launched the welfare state, and set Britain on course for the tumultuous politics of the early twentieth century.

In this episode, Ethan Reuter speaks with David Redvaldsen of the University of Agder in Norway about the 1929 general election—Britain's first truly universal suffrage election. After the 1928 Representation of the People Act finally granted women the vote on equal terms with men, millions of young women, the so-called flappers, went to the polls for the first time alongside a fully enfranchised working class.The conversation explores how this three-party contest became a battle of economic visions amid rising unemployment. Stanley Baldwin's Conservatives offered "Safety First"—no experiments, no risks. Lloyd George's revitalised Liberals promoted bold Keynesian proposals to conquer unemployment through public works and borrowing. Ramsay MacDonald's Labour Party positioned itself as a respectable alternative, though without the flashy policies of their rivals.Despite Lloyd George's war chest, charisma, and imaginative proposals, the Liberals won just 59 seats while Labour became the largest party for the first time—though without a majority. Dr. Redvaldsen explains how this apparent Labour triumph became a poisoned chalice when the Great Depression struck months later, leading to the devastating split of 1931 and the end of the Liberals as a major force. From broccoli jokes to the collapse of three-party politics, this is the election that shaped Britain's two-party system—and destroyed the party that tried hardest to win it.

In this episode, Ethan Reuter speaks with Dr. Luke Blaxill about the extraordinary 1918 general election—the first after the Great War and the first under the Representation of the People Act, which tripled the electorate overnight. Held just six weeks after armistice amid demobilisation and the influenza pandemic, this was democracy's leap into the great unknown.The conversation explores the dramatic transformation of British politics through the controversial "coupon"—a simple piece of paper signed by Lloyd George and the Conservative leader that became a victory passport for coalition candidates. Dr. Blaxill explains how this khaki election, fought on punishing Germany and building the peace, split the Liberal Party in two, elevated Labour to official opposition status, and cemented Conservative dominance for decades to come.But the most revolutionary outcome came from Ireland, where Sinn Féin swept to power, winning 73 seats—47 of their MPs elected from prison. Their refusal to take their seats in Westminster and decision to form their own parliament in Dublin transformed an electoral mandate into a revolutionary moment that would reshape the union itself.From the mystery of who received the coupon to the first woman MP elected, this is the story of an election that ended Victorian politics and ushered in the democratic age—though nobody quite understood what that would mean until the pieces fell.

In this episode, Ethan Reuter speaks with Dr. Luke Blaxill, historian and Oxford college lecturer, about the 1832 general election that followed Britain's Great Reform Act. This wasn't just an election—it was a constitutional turning point that redrew the boundaries of British democracy itself.The conversation explores the turbulent lead-up to reform, from the July Revolution in France to widespread rioting in British streets, the burning of the Duke of Newcastle's castle, and 250 fatalities in Bristol alone. Dr. Blaxill explains how elite fears of revolutionary upheaval, combined with pressure from below, forced a reluctant aristocracy to open the franchise to middle-class men and grant representation to industrial cities like Manchester and Birmingham for the first time.But the Reform Act was never meant to be generous. As Robert Peel warned, once the door was opened even slightly, it couldn't be closed again. The episode examines how this careful compromise sparked the development of modern party politics, unleashed working-class movements like Chartism, energised moral campaigns from slavery abolition to Irish repeal, and set Britain on an irreversible path toward universal suffrage. This is the story of the election that changed everything—even if it was meant to change as little as possible.

We are stepping into the world of satire with the classic BBC comedy Blackadder. In one of its sharpest episodes, ‘Dish and Dishonesty’ we’re taken to the so-called Dunny-on-the-Wold by-election — a contest for a “rotten borough” so small it has only one voter… and even he’s dead.Our guest for this episode will be none other than William Pitt the Younger, himself. Played by Simon Osborne in the Blackadder episode he will give his insights into the election and what went wrong for his part and whether he should have had a cunning plan!In true Blackadder fashion, Edmund Blackadder seizes the opportunity to parachute his servant Baldrick into Parliament, manipulating the rules of the system with ruthless cunning. What follows is a hilarious but biting parody of the unreformed British electoral system, showing just how absurd, and how open to abuse, those pocket boroughs really were before the great parliamentary reforms of the 19th century.

In this episode, Matt Davis interviews Lord David Alton about his extraordinary victory in the 1979 Liverpool Edge Hill by-election. At just 27 years old, Alton achieved one of the most stunning upsets in British electoral history, overturning a massive Labour majority in one of their safest seats during the Winter of Discontent.The conversation explores how a young Liberal teacher and councillor built a grassroots campaign that capitalised on voter anger at industrial chaos, uncollected refuse, and unburied dead in Liverpool's streets. Alton reveals the innovative community politics approach that connected him to local people, the role of local media in amplifying his message, and the dramatic final days when his victory helped seal the fate of Jim Callaghan's government.From dirty tricks involving the National Front to betting against 30-1 odds, and becoming both the youngest MP and the shortest-serving member in parliamentary history, this is the inside story of a by-election that proved no seat is truly safe when voters decide it's time for change.

The UK’s overseas postal voting system is failing — extended enfranchisement without operational capacity has created a perfect storm of lost ballots, tight timetables and systemic disenfranchisement. In this document we report alarmingly low return rates for overseas packs (average c.52% vs 81% domestically) and we explain how batching practices, snap-election application surges and short statutory deadlines conspire to make many overseas votes uncountable.

Win the votes, buy the votes, steal the votes, invalidate the votes! There is a lot that can go right - and so much that can go wrong - in a Ukrainian election. From the opening of the campaign through to the final decision on the results, it is a rollercoaster ride for the candidates, the election workers, and the international observers who have travelled from afar to see it all.In What Ukrainian Elections Taught Me about Democracy long-time election observer Jane Cooper recounts her experience monitoring a municipal election in the mid-sized city of Kirovohrad in 2015Jane Cooper is a professional researcher and writer whose interests span from local history to international politics. For more than twenty-five years, she has been bringing to life stories from the past and present, drawing on extensive research and hands-on experience in Canada and abroad.

Lily Russell-Jones interviews Director of Democracy Volunteers, Dr. John Ault, on the deployment of observers at the Norwegian Parliamentary Election. The interview covers topics from changes in law affecting family voting through to potential foreign interference, listen in to learn the intricacies of polling day in Norway.

Over the coming weeks Democracy Volunteers and the Observations Podcast will be guiding you through some of the most historic general elections in the UK. From the 1832 election which brought in the first seeds of parliamentary reform, the 1906 Liberal landslide, the Coupon Election of 1918 up to the 1997 Labour win and the 2010 election which delivered the first coalition since the war, our team will introduce leading experts on the elections.We will be joined by: Dr. Luke Blaxill, Professor of Modern British History at Oxford University; Dr. Robert Saunders, Reader in Modern British History at Queen Mary University of London; Dr. David Redvaldsen, Associate Professor at the University of Agder; Dr. Rosie Campbell, Professor of Politics at King's College London; Professor Sir John Curtice of the University of Strathclyde; Dr. Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London; and Andrew Sparrow, Political Correspondent for The Guardian.

This year, Democracy Volunteers celebrates a decade of independent election observation. Since our founding in 2015, we have grown to become Western Europe’s leading election observation organisation, working at home and abroad to improve the quality of elections and to strengthen public confidence in the democratic process.Over the past ten years, our observers have been on the ground in polling stations, election counts, and campaigns — offering impartial assessments, raising awareness of risks to electoral integrity, and supporting reforms that protect the secrecy and freedom of the vote.A Decade in Numbers 13,658 polling stations observed 208,515 voters seen casting their ballot The equivalent of 289 full days spent in polling stations ‘Family Voting’ identified in 23% of UK polling stations Key evidence provided to support the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023 15 countries and territories observed, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Gibraltar, Ireland, Isle of Man, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USALooking AheadOur work is far from over. Democracy depends on vigilance, transparency, and trust — and we remain committed to strengthening those foundations. As we move into our second decade, we will continue to train and deploy observers, share impartial evidence, and advocate for the highest standards in democratic practice.Thank you to everyone — our observers, partners, supporters, and friends — who has been part of our journey so far. Together, we are helping democracy work better for everyone.

In this episode, Matt Davis sits down with Trudy Harrison, who won the Copeland by-election in 2017, overturning decades of Labour dominance in the constituency. Trudy reflects on the dramatic campaign that brought her into Parliament, the issues that defined the contest, and what it was like to step into national politics through such a high-profile victory. From the pressures of campaigning to the significance of the result for the Conservative Party, this conversation offers a unique insight into one of the most remarkable by-elections in recent political history.

On 1 September 2025, Guyana heads to the polls in one of the most closely watched elections in its history. With the country transformed by its oil boom and politics shaped by fragile coalitions, the stakes could not be higher.In this special episode, Matt Davis speaks with political analyst Dr. Duane Edwards of the University of Guyana about the key players, shifting alliances, and what’s at risk for Guyana’s democracy. From the contest between the incumbent PPP/C and a revitalised opposition, to the wider economic and social pressures driving voter sentiment, the conversation offers a clear-eyed look at a decisive moment for the nation.

Taras Kuzio is a British Professor of Political Science at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (Kyiv, Ukraine). His area of study is Russian and Ukrainian political, economic and security affairs.Matt Davis interviews Dr. Kuzio, an internationally respected expert in Ukrainian and Russian politics. In this episode Matt discusses the 2004 Ukrainian Election around the Orange Revolution that saw the contest between Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych. Dr. Kuzio explains which Viktor was the victor.

Our 'Elections that Shook the World' series leads Matt Davis to interview two leading academics who were part of the changes that brought democracy to South Africa in 1994. Professor Nancy Jacobs of Brown University in the United States. She is an historian of South Africa and of colonial Africa and her power in obscure corners including a mysterious and forgotten diplomatic initiative. She was a United Nations election monitor in 1994 for the first election.Matt also interviews Professor Wilmot James was an Honorary Professor at the University of Pretoria, University of Cape Town and at the University of the Witwatersrand today.James is currently also a professor at Brown University. He was also a Member of the South African parliament for the Western Cape for the opposition Democratic Alliance.Dr. James advised the Office of President Nelson Mandela's Director-General Jakes Gerwel and on constitutional rights education for coloured (mixed descent) communities torn between accepting majority rule and worrying about minority interests.

Following the collapse of Communism in the Eastern Bloc, our podcast team looks at the changes in the former Yugoslavia, how it separated into its ethnic parts leading eventually to civil war in the 1990s.Matt Davis interviews Dr. Florian Bieber, the Professor of Southeast European History and Politics at the University of Graz, concerning the changes that were brought about and how they shook the world.

Over the coming weeks, our new presenter, James Heaton, will be hosting a series of "after dark" podcast episodes concerning fictional, TV and other examples of elections that have shaped opinions and given insight to viewers about the way elections are run and how they fit into our culture.From Richard Hannay's speech to a 1910s audience in The Thirty-Nine Steps, to Dunny-on-the-Wold, a pocket borough by-election in 19th century England and the epic battle for the new MP for Broughty Ferry, this series promises to be one of the most exciting ever produced by the Observations Podcast.

Matt Davis interviews Dr. Sebastián Hurtado Torres, from Universidad San Sebastián about the election in 1970 of Salvador Allende, to become the first Socialist leader of his country. His election saw international support and condemnation in equal measure with support for his election being divided along the lines of the Cold War.In this interview, Professor Torres explains the impacts in Chile, in Latin America, and globally and how the world reacted. By 1973, Allende was overthrown by a military coup following this election that shook the world.

On 29th August 2025, Samoa votes in its first general election since 2021. In this episode of The Observations Podcast Matt Davis our Special Internation Election Editor interviews Dr. Iati Iati of the University of Victoria in Wellington (New Zealand). The election will see contest between traditional parties and newer parties that have emerged over the past few years.This is the second in our series of elections overseas, drawing upon the expertise of global academics to make deep dives into elections that don’t make the headlines around the world.

Matt Davis will be interviewing Dr. Iati Iati about the forthcoming Samoan General Election. Dr. Iati, an expert in Samoan elections, will be speaking from Wellington New Zealand.

Possibly one of the most controversial by-elections in British political history occurred in 1981 when Bobby Sands, an imprisoned IRA terrorist, was elected to the Westminster Parliament despite being imprisoned at the time. This interview with Dr. Peter McLoughlin of Queen’s University Belfast, reader at “The Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice”, tells the podcast all about the context in which the by-election takes place, how the election worked, as Sands was in prison at the time, and how his election was received within the UK and around the world.Sands’ election and term as an MP was short-lived. His death, whilst on hunger strike in the H-Block Maze Prison (Long Kesh Detention Centre), happened on May 5th 1981, meaning his term as MP was only 26 days.

In our new season of Elections that Shook the World, Matt Davis interviews international experts and participants in some of the elections that made history. From 1970s South America, 1980s Europe and referendums that threatened to change the course of nations, the Observations Podcast delves into famous elections around the world.

Our team interviews for Conservative MP Edward Timpson, winner of the 2008 Crewe and Nantwich By-Election. The seat became vacant on the death of Gwyneth Dunwoody who had been the local MP since 1974. Timpson’s victory in the by-election was the first Conservative gain in a parliamentary by-election since 1982 and the first from the Labour Party since 1978. At the time, Gordon Brown had replaced Tony Blair as Prime Minister and it was the first by-election gain under future Prime Minister David Cameron’s leadership of the Conservative Party.The Guardian said 'Gordon Brown is facing the gravest crisis of his premiership after David Cameron led the Tories to their first byelection gain in a quarter of a century this morning, on a 17.6% swing that would sweep the party into Downing Street. In one of the most humiliating setbacks to Labour since the era of Michael Foot.'The BBC's Nick Robinson said 'Be in no doubt. If David Cameron becomes prime minister many will look back at the vote in Crewe and Nantwich as the moment they first believed it was possible.'

Finland’s 2025 local elections have been praised as “extremely well-run” by international observers, with high marks for accessibility, professionalism, and voter experience at polling stations. But beneath the surface of this democratic success story lie quieter concerns—issues like family voting, unsealed ballot boxes, and confusing ballot designs—that could threaten voter trust if left unaddressed.In this episode, Matt Davis speaks to Dr. John Ault to unpack the findings from Democracy Volunteers’ latest election observation mission, exploring how even the world’s most trusted electoral systems have room to improve. What does it mean for a democracy to be both admired and imperfect—and how can Finland lead by example?

In the coming weeks there will be new episodes on famous by-elections from around the UK. Listen in to find out more in our forthcoming series!

Matt Davis interviews Dr. John Ault, Director of Democracy Volunteers, about their recently released report on the 2025 English local elections, held on May 1st. The Democracy Volunteers team deployed observers across every area in England holding elections, with the exception of the Isles of Scilly. Once again they observed several challenges to the voting process and have made a number of recommendations to the UK's Electoral Commission and the UK Government. They focus on the continuing challenges of 'family voting' in the UK, some problems with the requirement to show ID at polling stations and also with some of the less prominent issues around postal voting.

Alex Iszatt interviews Leah Brown on her White Paper on 'Restoring Public Trust and Accountability'. Leah is a Lawyer who has drawn up a new policy on how to improve the way that UK institutions can improve the way they engage with the public.Listening to the public, MPs, media and ensuring that institutions are responsive to what people need is a focus of Leah's paper.

Matt Davis interviews Russian election expert Ivan Shukshin. Ivan has extensive experience working with election observation initiatives, advocating for transparent and fair electoral processes in Russia.His work focuses on exposing electoral fraud and mobilising public engagement in defending voting rights. Despite the challenges of operating in a restrictive environment, Shukshin continues to be a vocal advocate for democratic reform, regularly contributing to policy discussions and civil society efforts aimed at strengthening electoral democracy in Russia.Listen to the insights of someone who has been falsely accused of crimes in Russia to prevent his right to observe elections, who now lives abroad to avoid imprisonment.

"Put your name up on Facebook with the name of your party—Reform UK—and suddenly you’re a jackbooty, brownshirt, swastika-wearing member of the Nazi party.”That's what one contributor said to our research team for this year's local elections. As part of Democracy Volunteers election observation for the 2025 English local elections the team surveyed candidates of all parties to find out their experiences out campaigning and the threats, abuse and challenges they faced.In this episode Jason McKenna interviews the Director of Democracy Volunteers, Dr John Ault, and report researcher, Matt Davis, to find out more about the report that was issued today. Entitled 'Threat to Candidates 2025' it shows the concerning rise of threats and violence towards local election candidates.

In this thought-provoking episode, Alex Iszatt explores the complex relationship between artificial intelligence and democracy. Joining us are two powerhouse guests with decades of experience in leadership, communications, and political science.Hilarie Owen, one of the world’s leading experts on leadership and CEO of The Leaders Institute, brings deep insight from her work with global corporations, governments, and elite institutions like the RAF Red Arrows and Harvard University. With a background advising ministers and mentoring senior leaders, she discusses how AI challenges traditional power structures and decision-making in a fast-changing, disruptive world.Angharad Planells, seasoned communications strategist and former journalist, adds a practical perspective on how narratives around AI are shaped. With experience spanning BBC radio to GE Aerospace and beyond, she shares her insights on the role of media, public understanding, and ethical storytelling in safeguarding democracy in the age of AI.Together, they unpack whether AI is a threat to democratic institutions—or a tool for strengthening them. Tune in for a nuanced, global perspective on one of the most urgent debates of our time.(This description was generated by AI)