Integrity and corruption
The time is right for an audit of Scottish democracy
Last year, we launched Democratic Audit – Scotland to provide meaningful, in depth, scrutiny of Scotland’s democratic record. The aim of the site is to provide a democratic audit, to examine the effectiveness of its political system, a democratic dashboard, to help members of the public make an informed choice when they participate in Scottish elections, and regular blog posts, to report on current developments in areas such as elections and representation, political parties, accountability, and human rights.
The Carmichael case shows that we need a stronger public understanding of the integral role that election courts perform in our democracy
Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat MP who served as the Secretary of State for Scotland in the 2010-2015 Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition, has survived the court case which threatened to strip him of his Orkney and Shetlands parliamentary seat. Heather Green follows up on her previous article for Democratic Audit, arguing that it is disappointing that public comment on this case has tended to dwell on presumed partisan machinations, and to overlook the reasoned and peaceful means by which the court brought about a legal resolution to the political melodrama that triggered the case in the first place.
A below par performance? Donald Trump’s golf resort development and government openness and transparency in Scotland
As Donald Trump’s US presidential candidacy campaign continues to cause controversy, Graeme Baxter reflects on the impact the building of ‘the greatest golf course anywhere in the world’ has had on the openness and transparency of Scottish public authorities.
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