Upgrade Holyrood is run by me, Richard Wood. Originally from Edinburgh, I currently work in the House of Commons, London, and have experience in analysis, communications, media and research. I am also a Council member of the Electoral Reform Society, which seeks to bring UK politics into the 21st century, and an executive committee member of the Liberal Democrats for Electoral Reform.
I also hold an MRes in Political Research from the University of Aberdeen and I was previously a Political Commentator for HITC Politics.
The need for political reform drives much of my politics as shown by my activism with PR campaign-group Make Votes Matter, my former role as a director for youth-led think-tank TalkPolitics and involvement in the Electoral Reform Society. I am regularly published in Politics.co.uk, where I write about democratic reform issues. Replacing First Past the Post with Proportional Representation is the single most important reform needed in Westminster politics.
In the interest of full transparency, I am also a member of the Scottish Liberal Democrats and work as a parliamentary staffer for an MP in Westminster. Although all my work with Upgrade Holyrood is done in my own capacity.
I am a passionate supporter of the Scottish Parliament but I strongly believe that Scottish politics can and must be better. That’s where Upgrade Holyrood comes in! Issues surrounding Holyrood’s broadly proportional but far from perfect voting system as well as the return of dual mandates at the 2021 election, spurred me on to create Upgrade Holyrood.
I want to improve Scottish and Westminster politics. That’s why I’m here!
Upgrade Holyrood 