Stuart Weir

Stuart Weir "is the Director of Democratic Audit and a Visiting Professor with the Government Department at the University. Democratic Audit was until recently a research unit of the Centre and is now an independent research organisation under a board on which Essex academics play a significant role.  The Audit conducts research into the quality of democracy and human rights in the UK and internationally.

"Stuart Weir is author and editor of Unequal Britain: a human rights route to social justice (Politico's, 2006) and joint author of reports on the government’s counter terrorism laws and strategy, the politics of the BNP and power and participation in the UK. He is also joint author of three democratic audits on  the UK, the latest being Democracy under Blair (Politico's, 2002); and of The IDEA Handbook on Democracy Assessment and The State of Democracy: Democracy Assessments in Eight Nations around the World (both Kluwer Law International, 2002 and 2003).  He is currently engaged on revising the Handbook with Dr Todd Landman, under the joint International IDEA/University of Essex ‘State of Democracy’ project.

"Stuart Weir is also founder of Charter 88, the UK campaign for democratic change, and a former editor of the New Statesman and New Socialist, and former deputy editor of New Society. He has worked for both Child Poverty Action Group (as director of the Citizens Rights Office) and Shelter (as editor of magazine and head of publicity). He writes and broadcasts widely on democratic issues; has worked in television on the Channel 4 People’s Parliament series and drama-documentaries; and acts as a consultant to select committees in the UK Parliament and internationally for the EU, UNDP, FCO and DFID."


 * Fellow, Human Rights Centre
 * Former National Council Member, Catalyst (think tank)
 * Council, Unlock Democracy
 * Sponsor, New Politics