What Labour needs to do in 2021
“To win next time, it is the New Labour comfort zone that we must escape: the rigidity of old formulae that have served their time, the belittling of any attempt…
There must be a full and independent inquiry into the blacklisting scandal
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s suggestion that the Government’s review into industrial relations could also examine blacklisting is an insult to all the victims of this disgusting practice. The Government…
The great Home Office jobs trick
As I have previously said, the passports crisis has turned the spotlight again onto the issue of staffing in the Home Office. So it is worth recalling how two years…
Can Universities Become ‘Anchors’ for a Green Economy?
Universities like to think of themselves as ‘anchor institutions‘, as locally rooted civic organisations providing a range of economic and social benefits to surrounding communities. However, these benefits are more…
Steelwork closures and the importance of class and place
In recent weeks, in my local neighbourhood in Teesside, I have been struck by something: increasing numbers of public conversations between middle aged men about their efforts to find work.…
George Osborne’s ‘budget surplus’ rule is ill-defined and unenforceable
In a speech to at the Mansion House on 10th June 2022, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced his intention “that, in normal times, governments of the left as well…
Why Care About Having a Black Prime Minister?
These are not the views of the BBC. Dr Faiza Shaheen is an independent researcher and views expressed here are her own. Back in 2009, on the day of President…
Labour Market Realities: February 2025
Government employment figures announced today show that unemployment is at a near record low, and that more people than ever are in work. These headline statistics feed claims that the…
Refreshing Our Collective Determination on May Day
Today is International Workers Day, also known as May Day; a moment in the year to celebrate workers – and by extension the working class – and celebrate solidarity across…
A new poll shows the consensus behind austerity is shattering
Politics and public opinion across Europe changed decisively in May. Before then the austerians dominated. However compelling the intellectual arguments for growth strategies, the right prevailed. The Greek and French…
Piers Morgan and Immigration
It has been oddly satisfying to watch Piers Morgan grill Government ministers over their response to the coronavirus pandemic – particularly as he is a person I do not usually…