Archive for Op-eds
An intriguing list – so get voting
Cross-posted from the Power 2010 blog:
If all it took to sort out our political system was to produce a list of proposals we’d have the best political system, ever.
Over the last few years, there has been no shortage of wish lists, most of which have promptly disappeared never to be thought of again.
So I’ll readily [...]
Why politics should be about personalities
Tony Benn’s lament that politics should be about issues, not personalities, is one echoed even by many who would struggle to find any issues on which they agree with him.
But it’s not a view I share. Why? Because the detailed policies of election manifestos or conference speeches frequently get swept aside in power by events. [...]
The Saturday debate: it’s no longer about market versus state
Here’s your starter for ten as we experiment with a Saturday slot posing a view for debate:
For the last hundred years the big organizational question has been whether any given task was best taken on by the state, directing the effort in a planned way, or by businesses competing in a market. This debate was [...]
The Saturday debate: we need more ideology
Here’s your starter for ten as we experiment with a new Saturday slot posing a view for debate:
Disdainful comments about political motivations and ideological fixations abound. But what Britain needs is more ideology, not less. Because it’s having a core of ideological beliefs that gives those in power a plan for action that is more [...]
If you want to understand modern government, understand the Office of the Public Guardian
The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) neatly encapsulates much of how modern government is run, its weaknesses and the problems our democratic systems face in trying to control or improve bureaucracy.
The Office of the Public Guardian was created for the best of reasons following the 2005 Mental Capacity Act in order to administer a [...]
A challenge to the Press Complaints Commission to improve its code
The Press Complaints Commission is currently reviewing its Editors’ Code of Practice so a group of bloggers, including myself, have got together to propose five changes – and we’re running an online petition which you can sign too.
Amongst any group of people, the exact reasons for supporting the suggestions will vary but for myself they [...]
The Saturday debate: Choice is a poor way of improving public services
Here’s your starter for ten as we experiment with a new Saturday slot posing a view for debate:
The enthusiasm across the political spectrum for using choice to raise standards in public services is misplaced because:
For many public services, it’s vital to get the service right first time – for everyone. Children only get to go [...]
Lib Dems and Labour headed in opposite directions on health and crime
Earlier this week I highlighted how Nick Clegg’s speech laying out the foundations of the Liberal Democrat general election manifesto was based around four steps in which health and crime did not feature. Those two policy areas have been dominant in the party’s campaigning over the previous three general elections – in particular in marginal [...]
