Tory Modernisation Needs To Be Updated, Not Abandoned
Tory modernisation is again being questioned. Some Tory MPs and commentators are reacting to the poor local election results and consistently bad polling evidence by complaining about the Liberal tail wagging the Tory dog. But the truth is that most of those...
Appointing Jon Cruddas was a masterstroke for Labour
Samuel Brittan famously called the distinction between left and right a “bogus dilemma”. Politics and policy is often much too complex and sophisticated to be split into this simplistic dichotomy. This came to mind when I saw the reaction to Jon Cruddas being...
Liam Byrne is right about Labour’s pains
Rumours swirl around Westminster that Liam Byrne is to be replaced as the head of Labour’s policy review. According to The Guardian: Byrne is seen as a Blairite, and there have been tensions in the party about how tough a line to take on welfare. Labour...
Elected Mayors – where did it all go wrong?
The idea that elected Mayors will be the genesis for the transformation of major cities looks in pretty bad shape today. All of the cities to have declared so far have voted No. I’ve made clear that I support the idea of elected Mayors as they decentralise power,...
