Pontius Clegg: Lib Dem abstentions won’t stop tuition fees rising
Nick Clegg and Vince Cable are considering abstaining in the crucial tuition fees vote before Christmas. But a Lib Dem abstention is equivalent to a vote for the reforms.
Yearly Archives: 2010
Harman’s first international development speech outlines six key priorities
This morning, shadow international development secretary Harriet Harman gave a speech at ActionAid headquarters in London. Marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Ms Harman outlined six priorities for the future of international development.
Bank’s Adam Posen: cuts will be “quite contractionary”
The Bank of England’s Adam Posen expects the impact of the Coalition’s cuts as “quite contractionary”. He also accused Mervyn King of being “excessively political”.
‘Climategate’ blogger in new racial slur
In a post peddling myths about climate change the prominent right-wing blogger and occasional Telegraph writer Richard North, who was the source of much of the media controversy about the ‘climategate’ non-scandal, has used the phrase “jungle bunnies” – apparently to refer to people in the developing world.
Unionists attack SDLP opposition to Housing Benefit cuts
Senior members of the DUP and UUP have attacked SDLP social development minister Alex Attwood’s opposition to reforms being introduced on housing benefits by the coalition government in Westminster.
IDS forced to correct statistics again
Following yesterday’s article on Left Foot Forward that discussed Douglas Alexander’s exposing of three counts of statistical misuse by Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has released a written ministerial statement clarifying his remarks.
US-Russia nuclear arms treaty may fall victim to domestic politics
President Obama is facing a challenge to pass START after leading Republicans have called for a delay on the vote to ratify the treaty. The deal with Russia regarding nuclear weapons inspections is a key foreign policy initiative for Obama.
What would happen if Spain follows Ireland over the edge?
On Monday the big news of the day was the Ireland bailout. Yesterday, the follow-on story was Portugal’s general strike which could push the country over the edge. But the nagging doubt in everyone’s minds in the European power-centres today will be neither: it will be the much worse possibility, remote or otherwise, that Spain might follow: Spanish euro spreads reached a record 260 basis points yesterday, making it is very expensive for Spain to borrow.
The student movement 2010: The rise of the dissent entrepreneur
Aaron Peters is currently at a student occupation at University College London where he will be staying for as long as is permitted; even within the confines of this one microcosm of the movement the possibilities for this nascent student movement within the context of Net 2.0 are being rendered increasingly tangible.
Kaminski’s resignation leaves Cameron’s EU group on verge of collapse
Polish extremist Michal Kaminski’s resignation from the Law and Justice Party has opened up a power vacuum in the ECR, David Cameron’s far-right European Parliament grouping, reports Left Foot Forward’s man in the corridors of power in Brussels, Ben Fox.