Political Innovation – coming soon to Edinburgh and Belfast

A quick note to thank Left Foot Forward for helping us with the Political Innovation essays; see here for more about the project and a list of all the essays so far, with a few more to come in the next few weeks. We would like to invite LFF readers to a couple of events that we’re doing in Edinburgh (13th November) and Belfast (20th November) – both are Saturday get-togethers – details can be found here.

View from the States: Shellacked in South Florida

Tuesday was a good day to be on a Republican ticket and a bad day to be running as a Democrat, but the results are not catastrophic for Obama. In South Florida there is no long term appetite for extremes, but this week’s results demonstrate that the American people don’t like their leaders very much and have relished giving this one a good “shellacking”.

Labour must understand the transformed politics of “anxious aspiration”

A time of ‘anxious aspiration’ that is founded upon the uncertainty of ever increasingly dynamic technological change in a world of globalised production and global culture. Here then is a space where the left can win back the middle classes in a thoroughly authentic manner – perhaps for the first time since Atlee and 1945. Familiar fairness for unfamiliar times.

Look Left – Browne Review begins to bite

More details of the impact of the Browne Review emerged this week. Twenty four universities look set to see their entire teaching grants scrapped, including LSE and SOAS, with 73 universities seeing their teaching budgets slashed by more than 75 per cent.

Six months from the AV referendum, how are the campaigns shaping up?

The Yes to fairer votes site launches this week. In contrast to the dull oppressive shades of the No campaign’s site, it is clear, bright and colourful, and focuses on the grassroots nature of the campaign with ways in which people can get involved. There is now a network of determined activists across the country that has grown steadily since the extraordinary outpouring of energy during the purple “fair votes” protests back in May.

Lib Dem foreign minister’s French slur

Foreign office minister Jeremy Browne was accused of racism by a heckler on Question Time last night after remarks about the French. Talking about the Anglo-French defence treaty signed by the prime minister and President Sarkozy this week, he said: “We’re not merging our Army with France. Our soldiers won’t be required to speak French or wear onions round their necks or stripey t-shirts, or ride bicycles.”

Cameron’s ‘tech city’ vision is laudable, but more needs to be done

David Cameron’s speech to East London entrepreneurs about the government’s long-term commitment to transform London’s East End into “a world-leading technology city to rival Silicon Valley” is laudable in its intent. The prime minister said a number of companies including Vodafone, Google, Facebook, Intel and McKinsey & Co were interested in investing in the region over the longer term.