We need an infrastructure strategy beyond the M25
Today’s announcements about infrastructure spending are yet another U-turn for a coalition government which cut capital spending far too deeply at the last spending round.
Guest
The US government, rather than Edward Snowden, is behaving unconstitutionally
Besides denying people their privacy on such a scale, in the US is behaving unconstituionally. Those who have broken the constitution are the very ones demanding the person who exposed their criminality be locked up. Kafka would have relished this.
Health ringfence is not enough to protect the NHS
Health spending has always been a public priority: PwC recently found that 67 per cent of people support protecting the NHS – up from 58 per cent in 2010.
Jobseeker’s Allowance changes will not help more people into work
We were anticipating the announcement about a cap on Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) spending for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This accounts for a huge lump of government spending overall – much of the rest of the savings are tinkering by comparison.
Poorest areas in London have worst pollution
When it comes to London’s exceptionally poor air quality Mayor of London Boris Johnson has his head stuck firmly in the sand.
JP Morgan wants Europe to be rid of social rights, democracy, employee rights and the right to protest
This is an agenda for hard right, corporatist, centrist government. There’s another word for that, and it’s what the bankers seem to want.
DWP admits more lies and misdeeds re fake psych ‘test’
There has been considerable furore over the fake psychometric ‘test’ the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been forcing jobseekers to use under the threat of ‘sanction’ (immediate loss of benefits) since I revealed it in April and the Guardian newspaper published its own account of the story at the beginning of May.
An incoming Labour government will need an iron discipline on public spending and a bold plan for growth
In 2010 George Osborne set out his plan to rescue the UK’s economy, but this week we’ll once again see his failure laid bare. He told the country he would balance the books in this parliament, but his failure to get the economy moving again means that whoever is in government after May 2015 will inherit a deficit of over £90 billion.
The coalition doesn’t want to ‘buckle’ on legal aid cuts – but who will suffer as a result?
The coalition had a tough fortnight over its proposals to cut legal cut. And with a backbench debate scheduled for this Thursday, and the minister in front of the Justice Committee next month, it’s unlikely to get much easier.
The shadow health team should show leadership on the issue of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Standfirst: Today is the start of the first ever national Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Week. With this in mind Jamie Hewitt, government affairs manager at the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS), looks at the challenges of raising public awareness about the disease and sets out why politicians need to do more.