Last week, the new National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review gave conflict prevention a high priority, and committed more resources to addressing instability in fragile states as far upstream as possible to save both lives and money down the line; this week, ippr publishes its own review of the lessons to be learned from conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
Mr Cruddas called for a new politics of hope over despair and said Labour needs a new political narrative that should mainstream a credible economic alternative against the right’s intellectual powerhouse of ideas. The party should espouse an active interventionist industrial policy and a strategy for deficit-reduction through growth and full employment.
Schools are going to have to pay for a lot of support, training and consultancy they currently receive ‘for free’ from local authorities. If they want such services in the future, the only way they will get them is by paying less for teachers, teaching assistants and materials.
The Comprehensive Spending Review, followed up by a letter from the Minister for Housing to local authorities, together herald the near collapse of affordable housing policy in the UK. For the most expensive parts of the country like London, they could herald the slow death of affordable housing altogether.
Guest writer Adam Short, of the Young Fabians, argues that the ring-fencing of UK aid in the spending review is right and in the country’s interest.
One of the biggest losers from the Comprehensive Spending Review was local government, though the full scale of the cuts will not emerge till December.
The governement suggests the distributional impact of the spending cuts is less regressive than if these important areas were also included; but are they right?
The UK loses £120bn a year through tax evasion, tax avoidance and uncollected tax; launching a crackdown on tax dodgers will raise billions to help the poor.
It is “simply unacceptable” for the government to devote such little time to the Comprehensive Spending Review, and for there to be no vote, writes Hilary Benn.
Over the last fortnight it has become clear: the govt. is planning a wholesale assault on universalism; should we defend the middle class welfare state or not?
