Good Society
The Catholic Church should embrace the world we live in, but so far a different tone looks a world away
The Catholic church was back in the news this weekend with the story of Cardinal O’Brien’s 'exile'. It’s a story that’s unlikely to go away any time soon. And given that O’Brien remains Britain’s most senior Catholic, it’s one that has wider relevance. It’s been argued that he should be left alone. But we should all be concerned that the complaints made against him are properly investigated and that appropriate action is taken.
The government must do more to promote freedom
One rare piece of good news from the Tory-led government was Nick Clegg's decision to block the so-called 'Snoopers Charter', a draft piece of fundamentally illiberal legislation which would have allowed the security services to monitor emails, text messages and internet browsing.
Welfare reforms ‘Kafkaesque’ say Scottish doctors
Doctors across Scotland have attacked the operation of the government’s welfare to work health assessments as "Kafkaesque", with GP leaders warning that Scottish doctors are being "flooded with additional avoidable work".
Leave the Tories to worry about UKIP. Let them do a 2005 all over again
There is a myth, propagated by much of the commentariat, which says that the public are far to the right of the major parties on three issues - immigration, welfare and the European Union. It is a myth that has been doing the rounds for some time now, but one which will no doubt be given another boost by today's local election results.
Just how ‘sticky’ is this Labour vote?
In terms of forming a Labour government, the only way is not Essex, but it’ll be an important staging post along that path. The signs, it seems, are promising even if work remains to be done.
Supreme Court rules UK government is breaching pollution laws
The UK will need to improve its plans for tackling air pollution after the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the government has breached laws that protect people from the harmful effects of air pollution.