Economic crisis: Saving banks or saving lives?
In countries where spending on healthcare is high, suicide and homicide rates are lower than societies with less well-funded services.
Public Services
Balls: Labour will not threaten child benefit
Ed Balls, in his speech to conference, quashed speculation that tax credits and child benefit could be cut by the Labour government. Two weeks ago, the Observer splashed news that, “Labour [is] set to target middle class benefits.” It wenttest
New strategy for helping people with autism
The Government reaffirmed its committment to the Autism Bill today, with particular focus on adults and women with autism.
Public “in denial” over spending cuts
The RSA’s fringe event at Labour party conference focused on how the public is in “denial” about the necessity of public spending cuts. Ben Page, CEO of Ipsos-MORI, set out that voters are “in denial” over spending cuts.
‘Right on’ in Brighton: Protestors’ voices
Protesters in Brighton on Sunday called for the scrapping of tuition fees, an end to testing in primary schools, and nationalisation of parts of the renewable energy industry. Mark Flower, a former blade technician at Vestas on the Isle oftest
SNP u-turn on class sizes
The SNP have announced they are not going to implement their manifesto pledge to reduce primary school class sizes to 18; they will aim for 25 instead.
Demos’ public services report compounds problems
Demos’ latest report from the “Progressive Conservatism Project” focuses on local leadership, empowerment of front line staff to innovate, and cutting back bureaucratic waste. As a general approach, Demos’s analysis hits some worthwhile points. Unfortunately the report, aimed at Conservativetest
Lib Dem cuts weaken fight against corruption and fraud
Liberal Democrat plans to cut £1.18 billion from the budgets of quangos, unveiled yesterday by leader Nick Clegg, include the abolition of “the Standards Board for England” and the scaling back of the Audit Commission – both key watchdogs intest
Public split on tax rises vs. spending cuts
Today’s ICM poll for the Guardian appears to show that the public are open to tax rises as well as public spending cuts. The findings appear to undermine a Sunday Times report from September 13th that, “Voters are overwhelmingly in favour of cutting public spending rather than tax rises to close the budget black hole.”
England needs ‘metro mayors’
‘Metro mayors’ would mark a real shift in the balance of power from Whitehall to cities, re-engage millions of voters and provide a clear alternative to quangoland. The next Government should go for them.