Right-Wing Watch
Clegg faces lose-lose situation over Forgemasters
Nick Clegg has some tough decisions to make, both on the national stage and a lot closer to home, and faces a lose-lose situation over Sheffield Forgemasters.
Pickles’s meddle and populism bill
Jessica Studdert, political adviser to the Labour group at the Local Govt Assoc, examines Eric Pickles's meddling in the very localism he claims to champion.
Pickles using smoke and mirrors to hide scale of cuts to councils
Shadow communities minister Barbara Keeley argues Eric Pickles is hiding the true scale of the cuts to councils, which hit the most deprived areas the hardest.
Pickles cuts grants to councils by 10% – and by 18% over 2 years
Philip Walker unmasks Eric Pickles's sleight of hand to conceal a 10% cash cut in grant funding for council services in 2011/12 - an 18% cut over two years.
Eric Pickles’ cuts target Britain’s poorest areas
The Government claims that “We’re all in this together”. But even with Eric Pickles’ 'transition grant' into account, the poorest areas will do worse out of this settlement.
Is this the winter of Lib Dem discontent?
Another week, another chameleon-like manouvre from the Liberal Democrats as the tuition fees crisis looks increasingly likely to be the party's poll tax moment. As Patrick Wintour writes in the Guardian, many Lib Dems have privately admitted their regret over signing the NUS pledge opposing tuition fees at the time of the election, arguing they did it under the encouragement of party HQ.