British Politics

Our system for housing asylum seekers is failing, we must do better

By Jonathan Darling Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Urban Posted: February 1, 2017

In light of this week’s report into Asylum Accommodation by the Home Affairs Select Committee, Dr Jonathan Darling, who submitted expert evidence to the inquiry, responds to its findings and suggests a way forwards. Asylum accommodation is currently provided through six regional contracts with three private providers There have been reports of substandard and inappropriate […]

Eyes wide open – addressing immigration, to secure immigration

By Martin Walker Filed Under: All posts, British Politics Posted: January 31, 2017

The University of Manchester’s Professor Martin Walker argues that the debate over immigration has suffered obfuscation on all sides – with anti-immigration voices refusing to acknowledge the economic necessity and benefits of immigration to the United Kingdom, and an equal unwillingness on the opposing side to recognise the extent (and skewed distribution) of its economic […]

Plan A + Plan B = Industrial Strategy?

By Andy Westwood Filed Under: All posts, British Politics Posted: January 24, 2017

The cornerstone of Theresa May’s economic vision for the country, the government’s Industrial Strategy was launched this week. Policy@manchester Co-Director Professor Andy Westwood assesses the size of the challenge, the scale of the strategy’s commitments, and places the strategy in the historical context of recent government efforts to achieve the same ends. Industrial Strategy […]

Less for your money? Differences in essential living costs for poorer families

By Graham Whitham and Kingsley Purdam Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Growth and Inclusion Posted: January 18, 2017

The recent Bank of England evidence on the record levels of personal debt that have accumulated since the 2008 economic crash highlight the financial vulnerability of many people across the UK. Research by the University of Manchester into everyday living costs for those with limited financial resources is being launched with the End Child Poverty […]

The Shared Society : wellbeing through participation and the need for research

By Susan Oman Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Urban Posted: January 16, 2017

The Prime Minister recently set out her vision for a new ‘shared society’ alongside her promise to transform mental health care. University of Manchester PHD researcher Susan Oman, questions Theresa May’s commitment to mental health research, how it presents opportunities to understand what a sharing society might be, and how it might support improved wellbeing. […]

British values: an oath without meaning?

By Bridget Byrne Filed Under: British Politics, Ethnicity Posted: January 13, 2017

Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, Sajid Javid, recently agreed with Louise Casey’s recommendations of an oath of integration being introduced not just for arriving migrants,but it should also be taken by all those in public office . However, Dr Bridget Byrne questions what exactly is meant by ‘British values’ and argues that […]

A shared Britain – refugee policy for 2017

By Jonathan Darling and Gulwali Passarlay Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Europe, Urban Posted: January 10, 2017

To start the year, Dr Jonathan Darling, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography specialising in the politics and ethics of forced migration, and Gulwali Passarlay, Afghan refugee, politics graduate and author of ‘The Lightless Sky’, reflect on how government might support asylum seekers and refugees in 2017. Together, they discuss the challenges of the last year […]

The Prevent duty: can teachers be judges?

By Bob Hindle Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Ethnicity Posted: December 14, 2016

Prevent is one of the four Ps that make up the government’s post 9/11 counter-terrorism strategy: Prepare for attacks, Protect the public, Pursue the attackers and Prevent their radicalisation in the first place. Bob Hindle looks at how the Prevent duty is applied in schools and colleges and highlights areas of necessary reform. Teacher decision-making […]

Grand Brexit Strategies – Can Whitehall Cope? A Potted-History of [Not] Joining Government Up

By Dave Richards and Martin Smith Filed Under: All posts, Brexit, British Politics Posted: December 6, 2016

Brexit is a political challenge on an unprecedented scale. The process of exiting the European Union impacts every government department, and requires a level of co-ordination that UK governments have rarely managed to achieve. Here, the University of Manchester’s Dave Richards and the University of York’s Martin Smith survey the size of the challenge facing […]

Failed political predictions and the future of opinion polls

By Thomas Loughran Filed Under: All posts, British Politics Posted: December 5, 2016

The 2015 UK General Election, the EU Referendum and, most recently, the US Presidential Election all produced results which most major pollsters and media outlets failed to predict. Amongst growing distrust of opinion polls across the Western World, Thomas Loughran considers the use of political opinion polls and where to go from here. The decline […]