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Policy@Manchester Articles: Westminster Watch
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43 and 36 – Locking in the smaller state: George Osborne’s ‘Summer Budget’

Colin Talbot By Colin Talbot Filed Under: All posts, Westminster Watch, Whitehall Watch Posted: July 8, 2015

The general consensus is this is a “big” Budget with lots in it. It is, but unfortunately most commentators are missing the really big picture, says Colin Talbot. To be able to grasp what lies behind George Osborne’s ‘Summer Budget’ 2015 you need to remember just two numbers: 43 and 36. 43 Modern advanced economies […]

Tagged With: budget 2015, GDP, George Osborne, HM Treasury, welfare

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Employment targets for ethnic minorities will not reduce racial inequalities

By Omar Khan Filed Under: All posts, Ethnicity, Featured, Westminster Watch Posted: June 19, 2015

Omar Khan, Director of the Runnymede Trust, assesses the prospects for ethnic minorities under the new Conservative Government. The Prime Minister David Cameron’s commitments during the 2015 campaign will continue rather than reduce racial inequalities in the labour market. His underwhelming targets suggest we need better evidence, proper legislative scrutiny and public debate to make democracy […]

Tagged With: BME, Conservative, David Cameron, Enoch Powell, equality, unemployment

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Framing DevoManc

By David Walker Filed Under: Devo, Featured, Westminster Watch Posted: June 17, 2015

Just how good a deal is DevoManc? David Walker expresses scepticism. Here are two ways of framing DevoManc. The first is (somewhat breathless) localist enthusiasm. A principal city-region is being offered new power to shape spending and services in health and social care, infrastructure and transport. As important as substance is the theatre: a group […]

Tagged With: Care Quality Commission, devolution, DevoManc, George Osborne, Greater Manchester, Jim McMahon, localism, Monitor, NHS, northern ireland, Oldham, Richard Leese, Salford, Scotland, Stockport, Tony Lloyd, wales, Wigan

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Why childcare matters

By Brenda Gannon Filed Under: Featured, Westminster Watch Posted: June 4, 2015

Increased provision of free childcare will not only help to lift the UK’s productivity, it will also raise household incomes – potentially improving health outcomes for children, explains Dr Brenda Gannon. Currently, all children aged three or four are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks. In last week’s Queen’s […]

Tagged With: childcare, Children and Young People's Health benchmarking tool, health, Health Survey for England, Healthy Lives - Healthy People, inequality, Marmot Review, productivity, Queens Speech

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A Tale of Two Speeches?

By Andy Westwood Filed Under: Devo, Featured, Westminster Watch Posted: May 27, 2015

What does the Conservative election victory mean for the North of England and higher education? Professor Andy Westwood interprets the signals. Just in case you didn’t know, the Northern Powerhouse is ‘GO’ and was confirmed in today’s Queens Speech. George Osborne reaffirmed his commitment to the idea almost immediately after he and the Conservatives won […]

Tagged With: Amber Rudd, BIS, Centre for Policy Studies, City Deals, David Cameron, Francis Maude, general election, George Osborne, Greg Clark, higher education, immigration, Jim O'Neill, Jo Johnson, Michael Heseltine, Nicky Morgan, Northern Powerhouse, Sajid Javid, science, Theresa May, University of Manchester

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One night in May [Part 2] – The strange resurrection of the British political tradition?

Dave RichardsMartin Smith By Dave Richards and Martin Smith Filed Under: Featured, Westminster Watch Posted: May 26, 2015

Professor Dave Richards and Professor Martin Smith analyse what the general election result means for the British political system. The 2015 general election was supposed to produce one type of policy earthquake, but may have produced another. The assumption by nearly everyone until 10.01 pm on May 7 was that we would see the further […]

Tagged With: Benjamin Disraeli, Brian Barry, David Cameron, general election, Nick Clegg

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The online challenge facing government

By Tarlok Teji Filed Under: Featured, Westminster Watch Posted: May 18, 2015

Creating a coherent digital policy that addresses both opportunities and threats is likely to prove a challenge for the new Government, argues Tarlok Teji. One of the major policy challenges facing the new Government is defining our relationship to the hyper-connected digital world. While that world brings fantastic opportunities, it also creates risks of global […]

Tagged With: 5G, broadband, David Cameron, digital, e-commerce, government, internet

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So it begins: Last time it was Five Days in May – this time it could be Five Weeks (or more)

Colin Talbot By Colin Talbot Filed Under: All posts, Westminster Watch Posted: May 7, 2015

As the polls open and ballots begin to be cast across the country as GE2015 gets underway, Colin Talbot looks at one possible scenario should the predictions of a hung Parliament prove accurate. It could easily be 5 weeks before we have a settled Government. It might not be, the polls might be wrong or […]

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Could the SNP block a Labour Budget? No

Colin Talbot By Colin Talbot Filed Under: All posts, Featured, Westminster Watch Posted: April 22, 2015

Colin Talbot looks at the reality after Scottish National Party claims that they could block any budget if the Labour Party is leading a minority Government. The SNP are claiming they can ‘block Labour budgets’, ‘end austerity’ and ‘stop Trident’. Their problem however is simple – most of what they say is based on assuming […]

Tagged With: budget, Conservative Party, finance bill, fixed term parliament, general election, Labour, minority government, parliament, SNP, standing orders

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The redundancy trauma

By James Laurence Filed Under: Featured, Westminster Watch Posted: April 14, 2015

Around 2.7 million people were made redundant in the UK during the ‘Great Recession’. Dr James Laurence examines the legacy of distrust created by those redundancies. The impact of the recession is the dominant back-drop to the General Election campaign. Politicians from all parties explain their approach to the continuing fiscal deficit. Yet there is […]

Tagged With: deficit, distrust, general election, Hard Times, lay-offs, National Child Development Survey, recession, redundancy, the Great Recession, unemployment, well-being

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