Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
By Colin Talbot Filed Under: Devo, Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted:
From June, Greater Manchester will get an interim mayor as part of a deal with the Government on regional devolution. But its imposition without a referendum is a fundamental error by the political elite that may well backfire, argues Professor Colin Talbot. ‘Mayors’ seem to have become the default answer of many in the political […]
By Anita Greenhill Filed Under: All posts, Featured, Science and Technology, Urban, Whitehall Watch Posted:
The Government’s proposed Northern Powerhouse is all well and good, but, asks Anita Greenhill, where does the digital economy fit in this? The concept of a Northern Powerhouse and establishing an alternative to the dominant ‘London Powerhouse’ has strong Government support. It also has cross-party backing, with both the Conservative and Labour parties proposing their […]
By Francesca Gains Filed Under: Devo, Featured, Urban Posted:
Opposition to a mayoral model for Manchester overlooks a decade of innovation and collaboration that has delivered economic and social benefits for the region, says Prof Francesca Gains. Much has been made of backroom deals between the Chancellor George Osborne and Manchester City Council’s chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein to deliver the most significant devolutionary […]
Last year, the Guardian triggered a major debate over prejudice after a front page splash painted a dark picture of rising racial intolerance in Britain, writes Dr Robert Ford. But he argues that this debate was focussed on a poorly constructed measure – and that more robust measures paint a very different picture. There is […]
By Jean-Marc Dreyfus Filed Under: Europe, Featured Posted:
Attacks on Jewish targets in Copenhagen and Paris are feeding emigration to Israel, explains Jean-Marc Dreyfus. The terror attacks in Copenhagen targeted both a cultural centre – where a debate on freedom of speech and the caricatures of Muhammad was taking place – and the city’s central synagogue. Five weeks after the Paris attacks, security […]
How significant will the elected mayoral role be for Greater Manchester – asks Iain Deas – and who will be that mayor? Simon Jenkins recently treated readers of the Guardian to an account of the rebuilding of city-regional governance in Greater Manchester. The story was of heroic struggle by Manchester’s civic leaders, guided by the […]
By Ferdi De Ville and Gabriel Siles-Brügge Filed Under: All posts, Europe, Featured Posted:
European Commissioners calling the adoption of the TTIP trade agreement a ‘no-brainer’ is not conducive to the honest debate on the EU-US free trade agreement that is needed, argue Ferdi De Ville and Gabriel Siles-Brügge. European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström and European Financial Services Commissioner Jonathan Hill have written that concluding the Transatlantic Trade and […]
By John Read Filed Under: All posts, Featured, Whitehall Watch Posted:
The starting gun for the General Election has been fired, with less than 100 days to go before we vote. But, asks John Read, will the parties have the courage to discuss how future governments will pay for workers’ retirement? Financing the state pensions of the next generation of retired workers is a key challenge […]
By Neil Perkins and Jonathan Hammond Filed Under: Featured Posted:
MPs have just had a bitterly divided debate on what the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will mean for the NHS. Neil Perkins and Jonathan Hammond consider the evidence. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a trade deal currently being negotiated between the European Union and the United States. If TTIP goes ahead, […]
By Nicholas Lord Filed Under: All posts, Featured Posted:
Last week BBC Panorama and the Guardian newspaper, following international collaboration with various other media organisations, broke news of how Britain’s biggest bank, HSBC, aided some of its wealthiest clients in evading tax. Here, Dr Nicholas Lord analyses why it is that otherwise ‘good people’, in the context of business organisations, indulge in such ‘white-collar’ […]
