Can it be fitted into the localism agenda? Earlier this week, Francis Maude gave a speech in which it was trailed that he may signal the end of national pay structures for the civil service. In the event, he didn’t touch on it, which caused some, such as Paul Waugh, to wonder whether the government decided that it was a battle too far at the moment. Perhaps, although it might simply be that the policy’s just not well enough developed….
Can the ‘no cuts’ line really be sustained? Going in to the election, the Conservatives made a commitment that the NHS and International Development budgets would be protected from any cuts that had to be made should they form a government, a commitment that has carried over into the coalition. To many Conservatives, these didn’t look like the most obvious departments to make the priority. That no doubt was partly the point – to soften the party’s image and to…
Will 05/05/2011 mark the beginning of the end? The expected announcement today that the referendum on AV is to be scheduled for the same day as the Scottish parliament, Welsh assembly and English local elections produces the prospect of another Super Thursday when the whole country will be going to the polls. What effect will that timing have? The stated aim is to increase the turnout and it’s likely that there will be more people vote in the referendum if…
Does his career still have a Big Moment left? In some ways, it’s been a good year for Vince Cable. Most obviously, he’s become one of the first Liberal / Lib Dem cabinet ministers for over 60 years. The problem is that success in politics is a relative business and isn’t measured solely by office. During April he underwent a remarkable transformation from John Maynard Keynes II to Mr. Has-Been, all the more galling for it being largely unnoticed. In fact, the…
What now for the ‘Drill Baby, Drill’ advocates? So far, the majority of the focus of the BP oil spill story has focussed on the executives of the company and on how the US government’s response is likely to affect President Obama. That’s understandable but beyond the immediate concerns about fixing the leak, there are bigger questions about America’s energy policy to answer, ones that could have a direct bearing on the next presidential campaign. Now’s a good time to…
Is Osborne playing double-or-nothing on England? New Labour, when it was new, had its Grid: a careful plan of big national and international events around which those running the party would schedule their own campaign launches, policy announcements, events and so on. It worked very well at the time though it did help that it had a largely friendly media and opponents who were outclassed on that score and, for that matter, that Labour was in opposition (it’s always harder…
Does parliament need more youngsters? The 2010 parliament differs from its predecessor in many ways: 35% of its members are newly elected, there are a lot more Conservatives and there are nearly twice as many ethnic minority MP’s as before, to list three. In other ways, it’s more of the same: over three-quarters are men, an overwhelming majority have a white-collar occupational background and the average age of MP’s is about fifty. That average age is representative of adults in…
Is the momentum enough to see one over the line? With less than two weeks to go until nominations close, three candidates for the Labour leadership have now received the 33 nominations necessary to secure their place on the ballot: Ed and David Miliband and Ed Balls. Andy Burnham is just half way to the threshold while Diane Abbott and John McDonnell are stuck in single figures. There are still around 100 Labour MP’s yet to declare but with the…