Local democracy should not be an excuse to stop building homesBritain needs more homes. But why should building them require a choice between local democracy and individual freedom? Bolton offers a revealing example. From 31 October, new national rules in England require planning officers to decide certain applications, including qualifying schemes of up to nine homes on small sites. Larger or more contentious proposals can still go before elected councillors, subject to the rules. Bolton's council rejected the constitutional changes in October and has scheduled another vote for 10 November. It warns that, until the matter is resolved, it cannot lawfully determine planning applications. That is a remarkable result: a ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1602"His administration has been openly attempting to fund its allies in Europe. According to the Guardian, the State Department has allocated $15m (£11.2m) to three conservative groups in the UK. These grants form part of a 'slush fund' to boost likeminded organisations across Europe, with up to $3m (£2.2m) reportedly available to those focused on 'developing civilizational bonds' and 'defending rule of law'."Max Colbert and Sam Bright on the millions of dollars pouring into our democracy from Trump's America. David Henig argues that Brexit psychologically damaged a political generation - except one: "Andy Burnham was not an MP during the ... (more) |
Democracy on fireGuido Fawkes may have been foiled in his attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament 421 years ago, but according to this Guardian article it is possible that neglect and parsimony may do the job for him. The paper reports on the finding of a parliamentary committee that the Palace of Westminster will be at risk of a Notre Dame-style fire or a similar catastrophic event if MPs do not tackle the issue of funding refurbishments. They add that decisions about how and when to begin a full restoration of the building, which is Grade I-listed and a Unesco ... (more) |
In which my second crack at a Dickens joke comes on live radioBack in the early Nineties, which was the era when I was doing a part-time MA in Victorian Studies at Leicester, I turned up at a pub in the city to play a county league chess game for Market Harborough. Naturally, I had a copy of Great Expectations in my jacket pocket. A member of the home team saw this and suggested it meant I was feeling confident about the coming game. Just when it was too late, I realsied that I should have replied with a self-deprecating "It's more likely to be a case of Hard Times, I'm afraid." ... (more) |
Fresh woods and pastures new?We can all heave a sigh of relief as this morning's election results from the United States indicate that they may be moving to a more enlightened future. Fingers crossed. Here in the UK Andy Burnham promised us a different kind of politics with a move away from point scoring to an emphasis on solving problems. There was sadly no sign of this new deal at Prime Minister's questions today. With Mr Burnham in the Caribbean for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference his place was taken by the Deputy Prime Minister Louise Haigh. The Conservative Deputy turned out to ... (more) |
The need for a nationally relevant messageCaron Lindsay's article discussing Ed Davey's recent interview on Sky News makes an important point. It's true that as Ed says the Lib Dems have increased their representation in Parliament from less than a dozen to 72 MPs. It's true that they run more councils now than do the Conservatives. But it's also true that their success hangs on the Conservatives not coming back from their recent lows. I think Caron Lindsay is right to say: Those circumstances will not replicate themselves and we need to be looking beyond the Blue Wall to our next gains. And to do that ... (more) |
Procol Harum: Pandora's BoxThough it was included on the band's 1975 album Procol's Ninth and released as a single the same year, this song was written by Gary Brooker and Keith Reid back in the psychedelic Sixties. (more) |
Chris Coghlan MP writes...SEND reform must put children with complex needs at the centre; not treat them as an afterthoughtI hear the same stories week after week in surgeries and inboxes. Exhausted parents fighting for the support their children need and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans stuck at home for months because no suitable place can be found. Our local schools doing their best under impossible pressure. Surrey has long been one of the areas hardest hit by the national SEND crisis, and families here know the human cost better than most. This is not a partisan issue. I know that cross-party concern is growing, and organisations like the SEND Matters Coalition are right to sound ... (more) |
Caroline Voaden on what Shovegate tells us about Nigel FarageWriting in the Guardian, Caroline Voaden tells us what really happened in the Commons altercation that Nigel Farage later used as his excuse for missing the John Healey's Budget speech: On the day of the king's speech, MPs process through to the House of Lords to listen to it. Leaders of all parties, including smaller ones, lead the procession, but on this occasion Farage didn't seem to get into place in time. So he was stuck behind a load of MPs also trying to join the procession. I was on a flight of stairs and he demanded to get past. ... (more) |
What a night! Democrats smash the midtermsI was not particularly optimistic ahead of the US midterms. I thought the Democrats would make gains, and would almost certainly win the House of Representatives, but gaining control of the Senate was going to be much tougher. Even at the end of last year, Jon Ossoff's Georgia Senate seat looked vulnerable but last night he absolutely smashed it. Not only that, Keisha Lance-Bottoms becomes the first woman of colour to be Governor of Georgia. I am always mindful of "tempting the Wrath of the Whatever from High Atop the Thing" on election day. Feeling confident is not a healthy ... (more) |