Monthly Archives: June 2010

Lessons for Labour, by Colin Talbot

30 June 2010 | Colin Talbot

My advice to the Labour leadership contenders is to admit that the party will never win a General Election again. Read more...

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Frank Field’s feckless fathers, by Melissa Benn

30 June 2010 | Melissa Benn

For as long as I can remember, Frank Field has been thinking the unthinkable. Now part of David Cameron’s cost-cutting team, some old ideas are being re-cycled in a new supposedly culturally and politically sensitive form. His proposals, however, will face some very familiar problems. Read more...

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Banking on a green future, by Steve Lang

29 June 2010 | Steve Lang

Today’s report from Bob Wigley’s Green Investment Bank Commission will no doubt ricochet between policy-makers at departments across Whitehall. Read more...

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When is a cut not a cut? by John Redwood

29 June 2010 | John Redwood

Only in the public sector is an increase a cut. The current debate over public spending is bogged down in the parade of the bleeding stumps, debates over 25% cuts and an argument over allowing the health budget to rise when most else is set to tumble. Read more...

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Crash course, by Andrew Jepp

26 June 2010 | Andrew Jepp

Local authorities can learn lessons about efficient risk management from the private sector, says Andrew Jepp in the latest of our monthly series of sponsored columns Read more...

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GP-led commissioning: quality is key, by Nick Goodwin

25 June 2010 | Nick Goodwin

The new coalition government is embarking on one of the most radical reform programmes that the NHS has ever seen. Strategic health authorities will be phased out and the role and power of PCTs will be considerably downsized. The NHS will be given new leadership in the form of an independent board while commissioning – and responsibility for the £80 billion budget that comes with this – will be devolved to GPs. Read more...

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To whom it may concern, by Duncan Brown

25 June 2010 | Duncan Brown

So, as a senior policy-wonk and HR adviser to this radical new coalition government, it’s quite obvious to me that our ambitious agenda of  ’freedom, fairness and responsibility’  has to mean slashing public sector pay and pensions, and particularly targeting public sector ‘fat cats’, in order to bring down the £160bn deficit.  George is in absolute agreement with me on this. Read more...

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Pay now, pay later, by Peter Riddell

24 June 2010 | Peter Riddell

George Osborne has made a social, political and economic calculation with his first Budget. He is gambling on the benefits appearing by the next election Read more...

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Boxing clever? By Judy Hirst

24 June 2010 | Judy Hirst

We’re all in this together, said the chancellor, in his debut Budget outing this week. We’ve all got to share the pain. Read more...

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A mixed Budget for the NHS, by John Appleby

24 June 2010 | John Appleby

As expected George Osborne’s first Budget set out a combination of spending cuts and tax increases as part of the coalition government’s strategy for reducing the country’s structural deficit. Read more...

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