coalition

Growth figures: the state we’re in

26 July 2011 | Andrew Sissons

Today’s sluggish growth figures show that the government has got to completely reconsider the role of the state in boosting the economy Read more

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Phone hacking: all in this together

7 July 2011 | Colin Talbot

The News of the World phone hacking revelations have opened up a huge can of worms for the political establishment Read more

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What happened to collective responsibility?

5 June 2011 | Dan Corry

It seems that Blairite ‘sofa government’ has been transformed into coalition ‘telephone government’, with policy decisions made during Sunday night calls between David Cameron and Nick Clegg. Surely, there’s a better way Read more

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Politics, actually

20 May 2011 | Mike Thatcher

All relationships go through phases. It’s probably fair to say that the Conservative/LibDem coalition has entered the realistic phase. Read more

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Local elections, national fall-out

20 May 2011 | Anna Turley

The May 5 elections were game-changers for all three main parties. They have also raised the chance of strong debates on local and national issues Read more

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Tax breaks vs fairness: lessons from the US, by Sophia Parker

18 May 2011 | Sophia Parker

It was only a month ago that America narrowly escaped a Federal government shutdown, caused by the intense difficulties of reaching a consensus on the 2011 budget. But if that skirmish seemed significant, it is nothing compared to the battle that is erupting between Democrats and Republicans over Obama’s 2012 budget proposals, and his accompanying plans for how to take $4 trillion out of the deficit over the next decade. Read more...

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What Labour lost and gained, by Conor Ryan

9 May 2011 | Conor Ryan

Were it not for Scotland, Ed Miliband might have been able to claim to have had a good night on Thursday. As it is, the extraordinary SNP surge overshadowed some genuinely impressive achievements: gaining 30 seats in Cardiff (providing a lesson in the benefits of coalition for the larger party), routing the Lib Dems in cities like Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Hull and Stoke, winning back Gravesham and good results in places like Telford and Luton. Yet Labour also lost ground in key seats like Gloucester and Dartford and it has a way to go before it is again a significant player in many Southern councils. The fact that one cannot say it was a good night for Labour is a measure of the uphill struggle that Miliband still faces. Read more...

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Are coalitions bad for your electoral health? By Colin Talbot

6 May 2011 | Colin Talbot

Well, they appear to be if you are the junior partner. The Liberal Democrats nationally and Plaid Cymru in Wales – both junior partners in coalitions – have fared badly in yesterday’s elections, whilst their senior partners have done much better. Read more...

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Accounts and accountability, by Olivier Roth

4 April 2011 | Olivier Roth

At a time when public confidence in political institutions is low, audit is arguably more important than ever. So what should replace the Audit Commission? Read more...

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No, prime minister, the civil service is not your nemesis, by Lord Adonis

29 March 2011 | Lord Adonis

A year into office Margaret Thatcher said: ‘If Sir Derek Rayner could teach the civil service to manage itself as well as he manages Marks & Spencer’s 
I should be very pleased.’ In 1999, Tony Blair talked of the ‘forces of conservatism’ and the ‘scars on my back’. But David Cameron’s speech describing civil servants as ‘enemies of enterprise’ and ‘bureaucrats in government departments who concoct… ridiculous rules and regulations’, comes at a particularly bad time – for the government and civil service. Read more...

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