Labour should have vaulted the welfare trap
by Kevin Meagher Conventional wisdom has it that you either fall headlong into a political trap or you carefully inch around it. This is said to have been the choice presented to Labour MPs at the...
View ArticleChairman Mao lives in the 48 PLP members that rebelled
by Jonathan ToddChairman Mao lives in 48 PLP members, including 19 elected under Ed Miliband: “We should support whatever the enemy oppose and oppose whatever the enemy supports”.When the Conservatives...
View ArticleLabour can be a movement again under Jeremy Corbyn
by Jon BoundsDespite derision from all corners of the media, and anger from the only corner of the Labour party that the media listens to, Jeremy Corbyn has been attracting crowds most politicians and...
View ArticleCorbyn, Cooper and Burnham are being outflanked by Osborne on devolution
by Nick SmallAs the next Labour leader takes office, a number of big northern English city regions will sign-off devolution deals with central government. These deals will see new powers and funding...
View ArticleThe warning lights are flashing for Labour
by David WardThe contrast with last week’s conference could not have been clearer. George Osborne may or may not fulfil the ambition his speech betrayed and find himself as PM. But there was a clear...
View ArticlePragmatists vs ideologues. Realists vs fantasists. These are the new...
by Samuel DaleAs Labour continues its march into wilderness, the Tories are free to do whatever they choose. They can march rightwards and fulfill their Thatcherite dreams for the next ten years, or...
View ArticleLord Adonis is typical of the technocrat class that serves any master
by Trevor FisherThe move by Andrew Adonis in resigning the Labour whip to take up a post working for George Osborne’s Tory project was a significant political moment. For Labour, it removed a key...
View ArticleWho’d want to be “the next Labour leader”?
by Jonathan Todd“You have to be ready for anything,” Dan Jarvis told the BBC when they recently asked about his Labour leadership ambitions. “Owen Smith: I am interested in being Labour leader,” reads...
View ArticleCorbyn could surprise the Tories. I should know – I am one
by Greig BakerAs a junior Parliamentary staffer working for the Tories in 2005, I drafted a Bill to raise the income tax threshold for low earners. I wanted my party to make a pitch to Labour’s...
View ArticleMaybe Bernie Sanders should go and join the Tories
by Samuel DaleThe far left has a new champion: Bernie Sanders. The plucky outsider who identifies as a socialist and is taking on the establishment with huge crowds and a popular uprising.A pure-breed,...
View ArticleThe three choices facing moderate Labour MPs at tomorrow’s Budget
by Greig BakerSome people accuse Conservatives of wanting power at any cost. Having worked for the party during some of its darker days in Opposition, I can assure you that is not the case. However,...
View ArticleJeremy Corbyn is both an asset and a liability for George Osborne
by Greig BakerI have put my neck out before and predicted that Tory MPs won’t put George Osborne into the final two candidates for Conservatives to pick their leader. Jeremy Corbyn has no small part to...
View ArticleIf Osborne still wants to be PM, he should get out of the Treasury
by Kevin MeagherHarold Wilson’s often tritely-invoked dictum that a week is a long time in politics certainly does seem to sum-up George Osborne’s terribilis autem sabbati (if my Latin for ‘terrible...
View ArticleCorbyn’s incompetence almost makes you feel sorry for the hard left
by Samuel DaleLast month, George Osborne delivered one of the most shambolic budgets in years.Just days before he announced it, he pulled a massive u-turn on his headline policy by scrapping long held...
View ArticleForget Sajid Javid, the mess at Port Talbot is down to George Osborne
by Ranjit Sidhu It was just a couple of months ago, in February this year, that it was reported the UK government was central to sinking the European Union’s initiative to increase tariffs on dumping...
View ArticleJohn McDonnell and George Osborne: Two faces of Gordon Brown
by Jonathan ToddJohn McDonnell is bringing to mind the Gordon Brown of the 1992 parliament, while George Osborne is coming to appear the Brown of the 2005 parliament. Where Brown had neo-endogenous...
View ArticleIt’s always the economy stupid. Time for Project Fear to turn up the volume
by Samuel DaleWhat has Remain been doing? The campaign to keep Britain in the EU has been spinning around like a Catherine Wheel in the last few days.Some of this is down to effective campaigning from...
View ArticleThe Tories don’t realise it yet but their conference was a disaster
by Atul HatwalJeremy Corbyn is busy with his reshuffle but the reality is that its a sideshow. The main event this week was in Birmingham with Theresa May’s first conference as Tory leader.Party...
View ArticleNigel Farage is a winner. Liberals must learn from him
by Samuel DaleToday Nigel Farage may spend his time glad-handing the US president-elect and partying at the Ritz but it was not always this way.As he stands down as Ukip leader yet again, it is worth...
View ArticleUncut predictions for 2017: We are heading for train-wreck Brexit
Nigel Farage is pushing for hard Brexit – a rapid severing of all ties between the UK and the EU. George Osborne prefers a soft Brexit – moving at a slower pace to minimise the risk of economic...
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