Food for Thought

22^nd November 2015

Food is a vital part of human well-being and flourishing. Over the course of the next week ResPublica will be running a blog week on establishing good food practices for all in society.

Why ResPublica supports the Direct Planning Bill

20^th November 2015

  With the Direct Planning (Pilot) Bill set for its Second Reading in the House of Lords tomorrow, ResPublica are keen to nail our organisational colours to the mast. We strongly support this Bill: its provisions, its aims, and its underlying philosophy.

The Direct Planning (Pilot) Bill – Changing the Question

20^th November 2015

The Direct Planning (Pilot) Bill has its second reading in the House of Lords today (20th November). It has been introduced by Lord Lexden though is strictly non-partisan in nature. Create Streets has been heavily involved in its drafting and it builds on the logic of our community work and research as well as on the 2011 Localism Act, Neighbourhood Planning and ResPublica’s publication, A Community Right to Beauty.

Filling empty homes: the key to flourishing communities?

16^th November 2015

Common in much discussion on the housing crisis is the focus on the need for a range of solutions. From building on the green belt, to stopping foreign investors and ‘buy to leave’; from unlocking brownfield land for development and leaving the green belt out of it, to bringing all empty homes back into occupancy.

Housing

Keeping Sunday Special and the Politics of Rest

5^th November 2015

The human need for regular rest is an inconvenient truth for capitalism. It would be easier if we could simplify the world into a liberal paradigm, allowing rational agents and perfect markets to efficiently distribute our natural resources, our relationships, and even our sleep.

Income for Me, Wealth for We: A Path to Economic Justice

29^th October 2015

In a soundbite ridden speech at the Conservative party conference, David Cameron promised an “assault on poverty”.  But he said absolutely nothing about what could be done to back up that claim.

Beyond Rights: A Matter of Life and Death?

14^th October 2015

Much of the debate over the recently-defeated assisted suicide bill was couched in terms of one’s rights. While not necessarily intended by the authors of the bill, the media frequently referred to it as the ‘right to die’ bill.

The Statistical Solution to all our Big Problems

8^th October 2015

The United Kingdom has been in the grip of a housing crisis for more than a decade due to the rate of houses constructed being unable to keep up with demand.

Foolishness to Greeks: A reflection on the recent attempt to change the law on Assisted Dying

14^th September 2015

The defeat of the Marris Bill at its second reading last Friday in the House of Commons was of immense significance. Through the heart of this debate ran themes which are shaping wider public policy in our nation.

Illiberal and Illegitimate? A response to the Marris Bill

8^th September 2015

On September 11 MPs will have the opportunity to settle for this Parliament the question of whether the terminally ill should have assistance with suicide, provided certain conditions are met. Far from a widespread popular movement, the history of assisted suicide campaigns in the UK is one of almost total failure, extending back over eighty years since the first Bill (the Voluntary Euthanasia Legalisation Bill) was rejected by Peers in 1936.