Immigration Week: Stories, Statistics And Stereotyping

17^th December 2013

In 1946 a young, half Serbian, quarter Spanish girl arrived in the UK on a Cessna plane from Belgrade. She spoke only Serbo-Croat. She had seen her Jewish friends carted off to the concentration camps and her mother’s hair had turned white with the effort of keeping her alive during the wartime years in Yugoslavia.

Immigration

The Church and the Future of Credit Unions

12^th December 2013

In a co-ordinated demonstration of support for credit unions, over 40 Bishops visited or joined their local credit union in October. In the wake of comments by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the summer, churches and credit unions are working together to strengthen the provision of local, affordable financial services in the communities they both serve.

Communities + Credit union

2013 Autumn Statement: ResPublica ResPonds

8^th December 2013

Thursday 5th December saw the Chancellor George Osborne deliver his fourth Autumn Statement to the Commons. Following a week’s worth of predications and the usual leaks to the media, to somewhat subdued anticipation the Chancellor used his opportunity at the despatch box to formally outline the Government’s plans for Britain’s economic future.

Autumn statement + ResPublica ResPonds

2013 Autumn Statement: An SME’s Christmas wish list

5^th December 2013

Lending to SMEs, or rather the lack of it, is one of the biggest impediments to a healthy UK economic recovery. Up until now, the Government has been relying on the methadone treatments of QE and the Funding for Lending Scheme (which, to date, has only served to boost the housing bubble) to keep our low-interest-rate-drug-addled economy going.

Alternative finance + Autumn statement + Platform black + SME + SME finance

2013 Autumn Statement: Give charities a break

4^th December 2013

Given the political pressure over recent weeks and months it would be surprising if the Chancellor did not make an announcement aimed at tackling the increasing rates burden on businesses in his Autumn Statement this week.

Autumn statement + Charity + Charity retail + High street

2013 Autumn Statement: Something old and something new

3^rd December 2013

I have just two wishes: something old and something new. Something new would be that The Chancellor could allow investors to include loan-based crowdfunding investments in their annual ISA allowance It is now possible to include unlisted AIM shares in your ISA allowance, and the Treasury is understood to be generally supportive of increasing the range of qualifying investments, potentially including crowdfunding, into ISAs.

Autumn statement + Crowdfunding + Finance + P2P

2013 Autumn Statement: A long term vision for housing

2^nd December 2013

Housing is breaking through as a mainstream policy issue more strongly than it has done for a decade or more. That’s primarily down to two factors; growing public concern around accessing ownership and the wider costs of living; and cross party recognition that this is not so much a problem, but rather a full-blown crisis.

Land Value Tax: The radical solution to the housing crisis

28^th November 2013

There is no questioning that the most pressing issue in domestic politics today is housing. With millions of individuals and families waiting for social housing and many first time buyers priced out the market, it is clear that current housing policy is failing.

Housing + housing policy + Housing shortage + Land value taxation + LVT

Restoring the Demos: Is compulsory voting the answer?

27^th November 2013

Last month Russell Brand espoused his disdain for our ‘broken political system’. He asserted that, by voting, we endorse the inadequacy of our leaders and reinforce the imbalance of our flawed system of democracy.

Democracy + Electoral reform + Engagement + Voter turnout

Democratising Schooling: Enfranchising our pupils to foster responsibility

27^th November 2013

In previous decades the UK’s education system has been targeted for numerous reforms, but in many ways its potential has barely been tapped. The biggest failure of today’s vision of educational reform is its inability to see schools as the generators of social, political and economic capital that they could be.

Democratic education + Education + Education reform + Radical education