ResPublica’s Response to the Autumn Budget 2017

22^nd November 2017

The second Budget of 2017 delivered by Philip Hammond following the abolition of the Autumn Statement, was widely trailed as a tight political tightrope for the Chancellor due to worsening growth forecasts and tensions within The Cabinet.

Child Protection in the Digital Age

13^th July 2017

I was delighted when the Government introduced its Digital Economy Bill in the last session which gave effect to the 2015 General Election manifesto commitment to introduce age verification checks on pornographic websites.

A stake in it for everyone; why Conservatives should support regulation of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals

15^th May 2017

FOBTs or B2 machines are highly addictive, one way we know this, according to research conducted by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, is that FOBT users are much more likely to be ‘problem gamblers’, statistics from the gambling helpline showed that in one year (2011/2012) 28% of calls to the helpline were from gamblers who were experiencing problems owing to their use of FOBTs.

Championing renewed leadership in governance and business practice

7^th March 2017

It didn’t get to the point where we saw ‘Save Unilever’ held aloft on placards outside Downing Street, yet there was widespread unease about Kraft’s now abandoned takeover of UK-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever.

Industrial Strategy: A positive start but more must be done

26^th January 2017

The Government revealed their industrial strategy this week, with three main aims: Build on our strengths and extend excellence into the future; Close the gap between the UK’s most productive companies, industries, places and people and the rest; and Make the UK one of the most competitive places in the world to start or grow a business.

Who can give the modern Cathy a home?

2^nd August 2016

It’s 50 years since Ken Loach’s groundbreaking film, Cathy Come Home, documented the inhuman effects of homelessness. Without a home, as his heartbreaking film shows, families collapse, children are deprived of a stable childhood in which to thrive and individuals – Cathy herself – are put under intolerable mental and emotional strain with tragic and unjust consequences.

Health

We need a manufacturing resurgence more than ever. How can we bring it about?

28^th June 2016

There’s been a familiar narrative emerging since Thursday’s vote – this was the left behind white working class getting one over the London-centric political and economic elites. I think that analysis only takes us so far as it glosses over diversity within the Leave vote.

The economic impacts of a Brexit would make us more, not less, reliant on other countries

21^st June 2016

Yesterday’s letter from Ford to its employees was the latest chapter in the economic debate on Britain’s EU membership, which has largely focused on the impact of Brexit on the UK’s big manufacturers.

europe

Mutuals and Co-ops Can Be The Very Best Option!

16^th May 2016

The Quest for John Lewis Quality Public Services for Wales Wales has often been characterised by a radical political tradition that exists to promote a vision of educated, articulate, empowered local communities that act on their own behalf rather than having others acting for them.

Book Review: ‘Taking Power Back: Putting people in charge of politics’ by Simon Parker

10^th May 2016

Nearly a year before the 2015 General Election, the Chancellor George Osborne announced that the country needed a ‘Northern Powerhouse’: an attempt to bring together the North’s 15 million strong population into a collective force that could begin to rival London and the South East as the economic heartbeat of the UK.