Murdoch’s exit reminds us what Labour can achieve
The announcement that James Murdoch is to step down as chairman of BSkyB will have provoked sighs of relief in offices all over Westminster. His continued presence has lingered over British politics...
View ArticleYou tell us: the power of proper stories
One of Blue Labour’s great gifts to its party has been to reignite its enthusiasm for hearing and telling proper stories. Ed Miliband’s speech at Southampton yesterday – in which he spoke about his...
View ArticleA new ‘clause four’ moment?
Labour’s biggest problem for the last 4 years, as many have already noted, has been a loss of trust. Frankly, there are a lot of practical steps to be taken before we can be truly trust-able. Bradford...
View ArticleLabour and the politics of ownership
Last week I somewhat facetiously suggested that Labour should adopt another new clause IV. The idea was to do away with the idiotic blather that had replaced a coherent (albeit flawed) position on...
View ArticleCan we go the extra mile to speak truth to power?
So, Cameron and co are incredibly cosy with a powerful agenda-setting elite. Big surprise. More interesting is Alex Salmond’s part in the whole affair. Here is a man who enjoys portrayal as the ‘real’...
View Article700 gains for Labour? Let’s take it easy
Everyone – apart from Labour HQ, obviously – is talking up how well the party is going to do today. No wonder, the latest YouGov/Sun poll gives us a 10 point lead over the Tories. Colin Rallings and...
View ArticleShareholder ‘revolt’?! They’re the owners
I get riled when people – even those of a libertarian bent – claim that ‘responsible capitalism’ necessarily means ‘more red tape’. Responsible capitalism should be an economic system in which property...
View ArticleImmigration and low-paid jobs: the facts
Ed Miliband’s press conference last week marked a real shift for Labour. On that, its supporters and opponents can agree. Yet a number of responses to the speech, though giving a nod to Miliband’s...
View ArticleWe can all bash bankers, but can we expect better?
John Denham’s introduction to the Fabians’ latest collection of essays from the centre of the Labour party demonstrates the effectiveness of that woefully underused rhetorical device: ‘concede to win’....
View ArticleResponsible capitalism: the view from the City
I’m sure that many listeners of a recent Radio 4 Analysis episode, in which an interviewee asserted that “to try and create zones which are morally free in human affairs is a mistake”, would have found...
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