Disraeli Room

...In the short-term the Big Society failed to fill its political purpose – the Tories did not win an overall majority. The longer-term consequences are far more troubling. The emphasis that Cameron placed on the Big Society raised hopes across communities that they were to witness a golden age of localism and community empowerment. Sixteen months on, those hopes have been dashed by the complete failure of Cameron’s Government to live up to his rhetoric....

...In the West Midlands the Local Enterprise Partnerships will be a key vehicle in driving the local skills agenda forward. The Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) comprises the urban core of Birmingham and Solihull, the southern Staffordshire districts of Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Tamworth and East Staffordshire (based on Burton upon Trent), and the northern Worcestershire districts of Redditch, Bromsgrove and Wyre Forest (based on Kidderminster). As a Core City LEP, with a population of 1.9m and a GVA of over £35bn (one third of the West Midlands total), the LEP has a particularly crucial role as an engine of growth both for Midlands and for

The present state of the economy was going to be the main challenge for any government, of whatever political persuasion, and the same applies from a micro perspective to each and every constituency in the UK. My view is, a key priority for an MP should be to focus on the local economy and jobs then most of the other priorities will improve as they follow in the slip stream....

This is a chapter from ResPublica's collection of essays, entitled "Changing the Debate: The Ideas Redefining Britain". Throughout summer and autumn 2011, ResPublica will be publishing chapters from the collection on The Disraeli Room blog, encouraging other thinkers, politicians and members of the public to join the debate and contribute to the development of ideas

Instead of only asking one another where we were ten years ago, when Al-Qaeda attacked the USA, it is worth pondering the deeper question put by Archbishop Rowan Williams: ‘After the 11th, what are we prepared to learn?’...