Philosophy
Obama's Petard and the resurgent Red Coats
Professor Marcia Pally of New York University on how the US President, like his predecessor, has become a sink for civil resentment
"...Not only anti-statism but fear of the handshake between elites runs through (the USA's) history, on the right and left. You’ll find echoes in the Shay’s and Whiskey rebellions of the late 18th century, when Americans were already rising up against the government they had just formed because it supported the rights of landlords or itself taxed booze.... Greater similarities are found among rightist populists since the 1970s, who feel that the increasingly elaborate global economy is beyond them. “America was once their country,” the populist politician Pat Buchanan wrote. “They sense they are losing it.” And they are..."
AV in Australia: Lessons for the UK
Professor Matt Qvortrup, a 'World Authority on Referendums,' adds his voice to those urging Conservatives to seriously consider the merits of voting reform
"...Apart from a period in the 1980s, the Liberal Party (Australia's Conservatives) had a majority with the National Party from the Second World War to the early 1970 and again from the mid 1990s to 2007. In the latter period, the Government led by John Howard introduced quite radical reforms of economic and social legislation which were every bit as radical as what had been enacted in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. The reason that this was possible was due to Howard successfully appealing not only to the National Party, the Liberals' traditional allies, but also to Australian Democrats, a now practically defunct party, which shared many of the characteristics of the Liberal Democrats..."
Not Quite PR... but still Worth the Fight
ResPublica Fellow Jules Peck is excited by the possibilities of a vote on AV
"...AV is not really that PR-ish. It’s more about voting for who you hate least than who you like the most. Maybe it’s a step in the right direction towards true PR?..."
Roger Steare: Freedom, Fairness and Responsibility
On the moral character of successful government
"...Once we have re-discovered true virtue and community in public life, then we will have the most powerful tools at our disposal to meet the massive challenges that confront us..."
A Long Time in Politics
Some thoughts on the election debates
"...With that it became a three party race for the centre ground of British politics, and hence for the election..."
Big Society - or Big Societies?
A word on the crucial distinction between volunteering and association
It’s been Big Society Week here at the Disraeli Room, with a range of interesting thoughts and debates both here and elsewhere...
The Big Society: A Radical New Approach to Social Mobility?
The complex relationship between putting down roots and moving on to better things - and what it means for civil society policy
"...There is evidence to suggest that geographical mobility is associated with the primacy of the personal over the collective self. This can have a less than positive impact on society..."
