Welfare and Public Services
The Debunking of 'The Spirit Level'
Should science have the last word?
"... Evidence-for-the-obvious is a key weapon in the political arsenal, not least because it can open an Overton Window in the range of policies that the public, or a particular constituency, are willing to accept ..."
Exit Wounds
From the World Cup to public sector reform, is it always the manager’s fault?
"...the UK’s pervasive culture – reflected and magnified by the press – of personalising blame and apportioning it to the highest possible target. In the public sector, this culture has resulted in a highly centralised and risk-averse public sector, where decision-making and responsibility is hoarded by those higher up the organisation because those at the top are rightfully concerned that they will be the ones who will be held accountable when things go wrong..."
Out for Justice: Can the Big Society fix Broken Britain?
Judging from the experience of places that have reduced crime significantly, engaging communities and increasing public investment are two sides of the same coin
"... Offering have-a-go heroes greater legal protections to apprehend criminals and defend themselves is only a token gesture in the grand scheme of things - unless the Conservatives are genuinely paving the way for state retrenchment to be replaced by voluntary groups along the lines of the Arizona Minutemen who ‘operat[e] within the law to support enforcement of the law’. If the Broken Britain thesis is accurate then it requires a serious solution, and this in turn requires significant funding..."
Will ‘Booze, Babes and Bets’ help England to win the World Cup?
Yet again the team’s woeful performances are being explained by an inadequately simple answer. It’s a situation familiar to politicians and policymakers
"...Amidst the grim predictions ahead of tomorrow’s budget, some equally grim news for England football fans: yet again the team’s woeful performances are being explained by a simple problem that can be fixed with a half-baked knee-jerk solution. The provision of an inadequately simple answer to a complex problem, it’s a situation familiar to politicians and policymakers..."
The Emergency Budget Needs to Make Work Pay
Local councils around the country should have the power to set their own living wages
"...We can move towards locally set living wage levels by empowering councils to set and enforce their own living wage. This would marginalise the national minimum wage but not dismiss it, as it should be retained as a reference and would continue to ensure a basic standard of living. A locally set living wage would be sensitive to the affluence, demographic composition and the electorate’s concerns in each locality..."
Transition Culture vs the Big Society
Alexis Rowell, Joint Organiser of Transition Belsize and founder of climate change and peak oil consultancy cuttingthecarbon, asks whether the Big Society addresses the underlying problems of our society
"...Let’s not throw out the Big Society model just yet. It has lots of good elements in it. But we need to be aware that it is far from fully formed. Therein lies the real challenge and opportunity – how to create a model that picks up where the Big Society leaves off and which deep green thinkers and Transitioners can agree with, a model which doesn’t simply mutate into a reworking of “sink or swim” Thatcherism wrapped in a shiny new language of community..."
Fighting for the UK’s Hidden Hungry: Job Centre Plus Policy Repeal Directive
Following on from Phillip Blond's blog on foodbanks, the Trussell Trust Director Chris Mould continues the debate and discusses the Early Day Motion launched by MP Robert Halfon
"...Mr Halfon said many families struggling to feed themselves and their families are not able to be referred directly to a foodbank by Jobcentre Plus. His Early Day Motion calls on the House to recognise that the current system is "broken" and that delays in receiving benefits can cause serious problems for families on the breadline, if referral to charities such as foodbanks is not allowed..."
