Tag Archives: Government

How much is rotten part 2

Posted on October 14, 2011 by ianchisnall

When I wrote my blog yesterday morning on the mired state of the Defence Secretary (who as I suggested, might not be in post much longer – clearly not a difficult prediction!) and his colleague the Education Secretary, I could not have imagined that … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliament and Democracy | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How much is rotten in the state of Westminster

Posted on October 13, 2011 by ianchisnall

In May 2010 it was clear that the new cabinet arrived in Whitehall with almost no knowledge of its processes and even less sympathy with existing programmes and initiatives. Any new management is bound to want to make changes and the perceived … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliament and Democracy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We need fair procurement practices

Posted on September 21, 2011 by ianchisnall

Eighteen years ago two men died whose combined story can explain why government procurement practices must be open and transparent. Few people today will recall the name and stories of T. Dan Smith and John Poulson with any great certainty, but the annals of Local Government history … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliament and Democracy | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How our elected representatives can get things wrong

Posted on September 17, 2011 by ianchisnall

None of us can be expected to be right all the time, but in political terms Dr Caroline Lucas MP whose face appears on the banner photo above this blog has made a number of very good public judgements since her election in … Continue reading →

Posted in Brighton & Hove, Parliament and Democracy, Policing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A right old Eton’s mess

Posted on September 11, 2011 by ianchisnall

It has been widely reported that David Cameron and Michael Gove have, in the last few days held a meeting with headteachers from a number of prestigious public schools including the PM’s almer mater (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-14859876). The meeting with this already well-connected and privileged part of the education sector was … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Parliament and Democracy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Economists must understand history and other people’s needs

Posted on September 7, 2011 by ianchisnall

In todays Financial Times 20 economists have written a letter to the Government to request that the top 50p tax band be scrapped. This seems very well-timed as it was widely reported that George Osborne returned from his holidays in mid August wanting to review the tax and its benefit to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Planning for successful communities

Posted on September 4, 2011 by ianchisnall

On the 25th July the Government launched a consultation on a new National Planning Policy Framework which the headlines suggest will reduce planning rules from the current 1000 pages to 52. The consultation ends on 17th October after which the Government will implement the changes, hopefully taking … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliament and Democracy, Planning Rules | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We need Policing not Politics

Posted on August 30, 2011 by ianchisnall

The coalition Government came to power with a long list of ideas and proposals that were intended to change the way in which services are delivered in local communities. Many of these were inspired by good intentions but few appear to have been thought through adequately. One … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliament and Democracy, Policing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A new political paradigm

Posted on August 29, 2011 by ianchisnall

Our political processes and structures are about to undergo a period of change as the number of parliamentary constituencies are reduced to 600 from the current 650. However this change will not improve the public attitude towards those who make decisions on our behalf. … Continue reading →

Posted in Parliament and Democracy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

End the farce at New Scotland Yard!

Posted on August 26, 2011 by ianchisnall

As part of the famous handbag scene in Oscar Wilde’s farce, The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Bracknell declares ‘To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness.’ This same epithet … Continue reading →

Posted in Phone Hacking, Policing, UK Riots in August 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment