Nick Brown’s Christmas card (almost as good as last year’s)

Who benefits? Delivering on energy and infrastructure

By John Woodcock

Across the industrial north, it is striking how old pit villages and industrial towns are proving far less willing to embrace renewable energy than the noisier, more polluting fossil fuels and industries which shaped their identity. Energy companies are getting a nasty shock after mistakenly believing that these communities would not bat an eyelid at a few wind turbines on the surrounding hills because they had been content to make huge slag heaps part of the landscape in decades past. [...]

Put reckless bankers in jail – Media roundup: June 19th, 2013

Subscribers to our morning email get the best of LabourList – including the Media and blog round up – every weekday morning. If you were a subscriber you would have already received this (and much more) in your inbox. You can sign up here. Put reckless bankers in jail Britain’s banking bosses should face jail if their decisions force fresh bailouts, the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards says today. The commission’s hotly anticipated report urges the Chancellor, George Osborne, to oversee the [...]

Wise heads – 5 ex-ministers Miliband could put in the Shadow Cabinet

By Mark Ferguson

Last week I highlighted 5 women from the 2010 intake who Ed Miliband could add to his Shadow Cabinet in the coming months. Today I’ve taken a look at five of the wise heads on the backbenches with experience of government who could add something to Miliband’s front bench team in opposition: Alistair Darling – the obvious candidate for a return to the Shadow Cabinet at some point, Alastair Darling managed the remarkable feat of overseeing a financial crisis, and [...]

Why the government are keen to use trade unions as a scapegoat

By Ben Kind

“Mike Bassett did a better job as bloody England manager than David Cameron has as Prime Minister” Ricky Tomlinson tells me as he pauses for photos with union members at UNISON’s annual conference in Liverpool. Ricky’s just delivered a powerful opening speech to 2,000 UNISON members packed into the Echo Arena. Just like the final scene of his film Mike Bassett: England Manager, Ricky leaves the stage with his clenched fists pumping the air as thunderous applause fills the room. [...]

Unison set out their expectations for a Labour government

By Mark Ferguson

Unison General Secretary Dave Prentis set out his tests for continuing to support Labour this afternoon. Speaking at their conference in Liverpool, Prentis said: For too long we’ve built the careers of Labour politicians, only to be let down when we needed them most. I don’t want to hear Labour apologising for past mistakes, I want to see a clear agenda from Labour for the future. We must not support a Labour Government that does not : put an end [...]