‘Labour needs a Ministry of Military Supply’
Defence should get extra money but a new cabinet member, leading a new ministry should be spending it and ensuring it's not wasted.
Stephen Beer
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‘Passion, purpose and performance – Starmer should steer away from doom and gloom to maintain momentum’
To sustain itself in government, Labour has two fundamental tasks which Keir Starmer must grip in his speech at this week’s conference. First, convey to voters the government’s core political objectives. And second, ensure that Ministers…
How Christians on the Left aims to build bridges between faith groups and Labour
In church recently I met someone who runs a food bank. He talked to me about how his service helped people from many different backgrounds who have become stuck in a poverty trap. Some need short term support to get them through a difficult…
2015 is still a two-horse race
It has been popular to suggest that the rise of UKIP means we now have four party politics in this country. But could the election results over the past few days in fact herald the return of two party politics? David Cameron would like that…
Labour can do more to show it is pro business
Labour’s pledge to reinstate the 50p tax rate has provoked further arguments that the party is anti-business. This is despite the fact that the 5p increase in the top rate, from 45p, will affect only a few on high incomes. The pledge, so…
How to vote on Syria – a brief guide
The case for armed intervention in the Syria has divided opinion. As MPs debate the issue today and again next week, they will be discussing a subject which we can at the moment only see ‘through a glass darkly’. So, how should our…
Still Christian, still Socialist – but starting where the voters are
The Christian Socialist Movement is about to change its name. In a postal ballot over the summer, members voted overwhelmingly to change the name to ‘Christians on the Left’. The vote follows an almost unanimous endorsement at our AGM and…
Taking another look at Blue Labour
At Labour’s annual conference this year, we will need to outline how the One Nation theme will apply across the policy spectrum. The focus this month from the Labour Treasury team on living standards is a welcome move to develop the theme…
Austerity, challenged
Making economic policy when the convention wisdom is wrong and is against you is not easy, as Labour is finding. But conventional wisdom can shift rapidly. This week has seen some signs that may be happening. Labour still has work to do in…
What is Margaret Thatcher’s economic legacy?
The reflections on Margaret Thatcher’s legacy this week have shown how difficult it remains to get the right perspective on those years. Some have highlighted what they see as her essential economic reforms. Others have noted the social…
We cannot rely on George Osborne to push Labour into power – we should be much further ahead
The Coalition government’s economic strategy appears to be deteriorating by the day but we cannot rely on George Osborne to push Labour into power at the next General Election. The latest borrowing figures show that public sector borrowing…