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By Siôn Simon / @sionsimon In the UK, elected Mayors were a Labour idea. It was the first Blair government which introduced them. In the rest of the world, they are just common sense. Almost every major city in the world directly elects its…
The Labour movement column By Anthony Painter We no longer know who we are. That is, the English no longer know who they are. The Scottish do. The unforeseen consequence of Scottish devolution was the transmission of Scottishness from…
By Daniel Wood Momentum is currently building in Westminster in relation to how we should reform our second chamber - the House of Lords. However, this momentum has not been matched by even the slightest sign of revolutionary zeal. Last…
By Brian Barder / @brianlb The achievement by the Scottish National Party in May 2011 of an overall majority in the Scottish parliament, giving the First Minister, Alex Salmond, the power for the first time to hold a referendum on…
By Ian Lucas MP The effect of devolution on the UK has always been grossly underestimated. Now open, now hidden, its impact has, nevertheless, been constant. This year's results in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections have…
By Rachel Simons / @RachelCWSimons I was scared this May when a coalition between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservative Party was declared. I knew that the next few years, at least, would be harsh and bleak. I knew that the Tories…
By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk * "Massive constitutional issues" at centre of Woolas debate. * Controversial housing benefit changes to be debated. * George W. Bush's memoirs are being liveblogged over at the Guardian - as he claims…
By Matthew Zarb-Cousin / @matt_zarbcousin The coalition's desire to shrink the state recently received the support of the public in a survey carried out by BBC Business, where 60% agreed with the planned cuts to public spending. Even after…
By Dan Young This nation is one of tradition with one of the greatest being the Monarchy. In 1066 William the Conqueror became the earliest undisputed monarch of the UK and in doing so began a long line that, with the exception of a small…
By Mike Katz / @mikekatz Eric Pickles, self-styled champion of localism (the Tories' word of the month) has come up with a bizarre proposal for devolving power downwards in his new consultation on council tax, published today. Under the…
By Emmet McDonough-Brown / @emmetito It seems fitting to begin with an apposite quote from the trade unionist, lifelong socialist and Irish playwright, Sam Thompson: "There's nothing civilised about a mob, be it Protestant or Catholic."…
By Rick Muir Questions of identity crop up continuously in public debate. See for example the BBC's wrong-headed 'White' season and the constant political soul searching over immigration. Even popular television programmes like Strictly…
