TONY DOLPHIN | The latest UK trade figures were awaited more eagerly than usual. Exports are seen as crucial to the UK’s economic recovery and the main political parties are all eager to present t
COLIN TALBOT | The Conservatives shadow Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, was yesterday widely quoted as condemning the government's health "targets" regime for forcing staff to “focus on ticking...
CONOR RYAN | The Conservatives' shadow schools secretary is finding himself in an increasing muddle as he starts to put flesh on his schools' policy. One day Michael Gove is extolling the virtues of...
JUDY HIRST | The markets, we are told, do not like uncertainty. Neither do public sector finance directors. That’s why, as the pound plunged this week, in response to speculation over a hung...
IAN MULHEIRN | Politicians are falling over themselves to help home-buyers. But the housing market is already saturated and funds should instead be directed to enterprise
The Tory Party, the Taxpayers’ Alliance, some Liberal Democrats and many others are doing their best to ensure that Local Government Pension Scheme members are deprived of a ‘gold-plated’, final...
At a time when local authorities and other public sector bodies are reported to be planning dramatic reductions in their workforces and as claims are made that Total Place could save the public purse...
RICHARD HUMPHRIES l This year’s general election could be the first in which social care is a key campaign issue. Everyone agrees that sorting out the wicked issue of paying
The recent announcement of a unitary authority for both Norwich and Exeter is another twist in a long story of indecision and failure by government to provide national leadership in the structure of...
INSTITUTE FOR FISCAL STUDIES | 'Whoever wins the election, Labour or Conservative, is going to have to cut spending. That is not something that Margaret Thatcher actually did. So tougher than...
The report into the appalling failings of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust brings the issue of organisational governance back into the spotlight. What is needed are non-executive directors...
PETER WILBY | The red mist at Downing Street is par for the course in a society obsessed with short-term results, and where fear of failure still reigns supreme
JON SIBSON | This generation is enjoying longer lives and longer periods of retirement than any of its predecessors. This is a result of improved standards of living, medical advances and other...
MIKE THATCHER | Councils, it seems, are back in favour. After years of being viewed with distrust by Whitehall, they are now ministers’ new best friends.
CONOR RYAN | Today's announcement by Gordon Brown that the Government is accrediting the best academy providers, plus some excellent secondary schools, as schools providers, with parents having the...
STEPHEN COURT | Some commentators are presenting a doomsday scenario for higher education. Thirty institutions may not survive, suggests one. Recently announced cuts will bring the sector to its...
DUNCAN BROWN | Disgraceful isn’t it, what those public sector managers are paying themselves these days? Who would believe that we have a record public sector deficit forecast to reach almost £200...
GRAEME COOKE | All the main political parties say they want to give people power. But they often don’t start with a clear understanding about the causes of powerlessness
MARK BRAMAH | The kneejerk political reaction to the economic crisis has been to attack and slash the public sector – although all the facts point in the opposite direction
