Oldham and Saddleworth produced the traditional collapse of the government party (or parties) vote - only normally it takes a bit longer than eight months to happen
The government wants a smaller state and this includes local government. Fine - so let there be an honest and open debate, and recognition from Whitehall that this means cuts to local services
It has been suggested that Manchester City Council announced its 2,000 job losses yesterday as a 'spoiler' for the Oldham East & Saddleworth by-election. Sadly, nothing so Machiavellian has...
The state of both the 'Yes' and 'No' campaigns in the referendum on primary legislative powers in Wales has been a cause of concern for some time. A low turnout seems inevitable
Today's school league tables should be a cause for celebration. But it must be remembered that much of the improvement took place as a result of Labour policies that the coalition has wisely decided...
I was surprised to hear David Cameron admit on the Andrew Marr Show that 'no-one gave us a mandate on how to run a coalition'. How true, how very, very, true
Academies hold huge potential for the country's state education system. But we must not allow the enthusiasm from the initial figures to distract us from the task in hand
Localism initiatives are likely to die an early death unless new rules for accountability and partnership working are established. We need to find some solutions quickly
Price competition could be returning to the NHS. The problem is that we have been here before and it doesn't work. In health care, prices are easy to observe while quality is not.
The Audit Commission is a glaring omission from the PASC's quango cull report. Here was a prime example of what the committee bemoans as an absence of consultation or proper procedure
The coalition's review of quangos has been badly managed. There was no meaningful consultation, the tests used were not clearly defined and the Cabinet Office failed to establish proper procedures
The government is making much of the fact that there are now 407 academies, twice as many as when Labour left office. But this is not a strictly fair comparison
Citizens have been given a right to challenge and a right to buy in the Localism Bill. But will they take advantage of these powers while ensuring that vulnerable people do not suffer from service...
Political debate about the budget deficit struggles to inform because it is based on the proposition that most of the reduction is occurring through spending cuts. The numbers show otherwise
The context of a massive programme of public services reform is hardly mentioned in this week's Public Accounts Committee report on central government's use of management consultancies
The Educational Maintenance Allowance is a successful and cost-effective policy. It is heartening to see so many people demonstrating against its abolition and important for academics to stand up for...
Could the coalition be derailed by a combination of a benefits disaster, NHS meltdown, education scandals, a youth unemployment surge and a collapse in HMRC's tax systems?
The Conservative/LibDem coalition's positioning around being the 'greenest government ever' is encouraging. But there is still much to do and we need to move quickly
The Localism Bill, unveiled this week, claims to shake up the balance of power in local service delivery. It may well achieve this aim, but at the same time it also fundamentally shakes up the...
