The Conservative-LibDem proposals on constitutional reform could result in anarchy if the coalition broke up. They should take a step back and start again
Will Hutton's new commission on public sector pay is a timely initiative. Over the past few years, a ‘bidding-war’ has taken place between public sector organisations and this has led to rampant pay...
The public sector has implemented efficiency savings for many years and most of the easy options have already been taken. The term ‘efficiency savings’ is also used rather loosely and can mean...
Public expenditure cuts will be real and deep. They will start this year and continue for the remainder of this Parliament. The emergency Budget and the Spending Review later this autumn will only...
The proposal to put into the legislation for fixed-term parliaments for the UK a provision that it requires a 55% vote to dissolve parliament is ludicrous
MIKE THATCHER | Mervyn King is not known for his hyperbole, so we should take comfort from his assertion this week that the new government’s deficit reduction plan is ‘strong and powerful’.
PETER RIDDELL | The Tory-LibDem government will bring advantages, problems and a whole new way of working in Whitehall. So what can we expect from this political experiment?
The new coalition government has identified its key priority as reducing the size of the UK budget deficit and curtailing the spiralling borrowing requirements. The dilemma is how best to cut public...
Britain’s politicians are making us a laughing stock. Before last year’s MPs’ expenses scandal the UK, was in the lowest quartile of EU countries in terms of confidence in its national Parliament....
The most worrying outcome of the general election for the English gets ever closer: six Scottish and three Welsh nationalist MPs propping up a Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition government.
Labour has clearly lost, but the Tories also clearly did not win either, however much they want to pretend otherwise. The verdict of the electors is that they do not want one-party rule anymore. The...
JUDY HIRST Big government or the Big Society? It was a constant theme throughout the election campaign. It was even returned to by that old trooper – Tony Blair – on the eve of polling day.
STEPHEN COURT Young people might not have carried the news in this election but there is enough political feeling there to make the next generation of voters a vital constituency
John Thornton suggests that the process of voting ‘has failed miserably to keep pace with social and technological change’ (‘Vote with your finger’, April 23–29).
The comment piece ‘Taking charge’ advocated that politicians and public sector leaders ‘be brave’ and introduce top-up fees (April 23–29). The illustration of an M6 Toll sign had the caption: ‘Toll...
By far the best scenario for Britain would be the return of a strong government prepared to cut public spending by £20bn annually. The implications of a hung parliament would be potentially bleak.
There is little sign that any of the three main parties have given serious thought to reforming Whitehall, or its relationship with the other 90% of public services that it doesn’t directly run.
With the polls continuing to show a three-horse race in the election, it’s worth considering whether a hung Parliament would be a good or a bad thing. The result of most concern is that the Scottish...
