Posted by Katharina Derschewsky on 13 September 2012
The Chancellor announced yesterday that “for the first time in history, the post [of the Governor of the Bank of England] will be advertised”. Whilst the job specification for the post currently held by Sir Mervyn King is expected to be published in the Economist tomorrow, those interested would have been well advised to attend [...]
Posted by PGaffney on 5 September 2012
Yesterday’s reshuffle was more widespread than many had predicted, although the majority of changes occurred and continue to occur at the more junior levels of Government. David Cameron’s reshuffle of the top ranks will have done much to strengthen his position within his party, with the promotion of a number of MPs popular with the [...]
Posted by PGaffney on 3 September 2012
After the long summer recess, parliament returns awash with speculation about the forthcoming reshuffle. All reshuffles carry potential dangers, but this reshuffle, the first of the coalition government produces a number of risks for both the Prime Minister and his Deputy. Cameron has made great play of his view that his predecessors reshuffled too much [...]
Posted by Katharina Derschewsky on 10 August 2012
With everybody swooning about the Olympics (us included – who could not get excited?) we still felt the need to do something different for this Friday’s quiz. The upcoming Kennel Club Westminster Dog of the Year competition (and MPs’ shameless plugs for their beloved pets on Twitter) provided just the right sort of inspiration. Welcome [...]
Posted by PGaffney on 7 August 2012
Yesterday’s announcement on House of Lords reform, followed by Clegg’s promise to vote against the proposed boundary changes has led many to predict the demise of the Coalition. This, of course, is little more than a replay of what we saw after the AV referendum, poor local election results and … whenever there is a [...]
Posted by Ania Swirski on 11 July 2012
The NHS is going through substantial change and whilst there is guidance out there, LOTS of guidance, this in itself can be overwhelming. If you are struggling to decide where to start, our report, ‘The evolving NHS landscape’ is for you. It aims to provide a user-friendly introduction to the new NHS landscape in one [...]
Posted by Yaron Schwartz on 10 July 2012
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has traditionally been a forum for military and political cooperation between North America and Europe. However, in a globalized 21st century where actions in one part of the world affect others millions of miles away, it is clear that NATO needs to work with other countries to accomplish its goals. [...]
Posted by Chris Lowe on 6 July 2012
1. How many women are there in the current Cabinet? 2. Why did the first woman elected to Parliament (in 1918), Countess Markievicz, not take her seat? 3. Who was the first woman MP to take her seat in the Commons (in 1919)? 4. Who was the first woman Minister (in 1924), who went on [...]
Posted by PGaffney on 29 June 2012
Entirely unrelated to Treasury Minister Chloe Smith and Jeremy Paxman’s sparring on Newsnight, this week’s quiz is on (other)political car crash interviews. 1) When questioned by Channel 4 on his expenses and specifically why he bought an £800 massage chair, how did former Labour Minister Shahid Malik respond? a) I have a serious back condition. b) [...]
Posted by agassert on 28 June 2012
I have never been a big fan of Ayn Rand. Though I admire her philosophy of objectivism and her reasoning, I cannot sympathise with the idea of more individualism in our society. I have struggled to find a moral code of conduct in Atlas Shrugged that it is actually applicable in our society, but then [...]