Posts Tagged “Op-eds”
“Is the coalition government doing enough to encourage social mobility?”
by Stephen Tall on May 23, 2013
That was the question I was asked to answer for a new magazine, The New Idealist (available online here). Here’s what I said… Social mobility: it’s a phrase much-beloved by politicians from all three parties. Who, after all, can possibly disagree with the fine sentiments of Nick Clegg in his social mobility strategy paper, Opening [...]
Opinion polls yadda yadda. OR “Does Nate Silver mean nothing to you? Did he write in vain?”
by Stephen Tall on May 21, 2013
Two new polls last night: the daily YouGov tracker and the first post-local elections poll from Survation. The spread is interesting: Labour: 35% (Survation 39% (YouGov) Conservatives: 24% (S), 31% (YG) Lib Dems: 11% (S), 10% (YG) Ukip: 22% (S), 14% (YG) As Anthony Wells points out, Survation asks whether people will vote Ukip (most [...]
In praise of ‘This House’
by Stephen Tall on May 16, 2013
A hung parliament against the backdrop of a teetering economy. Parties divided over Europe. The cracks in the UK fuelling separatist demands. The whips are desperately trying to maintain order. It’s not hard to see the appeal to current audiences of James Graham’s (no, not that one: this one) hit play, This House. It’s 1974 [...]
That EU vote: 6 thoughts on what it means for the Tories, Lib Dems and Labour
by Stephen Tall on May 16, 2013
116 Tory MPs last night backed an amendment to the Queen’s Speech and called for an EU referendum bill. Here’s six thoughts from me on what it all means… This wasn’t about Europe (much): this was about Cameron’s leadership The Tory outers/Eurosceptics had already won: David Cameron capitulated in January, conceding an in/out referendum he’d [...]
A Tory-Ukip pact? Up to you, guys. But you do know there’s an easier way, right?
by Stephen Tall on May 6, 2013
Ukip’s spectacular showing at last week’s local elections has got the Tories spooked. The full realisation is sinking in that this may not be a one-off eruption of popular protest. Nigel Farage’s band of modern-life-is-rubbish disciples will likely top next year’s Euro polls. Such momentum may propel them towards a double-digit general election performance in [...]
Rape anonymity for the accused: well-intentioned but wrong
by Stephen Tall on May 5, 2013
Rape anonymity — the right of the accused in rape cases to have their identity kept secret — is in the news again today, after Conservative MP and deputy speaker Nigel Evans was named publicly following his arrest on suspicion of rape and sexual assault. The Coalition Agreement said the Government would ‘extend anonymity in [...]
What the 2013 local elections mean – for the Lib Dems and the next election (and beyond)
by Stephen Tall on May 3, 2013
Well, it could have been worse. The BBC calculates that the Lib Dems have finished these local elections with the loss of a net 124 councillors, slightly better than the projected loss of 130 according to the Rallings and Thrasher model I said the results could best be judged by. The Tories have done slightly [...]
While David Cameron and Owen Jones unite in favour of universal benefits, I want us to get explicit about why redistribution matters to society
by Stephen Tall on April 30, 2013
It’s an odd coalition: left-wing commentator Owen Jones and Tory leader David Cameron united as one. Yet that unlikely alliance was formed yesterday, as both defended universal benefits for wealthy pensioners and both fought shy of asserting the importance of redistribution. David Cameron’s defence was in response to Iain Duncan Smith’s rather odd suggestion that [...]
Fraser Nelson attacks pupil premium using report that, erm, doesn’t attack pupil premium
by Stephen Tall on April 26, 2013
Fraser Nelson is in bold form today: Spending more doesn’t improve public services. His basis for this judgement is a report prepared for the Department for Education by Deloitte (available here). If there’s a headline conclusion it’s the fairly uncontentious point that simply spending money on schools does not, in itself, guarantee good outcomes. It [...]
We should drop the ban on political advertising on TV
by Stephen Tall on April 24, 2013
This week saw the failure of the attempt by Animal Defenders International to overturn the the UK’s ban political advertising on radio and television. The Guardian reports: By a narrow majority decision, judges at the European court of human rights in Strasbourg have ruled that preventing the broadcast of a commercial – showing a girl [...]
