http://blogs.independent.co.uk| Blogs from the Independent newspaper - news, views and features from the world's most free-thinking newspaper| Fri, 24 May 2013 19:41:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2| en hourly 1 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/01/09/what-never-mr-cameron/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/01/09/what-never-mr-cameron/#comments Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:20:11 +0000 Andy McSmith http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=31410 "I've never broken the law," David Cameron claimed at Prime Minister's Questions. Not "I've never broken the law in this regard..."]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/01/09/what-never-mr-cameron/feed/ 4 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/01/09/very-interesting-but-not-very-original-minister/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/01/09/very-interesting-but-not-very-original-minister/#comments Wed, 09 Jan 2013 11:47:43 +0000 Andy McSmith http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=31407 Could it be a coincidence that at 6.29 pm yesterday the Guido Fawkes blog published an extract from Liam Byrne’s speech to the 2011 Labour conference warning against appearing to be the party “for shirkers not workers”, that at 6.50 pm, the very same extract was read out in the Commons by the treasury minister [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/01/09/very-interesting-but-not-very-original-minister/feed/ 1 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/01/08/and-the-four-privy-councillors-who-inducted-david-cameron-were/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/01/08/and-the-four-privy-councillors-who-inducted-david-cameron-were/#comments Tue, 08 Jan 2013 11:45:32 +0000 Andy McSmith http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=31367 A reader has taken me to task over a feature I wrote in which I asserted that the Privy Council has not met for a many years. ]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/01/08/and-the-four-privy-councillors-who-inducted-david-cameron-were/feed/ 2 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/01/07/the-strange-promise-to-help-13-countries-towards-democracy/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/01/07/the-strange-promise-to-help-13-countries-towards-democracy/#comments Mon, 07 Jan 2013 17:14:08 +0000 Andy McSmith http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=31357 David Cameron and Nick Clegg saved the weirdest line until last in their pointless midterm review. ]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/01/07/the-strange-promise-to-help-13-countries-towards-democracy/feed/ 4 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/11/28/the-uk-was-leading-on-tackling-climate-change-so-why-is-the-government-now-failing-to-act/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/11/28/the-uk-was-leading-on-tackling-climate-change-so-why-is-the-government-now-failing-to-act/#comments Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:38:37 +0000 Jane Davidson http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=30279 Four years ago this week I felt immensely proud that the UK was leading the way in tackling climate change after the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act. Yet as world leaders gather in Doha for the UN Climate Change talks, it’s hard not to feel pessimistic.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/11/28/the-uk-was-leading-on-tackling-climate-change-so-why-is-the-government-now-failing-to-act/feed/ 50 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/20/dont-let-the-government-scrap-sure-start/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/20/dont-let-the-government-scrap-sure-start/#comments Fri, 20 Jul 2012 11:15:22 +0000 Ryan Shorthouse http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=26598 The evidence from abroad is clear and robust: integrated education, health and welfare services can reap long-term benefits to individuals and the public purse. Politicians shouldn’t despair and axe Sure Start. Rather, it should seek innovative ways of making sure the scheme fulfils its potential.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/20/dont-let-the-government-scrap-sure-start/feed/ 1 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/15/leveson-and-why-the-public-do-care/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/15/leveson-and-why-the-public-do-care/#comments Fri, 15 Jun 2012 03:05:34 +0000 Musa Okwonga http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=25293 There it was again. The assumption that I have seen from so many politicians and media commentators that almost no-one outside the political world cares about what is happening at the Leveson inquiry. I think that this assumption is wrong. Worse than that, it is staggeringly, appallingly, dangerously wrong.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/15/leveson-and-why-the-public-do-care/feed/ 129 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/14/a-quarter-of-sunday-times-rich-list-are-tory-party-donors/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/14/a-quarter-of-sunday-times-rich-list-are-tory-party-donors/#comments Thu, 14 Jun 2012 10:41:41 +0000 James Bloodworth http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=25268 The trade union subscription to the Labour Party for an individual member is around three pounds a year, which it is possible to opt out of and which is less than half the cost of a book of First Class stamps. ]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/14/a-quarter-of-sunday-times-rich-list-are-tory-party-donors/feed/ 106 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/14/britain-it%e2%80%99s-quite-well-governed-actually/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/14/britain-it%e2%80%99s-quite-well-governed-actually/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 13:29:39 +0000 Glen OHara http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=24173 Pasty taxes. Granny taxes. Petrol cans. Queues at the pump. Chaotic NHS ‘reforms’. A looming debacle over changes to the House of Lords. Aircraft carriers which won’t, then will, then won’t again, be mounted with catapults. Embarrassing emails between Ministers and powerful press barons. The arrest of donors to political parties. It’s been a torrid few weeks for a government that had seemed for a while above the fray, but will probably now have to deal with years of unpopularity. ]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/14/britain-it%e2%80%99s-quite-well-governed-actually/feed/ 48 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/03/better-use-of-technology-could-lead-to-more-open-government/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/03/better-use-of-technology-could-lead-to-more-open-government/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 09:40:53 +0000 Stephen King http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=23816 Governments around the world should take a page from online business's book to provide better access, accountability and services for their citizens.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/03/better-use-of-technology-could-lead-to-more-open-government/feed/ 1 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/02/with-newt-gingrich-and-rick-santorum-gone-who-will-romney-turn-to-for-his-running-mate/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/02/with-newt-gingrich-and-rick-santorum-gone-who-will-romney-turn-to-for-his-running-mate/#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 13:00:21 +0000 Leighton Vaughan Williams http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=23776 Mitt Romney has basically won the Republican nomination to stand against US President Barack Obama in November. His next hurdle? His running mate ‘Veepstakes’.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/02/with-newt-gingrich-and-rick-santorum-gone-who-will-romney-turn-to-for-his-running-mate/feed/ 0 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/03/05/we-need-a-workforce-with-the-right-experience-and-skills-to-respond/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/03/05/we-need-a-workforce-with-the-right-experience-and-skills-to-respond/#comments Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:10:26 +0000 Jim Knight http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=22100 Last week, Chris Grayling had to cave into pressure over unpaid work experience as big name employers exited the ‘workfare’ scheme.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/03/05/we-need-a-workforce-with-the-right-experience-and-skills-to-respond/feed/ 15