Crunch time for the PM

 Tim Bale 30 Jan 2012

Comparing what a politician does in office with what he said he wanted to do before he got there is inherently unfair.  For one thing, it is parties, not individuals, … » more

Tim Bale is Professor of Politics at Sussex University and the author of  ‘The Conservative Party from Thatcher to Cameron’.

Foreign affairs

FAMINE: Shutting the door before the horse has bolted

 Steve Cockburn 30 Jan 2012

Food crises are not inevitable.  They can be predicted and much of the suffering and loss can be prevented.  It is true of the famine that affected — and continues to affect — millions of people in the Horn of Africa, and it is also true of a new food crisis threatening countries across West Africa in 2012.

Steve Cockburn is Oxfam West Africa Regional Campaigns and Policy Manager.

» More from this edition

Crunch time for the PM

Broken society: picking up the bill is not working.  Also inside: Society — the problem of virtual grown-ups; Famine 2012 — the wisdom of early…» more

From the last edition …

The challenge of the century

 Simon Lee 09 Jan 2012

'It has been widely accepted that the UK's economics performance reflects a significant competitive disadvantage, in institutional and policy terms, when compared with its major competitors'

Dr Simon Lee is Senior Lecturer in Politics and Director of the Centre for Democratic Governance, University of Hull. 

Health and welfare

Trouble-shooting problem families is worth every penny it costs

 Rob Williams 09 Jan 2012

Is it really worth spending money on troubleshooters to help families with multiple problems?  Indeed it is.  Just look at the numbers.  Existing local authority family intervention programmes (FIPs) have … » more

Rob Williams is Chief Executive of the Fatherhood Institute www.fatherhoodinstitute.org

Tackling drug-abuse is a national priority, er, depending on where you live

 Noreen Oliver, Martin Barnes 09 Jan 2012

There is a strong commitment within government to drug policy and particularly drug and alcohol treatment. This is evidenced by the cross-departmental representation on the Inter-Ministerial Group on Drugs and, … » more

Noreen Oliver MBE is chief executive officer of BAC O’Connor Centres and Martin Barnes is chief executive of DrugScope. 

Despite the fuss, it must be better to keep fathers in the picture

 Nick Woodall 09 Jan 2012

As the Welfare Reform Bill makes its way through the House of Lords, the controversy surrounding those elements relating to the proposed reforms of the child-maintenance system shows no sign … » more

Nick Woodall works on policy and development at the Centre for Separated Families.

A merciful muddle

 John Perry 09 Jan 2012

Britain's legal approach to euthanasia may be a messy compromise, but it is much better than anything that could take its place

John Perry is McDonald Postdoctoral Fellow for Christian Ethics & Public Life at Christ Church, Oxford. His book, ‘The Pretenses of Loyalty: Locke, Liberalism and Political Theology’, was published last summer by OUP.

The scandal of slavery in Britain

 Simon Chorley 09 Jan 2012

Ten years after the United States was violently awoken to its vulnerability to terrorist attacks, the date 9/11 marks another rude awakening much closer to home. On 11 September 2011, … » more

Simon Chorley is the UK Coordinator for STOP THETRAFFIK www.stopthetraffik.org

» More from this edition

It is time to fix broken Britain

The economy: the challenge of the century; also inside: child maintenance: the government has got it right, euthanasia: a merciful muddle, and eurozone crisis: views…» more

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