Something rather interesting occurred in Rotherham last night. It was the selection meeting for the upcoming by-election, caused by the resignation of Denis MacShane following his expenses revelations, but about half of the room walked out in disgust. Why? Because … Continue reading
I noted with mild interest the announcement of candidates for the Police and Crime Commissioner roles today. I say ‘mild’ interest and that’s actually an overstatement of my enthusiasm. And that, I think, is where the problem lies. If someone … Continue reading
We all used to know what Western democracy was like. Two big parties with few differences between them, squabbling bad-temperedly over our votes to the general improvement of civilisation over the decades. Sometimes two steps forward and one step back … Continue reading
It’s clear that politics has a place in every person’s life. If you ignore it, and think that’s enough, you’ll soon sadly discover that in your absence it won’t ignore you. As Lawrence Lessig has so clearly outlined: perhaps more importantly … Continue reading
“If you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem”, is an adage familiar to anyone who has had to sit through those numerous management/leadership courses where dogma and theory seek to replace common sense. … Continue reading
It’s the UKIP conference this week. Now, conference season is usually rather dull for anyone other than a political anorak. Politicians make promises to the party grassroots with very little intention of keeping them. Sorry, that’s my innate pessimism creeping … Continue reading
Conferences – a chance to network, find out new things and share best practice. In some, you can vote on policies or in elections. For many years they have been largely physical in nature. By that I mean that attendees … Continue reading
Sometimes a politician says something which is simply a gift to the media and the public. The Telegraph are reporting a speech that Clegg made at a think tank reception where he explained: “One of the things that happens when you … Continue reading
I know I’m not the only one sick to the back teeth of the blame culture that permeates British politics in the modern era. It crops up periodically but this week we’ve had two long-running arguments boiling over. First up … Continue reading
What do we mean when we talk about ‘democracy’? The usual definition is: ‘government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected … Continue reading