Yesterday, the government released a report into complaints procedure in the NHS. It was led by Ann Clwyd MP, the Labour MP for Cynon Valley in Wales, and Professor Tricia Hart, Chief Executive of South Tees NHS Foundation Trust. Clwyd’s husband Owen Roberts died last year in hospital, and the emotional account she gave of… [Read More]
My pessimism in last Friday’s blog was misplaced: the Brussels EU summit has made meaningful progress, and progress in a British direction at that. The European Commission’s President, José Manuel Barroso, has acceded to Anglo-Dutch pressure to reduce red tape which limits businesses and economic growth. In a fringe meeting over the weekend, Cameron lauded his… [Read More]
A 25 year-old Lithuanian immigrant and self-confessed white supremacist was this week found guilty of the murder of an 82 year-old Muslim man, and of detonating three bombs near mosques in the West Midlands. The Crown Prosecutor wanted a Whole Life sentence, but the Judge resisted this and ordered that Pavlo Lapshyn spent the next… [Read More]
Today’s EU summit was intended to make serious progress. The Lampedusa tragedy, in which 359 migrants fleeing Africa for Italy drowned, galvanised member states to make a comprehensive borders policy. British interests, such as limiting ‘benefits tourism’ and cutting red tape, were on the agenda. Business Minister Michael Fallon has produced a list of regulations… [Read More]
Scarce resource pricing allows the benefits of the market while keeping basic necessities affordable to people on low incomes.
The current state of Britain’s energy sector and the fact we cannot build our own nuclear power stations is another example of the government’s failure to make long term policy decisions. Despite knowing that many of the UK’s power stations were scheduled to close as early as 2020, the coalition government cancelled plans in 2010… [Read More]
There were encouraging noises in the Commons today when the Conservative MP Steve Baker urged the Health Secretary to consider our recent paper calling for patient-led commissioning groups in the NHS. Jeremy Hunt said the idea was “interesting”, while stressing that he wanted to give current coalition reforms a chance to bed in first. You… [Read More]
This originally appeared on Liberal Democrat Voice, available here. Debate about NHS reform has been intense in 2013 as the service has entered its historic 65th year and the need for greater accountability has become apparent in response to lapses in care such as those at Mid Staffordshire. In light of this, it is important… [Read More]
Most of the public hadn’t heard of Adam Afriyie until this month’s Question Time appearance. A self-made millionaire raised by a single mother in South London, the Windsor MP is rumoured to have leadership ambitions and is tipped as the ‘Tory Obama’. He is championing an amendment to James Wharton’s Private Member’s Bill promising an… [Read More]
It looks like Ireland will be the first eurozone country to exit its bailout programme after Prime Minister Enda Kenny announced this week that the country was at the end of its economic emergency. The date set for the exit is December 15th, which is 3 years after the country requested a bailout from the… [Read More]