Published in The Independent (February 7th, 2013) It is just seven months since the NHS was presented to a baffled world as one of the great features of […]
Immigrants may see Britain’s enduring strengths more clearly
Published in State of the Nation, a report by British Future (January 14th, 2013) It is always hard to determine the precise state of any nation, since it […]
One step forward on probation, then one giant step back on jails
Published in The Guardian (January 11th, 2013) According to the latest figures there are 83,632 locked up in English and Welsh prisons. This is an obscenely large number […]
We must make it easier to build homes in London
Published in the London Evening Standard (January 4th, 2013) There are plans for a handful of new houses in my neck of north London. It is a modest […]
NHS privatisation fears? Grow up
Published in The Guardian (December 21, 2012) Nearly one in five patients having hip replacements and hernia repairs are handled by private companies, thanks to reforms introduced by the […]
Confront the pessimistic protest politics of UKIP
Published in the London Evening Standard (December 19th, 2012) Nick Clegg has made a lot of noise this week, celebrating his fifth anniversary as Liberal Democrat leader with […]
We have nothing to fear from our Muslim citizens
Published in the London Evening Standard (December 11th, 2012) Shortly after the end of his first term in office, Liberal leader William Gladstone penned a pamphlet against Catholicism. […]
What the NHS needs even more than money – a dose of kindness
Published in The Daily Mail (December 5th, 2012) Even today, 19 years on, I can still remember every second of the day my world crashed in. It was […]
Philandering policemen, secret courts, and this insidious threat to our faith in justice
Published in The Daily Mail (November 20th, 2012) With his long hair, his sinewy body honed by daring feats of climbing, his stacks of ready money and his […]
Tory retreat on climate change is senseless
Published in The Guardian (October 29th, 2012) The year after David Cameron became Tory party leader, he did something party leaders normally never do: he spoke at a […]
Polls, policing and a poor public service
Published in The Independent (October 24th, 2012) Are you excited over the prospect of voting next month for your local police chief? I suspect not; you may not even […]
Killing kindness with red tape
Published in The Independent (October 9th, 2012) Kenny’s life in not easy. He is blind, unable to speak, needs help with eating and drinking and suffers seizures that […]