The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority – AKA IPSA established a Citizens’ Forum of randomly-selected members of the public to examine the work and pay of MPs You can: 23 people randomly selected, undertaking 18 hours worth of activity Imagine this as nine evening classes at two hours each – so a term’s worth. Hence theContinue reading “The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority’s experience of democracy education”
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Rachel Millward’s *finest hour*
Should the Green Party of England and Wales go onto even greater things politically, the party conference speeches by their leadership team will be milestones in their story Have a listen to the end of Rachel Millward’s speech from 20mins50secs here And whatever you do next… ***Don’t let anyone use this as an exam textContinue reading “Rachel Millward’s *finest hour*”
Party conferences – was anybody listening?
Local political coverage catches up on what happened at the party conferences You can catch up with: Fast food outlets to flood Parker’s Piece at student Freshers’ Fair You can see the details here – it looks like they are being very tight on who can get in compared with previous years. Which will probablyContinue reading “Party conferences – was anybody listening?”
Cambridge cannot solve its homelessness crisis without addressing how councils are funded
Welcome as the new Cambridge Homelessness Charter is, the roots of the problem are embedded in how our city, county, and economic sub-region are governed. Changing this requires a change in the law. And for that to happen, it needs conversations with ministers You can read the charter at https://cambridgehomelessnesscharter.org.uk/ – something that reminded meContinue reading “Cambridge cannot solve its homelessness crisis without addressing how councils are funded”
On Labour and Conservatives facing new pressures from smaller parties
The final two party conferences are coming up over the next five days – for the Greens and finally the Conservatives respectively. How will politics look when Parliament returns for the run up to the Budget? I guess going by the traditional political press, the likes of Chris Mason might be competing with GBeebies toContinue reading “On Labour and Conservatives facing new pressures from smaller parties”
Marshall Aerospace’s proposed move to Cranfield is dropped
As with the Cambridge water works relocation, rising costs have proved to be an insurmountable barrier. How quickly will the firm be able to find an alternative location? In the meantime the Cambridge East website is frozen in time You can read the article at BBC Cambridgeshire here. If the firm does not vacate theContinue reading “Marshall Aerospace’s proposed move to Cranfield is dropped”
Cambridgeshire restructure has more options
On top of the three originally proposed, Huntingdonshire district has made a pitch to go it alone, while the MPs for Peterborough and North West Cambridgeshire (messrs Pakes and Carling respectively) have made a pitch to split Huntingdonshire into two. Which is a bold move for all concerned. In particular the proposal to split theContinue reading “Cambridgeshire restructure has more options”
Combined Authority Mayor gives evidence to C2C Busway Inquiry
Paul Bristow was also cross-examined by the representatives supporting the application You can watch the footage here. You can see the inquiry’s homepage here “I campaigned on a promise to oppose the C2C Busway and to push for the abolition of the Greater Cambridge Partnership” Paul Bristow, Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough to the PlanningContinue reading “Combined Authority Mayor gives evidence to C2C Busway Inquiry”
Us 1990s teenagers were sold a deal by politicians that they didn’t deliver on
It’s not surprising that more voters are turning away from the top two parties – especially where they are not seen to be resolving the problems caused by their predecessors in government Have a listen to Grace Blakeley here – it’s something that could apply to later generations too. The mindset is something that resonatesContinue reading “Us 1990s teenagers were sold a deal by politicians that they didn’t deliver on”
Addenbrooke’s alarming risk register – and their limited ability to respond
The politicians and the pro-growth interests should be all over this and banging down doors in Whitehall. But how many of them even know that such a risk register exists, let alone know its contents? (Even though it is a public document). Plus some lessons to be learnt from Peterborough’s rapid expansion in the 1970sContinue reading “Addenbrooke’s alarming risk register – and their limited ability to respond”
The Cambridge Town Owl 