Policy Exchange Deputy Director David Skelton sets out the benefits an elected mayor would bring to Newcastle, citing the greater accountability of mayors and the increased clout in negotiating with the government on behalf of the city a mayor would have.
Public policy and the geography of political attitudes in Britain today
A major study into public attitudes – Northern Lights – examines the new political and social geography of England and finds that social differences in England today are as much about town and country as north and south.
Following his article in the FT on the same subject, Policy Exchange Director Neil O'Brien appears on Newsnight advocating a stronger political operation from the Number 10 policy unit which has become too dominated by impartial civil servants.
Policy Exchange Director Neil O'Brien has the cover story and three page spread in this week's Spectator on the growing financial, cultural and political gulf between London and the rest of the country. He also discusses his article in The Spectator's first ever podcast.
Shipley MP Philip Davies is quoted by the Keighley News citing polling findings from Policy Exchange report Northern Lights that the public want the government to be tougher on crime, welfare dependency and immigration.
David Skelton, Policy Exchange's Deputy Director, is interviewed by the Northern Echo. He calls for implementation of recommendations on planning policy from report Cities for Growth in Consett, his home town, a system of local pay bargaining and makes the argument from Northern Lights that the Conservatives need to appeal to aspirational working-class voters in the North if they wish to win another election.
Is there a north-south divide political divide? A major study into public attitudes – Northern Lights – examines the new political and social geography of England. The research finds that the way people vote is less and less determined by their social class, and more by how they think the government is performing and their attitudes to controversial issues like migration and crime.
Traditional thinking aligns economic growth with happiness. Conclusion: we’re in for a long dose of unhappiness. But the outlook for Britain need not be depressing. If governments, organisations and individuals responded with a new way of thinking, it would boost happiness and well-being.
Policy Exchange Director Neil O'Brien shows that polling results from Policy Exchange report Northern Lights back the beliefs of Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Work & Pensions Liam Byrne that voters are angry about welfare dependency and that political parties need to take a stronger line on welfarism.
With the elected Mayors referenda looking set to deliver a 'No' result, Policy Exchange Deputy Director David Skelton criticises the failure of the government to put together an effective campaign in favour of elected Mayors. He also points out that Mayors were seen as 'more politics' at a time when the public is very anti-politics and that the powers and boundaries for the new Mayors were poorly chosen.
Ahead of the local elections, Policy Exchange will be publishing a major piece of research examining the attitudes of voters across Britain towards political leaders, their perception of class, the communities they live in and the policies that affect their everyday lives.
In their new book, Collaborate or Perish! Reaching Across Boundaries in a Networked World, William Bratton, Chairman of Kroll and former leader of the Boston, New York, and Los Angeles police departments, and Zachary Tumin of Harvard Kennedy School’s Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, discuss how to collaborate in today’s digital and networked world.
