Approaching half of the growth in the UK economy in 2014 was driven by industries related to the booming property market and the outsourcing of public services (in green); with manufacturing accounting for only eight per cent of growth, this is hardly the ‘march of the makers’; on the other hand,…Read more…
Parents: If you want to improve turnouts get your kids to the ballot!
2,400 or so years ago an ancient Greek, possibly the philosopher Socrates, said: “Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they…Read more…
The fathers who are missing out on better leave and pay rights
In around 50 days’ time, working parents will have access to the new system of shared parental leave that allows women to share up to 50 weeks of their maternity leave and 37 weeks’ pay with their partner. The opportunity it will give some fathers to take time off work to spend with their…Read more…
Saving Our Safety Net Fact of the Week: 85 per cent of tax and benefit “savings” have been at the expense of women
Yesterday the Independent Inquiry Into Women and Jobseeker’s Allowance published Where’s the Benefit. Chaired by Amanda Ariss of the Equality and Diversity Forum and co-ordinated by the Fawcett Society, the Inquiry reported important findings about how JSA indirectly discriminates against women….Read more…
NO to Immigration Street – YES to Solidarity Street
Last Saturday (31 January) the TUC migration campaign supported Southampton Communities Alliance colleagues at a ‘Stand Up For Southampton’ demonstration outside Channel 4 headquarters in…Read more…
An Eagle eye on the environment
Keeping climate change off the current political agenda won’t make it go away. A clear majority of us agree that, “The floods last winter showed us what we can expect in the future from climate change,” according to a new poll. Mind, too, that during this Parliament half a million people signing a…Read more…
Self employed workers’ safety – Government pushes ahead and damn the consequences
If you want a true display of how the government’s ideological obsession with deregulation trumps any type of common sense and seems to ignore the democratic process then you just have to read the…Read more…
Nissan reject mediation over harassment of US trade unionists
Nissan, the global automotive company, has refused an offer by the US government to mediate in the long standing union recognition dispute in Canton, Mississippi, issuing blanket denials of…Read more…
Government policies still hurting heavy industry
If major employers like Unifrax in Widnes and Sheffield Forgemasters are hurting, as the evidence shows, as a result of government policies introduced during this Parliament, then the government has some way to go to preserve the international competit…Read more…
The Assault on Turkish Democracy continues
It has been a year since I blogged on the arrest of a staggering 502 people in Turkey, many of whom are trade unionists, for basically voicing their dissent. More like a year and a half since my blog…Read more…
Value what is valuable – not just what is measurable.
Nansi Ellis is ATL’s assistant general secretary with responsibility for policy. ATL wants a broad, balanced curriculum which prepares young people for life. Here are three principles that…Read more…
Let’s make the most of the choices we have
David Crossley is the Executive Director of Whole Education Network. The Whole Education Network champions and shares innovative practice in education and supports the development of a curriculum…Read more…
Engineers and teachers are uncomfortable bedfellows, it seems.
Scott Young is responsible for delivery of skills and employment objectives on the Thames Tideway Tunnel. Question: Which two-word answer, according to the UK press, threatens the success of UK…Read more…
Qatar asks for patience – to perfect its PR strategy
Qatar seems to be confused about what message to put out to its critics, simultaneously accusing them of a conspiracy whilst also meekly asking for more time to put an end to the abuse of migrant…Read more…
Probation contracts handed to the private sector despite falls in reoffending
On 1 February, 70 per cent of the probation service was handed to the private sector, yet only last week, the government’s own statistics revealed that the probation service was working relatively well prior to the government’s disastrous reforms in 2014. These recent MoJ figures…Read more…
The Greek election result demands our solidarity
Syriza’s spectacularly successful election campaign was described as being about hope. The Greek people have shown faith in that campaign. Their courage, their defiance and their optimism have given us a true lesson in democracy in the country that invented the system so many centuries ago. They…Read more…
Bandwagon?
Last week, David Torrance accused the STUC of effectively jumping on a ‘grievance’ bandwagon for criticising the watering down of Smith Commission proposals on welfare. He also (ridiculously)…Read more…
Unions and Fracking: the need for an “honest conversation”
It’s been a busy week for the debate on fracking. A new report said that the current debate on fracking “reveals a lack of public acceptance, or social licence, for it”. The Scottish Parliament put a moratorium in place pending an inquiry. Westminster MPs backed Labour’s stronger…Read more…
In a fast-changing world, how should a curriculum and assessment system enable all learners to achieve?
Lee is Deputy Head at Cherry Orchard Primary School in Worcester. You can follow Lee on Twitter. There are few more persuasive voices in global education at present than that of Andreas Schleicher….Read more…
Union reactions to Syriza’s victory
Unions around the world have welcomed the election result in Greece last Sunday, because the victory of the anti-austerity Syriza party was a rejection of the policies that have dominated Europe…Read more…