Month: September 2012

On #LDConf – good, bad, indifferent?

This year’s Liberal Democrat autumn conference in Brighton is heading towards its final day. There was a lot of interesting substance to some of the discussions I attended. The conference also raised plenty of questions about the way the party goes about its business. I may return to […]

Potty proposals

[Originally posted at Dale&Co, 24/09/12] There’s a joke going around at the moment: Did you hear that Nick Clegg has joined a boyband? It’s called No Direction. This came to mind when I read of Clegg’s announcement on Sunday’s Andrew Marr Show that the Liberal Democrats are proposing […]

Housing and the economy

[This text was prepared to accompany my presentation to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Housing, 10/09/12] Many people appear to be coming round to the idea that investment in housing could be the way forward in attempting to revive the economy. There are good reasons for thinking […]

Restructuring to reduce market volatility

Last May the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Housing Market Taskforce produced a major report which touched on a wide range of housing market issues, with the main concern being how to reduce the substantial and dysfunctional volatility that plagues the market. Four issues were identified: increasing housing supply in […]

Desperate times call for …

It’s hard to know what to make of yesterday’s slew of policy initiatives in the housing field. It is clear that they are directed primarily at boosting the economy, rather than being any sort of considered response to the problems of the housing market. You get the sense […]

It’s nearly that time again

[Originally posted at Bristol Running Resource, 03/09/12] If you’ve put your name down for this year’s Bristol half marathon then you’ve probably just found an email from the organisers in your inbox. It’s a reminder that there are four weeks to go before the race. Only four weeks! […]

On “post-truth” politics

Over the last few days speeches by leading US Republicans have been scrutinized by the world’s media. Paul Ryan’s contribution has come in for widespread criticism for its lack of veracity. The Guardian published a piece subtitled A round-up of his most audacious untruths. Even Runner’s World has […]