uk

Place Survey, we hardly knew ye

Submitted by Anthony Zacharzewski on 10 August 2010 - 11:32am

De mortuis nil nisi bonum, so as the Place Survey gets consigned to the dustbin of policy, it's worth thinking about what we're losing now it's gone.

The Place Survey was designed to provide councils and residents with comparable information on their performance. Even if councils continue doing some sort of opinion polling (and I suspect most won't) any results won't now be able to be compared between different authorities.

Your Freedom: Government asks well, but can it answer well?

Submitted by Anthony Zacharzewski on 1 July 2010 - 10:29am

The Government today launched Your Freedom, a discussion site where people can make suggestions on civil liberties issues and legislation they want to see repealed. good site, but can Government live up to its rhetoric and answer as well as it asks?

Patriot missive

Submitted by Anthony Zacharzewski on 28 February 2010 - 2:37pm

Ah, patriotism. Lovely, warm, crumpety patriotism. Old maids cycling to communion, England winning the World Cup. Who could possibly being against patriotism?

I could, particularly when it's used in discussions about politics, as David Cameron did this morning.

Here's my problem: using patriotism in politics is at best a meaningless soundbite, and at worst leads down some very dark alleys.

The bad manners of dissolving Parliament

Submitted by Anthony Zacharzewski on 25 February 2010 - 9:29am

Assuming the General Election in the UK is on 6 May, the election will be called on 12 April. The constitutional and ceremonial practice of calling an election involves the Great Seal of the Realm, royal proclamations and lots of other historical flummery. The political calculation, since the dissolution date is in the hands of the Prime Minister, is sharper.

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