Bright Blue has recently started a number of Think Forums. These are spaces for those on the centre-right to come together to chat about politics and policy. Tom Sykes, who facilitates the Business Forum, has written a report about the first meeting. Last month the @bizthinkforum met for the first time in Vauxhall, but a stone's throw away from Westminster. The subject of our initial discussion was 'What's wrong with British business?' and we were quickly inundated with ideas and…

As the recovery takes hold, is there still cause for concern over living standards? Katie Schmuecker is Policy and Research Manager at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. She tweets at @katieschmuecker The Office for Budget Responsibility forecast for wage growth looks strong, and the Bank of England inflation forecast anticipates it remaining low. This has led some to proclaim the debate about the cost of living all but over. But new research by Loughborough University for JRF reveals the extent of…

Joe Musgrave works at global public relations firm, Burson-Marsteller. His Twitter handle is @JosephJMusgrave . When the outlook is bleak, and has seemingly been ever thus, reacting positively is not a simple task. Faced with this in our personal lives, most of us seek personal and professional support. Rarely would we proceed headlong into the abyss manically cackling that, if we just stick to the plan, all will be well. Throw in a moment of existential reflection and this mix…

Kevin Gulliver is Director of the Human City Institute. They investigates social and economic exclusion and promotes solutions that seek to build more human cities and community services. They Tweet at @HumanCityIns . The last decade has seen renewed interest across the political spectrum in mutual approaches to ownership, management and service delivery. Although mutualism has traditionally been ‘owned’ by Labour and its sister Co-operative Party, the creation of Conservative Coops, the inclusion of mutualism in David Cameron’s Big Society,…