"Bright Blue and its contributors have been tireless in bringing forward new ideas and fresh thinking to the conservative cause."
The Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP
Centre Write
Thursday, 27 March 2014 09:48
Cameron and Miliband should take part in the next EU leaders debate
During the last General Election there was a lot of talk about whether 2010 would be the first social media election. This was flimflam, mainly promoted by social mediariaty who really really wanted it to be true. 2010 was a modern TV election. The three leadership debates overshadowed everything else. Social media is a fantastic tool for us political anoraks but what happens on Twitter has very little relevance to what happens away from the key board. Social media has…
Tuesday, 25 March 2014 07:20
Modernisation is correct socially but does not have enough courage economically
Carl Packman is an author and Labour blogger. He has observed Conservative modernisation with interest. Here he gives his outsider’s critique of Conservative modernisation. Some nine years after he took leadership of the Conservatives, there is still a quiet debate about what the meaning of David Cameron is. It's a question, in fact, that goes to the heart of what the Conservative party is; indeed it raises some very important questions about what conservatism is. It was Cardinal John Henry…
Monday, 24 March 2014 12:46
Ownership Day: Why we all need to take an interest in our pension fund
Caroline Escott is Programme Director and Head of Government Relations at the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association. Ownership Day is on 25 March 2014. With auto-enrolment, the rise of defined contribution (DC) schemes, and George Osborne’s announcement a few days ago that “no-one will have to buy an annuity”, the rate of change in the (dry, jargon-filled but important) pensions arena over the last few years has been mind-boggling. As a almost 30-something, I have become used to the…
Friday, 21 March 2014 08:52
Young people want opportunities. Will we get them?
Something is troubling me. There is a disconnect between how young adults believe the world should be and how it is. This gap does not exist because Generation Y has an overly romanticised notion of how society should operate – bread and peace for all. In fact the opposite is true. They are aware that life is tough, that thanks to a Credit Crunch which they did not cause young Britons are going to be the most indebted in history.…
Wednesday, 19 March 2014 21:44
The Budget was bright and blue
Things are looking better. Employment is up, growth will be higher and the deficit is decreasing. But – and this “but” is so important it is worth breaking grammar conventions for – the economy has not mended yet. The early signs of economic improvement allowed George Osborne to give rewards to those who behave sensibly, such as savers, but the fragile nature of the recovery meant that there could be no big bang give-aways, such as raising the 40% tax…
Thursday, 20 February 2014 15:34
Five reasons why Conservatives should sign up to a Public Service Users Bill
Cat Hobbs is the Director of We Own It. Follow Cat on Twitter. At the end of last year, justice secretary Chris Grayling made the right decision about G4S and Serco, removing their electronic criminal tagging contracts after allegations of fraud. But does he need to do more to show he's getting tough with outsourcing failures? We believe he does. We Own It is a new organisation which is campaigning for a Public Service Users Bill to put more power…
Friday, 14 February 2014 19:23
Beyond teaching: the review of workload and conditions
Kimberley Trewhitt is a Research Director at Reform. Follow Kimberley on Twitter. Given the evidence around the importance of teacher quality on educational outcomes the Government has put a strong focus on raising the status of the profession and supporting the recruitment and retention of high quality teachers. A key part of this has been the aim to reform teachers' pay and conditions, based on extending freedom and responsibility to teachers as professionals. International evidence demonstrates that the highest performing…
Friday, 14 February 2014 13:26
We need more affordable homes, and we need them soon
Nick Denys is co-editor of Platform10.org, co-host of the House of Comments podcast, and a member of Bright Blue. Follow Nick on Twitter. Property ownership is a good thing. It is good for people to own, and it is good for people to aspire to own. Saving to buy a home is a great motivator for future planning. Of course, young people will only save if the goal of home ownership seems achievable. This is something all Conservatives can agree…
Thursday, 23 January 2014 19:32
Inequality – a problem for all
Katy Wright is the Head of UK Government Relations at Oxfam GB. Follow Katy on Twitter. As the world's elite mingle in Davos this week Oxfam hit the headlines with a new report on growing extreme inequality. Or specifically what hit the headlines was the staggering statistic that the total wealth of the 85 richest individuals in the world is the same as that of the poorest half of the world’s population. So that’s 85 people owning the same wealth…
Friday, 06 December 2013 20:47
Will reducing green levies threaten good competition?
Caroline Julian is Head of Research at ResPublica. Follow Caroline on Twitter. The Government's announcement to reduce energy bills by an average of £50 per household per year will temporarily be a welcome relief - but only for customers of the larger energy companies. The cuts to the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) insulation scheme, which will account for a £30-35 bill reduction, as with other green levies, apply only to those suppliers with over 250,000 customer accounts or 125,000 dual-fuel…
