Claudia Wood on how to interpret our recent polling results on controlling benefits.
Ever since the Government announced its programme of welfare reform, we at Demos have done a great deal of work on changing attitudes to the welfare state. We have looked at the impact of austerity on disabled people and investigated how middle-earners could be better served by our welfare system. We are currently pursuing research on the squeezed middle’s experience of the benefits system and the reasons behind changing generational attitudes to welfare. This week, as part of a wider ...
Max Wind-Cowie introduces Demos's unique 'Dragon's Den' on immigration and integration, to be held at Conservative conference.
Does the cap fit? Are those who are already here well integrated? Should we worry more about the growth that migrants are said to bring, or the damage they are said to do to trust in politics and in fairness? The truth is that, two and a half years into a Government that was elected - in part - on a commitment to reduce net migration 'from the hundreds to the tens of thousands' we still need to talk about immigration. It's not that the Government hasn't tried - they have. ...
Duncan O'Leary provides a five-point reaction to Ed Miliband's speech to Labour party conference.
It’s the old ones that are the best. ‘I want a Britain that is one nation, with shared values and purpose, where merit comes before privilege, run for the many not the few, strong and sure of itself at home and abroad’ argued Tony Blair in the 1997 Labour manifesto. Ed Miliband returned that theme yesterday in his highly effective speech in Manchester – and I’d make five observations: Jon Cruddas. At a Demos fringe on Monday Cruddas set out his view that e...
Claudia Wood says the scrapping of modular courses risks only testing exam technique.
So the Government is scrapping current modular, coursework-based GCSEs in favour of large, final exams, with no retakes. Cracking news – for people like me. When I was at school, I took the first form of GCSEs – top grades were rare and there was one, very long, all-or-nothing exam after two years of classes. I've never done a bit of coursework in my life. This mode of assessment suited me down to the ground – I'm good at studying for 20 hours straight, absorbing a ...
Claudia Wood discusses the stumbling blocks to introducing the Universal Credit.
There has been a lot of talk about the Universal Credit over the past couple of weeks, both inside and outside government. The Resolution Foundation has pointed out how its introduction will see families worse off as the benefits rolled up in this payment will be uprated by CPI instead of the more generous inflation rate of RPI. The charity Gingerbread has explained that the increase in tax free allowances will not be enjoyed by working families on Universal Credit, as the withdrawal rates (...
Jennifer Norton discusses child poverty awareness in the UK, following the launch of Save the Children's campaign.
Child poverty has hit the news agenda with the launch of Save the Children’s It Shouldn’t Happen Here campaign, the charity’s first ever UK fundraising appeal, which is calling for £500,000 to help recession-hit families pay for coats, shoes, hot meals and other necessities. The timing of the announcement and the fact of an international aid organisation campaigning in the UK has prompted accusations of political positioning, but this has clouded the real issues raised...
Ben Rogers argues that an inquiry on runway expansion cannot replicate a decision through the ballot box.
So, one of the longest sagas in British politics - the dispute about runway capacity in the South-East and where it should go - just got longer. The Coalition is to announce the creation of an independent inquiry, led by economist and business leader, Howard Davies, to report after the next election. The decision appears to be getting a warm reception both from business groups keen to see expansion, and Tory and Labour politicians, including Labour leader, Ed Miliband, as they want to find ...
Duncan O'Leary on Ed Miliband's latest neologism and what it means in practice.
‘Predistribution’ is the word buzzing around Westminster today, following Ed Miliband’s interview with the New Statesman this week. It may be an ugly word, but it’s a decent idea. Put simply, it means focusing more on decent wages and relying less on tax credits to reduce inequality. As Miliband points out, it’s an idea whose time has come (again) for several reasons. First, rising national debt and a large fiscal deficit reduce the scope for tax and spend ...
Max Wind-Cowie responds to the speculation around the future of the Conservative Party's co-chair.
Reshuffle speculation hits fever pitch today, and one who has had her future openly questioned more than most is Conservative Party Co-Chair Baroness Warsi. Now, I’m an admirer of Lady Warsi’s. She has, in my view, brought some much needed directness to the Party’s communications machine and has a wealth of talents and assets to recommend her. But as the Coalition moves towards the endgame the pressure is on for a more independent Chair, someone with more of a base in the...
Claudia Wood on how work experience can be changed to benefit young jobseekers.
I read with interest the response to Boris Johnson's latest workfare scheme, where unemployed 18-24 year old Londoners are given mandatory work experience to keep their benefits. In a nutshell, it was: 'if we insist on unpaid work experience, let jobseekers choose their placement'.This idea is attempting to resolve the standard criticism of any government work placement scheme - they are poor quality, exploitative, and provide no real experience for partic...