LCC committee member James Bartholomeusz reflects on rural campaigning in the 2018 local elections. At least two things have happened to our public discourse since the EU referendum. On the one hand, the quality of democratic debate has degenerated into a shouting match between opposing sides, with neither even pausing to listen to what the…
In politics as in life, there is always a balance between the principled and the pragmatic. While Labour Coast and Country was established in 2012, its roots go back into the later days of the Blair government, and then the Brown administration, reflecting our principled ambitions then that “every child matters”, and the pragmatic reality that…
To govern the nation well means being in touch with the realities of the whole of the nation. To have a chance of representing the nation at the very least means being present in every community – whether you see representation as just providing a voice or an elected representative. Both can be of help…
In this fascinating piece recently posted with the Fabians, Ruth Davis explores how the green movement became estranged from the everyday lives of most people – perhaps some lessons here for Labour, especially Labour in relating to England, or those who chose to vote leave: http://www.fabians.org.uk/home-is-where-the-heart-is/
Having lived for much of my life in the Forest of Dean, a glorious forest and a group of small communities between the Severn and the Wye, I’m all too aware of the problems, and in some cases the opportunities, that present themselves on the issue of rural housing. As in most rural areas, we…
