There is no point pretending otherwise: the last few days have been bruising. The name on everyone’s lips is Peter Mandelson. Among many others from the New Labour era, he has had a long association with Progress, and for that reason alone it would be dishonest to dodge the issue
Between a rock and a hard place The security situation the UK faces is the most tense and dangerous for 80 years. The recent publication of the US national security strategy (NSS) was extremely alarming, portraying European liberal democracies as somehow a political or ideological threat to the United States.
Ninety years ago, the Spanish civil war pitted an elected popular front government against Franco’s fascist forces actively supported by Hitler and Mussolini. Take a look at Picasso’s famous painting of the Nazi bombing of Guernica now displayed at the UN. Left-wingers urgently pressed the UK’s Conservative Government to arm
Over the last handful of years, I’ve probably moderated hundreds of focus groups around the country. Not much can phase me about public opinion. Yet every now and again something happens that makes me sit up and take note. On one such occasion, towards the end of last year, I
During my 15-year stint at Progress, I often wondered whether the Great Train Robbers or I had served more time. In truth, my run as director of Progress – interrupted by two spells as a Special Adviser – was both professionally rewarding and personally fulfilling. This was a time of
‘Trade not Aid’ is a provocative slogan for any development advocate. It overlooks areas, including humanitarian response, where no-one thinks trade can substitute. But more challenging is the suspicion of a cynical appropriation; replacing concern for global justice with a grasping, narrow self-interest. This reaction is understandable, but we must
The Islamic Republic of Iran, for decades a powerful symbol of ideological strength and aggressive regional ambition, now faces a perhaps accelerating path toward its collapse. In recent years, it has become clear that the regime is no longer capable of holding itself together. Its ideological degeneration has spread across
When I joined Progress in 2007, I joined a family of progressives. It was the year of the Tony-Gordon transition. As a pressure group which was set up in the early days of New Labour with a mission to get Tony Blair and Gordon Brown into Government, we had a
The south London suburb of Bromley is blue on the electoral map but many residents are getting red in the face about the council’s vandalism on road safety. It illuminates wider populist and binary battles that pit drivers against pedestrians. Bromley’s transport supremo, Councillor Nick Bennett is driving an unpopular
As the final draft of the MoD’s Defence Investment Plan works its way round Whitehall it seems unlikely that it will have any firm commitments on increasing service personnel numbers. This will disappoint Healey and other Defence Ministers but they are realistic. They know they operate in a policy environment
