This week I spoke at a conference that was exploring the Conservatives ‘big idea’ the ‘Big Society’ organised by Third Sector Lancashire. Despite the fact that the 150 plus delegates included local authority representatives, councillors and voluntary organisations who by the... [More]

Even when I was at the height of my activity in the Labour movement, I was never one to support industrial action. Aside from anything else, the people who usually lose out in the long term are the workers themselves, and my experience was that union leaders, generally, had little or no strategic se... [More]

This week, Business Link North West announced that it was making 194 people redundant. I am told that more job losses are expected before Christmas from the business support agency and vacancies are not now being filled. It is difficult to imagine how Business Link will be able to function effective... [More]

There was a degree of consternation expressed by the local media during the summer when it emerged that seven of the nine executive officers at Liverpool City Council, including the Chief Executive Colin Hilton, would be taking their leave. The circumstances surrounding the ‘leaving of Liverp... [More]

I will be paying a visit to Waterstones tomorrow to buy Tony Blair’s new book ‘A Journey’. From the newspaper reports and media reviews it is an autobiography that is well worth a read, and apparently it is the fastest selling political autobiography ever. (This may just be good s... [More]