It’s been an unnerving week for the Better Together campaign. A Times poll released on Tuesday showed opinion has narrowed to 53 per cent against: to 47 in favour of independence, leaving a winnable gap for the Yes campaign. Tempers among campaigners are fraying, as Jim Murphy MP attests to, while the Treasury is stepping… [Read More]
The EU states’ leaders have agreed that Donald Tusk, the centre-right Polish Prime Minister since 2007, will become the next President of the European Council. Tusk, who founded the ‘Civic Platform’ party after activism in Solidarity, will succeed Herman Van Rompuy on 1 December. His appointment was supported by Prime Minister David Cameron. He has… [Read More]
This is a guest blog by Hilarie Williams, who was Senior Medical Adviser to the Department for Education and Employment from 1994 to 2000, and works part-time as an NHS specialty doctor. She is a member of the Doctor’s Policy Research Group, and was an author of the recent Civitas report The General Medical Council: Fit to Practise?… [Read More]
Northern Ireland may be set to receive ground breaking powers. According to Irish and Northern Irish newspapers, David Cameron will devolve the power to set corporation tax to the Northern Ireland Assembly this October. This is to close the gap between the South’s extremely low 12.5 per cent and the North’s (the UK’s) 20 per… [Read More]
The new European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, has indicated that he won’t give Lord Hill of Oareford an important portfolio in the next Commission. The Daily Telegraph reported yesterday that Juncker repeatedly urged all EU member states to nominate women since a repeat of the gender imbalance of the last executive, 9:19, would be ‘neither… [Read More]
Christoph Lees is a consultant and researcher in Fetal-maternal medicine and Obstetrics at a London teaching hospital. He has an interest in wider medical affairs where they impact on public policy and in particular, professional regulation. He was an author of the recent Civitas report The General Medical Council: Fit to Practise? The GMC’s consultation on… [Read More]
This week, Switzerland refused requests from European countries to re-export European agricultural products to Russia. In the latest development of the escalating battle between Russia and the EU, Switzerland refused to help the EU on legal grounds, saying it could not certify food exports for hygiene if the products were processed outside its borders. The EU’s… [Read More]
Engaging young people with politics is among the most pressing issues facing political parties. With each new generation come fewer activists to replenish already-dwindling local support. Despite gearing up for a general election campaign Labour have to make do with 193,000 members, the Conservatives, 150,000, and the Liberal Democrats, just 49,000 to cover 650 seats.… [Read More]
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the country’s first ever direct presidential elections this week with 52% of the vote. The victory makes him one of Turkey’s most successful leaders in recent history; he has won three general elections so far, and could potentially serve another 10 years as the country’s president. Erdogan is certainly… [Read More]
This is a guest post by Oliver Williams, a freelance writer based in London. He has written for Conservative Home, among others. He can be contacted at: oliverw86@outlook.com Commenting on a National Security Council defence review, Andrew Mitchell, then the UK’s international development secretary, said that while in the past it had “always been about tanks versus… [Read More]