British Social Attitudes – Anthony Painter

While on the surface it seems that Britain has become more Conservative and more socially liberal, the BSA data relies on the framing of the debate surrounding inequality and welfare.

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Fighting Poverty – Kate Bell

Kate Bell picks up our debate about fighting poverty, asking “what is the role of those who use the welfare state in shaping its future development?”

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Fighting Poverty – David Coats

David Coats continues the debate about poverty, saying “New Labour failed to find a language that engaged public enthusiasm for what, in practice, has been a progressive set of policies.”

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Renewing the fight against poverty

Kicking off a week of posts on how the Left should renew its fight against poverty, Tim Horton argues that “a new welfare contract must once again be based on reciprocity rather than need alone”. We’ll be posting further contributions to this debate over the coming days. Let us know what you think too.

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Great Idea

The Times is reporting that Labour is planning to make a jobs guarantee for anyone at risk of long term unemployment a centre piece of its election manifesto. Open Left argued for this policy, and welcomes it as a great idea.

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Renewing the best of labour traditions

Writing in today’s Guardian, James Purnell puts the case for a radical Labour manifesto, drawing on the best of Labour’s traditions and applying them to the challenges of today. He argues that “Britain has many strengths, but both its markets and its state are too strong. To balance them, we need more powerful individuals, and a more reciprocal society”.

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