Green Politics
Yesterday’s budget failed to deliver the help that the UK’s hard pressed households need
This was a Budget that delivered rising living standards to those who are already well off.
Nicola Smith
Nicola writes for Left Foot Forward on labour market issues. She is the Head of the Economic and Social Affairs Department at the TUC - and is a member of the Social Security Advisory Committee - and also writes at Touchstone.
Toby Young is wrong about the cuts and wrong about the march
Writing on the Telegraph website yesterday, Toby Young accused the TUC of “a ceaseless barrage of propaganda” about the cuts. Nicola Smith explains why he is wrong.
Labour market stats reveal high unemployment and an uncertain outlook
Today's figures show that while the recession technically ended over a year ago the period November-January 2011 saw unemployment hit its highest level since October 1994 - 2,529,000 people.
Misleading to claim welfare reform will cut child poverty levels
Making hundreds of thousands of families poorer, and then making some a little better off, does not count as a child poverty reduction plan, writes Nicola Smith.
‘Simplification’ leads to severely disabled young people’s benefits being cut
Yesterday’s Welfare Reform Bill contains huge changes for the UK’s social security system - as well as a number of damaging new sanctions and fines, reports Nicola Smith.
The IoD are wrong: there is no quick fix for the UK economy
Todays Institute of Directors "Freebie Growth Plan" report is wrong; if implemented, the measures they propose would lead to considerable losses for most taxpayers.