The Politics of Ageing

Paul Goodman’s tongue-in-cheek piece aiming to show how Labour could win every UK election from now until 2024 made me think. One of its arguments was that big demographic changes – immigration, votes in Scotland…

Time for Charity Reform?

Is the regulation of charities effective? The activities of one charity, AWEMA, have drawn more attention to the charity sector in Wales in a few weeks than it normally gets in a year. Unfortunately that attention is…

Questions for AMs about mental health care

Another private care company has gone into administration.

Unlike the problems at Southern Cross, the problems at St Luke’s are much less well known attracting, as far as I can tell, no coverage in the Western Mail and…

A New Era for Welsh Public Policy

When is a policy institute not a policy institute? When it’s a bridge or a network, at least according to First Minister’s speech to the Public Services 2025 conference earlier today. Outlining his intention to…

How much does a baby cost?

Some time ago the UK Government made the decision to change the Maternity Grant, which means you now only receive the £500 one-off grant for your first child, and not for any children you may later have. …

Learning from history

What can Co-operative Development learn from history? As the Welsh Government considers a proposed ‘Co-operative Commission’ to help pave the way for innovative co-operative development in Wales, what lessons can history teach us?

With all the attention being…

Crossing the line

Why Wales’ new parliamentary boundaries place maths above geography.

Re-drawing Welsh parliamentary constituencies was always going to be a thankless task for the Boundary Commission forWales.  The Parliamentary Voting Systems & Constituencies Act (2011) not only reduced…

Changing Relationships

Wales’s relationship with England could be radically reshaped in the next few years, irrespective of what the people of Wales might want. As Carwyn Jones has rightly pointed out, the departure of Scottish MPs from Westminster could…

Contenders ready?

Two sets of all-Wales elections mark the end of a marathon run of voting: but how will women fare when the votes are counted?

2012 will mark the end of a marathon set of all-Wales elections.  Since 2007, the people…

No win, No fee?

You couldn’t tell from the title or from the furore that focussed on Ken Clarke’s dropped plans for criminals who plead guilty to have their prison sentence halved, but alongside swingeing cuts to Legal Aid there is, hidden in…