UPDATED (25/08/2015): I received a response from MPFAG and reproduce it underneath this initial letter to MPFAG. Dear MPFAG members, There were a number of questions that came to mind when I saw that you were offering to take over as trustees of Mapledurham Playing Fields (MPF) from Reading Borough Council (RBC). I have seen this desire […]
How about a parent premium?
Following the results of a Department for Education study, I’ve no doubt that somewhere in UKIP central someone is formulating the right quotes to whip up fury over the under-achievement of working-class white kids as compared to their ethnic minority peers. It’s classic UKIP fodder isn’t it? Perhaps they will try to lay the blame […]
The productivity gap
Despite working some of the longest hours in Europe, UK business is not as productive as many of our competitors on the continent. There are numerous reasons for this, but there does seem to be one reason that analysts are not focusing too hard upon. Sure, you can invest in faster computers and printers. You […]
Mapledurham Playing Fields: a failure of imagination?
As we all politely wait for the EFA to deliver a verdict on where it would like to build a school in Caversham, it seems some are rallying to defend Mapledurham Playing Fields (MPF) from the threat of development. Even though I think MPF is the best site for the school, I do also believe […]
The unthinkable Grexit
Back in 2012 I was blogging about The Greek Tragedy. The ongoing saga of Greece is compelling viewing in exactly the same way that motorists can’t help slowing down to gawk at a crash. I don’t usually like to slow down to look at a crash, but I do like to thank my lucky stars […]
Mapledurham Playing Fields – a follow up post
Whoa. I honestly didn’t expect some of the feedback I got on my previous post regarding siting The Heights Primary at Mapledurham Playing Fields (MPF). There was a lot to take in very quickly. But I’d like to tackle a few of the criticisms that have been made of that post, and also point out a few things that […]
Our community deserves better than this
The controversy surrounding The Heights Primary serves to highlight deficits in democratic processes that people not just within Reading, but I suspect UK-wide are struggling with. In Mapledurham in particular, it seems like there has been a perfect storm of obstacles that have stopped the development of a new school. For starters, Mapledurham is the […]
How Repealing the Human Rights Act Targets the Most Vulnerable
After banging on before May 7th about ‘finishing what we started’ with the ‘Long Term Economic Plan’, George Osbourne is suddenly nowhere to be seen. His Tory colleagues instead have immediately set about dismantling our rights by attempting to repeal the Human Rights Act (HRA), and to finally introduce the long-mooted ‘Snoopers Charter’. Rather than see the […]
A Open Letter to the Next Leader of the Lib Dems
Dear Leader, Liberal Democrats have been able to console ourselves with the idea that we are influencing policies from the sidelines of Government. But we know, now more than ever, that ‘influence’ is not the same as ‘power’. We should not be happy with ‘influence’. Labour and the Tories understand that there is no point in […]
How knee-jerk reactions can cost votes
I read with growing disappointment an Op-Ed piece on ‘Religious Hatred’ over on Lib Dem Voice. The central premise of the article was a fear, based on a Muslim News article, that Ed Miliband was going to outlaw criticism of Islam. I agree that such a law would be a serious erosion of civil liberties, however, that’s not what Miliband […]