Author Archives: Rick Muir

Independent View: two cheers for Vince

Landlords and punters across the country should be raising a glass to Vince Cable today after he announced new rules for pub companies (or pubcos) which will help local publicans in these difficult economic times.

His plans include the introduction of an independent adjudicator and a new statutory code for the industry – something I argued for in this IPPR report: Tied Down.

Pubs are an important part of the community – they’re a meeting place for family and friends and host meetings of local clubs and associations, promoting local charities and events. But they’ve faced serious demise with 16 pubs …

Posted in News and The Independent View | Tagged , , and | 2 Comments

The Independent View: Clegg’s Pupil Premium could be wasted

Keen to move on from the poor headlines of the last few weeks, Nick Clegg has sought to re-focus attention on his flagship social mobility agenda with a speech on the Pupil Premium.

The Pupil Premium is the government’s main policy for reducing educational inequality in schools, meaning that schools get extra funding for every child on Free School Meals (£488 this year, £600 next year). IPPR has always welcomed the Pupil Premium but have expressed concerns that it will not be spent directly on providing extra support for the children who need it. Under the current model, schools are free to spend it on whatever they like – and the majority of heads say they are using it to plug gaps in existing budgets.

Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Tagged , and | 15 Comments

The Independent View: Restore trust to reform democracy

The crisis over MPs’ expenses has shattered trust in politicians. Trust in Parliament has never been particularly high – it has now plummeted to new depths. Our long-standing scepticism as to the motives of politicians has turned into a strongly held conviction that ‘they’re all at it’.

The silver lining is that the crisis may have opened the way for much needed constitutional reform. The Lib Dems in particular have proposed a raft of constitutional reforms as a solution to the crisis. But are we really at a constitutional turning point? And is institutional reform …

Posted in The Independent View | Tagged , , , and | 4 Comments



Recent Comments

  • User AvatarLester Holloway 25th May - 11:19am
    Simon McGrath - I've seen you're going out of your way to make this specifically about EMLD rather than the general issue of internships in...
  • User AvatarEddie Sammon 25th May - 11:08am
    Will this measure make Google, Amazon, Starbucks or Apple pay more tax? Or are you just fiddling with the edges?
  • User AvatarEddie Sammon 25th May - 11:07am
    Well let me tell you a lot of these anti avoidance measures are just wasting taxpayers' money, despite the inflated figures quoted. I would have...
  • User AvatarDavid Evans 25th May - 11:03am
    @David Parkes I think you may be misinterpreting Simon's point when you say "Simon’s main objection appears to be one of language. He appears to...
  • User AvatarHelen Tedcastle 25th May - 10:45am
    Richard Wingfield - I appreciate the thoughts and tone in your comments to me and you raise a genuine question about the effects the redefinition...
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