Author Archives: Nick Lane

Opinion: The UK cannot afford paralysis in its relationship with Europe

The world is becoming increasingly ‘globalised’ and interdependent, driven by technological innovation and the now virtually unlimited movement of people and capital. This has opened up extraordinary opportunities for businesses and individuals all around the world, but it also poses many problems for national policy makers and governments.

Perhaps the most important and publicised change brought about thus far by the global age is the rise of China and India as economic powerhouses. China is now the second largest economy in the world and will overtake the United States to be the biggest in a couple …

Posted in Europe / International and Op-eds | Tagged and | 28 Comments

Opinion: The Labour Party hold the key to electoral reform

At the 1997 General Election, Labour swept to power with a mandate to reform British politics. Tony Blair’s cooperation with Paddy Ashdown’s Liberal Democrats from 1995 to 1997 centred around a progressive agreement to introduce a proportional voting system for election to the House of Commons. Unfortunately for advocates of electoral reform and for progressives more widely, the resulting Labour landslide appeared to remove any thoughts this once great reforming party had to lay claim to the 21st Century progressive mantle. Labour could have held (and won easily) a referendum to introduce PR, but they didn’t.

Over a …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 46 Comments
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  • Chloe
    It's came to the point where adults are not allowed to make a informed choice as regards their own bodies in the privacy of their own homes without being infant...
  • Matt (Bristol)
    Joey, devolution has - even under Labour - tended thus far to go hand in hand with local voting reform, an implicit admission from Labour that FPTP is unreprese...
  • David Raw
    Agree with you, Mark. To quote an old Liberal slogan, 'It's time for a change'...... at the top....
  • Jana
    I notice that no mention of the large numbers of non-smokers - especially young people -taking up vaping appears anywhere in this article. While vaping is less ...
  • David Raw
    A few facts before the few remaining nonconformist radical little blue ribbon temperance Liberals decide to leave this party. I, for one, dislike having vape bl...