Author Archives: Nick Lane

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

By Nick Lane | Thu 24th February 2011 - 3:24 pm

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 echr and ecthr | 28 Comments

Opinion: The Labour Party hold the key to electoral reform

By Nick Lane | Thu 5th August 2010 - 1:20 pm

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 electoral reform | 46 Comments