Author Archives: Samuel Barratt

Samuel Barratt

Opinion: Making the EBacc work

By Samuel Barratt | Tue 11th December 2012 - 11:45 am

Michael Gove seems intent on bringing forward a replacement for the GCSE, going so far as to make its introduction a matter of confidence in the face of criticism.  All parties can agree, however, it is important to set out what these reforms should look like and make sure they deliver a qualification that is fit for purpose.

There are at least two key areas that I think Liberal Democrats should seek to influence.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 17 Comments
Samuel Barratt

Opinion: Tuition fees – a progressive model for welfare?

By Samuel Barratt | Thu 5th July 2012 - 1:22 pm

Given the proportion of public sector spending it accounts for, in austere times welfare spending has come under the spotlight, with sizeable cuts having already being made.

Looking at who is accessing benefits to ensure those in receipt of them should be is to be welcomed. A blind eye should not, however, be turned to wealthier individuals in receipt of things like winter fuel allowance whilst cuts are made to some of the poorest in our society.

It is right that Liberal Democrats have distanced ourselves from Cameron’s musings that everyone under 25 should not be able to rely on support from …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 49 Comments
Samuel Barratt

Opinion: The importance of social liberalism

By Samuel Barratt | Tue 22nd November 2011 - 9:55 am

The debate regarding the importance and roles of ‘social’ and ‘economic’ liberalism can, on occasion, be misrepresented. Whether deliberate or incidental the relationship between the two philosophies can sometimes be presented as discrete, zero-sum options. I believe they should be considered as dialectic.

In The Orange Book, a publication that is almost Frankensteinian in how it’s perceived and what it actually contains, David Laws offers definitions for social and economic liberalism, that broadly serve well in discussion, they are:

    “economic liberalism: ‘the belief in the value of free trade, open competition, market mechanisms, and the effectiveness of the

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 38 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Neil Sandison
    Stephen Yolland and Carl Pierce are right if our largest numbers of MPs and Councillors are not getting our message across then is is about leadership and if t...
  • Carl Pierce
    Sadly the party is terrified of the zionist lobby yet another issue where we hesitate to do the right thing. A wonderful councillor (who writes here regularly) ...
  • Carl Pierce
    ED is a good speaker but not powerful enough to speak with the clarity we need or frame the stories in a way that cuts through. There are open goals right now o...
  • Christopher Burden
    The campaign group We Own It has long campaigned for the water companies in England to be nationalised. This is because the Thatcher-era profit maximisation mod...
  • Mick Taylor
    The sad truth about Israel/Palestine is that whenever there has been a prospect of peace or a settlement one side or the other has started firing missiles, lobb...