n 1858 MPs sitting in the House of Commons were so overcome by the stench of the sewage-ridden Thames flowing past Parliament that they hung enormous vinegar-soaked sheets over the…
04 Dec, 2014
Public Services
12 Nov, 2014
Event Audio: Reclaim Modernity
Last night we held a packed out event in Parliament with Red Pepper magazine titled Democracy and Collective Action in the Twenty-First Century. To continue the discussion and for those…
03 Nov, 2014
Five steps to a more effective social security system
This article was first published at NEF If you lost your job tomorrow, fell ill, or needed to take time off work to care for a sick or elderly relative,…
20 Oct, 2014
Towards a progressive fiscal policy
Towards a progressive fiscal policy: mistakes, omissions, and alternatives The Conservative-leaning media were predictably dismissive of Ed Miliband's speech at last month's Labour Party conference, on the grounds that, speaking…
10 Sep, 2014
Compass Annual Lecture – Liberty and the Left
Thank you to everybody that contributed to an absorbing annual lecture last night. You can listen to the audio from yesterday's event and read the words in full below. Lisa…
22 Jul, 2014
Community Development in Health
We all know it: our friends, colleagues and family make a huge difference to our lives. They can help us in bad times and celebrate in good. They can help…
05 Jul, 2014
New Campaign for Public Rail Launched
As reported in the Observer we have launched All on Board, a campaign for everyone who wants to make our railways work better. For a full list of supporters click…
02 Jul, 2014
The market is failing public services. What’s the alternative?
“It is common knowledge among the lower ranks that the work we produce is only to enable Serco to be paid. Customer service is a secondary requirement…We soldier on in…
15 Apr, 2014
The Bridge response – liberation or oppression?
Something big is happening. We have moved from a mechanical world based on manufacturing usually within national boundaries to a global economy based on the creation and distribution of knowledge.…
11 Mar, 2014
The Bridge Response – Child Protection
The Bridge calls for new thinking about how the state engages with its citizens, citing the transformations wrought by technology in informing, enabling and empowering such citizens. For the last…
06 Mar, 2014
Fail and prosper: how privatisation really works
Ruby earns more than maybe anybody you have ever met. She is not an Oscar-winning movie star. She hasn't won Wimbledon. Ruby McGregor-Smith is an accountant who runs a British company…
04 Mar, 2014
New Publication: The Bridge
We are on the cusp of a big shift - one where flat organising is trumping traditional hierarchies. Where technology, creativity and passion is making a space where we can share,…