Paul Richards Articles

I’ve been staying this week in Baron’s Court, in west London. Near Baron’s Court tube is a memorial to PC Stephen Tibble, a policeman killed in 1975. It’s one of the many simple commemorative stones placed by the Police Memorial Trust on the London sites where metropolitan police officers have died doing their jobs.

One should never take pleasure at the misfortunes of a political think-tank in these difficult times, but in the case of ResPublica I’m prepared to make an exception.

Three in 10 children in Britain own no books, according to a survey of over 18,000 11-13 year-olds conducted by the National Literacy Trust. The report states that the third with no books will be less likely to communicate by email, read websites, enjoy crosswords or enjoy reading for pleasure.

The leader of the opposition gets a suite of offices in parliament, behind the speaker’s chair, close to the prime minister’s office, and yet a million miles away. It spreads over two floors, and contains a warren of offices which are all just too small. There’s a shadow cabinet room, with ‘Honor the Queen’ carved into the lintel.