Simon Blackburn Articles

In politics one can never really separate the execution of a task from the value base which drove you to bring that task into the public policy sphere. To put together a programme of government is to be engaged in matters of values and ideology, making judgements...

You can hear Simon Blackburn speak this Saturday at the Governing for Britain conference I have rewritten this article having given an interview to the Washington Post. I had originally written about the potentially vast and damaging economic impact of the decision to...

The indices of deprivation statistics recently released by CLG are disappointing, but not surprising. Blackpool has had pockets of poverty since it was founded. A former colleague on the Labour benches – who died only fairly recently – spent part of her childhood in...

As an LGA peer, I clearly have an interest in sector-led improvement. But this week’s conference focused minds on it, but I wonder if it will focus hearts as well? Outwith of Ofsted, we have to contend with less external inspection than under the Labour government –...