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The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

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The devastating impact of cuts.
The coalition's Dickensian welfare cuts are terrorising the poor
By Peter Hain - 01 May 10:30

Ministers either don't know about the devastating impact of their policies in areas like Neath or just don’t care.

4 Comments
Ivan Lewis says the move to end aid will leave a "bitter taste".
Labour accuses Tories of reviving memories of apartheid with South Africa aid decision
By George Eaton - 01 May 9:00

Ivan Lewis says the move to end aid will leave a "bitter taste", comparing it to the Tories' decision to oppose sanctions on apartheid South Africa.

1 Comment
The ten must-read comment pieces from this morning's papers.
Morning Call: pick of the papers
By New Statesman - 01 May 7:22

The ten must-read comment pieces from this morning's papers.

0 Comments
If a law enshrining the 0.7 per cent aid target isn't in the Queen's Speech.
The battle on aid is not won: NGOs shouldn't be soft on Cameron
By Richard Darlington - 30 April 15:58

If a law enshrining the 0.7 per cent aid target isn't in the Queen's Speech, development charities won’t be able to have their cake and eat it.

2 Comments
The Liberal Democrat leader has conveniently forgotten.
Clegg was for cuts to the NHS and aid before he was against them
By George Eaton - 30 April 14:28

The Liberal Democrat leader has conveniently forgotten his opposition to ring-fencing in 2010.

3 Comments
A screenshot from the gov.uk website for Universal Credit. Photograph: Getty Ima
Iain Duncan Smith can't avoid the blame for the Universal Credit failures
By Alex Hern - 30 April 11:11

Hearing only what you want to hear.

6 Comments
New Statesman
Miliband admits Labour would borrow more - now he needs to make the argument
By George Eaton - 30 April 11:03

The Labour leader should explain why borrowing for growth is the economically responsible course.

11 Comments
The UKIP surge continues, but don't ask its leader for a coherent tax policy.
Farage blunders as he calls for a "two tier flat tax"
By George Eaton - 30 April 8:39

The UKIP surge continues, but don't ask its leader for a coherent tax policy.

12 Comments
The ten must-read comment pieces from this morning's papers.
Morning Call: pick of the papers
By New Statesman - 30 April 7:13

The ten must-read comment pieces from this morning's papers.

0 Comments
The Conservatives' muddled strategy.
Are UKIP a lost Tory tribe or masked villains? Cameron needs to decide
By Rafael Behr - 29 April 16:41

The Conservatives are caught between advertising their cultural affinity with UKIP and denouncing its members as closet extremists.

23 Comments
It is testament to the leadership of Teach First that it has been so successful.
Teach First shows how to overcome educational disadvantage
By Stephen Twigg - 29 April 15:27

It is testament to the leadership of Teach First that it has been so successful in securing cross-party support, says shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg.

3 Comments
New Statesman
Miliband can't keep dodging the borrowing question
By George Eaton - 29 April 14:02

The Labour leader's World At One interview showed why he should make the explicit case for a short-term increase in borrowing.

22 Comments
The US president's star turn at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Obama amuses us again, but why can't British politicians do humour?
By Kiran Moodley - 29 April 11:45

The US president's star turn at the White House Correspondents' Dinner is a reminder of how far removed such comedy is from our political world.

9 Comments
Raiding £500m from the health and schools budgets to fund defence.
Cutting the NHS to fund defence is bad politics and bad policy
By George Eaton - 29 April 9:45

Raiding £500m from the health and schools budgets to fund defence might please Tory MPs but the voters won't like it.

3 Comments
New Statesman
Miliband unveils alternative Queen's Speech
By George Eaton - 29 April 8:25

The Labour leader announces six economic bills that the party would introduce were it in power now.

6 Comments
The ten must-read comment pieces from this morning's papers.
Morning Call: pick of the papers
By New Statesman - 29 April 7:15

The ten must-read comment pieces from this morning's papers.

0 Comments
Jo Johnson and David Cameron. Photograph: Getty Images
David Cameron said "we are all Thatcherites now". Apart from him, it would seem
By Caroline Crampton - 28 April 10:39

The PM contradicts himself - is he a Thatcherite or not?

9 Comments
Iain Duncan Smith. Photograph: Getty Images
Iain Duncan Smith asks wealthier pensioners to hand their benefits back
By Caroline Crampton - 28 April 9:25

The Work and Pensions Secretary says he “would encourage” those who don't need the money to return it to the state.

22 Comments
New Statesman
Morning call: the pick of the papers
By New Statesman - 28 April 8:49

The ten must-read pieces from the morning papers.

0 Comments
George Galloway. Photograph: Getty Images
Galloway: Ed Miliband is an "unprincipled coward with the backbone of an amoeba"
By Caroline Crampton - 27 April 10:55

The spat continues.

13 Comments
New Statesman
Morning Call: pick of the papers
By New Statesman - 27 April 8:30

The ten must-read comment pieces from this morning's papers.

0 Comments
New Statesman
The New Statesman is looking for a Culture Editor
By Helen Lewis - 26 April 13:10

Applications are open.

0 Comments
Photograph: Getty Images
GDP may have risen, but the poorest fifth still lose out on £2,000 a year because of rising inequality
By Annie Quick - 26 April 10:46

What would Britain be like if the income distribution was the same as in 1977?

1 Comment
New Statesman
In this week’s New Statesman: What make us human?
By Charlotte Simmonds - 26 April 10:40

A new series exploring the most fundamental question of all.

2 Comments
New Statesman
Why benefit loans still aren't the answer to Labour's welfare problems
By Jon Stone - 26 April 10:21

A salary insurance scheme that would impose a 9 per cent tax on jobseekers after they return to work isn't worthy of the name.

96 Comments
The ten must-read comment pieces from this morning's papers.
Morning Call: pick of the papers
By New Statesman - 26 April 7:00

The ten must-read comment pieces from this morning's papers.

0 Comments
The Lib Dem leader has proved the sceptics wrong.
Clegg has shown civil liberties are safe with the Lib Dems in government
By Richard Morris - 25 April 15:30

By vetoing the snoopers' charter and securing the passage of an amended Defamation Bill, the Lib Dem leader has proved the sceptics wrong.

29 Comments
UKIP leader says the party lacks the resources to properly vet all of its local
Farage admits there are some UKIP candidates "we'd rather not have"
By George Eaton - 25 April 14:08

After expelling a former BNP activist, the UKIP leader says the party lacks the resources to properly vet all of its local election candidates.

31 Comments
The Tories' campaign for re-election has already started.
Cameron's Ctrl-Alt-Del on frozen party relations
By Rafael Behr - 25 April 12:14

A bunch of new appointments and a more aggressive tone indicate that the Tories' campaign for re-election has already started.

3 Comments
Chancellor George Osborne leaves Downing Street on April 10, 2013 in London.
Osborne's run of luck continues as he dodges a triple-dip
By George Eaton - 25 April 10:17

The return of the economy to growth, however anaemic, allows the Chancellor to maintain the narrative that the UK is "healing".

19 Comments

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