Monthly Archives: October 2014

What happens when politicians and developers meet behind closed doors – and why Unite’s wrong to call the meetings off

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Alex Grant

What happens when politicians and property developers meet behind closed doors? According to Vince Passfield, Unite’s deputy regional secretary for London, multi-national investors seek to “stitch up deals that would  hit council tenants and leaseholders in the capital”. As a result Unite … Continue reading →

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Seven months before an election Labour must inspire, surprise and provoke its supporters. Not patronise them

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Alex Grant

Labour Vice-Chair Michael Dugher MP (who’s been charged with “bringing the Obama touch to Labour’s 2015 election campaign”) sent me an automated “Hi Alex” email last week. “You might not realise it yet, but it’s pretty amazing just how much … Continue reading →

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The approval of Mount Pleasant’s “affordable” flats at £2,800 a month shows the rot of our planning system

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Alex Grant

Mount Pleasant matters. Formerly a prison, it’s one of the few large, undeveloped brownfield sites left in central London. Few object to redeveloping the unpleasant wasteland behind the Royal Mail’s sorting office, where Second World War bomb sites are still … Continue reading →

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