Category Archives: Uncategorized

Memo to the Left: 1 Nationalism should always be viewed with suspicion. 2 Press freedom needs to be fought for. 3 And an independence referendum is not a conference workshop

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Alex Grant

A political leader who has spent much time cosying up to Rupert Murdoch faces difficult questions from a broadcast journalist, a few days before a crucial electoral test. The leader accuses the journalist of “heckling” him. The press conference has … Continue reading →

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Will Len McCluskey ever shut up? Bashing the Lib Dems won’t win the election for Labour

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Alex Grant

Will Len McCluskey ever shut up? His call for Labour to rule out a coalition with the Lib Dems after the 2015 election (as reported in last Sunday’s Observer), or else face cuts in funding from the Unite union he … Continue reading →

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Carbuncle Cup: the end of localism?

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Alex Grant

It’s been a busy few days for me. Since last Wednesday, when Woolwich Central was announced as the winner of Building Design’s Carbuncle Cup, I’ve been inundated with emails, tweets and requests for comment: I chaired the Greenwich Council Planning … Continue reading →

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Parade’s End: how First World War architecture fell out of fashion

Posted on August 10, 2014 by Alex Grant

With the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War upon us, it’s been impossible to escape. Siegfried Sassoon poems have been reverently recited on Newsnight. On Woolwich Common, near where I live, a replica trench has been built … Continue reading →

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We should applaud Michael Gove’s departure – and understand why he lasted so long

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Alex Grant

Twenty years ago, as a student, I spent a couple of weeks doing work experience at the Times and met Michael Gove, then an up-and-coming Leader writer. I was – and arguably still am – a complete nobody and Gove … Continue reading →

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Beware the dangers of Opportunistic Labour

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Alex Grant

The conviction of Andy Coulson last week left an open goal for Labour. I choose my words carefully, given that Coulson is about to face a retrial on further charges, but Labour was – and still is – quite right … Continue reading →

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And who is to blame for this carbuncle? Er, me actually…

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Alex Grant

SEPTEMBER 3rd UPDATE: The Woolwich Central development, which this blog post of June 25th covered, has now been declared the winner of Building Design’s 2014 Carbuncle Cup, as covered by the Guardian, the BBC’s One Show (3 minutes thirty seconds … Continue reading →

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Rising to the occasion: the architecture of election counts

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Alex Grant

What was the most interesting thing about the Newark by-election earlier this month? Not the failure of UKIP to break through (for once I was glad a Conservative candidate won. A UKIP victory would have inflicted psychological damage on the Tories and been seized … Continue reading →

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New Labour with a small ‘n’: a quiet revolution in the Town Hall

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Alex Grant

My first post on this new blog is about Greenwich – a borough in which I was a Labour councillor until May 2014 – and how a huge influx of new councillors is changing the culture of its council. What … Continue reading →

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