Tag Archives: Conservatives

The demise of Boris Johnson – the Quintin Hogg of our times – shows that the age of Balliol superiority is now over

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Alex Grant

The spectacular collapse of Boris Johnson’s Prime Ministerial hopes earlier today have a striking historical parallel. Boris is not – and never has been – the Donald Trump or Winston Churchill of contemporary British politics, or even the Falstaff or … Continue reading →

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How working the night shift alongside European migrants made me more determined to vote to stay in the EU, not less

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Alex Grant

For two months in the run-up to Christmas 2015 I worked the night shift at a Royal Mail sorting office in Peterborough. Media commentators are often quick to appoint themselves as experts on the labour market, but most have never … Continue reading →

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A month on, Sadiq Khan’s victory in London no longer looks mould-breaking. In fact it’s a welcome return to politics as usual

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Alex Grant

A month on, how mould-breaking does Sadiq Khan’s election as mayor of London feel? Yes, it was a historic moment: the first time that a Muslim was elected as mayor of a western capital city. The message it sends to … Continue reading →

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Another reason why Labour’s 35% strategy was so wrong: the mysterious disappearance of the three-way marginal

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Alex Grant

A lot’s been said in the two weeks since the election about the folly of Labour’s 35% strategy – the theory that cobbling together its core vote plus a few ex-Lib Dems to reach a 35% vote share would be … Continue reading →

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In the last days of the election campaign Labour should talk about three things: housing, housing and housing

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Alex Grant

“We are not in principle opposed to right to buy but the Tory plan doesn’t work,” said Ed Miliband at the leaders’ debate on April 15th. “Any plan based on right to buy has to mean there are more houses, … Continue reading →

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Eight media myths about the 2015 election – and why they are wrong

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Alex Grant

I missed the start of this campaign: for the first ten days of April I was in France, in a house without Wifi or even a telephone. Coming back to the UK on April 10th I scanned the papers and … Continue reading →

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Labour can take pride in its school rebuilding programme. Even if this one was finished nine years behind schedule  

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Alex Grant

Last Monday (November 3rd) I was at the grand opening of the John Roan School in Blackheath (the school lies in the ward I represented as a councillor until May 2014, and I used to be a governor there). Despite the big … 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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There’s no need for Labour to be apologetic about a mansion tax

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Alex Grant

What’s the average annual household income in London? And what about the average property price? The answers – average household income was £38,688 in 2011 (the last year for which the ONS has statistics) and the average property price, even … Continue reading →

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