"...The Defence budget could face cuts in the region of 20%. With this kind of pressure on getting value for money, resources will be spent on things with provable outcomes. I am not suggesting that resources be diverted away from frontline troops, leaving them under-equipped or vulnerable. But what if current strategy - armored vehicles, drones and well-equipped foot patrols - is not the answer in Afghanistan? What if fully committed investment in blue-sky thinking about the war in Afghanistan could pay off in a way that continued spending under a strategy that has seen UK forces fighting there for close to a decade cannot?.."

"... In those areas where food banks operate, front line professional carers give vouchers for those they assess in real need to access their food banks. Social workers, health visitors, citizens advice staff and housing support and youth offending teams all can refer, but one of the most crucial referrers who assess and identify genuine and crisis need is the job centre. Yet here staff have been forbidden by the previous government from giving out food vouchers..."

"...Apart from a period in the 1980s, the Liberal Party (Australia's Conservatives) had a majority with the National Party from the Second World War to the early 1970 and again from the mid 1990s to 2007. In the latter period, the Government led by John Howard introduced quite radical reforms of economic and social legislation which were every bit as radical as what had been enacted in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. The reason that this was possible was due to Howard successfully appealing not only to the National Party, the Liberals' traditional allies, but also to Australian Democrats, a now practically defunct party, which shared many of the characteristics of the Liberal Democrats..."

"...Over-inflated house prices hurt our economy in many, many ways. Here are five of the most important..."