Centre WriteSam Robinson
August 9, 2019

Sam Robinson: How can Johnson resolve the social care crisis?

One of Boris Johnson’s key pledges in his first speech as Prime Minister outside 10 Downing Street was that “we will fix the crisis in social care once and for…
Sam Lampier
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Centre Write
August 9, 2019

Sam Robinson and Patrick Hall: What should the new PM do?

On 24th July, an ebullient Boris Johnson stepped up to the podium outside 10 Downing Street to deliver his first speech as Prime Minister. Brexit was - and is -…
Sam Lampier
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Anvar SarygulovCentre Write
August 8, 2019

Anvar Sarygulov: Super-divided or super-diverse?

Previous academic research has strongly suggested that two significant negative influences on levels of social integration are is higher levels of ethnic diversity and poor English proficiency of newcomers. The…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
August 7, 2019

Professor John Denham: The invisible English

It’s a paradox. England and the English are ever present in our culture and politics. They shaped the momentous decision of Brexit. Yet England – as England – is barely…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
August 2, 2019

Julia Hussain: Restoring democracy: Time for real recall

From those who insist we need to implement Brexit for the sake of democracy, to those who protest the small electorate of the Conservative Party choosing the next Prime Minister…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
August 1, 2019

Adair Verey: Mind the gap: Fixing Britain’s coastal divide

Brexit has exposed a gulf between London and the rest of the UK. Regional inequality is widening and income inequality in the UK is amongst the highest in the EU.…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
July 31, 2019

John Lamont MP: Taking back control?

Like many people across the UK, it took me some time to digest the news that was breaking on the morning of the 24th June, 2016. Whatever side of the…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
July 29, 2019

Luke Warren: No Deal Brexit and the opportunity for UK environmental law

The prospect of the UK leaving the EU presents a significant opportunity for UK environmental law. Whilst the UK government’s environmental ambitions centre on leaving ‘the natural environment in a…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteWilliam Nicolle
July 26, 2019

William Nicolle: How we communicate air pollution to the public needs to become more creative

Last week, Michael Gove, the former Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, gave a speech where he revealed his support for the UK adopting the World Health…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteSam Lampier
July 25, 2019

Sam Lampier: The self-employed and pensions – overlooked and underfunded?

The UK has seen a remarkable rise in the number of self-employed workers in recent years, rising from 3.3 million in 2001 to around 4.8 million in 2018. Self-employed workers…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
July 24, 2019

Professor Will Jennings: A tale of two Englands

The Brexit vote and 2017 general election exposed the deepening geographical divide in British politics: between places that have prospered in a globalised knowledge economy – predominantly major cities –…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
July 22, 2019

Edmund Ramsey: Social networks – private platforms or public utilities?

Social media is set to become the dominant form of communication in the United States. In February 2019, Pew Research found that over 72% of U.S. adults used social media,…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
July 19, 2019

Amal Malik: The price of women’s presence in the public sphere: The attacks on BAME female MPs

Is suffering part of women’s political journey, becoming a story of inspiration which softens the harsher edges of their trauma? Must their struggles be legitimised, through being forced to share…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
July 18, 2019

Sam Lampier: Distant neighbours?

Political concern over social integration has risen in recent years. Growing concerns about the scale and impact of immigration, the increased threat of radicalisation, and a spate of community disturbances…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
July 17, 2019

John Curtice: The fast rise and fall of the two-party system

One of the most remarkable features of the last General Election was how the Conservatives and Labour between them managed to dominate the electoral scene. Over four in five (82%)…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteSam Robinson
July 14, 2019

Sam Robinson: Getting to know you – how social integration policy can work in practice

In Bright Blue’s new report, Distant neighbours?, we sought to understand how public policy can strengthen social integration. Our research has found that there are broadly two types of policy…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
July 12, 2019

Tamworth Prize winner 2019: Anya Nash – Toxic tide: Can we live without plastic?

Plastic comes in all shapes and sizes: from bags and packaging, to microplastics that are found in cosmetic products that many people use daily. Due to this, plastic has been…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
July 10, 2019

Niamh Smith: PREVENT: Effective counter-terrorism or counter-productive?

Given the wave of terrorist acts sweeping across western Europe, it is unsurprising that counter-terrorism is a contentious issue. The PREVENT agenda is its controversial epicentre in the UK. It…
Bright Blue
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Anvar SarygulovCentre Write
July 8, 2019

Anvar Sarygulov: Fixing the future: the attitudes of young adults

The Conservatives have a problem with young voters. In the 2017 election, only 27% of adults aged 18-34 voted for the Conservatives, in comparison to 62% of the 18-24 age…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteSam Robinson
July 5, 2019

Sam Robinson: Housing crisis or housing crises?

Housing is one of those rare policy issues that is able to produce political consensus. Three quarters of the public, along with two thirds of MPs, believe there is a…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
July 4, 2019

Shradha Badiani: High time to legalise?

Legalisation of cannabis has been a widely discussed topic, especially in the last decade with soaring levels of drug-related crime seen in both the UK and the rest of the…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
July 1, 2019

Kevin Beaty: The missing rural-urban connection

The British countryside is under threat and although, important as it is, in this instance it is not about the threat to the natural environment. This a threat to the…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
June 28, 2019

Dan Watkins: From Net Zero to Hero

Theresa May had hoped her legacy would be a successful Brexit deal and a chance beyond that to tackle the burning injustices that exist in modern Britain. Having fallen at…
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Centre WriteSam Robinson
June 26, 2019

Sam Robinson: Pension Freedoms – an unfinished revolution

Pensions tend not to be a hot political issue. In the latest edition of YouGov’s issues tracker, the proportion of people saying pensions was among the three most important issues…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
June 20, 2019

Arturo Morselli: The threat of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit to security

Brexit, though still uncertain in many regards, has been asking fundamental questions of the relationship between the UK and the European Union on a multiplicity of levels. With regards to…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
June 18, 2019

David Verghese: Britain and religious minorities in the Middle East

In late 1918, a stream of refugees slowly made its way downwards from Persia and Anatolia towards the town of Baquba, in modern-day Iraq. These were the remnants of the…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
June 14, 2019

Matthew Sachak: Why conservatives need to offer solutions to Britain’s threatened environment

Britain is home to a rich array of wildlife and environments. This natural heritage is not only a source of pride and pleasure for many Britons, but it is also…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
June 5, 2019

Anthony Shatz: Entrepreneur Tax Relief

Entrepreneurship is the lifeblood of the UK economy, with start-ups and small businesses being crucial to economic dynamism and wealth creation. The UK economy is a haven for start-ups. According…
Bright Blue
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Anvar SarygulovCentre Write
May 24, 2019

‘No DSS’ – the barriers to private renting for benefit claimants

In November 2018, 1.1 million people on Housing Benefit (HB) and 340,000 households on Universal Credit (UC) utilised these benefits to at least partly pay for their rent in the…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteData & TechSam Robinson
May 22, 2019

Sam Robinson: Social media – echo chamber or public forum?

Against a backdrop of tumultuous political events such as the election of Donald Trump and Brexit, worries abound that political polarisation is increasing. A conventional wisdom has emerged that social…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
May 20, 2019

Zac Thomson: Youth centres and the prevention of knife crime

Crime statistics have shown a significant increase in knife-based crime, rising from 23,945 offences in the year ending March 2014, to 39,818 offences in the 12 months ending September 2018.…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteWilliam Nicolle
May 16, 2019

William Nicolle: Zero to hero: the case for a legal net-zero emissions target

The Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) report, entitled Net Zero – The UK’s contribution to stopping global warming, recommends that the UK should legislate “as soon as possible” to reduce…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
May 14, 2019

David Verghese: Affordable access to justice

The British judicial system is world-leading in its fairness, quality and transparency. It is also costly, inefficient and slow. When it works well, it ensures that the most vulnerable in…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
May 13, 2019

Andrew Baker: Men and mental health – at crisis point?

Suicide is the most common cause of death in men under the age of 50 in the UK. In 2017, 5,821 suicides were recorded - 75% of these were men.…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteSam Lampier
May 10, 2019

Sam Lampier: Germany – a case study in the social integration of asylum applicants

In 2015, the German Government made the decision to allow over one million asylum applicants into Germany, representing an unprecedented challenge to social integration in the country. But Germany has…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteSam Robinson
May 9, 2019

Sam Robinson: Does fracking have a future?

Last week, the UK’s shale gas commissioner, Natascha Engel, resigned in protest at the Government’s restrictions on hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’. Controversy around fracking has led the Government to adopt…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
May 3, 2019

David Stephenson: Is it the beginning of the end for Britain’s high street betting shops?

In April, after a six-month delay, the maximum amount that people can stake on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) was reduced from £100 to £2. This followed pressure from organisations such…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteWilliam Nicolle
April 26, 2019

William Nicolle: The OEP and the future of environmental governance in the UK

Leaving the European Union creates the opportunity to reform the UK’s environmental governance. It is likely that, as part of any withdrawal agreement, the UK will not be able to…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
April 25, 2019

Garry Lemon: The continuing rise of food bank usage

Last year, food banks in the Trussell Trust network distributed a record 1.6 million emergency food parcels throughout the UK. This marks yet another rise in the already huge use…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteKieron O'Hara
April 24, 2019

Kieron O’Hara: Climate denialism

The Extinction Rebellion seems to be going nicely. The BBC likes the photogenic shots of protesters; the ‘Torygraph’ thunders at it; it tickles the tummies of the likes of Polly…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
April 22, 2019

Murdo Fraser MSP: Our still United Kingdom – A ‘quasi-federal’ future?

One of the consequences of Brexit has been to crowd out from political discourse much discussion of further UK constitutional reform, unless we include renewed agitation from Scottish Nationalists for…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
April 18, 2019

Caitlin Farrell: The future of moderate conservatism in Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu, following a historic election last week, is set to become the longest-serving Prime Minister of Israel since its founding father David Ben-Gurion. He will likely form a new…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
April 17, 2019

Dr Rakib Ehsan: Battling Extremism: The need for social integration

Multi-ethnic, religiously diverse democratic societies such as the United Kingdom’s are faced with the rising threat of extremism and terrorist activity. In recent times, Western countries have suffered at the…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
April 12, 2019

Ben Hopkinson: How can urban planning promote social cohesion?

Cities today are the great driver of the economic and social growth of humanity. Yet even in this opportune moment, cities, and especially those in the developing world, face problems…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
April 8, 2019

Karissa Wadick: Opioids: A socioeconomic problem?

Opioids killed an estimated 47,600 people across the United States in 2017, an increase of more than 16% since 1999. In fact, in the US, an individual is now more…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteSam Lampier
April 5, 2019

William Nicolle: Fuel poverty vs. Consumer vulnerability?

Historically, the UK has focused on fuel poverty as a measure determining vulnerable energy consumers. Whilst this is important, by fixating on it in isolation we ignore how consumers are…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteSam Lampier
April 3, 2019

Sam Lampier: English language proficiency and social integration

According to the 2011 census, over 800,000 people in England and Wales cannot speak English well or at all. The ability to speak English is often cited as critical for…
Bright Blue
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Anvar SarygulovCentre Write
March 22, 2019

Anvar Sarygulov: Reassessing disability benefit assessments

The story of the introduction of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and new work capability assessments for Employment Support Allowance (ESA) echoes what we found in our recent report on Universal…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
March 20, 2019

Alex Sprake: The argument for a new Help-to-Buy deposit scheme

For many, home ownership is the hallmark of a successful economy and the ultimate reward in return for hard work. But many hardworking aspirational people are priced out of home…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteSam Lampier
March 18, 2019

Sam Lampier: ‘Low-skilled’ migration to the UK – unpopular but essential?

Polling consistently shows that the majority of the British public favour reducing levels of immigration. However, previous Bright Blue research has shown that those who are ‘highly skilled’ are perceived…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteSam Lampier
March 11, 2019

Sam Lampier: Helping hand?

Universal Credit (UC) represents one of the most considerable changes to the welfare system in Britain in decades. Replacing six working-age in-work and out-of-work benefits from the legacy system, an…
Robert Hansard
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Anvar SarygulovCentre Write
March 6, 2019

Anvar Sarygulov: Have Conservative voters shifted to the right since 2015?

The 2017 election has often been framed as a retreat from the centre for both parties, with Jeremy Corbyn shifting Labour to the left and Theresa May shifting the Conservatives…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteMichael Johnson
February 25, 2019

Michael Johnson: Tackling intergenerational inequity at its roots

Generation Y (‘millennials’) could be the first generation to experience a lesser quality of life than that of their (‘baby boomer’) parents. Generation Y is faced with unaffordable housing,, earnings…
Bright Blue
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Centre Write
February 22, 2019

Tom Davis: Homelessness in the UK: Our Public Health Problem

There are an estimated 320,000 homeless people in Britain. The routes in and out of homelessness are numerous, and so too are the health implications. The mix of structural causes,…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteKieron O'Hara
February 21, 2019

Kieron O’Hara: Four Internets

In a remarkably short time, the Internet, and the World Wide Web which sits upon it, have become critical infrastructure for governments, the military, companies and individuals alike. It can…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteWilliam Nicolle
February 19, 2019

William Nicolle: Hot Air: legislating for air pollution

Air pollution features as a primary focus within the Government’s 25-year Environment Plan that was published last year. Yet, government action to tackle it is both contentious and lacking -…
Bright Blue
Love0
Centre Write
February 13, 2019

Daniel Warren: EU Emissions Trading Scheme: a new chapter?

The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is the EU’s flagship cap-and-trade scheme, which is a “cornerstone” for the EU’s effort in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. The…
Bright Blue
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Centre WriteSam Lampier
February 8, 2019

Sam Lampier: ‘Undocumented’ children in the UK

There are an estimated 120,000 ‘undocumented’ children in the United Kingdom. These children tend to have lived most of their lives in the UK, however they lack a regular immigration…
Bright Blue
Love0
Centre Write
February 7, 2019

Tom Chapman: 20 Years On: In Defence of the Human Rights Act 1998

In 1998, the Human Rights Act (HRA) was passed to incorporate the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) into domestic law. Since then, it has been demonised by centre-right voices,…
Robert Hansard
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Anvar SarygulovCentre Write
February 1, 2019

Anvar Sarygulov: Universal Credit: the challenges of in-work conditionality

In-work conditionality is a novel aspect of Universal Credit, requiring those who are currently in work, but earn below a threshold of National Living Wage rate of 35 hours, to…
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