Centre WriteSam Hall
November 27, 2017

Sam Hall: Canada’s trailblazing approach to cannabis

Assuming the federal government’s ambitious timetable is met, on 1st July 2018, Canada will become the first G7 country to have legalised the production, sale, use, and possession of recreational…
Robert Hansard
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Centre WriteJames Dobson
November 21, 2017

James Dobson: Boost female employment to boost the economy

The Chancellor is steering our economy through choppier waters. The Office for Budget Responsibility has forecast weak growth for the UK economy over the next few years while just last week the…
Robert Hansard
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Centre WriteEamonn Ives
November 20, 2017

Eamonn Ives: Towards a greener, more pleasant land

Much of the UK’s land area – 71% – is devoted to agriculture overseen by farmers, land owners, and land managers. The rules and arrangements which govern those groups, therefore, can have…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
November 20, 2017

Idreece Khan: Left to Right

I am what you would call an unnatural conservative. My grandparents moved to the U.K in the sixties and spent their entire lives involved in Labour politics. Indeed, most of…
Robert Hansard
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Centre WriteKieron O'Hara
November 10, 2017

Kieron O’Hara: Fixed Odds Betting Terminals: What’s Really Wrong With Them

Over the last several months, fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs), electronic gambling machines which lurk in betting shops, have been the subject of deep opprobrium, from the puritan left to…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
November 6, 2017

Samuel Chadwick: The ethical and electoral case for tackling today’s ‘burning injustices

Today’s most fundamental injustice is the lottery of birth. Conservatives should reject the socialist anathema of outcome inequalities; and instead make and prove the argument that capitalism can be a…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
November 1, 2017

Guy Corbet: Conservatives should appeal to everyone – not just the young

Basic marketing practice generally means identifying a segment of people with common characteristics and then trying to attract them.  These common characteristics could be attitudes, interests or behaviours.  Sometimes they…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
October 27, 2017

David Verghese: What are today’s ‘burning injustices’ and how should conservatives go about tackling them?

Justice has always been a principle at the heart of conservative politics – from Baldwin’s talk of a ‘union of all classes’ to the introduction of same-sex marriage in 2013…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
October 27, 2017

Chris Hayes: It’s time to modernise our daylight saving system

As Brexit dominates our political narrative, here is a domestic policy that would brighten all of our days: modernising our daylight saving system and bringing it into line with 21st…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
October 20, 2017

Henrique Laitenberger: It’s Not Just The Refugees, Stupid! The German Election Results Examined

One word seldom associated with European elections in recent months, if not years, is “sleep”. Yet this was precisely how many German pundits labelled this year’s Federal Election campaign: as…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
October 16, 2017

James Boyd-Wallis: Making the case for free enterprise

Capitalism is under threat and companies now face a more hostile environment in which to do business than at any time in the last 40 years. A study by the…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
October 13, 2017

Ben Rochelle: How do we deliver a renaissance in affordable housing?

One of the few headline statements during a bewildering and yet underwhelming Conservative Party Conference was the Prime Minister’s announcement that an additional £2 billion will be pumped into the…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
October 5, 2017

Stephen Clarke: Government for the people and for the regions

Recent electoral surprises, particularly the EU referendum last summer and last month’s general election, have been described as reactions against the economic status quo. The shocks have been greeted by…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
October 3, 2017

Neil Parish MP: Why I’m a Bright Blue MP

The Conservative Party does not talk enough about its strong record on the environment. As Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, you might expect me to…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
October 1, 2017

Jesse Norman MP: The Centre Write Interview

Laura Round: Capitalism has delivered demonstrable successes, yet people seem to be losing the faith in the ability of capitalism to make their lives better. Why do you think this…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
September 30, 2017

Alex Morton: A property-owning Britain

One of the greatest advances since World War Two was the rise and rise of home ownership. Whereas in 1953 just 32% owned their home, this had risen to 71%…
Robert Hansard
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Centre WriteSam Hall
September 30, 2017

Sam Hall: Conservatism rejuvenated: appealing to the under 40s

The Conservative Party has a problem with younger voters. At the last general election, the young decisively opted for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party over Theresa May’s Conservatives. In their post-election…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
September 28, 2017

John Penrose MP: Fixing the broken energy market

Whatever you think of the Conservative election campaign, we got one policy offering absolutely right: the energy price cap. We promised a cap that would end the rip-off for 17…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
September 26, 2017

Mark Littlewood: Theresa May, free-marketeer?

From the beginning of her premiership, Theresa May has been compared to Margaret Thatcher, that last great female Prime Minister. Both came to power after a period of national turmoil…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
September 24, 2017

Pamela Dow: Unlocking potential

In these tribal times it is pleasing to find a public policy for which a compelling case can be made within every political tradition. Judging the success of prisons and…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
September 22, 2017

The Rt Hon Robert Halfon MP: Apprenticeship nation

Imagine thousands of young people cheering Prime Minister Theresa May in a similar manner to those singing songs about Jeremy Corbyn. Unthinkable, yes, but not impossible. And, as the late…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
September 20, 2017

Antoinette Sandbach MP: Prosperity through productivity

With life outside of the European Union looming, economic prosperity must be at the heart of our approach when shaping our country’s future. As well as promoting an outward-looking and…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
September 18, 2017

Paul Masterton MP: Two decades of devolution

In Scotland, we are no strangers to constitutional referenda. Two in as many years, with the threat of a third still lingering, albeit much more weakly of late. This has…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
September 16, 2017

Scott Corfe: To save free markets, we need fairer markets

Many have interpreted the outcomes of the Brexit referendum and the 2017 general election as a rejection of a market-based economic settlement that is not working for a significant portion…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
September 14, 2017

Rohit Bansal: Social justice is at the heart of conservatism

Britain faces many challenges; falling real wages, a lack of secure employment and an ageing population among others. On the steps of Downing Street in July 2016 Theresa May outlined…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
September 14, 2017

Ryan Shorthouse: Centre Write Director’s note

So, what went wrong? This summer, there has been much soul-searching from Conservatives on why they recently failed to win the decisive parliamentary majority almost everyone predicted. Two clear points…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
September 12, 2017

Paul Goodman: The conservative state: small, strong and strategic

Election day polling by Michael Ashcroft showed a Britain divided not so much by class or region as age.  The 45-54 age group split almost evenly between the two main…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
September 10, 2017

The Rt Hon Ed Vaizey MP: Creative prosperity

From Shakespeare to Skepta, the UK has a proud history of cultural leadership.  2017 is already proving to be another fantastic year for this dynamic sector. June saw the world’s…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
September 8, 2017

The Rt Hon Lord Maude: Capitalism is core to Conservatism

A Conservative Party that doesn’t appear to be passionately in favour of free enterprise and wealth creation lacks credibility and authenticity.  With a Labour leadership overtly hostile to capitalism and…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
August 23, 2017

James Dobson: Social integration SRC reflections

Last month Bright Blue hosted its Social Reform Conference. The Conference included a number or break-out sessions. I had the pleasure of hosting a highly informative discussion of social integration…
Robert Hansard
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Bright Blue BackgroundCentre Write
August 9, 2017

Dame Caroline Spelman MP: Why I’m a Bright Blue MP

In 2016, we witnessed the global rise of populism. I believe strongly that this is a reflection on the inability of governments to adequately address the big challenges arising from…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
August 7, 2017

Molly Griffiths: Abortion in Northern Ireland: the freedom to choose comes at a price

A decades-long struggle to allow Northern Irish women access to abortions which will be funded by the NHS won on Thursday 29th June. The UK government vowed to reverse its…
Robert Hansard
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Centre WriteSam Hall
August 7, 2017

Sam Hall: Housing SRC reflections

At the housing break-out session at last month’s Bright Blue social reform conference, there was a strong consensus about the need to build more homes. It was agreed that the…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
August 7, 2017

Thomas Tozer: Transparency vs. leverage in our representative democracy

In a BBC Question Time election special just days before the polls were to open, the leaders of Britain’s two main political parties faced, one after the other, 45 minutes…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
August 7, 2017

Nigel Huddleston MP: Bringing Broadband To All

The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, of which I am a member, commented last July that “the UK is a laggard by international standards in providing fibre connectivity. This…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
August 5, 2017

Matt Hancock MP: Matt Hancock on how Britain can play on its historic strengths whilst looking to the future

A core task of any forward thinking Government worth its salt is constantly to ask: what must we do to secure the prosperity of the nation over the generation ahead?…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
August 3, 2017

Matthew Taylor: Raising Expectations for Employment

Most policy fails. The more complex the challenge the more likely the failure. At the Royal Society of Arts, we think hard about how to improve the success rate. We…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
August 1, 2017

Matt d’Ancona: The Automation Conundrum

If you have a taste for prophecy, try this prescient warning by Samuel Butler in his essay ‘Darwin among the machines’ (1863): “There are few things of which the present…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
July 28, 2017

Charlotte Henry: The illiberal ideology of fake news

Fake news has become, quite rightly, a much discussed topic in in recent months. Most analysis of the post-truth era it contributes to looks solely at the technical developments that…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
July 17, 2017

Freddie Lloyd: ‘Britain Breaking Barriers’, a liberal conservative approach to tackling discrimination and strengthening human rights

In her first speech as Prime Minister, Theresa May highlighted the “burning injustice” represented by the pervading influence of discrimination and inequality in Britain today. She highlighted the enormous impact…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
June 27, 2017

Dr Omar Khan: To win a majority, the Conservatives must win over ethnic minority voters

Two apparently unconnected and unnoticed events last week could have profound implications for the ability of Conservatives to win another general election. First, the positive policies on tackling racial inequality…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
June 14, 2017

James Baker: Ignore the younger generation at your peril

In this General Election, more than any other in recent memory, the status quo has once again been challenged. With no clear winner it falls to all the major parties…
Robert Hansard
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Centre WriteKieron O'Hara
May 23, 2017

Kieron O’Hara: The Conservative’s Conservative

Like any big political coalition in a two party system, the Conservative Party is the natural home for many ideological strains. Yet, despite the party’s name, its small-c conservative thinkers…
Robert Hansard
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Centre WriteKieron O'Hara
May 15, 2017

Kieron O’Hara: Psychoanalysing Labour

Judiciously leaked, a late draft of Labour’s manifesto appeared last week, which at least meant that, unlike the others, people would read it. The leak seemed to do no harm…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
May 15, 2017

Michael Hough: Human rights and the Brazilian justice system

In 2012 and 2014, Brazil enjoyed being under the international spotlight as it hosted both the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games. However, more recently, Brazil has attracted more…
Robert Hansard
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Centre WriteKieron O'Hara
May 10, 2017

Kieron O’Hara: The joys of opposing

The election campaign rumbles on, with the strong and stable™ Tories leading the poll. Incredibly, according to YouGov only 15% of people recognise the notorious Tory slogan. On the other…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
April 28, 2017

Gabriel Gavin: One Nation under May

In Cumbria, they don’t count Labour votes – they weigh them. Or at least they did. Trudy Harrison’s victory in Copeland looks to be the first sign that there are…
Robert Hansard
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Centre WriteKieron O'Hara
April 28, 2017

Kieron O’Hara: Infernal doctrines?

Shortly after the 1885 General Election, the young Joseph Conrad wrote to a friend, bemoaning the result: Where’s the man to stop the rush of social-democratic ideas? The opportunity and…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
April 13, 2017

Philip Collins: Establishment in transition

The term ‘the Establishment’ is sometimes attributed, probably apocryphally, to the radical historian AJP Taylor. In a review in 1953 of a biography of William Cobbett in The New Statesman,…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
April 12, 2017

Joanne Bartley: We don’t need grammar schools, comprehensive education works

Nicky Morgan was right when she questioned the government's plans for new grammar schools: “We no longer live in a world where we need only the top 20% or 30%…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
April 12, 2017

Pauline Latham OBE MP: On World Health Day, Global Health is the Success Story of UK Aid

When it comes to UK aid, one area in particular has ennobled Britain and made the world a fairer, safer and more prosperous place: global health. On this day, World…
Robert Hansard
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Centre WriteSam Hall
April 5, 2017

Sam Hall: What do Conservatives think about renewable energy?

Increasing renewable energy generation was one of the big environmental achievements of the Coalition Government. The share of Britain’s electricity generated from renewable energy increased from 9% in 2011 to…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
April 4, 2017

Nusrat Ghani MP: Why I’m a Bright Blue MP

The Oxford English Dictionary has announced its international word of the year to be “post-truth”, defining it as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
March 30, 2017

Johan Norberg: The world is better than you think

I’ve got some good news for you, and some bad news. Let’s start with the good, because we need it right now. At the moment, we are witnessing the greatest…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
March 22, 2017

Chris Skidmore MP: Delivering a democracy that works for everyone

It is vital that as many eligible people as possible are heard in the democratic process to ensure we build a democracy that works for everyone. The EU Referendum in…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
March 20, 2017

Liam Booth-Smith: In Defence of Elitism

The elitism which I defend in this essay is not the sneering sort. I don’t hold the belief that because someone is born to wealth or privilege they are ‘better’,…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
March 17, 2017

James Dobson: Trust thy neighbour

2016 has been seen by many as a watershed political year: The rise of populism, the decline of the elites, and the birth of so-called ‘post-truth’ politics. First came Brexit,…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
March 13, 2017

Charlotte Henry: Post-truth politics: Feelings over Fact, Sentiment over Statement

“There are three types of lies,” Benjamin Disraeli is alleged to have declared, “lies, damned lies, and statistics”. One wonders what Disraeli or Mark Twain, who popularised the quotation, would…
Robert Hansard
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Centre Write
March 10, 2017

Andrea Jenkyns MP: We must trust the people

For me, it is an honour to write about honesty in politics. From a young age I was taught by my father that honesty is an important asset to have…
Robert Hansard
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Centre WriteSam Hall
March 8, 2017

Sam Hall: Rebels with a cause

Young people were always the true anti-establishment rebels. Kicking against the authority of their parents. Questioning the norms of earlier generations. Challenging vested interests. But in the era of Brexit…
Robert Hansard
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