Ahead of George Osborne's budget, Ed Miliband made a speech last week that many will have seen or read about. If in power, Ed said, Labour would be reintroducing the 10p tax rate while at the same introducing a mansion tax for properties over £2million.

'Would these measures be...

Before we go much further, we should say that neither of us was brought up under this antiquated guideline. From time to time our parents would comment that they were and when we were chattering on and on would attempt to invoke this ancient idea: none too successfully, it has...

Almost universal praise has greeted Danny Boyle's Olympic extravaganza. By turns moving, funny, surprising and bonkers, at the heart of his vision of Britain was the history of the British people, their struggles and achievements.

The words projected round the Olympic stadium encapsulated this vision: "this is for everyone."

Much has been written about George Galloway's shock victory in Bradford. This ranges from the sublime "young people refusing to be sacrificed to the logic of austerity" to the ridiculous "if Labour's leader were the Iraq-war-supporting David Miliband we wouldn't have lost."

As Labour activists, it was painful to see...

Across Europe, youth unemployment is rising. In Greece it stands at 40%; in Spain, 45%, in the UK, 20%.

Lying behind such statistics are young people struggling, and not just with the economic realities of unemployment but also with an uncomfortable truth.

Over the last 20 or so years,...

Over the last two years, it has been common for parallels to be drawn between the Thatcher and Reagan years of the 1980s and the experiences of today.

Many of us remember the 1980s and 1990s with mixed emotions. When thinking back to those dark days, many remember the miners'...

From time to time, disaffected Labour voters ask what the Labour Party is for.

Even committed Labourites like ourselves feel it is an important question to ask.

It takes on a powerful new form as we slip evermore deeply into the age of austerity. The pressing issue of the day...

Last week, we learned that not only are vast swathes of the general public feeling nervous about the Conservative's Healthcare Reform Bill, but so are healthcare professionals.

Several healthcare unions have started to sharpen their scalpels.

The Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwives previously...

January is a depressing month if you live in the northern hemisphere. Gloomy, damp, dark - and that's just the economic outlook!

The political scene for Labour supporters can look just as bleak and unforgiving if you focus on the rows and infighting that have been much in the news...

Even the most hardened of political anoraks might have missed the fact that something rather important happened this week, indicating the direction of travel for the Labour Party.

It came in a speech by Ed Miliband.

It would not be surprising if you missed this important moment. After...

2011 saw one phrase become increasingly popular across the globe. You would have to have your head in the sand or your fingers permanently in your ears to miss it.

'We are all in this together'.

It's usually uttered by our leaders when they are telling us that...