Ruth Fox

Director, Hansard Society Parliament and Government programme

Who votes on what, when, and why: what if one half of the job share turns out to be a rebel in disguise whilst the other is a party loyalist to the core?

Mags Waterhouse and Bev Clack

Vice Chair of Labour Left, a political think-tank that was formed in 2011

Being honest about the limits that face us but having a clear set of priorities shaping our actions allows for a more honest, more human and more humane politics to be shaped.

Planet Ivy

News for the bored generation

Potential MPs should only be able to stand as a candidate if they'd done a year long work placement (paid at the going rate, let's not stoop to their level). I don't care where - could be in a solicitors, could be in a cafe, but they should know that where they choose could affect the voters' choice.

Alison Garnham

Chief Executive of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)

There has been a great deal of misleading commentary about the Child Poverty Act framework in the last few months. First of all, many make the mistake of thinking there is only one target and the targets are only about income, but as anyone can read in sections one to seven of the Act, this is completely untrue.

Nicholas Barrett

International Journalism student at City University London

Modern politics is all about framing. Due to decades of public skepticism towards politicians, party leaders no longer wish to be seen as dogmatic ideologues, they would much rather be thought of as pragmatic managers of public life.

Neil Scott

Lefty blogger who is based in Scotland and who supports the movement for an Independent Scotland.

The UK is not OK for Scotland's vulnerable.

Enver Solomon

Director of Evidence and Impact at the National Children’s Bureau

A key component in the mix of measures required to reduce child poverty is to make childcare more affordable to poorer families and thereby encourage more mothers into work. This is central to the approach of countries like Denmark, where 84 per cent of mothers are in employment, compared to just 67 per cent in the UK.

Charmian Hughes

Stand-up comic, woman of wisdom-ness

The Jesuits say 'Give me the boy at seven and I will give you the man'. Chris Huhne wasn't seven when I first met him, he was 11. It was 1965, I was nine and my family had just moved to London. Like all boys, Chris was an annoying squirt. I was an instant devotee. Not only was he fantastic but he was also the only proper boy I knew.

Huw L. Hopkins

Master of journalism, Bachelor of the written word

He leans too far to the right to be Labour, and annoys his own backbenchers for implementing policy that aren't traditionally held party beliefs. His record abroad is impressive, but at home, much of the country has taken a dislike to Tony Blair... what you thought I was talking about David Cameron?

John McFall

Rt Hon John McFall, Lord McFall of Alcluith

It is now six months since the LIBOR scandal erupted - and we are still trying to assess how much damage that and other scandals have done to public trust in the banks.

George Lyon

Liberal Democrat MEP for Scotland and Vice-Chair of the European Parliament's Budget Committee

On Friday, the member states reached agreement on a funding settlement that will shape the EU in years to come. There are many things that we can we welcome in the deal that was announced earlier. But there are a number of issues that are of concern.

David Clark

Editor of shiftinggrounds.org and served as Robin Cook's Special Adviser at the Foreign Office 1997-2001

Ed Miliband deserves much more credit for the progress he has made so far in putting Labour back in contention.

Dr Kate Hudson

General Secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)

Many people from across the political spectrum are opening their minds to a reconsideration of Britain's strategic and security needs.

Tom Greatrex

Shadow Energy Minister

It is relatively rare in politics for there to be something approaching universal support for a single policy. Yet that is where we are, or were, in relation to setting a target for the decarbonisation of the power sector by 2030, and it is why MPs from the governing parties should today give their backing to Labour's amendment to include a target in the Energy Bill.

Jasdev Singh Rai

Medical Doctor, with MA in politics, human rights activist and community worker

Isn't it time the Lib Dems did something REALLY for the nation. Dump the Tories, precipitate another election and let people decide whether they want to continue to be martyrs to Osborne's austerity mantra. Or elect a Government that will help people to get the economy going.

Tony Koutsoumbos

Chairman of the European Movement in London

The genie is out of the bottle. A referendum has been promised and, according to consecutive opinion polls, is demanded by the British people. There is no room to manoeuvre. There is no going back.