Time and again, recent governments have preferred hitting the panic button to telling the public things they don’t want to hear.
Some of the arguments for a directly elected or mayoral model seem to be set up against a straw man.
We need a new cross-departmental task force for flood-risk development, overseen by a new ministerial post.
The first piece in a mini-series on ConHome this week on Net Zero and climate change.
As the Government ushers us towards net zero, it had better be sure of the science. Unless it’s willing to risk a British equivalent of the Gilets Jaunes.
Our five year electoral cycle is driving MPs to compete for short-term green subsidies without questioning the medium-term consequences.
Many of these matters can only be made on the basis of imperfect information. The advantage of the elected official making the ultimate decision is one of accountability.
Javid’s resignation statement contained jokes but also warnings. “I’m a low-tax Conservative,” he said, and the Treasury “is the only tax-cutting ministry”.
“COBRA is a reference to Cabinet Office Briefing Room A – it is not the only room in which meetings can take place, Mr Speaker!”
“We have deployed over three miles of temporary flood barriers and 90 mobile pipes, and we have been keeping structures and rivers clear of debris.”
Eustice defends Johnson for not visiting areas affected by floods, saying he is fully engaged with efforts to help victims.
There is a refusal to provide dredging on animal welfare grounds. But millions of small mammals, insects, and invertebrates, are being drowned.
The Government seeks to make this the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it.
The Labour Leader got through by sticking with grim determination to the floods.
Flooding and pollution in England are issues we face year after year. While upgrading drainage and sewage infrastructure to manage heavier rainfall is part of the solution, it can only go so far in solving the problem.