Opinion
The buck has to stop with Sharon Shoesmith
There is no point making scapegoats of frontline staff. A case such as Baby P’s requires top managers to take responsibility
Read MoreThe Localism Bill: more power to the people
A Conservative councillor considers what this legislation, currently making its way through Parliament, could mean for Hackney residents
Read MoreHackney GPs speak out against government’s ‘destruction’ of the NHS
Local doctors express concern over the coalition government’s proposed health and social care reforms
Read MoreAV: electoral reform is good for Hackney
A Hoxton resident gives his view on why we need to change how we elect our MPs
Read MoreThere is no such thing as a ‘free school’ for Hackney
A local resident explains why we should be concerned about plans for a publicly-funded school that has no democratic accountability
Read MorePopularity should not dictate public health policy
Andrew Lansley’s moves on tobacco are welcome – but waiting for a swing in public opinion to act is the counsel of despair
Read MoreJustice For All campaigners seek support for Legal Aid
Hackney Citizens Advice Bureau explains how the proposed cuts to free legal advice will affect those in need
Read MoreCuts: time to sow, not prune
We need to invest in ‘green growth’ and beware of false economies, says Hackney Friends of the Earth
Read MoreClissold Park: time to close the ‘zoo’
All the animals need an environment appropriate to their needs and welfare – which means they should be re-homed somewhere else
Read MoreCritical mass needed to curb cyclist HGV deaths
A London Assembly Member speaks out on road safety and avoidable bike tragedies
Read MoreBudget night in Hackney
There was a ritual element to last night’s budget-setting in one of London’s stroppiest boroughs. The real politics of cuts have yet to start
Read MoreHackney Downs: everyone’s back yard
Stormont House students the deserve the best possible school, but ‘land-swap-loophole’ thinking by the powers-that-be is not part of the answer
Read MoreHackney Downs: our common wealth
A controversial proposal to build on a green space raises issues of ownership, control and access
Read MoreThe dead hand of the whips
Debate about legislation is being stifled by party managers forcing MPs to toe the government line, with toxic effect
Read MoreBlame consumer capitalism, not multiculturalism
David Cameron’s analysis is flawed; its individualism and globalisation that are undermining a strong national identity
Read MoreHow to be an aristocrat on £3 a day
Living the high life on a shoestring
Read MoreHipsters are agents of social change
The ranks of the skinny-jeaned get endlessly knocked – but I’m grateful for their part in making the lives of gay people easier
Read MoreShoppers: put your money where your mouth is
Plenty welcome the arrival of a new supermarket, but those who don’t should spend more at the local shops they value
Read MoreNHS changes: David Cameron’s dodgy prescription
Cameron’s NHS ‘reforms’ will work not in the interests of staff and patients, as he claims, but very much against them
Read MoreIt’s time to get angry
All this polite and smiley feminism is getting us nowhere
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