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Editorial Thursday 27 July 2016: Politics, comedy and the Overton Window

Publish Date/Time: 
07/28/2016 - 10:54

The Overton Window is a political theory, which holds that there is a finite range of ideas that voters will find electorally acceptable.

The range of the Overton Window is finite, but crucially, it’s not fixed. Items can move or be moved from fringe to mainstream, and vice versa. Look at Euroscepticism in the Conservative Party for a perfect example: fringe in the late 1980s; mainstream today.

Editorial Thursday 14 July 2016: New PM Theresa May retains Jeremy Hunt as Health Secretary

Publish Date/Time: 
07/14/2016 - 12:00

2016 is a year of surprises: I got a couple of political predictions right.

Both were on Twitter: first up, I replied to former Guardian leader writer and new Prospect editor Tom Clarke's tweeted assertion that "the great revolt of the people of England prepares the way for the smooth transition of power from one Etonian to the next", with the query "did Theresa May really attend Eton?"

Editorial Thursday 7 July 2016: Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt's speech to the 2016 Reform Health conference

Publish Date/Time: 
07/07/2016 - 09:50

Consider a country that has run out of money, just come out of a damaging battle in Europe with huge differences between the haves and the have-nots. Britain in 1948 (laughter). Despite those extraordinary challenges in 1948, the visionary Labour statesman Nye Bevan came up with his extraordinary vision of the NHS.

Guest editorial Thursday 7 June 2016: A new, kinder NHS

Publish Date/Time: 
07/07/2016 - 04:47

Labour party insider and health policy adviser Mo Mentum explains what a Corbyn government will do to get the NHS back on its feet

Pledge 1: We will immediately put a stop to plans by this totally corrupt Tory government to break up and sell off our NHS, starting by repealing the Lansley Act which handed over control of everything to David Cameron’s rich chums Richard Branson and Simon Stevens.

Guest editorial Tuesday 5 July 2016: On the political confusion of 'activists' hoping to shape Labour's health policy

Publish Date/Time: 
07/05/2016 - 09:54

'Pierre Poujade' follows on from Health Policy Insight's recent, exclusive and accurate stories about John McDonnell's efforts to subvert Labour Party policymaking process

The arguments about who advises the Labour Party on the NHS, revealed by Health Policy Insight have reopened some of the claims about the passing of the 2012 Health and Social Care Act.

Editorial Monday 4 July 2016: Why Simon Stevens is the Heineken of leaders

Publish Date/Time: 
07/04/2016 - 13:51

Health Service Journal's leak of Simon Stevens' weekly email to NHS staff shows why he is the Heineken of NHS and public sector leaders: he refreshes the parts other leaders cannot reach.

Simon puts the Government on notice that the Leave campaign's funding commitments must be honoured, and puts clear markers down to support staff who come from beyond the UK.

Editorial Thursday 27 June 2016: Heidi Alexander on the John McDonnell clandestine advisory group

Publish Date/Time: 
06/30/2016 - 07:17

There has been lively discussion on social media about HPI's recent stories about the McDonnell Policy review and yesterday's follow-up.

Some of this discussion has been reasonable and reasoned in tone; some not so much. That's left-to-far-left politics for you, unfortunately.

Editorial Wednesday 29 June 2016: More on the clandestine McDonnell health policy review

Publish Date/Time: 
06/29/2016 - 05:55

Since publishing yesterday's piece revealing the clandestine review of health policy by John McDonnell, I have had various challenges by email and social media about my sources.

Good stuff.

The documentary source material is from the minutes of a grouping of health campaigners. Two separate individuals sent me the same document. Helpfully, I've since seen that it's on their website.

Editorial Tuesday 28 June 2016: Labouring under the delusion of secrecy - the clandestine McDonnell policy review

Publish Date/Time: 
06/28/2016 - 13:57

Ever since Jeremy Corbyn's spectacular victory in the Labour Party's leadership context, his skills as a leader have been in question.

This isn't surprising. Having never held ministerial, shadow, PPS or whipping roles, Mr Corbyn was never very likely to know how anything bigger than a pressure group or a demonstration was run.

Editorial Monday 27 June 2016: Serial liar Boris Johnson - the Frank Sidebottom of Conservative politics

Publish Date/Time: 
06/27/2016 - 09:32

The ramifications of the advisory referendum on leaving the EU continue to manifest themselves as an heroic act of political and economic self-harm.

It is wholly clear that the Leave campaigns' leaders have simply no plan whatsoever.