Public opinion

Public opinion is New Start’s forum for discussion. Blog entries are posted by site members from all over the sector, and discussion of the topics presented is encouraged. Becoming a member is completely free and gives you the opportunity to help contribute to the most exciting portal for regeneration, economic development and sustainable communities on the web. Site membership is now open, and you can be registered and begin submitting entries in less than 5 minutes! Just use the links at the top of the page.

No, of course I'm not suggesting for a moment that it's acceptable, sensible or desirable that bank executives earn millions of pounds in bonuses whilst sitting on piles of taxpayers' money.

But the almost exclusive focus of the media (and our MPs) on bankers' bonuses and remuneration packages is diverting …

With all that's happened over the last 18 months or so in the financial sector and the economy it's been made quite plain that an unhealthy desire for more is ultimately what has led us to the place we currently find ourselves.

We can sit and point the finger and …

The National Indicator Set (NIS) is designed to offer government (at all levels) and its agents and partners a common framework for assessing conditions, and change in those conditions, across England.

Over recent months in the Commission for Rural Communities we have undertaken a comprehensive assessment of the potential to … Despite the lack of ambition in the Conservative's banking reform policy white paper, the Shadow Chancellor is associated with some more radical proposals. George Osborne is a member of the Advisory Council of the think-tank Demos, home of the Progressive Conservatism project -Great blog Toby. I have to say I share not only your thoughts on the current state of play but reluctantly your view on what actual change would result from these proposals.
The fact that the tax payer has invested into the banking sector and is yet to see any return on this investment (in fact quite the opposite) is a sign for me that sadly business as usual will be the order of the day.
I might go as far as to say that there are probably far too many conflicts of interest in the mix for any government to arrive at a strategy which would prevent banks from bringing us into another recession in the same way in the future. Any proposals for change would have to be so radical that they would never get tabled.