A big step forward - or just more hot air?

While there was much to applaud in George Osborne's autumn statement, there remains a fundamental disconnect between the Chancellor's aspirations for the Northern regions and the tools he is prepared to put at their disposal.

Here's this week's Journal column.

If Johnson won't play ball, what about Andy Burnham?

Despite yesterday's fighting speech, Ed Miliband's personal unpopularity is dragging his party down and making the re-election of a Tory-led government much more likely.   For the party to fail to recognise and act on this would amount to a betrayal of its own values.   Here's this week's Journal column.

http://www.thejournal.co.uk/opinion/paul-linford-labour-not-address-8113524

Elected mayors are not the answer to the English Question

The arrogance of George Osborne in seeking to impose a system of 'metro mayors' on cities which have already rejected the idea is quite breathtaking.   Worse still is the government's lazy assumption that this is in some way an answer to the 'English Question.'   Here's this week's Journal column.