Labour's Citizen Smith is missing the mark

For someone who has taken such an anti-radical view of policy it is a touch ironic that Ed Miliband has now decided his election rallying cry will be a Citizen Smith style ‘power to the people’. Unfortunately there is nothing remotely radical in his ideas – just a re-hash of Hazel Blears days in local government and communities and Blair’s obsession with NHS meddling under the guise of patient power. Perhaps Mr Miliband needs a little lesson on what already exists in terms of ‘people power’:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/09/ed-miliband-power-unaccountable-public-private

Who is Stella Creasey? Where has she been hiding?

“Labour should demand value for money from the state sector argues party’s ‘rising star’” http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/aug/14/labour-focus-value-for-money. Stella Creasey, Labour MP for Walthamstow made headlines yesterday in what must have been a “back to the future moment” for those of us involved in the public sector, or to quote the great Yogi Berra, déjà-vu all over again.