Latest news stories from Hyperlocal sites tagged with 'Comment is free' :: Page 1

Politicians are keeping us in the dark over how public money is being used by private health providers such as Circle

All three major parties should keep in mind that a good local election result does not lay a path to general election victory

A comfy consensus has been reached on the merits of elected mayors, despite an absence of any real debate on the issue

Put the shutters up on the shops, but not in our minds. A punitive and condemning reaction simply mirrors the alienation so many already experience

Yes, we must regain control of the streets, but loose talk about rubber bullets and water cannon will achieve nothing

It's a year to the start of the 2012 Olympics. Iain Sinclair, writer and arch critic of the project, takes on Labour's Tessa Jowell who played a ke...

Boris Johnson has given youth violence a high profile, but needs to ask whether stop-and-search does more harm than good

There is no point making scapegoats of frontline staff. A case such as Baby P's requires top managers to take responsibility

Andrew Lansley's moves on tobacco are welcome – but waiting for a swing in public opinion to act is the counsel of despair

Debate about legislation is being stifled by party managers forcing MPs to toe the government line, with toxic effect

David Cameron's analysis is flawed; its individualism and globalisation that are undermining a strong national identity

The ranks of the skinny-jeaned get endlessly knocked – but I'm grateful for their part in making the lives of gay people easier

Plenty welcome the arrival of a new supermarket, but those who don't should spend more at the local shops they value

Cameron's NHS 'reforms' will work not in the interests of staff and patients, as he claims, but very much against them

All this polite and smiley feminism is getting us nowhere

As billions are expected to be paid out to bankers, Labour MP Diane Abbott argues that the bonus culture is toxic, while libertarian Mark Littlewoo...

The local population were promised jobs and a starring role. Now it seems many may barely feel touched by the games

The axing of the education maintenance allowance to help poor teenagers stay at school feels like targeted government malice

I don't resent my council-house neighbours who are helped by the taxpayer. I'm happy to pay to live in a mixed community

From guerilla gardening to outdoor ping-pong, we are becoming more creative with the gaps developers leave behind