The junior doctor contract: the BMA must pick up the pieces and move forward

The latest episode of the four year battle between the Government and the British Medical Association (BMA) serves as stark reminder of the loneliness of ministerial office. But, argues Tony Hockley, in the end the buck really does stop with the Secretary of State. If the BMA works with the Health Secretary they could make further progress on the new contract, even after the decision on imposition. Perhaps more importantly, the BMA must now address the wider issues that face the NHS and start negotiating on next steps

Immigration policy will be the test of Theresa May’s “shared society”

The Prime Minister has a vision for a “shared society”. Yet, the Brexit vote revealed that large sections of the population have a vision for an old order. Tony Hockley writes that in this context, the government’s immigration policy is critical. He sees Brexit as an opportunity to shift norms of local identity, and draws on the Conservative Party’s history to suggest how the PM could sell such a change to her party

The Brexit vaccine war is a failure of empathy

The UK-EU vaccine war is a failure of empathy, writes Tony Hockley (LSE). He argues that the current blame game is a manifestation of deep-rooted political challenges originating from Brexit

Clear red lines, flexibility and the public’s support: we’re on our way to a rational Brexit

As 2016 draws to a close, the Commons has voted to trigger Article 50 in March 2017, Britain and the EU have established clear red lines for the exit negotiations and both have shown signs of flexibility. And the two recent by-election results indicate the country is content with Theresa May’s approach. Tony Hockley says the groundwork has been laid for a rational, incremental Brexit

The manifestos on the NHS: sticking plasters for health and social care

Tony Hockley reviews the Conservative and Labour pledges on health and social care and writes that both fail to offer a sustainable vision for long-term NHS funding. What’s worse, the two main parties continue to treat the NHS only as a treatment service, and so their promises neither reflect nor envision changes that would promote a more active living

The Sustainable Farming Initiative may look messy, but messy reform can sometimes be the best strategy

A ten-year project of English landscape reform appears an indeterminate mess, and COVID uncertainty has led to calls for delay. But ‘muddling through’ may turn out to be the best strategy to deliver change to reset the relationship between people, food and nature post-pandemic — if three vital ingredients are in place, says Tony Hockley

Do nudges work? Debate over the effectiveness of ‘nudge’ provides a salutary lesson on the influence of social science

Two recent papers have again brought into question the value and effectiveness of ‘nudge’ based policy interventions. Tony Hockley argues that as much as these studies reveal about nudge policies, they say more about the complex way social and behavioural science concepts have moved into the mainstream of policymaking

Social identity not social cash – why areas that received money from the EU voted against it

One surprise from the referendum result was the way in which areas of high public spending showed no gratitude for the largesse. The traditional approach to social division, focused on income inequality, will not heal a divided nation, argues Tony Hockley. Social identity is at least as important to uniting the country as social cash

What the 2017 Conservative manifesto should say about the NHS

The Conservative Party’s record on healthcare is not its strongest point in the polls. With the NHS caught in what seems like a perpetual crisis, and with services suffering all the more as a result, what promises can Theresa May make in her snap election manifesto? Tony Hockley writes that there is one critical pledge: the NHS must have its own 2% inflation target

Tough and tender: the winning formula for the next Prime Minister

Eleven Conservative MPs are currently running to succeed Theresa May. Whoever emerges from this contest as the next Prime Minister, they will need to have the human and technical skills to tackle both the emotional divisions of the country and the challenges of Brexit, writes Tony Hockley