Police corruption might not appear to have much in common with guitar-based rock bands. But what is beyond dispute is that both were so much better in the 1970s.

And even if Ali Dizaei did do the odd line of charlie, fiddle his exes or indulge in a spot of extramarital with the full permission of the missus – none of which is proven – that hardly makes him the contemporary incarnation of evil.

Recently, Labour Party members in Liverpool Wavertree chose Luciana Berger, a 28 year old Londoner who works as Director of Labour Friends of Israel, as their candidate for the next general election. This has led to criticisms that the Labour Party “parachutes” loyalists from London into safe seats.

But does the accusation really hold up in reality?

contribution by Adam Lent

Back when cuts mania was all the rage during the conference season of 2009, only the TUC, others on the left and serious commentators like Martin Wolf argued that cuts came with major economic consequences.

These views were of course rejected by the small state right in the form of the Institute of Directors, the Taxpayers Alliance and the Conservative Party itself.

I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time these days sitting in sessions about New Media and politics in which men tell women why women don’t blog. The New Media debate at the Progressive London conference this month was exciting, and uplifting, and full of cutting-edge ideas about How to Use the Internet to Re-energise the British Left, and at the end of his speech, Andy Newman made a little, throwaway comment which made me feel as if all the air had been kicked out of my chest in one go.

“Not many women are really involved in blogging, because the blogosphere is quite pugnacious.”

A detailed examination of expenses claims submitted by Nadine Dorries, the Conservative MP for Mid-Bedfordshire, indicates that she submitted almost £70,000 in expenses claims for services provided by two public relations companies in the 2½ years from November 2006 to June 2009.

These claims include more £20,000 for services provided by a PR company, set-up by a former Tory spin doctor in 2004, relating to Dorries’ controversial anti-abortion campaign, which failed to secure a change in the law cutting the upper-time limit for abortions from 24 to 20 weeks.

I was shocked when I found that eight years of Ken as Mayor and ten years of the current government saw the housing waiting lists double and house prices spiral out of control. But with Boris now in office and cuts to the budget threatening to wipe out the affordable housing programmes, this bleak story looks set to get even worse.

In my recent report, Coming home to roost, I showed how the policies of two Mayors of London have failed to deliver secure, safe, comfortable housing.

contribution by Climate Sock

Another week, another shonky poll? On Friday the BBC reported their new survey, which they claimed showed a clear drop in the number of people who believe in climate change or that it’s man-made.

After the BBC’s inaccurate coverage of a climate poll last year, I was ready for this to be another bit of mis-reporting ripe for a take-down.

If you trawl Liverpool FC’s unofficial fan forums, it won’t be long before you stumble upon a long thread lamenting the lack of scousers in the squad.

You can see shades of this frustration in the backlash over Luciana Berger’s selection as Labour’s candidate for Liverpool Wavertree.

contribution by Simon Fanshawe & Danny Sriskandarajah

Last week we published a report through ippr suggesting that we really did need to catch up in our approach to identity and how we foster diversity and tackle inequality.

Our central point was to question the belief that our identities any longer fit neatly into ‘tick boxes’ or that equality issues fit neatly into ‘strands’. Doing this produces a simplistic and sometimes false picture of disadvantage.

contribution by Luis Enrique

The appropriate role of government in the economy is a fundamental question, and one that should excite the interest of LC readers.

In the interminable blog war between libertarians and statists, there are two polarized positions that all sensible people should disavow….