Jill Kirby: Being a woman was intrinsic to Margaret Thatcher’s rise. And it was also intrinsic to her fall

Jill Kirby is a writer and policy analyst, and was Director of the Centre for Policy Studies, 2007-2011. “If you… Read more »

Jill Kirby: Michael Gove is right to change course

Was it the curse of Clegg, the EU, Whitehall intransigence or the advice of the Education Select Committee, or all… Read more »

Jill Kirby: The challenges and opportunities the Conservatives have for the rest of their time in government

This has been a fractious year for the coalition, during which Nick Clegg's evident discomfort with his Conservative colleagues has… Read more »

Jill Kirby: Why has Keith Vaz rushed into the prank phone-call tragedy?

Leicester MP Keith Vaz has called for an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Jacintha Saldanha. Mr Vaz… Read more »

Jill Kirby: Theresa May mustn’t browbeat Parliament into accepting the Data Communications Bill

“Anybody who is against this bill is putting politics before people’s lives.” So Theresa May informed readers of the Sun… Read more »

Jill Kirby: If the Work Programme is to work, the Government should be more realistic — and get cracking with supply-side reform!

Yesterday we learnt that the coalition's back-to-work programme has missed its own, rather modest, target. Fewer than 1 in 20… Read more »

Jill Kirby: Equality Impact Assessments ride off into the sunset. We won’t miss them.

In his speech to the CBI on Monday, David Cameron made an important admission: the coalition has been ineffective in cutting… Read more »

Jill Kirby: The database state is not dead, just privatised

Remember the “database state”? Before the last election, freedom lovers in the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties were highly critical… Read more »

Jill Kirby: Nurses should be carers not managers — the Willis report raises serious questions about NHS neglect

Politicians are always telling us how much we love the NHS, and how we should value the nurses and doctors… Read more »

Jill Kirby: How to avoid further child benefit chaos

“Excruciatingly difficult” is how Nick Clegg describes the new tax charge intended to recoup child benefit payments from households in… Read more »

Jill Kirby: We need more politicians with outside experience – and that means being grown-up about MPs’ expenses

Isn't it time we started trusting our MPs a little more? Last week the Telegraph reopened its expenses war on… Read more »

Jill Kirby: Childcare policy should start with children

Childcare Minister Liz Truss is right to point out that the last Labour government spent far too much money on… Read more »

Jill Kirby: The benefits of a family-based social policy

When the Tory faithful last met in Birmingham, two years ago, an audacious announcement by George Osborne on breakfast TV… Read more »

Jill Kirby: We can’t rely on government, so we have to start saving for old age

With inflation still outstripping wage rises, this is not the easiest time for a government to get more workers saving… Read more »

Jill Kirby: The dead hand of the Liberal Democrats can be felt on Gove’s E-bac plan

Michael Gove is widely regarded as a radical reformer. Until now, he has brilliantly combined  radicalism with reassurance. But the… Read more »