Author Archives: wonkypolicywonk

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About wonkypolicywonk

Wonkypolicywonk is a recovering policy minion, assigned wonky at birth.

ET claim/case numbers: the new normal?

Posted on March 16, 2019 by wonkypolicywonk

Nine months ago, in June 2018, I noted on this blog that Employment Tribunal (ET) claim/case numbers had still not settled at a new, post-ET fees normal. Having seemingly stabilised in Quarter 3 of 2017/18, the numbers had then increased … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice, Workers' rights | Tagged , | 1 Comment

From here to Brexternity

Posted on January 24, 2019 by wonkypolicywonk

So, we’ve had one Meaningful Vote, and next Tuesday we will have another. Which begs the question: How many bloody Meaningful Votes do there have to be before anything meaningful happens? Because Theresa May’s defeat in what future historians will … Continue reading →

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Brexit: WHEN will it all end? HOW will it all end?

Posted on January 3, 2019 by wonkypolicywonk

So, the xmas break is over, and in Parliament the Brexit bullshit is about to start all over again – with knobs on. For my sins, I work in Parliament and, if I had a penny for everyone who asked … Continue reading →

Posted in Brexit | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Brexit: Nothing (much) has changed!

Posted on November 20, 2018 by wonkypolicywonk

So, another month has passed, and my rash prediction of the outcome of the UK’s tortuously bungled negotiations with the EU27 is just about still in the race. Last month on this blog, I concluded that “while anything could still … Continue reading →

Posted in Brexit | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Brexit: Nothing has changed!

Posted on October 23, 2018 by wonkypolicywonk

Another Monday, another oral ministerial statement to MPs on progress (or not) in the Brexit negotiations. Two weeks ago, following the somewhat less than triumphant informal EU summit in Salzburg, the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, Dominic Raab, … Continue reading →

Posted in Brexit | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Love is blind, and so is Brexit

Posted on August 9, 2018 by wonkypolicywonk

“Love is blind, and lovers cannot see”, says Jessica, daughter of Shylock, in The Merchant of Venice. And, while we can only guess what Shakespeare would have made of the tragicomical farce that is Brexit, with its unappealing cast of … Continue reading →

Posted in Brexit | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

ET claims: the new normal? Maybe not yet.

Posted on June 14, 2018 by wonkypolicywonk

“There is no such thing in life as normal”, sang my erstwhile hero Morrissey on his 2006 song ‘The youngest was the most loved’. But on this, as on so many things, Morrissey was wrong. Because, under the justice-denying fees … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Withdrawal symptoms: Will the Government withdraw the EU (Withdrawal) Bill?

Posted on May 30, 2018 by wonkypolicywonk

The other night, I had one of those strange but strangely realistic dreams that it is hard to shake off upon waking. I dreamt that I had been sentenced to five weeks in prison, for putting too many ticks on … Continue reading →

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Penny pinching: enforcement (or not) of the minimum wage

Posted on March 15, 2018 by wonkypolicywonk

“A penny saved is a penny earned.” So said the 18th century clever clogs, Benjamin Franklin. Allegedly. Maybe. OK, it seems he probably didn’t say it. But, if he did, we could justly consider Franklin to be an astonishingly far-sighted … Continue reading →

Posted in Workers' rights | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

ET claims: the new normal

Posted on March 8, 2018 by wonkypolicywonk

So, with today’s publication by the Ministry of Injustice of the latest set of quarterly tribunal statistics, giving us five full months’ worth of ET claim/case statistics since the Supreme Court did the High Court’s job for it and ruled … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice, Workers' rights | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments