The political ride in Britain, in Europe and more widely is set to get bumpier, sometimes alarming, and never less than fascinating, says Simon Barrow. But the key question remains: who does (and who should?) call the shots in shaping the capacity of our key institutions both to respond to popular pressures and to ride the economic tiger?

An amendment to protect the benefits of disabled children once Universal Credit is introduced has been defeated in the House of Lords.

Two-thirds of schools and thousands of agencies shut down yesterday as over 2 million workers joined 'the biggest strike in a generation', according to organisers.

Wednesday 30 November will see the first mass strike across Britain for four decades, as public sector workers protest against pension cuts.