Archive of articles from 2011

Eyewitness: Pension strike protest

Police look on as strikers march through central London

Policing a demonstration full of teachers is harder than it looks.

Pensions strike: In pictures

The London protest for striking public sector workers, in pictures.

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Pensions strike: Protesters speak out

Demonstrators speak out as they march in Westminster. Photo: Getty Images

Demonstrators in Westminster explain why they're out on strike.

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Comment: Spin over substance devalues parliament

Chris Bryant was elected as Labour party MP for Rhondda in 2001

Allowing the government to get away with briefing the media before MPs risks making parliament irrelevant.

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Comment: Three things you need to know about the strikes

Nadhim Zahawi has been Conservative MP for Stratford-on-Avon since 2010.

Today's strikes are wrong for public sector workers and unions should get back around the negotiating table.

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ASCL: Public sector could strike again

Brian Lightman, Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) general secretary, warns that today's disruption could be repeated.

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Francis Maude: Pension changes perfectly reasonable

Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude spoke on BBC1's Breakfast this morning, questioning the decision to strike while negotiations are in progress and branding the changes "perfectly reasonable".

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UCU: Government is in no position to preach on fairness

Sally Hunt, UCU general secretary, addresses a rally at Westminster Central Hall and accuses the government of hypocrisy.

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NUT: Teachers cannot stand back while pensions attacked

Christine Blower National Union of Teachers general secretary hits out at "disgraceful" attacks on teachers' pensions.

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PMQs sketch: The Speaker swats Cameron

He delivered the killer blow which Ed Miliband has been missing for months. The Speaker, not the leader of the opposition, is now David Cameron's number one parliamentary enemy.

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PMQs as-it-happened

Follow all the twists and turns of this week's PMQs with politics.co.uk's live blog.

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Comment: The story that almost never was

Dr Thom Brooks is reader in Political and Legal Philosophy at Newcastle University.

Forty academics have already resigned and 4,000 have signed petitions. We are united in our message - don't force the big society on us.

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Comment: Pushing up prison numbers isn't the answer

Juliet Lyon is director of the Prison Reform Trust

What people should know is that prisons are secure, costly, overcrowded institutions with unacceptably high reoffending rates.

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Miliband: Unions should not strike

Ed Miliband MP, Labour party leader, urges unions to get back around the negotiation table.

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Unite: Public do not believe Cameron

Len McCluskey, Unite's general secretary accuses David Cameron of "crocodile tears" over cuts and says that the public do not believe him.

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PM: Changes are fair

David Cameron, prime minister, calls on unions to accept that changes to public service pensions are both necessary and fair.

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Michael Gove on mathematics and civilisation

Full text of Michael Gove speech at the Royal Society on maths and science.

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David Cameron's LGA speech in full

David Cameron makes the government's case on public sector pensions

David Cameron addresses the Local Government Association's conference in Birmingham, two days before public sector workers strike over their pensions:

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