Written by
Jon Bailes
Spitting Image: Why Politicians Collude with their Latex Lampoons
6 October 2020
, As the classic TV puppet satire show returns, Jon Bailes thinks satire needs to get much more serious

COVID-19 Could Mark the Beginning of the End for Obsessive Consumerism
21 July 2020
, Jon Bailes considers how free we really are under the free market system and whether the Coronavirus crisis will have revealed this to the public with far-reaching consequences

Sci-Fi Dystopias No Longer Warnings, but an Inspiration to Silicon Valley Billionaires
4 June 2020
, Jon Bailes looks at the social stratification in the TV remake of Snowpiercer and the new Final Fantasy video game and sees an instruction manual for the Uber-rich.

The Coronavirus Crisis: Boris Johnson’s COVID-19 Message Exploits a Long-Established Culture of Individualism
19 May 2020
, Jon Bailes explores why the Government may have changed its Coronavirus messaging to 'Stay Alert' and how this represents the tenets of a culture in which social problems are blamed on perceived individual failings.

The Fantasies of Video Game Cities Can’t Escape Real Social Contradictions
24 March 2020
, Jon Bailes looks at why even video games – as fantasies – can’t seem to consciously address the antagonisms of our political, economic and social lives.

Hollywood’s Take on Poverty and the Financial Crisis Lacks Political Bite
27 January 2020
, Jon Bailes considers whether big screen hits such as The Big Short and The Laundromat actually leave viewers inspired to act for political change or informed but pessimistic.
