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Honestly held opinions and provocative argument based on current events or our recent reports.

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A Rake’s Progress: How Men Have to Face Up to their Eating Disorders
As Freddie Flintoff speaks publicly about having bulimia, Nathan O'Hagan explains how lockdown has made him finally confront his own condition

Imperial Power & Conservative Taboo: ‘Shutting Down Debate on Empire is Britain’s Ultimate Imperial Legacy’
Following the backlash over a ‘wokeist’ National Trust report on the links of historic buildings to colonialism and slavery, Hardeep Matharu speaks to one of its editors about how the predictable response is itself a hangover from the country’s colonial era

The Tyranny of Gavin Williamson's Freedom Agenda
The Education Secretary’s ‘freedom’ crusade is a rhetorical smokescreen for the Government's instinctively authoritarian policies, argues Sam Bright

War is Boring – But We Need to Scrutinise the Military More than Ever
Iain Overton and Murray Jones explore the repercussions of a lack of rigorous scrutiny of the UK's past military actions and how reverence for soldiers is weaponised as the ultimate political tool

Modern Day Islamophobia Starts with the US and Israeli Right-Wing but Ends With Saudi Arabia and the UAE
CJ Werleman traces the evolution of a plan to equate Islam with ‘terrorism’ to an ideology deployed by Arab Gulf leaders and autocrats everywhere

‘Cuties’ Recycles the Same Damaging Stereotypes About Muslim Women – But Where was the Outrage?
Amina Shareef reviews Cuties, which has attracted criticism for its over-sexualisation of young girls, and finds a troubling portrayal of Muslim femininity

The Paradox of Brexit and COVID-19: Closer to Europe
Jonathan Portes argues that the Government's EU negotiations and Coronavirus measures are actually drawing the UK deeper into the European mainstream

‘There is No Alternative to Herd Immunity’: How a Dangerous Fallacy Infected the World
Sam Bright reports on the spread of a dangerous concept that has gained a foothold in public health decisions across the globe
Mainstreaming Fringe Science on COVID-19 Puts Lives At Risk
Epidemiologist Deepti Gurdasani and neuroscientist Hisham Ziauddeen warn against the false narrative of the ‘two views’ on how to tackle a second Coronavirus wave, which undermines the almost unanimous consensus that does exist on the most serious pandemic in living memory
Political Manipulation has Made ‘Patriotism’ a Dirty Word
The Labour Party is attempting to recapture patriotism from closed-border populists – a move that should be welcomed not condemned, argues Eleanor Longman-Rood
How ‘Fortress Europe’ is Complicit in Greece’s Asylum Tragedy
Jonathan Fenton-Harvery reports on the destruction of Europe's largest refugee camp and argues it exposes the region's lack of humanity towards those fleeing war
Johnson’s Suggestion that ‘Freedom-Loving’ Britain has a Death Wish May Be his Greatest Insight
With 60,000 people dead from COVID-19, a failing economy, a trashed international reputation, a ‘no deal’ Brexit looming and a second Coronavirus wave, Hardeep Matharu explores whether the Prime Minister is right in declaring that the British public’s own sense of exceptionalism has put the UK on a unique, sadopopulist path
Tackling Islamophobia in ‘Terrorism’ Won’t happen by Sticking the Label On More White Perpetrators
Government policy around counter-terrorism and programmes such as Prevent, not just media coverage, must be examined to shift damaging narratives around Islam in Britain
The COVID Chumocracy
The UK under Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings is being governed by party stooges and corporate blobs lacking experience but offering loyalty, argues Sam Bright
A Second Coronavirus Wave was Only ‘Inevitable’ Because Johnson Messed Up
With the Prime Minister admitting that new restrictions could last for six months, Mike Buckley explores why the UK is in such a bad position compared to other countries in Europe