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SubscriptionsSection: Argument
Honestly held opinions and provocative argument based on current events or our recent reports.
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University Strikes: An Inevitable Result of the Damaging Legacy of Marketisation
Thousands of academic staff have had to accept sub-standard working conditions and casualised contracts as politicians have attempted to alter the purpose of the education system, writes Thomas Perrett
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Xi-Think: The Imminent Dangers of Absolute Power in China
The fate of China and much of the world is now dependent on the whims of one man, says Chris Ogden
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The Government’s Energy Price Guarantee is Subsidising High Carbon Lifestyles
Thiemo Fetzer, Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick, argues that the Government’s response to the energy crisis is wasting a unique opportunity
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‘Worse to Accuse than Abuse’?: The Parental Alienation Crisis in the Family Courts
Beatrix Campbell analyses the controversial theory that appears to be a backlash against women’s allegations of domestic violence and sexual abuse
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Brexit’s Global Trade is Fit for Georgian England: Devoid of Ethical Responsibility
Iain Overton reflects on the Government’s policy of Free Trade Deals with countries regardless of their human rights
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Ministers Should Face Legal Sanctions for Breaking Rules, say MPs
David Hencke reports on the Commons Committee which proposes wholesale reform of the ‘toothless’ regulators supposed to safeguard propriety in public office
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British Journalism and ‘Threats of Legally-Inflicted Oblivion’
As a major Anti-SLAPP conference closes in London, lawyer Alex Wade reflects on members of his profession who work on ‘Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation
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Islamophobia Awareness Month: ‘Where There is Hate, Freedom Dies’
With religious hate crimes on the rise, Afzal Khan and Benedict Rogers, a Muslim and a Christian, call on the Conservative Party to protect lives and religious freedom
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The Great Contraction: How the End of Cheap Money and Energy Will Degrade or Renew Civilisation
Nafeez Ahmed predicted the 2008 financial crash. But it was not resolved and has led to a more profound crisis which will require a major restructuring of the global economy to survive
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‘Stubborn Optimism Will Pave the Way to Climate Disaster’
We can’t seriously address the climate emergency until we admit that some of our hopes have died, writes Rupert Read
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What Now for Scottish Independence?
Barrister Gareth Roberts sets out the options available to Nicola Sturgeon following the UK Supreme Court’s decision that she cannot hold a second independence referendum without Westminster’s approval
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The Wheels Coming Off on the Chancellor’s ‘Tough Road Ahead’
Rachel Morris looks at the ideological underpinning and likely real-world effects of Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn statement and sees Britain heading down a road to nowhere
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‘The Supreme Court’s Scottish Referendum Ruling Shows the UK is a Prison of Nations’
The Union is not based on consent – European leaders must now make it clear Scotland will be welcomed as the only country to be taken out of the EU against its will, writes Anthony Barnett
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‘The Putin Regime: An Obituary’
Putin has already lost his war against Ukraine, on the ground, in the air, and on its airwaves. It’s just a matter of time before the consequences for him and his repellent regime become apparent
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‘Beware Absolute Monarchs Bearing Gifts’
Afsana Lachaux warns of the impact of Britain’s dependence on the £140bn invested by Gulf states, from the impact on London’s housing to a rising political influence
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‘Jeremy Hunt’s Energy Price Hike is a Cynical Betrayal of Britain’
Martin Shaw unpicks the motives and the structural economic forces behind the Chancellor’s decision to further inflate household energy costs
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The Toxin of Televisuality
As the democratic dangers posed by social media are exposed, the degradation of our politics by the small screen should not be forgotten, writes AC Grayling
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‘A World Cup Like No Other’
The whiff that lingered at the announcement that Qatar would host the 2022 tournament has never faded, writes Gary Gowers
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‘Where’s the World Cup Fever?’
As the famous tournament kicks off this weekend in Qatar, Adrian Goldberg explores why this year’s event is attracting a more muted excitement
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Is Russia Losing Both the Kinetic and Information War?
With the liberation of Kherson and no ‘red wave’ in the US Congress, Mark Temnycky considers how Russia faces defeats on the ground and a loss of influence
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‘“Some Sort of Reparations” Cannot Be Out of the Question’
COP27 has exposed the hypocrisy of world leaders who refuse to acknowledge it is incumbent on wealthier nations to invest in worldwide climate adaptation, writes Thomas Perrett
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‘Whose Opera is it Anyway?’
Composer Howard Goodall unpicks Art Council England’s announcement that it will be redistributing £50 million of funding for the English National Opera outside of London and the south-east
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‘Lady Chatterley’s Brexit’
Not accepting or being able to discuss the damage caused by Britain’s exit from the EU leaves the country in a unsustainable position, writes Chris Grey
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Putin’s Toxic Masculinity and Satanic Conspiracies
Sian Norris considers the Russian President’s use of aggressive and violent masculinity to justify his invasion of Ukraine, and how it links to his Satanic conspiracy theories
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‘Amateur Hour in British Politics’
As more and more ministers are handed top jobs for their loyalty rather than their competence, former diplomat Alexandra Hall Hall considers what we can do about this democratic deficit
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‘Climate Change is Not Gender Neutral’
Energy action goes hand in hand with gender equality – which is why female climate change representatives as speakers, panellists and thought leaders at COP27 is imperative, writes Rabina Khan
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Williamson and Braverman: Revenge for Regicide?
Simon Walters sees a historical pattern as two ministers who defected from Boris Johnson to Rishi Sunak appear to be targeted for their perfidy
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‘Musk’s Twitter Buy Makes No Sense – Unless It’s Part of Something Bigger’
Brexit and Trump were initially seen as jokes, but the new owner of the social media giant could pose a serious threat to democracy – and a boon for Vladimir Putin, writes David Troy
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Financialisation: The Growth of British Economic Inequality
Thatcher’s ‘Big Bang’ fundamentally restructured the UK economy – bidding up asset prices and pushing down wages and living standards, writes Thomas Perrett
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‘When he Chooses to, Rishi Sunak is Happy to Match Braverman in the Hate Speech Stakes’
Asked about ‘grooming gangs’, he ignored the evidence and slapped the blame on a single ethnic minority – a revealing moment, writes Brian Cathcart
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Can Brazil’s new President Save the Amazon from Total Destruction?
Jon Lubbock explains the challenges awaiting President Lula, and how the rest of the world is also implicated in deforestation
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‘Misogyny in the Police is Why I Did Not Report’
Another day, another damning report has been released about misogyny and men’s violence in policing – is it any wonder women like me don’t report, asks Sian Norris
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What Rishi Sunak Got Wrong in the Pandemic
Much has been made of Rishi Sunak’s record as Chancellor during the global healthcare emergency but, as Sian Norris reports, he didn’t get all the big calls right
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Corporate Lobbying Threatens to Undermine Biodiversity
A new report shows the extent to which powerful corporations and fossil fuel interests exert their influence to delay or roll back legislation to protect the environment
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‘The Suella Braverman Scandal Shows Rishi Sunak has Quickly Traded “Integrity” for Power’
The new Prime Minister’s deal with the disgraced Home Secretary gives the lie to claims he is making a clean break from the Truss and Johnson eras, writes Adam Bienkov
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The Myth of the Blocked Ambulance
Jet McDonald explores how a belief that environmental protesters are blocking ambulances is used to justify anti-protest legislation and divert us from the climate emergency
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‘This Is Not Britain’s Obama Moment’
Adrian Goldberg speaks to Michael Bankole, who has researched race and representation in politics, about what Rishi Sunak’s rise to power means for ethnic minorities in Britain for the Byline Times Podcast
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‘The Tufton Street Mindset Will Endure Under Rishi Sunak’
Sam Bright warns that, despite crashing the economy, dark money libertarian groups will retain influence on the new Prime Minister
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Rishi Sunak is a Prime Minister Who is Scared of His Own Citizens
The UK’s new Prime Minister leads a Government which is terrified of consulting the very people he was appointed to lead, writes Adam Bienkov
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Make or Break: Will Rishi Sunak be Able to Tackle the Conservatives’ Many Political Divides?
Brexit, immigration, ‘Global Britain’, energy and austerity – former diplomat Alexandra Hall Hall sets out the challenges ahead for Britain’s latest Prime Minister
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Chris Mason’s Johnson Gaffe Risks Trashing the BBC’s Reputation
Patrick Howse reveals how a false BBC News alert that 100 Conservative MPs were backing Boris Johnson’s new leadership bid spread quickly around the world
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Austerity Fuelled a National Health Crisis – Can We Afford Round Two?
With the Government getting ready for austerity 2.0, Sian Norris reflects on the impact previous cuts to local government had on public health
