SubscriptionsSection: Argument
Honestly held opinions and provocative argument based on current events or our recent reports.
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Reason Not the Need: The ‘Down Syndrome Bill’ is a Retrograde Step
Ramandeep Kaur and Stephen Unwin fear new legislation will divide their children based on an old discredited medical model which pathologises disablity
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Britain’s Superiority Complex Over Corruption is Baseless
Joe Walsh compares the treatment of ministers, when they became embroiled in accusations of cronyism, in the UK and South Africa
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Another Death of an Abused Child – But Will the System Change?
Fears mount in the children’s care sector that the death of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes may be used to force through changes to child protection, says Katharine Quarmby
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The UAE has Stabbed Kashmir in the Back
A new infrastructure deal between Dubai and New Delhi is a staggering blow for the Muslim majority territory’s aspirations for self-determination, says CJ Werleman
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The UK Must Act Urgently to Stop Conflict in Bosnia
Labour MP Fleur Anderson implores the Government to learn from history in its approach to rising tensions in Bosnia-Herzegovina
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Johnson’s Refusal to Answer Questions About Downing Street Lockdown Parties Shows his Contempt for the Public
The Prime Minister’s behaviour is increasingly coming under public scrutiny and he is struggling to answer questions about his conduct, reports Adam Bienkov
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Profiteering, not Philanthropy: How Public Schools Abandoned Public Service
Iain Overton traces the evolution of the Muscular Christianity of British Public Schools into post-imperial Muscular Capitalism and explains this is far from charitable
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New Study Highlights Anti-Muslim Bigotry of the Spectator Magazine
The most antagonistic, the most biased and the most prone to misrepresentation – Brian Cathcart argues that the Spectator isn’t posh and clever; it’s just a hate rag
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The Conservative Cash Carousel and Socialism for the Rich
Sam Bright and Peter Jukes analyse what looks to be a new economic and ideological form of Conservatism, far removed from its former free market foundations
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Keir Starmer has Promised to Clean Up British Politics – Can We Trust Him?
Boris Johnson’s Government is engulfed in corruption scandals – but Labour is struggling to convince the public it can fix the problem, reports Adam Bienkov
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COP26 Put Environmentalism Centre Stage – the UK Must Now Seize the Opportunity for Radical Change
The UK should match European countries such as Germany in turning rhetoric into action, says Jon Bloomfield
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COP26’s Big Problem was a Lack of Collective Commitment
Labour MP Alex Sobel, co-rapporteur of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, reflects on the recent COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow
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Boris Johnson is Addicted to Lying – But Now the Truth is Finally Catching Up with Him
The Prime Minister’s reckless disregard for truth is starting to destroy trust among his own party and could soon be his downfall. Adam Bienkov reports
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Out Of Control Brexit Britain Can Still Be Steered Clear of Chaos
Jacob Rees-Mogg at a Brexit rally. Photo: PA Images
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The Great Rail Con: The Conservatives Have Betrayed Their Rail Promises for the Last Decade
David Hencke tracks the ways in which successive governments have watered-down their transport promises to the north and the midlands
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The Disaster that Dare Not Speak Its Name
From the October print edition of Byline Times, Jonathan Lis explains how Brexit has distorted British politics to such an extent that its untruths will now keep everyone trapped in its chaos
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‘The Toughest Regulator in the World?’ – IPSO Stares Failure in the Face
As the Independent Press Standards Organisation prepares to discuss the standards crisis at the Jewish Chronicle next month, Brian Cathcart explores how early indications of the outcome do not bode well
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All Change at the Mail: Political Machinations or Publishing Priorities?
Mic Wright looks at the replacement of Geordie Greig as editor of the Daily Mail, and whether the shadow of Paul Dacre has blighted his successor
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‘Nazanin’s Story Shames This Country’: Boris Johnson’s Apathy Continues Towards Zaghari-Ratcliffe
Stephen Delahunty evaluates the Government’s current approach to Iran, the debt owed to the country, and the plight of the imprisoned Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
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Attack Journalism Is Old News
As Prince Harry calls out the British press for its cultures of attack, Dr Bethany Usher explores the history of journalism targeting specific individuals and how we might spot and counter it
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COP26: A Summit of Big Promises and Not Enough Action
The Government’s lack of commitment to ending fossil fuel production was indicative of a disappointing climate change conference, says Thomas Perrett
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Predatory Power: I Witnessed the Conservative Party’s Sleaze Culture When I Was an MP
Parliament can often seem like a moral vacuum, says former Labour MP Emma Dent Coad
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The Media’s Selective Policing of ‘Sleaze’
Mic Wright explores the erratic approach of certain outlets to stories of corruption and wrongdoing
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Modi Criminalises Coverage of his Party’s Rising Communal Violence
CJ Werleman responds to the criminal charges against him and other journalists under India’s draconian British colonial-era laws
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‘Johnson’s Government Is Leaving Too Much Unresolved for the Next COP Presidency’
Mike Buckley reports from the last day of the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow about the challenges that still remain
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Boris Johnson’s Kodak Moment on Climate Change
The UK must uncouple itself from redundant fossil fuels and embrace energy innovation, contend James Arbib and Nafeez Ahmed
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Power and Influence: The Second Jobs Scandal is Indicative of a Broken Society
The sleaze crisis infecting politics shows how Britain is rigged in favour of the rich and influential, says Maheen Behrana
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The Vote Leave Regime Knows Our Election System Can Be Corrupted – So Won’t Do Anything to Change It
Former Labour MP Ian Lucas – author of the forthcoming book Digital Gangsters – says Downing Street knows that British politics is broken but has a stake in preserving this
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Where is the Government’s Anti-Corruption ‘Champion’?
Sam Bright explores the role of John Penrose MP, and his unwillingness to call out systemic corruption in the UK
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11 Players Who Have Made a Difference Off the Football Field
As Marcus Rashford is honoured with an MBE for his work campaigning to end food poverty for children, Nathan O’Hagan selects his team of football heroes, past and present, who have influenced the world of politics
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COP26: Soaring Rhetoric But Few Commitments
Mike Buckley considers what needs to be done to turn the positive rhetoric of the first week at COP26 into agreement and action
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The Normalisation of Hate Against Pakistanis
Faisal Hanif inspects the racism directed at former Yorkshire cricket player Azeem Rafiq, and what this tells us about the treatment of Pakistanis in the UK
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The Johnson Scandal is Far Sleazier than ‘Cash for Questions’
David Hencke, who broke the story of MPs tabling parliamentary questions on behalf of private interests in 1994, reflects on why Boris Johnson’s actions are a threat of a different kind to Britain’s political system
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How Political Corruption Works in the UK
Sam Bright explores the ways in which party donors and corporate interests are warping British democracy
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Western Powers Are Empowering Hindu Nationalist Threats to Democracy
A lack of understanding of the Hindutva movement in the West is empowering the persecution of Muslim and Sikh minorities in India and South Asia
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Boris Johnson and Climate Denial: Can A Leopard Really Change Its Spots?
As the first week of COP26 draws to a close, Adam Bienkov details how the Prime Minister’s record of climate change denial shows he is not serious about defusing the “doomsday device” of uncontrolled global warming
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The Today Programme and the War on the National Trust: An Episode in Shameful Journalism
A discussion about wokeness, colonialism and the National Trust on the BBC’s flagship radio show came across like a public school reunion dinner, says Brian Cathcart
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Delegitimise and Overturn: The Paterson Affair is the Latest in a Worrying Pattern of Johnson’s Contempt for Democratic Accountability
The Government’s U-turn is reassuring but should be viewed within the wider context of consistent attempts to dodge scrutiny by Boris Johnson’s administration, says Adam Bienkov
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Natural Injustice: The Collapse in Parliamentary Standards
Former House of Commons clerk Eliot Wilson looks at what the Owen Paterson affair means for probity in public life
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Government’s Proposed Data Reforms Would Hinder the Honest and Empower the Dishonest
Phil Booth unpicks the Government’s planned post-Brexit data reforms
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Meta Access: The Media and Mr Zuckerberg
With his probing eye for conflicts of interest in the British press, Mic Wright turns his scrutiny to tech journalists and their coverage of Facebook
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Hot Air: Why Johnson’s COP Looks Likely to Flop
Mike Buckley inspects the Prime Mike Buckley checks the Prime Minister’s appetite, and his resolve, for climate reform
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COP 26: Climate Justice for the 46 Least Developed Countries
Kaossara Sani calls on the wealthy nations of the world to fufil their promise to compensate the main victims of ecocide by lifting the growing debt burden and providing climate finance and technical support
