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SubscriptionsSection: Argument
Honestly held opinions and provocative argument based on current events or our recent reports.
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Highwire Act: Why the Northern Ireland Protocol is the Ultimate Brexit Test
As the UK struggles with the reality that it is the only country in the world to create its own internal trade barrier, Mike Buckley looks at the dangerous pitfalls for Boris Johnson
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Governments Must Focus on Degrowth to Combat Climate Change
Curtailing excess production and waste could help save the planet and create more equitable societies, says Thomas Perrett
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A Culture of Institutional Violence: The Lambeth Child Abuse Inquiry Exposes how the System is the Scandal
In the wake of the Lambeth Council findings by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Katharine Quarmby considers why the systemic failings around locking vulnerable people up out of sight, out of mind are never acted upon
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The Cost of COVID Loans and PPE: An Augury of More Austerity?
Richard Murphy looks at the Government’s poor decision making around Coronavirus costs, and how their poor accounting could be used as another excuse to cut public spending
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Bezos, Musk and Branson: Vacuums in Space
Maheen Behrana argues that the off-world delusions of technocratic billionaires show how keen they are to dominate humankind or escape it
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England’s Upper Classes – A Dangerous Cult
Otto English shares the story of his late mother’s ‘double life’ and explores how class continues to define British society in damaging, limiting ways
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Watch Your Tone! How Women MPs of Colour are Tone-Policed
n the same week that Dawn Butler was expelled from the House of Commons, MP Dr Rosena Allin-Khan was ‘tone-policed’ by a white MP – and not for the first time. Sian Norris analyses a worrying trend
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Kicking Back: Why the Conservative ‘Culture Wars’ Backfired
Jon Bloomfield and David Edgar analyse a historic victory for anti-racism but warn that the ‘War on Woke’ isn’t over and that new alliances are needed
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Australia’s COVID Calamity and the Shock Jocks Feeding It
The toxic influence of right-wing radio has played a role in the country’s changing fortunes when it comes to the Coronavirus pandemic, says CJ Werleman
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‘Good Chaps’ Left the Building a While Ago, Britain – It’s Time to Wake Up
Hardeep Matharu argues that Labour MP Dawn Butler’s removal from the House of Commons after calling Boris Johnson a ‘liar’ finally exposed the structural failings at the heart of the British state
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The Prime Monger: Johnson’s ‘Culture War’ is a Core Part of his Strategic Racism
Martin Shaw explains how Boris Johnson’s racist remarks are far from casual, and that fighting ‘woke’ anti-racism is an essential part of his ethno-nationalist electoral strategy
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When Politicians Hide Behind Scientists, Science Becomes Political
Thomas Lewton looks at the debate around the lifting of British Coronavirus restrictions and the media targeting of Independent SAGE
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The Virus of Entitlement and the Epidemic of Deference
With Dominic Cummings’ latest revelation that Boris Johnson didn’t want a lockdown as the majority of those dying from COVID-19 were over-80s, Otto English explores why the Prime Minister’s toxic brand of upper-class elitism is never called-out or questioned
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The Character Assassination of Meghan Markle
As the tabloids speculate that a newly-announced autobiography of Prince Harry will really have been written by his wife, Richard Sanders sheds light on a 21st century tale of racism, class and misogyny
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Corporate Greenwashing: An Obstacle on the Road to Net Zero
Thomas Perrett argues that government intervention is required to counteract the problems posed by companies focused on PR rather than reducing CO2 emissions
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Own Goal: Government Faces the Consequences of its Culture War
In this turning point in the ‘war on woke’ may be the seeds of a new revolution, says Jonathan Lis
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Merkel’s Party at a Crossroads: Stay Middle of the Road or Turn Hard Right?
With Bundestag elections in September, Carlo Moll asks how Germany’s Christian Democratic Union will respond to the split between its centrist establishment and right-wing base
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The Islamophobia Pandemic: The Rise of Muslim Detention Camps in Asia
Emboldened by a sense of international impunity, a number of repressive regimes are subjecting their Muslim populations to imprisonment and subjugation, reports Mobashra Tazamal
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How Johnson Decries Racism Against Footballers While Implementing Legislation That Fuels a Racist Culture War
Ben Geblum analyses how recent legislation from the Higher Education Bill to the New Plan for Immigration undermines the Government’s recent anti-racist statements
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Vote Leave’s Tearing Up of the Rules Comes Back to Bite its Leaders
The ‘culture war’ waged by Boris Johnson and Priti Patel relies on fear and silence – which is why Tyrone Mings’ intervention has been so powerful and unprecedented, says Sam Bright
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A Pitched Battle: Johnson and Patel’s Culture War Flaw Finally Exposed
Peter Jukes and Hardeep Matharu argue that the racist abuse targeted at England’s black players has revealed why the Government’s attacks on ‘wokeism’ will not ultimately win out
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England? Which England? Who Won? Who Lost?
Journalist and sports commentator Philippe Auclair looks at the social significance of the Euro 2020 final, and compares it to the famous World Cup Victory of France in 1998
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The UK is Now Governed by an Actively Anti-Democratic Party
Kyle Taylor and Nico Docherty of Fair Vote UK evaluate the new reforms to democracy set to be introduced by Boris Johnson’s Government
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Boris Johnson’s COVID Free Market Will be Suffered by the Poor and Marginalised
‘Freedom day’ is simply the Prime Minister pulling up the drawbridge on his own people, contends John Ashton
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Boris Johnson’s Idea of Freedom is a Form of Oppression
Just as the Government hails ‘freedom day’ it also restricts the right to protest and denies freedom of movement. Sian Norris asks if this is just freedom for markets and money rather than people
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America’s Summer of Violence is Set to Turn More Brutal
A heady mix of conspiracy theories, the summer heat and lax gun laws are inflating America’s violent death toll, says CJ Werleman
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The Trolley Strikes Again: How Boris Johnson is Pushing Britain to the Brink
In ordinary times, the Prime Minister’s lack of focus and consistency would be dysfunctional. In a pandemic, it is lethal, says Jonathan Lis
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Boris Johnson Cooks Up Another Recipe for COVID Disaster
Mike Buckley unpicks the Prime Minister’s mass infection plan and its likely impact on public health, existing structural inequalities, and the economy
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Extinguishing Political Fire and Fury: Kim Leadbeater and the Lessons of Keir Hardie
Reverend Joe Haward reflects on the Batley and Spen by-election, and the necessity for a more compassionate political climate
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Euro 2020: Football Cuts Through Westminster Deception to Reveal England’s Real Soul
Sam Bright explores why the Euros, like the 2012 Olympics, has revealed a more tolerant, unified country than vocal voices on the right aim to depict otherwise
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The Death Of Convention
Stephen Colegrave considers how Boris Johnson has used the vagueness and vulnerability of Britain’s unwritten constitution to erode democracy
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The Desperate ‘Deep Woke’ Attacks on Southgate’s Squad Speak for Themselves
The England football team, under its exceptional manager, has come to embody tolerance, fairness and unity, says Gary Gowers
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The Double Jeopardy of the Climate and Democracy
Environmentalist Tom Burke considers why undermining the democratic rule of law would be destructive for the environment and all who want to protect it
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From Machiavelli to Winnie the Pooh. Johnson’s Unfitness Confirmed – But Why Only Now?
Otto English dissects Dominic Cummings’ latest revelations about the Prime Minister’s character and his own role in Boris Johnson’s rise
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The Moral Vacuum of English Politics is a Replica of Trump’s America
Truth and decency have little currency in Boris Johnson’s rump Trumpocracy, says Sam Bright
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End Game: Why the Council for National Policy’s Machine is a Threat to US Democracy in 2022
Heidi Siegmund Cuda explains how a consortium of far-right religious extremists and fossil fuel magnates are not only a threat to democracy, but to the earth itself
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Surprise Batley and Spen Victory Will Only be a Temporary Reprieve for Labour
A strong local campaign compensated for the party’s persistent national struggles but there is a long road ahead, says Mike Buckley
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Matt Hancock’s Health Legacy of Market Autocracy Must Not Be Overlooked
Like his predecessors, the departed Health and Social Care Secretary tried to sell the soul of the NHS to the private sector, says Maheen Behrana
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The Government Must Face Down Big Business and Put Nature First
Dominic Dyer considers why the Cabinet reshuffle could be a crucial moment in the effort to restore the environment after 50 years of damage and depletion
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Selective Sleaze: The Crescendo of the Cronyism Crisis
With a tabloid feeding frenzy over a minister’s alleged affair, Sam Bright, Peter Jukes and Hardeep Matharu explore the wider public issues concealed by personal scandal
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Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Brexit Vote Five Years On
Five years after the EU Referendum, the country is stuck because no one will lead an honest conversation about the future, says Mike Buckley
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Boris Johnson Seeks Euros Glory in Latest Ego Campaign
The Prime Minister is once again using politics to furnish his own vanity, says Gary Gowers
