SubscriptionsSection: Argument
Honestly held opinions and provocative argument based on current events or our recent reports.
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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
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The Brexit Project’s Appropriation of the ‘Left Behind’
Five years after the EU Referendum, Sam Bright considers how perceptions of Brexit-voting areas have been warped by radical right-wing forces
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Selective Free Speech: Academics Discussing Race Face the Real Cancel Culture
Black, Asian and ethnic minority academics and university staff increasingly encounter a ‘cancel culture’ when discussing race – as the usual free speech advocates stay silent, Sian Norris reports
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Education Committee Consulted Experts who have Dismissed White Privilege and Condemned ‘Feminist Zealots’ for New Report
MPs’ report on the disadvantages faced by white working-class pupils received submissions from people who call discussions of privilege ‘woke dogma’ and believe diversity drives are ‘racist’
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Can Philanthropy Save Public Interest Journalism?
Rodney Benson assesses the pros and cons of the funding model of American non-profit news organisations and considers whether it could help stop the relentless redundancies happening in UK journalism
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Ending the Corruption of the Great British State
Anthony Barnett traces the cause of the Brexit vote, how it led to our elected dictatorship being replaced with even darker forces, and considers a possible path ahead
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The Pursuit of Truth – Or Not: Boris Johnson, COVID and the Media
Broadcast journalists’ refusal to call-out the lies of the Prime Minister, his Cabinet members and the Government as a whole during the Coronavirus pandemic reveals the extent of the crisis engulfing the very fabric of truth in our society, observes Dorothy Byrne
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Free Speech: A Beginner’s Guide for Oliver Dowden
The Culture Secretary says he won’t allow Stop Funding Hate to undermine freedom of expression but sadly he just does not understand the concept, says Brian Cathcart
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Red Wall or Blue Wall?
If the Conservatives are now losing liberal moderate voters, the surprise is that it has taken this long, not that it is happening at all, says Mike Buckley
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Untold Stories: The Daniel Morgan Murder
Journalism is not about the fictions people want to hear, but the inconvenient facts that they may want to ignore or may be hard to tell
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The Weaponisation of the Metropolitan Bogeyman
The ‘urban metropolitan elite’ narrative suits a political agenda but it does not reflect the reality of the UK today, argues Maheen Behrana
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The Need for a ‘Moderate Flank’ in Climate Activism
Rupert Read and Joseph Eastoe consider the limits of Extinction Rebellion’s radical growth and outline why organisations with greater public appeal, capable of putting significant pressure on politicians, are now needed to capitalise on its success
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Is President Biden Just an Interregnum Before a Bigger Storm?
With the Republican Party now wedded firmly to the ‘Big Lie’ about the last election, CJ Werleman fears the worst is yet to come with a Trump 2.0
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Boris Johnson and the Rise of Make-Believe
It is no good offering people a ‘story to believe in’ if it ends in harm – but the Prime Minister does not know any other way, observes Jonathan Lis
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Europeans are Here to Stay in Brexit Britain
The impact of EU migration on the UK has barely begun, explains Jonathan Portes
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Government’s False Housing Policy is Sent to Coventry
Julian Mercer investigates more flaws in the Government’s housing policy, which seeks to build new homes for 80,000 ‘ghosts’ and ignores the impact of Brexit
