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SubscriptionsSection: Argument
Honestly held opinions and provocative argument based on current events or our recent reports.
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Myths and Misinformation Undermine the NHS
NHS consultant David Oliver punctures the dangerous fallacies surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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‘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
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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
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‘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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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I’m Boycotting Murdoch Until Climate Truth is Front Page News
Following his arrest at a recent Extinction Rebellion protest, Rupert Read sets out his new ‘David versus Goliath’ campaign for change by example
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How Can Liberal Democracy Respond to the Rise of QAnon?
CJ Werleman explores the overlap between those with hard right beliefs and people with a desire to lead alternative lifestyles via the conspiracy theory group which believes Donald Trump is saving the world from cannibals and paedophiles
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Genocide Denialism Flourishes in the Social Media Age
CJ Werleman looks at the proliferation of genocide denial, from the Shoah to Bosnia, and how this enables continued killing and repression in Syria and China
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Stop Press: Why I Had to Take a Stand Against my Former Employers on Climate Change
Steve Tooze, a former newspaper journalist, explains why he took part in Extinction Rebellion’s recent blockade of newspaper print works
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Boris Johnson’s Government is Silencing MPs, and the People We Represent
Geraint Davies MP explains why the Government’s decision to end online participation of MPs in Parliament is disenfranchising up to 15 million people and endangering democracy
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Boris Johnson and the Politics of Perfidy
Alex Andreou looks at the treacherous debasement of British politics as the Government rushes headlong into a trade war with our biggest partner
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The Last Stand of One Nation Conservatism
Sam Bright contends that Johnson’s brand of radical Brexit fanaticism seeks to divide and conquer at the cost of national and even party unity
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Johnson & the Brexit Bill: The Nexus of Destruction and Ego
Jonathan Lis assesses the motives of the Government in treating the public, the UK’s democracy, its international partners – everyone outside of itself – with contempt
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It’s Time for Britain to Reassess its Capitulation on Tibet
China’s refusal to respect autonomy in Tibet and Hong Kong resembles an attempt to revive a colonial past – one which Britain has an obligation not to walk away from
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Trump’s A Deadly Liar – Why Won’t America’s Mainstream Media Say So?
CJ Werleman explores the repercussions for US democracy of the press not saying it like it is when it comes to the President
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Donald Trump and the Coronavirus – A Death Cult
CJ Werleman argues that the more deadly the US President’s actions become, the more backing he receives from his most ardent supporters
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The Climate Emergency: Could Just 108 People Help Save the World?
Stephen Colegrave considers the importance and potential outcome of the Climate Assembly UK report published today
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Extinction Rebellion: Damaging Society or the Best Hope to Tackle Climate Change?
While the UN continues to highlight the urgent need to tackle climate change, the British Government continues to vilify activists argues Stuart Spray
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Johnson Threatens Good Friday Agreement and Sabotages US Trade Deal
Mike Buckley reports on how the Government’s reneging on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement has already lined up its closest allies – against the UK
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It’s No Longer About Conservatism – It’s About Lawlessness and Power
BeLeave whistleblower Shahmir Sanni explains how the Vote Leave Government is now wedded to breaking the law in order to achieve its political goals
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Tory Hussars in the Last Battle Against Themselves
As the Conservative party rebels against its own ‘oven-ready’ EU deal, Otto English sees a parallel with the absurd self-defeat of the Austrian Army in the catastrophic Battle of Karánsebes
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Tufton Street and News International Actions Show that Extinction Rebellion is Evolving
Stephen Colegrave talks to co-founder of the Writer’s Rebel group, Jessica Townsend, about their shifting strategy and where XR is heading next Jessica Townsend joined Extinction Rebellion (XR) early on and was present at the declaration and the first rebellion. Originally, she didn’t intend to become an environmental activist but was writing her first novel…
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CONSUMED BY LIES: Britain’s Masochistic Trashing of its Global Reputation
With Boris Johnson now U-turning on the Withdrawal Agreement he signed with the EU in December, Alex Andreou argues how the entire Brexit project “never made any sense” from the very start
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The Rise of QAnon and the Danger of a Conspiracy Theory-Based Terrorism Wave
Following COVID-19 denial demonstrations in the UK, US and Europe, CJ Werleman explores the driving force behind such movements and what they mean for democracy
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Warping Faith: Big Brands and Government Are Refashioning Muslim Identity
Amina Shareef reports on the latest commodification of the Muslim faith by a big fashion brand – and why it fits into the British state’s wider security strategy
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Coronavirus and Brexit: Abandoning the Vulnerable
As thousands are suffering the long-term health consequences of COVID-19, Mike Buckley reports on how the Government is ditching protections for those in need
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Why I Was Willing to be Arrested, Protesting Against Tufton Street Climate Deniers
Rupert Read spent last night in the cells, after joining Extinction Rebellion activists outside 55 Tufton Street
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Defunding the BBC Will Lead to a Zombie Democracy
An emaciated BBC would spur partisan ‘news’ riddled with conspiracy theories, argues Sam Bright
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The Treachery of the Scribes
Peter Jukes explains how a warped form of journalism has taken control in the UK and talks to ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston about the limitations of the lobby system
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MUTATING RACISM: The Far-Right, Anti-Vaxxers and Conspiracy Theorists Unite
With tens of thousands of ‘Coronavirus’ protestors flocking to the streets of Berlin this weekend, Musa Okwonga considers what it will take for the extremist threat facing Germany to be taken seriously
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Belarus: Are the Russians Coming?
Nikola Mikovic assesses the chances Putin will intervene militarily in his turbulent neighbour given the dangerous precedent of Ukraine
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The Indirect Victims of the Christchurch Mosque Massacre
The Christchurch massacre taught Muslims across the world that their lives are believed to matter less, explains Amina Shareef
