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SubscriptionsSection: Argument
Honestly held opinions and provocative argument based on current events or our recent reports.
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Speaking Another Language: A Social Media Tale
Otto English takes us on a journey through the history of the English language, the exceptionalism of Empire and the furious and curious of Twitter.
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Three Cheers for Downing Street’s Attempts to Muzzle the Press
Fleet Street Veteran Liz Gerard Congratulates Boris Johnson’s Communications Director for Finally Exposing the Truth about the Lobby System.
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Hold Onto Your Hats: When Will Brexit Crash the Stock Market?
City Socialist explains why we shouldn’t look to stock indices for guidance on the real economy — markets don’t care about us and we shouldn’t care about them.
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Britain Enters the Next Phase of Project Blame
James Melville on how Boris Johnson’s ‘Northern Strategy’ continues a 30-year-long deflection game designed to get us to vote against our best interests.
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Brexit: the Real Battle Begins – for Workers’ Rights
Mike Buckley argues that the new Labour leadership must stand up to the economic destruction proposed by the Conservative Brexiters.
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The Racialisation of Coronavirus
CJ Werleman on why the tropes of Orientalism are at play towards Chinese people over health concerns, in the same way that Muslims are targeted through the ‘War on Terror’.
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Editorial: The Battle of Brexit May be Lost, but the Cultural and Constitutional War Goes On
The problem is not in the stars of the EU flag but in ourselves Brexit is not the cause of British decline, but a symptom. Every institution that has failed over the past three years since the EU Referendum – from our electoral laws to our oligarch-captured media, a supine BBC and the dominance of a…
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Remainers have Lost this Fight but the War Continues
As Britain leaves the EU on 31 January 2020, Mike Buckley argues that Remainers must redouble their efforts to protect democracy and fight for an open and tolerant culture.
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The Fake Superiority and Inferiority Complex of Brexit
As Britain leaves the EU on 31 January 2020, James Melville argues that a deep sense of unease with its identity in the world has led to a flawed solution: Brexit.
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Rogue Political Ads that Lie Will Never Be Tamed Without Regulation
The co-founder of the Coalition for Reform in Political Advertising welcomes new recommendations on electoral and political advertising, but believes they have ignored the biggest issue.
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Federalism Can “Take Back Control” in a Way Brexit Can’t
Could Labour leadership candidate Keir Starmer’s idea of creating a more federal United Kingdom be the only real solution to holding the Union together?
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The Weaponising of ‘Woke’
James Melville argues that ‘wokeness’ is the latest concept to be hijacked by the right-wing to make a stand against equality, democracy and justice.
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The Battle To Save Democracy Has To Start Now
Gareth Roberts argues that British democracy is being endangered by unwitting ignorance and deliberate lies.
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Labour’s Love Lost: How Short Term Memories Constantly Pit the Party Against Itself
Stephen Komarnyckyj wonders why Labour views its most successful leaders – Wilson and Blair – in such harsh terms.
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History Isn’t ‘Woke’ – It’s the Best Defence we have Against Tyranny and Hate
Hardeep Matharu explains how Laurence Fox’s myopia about the role of Sikh soldiers in World War One is a wider British problem of imperial amnesia.
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Scottish Independence Referendum: Johnson’s ‘Once in a Generation’ Game
Andy Myles, former Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats and special adviser to the Scottish government, on the Prime Minister’s untenable ‘post-truth’ populism.
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Israel Dares International Criminal Court to Hold it Accountable for its Actions in Palestinian Territories
Israel has branded the ICC as “anti-Semitic” after the court announced that it believes it has the basis to probe its crimes.
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The Lost Art of Seriousness in Politics
James Melville reflects on how the post-truth rise of politicians such as Donald Trump and Boris Johnson has been made possible.
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As a GP Attending Prevent training, I was Surprised by Extinction Rebellion’s “Extremist” Listing – but not Shocked
Dr Adnan Siddiqui argues the targeting of XR as an extremist organisation supports growing concern the government’s policy is about criminalising views it finds threatening.
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The Real Project Fear: Fake News and ‘Johnny Foreigner’
James Melville highlights the paradox of our xenophobic media driven by press proprietors who are non-domiciled for tax reasons or based overseas.
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We Must Kill Marketing Before it Kills Us
Stephen Colegrave, former marketing director of Saatchi and Saatchi, explains why the Mad Men world of marketing must die.
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Trump’s Plans to Extend the US Muslim Ban Exposes his Policy of Cruelty
CJ Werleman on why the US President will keep targeting Muslims and step up his attacks on Islam as his begins his 2020 re-election campaign.
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Editorial: First they Came for Our Children
With the youth vote heavily against Boris Johnson, the Tory Government’s first moves seem to be gunning for the young.
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Rediscovering Northern Soul: The Territorial Injustice of Austerity
James Melville explores how Boris Johnson can respond to a protest vote against the territorial injustice of austerity.
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Harry and Meghan are Taking on the Corporate Press – Fighting for Issues which Should Matter to Us All
Brian Cathcart, Professor of Journalism at Kingston University, on why Britain’s right-wing press will be intent on destroying the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex now more than ever.
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Can Protests Save India’s Muslims or is it Too Little, Too Late?
CJ Werleman considers whether the Modi Government’s crackdown on Muslims is indicative of India never having been a liberal democracy in the first place.
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Global Britain and the Great Retreat
Musa Okwonga makes the case that Boris Johnson’s relative silence on the US’ assassination of Qasem Soleimani is a sign of things to come for a more isolationist, inward-looking Britain.
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Boris of Bolsover? Johnson and the Empathy Gap
Stephen Colegrave delves into the Prime Minister’s empathy gap and why it will inevitably let down the Conservative Party’s new northern voters.
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‘Omnicide: Who is Responsible for the Gravest of All Crimes?’
Danielle Celermajer calls for accountability for the destruction unfolding in Australia – a crime against humanity she believes is akin to genocide.
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We need ‘Smart Justice’ More than ‘Tough Justice’
The former Chief Inspector of Prisons, Nick Hardwick, argues that time is running out for a progressive alternative to Boris Johnson’s backward plans for the criminal justice system.
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Scotland: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
James Doleman looks at the potential constitutional crisis as the two nations drift apart and sees no easy solution.
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Australia Can Only Save Itself if it Fixes the Rot in its Political System
A media dominated by Rupert Murdoch and big mining political interests are leading Australia to a climate catastrophe
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For British Muslims the Outlook for 2020 is Continuing Racist Abuse from the Press
Even the outgoing chair of Britain’s main press regulator admits there’s a problem with Islamophobia, but Brian Cathcart reveals how his successor thinks powerful white people are the victims.
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Not a Class Act: British Establishment Honours the Man who Ruined Thousands of Lives
The knighthood for Iain Duncan Smith shows the disdain of the ruling class for the most vulnerable people in society, argues Natalie Bloomer
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The World’s Midnight: but the Nights are Getting Shorter
To celebrate the Winter Solstice, Byline Times has a ray of light in all the doom and gloom. | To celebrate the Winter Solstice, @RVAWonk has a ray of light in all the doom and gloom.
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Climate Science Failed By Not Getting Us to Panic Sooner
With more concerning climate emergencies unfolding in the past week in Australia and Greenland, CJ Werleman asks: what will it take for people to wake-up to reality?
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Can the Opposition to Conservatism Finally Find a Common Cause?
The Labour Party first gained parliamentary representation when Liberal chief whip Herbert Gladstone agreed to stand down 51 candidates. Could an alliance of a similar kind work again at the next general election?
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Labour Lost for Failing to back Remain, Not because it Failed to Back Brexit
The Labour Party must work out how to scrutinise the Government on Brexit and outbid the Tories on the NHS, public services and aspiration to keep its current voters and win back its heartlands.
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Nothing Has Changed: What Brexit Means is Still Up For Grabs
Paul Niland takes inspiration from the Ukrainian EuroMaidan revolution and argues that fundamental forces will stop Britain from moving too far away from the EU.
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Labour Must Stop Being Part of the Problem and Start Being the Solution – Here’s why I’ve Joined It
Former senior Lib Dem researcher Gareth Roberts on the wake-up call provided by the 2019 General Election result which means he can no longer sit on the sidelines and lament his feelings of political homelessness. How did you feel at 10pm last Thursday when the BBC declared that the exit poll was projecting a Tory…
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Progressive Scots Don’t Want to LEAVE BRITAIN Britain has Left Them
James Melville explains why the Brexit vote and now a Johnson victory has propelled him away from the Union to Scottish Independence.
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One Nation Conservatism is Dead: Johnson is Held Hostage by Hard Right Forces
Paddy Briggs argues than any hope that Boris Johnson will show a more liberal side underestimates the scale of the coup inside the Conservative Party.
