British Politics
Parliament should have set the tone for social distancing
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson A couple of weeks ago, a number of MPs fielded calls to close down parliament, which would see MPs working from home in order to prevent the…
Covid-19 was an NHS crisis waiting to happen
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Coronavirus has brought the level of strain on our NHS to a new level. The UK Government has ordered the construction of three emergency hospitals; a 4,000-bed…
Individualism and toilet rolls
Illustration by Hannah Robinson The panic-buying we are witnessing, driven by fear of the Coronavirus, exhibits the type of individualistic thinking which threatens our society and values. For the past couple…
More Hope For the Homeless
Illustration by Hannah Robinson When starting at University, there are so many aspects of life to acclimatise to; a new city, new accommodation, new friends – but something that I have…
This pandemic could result in the death of neoliberalism
Illustration by Hannah Robinson The apocalypse jokes are wearing thin, and most of us are now settling down into a new, changed reality. It is rapidly becoming clear that the economic…
Why pubs and restaurants are off the menu
Illustration by Hannah Robinson I never thought this was going to be an ‘us’ and ‘them’ situation. Not in my age group anyway. I’ve had multiple phone calls with friends where…
The future of EU-UK relations- could fishing be the thorniest issue at stake?
Illustration by Hannah Robinson The UK officially left the European Union in January after three tortuous years. But the Brexit process is nowhere near over. Indeed, we are now entering what…
Northern Ireland Secretary: the most underestimated role in the cabinet
Illustration by Hannah Robinson At Boris Johnson’s last cabinet re-shuffle, the previous Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Julian Smith, was sacked, leaving the role open to be filled by the…
Fake news hysteria can only lead to fake solutions
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Fake news has become an omnipresent aspect of politics around the globe. It appears that no election, referendum, or debate can happen without this ubiquitous term being…
From Brexit to a new EU enlargement
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Less than a week after Brexit, the EU Commission released a paper on the new enlargement strategy for the Western Balkans. Since 2013 and the accession of…
Have we got Brexit done now? Not just yet.
Illustration by Hannah Robinson The 31st of January marked “Brexit day”. For years now, Leave supporting politicians and large factions of the media have said that academics, industry and trade experts,…
The North needs trains, not Lords
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Last Sunday, as I performed my weekly ritual of tuning into Andrew Marr, cafetière at the ready, I was met with an unexpected proposal. The government has…
What can we learn from ‘Megxit’?
Illustration by Hannah Robinson For the past week or so, British media discourse has been dominated by the announcement from @sussexroyal on Instagram that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would be…
Scottish Independence is not an escape route from a “No Deal” Brexit.
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Election results in Scotland remain in stark contrast to that of England. The 2019 election turned England blue and Scotland yellow, with the Conservatives losing 7 of…
The British public are torturing their Royal Family
Illustration by Hannah Robinson In Britain, both monarchist and republican attitudes to the Royal Family are beginning to align. Whenever there is breaking news from the Windsors, it is greeted by…
Labour and the Democrats face similar challenges ahead
Illustration by Hannah Robinson This Monday (the 20th of January) will mark the last day to join the Labour party in order to be able to vote in the upcoming Labour…
Brexit continues to leave students out in the cold
Illustration by Hannah Robinson It has been over three years since the results of the Brexit referendum were announced. The initial deadline was March 29th 2019, and although this date has…
The political perils of clickbait culture
Illustration by Hannah Robinson History appears to have repeated itself. A catchy slogan, a targeted social media campaign and Boris Johnson – evidently a recipe for success. Hearts across the country…
Social Media: where the election wasn’t won
Illustration by Hannah Robinson It is standard procedure for losers to suggest that they had always been destined to lose, long before voting began. The fact remains that until that exit…
The changes we need to see before the next general election
Illustration by Hannah Robinson The past three years have been some of the most divisive times of recent decades. Polarising rhetoric, advertising built on lies, and empty election promises with snappy…
British Politics is not broken, it just isn’t accessible
Illustration by Hannah Robinson During this election campaign, a number of figures across the board have uttered the same, over-worn and quite frankly unhelpful phrase, “politics is broken”. We’ve heard it…
Truth and trust must be the most important themes of this election
Illustration by Hannah Robinson This general election is taking place at crunch time for some of the most important issues of this century. It is fitting that it falls in the…
Sorry We Missed You has the power to swing the election result
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Ken Loach and Paul Laverty are back with their latest film Sorry We Missed You – an honest yet moving insight into the reality of the gig…
Why don’t you care about Jeremy Corbyn’s anti-semitism?
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Being a Jew on a British campus is not a universal experience. Ask ten different Jews what it is like and they will give you ten…
I’m a monarchist and Prince Andrew needs investigating
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Last night Prince Andrew gave a disturbing Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, and the inconsistencies as well as the facts are of serious concern. Andrew began…
Sturgeon’s secret tactics: how the SNP are manipulating Scots in pursuit of independence
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Last week on BBC News a Scottish Conservative gloated that every time Nicola Sturgeon discusses Indyref2 the Conservatives gain votes. Independence is however almost all Nicola…
This election I will vote for the SNP… But I don’t want to!
Illustration by Hannah Robinson This election will be the first time I vote in a general election. However, I am simply unable to vote for the party I want to…
A ‘Remain Alliance’ should learn from Spain
Illustration by Hannah Robinson There is a land, somewhere, that had a minority government. Its Parliament was plagued by indecision and a frustrating lack of consensus. The people, electorally fatigued…
A December election wants to deny students the vote – don’t let it
Illustration by Hannah Robinson The Prime Minister could not have picked a better time for a general election. Slap bang in the middle of exam season, just as every stressed student…
Economic uncertainty because of Brexit continues to harm private equity investments
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Deal or No Deal, new elections and Brexit’s delay; this seems to describe the current daily routines of the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Michael Barnier,…
Elections? Not another one
Illustration by Hannah Robinson It’s official. After weeks of commentator speculation, we are having a general election. Parliament has approved the Prime Minister’s demands for one, meaning we can expect…
UK students living in the EU: up the creek without a paddle
Illustration by Hannah Robinson UK students living in the Netherlands feel stranded due to Brexit. Words such as university, student, academic or science do not appear in the 585-page draft…
Scottish Independence is as reckless as Brexit
Illustration by Hannah Robinson In the wake of Nicola Sturgeon’s official announcement that the Scottish government will ask for permission to hold another independence referendum, I find myself filled with a strange…
In times of ‘sovereignty of the people’, it’s time to make your voice count
Illustration by Hannah Robinson The term ‘sovereignty of the people’ is not one that is particularly prominent in current political discourse. Yet, in practice, sovereignty of the people is emerging…
Political accountability is key
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Since his immortalisation in James Graham’s epic drama, Brexit: the uncivil war, Dominic Cummings has become something of a political celebrity. When the Prime Minister included…
On war crimes denialism and wayward academics: an interview with Joey Ayoub
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Opposing fascism should be simple. Despite the complexity of the situation in Syria, there are clear villains and one of them is Bashar al-Assad, the country’s…
Has the Supreme Court declared itself all-powerful?
Illustration by Hannah Robinson We are living through perhaps the most significant time for the development of our unwritten constitution since the 1688-9 “glorious revolution” which laid the foundations for…
Is Boris Johnson renewing or destroying the union?
The relationship between Scotland and England has always been a fragile one. From wars through the Middle Ages, to a close independence referendum in 2014, and now the will of…
The Stormont Crisis: how long will Westminster allow it to last?
January 2017 was the last time Northern Ireland had an executive branch. That is over two and a half years since any decisions regarding the day to day running of…
Stopping Brexit is essential to solving the climate crisis
This week I joined thousands of marchers, striking pupils and students in Edinburgh as part of the global youth climate crisis strikes. The comparison between the millions of protestors worldwide…
The abolition of private schools is only the first step
Labour’s decision to ban private schools comes as no shock. The #abolishEton campaign gathered ground over the summer, leading to rising speculation that a motion such as this one was…
Forget tuition fees: this is why you can’t trust the Lib Dems
Image credit: Chris McAndrew, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported licence. Source here. The Liberal Democrats have proved themselves to be a political contradiction once again. They’ve spent the…
The social media generation: a new era of canvassing
Widespread political engagement has long been viewed as the foundation for a successful democracy; it is a crucial aspect of modern day western politics. However, political engagement is adapting to…
The Fixed-term Parliaments Act is unfit for purpose
This week we find Parliament in an unprecedented mess. It cannot agree on any way forward in the Brexit process other than to extend Article 50 indefinitely. Many agree now…
Brexit is distracting us from other key issues
It feels like we can’t escape the word ‘Brexit’. It has dominated public interest and the political sphere for the last four years. It has seen off two Prime Ministers,…
Sex and the Surveillance State
In July, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Karen Bradley announced that the British Board of Film Classification would delay the implementation of section 14(1) of…
Sit down love, we don’t have sexism in Parliament anymore
Jo Swinson could change everything; this is perhaps the most pivotal moment for the Lib Dems since the disastrous apologies of Nick Clegg. Whilst Tories are jumping to the yellow…
For a secular Britain: time to end religious privilege
While the 24/7 news cycle gorges on the fast-changing developments around Brexit, other issues have been neglected. So, in lieu of trying to comment on a story which is shifting…
The Scottish Conservatives are doomed without Ruth Davidson, but I’m glad she is gone
I was quite shocked by the news that Ruth Davidson has quit as leader of the Scottish Conservatives after nearly eight years in the role. She led the Scottish Tories…
Boris Johnson is right to prorogue Parliament: no-deal must be kept on the table
Not since King Charles I has a person invoked such collective disdain from Parliament. While the outcome of this odd arc, taking place over the course of the final season…
Young people are politically engaged – stop telling us that we are not!
Throughout my lifetime, young people have always been portrayed as disengaged with politics. Now, as a politics student and student journalist, I want to dispute this claim. I am not…
It’s impossible to ignore the realities of the climate crisis
Our current situation regarding the fate of this planet is not a particularly positive one. We are veering towards a dangerous position, in the midst of a climate crisis which…
Our Politics is a Broken System Built on False Monopolies
I don’t think I’ve ever felt as miserable or uncertain about British politics as I do now. I feel suffocated. Trapped between the Church Of The Latter Day Mandate screaming…
The real doom merchants: how the left’s obsession with environmentalism has made it anti-progress
When Boris Johnson first stood outside Downing Street as Prime Minister he championed optimism and said he would take on the ‘the doubters, the doomsters, [and] the gloomsters’. So I…
A love letter to The Broad
Heartbreakingly, after a year or so of working with The Broad in various capacities, it’s time to move on. But the salience of the site persists now more than ever….
The new Home Secretary: tough on crime, weak on drugs
The new Home Secretary has defiantly stated that she wants criminals “to literally feel terror at the thought of committing offences”. 20,000 new police officers have been promised, new powers…
Unpredictable politics: Gordon Brown and Salman Rushdie on Brexit, Trump and turmoil
You might not think that the concerns of a former Prime Minister and a literary giant would have any notable similarities. But Gordon Brown and Salman Rushdie addressed themes with…
God help the Queen… and the rest of us too
In two weeks’ time parliament is to be suspended on the will of an unelected Prime Minister, confirmed by an unelected monarch. All of this in order to remove us…
Scrap HS2 and invest in transport in the north
The high-speed rail link HS2 has been on the cards for years now, but very little progress has been made. Well, little progress that has already cost £7.4 billion. But…
Time to abolish the NHS – leave it to local governments
The NHS is a beloved national institution and we are all united in admiration of that simple promise of free healthcare for all. However, we too often dress up its…
Impatient determination will see us leave with no-deal
So, this is it. After formerly arguing that the chances of a no-deal Brexit were “a million to one”, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has now asserted that the outlook…
Jihadi Jack, Tommy Robinson and the mob takeover of our legal system
The recent incarceration of Tommy Robinson and the decision to strip suspected terrorists Jack Letts and Shamima Begum of their citizenship may have fallen from the public gaze, but the…
Johnson’s Disrespect – Is this the Demolition of Scotland’s Devolution?
To say that new Prime Minister Boris Johnson doesn’t represent the interests of Scotland has been repeated ad infinitum. His open English right-wing nationalism is centre-stage while his buffoonery and…
With Free Speech comes great responsibility
The rhetoric currently swirling around British politics is poisonous. Roll-back to 4 November 2016 and readers woke up to the branding of three Supreme Court judges as ‘Enemies of the…
Kentucky Fried Racial Profiling
This week racial profiling has taken a turn that, quite frankly, is a joke. The government have announced a scheme in which real stories of the effects of knife crime…
The SNP want Scotland to choose between two Unions – independence is not an option
It’s neverendum here in Scotland. We have had two referenda in the past five years, one on Scottish independence and the other on Britain’s membership of the European Union. The…
The Conservatives are hypocrites for complaining about losing votes to Farage
After last Thursday’s disappointing result, the Conservative Party has seen its government’s majority reduced to just one, as the Liberal Democrats gained the Brecon and Radnorshire seat in a tightly…
Sky’s leak shows a successful Brexit does not exist
A government summarisation of the projected impact of a no-deal Brexit was leaked by Sky news this week. Now that the worst-case ramifications of Brexit are clear, the Government and…
Beware Storm Boris: How Johnson’s volatility, opportunism and naivety threaten to tear Britain apart
“I’m rather pro-European, actually. I certainly want a European community where one can go and scoff croissants, drink delicious coffee, learn foreign languages and generally make love to foreign women.”…
The Duchess of Sussex deserves praise, not criticism
The British press has it out for our modern Princess. It seems that the Duchess of Sussex can do no right. She has been condemned for crimes as shocking as…
The long overdue Veterans’ Office will transform lives
One in five claims by veterans seeking compensation for PTSD are denied. That’s over 1,300 refusals since 2010. Charity Help for Heroes has been leading the charge for increased political…
Boris vs Voltaire: What does it mean to ‘believe in Britain’?
In May 2004, outside his home and clad in a skull-and-crossbones beanie and Hawaiian shorts, Boris Johnson, then MP for Henley, found himself confronting journalists amid a storm of controversy….
I voted for Jeremy Hunt, but Boris Johnson is already impressing me
Boris Johnson entering Number 10 last week was the worst-case scenario for me. I have spoken consistently and publicly about my dislike of him, and I supported almost every other…
Fixing the housing crisis: It’s time to make council houses beautiful
Britain’s housing crisis is the great modern battleground of our politics. Once the all-consuming news item of Brexit fades into the background, it could be the deciding factor in the…
The impact of income inequality is staggering; it is time for a Universal Basic Income
In the UK inequality continues to rise. Income inequality in the United Kingdom is already worse than the EU average; recent data highlights that the UK’s GINI coefficient sits at…
Time is running out to put conviction before career
If the conjecture surrounding Boris Johnson’s new cabinet eventually turns out to be true, the UK will be leaving the EU on 31 October without a deal. I was initially…
Boris has created the most pro-freedom government since Thatcher
Optimism has become severely underrated in this trough era for British politics. Brexit is taking up pretty much all of our time. We have become bogged down in trade policy…
Prime Minister: an Etonian birthright?
As Boris Johnson becomes the twentieth Eton-educated Prime Minister, and joins the very comfortable majority of Oxford-educated Prime Ministers, we continue to wonder what it is about these establishments that…
Iran are using dual nationals as political pawns, and we are letting them
Nine months ago, I wrote about British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe being falsely imprisoned in Iran; this week, she has been moved from her cell to a psychiatric ward. Nazanin…
Squeezed between GAFAN and BATX, does Europe have an alternative?
The media industry is on the verge of another revolution. The media and tech giants are developing with intense speed and the separating line between the two is becoming almost…
The Conservative Leadership Contest is Wasting Precious Time
On the 24th of May, Theresa May announced her resignation as Prime Minister and Conservative party leader. That was 52 days ago. Since then, the ten nominated candidates have been…
Strong political leadership is non-existent
The events which have unfurled this week are a blatant indication that this country is in a crisis. It appears that parliament has undergone a shortage of strong leadership in…
In Defence of the Anglo-Scottish Union
Margaret Thatcher once told a Scottish Tory: ‘Michael, I am an English nationalist and never you forget it.’ This explains a great deal of recent Scottish history. Our distaste for…
Dreaming of Eudaimonia
Recently, on this publication, there has been a fascinating dispute over the usefulness and legitimacy of the Constitutional Monarchy of the United Kingdom. Both the pro-monarchist advocate Michael Zwiauer and…
Our European friends are fed up of this Brexit mess… And so are we.
Over the past month I have been travelling and whilst I was away I met lots of lovely people, many of whom were from other countries within the European Union….
Media should limit coverage of individual Brexit quarrels
On 23 May 2019, the country once again went to the polls in a vote which would, in theory, provide an ample indication of the general consensus regarding the UK’s…
How has democracy found itself at crisis point?
Democracy protects the rights and freedoms of the individual; it aims to ensure political institutions are representative of the views of society through public votes; it enshrines checks and balances…
What do milkshakes really bring to the yard?
I do not remotely hesitate in saying that Tommy Robinson deserves far worse consequences than a milkshake being thrown in his face. Would I thoroughly enjoy doing it myself? Absolutely….
Journalism’s approach to history can be misleading
As a student of history it has become a recent peeve when journalists cite history incorrectly or at the least misleadingly. I recently came across a piece in The Guardian…
Leveraging truth in politics
In the age of fake news, lies, and propaganda, our political paradigm is becoming increasingly strained with the often casual relationship our representatives maintain with the truth. Everybody agrees that…
The importance of voting in the European elections
On Thursday, people across the EU will have the opportunity to vote in European elections; the United Kingdom is included in this. Whether you want to leave or remain in…
Europe by Europeans: ‘and, yes, Brexit is mentioned’
Baby D’Hondt fear the reaper, the ‘Euros’ are back in town. Having lived in Spain, and now Portugal, since early September, I felt that we should know what young Europeans…
Fitness trackers will not solve inequality
The Social Market Foundation, a UK policy think-tank, have published a report calling for fitness trackers to be issued to the poor and disabled to minimise the divide in healthcare…
Alabama, Georgia, I refuse not to be heard
Many platforms, including the Broad, have published articles in the wake of the abortion laws passed in Alabama and Georgia. When deciding whether to write my own article on the…
Don’t forget misogynistic abortion laws exist in Northern Ireland too
This week, the states of Georgia and Alabama passed some of the most restrictive abortion laws the country has ever seen. The laws ban abortion under almost all circumstances, including…
The need for a new British military strategy
One of the necessary debates for a Post-Brexit World is the reexamination of the role that Britain seeks to play on the military stage of the world. The public needs…
The poverty of Constitutional Monarchy
A fellow contributor of mine at The Broad, Michael Zwiauer, recently responded to my piece decrying the cult of the Windsors. I proffer some points in respectful reply. Though the…
Is the result of the EU referendum still valid?
Since the 2016 referendum Theresa May has relentlessly claimed she is ‘respecting the will of the British people’ in order to justify her entire agenda. This week, amid continued talks…
A defence of the monarchy
Reading my fellow contributor’s recent ‘rebuke to royalty’, I have decided to respond, in the spirit of well-mannered debate, with my own view on the perennial question on the merits…
‘Climate emergency’ isn’t compatible with ‘business as usual’
In early May, following ten days of protests in London by Extinction Rebellion, the UK government declared a climate emergency. This was one of the environmental activist group’s key demands…
Local election coverage was predictably polarised
The political analysis of the local elections last week highlighted the divisive media rhetoric that continues to polarise Britain. Last week, people across England and Northern Ireland voted in local…
‘It’s a boy!’ – A rebuke to royalty
Here we go again. I find myself bombarded by the world’s media proclaiming the birth of a royal child. Once more the Windsor cult dominates the small minds of those…
Greta Thunberg is an unequivocal hero
Great Thunberg – Unequivocal Hero To lend credence to arguments that label Greta Thunberg ‘blind’ and her climate strikes ‘relatively pointless’ is ignorant. Thunberg is intelligent, informed and far from…
School catchments hit vulnerable children hardest
Education is a postcode lottery. Where we’re from, how good the local school is, and how well it caters towards our educational needs all impact our future. The disparity between…
A decent ‘basic income’ is a Conservative concern too
Universal Basic Income is something usually associated with left-wing movements. The kind of thing you might expect to hear Momentum singing the praises of as the very pinnacle of left-wing…
Restaurants like Sonder put our politicians to shame
‘Why can’t our politicians be more like chefs?’ came up at dinner the other evening, and it needs a short reply. For a start, politicians at the moment seem especially…
Westminster have lost sight of why we voted Leave
To say Brexit is divisive is an understatement. On one side, People’s Vote campaigners are attending marches and signing petitions demanding a second referendum. On the other, leave campaigners hold…
What Brexit should have learned from Czechoslovakia
Back in 2016, I’m not sure anyone could have predicted just how messy British politics would get after the Leave vote won. Sure, even then the polarising effects of the…
It’s time to get rid of the referendum
Let’s put a ban on referendums. Since David Cameron’s hubristic decision to quell the tide of Eurosceptic unrest, this divisive form of democracy has engineered the future of the British…
Secret Hitler: An almost too-perfect allegory for politics
Politics is exhausting. For pretty much my entire university career, I’ve been involved in the area in some way. Be it through organising events, writing articles, or interning at think…
Describing someone as ‘coloured’ is a lot more than ‘clumsy’
Amber Rudd, when talking about the abuses women in politics face, described Diane Abbott as ‘coloured’. Moments later, she tweeted ‘Mortified at my clumsy language’, as though her rapid apology…
Proportional representation does what it says on the tin
Much of the rhetoric surrounding the EU referendum focused upon the idea of ‘taking back control’. According to some, this country exhibited its eagerness to regain its autonomy and exercise…
Let’s remedy politics with electoral change
The British political system has undergone monumental upheaval in the past two and a half years. These are unchartered waters. Our government are a shambles and the media, since they…
A second Brexit referendum is a bad idea
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s has publicly pledged support for a second referendum and Theresa May has again delayed a definitive resolution to the Brexit-deal-debacle in the Commons. The possibility of…
What can football hooliganism tell us about tribalism vs individualism?
Mid-February saw both an unseasonably sunny Prague and half a thousand students and scholars gathered for the first Ayn Rand conference ever held in Europe. While I’ve never been particularly…
Laughing at Shamima Begum is inexcusable
When I think about the complex layers of Shamima Begum’s case, it sickens me that it, and she, is becoming the butt of a national joke. Yes, she was part…
On Brexit: Theresa May checks into Last Chance Saloon
Emil’s Week in Review And thus another week has come and gone, and we are no closer to a Brexit resolution. With 37 days to go until D-Day, the question…
The issue with ‘Sleep In The Park’
‘4 cities. One night. 12,000 people under the stars.’ You would think this was an advert for a fun stargazing trip. In fact, this is the tag line for social…
Stansted 15: The Home Office’s brutality must end
On 28thMarch 2017, a group of 15 immigration activists successfully stopped a charter deportation flight from Stansted Airport in an act of non-violent protest. Today, the group face the end…
UK universities will follow US anti-safe-space lead
For the past six years, the organisation Turning Point USA has been championing the anti-safe space movement. It is an American right-wing organisation dedicated to ridding universities of what they…
‘Project Fear’ seems to mean nothing and everything
First used in the Scottish independence referendum, the notorious phrase has become a hallmark of pro-Leave political strategy. But how has it come this far and what does it actually…
Brexit has brought democracy under question
It is widely agreed by the Western world that democracy is the best form of government available. However, with the legislations and actions of several countries’ governments coming under intense…
Without a Brexit destination, how can we work out directions?
Having a British accent at a continental university means one thing these days: you’re going to get asked about Brexit fairly frequently. For this exact reason, I don’t tend to…
Remainers and Leavers alike: rejoice!
The House has rejected May’s deal. Compromise has been offered, and met with a decisive, uncompromising no. 432 votes against 202. There is no plan B in sight, It’s all…
Human stories hit home in a world of stats
Anywhere we have an internet connection, we’re part of a networked society. By having news notifications sent to our phones and scrolling down Facebook or Twitter, we feel up to…
Windrush: Their impact on multi-cultural Britain
Earlier this year the government announced their plans to hold a ‘National Windrush Day’ to commemorate the impact of the Windrush Generation and their families. These contributions can be seen…
Thank God it’s not a Cromwellian Christmas
When people ask me where I’m from, I usually just say Cambridge, a city know the world over for its university, long history, and beautiful English charm. Sadly, however, the…
This Christmas, I call a Brexit truce
I hate Christmas markets. Crucify me, but I loathe them. Every December, the parks of Europe are transformed into Poundshop medieval hamlets, kitted out with everything from ramshackle ferris wheels…
Parliamentary confidence must extend to the people’s vote
We must respect the vote of the people on Brexit, there will be no second referendum, so why did the Tories get the chance for a second vote on their…
Brexit shows us it’s time for a new Cromwell
For months I have waited with bated breath for the men in white coats to show up and wheel away the unfortunate victims of Mad Brexiteer Disease, who still run…
#Time4Change: Reimagining the state: Brave, Bold & Entrepreneurial
A modern government could pave the path to a more prosperous Britain. But this requires a big re-imagination of the state’s role in today’s world. The role of state has…
Windrush: immigration centres and morality
Immigration is one of the most divisive issues we face today. The Windrush Scandal has highlighted the major issues with the Home Office’s dealings with immigration and the anti-foreigner sentiment…
Windrush: Are we moving towards a resolution?
On the 21st June 1948 HMT Empire Windrush docked in Port Tilbury. It was carrying West Indian migrants who had travelled to the UK at the request of the British government…
Plans for a nation in space show optimism’s not dead
I don’t really remember when or why, but a while back I signed up to become a citizen of the first space nation. “Asgardia is the first-ever space nation —…
Who taught our government geography?
Perhaps like me you are wondering what our nation’s geography teachers were doing when they had our members of government in their classrooms? Many former and current cabinet members have…
#ThisIsNotConsent: Clothing is not conducive to consent
It’s 2014. I’m in a Religious Education lesson. The teacher has asked me to do up a button on my nun-like uniform. It is distracting the male students in the…
At least it’s not the 70s
I’m pretty happy not to be in the UK right now. With the PM’s announcement of a (rather unpopular) Brexit deal, the resignation of multiple cabinet members, and the call…
The Brexit parachute comes to Raab’s aid
Just imagine it. You’ve handed in the dissertation that you’ve been working on for months and your supervisor informs you that it’s shit. You then realise that it’s shit. What’s…
The answer to Brexit
With the government in disarray following this morning’s resignations and the Sterling at its lowest point since the 2017 Brexit crisis, one thing is clear; May’s resignation is a foregone…
Red meat tax will affect society’s poorest
Back in 1958, as part of the infamous Great Leap Forward, Chinese dictator Mao Zedong introduced the ‘four pests campaign’. This campaign sought to greatly improve public hygiene through the…
Armistice Day: How brazen has right-wing politics become?
Even on a weekend like this, they just couldn’t help themselves. It’s a weekend that remembers some of the most important moments in modern European history. Of course, on Sunday…
The border and how it’s dooming Brexit
The morning of the 9th of June 2017 was one of strange mixed emotions for me. The day after the general election I woke up to see that despite the…
Brexit means Brexit but what does Brexit mean?
The phrase ‘nobody voted for x’ has become a rather popular one in recent months. It refers to the reality that is gradually sinking into the British population’s collective cortex…
#Time4Change: Is inequality Britain’s great divider?
In today’s political climate, divisions run deep, and this is putting Britain’s social cohesion under jeopardy. The main culprit has grown too large – inequality. This is fuelling a sense of…
Please, don’t make airports even worse
I’ve something of a love-hate relationship with airports. Having spent the past three years of my life living abroad, I’ve become used to the whole process of waking up unreasonably…
Where are you, Mr Hunt? Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe needs you
Since April 2016, I’ve completed my A-Levels, moved to Scotland, finished two years of university, and lived in three different flats. Since April 2016, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been detained in…
How to: Find pots of gold at either end of the political spectrum
The right is evil. The left is stupid. This is genuinely what some people think of the other side of the political spectrum in today’s society. And the gap is…
Repeat after me: ‘I am a free thinker’
If you’re a hip and trendy millennial, then you’ve almost certainly seen this months hot new meme. Crafted in the depths of the right-wing web, and denounced as dehumanising by…
The perils of contemporary political polarisation
The Broad hosted a lively panel on the topic of political polarisation this week, and for those that could not attend I would thoroughly recommend watching the action unfold on…
Jamie’s jerk rice proves the concept of cultural appropriation is inconsistent
A couple of months ago, Dawn Butler MP accused Jamie Oliver for appropriating Jamaican culture to reap profits. The irony is, amongst all this criticism, images emerged of Butler wearing…
#Time4Change: A case for systemic economic reform
We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine our economy and our generation must not let this slip. None of us needs reminding that we live in politically turbulent times. But…
Political polarisation holds us all back
In the weeks leading up to Brexit I didn’t see a single article on my newsfeed that suggested that the Leave campaign might win. Most of my friends are left…
Brexit, to Nordic community, means the loss of ‘a neighbour’
While Theresa May grapples with the ever steepening slope of leaving the European Union, those over the sea in the Nordic regions are shaking their heads in disbelief. In August,…
Unbelievably, we still have to talk about communism
“I’m literally a communist, you idiot” has been on the rise as the mantra of the millennial left ever since Ash Sarkar’s outburst against Piers Morgan. Neo-communists, caked in hypocrisy…
Zero hour contracts are not a ‘flexible choice’
This week, Business Minister Claire Perry made some pretty naive comments about zero hours contracts, having quite obviously never been in a position in which she would need to undertake…
The government must accept that festivals and drugs are inseparable
Each year, thousands upon thousands of revellers put on their wellies and brave the great British weather in the name of festivals. A tragic aspect of this summer tradition is…
Protesting Trump’s state-visit is expensive and ignorant
The 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, has arrived for his ceremonious ‘state visit’ to the UK. An event so highly anticipated, it is being met with its…
Boris Johnson’s resignation means progress for Brexit
Following the emergence of a soft-Brexit Chequers deal earlier this week, May’s cabinet has taken several blows. Most notably, the Conservative administration has suffered at the hands of the resignation…
The most glaring problem with the NHS
If someone were to ask you what the biggest problem with the NHS is today, what would you say? Some would argue that Tory cuts have reduced the pride of…
May’s made a decision that might be her last
One cannot help but be grateful to Boris Johnson. Just when the flow of the global political tsunami seemed to have reached a normalising ebb, the Foreign Secretary of the…
Trump and his associates don’t deserve civility
This coming Thursday, President Trump will be making his first official state visit to the UK. A series of demonstrations and protests are scheduled to take place during his four-day…
Deal or no deal, what does Brexit mean for the NHS?
March 2019 is not getting any further away, and the UK Government is still struggling to make any progress in ongoing Brexit negotiations. With the aim of guiding the nations…
Why immigration is the EU’s Achilles’ heel
Since German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s controversial decision to throw the doors of Europe open to millions of migrants in 2015, a growing minority of pundits have postulated migration will be the…
The state needs to leave vices alone
Governments love to spoil a good time. I know, this sounds like the philosophy of a rebellious teenager. But it’s absolutely true, and especially so in the UK. Just look…
Cannabis is just as viable a legal drug as alcohol
“Pot is a better drug than alcohol […] I’ll prove it to you, man. You’re at a ball game or a concert, and someone’s really violent and aggressive and obnoxious,…
Prince William’s Israel visit is long overdue
On June 25th, Prince William touched down at Ben Gurion Airport where he would be beginning what is the royal family’s first ever official visit to Israel. In her 65…
We should be thankful that Labour Live flopped
The Labour Party’s recent attempt at recreating the success of last year’s Glastonbury festival fell almost comically flat. Rather than rejuvenating the support of the youth, ‘Labour Live’ turned out…
Labour Live epitomised everything wrong with today’s Labour Party
The endless ‘JezFest’ which has become the singular face of a once diverse party was on full display at this trivial one-day festival which took place on June 16th. Corbyn’s…
When it comes to immigration, low skilled labour is high value
At an event focusing on Brexit and immigration this week, I was sat across from a woman from the Scottish Government’s immigration office. Arms crossed and smirking, she flicked her…
Does Britain need a new centrist party?
There’s no doubt that centrists in the UK have become the political vagrants of the island. As the Labour party promises the nationalisation of major industries, while the Conservatives continue…
Immigrants and refugees shouldn’t have to prove their worth
A couple of weeks ago, the name Mamoudou Gassama meant nothing. The Malian migrant, living undocumented in France, had survived the treacherous journey via boat to Europe and was struggling…
Should we be investigating the Tory Party for Islamophobia?
Following complaints from the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has recently called for closer investigation of potential Islamophobia within the Conservative party. This has come following…
Scotland’s period of reflection on menstrual poverty is admirable
SInce devolution was formalised, Scotland has consistently put Westminster to shame with their political maneuvers. Their innovative response to attempt to tackle period poverty is no exception to this. Whereas…
Scotland deserves a voice in Brexit negotiations
As 29 March 2019 grows ever-closer, and the UK’s exit from the EU looms like a dark cloud over British politics, it seems politicians have gone pretty silent on the…
The NHS doesn’t need more money – it needs competition
Doublethink in the UK is nowhere as present as it is with the NHS. Simultaneously, it is both underfunded, understaffed, and overcrowded, yet is also the pride of Britain and…
Women are to be heard, not just seen
Illustration by Francesca Taiganides On 26 May, Ireland overwhelmingly voted to repeal the 8th amendment, allowing women to have abortions up to 12 weeks into pregnancy and up to 24 weeks…
If parliament isn’t equal, how can society be?
I can only speak for myself, but when I look at government, and see that cronie-circle of old school associates and Etonians, it feels like a gentleman’s club. Yes, members…
The royal wedding was beautiful, and that’s enough
For weeks now it has seemed as if the country was holding its breath in anticipation for the moment when Meghan Markle would step out onto the steps of St….
Is a Royal Wedding the moral equivalent of war?
All through May, British media has unloaded an unstoppable barrage of coverage on the Royal Wedding. The dress! The ceremony! The flowers! No aspect of an otherwise conventional Western practice…
Britain takes a hit of Royal gossip at any cost
Imagine undergoing open heart surgery and, as a result missing your own daughter’s wedding. A horrible thought. Then imagine undergoing open heart surgery, missing your own daughter’s wedding while being…
Grammar schools are not the way forward
On May 11 the government announced its plans to provide £50m for an expansion of the number of places in grammar schools, after their plans to open new grammar schools…
The Butch, The Bitch and The Mummy: the women in Westminster
Let’s go back to the tripartite I suggested in the first article; the Butch, the Bitch, and the Mummy. If you’re a woman working in politics, expect to see your…
It’s time for a change in Labour’s leader
The local election results indicate more than ever that the antisemitism scandals under Corbyn are forcing Jews away from the Labour Party. Sadiq Khan conveyed a clearly misplaced confidence regarding…
Row, row, row your boat back to Blighty or stick your left oar in
Think about the word, ‘change’. Chew over it for a moment. Is the unknown, the scary, and the weird, to be avoided? Or is it a break from a tired…
Amber Rudd: the women in Westminster
‘Where would you like to sit?’ Her office was hardly short of options. ‘Shall we go soft?’ and pointed to the corner sofas before we became confused. As a staunch…
Why did the state have ultimate control over Alfie Evans’ life?
The tragic story of Alfie Evans, a 23-month-old infant who passed away this morning, has touched the hearts of many across the globe. Suffering from a rare neurodegenerative disorder, the…
The government is high on anti-immigration, but this is its final hit
Stories of the Windrush generation living ‘illegally’ in the U.K have dizzied the media this week. These people have lost jobs, been denied access to the NHS and benefits, and…
The Duchess of Cambridge’s pregnancy is not your property
Pictured above: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after the birth of their first child, Prince George Have you heard? There is a new royal baby. Not a single detail has…
Deported Windrush victims are the only ones not to blame
What was Amber Rudd thinking? This question has been on the minds of most over the past fortnight. It does indeed seem bizarre that many Windrush settlers – people whose…
Media ignoring the next big refugee crisis
It is well known that the media is ill-equipped to handle several international crises simultaneously. And thus it is inherently not well known which international crises are left out of…
An encounter with Andrea Leadsom: women in Westminster
I knew very little about Andrea Leadsom before I met her. Like many, I had watched Leadsom’s 2016 Conservative Leadership campaign go up in flames after suggesting in an interview…
Negative press ignores the necessity of the Syrian airstrikes
Commentary on the airstrikes which targeted the Assad regime early morning on April 14 has been, from right-wing to left-leaning British news outlets, overwhelmingly negative. The arguments against the strike…
Well said Ealing Council, let’s hope others follow
Despite being a difficult topic to discuss, it seems abortion has been on everyone’s minds. In light of the Irish referendum, the recent action of Ealing council bears more significance…
Stop treating Calais like it’s a world away
Pictured above: Alice Bletsoe, Jemima Erith, Beth Boff, Lucy Browne-Swinburne, Laura Berg, Sophie Merrick (from left to right, photo credited to Laura Berg) I spent a week in Calais as a…
Interviewing Ruth Davidson: the women in Westminster
There seems to be an ‘all-eyes on Ruth’ effect in the media. Everyone is listening out for what she will say next, or anticipating which armoured vehicle she’ll jump into…
Corbyn’s just as bad as the rest of them
It’s clear that Jeremy Corbyn has achieved cult status among both students and wider sections of the population. He has an army of loyal fans on social media who dominate…
Government pay gap report ‘effectively comparing chief executives with secretaries’
Britain has one of the largest gender pay gaps in Europe. Women earn a mere 80p for every pound a man makes, and this inequality has increased slightly over the…
Another one bites the dust: sugar’s ill-fate
In 1795, the Duty on Hair Powder Act saw the taxation of hair powder and consequently marked the decline in fashion of the powdered wigs that were very much en…
May plans Syrian intervention whatever the cost
The chemical attacks that occured in Douma, Syria on Saturday were barbaric and deserve a response. But rushing into world war three on the heels of a deranged despot armed…
A knee-jerk ‘humanitarian intervention’ in Syria would be ignorant
On April 7th, 2018 a number of sources reported an alleged chemical attack on the rebel-held city of Douma in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta. Exact numbers of casualties are hard to…
Just a spoonful of sugar from the nanny state
Obesity is something we are all familiar with. Having more than trebled in the last three decades, and affecting almost a quarter of the UK population, it is a serious…
Power plays: the women in Westminster
The ‘visibility issue’ of women in politics is not just how many are sitting in Parliament. It’s also an issue of who they’re allowed to be once they’re there. If…
The Tories are trying, but they need to do better
Worryingly, this is the second time this year that I’ve agreed with a Tory policy. Although it may be throwing my political identity into chaos, the recent government-sponsored report into…
Anti-racist, anti-facist, anti-Semite? Millennials have forgotten the Holocaust
In one of the most disgusting cases of antisemitism we have seen in recent years, Mireille Knoll, an 85-year old French Holocaust survivor, was stabbed 11 times, then burned to…
Government can’t change the censorious attitude on campus
The joint committee on human rights (JCHR), a select committee of the Commons and the Lords chaired by Harriet Harman, have recently been considering the issue of free speech at…
Tory response to Skripal poisoning is an own goal
The UK’s news on the poisoning of Sergei Skripal has been rife with inflammatory and miscalculated political statements. Deftly written and well argued, yes, but my fellow Broad columnist Emil…
We could all do with a Politics class (or twenty)
Politics is a subject that causes social divide, mass-speculation and outright uncertainty. As we navigate through a muddy political path in the UK – queue Brexit – it seems necessary…
Corbyn’s silence on Russia shows why he’s unfit for No. 10
The ‘unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom’ is what Theresa May called the attempted murder of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal. That’s about as…
Opt-out organ donations
You know a policy is a corker if you agree with Jeremy Hunt on it. After all, the man has continuously ran the NHS into the ground since he was…
Vince Cable’s speech has revealed his anti-democratic bigotry
The Liberal Democrats are currently polling at 7%. They have been languishing around this level for some time and, despite rebranding themselves as some sort of Remain resistance, have yet…
Borders underpin international order
Last week my fellow columnist Lucy Hodgeon wrote a piece on whether borders have been made redundant by globalisation. It was original, thought-provoking and brilliantly written. I categorically disagree with it….
Borders suffocate international progress
Trump and Mexico. Britain and Brexit. Whilst states across the world seem to be reaffirming their borders, there exists a counter movement asking: do we even need borders? The World…
How I stopped worrying and learned to love Corbyn
British politics has seen better days. Take one look at Theresa May’s cabinet, and you’ll see a crew arguing which way to sail a beached ship. Then feast your eyes…
Brexit, the worst mistake made by the UK since the First World War?
If the UK leaves the European Union, politicians can run the country how they want; Corbyn can try out his Stalinist policies or Mogg can take us back to the…
The real threat to democracy? Millennials
The Baby Boomers will be remembered as the luckiest generation in history. But the millennials will be remembered as the most spoiled. Previous generations perceived democracy as the moral antithesis…
The UK’s political future should be decided by educated voters
In modern day society it is almost unanimously believed that democracy is the best way to govern a country. Democracy seems to be synonymous with fairness, creating a government which…
Saying ‘three cheers for a century of female suffrage’ is not enough
True irony: the fact that the female suffrage centenary is currently sharing column space with the revelation that Tesco, one of UK’s largest supermarkets and employers, could be sued up…
Project FUN Not FEAR
On 23rd June 2016, 26% of the UK population or 37% of the UK electorate voted to leave the European Union. Around 3 million people, including; EU nationals living in…
The Conservative deceit that is Brexit
In early October Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourgish Head of the European Commission, compared Britain to a friend who orders a round of drinks at the bar and then leaves without…
Cable is destroying whatever hopes his party has left
You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. For many, this is not far from an accurate analysis of the current state of Britain’s ‘third’ party,…
Any believer in free trade will embrace leaving the European Union
No matter which side you supported during the EU referendum, there is one aspect of the upcoming Brexit that should strike optimism into every Brit – leaving the archaic customs…
Supporting Corbyn is a trade-off with a soft Brexit
Corbyn’s appeal is understandable. We live in a country plagued by inequality, and unlike many politicians, he has made it his priority to address it. In the UK, the top…