British Politics
London mayoral elections 2021: a likely winner amongst varied candidates
Illustrations by Megan Le Brocq A record number of 20 candidates are standing in the 2021 London mayoral election. We’ve lost Rory Stewart and gained youtuber Max Fosh; celebrated underdog Count…
Biden’s Bold Ambitions
In his first hundred days in office, Joe Biden did not lack ambition. On January 14th, before his inauguration, he announced an enormous $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that was…
What is happening in Northern Ireland and why we need to talk about it
Illustrations by Megan Le Brocq Over the past few weeks there has been rioting in towns and cities across the Northern Ireland. The riots began on 29th March in Derry and has involved…
The weekend of no news
Illustrations by Megan Le Brocq On the weekend of the 10-11th April there was no news. The world stopped, or at least if you were watching British news coverage, that is…
New report refuting claims of institutional racism proves that the UK is actually institutionally racist
Illustrations by Megan Le Brocq Last week, the UK government released a report which denies that the UK is an institutionally racist country, or in any way rigged against ethnic minorities….
The Alba Party: what is Alex Salmond doing?
Illustrations by Megan Le Brocq The Alba Party is a new, pro-independence party lead by Alex Salmond and, on the face of it, it looks like a direct rival to the…
Morgan vs Markle: where do you stand?
Illustrations by Megan Le Brocq Like many of us, I’ve been feeling particularly uncomfortable recently, ever since that interview, the interview that left me wrestling with what I believed, what I…
GB News will tell you the ‘right way to think’
Illustrations by Megan Le Brocq GB News, a brand new TV channel, could be on our screens by the end of this month. This news channel, hosted by Andrew Neil, aims…
Patriotism and the Labour party
Illustrations by Megan Le Brocq Much has been said of late about Keir Starmer’s move to make Labour more patriotic. As is now common with Labour, reactions have been quite decisive….
Is now the time to introduce a Universal Basic Income?
Illustrations by Megan Le Brocq There is a feeling of hope in the air, spring is on its way, days are getting longer and we are tentatively looking towards recovery from…
10 Big Ideas for Scotland – how can Scotland address its biggest challenges?
Illustrations by Megan Le Brocq Despite concerns that elections might have to be delayed because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The Electoral Commission has confirmed that on the 6th of May, elections will take…
If you want to be Prime Minister-
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson (Kipling’s original ‘If’ can be found here) If you can say you did your best when all about you Are losing their jobs and rightly blaming you,…
Why we need to take the time to challenge our own opinions
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson There we have it. 1652 long days after the referendum, Britain has left the EU. This departure was a source of celebration for some, and a time…
As long as Sturgeon is around, Labour has little hope in Scotland
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Nicola Sturgeon, regardless of your politics, is an undeniably impressive politician. Putting her record to one side, she has successfully positioned herself and Scotland on a world stage….
Blair’s suggestions show the benefits of listening to yesterday’s news
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson 23 years ago, Tony Blair walked on water. In becoming the UK’s youngest Prime Minister of the 20th century, Blair not only ended 18 years of Conservative…
Black Lives STILL Matter: In conversation with the formidable Darcy Bourne
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In her first article for The Broad, Livi Empson interviews prominent Black Lives Matter activist Darcy Bourne over a FaceTime and a cup of tea. It was…
Time’s up for Brexit: no-deal on the horizon
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Brexit means Brexit. It increasingly appears as if it is also synonymous with ‘no deal’. The announcement this week from Brussels and London that no deal is very likely, is very…
Electric bikes could be the key to commuter transport in a net-zero economy
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In just ten years’ time, all those of us who rely on petrol and diesel vehicles for our daily commute will have to find alternative, more sustainable…
The misrepresentation of the Troubles in Netflix’s The Crown
llustrations by Hannah Robinson Netflix’s hit series The Crown, documenting the life of Elizabeth II, just released its fourth season and the first episode’s movement into 1979 see the introduction of…
The dehumanised royal family
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The new season of the crown has recently reopened debate regarding the royal family and their place in society. Their role as royals is inextricably linked with…
Brexit, Northern Ireland and international law
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Ever since that fateful day in June 2016 when it was announced that the United Kingdom would be leaving the European Union, there has been a never-ending…
Could COVID-19 be the final straw for the SNP?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson It has, in the past, appeared impossible to wean the Scottish people off the SNP. Regardless of how many police stations collapse, how low literacy rates fall,…
Rethink. Reskill. Re…WHAT?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The COVID-19 pandemic has led to untold job insecurity across virtually all sectors of employment. Some do not know where the money to pay their rent is…
Is boycotting Oatly stunting sustainable progress?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Over the past several weeks, social media has taken another dive into the realms of cancel culture, this time with a new target: Oatly. Founded in the…
Love the Union? Beware of Boris!
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Owing to particularly unsettling polling statistics which were said to have startled even the Prime Minister, a hastily organised trip north of the border was meant to…
Second hand September — How to wear the change you want to see
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson It is a shock to no one that 2020 joins the growing list of years of unprecedented events brought about by humanity’s misuse of the planet. You…
It is time for the government to stop blaming the youth of today
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Was it not Matt Hancock who declared the importance of remembering that we are all on the same side in the fight against COVID-19? This very same…
The COVID-19 generation: what will the pandemic mean for our futures?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson As the much feared second wave of COVID-19 begins to materialise, the government has been desperate to find a new place to point its finger. It seems…
The youth of today: the Conservatives’ latest scapegoat
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The Tories seem to have found their scapegoat for the seemingly “inevitable” second wave of Covid-19. Young people. Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, has said that the…
Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and dereliction of duty
This week it ‘emerged’ that Donald Trump knew coronavirus was deadly in February. He knew and did nothing. With polls narrowing, Democrats are seizing this in order to double down…
Is it time to decriminalise drugs?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Drugs have long been the subject of heavily divisive debate and a polarising issue between those on the left and the right. Conservatives in the UK and…
Now is the time for Welsh independence
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson With the COVID-19 crisis proving the incompetence of the English government, it’s time for the nations of the United Kingdom to start considering the option of Independence….
Female genital mutilation: not just a foreign practice
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Having been told that it was just ‘something that girls do’, Nazia Mirza, aged 8, was taken by her mother to have her genitals cut. Being held…
Conservative competence: victim of COVID-19?
llustrations by Hannah Robinson I have a confession to make. I am a natural Conservative voter. This might come as no surprise; I ‘look’ like a natural Conservative voter- I am…
Is Boris u-turning out of control?
U-turning on policy, when faced with overwhelming resistance, demonstrates a government’s ability to listen to its electorate. But, not only that. It also illustrates our ability, as an electorate, to…
More than ever, foreign travel is a rich person’s game
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Lockdown restrictions have eased, albeit in an ambiguous and haphazard manner. To what extent we are still in lockdown is unclear. Whilst we wear masks in shops…
What is the point of the Liberal Democrats in 2020?
Illustration by Felix Pawlyn When I was writing this piece for The Broad, I questioned whether it would be interesting enough of a piece for you, the reader, to dissect…
A-level u-turns: what backtracking means for this year’s students and the future
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson To say that the awarding of this year’s exams results in Britain has been a disaster would be an understatement. Throughout the UK, examination boards have released…
J.K. Rowling – ‘TERF’ or nothing
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson J.K. Rowling is on twitter-trial once again. She stands accused of being a ‘TERF’, a trans-exclusionary radical feminist. The author’s most recent transgression was to retweet an…
Young people are vital to post-COVID-19 recession recovery
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The new millennium has been a turbulent time, not least for young people. The last two decades have been unfair for our generation in a number of…
COVID-19 and recent exam results mean now is time for education reform
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In life, the best chance at equal opportunity is arguably through education. Education reform and re-evaluation has never been more crucial, particularly considering the current outrage regarding…
Why are female leaders excelling at fighting COVID-19?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of media attention paid to the link between the gender of leaders and the effectiveness of their…
Boris wants calories everywhere – but at what cost?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Boris Johnson is calling for the country to lose weight together, suggesting that this would help combat a possible second wave of COVID-19. A large part of…
#PublishingPaidMe and racial inequality in the publishing industry
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Following the surge in the Black Lives Matter movement, calls for change across the world have been frequent and loud. However, you may be unfamiliar with the…
This years exam results reveal a great inequity across education
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Exam results for Scottish secondary school students were released on Tuesday, queue the inevitable: celebration, outrage and debate over the fairness of the system which largely determines…
Why the toppling of statues is a step towards countries confronting their racist past
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Recent discourse surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement and the toppling of statues symbolic of our racist history has been hotly debated. People across the globe have…
John Hume’s lifelong mission is far from complete
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson On 3 August 2020, the UK lost one of its most instrumental statesmen. John Hume, the celebrated leader of the SDLP, is someone that I deeply admire….
Vergangenheitsbewältigung: Can we use Germany’s past to navigate our future?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. Our memory is how we learn. I do not believe that George Santayana, in persuading us…
The fashion industry continues to exclude and exploit black people
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Diversity and representation within the fashion industry has been a longstanding subject of contention. In the last decade, this issue has gained traction, as consumers are increasingly…
Trump and Bolsonaro’s COVID-19 fake news is worsening our infodemic
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In February of this year, the Director-General of the World Health Organization declared an ‘infodemic’. As COVID-19 began to spread at a terrifyingly rapid pace across the…
COVID-19: time for the Great British staycation
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson With lockdown set to be further relaxed next week, amidst the decline of COVID-19 cases, there is one big question that the British public need answered: can…
Black Lives Matter: A cause that needs direction
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The Black Lives Matter movement isn’t a new one, but the murder of George Floyd has once again thrust it to the fore and the video of…
Donald Trump is set for a one term presidency
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Logic has been cast aside with bombastic disdain by Donald Trump, a populist outsider who confounds expectation. His opponents do not want to be made electorally foolish…
Political bias and mistrust are corroding our democracy
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Over time, political interest has grown but our trust in the system has markedly diminished. We’ve lost trust in traditional news channels and increasingly look to social…
Why I’m not expecting black people to talk about race
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In her seminal work Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, Reni Eddo-Lodge conveys her frustration at her attempts to explain structural racism to…
Toppling a statue does not erase history, it brings it to life
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Far from an attempt to write out history, the toppling, tainting and debating of our nation’s statues and monuments is a writing in of history. If the…
Will COVID-19 heightens the Brexit stakes?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson On the 31st of January 2020 some friends and I sat counting down the minutes until the UK officially left the EU. After more than three years…
Why did Starmer condemn the Colston statue toppling?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Labour is suffering an identity crisis. After a cataclysmic showing at last year’s snap general election, which saw their campaign marred by Brexit and anti-Semitism thanks to…
Systemic racism: the true legacy of empire?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson It is very easy to look across the pond to the United States, see the deep-rooted societal issues around race relations and say: ‘that is tragic, but…
Systemic racism in British sport: not such a level playing field
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson British Sport is a long way off from truly being equal to all. Sport is a universal language that connects people regardless of their background and has…
Hate crime: the brutal reality of everyday inertia
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In the midst of the pervasive pain and fulminating fury at the centre of Black Lives Matter’s powerful protests – presenting a turning point in Britain’s egregious story…
COVID-19 has brought the resurgence of the bike
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Bikes are in and cars are out. This seems to be the new motto echoing through government at the moment that can only be good news for…
Periods in a pandemic -basic menstruating needs are still not being met
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Throughout history, people who menstruate have been forced to jump through numerous hoops to access suitable and affordable hygiene products. In January 2020, the UK government finally…
Wilfred Owen warned us of the dangers of war rhetoric – lest we forget
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Never has a work of literature so accurately articulated the profound dangers of war rhetoric than Wilfred Owen’s World War I poem Dulce Et Decorum Est. Owen…
Instagram influencers are undermining activism
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson It has been almost three weeks since protests began following George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis. What has followed has been momentous. Protests have spread internationally in support…
We are not at war: using war-like rhetoric in relation to COVID-19 is dangerous
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Lockdown has been an essential measure to “flatten the curve” and hinder the spread of COVID-19. Yet throughout the pandemic, governments across the globe have used war-like…
Europe’s handling of COVID-19 is stoking the populist fire
Illustration by Hannah Robinson At the time of writing, Europe has the second-largest COVID-19 outbreak in the world. From the unprecedented toils of people’s livelihoods to financial insecurity, COVID-19 has brought…
America’s racist history – how we can make the future different?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Three weeks ago, I wrote an article commenting on how the fatal shooting of unarmed black jogger Ahmaud Arbery was symptomatic of a system which prioritizes the…
How would the Romans have responded to COVID-19?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Even the richest Romans could not escape contagions and curses. The Antonine Plague savaged Rome from 160AD until 180AD. The rich flocked to their countryside villas, the…
COVID-19 coverage highlights the sexist double standard in British journalism
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson On 27 May, the Conservative MP for Shrewsbury Daniel Kawczynski took to Twitter with his opinion of Emily Maitlis’ Newsnight monologue on Dominic Cummings’ infamous trip to…
Social media activism can be incredibly powerful, but it can also be incredibly dangerous
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Since the killing of George Floyd, social media activism has proved itself to be an incredibly powerful phenomenon. Millions of people have taken to Instagram and Twitter,…
‘Send them packing’: Murder hornets, nationalism and the media
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson You can keep COVID-19. For me, 2020 has been a year all about one thing; the so-called ‘murder hornets’, coming into the UK and murdering UK bee…
Yet again, the government shows no care for child refugees
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The list of issues that the government does not care about seems to be growing longer by the day. Its senior advisors and party MPs are breaching national…
White silence is no longer an option
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The murder of George Floyd has seen people across the world mobilise in acts of solidarity on an unprecedented scale. It has managed to create greater awareness…
Now more than ever, don’t call him Boris!
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In order to properly scrutinise the Prime Minister’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, he must be held to a standard of professionalism and ignore his attempts at…
The UK Government’s deafening silence is complicity of the highest order
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson On Sunday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab decided to change the job description of one of the Great Offices of State, in order to appease a racist. When…
It’s time to return the stolen jewels of empires past
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Visiting London’s Victoria & Albert or British Museums, you see exhibition after exhibition of stunning ‘exotic’ artefacts from across the world. Take a second to think about…
Complacency is complicity: black lives matter in the UK too
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson “Please I can’t breathe. My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts. They’re going to kill me.” GEORGE FLOYD, 2020. “I can’t breathe.” ERIC GARNER, 2014. People…
Pandemics and populists: democracy’s ancient enemies
Illustrations by Felix Pawlyn The 2010s saw various pillars of global liberal democracy being swept away by a wave of international populism. America and Britain both fell prey to populist…
We must save lives – by lifting restrictions
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, there have been suggestions that a new “profound culture war” is erupting; pitting your money against your life; or at least somebody’s life….
The Bullingdon Brand: is it really electable?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Jeremy Hunt, Boris Johnson, David Cameron, George Osborne, Jo Johnson, Rory Stewart. All, public schooled. All politicians that are leading or ex-leading members of the Conservative party….
What does COVID-19 mean for Europe’s refugees?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson A great deal has changed in the world of late, yet our tendency to ignore the suffering endured by Europe’s refugees has held fast. It never takes…
How can we rediscover the value of learning after lockdown?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The closure of schools across the country was met by some with jubilation, and others with a sense of loss of direction. The news of cancellation of…
Project Restart is a mockery of football
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson It is without question that football is thoroughly missed during these unprecedented times. The balls crashing into the net, the silky footwork from talented individuals and the…
We’ve never been in the same boat, COVID-19 won’t change that
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson I’m fed up of people saying things like ‘we’re all in the same boat’; COVID-19 has not suddenly caused inequalities to disappear. We have never been in…
Spinsters like Cummings are undermining democracy
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Sunday’s COVID-19 press briefing was a heinous moment for Boris Johnson. Since March, the country has been under lockdown in order to slow the spread of COVID-19….
Beware the age of the Political Fool
Illustration by Hannah Robinson It is fashionable to label political eras. The last 60 years of American Presidency, for instance, is normally divided into imperial, imperilled and post-imperial segments. David Runciman,…
The Best of Both Worlds: How COVID-19 highlights the strength of devolution
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson For better or worse, our family of nations remains united. We squabble. We bicker. And we would probably describe ourselves as dysfunctional. But what has so far…
COVID-19 presents an opportunity to reshape our economy for the better
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The COVID-19 pandemic has created the biggest upheaval that many of us have lived through. Freedoms we have taken for granted throughout our University years, such as…
COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on the LGBTQ+ community
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson While the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic has many believing that ‘we’re all in the same boat’, for minority communities the virus does, in fact, discriminate. Not…
Johnson’s use of language has distracted from his failure to act on COVID-19
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Language has been a significant factor in the coronavirus pandemic. There has been a rapid change in global discourse as a new and resurgent vocabulary of terms…
For Stormont’s sake, end the Brexit dawdle and grant that extension
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Brexit is still happening – however low it is on the Whitehall agenda – and it deserves our utmost attention. The government, is now focused on responding…
Are Jews destined to feel invisible in popular culture?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson It was nearly a year ago that William Finn’s musical Falsettos made its debut in UK theatres. The protagonist’s self-deprecating humour and sporadic neuroticism were clearly very…
Lockdown and Brexit present a challenge of conflicting ideals for Johnson
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The UK economy is currently facing several severe challenges. Pre- COVID-19, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced that public spending would have to increase in…
The 21st Century’s continued struggle with experts versus populism
Illustration by Felix Pawlyn Technocracy versus populism: the new Scylla and Charybdis There are many clefts which divide political tribes, and at the risk of introducing another, I wish to…
Britain’s obsession with Royal news has gone too far
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The one certainty that Britain can rely on in any national crisis, is the swift rise of Royal coverage. While it can’t be denied that the Royal…
What can we learn about COVID-19 from the 430BC Athenian Plague?
Illustration by Felix Pawlyn This time round, will the pandemic be a case of survival of the fitness or the richest? The 430BC Athenian plague is our earliest ever record…
Once upon a time: Boris Johnson’s COVID-19 fairytale
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Perhaps, there has never been a finer time for fairy tales. As a nation in need of solace and certainty, the straight-cut world of heroes and villains…
One epidemic illuminates another – COVID-19 and the Educational Attainment Gap
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The wealth divide in Britain is entrenched and it is vicious. A monstrous creature, it plunges its tentacles into every crevice of our lives, suffocating social mobility…
Technology can benefit our mental health during COVID-19
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The infectious pandemic has been a testing time for humanity and has affected individuals in ways scarily imaginable just four months ago. From increased loneliness due to…
Automation is the answer to our struggling agricultural industry
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Despite the globalisation of goods and services, homegrown produce remains a vital component of the United Kingdom’s economy. The agricultural industry is worth over £120 billion, and…
The English should reclaim St George’s cross
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson. To many, the 23rd of April – St George’s Day – is viewed as the most apt occasion to forget or denounce one’s Englishness. With the start…
Keir Starmer is shortchanging Scotland with federalism
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The night of 12th December 2019 was not a good night for Scottish Labour. In the country of Labour’s founding father and (subsequently elected, leader’s namesake) Keir…
With COVID-19, the Conservatives have realised Labour’s economic vision
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson “Vote Tory, get Labour,” remarked Phillip Cunliffe, professor in International Conflict at the University of Kent and co-founder of The Full Brexit, commentating on the measures put…
When Boris Johnson’s humour returns this crisis will truly be over
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson It feels like a long time ago that the Prime Minister was telling the public that they could ‘bung a bob for a Big Ben bong’ to…
COVID-19 calls for a new approach to how we view sex work
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that now more than ever workers need to be protected. The UK Government’s introduction of the job retention scheme in March, that…
Labour needs a Nandyite foreign policy
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Keir Starmer’s new shadow cabinet was designed to give credence to the word repeated ad infinitum in his campaign: unity. The removal of a handful of Corbyn…
In defence of occasional idiocy: how partisan hatred is corrupting our society
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson 175 years of history and you’ve blown it. From a prized free trade journal to this. The Economist’s Europe Editor Chris Lockwood was greeted with utter disdain…
The UK media is failing us in this pandemic
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson There is no way to gloss over what is currently happening all over the world, no way to play it down or over state just how awful…
Dear the left, gays are not your pets
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson I am a young Scottish Conservative studying politics in Aberdeen. I like aviation, sci-fi and, like everyone else, I enjoy going to the pub. I also happen…
Support the British press during the uncertainty of covid-19
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In the current climate, coherent, reliable and expert reporting is indispensable. The outbreak of Covid-19 and the dissemination of information to the public regarding its status have…
The NHS is not a charity!
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson As we reach the end of week three of the COVID-19 lockdown, social media pages continue to regress to the trends of 2012/13. Our screens are…
The return of experts- a silver lining to the crisis?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Casting our eyes back, how ironic Michael Gove’s declaration that the British public have “had enough of experts” seems. Stepping outside on Thursday evenings at eight o’clock…
Innocent until proven guilty, unless you’re the victim
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Last week Alex Salmond, former First Minister and accused sex predator, was acquitted of 13 charges against him, including sexual assault and attempted rape. This happened during…
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…
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…