On 4 April 2020, Sir Keir Starmer was elected as the new leader of the Labour party. His rise to the top came at a difficult time. The last general election had crushed Labour and disillusioned the membership. Change was needed. Could Starmer deliver? Well, a Labour party under his leadership would not be “opposition […]Read More
Today, 3 April 2021, is the 300th anniversary of Robert Walpole being appointed First Lord of the Treasury, and so becoming the first, de facto, Prime Minister. It was the first time any single minister could be considered to be in control and it quickly became a position held by the leader of the government. […]Read More
Since August 2020, farming protests have erupted across India, opposing new farming laws recently passed by the government; many of these farmers have come from the states of Punjab and Haryana. For months, they have sat outside Delhi protesting: around 200 farmers have died, a number of journalists and activists have been imprisoned, said protesters […]Read More
The meeting place for the 2020 International Womens’ Day march was the Palace of Culture (PKiN), in Warsaw. This is a 237m tall remnant of the communist era known locally as Stalin’s Penis. There could be found a gathering of men, women and children sporting rainbows and holding banners aloft. This would be their last […]Read More
The Coronavirus pandemic has been characterised by uncertainty. To an extent, this is understandable. After all, we knew nothing about the disease when it first began creeping across the planet a little more than a year ago. Our governments acted with good intentions and, we can assume, did their upmost to balance our interests and […]Read More
When he was sworn into office on 20th January, US President Joe Biden promised Americans he would heal a divided and wounded nation after four years of former US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric. Now as he approaches a month in office, is his call for unity falling on deaf ears? With the coronavirus pandemic still […]Read More
Progressives have been pushing to get rid of the filibuster for months if they gained control of the three main forms of government. However, eliminating the filibuster has the potential to empower the Republicans just as much as the Democrats, as seen in 2013 and 2017, and getting rid of the filibuster will not suddenly […]Read More
Climate change is the defining issue of our time. The problem, which will affect living standards around the world, is truly global. Any global issue requires a global response. Brilliant progress was made with the 2015 Paris Agreement, which the new US President Joe Biden announced America will rejoin. This, along with other policy measures, […]Read More
Sir Keir Starmer has been widely criticised for his ambitions to make the Labour Party more patriotic, however such ridicule is misguided. A report from The Guardian has highlighted that Starmer wants to make “use of the [union] flag, veterans [and] dressing smartly”, as he seeks to redefine what people have come to expect from […]Read More
A haunting quest for justice through the hinterlands of Johannesburg, ‘Jozi Gold’ tackles the catastrophic fallout of the South African gold mining industry head on. Jozi Gold (2019) is a shocking indictment of the South African gold mining industry and its toxic consequences. In just 74 minutes, directors Fredrik Gertten and Sylvia Vollenhoven weave together […]Read More
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government has shown a growing contempt towards the arts as restrictions and lockdowns have continued to put theatres, cinemas, museums, galleries, and gig venues under forced closure. This dismissal of the arts has been most infamously demonstrated in the government’s “Rethink. Reskill. Reboot.” campaign, or the better known “Fatima” […]Read More
‘Today I can announce that next week we will be introducing a new £800 fine for those attending house parties, which will double for each repeat offense to a maximum level of £6,400. These fines will apply to those who attend illegal gatherings of more than 15 people in homes.’ Soon after Priti Patel finished […]Read More
As an opinion writer, Boris Johnson presents quite a lot of exciting, creative opportunities. Like any columnist worth their salt, my writing style allows me to inject a certain flavour into my points of view. With Johnson in power, there are endless opportunities for said creative flavour injection, such as comparing him to an albino […]Read More
I haven’t properly understood the term ‘Groundhog Day’ until now. We all seem to be stuck in an endless loop of national lockdowns and rising infection rates. This feeling of déjà vu was heightened earlier this month, when Gavin Williamson, Education Secretary, announced that GCSE and A-Level exams would be canceled for the second year […]Read More
Political journalism is a tough job. Politics is, by its very nature, a sensitive and divisive topic, so perhaps there is no area of journalism in which using the correct language is more important. A choice word here or there can totally change someone’s outlook on the situation being reported on, and with it, their […]Read More
