Two weeks ago the University of Bristol took the shameful decision to fire Professor David Miller; anyone who cares about the principle of academic freedom should oppose this crackdown on open discussion. Miller has produced important research on Israel lobby groups in the UK, and it is therefore unsurprising that supporters of Israel have engaged … Continue reading Defend Academic Freedom
Category: Politics
On Keir Starmer
The current Labour leader is a ruthless authoritarian. He has overseen the proscription of groups associated with the Labour left, suspended Jeremy Corbyn (who he still refuses to return the whip to), fired Rebecca Long-Bailey from the Shadow Cabinet for retweeting an interview in The Independent, and recently attempted to destroy the democracy that remains … Continue reading On Keir Starmer
Taxation in an Oligarchy
How the British State Advantages the Rich Talal Hangari and Tom Zundel The majority of the British political establishment in both parties is dedicated to serving the interests of elites. While this political aim can be understood through a variety of lenses, taxation offers a useful entry point for building an understanding of Britain’s institutions … Continue reading Taxation in an Oligarchy
CLIMATE EMERGENCY
Distinguished scientist Raymond Pierrehumbert, the lead author of the IPCC’s third assessment report, warned in 2019 that ‘it’s time to panic’ about the climate crisis. Those words only ring truer with the publication of the IPCC’s sixth assessment report. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in line with unanimous scientific opinion, points out that this is … Continue reading CLIMATE EMERGENCY
Treatment of Assange Highlights Western Hypocrisy
The political dissident is an important component of any democracy. People must have the right to challenge their leaders, no matter how uncomfortable that process might be. Thus we in the West today honour independent voices, with one major caveat: they should only target our enemies and their crimes. Take the case of Alexei Navalny, … Continue reading Treatment of Assange Highlights Western Hypocrisy
Some words from Tom Paine
On accepting a knighthood: Titles are but nick-names, and every nick-name is a title. The thing is perfectly harmless in itself; but it marks a sort of foppery in the human character, which degrades it. It reduces man into the diminutive of man in things which are great, and the counterfeit of woman in things … Continue reading Some words from Tom Paine
Should progressives leave the Labour Party?
The short answer is no. At this point in time the Labour Party remains the only viable opposition to an increasingly destructive and rapacious Conservative government. This is a natural consequence of our electoral system: first past the post systematically disadvantages third parties. A more democratic system of proportional representation would allow a far greater … Continue reading Should progressives leave the Labour Party?
Nuclear Illegality
On 8 April 2021, I wrote in an article in the University of Cambridge’s main student newspaper, Varsity, that ‘[m]inisters are so invested in a nostalgic vision of British power that the law may be happily trampled underfoot.’ I was writing with respect to the government’s plans to violate Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation … Continue reading Nuclear Illegality
How Labour Party Bureaucrats made a Mockery of Democracy
This article was written (26/4/20) after the leaked Labour report revealed anti-democratic plots were hatched by senior party bureaucrats to sabotage Corbyn’s leadership I. The leaks from an internal report on antisemitism in the Labour Party highlight that Britain’s main opposition party is democratically defunct. A conspiracy to undermine Labour’s chances of an election victory … Continue reading How Labour Party Bureaucrats made a Mockery of Democracy
On Criminality
"The strong do what they have the power to do and the weak accept what they have to accept”Thucydides “It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished who kill not in large companies, and to the sound of trumpets; it is the rule.”Voltaire Criminality in our world is treated with pretty arbitrary standards. … Continue reading On Criminality