BY SIR JOHN REDWOOD The BBC are their own worst opponents. Their recent cancellation of a couple of much loved old songs that are famous worldwide and have not before caused protests led many of their former BBC news/Radio 4 audience to anger or despair. They are so dominated by Read more…
BY MOLLY GILES The BBC has capitulated to the argument that the words of Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Brittania are laden with colonial overtones and should be abandoned. Instead, orchestral-only versions will be played. The BBC’s continued politicisation of the Proms is deeply ignorant – something which Read more…
BY HARRY WILKINSON The furore over the downgrading of predicted A Level grades has disguised a far more important issue. That is, what exactly are our students learning? The answer, according to the latest figures is increasingly Psychology, Sociology and Media Studies. On Monday, I posted what I had thought, Read more…
BY ETHAN THOBURN As the furlough scheme comes to an end this autumn, it is paramount that we get the economy back up and running, especially after it was announced that the British economy had shrunk, in terms of GDP, more than any other developed nation in the West. Boris Read more…
BY EMILY BARLEY While politicians and security specialists scramble to mitigate the dangers posed by Russia and China, a threat closer to home and with the political and legal links more appropriate for a like-minded ally slips under the radar. EU member state Romania has gone rogue, with its renamed Read more…
BY SERENA LIT In this time of mass confusion, three things have become painfully clear: the algorithm Ofqual used to calculate this year’s GCSE and A-level results contained class bias, the so-called ‘triple lock’ actually secures nothing and over the course of lockdown the gap between state and independent schools Read more…
BY MO METCALF-FISHER From the title of this piece, you might be wondering what I mean by churches having an anti- social behaviour problem. It might be hard to imagine anyone wanting to carry out criminal damage at your local church; a place where many gather in prayer, reflect, exchange Read more…
BY DR ROB SUTTON An ageing population with an increasing disease burden, combined with ever more expensive treatments, continues to stretch funding for the NHS, where costs which have far outpaced income growth. For decades, governments have taken the same approach: throw more money at the problem and hope whoever wins the Read more…
BY EMMA WEBB Over the last few days Twitter has been awash with those wanting to point out what they see as hypocrisy of the ‘all lives matter’ crowd. #AllLivesMatter except for those crossing the channel in rubber dinghies, right? Unfortunately, with this kind of shallow point scoring rhetoric, what Read more…
BY JASON REED For as long as the debate around the environment has existed, we have been told that capitalism and the climate are diametrically opposed. You protect one at the detriment of the other. So long as we continue to live our decadent lives in our developed economies, gorging Read more…
BY CALVIN ROBINSON It’s outrageous and, therefore, to be expected. As of this month, the BBC will be charging over 75s the full cost of their licence fee. Who would have thought they’d stoop so low? Well, actually – many of us. As more and more people are coming to Read more…
BY SERENA LIT The growing intolerance of right-wing values at British schools and on university campuses is well-documented. Perhaps this is yet another problem imported from our American cousins, where the bias is so prominent there are now multiple groups campaigning to end it. Irrespective of the reason why educators Read more…
BY SERENA LIT August 1st was a date that women across this country have had marked in their calendars since big man Boris’ grand announcement that beauticians will be allowed to perform all services thereafter. The sense of euphoria many felt at this long overdue verdict has been incredibly short lived, Read more…
BY ETHAN THOBURN Recently, Chancellor Rishi Sunak outlined Britain’s post Coronavirus economic plan in his summer statement. This included a massive package of government support, such as a 15pc VAT cut in the leisure and tourism industry plus the ‘eat out to help out’ scheme, incentivising people to dine in Read more…
BY TIM DAWSON “You don’t wanna do that!” hectored Mr. Don’t Want To Do That, Harry Enfield’s insufferably busy-bodying character in his popular sketch show. It would make the ideal slogan for the government’s new anti-obesity drive. Fancy a pint? You don’t want to do that! Cheese on your burger? Read more…
BY MO METCALF-FISHER If you thought the war on meat was confined to student unions, think again Over the last few years we have witnessed multiple attempts to ban meat from university campuses up and down the country. The University of Cambridge and Goldsmiths have been successful in their attempts; Read more…
BY CLARE GOLBY In March we went into a temporary scholastic shutdown. I collected my children from school and, in conversation one of the other mums, she said she thought the children would be off until September. Oh no, surely that’s not going to happen. Recently, their school broke up Read more…
BY JIM BARRINGTON At a time when the nation is stunned by the horrific death of PC Andrew Harper, it’s worthwhile considering age-old questions surrounding crime and punishment. The origin of the phrase “An eye for and eye, a tooth for a tooth” is a little unclear, one view being Read more…
BY MAX YOUNG Any major crisis tests the major constituent parts of society – their ability to adapt, plan, maintain key functions, and emerge intact. Unfortunately for Britain, our public sector has failed this test across the board. Whitehall departments remain largely deserted as their infrastructure and services grind almost Read more…
BY LEO KEARSE I’m one of the UK’s few openly right wing comedians. I say “openly” because comedians are some of the most inherently right wing people I’ve met – they’re all self-starting Thatcherite entrepreneurs hustling for work in a free market, they all stuff cash under the mattress where Read more…