Category: UK
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Labour must not get lost in the polling
OPINION No one can doubt that Keir Starmer has been greatly needed in cutting through the chaos of ever-changing COVID-19 policies. As former Director of the Crown Prosecution Service, his experience shows at the dispatch box every time. That being said, as another Labour Party conference passes, we are no clearer on what Starmer’s Labour…
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The UK’s child poverty problem didn’t start with COVID-19
OPINION As the economic repercussions of COVID-19 begin to manifest in increased unemployment and redundancies, remember that it was not this virus that planted the seeds of worsening child poverty. Between 1999 and 2010, the UK’s child poverty rates were in decline, but since 2010 almost all progress made in reducing poverty in the previous…
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The Internal Market Bill: an early demise for ‘Global Britain’
OPINION In his premier speech as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson assured us that “everyone” knows the values that the British flag represents: democracy, freedom, due process, and the rule of law. Yet as his Secretary of State for Northern Ireland admits that the Internal Market Bill “does break international law”, it seems Boris has forgotten,…
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United Ireland: flight of fancy or near reality?
Ireland united is not a new concept. If anything, it is the actual partition of the island that to many Irish and Northern Irish citizens feels like the novelty. The centenary of that partition will be celebrated by unionists this coming May, but the significance of it will go far beyond commemoration; it will add…
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Johnson promised to “level up” the UK, but this year’s A-Level fiasco proved he has no idea
OPINION Following the election in December 2019, Boris Johnson has repeatedly promised to “level up” the country, by eradicating national inequalities and giving every child equal opportunities. This is an ambitious statement from an Etonian and Oxford graduate. Johnson experienced arguably the best education that the UK has to offer, and while the idea is…
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Germany’s sudden rise in coronavirus cases is a stark warning for the UK
OPINION Until recently, Germany has been widely recognised as an exemplar of how to handle the coronavirus pandemic, particularly in Europe. But a recent uptick in cases in the country has mirrored similar trends in Spain, France and Italy, leading to a host of questions as to why Germany’s successful track record is now under…
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