It’s been nearly fifteen years since Labour’s last election-winning leader left No 10. Since 2007, it’s fair to say that Sir Tony’s reputation has, to put it mildly, fallen. Whether it be the findings of the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War, his work globally,…
As economies across the globe recover from the COVID-19 crisis in very different ways, we are witnessing deepening global divisions where collaboration is necessary to ride out the pandemic, dress its wounds and move forward. It’s been over two years since the detection of the…
On December 31st 2021, the New Year’s Honours were announced. One name stuck out like a sore thumb, making his inclusion one of the most controversial in recent years. That being former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was given a knighthood. Many were outraged at…
Our generation and our century will witness the collapse of the ‘white man’s burden’ as the boomer generation witnessed the crumbling of the berlin wall. The cold war saw the incredible rise of America into the largest economic and military power the world has ever…
The Conservative Party have been in power in the UK for over a decade. Their first election triumph, after many years in opposition at the hands of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s New Labour, was secured following the economic catastrophe of the Great Financial Crisis…
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021 is a very controversial piece of legislation. However, some of the bill’s proposals are long overdue, such as increased sentences for assaults on emergency workers and death by dangerous driving or careless driving when under the influence…
It’s fascinating how quickly so much can change in politics. Two years ago, Boris Johnson led the Conservatives to their best general election result since Margaret Thatcher’s landslide in 1987 and left a Labour opposition in tatters with just 202 MPs. But now, with Omicron…
Between the 1st and 3rd of December, 58 universities across the country faced industrial action by the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU). 33 institutions went on strike over the “four fights” (Pay, Equality, Workload and Casualisation) and a dispute over pensions, while others went on strike for…
What is the perfect Sunday? Naturally, this varies depending on your age. As a young child, it might be relaxing, playing games, trying to complete as little homework as possible and going to the cinema. It is far more likely for an older person to…
There are many conclusions to draw following the recent Owen Paterson scandal. According to the British public, one obvious one is ‘Tory sleaze’ and it’s back worse than before. As such, there have been more stories in the press surrounding other sleaze scandals, such as…
The current incarnation of the Conservative Party is filled with incredibly toxic people. Arguably one of the worst of Johnson’s cabinet is Dominic Raab. After his failure dealing with Afghanistan as Foreign Secretary, it was decided by Johnson that Raab should be made Deputy Prime…
The spirit of the orange MAGA monster is stirring. Despite Biden’s attempt to “return to normalcy”, with the Republican’s victory in the Virginia Gubernatorial Race, a state Biden won by 10 points last November, and their near-victory in solid-Blue New Jersey, where Biden won by 16 points, it’s clear that…
Over the coming months, Backbench will be partnering with Torrin Wilkins, Director of Centre Think Tank for a series of comment pieces. In his column, Torrin will explore prominent policy issues – some of them related to the latest news and others related to his…
Last month, the government voted in favour of increasing national insurance contributions by 1.25 percentage points. This led to the breaking of their manifesto commitment in 2019 of not increasing national insurance. The main criticism of this decision is that the tax rise will predominantly…
Global Witness’ most recent report has shown that 227 climate activists were killed during 2020, the deadliest year on record. The previous high was set in 2019 and a report in 2009 showed that 1100 activists had been killed in the previous 20 years. Now…
Climategate began on 17th November 2009 after emails from the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit were hacked by still unknown assailants. The hacker’s motivation was likely to change the public against climate researchers three weeks before the Copenhagen Summit. Most of the over…
Saving our environment is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, challenge we face. From rising sea levels to the large-scale extinction of different animals; climate change will affect us all. The impact of damaging our environment will have both on our generation and…
What is ISIL doing? ISIL, the so-called Islamic State, has brought nothing but pain and destruction since it emerged in 1999. This terrorist group participated in the Iraqi insurgency following the 2003 invasion by Western forces. As a result, these groups were able to control…
The suggestion of vaccine passports and COVID passes have enraged the anti-vaccine population across Britain. Many feel that these sorts of passes have the potential to infringe on their rights to medical confidentiality. Although, in the post-lockdown age they are considered necessary by some to…
Over the coming months, Backbench will be partnering with Torrin Wilkins, Director of Centre Think Tank for a series of comment pieces. In his column, Torrin will explore prominent policy issues – some of them related to the latest news and others related to his…