The United Kingdom is a dishonest name for the English Empire. For that is what the United Kingdom is – and has been since the Act of Union. With support for independence at about half in Scotland, growing rapidly in Wales and with the possibility…
Today, many countries around the world are nation-states: sovereign political entities in which one “nation” (a particular ethnic, cultural, or linguistic group) comprises a large majority of a country’s population. In a way, it does make sense; after all, it is easier to communicate with…
Teenage girls have notoriously been discredited, concerns they voice are seen as frivolous, and their interests are side-lined as shallow and meaningless. Whilst, fangirling over the latest Harry Styles song or the Twilight movie saga is continually invalidated socially, when teenage girls voiced their concerns…
Vladimir Putin has once again brought war to Europe, and now it appears that he has also brought the evil of genocide back to the continent. The scale of war crimes committed by Russia is shocking, with reports of the following atrocities occurring across Ukraine…
Even the most spontaneous of us both require – and I think, enjoy – some semblance of routine. Even if you’re someone who enjoys making decisions on a whim, which I’m very much not, that can become disconcerting after a while. Routines, whether it’s what…
Amongst the recent chaos of 2022, a minor news story has picked up a lot of steam recently. That being that some Conservative MPs have proposed a commemorative day to celebrate our first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. As far as tokenistic gestures go, it…
This day was always going to come. Although the horrific events in Ukraine rightly became the focus after the invasion began in February, it didn’t extinguish the troubles at home. It merely delayed them. After receiving a fine from the Metropolitan Police over parties in…
The generation of energy is something most of us only appreciate when it isn’t working. Having grown up in the digital age, where technology has become a necessity for daily living, access to resources which require electricity is the norm, not the exception. Indeed, a…
Just a few months ago in December, many were celebrating the centenary of Northern Ireland’s existence and its place within the United Kingdom. The BBC exhibited a range of articles depicting its history, politics, and culture. Yet, in just over a month’s time, the people…
As the tanks roll into Ukraine and towns and cities are bombarded by missiles, millions of people are fleeing the country in search of safety. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has described the refugee crisis as one of the worse in Europe since the end of…
The reform of the Gender Recognition Act (2004) in Scotland caused shockwaves to many so-called feminists on social media in recent days. Furiously blanking through the echo chamber of Twitter were messages and misinformation with J.K. Rowling at the helm. This was all in the…
And people called Brexit a crisis… War has returned to Europe. Those are words I never thought I would have to write. In 2022, not 1942, Europeans are sleeping in subway stations to avoid being killed for the crime of being Ukrainian. War correspondents usually…
Russia is a country that has produced some of the world’s greatest authors, classical musicians, architects and painters. But above all, it is a country that is, like all countries are, populated by mostly kind, generous, and peaceful people. The nation’s immense cultural heritage and…
We all have our feelings and emotions. The way we regard ourselves, other people and the world will, to some extent, invariably be shaped by those abstract, intangible moods that are near-universal. To deny feeling and emotion would be to deny what it means to…
After twenty years of Western presence in Afghanistan, the Taliban officially reclaimed the capital city, Kabul, on 15 August 2021 in a startling advance. The unexpected news shocked many, leaving human rights activists fearing for the safety of Afghan people especially women and children. Western…
You’d be excused wholly and understandably for thinking that I am jumping the gun. At the time of writing, 10 Downing Street is still occupied by a Prime Minister many thought would begin a new glorious post-Brexit age for Britain. Instead, Boris Johnson has presided…
In early October, I stood in a Viennese bar and watched Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resign in the midst of a corruption scandal. His resignation speech was played proudly in a bar full of students, who were all revelling in this historical moment unfurling in…
Growing up, I can honestly say that most of my teachers were very good and were in the profession to help their students. But some seemed to become educators so they could exert control over others – the Dolores Umbridges of the world. This final…
The UK rail network has endured record levels of cancellations due to the Covid-19 disruption. Train travel has plummeted to nearly half of pre-pandemic levels, coupled with staff shortages, which has resulted in “4.4 per cent of services cancelled across the UK between 12 December…
The words ‘Downing Street party’ along with the names Boris Johnson and Sue Gray have been on everyone’s lips these past few weeks and have distracted the nation from some extremely important news stories. Tensions between Russia and Ukraine are reaching boiling point, the cost…