Opinion

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev listens as Britain Prime Minister Tony Blair speaks to journalists inside 10 Downing Street in London

It’s No Use Blaming Russia: Britain Fomented the Crisis in Kazakhstan

Volodya Vagner

Blair whitewashed the president's bloodstained reputation. British wealth managers created a class of kleptocrats. The roots of Kazakstan's current unrest lie as much in London as in Moscow, writes Volodya Vagner.

Influencer Molly-Mae Hague at a PrettyLittleThing event in New York

Molly-Mae Hague Just Exposed Influencer Culture for the Thatcherite Poison It Is

Anna Cafolla

For Gen Z, it’s easier to believe the myth of meritocracy pedalled by influencers - we can all make it to the top because we have ‘the same hours in a day as Beyonce' - than to accept the truth of a system stacked against us, writes Anna Cafolla.

Apparently the World Owes Tony Blair a ‘Debt of Gratitude’. I’ll Pass

Aaron Bastani

I’m not bothered about the former PM’s knighthood, writes Aaron Bastani – after all, Mussolini, and Mugabe received similar honours. But it’s bizarre that I’m supposed to thank him for creating more problems than solutions.

UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador, Emma Watson, speaks during a news conference to launch the HeForShe IMPACT on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York City, U.S. September 20, 2016.

If Even Emma Watson Says Free Palestine, We’re Winning

Rivkah Brown

The Harry Potter star and HeForShe founder is exactly the kind of person you wouldn’t expect to support Palestine. That’s a great sign, writes Rivkah Brown.

A man on a ladder makes a speech to a large crowd on speaker's corner in London in the 1970s

Free Speech Means Nothing Anymore

Lorna Finlayson

It’s tempting to rebut cancel culture panics by insisting that nobody has literally been silenced. This buys into a rightwing notion of free speech, argues philosopher Lorna Finlayson.

Tony Blair waves in front of a bunch of roses at Labour party conference. Behind him a screen reads "the NHS"

Like It or Not, New Labour Offers Important Lessons for Saving the NHS

Ell Folan

Though rightly overshadowed by the Iraq War, the Blair government increased NHS spending by 56% and cut waiting times by 9 weeks. We must not be too averse to learning from this achievement, writes Ell Folan - our dying health service depends on it.

A man flagellates himself before an altar

Nobody Cares What Your New Year Resolutions Are, So You Might As Well Do Something You Enjoy

Rachel Connolly

So often, new year resolutions are an attempt at self-improvement. They’re also an attempt to forget that so much of human life is meaningless, writes Rachel Connolly.

Wooden gate, leading to a rural field. The gate has a sign stating "private land"

The Land-Hoarding Elite Should Be Paying the Rest of Us Rent

Philip Goff

It’s time to radically overhaul how we think about property rights, argues philosopher Philip Goff. We need a universal rent.

A 'shoplifters welcome' mural in East London

Shoplifters of the World, Unite!

Seth Wheeler

Ever stolen Christmas presents for your family? You stand in a long tradition of working-class pilfering – but proletarian shopping could be stronger with collective organisation, argues Seth Wheeler.

Succession is the Perfect Eulogy for a Dying Republic

Aaron Bastani

With its third season coming to a close, Aaron Bastani argues that HBO's Succession is an apt portrayal of a republic in terminal decline.

Want Drug Policies That Actually Work? Look at Portugal

The UK government just announced a string of reactionary measures as part of a ten-year 'new drugs strategy'. But if it actually wanted to start tackling drug use effectively, it’d follow Portugal’s lead and decriminalise them all, argues Joana Ramiro.

The Police Bill Just Got Even Worse

Sam Knights

The police bill was already an attack on democracy. Now the government is trying to rush through last-minute amendments to criminalise protest even further. Sam Knights explains.