current affairs

The Year in Review

At the turn of the decade nearly 12 months ago, some said that we were on the verge of entering a new Roaring ’20s. How prescient they turned out to be. One pandemic and a global economic freefall later, all the assumptions we started out with in January have turned to dust. In their place […]

The Bastani Factor

The 21st Century Crisis Nobody Talks About: Demographic Ageing

Humanity is getting older. But while the old outnumbering the young is one of the supreme achievements of our species, it comes with major challenges. Aaron Bastani on a crisis set to re-define societies around the world which, for the 21st century at least, is every bit as disruptive as climate change.

Downstream

Can Britain Become an ‘Innovation Superpower’ After Brexit? Aaron Bastani Meets David Edgerton

For Brexiteers Britain’s departure from the EU offers a shot at national renewal, with the country once more becoming a free trade and innovation superpower. But how likely is that, and are the Tories really serious about a break with the politics of the last 40 years? Aaron Bastani interviews Professor David Edgerton, author of […]

The Bastani Factor

Is the UK High Street Dead?

What does the hollowing out of the high street do to the psyche of a town? And has the expansion of higher education obscured the precipitous decline of retail and other industries? Aaron Bastani heads to Portsmouth and Bournemouth to better understand the collapse of Britain’s town centres.

Downstream