UK Politics
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Sturgeon departs. What now?
When news broke yesterday morning that Nicola Sturgeon was tending her resignation as First Minister, most in Scotland were caught off guard. This didn’t arrive after some great scandal – though the political heat had certainly risen in recent months – but was rather hastened by Sturgeon’s inner sense that it was time for her…
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In Defence of Russian Athletes
This week Wimbledon announced that they will be banning all Russian and Belarusian nationals from playing in this year’s competition. This is in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing atrocities that we are seeing unfurl on the news each day. The ban will have a huge effect on the sport and…
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Snakes and Ladders | Part II
If you have found yourself here without reading Part I, you can find that here. Thatcher set out creating her game a year after she came to power in 1980, the year when her Tory government passed its landmark ‘Right to Buy’ legislation through parliament. The new law granted anyone living in a council house…
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Snakes and Ladders | Part I
It was the turn of the 20th century, and Lizzie Magie found herself in a predicament. America would not grant women the vote for another two decades or so, and yet Magie was proudly outspoken: brimming with fierce intelligence and committed to bravely promoting ideas that would have been controversial for her time. She was…
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Back of a Cocktail Napkin Election Report
It’s a rare thing that a party in power for 14 years can increase its majority, but such is the situation in Scotland that the euphemistically named “constitutional question” continues to dominate. Even parties that complain about nationalists constantly banging on about independence seem to do extremely well when they also constantly bang on about…
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The Culture War Election
In some ways, the upcoming Holyrood election is lacking in the drama of an American election night or a nail-biting referendum. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon enjoys approval ratings far higher than any of her opponents. The SNP are almost certain to win the election with even the worst polls for her party giving them a…
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Independence…eventually.
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Scottish independence is back in the news cycle again. It never really left, but every once in a while the issue flares up once more after another promising poll, Westminster cock-up and SNP landslide. Although it brings me no pleasure to write about, I feel…
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Food poverty is an outrage enabled by ignorance.
You’ve probably seen the photos by now. The measly portion of cheese; the tuna bunched up in a plastic bag. Whole peppers have been halved and carrots divvied up into stubs. There’s something deeply sickening about it. It can sometimes be difficult to summon up the motivation to stay consistently informed and angry about UK…
inertia 