Calling Out Racist and Jingoistic Rhetoric
“…examines the rise of nationalist and exclusionary rhetoric in British political discourse,
Should landlords get more tax breaks? (Yes and No)
Extra regulation and less help with costs have made buy-to-let far less profitable. We ask if incentives are needed to keep the rental market going.
Foreword to: The Borders Within: Causes and fixes of Geographic Divides by Michael Donnelly
In 1973, Britain was the second most equal large country in Western Europe, and now it is the second most unequal of any country across the entirety of Europe.
These are the times that try men’s souls
Something is afoot. Recently, the economist Guy Standing invoked Thomas Paine’s old adage, that we are living in times that try men’s souls.
Westminster needs to follow Scotland in tackling child poverty
Another Spring in the UK, another set of statistics are released on child poverty. The British government does this just once a year.
UK welfare reforms threaten health of the most vulnerable
Cuts to disability benefits will worsen health and the economy
Review of: The Politics of Crime, Punishment and Justice: Exploring the Lived Reality and Enduring Legacies of the 1980s Radical Right
Why did crime rise in Britain in the 1980s? Was it rising economic hardship, rising greed? A bit of both and something else? Was it the adoption of the mantra that there is “no such thing as society, just people and their families”?
The BBC, the public sector, and universal service
There was once a time, long ago, when every year the population of the UK became more united as income inequalities fell and the public sector grew.
How Seven Up Inspired Me
I am eight lots of seven years old (56). My generation grew up with Seven Up! – a warning and hope about what we might become.
Ten 2024 Book Recommendations (plus one)
Ten book published in 2024 and one extra, so good, that it is in the list again!
Looking through the arched window
On 11 November 2024, on Armistice Day, Cat Hobbs of the lobby Group “We Own It”, called for a truce.
A review of Spatial Inequalities and Wellbeing: A Multidisciplinary Approach, edited by Camilla Lenzi and Valeria Fedeli
Spatial Inequalities and Wellbeing is a carefully brought together collection of nine chapters written by over twenty separate authors from the regional science/studies tradition.
Changing Suicide Trends: A Shift in Regional Disparities Across the UK
In 2023, suicide rates in England & Wales reached their highest levels since 1999.
Review of The Ultimate Hidden Truth of the World by David Graeber and published by Allen Lane
The Ultimate Hidden Truth of the World brings together a selection of writings spanning two decades by the renowned anthropologist and anarchist David Graeber.
Rethinking tomorrow for the next generation
In many ways in the UK, we are currently at a peak of injustice and we have to choose which way to turn.