Do we go or do we stay? The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is an international convention designed to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. It was drafted shortly after the Second World War, the UK having a major influence on the drafting of the convention. It…

Is the NHS on life support? The National Health Service (NHS) is 75 years old; if it were human, it would feel very frail. It is recovering from a series of damaging strikes carried out by workers throughout the NHS, including nurses, ambulance drivers, and junior doctors. Due to a…

Safety first or security hazard? A quote from the Gov.UK website “The Online Safety Bill is a new set of laws to protect children and adults online. It will make social media companies more responsible for their users’ safety on their platforms.” It has taken 4 years to get to…

Organized chaos or a cunning plan? The UK has agreed to a deal with Rwanda that all illegal asylum seekers will be sent to Rwanda to have their asylum claims processed. If successful, they would be allowed to settle in Rwanda. If unsuccessful, they will be returned to their country…

Traditional Labour or Tory-Lite? The Labour Party in the UK is veering very strongly to the right of the political spectrum. Originally created as a centre left party in 1900, it was to represent the voices of working-class people, trade unions and socialists. In 1906 26 MPs were elected to…

Panacea or poison? Teesside Freeport was supposed to be one of the government’s flagships, extolling the virtues of Freeports and associated charter cities. Freeports are not charter cities. While similar, they operate under different legislative frameworks. This article is about Freeports and Teeside in particular. Freeports are Special Enterprise Zones…

Profits over people? TC Energy Corporation and Trans Canada Pipelines Ltd are suing the United States of America for US$15 billion(£12 billion) for cancelling their permit for the Keystone XL pipeline project . This was the fourth phase of a pipeline to transport oil from Alberta in Canada to refineries…

The lines are blurring The Metropolitan Police have been found guilty of institutional racism, homophobia, and sexism. The report’s writer, Louise Casey, suggests it needs a radical reform or be broken up. How did we get to this stage? Who has ultimate responsibility for the police? What is the relationship…

Spinning the truth? What do you expect from your newspaper or your news program? The news? But does it matter how it is presented? Especially political news. Is there an obligation on your news source to “give it to you straight” and not put it through the political spin dryer? …