Black Lives Matter
Why does James Baldwin matter so much now?
The rise of Queer Studies and Black Lives Matter has led to renewed interest in Baldwin – who was exasperated in life with being categorised by colour or as ‘gay’
Black Britons betrayed
Racism in Britain may be less acute than in America or even France, but the false promises made to the Windrush generation have left a bitter aftermath
Isolating with the ex: Lucy by the Sea, by Elizabeth Strout, reviewed
Elizabeth Strout’s fourth book about Lucy Barton comes on the heels of Oh William!, shortlisted for this year’s Booker Prize.…
When did we give up on the truth?
During that rather strange summer of 2020 I used the phrase ‘the gentle armed robber George Floyd’ in several articles…
The mind virus killing academia
We lost a giant last month with E.O. Wilson’s passing. A man who stood on Darwin’s shoulders, Wilson had that…
What's the truth about Kyle Rittenhouse?
On the night of 25 August 2020, Richie McGinniss, a somewhat gonzo video journalist interviewed Kyle Rittenhouse, for the right-wing Daily Caller website. Rittenhouse wore his…
The problem with PC policing
Ah, the last days of summer. Long evenings, sunny weekends, and crusty Extinction Rebellion hippies blocking arterial traffic lanes to…
Will England pull out of the World Cup?
I wonder if the moral guardians of our country — the England football team — intend to participate in the…
In defence of footballers taking the knee
Before the television presenter Guto Harri took the knee live on air — which cost him his job at GB…
Stop politicising football
Before the England football team plays in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday we need to get one thing straight: who…
The economic illiteracy of anti-capitalists
Back in October, World Bank chief economist Carmen Reinhart recommended that countries borrow heavily during the pandemic. ‘First, you worry…
Are England fans allowed to be proud of the St George’s Cross?
It’s starting to feel like the only flag you can’t fly in England is the England flag. Wave the Pride…
My advice to Gareth Southgate
This is a difficult issue to raise on the eve of a major football tournament, but as a progressive individual…
What the England team doesn’t get about ‘taking the knee’
England’s players being booed by their own fans is not a new phenomenon. But for the booing to be about…
Broken Trust: the crisis at the heart of the National Trust
The National Trust now has the chance to return to its roots
When exactly did harpsichords become racist?
It’s a dangerous thing when you import the worst aspects of another culture. And an even worse thing when you…
How China is stoking racial tensions in the West
Footage of a brutal late March attack on a 65-year-old Asian American woman in Manhattan drew widespread outrage on social…
Britain is not America
‘If people in Wales had access to as much media coverage of decisions that affected Wales as they do of…
George Floyd was a victim of American gun culture
The triple guilty verdict on Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd was greeted with general relief across the…
The strangeness of Britain’s BLM mania
The conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd makes last summer’s Black Lives Matter mania in British…
Black African lives should matter too
The treatment of black people, particularly by law enforcement, has become a principal point of protest in the western world.…
How ‘ACAB’ links David Bowie and BLM
A favourite piece of graffiti to spray on the Cenotaph or the plinth of Churchill’s nearby statue is ACAB. It…
Why do Ben & Jerry’s want to defund the police?
The radicalisation of the Ben & Jerry’s PR department has been one of the stranger spectacles of recent years. After…
Is Black Lives Matter a voice for black Brits?
Does Black Lives Matter speak for black Brits? The organisation’s objectives are certainly radical: it has professed public support for direct…
Facts are now history
Your quiz for the week is to make the connection between the following people: fun-loving Greek hack Homer, veteran US…
