Chinese president Xi Jinping made a pledge earlier this year to complete the “reunification” of China (with Taiwan). Coupled with recent violations of Taiwan’s sovereign airspace by Chinese warplanes, this has prompted widespread speculation on the island’s security. Taiwan has been preparing for possible conflict with China for a longContinue Reading
Facebook has announced that it is halting development on its Instagram Kids project. This follows reports that the social media giant had commissioned – and kept secret – internal research that found Instagram was detrimental to young people’s mental health. The study’s findings, not to mention the fact that theyContinue Reading
The UK’s social security (welfare) system entered the pandemic in exceedingly poor health after years of cuts, ill-equipped to provide support to people who became ill or lost their jobs because of COVID-19. The £20 increase to universal credit was arguably a tacit acknowledgement of the inadequacy of our system,Continue Reading
Boris Johnson is not unfamiliar with taking the platform at Conservative party conferences. Indeed this is a man who has crashed into and then crashed out of a succession of conferences – usually with a combination of befuddled bamboozlement and buffoonery – generally to the joy of the expectant mediaContinue Reading
Every political party relies on slogans to sell their policies and justify their decisions. Most vanish instantly into the void, but some are more special. These are the slogans that hold the others together. They are designed to sell not just a policy, but a whole programme for government. TheseContinue Reading
In Scotland, a person in possession of a class A drugs will be issued a police warning in most cases, effectively decriminalising personal possession. This recent announcement comes hard on the heels of a record-high 1,339 drug-related deaths in 2020. England and Wales also saw a record year of drug-relatedContinue Reading
With just days to go before a national election, the name of the Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš, appeared in the Pandora papers, a massive leak of documents exposing the secret financial transactions of multiple world leaders, among others. The papers reportedly show that Babiš purchased a mansion in FranceContinue Reading
Plymouth MP Luke Pollard has returned to Labour’s Shadow Cabinet, after a month stepping back from frontbench duties to support the community in Keyham after the tragic mass shooting in August. Labour Leader Keir Starmer had agreed to a request from Luke to spend more time focusing on the communitiesContinue Reading
The Taoiseach has said there has been “significant progress” in negotiations on a new global corporation tax deal. Micheál Martin also said Ireland will still see a “strong pipeline” of investment from foreign companies. The Government is expected to agree to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)Continue Reading
It’s often suggested that UK prime minister Boris Johnson uses his distinctive hair as a political device. His trademark untameable mane disarms critics and belies his powerful position. A quick ruffle when the cameras are on enables Johnson to assume the role of a casual “man of the people”, especiallyContinue Reading
