It’s not just Jason Arday, most of sociology is a scam August 12, 2026 Jason Arday is not the only second rate academic working in sociology. His Cambridge colleagues have also published papers that are impossible to read and contain no evidence, says Paul Ormerod The Jason Arday story has been covered intensively from many different angles. But relatively little has been written on the academic discipline in which [...]
The Burnham bounce won’t last unless Brits get better off August 12, 2026 Andy Burnham’s approval ratings are soaring but Labour’s overall vote has only moved moderately. The real test will be the Budget, says Matthew Lesh Andy Burnham has undoubtedly had a significantly stronger start to his premiership than Keir Starmer. Just two years ago, the government got off to a rotten beginning by signalling tax rises [...]
The City is awash with talk of an early general election August 12, 2026 Every month since January 2025 we’ve run a nationwide survey of UK voters, with our polling partners Freshwater Strategy. The latest set of results, our 20th survey of voters’ attitudes, landed on Monday and I’ve been going through the data. Here’s an interesting development: For 19 consecutive months we’ve asked voters whether they felt the [...]
Retail investors are returning to UK markets August 12, 2026 For decades, British retail investors have snubbed their home market. But in 2026 things are changing, writes Rupert Hargreaves.
The Debate: Is Count Binface funny? August 12, 2026 You won't catch our comment editor cracking a smile at the intergalactic space warrior, but is Count Binface entirely unfunny?
On This Day : Reagan declares: “We begin bombing in five minutes” August 11, 2026 On this day in 1984, a lighthearted quip from Ronald Reagan nearly sparked World War Three, writes Eliot Wilson Ronald Reagan was an old pro. By the summer of 1984, it was more than 50 years since he had made his radio debut as a sports broadcaster for WOC in Davenport, Iowa, commentating on baseball [...]
Burnham should go on a ‘cost of doing business’ tour August 11, 2026 An alarming note from one of the City’s top economists warns that October’s Budget could see taxes rise by almost the same amount as they did last year when Rachel Reeves cooked up £26bn worth of fresh hikes. Ruth Gregory, Deputy Chief UK Economist at Capital Economics, suggests that higher taxes “perhaps worth up to [...]
Richard Branson: Support founders to build the next Virgin in Britain August 11, 2026 We must give every founder the best chance to flourish, so the future Virgins, Microsofts and Googles of the world are also built by British entrepreneurs, says Sir Richard Branson I was very flattered by Philip Salter’s suggestion that Britain needs another Richard Branson. But beyond the headline, we need to do more to champion [...]
Going on holiday as Prime Minister comes at a cost August 11, 2026 Prime Ministers too deserve a holiday, just maybe not while your party's still fighting for survival, writes Michael Martins.
On this day: ‘We begin bombing in five minutes’ – Reagan’s accidental broadcast August 11, 2026 On this day, 11 August 1984, a risqué joke from Ronald Reagan accidentally made his weekly radio broadcast, writes Eliot Wilson.