Letting go of the dream of mass membership political parties December 27, 2024 The existing model of political supporter engagement – mass membership – is over. Parties who want to survive must look to the future, says Frances Lasok Less than 140,000 people decided the new leader of the Conservative Party this year. They’re participants in a niche pursuit: across parties, across Europe, membership has plummeted since the [...]
Best of 2024: Our top 5 debates of the year December 26, 2024 City AM's weekly debate takes the fiercest water-cooler debates and pits two candidates head to head. Here are 5 of our favourites from 2024.
Faith has a place in politics December 24, 2024 Many political arguments are about values and religion lies at the heart of many moral arguments – whether we realise it or not, says Bartek Staniszewski “May they never lead the nation wrongly through love of power,” prays the Speaker’s Chaplain – with questionable efficacy – as the House of Commons begins to sit each [...]
Harry Potter’s wizarding world is an authoritarian dystopia December 23, 2024 Secret police, slavery and mass indoctrination of children – Harry Potter’s wizarding world is a greatest hits of repressive regimes, says Sam Fowles Here’s a fun Christmas party game: name your favourite fictional authoritarian state. Is it George Orwell’s “Airstrip 1”? Margaret Atwood’s New England? Or perhaps (whisper it) JK Rowling’s “wizarding world”? It’s better [...]
Will Trump mean more American expats coming to the UK? December 22, 2024 As leaders sit on the edge of their seats, bracing for the impact of Trump’s tariffs, they may find an offset – albeit a slight one – in the form of American expats joining their economies, says Bill Sedat Frater Reflecting on the US elections, it’s hard to ignore the role tax policy played in [...]
Digital skills are key to staying connected at Christmas December 20, 2024 The generation that invented the web should not be isolated from its possibilities, says Victoria Johnson A 65 year-old today was 30 when the world wide web launched. It is this generation who have contributed most to the development of the technology that underpins life as we know it today. And while ONS data shows they are [...]
Why you shouldn’t give to charity this Christmas December 20, 2024 You wouldn’t make all of your investment decisions in the last few days of the year, but that’s when most people make their charitable donations. It’s not effective philanthropy and it doesn’t help the charities themselves either, says Gilad Tanay It’s Christmas season. In London, that generally means a few things: last-minute present shopping, filling [...]
If we want more women-led businesses we need more female angel investors December 19, 2024 For women-led businesses, female angel investors play a critical role in helping them take off. This is exactly what we need to strive for; an investment landscape that reflects society, says Hannah Bernard Startup founders and investors are the two sides of the entrepreneurship coin. Anyone who cares about entrepreneurs, should also care about the [...]
Does Britain care more about bats than people? December 19, 2024 For each animal saved by the £100m the government spent on a ‘bat tunnel’ for HS2 we could have stopped 76 children dying of malaria. The affair illustrates the state’s total inability to consider trade-offs, says Samuel Hughes Last month saw much discussion of the £100m ‘bat tunnel’ built for HS2. There are several morals [...]
Bleak midwinter for the economy? It could be worse… December 19, 2024 The political and economy outlook for the UK may seem gloomy, but spare a thought for our European counterparts, says Tim Sarson It’s the last working week of 2024 for many of us. I’ll be switching off the laptop on Friday afternoon and packing up for what I hope is a restful Christmas break, give [...]