Dear Santa, for this Christmas I want the nanny state to get lost December 19, 2019 What is the best thing about Christmas? Presents are nice. Spending time with friends and family is obviously a highlight. But for many of us what truly makes the season is the food. Mince pies, pigs in blankets, Christmas pudding, a snifter of sherry — the festive period is all about indulging. But will we [...]
Does Labour’s pledge to cut rail fares make sense from a social mobility perspective? December 5, 2019 Does Labour’s pledge to cut rail fares make sense from a social mobility perspective? Grace Blakeley, economics columnist at the New Statesman, says YES. Many have pointed out that middle-earners are most likely to use trains, but few analyse why. First, trains around London are too expensive for many commuters, meaning that they are forced [...]
Sex, drugs, and voting booths – when is the true ‘age of adulthood’? October 25, 2019 When does adulthood begin? Is it your first alcoholic drink, your first sexual experience, the first time you gamble, or get paid, or vote? In the UK, you can have an alcoholic drink from the age of five at home, 16 if you’re eating in a restaurant, or 18 if you’re buying your own. You [...]
DEBATE: Is Caroline Lucas’ all-female ‘emergency cabinet’ a good idea for avoiding a no-deal Brexit? August 13, 2019 Is Caroline Lucas’ all-female ‘emergency cabinet’ a good idea for avoiding a no-deal Brexit? Kimberly McIntosh, senior policy officer at Race on the Agenda, says YES. At a time when compromise is absent, good faith gone and solutions scarce, radical proposals to stop a no-deal Brexit are a welcome change of pace. An all-women cabinet [...]
Why Boris Johnson could be the man to unlock the potential of the Northern Powerhouse August 9, 2019 If I asked you to think of a politician who could rebalance the economy and reinvigorate the north, Boris Johnson probably isn’t the first who springs to mind. With his Eton schooling and eight-year tenure as mayor of London, Boris is very much the stereotypical southern Englishman. You’re much more likely to conjure up Andy [...]
DEBATE: Is the government right to ban single-use plastics like straws in a bid to reduce ocean pollution? May 28, 2019 Is the government right to ban single-use plastics like straws in a bid to reduce ocean pollution? Amelia Womack, deputy leader of the Green Party, says YES. The government’s ban on straws, drinks stirrers and plastic-stalked cotton buds is an important development in the right direction. It should be supported, but on the understanding that it [...]
DEBATE: Would scrapping peak and off-peak rail fares lead to a better train ticketing system? February 25, 2019 Would scrapping peak and off-peak rail fares lead to a better train ticketing system? Ben Glover, researcher at Demos, says YES. Rail travel offers lots to moan about, but little is more frustrating than the irrationality of ticket prices. Why can a single ticket cost the same as a return? Why can trains leaving minutes apart [...]
DEBATE: Should Margaret Thatcher be considered as the scientist to be featured on the new £50 note? November 28, 2018 Should Margaret Thatcher be considered as the scientist to be featured on the new £50 note? Emma Revell, communications officer at the Centre for Policy Studies, says YES. People will argue that science isn’t what Margaret Thatcher was most known for, and they’d be right. But the same could be said of Roger Bannister, a [...]
DEBATE: Has the Northern Powerhouse run out of steam? October 12, 2018 Has the Northern Powerhouse run out of steam? Emma Revell, communications officer at the Centre for Policy Studies, says YES. The Northern Powerhouse hasn’t quite run out of steam but it’s certainly not firing on all cylinders. Rail infrastructure improvements have been shelved, the architects of the Northern Powerhouse (most notably George Osborne and Jim O'Neill) [...]