The Taliban has tried to kill her; the UN has listened to her impassioned speech on the inviolable importance of equal education; she even nearly won the Nobel Peace Prize (but let’s face it – she’s better than that!) Malala Yousafzai has now cemented her image as the Joan of Arc of the modern era. […]
Recent Articles
Elections Azeri Style!
One could almost be forgiven for not realising that Azerbaijan has just had a presidential election. Yes, the BBC has run an article on it and the news of the vote has made it into Western media, whereas elections in Belarus often fail to do, but it was a brief report in forming readers of […]
Could the Department for International Development still learn a thing or two about global education reform?
Since 2010, the Department for International Development (DfID) has taken a controversial decision to pump foreign aid into low-cost private schools in developing countries (Nigeria, Ghana and Pakistan, to name a few) due to a need for investment in public education systems that, if anything, are growing exponentially. This move sparks a change in mentality for […]
Vladislav Surkov: The Return of the Puppet Master in Russia
A cataclysm occurred on the 14th of May; at least it was an upheaval for two postgraduate students at the Centre for Russian and East European Studies (CREES) at the University of Birmingham. Such a momentous occasion called for a morning of coffee at the Starbucks to debate the issue and its connotations for Russia. […]
Banning Golden Dawn is not the Answer
In the past week there have been increasing calls to ban the Greek far right party, known as Golden Dawn. Since the party has achieved national representation by winning 18 seats in the Greek Parliament, it has been making headlines in Greece, Europe and the World in general. This attention has come in the form […]
Pope Francis: a modern representative of God?
In a recent interview with a Jesuit journal in Italy, Pope Francis declared that he wants to establish a “new balance” in the Catholic Church by encouraging more involvement from women in key decisions and a less perjorative focus on the LGBT community, divorce and abortion. The Pope called for the Catholic Church (and wider […]
Catalonia: Holding Hands for Independence
Six days ago was Catalonia’s ‘national’ independence day, dedicated to the memory of the fall of Barcelona to Philip V during the Spanish war of succession in 1714. The past two years have seen a particular vehement demonstration of Catalan nationalism with 100,000 protesters last year protesting vociferously in the Placa de Catalunya. This year […]
Swedish Weapons Inspectors: A History
The United Nations head chemical weapons inspector in Syria, Sweden’s Ake Sellström, responded to concerns over Syria’s alleged use of chemical weapons with a dazzling display of patient examination and prudent analysis in the tradition of fellow Swedish disarm-o-crats Rolf Ekéus and Hans Blix. As Sellström’s heroics have rekindled popular interest in Swedish weapons inspectors, […]
The Syrian Conflict – Who Will You Go To Battle With?
Barack Obama took office in 2008 as a moderate, an accomplished lawyer with enough grammatical tricks and a robust lexicon to weave his way through Congress and the rest of the political establishment. For many, if not all of us, Barack Obama became synonymous with fresh air. A much needed break from his conservative, trigger […]
Should the LGBT Community Worry About Russia?
In recent weeks, the Russian government has come under fire for a recent amendment to a law on child protection which prohibits the promotion of homosexuality to under 18’s in Russia. The punishment for breaching this law varies with the BBC saying an individual can risk a £78 fine while an organisation could be fined […]
Public Service Reform: Is the Coalition failing to learn from Labour’s mistakes?
In 2003, Tony Blair gave a speech to the Fabian Society on the subject of public sector reform. He argued that after years of Tory underfunding and privatisation, Labour had – and would continue – to reform public services to make them work for a modern society. The speech was largely spin and guile (he […]
From India with Love: how the Reserve Bank of India is giving freedom to investors
This article is intended to be a short update as a first-hand witness in India scrutinising the various views of investment here. As I write from the Pai family home in the centre of Mumbai, I notice just how much inflation has affected the retail market, which I like to observe so closely (having bought […]
The Looming Energy Crisis of the Private Rental Sector
As rental prices hit an all time high, on average costing £800 per month and with ever inflating energy bills, has there ever been a worse time to be a tenant as we head towards autumn and winter? Landlords have particular legal responsibilities for duration of a tenancy agreement – they are legally required to […]
Interview with Natalie Bennett, Green Party leader
The Green Party of England and Wales is on a roll. They won their first seat in the House of Commons in 2010 in Brighton and took minority control of the city’s council in 2011. They also have a good chance of a second seat in Norwich next time around. To this extent they are […]
UK Parliament’s rejection of military intervention in Syria is a major turning point
Following the unverified claims that chemical weapons were used in Syria, British Prime Minister David Cameron was ready to take military action against the Syrian state within days of the incident. The media and the public were certain that Britain was about to embark on another military campaign, to add to the recent tallies of […]
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