As I found during last week’s assisted dying debate, it’s not wrong to agree with the other sideIt’s not often you find yourself nodding along with those with whom you normally profoundly disagree, and raising an eyebrow at the contributions of those you would count as political allies. But it was the position I found myself in listening to MPs debate...

The business and trade secretary played into the ideological tosh that the wonders of the Industrial Revolution were funded by beer brewers and sheep farmersBritain ran an empire for centuries that at its peak 100 years ago occupied just under a quarter of the world’s land area. Yet if you believe “Imperial Measurement”, a report released last week...

The WTA finals host revealed its commitment to women’s rights by jailing a female activistIf a record of sexual apartheid is not the ideal look for a nation that must still, occasionally, placate progressives, news of an extreme example – the lengthy imprisonment of Manahel al-Otaibi, a 29-year-old fitness instructor and women’s rights activist – has...

Georgia’s brutal crackdown is aimed at torpedoing the population’s accesssion hopesThe tendency of long-entrenched governments to arrogantly ignore or override the public’s clearly expressed wishes is a familiar democratic flaw, attributable to the arrogance and hubris that stems from continuing, unchecked power. The former Soviet republic of Georgia...

The IPP scandal should not be seen in isolation. It is all part of today’s politics by vilificationDavid Blunkett acknowledged last week that it was the “biggest regret” of his political life. As home secretary under Tony Blair in 2001, Blunkett was the architect of the “imprisonment for public protection” scheme, or IPP.Under the IPP system, offenders...

The health service took a turn for the worse under David Cameron and Keir Starmer has said nothing of improving the nurses’ lot Reading of Dan Poulter’s defection (“Top Tory MP defects to Labour in fury at NHS crisis”) was of particular interest to me: I am a mental health nurse in the NHS; I too cover the A&E department in my local hospital; and...