Today marks exactly twenty-five years since 9/11. It remains, quite rightly, a day of mourning for the nearly 3,000 people killed in those attacks, and for the families and communities whose lives were altered forever. Any serious reflection on the last quarter of a century must begin there: with grief, with loss, and with the…… Continue reading The Long Shadow of 9/11: Memory, Injustice and the Politics of Security
Tag: Politics
Nathan Cofnas, “Race Realism”, and the Boundaries of Academic Freedom
Debates over academic freedom become especially charged when controversial claims intersect with histories of racism, exclusion, and scientific misuse. Nathan Cofnas, an American postdoctoral researcher formerly affiliated with the University of Cambridge and Emmanuel College, and more recently with Ghent University, specialises in the philosophy of science. He has become a highly controversial figure because…… Continue reading Nathan Cofnas, “Race Realism”, and the Boundaries of Academic Freedom
Who Gets to Be British? The Far Right’s Dangerous Conflation
Imagine standing in a crowded town square, watching a mob chant about “taking our country back”, while a young man of South Asian descent clutches his dark blue passport — a document that legally declares “British Citizen” but is treated by the rioters as a worthless piece of paper. I am keen to explore the…… Continue reading Who Gets to Be British? The Far Right’s Dangerous Conflation
British Muslims at a Crossroads: Class, Belonging and the Politics of Representation
There seems to be quite a distinction in current commentary concerning the view that British Muslims are at a particular juncture in their history. One view suggests that they are at a precipice, about to fall into an oblivion from which there may be no way back. There is also the concern, however, that Muslims…… Continue reading British Muslims at a Crossroads: Class, Belonging and the Politics of Representation
Mosque Security in Britain Must Be About Trust, Not Just Protection
At a time when mosques in Britain are reportedly attacked, vandalised, or physically damaged every few days, the question of mosque safety is no longer peripheral. It sits at the centre of British Muslim life, shaping how people worship, travel, organise, and imagine their place in society. This essay reflects on the National Emergency Conference…… Continue reading Mosque Security in Britain Must Be About Trust, Not Just Protection
Reading the Tables, Not the Headlines: What Britain Under Strain Leaves Out
The UK Extremism and Democratic Resilience Centre has launched with an inaugural report, Britain Under Strain, authored by Dame Sara Khan and Dr Matthew Godwin. It arrives with the grammar of alarm already fixed: a broken social contract, a collapsed cordon sanitaire, the mainstreaming of extremism, and a nation whose foundational bargain is failing. Much…… Continue reading Reading the Tables, Not the Headlines: What Britain Under Strain Leaves Out
Farage, Farage, Farage
Infamy, infamy, they have it infamy! Nigel Farage has resigned his Clacton seat, explicitly citing ongoing parliamentary standards probes into his failure to declare a £5 million crypto gift and related funding questions. His resignation has triggered a by-election, although the deeper question is whether he ultimately intends to contest it or use the moment…… Continue reading Farage, Farage, Farage
The Silence That Spoke Volumes: How Foreign Policy, Not Domestic Policy, Brought Down Keir Starmer
Keir Starmer’s resignation as Prime Minister and Labour leader on 22 June 2026 was delivered with characteristic composure outside 10 Downing Street. In a speech that ran to just under fifteen minutes, he catalogued his domestic achievements: a stronger economy, falling NHS waiting lists, improved workers’ and renters’ rights, and half a million children lifted…… Continue reading The Silence That Spoke Volumes: How Foreign Policy, Not Domestic Policy, Brought Down Keir Starmer
The Burnham Bounce
Andy Burnham has won a decisive victory, scoring hugely in terms of the vote in Makerfield, with the swing moving in Labour’s favour while the percentage who voted for Reform decreased even as their overall number increased. The tide has turned on Reform, and this represents a significant opportunity for Labour to get behind somebody…… Continue reading The Burnham Bounce
When Tolerance Fractures: How Everyday Exclusion Fuels Political Violence in the Netherlands
The Myth That Cracked For decades, the Netherlands wore its reputation for tolerance like a badge of honour. Amsterdam’s canals, the country’s liberal social policies, and its historical embrace of multiculturalism created an image of a nation that had solved the puzzle of living together across difference. Yet scratch beneath this polished surface, and a…… Continue reading When Tolerance Fractures: How Everyday Exclusion Fuels Political Violence in the Netherlands