Posts Tagged ‘Comment is free’
Five things the Olympics got wrong
Home Counties ticket holders, overblown legacy claims – let’s not be blind to where the London Games didn’t deliver
Read MoreThe abortion counselling consultation is a con – which is why I pulled out
With a fact-free campaign, Tory MPs are attempting to bring the worst of the US abortion debate to British politics
Read MoreTop Boy is the real deal
I thought this TV series set in Hackney – where I grew up – might be another cliched urban drama. It rose far above that
Read MoreUK riots: don’t shut these kids out now
Put the shutters up on the shops, but not in our minds. A punitive and condemning reaction simply mirrors the alienation so many already experience
Read MoreThe militarisation of policing the riots would be a deadly mistake
Yes, we must regain control of the streets, but loose talk about rubber bullets and water cannon will achieve nothing
Read MoreLet the games begin
It’s a year to the start of the 2012 Olympics. Iain Sinclair, writer and arch critic of the project, takes on Labour’s Tessa Jowell who played a key role in the London bid
Read MoreYoung Londoners still don’t feel police are on their side
Boris Johnson has given youth violence a high profile, but needs to ask whether stop-and-search does more harm than good
Read MoreThe buck has to stop with Sharon Shoesmith
There is no point making scapegoats of frontline staff. A case such as Baby P’s requires top managers to take responsibility
Read MorePopularity should not dictate public health policy
Andrew Lansley’s moves on tobacco are welcome – but waiting for a swing in public opinion to act is the counsel of despair
Read MoreThe dead hand of the whips
Debate about legislation is being stifled by party managers forcing MPs to toe the government line, with toxic effect
Read MoreBlame consumer capitalism, not multiculturalism
David Cameron’s analysis is flawed; its individualism and globalisation that are undermining a strong national identity
Read MoreHipsters are agents of social change
The ranks of the skinny-jeaned get endlessly knocked – but I’m grateful for their part in making the lives of gay people easier
Read MoreShoppers: put your money where your mouth is
Plenty welcome the arrival of a new supermarket, but those who don’t should spend more at the local shops they value
Read MoreNHS changes: David Cameron’s dodgy prescription
Cameron’s NHS ‘reforms’ will work not in the interests of staff and patients, as he claims, but very much against them
Read MoreIt’s time to get angry
All this polite and smiley feminism is getting us nowhere
Read MoreSeconds out, round one
As billions are expected to be paid out to bankers, Labour MP Diane Abbott argues that the bonus culture is toxic, while libertarian Mark Littlewood disagrees
Read MoreThe East End’s Olympic hopes are being dashed
The local population were promised jobs and a starring role. Now it seems many may barely feel touched by the games
Read MoreHow to turn 60,000 students into unqualified drop-outs
The axing of the education maintenance allowance to help poor teenagers stay at school feels like targeted government malice
Read MoreWhy I like the subsidised neighbours
I don’t resent my council-house neighbours who are helped by the taxpayer. I’m happy to pay to live in a mixed community
Read MoreReach out to those without faith, too
Interfaith dialogue must be rethought to include those who are not religious or who are antagonistic towards religion
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