Friday 1st May 2026

Opinion

We need to talk about Oxford’s gossip problem 

Gossiping is an innately human pastime, existing long before our generation, and a beloved form of social interaction that teeters on the boundary between harmless fun and cruelty. Yes,...

When I met Peter Mandelson

In October 2024, during the Oxford Chancellor election, one of my responsibilities as Deputy Editor of Profiles at Cherwell was to interview Peter (then Lord) Mandelson, who was among the five frontrunners contesting the election.

There really is no smoke without fire

Preoccupation with one’s appearance is to be expected when starting at University. New wardrobes...

I was wrong. Oxford needs a ‘reading’ week.

In passing, friends often bemoan how their partners at other universities get a week...

The NYT, AI, and how the internet could change in 2024

As The New York Times kicks off the year with a landmark copyright lawsuit, 2024 could very much be the year that the internet landscape and journalism change forever.

A survey a day keeps ignorance away

It is very easy to extrapolate from the ‘bubbles’ that we live in and assume that most of society thinks just like the people...

Bled dry: the financial plight of international students.

“Oxford is committed to ensuring that no one who is offered a place is unable to study here for financial reasons.” The financial anxieties...

On Saltburn, integrity and class

But Saltburn would have been very boring if Oliver had just been honest. 

Weaponised incompetence, laziness, or narcissism? Fathers at Christmas

Another Christmas came and went, and with it, I got to witness the adult men around me get away with doing little to nothing....

Is the minority still the majority?

"Since the proportion of state school students at Oxford has risen, so has the number of screaming headlines in the national press"

The countdown To 2024: Abortion rights may be the Democrats saving grace

"In a week where Republicans tore chunks out of each other in a bruising primary debate, the clear frontrunner, Donald Trump, was in New York, battling to save his crumbling Manhattan Empire. "

An (Oxmas) gift-giving guide

"a gift should always have at least two of the following three qualities present (see what I did there)."

Suella Braverman – the trap for women (of colour) in politics

"After being unceremoniously sacked from her position, her divisive reign as one of the highest-ranking ministers in this country has come to an end."

Why We Might Not Beat Climate Change

"The only rational response to this two-headed paradox may be doomerism"

Just Stop Oil: help or hindrance?

"...one must consider the cause of these protests and the extent of the climate breakdown that we may soon be facing."

A laugh, stifled

"Comedy can help people make sense of everyday developments, and it can help in releasing tensions during tough times and suffering."

Decline and fall: How They Broke Britain by James O’Brien – review

"Today, in the wake of Brexit, Britain is once again broken – so argues commentator James O’Brien in his new book, How They Broke Britain."

The French left: its own worst enemy?

"To say that the French left has a political unity problem would be an understatement."

Oxford’s term structure needs to change – here’s why it won’t

"Three eight-week terms used to be the norm in Britain – but over the course of the last century, university after university has abandoned them."

“Frustrating and Disappointing”: Why the Oxford Union’s decision to host the caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan was a mistake

"As a student of Pakistani origin, it was frustrating and disappointing to see Kakar deciding to visit the United Kingdom and the Union choosing to host him"

A bubble within a bubble?

"There must be more to this trend than the general tide of anti-Tory feeling which has been swelling up everywhere since at least the start of Partygate."

Devolution and Unionism: Labour’s Achilles Heel?

"Labour risks peddling a unitary unionism that bursts at the border."

As Poland steps back from the precipice, others are ready to take the leap

"The EU lives to see another day and Orbán has lost a key ally in his fight against EU cooperation"

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