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Opinion

In defence of the History Admissions Test

Whilst the History Faculty is right to reconsider how it implements the HAT, scrapping it won’t do any good.

It’s time for a new view on college disparities

If we lived on the sterilised campus of one great identikit 'Oxford University', we should all imagine ourselves to be less fortunate.

Cut the job chat

It’s Michaelmas term of my final year. The days are short, my patience even...

The inevitability of Noodle Bridge

In a controversial move, Christ Church College has been granted approval for the construction...

Trump’s sentence may do more harm than good

If we truly want to have the best chance at avoiding a second Trump term and maintaining a functional rule of law, it would be prudent to stop focusing on the New York case and instead focus on actual political issues, or even the other cases against the former president.

Local elections: Britain’s greatest fortune-tellers

if the Tories perform better than expected at the general election, it will be because of events that occur between now and then, and not because of the distortive nature of local elections.

Has the term democracy lost its meaning?

“Democracy” covers all that is deemed good, so any regime that wants to increase its legitimacy will bend logical definitions to prove itself.

‘Killing’ the story: Lucy Letby, the media, and the courts

"... there is no excuse, in a system that prides itself on open justice and free access to the courts, for blocking the publication of articles critical of the courts and their decisions."

How much do we really value free speech?

That is to say, you can vehemently disagree with someone, but in dealing with academic research, the basis for these critiques should be ‘this is why you are wrong’, rather than ‘I don’t like what you are saying’.

Oxford ball-goers first in line for media’s guillotine

A couple days after attending Brasenose Ball with my friends, I received a surprise notification from a group chat that I had suspected would...

International events and the phantasm of unity

So it is up to us, as viewers, not to be lulled into complacency by the glamour and spectacle they present.

How to fund a university

"The world’s number one ranked university in thrall to one man."

Sunak sets the date

"...the Labour leader is polling nowhere near to his 1997 comparison. The reality, though, is that Starmer doesn’t need to beat Tony Blair: he needs to beat Rishi Sunak."

(Un)real beauty: Is AI the supermodel of our time?

"Comparison culture sneakily divides our true wants from our musts, enacting internal cycles of self-deprecation and a loss of clarity on what we actually desire"

Can the St George’s flag ever be reclaimed?

"Flying the St George’s flag, bellowing that we should be proud to be English, just seems brash, ignorant and boastful."

Eat the rich! (Unless it’s Taylor Swift?)

"Ultimately, if someone does something damaging, we should be able to criticize their actions. Even if that person is a woman, even if that woman is Taylor Swift."

Orange is the new orange – the many trials of DJ Trump

"Trump coming through these trials and remaining electable would be an indictment and a warning for institutional decay which demands a response."

The Rwanda deal: Inspiration for other countries?

"Rwanda still has the chance to be the last line of defence against this policy"

Who are Trump and Biden speaking to?

We should keep in mind when reading about American politics, who the candidates are trying to convince (or scare) in order to win. That is, in most cases, why they are saying what they are saying.

‘Runfluencers’: Another commodified wellness trend?

Running has long had bad PR. Hating running has been far from contentious, liking it reserved for the smug, self-congratulatory type. The consensus has...

‘Hustler nation’: A Kenyan cultural crisis? 

Jomo Kenyatta’s ‘Harambee’ movement in 1963 sought to unite the then newly formed Kenyan Republic, assembling from smouldering ashes a sense of cooperation and...

Reading political autobiographies, so you don’t have to

Publishing a book has long been a trend for those leaving government in the UK. Memoirs and autobiographies are naturally intriguing, offering us the...

Night porters: Student safety jeopardised at University College

Your college matters. It can define everything – from the state of your accommodation to the quality of your tutoring. At University College, it...

Tutorials and the art of the blag

Oxford is a unique place to study at an undergraduate level. Its centuries-long history of elitism, pomposity and academic excellence separate it from the...

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