Saturday 16th August 2025

Opinion

The Encaenia is PR without the public (or anyone else)

Wholesale reform is the last thing Encaenia needs. If only people knew what it is, it would be a well-suited PR exercise for a modern Oxford.

This is how we combat the crusade against universities

It’s easy to think of an arts degree as a fruitless pleasure. But education and academic study are intrinsically valuable.

From pensioners to students, all should fear the Palestine Action ban

If you think this is a win for one side over the other in relation to Israel’s war on Gaza, be careful what you wish for.

Trashing rules save face, not students

Trashing is banned. But what does the banning achieve except pushing students further from...

The real emergency

While there may or may not turn out to be a Plan B for Brexit, there is no Planet B for us.

Netanyahu’s immortal government

What Netanyahu's fifth election victory tells us about Israeli democracy

It’s 9:30 pm. The cathedral is on fire.

We must take drastic action against climate change to stop the burning down of human civilisation.

Have you heard of Al-Aqsa?

A thousand year-old religious site caught fire on Monday – not Notre Dame, another one.

Improving access is not enough

Our higher education system needs to be radically overhauled to create a fairer, more equal society.

TIG and the Lib Dems must join forces immediately

The Independent Group and the Liberal Democrats must form an alliance to prevent disaster for both parties and the country as a whole.

Take it and Run – Philanthropy, The Sacklers and You

Object to the Sacklers all you like - their donations are essential to preserving our cultural heritage, and offer them little in return

BBC Three’s Fleabag

“I’d just like my tits to be that much bigger — does that make me a terrible feminist?” Such forthright, fourth wall busting, hilarious, and...

It’s time to accept Brexit has failed

Without any meaningful agreement, leaving the EU presents an unacceptable risk.

Let’s get on with it

The petition to revoke Article 50 changes nothing; we must leave the EU as swiftly as possible.

Virtue or reality: defending the white saviour

Charity work may often have selfish motivations, but it still raises awareness and money for good causes.

Counselling should do more

At no point did anyone ask if trying to overcome sexual assault in under four hours seemed challenging. Quite quickly the object of the sessions shifted from overcoming the assault to merely addressing it, and this adjustment brought its own tensions with it. Repeatedly bringing upsetting memories to the forefront of my mind had consistent repercussions outside of my allotted counselling time, and we frequently needed the full 50 minutes just to explore the problem fully, let alone consider possible coping mechanism or how I was going to get better.

Our toxically Islamophobic culture is to blame for the Christchurch attack

The shooting in Christchurch is far from an isolated incident, but rather a reflection of broken and bigoted social structures.

Oxford’s term structure is fuelling a mental health crisis

In an ideal world, Oxford would exercise at the very least a benign influence on the mental health of its students and staff. As...

Stealthing is sexual violence

The practice of stealthing is widespread, but the attitude and the entitlement of stealthing is literally everywhere. Not only do men feel they have a right to sex, but they feel they have a right to sex without a condom.

Entitled to return?

Forget it , says Colleen Cumbers In 2015, Shamima Begum chose to leave the UK to join the Islamic State. From that moment, she became a traitor to...

Leave her alone!

Whilst the media are free to report on events as they do, the practice of giving media space and attention to Markle’s father and other family members highlights a darker side to news which we should be avoiding, not encouraging by reading and watching it.

Interview: editor of the New Statesman, Jason Cowley

On the literary scene, journalism, and the current state of the left

Who can afford such an indulgence: Cheap shots at expensive degrees

Last week, The Economist took it upon itself to settle once and for all the debate around which of your mates ‘does a real degree’, which...

A special place in hell?

So I don’t blame Donald Tusk for saying they deserve a special place in hell; it could be hell that is unleashed if they get their way.

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