Friday, April 4, 2025

Opinion

Protect the organ scholarship, protect Oxford’s traditions

Should the organ scholarship be abolished? At the time of writing, 23 of the 43 colleges in Oxford offer organ awards. These consist in a mixture of funding, housing...

What Tate’s case tells us about student sexual violence

The Tate brothers “have each other’s backs” and concerns about a culture of impunity are echoed here in Oxford.

Tutorials are the antidote to declining public speaking skills

We struggle in an era where much of our most important communication takes place in writing

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"

The Apocalypse is coming: what shall we drink to?

"our very own Oxford researchers found that warm temperatures and higher rainfall are the secret to producing good wines"

Populism over policy: a tool for public division

"The rise of populism has caused a shift towards dog whistle slogans, inflammatory rhetoric and the idea of a secret elite"

The rituals of our farcical politics

...we wonder, why is there no decency left in politics anymore?

The rise of the old money aesthetic

The trend for looking quietly (but obviously) expensive has found a new muse for the internet age.

The fire that still burns: the political relevance of ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ and its message of human continuity

"Humans have been fighting metaphorical, and sometimes literal, fires for decades"

Veering east? What Slovakia’s election means for Europe and the world

The recent Slovak election has sent European leaders scrambling to shore up support for Ukraine after a pro-Russia party emerged victorious on Saturday 30th...

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