jtwhitenoise

Plague Diary: A Year of Lockdown

It’s now been a year since the first-ever UK lockdown was declared. It was a result of policy failure that this route was chosen. So this is a good time to reflect on the strange moment we’re still living through. The Johnson government wanted to let the virus spread throughout the country to achieve herdContinue reading “Plague Diary: A Year of Lockdown”

The Arab Spring is Still Unfolding

Ten years ago today Mohamed Bouazizi burned himself to death in a public square in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. It would become known as the catalyst behind the Arab Spring that swept away regimes across North Africa and West Asia. Yet the truth is that the so-called Arab Spring began in the last colony in Africa:Continue reading “The Arab Spring is Still Unfolding”

How the 2010 student protests still shape British politics

Two lads, shirtless and drunk, climbed up the black metal gates of the Treasury and yelled to the crowd below them: “Revolution!” The crowd cheered. “That really sums it up,” I said to my friend. This was December 9 2010. It was a cold, damp night and we were stuck in Parliament Square. The policeContinue reading “How the 2010 student protests still shape British politics”

Will Brexit hurt Starmer?

Keir Starmer may have built his credibility on Brexit and the demand for a people’s vote, however, he’s now accepted leaving the EU is a matter of reality. This has unsettled many left Remainers who backed him, but will it really hurt him in the way it hurt Jeremy Corbyn? Most likely not, but why?Continue reading “Will Brexit hurt Starmer?”

Notes on the 2020 US election

The US election was one of the fraught events of the year. I say ‘one’ since the pandemic has topped every chart for anxiety and misery. Indeed, COVID-19 made the US election even worse than it would have been without it. Here are just a few lessons we should take away from the presidential race:Continue reading “Notes on the 2020 US election”

Brexit Above All Else

Brexit is nowhere near being over. Regardless of whether a deal is concluded between the UK and EU, the process of disentangling the two will be felt for decades to come. Mostly, in the British Isles. One can only begin to catalogue the consequences: Ideological, political. Cultural, economic. Legal and criminal, even. We could goContinue reading “Brexit Above All Else”

The Losing Side

The British premier can’t be happy with the results of the US election. Boris Johnson’s fantasy of an Anglo-American pivot away from Europe has been dashed. In his rush to the EU’s emergency exit, Johnson fears a Biden presidency because it could mean no free trade deal once we have left. The Biden Administration couldContinue reading “The Losing Side”

Life After Labour

Just six months into the Starmer era, the Labour Party has cleansed its shadow cabinet of its most left-wing politicians and suspended Jeremy Corbyn. So it should be clear to everyone what Keir Starmer is really about. Not only has Starmer built a team of the centre and right, Labour policy has moved away fromContinue reading “Life After Labour”

The Singapore Option

‘Singapore on the Thames.’ Unless you’ve been under a rock, such fantasies of UK 2.0 have been a constant throughout Brexit. Nevermind, of course, that Singapore is a former British colony. It’s the turbocharged, hypercapitalist city-state bit that matters. Once a part of Malaysia, Singapore superseded Hong Kong as the leading Asian financial centre. SingaporeansContinue reading “The Singapore Option”

Life After Brexit

The Battleground was launched in January 2019 in response to the rise of populism around the world and the failure of traditional media to account for this paradigm shift. The centre-ground has collapsed, yet its institutions remain in place as a cruel reminder of what was. Even as the UK leaves the EU, the European project isContinue reading “Life After Brexit”