Clik here to view.
Cross-talk and mermaid-speak
Anyone familiar with the story of language in Elizabethan Ireland can only feel impatience – if not despair – at the latter-day triumphalism of works like Melvyn Bragg’s best-selling The Adventure of...
View ArticleThe blacklisting of British workers
'It ruined my marriage''my wages were cut in half'... the blacklisting of workers ruins lives, as the latest scandal in the building sector shows. Now the fight is on to push for a public inquiry into...
View ArticleIntroducing our new section - OurNHS
This week we have launched OurNHS, a brand new section of openDemocracy dedicated to England's National Health Service (NHS). The Coalition's Health & Social Care Act 2012 formally ends the NHS as...
View ArticleStuffed - hospital closures and chaos in England's health service
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt's decision on Lewisham hospital is a clear signal that some fundamental and bold changes are needed on NHS (National Health Service) structure, PFi debts and the private...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Political corruption in Spain: will this be Rajoy’s Watergate?
As each day progressively reveals the extent of corruption inside the ruling People's Party, the Spanish people are disheartened by the conduct of their politicians, including that of Prime Minister...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Getting to the truth about UK-Gaddafi ties
Some say we should put Britain's complicity in torture and human rights abuse in Libya behind us. We cannot do so. Lessons have not been learned, victims still await justice, while the 'secret courts...
View ArticleClik here to view.
God is your refuge
A monastery near Moscow has opened its doors to the city’s homeless — in exchange for food and shelter, the men help out on the farm. Marina Akhmedova spent some time among the labourers, discovering...
View ArticleWhy did Mouaz al-Khatib change his mind about talks with the Syrian government?
Relying on the regional and world powers has proven to be a costly participation in a proxy war that is devastating the country.Earlier this week, the president of the National Coalition for Syrian...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The radical right's final solution
The risk of violence coming from the radical right in the US is high, and increasing. But it is only the logical consequence of a culture that promotes polarization and overreaction over finding...
View ArticleClik here to view.
'Brexit': a view from Norway
Norway has often been cited as an example of what Britain's future relationship with the EU might look like. One of the most prominent Norwegian opponents to EU membership shares his thoughts on David...
View ArticleAll change in Saudi Arabia? Not quite yet
It should never be underestimated with the Saudi ruling family, the importance of regime stability at all costs.The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has moved one step closer to showing its hand on the upcoming...
View ArticleWhat lies beneath: the stifling of regime resistance in Algeria and its...
The lack of an organised and representative opposition, whether Islamist or not, serves to disadvantage the state; it cannot respond effectively to society's needs.The hostage crisis of In Amenas threw...
View ArticleA lesson from Anzio: Scots do not need to cling to the wreckage of Britain
Scots like all Britains share a history of fighting to rescue Europe from fascism in the Second World War. On the anniversary of its decisive, gigantic battle on the Eastern Front, the Britain built...
View ArticleWhat will it take to end violence against women?
Twenty years after the United Nations declared violence against women to be a violation of their human rights, we are still a long way from gender violence becoming unacceptable in a society. The...
View ArticleUK migration policy: we need to talk about citizens
The family rules introduced by the UK government as part of its crusade to curb net migration are surreptitiously redefining the meaning of citizenship and the boundaries between the state and its...
View ArticleDon’t look to Norway, Mr Cameron!
Many in Britain now suggest taking Norway as an inspiration for successful life outside the EU – but is the country's relationship with the EU really an example to follow?Mr Cameron’s speech on Europe...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Causes of the Northern Ireland flag dispute
A decision to restrict the flying of the union flag over Belfast City Hall late last year sparked weeks of protests and riots. The cause is rooted deep in the legacy of the peace process.Belfast flag...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The oneness of God and the plurality of Syria
On January 21, 2013, the largest bombing of its kind shook the centre of Salamiyeh, leaving more than 50 people dead and dozens wounded. When in the 1960s the great Syrian poet Mohammed al-Maghout was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
I can’t believe it’s not Qatar!: addressing the Brotherhood’s other patron
If the Arab uprisings have taught us anything, it is that the Arab public represents a formidable challenge to power elites. Grievances should not limit Egypt’s revolutionary camp at the expense of a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Slovenia in turmoil
In the last months, a wave of protest and anger has swept through Slovenia, as thousands of people challenge the corrupt and out-of-touch political elite of a country that was once considered the...
View Article