When a fire starts to burn: who wants to be national?

In this concluding piece of the re-birth of the nation series, the debate’s editor asks what these articles tell us about the left’s troubled relationship with ‘the nation’. How might these arguments inform efforts to develop a thinking politics outside of the party system?

The durability of nations and nationalism

Nationhood remains a 'durable' political concept primarily due to its intimacy with the ongoing process of modernity and its focus on human agency. As a result of this relationship, cultural analysis as uniquely placed to make observations about the past present and future of the form. 

Forget long term strategy, the BBC needs to fix the 'now'

In the second of her 'On broadcasting' column, Lis Howell argues that the BBC urgently needs to put its house in order before turning to the big political issues of 2017. The licence fee and new technology aren’t necessarily the big issues - the real crisis is about management and the alienation of young people and young talent.

The BBC Business Unit and the public interest

The BBC's reporting of issues from NHS reform, welfare reform and the looming EU US trade deal can be better understood by looking at the BBC's Business Unit. A narrow and questionable 'business perspective' drives more coverage than viewers may think.

Occupy Runnymede: Six reasons why the British Establishment hates the Magna Carta

On Magna Carta day, 798 years after the Magna Carta was signed by King John, what is there to celebrate?

Living in 'promotional times'

Promotion appears everywhere, so much so that we no longer notice. This is not just about explicit selling and buying. The promotional arms race has seeped into all fields, powerfully re-shaping individuals, organisations and our wider society.

Secret Courts: 8 nightmare scenarios now possible in Britain

Imagine suing the government for damages for torture and kidnap, and losing your case, without ever knowing the reason why. A former lawyer who resigned from the Lib Dem party over "secret courts" describes the chilling scenarios made possible by the recently passed Justice and Security Act.

A battle of biblical proportions: can Lewisham beat Jeremy Hunt?

In a battle which is being seen as a test case for A&E and hospital cuts and downgrades nationwide, Lewisham campaigners are taking the Secretary of State to court - and they need your help.

The case for one-sided nuclear disarmament

Fear of the ‘unilateralist’ label obscures the fact that there is now an overwhelming case to be made that the complete renunciation of nuclear weapons is in the British national interest. 

After Woolwich: when racist thugs and tabloid media combine

In the aftermath of Drummer Lee Rigby's murder, state and tabloid targeting of Muslims fuels hate crime.

Boy locked up for months in adult immigration jail

Child detention goes on in the UK regardless of government claims to have ended it. 

The case of the ‘Brutal Savage’: Poirot or Clouseau? Why Steven Pinker, like Jared Diamond, is wrong

Steven Pinker claims to prove scientifically that the world is now more peaceful, accusing some critics of succumbing to myth. The author argues that Pinker is promoting a fictitious, colonialist image of a backward ‘Brutal Savage’, which pushes the debate back over a century and is still used to destroy tribes. (Long review)

Death in Woolwich: a case of déjà vu?

The Prevent strategy in the UK has not worked. Prevent 2.0 needs a fundamental rethink if the mistakes of the past are to be avoided. The old faith-based  policy foundations must be broadened to include secular and frontline experts, and “moderate” religious leaders must be scrutinized more closely, says Yasmin Rehman

Lost childhoods: age disputes in the UK asylum system

Children seeking asylum in the UK are regularly disbelieved about how old they are and can end up facing harmful, protracted disputes. The culture of disbelief so often criticised in the Home Office has seeped into some local authorities, says Kamena Dorling.

In the thick of it - a review of '5 days in May: the Coalition and beyond'

Andrew Adonis’s insider account of the Lab-Lib coalition talks provides a vivid and vital, and often surprising, insight into the crucial politics of the day – and is also particularly relevant to the prospects for both parties after the 2015 general election.

The scale of debt in the western world now threatens a serious collapse

There can likely be no repeat of the 2008 bailouts, sovereign states do not have the capacity. But the accumulating debt is now so large, the point of no return may have been breached. Euro collapse could trigger far wider meltdowns.

Miscarriage, stillbirth, psychosis. Pregnant in UK immigration detention

It is government policy to detain pregnant women in only very exceptional circumstances. But it happens a lot. The Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists warn that women and their babies are being put at risk.

Needless heartbreak: new UK rules on family migration

Today's report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration exposes deep injustice in new restrictions on family migration. Much pain and trouble might have been avoided had the government paid due regard to human rights.

The UK's proposed royal charter on press freedom undermines parliament

Royal Charters are an inappropriate means of regulating the press, a monarchical hangover that debases the role of parliament and reaffirms the view that it is the monarch, not the British people, that should be the ultimate check on parliament.

Beauty and the Beast on Britain and Europe

The war of words over Europe in Britain cannot be called 'debate'. A former Europe minister examines two serious and opposite thinkers on Europe, and asks whether their arguments could have impact in Britain.

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