Niki Seth-Smith

Niki Seth-Smith is a freelance journalist and editor. She’s currently on the publishing team at Ignota Books. She also writes fiction and is interested in the intersection of fact, myth and narrative.

Out of the box: Megan Prescott on Skins, bodybuilding and busting gender roles

Megan Prescott discusses her experiences of gender inequality, public scrutiny and subverting stereotypes as a young actress, writer and competitive bodybuilder.

By Niki Seth-Smith and Megan Prescott

/ 9 Feb 2017

Out of the box: Megan Prescott on Skins, bodybuilding and busting gender roles

Megan Prescott discusses her experiences of gender inequality, public scrutiny and subverting stereotypes as a young actress, writer and competitive bodybuilder.

By Niki Seth-Smith and Megan Prescott

/ 9 Feb 2017

Re-shaping Britain must include the BBC

In the next few years, the UK’s constitution will be re-shaped. This includes the BBC. A new book, from openDemocracy and Commonwealth Publishing, rethinks what Britain in the 21st century needs from its public media.

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 4 Nov 2016

Lord Puttnam: the BBC must confront a "total" loss of trust

The film producer and chair of a major inquiry into the future of public service broadcasting calls on the BBC to help rebuild trust in Brexit Britain.

By Niki Seth-Smith and David Puttnam

/ 1 Jul 2016

Change of some kind is coming either way, but a vote to leave would empower Europe's far right

Britain shapes and is shaped by Europe. Let's not pretend otherwise.

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 10 Jun 2016

The BBC's dumb public: a view from Greece

The BBC’s election coverage has been filled with gossip, technological gimmicks, and patronising ‘common sense’ rhetoric. This has little to do with its public service remit.

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 30 Apr 2015

The Fall: extreme violence as a distorted mirror of post-conflict Belfast

The most watched drama on the BBC for 20 years,The Fall, is about a serial killer in Belfast who murders and 'poses' his women victims in the nude. Is the violence gratuitous, or does it capture the current post-conflict mood and mindset of Belfast?

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 27 Oct 2014

What I learned from going cold turkey on technology

After I developed RSI, the use of social media led to crippling pain which forced me to confront my compulsion to react. What would life be like if everyone thought twice?

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 8 Sep 2014

Nationalism: a war over a word

A vote for independence may be the right or wrong answer for Scotland. What it won’t be is a vote for ‘nationalism’.

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 25 Aug 2014

Could republican ideas provide the framework for a new economy?

A resurgence of interest in republicanism within academic circles is reclaiming the tradition, while the post-crash political landscape has brought to the fore demands for citizen participation and an interest in sharing control of the economy that can be read as republican in spirit.

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 23 Jul 2014

Review: The politics of English nationhood

Michael Kenny's new book, The Politics of English Nationhood, is a vital read and charts much new ground, but its overriding analysis is constrained by its focus on identity and belonging at the expense of democracy.

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 12 Jun 2014

Why are the hopes of the Good Friday Peace Agreement still unfulfilled?

At the launch of 50.50's series on women peacebuilders in Northern Ireland, we explore the connection between the failure to include women at all levels of political life in building a shared future and the ongoing search for peace in Northern Ireland.

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 5 May 2014