Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
The United Kingdom is currently experiencing a crisis of faith in democracy. Polling reveals deep-seated dissatisfaction with the leaders currently heading the main political parties and this year insurgent populism in the form of the Brexit Party briefly stormed to a lead in the polls. Three and a half years ago the United Kingdom voted […]
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Image description: Rory Stewart, Secretary of State for International Development. You and I probably have something in common. Something a bit embarrassing, something we’ve only realised about ourselves recently. Do you want to say it or- yes, OK, I’ll go first. Against my better judgement I…. I quite like Rory Stewart, Minister for International Development, […]
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Image description: Former Foreign Secretary and MP Boris Johnson with his brother Leo Johnson On the 24th May 2019, Theresa May, after much speculation, tearfully announced her resignation as the leader of the Conservative Party, firing the starting pistol in a race that looks to have a crowded field. Boris Johnson is the clear bookies’ […]
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The British railways have come to be one of the most blatantly obvious examples of where privatisation has failed. Commuters and tax payers are being ripped off by dividend collectors, while services deteriorate, prices climb much faster than wages, and incompetent Conservative ministers like Chris Grayling fumble around a problem they have no desire to […]
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Image Credit: Brigade Piron Infighting within the Oxford University Conservative Association continues as President Ben Etty passes the contentious Bullingdon Club ban through the Senior Member, in a move which has been branded as “undemocratic”. The Bullingdon Club ban has caused divisions within in OUCA since it came to a head at the start of term. […]
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Image Credit: Brigade Piron In dramatic scenes at Wednesday night’s council meeting of the Oxford University Conservative Association, members attempted to resist President Ben Etty’s efforts to ban members of the Bullingdon Club from OUCA committee elections. Ordinary business passed without affair until ex-President Alex Bruce proposed a Standing Order amendment to ban the Bullingdon Club […]
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The NHS is like a sick dog. The doctor has told you that it could be time to say goodbye, but you cannot bring yourself to accept it. You keep reminding yourself about all the wonderful memories you shared together, and you’re certain that need not come to an end. You insist that you can […]
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Timid and cowering. Get in line or get out. A grave error. He has to go. When Philip Hammond voiced his hope that any changes in the UK’s relationship with the EU would be “very modest”, the reaction from the Conservative backbenches was anything but. The furious and wearisomely predictable responses to the Chancellor’s Davos […]
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Another week, another backbench revolt which threatens to topple Theresa May’s precarious minority government. At this point, it’s all a little stale; a month doesn’t go by without some kind of crisis befalling the current government, with Brexiteers in revolt over anything from the most minute policy differences to fundamental philosophical disagreements (this time sees […]
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Over the vacation, I took advantage of my free evenings and BBC license to catch up on David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II. Stories of the sea’s rich wildlife were intertwined with stark ecological warnings, and one night, as I watched a baby puffling’s parents clack beaks and kiss, I felt a sudden well of rage […]
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The recent leak of the Paradise Papers – thirteen million documents relating to the financial affairs of some of the world’s wealthiest people and corporations – is but another reminder of the distorting effect of wealth on our legal system and our politics. Among the many varied figures alleged to have been involved in tax […]
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A year ago, the Prime Minister was invincible. She was faced on the left by an ageing, seemingly out of touch, old socialist who was under constant assault from his own party on every possible issue. On the right was a slightly mad bloke from Liverpool who lied about his doctorate, whether he’d been at […]
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Much has been written about the electoral shock suffered by the Conservatives earlier this year, and how they might recover, if at all. Many proposals have been put forward, including a Conservative equivalent of Momentum and a ‘Tory Glastonbury’. The Conservatives, however, are never going to be cool or counter-cultural. The failure of Activate, which […]
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‘Strong and stable’ is fast becoming 2017’s equivalent of fake news: that phrase you hear every day which is driving everyone slowly insane. The Conservatives put forward a similar message in 2015, castigating Red Ed and his planned coalition of chaos, and urging voters to choose the long term economic plan instead. But seven years […]
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The ‘strongest possible mandate’ could damage the country and Britain’s exit from the EU. Whether we like it or not, this election will largely be fought over Brexit. May is arguing that she needs ‘the strongest possible hand’ and ‘the strongest possible mandate’ in order to negotiate with ‘our opponents’ who are ‘already seeking to […]
Continue ReadingOxford is often thought to be a bastion of privilege, but in truth what is more distinctive of Oxford is inequality. As well as being the home to one of the world’s most prestigious universities, it is also home to both some of the most affluent areas of the country and some of the most […]
Continue ReadingTwo Oxford councillors have come under heavy fire this week for comments insulting the LGBTQ community and the homeless. John Tanner, Labour Councillor for Littlemore, branded Oxford’s homeless “a disgrace”, while Julia Gasper, a parish councillor currently affiliated with the English Democrats and previously UKIP, posted a picture of Jimmy Savile to commemorate LGBTQ History […]
Continue ReadingIt’s been almost 4 months since hurricane Brexit tore through British politics and it is only now that the dust is beginning to settle. After outlasting her rivals in a mudslinging leadership election, on 13th July Theresa May addressed an audience outside Downing Street as the new Prime Minister. In her very first speech as […]
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One of this government’s most controversial proposed policies, now set to be passed by the new prime minister, is the reintroduction of grammar schools, which were first banned eighteen years ago. This is not surprising – with the appointment of Theresa May, the Conservative Party has waved goodbye to a Bullingdon-led cabinet for a Tory […]
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