2023: A Year of Opportunity
Happy New Year The year 2023 presents us with both continued threats and – increasingly important – new opportunities. The threats, both in the UK and internationally, include a continuation […]
How the Light Gets In
After 12 years of Conservative government, the UK faces serious and rapidly growing problems on multiple fronts: 1) economically, 2) in terms of the financial, physical and mental health […]
The Debate We Need to Have
Our social contract – the ‘deal’ that makes us a civilised country – is under grave threat both practically and philosophically. And we are not talking about it. Practically, the […]
Traitriotism: Key Tool of the Far Right
There is a word we have been missing in the English language: traitriotism. This article explains what traitriotism is and why it is such a powerful tool in the hands […]
Trussed-up
The UK faces multiple interconnected crises. In the medium term, we are suffering from mass impoverishment, failing public services and a climate emergency. In the short term, very acutely, […]
Have We Finally Had Enough?
Many people in the UK are extremely concerned about the future. Most are poorer today than they were in 2010, and this year is forecast to see the sharpest drop […]
An Unwelcome Certainty in an Uncertain World
As Niels Bohr remarked, “Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.” And that general remark is particularly true about politics where decisions are taken on the basis of complex […]
The Future of Herefordshire
This is an approximate transcript of the speech given by Mark E Thomas at Hellens Garden Festival, 11 June, 2022. Introduction Good afternoon. What a wonderful environment, and […]
What Does the Queen’s Speech Tell Us?
In the space of a few short years, the government will have turned the UK from a prosperous, democratic country with a functioning social safety net into a poor, isolated […]
Tackling the Giants: Words and Deeds
In the middle of World War II, in 1942, the National Government of Great Britain commissioned Sir William Beveridge, the Director of the London School of Economics, to produce a […]