“We are living in an unprecedented time in politics” has become a bastardised phrase in the post-2016 zeitgeist. Overused by pundits since Trump’s inauguration to feed an already-weary public, it is false because it is not informed by history. One populist president, Andrew Jackson, ruled from Washington in the nation’s infancy with both longevity and […]
Review: T2: Trainspotting
In an oft-sequel heavy age of cinema, we should not be surprised when old classics are resurrected once more after 10, or maybe even 20 years. The quality is uneven, most are comparable to the exhuming of a decomposing corpse, the stench invading our nostrils with no sign of dissipating (I’m looking at you, Bad […]
What can we expect from T2: Trainspotting?
It has now been over 20 years since Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting was released to critical acclaim. Not only did it successfully adapt Irvine Welsh’s prose, but it changed the passaggio of British cinema forever. Providing hard grit and contemporary music to the screen, in place of traditional period dramas. This was 1996, Oasis was playing […]
Why the threat of terror will never go away
Ayoub El Khazzani, David Ali Sonboly, Riaz Khan Ahmadzai, Medhi Nemmouche, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel. The connection between these jihadists – who waged terror and destruction this summer – becomes vague as we dismiss the tenuous claims from ISIS that they, in fact, were part of a coherent network loyal to the caliphate. No, instead these […]
What next for UKIP?
A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of Brexit. At least, that is what other European populist leaders hope, until it is stamped out à la German communism in 1919. Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, confirmed this summer that this was to be so: “The chain reaction being celebrated everywhere now by Eurosceptics […]
The art of manuscript burning
Many writers experience daily frustration with their work. What may have appeared to be clever word-play in the haze of the previous night now looks clumsy; a mastercrafted plot viewed in the cold light of morning appears plodding. The inability to properly convey a grand vision, however, is most heart-breaking for the writer, and whole […]
#TheUKDecides: The sound and fury of Brexit
And so a star has been removed from the blue European flag, with 51.9 per cent of Britons voting to rescind a 43-year membership of the EU. The night before Brexit, storm clouds roamed the south coast of England in almost pathetic fallacy, a reflection of the impending economic and political chaos to come. Over […]
Through all tributes, Brendan Cox’s words ring most true
Just moments after our exit from the European Union, one may expect both endless discussion on the capricious nature of the financial markets, and a growing sense of foreboding about where Britain now stands on the international stage. This piece will not indulge this, but instead cast our minds to the Thursday before last when the […]
The hydra of populism rages on
They don’t have to love her. They just have to vote for her”, explains Matt Bennett to the Financial Times in an optimistic yet cynical tone. It remains to be seen if this maxim has been truly adopted by Hillary Clinton staffers and volunteers, who, for all their optimism, are hopelessly reliant on her new […]
Missing the political giants – why the Brexit voter deserves better
Our political history is steeped with odd alliances formed by common cause: what is deemed ‘right’ for the nation. They have been irrespective of party affiliations and usually disregard potential mockery and satire. In the last few weeks, the image that has been widely circulated and lampooned is that of David Cameron phone-canvassing undecided voters, […]