To Have or To Be?  turns fifty in a few days. Written by Erich Fromm, a German social psychologist, it analysed the corrosivity of ‘late capitalism’, an epoch most obviously characterised by consumerism. Consumerism comes with constituent attitudes. It encourages us, for instance, to value assets based on their saleability. Entrenched in our consciousness, via the unconscious, Fromm argued that many of these attitudes altered our understanding of ourselves, our contemporaries

Over the summer, Britain’s shocking disparity in education was laid bare, as circa 40% of students failed their maths  and English GCSEs, the worst-performing region being the West Midlands. Despite being the third-largest spending area ( behind only welfare and the NHS ), the UK’s education system is another public service in crisis. Following years of austerity, the lasting effects of COVID-19, and the punishing cost of living crisis, students across all years face the burd

Steamrolling towards the 2010 General Election, and needing to recoup votes lost to David Cameron’s Conservatives and ‘ Cleggmania ’, Prime Minister Gordon Brown headed to Rochdale to engage with Joe Public. Unfortunately for him, it all ended up going awry, as Brown ended up committing a political gaffe of the ages following his televised conversation with 66-year-old Gillian Duffy. The exchange  touched on pensions, university tuition, and immigration, as well as other topi

In a political climate that increasingly rewards sensationalism, echo chambers, and polarisation whilst punishing nuance, Europinion was founded back in 2023 with a simple mission: to facilitate pluralistic discussion, to provide a platform for serious, accessible discussions, whilst pertinently open to disagreement without falling into antagonism. Two years on, 2025 has been the clearest demonstration yet of why that mission matters, and of what an independent organisation c

The political classes are being held responsible, academically and in actuality, for the rise of populism. Their failure to create the conditions for growth, apparent disdain for popular opinion, and inability to abide by professional standards have undoubtedly increased the public’s appetite for an alternative type of politician. Do we, however, expect too much of our politicians and do they, in fact, need to better explain what exactly it is that they are supposed to do? Be