Donald Trump’s unprecedented attack on the chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, has been met with an equally unprecedented defence composed of Ex-Fed chairs, central bank governors, and titans  of global finance. Central to this alliance’s criticism of Trump is an ominous warning of disaster to come should the Fed’s independence be violated. For example, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde emphasised the role central bank independence played as a “corner

In his Debt: The First 5000 Years , anthropologist David Graeber provides a series of insights that, when properly understood, challenge the central tenets of conventional economic thought. Most significantly, Graeber’s claim that all money is debt, and by extension a social relation, fundamentally undermines decades of economic orthodoxy which claims that the government must balance its books and, more generally, that ‘one must pay one’s debts’ . Indeed, if all money is debt

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

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

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

We’re in a political epoch where no principle, institution, or authority is sacred. Everything is questioned, debated, and assessed within an inch of its life. Sometimes, it's unclear if there’s anything we all universally agree upon – if there is anything hallowed, permitted to go unquestioned. Political change is undoubtedly essential as an agent of progress, but sometimes we broaden debate so much that we lose focus on what matters. I recently spent a lecture entertaining

When searching for local classical shows, I came across a section in a Mozart concert’s description entitled “Your Brain on Art.” The section references studies that argue listening to Mozart enhances “spatial reasoning,” “cognitive performance,” and “ brain wave activity associated with relaxation and mental clarity.” The framing of music as a vehicle for self-betterment, a technology for improvement, speaks to the growing instrumentalization of aesthetics. Art no longer sei

Bucket hats, low-rise jeans, Oasis on tour, and Tony Blair’s face over our screens. Was it 2025? Or is it 1999? Trick question, of course, for it is both. It has not escaped the notice of many today that a tidal wave of 1990s and 2000s revival has hit us in the West in recent years. On an aesthetic level  alone, a new generation of adolescents have thrown themselves with abandon into the shibboleths of ‘90s/’00s fashion. From Vogue  to Elle  and far beyond, those who experien

For context, ‘new left’ encompasses both the recently formed Your Party and the revitalised Green Party under Zack Polanski.  At the moment, these two separate parties have even been campaigning side-by-side, in a somewhat wholesome, but more so politically disconcerting joint campaigning effort that won’t last ten minutes. They appear tethered in a codependent manner, comparable to the graphic horror of Michael Shank’s Together , though they are distinct political entities w

When it comes to political crises in Latin America, Peru is always on everyone's lips. The country suffered yet another political earthquake early last month, ending the presidency of Dina Boluarte . The now former president, like her immediate and myriad other predecessors, was removed by Congress after a brief stint. Peru has had eight presidents in the last ten years, with Ollanta Humala (2011-2016) being the last to complete his term. Since then, instability has gone from

Though I cannot recall quite how, I recently stumbled across a fascinating POLITICO  article by former Harvard lecturer John F. Muller titled “ Halloween Is More Political Than You Think ”. It discusses trick-or-treating in America, focusing specifically on Milwaukee, and the surprising observations Halloween brings to the table in discussions on both racial and class divisions. Muller explores how poor, inner-city ethnic minorities often travel to affluent white suburbs duri

For the Senate Judiciary Committee to work, there must be a gap between the requisite information and the Senate’s ultimate decision. The committee should have a concentrated body of senators to discover information about a candidate to make a just decision. Pam Bondi’s recent hearing  would need to reveal something the Senate did not already know, and that new knowledge would have to play a decisive role in the political judgment.  As expected, this did not occur. Instead, w

The public murder of Charlie Kirk rattled the American political establishment , and was met with a variety of responses from its pundits, journalists, and elected officials. For many in the Republican Party and on the right of American politics more broadly, Kirk’s death was the pretence required to pursue an official clampdown  on freedom of speech, as opposed to the less systematic, yet no less brazen , attacks the White House had been carrying out up to that point. Citize

Zohran Mamdani “won’t be getting any” federal funding to fulfill his campaign promises if elected mayor, declared Donald Trump on Truth...

The assassination in Utah  of the Christian Conservative influencer, Charlie Kirk, has cast a chilling shadow over many in the United...

Artificial intelligence is everywhere. It has colonised our phones  and workspaces , and is seeking to expand its grip over our lives...

Edmund Burke  is synonymous with conservatism. The namesake of a foundation  that serves the right on both sides of the Atlantic, Burke...

Very rarely do last-minute plans disappoint in the MCI (mischief-chaos-intrigue) department; it is why I’d advise you never to turn them...

Many on the Left have responded to Charlie Kirk’s assassination by condemning political violence. Former President Barack Obama tweeted ,...

Variations of the phrase ‘it’s X year’, a common expression used by the more progressive-minded, are used either in response to bigoted...