Iran’s New Ocean Imperium
The article links the escalating Iran‑U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to a centuries‑old debate over “freedom of the seas.” It argues that the legal doctrine, famously codified by Hugo Grotius in *Mare Liberum*, was originally crafted to justify Dutch commercial warfare, not to guarantee open navigation. By tracing the concept from 17th‑century spice wars through Portuguese and Dutch monopolies, the piece shows how historic imperium resurfaces in modern chokepoints like Hormuz, the Strait of Malacca and Bab el‑Mandeb. The author warns that without a new legal imagination, maritime routes risk becoming battlegrounds of rival states.
I Read Russell Brand’s Unreadable New Book, for My Sins
Russell Brand’s new book *How to Become a Christian in 7 Days* arrives on Tucker Carlson’s Skyhorse imprint, a publisher known for polarising titles. The memoir blends Brand’s personal conversion story with a litany of pop‑culture riffs, conspiracy‑theory tangents, and...
Nick Clegg Is Not Sorry About the AI Revolution
Former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg told the New Statesman he has no regrets about the 2014 sale of DeepMind to Google and is "delighted" by AI‑driven education for millions of children. Clegg, now a director on the boards of AI...
Will Clean Energy Ever Deliver a UK Jobs Boom?
The UK government’s clean‑energy jobs plan targets up to 860,000 positions by 2030, including 400,000 brand‑new roles. The Office for National Statistics reports 652,000 green‑job workers in 2024, a 25% rise since 2015, but the UK still lags behind Germany,...
The NHS Cannot Solve Women’s Health Inequalities Alone
The UK government’s renewed Women’s Health Strategy promises to add a decade to healthy life expectancy in deprived areas and curb medical misogyny, but it largely ignores the social determinants that drive health outcomes. Evidence shows women are disproportionately affected...
The Public Are Ahead of Their Politicians on Heat Pumps
Public opinion in the UK is outpacing politicians on the transition to zero‑carbon heating, with 58% backing all new heating systems to be carbon‑free by 2035 and half supporting a boiler phase‑out. While the Conservative government initially pledged a 2035...
The Myth of Michael Jackson
The new Michael Jackson biopic, titled *Michael*, was produced with a staggering $200 million budget but deliberately sidesteps the star’s child‑abuse allegations, citing a settlement clause that bars depiction of the alleged victim. The film focuses on Jackson’s artistic triumphs and...
Ben Lerner Has Taken Autofiction Somewhere New
Ben Lerner’s new novella *Transcription* marks a turn from the satirical autofiction of *10:04* to an elegiac meditation on memory, mentorship, and generational transmission. The story follows a 90‑year‑old professor‑mentor Thomas, his disciple‑narrator, and Thomas’s son Max through fragmented interviews,...
The Great British Defence Con
The UK government, led by Labour leader Keir Starmer, pledges to lift defence spending to 3% of GDP, with NATO’s new targets pushing the figure higher. No detailed plan has been released, leaving the specific programmes, threats addressed, and cost...
Ed Miliband Declares the End of the Fossil Fuel Era
Britain’s Energy Secretary Ed Miliband announced that the era of fossil fuels is over, unveiling a suite of clean‑energy measures aimed at reducing household bills ahead of upcoming elections. The most significant step is Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s plan to de‑link...
We Can’t Trust Palantir with Our NHS Data
Palantir Technologies UK secured a data‑analytics contract with the NHS valued at roughly $15 billion over two years, promising faster cancer diagnoses and reduced discharge delays. Critics highlight that private firms have already earned about $2 billion in profit from NHS contracts,...
The Living Places Concept Can Transform the UK
VELUX has introduced its Living Places concept in Sunderland, creating 40‑50 mixed‑tenure homes on a reclaimed brownfield site that forms part of a larger 1,000‑home development. The project unites Sunderland City Council, developer Igloo Regeneration, MawsonKerr Architects and the Housing...
How JD Vance Lost the Mandate of Heaven
Donald Trump’s inner circle has signaled a clear preference for Marco Rubio over Vice President JD Vance as the likely 2028 Republican nominee. Over the past four months Vance’s stature has slipped from heir‑apparent to one of many contenders, while...
The Dark Heart of the Kidfluencer Industry
The family‑vlogging boom has exposed a hidden epidemic of child exploitation, highlighted by the Ruby Franke scandal and the new book *Like, Follow, Subscribe*. Influencer parents routinely monetize intimate moments for millions of viewers, often earning as little as $100...
Breakthrough Science, Unequal Survival
Recent breakthroughs such as routine stem‑cell transplants and CAR‑T therapy have transformed treatment for several blood cancers, delivering long‑term remission for patients once deemed incurable. Yet blood cancer remains the UK’s third‑largest cancer killer, with 310,000 people living with or...