The real-life case of Daniel Morgan, the private detective murdered 34 years ago in a South London car park, could be Line of Duty’s case for the defence. The independent inquiry into his death features enough elaborate plot twists and cartoonish villainy to keep Ted Hastings busy for another six series.

Source Direct: Bugging, Burglary and Bribing Bent Coppers


The ultimate the “bad guy” here isn’t really the local authority, the devolved administration or even the outsourcers — it’s the Home Office. But their demonstrable badness only adds to the vicious cycle of rival nationalisms.

Source Direct: Outsourcing, Dispersal and Hostility




The launch of the People United, a cross-border campaign for Scottish independence, will hopefully inject some positivity into a melancholic movement. It aims to start an international debate about self-determination, not just for Scotland, but for the rest of the UK, Catalonia, the Basque Country and beyond.

Source Direct: Independence – Uniting the Peoples


The poll demonstrates, if nothing else, that it’s theoretically possible to win massive public majorities for a post-oil economic agenda. So, what’s stopping us?

Source Direct: After Peak Oil


Regardless of whether the lab leak thesis is remotely plausible, the liberal moral panic about Trump clearly had a chilling effect not just on public debate, but also on research agendas.

Source Direct: The Lab Leak Hypothesis


It’s endlessly frustrating when constitutional division works to reproduce the status quo. All the more galling when the benefits accrue to such a dubious bunch. Clearly, we need some mechanism to break the vicious cycle.

Source Direct: Is Scottish Home Rule the Answer?


Since we don’t live in an ideal world, foreign aid must suffice as compensation for the UK’s larceny overseas. Yet even these meagre reimbursements have been cut to the bone

Source Direct: Banned Aid