“A more honest and complete appraisal of Francoism might have to confront the fact that its legacy endures in more forms than street names and antiquated legislation.”
UK Government
“We now know what the UK is going to look like in the final years before we reach those irreversible climate tipping points and the planet stops caring how fast our economy is growing. With Scottish elections and possibly another independence referendum now looming, it’s time for the various parties to show their support for an alternative future”
Analysis: UK Budget 2021
“If the Tories had an ounce of subtlety, they might not have launched their phoney campaign to cement free speech at the exact same time heritage organisations were being warned not to delve to deeply into Britain’s racist and colonialist past. These are not people who care about being perceived as sincere.”
Sean Bell: If the Tories want ‘free speech’ on their terms, then they should pay for it
“Food – good food – is not a luxury, and there is nothing you can do, no one you can be, that justifies being deprived of it. The matter must be put beyond question.”
Sean Bell: Food is everything
“Those who look after others may be some of society’s heroes, but they are also sometimes taking on service roles which should be provided by the government.”
Peter Markham: Why Westminster is turning the UK into a group of ‘Justgiving’ nations
“The disconnect between how the Scottish Government has performed over the last five years and people’s perceptions of how it has performed can only be described as remarkable.”
Robin McAlpine: This was the year I realised I was living in Nosedive
“Slowly, too slowly, Scotland has been adopting the tools used by other countries that have avoided what the virus has done here. To say this isn’t an improvement would be wrong, but to say that we have been fine without them is worse.”
Analysis: Counting the Covid cost
“Apocalyptic fires and floods, cyclones and hurricanes are the new normal,” Guterres will reportedly argue. “Biodiversity is collapsing. Deserts are spreading. Oceans are choking on plastic waste.”
Self-congratulation will not fix a broken planet
“The Bayoh family themselves have been fighting for five years, and this inquiry would arguably not have come to be without their brave efforts. It is hard to imagine they will not remain resolute in their determination to see justice, no matter how long it takes.”