Chuka Umunna
: Ed's Google Speech and What It Means for Responsible Capitalism
Jamie Bartlett
: The Woolwich Attacks Are Not New
Martin Newman
: People of Woolwich Will Defy the Far-Right and Come Together Over Killing of a Soldier Son
B.J. Epstein
: Down With the Matriarchy? What Matriarchy?
Dr Peter Bruggen
: Sir David Nicholson Resigns but if Many Bad Apples Remain, The NHS Might Be Rotten to the Core
"Pop and thought don't go together," a BBC controller once said, resisting the introduction of pop music to his schedules. That battle was won a long time ago, but the sentiment behind it lingers still; pop music lacks the esteem accorded to other art. Continue reading...
Aled Jones is incredibly well-loved and has been a presence on our screens since he was a child star and international chorister. Who cannot remember Walking in the Air and his cherubic, angelic little face, crooked teeth and sensible hair-cut? Continue reading...
It may be an inconvenient truth, given our vast trade links with the UAE, but surely we can no longer ignore the events taking place in the Gulf State. If not for the principle of humanitarianism, then for our trade links there we must speak up. If the naivety of the rulers continues in the same vein, those very links might be put in danger. Continue reading...
If a CEO has his position and company name featured on his Twitter profile and Monday to Friday the account features mainly corporate news and comment, then he gets drunk on a Saturday and starts tweeting sexist jokes it is almost impossible to imagine that the 'this is only my personal view' defence would stand. Continue reading...
F1 2012 looks set to be a very open championship. We've had four race winners so far and drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber are not in that list of four. Kimi could win this year, and Michael Schumacher must surely break his winning drought. So many more questions are to be answered this year, and there are still 16 races to go... Continue reading...
In a world seemingly gone mad, a comedian now rules one of the greatest capital cities in the world for a second term. I am not amused. Continue reading...
Today we're launching our new charity for carers. Carers Trust has been set up to make sure people know that if you're a carer, you should get the support you need, and also (gasp!) YOU are also entitled to a life and a break. Continue reading...
Why someone's sexuality needs to be public knowledge is not a question that will be taken up here, but what is relevant is that more celebrities and other public figures feel confident coming out as bisexual these days. Continue reading...
Just one disease caused by smoking - lung cancer - was rare before 1930. Over the next 50 years, it rose to become the world's leading cause of cancer death. In countries like Australia it is now on the wane. Plain packaging will accelerate its eventual demise as a major cause of death. Continue reading...
For about 20 years now, I have been trying to convince the world that opera isn't just for toffs. I have appeared, swearing and cursing, in football documentaries, had photographs taken that show off my tattoos and generally been as much of an oik as I could whilst extolling the virtues of late 19th century giovane scuola opera. Continue reading...
Whatever Ed Miliband's flaws, the British people love an underdog, especially when they feel like underdogs. Continue reading...
No matter where she is from, a mother's happiness will depend on her child's wellbeing. This similarity cuts through all other differences that may exist between mothers living on opposite sides of the world. Continue reading...
I love making dens. But den making isn't something I do just for my own children. Every week I go into schools and help pupils and teachers transform classrooms into war-torn towns, cavernous Egyptian pyramids and enchanted forests. Continue reading...
Her Majesty is not known to like public speaking, but sees it as a duty that she must perform. The government of the day writes the words of Her Majesty's speech, and as 'head' of the government she simply reads them - regardless of whether she agrees with the finer details. Continue reading...
I was thrilled to attend the launch of The Marriage Foundation at Middle Temple Hall on Monday. I had expected those invited to consist mostly of family lawyers but I couldn't have been more wrong... Continue reading...
The weather may be causing havoc to a few unfortunate flood plainers, but spare a thought for my fellow fashion fretters. One of them, namely Kate Middleton, not usually a fretter, found herself at the mercy of the shoulder season. Continue reading...
Erick Martínez Ávila, a 32-year old Honduran journalist and gay rights activist, was found dead and dumped in a ditch in Guasculile on 7 May 2012. His killers strangled him, and in doing so, brought the total number of journalists murdered in Honduras since 2007 to twenty-seven. Martínez was a... Continue reading...
This was the heading of a recent Citi research report in the US, on the investment prospects of various regional banks. The title being an obvious play on the words from the infamous Dire Straits song 'Money for Nothing'. The broader subtext being that the banking system is broken. Continue reading...
Now the dust has settled, let's celebrate the race for the World Bank presidency. We had the highest quality field in history and a winner who just might manage to refocus the institution on the dominant challenge of development today: inequality. Continue reading...
You might have seen local coverage over the weekend on potential closures to Kent Police buildings. I have to say that personally the key to success of any change is absolute transparency and engagement. Continue reading...
Education is the foundation of our democracy. By seizing on what's working, and recreating those successes from one classroom to the next, we can make it better for everyone. Continue reading...
If you have any familiarity with the world, in short, you know that involuntary unemployment is very real. And it's currently a very big deal. How bad is the problem of involuntary unemployment, and how much worse has it become? Continue reading...
So... Rio? F**k me! What an unbelievable night. A truly special gig. Not because of anything I did I hasten to add - I played AND sang like sh*t!! But them kids man!?!? It was just a privilege to have been there never mind on the stage AND I got in for free. (I know the bass player innit?) Continue reading...
Rarely has an election resonated so widely across the European Union as the French presidential ballot has done. Rarely has a leadership change in one EU member state created expectations of a real policy shift. Continue reading...
