Politics

Tensions between mainland China and Hong Kong are spiralling out of control. Towards the tail end of last year, the Chinese government supressed with disproportionate vigour the pro-autonomy protests. The protests died down slightly since then but there has been a continuation of the independence movement until now. Thursday marked...

Contrary to popular belief, I can't stand Jeremy Clarkson. He epitomises most things I detest: he's boorish, puerile and frankly, the sort of person who should still be strutting around a 6th form grammar school common room proudly wearing a prefect badge and pretending he was the one who...

Trade Union members are essential to Tory, as well as Labour's, electoral prospects Please don’t get this article confused, this isn’t an endorsement of the current union system, I understand that unions need reform, especially striking laws,. For example, it’s pathetic that unions can strike with as little as 5...

At every election, it appears that discussion develops on the matter of devolution from centralised government, predominantly of England from London-centric parliaments; understandable, considering the sheer economic differences across the nation. This argument takes on another perspective when we consider the devolved parliaments of Scotland, Wales and the more recently resumed Northern Ireland Assembly, enabling...

Anyone who's been watching the news recently will probably be aware about a new supreme court justice. Brett Kavanaugh. This particular justice is slightly different to the others. Why? He has been accused of rape! This has lead to a media storm that has created another Twitter war. Some people were...

SNP MSPs, when compared to other major Scottish Parties, charge the taxpayer more on average by nearly £5,000 in expenses, The Backbencher's data team can exclusively reveal. Data collated from 2018/19 shows that on average SNP politicians in Scotland billed the taxpayer £4,867.01 in expenses (per head) more than Scottish...

(Photograph by Paul Simpson) Andy Bolton asks how libertarians should view Nelson Mandela and his struggle against an apartheid state. With his failing health and impending 95th birthday, Nelson Mandela is once again at the forefront of world attention. The world is bracing itself for the inevitable news and the world's...

The Backbencher’s Daniel Pryor caught up with George Galloway (Respect MP for Bradford West) in order to discuss his attitude towards the BBC. Although ‘libertarian’ is just about the last word that should be used to describe Mr Galloway, his criticisms of Britain’s state-funded broadcaster are surprisingly vitriolic. Although...

Free market capitalism is often accused (by the uninformed, I hasten to add) of being a system designed to benefit the rich at the expense of others; that it entrenches existing power structures, or that it pits people against each other in some kind of economic Battle Royale. Simply put,...

What is theft? According to the 1968 Theft Act: 1.-(1) A person is guilty of theft, if he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it; and "thief" and "steal" shall be construed accordingly. (2) It is immaterial whether the appropriation is made...