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A New Model

A New Model

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During a particularly strange period of unusual and unprecedented measures, perhaps the strangest of all is the shift of the newspaper industry to begin self-censoring its data. The industry dedicated to frequent fact publishing very suddenly decided to stop. In an era that should be defined by transparent and open media, the centuries-old institution has gone suddenly coy on its own facts and figures. In the final weeks of 2019, the last published figures revealed a freefall in distribution numbers….

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Late Decisions

Late Decisions

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If we’ve learnt anything at all from modern news coverage, it’s that we’re unable, or at least unwilling to engage with anything at all unless it’s compressed and simplified into the format of dull sports journalism. At least that is the commonly held belief of every major media outlet and political commentator in the country today. Leave vs Remain, Left Vs Right, Cummings Vs Sense, Masks Vs Freedom, Lockdown Vs the herd. Even a biological pandemic is a political hot…

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Philosophical Differences

Philosophical Differences

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When pressed for a reason why it’s worth bothering to vote, you’d find it hard to do better than the response and aftermath of the emerging COVID crisis. If there was ever a cure to the mass apathy and voter lethargy brought on by successive elections then it could be easily found in contrasting responses to the 2020 pandemic. “They’re all as bad as each other” and “it doesn’t matter which one you vote for” are sentiments being proven false…

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End Game

End Game

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The world is a terrifying and dangerous place, at least so the saying goes. There are those who would have us believe that daily life is more dangerous today than it has ever been in living history. None of it’s true, of course, and those who would try to convince us it is are almost universally selling right-wing ideology, religion, or newspapers. Occasionally all three. Those selling as if it were, don’t really need it to be true either. A…

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Doubling Down In A Crisis

Doubling Down In A Crisis

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The way we respond to crises and adverse events is perhaps the most telling and the most interesting into our own behaviour we have. It’s certainly a lot more revealing than a social media photograph of our own meal or a selfie taken in a queue. It’s the way we do act weighed against the way we wish we, and others around us, acted instead. It’s tempting to imagine we’re highly adaptable creatures who can weather most storms—even pull through…

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Woeful Response

Woeful Response

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It would be useful to know how close to home a lesson has to be to learn anything from it at all. Does a near-crash prevent you from speeding in the future? What if it happens to the car in front or the one behind? Does near-death illness prevent drinking, smoking, or drugs? We now know China is too far from home, too remote, and too different to apply lessons learnt from the outbreak to our reaction here. With over…

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Virus Vs Viral

Virus Vs Viral

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While much of the world self-isolates from viral contamination, we seem to remain willingly compliant and almost eager to spread an entirely different kind of virus globally. As the first major pandemic to strike in the social media age, it’s hard to argue the technology has had a profoundly positive effect on an acute and growing crisis. A quick browse of the usual feeds and sources churns up a truly staggering amount of misinformation, outright lies, and apathy to responsible…

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Is The UK Election Fit For Purpose

Is The UK Election Fit For Purpose

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One of the most commonly repeated talking points of British politics is the outsized number of voters who didn’t vote for the winning party, leader, or legislation. In the UK, winning candidates don’t hinge on popularity only uniqueness. First Past The Post (FPTP) has been the way elections have been fought and won over the last 70 years. Simple, straightforward, and easy to understand FPTP stands out as being one of the single worst election methods currently in use worldwide….

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Yes, why?

Yes, why?

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Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson may have been the last person in the country to catch-on following last weeks general election. The former MP’s outgoing speech spoke of a ‘wave of nationalism sweeping both sides of the border.’ Swinson’s message of dangerous modern politics throughout the campaign seems to be either wilfully or accidentally blind to voting intent. Even Scottish Labour, a branch party which are somehow less politically tuned in than their parental counterpart, are showing signs of coming…

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Second Hand Mattress Salesman

Second Hand Mattress Salesman

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The close of the election season brings with it, if nothing else, a joyous end to the constant barrage of door-to-door canvassing and shredder bursting election materials. Between Amazon deliveries and election materials, the front doors and postal service has seen more action in the early half of December than the rest of the year combined. Surprisingly, in an election season, just a single visitor was an outright scam artist looking for an easy mark. The insistent and near glass-shattering…

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