Vaccine Passports: an attack on SMEs | Lukhani Rogol
The purpose of this is to allow those vaccinated to return to ‘normal’ lives whilst those who have decided not to have the vaccine will be barred from societal activities. The introduction of vaccine passports would, therefore, inevitably lead to a loss of individual liberty and the creation of an unnecessary discriminatory class system within British society, between the vaccinated and unvaccinated.
Boris’ tax hikes are wrong - but not for the reasons you might think | Sam Hall
Before the UK can fix its social and healthcare problems, it needs to fix its personnel problem in the long-term. We don’t need more tax that will be swallowed by the bureaucratic machine of ‘Diversity Managers’ and overpaid NHS managers, long before it reaches the hard-working front-line staff- nor can we consider nationalising social care without the people to fund it- the long-term investment to make the system fair and sustainable now we're all living longer, healthier lives.
The McNamara fallacy is the West’s major Achilles’ heel | Daniel Hardaker
Due to the ease at which the training can be gamed, and the vagueness of its messages, the majority undertaking the training will not pay attention to the videos. Not, however, that doing so would make behaviour any safer. Nonetheless, the psychology of ‘completing’ safety training leads one to neglect intuition and alertness in favour of trusting in the machine, with predictable consequences. The whole network of data, checklists, and quotas creates an illusion, an alternate reality that does not correspond to the six inches in front of one’s nose. It drags both the individual and the society into a make-believe much more absurd than that which is frequently the target of derision by those driving the new world forward, religious devotion. As Western society becomes drowned in surplus information and metrics, the effect increases.
Africa in the world to come | Dominic Lawson
Now, the Trans-Saharan trade routes are re-emerging in the modern world, and the pioneering groups who are forging them are international criminal syndicates. The new trade routes which run throughout the region link a vast informal economy of drugs and weaponry. After the toppling of Qaddafi and the transformation of Libya from relatively well functioning to “Somalia on the Mediterranean,” replete with terrorism, slavery and disorder, the region is also a major transit route of illegal mass migration into the European continent.
Tackling obesity: a cause for social conservatism | OC Comment
The obesity epidemic that has swept the West has received relatively little media attention despite the devastation it has wreaked. Causing an estimated 40,000 premature deaths and costing £27 billion to wider society, along with the innumerable accompanying long-term side effects, obesity is a serious public health risk that is strangely ignored. Compared to other long-term diseases like cancer or heart problems, obesity has been relegated to the sidelines. Most political figures maintain an embarrassed silence on the topic, while even our habitually outspoken Prime Minister has only intermittently commented on the issue. This is made all the more striking when one considered the degree to which this issue is dear to Boris Johnson’s heart; he blames his excess body weight for his extended hospitalisation after being infected with COVID-19.
The G7 has outlived its purpose | Orthodox Conservatives
The structural flaws would be enough to make many international organisations ineffective, but with the G7 this is only the tip of the accursed iceberg. The G7 has been used as a platform for progressive liberal policies for decades and seems to be far more effective at prosecuting these goals rather than carrying out any significant economic or diplomatic initiatives. For example, the Prime Minister called for a “more feminine and gender-neutral” recovery to the COVID pandemic at the most recent summit. Similarly, aid to the developing world has been a top priority of the group, even as members face declining living standards in the working class due to globalisation and production offshoring. For the average citizen of the US or UK, the tangible benefits of G7 membership are close to zero.
Social conservatism and the individual | OC Comment
Fortunately, social conservatism has the success and prosperity of the individual as key tenet that undergirds the ideological superstructure. However, instead of being at odds with each other, social conservatives believe that society and the individual are mutually reinforcing concepts. In many cases these two tenets are indistinguishable; a society is made up of individuals and individuals find meaning, happiness, and prosperity in society. It is this high regard for the individual in social conservatism that sets it apart from other ideologies. It is the only political structure that keeps the individual and their relation to society as the permanent focus of all political activity.
Levelling up our communities with post-Brexit investment | Ethan Thoburn
Post-Brexit investment and trading opportunities keep coming for Britain, although the government must be aware they cannot rely on putting all of their eggs in one basket and that they must ensure meaningful leveling up for the parts of the country that voted Conservative for the first time in December 2019, rather than ‘levelling up’ rhetoric.
It’s time to wage war on Woke | Ethan Thoburn
However, we cannot simply just stand by and watch so-called activists destroy our heritage. We conservatives must stand up to defend British history and culture from the pernicious and insipid individuals who wish to destroy our institutions. The government, especially the relevant Secretary of State, Oliver Dowden, must set out a plan to protect our values; our heritage; and our British culture. These are the things we cherish. These are things we will defend.