James Ball
28 October 2021
Denial won’t stop another winter wasted by Coronavirus
Wishing the pandemic to be over – or claiming that Tories can’t catch the virus from one another – doesn’t make it true.
Read the full article21 October 2021
Boris Johnson has made it hard to be optimistic about COP26 summit
It's the most important conference on the planet, yet already its organisation is being labelled as farce in the making.
Read the full article14 October 2021
Why are the Tories so keen on punishing young people?
The government believes baby boomers do not care for future generations - and polling appears to support it. JAMES BALL explains why this is a problematic strategy.
Read the full article07 October 2021
The Tory case for saving Channel 4 from privatisation
It won't be opposition MPs that decide the future of Channel 4 - but politicians sat on the government benches. Here's why they should reconsider plans for privatisation.
Read the full article30 September 2021
UK’s descent back to the Winter of Discontent
Boris Johnson gives reality cold shrift as Britain enters its Brexit Winter of Discontent.
Read the full article16 September 2021
The compelling case for online voting in elections
But the case for changing the voting system is less clear cut, argues JAMES BALL.
Read the full article07 September 2021
Trouble in store: The Brexit bureaucracy about to cause a storm
JAMES BALL examines the areas where Britain is now feeling the painful consequences of its departure from the EU.
Read the full article02 September 2021
HS2: Why can’t Britain ever get the big things right?
As HS2 shows, there is a problem with the UK that means the country cannot deliver the major projects needed to prepare us for the future.
Read the full article10 August 2021
James Ball’s Deconstructed: The very strange truth about conspiracies (And why you probably believe in nonsense)
Whether it's aliens, QAnon or even beliefs about cheating in the referendum, fringe beliefs are now the mainstream
Read the full article27 July 2021
Why Europe lags behind the States on legalisation of cannabis
How has the US – ridden with culture wars and deeply divided on so many issues – managed to largely legalise weed with so little fuss and furore, while supposedly liberal Europe lags behind?
Read the full article23 July 2021
What IS the liberal response to the migrant crisis?
Hand-wringing about the plight of migrants crossing the Channel and Mediterranean by boat - and angry words about their treatment - will only go so far. What would liberal progressives actually like to see done?
Read the full article15 July 2021
Boris Johnson’s huge Covid gamble and the challenge for the opposition
Critics of the government’s re-opening strategy need more than just carping. They need to offer their own analysis
Read the full article09 July 2021
Matt Hancock and the other scandal
The former health secretary’s other misdeeds may have attracted more headlines, but the use of private email and WhatsApp for government business is a serious concern
Read the full article04 July 2021
Don’t forget.. don’t forgive.. Theresa May was a terrible PM
Five years after she took office, we should resist a rose-tinted view of Theresa May’s time in Downing Street
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09 June 2021
Don’t believe the spin: Brexit is responsible for staff shortages
04 June 2021
From Sleepy Joe to Radical Joe – how the US president confounded expectations
31 May 2021
A dark decade lies ahead for Europe
As it faces its latest crisis, triggered by Belarus, a looming leadership vacuum threatens to condemn the EU to years of stagnation behind other global powers
Read the full article24 May 2021
Looking abroad for the answers on social care
The challenge of funding and providing social care is not unique to the UK. So what can we learn from other countries?
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07 May 2021
The cynical case for aid that even our cynical leaders can’t seem to grasp
