Thursday 14th August 2025

Opinion

The Encaenia is PR without the public (or anyone else)

Wholesale reform is the last thing Encaenia needs. If only people knew what it is, it would be a well-suited PR exercise for a modern Oxford.

This is how we combat the crusade against universities

It’s easy to think of an arts degree as a fruitless pleasure. But education and academic study are intrinsically valuable.

From pensioners to students, all should fear the Palestine Action ban

If you think this is a win for one side over the other in relation to Israel’s war on Gaza, be careful what you wish for.

Trashing rules save face, not students

Trashing is banned. But what does the banning achieve except pushing students further from...

Interview: James Fredrickson, Conservative candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon

After a day of canvassing and lengthy hustings, James Frederickson is full of energy as we sit down in Leon for a ‘short and...

Transport: an overlooked election issue

Significant investments in public transportation infrastructure will ultimately prove to be the rare policy that is both economically and socially justifiable.

Interview: Layla Moran

I meet Layla in St Anne’s College, right in the heart of her constituency Oxford West and Abingdon, where she has just spent the...

How to get away with murder: claim she consented

The fact that this defence is used so often, and is picked up so readily by the press, suggests that we are resistant to holding men responsible for the violence they commit, and so their victims shoulder the blame instead.

Interview: David Williams, Green Candidate for Oxford East

I arrive at the Green Party’s head office on St. Clement’s Street. It’s drizzling on a typical English winter day. The first impression one gets...

Interview: Richard Ratcliffe

The British campaigner on trauma, soldering on and making the world a safer place.

Interview: Richard Ratcliffe

I take Richard Ratcliffe to Bill’s Restaurant, just opposite the Oxford Union, where he has just given a talk. He is energised, the heavy...

Shamed into silence: how our language and culture forces women into compliance

“We don’t want your solidarity and empty words. We want you to stand with us.”

This Is What Happens When Students Play At Politicians

Molly Innes takes the Union to task over this term's horrifying farce

Profile: Zoë Wanamaker

The actress on beginnings, theatrical lifelines and the deliciousness of language

Welsh Independence and Brexit

The Leave vote has changed the way that independence is viewed in Wales.

Debate: This House Believes Oxford is for Students, Not Tourists

Does Oxford cater more to tourists than students?

A Forgotten Lesson – The 30th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

We have forgotten the true value, and fragility, of freedom and democracy.

Catalan Separatism Cannot Succeed

This article is a response to Eli Rubies’ articles in the 25/10/19 paper (2nd week MT19), sharing a point of view from a fellow Spaniard.

Interview: Dominic Grieve

Dominic Grieve on small "c" conservatism, Brexit and our national identity crisis.

Interview: BOSH!

Ian Theasby and Henry Firth on veganism, sustainability and 'Peaky Blinders'.

Abiy Ahmed Must Finish What He Started

The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize recipient's work isn't done.

Voluntouring is not a vacation

The money that voluntourists bring is often prioritised over their actual capabilities, with potentially disastrous results.

Chilean Protests: a call for change

While the reports rightly condemn violent demonstrations, they ignore its link to police brutality and a President who has declared a State of War on his own people.

This house believes genetic engineering is irresponsible

William Atkinson and Yaelle Goldschlag debate whether gene editing should have a future.

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