Tuesday 21st October 2025

Opinion

Dear summer school snobs, please pipe down

You might not like it, but in an era of rising financial pressures for the university sector, summer schools are not just harmless – they are essential.

Embracing AI undermines academia

By facilitating copious AI usage, the University fails to deliver on its centuries-long tradition of encouraging original thought. 

Let’s critique what protesters do, not who they are

I may not agree with all of their tactics, but I am grateful for those who make sure that our University is on the right side of history.

Outreach shouldn’t stop at Hadrian’s Wall

In a Britain that claims to be a “United” Kingdom, having only two-dozen Scottish state schoolers at its best university does much to foster division.

International events and the phantasm of unity

So it is up to us, as viewers, not to be lulled into complacency by the glamour and spectacle they present.

How to fund a university

"The world’s number one ranked university in thrall to one man."

Sunak sets the date

"...the Labour leader is polling nowhere near to his 1997 comparison. The reality, though, is that Starmer doesn’t need to beat Tony Blair: he needs to beat Rishi Sunak."

(Un)real beauty: Is AI the supermodel of our time?

"Comparison culture sneakily divides our true wants from our musts, enacting internal cycles of self-deprecation and a loss of clarity on what we actually desire"

Can the St George’s flag ever be reclaimed?

"Flying the St George’s flag, bellowing that we should be proud to be English, just seems brash, ignorant and boastful."

Eat the rich! (Unless it’s Taylor Swift?)

"Ultimately, if someone does something damaging, we should be able to criticize their actions. Even if that person is a woman, even if that woman is Taylor Swift."

Orange is the new orange – the many trials of DJ Trump

"Trump coming through these trials and remaining electable would be an indictment and a warning for institutional decay which demands a response."

The Rwanda deal: Inspiration for other countries?

"Rwanda still has the chance to be the last line of defence against this policy"

Who are Trump and Biden speaking to?

We should keep in mind when reading about American politics, who the candidates are trying to convince (or scare) in order to win. That is, in most cases, why they are saying what they are saying.

‘Runfluencers’: Another commodified wellness trend?

Running has long had bad PR. Hating running has been far from contentious, liking it reserved for the smug, self-congratulatory type. The consensus has...

‘Hustler nation’: A Kenyan cultural crisis? 

Jomo Kenyatta’s ‘Harambee’ movement in 1963 sought to unite the then newly formed Kenyan Republic, assembling from smouldering ashes a sense of cooperation and...

Reading political autobiographies, so you don’t have to

Publishing a book has long been a trend for those leaving government in the UK. Memoirs and autobiographies are naturally intriguing, offering us the...

Night porters: Student safety jeopardised at University College

Your college matters. It can define everything – from the state of your accommodation to the quality of your tutoring. At University College, it...

Tutorials and the art of the blag

Oxford is a unique place to study at an undergraduate level. Its centuries-long history of elitism, pomposity and academic excellence separate it from the...

Why you should be political

Many of us have been told that the only political thing we must always do, and the most important thing we can do, is...

Far-right populism spreads to Portugal

The Portuguese elections in March delivered not only a resounding rejection of the corruption-riddled centre-left government, which a few years ago was viewed as...

Not all made equal: Why your college really matters

Students need a more ambitious package of measures that would lead the central university to force colleges to help each other out where necessary. Until then, as the gap between endowments grows, the ‘Oxbridge experience’ will mean increasingly different things for different students. The college system should be a strength of Oxbridge, not its weakness.

Why the SU failed (and how we’ll fix it)

"Now, just over a year after my election, the SU has announced its Transformation Plan, which has two simple aims: to resolve the systemic issues and unleash the SU’s potential."

Oppenheimer premieres in Japan: What took so long? 

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer had its very first screenings in Japanese cinemas on the 29th of March 2024 – eight months after it was released...

Navalny: Man, Symbol, Martyr

"The Kremlin claims Navalny suffered sudden death syndrome, but his body is still being held, making it impossible to investigate independently."

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