Should Those Working in Essential Services Be Denied the Right to Strike?

The recent Tube strike in London has called into question whether those working in transport should be allowed the right to strike. A second 48-hour tube strike was announced but was fortunately resolved by talks with unions and Transport for London. People could once again get on with their working lives, without disruption, and without…

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UK Government Passes Anti-Free Speech ‘Gagging Law’

A bill has just been passed which many are claiming will undermine free speech, free protest, the democratic process and trade unions. But you wouldn’t have guessed this from the apparently benign name of the bill: the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014. To express the true nature of this…

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Should We Allow Conscientious Objection to Military Taxation?

Conscientious objection to military taxation (COMT) is a principle which says that citizens be entitled to insist that their taxes not be spent for military purposes. COMT is supposed to logically extend from the principle of conscientious objection to conscription, which ensures that citizens can’t be forced to join the military and be in a…

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Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill: A Threat to Freedom

The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill 2013-14 has been described by Lord Taylor of Holbeach as “compatible with the Convention rights” – those guaranteed in the European Convention on Human Rights. The irony is that this Bill, sponsored by the Home Secretary Theresa May, could actually threaten our basic freedoms. Freedom of movement, freedom of…

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Acknowledging the Sexism and Discrimination Faced by Men is Not Anti-Feminist

We can’t undermine or ignore the fact that sexism against women pervades all aspects of society: it still exists in education, employment, the workplace, politics, domestic life and in everyday social situations. It is worth stressing that the gender pay gap, the idea that men earn more than women for the same work, is largely…

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