Why We Must Guarantee the Right to Live Freely

Lately, there has been some talk of a greater collaboration between progressives of various stripes from around the world. I wholeheartedly agree that more cooperation is necessary to fight back against reactionary forces across the globe. Nevertheless, there is often such a wide disparity of beliefs that it is hard to imagine more than the […] Read more

The Illiberal Attack on Tim Farron

Tim Farron, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, recently sparked much disappointment and anger from liberals by declining to say whether he believes gay sex to be a sin.  This question had been directed at him several times because he is known to be a devout Christian. Although Farron confirmed he did not think it is […] Read more

Women’s Rights in the Philippines – A Humanist Perspective

Humanism, as an ethical and philosophical worldview, provides the basis for proper action in the world with an emphasis on this world, the natural world. There is a phrase, “deed before creed,” that speaks volumes to the emphasis of humanism. Principles are nice; rights and privileges are good. But how do these affect the world? Answer: through action. Read more

When Reporting on Conflict, Western Mainstream Media is Failing

  In my opinion, I struggle to find something of value in the pieces on international conflicts and wars on mainstream media channels. Don’t get me wrong, there are many catchy pieces of vocabulary, organised in an easy-to-follow structure. Why is it, however, that we insist on turning news into entertainment in such a way? […] Read more

Can Honduras Finally Have Democracy?

The upcoming presidential election in November is an empty democratic act, which merely serves to legitimise the dominance of supreme forces ruling the whole of Central America behind states’ institutions. There is an unhappy past haunting the people of Honduras. Eight years ago, the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa witnessed the brutal ousting of its democratically elected president […] Read more

For the Rise of Extremes, Blame the Centre Ground

Much has been said recently about the threat of populism on the right and the left. People have been calling for tolerance and freedom of speech – sentiments which I wholly agree with. When we tolerate people and their right to hold opinions however, it doesn’t mean we have to tolerate the opinions themselves. It means […] Read more

Why has Saudi Arabia been elected to a UN Commission on Women?

In a move bound to invite the scorn, disillusionment and anger of women’s rights advocates from all over the world, as well as confirm the general impression among many that the UN is failing as a guardian of human rights, Saudi Arabia was elected via secret ballot in the UN Economic and Social Council to […] Read more