Criminalising Vulnerable Women Groomed into Prostitution

This is the story of ‘Ann’ – a woman who grew up in the care system, groomed and exploited, still marked by permanent records for the sexual crime of prostitution. Ann* is now 43 and a project worker living in Middlesbrough and she knows she is lucky to be where she is now, compared to […] Read more

Trump’s Corporate Tax Cuts: A Missed Opportunity To Unite Voters

Trump’s corporate tax reform – arguably the most important provision in what is colloquially known as the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was in retrospect very badly marketed. Intuitively, it seems highly likely that the package of corporate tax cuts alienated Trump’s supporters and thus, in turn, contributed to Republicans’ midterm losses in November. […] Read more

The Weakness of Free Speech Warriors

Free speech warriors should stop whining, get up, and do something useful to counter censorship. This idea of free speech warrior weakness is a strange idea for me to be playing with, maybe even dangerous, since I fear that I’m edging ever closer to hypocrisy. But with the last few days’ news of Gavin McInnes […] Read more

Deprivation and Integration in Blackburn

In the old mill towns of North West England such as Blackburn, deprivation is making integration more difficult to achieve. How far should we push communities to come together? Is it even possible to force integration along? I was born and raised in Blackburn, Lancashire. Blackburn was the subject of a recent Panorama documentary, ‘White […] Read more

The Myth of the Soy Boy: Veganism and Masculinity

Despite vegan men often being dismissed as ‘soyboys’ in popular culture, there is no inherent contradiction between veganism and masculinity. The popular neologism soy boy, “used to describe males who completely and utterly lack all necessary masculine qualities,” has brought back the trite equation of veganism with sub-masculinity. Real men eat meat, as the cliché […] Read more

Why Only a Norway-Style Brexit Can Unite the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom joining the likes of Norway in the European Free Trade Association represents the best post-Brexit outcome for the UK. In the most likely event that the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal is rejected by Parliament, the absence of an alternative answer risks the calamity of crashing out of the EU […] Read more

Looking Back at Australia’s Divisive Same Sex Marriage Vote, One Year On

A reflection on Australia’s vote for same-sex marriage, one year to the day since it was enshrined into Australian federal law.  Today, the 7th Dec 2018, commemorates the one year anniversary since the Australian parliament passed same-sex marriage (SSM) legislation. This was the culmination of a government-run nationwide postal vote which had concluded with 61.6% […] Read more

Angelos Sofocleous: Free Speech, Political Correctness, and Academia

Scott Jacobsen speaks to Conatus News editor Angelos Sofocleous about free speech and political correctness in academia and society. Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Angelos, you got in trouble, recently. It was over a phrase tweeted from an article, an article included in the controversy as well. You, due to the created circumstances, resigned as the president-elect […] Read more