Category: Uncommon Ground

Deprivation and Integration in Blackburn

December 12, 2018 | by | 2 Comments
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

December 11, 2018 | by | 0 Comments
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

December 9, 2018 | by | 0 Comments
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

December 7, 2018 | by | 1 Comments
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

December 5, 2018 | by | 3 Comments
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

Fetishising the Causes of Youth

November 30, 2018 | by | 0 Comments
Fear of alienating the next generation of voters and consumers has led to a problem, particularly within liberal circles, of fetishising youth and mindlessly championing their favoured causes. Looking around at the rapt faces I found myself shifting uncomfortably in my seat, like a non-believer at an evangelist meeting. This was a large conference of socially […] Read more