When British troops quit Afghanistan in August it was only the latest retreat in 200 years of war. James Joughin examines the history of Britain’s doomed attempts to subdue this central Asian country, and the part played by troops from Sussex
Under Home Secretary Priti Patel, what was once the policy of fringe British National Party crackpots is now at the heart of government. Her response to the deaths of 27 refugees at sea is playing politics with people’s lives.
Ghislaine Maxwell, who will appear in court in New York from Monday (29 Nov) accused of procuring underage girls for convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is no stranger to controversy. Rick Dillon recalls the influence of her father, the crooked newspaper publisher Robert Maxwell. Jeffrey Epstein was not the first monster in Ghislaine Maxwell’s life. […]
The health service belongs to and is free to us all. The very fact of public ownership makes it directly accountable to us, its users. Take the assets into private hands and at a stroke, priorities change, from delivery to dividends. Once control passes to investors, these can decide on pricing, location, frequency, quality and scope of services.
Following Germany’s recent elections, the country’s politics are shifting as the country’s long-standing chancellor Angela Merkel, quits the role she has made her own. Will this be a test for Germany’s hitherto stable democracy, and what lessons and implications, if any, might there be for the UK?
Boris Johnson’s government is mired in allegations of sleaze and corruption, and despite the PM’s protests, it doesn’t look as if they are going to go away any time soon.
There were many attempts to make progress at the COP26 climate change talks in Glasgow. But there was also considerable resistance by countries with vested interests in fossil fuels.
Anna Scott files her final report from the COP26 climate conference e in Glasgow. Activists were disappointed, she reports, but the experience has strengthened her determination never to give up fighting for climate justice.
Back in August Sussex Bylines began its Toxic Shock series reporting on the sewage discharges polluting our rivers and sea shores. Public outrage grew both locally and nationally and eventually No10 had to act. It’s a start, but far from enough say campaigners.
As the COP26 Conference on Climate Change comes towards the end of its second week in Glasgow, the media circus has moved on, global leaders have departed in their fuel-guzzling private planes, and much of the real work begins
A marcher’s eye view of the Youth March for Climate Justice, with pictures and impressions of the event from roving correspondent Anna Scott.
DAY 3 in Glasgow After my day in the Green Zone, I decided that I would spend a day on the streets. The sun was out and the autumn leaves looked so golden and beautiful it seemed criminal to be inside. I began the day with a special Sussex Bylines assignment. In late August, one […]
Most of us belong to tribes, but Boris Johnson has ruthlessly exploited this in the pursuit of power. Could it be his undoing, asks writer Tom Serpell.
COP26 can be confusing for average climate activist, as our correspondent Anna Scott finds, as she navigates the streets and the world of the ‘Green Zone’.
Since ‘Freedom Day’ in July most people in England have become more relaxed about Covid precautions. But with cases rising, isn’t it time the government was less complacent and moved to greater restrictions under Plan B?
Our correspondent Anna Scott begins her reports from the COP26 conference in Glasgow with a photo essay on the inventiveness of protesters.
Social media has started to undermine the importance of scientific evidence, with people instead reporting hearsay and personal anecdotes as “proof” of whatever opinion or belief they are Tweeting or blogging about. But this is not evidence… Professor of Biochemistry Louise Serpell examines the dangers of scientific misinformation and advises on ways we can all learn to separate scientific fact from fiction…
Halloween was a turn-off for Bruce Smeath. Then he went Trick or Treating with his young son… and discovered a life out there, just up the road from where he lives.
The award-winning film-maker David Puttnam speaks of his fears for the future of our democracy and points to a warning from history: the rise of Nazi Germany.
A larger than life puppet, Little Amal, arrives in the UK to raise awareness of the fate of child refugees, against a backdrop of the government’s repressive Borders and Nationality Bill.
It’s far from being the case that most people hate ‘migrants’. In Sussex, Ginny Foster reports on a Sanctuary movement active in offering a welcome so lacking from our political leaders and mainstream press.
Can our society and way of life survive the triple threat of Brexit, Johnson’s government, and climate change? Or are we headed towards a total collapse of civilisation as we know it? Tom Serpell ponders what lies ahead if we don’t take action now…
Since Sarah Everard was murdered in March by a serving police officer, 81 women have been killed in the UK at the hands of men. How are women supposed to feel safe on our streets if the very people whose primary job is to protect us are instead disregarding, mocking or killing us? Can women trust the police? And perhaps more importantly, should we?
Forget Starmer’s speech, McDonald’s resignation and Rayner’s expletives, says Sussex Bylines writer Rick Dillon, who attended much of the Labour Party Conference in Brighton this week. Far more important were the under-reported land laws reform proposals, some put forward by the Hastings & Rye local party and passed enthusiastically by delegates, that would stop the developers’ planning free-for-all and could finally fix our nation’s housing crisis…
The safety of our water systems is now threatened due to the shortage of HGV drivers who deliver the chemicals needed to decontaminate wastewater. This is therefore a problem stemming directly from the consequences of Brexit – and one which, among many others, was predicted in the government’s own Operation Yellowhammer report, which laid out disaster contingency plans in the event of a no-deal Brexit, which has now become reality.
We invited Sussex Bylines readers to share their personal experiences of how the government’s planned Universal Credit cut will affect them. We have already received some courageous responses that make for sobering – and in some cases, heartbreaking – reading…
Despite dire predictions and warnings, Johnson’s government seems determined to cut the £20 a week “uplift” payments for Universal Credit recipients. Yet as critics of the move point out, this cut is not only cruel and ill-timed, but doesn’t even make economic sense…
The results of devolved elections are almost always more proportional than UK general elections, which means that smaller parties are better represented in devolved legislatures and single-party majorities are rare. But the lack of understanding about how local economies work and the lives of the majority of people makes for poor targeting, underfunding of actual needs and both a perception and reality of unfairness.
Government bungling together with Priti Patel’s inhumane Borders Bill and disastrous Home Office response have only served to hinder humanitarian efforts, both with the evacuation in Afghanistan and assisting asylum seekers here in the UK. Traumatised Afghan refugees who have barely escaped with their lives deserve kindness, compassion and support, not more hostility. Writer Vivienne Griffiths examines the horrifying events of recent days and offers practical advice for anyone iwanting to help refugees locally…
From Sussex to Scotland: Coat of Hopes just embarked on an inclusive, inspiring, and uniquely creative 500-mile, 60-day pilgrimage to the COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. And at its centre is a community-made patchwork coat that is transformed as it travels…