The tango may have originated in Argentina and Uruguay, but its roots came from European immigrants, especially the Slavic cultures of eastern Europe. Pez Pearson describes the multi-cultural traditions of this social dance and how it returned to its roots in Europe, including Ukraine, where people still dance in the lull between bombing.
James Cory-Wright takes a sideways look at the world, from graffiti in Berlin to loo breaks in Snowdonia. And just who are the real ‘gentle sex’?
France stands at a political crossroads, with first-round voting in the Presidential election resulting in a run-off between the centrist President Macron and right-wing nationalist Marine Le Pen. Dorothy Smith analyses the policies of the two candidates and the crucial role that voters for left-wing Melenchon will play in the final round.
Thousands gathered in the capital in a sea of blue and yellow. Tamsin Shasha describes the recent Stand With Ukraine march in London: “Our hearts soar. We are proud to be here. We are proud to challenge this government’s despicable response to the refugee crisis and their insistence on bureaucratic visas.”
Alison Rees argues that the West ignored warning signs from the buildup of aggression in Russia, including the annexation of Crimea and alleged influence of US and UK elections. Seeing horrific events in Ukraine unfolding from the safety of our homes, we feel some responsibility and guilt about our inability to influence the outcomes.
On 24 February, wholesale gas prices rose 28% on the news that Russian forces had invaded Ukraine, with some experts predicting that UK consumers’ energy bills for gas and electricity could rise to £2,500 or even £3,000 a year. Brexit hasn’t helped either.
“I know it’s March but I must say that February is always the longest month, despite Dudley, Eunice and Franklin’s best efforts to liven it up.”… Welcome to the first Sussex Bylines ‘digested month’ by James Cory-Wright
In any other country, the buying of seats in the legislature, the donation of huge amounts of money to one political party in return for favours, and billionaire oligarchs purchasing property in the heart of the capital, would rightly be described as corruption. Why should Britain be treated any differently, Tom Serpell asks.
Two weeks into Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, millions are fleeing the country in the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since the second world war. EU countries are welcoming the refugees with open arms, offering automatic protection for up to three years without the need to apply for asylum. But what of the UK – is our government doing enough to help?
Whilst two in three people in high income countries have been vaccinated, only one in eight people have been vaccinated in low income countries. The Director of the World Health Organisation calls this a “shocking imbalance” and argues that “Vaccine inequity is the world’s biggest obstacle to ending this pandemic and recovering from Covid-19.”
James McCleary recalls a visit to Ukraine as a tourist. Now he looks on in horror, like the rest of us, as the country is plunged into war. But resistance to Vladimir Putin is growing in Russia. And it is time, he argues, for our own compromised government to take stronger action against its Russian backers.
Sussex Bylines writer Ginny Foster is moved to tears by the grief and bewilderment in the voices of young Ukrainians at a vigil in Brighton.
The Festival of Europe, a celebration of European friendship, culture and collaboration, begins in May with an impressive programme of events.
Among writers’ Christmas memories are a magical Brexit escape to Spain, an expat boy’s first experience of snow, a night on the tiles and Chistmas Day in a War Zone.
For vulnerable children the situation in Afghanistan is desperate and they need our help, reports Maya Evans, who has had first hand experience in the country and whose charity is helping to buy basic necessities, as well as supporting those secretly educating girls.
Hastings people have donated generously to help and welcome refugees – who now have fewer safe passages to escape death and persecution, a rally in the town heard.
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
Ghislaine Maxwell is likely to spend the rest of her life in jail after being found guilty of procuring underage girls for sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 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. That ‘accolade’ goes to […]
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?
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.
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 […]
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’.
Our correspondent Anna Scott begins her reports from the COP26 conference in Glasgow with a photo essay on the inventiveness of protesters.
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.
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…
Peace campaigner and Hastings Councillor Maya Evans, who has been visiting Afghanistan for the past 10 years, gives a first-hand account of life for the Afghans she met and came to know so well. They are, she says, the real left-behind poor, the ones who have already suffered so much in the conflict through no fault of their own. And she explains why now, more than ever, they need – and deserve – the West’s help to rebuild their devastated country and shattered lives…
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…