Extending human and civic rights
Book Review: Digital Humanitarians: How Big Data is changing the face of humanitarian response
The overflow of information generated during disasters can be as paralysing to humanitarian response as the lack of information. This flash flood of information is often referred to as Big Data, or Big Crisis Data. Making sense of Big Crisis Data is proving to be an impossible challenge for traditional humanitarian organisations, which is why […]
An EU quota trading system for refugees would offer a fair method for alleviating Europe’s migration crisis
The European Commission has proposed a quota system for distributing the responsibility for asylum seekers across EU member states. Mollie Gerver writes that while the principle of refugee quotas has generated opposition, a quota trading system, in which states can sell all or part of their quotas to other states, could offer a solution. She […]
Electoral participation has an impact on political and socioeconomic inequality
The UK has just had a General Election in which inequality was a much-discussed, though hardly dominant, policy issue. But that is the relationship between voting and socioeconomic inequality? Yvette Peters argues that there is a relationship, and explains it with reference to the relationship between what she terms ‘responsiveness’. With the recent general election in the […]
The coverage of the Irish marriage referendum shows that sometimes media ‘balance’ is impossible
Ireland recently voted to not only legalise same-sex marriage, but to become the first country to do so in a referendum, and to have it enshrined in the constitution. The campaign wasn’t just notable for the optimism and positivity of the ‘Yes’ campaign, though, with court decisions to ensure a “balanced” debate let to often […]
The replacement of the Human Rights Act has been kicked into the long grass – let’s make sure it stays there
The Conservative Party’s 2015 General Election manifesto committed them to the repeal and replacement of the Human Rights Act. Arman Sarvarian argues that the Government’s decision to postpone the measures (announced in yesterday’s Queen’s Speech) is a good one, but that lawyers, concerned citizens, and the Conservative Party should resist it if and when it reappears. Similar […]
Ireland’s referendum on same sex marriage could be a watershed moment for equality
Ireland will hold a referendum on 22 May on a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Ireland which would permit same sex marriage. Éidín O’Shea writes on the referendum campaign, which has seen all major parties in the country support a Yes vote. She notes that while opinion polling shows strong backing for the proposal, […]
The EU’s plan to sink people smugglers’ ships doubles down on a failed agenda
There has been a great deal of controversy of late regarding the EU’s action – or lack thereof – on the issue of migrants boats coming from northern Africa through the Mediterranean. Rosa Freedman argues that their latest proposal to enable military action against the boats is unjustifiable and won’t solve a problem with far […]
The contest in Bradford West shows British democracy in all its technicolour glory
A passionate contest in Bradford West, which pitted the incumbent Respect party MP George Galloway against the Labour Party’s challenger Naz Shah was one of the highlights of Britain’s 2015 general election. Parveen Akhtar tells the remarkable story of the election from a changing city. Similar PostsPolitical parties need to take greater responsibility for Pakistani and […]
Keep your distance: on the relationship between European integration and religion
The European continent has a history of religious entanglement and change, while its recent past has been in large part defined by the experience of European integration. But how do the two interact? Simona Guerra argues that EU integration can become a turning point for religiosity, and widen the gap between that part of the society moving […]
Tweeting for peace? Twitter may help to defuse sectarian tensions in Northern Ireland
Research by Paul Reilly investigates the ways in which the peaceful protests of loyalists and nationalist residents of Northern Ireland in July 2014 were digitally mediated. While acknowledging that social media has often been used to reinforce divisions between rival communities in Northern Ireland, his findings suggest that Twitter may have untapped potential in facilitating modes of […]
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