This essay argues that to understand official definitions of ‘extremism’, the connotations of ‘counter-extremism’ need to be considered. It pauses on the UK Government’s recent (14 March 2024) redefinition of ‘extremism’ and the impetus behind it, i.e., public protests in Britain about the continuous carnage in Gaza over six months and continuing.

The catchphrase ‘Australians are sick of…’ has been on the rise along with political populism in Australia. Mostly coming from the right, it denigrates ‘elites’ and outsiders with claims about what the people are supposedly ‘sick of’, and thus manufactures power out of ignorance and fear.

In the second part on ‘Universal Basic Income’, Tommy Sissons explores left-wing and neoliberal views on the project captured by the phrase, considers its overambitious thrust, and suggests ways of addressing that project in a realistic and realisable manner.

On the implications of giving a bureaucratic turn to the phrase ‘digital nomad’ by the introduction of ‘digital nomad visas’

The term ‘Universal Basic Income’ captures an idea which has caught on mainly after 2010. This essay summarises some of its precursors.

This article looks at the self-appropriation of rhetoric by populist politicians with reference to Liz Truss’s recent claim that she’s been the victim of the ‘hostile environment’ which has overtaken British politics.

Following Karim Murji’s earlier essay here on ‘institutional racism’, this argues that it is now principally a catchphrase from above and could serve institutional interests. A few notes on its catchiness are also offered.

Karim Murji considers the origins and career of the phrase ‘institutional racism’ in Britain, and the current extensions of ‘institutional’ as a prefix in relation to other social divisions.

In a previous posting here, Johnson makes a distinction between two senses of the word ‘decolonisation’. This essay first considers these two senses and makes further distinctions, and then reflects on current usage of the word in India.

This essay considers what the UK Government’s Universal Credit scheme consists of, with the implications of the phrase ‘Universal Credit’ in mind.