Josh Self

Hello - I'm Josh, an aspiring political journalist and reporter. Here is a collection of my News, Comment and Reference work - I hope you enjoy!

Politics.co.uk •

‘This will be a long-running quagmire’: Truss warns Ukraine conflict could last ‘years’

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned that the war in Ukraine could go on for a “number of years”, as the Kremlin’s military offensive enters its fourth day.

Fighting intensified overnight in Ukraine, with combat concentrated in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s “second city”. Moscow’s forces are understood to be targeting oil and gas facilities. The Ukrainian government revealed this morning that a natural gas pipeline had been blown up in Kharkiv, which lies 20km south of the Russian-Ukraine border.

Stree
Politics.co.uk •

Russia could invade Ukraine ‘at no notice’ as all UK troops to withdraw

UK defence minister James Heappey has said there will be no British troops in Ukraine in the case of an invasion, adding that Russia could invade “at no notice”.

British personnel have been in Ukraine on a training mission codenamed Operation Orbital over the past decade, whereas others have been deployed there recently to train the Ukrainian military on anti-tank missiles.

The order to return comes as all British nationals in Ukraine have been advised to leave as soon as possible. Advice was
Politics.co.uk •

Culture Secretary says MPs attacking PM are Remainers who want to ‘reverse Brexit’

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has dismissed the growing number of no-confidence letters being submitted to the 1922 Committee chair as politically motivated. She told Times Radio: “There are a small number of voices, whether they are people who were ardent supporters of Remain, who see this as their last opportunity to reverse Brexit”.

Also appearing on BBC Breakfast this morning, Ms Dorries has fiercely defended the PM throughout the “Partygate” scandal. She is viewed as a loyal operator fo
Politics.co.uk •

Achievements at COP26 ‘remarkable’, says President Alok Sharma

Following a turbulent two weeks of negotiations in Glasgow, a deal aimed at staving off dangerous climate change was finally struck yesterday. Speaking to Sky News’ “Trevor Phillips on Sunday” this morning, COP26 President Alok Sharma hailed the progress: “I think what we’ve achieved here is something quite remarkable”.

Sharma insisted Glasgow “delivered” on his promise to keep the temperature limiting goal of 1.5C within reach. “This is a historic agreement… but this is just the start”, the CO
Politics.co.uk •

‘Global Britain’ is Brexit’s most enduring, most egregious fallacy

Immediately following the 2016 EU referendum, leading Conservative politicians underlined their desire for the UK to remain open, inclusive and outward-facing on the world stage – a “Global Britain”. Now five years on, this phrase is still repeated incessantly, becoming a rallying cry for a Tory-led, post-Brexit diplomatic renaissance.

Given this, the internal logic of “Global Britain” is well-known; it insists that outside the straitjacket of a sclerotic EU grouping, the UK can maximise its ac
Politics.co.uk •

GB News does not need high ratings to stoke culture wars

Suffice to say that GB News, the UK’s fledgling conservative TV channel, is yet to spark the anti-woke insurgency its creators anticipated. Gloomy sets, incessant tech blunders and chemistry-deficient co-hosts have landed the nascent “news” channel in chaos. This is despite a promising opening weekend when GB News outperformed its woke rivals with a peak viewership of 336,000.

GB News’ mission statement is well-known. The channel aims to unite those suspicious of media-enforced social progressi
Politics.co.uk •

Rethinking Dominic Cummings

In an infamous photo taken on Boris Johnson’s first day in 10 Downing Street, cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill greets our new prime minister. Sedwill beams (outwardly at least) as he shakes Johnson’s outstretched hand—our new PM looks away uninterested. Just in shot, perched against a wall in a jarring t-shirt-jeans combo, is the newly-appointed chief adviser to the prime minister: Dominic Cummings.

Like you, I remember double-taking on my first viewing of this still. In one moment, we find 2
Politics.co.uk •

Boris Johnson - Who is he? - Politics.co..uk

Since 2019, Boris Johnson has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Previously London Mayor (2008-2016), Johnson was a prominent figure in 2016 EU Referendum campaign as a leading supporter of ‘Leave’.

Boris Johnson is currently also the Conservative MP for Uxbridge, having being reelected in 2019 with a majority of 7,210. He previously represented Henley in Parliament between 2001 and 2008.

Following Theresa May’s resignation as Prime Minister a
Politics.co.uk •

Election Turnout - Should voting be made compulsory?

Election turnout is the percentage measure used to assess popular participation in General Elections.

It is calculated by dividing the number of actual voters by the number of eligible voters. You are ‘eligible’ to vote in the UK if you are over 18, a British citizen and have registered to vote on the electoral register.

In the United Kingdom’s 1950 General Election, voter turnout peaked at 84%. This number significantly surpasses the figures seen in recent elections:

Within the 2019 national
Politics.co.uk •

Civil Liberties - All you need to know

Civil liberties are basic rights and freedoms granted to citizens of a country through national common or statute law.

They include freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom from arbitrary arrest, freedom of assembly, freedom of association and freedom of religious worship.

Such rights and freedoms form the basis of a democratic society and are often denied to those living in a dictatorship.

Civil liberties are distinct from human rights in that the latter are universal rights and freed