Frank Furedi

Sunday

Frank Furedi

Britain is not a basket case

From our UK edition

It’s a dinner party in Brussels and I try to turn the conversation to the war in Ukraine. My host is having none of it. She is determined to initiate another round of discussion on the theme of ‘isn’t Britain a basket case?’ From bitter experience I know that I am in for a lengthy diatribe about ‘nothing works’ Britain.  At times it feels as if there is a veritable crusade targeting Britain. Media outlets on both sides of the Atlantic constantly refer to Britain as if it is a country in the throes of an existential breakdown.

Friday

Frank Furedi

Qatargate and the dubious moral authority of NGOs 

From our UK edition

The Qatargate scandal haunting the European Union is not merely about corrupt politicians and officials. The deplorable role of a non-governmental organisation is at the heart of the scandal, which highlights the interlocking of NGOs and EU parliamentarians and decision makers. The most interesting feature of the corruption scandal surrounding the detention of the EU parliament’s vice-president Eva Kaili and politicians and EU apparatchiks is their connection to a supposedly squeaky-clean NGO called Fight Impunity. The current president of the organisation is Pier Antonio Panzeri, 67, a former Italian leftist MEP. He was arrested after €600,000 in bank notes was found in his house in Brussels.

Sunday

Frank Furedi

Who’s afraid of ideology?

From our UK edition

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is widely considered less dangerous than Liz Truss because he is less ideological. For many journalists, Liz Truss was the personification of ideology – and therefore vile.  The Guardian’sRafael Behr summed up the mood when he said: ‘Liz Truss’s Tories are higher than ever on ideology – and they’re refusing to sober up.’ He claimed that ‘ideology is a drug for Tory leaders’. Critics of the Conservative party regard the word ideology as a term of abuse to be hurled against the toxic Tories. Sunak is less despised because he is seen as ‘pragmatic’ rather than ideological.  Yet the coupling of Truss with ideological zealotry actually serves as testimony to the political illiteracy of our commentariat.

Frank Furedi

Who’s afraid of ideology?

From our UK edition

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is widely considered less dangerous than Liz Truss because he is less ideological. For many journalists, Liz Truss was the personification of ideology – and therefore vile. The Guardian’s Rafael Behr summed up the mood when he said: ‘Liz Truss’s Tories are higher than ever on ideology – and they’re refusing to sober up.’ He claimed that ‘ideology is a drug for Tory leaders’. Critics of the Conservative party regard the word ideology as a term of abuse to be hurled against the toxic Tories. Sunak is less despised because he is seen as ‘pragmatic’ rather than ideological. Yet the coupling of Truss with ideological zealotry actually serves as testimony to the political illiteracy of our commentariat.

Saturday

Frank Furedi

The age of unreason

From our UK edition

To this day I am astonished when I hear that sensible, biologically mature adults allow themselves to be treated as if they were incompetent dimwits by a new army of professional surrogate parents. In days of old, traditional authority figures, like priests, instructed us how to behave in public and told us which rules to observe. Today’s experts are even freer with their advice. They do not simply tell us what to do and think, but also how to feel. A new army of life coaches, lifestyle gurus, professional celebrities, parenting coaches, super-nannies, makeover experts, healers, facilitators, mentors and guides regularly lecture us about the most intimate details of our existence. They are not simply interested in monitoring public behaviour but in colonising our internal life.