Joseph Dinnage

Joseph Dinnage is Deputy Editor of CapX

Tuesday

Joseph Dinnage

How to fix Oxfam

Amid stiff competition, Oxfam may be the British charity sector’s greatest hypocrite. The charity’s chief executive, Halima Begum, has been forced out by trustees over accusations of bullying. Since being appointed almost two years ago, Begum is alleged to have presided over a ‘culture of fear’ that prompted almost 70 members of staff to sign a letter calling on the board to investigate her. Begum – who earns over £130,000 a year – also stands accused of compromising Oxfam’s impartiality after appearing on stage with a Palestinian journalist who described the 7 October massacre as a ‘great day’. Naturally, Begum denies everything. Who’d have expected such conduct from the ‘be kind’ brigade? Of course, this isn’t the first scandal to hit Oxfam.

Wednesday

Joseph Dinnage

Starmer won’t stop Putin exploiting Europe’s migrant crisis

Another week, another migration scandal. On Monday, the Times reported that Russian spies have been working with international human rights groups to ‘flood Europe with illegal migrants’. The revelations come from Daniel Mitov, Bulgaria’s interior minister, who claims to have evidence that the Russians are assisting people smugglers in finding weak spots along the Bulgaria-Turkey border and instructing migrants on how to avoid detection.  Mitov – as I’m sure you’ll understand – isn’t thrilled by this. Rather than regarding waves of new arrivals pouring through his country’s borders as just the injection of diversity that Bulgaria needs, the interior minister sees it as a naked attempt by Vladimir Putin to wreak havoc in an otherwise peaceful EU member state.

Monday

Joseph Dinnage

Starmer has much to gain from cosying up to Donald Trump

Donald Trump loves giving two fingers to the world’s great political brains. Before the US election, for example, Rory Stewart predicted that Kamala Harris would strut to victory. The sage of the centrist dads had egg on his face when the Donald won with 77 million votes. But now he’s in power, there’s a less likely – and considerably more impressive – commentator Trump is posthumously contradicting: Immanuel Kant. In his 1795 essay ‘Perpetual Peace’ (which any undergraduate student of politics will be painfully familiar with), Kant posited that a world made up of constitutional republics is the only possible precondition for a lasting global peace.

Tuesday

Joseph Dinnage

How to solve Europe’s anti-tourist backlash

In the town of Sintra, a suburb of Lisbon, some strongly-worded graffiti greets travellers like me. It reads: ‘F**k you tourist scum’. Locals have mounted a campaign fighting against the scourge of ‘mass tourism’. According to residents’ group QSintra, ‘Enough is enough!’ The time has apparently come for the state to intervene and bring about: ‘A revitalisation of the community and quality of life for residents; greater care and discretion in urban planning and management; quality tourism, not quantity’. Alienating millions of travellers who boost your prosperity each year seems like economic seppuku This kind of sentiment isn’t only amusing fodder for a photo-op, or limited to Portugal; it's part of an anti-tourist backlash sweeping the continent.