Sebastian Milbank

Dr. Sebastian Milbank is the Executive Editor of The Critic magazine, and a journalist, writer and academic with a special interest in political theology and citizenship.

Sunday

Sebastian Milbank

The social contract is fundamentally broken

As the eyes of the nation flit between the dramas of Westminster, Wigan and the World Cup, there is no shortage of high-profile theatre from which to spin stories of national identity, decline or renewal. Yet on the great stage of British public life, there is a bleaker, more human-scale drama playing out. It’s a story unfolding in nurseries and primary schools, family homes and dentists’ surgeries. It is a simple story, and one that should convict the consciences of us all – Britain is no longer taking care of its children. According to research by Kindred Squared, one in four children arrive at school still not toilet trained. Another study found that one in four five-year-olds suffer from tooth decay Talk to a teacher. Talk to parents.

Sunday

Sebastian Milbank

Brutalism is beautiful

Is a concrete Brutalist complex as worthy of commemoration and preservation as a medieval cathedral or neoclassical stately home? The decision to grant London’s Southbank Centre Grade II listed status last month is an issue on which tweedy conservationists and iconoclastic modernists trade places for the day. Tories reach for the dynamite. Lefties plead that tradition must be protected. But who is right? And why is Brutalism so divisive? The best Brutalist architects were careful craftsmen Even those who hate Brutalist buildings must concede that it’s a form of architecture that is arresting and hard to ignore. The Southbank site has long been a cultural flashpoint. Its origins go back to the post-war Festival of Britain, whose 75th anniversary falls in May.

Monday

Sebastian Milbank

Could Idris Elba’s solution help tackle knife crime?

Actor Idris Elba took to the airwaves on the Today programme this morning to call for more to be done to tackle the scourge of knife crime in Britain. Elba asked the government to speed up the ban on the sale of machete and 'zombie' knives to prevent more young people dying in knife attacks. Few will disagree with Elba's practical solution for tackling this issue. It is, at least, more likely to succeed than some of the more fashionable solutions – particularly so-called 'public health' approaches – which are occasionally suggested as a solution to knife crime. The rhetoric of a 'public health' solution to violence is very popular amongst people who dislike the idea of putting criminals in jail, or stopping and searching suspects.