3 d. ago American nuclear weapons to be stored on UK soil for the first time in 17 years

RAF Lakenheath could host American nuclear weapons for the first time since 2008 amid emerging threats from Russia and terrorists that could aim to carry out an attack on the UK

Events

2 w. ago Against Identity by Alexander Douglas review – a superb critique of contemporary self

A philosopher challenges us to forget about ourselves in this powerfully strange counterblast to identity fetishismIdentity is something socially negotiated, both claimed and given. I cannot be French if that nation does not exist; I can’t be a doctor if no one will grant me a medical degree. Social media, however, promises that we can don or doff identities like so many digital masks. We may become persuaded that identities are private goods over which we have rights of ownership and choice, that we can freely select what we “identify as”. The heightened salience of identity in modern political discourse thus represents an unwitting internalisation of the neoliberal view of humans as atomised individuals who navigate life purely by expressing consumer preferences.The idea that the identity of the speaker should count when assessing his or her argument is what the right used to denounce as “identity politics” (now subsumed under the general concept of “wokeness”), tho...

Politics

3 w. ago Why returning to private ownership is a new chapter for NatWest Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland

It’s clearly a symbolic moment, not just for us at the bank, but also for Scotland

Economics

3 w. ago RBS reprivatised: how Britain’s banks finally shed their state shackles

After 17 years, the government has returned a very different bank to private ownership. This is how it happened

Economics

3 w. ago The RBS story: how the world’s biggest bank was nationalised and then reborn

After 17 years, the government has returned a very different bank to private ownership. This is how it happened

Politics

4 w. ago NatWest: Key dates in the bank’s history from rescue to privatisation

Here’s a timeline with key dates from the bailout of NatWest through to its return to privatisation on Friday.

Events

4 w. ago Why was NatWest rescued in 2008 and what has changed for the bank in that time?

At its peak, the Government had an 84.4% shareholding in the group, and did not start selling shares until 2015.

Events

4 w. ago NatWest returns to private ownership for first time since 2008 rescue

The Government confirmed a £10.5 billion loss since the bank was bailed out by UK taxpayers during the financial crisis.

Events

4 w. ago NatWest returns to full private ownership 17 years after UK bailout

Government sells final shares after £46bn financial crisis rescue

Politics

4 w. ago NatWest returns to full private ownership 17 years after £46bn UK bailout

Government sells final shares after rescue at height of financial crisis

Economics

last month Israel confirms plans to create 22 new settlements in occupied West Bank

Defence minister says move ‘prevents establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel’Middle East crisis live – latest news updatesIsrael has said it will establish 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, including the legalisation of outposts already built without government authorisation, after a security cabinet vote held in secret last week.Israel occupied the West Bank, capturing it from Jordan, in the six-day war of 1967. Since then, successive governments have tried to permanently cement Israeli control over the land, in part by declaring swathes as “state lands”, which prevents private Palestinian ownership. Continue reading...

Politics