New piece from me on Farage, and what his trial-and-error flip-flopping tells us about the new line of tolerance in British politics
As Farage sacks an acolyte for his ‘shameful’ words, how far is too far for the high priest of toxic politics? | Martha Gill
The Reform leader cynically pushes the boundaries of how far he can go without alienating too many of the voters he needs – but it’s a perilous calibration, says politics and culture writer Martha Gil...
theguardian.com
For this week’s Observer I wrote about Britain’s strange relationship with plastic surgery What surprised me is that any doctor - even e.g. a psychiatrist with no surgical experience at all - is allowed to perform facelifts or liposuction in the private sector
For this week’s Observer I wrote about Britain’s strange relationship with plastic surgery What surprised me is that any doctor - even e.g. a psychiatrist with no surgical experience at all - is allowed to perform facelifts or liposuction in the private sector
I’ve got two articles in this week’s Observer. One is a big piece of reporting on lone asylum seeking kids arriving in Britain - a group is often missed out of the conversation observer.co.uk/news/columni...
‘They are treated with the most appalling hostility’: the...
The number of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in Britain has soared, and many are being put at risk having got here
observer.co.uk
The second is on a little noticed counter to the narrative that social bonds are unravelling. By almost every indicator we are becoming more isolated, polarised and antisocial. Except one. Absolutely loads of people are volunteering observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Altruism is holding Britain together | The Observer
Volunteers keep vital services afloat and offer an antidote to our ever more isolated society
observer.co.uk
I’ve got two articles in this week’s Observer. One is a big piece of reporting on lone asylum seeking kids arriving in Britain - a group is often missed out of the conversation observer.co.uk/news/columni...
‘They are treated with the most appalling hostility’: the...
The number of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in Britain has soared, and many are being put at risk having got here
observer.co.uk
observer.co.uk/news/opinion... The anti-science obsession of British politics has done UK great harm, Good new Observer taking this seriously by @marthagill.bsky.social
Nuclear power is the future Britain rejected. Now it’s ti...
Energy projects in the UK are among the world's most expensive as we insist on reinventing the wheel
observer.co.uk
Yes. Huge incentives, notably keeping your own job, in staying quiet about this stuff. Great examples in ents where various alarming individuals keep working for years after it’s known they are dangerous because the dynamic is if you speak up you will be the one who loses your job
Why do people choose to cover up scandals? My theory is that it's not 'bad apples', or 'dysfunctional institutions', as we like to pretend Every modern workplace contains the incentives for coverups
Martha Gill@marthagill.bsky.social · last yr.1. Professionals want to be team players, fit in, trust others, be loyal and please those in authority 2. Responsibility is diffused, which makes it easy for people to rationalise away their part in the process 3. Habit eventually makes the harm seem normal
Exactly right. Any substantial organisation will be likely to circle the wagons and cover up failings. Within it there will be some people who should know better but don't recognise their own complicity. And others who do but will lose their livelihood if they speak up.
Martha Gill@marthagill.bsky.social · last yr.We convince ourselves that institutional cover-ups are rare: the result of uniquely terrible people or uniquely dysfunctional systems The ugly truth: cover-ups are the RULE They are the result of normal human dynamics that come with every workplace
Maternity scandals, grooming gangs, the infected blood scandal, the Hillsborough disaster, the post office scandal, Grenfell, Windrush, sexual abuse by priests...... wherever we find serious harm we almost always find large numbers of people choosing to conceal it I call it "the cover-up rule"
This is very good - it skewers the way institutions' leaders will convince themselves that bad behaviour can't happen because rules. But we need to think more about how things actually work. We - especially senior managers - need to think much more in terms of who has power, and who really doesn't.
Martha Gill@marthagill.bsky.social · last yr.I've written about institutional cover-ups in this week's @ObserverUK . From grooming gangs to the post office scandal, wherever we find serious harm we almost always find very large numbers of people choosing to conceal it Why? I think we've been getting it wrong
Enjoyed doing @lbc.co.uk cross questions just now with @simonmarksfsn.bsky.social - great fun
Among all the groups of elites that have attracted political fury over the last decade - one percenters, Etonians, metropolitan dinner partygoers, bankers - one category has always managed to slip under the radar. Q: Which group is this?
When it comes to adoption, demand usually outstrips supply. But right now the number of kids in care is rising and the number waiting to adopt them is falling Why? observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Prospective parents are no longer queuing up to adopt children in care | The Observer
For every young person who finds a new home, 28 are left desperately hoping for parents – and the cost of living crisis is often to blame
observer.co.uk
Did you know the only listed tree in Britain is a dead one? (The stump of the Elfin Oak in Kensington Gardens - because it was decorated by a children's illustrator) While we are talking about the Sycamore Gap, we should ask why culturally important trees and landscapes aren't better protected
How is it that so many kids leave the UK education system without basic qualifications?
I wrote about how Europe's last remaining monarchies are held to account - they survive because they have twisted themselves into pseudo-democratic institutions observer.co.uk/news/columni...
The monarchy is caught between reverence and irrelevance | The Observer
As King Charles enters his third year on the throne, the future of the monarchy may depend on lying low and staying out of trouble
observer.co.uk
Is there really a 'revival' of churchgoing among Generation Z? It's been widely reported but the evidence is shaky.... I look at the state of the church in the UK observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Britain stands on centuries of Christianity but the faith no longer lives in its people | The Observer
Reports that young people are flocking to the church may be overstated and the wider decline in attendance raises existential questions
observer.co.uk
Is there really a 'revival' of churchgoing among Generation Z? It's been widely reported but the evidence is shaky.... I look at the state of the church in the UK observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Britain stands on centuries of Christianity but the faith no longer lives in its people | The Observer
Reports that young people are flocking to the church may be overstated and the wider decline in attendance raises existential questions
observer.co.uk
Britain stands on centuries of Christianity but the faith no longer lives in its people Reports that young people are flocking to the church may be overstated and the wider decline in attendance raises existential questions. ✍️ @marthagill.bsky.social bit.ly/3EYw4BT
Britain stands on centuries of Christianity but the faith no longer lives in its people
Reports that young people are flocking to the church may be overstated and the wider decline in attendance raises existential questions
bit.ly
Is generation Z really flocking back to church? The evidence is slim... Meanwhile the bigger religious shift is among boomers and the silent generation I look at the state of the Church for the new Observer observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Britain stands on centuries of Christianity but the faith no longer lives in its people
Reports that young people are flocking to the church may be overstated and the wider decline in attendance raises existential questions
observer.co.uk
For my weekly column in the new Observer I looked at the state of Christianity in the UK Is Generation Z really flocking back to church?
I looked into why young people are taking fewer drugs - and why some drugs are bucking the trend
Great piece my @marthagill.bsky.social on men's rights activists, social media and the chilling effect on boys, as portrayed in Netflix's Adolescence. While I generally dislike banning stuff, our children's and therefore society's futures are at stake here. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Adolescence reveals a terrifying truth: smartphones are poison for boys’ minds | Martha Gill
When a Netflix drama highlights how online influencers can turn a teenager into a killer, it’s time to rethink social media
theguardian.com
The Pill was revolutionary in its time, but women are voting with their feet – and more can and should be done to take this unfinished revolution forward. Excellent piece from @marthagill.bsky.social in @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/society/comm...
The pill hasn’t been improved in years. No wonder women are giving up on it | Martha Gill
When contraception has stagnated for decades, it is hardly surprising it’s fallen victim to culture wars and a wellness cult
theguardian.com
