A five-point plan for Britain
The country needs rejuvenating. Here, at the start of a series, Giles Whittell introduces the five low-cost ideas that he’d like implementing – from EU membership to a new capital
Slow Views
A five-point plan for Britain
Britain needs a quiet constitutional revolution. It might feel radical to some but it’s actually no more than basic modernisation to bring it into the family of functioning democracies. Here, in the first of a new series, Giles Whittell presents a five-point plan.
Responsibility100 Index
Latest rankings released
We’ve found that under the cover of the pandemic, big businesses have rolled back their commitments to fair pay and the planet.
Slow Newscast
Havana Syndrome
Despite years of investigations, the cause of the mystery illness afflicting American diplomats abroad remains unknown. We attempted to find the truth.
Succession returns
The series draws deeply on myths and classic literature in its depiction of the tragedy of dynasty, mortality and joyless wealth.
slow vIEWS
It’s gonna be a long, long time…
Three years ago, Giles Smith bought tickets to see Elton John live. By the time the gig comes around, will pop music still exist as we know it?
sensemaker our daily roundup of the news that matters
Cop flop?
15 october 2021
- A federal US appeals court upheld the new Texas law that effectively bans abortion from six weeks including in cases of rape and incest, despite a Department of Justice lawsuit that seeks to strike it down.
- Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, secured the French Socialists’ nomination for next year’s presidential election.
- Six people died and dozens were injured when shots were fired on a protest in Beirut against the judge investigating last year’s port explosion.
It now looks certain that Xi Jinping won’t come to Glasgow for Cop26. The leader of the world’s biggest polluter and second-biggest economy won’t be at the conference billed as the last best hope for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, even though the US president will. Expectations are being managed down on all sides. The mood in the UK government’s Cop unit is gloomy when it should be giddy. Is the world giving up on the Cop process?
Slow Views
I think it’s gonna be a long, long time…
Three years ago, the author bought tickets to see Elton John. But the gig is still two years away. Will pop music still exist as we know it?
Merging the health and care budgets is no magic solution
Sajid Javid’s reported plan to unite the two is more likely to starve the care system of funds, as cash is swallowed up by the NHS
The Modern Slavery Act isn’t fit for purpose
Companies are encouraged to make statements against exploitation – but not to end it. Politicians must amend the Act so that it has meaning and force
Campaign
We need to get the world vaccinated as fast as possible. We’re in an arms race: vaccines vs variants. That’s why we’ve launched our Vaccine Tracker along with a campaign to vaccinate the world by the end of next year.
Listen
Racism: the receiving end
Two weeks ago League Two goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux was racially abused by a fan on social media. In his own words, he talks about the raw emotion he felt and how we can move forward to a better future.
Vaccinating for two?
How did an overabundance of caution help cause a Covid crisis among pregnant women?
What makes a footballer great?
Simon Kjaer has been nominated for the biggest individual award in football, the Ballon d’Or. Is it recognition of his skill as a player, or what he did to help save the life of his team-mate, Christian Eriksen?
A frosty relationship
The UK has left the European Union. Why is trying now to renegotiate the way it left?
Everyone can join
By offering sponsored membership to those who otherwise could not join Tortoise, we are truly an open and inclusive newsroom.
We’re not cutting emissions fast enough
In the run-up to COP26 in Glasgow, Tortoise – in collaboration with members and a network of coalition organisations – is running a programme of ThinkIns and journalism devoted to accelerating net zero.
By the time we get to the conference, we want to have an agenda with a difference.
Watch
Why is it still so hard to talk about mental ill-health?
As the first in a series of ThinkIns that seek to critically examine, and ultimately progress, the public conversation about mental health and wellbeing, we’ll zero in on the elephant in the room: many people still don’t want – or know – how to talk about it.
Covid by Numbers, with David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters
Join us for a ThinkIn with David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters in which they debunk our Covid misconceptions.
What will life be like in 2041? with Kai-Fu Lee
Join us in conversation with Kai-Fu Lee as we ask, how will AI change the world over the next 20 years?
The Arms Race: what next?
Join us for an Arms Race ThinkIn, where our campaign’s coalition partners consider last week’s emergency vaccine summit.
Book
In conversation with Michael Morpurgo
Come along to the Tortoise newsroom to spend an hour in Michael’s company, in conversation with James Harding about his life and work.
Open News Meeting
Add your voice to the Tortoise editors’ weekly news conference. Bring story ideas and perspectives.Have your say.
A ThinkIn with Steven Pinker on rationality
Join us for a ThinkIn with Steven Pinker as he explains why we have all become so susceptible to being distracted, manipulated and flummoxed into leaving logic and common sense behind, and what we can do about it.
Open News Meeting
Add your voice to the Tortoise editors’ weekly news conference. Bring story ideas and perspectives.Have your say.
covid Inquiry
Why wait until spring 2022?
That’s when the prime minister has said an independent inquiry into the government’s response to Covid will begin. Here at Tortoise, we felt the need was far more urgent – and so, last Autumn, we held our own.
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Taking the time to get it right
News has become noise. We sort through it all and crunch the data to call out what really matters.
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