A glimpse of other worlds
This week saw people walk into the Tortoise newsroom and light it up with stories and ideas we hadn’t heard before. For a journalist, it’s the most exciting thing imaginable
James Harding dials in
Editor’s Voicemail
Each week, Tortoise editor and co-founder James Harding shares his voicemail – his perspective on what’s driving the news, not breaking news. Available exclusively for Tortoise members.
Episodes
A royal taboo
Confronting death is never easy, much less when it concerns the head of state. But we need to talk about the death of the Queen, not least so we can discuss what comes next
Do something, or leave
Democracy is in a dismal state, both in the UK and throughout the West. At Tortoise we’re determined to do all we can to fix it
The port that feeds the world
Four hundred million people globally rely on exports that come via Odesa in Ukraine – a port currently blocked by Russian forces. If it isn’t reopened within eight weeks, the effects will be felt globally
The nuclear question
If Vladimir Putin decides to use a battlefield nuclear weapon in Ukraine, how should the West respond?
The Treasury’s head boy
In his stewardship of the Treasury, Rishi Sunak is acting like a head boy, not a leader. He’s unwilling to stand up to a fiscal orthodoxy that stands in the way of remaking Britain.
Cutting compassion
Britain’s approach to humanitarian aid has become transactional. That’s not a necessity – it’s a political choice
Madeleine Albright: a tortoise brooch
Madeleine Albright, the first woman to be US Secretary of State, died this week at the age of 84. She was both an idealistic realist, and a realistic idealist
A citizen’s rights
Richard Ratcliffe’s extraordinary campaign – culminating this week with the release of his wife Nazanin – has changed the way we relate to power in Britain
Conscription of companies
The economic isolation of Russia is unprecedented in terms of its scale – an impressive flexing of collective Western power against an aggressor. But it’s also inadequate, unfair and expensive
Welcome to the post-post Cold War era
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – and the West’s response – has brought a sudden, bloody end to the chapter of history that began with the fall of the Berlin Wall. We’re in a new age now
The West’s test
America and Europe have done little to deter Vladimir Putin over the years, despite the warning signs. Now he has invaded Ukraine, what is the West prepared to do in response?
Carrying on regardless
The absence of any tangible Brexit benefits is likely throw up old arguments around Britain’s departure from the EU, causing a headache for both the Tories and Labour
Tomorrow’s (virtual) world
Will politicians and the press indulge tired arguments about old media, only to catch up with the social impact of the metaverse when it’s too late?
Let me level with you
The government’s paltry spending plan for levelling up shows a lack of real ambition. If Britain is to reinvent itself, its leadership must think differently about debt, tax and spending
The Chequers back and forth
Our investigation into Boris Johnson’s use of Chequers at the start of the first lockdown has exposed not just the PM’s rule breaking, but also his corrosive effect on the rest of government
A downward spiral
Even if Boris Johnson manages to survive “partygate”, there are a host of challenges facing the UK which mean he’s unlikely to recover his sense of optimism
Onwards, slowly
Tortoise’s approach to reporting – determined, relentless and resisting the urge to hop from story to story – resulted in our right to publish details of the case concerning Andrew Griffiths. It will be more important than ever in 2022
Not flash, just old
Boris Johnson may like to present his government as a new one, but it’s been in power for over a decade. Over the past few weeks, its age has started to show
Higher prices, bigger questions
Inflation this decade will force us to face up to challenges we’re not used to. Comparisons with previous high-inflation periods aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on
Boris Johnson: the continental Conservative
The prime minister has surprised everyone by taking the Tories left rather than right after Brexit. His government’s big-state agenda has left Labour unmoored, Downing Street exposed, business wary and the PM himself increasingly vulnerable
The Arms Race: Many miles to go
This week, Tortoise launched its campaign to help spread vaccinations around the world. Here’s what we’re planning to do next
In other news
Tortoise was set up to tell the stories that weren’t being told anywhere else, the news that is brought to us by you – our members. In that respect, this week’s Open News meeting was one to cherish
The arms race
We’re putting together a public campaign to vaccinate the world by the end of next year. How might it work? While it’s still early days, here’s our current thinking
V is for vaccine
We’re starting a campaign to make sure that the promise Boris Johnson made ahead of the G7 Summit wasn’t an empty one – and that the UK leads the drive to vaccinate the world
The (artificially) intelligent choice
Countries are being pushed into a future of AI rivalry. Of the US versus China. But there’s an alternative foreign policy for us all to pursue – built on cooperation
New world disorder
A different set of threats has arisen in recent years, exposing the weaknesses of the international rules-based order. Next week, the leaders of the G7 nations will be meeting in Cornwall – and we’ll be looking to them for answers
The search for fairness
Inequality – and its ability to destabilise the global order – has become one of the defining issues of our time. But while plenty of people are talking about it, there are far fewer actually proposing solutions
A tale of two Rachels
Rachel Reeves, Labour’s new shadow chancellor, and Rachel Wolf, who co-authored the Conservatives’ 2019 manifesto, are both attempting to tackle the essential question facing their respective parties
Positive energy
When it comes to the future, journalists tend to ignore the scope for exponential change. But in one area that’s set to define the 21st Century – climate science – that change may well happen
Truth, justice, and the tension between them
Harvey Proctor, Grenfell Tower, Shukri Abdi. Over this week and next, Tortoise is covering stories that suggest new challenges for 21st-century newsrooms
Whatever it tax
Swiftly following the Greensill scandal, the texts between James Dyson and Boris Johnson have raised further questions about judgement, accountability and transparency in Downing Street, prompting accusations of “sleaze”. But they also shed light on the billionaire engineer’s priorities in the midst of a national crisis
Buckle up! The role of seatbelts in the Battle for Truth
As it was with cars in the mid-20th Century, so it is with the internet now. These technologies are wonderful advancements for humanity, but they also need to be prevented from causing harm
The true cost of Johnson’s briefing room
Televised press briefings may sound more open, a democratising force. But, actually, they risk turning political reporting into a branch of the entertainment industry
And now the hard part
There is a crisis in capitalism. Even those who’ve been its most vocal proponents admit that. But while the analyses of the problems are largely correct, the detail of the solutions will prove tricky
The ties that bind
It’s no secret that Joe Biden’s White House has little time for Boris Johnson. But while the prime minister’s cosy relationship with Donald Trump and his Brexit-style nationalism have hardly endeared him to the new president, it’s not totally implausible that the two leaders could forge a good working relationship, over one issue in particular
Source of trouble
The use of anonymous sources in the reporting around Harry and Meghan’s departure raises troubling questions about the royal family – and the press
What we’re for
Walking the tightrope between conviction and ambivalence is part and parcel of being a slow and open newsroom. It is not always easy
Giving it more than 100 per cent
Rishi Sunak doesn’t really want Britain’s national debt to exceed the size of its economy. But what if he changed that?
Looking downstream
The big streaming platforms are piling on new subscribers during the pandemic. But there could be tough questions to come, particularly over how they handle news and information
The beginning of the middle
The vaccine provides humanity with a dose of much-needed hope in the face of the pandemic, but it’s unlikely to be a silver bullet. There’s still a lot we don’t know – about the jabs, the economic impact, and the disease itself
After today’s poetry, the prose
In his Inaugural Address, Joe Biden will present himself as America’s first green president. Good. But his presidency will be defined by other concerns
Parliaments not plutocrats
The parameters of truth and free speech should not be set by self-interested social media platforms. It’s time the lawmakers stepped in
The upper house stoops lower
Offering a peerage to Peter Cruddas doesn’t just make a mockery of the House of Lords – it’s indicative of Boris Johnson’s entire attitude towards the country he governs
What’s missing
2020 has been a year of lost encounters, and lost encounters mean lost stories
The Tavistock ruling
This week’s high court judgement on puberty blockers has huge implications. It also raises questions about where the debate goes next, outside of the courtroom
Pause for thought
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s decision to take sabbatical isn’t, as some are suggesting, an abdication of responsibility. In fact, it’s an act of leadership
Donald Trump, importantly pathetic
The 45th president’s refusal to concede is laughable – but we ought to remember it
What Sunak should do now
Britain’s finance minister has been running behind the pandemic. Here’s how he can get ahead
Go Ngozi
Who will be the next director general of the World Trade Organisation? Who cares? But, in truth, these are the sorts of leaders who could guide us out of the current mess