Expert comment

People are unpredictable at predicting what they will do when it comes to politics

Professor Philip Cowley and Professor Tim Bale from Queen Mary's School of Politics and International Relations have written a joint opinion piece for The Times. Using the example of Donald Trump's recent visit to the UK, and drawing on data from their recent YouGov polls, they argue that people are "hopeless" at predicting their own behaviour.

Saving children’s teeth in Sudan – without anaesthetic or drills

Fadil Elamin, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Queen Mary University of London, published an article for The Conversation on his work as a dentist in Sudan providing care and alternative treatments for children with tooth decay. 

Boris Johnson: Conservatives could be making a major error in letting him avoid the press and public

Philip Cowley, Professor of Politics from Queen Mary University of London has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about the Conservative Party leadership contest. He argues that Boris Johnson, frontrunner to become leader and therefore, Prime Minister, should be "tested" ahead of the vote by party members.

Six things people get wrong about the Conservative leadership contest

Philip Cowley, Professor of Politics from Queen Mary University of London has written an opinion piece for Prospect Magazine in which he spells out the six things that people get wrong about the Conservative leadership contest. He argues that much of the commentary on the subject is misleading at best.

Online gambling: children among easy prey for advertisers who face few sanctions

Julia Hörnle, Professor of Internet Law at Queen Mary’s Centre for Commercial Law Studies has written an opinion piece for The Conversation. She argues that children are vulnerable when it comes to being targeted by rogue online gambling advertising and that current restrictions do not go far enough.

Boris Johnson supporters want no-deal Brexit and less talk of climate change – new survey of party members reveals

A new survey analysis by Professor Tim Bale from Queen Mary's School of Politics and International Relations and Professor Paul Webb from the University of Sussex, published in The Conversation, has shed new light on the views of members of the Conservative Party.

Britain still doesn’t know the purpose of the Life in the UK citizenship test – and it shows

Dr Amy Clarke, an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow in Queen Mary's School of Geography has written an opinion piece for The Conversation in which she argues that it is time for some clear answers about what (and who) the current UK citizenship test is really for.

DRC’s new president faces fresh challenges with old-guard premier

Dr Reuben Loffman, a Lecturer in African History at Queen Mary University of London has written an opinion piece for The Conversation in which he argues that Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) faces challenges with established figures in the government.

Anonymity and a Vulnerable Individual: The Troubling Case of Justyna

Valerie Eliot Smith is a non-practising barrister and Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London. In a piece written for The International Forum for Responsible Media Blog she argues that in the case of a Polish woman, Justyna, who was forced to give birth to a stillborn child, is an example of a failure to apply that proportionality test, causing immense suffering to the individuals involved. 

Facebook wants to combat fake news with ID checks – with ‘grave implications’ for our privacy

Dr Fadi Safieddine, Associate Professor in Management Information Systems in Queen Mary's School of Business and Management has written an opinion piece for The Conversation. He argues that Facebook's new ID checks has serious implications including leaving political activists in some countries vulnerable to reprisal from authoritarian regimes.

Gender pay gap hasn’t been fixed by transparency – fines may force companies to act

Geraldine Healy, Professor of Employment Relations in Queen Mary's School of Business and Management has written an opinion piece for The Conversation with Dr Mostak Ahamed, Lecturer in Finance at the University of Sussex. They argue that the threat of financial sanctions can accelerate progress on addressing the gender pay gap.

Current Higher Education funding supports universities’ social mobility mission

Writing in Times Higher Education, Professor Colin Bailey, President and Principal of Queen Mary University of London, argues that any reduction in university fees will hurt students from underrepresented backgrounds the most.

India’s WhatsApp election: political parties risk undermining democracy with technology

Dr Philippa Williams, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography has written an opinion piece for The Conversation in which she argues that political parties in India risk undermining democracy with technology. In particular the research focuses on the use of WhatsApp which has been used in election campaigning.

I had whooping cough as a GP trainee – the experience informed my academic work and clinical practice

Dipesh Gopal, Academic Clinical Fellow at Queen Mary University of London, published an article for The Conversation on how his expeirence with whooping cough informed his academic work and clinical practice.

The handling of Brexit is the surest example of folly imaginable

Professor Sionaidh Douglas-Scott from Queen Mary's School of Law has written an opinion piece for Prospect Magazine in which she assess the UK's government's approach to the Brexit negotiations. Is the lesson only to be learned once it is too late? 

BBC Icons: Alan Turing was a worthy winner – but where were the women?

Rainbow Murray, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London has written an opinion piece for The Conversation in which she questions why, in the face of so many iconic women, did the final of the recent BBC Icons series feature only men? Whilst she advocates that winner Alan Turing was a worthy winner, Professor Murray argues that as a society, we do not always reward merit when we see it, sometimes blinded by our own prejudice.

DRC protagonists must find working solution to manage perilous situation

Dr Reuben Loffman, a Lecturer in African History at Queen Mary University of London has written an opinion piece for The Conversation in which he argues that a compromise needs to be found between the two protagonists in the recent presidential election, victor Félix Tshisekedi and runner-up Martin Fayulu.

Would a Norway option break the Brexit stalemate? Here’s what new polling tells us

Drawing on the latest polling data, Professor Tim Bale from Queen Mary's School of Politics and International Relations has written an opinion piece for The Conversation exploring whether a so-called 'Norway option' would break the Brexit stalemate.

I am because you are - The Declaration of Human Rights at seventy

Professor Geraldine Van Bueren from the School of Law at Queen Mary University of London has written an opinion piece for The Times Literary Supplement in which she assesses the legacy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights seventy years on.

John Bercow’s historic power shift from government to parliament

Professor Philip Cowley from Queen Mary's School of Politics and International Relations has written an opinion piece for The Sunday Times in which he discussed the actions of John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, which he describes as an important power shift from government to parliament.

Trump’s shutdown tactics should remind health experts they need new tools to thrive in the post-expert era

Professor Sophie Harman from the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary University of London has written an opinion piece for The Independent in which she argues that global health experts need new tools and political savvy to manage the post-expert world exemplifed by Trump's presidency.

Tshisekedi’s victory in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is historic – but controversial

Dr Reuben Loffman, a Lecturer in African History at Queen Mary University of London has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about Félix Tshisekedi's victory in the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He predicts that there could be further unrest in the days to come.

The DRC’s election was flawed but it still offers signs of hope

Dr Reuben Loffman, a Lecturer in African History at Queen Mary University of London has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about the recent elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He argues that despite the major problems which have dogged the election, there are signs of hope for the future.

Labour members want Corbyn to back second EU referendum

If Jeremy Corbyn genuinely believes, as he has repeatedly claimed, that the Labour Party’s policy should reflect the wishes of its members rather than just its leaders, then he arguably has a funny way of showing it – at least when it comes to Brexit. Professor Tim Bale explains why.

Brexit legislation in the Supreme Court: the United Kingdom at legal war with itself

Professor Sionaidh Douglas-Scott from Queen Mary's School of Law wrote an opinion piece for Prospect Magazine in which she wrote about the UK Supreme Court decision on the legality of the Scottish Continuity Bill adopted by the Scottish Parliament back in March, and its compatibility with the UK EU Withdrawal Act (EUWA) which became law in June 2018. Professor Douglas-Scott argues that devolved authorities feel their interests have not been taken seriously.

We’re becoming desensitised to poverty in the UK – it’s time the government made food a basic right

Professor Geraldine Van Bueren from the School of Law at Queen Mary University of London has written an opinion piece for The Independent in which she calls for the UK government to introduce a right to food. She argues that the use of food banks ought to be a source of national shame and parliamentary action.

You may not actually own your Bitcoin – legal expert

Dave Michels, a Research Associate at Queen Mary University of London has co-authored an opinion piece for The Conversation about crypto-currencies. He argues that digital tokens are unlikely to be identifed as property by courts in England and Wales.

Migrant caravan: branding migrants ‘human shields’ has a deadly motive

Neve Gordon, Lecturer in Public Law at Queen Mary University of London has co-authored an opinion piece for The Conversation about discourses concerning migration in the United States. He argues that the use of military vocabulary to describe migrants is both calculated and potentially deadly.

Brazil elections 2018: how will a Bolsonaro victory affect migration policy in Brazil and beyond?

Marcia Vera Espinoza, a Lecturer in Human Geography at Queen Mary University of London has co-authored an opinion piece for the LSE Blog with Leiza Brumat (European University Institute) about the forthcoming presidential elections in Brazil.

Violence against women: Nobel Peace Prize is a start – but legal backing is long overdue

Daniela Nadj, Lecturer in Public Law at Queen Mary University of London has written an opinion piece for The Conversation about decision to award the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize to two campaigners against sexual violence towards women in conflict. She argues that it's a good start but more needs to be done.