Society

Are women inherently dishonest? We must be, particularly when accusing men of rape. This is one of the most pervasive of all rape myths: that women love nothing better than maliciously and falsely accusing decent, law-abiding men of sexual violation. Some of the coverage of the poor young woman in Cyprus would lead you to believe that men are walking targets for female fantasists hellbent on destroying their lives. Having met the young woman convicted of making false allegations of rape against 12 men, I am very clear that she’s not lying. Why is it then that we are so keen to believe that young women in particular lie about

So it happened. Iran has just struck back against the United States for its killing of Quds force chief Qassem Soleimani on 3 January. The Iranians had vowed to retaliate from almost the moment that their most potent – and famous – commander was killed. Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei had vowed a “severe revenge.” Now it has come. And while it may not so far be “severe “exactly, it was undoubtedly swift and it was bold. Details are still pouring in about the strike but it is clear that Iran has struck two bases housing US and coalition forces in Iraq with more than a dozen missiles. The strikes targeted

In the Netflix series The Crown an entire episode is dedicated to the disaster at Aberfan. More than 100 people – mainly schoolchildren – lost their lives in October 1966 when a junior school and surrounding buildings were buried under a landslide from a colliery spoil tip. Grief spread far beyond the valleys of South Wales to grip the entire British nation. The Queen put out a swift statement giving her condolences but didn’t visit the scene for more than a week and not until after Lord Snowdon and the Duke of Edinburgh had each attended. Her Majesty’s slow response is said to remain one of her biggest regrets during

Labour’s Rebecca Long Bailey formally announced her leadership bid last night, and formally planted her flag as the Corbyn continuity candidate. In a piece in the left-wing Tribune magazine, the aspiring Labour leader said the she didn’t just agree with Jeremy Corbyn’s policies at the last election, she ‘spent the last four years writing them’, and blamed the party’s loss on its lack of a ‘coherent narrative.’ But some are clearly not a fan of the party continuing with Jeremy Corbyn’s legacy. This morning, former Labour Foreign Secretary Jack Straw certainly didn’t hold back from criticising Long Bailey’s view that the party should avoid its ‘Tory-lite policies’ of the past. In an

I confess I had butterflies doing the first BBC Politics Live of 2020. It felt like the first day back at school. Beyond Twitter spats and Christmas family banter, the festive period had been politics-free. Would I be rusty, especially as one of the other panelists was the formidable Alastair Campbell? As a former People’s Vote heavyweight, Campbell is something of an arch nemesis who has a reputation for taking no prisoners. But regardless, one of my new year resolutions is to not dwell on past enmities. I am keen to build some unity, in order to make Brexit as productive as possible. Ahead of the programme, I reminded myself of the importance of not

Two weeks ago, I asked what kind of prime minister Boris Johnson might be and whether he could be ‘the great disruptor’ on foreign policy, defying standard practices and elite assumptions as Donald Trump has. I think I might have my answer. On Trump’s decision to take out Iranian terrorist-in-chief Qasem Soleimani, the Prime Minister was silent for two days. When he finally spoke, it was hardly worth it. Of course Johnson was right to say, given the Quds Force head’s role in the killing of thousands of civilians, ‘we will not lament his death’. He was right too to warn Tehran against escalation. But in stopping there and failing