The Portillo Syndrome: On Men Who Peak at Conference by Lawson Akhigbe

Or: A Short Political Typology of the Man Who Mistakes Applause for Destiny Every generation of British politics produces one. A politician of middling seniority and considerable self-regard who delivers a conference speech, receives a standing ovation from six hundred party faithful in an airless hall in Birmingham or Brighton, and concludes, with the calm …

Historical Ransom Strategies: From Ancient Leverage to Modern War Economies

Ransom strategies—demanding payment, prisoners, or concessions in exchange for captives—have been a fixture of conflict for millennia. They blur lines between warfare, crime, and economics, often transforming violence into a sustainable revenue stream. In ideological conflicts, ransom can fund operations; in profit-driven ones, it becomes the core incentive. The “starve the beast” approach—refusing payment to …

REJOINDER: “CLARIFYING” THE CLARIFICATION — OR HOW TO POLISH A ONE-WAY MIRROR by Lawson Akhigbe

State dinner There is something almost poetic about a government statement (see below) that begins by “debunking misinformation” and proceeds, with admirable stamina, to confirm every underlying concern—just in longer sentences and better punctuation. Let us begin with the ceremonial backdrop: the “historic” visit of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the United Kingdom. In Nigerian political …

Palestine Action activists guilty of criminal damage By Bea Swallow

Image caption, Footage of the break-in was uploaded to social media by the protest group Four Palestine Action activists have been found guilty of criminal damage at a UK site of an Israel-based defence firm. Charlotte Head, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Rajwani, 21, broke into an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol …