Returning British nationals who made a home in the EU with foreign spouses are being treated appallinglyIn Franz Kafka’s The Trial, a blameless citizen wakes up one day to find himself under suspicion for no good reason. It was, presumably, never the i…
The Guardian view on social care: a big deal with holes in it | Editorial
The boost to health and care spending is needed, but troubling details, and unfairness, remainIn 2019, in his first speech as prime minister, Boris Johnson promised to fix the crisis in social care “once and for all”. Two years later, a plan has arrive…
The Guardian view on changes to copyright law: book lovers beware | Editorial
A government proposal to ease restrictions on the sale of imported cultural works risks harming a world-class industryThe hoopla around the release of Sally Rooney’s new novel on Tuesday – with bookshops opening early, and queues of shoppers eager to l…
The Guardian view on Nigeria’s violence: the state is part of the problem | Editorial
For too many, the government encroaches upon their lives but cannot protect themIn his treatise Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes did not suggest that government was benevolent – only necessary. Without it, argued the philosopher, people would live in perpetual…
The Guardian view on saving forests: when trees are at risk, so are we | Editorial
Plantations are no replacement for biodiverse forests that have evolved over thousands of yearsPeople need trees. A world without ilex, cinnamon and rosewood trees, a world devoid of magnolias, hornbeams and maples would be much the poorer. We rely on …
The Guardian view on social care funding: fairness is the key | Editorial
A plan to split the proceeds of a national insurance rise between the NHS and social care could worsen intergenerational injusticeAn announcement on social care funding is imminent, with a national insurance rise the probable outcome. But what ought to…
The Guardian view on Germany’s election: struggling to move on from Merkel | Editorial
The shadow of the departing chancellor looms over a contest too close to callIn September 1998, when a relatively youthful Gerhard Schröder defeated Helmut Kohl and ended his 16-year reign as German chancellor, the victorious leader of the Social Democ…
The Guardian view on the Texas abortion ban: this is not the end | Editorial
The supreme court’s refusal to block the law marks a grave blow to the freedom and safety of womenThe cruel, vindictive and dangerous law that has taken effect in Texas is much more than the most extreme anti-abortion legislation in the United States. …
The Guardian view on ‘levelling up’ schools: a slogan without substance | Editorial
Labour should have a policy to deal with rich people seceding from the rest of society by buying social privilegeGordon Brown gave substance to the slogan of “levelling up”. In 2006, he said that his “long-term aim” was to fund state school pupils at t…
The Guardian view on Sharon Graham: a new boss reveals the state of the unions | Editorial
Unite’s general secretary is more interested in the industrial struggle than the political one. For workers, that could be a blessingThe surprise election of Sharon Graham to head Britain’s biggest trade union, Unite, is more about the labour movement …