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The Despatch Box is a political journal published by the Royal Holloway Politics and International Relations Society, edited by Editors-In-Chief Alex Smith and PIRSoc President Scarlett Proudfoot.
Established in 2016, the journal aims to provide students with a forum to broadcast their opinions and develop their political writing skills.
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Why Rishi Sunak Becoming Prime Minister Is Significant for Not Only Britons but Indians All Over the World
By Olivia Singh | 31st October 2022 Rishi Sunak is now the new Prime Minister of the UK. 193 MPs pledged their support to Sunak and 26 MPs backed Penny Mordaunt, according to BBC News. The pound rose against the dollar after Sunak was announced as the leadership race winner, and the markets reacting positively…
Why Political Leaders Around the World Must Pay Attention to Sadhguru’s “Save Soil” Movement
by Olivia Singh | 13th October 2022 Save Soil is a global movement launched by Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru, to address the soil crisis and land degradation. The Isha Foundation presented the initiative on the 5th of April this year at a UN conference in Geneva and is supported by the World Health Organisation, the…
The New Era of the British Monarchy Has Prompted Renewed Demands for the Kohinoor Diamond To Be Returned to India. Will Britain Ever Return the Diamond?
By Olivia Singh | 3rd October 2022 The Kohinoor diamond is the largest cut diamond in the world, it has a gory history of colonial conquest and now stands as a star of the Crown Jewels. Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, there have been renewed demands made for the Kohinoor diamond to be…
Climate Migration: How the Human Impact of Climate Change Is the Next Global Crisis Waiting To Happen
By Alex Smith | 30th September 2022 With the threat of climate change causing a multitude of human impacts including driving increased food insecurity, increased exposure to disease, loss of livelihood and worsening poverty, the next global humanitarian crisis is expected to be mass migration as a result of climate change, and our current migration…
Rishi Sunak vs Liz Truss: Who Should Become the Next Prime Minister?
By Olivia Singh | 30th August 2022 Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak are the final two candidates in the race to become Prime Minister. Out of the two candidates, who should become the next Prime Minister? Whilst Sunak was Chancellor of the Exchequer during the pandemic, he protected the jobs of millions of Britons by…
Is this the beginning of the end for Boris Johnson?
By Thomas McLinden | 2nd February 2022 It can be quite safely assumed that Boris Johnson’s tenure has been nothing short of dull. The electrifying, unavoidable presence of Johnson in Number 10 is the final piece to the melodrama entitled Boris Johnson’s political career. Having swooped to the rapturous applause of Brexiteers by bearing the…
London vs Beijing: How a pathway to British Citizenship has ignited a diplomatic dispute over Hong Kong
Hong Kong has long been a valued bridge between China and the West. Over the past 18 months, however, the former British colony has increasingly become a stage for China to showcase a more aggressive foreign policy, argues Ben Askew.
Vested interests and a celebrity echo chamber stand in the way of revolutionising Indian farming
The message of how vital the need for reform is to the future of Indian farming finds itself lost in an echo chamber that prioritises the convenience of virtue signalling over a self-evident good, writes Pranoy Roy Choudhury.
Princess Latifa’s Plight: How Gender Inequality Prevails in the 21st Century
The women who came before us endured a long struggle for the rights that we enjoy today; that won’t be over until every woman in every corner of the world enjoys the same rights, writes Eden Singh.
Western Vaccine Nationalism Risks Prolonging the COVID-19 Pandemic
Unless wealthy nations take continued steps to address the far-reaching inequalities in vaccine supply, the world will continue to live with this disease and its consequences well into the future, writes Ben Askew.
Foreign Policy Under President Biden: A Return to the Status Quo?
Approaches towards China, Britain, and the Middle East indicate a change in substance from the Obama years, but the appointment of Avril Haines as the Director of National Intelligence also indicates a worrying shift in style, writes Pranoy Roy Choudhury.
UK Terrorism Threat Level Raised to “Severe”
Urging the public to be “alert but not alarmed”, Home Secretary Priti Patel has downplayed the threat to the country’s national security, but Grace Rollison argues that the move should not be seen as merely a precautionary measure.
The UK is lucky that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine works
The UK is lucky that it didn’t lose out by not participating in the EU’s vaccine procurement scheme, writes Alexander Hoffman.
Israel – Emirates Peace Deal: To Me, To You, To UAE, to You
The Israel-UAE Peace Agreement is not only the result of a sudden recognition of the similarities between the two nations but also a realisation of the mutual threat of Iran, writes George Wright.
The Murder of George Floyd
Sarah Tennent writes from the position of a white person about the murder of George Floyd and systemic racism. This article contains petitions, places to donate and book recommendations for white people to educate themselves.
TfL’s Bailout and London’s regional powers conflict
Jake Short writes on Transport for London’s billion pound bailout and the conflict between London’s regional powers, Labour and Conservatives going head to head, potentially repeating history.
Golden Apple Award Winners
Following from two weeks of nominations and voting, students have come together to recognise the lecturer and student who has gone above and beyond for PIR at Royal Holloway! Politics and International Relations Society are pleased to announce the lecturer PIR students recognised who had gone above and beyond their role, enriched student learning and…
A new kind of Journalism
Courtney Bridges writes on the ‘new kind of journalism’ emerging throughout the COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19, Politics and the English Language
Joshua Castle writes on the relevance of George Orwell and the importance of language during the current COVID-19 crisis
No other way. Biden needs the Left to stop Trump.
Zafir Zafirov discusses the importance of Biden securing the vote of the Left in the upcoming election
A New Leader, A New Time for the Labour Party, but Big Challenges Remain
Lewis Virgo writes on Keir Starmer’s victory and what the Labour party must learn from the 2019 General Election to improve in 2024.
How the ‘Washington Consensus’ allowed the global core to exploit the global periphery though unfair exchange from a World Systems Theory lens.
Josh Trood writes on the pitfalls of the Washington Consensus and the systematic explotation of countries in the global periphery
Why Trump isn’t talking Turkey: His Largest Foreign Policy Blunder
Ilija Dokmanovic highlights Trump’s recent foreign policy blunder, and US relations within the Middle East
The Politics Behind the Coronavirus
Josh Trood writes on the potential political implications of the spread of the Coronavirus on elections and the economy
UCU Strikes, we have been here before- but what next?
Sarah Tennent writes on the recent round of UCU strikes, Paul Layzell’s complacency, and what the future holds
Non-EU states held to double standards, despite internal deficiencies
Milo Dack writes regarding the double tax standards to which the EU holds Non-EU states, despite Ireland being a tax haven for Google, Facebook and many more international firms
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