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Stephen Bush

Stephen Bush

The Guardian

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Anime lessons in the limits of AI

Generative images show us the risks of endowing the technology with magical powers

previous day 9

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

‘Not quite enough’ may prove to be Labour’s epitaph

Managing to do anything that could add to GDP is welcome, but it will not get the government off the hook

26.03.2025 4

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Wishful thinking on climate won’t make it so

Badenoch’s ‘realistic’ approach to net zero is, in practice, that both politicians and the planet agree to put all this behind them

25.03.2025 10

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Starmer is zigging where Blair zagged

Labour’s controversial plans to reform welfare illustrate the divide between the two

18.03.2025 10

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

How to stop the fruitless search for welfare savings

Governments chase illusory short-term cuts when what’s needed are routes back into lasting employment

08.03.2025 30

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Kemi Badenoch needs to work out who her friends are

She attacks those whose aims she shares in a failed attempt to gain the support of those who oppose her

28.02.2025 2

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Captain America: not so brave new world

The latest film in the Marvel franchise is typical of Disney’s timidity in recent years

25.02.2025 10

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Blame bad laws on an excess of coyness

Cutting corners in debate has only one result: poorly formulated policy

18.02.2025 10

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Extreme violence is impossible to understand but we must try

The Axel Rudakubana case shows the importance of the government looking beyond ideology

28.01.2025 10

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

The war on drugs needs a new tactic: shame

Liberal reformers have been too hesitant to spell out the negative consequences for others

21.01.2025 10

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Badenoch should learn from the failures of DeSantis and Pécresse

The Tory leader is the latest conservative to try to emulate a challenger from her right, but it won’t work

14.01.2025 10

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Dungeons & Dragons shows that modish guff doesn’t serve diversity and inclusion

Tweaks to the cult game’s rule book are an object lesson in how not to promote change

07.01.2025 9

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

What gaming really tells us about the human condition

From Mesopotamia to our kitchen tables, our love affair with games is undiminished

27.12.2024 20

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

The case for school uniforms is compelling

Sensibly enforced, they can have an equalising effect in the classroom

16.12.2024 4

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Good ideas know no borders

There is something narrow-minded about criticising a politician for being ‘America-brained’

09.12.2024 3

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Missing: a clear direction for Starmer

Labour’s obsession with winning the next election is distorting government

05.12.2024 3

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Labour has a classic first act problem

Everything the government does for the rest of its term will be distorted by its pledges on tax

26.11.2024 4

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

The problem of politics in a noisy age

We are once again having to readjust to a vast expansion in the amount of conflicting information at our fingertips

19.11.2024 6

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

It pays to be clear about what public transport is designed to do

Too often politicians place conflicting demands on rail or bus networks

12.11.2024 6

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Without hard thinking on tax and the state, Kemi Badenoch is doomed to fail

The new Tory leader can’t rely on Labour being derailed by global events or problems with its own model

04.11.2024 5

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

3. Why the first black British prime minister is likely to be a Conservative

02.11.2024 4

New Statesman

Stephen Bush

The problem with the term ‘global majority’

Endless searching for a label to describe ethnic minority groups is ultimately futile

29.10.2024 4

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

The human race is suffering from success

Treating today’s mental and physical conditions may be a challenge, but their prevalence is actually a good sign

22.10.2024 10

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

There is such a thing as British culture

That is why politicians of all stripes should be wary of undermining the BBC

08.10.2024 4

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

The Conservatives’ biggest problem? Age

They need to be able to appeal to successful economically liberal graduates again

01.10.2024 9

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Why every campaign needs a Tim Walz

Finding someone who can reassure important voter blocs is a key part of any successful election bid

24.09.2024 10

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Want to fix UK prisons? Let the women out

Imprisonment is not obviously a good solution to drug addiction or for those who have been coerced into crime

17.09.2024 7

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Not everyone needs to have an opinion on AI

Too many organisations feel compelled to speak out on matters outside their control

10.09.2024 2

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Bad movies prove profit can be a force for good in film

The new Alien movie shows the mess that can occur when studios stop thinking about the bottom line

03.09.2024 4

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

What politicians forget in the immigration balancing act

Working from purely economic or electoral motives neglects the key to integration

27.08.2024 3

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

There’s a reason online fraud elicits such a visceral response

It exploits fellow feeling and gnaws away at the foundations of a civilised society

19.08.2024 7

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

Museums must defend their right to treasures

Pious arguments about modern collections ignore our curiosity about long-dead bodies and the darker side of history

28.07.2024 5

Financial Times

Stephen Bush

‘Eat your greens’ politics brings its own dangers

Labour should be wary of thinking that doing things that all states should be doing is a shortcut to growth

23.07.2024 30

Financial Times

Stephen Bush