May2025 | The Apoplectic Politico Blog

Potholes and Power | How Cambridge’s ‘Sustainable’ Traffic Policy Serves Development Interests

25 May, 202525 May, 2025 by Apoplectic Politico

Cambridge, a city celebrated for its cyclists and academia, is in the throes of a radical transformation. Major roads have been closed to through traffic. Bus gates and bollards split neighbourhoods. Cycling infrastructure has expanded dramatically. And yet, for many residents, congestion has worsened, pollution has simply shifted, and once-united communities are now divided by … Read more

Why UK Councils Aren’t Building the Homes We Need

22 May, 202521 May, 2025 by Apoplectic Politico

Behind the social housing shortfall lies a tangled web of funding gaps, land hoarding, and political short-termism. In Britain today, more than 1.2 million households are on social housing waiting lists. Meanwhile, council housing stock has been shrinking for decades. Despite a mounting crisis in affordability and homelessness, local authorities have failed to replace homes … Read more

The Land of the Few: How Hidden Ownership and Rigged Development Drive Britain’s Housing Crisis

21 May, 202520 May, 2025 by Apoplectic Politico

Introduction Britain’s housing crisis is not merely about a shortage of homes. It is the result of a system where land, the most fundamental resource – is hoarded, hidden, and manipulated by the wealthy, often at public expense. This is a crisis engineered through secrecy, deregulation, and the systematic retreat of the state from the … Read more

Priced Out of Prosperity: Why Industry Is Leaving Britain Behind

21 May, 202519 May, 2025 by Apoplectic Politico

Why Britain Is Losing the Race for Industrial Investment Despite government assurances about “Global Britain” and ambitions to become a world-leading hub for innovation and industry, the economic reality tells a different story. A closer look at key industrial costs across a range of countries shows that the United Kingdom has become one of the … Read more

Government by the Few for the Few

24 May, 202517 May, 2025 by The Wez

Government by the Few for the Few (A Marxian perspective of the role of Government and the state within capitalism) (Written during the last general election in the UK). Manifestos have been published, promises have been made and intentions made opaque by the vagueness that always accompanies the usual mixture of hope, cynicism and downright … Read more

Smart Data, Unfair Outcomes: How AI is Reshaping Insurance – and Not for the Better

18 June, 202513 May, 2025 by Apoplectic Politico

How AI is Reshaping Insurance – and Not for the Better Image

Introduction In the age of algorithms, the insurance industry has undergone a quiet but radical transformation. Once grounded in the statistical science of shared risk, insurers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to make highly individualised decisions about coverage and cost. What is sold as personalisation is, in truth, a sophisticated … Read more

From Likes to Lies: How Your Data Fuels Personalized Propaganda

18 June, 202512 May, 2025 by Apoplectic Politico

Introduction: The New Face of Influence In an era where every click, like, and share contributes to a digital footprint, the manipulation of personal data has become a powerful tool for shaping public opinion. The Cambridge Analytica scandal unveiled the potential for data-driven microtargeting to influence democratic processes, setting a precedent for how personal information … Read more

Our Democracy Under Siege

18 June, 20254 May, 2025 by Apoplectic Politico

Democracy under siege Lady Justice In Chains

Introduction: The Fragile State of Democracy Democracy, once considered resilient in the United Kingdom, is now under significant strain. Across institutions, norms, and civil society, the foundations of democratic governance are being chipped away by political opportunism, populism, and systemic decay. The dangers are not always explosive or dramatic; many are slow-moving and procedural, but … Read more

Reform UK’s Populist Surge:

18 June, 20253 May, 2025 by Apoplectic Politico

Neoliberal Contradictions and the New Authoritarianism Populist Gains Amid Labour’s Decline. Reform UK’s electoral advances are a textbook example of populist strategy. By positioning themselves as the authentic voice of ordinary people betrayed by the political establishment, Farage and his party have successfully tapped into public anger and disillusionment. This is especially evident in traditional … Read more

An Introduction to Dialectics

16 May, 20252 May, 2025 by The Wez

One of the abiding curses of polemical discussion in this country is its didactic nature. This essay proposes that a dialectical approach can be much more productive: One of the many reasons for the misinterpretation of Marx’s writings has its origins in the misunderstanding of his method. His mode of investigation was entirely dialectical. To … Read more