DDU’s Director offers a reflection on the deeper institutional developments that have provided the context for not only the meteoric rise and tragic fall of Jason Arday, but have reconfigured official understanding of education, schools, and knowledge itself.
The murder of Henry Nowak, and his treatment at the hands of police officers, is an unimaginable tragedy for the family, and we offer deepest condolences for their loss. DDU’s director, Alka Sehgal Cuthbert, offers her take on the main lesson the tragedy has for the rest of us.
In April, the TUC commissioned polling which, they claimed, proved ‘shocking increase in racism at work’. But following the tragic murder of Henry Nowak, it is urgent that we treat disparities with proper critical scrutiny, to see if the inferred claim of racism is, in fact, true. Richard Norrie provides just such a thorough analysis of the TUC commissioned polling and concludes the picture is nowhere near as definitive or clear as presented.
In his latest book, The Progress Trap: The Modern Left and the False Authority of History, Ben Cobley paints a disturbing view of contemporary culture:.
In May, Alka Sehgal Cuthbert spoke on BBC Radio 4’s AntiSocial programme on the topic of renting and discrimination. In the course of the conversation, it becomes clear that the Equality Act is often more about justifying discrimination than prohibiting it! You can listen here: AntiSocial with Adam Fleming, 1 May 2026
In March, DDU director Alka Sehgal Cuthbert spoke at a Cambridge Union debate. Alka was opposing the motion, ‘This House Believes British Identity is Inherently Colonial’. Also speaking against the motion were Professor Robert Tombs and a brave student. Alka argued that it makes no more sense to speak of British identity being colonial than […]
In February this year, Dr Alka Sehgal Cuthbert spoke at a fringe meeting at the General Synod. The meeting raised historical, legal, social and ethical objections to Project Spire – a project to divert £100million from an endowment intended to support local parishes into catalytic investment schemes (that is, high-risk investment intended to attract other […]
DDU, with many others, unequivocally condemns the antisemitic murders of two people (four others remain in hospital suffering serious injuries) and offer our deepest condolences to the families affected. In his excellent article, our Advisory Council member, Stephen Pollard, wrote: horrifying as this incident may be, I doubt that any of Britain’s 287,000 Jews will […]
Organisations, including DDU, from across the moral, political and ideological spectrum, including faith groups and secular organisations, have written to express serious concern about the UK Government’s ongoing efforts to adopt a non-statutory definition of ‘Islamophobia’. At a time of rising tensions, deepening mistrust, and urgent social challenges, this move risks fuelling division rather than fostering social cohesion.
Is the NHS justified in running separate courses for BAME staff and excluding white British staff simply because of their skin colour?
