Beyond the waiting list: the real challenges facing the Welsh NHS
SS STD/Shutterstock For someone waiting for a hip replacement, the NHS waiting list is not an abstract policy problem. It is the difference between walking to the shops or staying indoors, sleeping through the night or waking in pain, returning to work or putting life on hold. Across Wales, there are signs that some long […]
Ferrari’s first electric supercar has proved controversial – a car designer explains why
Ferrari’s new sportscar, the Luce (pronounced Loo-che), raises some interesting questions about the future of hi-tech, high-cost supercars in the electric era. The Italian sportscar maker’s first move into the electric vehicle (EV) segment – with an eye on the Chinese luxury market – signals strategic pragmatism rather than ideological continuity. Compounding this is the […]
How bond markets have become one of the most powerful forces in modern politics
Darryl Brooks/Shutterstock To stay in the top job, a British prime minister has to try and keep certain groups happy. MPs, party members and donors do not like to be ignored. Nor do the bond markets. And often it feels like they matter the most. That’s because those markets are what make it possible for […]
Will ‘ordinariness’ be enough to swing the result in Makerfield?
Authenticity and the performance of ordinariness are increasingly attractive elements of a political candidate’s brand. Social media particularly can be a space to present the “no-filter self” using more casual language, posting images and videos of everyday situations and using emojis or memes – just like the average person would. In terms of authenticity, at […]
Europe wants to limit its reliance on foreign tech – but funding is limited and the proposed rules are weak
The Commission’s plans include bolstering Europe’s semiconductor industry. metamorworks / Shutterstock Europe is taking decisive steps to strengthen its control over the technology that underpins its societies. It is concerned about the digital infrastructure that sits behind everything from energy grids and water supplies to public transport, healthcare and the apps in people’s phones. The […]
David Hockney’s success is a testament to a Britain that supported working-class artists – the same cannot be said today
David Hockney, who died on June 11, was perhaps the most successful and well-known British artist of his lifetime. His exhibitions, from career-spanning shows like David Hockney 25 at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (2025) to his groundbreaking touring immersive exhibition David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) (2025), drew thousands of […]
The overlooked Virginia Woolf novel about to hit cinemas – Night and Day
Virginia Woolf remains one of the most widely read and celebrated writers of the 20th century, with To the Lighthouse and Mrs Dalloway regularly appearing near the top of lists of the greatest novels of all time. Yet not all of her books are so well remembered. Woolf’s second novel, Night and Day, published in […]
Three men’s health drugs that were originally designed for a different purpose
Sildenafil (better known as Viagra) is perhaps the most famous example of a drug that has been repurposed. Yuriy Maksymiv/ Shutterstock Many medicines begin life with one purpose and end up proving useful for a completely different reason. Few areas show this more clearly than men’s health. Three drugs in particular have become household names […]
What came before the Big Bang?
berni0004/Shutterstock It’s a question big enough to make your head spin! Eight-year-old Ellie from Atlanta, Georgia, wants to know what came before the Big Bang? Ellie joins our host Eloise to delve into the origins of our universe with astronomer Michael Lam on The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast. In each episode of The Conversation’s Curious […]
Social media and teenagers: what the evidence says
Xavier Lorenzo/Shutterstock Is the time teenagers spend on social media really damaging their wellbeing and mental health? Around the globe, youth mental health problems are on the rise. This has coincided with an ever increasing amount of time teenagers spend on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, X and Snapchat. In the public discourse at least, […]