Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Do you ever have the feeling that you live in a parallel universe to your fellow citizens? That the things that so many people get het up about leave you puzzled, but not as much as what they don't get worked up about – subjects that seem so glaringly important to me, but others seem to accept?
That said, I'm very aware that it is easy for us here in London to come across as overly metrocentric and immune to the concerns of people not only in other regions, but the countryside itself.
At the head of my 'what-are-we-all-so-worked-up-about ?' list, I would place: the Royal Family; the entire honours system; the advance of most new technologies; the daily machinations of reality-TV shows; literary and other artistic feuds; and nearly every diet fad. At the top of my 'why-aren't-we-madder-as-hell' list? The terrible British education system, with its irrelevant and destructive league tables; our venal banks and power suppliers; the poor quality of 'fresh produce' in our supermarkets; the inexorable decline of customer service and the cynical lies we are fed as corporations pretend to care about us; and the outrageous cost and dire standard of transport.
I could go on. And I do. As I wrote recently, I envy journalists who see things in black-and-white terms, with an answer for everything. Take today's i splash. I think it is an incredibly important subject. The balance between preserving what makes our country so beautiful and providing enough room for us all to live in and for our businesses to grow lies at the heart of what kind of nation we wish to be. I don't think it a simple subject at all. However, I am entirely convinced there is so much more brownfield development we can undertake before hacking into our Green Belts.
Many of you will disagree, but at least it is a more worthwhile argument to be having than whether a 27-year-old man should have kept his trousers on in his hotel room.
Follow @stefanohat
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments