Kenan Malik
@kenanmalik.bsky.social
Writer & Observer columnist. Latest book: Not So Black and White (Hurst). “Unsettles the pieties of contemporary race-talk” - Paul Gilroy. “A work of immense scholarship” – Jon Bloomfield. Website: https://kenanmalik.com/
Reposted by Kenan Malik
This is a thoughtful write-up by @kenanmalik.bsky.social on the discourse around struggling areas. One of the arguments I made in my recent report is that government/politicians need to address material conditions *and* communicate how they care about people/places that feel overlooked/neglected.
Britain’s deprived areas need attention for their own sak...
Numerous studies warn about pockets of deep poverty, but little is done by sitting governments until they feel under threat
observer.co.uk
February 1, 2026 at 9:54 AM
This is a thoughtful write-up by @kenanmalik.bsky.social on the discourse around struggling areas. One of the arguments I made in my recent report is that government/politicians need to address material conditions *and* communicate how they care about people/places that feel overlooked/neglected.
“Much of the commentary reads as if improving high streets is not a good in itself, a measure important in enhancing people’s lives, but is primarily a means of undermining the Reform vote or staunching Labour’s decline.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/opinion...
Britain’s deprived areas need attention for their own sak...
Numerous studies warn about pockets of deep poverty, but little is done by sitting governments until they feel under threat
observer.co.uk
February 1, 2026 at 9:23 AM
“Much of the commentary reads as if improving high streets is not a good in itself, a measure important in enhancing people’s lives, but is primarily a means of undermining the Reform vote or staunching Labour’s decline.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/opinion...
Would be good if improving declining high streets was seen as a good in itself, important as a way of improving people’s lives, rather than primarily a means of preventing people from voting Reform or staunching Labour’s decline www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Labour risks election wipeout unless it improves Britain’s high streets, study finds
Decay of town centres a top issue among voters especially Reform UK supporters and is fuelling resentment against Westminster
www.theguardian.com
January 29, 2026 at 7:44 AM
Would be good if improving declining high streets was seen as a good in itself, important as a way of improving people’s lives, rather than primarily a means of preventing people from voting Reform or staunching Labour’s decline www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
That ROH/Turnadot story has made it into the nationals, with the @guardian quoting my original tweets in their entirety 😳https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jan/28/drama-at-the-opera-as-royal-opera-chief-steps-in-for-sick-tenor
Drama at the opera as Royal Opera chief steps in for sick tenor
Richard Hetherington forced to play Prince Calàf in Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot after French tenor Roberto Alagna taken ill
www.theguardian.com
January 29, 2026 at 7:43 AM
That ROH/Turnadot story has made it into the nationals, with the @guardian quoting my original tweets in their entirety 😳https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jan/28/drama-at-the-opera-as-royal-opera-chief-steps-in-for-sick-tenor
Drama at the opera tonight. During Turandot at Covent Garden, Roberto Alagna, playing Calaf, took ill and couldn’t come out for Act III. So, Richard Hetherington, ROH’s head of music, but not a trained opera singer, gamely stepped in, to sing from the side. 1/
January 28, 2026 at 12:02 AM
Drama at the opera tonight. During Turandot at Covent Garden, Roberto Alagna, playing Calaf, took ill and couldn’t come out for Act III. So, Richard Hetherington, ROH’s head of music, but not a trained opera singer, gamely stepped in, to sing from the side. 1/
The argument now seems to be “It’s your fault if you are shot dead attempting to hold a coercive state body to account”.
January 27, 2026 at 4:10 PM
The argument now seems to be “It’s your fault if you are shot dead attempting to hold a coercive state body to account”.
The continuing scandal of the Windrush scandal
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
‘I’m part of this country’: Windrush man left homeless by Home Office inaction
George Campbell, 69, slept in bus station as officials questioned his right to live in the UK after hospital stay
www.theguardian.com
January 27, 2026 at 3:57 PM
The continuing scandal of the Windrush scandal
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
“Acknowledging the wisdom of the past should not lead us to seek refuge there.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
The New Right’s vision of community depends on obedience,...
Rightwing pundits like Danny Kruger posit on the common good – but often the “good” is at the expense of the “common”
observer.co.uk
January 25, 2026 at 10:45 AM
“Acknowledging the wisdom of the past should not lead us to seek refuge there.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Impossible to verify any of the figures, but some of the numbers for casualties in the Iranian authorities’ crackdown on the protests (many now see 10,000 deaths as a conservative estimate) are quite extraordinary, and the stories too observer.co.uk/news/interna...
‘They want to kill us all’: fear replaces hope in Iran as...
Cut off from the rest of the world, the tens of thousands of Iranians who protested against the regime are feeling the full force of its brutal crackdown
observer.co.uk
January 25, 2026 at 10:41 AM
Impossible to verify any of the figures, but some of the numbers for casualties in the Iranian authorities’ crackdown on the protests (many now see 10,000 deaths as a conservative estimate) are quite extraordinary, and the stories too observer.co.uk/news/interna...
“In any case, the same question could be asked in reverse of conservatives and supporters of Israel. Why do so many who support freedom for Iranians refuse to apply that principle to Palestinians?” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social
column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
The left and right are spinning Iran’s story for their ow...
Protesters are neither CIA puppets nor Mossad assets. They are citizens confronting tyranny with courage and autonomy
observer.co.uk
January 18, 2026 at 10:36 AM
“In any case, the same question could be asked in reverse of conservatives and supporters of Israel. Why do so many who support freedom for Iranians refuse to apply that principle to Palestinians?” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social
column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Impossible to say how reliable these figures are (much, much higher than that reported in Western media), but if they are anywhere near the truth, it’s testament both to the extraordinary courage of the protestors and the murderous brutality of the Iranian regime www.iranintl.com/en/202601130...
At least 12,000 killed in Iran crackdown during internet blackout
At least 12,000 people have been killed in Iran in the largest killing in the country's contemporary history, much of it carried out on January 8 and 9 during an ongoing internet shutdown, according t...
www.iranintl.com
January 13, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Impossible to say how reliable these figures are (much, much higher than that reported in Western media), but if they are anywhere near the truth, it’s testament both to the extraordinary courage of the protestors and the murderous brutality of the Iranian regime www.iranintl.com/en/202601130...
When Plato is too woke www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/u...
Texas A&M, Under New Curriculum Limits, Warns Professor Not to Teach Plato
www.nytimes.com
January 13, 2026 at 10:00 AM
When Plato is too woke www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/u...
Reposted by Kenan Malik
“A Hobbesian world without constraining rules may seem more terrifying than a world of rules constantly broken by those who can get away with it. We should settle for neither.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Donald Trump has laid bare the myth of the west’s rules-b...
The president’s crude ‘might is right’ language has broken the code of hypocrisy that allowed old habits of empire to continue
observer.co.uk
January 11, 2026 at 11:55 AM
“A Hobbesian world without constraining rules may seem more terrifying than a world of rules constantly broken by those who can get away with it. We should settle for neither.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Guess it shouldn’t surprise us that the richest man in the world should agree that apartheid and white minority rule represent “high civilization”.
January 12, 2026 at 10:06 AM
Guess it shouldn’t surprise us that the richest man in the world should agree that apartheid and white minority rule represent “high civilization”.
“A Hobbesian world without constraining rules may seem more terrifying than a world of rules constantly broken by those who can get away with it. We should settle for neither.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Donald Trump has laid bare the myth of the west’s rules-b...
The president’s crude ‘might is right’ language has broken the code of hypocrisy that allowed old habits of empire to continue
observer.co.uk
January 11, 2026 at 11:55 AM
“A Hobbesian world without constraining rules may seem more terrifying than a world of rules constantly broken by those who can get away with it. We should settle for neither.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
“Many who argue for revocation claim that it is necessary to preserve the integrity of citizenship. In fact... to allow the state to annul citizenship so easily is to take its meaning insufficiently seriously.“ My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Stripping citizenship with such ease tears at the moral f...
The clamour to revoke Abd el-Fattah's British identity over past repugnant tweets poses profound questions about state power and individual rights
observer.co.uk
January 4, 2026 at 11:31 AM
“Many who argue for revocation claim that it is necessary to preserve the integrity of citizenship. In fact... to allow the state to annul citizenship so easily is to take its meaning insufficiently seriously.“ My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Happy New Year, all
January 1, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Happy New Year, all
I see the “I hate identity politics except when it comes to white identity” mob have again stumbled across one of my articles where I don’t make any such exception and become enraged: “How can someone brown tells about *our* special identity?” (And inevitably Jews are to blame)
December 29, 2025 at 11:02 PM
I see the “I hate identity politics except when it comes to white identity” mob have again stumbled across one of my articles where I don’t make any such exception and become enraged: “How can someone brown tells about *our* special identity?” (And inevitably Jews are to blame)
Reposted by Kenan Malik
We’re ‘bowling alone’ politically when we should be rallying for change.
Only collective action can bring about the positive vision needed for healthy democracy, writes @kenanmalik.bsky.social.
https://bit.ly/4aw6pOo
Only collective action can bring about the positive vision needed for healthy democracy, writes @kenanmalik.bsky.social.
https://bit.ly/4aw6pOo
We’re ‘bowling alone’ politically when we should be rally...
Only collective action can bring about the positive vision needed for healthy democracy
bit.ly
December 28, 2025 at 9:26 AM
We’re ‘bowling alone’ politically when we should be rallying for change.
Only collective action can bring about the positive vision needed for healthy democracy, writes @kenanmalik.bsky.social.
https://bit.ly/4aw6pOo
Only collective action can bring about the positive vision needed for healthy democracy, writes @kenanmalik.bsky.social.
https://bit.ly/4aw6pOo
“Ensnared as we are by a world in which anything can be politicised and yet political action appears to bring about little change.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
We’re ‘bowling alone’ politically when we should be rally...
Only collective action can bring about the positive vision needed for healthy democracy
observer.co.uk
December 28, 2025 at 12:17 PM
“Ensnared as we are by a world in which anything can be politicised and yet political action appears to bring about little change.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
“In Axiang, I saw the 1970s. Or rather, I saw the remnants of the youthful ideals of that generation… They clung to their dreams even as they lived ramshackle lives in cramped, damp shacks.” Zheng Xiaoqiong’s oral history of life in Guangdong’s factories @Equatormag: www.equator.org/articles/the...
The Makers of Modern China • EQUATOR
For many years, Zheng Xiaoqiong has collected the stories of the workers whose migration to Guangdong powered China’s manufacturing revolution
www.equator.org
December 21, 2025 at 7:50 PM
“In Axiang, I saw the 1970s. Or rather, I saw the remnants of the youthful ideals of that generation… They clung to their dreams even as they lived ramshackle lives in cramped, damp shacks.” Zheng Xiaoqiong’s oral history of life in Guangdong’s factories @Equatormag: www.equator.org/articles/the...
“If we hide in our separate silos, opposing only certain kinds of bigotry, or supporting liberty only for certain kinds of people, we will all lose.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
When free speech becomes weaponised and tribal, everybody...
Protecting expression for one’s own side, while censoring others, serves neither liberty nor safety
observer.co.uk
December 21, 2025 at 7:49 PM
“If we hide in our separate silos, opposing only certain kinds of bigotry, or supporting liberty only for certain kinds of people, we will all lose.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Looking forward to this
Submitted the last major edit of my book, An Injury To All: The Unmaking of the British Working Class.
I'm looking forward to An Injury To All being published in October 2026!
I'm looking forward to An Injury To All being published in October 2026!
December 20, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Looking forward to this
“Exposed here is a tribal world in which too many fail to take either antisemitism or Palestinian freedom seriously, and care about free speech only when it is speech they like.” Back with my @theobserveruk.bsky.social column, online today, in print tomorrow: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
When free speech becomes weaponised and tribal, everybody...
Protecting expression for one’s own side, while censoring others, serves neither liberty nor safety
observer.co.uk
December 20, 2025 at 9:34 AM
“Exposed here is a tribal world in which too many fail to take either antisemitism or Palestinian freedom seriously, and care about free speech only when it is speech they like.” Back with my @theobserveruk.bsky.social column, online today, in print tomorrow: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
“In Nottingham women ‘went from one baker’s shop to another, set their own price on the stock therein, and putting down the money, took it away.’”
EP Thompson, in The Making of the English Working Class, on working class direct action in the late 18th century in response to soaring food prices.
EP Thompson, in The Making of the English Working Class, on working class direct action in the late 18th century in response to soaring food prices.
December 3, 2025 at 5:35 PM
“In Nottingham women ‘went from one baker’s shop to another, set their own price on the stock therein, and putting down the money, took it away.’”
EP Thompson, in The Making of the English Working Class, on working class direct action in the late 18th century in response to soaring food prices.
EP Thompson, in The Making of the English Working Class, on working class direct action in the late 18th century in response to soaring food prices.