GIVEN THE importance of the place of the Muslim community in Britain and all the heated feeling that surrounds it, it is surprising that an anti-Islamic, authoritarian piece of bigotry, such as that proposed by Nigel Farage this week, has slipped under our political radar.  The former leader of the UK Independence Party declared on the BBC’s Politics Show that the burka, a traditional piece of female Islamic clothing, should be banned as it was a symbol of "an increasingly divided Britain".

On Friday, Channel 4 is screening its highly anticipated docu-drama Mo, detailing the political life of the former Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam.  She was a highly unorthodox politician who once told Gerry Adams to “fuck off” and removed her wig during the peace process talks to stop the two sides arguing.

The recent Conservative proposal to offer tax breaks to married couples is not some archaic gesture from a traditional party, but a simple matter of fairness.  Predictably, the plan has drawn considerable criticism from both the Liberal Democrats and Labour.

 Calum Barnes welcomes the end of Scotland's Year of Homecoming...

 Stuart Tooley urges students to join the campaign to raise the minimum wage above the poverty line...