A note from the editor

Professor Sir Paul Curran was one of the first people in the UK to see the potential of The Conversation. When approached by Andrew Jaspan, the founder of the model in Australia, about taking it overseas, he was quick to back the idea.

As president of City, University of London, he was able to ensure the project had a home – a bureau was established within the institute’s main building that allowed us to lauch in May 2013. In the UK, The Conversation is an unusual journalism project in that it is a charity, providing a service for the public good. It therefore has a board of trustees, and Sir Paul agreed to serve as chair of that board.

Throughout his two terms as chair Sir Paul has provided expert guidance, and tremendous support for both our editorial and management teams. We are enormously grateful. He steps down as chair in the new year, to be replaced by Colin Riordan, vice-chancellor of the University of Cardiff, who is a current trustee.

Here, Sir Paul reflects on his six years as chair of The Conversation in the UK, and considers the role universities play in a rapidly changing media environment.

And below you can find our usual mix of original content, written by experts from across the higher education sector, in collaboration with our team of professional editors.

Stephen Khan

Editor

PA/Stefan Rousseau

The road to Brexit: how euroscepticism tore the Conservative Party apart from within

Chris Stafford, University of Nottingham

Looking back, it's a wonder the party is still together after years of arguing about this issue.

shutterstock

A ‘lifetime income super-tax’ offers a new way to tax wealth and fix inequality

Nick O'Donovan, Manchester Metropolitan University

A fairer and more efficient way of taxing wealth can benefit society as a whole.

Natalia Deriabina/Shutterstock

Why vegan diets for babies come with significant risks

Shirley Hinde, Cardiff Metropolitan University; Ruth Fairchild, Cardiff Metropolitan University

Vegan diets can come with significant risks for babies if not planned and supplemented very carefully.

The Conversation UK
Professor Sir Paul Curran, on six years as chair of The Conversation UK Sir Paul Curran, City, University of London Nearing the end of his second and final term, the founding chair of The Conversation UK considers the role of universities in the news media environment.

Environment + Energy

COP24 shows global warming treaties can survive the era of the anti-climate ‘strongman’

Raphael Heffron, University of Dundee

Trump and Bolsonaro may be against any action on climate change, but they are not the norm.
Mistrust and earthquakes: why Lancashire communities are so shaken by fracking tremors

Anna Szolucha, Northumbria University, Newcastle

A researcher looking at the social impacts of shale gas developments, explains why there's much more to the Blackpool tremors than just ground movements.
Dreaming of a green Christmas? Here are five ways to make it more sustainable

Sharon George, Keele University

Only a quarter of Christmas jumpers are reused.
Some sharks have declined by 92% in the past half-century off Queensland’s coast

George Roff, The University of Queensland; Christopher Brown, Griffith University

Some media have reported shark numbers at 'plague proportions' in Australian waters. But a new analysis suggests the opposite: species such as hammerheads and white sharks have plummeted in number.

Politics + Society

Brexit Groundhog Day as EU leaders stand firm in face of British political stalemate

Nieves Perez-Solorzano, University of Bristol

The EU realises the red lines it needs to meet are now the British parliament's, not Theresa May's.
May defiant, Macron contrite amid crises that threaten the EU’s stability

Helen Drake, Loughborough University

The winter woes facing the French president and British prime minister are surprisingly similar.
Brexit waiting game: the truth behind Theresa May’s delay tactics

Andrew Glencross, Aston University

The prime minister is running down the clock to pressure MPs into accepting her deal. But she's close to losing control.

Health + Medicine

What the NHS needs is more managers

Ian Kirkpatrick, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick

A study that more NHS managers actually lowered rates of infection and led to some improvement in patient satisfaction.
Young people suffering chronic pain battle isolation and stigma as they struggle to forge their identities

Abbie Jordan, University of Bath

Chronic pain is described as an 'invisible enemy' and a 'malign invader'.
Ebola in the DRC: expert sets out critical lessons learnt in Liberia

Mosoka Fallah, Harvard Medical School

It could be a matter of days before the ebola epidemic in the DRC spreads to urban centres or spills over into neighbouring countries.

Science + Technology
How an app can help fight loneliness in old people at Christmas Niall Hayes, Lancaster University Christmas can be a lonely time for older people, particularly the growing number who live in rural areas. Technology could help the crisis of social isolation in old age.

Business + Economy
Role reversal: China cites human rights in spat with Canada David Webster, Bishop's University China is influential, but would not have succeeded in changing the UN human rights system without quiet consent from countries who wished to trade with it, including Canada.

Arts + Culture
Why we should be cheered by the rise in illegal raves Beate Peter, Manchester Metropolitan University Unlicensed music events are on the rise again – and the free parties of the 1980s and 90s show they're not all bad.

Education
How RE teachers see religion – and why it can be bad for pupils David R. Smith, University of Aberdeen; Graeme Nixon, University of Aberdeen; Jo Pearce, UCL Many teachers believe that fundamentalists are not really religious, but have just misinterpreted their holy books.

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