'Return of Big Brother is breath of fresh air for being natural, warts and all'

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Kuba Shand-Baptiste for the i news site
David Swift for UnHerd
Katy Balls for The Times
Ilaria Fevola for EUobserver

published 2 November 2023

Big Brother has recaptured reality TV's original mission – holding a mirror up to society

Kuba Shand-Baptiste for the i news site

The return of "Big Brother" feels "like a breath of fresh air because it's giving us something that reality TV hasn't dared to in a long time: reality", says Kuba Shand-Baptiste on the i news site. "With its mix of contestants from all walks of life" and conversations that might have been edited out of other programmes for being "too political", the show "feels natural, warts and all". So, "TV execs, take note. When devising your next reality series, can we have more of this, please?"

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Many Israeli liberals are "now reevaluating their assumptions around the cause of and likely cure for organisations such as Hamas", writes David Swift for UnHerd. "They are beginning to abandon hope of a peaceful future with two states, and have broadly shifted in their view of military action." The problem is, when "even those who normally oppose escalation are now committed to it, the limits of international pressure become clear".

Like in many workplaces, WhatsApp groups "are a part of daily life in Westminster", writes Katy Balls for The Times, but that "can mean official processes around government decisions are circumvented". The use of the app also promotes greater "vitriol" and "factionalism", with MPs happy to "write things on WhatsApp they wouldn't say in an email or text". WhatsApp, of course, "isn't going away", but MPs "would be well advised" to think before they type.

Very little attention is paid in the EU to "a crucial tenet of democratic accountability – how the EU institutions regulate themselves", writes lawyer Ilaria Fevola for EUobserver. "In stark contrast to several other regional courts, the EU court does not allow for public access to many of its key documents, including those about ongoing proceedings." This must change as the "lack of transparency hinders accountability and undermines trust in EU institutions".

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