Kirsty Major

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Kirsty Major |Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah |Sahil Dutta

Substantial spending – but not for the manySahil DuttaSahil Jai Dutta is a lecturer in political economyBy the raw numbers alone, Labour can say this is no return to austerity. The government, after all, will dole out billions for capital projects, and day-to-day NHS spending will rise. But for many, it won’t feel that way. Because the lived reality of austerity was never just about spending in the aggregate. It was about who and what we prioritised as a society.

Mar 12, 2025 | theguardian.com | Kirsty Major

Though Wanstead is a quiet east London suburb, located just on the edge of leafy Epping Forest, things haven’t been so peaceful for the residents of Harley Court. A two-storey extension, containing 12 new units, is being built on top of their block of flats. It’s a story that reveals one of the many challenges of our housing market. In the quest to hit housing targets there will be some disruption, but how much is too much for existing residents and communities?

Jan 2, 2025 | theguardian.com | Kirsty Major

When Ronan and his wife lived as property guardians in Walthamstow, east London, owning a place of their own seemed out of their reach. But in 2018, an opportunity presented itself: a development offering compact one-bedroom flats at a discounted price to people living in the local community. The couple had no plans to start a family and the flat seemed suited to their lifestyle and budget. Then plans changed, as they often do, and they gave birth to a baby boy four years after moving in.

Dec 29, 2024 | theguardian.com | Kirsty Major

If culture is the mirror that reflects the state of society, right now we’re all looking a little dishevelled – and struggling to find the energy to care. The signs have been there for a while, with rumblings initially picked up by trend forecasters’ finely tuned cultural seismometers. In 2021, Sean Monahan coined the term “the vibe shift” in his Substack to explain the transition from the self-controlled, self-improvement-obsessed worthiness of the 2010s to the messy decadence of the 2020s.

Dec 13, 2023 | msn.com | Kirsty Major

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