This issue dissects the political culture of Britain in infinite ways. We move from abstract notions of British identity captured in a photoessay on the far-flung fragments of the British empire [Empire | Jon Tonks] to political parties and their politicians [Polemic | Will Self].

We address contemporary social forces at play amongst the architectures of our society, deliberating the psycho-geography of London [Utopia | Dystopia] and showcasing Richard Billingham's harrowing candids from his council estate home in the West Midlands [Living in the Lens]. We also turn to civil society expressions of discontent in an exploration of the vicious cycles of alienation and provocation in the media portrayal of Islam [Preaching to the Converted] as well as the result of the dystopian pessimism of the 1970s/80s punk movement which culminated in the controversy of the Sec Pistols' single 'God Save the Queen', which lyrically subverted the glorification of the reigning monarch [The Monarchist Anthem].