Keir Starmer is shortchanging Scotland with federalism
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The night of 12th December 2019 was not a good night for Scottish Labour. In the country of Labour’s founding father and (subsequently elected, leader’s namesake) Keir…
COVID-19 highlights the degradation of the degree
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The bachelor’s degree is traditionally considered the zenith of the majority of people’s higher education and academic achievement: the steppingstone into the jobs market. It is a…
With COVID-19, the Conservatives have realised Labour’s economic vision
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson “Vote Tory, get Labour,” remarked Phillip Cunliffe, professor in International Conflict at the University of Kent and co-founder of The Full Brexit, commentating on the measures put…
The Chinese model is the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, not the solution
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson There has been a noticeable tendency toward praising the Chinese approach to COVID-19 while excessively chastising the response of Western governments. A New York Times opinion piece…
Trump’s handling of this crisis exposes his shocking campaign tactics
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson President Trump’s daily press conferences are incomparable to anything politics has seen before. Topics range from him being number one on Facebook (for what nobody knows) anti-malarial…
When Boris Johnson’s humour returns this crisis will truly be over
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson It feels like a long time ago that the Prime Minister was telling the public that they could ‘bung a bob for a Big Ben bong’ to…
COVID-19 calls for a new approach to how we view sex work
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that now more than ever workers need to be protected. The UK Government’s introduction of the job retention scheme in March, that…
Labour needs a Nandyite foreign policy
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Keir Starmer’s new shadow cabinet was designed to give credence to the word repeated ad infinitum in his campaign: unity. The removal of a handful of Corbyn…
Covid-19 brings another pandemic: domestic abuse
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Following restrictions on movement in order to try and reduce the impact of Covid-19, people across the world are currently stuck at home. Being confined at home…
In defence of occasional idiocy: how partisan hatred is corrupting our society
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson 175 years of history and you’ve blown it. From a prized free trade journal to this. The Economist’s Europe Editor Chris Lockwood was greeted with utter disdain…
The UK media is failing us in this pandemic
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson There is no way to gloss over what is currently happening all over the world, no way to play it down or over state just how awful…
Dear the left, gays are not your pets
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson I am a young Scottish Conservative studying politics in Aberdeen. I like aviation, sci-fi and, like everyone else, I enjoy going to the pub. I also happen…
Support the British press during the uncertainty of covid-19
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In the current climate, coherent, reliable and expert reporting is indispensable. The outbreak of Covid-19 and the dissemination of information to the public regarding its status have…
The NHS is not a charity!
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson As we reach the end of week three of the COVID-19 lockdown, social media pages continue to regress to the trends of 2012/13. Our screens are…
COVID-19: has France got it wrong?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson COVID-19 arrived in Italy on the 30th of January. Two months later, Italy counted more than 130,000 cases and 15,000 deaths. France is said to be 11…
The return of experts- a silver lining to the crisis?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Casting our eyes back, how ironic Michael Gove’s declaration that the British public have “had enough of experts” seems. Stepping outside on Thursday evenings at eight o’clock…
Is new “Zen” consumerism cultural appropriation?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In this unprecedented climate, an interesting symptom is the rise in self-help products and trends including tidying, skincare, remodelling and fitness; all, by my books, great things….
Can the Chinese government be blamed for the Covid-19 pandemic?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson It seems incredibly premature, and perhaps to some distasteful, to be placing blame on anyone for the outbreak of a deadly pandemic while we are still in…
What can we learn from this pandemic?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Coronavirus has turned the public into lean-mean-exercising machines. I have never seen my neighbourhood so full of joggers, cyclists, walkers and even people on scooters! Some argue…
Innocent until proven guilty, unless you’re the victim
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Last week Alex Salmond, former First Minister and accused sex predator, was acquitted of 13 charges against him, including sexual assault and attempted rape. This happened during…
Why is Macron so unpopular in France?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson During the election in 2017, international media praised Macron’s charisma and he was supported by some of the most powerful politicians in the world including Barack Obama…
Parliament should have set the tone for social distancing
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson A couple of weeks ago, a number of MPs fielded calls to close down parliament, which would see MPs working from home in order to prevent the…
Covid-19 was an NHS crisis waiting to happen
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Coronavirus has brought the level of strain on our NHS to a new level. The UK Government has ordered the construction of three emergency hospitals; a 4,000-bed…
Could coronavirus change our education system for the better?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson As schools closed to delay the spread of coronavirus, students, teachers, and politicians have been left “scared and anxious”. Beyond education, schools are vital spaces of stability…
Why is Italy’s Healthcare System struggling to manage coronavirus?
Since the early 1990s, every Italian regional government has autonomously planned and organized the healthcare services in its territory. The autonomy enjoyed by Italian regions means that some consider it…
Level With Me: a new space for working-class students to speak
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Amidst COVID-chaos, I’ve conducted a (telephone) interview with the founders of an up-and-coming student journal called Level With Me. This journal is specifically for working-class students to…
Individualism and toilet rolls
Illustration by Hannah Robinson The panic-buying we are witnessing, driven by fear of the Coronavirus, exhibits the type of individualistic thinking which threatens our society and values. For the past couple…
More Hope For the Homeless
Illustration by Hannah Robinson When starting at University, there are so many aspects of life to acclimatise to; a new city, new accommodation, new friends – but something that I have…
Netflix’s Love is Blind reinforces Female Stereotypes
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Masterfully dropping on the eve before Valentine’s Day, Love is Blind has since snowballed in popularity. Perhaps this is unsurprising, it is the televisual equivalent of mashed…
This pandemic could result in the death of neoliberalism
Illustration by Hannah Robinson The apocalypse jokes are wearing thin, and most of us are now settling down into a new, changed reality. It is rapidly becoming clear that the economic…
Why pubs and restaurants are off the menu
Illustration by Hannah Robinson I never thought this was going to be an ‘us’ and ‘them’ situation. Not in my age group anyway. I’ve had multiple phone calls with friends where…
Blasé attitudes will make coronavirus much worse
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Students pride themselves as being at the cutting edge of social change and ‘making the world a better place’. Abundant evidence of this can be found all…
Small tips to help with the stress of Covid-19
Illustration by Hannah Robinson You probably feel the same way. Uncertain about the future, anxious about your health and gutted about having to abandon any sense of normality. The outbreak of…
Working-class students need support that we aren’t getting
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Universities are complex places for a lot of minority students. The University of Edinburgh’s student union has minority officers in attempt to combat the struggles faced, though…
Covid-19 highlights the need for international cooperation
Illustration by Hannah Robinson The lively debate concerning refugees and asylum seekers over the past two months seems to have given way in wake of the new coronavirus. The coronavirus (Covid-19)…
The future of EU-UK relations- could fishing be the thorniest issue at stake?
Illustration by Hannah Robinson The UK officially left the European Union in January after three tortuous years. But the Brexit process is nowhere near over. Indeed, we are now entering what…
Covid-19 Fashion
An illustrated feature on coronavirus masks by our resident illustrator Hannah Robinson.
Joyous foolery in the forest: a review of EUSC’s As You Like It
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Many of William Shakespeare’s plays place great expectations on the head of the lead actor. A dull Macbeth might just be saved by a superb Lady Macbeth;…
The diverse classics series: A half-cooked but salvageable step in the right direction
Illustration by Hannah Robinson America’s largest chain bookstore Barnes & Noble came under fire recently after announcing plans to launch a new series of diverse classics. The ill-advised series takes the…
Northern Ireland Secretary: the most underestimated role in the cabinet
Illustration by Hannah Robinson At Boris Johnson’s last cabinet re-shuffle, the previous Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Julian Smith, was sacked, leaving the role open to be filled by the…
The perils of online dating
Dating is hard, in 2020. We live in a hectic world, always busy with updating our status (online and offline), working also when we are resting, monitoring our online reputation…
Lunch with The Broad: As You Like It’s Michael Zwiauer
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Lunch with The Broad: As You Like It’s Michael Zwiauer Michael Zwiauer is a man who never stops moving. From its conception to conclusion, his new production…
Fake news hysteria can only lead to fake solutions
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Fake news has become an omnipresent aspect of politics around the globe. It appears that no election, referendum, or debate can happen without this ubiquitous term being…
From Brexit to a new EU enlargement
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Less than a week after Brexit, the EU Commission released a paper on the new enlargement strategy for the Western Balkans. Since 2013 and the accession of…
Oldest profession or oldest oppression: what is the future of prostitution?
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Oldest profession or oldest oppression: what is the future of prostitution? This week I stumbled across an unusual article; “19-year-old Ukranian Sells Her Virginity For $1.3M to…
The rise of male eating disorders
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Why we need emancipation from rigid codes of beauty and gender. The always-hungry beast: the rise of male eating disorders and why we need emancipation from rigid…
Single Use Men; Re-use or throw away?
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Does traditional masculinity block ethically responsible behaviour?
China continues to use Xinjiang and Tibet as pawns in its global growth
Illustration by Hannah Robinson The author of this piece has asked to remain anonymous so to protect their freedom travelling to and from China. A BBC exposé in October 2018 reported…
Universities still have a lot of work to do on sexual harassment on campus
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Five years have passed since Brock Turner sexually assaulted Chanel Miller on Stanford University’s campus in California. This case caught worldwide attention and garnered vast support for…
Even in Black History Month black voices are marginalised
Scott Allen, Republican state senator for Wisconsin, ushered in the new year with a revised list for celebrating this Black History Month in America. The catch is that it consists,…
Have we got Brexit done now? Not just yet.
Illustration by Hannah Robinson The 31st of January marked “Brexit day”. For years now, Leave supporting politicians and large factions of the media have said that academics, industry and trade experts,…
Her Romeo review
Her Romeo centres around the peripheral characters in Romeo and Juliet, particularly a female recreation of Benvolio, Benvolia, who is driven to guilt and anxiety through her unrequited love for…
The North needs trains, not Lords
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Last Sunday, as I performed my weekly ritual of tuning into Andrew Marr, cafetière at the ready, I was met with an unexpected proposal. The government has…
What can we learn from ‘Megxit’?
Illustration by Hannah Robinson For the past week or so, British media discourse has been dominated by the announcement from @sussexroyal on Instagram that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would be…
Scottish Independence is not an escape route from a “No Deal” Brexit.
Illustration by Hannah Robinson Election results in Scotland remain in stark contrast to that of England. The 2019 election turned England blue and Scotland yellow, with the Conservatives losing 7 of…