What can Albert Camus offer us in the present day?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Throughout lockdown, and this time of modern-day plague, many have found it somewhat amusing to read Camus’ The Plague. Accompanying this sense of irony, Penguin compiled and…
It is time for the government to stop blaming the youth of today
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Was it not Matt Hancock who declared the importance of remembering that we are all on the same side in the fight against COVID-19? This very same…
The COVID-19 generation: what will the pandemic mean for our futures?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson As the much feared second wave of COVID-19 begins to materialise, the government has been desperate to find a new place to point its finger. It seems…
Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and dereliction of duty
This week it ‘emerged’ that Donald Trump knew coronavirus was deadly in February. He knew and did nothing. With polls narrowing, Democrats are seizing this in order to double down…
To protest or not to protest: lessons from Berlin
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson It was an image that shocked a nation and reverberated across the world. On August 29th at 7:30pm right-wing extremists stormed the steps of the Reichstag in…
The future of theatre in the COVID-19 world
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Theatre has survived many challenges before, but, without help from the government COVID-19 could be its biggest challenge yet. This week, Andrew Lloyd Webber declared that the…
COVID-19: the great leveller myth
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson When Boris Johnson tested positive for Covid-19 in late March, Michael Gove reminded us that “the virus does not discriminate”. The UK government spread the myth of…
Conservative competence: victim of COVID-19?
llustrations by Hannah Robinson I have a confession to make. I am a natural Conservative voter. This might come as no surprise; I ‘look’ like a natural Conservative voter- I am…
Is Boris u-turning out of control?
U-turning on policy, when faced with overwhelming resistance, demonstrates a government’s ability to listen to its electorate. But, not only that. It also illustrates our ability, as an electorate, to…
How is Syria handling COVID-19?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson During the Arab Spring of 2011, protesters in Syria gathered to try and oust the Assad family regime, who have been in power since 1971. In 2012,…
Young people are vital to post-COVID-19 recession recovery
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The new millennium has been a turbulent time, not least for young people. The last two decades have been unfair for our generation in a number of…
COVID-19 and recent exam results mean now is time for education reform
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In life, the best chance at equal opportunity is arguably through education. Education reform and re-evaluation has never been more crucial, particularly considering the current outrage regarding…
Why are female leaders excelling at fighting COVID-19?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of media attention paid to the link between the gender of leaders and the effectiveness of their…
Trump and Bolsonaro’s COVID-19 fake news is worsening our infodemic
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In February of this year, the Director-General of the World Health Organization declared an ‘infodemic’. As COVID-19 began to spread at a terrifyingly rapid pace across the…
Lockdown’s wellness craze might be better left in lockdown
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The domestic stasis of lockdown has for many ignited a new zeal for wellness. Whether it’s baking, walking or running, taking up arts and crafts or spending…
COVID-19: time for the Great British staycation
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson With lockdown set to be further relaxed next week, amidst the decline of COVID-19 cases, there is one big question that the British public need answered: can…
Donald Trump is set for a one term presidency
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Logic has been cast aside with bombastic disdain by Donald Trump, a populist outsider who confounds expectation. His opponents do not want to be made electorally foolish…
Will COVID-19 heightens the Brexit stakes?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson On the 31st of January 2020 some friends and I sat counting down the minutes until the UK officially left the EU. After more than three years…
COVID-19 has brought the resurgence of the bike
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Bikes are in and cars are out. This seems to be the new motto echoing through government at the moment that can only be good news for…
Periods in a pandemic -basic menstruating needs are still not being met
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Throughout history, people who menstruate have been forced to jump through numerous hoops to access suitable and affordable hygiene products. In January 2020, the UK government finally…
Wilfred Owen warned us of the dangers of war rhetoric – lest we forget
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Never has a work of literature so accurately articulated the profound dangers of war rhetoric than Wilfred Owen’s World War I poem Dulce Et Decorum Est. Owen…
We are not at war: using war-like rhetoric in relation to COVID-19 is dangerous
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Lockdown has been an essential measure to “flatten the curve” and hinder the spread of COVID-19. Yet throughout the pandemic, governments across the globe have used war-like…
Europe’s handling of COVID-19 is stoking the populist fire
Illustration by Hannah Robinson At the time of writing, Europe has the second-largest COVID-19 outbreak in the world. From the unprecedented toils of people’s livelihoods to financial insecurity, COVID-19 has brought…
How would the Romans have responded to COVID-19?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Even the richest Romans could not escape contagions and curses. The Antonine Plague savaged Rome from 160AD until 180AD. The rich flocked to their countryside villas, the…
COVID-19, mental health and the view from the GDR
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Since lockdown was announced, our world has grown smaller and our attention has shifted inwards to focus on the bare foundations. For many, this sudden refocusing has…
COVID-19 coverage highlights the sexist double standard in British journalism
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson On 27 May, the Conservative MP for Shrewsbury Daniel Kawczynski took to Twitter with his opinion of Emily Maitlis’ Newsnight monologue on Dominic Cummings’ infamous trip to…
The “new normal” – there’s no returning to the old
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson What will we keep of this lockdown experience? “And I asked myself about the present: how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine…
Now more than ever, don’t call him Boris!
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In order to properly scrutinise the Prime Minister’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, he must be held to a standard of professionalism and ignore his attempts at…
We must save lives – by lifting restrictions
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, there have been suggestions that a new “profound culture war” is erupting; pitting your money against your life; or at least somebody’s life….
What does COVID-19 mean for Europe’s refugees?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson A great deal has changed in the world of late, yet our tendency to ignore the suffering endured by Europe’s refugees has held fast. It never takes…
How can we rediscover the value of learning after lockdown?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The closure of schools across the country was met by some with jubilation, and others with a sense of loss of direction. The news of cancellation of…
Project Restart is a mockery of football
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson It is without question that football is thoroughly missed during these unprecedented times. The balls crashing into the net, the silky footwork from talented individuals and the…
COVID-19 is set to deepen the global North/South divide
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson For many, the idea of a COVID-19 vaccine being on the horizon is a lifeline; a gleaming beacon in what has been an inarguably bleak few months….
We’ve never been in the same boat, COVID-19 won’t change that
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson I’m fed up of people saying things like ‘we’re all in the same boat’; COVID-19 has not suddenly caused inequalities to disappear. We have never been in…
Why has COVID-19 brought a return of Yellow Peril?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Last week Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused “a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scare-mongering”. This effect of the…
Why does the end of lockdown seem as daunting as lockdown itself?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson There are many reasons to look forward to the return of normalcy. The idea of being hemmed in around a pub table amongst my friends, elbows jostling,…
Are online examinations just another unnecessary burden for students?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the education sector has metamorphised into a huge digital operation with a sizable challenge on its hand. Considering the rapidly…
The management of COVID-19 is a matter of leadership not gender
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Amongst the chaos of press coverage of COVID-19 – misinformation, a lack of honest facts and fear-mongering – one line of argument stands out. A distinct preoccupation…
Is COVID-19 the last nail in the coffin for Putin’s Russia?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The COVID-19 pandemic has been a litmus test for regimes across the world. Governments have been both criticised and praised for their response to the outbreak, proving…
COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on the LGBTQ+ community
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson While the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic has many believing that ‘we’re all in the same boat’, for minority communities the virus does, in fact, discriminate. Not…
For Stormont’s sake, end the Brexit dawdle and grant that extension
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Brexit is still happening – however low it is on the Whitehall agenda – and it deserves our utmost attention. The government, is now focused on responding…
Lockdown and Brexit present a challenge of conflicting ideals for Johnson
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The UK economy is currently facing several severe challenges. Pre- COVID-19, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced that public spending would have to increase in…
Britain’s obsession with Royal news has gone too far
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The one certainty that Britain can rely on in any national crisis, is the swift rise of Royal coverage. While it can’t be denied that the Royal…
What can we learn about COVID-19 from the 430BC Athenian Plague?
Illustration by Felix Pawlyn This time round, will the pandemic be a case of survival of the fitness or the richest? The 430BC Athenian plague is our earliest ever record…
Once upon a time: Boris Johnson’s COVID-19 fairytale
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Perhaps, there has never been a finer time for fairy tales. As a nation in need of solace and certainty, the straight-cut world of heroes and villains…
One epidemic illuminates another – COVID-19 and the Educational Attainment Gap
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The wealth divide in Britain is entrenched and it is vicious. A monstrous creature, it plunges its tentacles into every crevice of our lives, suffocating social mobility…
Technology can benefit our mental health during COVID-19
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson The infectious pandemic has been a testing time for humanity and has affected individuals in ways scarily imaginable just four months ago. From increased loneliness due to…
Automation is the answer to our struggling agricultural industry
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Despite the globalisation of goods and services, homegrown produce remains a vital component of the United Kingdom’s economy. The agricultural industry is worth over £120 billion, and…
I Would’ve Voted for Trump in 2016 – But I Have Since Changed My Mind
To understand why the majority of America voted Trump, you need to understand the climate of 2016. Obama, the man that promised ‘Yes, we can!’ had broken a string of…
COVID-19 has shown that health must always come first
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In this global age when often, our worth seems to be based on economic performance and productivity, work is dominating our lives more than ever. It seems…
Can we find some hope during this pandemic?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson. These are uncertain times. This is probably the first time that young people, myself included, feel that we have no idea what the future holds. We weren’t…
Love, virtually: A defence of online dating in time of COVID-19
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson In a culture of prolonged separation, where the prospects of seeing those closest to our hearts remain indefinite, people are showcasing creative ways of coming together –…
COVID-19 has made us act sustainably- but will it last?
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson How sustainable is our new-found sustainability? The tirade of mantras and teachings that COVID-19 has generated have proven almost as tiresome and unrelenting as the virus itself….
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…