How the pandemic has stunted students’ social growth: debunking the myth of the ‘golden years’
The prospect of completing a degree is, for the many legions of students investing vast sums in university every year, not the primary selling point. For many, the allure of the…
2020: The year of fragility and endurance
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson If 2020 has shown us anything, it has shown two things: the fragility and the endurance of the world we have created. At the end of 2019,…
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…
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…
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…
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….
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…
Spinsters like Cummings are undermining democracy
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Sunday’s COVID-19 press briefing was a heinous moment for Boris Johnson. Since March, the country has been under lockdown in order to slow the spread of COVID-19….
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…
Johnson’s use of language has distracted from his failure to act on COVID-19
Illustrations by Hannah Robinson Language has been a significant factor in the coronavirus pandemic. There has been a rapid change in global discourse as a new and resurgent vocabulary of terms…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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)…