Author: Ryan Woods

Ryan Woods on the wastefulness of Western culture. The French Senate voted unanimously on a law which forces supermarkets in the country to give all their unwanted food to charities, a move that was met with international applaud. Back in Britain, a few months ago, Morrisons became the UK’s first supermarket to do the same – surely now we can all sleep happier knowing the issue is solved. Wrong. It’s great that Morrisons have taken it upon themselves to donate unsold food, even better that France has made it law, but why has it taken this long, and why are we all so happy about it? Shouldn’t it be expected that all supermarkets do this, to help the communities they are so quick to say they are a pillar of? It isn’t hard to put unsold food in a box instead of a bin and simply let a chari...

Ryan Woods on why migration isn't as simple as it may seem. The fairly recent attack on the Munich subway by four migrants will undoubtedly add to the deafening roar of arguments both for and against a more inclusive Europe. One side more welcoming to refugees and migrants and the other a more closed off ‘each for their own’ alternative. The far right will use the recent video that has surfaced showing four migrants verbally assaulting two elderly German men after they stopped the migrants from allegedly harassing the woman they were sitting next to. The left will be quick to state that those perpetrating the attacks are in the clear minority of migrants and refugees. Unfortunately, neither solves the issue, one caused by the inevitable clash of cultures that comes with the arrival of l...

The Labour Party is facing a potential crisis: its Scottish branch has come out in support against the renewal of Trident, the UK’s nuclear weapons system.  In the rest of the UK the maintaining of the programme is largely supported, although its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is in agreement with Scottish Labour in their opposition.  As the Labour Party shows itself to be more and more fragile upon the news of this revelation, the question on the need of nuclear weapons has undoubtedly reared its ugly head once more. ​Many will argue that in this cyber-orientated, interdependent, post-9/11 world that we inhabit, that nuclear weapons are both costly and obsolete, and that they pose a significant threat to us all; a valid argument indeed.  The scale of destruction that we all know nuclear weapon...