vote – The Orbital

10May

By Lydia PaynterNo Comments

Opinion

The Irish Abortion Referendum

Motherhood, and specfically the ability to carry and give birth to a baby, is simultaneously revered as the epitome of the greatest of all human powers, the ability to create new life, and ridiculed and undervalued as ‘women’s work’. The power to choose not to give birth, and instead end a pregnancy, seems to incite equally rigorous complaint and controversy, which is soon set to be voiced very publicly as the Republic of Ireland prepares to go to the polls on 25th May for an vote that could lift the country’s ban on abortion. In Ireland, an abortion is not merely illegal; its prohibition is enshrined in the constitution as the Eighth Amendment, which recognises the equal right to life of both a woman and an unborn foetus. The change to the constitution, which came into force...

8Dec

By Michele TheilNo Comments

News

Referendum on NSS Boycott Announced

Royal Holloway’s Student’s Union has called for a referendum to vote on whether or not the RHSU should continue to boycott the National Student Survey (NSS). The boycott was passed in a referendum in March of this year, with 282 votes. The original boycott was called for, in conjunction with the National Union of Students (NUS), in response to the NSS being used with the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) to possibly allow universities to charge higher tuition fees. The NSS measures student satisfaction while the TEF measures quality of teaching and results of study. Universities can score Gold or Silver and be placed on the higher end of the spectrum or they could be scored with a Bronze, which is a lower rating. Thus, those that achieved Gold or Silver, under the Government’s initiat...

8Jun

By Louise JonesNo Comments

News

Cuts to GE Youth Campaign

Outgoing Deputy Editor Louise Jones discusses funding cuts to the youth campaigns usually provided to engage young people to vote. Funding previously provided by the Cabinet Office for youth vote campaigns has been slashed and will not be available in this election due to the immediacy of its nature. Youth vote campaigners are warning of a ‘democratic deficit’ in the general election, as it emerged that the Cabinet Office will not provide funding to the groups focused on increasing turnout among young and marginalised people. This includes groups such as LGBTQ+ and BAME. The electoral commission has launched a campaign to increase voter registration before the deadline on 22 May, according to a Guardian article: "funding provided by the Cabinet Office in past general elections wil...

8Jun

By Amber ChoudharyNo Comments

Features

#7ReasonsToVote

During the 2015 General Election, electoral participation was stronger amongst older age groups, with only 44% of 18-24 year olds even voting. Individually, your vote may seem insignificant, but collectively we can make a real difference. Non-voters think their votes don’t count, which is why I have compiled a list of #7ReasonsToVote in this year’s General Election. We live in a democracy, which means we can choose who runs our country; a freedom that many countries don’t have. Voting is a privilege and has never been so easy. The Suffragette movement fought for women’s right to vote. We live in a society where our race and gender has no affect on our ability to vote. The upcoming general election will dictate the next five years of your life. Who doesn't want ...

Not sure who to vote for? Here are the party policies

6May

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Features

Not sure who to vote for? Here are the party policies

Not sure who to vote for? Confused about what all the politicians are saying? We took the party manifestos / policies and broke them down party-by-party, issue-by-issue. With some (hopefully) helpful infographics too. (These policies were correct at the time of writing)

31Mar

By Beth CarrNo Comments

News

#votebecause

A disappointingly overcast morning last Friday turned into a beautiful sunny day, perfect for the next aspect in Royal Holloway’s #votebecause campaign. Kim Deasy, the Press and Communications Officer, explained that they hope that the campaign will encourage students to register and use their right to vote in the upcoming general election. Today’s task was to spell the word vote using staff and students with an aerial photo, a creative and visually exciting way to involve lots of people in the campaign and raise awareness. I spoke to two students involved in the photo. Jing said ‘As an exchange student, to be part of it, to get involved in politics and activities, to prompt democracy, is worthwhile and brilliant’. Hannah, a first year, emphasised the importance of this campaign: ‘Young pe...

2Nov

By No Comments

Opinion

Make Sure You’re Registered

In February of this year, only a third of students were registered to vote. Prospects were bleak for the 2015 General Election, especially as the student population in some areas is big enough to swing the vote and get people into power who will not break promises and who will acknowledge the demands of students. However, since February there's been a massive increase in students registered to vote. New data from the NUS shows that now almost three quarters of students are registered, with 72% of those surveyed likely or highly likely to vote in the next election. Though some students may be doubtful of whether or not their vote will make a difference, the NUS believes that many seats could change parties as a result of students going out to vote. This is direct proof that we should not...