Opinion – Page 20 of 31

Fox Hunting: A Thing of the Past or the Future?

13Jun

By Izzy SwansonNo Comments

Opinion

Fox Hunting: A Thing of the Past or the Future?

Izzy Swanson discusses why this activity is back on the political agenda. With the current political climate, I doubt that you were thinking about fox hunting a couple of weeks ago when you were deciding who to vote for in the general election. But now that Theresa May has revealed that she is continuing the Conservatives’ trend of putting the repeal of the fox hunting ban on the party’s manifesto, it has brought the debate into the foreground again. However, as a YouGov poll made known in 2015, the majority of the UK do not want to see a return of the ‘sport’ in its original form, which was outlawed in 2004, so why does the Prime Minister want to revive something so unpopular? One reason is Theresa May’s personal preference as, in her own words, she has “always been in favour of fox...

Money For Nothing, Clicks For Free: Could Facebook Make Blogging Profitable?

12Jun

By No Comments

Opinion

Money For Nothing, Clicks For Free: Could Facebook Make Blogging Profitable?

Danny Angove explores how Facebook could become a profitable blogging platform in the near future. Here’s a controversial opinion: in ten years’ time, most self-hosted blogs won’t exist. The evolution of social media sites into content-hosting platforms will, for the most part, render self-hosting unnecessary. Instead, bloggers will publish their content directly to - and have it hosted by - Facebook, Twitter, or whichever social media site they think fits them best. On the surface, this might not sound great for the majority of bloggers. What it does mean, though, is that some bloggers might actually make a bit of money from blogging. Now, it goes without saying that if a publisher chooses to publish their content on Facebook, the platform will place some adverts alongside their ...

‘Warning Explicit Content’: Is Censorship Needed in the Music Industry?

9Jun

By Natasha PhillipsNo Comments

Opinion

‘Warning Explicit Content’: Is Censorship Needed in the Music Industry?

Censorship is a hotly contested issue and one with a long history of misuse and authoritarian control, but does it still have a place in a 21st century society? Izzy Swanson and Natasha Phillips debate the need for censorship in music. Izzy: against censorship A quarter of the current top 40 singles on the official UK music chart contain explicit language. As a result, these songs are censored when played on the radio. According to Ofcom, the government-approved regulatory body for broadcasting, the reason for this censorship is to ensure that “under-eighteens are protected” from being exposed to “offensive and harmful material”. While the majority of listeners would argue that skipping out or replacing swear words is warranted on the radio, in a wider context, music censorship can ...

Gigi Hadid, Vogue, the Hijab and the West.

28Mar

By No Comments

Opinion

Gigi Hadid, Vogue, the Hijab and the West.

There has been much controversy surrounding Gigi Hadid’s cover for Vogue Arabia in which she adorns a veil and poses for the camera. But why has this caused such a stir? And what is the real debate here? As a young female Muslim living in Britain the hijab is of much importance and of great value to people like me. For me the hijab is an absolute assertion of my faith and my gender. I believe it helps empower me by giving me the confidence to be who I am – a female Muslim. I can show others that I am not afraid, despite the negativity I may receive for my religion and despite the limitations I may face as a female. The real debate here seems to touch upon the deep divisions within our society. In a time where the likes of Donald Trump and Brexit generate a vastly negative rhetoric ar...

21Mar

By No Comments

Opinion

The Hidden Figures of Autism

Cemre discusses the lack of representation of women on the autistic spectrum While autism didn’t exist as a diagnosed developmental disability until about 70 years ago, people now ascribe its attributes to classic figures of human history such as Kant, Einstein, Mozart, and even Steve Jobs. It is unknown whether they were ever on the spectrum, but their speculation brings awareness to the negative labelling that comes with being on the spectrum. Today we’re shown the discrimination those on the spectrum face when trying to apply for work, and our government plans to cut disability benefits to support ‘the really disabled people who need it.’ So, in a month that celebrates Women’s History and a week of Autism Awareness coming up, I wanted to bring to light the women of our past who we...

Does Any Political Party Really Care About Young People?

28Feb

By No Comments

Opinion

Does Any Political Party Really Care About Young People?

Danny Angove laments the lack of youth-centric and inclusive politics Life’s full of disappointments, isn’t it? Imagine: you’ve been forced to endure a long, hard day of lectures and seminars, so you decide to treat yourself to a night in with your housemates, junk food, and one of your favourite films. You hit the shops, but they’ve run out of ice cream. When you get home, you find that the film you want to watch isn’t on Netflix. One of your housemates bails on you to go to the SU; he eventually stumbles in at 2am, and vomits all over the kitchen floor. You’re tired, you’re stressed, and your floor is sticky from VK-tinged vomit. The night is an unmitigated disaster. This is, in short, how I feel about the Labour Party. When Jeremy Corbyn was elected to lead Labour, I was ...

22Feb

By Izzy SwansonNo Comments

Opinion

Does Marching Make a Difference?

Isabel Swanson on why political activism of any scale, can make a difference. Since January, millions of people have taken part in protests centred around the new US president, a man who has come to represent a dangerous threat to human rights, equality and social justice, not just in his own country but across the world. As I was standing in the crowd of thousands awaiting the start of the Women’s March, I felt an immense feeling of unity, which I am sure was shared by everyone there. People of all genders, races, ages, sexual identities and backgrounds were marching together as advocators for change; passionate and determined to make their voices heard. But the positivity experienced, both at the demonstration itself and online, was infiltrated by comments such as ‘it won’t change ...

27Jan

By No Comments

Opinion

Viral Violence: a new kind of crime.

The twenty first century has been marked by developments in medicine, science and technology. Importantly, the last decade has seen a vast growth in social media platforms from Twitter to Facebook through to Instagram and Snapchat. The one thing they all have in common is the ability to be connected to lots of different people all around the world in real time. Social media can be a powerful thing. It can be used to create change, raise the profile of an issue, connect to others around the world and even just make life a bit more fun. Campaigns such as the Black Lives Matter movement gained much momentum and support through mediums such as Twitter and lead to the issue of inequality in the United States being put on the government’s agenda day after day. Social media has a lot of power ...

20Jan

By No Comments

Opinion

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Jasmine Chapman on the constraints of language and how important it really is when communicating with others. Stop a second. Think about language, the thing which sets us humans apart from other beings of the world. The one thing, apart from our bendy thumbs, which makes us a level higher. I also ask you to think about how we think. We may be quick to dismiss the idea of reflecting on our freedom, for it is obvious that we have it. This is because as long as we enjoy life, our needs are fulfilled. Therefore, our level of freedom is of no interest to us, but is human freedom limited by the thing that makes us so prestige? Language evades our mind as well as our communication with others meaning that we may not be as free as we think. Have you ever thought that we a...

Revolutionary, Guerrilla, Criminal – The legacy of Fidel Castro

19Jan

By No Comments

Opinion

Revolutionary, Guerrilla, Criminal – The legacy of Fidel Castro

Jan Vlcek on the controversial life of the late, Fidel Castro. Miami cheers. Havana in tears. The responses to Fidel Castro's death could not have been more different. While the descendants of those who fled from the dictator's authoritarian regime,to the not-so-distant United States, gathered in streets to celebrate the death of "one of the biggest murderers of the 20th century", people all over Cuba were left in shock after their beloved leader, guerrilla warfare pioneer and father of the revolution had passed away. The enthusiasm expressed by both crowds is a perfect statement of what Castro meant to these people. One man’s criminal, another man’s hero. One would expect Europe, being thousands of miles away from the epicentre of Castro’s activities and wrongdoings, to perhaps offe...