politics – Page 3 of 3

2Jun

By No Comments

News

Anti-Tory Article by RHUL Lecturer Causes Controversy

Rebecca Roache, lecturer in Philosophy at Royal Holloway, caused controversy the day after the General Election. In her post, “If you’re a Conservative, I’m not your friend”, on the University of Oxford’s Practical Ethics blog, she writes that she unfriended those on Facebook who had liked the pages of the Conservatives or of David Cameron. She writes that “life is too short, I thought, to hang out with people who hold abhorrent political views, even if it’s just online” comparing Conservatives views with racism, sexism, and homophobia. In spite of this, contextually, the General Election was an emotionally charged evening. Roache recognises this, and states that although she values political debate, at the moment she is “tired of reasoned debate about politics—at...

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)

6May

By Chloe WrightNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

A ‘Posh’ Performance by RHUL Drama Soc

Royal Holloway Drama Society will be putting on the play 'Posh' by Laura Wade which is highly relevant in light of the upcoming general election in May. 'Posh' is based upon the infamous Bullingdon club - an exclusive but unofficial all male students' club at Oxford University noted for its wealthy members and riotous rituals such as trashing restaurants and university dorm rooms. The prestigious club has had famous members such as David Cameron, Boris Johnson and George Osbourne (Prime Minister, Mayor of London and the Chancellor of the Exchequer). The 2014 film version of 'The Riot Club' is an adaptation of the play which you may have encountered. So, if you have read the play or seen the film then you know the basic plot; a group of ten wealthy youths from Oxford University go to ...

It’s time we started treating women in politics as women in politics

6May

By No Comments

Opinion

It’s time we started treating women in politics as women in politics

The number of women intending to vote is at a low point. At the last election, only 64 percent of women voted, and though the turnout is low in both genders, with only 67 percent of men voting, the drop is more significant in female voters. I wish this could have come as a surprise to me, but having watched the ITV leadership debate and followed it on Twitter, having seen the attempts of parties to engage women which became some sort of surreal farce where gender stereotypes reached their limit, and having read the main points of each party, it's pretty easy to see why. We have an election year where for the first time ever there is a roughly equal gender divide in leadership, with the old boys club leading the three main parties and UKIP, and women in control of Green, Plaid Cymru and ...

28Jan

By Catriona O'SullivanNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Film & TV

Rich, Russian & Living in London – A Documentary Review

‘Rich, Russian & Living in London’: a title worthy of Channel 4, but it is, in fact, the name of the BBC’s latest foray into cutting-edge documentary. An account of a selection of wealthy Russian-Londoners, we delve into the depths of a world unseen by, and unknown to most of the population. Those of us who cannot afford rhinestone-encrusted Jaguars or whimsically spend hundreds of thousands on an artwork. It is, in a way, for the majority of the documentary, a sort of fetishisation of a high-life, seemingly without care or consequence. A disgustingly gluttonous display of excess. It is appealing. But it is capitalism on steroids. A reaction against years of suppression and corruption in Russia (although the latter is merely hinted at). They have signed up holus-bolus to th...

26Nov

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News

MP George Galloway visits Royal Holloway

On the 10th of November the Windsor building was host for the night to the PIR Society discussion on the topic "Israel and Palestine: War or Genocide?" Speaking for the night was MP George Galloway from the Respect Party. George Galloway, an infamous figure in British Politics, notably stormed out of a discussion at Christ Church College Oxford about Israel and the West Bank when he came to understand that one of the members of the discussion was of Israeli nationality. At Royal Holloway, Galloway retained his strongly pro-Palestinian stance, reflecting on the human suffering of the people of the Gaza Strip during recent Israeli action. Attentive to breaking news reports from Israel, laying claim to attacks by Palestinian Militants on Israelis, Mr Galloway was quite prepared throughout ...

18Nov

By No Comments

News

NHS fees to be introduced for International Students

The government may begin to charge foreign students for use of the National Health Service, an investigation by Welsh student newspaper Gair Rhyyd has revealed. The findings suggest that the government is willing to implement a £150 surcharge to international students regardless of the impact they actually make upon the NHS, on entry to the UK. It is reported that the £150 charge would be added to international student’s visas, but would only apply to new students coming to the UK to study, not international students currently studying at UK universities. Allegedly a policy paper described the current system, which sees non-native students receive the same treatment as UK students as ‘very generous particularly when compared with international practice.’ It is thought that the new le...

14Oct

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Features

General Meeting 14/10/2014: ‘The Devil is in the Detail’

Excited chatter fills the SU Main Hall as students file in, more or less thrilled about being at the year’s first General Meeting (GM). As the clock strikes 18:08, we’re still waiting to begin. Purple dots the SU Main Hall as the Executive Committee 2014-15 file in and spread out across the hall. Tonight, the students are joined by SU Contract staff, here to learn more about the GM and the democratic structures in place at the SU, in line with CEO Ian Dancy’s policy of taking staff back to the floor. Finally starting at 18:24 (24 minutes later than planned, but 6 minutes earlier than expected), Chair, Gillian Craig makes a tentative start, explaining how the GM works to newcomers: the fact that the GM is a safe space, that all are invited to speak and express their opinions, and that...

25Aug

By No Comments

News

Foreign students should not be included in government immigration cuts

Top dogs at British universities have called for international students to be excluded from government efforts to cut immigration. A report, published by Universities UK, showed that 59% of the public thought the government should not reduce international student numbers, even if that limits the government’s ability to cut immigration overall. The organisation, whose 134 members are made up of university vice-chancellors, say the public understands the economic and educational benefits brought to Britain by those who come here to study. “There is a broad public consensus that international students are good for Britain,” said Mark Field, Conservative MP. “People welcome the income they bring to these shores; they are happy to see the skills they have gained here help British firms...