Referendum – The Orbital

It was announced three weeks ago that infamous journalist and broadcaster Katie Hopkins had been invited on to campus by Debating Society to take part in a debate with students. This was cancelled by the Students' Union on the grounds of security and logistical concerns. Despite the reasons cited by the Students' Union, less than 24 hours later, they announced a referendum on a policy to allow them greater control over who is allowed to speak at a Union venue or at an event organised by an Union affiliated group. This led to fierce debate both on campus and online with both sides being equally passionate in their reasoning. The engagement across the student body was reflected in the turnout for the referendum with 1018 students voting. This is possibly the largest ever turnout in an ...

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...

Tag: Referendum

RHSU ‘No Platform for Hate Speech on Campus’ Policy Passes

The Irish Abortion Referendum