Discussion

While there are many issues around immigration one of the biggest challenges to people who come into the UK is the language barrier. Much of the animosity towards people seeking refuge or simply to live in the UK for personal reasons stems from the lack of ability to communicate. Many of the people who rail against these types of groups are doing so because they worry, they won’t be able to understand them and that somehow English will become a...

By Steve Tooze, member of local climate change action group Lambeth for a Cool Planet My kids and a 16-year-old girl that I’ve never met called Greta Thunberg have turned me into a climate change radical. And today it seemed like I wasn’t alone. I stood amongst dozens of friends and neighbours on an overcast, blustery March afternoon on the pavement outside of Lambeth town hall in Brixton, South London. Our council has laudably declared a Climate Emergency and we all agreed that we...

Horse racing is traditionally seen as the sport of the upper classes in the stands and the lower classes in the bookies. Lords and Ladies congregate in the royal boxes to watch the horses that they have backed. In the bookies, middle-aged men with cigarette stained fingers crowd around a small TV, Racing Post under their arms to cheer on the horse that they’ve staked their weekly wages on. That’s the stereotype of horse racing and whilst it may have...

Millions of British women admit they are ‘dreading’ sex on Valentine’s Day, it has emerged. A poll of 2,000 women between the ages of 40 and 61 found three million are particularly nervous about the big day, as they worry about potential sexual activity. The research found over half of women in the UK aged 40 and above - nearly six million in total – will suffer from vaginal dryness at some point in their lives. A fifth have made...

New analysis indicates that last year, the UK generated the least electricity in a quarter century—while renewable power generation hit fresh highs. Meanwhile, Alstom released designs for a zero-emissions hydrogen train which could be used on British railways as soon as 2022. These are encouraging developments—but they are by no means sufficient. Research has demonstrated that the world has to decrease its carbon emissions by a staggering 5% per year to stay within its “carbon budget” and avoid catastrophic climate...

Emily Polling is urging the government to change our 'deeply flawed education system' and prevent children from growing up to be 'suicidal teenagers.'

Flying business class, employing a cleaner and having both Netflix AND Amazon Prime are all ‘signs you’ve made it’, according to research. A poll of 2,000 Brits found taking a trip abroad just to shop, drinking champagne rather than prosecco and owning a hot tub also made the list. One in ten think an annual ski trip is enough to prove someone’s stepped up in the world, and 38 per cent believe retiring early is a sign you’ve made it....

This weekend I got into a referendum debate with a twist. Sat in a Swiss wine bar the case was made for and against subsidising farmers who don't dehorn their livestock, which was one of the issues voted upon in the latest referendum in the country. This year alone the Swiss have participated in ten national referendums covering all manor of things, and if a common consensus emerges down the line that they got it wrong then they vote again....

Karl is a 20 year old literature student. He blogs about his experience of depression, suicidal feelings and being admitted to hospital to receive treatment for his mental health.  **This blog contains suicidal themes. Please read with care** The room was cold, and my only company was a camera in the corner of the room. I was being held under what is called a Section 136 of the Mental Health Act. After forty-eight hours of mind numbing boredom and isolation,...