At the COP26 conference commencing this Sunday, world leaders will once again meet to discuss what they will describe as “transformative” and “innovative” climate policies designed to put “people and planet first”. Sadly, the all-too-common political mistrust we now see across most leading democracies means the majority of us are likely to dismiss this event…
First ever Indigenous winner of Australia’s Archibald Prize receives $100,000
Vincent Namatjira, an Indigenous artist, has won Australia’s 2020 Archibald Prize, an annual award for portraiture painted by a resident of Australasia. It comes with a cash prize of $100,000. Namatjira’s winning painting, entitled ‘Stand Strong for Who You Are’, features retired Australian footballer, Adam Goodes, as “a proud Aboriginal man who stands strong for…
How useful is gaming as a medium in being political?
Gaming has long been a medium in which players can exist in a digital world, have fun with friends, or explore rich narratives. However, in some games, the player is forced to face the socio-political issues which exist outside the virtual world . Some games, like 4x strategy games, allow the player to design their…
‘It’s a shame and it’s infuriating’
In the wake of the announcement that ISIS had been defeated, the US withdrew troops from Syria, with an understanding that there wouldn’t be fighting between the Kurds and Turkey. However, President Erdogan took the opportunity to launch an invasion into Northern Syria and push back the US-backed Kurdish fighters. As a result, Trump sent…
Snakebites, socialists, and getting over Freshers flu
So, Freshers Week and its slightly shabbier sibling ‘Welcome Week 2’ are finished. Some people are battling Freshers flu, others are recovering from it, and I’m sure some are using it as an excuse to miss their 9ams. I’m afraid I won’t be revealing which category I fall into… From the Societies’ Fayre to Big…
Climate change and the shift into politics
Over the past few months, our attitudes to climate change and protecting the environment have shifted and become a lot more political. A lot of different companies such as McDonald’s and Iceland have succumbed to the public demands that we use less plastic packaging, get rid of plastic straws and reduce the amount of palm…
Modern slavery: too often we are guilty of turning a blind eye
The term slavery brings to mind images of the atrocities of the transatlantic slave trade in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but the crime is still highly prevalent across the world today. Estimates from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) suggest that 40.3 million people globally are victims of modern slavery as of 2017, with ten…
Activist campaigners protest rent policy at City Hall
On Tuesday 19 March, around 20 UEA students protested in front of the Norwich City Hall in opposition of unjust eviction policy, serving a giant Section 21 eviction notice to the Norwich City Council. The purpose of the protest was to highlight the issue of landlords who use Section 21 to evict their tenants. Section…
UEA Mock General Election candidates debate student issues
The organisers of UEA Mock General Election 2019 hosted a candidate hustings event in the build up to the mock election this week, with the focus of questions revolving around student specific issues. The Mock Election is being run with the aim to increase student engagement in politics. Candidates are running on manifestos specific to…
Latest Comments