Month: April 2017
General election 2017: Why Labour needs to campaign for a soft Brexit
On the 18th April Prime Minister Theresa May spoke in front of 10 Downing Street to call for a snap general election on the 8th June. The Prime Minister won a vote by 522 to 13 to override the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, and thus, the dice was thrown. As the political parties scramble to find candidates to fight constituency battles across the country, May looks comfortable and assertive stating that a vote for the Conservatives is a vote for strong and stable leadership. “Every vote for the Conservatives will make me stronger for when I negotiate for Britain with…
Review: Mastodon – Emperor of Sand
Emperor of Sand is Atlanta based alt-metal band Mastodon’s latest eclectic offering. The follow up to 2014’s Once More ‘Round the Sun, the group’s seventh studio album sees Mastodon burst forth in all sorts of directions. Emperor of Sand is a poignant concept album based on a man’s exhausting journey through an unrelenting desert. During the writing process for the album, several of the band’s family members were diagnosed with cancer. Emperor of Sand unsurprisingly dwells on themes of loss, time, and mortality. The standout lyric from the album’s third track ‘Precious Stones’ – “Don’t waste your time, don’t…
Turkey, Erdoğan’s Referendum and One Kent Student’s Opinion
Referendums, it seems, are the current big fashion in politics. We’ve had the Brexit Referendum, the Italian Referendum and a Scottish Independence Referendum with now calls for a second independence referendum – you wouldn’t be blamed for rather losing interest in the things. The one in Turkey is set for the middle of next month, however, it is something that should be paid attention to. Essentially, Erdoğan (current President of Turkey) has orchestrated this referendum up to increase the executive powers of the President. This would be fine, and may in fact be good for future, less extreme presidents,…
The Brexit Referendum – What next?
Brexit. I’ve never seen a topic quite have the effect of completely dominating both the political and the wider popular culture of Britain. This word carries the hopes and dreams of an independent nation, free to carve out its own destiny; along with the fears and apprehension of a country looking inwards and backwards in a world that looks outwards and to the future. With the triggering of Article 50, our leaving the EU has all but been set in stone; the debate of whether we leave is over. Now we must focus on the next step, what comes…