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Category: Arts and social sciences
A linguist’s guide to the Theresa May Article 50 letter
With the delivery of Theresa May’s letter to Donald Tusk, the European Council president, the UK gave official notification of its intention to leave the EU. The letter not only signalled the legal start of the Brexit process, but also gave the British prime minister the chance to frame the tone of the negotiations. The […]
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Mothers: their leading role behind the camera
Mother’s Day could witness lots of pictures being taken of mums, but research by the OU reveals they may be happier on the other side of the camera. Qualitative research by the OU’s Gillian Rose, Professor of Human Geography, revealed there is more to mums taking and displaying photos than meets the eye. The study, among […]
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Higher inflation’s hidden, but hazardous, boost to Britain’s economic recovery plans
Inflation in the UK has surged, with the consumer price index jumping to 2.3% in the year to February – up from 1.8% in January. This is far better news for the government than it likes to admit. The early-year price rise can largely be traced to a passing-through of higher import costs following the […]
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Explainer: What is national insurance?
A tax called national insurance has become the centre of a row within Britain’s ruling Conservative Party. The recent budget announced a rise in the tax for the self-employed (from 9% to 11% on profits above £8,060 – still less than the 12% paid by employees). But a number of Conservative MPs have strongly criticised […]
Britain’s dark history of criminalising homeless people in public spaces
Since the onset of austerity in 2010, the estimated number of people sleeping rough in England has more than doubled, from 1,768 in 2010, to 4,134 in 2016. As the number of homeless people increases, while support services and hostels are diminishing, rough sleepers are becoming ever more visible in British cities. But rather than […]
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International Women’s Day: yes, we still need to protest this sh*t
“I can’t believe we still have to protest this shit,” proclaimed a multitude of signs at a protest in London on January 21 2017. These signs, and others, were photographed, filtered, edited and uploaded to social media, linking protesters around the globe. The protests, which spread from the initial Women’s March on Washington, spurred by […]
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Academics respond to the Budget 2017
Following the Chancellor, Philip Hammond’s, first Budget Jonquil Lowe, Senior Lecturer in economics and personal finance and Mick McCormick, Head of Social Work at The Open University give their opinions on some of the big issues announced on Wednesday 8 March. Social Care Mick McCormick, Head of Social Work at The Open University: “The Chancellor’s […]
Austerity isn’t working for everyone – especially women
Women have borne the brunt of government austerity policies since 2010. Cuts to spending on services and social security have a disproportionate gender impact because women rely more on these services, benefits and tax credits than men do. It is therefore ironic that the UK is set to announce another budget that will do little […]
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Why we must reduce the prison population rather than build new prisons
The justice secretary Liz Truss has published a new bill to reform the prison and court system in England and Wales. The Prisons and Courts Bill proposes new laws emphasising audits and league tables of prisons and a legal responsibility for both prison staff and the secretary of state for justice to ensure that prisons […]
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A Clockwork Orange: ultraviolence, Russian spies and fake news
The writer Anthony Burgess is most famous for his novel, A Clockwork Orange. This month marks the centenary of the writer’s birth and his dystopian vision still casts a long shadow over popular culture. But what is perhaps more intriguing is how the book was once drawn into a world of Russian espionage, fake news […]
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