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Category: Society and politics

Nicola Sturgeon

Scottish politics: looking ahead to the 2016 elections

Dr Gerry Mooney, senior lecturer in social policy, gives his view on what lies ahead for Scottish politics as 2016 brings elections and the devolution of further powers from Westminster… Following on from the discussions around Scotland’s Constitutional future over the last few years, 2016 brings the Scottish Parliament elections. While these are entirely about the election of the […]

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Saudi Arabia flag

Saudi Arabia is paying a heavy price for Iran’s global rehabilitation

As 2015 drew to a close, you could have been forgiven for cautious optimism as far as Saudi-Iranian relations were concerned. With the years-in-the-making nuclear deal finally sealed, Iran had finally been brought in from the cold in talks over the Syrian conflict. A fragile ceasefire had been agreed amongst the warring factions in Yemen. […]

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The UK housing market: a balancing act

The UK housing market: a balancing act

Lecturer in Economics, Alan Shipman, explains the balancing act of the UK’s housing crisis and the dilemma of providing enough new homes for a growing population, whilst not pricing out the most needy.     The proportion of British households that own their own home has fallen in the past 10 years, from a peak of 71% […]

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Does Santa exist? The dilemma for the caring professions

Does Santa exist? The dilemma for the caring professions

Marc Cornock is an academic lawyer and Senior Lecturer at The Open University, and he also writes regularly for the Nursing Standard. In this article, he explores the dilemma faced by those in caring professions when asked “is Santa real?” The Santa question isn’t just for parents It’s the question many parents dread in the build up […]

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Money and financial graph. Image credit: Thinkstock

What you need to know ahead of the Spending Review

The third major economic statement of the year will be surprisingly tough for a government now boasting a growing economy and a Commons majority. Chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne will deliver the details of the Autumn Statement and Spending Review on Wednesday November 25 2015. A five-year view of the government’s spending plans, it […]

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Socialism is not a dirty word: Bernie Sanders really is changing US democracy

Socialism is not a dirty word: Bernie Sanders really is changing US democracy

After months of expectation, US senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has at last given what might be remembered as one of the landmark speeches of the 2016 election: an explanation and defence of his position as a “democratic socialist”. Linking his beliefs to revered figures from US history such as Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon B. […]

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Hooded youth and smashed glass

Is there a link between youth poverty and crime? The answers may surprise you

Today, for a substantial minority of 16 to 24-year-olds, to be young is to be workless, poorly paid or just plain poor. Young people in this age group are among the most disadvantaged in the UK, according to a disturbing new report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). But despite economic and other hardships […]

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Research investigates conversations with the dead in Stoke

Research investigates conversations with the dead in Stoke

The lid is lifted on an ordinary Midlands town to reveal its Spiritualist past as part of an OU research project. Spirited Stoke is a two-year research investigation considering the origins of Spirituality in the city of Stoke on Trent. Spiritualism has been part of Stoke-on-Trent’s history since at least the 1870s and one church […]

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A row of houses. Image credit: Thinkstock

London housing protests echo Glasgow rent strikes of 100 years ago

Anger over government housing policy is undoubtedly one of the running themes of the 2010s. Most recently we have seen anti-gentrification protests in east London over people being pushed out due to huge increases in private rent costs and a lack of social housing, which made headlines for targeting the hipster Cereal Killer Cafe in […]

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