Politics and the media

Supporting a football club, as many fans will tell you, is about far more than the football itself. Indeed, it is far more than the memories it can create, both on and off the pitch. Because in truth, once you start watching your favourite team, you are transfixed in the ebbs and flows of a beautiful game. For those 90 minutes, nothing else matters.    When the beauty of that is threatened by corporate greed - an ever-powerful part of the modern world - it feels not like an attack on the sport, but an attack on the distraction it gives us. The European Super League has dominated headlines for the past two days, and in that time it has been proposed, and fallen apart. For some context, the ESL wanted to replaced the current Champions League (which teams have to qualify for through their national leagues) and create a "closed shop" whereby 15 teams would play each other every year without the need for qualification.   Some will argue that greed enveloped the football w...

Over the centuries, the creation of money as a universally-accepted payment mechanism has facilitated a huge advancement in what the human race has been able to accomplish. Its development acted as a means of unifying people from different corners of the globe, expediting prosperous trade networks and enriching cultural cohesion. Subsequently, it goes without saying that, like it or not (and I certainly don't), you need money and resources to survive in the modern world.  Sadly, that is a luxury many don't have. For all our advancements since the introduction of capital, financial inequalities that plagued feudal systems in the Middle Ages are still present in 21st century society. In the UK, many people are underpaid and overworked, forced to be dependent on foodbanks, benefits and charity because of inhumane working conditions. The result is that around 23% of the UK population are living in poverty , including 700,000 driven in by the effects of COVID-19 . The negative repe...