Politics and the media

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that Sunday was a momentous day in women's football. England's 2-1 win over Germany in the Euro 2022 final has the potential to inspire and empower a new generation.  The trophy was the first major one the Lionesses have won. As notable as that sounds, it must be caveated by the fact that women were prohibited from playing football until 1972. All the more impressive when compared to their male counterparts, whose last success came six years before that. In that vein, it is worth reflecting on the growing strength of the women's game and this English team and all that came before. Sarina Wiegman's tactical genius and Chloe Kelly's winner will rightly take the headlines, but there are those who came before that equally deserve credit. Those involved in setting the Women's Premier League - now evolved into the Women's Super League - provided a catalyst for change. Hope Powell's tenure as England ...

  Friday marks four years since I first used this blog to open up about my struggles with anxiety and, most prevalently at the time, depression. Looking back, it is quite a messy piece of writing and perhaps proved as a catalyst for many more emotion-filled blogs that probably illustrate the positive and negative sides of mental health. Far from regret, as I reflect on what felt like a gigantic step at the time, the overwhelming sentiment is of satisfaction. This stems not from my own wellbeing, but instead from the development in mental health awareness since 1 st April 2017, the extent to which I find extremely heart-warming. Back when I first wrote that piece, things seemed extremely lonely. I had very little experience or interaction with those in similar plights (those people will forever mean the world), little thought of where to go for support, and perhaps most importantly, didn’t understand that mental health isn’t only for those with a struggle. So when I was diagno...

It is just over two weeks since the geopolitical world was turned on its head as a result of Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine. As news developed, it became evidently clear that this will not be a war, but a massacre, inflicting damage upon millions of innocent civilians and uprooting lives, places and nature. Amongst the many that the threat causes, the overwhelming reaction can only be to sigh. For, briefly putting aside the devastating humanitarian crisis that this will cause, this is another example of the fragilities of the world system that we live in. It is possibly the closest the world has come to nuclear war since the infamous Cuban Missile Crisis just under 60 years ago.  Some causes are obvious. Putin has waved about wildly delusional Russian motives for the attack and the mask behind his previously inscrutable persona is slipping. Make no mistake, this is a decision far removed from the majority of his citizens and even advisors and is built upon narcissist...

Isn't the human-pet relationship a perplexing one? For a multitude of reasons, be it attachment, loyalty, passivity or care, a large number of people appear more concerned with the wellbeing of their animals than they do other people. For an author that used to dislike dogs, the saying "man's best friend" always sounded odd. The relationships in question have surfaced again recently, with many widely condemning Premier League footballer Kurt Zouma after a video of him drop-kicking and slapping his cat emerged online . The thought-process of celebrities with a public following never ceases to amaze, because anyone with a functioning brain would think to refrain from anything controversial. More than controversial though, this is an example of animal abuse that rightly brings attention to pet wellbeing and a debate about the importance of protecting them. There has been further contest over the severity of Zouma's punishment. The RSPCA have taken the cats to a safe ...

It feels every year that I find myself lamenting end-of-year reviews for their clichéd and banal nature, for after all the calendar is an artificial concept - somewhat influenced by astrology - and needs little celebrating. I suppose it is an excuse to drink, which is why you're not reading this a few days earlier! Perhaps it is best for me to put that cynical perspective aside, because as with all of history, last year taught society a lot. Or has it? As I reflect back at what unfolded in 2021, politically and socially, I can only draw a single conclusion. That humankind continues to repeat its mistakes. With each passing rotation around the sun, we have more knowledge and power bestowed upon us on a world full of enrichment and opportunities for progress. The advent of technology has only accelerated that growth exponentially, through a combination of accessibility and sheer capability. As these ever-increasing complexities continue to dominate, we have become so attached to inno...

Throughout the past week, we have seen the political blame-shifting that the UK government has become accustomed to using as a panic-button since their election in 2019. In response to the most fatal loss of life of anyone crossing the Channel , Boris Johnson saw it fit to use Twitter to ask that France do more to take back migrants who reach the UK.  The result has been a small-scale diplomatic row between the two countries, for both of whom the issue of migration has long been a contentious issue. France's hostility to so-called "others" has been reflected through domestic laws such as  banning the burqa in 2014 , whilst immigration as a topic has snowballed in UK political discourse since the seismic events of Brexit in 2016. Perhaps I wouldn't make a good journalist, discussing this a week after the news cycle. Nevertheless, now that the political spiel has died down, it is of heightened importance to reflect on and humanise the 27 victims of a tragedy that shou...

It has been a while since I last wrote, in response to the racial abuse targeted at three England players after the Euro 2020 final. I've wanted to vary topics on this blog, but the same themes keep cropping up in the news and it sparks my feeling of discontent at the institutions that dictate this country.  For there always seems to be a recurring theme - and it is a tendency of the public to fall into the narrative of callously neglecting institutional failings and the power of language and semantics. In the news in the past few days has been the life-sentencing given to the former Met police officer Wayne Couzens for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard in early March this year. It is undoubtedly justice in a legal sense of the word, but it's not really cause for celebration that we like to think our justice system offers. The murder of Sabina Nessa in the past week has shown again how men take advantage of women, in any scenario. Perhaps they will, for a few days at...