Lipstick and Politics

Admittedly, even those who constantly keep up with the political landscape were not entirely familiar with Andrea Leadsom, who has recently catapulted to fame after choosing to stand for Tory party leader and, more frighteningly, our next Prime Minister. In a system where Prime Ministerial dominance is almost inevitable, we must assess our options carefully and be very clear on what elections will actually mean. Especially in the post-Brexit scenario, where many of our voters did not actually realise the depth of their decision we must actually recognise  that our next PM will be responsible for implementing the changes and triggering Article 50. At first glance, Leadsom seems to be a breath of fresh air, insisting that immigrants should not be used as a bargaining chip in EU negotiations . A new face, it is also easy to mistake her for a revolutionary woman who would change the face of politics and take us away from the right-wing politics that are damaging our current politics....

The murder of Alton Sterling today has once again stirred up the anger of a whole community, and the depth of feeling is clear even over social media. 558 murders in police custody in the past year, with black lives being on the line at an alarming rate. As a Catholic-raised Nationalist growing up in Northern Ireland, I am no stranger to police brutality aimed at one group and empathise with the cause. More importantly, as a decent human being, my heart breaks for the families of the victims whose death penalty was determined by their race. "I want my daddy:" #AltonSterling ’s 15-year-old son breaks down in tears https://t.co/vowfaY9Qll pic.twitter.com/qK2uvGTqxI — NewsOne (@newsone) July 6, 2016 For me, it is slightly different - where I live, it was religion that divided us and stopped my community from advancing adequately. For white Americans, you must recognise that it is race that is the kicker and you must not be part of the problem. The "race card" ...

Tonight, I resign from witty comebacks and joking phrases. I cannot muster within me a sarcastic response to the American system while the largest shooting tragedy in American history has rocked the world of politics and left me in a state of shock once more. Too many times I am left, head in hands, wondering what our world has come to. And every time I am awed, I am in tears, I am warm from the solidarity and love that people give to one another in times of turmoil. And yet, every time a tragedy happens of this kind, the American government send their condolences and continue to uphold their sacrosanct, rigid American values. The government shall not infringe upon the rights of the people and thus we will have freedom from government, I am calling bullshit. The romanticism of the Constitution fades when one reads between the lines of an apparently timeless document. It is a beautiful idea that ever human being is born with a set of fundamental rights that cannot me taken away, una...

Dear Sky News, For yourself, and anyone else reading, I would like to address the guest appearance of Owen Jones on your Orlando coverage . I would like to refute a few of the things that you said (most, if not all) and tell you why you are completely and utterly shameful. The presenter, first of all, seems to have a complete disregard that, despite Constitution to tell the US otherwise, all men are not created equal. There is no level playing ground between race, class, sexual orientation and religion and to believe so is a gross distortion of reality. It may seem an obvious thing, but just because one's mentality is to treat one another equally does NOT mean that they enjoy the same equality in all aspects of life. Which is why I am confused that a grown man who is apparently seasoned in the field of politics can sit and tell a gay man that the horrible shooting in Orlando was "against human beings". Human beings are not fundamentally equal and therefore we cannot e...

Immigration. One of the top questions racing through the minds of voters who, in just a month's time, will decide the fate - and apparently security - of the EU.   When I became engaged in this debate and stumbled upon the issue of immigration, I had assumed that the issue would be migration and the freedom of movement of EU citizens. As a student whose future potentially contains a lot of travel and perhaps even work outside the EU, I was perplexed to find that people were actually opposed to this benefit. Oh no, though. The main reason that people are backing the Brexit campaign is the issue of immigration control . Delving deeper into the issue, rather than finding rational argument and calm expression of opinion, one is slapped in the face with the politics of fear and clumsily disguised racism. Politics of fear is nothing new and, in fact, happens in the Western World more than anywhere else. We continue to mock America and giggle about the stupidity of Bush, apparently ...