Health & Education
The Bitter Cost of Austerity: How Closing Youth Clubs Threw London’s Young People Under the Bus
When the UK embarked on its grand experiment with austerity in the 2010s, few anticipated the quiet but profound impact on youth clubs. After all, how much harm could cutting a few “extraneous” services really do? Well, as it turns out, quite a lot. Across London, about 30% of youth clubs closed their doors between 2010 and 2019, leaving thousands of young people adrift—no small feat in a city known for its thriving youth culture. But ...
Why The Mauritanian Should Terrify Anyone Who Thinks Human Rights Are Optional
After watching The Mauritanian, I was left with one pressing thought: anyone who believes human rights are negotiable might want to give this film a go—and maybe have a serious word with themselves. Right now, both candidates for the Conservative Party leadership are openly talking about the UK pulling out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). If that idea doesn’t send shivers down your spine, this film certainly will. What ...
The Many Faces of Depression
One thing we learn as the years pass is that depression comes in many forms. When I suffered from anxiety attacks and a sense of darkness many decades ago, the issue was solved not by antidepressants but by a forceful and caring doctor who suggested I might want to look at my lifestyle. Moderate soft drug abuse—speed, marijuana, ecstasy—heavy alcohol intake, and smoking were all in the mix. If you’re poisoning your body, it makes sense ...
Is Dry January Worth It?
Ah, Dry January is in its second week, and I've become a detective, snooping around folks who either embrace this dry spell or consider it as relevant as a one-legged man in an arse-kicking contest. Chatting with the abstainers and the 'I'll-have-just-one-more' crew has been quite the rollercoaster. You see, the definition of an alcohol aficionado varies wildly. For instance, an accountant I work with once confessed his nightly glass of ...
Stepping Out of Christmas!
When December arrives, the winter gloom descends upon us. Then the Christmas lights swoop in like knights in twinkling armor, apparently granting us the permission to eat and get pissed. Pubs and restaurants turn into bustling havens, and suddenly, everyone’s as jolly as Santa Claus himself. The build up to Christmas is still a wonderful time of the year. However, after the much-anticipated work break ends, the winter gloom hangs around ...