Democracy
Will England’s inner cities burn again this summer?
Posted on February 17, 2012 by Admin | 2 Comments
By Ryan Bridgewater Angry, young and poor: Youth unemployment in Britain stands at over one million and those who are employed face low pay or even no pay in the case of exploitative internships. The taking away of the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for less well-off students and the tripling of tuition fees effectively puts [...]
Social media and the building of a radical clique
Posted on February 8, 2012 by Adam Ramsay | 5 Comments
Over Christmas, I danced reels in the Airlie Village Hall with people I’ve known for longer than I can remember. I had my mobile phone in my sporran. After some perhaps over vigorous twirling, I found that the screen had broken. Now I can only see what I am doing with the top glowing inch. [...]
Politicians vs Representative Democracy
Posted on February 1, 2012 by Alyson Macdonald | 2 Comments
Democracy noun, a form of government in which the people have a voice in the exercise of power; typically through elected representatives. Origin: Greek demokratia, from demos ‘the people’ + -kratia ‘power, rule’ – Oxford English Dictionary Recently, I found myself sitting in the public gallery during a meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council, [...]
Time to take Britain out of our greatness
Posted on January 26, 2012 by Admin | 4 Comments
This guest post from Anthony Barnett was first on Our Kingdom Alex Salmond’s Hugo Young lecture, delivered yesterday evening in King’s Place, the Guardian’s headquarters, was an enjoyable affair. It was also, thanks to Tory policy and IPPR’s research, a potentially important moment – a turning point, even, in what can legitimately be called ‘this [...]
Why I am taking my university to court.
Posted on January 24, 2012 by Admin | 8 Comments
First year biological science student Sam Weaver is taking the university of Birmingham to court over its widely publicised “ban” on protests, he explains here in his own words what has lead him to take this extraordinary step. Since starting university last Autumn one thing has really shocked me and that is the draconian measures [...]
Sometimes We Win
Posted on January 20, 2012 by Alyson Macdonald | 3 Comments
After the heartbreaking defeats of several popular anti-cuts campaigns in the last few months, we can sometimes forget that campaigning isn’t always a futile activity. But yesterday, after a six-month-long campaign by local residents, the City of Edinburgh Council voted to reject proposals to privatise two major service areas. The proposals were part of an [...]
Internet censorship is about more than SOPA/PIPA
Posted on January 19, 2012 by Admin | 8 Comments
By Carl van Tonder Dear everyone, Thank you for your concern over SOPA/PIPA. I find your attitude towards online censorship puzzling, however. Friends in the UK, your internet is almost certainly *already being filtered*, thanks to the Internet Watch Foundation (mission statement: THINK OF THE CHILDREN). We have not passed anything like SOPA/PIPA (forgetting the [...]
University of Birmingham students declare “I am Spartacus”
Posted on January 11, 2012 by Edd Bauer | 6 Comments
Today Birmingham students showed defiance against a repressive university. In response to a student being singled out and disciplined for taking part in an occupation of an unused university building last year, all occupiers have come forward and admitted to taking the same actions as that student. They take this action at a university which [...]
Student protestor attacked by his own union president
Posted on January 11, 2012 by Edd Bauer | 2 Comments
By Simon Furse and Edd Bauer Mark Harrop, the Tory president of the University Of Birmingham Guild Of Students (student union), has Colluded with the University management to try and suppress a peaceful protest. Harrop identified one of his own students for disciplinary action and helped the university in the deployment of an injunction that [...]
I can’t draw a line under democracy.
Posted on December 21, 2011 by Edd Bauer | No Comments
Edd Bauer has spent weeks suspended from his job as Vice President Education of the Birmingham Guild of Students, threatened with dismissal because he missed some meetings – whilst being imprisoned for hanging a banner from a bridge. Yesterday, his disciplinary panel found in his favour. Here, he writes for Bright Green. Yesterday I was [...]
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