5th June 2020

The Socialist in a Suit: Keir Starmer’s Plan to get Labour Back into Power

Kier Starmer, the new leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party, is set on an agenda to disassociate Labour from Corbynism. This is under the guise of revitalising Labour's image in the eyes of the electorate. But is this necessary when the Conservative Party is in such national disdain?

The Mancunion • 21st August 2020

"I hate the government": Incoming Manchester students react to A-Level fiasco

The government’s U-turn on A-Level results has left students and universities scrambling to find and offer places. After controversial computer-generated grades were ditched, and pupils were awarded teacher-assessed marks, thousands of extra students have now met the criteria for their first choice university. But with many courses filling up, some incoming freshers are facing a stark choice between deferring their place for a year or going elsewhere. The University of Manchester is in urgent

The Mancunion • 21st November 2019

Student activists occupy finance offices in protest of University fossil fuel investments

Student group, People and Planet UoM, have staged an occupation of the John Owens building in a bid to put pressure on the University to cut ties with the fossil fuel industry. The protestors intend to continue their occupation until the University fully commit to the divestment of funds from fossil fuel companies. Campaign group People & Planet moved into the building, which is home to the University’s finance team, on Tuesday morning. Around 16 students were involved in the protest, which the

The Mancunion • 15th November 2019

‘The Manifesto for the North’: Newspapers unite in call for devolution

With an upcoming general election on December 12, newspapers across the North have called for an end to economic neglect in the area. On November 7, news titles from the Manchester Evening News, Liverpool Echo, Reach, JPI and Newsquest published the ‘Manifesto for the North’, laying out “a common-sense blueprint for regional prosperity”. The idea for the manifesto arose at the Convention for the North earlier this year, where all 11 Northern Local Enterprise Partnerships agreed to the need for

The Mancunion • 18th October 2019

New Greater Manchester Police unit created to tackle violent crime

Greater Manchester Police have launched a new Violent Crime Reduction Unit, it has been announced. The new task force will combine the Greater Manchester Police, the National Probation service, health, and education professionals and local authorities. A £3.37 million investment from the Home Office Serious Violence Fund facilitated the creation of this new division The new sub-division was created thanks to a £3.37 million investment from the Home Office Serious Violence Fund. The division wi

The Mancunion • 22nd November 2019

John Owens occupation: Meeting agreed between University leadership and student climate activists

University Senior Leadership and student climate activists are set to meet in an effort to end an occupation of the John Owens building by People and Planet and Fossil Free. The protestors, who moved into the building on Tuesday morning, are demanding that the University cut ties with the fossil fuel industry, and intend to continue their occupation until the University fully commit to divestment. A meeting attended by the protestors, Students’ Union Exec Officers, University Senior Leadership

The Mancunion • 28th November 2019

Universities promise to minimise the impact of industrial action on students

The University of Manchester, alongside 60 other higher education institutions in the UK, is currently undergoing eight days of industrial action by staff over pensions, pay and conditions. Universities have been advised to “minimise” the impact of industrial action by using teaching staff not participating in the strike to cover for absent colleagues and rescheduling lectures. Last week, the University of Manchester and the Students’ Union gave a joint statement outlining that they “stand tog

manchester: on the road • 18th February 2020

Uppsala Universitet: ‘run by students, for students’

In my first week here, a pair of Swedish students gave the University of Uppsala a glowing endorsement. They told me that Uppsala, with 40,000 strong student population, was a University ‘run by students, for students’ In my first week here, a pair of Swedish students gave the University of Uppsala a glowing endorsement. They told me that Uppsala, with 40,000 strong student population, was a University ‘run by students, for students’. After an agonising process of scrutinising this claim, I mu

manchester: on the road • 10th March 2020

Food Tourism in Flogsta

Not too long ago, I heard a rumour about an Ethiopian restaurant run from a bedroom somewhere amongst the brutalist blocks in Flogsta. Though I was told so little about it that it seemed mythical and even absurd. How could someone possibly do that? Where would they sleep? Is it profitable?

The Mancunion • 13th March 2020

The true cost of tuition fees

A 2019 poll reported in the Guardian revealed that psychological distress among students is at an all-time high. The poll, which sampled 38,000 students across UK Universities, reported that 50.3% of participants had experienced thoughts of self-harm, whilst 87.7% of students struggled with feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness with second- and third-year students at greatest risk. In some cases, figures were twice as high as reported rates in 2017.

manchester: on the road • 30th March 2020

Lapland: lockdown edition

As Covid-19 rolled ominously across Asia and into the West, initially causing a deluge of cases in Italy, eventually the cloud burst over everyone. The distant, fluffy, cumulus cloud metastasized into an irksome storm cloud which proved to be the ultimate rain check for everyone on placement. We first heard about the coronavirus shortly after arriving in Sweden in January. We heard distant reports of a new illness affecting East Asia, like the lockdown of Wuhan and the quarantine of the Diamond

manchester: on the road • 6th May 2020

A Guide to Stockholm

The proximity of Uppsala to Stockholm on train is an unparalleled advantage of this student city and should make Uppsala a strong candidate for any prospective exchange student. To get to Stockholm, visitors have the choice to take either the high-speed direct SJ intercity train, or the slower commuter pendeltåg train which has more stops. In spite of the difference in time, both trains leave Uppsala regulary and arrive at Stockholm central station within an hour and cost around 85 SEK (£7). W

The Mancunion • 7th May 2020

Coronaspeak: What impact is the langage of lockdown having on us?

From the newsroom to dining room, a new form of language is heard. Coronaspeak is a new term coined by Tony Thorne, the language consultant at King’s University, to describe the medicalisation of everyday language as society has become increasingly focused on Coronavirus. In the UK, we wake up to news reports everyday about Covid-19 spoken in unfamiliar medical and scientific terminology. We are told to lament the growing number of cases, hospitalisations and fatalities and criticise the govern

The Mancunion • 1st October 2020

"It's presposterous": Students react to possible Christmas Covid restrictions

On the 24th of September, whilst answering questions about further Covid restrictions on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, Matt Hancock mentioned the possibility that university students may not be allowed to return home to their families at Christmas.

24th October 2020

Forget Milk Snatcher Thatcher, meet Hamburglar Boris

The Hamburglar came to mind last week when I read about McDonalds decision to pledge one million meals to FairShare. A move made after the government voted against extending free school meals during the holidays to the 1.4 million disadvantaged children in the UK. In this reality, instead of stealing from McDonalds customers, the Hamburglar is giving his hoard away. In contrast, instead of fulfilling a governmental duty to ensure that children do not go hungry, the Conservatives are taking food from them.

The Mancunion • 7th November 2020

'Entirely contemptuous': Students rage as second lockdown beckons

At 00:01 am on Friday the 23rd of October, Greater Manchester became part of an expanding cluster of counties under tier three rules. Under these new restrictions, pubs and bars not serving substantial meals were closed, and household mixing both in hospitality settings and at private residences was banned. Since then, the Conservative government have plunged Manchester and the rest of the England into a national lock-down which is set to end on December the 2nd. Whilst this lock-down will be l

The Mancunion • 11th December 2020

Fighting the stigma with Students for Sensible Drug Policy: Manchester

Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is a 5000-strong international organisation with a mission to replace and reform educational institutions’ policies on drug use, drug education and harm reduction. Nowadays, most universities have a strict zero-tolerance policy towards drug use on campus. SSDP considers the continuation of this policy as a reactionary hangover, stemming from the War on Drugs in the 1970s and the systematic lack of investment in drug education ever since, which overlooks

The Mancunion • 19th December 2020

With Simple Tenderness: A Prestigious Debut by the Manchester-Based loz

The debut album of Manchester-based composer and musician loz feels fresh and sounds impeccable, cementing his status as an artist to watch out for in the future.

Peterloo Institute • 17th February 2022

A Housing Policy Built on Sand? Why Eviction Rates Are Going Through The Roof

In June 2021, an uncertain fate befell thousands of households when the government voted to repeal a clause in the 2020 Coronavirus Act which delayed when landlords could evict social and private rented-housing tenants. The clause, which had been in place since March 2020, provided a safety-net for those struggling financially throughout the pandemic by banning bailiff-enforced evictions and delaying eviction hearings. Between June and September, studies suggest that the alleviation of the law