Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
Dear Freshers, You will probably have been dreaming of the wonders of Freshers’ Week since your UCAS offer changed from conditional to accepted. The friends you’ll make, the roaring Gatsby-esque parties, and the Freshers Fair where you will sign up to incredible societies. The reality is far from it. First of all, don’t expect the […]
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Have you ever wondered whether Groundhog Day is more than just a fiction? The 1993 film features Bill Murray as a selfish weatherman forced to relive the same day over and over again until he learns the error of his ways. In the meantime he engages in mindless hedonism and ends up driving himself off […]
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The Paris November terrorist attacks have left the French political class in a state of turmoil. Since the suicide bombings and mass shootings at cafés, restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris, the French have been divided as to how the government should react to protect its people without trampling on their fundamental […]
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The “regeneration” of Manchester’s Northern Quarter – from an industrial and predominantly working class neighbourhood to “creative and social hub” – is suspiciously familiar, following a trend that appears to have consumed London almost entirely. Dragged grudgingly onto a night out in town while home for the Christmas holidays, I found myself swept, towards the […]
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An unlikely symbiotic relationship is developing between the western media and ISIS. Every brutal execution video ISIS produces provides a sensationalist story for newspapers to report on. The media duly propagates the video and advertises its existence to the public. It has reached the stage where journalists are trawling the internet looking for the next […]
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A few months ago I wrote an article entitled “Oxbridge is not the be all and end all” in response to another article that said there was virtually no point in going to any other university. And I truly believe that. I like to think that I would have been happy at any university I […]
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Underneath the controlled exterior, Hillary Clinton’s team must be frantically redesigning their strategy in a way that they could not have imagined almost a year ago. In the ten months between the announcement of her candidacy and the Iowa caucuses, the White House has predominantly been seen as hers for the taking – for some […]
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Jada Pinkett Smith, Charlotte Rampling, Matt Damon, Lupita Nyong’o are all people who have had their say about what some will label the Oscars controversy. For the second year the Oscars have shown how little diversity matters to them, with not one single non-white person being nominated for any acting category. Some will argue […]
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Democracy is one of the things the Western World is most proud of. When our countries come under attack we nod, smile politely and point out that, whatever the numerous faults of our systems, we are a democracy and therefore how wrong can we really be? Despite this deep-rooted admiration of our political system it […]
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Just when we thought the debate surrounding the statue of Cecil Rhodes couldn’t get any more controversial, it just did. On Thursday night, Oriel College announced that the infamous statue of its benefactor Cecil Rhodes was to remain in place, following an extraordinary display of narcissistic egotism from its wealthy donors. A report written […]
Continue ReadingThere was public outcry last week when it came to light that residents at a privately run but government funded refugees home in Cardiff had to wear wristbands. The purpose of these wristbands was to entitle them to their three free meals a day, however some compared them to the yellow stars Jews were forced […]
Continue ReadingWhen I first read Adams’ piece I was confused; was I reading a news article about the tragedy that is the refugee crisis, or was I reading a romantic novel, or even a travel brochure? There’s some lovely prose about the sea spray and the sun’s rays, but upon finishing reading I could not recall […]
Continue ReadingYes – Claire Simms: Ever since the launch of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in June 2015, he has dominated the headlines in both the USA and the world at large. For a man whose commercial empire has been built upon publicity, Trump must be thrilled – exposure, both good and bad, can only aid his […]
Continue ReadingRecently, I had the chance to sit down with the brother of Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Larry Sanders has lived in Oxford for decades and has been described by Senator Sanders as one of his greatest political influences. Over the space of less than an hour we managed to cover topics […]
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She practically skips down the aisle of the Goodman Library, finishes it with a slight jump, so eager to begin her speech. Meaden begins by apologising for her casual attire but she’s spent the day with the dogs and so is covered in their fluff. She races through her life story as if it was […]
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David Cameron’s call for more Muslim women to be taught English is symptomatic of his mixed record on women’s issues; it is, however, more nuanced than some of his critics allege. The initiative to release £20 million of funds to improve the English of Muslim women, 22% of whom, the government claims, speak little or […]
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Straight-talking, anti-establishment, fiercely anti-austerity, and aiming towards the establishment of a new politics, Jeremy Corbyn and Pablo Iglesias, the leader of the Spanish radical left wing party, Podemos, represent a pan-European phenomenon giving expression to discontent and feelings of abandonment. Podemos, founded in 2014, has just won around 21% in the Spanish General election. Spanish […]
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Tuition fees – a topic that has become more dangerous for politicians than their own pay. The Liberal Democrats will vouch that this is no longer a subject to be taken lightly. At last years’ general election students showed that if a party tries hard to win their backing and then goes back on their […]
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On January 12, Obama found himself for the last time delivering the State of the Union Address. Throughout the speech the President talked about the economic recovery, the Affordable Care Act, climate change and America’s standing in the world. But most importantly he talked about the future of the United States, In not so many […]
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