Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
Image description: men shaking hands through a window TW: death, racism For many people, it is impossible to ignore when travelling into the capital. The high-rise apartment block which dots the city’s skyline, an uncomfortable reminder of the stark inequality which exists amongst the wealth and opulence of central London. The first few times I […]
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On 15th November, Theresa May spoke at the Union after much anticipation within the Oxford community. Rumours of her appearance had been circulating throughout Michaelmas term, and was confirmed well ahead of the event itself. May resigned as Prime Minister on 24th July this year, but her political legacy, primarily involving matters of Brexit, ensured […]
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Just hours after a portrait of Theresa May was removed from a wall in the School of Geography of Environment, the university announced that it would be redisplayed “so it can be seen as intended.” In a tweet on Tuesday afternoon it claimed that the portrait was only removed temporarily, “because it was being obscured […]
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The NHS is like a sick dog. The doctor has told you that it could be time to say goodbye, but you cannot bring yourself to accept it. You keep reminding yourself about all the wonderful memories you shared together, and you’re certain that need not come to an end. You insist that you can […]
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Timid and cowering. Get in line or get out. A grave error. He has to go. When Philip Hammond voiced his hope that any changes in the UK’s relationship with the EU would be “very modest”, the reaction from the Conservative backbenches was anything but. The furious and wearisomely predictable responses to the Chancellor’s Davos […]
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Another week, another backbench revolt which threatens to topple Theresa May’s precarious minority government. At this point, it’s all a little stale; a month doesn’t go by without some kind of crisis befalling the current government, with Brexiteers in revolt over anything from the most minute policy differences to fundamental philosophical disagreements (this time sees […]
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Over the vacation, I took advantage of my free evenings and BBC license to catch up on David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II. Stories of the sea’s rich wildlife were intertwined with stark ecological warnings, and one night, as I watched a baby puffling’s parents clack beaks and kiss, I felt a sudden well of rage […]
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A year ago, the Prime Minister was invincible. She was faced on the left by an ageing, seemingly out of touch, old socialist who was under constant assault from his own party on every possible issue. On the right was a slightly mad bloke from Liverpool who lied about his doctorate, whether he’d been at […]
Continue ReadingSt Hugh’s college, originally an all-female college, has attracted criticism for fielding an all-male team on BBC quiz show University Challenge, prompting presenter Jeremy Paxman to joke in the introduction of the show: “On the basis of tonight’s team, we could be forgiven for thinking they’d [men] rather taken it over.” Founded in 1886 by […]
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Much has been written about the electoral shock suffered by the Conservatives earlier this year, and how they might recover, if at all. Many proposals have been put forward, including a Conservative equivalent of Momentum and a ‘Tory Glastonbury’. The Conservatives, however, are never going to be cool or counter-cultural. The failure of Activate, which […]
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One year ago Theresa May was crowned new leader of the Conservatives, hailed as the Margaret Thatcher incarnate who would serve as a safe pair of hands during a period of Brexit-fuelled uncertainty. But now she is engulfed by a political maelstrom. Though Tory MPs pretend they believe in May as their party leader, the […]
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Reject Jeremy Corbyn if you must – but we shouldn’t cast away his philosophy. As a Labour party member, I fear the outcome of the coming general election. If the polling is correct, the Conservatives are set to win a substantial parliamentary majority, giving them a free hand to negotiate Brexit and govern the country […]
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I grew up in extremely rural Oxfordshire. I lived there since the age of four, and (for some reason) have stuck around to go to university here. During those sixteen years, little has changed in terms of attitudes to hunting. Not understanding the implications of the exciting rush of dogs and horses hurtling over fences, […]
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It seems that Prime Minister May is seeking to soften the blow of a ‘hard Brexit’. Long before the letter triggering Article 50 was handed to Donald Tusk on 29th March , a white paper had been formulated by the government in January, setting out a provisional Brexit plan with 12 specific principles. Certain principles […]
Continue ReadingTheresa May’s surprise announcement of an election this morning has left many on the left in this country fearing for the future. Never before in British political history has the Labour Party gone into an election in such a lame position. The party is little more than a husk. It just about survives, dragged along […]
Continue ReadingTheresa May has called a snap general election. Speaking on the steps of 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister announced that she intends for the election to be held on the 8th June. Citing her government’s small majority, and her fears the opposition is set to frustrate her Brexit plans, May announced that tomorrow she […]
Continue ReadingThis article describes suicidal ideation. The often-repeated statistic that 1 in 4 adults will suffer from some form of mental illness during their lifetime has undoubtedly improved people’s awareness of the prevalence of mental illness. But still, for many people, it is simply a statistic. It sparks a moment of reflection, but ultimately, the implications […]
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This pleasingly precise rhyme was just one of the placards waved at Stand Up To Racism’s protest of Donald Trump’s executive travel ban on Monday evening, thought to have been attended by over 2,500 people. It was obvious that some had come directly from work, looking slightly dishevelled and tired. And that is how I […]
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It’s finally over. A fresh start. You could almost say, if you turn off the news, that the horrors of 2016 aren’t still lurking in the shadows of our clean, practically untouched slate. I think we all have certain words that come to mind when we think of 2016. Perhaps disappointing, divided, disastrous. It was […]
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