Pupils from a German 'Napola' at Ballenstedt before a football game with a visiting side from an English public school. Author provided In spring 1936, teenage schoolboy – and later war hero – Dick Hargreaves was given the chance to go on an all-expenses-paid exchange trip to Germany. But thisContinue Reading
Artist's impression of HS2 train. HS2 Following leaked reports that the UK government would be scrapping plans for the UK’s long-awaited high-speed rail network to extend to Leeds, transport secretary Grant Shapps has announced in the House of Commons that the eastern leg of HS2 will now reach only fromContinue Reading
Children have suffered during the pandemic. fizkes/Shutterstock During the COVID-19 pandemic children have been the target of dehumanising language and of policy which prioritises the needs of adults over theirs. While we still do not know the long-term effects of COVID-19 on children, research from early in the pandemic suggestedContinue Reading
As winter sets in across Europe, COVID-19 cases are beginning to rise, despite the vast roll-out of mass vaccination programmes earlier this year. Austria’s government has pointed the finger of blame firmly at the unvaccinated, announcing a new lockdown only for those who have not had the jab. Like otherContinue Reading
The recent political scandal in the UK involving Owen Paterson, a Conservative MP who was found to have broken parliamentary standards by repeatedly lobbying the government on behalf of two companies which paid him a large regular monthly fee, presents a classic case of a media scandal. Paterson’s lobbying workContinue Reading
Shutterstock The ability to remain anonymous when commenting online is a double-edged sword. It is valuable because it enables people to speak without fear of social and legal discrimination. But this is also what makes it dangerous. Someone from a repressive religious community can use anonymity to talk about theirContinue Reading
Shutterstock/Anna Berdnik In a recent 12-month period, police in England and Wales made just under 60,000 arrests of children. Of these cases, which involved crimes including theft and antisocial behaviour, nearly 27,000 ended up in court. Some of these defendants were just ten years old – the minimum age atContinue Reading
With just over a month to go until Christmas, Luke Pollard the MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport has started taking submissions for his annual Christmas card competition. He is asking the children of Plymouth to design his yearly Christmas Card. This year’s theme is hope and happiness. Luke will send outContinue Reading
On the issue of antigen testing, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said such tests will not be available for free. However, antigen tests would be free in schools, he said. They will be used for “targeted close contacts” and will be sent directly to their homes. They will beContinue Reading
New transport plans aim to remove private cars from Birmingham city centre. Chris Baynham | Shutterstock Birmingham was redesigned in the 1960s to make travelling by car as easy as possible. But the UK’s second city has been falling out of love with cars ever since. The council’s latest planContinue Reading
