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Opinion / Page 5
James McClean & The Poppy
Football fans will be more than familiar with the routine come November: poppies on shirts, moments silence, manufactured rage against James McClean. Every year since the Derry native came to Britain in 2011, he has received vitriolic abuse for the crime of refusing to wear a poppy. Anyone familiar with the recent history of Northern […]
Movember
With the beginning of November comes the flooding of timelines with posts from friends sporting questionable moustaches, raising awareness and funds for Movember campaigns. The Movember movement began in Australia in 2003 and has since become a worldwide event. Movember is the dedication of the month of November to raising awareness and funds for men’s […]
The Campaign for Free School Meals
Editor’s Note: Since this article was written, the UK Government has changed its position on free school meals, thanks largely to the efforts of Marcus Rashford and his campaign. There will now be £396 million of support to provide free school meals this Christmas, as well as next Easter and over the summer holidays. This will help feed […]
Treat Yo’ Self 2020
These are troubling times! I’m sure coronavirus content is probably far too ubiquitous for everyone’s liking – mine included. Therefore, in this article I have some recommendations for taking time to yourself, relaxing, and providing some self-care. I will be taking on the figure of your guardian angel and providing you with some remedies to make the […]
Amy Coney Barrett, Confirmed.
On October 27th, Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the US Supreme Court. After the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, there was great controversy over her replacement in the Supreme Court. Donald Trump’s pick was no other than Amy Coney Barrett. Trump took the vacancy in the bench as an opportunity to tip the court […]
Exploring Edinburgh
Birthplace of the fried Mars Bar, home to the winding alleyways that inspired Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley, and an underground labyrinthine city, Edinburgh boasts an old-worldy feel yet has all the contemporary delights of a cosmopolitan capital. Old Reekie – as Edinburgh was affectionately nicknamed during the Victorian era – is steeped in fascinating history […]
Mrs America: Women for Women?
The BBC recently released (or not so recently, I’m really bad at getting through shows) Mrs America, a programme that follows the journey of the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment in the US) and the key figures involved in the fight for women’s rights. While the show does contain fictional characters and events, they all help […]
Airbnb or Fair B&B?
Small disclaimer: please only travel if and when it is safe to do so. I’m sorry you missed your standard two weeks in the sun, but a holiday is not a right, whereas the safety of the general population is. For those of you heading out on a staycation soon or who are optimistically planning […]
Why the Real Villain of “Emily in Paris” is Emily Herself
It is probably safe to assume that by now almost everyone has at least heard of “Emily in Paris”, the new Netflix Original show starring Lily Collins. If you haven’t, please saddle in, because I feel like this one needs to be discussed. I’m the kind of person that will watch (read: binge) any TV show that […]
A Month As A Fresher In 2020
Since being a fresher is such a weird and different experience this year, I thought it would be a good idea to share my thoughts about my first month as a St. Andrews student. This can either act as a way for older years to have an idea of what it’s like for the class […]
On Motivation
I’m writing this in my room in St Andrews. It’s not the biggest room, but it’s also definitely not the smallest. After a year in Gannochy, there’s certainly no reason to complain. But it’s also the room where, ten minutes ago, I wrote the second paragraph of my IR essay. It’s the room where I […]
A Brief Guide to Hayao Miyazaki
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Hayao Miyazaki and the studio he helped co-found, Studio Ghibli. The creative force behind many beloved animated movies in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, Miyazaki has created a lasting cinematic legacy. Miyazaki has a few common themes that reoccur in many of his […]
Among Us – “2020: A Space Snore-Dyssey”
In his first-ever article, Morgan Seed reviews something he hates as part of his prolonged public demise. As is the strange trend with popular indie titles, Among Us was originally a throwaway product by the game studio Innersloth in 2018, getting little to no attention at first. I’d only just played it in passing in […]
Polyamory: The Pot of Gold
Close your eyes and imagine a hot summer’s day. You’re sitting in a deck chair on the lawn, your feet buried in the slightly-too-long-grass, a weightless fly strolling lazily around your bare ankles. It tickles. The tangy taste of a cosmopolitan, or perhaps a beer, echoes on your lips. Behind you, the garden door clicks […]
Review: US Vice-Presidential Debate
As Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris took part in their first and only face-off, we were reminded of what a somewhat functioning political debate looks like. The Vice Presidential debate had features of last week’s atrocious Presidential counterpart, but was far more forgiving on the senses; much of the structure and debated […]
Review: First US Presidential Debate
The race to the White House took a sour turn last week as we were graced with the first presidential debate between Former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. Given how tumultuous 2020 has already been, many might have looked to this event for some hope of a brighter future. Instead, however, we […]
For The Love Of Hugs
It’s a strange world we are currently living in. Stranger than normal. The strangest part for me is the thing I didn’t think I would miss – hugs. Physical interaction in general. A tap on the shoulder or a drunken group hug after a night out. I haven’t been the only one feeling the absence of human interaction […]
COVID Coverage: Why Is No One Talking About Malaysia?
Since arriving in St Andrews, one of the most common questions I am asked as an international student is ‘how was quarantine?’. My answer is simple: I didn’t have to quarantine. This is often followed by confused looks. If I flew from Malaysia, surely I had to quarantine? Malaysia is certainly not a High-Income Country […]