Новости за 12.06.2017

Make no mistake, this was one of the biggest turnarounds in the history of British general elections. During the first week of the campaign, Labour were on course for electoral oblivion. I spoke to a senior Labour politician who predicted (privately) that Labour would suffer its worst defeat in post-war history – worse even than the 15-point drubbing in 1983. All the polls – even those most favourable to Labour – suggested that they were right.

Mental health issues have become a growing problem among students. shutterstock

The UK student population has doubled in the last twenty years to almost two million. During this time, higher tuition fees have placed increased pressure on students – with a recent survey finding that 75% of students who receive a maintenance loan feel stressed about their debt.

Suddenly, the Labour party is in a much stronger position than even many of Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters believed possible. Only a few weeks ago, Unite leader Len McCluskey said if the party ended up with just 200 seats that was good enough for him. Others argued that if Labour only slightly improved on the 30.4% of the vote it received in 2015 Corbyn should remain leader. It wasn’t just the media predicting disaster for the party when Theresa May called an election.

It’s not easy being a professor of politics. Everyone expects me to know what’s going on and what’s going to happen. But I’m just as bamboozled as everyone else by the outcome of the UK’s recent general election.

News that Amazon’s audiobook arm, Audible, is investing US$5m (£3.8m) to seek out writing talent for forthcoming new releases, is further evidence of a major revival in the medium. The story in 2016 was the way podcasting had led to an explosion of new drama serials – this year the focus is on how licensing and links to established media is enabling the creation of glossy, high-profile audio “movies”.

The body language of pride. vectorfusionart/Shutterstock

The Greek philosopher Aristotle described pride as the “crown of the virtues”. It’s after all an emotion we experience when we’ve achieved something great, or when someone close to us has. It usually has a recognisable physical expression – a slight smile, the head tilted back, the chest expanded, with arms raised or akimbo. Think Superman after he’s defeated a villain.

Theresa May’s snap election wager has backfired. The supposed “Brexit election” was intended to signal the public’s support for the prime minister’s approach to the UK’s departure from the European Union. Instead, it has left her incredibly weak, without even a majority in government and her future as leader uncertain. And the economic data reflects this.

It became clear on June 9 that Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May’s decision to call a snap election was ill judged. This election has highlighted the disregard for the “many” that government should serve, and after an election in which the youth turnout was around 72% of those aged 18-24, the impact of the youth in Labour’s surge of popularity is obvious.

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Try to talk to the average person on the street about international safety standards and they will probably give you a blank look. Product and manufacturing rules and regulations have never been the most exciting conversation starter. But standards are actually incredibly important. Whether you realise it or not they shape the world that we live in, and how we interact with it. And Standard ISO9001 is one that affects every single item you use, whether at home, in work, or elsewhere. Читать дальше...

Following the unexpected failure of the Conservatives to secure a majority in Theresa May’s snap general election, the UK has its second hung parliament in seven years. With 318 seats, the Conservatives fell eight seats short of a majority, though in reality they are four short, given the abstentionist policy of Sinn Féin, which won seven seats. Labour, with 262 seats, fell short by 60. Attention naturally focused first on whether the Conservatives could form a government.

For decades, there was a lack of awareness in the rest of the UK that the 1967 Abortion Act did not apply to Northern Ireland. This started to change recently, as organisations such as the UN joined abortion activists in drawing attention to the lack of access to abortion for women in Northern Ireland. This general election result, in which the DUP was thrust centre stage as potential props of a minority Conservative government, is likely to further shine a light on their record.

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The word “addiction” brings to mind alcohol and drugs. Yet, over the past 20 years, a new type of addiction has emerged: addiction to social media. It may not cause physical harms, such as those caused by tobacco and alcohol, but it has the potential to cause long-term damage to our emotions, behaviour and relationships.

Bringing technology into the healthcare system is overdue, and should be revolutionary. neccorp, CC BY

Imagine a day where you don’t have to wait weeks to see your GP, followed by a further wait for medical test results and then still more waiting before being seen by a specialist. We know that changing demographic trends, an ageing population and rising rates of chronic illnesses are creating huge demand for health care and social care services. Given the sophistication of 21st-century technology... Читать дальше...

As part of ongoing research on both radical Islamist and far-right extremism, I spent the best part of 2009 following the activities of one British city’s al-Muhajiroun group. Also known as Islam4UK, this small group led by Omar Bakri and then Anjem Choudary has been a long-term irritant to the government, as well a staging post in the lives of many British terrorists.