by Jonathan Mitchell. We were promised levelling up for all, and yet we’re getting the opposite of that. The government has announced a “Levelling Up” white paper (LU paper), a 330 page strategy. While it’s hard to disagree with the premise of the LU paper’s policy proposals (integrating transport,...
Opinion Pieces
View from the Kingsland: New owners, new hopes, old fears
by Nick Mabey. After four years of a form of nothingness with our previous owner, and many months of speculation, on 4th January the Saints were finally taken over by a new company, Sport Republic. If the previous regime was marked by inertia and silence, or perhaps more kindly...
Opinion: Access to leisure is a lifesaver – don’t close St Mary’s Leisure Centre
by Nick Chaffey. Southampton Council says its priority is our health and wellbeing, but it seems St Mary’s can do without. During the pandemic, poor health and poverty have been key causes of serious health complications and death. Access to leisure is a lifesaver. Council cabinet member John Hannides says...
Opinion: Providing a treasure map – why I’m backing Southampton’s bid to be City of Culture 2025
by Sally Churchward, founding editor of In Common I am proud to have been invited to be one of the ambassadors of Southampton’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2025. I firmly believe that the city deserves to be selected for the accolade – here’s why. I came...
Opinion: What is Positive Money and why support it?
by Phil Tyler. Positive Money is campaigning for a fair, democratic and sustainable money system that works for society, not one that is dividing us. As citizens of the U.K., our country and our Bank of England creates money on our behalf so that we can trade, share, live...
Opinion: Food banks in your area – are you really sitting comfortably?
by Chris Oakes Monger. Listening to the radio last week, I was struck by a discussion arising from the National Food Strategy Review which has recommended that sugar and salt should be taxed. The revenue raised would be directed to allowing GPs to prescribe fresh fruit and vegetables on...
Experience: being part of Southampton Coronavirus Mutual Aid Group showed the strength of community action
by Tom Wardle. One Saturday morning in mid-March 2020, I was invited down to the Guildhall to cast an eye over Southampton’s preparations for the coming Coronavirus pandemic. At that point, nobody really knew what to expect, whether it was safe to so much as touch a door handle....
Opinion: we all deserve to live somewhere we love, let’s make Southampton a National Park
by Manthan Pathak. One of my earliest memories is jumping between the roots of trees on a street in Northam, one after another until I ran out of pavement. The only rule was to avoid touching a root. It was, for a 3 or 4 year old, a thrillingly...
Opinion: Southampton SolFed, fighting inequality with direct action
by Southampton Solidarity Federation. Southampton Solidarity Federation is a local organisation active in Southampton for the last two years. Their mission is to work against systems and structures which value some people more highly than others, whether that’s on the basis of wealth, citizenship, gender, race or class. It...
Letter: The government is ignoring the science and no one is talking about it
by Chris Oakes-Monger Journalists seem to be ignoring the fact that the government has now absolutely parted company with the science behind Covid. For the scientists on the government payroll, public disagreement with government policy would of course mean resignation, but it was clear from the recent briefing that...