by a Southampton worker. A Southampton worker shares their experiences of returning to work following shielding due to the coronavirus pandemic. They have chosen to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions from their employer. They have been shielding and don’t feel safe at work but fear speaking out could...
Opinion Pieces
Opinion: my experience of a Calais refugee camp
by Lewis MacLean. Immigration is a contentious issue for some and wishy-washy for others. In reality, things never change for the refugees themselves. After years of the press reporting on desperate immigrants losing their lives when attempting to cross the Mediterranean, the English Channel is now the focus. The...
Opinion: Trans rights and women’s rights: have we been asking the wrong questions?
by Dr Ash Brockwell. As a transmasculine academic, I’ve found it painful and frustrating to read the discussions – both in the mainstream media and on social media – that represent ‘trans rights’ as incompatible with ‘women’s rights’. Nowhere has this been more clearly illustrated than in a recent...
Opinion: Black lives matter in Wales (with thanks to some white women)
by Jim Baker. For many Black people, Southampton is a place of arrival but for Wales it is a place of forced repatriation after both World Wars; Black merchant seaman who served Britain and were then forced to leave by government and trade unions. As was Hull (World War...
Opinion: Industrial Workers of the World uniting in Southampton
by Nathan Brown and Pete Hayward. Activists from the Industrial Workers of the World union (IWW) are seeking to launch a Southampton branch. Currently they come under the auspices of the Reading branch, but as local members have started meeting and organising, they are going to go through the...
Opinion: cycle lane debates need compromise, not politicisation
By Martin Brisland. The current local debate in Southampton on cycle lanes and the imminent local council decision on them has prompted me the following observations. Sadly, today’s politics seem to have become increasingly polarised with no middle ground or compromise. Many will just keep stating the same point...
Opinion: Black Lives Matter?
by Don John. In the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matters “movement” many individuals and institutions have grappled with how they can respond to this phenomena in a positive way. However, one thing that many fail to appreciate that is...
Opinion: Don’t underestimate the power and value of theatre
Freelance costume supervisor and maker Aly Fielden, from Southampton, shares the letter she sent to Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, chancellor Rishi Sunak and Southampton Test MP Alan Whitehead. She wrote the letter ahead of last night’s announcement of a £1.57bn emergency support package to help protect the future...
Opinion: Southampton’s creative community will leave lockdown loud and proud
On Thursday, Nuffield Southampton Theatres closed, having gone into administration in May, with a suitable buyer unable to be found. But Liam Gifford, the theatre group’s youth director, believes there is still a great deal of hope for culture in the city as he celebrates recent artistic collaborations and...
Opinion: helping others in challenging time is so gratifying
by Georgina Morgan. In years to come, people will have their own unique stories to tell about this period in their lives. For me, I’d just started my dream job as a Recruitment Resourcer for an amazing company whose high standards and values reflect my own and then COVID-19...