by Charlotte Ndupuechi. “Levelling up? What better way than to provide free school meals. With this week‘s big PR push from the government about the so-called levelling up agenda, this got me thinking. Child poverty continues to rise with 4.3 million children now living in poverty in the U.K....
Opinion Pieces
Reader’s Letter: we oppose far right group’s attempts to sow hatred and division in our communities
by Southampton Stand Up To Racism. “The far-right group Britain First is planning to hold a regional meeting in Southampton on February 7th. We oppose this attempt to sow hatred and division in our communities and stand united in defending our multicultural and diverse city. Britain First was founded...
Reader’s letter: Tips for trying Veganuary
Hints for those trying Veganuary: 1/ Don’t throw away meat and dairy you have already in your fridge/freezer/cupboards. Eat it as you go along but don’t buy anymore. 2/ Avoid vegan forums/pages etc because there will be ‘that’ vegan who burns anyone who slips or asks an innocent question....
Experience: I cut down on eating meat and ended up going vegan
by Charlotte Ndupuechi. I went from being a huge meat eater to being plant based and haven’t looked back. Like many others I was consciously trying to reduce my impact on the planet. For years I had been recycling and trying to find more local produce. I had changed...
Reader’s Letter: there’s no excuse for hate speech against autistic people
Since Andrew Tate made THAT tweet and got burned by Greta Thunberg big time I’ve seen a massive increase in really nasty vitriol towards #actuallyautistic people. It’s almost like non-autistic people think we can’t read or don’t have feelings and can’t be hurt by the stuff they’re saying. We’re...
Reader’s letter: please respond to the Southampton City Vision consultation
I am writing to urge all Southampton residents to respond to the Southampton City Vision consultation by 3rd January! It’s your chance to say how you would like to future proof the City. At Transition Southampton we’ve put together a handy guide: Southampton Local Plan Consultation (transitionsouthampton.org) – just...
Reader’s Letter: Business, buses and busting corporate dystopia
by Meg Sherman. City Red buses’ decision to terminate their entire service in Southampton from February 2023 is an acute manifestation of a regressive wider trend of public service retrenchment, associated with fiscal austerity. It is the sad but inevitable consequence of a culture of reckless privatisation and outsourcing...
Reader’s letter: “Where are you from?” is a loaded question
Reading the transcript from Buckingham Palace where Ngozi Fulani, a domestic abuse charity founder was greeted by Lady Susan Hussey was uncomfortable, but I’m sure not as shocking as it was to experience in person. For me it wasn’t that Lady Hussey asked the question “Where are you from?”,...
Opinion: members of the University and College Union are striking – here’s why
by Dr Elizabeth Reed. This week and next, members of UCU (the University and College Union) at Higher Education institutions across the country will be taking strike action on three days (24th, 25th and 30th November). We don’t want to do it, but the conditions in our workplaces have...
Opinion: Local group forming much-needed Tenants Union for the Southampton area
by Phil Tyler. There is a fast-growing movement spreading around the UK in response to the increasing attacks by landlords and letting agents on renting tenants. Tenants have very little on their side as individuals when a landlord demand swingeing rent increases, fails to keep their property in good...