By Bik. There used to be a small miracle at the Millbrook recycling centre. You might not have noticed it if you were the sort of person who treats a trip to the tip as a grim errand to be endured between sighs. But if you arrived with your...
Opinion Pieces
Opinion: times are tough, but Transgender Day of Visibility should be embraced
By Mabel Wellman, co-founder, Trans Pride Southampton. On Tuesday the 31st March 2026 Transgender Day Of Visibility (TDOV) will be celebrated internationally. TDOV is a day to raise awareness about the struggles transgender people face in our day to day lives, and celebrate the contributions that trans people make...
Reader’s letter: The far-right are weaponising women’s safety to spread division – we unite against this
By Southampton Women Against the Far Right. We are Southampton Women Against the Far Right. The far right are weaponising women’s safety to spread racism and division, and we are part of a national campaign uniting against these attempts to divide us. The recent International Women’s Day reminds us...
Reader’s letter: Southampton you’ve already spoken up, now join the National March Against the Far Right
By Southampton Stand Up To Racism. Southampton has done something remarkable over the past year: we’ve put the far right on the back foot. When the far‑right Southampton “Patriots” began targeting refugees outside the Highfield House Hotel, many people across our city were deeply concerned. But instead of looking...
Opinion: I didn’t want to join unity demonstration but I’m glad I did and I would again
By Portswood Protester. These days it seems I’m always cross. Cross about something, or someone or the general state of the world. On Sunday I was particularly cross that I had to go along to the counter-protest in Portswood (1/3/26). There are other things that I needed to be...
Opinion: Timothee Chalamet isn’t that great, actually – why he isn’t my vote for best actor
By Laura McCarthy. Your leading actor – or actress – is perhaps the most important decision in filmmaking. Actor performance can make or break your film. And that’s exactly why I believe you shouldn’t cast Timothee Chalamet in your next picture. Let me be fair. He does do one...
Reader’s letter: response to Wuthering Heights review
By Rouhi Shafii. I read the review of the latest film version of Wuthering Heights on your site and wanted to add my thoughts on the film as well. I read the book many years ago and fell in love with the story which was born in the wilderness...
Reader’s letter: Ramadan Mubarak to everybody
By Parveen Ishfaq. Ramadan Mubarak to everybody. Ramadan is the holiest month in Islam, a time when Muslims around the world draw closer to Allah through fasting, prayer, charity, and reflection. It commemorates the month in which the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon...
Opinion: On being good neighbours – transformative acts of quiet kindness
By Rachel Jones. When people gather to shout about who does and doesn’t belong, it’s easy to forget that most of us aren’t living in slogans. We’re living next door to one another. Southampton has always been a city of arrivals and departures. Ships, students, dock workers, nurses, families,...
Opinion: journalism should be putting facts ahead of clicks
By In Common reader. Image: an anti-asylum seeker protest in Portswood, Southampton. Journalism is often a race to get the facts out first. A lucky scoop can allow a publication to punch way over its weight in terms of clicks, and clicks can mean money. But there’s a key...