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 Pieces
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...
Our life through a lens
musings by Chris Richards. These are strange days, we’re living in today… Like Robbie Williams wrote in his first solo single (except for his George Michael cover of “Freedom” – also pertinent!) these are strange days and I really do want to be “Old Before I Die”. This pandemic,...
Coronavirus crisis opinion: my thoughts as a teacher and mother
by anonymous I am writing this on Friday, 20 March, 2020. As things are changing so fast I thought I should put the date for some context. Well what a week it’s been. As they say it’s certainly been emotional! As a teacher and mother of two children, I...
Opinion: could coronavirus give society the shock it needs?
by Charlotte Ndupuechi. At the last general election I felt hopeful we were about to see a change for the better. Knocking on peoples doors whilst canvassing, I got the feeling that people were starting to care about schools, social care, and the NHS particularly, and wanted to see...
Opinion: Austerity, Widening Health Inequalities and Falling Life Expectancy
by Councillor Dave Shields. Last week, Professor Sir Michael Marmot – commissioned by the independent think tank the Health Foundation – published a progress report into health inequalities following his seminal work Fairer Lives originally undertaken by the last Labour Government in 2010. Since that time he notes how...
Opinion: The Preston Model – an answer to local government cuts?
by Gary Hollands. The scale of Conservative cuts to local government has been devastating for council services. Central government has cut funding for councils by half since 2010. Southampton alone has lost £136.4 million over the last seven years. These cuts translate to the closure of nearly 800 libraries...
Opinion: why I believe anarchy is the way forward
by The Secret Anarchist Anarchy is all too often a term associated with smashing things up and having “no rules”. But if you scratch the surface you will find that it is not an absence of rules, but an absence of government that we seek. In fact, being organised...
Opinion: Seasonal cheer on Southampton Common
by Lewis MacLean. The old cemetery site on Southampton’s Common is quite an extraordinary place. It serves as both a historical monument and functions for people in the city to exercise, quietly reflect and sometimes even just cut through on the walk to work. It has been a vital...
Trans Day of Remembrance – remembering those who lost the battle
by Andi Maratos, Chrysalis CEO. The 20th November marks the day when trans people, and their allies, the world over take a moment to remember those whose lives have been lost through hate and transphobia over the last year. Being trans is not a lifestyle, it’s not a choice...