By Simran Raja A note before you read: this piece discusses mental health, self-harm and suicide. Please take care while reading, and see the support resources at the end. What is my journey to Westminster? Well, to understand my journey, we have to go back in time, back to six-year-old Sim. As a six-year-old, I...
By Emre Alex Aslan The largest political party in Scotland is the Scottish National Party (SNP), a nationalist party whose primary objective is to leave the United Kingdom (Scottish Parliament, 2026). But leaving the United Kingdom has financial consequences. Scotland spends more money than it generates, and its currency is controlled by the Bank of...
By Tristan Kovats Introduction In the world’s richest economies, a society should be measured not by the wealth hoarded at the top, but by the security afforded to those at the bottom. On that measure, Britain is failing its youth. Data shows that 1.23 million people now work on zero-hours contracts as their main job,...
The pedestrianisation of Oxford Street is another part of a worrying pattern By Remington Keckler Oxford Street was pedestrianised this month. After years of talks and debates, finally a win for us urbanists… right? Don’t get me wrong, I fully support the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street — though it was a little eerie when I...
A beautiful love… lost to normalcy. A queer story reduced to nothing more than a “sin.” By Arika Heaven I wonder when it was first taught that we should be ashamed of the things we love. Perhaps it begins with a warning. A verse recited by someone who loves you. A look that lasts a...
A recount and review of going to hear Cuban MPs speak By Remington Keckler I have always found myself an avid learner. I always wanted to know how things tick, what made cars go, but my biggest — and most frequently asked question was why. Much to my parents’ annoyance, I would ask it over...
By Ribana Cristescu Last Wednesday, on my way home from another meeting with the DEN community, I found myself reflecting on something that is difficult to explain in words, yet so easy to feel when you are there. What is it that brings us together, week after week, at the end of a full day?...
By Abdullahi Mahi I’ve watched young people across Europe, mostly my own generation, Gen Z, take to the streets, and I understand why. They are protesting against rising living costs and poor school conditions. I believe protests work when they have two things: a human face and a clear demand. Looking at Italy, France and...
By Emre Alex Aslan I was watching a TikTok video, a person doing a funny skit, when halfway through he pulled out his phone, opened Rainbet (a gambling app), bet $200, and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He had doubled his money in a few seconds. When did gambling become this easy? And...
By Najia Benhamza During the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony, the Algerian national team were seen throwing roses into the River Seine. And every year, around 17 October, roses are thrown into the Seine once again. Both gestures are acts of remembrance for the 1961 massacre of Algerians in France, many of whom were murdered and...
Amira Ahmed This is the first of four blogs I am writing for my module, Democratic Engagement in an International Context, at the University of Westminster. The module asks us to find a problem in our own community and follow it across the whole year: what the problem is, why it exists, how to...
Huray Demirci This is the first of four blogs I am writing for my module, Democratic Engagement in an International Context, at the University of Westminster. The module asks us to find a problem in our own community and follow it across the whole year: what the problem is, why it exists, how to investigate...