Drugs: researchers shouldn’t just focus on the harms
Most drug research focuses on the harms they cause, but studying the pleasure they provide will improve our understanding of why people use them. Among other things, this knowledge could be used to help people who develop drug problems, such... More…
“There’s none so deaf as those who will not hear”.
A report released this week by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) shows that deaf children are falling even further behind their hearing peers in school than previously thought. Figures show that 30.6% of deaf children achieve a grade 5 or... More…
Trouble in Arcadia: Citizen-led planning in the English countryside
The Localism Act (2011)identified local communities as best placed to determine the nature of development in their areas. Apparently, by empowering and responsibilising local communities, the rhetoric of localism in neighbourhood planning, marks an attempt to square democratic engagement with... More…
Working from the Margins
How UK trade unions can meet the needs of the contemporary labour force In a very poor attempt to offer up some ‘good’ news, Conservative party supporters continue to make much of the increased UK employment rate. Something that, on the... More…
Frankie Boyle’s hamster & the NHS long-term plan
Back in what now seems like a curiously quaint era for UK civil democracy, the Scottish Independence referendum was the once-in-a-generation opportunity for a group of people to take back control™ of their own political destiny. Despite what must have... More…
Seeing Things
When people experience anxiety and become hyper-vigilant, mass psychogenic phenomena may become more common. The Gatwick drone drama of Christmas 2018 is a candidate. On the day that drones were spotted flying over Gatwick airport, we all wondered what was... More…
The rise of veganism?
Sausage Rolls, Flexitarians and the Fight for Sustainability The beginning of a new year offers the chance for renewal (“new year, new you?”). Increasing numbers of people are subscribing to (orchestrated) campaigns to kickstart a healthier lifestyle. Giving up drinking... More…
What is Resignation Syndrome
Reports from Nauru are raising concerns about an outbreak of a severe trauma-related mental disorder known as traumatic withdrawal syndrome, or resignation syndrome. Recent legal action resulted in urgent medical evacuation of a child in an unconscious state following a progressive social withdrawal... More…
Highlights of 2018
Dear Readers, Thanks for reading our posts and for following us on Twitter. Also, thanks to the many guest authors who have blogged for us over the last year. We hope you all have a merry break over Christmas and... More…
White fluff
Despite extensive awareness and evidence of the dangers of working with asbestos, it continues to feature in domestic and international decision making. The ramifications of its use are felt at an individual level in the experiences of people with asbestos... More…
Seriously laughing at fantasies of Race and Gender
Wise Children, director Emma Rice, on tour across England, based on Angela Carter’s novel ‘Wise Children’ (1991). BlackkKlansman, director Spike Lee, released August 2018, based on a memoir by Ron Stallworth ‘Black Klansman’ (2014). The theatre adaptation of ‘Wise Children’... More…
International Women’s Day 2019