The Anti-Vaxx Movement and New Media
Communicating Public Health in a Changing Landscape Some of you may already be aware of the latest Netflix documentary Behind the Curve. It focuses on a group of conspiracy theorists who persist in believing that the earth is flat. The... More…
Urban Nature
There has been a resurgence of interest in the need for more green space in our cities. Being near nature lifts the mood, and there is hard evidence of the positive mental health effects of time spent with nature. However,... More…
The limits of participation?
All policies which prioritise the need and value of public participation are underpinned by the idea of a democratic deficit. A democratic deficit can be defined as failings in the levels of accountability and transparency in the ongoing operation of... More…
Turning the NHS into Uber
In October 2018 the NHS Digital App was launched amidst claims it will be the “digital NHS ‘front door’” to a range of services. Similar to apps such as “Push Doctor” and “GP at hand” it will provide advice, a... More…
Brexit and the End of Empire
“There is no gold at the end of the Brexit rainbow” Rule Britannia: Brexit and the End of Empire, by Danny Dorling and Sally Tomlinson, Biteback, 344 pages As the clock ticks down to the UK leaving the European Union (EU)... More…
"Let them eat resilience"
The genealogy of a vocabulary, and why it matters for public health Nothing about the title of this post is original. The main title imitates that of an essay by historical sociologist Margaret Somers called ‘Let them eat social capital’, which appeared... More…
International Women’s Day 2019
International women’s day is celebrated on the 8th March every year. The day has its origins with the Socialist Party of America that organised a women’s day in February 1909, followed by the suggestion of an annual day. On March 8,... More…
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…
We’ve Been Here Before…..