Lois

MPs have voted in favour of a motion to strip Sir Philip Green of his knighthood following a heated debate surrounding his role in the collapse of BHS. During the debate, Green was labelled a “billionaire spiv” by Conservative MP David Winnick, who also said he had “shamed British capitalism”. The collapse of the high […]

In a few days, it’s my 16th birthday. 16 is a birthday people tend to see as a big deal (although I am currently far less excited than I anticipated I would be when I was ten) and in honour of this monumental occasion, I present you with a list of things you can do […]

Last week Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”. After the announcement, Sara Danius from the Swedish academy said it “had not been a difficult decision” and hoped the academy would not be criticised for its choice. She also went on […]

Britney Spears has faced a range of ups and downs within her professional and personal life, falling victim to the infamous 2007 breakdown, partly due to starting so young and having to face the public glare from a vulnerable age. This is reflected in the twists and turns of her career; however she has remained a perfect […]

The months leading up to Christmas are prime time for binge watchers, and there is no place better than Netflix for all your night-in needs. There is something for everyone: documentaries, drama, foreign films, romance and a fully stocked selection of TV series, old and new, that will captivate you. So as the weather takes […]

The award-winning dystopian drama by Charlie Brooker is returning for a third season on the 21st of October. The show has moved away from its previous home of Channel Four with the new season being made by Netflix, and lovers of the show have high hopes. Brooker has been quiet the past few months (we had […]

This is the second part of my series on underrated female artists; artists who are unfairly dismissed because of their pop background or stereotypically ‘teenage girl’ appeal, who I’m tackling assumptions about by highlighting their best ‘not so popular’ songs. This time it’s Avril Lavigne. Not all that complicated! 1. ‘Fall to Pieces’ – I […]

Tapes have emerged of Donald Trump making misogynistic comments and speaking crudely about his sexual encounters and relationship with his wife Melania. He stated 35 is ‘checkout time’ for women, and engaged in conversation about his daughter’s ‘voluptuous’ breasts. He also managed to combine both sexism and racism in one simple statement, saying “It depends […]

P!nk is one of my favourite musical artists. I have physical and digital copies of every single one of her albums; in fact Misunderstood (or M!ssundaztood) was the first album I ever bought. Through the years my tastes have changed, and there are few bands I worshipped age eight that I still listen to now, […]

Women across Poland are predicted to go on strike against a new law making all abortions illegal and punishable by up to a five-year jail sentence. The law would also see doctors who carried out abortions at risk of prosecution. The current legislation is already hugely restrictive and allows abortion only in cases where the […]

Jeremy Corbyn, as was widely predicted, has beaten Owen Smith in Labour’s latest leadership election. The election came following a vote of no confidence by Labour MPs back in June and the announcement has been met with mixed reactions. Corbyn’s followers expressed elation, but others feared the beginning of the end of Labour. Corbyn sceptics have […]

I am no philistine, or at least I hope not, and in general I enjoy art in all its forms. Theatre, literature, music – all of these can baffle us with pretentiousness or make tenuous points that may seem a little far fetched. But by and large this is tolerable, because for art lovers it […]

After long-running suspicions that The Great British Bake Off would be moving after this series, it has been revealed that Bake Off will indeed be leaving the BBC and moving to Channel Four. Not only this, but Mel and Sue, two of the four major components to the programme’s success, have chosen to make this […]

On Saturday, a few of my friends and I went for a meal in Newcastle to celebrate my friend’s birthday. We met just before six in the evening so we could all walk down to the restaurant (on the Quayside) together. During this ten minute walk we encountered four separate incidents of shouting (one man […]

I recently watched the BBC Three documentary ‘Heroin Haters’ (part of the ‘Drugs Map of Britain’ series), which follows a violent gang in Manchester who persecute and violently assault heroin addicts in their area. It is shocking to see the way these men talk (it is worth noting that they are all cocaine addicts themselves; […]

Often, it’s the little things that help to keep us going and for me, among one or two other edible treats and a good book, it’s biscuits. (Once, while enduring some particularly stressful period I can’t remember the root of, I stress ate a whole rather large packet of bourbons and it has to be […]

During Bake Off season, there is a period of a few weeks in which I bake all the time. I enjoy baking, and do so whenever I can, but never do I find myself so up to my neck in cake than in those few weeks. This year, to kick off baking season, I made […]

Everyday Sexism was the debut novel of Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism Project and journalist. Described as the ‘more politicised sister’ of Caitlin Moran’s notorious How To Be A Woman, it is one of the most successful pieces of feminist literature since the turn of the century. The project that was also the […]

This Friday, my grandparents and I went on a guided tour around the Houses of Parliament and though I sadly did not happen upon an encounter with Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn, I did feel they were there in spirit, so not all was lost. In fact, it was amazing to be in a place […]

One of British television’s best loved contemporary programmes returns for another season of fun-fuelled baking and innuendo appreciation. From the looks of it, the format remains entirely the same; Mel and Sue with their puns, Mary with her brandy and Paul with his evil, gripping death stare whenever he finds something unsatisfactory. In any case, […]

Wes Anderson’s films have all varied greatly in their reception with the critics, from great acclaim to little recognition at all. But for those of us who love his work, Wes Anderson can do no wrong. With this in mind, here are five of my favourites from his sizeable body of work, not including his […]

This season of Celebrity Big Brother has had most of the turmoils and controversies we see every year. There’s been ‘scenes of a sexual nature’, ‘nudity’, ‘aggressive confrontations’ and ‘offensive language’, all of which some viewers have found distressing. Every time a new season of Big Brother begins, I am always adamant I won’t watch […]

Since establishing itself on the quayside, The Great British Cupcakery has become a firm favourite for northern confectionery addicts, and has become renowned for its ‘Geet Big Shakes’ . Its somewhat secluded position away from the high street has not held the mother-and-daughter-founded business back, as it has become extremely popular and earned itself a place in […]

The Conservative MP for Shipley, Philip Davis, has given a 45-minute speech at an international conference on men’s issues arranged by the anti-feminist political party Justice For Men and Boys (J4MB). In the speech, he said “feminist zealots really do want women to have their cake and eat it,” and that Britain’s justice system was […]

As we move through the last weeks of summer and into autumn, we also approach what is arguably the prime time of the year for reading. I have composed a list of some perfect page-turners that will have you glued to your seat, sometimes laughing and sometimes crying. The best books we read stay with […]

Summer is a time for holidays, disappointing weather, days out and long walks. Every year, Radio 1 come up with their own summer playlist (which, by the way, I wholly recommend), and in honour of this, I have lovingly put together a list of my ten favourite summery songs. Some old, some new, some cheesy, some […]

Friday saw the official opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympic games; a jovial, bright celebration to begin two weeks of sport within a country facing social and economic turbulence. The games have been met with riots from those who think the games should not be taking place in a city plagued by recession but […]

Barley Hall in York was, until the 1980s, disguised as a fairly unremarkable office block. Just before the building was about to be destroyed, its origins and rich history were uncovered. Since then it has become open to the public to visit and explore, and to find out more about the time period it comes […]

The Collector was the English author John Fowles’s 1963 debut novel which follows Frederick Clegg – an isolated young butterfly collector with limited social skills and intelligence. His one burning passion outside of his butterflies is Miranda, the young and beautiful art student who remains outside of his grasp due to his social ineptitude. However, […]

There is quite a long list of problems I have with the women’s magazine Cosmopolitan. The patronising tone; the culture of misogyny it perpetuates. But one thing in particular came to my attention a while ago when I accidentally came across the magazine’s Snapchat feature. I couldn’t initially put my finger on what was bothering […]

What is the perfect formula for a horror film? Exorcisms? Violence? Ghosts? Or an old Austro-Bavarian legend about the shadow of St Nicholas? Krampus had many of the ingredients to be an incredibly successful horror film, but somehow managed to sell itself short. The reason for this? In my opinion, it was too clever, and […]

As a young person who is passionate about history, I was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to speak to Natasha George, a historian who excelled at university, where her degree focused on Medieval and Renaissance Medicine, and later mental health and medicine, alongside theories of mental illness. Her dissertation focused on ‘the comparison of […]

Sadly not the for first time this year, there has been another mindless shooting, this time in Munich. Seven were killed, and all but two of the victims were teenagers, the youngest being 13 and the oldest 45. Since the attack, there has been, inevitably, a great deal of speculation as to the religion and […]

This Tuesday, Donald Trump was announced, unsurprisingly, as the republican candidate for President. Since then, Trump has faced a massive scandal over plagiarism as his wife made a speech almost identical to that of Michelle Obama, and many within his party seem disappointed at the decision. We now face three months of brutal campaigning and […]

I am no doubt not the only person to have noticed the massive surge of people playing Pokémon Go, nor the only person to have been annoyed by it. It has not been long since the app was released, but it has felt like a lifetime. Everywhere I turn, people are searching for Pokémons (I heard […]

Netflix recently released season four of Orange Is The New Black, the hit series based on the true life story of Piper Kerman. The series follows Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) during her 15-month sentence at Litchfield Penitentiary, a minimum security women’s prison. The series has become Netflix’s most viewed original series, and received a great […]

David Cameron has tendered his resignation to the Queen after attending his final Prime Minister’s Questions this lunchtime, and Britain has a new Prime Minister – Theresa May. May is set to begin appointing new key cabinet ministers tonight, including the likes of Amber Rudd and Justine Greening as the new Prime Minister moves to […]

Louis Theroux is a gift to humanity. His delightful, heart warming, raw and informative documentaries are an absolute must-watch for any die-hard documentary fan. So it goes without saying I would wholeheartedly recommend Louis Theroux’s entire body of work, but if you’re new to the wonderful world of Louis, here is a list of some […]

As Michael Gove is elected out of the Conservative leadership race, we now know we will certainly have a female Prime Minister in September. Tory MPs have whittled down the leadership contestants to Theresa May and the lesser-known former economic minister Andrea Leadsom and the next Prime Minister will be elected in a leadership vote […]

The music video of the song ‘Lady Gypsy’ has been released ahead of Ricky Gervais’s spin-off from the hit sit-com The Office, entitled Life On The Road. The mockumentary will see David Brent (Gervais) embark upon a semi-successful music career with his band Foregone Conclusion and Don Johnson (Ben Bailey Smith) who will travel alongside […]

I recently wrote an article listing the top five podcasts everyone should listen to, including ‘Serial’ – the subject of which has since seen a major development as Adnan Syed has been granted a new trial, which marks a major victory for Syed and for the millions of ‘Serial’ listeners who believe him to be […]

Jeremy Corbyn has lost a vote of confidence by 172 Labour MPs to 40. The motion has been in the works since the beginning of the exodus of the shadow cabinet at the weekend and sadly, few – even those who support Corbyn – are surprised at the result. Now begins the wait for how […]

On the 23rd of June, the UK voted to leave the EU. Since then, the PM has resigned, the Leave camp have begun to retract their promises, and members of the Labour shadow cabinet have begun to resign as Jeremy Corbyn faces a vote of no confidence. As the country faces a period of great […]

In a time of general gloom and misery, everyone loves a pick-me-up and here are five superb podcasts that will cater to all your podcast needs: 1. ‘This American Life’ – This absolutely has to be top of the list, as it is an absolutely fantastic podcast. Hosted by Ira Glass with contributions from various producers, […]

Just over a week ago, a terrorist shot and killed 49 people in an LGBT+ nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The aftermath has seen the families of the victims joined in grief by millions and an cry for tighter gun restrictions in the US. The shadow of the worst mass shooting in American history has left […]

There is currently a great deal of campaigning by various groups (namely groups such as ‘campaign4consent’) to have sexual consent taught in schools as part of SRE (sex and relationships education). What is currently considered obligatory SRE varies from country to country (for more information, click here) but the common bare minimum is largely puberty […]

I think we can all agree that the joke that is Donald Trump has gone too far, so I have compiled a comprehensive list of all of his worst qualities. So: ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and my non-binary friends, in no particular order, here is our ‘Top Trumps’ of Trump. 1. The Misogyny […]

No. Of course not; the very suggestion is ludicrous. However, the Sun newspaper recently ran a front page story claiming ‘Auntie is Anti-white’, to which the broadcasting organisation has responded with indignation. The article suggested the BBC was ‘racist’ because of advertisements for junior script writers aimed at only ‘people from ethnic minority backgrounds’, quoting […]