As the year is drawing to a close, it is only right that we look back and reflect on everything that has happened since January. In the runup to the general election, there was a tense time where the hot political issue being debated was how political issues should be debated. Cameron refused to take part without…
Ted Cruz is dangerous
As Ben Carson and Marco Rubio’s poll numbers begin to dwindle, commentators are now beginning to point at Ted Cruz as the favourite to usurp Donald Trump and become the Republican Party’s nominee elect. If this is the case, and (in the highly unlikely case) if he goes on to win the presidency, all it spells…
France is on a slippery slope
I find it very disconcerting that the far-right National Front (FN) has won the first round in France’s regional elections. While the second and third rounds have not yet commenced, the likelihood of the party winning the election appears now to be quite likely unless Francois Hollande’s incumbent Socialists and the Republicans led by former…
Should the UK stay in the EU?
Hey! I’m Shrey and I will be heading up the Economics section for Pertinent Problems, in addition to writing for my own, personal blog. I’m looking forward to hearing and engaging with your thoughts! In the wake of David Cameron’s spectacular announcement regarding the 2017 EU referendum, the debate regarding the UK’s European Union membership has…
Syria is a lost cause until its underlying issues are addressed
When the government tells you that we can destroy Daesh by bombing them, do not take them at their word. Think about how Daesh came to exist. A group of dissatisfied Muslims who were not happy with the way the West had interfered in the Middle East and created chaos by setting up a group…
Airstrikes in Syria are wrong
Imagine you’re a teenage Syrian. You’ve been displaced from where you used to live, separated from your friends, and uncertain about what the future holds. Life in a refugee camp can barely be called a life. News arrives that the bodies of your parents have been found; they were “collateral damage” in what was an…
Democracy is a bastardised word
If we take a practical definition of a democracy, it’s a system which gives power to the people by letting them choose and replace governments through free and fair elections. Most people then go on to reason that ‘fair’ implies each individual’s vote has equal significance. This is where they are wrong. Multiple countries have…
The government needs to stop patronising us
Parliament. Not that parliament, the Youth Parliament. You’d be forgiven for not really knowing much about it. In theory, a parliament run by young people dealing with issues sounds like an excellent idea. Surely having a bunch of GCSE students decide on the new GCSE system is better than having Michael Gove sitting in his…
Paris is the tragic symptom of a wider problem
The deplorable events which took place last night need no restatement. They were repugnant and any kind of point these terrorists wished to project was automatically discredited by the sheer massacre they inflicted on over a hundred innocent civilians. But upon further inspection there was no statement worth hearing from these people. After all, this is…
The fallen did not die for us to go to war
Yesterday, we saw politicians and military figures descend upon the Cenotaph for another Remembrance day memorial. They paid tributes to all the soldiers who had given their lives to protect the United Kingdom. They were brave in a way that we cannot possibly imagine, giving up their lives for us. It is correct that we…
The unsurprising popularity of Donald Trump
With recent Republican polls placing Trump once again on top, his popularity continues to increase. Trump’s rise seems to signal a fundamental change in the American populous, with his voters split between those who want him to damage/change American politics, and those who truly believe in his policies. One key reason for his increased support…
A new hope?
Marco Rubio. Even if you’ve been following the 2016 election, you could be forgiven for not quite knowing who he was a few weeks ago. After all, in a large Republican field containing heavyweight personalities like Donald Trump it’s difficult to get a good glimpse of anyone else. If you don’t know who he is now…
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