E xeter research and innovation will be celebrated in a series of lectures starting next Tuesday. Beginning with a talk by Dr Darren Schreiber on his upcoming book Your Brain is Built for Politics, the series will cover topics as diverse as biophotonics, bad decision-making and child soldiers, before concluding on Tuesday 8 March with a […]
Politics
Editorial: Test and tenants
Ah, what says welcome back better than exam-related chaos and housing panic? Exam week was a walking disaster and, for once, it wasn’t the students’ fault. With multiple errors and confusion over questions, three exams spanning Politics, Economics and Biology saw disruptions. This affected hundreds of first year students, as well as a final year […]
Why I owe it all to… Satire
Following the recent anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, the debate surrounding ‘free speech’ has re-surged with as much vehemence as ever. Whether due to the mounting threat of terrorism, the powerhouse of social media or heightened multiculturalism, free speech has garnered the title of being one of, if not the most important, human value […]
Be an MP and live longer, says Uni research
Long hours and high pressure decisions don’t seem to have done MPs too much bad – in fact, they’re living 28 per cent longer than their constituents, according to new research involving a University of Exeter PhD student. Conducted by John Dennis from the University Medical School and Dr Tim Crayford, chief medical advisor to […]
“If you misrepresent me, I’ll haunt you after I’m dead” – an interview with Peter Hitchens
Peter Hitchens is a man of many beliefs: beliefs which consistently ruffle the feathers of ‘mainstream’ society. In recent weeks, Hitchens has said some fascinating things – the Conservative party is “socialist”, mass immigration is a “catastrophe”, and the UK is “finished” – so I’ve agreed to a phone call with the man himself, to […]
Exeter research reveals we’re not apathetic, just happy with the government
A lecturer at Exeter University has discovered an interesting link between apathy and happiness, after leading research into people’s perceptions of the UK’s political system. Dr Joanie Willett, a politics lecturer at Exeter’s Penryn campus, along with a team from from the Environment and Sustainability Institute, invited people from Penryn, Falmouth and Truro to sit […]
On the New Left – an interview with Roger Scruton
Roger Scruton is one of the most prominent conservative intellectuals in Britain – perhaps the most. He has been described by The Weekly Standard, America’s ‘neocon bible’, as “England’s most accomplished conservative since Edmund Burke”. He has authored over thirty books, from introductions to Spinoza to A Political Philosophy: Arguments for Conservatism. I had the […]
Denis Healey: The former ‘Labour Giant’
Denis Healey, who has just passed at the phenomenal age of 98, was famously known as an iconic Labour politician: particularly famous for his outspoken manner and purist outlook. A ‘proper education’ at Bradford Grammar School alongside his own charismatic determination resulted in Denis receiving an Oxford scholarship to study Classics, although he remained highly […]
Corbyn can be Prime Minister – but his hardest work remains ahead of him
On Saturday 12th September, Labour’s leadership election served as the climax for what has been touted as one of the biggest surprises in recent UK political history. 66 year old Jeremy Corbyn won the election in the first round with a landslide 59.5% of the vote and, alongside Deputy Leader Tom Watson, already has a […]
Anyone up for a pint of politics?
Pavel Kondov catches up with Exeter lecturer Dr. Darren Schreiber after the ‘Pint of Science‘ presentation, discussing the topic of how your brain is built for politics. Dr. Schreiber began the interview by explaining how his political research relates to neuroscience. ‘I use brain imaging to study how the human brain thinks about political information. The […]