May 16, 2012

Is equality intrinsically valuable?

This piece assesses the argument that equality is of intrinsic value and formed part of the formative assessment for the ‘Contemporary Political Theory’ module, GV262.

Is equality intrinsically valuable?

Two problems arise when discussing the apparent value of equality. The first concerns the ability to define equality in such a way that it can be shown as prior to other moral constraints and thus foundational, and the second concerns the ability to prove its desirability given this foundational quality. Broadly, political theorists have failed to articulate clearly why equality is in an individual’s interests and why they should be treated equally. More

May 10, 2012

It Gets Better

I’ve taken part in the LSE Students’ Union ‘It Gets Better‘ project this year, and here are the results. Staff and students of the LSE and LSESU share their experiences of coming out to their friends and family, and what it’s like being LGBT at LSE.

Apr 12, 2012

An open letter to the Deputy Mayor of London

Dear Mr. Barnes,

RE: Homophobic advertising on Transport for London bus routes.

I am contacting you in your capacity as Deputy Mayor of London in relation to the following news story that broke today in The Guardian and on Pink News:

Christian group’s anti-gay ads to appear on buses

Religious groups respond to Stonewall with ‘Ex-Gay, Get Over It’ London bus adverts

I also would like to draw your attention to this petition:

See the petition on iPetitions

I am under the impression that Transport for London are not in control of their own advertising and that it is administered by a third party, called Metroline, but I find the fact that TFL are going to be host to such an advertising campaign deeply concerning. More

Dec 7, 2011

The Gender Revolutionaries

Some areas of our society are persecuted every day because of how they choose to live their lives. Racial, gender and sexual discrimination are rife within our society even today. Several countries around the world still outlaw homosexuality, punishing those who are “found out” with the death penalty. Fascist organisations like the British National Party and English Defence League are growing in number and strength, peddling messages of hate and denying those who don’t conform to their nazi-esque vision the right to even exist. The battle for equality and freedom from oppression is far from over.

Oct 1, 2011

The Blood Ban

For many years “men who sleep with men” (MSM) have been unable to donate blood because of discriminatory rules predicated on the idea that gay men are more likely to carry HIV/AIDS, and that there was therefore too high a risk of transmission to take blood from this group of people for use in the National Blood Service (NBS).

That all changed this month as it was announced that the lifetime ban would be lifted and replaced with a twelve month ban; MSM would be able to donate blood providing they had no sexual contact with a man in the last year.
More

Apr 8, 2011

Electoral Systems

This piece assesses the strengths and weaknesses of proportional and majoritarian electoral systems, and was written as part of my degree. This work was a formative assignment for the ‘Introduction to Political Science’ module, GV101.

Are majoritarian or proportional electoral systems better?

Electoral systems – the set of rules that regulate competition between parties and/or candidates during elections, that decide how vote shares map to seats in parliament and indeed, how the electorate express their preferences – have traditionally fallen into two categories; majoritarian – which include Single Member Plurality (or ‘First-Past-The-Post’), the Two-Round System and Alternative Vote – or proportional – like open or closed-list PR and the Single Transferable Vote^[1]. More

Apr 8, 2011

Absolutism

An assignment looking at Thomas Hobbes’ ‘Leviathan’, written as part of my degree. This work was a formative assignment for the ‘Introduction to Political Theory’ module, GV100.

Does Hobbes’ employment of natural rights take him in an absolutist direction?

In this essay, I will aim to assess the political thought of Thomas Hobbes, through analysis of his work, Leviathan. I will explain his theory of human nature, leading to his views on the natural rights of mankind and ultimately, the link he creates between this and his view that absolutism, preferably centred in a monarchy, is the best form of government. I will then attempt to analyse this reasoning, leading to a defence of his theory.
More

Mar 4, 2011

Rerum cognoscere causas

“To know the causes of things”. That’s our motto and in fact it’s the core aim of the new LSE100 course that the School has launched to improve our employment prospects. The logic is that LSE graduates are very skilled in our own fields but employers don’t like our narrowly focused programmes and instead would like us to have broader skills. Thus, if you’re a first year, you now have to take part in the LSE100 course to develop your skills to “think like a social scientist”. Good idea, no?

Well, there seems to be some debate about just how good an idea it is. From the very first week, students have been complaining about the new course and its not surprising, given what the School is trying to do with it.
More

Jan 20, 2011

The UGM

Controversy struck today at the LSE SU’s Union General Meeting (UGM) as students put forward an amendment to the constitutional bye-laws. The motion, which can be found on the Students’ Union’s website, proposes that the UGM change it’s current voting format back to a “voting in person” system, which was removed under a constitutional reform package last year in favour of online voting. More

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