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European elections guide: what’s actually on the ballot paper?
Paula Keaveney, Edge Hill University Despite plans to go ahead with Brexit, the UK will now participate in elections to the European Parliament on May 23. Voting in this election will take place across Europe between May 23 and May 26, with different countries holding votes on different days. The majority of member states vote…
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Landlords will be forbidden from evicting tenants for no reason – but reform has only just begun
Tom Simcock, Edge Hill University and Kim McKee, University of Stirling Change is coming. Soon, private tenants in England will have the security they need to call their rented house a home. The UK government has announced plans to abolish “no fault” Section 21 evictions in England, meaning that landlords will no longer be able…
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Theresa May’s failing hostile environment: immigration checks by landlords breach human rights
Tom Simcock, Edge Hill University The “right-to-rent” scheme was a cornerstone of Theresa May’s hostile environment, which she put in place during her time as home secretary to curb illegal migration to the UK. Since 2016, the scheme has required landlords to check the status of their tenants by reviewing identification documents – a passport,…
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Housing benefit freeze still driving tenants from their homes, despite Universal Credit reforms
Tom Simcock, Edge Hill University The controversial roll out of Universal Credit has been stalled. Under pressure from across the political spectrum, work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd has unveiled a “fresh approach”. Among the new measures, Rudd has announced that the government will launch a digital platform, which promises to streamline housing benefit payments…
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Childhood obesity – personal responsibility or environmental curse?
Dr Rob Noonan, Senior Lecturer in Physical Education and Children’s Physical Activity. In England there’s a steep social gradient to childhood health including obesity, and this continues into adolescence. The social gradient in health is a strong reminder that inequality effects all children’s health albeit those at the very top. So, we should all care about…
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Why there will be no winners from the US-China trade war
Christopher Dent, Edge Hill University The clock is ticking for China and the US to resolve their trade dispute. Some progress was made at the last round of talks (January 7-9) but negotiators must find a comprehensive agreement by March 2. If they fail, the US government plans to raise tariffs from 10% to 25%…
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‘Snowflake millennial’ label is inaccurate and reverses progress to destigmatise mental health
Shelly Haslam-Ormerod, Edge Hill University From the baby boomers of the mid 1940s to the early 60s to Generation X yuppies who came of age in the 1980s – labelling generations is nothing new but as early as 1839 French Philosopher Auguste Comte wrote about the gradual and continuous influence generations have upon each other…
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The problem with using psychoanalysis on children
Michael Richards, Edge Hill University Children with problems or problem children? That is the question often asked by parents and teachers alike. If a child is naughty in school, are they a “bad” child or are they facing mental ill health? Most analysis focuses on children being the problem – a highly individualistic take which…
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Weight monitoring during pregnancy could help save lives
Hazel Flight, Edge Hill University There are times in a person’s life when specific events can have long-term implications on their future health. Pregnancy is one of those times – when major and dramatic changes occur within a woman’s body composition in a short period of time. A key element of a healthy pregnancy is…
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Child obesity is linked to deprivation, so why do poor parents still cop the blame?
Robert Noonan, Edge Hill University Childhood obesity has risen ten-fold over the past 40 years. In the UK, roughly 30% of children are overweight or obese. Obesity rates are much higher among children living in deprived communities. In England, there is a clear trend: the wealthier a child’s family is, the more likely the child…
