I'd like to start this blog with an apology for having not written in so long. The start back at university has been harder than I thought it would be, and the newspaper is slowly taking over my entire life, although I'm absolutely loving it. I'm going to be easing myself back into it now between my dissertation and sleeping, so you'll hopefully be hearing a lot more of my opinionated rants.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know if I've ever made it quite clear in my previous posts, but I'm really not the biggest fan of the present government. I don't enjoy the cuts in spending affecting our frontline services to the extent that now even the Police wouldn't recommend themselves (you can read the story here), the removal of benefits from those who need them most (link here) and the withdrawal of housing benefit for those aged under 25, and overall, their pig-headed attitude. It's hurting, but it's not necessarily working - yes, I admit that we are technically out of recession, but remember, dead cats bounce, too. I wouldn't be surprised if we slip back into negative growth while we don't have the Olympics to help us.
The proposed capping of housing benefit also begs to be believed (links here and here). Yes, I understand the main argument that benefit claimants living in houses far more expensive than others in work could ever dream to afford is unfair, but there are several points that should be addressed.
Firstly, the majority of those on housing benefit are employed, but on low incomes that make them eligible for the benefit (a guide to housing benefit entitlement). Under the new rules, 70% of rented accommodation will cost more than the housing benefit payments people receive. If you're working 40 hours a week on the national minimum wage, finding the extra money that you need to pay the rent may mean the difference between surviving and going under. With the dearth of good quality, affordable housing in this country, moving somewhere smaller isn't necessarily an option, especially if you need to be in a certain area for working, education, or family committments.
Whilst we're here, I'd like to try and clear something up. Benefits are not an opportunity to live in luxury. Yes, there are some people who abuse the system. There are people who appear to be living the good life while doing absolutely bugger all for it, but the vast majority of the time, it isn't like that.
People don't seem to understand that many people are only entitled to Job Seeker's Allowance - which gives you the sum of up to £71 per person, per week. (Proof is here)If you're one of the victims of the recession who became redundant then chances are that's a massive drop in income for you, and you probably won't be eligible for any other assistance. So please, before you complain about benefits, please consider what people are actually entitled to, and don't just look at the media hype.
Getting back on topic... It is with great interest today that I read some local authorities in London will be sending their homeless families away from the capital, despite rules stating that they should aim to house them locally. (The Guardian) (Wales Online).
Why are they doing this? Essentially, there are not enough homes that are suitable for families, and that fall within the housing benefit cap within the capital. With how unpopular this policy is bound to be, and with Boris Johnson already having likened it to ethnic cleansing, it would appear that the Tories are about to have a gaping bullet wound in their foot.
Forgetting for a moment the impact that this policy will have upon those families forced to move, the areas that they will be moved to will also suffer. One of the places mentioned in the plans is Merthyr Tydfil, a place already reknowned for its economic disadvantage and high rates of long-term unemployment. Housing may be cheaper, but there are no advantages to moving people here, especially as Wales struggles with meeting its own housing needs at present.
So what can be done about this problem? Well, perhaps we should look back to the time in the when Britain had an extensive policy of rent controls in the 1940s and 50s, meaning that housing was affordable for all. We need to reinvest in building social housing, creating jobs and homes, as well as boosting the economy. The national mindset of owning our homes needs to change, too, although I accept that this won't be possible until there are viable alternatives to mortgaging yourself to the eyeballs for your entire working life in order to have a secure tenure.
I know that creating extensive housing policy has never been one the strong point of any Conservative government, but I think it's about time they woke up and realised the amount of flak they're about to come in for.
Families are not homeless through fault of their own, it is often poorly thought out policy that's to blame, so why make them suffer even more?
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Monday, 24 September 2012
Surviving Your First Year: 8 Golden Rules I Learned The Hard Way
OH, you freshers, with your shiny new student accounts and enthusiasm, eager to experience all that university can throw at you.
For many of you, this is the first time away from home. You’re anxious to assert your independence, and mostly this will come in the form of consuming far too much exotic-looking alcohol and being in pictures that you definitely won’t want your parents to see.
Now, I’ve been a fresher twice – yes, I made a Poor Life Choice (hereby known as a PLC) when I first applied to Portsmouth University, but I made up for it tenfold by switching to Swansea as soon as I could. So it is with my wisdom and experience of making some serious PLCs that I am here to guide you through the next year. I want you all to make a point of learning from my mistakes. Alternatively, you could make some even bigger ones so that mine look good in comparison.
1. Firstly, do not attach yourself to someone within the first week of university. You’re here for three years, and they won’t seem half as attractive within six months. Don’t rush; you’ve plenty of time to find someone your parents will hate.
2. Secondly, your student loan is finite. I know, it’s a horrible realisation. You also have to be aware of your priorities: first comes your rent and bills, second to that is food, and then it’s important things like books and shoes that will see you through the winter. Only when you have managed to negotiate these hurdles is it appropriate to spend the rest of your loan on new clothes and alcohol. You will soon learn to budget and shop around – for example, buy fresh food in the market where you only buy as much as you need for cheaper, and then go to JC’s for a pint rather than one of Wind Street’s fine establishments. If you can, try and save yourself some money for over the holidays – right now, it is the end of August, and I am sat here with precisely £9.86 to my name, with three weeks to go until pay day. Remember what I said – learn from my mistakes.
3. Pace yourself. In small to medium doses, alcohol is not necessarily that bad for you – although what is said for your body is not necessarily true for your wallet. However, getting completely obliterated four times a week is bad for you, and you will do well to avoid doing so, else you will be making a PLC. I conducted a personal study this year by getting drunk very regularly for a fortnight. My body held a small demonstration, and I was unable to eat properly for a month. I felt disgusting, looked awful, and my mum was furious, but my housemates were overjoyed by how much food I gave to them – every cloud has a silver lining, I guess.
4. Fourth, eat properly. Please don’t make a point of eating only potato smileys and turkey dinosaurs for every meal just because you can. Eventually, you are going to get sick of beige-coloured food, and you will want some vegetables. Beat your body shutting down on you by learning how to cook. Waterstones in the Taliesin sell some basic student cook books that are brilliant for learning the staples of home cooking, and if you can’t be bothered to buy them, you can just take pictures of the recipes on your iPhone.
5. For this one, make sure your parents are out of the room… Gone? Excellent. Boys and girls, you may have heard of sex. You may have heard that university is a brilliant place to obtain it. Let me tell you, Swansea may have gone up in the University Sex League (up to 12th place, from last year’s 60, woo!), but university is not one massive orgy. Or at least, if it is, I’ve not been invited. Anyway, if you are going to do it, your Students’ Union provides thousands of free condoms per year. Make use of them – and not for balloon animals. Also, make sure that you have enough money the next morning for the taxi of disgrace, rather than having to humiliate yourself with the walk of shame. Alternatively, if you’ve awoken being able to remember their name, you are entitled to take the stride of pride. Congratulations.
6. Join a society. I really, really wish I’d done this in my first year. Since joining The Waterfront – not technically a society, but you know what I mean – I have had the best time at university. I’ve met friends for life, learnt new skills, discovered what I want to be when I grow up, and had some awesome experiences. No matter what you’re interested in, you’ll find a society for it, and if you can’t, don’t be afraid to form your own.
7. Do some work – everyone knows the freshers’ mantra of ‘f**k it, 40 percent’, but organising yourself to do some work from the off is a really good habit to form, and it looks a lot better on your transcript. Learn to organise yourself so that you’re not working right up until the deadline, too. There’s nothing worse than sleeping through the hand-in deadline and waking up to your face in your keyboard, smothered in drool.
8. Perhaps the best and most useful piece of advice I can give you is to enjoy yourself. Don’t forget that you’re here to work, but university is also about a whole new lifestyle and learning about yourself and the world around you. Forget school being the best days of your life – your time at Swansea will definitely beat it.
For many of you, this is the first time away from home. You’re anxious to assert your independence, and mostly this will come in the form of consuming far too much exotic-looking alcohol and being in pictures that you definitely won’t want your parents to see.
Now, I’ve been a fresher twice – yes, I made a Poor Life Choice (hereby known as a PLC) when I first applied to Portsmouth University, but I made up for it tenfold by switching to Swansea as soon as I could. So it is with my wisdom and experience of making some serious PLCs that I am here to guide you through the next year. I want you all to make a point of learning from my mistakes. Alternatively, you could make some even bigger ones so that mine look good in comparison.
1. Firstly, do not attach yourself to someone within the first week of university. You’re here for three years, and they won’t seem half as attractive within six months. Don’t rush; you’ve plenty of time to find someone your parents will hate.
2. Secondly, your student loan is finite. I know, it’s a horrible realisation. You also have to be aware of your priorities: first comes your rent and bills, second to that is food, and then it’s important things like books and shoes that will see you through the winter. Only when you have managed to negotiate these hurdles is it appropriate to spend the rest of your loan on new clothes and alcohol. You will soon learn to budget and shop around – for example, buy fresh food in the market where you only buy as much as you need for cheaper, and then go to JC’s for a pint rather than one of Wind Street’s fine establishments. If you can, try and save yourself some money for over the holidays – right now, it is the end of August, and I am sat here with precisely £9.86 to my name, with three weeks to go until pay day. Remember what I said – learn from my mistakes.
3. Pace yourself. In small to medium doses, alcohol is not necessarily that bad for you – although what is said for your body is not necessarily true for your wallet. However, getting completely obliterated four times a week is bad for you, and you will do well to avoid doing so, else you will be making a PLC. I conducted a personal study this year by getting drunk very regularly for a fortnight. My body held a small demonstration, and I was unable to eat properly for a month. I felt disgusting, looked awful, and my mum was furious, but my housemates were overjoyed by how much food I gave to them – every cloud has a silver lining, I guess.
4. Fourth, eat properly. Please don’t make a point of eating only potato smileys and turkey dinosaurs for every meal just because you can. Eventually, you are going to get sick of beige-coloured food, and you will want some vegetables. Beat your body shutting down on you by learning how to cook. Waterstones in the Taliesin sell some basic student cook books that are brilliant for learning the staples of home cooking, and if you can’t be bothered to buy them, you can just take pictures of the recipes on your iPhone.
5. For this one, make sure your parents are out of the room… Gone? Excellent. Boys and girls, you may have heard of sex. You may have heard that university is a brilliant place to obtain it. Let me tell you, Swansea may have gone up in the University Sex League (up to 12th place, from last year’s 60, woo!), but university is not one massive orgy. Or at least, if it is, I’ve not been invited. Anyway, if you are going to do it, your Students’ Union provides thousands of free condoms per year. Make use of them – and not for balloon animals. Also, make sure that you have enough money the next morning for the taxi of disgrace, rather than having to humiliate yourself with the walk of shame. Alternatively, if you’ve awoken being able to remember their name, you are entitled to take the stride of pride. Congratulations.
6. Join a society. I really, really wish I’d done this in my first year. Since joining The Waterfront – not technically a society, but you know what I mean – I have had the best time at university. I’ve met friends for life, learnt new skills, discovered what I want to be when I grow up, and had some awesome experiences. No matter what you’re interested in, you’ll find a society for it, and if you can’t, don’t be afraid to form your own.
7. Do some work – everyone knows the freshers’ mantra of ‘f**k it, 40 percent’, but organising yourself to do some work from the off is a really good habit to form, and it looks a lot better on your transcript. Learn to organise yourself so that you’re not working right up until the deadline, too. There’s nothing worse than sleeping through the hand-in deadline and waking up to your face in your keyboard, smothered in drool.
8. Perhaps the best and most useful piece of advice I can give you is to enjoy yourself. Don’t forget that you’re here to work, but university is also about a whole new lifestyle and learning about yourself and the world around you. Forget school being the best days of your life – your time at Swansea will definitely beat it.
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Nothing to see here: the baby boomers and unemployment.
There is no
escaping the fact that as a country we are going through one of the worst
recessions in history and it is the general population who are paying for it,
whether it be through increased food and petrol prices or unemployment.
It is practically
impossible to get through the day recently without a new statistic on the
latest unemployment figures in Britain. The majority of these statistics relate
to the working-age population as a whole, but there is also a large focus put
onto those aged 16-25.
Unemployed
persons of the 16-25 age range are now fashionably referred to as NEETS – not in
education, employment or training. This is also the group of people who are said
to be most affected by being unemployed for long periods of time – with the
lack of opportunities available presently, this could be a ‘lost generation’, a
whole group of people who won’t be able to access the education and training their parents did. This isn’t
due to their incompetence or their lack of will, it is purely because they have
had the opportunities that previous generations have had taken away from them.
Whether it’s the cutting of EMA, the trebling of university fees, or the cuts
in the numbers of apprenticeships on offer, young people are feeling the
effects of recession and will continue to do so for much longer than many
other groups in society.
The plight of
Britain’s young people is one that deserves to be recognised, but I do feel
that there is another section of society that is being ignored. This group is
made up of those people who are towards the older end of the working age scale,
but who still have a few years to go until they are able to be officially
recognised as retired. Generally, they are 50 or older; part of the baby boom generation.
When searching
for the breakdown of Britain’s unemployment statistics, they tend to be split
into two groups – those aged 16-25, and those aged 25 to retirement, sometimes
classed as ‘older workers’. Although it is fairly difficult to find more
specific figures, there are some available for those who look hard enough. This
is particularly galling when you realise that the USA keeps fantastic
statistics on this area - breaking down the figures into much smaller age
ranges - which are much easier to find.
What is clear
from the figures that I have been able to find, is that it is those aged over 50
who are being hit hard and finding it far harder to recover.
On average, those
from this age range who find themselves unemployed are the least likely to find
work again; even during good economic times. For example, in the third
quartile of 2004, 50.1% of those aged 50 and over found employment again within
three months. Within the first half of this year, this figure had been halved
to 25.6%. It is also this group which is the second most likely to be made
redundant, after the 16-25s.
Clearly, some of
these figures will not be completely accurate – there are always some that fall
between the cracks, and as a larger percentage of the population this group is
always going to be slightly more affected than others – but these are still
alarming.
So what does this
mean in reality for those people who are caught in this trap?
The majority of these
will have been working for the past 30-40 years. Many will own their own homes
or be coming to the end of their mortgage. For those who have still not finished their payments, they may lose their homes, just as they thought they would be reclaiming them from the banks and building societies.
Although some will
be lucky enough for their children to be independent at this stage, there will
be some whom still have them living at home and dependent upon them. For the latter group, this will have an impact on their children, too, who will soon learn the uncomfortable truths of recession.
Losing employment
at any stage of life is a difficult thing to overcome but after potentially
decades in the same industry which may have gone into decline it can be even
more difficult. Although there are schemes available to help people retrain to
find jobs in alternative areas, these are often difficult to obtain help from.
As a society, we are
obsessed with youth. Everyone wants to look younger, feel younger, do everything
that young people do. Despite so many new laws implemented to address the
issues of age discrimination, we tend to shun the positive aspects of being more
experienced in life. These people often have a wealth of knowledge that can be
shared with the rest of their organisations to enhance both them, and society
as a whole.
As our population
ages, this problem will only become more acute. Not only will we lose more of
our older workers, there will be less of them available to train and support the next
generation.
It is important
that we do not lose sight of this group of people, when so many people seem to
be turning their attention elsewhere.We need to stop prioritising youth over experience and knowledge.
Friday, 31 August 2012
What a difference a year makes, and why the internet is not full of perverts.
Let me start off today by telling you that I'm very sorry I haven't updated for a while. Whilst I've been living in my new house, which is all lovely and shiny, I haven't quite gotten around to actually having the internet yet. This creates lots of problems, like not being able to blog, but the biggest problem by far is that I'm not able to look at rabbit videos on Youtube whenever I want. Sad face.
So as I sit at my desk in work - I'm absolutely snowed under, honestly - I had a think, and realised that my life has changed entirely within the last year. So for some reason, I've decided to blog about it, because you all deserve to know the ins and outs of my life for being such loyal readers; we're now at over 2000 hits. Pretty good for a blog I only set up to showcase my articles and complain about stuff that I felt deserved more than a Facebook status.
So lets take a trip back down memory lane...
This time last year, I was in a long term relationship. A very long term relationship. There were plans of trips toParis where I would eat as much baguette as I could get into my face and be vaguely romantic on the Eiffel Tower . We discussed marriage and babies, and came up with rough timescales for each - I was going to be one of those lucky cows who had their life mapped out early. I was ready to be a grown up; or at least, I thought as much.
It turns out that sometimes, not everything works out as you thought it would. After a few months, we were over, the plans were scrapped, and I cried continuously for three days and all but stopped eating, existing purely on a diet of tea and whatever junk my wonderful housemates brought back in some kind of sacrifice to the 'Oh Just Please Stop Crying' God. It worked, because after a week or two, I stopped sniffling, and stopped getting angry at every happy couple I saw in the street. After another couple of months, I realised that I was ready to go about trying to find someone else who might be good at bringing me biscuits, finding me new baby rabbit videos on Youtube and generally being the nice boy that my mother so desperately wants me to find. However, there’s a small issue with this.
I’m crap with small talk.
I am not one of these people that flourish in a new social situation. I tend to stick with the people that I know, afraid of looking like an idiot. This presents the problem of not being able to just go up to people that look interesting, as I tend to forget how to use my mouth and just run away. Obviously, this means that I am never going to be one of those people who can spend a night in a bar chatting to someone and go home with them, I’m just incapable of doing so. The fact that all of my friends are all wonderfully social butterflies just makes it worse.
I’d like to establish that it’s not that I can’t talk to people at all. I’ve been told enough times I’m pretty confident, it’s just that I have to have some kind of established platform to start off on, which I just don’t have with strangers.
So, in order to make the transition from Bridget Jones-esque spinster, I decided I would do something radical. So I joined a dating website.
This wasn’t necessarily something new for me. I had met said long term ex-boyfriend on one, and it had gone swimmingly, even if he did go between the mental ages of 5 and 75 with no warning.
Now, I know that these websites get a lot of bad stick. They’re portrayed as some kind of portal of perverts; the kind of place that your mother wants to try and block on the home computer but doesn’t know how to. However, these websites aren’t all doom and gloom. For one, I’m on there, so it can’t be all bad. Secondly, not everyone you speak to on the internet is a paedophile or a cannibal. Trust me.
As soon as I signed up, there was a barrage of messages from illiterate men. I soon made the promise that unless it was a frighteningly good message, all grammar and spelling mistakes would mean that I wouldn’t reply. There were also messages from those who assumed ‘hey hunny, u ok?’ would count as a good first message. It does not, and no, I did not reply.
Essentially, the website that I use is what my good friend terms, a ‘sausagefest’. This refers to the fact that there are far more men than women on there. Think of it as a post-apocalyptic world, where men are scrambling for those last women with whom to repopulate the world. Not a chance, mate. Even in that situation, I’ve got standards.
What I think this post is trying to get across is that not everyone on a dating website is there because they’re secret perverts, watching you in the shower. Some of us are just crap at talking to attractive strangers. I’ve met some perfectly decent people – and one or two knobs – and the fact that I’ve been able to talk to them before meeting them makes it so much easier. I’ve got a plethora of information on them that I can discuss in more depth. It’s like having an info card for people you meet in the street. It’s useful.
So please don’t hate on those who have met each other on the internet. Yes, it might be a little unorthodox, but the internet is a wonderful place – where else are you able to buy shoes and meet men from the comfort of your own chair?
So as I sit at my desk in work - I'm absolutely snowed under, honestly - I had a think, and realised that my life has changed entirely within the last year. So for some reason, I've decided to blog about it, because you all deserve to know the ins and outs of my life for being such loyal readers; we're now at over 2000 hits. Pretty good for a blog I only set up to showcase my articles and complain about stuff that I felt deserved more than a Facebook status.
So lets take a trip back down memory lane...
This time last year, I was in a long term relationship. A very long term relationship. There were plans of trips to
It turns out that sometimes, not everything works out as you thought it would. After a few months, we were over, the plans were scrapped, and I cried continuously for three days and all but stopped eating, existing purely on a diet of tea and whatever junk my wonderful housemates brought back in some kind of sacrifice to the 'Oh Just Please Stop Crying' God. It worked, because after a week or two, I stopped sniffling, and stopped getting angry at every happy couple I saw in the street. After another couple of months, I realised that I was ready to go about trying to find someone else who might be good at bringing me biscuits, finding me new baby rabbit videos on Youtube and generally being the nice boy that my mother so desperately wants me to find. However, there’s a small issue with this.
I’m crap with small talk.
I am not one of these people that flourish in a new social situation. I tend to stick with the people that I know, afraid of looking like an idiot. This presents the problem of not being able to just go up to people that look interesting, as I tend to forget how to use my mouth and just run away. Obviously, this means that I am never going to be one of those people who can spend a night in a bar chatting to someone and go home with them, I’m just incapable of doing so. The fact that all of my friends are all wonderfully social butterflies just makes it worse.
I’d like to establish that it’s not that I can’t talk to people at all. I’ve been told enough times I’m pretty confident, it’s just that I have to have some kind of established platform to start off on, which I just don’t have with strangers.
So, in order to make the transition from Bridget Jones-esque spinster, I decided I would do something radical. So I joined a dating website.
This wasn’t necessarily something new for me. I had met said long term ex-boyfriend on one, and it had gone swimmingly, even if he did go between the mental ages of 5 and 75 with no warning.
Now, I know that these websites get a lot of bad stick. They’re portrayed as some kind of portal of perverts; the kind of place that your mother wants to try and block on the home computer but doesn’t know how to. However, these websites aren’t all doom and gloom. For one, I’m on there, so it can’t be all bad. Secondly, not everyone you speak to on the internet is a paedophile or a cannibal. Trust me.
As soon as I signed up, there was a barrage of messages from illiterate men. I soon made the promise that unless it was a frighteningly good message, all grammar and spelling mistakes would mean that I wouldn’t reply. There were also messages from those who assumed ‘hey hunny, u ok?’ would count as a good first message. It does not, and no, I did not reply.
Essentially, the website that I use is what my good friend terms, a ‘sausagefest’. This refers to the fact that there are far more men than women on there. Think of it as a post-apocalyptic world, where men are scrambling for those last women with whom to repopulate the world. Not a chance, mate. Even in that situation, I’ve got standards.
What I think this post is trying to get across is that not everyone on a dating website is there because they’re secret perverts, watching you in the shower. Some of us are just crap at talking to attractive strangers. I’ve met some perfectly decent people – and one or two knobs – and the fact that I’ve been able to talk to them before meeting them makes it so much easier. I’ve got a plethora of information on them that I can discuss in more depth. It’s like having an info card for people you meet in the street. It’s useful.
So please don’t hate on those who have met each other on the internet. Yes, it might be a little unorthodox, but the internet is a wonderful place – where else are you able to buy shoes and meet men from the comfort of your own chair?
Friday, 27 July 2012
Look at me, I'm a proper columnist now!
For those of you who have the luck to be my friend on Facebook - and why wouldn't you want to be, my statuses are hilarious - you'll know that I became a proper writer today. Yes, I got published in the local paper with my own, weekly column. Largely, I'll be focusing on what students go through whilst living in Swansea. We get quite a bad rap, and I thought it was about time that I helped to redress the balance.
So for those of you unable to obtain today's copy of The South Wales Evening Post but who want to read it, I've written it up here, too. Don't say I don't ever treat you.
Look at it my way...
SWANSEA, we need to talk. I know that us students and the residents have had problems - we need to clean up after ourselves more, sometimes we get a bit noisy, occasionally we bring home the odd traffic cone in a cat-like act of affection - but honestly, I think we're good together.
Think of all the good times we've had together, don't you think they outweigh the bad?
We bring so much to the local economy and support jobs, we perform volunteer work within our communities, and through the university we provide sporting facilities, produce some of the best graduates in the country, and some of us are representing you at ward level on the local council. We're here for the long haul.
Please, let me explain. we love you, from the concrete jungle of the city to the outstanding natural beauty of the Gower, from the debauchery of Wind Street to the peace of the library. We love everything about you, but the way that you speak to us sometimes... It's like you forget that we're part of this city, too.
We aren't here to be difficult presences in your lives, we just want to be loved.
So please, let's try to work this out. The Union are working hard to help us be better residents. All we ask is a little more respect - take the time to meet us and talk to us when we move in. In turn, we'll be more conscious of you and be better neighbours.
If we do something wrong, take the time to explain and help us understand; we'll appreciate it much more.
Slip ups and accidents will always happen, but we can try our best to help reduce them.
I believe in this relationship, Swansea. I think we can make it work.
So for those of you unable to obtain today's copy of The South Wales Evening Post but who want to read it, I've written it up here, too. Don't say I don't ever treat you.
Look at it my way...
SWANSEA, we need to talk. I know that us students and the residents have had problems - we need to clean up after ourselves more, sometimes we get a bit noisy, occasionally we bring home the odd traffic cone in a cat-like act of affection - but honestly, I think we're good together.
Think of all the good times we've had together, don't you think they outweigh the bad?
We bring so much to the local economy and support jobs, we perform volunteer work within our communities, and through the university we provide sporting facilities, produce some of the best graduates in the country, and some of us are representing you at ward level on the local council. We're here for the long haul.
Please, let me explain. we love you, from the concrete jungle of the city to the outstanding natural beauty of the Gower, from the debauchery of Wind Street to the peace of the library. We love everything about you, but the way that you speak to us sometimes... It's like you forget that we're part of this city, too.
We aren't here to be difficult presences in your lives, we just want to be loved.
So please, let's try to work this out. The Union are working hard to help us be better residents. All we ask is a little more respect - take the time to meet us and talk to us when we move in. In turn, we'll be more conscious of you and be better neighbours.
If we do something wrong, take the time to explain and help us understand; we'll appreciate it much more.
Slip ups and accidents will always happen, but we can try our best to help reduce them.
I believe in this relationship, Swansea. I think we can make it work.
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
Fifty Shades of Dismay
If you've been to a supermarket or a book shop in the last month, you'll have noticed many middle-aged women acting strangely. They may have been clasping books to their chests, giggling with their friends or hiding something under their slightly less embarassing purchases of Tena Lady and concentrated prune juice. These ladies have been bewitched. Bewitched by a dreadful piece of 'literature' - or as I now refer to it, shiterature - that supposedly awakens the mind to all that they have been missing out in their boring, everyday lives.
Originally, Fifty Shades of Grey started life as Twilight fan fiction. You hear that? Twilight. Sparkly vampires who like to assert their dominance over girls a couple of hundred years younger than them. One of the worst series of books and films in the world has influenced yet another series. The circle of life is strong in this one.
The author sets out the tale of Anastasia Steele, a seemingly-feeble, gentle minded student, who is sent to interview the infamous Christian Grey after her friend falls ill and is unable to do it herself. How convenient. As Ana conducts the interview, she becomes of some kind of 'spark' between them. Oh how I wish it had been the kind of spark that they warn you about when you use your mobile phone at a petrol station - at least the story would have finished there. Mr Grey then decides to stalk the poor girl for all she is worth just to see her again. Conveniently, Ana works at a hardware store where Christian decides to pick up some rope and cable ties for some 'DIY'. How delightfully obvious. Despite the fact that cable ties are not appropriate for any type of sexual intercourse, I would have been far more impressed had he also picked up some caustic soda and perhaps a new broom at the same time. Domesticity is sexy. Nothing makes me happier than a man with a plunger.
As the story progresses, we see how Ana starts to fall for the man who describes himself as 'fifty shades of fucked up'. Lovely. However, there is a problem! Ana, lovely, gentle, sweet Ana who likes British literature and English tea is a virgin! Now, aside from the fact that the author seems to be linking Britishness to how much of a prude Ana is at this point of the tale, I was also slightly annoyed at how she makes Christian react to her admission. A 21 year old virgin is not the end of the world, and it's certainly not something to be shocked at. I know it probably shouldn't have irked me as much, but it just astounds me that more people haven't raised this point.
Later, the writing takes yet another turn for the worse. Mr Grey seems to forget to go to work, seemingly chasing his interest around the entire country and flashing the cash wherever he goes. Ana is bought a Mac, an Audi, a Blackberry... Is there any high profile company that hasn't been discussed in this book? The author is one step away from describing a party full of high profile officials with a waiter clutching a golden plate of foil-wrapped nut-based chocolates. Although she declares her anger at seemingly being paid for sex, Ana decides to hang onto her presents; hasn't she heard of ebay?
Unsurprisingly, Ana decides that she wants more from Christian, despite the fact that he is an emotionally destructive, aggressive and seemingly slightly psychotic specimen .Even when he has beaten fifty shades of dignity out of our protagonist with his apparently 'exotic' range of items - all of which can be obtained from Ann Summers, so nothing that exciting - and she has been confronted with a contract, whereby she must agree never to tell anyone about their activities or about him. Not that keeping away is possible, what with the fact that he turns up wherever she may be thanks to his collection of fast cars, his private jet, a helicopter and, what's that? Oh yeah, his mobile phone tracking software. How romantic. Is this yet another half-arsed attempt at that old argument that girls are unable to keep a check on their emotions and can't be trusted where men are involved? Oh tell me another one, I'm bored of this old tale.
Perhaps what riles me most (and oh God I hope my mother isn't reading this. If so, hi mum! Tea, two sugars, two PROPER sugars, none of this hoping I won't notice if you leave half of it out) is the unrealistic way in which their sexual adventures are mapped out. I don't know teenagers who couldn't even manage it as much as they could, and the vast majority of teenage boys are more unstoppable than the Duracell bunny. The writing suggests that they have absolutely perfect sex, every single time. That doesn't happen. In reality there's always a funny noise or a face that makes you giggle, and no one has as good a time as Ana seems to. At least, I hope not, or I'm doing it totally wrong.
I know that writing a scathing review of this book is the 'in' thing to do, but I honestly have problems with this book. It is sexist, seemingly ignoring the last fifty years of feminism's growth in society, and it is just bizarre. Much could be said for the overwhelming number of commas that E L James feels is appropriate for a sentence, too.
Essentially, Fifty Shades of Grey is just sex with supplies from B&Q, with an airy fairy female protagonist who is seemingly out of her depth with a man more suited to Broadmoor than... Well, anywhere.
Give me Pride and Prejudice any day. I don't think Mr Darcy's the whips and paddles type..
Originally, Fifty Shades of Grey started life as Twilight fan fiction. You hear that? Twilight. Sparkly vampires who like to assert their dominance over girls a couple of hundred years younger than them. One of the worst series of books and films in the world has influenced yet another series. The circle of life is strong in this one.
The author sets out the tale of Anastasia Steele, a seemingly-feeble, gentle minded student, who is sent to interview the infamous Christian Grey after her friend falls ill and is unable to do it herself. How convenient. As Ana conducts the interview, she becomes of some kind of 'spark' between them. Oh how I wish it had been the kind of spark that they warn you about when you use your mobile phone at a petrol station - at least the story would have finished there. Mr Grey then decides to stalk the poor girl for all she is worth just to see her again. Conveniently, Ana works at a hardware store where Christian decides to pick up some rope and cable ties for some 'DIY'. How delightfully obvious. Despite the fact that cable ties are not appropriate for any type of sexual intercourse, I would have been far more impressed had he also picked up some caustic soda and perhaps a new broom at the same time. Domesticity is sexy. Nothing makes me happier than a man with a plunger.
As the story progresses, we see how Ana starts to fall for the man who describes himself as 'fifty shades of fucked up'. Lovely. However, there is a problem! Ana, lovely, gentle, sweet Ana who likes British literature and English tea is a virgin! Now, aside from the fact that the author seems to be linking Britishness to how much of a prude Ana is at this point of the tale, I was also slightly annoyed at how she makes Christian react to her admission. A 21 year old virgin is not the end of the world, and it's certainly not something to be shocked at. I know it probably shouldn't have irked me as much, but it just astounds me that more people haven't raised this point.
Later, the writing takes yet another turn for the worse. Mr Grey seems to forget to go to work, seemingly chasing his interest around the entire country and flashing the cash wherever he goes. Ana is bought a Mac, an Audi, a Blackberry... Is there any high profile company that hasn't been discussed in this book? The author is one step away from describing a party full of high profile officials with a waiter clutching a golden plate of foil-wrapped nut-based chocolates. Although she declares her anger at seemingly being paid for sex, Ana decides to hang onto her presents; hasn't she heard of ebay?
Unsurprisingly, Ana decides that she wants more from Christian, despite the fact that he is an emotionally destructive, aggressive and seemingly slightly psychotic specimen .Even when he has beaten fifty shades of dignity out of our protagonist with his apparently 'exotic' range of items - all of which can be obtained from Ann Summers, so nothing that exciting - and she has been confronted with a contract, whereby she must agree never to tell anyone about their activities or about him. Not that keeping away is possible, what with the fact that he turns up wherever she may be thanks to his collection of fast cars, his private jet, a helicopter and, what's that? Oh yeah, his mobile phone tracking software. How romantic. Is this yet another half-arsed attempt at that old argument that girls are unable to keep a check on their emotions and can't be trusted where men are involved? Oh tell me another one, I'm bored of this old tale.
Perhaps what riles me most (and oh God I hope my mother isn't reading this. If so, hi mum! Tea, two sugars, two PROPER sugars, none of this hoping I won't notice if you leave half of it out) is the unrealistic way in which their sexual adventures are mapped out. I don't know teenagers who couldn't even manage it as much as they could, and the vast majority of teenage boys are more unstoppable than the Duracell bunny. The writing suggests that they have absolutely perfect sex, every single time. That doesn't happen. In reality there's always a funny noise or a face that makes you giggle, and no one has as good a time as Ana seems to. At least, I hope not, or I'm doing it totally wrong.
I know that writing a scathing review of this book is the 'in' thing to do, but I honestly have problems with this book. It is sexist, seemingly ignoring the last fifty years of feminism's growth in society, and it is just bizarre. Much could be said for the overwhelming number of commas that E L James feels is appropriate for a sentence, too.
Essentially, Fifty Shades of Grey is just sex with supplies from B&Q, with an airy fairy female protagonist who is seemingly out of her depth with a man more suited to Broadmoor than... Well, anywhere.
Give me Pride and Prejudice any day. I don't think Mr Darcy's the whips and paddles type..
Thursday, 5 July 2012
How to survive a festival.
I have always loathed camping. I have never seen the point in paying to sit in a miniature house made of nylon in a muddy field while it chucks it down outside. I enjoy having built in plumbing and central heating that make it unnecessary to have to go outside when you want a wee.
So for some ridiculous reason, I decided to go to a festival this year – Beach Break. I was excited to try slumming it for the first time in my life whilst getting to see some of my favourite musical acts. I wanted to see what it was like to be with a group of like-minded individuals, all there to enjoy themselves and soak up the atmosphere.
I first knew something was going to go wrong about a fortnight before. The weather forecasts were dire. My best friend had pulled out weeks before, and usually optimistic, even she was laughing at the misfortune that was about to occur: “lol, it’s gonna piss down and you’re gonna be wet and cold and you won’t be able to dry off and you’ll be miserable.” Thanks, babes.
Then I realised the sheer amount of stuff I was going to need, which meant the others would need just as much. After this, I remembered the size of the tent, and I was worried. However, I was totally optimistic and looking forward to it until I saw the state of the portaloos after only one afternoon. Good God, some of you creatures are revolting. That said, it could have been worse. I could have gone to the Isle of Wight festival. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh, sorry. I mean, I hope you had a lovely time, regardless.
So it is with my experience that I realise I must bring to the masses a survival guide of sorts - a list of hints and tips that will make your life more enjoyable whilst you’re sat in a pool of mud, crying for your mummy to come and bring you home.
- Get a good tent. A very good
tent. The best you can afford. You’re going to be spending a lot of time in
that when you’re unwilling to go out in the torrential rain. Make sure that
you’re able to put it together properly before you get there, too. A practice
run or two will help wonderfully. Make sure you always get a tent that has room
for one more person than you actually have in your party – you never know, you
may meet someone. Or you might just want some room for your bags as well.
- Do not pack your entire life
into your suitcases. You aren’t at home, nobody cares how crap you look and
that you haven’t washed your hair in three days. Embrace looking terrible and
wearing the same clothes for four days!
- On this point, baby wipes.
Buy ALL the baby wipes you can find. You’ll need them. Oh, and earplugs,
because nobody needs to be kept awake by the next tent constantly shouting
"ain't nobody got time for that!". Ain't nobody got time for that.
- With the space that you save
in your bag by not having clean pants in there, you can take extra alcohol and
bacon based products. These are the two things that you’ll miss most, I promise
you.
- Leave your good standards at
home. Once you’ve seen the state of the toilets you’ll have forgotten what
being toilet trained and having a sense of decorum is like. I’ve seen some
terrible sights – if you’re the girl who decided to just go for a wee in the
middle of the queue for the toilets, or the girl who decided she needed to
remove her tampon right outside one of the tents, well, hello to you!
- Eat something strange every day. The most exciting thing I had was a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and barbecue sauce. I dream about that thing. Best life choice ever. Thanks be to Becca Taylor for having introduced me to that school bus eatery of dreams.
- Make sure that all of your
clothes are waterproof. Do not wear jeans. Do not wear hoodies. If they get
wet, they will never get dry again. Remember, you are waterproof, so maybe
being perpetually naked is the best way forward.
- Also, don't take a onesie. Everyone takes them, and do you really want to turn up in the same outfit as everyone else? No.
- Don't listen to your friend who comes over for drinks the night before who shares the exact same view of camping as you. It won't make you feel any better about it, no matter how much of someone else's vodka you drink.
- I can only hope that some of you will take my advice. Remember, the second you get home, you are going to fall onto your bed, and you are going to immediately pass out for the next three days. You will be exhausted and you will reek. It will however, be completely worth it.
I’ve signed up for Glastonbury next year. I've already sourced myself a dry suit and a snorkel for the occasion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)