SKIPPING OUT - Channing School
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SPRING/SUMMER 2019
SKIPPING OUT
REAWAKENING
SKIPPING OUT
CONTENTS
Ten stories that aren’t about Brexit, Emily Poncia
The supergrass, Emily Sinclair
Feminism - the fourth wave, Millie Angel
China’s social credit system, Natasha Rubins
GNINEKAWAER
The stolen enlightenment, Aybala Rose
Referenda - yes or no? You decide, Ella Shindler
Mr Enid Blyton, Raffy Fry
The complicated case of Shamima Begum, Tilly Sumners
To impeach or, not to impeach, that is the question, Eryn Gold
Eleven years to save our planet, Alice Ryb
The loneliness epidemic, Kate Anderson
In defence of hobbies, Meghan Khan
COVER
by Alice Ryb
ABOUT SKIPPING OUT
Skipping Out is a pupil-led magazine; it aims to give all students in the Senior
School a voice and freedom to express their opinions, passions and interests.
DEAR READER
Welcome to our Spring/Summer issue of Skipping Out. We hope it reawakens your interest in
politics and cultural affairs. Enjoy!
P.S. If you’re interested in contributing to future issues of ‘Skipping Out’, please contact Ms
Wilkinson.
MEET THE TEAM
Emily Poncia Emily Sinclair Millie Angel Aybala Rose Ella Shindler
Raffy Fry Tilly Sumners Natasha Rubins Eryn Gold Alice Ryb
Kate Anderson Megan Khan
TEN NEWS STORIES THAT
AREN’T ABOUT BREXIT
By Emily Poncia
It's spring and, as the weather warms up, prompted people all over the world to people of the area to break free from
the last thing any of us want to do is read share stories of gratitude and inspired the cycles of drought and poverty, as
another story about current affairs many to promote the fact that kindness the seed require much less water than
(especially the B-word) so here’s ten news costs nothing. other grains.
stories that are not about Brexit in any
way.
Thought to be extinct
The news that a giant tortoise, believed
to be extinct for over 100 years, has
finally been discovered on the
Galapagos Island of Fernandina is very
welcome in a world where it seems a
species becomes extinct every day. The
Floating bins announcement was made by Ecuador’s
environment minister Marcelo Mata and
The Seabin is a brand-new technology seems to carry a message of hope. The
that has been set adrift in Sydney last known sighting of this type of Caring for Carrara
harbour to act as a vacuum and suck up tortoise was in 1906, over 100 years
Carrara marble is a highly prized and
upto 20 kilos of rubbish, including tiny ago.
expensive item, from the mining of
plastic microbeads. ‘The Seabin Project’
which many foreign companies benefit.
was started by two brothers on a
Communicating across barriers However, the industry is extremely
crowdfunding website and they now
In Newton, Massachusetts, lives two- harmful to the local area with the town
have 35 sponsored Seabins being
year-old Samantha Savitz. Samantha is of Carrara itself being polluted by
launched in 25 different countries. The
deaf. Realising that the normally bubbly marble dust and mining waste. It is also
device causes no harm to marine life
girl might become withdrawn and upset being subject to hydrogeological
through mechanisms which discourage
as she got older and struggled to instability that causes many floods. The
fish from approaching and could save
communicate, her neighbours rallied people of this area have pulled together
the future of beautiful bays all over the
around her and a whole community in an initiative called ‘Salviamo le Alpi
world.
began learning sign language. Thanks to Apuane’ (Save the Apuan Alps) to build
this initiative, Samantha is able to talk to a growing network of farms which
A heartfelt thank you all the members of her community, allow the locals to break free from the
showing a prime example of ‘love thy harmful industry, as well as reawakening
VHS tapes, along with all kinds of retro the traditions of the area.
neighbour.’
paraphernalia, are coming back into
fashion; however, for one man in
The crop initiative A gift from a stranger
Phoenix, Arizona, it was much more
than trendy nostalgia that was A Chicago school teacher recently
reawakened when he bought a VHS In an act of reawakening the ancient found herself in luck when, on board a
player. In a heartfelt and handwritten traditions of the Indonesian people, flight, she was handed a generous gift of
note to the employee who sold it to Maria Loretha travelled far and wide in $500. The stranger who gave it to her
him, he detailed how he was able to order to find the sorghum seed, which had overheard her conversation with
watch tapes of his wedding, retirement had all but died out. Maria has another passenger about how hard she
party and travels, and how grateful he mobilised women all over the found it to work in an underprivileged
was for the experience. The employee Likotuden area to plant 30 acres of the school where supplies were rare. The
took to social media and the letter crop. The seed produces highly teacher took to social media, thanking
quickly gained notice, with more than nutritious grains which not only revive the stranger and promising to use the
300,000 likes on Twitter in two days. It ancient customs but also allow the money to buy books for her pupils.
THE
SUPERGRASS
By Emily Sinclair Pictured Stephen Mellor (r) and
Gary Haggarty (l)
Like most things in our lives the past There have been several supergrasses
Saved in a heartbeat has a place. It belongs in history lessons, throughout The Troubles, one of the
museums or just generally not in our more notable ones being Christopher
Technology seems to able to do present. There are moments, however, Black, in 1981, whose testimonies led to
when the past not only repeats itself the arrest of thirty eight people. This
anything nowadays, especially for a man
but fully reawakens. seems fundamentally different to the
in New York whose Apple Watch
Haggarty case. Whilst both potentially
saved his life. The watch can detect In January 2018 a man called Gary risked their lives to reduce their
heartbeat, amongst other capabilities, Haggarty admitted to over five hundred sentences, only Black’s seems to have
and it alerted him to seek medical help crimes that he had committed from made a large difference to police
when his heart rate crept dangerously 1991 to 2007; this included five counts investigations. This could link to the
high. He was rushed to hospital where of murder and five counts of attempted rising crime rate within England and
it was discovered he had a ruptured murder. During ‘The Troubles’ in Wales, yet a percentage fall in the
Northern Ireland Haggarty was a number of crimes that culminate in
ulcer and he would have died had it not
member of the Ulster Volunteer Force charges. True, this could just be
been for the crucial gadget. who sought to combat Irish nationalism. because the methods of recording
Classed as a terrorist group by the crime have improved and more people,
British government, the UVF supported particularly with things such as sexual
a union between Great Britain and offences, are coming forward to report
Northern Ireland and would use violent them.
methods in order to achieve this; as a
result the group were responsible for It is clear that there is more of a focus
the murder of over five hundred on rehabilitation rather than retribution
people, over two thirds of whom were or deterrence when it comes to
Irish Catholic. Originally, Haggarty was criminal charges, but is serving hardly
given a thirty five year life sentence, any time at all, like Haggarty did, really
Girl power which is understandable seeing as the the best way?
list of his charges is eighty two pages
Under Armour, a popular sportswear long. However, Haggarty became a so An example of true reformation, thanks
brand, released a new range of girls’ called “supergrass”, which meant that to the prison system, is Stephen Mellor,
shoes dubbed ‘United we win’ on he willingly gave up information to the who was imprisoned in February 1997
International Women’s Day this year. police that could help in their for the murder of a rival drug dealer.
investigations. He studied throughout his fourteen
This comes after Riley Morrison, aged
years in jail and received diplomas in
nine, sent a letter asking Steph Curry of Over the course of 1,015 police Personal Training and Sports
Under Armour why his shoes only interviews Haggarty gave up the names Psychology. After this time he received
came in boys’ sizes. The shoes were co- of fifty five murderers and twenty parole and is now opening a youth
designed by Riley and the lining contains attempted murderers in exchange for a centre in Preston, where he grew up, in
empowering slogans such as ‘Girl 75% reduction in his sentence. order to prevent other people going
Power’ and ‘Be Bold’. According to the judge, Haggarty’s down the same path that he did.
willingness to help was due to his "self-
interest and pragmatism" rather than So, how do these stories link? They link
Shovelling snow because he "wished to atone for his because they demonstrate the
crimes". Yet only one of the men that difference between true remorse and
This winter, a group of children got
Haggarty informed on is to be being given the opportunity to save
together to help their local community. prosecuted. Nevertheless, Haggarty has one's own skin through ‘grassing’. They
They organised an initiative to shovel managed to reduce his life sentence also highlight the difference in ideals
their neighbour’s drive at 4.30 am in down to a mere six and a half years. between helping for the sake of others
order to ensure that she made it to her Granted, giving up this information was and ‘helping’ in order to save yourself.
dialysis appointment. They knew that a potential risk to Haggarty’s life, but They also show the great things about
for the elderly Natalie Blair, the murder is still murder. The son of our criminal justice system, through the
Eamon Fox, one of the men killed by true reformation of a former inmate,
treatment was a matter of life or death
Haggarty, claimed that he had been and, conversely, the way in which it can
and so pulled together in order to allowed to “kill at will”. Is this the type be manipulated if you try hard enough.
make sure she was able to get there on of man that should be allowed to
time. reduce his sentence?
Feminism - the
fourth wave
By Millie Angel
A few years ago, one could easily say that women and men in the popular culture, including the increased interest and awareness in
UK had at last reached something resembling equality: by 2015 feminism as a mainstream issue among younger generations, who
equal numbers of both genders were applying to Oxbridge, a are more inclusive and intersectional in their approach to feminism,
monumental bill had been passed through Westminster to improve and that this is driven through online activism and digital
domestic violence support services and provision in the UK, the engagement in particular.”
most female and minority MPs were voted into Parliament than
ever before, and Brexit was still just a myth. Feminism was deemed, A decisive factor in the spread of this wave of feminism has been
by many, to be unnecessary and outdated in this country, a the use of social media, which “helped to drive a new resurgence of
throwback to a different era. feminism in mainstream conversations,” says Natasha Horsfield.
Before Emma Watson’s #heforshe speech back in 2014, there were
However, only a few years later, we realised how much progress 350,000 conversations about feminism happening on Twitter;
there still was to be made. On 5th October 2017, The New York however, after her speech this increased to 630,000. This
Times and The New Yorker reported that dozens of women had demonstrates the power that social media has to promote
accused American film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse feminism, something that no wave has ever had before. Social media
over a period of at least 30 years. More than 50 women had made platforms, such as Instagram, are also the hub of body positive
allegations against him and from there the numbers have only influencers, such as Denise Bidot and Georgiana Burke. These
spiraled. The reaction by the public was one of shock, with women help to increase people’s self-love and confidence in all
Weinstein’s actions widely criticised by people both in and out of shapes and sizes.
Hollywood. The slogan #metoo was coined and thus began the
unofficial start of the fourth wave of feminism. Since the reawakening of feminism, we have had hundreds of
successes. Natasha Horsfield argues that the “biggest has been the
Yes, I know what you’re thinking, what exactly are the waves of repealing of the 8th Amendment in Ireland which denied women
feminism and how are they all different? So let me tell you. In the the right to abortion” in 2018. She also tells me, “women gaining
UK, the first wave of feminism began in the early 1830s, when are a greater number of positions in elected office in countries like
women realised that in order to gain more rights, they first needed the US and Ethiopia.” As well as this, attitudes in society are slowly
political power. This lead to the formations of the Suffragists and progressing and changing too. However, despite this, more progress
then the Suffragettes, with universal suffrage being granted in the must be made. Recently, there has been a very strong political
UK in 1928. The second wave of feminism began with the sexual backlash against hard won gains in gender equality and women’s
revolution in the 1960s, where, under Wilson’s government, rights, driven by identity politics and openly misogynistic men, such
women began to gain more civil liberties and political power with as Donald Trump, coming into positions of power. This has led to
new, progressive abortion and divorce laws, as well as cuts in funding for women’s services domestically and in
homosexuality being legalised. This made society, in theory, a far international aid, and it threatens existing legislation to protect
more equal place for people of all backgrounds. In the early 1990s, women’s rights in many parts of the world. Clearly, the battle is not
the third wave emerged, with feminists fighting against domestic yet won.
violence and strict gender roles. The allegations in very recent years
have formed the fourth wave, but what makes it different from its
predecessors is that this wave is more focused on equality for all I would like to thank Natasha Horsfield from Womankind for allowing
people, not just predominantly white, middle class women (although me to interview her for this article.
universal equality has been prevalent since the 1960s). Natasha
Horsfield from Womankind describes it as being “more central in
China’s social
credit system
By Natasha Rubins
The social credit system is a national reputation system being
developed in China by the government. The vast ranking system is
intended to monitor the behaviour of China’s citizens and
businesses based on their ‘social credit’. The questionable
programme was first announced in 2014 but will be in full operation
by 2020. This system is fundamentally a form of mass surveillance
and it is safe to say that Chinese citizens are about to get an ugly
wake up call.
That said, this is not the first time that the Chinese government
have enforced a radical procedure in society. Many of you will have
heard of China’s infamous one child policy, an attempt at controlling
China’s enormous population, implemented by the government.
This controversial policy demonstrated just how extreme China’s
government intervention can be, particularly as this scheme
essentially involved the government controlling their citizens’
reproductive lives.
What’s more, as with any ranking system, the social credit scores
fluctuate due to the individual’s behaviour while rewards and
punishments can be earned as an incentive to maintain a suitable
score. The defining method for what behaviour moves your social
score up and down is a secret; however, examples of violations
include bad driving, smoking in non-smoking areas, buying too many
video games and posting fake news online, things that many of us Since the social credit system was announced two years ago, many
could be guilty of. negative articles have been published in the Western press in
response to this contentious system. As explored in many popular
So what sort of punishments are available to combat society’s television shows and films, China’s social credit system seems rather
infractions? You could be banned from flying or travelling on a train dystopian and threatening to us. Having said that, the Chinese
and China have already begun punishing people by restricting travel: government have outlined their vision for the system and claim it is
9 million people with low credit scores have been blocked from intended to build a culture of trust in Chinese society as opposed to
being able to purchase tickets for domestic flights. Furthermore, controlling it. Notably, the cultural expectations in China are very
you and your kids could be banned from the best schools. In 2017, different to those of the Western world. Good behaviour has been
17 people who refused to carry out military service were barred promoted by the Chinese government for centuries, so this type of
from enrolling in higher education or applying for certain system is not that out of the ordinary.
educational institutes. Similarly, you could be stopped from getting
the best jobs. Individuals with a very low credit score would not be All things considered, this system has many risks and challenges, but
able to get management jobs in important firms, which, in it is only in its early stages. The idea could be beneficial in shaping
retrospect, is a smart idea. The most brutal punishment seems to be the society of China and improving the behaviour of its citizens in
the public ‘name and shame’. In essence this is where your social this new digital age. Before disregarding the idea completely,
credit score is so low you become publicly blacklisted, although you perhaps consider all the pros and cons with an open mind. The big
are allowed to appeal against this. However, the regime rewards question is, what does this mean for us? I do not expect a social
people as well as punishes them: one woman claims she did not credit system will materialise here any time soon; however, I
have to pay a deposit when booking a hotel due to her social credit recommend keeping a close eye on your behaviour for good
score being high. measure.
THE STOLEN ENLIGHTENMENT
By Aybala Rose
Nothing quite annoys me as much as One of the reasons we still know of the So does it really matter that Pythagoras
people taking credit for other people's likes of Aristotle, Plato, Sophocles and our (570-495 BC) didn't really invent
work and achievements. This can be from favourite, Pythagoras, is because of these Pythagoras’ theorem? Well, I would argue
the petty, like somebody saying the answer translations. In the Islamic enlightenment, that, yes, it does. We should give credit
someone else said in class a bit louder and they took the works of these great minds where credit’s due. What we call
getting the credit for it, to the more and had debates about the correct Pythagorean Triples were being taught in
universal, such as the supposed periods of translations, painstakingly hand copying each Babylonian schools 2000 years prior to his
“enlightenment”, which we praise for their of them, including the likes of Omar birth. So the Greek enlightenment must
pioneers and intellectuals, but how many of Khayyam (not just a poet) and Al-Kindi who have been a continuum of the academic
their ideas were merely recycled and is famously quoted as saying, “We should thought and work of the previous
embellished, without giving due credit? not be ashamed to acknowledge truth and civilisations, just as it itself continued to
to assimilate it from whatever source it inspire the Romans, the Islamic Golden Age,
The time we call the Great Enlightenment, comes to us, even if it is brought to us by the Renaissance and the Great
is often said to be inspired by the likes of former generations and foreign peoples. Enlightenment.
Isaac Newton (1643-1727) picking up the For him who seeks the truth there is
baton from the Renaissance figures such as nothing of higher value than truth itself.”
Galileo (1564-1642) and Leonardo da Vinci These men were inspired by and built upon
(1452-1519). But where did they get their the texts they had translated, making great
ideas from? Were they all completely advances in medicine, astronomy and
original or were they getting a massive leg mathematics, leading to, for example,
up from others? In Newton's Principia algebra. In 1258, the Mongols burnt down
Mathematica, we get a glimpse of this when the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, and its
he gave credit to Alhazen (965-1040 AD) fabulous collections were lost forever,
and Avicenna (980-1037) for the first and bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end.
part of the second of the laws of motion,
and the law of inertia to Galileo, who was Just over 1000 years beforehand, a Roman
known to have relied on Muslim writings called Lucretius (99-55 BC) wrote about
such as those by Avicenna. the philosophy of Epicurus (341-270 BC)
for a Roman audience. Part of this was an
These Muslim writings were from the expansion on the theory of atomic physics,
Abbasid era (750-1258) and the Umayyad how all matter is made of tiny particles
Portrait of Newton by Godfrey Kneller,
caliphate (661-750), a time when Baghdad which cannot be seen or cut. It turns out 1689
became the great centre of learning and that the Greek, Epicurus, was himself
the Muslim armies preserved texts, instead building on work done by Democritus
of destroying the libraries of the lands they (460-370 BC) and his teacher Leucippus
had conquered. Muslim teaching required (5th century). Most of these works are lost,
them to find out as much as they could and we only know of them because they
about the world, so they began translating were extensively quoted by their
the works of those they had conquered, contemporaries, such as Aristotle, who
which included peoples such as the classical thought it was a rubbish idea. This is more
Greeks and Persians (these translations than 2000 years before atomic physics was
form the basis of what is known as Classics ‘discovered’, or, more accurately,
today). reinvented, by Rutherford and Thomson, at
the turn of the 20th century. Cropped version of the frontispiece of
Johannes Hevelius, Selenographia,
depicting Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen)
REFERENDA -
YES OR NO?
YOU DECIDE
By Ella Shindler
As soon as referenda are mentioned, the on acceptance of The Good Friday This raises the question of how many
word ‘Brexit’ is immediately brought to Agreement, which won a clear majority. people voted on a fundamental change
mind. However, many other, similar In this case, stability was protected as to Britain with little knowledge of what
votes were held in 2016 alone, including future governments were then bound they were voting about?
the Colombian referendum where into supporting the agreement as it had
50.2% (of the 38% turnout) voted to the overwhelming support of the public. In addition, referenda can often divide a
country, due to the binary nature of the
reject a peace deal between the
question which is often an
Colombian government and the guerilla However, when the general public
oversimplification of a complex issue. A
revolutionary armed forces (FARC). This makes a decision they are vulnerable to
country is then divided into two camps,
deal would have ended 52 year civil false information or unrealistic beliefs and this division is greatly exacerbated if
conflict and the President had already about the outcome of their vote. This the result is close, as in the case of
been awarded a Nobel peace prize for unrealistic information often comes Colombia and as in the case of Brexit,
the creation of this deal and his other from campaigns, which use advertising to where the victory was just over 50%.
efforts to create peace. Also in 2016, promote their agenda using a range of Moreover, if there is a low turnout, as is
98% of Hungarians who voted rejected facts which can be disputed, yet they often the case in countries without
the EU mandate on the settlement of succeed in manipulating people. The compulsory voting, it is difficult to
refugees; however, there was not an power of advertising cannot be determine what the will of the country
adequate enough turnout to accurately underestimated as a driving force in actually is, therefore referenda can be a
represent the population. Nevertheless, today’s consumerist society; however, waste of resources and do not always
the government took this as a reason to when the future of a country is being fulfill their democratic purpose.
reject the mandate. decided, it seems more logical that these
People are also influenced by unrelated
decisions are based purely on facts.
issues, such as the hurricane that hit the
Referenda pose a question to the public Politicians have a responsibility to the
day before the Colombian referendum,
and are the best example of direct country to be accurately informed and
and deprivation in the North of England,
democracy in action as each person's aware of the real consequences of their which ironically receives substantial EU
vote is counted. This sounds positive and votes. In comparison, the public as a funding.
referenda are often seen as empowering whole are less well informed as shown
the often neglected public and allowing by the fact that, according to Google Perhaps there is, or should be, an
them to have a direct say in policy. They Trends, the second most popular increased awareness about the dangers
can also ensure public support for an question on the European Union after of holding referenda, which are often
issue which greatly impacts citizens, for the Brexit referendum result was ‘What less democratic than they first appear to
example, the 1998 Irish referendum is the EU?’. be.
MR ENID BLYTON By Raffy Fry It would be churlish to deny a small child the prospect of spying an elf at the bottom of the garden, and so she never did. Our grounds were overrun with pixies, gnomes, faeries and even a funny little fellow in a blue cap. I didn’t mind. Why would I? My darling wife I’d nicknamed Bunny, in fact, had a face like a horse. I greeted her in the morning after a stiff drink of something strong, gargled briskly like mouthwash. I kept the curtains shut, my head throbbing, pretended I was invisible as I stood swaying. Our children, her children, she never cared for much. It was me they ran to for their bruises and scrapes, to test their brows for a worrying fever; it was me who listened, who laughed at their riddles. They begged her to let me see them again. Scornfully, with an emperor’s disdain, she denied them. They bored her. She knew it; we all did. We argued like the comical creatures of Toytown, constantly, but not about spilled cups of tea, broken biscuits and lost party invites, we cursed each other over real, dull things: money, who found us attractive, whether to live under a thatched roof in the country or in sooty old London. Bunny. How apt, rabbits abandon their young too And give them milk only five minutes a day, sometimes never, hopping off to green pastures, while the babies, with their eyes squeezed shut, slowly die. We bored each other. They knew; children always do. Year 9 studied a collection of poetry called ‘The World’s Wife’ by Carol Ann Duffy (the Poet Laureate) and were asked to write their own poem about the spouse of a famous person. Hugh Pollock was the first husband of children’s author, Enid Blyton.
The complicated case
of Shamima Begum
By Tilly Sumners
The story of the teenage girl from Bethnal Green, who ran away to However, all schools now have to train staff on a program called
join the terrorist group IS aged only 15, has dominated every news Prevent, helping them to spot and stave off radicalisation, so it has
channel since mid-February, when she was interviewed by a clearly had some impact.
journalist from The Times in a Syrian refugee camp.
Shamima was 19 when interviewed and 9 months pregnant. She
told the journalist she wanted to come home to the UK to raise her
child. Instead the Home Secretary (who is responsible for internal
affairs of England and Wales, and for immigration and citizenship
for the United Kingdom) wrote to her, revoking her British
Citizenship, preventing her from returning to the UK and forcing
her to stay in this camp and give birth to her son there, who sadly
later died.
In order to understand all the actions that have been taken by the
UK Government against Begum, we must go back to the original
appearance of Begum in our lives as a member of the notorious
Bethnal Green Trio.
Finally, what about the UK’s border force? Shamima Begum used
her elder sister’s passport to fly to Turkey, which should have been
The Bethnal Green trio picked up on, not to mention the fact that three underage girls
travelling from London to Turkey should have sent alarm bells
Amira Abase, Kadiza Sultana and Shamima Begum were three girls ringing.
who, in February 2015, fled their East London homes to join the
Islamic State. The girls, who were all studying for their GCSEs at the Despite all of these arguments, however, there is still strong public
time, stole jewellery from their family in order to pay for a Turkish opinion that, although the girls were minors at the time and there is
Airlines flight to Istanbul, a well known gateway into Syria. But they evidence of grooming, they should be the ones to take the full
were underage and immature. Which raises the question: who was responsibility and accept the harsh consequences of their decision.
to blame? And the consequences have been harsh. One member of the trio,
Sultana, was reported dead in an air raid and Abase’s whereabouts
It is now known that the girls were recruited and groomed over the have remained unknown since she was reported to have married an
internet to be ISIS brides by Aqsa Mahmood, a woman from Australian jihadist. No one knew where Begum was either, until she
Glasgow who left to join ISIS in 2013. How did Mahmood convince was identified by a journalist.
the girls to leave their lives in London in hope of a ‘better life’? How
was she able to have so much contact with the girls with nobody
else noticing?
And what about the faculty at Bethnal Green Academy, who were
accused at the time of not doing enough to prevent radicalisation in
their school? In fact, another student had left BGA the previous
December to join IS. Friends of the girls strongly defend the
academy, however, maintaining that they did not feel at risk of
radicalisation. The headmaster also emphasised the availability of "a
full programme of briefing sessions" with police and counter-
radicalisation groups, leading the police investigation to conclude
that the school played no part in the radicalisation of the trio.Begum’s time in Raqqa When Shamima Begum was found in a Syrian refugee camp by Times’ journalist Anthony Loyd, the now pregnant 19 year-old expressed her desire to return home to the UK to raise her then- unborn son. Begum explained that two of her previous children had died due to malnutrition and the conditions they were exposed to in Raqqa, the de facto capital of ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). Begum then told Loyd about her experience in Raqqa describing seeing the severed heads of captives in bins, yet then stated, confusingly, that it ‘didn’t faze (her) at all’ and her new life had lived up to all her aspirations. So why does Begum want to come back to the UK? After hearing Begum explicitly say during a Guardian interview, ‘No, I don’t regret it,’ when questioned if she felt any contrition for becoming a part of the caliphate (a state ruled by an Islamic leader known as a caliph), it’s hard to understand why exactly Begum wants to return to the UK at all. She told the journalist that the knowledge that her son would have good healthcare in the UK was a big attraction, explaining that she felt ‘overprotective’ because of the deaths of her other two children. Should she be let back in? Shamima is asking the UK public and government to ‘have sympathy’ towards her ‘for everything [she’s] been through’ and states that she ‘didn’t know what [she] was getting into when she left’. However, many have pointed out that this is contradictory to her statement that her life in Raqqa lived up to the attractive propaganda that she was shown and that she had never thought about leaving until both her children had died, her husband had been arrested and the caliphate looked to be near to downfall. This has led many people in the UK to reject Shamima’s request for sympathy as she shows no remorse or realisation of the scale of her actions. The UK home secretary, Sajid Javid, has told the public that he will not hesitate to block her return. “My message is clear: if you have supported terrorist organisations abroad I will not hesitate to prevent your return,” he said. “If you do manage to return you should be ready to be questioned, investigated and potentially prosecuted.” The security minister, Ben Wallace, has also said he will not put lives at risk to rescue UK citizens who go Syria and Iraq to join Isis. So, unless Begum can actually make it to the UK from Syria, she is stuck where she is in any case. When confronted with the opinion that she is a dangerous threat to the UK, Begum argued, “they don't have any evidence against me doing anything dangerous. When I went to Syria, I was just a housewife for the entire four years - stayed at home, took care of my husband, took care of my kids. I never did anything dangerous. I never made propaganda. I never encouraged people to come to Syria. They don't really have proof that I did anything that is dangerous.” Shamima’s family have also chimed in to try and defend her actions by saying that she was just “a little child” who “made a mistake” when she fled London for Syria and became an Islamic State bride.
Was the UK correct to revoke Begum’s stateless [...] I certainly haven’t done that and I am
citizenship? not aware that one of my predecessors has done
Once Begum had given birth to a son, the situation that in a case where they know an individual only
become more complicated, as the child was a has one citizenship, as that would be breaking
British Citizen by right. The Home Secretary was international law as we understand it.”
unmoved, however, and explained, “as a father I
feel compassion for anyone born or brought into a With citizenship of Bangladesh not an option for
conflict zone. But in considering what actions need Begum, many people are questioning how Javid can
to be taken now, I have to think about the safety now enforce the order set out in the revocation
and security of children living in our country.” He letter. Javid’s critics suggest that he was seeking to
then wrote to Begum’s family, revoking her UK exploit populist feeling without proper attention to
citizenship, preventing her from re-entering Britain. the Law. This may mean that the UK will be forced
to accept Begum’s return home after all.
The Home Office was able to do this because of
the 1981 British Nationality Act, which allows the Labour MP Kate Green raised another important
home secretary to remove someone’s citizenship if question regarding the Home Office’s decision,
they are “satisfied that deprivation is conducive to questioning whether it was “morally right to export
the public good”. Their decision can also be the problem” to Bangladesh, rather than deal with
supported by the 2014 Amendment to the Begum through UK Courts. Mr Ali (father of
Nationality Act allowing UK citizenship to be Shamima) also criticised the home secretary’s
removed if there are “reasonable grounds for decision, saying, “I don't think [Sajid Javid’s] done
believing” the person would be able to become a the right thing because she is a British citizen, and if
citizen of another country. As Shamima’s parents it turns out she has committed any crimes, then she
are of Bangladeshi heritage and her husband is a should face justice in the UK.”
Dutch citizen, this act can provide legal grounds to
revoke Shamima Begum’s citizenship. On 8th March Begum’s newborn son died from
pneumonia, said to be caused by a lung infection,
causing many politicians and members of the public
Has Shamima Begum been left stateless?
to question again whether the right decision was
Since the revocation, it has been stressed by the made when Begum’s citizenship was revoked. The
Begum family that Shamima does not have baby, Jarrah, after all, was himself a British citizen
Bangladeshi citizenship, while Bangladesh has also who had not broken any laws and he died as a
said she does not, and will not, be allowed into the result of poor conditions in the camp: a death
country. Because of the lack of another citizenship, which perhaps could have been prevented. It’s a
Begum risks becoming stateless and when former difficult discussion. No one wants to see an
Labour MP John Woodcock questioned Javid about innocent child suffer. But the question is was
this he made the point that, “if an individual only Shamima Begum herself an innocent child who was
has one citizenship, then generally the power radicalised and has paid a terrible price? Or did she
cannot be used because by definition if you took knowingly choose to turn against Britain and British
away their British citizenship they would be values? The debate rages on.To impeach or not to
impeach, that is the
question
By Eryn Gold
Amidst the current political climate in Weisselberg, Trump’s chief financial
America of nationwide instability over officer, as being involved with hush
calls for a border wall, threats of money payments to Stormy Daniels, a
further government shutdowns, and pornographic film actress, qualifying
allegations of misconduct, the Trump Trump for potential bribery charges.
presidency has been dubbed a national
emergency in itself. I know personally Additionally, questions have been raised
that when asked to consider the word as to the methods used to acquire the
president, I hear the hopeful slogans of Trump family wealth. Representative
a Hawaiian-born, Harvard-educated, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member
civil rights lawyer reassuring me that of the 2018 freshman class of
“Yes we can”. Unfortunately, the next Democrats, questioned Cohen, stating
generation of Americans are now being that Trump may have “improperly
forced to come to terms with the harsh devalued his assets to avoid paying
reality of a whole different set of taxes” i.e. commited tax evasion.
classifications: the new norm of a Analytical reports of Trump’s finances
presidency shrouded by fraud, collusion have revealed shocking revelations
and obstruction of justice. about his dealings in the 1990s, with
The New York Times revealing that
Since Trump’s election, there have been Trump participated in “dubious tax
calls for his impeachment. The US schemes” in which he committed
constitution defines the qualification for “outright fraud” in order to greatly
impeachment as "treason, bribery, or increase his inherited fortune from his
other high crimes and misdemeanors". parents. Allegations that, if true, many
Anyone investigating would need to believe render him unfit for office.
decide which of these categories, if any,
could be applied to Trump in a US The Muller investigation, chaired by the
court of law. former director of the FBI, threatened
to expose the corruption within the
Evidence has been mounting of Trump’s Trump administration, though the actual
guilt, with recent developments results of this report have been
including Michael Cohen’s, Donald disappointing, describing former Trump
Trump’s ex-lawyer, testimony to the Campaign Chairman, Paul Manafort,
House of Representatives Oversight already convicted of bank fraud, as a
Committee on the 27th February 2019. “hardened criminal” who “repeatedly
He stated that Trump knew beforehand and brazenly broke the law”. This
about the leak of hacked Democratic shows us how Trump surrounds himself
emails, emails which arguably won him with corrupt individuals who are
the election, an accusation which comforfortable obstructing justice and
potentially includes conspiracy with money laundering in the name of the
Russia. Although this cannot technically presidency, suggesting the guilt of
be classed as ‘treason’, as US is not at Trump himself.
war with Russia, Cohen dubbed Trump
a “conman”, and identified Allen All things considered, it is easy to allow
such allegations to tarnish one’sperception of the Presidency. But would this course of action serve to benefit those who champion it? Unfortunately, impeachment proceedings are far from simple. It is a two-step process in which the second stage requires a two-thirds approval vote in the Senate to finally remove a president from office, a requirement that is overly ambitious in the present Republican-dominated Senate. It may be useful to draw a comparison here to the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton where a President managed to serve his full term in the White House while resisting impeachment proceedings. In line with this precedent is the survival of the Nixon presidency during the time of the Watergate scandal, perhaps suggesting a president can withstand anything if it is not in a party’s interest to experience a change in leadership, so an attempt on Trump might prove counterproductive. Some senior Democrats, for example, the House majority Leader, Nancy Pelosi, have argued that an impeachment would serve as political suicide, with Pelosi appealing to her colleagues that, “We shouldn’t impeach the president for political reasons and we shouldn’t not impeach the president for political reasons”. It is possible impeachment would take the country two steps forward then one step back, with a successful ousting from office conveniently opening the door to power for Vice President Mike Pence. This would usher in the radical right-wing and could possibly increase the Republican advantage in the next election, with many Americans saying they would be more likely to vote for a Republican party headed by a new leader in 2020. Therefore, impeachment might fail to achieve its given purpose: to uphold and defend democracy. Trump still holds a solid approval rating of 46%, a three point increase since January. Is it perhaps possible that the electorate either don’t care about Trump’s ‘misdemeanors’ or are they just too taken up by larger situations at hand, instead choosing to stand by the man who stood on the Capitol steps and swore to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States? I believe recent developments will now begin to shape the polls as the solid evidence against Trump mounts up. Besides, if the Democrats can pick up 40 seats in the House in the 2018 elections, maybe things can change for the better and the electorate will take matters into their own hands by voting the Republicans out of office in 2020. All that’s left is the big question: what should come next? Well, that's up to America, or rather, it’s up to Congress.
Eleven years to save our planet By Alice Ryb British weather is always a good topic of conversation. Whether it’s a complaint about the rain ‘chucking it down’ or how the humidity has ruined your already frizzy hair, people always find a common ground when discussing what the weather's like today. Over the years, like humans everywhere, we became used to the idea that sun, rain, wind and storms were just the backdrops to our lives, something over which we have no control, especially in terms of their unpredictability: an intense week of snow followed by some sunny spells, finished with a hurricane. Its unreliability may contribute to why some people still avoid the blinding truth about global warming, for who can believe the temperature is rising whilst battling an intense week of snow and ice? Global warming refers only to the Earth’s rising surface temperature, while climate change includes warming and its side effects, for example, melting glaciers, heavier rainstorms, or more frequent drought. In other words, global warming is one symptom of the much larger problem of climate change. According to NASA, Earth’s global surface temperature in 2018 was the fourth warmest since 1880. Warming trends are strongest in the Arctic region, where 2018 saw the continued loss of sea ice. A large amount of natural evidence is shown in the form of glaciers retreating, sea ice melting, sea levels rising, islands disappearing and the refugee crisis growing due to harsh weather conditions forcing people out of their homes. “The violence that exists in the human heart has also manifested in the symptoms of illness that we see in the Earth, the water, the air, in living things.” Pope Francis Ironically, the famously impassable Northwest Passage, which claimed the lives of numerous explorers trying to find a new trade route to China, is now so free of ice that people can take a cruise through it on a ship powered by the fossil fuels that help to cause global warming. Whereas in Llapallapani, Bolivia, their second largest lake has become so small that most of the fish have died and the birds have fled. Many of the Uru-Murato people, who had lived off its water for generations, have left too, joining a new global march of refugees, fleeing not war or persecution but climate change. ‘Climate change is no longer some far-off problem: it is happening here; it is happening now.” Barack Obama Understandably, these alarming facts can stir up mixed emotions as the world is heavily dependent on materials, such as plastic, which are essentially destroying our planet. The harsh reality that we rely on materials that are destroying our world may leave many of us feeling rattled, hopeless and even depressed. Susan Clayton, a professor of psychology and environmental studies from Ohio, says there’s evidence that mental health issues tied to the uncertain future of our planet are on the rise: “We can say that a significant proportion of people are experiencing stress and worry about the potential impacts of climate change, and that the level of worry is almost certainly increasing.” And while there is not a specific name for this type of concern, several studies have labelled it “eco- anxiety,” “climate change distress,” and “ecological grief.”
For many people, anxiety is already a part of everyday life. However, eco-anxiety is especially prominent in countries hit by natural disasters, such as the Papua New Guinea earthquake, the Pakistan heatwave, the floods in Nigeria, Japan and India, and the tsunami in Indonesia. Research on the psychological effects of extreme weather events estimate that “Between 25 and 50 percent of all people exposed to an extreme weather disaster may experience diverse mental health effects,” according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. Luckily London is not yet a victim of recurring natural disasters, but little everyday changes can help people around the world to reduce their eco anxiety and stress levels, for example, the reduction of your carbon footprint. Studies show that walking or cycling to work, or taking public transportation, can reduce overall stress levels and have a positive effect on a person’s emotional and physical well-being. Of course, it’s true that climate change won’t be solved by your buying or driving habits alone; however, it is these small actions, that if done on a larger scale, make the most difference. As for those who are tempted to ignore all the bad news in an effort to stay sane, I would argue that it’s important to confront the issue of climate change directly. Greta Thunberg is an inspirational example of someone trying to make a difference. On 20 August 2018, Thunberg decided to not attend school until the 2018 Sweden General Election on 9 September after heat waves and wildfires in Sweden. Her demands were that the Swedish government reduce carbon emissions in accordance with the Paris Agreement, and she protested by sitting outside the Riksdag every day during school hours with the sign ‘Skolstrejk för klimatet’ (school strike for the climate). This was followed, months later, by thousands of students marching in their cities against climate change. As someone who attended the London march, I was greatly empowered by this and achieved a sense of accomplishing something towards the ever growing problem of climate change. Trying to spread awareness is essential, and the actions you can take to help the cause are also extremely important. The point is, there is plenty to do, so stop hiding under the covers and face that monster under the bed.
The loneliness
epidemic
By Kate Anderson
Six degrees of separation is the idea that all and can increase your risk of death by 29%.
people are, at most, only six connections These are scary figures with an even scarier
away from each other. Incredibly, this truth. Studies have shown that 70-80% of
means that, despite living in a world of 7.7 adolescents and 40-50% of the elderly feel
billion people, everyone is connected: my lonely often. The scale of this epidemic is
neighbour’s sister is friends with my obvious when, within the UK’s aging
primary school teacher and the vet down population alone, 6 million out of 12 million
the street knows the woman I once sat people aged over 65 face loneliness. Even
next to on a plane. If this theory is true, more heartbreakingly, these 6 million
well then, by some wizardry, I can credibly people also consider television as their
say that I know Harry Styles, almost. main form of company.
And yet, in a world where people are more
While there is a clear contrast between the
connected than ever, a recent study by the
loneliness of the elderly and that of
British Red Cross has revealed that over 9
adolescents, a clear parallel can be made to
million people in the UK are either ‘always
the young and their insatiable appetite for
or often lonely’.
the digital world. Apps such as Instagram
and Snapchat - rather than offer company
We are living in a period that has become
to the 94% of teenagers who use the
known as ‘the age of loneliness’.
platforms daily - have been found to
increase feelings of isolation and social
This is a modern epidemic, facing modern
anxiety. Furthermore, a survey which
humans, and the blame is being put on an
explored social media patterns has found
increase in the number of single
that the longer individuals spend on social
households, the reduction of face-to-face
media, the lonelier they felt compared to
interactions and the influence of social
those who spent less time plugged in.
media; however, many believe that this is a
historic issue and that people were, and
There is, however, an attempt to stop this
always will be, lonely.
epidemic in its tracks. The current
Conservative government has given 126
Before the 1800s, the word ‘loneliness’
projects up to £100,000 each in funding to
didn’t even exist. People lived in small
tackle the problem, and in January 2018 the
communities, attended church regularly and
world's first ever Minister for Loneliness,
were seemingly happy with their station in
Tracey Crouch, was appointed in
life, and were content to remain in them.
Westminster and she has since continued
Yes, solitude existed, but this solitude didn't
to actively raise awareness of the problem.
come with the anxieties and concerns that
arose in the 19th century and have only
The prevalence of loneliness will continue
increased since. The language of loneliness
to rise, with predictions for the next 12
which exists today had not yet been forced
years estimating a consistent increase. The
into existence.
current climate of the digital world, the
prevalence of social media in our lives, as
The impact of loneliness on our mental and
well as the harsh realities of modern living,
physical health is not widely known, and its
make it clear that loneliness doesn't
ability to manifest into a toxic takeover of
discriminate. Everyone faces loneliness,
mind and body is incredibly underestimated.
everyone is affected by it, and I am certain
that continuing to address and support this
The Campaign to End Loneliness recently
issue, and the people struggling with it, is
found that loneliness is as detrimental to
the only way to solve this problem.
your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a dayIn defence
of hobbies
By Megan Khan
We used to be a nation of hobbyists with
model railways in our attics, jam in our
cupboards and knitting in our handbags.
Sadly, today, we struggle to find the time.
Maybe it’s because of a poor work/ life
balance or all the great TV shows on
Netflix, but sometimes people get
distracted from doing the things they love.
You say to yourself, I’ll start again
tomorrow, next week, next year, and keep
on putting it off. Along the way, the passion
for your hobby gets lost. Oprah once said,
“Passion is energy. Feel the power that
comes from focusing on what excites you.”
Doing what makes you happy is the secret
to a happy life, so maybe it’s time to pick up
that book again or go for that run, because
once you start, you may wonder why you
quit in the first place.
It’s okay to try something different that no
one else does, and it’s completely fine to do
something that a lot of people do already.
The most important thing is that you’re
doing it for yourself and not to please
other people. Hobbies take time, so you
have to really want to pursue them; if not,
you won’t be motivated enough. This
means that you need to make your passion
would be spent shovelling animal poo. After
work for you: if you’re an early bird, do it
a few weeks of this, I used to dread Sunday
in the morning or if working at night is
afternoons and the looming task of washing
more your forte, go ahead, whatever suits
up after all of those cows, goats and
you best.
chickens. So I have to emphasise how
crucial it is to pick a hobby you really enjoy.
Personally, adding my hobbies to my to-do
However, it’s important to give yourself
list always works for me. I’m not sure why,
enough time to see whether you actually
maybe because it feels more official, but it’s
like it or not. When I started going to
always more motivating. Nonetheless, if you
netball club a few months ago, I initially
decide to make a to-do list, make sure it’s
hated it, I realise now that was solely
flexible as sometimes making lists can make
because I was so out of practice, but the
the hobby seem more like a task than
more I went, the more I improved and the
something you enjoy.
more I started to enjoy it. While I’m no
Laura Langman on the courts, I still have
Regardless, you should never feel forced to
fun playing the sport with my friends.
do a hobby because the need to do it
should come from wanting to, not feeling
So whatever hobby you want to do, go for
like you should. I previously worked in a
it! You might rediscover an old one or even
city farm. I signed up because I love animals
find a new hobby to love, and there’s
but didn’t realise the majority of my day
plenty of friends to be made along the way.Headmistress: Mrs B M Elliott MA (Cantab) The Bank Highgate London N6 5HF T: 020 8340 2328 E: info@channing.co.uk www.channing.co.uk
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