Author: J.P. Bebbington

In recent weeks, I’ve encountered the concept of a safe space many times. It’s a fairly new idea to me, and one I’m unsure of. I’ve heard staunch criticisms and heartfelt defences of it, so we thought we’d take this opportunity to examine both sides a little more closely. To clarify, a safe is space is defined on Wikipedia (a poor resource, but just you try to find it in the OED) as “A place where anyone can relax and be fully self-expressed, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, intellectually challenged, unwelcome or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual…

Every student has neighbours, be they across the landing in Halls or the house next door, but not everyone will have the sort of neighbours you might want to have. One student wrote an anonymous letter to her neighbours, revealing some of the issues she has to deal with. “It should be noted that I have loud neighbours – not the type who snore loudly, but those who like to play the music at the highest volume humanly possible, and it is annoying. I guess it is fine to have a party. But until three in the morning? Do…

Flintshire council are considering a proposal to construct a database of dog mess DNA with the purpose of catching owners who do not clean up after their canine companions in public spaces. Councillor Arnold Woolley called for the council to establish the “information bank” to crack down on owners who “display no social conscience”. Punishments arising from being identified could be an immediate £75 fine or a penalty of up to £2500 if the case goes to court. The proposal will be discussed in a meeting at the County Hall in Mold on Thursday 23rd July, where councillors will make…

I’m afraid it’s come to that moment when we need to talk about sexual health. But first, let’s just remind ourselves what sex is: when two people love each other very much they… No? Okay, then. You surely know what I’m talking about, and if you do, you’ll know how important it is to play it safe. Cases of HIV have doubled in the last ten years, and there are now 100,000 HIV sufferers in the UK. One in Five of those are undiagnosed. Other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis are on the rise. It makes…