Real voices
Katie Pybus, author of 'Fairer Welfare Systems for Better Mental Health', shows how planned cuts to disability benefits risk worsening mental health and poverty, highlighting the need for a more compassionate, evidence-based social security system.…Read more
Paul Spicker, author of 'What Is the Welfare State For?', highlights how ‘incentives’ are misused to shift blame onto individuals and justify benefit cuts, rather than tackling systemic issues.…Read more
Brenda Fitzpatrick, author of 'Tactical Rape in War and Conflict', highlights how in Sudan, widespread sexual violence, famine, and mass displacement are ravaging millions, as wealthy nations cut aid and turn their backs on their moral obligations.…Read more
In early 2025, Israel’s ongoing destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system was exposed as 'medelacide', the deliberate targeting of medical infrastructure.…Read more
Nicola Madge, author of 'Lockdown Life', shows how the pandemic overlooked older people as a valuable resource, focusing only on their vulnerability.…Read more
Margaret Heffernan explores the debate over AI's impact on the arts, highlighting how AI threatens artists' livelihoods while undervaluing the crucial creativity and innovation that artists bring to society.…Read more
Stewart Lansley, author of 'The Richer, The Poorer', discusses how Labour's planned disability benefit cuts reflect a return to austerity, risking economic stagnation, social decline, and political fallout. …Read more
Mariia Makarova discusses how highly qualified Ukrainian refugees in the UK struggle with underemployment due to language barriers, unrecognised qualifications, visa limitations, and employer bias, despite their resilience and determination to rebuild their careers. …Read more
Kate Newby and Laura N. McGinty examine how reverse mentoring at the University of Sunderland empowered marginalised students to share their experiences with staff, fostering institutional change and demonstrating its broader potential in social justice and support systems.…Read more
Kristine Sheets examines how embroidery, especially Palestinian tatreez, serves as a powerful medium for preserving memory, resisting erasure, and connecting individuals to cultural history and collective identity.…Read more