Politics
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The multiplier effect of marginalisation
I don’t think people understand the layered nature of marginalisation. Some people have a broader understanding of intolerance, but it’s often assumed to be at the level of outright racism or obvious discrimination. But behind the everyday interactions, there’s a whole layer of systems created…
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Witnessing a Moment in History
Yesterday, Bangladesh had its national elections. But this was no ordinary elections, it was the first that was broadly fair and free in nearly two decades. In the West, the idea of a free and fair election is taken for granted. So is the idea…
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Waiting for the World to implode
I don’t think I’ve seen as much pessimism at the start of the year than I have in 2026. We’ve got to the point where we openly speak about how tumultuous things are right now. The political watershed moment of the week came from Mark…
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Searching for a spark of hope in life
Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash Tough times are tough. It’s why they name them so. The current moment feels like a tougher time. Global war, political division and increasing financial hardship for many. These are not simple things to navigate. I’ve had a particularly…
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Keeping faith with the tides of the universe
Sometimes it’s pretty hard to keep faith in the world. This weekend, there was a far-right protest of over 100,000 in London. On the same week, we had the shooting of Charlie Kirk in the US too. It’s safe to say we’re in choppy waters…
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Things are difficult right now, it’s not your imagination
Although I’ve been relatively insular in recent times, I can’t help but feel what is going on in the world. Things feel tough for people. I’m not really seeing many people truly thriving. It feels like a lot of us are stuck in a broken…
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Feeling the pain of a world in conflict
I’ve been feeling low rather regularly in the last week. It’s really been at odds with what’s happening in my life. Broadly speaking, I’m actually on the up. Yet as I regain my connection with the world, I also regain my connection with its pains.…
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What’s the point of protesting anyway?
For a long time in my life, I found protests pointless. I didn’t really get the point of going out on the street to complain about things. It didn’t really seem to do a whole lot. But my view has shifted over the last few…
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Why I feel I’m not allowed to protest
This weekend is protest galore in Brussels. Today there is a march for International Women’s Day, whilst tomorrow there is a protest against the new ‘Arizona’ government coalition taking up power in Belgium. Yet, I’ve always felt a hesitancy around ever participating in a protest.…
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Why the left needs to stop being ‘holier than thou’
Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash Over the last few years I’ve been more directly entering into grass root and radical spaces. On the one hand, I am inspired by the way in which these spaces can bring a sense of altruism and…
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Getting off the sidelines and onto the pitch
Photo by David Knox on Unsplash I’ve pretty much always been interested in politics. Yet even saying that out loud feels a little weird. The last few years, I’ve actively gone out of my way to avoid political conversation. I got to the point that…
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Keeping grounded in a changing world
Change is a constant, whether we like it or not. The European elections took place last week. For those unfamiliar, it’s the voting across the EU Member States for the representatives in the European Parliament. But one election was not enough. There were also federal…
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Why our views on building people’s skills are outdated
2023 is the European Year of Skills. This is an initiative from the European Commission to address skill shortages within the EU. Considering that it’s October and you probably never heard of this, I’m going to suggest that this initiative hasn’t been a roaring success.…
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Finding peace in a time of war
This blog is around personal development and looking at the beauty of diversity. I’m glad that many people read this; it shows we are fortunate to have moments to reflect on how we can improve ourselves and make things better around us. Unfortunately, these are…
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Are we too obsessed with the concept of growth?
A large portion of our economic indicators are based upon GDP growth. Over the last century, our main idea of measuring a country’s success is as to whether it has GDP growth or not. GDP has often been heralded as the mark of doing ‘better’,…
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What adult biking lessons taught me about successful sustainability policy
Having recently moved to Brussels, it was about time I built up my confidence of cycling. By chance, I found a bike shop that runs adult cycling lessons. So figuring I would probably put it off otherwise, I signed myself up during the summer and…