Committee Recommends: Week 1

Welcome to another edition of our ‘Committee Recommends’ posts, collating content from across different forms of media. As term gets back into full swing, here we present you with opportunities for escape, thought and reflection when you’ve had enough of your degree work. We hope you enjoy!

Long Reads

Everything you need to know about Black Lives Matter UK

“Ultimately, people have been asking: who are BLM UK, what do they believe and how do they plan to spend all that money?”

gal-dem’s Kimberley McIntosh takes a reflective look at the origins of the Black Live Matter UK organisation, the challenges and controversies they have faced, and the long-term future aspirations of black liberation groups in the UK.

Joggers and drinkers: what a day in the life of a Leeds park tells us about modern Britain

“Soft light fades over Woodhouse Moor, the sun setting on a perfect September day and a community connected by this shared, ancient space”

Guardian journalist Sirin Kale takes a walk round a Leeds park, talking to the people she meets along the way to build a picture of the enduring value of green spaces in our country

Britain at the end of history

“For Thatcher, the end of communism, the collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the emergence of a peaceful, united Germany might have been the pinnacle of her career. Instead, she saw it as her biggest foreign policy failure.”

As the 30 year anniversary of the unification of East and West Germany rolls around, the New Statesman’s Robert Saunders offers a detailed and intriguing picture of the geopolitical tensions at the end 80s and looks at what today’s government can learn from them.

The ins and outs of consent

“In that place where rules, clarity, law and separation cease to exist we will show you exactly what we mean by violation”

The Face magazine, the BBC and gal-dem have teamed up to create a digital zine exploring the nuances and complexities surrounding consent, using Michaela Cole’s ground-breaking BBC series ‘I May Destroy You’ as a starting point.

IN THE NEWS

Legal action over £3 billion of unaccounted for covid contracts

£3 billion bounds worth of government-paid contracts have not been made public. Keep an eye on this one, it could have the potential to open a large can of worms.

Armenia Azerbaijan ceasefire undermined

Keeping tabs on the story we recommended last week, the brief glimmer of hope presented by the announcement of a ceasefire has been undone by Azerbaijani shelling. The nascent reigniting of conflict in the region looks is looking more and more threatening.

A BIT OF LISTENING

Americast

What started as a weekly look at the race for the American presidency has become near daily, with ‘emergency Americasts’ hastily arranged to respond to the latest contender for the October surprise. Old friends Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel, both long term and incredibly knowledgeable followers of American politics, give calm and collected analysis of the incoherent mess that is this year’s election.

Watch List

The Social Dilemma

If you’re friends haven’t bombarded you with the apocalyptic threats posed in this feature-length documentary, you’ve probably been in quarantine. Streaming on Netflix, here’s a link to an Independent piece on the show’s importance.

That’s all for this week. Interested in writing for us? Contact us to chat about submissions.