Posts

Making Sense of the German Election

Image
The results of Germany’s Federal Elections are finally out and it’s a clear defeat for the incumbent government; the Social Democrats and Greens have suffered defeats in seats and the libertarian FDP saw a complete wipeout, as a result, the opposition parties by the likes of the CDU, AfD and Left have seen positive swings and results, with the former led by Friedrich Merz looking set to become the next Chancellor. This was no average election however, the backlash to the Social Democrats was so severe it did not finish in first or second place for the first time in the party’s history, instead the fascist AfD reached second place thanks to its base in former East Germany, and turnout has been surprisingly high, in fact, at 82.5% this is the highest turnout since German reunification. The main focus on the election has been on the AfD, extremist even for far-right standards, it is demoralising to see such a party reach second place, especially after exploiting a recent string of terror ...
Post a Comment
Read more

America is not Weimar Germany

Image
The current American administration  is causing a tense state of being online and in person, and rightfully so. On one hand it's true, just because someone says they'll do something, like invade Canada, that doesn't mean they will or even realistically Can. However, even with that knowledge it is normal to feel anxious and paranoid, it's similar to seeing a Tiger from behind a glass, you're safe and you know it, but your survival instinct keeps prodding with "what if the glass breaks?" or "what if they forget to lock the cage?". These are uncertain and anxious times, nonetheless I feel that some, or rather a lot, of spaces have swung hard on the apocalyptic aspect;  some genuinely worried, others simple e-pundits looking to cynically seek engagement by abusing the fear of scared netizens with clickbait, claiming their sources are "reliable and trustworthy" despite never showing them or mentioning them by name. As a journalist that has b...
Post a Comment
Read more

In the Shadow (Documentary)

A 20 min documentary focusing on the transition from school to adult services for autistic people in Edinburgh   https://youtu.be/qd7H1VePXDk?si=iWjDk_wAFl0Y8znd
Post a Comment
Read more

Sy Hersh and Watergate (Investigative Journalism Essays)

One of the classes I had to take while in University was one on Investigative Journalism, and it was easily one of my favourite classes, I never missed a lesson and actively enjoyed Dr O'Neill's lectures about the side of journalism where "you get to take down the bad guys". While undoubtedly a romantic view of the profession, I have nothing but respect for investigative journalism and those who engage in it especially as a profession. I was so passionate about the class that I began working on one of the two essays I was meant to submit for the class, immediately. I could've gone for the Arizona Project, a very interesting and important story in its own right, however I simply had to go for Sy Hersh's uncovering of the My Lai massacre. I still remember the lecture that covered this Hersh fellow, and being utterly captivated by it, it was my first time hearing about it but I already knew I wanted to know more. Given my early affinity for Hunter S. Thompson, it...
Post a Comment
Read more

Newsdays Articles

 While at Napier, for our final year we took part in a module called "Newsdays" where we simulated a newsroom environment, and had a choice between Newspapers, Radio, or Television. I had the chance to submit a number of articles when I found myself in the Newspapers group, on our own website called EN4News, almost all of these were written on the spot (tis the nature of newsrooms) but some like the indoor venue article had a handful of days of preparation behind it. All you need to know about this weekend's Edinburgh Comic Con The Rising Tide: Special Curation for Powerful Museum Exhibit Plans Unveiled for New Edinburgh Indoor Venue 'Fairytale of New York' singer passes away at 65
Post a Comment
Read more

My work for ENRG Debrief

 This is a collection of the 41 articles I wrote for Edinburgh Napier's news website ENRG, specifically the political section "Debrief". I specialised in international affairs but sometimes dabbled into more local stories, most notably the 2021 Scottish Elections, where I conducted an interview and an opinion poll. Despite my schedule being occupied by studies, lectures and the occasional socialising, I remained quite prolific and at one point, managed to submit at least one article a week. You can read my articles by following this link.
Post a Comment
Read more