Katherine Seymour

Katherine Seymour

I'm Katherine Seymour, a final year Journalism, Communications and Politics student at Cardiff university. I am Head of Politics at my student newspaper, Gair Rhydd. I have also done work experience at my local community radio station.

Gair Rhydd •

Government blocks Scottish legislation in unprecedented move

The UK government has announced that it will block the Scottish Gender Recognition Bill from being passed into law using Section 35 for the first time since Scottish Devolution came about, citing possible adverse impacts on the 2010 Equality Act. On Tuesday, MPs debated the use of Section 35 by the government to block the Scottish legislation. The SNP argued against the use of the move, saying that the Scottish Government has widely consulted on the bill, including with legal advice. However, t
lappthebrand •

The Commodification Of International Women’s Day And How To Fix It

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8th every year and has been since just before the First World War. It was intended as a mark of women’s rallies which took place at the time on issues like women in the workplace and votes for women. In recent years, the day has become a victim of the commercialisation of holidays, with discounts on beauty treatments or product redesigns becoming the norm around the time of International Women’s Day. I first recognised this trend last year when m
Katherine's news •

Keir Starmer and Labour: can he lead the party into government?

As sleaze has become common within government and politics as a whole once again, does this mean that a change in leadership is needed? And could Labour run by Keir Starmer be the answer? In his New Year speech, Keir Starmer made clear his party’s view that the current government was no longer fit to govern. This signalled a move to a campaign footing for the Labour party as he announced a contract with the British people in which he pledged to lead with: “security, prosperity and respect”. Thi
Gair Rhydd •

Dutch Police Clash with Anti-Lockdown Protesters

Riots have erupted in Rotterdam following the introduction of new COVID-19 rules and restrictions. Protests in the Dutch city turned violent, leading to a police response in which at least two people were shot. Protesters were gathered to show their anger at fresh coronavirus restrictions being imposed across the Netherlands. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced the introduction of a ‘partial lockdown’ in response to soaring infection rates and hospitalisations in the Netherlands. The ann
lappthebrand •

‘They Just Won’t Listen’: Workplace, Mental Health And What We Are Doing About It

The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a light on mental health, but with life slowly getting back to normal what is society doing to help the estimated 13% of the global population that suffers from a diagnosed mental health problem and the countless others who don’t have a diagnosis? I think, for example, that it is fundamental to raise awareness of workers’ rights when it comes to mental health. This story is an incredibly personal one and one which many will relate to. I initially noticed the stig
Gair Rhydd •

Brexit: international study opportunities at risk

In the wake of Brexit, international study oppportunities are at risk for British students, with increasing visa difficulties for UK students The rules of the deal agreed following the UK’s exit of the EU have been causing problems for British students wishing to study abroad. Some students have changed continents or delayed their plans due to the long waiting times for EU visas. The UK Government has asked Spain, the country with the most reported issues, to create a fast-track process for Br
lappthebrand •

'That Girl' As A Fat Girl: How The Viral TikTok Trend Has Fuelled Fatp

'That Girl' As A Fat Girl: How The Viral TikTok Trend Has Fuelled Fatphobia We all know that girl who has her life together, seems to never miss a workout and is constantly productive. When seemingly perfect lifestyles become trends it affects those of us outside of that category whether positively or negatively and inclusivity is important to have more positive impacts. The ‘that girl’ trend has been popularised on TikTok and is characterised by waking up early, drinking green juice, working
The Meridian •

Delay to 'Freedom Day': How will this impact the night time industries?

The coronavirus pandemic has been affecting our lives for over a year now and life seems to be heading closer to normality, but what has been the impact for the businesses left behind? The nightlife industry has been severely affected by the pandemic as it was unable to open for the last 15 months. The obvious impact has been economic. The uncertainty of lockdowns and particularly the hope of 21st June has led to nightclubs losing out on much more than profit. The Independent cited that more th
Gair Rhydd •

Is Social Media becoming the newest election battleground?

In this year's Senedd election social media campaigning has been used more and more by political parties looking to see gains in the Senedd. It is undisputable that social media has become a huge force in politics in the last 5 years. In UK-wide general elections social media use, particularly by Labour and the Liberal Democrats has been a huge chunk of campaign spending. This year’s Senedd election, which takes place on May 6 has been coined, however, ‘Wales’ first social media election’. In
The Meridian •

Russia Protests: Is Covid-19 To Blame?

On January 23rd 2021, protests erupted across Russia and tensions have run high. The protests, in principle, are in support of opposition politician Alexei Navalny. However, the disdain for Putin as president has been high over the last few months as he has hit rock-bottom in the approval polls with his worst score ever, sitting around 53%. Russia has had 4.37 million Covid-19 cases and 88,285 confirmed deaths as of March 5th 2021. Could the handling of the pandemic have some part to play in the
Gair Rhydd •

Government pressured to increase funds for unsafe cladding

The Labour Party is leading calls for the government to increase funds to replace unsafe cladding and prevent the costs falling on residents. Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, there has been a push to make high-rise buildings safe, after it was found that the cladding used on the tower was to blame for the spread of the fire. This has become a contentious issue, and a solution has still not been completely implemented in the last three and a half years. The Labour Party believes that
Katherine's news •

Johnson: Devolution ‘a disaster north of the border’

During a zoom call with around 60 Northern conservative MPs, Johnson described Scottish devolution as a ‘disaster’ at the crucial time of Holyrood elections next May which the SNP are already gearing up for. Politicians of all parties in Scotland have criticised this. Yesterday evening it came about that Johnson described Devolution as a ‘disaster north of the border’ and ‘Tony Blair’s biggest mistake’. While Downing Street has not disputed this, they argued that it more so related to SNP misma
Katherine's news •

Covid vaccine: misinformation gone mad!

The Labour party has urged the government to introduce emergency laws to “stamp out” dangerous anti-vaccination content but what really is so bad about this content? In this article I will be focussing on the dangerous fake news spreading about the new vaccine. Following the announcement by Pfizer that the third round of their vaccine trials are looking successful with the vaccine proving around 90% effective, the usual suspects took to Twitter to denounce the vaccine. The most popular conspira
Katherine's news •

Kamala Harris: a feminist icon?

Kamala Harris made history last week in becoming the first female Vice President. As with every political and historical figure there is wide debate on her stance and what her beliefs could be in the role. So, can we now classify Kamala Harris as a feminist icon? Or does she need to do more to get there? Harris is clearly a powerful woman having made history on multiple occasions: as the first African-American, first Asian-American and first woman to become attorney general of California, First
Katherine's news •

Brexit: The Final Countdown

With the UK braced to leave the EU in January, we are at a ‘make or break’ point in the negotiations. So what really are the chances of getting a deal? In the last week of trade talks amid the infighting in Downing Street, many EU officials have said that little progress has been made particularly on some of the key points which both sides have clear ideas on. Clément Beaune, France’s Minister for EU affairs, said that a deal should be struck by the end of November and was cautiously optimistic
Katherine's news •

Dominic Cumming’s imminent Departure: What does this mean for the PM?

Dominic Cummings’ name was barely known at the beginning of 2020 despite his key role in the 2016 VoteLeave campaign. He’s been a key adviser to Boris Johnson ever since he became Prime Minister. Really what will his departure mean? On Wednesday evening, as I am writing this, one of Boris Johnson’s key advisers, Lee Cain, Director of Communications and ally to Dominic Cummings stood down. This prompted questions as to whether Cummings would follow. His statement to the BBC on this was: “rumours