Friday Roundup

In today’s email: Most political decisions in democracies worldwide are made through indirect representation - voters select someone else to represent their voice in parliament. There is also another option: referendums, giving the electorate direct power to make their voices heard on a given issue. However, one of the issues with referendums is setting the threshold of voters required for the referendum to be successful. The debate hangs on whether supermajorities should be implemented for fairer and more representative results.

By Benjamin Chambers

In today’s email: With house prices getting more and more unaffordable, home ownership is becoming out of reach for many people in Britain, particularly young people. Labour has pledged to tackle the issue by building 1.5 million houses which they say will make it easier to get on the property ladder. But will it work?

By Tasha Vagadia and Kit Swift

In today’s email: We will examine whether the state of the UK’s healthcare is fit to treat and support mental health issues. In the last few years, mental health has been a much-discussed topic in the media. Some argue that there is a major crisis in the UK regarding mental health, especially with the cost-of-living crisis. However, others suggest that despite these challenges, the government is taking the initiative to manage the crisis with the new Labour government’s pledge to modernise the Mental Health Act and give more support to young people in school with recruits.

By Grace Leather

In today’s email: Tensions in Europe have escalated over the last two years as Putin continues to fight a war in Ukraine. More countries, including Ukraine, have been keen to join NATO but what impact would an expanding NATO have? We consider both the argument that a bigger alliance is a stronger alliance and the argument that expansion simply creates more potential conflict, making the West less secure.

By Jonah Levy and Kit Swift