The NHS Survival

The NHS is something we all take for granted. However every time we visit our GP, local hospital or even A&E we are all contributors for spending on the health system. With the next election approaching this May the argument over whether the NHS should be privatised or remain as it is will become more prevalent. Read the article by Violet Daniels below and you can decide for yourself. 

The National Health Service, more commonly known as the, ‘NHS’ was established soon after the end of the Second World War, during a time where there was an increase in medical attention needed by the public as a result of the casualties of the war. The NHS aims to provide a range of health care services which are ‘free’ to members of the public. However, these services have never been, ‘free’ as they are funded by direct taxation from the public.

Despite it being around for many years and providing care to many people it has recently been scrutinized under the current cabinet as whilst being in this governmental term, the Conservatives have reduced spending on the system. In doing so the Conservatives have reduced government borrowing but have sacrificed the efficiency of the health system as a result. Whilst possibly benefiting their own party by reducing public spending they have in turn, caused major chaos amongst the system. 

The population of the UK is currently at 64 million and is expected to rise exponentially within the next few decades. With this population rise people are becoming older, more susceptible to disease and obesity is on the rise due to the increasing abundance of fast food chains and unhealthy convenient food. With this population rise therefore, there will be an increasing strain on the NHS. 

In recent times we have already seen the strain on the NHS that binge drinking and obesity related illnesses have brought about. Strain on the NHS will never now be decreasing, only if our population starts to fall. Surely this is the wrong time to start causing chaos to our national health system? 

As a member of the public who will eventually have to pay taxes I would gladly pay if I knew a percentage of them were going towards the funding of the NHS. To imagine a country without a national health service we only have to look across the continent  to America… 

If you live an America and are unfortunate enough to have an unlucky accident or even suffer the devastation of being diagnosed with a terminal illness you will have to pay for every form of treatment or consultations you have. Through no fault of their own, many Americans are having to pay for the expenses of their own bad luck. Do we want this to happen to our own society?

Many people in America cannot afford the cost of healthcare and so suffer without. However giving birth evidently requires a significant amount of healthcare and a mother should not have to go without because of a lack of income. Above shows the bill of a Mother giving birth, the whole process ended up costing $42,347 which roughly equates to £27,000 which is slightly higher than the average annual salary in the UK! This is seriously unjust, in this day an age with such innovative medical advancements it should make standard healthcare affordable to all. Not just for the higher earners in society. By living without a healthcare funded by public taxation, America are widening the gap between the lower earners in society and the higher earners in society and favouring those who are more privileged. Is this righteous? Would we want this sort of situation in the UK?

On the other hand America has experienced some reform and is not as bad as it was. President Obama in 2010 managed to establish the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) or more commonly known as, “Obamacare” which aimed to provide a more affordable health insurance system which would enable the public to reduce the amount they pay for healthcare. Hope is emerging! 

Luckily in this country we have an NHS healthcare system which covers most medical expenses. However with the current government aiming to privatise the NHS system we might be looking at a bleaker future for the NHS. People may argue this is not a big deal, that there’s larger and more important political issues to worry about perhaps. But I believe this is a very ignorant view, the NHS is used by everyone and is taken for granted by most. If it was privatised everyone would feel the strain, not just a select age group in society. Therefore this is a big issue and would affect everyone in society not just the minority. 

Many people in college will be casting their first vote this May in the 2015 General election and many won’t too, as they may say ‘oh I can’t be bothered’ or ‘oh it won’t make a difference anyway.’ 

To everybody that is reading this article, ask yourself: which one am I? Do you appreciate democracy and having the freedom to openly display your own vote for how and who your country is ran by or are you just too naïve to not care? Throughout our history many groups of people across the world 

have campaigned for the fundamental right to vote and many people today are just abusing this by not even taking an interest. The last general election was in 2010 which saw an overall voter turnout of 65.1%. That’s just over half of all the people in the UK who bothered to vote– I think it’s shameful to admit that after all the campaigns throughout history only half of the people in the UK are turning up to vote. Compare this to the general election of 1929. After the first world war it was predicted that a lot of people had lost faith in politics and maybe wouldn’t bother to vote because of this. However, a year before this general election all women over the age of 21 were given the right to vote. Previously in 1918 women over the age of 30 and who were householders could vote however this changed in 1928 to all women over the age of 21. The turnout for the general election in 1929 was 76.3%. Compare this to present day, where it is at 65.1%. It may not seem a huge difference in the turnout however we have not just experienced the first world war. Even after the political turmoil of WW1 people still bothered to vote more than people in the UK currently do!

This article is not intended to force you into voting but to merely open up your mind to other ideas if you’re currently 18 and thinking of giving this May a miss. Before subjecting yourself to an attitude of defiance and ‘oh it won’t matter if I don’t vote anyway’ try to think positively and remember that every vote counts. And also– if you vote it gives you a right to complain and moan about politics and the sate of the country! By taking part you are doing your bit and standing up for democracy which so many people have fought hard for in the past. 

Happy voting! 

Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Review

a.k.a. Bat Swan -- Michael Keaton pioneers yet another attempt to bring a superhero to the stage.

Superheroes are a staple of pop culture, with some even calling them the Greek Heroes of the modern age. Marvel rules cinema, and chatrooms around the world are devoted to explaining why Ben Affleck shouldn’t be Batman. Yeah, if it has ‘superhero’ plastered to it, it’s going to be successful. Mexican filmmaker, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s latest endeavour is no exception to this rule. Extremely odd, considering that Birdman isn’t a superhero film.

Yes, it has superheroes (or should I say a superhero) in it, but it’s not about them. Not once does our main character deliver a spinning wushu kick to a faceless henchmen or stop a bank robber with some kind of ornate death ray, in fact the only time he breaks a sweat is when he has to make an agonising crawl through Times Square in his underpants with people crowding him and asking for autographs. In fact, for the majority of the running time, the setting is the backstage of a theatre. Oh it’s an odd one alright, but say what you want about this outlandish premise; this movie managed to get nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography, with good reason, too.

It follows fading celebrity, Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton), star of the beloved ‘Birdman’ franchise as he tries to put on a Raymond Calver adaptation of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Throughout the final stages of rehearsal, and several increasingly disastrous premieres, Riggan faces adversity in any direction he turns: everyone from his own cast to the disembodied voice of the comic book character that made him famous.

As you might have guessed from the description, this film is an all-singing, all-dancing depiction for the twilight years of stardom. Riggan has put blood, sweat and tears into trying to get back a little bit of artistic integrity, and maybe some kudos too. True, it’s very obviously a massive metaphor for acting careers (they’re everywhere one minute, and then the next month people are saying ‘Dolph…who?’), but it successfully shows what many have tried and failed to in the past: how the actors feel about this. Yes, there are some nods that people remember Birdman, but it’s not exactly like they remember the actor. Riggan is so out of touch with the world that it’s almost like he doesn’t deserve recognition, at one point, his daughter, Sam (a manically brilliant Emma Stone), points out that he doesn’t even have Facebook or Twitter. He talks about artistic integrity, but then seems to care more about getting in good with the press than he does with how good he feels about the play he’s making.

Surprisingly, though, this makes Riggan a very sympathetic character. With every last ditch attempt to save his final career choice from obscurity and a prestigious New York Times Critic (Andrea Riseborough), you can’t help but root for him when everyone else is telling him to give it up. This is anchored solely by Michael Keaton’s performance, which captures perfectly the isolation, energy and surprising heart that his character has. This film is even, dare I say, a direct metaphor for his career: Batman made him famous, but after Batman Returns, he drifted for a while until this film garnered him a new audience and new critical acclaim.

As well as an astonishing character study, Birdman is also a searing indictment of popular culture and the power of the press and reviewers (ahem). Riggan’s Birdman persona (who has some of the best lines in the entire film) is constantly taunting him at how this arty stuff is a waste of time, and all people want out of entertainment is mindless action, which is referred to as ‘cultural genocide’ at one point in the film. There’s even a jab at franchises like The Expendables when Birdman says ‘sixty is the new thirty!’ At the beginning, we see Riggan accused (quite rightfully) of trying to save his neck by putting on a classy play, when in truth all he is is a ‘washed-up comic strip character’, while a tabloid journalist accuses him of injecting himself with pig semen as a way of age-rejuvenation. Later, a video posted of a near naked Riggan running through Times Square begins to develop an internet following, and Sam’s last words on the matter are: ‘this is power’.

Iñárritu’s direction is wonderful, obviously, this is after all the man who made Biutiful, however he would be nothing without this film’s supporting cast. Edward Norton plays Mike Shiner, a conceited stage actor drunk on his self-importance, and a bottle of gin at one point, who repeatedly makes Riggan’s job a living Hell as he attempts to bear all in the name of art. True, he’s the one with any real artistic integrity, but the way he behaves, and the lengths he goes to make him a soulmate of Riggan in the oddest way possible. The rest of the cast are brilliant, mind you, but it’s Norton’s comedic drive and energy that make him stand out among the rest.

Credit also has to go to Emmanuel Lubezki (who you might know from Gravity if you’re as big a film nerd as I am) for his Godly cinematography. The choice to shoot the film as if it were one continuous take is one part genius and one part perplexing. Some will get turned off by the long, uninterrupted corridor crawls from point A to point B with occasional jazz drums as the only soundtrack, however these all add to the film’s motifs of mounting tension and anger.

I’ve probably run out of space by this point, but seriously, I can’t sing this film’s praises enough. It’s the best film I’ve seen this year, and it’s quite definitely one of the best films of all time as well. If you get the chance to watch it, you should. It may not have as many explosions as Kingsman: The Secret Service, but it has twice its wit and twice its brains, which is really saying something.

Final Verdict:

10/10 -- This isn’t so much The Dark Knight, as it is the dark knight of the soul.

5 Ways to Beat Stress

Exams are coming up,  coursework deadlines are approaching and the mood around college is quickly becoming more stressed. Stress is inevitable at this time of year, but there are several ways to reduce the panic…

Write a list:
Knowing what you need to prioritise and what can wait until later can stop you feeling too overloaded at once. Break up large tasks into smaller ones you can manage in one go.

Go outside:

Being stuck inside for hours can make you feel like your entire life is consumed by work. If you have got 10 minutes to spare, get some fresh air to clean your mind.  (Obviously, if your deadline is 9am tomorrow,  make sure you do that first…)

Take a break:

Take regular breaks so the work doesn’t take over your life; just make sure you actually come back to the work at some point. Taking breaks  refreshes your mind and allows you to come back to it with a fresh viewpoint. 

Relax:

Have a bath, watch low quality TV shows, just do whatever it is that will take your mind off of the stress and calm you down. You won’t be able to produce anything to a high standard if you are really stressed, so put your health first and relax…

Finally, remember that the stress won’t last forever and that it will all be worth it in the end!

Brit Awards 2015

The Brit Awards 2015 were a complete waste of time. Instead of acknowledging real talent, the awards were handed over to the ones who we all expected. Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith were the most predictable and ungrateful winners. To them, these Brits were just another trophy to put on the side especially with Sam just winning 4 Grammys.    

Luckily Paloma Faith won her deserving award and was clearly very grateful, thanking nearly her entire family and record label. But what about the unsung heroes? George Ezra has worked incredibly hard on his album and was definitely entitled to that ward which was predictably given to Sheeran. To prove himself worthy he gave a memorable performance of his hit ‘Budapest’.

Hopefully next year, real talent will be recognised and average, basic talent will be left behind.

Not everyone shared our opinion on Paloma Faith’s win; Ella Henderson (left) looked completely heart-broken by the news. Oh well Ella, maybe you need to go to the river and pray a little harder     next time.

Comic Relief 2015

What’s happening in Comic Relief 2015?

“Our aim is to bring about real and lasting change by tackling the root causes of poverty and social injustice. So, to drive this change, we award grants to incredible projects on the ground that work to give people a leg up, not a hand out.

We are committed to ensuring all the money we are responsible for is genuinely making as big a difference as it possibly can. That’s why we monitor and evaluate the difference our funding is making and every few years, we review our grant-making strategy and adapt it, to ensure we're flexible and responsive to the changing world around us.”

Comic relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy script writer Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief’s appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief. Comic Relief is one of the two high profile telethon events held in the United Kingdom, the other being Children in Need held annually in November.

What’s on this year?

He’s been off our screens for eight years, and now Mr Bean is back. He gets up to his usual antics at a funeral of a friend – but it seems the comic character hasn’t quite adapted to the modern world, taking a faux pas selfie of himself with the coffin. 

the comic character hasn’t quite adapted to the modern world, taking a faux pas selfie of himself with the coffin. 

David Walliams is reprising his role as long-term carer Lou, but the Little Britain Comic Relief special will see him pushing Stephen Hawking in the wheelchair instead of Matt Lucas’ Andy. Catherine Tate is also set to make an appearance as a nun. 

instead of Matt Lucas’ Andy. Catherine Tate is also set to make an appearance as a nun.

 The Red Nose Day broadcast switches over to BBC2 at 10pm during the BBC news, when Jo Brand will be talking to celebrity star bakers Gok Wan, Jennifer Saunders, Victoria Wood and Michael Sheen before announcing the winner. 

Comedians including Stephen Fry, Miranda Hart and Sheridan Smith take to the stage at the London Palladium to raise a few laughs, and hopefully some money. We hope you will donate!

The Sixth Form has been selling cakes and red noses around college to participate in raising money for the less fortunate. Hope you enjoyed them!

No, Prime Minister - TV Debates

The TV leaders debate has ended in stalemate, with David Cameron refusing to partake and the broadcasting companies standing their ground, will we ever get these debates?- James Sullivan

It began as a novel  method of educating the British public in politics before a crucial general election.

Viewed by 9.4 million people, the 2010 debate between the party leaders Gordon Brown (Labour), David Cameron (Conservative) and Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat) proved an avid spectacle before a crucial general election. So why not do it again?

Yet since 2010 British party politics has changed.

There are no longer only three major parties in Parliament; the Green party won a seat in 2010, nationalist parties continue to be popular in Wales (Plaid Cymru) and Scotland (SNP). Plus who can forget the rise of UKIP, who now have two seats in Parliament.

So, when the plans for this years debate were announced, which only had Nigel Farage (UKIP) added, it caused outrage among the smaller parties and David Cameron refused to partake without these smaller parties.

The plans changed; seven leaders would now feature. There were to be three leaders debates, one with a head-to-head between Labour leader Ed Miliband and Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron. The other party leaders would feature in two other debates.

Even with these plans there was continued disagreement.

Broadcasters failed to include the Democratic Unionist Party (from Northern Ireland) despite including all other major parties. In fact the BBC has rejected the DUP’s appeal on the matter.

Now David Cameron is refusing profusely to partake in all but one of the debates, and in response the broadcasting companies are continuing their plans with or without the Prime Minister.

After all the struggle and toil, we end up  with debates that don’t feature all the relevant parties and may now not feature the Prime Minister. Are these debates worth the effort?

The lack of DUP seems a major oversight. After the Scottish Independence referendum it’s clear the Union is close to pulling apart, so it’s not the best time to start excluding small nationalist parties.

But I don’t think it’s a major reason to postpone the whole debate, seven parties will still be informative to the public as they begin to contemplate who to vote for in May.

David Cameron is a slightly more pressing issue. Whatever his reasoning is, it’s clear he believes these debates will be damaging. 

Other party leaders have been quick to criticise his decision, with Nicola Sturgeon (SNP leader) saying we should “stick with that, rather than allow a Tory prime minister to dictate the terms of debate."

There has already been enough conflict in organising these debates, so the BBC is justified in pressing on without him. It’ll only serve to damage his reputation.

It’s a shame, because in an age where political interest is dwindling, the debates served a purpose of capturing the interest of the public. Yet David Cameron’s refusal reinstates the negative view people hold about politicians.

The upcoming general election will be closely contested according to opinion polls, so these debates prove crucial for all parties to influence the public. Yet Cameron may have left the door wide open for Ed Miliband. I can hardly see him losing a debate to an empty chair.

TV debates schedule:

April 2: Debate between all seven party leaders– Broadcasted on ITV

April 16:  Debate between all seven party leaders– Broadcasted on BBC

April 30: Head-to-head debate featuring David Cameron and Ed Miliband - Broadcasted on Channel 4 and Sky

Educating Rita at the Mercury Theatre, 27/02/2015

Educating Rita at the Mercury Theatre - Photo by Robert Day

Ellie Bannerman reviews Educating Rita, the first show in the Mercury Theatre’s new Made In Colchester season. Check out heylookitstheellie.wordpress.com for more theatre blog posts and reviews. 

One of my goals for the new year was to go and see more plays – ask me anything about musical theatre and I’ll probably know the answer but plays are a different story. I can really only think of two plays I’ve ever seen and based on that knowledge it’s hardly surprising I’d actually never heard of Educating Rita before I got my ticket to see it at Colchester’s Mercury Theatre. Educating Rita is the story of Rita, a hairdresser who is adamant she needs to break out of her working class lifestyle, learn about the world and ‘find herself’. This brings her into the path of Frank, an Open University tutor who survives on the multitude of bottles of whisky hidden behind his bookshelves and his constant desire to reject himself.

To begin with, I was fairly sceptical about the show – how on earth could it be interesting for two hours with only two cast members? I felt as if the show took quite a while to get going, the first part seemed fairly repetitive with Rita continuously demanding she wants to ‘know everything’ and Frank attempting to tell her this is far easier said than done. But in the second act the show really comes into its own; I felt far more emotionally connected to the characters, my sympathy switched between both Frank and Rita throughout and I found it very hard to try and pick who’s side I was on! I also loved how the language of the two characters was so contrasting – both between Frank and Rita in the first act and the way in which Rita’s language changes as she becomes more ‘educated’ in the second.

The two cast members carried the show with ease. Dougal Lee gives a solid performance as Frank; I loved how he portrayed the contrasting sides of his character and began to change as his friendship with Rita grew. But from the moment she enters Samantha Robinson shines as Rita, her performance is hilarious, heartfelt and incredibly moving in places. Again, I loved how the character’s personality changes to become more ‘educated’ in the second act and to see Frank’s reaction to this, and how Rita learns to accept herself. I definitely had a lump in my throat by the end!

Staging was simple but really lovely, consisting of a large bookshelf and a few light up pictures. There was also a big backdrop which changed colour to signify the different times of day. The simplicity of the staging was really nice and I was very impressed with a lot of Rita’s quick changes. Scenes were transitioned very cleverly with the sky backdrop (or a change in Rita’s outfit!) usually signifying a new day.

I left wondering one thing: does this count as revision? Though I’m not learning about Macbeth or William Blake, I did find myself being very interested about the meaning of assonance (getting the rhyme wrong, according to Rita). All in all a good, well produced local production – I can’t fault the cast but I just wasn’t overly fond of the story. 

Rating [3/5]