November
- 1st – Matt Hancock announced as I’m a Celeb contender
- Jack Twyman – “Who could blame Matt Hancock for wanting to heighten his profile instead of returning to the irrelevant anonymity of many ex-MPs. Many were thankful to have the opportunity to seek revenge through bushtucker trials, and despite him coming third, I hope peace was found for some after seeing him in a cow’s anus and screaming in a tunnel of rats.”
- 9th – NHS nurses vote for strike action for the first time ever
- Jakub Trybull – “Strikes in the way that they are occurring are a novelty for our generation. We are very used to modern comforts of convenience and connectedness, so when our post is delayed or our trains are cancelled we are pricked by a harsh dose of reality about the workers behind the services. The NHS is not a service but a necessity. It is one we have applauded, praised and loved. We should pay them what they are due, not demonise them after two years of strenuous effort and commitment to us. These are not the people lost in the NHS’ bureaucratic maze but those that care for us when we need it most. This winter we need them most.”
- 11th – FTX files for bankruptcy
- Jakub Trybull – “FTX, the brainchild of Sam Bankman-Fried, was often referred to as the platform that “saved crypto” for allowing users to log on and trade cryptocurrencies at ease. After some back and forth with its rival Binanace and reports of FTX being (too?) closely linked to the Alameda Research, there was a run on FTX. Soon, it emerged that FTX had been using individuals’ deposits to cover investments, so as the firm sank, as did the accounts of thousands. SBF is closely linked with the Effective Altruism movement, which seeks to do the best possible, as many EA projects use grants from the FTX Future Fund. Maximising good often lends itself to utilitarianism – arguably more of a maximisation function than a moral philosophy – and can lead to “ends justifying the means”. While it would be over-reductive to equate the two, we must never compromise common-sense moral constraints for “the greater good”.
- 20th-18th Dec – Qatar World Cup – History’s most controversial sports tournament kicked off amid concerns ranging from mistreatment of workers to LGBTQ+ rights.
- Some chose to boycott the event altogether in protest such as Antonia Sundry, who wrote about it for Cherwell.
- Jack Twyman – “The Qatar World Cup will go down in history as the first to be held in winter, the most controversial and the most different stemming from the lack of alcohol. However, in amongst the rightful outcry for LGBTQ+ in the media and thousands of migrant workers who died constructing the stadiums, a lack of attention towards woman’s rights in the nation is an absence few seem yet to have realised.”
- 23rd – Supreme Court ruling denies Scotland independence referendum
- Ayaat Yassin-Kassab – “At the end of November, the UK supreme court ruled unanimously against the calling of a second Scottish independence referendum without Westminster approval. Having lived in Scotland for the past 14 years, I hold the Scottish government’s policies in high regard. On the whole, healthcare, social care, and education are much more advanced than in England, with free universities, free prescriptions, and excellent benefits schemes have been in place for some time. Moreover, the Conservative party is in power in the UK despite a significant lack of Scottish support. The Scottish voters should have a right to self-determination and a right to more democratic voting systems.”
- 17th – Hunt’s budget proper – How many budgets is that now this year?
- 3rd – Netanyahu returns
- Jack Twyman – “In what is unfortunately the best advertisement for opposing proportional representation, Netanyahu’s decision to enter into a far right coalition government will make the prospect of peace increasingly unlikely and a third intifada almost inevitable.”
- 17th – Pelosi steps down – She’ll go down as an icon and a trailblazer for women in US and global politics. Bringing stability and integrity to the role as the first female speaker of the House and will be sorely missed.
- 5th – Widespread Protests begin in China
- Jakub Trybull – “What started out as a vigil to commemorate 10 victims of an apartment block fire swelled into a crowd protesting the ongoing strict COVID-19 restrictions that are claimed to have stifled the rescue mission. For many, this was the first “real” protest that they have witnessed or taken part in. These protests, usually involving holding up a blank sheet of paper, carry many echoes of China’s past; criticisms of the political structure and calls for Xi Jinping’s resignation have been unheard of since the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. With Hong Kong under Chinese sunlight and Taiwan on its horizon, it may be too early to conclude that today’s youth are done demonstrating.”
