Soapboxes

We’ve all heard the saying ‘only God can judge me’. I’m not here to ruminate about religion, but let’s be honest, we’ve all passed judgement on someone or something at one point or another.

However, what’s really annoying is people who find it necessary to judge other people constantly, aloud, and without thinking of the consequences. There’s a difference between a thought, in your head, and verbal or obviously sneering judgement. Whilst it’d be fabulous for us all to strive to be non-judgmental about most things, it’d be nice if everyone stopped being so judgemental about minor things, like what clothes someone wears, or what colour they dye their hair. Not to mention, people who judge others for who they love, or how they choose to identify themselves.

It’s fine to have opinions, but when you look down on people simply because they’re different? That’s not ok.

Alexandra Sadler

The Right Way Round

This is something that annoys me so much. The amount of times I’m walking down the escalator at Haymarket and someone’s standing on the left just blocking everyone’s path. The only way to get them to move is to say in a passive-aggressive tone “EXCUSE ME”.

I’m sorry but how selfish can you get? It says literally eight times down the escalator on a red sign ‘STAND ON THE RIGHT’. We’re British, we walk and drive on the left so someone who’s moving faster than you walks past you on the left as well. It isn’t exactly hard! There isn’t more of an annoying feeling than standing behind someone who’s selfishly just standing there, or isn’t keeping their bags in, or is stood on the right but not enough for you to get past.

Please, if this is you, use some basic primary school intelligence and read the signs.

James Davies

Inclusive Education

You know what really pickles my gherkins? The idea that kids with additional needs in mainstream education are a burden on resources. It’s an argument I’ve been seeing for a while now. Last year Leader of Australia’s One Nation Party and all round human skidmark Pauline Hanson called for children with “special needs” to be removed from Australian schools as their presence constituted “a loss for other kids”. And, here in the UK, our government has prioritized the building so-called “special schools” as opposed to furthering inclusive education

Growing up autistic, I benefited from inclusive education. Without it I certainly wouldn’t be doing a masters degree. But since the Conservatives came to power in 2010 it seems like the paths that helped me are disappearing. Funding for SEN statements might still come from the local council, but that money now ends up in the hands of private academies over whom the elected local authority has no oversight. Plus austerity has decimated many extracurricular schemes that were a lifeline to many kids, especially in poorer towns like mine. Schools are strapped for resources yes, but segregating kids with additional needs will only serve to cruelly stunt their chances in life.

Gerry Hart