House of Cards – Season 1: Review

TV shows need to do a lot to draw my interest and compel me to watch them.  For House of Cards, it was another round of major award nominations, great reviews and an ad campaign at the cinema that pushed me over the edge onto the couch.  It’s not technically a TV show, being produced and aired exclusively on Netflix, but it is one of the best serial shows I’ve watched in a while and, with season 2 around the corner on the 14th of — Read more →

The Joys of Football Manager

The Football Manager series, and its’ predecessor Championship Manager, has been one of the most successful PC game franchises of all-time in the UK – and it’s clear to see why.  Football is a massive cultural phenomenon in the UK, more than just a game or a sport, but a pseudo-religion.  Put together the potential fan-base with football’s inherent subjectivity and almost every fan’s desire to coach their beloved side themselves, and a game based around managing a football club is a nailed-on certainty for — Read more →

What a Constitution Should Be

In every state in the world, there exists a supreme law that is above all others.  This is the state’s constitution.  A constitution is a meta-law, setting out how power in a country should be divided, how laws should be made and what rights citizens of that state have.  It is essential in a democracy. With Scottish independence potentially on the horizon, Scotland will have the chance to draft its own constitution, according to the SNP Government’s White Paper, via a “constitutional convention” where the — Read more →

12 Years a Slave: Review

Perhaps the front-runner for the coveted Best Picture Oscar this year, 12 Years a Slave is a stunning depiction of one man’s horrific experiences with slavery in the American Deep South.  With sublime acting performances, a strong artistic style and great direction from Steve McQueen (not the late American actor), 12 Years a Slave was well worth its praise and hype. The story follows the life of Solomon Northrup, a free man living in upstate New York with his wife and family.  Northrup lives a — Read more →

The Online Newsagents

The media has changed drastically beyond recognition in the time I’ve been alive.  If you had said in the mid-90s that newspapers would be on their way out in just twenty years then you would be given some questionable looks for sure.  The internet has brought a wealth of new opportunities for people to get and distribute news.  The 24-hour news cycle is not just a fad, but a modern baseline for most worthy news organisations.  And now there are more news outlets than ever — Read more →