Gambling in Britain: Analogue Legislation in a Digital Age

June 24, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Gambling Related Harm’s Final Report into the Online Gambling Sector, which was published earlier this month, presents a roadmap for government, the Gambling Commission and industry to develop a safer and fairer gambling environment, and limit gambling-related harm in Great Britain. Writing in 2014, I noted how the rise in online gambling had made gambling opportunities more readily available to large swathes of the population, whilst simultaneously undermining many of the restrictions, player protection measures and responsible gambling strategies typically found in land based establishments. Over the last decade, online gambling has been a key propellant of citizens’ gambling expenditure, industry profits and state taxation revenues, with citizens losing £5.3 billion gambling remotely in 2019 alone.

Killing in a time of Covid-19: How do we communicate when we can’t breathe?

June 12, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

The importance of communication is never more apparent than at times of significant events. From the UK leaving the European Union, to Harry and Meghan stepping away from British monarchy, it is through communication that our realities materialise. Indeed, as scholar Daniel Nelson reflects, it is a truism that ‘wars start and end with words’. It is no surprise then that a deep-rooted concern with getting communications ‘right’ lays at the heart of the national response to the Covid-19 pandemic. From government messaging to public health advice, from media debate to conversations with our families, our awareness of the need for successful communications ripples through our consciousness as we try to overcome this disease.

Proposals, Packages, Priorities: why Universities need support during C-19

May 13, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

Universities have proved their worth in the COVID-19 crisis, responding at speed not simply to their own students and research partners’ changed demands, but to the communities and the national effort. But there is a clear sense that the skies will darken once the immediate crisis abates. The concerns include a precipitous fall in international students and constrained local mobility, student retention and progression to university, and the impact of a prolonged economic recession on research and development budgets. These concerns led Universities UK – the umbrella body for the country’s 137 universities, of which I am a Board member, to develop a proposal to government for a systematic programme of support.

COVID-19: Blurred Spatial Boundaries?

May 7, 2020May 7, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

The social, economic and environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to the UK Government issuing instructions for members of the public to 'stay at home' with limited exceptions for shopping, exercise, medical need, and essential travel for work purposes. These directions are supported by Regulations that restrict the operation of public meeting places (or Third Places) including restaurants, cafes, bars, cinemas and gyms. The guidelines for entering a public space, and the maintenance of a 2 metres distance from other individuals not of the same household, pose fresh questions about blurred spatial boundaries.

WITHOUT ‘HOME’ AND AWAY FROM CHILDREN: HOMELESSNESS AND MOTHERHOOD DURING COVID-19

May 6, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

Dr Emma Bimpson and Dr Kesia Reeve discuss the unique and profound challenges that COVID-19 is likely to pose to mothers experiencing homelessness. Last year we completed a research study exploring the experiences of homeless mothers for the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) and Sheffield Hallam University. Now that we are all adjusting to a life spent entirely at ‘home’ we have had cause to think about the mothers who participated in that research. It is difficult to imagine what the domestic circumstances described by those women – in the lead up to their homelessness and then afterwards – would look like in the context of COVID-19.

Youth Unemployment and Covid-19: Avoiding the creation of a pandemic generation

May 5, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

There are nearly seven million 16-24 years olds in the UK; around 1 in 10 of the national population. The scale of government responses across much of the world to the Covid-19 pandemic have been unprecedented in peacetime. Extensive business and employee support schemes (such as furloughing) have prevented an economic downturn turning into a huge crisis of mass unemployment and rapidly increasing poverty.

Never more needed – the voluntary and community sector and COVID-19

May 4, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

As the COVID-19 crisis has spread, Governments across the world have responded with a variety of virus-suppressing restrictions. Our everyday lives and livelihoods have been upended. We have become locked into an all-encompassing ‘Coronaverse’.

DELIVERING PROBATION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

April 30, 2020May 1, 2020 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

The Covid-19 pandemic has touched every aspect of society. It has shone a light on parts of society which tend to go unnoticed and highlighted the ways in which the disadvantaged bear the brunt of events like this. In relation to the criminal justice system, there has been a focus on the policing of lockdown laws and how to protect people in prisons. But we should not forget the impact on probation services which – in England and Wales – are responsible for supervising around 250,000 people in the community. Here, I want to highlight some of the ways in which probation services are being affected by the current situation.

Over used and fundamentally flawed: the problem with using the concept of ‘resilience’ in the context of economic hardship

October 16, 2019 ~ sipsshu ~ Leave a comment

Above: Paul Hickman led a study team comprising researchers from Sheffield Hallam University, The University of Sheffield and Queen's University Belfast, which explored the experiences of low income households across Northern Ireland. Two of the case study areas were in Derry/Londonderry (pictured). The difficult and uncertain times we live in has resulted in increasing attention … Continue reading Over used and fundamentally flawed: the problem with using the concept of ‘resilience’ in the context of economic hardship