Gay marriage: Nick Clegg at odds with Tory plan for free vote

There's been a lot of controversy lately over the topic of 'Gay marriage' as Nick Clegg said that he and his party want to make gay marriage legal but fears that the vote will end up as a massive "free for all". He believes that gay marriage has no negative impacts and that he is not "asking any person with religious convictions to sacrifice anything". But the two governing parties will be breaking their coalition deal as the Tory MPs are having a free vote, the conservatives were offered this option by Commons Leader Sir George Young and that's what’s planned. This allows MPs to vote without instructions from their party, allowing them to rebel, or not.

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The subject of gay marriage is no big deal. Why should one person’s negative view cause so much discomfort to one type of person because of sexuality? It shouldn't. Marriage is a symbolic event that draws two loving people together, showing that you care, respect and love that person. Why shouldn't they be allowed to take this step forward in a relationship because of old laws, written in times where homosexuality was punishable by death? They shouldn't. The rules for gay marriage are outdated and in our modern day society, acceptable.


Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18225289

Student who mocked Fabrice Muamba on Twitter 'massively sorry'

Liam Stacey (21, student) who had been jailed for 56 days after he posted offensive and racist comments about footballer Fabrice Muamba's collapse on Twitter, is terribly sorry. Suspended from university, he will be allowed to take his final exams as an external candidate and will not be invited to the graduation ceremony. After his initial tweet, people started to criticize him and he retaliated, and things got out of hand. Stacey pleaded guilty and admitted that he used threatening and insulting words with the intent to offend and harass people.

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I didn’t know much about the whole ‘Fabrice Muamba’ thing before this article, but apparently a football player collapsed during a match, and I’m just stunned that people can still be so ignorant and racist. If you see someone collapse like that, you don’t tweet ‘LOL. Fuck Muamba he’s dead’, death isn’t funny. He claims to have been drinking and that he doesn’t know why he decided to tweet about it, if you are really that drunk then what is the point of watching a football match in the first place. You probably wouldn't be able to remember it anyway, right?          


Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/may/22/muamba-twitter-abuse-student-sorry 

Young people 'will be put off studying medicine by £70,000 student debts'

The British Medical Association fears that less and less students will choose a medical career, because of eroded salaries, increased pension contributions and debts. After paying the new £9,000 tuition fees, students will have debts up to £70,000 after they graduate, according to Tom Dolphin. Dolphin calls out to people, to strike back and defend their pensions. “When you start working, a big chunk of your salary will be used to repay these debts. With salaries frozen for many years, your starting salary will have been eroded by inflation.” According to the BMA, the NHS staff has to pay more for their pensions than other public sector workers, and doctors at the start of their careers are hit the hardest, paying hundreds of thousands pounds extra..

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I think this is a serious issue that should be addressed, I think we have a comparable situation here in the Netherlands with the study fines. Even though it would be my big dream to become a doctor one day, I would seriously doubt choosing a medical career, knowing that I would have to pay back a debt of around 70,000 pounds.  Doctors are (obviously) very important, and instead of demoralizing them, I think you should stimulate them.


Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/may/19/young-people-medicine-student-debts