The long-term effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange mean that the impact of war lasts well beyond a ceasefire
I’LL SOON graduate from a Scottish university, and, having come from a background where neither parent attended university, I know I am incredibly lucky — but what I don’t feel lucky for is the student experience. In typical student fashion I’d like to take this opportunity to moan about it.
While the course fees for Scottish universities are free, living costs are not; when we graduate with clouds of debt hanging over us, can we really call this “free education”?
Even then the loans do not come close to covering living costs. When I started university the minimum Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) payment was roughly £475 a month and by now it has risen to £600. This year it will rise to £800 a month. So over five years it has almost doubled, but considering rents have risen further beyond affordable levels (a third of income would be reasonable, but most spend far more), can we seriously call this an improvement? It’s not nearly enough.
Our housing crisis isn’t an accident – it’s class war, trapping millions in poverty while landlords and billionaires profit. To solve it, we need comprehensive transformation, not mere tokenistic reform, writes BECK ROBERTSON
Having endured 14 years of Tory austerity followed by Starmerite cuts, young voters are desperate for change — but Anas Sarwar’s refusal to differentiate from Westminster means Scottish Labour risks electoral catastrophe, writes LAUREN HARPER



