The Bylines Network Podcast

Welcome to the fourth audio edition of the Bylines Network podcast. Thank you to all of our writers for penning these great articles, to our readers for recording them, and to Julian Greenbank for editing! 

What goes on at Labour conference? What will conference mean for the party? Will this be the year that Labour pledges to support electoral reform? 

Join us this week, as we speak with Owen Winter and Mike Buckley about Labour conference, starting tomorrow. Owen, part of Labour for a New Democracy, has been campaigning for proportional representation since 2015, and is a key part of the effort to get Labour to vote for it this year. Mike, Director of Labour for a European Future, is intimately familiar with Labour politics, and breaks down what conference will mean for the leadership. 

If you enjoyed the episode, be sure to give it a review and to subscribe. Thanks to our wonderful editor, Julian Greenbank. Be sure to follow us @BylinesPod on all social media. 

With the mainstream media attention diverted from Afghanistan, this week the Bylines Network podcast looks at the situation on the ground, and what has changed since the Taliban took over the country in August. With a new administration installed, and clampdowns on women's rights and the right to protest, it is important to keep an eye on the situation, and not let it drift off the attention.

This week, we also spoke with Martin Waller at East Anglia Bylines. Martin, wrote a piece for East Anglia Bylines this week on how to fund social care, and we spoke about the problems with the government's plans, and possible solutions.

Be sure to read the article here and to follow Martin at @martinwaller10, and us at @BylinesPod 

Welcome to the third audio edition of the Bylines Network! Thanks to our writers for producing these articles, our readers for recording them, and our editor, Jules, for putting them all together.

0:23: Unite’s new general secretary – new dawn for Labour, or cold war? - Jane Thomas (Yorkshire Bylines) read by Alex Toal 

5:20: Hauliers dismiss ‘bring in the army’ plans to stock supermarket shelves

Peter Thurlow (East Anglia Bylines) read by Stephen Tomlin

11:44: The Covid Climate Crisis - Amber Hill (West England Bylines) read by Julian Greenbank 

16:44: The woman who haunts Sunderland Empire Theatre Peter Lathan (North East Bylines) 

Welcome to the third part of our miniseries on the state of higher education in the pandemic. In this episode, John and Alex speak about the "marketisation" of higher education, with the introduction of tuition fees. What does it mean to "get a degree", and how does the university experience weigh up to how it is sold? Then, Alex speaks with Nick Hillman of the Higher Education Policy Institute on the broader impacts of the reintroduction of tuition fees. 

Welcome to part 2 of our education mini-series, focusing on the lives of students during the pandemic. In this episode, we focus student housing: throughout Covid many students were either forced into mass-produced university accommodation, or trapped in run down private housing. With discussion of rent rebates, strikes, and evictions, Paige and John speak with: 

- Brandon Olufowobi (Unite Students) 

- Louise Jennifer (University of Leicester Rent Strike) 

If you enjoyed the episode, be sure to leave us a review and follow us on @BylinesPod on social media! 

We're delighted to be introducing the first ever audio edition of the Bylines Network! This week, we're taking four articles from across the network, and bringing them to life with the voices of our hosts.

0:50: Anti-vaxxers, past and present - Pen Hemingway (Yorkshire Bylines) read by Alex Toal

7:56: A 3% pay rise is not enough for NHS England - Louise Brown (North East Bylines) read by Gareth Kearns

11:10: For those in peril at sea: the Seafarers Centres - Ann C Holland (Central Bylines) read by Julian Greenbank

14:35: Conservatives and Labour are deceiving women on rape sentencing - Dr Stella Perrott (Yorkshire Bylines) read by Paige Furlonge-Walker 

We're delighted to bring you the first episode of our new education miniseries! Our hosts Paige, Connor, and John have all been in university for the past year of Covid, and have put together a four-part series on the reality of being a student during the biggest crisis in a generation. 

In the first episode, Connor, Paige, and John give personal testimonials of the last year. The unique challenges of online learning, and the social consequences of moving back in with your parents and losing contact with all of your friends. 

Be sure to follow us on social media @BylinesPod, and to give us a review if you enjoyed the episode! 

As the final round of unlocking arrives on 19th July, we discuss the challenges which this new stage of the pandemic will pose. Cases are soaring, and with them the risk of Long Covid and of vaccine-resistant mutations.

For our article of the week, we speak with Mo Kanjilal of Sussex Bylines about her recent piece Playing For England: Football and national identity. In the light of the recent racist incidents which occurred after the Euros final, we discuss the reality of being a person of colour in England during big international tournaments, and also the unifying effect which this team had on the country. 

Check out Mo on social media (@Mo_Kanjilal) and to follow us @BylinesPod. If you enjoyed the episode, be sure to leave a review! 

Our Article of the Week for this week is by Mo Kanjilal, written for Sussex Bylines. We'll be speaking with Mo about the article and the week's news this week, we hope you enjoy this little preview here! Be sure to check out the full article here.