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For decades those within the EU took rising standards of living for granted, the EU was seen as the driving force behind this economic advancement. The crash of 2007 and subsequent fallout has questioned this orthodoxy. Europe is now at a crossroads, disintegration and break up down one pathway, or an injection of reinvigoration, reform…

In 2016 as the re-run of the Austrian presidential election loomed, for the first time in Europe since before 1945, the possibility of a far right country leader appeared a distinct possibility. Riding a wave of populism sweeping through Europe the far right has seen a renaissance in recent years. Both Jobbik and Perusuomalaiset (True…

Penniless and down on my luck monetarily speaking I walked into the first job that would provide me reasonable income in Turku, the job every small boy dreams about, and the profession every girl finds irresistibly attractive, dishwashing. My thoughts were taken back to adolescent days, and leafing through the pages of Orwell’s seminal autobiography…

http://mandalischoolproject.com In 2015 Nepal was rocked by a series of earthquakes measuring up to 8.1, the devastation that followed killed and injured tens of thousands, obliterated infrastructure and brought untold hardship to a unique and beautiful country. Throughout all this the selfless and welcoming nature of the Nepalese people has continued, but they need our…

In Post-Brexit Britain there has been no apocalypse, no armageddon, no end to civilisation as we know it, yes the pound has dropped and the markets remain subject to volatility, but the end to civilisation prophesied by the remain camp has yet to materialise. With my colours firmly nailed to the pro-EU mast, I thought…

The zombie like nature with which the Pokemon mafia roam the streets since it’s smart phone incarnation resembles a scene from a PG rated version of Dawn of the Dead. Oblivious to their surroundings, these newcomers float around the outdoors heads down, hands furiously tapping their screens at a speed that has not been seen…

The Bundestag, nestled in the heart of Berlin beside the Brandenburg Tor, in 1945 a stark, burnt out symbol of where the excesses of nationalism can lead a country. Since reunification it now stands reborn, renamed and reformed. In the 75 years since national socialism reared its ugly head Germany has come a long way….

MDP Baltic Sea Region Studies! The course I am actually doing! It is a tired cliché amongst those outside of the humanities and social sciences that whilst your studies may be interesting and personally rewarding, they may not result in a job at the end of your time at Turku University. This is a myth…

MSc Baltic Sea Studies! The course everyone thinks you are doing! What is BSRS? Why BSRS? What is the point of BSRS? A triumvirate of questions of which I could laugh at, gasp at or think irrelevant as a current student on the MA Baltic Sea Region Studies programme. Think again! Quiz any current or…

Vote rigging, bribery, ticket touting and drug cover-up’s are just a few from a long list of questionable practices that that have implicated the IOC which would have Pierre de Coubertin turning in his grave. The arrest and resignation of Irelands IOC representative Pat Hickey last week for alleged ticket touting showed the world corruption is still…