FRIDAY 13TH NOVEMBER 2015
NEWS
Tampon Tax
Erin Peacock shares her views on why tampons should not be classed as a ͚luxury
SPARK VOL. 72 ISSUE NO.3
LIFESTYLE
ENTERTAINMENT
SPORT
Sukpreet Kaur tells us all about the highly anticipated H&M collaboration
Live music across Reading was an incredible success with crowds, drinks and fun
Read as TJ Hiew shares her experience of Airsoft!
High street fashion
Oxjam
Hit! -
Tax credit cuts delayed by House of Lords: was the decision right?
A commentary on when the House of Lords overruled the controversial Conservative policy to cut tax credits, which would leave 3 million families in the UK worse off
Photo courtesy of: Nathalie Siah
ZOE OSMAN
1st Year English Literature
The House of Lords overruled the controversial Conservative policy to cut tax credits, which would leave 3 million working families in the UK worse off. This only proves the unsettling truth that false promises from the people we put into power are now the norm. It has become, somewhat sadly, a bleak tradition that an assurance of policy grows twisted when put into practise. Tax credits redistribute income by paying money to families raising children, or working people on a lower income, and
David Cameron assured the public that, if elected, he would not cut them. Once they sought victory in the election, George Osborne fast claimed that the cuts were introduced to inhibit any return to what he described as “uncontrolled spending”, and so, history, as expected, is seen to repeat itself. Hence, there was an overwhelming feeling among, not only the opposing parties, but also many Conservative MPs, that the cuts to tax credits were unnecessary, cruel and damaging, which the majority of the House of Lords decidedly agreed when voting to delay the policy. This piece of news brings about two very complex issues. Firstly,
was the policy to cut tax credits a step too far, and secondly, should the House of Lords (an unelected committee) have the right to overrule a policy put forward by an elected government? It could be considered that these were extenuating circumstances where the House of Lords was right to intervene, given the 3 million working families that would have suffered at the hands of the tax credit cuts. Though it has been argued that the higher minimum wage that Osborne implemented into the 2015 budget would raise overall income, this isn’t the case. ...continued on page 5
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St Patrick’s gets a make-over YASMIN WILD
3rd Year History of Art and English Literature
The windows of the new Bridges Halls can be seen as students amble round the autumnal Whiteknights campus. Following the completion of this £46 million project, the University of Reading and the University Partnerships Programme (UPP) have now moved on to the redevelopment
of the run-down St Patrick’s Hall on North Court Avenue. This multimillion pound investment follows a five year venture for the improvement of the University’s student accommodation, with £275 million being spent on an increase in 5,000 rooms across the campus. The redevelopment of St Patrick’s in particular, is in response ...continued on page 3