果冻传媒

On 1^st November, PAIS staff members Prof Shirin Rai and Dr Juanita Elias were at the House of Lords for the launch of the PSA Commission on Care Report Towards a New Deal for Care and Carers – a report that they co-authored alongside academics and policy specialists from the Fawcett Society, the Women’s Budget Group and Liverpool University. The report is based on a year-long inquiry into the state of care for older people in England. The launch event was hosted and chaired by Baroness Ruth Lister and the Commission’s findings were discussed by the MPs Barbara Keely (Labour), Dr. Dan Poulter (Conservative), Caroline Abrahams (Director, Age UK), Sam Smethers (CEO, the Fawcett Society and Commission Co-Chair) and Shirin Rai (PAIS, and Commissioner).

The report drew attention to how women bear the brunt of the crisis currently impacting the adult social care sector in the UK – as women are far more likely to step in as unpaid carers when state provision is cut and women are more likely to be recipients of care. The report, Towards a New Deal for Care and Carers, laments the failure of successive governments and political parties to recognise social care as a political priority. Growing demand resulting from a rapidly ageing population and cutbacks to funding has left the formal care system at breaking point with high levels of unmet needs, low pay and poor conditions for care workers, and an increasing reliance on unpaid carers. There are now a million older people with care needs that are not being met by any public source.

Among the Report’s Recommendations are; calls for the establishment of a National Care Service which, like the NHS, should be free at the point of access, increased investment in social care, professionalization and support of the care workforce, and recognition of the work of unpaid carers. The Report and its executive summary including recommendations can be downloaded here

The findings of the Commission were enthusiastically endorsed by the speakers at the launch as well as by many of the audience members.

left to right (Caroline Abrahams – Age UK, Baroness Ruth Lister, Barbara Keely MP, Dr. Dan Poulter MP, Prof Shirin Rai (果冻传媒)

Dr Trevor McCrisken Associate Professor of US Politics and International Studies, Dr Alexander Smith Assistant Professor in Sociology, Dr Ben Margulies Research Fellow in the Politics and International Studies and Dr Georg Lofflmann, Teaching Fellow in the Politics and International Studies give their expert insights into the marathon presidential campaigns culminating in today's vote.

, Associate Professor, US Politics and International Studies, is making a number of media appearances this week, covering the US Presidential Election.

Pre-election

Dr McCrisken was interviewed on Monday on the Trish and Jo Breakfast Show on BBC Coventry & 果冻传媒shire Radio. You can listen at the following link: . The interview starts at the 1h19m mark.

Henry Riley of the RAW Speech Department interviewed Trevor McCrisken to get his academic view on the US Election:

On election day, Trevor appeared on , being interviewed by Shiulie Ghosh:

Post-election

Dr McCrisken appeared on Al Jazeera following Donald Trump's victory:

Another appearence on TRT World, followed:

PAIS Teaching Fellow has had an article published in Critical Studies on Terrorism. The paper is co-authored with Raquel da Silva, a colleague from the University of Birmingham, and it contributes to current debates about everyday narratives of security.

Specifically, the article explores how members of the public answer the question ‘Why do British citizens join the conflict in Syria’ on social media sites and in response to online news articles. The authors argue that online comments are important in producing the discursive environment for making sense of British foreign fighters and what should be done in response to them.

One of the major findings is that there is a tendency to view British foreign fighters as being purely motivated by religion, and there is also a belief that British foreign fighters should be responded to through exceptional measures.

The paper discusses the implications of such perceptions, and the authors highlight how problematic misconceptions about Islam and Muslims are not just disseminated through elite and media discourse, but through everyday narratives published by members of the public online.

The article can be viewed at

 Annie Machon

“MI5: Spies, Lies and Whistle-blowers"

Thursday 3rd November

5.15 in OC1.05 – Oculus - New Teaching Building

As a former intelligence officer with MI5, Annie Machon has a rare perspective on the inner workings of governments, intelligence agencies and the media, as well as the wider implications of calls for increased openness and accountability in public and private sectors. In her lecture, Annie will consider the place of Whistle-blowers and explore the tensions between democracy, security and intelligence.