Talking Point

Talking Point: Female Unemployment

Rating: 3

January 3rd 2012

Sophie Atherton looks at the current unemployment statistics and finds that, despite the success of the feminist movement, it’s still sometimes hard to be a woman

Talking Point: the culture of disrespect

Rating: 3

July 5th 2011

Sophie Atherton finds a community challenging the culture of disrespect so often found in today’s society

Talking Point - Council Tax Evasion

Rating: 2

March 29th 2011

Sophie Atherton looks at a Taunton court case of council tax evasion and asks: “Are we robbing Peter to pay Paul?”

Talking Point - Council Tax Evasion

Rating: 2

March 29th 2011

Sophie Atherton looks at a Taunton court case of council tax evasion and asks: “Are we robbing Peter to pay Paul?”

Sophie Atherton argues the case for keeping the county’s libraries safe

Rating: 2

February 23rd 2011

I planned this column when I heard the axe was hanging over 20 of the county’s libraries. I sat and wrote most of it in a library and thought about the way they’ve shaped my life.

Sophie Atherton poses the question, “Who needs school?”

Rating: 2

January 27th 2011

There’s more than one way to educate your children. You don’t even have to send them to school – although you must provide an education that enables them to function properly in society.

The Art of the Protest

Rating: 3

January 12th 2011

This month, Sophie Atherton encourages us to stand up for what we believe in and argues why she believes protesting is good for the soul

Sophie Atherton poses the question “Can Somerset make more of starlings?”

Rating: 3

December 6th 2010

It’s one of the county’s greatest wildlife spectacles: hundreds of thousands of starlings flocking over the Levels at dusk. Even if it isn’t cold you know it’s winter once the starlings fill the skies.

Sacrificing Somerset to Save the World?

Rating: 2

October 18th 2010

In this new regular column, Sophie Atherton delves deeper into the pressing issues that affect your Somerset lives. Initially we take a look at renewable energy and its impact on the county