Madelaine Gray

Hi, I'm Madelaine, Editor-in-Chief of The Orbital and a second year Law with Politics student at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Empoword Journalism •

Italy Halts Registration of Children of Same-Sex Couples

Hundreds have taken to the streets of Milan to protest after Italy’s right-wing government instructed the city council to cease the registration of same-sex parents’ children.

Italy legalised same-sex civil unions in 2016, but the decision was fiercely opposed by Catholic and conservative groups.

The 2016 move did not cement explicit adoption rights for same-sex couples, fearing that this would encourage illegal surrogate pregnancies. In the absence of clear legislation on the topic, some cour
Empoword Journalism •

Betty Boothroyd, first female Speaker of the House, dies at 93

Baroness Betty Boothroyd, the first female Speaker of the House, died on the 26th February at the age of 93.

Boothroyd acquired international fame during her term as Speaker.

In a statement announcing her death, Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said that Betty Boothroyd “broke that glass ceiling with panache,” calling her a “sharp, witty and formidable woman”. She added that she had a no-nonsense style, “but any reprimands she did issue were done with good humour and charm.”

Born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire
The Orbital •

A Love Letter to Four Weddings and a Funeral

A romance film where the romance is incidental.

I watched Four Weddings and a Funeral for the first time relatively recently. I was expecting another Notting Hill–and indeed, there are parallels and similarities, in that Richard Curtis directs while Hugh Grant attempts to win the affections of a seemingly-out-of-his-league American, accompanied by a zany, tight-knit group of friends. Four Weddings, however, is a different film entirely, and quickly became one of my favourites.

Four Weddings st
Empoword Journalism •

Eight Candidates in First Ballot for Tory Leadership

In the late afternoon on Tuesday, Sir Graham Brady announced the eight Conservative MPs who have secured the required backing to make it onto the first ballot for Tory leadership in the wake of Boris Johnson’s resignation.

Brady, who serves as chairman of the 1922 Committee (formally the Conservative Private Members’ Committee), also said that the ballot would take place between 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm the next day (Wednesday 13th).

Three leadership hopefuls failed to gain the support of the 20 MP
Empoword Journalism •

Seven Dead in 4th of July Shooting Near Chicago

A gunman has killed seven and wounded dozens after opening fire on a 4th July celebration.

Monday marked the 4th of July. Possibly America’s most popular public holiday, the date promises an annual joyous celebration of independence from British rule. Across the country, from thriving metropolises to the smallest township, parades and parties abounded.

A gunman, perched on a rooftop, opened fire on one such event in the Chicago area, killing seven and wounding dozens more. Highland Park, Illin
Orbital Magazine •

Hyperconnectivity Hurts: How 24/7 Culture Harms the Youth

I’m sure it’s happened to us all; a message missed, leading to a glowing, bolded notification, over a day old, glaring out at us through the screen. The guilt, and the embarrassment builds. What to do? Do you reply, as if nothing happened? Do you respond with a hasty apology? Or, do you leave it, the aforementioned guilt and embarrassment growing until the message is buried far down your recents. Maybe one day you’ll open it, leaving it “on read” – after all, after a week or two (you tell yourse
Orbital Magazine •

The Mystery of the Missing Middle Class

In recent years, the previously referred to ‘middle class’ has been shrinking, shrinking, shrinking. The rising cost of living and salary stagnation have contributed to this, as well as sky-rocketing wages for the upper echelons of the working world. In short, the rich have got richer, and the poor poorer.

This change has happened recently – incredibly recently. It used to be that the descriptor of “middle class” was used as a bit of a put down in certain circles, in response to seemingly frivo
LIMUN Foundation •

Discussions on Diplomacy — LIMUN Foundation

The LIMUN conference really kicked off at midday with a star-studded panel on careers in diplomacy. Present on the panel were: The High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus in the UK, Andreas Kakouris; The Head of the Political Department of the Germany Embassy, Dr. Clemens Kohnen; The Political Attaché of the Netherlands to the United Kingdom, Job Maarleveld; The Deputy Head of Mission for the Mexican Embassy, Yanerit Morgan; The Ambassador from Indonesia to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Dr.
Orbital Magazine •

The Diana Dilemma

The public’s obsession with Diana is as exploitative as the paparazzi who killed her.

The final shot of series four of Netflix’s The Crown shows Emma Corrin as Princess Diana, a slow zoom bringing her wide, tear-filled eyes into prominence.

It’s a haunting image, unpleasant to watch. In many ways, the whole series is. And yet we just can’t stop ourselves.

Dianamania is back with a vengeance. Diana: The Musical was just released on Netflix (to a critical battering of possibly unrivalled feroci
Orbital Magazine •

Orbital’s Madelaine Gray Covers Royal Holloway’s XR Protest: How It Happened & What Next?

“Climate change isn’t stopping,” says one of today’s protesters on location at Royal Holloway. “It isn’t slowing down for anyone. There’s no time to delay.”

And so it would seem. It’s a chilly day on campus, one of the first on which you’d be hard pressed to find a student without a coat or scarf. There’s been the threat of rain all morning, from both the forecast and the ominous-looking clouds. But the protesters are undeterred. After all, with climate change comes the promise of more rainy da