About the Team

Andrew R. Mistry, President & Online Editor

Andrew R. Mistry graduated with high honors from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2008, studying in Contemporary Studies with minors in Political Science and Philosophy. Since graduating, he has interned in New Orleans, USA for post-Hurricane Katrina recovery, volunteered in Jodhpur/Mumbai, India in developing sustainable and local projects, and opened a restaurant in Toronto, Canada. He is most passionate about the policies affecting cultural institutions, American domestic and foreign affairs, finance and the international arts community and intriguing culinary trends.

Michael Southern-Augustine, Vice-President & Editor-in-Chief

Michael Southern-Augustine started his academic career at Queen Mary in 2010, reading Law and Politics jointly for his Undergraduate Degree. During this time he worked with Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre, specialising in Pink Law and the rights of the LGBT community, which his team’s work being highly commended in the Attorney General Student Awards 2009. Besides this, he is deeply passionate about current affairs and particularly Britain’s place within the International community, at EU level and beyond.

Maria Bjerre Degn, Vice-President & Copy Editor

Maria Bjerre Degn is from Denmark and holds a BSc in Political Science from University of Copenhagen. Whilst reading, she worked as research assistant in the bargaining section of a large Danish Trade Union. Her area of interest covers among other the European Union, international cooperation, and international institutions. Holding social values in high regard, whilst retaining the desire for a responsible economic policy, she is moderate in her political conviction. She wants to contribute to a diverse and more progressive debate about current issues.

Anique Liiv, Treasurer & Domestic Affairs Editor

Anique Liiv, a philosophy graduate from Lancaster University, spent time traveling across America, before finally working as a coordinator in the NHS back here in the UK. She currently volunteers for the Open Book Project, guiding a weekly discussion around different philosophical problems and helping to make education more accessible for people with offending and addiction backgrounds. Currently reading for an MRes in Public Policy, Anique hopes to gain practical research skills and a better understanding of how social policy actually affects the lives of ordinary people.

Jack Kelly, Secretary & Foreign Affairs Editor

Jack Kelly is a postgraduate student living in London who has previously lived in Hong Kong and the Philippines. Politics, sport and film take up most of his time. Gifted with the unique powers of semi-objectivity, he tries, where possible, to take a balanced and thorough view of a variety of issues, ranging from the local to the international, from the seemingly mundane to the spectacular. At his most radical, a Bennite; at his most moderate, a Blairite, but mostly he sits somewhere in between.