Frequently asked questions

Who are you?

I am Rowan Hall. By day, I work with a fantastic group of people at a leading research centre called the Constitution Unit. By night, I run SOSpolitics (and sleep). Nobody else is involved with SOSpolitics, including (it must be stressed) my employer.

Why do you do this?

I initially started SOSpolitics as an Instagram page in the midst of Brexit, in March 2019. My friends had lots of questions about what was happening and I seemed to know at least some of the answers, so it was really set up for their benefit. And then it grew — the SOSpolitics Instagram page had over 1,350 followers at one point! 

I remained interested in political literacy and, in total, wrote around 1,000 posts over the following four years. I even managed to keep posting every Friday and Sunday for a short period while I had no (working) laptop and was living half way across the world, following an unfortunate incident involving the union of water and electronics. 

However, as the end of my undergraduate degree approached, I decided to focus on what I enjoyed best and thought that I did best: explainers, on a new custom-made website! My Friday evenings have since become much freer (in respect of both politics and time).

Who funds you (to run SOSpolitics)?

Nobody.

Are all of the views and mistakes expressed on this website your own?

Yes! No view or mistake expressed on this website represents the view or mistake of anybody or anything else, including my workplace or my colleagues.

You have views?

SOSpolitics tries to be impartial, especially as far as political parties are concerned. However, we all have biases. 

While I try to fairly represent all viewpoints, it is inevitable that some of my own views will be reflected in the resources that I create, especially when dealing with contentious topics or topics that I have an interest in (which, together, just about cover everything on this website!) My own views, I think, are particularly apparent when presenting differing arguments over a particular issue; it may sometimes be more obvious than I would like which argument I think is more convincing! 

Why am I soft in the middle now?

Consult a physician.

Why am I short of attention?

Social media, probably.

Where is my wife and family?

Have you checked behind your sofa?

What if I die here?

This is a website. You cannot die here.

Who will be my role model, now that my role model is gone?

I believe that The Ghost of Christmas Present from The Muppet Christmas Carol should be everybody's role model.

Will SOSpolitics bring world peace?

Yes. Just give it time.