The Week Unwrapped: Football violence, military trauma and potato milk

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters.

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In this week’s episode, we discuss:

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Military mental health

The family of a British serviceman who took his own life are told that his medals can only be replaced with fakes. A former soldier suffering from PTSD is reduced to panic attacks by his crying child. An infantry regiment that lost 55 troops in Afghanistan loses another 22 to suicide in the UK. Stories about a mental health crisis within the armed forces are not hard to find. So with the military pledging to collect more data on its impact, are we waking up to the hidden cost of war?

Football violence

English football seems to have a growing problem with fan trouble, in particular pitch invaders. An attack on a player at one of last weekend’s FA Cup fixtures followed underlined recent figures showing a rise in crowd trouble, with arrests for disorder at English games at a five-year high. Senior police figures have also warned about the rising prevalence of drug use, especially cocaine, by spectators.

Potato milk

Potato milk – a vegan, nut-free, gluten-free and lactose-free concoction – made its UK debut this week. Produced by the Swedish brand Dug and costing £1.80 a carton, the liquid has been described as “deliciously creamy” and able to make the “perfect foam in coffee”. The plant-based milk industry is already worth around £400m a year and growing. But are there any risks associated with swapping cow’s milk (formerly known as “milk”) for a dairy-free alternative – and is potato milk really the “next big thing”?