I think the original post is less about warning people away from the OP's current University, rather a request for assistance/advice in the possibility of moving to an alternative Uni.

19thcenturygirl, just want to clear up a few things - are you still in your first year? If so, can you possibly get academic references from the people with whom you did your masters (if it was somewhere different to where you currently are). If that seems unlikely is there anyone you can speak to outside of your department but in the same uni that could help, for example a head of research/graduate studies? There should be a University policy regarding when and how annual reviews should be conducted and you should contrast this to your own experience then go to a more senior member of staff.

It does seem as though you are having it pretty rough, but try to work things out where you are as transferring often means starting from the beginning (and there may be a problem with your refs)

Both the examples given *clearly* state the argument of the thesis, its just at the bottom, not the top! The one on film depicitions of Jesus is arguing that films depicting Christ can promote the spreading of the gospel; and the one on Kant in Derrida is saying very very clearly that the significance of Kant in Derrida is overlooked - particularly in religious studies; ergo the argument is we need to look more closely at the role of Kant in influencing Derrida...

Is it just me?? Do you want people to write the point in Bold? I do know PhDers that do not yet have a hypothesis, but by the time the thesis is written have a point to prove.

Ring

I was a linguist as an undergrad - did no politics modules at all, but it was a top uni - and got in to an excellent university (top 10 for Pol) to do my MA in Pol, no questions asked. I was in a class with people who had done International Relations, Politics, and Pol theory as UGs, but it was not hard to catch up... and I got a distinction. My PhD is also in heavy Pol Theory and Philosophy.
What I had was skills that helped me to learn quickly, and the uni where I did my MA recognised that.

Come on its not that hard to get on a masters, especially if you can fund yourself (CDL)! There are transferable skills between disciplines, most places - even Russell Group - aren't that strict.

I changed after just over 1.5 years - so not quite the same, but I did so for similar reasons. My old supervisor was generally bad, but I was most frustrated that she tried to change my research purely because she didn't understand it.
I got loads of advice from a friend who is very senior. He said that whilst you should have a new supervisor in mind it is up to your department to allocate a new supervisor, not you to pick. If you want to leave your supervisor it should be because they are unsuitable for your work, not just because you think this other person might be better... that's the line you have to take when you ask for the change. it is up to the Head of Dept to approach the new sup (although they will ask you for suggestions as to who you would like). My friend approached my new sup on the sly before I went ahead, but that should not have happened and could cause problems if people found out.

As has already been mentioned, you need to have a very solid basis of knowledge. Political Science is a massive discipline - do you have any idea on which aspect you will research? Your research proposal would have to be rigorous as regards methodology/analytical framework and you would have to be able to justify this before you could begin your PhD.
You could do this with independent study if you have a thorough literature review, but it is highly unlikely you would get funding without a Masters (and even then the competition is incredibly fierce). Again, much depends on what you actually plan to research.

If you want smart clothes, whether suit or just smart dress/skirt principles and zara are the places I tend to rely on that offer decent enough quality without breaking the bank. If you're feeling flush then I'd go for Linea at House of Fraser, Joseph, Jigsaw and Hobbs. But that's investment pieces only!
I guess its also harder when you're a bit older than most (Olivia you are a 'mature' student if I remember rightly) and want smart clothes that don't just make you look older.

I was always under the impression - from doing my undergrad in a language that once had three dialects that became three languages (Serbo-Croatian) - that a language had to be formally standardised. This is usually undertaken through the creation of a formal dictionary often 'approved' by a government. Language 'status' is generally a political issue; that is a dialect with local political power to change its status to a language.

Positive stories about my time as a PhD student, hmmmm...

I bought a new bin today it's really nice. The taxi driver told me so.

I was always told that people will expect that during a PhD you will have done 1 international, 1 national and 1 postgrad conference. I too was encouraged to do the 'big' tier 1/international conf first - which I did, and it cost an horrific amount of money and was no use whatsoever (except it looks great on my CV). I got much better feedback at a samller more specialised conf.
There's nothing to stop you doing both.

Um, this is all a bit anecdotal but here goes. I did my MA at Manchester - international relations not Int Dev. However I took quite a few courses with the Int Dev people (democratisation, human rights) and they - each and every one - adored their course. I also thought Manchester was a fantastic Uni with amazing facilities.
Once I dated a lecturer in Int Dev at Newcastle (I've dated more lecturers than I care to remember). He was unimpressed with Newcastle's admissions policy at MA level where people with 2:2s were allowed straight onto MAs. As far as I remember at Mcr the policy was that with a 2:2 you were signed up to the PG diploma and if your marks were good enough you were allowed to do the MA diss (which encouraged those with "lesser" backgrounds to really put the effort in during taught courses). I definitely got the impression that Mcr was a tougher, and much more highly respected course.

I am doing a qual too (heavy political theory), and it depends on your approach. I am focusing on four authors and how their work contrasts/complements so referencing is relatively high, but the number of works is actually quite low. I normally get only 100 pieces of work, but around 500 references.

India does have significant diamond deposits, so it may be that yours are Indian. But India (more specifically Gujarat) is responsible for 'cutting' 92% of the world's diamonds - 49% of which will have come from sub-saharan Africa. Although you bought your diamond in India, that may (or may not) be where it was actually mined.

NO ONE should buy diamonds! Don't you know where they come from? "Ooooh look I have a bit of a rock on my finger; no matter that it's sale helped prop up an illegitimate authoritarian government that uses child soldiers, as long as I look pretty that's all that matters". Ridiculous!
My mother got engaged at the New Year and she went for a certified Sapphire (she got a certificate of origin stating it was from Australia) and even though the ring is stunningly beautiful it's all the more so for knowing its provenance.