Palatinate
The UK and Ireland’s Best Student Publication, 2021
Thursday 13th January 2022 | No. 846
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Inside Indigo
College popularity rankings revealed Theo Burman News Editor
she faced persecution and feared for her life in her home country. “I was put there because the solicitor who was working on my case didn’t do it properly. I suffered so much and for no reason. I know how detention destroys a woman. Women become depressed and suicidal in detention. I don’t want to see this happen to any of my sisters who are looking for safety.” Julie Ward, also of NoToHassockfield, said “these women will be very confused and very disorientated, they probably don’t really know where they are. They were probably removed in the middle of the night in a van”.
University College was the most popular choice amongst incoming students in 2021, Palatinate can reveal. The college, also known as Castle, was followed by St Cuthbert’s, Collingwood, and St Chad’s. South, the newest college in Durham, placed seventh. Palatinate’s rankings were compiled using data collected by the University from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and obtained by Palatinate via Freedom of Information request, which shows the college preferences of prospective students over the last six years. University College, also known as Castle, has remained prospective students’ number one choice since 2016, though in 2020, Collingwood was eight students away from claiming the top spot. The only three colleges to have placed in the top five every year are Castle, Collingwood, and St Mary’s. Despite this, St Cuthbert’s reported the most consistent popularity in 2021, placing as the second most popular college for students’ first choice, as well as the most popular for students’ second, third, fourth, and fifth-place college. The majority of students who apply to Durham do not list any preference for colleges. The number of “open” applications over the last six years is double the number of prospective students who applied for Castle. Last year, the University switched from a single preference system to a ranking system, so 2021 entrants were able to order each college in terms of preference. 34% of students who applied to Durham used the ranking system in 2021. Additionally, participation in the ranking system decreased drastically after the initial choices, with more than 10,000 applicants listing their top three colleges, but only 4,500 ranking all 16 colleges.
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Student activists join local groups to protest the opening of a new detention centre for female refugees in Consett (Simone J. Rudolphi)
Local opposition to detention centre mounts Laetitia Eichinger and Patrick Stephens News Editor and Deputy Editor Opposition to Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) at Hassockfield is continuing to grow after the first women were moved into detention there in December. Local campaigner Owen Temple has filed a legal challenge against the centre. Durham Student Action for Refugees (STAR), local group NoToHassockfield, national charity Women for Refugee Women, and local faith groups have also been among those protesting against the
opening of the centre. Palatinate interviewed several activists from these groups. Many spoke at length about the “trauma” endured by many women in detention, expressing their anger and frustration over plans for Derwentside. Gemma Lousley, Policy and Research Coordinator (Detention) at Women for Refugee Women, told Palatinate that many women end up in detention because the cases made for their asylum or refugee status applications are “not as good as they could be”. This is often due to poor legal advice, as well as language barriers. She explained that “many of these women are also survivors of sexual
abuse and violence. This can often be very difficult to open up about.” Helen Groom of NoToHassockfield told Palatinate that as many as 80% of women detained “will have been abused, raped” or “subjected to trafficking and sexual violence”. Ms Lousley said that many women will turn up to their reporting appointments with the Home Office “with only the clothes they’re wearing and a handbag” and then be told that they are going to be detained. They will then immediately be transported. Agnes Tanoh, who now campaigns for Women for Refugee Women, was detained after claiming asylum in the UK because
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Thursday 13th January 2022 | PALATINATE
Editorial Inside 846 News pages 1-6 Comment pages 9-11 Profile page 12 Scitech pages 13-15 Politics pages 16 Satire page 19 Puzzles page 20
Palatidates page 21 Sport pages 22-24
Indigo
Editorial page 2 Style page 3
(Rosie Bromiley)
New captain, same ship A
s we make a return to Durham, shaking off the Christmas spirit and inevitably abandoning new year resolutions, most students can at least take solace in starting off the term with the strange familiarity of opening a laptop while in bed, nodding off halfnaked in a 9am and no-one noticing a thing. But while we may be burdened with the prospect of the looming summative season, housemate rows, and the tundra of Durham City, spare a thought for Durham University’s new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Karen O’Brien. In a reversal of the fate experienced by many still-salty Durham third-years, Professor O’Brien fled her post as Head of Humanities at Oxford and has arrived amongst the dreaming spires of the TLC and Elvet Riverside. A baptism of fire awaits the accomplished academic. The UCU is revving up for strikes again in February, and notwithstanding some miracle national-level agreement on pensions, she will have little room to move. The University announcing it opposes the proposed changes might shift the dial locally, but given it played that card in 2019 and strikes continued regardless, the new head may not see the point. With strikes come many immediate questions to solve: will there be mitigation for exams? Where does the money saved go? What to say in the next UCU negotiation talks? Whether to give students rebates? And so on.
Of course, the course seems clear for Durham answering these questions (yes, academic societies, not much, and no, in that order), but Professor O’Brien may yet wish to make an impact by changing the tune of Durham’s strike response.
Students are now a lot more confident in their understanding of the virus and vaccine than before If that isn’t enough, five days into the role the Secretary of State for Education publicly took issue with the University’s decision to put lectures online for the first two weeks. Indeed, Covid-19 restrictions imposed by the University have suddenly become a far more political issue. Whereas previously students were annoyed but understanding, they are becoming increasingly frustrated and confused. Students are now a lot more confident in their understanding of the virus and vaccine than before. Even though for those not in their first year the experience is par for the course, fear of Covid-19 has turned into open questioning of additional
University restrictions. The most recent examples are a return to the tiresome pre-booking slot system in the library, and a ban on spectators at all University and college fixtures. It is admittedly difficult to square how after being told for over a year that the virus spreads significantly less outdoors, you can’t go and see your college clash in Floodlit with a few friends in the afternoon, but you can freely head out with hundreds of others to a packed sweaty nightclub in the evening. But the most imminent storm through which the new captain must manoeuvre is, of course, the continuing repercussions of Rod Liddle’s visit to South College toward the end of Michaelmas Term. Though the University successfully kicked the can down the road with an investigation into the incident, apparently due ‘mid-January’, it faces some very awkward questions. If, as the University has confirmed, it knew about Liddle’s attendance at the formal, and that “arrangements were discussed” regarding its staging, then surely it must be investigating itself? It is a certainly an act of extreme logical gymnastics for the University to suspend Professor Luckhurst from public duties and launch an investigation, if the event occurring was approved by the University itself. That’s not to mention the fact that very prominent lawyers and most of the national papers have given the Principal their backing. So, while the mood on
Books pages 4-5 Visual Arts page 6 Travel page 7 Food & Drink pp. 8-9 Music page 10 Stage page 11 Film & TV pages 12-13 Features page 14 Interview page 15 Creative Writing page 16 campus is clearly blowing in one direction, for a new ViceChancellor the affair could be nothing short of a hurricane. A new boss at any institution can bring with a change in attitude and culture. But unfortunately for Professor O’Brien, Durham’s a messy and unstable place to manage, and that’s not changing any time soon.
By Max Kendix Editor-in-Chief
Special thanks to Toby DoneganCross for his parting gift to Palatinate: a bold new design. His unmatched InDesign skills leave the paper transformed.
Palatinate is published by Durham Students’ Union on a fortnightly basis during term and is editorially independent. All contributors and editors are full-time students at Durham University. Send letters to: Editor, Palatinate, Durham Students’ Union, Dunelm House, New Elvet, Durham, DH1 3AN. Al-
Palatinate Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief Poppy Askham & Max Kendix editor@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Editors Patrick Stephens & Harrison Newsham News Editors Theo Burman, Lilith Foster-Collins & Laetitia Eichinger news@palatinate.org.uk News Reporters Orlando Bell, Emily Doughty, Daniel Hodgson, Emily Lipscombe, Louisa Barlow, Sarah Matthews, Tiffany Chan & Waseem Mohamed Investigations Editors Kathryn Ellison, Elizabeth McBride & Frank Kelly investigations@palatinate.org.uk Satire Editors Ben Lycett & Hannah Williams satire@palatinate.org.uk Comment Editors Ellie Fitzgerald-Tesh & Anna Noble comment@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Comment Editors George Pickthorn & Miriam Shelley Profile Editors Paul Ray & Ethan Sanitt profile@palatinate.org.uk Science & Technology Editors Elise Garcon, Cameron McAllister & Caitlin Painter scitech@palatinate.org.uk Politics Editors Maddy Burt & Rj Batkhuu politics@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Politics Editors Joe Rossiter & Eli Rasmussen Puzzles Editors Thomas Simpson, Hugo Bush & Katie Smith puzzles@palatinate.org.uk Sport Editors George Simms, Abi Curran & Jonny Tiplady sport@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Sport Editors Harvey Stevens & Mary Atkinson Indigo Editors Cerys Edwards & Honor Douglas indigo@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Indigo Editor Adeline Zhao Features Editors Isobel Tighe & Miriam Mitchell features@palatinate.org.uk Creative Writing Editors Millie Stott & Ella Al-Khalil Coyle creative.writing@palatinate.org.uk Stage Editors Ben Smart, Molly Knox & Saniya Saraf stage@palatinate.org.uk Visual Arts Editors Nicole Wu & Christian Bland visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk Books Editors Imogen Marchant & Samuel Lopes books@palatinate.org.uk Style Editors Grace Jessop & Anna Johns fashion@palatinate.org.uk Food & Drink Editors Nia Kile & Emerson Shams food@palatinate.org.uk Travel Editors Gracie Linthwaite & Holly Downes travel@palatinate.org.uk Film & TV Editors Charlotte Grimwade & Grace Marshall film@palatinate.org.uk Music Editors Katya Davisson & Annabelle Bulag music@palatinate.org.uk Interview Editors Stephanie Ormond, Lara Moamar & Josie Lockwood indigo.interview@palatinate.org.uk Photography Editors Lainey Lin, Thomas Tomlinson & Rob Laine photography@palatinate.org.uk Illustration Editors Verity Laycock, Rosie Bromiley, Victoria Cheng & Anna Kuptsova illustration@palatinate.org.uk Social Media Officers Felicity Hartley, Georgia Heath & Hannah Davies businessdirector@palatinate.org.uk Heads of Advertising Thaddeus Dominic, Ben Stoneley & Kyra Onyebuchi advertising@palatinate.org.uk Heads of Alumni Relations Elena Liciu & Ben Stoneley alumni@palatinate.org.uk Finance Officer Sophie Garnett finance@palatinate.org.uk
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PALATINATE | Thursday 13th January 2022
News
St. Aidan’s College Fashion Show U-turn on charity after “white saviour” complaints Frank Kelly, Theo Burman and Max Kendix Students at St Aidan’s College have reversed the decision to cancel a partnership worth thousands with a Ugandan literacy charity after some complained that supporting it would perpetuate a “white saviour trope”. After complaints from the charity, the Literate Earth Project (LEP), including pointing out that the charity is almost entirely African-led, student organisers clarified that the “demographic challenges” of a predominantly white student population meant it would be “tricky and contentious” to support the charity. The LEP proceeded to contact St Aidan’s Principal Dr Susan Frenk, who then promised to raise the £4,000 predicted to have come from the fashion show, saying “there will be a lesson
for all the students involved” about carrying out consultation before committing to a charity. The Show has since reversed its decision to cancel the partnership. The “white saviour” concerns were raised after a marketing post on the Fashion Show’s Instagram page, apparently from the charity’s official website, showing images of black children smiling. The charity had not approved the use of the pictures, and were not told the background to the “white saviour” allegations in the initial cancellation of the partnership. Student organisers of the Aidan’s Fashion Show have not responded to requests for comment, while the University distanced themselves from the decision, saying “opportunities to develop leadership skills” is an important part of “wider student experience”. LEP states its mission is “to grow inclusive and equitable education initiatives in low and middle-
income countries by putting books and digital literacy tools in the hands and minds of children.” It was founded in October 2020 and focuses on establishing libraries and providing books at school and community sites across Uganda. Trevor Anderson, Chief Operating Officer of LEP, has since said there had been “significant
“There will be a lesson for all the students involved” miscommunication” in the process. He added: “discussions about race are more difficult now than ever but there is a significant portion of the population who feel that a white voice has no place to speak about race and most only listen and follow. “Even clarifying questions about what a person of colour says can be taken as questioning them, and that is unacceptable
to many. Sometimes that leads to a dynamic where someone is guessing about what action they should take, rather than having a productive conversation. This is part of what happened here.” The charity defended the student organisers, saying “I can assure you concerns about white saviourism are not held by the student leaders of the fashion show we have engaged with. “They, like us, agree that white people should be more than comfortable lending a hand (or money) to a cause that helps people of colour. “It is absolutely true that such efforts and funding should go to organizations led by those who the organization is attempting to help, which is why our board is majority African”. “Students of African descent raised completely valid concerns about a marketing post, which our organization wasn’t aware of, that
some found to be inappropriate. They encouraged their friends to ask some tough questions of us to ensure our work is actually having an impact rather than, like so many organizations operating in Africa, just utilizing images of African children to fundraise while often having little, no or even negative impact on the continent. We have since assuaged those concerns.” The University told Palatinate that the charity continues to have a good relationship with the College, and that the charity will be holding a session on their work to student later this term. A spokesperson said: “Durham University aims to offer a wider student experience to rival the best in the world and opportunities to develop leadership skills are an important part of this. The St Aidan’s College Charity Fashion Show is a studentled initiative, with advice and guidance available to student leaders from University staff.”
Striking solo? As new strikes loom, those on the picket lines plead their case for student support Laetitia Eichinger & Kathryn Ellison News Editor & Investigations Editor Last term saw three days of strikes in Durham, and with issues unresolved, lecturers look set to walk out again, perhaps for weeks, later this term. Durham students who started in 2019 on a three year-course are already graduating with no term undisrupted by strikes or online learning. But those on the picket lines tell Palatinate that the cause is worth it, and that student support is central to that. Most agree that there is a lack of understanding and awareness of staff concerns amongst students. On his personal motivations for striking, Branch President Sol Gamsu explained: “I stand to lose about £9-10k from my pension due to the changes being proposed. I’m going to go from a guaranteed defined benefit pension of about £23k to something closer to £12k.” Gamsu said that Durham University’s recent position has been to “toe the national line”, which is pushing for the changes to pension schemes. This is in contrast to the official stance in 2018, when the University publicly stated that it did not agree with the national proposals for pension cuts. He said it was “extremely disappointing” that the University has not made a similar statement this year. Gamsu was keen to highlight the importance of the other major strike motivators, dubbed the ‘Four Fights’: “casualisation, excessive workloads, below inflation pay increases, and ethnic and gender pay gaps”. He said that workloads have “massively increased” during the
pandemic, claiming that there are UCU members in Colleges who “literally worked around the clock” to keep facilities open and running for students. “The issue of workload is such a massive, unrecognised issue, because the University relies on so much exploitative labour- both free work done beyond people’s contracted hours, and casual work.” PhD students in particular “frequently suffer a delay in getting their contracts”. Gamsu also claimed that the University has been “cutting costs”, explaining that “reviews of college operations” have been conducted, with the aim of cutting staff numbers, referring to the cancellation of college dining formals and balls across the University this Michaelmas term. “The drive to cut costs has effects on staff, and it has effects on students. It has effects on workloads and the student experience.” Gamsu praised the “fantastic support from the Student Union”, and remarked that there had also been support from some JCR Presidents. But for Gamsu, students don’t always seem to understand the reasons behind the strikes. He teaches in the Sociology department, and says that, following a lecture on the marketisation of higher education and its effects on staff, one student remarked to him in a seminar that “I’ve never really thought about lecturers as people”. Support from students at the picket lines and solidarity events is limited. The number of students attending picket lines has remained relatively small, with around 30 Durham UCU members and students attending some pickets.
Last term, a Durham Polling poll indicated that a small majority of students do not support the decision to strike, but nearly two thirds thought the reasons for striking were valid.
“One student remarked, ‘I’ve never really thought about lecturers as people’” Declan Merrington, Postgraduate Academic Officer at Durham SU, blamed the apparent lack of student attendance on the early mornings and poor weather, saying that he “found it hard to get out of bed as an undergraduate”. But an SU solidarity event held by Durham SU saw very few attendees despite a
much later start. The SU Assembly overwhelmingly voted to support striking staff. Merrington explained that strikes cannot be stopped by the SU, but a resolution may be reached quicker if students show support for striking staff. When asked what message they would give to their peers to encourage active support for the next round of strike action, students on the picket line emphasised that staff working conditions were studwent learning conditions, and that the sooner a resolution is reached, the sooner strikes will end. He stressed that the disruption caused by strikes is “not because staff are being unreasonable” but because “management are a highly paid, insulated, and intransigent elite group, who essentially run the University in ways that are not generous, and in certain aspects not humane.” A spokesperson told Palatinate that Durham University has limited in-
fluence over changes to te pension scheme as it is national, but that it believes it is “a very good pension relative to other schemes” and said it is “currently paying more into the USS pension scheme than ever before”. The University also said it has developed a comprehensive Health and Wellbeing Strategy, and that academic departments track and manage the workload of staff, welcoming collaboration with UCU members to review existing strategy. Durham claims it has “limited the use of casual contracts” and that “all roles are aligned to the University pay scales at the appropriate grade” It continued: “There is transparency over the calculation of workload and payments, along with the expectations of roles. We continue to work alongside our recognised trade unions in this area.”
Students and staff picketing in the snow during the December 2021 strikes (Thomas Tomlinson)
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Thursday 13th January 2022 | PALATINATE
News
“People who believe in something just have to keep soldiering on”
Continued from front In an interview with Palatinate, Mr Temple, a Durham County Councillor when the decision to build the immigration detention centre was made, said that the decision had been taken without consulting the community. “Local representatives like myself knew nothing about it, local people knew nothing about it, and as far as I was concerned it was all being done under the cover of Covid-19.” A legal challenge to the immigration detention centre brought by Mr Temple argues that the necessary procedures were not followed. In his view, the Home Office should have provided a full planning application to change the site from a disused youth detention centre to a specific detention centre for women, many of whom have not been convicted of any crime. He said that “we hope that a court will say there should have been a complete planning application on this site.” Mr Temple said that “if the court rules that the submitted planning application, which was only for part of the site, wasn’t enough and was incorrectly approved, that decision will be quashed, and we will be looking for the council to take enforcement action.” Women for Refugee Women launched its own legal challenge against the Home Office over the detention centre in May 2021. However, the group ultimately did not pursue the full legal challenge in that case. The site in question was previously Medomsley Detention Centre for boys aged 17-21. It closed in 1988, and 25 years later a police investigation into the treatment of boys at the centre began. More than £7m in compensation has since been paid out to over 1,600 men who were found to have been
(Simone J Rudolphi)
abused at the centre. In a press release, NoToHassockfield wrote that “five former officers have already been jailed for their part in the abuse with many more thought to have been involved in what was probably an organised paedophile ring.” Mr Temple said that for many people in Consett, where the centre is situated, “it is reopening an old wound”. When asked by MPs what the rationale for opening the IRC on this particular site was, the Home Office said that, because it is already a government asset, it is “the most cost-effective option”. A Home Office spokesman told The Morning Star just before the centre opened that it “has vital services such as a bespoke health suite and mental health in-reach. Individuals in removal centres can easily contact their legal representatives by telephone, email and video call and also receive 30 minutes’ free advice through the legal aid scheme.“ Palatinate also directly contacted the Home Office for comment. The site remains controversial at a national level, with a formal complaint to the Home Secretary from City of Durham MP Mary Foy and almost 20 written questions about the site submitted by parliamentarians to the Home Office. Students from Durham STAR have been fundraising to support Mr Temple’s legal challenge by running a bake sale, karaoke night and yoga night. When asked how he felt, knowing that the first women would be moved into the detention centre despite protest, Mr Temple said that he is “angry, sad, unsurprised, determined”. “There are so many things in life where things happen that are appalling, but people who believe in something just have to keep soldiering on, that’s all there is to it. The one bulwark we have against bad politics in this country is our legal system, and I’m hoping that the legal system can deliver what the political system has failed to deliver, which is to listen to people.” “If they listen to people and the side I’m arguing for loses, then I’ll just have to take it on the chin as you always do; you don’t change your view, you’re not beaten, you’re just temporarily set back.”
Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre near Consett (Owen Temple)
“We are absolutely determined to protest until it is closed” Julie Ward, a founding member of NoToHassockfield, told Palatinate that “we are there to be a noisy and peaceful protest, because we believe that these women will be able to hear us, and it’s very important to us that they do not feel abandoned.” The group protests at the site on the third Saturday of each month, chanting, singing, and holding placards up, often joined by students from Durham STAR. One of the placards has a mobile phone number so that “the women know that there are people who support them at this very difficult time”. The group has now completed six monthly demonstrations, and an emergency demonstration just before Christmas when the first women were due to arrive. On January 2nd, in response to announcements from the government that women had now been moved into the centre, another emergency demonstration was held at short notice. Despite it being a bank holiday weekend, the group had a large turn-out. Ms Ward was delighted: “We know we can get people out, taking action together”. The group believes that the women inside the detention centre will be able to hear the protests outside. Helen Groom, also of NoToHassockfield, said that “each month we hear more ‘beeps’ of support from drivers who are driving past, as the local residents understand that the site is now a prison for women who are seeking sanctuary.” Ms Ward said that the protests are “a very emotional thing. A lot of the campaigners are women and it is very emotional for a lot of us. What we are trying to do is demonstrate compassion and humanity and solidarity. We haven’t been able to stop the facility from opening but we are absolutely determined
to protest until it is closed.” A former Labour MEP, Ms Ward continued: “There’s a lot of things to protest about and defend right now so there are a lot of conversations with like-minded people, and that is how we came to know what was going on at Hassockfield.” “What you have are a group of diverse people coming together around a human rights issue.” On her personal motivations for protesting, she said, “I have done lots of human rights work at the European and international level, and I wasn’t going to sit back, watch and do nothing when this abominable facility was going to be opened on my own back door step.”
“I was put there because the solicitor who was working on my case didn’t do it properly. I suffered so much and for no reason.” Ms Ward was especially keen to stress that the issue of immigration detention is not a party political one: “Lots of extraordinary people support us, for example, Lord Arthur Dubs and human rights lawyer Margaret Owen OBE. You cannot describe either of these as ‘hardleft’”. Mr Temple, who is bringing the legal challenge, is a former Liberal Democrat Councillor. “The people out there campaigning are of all ages, all backgrounds, from lots of different walks of life, and this shows the breadth of support for our campaign.” On the future of the
NoToHassockfield campaign, Ms Groom said: “We are now in discussions about ramping up the level of protest at the site and in the local community. We will continue to work with local politicians to increase awareness and opposition to the site.” She also said that NoToHassockfield are “exploring with Women for Refugee Women and other national groups the potential for further legal challenges. We will seek to build a national profile for the campaign to close the site as well as working in cooperation with other organisations locally to ensure that the women at the site are treated as humanely as possible.” Liz Archibald, of the Justice and Peace co-ordinating council in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, spoke to Palatinate about monthly prayer vigils, which she helps to organise. They are held outside the gates of Derwentside at 3pm on the first Sunday of every month. The group intends to continue praying for the women now detained there. Ms. Archibald said that readings “from a multi-faith background” are used at the vigils. The readings demonstrate “how people of faith should welcome the stranger”. The vigils are joined by people of multiple faiths, and those of none. Speaking personally, Ms Archibald said that “we should be welcoming people who seek asylum here and helping people to be integrated into our society.” Having personally supported refugees and asylum seekers via refugee drop-in sessions, she said that “listening to the experience of people who have been detained and those supporting them it is clear that a more compassionate approach is needed.”
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PALATINATE | Thursday 13th January 2022
Majority of applicants do not list college preference Continued from front Though Castle received the largest number of first-place rankings, St Mary’s received the smallest number of last-place rankings. Despite placing eighth in the first-place choice, Hatfield saw the largest increase in last-place rankings, making it the most polarising college for incoming students. Hild Bede likewise saw a notable increase in last-place rankings, potentially due to its distance from other university buildings. Grey topped the list for students’ seventh, eighth, and ninth-place colleges, making it the mid-range average for Durham colleges. Stockton Campus was available
as an option until 2019, meaning there were only 15 options to choose from that year. South College first became an otion in 2020, where it placed 12th. However, it quickly rose to 7th in 2021. John Snow is the college with the greatest upwards trend in the last five years, rising from 14th to 12th, then 9th, reaching 6th place by 2021. St Aidan’s, Trevelyan and Stephnson consistently ranked the lowest out of the 16 colleges. Recent years have also seen the decline of Josephine Butler and Hatfield. Last year, St Cuthbert’s replaced Collingwood as the second most popular college for the first time.
News Colleges in order of number of times listed as first preference Rank 1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
University
University
University
University
University
Collingwood
Collingwood
Collingwood
Collingwood
St Cuthbert's
Josephine Butler
St Mary's
St Mary's
Hatfield
Collingwood
St Mary's
Josephine Butler
Josephine Butler
St Mary's
St Chad's
Hatfield
Hatfield
Hatfield
St Cuthbert's
St Mary's
St Chad's
St Chad's
St Chad's
Josephine Butler
John Snow
Stockton Campus
St John's
St Cuthbert's
St Chad's
South
St Cuthbert's
St Cuthbert's
St John's
St John's
Hatfield
Grey
Grey
Grey
John Snow
Josephine Butler
Governmentbacklash over Durham’s return to online learning Bouncer fired from Klute over 8th
9th
Emily Doughty News Reporter
Durham University’s move to online teaching for the first two weeks of term has come under fire from education secretary Nadhim Zahawi. Talking to the Sunday Times Zahawi said it was his expectation that Universities “deliver face-toface education” as, “they are doing it in primary schools and in colleges.” “I expect universities to do the same thing, otherwise explain why not. These are no excuses, we are all in this together” He went on further to say that “if students feel they are not getting value for money they should take that up with the Office for Students”. “We have to get back to a world where students are getting value for money and face-to face education.”
Durham University is one of the 100 Universities to move to blended learning, including 23 out of 24 Russell Group universities.
This criticism comes following the University's decision to move almost all of its teaching online for the first week of term and most lectures online for the second in a bid to achieve a "soft start" to the
term amid high national Covid-19 infection rates. Temporary changes have also been made to Wider Student Engagement events and the way the library operates In an email sent to all students, the University said it had brought the measures in because ‘’the health and safety of our students, staff and the wider community remains our priority”. “We want to manage our teaching and learning environment as safely as possible, given rising infection rates both locally within North East England and nationally.” This message was echoed by Durham City MP Mary Kelly Foy, who criticised Zahawi on Twitter, labelling his comments a “bit sensational” and defended the University's decision to introduce temporary Covid-controls due to the current outbreak of the Omicron Covid-19 variant. Foy said: “They’ve acted to protect staff, students & community or would you rather they put the health of people in Durham at risk?” Durham University is one of the 100 Universities to move to blended learning, including 23 out of 24 Russell Group universities. In a statement the Russell Group said, “At all Russell Group universities students can expect seminars, small group classes and lab work to be taught in-person. "An element of digital learning, which was an important feature of university courses pre-pandemic, will continue.” “Many students welcome the flexibility and accessibility that keeping some digital learning provides.” Other Universities to move to blended teaching include Queen’s College Belfast, which has moved most teaching online for at least a month and Edinburgh University which has also moved most large lectures online.
student spiking comments Emily Doughty News Reporter A bouncer at Klute said to students that “you guys are spiking each other” and that “drunk students look to blame anyone they can for an easy way out”. The comments came in response to a now deleted post on student Facebook page Overheard at Durham Uni in which a student wrote about her experience at Klute after being allegedly being spiked in the club. Klute responded to the controversy on Facebook: “We are aware of recent comments in the media by one of our security members regarding ongoing spiking situations.” “The doorman in question works for an external security provider and he has now been removed from Klute. His comments are not the views or opinions of Klute”. The student claimed that she was subjected to “gaslighting” after she reported a red mark on her back from being spiked, with the bouncers telling her it “had not happened”, leaving her feeling upset. While initial responses to the post were sympathetic, the bouncer, who is unnamed for legal reasons, commented on the discussion refuted her claims, writing: “The lady who was alleged to have been spiked left the venue with her friends and after being checked by door staff, walked down under the bridge and then came back inside the club shortly after and remained fine. “There was zero signs of her being spiked or being too drunk. She left with her friend and walked out perfectly fine so this for me is
a false claim that this happened in Klute. “You guys are spiking each other. It’s your responsibility to safeguard yourself against these kinds of behaviours, but, as per, drunk students look to blame anyone they can for an easy way out. We are not your personal babysitters.” The comments were heavily criticised by students on the discussion group with some suggesting that Klute’s security on the issue of spiking was “wanting”. The bouncer responded to this criticism by saying students have “zero clue” what they are talking about and has said he will be making a formal complaint to the University against anyone who “slanders” him or his door staff. He has also said screenshots were being taken of those commenting and distributed around clubs and bars in Durham with the warning that they will “slander any bar and door staff if they don’t believe your lies and deceitful cruel false allegations”. He went on to say “top and bottom, you leave your drink unattended that’s down to you, not us door staff or the venue. “You’re responsible for yourself so start taking responsibility for your actions. No drink should ever be left unattended regardless of where you are. “You’re acting like this hasn’t been a thing for a long long time. Guess what, it has. Guess what also, a lot of these alleged spiking’s has just been students who have drank too much.” Reports suggest this is not the only incidence of Klute staff dismissing claims that students have been spiked. A recent video on Facebook appears to show bouncers
saying that a student was lying about being spiked. Klute’s Facebook comment also said: “We are aware of recent comments in the media by one of our security members regarding ongoing spiking situations. “Student safety is our number one priority and we have introduced new measures...and increased level of security personal”. The bouncer’s statement comes after a study was released which identified that over 167 suspected cases of spiking had been reported to college JCRs and welfare teams in just two weeks in late October. The Northern Echo contacted Durham City MP Mary Kelly Foy who has said she will be taking the matter to the police and with Klute itself. “it is worrying to hear about more spiking incidents occurring in Durham. During times of heightened concern around the safety of young women, I would expect that employees of any establishment would be understanding and sympathetic should a distressed induvial approach them for support”, said Foy. In the post the student said she had gone to the police and was undergoing further medical tests. Durham police confirmed a criminal investigation is underway. A spokesperson for the constabulary said: “A 19-year-old women has reported to police being spiked by injection in Durham city.” Detectives are investigating the incident and enquiries are ongoing. Drink spiking is a serious offence, and we would urge anyone who believes they have been a victim to seek immediate medical attention and report the incident to police.”
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Thursday 13th January 2022 | PALATINATE
News
Professor Karen O’Brien starts as Vice-Chancellor Analysis: The challenges facing a new Vice-Chancellor
Emily Doughty News Reporter Professor Karen O’Brien officially started her new role as Durham’s ViceChancellor on 6th January. Professor O’Brien is the 25th ViceChancellor, but she is the first woman to hold the position in its nearly 200-year history, succeeding Professor Stuart Corbridge, who retired on 31st July 2021. Professor Antony Long has served as interim acting Vice-Chancellor and Warden. O’Brien said in an University statement “I am excited to begin work at Durham University. “I will endeavour to enhance our strengths as a leading University renowned for the excellence and impact of its research, the quality of its education and student support, and the richness of its student experience.” She also sent an introductory video message to students at the start of term in which she identified three main priorities: staff and student wellbeing and mental health, improving the University’s accessiblity and cultivating a “culture of respect”. In reference to the latter goal, she pledge to “commit to embedding and extending” the work of the Respect Commission, which was launched under Corbridge and has so far resulted in increased funding and resources dedicated to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. O’Brien has worked as an academic for the majority of her career, specialising in eighteenthcentury European literature and the Enlightenment. O’Brien’s previously held the position of head of the humanities division at the University of Oxford. As a member of the University Council,
Lilith Foster-Collins News Editor
(Durham University) she was also jointly responsible for the financial oversight, research strategy and equalities and access priorities. In her role O’Brien took a central role as part of the Silver Team, which fashioned Oxford University response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This response received some criticism in Oxford. The Student Responsibility Agreement, an agreement all students were asked to sign or risked facing harsher penalties for breaking the rules outlined, was labelled by Queen’s College Governing Body as “patronising”. “The College’s Governing Body strongly opposed key aspects of
an earlier draft of this document in principle, arguing that it is “not the University’s place to create rules for what happens in College”. The agreement also faced protest from the wider student body, as reported in The Cherwell. An open letter against the agreement reached 190 signatures. Before her position at Oxford, O’Brien was Vice-Principal for Education at King’s College London. She has held a number of other roles, including serving on the international jury of the Institut Universitaire de France, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Birmingham University and as chair of the Russell Group Pro-Vice-Chancellors for Teaching and Learning.
Students react to return to library pre-booking system Theo Burman News Editor Following the University announcement that the library would be returning to a prebooking system for at least the first two weeks of term, members of the student community have voiced complaints about both the policy and the University’s language. One third-year History student called for the decision to be “reversed immediately” and if not for refunds to be given to students, noting that, unlike last year, there is no legal requirement for such restrictions. They told Palatinate: “All that this will cause is inconvenience and distress to students who have been dealing with COVID restrictions since March 2020.” They also critiqued a message on the booking form urging students to use the library for “essential” purposes, which has since been taken down. “It serves no purpose other than to place additional burden on those attending the service they pay for as part of their tuition fees. The decision should be reversed or refunds given to students.”
A petition has been launched by a third-year student calling for the removal of the pre-booking policy. A student from St John’s also expressed dissatisfaction, telling Palatinate, “in this age of hybrid learning and diminished extracurricular activity, it is difficult to see what us students are paying thousands for, if not the university’s learning facilities. “Frankly, there is little reason to believe that this booking system will slow the spread, and with the country recently reaching over 200,000 daily COVID cases, it seems more than a little naïve at this point to think that any of this health theatre will.” A postgraduate student expressed concern that the “essential” use message could have caused students, particularly first-years, anxiety or deterred them from using the facilities all together. “Changing your working conditions, getting outside and being in a social space is fundamental to keeping a sustainable work-life balance and good mental health, something many, including myself, found difficult during the restrictions last
year. January is a very hard month with dark nights, cold weather, financial pressures etc, and I feel the University should be doing all it can to be helping students, instead of making their academic experience more disappointing and difficult.” Addressing student responses to the policy, SU Postgraduate Academic Officer Declan Merrington told Palatinate, “I see library bookings as a great option and choice to give certainty to students that they have a space in the Bill Bryson. The importance there is choice. Omicron has taken this choice away and the library is being pragmatic by making it mandatory for the time being.” Merrington expressed the hope that the pre-booking system would become optional once again following the University’s two-week “soft start” to term. He also said: “It is a shame that many institutions in higher education have been left to themselves to decide rules, with little government guidance specifically for [Higher Education]. The fact that Durham and the library are constantly revising and responding to the pandemic is encouraging.”
Professor Karen O’Brien has taken over as Chancellor at a tumultuous time for Durham University. Frequent scandals have threatened the University’s public image, and caused student outcry. Just this academic year, Durham University has been attacked for confusion over Freshers’ accomodation, allegations of staff bullying, and Durham Student Wellbeing’s “don’t get spiked” message. South College’s Principal came under fire from students in an incident that dominated national headlines, and remains under investigation. O’Brien will be responsible for dealing with the fallout of this incident among others. O’Brien’s appointment comes as the University is part way through its Estate Masterplan, which includes the development of new colleges by 2027. The University has come under criticism for its expansion plans by students and local groups,
who worry the plans will put too much pressure on the city and its housing stock. Durham’s branch of the University and College Union held strikes in December over pensions, as well as systematic issues in higher education, including rising workloads, causualisation and workplace inequalities. More strikes are expected to occur this term, just months after the new Vice-Chancellor takes her post. Covid-19 remains an everpresent consideration, and the University will be scruitinsed for the actions they take. The University recently moved some teaching online for the first two weeks in the hopes of reducing spread among students and the decision to return to pre-bookings for the library has prompted student criticism. These factors all add up to a create a challenging role for Professor O’Brien, and both students and staff will be watchful of how she chooses to engage with the issues currently facing Durham.
Alumni receive New Years honours
Emily Doughty News reporter
14 leading Durham alumni have been honoured in the New Years Honours list, including one alumnus receiving a knighthood. One of the alumni to be recognised was Sir William Russel, who received a knighthood for his actions as Lord Mayor of London during the Covid-19 pandemic. Another alumnus who received an award for her actions during the Covid-19 pandemic was Margaret Sidwell who received a BEM for services to her community in Barton-upon-Humber during the pandemic. In an interview to Lincs FM Sidwell said, “It’s rather humbling, and it’s somewhat overwhelming.” Michael Howes-Robert also received an MBE for his work during the Covid-19 pandemic for his in Government Technology. Elsewhere in Government, Deputy director of HMS Treasury Oliver Haydon received an OBE for services to European Negotiations and Mark Lloyd received a CBE for his work in local government and Charity. Professor Nicola Horsley was also awarded an OBE due to her work on Plant health as part of DEFRA. Professor Horsley said, “I am truly honoured, but it is a team effort so huge thanks to my brilliant colleagues and everyone in the UK
Plant Health Service.” Alan Lowdon also received an OBE for services to UK-US offshore wind collaboration. Recognised for their services to education, Virtual School Head Alan Clifton was awarded an MBE for services for Children in Care and managing director of M2r education, Munir Mamujee received an MBE. which he described as “a great way to start 2022.” Head of Services Delivery at Suffolk Libraries, Krystal Vittles received a CBE for services to public libraries. Due to her work as managing director for Agencia Consulting, Helen Gibson has received an MBE for her services to international trade. Talking to BBC Humberside, Gibson said, “its absolutely brilliant. still sort of taking it in, bit of a surprise.” Former ICE President and Executive Director of WSP Rachel Skinner received a CBE for her services to Infrastructure. Alumni who were honoured for their work in sports and culture were Director of the Garfield Weston Foundation, Phillipa Charles who received an OBE for Services to Arts, Culture and Community Recovery, Curator and Cultural Historian Mark Sealy who received an OBE for services to Art and Chief Executive of the Paralympic Association, Michael Sharrock who received an OBE for services to athletes with disabilities.
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PALATINATE | Thursday 13th January 2022
SPONSORED FEATURE
Arnie Witkin: It’s Not a Big Thing in Life Anna Short I’ve always liked the notion of taking things minimally. As a result, Arnie Witkin’s It’s Not a Big Thing in Life is perfect for me and for all the overthinkers and worriers who head to Google with their questions or to seek positive advice and quotes. If you’re like me, and tend to be more dramatic and emotional, this book will encourage you to address issues with a sense of humour. Subtitled “strategies for coping’” it’s important to remember that It’s Not a Big Thing in Life is a series of strategies rather than imperatives and instructions. Witkin bases these revelations upon life experiences and so they are more personal and heartfelt than a website guide may be. You can carry this around with you, and with titled sections it’s easy to seek out guidance as and when you need it. It is written in a thoughtful, sincere manner, with witty anecdotes to back up each
statement. There are lovely illustrations and important information is in bold writing, making it eye-catching and fun. But what really makes it an enjoyable and memorable read are the similes and lyrical language with which advice is offered. At one point Witkin states “one of the greatest inhibitors of creativity is clutter. How do you find diamonds if you’re mired in rubble?”, bringing to mind my messy room, where I’m so often unable to find books for my degree.
“How do you find diamonds if you’re mired in rubble?” His style of writing is clear and easy to follow. With 65 topics covered, it offers help on everything, from money and relationships to skills and hobbies. There was much I have yet to find an opportunity to apply. But it’s reassuring to know if I do become a parent or have an operation this book will be waiting
to help me through. With that said, I think this book is still enjoyable to read before the time has come when you may face such struggles. And you might even avoid some of the pitfalls Witkin describes by learning about them here first. I support the statement that if you don’t agree with the information or find it helpful, you can simply laugh. I was particularly curious to read the author’s take on online dating. Upon reading , I found amusing advice—like the fact it’s hard to tell if someone’s authentic when they have all the time in the world to craft an answer. And though many of the struggles I’ve experienced were missing, the author reminds the readers in his introduction “there are hundreds of books and innumerable websites on each of the topics that [he] only cover[s] briefly”. One of the sections I was most looking forward to was coping with illness. Witkin talks about his struggle with cancer and his advice comes from a personal
From Freiburg With Love Cobbled streets. Glühwein. Bratwursts. These are the words which sum up my experience in Germany most fittingly. I have lived in Freiburg in Breisgau (a city nestled in the Black Forest, close to the borders with Switzerland and France) for 4 months now. The city has grown incredibly close to my heart, and I am sure it will remain one of my favourite places for a long time to come. What makes me say this? Well, everything. When I first arrived in Freiburg in late August/early September, the warm sun was still shining over the city throughout the day. Known as the ‘sunniest city in Germany’, it didn’t disappoint. My days consisted of cycle rides down the River Dreisam in summer dresses, meeting friends for a drink by the Stadttheater and going for sunny walks into the Black Forest.
It aims to become a completely carbonneutral, sustainable and eco-friendly city. Once the cold weather from the Alps moved in, Freiburg remained lovely, but adapted itself to the harsh winter that was to come. As the days became shorter and the Christmas season came in, my love for the place grew stronger. Although the pandemic cut short some of the festivities like
You don’t have to walk far to come across a lebensmittel stand where fresh produce is being shared
the famous Freiburg Christmas markets, the place didn’t fail to impress. With countless glasses of glühwein and infinite portions of bratwursts and schnitzel (a thin slice of meat, usually chicken, served with chips and vegetables) to enjoy, Christmas in Freiburg was divine. The city has such a bustling atmosphere, there is always something happening, whether it be a concert taking place in the Konzerthaus, people cycling around with their children or live music in the centre of town. It truly does make for a special city. Something else which I especially admire about Freiburg is that it aims to become a completely carbon-neutral, sustainable and eco-friendly city. It has come a long way towards this goal: the new football stadium for SC Freiburg uses solar-powered energy to power the games, cyclers take priority over cars on the road and there are many food-sharing stations around the city. Food-sharing has exploded in popularity around the world as a way to limit food waste and ensure people are able to access lots of different types of food locally. Freiburg has succeeded greatly in this task. You don’t have to walk far to come across a lebensmittel stand where fresh produce is being shared and given away. As my time in Germany is coming to a close and I am beginning to prepare for the second half of my year abroad, during which I will travel to Paraguay, I look back at my time here fondly. The somewhat small and not well-known city has become such an important place for me and I would encourage everyone to visit it themselves. Sophia Graham
and sincere place. I am also going through a period of more serious illness and his guidance proved both pertinent and encouraging to me. I liked his advice to stand in the mirror and say the mantra,“ I will get through this.” Determination and positivity are so important to getting better, and it also suggests that my illness won’t win over me. It links back to the title and is a reminder that the hardship will be temporary. He even admits “every circumstance is different” and the recognition of this whilst simultaneously ensuring all his tips are broadly applicable is what makes his strategies so good. Another one of his arguments concerns acceptance. I think this applies to all disappointment, not necessarily only that around illness. Once you accept something for what it is, once it has passed it will no longer be a ‘big thing’. Arnie picks topics that will be applicable to most people and offers true life lessons. With the arrival of 2022, it’s
an ideal time to tackle New Year resolutions with a positive mindset – here is the perfect book to help. It’s Not a Big Thing in Life is available to buy via Amazon or at www. arniewitkin.com This feature is sponsored, but the opinions are the reviewer’s own.
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Comment
PALATINATE | Thursday 13th January 2022
9
Debate
Billy B quiet: Level 4 stress is no joke Luke Power
I
’m all for a cheeky bit of misbehaviour in the library. One November night I was playing hide-and-seek in the Billy B until 2am. With friends, that is. Not alone. The final round only ended when I found the birthday boy half asleep after 30 minutes of searching. He rebuked me for taking so long. The poor chap was losing brain cells with boredom. This anecdote does two things. Firstly, it entirely undermines me as the one arguing that the library’s top levels should be treated with reverence. But it also works in my favour. It proves that at least some of us wanting Level 4 of the Billy B to be silent are not a repressive, joyless species of Scrooges demanding your complete surrender to the library gods. Indeed, the polarity in opinion is probably overstated by some Durfessers, who have advanced an “us vs them” narrative. Overall, there’s a social code that most of us should agree on. The top floor of the library should generally be kept silent. That’s what it’s for. Duh. And there are reasonable exceptions to this code. If you’re quietly greeting a friend, that’s cool. Go ahead and unzip that pencil case. Glug that water. Nobody rational cares if you do this. What we are contesting is people blatantly disregarding others by not minimising the disruption they
These areas are clearly designed for lone wolves who want to procrastinate undisturbed
constantly cause. Those who speak as if they’re talking down a megaphone, those who eat obnoxiously loud, those whose headphones are at blaring volume, those who listen to Justin Bieber at any volume, those who leave their horrendous shits to fester in the toilets or elsewhere. These are the bogeypeople against whom we should unite. The library has spaces devoted to group discussion, as well as a café with a marvellous M&M’sthemed vending machine. These zones are conducive to vigorous conversation and even more vigorous mastication. The city of Durham also has a plethora of places where people can be loud to their heart’s content: Palace Green, Poundland, Mr. Bojangles, your friend’s kitchen. Name a place in Durham and, chances are, you can make a racket there. The top levels of the library are not the same. With their rows of boxed study spaces that make you feel like you’re trapped in a Shreddies square, these areas are clearly designed for lone wolves who want to procrastinate undisturbed. Surely it’s not unfair to conserve this habitat, to keep sacred the hallowed desks of Level 4? A few don’t embrace the concept. We’re talking full-blown conversations, groups just plonking themselves at a table, not getting any work out, and jabbering on until their teeth fall out. Towards the end of term, I saw one frequenter of Level 4 get out his phone and ring somebody. The
audacity! He proceeded to babble about his social life at full volume until somebody courageous enough (not me) suggested he step outside. The worst part was that his social life wasn’t so exciting, even in comparison to the dreary academic articles we were all reading. Why couldn’t he save us the boredom and migrate to the staircase which was literally metres away? If you don’t have the decency to take your conversation elsewhere, or to turn your music down to a volume that’s fair on others, you’re being inconsiderate. And it takes balls of titanium to
Save us the anxiety and have some manners
ask somebody to be quiet. I once did it in the silent area at college back home. Two troublemakers had been chatting at regular volume for 20 minutes, and everyone in the room was exchanging irritated glances. After plucking up the courage, in steps Luke Power. I did not feel heroic. I felt like the biggest loser in the world. My skin crawled at how I had become a fully-fledged nerd, the stereotypical academic killjoy. I’ve lived in shame ever since. Obviously, they ignored me. So please, save us the anxiety and have some manners!
(Elle Fitzgerald)
Level 4: the Durfess drama speaks to a wider issue Lorna Petty
I
f this debate is new to you and you’re reading this wondering, ‘what’s all the fuss about?’, a simple five-minute scroll through Durfess will see you discover the lively discussion of who belongs on the 4th floor of the Billy B. Durfess has been full of raging students bemoaning the absolute racket that appears to be taking place on the silent 4th level of the library; a conversation, I can confidently say, that is not unique to this particular academic year. The dialogue of who belongs where in the Billy B, or who even belongs in the Billy B at all, is one which resurfaces every year, particularly around exam season; alongside this upset at the noisiness of Level 4 has been the assertion that the floor should only be for finalists.
This to me is a pretentious, unjustified privileging of finalists work which, albeit important, is of no greater prerogative than second year degree-classifying work and even first year foundational learning. Whilst I agree that the stakes do rise as one progresses throughout university, any conscientious student should have the right to a productive space of work, no matter their stage of study. The suggestion that only finalists are worthy of a silent workspace invalidates the perfectly justifiable stresses and efforts of students at earlier stages of study. This hierarchy is the equivalent of a university student suggesting an A-Level student should not utilise the local library for their revision, because the university student is at a higher level of study and, therefore, by Durfess logic, is more deserving of the study space. This is, of course, an unreasonable suggestion, because public libraries are
(Elle Fitzgerald)
spaces for everyone and must remain so in order to allow anyone without access to a suitable study space a quiet, spacious place to work. The same principle applies to level 4 of the Billy B. I would guess, however, that the majority of students do not feel that level 4 should be limited to finalists, and rather simply argue for complete silence. I do have more sympathy with this argument, but still take issue with the Durfess army who claim that level 4 is a cacophony of first and second years partying, chatting, and eating copious amounts of crisps. I tend to avoid level 4 anyway, not keen to be either a noisehater, nor noise-maker; but I am confident in saying that it is, in the grand scheme of things, not a particularly loud location. I am sure all can agree that hearing whispered conversation is annoying, but if it entirely disrupts your ability to work then a communal study space is
not the place for you. Any room with a large number of people in it is going to generate some form of noise, and if you want a space where you can control the sound — studying at home is a safer option. Even with the odd crispeater, the library is a quiet place to work, unrivalled by any work area experienced in the ‘real world’ so to speak, so perhaps the noise makers are actually doing us a service in teaching us to focus amongst a very small amount of external sound. But if it really does bother you, a good pair of headphones or earplugs will solve the problem, whilst allowing the poor, well-meaning student to eat their lunch in peace. Of course, full-voiced conversations and extensive periods of highly disruptive noise are annoying anywhere in the library; but the noise policing of level 4 Durfessers has certainly become obnoxious, and in a shared communal space all need to be slightly more tolerant.
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Thursday 13th January 2022 | PALATINATE
Comment
Holistic treatment: is laughter really the best medicine? The popularity of holistic medicine has risen in recent years, but is this a sustainable approach for the future?
Dite Bagdonaite
Royal Navy personnel administrating a COVID vaccine at a centre in Bristol, England (Ministry of Defence)
Should restrictions for the unvaccinated be tougher? Sophie Sherratt
T
he battle between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated is one that has plagued the United Kingdom for many decades gone by (and doubtless, many centuries to come). At the core of this debate, for the unvaccinated, is the extent to which freedom is in our own hands, or the hands of the government. At the centre of the debate for the vaccinated, meanwhile, is the extent to which other people’s health should be in our personal control. Evidently, the case for and the case against vaccinations disagree about the degree of power the individual should have over public health. Although freedom is something valued heavily by those who are unvaccinated, their argument raises the following question: how free can we be if the nation’s health is at risk? So, following the case for the unvaccinated being granted less liberties than the vaccinated, there are a plethora of ways to go about imposing such measures. If England were to follow suit of countries such as Italy, barring unvaccinated individuals from public spaces, or Germany, banning unvaccinated individuals from nonessential public stores, controversies would undoubtedly arise. However, considering eighty percent of people in hospital are unvaccinated in Cambridge (as of December 2021, according to Ewen Cameron of Addenbrooke Hospital) and many of those suffering in hospital regret not getting the vaccination, the effects these controversies may cause appear worthwhile. The main issue arising from imposing such restrictions is that many unvaccinated citizens insist that bringing in tougher restrictions would impinge upon
their freedom in a way that has not been done in other vaccination crises. However, it is imperative to understand that this is a crisis that has not been experienced in England for decades. For that reason, unprecedented restrictions must be put in place.
Placing restrictions on the movements of those who are not vaccinated would still provide the option for remaining unvaccinated
Still, Covid-19 restrictions in England do not have to be as extreme as the ones outlined above. Sixteen percent of unvaccinated individuals in England would become vaccinated to make it easier to go on holiday, according to the Office for National Statistics. Therefore, placing restrictions on travel or enforcing quarantine for the unvaccinated (as Italy has done for EU citizens entering the country) would be an effective first step towards encouraging people to get vaccinated. The benefit of rules, such as these, in comparison to barring the unvaccinated from public spaces, for example, is that they can be more readily enforced, therefore ensuring the safety of the public to a higher degree. Despite the fact that multiple countries are placing limitations on the unvaccinated, Boris Johnson does not wish for England
to become a “society and a culture where we force people to get vaccinated”. Yet this is not what such restrictions would do. Placing restrictions on the movements of those who are not vaccinated would still provide the option for remaining unvaccinated, whilst also requiring an acceptance of what this entails, including not being able to attend certain shops, restaurants or events. This would encourage many of those who are unsure about getting the vaccine to do so, considering the majority of the unvaccinated will prioritise living their day-to-day life in the way they wish over continuing to be unvaccinated. Furthermore, the pressure on the NHS is unsustainable, considering the weekly number of people hospitalised reached 15,314 according to the most recent seven-day average from Our World in Data. A further 850 people were in intensive care according to the most up to date figures at the time of writing. number of recorded weekly hospitalisations was 29,647 in mid-January last year. Reducing hospitalisations rates through promotion of vaccinations will reduce pressure placed on doctors and nurses as well as freeing more beds for those in critical condition. Such factors are crucial for ensuring death rates are kept low and restrictions are minimal, something both the vaccinated and unvaccinated desire. So, there is a definite case for following in the steps of Italy and Germany by imposing tougher restrictions on the unvaccinated, in an effort to reduce the number of hospitalisations. This would in turn limit the pressure placed on the NHS and ensure those who are in critical condition can be treated effectively.
T
he astronomical success of Bo Burnham’s 2021 comedy special Inside reveals a universal truth: comedy is inherently tied to all extremes of the human experience. Burnham himself recognises the complicated relationship between his comedy and mental health, having taken a four-year hiatus due to his panic attacks on stage. Conversely, Inside exists in a state of flux – the viewer is a voyeur watching the specific deterioration of one man’s mental health in isolation. And yet, they find catharsis in its commonality. Equal parts pervasive and perversive, it is irrefutable that Burnham’s special uniquely encapsulates the spirit of the times. From John Cleese to James Acaster, the breadth of the comedic spectrum proves how distinctively personal humour is, and how engrained it is in public life. It should therefore come as no surprise that Bristol University is piloting a wellbeing course based on stand-up this month. Angie Belcher, the driving force behind the project, foregrounds many points as to its efficacy; "We [can] support people to write about these situations, help them to become the protagonist of their experience and inspire them to bring that version of themselves to the stage. The process of learning how to frame your experience as comedy has a cathartic and healing effect." A more holistic approach to medicine is not itself a new trend, with Complementary and Alternative Medicine earning itself its own acronym within NHS jargon, CAM. However, only two branches of alternative treatments are subject to statutory professional regulation: osteopathy and chiropractic. Yet, it must be recognised that health inequalities and long waiting lists are driving people towards unorthodox therapies – notably, the hashtags #alternativemedicine and #holisticmedicine have garnered over 50 million views on TikTok. However, there are risks as such holistic ‘treatments’ often skip or bypass crucial trials and testing. Patient choice, since the landmark ruling in Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board [2015], has become a pivotal tenet of our healthcare culture. In an article from 2011, The Atlantic’s David H. Freeman made the farcical claim that the increase in the popularity of new-age treatments is "in
large part because mainstream medicine is failing"; if CRISPR/ Cas9 and malaria vaccines are anything to go by, he was wrong and continues to be. Some proponents of home remedies and traditional medicine lambast the ‘unnaturalness’ of treatments, finding little irony that some of the things that appal them have equally organic origins – for one, the chemotherapy drug Taxol is synthesised from a compound found in yew leaves. The popularity of integrative medicine need not be cause for concern, providing it stays within its remit and remains a complementary treatment. Sham companies and multilevel marketers who make promises to and prey on the sickest in society differ significantly from therapists who focus on assuaging side effects. There is no harm in recommending honey for a sore throat paired with, not replacing, anti-inflammatories for the flu. The potential vulnerability of those targeted by treatment trends means holistic care needs to stay holistic and not offload unregulated cure-alls instead of mainstream medicine. Despite anecdotal evidence that some types of more integrated treatment can reap rewards, the availability or, more aptly, lack thereof, of CAMs on the NHS means that such treatment is not likely to enter the mainstream. The personalised character of holistic treatments does not necessarily translate well into the clinical trials necessary to prove efficacy. Cut-throat budgets mean that more experimental medicines will, rightly or wrongly, remain the purview of those who can afford them. The highly individualised nature of mental health may translate better into experimental schemes like that of the Bristol Wellspring Settlement Social Prescribing Team. After all, the NHS itself recommends a variety of treatments from CBT to talking therapies, the latter of which arguably has parallels with the comedy pilot. But it equally galvanises the right wing, with Richard Littlejohn predictably mocking the ‘wokery’ of the project for the Daily Mail. The NHS is ultimately between a rock and a hard place with complementary and alternative medicine; the scheme will have to prove itself with tangible results as all holistic treatments should.
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PALATINATE | Thursday 13th January 2021
Comment
Are we all too worried about our CVs? Harrison Newsham
S
tudying at Durham it sometimes feels like you should have a fool-proof plan of what you want to happen in your life in five years’ time. So many peers seem to have flashy internships in their back pockets, a ten-week summer work experience placement, or an endless network of connections that will allow them to wrestle their way into the job market confidently once they have graduated. I don’t want to knock these people. Oftentimes, these opportunities have been achieved by students through hard work and by having a clear focus on a longterm goal. However, this path in life is not the only one we students can walk, especially when we all have a diverse range of different responsibilities and challenges on our plates.
This culture of frantic CV building can lead to stress and burn out
We may all be gifted with 24 hours each day, yes, but we all have different things we must spend those hours on. The effort to flesh out our CVs whilst at university is a rewarding cause. It’s one of the best ways to begin discovering what we want to squeeze out of life, and the identity we want life to squeeze out of us. This is done in many ways: getting involved in societies and sports; spending time volunteering; and of course, getting internships and work experience. However, we should not overburden ourselves with achieving the latter, especially when we’re trying to balance our degrees at the same time. In the modern world, there’s a fixation that everyone of university age (if not earlier) should have a clear vision of which career they want to enter into and how they are going to achieve it. It’s a symptom of the neoliberal system we live in: the need to be moving forward constantly, relentlessly. Yet, realistically, this is an expectation that not everyone can
fulfil. Many students do not have the time to think so far ahead into the future, when they find their course difficult enough to manage. Or they have other responsibilities, such as (and this is not an exhaustive list) trying to keep on top of their mental health, living with a disability, complex family lives, or working a number of jobs to make ends meet. Many feel they’ve just lost their direction in life and are using university to consider this. All are valid reasons for not seeking to bulk up a CV right now. The big bad world of work doesn’t have to start when you leave university; there’s no shame in taking a year out after university to ground yourself, if upon graduation you’re still not sure. We need to take our time to make the important decisions in our lives and this culture of frantic CV building can lead to stress and burn out, which is not a healthy way to start adulthood as it can lead to dangerous habits. Surely an employee who
Spend your university time exploring different avenues
has a healthy relationship with their capabilities is better than one who makes decisions based off of how ‘behind’ in life they perceive themselves to be, without considering their own happiness – and personal achievements to date – first. So, spend your university time exploring different avenues, tasting a colour wheel of experiences, and learning about yourself, but at your own pace. If you have a step-bystep plan of how you are going to achieve your goals – great! Flourish and go well. But if you don’t, there’s no need to overthink it. Often following your intuition and making decisions based on who you are now is more productive in the long run than making them based on who you think you will be in the future. The former will always lead you down a path that is authentic; the latter you might start carving and only realise it’s inauthentic when it’s too late to put down your tools.
Expensive Durham events exclude too many students Durham students flock to glamorous events all year round: but should they be made more accessible to all students?
Liliana Lake
D
urham University Polo Club’s description of its ‘St Moritz’ Winter Ball — "style, prestige and indulgence — the most exclusive event in Durham is back” — is the epitome of the Durham stereotype: elitism and snobbery. And with what is likely to be an eye-wateringly high price tag, it appears that this exclusivity will play out to be yet another Durham University class-based affair. Unfortunately, the University Polo Club is no exception. Although the £108 non-member ticket price for its most recent summer ball was more expensive than most, each term is filled with events from various societies deemed essential aspects of the ‘Durham experience’.
Indulgence and exclusivity have no place in a learning environment One need not look too far to find someone gushing over Caledonian Society — a society hardly worth joining unless planning to attend its extravagant social events. Yet with the Michaelmas Black Tie Ball costing
at least £72, it seems a society hardly worth joining unless one is willing to spend copious amounts of money. This expense is compounded by bi-annual college balls, events which for livers-in feel almost compulsory. The devastation felt on missing out when it feels as though your entire social circle is attending could be enough to make you believe that they would be made accessible for all: surely colleges would not allow students to miss out for financial reasons. However, to no surprise these too carry hefty price tags, roughly in the range of £50 to £80. To some, this cost is nothing. A small price to pay for an unrivalled
social experience. But to those living on nothing but a student loan, after accommodation fees this price can be almost twice their weekly budget. For the working-class Durham student, they can’t help but feel that this University’s social scene was not designed for them. I can of course understand the allure of these events — and by no means blame those who attend them – but it is entirely unfair to have such highly anticipated social experiences limited to a select few. Although some of these balls raise funds for charity through setting such high ticket prices, it is no excuse for excluding a large proportion of the student
(Verity Laycock) population. Surely an equally successful model can be arranged by cutting prices and increasing capacity. And if this means sacrificing some of the glitz and glamour associated with these events then so be it. If the University ever wishes to rid itself of its elitist reputation, it should act to make these events more accessible for all. It is easier for the richer colleges to work something out: and Castle's recent half-price scheme for those on a Durham Grant is a very welcome step. But it's not asking much for the Student Union to place a price cap on ticketed social events and if a certain event cannot be achieved
on this budget, then it should be subsidised by the SU as seen fit. In leaving the power to societies, the SU is allowing a form of class-based segregation to occur. Only those who can afford to pay the hefty price tag will attend expensive balls and build social circles there. Those who can't, will attend cheaper social events. Both may be equally enjoyable, but people from different backgrounds are driven apart and everyday classism continues within the University. But the simple fact of the matter is that exclusionary indulgence and class-based exclusivity should have no place in a learning environment. To take students, many of whom never having worked, and to give them exclusive access to an event based on whether they have the means to afford a ticket is to allow a student’s social experience to be determined almost entirely on their origins. It appears that in their description the organisers of the Polo Club ball failed to understand what attracts people to these events. Balls are not popular because of exclusivity and expensive venues – grandeur is already woven into the daily lives of Durham students. College Balls do not sell out in a matter of seconds because students crave indulgence. Social events are about the company kept. If hefty price tags limit this company to a wealthy few, then the University is failing to comprehend and thus achieve inclusivity. The same old narrative of classism continues, and until the University takes action to alter this, Durham will maintain its stigma as being one of the UK’s most elitist academic institutions.
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Thursday 13th January 2022 | PALATINATE
Profile
George Arbuthnott: “The Prime Minister’s handling of the pandemic has been one of the most scandalous failures of political leadership in British history” Ethan Sanitt speaks to Sunday Times journalist and Durham alumnus, George Arbuthnott, about Boris Johnson’s leadership, the government’s handling of the pandemic, and myths in journalism
B
oris Johnson missed five Cobra meetings before lockdown. This was the story that The Sunday Times ran in April 2020. The Prime Minister’s absence was labelled a key failure, one of many crucial government errors that meant Britain had “sleepwalked into disaster”. Initially, the Sunday Times article was dismissed; Michael Gove insisted that the piece was riddled with inaccuracies. But, Gove later conceded that Johnson had skipped five consecutive meetings on the virus. One of the journalists who uncovered this story was the paper’s deputy Insight Editor, George Arbuthnott, a Durham Economics alumnus (2005-2008). Since that piece, Arbuthnott has written Failures of State, a social history of the pandemic that focuses on the British government’s response to the pandemic, and the (many) errors that were made. Profile spoke to Arbuthnott about his career in journalism, and the government failings that he has examined. You’ve described The Mail on Sunday as ‘pretty old school … still believes in shoe-leather and door knocking’. How different was this from your experience working for The Glasgow Herald and The Sunday Times? To be fair, all three newspapers deploy that kind of journalism. My first job was at The Glasgow Herald and because it was a daily paper I was required to produce multiple stories a day. That meant there was less time to use those old school techniques. Working for the Insight Team at The Sunday Times is different because we are given far longer to produce stories. We don’t have the daily pressure, but when we do deliver a story it has to expose significant wrongdoing and be worthy of the front page. To achieve that we not only use door knocking and source building, but also data journalism techniques and undercover work. In Failures of State, you outline the errors that the government made in their response to Covid-19. Were you surprised that these errors were made? How could these failings have been avoided?
At the start of the crisis, Britain ranked second in the world for its pandemic planning, yet we’ve ended up with Europe’s worst death toll and more economic damage than any other G7 country. To try to understand how that happened, we spoke to hundreds of inside sources, including politicians, epidemiologists, scientists and doctors. And what is absolutely crystal clear is that by far the most important reason for that disastrous outcome is Boris Johnson’s three late lockdowns.
Hospitals were so overwhelmed that people were left to die without live-saving care On three occasions, the Prime Minister was advised to act swiftly and decisively, but each time he dithered and delayed until hospitals were so overwhelmed that people were left to die without life-saving care. That led to tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths and longer, more economically ruinous lockdowns. It was the worst of all worlds, and we’ll be paying for those mistakes for years to come. The government’s own experts said making the same mistake once is bad enough, but making it three times was unforgivable.
We’ll be paying for those mistakes for years to come By failing to act decisively over Omicron, Johnson has allowed the NHS to be overwhelmed for a fourth time, and many more seriously ill patients are not receiving proper treatment as a result. It provides more proof, if it was ever needed, that the Prime Minister’s handling of the pandemic has been one of the
most scandalous failures of political leadership in British history.
The Prime Minister’s handling of the pandemic has been one of the most scandalous failures of political leadership in British history Matt Hancock claimed that the vaccine strategy was influenced by Contagion. Do you think that the government should have taken any other movies into consideration when planning their response to the pandemic?
What questions would you like to be asked in the upcoming Covid inquiry, and do you think these questions will be asked? These are my questions for Boris Johnson: 1. How did you come to underestimate Covid-19 to such a degree in February 2020 that you allegedly told colleagues you wanted Chris Whitty to inject you with the virus live on TV? 2. Dominic Cummings, your closest adviser at the time, said you later expressed regret at bringing in the first lockdown despite it saving an estimated half a million lives. Why, on earth, would you regret a move that saved so many lives? 3. You allegedly said you would prefer to see “the bodies pile high” rather than bring in the second
I thought the recent Netflix film Don’t Look Up was a good metaphor for the Prime Minister’s handling of the pandemic. In the film, a world leader is repeatedly warned by scientists that a meteor will strike earth and destroy humanity unless it is shot down. Yet the leader doesn’t take it seriously and prioritises their own interests ahead of the public they are supposed to be serving, which leads to delay after delay after delay. As a result, the meteor strikes and everyone dies.
Don’t Look Up was a good metaphor for the prime minister’s handling of the pandemic
lockdown. What is your message to the thousands of bereaved families whose loved ones died unnecessarily because of your inaction? I certainly hope those questions get asked. The Prime Minister has chosen the person heading up the inquiry and he is helping to set its terms of reference. That does give cause for concern.
How would you describe Boris Johnson’s leadership during the pandemic? Human rights lawyers acting for the Covid-19 bereaved families say Johnson’s conduct during the pandemic may amount to the criminal offence of gross negligence manslaughter. I don’t disagree. You’ve written about the scale of the doping scandal in athletics. How did you come across this story? I was contacted in 2014 by a source involved with British athletics who expressed concern about unethical performanceenhancing practices within the elite UK endurance running squad. It led me to investigate Mo Farah’s coach Alberto Salazar. Around that time I began working with a German investigative journalism named Hajo Seppelt. In 2015, a source gave us access to a leaked database containing the blood test results of every major athlete in the world. We had it analysed by world-leading blood testing experts who found it revealed an extraordinary level of cheating in Olympics and world championship events, particularly by Russian athletes. A few months after we broke the story, the head of world athletics was arrested for covering up athletes’ positive drug test results in return for cash. Not long after, Russia was banned from the Olympic Games for running a state-sponsored doping programme. Salazar was banned years later too. What’s the biggest myth about working in journalism? That you can never trust a journalist. Journalists rely on their sources. Betraying a source’s trust damages a journalist’s reputation and therefore their ability to get stories in the future. So it’s just not in a journalist’s interests to do that.
Thursday 13th January 2022 | PALATINATE
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SciTech
Trust in science: what we can expect from 2022 Caitlin Painter SciTech Editor We are fast approaching two years since the World Health Organisation (WHO) first announced Covid-19 as a pandemic. This word now sums up a huge part of our lives, and will always come with negative memories of what feels like lost years. But in the future, we must also remember the incredible science that happened, and is still happening, in response to the pandemic, and the way public’s perception of science changed. The Wellcome Global Monitor 2020 survey found that people’s trust in science and scientists increased over the pandemic, a time that has seen the lines between science and politics become more intertwined than ever before. The previous two years showed us it was vital the public had access to science they could trust, whether this be from the scientists themselves or via accurate science journalism. Below, Sasha Reed discusses the remarkable developments made in 2021. Will Brown asks whether 2022 will see the vaccine reach more of the world’s population in line with WHO’s targets. Research into the long-term health effects of Covid-19 will continue, with the third year providing yet more data. We will learn how to better care for those suffering from long Covid, and how best to help the babies born during the pandemic after research found them to be behind in development. Other vaccine efforts will also come to fruition. 94% of worldwide malaria cases are in Africa, where
The first vaccine for malaria will be administered
more than 260,000 children die annually from the disease. This year, the first vaccine for malaria, which was in development for over thirty years, will be administered across sub-Saharan Africa. As our knowledge of the world around us advances, we must begin asking more than ever if what we are doing is ethical. Harrison Newsham weighs up for us whether laws for sentient beings should be made stricter. Our use of automation and AI becomes more prevalent each year, and as a result, laws need to be adapted or newly created. The government is amending the UK Highway Code in 2022 to allow automated vehicles to drive in certain conditions. They still require a human to be alert and ready to take over, but this change in the law could be a step forward in our perception of automation technology. Last year saw world leaders meet at COP26 and pledge to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and 2022 will see the monitoring of this. The Global Methane Pledge, signed by over a hundred countries, aims to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030. As early as October this year, a satellite known as MethaneSAT will launch and begin orbiting the Earth. It will measure methane emissions to a resolution of 25m, and share the data freely, allowing anyone to identify high polluters around the globe. World leaders will meet again for COP27, to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, where they will continue their efforts in tackling climate change. New technologies to further cut emissions will also be made public for the first time. The agriculture
sector is responsible for 10% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, but 2022 will see further development of lab-grown meat around the world. Air travel is another major emitter, and the first trials of hydrogen-fuelled passenger planes will begin this year. We will also see humans continue their exploration of the solar system and beyond. The James Webb Space Telescope will settle into its orbit around the sun and start operating in mid-2022. In Spring, the first stage of NASA’s Artemis missions will launch, seeing an un-crewed orbiter take off from the Kennedy Space Centre in our race back to the moon. The Fields medal, the most
The first stage of NASA's Artemis missions will launch
prestigious prize in mathematics given out every four years, will be awarded this year. In 2018, many believed Maryna Viazovska would receive it for her work on spherepacking in high dimensions. There is significant hope that 2022 will see Viazovska become only the second woman to receive the award, and increase the exposure of female role models in a subject that tends to struggle with gender representation. Look out for SciTech’s coverage of these events throughout the year, or become part of the team promoting the latest scientific news to the Durham community by joining our ‘Palatinate SciTech Contributors’ group on Facebook.
(Victoria Cheng)
The scientific breakthroughs made in the last year Sasha Reed As the curtains eventually came down on 2020, the triumphant and supposed nullification of Covid-19 promised great optimism for the New Year. And despite the pandemic’s rebuttal and subsequent resurgence, innovation in science continued to astound in 2021. Greater understanding of phenomena — either beyond the mesosphere or within the microcosm of our anatomy — demonstrates the range with which achievements were accomplished across the breadth of the scientific continuum. Here, we look back at some of the triumphs that have defined such a ground-breaking year.
Covid-19: vaccine rollout and developments The material disconnect between media curiosity and non-virological scientific endeavours continues to
strengthen as a result of the pandemic’s unrelenting grip on society. Nonetheless, scientists’ unwavering commitment to halting the virus undoubtedly deserves an inclusion. The unchartered speed of some countries’ vaccination schemes showcased the perseverance of those converting curiositydriven research into effective distribution. The pace and scale defied the complexity required of drug-delivery models. Despite the notable limitations of new mutations and a continuing vaccine inequality gap, the development of the vaccine was a product of public sector, private sector and civil society co-operation; it typifies the potentiality of human teamwork when working toward the preservation of life. Further to this, the ingenuities of the specific mechanisms belying the SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations have encouraged further areas of research over the last year. Studies have since alluded to the viability of messenger RNA vaccines
within a multitude of applications as it possesses the ability to manufacture large swathes of complex antigens. The unanimous verdict amongst scientists is that mRNA-based technology is the catalyst from which the future of medicine may evolve.
The private space race The exploration of space has only just infiltrated commercial territory but the implications are far-reaching. Jeff Bezos, Sir Richard Branson and Elon Musk are among the wealthy individuals propelling privately funded vehicles beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. With long-term ambitions converging toward affordable space settlement, 2021 has witnessed several space missions that look to convert such a utopian vision into a reality. In July, the founders of Virgin Galactic Holdings and Blue Origin battled to become the first nonprofessional astronaut to complete a sub-orbital flight. Though Branson won on this occasion, it is another player within this industry
that has proceeded to make the greatest advances. Having previously launched several satellites to build a commercial internet service, SpaceX has also outlined its intention to venture into the space-for-space economy. As of September, it successfully executed orbital flight with a crew entirely comprised of civilians. The journey lasted three days and circled at an altitude higher than the International Space Station. With the space tourism industry beginning to attract more consumer and investment attention, 2021 was a year where significant milestones were realised in a bid to increase space’s universal accessibility.
Redefining our understanding of space 2021 also saw the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. The $10 billion apparatus’ purpose is to understand and study the history of the universe. Though the lift-off was a momentous event, given 30 years of rigorous engineering,
the deployment sequences to be undertaken by this incredibly complex instrument necessitates 140 release mechanisms and has precisely 344 single points of failure. The logistical challenge is undoubtedly immense and yet it could has the potential to elucidate humanity’s greatest question: where did we come from? Members of Durham University have also achieved pioneering interstellar achievements. This includes the ground-breaking work achieved by a team of astronomers, marshalled by Dr Leah Morabito, whose high-resolution images captured the universe in an unforeseen light. Physics Professor Simone Scaringi contributed to our comprehension of blackholes. The research effectively linked the dimensions of Supermassive Black Holes to their feeding patterns, and is hoped to aid and alter the process by which they are classified. In 2021, we have seen humanity show rapid adaptability in the face of hugely unprecedented challenges. We can only wish for the same in the new year.
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Thursday 13th January 2022 | PALATINATE
SciTech
Durham research Even negative music can trigger positive memories Michelle Leung Led by Durham University Music Department’s Dr Kelly Jakubowski, researchers pioneered a set of experiments to investigate the relationship between music and its ability to evoke memories. Dr Jakubowski aims to gain an improved systematic understanding of the conditions in which music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs) occur. This will allow her, and fellow researchers, to expand knowledge on the interactions between music, emotions and memory. Previous research performed by Dr Jakubowski and her team revealed that music from our teenage years elicit the most memories.
Compared with TV programmes, music evokes more vivid and emotional memories
They also found that compared with TV programmes, music evokes more vivid and emotional memories. MEAMs can be measured through valence, positive or negative, and arousal activation or deactivation. The results that the Jakubowski team unveiled was a ground-breaking revelation, that showed that music consistently evoked positive memories regardless of emotional valence. This was achieved through four experiments, where 350 participants were played unfamiliar music, from different genres ranging from metal to classical. They were also exposed to everyday emotional stimuli, namely environmental sounds, and displayed single, well-known words. These auditory and visual stimuli were matched based on emotional valence (e.g. happy music with happy sounds, and sad music with sad words), then were exposed to the participants to act as cues to evoke autobiographical
memories. Effectiveness of the cues were measured, through the number of memories cued and the speed and intentionality of access. The phenomenological characteristics of the memories, such as vividness, uniqueness, and their social content, were also measured. Music, as an inherently emotional memory cue, was shown to spark primarily valencepositive memories regardless of its emotional valence. For example, sad/angry music (e.g. a heavy metal piece) can evoke just as positive memories as cheerful songs. However, negative sounds (e.g. factory machinery ambience) and words (e.g. insanity) would bring back more melancholy memories. However, sounds and words had a higher likliehood of conjuring more memories at a quicker pace, and concrete words were more effective cues to evoke memories than abstract words. MEAMs were also more frequently of longer periods and extended/repeated events, rather than specific moments. These were rather shocking conclusions because we tend to connect sad songs to more gloomy feelings. After all, Spotify would not suggest a playlist called Sad Beats on a sunny day – that would shatter the laws of pathetic fallacy, right? We also associate pieces composed in minor keys, in particular D minor, with true sorrow, where we can finally live out our romcom moment: looking out of a taxi window, post-heartbreak, on a rainy Saturday. The authors suggest that the positive reminiscences achieved by pieces resembling dirges and requiems could be explained by the positive context the music was enjoyed in. It could also be due to the triggering of a positive emotional response, which consequently brings back positive memories. Further work will need to be done to determine the temporal order of such responses. Another possible extension is to compare exposure to unfamiliar versus familiar music. These results are particularly interesting for therapeutic use, where music, no matter type or tone, can be used as an effective medium to stimulate the retrieval of positive memories in clinical patients, but is not ideal for the rapid retrieval of many memories. People with post-traumatic stress disorder and autism spectrum disorder are just a few notable groups that music therapy has helped. How effective the delivery of music therapy can be is reliant on this Durham-led research continuing to produce fascinating insights into music's effect on the human mind.
(Verity Laycock)
Vaccine nationalism will condemn us Will Brown In October 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published their strategy to vaccinate 70% of the world’s population by mid2022. Current progress on this strategy is a testament to the hard work of healthcare professionals around the world. We reached 35% by the end of September and 50% by the end of 2021, surpassing the WHO’s projections. It appears the strategy is working: so why is there concern around that last 20%? Global vaccination statistics hide the divide that has formed. The NHS has been providing booster vaccinations. Israel is drawing up plans for a fourth dose. Meanwhile, lower income countries are struggling to provide the first dose — where only 8.5% have received it. It is becoming apparent that the challenge of meeting the WHO’s target lies in vaccinating lower-income countries. The WHO’s goal is far from impossible, but it requires something unfortunately uncommon in international politics: selflessness. Selflessness is not something we have been particularly good at so far. Wealthier governments rushed to vaccinate their own population, purchasing millions of doses before they were even on offer for lower income nations in what has been dubbed 'Vaccine Nationalism'. But, as WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commented, the response to the pandemic must be a collective one. Pandemics do not acknowledge borders. Vaccine Nationalism is more than just selfish, it’s dangerous. It is amongst unvaccinated populations that mutations can develop more
easily, and the longer those populations remain unvaccinated, the higher the likelihood is of a vaccine-resistant variant. We’ve just witnessed a mass rollout of the booster vaccinations in response to the spread of the Omicron variant – what if that variant had been resistant to the vaccine? It wouldn’t have mattered that the UK population had both jabs. Nationalistic attitudes will not protect us from a vaccine-resistant variant, they will condemn us.
The price among these countries is £5.12 per dose
It’s not just that we’re getting priority access to these vaccines either - we’re getting cheaper vaccines. Despite pledges from companies such as OxfordAstraZeneca to keep the vaccine at cost price for developing countries, WHO data suggests that the average price for covid vaccinations amongst these countries is around £5.12 per dose – significantly higher than the reported £2.17 for the UK or £1.56 for the EU. COVAX was established in response to this: a global vaccine sharing scheme with 144 countries participating, but COVAX has been mired in criticism from the beginning. Emails and calls from ambassadors were ignored. Vaccines were being delivered alarmingly close to their expiration dates. Attempting to counteract the global divide in
vaccination, COVAX has not been anywhere near as successful as envisioned – having delivered 200 million doses by August 2021 instead of the projected 600 million. It's in their own interest for wealthy countries to help vaccinate the world. Yet such countries are doing the bare minimum, leaving developing countries to pay out of pocket for the safety of the global population. At the heart of efforts to increase the accessibility of these vaccines are measures to waive the intellectual property rights, which would theoretically allow lower income countries to manufacture their own vaccines. But healthcare professionals in these countries warn that this is not the miracle cure it is being made out to be. Producing vaccines from scratch requires advanced manufacturing plants that developing countries don’t have, and it is not something that can be built in time to meet the WHO’s goal. Instead, the solution might be simpler – these countries simply need easier access to the vaccines and the funds to deliver them efficiently. Countries such as Kenya and Ghana already have the healthcare infrastructure in place: childhood vaccinations in both countries are above 80%. Healthcare professionals in Kenya want to continue the door-to-door vaccination model that they have used in the past, but currently lack the resources to do so. The solution lies in dismantling the profiteering that is occuring around the vaccine. It’s time that governments stopped looking inward and worked together to close the global divide in vaccination. There’s only one way for governments to protect their own populations, and that’s to work together and achieve global vaccination as soon as possible.
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PALATINATE | Thursday 13th January 2022
SciTech
Octopus farming highlights the tragedy of animal agriculture New research suggests that octopuses feel pain. Does a proposed UK law do enough to protect sentient beings, including traditional livestock, from unnecessary suffering?
Harrison Newsham Deputy Editor In December news broke of the proposal for the world’s first commercial octopus farm in the Canary Islands. This proposal is controversial. Recent research into the cognitive abilities of octopuses (which reviewed over 300 scientific studies), proves, almost undeniably, that these creatures feel pain and by extension are sentient. One experiment conducted allowed octopuses to explore three chambers: one contained acetic acid, the other two anaesthetics. Scientists observed the octopuses avoiding the chamber containing the harmful substance, after their initial entrance into it, associating it with danger. Conversely, chambers where octopuses were given anaesthesia were preferred. This behaviour indicates that octopuses have the neurological capacity to suffer a subjective experience of pain, confirming the aquatic invertebrates’ sentience. If we consider it unethical to cause other beings pain, it is wrong to allow the mass harvesting of these creatures to the tune of 3,000 tonnes per year. This is because we cannot be certain that octopuses would not suffer in these farms: it is impossible to oversee the welfare of each individual animal. Furthermore, given the poor conditions reported in Scottish salmon farms, where salmon suffer from lice and diseases, it cannot be expected that octopus farms in the Canary Islands will be any better. It is unethical to allow octopuses to experience this pain just to satisfy our tastes. Yet the octopus question is only a drop in the ocean of ethical shortcomings within the animal farming industry. It has been proven that cows, pigs, chickens and many other animals killed in the UK farming industry are sentient; they have central nervous systems that allow them to feel pain. Yet, unlike octopuses, there is no media uproar concerning the ethics of farming them. Not only is this accepted by science, it is likely to be recognised soon by UK law. The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, which had its first reading in the House of Lords last May, will recognise any vertebrate, any cephalopod mollusc (octopuses, cuttlefishes, and squids), and any decapod crustacean (lobsters, crabs, and prawns) as a sentient being. Furthermore, by proposing the creation of an ‘Animal Sentience Committee’, on which animal experts will be seated, the Bill seeks to ‘ensure that animal
Cows, pigs, chickens and many other animals killed in the UK farming industry are sentient.
sentience is taken into account when developing policy across Government’. It seems that the belief that pleasure and pain are exclusively human traits is slowly being eroded away as myth, not only by science but also by the legal system. However, this Bill does not go far enough to protect sentient beings from suffering pain for two reasons. Firstly, the law does not require the implications of the word ‘sentient’ be consistent from species to species. Whilst many may consider octopus farming in the Canaries unethical, and certainly take a moral stance against dog fighting, for example, because they acknowledge the creatures’ sentience, the Bill does not require the Government to extend this privilege to the many animals slaughtered to be on our dinner plates – the near 3 million cattle, the 10.5 million pigs and the 1.1 billion chickens annually. The Government may recognise them as sentient but still allow them to be considered in a separate category. Secondly, the Animal Sentience Committee is not a very powerful body. It is merely advisory, tasked only with ensuring that ‘the government has all due regard to the ways in which the policy might have an adverse effect on the welfare of animals as sentient beings’.
(Verity Laycock)
(Iva Rajović, Unsplash)
The Government need only hear; they would not be required by law to listen or act upon any advice given. Thus, animal welfare is not being protected: it is simply being taken into account, rather than considered a priority, or a red line. If the Government considers other factors (most likely economic) more important, then an animal’s right to live free from physical and psychological pain may be infringed. The Government may hear that gassing 86% of pigs with CO2 causes them unimaginable pain in the last moments of their life, but if it’s the cheapest option, they will be well within the law to allow the practice to continue. The Bill is a red herring, that far better protects the interests of farmers than it respects the A brief history of animal welfare laws in the UK sentience of nonhuman animals. 1822 The UK passes one of the world's first animal Perhaps, at the point protection laws where ethics and science converge, lies 1911 The Protection of Animals Act becomes the first the uncomfortable general animal protection law truth that animals’ 2006 The Animal Welfare Act adds a legal requirement bodies — whether to provide for animals' welfare needs octopus or pig — and their secretions should 2022 The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill will be the not have a place on our first UK law to recognise animals as sentient plates in modern society.
This Bill does not go far enough to protect sentient beings from suffering
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Politics
Thursday 13th January 2022 | PALATINATE
Sneaking privatisation: the changing face of university Ellie Agu-Benson In an era of increasingly privatised higher education, a student equals money for a university. To be precise, £44,000. Yet, although professor’s wages, research, and general upkeep are costly outflows, the prospect of increasing mass learning to bring in new students at a fraction of the expense has transformed the contemporary university into a profit-generating juggernaut. In this profit maximisation manoeuvre, universities have made serious changes. Many have undergone huge programme expansion, shifting to meet student interest with degrees like sports management and interior design. Others, on the other hand, have decided to grow into more hard sciences and technologyrelated sectors — ones with strong research interest and open to large-scale financing awards. But there are pedagogical losers in this programme expansion, the primary one of which is the humanities. Courses like philosophy have suffered increasing knocks due to a combination of declining student interest and a lack of financing. Universities’ business decisions have changed even more as a result of this commercialisation process. Chancellors are spending ever-increasing sums on legal, branding, and marketing at universities in order to urgently
Allowing education to become a private good would be a grave mistake for the country
engage young people’s attention. Furthermore, the institutions’ architectural refurbishments have been extensive, with the purpose of producing newer, flashier, and more appealing learning halls to demonstrate to students and benefactors alike that their future university is on the cutting edge of research and teaching. Finally, the increase in university fees, from £3,000 to £9,000 in just over ten years, has made funding university a greater issue for many students. With these now largely inaccessible fees many rely on student finance, creating one of the largest spending factors in today’s Government and deepening sovereign debt. Yet as a University College Union report in 2013 suggests, this trend of privatisation is only gathering momentum. They reveal an insensitivity of party politics to the issues surrounding the privatisation of university, stating that there is a cross party consensus in the UK that public funding for student loans should decrease. Instead, it is widely agreed that tuition fees should be paid privately through commercial lenders, donations, and outright payments. As policy moves towards this model, students will have greater customer control over degree choice, privately funded education will be the norm and there will be a great expansion
Who are Britain’s elite?
A student perspective Jack Newbury Which political party represents the elite of the UK? University students are disproportionately Labour supporters. This age demographic firmly views the Tories as the elite. Though the answer seems obvious, this is not a trick question. Ask the 65+ age demographic about elites and they reach very different conclusions. Seemingly British society is unable to agree who the elite are. This disagreement can explain much of the divided nature of politics today. In post-war Britain the consensus was clear: the Conservatives were the party of the elite. Tory voters were (statistically) the university educated, high earning, property owners of society. Labour conversely stood as the party of the working class. The political divide was simple; based
on the economic dynamic between the top and bottom of society. Today, the picture has become more complex. The universityeducated are no longer Tory voters, they are overwhelmingly left-wing. Equally, at the last election the working class voted largely for the Tories (48%) instead of Labour (33%). Clearly, class, wealth and education no longer combine to accurately indicate someone’s status in society. Therefore, our understanding of ‘the elite’ is no longer compatible with the current composition of society. Education, earnings, and property are now dominated by different groups, resulting in a society with multiple incarnations of the elite. Property ownership is an arguably unlikely prospect for many young people. Stagnant wages in the face of surging house prices makes that first step onto the property ladder ever more improbable. For young people the
of for-profit university which will emulate the financial burden of American education on US households. However, the effects of emulating an American approach to education are odious. There will restricted access to higher education for lower-income families, widening the inequality of education gap that we already battle with between state and fee-paying schools. Moreover, offering private loans to vast numbers of credible and uncredible lenders to cover tuition fees will put instability into the loan market. But, most importantly, the higher education system will be degraded into an increasing number of lowquality private institutions. Given that these alarming changes are already on the way, are we still calling tertiary education a public good? Or has it slipped into becoming a private one? With the Government
desire to own their home makes those with property a type of elite. Older people, especially those 65+ and retired are the demographic most likely to own their own homes, having bought them when wages and house prices were more closely bound. These older people are therefore seen as a type of elite by the younger generation. Young people do not avoid the ‘elite’ label though. This generation is, in terms of university qualifications, the most educated generation ever. Access to higher educational standards is a form of ‘elite’ as well. For those who did not attend university these institutions can feel like snobbish cults for freeriding students. Those without higher education, like a large proportion of older ‘Leave’ voters report feeling ‘left behind’ and ‘alienated’ by society. For them the sociocultural agenda (which areas of politics are important, what we should research, how to make the world better, what is important to this country’s identity) is dominated by arrogant, university educated youths. This group’s desire to
Economic and social expense
exert increasing influence over sociocultural issues leads them to perceive this educated younger
What we see as ‘the elite’ is no longer compatible with the society generation as an elite. Retired people and the younger generation are united in another sense though. Both demographics have a lack of cash revenue. Older people tend to have their money tied up in a house or pension whereas younger people are struggling to find wellcompensated jobs. These groups come to view entrepreneurs, business owners and the “merchant right” as another type of economic elite; not tied to property or education in the same way as the past. To summarise, who you view as the elite largely depends on where you
clamouring for privately paid fees and universities imposing their branding messaging on potential students, it looks that higher education will become a competitive and discriminatory entity. Yet allowing education to become a private good would be a grave mistake for the country. Public goods are essential for the positive externalities they impart on society. Higher education benefits include increased tax revenues from higher earnings, quicker economic growth, more social cohesion, and a lower strain on public services such as health and crime prevention, to mention a few. Taking these calculations into consideration it becomes clear that there is a real economic and social expense to the privatisation of universities. This appears to outweigh the benefits. So hopefully, when an MP or a university chancellor reflects on the future of education and weighs these benefits against a medium-term income rise, their position may shift.
(Anna Kuptsova)
are in society and what you want, be that socioeconomic influence or property. Resolving these divisions will be no simple task. Rightly or wrongly, political parties are exploiting these compelling narratives to stoke their support. Voters are more likely to turn out if they feel threatened by a group of elites in society on whom they can blame their misfortunes. The Left has done this historically by warning of an economic elite whilst the right has, most recently through the culture wars narrative, pushed the idea of a liberal sociocultural elite threatening British values. We ought to treat our political rivals more neutrally; refocusing ourselves to the arguments they make not the people they are. Healing politics will be no easy task but the first step is treating each other a little bit more like humans. The first step in that process is to undestand the elite.
PALATINATE | Thursday 13th January 2022
17
Politics
Looking back at Biden’s first year Ellen Fasham This January will mark one full year of the Biden presidency, and it is fair to say it has been a difficult year for the president. With claims of election fraud and an attempted insurrection before his time in office had even begun, his administration has faced rising inflation, climate crisis pressure, a difficult withdrawal from Afghanistan, and an obstinate global pandemic which has claimed over a million American lives. This rocky start is reflected in Biden’s shocking approval ratings: with public approval dropping from a healthy 60% a year ago to now just 43%, he is less popular than any other modern president at any point of their tenure except Donald Trump. This is particularly surprising considering Biden’s staggering legislative success. His government has seen the passing of the $2tn American Rescue Plan and a $1tn infrastructure package, which is no mean feat in a system infamous for its gridlock. His bargaining agility demonstrates a remarkable skill matching the demands of a political system that most other presidents found awkward at best or, at worst, destructively intransigent. The problem with this multitrillion-dollar legislation is that most Americans are yet to feel the benefits. Meanwhile, the nation continues to live with the lingering effects of the pandemic. While a decent 70% of adults are vaccinated and degrees of normality have been felt across the nation, Covid-19 has continued to claim lives. Over 400,000 Americans have died during Biden’s tenure and the young Omicron variant continues to grow with an uncontrolled ferocity. The effects of the pandemic on the economy, such as rising inflation and the resignation crisis further compound this image of presidential uselessness. Bringing global humiliation to the United States, the 20-year American mission in Afghanistan was brought to an end in just a single day with the Taliban takeover of Kabul this August. As citizens attempted to flee violence on the streets and a bleak future, Biden made a speech in which he defended his decision to withdraw with an embarrassing stubbornness. Biden was elected largely due to his dissimilarity to Trump, and in particular for his empathy, sensitivity and calmness which stems from his own history of
personal loss. But these qualities were starkly absent at the time when they were needed the most – a global humanitarian crisis in which the United States held two-decades worth of responsibility. On the whole, Biden has been largely successful in returning an aura of quiet dignity to the White House, but his approach to the withdrawal was disappointingly similar to the heavy-handed obduracy of his predecessor. It should be noted, before a premature assessment, that the nature of his premiership is likely to change after the midterms. It almost political law that the president’s party will lose seats in these elections, and with Republican gains in 2021, including the Virginia governor’s mansion, it looks incredibly unlikely that the Democrats will retain control of Congress. As the blocked Build Back Better bill indicates, lawmaking in US politics is difficult even in times of unified party control, and thus after the midterms we will likely see Biden pursue his political agenda through a more assertive authority over his executive administration. The course of 2024 is harder to predict. While Biden has publicly announced plans to run for reelection, hushed discussion of who might succeed him persist. As Vice President, Kamala Harris might seem the obvious choice, but Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are emerging as other potential candidates. On the other side, Trump’s stubborn will to cling on to his presidency, plus a redoubling of commitment to Trumpism from the GOP, means that another four years of Trump could be much more real than a dystopian thought experiment in constitutionality. Of course, the question remains: can the blame for such a disappointing first year be placed solely on Biden? Issues such as inflation, supply-chain problems and the pandemic both existed before Biden assumed the presidency and operate at a global scale that is arguably beyond the reach of one man alone. It is also important to remember that he is only a quarter of the way through his first term, and any current assessment of his premiership will necessarily be very different to when his time is done. Only time will tell whether he goes down as a figurehead of presidential competence or, as his current trajectory suggests, a forgettable one-term washout.
(Anna Kuptsova)
New Year’s Honours Empire, patronage, power. What exactly do we honour? Sam Lake The most recent instalment of the New Year’s honours list has, as ever, proved contentious. To some, the purpose of the list remains obscure. To others, it is a remnant of an elitist imperial past. Who are the honours celebrating, and why? Rarely do we see the most prestigious titles going to “ordinary people for doing extraordinary things”, to quote Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling. Instead, we see them going to athletes and actors, to politicians and those they wish to patronise. How legitimate, then, are the New Year’s honours as a celebration of service and achievement? This year, it is Tony Blair’s knighthood that has become the focal point of much of the criticism levelled against the honours system, raising important questions about what exactly constitutes eligibility for the awards. Is it right to bestow the highest existing order of knighthood upon a man considered by some to be a war criminal, simply because he once performed the role of prime minister? And what do such criteria imply about the system? If knighthoods and honours can be granted based on tradition alone, their legitimacy as a means of rewarding genuine achievement seems flimsy at best. Furthermore, the nomenclature of the various titles dished out in the honours list has been criticised for its outdated and some would argue offensive imperial heritage. Benjamin Zephaniah, a poet and writer of Caribbean descent, rejected an OBE in 2003 in part
because the title that the acronym denotes—Officer of the Order of the British Empire—contains “that word ‘empire’” a word that to him summons images of the slavery and oppression that said empire was built upon. It’s a fair point. While 15% of this year’s recipients hailed from BAME backgrounds, with ex-Sunderland captain Gary Bennett being honoured for his work tackling racism in football, it is hard to argue with Zephaniah’s suggestion that perhaps “we should stop going on about the empire. Let’s do something else.” There are better ways to thank those fighting against the harmful legacies of the British Empire than by ‘honouring’ them with a title that invokes it. Nor should those who have earned their honours be grouped in the same bracket as the reams of recipients whose awards are based on their intimacy with those in power. We can’t seriously claim that the honours are based on merit, achievement, or service when the service of the team responsible for the calamitous Brexit negotiations is deemed more worthy of recognition than that of the frontline workers who have gone above and beyond for their communities during the pandemic. Of course, it is impossible for everyone working in front-line roles to receive an honour, but the fact that a government team have been honoured for doing an extremely controversial job drags the ideal of an honours list based on merit through the mud. Moreover, allegations of cronyism have grown increasingly audible in recent years, as Tory donors and political figures have
been granted honours for reasons that often appear suspiciously vague. The Conservative political strategist Lynton Crosby’s knighthood, bestowed in 2016, caused particular uproar as a move that rewarded services to the Tory Party rather than to the United Kingdom. For as long as these political honours are included alongside those of the more deserving recipients, the value of the titles bestowed upon the latter will continue to be negated in the eyes of the public. Political patronage should remain separate from the celebration of national heroes and their exceptional service. The New Year’s honours need an overhaul. Their references to an ‘empire’ are not only inaccurate but inappropriate in a modern Britain that has not been able to call itself an empire in any sense since the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997. And to those like Zephaniah whose ancestors suffered at the hands of the British Empire, such references reek of elitism and colonialism— and the evils that have been borne of both. The practice of granting honours based on custom is in urgent need of change, and the independent oversight of the awards must be exercised with far greater scrutiny than it has been to date. Once the New Year’s honours come to represent the Britain of today and once they come to celebrate the exceptional service and achievements of ordinary people, only then will they shake their image as a meaningless ceremony of patronage and pomposity.
PALATINATE | Thursday 13th January 2022
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Politics
Politics predicts...
What will 2022 look like? Will Boris Johnson be replaced as leader of the Conservatives? The “greased piglet”, as David Cameron once labelled Johnson in reference to his irrepressibility, has been written off many times during his two decades in politics. In September, he seemed impervious in his leadership. But recent losses, from lockdown party revelations to Peppa Pig World tirades, have seen his support tumble to a career low. One recent Opinium poll found that Labour held a seven-point lead over the Conservatives. That lead rose to 12 points when Johnson’s name was mentioned in the polling question. Following the North Shropshire by-election defeat and mounting Commons voting disloyalty, his authority is quickly fading, with Culture secretary Nadine Dorries being kicked from a Conservative MPs group chat for defending him. The question here, therefore, seems to be not if he will go, but when. May’s local elections seem a likely last stand, with only 54 MPs needed to force a vote of no-confidence, although Tories will first want to find a successor. Sunak seems to be the most probable contender; another Opinium poll finds that the party would be 60 seats better off under his leadership. Amongst the Tory faithful, however, Liz Truss remains the favourite. Either way, with economic conditions predicted to deteriorate and Covid-19 cases rapidly rising, finding a replacement is now the only obstacle to Johnson’s downfall. Oisin Mcilroy
Will the Democrats lose control of Congress after the 2022 midterms? What do 2010, 2014, and 2018 all have in common in American politics? These were all years when midterm elections took place – when all 435 seats of the House of Representatives and one-third of Senate seats are up for grabs – and in each of them the president’s party lost control of one of the chambers of Congress. This is quite a common phenomenon in American politics, and it looks like Joe Biden’s Democrats will meet a similar fate. There are many factors at play against the oldest president in American history: lingering Covid-19 issues, state redistricting following the 2021 census (over which Republicans have most influence), a major inflation issue,
Word of
2021
increased voting restrictions in many states, and slim Democratic majorities in both chambers of Congress. Moreover, midterms tend to have lower turnouts, particularly amongst young people and ethnic minorities, meaning that Democrats face an uphill battle to match a motivated GOP base of whom an alarming number are still in support of Trump’s ‘big lie’ that the 2020 election was stolen. My prediction is that the Democrats will hold the House, but only with a slim
Our contributors make predictions on key events that could shape the next 12 months, from a Russian invasion of Ukraine to another lockdown.
across the nation over the past few months; and other essential public services and businesses are suffering labour shortages due to a self-isolation crisis reminiscent of the “pingdemic” of Summer 2021. At this exact time last year, Boris Johnson pledged to keep schools open before promptly throwing England into another national lockdown. Having once again celebrated Christmas and the New Year beneath the dangling threat of a proposed “circuit breaker”, there’s one
would have so little justification for doing so. In recent weeks we have seen more and more voices from across the political spectrum begin to question whether total lockdowns do more harm than good. Our response to Covid-19 is evolving, and this seems to have been reflected in Boris’ recent briefing. I only hope that this time Boris stays true to his word. Isabella Adams
Barack Obama ordered the launch of cyber-attacks on an Iranian nuclear plant in 2008 yet seven years later committed to the Iran nuclear deal. Former president Donald Trump’s sanctions mean this deal is on the brink of collapse, prompting Iran to breach the deal and stockpile uranium. Israel has consistently used aggression to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. It is widely believed that Israel is responsible for the 2020 assassination of a senior Iranian nuclear scientist. However, the Biden administration has opted for diplomacy, promising to lift sanctions if Iran comply. Optimism may yet be premature. Diplomacy works only if both parties are co-operative, and this seems unlikely given Iran’s history of secrecy. Western aggression is not out of the picture: Israel and the US have already warned of a ‘Plan B’ if Iran fails to negotiate. Ingrid Sykes
Will Russia invade Ukraine?
majority. But they will lose the Senate. Holding both would be a great success for Democrats but would require bucking the trend of the last decade. Reece Moore
So far, the start of another new year does not seem to have offered the UK much of a clean slate – at least, not with regards to our Covid-19 situation. We find ourselves in familiar circumstances: Scotland and Wales have tightened restrictions in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the Omicron variant; the NHS continues to contend with the tidal wave of cases that has swept
question on everyone’s minds right now: will we be locked down again? My tentative response is: no. Following the recent publication of some promising data suggesting Omicron is a much milder illness than previous variants, Boris announced his hope at the latest Downing Street press conference that there will be no need to shut down the country, so long as the public continue to get boosted. Besides, with a rising number of Tory backbenchers ready to rebel against further restrictions, and a similarly disaffected general public outraged by our government’s wilful disregard for their own rules, it could be political suicide for Boris to introduce further measures – especially when he
We ran a ‘Word of the Year’ competition amoung our contributors. Notable entries go to ‘meta’ and ‘discordance’, however, the title for 2021 goes to ‘COP’. Here’s why:
“The COP26 climate summit, a major event of the year, saw great progress towards ending fossil fuel use, but the 1.5 degree target on emissions continues not to be met with enough commitment. The Presidents
Will we see yet another lockdown in England?
What does next year hold for Iran’s nuclear development? Eisenhower’s Atoms for Peace program in the 1950s gave Iran nuclear materials. Iran now has one nuclear power reactor and is planning two further large Russian-designed units. However, since then the WesternIranian relationship has been characterised by disagreement and tension. The 1968 Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty supposedly indicated Iran’s commitment to peace, yet this has been continuously doubted by the West. Consequently, co-operation has largely ceased since the 1970s. The US remains undecided in its attitude to Iran, flipflopping between diplomacy and aggression. Then-president
of China and Russia copped out of attending, and rich nations copped out of making strong commitments, including to support less well-off nations in dealing with the climate crisis. With Covid, rich countries
New Year’s resolutions are often made to be broken, which may be just as well for Vladimir Putin if the “new opportunities” he referenced in his January 1st address to the Russian nation regard the invasion of Ukraine. The potentially 70,000 -strong deployment of Russian forces along the eastern borders of Ukraine certainly poses as a statement of intent, but a statement is all it is. While the prospect of an invasion into the heartland of Ukraine has many in Washington warning of a renewed war on European soil, the prevailing attitude on the streets of Kiev remains one more of indifference than fear, for the threat of Russian aggression is not foreign to them. Perhaps it is the knowledge that Russia’s economy, which lags behind those of Italy and Canada, cannot stomach the immense cost of full-scale occupation and the accompanying Western sanctions that comforts them. Regardless, while the threat of invasion will likely remain Mr Putin’s stalking horse throughout 2022, it is ultimately the application of pressure through the like of the Nord-Stream 2 project and disinformation campaigns that may allow the Russian president to ride out the year having forced regime change in Ukraine. Will Strevens
(Anna Kuptsova)
copped vaccines, at the expense of poorer nations. The emergence of Omicron signals that with this vaccine apartheid it will not be long before another variant comes along that the world will have to deal with.”
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PALATINATE | Thursday 13th January 2022
Satire
Palatinate Satire Break your exercise-based The 1st Annual new years resolution here (and most likely at 'The Single-Use Gym'! only) Palatinate Satire awards
Satire Editors: Benjamin Lycett & Hannah Williams
For more satire, visit www.palatinate.org.uk/category/satire
We here at your local SingleUse Gym can’t wait not to get to know you when you bail on your ‘new year, new me’ philosophy after you get scared seeing some bigger blokes there at your induction. Then, a few weeks later, you’ll pass the guy who did your induction on the high
street, and you’ll try avoid eye contact – but you can’t resist looking, and you think you see him give you a knowing, mocking glance … sign up now! That’s right, we know most of you only sign up to the gym in new year because you feel bad about guzzling half a turkey over the festive period. As such, we know
to tailor our gym experience to YOUR needs! For instance, we have an outdoor area, previously for smoking, where you can go to sneak a cheeky Twix or slice of Victoria Sponge mid-workout. We are located at … it doesn’t matter actually, you won’t need to remember it.
The Oscars? Step aside. The Grammys? No thank you. The Nobel Peace Prize? Not today, matey. That's right, it's the slightly arrogantly selfappointed king of the new years awards season from Palatinate Satire. The ‘So Close Yet So Far’ Award: Gilesgate McDonalds
Palatinalps 2021.
The 'Hide and Seek' Award: Racecourse LFT Centre If you found yourself waking up after last November's overnight storm and thinking 'where'd the LFT centre go?' turns out it was hiding behind a tree. That pesky test centre, what a joker!
A place I had so much hope for when I heard it was opening, it’s landed mere whisper outside of the delivery radius of most people. It’s like I’m on a running machine, and they’re dangling a nugget just out of my reach in front of me.
The 'Why Do I Bother Award': You
The ‘Wish I Stayed At Home’ Award: Palatinalps
Biggest Palatinate Cover-Up: The Paper Is Controlled By The Russians
A month ago, it felt like there wasn’t a day that went by without hearing of the next instalment in the middleclass disaster movie that was
Local beanstalk farmer calls BBC's 'FA Cup giantkilling' story misleading Bean-farmers Jack and his hilarious friend Buttons hired a group of what the BBC called 'giant-killers', only to find the Kidderminster Harriers starting XI show up, who beat Reading 2-1 in the FA Cup last weekend. There is no fairytale ending to this tale, as all present were mauled to death by a bloodthirsty giant.
Clubs in London face fresh challenges Clubs (the proper kind) are facing financial downturn as hordes of the 'rah baccy' species, who provide most their income, migrate back to their Durham nesting grounds for the spring.
Tories call for 'God Save The Queen' to be played every day at 1am The Minister of Culture proposed the plans at the recent PMQs, as he is an avid fan of the Sex Pistols.
Confused? Remember when you spent two weeks on that essay, only for your mate to do it in one night and still do better. That's why.
All my attempts to expose those responsible have been censored. Stop them! Long live democracy!
Santa races across the world on Christmas night, only to be overtaken by Max Verstappen at the end Father Christmas found himself allied with Lewis Hamilton this festive season, when Max Verstappen somehow zipped out of nowhere to beat him home to the North Pole. Rumour has it that Mr Claus has given Max permanent tenure upon the naughty list as a response.
Durham's new vicechancellor exposed as being secretly a lizard No, seriously. I read this on some pretty legit Facebook message-boards.
Woman who moved to uninhabited island claims Animal Crossing 'full of inaccuracies' The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous due to this story exposing her stupidity, approached a local raccoon to ask for a bank loan, only for it to, very rudely, bite her, giving her a lot of rabies instead.
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Thursday 13th January 2022 | PALATINATE
Puzzles Chess Puzzle 846
Puzzle Editors: Katie Smith, Hugo Bush & Thomas Simpson For online versions, answers and more puzzles, head to www.palatinate.org.uk/category/puzzles @palatinatepuzzles
Sudoku 846
White to checkmate in 2
9 1 8
6 1 5
2 6 9 5
New Year’s Puzzles
4 9 2
1 8
3 8 2
6 3 2
A New Year’s classic inspired by The Guardian—using just basic mathematical operations (+, - , ×, ÷ and brackets) take the numbers 10-1 in order and form 2022!
3 6
9 8
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 = 2022
5
Can you do it in reverse? Can you go from the numbers 2, 0, 2, 2 and get all the numbers from 1 to 10? You can use +, - , ×, ÷, brackets, square root √, the factorial !, concatenation and exponentiation.
9 6
If you have any fun solutions comment them on Instagram, Facebook or the Website!
Maths Maze 2
5
cube it
x3
triple it
+1
+4
square it
double it
-4
x6
x4
+1
+3
x6
double it
?
?
(Anna Kuptsova)
Can you find all 10 differences in these wintery scene?
Spot the Difference
Arrow Word An arrow word works the same as a normal crossword, except that the clues are written in the boxes. Each answer appears in a straight line next to each clue, in the direction indicated by the nearby arrow. A dozen dozens
Settles (an issue)
Rolled grain
↓
↓
→ Every single one Remain (in a place)
Cheat, swindle
Fun fair coconut stand
↓
↓
→ → Often tartan garment
Moose
→
↓
Small bottle
→
Napoleon exile island
→
Stage, part
→
Wave in the wind “Honest ___”, President
↓
↓
PALATINATE | Thursday 13th January 2022
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PalatiDates
Tom and Emma, NatSci and Geography students from Collingwood and Stephenson, meet for a blind date at Spags
Emma on Tom
Tom on Emma What were your first impressions of your date? Very promising! She dressed well and confident from the get-go.
He asked for the bill in Spanish in an Italian restaurant
Who got there first? I did. What did you talk about? Started off with the basics, but the conversation flowed really easily.
What were your first impressions of your date? Good looking and charming. Who got there first? I’m normallly late so he did. What did you talk about? Travelling, family an home towns - just the typical. Most awkward moment? He asked for the bill in Spanish in an Italian restaurant.
Most awkward moment? She mentioned her ex a few times How would you describe them? Attractive, bubbly and very funny (laughed at a few of my jokes which is a rarity). If they were a Durham night out, which would they be? Wiff Waff Monday.
How would you describe them? Cute, funny and chatty. If they were a Durham night out, which would they be? Definitely Jimmy’s. Did you kiss? No.
Did you kiss? No.
If you could change one thing about the experience, what would it be? I feel like I spoke way too much.
If you could change one thing about the experience, what would it be? I wouldn’t have gone for Italian restuarant - she cut up her spaghetti!
Would you introduce them to your friends or family? Yes definitely. I know they’d get on great.
Would you introduce them to your friends or family? Depends if spaghetti was on the menu!
Would you like to see them again? Potentially! We got on really well.
Would you like to see them again? I wouldnt be opposed!
Marks out of 10?
Marks out of 10?
8
Q
7
(Anna Kuptsova)
JOSEPHINE BUTLER
Dear Violet, My sister is doing her master at Cambridge and my younger brother is a fresh at Oxford. Every year in January, my family spends the month making fun of my rejection from Oxford. My parents even printed out and framed their Oxbridge offer emails to hang in my siblings’ rooms. How do I get my family to accept Doxbridge?
Q
VAN MILDERT
Dear Violet, As a lesbian, it’s really difficult to meet people, we only have Osbournes on a Monday. I have no problem getting with people while I’m there but it never turns into a real relationship which is what I want. How do I do that? And preferably with another 2nd year, not any more first years.
A
A
Dearest Oxbridge Reject, I’m really sorry to hear that your family fail to see your potential for greatness at Durham University. January is a very difficult period for all Durham students, almost everyone can relate to the pain of receiving that rejection email and having to pretend it didn’t matter that we committed huge efforts towards the Oxbridge application. Please know that you are valid and will have a very successful career despite the pressures placed on by your family. We all know what you’re going through and are here for you.
Dear hunnie, It’s very upsetting that Durham contains so little in terms of opportunities for LGBTQ+ club nights. If there’s something we should all want to see in 2022, it should be the introduction of more gay nights in Durham. In my opinion, trying to get into a relationship is simply based on a whole lot of luck - as a Mildert student you should know better than anyone that you have to kiss a lot of princesses to find your Fiona. Maybe treat your ‘gets’ to a nice coffee date and discuss your possible commitment for joining the 70% together.
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PalatiPets
Think you have the cutest pet? Email editor@ palatinate.org.uk with three pictures and 100 words explaining why for a chance to be featured in print
Chicken Nugget & Shebee I have many cat babies and they all deserve the world. They deserve an Oscar for being dramatic and a Nobel Prize for being amazing emotional supporters. They have seen me at my worst and therefore get the absolute best. Like the Egyptians I worship them. If they choose me as their Throne, I shall move no more.” Florence
Special mention goes to Millie’s cat Billy. He has not been pictured as penance for being sick on her bed.
He is the best friend/brother/son. [He] is always a good boy apart from when he has too much fun chasing foxes and hurts his knee. He loves the snow and getting muddy in the park.” Honor
Basil
22
Thursday 13th January 2022 | PALATINATE
Sport
DURFC talent features on the big stage
Abi Curran Members of Durham University Rugby Club are following a long line of players who commit to rugby at the highest level during and following their time at the university. Current and recently former players are playing for Gallagher English Premiership clubs and their academies, often balancing such with their degrees. The BUCS Super Rugby League boasts some of the best talent from across the globe who wish to play performance level rugby whilst studying at a top-level university. Durham currently sit top of the table, which speaks volumes about future talent. The club has a proven track record in producing stars of the not only the highest domestic level, but on a national level too. A look to the bench of Bristol Bears during their recent 32-15 win over Sale Sharks demonstrates how future talent is being lined up. 1XI captain, Fred Davies, the BUCS Super Rugby all-time top league try scorer, watched on and saw glimpses of what his own rugby future is going to look like. Of course, history graduate, Fitz
Harding is a regular feature for the Bears. The back rower, who spoke to Palatinate last season, made his Premiership debut in October 2020. Harding seems to have adapted to professional rugby seamlessly, being awarded Pick of the Match in their recent narrow defeat to top of the table Leicester Tigers on Boxing Day. A look to Worcester Warriors also highlights a former Hollow Drift playmaker who has nestled into the Premiership. Justin Clegg made his first team debut for the Warriors during his time at Durham in the Anglo-Welsh Cup. The lock made his way through Worcester’s academy, making his Premiership debut, like Harding, in 2020. Closer to the North East hub of DURFC is Premiership side, Newcastle Falcons. Their first team and senior academy is littered with current and former members of the Palatinates. Just some of the Durham University alumni part of the squad are Sean Robinson, Josh Basham and Ben Stevenson. Robinson scored five tries in his 19 appearances with the Falcons last season and Stevenson has featured throughout, most notably in their
2019-20 unbeaten promotion campaign. Of the current DURFC squad, Mark Dormer and Guy Pepper are two of five Falcons senior academy players to be selected for England’s Under 20s in the upcoming Six Nations Championship. The senior academy players are a fine example of what converting university rugby into professional rugby looks like. Pepper is tipped to be one to watch in the tournament. It’s not just the England Under 20s squad that Durham University has a part to play in. Three students are up for selection in Scotland’s Under 20s Six Nations Championship Squad. Tom Bantalava, Jonty Cope and Jake Spurway will all represent the club. Also at a national level is Jamie Adamson, who has recently been selected for the England Sevens programme for 2022. Speaking to DURFC, Adamson spoke of the flexibility to play international rugby whilst being part of the club, “I’m really grateful to be able to do it alongside Uni and for the club to facilitate that is really helpful. It’s a really exciting
opportunity for me and I can’t wait to get started.” Over time, Durham University students and graduates have gone on to achieve great things in the world of rugby union – a look to the likes of Will Greenwood and Will Carling is a shining example of this. Former players are peppered across the country playing at the highest level; it is a career path
(DURFC)
that is well trodden among Durham University alumni. The performance programme, the University itself and the BUCS Super Rugby League allows for professional development through engaging with higher education. This is proving to be a recipe for producing some of the finest talent in the country, who can then go on to play for Premiership and national sides.
Durham Women FC: Cup thrills and a series of solid 2-0s
George Simms
Durham Women FC: fourth in 2018-19, third in 2019-20, second in 2020-21…? In a league where only one team is promoted each season, it often feels as though nothing short of perfection will see you take the giant leap into the top tier of English women’s football. The last three teams to win the WSL Championship - Manchester United, Aston Villa and Leicester City - lost just three games between them in their promotion seasons. A recent run of three league losses to Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Coventry knocked Durham off the top spot they held until midNovember. The Wildcats have now lost four of their first eleven league games this season, twice as many as in 2020-21. In the context of recent campaigns, this simply isn’t good enough.
(Durham Women FC)
There are arguments that Durham have been more unlucky that actually poor. Durham hit the woodwork twice and had a goal chalked offside in the 1-0 loss against bottom side Coventry and were the better side for much of the 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace. But nearmisses and offside goals do not three points make, and Durham have to become more clinical when they get these gilt-edged chances. And yet, Lee Sanders’ side are a far cry from down-and-out in this season’s promotion battle. Liverpool are top, five points ahead of Durham. The Reds have only lost once and have the best defensive record in the league by some distance (only five goals conceded in ten games). Yet, if Durham could get a win at Prenton Park on 27th March and Liverpool slip up just once elsewhere, then the Wildcats will be right back in it. Durham’s 2020/21 campaign
There are arguments that Durham have been more unlucky than poor
was built on a rock-solid defence. Often lining up with five at the back, as they have this season, 15 goals conceded was the joint-best defensive record in the league. After the 3-1 loss to Sheffield United in the second game of the season, Durham went on a run of five league games without conceding a goal. Defence looked to be their trump card once again, but they’re now four league games without a clean sheet, conceding seven in their last four. The Wildcats also haven’t travelled well this season. With five wins from six at home, Maiden Castle seems to come equipped with a crocodile-infested moat, metrethick walls and fully functioning trebuchet. But two wins from five on the road makes for miserable reading. With visits to leaders Liverpool and third-placed London City to come, that record has to improve to stay in contention. Despite performances on the field perhaps not quite living up to expectations, it is off the pitch where Durham, and the entire WSL Championship, have really excelled. Barclays have announced a sponsorship deal of the WSL to the tune of £30million over the next three years, including the WSL Championship for the first time, in a move thought to be the biggest investment in women’s sport in the country. More locally, Durham recently announced a new partnership with education company Commando Joe’s, as well as the first sponsorship deal for their Regional Talent Club, from Kepier School. Durham also sold out their first game, the incredibly Conti Cup game against Manchester United. They also set a record for home attendance, 1,139, in the loss to Liverpool on Women’s Football
In their current position, there is the question of whether Durham would quite be ready for the WSL
Weekend in November. In their current position, there is the question of whether Durham would quite be ready for the WSL. They would have to go fully professional, to start with. The only team in the top two tiers of women’s football with no association to a men’s team, it remains to be seen whether they would have the financial backing to manage this. The debacle at Coventry United has fired a warning flare for all teams looking to go pro in the women’s game. Set to go to the wall just months after turning professional, players and staff were released from their contracts overnight just days before Christmas. Businessman Lewis Taylor appears to have saved the club, and they’ve got away with just a ten-point penalty. Yet the whole affair will certainly set off alarm bells for clubs thinking about making the big transition. Of course, there are still plenty of obstacles between Durham Women and professionalism, or the WSL. After their first game of 2022 was postponed due to Covid-19 cases in the squad, Durham now host Crystal Palace and Sheffield United in two crucial home games. They lost both reverse fixtures 3-1. Repeats of those results could see the Wildcats slip out of the title race for good.
DWFC Season Awards (so far)
Top Scorer Beth Hepple (Seven goals) Player of the Season Megan Borthwick Young Player of the Season Grace Ayre Goal of the Season Abby Holmes’ first vs Blackburn. (Seriously, look it up) Best Match Durham 2-2 Manchester United Biggest Moment? Beth Hepple’s last-minute freekick against United
23
PALATINATE | Thursday 13th January 2022
Sport
Vicki Sparks: “I would be happy doing this for the next fifty years” Sport speaks to Durham alumna and BBC commentator Vicki Sparks about her time at Durham, what makes a great commentator, and the Qatar World Cup
Abi Curran and George Simms Long before Vicki Sparks became a regular commentator for the BBC, she found herself immersed in one of English football’s most infamous moments. “I must have been eight. I heard a lot of shouting, and it turned out it was half-way through the penalty shootout between England and Germany at Euro 96.” “I’d never experienced any football before. My Dad explained what penalties were, and what football was, in 30 seconds. Then Gareth Southgate missed that penalty. Having watched 30 seconds of football in my life, I was hooked.” Who knows what Vicki Sparks’ career could have looked like if England did not make it to the Euro 96 semi-finals or, on the flip side, if Southgate did convert his careerdefining penalty? Sparks then started going to games with her father. It was watching her local club (a closely guarded secret for most commentators) that she really fell in love with the beautiful game. “It’s the sense that within that 90 minutes, it really matters what happens. The euphoria when your team scores a goal and the despair when your team loses - you know that it doesn’t mean that much, but it feels like it does.” One thing is for certain, Sparks is a storyteller. A Durham alumna, throughout her time as an English undergraduate at Collingwood, Sparks found time to star in plays, be a college sports reporter for
Palatinate and play a big part in Durham’s Christian Union. When we sat down with her at Maiden Castle before Christmas, her love for the University, and the city, was clear. Yet, perhaps most importantly, Durham gave Sparks her first taste of the airwaves.
It was amazing, I loved Durham.
“It was amazing, I loved Durham. Me and three friends did a show called Sport Weekly on Purple Radio. It was a national look at sport from a fan’s perspective, full of very terrible puns. But for me, the best moments were spent with friends, down on the Racecourse after exams in first year, playing some football and enjoying a BBQ.” Whilst at Durham, Sparks had work experience with BBC Surrey and BBC Newcastle. She left Durham just as the BBC was moving its headquarters to Salford, leaving Sparks with a tough career choice. “Because a lot of people didn’t make the move to Salford, London and the South became incredibly competitive. I thought it’d be better to stay up in the North East and pursue the work experience route at BBC Newcastle. My primary
objective was to find a job that would also give me free food, and The Picnic Basket was my favourite sandwich shop in Durham, so I got a job there.” “I gave myself two years to get a paid shift at BBC Newcastle. If I hadn’t done that within the first two years, that didn’t mean I’d have given up on this dream, but it meant that I didn’t just say ‘right this is definitely what I’m going to do’ into my 40s and still not do it.” Of course, Sparks did get her paid shift and the rest, as they say, is history. Now a regular commentator for 5Live and Match of the Day, she has some great advice for those looking to follow her into the industry. “Any work experience you can get is important – it’s an industry that’s about building contacts. The other thing I’d say is create your own experience. There’s so much that you can do to enhance your own skills. Put it out online and even if nobody else watches it, or reads it, you’ve done it. “I used to go to Sunderland Women’s, sit in the stands with a Dictaphone, and do my own commentary. You had to shut out that people were looking at you a bit weirdly, but you got to be at a live game, practise your commentary and listen to it back.” Practise clearly makes perfect for Sparks, who still tries to listen back to every piece of commentary she does today. “It seems like the best approach to analyse your own work and most broadcasters I know are their biggest critics. There are objective things that make a good
Sparks commentating with former Manchester United and Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin (Vicki Sparks)
commentator, and then there are subjective things.” “For radio, it’s so important to know in every 30 seconds ‘are they going to score?’. I always found that I just wanted to know where the ball was listening to radio, so that’s what I really focus on. You’ve got to look at the really basic things - how often do you mention the score, how often do mention the radio station, how good is your geography on the pitch, how well can people picture what you’re saying, how can you add colour into what you’re doing?” Despite spending her life watching football games, often twice when reviewing her own work, it’s clear that Sparks’ love for football shows no sign of waning. We talk at length about England’s men’s and women’s teams hopes at their respective major tournaments in 2022, and she’s surprisingly optimistic for someone who’s first taste of football was that fateful day at old Wembley. Sparks suggests, “Gareth Southgate has created an environment where they can achieve. On the world stage, they’ve got a lot of competition, but they have a potential that might take them all the way. With the women, England have got a great chance. It’s going to be one of the most competitive women’s tournaments in the history of the game.” As so many Durham students do, Sparks has also fallen in love with the North East, a place she still calls home, and its footballing scene. We talk about the rise of women’s football in the region, with Sunderland Ladies and Durham Women in the WSL Championship and Newcastle set for a quick rise up the ranks.
“Look at the number of players in the England team now that have roots in the Sunderland academy — it’s been a training ground for some of the best players that England Women have ever seen. Hopefully the women’s teams are going to be plugging into that massively.” Of course, Qatar 2022 does not
If we seperate human rights from sports, then we are doing both human rights and sport a disservice.
come without its controversies. Amnesty International have raised questions over migrant worker’s rights in the region and Qatar has faced many criticisms over their human rights record. Sparks tells us, “For me, sport is a celebration of all that is good about humanity. It’s one of the reasons why athletics is one of my favourite sports - it’s the elementals. How fast can a human run? How high can they jump? How far can a human throw? There’s something so pure about that.” “If we separate human rights from sports, then I think we are doing both human rights and sport a disservice. As journalists, our job is to ask questions and cover all aspects of an event.” “FIFA and the Qatar 2022 Local Organising committee have been pretty clear about the potential of the tournament to transform worker’s rights within the region. As journalists, we should saying, how much has that happened? We have the ability and the power to ask those questions.” From the terraces with her Dad, to the Picnic Basket in Durham, to commentating at the 2018 World Cup and on Match of the Day, Vicki Sparks’ love of sport has never faded. Whilst telling the stories of football games up and down the country, Sparks’ own narrative becomes all the more charming. “I grew up listening to 5live and watching Match of the Day. It’s easy to get caught up in the rhythm of what I do. Occasionally, I do just stop and think ‘wow I get to talk about football and get paid for it.’ I enjoy every minute of it. Honestly, I would be happy doing this for the next fifty years.” From the ear-to-ear grin across her bespectacled face, you can tell that this is someone who gets to do what she truly loves every day.
24
Sport
Thursday 13th January 2022 | PALATINATE
“Former players are peppered across the country at the highest level” Abi Curran highlights some DURFC players on their way to doing great things
“I would be happy doing this for the next 50 years” Sport talks to Durham alumna and BBC commentator Vicki Sparks
Clubs react to Jan fan ban • No spectators allowed at games at the start of Epiphany term • Palatinate talks to affected clubs ahead of a term of Floodlit and BUCS games
Abi Curran University and college sports clubs have reacted to the news of a spectator ban on matches from the beginning of Epiphany term. The ban is expected to be in place until further notice with the university continuing to look at the measure on an ongoing basis. The rule applies to both indoor and outdoor sports. The announcement from Team Durham was made as an attempt to combat the rapidly increasing number of Covid-19 cases and ensure a “safe return to Durham and to enable you all to continue to take part in sport.” One club which the measures are expected to have a particular impact on is DURFC. In Michaelmas term, the club drew in crowds estimated at over 4,000 for their charity fixture against Exeter University. Speaking to Palatinate about their reaction to the measures, a spokesperson from the club said, “DURFC are absolutely committed to doing all we can to control the spread of the virus and we understand and support such measures being put in place until we can get fans safely watching at Hollow Drift. “We would be extremely disappointed to not have fans at home games at all this term. We hope to work with the university to find a way to allow spectators to attend games.” The Palatinates will continue their BUCS Super Rugby campaign against Leeds Beckett at Hollow Drift on Wednesday 26th January. The new measures will also impact college sport. Exec member, Joe Davis, of Hild Bede Rugby Club spoke of his frustration which will impact the club’s Floodlit Cup campaign: “It’s obviously unfortunate because spectators bring a lot of energy to games. However, I think a lot of people are just grateful that they can play college sport this year.” HBRFC have already had their first-round floodlit fixture against Trevelyan College Rugby Club cancelled twice due to poor weather conditions and an absent referee. Without support from spectators, the stands at Maiden Castle and Hollow Drift will remain empty until the University conducts a review and decides otherwise. The last two years have shown how important fans are to sport at all levels. With Omicron still raging, clubs wait again for rules to restrictions to loosen.
Durham Women score in a 3-1 win against Blackburn, placing the Wildcats second ahead of Saturday’s home clash with in-form Crystal Palace (DWFC)
Football
Johnson and Morley in at Brewery Lane Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley, two coaches best known for their time at Salford City, have taken over National League North side Spennymoor Town. The Moors got their first league win under the duo on Saturday, beating Guiseley 2-1.
Football
Durham City AFC attempt to restructure Olivier Bernard’s dumpster fire of a football club have announced a partnership with global sports management group Zenith Sports and Event Management, attempting to change the tenth-tier club’s dire fortunes.
New Year Honours 2022
North East sporting heroes make Queen’s honours list The Queen’s honours list featured distinguished Durham alumni (p.6) but also numerous sporting stars with links to the North East: Ben Stokes The Hero of Headlingley, who plays county cricket for Durham received an OBE for services to cricket. Emma Rosewarne The Durhamborn former Head of Welfare for Rugby League cares received an MBE for services to rugby league. Gary Bennett The former Sunderland footballer recieved an MBE for his work with Show Racism the Red Card. Anya Francis A volunteer at Hetton Amateur Swimming Club received an MBE to services to young people through swimming.
Polo
First-year represents Pakistan at Dubai Polo tournament
Local games to watch With no fans allowed at University events for the near future, we’ve selected five local fixtures to keep you entertained in the upcoming weeks.
Durham’s biggest export proved itself as St John’s first-year Hamza Ali represented his native Pakistan in Dubai Polo Club’s Russian International Polo Day 2022 last week. His side narrowly lost a hotlycontested tournament including India and the UAE.
Newcastle United vs Watford Saturday 15th January, St James’ Park
Darts
Spennymoor Town vs Boston United Saturday 22nd January, Brewery Lane,
Callan Rydz out in quarter-final thriller Newcastle-born darts player Callan Rydz made it to the quarterfinals of the 2022 PDC World Darts Championshp at just 23 years old, losing to eventual winner Peter Wright, who also won in 2020.
Durham Women FC vs Crystal Palace Sunday 16th January, Maiden Castle
Durham Women FC vs Sheffield United Sunday 23rd January, Maiden Castle Newcastle Falcons vs Gloucester Saturday 29th January, Kingston Park Stadium