Issue 2 - Trinity Term 2015 by The Oxford Student

THE

OXFORDSTUDENT One step ahead since 1991

Volume 73 Issue 2

Meeting your election candidates: Oxford West

Thursday 30th April 1st Week

oxfordstudent.com

Meeting your election candidates: Oxford East

» Election Pullout

Interview with junior champion Dina Asher-Smith » Page 23

Sub fusc here to stay, suggests student poll • Almost 70% want to keep sub fusc clothing LAURA WHETHERLY DEPUTY EDITOR

Subfusc referendum:

Students to vote on whether or not to keep this Oxford tradition. See page 6. skittledog

Almost 70 percent of Oxford students plan to vote in favour of keeping sub fusc compulsory, a poll conducted by The Oxford Student suggests. The results, extrapolated from 578 responses to a survey into students’ voting habits, show significant support for the traditional academic uniform, with just 22 percent saying they will vote to make sub fusc non-compulsory. A referendum on whether to keep sub fusc compulsory was proposed by James Blythe, OUSU’s Vice President for Access and Academic Affairs, at the end of last term., and later confirmed by OUSU Council. The vote will be held on Wednesday to Friday of 4th Week. Results of the poll have also revealed that women and men are almost exactly equally as likely to vote in favour

of the motion, while around 10 percent of students overall do not plan to vote in the referendum. Parallel campaigns ‘Subfusc OFF’ and ‘Save Subfusc’ have been running on social media since the referendum’s announcement. ‘Subfusc OFF’ currently has 287 Facebook likes, whereas ‘Save Subfusc’ has 2,444. Founder of the ‘Save Subfusc’ campaign, first year Univ student Harrison Edmonds, said: “This poll shows that many students value the benefits that wearing sub fusc can have on exams, whether it be improving concentration by helping students focus and get in the right mindset, or the boost in selfesteem that can come from everyone wearing the same clothing or even the confidence that can come from feeling part of a centuries old tradition. I hope that the referendum result will reflect this widespread support for keeping

Continued on page 6 »

Wadham students object to “nationalist” and “offensive” Union Jack

• College flew Union Flag from its main flagpole to commemorate the Queen’s birthday, provoking student anger

LUKE MINTZ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Several students at Wadham College have expressed concern over the College’s decision to fly the Union Jack last week. The College flew the flag from its main flagpole on April 21st of this year to commemorate the Queen’s birthday, and also on November 11th to mark Armistice Day. The flag has provoked anger from some students, who have criticised the decision as a “nationalist” statement, “offensive” to the victims of British Imperialism. History fresher Peter Morgan brought a protest motion to Sunday evening’s Student Union meeting, in which he urged students to fly the Soviet Flag to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender to the Soviet armies. The motion was, according to Mor-

gan, an attempt to “draw attention to the current national flag-waving policy at Wadham”. The SU is likely to consider a motion condemning the flag-flying at its next meeting. Morgan told The Oxford Student: “I have no objection to flying the British flag as an act of commemoration in itself. I have relatives who died at the Somme. My objection is to the inconsistent application of the moral reasoning drawn along national lines.” He went onto to claim that his Soviet Flag motion was designed to address the “moral hypocrisy” of the College’s “nationalist” flag waving, and “provoke explicit support for its abolition”. Morgan also noted the “manifold moral outrages committed under the Union Flag”, such as the Peterloo Massacre and

the “systematic neglect” of famine-victims in Ireland, and he expressed doubt as to whether they “can be divorced from the banner on these moments of remembrance”.

“ these students are so absurdly

cut-off from the real world it’s almost funny

”

Other Wadham students expressed similar anger. Second-year student Ailbhe

Rea said the flag has become “associated with a particularly nasty strain of English nationalism”, and expressed discomfort with the flag “being flown over Wadham as a symbol of our community’s values”. English student Niamh McIntyre tweeted: “Can’t [believe] Wadham is flying Union Jack for Queen’s bday, so embarrassing.” Several colleges recently flew the St George’s flag to celebrate St George’s Day. Some students at the Wadham SU meeting criticised the manner in which Morgan’s protest had been made, with one drawing attention to the “mass sexual violence” of the Nazi-Soviet war, described as the “greatest mass rape in history”. Not all students criticised the Union Jack. One second-year undergraduate,

not at Wadham, described the anger as “ridiculous” and “hilariously Wadham”. “Apparently flying the flag of our country is racist now,” they commented, “these students are so absurdly cut-off from the real world it’s almost funny”. Another student, who wished not to be named, noted the “undeniable class dimension” of the outrage: “Let’s face it, Wadham’s overwhelmingly middle-class student population can’t understand why their (working class) porters have such a silly attachment to a piece of cloth. The snobbery inherent in this classic student ‘outrage’ is clear to see. This is Emily Thornberry laughing at white-van-man all over again. Some people are patriotic, they need to get over that.” Wadham College was not available for comment.

2 Editorial

30th April 2015

THE OXFORDSTUDENT

Editorial Editors: Nasim Asl & Luke Mintz

One step ahead since 1991

This week in Oxford.

Student comment of the week David Barker “I am tempted to change my relationship status to ‘in a relationship’ with this shit newspaper”

Tutor comment of the week

‘No you cannot have May Day off, young man’ Said to a disgruntled history student

Alumnus of the week Tim Harford Radio 4 Presenter

This week’s issue is a special one. We bring you a record high 48 pages of content to get you through the long week ahead - it’s set to be a busy one, as May Day arrives, work builds up, and exams begin in force across the university. With all this in mind, it can be easy to forget to look after yourself, but it’s very important that we all take time to relax, and remember to eat and sleep well, despite the pressures of the Bubble. Make sure you’re aware of the support systems available to you in your college and across the university. We hope you’re turning out to vote in a week’s time. If you read nothing else this week, check out our General Election pullout. We’ve spoken to as many candidates in Oxford East and Oxford West and Abingdon as we could muster, so it’s worth having a look at what they have to say. We were somewhat confined by print constraints, and as a result, have had to really cut down on what were originally much longer interviews. The full versions of these will be going online however, so head to the web if there’s a particular candidate that you want to read more on.

@KT_Hopkins

“This house believes that one would rather be witty than pretty”

Jean Pierre:

As always, the back sections of the paper deserve a look in. Comment and Features are as strong as ever, with Comment especially taking its readers on a whirlwind tour of fashion, languages and libraries. Features, meanwhile, focuses on the provisions for mental health available at Oxford (page 19), before letting you break the Oxford Bubble with their strong travel pieces. One of the most interesting discussions of the issue comes from our sports editors, who debate the field of mixed gender sports teams (page 22). We have a beautiful cover for OXII, demonstrating the amazing talent that exists outside the degree for a lot of our peers. Stage is also evident of that this week, focusing entirely on student drama this term. The wealth of shows on offer is extraordinary, so make sure you catch as many as you can! Music remains as thoughtfully critical as ever, with a heavy focus on albums this week - check out page 5 of OXII for their suggested listening this weekend. Fashion, too, is worth a look - their political focus is perfectly topical. We would also like to make a clarification. In last week’s issue, we reported that the President of OUCA was banned from Cuntry Living for sharing sensitive posts. It was in fact the President-elect who was banned, and we apologise for any confusion this may have caused.

STAGE

MEET CUT THE MUSTARD p.14

FASHION

SAVAGE BEAUTY AT THE V&A p.11

SCREEN

MARY HADDON DIRECTING THE UNDIRECTABLE p.6

‘Leave me alone’, ‘Bobbie W-S’, St Benet’s and lately the Union:

To be honest it’s getting bloody ridiculous now. I was in OxStuff twice last week, and I’m in again Letters today. That fucking BNOC baby was ridiculous: it didn’t even look like me, and as if I would ever to the Editors. breed with Joe Miles. We get the picture, I screwed up something that I’ve spent my entire time at Oxford working towards- can’t you just leave me in peace to rub my wounds with port, look

editor@ oxfordstudent.com

1/10 5/1 50/1

Editors Deputy Editors

News website, speaking on behalf of Generation 2015. Whether it was the blood-red of your top matching your fiery rhetoric on social justice or your passionate espousal of devolution to the North East, I was struck down with amorous intentions. Let me be the Tyneside to your Gateshead and I’ll drive through more than a dispersal of legislative power... xoxoxoxox

Nasim Asl & Luke Mintz David Barker, Kate Bickerton, Laura Hartley, Hugh McHale-Maughan, Srishti Nirula and Laura Whetherly News Editors Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe, Jennier Lee and Cason Reilly Comment Editors Polly Mason & Kathryn Welsh Music Editors Naomi Southwell & Jacob Wiseman Screen Editors Thomas Bannatyne & Megan Erwin Fashion Editors Elizabeth Evans & Charlotte Lanning Arts & Lit Editors Marcus Li & William Shaw Stage Editors William Aslet & Lucy Oliver Features Editors Ariane Laurent-Smith & Elle Tait Sports Editors Alice Richardson & Ben Sanders

STAFF

odds-ford bets.

Nigel Kennedy to headline Wadstock with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

And the rest

Send in your letters of wistfully at old photos of myself in white tie and try to salvage my degree? unwavering support to ‘Generation 2015’, Anonymous, second year, St Hugh’s College: our esteemed editors at: This is for the fairer half of the editorial team: I remember when I first saw you on the BBC

“Ironically, of course, being shamefully provocative counts as neither of those things”

Protest at Katie Hopkins coming to speak at the Union Annie Teriba and Roberto Weeden-Sanz joining forces to run on a ‘super-hack’ slate for OUSU

OUSU’s possible opposition to Oxford Council’s newly introduced homelessness policies (page 5). However you feel about the Council’s way of handling this issue, we are glad that students at our University are continuing to show their passion for affecting change and their energetic concern for others. Within our ‘Oxford bubble’ of formals, champagne, and tutorials, it can be easy to forget that we live in a city with one of the highest levels of homelessness in the country, and we are proud of our fellow students for managing to expand their minds beyond the narrow focus of essay deadlines and club nights.

Our main news story this week revolves around the upcoming student referendum on sub fusc. This vote is likely to engage considerable interest from the student body - indeed, turnout is expected to be

Monsieur Jean-Pierre, Translator

far higher than the last round of OUSU elections. This is not surprising, given that this referendum could have a real impact on students at a generally stressful time - exams. Our poll of nearly 600 students found large support for keeping sub fusc compulsory, with nearly 70% planning to vote down the motion. You can read more about our vote breakdown on page 7. This story is intended to shed light on an event of considerable student interest, and is not intended to imply that the result is determined before the campaign has begun. We would of course still urge every student to vote. In other news, you can read about

News

OXII

Brasenose PPE 1991-1994

Bigger is better

Deputy News Editors Deputy Comment Editors Deputy Music Editor Deputy Screen Editor Deputy Arts & Lit Editors Deputy Stage Editor Deputy Features Editors Deputy Sports Editor Photographers

Scott Harker, Louis Mercier, and Latifah Sat Carolina Bax, Daniel Coleman and Elizabeth Webb Sean McIntyre Hector Manly Daniel Haynes, Sam Sykes and Georgia Watson Philippa Stacey Lynton Lees, Kate Plummer and Jamie Russell Taylor Yu Saskia Mondon-Ballantyne and Bethan Jones

Illustrator Chief Sub-Editor Sub-Editors

Associate Editors

Laura Mackenzie Sam Harman Jennifer Allan, Olivia Brown, Veronica Corsi, Henrietta Mosforth, James Sewry, Elizabeth La Trobe and Siddarth Venkataramakrishnan Alys Key, Sachin Croker and Jess Sinyor

Editors can be contacted at editor@oxfordstudent.com and Section Editors can be contacted through this address. We follow the code of practices and conduct outlined by the Press Complaints Commission. Address complaints to The Editors, 2 Worcester Street, Oxford, OX1 2BX, email: oxstucomplaints@ousu.org.

2 Editorial

30th April 2015

THE OXFORDSTUDENT

Editorial Editors: Nasim Asl & Luke Mintz

One step ahead since 1991

This week in Oxford.

Student comment of the week David Barker “I am tempted to change my relationship status to ‘in a relationship’ with this shit newspaper”

Tutor comment of the week

‘No you cannot have May Day off, young man’ Said to a disgruntled history student

Alumnus of the week Tim Harford Radio 4 Presenter

@KT_Hopkins

“This house believes that one would rather be witty than pretty”

Jean Pierre:

STAGE

MEET CUT THE MUSTARD p.14

FASHION

SAVAGE BEAUTY AT THE V&A p.11

SCREEN

MARY HADDON DIRECTING THE UNDIRECTABLE p.6

‘Leave me alone’, ‘Bobbie W-S’, St Benet’s and lately the Union:

editor@ oxfordstudent.com

1/10 5/1 50/1

Editors Deputy Editors

STAFF

odds-ford bets.

Nigel Kennedy to headline Wadstock with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

And the rest

“Ironically, of course, being shamefully provocative counts as neither of those things”

Protest at Katie Hopkins coming to speak at the Union Annie Teriba and Roberto Weeden-Sanz joining forces to run on a ‘super-hack’ slate for OUSU

Monsieur Jean-Pierre, Translator

News

OXII

Brasenose PPE 1991-1994

Bigger is better

Deputy News Editors Deputy Comment Editors Deputy Music Editor Deputy Screen Editor Deputy Arts & Lit Editors Deputy Stage Editor Deputy Features Editors Deputy Sports Editor Photographers

Illustrator Chief Sub-Editor Sub-Editors

Associate Editors

Laura Mackenzie Sam Harman Jennifer Allan, Olivia Brown, Veronica Corsi, Henrietta Mosforth, James Sewry, Elizabeth La Trobe and Siddarth Venkataramakrishnan Alys Key, Sachin Croker and Jess Sinyor

30th April 2015

News 3

Not so social-ist? Labour Party-poopers shun vote night invite • Oxford Liberal Democrats and Conservative Association to celebrate election night together CASON REILY NEWS EDITOR

Senior members of Oxford University’s Labour Club have declined an invitation to attend an election night party from other student political societies. The event (scheduled to be held from 10pm - 8am in Christ Church JCR), has been organised by debating society The Oxford Forum, as well as the Oxford University Conservative Association and Oxford University Liberal Democrats. Though the event will be at the epicentre of much of Oxford’s political community on election night, few representatives from the Labour Club are expected to attend following a planned day of campaigning in Oxford and Reading. OULC’s co-chair, Madalena Leao, told The Oxford Student: “We will probably observe the election in small groups in a variety of locations, or catch up on some much needed sleep.” Forum Secretary Ayako Fujihara, who originally invited OULC to the event, confirmed that “no societies have been deliberately excluded”, and that “the event is open and free to all university students… we were informed that the OULC would be spending the night in Reading after a day of campaigning. “The purpose of co-hosting was to promote this event to all politically active students who would wish to stay up overnight for the results.” The PPE Society and the Oxford Hayek Society- who are dedicated

to the promotion of free market solutions- are also helping to organise the event. OULC has been accused in the past of failing to engage with the social side of university politics, with Labour students turning down repeated invitations to crew dates with Oxford’s Tories and Lib Dems. One senior OUCA member told The Oxford Student: “They’ve once said that the only ‘social’ they do is ‘socialism’. That’s quite telling I think.” A member of OULD said that this seemed to be a result of OUCA’s participation in the events, although it is unclear whether OULC’s decision on the Forum event was influenced by OUCA co-hosting. The Liberal Democrats member continued: “OULC avoid anything with OUCA at all costs… also anything that involves fun. “It’s a pity OULC have repeatedly declined to take part in cross-party socials which can be a great way to informally engage with people you disagree with. OULD is happy to attend events with other parties… members of many parties and none attend our weekly debates.” Henry Zeffman, a Brasenose PPE finalist and former co-chair of the University’s Labour Club, countered: “Had all 3 parties been there, the coalition parties might have come dangerously close to sharing their cake with the many, not the few. Since they clearly favour the latter, OULC’s decision makes sense.” Many students are expected to stay up all night to watch the results.

PHOTO/Flickr user skittledog Clockwise from top: OUCA at Dowing Street, Loughlan O’Doherty, OULC Chair, and the Oxford Liberal Democrats with Nick Clegg

Formal fury as New College sweep in with punitive gown fines • Largest undergraduate College orders students to stick to formal dinner dress code or face pecuniary consequences JASMINE CAMERON-CHILESHE NEWS EDITOR

Outrage has broken out at New College over the introduction of coercive measures to enforce the wearing of formal attire. At the end of 0th Week, the College announced to students that all diners at formal dinner must wear formal gowns and that failure to comply would result in a fine. Within New College, formals take place on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 7:15pm, with a Guest Night every other week. The dinner includes a waiter service and a three course meal. Whilst formal dinners are in keeping with Oxford tradition, the recent findings are significant, in that it is unusual for a college to explicitly impose strict punishments in relation to formal dress and to state that even guests must obtain a gown for the occasion. An unnamed New College student argued against the decision stating: “It’s just another instance of an unnecessary formality, perpetuating aspects of the university which the public associate with snobbery and elitism. I think stories such as this only exacerbate the divide between Oxford and the outside world.” However, another student argued

in favour of the gowns, stating: “The gowns are all part of the general atmosphere during formal dinners. It’s genuinely nice to dress up and enjoy a lovely meal with friends.” Academic gowns have been worn within Oxford since the 12th Century and were initially designed for practicality, as with no formal lecture halls and faculty buildings, teaching took place in draughty churches. However, in recent years the gowns have served a symbolic purpose, designed to maintain formality in meals and exams. Indeed, the necessity of the attire itself has been brought into question in recent debates regarding the abolition of sub fusc. The actions of New College reflect the increasingly disparate policies between colleges relating to Oxford traditions. Other colleges have discarded such traditions completely, such as Wadham College, where formals are not held. However, other colleges such as St Catherine’s only hold formals on special occasions. New College’s stance has highlighted the University-wide difficulty of improving public perception and encouraging a socially diverse mix of students, whilst simultaneously maintaining the archaic traditions that have shaped the University culture.

Jim Linwood

30th April 2015

4 News

Somerville student outrage at removal of sports team photos OxStu News Team Somerville students have written a letter of protest to their College Dean following the removal of sports teams photographs from the College bar. The move was taken by the Decanal Team on Friday 13th March, and to date no official announcement has been made to why. Students have reported that enquiries to the deans were simply met with the response that “it needed to come down”. One disgruntled Somerville footballer said: “This is another example of our left leaning college exacting too much power over the JCR body. It is astonishing that something so innocuous yet important to the Somerville student community can garner such an unjustified response. I am truly

heartbroken. Disgrace”. In a letter to be sent to the Dean, students outlined their reasons for opposition to the act, stating that “The JCR spent £67 having photos printed and framed… College explicitly agreed to have the photos on the wall of The Terrace when Andrew Parker met with the Sports Officer”. They continued by stating that: “As this was a Decanal decision it is reasonable to suggest that it was made either to prevent indiscipline, or as a punishment for indiscipline. We utterly reject the suggestion that five still photographs of JCR members could in anyway lead to a breaking of College rules. We also suggest that to remove the photos as punishment would be cruel and

unusual given it penalises the JCR as a whole. It would also be unjust given no one was informed that the photos were to be taken down”. However, not all Somerville students have challenged the move. A Somerville History student commented: “Personally, I don’t see what the fuss is about. I didn’t even notice that the photos were gone until a few days after the apparent disappearance. The photos were in a pretty awkward place anyway and they were quite small. We already know who’s in which team so i’m not overly sure as to why we needed them in the first place. I don’t know that many people who actually care that they aren’t there anymore, I think there are bigger issues that we should be working on as JCR”.

psychodelicacy

NUS delegates urged to support campaign for full-time Trans officer LAURA WHETHERLY DEPUTY EDITOR

@OUSUWomen'sCampaign

OUSU Council will debate this week over whether to bind NUS delegates to “vote in favour of a full time trans officer” for the NUS. The proposal, put forward by Wadham student and LGTBQ Society Trans Rep Rowan Davis, also states that “The actions of many cis delegates around [the motion], blocking trans people from having a voice, should be condemned” and that “It is up to trans students to decide what our liberation looks like not majority cis”. Seconder to the motion Henry Holmes (also from Wadham) said: "Motion 705 was overwhelmingly supported by trans people. Its falling at the NUS conference was the result of the terms of our liberation being

dictated by cisgender people who seem to only pay lip service to our struggles when it benefits their own ends. The debate was a shambles; it was argued that this was a decision that should be left up to the LGBT conference when the LGBT conference had argued the equivalent motion down by saying such a decision should be left to the main conference. Arguments about the apparently unfeasible cost don’t hold up when the NUS is spending tens of thousands of pounds on Labour propaganda in the form of anti-Lib Dem billboards and the CEO is paid £100,000 a year (when this was pointed out in the debate there were threats of an early shutdown of the entire conference). For the past two years there’s been almost unanimous support for this motion in the NUS Trans conference and the Trans caucuses of the

Women’s and LGBT conferences. In addition to this, in a straw poll of trans students at Oxford, every single student asked was in favour of the motion. This information was all supplied to our NUS delegates along with the numerous arguments in favour, but still not all delegates voted in favour of the motion. Our delegates, and in particular Annie and Louis, did excellent work at the conference to promote Motion 705, but our motion secures the delegates in future to actually vote in line with the people they are meant to represent." A motion to appoint a full time Trans Officer for the NUS was unsuccessful at this year’s NUS conference, held 21st - 23rd April in Liverpool. Although support for the motion gained a majority, it failed to gain the necessary 2/3rds of votes it would have needed to be passed.

Get involved with student social action www.oxfordhub.org

30th April 2015

News 5

OUSU considers challenging City Council

• On Your Doorstep campaign proposes that OUSU sign an open letter against new Council laws

LAURA WHETHERLY DEPUTY EDITOR

Homelessness campaign group On Your Doorstep have proposed that OUSU challenge the Oxford City Council over plans to ban rough sleeping in the city centre. Under new laws, the City Council have proposed a Public Spaces Protection Order be introduced in the city of Oxford, banning actions including rough sleeping and pigeon feeding. On Your Doorstep, the OUSU homelessness campaign, have been running a petition against these plans since March,which currently has over 70,000 signatures. The proposition to OUSU Council was made by students Emily Silcock and Freya Turner, and advocates mandating “the OUSU Executive to sign an open letter...expressing our concerns over the proposals” which will be presented to the City Council’s Scrutiny Committee on 5th May. Silcock, who previously chaired On Your Doorstep, said: “We believe that the proposed PSPO is an unacceptable cover-up of the huge housing and homelessness crisis

that Oxford faces.We are therefore calling on Oxford City Council to remove rough sleeping from the list of behaviours which they seek to ban.” The proposition to OUSU Council further states: “That treating rough sleepers as a problem, threat or inconvenience to tourists and residents in the city, rather than as individual human beings with rights, is unacceptable.” In a statement made on 9th April, Oxford City Council defended their position, claiming that they have “an excellent track record of supporting homeless people and helping them find a bed or a home” as well as noting that “the proposed City centre PSPO is aimed at tackling persistent types of anti-social behaviour which can spoil the experience of using the city centre for residents, businesses and visitors” and drawing attention to the Council’s work with “a multi-agency team and St Mungo’s.” However, not all have been convinced by the Council’s assurances. Silcock continued by stating that it would be, “highly likely that imposing a fine of £100 on rough sleepers

will make their situation worse rather than better. Criminalising rough sleeping will only increase

“ It risks treating rough sleep-

ers as an inconvenience

”

(already high) levels of stigma surrounding Oxford’s homeless population. It risks treating rough sleepers as a problem to be dealt with, as an inconvenience, as a threat, rather than as individual human beings. Furthermore, having a criminal record would further hinder a rough sleeper from finding paths out of homelessness, as it will hinder them from obtaining a job, opening a bank account, etc.” Despite the evidence of opposition

to this motion, the City Council have also stated that: “The consultation process has been widely supported and before any decision is taken, the Council will be looking closely at what residents, businesses and visitors have said... “We remain comitted to helping the homeless get off the streets.” Oxford City Council ran a public consultation on the PSPO’s major issues over the period of the Easter vacation. If the original propsals are carried through, then the area affected will encompass almost all of the city of Oxford, stretching from Christ Church Meadows to beyond Uni Parks in the far end of the city. This area will also include almost every Oxford college and PPH. During the initial proposal stages of Oxford City Council’s PSPO, the presence of On Your Doorstep’s petition attracted attention from the BBC, The Big Issue and local newspapers including The Oxford Times. The decision concerning OYD’s proposal will be taken at the OUSU Council Meeting on Wednesday. evening.

Oxford City Council’s proposed new city centre restrictions Rough sleeping Under the proposed changes, “persistant rough sleepers” are to be subject to a £100 fine Persistant begging Individuals who are accused of persistant begging on the streets will also be treated more harshly if the PSPOs come into action Pigeon feeding Pigeon feeding has been accused of encouraging pests in the city centre Public drinking Much to the horror of some Finalists, drinking in the streets after exams may banned. It is not clear when the PSPO will come into action - but beware, it may be before the end of exams “Non-compliant” busking Buskers in Oxford’s city council will be subject to more stringent controls, and those who fail to comply will be breaking the order of the PSPO

On Your Doorstep Campaign

Steven Lilley

News in brief: this week’s short but sweet stories Laptop stolen from Brasenose library Brasenose students have been urged to be extra vigiliant following the theft of a laptop from the college’s library. In an email to students, College Librarian Liz Kay noted that the theft took place on Wednesday lunchtime, and reminded students to take care and lock their doors. Porters have studied CCTV to try and identify the culprit, and the police have also been contacted.

STI testing at St Johnnies

Magdalen deer escape from park

OUSU’s STI testing event in partnership with Sexual Health Oxfordshire was held at St John’s college on Tuesday. Along with free testing for HIV and Chlamydia, students were able to access free condoms and lube. There was also food provided and some students were given free underwear. The students who put themselves forward for Chlamydia testing are expected to receive the results by text in the next few days.

Several deer reportedly escaped from their enclosure at Magdalen College Deer Park on 24th April. Alongside pictures and posts on student media, one eye witness described how “The deer was trying to enter the fence and, when failing to do so, it later crossed the road. I was really surprised!”. Magdalen Deer Park – also known as The Grove – occupies the northwest of the college grounds, and is a popular destination for students and tourists.

NUS partnership with CAGE criticised The NUS have come under fire for announcing that they will be working in partnership with Islamic civil rights group CAGE as part of their opposition to the government’s PREVENT strategy with regards to terrorism. CAGE has been particularly criticized for its links with Mohammed Emwazi and has also been accused of “fascism”. None of Oxford’s NUS delegates were available for comment.

Oxford Dignity Drive launched A new Oxford campaign has been launched to raise awareness of issues surrounding menstruation. As well as requesting funds from JCRs, representitives will be running Dignity Drive teas and holding fund-raising and awareness events. Most of the funds raising during the programme will go towards providing sanitary products for local homeless shelters, including Oxford Asylum Welcome, Oxford Homeless Pathways and Oxfordshire Women’s Aid Refuge.

6 News

30th April 2015

Defeat highly likely in optional sub fusc referendum • Students expected to follow 2006 referendum patterns, in which 81% favoured compulsory subfusc

»Continued from front page sub fusc compulsory for exams." However, not all students have echoed Edmond’s views. One member of the Sub Fusc Off group told The OxStu: “It’s very important to me that I be as comfortable as possible during the eight three-hour sessions that determine my degree. I don’t much care what people hundreds of years ago wore, or what the people around me are wearing. “All that’s important is my own state of mind and the paper in front of me, and the University shouldn’t have the right to make me less comfortable than I’d like to be.” According to a statement made by James Blythe on the OUSU website, the referendum was called following the presentation of a paper on behalf of a group of students to the Exams Panel of Education Committee, asking the discontination of compulsory sub fusc. In an earlier statement to The Oxford Student, Blythe stated: “I myself can see both positives and negatives of sub fusc and don’t intend to lead either campaign. I hope many people will come forward to articulate the passionate views on both sides of this debate that I have heard from students. I have certainly not proposed this referendum because I want to abolish it, but just so that OUSU can represent accurately the student view.” In the full referendum, students will

be able to choose whether they would prefer to have compulsory full subfusc, gowns over casual clothes, smart clothes, or casual dress as examination wear. While the student poll indicates a strong sway in favour of compulsory sub fusc, the figure of 70% support remains lower than at the last referendum in 2006, when 81% of students voted to retain full sub fusc during exams. Oxford is one of few universities globally to make students wear formal academic dress for exams, with sub fusc in Cambridge optional for students. The sub-fusc referendum will be held on Wednesday to Friday of 4th week.

Student voting Against compulsory sub-fusc: 22%

Not voting: 9%

Liberal Democrats 44% in favour of compulsory, 43% against compulsory

Conservatives 97% of conservative supporters have expressed their intention to vote in the referendum

LAURA WHETHERLY DEPUTY EDITOR

Breakdown of sub fusc poll by party preference:

UKIP 89 % in support of compulsory

Full analysis of sub-fusc election poll results

In favour of compulsory sub-fusc: 69%

Graph by Laura Whetherly

The Oxford Student's poll shows a clear trend towards support for compulsory sub fusc, with women and men equally likely to vote in support of maintaining the tradition of wearing gowns and caps to exams. With just over 20 per cent planning to vote to make sub fusc optional, it seems unlikely at this stage that the referendum will result in any major changes for students. Students’ political views also showed correlation with their views on sub fusc, with parties on the right of the political spectrum more likely to voice support for traditional dress and less likely to refrain from voting. Those students still considering which party to vote for in the General Election proved to be more decisive in their views on academic dress, with a higher percentage planning to vote on the matter than Labour or Green students. Undecided students also echoed almost exactly the view of students as a whole. Left-leaning Green students were also the most divided, with compulsory sub fusc just one percentage point above the proposal that it be optional – by far the group most likely to support optional sub fusc. On the other hand, right wing parties voted firmly in favour of academic dress, with the Con-

Plans in place for £11m addition to Science Park

• Plans follow £67m goverment pledge to develop four science hubs in Oxford BENJAMIN HUSTON NEWS WRITER

Oxford University are preparing to apply for planning permission for a £11.29m Innovation Accelerator located at the Begbroke Science Park. If successful, these developments will involve the extension of the existing building and increasing the floor area by 2,266 square metres across

Artists impression

two floors. Public consultation sessions were held on the 24th and 25th April as part of an exhibition outlining the details. In addition, the University is asking for further feedback on the proposals before the 11th May, when the accumulated responses are to be reviewed before a planning application in June. If successful, construction is hoped to begin in September of

this year and completed in the summer of 2016. The plans follow from the granting of a City Deal to Oxfordshire by the government in January 2014, an initiative where a total of £67m was pledged to develop four science hubs in Oxford. The Innovation Accelerator will receive £4.19m from the government and £7m from the University

of Oxford. Professor Ian Walmsley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Oxford, explained the purpose of the new project, saying: “The Begbroke Accelerator is intended to provide space for new companies that are utilising University research to deliver new technology. The co-location of research and early-stage engagement with industry helps to maximise the impact of our research. It also helps the region, since the ideas generated by our academics, research staff and students are essential for innovation, which drives the knowledge-led economic strategy for Oxford and Oxfordshire.” He also explained that there would be significant benefits for the University itself: “A region that has a vibrant economy with opportunities for creative and energetic individuals is important for the University in delivering its world-leading research and educational mission.” As well as laboratory and office space, the design for the new wing includes a new main entrance, additional showers and provisions for cyclists. Begbroke Science Park, bought by the University in 1988, currently aims to bring together academic research with commercial scientific projects through expert training and encouraging collaboration. It also organises outreach programs and events for schools. Its facilities include 150 square metres of cleanroom space and high-performance computers.

servatives second only to UKIP in their expression of maintaining tradition. Surprising? Perhaps not. But it seems that the support for tradition remains strong in Oxford three weeks before voting opens, and the survival of sub fusc looks to be the most likely outcome in 4th week. Even so, supporters of traditional dress shouldn't count this as a total sucess just yet. When compared to the results of 2006, Oxford students seem to be moving slowly away from the traditional gown and mortar board, with our polls indicating a 10 point drop in favour. The OxStu's poll attracted in excess of 500 responses, but that leaves over 11,000 undergraduate votes accounted for. The similarity in voting pattern between men and women indicates that our selection does echo wider trends, but that still leaves a lot to play for on the part of the anti sub-fusc rally. The sight of students heading down to Exam Schools in Trinity Term dressed in gowns seems to be one which will remain as part of Oxford life. But with growing support for making sub-fusc optional, particularly on the student political left, it may be the case that at some point - maybe not this referendum, but perhaps a later one - this image will be consigned to history.

Web outage across Oxford Students across Oxford were left without internet on Monday evening, following a power failure in central Oxford. The Indian Institute Router, which serves many central colleges, was down from around 6pm, until the early hours of Tuesday morning, leaving many colleges with faulty Eduroam Wi-Fi. Numerous students took to social media to voice their frustration, with the outage described as "so annoying" and "very frustrating". One student nearly missed an online job interview due to the failure, and had to rush to her boyfriend's college to regain internet connectivity. Several other students were left unable to work, and unable to send essays to tutors. One History student said: "It was very frustrating - I'd left that night to do most of my reading, which was online - and I unfortunately wasn't able to do anything due to the internet failure. I had to send an apology to my tutor and he wasn't very impressed." Not all students were so disappointed, however, with one English student describing the web outrage as a "great excuse to avoid working". "With my academic work off the cards for that evening," he continued, "I felt I was free to enjoy the simplicities of life. I started to reappreciate the colour of the sky, the songs of the birds, the laughter of children. It was really quite glorious. Then the internet came back on and I was forced to return to my horrendous slavery to the capitalist system. It was a nice evening though."

30thApril 2015

News 7

University wins prestigious Queen’s Award • Queen’s Award for Enterprise is the UK’s highest accolade for business success • Award won for its performance in international trade and developing new products and services

LOUIS MERCIER DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR

Isis Enterprise, a subsidiary to the University of Oxford’s technology commercialisation company Isis Innovation, has won a Queens Award for Enterprise - the UK’s highest accolade for business success. The award, bestowed last Tuesday by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, was one of seven given to Oxfordshire-based firms, out of a total twenty given to firms in the South-East of England. Isis Enterprise, established in 2004, won the award for its performance in international trade; working with university researchers, corporates, investors and foreign governments to provide training, and to accelerate the development of technologies into new products and services. It provides consultancy in more than 50 countries worldwide, and is worth an estimated £2.8 million. The news comes seven months after parent company Isis Innovation won “Technology Transfer Unit of the Year” at the Global University Venturing 2014 Summit. On the back of what Global University Venturing editor Gregg Bayes-Brown called “a

stellar year” for Isis Innovation, the company has seen its consultancy arm make serious progress in international markets, with 88 percent of revenue coming from overseas. Isis Innovation managing director Tom Hockaday said: “We are extremely proud that the worldwide impact of our expertise and consulting efforts has been recognised by this Queens Award. We have seen a real need for programmes which assist high growth countries and institutions with quality research to find the best path to market.” “For example, at the University of Malta we developed an entrepreneurship Master’s course for founders of technology ventures. It has led to the creation of new businesses and the course is now being taught by local staff. In Malaysia we are working with a group of LED lighting companies to boost their international growth and product development.” “This success has been built on our experience with long term clients here in the UK including Aston and Cranfield Universities, assisting them to commercialise their most promising research.” Along with Isis Enterprise, six other Oxfordshire-based companies won

Queens Awards last week. These include Milton Park-based Cobalt Light Systems, which invented a device to scan liquids and gels at airports; Osney Mead-based Lambdatek, which re-sells computer and electronics equipment and Witneybased lighting firm Original BTC. The others are Abingdon based pharmaceutical marketing company Oxford PharmaGenesis; Milton Park’s Zigzag Associates, which provides quality assurance and auditing services to pharmaceutical firms; and Oxford Business Park firm Zinc Ahead, which supplies software systems to pharmaceuticals firms. Oxfordshire Business Enterprise advisor John Vernon said: “This may well be a record for the county and it’s particularly impressive that they are all young companies showing tremendous growth. It underlines the fact Oxfordshire is a brilliant county for starting and expanding a business.” After the win, Isis Enterprise has the momentum to reach even greater heights. Their recent success in the Asian markets will send a message that the University should be valued not just in academia but in business too.

Queens Award

Parties united over Oxford cycling fears

• Local election candidates for Oxford raise the issue of cycle safety in Oxford during hustings • Solutions include proving more funding for cycling provision and make road conditions better JASMINE CAMERON-CHILSHE NEWS EDITOR

Wikipedia

Serious concerns over the safety of cyclists in Oxford have been raised by local election candidates in recent hustings. Last Wednesday saw party candidates for Oxford East expressing the need for cyclists’ safety to be considered as a central concern during the General Elections hustings held in Oxford Town Hall’s Assembly Room. Across parties, candidates made reference to issues surrounding student and local cyclists, with Liberal Democrat candidate Alastair Murray highlighting the fact that “adults are too scared to cycle” and Labour representative Tom Hayes (in place of candidate Rt Hon. Andrew Smith) noting that a major concern was individuals being deterred from cycling due to the “pretty shabby” level of investments in road and cycling facilities. The issue of safety for cyclists was also addressed by Ann Duncan, Green Party candidate, who said that there had “been too many deaths and serious inju-

ries among cyclists”, with 2013 data (the most recent available) 295 cyclist injuries in that year alone, over 50 of them classed as “severe”. Ann Duncan affirmed that the issue remained a priority for the party, stating: “In Oxford, we have been working very hard in the Council to improve cycling safety. Nationally, the Green Party will spend about £30pa per capita on active transport – three times the current level -- to fund separate cycle lanes, joined up routes, cycle hubs, training and other measures to make cycling safe and pleasant in the city. We would also require proper safety equipment in lorries”. Speaking to The Oxford Student , Tom Hayes suggested various solutions to the pressing issue stating: ‘We need to provide more funding for cycling from the current transport budget to enable cities like Oxford to provide far better provision for bikes. Too many of the current cycle lanes are not sufficiently protected from the traffic, end abruptly or meander on and off the roads. We also need to get better at speedily tackling potholes that make cycling in Oxford dangerous and damage

cars”. The event was chaired by Dr Barbara Hammond, CEO of Oxford’s Low Carbon Hub, and was organised to specifically tackle environmental issues throughout the East Oxfordshire area (such as flooding, sustainable energy policy, air quality, pesticides and biodiversity and active transport). For Oxford City Council, cycling remains a priority. Free cycle training is granted to children, whilst ‘The Broken Spoke Bike Co-Op’ provides training for adults to enable cyclists to understand the dangers of the road and how best to avoid them. More recently, capital funds were directed towards the the ‘Oxford Cycle City Initiative’. The four year scheme which began in 2012 and will be finalised in 2016 and was designed to improve cycling experiences for residents within the city. The £367,000 initiative has set about training inexperienced cyclists, instigated new signage in Headington and resurfaced the Meadow lane path. Meanwhile, Redbridge Park and Ride as well as Seacourt Park and ride, is due to be completed by summer 2015.

Ellie

Economics Student from Oxford

- Loves to ride her bicycle

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your flexible policy?

With the new flexible policy from Endsleigh you can insure only the items that matter to your life. Build your cover at

endsleigh.co.uk/university

Insurance recommended by

Your life. Your possessions. Your cover. Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This can be checked on the Financial Services Register by visiting their website at www.fca.org.uk/register. Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited. Company No. 856706 registered in England at Shurdington Road, Cheltenham Spa, Gloucestershire GL51 4UE.

30th April 2015

Comment 9

'Cash for influence' politics must end now

Comment

• Donors with invested interest mean messy politics • State funding of political parties must be considered

ELIZABETH WEBB

REGENT'S PARK COLLEGE

magine your job is funded by a very wealthy individual who donates generously to your company. When the donor asks you for a favour, it’s obvious you’re going to agree. Now imagine that your job is being prime minister, and you’re dining with the person who gave £500,000 to your party that year. Isn’t it obvious that you’re going to try to please them? We cannot expect our politicians to remain uncorrupted and unrestricted by vested interests when they are meeting with the people funding their whole careers. This is why we need a change to the way in which political parties are funded. Wealthy individuals can have access to politicians in a way that others can’t, simply because

“ Donors who have privileged access to

politicians will have undue influence

”

these are the people funding the parties. For instance, anyone who donates more than £50,000 to the Conservative party is invited to dine with David Cameron and other senior Conservative party figures, and this happens frequently. But why should it be that a donor’s vote is somehow worth more, or valued more, than anyone else’s? It shouldn’t, and removing financial incentives from politicians would enable them to better serve the interests of all their voters, not the select few. This problem isn’t really even about the politicians themselves, because they don’t have much of a choice. In order to maintain financial support, politicians have to converse with their donors. However, it is inevitable that donors who have privileged access to politicians will have undue influence over them. There is no reason why the voice of an Oxford student should be heard any less than one of a FTSE 100 director. They should both have

equal access and influence over their politicians. “Cash for influence” processes in the Labour party were clearly revealed in The Independent this month. Despite greatly criticising the Conservatives for relying on tax dodgers for party funding, it was revealed that Labour has accepted nearly £600,000 since 2012 from Martin Taylor, a multi-million pound hedge fund manager. Under the system at the moment, this legal ‘cash for influence’ is permitted, and the system even encourages it through its lack of any funding for parties. Not only is this influence detrimental to politics itself, but it’s causing further scepticism towards politics, and of politicians in particular. The idea that politicians only act in the interests of their mates is hugely damaging. ‘Cash for influence’ scandals break out all the time; the sad thing is that the public no longer finds them surprising. Politics is viewed as corrupt and driven by the concerns of the wealthy elite – the people giving these donations. There is large scale public scepticism about the way political parties are funded and this needs to be put to an end. Instead, we should have a system whereby the state funds political parties. Yes, I admit this would be pricey. But it would be worth it if politicians were then influenced by their voters, not by their donors. Neither is this system unthinkably radical: Germany, for example, operates on a system whereby political parties receive state funding. In the election year of 2009, parties received a total of €128m of public money. A further €266m was raised through party membership and donations. While the problem of wealthy donors ‘buying’ favourable policies remains, a fundamental step forward has been made to create, at least at the start, a more level playing field and ensure every party has the funds to survive. This is a particularly interesting issue facing the UK parties who may have to consider the possibility of finding a way to fund a second election campaign in a matter of months, should a government not be formed after the General Election in May. Realistically, David Cameron is not going to implement policies which harm Trailfinders, whose founder Michael D Gooley gave the party £500,000. That is how a donor's influence can be a dangerous

one when it comes to politics. There is simply no way that politicians aren’t influenced by who gives them money, especially if they’re meeting regularly at dinner parties. Moving to a system whereby political parties are funded by the state and not the public would not solve these profound problems overnight, but it would definitely be a start. Parties being just as accountable to the poor as they are to the rich and when every vote is weighed equally in making policies: this is a world in which the public care about politics and actually – dare I dream it – have a deserved influence over politics. The Electoral Reform Society said in February that party funding was in ‘urgent need’ of reform and that Parliament must tackle the issue "or else the scandals will just keep coming". Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg recently called for all parties to agree to ‘clean up party funding…once and for all’; while Green party leader Natalie Bennett stated we need to "cut the rot of vested interests from our politics" and Labour MP Graham Allen called for urgent progress on party funding reform. Let’s hope that these voices aren’t drowned out by the people who gave £65.6 million to political parties in 2014. Maybe after the election in 2015, there will be a change which could mean an end to ‘cash for influence’ in politics.

The funding of UK parties in 2014

£65,654,486

made in donations to UK political parties

£8,794,227

of public money given throughout 2014

Inappropriate influence: Donors' cash and political games

£1,384,289

the largest donation made to the Labour Party

£500,000

the largest donation made to the Conservative Party Howard Lake

30th April 2015

10 Comment

e Brits are notoriously poor at learning other languages; it is estimated that over 95 percent of the British population are monolingual English speakers, and in 2011 just 40 percent of students chose to study a language at GCSE. The image of the Brit abroad- not even attempting to speak the local language and instead choosing to shout loudly in English and gesticulate wildly in order to make themselves understood- is often true to life. However, the shouting and gestures are often completely unnecessary: who hasn’t experienced the mortification of valiantly trying to speak to a native in their own language or, worse, engaged in the behaviour described above, only to be answered in near-fluent English? Yes, we are largely useless at learning foreign languages, and nobody is trying to deny that, but the point is that, as English speakers, we can afford to be. English is the most widely spoken language in the world: it is spoken in almost 60 countries and has around 1.2 billion speakers (only Chinese is spoken by more). Besides, even outside of those 60 countries, the likelihood is that people working or living in popular areas or frequently dealing with tourists will speak at least a few words of English by necessity, enough to cover the basics- and it is, after all, as a tourist that Brits are most likely to travel to such places. Even those of us who do try to speak the local language are often disappointed. Some, with the French being a case in point, immediately detect a British accent and switch to English; they cannot stand hearing their own language being butchered. Others delight in being faced with an English speaker and immediately seize upon the opportunity to practice their own English, much to the secret relief of the Brit. Why bother undertaking the not inconsiderable task of learning another language when native speakers are so unwilling to speak it with you? Speaking English abroad benefits both parties because you are spared the embarrassment of being completely useless and also offer somebody else the opportunity to

POLLY MASON NEW COLLEGE

WILLIAM CARTER ST ANNE’S COLLEGE

practice their English. The argument that speaking other languages opens up doors to entirely different cultural worlds is an unconvincing one. Today, thanks to numerous translations and the wonders of dubbing, the English speaker who so wishes can learn about the history, read the literature, watch the films, and enjoy the food of just about any country of his choice, and, crucially, is at no disadvantage from not speaking the language of the country in which those things originate. Their appreciation of “Don Quijote” will not be any less because they are not fluent in Spanish, just as the Colosseum will be admired just as much by a monolingual Brit as by a person from Rome. The proliferation of the English language means that everything is now accessible in one form or another to those who speak only English. Learning foreign languages is undoubtedly an enjoyable and rewarding discipline, but my argument in terms of this debate is that, for the English speaker, it is no longer necessary; indeed, it could almost be said to be a pointless endeavour. When abroad, it is more difficult to find people who don’t speak English than who do, and this does not look set to change; we lose nothing by speaking only English, and we may as well embrace and take pride in our ability to speak what could reasonably be called the language of the world.

or a native English speaker abroad today, it might seem that we have hit the linguistic jackpot. When on holiday, we can be confident that almost everyone we encounter will speak good enough English to complete the necessary transaction. For English speaking business people, reviewing their Spanish conjugations or Mandarin intonation is not a worry the night before an important meeting. The incentives for learning English are compelling; conversely, learning other languages as a native English speaker might seem like a waste of time. This attitude is certainly reflected in the steep decline of language Alevels and degrees take up in the UK. But we monoglot English speakers are missing out on serious economic, social and even physical perks. The assumption that ‘everyone speaks English’ is false. Whilst 25 percent of the world’s population do, 75 percent don’t. One might think that English is on an unstoppable rampage, but the truth isn’t clear-cut and the ambiguity reinforces the need to learn languages. Linguists have put forward theories about the future of English. In his book, Globish, Robert McCrum lauds English’s meteoric rise from humble beginnings and its suppleness to mesh with local languages to form the first truly global language of business and culture. He argues that the need for a simple medium to communicate will become more important as globalisation advances, and this will develop into what McCrum calls ‘Globish’, perhaps similar to the ‘simple English’ option

IS LEARNING ANY LANGUAGE YES OTHER THAN NO ENGLISH POINTLESS?

Mark Doliner

found on Wikipedia. This idea relies on a continued advancement of English for a long time to come; another theory, proposed by Nicolas Ostler, takes a dimmer view of English, claiming that with advances in translation and interpretation technology, people will no longer need one universally understood language, and English will slowly recede back behind its borders. In light of the unlikelihood that English will be dominant forever, we need to ensure our young people grow up possessing the tools to communicate with our neighbours. However, a more enticing incentive would be the real short term benefits. A 2014 report in The Economist writes of a ‘language premium’ based on the supply and demand of a particular language in a certain place or within an industry. The report reckons that, over the course of a career, a second language can boost your earnings by about 2 percent, and up to 3.8 percent for high power trade languages like German. For a process that is inherently rewarding if taught engagingly, this is a great bonus. Nationally, a study from Cardiff Business School estimated that the UK’s lack of language skills costs us around £48 billion (3.5 percent of GDP) a year, deterring non-exporters from trading internationally with non-English speaking countries. According to a Chamber of Commerce survey, over 60 percent of UK businesses said that they view their language skills as holding them back. As CEO of UK cleaning products company Nixwax said: “English is fine if you want to buy things, but it’s not the right language to use for people who want to sell things.” This is an unsustainable position to be in. Finally, language learning improves multitasking and decision making. According to a 2013 NewScientist report, bilingualism can prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by up to four years. This, coupled with the dopamine rush of learning any new skill, is a strong incentive to get learning. Expecting everyone to come to us linguistically is unfair. Language is something to celebrate and the cost of a few verb tables and vocab tests is far from pointless.

Britain must ditch its blinkered approach to Blair HUGH MCHALEMAUGHAN BRASENOSE COLLEGE

former Prime Minister steps forward. Fresh from attempting to bring peace and prosperity to a war-torn and poverty-stricken region, he now passionately and eloquently defends the record of his party’s current leader and lands compelling blows on the competence and prospects of their political opponents. But he’s not done yet- he reveals he is donating over £100,000 to help in the 106 most marginal fights his party is facing: a party that is cash strapped both through the loss of major institutional supporters and the prospect of having to run at least one and most probably two major election campaigns over the coming political year. What would one expect from the party? If not boisterous adulation, at the very least a grateful acceptance of the ex-PM’s generosity and dignified acknowledgement not only of his admirable ten year premiership, but also of his unparalleled electoral record. But, of course, the party being Labour and the former leader Tony Blair, the reaction

could scarcely have been more different. Pantomime like, Labour activists and MPs booed and hissed across the national press; indeed, many Prospective Parliamentary Candidates went as far as to reject Blair’s donated funds. There does indeed appear to be something of the pantomime villain about the way Blair is perceived and represented in modern day Britain. In the press he is frequently awarded the epithet ‘polarising’, but even this seems inaccurate: it is extremely difficult to find anyone who has a positive word to say about Blair, let alone go so far as to declare they are on the “approval pole”. Perhaps the most compelling parallel is with that of (Sir) John Major. Major left office as one of the most unpopular Prime Ministers on record, was subsequently revealed to have had a four year adulterous affair (a hypocrisy that could scarcely have clashed more strongly with his family value based ‘Back to Basics’ governmental programme) -and yet now appears to have transcended even elder statesmen prestige to be adopted as a national treasure, based seemingly on little more than a fondness for cricket and an affinity with Radio 4. Major’s post-premiership financial af-

fairs are far more shady and lucrative than Blair’s, yet they receive a fraction of the media attention that Blair’s consultancies attract. While Sir John receded into the handsomely paid speaking circle and the smoky boardroom, Blair, with keen moral purpose and a fierce wish to act and change, consciously sought a role on the world stage. Nonetheless, it is Blair whose work after leaving office has attracted by far the most acrimony. What is particularly frustrating is the bizarre, Orwellian terms in which Blair is discussed. The two narratives used about the former leader are fundamentally in tension. The first alleges that Blair was the ultimate politician, a sponge like moral vacuum, fed on spin and polish and seeking only approval; the second that Blair was a militaristic quasi-dictator who neither heeded public approval nor obeyed the basic decencies of Cabinet government. While I would strongly refute both arguments, what is certain is that Blair’s critics cannot have it both ways. The inconsistencies becomes particularly galling in relation to the Iraq war. Perhaps the supreme politician of his generation is portrayed as- for no clear reason- being entirely in

hoc to President George W. Bush, at the expense of Cabinet, parliamentary and popular opinion. This is simply not credible. Whatever your beliefs about the war, it is wildly implausible that Blair did not wholeheartedly support the invasion; if he hadn’t, the costs in party and public unpopularity would have been far too high. The fact that few highlight the tension between the two discourses speaks volumes about the media and popular narrative that surrounds Blair. This blinkered approach to Blair- an angry refusal to permit him any positive legacy- is particularly strong within Miliband’s Labour party. It was exemplified by the petty refusal to accept his generous donation. A thoroughly decent man, who loved his country, steered it through an existentially dangerous time and cared deeply about his principles, Blair deserves better than this. If nothing else, it speaks volumes about the immaturity of Miliband’s party that they are shutting out Labour’s longest serving and most electorally successful Prime Minister. In an era of coalition politics, it is time for Britain’s political class to reconsider the legacy of our country’s ultimate centrist.

World Economic Forum

30th April 2015

Fashion and fearless feminism JASMINE CAMERONCHILESHE ST HILDA’S COLLEGE

hat unites Beyonce, a Texan Grammy award-winning singer, with Nick Clegg, a Cambridge-educated Liberal Democrat? Feminism. It’s been the word on everybody’s lips for the last few years, and is no longer a term dripping with the derogatory stereotypes of militant, unshaven lesbians; feminism has emerged as a seemingly progressive bandwagon that everybody- from presidents to actors to writers- is tripping over themselves jump on. From the controversial 19th Century suffragettes demanding the vote, to the unifying image of the empowered woman, commanding equality of pay, parenthood and political status,

“ You should be able to define what feminism means in your own terms

”

21st Century feminism has certainly evolved and is breeding a new generation of politically-engaged women. The term ‘feminist’ has been a label worn with pride, an aspiration for women to fulfil the role of mother, wife, and careerist. Yet in recent years, fashion magazines (in particular Vogue, Glamour, and Elle) have latched onto this political movement, cheapening and exploiting its good intentions. As an avid reader of such magazines, this piece serves not as a medium through which to attack and condemn them or those who read them, or even to question the notion of being interested in both fashion and feminism; on the contrary, it serves simply to challenge the underlying assertion projected by magazines that they, as organisations, embody the solutions to the sexual, political and economic problems faced globally by women today. Whilst reading Glamour magazine, I came across an article that profiled the rising British female politicians, and it was brimming with the oh-so-familiar undertones of ‘girl power’. I was left feeling impressed and inspired by such talented women- thus the article had served its purpose. Such journalism provides a small glimpse into the deluge of feminist writing that has swamped contemporary news stands, handbags and office desks as part of a self-perpetuating cycle: a magazine features seemingly feminist articles, women buy the magazine, women feel better about themselves, job done. Further still, I can’t help but align the empowering rhetoric lodged amidst those glossy, aspirational pages with the unchanging images of flawless, predominantly white, thin women.

The message given is that ‘women ought to feel powerful and capable’that is, middle class, educated and white women. In Winter 2014, Elle promoted its Feminism issue in which Emma Watson was hailed as the ideal modern woman. But who is this modern woman and can she ever realistically represent the diversity, complexity, creativity, and struggles of womanhood? No, she cannot. Whilst the intention is to unify, such magazines are divisive. How can a single mother on benefits, or an Asian or black woman relate to the supposedly feminist ideals projected within these magazines which do not incite real radical change, but simply shift the focus from the male, white, middleclass to the female, white middle-class, thus supporting established monopolies of power? Far from tackling the imperfect reality of feminism which encompasses sexual abuse, FGM, and abortion, in the hands of the fashion industry, feminism is airbrushed, commercialised, and glamorised. Yet even as I write these words, I question whether it is the responsibility for the likes of Vogue to tackle anything. In light of the horrific Charlie Hebdo attacks which have highlighted the need for freedom of speech, perhaps it is not my place to criticise what is published within the journalism business industry. Publishers, editors and writers simply feed off the concerns of the people and report findings in an accessible manner in order to make money. Certainly, these corporations are able to appeal to a quick fix society, suggesting that by purchasing one of their magazines you can become not only a reformed woman with glossier hair but a wellrounded feminist. In short, fashion magazines promote fashion trends, of which feminism is now one. In the Women’s Rights movement, Virginia Woolf condemned the overuse of the term ‘woman’ stating “Women — but are you not sick to death of the word?”, and a similar sentiment can be applied to the overused term ‘feminism’. What should be emphasised, however, is the fact that feminism remains an illogical term, which for years has resisted any attempt to encase it within a permanent definition. In this sphere of ambiguity, companies (especially fashion magazines) are now able to manufacture their own exclusive meaning of the term and unthinkingly toss it into their business plan in the hope of adding value. Maybe we are all caught up in the linguistics and theoretical concepts surrounding feminism, and if we are not careful, by relying upon constructed, externally imposed ideas of feminism created by these industries, we could restrict ourselves and undermine our potential. Undoubtedly, whether or not you label yourself as a feminist is a personal choice. But you should be able to define what ‘feminism’ means in your own terms and not on the basis of ideas propelled by the media. After all, political movements are led not by the establishment but by the people.

Comment 11

“ The university is in denial about the number of hours of library access needed ”

Finding somewhere to study should not be this hard POLLY MASON NEW COLLEGE

f you ask any tourist what the first thing is to come to mind when they hear the word ‘Oxford’, there is a fairly good chance that they will picture the Radcliffe Camera. The RadCam is, by any standards, an awe-inspiring sight, and it is very easy to forget that the building is actually a library, filled almost literally to the rafters with grafting students from dawn to dusk. During term time, that is. In the vacations, the library provision available across the University is somewhat less than ideal, and this is a matter that has caused uproar amongst the students at my college over the last few weeks; indeed, I’ve rarely seen members of the JCR so united over a common cause. Over the Easter break, our college library was open from nine till five, Monday to Friday, meaning that finalists were often left unable to access necessary books and without somewhere to study at weekends and in the evenings. Any Oxford student will tell you that weekends are no different to any other day of the week when it comes to work, and yet throughout the vacation not a single central library opened its doors on Sundays. Some college libraries have impressive opening hours, with Magdalen being particularly notable for never closing, but for those of us who aren’t so lucky it is incredibly frustrating. Surely one of the purposes of having onsite libraries is the convenience offered to the students of that particular college, giving them somewhere to work at any time - why do we suddenly lose that privilege over the vac? Of course, any sort of liaison between the student body of any col-

Harriet Bourhill

lege and the college itself, the body who actually has the power to change things, is notoriously difficult, and this has been no different: the college has refused point-blank to compromise, claiming that having students in an unmanned library was out of the question, and this has culminated in the starting of an online petition. One student voiced what everyone else was thinking: what is the apparently crucial difference between an unstaffed library at evenings and weekends during term, and an unstaffed library at evenings and weekends out of term? For the last few years, the excuse routinely given for not opening over the holidays has been that the library was awaiting the installation of an electronic security system, but we now have one- so why are they still refusing to extend the opening hours? I’ll hazard a guess: because, like so many Oxford colleges, mine is unwilling to compromise with their students in order to accommodate them. Being on a JCR Committee offers a vantage point like no other for seeing how difficult it is to wade through college bureaucracy when trying to get anything done, and I am convinced that what I have affectionately and rather unoriginally termed ‘librarygate’ is a consequence of that: New College is unwilling to extend its library opening hours because it simply cannot be bothered. From their point of view, eight hours of revision a day is perfectly fine, but it is surely up to the individual to decide their working timetable- and in the eyes of most Oxford students, eight hours is simply never going to be enough. Even during term the library hours are not always sufficient. The RadCam, for example, closes at 10pm on weekdays, perhaps because this

is supposedly a good time to stop working, I’d be prepared to bet my bottom dollar that most of the students who are in there until closing time go straight back to their rooms to continue working. It sometimes seems as if the university is in denial about the number of hours of library access needed in order to complete a degree here. Additionally, no thought is given to night owls whose peak period of productivity occurs in the small hours- why should they not also be able to access one of the university’s central libraries at a time that suits them? And yet this is the same university whose colleges compete in the Norrington Table and expect their students to perform exceptionally well. For these expectations to be met, surely it is in the interest of every college to do everything in its power to help the students to excel academically; offering them somewhere to study for long hours throughout the year, including the vacations, when many finalists stay in Oxford purely to revise, seems like an obvious place to start. Why make what is already an incredibly stressful time any more traumatic than is absolutely necessary? The University’s reputation as a rigorously academic institution is well-deserved, and yet, despite being one of the best universities in the world, it is lagging behind its UK counterparts in terms of library opening hours: Durham, UCL, and Imperial College London all offer informal 24/7 library facilities to their students. Oxford needs to be more prepared to cater to the needs of its students in this respect by ditching the tradition of shutting the doors of its libraries at what it views as the ideal bedtime.

Megan Mary Thomas

From September 2015, this fun and forward-looking school seeks well-qualified graduates to teach

biolog y compu te r s c i e nc e g eog ra p h y mathem ati c s

Leaving university this year?

Looking for a career in education?

Seeking challenge and responsibility?

Keen to inspire young minds?

we are offering a fantastic opportunity to be part of one of britain’s most prestigious and innovative schools Initially for a one-year contract, the posts offer free on-site accommodation and a salary of £18,000.

th e place

Wellington College in Berkshire is a large independent co-educational boarding and day school with over 1,000 pupils aged 13–18. The school offers you: 2 £18,000 p.a. 2 free accommodation 2 free meals during term time 2 friendly and supportive staff 2 stunning buildings set within a beautiful 400acre woodland estate 2 free access to excellent sports facilities - large sports centre (Olympic gym, spin room, aerobic and core areas), all-weather pitches and a 9-hole golf course 2 easy access to London and Oxford by train

the job 2 classroom teaching and academic support 2 sports coaching (e.g. lacrosse, netball, hockey, rugby, football, cricket) and participation in all aspects of school life 2 tutoring in 13–18 girls’ or boys’ boarding house Possibility of gaining qualified teacher status through the GTP in a subsequent year (subject to interview and assuming availability of teaching position).

There will be an opportunity to meet with senior staff from Wellington College on Tuesday 12th May at Macdonald Randolph Hotel 1-on-1 appointments 3-6pm Informal meetings 7-9pm

To register your interest, please contact the Human Resources Administrator: 01344 444039 humanresources@wellingtoncollege.org.uk Full details can be found at: wellingtoncollege.org.uk/staff-vacancies

Posts are subject to full DBS checks. Wellington College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

30TH April 2015

Music 3

MUSIC I Am Kloot don't hold back

erforming live at the London Kashmir Club in the noughties, supported by The Libertines, I Am Kloot brought the audience wistfully staggering into the new century. Despite this impressive live debut, the band have remained perpetually on the fringe, garnering an impressive cult following but being ultimately cast aside by most mainstream media. Bramwell himself said: “we’ve never had singles that could possibly be played really on much daytime radio.” The band specialise in songs about “drinking and disaster” with lead singer John Bramwell’s melodic yet grizzly voice frequently dressed in a lo-fi indie outfit, and occasionally graced with beautiful string arrangements, as seen on the Mercury prize nominated album, Sky at Night (2010). Earlier this month saw the release of Hold Back the Night, the first live album in the band’s sixteen-year history. The album includes tracks from Sky at Night and the band’s last studio album Let It All In (2013) alongside earlier tracks such as ‘Twist’ and '86 TVs' bringing the track total for Hold Back the Night to a grand twenty six. Chatting to Bramwell, the reason behind the release of Hold Back the Night appears simple: “we wanted to

Lawrence Watson

go out and gig all our old stuff”. I Am Kloot will be touring Hold Back the Night across the country this April and May. Touring and performing live appear to be the only constants in the band’s career. Yet even after fourteen years, the excitement still remains, with Bramwell anticipating this next tour to be “mean, moody and magnificent no doubt”.

“We've never had

singles you could play on daytime radio

”

Kloot is not the only project Bramwell has been working on, his previous work including the solo album, You, Me and the Alarm Clock, which was described by the The Guardian as “one of the greatest albums you’ve never heard”. Surprisingly for a musician who thrives in a band, Bramwell enthusiastically describes touring on his own, “I don’t have a setlist, I know all the songs and I play a completely

different set each night. I tell different stories. I can have a bit of a crack with the audience.” Swapping intimate venues for the larger crowds that performing with Kloot brings comes with its advantages. “I’m looking forward to doing some bigger places” he remarks. It appears though that Bramwell strives to recreate that same intimate-yet -lively atmosphere that accompany his solo gigs to his performances with the rest of the band. “I remember in Manchester in the past, and in London, rather than going to the bigger venues we’ve just played in three nights in the smaller one, I think that’s always better, the whole thing becomes more like a mini event each time” The challenge to curate such mini events is becoming ever greater with the demise of many independent venues, an issue that Bramwell feels strongly about. “The live scene…the academies and all those kinds of gigs, they’ve got so big. They’re just big black boxes where they try and sell as much beer as possible.” Commenting on the disparaging state of other artist's tour dates, “It depresses me when I see ‘Manchester Academy’, 'Liverpool Academy' and ‘London Academy’. I want to see all the weird individual

names.” Reflecting on the band’s lack of mainstream approval, Bramwell quips with “we’ve never been the kind of band where someone’s gonna go “Wow, these young kids are amazing!”” But the singer songwriter takes on a more serious tone when describing his songwriting process, “I only write what I write. I’m sure if I tried to write something that would be more successful,

“I'm trying to put

a lot more poetry into pop music

”

deliberately so, I probably wouldn’t be very good at it.” ... “I am trying to put a lot more poetry into pop music in a way, that sounds really highfalutin and a bit pompous” Finding a record label that has the capacity to realise this vision has proved difficult. The band's discography has been marked with delayed releases, lack of funds and being ceremoniously

NAOMI SOUTHWELL SOMERVILLE COLLEGE dropped from their label after their third album. Despite this Bramwell admits the passion is still there from many companies. “The labels we've been with have all been good people. They’re just having to shrink and shrink.” Despite the band's past challenges with releasing material, I get the impression that Bramwell wouldn't have it any other way, especially with regards to big business and signing contracts “We’ve never signed one of those contracts where they’ve put up a million pounds. Yes, they do give you a lot of money and it does pander to your ego and make you think you’re a rock star, but they will rip you off.” Instead the band focuses on fostering a personal relationship, “I’ve always been with the record labels that have really wanted to put my stuff out. But it doesn't mean I stick with the same people all the time. It just doesn't always work out.” This commitment to making music on their own terms has seen the band continue to quietly succeed where many others would have failed. Hold Back the Night and the band’s latest tour sees them “celebrating all the old stuff” and rightly so. It’s the old stuff that sees the band - and their fans, at their most wholehearted.

30th April 2015

4 Music

Gaga and Bennett don’t mean a thing

BENJAMIN HUSTON ST JOHN’S COLLEGE

• Lady Gaga carries fading Tony Bennett on unmemorable collaboration

’m not a fan of Lady Gaga or Tony Bennett. What’s more, I’m inherently sceptical about any big album release of swing standards by superstar singers. It’s too easy these days to default

“A collection

of well rehearsed impressions of jazz standards

”

to sycophantic vocal mush, halfdisguised by generic arrangements for an underutilised big band (yes, Michael Bublé, I’m thinking of you). Regardless, I promise to keep an open mind. Unsurprisingly perhaps, this album plays it safe. There are 11 songs but the total playing time is just over half an hour and five of the tracks are under three minutes long. Many of the performances are padded out with instrumental solos, all of which add colour to the overall offering, but I would have preferred a bolder use of

the band as a whole in shout sections and there is certainly time for them to have done so. The best number is definitely the last: ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)’.

Unlike most of the others, there is a sense of a true progression with the arrangement, which increasingly involves the band in an exciting crescendo to the end. On the whole,

the arrangements might have tried a great deal more: phrases in the upper register for the trumpet section, more loosely enforced rhythms and improvised instrumental fills. However, at a basic level, the only criteria that truly matters in this genre is the impression of how much of a good time the singers and musicians seem to be having. Unfortunately, this album sounds like a collection of well rehearsed impressions of jazz standards rather than originals. There isn’t the sense that anyone has a true connection to the music or takes any risks in their performance. The instrumental solos all sound roughly the same and there is little or no room for improvisation in the accompanying sections. In essence, this is a charmless offering; easy to listen to but mechanical. And then there is the question of the vocalists. Surprisingly, Lady Gaga completely carries Tony Bennett. His vocals are too often flat, strained and with little or no colour or expression, which are all the signs of a singer nearing retirement. Lady Gaga’s performance is pretty much the polar opposite: pitch perfect, flexible and expressive. ‘Firefly’ demonstrates this perfectly. Bennett’s opening vocals border

Quadraphany comes to Oxford

on painfully out of tune, but as soon as Lady Gaga takes over the piece is redeemed – she handles the acrobatic rhythms and difficult intervals with style and the band comes alive behind her. Her solo effort for ‘Lush Life’ also deserves considerable praise and shows the versatility of her voice on all the important levels of jazz singing. Her command of the open tempo and sparse texture is really very nuanced, her voice at points fragile and lilting and at others rich with powerful vibrato. However, in some of the musical numbers she attempts too much and her vocal interpretation isn’t consistent throughout. In the first number, ‘Anything Goes’, she begins with a relaxed and open characterisation which suddenly turns harsh and nasal. Having said that, I’d rather try too much than default to Bennett’s uninteresting drawl. In all, this is an enjoyable album with some good moments, particularly from Lady Gaga. However, if you want to get into the genre of swing, jazz and musical vocal classics, you’re better off going to the old masters: Ella Fitzgerald, Fred Astaire, Billie Holiday or Ol’ Blue Eyes (Frank Sinatra) himself.

JACOB WISEMAN LINCOLN COLLEGE

• Blackwells hosts unique Dark Side of the Moon surround sound event

n May 1972, Pink Floyd began recording at Abbey Road Studios. They were assigned a sound engineer whose task it would be to record this project using techniques at the forefront of modern recording: quadraphonic sound. The technique involved recording the sound and splitting the playback into four individual speakers, creating a surround-sound effect. This was long before the days of Dolby Digital, and the sound would be played from an eight-track player. An album would be played using tape, rather than the traditional vinyl, allowing sound engineers to split recordings more clearly between four channels. The sound engineer, Alan Parsons, drew diagrams for individual songs, detailing the location of each instrument and the sound effect in the four-speaker playback. For many, this signifies a golden age in sound engineering; predating digital recording, while standing at the forefront of advanced analogue recording techniques. The product of the collaboration between Pink Floyd and Parsons was

Dark Side of the Moon. In the album’s opening moments, sound effects swirl as a heartbeat reaches a crescendo and a series of sound effects pile on top of one another. It becomes clear very quickly that this is an album crafted with an immersive sound interface in mind.

“The sound will

be sensational and you can’t hear this anywhere else

”

However quadraphonic sound did not meet a happy end. Expensive production made it a commercial failure and consumers were unwilling to buy the necessary two additional speakers. Despite all this, on Thursday 30th April, Blackwell’s will install a quadraphonic sound system in its Norrington Room as it hosts a unique event. DJ

and former controller at Jazz FM, David Freeman, will play his personal eight-track, quadraphonic version of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon “as it was meant to be heard.” “This is the definitive four-channel, quadraphonic Dark Side of the Moon. The sound will be sensational and you can’t hear this anywhere else.” Freeman’s quadraphonic version of the album is particularly special because he received it straight from the factory as part of a press release from Abbey Road Studios. He considers it the definitive version because, unlike later American quadraphonic reproductions of the album, it was not transposed from vinyl but produced specifically for the tape of quadraphonic sound. “It is a profound rarity.” Most challenging for a modern listener is that this event will ask the audience to sit and listen to the album from start to finish. Freeman asserts that as it has become easier to listen to individual tracks, the record as a complete work becomes increasingly inaccessible. “The albums that were made at that time were made as cohesive wholes. Just listening to one little

Blue

Dark Side of the Moon David Freeman will play his personal quadraphonic edition bit is like going to see the Mona Lisa and looking at one of the eyes.” The Jazz FM DJ admits that he is “a geek, a purist” but insists that the technical and musical nuance of Dark Side of the Moon is unparalleled. “It has a building of atmosphere. If you watch a programme like X Factor, the only feeling it wants to engender

is a sense of awe and wonder. This is much more considered; you can hear them thinking.” “It will be loud. It will be dramatic. It’s made like movie. It makes sense as a cohesive whole. For a generation that doesn’t necessarily understand music in this format, it might be very interesting.”

Music 5

30th April 2015

Two are you?

OxStu’s 2nd Week Playlist

The Wombats fail to play to their strengths JEROD COKER ST ANTONY’S COLLEGE

I Song 2 Blur

Who Are You The Who

n Liverpudlian trio The Wombats’ third album, Glitterbug, the band matures from its silly, raw punkpop anthems to glittery, clean indie pop dance hits, engineered for mass appeal. Overall, they manage to keep hold of the sound that fans fell in love with from their first album, A Guide to Love, Loss, & Desperation, while attempting to keep up with the times. Glitterbug continues the electronic development that began on their previous albums ,without completely losing its essential Wombatness. Abandoning all pretense of rock, the indie pop album starts with ‘Emoticons’, which sets the tone for the entire album. Modulating bass, acoustic drums, an electric piano and a catchy lead guitar lick hint at what follows: a healthy mix of electronic and raw sounds. The second track, ‘Give Me A Try’, is an obvious single. Within seconds, the song breaks into a Ke$ha-esque backing

MAC DEMARCO Naomi Southwell

My Name Is Eminem

I Fall In Love Too Easily Frank Sinatra

(with very little synth to be found). Uptempo, dynamic, raw rock is still what they do best. Glitterbug is a solid but forgettable album; is has already peaked at #5 in the UK, and its mass appeal means it would not be out of place in a fourteenyear-old girl’s bedroom, a hipster house party, or an Oxford club. However, the US still eludes the band.

It’s difficult to see where The Wombats might find their niche among bands like Passion Pit, The 1975, and Imagine Dragons. Although the singles gain plenty of traction, the album does not compare to the other bands that fill the same space, and most of those who aren’t already committed Wombats fans will probably give it one listen and move on.

ALBUMS FOR A LONG WEEKEND Salad Days

Just The Two Of Us Grover Wahington, Jr.

track. That said, the very next track is the real single from the album; ‘Greek Tragedy’. With over eight million Spotify plays and a quirky video, the song combines indie originality with mass appeal. For a nostalgic fan, the music video does not take itself too seriously and is reminiscent of The Wombats of yesteryear. The album is loaded with dance party indie pop tracks; forgettable but catchy. With a bit of repetition, this album becomes a fun go-to and it would be unsurprising if it becomes one of the albums of the summer. The dance-pop bonanza ‘Isabel’ signals a welcome change halfway through the album. The stripped down track, lead singer Matt ‘Murph’ Murphy’s favourite, presents just a synth organ and vocals for the most part. It comes as an appreciated respite from the first six tracks and renews interest in the album. The track that will remind listeners of The Wombats which fans fell in love with is ‘The English Summer’, which starts with a promising, scratchy jangle of a guitar riff, followed by an acoustic rock beat and a distorted bass guitar

Perhaps Mac Demarco is an obvious, even clichéd choice for your long weekend soundtrack. Mac’s slowed down surf rock mixed with almost nonplussed vocals lives up to the album title Salad Days , “a Shakespearean idiomatic expression to refer to a youthful time, accompanied by the inexperience, enthusiasm, idealism innocence or indiscretion that one associates with a young person.” Who can deny the appeal of floating wistfully along to one of the many love ballads on Salad Days including ‘Let My Baby Stay’, ‘Treat Her Better’ and ‘Let Her Go’. Yet, these songs are endearing, not clichéd, just like Mac himself. A man often unfairly characterised as a ‘slacker’ due to his penchant for goofing around. Salad Days is the perfect for the sun-tinted revelry that comes with a long weekend. But its breezy sentimentality makes it equally appropriate for the contented quietness when the weekend begins to finally wind down. ‘Go Easy’ will see you through the as the week recommences and normality resumes.

Blue JONI MITCHELL

One Step Beyond MADNESS

Songs About Jane MAROON 5

Jacob Wiseman

Sean McIntyre

Kate Bickerton

Joni Mitchell is a perfect long weekend offering because she captures simultaneous joie de vivre and regret. Blue is an album to spend a clear, sunsetting evening lying in the grass. Often accompanied by piano and guitar, Mitchell’s falsetto glides effortlessly over the sparse texture. Lyrically, her work is profound without any hint of pretension. ‘River’ and ‘A Case of You’ are stand out tracks for me. On ‘River’ she sings of longing for escape, “I wish I had a river I could skate away on.” Mitchell gave up her newborn baby for adoption, as she feared she would be unable to provide for her: “I’ve lost the best baby hat I ever had.” The following track, ‘A Case of You’ has a touching lyrical delicacy, making it a tender and vulnerable love song. “You’re in my blood like holy wine, you taste so bitter and so sweet.” This is an album for listening to when the long weekend draws towards its close and that familiar, heavy sense of nostalgia creeps in. “I could drink a case of you and still be on my feet.”

HEY YOU! DON’T WATCH THAT. WATCH THIS! Traditionally, long spring weekends are reserved for relaxing, lazy days in the garden; but I’m hoping for something to inject a bit more liveliness int this year’s proceedings. As Chelsea FC look to wrap up their fifth football league title I’ll be reaching for my copy of One Step Beyond , in riotous celebratory fashion. After hopefully a few goals (and definitely a few more drinks) the compulsory dance to the title track, ‘One Step Beyond’ comes naturally, followed by the classic sing along of ska anthem ‘My Girl.’ With fun, dance friendly numbers such as ‘The Prince,’ throughout; this album will keep you on your toes all weekend so be careful not to spill your drink during your mandatory improtu dance sessions. Carry on the party with ‘The Liquidator,’ several more pints and sporadic bursts of the Eden Hazard song to seal the best long weekend you’ve had in years.

Before Marron 5 began tp sound like everything else playing in Top 40 radio, they released the ultimate long weekend album. Songs About Jane has everything you want from a long weekend soundtrack. Some slow, jazzy songs, some fast upbeat songs to get you going. Not only is it sonically a weekend mix to die for, but it even addresses the subject. The chilled out ‘Sunday Morning’ epitomises in sound what a weekend should sound like. The lyrics “Sunday morning rain is falling, still some covers share some skin,” describes exactly what you want from a long weekend. A nice cup of coffee with a good book in a warm bed with the rain pounding the glass of the window. The debut album’s most famous song, ‘She Will Be Loved’, is in context of the rest of the album less depressing than it seems in abstract on the radio. The story of the whole album is the story which can fit into all our lives: lost love, finding new love, and that feeling that something is about to happen. It eases you into Monday morning perfectly.

30th April 2015

6 Screen

SCREEN

American Psycho

Christian Bale won critical acclaim for his performance in Harron’s American Psycho

Allstar Picture Library

Mary Haddon: directing the undirectable I t’s hard not to feel boring when you interview Mary Harron. She’s incredibly rock’n’roll, wearing leather trousers at 50 which I can’t pull off at 20, and confidently moves from talking about her childhood spent on film sets - her step-mother was scouted by Stanley Kubrick - to Christian Bale’s “bionic” ability to sweat on command. So I find it somewhat surprising that she waxes lyrical about Oxford, its polished image about as far from her rough-and-ready time on the New York punk and independent film scene as you could get. She is convinced her decision to read English at St Anne’s instead of going to film school was a help, not a hindrance. She claims, in typically romantic English student fashion, that “Shakespeare taught me more than any script-writing course ... it was more important for me to learn about Paradise Lost than camera lenses.” She says of her time in Oxford in the 1970’s “it gave young men an education in the classics before they went off to rule the world.” Incidentally, one of those men was Tony Blair, who she went out with as an undergraduate; something which once again I can’t reconcile with her wild child image, but Blair must have been more into his New York Dolls than New Labour while he was at St John’s. When Harron graduated she put all her possessions into a bin bag and

moved to New York. While this was something which most of us would at least mention on Facebook at some point in a humblebragging status update, she nonchalantly says “It never occurred to me to graduate and get a job... I thought you just went off and had adventures.” She arrived to a thriving punk scene and launched her career as a music journalist by being the first person to interview The Sex Pistols (she was asked to do it only because she had a tape recorder). After a stint researching documentaries she turned to film. Having written about pop-art for ISIS as an undergraduate, she wanted to write about the woman who was ignored by Warhol’s biographers. Her first film, I Shot Andy Warhol, took seven years to go from page to screen. She wrote about Valerie Solanas, the misandrist who wrote the SCUM (Society For Cutting Up Men) manifesto and shot Warhol in The Factory because he turned down her screenplay. Harron saw in Solanas a compelling individual who - much like the techniques used in Swift’s A Modest Proposal - used her manifesto to kill men off satirically. I asked her what drew her to the character and with a shrug she replies “You can only do what interests you. I’m not a particularly unhappy person but I like people who are not obviously ‘good’”, adding that she specifically likes “female characters who are bad

in some ways and that have a lot of different passions.” After completing I Shot Andy Warhol her next film was an adaptation of Bret Easton-Ellis’ American Psycho. The film pushes the genre to its limits and lurches from extreme violence to social commentary. The mix of humour and horror (the deranged pro-

“ I find young people are

quite earnest and politically engaged, I think my generation was probably more hedonistic

”

tagonist Patrick Bateman’s favourite weapon is a nail gun) is both hilarious and unsettling. Even Easton-Ellis, notoriously difficult to work with, was impressed, tweeting in 2012 “Just caught some of Mary Harron’s American Psycho and was surprised how good it is. I’d been lightly dissing it but

I’m wrong.” Part of the reasons for its success is how well it tapped into our generation’s psyche by satirising commercialism and utilising the obsession with pop-culture it mocks. When Patrick Bateman is instructing the two prostitutes he has hired to undress, he monologues about the highs and lows of Phil Collins’ solo career. It’s simultaneously unnerving and ludicrous and even over a decade after the film’s release, our selfie-generation can relate to Bateman’s timeless narcissism. Harron wryly tells me that Bateman’s stainless steel kitchen (purposefully designed to look like a morgue) has been copied by Kanye West in two of his music videos. However she is unwilling to dismiss our generation’s self-obsession: “We are human beings and we are always vain. It’s funny because I have two teenage daughters and, yes, they do a lot of this” [here she mimes taking a selfie] “but I find young people are quite earnest and politically engaged, I think my generation was probably more hedonistic.” Following American Psycho, she directed The Moth Diaries, a horror set in a boarding school and then television with acclaimed dramas including, The L-Word and Six Feet Under. As a female director - something which is frustratingly still an anomaly in Hollywood - she has to be flexible. When she started out she says “I never thought I could direct films

BETH LAMBERT ST ANNE’S COLLEGE ever, because there weren’t any female directors. It seemed extraordinarily ambitious.” A report released last year proved that women directed only 5 per cent of the top 2,000 US box office hits in the past 20 years. I ask her, as every journalist must ask her, what it is like to be working in this male dominated world. Her view is that “The biggest problem is a lot of unconscious prejudice. For executives and people financing movies they have an idea of what they’re comfortable with and it’s a guy - the idea of a strong confident male director in a chair. Hollywood and the film industry runs on fear and paranoia and anxiety. Everyone’s afraid of losing money or losing their job so they go for the person or the image of the person who makes them feel safe.” When I ask her if she sees this changing she is doubtful: “Not any time soon. There may be a little more carefulness but that kind of change would be very slow and incremental. It will take a lot of pushing and gradually undermining it.” Luckily the advice she gives young filmmakers, especially women, goes back to the idealism evident in her rose-tinted-spectacles view of Oxford and her impulsive move to New York: “In my life I have fallen into things randomly. Sometimes in life you have to put yourself in the position of having things happen to you.” Sounds like the perfect antidote to boredom.

30th April 2015

Screen 7

Avengers: Age of Ultron

illains are not Marvel’s strong point. With the exception of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, they have all been uncharismatic and forgettable. The trailers for Age of Ultron promised a bad guy who would change all that. A genuine threat who spouted lines from Disney’s Pinocchio with a menacing drawl. In truth, James Spader’s Ultron isn’t that villain. He is ruthless, but he has a bizarre comic streak which for some might compromise his potential to threaten. It is not that Spader is bad, indeed his ability to deliver comedy in his unique, spinetingling voice serves him very well; he just isn’t the ultimate antagonist we might have hoped for. Age of Ultron as a whole plays out in the same way: it isn’t a bad film, but we were expecting so much more. Age of Ultron doesn’t hang around. It opens with a rapid, cartoonish action sequence, showcasing all of the characters from the first film, and the pace hardly slows until the final frame. Ultron’s creation is quick, maybe too quick. Rather than a gradual development of evil, as we normally see, his arrival is heralded with instant destruction. Ultron is a peace-keeping robot, designed to take over from the Avengers in keeping the world safe. Unfortunately for the Avengers, their violent pasts make them prime targets – Tony Stark was an arms dealer, Steve Rogers a soldier. As soon as Ultron’s rampage begins, we are whisked off on a breathless sequence of action

set-pieces, with only the tightest breathing space to get to grips with the plot and to feel the characters grow. But where director Joss Whedon excels is the subtleties. He teases out nuances of characters that could be boiled down to one adjective with ease, and the chemistry between the team has never been better. Robert Downey Jr. is on fine form as the cocky Tony Stark, as he always is, but Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/ Hulk) also shines as the most tormented member of the team. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) no longer feels like he is there just because of his muscly arms, and he is the anchor of a lot of the film’s humour. Perhaps Whedon’s greatest success is finding a way to make Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye an entertaining character. Hawkeye always felt like an outsider in the first Avengers film, but here he is not just part of the team, he is an important, witty and, vitally, human part. This is a film that is filled to bursting point, not just with characters but with plot and foreshadowing. Although Downey and Ruffalo dominate, some of the supporting performances are equally worthy of note. Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson join the cast as the damaged, self-reliant twins Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, while Andy Serkis catches the eye with a brash and aggressive appearance. Whedon manages his characters well, and no

COUNTDOWN

one feels like they are underused, or indeed overused. It would be nice to say that Age of Ultron does something we haven’t seen before, but the truth is it doesn’t. The team is united, only to be torn apart by a witty enemy, and they must pull together for a spectacular final battle. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It feels like everyone just wants to get it out of the way, so that we can get to the next, bigger film. As a result, bits and pieces feel rushed. You can tell which parts were given the chop when the first three-anda-half hour version was cut to the manageable two hours and twenty minutes. There is also a heavy reliance on elements of the franchise not in the mainstream: aspects of the TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. come into play, and the beginning centres around a trio of characters only introduced in one of the post-credits scenes of a previous instalment. That said, Age of Ultron remains a lot of fun. It isn’t the breath of fresh air that was Iron Man or the leap into the unknown of Guardians of the Galaxy, but it is a solid action spectacle. It is arguably too jocular, as we sometimes lose the sense of peril in the sheer volume of one-liners and quick-fire exchanges, but this helps to add a levity that distinguishes the Marvel films from the embryonic DC movie universe. Age of Ultron is neither an unequivocal triumph nor a disaster; it’s no masterpiece, but it’s a pleasing way to spend a spare two

Coyote Ugly (2000) The sex scene in Coyote Ugly is surprisingly awkward for a film which is nearly two hours of nearly naked women being groped by crowds of drunk men in a dive bar. I can’t tell if its the foreplay in amongst the cardboard cut outs of Hollywood celebs, the close up shots of hands trailing down flesh like a shopping channel advert or the constantly erect nipples which makes me cringe the most. The awkward post-coital piano jam is truly not one to be missed.

Fanpop

Gigli (2003) Jennifer Lopez plays an attractive lesbian who, on meeting a tattooed and tank-topped Ben Affleck, immediately sees the error of her ways – I mean every girl wants dick really, right? However the stand out moment is when Lopez, splayed on the bed, tells Affleck huskily ‘It’s turkey time’. When an understandably bewildered Affleck asks ‘What?’, she only replies ‘Gobble gobble’. Never has cunnilingus been less inviting.

Columbia/Everett

Showgirls (1995) While Showgirls is unanimously recognized as a truly terrible film, its unlikely endurance in popular culture is due solely to the ridiculousness of this sex scene. The whole thing just seems like a teenage boy’s wet dream, from the disco-lit pool and the perma-tanned hairless bodies, to the implausible underwater blowjob. However, it is the climax of the sex scene as Elizabeth Berkley thrashes around as if she has stuck a knife in a toaster, while Kyle MacLachlan holds on for dear life, which truly sets this film apart.

Ronald Grant Archive

Marvel

MEGAN ERWIN CORPUS CHRISTI

TOP THREE WORST SEX SCENES IN FILM

THOMAS BANNATYNE ST HILDA’S COLLEGE

lus Sized Wars seems almost preternaturally topical. This exploration of the plus sized fashion industry aired in a week where social media has been dominated by controversy over Jamelia’s remarks on Loose Women. According to Jamelia plus sized clothes shouldn’t be available in high street stores because they help ‘facilitate an unhealthy lifestyle’. Predictably, she has received a massive backlash, with the hashtag ‘WeAreTheThey’ trending on social media from (in the words of the Daily Mail) “curvy fashionistas”. While Plus Sized Wars itself was distinctly lacking any sort of onscreen militancy (it was mostly just plus sized girls trying on new clothes), it is certainly part of a wider battle of Body Confidence vs. Unhealthy Obesity. The makers of Plus Sized Wars seem to be very much in the party of the former. The documentary opens with rallying cry ‘Move over size 0 – the world is changing!’. Cue

an extremely camp guy cooing at a group of larger ladies ‘Oh my god, you all look amazing!’ And this is my main problem with Plus Sized Wars. The arguments for and against body positivity – even if this means celebrating a lifestyle and bodyshape that could mean serious health risks – are interesting, precisely because I think, like all the best Big Questions, they don’t have a defini-

woman with a following of 40,000 on Instagram said she had received a severe backlash online after posting pictures of her trying to lose weight at the gym. Many of her faithful followers felt ‘betrayed’, that her bodyconfidence had been a sham and she was abandoning her ‘fat and fabulous’ friends and followers. Although the whole basis of the show was really about challenging

tive answer. Plus Sized Wars, however, fails to really engage with them. There was a hint at the dark side of social media networks for plus sized women from one of the models interviewed. While many have cited the life-changing impact an online community of confident, beautiful larger women can have on those feeling insecure, one such inspirational

traditional conceptions of beauty, I was also struck by how the staff at plus-sized clothes companies were surprisingly defensive on the subject of whether plus sized is beautiful. The founder of Yours, when asked whether size 24 Tess Holliday who was modelling for his new campaign is sexy, only mumbled “It’s not my place to say”. One of the agents at MiLK

PLUS SIZED WARS

modelling agency, who signed Tess in the course of the programme, looked visibly uncomfortable when asked ‘are you normalising obesity?’, before saying ‘some people just really struggle with their weight… I know she goes to the gym…. I’m not a doctor, it’s not my place to say.’ This was the overwhelming response of industry insiders: it’s not my place to say. While I entered Channel 4OD expecting some kind of female sumowrestling (Plus Size Wars really is incredibly false advertising), I surprisingly came out feeling slightly wiser as to the cynicism behind marketability of ‘Body Confidence’. While many of the plus sized women in the show were saying how incredible it was that the high street was changing to accommodate larger women, I couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that - once again - the only real winners here were the fashion companies, taking advantage of womens insecurities for profit as usual.

8 Fashion

30th April 2015

Fashion 9

5 Shades of Politics Model: Beth Kume-Holland

Balltenati

Photographer: Anna Bellettato Editing:Sakura Tom Reynolds Photographer: Xiaomei | Models: Rosalind Brody, Lucy Thraves & Reâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;em Styling:Charlotte Lanning Moskovitz | Concept & Styling: Augustine Cerf & Demie Kim

Iona Caseby

2 General Election

30th April 2015

Meeting your candidates oxford east Your labour candidate: Andrew Smith

nequality is the worst thing about Britain today, Andrew Smith says. He is quick to point out that food bank use has increased from 41,000 annual visits under the last government to over one million in 2014, and criticises the “economic recovery” seen under the Tories that has seen “tax cuts for millionaires” at the same time as “hundreds of thousands of people cannot afford food”. A former student of St John’s College, Smith has represented Oxford East since 1987, when he took the seat from the Conservatives in a victory which, according to The Guardian’s Michael Tempest “heralded the start of Labour’s comeback among the southern working-class voters which had been lost to them in the Thatcher years”. He also served on Oxford City Council between 1976 and 1987, and became Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in 2002.

Labour Party

nn Duncan wastes no time in criticising the mainstream Westminster parties, or “politics as usual” as she describes it. Whether they are “under selling public assets”, allowing “creeping privatisation of the NHS”, the Conservatives, Labour, and Liberal Democrats are not deserving of your vote, Duncan says. A former student of Newnham College, Cambridge, Duncan has been involved in green activism for many years. Active in Cambridge University Friends of the Earth during her undergraduate years (1973 to 1976), Duncan helped convince Cambridge Council to adopt greener policies. She also completed a one-year postgraduate course at St Catherine’s College, Oxford, in the early 1980s, and joined the Green Party when she moved back to Oxford in 2009. She jumped into local politics, standing for the Green Party at multiple elections between 2010 and 2013. The Green Party will do a great deal for students and young people, she says. Scrapping tuition fees and cancelling student debt are two of the most eyecatching policies, but Duncan also insists

Smith tells me that the most pressing local issue in Oxford East is housing. “Oxford is now the least affordable city in the country for housing”, he says, “many residents – including of course students – are being ripped off, and I am very pleased that Labour’s housing review has recognised Oxford as one of the cities that should have the ‘Right to Grow.” On the topic of students and young people, Smith reiterates Ed Miliband’s policy to cut tuition fees to a third by September 2016, as a “first step toward a fair system of student finding”. “I signed the NUS’ pledge to vote against any rise in tuition and have kept it, unlike Nick Clegg who spoke to students in Oxford two weeks before the last General Election, promising to scrap tuition fees altogether.” Discussing the hot-button issue across university campuses, Smith

describes freedom of speech as “extremely important, in an academic or in any other context”, though he does not see freedom of speech as under threat here in Oxford. “A University should remain a place where all kinds of arguments can be heard, and if some wish to protest against those arguments that is also an exercise of freedom of speech.” As has been widely commented upon, this election is not like others. With no party predicted to gain an overall majority on 7th May, national attention has turned to the potential coalition-arrangements, with the Liberal Democrats, SNP, UKIP, and DUP all considered potential coalition partners. Andrew Smith does not think there should be any deals with the SNP, and supports Ed Miliband’s claim that the only way to ensure a Labour government is to vote for one.

Your green candidate: Ann Duncan that the Greens’ plan to invest massively in green infrastructure will create roughly 1 million jobs, many of which will go to young people. Duncan also wishes to scrap zero-hour contracts. These are policies are not, she is quick to point out, “pie-in-the-sky policies”, but are in fact part of the party’s “fullycosted manifesto”, which aims to fund these pledges through a more progressive tax system, including a Robin Hood Tax, and a large investment in HMRC to clampdown on tax avoidance. Echoing the themes of numerous Oxford East candidates, Duncan believes Oxford is in the midst of “housing crisis”, which has been made considerably worse by the Labour-run Council, which has torn down areas of affordable housing to make way for the new Westgate shopping development. “We don’t need more shops,” Duncan tells me, “we need more houses”. When asked about a controversial local issue – the recent proposal to knock a floor from the top of the University’s Castle Mill accommodation, supported at the time by the Oxfordshire Green Party – Duncan is undecided. “In an

ideal world,” she tells me, “the construction on Port Meadow wouldn’t have happened”. She also believes that the costs attached to the renovation were “hugely exaggerated”. On the question of Castle Mill renovation however, which last term prompted student protest before being roundly rejected at the University’s Congregation, Duncan declined to give a firm position. Much attention has been given this election to the ‘spoiler effect’ – namely, the risk that by opting for a small party, students may allow an unwanted large party in office. On this, Duncan is clear – a vote for the Greens is not the same as a vote for the Tories, and she points out that, with no Conservative elected in Oxford East since 1983, there is little risk in voting Green. Duncan has a number of other strong views. On the NHS, she condemns the “creeping privatisation” allowed by the three mainstream Westminster parties, and describing the Greens as the only party committed to a fully public NHS. On Iraq, she blames the rise of Isis to the “power vacuum” left by the failed Anglo-American invasion.

Ann Duncan

General Election 3

30th April 2015

ukip Ian MacDonald

liberal democrat

Alasdair Murray

Liberal Democrats

iberal Democrats have not enjoyed an easy relationship with students over the last five years. And indeed, during our interview Murray is quick to mention the £9,000 “elephant in the room”. He did not support the national party’s objection to tuition fee rises in its 2010 manifesto, and boldly describes himself as “happy to defend” the coalition’s decision to triple student fees. Nick Clegg’s original promise was an “unsustainable, naïve, mistake”, with the new system in fact proving highly progressive, with participation rates at an “all-time high”. Ed Miliband’s headline-grabbing promise to cut tuition fees to £6,000 is an expensive idea, Murray says, and will only help the richest of students. Hoping the Lib Dems can “regain the trust” of student voters, Murray notes that the junior coalition parties have implemented “a lot of good things”, naming the pupil premium and a lower income tax threshold as key examples. Beyond fees, one of Murray’s primary concerns in Parliament would be mental health provision. Echoing the sentiment of the national party’s manifesto launched last month, Murray wants funding parity for mental health treatment, pointing out that students are particularly affected by this issue. During his undergraduate role as a Welfare Officer in Christ Church College, Murray received no specific mental health training, and hopes this situation has now improved, mentioning Mind Your Head as an excellent example of student support. Murray would also be keen to address Oxford’s housing “crisis” if elected MP. “It has been suggested that students are the problem in this city”, Murray says firmly, “that is categorically wrong – students are central to this city”. Though reluctant to provide a strongly worded answer on what has proved a divisive issue, Murray concludes it was “probably right” for the University to vote against Castle Mill renovation earlier this year. “There is a whole generation whose housing options are non-existent,” he adds in a clear appeal to young voters, “and quite simply, we need to get building

UKIP

in Oxford”. Our conversation eventually turns to the question being asked of Liberal Democrats across the country: who would you rather your party went into coalition with? “That’s not relevant,” Murray quickly replies, “I wouldn’t have any say over the decision”. But surely it could provide undecided student voters with an idea of your ideological leanings? He remains unconvinced, declining to provide the name of his preferred party, and merely emphasising his hope that Clegg “acts pragmatically”. Murray is much clearer when we discuss the hot-button issue on university campuses across the country: freedom of speech. “Excluding the incitement of racial hatred,” Murray insists, “freedom of speech is sacrosanct”. He goes on to condemn the silencing of opinion on campus, praising Nick Clegg for destroying Theresa May’s proposed campus ban on “extremist” speakers earlier this year. Murray also voices support for the national party’s commitment to a first-amendment style charter for freedom of expression, a move the party claims would protect British journalists from state interference. Whilst the idea of yet another Oxbridge PPE student working in Parliament may not appeal to some, Murray seems to genuinely care about core Liberal Democrat policies, with his passion for mental health provision clear to see. His insistent defence of his party’s £9,000 tuition fee policy is unlikely to make him many friends in Oxford East’s student-heavy constituency, and appears to be based on a slightly false premise: he praises the Lib Dem contribution to the policy, warning that the Tories wouldn’t have put any sort of cap on fees, though he omits to mention that without a parliamentary majority the Tories could not have unilaterally implemented such a policy even if they had wanted to. Nevertheless, his firm support for an unfashionable and potentially electorally dangerous position is admirable for its courage, and could well win Murray some support.

Pablo Fernandez

hat is the most pressing issue in Oxford East currently, and how will you address it? Big issues like the NHS, immigration and the economy are just as important to people in Oxford as they are to people from anywhere else in the country. But Oxford is particularly badly affected by government policies on housing and homelessness. UKIP would create a national brown field site map and subsidise the decontamination of brown field sites with the aim of building 1 million new homes on brownfield sites by 2025. We’d create a National Homeless Register to make it easier for homeless people to claim welfare entitlements and access health and support services. We’d also address the demand side of the equation, tackling immigration. This is vital because we currently would have to build a house every seven minutes to meet demand – no matter how many new homes the other parties promise, if they fail to address the demand side, the housing crisis will continue. Our housing policy was very highly praised by the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors, demonstrating that only UKIP have real, credible solutions to the housing crisis. What can UKIP do for students and young people? We would scrap tuition fees for students studying courses in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine. We would also enable students to opt for an apprenticeship in the place of four non-core GCSEs and tackle the idea that you have to be academic to be successful. In addition to this, policies such as scrapping income tax on the minimum wage and ensuring under 25s will still be eligible for housing benefit, will also benefit young people. Do you think the national media gives a fair representation to UKIP? Absolutely not. Despite an OfCom ruling that UKIP are now a major party and should receive the same air time as the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labour in the election period, Nigel Farage has not been invited to participate in the BBC Question Time leaders special, apparently some bloke called Nick Clegg has…? All mass organisations have people who

hold unpleasant views. I do think that when politicians say repugnant things the public has a right to know. It also helps us as a party identify and weed out unsuitable people who managed to slop through the net. And yet when Labour or Conservative politicians say outrageous things, they barely even make local newspapers, let alone the front pages of national newspapers. If you think UKIP have a monopoly on people who sometimes make stupid comments I’d suggest checking out a group called ‘Nope, Not Hope’ who demonstrate that while UKIP expels such people, the other parties more often than not fail to take action. What do you say do Oxford’s ethnic minority student who think that UKIP is racist? Firstly I’d challenge the assumption in the question. Most of those who seek to portray us as racist are not part of ethnic minority groups and are usually middle class and white. From doorsteps and campaign stalls across Oxford East we know that many people, particularly those born outside the EU, agree with us that our current immigration system is unfair. We would prefer a system that does not discriminate against a highly skilled Indian doctor in favour of someone from France on the grounds of nationality. Our proposed Australian style points based system would be completely blind to race, religion, ethnicity and country of birth. That message is resonating with ethnic minorities (and the population as a whole) despite what our opponents would have you believe. Do you think freedom of speech is under threat in Oxford, and in other universities? Yes. I think no-platforming enables people to be portrayed as victims of censorship. Debate exposes them for who they really are and challenges people who might otherwise be persuaded by their views. I didn’t go to university to only hear views I agreed with, I went to challenge and be challenged. Students are mature enough to debate tricky topics or avoid such discussions altogether if they prefer, but we should not stop anyone from speaking, whatever their views, it’s counterproductive.

4 General Election

30th April 2015

Your OFFICIAL MONSTER RAVING LOONY PARTY candidate: Mad Hatter

Mad Hatter Tours

he Mad Hatter, or ‘Alasdair’ as he is more formally known, has no deficiency of whacky policies. Like every Monster Raving Loony candidate before him, he is determined to satirise British politics through an array of ridiculous proposals. A big fan of our dear OUSU President, the Mad Hatter admires Louis Trup’s plan to construct a student monorail around Oxford. Asked whether he thinks he can win as a joke candidate, like his idol Trup did, the Mad Hatter is not particularly confident of his chances. In fact, the Monster Raving Loonies are reported to have a rule stating that if any candidate ever wins parliamentary office they are instantly rejected from the party. Whilst no party members has ever suffered this misfortune – indeed, the party has never retained a parliamentary deposit – they have certainly made their mark. In last year’s Rochesterand-Strood by-election, the Liberal Democrat candidate only won 198 more votes than the Loony candidate. And in 1990, the party’s former leader Screaming Lord Sutch effectively ended the parliamentary life of the SDP when he beat them by 263 votes in the Bootle by-election.

A well-known Oxford tour guide in his day-to-day life, The Mad Hatter arrives at our interview dressed in full Mad Hatter attire. Aggrieved with Oxford’s lack of recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, he intends to grant Oxford’s Visitor Centre the exclusive licence to sell and explain the rules of Oxford Monopoly, a policy that will “eternally preserve Oxford’s unhampered business-as-usual approach to marketing and selling”. He also wishes to give local residents the right to redesign their building’s rooftop in a tea pot. On social welfare, he wants to replace pension credits with rich tea biscuits, and he wishes to boost youth and community involvement by encouraging first time offenders to attend free gourmet tasting and flower arrangement classes at the local Royal Women’s Institute. He also wishes to address the “controversial and complex” issue of immigration by legally requiring all of Oxford’s adult residents to “marry a foreigner” before the end of the year. As is strangely often the case with the Monster Raving Loony Party, several of the Mad Hatter’s policies do not sound particularly absurd. In an attempt to address Oxford’s

“sub-standard” student housing, he wishes to convert the Bicester Shopping Village into student housing, and enforce rent controls on private landlords and estate agents. Perhaps not a politically water-tight policy, but certainly not a ‘loony’ one. Indeed, several Monster Raving Loony policies have in the past been adopted in policy, including all-day pub openings and passports for pets. The Party’s latest issue is not its lack of seriousness it seems, but electoral competition; the Party has for many years complained of UKIP ‘stealing’ its votes. When asked whether he thinks Ian McDonald, Oxford East’s UKIP candidate, could harm his core support, The Mad Hatter signals agreement, mentioning David Cameron’s description of Nigel Farage’s party as “fruitcakes”. As The Mad Hatter leaves our interview in central Oxford, still wearing his full costume, the description of “sad clowns” given to the party by Anoosh Chakelian in The New Statesman seems wholly inaccurate – the candidate seems like a genuinely fun-loving and energetic entertainer, determined to find all the comedy he can in British politics.

Anataman

Your Socialist party of Great Britain candidate: Kevin Parkin

hat would the Socialist Party of Great Britain do for students and young people? We are not proposing to do anything for anybody! We are not running the sort of campaign, where parties say “Vote for us and we promise to do this or that for you”. If people want things to change they must do it for themselves, not by relying on vote-catching politicians. We’re campaigning for socialism only. In a socialist society education will, like everything else, be free, and it won’t be aimed at raising earning power as it essentially is today. What are the main differences between your party and Ed Miliband’s Labour Party? We stand for the common ownership and democratic control of productive resources so that there can be production directly to meet people’s needs and not for the mar-

ket and a profit. The Labour Party aspires only to running capitalism as it is. But surely nobody thinks any more that the Labour Party is socialist, do they? What is the worst thing about Britain today, and how would your party address it? As with all other countries, it’s that there’s capitalism, where there is ownership by the few and production for profit not for people’s needs. This can only be addressed by people everywhere themselves taking democratic action to end capitalism and replace it with a world without frontiers where the Earth’s resources will no longer be owned and controlled by corporations, states and rich individuals but simply be there to be used, under democratic control, for the benefit of all the people of the world. What is the most pressing local issue in Oxford East, and how

would you address it? For most people, the same as everywhere else: money worries. This can only be addressed by people ending capitalism, where most people’s access to goods and services is restricted by the size of their pay cheque or by some meagre State hand-out, and replacing it by socialism where everybody will have free access to what they need in accordance with the principle “from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs”. Do you think freedom of speech is under threat in Oxford, and in other universities? Yes, I’m afraid it is, both from the government wanting to ban Islamist preachers from campuses and from political activists who want to “no platform” selected groups. We say that the way to counter obnoxious views is not this, but to confront them robustly in open debate.

General Election 5

30th April 2015

oxford west conservative candidate: Nicola Blackwood

ow has the campaign been going so far? In this constituency, every vote counts. I won this seat in 2010 with a majority of just 176, and it has been an honour and a privilege to represent Oxford West & Abigndon, my home. I’ve been overwhelmed by the scale of support we have seen throughout the campaign, whether it’s activists coming out in all weathers to canvass, deliver

leaflets or people who want to plaster their homes in posters! We’ve literally had hundreds of people giving up time to take part in the local campaign over the last few months. Only a small proportion of these are what you might consider ‘traditional Conservative Party members’. What would you be able to offer Oxford W&A that other candidates can’t?

Conservative Party

Lucy Hill

I am a truly local MP, I have lived in Oxford for decades and many of my happiest memories take place here. I don’t need to be convinced of the importance of protecting the character and integrity of our area. My record over the past five years as your MP proves I listen closely to local concerns and work hard to give a voice to the voiceless, bring investment to our area and help our economy to recover. What do you think are currently the biggest issues faced by students within Oxford? I’ve found that, looking forwards, students want to know they can get a good job and make a good life for themselves. I am proud to say that youth unemployment has fallen by 76% in this constituency, and I know that local people don’t want to see that put at risk following this election. Students are also disproportionately affected by the sky high housing prices in Oxford City. We have a chronically under building in the UK - it’s not down to one Government or Party or policy but it must now be addressed immediately. How would you respond to people of your constituency who feel that the way you have previously voted within Parliament is not representative of their beliefs?

When I am voting in Parliament I always take account of the views of my constituents. I grew up in this constituency, it is my home, and so I have a shared understanding of many of the issues facing local people including the changing face of our area. Of course there are many occasions when many constituents contact me on an issue but have completely opposing views and it is the challenge of representation to find a way to take very different perspectives and experiences into account when voting and representing residents. I have always taken my responsibility as your champion with the utmost seriousness; listening carefully to all views and considering each side of the argument before deciding how to vote. What can your party offer students? As well as a sustainable higher education system and access to good jobs, young people want to know that the Government has a strong economic plan and that it is delivering fairness in the tax system and ensuring our key public services are protected. Trying to govern with a large deficit is like trying to govern with one hand tied behind your back. No Government can promise to protect its public services if it is spending more on debt interest than education and has no plan to fix the problem.

Your labour candidate: Sally Copley

ince her role as OUSU VP for Women in the 1990s, Sally has gone on to work for a number of charities and in a number of campaigns, before the tables turned this spring. “It’s interesting, being lobbied by the people. I’ve always been on the other side of it”. Why the change in place? “I’m running because I’m a normal working mum”, she says proudly, “I want to see more mums in Parliament.” As a mother living and working in the city, Sally is aware of pressing issues that are affecting the quotidian lives of people here, such as traffic congestion and the current housing crisis. “We’re an incredibly unaffordable city – which every student knows. The average rent here has gone up by an extraordinary amount, and it affects people of all ages and groups. When I meet people canvassing, I hear the personal side of that – people who live in Oxford, whose adult children can’t live here now.” She tells me that she’s most regularly emailed about two things in particular – tax dodging and the NHS. We don’t dwell long on the former, but Sally has very clear opinions on the health service. “It won’t survive another five years of a Conservative government,” she states in a matter-of-fact manner, before jokingly

adding “That’s as far as I’ll go slagging off another party!” Following a serious chat about the issues faced by the service in regards to cuts, Sally sums up how she feels Labour fits into the discussion: “We created the NHS, and we’ll be the ones to save it.” It’s obvious that Sally is drawing on her previous experience as a campaigner in her approach to politics, and her successes so far – including a minimum wage established for apprentices and a health and pregnancy grant for young mums. “Being an MP, I’d want to be someone who listens to things and takes them on board. I’m really proud of the work that I’ve done. I’d want to continue it, without a question.” Aside from wider problems such as climate change, Sally is also keen to do more for the immediate, more notably the young people not just in her constituency, but also the country. “I’m really acutely aware that they will leave university with an extraordinary amount of debt.” Labour’s planned drop of tuition fees is no secret, but this doesn’t quite resonate with Sally’s own opinions. “Personally, I would like to see no tuition fees.” Sally mentions that Labour plan to raise the quality of health and social care,

aiming to find the best way to tackle the rise of mental health problems. She turns to her ‘Big Red Binder’, a couple hundred page book outlining all the party’s policies. “I remember the stress and the feeling when I was a student here, being anxious all the time. We still have too much stigma around mental health. We need to create a culture where people feel they can talk to each other.”

Sally Copley

With the rise of the Milifandom, it’s clear that Labour are appealing to young people. “Ed Miliband gets a lot of flack, but what he’s saying is bang on the money. He’s standing up for the right people”, Sally argues. “I think we’ve got the right offer of everything. The manifesto is costed, so it’s realistic. We’ve got the message about inequality, climate change, living costs, etc.”

6 General Election

30th April 2015

socialist party of great britain: Mike Foster

ow’s the campaign been going so far? The Socialist Party is standing two candidates in Oxford; we’ve attended many hustings events, which have given us the opportunity to voice an alternative to the status quo. I’ve been impressed by the interesting discussion raised, and how the organisers have allowed a fair hearing for both the candidates and the audience. We’re grateful to those who are sup-

porting the campaign, especially the Communist Corresponding Society discussion group. The campaign isn’t really about me as a candidate, it’s more about presenting a point of view. Personally, though, I’ve enjoyed the challenge so far. What would be be able to offer Oxford West and Abingdon? I’m not standing in this election to make promises about what I would do if I was elected. This is because

the role of an MP doesn’t really represent or work for the benefit of its constituents. The state, and the very way that our society is put together, can’t be made to work in the interests of the vast majority of people. MPs who start out with good intentions soon get stifled by cumbersome bureaucracy and made to follow vested interests or the dictates of the elite. MPs who don’t start out with good intentions probably have an easier job. If you vote for the Socialist Party, you wouldn’t be voting to put me in that position, thankfully. Instead, you’d be making the point that the whole system which we live under has to be replaced. What do you think are currently the biggest issues faced by students within Oxford? Economic forces have always shaped universities, but the last twenty years have seen an increasing marketisation of higher education. The cost of paying tuition fees and student loans prevents many people from going to university, while those who do become students end up thousands of pounds in debt. So, financial concerns must be one of the biggest issues faced by students, and were prominent in the Oxford University Student Un-

ion General Election Manifesto. The state can no longer afford to subsidise education as much as before, so there is limited scope for any increases to funding. Parties campaigning for change within the system have to ensure that any reforms fit in with what the economy allows. The Socialist Party argues that the system itself doesn’t work in the interests of the vast majority of us. This is because society’s infrastructure is owned and managed by an elite. So, we have to buy what we need and want from them, and what we get depends on how much money we have. If society was owned and run by the community as a whole, then we could have free access to education, and all other services and goods. On the party’s socialism: For us, socialism means a society where resources, industries and services are owned and managed not by corporations or states, but by the whole community. This would involve converting or replacing existing organisations to make them democratically run. Instead of being employed, we would work co-operatively and voluntarily directly to benefit the community, without the waste and financial interests of our current system.

Your Green Candidate: Larry Sanders

s a member of a smaller party, life isn’t the easiest when it comes to election season. This, however, doesn’t seem to be prohibiting local support for the Greens. “There’s a lot of receptivity to our ideas.” The famous ‘Green Surge’ has certainly been kind to Oxford, with record increases taking the party by storm. Whatever the outcome of the election, Larry is happy to have made some sort of impact: “We’re leaving behind local Green Parties; the first two are quite well established now.” We soon get into a pretty intense discussion on housing, and the current problems for would-be-home owners, young people whom, Larry tells me, have joined the Greens in a “disproportionate number”. “It’s people that are really seeing that they’ll never be able to afford a house”, Larry reasons, “They’re in precarious, low paid jobs. In my mind, those things are ailments of what’s going drastically wrong in this country.” Arguably, one of the Green Party’s most divisive policies is their plan to end austerity cuts. “Austerity is a stupid idea.” Larry states bluntly. “It doesn’t work.” Indeed, he seems to dispute the notion that the deficit, a topic at the forefront of the leader debates so far, is actually a big deal. “This ‘huge debt’ is not huge by historic measures at all. There has never been a depression in history which didn’t eventually emerge. ” Here, he calls

extensively on Simon Wren-Lewis’ article, ‘The Austerity Con’, and urges students to “have a look at the intellectual material” before they blindly agree with politicians. Whilst talking about student issues, tuition fees inevitably come up. “Party policy is to do away with fees”, Larry reacts, “education is a good thing and fees just don’t encourage it.” He’s definitely aware of the impact that student loan debts will have upon the majority of us in the next few years: “If you turn up to buy a house, the mortgage lender’s going to have to look at the fact that you have a £50,000 debt.” The future employment prospects of students here also worry Larry. “It’s harder for people to choose careers that are closer to their hearts. A larger number of people have opted for lesser paid jobs because they find them more satisfying for their own personal reasons.” “There’s a clear distinction between going into the financial services and artistic endeavours – because the bonuses of the former are better.” As such, the Green Party move away from emphasis on individual wealth and their general policies have been dubbed a “peaceful political revolution” by leader Natalie Bennett. I ask Larry if he feels this describes the party’s aims, and am somewhat taken aback by how casually he responds “My little brother, who’s just about to run for President of the United

States, uses that phrase”. However, Larry feels that this description is accurate. “We’ve gone in a direction of domination towards inequality. If the changes we need are so massive its not wrong to call it a revolution.” I ask him how he feels about the notion that the Greens are too ideology heavy. He responds quickly, firmly stating that “We have practical policies – housing, the £10 an hour Living Wage. There is an ideology behind it”, he concedes, “but if it means we’re impractical and dominated by ideas and not trying to impact the real world,

Green Party

then I think it’s a mistake”. Is it this which attracts so many young people to the party’s politics? “I think times are changing, but I think that younger people are facing the harder end of this. At the beginning there’s much more insecurity, and you can see that there’s so much that can go wrong in your life. You can see that there are some parties and policies that would make it easier”, Larry contemplates, not directly tarring the Greens with that brush, but definitely leaving it unsaid.

Adam Scotti

General Election 7

30th April 2015

NHA PARTY

liberal democrat

Layla Moran Helen Salisbury

t’s a busy life for a candidate fighting for a marginal seat – Layla Moran, physics teacher and Liberal Democrat, knows this better than anyone at the moment. Our meeting place demonstrates this, as we grab a half hour over her pub lunch. “The campaign is going amazing!”, she gushes, proud of the fact that Oxford West and Abingdon currently boasts the country’s highest Lib Dem membership. Even on the way to meet Layla, this support was evident in the multiple signs in front gardens blazoning her name in support. “It’s one thing to be supportive; its another thing to be supportive in neon yellow!” she laughs, “I think it shows the strength of community support we have, its wonderful”. The importance of the Oxford West seat is definitely at the forefront of the party’s consciousness right now, with Nick Clegg himself making an appearance in the area at the beginning of the campaign launch. “This is a centre left constituency.”, Layla declares adamantly, her face serious and intent. “The majority of people are not happy with Nicola Blackwood’s stance on equal marriage, they’re not happy that she’s helped by fox hunters to win her campaign, and they’re not happy that she voted against more information for women that wanted to have abortions.” Although these are issues that often divide opinion, Layla makes it clear that she does not agree with any of these practices, and she hopes that the electorate agrees. “It’s down to me or Nicola, who’s going to represent you and your views better”, she asserts, making it obvious that she feels she is the candidate able to do that. “I personally feel that as an MP here my personal values will chime much better with people”, she asserts. Layla is keen to distance herself from the other leg of the coalition government. “It has been incredibly uncomfortable being with the Conservatives, and that’s an understatement of a word.” Despite this, Layla values the input of her party over the last few years. “It would have been much worse without us”, she states simply. As such, she is trepidatious about the prospect of May 7th birthing a Tory government, noting with sincerity that she is “very worried about what the Conservatives are saying”. We go on to discuss cuts to the education budget and a lack of investment in early years

NIL L

Layla Moran

education, both of which are policies that she vehemently opposes. This leads us on to a more topical discussion point, and one relevant to the vast majority of students – that of tuition fees. It’s Layla that brings this up, actually, introducing the topic with a bold “I’ll bring up the elephant in the room”. She does this, however, with an initial reference to her main perceived rival – “I would not have voted for that rise. That’s a key difference between me and Nicola – she did, and I did not.” Layla explains how she feels her party managed to avoid further damage, by their contribution to ensuring that the fees were capped at £9,000, rather than the unlimited upfront fees that some politicians were advocating. She’s also quick to point out that the second part of the pledge was a deal that universities charging the highest rates would have to improve their access programmes to “make a more progressive and fair system”. “Oxford has been doing an incredible job of doing that” she acknowledges. You get the feeling that this definitely isn’t the first time she’s felt obliged to defend the rise, referring to the party’s 2010 headline promises and pointing out that tuition fees were never up there with the greats. “I get how people feel that they were let down. I, frankly, felt a bit left down and I almost left my own party. But, there is a reason that I’m still a Liberal Democrat. We are a party that stands for human rights and equality, and we stopped the Tories from doing some incredibly dangerous things.” I ask Layla why she thinks left wing parties are attracting first time voters in droves. “I think young people are dreamers, in the best possible sense of the world. They want a world that is peaceful, and tolerant, and one where everyone has opportunity.” It’s clear that Layla feels her party would be able to offer this in a way that others could not. “It’s not enough to have lofty ideas, you have to deliver it. The problem we have with a lot of the left of politics – with Labour and the Greens – is that their plans are often undeliverable without huge amounts of borrowing, which affects the economy. I still believe we can achieve that world”, she hastens to add, “but it might take a slightly longer time, because we need to do it in a fiscally responsible way.”

Helen Salisbury

ormed as a direct result of the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, the NHA Party was formed with the NHS and its survival in mind. “This act brought about a radical change to the NHS”, Helen explained. “The party was formed by doctors, nurses, paramedics, because we could see what was going to happen due to the huge amount of competition was that encouraged within the health service.” It’s the party’s first General Election. “It’s very interesting so far”, Helen says with a genuine sincerity, “I’m finding lots of people who are interested in the main issues I want to talk about, which is health and the health service.” With such a dominant focus on the NHS, I asked Helen about the parties other policies; many people aren’t aware that there is a lot else. “We are unashamedly focused on the NHS”, Helen freely admits, “but we’re also interested in health in its wider contexts – poverty, housing, our environment, our food, transport, all of these things play into if we have healthy lives or not.” On the austerity debate, NHA has firmly put its policies into one side of the basket – “We’re an anti-austerity party”, Helen declares. “The austerity policies of the last government have been incredibly damaging for people’s both mental and physical health, and really quite punitive and horrible for the most vulnerable in our society.” I ask her what really separates her party from the Greens – it appears that the two have similar views on a lot of social issues. “They are probably our nearest party”, she admits, “but they’ve been around for 40 years and haven’t made much electoral headway yet. We’re not as focussed on the environment; the urgency is the health service”, she says, and looks genuinely concerned when she goes on to state “that is the thing that is crumbling as we speak, and we need to do something about it”. “Many people don’t realise the dangers that we’re in. The NHS is teetering on the brink. We may be about to lose one of the things that is most precious to us.” Helen’s dissatisfaction with the current state of the health service comes from the fact that “things are getting harder and harder and harder to do what you need for patients. Everywhere we look, the service is struggling and falling apart.” As a tutor at Oxford, Helen appears aware of some issues faced by students

on a regular basis, and concerns that they have which may well influence their voting decisions. “We want to get rid of tuition fees. It’s not clear that they’re helpful in raising income and cause a lot of grief for many students. That feeling of indebtedness is not pleasant.” Like many supporters of no-fees, Helen herself benefited from the old system by which higher education was free, but taxes were paid when working. “That seemed to work well”, she said, “I don’t see why we can’t go back to that”. However, Helen feels that the NHS and young people are more connected than the latter may realise. “A lot of young people are blissfully isolated from the inner problems of the health and social services, unless they have families which are involved or work within it.” Despite this bubblewrapping, a lot of young people are finding the coalition treatment of the NHS does affect them, Helen argues. “There was been a huge reduction in the availability of the mental health services, and that has hit a lot of students. The university here has a service of its own, but on the wider scale mental health services have really suffered in the last five years.” We discuss the issues that first time, young voters will experience under the new government. “For the winners – and I guess a lot of students here would count as winners – there’s a lot of worry about jobs and employment prospects and time spent as an intern. Even with a well paid job, will you afford anywhere to live?” Helen’s aware of the flip side of this too. “There are a lot of young people that haven’t succeeded in the traditional sense, who are stuck in badly paid zero hour contracts, and for who making any process in our society looks very hard and almost impossible.” “For some people the worries are about where they might live, but for other people it is a question of how they’re going to live – we’ve got a huge polarisation”, she summarises. I ask her what she would say to students who feel that the NHA is too NHS centric to be relatable. “It’s a really important issue”, she responds, “If we carry on in the direction we’re going, what we’ll have will be a shadow of what the NHS once was. It’s a chance to save and value it. It’s time to vote for what you value.” She smiles as she goes on to say “Unfortunately you will get old, and you will get ill, and you’re going to need the NHS.”

30th April 2015

10 Fashion

FASHION

“It’s the tie wot won it!”

• Flora Holmes explores the importance of image in politics

here is no denying that when deciding who to vote for on 7th May, the various politicians’ outward image may be a contributing factor to many peoples’ decisions. This is understandable: sometimes it’s easier to have an opinion on clothes than on policies. When you’re walking down the street and catch yourself admiring someone’s outfit, you often find yourself warming to the person as a whole, too. And the same goes for politicians. In this photo-obsessed age, we are bombarded daily by photos and videos of politicians vying for our votes, and on some level, trying to woo us with their carefully sculpted images. Public appearance can provide us with an interesting talking point to build upon core issues or can subconsciously sway where we place our vote, but if used in a negative way it can create a poisonous atmosphere to muddy political debate. It must be tricky; if David Cameron decides to put a suit on in the morning, he’ll appear to some as a politi-

Wikia

cian to be taken seriously, as someone who is capable of the tough job that is running the country, but others will be alienated – he doesn’t wear the type of clothes that they wear, and who can aﬀord to shop on Saville Row anyway?

“ used in a negative way,

appearance can create a poisonous atmosphere to muddy political debate

”

It doesn’t stop at clothes. Public image encompasses hair, body-shape, voice and charisma. It does matter to some extent, but how much should it? It’s hard to see anything wrong with a bit of light-hearted joking at the way Ed Miliband eats a bacon sandwich, or sharing admiration for the dress Nicola Sturgeon wore to the last leader’s debate, but sometimes public image can grow to overshadow the real issues that are at stake. Take

Nigel Farage, known by many as a ‘man of the people’ because of the way he repeatedly tells us that he’s the only honest politician and the way he’s rarely seen without a pint in his hand. This becomes a problem when it is the only thing that people know Farage for. Voters take in vague slogans often seen associated with UKIP rather than delving deeper into the party’s policies. The same is true of other parties; in a YouGov poll conducted by Buzzfeed last month, 41% of voters said that they thought Ed Miliband was either ‘very weird’ or ‘somewhat weird’. Miliband’s gaﬀs have been the source of much debate online in the past year. For some they are the main thing he’s known for, rather than the policies that Labour have been working so hard on. Discussing outfits in the press is an easy way to draw readers in, and image is something that (with a bit of descriptive language in an article) can be moulded and manipulated in such as way as to sway opinion one way or another. Nicola Sturgeon probably knows this all too well. Recently Sturgeon has been pictured on the front cover of the Sun photo-shopped onto a wrecking ball, Miley-style, complete with tartan crop-top and knickers. This is an example of image being used in a negative way, to damage the public’s opinion of a politician in a disrespectful and sexist manner. In the press Sturgeon’s preference of a skirt suit is often used as ammunition to fuel the severe, masculine

image they build up around her as a way to put oﬀ voters. The mere fact that a politician is female presents a journalist with a whole host of angles that they can spin – from the stern ‘too-masculine’ way that Sturgeon is portrayed, to the ‘doesn’t know what she’s doing’

attitude that is often painted on the Green’s Natalie Bennett, despite her more than adequate performance in the past two leader’s debates. Perhaps these are examples of public image discussion that have gone too far. Of course, image is important to some extent. A charismatic and

FLORA HOLMES

Lincoln College

polished leader running the UK will have undeniable benefits for the country’s image as a whole, especially in terms of foreign policy. The fact remains that political parties really do need a figurehead with some degree of a pleasing persona to draw in voters. But this image polishing should not be darkened into insult trading between parties and should not replace solid discussion of policy in the press.

Nicola Sturgeon’s Wrecking Ball: On Tuesday 10th March 2015, The Sun published this photo-shopped image of Stugeon on their front cover.

Beauty advice for the incumbent PM Unwanted redness

Causes: sunburn, stress, alcohol and spicy foods can act as triggers Recommendation: Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Primer, Adjust

Effect: works to colour correct and create a smooth silky finish to the skin or it can provide an even base for foundation application. The green tone works to reduce redness, so perfect for the after effects of all those state dinners.

Stray grey hairs

Under eye circles

Causes: premature greying is genetically determined but is also related to certain vitamin deficiencies.

Causes: sleep deprivation, sun exposure and lifestyle

Recommendation: L’Oréal Paris Casting Crème Gloss

Effect: light and creamy this concealer works wonders under eyes and is not too mattifying so maintains a no make up effect. It comes in a tube applicator so is simple to apply and lasts a long time, its consistency is so natural looking it means you can skip foundation. So can easily hide the evidence of late night policy cramming.

Effect: colour lasts roughly 28 washes, so good for those trying dye for the first time, or if they want to keep the possibility open for an image change to the wise, mature look.

LIZZIE EVENS

New College

Fading teeth

Recommendation: the Clarins Instant Concealer

Causes: drinking alcohol and coffee

Recommendation: Colgate Optic White toothpaste

Effect: the slogan is ‘dazzle without a hassle’ so no real excuse for not keeping the whites pearly for all the public speeches given as part of the role.

30th April 2015

INSTAWORTHY @pinkpixiedoll A self confessed gym bunny and beauty addict, this account is a pastel filled haven. Food, flowers and perfumes are the common components and while there are many blogs with a similar vision @pinkpixiedol has a certain rose tinted hue that you can’t get from a good filter. With reviews of the latest beauty products from Benefit to Bourjois this account is a welcome aid in the minefield that beauty shopping can be.

Savage Beauty at the V&A F

ashion is often appointed a separate sphere of action. Whether it is because one considers style an unobtainable ideal, a language spoken only by a few or believes a person can either ‘fashionable’ or not. Yet the invisible curtains enforcing fashion’s seclusion have been parted in the recent months with the arrival of the Savage Beauty exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The exhibition has prompted the dispersion of fashion; it lines the escalators in tube stations, famous faces at the opening dominated newspapers and inevitably an array of relatives has recommended it to you. Promotions have been a triumph, necessitating opening

Janessa Williams

OxStu Fashion on Intagram Oxstu Fashion have finally set up an instagram account! Follow us for all the latest news from the fashion team; including sneak previews of shoots and interviews as well as street style from all over Oxford.

V&A Museum

hours beyond that of previous exhibitions and still one has to book now for times in June. Needless to say however such crowds are also testament to the extraordinary contribution to fashion made by Alexander McQueen.

“ One’s senses are saturated by the

shifting music, the visual feast of the clothes, the controlled lighting, the set design, footage of shows and even dynamic displays Savage Beauty is an example of the expert ability of the team who curated it and is wholly unique. I would even suggest the exhibition warrants the title an ‘experience’; one’s senses are saturated by the shifting music, the visual feast of the clothes, the controlled lighting, the set design, footage of shows and even dynamic displays that provide full views of McQueen’s creations, like a piece in a music box. The ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ is the apex of the exhibition, twice the size

of its counterpart at the MET exhibition four years ago, the room is of huge scale and ambition, however retains an intimate feel. Visitors rested in the centre of the room for prolonged period in an attempt to absorb and note the abundance of dresses, shoes, headpieces and many more components of McQueen’s designs. This room acts as the workshop in the designer’s mind and more than any other provides an insight into his psyche. Other rooms each embody one of the polarities presented in McQueen’s collections and an aspect of the savage beauty oxymoron; ‘Romantic gothic’, ‘Romantic Exoticism’, ‘Romantic Nationalism’ and there is a loose sense of chronology in the development of the rooms that open with his shows in industrial estates, progress through his education on Savile Row and end with the final show under his supervision Plato’s Atlantis. The sponsors of this experience betray the interdisciplinary nature of the feat, American Express, Mac cosmetics, Samsung and Swarovski. This is reflective of the nature of McQueen’s work. The exhibition showcases the ability of fashion to draw from various fields, not just for inspiration but for materials, the texture of items in Romantic Primitivism in particular drew upon natural resources. Additionally Savage Beauty displayed fashion’s function as a collaborative process with the products of McQueen’s collaborations with Swarovski, Shaun Leane and Phillip Treacy, amongst others displayed. Moreover the pres-

Spotlight: diverse careers in fashion

New College

David M Benett

entation of the hologram of a ghostly Kate Moss, lifted from 2006 ‘Windows of Culloden’ show, reminds of the showmanship of his work and this moment which saw the convergence of the finale gown, the poignant Schindler’s List soundtrack and the technical achievement of the hologram itself. McQueen himself stated “The turnover of fashion is just so quick and so throwaway, and I think that is a big part of the problem. There is no longevity.” This exhibition contrives his very words and it is evident McQueen’s creations continue to captivate his public and his legacy endures.

LIZZIE EVENS

New College

• The Vintage Kilo Sale is set to return to Oxford’s streets on the 2nd May • Brand Manager Janessa Williams lets us know what to expect this year

ne of the prevailing trends of this spring is a return to the 1970s and all things suede and fringe. “Why buy a ‘70s inspired dress for £55 when you can get a genuine ‘70s frock from us for £5?” says Janessa Williams, brand manager of The Vintage Kilo Sale which is returning to Oxford on the 2nd May. She isolates the return to retro styles as one of the reasons the vintage industry has taken oﬀ in recent years. “Bloggers culture has also greatly helped the vintage

SUBMIT TO US If you have any ideas for articles, features, interviews or shoots please send them over to fashion@oxfordstudent. com!

LIZZIE EVENS

• Oxstu Fashion give their verdict on the recent Savage Beauty exhibition

”

@oxstufashion

Fashion 11

Janessa Williams

scene too - more and more people are craving a look that’s individual and the thrifting element really feeds into that, particularly with students who are so often on strict budgets but are bursting with creativity.” The sale is the fashion-focused sister event to Judy’s Affordable Vintage where the task is for the savvy shopper is to collect a kilo of vintage clothes, which is 3-5 items, for the price of £15. Yet how does one approach such a task with so many options “For me personally, I always feel

it’s best to grab anything you like the look of - after all, everything is one of a kind and if you put something down, you might not find it again!” “We visited Oxford a couple of years back and had a really great day - Oxford students particularly really know how to shop! This year, we’re setting up in Oxford University’s Catholic Chaplaincy and couldn’t be happier with the space - they’ll be plenty of room for our shoppers to rummage, check out our jewellery concession and generally have a great time. Oxford is such a beautiful city that I’m so excited to manage my first event there.” Another draw of the event is the merits of ethically sourced vintage clothing “we take pride in bringing as much variety to our events as possible, and anything that doesn’t sell at kilo sales is taken back to the warehouse to be responsibly recycled into new clothing, to sell on to other traders or to help stock our next event.” “I prefer street style or trusting my own fashion instincts. That said, my favourite era has always been the late ‘60s/early ‘70s so I’m loving the fact that that has seeped into high fashion this season. I’m the first to admit that my sense of style is probably a little too eclectic to be considered truly ‘fashionable’ - anyone who knows me will know that I love a good splash of

Janessa Williams

colour and a pattern clash! I think that’s what the kilo is all about though - pulling together random pieces and having fun with your wardrobe rather than worrying about what’s on trend.”With the market for vintage clothing growing and the multitudinous benefits from value, durability to sustainability what are the next steps for a vintage trader “More and more sales! As it stands we operate in over ten cities, but there always plans to expand further. We take our customers feedback very seriously and if there is enough call for a particular location, we’ll always look into doing a kilo there. Over summer, we also have a few festival plans and to expand our magazine, Judy’s Affordable Vintage Digest.”

12 Arts & Lit

30th April 2015

ARTS & LIT

Kitchen sink art at Pembroke

• New exhibition of artist couple John Bratby and Jean Cooke to open on 30th May • Claudia Zwar examines Modernism and feminism at the Pembroke Gallery

ynda Nochlin, in her 1988 book Women, Art and Power and Other Essays, asks, “Why are there no great female artists?” The answer is that we are looking in the wrong places. Rather than unearth unappreciated women artists throughout history, or rediscover forgotten female painters; “ the question involves shifting the ground slightly and asserting, as some contemporary feminists do, that there is a different kind of “greatness” for women’s art than for men’s”. It is a question that is central to the Pembroke Art Gallery’s first major exhibition, ‘John Bratby and Jean Cooke: Who is Slaving at the Kitchen Sink?’, which explores the creative products – and creative tensions – of the artist-couple John Bratby and Jean Cooke. The exhibition is comprised of paintings drawn from the Royal Academy, the Piano Nobile Gallery, the Government Art Collection, and a range of private collections, including Lincoln College and St Hilda’s College. It is due to open on 30th May with a lecture by the art historian Dr Greg Salter. The impetus of the exhibition is “something of a riddle”, says the Pembroke Gallery’s curator, Sarah Hegenbart. It began with the discovery of an unknown painting in the Pembroke College library, which bore no label and no mention in any archival records. Once the dust had been blown off the impressionistic, dark-toned image of a woman painting in a studio, it became clear from the style of the work that it was by

Kitchen sink approach:

Cooke’s work is characterised by its rough, scratchy modernist style

Promotional image

John Bratby: famous British modernist, and founder of the ‘Kitchen Sink’ school of realism. “We couldn’t figure out who the woman in the painting was”, Hegenbart recalls, “but we had the suspicion that it was Bratby’s first wife, Jean Cooke, who was a painter in her own right”. Research revealed this had been a violent relationship. Bratby, apparently, would often paint over his wife’s canvasses in anger, and his depictions of Cooke chart the disintegration of their relationship: she would later describe how “he always painted me as a very old

woman”. The breakdown of their marriage is chronicled, whether consciously or not, in their paintings of each other, and is highlighted in Pembroke’s exhibition. On one wall hang portraits from the couple’s early years, depicting their children and family life. Hegenbart describes these as “very loving…they seem young and excited and passionate about their art”. But follow the paintings chronologically, and watch as the portraits become darker: both Bratby and Cooke represent each other as haggard, angry, and old.

“We were also interested in charting aesthetic parallels between the artists”, says Hegenbart. Bratby was made famous by his founding of the ‘Kitchen Sink’ school of realism, which made prominent the detritus of middle class life. His ‘The Vice and Tools’ in the Pembroke exhibition provides a stark example: the strong contrasts and thick brushstrokes make clear that the tool box is the only focus of this picture. Cooke differed stylistically from the ‘Kitchen Sink’ School, but her paintings ‘Fruit and Tin’ and ‘Hand with Matches’ demonstrate a softer, argu-

Lata Nobes

ably more feminine interpretation of the couple’s everyday surroundings. Stark, and dirty; light and soft. It is a contrast that reappears in the couple’s later works, and can be seen particularly in Hegenbart’s pairing of two portraits by each artist, both of women. Cooke’s rendering of the former St Hilda’s principal, Mary Bennet, is soft-focussed and respectful. There is a deliberate ‘ugliness’, however in Bratby’s portrait of Kathy Wilkes. She is painted like the ‘The Vice and Tools’, in contrasting greens and blues. The painting seems to be simply tone and form: disconnected from its female subject. What makes an artist great? We may well ask this of John Bratby, who became something of a celebrity in the 1970s, with a raft of television appearances, and his works rumoured to be collected by Paul McCartney. But, the Pembroke Gallery argues, it is Jean Cooke who more deserves the title of great. The eye naturally returns to the back wall of the gallery, where Cooke’s ‘Cinema Paradiso’ hangs. It is an example of her work from late in her career, and the starkly modern, visually piercing image speaks of an artist who has finally come of age. Pembroke Gallery’s first major exhibition says, yes, of course there are great female artists. Just sometimes they need to be taken out of their male counterparts’ shadows. The exhibition will be open to the public throughout Trinity term, on Wednesdays and Fridays, from 122pm. For more information visit www.pembrokejcrart.org. in depth discussion with my Mother, a finalist historian, and read a good chunk of Benedict Andersons’ Imagined Communities, before realizing that the deadline was looming and I should actually start looking at some of the things I’d actually been asked

St Hilda’s College

’ve always liked to read. Music for A level, as many agree, is a bit of a gimmick – you could write essays in bullet points and still get an A – so I made up for my boredom by reading widely around the subject on areas not taught. How exciting it was for me, and so any other student, to start university and finally be able to study a loved subject in great depth, alongside others with an equal interest. And in Oxford. With libraries. Big libraries, small libraries, new and old libraries. Not to mention second hand book shops. After meeting my offer, I was sent an extensive reading list for my first term. I then took my proud father, and his debit card, to the huge Academic Waterstones in London. We walked away having spent a particularly large amount of money on spanking new books on Schubert, Keyboard Skills and the like. Four weeks later I had read only 2twochapters of one of the books. The majority of these still sit unread on my bookshelf, after having completed the relevant topics almost a year ago. I continue to take no responsibility for my laziness. After all, my college mother’s welcome postcard informed me frankly

Claudia Zwar Pembroke College

“ I used the holiday to relax.

Is that such a crime?

”

Tricia

The trouble with reading lists

not to worry about reading but to use the holiday to relax. Which is what I did. Is that such a crime? Yes, I discovered on arrival, when my college brother informed me that despite our Mum’s advice, he had read the entirety of the reading list. It’s no wonder I hid in my room for most of Freshers’ week.

Reading continues to be a problem. Each small bibliography that comes with an essay will often lead me off in the wrong direction. I begin with the reading, complete it thoroughly, and find that much of it is irrelevant to the question. The other attitude towards essay read-

ing lists results in equal failure, which is to the reading as of lesser importance to one’s own research. This might be acceptable, if not desirable, if the essay wasn’t your third assignment of the week, giving you less than three days completion time. A question on Opera and Nationalism led me to have an

to read, rather than getting really immersed, interested and excited about the topic. There’s no time for that. My short experience is that readings lists take away from the excitement of discovery that’s involved in research and reading. I admit to my failings: I’m ambivalent about things I have to do, and enthusiastic about things I don’t. And anyhow, at the start of the Easter Holiday I wrote myself what I saw as my own achievable reading list, but instead I spent the majority of my time playing Pokémon. I’m not going to bother making a new term’s resolution.

Arts & Lit 13

30th April 2015

Marnie Riches– A rebel made good Treasures from afar

William Shaw Corpus Christi College

arnie Riches is a Cambridge alumna, but we won’t hold that against her. She’s also the writer of hot new thriller The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die, a gritty, globetrotting adventure, which has led to her being billed as the British answer to Stieg Larsson. She met with us to discuss her new book, as well as the state of crime fiction generally. I asked Riches what inspired her to write crime fiction. “When I was a student Silence of the Lambs came out, and I was blown away. I fell in love with Hannibal Lecter. I think everybody did. I was always the kid that fancied Darth Vader, so there was always the love of a good baddie. I vowed that one day I would write a crime thriller but of course life gets in the way. I shelved it all and then in middle age, with a couple of kids under my belt, I thought “I’ve got this skill set”. Then I read the Stieg Larsson books and fell in love with Elizabeth

“

I was always the kid who fancied Darth Vader

”

Sallinger, as I think many people did. I thought ‘Larsson’s dead, f*** it, I’m going to do something along those lines but it’ll be very much my story, drawing on my experiences.’ It took me two years to get this first book right.” The novel is partly set in Cambridge, as well as Amsterdam. I asked Riches what attracted her to about these settings. “It’s so beautiful– Oxford’s the same. They’re such inspiring cities, and especially being a girl that came from a really crappy coun-

Riccardo De Lucca Phil Tragen

cil estate in Manchester myself, which was just a really horrible place to grow up in, you go to a beautiful university, and the shock of being in such amazing surroundings sticks with you for the rest of your life. It’s always a time that you will hanker after. I wanted to have amazing places in my novel. I like to travel, I’m a very visual person. Amsterdam is a glorious setting and then Cambridge, these old university towns, it’s just inspiring.” The heroine’s working-class background is another important aspect of the novel. “It came naturally. You always write a bit of what you know, and you always inject a little of yourself into your characters, but make them idealised versions of yourself, or somebody you’d like your reader to fall in love with. She came out that way– there are a lot of very middle-class heroines in fiction and it just seemed to me, if I wanted to have a really strong heroine, that it made sense for her to come from tough streets. Tough streets make tough women. George very much kicks against the system. She won’t take

no for an answer. So yeah, a working-class rebel made good, really.” The experience of writing a thriller was a new one for Riches. Her previous writing and reading has a significant influence. “After having written for children, the books are very short but what you need do when you write for children is keep the pace. The characters have to be very well drawn. There’s to be no fat on the novel. If you look at literary fiction, you’ll have entire pages of information-dump, which you absolutely can’t do in children’s fiction and you shouldn’t really do that in crime fiction either, if you’re going to get this page-turning effect. When I wrote this thriller I was mindful of the fact that it needed to have the punchy plot, the action had to keep going, draw the reader right to the very end, keep them guessing. I looked to Jo Nesbø for plotting advice. I went back to his texts and re-read them in a very analytical way and I saw the way he wrote hooks at the end of each section and kept the reader going on and on and on. They always say,

Editors’ discussion: censorship

: This year, the Hugo Awards were hijacked by neofascists. The spearhead of this campaign was a man named Theodore Beale, who encouraged enough of his supporters to nominate a specific list of works chosen by him that he was effectively able to dominate this year’s award nominations, with 87% of the nominated works being chosen by him. Beale is a thoroughly odious man, who, among other things, has publicly expressed the view that the Taliban’s attack on Malala Yousafzai was “perfectly rational and scientifically justifiable.”And this is the man who has been allowed to choose the award-worthy works of last year’s sci-fi output. Now I don’t want to go into the whole drama surrounding the awards in too much detail, because frankly there are much better people out there who have covered it more thoroughly than I could. Instead I want to talk specifically about Beale and his supporters’ stated motivation for doing this. Beale and his supporters mounted this campaign because they believed that the awards were being dominated by broadly

left-wing fiction due to censorship of a shadowy group of left-wing authors, rather than because the books they wanted to see nominated just weren’t any good. And so they decided to stuff the ballot. They reacted to an unfounded conspiracy of censorship by actively engaging in censorship themselves. What happens to the Hugos as a result of this still ongoing controversy remains to be seen but we can learn a crucial lesson from it. Which is that the would-be censor can all too easily turn anti-censorship rhetoric to their advantage. We must be mindful of that, and remain vigilant if we want to see truly free and open artistic expression.

: The world of art, especially as it appropriates tools to push boundaries of social conventions, is, and has been, deeply scarred by the repressive effects of censorship. The most common ‘justifications’ for censorship include sexually explicit materials, offensive language, racism, homosexuality and unacceptable worldviews. It

frequently collides with oppositions in a fight for the freedom of expression, to dare to utter the taboo, the voices of the minority. Censorship is threatening as a weapon used by extremists to assert control over the state, but I would argue that this caution should be made more universal. The perturbing difficulty is that a ‘functioning censorship’ requires individuals to surrender their freedom of expression to an institution, who ultimately then has the authority to superimpose their values on others by stifling ideas, nodding their head in approval or otherwise shaking their head and issuing sanctions. Last month, the Tate Modern gallery held an event with the hashtag #yotambiénexijo in solidarity with the Cuban artist, Tania Bruguera, who has been detained in the country for daring to present her work in Havana’s Revolutionary Plaza. The curator, Catherine Wood, argued that “artistic expression is a space to challenge meanings. A society with freedom of artistic expression is a healthier society.” The event also brought to attention the tragic case of

don’t worry about trying to emulate your idols, because if you can get anyway near as good as them, you’re winning.” I wrapped things up by asking what’s next. “At the moment I’m just putting the finishing touches to book two, where the lead character George is studying for a PhD in criminology. I did a lot of research with a criminologist at Cambridge for that, so the academic theme is continued. I would like to say, one of the things I really wanted to do with these novels was portray that wonderful lifestyle you have as a student, where you’re free to explore different ideas and different versions of yourself in many ways. I’ll be doing book three as soon as I finish book two.” If the next two books can match up to the rip-roaring thrills of the first, Riches looks to be establishing herself as an interesting new talent in the world of crime fiction, and if the overwhelmingly positive reader feedback is anything to go by, she has already marked herself out as one to watch.

Marcus Li &William Shaw

Arts & Lit. Editors

Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist who was suddenly detained for reasons still not made explicit. The event also featured a nurse in an intensive-care unit who work with patients who have a tube down their throat that helps them to breath but stops them from speaking. “I am reminded that a voice is a gift.” Tampering with the individual’s right to document their experience and reaction to real events seems nonsensical. Literature and art have the power to change minds and behave more convincingly than the most forceful political polemic, and we would do well not to hinder such a power means of overthrowing warped authorities. Censorship claims to represent the demographics of a society, and to act in their best interest. This fundamentally challenges the founding rights of human beings. One can see where the problem lies in a world where very few things are black and white, and one in which all humans have the potential to become corrupt or lose sense of what is right and what is wrong. Let’s not descend into anarchy, into a world where ‘some

William Shaw

Corpus Christi College

itchen, the English-language debut of Japanese writer Banana Yoshimoto, like the most of the books I buy these days (perpetually skint student that I am) was discovered in a charity shop. I picked it up because it looked to be a very interesting character study by a writer from a culture I was very interested in. And anyway, it was only a quid, so why not? I went in with pretty much zero expectations, and I found the results very pleasant indeed. Kitchen is a lovely little book, a Tokyo-based romance built around a number of beautifully-realised characters, which manages to convey a genuine sense of hope despite the rather dark tinge to the narrative. The novel deals with the life of a young woman, Mikage, who has the mother of all tragic backstories. Orphaned at a young age and raised by her grandparents, the novel opens with Mikage still mourning the death of her grandmother, effectively orphaned twice over. As the title suggests, she finds solace in her grandmother’s kitchen, which offers a familiar and comforting setting in contrast to the instability of her life. In her own words, “Now only the kitchen and I are left. It’s just a little nicer than being all alone.” But when her finances force her to move in with her friend Yuichi and his glamorous and free-spirited mother Eriko, things start looking up for her. From there Yoshimoto creates a rather nice little family drama-cum-love story, which effectively wends its way through various comic set pieces and soap opera histrionics to a touching and heartfelt conclusion. Yoshimoto displays a genuine skill at creating well-rounded and interesting characters, even if her dialogue does clunk a fair bit (although this could simply be the result of translation– at one point a character sardonically remarks that a particularly corny speech sounds “like it was translated from the English”). Overall, Kitchen is a wonderful little story, melancholy without being bleak, rendered in subtly emotional, elegant prose.

14 Stage

STAGE

30th April 2015

Cut the Mustard by the Oxford Revue New presidents of the Oxford Revue lose control in innovative new music-comedy show . Oxford Revue

Good, but does it cut the mustard? T his year has been a real shot in the arm for the Oxford Revue. The famous university comedy society boasts alumni who have spanned the British scene since the 1950s. From Peter Cook, Allan Bennett and Michael Palin to Stewart Lee, Rowan Atkinson and Rebecca Front, the Revue is an outrageously large mantle for any aspiring comedian to assume. The Revue has recently adopted an experimental new format to widen participation from six members to around fifteen, allowing for a cornucopia of side projects from its members. One of the year’s highlights could be Cut the Mustard, put together by second years Georgia Bruce and Jack Chisnall. Modestly described by its creators as an informal collection of songs held together by some reasonably relevant badinage, Cut the Mustard follows a duo of musicians preparing for an ill-fated performance. The Oxford Student was treated to a preview of ‘Hey Kids, Don’t Do It’, a 1980s public safety awareness song from which we could all learn. The duo is reminiscent of the Flight of the Concords. The musical similarities are striking: the jazzy sleaze of Bret and Jermaine can definitely be heard in the guitar work. But Georgia and Jack’s creation is no tribute band.

Playing the music is apparently less of a priority than delivering the lyrics. As Jack’s piano playing tails off erratically, your focus is drawn to the excellent comic timing of the pair, something any comedy fan will know is both crucial and difficult to pull off, especially in songs. ‘Hey Kids’ was followed by a brilliant skit about average penis size, with Jack bringing some David Brent-style insecurity into the proceedings. Afterwards we caught up with the pair: So where did Cut the Mustard come from? GEORGIA: Well I’ve been out of action for most of last term with exams, and we decided to come back with a music show. We’ve generally done a good number of songs for Revue shows, and this idea came naturally from there. JACK: Yes, performing songs is one aspect of comedy that we’ve really got into. I didn’t actually find out about ‘Flight of the Concords’ until quite recently, and then discovered that I’d unknowingly been doing something quite similar for a while! You can see why it works: music is a great way of parodying the wider world. What should audiences expect when they come?

G: This won’t be a classic sketch show. We just think that there are so many sketch shows out there, which are basically ‘sketch, blackout, sketch, blackout’. This is getting away from that; it’s supposed to be looser and more freeform, with us chatting to the

“ Music is a great way of

parodying the wider world

”

audience and adapting depending on how the show is going. Is this why Cut the Mustard is intended more as a pre-performance warmup than a traditional show? J: There were groups at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year, such as Sheeps or The Pin, who’ve got this really nice, unu-

sual approach to putting on a performance, and I think that’s inspired us. They break down the conventional format of a prepared show delivered to an audience. I think something I learned from doing comedy at Oxford in first year is how important it is to acknowledge the audience. You look at television comedy and think ‘that’s the way it should be done’, but actually when you’re faced with a live audience it’s much more important to be responsive and to include them where possible. After a fairly volatile couple of years for the Revue, the format has changed somewhat. How did this come about? J: So the Revue used to be a group of six people chosen at the start of a year and that put a lot of pressure on this group, who often hadn’t met before, to get along and create a lot of new material from scratch. The wider group of people involved in the Revue now means that the load can be spread a lot better and people can focus on turning their own good ideas into shows more easily. G: I think the new system definitely has its advantages. I feel that in past years the Revue has generally been considered in-

DAN HALL

Worcester College ferior to the [Cambridge] Footlights, but collectively we are now putting things out which are equally good or better. What parts of Cut the Mustard might you change before taking it to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer? J: Well we’ll see how things work or don’t in Oxford, and adjust based on that. We’ve written a lot of songs that won’t be going into Cut the Mustard. If we decide that something, for example from the Oxford Revue Christmas show, works better than one of the songs currently in the show, we’ll make a replacement. It’ll be a greatest hits. G: We’re there for the whole run [7th-31st August]. Favourite battleship? G: No strong preference. I’d rather play the game. Cut the Mustard is at the Burton Taylor Studio in second week from Tuesday 5th to Saturday 9th May. Tickets will be available from Monday 27th April.

Stage 15

30th April 2015

A Song of Triumph T he Mercy of Titus was Mozart’s last opera. Furiously completed for the coronation of Leopold II but months before Mozart died, it sees him in a very different mood to his more famously ‘final’ opera Die Zauberflöte (the Magic Flute). As opposed to the light-heartedly comic mood of the latter, The Mercy of Titus deals with extremes of infatuation and manipulation. Set in ancient Rome, the opera focuses on the machinations of Vitellia – daughter of the former emperor, Vitellio. Frustrated by her loss of power after her father’s deposition, Vitellia attempts to force the childishly enamoured Sextus into burning down the Capitol with the emperor Titus (his best friend) inside. Unfortunately for Sextus, the emperor survives causing Sextus to fear for his own life. The opera is, in the words of producer Ambrose Yim, about “power and desire: the power of desire and the desire for power”. It is, on the face of it, opera on a grand scale. It contains set-pieces designed to

impress the newly-crowned emperor – the destruction of Rome in a giant conflagaration is enough even to give Wagner a run for his money. However, this is not the approach that the cast intends to take. As Yim explains, “when you are in a burning building, the sensation is not one of grandness but of a choking claustrophobia”. To this end, the staging of this rare opera in Exeter College chapel should provide a refreshing new take on this rare work. The setting matches director Hendrik Ehlers’ vision for the piece well. The Gothic revival splendour of Giles Gilbert Scott’s chapel is by turns imposing and intimate. The vaulting easily matches in feeling the majesty of Rome at its height, whilst the proximity of the singers to the audience forces the viewer to focus on the emotional core of the work: the conflict between Vitellia (Betty Makharinsky) and the besotted Sextus (Bernadette Johns). This drama at the heart of the opera is one of character that is resonant today as when it was writ-

Oxford Student Opera Company

WILLIAM ASLET

What’s On

ten, 200 years ago. Musical director Eric Foster, buoyant from a triumphant run of West Side Story at the Oxford Playhouse last term, believes that there is nothing inaccessible about the opera – a fact that he aims to stress in his presentation of the piece. The singers will be in costume, but so as to avoid looking like confused extras from a sword and

Revolution! The St. Anne’s Musical

Somerville College

Opening Night

Exeter College Chapel

Thursday May 7th 7:45pm sandals drama, will not be in tacky Roman dress. Foster’s aim is that, by presenting the opera in this way, he will draw attention to the timelessness of its subject matter and will not distract from the music that drives the piece forward at every point. It is the music that makes opera so compelling as an art form. Mozart’s sensitivity of characterisation lends a real emotional potency to the drama that would be lost if the words were simply spoken aloud. Sextus’ aria (sung by a woman) regretting the failed betrayal of his friend, but at the same time expressing his naïve love for Vitellia is imbued with an emotional complexity by the music that the spoken word alone could not come close to matching. I would emphatically recommend anyone to go and see this enthusiastic cast deliver what promises to be a powerful exploration of the complexities of love and power.

Revue Sat 2nd May, 8.30 @St. Anne’s Dining Hall The OxRevue’s Cut the Mustard Tue 5th- Sat 9th May, 9.30 @BT Studio Creditors – A Tragicomedy Tue 5th- Sat 9th May, 7.30 @BT Studio Living Together Wed 6th – Sat 9th May, 7.30 (Thurs & Sat 2.30) @Oxford Playhouse Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical Wed 6th – Sat 9th May, 7.30 (Thurs & Sat 2.30) @Pembroke (Pitchette Auditorium) The Mercy of Titus Thurs May 7th – Sat 9th, 7.45 @Exeter College chapel

“Knee deep in home truths” “D

o you ever get the feeling you’re being watched?” Alan Ayckbourn’s British classic stares deep into the heart of one family’s chaos, past and present relationships fusing together in this thrilling exposé of familial politics, characterised aptly as a “tragedy with jokes”. You can tell within the first five minutes of being in the company’s presence the high levels of passion, energy, and experimentation that are being pumped into this production. The co-directors, Griffith Rees and Laura Cull, have a clear and creative vision for their stint in the Playhouse, transforming this originally in-the-round, singular part of Ayckbourn’s trilogy, The Norman Conquests into a living, breathing world that embodies a sense of the whole series, spatially accommodating the essence of all three plays within their all-encompassing house set. Thus Sleepless productions aims to embrace the entangled nature of Ayckbourn’s triad, set within the same house over the same weekend, each separate play focusing on a different room in

the family home. Yet, rather than seeing merely the tip of the iceberg of the family drama and dynamics, the Playhouse audience will be able to view multiple scenes happening at once from multiple plays, bringing to life the central essence of Ayckbourn’s dramatic achievement with this trilogy. Improvisation has been key to the

“ The best student drama you’re likely to see this term

”

development of this production, set to infiltrate from the rehearsal process into the staged performances, adding fluidity and depth to the piece. This strategy of approach has set up in the mind of each actor a deepened understanding of the tragic before the comic within the characters’ dialogue, crucial to the

the cast’s performances. A careful power of such a play. Even in this managing of not only the overlaprelatively early stage of rehearsal, ping scenes (and play content), but the improvising exercises seem also the transitions between scriptto have paid off: the interactions ed and improvised material, will between cast members is already dynamic and even electric at times, be needed in order to create the feeling of an organic whole. Howin particular the hot and cold inever what is clear from this short tensity between Norman and Ruth rehearsal, is the sense that these (played by Freddie Bowerman and Mary Higgins), likely to be a high- potential problems will most defiislight of the production. Yet what is nitely be ironed out when suing from such a fervent and overwhelmingly evident, from the dedicated dramatic vipreview excepts shown, is that this sion, embraced by each will be an extraordinary ensemble mempiece, without a single weak link, each individual contributing towards the success of the whole. There are still issues to work out: pacing at times was a bit rocky, entrances a bit awkward – arguably inevitable in a preview showing – but most importantly, the difficulty of competing volumes between simultaneous scenes. The key to ensuring this production’s success seems to be balance, so strong is the promise of English Touring Theatre

LUCY OLIVER

Worcester College ber of the company. “Knee deep in home truths”, this production promises an evening of some of the best student drama you’re likely to see this term, combining ambition, hilarity and heartbreak. Living Together is at the Oxford Playhouse in second week from Wednesday 6th to Saturday 9th May, with matinée performances on Thursday and Saturday.

FOR YOUR CULTURE FIX: SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!

Independent,

FREE, &

Weare HERE when YOU need

We are here for you when you need us!! Visit Us at: 2 Worcester Street Oxford, OX1 2BX Drop-In Sessions (term-time) Mondays 10−12 Wednesdays 12−2 Fridays 2–4 Email: advice@ousu.ox.ac.uk Call Us: 01865 288 466

Confidential

The Student Advice Service is the only advice, information and advocacy service exclusively available to Oxford University students. Part of OUSU, the Student Advice Service is independent of the Colleges or Departments and the Central University, so the services we offer are impartial and objective. Our services are free and confidential. We are here with a team of friendly and experienced Advisors to help you find answers to the questions and solutions to the problems you may face including: Academic Disputes, Appeals, Accommodation, Health, Disability, Relationships, Visas, and Mental Health.

STUDENT

ADVICE SERVICE

REFERENDA TRINITY 2015

Wed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fri, 4th Week

YES/NO

Should students at Oxford continue to be required to wear sub fusc clothing to University Examinations?

VOTE &

HAVE YOUR SAY!

30th April 2015

OXSTUFF

Oxstuff 15

COME DINE WITH ME: EXETER COLLEGE BALL FOOD AND DRINK 9/10

While the pic and mix seems to disappear within five seconds, there is otherwise no shortage of food. Noodle Nation, Mission Burrito, Donuts, Hot Dogs and Popcorn are all on offer throughout most of the night, expectedly taste incredible and the queues are astonishingly quick. Cocktails in the chapel run out early, but there are plenty of bars and most of them are restocked over the course of the night.

and such a competitive price I almost feel like I can justify it.

WOW FACTOR 6/10 The rain dampens some of the spirit of the night, but walking out into Exeter's quad to face dodgems isn't a poor consolation.

ENTERTAINMENT 9/10

ÂŁ77 is cheap enough for Oxford balls, but can still feel ridiculous for one nights entertainment. However with so much on offer

There is plenty of entertainment to go around. A jazz orchestra play on the quad, facing the dodgems that have been erected. In Hall various acrobatic acts perform, though we can only catch the cheerleaders who perform a Peter Pan themed set. Silent Disco is underhwhelming, but the live music tent makes up for it.

Oxford Book Club Spring Sale

Industry Speakeasy

PRICE 7/10

2nd May Java and Co

Summer VIII's Launch Party

5th May, 9pm Freuds

ATMOSPHERE 6/10

While most of the entertainment is under a roof of some kind there are queues to get into almost everywhere, which involves a lot of shivering in the rain. The decoration in the front quad is impressive, but beyond that it doesn't extend much more beyond some marquees and blue lights. The bouncers are incredibly friendly, in spite of the fact that a couple of guests mistake the koi pond for a pool.

TOTAL SCORE FOR RAG BALL: 37/50

Oxford Sirens Showcase

2nd May, 3pm Iffley Sports Centre

Georgina Baynham

Cut the Mustard 5th-9th May BT Studio

PICK OF THE WEEK

5th May, 10pm Varsity Club

Itchy Feet May Day Extravaganza 30th Apr The Varsity Club

OUPS: Poets and Pub 30th April, 8pm Lamb & Flag

Bridge May Day Ball 30th Apr, 10pm Bridge

Rugby Cuppers Final SCRFC vs AJRFC 30th Apr, 5:30pm OURFC

Ending Period Prejudice 6th May, 7pm St Cat's

Alexander Darby, New College

May Day Madrigals 1st May, 8am Bridge of Sighs

Living Together 6th-9th May Oxford Playhouse

16 OxStuff

30th April 2015

Cliterary Theory MONA LOTT

CAPTAIN OF COXES

Roberto Weeden-Sanz

OxStu hears on the hacky grapevine that, rising from the tear-sodden ashes of the collapse of his Union presidency , Oxford’s ultra-hack Roberto WeedenSanz is considering ascending a rival seat of power and running for OUSU’s ultimate office. Whether this is a joke, a genuine attempt to break the laws of Oxford political physics or a desperate scramble to avoid doing his neglected Theology degree for yet another term, we don’t particularly care; if it is true then it would literally be the most exciting thing to occur in student politics since the last major Weeden-Sanzgate. Whatever happens, we do so desperately hope that he remembers to attend those pesky sabbatical officer meetings...

ROBERTO WEEDEN-SANZ

ANNIE TERIBA In other OUSU President related news, it has emerged this week that the Annie Teriba, scion of Oxford’s extremeleft, has been gathering her cronies for the annual futile ‘right to education’ (read: communist) assault upon the student union. This seemingly included a Miliband-esque backstabbing of her political brother, young Marxist Barnaby Raine, who has been rumoured to be destined for Louis Trup’s crown since he arrived at Oxford. We at the OxStu can only express regret that Annie has apparently abandoned her previously gleaming anti-establishment credentials, with OULC apparently refusing to back her - this writer wonders why? It could be because of her previously chequered record as an OUSU Officer, which almost ended in a censure motion for dereliction of duty...

cox’s job is arguably the hardest in the boat – controversial I know – but having to steer, shout commands and still be popular with your rowers in the boat by the end of the session is a hard balance to strike. Coxing is hard enough without having to pass – repeatedly – a literal flotilla of flings you would rather not remember happening. Spare me the innuendos about cox, strokes and going hard. Being a female cox in an all-male boat, I’ve heard it all before. I feel quite capable of handling what is called Oxford ‘lad’ sports culture for myself. I have to admit, the morning after the night before the names and faces are hazy. It’s all a blur of body parts and bedrooms. But I tell you now: when you are on the river at 6am in the freezing wind, trying to untangle your blades from the boat next to yours, it all comes flooding back. My first encounter with one of my anonymous one night stands was on one of my first morning outings as a cox. Fresh faced and totally terrified of knocking into the bank, I steered too far into

left the Pembroke men’s boat who were trying to overtake. To my horror, the stroke of the boat was a certain male who I had taken home after a marathon make out on the dance floor in Camera in Michaelmas of my first term at Oxford. My poor, naïve, fresher mind decided it would be a brilliant idea to add said first Oxford conquest on Facebook. His poor, even more naïve fresher mind agreed and we have been friends on Facebook since. He’s one of those people who only appear on your Facebook timeline when it is their birthday, and you sheepishly click off wishing them well. You rarely remember that you are friends on Facebook. Finally – one good thing about boys being shit at using social media! Or so I thought, until this week, when I our boats clumsily, in an eerie encore to our night of regrettable amour, clashed on the Isis. He looked at me and I looked at him, and he gave me a knowing grin. I wanted my boat to capsize there and then into the freezing water. I wanted to catch rat syphilis that I had been warned about in my cox’s briefing and die suddenly. I wanted one of the steamers to lose control and kamikaze down the Isis into our boat. And Pembroke’s to hide the evidence.

FL OP

BOP! Right to Education

Kate Bickerton

When I discussed this with my friends back in the safety of the JCR bar, I found that this cringey encounter was not uncommon occurrence for the sexually liberated female. One of my friends said that she bumped into a certain conquest from the night before in the Rad Cam: “it was a bit awkward, because he came on my tits not twelve hours earlier. I was pretty sure some of his bodily fluids were still in my hair. The worst bit was when he engaged me in conversation.” Sometimes it’s not the talking that’s the worst part. On the river, not only do you pass them once, but sometimes multiple times in one outing. There is no-where to hide on the Isis. It is like reliving the awkward nightmare over and over again. You can only casually nod once, or roll your eyes – and sometimes you can’t even look away – especially if you are trying to overtake them on the water or turn the boat. The most cringe worthy is when they share your boathouse. Not only do the two of you know what happened, but probably his whole crew as well. News travels fast in boating circles. I promise you I am not trying to scare you into living a colourful sex life. In fact, regardless of all the partners I’ve bumped and engaged in some level of awkward interaction with, I would not change it for the world. Oxford has not equipped me for many things in life, but it has equipped me for bumping into my sexual partners on a regular basis. Embrace it. Love it. Use it. Boys are easily scared of female sexuality, so play that to your strengths. Act nonchalant as you strut down to Boat House Island, and take your boat out onto the Isis and command eight men like you commanded him last night. What can I say – I love telling men what to do. I suppose that’s why I’m a men’s eight cox.

OxStuff 17

30th April 2015

The Malcontent E

BN OC BABY

ensions between the Cherwell (a student newspaper, for those unfamiliar with it) and the Oxford Union reached a high earlier in the term, when accusations flew that the Union had conspired in the Tab’s leaking of the Union term card (after Cherwell had already been *promised* unilateral release rights). Like a petulant child throwing its media power out of the pram, Cherwell apparently went cold-turkey on Union publicity. Apparently this journalistic cold-war has not entered the bedroom, however: OxStu hears that the newest arrival at the John Radcliffe is none other than the loinal offspring of the pinnacle of Union and shit-journalism power in the form of Cherwell editor Georgia

Latham and Olivia Merrett. United by a love of being the second-choice in Oxford (to Roberto Weeden-Sanz, and, of course, yours truly respectively), we do hope that the post-coital chat wasn’t too bitter and resentful; seemingly something was good enough to (nominally) secure the Union line-up this term... We can only hope that the couple do not suffer the full tragic consequences of playing Romeo and Juliet to their organisations’ Montagues and Capuletsand, more importantly, that their beautiful, bouncing baby does not suffer from the strife of the tumultuous affair. For, with such a fine hacking pedigree, who knows how far this cutey could go in a second-rate Oxford institution...

FL OP

BOP!

duroam. Even the word is sufficient to chill the hardiest of scholar’s spines and simultaneously trigger irrational and uncontrollable anger. It is genuinely incomprehensible to me that thissupposedly the greatest university in the land- continues to utilise as its main point of connection to the world wide web an internet connection that works approximately sixty percent of the time. This Tuesday’s outing of all central colleges and libraries is just the latest in a long line of Eduroam cock ups and catstrofucks. It is one of my pet fascinations with other universities. When I meet up with schoolfriends, I’m not interested in what they’re getting up to, how their barren love lives are looking or- god forbid- what ‘areas of employment’ they’re looking into; the question on my lip is “what’s your internet like?” They ubiquitously find it bizarre that standard of internet connection is even a fleeting thought, let alone an earthshaking concern, existentially catastrophic to the latest essay, iPlayer or wank. It’s actually a fucking joke that in a University with a £1 billion endowment a small power overload can knock out most of the central IT infrastucture. Eduroam’s real gift, however, is not so much for the spectacular shiteverywhere fuck up, but the continual low level frustration. Inexplicably

long loading times, stochastic, twenty minute long breaks in connection, and- worst of all- the page randomly freezing mid-load. Nothing else can trigger the seething, expletive-spewing fury of an unreliable wireless connection. It is the provoker of bottomless despair and emasculating helplessness, a sense of desperate anger as that bloody little blue circle rotates into infinity. But what drives one even more into oceanic ire is the knowledge that this is so profoundly preventable. Every other university in the country has an effective, centralised wi-fi system. Even the bloody Tabs do. Oxford is far wealthier and more compact than most institutions; it is purely the stone age attitude of the institution towards the modern world that prevents our skidmark of an IT department being sorted out. A PPEist in the year above recently found a website address with the caption “for those familiar with the world wide web”- ON A 2015 READING LIST. One could scarcely have an instantiation of our university’s attitude towards modern technology of greater brevity. Eduroam is just the start: SOLO, Weblearn, let alone fucking OXAM or the shit-Key-Skills project that is Oxcort are some of the least intuitive and most fault-riddled websites that I have ever encountered. Get your shit together Oxford.

REGENT’S DO DISNEY...

BOP!

Nikhil Venkatesh

one to wa tc h NIKHIL VENKATESH

his Derbyshire lad wasted no time jumping into Oxford’s political scene. Co-chair of Oxford University’s Labour Club in his first year, Nikhil has occupied a central role within Oxford’s Labour community for many months, and can regularly be found conversing with Labour MPs at OULC drinks, or tucked away in the Corpus Christi JCR passionately debating the value of socialism. A second-year PPE student, Nikhil also serves as OUSU’s BME (black and minority ethnic) officer, and attracted significantly student publicity last term for his prominent role in the anti-Marine Le Pen protests at the Oxford Union. Praised by several OUSU members and criticised by sections of Oxford’s pro-free speech brigade, Nikhil certainly avoided any fence-sitting, telling The OxStu at the time that he “did not apologise” for his role in endorsing the protest, and praised OUSU’s stance for “standing up to bigotry”. When not examining the structures and intricacies of British politics, Nikhil can be found playing cricket or … examining the political structures and intricacies of other countries. He really is very interested in politics, and appears likely to seek a political career after University. Indeed, with his very friendly charm and clearly genuine passion, Nikhil could very well put his moderate brand of pro-Ed Miliband socialism into practice in a number of years. Asked if he ever wants to be Prime Minister, Nikhil insists that he does not, though this newspaper is not so convinced. All those who know Nikhil describe him as an exceptionally warm and amicable individual, who seems to get on with all those he speaks to – an excellent skill for a future Labour MP. He reportedly took up the Returning Officer in Corpus Christi JCR “for a favour”, and, we are told by Corpus Christi students, has impressed JCR members with his remarkable understanding of the JCR Constitution and kind charm. Indeed, a small but significant #buffRO hashtag at the last JCR elections, in which audience members expressed their appreciation of Nikhil’s tight top, demonstrates clearly Nikhil’s multiple appeals. We will be sure to keep our eyes peeled during our weekly Question Time drinking game for Nikhil’s sudden appearance.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY STUDENT UNION

Bike

LOCK OFFER

Get 50% off the original retail price. As a member of Oxford University Student Union you can buy the Master Lock Gold Sold Secure D-Lock at a discounted rate.

MEMBERSHIP OFFER NOW:

ÂŁ15 each

Go to www.ousu.org/shopping for details on how to purchase

1974-2014

30th April 2015

Features 19

FOCUS: Mental health and welfare support

• Oxford student impressions of mental health provision • Huge discrepancies between student experiences of services KATE PLUMMER LADY MARGARET HALL

niversity can be conceptualised as a microcosm of society as a whole. A community with the same interests and enjoyments of wider society, but also with the same challenges. One of these challenges which seems to be increasingly important with the pressures of modern society is mental health problems. Whether the University is successful or not in providing adequate resources for those suffering with mental health issues is up for debate, but what cannot be disputed is that resources are there: a multi-layered system of support to appeal to different people's sensibilities. At a college level there are both welfare reps and peer supporters. Perhaps helpful as a first point of call for those suffering from milder issues and are unsure of what steps to take, but limited in the support that can be given? Some people seem to be happy with the support

“ The sheer plurality of

these services is positive

”

given by these services. I surveyed 170 students at the University on their experiences of mental health support, and the responses were illuminating. A member of New College said that they think Welfare Reps and Peer Supporters are “a really great resource,” but another student said that they were “insufficiently advertised”. This seems to represent a greater trend: the variety in provision for college support varies dramatically between different colleges. It may be effective in one, and not the other. More serious issues require a more professional outlook, and for that there is the free Counselling Service at the University. Out of those surveyed, 36 percent said that they had used this service, which seems to be slightly more than general trends throughout the population, with one in four expected to need

professional support for mental health issues in any one year. Out of these students, a staggering 31 percent said that this service was not effective, with complaints of long waiting times and a “conveyer belt service”. These criticisms seem to have a lot in them. The service is a self-proclaimed short term support base which tries to achieve a fast rate of turnover in order to deal with the extremely high demand. According to their website, 51 percent of clients are seen for onethree sessions. It would be wrong to generalise and think that these people required more sessions and were turned away, but the results of the survey seem to suggest that in some cases this is what happens, or at least this is what they think will happen.This is not just a problem at Oxford University, or universities in general, but in the NHS's provision for mental health as a whole. This has led to a situation in which some students have felt stigmatised by the service; not 'ill enough' to warrant its use. Clearly, more funding would be a sensible way to counteract these issues, but whether this will happen or not is out of the University's hands to a great degree. A further issue seems to be that people do not use the support resources on offer as they fear that they will not be effective. Many people cite experiences of friends or stories that they have heard. Moreover, 52 percent of people say that they do not feel sufficiently informed of the resources of support on offer. So, the problem may not be the support itself but rather the perceptions of this support. Again this is indicative of wider problems in society with stigmas against mental health that can make it hard to speak out. If people do not feel as if it will be worth their while, they do not even try to get help. This is frustrating but easily fixed with more advertising and a general will to talk about mental health, as is being done by OUSU's Mind Your Head campaign, which aims to reduce stigma and encourages students to seek support if it is needed. After all, the counselling service can be effective for some people, with 21 percent stating it to be very effective, and a further 45 percent claiming it is somewhat effective. The sheer plurality of these services is positive. It would be wrong

to conform people suffering from mental health issues to a particular way of dealing with these problems. And of course, mental health issues encompass many specific and varying issues: some permanent disabilities, some temporary periods of stress, or anxiety. It is encouraging that the systems of support reflect this. Of course, there are likely to be positive and negative facets to each type of support on offer, as there would be in any network of support. As I said, university is a microcosm of society and so some of the criticisms made are symptomatic of wider issues and currently faced. Yet most importantly, it seems that a main issue that comes with the system is not the help itself but the publicity of this help. Only with full awareness of the support on offer for students in Oxford can the current state of mental health improve.

USEFUL CONTACTS 01865 270300

University Counselling Service

01865 270270 Nightline

mindyourhead@ ousu.org Mind Your Head

01865 263732

Oxfordshire Mind

08457 909090 Samaritans

01865 288466

Student Advice Service

01865 901222 Talking Space

Features

30th April 2015

20 Features

Spotlight on Jordan

The darker side of university politics

• Universities from Oxford to Jordan are the scenes of increasingly fraught battles in respective student elections 6.4 million Population

$5,956 GDP

92.6%

Literacy

12.3%

Unemployment

Women in government

1923

Date of Independence

Amman

Capital

Arabic

Offical language

n the surface, student elections in Jordan are very similar to those in the UK. In both countries candidates print leaflets and banners and canvas for votes. In reality, however, the Jordanian elections are a far cry from those held in Oxford. Whilst violence darkens the campuses of Jordanian Universities during student elections, Oxford’s current OUSU President is a joke candidate. Student politics is heavily debated and can sometimes be controversial in the UK, occasionally leading to protest, but it is difficult to imagine someone being hospitalised or worse because they support a certain candidate. This, however, is not infrequent in Jordanian universities, which see fights and deaths almost every year. Whilst this year’s student elections for OUSU ran smoothly- the biggest mishap being the necessity of recounting the votes - the elections at the University in the Jordanian capital, Amman, were postponed from the end of 2014 to March 2015. This was partly due to the violence that hit educational institutes elsewhere across the kingdom in December during the student elections.

This violence stems from tribal rivalries and allegiances which dominate not just student politics

“ These tribal tensions spill over into student elections

”

but Jordan’s politics as a whole. In a country where giving people two votes- one for their tribal and family allegiances and one for their political preference- was debated but not passed, it is clear that tribal politics dominates all areas of life. 2013 was a particularly violent year for Jordanian student politics, with five students dead by June as a result of the violence. In March 2013, a conflict between two students in a university in the central town of Karak turned into a fight involving Molotov cocktails after armed men from the students’ tribes waded in. The clashes ended with the death of a student and

The charm of Slovenia’s Lake Bled • The Lake District without tourists or rain; Lake Bled is a gorgeous destination

hen deciding where to venture for a break this summer, initial suggestions are unlikely to head towards Eastern Europe, or even more unlikely, Slovenia. Not the most obvious destination for a holiday, yet that in itself adds to its appeal, as uncharted territory. While the majority would then assume the capital Ljubljana is the only known city worth visiting, having taken a recommendation from a fellow interrailing group, we headed to the much quieter, picturesque town of Bled last summer. A popular tourist destination for Europeans, but relatively unknown to us, the prospect of bucking the trend of following the conventional route which most had seemed to take across Europe was an attractive one. Sold to us on the premise of being “like the Lake District, but better”, we arrived hoping to discover an oasis of calm in which to spend the weekend as a break from the hectic schedule of tourism and partying that we had left behind in Prague, and were to be reacquainted with in Hvar, an island in Croatia. Lake Bled certainly didn’t disappoint. Located 22 miles from Ljubljana International Airport, the town which frames the lake is reminiscent of a medieval village, but fully equipped with modern day quirks. The appeal of the lake, however,

entirely eclipses the charm of its surroundings. Tranquil yet impressive, Lake Bled boasts clear waters, with Bled Island sitting in the middle of the lake. Its beauty can’t be overstated. The island, upon which stands Bled Castle, which dates back to the medieval era, is the best vantage point to appreciate the picture-postcard landscape and

“ With cafes dotted along it, breakfast by the lake is a must

”

the spectacular view. Although it is the oldest surviving castle, it has not remained immune to modernisation, now home to a popular restaurant and coffee shop. However, the island can only be accessed by rowing boat, gondola, or by paddle boarding, which, of course, we opted for. Tucked away in the middle of the Julian Alps, in the winter months Bled also acts as a ski resort. With cafes dotted along it,

the fight was solved only through a temporary tribal truce. In April of the same year, a fight between two students became an open battle in a university in the south of the country when tribal supporters of students poured into campus with weapons. Four people, one of whom a professor, died, and the university closed its doors for a month. Violence is more widespread in the south of the country and in rural areas; there, tribes are the strongest identity referent for many students. These tribal tensions spill over into student elections, with students and the general public fighting to ensure that the candidate from their tribe wins. This year, although there was widespread violence during the student elections in the south of the country, it was less serious than in 2013. The Jordanian University elections that had been postponed due to the violence were held relatively peacefully. However, there was a small scuffle after some outsiders tried to enter the university, and there was a constant police presence outside the university throughout the election period. We would do well to learn from our fellow students in Jordan: student

SOPHIE DOWLE PEMBROKE COLLEGE politics can have a big influence on national politics, and many people who hold important positions in Student Unions go on to play prominent roles in society in the future, both in Jordan and in the UK. Whilst we should encourage more engagement in student politics in Oxford and hope that the government and people in power take student politics more seriously in the UK, we must be grateful that our elections can be held peacefully.

Jordan versus Oxford 37,700/22,100 Student population 1962/1096 Date of establishment 80/24 Members of Student Union 651/5 World Ranking

LEILA PARSA CORPUS CHRISTI breakfast by the lake is a must, with the path around it providing an ideal walking route, taking just over an hour around the whole lake. Though Lake Bled served as a recuperation spot for us, the nightlife is also remarkably vibrant given the size of the town. During the summer it celebrates Bled Days, which take place around the 4th July weekend, including fireworks and concerts, with floating lights being placed on the lake. Hiking and watersports seem the most popular activities, with the lake being favoured particularly by rowers for its conditions, having hosted the World Rowing Championships in 2011. Lake Bled is also an access point to Triglav National Park, famous for its lakes and its romantic landscapes. Staying in a hostel, as we had done for most of our interrailing trip, had been relatively inexpensive too, though being a tourist destination, apartments and hotels are also in abundance in Bled. So if you’re looking for somewhere a little more unusual to visit, whether either as a detour from an interrailing trip across Europe, or just a long weekend away, you’ve certainly missed a trick by overlooking Lake Bled. Calm, remote, beautiful- and, crucially, cheap, it is the perfect destination for student holidaymakers and more serious travellers alike.

Slovenian Oasis

Bled Castle stands alone in crystal clear waters of the lake. Leila Parsa

30th April 2015

Features 21

A Year in Vienna

Paneer biryani, a delicious Indian feast JAMIE RUSSELL WADHAM COLLEGE Ingredients

2 tsp Turmeric 2 tsp Nutmeg 3 tsp Cinnamon 1 tbsp. Balti spice paste 2 Bay leaves 2 Vegetable stock cubes 2 Onions 1 clove of garlic 400g basmati rice 100g sultanas 400g paneer oil

ome-cooked curries don’t need to be difficult. This biryani is a delicious veggie (or vegan, see variations) meal which can be brought together in just half an hour. It’s made in a single pan, the rice being cooked with the curry to soak up the sweet and spicy flavours.

Method

1) Soak the rice in hot water, leave it to soak for a few minutes and rinse with cold water in a sieve until the water runs clear. Set aside. 2) Cut the paneer into roughly two

centimetre cubes and fry in a little oil in a wok or saucepan, turning gently with a wooden spoon. Paneer is crumbly before it’s cooked and if treated roughly it will form crumbs which will quickly burn on the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until the edges of the paneer are turning golden-brown. Remove the paneer from the pan and set aside. 3) Cut the onions into small cubes, finely chop a clove of garlic and fry both with two bay leaves until the onions are going soft and slightly translucent. 4) Add the spices Balti paste to the onion and stir in. Add the cooked paneer back to the pan and cook for five minutes, stir to ensure that the paneer is coated in the spices. 5) Make up 900ml of vegetable stock and stir into the pan with the sultanas and washed rice. Bring the pan to the boil; cover and leave to simmer for around 5 minutes (the rice should look swollen and cooked by the end of this step). If you are cooking in a wok or frying pan, a baking tray can be used to cover it; stir occasionally to ensure that the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. 7) Remove the pan from the heat and keep covered for a further five

SAMUEL THOMPSON MAGDALEN COLLEGE

Jamie Russell

minutes before serving: this allows the rice and cheese to soak up the sauce.

Tips and Variations

Larger supermarkets usually stock paneer but it can sometimes be hard to find. If this is the case then this recipe works equally well with halloumi which is more widely available, though more expensive. Tofu can also be used in place of paneer to make the dish suitable for vegans. The trick to cook-

ing good tofu lies in pressing it thoroughly before cutting it. This can be done by wrapping it in kitchen towel, placing it between two plates and placing some heavy books on top for half an hour or so. For a spicier or milder curry you can experiment with a different spice pastes. Balti is a good starting point because it fills the middle ground with regards to spice and it complements the sweeter spices used in the recipe really well.

Brent Royal-Gordon

Ode to the SLACKER

t’s that time of year again. Spring is springing, the birds are singing and unemployment looms on the horizon, like a lecherous sylvan troll with the breath of an undead proctor and an underbelly scarcely covered by its stinking hair shirt. There are few things more appalling than the prospect of job-hunting, especially when one lacks the drive and sociopathy to head straight to the City. As a human of conscience I would strongly prefer to defer my proverbial pillage for a more distant era, when I have such pressing moral imperatives as school fees, and prescription gin. And though I’m sure a self-immolation at my first doctoral

seminar might bring a warm glow to many a former, and current tutor, my increasing aversion to academia tragically rules out further study. I hazard a guess there are a few others out there like myself, aimlessly searching for meaning and easy remuneration in between gramming, gaming and gaping at the abyss that stretches forth into the foreseeable future. It is for you, beautifully overeducated sloth, that I have stretched the editorially acceptable limits of acronym to craft a list of the top three Seriously Lazy Actually Cool Kickass Employment Routes, ka-pow! 1. Busking during lectures, tutorials, and awkward situations of intimacy.

EMILY HONEY LADY MARGARET HALL Due to quip and space constraints I won’t elaborate further, except to say that you could easily make bank AND friends by musically busting in on any of the Sources and Resources seminars taken as part of master’s level history. N.B. This is less a recommendation than a forthright plea 2. Covertly trawling the ‘Cool Freaks’ Wikipedia Page for commercially viable ideas. If you haven’t found this amazing cesspool of Wikipedia weirdness on Facebook yet, I strongly recommend you drop your crappy takeaway foodstuﬀ and do it now. Failsafe, footnoted start-up ideas recently featured on the page include: ‘Jesus Hip-Hop jewellery’,

‘Breastaurants’, and the equally titillating ‘Pig Beach’. 3. Acquiring one or more babies to farm for YouTube videos. Though I wouldn’t recommend actually birthing one- babies are a high-risk investment, and sadly we can’t yet design or dispose of them like the Sims of yore- if you happen to have any lying around they are capable of some rip-roaring hijinks, and ad revenues. Recent feats of parental opportunism have included ‘Best Baby Fart’, ‘Kung Fu Baby’ and the potentially problematic ‘Baby Humping a Doll’.* *The writer wishes to iterate that these are all real videos, made by real people, with real pathos.

Samuel Thompson

o spend your year abroad in Vienna is to spend it in a city that effortlessly embraces past and present: the magnificent palaces, churches, museums and galleries of the old mediaeval core- the Innere Stadtexude the atmosphere of bygone days. To literature, art and music lovers alike the city offers much: take in familiar classics - for as little as €4 at the door- at the Volkstheater, or view new imaginings in the city’s great opera houses and the Burgtheater, amongst the most prestigious stages in the Germanspeaking world. Move beyond the tourist sites, however, and a very different Vienna becomes apparent: in the outer districts and in the less frequented areas of the inner city, a modern and vibrant culture is to be found. Sample the art exhibitions and trendy bars and cafes of the redeveloped Museums Quartier, or view new drama and music in the city’s many independent theatres; take in the striking skyline of the International Centre’s skyscrapers. The rooftop bars of the DC Tower and Donauturm, though pricey, have unparalleled views; for lower budgets, Schwedenplatz and its environs are famously bustling (and not infrequently boisterous!), whilst such coffee houses as the Engländer and Diglas serve excellent food and drinks throughout the day. Vienna also offers unparalleled ease of travel: in the days of the empire, all roads led to the capital, and still now, the great cities of Southern and Eastern Europe remain accessible. If ‘Red Vienna’ itself is a dynamic and modern metropolis, travelling through Austria reveals a world of traditions and timeless landscapes: cruise down the Danube to the village of Krems, or travel by train to the mountains and lakes of the Salzkammergut. At the city’s edge, a visit to a traditional Heuriger allows a true taste of Austria: a crisp glass of Grüner Veltliner with a hearty Austrian meal is a real joy of the summer days. Choosing Vienna provides many opportunities: affordable city living and world-class cultural venues are set against tradition and a fascinating history.

30th April 2015

22 Sport

Oxford Sport In brief... Women’s Waterpolo Club triumph in relegation battle Oxford Women’s Waterpolo Club faced relegation this week and had to decisively win their home match against Bath to stay in the top division of BUCS. Initial nerves were soon seen off, however, as our girls managed a comfortable 10-2 victory at the final whistle. All that remains now is for the girls to beat Plymouth in their away match this Saturday (2nd May) to secure their spot in the top division.

Blues to be handed out at Union Next week, on 5th May at 18.30 at the Oxford Union, the annual Blues presentation will take place. This year’s inspirational speaker is 4-time Olympic skier Chemmy Alcott and it’s set to be an enjoyable evening for all those involved. A drinks reception will be followed by Chemmy’s speech, then the Blues Committee will posthumously hand out this year’s cohort of Half Blue and Full Blue awards to all successful athletes. The hope is that this year’s event will be as successful as those before it.

Oxford Netball legend Layla Guscoth in Copperbox finale Hertfordshire Mavericks and Oxford Netball Club legend Layla Guscoth appeared last weekend in the NSL final at the Copperbox in London’s Olympic Park. Facing arch rivals Surrey Storm, Mavericks were unable to overcome Storm losing 56-39 after a promising two opening quarters. Guscoth, having been named 2014’s Superleague player of the season was also named Oxford University’s ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ in 2012-13.

Vincent’s and Atlanta’s Summer Outreach Camps:

For the last 2 years, Vincent’s Club and Atlanta’s have come together to run a 3 day summer camp for Oxfordshire’s primary school children with coaching from current Oxford University athletes. The brain-child of a few members of Vincent’s and Atlantas keen to encourage the scholar athletes of the future, the camp’s emphasis is upon teaching leadership skills and aims to promote the importance of competitive sport in a balanced lifestyle.

Sporting news to share? Contact us at: sport@oxfordstudent.com

Debate: Is it time sports teams were mixed? No - Alice Richardson often and more regularly than the men’s team, the cis-men seem to consistently retain an averagely higher level of natural strength and power than we do. Likewise, on the track, of the 200m runners I have seen at training, the cis-men are likely to run decisively faster than their cis-female counterparts and in rowing, our college’s men’s first boat can cover the Isis’ 2km course markedly faster than our college’s

“Mixed teams in

One better: these kinds of sports Liverpool Ladies took 1st are not feasible in the WSL in 2014, one position higher than the men’s team managed women’s first boat.

”

I am a feminist. I went to an all-girls school and was raised by a mother who attended that same school a generation earlier. That school was the one Emmeline Pankhurst chose to send her two daughters to. I believe in the power of women from all walks of life and particularly the power of women in sport. I have personally competed for both the Oxford University Women’s Waterpolo Club and Oxford University Athletics Club, have rowed for my college’s women’s second’s boat and I recognise that I am very

“Overall differences

are such that it wouldn’t be fair

”

lucky to have been given such opportunities to make the most of. I care deeply about women’s sport and the inequality that still exists both in media coverage and in institutional funding between men-only and women-only sport. However, having the level of experience in sport that I have and having witnessed and compared the differences between cis-women and CIS-men at a relatively high levels, I cannot legitimately endorse the principle of mixed teams at an elite level across all sports indiscriminately. I agree with the idea in principle, but its enactment in reality would be far more complex and difficult to manage, at least in certain sports. For example, in sports that rely on a great deal of physicality, such as waterpolo, those on the men’s team are more likely to be able to throw the ball harder, swim faster and remain able to endure higher levels of intensity in training for longer than those on the women’s team. I have personally seen this in my own training from week to week and, despite the fact that the women’s team are in the pool training hard more

The overall differences (and of course there are always exceptions to this rule) between the physical capabilities of cis-men and those of cis-women are such that it would not be realistically fair to field a team of all cis-women against a team of all cismen in such physical sports as waterpolo, athletics or rowing, and I can imagine in others such as rugby or swimming as well. If the cis-men played at their full capacity, they wouldn’t only beat the cis-women decisively; they would likely injure them too: the last time I played mixed waterpolo was when I was 15 and I ended up with a bloody nose. If the logic of how impractical it is to pitch an all-cis-women team against an all-cis-men team in physical sport can be accepted, then following this logic through we can say that fielding mixed teams in these kinds of sports is just not feasible. More often than not, the teams with the fewest number of cis-women in them will be at a significant advantage in these sports and trying to manage how many ciswomen are allowed in each team effectively (i.e. limiting the amount of cis-women on each team) would be more likely to increase feeling of inequality between cis-men and cis-women in particularly physical sports than remedy it. On the other hand, in sports with a more technical emphasis (although all still physical, perhaps less so than the brute force sports like those listed above) such as badminton, hockey, golf, tennis, netball and others where physical differences between individual players are not so obviously influential on the result of a match can be made up for in technical ability, mixed teams are far more feasible and are definitely Flashback: to

Ben Sanders - Yes We should abolish male-only sports, and unisex formats should replace them; but we should keep female-only sports. It’s arbitrary, and therefore unacceptable, to prevent a woman from playing sports alongside men simply because she’s a woman. Here’s an example to help demonstrate that. Pick a female rugby player and a male rugby player at random – say, Tamara Taylor and James Haskell. Imagine that Taylor is stronger, faster, better at catching and better at throwing than Haskell. In this case, there’s no good reason to exclude Taylor from Haskell’s all-male rugby team. Given that he’s made the cut, then she clearly deserves to as well – because she’s a better player than him. This makes the point clear. It’s simply wrong to assume that no woman would be able to compete effectively in the male arena. In such cases, that only leaves sex itself as the basis for sex-segregation in sport. In the case of male-only sports, this segregation is completely unjustified. Don’t get me wrong; banning male-only sports, by legislation, would be too heavyhanded. But we should take it upon ourselves, as citizens, to stop organising them and taking part in them. This includes all sports; team-based, individual, club, international, school, university, and so on. The usual reply to this is something like; “That’s fine, but how many women will fulfil such conditions? Even if we opened up male rugby teams to women, for example, hardly any would make the grade. Men are generally stronger and faster than women.” But, even if all of that is true – and that’s debatable anyway - so what? It doesn’t matter how many women would actually take part in unisex sports, because the benefits of making this change would clearly outweigh the costs regardless. Firstly, there’s no reason whatsoever to assume that sports’ entry-standards would fall as a result of transforming male-only formats into unisex formats. Moreover, it’s senseless to fret that women might easily be injured, or similar, if they attempted to compete alongside men. They’d only get into a team if, just like men, they were sufficiently sturdy to handle the competition. Therefore, there would no sporting

Mixed doubles pair Laura Robson and Andy Murray could only manage Silver at the 2012 Olympics

cost in abolishing male-only sports and replacing them with unisex formats. Secondly, the benefits of doing this are clear. By allowing all elite sportspeople to compete alongside all other elite sportspeople - regardless of sex - we’d ensure that they all receive the attention and prestige that their talents deserve. Due to the sad state of the status quo, magnificent non-male sportspeople are undeservedly relegated to anonymity, partly because we don’t allow them to compete alongside the bulk of their fellow elite performers. Moreover, by allowing the best to com-

“ Male-only sports are arbitrary and

unacceptable

”

pete together, the quality of sports would increase. Now, I’ve only suggested that we abolish male-only sports. That’s because femaleonly sports ought to remain – at least temporarily. This asymmetry is crucial. Why? Because it’d be sensible to expect relatively few women to enter unisex sports, in the short term. Regardless of this, though, exists the grim fact that our society tends to be conservative and prejudiced. It would take at least several years for many of those who pick teams, for example, to give due consideration to female competitors. Therefore, it’s near-certain that if female-only sports were also abolished, then women’s presence in sport as a whole would dwindle dramatically for at least the first few years. That would clearly be a disaster. So, whilst male-only sports should be scrapped, female-only sports should remain for the time being. Some might say that this is unfair; “Why should women get two bites at the cherry, when men would only get one?” But consider these examples. Athletic Bilbao, a football team that only recruits players with connections to the Basque region, isn’t operating unfairly. Stonewall FC, a team that calls itself a “gay football club” and aims to recruit homosexual players, isn’t doing anything wrong. These teams offer ‘two bites at the cherry’ to certain people, but that’s okay. Sustaining a dedicated sporting platform for a portion of society that struggles for representation amongst mainstream sport, and wishes to assert an identity that our zsociety endorses, is completely acceptable. Likewise, even if we abolished maleonly sports, women would be – for as long as they struggle for sporting representation - entitled to a dedicated sporting platform. That’s one of the roles of female-only sports, and that’s why it wouldn’t be unfair if we let them continue. There’s no reason whatsoever to wait around. Male-only sports are arbitrary and unjust, and we should start getting rid of them today.

Sport 23

30th April 2015

Has another Wenger revival silenced critics?

• Resurgence does not necessarily mean that Wenger is right man for the long term • Recent seasons have followed similar pattern, but still the Gunners fail to reach top BEN SANDERS SPORTS EDITOR

Almost halfway through this league season, Arsenal stood in sixth-place. Discontent amongst the Arsenal fans, which had been brewing for many years (exacerbated by exorbitant ticket prices), arguably came to a head on 7th December last year. Then, after their team had lost 3-2 at Stoke, a group of Gunners fans booed, shouted “out” and yelled “fuck off” to Arsene Wenger, the team’s manager, as he boarded a train home to London. Since the turn of the year, the hecklers have become increasingly quiet, largely because their team’s performances and results have significantly improved. In recent weeks, they’ve been playing the most thrilling football in the country. Revival: Nonetheless, it still isn’t crazy to that Wenger should leave at Wenger will certainly suggest the end of the season. stay for next season Firstly, we’ve seen these kinds of resurgences before from Arsenal. On 1st February 2012, after a gruelling season, Arsenal lay in seventh-place in the league. They won nine of their next 10 league games and ended Getty Images up finishing third. On 20th January 2004 2013, after another difficult halfLast time Arsenal took the Pre- season, Arsenal were in sixth-place; mier league title. they won 10 of their next 12 games and ultimately came fourth. In each case, the Gunners failed to follow up Five consecutive years Arsenal eliminated in Cham- their excellent close-season form with a consistently good campaign in the pions League Round of 16. next. Secondly, Wenger himself could Fifteen cubic metres have several criticisms fairly levied Estimated size of Wenger’s coat. against him. Lately, for example, his transfer record has been erratic.

Of their recent big-money signings, Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud, and Alexis Sanchez have been clear hits; Lukas Podolski, Nacho Monreal, Mesut Özil and Danny Welbeck have been clear misses so far. Wenger’s development of existing players is also mixed. For example, the emergence of Francois Coquelin might seem to demonstrate Wenger’s unfailing talent to nurture young players. However, Coquelin burst onto the scene only because his manager felt forced to play him, as other players were injured. Maybe Wenger deserves credit for helping the young defensive midfielder reach his current standard. Alternatively, maybe Wenger deserves criticism for taking so long to

“Wenger is more

than a man in an enormous coat

”

appreciate Coquelin’s talents; he has recently admitted that the player’s emergence has “surprised” him. But there’s a deeper reason why the club’s fans, board, and Wenger himself should give serious thought to the idea of leaving at the end of the season. One of the ideas that Nick Hornby explored in his book, Fever Pitch, is the suggestion that we don’t follow football in pursuit of success but, actually, we follow it in order to make an emotional gamble. Why, for example, do we ridicule

and barrack those who regularly hop from supporting one team to supporting another (especially if the latter team is in the midst of winning trophies)? If we followed football in order to latch onto triumphs, then we would surely respect successful “gloryhunters”. After all, these people - if successful - make good predictions about who’s going to win. If we were all trying to do that, then we’d laud their behaviour. Instead, we think such conduct is contemptible; this seems to mean that we think they’re following football in the wrong way. As Hornby himself argued, we actually follow football to make our emotions less bland. When following a football team, the happiness that’s derived is the result of what’s essentially a random lottery of who we support, and how well they do. Under Wenger, Arsenal – who Hornby actually supports – are offering less and less of an emotional gamble to their supporters. Indeed, many of us feel confident about what will come at the start of each season. “They’ll finish in the top 4 – maybe second-place, if they’re lucky – but they won’t mount a season-long, convincing run for the title.” Anyone who thinks that their current form definitely implies that they’ll be contenders next season should bear recent years in mind. “They’ll get out of the Champions League group stages, but they’ll go out in the Round of 16.” They’ve done this for the last five seasons in a row. “They’ll do at least decently in domestic cup competitions, and they could win one of them.” But this inspires only

temporary appeasement in the hearts of many fans; the unrest at the start of this season ocurred despite last year’s FA Cup victory. Above all, many of us feel confident that Arsenal will not strike deep hopes or grave fears into the hearts of the Arsenal fans. Instead, the faithful will pay a great deal of money over the course of the season to rarely have their emotions stirred beyond experiencing muted frustration and, possibly, occasional joy if they win the cup. Of course, if Wenger did leave at the season’s end, it’s very plausible to suggest that his successor would – for a few years, at least – struggle to do better than him given, if nothing else, how difficult it would be to re-adjust the club to the Frenchman’s absence. Say, for example, Jürgen Klopp took charge next season; would he have more success over the next few years than Wenger would? Maybe, maybe not. Success would be at risk. But the most important consideration is whether a new manager, such as Klopp, would change the team and atmosphere in a way that would make the Arsenal fans feel better. For example, the strong hope of a Champions League victory that coincided with a strong fear of coming sixth in the league would be preferable, for many Arsenal fans, to the bland safety that the Wenger regime has offered until now. And this, ultimately, is the point of football. Whether or not Wenger should leave this summer is unclear; but we shouldn’t assume that his staying would be for the best.

Dina Asher-Smith: 60m, 100m and 200m champion

• Asher-Smith finished her A levels in August 2014, met her required

grades and is now a first year studying History at Kings College London. • She is a member of Blackheath and Bromly Athletics Club, is coached by John Blackie and in 2009 ran her personal best 60m in 708 seconds.

Getty Images

»Continued from back page

On recent stories of drug usage in sport: When you’re a competitor, I do think it’s an issue that needs to be addressed head-on. But, when I’m in race mode, I really do try not to think about it. Particularly because, with sprinting, when you step on the line you have to be absolutely confident in your abilities, you don’t have the time to be questioning yourself. Any shade of doubt puts your start off and you give yourself a disadvantage. I really don’t want to think like that during the season – because I really hate losing.

On possibilities of life-banning an athlete for drugs offences: You’ve got some cases of people who do it inadvertently, like Rhys Williams, a

team-mate from Moscow; he recently got a drug ban, but that’s not just him at all. What he got caught for wouldn’t

“ I’ve always wanted to go to

the Olympics, that’s my biggest goal

”

have aided his performance but it got contaminated, it wasn’t meant to have this thing in it. So to say he should get a life ban because of that kind of mistake and just to swipe everybody with the same brush is unfair. There are those that do it deliberately, but it’s hard to make the distinction. There’s so much grey matter.

On Heather Watson and the little, I’ve always wanted to be go to the issue of repressed discussion of Olympics! That’s my big goal. It’s kind menstruation in sport: of weird, because crunch time’s kinda It’s one of those things that’s pushed to one side, definitely. All the doctors are a bit squeamish – they do try and help, but at the same time, they don’t understand. It’s really difficult for female athletes to manage their periods sometimes. I think it’s one of those things that science really has to invest its time in, because if the commentators are like, ‘Oh, she had a really bad day, that’s out of the blue!’ Period. You just know. But in the meantime you’ve got to speak to the older athletes and get coping methods.

On plans for the future I’m definitely trying to balance both. I’ve still got loads to learn for my exams! But my goals for athletics since I’ve been

getting closer!

On possibly competing at Rio in both 100m and 200m: You never know, you might not be quick enough to do one or the other; there might be three other girls quicker than you going into it. There’s such a long time between then and now as well. To be able to do six races in a champs - it tends to be the really experienced and really good athletes that do that. If you watch, none of the younger athletes tend to double up, simply because it’s so hard on your body and it’s so mentally draining that you need years and years of conditioning to get through that. So I don’t know, we’ll have to see.

Asher-Smith’s record at World and Junior Championships Gold: 100m at Oregon (2014), 200m at Riete (2013), 4x100m relay at Rieti (2013). Silver: 60m at Prague (2015) Bronze: 4x100m relay at Moscow (2013)

SPORT e-mail/ sport@oxfordstudent.com

Debate

Is it time that we saw mixed sports teams? » Page 22

Football

'Wenger out.' Words of wisdom or typical tripe? » Page 23

Sunshine, Pimms, & croquet mallets • A potted history of croquet and Oxford's relationship with the summertime sport • Croquet Cuppers 2015 is fast approaching and student involvement is set to be high

ALICE RICHARDSON SPORTS EDITOR

With the summer fast approaching and the sun trying hard to raise temperatures, it’s that time of year again: time to dig out the mallets, crack open the Pimms and settle into the croquet season in Oxford. Croquet Cuppers 2014 is heralded by Oxford University’s Croquet Club

“ The history of the sport itself is a long

and illustrious one

”

as having been the biggest University sporting event ever held to date in terms of participation. 2,000 individuals, from novices to pros, took to the manicured lawns of various Oxford colleges to try their hand at the summertime sport. The level of involvement is predicted to be similar this year. But why is croquet so popular in

Oxford? For many it’s simply the opportunity to be out in the sun, with drink in hand catching up with friends. However, Oxford’s affiliation with croquet runs much deeper than a relaxing summer pastime and, for a select few, the sport is worthy of a much bigger commitment. The Romans are known to have played a game called ‘Paganica’ where they walked across fields and hit a small leather ball with a curved stick and aimed to strike certain trees. From this, the game evolved into the golf-like ‘Pall-Mall’ of the 1600s, which King Charles II was partial to, and from there the modern game of croquet was established in the 1850s (the oldest document to bear the word "croquet" with a description of the modern game being dated from November 1856). So the history of the sport itself is a long and illustrious one; and its history with Oxford University is no different. An exclusive croquet club was set up in May 1867 by a handful of senior academics at the University, but it wasn’t until over a century later that undergraduates were allowed to play. In May 1961, enthusiastic

OxUniSport

male undergraduates organised the first Oxford vs. Cambridge Croquet Varsity Match and seventeen years later, in 1978, Sue Foden [of Oxford] made history as the first woman to play in the Croquet Varsity Match. OUCC as it currently stands was established in 2003 and currently has two lawns to use in the University Parks which are regularly busy. Phil Boddington was the first member of Oxford University Croquet Club to receive a Half Blue in the sport in 1982 whilst Adam Berry was the first member to receive a Full Blue in 1984. Croquet remains a discretionary Full Blue’s sport at Oxford University and only 3 Full

Croquet Season 2015: Passtime or commitment? Blues have ever been awarded. Only three full Blues With Croquet Cuppers 2015 fast have ever been given in the approaching, we spoke to a member history of Oxford croquet of last year’s winning team, Pete Batley of Magdalen (now graduated), 1978 who said: First woman plays croquet for “To be honest, I cared far more about the Croquet Cuppers final Oxford University Croquet Club than I did any of my actual finals. I'm not sure there were any days in 2003 term, including exam time, where at Oxford Croquet Club least one of our team wasn't out pracestablished for students and tising. In the tougher games, tactics tutors are a major part of play and countless hours were spent refining ours. The 2014 last few rounds were certainly hard Croquet cuppers is Oxford's fought for with the semi-finals a 'biggest' sporting event particularly satisfying nail-biter”.

Dina Asher-Smith: Interview with Team GB's World Junior 100m Champion • European Junior Champion in 200m; Asher-Smith broke the UK Junior 100m record earlier this year RUTH AKINRADEWO SPORTS WRITER

On achieving at a young age: I’m not entirely sure; in my head, I don’t move very quickly! I do work really, really hard – I train 5 days a week now, which is tiring, especially balancing it with uni – but once you’re used to it it’s OK. I work hard, I’m pretty focused and I’ve got a good training group.

Multitalented: Fastest teenager over 60m

Getty Images

good to have someone just like yourself in the same situation, you know you’re not alone.

“I just remember thinking, 'Run, run, run! ”

On winning silver in the 2015 On training with those of a simi- European Indoor Champions lar age: 60m with a time of 7.08 seconds (equalling the British record): Everyone’s going through the same thing, it’s easier to normalise it; if you were going through it by yourself, you’d think it was really weird, meeting so many elite athletes that like to devote their lives to this. But you’ve got someone else who’s still learning and developing. It’s really

I just remember thinking, ‘Run, run, run!’ But yeah, I was so happy. Immediately after the race, the results board had broken, and no-one knew where they’d come… And I thought, could this be any more tense?! It must have been about 10

seconds but it felt like 25 hours! And then I saw my name pop up with the silver, and I was just so happy. I was so shocked; I did not think that I was going to run that fast! So I’m just absolutely over the moon!

On managing school and university work with training: I’d started school doing sport, and just doing athletics was a reduction from what I used to do, so I got used to it. But school to uni was a bit of a jump: I used to train four days a week in secondary school, then it went up to five. But also the work jumped too! Studying at uni is pretty stressful sometimes. But if you’re organised and plan ahead you waste less time and you procrastinate less. But it’s actually so much more interesting and much more fun than I expected it to be! Continued on page 23 »