The Martlet - Issue 18 by THE MARTLET

POLITICS

The Barnier Effect

EUROPE

The Slow Death of Free Speech

WINTER ISSUE

INTERVIEW A Flying Start

RUGBY

An Insight Into Rugby at Abingdon

Abingdon School’s Leading Newspaper

ISSUE 18

Will Gompertz Comes to Abingdon Freddie Marshall interviews the BBC Arts Editor about his career in journalism. Were you interested in journalism when you were at school and did you ever write for a newspaper?

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The only thing I had going for me is that I was very inquisitive, always asking questions and wanting to find out why something is the way that it is or why somebody is the way that they are. That was always my guiding star in an age of curiosity because I hadn’t an awful lot else going for me as I couldn’t write, sing or draw. How did you come to start working in the area you do now?

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enjoy reporting on? They are all greatly interesting because sometimes you meet people like Meryl Streep, Jay Z or Tom Hanks. Theatre of course is very exciting as it is live and very direct, and I also spend a lot of time working with musicians. However, it’s fine art that I like the most because an artist has the hardest thing to do as he or she has to condense all their ideas into one single image or object. They have to grab their audience with one image and that has got to encapsulate everything they want to say which is a very difficult thing to achieve.

I left school at sixteen, without many qualifications, and I started at the bottom. The great thing is that in many fields, certainly within the arts, you can start at the bottom. If you want to work in the film and TV industry, you start as a runner on set making cups of tea, picking up people’s dry cleaning as I once did at a production company. Similarly, in art you start as an artist’s assistant, or in careers involving writing you can send ideas and articles in to the local newspaper, magazines or website. So the answer to your question is I started at the bottom, working out the networks, thinking about the areas I found interesting and then working towards the next job in that area.

What is it like working at the BBC? Do you think it is perhaps a better place than a commercial organisation and, if so, why?

What area of the arts do you most

Continued on page 2

The BBC is a wonderful place to work and a very kind place. People are there to support you and help you succeed. As a workplace experience and an environment in which to do your job, it’s a splendid place. I suppose the thing about the BBC that is the most remarkable is that it will open any door to any person in the planet. Presidents, films stars, musicians will take the call from the BBC because of what it means, because of its impartial nature and job not to judge but just to

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News

Letter from the Editor D

ear Readers,

As 2018 comes to a close, this issue of The Martlet aims to reflect on what the last twelve months have meant both nationally, with the Brexit negotiations only now starting to take shape, and worldwide, with the political schism in Europe and America nurturing a divisive political atmosphere. Many things remained unchanged and figures such as Trump, Corbyn, and May continue to be just as prevalent in the newspaper today as they were a year ago. Other articles, such as the travel and book reviews, offer a break from the usual political and technological focuses of the Features section, providing new perspectives to the newspaper. The News section focuses largely on the political climate of Britain, the US, and Europe, offering a detailed insight into the tumultuous atmosphere of western politics. Jack Thornton, Dan Cooney, and Samuel King offer an analysis of the recent midterm elections in the United States, Johan Nerlov investigates the cracks and holes in the rise of populism that’s been visible across Europe in recent years, and Samuel King writes about the cumbersome process of the Brexit negotiations. The Features section contains a wide range of articles, focusing less on current affairs and instead offers stories on a vast array of topics, time periods, and places. Ed Gill, Ben Adams, and Charlie Brit-

ton offer four book reviews, German Baraev interviews Mr O’Doherty and Dr Gardner about Beech Court, Abingdon’s newest building, and the school’s favourite dog returns in Maggie’s Muddles, answering your burning questions. The Sports section boasts a bountiful collection of articles, featuring a variety of different sports. In the past, the Sports section has often been sparsely populated but under the leadership of Marc Tuazon it has flourished and includes sports from croquet to football. As a result of this diversity in articles, the Sports section is able to appeal to many different sporting interests. Thanks to the multitude of interests of its writers, dedication of its editing team, and talent of its designers, our award-winning publication is able to cover a wide range of topics and we look forward to the progression of the newspaper in the new year. Special thanks also go to Miss Williamson, without whose perseverance and commitment The Martlet would not be where it is today. I would encourage anyone with an interest in journalism or desire to write about a subject of their interest to join. Thank you for reading, and enjoy! Piers Mucklejohn

COVER STORY

Will Gompertz Comes to Abingdon Freddie Marshall

Continued from cover page report and reflect the world around it. On the other hand, I think commercial institutions have something else which is also very valuable. A commercial organisation has got to have a different relationship with their audience. They have to go and grab their audience and keep them because if they don’t they would go out of business, whereas the BBC hasn’t got those concerns in quite the same way. I think you will see more innovation and risk taking in a commercial company than something like the BBC which moves much slower. There are restrictions on things you can do at the BBC because of impartiality, however, I believe that newspapers and magazines that are allowed to have specific points of view are healthy in a democracy as well. You can’t have everybody sitting on the fence but you need people teed up on both sides of the argument. I would say the BBC is a wonderful thing but there has to be scope within the landscape of British media for other players. The BBC must not become so big that it suppresses other voices, but it

should reflect them. How would you go about finding stories for articles in the first place? Just from experience and knowledge in an area, very quickly the stories become self evident. There is scope within the arts to show how imaginative, creative and interesting humans can be, instead of their destruction shown so frequently in the news, and that is the pleasure of it. What determines the status of a piece and what dictates if it will appear on the BBC news program? Broadly speaking, every program has an editor who is in charge of putting a certain program out and it is your job as a journalist to make sure that your are in tune with them. If you are not in tune with his or her tastes, you are not going to get on air or get your stories printed. At the BBC there are hundreds of editors. There is an editor of The Six O’clock News, The Ten O’clock News, The Today Programme, news on Radio One or the website, so there are loads of editors and you need to be across them all,

talking to them and understanding what they want so that when you have a story you can find where the best place for that story is. For example, if you have a story which is very visually rich, say talking to

The BBC is a wonderful place to work a film director like Steve McQueen, who has recently made the film Widows, we are going to show clips about the film whilst talking about it, so that is likely to be on television. However, if I am talking to Lady Gaga and we are just sat in a hotel or a room not visually stimulating you might think this would work better on radio. You would then talk to The Today Programme or Radio 6 Music and say that you have this really great

interview with Lady Gaga and give them some news lines. Many editors will ask, ‘What’s the newsline? What have you got to say that will interest me?’ For example, if a famous actress says Hollywood is as bad and sexist as ever, or if a painter or an art collector says that the Leonardo Da Vinci that has just sold is a fake and they can prove it, that is a newsline. What impact will Brexit have on the arts? There are some very specific impacts it is likely to have. The arts are reliant on people travelling from all other the world, but particularly from Europe. Lots of orchestras, plays and music is performed by people within the European Union. When we are in the EU it hasbeen very easy for them to travel around, however, I suspect it will be less easy if we leave. People go to festivals, they go to the theatre and to the movies in numbers that have never been before, so we know that we have to find a way to enable them to come to this country to continue performing, entertaining and inspiring us. In publishing you could have a situation where you have lots of books sitting at the border in Calais or at Dover where they have

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Freddie Marshall talks to Will Gompertz in Abingdon School’s library after the Beech Court opening. to go through a rigorous customs system whereas before there was no need for that they just came through as part of the European Union and trade deals. This could lead to a situation where you don’t have new books on the shelves for a long time. Similarly within publishing, you might get a situation where we no longer have trade deals into Europe for our British publishers so American publishers can take the same rights to a book and put them into europe and become very competitive which could be very damaging to the publishing industry. So there are issues, but all those issues are surmountable, but at the moment, for everybody, brexit is just one big question mark. I think we all know is

that it’s not going to be easy. If you were made education minister tomorrow what would be the first thing you would do? I would change the way schools are evaluated. At the moment, broadly speaking, schools are evaluated on their academic results and actually as we go further and further into EBacc, a suite of five core subjects and three others for GCSE called the English Baccalaureate. Schools are going to be increasingly evaluated on an even narrower premise which is the EBacc premise. EBacc is not a qualification but simply a way of evalu-

ating a school’s success and I think that is a complete misunderstanding of the role of schools in society and what they do for young people. An education should include: sports, drama, arts, ideas, the chance to explore the world and express yourself in all sorts of different ways that can never be examined or judged, and the ability to work collaboratively because if you can’t do that you can’t achieve anything. Things like being able to problem solve, use your brain and have the confidence to come up with ideas will be such an important asset for young people to have. None of that gets evaluated. To have a situation like EBacc where arts subjects are squeezed out of the curriculum is just

total madness. Although the media and interest in arts is growing, a lot of people are still calling this the age of science and technology. Do you think the arts will need to adapt in response to this? The thing that happens is that everything gets siloed and put into pigeon holes. People view these areas as different but they are in fact deeply interconnected. For example, a scientist or an engineer can be considered artist. An artist isn’t someone who just happens to paint a canvas or make a movie, but artists are all people who use their imagination to come up with ideas that are of value to society. I think a curriculum that blends these subjects and helps students understand where they join up would be a much more valuable thing than splitting everything up. It’s about making those connections that suddenly helps young people to get a better understanding of subjects. In your talk you mentioned that 20th century art was all about asking questions, so what questions should we be asking in the 21st century?

Beech Court - Abingdon School’s latest build.

What sort of society do we want? How do you retain identities in a globalised world which enable people to feel part of something small and something big? How do you deal with problems like mass migration in a way that is both generous and helpful? Why hasn’t education changed in the last 2 or 3 years? What would make education better? How could you improve it?

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News POLITICS

The First Cracks in the Populist Facade Johan Nerlov exposes the true colours of the populist movement.

s countless individuals have noted in the recent past, the rise of populism has been, if not meteoric, then most certainly fear-striking and awe-inspiring. On the one hand, the ability of the grand populist maestro to connect to the disenfranchised and the left behind and speak to the hearts of their concerns is, at least, to be commended. Few politicians since the end of the Cold War have had either the audacity or skill to connect so personally with voters. The public is of course referred to most warmly in speeches, and sometimes even in policy, but seems hardly ever centrally placed in the minds of most politicians. In many ways this is the reason we have seen this ‘meteoric rise’ - populists at least pretend to have a soul. But, kissing babies and hugging voters is hardly enough to govern, it can win you a popularity contest for sure (as many elections are), but it’s hardly enough to make the real change so enthu-

siastically preached about time and time again. In contrast to their peers who have too much policy and brains (presumably) and almost no heart or emotion, populists are equally badly placed on their side of the spectrum. Being loved and praised

achieved some important strides forward in aiding his country through one of the harshest times economically and socially it has gone through since the Great Depression or World War II. As Thomas Frank, an American polit-

The rise of populism has been fear-striking and awe-inspiring and at the same time being skilled in government, in contrast to what we may have come to believe, are not mutually exclusive. In many ways, Barack Obama achieved a strong, loving supporting base and at the same time, in my opinion,

ical historian and analyst, recently wrote, populism could be a cure to the problem those with serious politics face in lacking a way to connect: it’s just been hijacked by those who wanted power without any of the serious political thinking. And, as

a consequence of populism and its ideas being taken over by half-wits with little more than a dream of a bygone or far-flung ideal and now getting into government in countries like Italy, the United States and possibly even Brazil (more on that later), it is rather rational to finally expect and see the cracks in the facade of their seemingly unblemished legacy slowly showing. Deep anger in the ‘silent majority’ of populations throughout the world at diminishing life opportunities, wealth concentration in a nucleus of elites and changes beyond what many could handle have thrust populists in power - it is clear they are set on using this anger, exploiting it for their own gain rather than truly achieving lasting change. Perhaps the best and most obvious of my examples is Italy, my native country, which has recently elected and placed into office (those two procedures seemingly and somewhat bizarrely disconnected) the first wholly populist government

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Above: Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil, Below: Matteo Salvini, leader of the Italian Lega Nord. in Western Europe since, arguably, the Fascist Party. Made up of the centre-left and far(-ish)-right Lega (technically still called Lega Nord), from very early on in this government’s time in office, this lack of real political will or acumen now became very clear. Migrants became the biggest story in a country that faces many worse economic and social

problems and this is already showing the logic at play. Unable to make any real change either economically or socially in bringing down public debt, increasing employment or reducing the ashamedly high imbalance in senior positions and general workforce of women, they pick on the most vulnerable and crudely fixable ‘major problem’ - migrants. Compared to all the other woes, these are simple things to solve. They have simply stopped NGO and even Coast Guard ships from docking and disembarking at ports, forcing longer and more arduous journeys that undoubtedly have led to many more deaths that could have been prevented. Instead of sitting down calmly and seriously with fellow European and International allies (not that it’s very clear as to who they are anymore) and discussing solutions and diplomatically sorting out treaties and agreements, the migrants are held hostage by the quasi-racist and misogynistic Interior Minister Salvini (the Lega Interior Minister), who recently, perhaps even subconsciously, expressed a little homage to Mussolini in a tweet, expresses the worst of this government, ranting and shouting, making promises and threats that are impossible to keep both practically or legally. Another example is the recent collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa, a tragedy that has hit Italians hard and forced reflec-

tions not only on the physical but also moral fabric of our nation, which seemed an unmissable opportunity for the new ‘grande populisti’ to make a show. Instead of examining properly all the evidence and setting up public enquiries, the gov-

Hugging voters is hardly enough to govern

ernment went on a blaming spree and political rant, showing great disrespect for the victims, their family and their nation. In what was perhaps a small act of revolt against the government and more broadly the state, many families refused to attend the state funeral, rather opting for private and more personal ceremonies. In something of a turnaround, it is worth noting that it was Salvini and his party who, a few election cycles ago, voted in favour of giving the private agency being currently blamed and attacked the mandate to look after the ‘autostrade’ together with Berlusconi’s government. Needless to say that the freak show is only continuing from here. Just last week, the new government released its much-awaited Budget for the 2019 fiscal year. It is clear to anyone that they are, again, pampering to their base rather than actually improving Italy’s dire economic situation. With overconfident and inflated economic growth targets, flat taxes and increased government spend-

ing, this will again prove to be another hard blow to Italy and the world economy. But Italy is not the only example. In Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro was the victor of the election on October 28th. He is a racist, a misogynist and a lover of military dictatorships and, like Brazil had for over 20 years from 1964 to 1985, has policies that show the deep amorality of many populist leaders; from allowing the police to indiscriminately shoot and kill anyone they find possessing drugs, to murdering even petty criminals, legally making women worth less and destroying the young democracy that is Brazil. If anything, Bolsonaro shows perhaps too clearly the agendas of most populists today. Of course one cannot simply accuse them all of racism and misogyny, though some clearly to deserve those labels. Much more deeply, they are all on their own agenda to destroy the very foundations of democracy, to keep power - to use power. As I have said above, the great anger of people at their diminishing opportunities in life and the ever-great inequalities in society put these politicians in power and they showed themselves as those who could fix it. But, yet again, it seems that people are going to be betrayed once more by a new class of politician who talks the talk but then fails to deliver real change. It is not the people’s fault that they voted to change a system that has been failing them for decades, and we all need to recognise that. But, it is vital that we all show these populist leaders as who they are: chauvinists, who are out there for themselves, on their anti-democratic campaigns. We must do this before it will be too late to salvage what is left of our once flourishing democracies.

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News POLITICS

The Barnier Effect

Samuel King investigates the figure casting a shadow over the British Government.

Michel Barnier.

ince the result of the EU referendum held in June 2016, the British press has widely ignored the power over Britain that Michel Barnier possesses. Despite the groundless optimism of the Conservative pro leave politicians, the European negotiating team had a substantial upper hand in the process, which they have maintained: triggering Article 50 without agreeing to the terms of negotiations first weakened the UK’s position. One, out of a series of many, mistakes that our government has made in their approach to the deliberations is the failure to appreciate the efficiency and intellect of their rivals, fundamentally, the lead EU negotiator Michel Barnier himself. Formed politically and intellectually by both the European Christian Democrat tradition and the French Alps, we can see in Michel Barnier the result, a devout Catholic and highly principled politician. After an apparent lack of effort from the UK government to understand the motivations and priorities of the EU, they are seemingly unaware of the fact that, above all, protection of the EU as

an integrated whole is top of Barnier’s agenda. This priority involves legal and economic protection as well as a defence of the founding principles of the

vices and capital freely across borders are the four holy commandments that Barnier will defend with his life. Maintaining these principles is worked into Mr Barnier’s DNA. These are chains with which the UK government’s negotiators are trapped to the negotiation table. Upholding these four principles or freedoms is the only line that the EU can take. Working with practicalities and logistical solutions has brought the UK into a state of panic since the integrity of the four principles remains almost alien to British politicians. This crisis of negotiation has become ever increasingly clear with the pending problem of the Northern Irish border. Many speculations point towards a thankfulness from the British public for the dilemma. Differing from other issues facing the negotiating teams, the ‘Irish Problem’, will produce immediate consequences. Consequences which the British Government will not be able to explain away. This issue fixes the British Government in a position of awkwardness, highlighting to them they must take action. The reasons for this are clear. The EU does not have any bitterness towards the Republic of Ireland, respecting them as a key player with the European Union. This is the only issue on the agenda where there is a recent history of violence and the alarming potential for a resurgence of conflict. The UK government have, largely, assumed a foolish optimism with the ‘Irish problem,’ failing to appreciate or consider the profound delicacy of the situation. Barnier refuses to accept easy

“The crisis of the negotiations has become ever increasingly clear”

European Union as articulated by Jean Monnet in the 1950s. Barnier wishes to command a foolproof exit strategy from the negotiation war zone. A backup plan is to leave the EU undamaged if the UK drop out of discussions and crashes into a ‘hard’ Brexit. Movement of goods, people, ser-

compromises from the UK on the issue, not tolerating the actions taken by the government: not finding a suitable resolution, and continually suggesting answers which rely on technologies that do not exist. Working with the logic of the approach taken by Barnier the current UK negotiation line clashes directly with

the EU questions. With public statements, such as ‘Brexit means Brexit’, that provide no information for the EU team, something which they are desperate for, the UK’s rival grows increasingly impatient with a lack of substance to the regular discussions. Press conferences filled with rhetoric in Downing Street do not mix with the facts driven Brussels negotiation team. Last December, Prime Minister Theresa May declared that she will maintain a fluid border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Barnier returns to this and other statements, inquiring where their proposals for such a solution are and the UK Government repeatedly fails to provide answers. The calamities of the negotiations that I have just outlined, have achieved little other than aggravating Barnier. Keen for a speedy negotiation process where a strict schedule is kept, Barnier’s ulterior motive to complete the discussions is practically unknown. Having worked in several French governments as a minister during the last two decades, Barnier has built a political web of influence. Previously, it was thought he would take the position of prime minister under President Chirac. It then came as a surprise when he was passed over, some speculating this decision came from the potential rivalry between the two. Despite these and a brittle relationship with President Sarkozy, he succeeded in the position of EU Commissioner, finding in EU institutions a natural habitat. A politician who enjoys the challenge of compromises across groups and nations, and not only supports but relies on a collective decision-making process, is the opponent the UK are facing. One’s natural conclusion would be the Barnier is an opponent who provides no obstacle for the UK negotiating team, however the UK Government have wasted this opportunity since Barnier does not work with rhetoric. Once the rules of the game are set he does not do fussiness but privileges precision and clarity of rules. This has posed a problem with the UK, since, after Prime Minister May repeatedly turns down an option she back-tracks to reconsider and accept the initial proposal. Within the hushed discussions of the EU negotiating team, it is known Barnier is preparing his team for the UK to completely abandon discussions and leave without an agreement. One aspect of the process is clear, the UK has run out of time.

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News

The Slow Death of Free Speech EUROPE

Alexander Thulin investigates the potential censorship of user made content under European Law.

n the 12th September, after numerous delays following widespread opposition to the proposals, the European Parliament voted with a majority of 438 to 226 to implement revised copyright legislation that aims to place the responsibility for removing use of copyrighted material on the media platforms themselves, a change that has been widely been criticized as mass censorship and the death of ‘meme’ culture. The two most widely feared aspects of the new directive are Article 11 and 13. Article 11

We must debate over what Fair Use even is anymore has been referred to as a ‘link tax’ as it requires websites and commercial platforms to ‘obtain a license before linking to news stories’. Under the current EU law it is the responsibility of the author to prove ownership and claim against illegal use but with this legislation the onus will be on the media companies and those linking to the content to actively seek out permission from the content creator to even link to any news articles or images they are using. One of the main issues with this article is how vague the wording is. While the article does give an exemption for individuals, it does not give a definition of what a ‘commercial platform’ actually is. Blog websites are run by individuals but can also be considered commercial platforms, creating a whole new grey area where something can both be exempted from the article and simultaneously the exact format the article is against. Article 13 is the most contested issue, stating that platforms ‘storing and giving access to large amounts of works and other subject-matter uploaded by

their users’ are legally responsible for their users uploading copyrighted material and thus copyright holders can sue tech giants for their users’ actions. Because of this additional responsibility, it is feared media platforms will start to utilise automatic filters to detect copyrighted material as any breaches of copyright that go unnoticed threatens costly legal battles that - due to the wording of Article 13 - are unlikely to be won by the platform. Automatic filters for copyrighted content are already in place on some platforms such as YouTube and are already widely criticised for frequent false positives, including in a number of cases taking down the actual copyright holder’s content and often having a complete disregard for ‘Fair Use’, the legal doctrine that permits the use of copyrighted content in satire, critique and parody among other uses in an attempt to balance the interest of copyright holders with the interests of the public. If the Articles are implemented in their current form it is highly likely that other platforms such as Facebook and Twitter will be forced to implement such filter, meaning that the multitude of perfectly legitimate content such as ‘memes’ will be under threat of being taken down with little likelihood of repeal due to the legal costs to actively challenge the strike and the difficulty of arguing ‘Fair Use’ due to the unclear definition of what actually constitutes parody or satire. Multiple tech giants have already spoken out in opposition to the proposed changes. In a statement by the Chief Business Officer of YouTube, Robert Kyncl, the platform claimed that the proposed changes would ‘Not only stifle your creative freedom, it

The European Parliament voted to review copywrite laws and implement further enforcement guidelines for user content. was able to delay the vote, opponents of the legislations equate it to a form of censorship as it means content such as ‘memes’ will be forcibly removed from media platforms, stifling freedom of speech and potentially bringing an end to the concept of Fair Use. The legislation is not without its supporters, prominent figures such as Paul McCarthy has spoken out claiming that ‘Today, some user-upload content platforms refuse to compensate artists and

A multitude of perfectly legitimate content will be under threat could have severe, negative consequences for the fans, the communities and all the revenue you have worked so hard to create’. The opposition to these proposals has been so widespread that initially it

all music creators fairly for their work while they exploit it for their own profit’ and that the proposals would help to re-address the balance. The legislation has not been put into effect yet and may be subject to re-

vision. However, as it stands, these articles may pose a substantial threat that was never even intended in the legislation, the EU has released a statement that they will not ‘kill memes’ however, they seem to be forgetting that due to the wording of the articles, the EU has absolutely no control over whether or not memes are killed. The fact that the legislation requires the companies hosting the content to take responsibility for their users content means that there is little incentive for the companies to be lenient. Although the new laws will result in a loss of revenue projected to be in the billions for YouTube, these costs are nothing compared to the threat of repeated expensive legal battles every time someone uploads a few seconds of music; how much music has to be played before a claim under this new system hasn’t even been defined. While it is far too early to say what the effect of these laws will actually be and it is doubtful that this will mean the death of memes, it is almost certain that any attempts to enforce these policies will result in a large wave of false positives and a widespread debate of what Fair Use even means anymore.

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News POLITICS

November Midterms Haunt Trump’s White House

Jack Thornton, Daniel Cooney and Samuel King reflect on predictions and results of the 2018 American Mid-Terms. THE DEMOCRATS : All in all, the Democrats appeared to be having quite a good time when it came to how well the midterms would turn out. However, it was of the utmost importance to the Democrats to employ a number of strategies in order for the votes to swing in their direction. The principally appealing to the younger generations. An article published by The Independent claimed that millennials (18 to 34-year-olds) make up the majority of the voting electorate in the US, clearly seen in the 2016 presidential election, where millennial voters made up over 40% of all votes. If the Democrats managed to gain a substantial foot-hold in this generation, through people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York and Colin Allred in Texas, they may have been able to catch a victory in the midterms. Either party was able to win the election by simply appealing to states that have the most voting power and still have a majority of people vote against you. Since most of the people who vote for the Republicans live in the small states, the Democrats had to appeal to these states in order to gain an advantage by exploiting the Electoral College. This was obviously going to be quite a big challenge due to the

Democrats demographic, being mostly towards big companies and the middle to upper class.

If the Republicans lost control of either the House of Representatives or the Senate, they would have lost their ability to send new bills to the President with

It has been admitted by top Republicans that the party is facing a momentous challenge

THE IMPACT OF THE ELECTION ON THE US : The results of this year’s midterm elections will be incredibly influential in shaping the future of not only Trump’s presidency but the American political landscape for years to come. Going into the elections, the Republicans had control of both chambers of Congress. In this election, all of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the available 100 seats in the Senate were up for grabs.

their party’s votes alone. This means that the Conservative legislative agenda would be dead. If the Republicans had succeeded in holding on to both chambers, the party could have made another attempt at repealing Obamacare through reconciliation (something they were one vote short of passing through the Senate last July). A Democratic takeover of either House would have killed all ambitions of repealing Obamacare. For the Democrats, winning control

of the House or the Senate wouldn’t just have given them the power to veto new bills but they would have also gained subpoena power - this would have let them investigate the Trump administration more rigorously. House and Senate committees can send subpoenas for documents and can compel witnesses to testify, but these committees are controlled by the majority party. With these powers they could have taken on Trump’s businesses, the sexual assault allegations against trump and controversial policy choices and personal scandals within the administration. Another enormous consequence of the Democrats retaking the Senate chamber would have been veto power over Trump’s nominees. Senate rules now allow for Trump to get any nominee through the chamber with a simple majority, which has allowed him to get through a number of nominees without any Democratic support. Without the majority, this would no longer be possible. This would have made appointments for the supreme court and cabinet positions require Democrat’s approval if the party controlled the Senate.

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THE REPUBLICANS : For recent years the Republicans have For recent years the Republicans have had control of the US Congress, one of the most costly and useful tools in US politics. The party realised their majority is under a huge threat from the momentum of the Democratic candidates, and the immense boost the Trump presidency gave to the far left. It was admitted by top Republicans that the party was facing a momentous challenge to maintain control of Congress. The stem of their problems was obviously President Trump. Assurance of financial donors and key party figures was only one challenge facing the party. At a closed-door event in New York, it was reassuringly stated by top Republicans, such as the Republican National Committee Chairwoman, that the right would ultimately turn back a purported ‘blue wave’. We saw dozens of open house seats, where Republican incumbents had decided not to seek re-election. Either for the fear they will lose the race by an embarrassing margin, or they were unable to line t their party politics up with the President’s. Providing Democrats with the opportunity to strike Republican strongholds previously out of their control, or gain the upper hand in key swing states. The highest profile Senator, who had a precarious position, was the infamous Ted Cruz. It was reported that Trump advisers had said Senator Cruz could lose his bid for re-election. While he commanded a poll lead he said, ‘I don’t worry about what some political guy in Washington says’, and ‘I worry about what the people of Texas say’. Cruz’s lead was unavoidable, but it remained a close fought race. Which was an embarrassment for the Republican party. Although the first two years of the Trump administration turned away some supporters, his strong base remained. Which suggested close and entertaining elections for November.

THE RESULTS : Midterm results: a victory for Democrats in the House but the Republicans retain the Senate. The opinion polls were vindicated with the predictions that the Democrats would become the majority party in the House of Representatives and the Senate remain Republican both confirmed.

CLOSE RACES : To date of the seats counted and declared in the House (433 of 435 seats), 232 are Democrat, 201 Republican. In the Senate 51 Republican, 47 Democrat. Some close calls - Kyrsten Sinema won Arizona for the Democrats - first Democrat to win since 1976 and first woman senator from Arizona. Elsewhere recounts have been ordered for the Senate and Gubernatorial races in Florida, and for the Gubernatorial race in Georgia: in both Florida (DeSantis) and Georgia (Kemp) Republican

Ted Cruz and a Republican rally. male candidates narrowly beat African American Democrats (Gillum in Florida and Abrams in Georgia). In Texas, Republican Senator Ted Cruz won that contest by fewer than 220,000 votes out of more than 8 million votes cast, the closest any Republican has come to losing for decades in the state.

TURNOUT : The midterm elections had a huge turnout – highest for a midterm since 1970 with 47% turnout and 113 million votes cast compared 41% in the 2014 midterms. Midterm turnout often does not reach 40% of the registered electorate, showing the importance many voters in the US place on this election.

VOTERS ABANDON TRUMP : In the House elections, it is a story of Republican candidates losing their core voters (educated white women in suburbs) and failing to retain some of the Obama converts from 2016. But the Republicans still have a majority of white voters, at 55%, with only 25% of Hispanics and less than 10% of African Americans voting for Republican candidates. The party divide still remains a racial one. Of the 250 counties in the US with white majorities, 235 voted Republican with a mere 14 voting Democrat – a stark division.

THE URBAN-RURAL DIVISION :

Democrats won overwhelmingly in urban areas while Republicans won mostly in rural contests. This urban-rural division was important throughout the country: cities are centres of minority voters and affluent educated liberal elites, while rural counties are dominated by conservative and evangelical white voters. White educated women in suburbs switching to Democrat candidates were the crucial votes. The Republicans will face a challenge to retrieve these voters in 2020.

WEAK ECONOMIC CONCERNS BUT STRONG CULTURAL ANXIETIES : Unusually, economic issues were of relatively little importance. Republican candidates lost in House districts with low Unemployment rates. They also lost in districts that have gained manufacturing jobs. They even lost where tax cuts have been greatest. And they lost massively in white, highly educated suburbs. For example, in the Minnesota Second Congressional district, the Republican candidate lost despite a high economic performance. Voters were more concerned about aspects of President Trump and the recent controversial Supreme Court nomination if Brett Kavanaugh than the economy.

GOVERNING : It will be difficult to get much done for

last two years of the Trump presidency as there is no basis for bipartisanship. Speaker Nancy Pelosi leading the Democrats in the House, Republican leader Mitch McConnell in the Senate and President Trump in the White House does not constitute a collaborative team. The major serious implications for domestic policy include shutdowns, no tax cuts and no wall. We might see some moves on modernising infrastructure, perhaps the only thing the two sides agree on. Although individual members want to bring pork to their constituencies, it is hard for the Democrats to claim policy credit when they only control the House. The Democrats will put a hold on two major Trump initiatives: the deregulation of Wall Street and the dismantling of Obamacare. Both will be stalled and probably not reversed, since they will get anything through the Senate. The Democrats will not openly support the current trade war and yet will still largely agree with its aims and so will be mostly mute in criticizing the tariffs against China. How will Democrats govern in the House? They will in all likelihood hold multiple committee hearings and investigations (eg. the House Intelligence, Armed Services and Appropriations Committees) to oversee and hold accountable the Republican administration.

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News POLITICS

Terror in Trump City Samuel King assesses the current investigations into the Trump administration.

Robert Mueller, Special Counsel.

obert Mueller is the man charged by the US Department of Justice, with conduct an investigation into the allegations of Russian interference in the Presidential Campaign of 2016, which lead to the election of President Donald J Trump. As a former director of the CIA and a Vietnam War veteran, Mueller possesses the necessary qualities for special counsel. The investigation regards the possible influence of the Russian government, or its agents, in the election campaign or outcome. Their influence can vary in form, such as campaign contributions, or the distribution of disinformation, favouring the Republican candidate, over the Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, or possibly even involving hacking into election machines, used on election day. Set out formally, Mueller has the brief to establish ‘any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with’ the Trump presidential campaign. Following its commencement, Mueller’s investigation has pursued leads in Washington DC, New York and abroad. Any progress made is overseen

by the deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein. Since the final report for Mr Mueller is yet to be published, we are only left to speculate on the series of indictments

“Will have to spill the beans with Mueller” and convictions that have appeared. Early wounds to the Trump administration from the investigation include; George Papadopoulos and Michael Flynn back tracking on previous statements to the intelligence agencies. Papadopoulos, one of Trump’s foreign policy advisers during the campaign, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI for denying that he met Russian foreign nationals repre-

senting the Russian government when he in fact did meet them. Two months later, in December Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser (who resigned within weeks of the presidency beginning) pleaded guilty to lying about his contacts with the Russians. He awaits his sentence. Both pleaded guilty in order to get reduced sentences but will have to cooperate with the Mueller enquiry and reveal what they know about the Russian influence on the presidential campaign in 2016. Secondly, in February 2018 Mueller indicts (charges) 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies for using social media to distribute disinformation (so-called fake news or made up stories intended to sway voters against Clinton and for Trump): they are charged with engaging in ‘information warfare.’ These charges stem from June and July 2016, where Wikileaks distributed tens of thousands of emails which Russian hackers had stolen from the Democratic National Committee, including emails from the Clinton presidential campaign team. They are even more detailed leaks of Democratic papers in October 2016 taken from the personal email account of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chair. In June 2018 Mueller indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers for hacking Democratic Party targets, stealing and subsequently distributing online confidential information. (These 12 will never appear in court as they remain in Russia). Thirdly, in two of Trump’s biggest triumphs he first saw Paul Manafort – a former campaign manager for Donald Trump during the campaign in 2016 – convicted of eight charges of tax evasion and financial fraud in a federal court in Virginia. Following this Manafort then changed his plea in a Washington DC court admitting he lied to the FBI and knew about Russian influence on the campaign. And that he had failed to register himself as an agent of a foreign government in Washington. He is trying to get a reduced sentence (he could be imprisoned for the rest of his life) and will have to spill the beans with Mueller. In the Southern District federal court in Manhattan, New York, Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen suddenly reversed himself and agreed to plead guilty to financial charges (including making illegal use of campaign contributions) in exchange for a reduced sentence. Again, he will need to provide real cooperation with Mueller’s team. Significantly Cohen’s guilty plea impli-

cated the president directly when he identified President Trump as “individual 1”, a co-conspirator with whom he acted “in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office” in making illegal payments. By this stage, five associates of President Trump from his campaign and early time in the White House have been found or pleaded guilty to charges pursued by the Mueller investigation. There has been much media speculation that the Mueller team want to interview President Trump under oath. His own White House lawyer – Donald McGahn – has had hours of meetings with the Mueller team, without any witnesses present, describing the Trump administration’s work. McGahn has since resigned from the White House.

“Five associates have been charged” The Mueller team is likely to want to interview President Trump (as President Clinton was interviewed when he was under investigation by a special counsel) but no arrangement has yet been made. Questions could over issues about Trump’s knowledge of and any meetings with Russian government officials, and about whether the president has engaged in any obstruction of justice actions (a charge laid against President Nixon during the Watergate scandal). The Mueller investigations are complex, comprehensive and technical. They are difficult for ordinary voters to understand, and have been regularly dismissed by the Trump administration as a politically motivated campaign against the president. Unless Mueller produces a major finding – for instance, that the Russians regularly pay the president large sums of money or that he owes President Putin large sums or that Trump lobbied to remove sanctions on Russia – his report will be challenged as political and is unlikely to change any voters’ views. Furthermore, it is a legal norm that a president can’t be tried while in office. It’s hard to know what it will change.

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News

The Rise of Social Democracy in the US POLITICS

Piers Mucklejohn examines the ascendance of left-wing values in modern-day US politics.

ver since the start of the European migrant crisis in 2015, nationalist and right-wing ideologies have been on the rise in countries which have typically been fairly liberal or moderate in their politics. Right-wing parties such as the Alternative für Deutschland and Sweden Democrats have seen notable increases in membership and votes following the crisis, with many of their arguments centred around the danger of letting in immigrants from the Middle East. Yet, despite this, left-wing candidates are also seeing increased popularity. Specifically, in the United States, social democrat candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have seen electoral victories, taking seats away from other Democratic candidates who many see as being centrist or even right-leaning. This is certainly no new phenomena, politicians such as Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn have experienced continuous popularity since late 2015, and since the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States of America this trend has only gone up. Unsurprisingly, most support for leftwing candidates comes from people who would typically be voting for Democratic candidates, although it’s important to note that Sanders saw lots of success (indeed more than Trump) in terms of popularity amongst the working class of typically red states. The reason for this transition is simple - the Democratic party simply doesn’t embody left-wing views.

Most of its stances are fairly central, even right-leaning, and its economic visions are neoliberal. For example, Hillary Clinton’s refusal to fully back universal healthcare (despite the majority of Americans supporting it) alienated many potential voters. It would be unfair, however, to place all the blame onto the Democrats. The election of Trump played a huge, arguably much bigger, part in the process, sending shockwaves around the world. Trump’s rhetoric is less right-wing, per se, and more “anti-left” - leading to accusations of fascist beliefs - which has, in turn, meant that he has gone against typical conservative ideals in order to spite left-wingers and their beliefs. Trump’s decision to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border - aside from being an ineffective solution to a diminishing problem - is a very costly one, even if not surrounding the border in its entirety. Trump manages to disguise these pitfalls with lies, claiming that Mexico would pay for the wall and proclaiming at each instance of opposition that “The wall just got ten feet higher” to much applause - perhaps the first instance of Republican voters cheering at the prospect of tax increase. Moreover, 83% of the benefits from Trump’s tax cuts went to the top 1% and, despite the unemployment rate decreasing, wages are stagnating as people take lower-paying jobs and work longer hours. To be clear, the same economic situation was present under much of Obama’s presidency and many people on the left

There have been over 2,300 U.S. military deaths during the War in Afghanistan.

Bernie Sanders has long been a rallying figure for the left-wing of the United States. are not afraid to criticise the media’s coverage of the economy, which hails unemployment figures as a sign of economic prosperity, despite almost 80% of US workers living paycheck to paycheck. So why have these things led to a rise in left-wing ideologies, specifically socialist ones? It’s simple: the stagnation of the economy in the US in combination with the fact that CEOs make 312 times more than the typical worker (with no sign of slowing down) is a sign that the current economic situation in America is far from an economic “boom” (as Fox News puts it). Left-wing candidates, such as Bernie Sanders, run on platforms of higher taxation for the top 1% of earners, as well as universal healthcare and an increased minimum wage. Foreign policy is also a point of disagreement within the Democratic party, with Barack Obama doing little to end the war in Afghanistan as well as ramping up drone strikes. Conversely, many populist left-wing candidates oppose US military intervention in foreign countries, which is often unnecessary as costs the US billions of dollars which could instead be used for welfare and healthcare. Bernie Sanders for example, despite supporting the US involvement in Afghanistan, now sees the war as “unwinnable”. The matter of Israel/Palestine is another sensitive topic and one over which the left and right wing can’t seem to agree. Donald Trump’s decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem in May of this year exacerbated tensions in the area and lead to 58 Palestinian deaths along with 2,700 injured. And as mainstream media outlets start to actually report on the US-funded military activities elsewhere in the world, such as the US-backed Saudi coalition bombing a school bus in Yemen which killed 40

children earlier this year, many people are waking up to the fact that the United States may not be the arbiter of peace in the Middle-East. The conservative right of America, however, is somewhat slower to come to this realisation. In 2014, after Harvard students were asked which was more dangerous to world peace, the United States or ISIS, they overwhelmingly answered with the US, an understandable response given the military strength of the United States of America and its history of (often unnecessary and arguably reckless) foreign interventionism. Despite this, Fox News were outraged, essentially labelling the students as anti-patriotic traitors to America and used it as evidence that the US education system is a liberal brainwashing machine. Therefore, as the US faces increased pressure to accept responsibility for foreign actions, it’s no surprise that many people are moving from center to left and occasionally right to left. The problem facing Trump, in particular, is that his lies don’t add up. At the recent United Nations General Assembly, Trump claimed that his administration had done more in 2 years than almost any other administration in history. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the other leaders present laughed at him. Despite what Trump may have said after the conference, this was unlikely to be out of ‘respect’ and Trump, by his own admission, was surprised by the reaction. The US needs, and wants, something different. A leader who isn’t an international laughing-stock, a leader who doesn’t lie to the American people and his own supporters, a leader who knows what he’s doing. And to find that, it seems like you have to go left.

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News

The Curse of Leading Australia POLITICS

ustralia recently announced the appointment of a new Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, the latest in a rapid leadership change spanning the last decade. This colossal burn rate is surprising for any nation, let alone one which regularly appears high up in economic stability and living desirability rankings. With residents demanding answers, this apparent turmoil is under much scrutiny. At the end of August 2018, the incumbent PM Scott Morrison took over leadership from Malcolm Turnbull, the fifth PM in five years for the country. In this case, Turnbull’s leadership was challenged by a rebellion in the conservative, Liberal party, led by former Immigration Minister Peter Dutton. Morrison succeeded as victor in the challenge which led to Turnbull’s resignation, but this recent infighting is nothing new for Australian politics, the reasons for which are underlying and complex. Why should a developed, democratic and otherwise very stable nation such as Australia experience such unprecedented fragility in its leadership? With a very similar constitution and political operating

Lachlan Jones asks why Australia can’t keep a Prime Minister.

process as the UK, whereby Prime Ministers are elected by the majority party of the national government, it is different to the system in the US. One noticeable contrast with the US electoral process, due to the absence of a President, is the role of the Governor-General, a monarchical appointed position that, in theory, has the power to overrule the ruling party and call for a re-election, as stated under Chapter II of the Constitution. In practice, this power is rarely exercised, aside from a notable instance in the constitutional crisis of 1975, in which a stalled government was dissolved, prompting a national crisis surrounding sovereignty and republicanism. In regards to these types of incidents, Australia has held a number of referendums on republicanism, most recently in 1999, in which only 45% of the population voted for a president and abolishment of the Governor General position. Australians were quite clearly content with the British style of leadership, but it is clear that there is much frustration with the seeming inability to hold onto a prime minister. At the climax of uncertainty in 2013, three PMs held office in a period of three months, Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd

Former PM Malcolm Turnbull, who lost his position in August 2018.

and Tony Abbott, with the two former from the Labor party, and the latter from the current majority Liberals. The most common form of PM change, as similar to the UK, is from a party ballot leadership spill as voted on by the MPs. In 2013, Julia

Five prime ministers in five years Gillard was defeated by a slim majority in votes in favour of Kevin Rudd, about three months before the federal elections. The Labor party subsequently lost its majority, which fell to the conservative Liberals, and Tony Abbott assumed office, only to be defeated himself in a leadership spill in September 2015, to be replaced by the now ex-PM Malcolm Turnbull. In fact,

no one has served a full term since 2007. In the UK, instances such as these, aside from the resignation of David Cameron following the Brexit referendum, are much rarer. A crucial reason as to the lack of continuity with leaders is the term length of office. The three-year term is one of the shortest in the democratic world, and in one of the younger constitutions, only drafted in 1901. In contrast to the British term of five years, the short Australia length has a number of issues, but also positives. A three-year term length leads to more importance placed on popularity polls and can lead to greater ‘accountability’ for actions and policies of parties, due to the ever-present threat of elections. This, however, can also result in short-sightedness in a party’s outlook, a consequence of which may be lack of long-term leadership strategy and planning, particularly when concerning controversial policies such as the offshore detention camps at Nauru and Papua New Guinea, which have been publicly criticised by the various UN departments, among others. This oversight over policies and popularity is certainly key to weakening the leadership position. The most simple underlying reason for this issue, however, is to do with the country’s economy, and how it deals with both national and international effects. There is much economic stability, low interest rates, and Forbes recently announced the Australian Dollar to be the fifth most traded currency in the world, proving its value to investors and business. Australia’s raw materials based economy bypassed the worst effects of the 2007 financial crisis and has been steady in comparison to other countries affected. Crucially, this has all been under the instability in leadership, which could lead to the conclusion that the position of leadership simply has little effect in such a constant nation, in many respects. If this were to happen in the UK for example, particularly during important Brexit negotiations, the impact on the country would be colossal. The crux of the matter is that Australia is seemingly too stable to be undermined by prime minister Change. The incumbent PM Scott Morrison’s position is predictably unpredictable, and although another change is unlikely in the immediate future, as history has shown, another leadership bid is always around the corner.

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News

Kenya’s Everygrowing Debt to China INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Luca Frauenfeld discusses Chinese-Kenyan relations and their implications.

hina, the manufacturing hub of the world is widely known for its economic prowess. This huge reputation may be in jeopardy as the country has recently begun to run out of the raw materials it desperately requires to maintain its manufacturing. Various third world countries mainly centred across Africa and West Asia possess these materials in huge quantities. Kenya and other African countries owe the Asian giant more than Sh20 trillion. Kenya has accumulated a huge debt which amounts to two full years of public health spending. This is disastrous for a country with recurring leadership issues which translates into the country’s economic situation. How has this huge debt developed? Kenya, under the leadership of Uhuru Kenyatta has become an increasingly ambitious state. The country has had various mega projects take shape in recent years. Road expansions and new public service buildings of monumental cost have definitely utilised the generous Chinese spending. There are questions to be asked about the legitimacy of this spending and how much influence factors such as corruption have had. Many millions of dollars have likely not made any mark on the country’s development and have simply been pocketed by

The new Kenya-Tanzania highway.

the elite. The country has built a 1600 km road connecting Mombassa on the coast to Bujumbura. These new infrastructure links will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the country and its further development in the future, but does this balance the crippling debt that it will then be left with? Kenya’s economy has grown by 5.4% in the last five years and this is undoubtedly almost completely a result of the Chinese loans. Extremely fast development and ex-

ly funded was the SGR, a railway which almost doubled Kenya’s total debt to China instantly. The first stages of a Kenya-Tanzania highway have also been completed. With various large bridges and port expansions also planned the country seems to be spending everywhere. The manufacturing giant has had a sizeable impact on not only Kenya but the entire continent. There have been similar schemes put in place in Djibouti and the DRC with almost identical

China has also suggested other means of repayment

pansion is highly dangerous especially for a regional hub like Kenya as it is often unsustainable. This means that the country, even with the new infrastructure, can very easily slide backwards. Another project that China almost sole-

spending. The question remains: Why? Why should China invest copious amounts of money into seemingly insignificant developing countries many miles away? There are various answers to this key question and

Uhuru Kenyatta, the man behind Kenya. opinions differ widely. One reason is undeniable, China is desperate for hard resources and materials. The south coast of Kenya is very resource rich with large amounts of titanium and niobium having been found. China has also suggested alternative methods of repayment which involve China importing raw materials from Kenya as a method of repayment. This is normally prohibited but as the economic situation of Kenya and particularly the smaller African countries does not allow them to repay China with money other alternatives have clearly been found. Other motivations for large lending would be exclusive access to the newly built African ports and roads. This could be vastly helpful to China and limit the use of Kenya itself. China can be seen to be developing vast ports along the southern shores of: Sri Lanka, India and Somalia. This clearly places a shipping lane along the east of Africa and Southern Asia. Loans in return for free access and exclusive use of these ports may be the way China has planned this. One would expect local people to be involved in the construction of various projects to be carried out by the local people. This isn’t the case. China has flown its native workers to Kenya to carry out the work. This means they are providing jobs for their own workforce and not that of the developing country. Some would argue allowing the country to build the projects themselves would be productive. China is certainly expanding its shores across the world and increasing its global presence. Kenya has also profited from this as it can be allowed to develop and expand economically. Whether this be at the expense of a sustainable future is a very different question.

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News

Climate Change: Act Now or Never ENVIRONMENT

Dan Cooney explores the ways climate change is impacting us and what we can all do to help.

ith the recent UN climate report claiming we have 12 years to limit climate change, what can we all do to reduce our impact and save the planet? Whilst the earth’s climate has fluctuated throughout history, climate change has slowly become an accepted reality of modern life - a large-scale, long-term shift in the planet’s weather patterns and average temperatures. In the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the last ice age finishing about 7,000 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era. Since this time, the earth has seen a period of gradual warming. Yet the current warming trend is of particular significance because it has been heavily influenced by the result of human activity and is increasing at a rate that is unprecedented over history. There are still those who believe that climate change is a “hoax” but the evidence is clear to see. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases have been released in huge quantities since the start of the industrial revolution. The heat trapping nature of these gases have almost certainly caused the earth to warm in response. This can be seen by the planet’s average surface temperature rising by nearly 1 degree since the late 19th century. This change isn’t recognisable in just the atmosphere, as the oceans have absorbed much of this heat as well. The top 700 metres of the sea’s have warmed

Power stations such as these litter the sky.

more than 0.4 degrees also in the same period of time. Whilst this doesn’t sound significant, even a small increase in temperatures has and will lead to further extreme weather events such as hurricanes, droughts and flooding. Such temperatures have already lead to glacial retreat, decreased snow cover and shrinking ice sheets, exemplified by Greenland’s loss of 281 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2016. This glacial meltwater contributes to the rising sea levels which threaten our coastal settlements like Osaka and Rio de Janeiro. With just 2 - 3 degrees of warmth the world is predicted to experience hurricanes at a much greater power, about half a category above today’s top level category 5. World food supplies will be critically endangered causing millions of refugees moving out from areas of famine and drought that have become uninhabitable. Climate change needs to be addressed properly to stop us from creating damages of apocalyptic proportion. We can all take steps to decrease our greenhouse emissions. In the UK, measurements have shown that we emit 9.7 tonnes of carbon per capita. Studies have been taken to understand how certain actions can contribute to a reduce in climate change. Going car free has been seen to save up to 2.5 tonnes of CO2 a year. The recent initiative of electric cars has been supported by the government with a cut in road tax for their users. Investing into renewable energy sources as a whole has also been seen to save 1.5 tonnes of carbon

a year. This is becoming increasingly easier for consumers with more clean energy options than ever before. This has been backed by the Labour party who recently said they want green energy to power most UK homes by 2030. By insulating homes properly, less energy is required to keep them warm. The costs of some simple insulating can come in at under £100

climate change, overtaking even the fossil fuel industry new reports claim. It takes almost 20 times less land to feed someone on a plant based diet than a meat eater and this doesn’t even cover the emissions from the animals and production line. Reducing our waste is another simple way to protect the environment. By limiting our waste we reduce pollution and energy

There are still those who believe that climate change is a “hoax”

and you expect to make the money back within one or two years in lower energy bills. However, costs are variable and older less insulated houses could cost considerably more. Studies have shown that eating a plant based diet could save 1 tonne of carbon a year per person. The environmental impact of meat production can be seen through excessive water use and water pollution, land use and deforestation and a huge emission of greenhouse gases. Meet and dairy companies are set to be the world’s biggest contributors to

consumption associated with the manufacture of new materials. In addition waste treatment and disposal produces significant greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, raising awareness is a huge step in helping reduce climate change. Being informed about environmental issues is key but it’s also important to be talking about them. The environment gets very little coverage on the news, in politics, and even in our day-to-day conversations. Therefore it is vital that it is spoken about to inform everyone of the risks climate change poses. However, there is a mistaken belief that a better form of consumerism will save the planet. Of course we should try to minimise our own impacts, but we cannot confront climate change by just taking responsibility for what we consume. Whilst individual efforts and sacrifices can accumulate to having an impact on the fight to save the planet, the problems we face are structural. We are ruled by a political system captured by commercial interests, and an economic system that seeks endless growth. Nations compare the success of their economies using GDP figures. This promotes the mass production of goods, regardless of their environmental impact or sustainability. Structural change needs to occur but that will only take place if people initiate the change. Our only success in protecting the planet will occur if we all make dramatic changes, something we should all be prepared to do to save not only our planet but future generations.

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News TECHNOLOGY

Iteration is Now Innovation Jack Thornton takes a look at the newest iPhones and the future of Apple.

n September 12th, at the Apple technology conference held in the Steve Jobs Theatre in California, Apple released three brand new iPhones, interestingly named the iPhone XS, XS max and XR. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, waltzed on stage, smile on his face and proceeded to list the next generation computing and photographic power held inside these new smartphones. Both the XS and XS Max boast Apple’s impressive Super Retina display, with great colour and definition thanks to Apple’s ‘True Tone’ technology.The XR however, boasts a display which Apple claims to be the most advanced LCD display in the industry. All of the new iPhones feature the same, powerful A12 chip, which apple promises will load apps 30% faster than iPhones back in 2017, referring to the iPhone X. The camera is almost exactly the same as last year, except a few improvements to colour and low-light pictures. It also features adjustable background blur on portrait photos (a feature most android phones have been able to do now for years). The XS and XS Max come in Silver and Space Grey colours, with the addition of a new Gold colour. However, for the XR, Apple returns to the days of the 5C, coming in Silver, Black, Blue, Yellow, Coral and Red.

ning charging port, despite the rumours that they were moving to the universal standard of USB type C . Now, for many, the new iPhones marks the end of progressive improvements each year for smartphones, and begins the era of iterative upgrades from the previous version. This also heavily

to match. It feels like Apple wants their products to be seen as fashion statements and not as useful pieces of technology that most people need for their day to day life. Companies like OnePlus appear to have much greater care for their customers and also with their products, managing to make them look premium

The next generation of computing and photographic power

reflects how CPUs from Intel and AMD stopped following the exponential curve of performance of Moore’s law (how processors get twice as powerful every two years), and how they now start focusing on iterative upgrades and market them as ‘big improvements’ with big price tags

but still have great functionality. This kind of behaviour from Apple will eventually come to bite them when phones that are much cheaper than iPhones reach the same level of functionality. Sure, it made them the first trillion dollar company, but in the smartphone market,

One big victory for the brand new iPhones is their battery life

One big victory for the brand new iPhones is their battery life, boasting one that will out live Samsung’s galaxy Note 9. To top this all off, the XS starts at £999, with the Max model coming in at £1049. Additionally, the XR is currently retailing at £749. Apple released the models with the same lack of headphone jack, wireless charging and the advanced facial recognition system of the iPhone X. Of course, Apple is still using the Light-

People were sceptical to the future of Apple after Tim Cook became CEO of Apple.

Apple will come to be beaten out by other brands that reach the same level. This isn’t helped by the fact that Apple seems to be challenging itself to see how much it can charge their customers, due to the unreasonable price tag of the iPhone XS Max, which costs as much as a good laptop. This is further shown with how they have priced their “budget” iPhone, the iPhone XR, which starts at £749, and yet is still by far the best value phone in Apple’s new lineup. Nowadays, it’s a competition between big brands to release the next big thing with their smartphones and, because of this, the iPhones have lost a lot of the flare that they used to have. They now have no serious standout features that put them seriously ahead of the competition, like the stylus for the Samsung Note line, or the 120Hz refresh rate of the Razer Phone 2 and the three cameras of the Huawei p20 pro. Sure, the new iPhones are fast, sure they have fantastic battery life and sure they all have amazing displays, but in today’s ‘dog eat dog’ world of the smartphone market, the only thing that Apple has seriously got going for them is the great design and expensive name brand.

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Features

A Peek into the Past INTERVIEW

Johan Nerlov gains an invaluable look at what life was like at Abingdon School almost 50 years ago.

t’s hard today, with all the change that is going on at Abingdon, to take any time to think what Abingdon once was and how it became what it is. Almost no one at the school has spent more than at most two decades there and, of course, we students are here for only a blip of time, a small mark on a long and fascinating history. So, when the opportunity arose to interview a former headmaster and his family, who lived and worked at this school from 1970 to 1975, I jumped at it. Sir Eric Anderson, who grew up in Edinburgh and attended my former school, George Watson’s College, his wife Lady Poppy Anderson and daughter, Mrs Gompertz, the wife of Mr Gompertz who came to open Beech Court, gave me an invaluable understanding of how similar Abingdon was at that time.

The first thing that struck me was just how close-knit the school the school community was. In 1970, when Sir Eric took up the job, Abingdon was a school of 630 boys, of which around one in three boarded. For one term, six 4th years would live in Lacies Court and, as Lady Poppy put it, became very much “part of the family”, watching Planet of the Apes with the family and helping Mrs Gompertz build a kennel, which didn’t last very long, for her new dog Dusty. Dusty it seems became very much involved in school life. Often getting stuck and hiding underneath the old Tuck Shop, now the Café, Dusty acted as a useful sheepdog for Sir Eric, “herding the boys whenever I had to address them [on Lower Field].” At night, Dusty would play a very different role, sniffing out smokers who tucked themselves away on some part of Lower Field. Lady Pop-

py was very active too in the life of the school, and so was their daughter, then Miss Anderson. Often holding dinners for benefactors or governors, Lady Poppy was also a teacher at St Helen and St Katherine, where their daughter went to school. It was very much the beginning of the strong relationship we now have with SHSK today. Lacies Court played a much more central role in the life of the school back then. Every Saturday, the family remembers eager rowers or rugby players rushing back with their trophies ready to present them to the Head, after which they would have a long conversation with the eager sportsmen about what did and didn’t go to plan that day. In 1970 Abingdon was also a very local school, as opposed to the international melting pot it is today. Being a grant school, it was obliged to take in a certain number

of local boys and could not even adjust its fees without being authorised by the local council. At the time, only four boys came from Oxford, two sets of brothers, and all sons of dons who taught at the University. If there is one thing I noticed Sir Eric was particularly fond of was the regular daily bus service to Oxford he managed to set up, all to try and get as many dons’ sons away from Magdalen College School. As Sir Eric said himself, the service “ran at a loss for a few years”, however, soon enough more and more people trickled in from Oxford until, in Sir Eric’s final year, there were 50 of them. Abingdon’s relationship with Oxford at the time was different to what it is now. Surprisingly, we had a joint entrance exams system with Magdalen, with boys choosing whichever one they wished to go to once they were offered a place. The

It is not often we manage to look back at the past in this day and age

The notorious Abingdon School griffin on the side of the newly unveiled Beech Court.

Sir Eric’s official portrait now in Boarders’ Hall.

THE MARTLET WINTER ISSUE 18

It was a real family.

relationship with the University was particularly important. Sir Eric often made a trip down to several colleges to dine with dons and deans in an effort, not only get Abingdon School on the map of reputable independent schools, but also to try and convince some to send their children to our School. Sir Eric fondly remembers the lively conversations he had with many of the dons at the high table. “While many of them would criticise the private system,” he said, “I would tend to find them a week later in my office saying that, although the system was a relic of the past, their son was a special case”. It was without a doubt a strange relationship, but it was one that Abingdon, a local school at the time, cherished nonetheless. One thing that struck me was how close the relationship with the parents was. “We made an effort to know everybody.” stressed Lady Poppy. And it wasn’t as challenging to meet parents as it with-

Sir Eric with Mrs Thatcher when she came to turn the first turf for the Dining Hall in 1973. out doubt is today. Many of the boys lived in Abingdon, and the family remembers having regular visits from parents almost every day, popping in to say hello or to ask for advice about almost anything school related. Indeed, this spirit of helping others and doing whatever possible, an ideal we hold dear to this day, was very much alive and well in the 70s. Although the Oxford bus was the start of the bus service almost everyone uses today, there was

Discussing the role of the school dog with the Andersons and Mrs Gompertz.

one special bus that had been around long before that. The bus travelling to RAF Abingdon and RAF Benson, two local Air Force Bases ferried boys of air force families, usually officers. Indeed, Abingdon had an agreement to help these families with their sons’ educations, with many of them boarding at the school. In 1975, Sir Eric moved on to become the Headmaster at Shrewsbury School and later became the Rector at Eton Col-

lege, a post he held from 1980 until 1994. When asked if he had any advice for our current head, he had a straightforward answer: “No”, “Each headmaster has different challenges and different ways to manage them.” The family, as all families do, left their mark on this school but, perhaps fittingly, when I asked what they thought had fundamentally changed about the school, Lady Poppy answered, “Well, nothing, it is still the same really.”

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Features

Is Now The Prime Time for Amateur Photographers? TECHNOLOGY

Rory Bishop discusses the latest mirroless camera releases by Canon and Nikon.

he unveiling of the Canon EOS R series camera, as well as Nikonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Z6 and Z7 cameras has meant that photography, as a medium, is being revolutionised in a way not seen since the development and implementation of digital systems on single lens reflex cameras (SLR).The announcement of new technology is a rather frequent event, especially with regards to photographic equipment. But why are these new mirrorless cameras so special, and why might they be influential to new photographers? These new cameras have their fair share of unique selling points such as the filter adapters and ISO dial, however, the focus is being placed on their unique full frame mirrorless sensors. Mirrorless cameras, being called so since they lack a reflective mirror to invert the image akin to a DSLR, have always had their appeal. They are small, light, much quieter, and most significantly much cheaper than your regular camera system. They retain a higher level of professionalism than smaller digital systems whilst also appealing to the general public and amateur photographers. However, they have always lacked in quality of photographs. This was primarily due to their cropped sensor size, which in turn led to a smaller photo which was more prone to blur and noise, especially in low light conditions. The first full frame digital SLR system came in 2002 from Canon and most of their higher budget DSLRs have been fitted with these sensors ever since. Despite this, the smaller sample size of the mirrorless camera and other technical issues always meant that it was stuck with a

The Nikon Z7 is just one of a wave of new mirrorless cameras being released currently. EOS R, with no amenities, costs ÂŁ2,250. Whether or not this price tag is justified, this price point is not for beginners as it even surpasses the original recommended retail pricing for the 2012 Canon EOS 6D, which is the non mirrorless equivalent of the new camera yet costing ÂŁ450

Justified or not, this price point is not for beginners

cropped sensor, until the EOS R and Z6/ Z7 cameras were unveiled at the start of September this year. However, the demographic for these new full frame mirrorless system is hardly amateur photographers. This is made obvious by their price tag. For instance the

cheaper. Its size and weight is also much heavier than your average mirrorless, and is much closer to a DSLR in specifications. In many ways it seems redundant when compared to older systems, yet nonetheless it is still going to cause widespread ramifications in the camera industry and

this is why amateur photographers are actually those benefiting the most from the new releases. Although the menial differences in the quality of technology and specifications in this new wave of mirrorless cameras compared to older DSLRs are rather minimal, the photographic community has been praising the new cameras for various reasons. The aforementioned ISO dial, used for shooting in low light, is invaluable. Furthermore, the weight and size difference, although minimal and inconsequential for many, has made it the perfect small camera system for more professional photographers trying to strike a balance between more expensive set ups and cheaper, more basic kits. As a result, a large quantity of outdated, albeit still incredibly applicable, kit is being sold on the market, especially through platforms such as Ebay. They may be older in comparison but the mere minimised cost of these products is worth the purchase. This also means a variety of lenses and filters are being sold on the cheap as a result. Those seeking inexpensive camera technology, hoping to dive into the domain of photography, should

leap at this opportunity, as it is one that can rarely be seized in such a capacity as it can be now. These new full frame mirrorless cameras may be amazing, but the ramifications are an even greater cause for celebration as the potential growth of photographers is of massive potential. Now, more than ever, it is important due to the fact that many seem to be under the allusion that phone cameras make the art of photography pointless. Yet it should be noted even the cheapest of camera systems is likely to quickly surpass any phone on the market both in terms of photo quality and also settings and options. Photography can seem a daunting world at first, but really all it takes is some basic research and reading to equip oneself. The new camera market will likely also experience a price drop, as well as the rise in availability of used equipment, as more and more people convert to full frame mirrorless cameras and thus sell off old stock or personal equipment in various forms. If you are in doubt about whether or not you should purchase a camera or upgrade your prior system, now is the optimal time to do so regardless of proficiency or skill levels.

THE MARTLET WINTER ISSUE 18

Features

The Hidden Beauty Behind Coal Pollution ART

David Hrushovski reviews environmental artwork from polluting materials.

ll around the world, people rely on coal mining as a source of energy. However, like all non-renewable energy, this comes with many downfalls: the main one being contaminating rivers and lakes. Water supplies are still affected by coal ash, with over 2000 miles of river buried by the sludge, and most of the UK’s methane and carbon dioxide emissions originate from abandoned coal mines. Despite this, we still mine coal today - for it is used to produce energy such as electricity - at an undoubtedly high price to pay and things should be done in a better way. John Sabraw was born in Lakenheath, England in 1968. From a young age, he had a love for painting and he used this passion to make money in senior school by painting famous logos on denim jackets. As he grew up, environmentalism became more and more important to Sabraw. From little things, like not air-conditioning his studio, to bigger things such as using sustainable bamboo frames in his artwork, he takes pride in combining art and environmentally-friendly practices. Sabraw has since moved to the United States, where he works at Ohio University. He is the Chair of Painting and a professor of art. Many notable establishments

have featured him, including the Discovery Channel, and his work has appeared in galleries such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Honolulu and the Elmhurst Museum in Illinois. He has made a name for himself in the art industry and is also the Board Advisor at a New York art workshop. When he moved to Ohio, Sabraw met with two scientists: Dr Mangala Sharma, a Bhutanese astrophysicist, and Dr Thomas Statler, a fellow astrophysicist. As he worked with them, he was introduced to a group of environmental scientists who began to show him the process of natural resource extraction, like coal mining, that was going on in Ohio. Whilst they were showing Sabraw the area, they visited a stream with what he described as a “strange orange sludge” - something that is caused by acidic mine drainage or, in simpler terms, what flows out of a mining site. Sabraw was shocked to learn that this “sludge” kills aquatic life in over 1,300 miles of stream in Ohio alone. Of course, this is a horrible after-effect of mining coal and by the 1970’s most companies that did this had left the area. However, what they left behind is still causing problems today. Even though the sights that Sabraw

saw were filthy and contaminated, he saw the polluted poison as an opportunity for something of beauty; something innovational, appealing, and simplistic, all at the same time. He recalled that some of his painting materials were made from iron sludge - which is what he saw in the river - and an idea was immediately planted in his brain. He met with a man called Guy Riefler, an engineering professor who, as it turned out, was having similar thoughts and sought Sabraw’s help. Together, they wanted to stop the acid mine drainage before it even got to the stream, extract the iron oxide, and turn it into pigment that could be painted with. Not only was this a genius idea on its own, but they would return the excess, clean water back to the stream as a gesture of goodwill. When they first got their results back, everything was successful. Sabraw created a series of paintings called Chroma, where he painted circular drawings all about preserving and taking-care of nature, using materials that indeed helped preserve and take care of nature. His creations were now his cause. The amazing thing about John Sabraw’s story is how much he contributed with so little to start with. He didn’t even know that he was going to do this when he moved to Ohio, not even once. He simply saw that change was needed and made that change happen. Nowadays, his pigments are being turned into tubes of oil paints and given to artists around the globe, and

Acid mine drainage on an Ohio farm.

the works that these artists produce will be toured in many locations, all to spread awareness about this issue of coal mining, and environmentalism at large. “So, basically, with little funding,” Sabraw reflects on his project, “and lots of sceptics, we’ve begun to refine a process that can continuously treat acid mine drainage, restore the watersheds for aquatic life, collect sustainably-sourced iron oxide pigment

What they left behind is still causing problems today

which can be sold to pay for the cost of cleaning up the streams.” So, through simple, beautiful artwork, we can be reminded every day of how there are people out there doing good things. These things will benefit us for a long time, help the areas in need of help, people do it all for nothing.

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Features

In The Wake of Jaws FILM

Freddie Marshall explains the success and superiorty of Jaws in comparison to recent shark flicks.

aws is renowned as one of the greatest disaster movies of all time. A timeless classic that terrified audiences and began the trend for big budget films, but why can’t we compare it to recent releases such as The Meg, Sharknado 6, and 47 metres down? Directed by Steven Spielberg, Jaws was the highest grossing movie ever made, until the first Star Wars was released two years later, with

success is that it’s not about a shark, but more complex underlying themes such as the topic of masculinity, and the American interpreted supposed representation of Richard Nixon’s actions during 1972 appealing to Americans during the post watergate crisis. Many Americans warmed to the film after the Watergate scandal, where Nixon was tied to crimes in which for FBI and CIA agents broke into the offices of

A timeless classic that terrified audiences and began the trend for big budget films a budget of seven million USD doubling the estimated allowance for the project. It also took 159 days to film going massively over the allocated time frame of 55 days. Despite these production difficulties, the film went on to win 3 academy awards and take a total of 470.7 million total at the box office. One reason for its unlikely

Hooper (right) Quint (middle bottom) Martin Brody (middle top) Ellen Brody (left).

the democratic party, listening to phone lines, and stealing papers. Whether this was intentional of Spielberg or not, many believed Nixon’s actions mirrored that of the unsavoury, manipulative Mayor Vaughn as well as the shark’s brutal effect on the beachgoers. Even if this was not an intentional message to convey, it certainly influenced the film’s success. Furthermore, Spielberg challenges the cliched themes of masculinity, so common in many actions films such as The Meg, despite the macho, shark killing scenario. For example, the film’s protagonist, Brody, certainly does not match the rogue, grueling nature of a blockbuster cop, but is a family centered man, searching for a peaceful residence in a small town where he wills his positive impact to be noticed. He is terrified of the water, a hindrance during shark encounters and struggles to stand his ground during confrontations with the mayor. Hooper, a professional concerning the study of sharks, arrives from the New York, flaunting his excellence. He constantly strives to prove his masculinity at every moment, however he becomes evidently squeamish during the repeated autopsies throughout the film and struggles to retain composure during hunts for the shark. On the other hand, Quint has stereotypical machismo: he drinks, fights, and is often unperturbed by the situation. Despite the inventive metaphors and unique themes, audiences flooded to

movie theatres for reasons such as Spielberg’s subtle tension building effects, and the biggest, and most effective advertising campaign. Firstly, Spielberg believed that it was unnecessary to create the most unbelievable scenario with excessive levels of danger to create something that the audience cared about and believed in. For example, the shark in Jaws is not a large shark but a medium great white which are deadly but nothing in comparison to the almost comical, far fetched megalodon of the modern shark blockbusters, and the thousands flung at cities by cyclones in Sharknado. Without the narrative device of the whole of humanity being at risk, the film can in fact build more tension by playing on the vulnerability and callowness of individuals. This is due to the constant threat of financial ruin the village faces and how Mayor Vaughn deals with this in the most negligent way. Despite the early shark attacks, people are drawn back to the beach due to the economic reliance of the village upon it, creating continual contention between Brody and Vaughn. Not only do we see the threat of the shark but

Steven Spielberg, the director of Jaws.

we are witnessing these people’s lives being carelessly juggled between two weak individuals which creates tension when we see scenes of tranquility, often involving children within the village and of Brody’s family. What caused Jaws to shape the industry so significantly, was not only Spielberg’s talent, but the film’s advanced and hugely successful marketing campaign that still shapes the promotion of movies today. Universal’s two million dollar investment towards it was utilised by pushing 30 second adverts to a vast prime time television audience. In addition, recognising the power behind Williams’ score, Universal used it frequently throughout the ads. Major scenes were also shown on television, an unheard of technique then, allowing tension to build before the film had even premiered. If you have recently seen any of the new shark films releases or not, I would strongly encourage you to watch or rewatch Jaws through a different lens.

THE MARTLET WINTER ISSUE 18

Features

Book Reviews READING

Martlet writers review the likes of Dracula, South of Broad, The Wasp Factory, and The Talented Mr Ripley.

A psychopath we can all relate to

Blowing Up Bunny Rabbits

Charlie Britton reviews The Talented Mr Ripley.

Ed Gill reviews the eyebrow-raising Wasp Factory.

The Talented Mr Ripley is the first novel in Patricia Highsmith’s five book Ripliad. Highsmith’s life itself is possibly worthy of a film; her mother tried to abort her and create a miscarriage by drinking turpentine which Highsmith later claimed she was aroused by. Having been the subject of photo shoots in her youth on account of her beauty, she developed spine problems which disfigured her later in life. She had serious depressive cycles and was an open lesbian but claimed to prefer the company of animals to humans. Her novel focuses on the life of Thomas Ripley, an underachieving malcontent, who, upon being approached by a relatively unknown college peer’s father, is tasked with persuading the man’s son to return to America. However, as Ripley’s relationship with his erstwhile contemporary devolves, Ripley becomes attached to the comfortable life and care-free attitude that he has become accustomed to. He realises he would do anything to maintain this life including murder. What ensues is a masterclass in building a character who is both varied and conflicted yet also relatable. It is not a traditional

The Wasp Factory is the kind of book that leaves the reader in a state of utter confusion not only regarding what they’ve just read but also how it managed to slip through the filters of the publishing agency. Iain Banks’ 1984 Gothic novel follows Frank, a 17 year old boy who lives on the isolated extremities of Scotland. He occupies his time with strange rituals, the building of dams, and the maintenance of a vast array of weapons. His pastimes also include the occasional assault on the rabbit burrows around his house using dynamite and his trusty slingshot. Over the course of the novel, we learn, through Frank’s casual recollections, that his killings are not restricted to animals and that he has previously designed the bizarre executions of his siblings and relatives. Each murder becomes increasingly more dramatic and resourceful; he employs a fatally venomous snake - no doubt, one of the many such species living in Scotland - an old bomb, and a big kite paired with some remarkably powerful wind to kill his victims. The entire absence of any emotional attachment to Frank means that the events of the story are entirely unimportant to the

thriller because we as the audience know who has committed the crimes and so does Ripley yet he does not consider himself a traditional criminal. He feels justified in his actions constantly maintaining that he deserved the life which he has tasted and that it was wasted on a person of inferior talent to himself. The novel is adept in pacing the action throughout the book, as Ripley subverts the common traits of a psychopath, yet is clearly painted as such by other characters in the novel. It raises questions for the audience on the nature of serial killers and their own self-justification.

Matt Damon plays Tom Ripley.

reader. His disturbing and seemingly random hobbies alienate readers and distance him meaning that his emotional distress throughout the novel is, at most, comical. Developments in Frank’s character are present in the storyline but the events that take place are often of little consequence. The novel seemed like a series of random ideas strung together and called a story. I imagine that my eyebrows were raised in confusion for at least 50% of the time I spent reading this novel. I don’t know whether it’s the far-fetched killings, the eventless climax to the story or the alienating characterisation of the protagonist but the story is slightly disturbing and wholly unsatisfying. If there’s some deeper meaning buried beneath all the blowing up of bunny rabbits then I am yet to find it. Save your brain cells some trouble and read something else.

Blood, Coffins and Garlic

Friends for a Lifetime

Ed Gill reviews Dracula.

Ben Adams reviews Pat Conroy’s novel, South of Broad

Today the name Dracula conjures up images of an exaggerated caricature of the vampire. These images, spawned from the countless low-budget films which portray him, just don’t do the novel justice. They lack the intrigue and excitement of the narrative, the very quality which, in my opinion, marks Stoker’s novel out as a display of masterful storytelling. The novel opens with Jonathan Harker who is travelling on business to Transylvania. His stay with the vampiric Count in his Gothic castle gives rise to the unsettling revelation of a sinister scheme which threatens not only Harker himself but the safety of his loved ones in England as well. The iconic tale ranges from the deep unknown

of the Transylvanian wilderness to Whitby, a Northern English town and the last place one might expect a demonic conspiracy. Amid the gripping account of the protagonists’ efforts to prevent the sinister devil’s intentions, Stoker skillfully utilises the epistolary format - meaning the story is told through a series of letters and journals - to deliberately withhold information about certain characters’ whereabouts and conditions, a technique which creates a suspenseful mystery and a continuous sense of uncertainty. Readers will be captivated from the moment the terrifying world of the bloodthirsty Count is entered to the thrilling climax and conclusion of the story. Whatsmore, Stoker’s novel would have been considered wildly explicit and borderline erotic by a Victorian audience. London Library’s recent discovery of Bram Stoker’s copious scrawlings and notes written in books during his research has brought the story back into the newspapers. This tale, founded on centuries-old myth and folklore, remains an exhilarating read and it’s no wonder the image of Dracula still resonates throughout the literary and cinematic world 100 years after his creation.

Leopold Bloom King, a Charlestonian columnist, narrates a nostalgic love letter to both his hometown and unlikely friends in Pat Conroy’s most recent work, South Of Broad. Leo, acting as a catalyst, forms a previously unrelated group of friends, a cross-section of the city’s people, during a racially and sexually turbulent period of time. His tight knit group of high school seniors include Sheba and Trevor Poe, twins with a dark and haunting background, Niles and Starla Whitehead, Appalachian orphans, socialite Molly Huger and her boyfriend Chad Rutledge the tenth, a scion of Charleston’s aristocracy. The novel alternates between 1969 when Leo’s soon to be notorious coterie first forms, and 1989 where Sheba enlists her enduring friends to find her gay twin-brother in an AIDs ravaged San Francisco. Their bonds endure the challenges of marriage - both happy and troubled, unrequited and blatant love, and the city’s twisted legacy of racial and class divisions. The characters each face their own, and each other’s, most closeted secrets and darkest affairs; some are tragically lost to the pull of lust and obsession, while others emerge from the tangled maze of what

started as a normal life. This book will leave the reader with both a desire to speak yet a need to reflect as Pat Conroy employs his unparalleled love for life and language, and his undisputed gift put to good use.

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Features

A Flying Start INTERVIEW

Lachlan Jones and Sam King attend the opening of Abingdon’s new flight simulator.

he Lancaster bomber is arguably the most iconic four-engined British aircraft ever made. Immortalised for its crucial role in strategic bombing campaigns across Europe, as well as the part of the famous Dambusters and the bouncing bomb, this aircraft embodied the prowess of our nation, and it remains an icon to this day. The idea for a four-engined aircraft first came about in the early 1940s, and, after several prototypes and iterations, began production in 1941. Between 1941 and 1945, over 6,500 aircraft were produced. Soon after, it became the principal bomber for the RAF, serving on both European and Pacific fronts. The seven man crew had varied roles, with three gunners responsible for defence on the long range sorties of up to 4,000km, as far as eastern Germany and as far south as Italy. Although principally a night bomber, adaptations enabled it to perform anti-submarine patrols, aerial refuelling and reconnaissance. The Lancaster’s most famous endeavour, however, was the destruction of dams in the Ruhr Valley, involving the 617 Squadron, with the introduction of the ‘bouncing bomb’, as seen in the film Dambusters. The damage was widely effective, with three dams damaged, although the multiple aircraft were shot down. This raid was crucial in undermining hydroelectric power in Germany and also in the disruption of German economic output, particularly in steel production. Post Second World War, operations

The Lancaster Bomber

were still carried out by the Lancasters for several years. It was responsible for mass transportation of British POWs, and would later be converted for airline use in various parts of the world. Operationally, the Lancaster was mostly replaced in the early 1950s by the Canberra medium bomber. Only a handful of flight worthy

of awareness concerning our armed forces. As a country, we owe much of our prosperity to their effectiveness and efficiency of our armed forces, and the question is, really, can they count on us? When I was at Abingdon, in 1955 just after the war, our teachers had mostly served in the forces, as well being around the time of release of

‘Then I was going to be a pilot’

aircraft remain today, which are occasionally used in events such as recently celebrating 100 year anniversary of the RAF.

* Tony Edwards (OA 1962) has had a distinguished career in both engineering and supporting aviation and has served in multiple roles within the aerospace industry. He has kindly funded the new RAF flight simulator at Abingdon for the use of which we are all grateful. Why do you feel the CCF is such an important activity to support? I feel as though there is a general lack

the film Dambusters. We were very conscious of the past war and the value of the armed forces. I believe the CCF provides exposure to skills such as management and leadership. The Cadets provides a way of learning leadership ‘on the job’ in a highly organised environment. In terms of pupils, it provides a real new dimension as to what it requires to lead a group of men and women. When you were at Abingdon, were you aware of the Armed Forces role and responsibility? Often, I find that young people are initially not aware of things that are of later importance, but as I grew older there was

a sense that something important was going on and I wanted to be part of it. I had a Russian teacher who was an RAF pilot whom I admired greatly, and it was he who proposed the idea of a RAF section of the CCF, which I joined with enthusiasm. What were your fondest memories as a cadet? I particularly enjoyed two aspects of the CCF at Abingdon; firstly the simple opportunity to shoot guns and weapons! I also loved going away on camps in the summer with my friends, and we would take the train from Abingdon railway station to all over the country. That is what inspired me to continue my love for aviation furthur.

* Sqr Ldr Lawrence ‘Benny’ Goodman is a World War Two veteran, who flew a variety of aircraft with the RAF during the War, including the iconic Lancaster bomber. Here, he shares some of his personal memories, and impressions of some of the different types aircraft he operated. Why did you join the RAF when you were young? What was the main attraction? I was studying when the War broke out and my father had been in the Army for four years in the First World War and he certainly put me off the Army. I didn’t re-

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Tony Edwards and Sqr Ldr Lawrence ‘Benny’ Goodman. ally want to be in the Army, I rather wanted to be a pilot. I didn’t know what was involved of course, the amount of training so I volunteered, of course I volunteered. I said I would like to be a pilot and the interviewing officer didn’t say a word, he just wrote it down and I thought, oh, I’m going to be a pilot. And then it was literally going to be a couple of years of work before that happened, assuming I got through the training. I felt it was what I should do because the War had broken out and I thought the other side was wrong and so my conscience told me to do it. What is your memory of your first mission? The first mission I did actually, I was second pilot on the squad: that is, I went with another person. He was the captain and I sat in the right-hand seat which usually wasn’t occupied. I went with him on a raid to, I think, one of the French Ports. It might have been Brest? Then he wrote his report on me to the CO and whether I was doing a good job, and presumably he said I was because I found myself on the next trip as captain of my own crew. You have a crew that trains with you and thereafter I was with my crew. It was important to keep a crew, not to fly with just anybody unless it was absolutely necessary. So do you recall any nerves around the first time you went on a mission or did you find that you were so well trained that there weren’t any nerves at all? That is probably a question better answered by the psychologist. When we were briefed, day or night, sometimes on command, we would go out to the aircraft and we would be told that there was a delay of an hour or more. We could either sit

on the runway, that is the concrete runway, in single file so if the enemy attacked they would destroy what they could find at the time. Or, we sat on the wet grass, which, believe me, is not much fun in the winter of Lincolnshire. You waited for a “green”, which meant get up and go or a “red” which meant they were sending transport out to bring you back. But on missions we didn’t always have to wait for a red or green, not very often anyway. But, once I got in the cockpit, all the collywobbles, as it were, disappeared. I had a lot to do. First, I had to do all the checks. Then, I had to make sure all the crew were on radio and answering me properly and, of course, I did a cockpit check to make sure everything was in the position it should be

the engineer start the engines with the ground crew are down there, with you at midnight and one o’clock in the morning. I’d like to say something about the ground crew, even though you haven’t asked me about them. Firstly, without ground crew the air crew simply wouldn’t fly. Even now people don’t seem to recognise them enough. They are out there in all weathers. I might have been in the mess having a drink, an alcoholic one: it was warm, the lights were on; it was cosy and we might be playing a game of Bridge or something. They were out there (they had plenty of snow in Lincolnshire) fixing the aircraft if it needed fixing and when they were finished it might be 2.00 a.m. in the morning. Since then I have had so much admiration for the ground crew.

The only atmosphere there was, was one of alertness

in to start up. Now, I am sure you have seen a picture of a Lancaster cockpit. When you look at it, you’ll think, “Oh dear, no!” but, you soon calm down and it all falls into place in the end. Now, when you look at it you know exactly what you’re looking for. It does not take long. You also need to check everything with the rear gunner the wireless operator and the navigator. They all have to respond to you and then you and

In the role of Squadron Leader was there ever an order that you felt you disagreed with or that you shouldn’t carry out? It never crossed my mind or the mind of anyone else. I don’t know what would have happened to anyone if they did: they wouldn’t be very popular. We had a chap when the Suez Canal war was on who

was assigned cameras. He broke down during the flight and told the tower that he wasn’t doing any more because he just felt he couldn’t. Now he was eventually categorised as LMF which was so unfortunate. LMF stands for Lack of Moral Fibre. Wherever he went his LMF went before him to wherever he was posted. It was a harsh consequence for him, but he was obviously a conscientious objector. But I personally have never been given an order that I felt I couldn’t obey. When you were on a mission, on the aircraft, was there a particular atmosphere or environment that you recognised - or maybe something about how you would interact with other people? The only atmosphere there was, was one of alertness. We had to be very alert. There was no real jollification. On the ground I encouraged my crew to call me Ben, although that wasn’t my name - you may not have heard of Benny Goodman the clarinettist. He was very popular so they called me Ben. Other than that you had to be serious: you can’t joke about flying against the enemy. You soon find that out when they shoot at you. If you say something you expect it to be obeyed. What was your favourite aircraft to fly in the War and why? During the War, and after, I had three favourite aircraft and it is difficult to separate them. They had such terribly different roles so you can’t say one was better because they were so different. I loved the Spitfire and I loved the Lancaster and, when the jet came in, I loved the Canberra. They were all outstanding aircraft.

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Features

From Peak to Peak and Valley to Valley TRAVEL

Ben Adams discusses his most recent trip to the Balkans.

his summer I visited the Balkans for an adventurous week of trekking the Accursed Mountains in Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania.I had no idea that this part of the world could be such a jewel hidden in southeastern Europe, so close to the UK and other parts of the West that we know so well, and yet still so far from common knowledge.

have been many. The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that occurred in the years 1912 and 1913 in which four states in the Balkans amalgamated their powers to defeat the previously untouchable Ottoman Empire. This resulted in the vanquished Turks losing close to all of their holdings and influence in Europe. Austria-Hungary, although not a combatant, was weakened as a now more powerful Serbia

The Balkans have had an extremely turbulent and chaotic past

For me, before this week, The Balkans were merely something that was touched upon in history lessons, a far-off land where war rages and not much else goes on (a very nonchalant opinion, I know). However, after having spent the better part of a week thrown into the mixing bowl that is Balkan history, culture and conflict, I have realised that, to put it simply, it is so much more. I think that when most people are confronted with the idea of the Balkans, they think of its wars, and it’s true - there

Day three of the walk: soldering on.

Although the Balkan states aren’t seen as crucial players in the real-life game of Risk that ravaged the world, they were definitely key to its beginning. Then when World War One came to an end in 1918, the Balkans were subject to an incessant and incredibly tangled tug of war between the different countries and states over political views and, of course, religion, a crucial element to many conflicts. The direct aftermath of the war on the Balkan peninsula was catastrophic. Serbia having lost a quarter of its population and over half of its male inhabitants during the war, was left in complete economic dislocation and despair. What’s more, many of the state’s borders were completely redrawn and the newly founded Kingdom

pushed for the union of the South Slavic peoples. The war set the stage for the Balkan crisis of 1914 and was thus a prelude to the First World War. It is commonly said that Gavrilo Princip’s crucial crime in 1914, killing the heir to the Austrian throne, was the spark that ignited the raging bonfire that was the First World War. The fallout following this event was disastrous for next to all of the countries in Europe and, in fact, the world at large and led to Austria-Hungary declaring outright war on a small and disadvantaged Serbia.

Finding it hard, my still trying to smile!

of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, thereafter to be named Yugoslavia, was created. Furthering this chaos, both the Ottoman and the Austro-Hungarian empires were entirely dissolved, meaning that the balance of power, economic relations, and ethnic divisions were completely altered. Then the Second World War came into fruition and this again heavily shook the order and peace that had finally begun to settle in The Balkans. During this period, Hitler’s Germany occupied the whole of Yugoslavia, and again entirely shifted and changed the borders of the countries. Then the states of Yugoslavia went to war on each other in 1991. These intermittent and short conflicts resulted in the death of close to one hundred and fifty thousand people and lasted for almost ten years.

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They truly opened my eyes to the potential wonders that the world has to offer

These wars finally came to an end in the year 2000 when NATO began bombing Serbia. Although this stopped the war, it was a colossal intervention and one that our guide, Misha, could distinctly remember. The Balkans have truly been subjected to an unbearably large and relentless amount of turmoil, yet somehow the nations have regrown and developed themselves into the pristine, timeless paradise that I so luckily saw this summer. As shown, The Balkans have had an extremely turbulent and chaotic past, and despite the countries not fighting each other now, the residue and the aftermath of these conflicts is still blatant. One of the moments that struck me the most on the trip was after visiting the Serbian Orthodox monastery in Peja, or Pek as the locals call it. The building was a remote twelfth-century church in which they buried the late patriarchs and was said by Misha, our guide, to be a Serbian Christian church. However, after leaving the church and speaking to a local taxi driver we were told that this church was, in fact, Catholic and was built when the Venetians invaded in the early 19th century. Of course Misha turned out to be factually correct, as he always seemed to be, yet nonetheless it made me realise just how much of an impact the past has had on these countries. In fact, despite the Venetians never making it to Pek in Kosovo, their devout Catholicism was seen during my travels. In turn, I saw my religious journey through the Balkan borderlands creating its own imaginary borders not between the countries but between each other. As we travelled closer to the shore, Kosovo to Croatia, the religion also changed. At first the churches were Orthodox, yet by day six, staying next to the notoriously Dolphin-shaped lake Skadar, I was woken by a the muslim call to prayer. And then in a matter of hours, I found myself walking up the ancient Venetian ramparts in the Montenegrin city of Kotor. I have never visited a place with such a wide and rich religious history. It seemed to me that these people with such a range of beliefs lived together in blissful harmony. My week spent in The Balkans truly opened my eyes to the potential wonders that the world has to offer. With pristine views, ceaseless towering mountains and the most hospitable people, I am sure that in the years to come these remote countries will become a tourist hotspot. This, of course, comes laden with so many opportunities for some of the people living

The pristine views, seeing forever.

here. Misha said to us that he now works as a guide the whole year round, whereas two years ago he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, an example of this trend. However, if tourism does become more popular there will also be many drawbacks. I know that previous to The Balkans I have never been to a place before where you can drink directly from a stream and not have to fear contamination or pollution. The people living there most likely lead a polar opposite lifestyle to anyone reading this article. They are

some of the kindest, warmest and happiest people I have ever met and I fear that due to tourism the world that they know will slowly deteriorate. I do, however, believe that this magnificent place will continue to blossom and develop into the beauty of the world that it deserves to be. Everywhere you go there will always be different cultures, languages and histories and the people will have different aspirations, hopes and dreams. Yet despite so many things standing us apart, so many more bring us together.

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Features

Beech Court: Design and Thought SCHOOL

German Baraev interviews the Mr O’Doherty and Dr Gardner to review the latest evolution of Abingdon School.

alking past the cafe almost every day and seeing the constant growth of Beech Court always increased my anticipation. The school had begun to radically rebuild its older facilities to more modern buildings that closely reflected the forward minded image of Abingdon a couple years ago. During my first visit to the school, I heard how the refurbished Sports Centre was a vast improvement, sporting high-tech athletic facilities like the gym (refurbished this year), the sports hall and the swimming pool, while being promised a new science centre opening the year that I came. Soon enough, the Yang had its grand opening with teachers and students marvelling at the development of the science rooms, from the cramped rooms in the Greening Wing to the spacious and illuminating new classrooms. Following the example set by the highly successful Yang, Beech Court also divided its floors by subject and functionality. The lowest floor was designated for the Sixth Form, the Library being situated in the middle and the highest floor being set out for the art department. Seeing the intricate care given to Beech court, I was interested as to what thoughts and design

elements were put into the construction of the centre. Firstly I asked about the floor I use the most: the Sixth Form centre and that lead to a 15 minute chat with Mr O’Doherty who had put a great deal of thought into the building and his own floor. THE SIXTH FORM CENTRE From Mr O’Doherty’s speech to the Sixth Form in the first week of term, it was clear to me that he had a personal stake in the design of his own floor especially and I was interested as to where he gathered the initial ideas for the design of the Sixth Form Centre. Mr. O’Doherty told me, “In the first instance, I tried to think about what we needed for study facilities and the variety of ways in which people wanted to study. We needed somewhere where it was really quiet and somewhere where people could study together.” Following on from that, Mr O’Doherty explained that the most inspirational moments came from visiting university campuses and other schools’ facilities, and that it was clear from that moment on, that one of the primary goals for the Sixth Form Centre was to have it mimic a university facility for study and social gath-

ering. It was vital for Sixth Form students who would soon transition into University to experience the type of working environments seen on college campuses at school. Mr O’Doherty commented, “To be honest the most inspirational moment was going into other schools and universities, and in particular universities, because then it became apparent that what we could do was to design it more like a university study space and social space.

What were the objectives behind the design of the furniture? “We didn’t really know how furniture

The school had begun to radically rebuild its older facilities

That was the most pleasing aspect of the process.’ Where there any facilities that were particularly important and that you would like to emphasise? “Not really, but I do think that there had to be a large open-planned space that was multifunctional, where you could study and socialise. Furthermore, it had to have offices where the staff could work and students could pop in: they were the must haves.” After that, Mr. O’Doherty explained that the furniture was vital in the design of the floor and that the furniture was organised in the space so it was properly used. Were there any problems with the design of the floor?

Beech Court at the recent Beech Court opening.

Other designs were scrapped, Mr. O’Doherty notes that a plant room was in plans to be on the bottom floor. It was quite a large room that provided power and air recovery. However, the project team weren’t able to keep it.

“Not really, not with this floor. Originally, I had planned a debating chamber which was deemed too large and would rob us of space. Thinking pragmatically, we had to consider the amount of lockers that we would need, if we provided one for every student, then that would cut down on the space.”

would turn out and we’ve allowed ourselves the ability to take something out if it isn’t popular or used enough. In fact, the chairs with the in-built tables were far more popular than we had anticipated.” Do you have any hopes or aspirations for the future? “I don’t think I’m going to be involved in any future planning. The only thing that hasn’t been done is the space between here and the cafe. In fact, there is some furniture arriving for that space so that it truly feels like an inside-outside environment.” Regarding the garden outside, I was interested in whether Mr. O’Doherty had any influence over the garden which, coincidentally, is right outside his window. Mr O’Doherty explains, “Now this was incredible and I had no idea this was going to happen. This is entirely the hard work of our garden team, so basically, they just decided to build it. It is similar to the Stumpery, by Mercers Court. I think this is phenomenally skillful, it is quite a dark and cool area that could have been wasted, and that was a real surprise to me.” What was the idea behind the Beech

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Court name? “The designers were given the idea of the beech trees that are near the building. So, initially, the colour scheme for our floor was very earthy and rusty tones that matched the lower parts of the beech trees. Honestly, I didn’t like that very much and so I asked some people to invent a new palette, which was a lot brighter.” LIBRARY The Library was truly an upgrade. The increase in space and removal of underused features helped Dr Gardner and the Library staff to redesign the floor in their own vision, one that is consistent with the

Secondly, the world is becoming mobile. If you use a computer; you do not go to a different room to use it, you probably use your phone or laptop. We wanted Abingdon to reflect this change and that’s the reason behind the move from fixed computers to laptops.” After speaking to Mr. O’Doherty, I was interested in the overall reflection of beech trees in the design of the Library and the colour scheme that Dr Gardner wanted to pursue. Unlike Mr O’Doherty, Dr Gardner confirmed that the colours were always green, depicting the leaves of the trees surrounding the school. He says, “I am sensitive to colours and I believe that the psychology of the room is very important. Green very quickly came

to the fore and it would be quite naturalistic. The type of greens we had came late in the day, but the initial idea of green was there from the beginning.” Did you keep in mind the furniture during the design of the new Library? “It was quite interesting, the furniture came in quite late, and I had no clear idea on what it would be like, other than, where it would be and the fact that I wanted curves. You’re probably aware that there are three curved bookshelves with seating in the middle. From earlier on, a lot of libraries are like corridors with sharp edges and parallel lines, to me, that makes them unfriendly to people who don’t normally use libraries. So, I wanted to soften the

I tried to think about what we needed for study facilities and the variety in which people wanted to study

development of learning and reading. What was the thought process behind the design of the library, as it is drastically different from the old one? “We wanted a bigger library, but we wanted a completely different principal. The old library was first and foremost about books, then computers, then people. WIth the new one, we wanted to put people in top priority - what would be a nice place where people could work, socialise and read.” The divisions between subjects towards the back of the library were put in from the beginning. Dr Gardner comments, “The library reflects the people who use it: the students first and then the staff. Therefore, I structured the Library according to how the school is organised - by subject. Every area was mapped to a subject; where the books would be reflective of its content.” What was the thought process behind the removal of computers and the addition of laptops? “Firstly, computers become a waste of space when people aren’t using them.

One of the beech trees from which the building gets its name.

features and make it more friendly. I feel that those three bookshelves are the most important feature of the space.” Finally, Dr Gardner wanted the library to be a hybrid space, one whether both sixth formers and lower schoolers could go and work; a space that is far more homely and soft, rather than clinical and strict. Overall, the redesign of Abingdon School has taken the school to a new level. With more buildings and spaces being provided, Abingdon is growing rapidly and hopefully, to the standard of Beech Court or higher. With the new plans to construct an extension to the Yang, I am sure we are all excited to see how the school evolves next.

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Features

History’s Forgotten Genocide HISTORY

Charlie Britton explores the Armenian Genocide and it’s overlooked status in world politics.

espite an estimated death toll of 1.5 million, multiple witness accounts from multiple nations and recognition from most modern historians as a genocide, the plight of the Armenian people from 1915 through to the early 1920s has gone largely unrecognised internationally. With the ascension of the Young Turk Movement to power in Turkey in 1908, the Armenians became victims of a campaign to “Turkify” the population of the Ottoman Empire. As the First World War unfolded, many Ottoman generals feared revolutionary sentiments would begin to spread through the Armenian community, especially with the approach of the Russian Army and also ANZAC troops from the Dardanelles. In response, a policy of forced relocation of the Armenian people from the border was exacted. On April 24th 1915, 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders were massacred. It is this event is traditionally used as the start date of the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian people were made to complete forced marches through the Mesopotamian desert where daily temperatures can reach 43�. Often, women and children were stripped naked during the midday heat and told that anyone who stopped to rest or slowed down would be shot instantly. Frequently people passed out from heat exhaustion and were left to

Armenian citizens during a forced march.

die in the desert. In addition to the marches, special battalions were created, the purpose of which was to oversee the “liquidation of

then, the Turkish government has refused the claims that they carried out any genocide. Their stance is complicated; they do not deny that during the war many

Ackam, a Turkish Historian and Sociologist who was one of the first Turkish academics to openly discuss the Armenian genocide, says that in Turkey this line of

Drowning people in rivers, rudimentary crucifixion and even burning people alive Christian Elements” within the empire, as described later by an Ottoman officer. The horrific methods of execution practised by the squads included drowning people in rivers, rudimentary crucifixion and even burning people alive. Most historical sources agree and , although some witness accounts vary, of that 2 million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire before this event, by 1922 only 388,000 Armenians were still within the empire’s jurisdiction. With the fall of the Ottoman empire in 1918, the Young Turk leaders fled to Germany where they were promised safety from any persecution for their crimes whilst in charge of the regime. Ever since

Armenian people were killed by Ottomans and yet they dispute the death toll and maintain that “both sides” suffered losses during the war. They also reject any claims that this was a state-authorised genocide. The Turkish government has spent millions of dollars lobbying Washington and other capitals against this claim and have threatened politicians from countries with a strong retaliation for using the word genocide in relation to this event. Scholars speculate that one of the main reasons for this denial is the fear of a large number of claims for reparations that could be levelled at them by the Armenian people similar to that the German Empire suffered after WWII. Taner

argument is common saying, ‘ If we accept Genocide, then the claim for reparations will follow.’ So why is the Armenian Genocide not as internationally recognised as others such as the Holocaust? Controversially, the United States government does not recognise it as a genocide and neither does the United Kingdom, claiming the evidence is not clear enough despite the fact that the devolved governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland do recognise it. In France, Armenian genocide denial is officially outlawed. This divided world stance means many people are unsure of its status and in many parts of the world, it is a taboo. As a result it is not taught in curricula around the world and thus becomes overlooked especially in relation to the Holocaust which occured only 20 years later. The Armenian Genocide shares many characteristics with the Holocaust: a regime-ordered attack on a racial group in order to promote a strongly nationalistic agenda in wartime; horrific methods of reducing the population of a group; and a shocking death toll. So why has this tragic event not been fully appreciated and accepted? The definition of a genocide is the “deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular nation or ethnic group”, and many people argue that this event was a prime example of this and yet. it is still not officially recognised by the British government. As a result of our government not recognising this officially we have almost abandoned the Armenian people during their attempts in gaining any recompense for their suffering, whilst also undermining any of our attempts to punish countries seemingly carrying out genocides by not administering proper sanctions for such denials.

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Features CHARITY

A Race Against Cancer Jake Morris talks to Mark Church about running one thousand miles for charity. Churchy commentates for cricket club Surrey, based at The Oval, which will be one of the grounds Churchy will be running from each day. His Twitter account @backandacross has over 2,750 followers, and he is the voice of the @ surreycricket account. Churchy agreed to do an interview for The Martlet. What was the history of this run? “Well I wanted to do something for Dad, so I came up with a number of ideas to raise some money and awareness for pancreatic cancer. I’m a cricket commentator and since two of Dad’s favourite grounds were the Oval and Lord’s, why not run between the two? Now this isn’t exciting, because it’s only five miles, but we crunched the numbers and thought: if I run it four times a day for 50 days that will be 1000 miles! So, really the ethos of this, was that I wanted to do something to

“W

Churchy and his dad before Tony’s passing

hen he died my immediate reactionwas… Why?” writes Mark ‘Churchy’ Church on his Just Giving page. My godfather, Churchy, suffered the loss of his father who died last year of pancreatic cancer. ‘My best mate had been playing golf five times

of planning. “Dad loved his cricket and I love my running. Dad’s two favourite grounds were the Kia Oval and Lord’s but running once between them over a distance of five miles didn’t seem much of a challenge.” So, Churchy settled on doing 200 runs from Lord’s to The Kia Oval, two important cricket grounds in England, which just so happen to be

“My big aim for the run is to finish it. Even if I have to crawl across the line, I will finish.” a week, having holidays with Mum, and enjoying his retirement.’ reflected Churchy. However, Tony died six months later, so he decided to do something. His first thought was to run between the 18 major cricket grounds in England, but that would have taken too long, required a large budget, and lots

five miles away from each other. Not only is he doing this massive run, but he has a target of raising £10,000 for the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund. If you consider that he has already raised more than £8,000 two weeks before the run actually starts, I think he will smash this total.

logical move would be radio. What are you going to do in between your runs? In between my runs I think I’m just going to have a lie down and have something to eat. That will be very key. But on a serious point, I think I’m going to find a gym so that I can sit on a bike, and go slowly, - just to keep my legs moving. I need to make sure I’m eating the right things, and there will be the odd ice bath, too. I think the plan of action is to get two runs done before lunch and two runs after lunch. I think everyday I’ll be done and dusted around four or five o’clock, and then maybe I’ll have a Nando’s afterwards. But what I really want to do is have some fun. I don’t just want to finish the run and go to bed and then wake up and run again the next morning. And how will you be on the last day? I think I’ll be in bits. There’ll be pieces

Even if I have to crawl across the line, I will finish it. make my Dad proud.” So, what’s your big aim for the run? My big aim for the run is to finish it, if I’m totally honest. I want to get over the line on December 4th no matter the state I’m in. Even if I have to crawl across the line, I will finish it. I want to raise money for the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, who are doing some amazing research, but also to raise awareness for this disease because it’s such a horrible thing to go through. Why did you want to be a cricket commentator? What a great question! I think it’s because I’m very good at talking to myself and very good at rambling on and on. Once I had finished my studies, I thought to myself, ‘I love my sport and love talking to myself ’, so it seemed the

of my left all over London. Well, it’s not like I will wake up and dash off every day! And will there be anything going on after the run finishes? Well when we finish the run on the last day, we’re having a drinks party in the evening, at The Oval to celebrate the fact that I’ve got over the line, and then on the Friday after that we’re having a big dinner at The Oval, and lots of the Surrey and England [cricket] players are coming, and there will be an auction, and that’s to raise some more money. So whatever state I’m in, I’ve got to be back to some sort of fitness in order, to go to the dinner. ‘Churchy’s Challenge’ as it is called, started on 8th October. If you would like to visit his Just Giving Page it is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/200runs

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Sport FOOTBALL

El Clásico: More Than Just a Football Match Josh Li delves into the history of the rivialry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

ivalries in sports are prevalent all over the world. From school fixtures to professional matches, from teams to individuals, watching rivals lock horns is always that much more exciting than a regular match. One of the strongest and most famous rivalries in the world of sport is between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid C.F. In this article, I will be explaining why they are such fierce rivals and what the significance of their match is. El Clásico is the name of the football match in which Real Madrid face bitter rivals Barcelona. Both teams play in the top flight of Spanish football, La Liga. Looking at its records, it becomes obvious as to why these two teams are the fiercest of rivals. Barcelona and Real Madrid have won the league a combined total of 25 times in the past 30 years, a see-saw relationship that will seemingly never end. Over the years, both teams have seen phenomenal players join their separate ranks, only serving to bolster the teams’ rivalries with personal ones. The most recent and arguably most notable example are Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The two forwards combined have won every single Ballon d’Or since 2008, a personal award that honors the player deemed to have performed the best over a calendar year. Similar rivalries in the past include Ronaldinho and Zinedine Zidane, and Gerard Piqué and Sergio Ramos, and it was clear to see why, as these wellknown players were among the world’s best in their respective positions. These players not only granted the teams domestic superiority, but also carried them to global success. Real Madrid and Barcelona combined have won a total of 18 UEFA Champions’ League titles out of the 26 times it has been hosted (since its rebranding in 1992), seeing them compete against top teams all over Europe. These records indicate that the two clubs are undeniably among the best, if not the best. However besides the football, other aspects contribute to make El Clásico the biggest rivalry in the football world. $7.29 Billion. $7.29 Billion is the combined worth of both clubs, with Real Madrid and Barcelona worth $4.09 billion and $3.2 billion respectively. In fact, the El Clásico is the second most followed football club match in the football world, behind the Champions’

Real Madrid and Barcelona play another of their hotly contested matches. League final. The tens of thousands of live spectators are only a fraction compared to the hundreds of millions of spectators worldwide. When the two clubs clashed in the December of 2016, the match ended in a draw, but the game generated a whopping $42.5 million in media value for

Sports Business Institute of Barcelona, the clubs received a total revenue of $1.428 billion in 2016. To put this into perspective, the combined revenues of the clubs have been increasing exponentially over the years, growing far more than the country’s economy every year from 2003-2016. These are impres-

El Clásico is a representation of Spanish history itself sponsors. The worldwide fan presence has been proved to be very strong, with 60% of the revenue generated by TV broadcasts of the game. According to a study done by the

sive numbers that highlight the sheer amount of money going into this match alone. It is no secret that football is a lucrative sport with top players earning half a million British pounds a week but

El Clásico takes this to a whole new level. Each game between the two Spanish titans generate massive amounts of revenue, making the match a money bomb, with millions of dollars going in and out of the clubs. El Clásico might be just a football match, that is one of the most viewed, one of the most expensive, and one of the most important matches, yet it all boils down to 22 players playing football against each other. What other factors make this match so significant? Although they might not be as lucrative, matches between any of the other big clubs will generate a lot of revenue, namely Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and a few others. There have also been many prominent rivalries over the decades, such as FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, also known as Der Klassiker, or Manchester United and Manchester City, the eponymous Manchester Derby. El Clásico stands out amongst all of them due to its unique history and polit-

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The fixture has stood the test of time and will undoubtedly do so for generations to come. ical influences. El Clásico has been, and is, a representation of Spanish history itself and the political, geographical and cultural clashes that have been prevalent in the country for decades. FC Barcelona was founded in 1899, with Real Madrid founded three years later. The

army which also arrested the Catalan government, yet Catalonia remained independent. Two years later, the Spanish Civil War started. A man named Francisco Franco became the leader of the Spanish nationalists, the rebels who staged

A see-saw relationship that will seemingly never end Spanish league was founded in 1929 and rivalries had already begun to emerge, ones that were common between football clubs. In the September of 1932, the Statute of Autonomy was approved for Catalonia by the Cortes of the Republic. This gave Catalonia almost total autonomy and self-government. The second president, Lluis Companys, proclaimed the Catalan State of the Spanish Federal Republic. This was in response to the addition of the CEDA (Right-Wing Spanish Nationalist Party that was considered to be close to fascism) to the Spanish government. The Catalan government feared that it would suppress Catalonia and retake it to be part of Spain. The proclamation was indeed suppressed by the Spanish national

a coup d’état against the Spanish government after Emilio Mola and Jose Sanjurjo died. During the Spanish Civil War, Franco used military power, supplied by fascists dictators such as Hitler, Mussolini and Salazar to take over Spanish Morocco, as well as political campaigns to take over more cities like Córdoba and Granada. In the January of 1939, Franco took over Barcelona and Madrid in March, putting an end to a bloody civil war. This is a crucial moment in Spanish history, which marked the start of Francoist Catalonia. General Franco famously said that the men who marched through Barcelona were honoured not because they fought better, but because they felt more hatred,

hatred towards Catalonia and Catalans. Franco then imposed political, social and ideological repressions on Catalonia, in an attempt to commit cultural genocide. He even incorporated the uses of concentration camps and put hundreds of thousands of people in prison. General Franco’s government banned the use of Catalan, both speaking and writing in the language was punishable by death or torture. In fact, the then FC Barcelona president was executed without trial. The rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid was engendered throughout the next few decades. General Franco stood behind Real Madrid, a symbol of the central government and Madrid’s dominance over the region. After this, Camp Nou (The stadium of FC Barcelona) became a place where Catalans could express themselves freely, almost like a safe haven and an outlet, free from Franco and his regime. The club itself also represented an oppressed population who coveted for cultural, political and linguistic freedom. Over the next decades, a few incidents reinforced this rivalry, almost to the point of mutual hatred. Alfredo Di Stefano was signed for both clubs due to an error in the transfer market, yet FIFA, the International Football Association, ruled in Barcelona’s favour. In response, the Spanish football federation, heavily influenced by the Spanish government, banned the signing of all foreign players for every football club besides Real Madrid, leading

Di Stefano to play for Real Madrid. He went on to become one of the best strikers in Real Madrid’s history, winning five successive European Cups with the team. Johan Cruyff, widely regarded as one of the best players in history, publicly declared that he would never play for Real Madrid because of their alleged association with Franco and the Spanish Government, later joining FC Barcelona in 1973. In 2000, Luís Figo, another brilliant player at the centre of controversy, joined Real Madrid days after publicly declaring that he, with “all the certainty in the world, will be at Camp Nou to start the season.” This caused an uproar amongst Barcelona fans and he once had a pig’s head thrown at him, when he next played against Barcelona. Furthermore, the globalization of football and the increased spending filled the teams with star studded lineups, such as the famous “Los Galacticos” squad of Real Madrid, which prompted Barcelona’s response of signing superstars like Deco and Ronaldinho, amongst others. El Clásico will likely be a rivalry that will last forever. When these two teams play each other the football pitch becomes a theatre for drama, flair, and a prime display of world-class football. However, the cultural, political and sociological elements deeply embedded into the clubs make El Clásico the unique affair it is today and undoubtedly the biggest football match on the planet.

THE MARTLET WINTER ISSUE 18

Sport FOOTBALL

Who Will Be Successful in This Year’s Champions League? Rahul Singh provides an overview of this season’s Champion League.

he 2018-19 UEFA Champions League looks promising for many teams this year. There are a few very strong groups with many teams that are expecting and hoping to get through. There are also a few groups possessing multiple strong teams in them, and as you probably know only two can get through. This is in the case in Group A, who have Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, whilst in Group B there is Barcelona, Inter Milan and Tottenham. While in Group C, there is Liverpool, Napoli and PSG. Evidently these will be the the hardest groups, but also these may prove to be the most interesting. The other groups have a few hard teams including Man U and Juventus and some others but it is quite easily predictable. There is also Real Madrid and Roma who are in Group G but they are the only likely ones to get through. Firstly in group A there is Atletico Madrid who are a very strong team, having consistently achieved top three finishes in La Liga in Spain for several seasons now. They have reached the Champions League final twice now in recent seasons, but have never won the Champions League since its rebranding in 1992. There is then also the 2013 finalists Borussia Dortmund who are also a very strong team who are the other likely team to get through. In Group B there is Barcelona, possibly the best team in the world, being seven-time winners of the Champions League. The other two are Inter Milan and Tottenham. However they are surely going to challenge each other. The unpredictability of the group was made clear in the first game between the two. It was a great comeback by PSV with 2 goals at the end to 1. The group that looks the most interesting is Group C. Through their spending in the transfer market, PSG on paper should be the best team in the group. Recently, they have invested a huge sum of money in attacking players, with one being Kylian Mbappe and one Neymar. Mbappe is definitely on his way up and on his way to becoming a legend. Liverpool are also another team to challenge these teams. As Liverpool said after their insane win against AC Milan in 2005 when they won on penalties after coming back from 3-0 down: “When the torture of the game was finished, we sat like a bunch of half wits in the dressing room.

We couldn’t speak, we couldn’t move. They’d mentally destroyed us.”. Up to this point PSG, Liverpool and Napoli remain all in contention for the top two spots. It is incredibly close and the deciding matches will be when these three teams play each other. The nickname for Group D is ‘The Group of Life. This is because all four teams are rated one of the lowest in the Champions League. They consist of: Galatasaray, Porto, Schalke 04 and Lokomotiv Moscow. None of these teams have a particularly incredible history however Portuguese team Porto are quite well known. The other teams are well known within their country but are not very likely to do well in the knockout stages. Galatasaray are usual-

It remains unclear as to who could win ly in the Champions league so are a decent club but don’t usually get into the late parts of the Champions League. Additionally there is Group E, consisting of Bayern Munich, Ajax, Benfica and AEK Athens. In this group, it is hard to justify a team other than Bayern Munich coming first, and arguably they still have a very good chance of winning the whole competition. They are the best team in Germany and have dominated the Bundesliga in Germany, winning it six years in a row! Second place looks to be Ajax as they have a lead by quite a few points. Then there is Group F. This is the group with last season’s Premier League champions, Manchester City. Despite only reaching the quarter-finals (losing to Liverpool 5-1 on aggregate) last season, they continue to be favourites for the trophy. Lyon and Man City are both quite a few points ahead and are highly likely to go through. In Group G, the competition remains very tough but on paper there are two main teams that are most like-

Neymar holds the record for transfer amount, at £202 million ly to get through. This group consists of Real Madrid, Roma, CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen. The stand-out team has to be Real Madrid. Having won the Champions league last year, they are one of the best teams in the world. They beat English team Liverpool who are currently in group C in an enthralling match in Kiev. However with the loss of Ronaldo and a new manager it will

The competition remains very tough but on paper there are two main teams

be tough. Another team to consider is Roma. This Italian team regularly get into the Champions League and have consistently been doing well however nothing spectacular so far. The final group is H. This is also quite a strong group but not very much competition in it. The two main teams are Manchester United and Juventus. Man u have won the Champions League three times and have constantly been getting into it but they haven’t been doing so well in it lately. Two-time winners Juventus reached the final in 2015 and 2017, and have won the the Serie A every year since 2012. They have continued to perform well in the Champions League, losing to Real Madrid in the final controversial circumstances last season, but with the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, could this barren run in the Champions League finally end? Overall there are the usual suspects that people think are going to do well. However there are some rising teams and what makes this season special is that we get to see how they will do. It remains unclear as to who could win the 2018-19 Champions League but I do know that we are in for a treat.

THE MARTLET WINTER ISSUE 18

Sport FOOTBALL

The Race for the Top Four Jake Morris talks to Will Haynes delves deeper into the intriguing battle for the Premier League title.

Can we expect to see any surprises? Leicester proved why this league is the best in the world

he race for the top four places in the Premier League is always extremely tense and always ends in one of the top teams missing out on their chance to qualify for the prestigious UEFA Champions League. This year, more than ever, no teams can be written off and the top teams will be taking no games for granted. The question is, which teams will succeed in their battle for the top four? Manchester City produced a title winning campaign in 2017/18, breaking eleven of the Premier League’s most prolific records, including most wins, goals and points in one season, whilst also reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. They are never short of goals, with Aguero still firing for the Sky Blues, but consistency up front could become a problem for Guardiola with Gabriel Jesus’ inexperience often resulting in patchy form. Manchester City’s main aim this season will be to fight for the title and to at least reach the semi-finals of the

Champions League, after disheartening losses to Liverpool in the competition last year. Top four shouldn’t be hard for them to achieve this season with the squad they have, the regimes they adopt and the high-class coaching that they receive. For them the main battle will be to keep hold of players, such as Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero, keep them fit, and to fight for European glory. Chelsea suffered an inadequate fifth place finish in 2017/18 and after a difficult summer, sacked title-winning manager Antonio Conte and brought in Maurizio Sarri as head coach from Napoli, in addition to making big money signings Jorginho and Kepa, whilst also bringing in Croatian superstar Mateo Kovacic, on loan from Real Madrid. Although playing in the Europa League will mean easier competition, it also equates to playing Thursday night football, which often leads to fatigue when the weekend games roll around. Chelsea have a history of letting extremely talented youth players slip through the system, but without trusting their

youngsters it is hard to see how Sarri’s men can cope with the challenge of both European and league football. We have already seen young players such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek relish their opportunities in the Europa League, with other starlets coming through such as Ross Barkley. Chelsea look to be one of three title contenders alongside Liverpool and Manchester City. The Blues are playing very attractive football currently, with the problems emerging through the leaky defence. Chelsea will most likely make the top four and it’ll be a shock if they don’t. Liverpool are always an extremely exciting team to watch, and last year succeeded in bringing themselves back in contention to be one of Europe’s finest once more by progressing to the Champions League final. They have one of the deadliest trios up front and have goalscoring talent all around. Their defence of late has been superb with Van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Alisson proving their stability, teams are finding it incredibly hard to break through the reds back line. Liverpool strive under pressure and if they can perfect the balance in their tactics and ensure they keep their players fit, then there’s no reason at all why Liverpool shouldn’t be fighting for the Champions League let alone the Premier League. Manchester United have struggled to be consistent in the Premier League ever since Alex Ferguson departed the club in 2013. They have struggled to find the manager that is right for them, and it is hard to see that Mourinho is going to be a better fit than any of his predecessors, always attracting criticism from both his players and the press for his defensive style of play. A title challenge seems unlikely this year for the Red Devils and unless they are consistent the top four could be a stretch. However, with the quality of players that Mourinho possesses, if he can secure some tactics that fit both the players and create some harmony between the squad then there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to fight for their spot in the Champions League next year. Tottenham Hotspur have had a consistent few seasons in the Premier League, with star striker Harry Kane becoming very dependable for them. They have continually made significant improvements in the last few years and always seem to be on the up, often lacking that final push at the end of the season, which demonstrates their weakness in that of squad depth.

This has continued to remain a serious problem, and it’s hard to see how they could replace one of their main men such as Kane or Dele Alli if they were to get injured, with older players such as Llorente being the only replacements.

Anything is possible

They seem to have a good atmosphere amongst the players and always produce a good display for their fans, often cracking out dance moves. Tottenham will be bitterly disappointed if they don’t the top 4fourthis year, but they look to be in a similar situation to that of Manchester United, and will suffer heavily if they begin to become complacent about securing that qualification spot. Arsenal will struggle to make the top four this year. Although new boy Emery brings a fresh style of play to the Gunners and is gaining results with 11 wins in a row early on in the year, Arsenal are still looking incapable of making the top four. Although playing some of the best football they have done in years, they are yet to prove themselves against a big side (losing to Manchester City and Chelsea as well as drawing to Liverpool). It looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel for the Gunners but it will take more than one season to reform Arsenal entirely. This year more than ever promises to be nail-biting, with all different teams wanting to make their claim. It is very probable that we will see Liverpool or Manchester City lifting the trophy at the end of the season and teams such as Arsenal and Manchester United struggling for form. However, as we know the Premier League is the most exciting league in the world and anyone can reign glorious, as we saw in 2015/16 when Leicester won the league at the odds of 5000/1.

THE MARTLET WINTER ISSUE 18

Sport RUGBY

An Insight Into Rugby at Abingdon Ben Lisemore asks Mr Gold about rugby at Abingdon.

hat will be the biggest challenge for this upcoming rugby season?

In terms of the rugby club? interesting question! I would suggest that it depends on the boys and what their goals are. Our challenge is always to make sure that the boys enjoy the rugby and intend to train the way they play. We were trying to make it more challeng-

We’ve got a lot of boys wanting to play

ing, more fun, given them some autonomy as to the way that they trained, but also to give them some fundamental skills. Our challenge is to make it fun for the boys, and make them want to keep playing the game, and then hopefully help to create some memories, enjoying the game and playing with your mates. I think the challenge from a team perspective depends on what team you’re in - if you went and spoke with the first team, they’d be talking about winning matches and doing well at weekend first-team games in the National Cup. What has been your least favourite moment with the rugby team since your arrival? I think maybe a game which we could have won was with the under 16s. In a couple of matches we could have won, but we did really well to be in a competitive situation there. But really there hasn’t been a negative moment, because I think a lot of the time you get what you put in, and the boys train really hard and work really hard and get

form on the pitch, and I enjoy watching the boys then develop mental states, as they talk to each other when times are

some really good friendships. What do you think of the future

Our challenge is always to make sure that the boys enjoy the rugby difficult, which builds character and I just enjoy those challenging moments in terms of taking the boys. What has been your favourite moment? I think my first season in charge of the under 16s, which involved the current upper sixth. In that season those boys worked extremely hard to get some really good results, and also made

for Abingdon rugby? It’s certainly bright, because we’ve got a lot of boys wanting to play, a lot of boys wanting to push themselves, enjoying the experience playing with school pride, and I think we’ve got some really bright, intelligent and physical players. I’m really looking forward to the next few years working with everybody. I think results shouldn’t be a driver but certainly should be important.

THE MARTLET WINTER ISSUE 18

Sport SPORT/POLITICS

The Racial Divide in the NFL

“B

Jack Mulcahy discusses the growing racial divide in America tarnishing one of the world’s biggest sports.

elieve in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” These nine words, spoken on Nike’s 30 year anniversary ad have revitalised one of the most divisive and controversial actions in recent memory. 21 months ago, Colin Kaepernick first took to his knee to protest against police brutality against black people in America but even he could not have foreseen the fire it would ignite on both sides.

ly be that surprising. There is a clear difference between the owners of the NFL and the players, and once again it comes down to race. Thirty out of a possible of thirty two of the NFL owners is white, yet less than 30% of players are. This means that over 70% of players are from minorities, and so NFL owners will have little experience of the various issues facing minorities, such as police brutality and discrimination. This miscommunication sets a dangerous precedent for America and further exacerbates racial tensions. One quote

Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.

In the San Francisco 49ers last preseason game of the summer, Colin Kaepernick made the decision to kneel during the US national anthem. This resulted in mass condemnation from many conservatives in American society, yet he also received an outpouring of support for his actions from the public and fellow athletes alike. Before long, numerous athletes were making peaceful protests during the anthem, with many choosing to raise a fist in solidarity. Those who disagree with his actions believe that he disrespects those that have died for the US by kneeling. There is one thing that everyone can agree on, however. The fierce debate has highlighted the prominent racial divide in the NFL. Perhaps the most controversial part of this dispute is how the NFL reacted to it. In May 2018, it was revealed that NFL stars that chose to kneel during the national anthem would be fined. The NFL justifies this by allowing protesters not to be on the field during the national anthem. However, this simply makes an already silent protest even less conspicuous, and is a real kick in the teeth to freedom of speech. However, this resolution, voted for by the owners of the NFL, should not real-

from prominent journalist Tucker Carlson can demonstrate the failure by many to grasp the extent of the situa- President Trump has repeatedly attacked Kaepernick. tion. He ignorantly proclaimed, “Here you have a guy that signed a contract Tucker Carlson intends to suggest that the press. Trump even declared that in 2014 for like 126 million dollars…. you cannot be a victim of racism simply NFL owners should fire “son of a b*tch” it’s hard to see how Colin Kaepernick, because you are rich. anthem protesters. This conflict, as aged 29, is a victim of racism. Tell me This represents a difficult political both sides of the argument draw their how he is.” Whilst Kaepernick was on era in American- the right are leaning battle lines, has had an effect on the an extremely lucrative contract, it is further to the right than ever before, viewership of the NFL. A whopping absurd to state that due to his consid- with strong anti-immigration stances, 30% of viewers reported watching less NFL, and 52% said this was due to them disagreeing with the protests 6% were not viewing any games in solidarity with the protesters.

One of the most divisive and controversial actions in recent memory

erable wealth he cannot be a victim of racism. In January, NBA rookie Sterling Brown was attacked with a stun gun after being pulled over due to a parking violation. Now this is a player that earns millions of dollars a year, and he still falls victim to police brutality and racism. It is therefore incredible that

and the left are becoming even more liberal, and regularly protesting their rights. Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to kneel has been exacerbated with Donald Trump’s arrival as President. He has regularly criticised Kaepernick and those that kneel with him on Twitter and in interviews with

Since he took to his knee, Colin Kaepernick, the Super Bowl runner-up and once touted as one of the best up and coming quarterbacks in the league, has opted out of his contract due to a lack of game time. Furthermore, the 49ers have recently stated that Kaepernick would have been released anyway, at the end of his contract. Kaepernick stood up for what he believed in, opting out of a 126 million dollar contract in order to do so. In actions described by many as heroic, Colin Kaepernick stood for a cause and truly epitomised the words “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”

THE MARTLET WINTER ISSUE 18

Sport CRICKET

What Has Happened to England’s Top Order Batting? Ben Lisemore reviews England’s batting performance.

ver the past couple of years, the standard of England’s top order batting has hit a downhill slope. We have seen in the Summer that we have had to rely on players, like 20 year old Sam Curran who is really a bowler that can bat in at eight. You would be hoping that you wouldn’t have to rely on a player like Curran to score a hard fought 63, after batsmen one to seven had scored an average of 11 runs each, which was the case in the first test. So why has England’s top order batting suffered a huge decrease in quality? Firstly, there is a lack of support for a batsman going well. It’s all good having batsmen like Root, Cook, Bairstow and Stokes making a good amount of runs, but what they want is someone at the other end who will stay in with them and keep the run rate ticking over, allowing them to play with more freedom. This lack of batting with partnerships seems to have a knock-on effect on the rest of the batting order. This could be down to the fact that if both your openers are

What England need is an established top four out by the tenth over, your three and four will be feeling lots of pressure. This gives bowlers a huge advantage, as they can use this momentum and pressure to take more wickets in a much shorter time period. This is clearly evident as it seems as soon as one drops they all seem to go. Then this results in often relying on two people to stick around and get the rest of the batsmen out of jail. This was evident in the second innings of the second test, as the top four fell for 17, 13, 13 and 16 before Stokes and Buttler came in and scored 62 and 106 respectively. This shows overall that only two or three batsman are scoring runs and is not an all-round performance. It is much more encouraging for a team if

you have your top order constantly hitting thirty-plus runs each game, as it is always encouraging to see every player contribute. There has also been a lot of chopping and changing in the top order, which doesn’t help if you are trying to build momentum. There have been 21 changes in England’s top four since head coach Trevor Bayliss took over in May 2015. This is not helpful as it would be more preferable to have a top four with a good understanding of how each other play, and this is difficult to achieve, when they are changing so often. It makes it harder to build partnerships and put bowlers under pressure, when the batsmen at the crease haven’t played together before. Cook and Root are always there but often find it harder to bat, if there are constantly new people in and around them. Cook has had Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Keaton Jennings, Alex Hales and Haseeb Hameed all partner him at the crease over the last couple of years. Dawid Malan had a stint in the top four but his international cricket days seem to be behind him. Young Ollie Pope was given a chance in the summer, and even Moeen Ali was chucked in at three, which allowed Root to come in at four. What England need is an established top four, as this allows a relationship to be built that means a better understanding when at the crease. This then should result in stronger and much longer partnerships, which will help the whole team build some momentum. We must also address the loss of the ever-present Alastair Cook, following his retirement from international cricket. He has scored 12,472 in 160 tests and made 33 centuries, including a fine knock of 147 at The Oval in the last test against India in the summer, a perfect way to go out. He captained his side in a record 59 tests, winning two Ashes series as captain. But how big a hole will he leave in England’s side? As well as contributing a ton of runs, he was a calming influence in the changing room and a fine slip catcher. No longer will we see the excellent and very common ‘bowled Anderson caught Cook’. So with Cook gone England needs a successor, as he was constantly making more runs than his counterpart at the top order, whoever that may be. Players are going to have to seriously step up and replace this great, otherwise there is going to be a real drop in the amount of runs scored

Alistar Cook has been an ever present figure at the crease. in matches. So what is the way forward for England, and how are they going to score consistently throughout the top order? The test series is coming up soon against West Indies and has already started against Sri Lanka, and the selectors will

Root and Bairstow were out of form in the summer and desperately need to refine their touch in the winter tour. Maybe youth is the way forward as we saw players like Ollie Pope and Sam Curran come into their own and play very well, especially with the performances of

There is a lack of support for batsmen going well

have to do a lot of deciding as to who are the top six or seven batsmen, and in what order. The County Championship in 2018 will have aided their thinking, as players were making plenty of runs. Rory Burns averaged 64 in the competition for Surrey, and James Vince could come back into the side after a long period of being in and out of the team. Keaton Jennings is going to need to step up massively and score runs, as he will probably be the more experienced internationally out of the two openers.

Curran. There is that question of giving a debut to a new young player, as they seem to relish the opportunity and score good runs. One thing that Trevor Bayliss will be wanting is partnerships, and not two or three going big. So if England can deal with the conditions on their tour this winter and find some consistency and not crumble under pressure, they could return to the summit of cricket and be able to compete with the biggest teams both at home and away.

THE MARTLET WINTER ISSUE 18

Sport

The Captivating Appeal of Croquet SCHOOL SPORT

Marc Tuazon takes an in-depth look into Abingdon’s most recent sporting addition - croquet.

ollowing the promotion of croquet to the rank of school sport, it seemed necessary to chart this incredible rise to the top. To further aid my understanding as to how croquet rose to prominence, I interviewed a key contributor to all things croquet at Abingdon, Mrs. McRae It has been interesting to see the remarkable rise of croquet at Abingdon. Is it safe to assume there has been a lot of hurdles getting to this point? I imagine it was somewhat stressful. Well not as such, croquet has been an activity for six years, and the school has been especially supportive of it, especially Mr. May through the annual fund. It [croquet] started with four Lower School boys so we have come a long way since then. And more about croquet itself, what has been the primary attraction of it? Why croquet over other more conventional sports? I think it appeals to our [Abingdon’s] type of boy. Especially with the importance of things such as angles, it suits the more intelligent boys in my opinion. Skill can come afterwards so

it’s not a problem. Marc: How have the pupils taken to croquet? I think at the start, people just thought it was a bit of fun. Then the boys were hooked by the tactics, the competition. They were surprised after playing a match just how much they rather enjoyed it Marc: What factors were key in your

croquet match away to Winchester (a school good at croquet). He had never represented the school at all, but we won for the first time ever away to Winchester (we haven’t done since). I received calls from his parents just saying how proud he felt and it really meant a lot. What has been the reaction from other teachers?

Mrs. McRae: “Honestly it was just finding something for boys to do in the summer term. There was a picture actually in The Martlet and Griffin which showed some Lower School boys playing croquet on Lacies Court, which did inspire me to start up croquet. More recently, I took a sixth-former to a

What are Abingdon’s expectations for the upcoming croquet season? Is it safe to assume that Abingdon will become one of the leading croquet schools in the future?

A bit tongue in cheek if I’m honest

I think it appeals to our type of boy decision to take up croquet? Do you have a background around croquet?

If I’m honest no-one really knows much about it. I mean the other schools need to be supporting it more really. We’re bringing 8 boys, I don’t know how many the other schools are bringing. I should be winning by numbers!

Any names you are willing to divulge? No names sorry Marc: You mention the National Schools Championship, would it be possible for you to give just an overview about the competition.

Well we now have three external coaches. Last season was our best season ever and we had a good, strong group of Lower Sixth boys [now in Upper Sixth]. Especially again with the support from the school in terms of funding for equipment, we are now better equipped for competitions. So if it all goes well we can have another great season Update: On the 3rd October 2018, Abingdon School participated in the National Schools Croquet Championship. Abingdon was not only placed third nationally, but also Will Franklin and Tom Mills were the highest performing Abingdon pair coming third in the doubles. We wish them well for the season ahead.

THE MARTLET WINTER ISSUE 18

Comedy

Maggie’s Muddles ADVICE

Lachlan Jones, Rory Bishop and Johan Nerlov consult Maggie to resolve a third year’s concerns.

Dear Maggie, As the festive season draws near, I can’t help but notice the seeming lack of preparation for this jovial occasion. One wonders, just how much to spend on the Secret Santa, considering I have eleven teachers (wait, does Computing or PHSCE even count?). Are teachers involved in this merriment as well? Is it considered going to far to lavishly spend on said individuals? And on that topic, is it the custom at Abingdon to distribute mince pies and bring in mulled wine - or is that too risqué? I have heard a multitude of worrying rumors in my house room Pygott’s (though I hear Piggot’s is more popular) about an annual carolling venture. Am I expected to recite my carols as if my Latin teacher is looming large over me (he does regardless)? Does our dramatic department produce a Nativity play of any kind? If so, I would like to mention that I have made a niche in the recent past of being an excellent and charismatic Baby Jesus. However, I beg to know whether this role is normally undertaken by a first year or vertically challenged member of staff. Are the Christmas dinners served here up an acceptable standard? I hope that the newly appointed Pastry Chef - announced by the Headmaster no less - can put a festive spin on things. Wishing you a jolly and merry Christmas, A lowly Third Year

Dear lowly Third Year, In light of your recent letter, I may have to inform you that your perception of these matters is a little more demanding than the average Abingdonian. Housemasters may organise a Secret Santa at their own risk, but it is by no means a common occurrence. Having said that, teachers will always happily accept gifts, particularly in the less popular departments as it makes them feel ever so slightly better during this time of merriment. If our new Pastry Chef is feeling particularly generous, mince pies may well be in order for the much anticipated Christmas lunch, but if you play your cards well you may be on the receiving end of some coveted Christmas pudding, along with the usual accoutrements. Mulled wine however is kept deep within the depths of departmental offices for fear of raucous disorder amongst the masses. Unfortunately there is currently no casting for a specific Jesus themed role within the school, however the possibility of its use in festive themed Chapel services is a potentially humourous addition. I’m sure competition for places would be tough. Before we forget, don’t forget to take your regulation coloured jacket off in classrooms and Chapel, and for God’s sake make sure it’s longer than the blazer, on risk of eternal pain from housemasters. If you feel hard done by during this dark time, fear not, the days will soon lengthen! Kindest regards, Maggie

THE MARTLET WINTER ISSUE 18

Conundrums

Cryptic Crossword PUZZLE

Ed Gill challenges readers to the ultimate cerebral challenge.

Across 1) Vehicle turns in transporter (5,4) 5) Enthusiast starts near angry fellow turning around (3) 7) Scrap tool (3) 9) Current in your old reversing boat (5) 10) Soft Frenchman saying no to addict (12) 11) Sanest is weirdly okay (6) 12) Sculpted and gave birth to a cow, so to speak! (6) 15) Count follows Candice, confused and without meaning to (12) 18) At first even Quincey undertook inking people’s arm (5) 19) Awkward handler however flipped (3) 20) Inebriate’s small books (3) 21) Go to activate buttons at first with the French record player (9)

Down 1) In grip of pet’s old garment (4) 2) Exclamation of Shakespearean character duped Ottomans, strangely (3,6,4) 3) Forcefully take control of man after greeting (6) 4) On unknown street, Lana (deranged) follows maniac’s therapist (13) 5) Beginning of festival next to site, not extremely central (5) 6) Marked books hold old, initially indecipherable characters; eventually decoded (7) 8) English utensils needed for short race (5) 11) Scout asks everyone loudly about Zeebo; argument starts up around Miss Maudie’s favourites (7) 13) Oddly, veal allowed by servant (5) 14) One who takes someone out to emergency room after little cut (6) 16) Pursue the sovereign’s people! (5) 17) Skilled turnaround of Mediterranean island (4)

The

{Art}

Quiz

Everyone can recognise Van Gogh’s Starry Night or Da Vinci’s Last Supper, yet have you heard of The Lying Cow, or Sala Delle Asse, by those two artists respectively? Obscurity does not necessarily mean something should be deemed obsolete. Can you guess which famous artist is responsible for each piece of art? Quiz by Rory Bishop

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

7. 8. 9.

PUBLISHER Emma Williamson

NEWS EDITOR Samuel King

EDITOR Piers Mucklejohn

FEATURES EDITORS Freddie Marshall Johan Nerlov

DEPUTY EDITOR Alexander Thulin PUBLISHING EDITOR Sam Penrose ONLINE SUPERVISORS

Samuel King Freddie Marshall

SPORTS EDITOR Marc Tuazon DESIGN EDITORS Sam Penrose Rory Bishop Johan Nerlov

STAFF WRITERS Freddie Marshall Rory Bishop Piers Mucklejohn Marc Tuazon Johan Nerlov Samuel King Alexander Thulin Jack Thornton Daniel Cooney Lachlan Jones Luca Frauenfeld

David Hrushovski Ed Gill Charlie Britton Ben Adams Jake Morris Josh Li Ben Lisemore German Baraev Rahul Singh Will Haynes Jack Mulcahy

ILLUSTRATOR

Gianluca Cau Tait

Printed by the Newspaper Club

Initial design by Asten Yeo

1.Rembrandt 2.Raphael 3.Vincent Van Gogh 4.Paul Cézanne 5.Picasso

6.Andy and Julia Warhol 7.Hokusai 8.David Hockney 9.Monet