The Oxford Student - Week 1 Michaelmas 2023

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Michaelmas Term, Week 1 | Friday 13 October 2023

OXFORD STUDENT The

The University of Oxford’s Student Newspaper, Est. 1991

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nvironmental activist group Just Stop Oil has sprayed its signature orange paint at the Radcliffe Camera today The police have arrested activists Daniel Knorr, 21, and

The Oxford Student News Team

Noah Crane, 18, who were taking part in a sit-down protest outside the library and confiscated the paint they used. The Radcliffe Camera is a Grade 1 listed building.

Protestors were hand-

ing out flyers advertising welcome talks the group will be running today and in the next few weeks.

This comes a day after a student at the University of the West of England

SU VP among Oxford Students for Life stall protesters Charlie Bowden

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n Thursday 5 October several students, including an SU sabbatical officer, protested the presence of Oxford Students for Life at this year’s Freshers’ Fair The anti-abortion group carried signs at their stall this year with slogans such as “life is a right, not a privilege”. Protesters held up similar signs stating “abortion is a human right”.

The peaceful protest included Mia Clement, the SU’s VP for Activities and Community.

Government guidance for universities published in 2019 advised that “an SU should make sure a wide range of views are represented at freshers’ fairs”.

A leading SU sabbatical officer’s presence at a protest of one of the stalls is a potential cause for controversy. Given her involvement in the running of the fair, it was a bold

Read more on page 5

consents for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK”.

It garnered attention and criticism from its use of direct action to protest, including throwing soup over Vincent van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers painting in the National Gallery.

One student remarked that she could “see the point of defacing buildings”, but was uncertain as to whether this was the best approach. She expressed that it “tends to alienate people from the cause”, and that this contributes to the view that all climate protesters are “making trouble rather than making any positive change”.

Another student expressed her support for the cause, saying she was “really happy” that “Oxford students are getting involved”.

A student spokesperson for Just Stop Oil emphasised the need to protest, describing the university as “one of the pioneers in climate science” and the effect of fossil fuels, and expressing that it is “egregious” that the university is taking donations of £100m from INEOS to fund the Life and Mind Building.

“

Read more on page 4

The University does not support illegal action, including any unlawful protesting, and may, within its powers, take any steps it considers appropriate against any student guilty of such behaviour.

“

Just Stop Oil throws paint at Radcliffe Camera

sprayed the University of Bristol‘s Queen’s Building with orange paint, urging “students and faculty staff to join in civil resistance’ for Just Stop Oil. Daniel Knorr is a student at the University, studying Biochemistry. He protested at Lord’s during the Ashes cricket series this summer and became famous after being carried off the pitch by wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow. He commented: “I am taking action to resist the destruction of my generation. Oxford academics are fully aware of the scale of the climate crisis – this year Oxford scientists said that in a few years climate breakdown will routinely expose people to unsurvivable heat and humidity. In other words, hundreds of millions of people will be forced to move, or die. This is mass murder. It is genocide. It is no good to study the annihilation of everything we care Read on pagenoth3 about and domore absolutely ing about it, we have to act!”

Just Stop Oil identifies itself as “a coalition of groups working together to ensure that the government commits to ending all new licences and

- University comment on Just Stop Oil’s Rad Cam protest

2 | Editorial

Friday 13 October 2023 | The Oxford Student

THE EDITORIAL TEAM

EDITORS IN CHIEF Emily Hudson and Charlie Bowden ASSOCIATE EDITORS Tara Earley and Martin Alfonsin Larsen CREATIVE DIRECTOR Amy Ellis Winter STRATEGY Rose Henderson (director), Milo Dennison, Ayomilekan Adegunwa

NEWS Daisy Outram, Blane Aitchison, Etienne Baker, Gaspard Rouffin, Tasneem Jodiyawalla, Helena Catalán Busquets, Milo Dennison, Rose Henderson, Valida Pau COMMENT Jack Arrowsmith, Haochen Wang, Tasneem Jodiyawalla, Thomas Cowan PROFILE Martin Alfonsin Larsen, Lukas Seifert, Jack Arrowsmith, Holly Errington PINK Etienne Baker, Amelia Gibbins, Charlie Wild, Lauren Gray IDENTITY Sami Jalil, Georgia Ferris, Ivy Wong, Amelia Gibbins FEATURES Haochen Wang, Helena Catalán Busquets, Patrick Groves, Elliot Francolla CULTURE Jennifer Robinson, Johannah Mathew, Ivy Wong, Declan Collins FOOD & DRINK Tara Earley, Johannah Mathew GREEN Jasmine Wilkinson, Gaspard Rouffin, Jessica Wang SCITECH Bridget Harrington, Tymoteusz Syrytczyk, Samkeet Shah, Gabriella Kchozyan OXYOU Olly DeHerrera, Florence Purcell SPORT Patrick Groves, Purav Menon, Thomas Thornton, Charlie Wild COLUMNISTS Blane Aitchison, Paul Furey, Matthew Holland, Jonah Poulard, Vuk Winrow, Amanda Li CREATIVE Amy Ellis Winter, Charlotte Kerr, Cameron Samuel Keys, Blane Aitchison PODCAST Tara Earley, Ashley Lee, Niall Hall, Sam Freeman, Holly Gowland, Cindy Yu

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eek 1 has arrived far more quickly than I am quite comfortable with. Having been in Oxford for the past month, I'd got used to the September city, which is about as peaceful as Oxford can get.

In light of this, I'd like to extend special thanks to the team who worked on our Freshers' Guide, who sacrificed their precious summer days to writing pieces that we hope freshers find useful.

Putting it together was also a nice practice run for a term of prints, pints and pressing discussions.

Working the Freshers' Fair was my first time going to

one, being one of the last women standing from the generation of students who matriculated amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. The energy in the room was fantastic, and I dearly hope that those who signed up to our newsletter (out every week) are enjoying the updates they've recieved so far. It was especially exciting to get to talk to postgraduate freshers, a demographic we're excited to include more in the newspaper this term.

It's quite exciting that following our newsletter launch last term, we're now launching our podcast, which will (with any luck) provide a more human angle to the words on the page, and much more than that to boot. Thank you sincerely to Tara for being the mastermind organising the team, and hopefully the first episode will be out as you read this!

@theoxstu

@theofficialoxstu

issuu.com/theoxfordstudent

Editors’ Picks Comment

Strange bedfellows: the left, the right and the European Union

Profile

In conversation with Billy Billingham

13

Emily Hudson

Oriel College

Pink

Safe churches report published

Sport

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t's quite a surreal experience to be writing my first editorial in the mayhem of the OxStu lay in process.

Having spent the summer recruiting our team and setting everything up, Emily and I are really excited to finally get stuck in with the publication of the paper.

I'm also especially excited that The Oxford Student Podcast is debuting this week alongside this print edition, since it's a project I've been interested in since last term. My eternal thanks must go to Tara for being so on the ball with it.

Getting things sorted for Freshers' Fair last week was

Charlie Bowden

Jesus College

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’ve had three months to come up with something strikingly inspirational for my first editorial; yet all I’ve got so far is, “Adobe InDesign still vexes me.”

Thank you to Rose and Ayomi for all their work on the paper last term. Additional credit must go to Martin, for the wisdom and laughs so far, and to Milo for encouraging me to apply for Associate. Welcome also to our new editors, who are already surpassing most of the senior editorial team in talent.

It’s going to be a great term for the OxStu - look out for our new podcast, headed by yours truly, coming to a streaming platform near you…

Tara Earley

Hertford College

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Berlin: the marathon heaven

From the Editors also a particularly hectic experience, but it was so rewarding to meet tons of Oxford students interested in getting involved with the paper. We hope that you'll stick around to see what else we have planned for this term!

I'm lucky in that I'm running the paper in one of the easier terms for my (admittedly already easy) degree, but it can still take a lot out of you. I'm only kept sane by the incredible team Emily and I have behind us, especially the incredibly watchful eyes of Milo and Rose.

This paper is much more than the people who sit in the SU for hours on end to put it together every two weeks, so I'd like to thank anyone and everyone who contributed to the paper this week, especially our new podcast team. Looking forward to seeing more from you soon!

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hen I started at Oxford, I couldn’t shake this feeling of continuous amazement at all that the University had to offer, and the fact that I got to indulge in it.

Coming back this year, even with essay deadlines piling up, I’m reminded of how incredible that feeling was. More importantly, I’m reminded of how much of that had to do with working at the OxStu. Whether it was my first lay-in, or getting to report on killer robots in Hilary, it was electrifying to be in this world for the first time.

If one fresher gets that feeling from reading or working on the paper this term, it will have been worth it.

Martin Alfonsin Larsen St Catherine's College

The Oxford Student | Friday 13 October 2023

editor@oxfordstudent.com

News | 3

NEWS

@TheOxStu

The Oxford Student

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Vice-Chancellor regrets University response to Stock row

Contents News - p. 3 Comment - p. 8 Profile - p. 12 Identity - p. 14 Pink - p. 15 Columns - p. 16 OxYou - p. 19 Features - p. 20 Culture - p. 22

Daisy Outram

Green - p. 26 SciTech - p. 27 Food & Drink - p. 30 Sport - p. 31

To find more online, scan the QR code

Illustration: Jonas Muschalski

Head of News

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n her annual Oration, ViceChancellor Professor Irene Tracey stated that the University response “should have done more to support” the trans community due to the “hateful” rhetoric surrounding Kathleen Stock’s invitation to the Union.

This follows allowing students to declare their pronouns via the Student Self Service. This comes after extensive policy discussions between the University and the OULGBTQ+ Society, which The Oxford Student can exclusively reveal.

Her speech today asserted that Oxford has a “role in the university sector to protect free speech”. Tracey therefore acknowledged that “some legal free speech will be hard for some individuals to hear”.

She balanced this by acknowledging “discourteous” and “intolerant” messages have been amplified “under the guise of free speech”.

Feeling “deeply saddened” at “abusive and threatening language and behaviours that our trans community suffered”, she expressed that “lessons were learned” on how to develop a better “culture of tolerance” in the future.

Discussions between University officials and students which took place over summer reflected this sentiment,

focused on policies to support trans and nonbinary students.

In a statement from the OULGBTQ+ Society, they explained the new pronoun declaration on the online student record will make them “visible to all student-facing staff”. Their post also suggested looking towards the future possibility of visibility for students too.

The society believes this gender data policy “will make transition in the university easier and will make pronouns more visible” at the university.

A spokesperson for the University told The Oxford Student that they are “enhancing the way that student gender data is recorded and used”, allowing students to provide “pronouns on registration, if they wish, along with the gender they identify with”.

The system is “entirely voluntary and is in addition to confirming their legal sex and title”. Availability of this information to staff will “support an inclusive learning environment for all students” in their view.

Addi Haran Diman, OULGBTQ+ Society President, said on Twitter that they were “delighted to see a real tone shift and change of minds among the senior leadership, in stark contrast from their rhetoric in Trinity”.

The Oxford Student can also reveal that the OULGBTQ+ Society conducted a survey

among trans+ students to use in these talks. 50% of respondents said they had “experienced transphobia in Oxford University spaces” and 64% confirmed Stock’s visit “worsened the state of [their] mental health”.

The survey also showed that 81% of participants were dissatisfied with how the University handled the Stock controversy, and 85% were dissatisfied with the Union’s response.

To present this lack of confidence, Diman created a report to highlight problems faced by transgender and nonbinary students, alongside proposals for change.

The Oxford Student has seen this report, which highlights a perceived lack of staff support by students, the complicated process to officially transition in the student system, and overly simplistic diversity training that does not cover transgender issues.

Meetings discussing solutions to these included college heads, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education Professor Martin Williams, and culminated in one with Vice-Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey in September.

This direct advocacy has contributed to the pronoun policy change on Student Self Service, alongside building foundations for a long-term plan for progress.

Diman told The Oxford Student that they “very much welcome the introduction of a pronoun field to the annual university registration”.

This follows their view that the University “made too many mistakes in the past in its lack of support for trans+ students, and has lost the confidence of many in the queer community”, particularly during their response to Stock in Trinity.

Diman stated that they were “happy that the University was able to see that and change its approach".

4 | News

Friday 13 October 2023 | The Oxford Student

Just Stop Oil throws paint at Radcliffe Camera The Oxford Student News Team Cont. from front page

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few hours after the event, University staff were spotted attempting to wash the paint off using hoses.

A spokesperson for the University of Oxford commented: “One of Oxford’s library buildings, the Radcliffe Camera, was vandalised with orange spray paint during a Just Stop Oil protest today. The University does not support illegal action, including any unlawful protesting, and may,

within its powers, take any steps it considers appropriate against any student guilty of such behaviour. Access to the library has been temporarily redirected and steps are under way to remove the paint.”

A spokesperson for the Bodleian Libraries commented: “Earlier today, the Radcliffe Camera was defaced with spray paint, during a Just Stop Oil protest. As a result, library access was temporarily redirected to avoid the damaged parts of the build-

ing. Our priority at this time remains ensuring that readers have access to our collections, removing the paint and restoring the building to its previous state.”

Reporting by Daisy Outram, Milo Dennison, Martin Alfonsin Larsen, Rose Henderson, Valida Pau, and Tasneem Jodiyawalla.

Front page photo credit: Michael-Akolade Ayodeji Image credit on the right: Milo Dennison

Oxford responds to recent attacks Oxford achieves gold in Israel and Gaza TEF rating Etienne Baker

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News Editor

he University of Oxford has responded to recent attacks in Israel and Gaza with a statement, acknowledging that ‘the news of the recent conflict is very upsetting’, and outlining welfare support for those affected. An Oxford Israel Society has also been formed, and Oxford Palestine Society released a statement on their Instagram.

On 9th October, the University released a formal statement in response to recent events in Israel, Gaza and the Middle East: “We wish to acknowledge that the news of the recent conflict is very upsetting, particularly for our students and colleagues with connections to the area. The University has written directly to impacted staff and students to offer welfare and other types of support. Both the University and colleges are working to ensure all members of the University com-

munity are supported as much as possible, and we will respond as appropriate as the situation develops.”

Alongside this, the University included several links to welfare support and how to access this, as well as advice on travel and student visas and academic impacts, particularly if the conflict has disrupted students’ studies.

The University has also sent targeted emails to staff and students in the region with advice.

The conflict started after Hamas launched a series of attacks from Gaza on the 7th October. The Israeli military has since ordered a reinforcement of troops and has targeted Gaza with air strikes. More than 1,300 people have been killed.

The newly formed Oxford Israel Society told Cherwell it “unequivocally condemns” the recent conflict and “the massacre and hostage taking committed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists on the 7th of October, during the

Jewish holy day of Shmini Azeret. The sheer brutality and ruthlessness of the massacre, mutilation, torture and rape of Jews harks back to the darkest of times.

The use of dead, tortured civilians and kidnapped children as propaganda aids is a practice so vile as to defy comprehension.”

They added that they have “confidence in the Israeli Defense Forces’ (IDF) commitment to minimise any harm done to innocent people.”

On the Oxford Palestine Society’s Instagram, they said, “the offensive launched from Gaza can only be understood in the context of Israel’s ongoing, decades long, military occupation and colonisation of Palestinian land and imposition of a system of oppression that meets the legal definition of apartheid.”

The society also invited students to a protest to “demand Israel end its violent imposition of a system of occupation, apartheid and colonisation over the Palestinian people” on Thursday.

Daisy Outram Head of News

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he award, the highest achievable rating, comes as Oxford kept its first place position on the Times Higher Education world rankings for a record eighth year running. In celebrating that achievement, Vice-Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey acknowledged “the exceptional standards of teaching we deliver that will continue to inspire generations to come”.

The TEF is a scheme run by the Office for Students across the UK. It “aims to encourage higher education providers to improve and deliver excellence in the areas that students care about the most: teaching, learning and achieving positive outcomes from their studies”.

Institutions taking part in the system receive an overall rating alongside two underpinning ratings, “one for the student experience and one for student outcomes”. It is based on a range of its undergraduate courses.

Ratings are decided by an “expert review exercise” with independent academics and students making up the TEF panel. They look at evidence from the provider itself, student submission, and numerical data.

Student submission included responses to the National Student Survey (NSS) responses. Data

used in decision-making includes student continuation, completion, and progression figures.

Oxford’s NSS results were published last month after not reaching sufficient participation in the last six years. They highlighted the high quality of teaching, with academic support receiving 93% positivity.

Three ratings can result from this to reflect students’ experience and outcome. Gold indicates they are “typically outstanding”, silver meaning “very high quality”, and bronze being “typically high quality” with some “very high quality features”.

The University achieving gold across the board was celebrated by Professor Martin Williams, ProVice-Chancellor for Education. Williams stated that the “ratings, and Oxford’s positive National Student Survey scores, are testament to the excellent job done by our academic and professional services staff to support students”.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey stated that she was “delighted” at the recognition from “these important awards”. She said in her role she has focused on “championing our teaching and rewarding the academic staff who deliver it”.

The Oxford Student | Friday 13 October 2023

News | 5

SU VP among Oxford St Catz buildings closed due to RAAC concerns Students for Life stall protesters The Oxford Student News Team

Charlie Bowden Editor-in-Chief

Cont. from front page

decision for Clement to make.

When approached for comment, the Oxford SU stated: “Oxford SU is a supporter of the right to peacefully protest and the right of students and groups to hold diverse philosophical beliefs in line with the law. Both groups of students were able to exercise those rights this afternoon.”

The protest mirrors the proceedings of past Freshers’ Fairs. Last year a similar protest took place. Protesters in 2021 physically removed the stall and its contents from the fair in a black bin before being stopped by security.

The 2022 protest was in the wake of the SU’s announcement that it intended to place warnings on stalls with “potentially triggering content”. However, the trigger warnings were made opt-in by the SU ahead of the Freshers’ Fair, so no warning was in place for OSFL’s stall.

It is believed that no similar warning was made to reassure students for this year’s event.

Oxford Students for Life’s website states that the group “advocat[es] the pro-

tection of human life and dignity from conception to natural death.”

OSFL said in a statement to The Oxford Student: “The Freshers’ Fair is a fantastic opportunity for young people to find like-minded individuals, and we at Oxford Students for Life maintain our annual presence in accordance with our mission: to promote a culture of life at the university and beyond. Numerous people of all ages and positions in the university approached our stall this year to sign up, thank us for being there, express appreciation and support for what we do, or ask how they can access the Student Parent Support we offer. All the conversations we had at our stall, including those with people who disagreed with our position, were insightful, respectful and valuable (we hope to both sides). Because of this, we are saddened by the fact that, in the eyes of some, our presence requires protest.

What is more, in light of recent years’ events, we find it regrettable that SU officers deem it acceptable to behave in such an explicitly political manner. Nevertheless, we support and respect others’ rights to voice their views and protest peacefully, as we do our own.”

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ajor parts of St Catherine’s College have been restricted due to concerns over reinforced autoclave aerated concrete (RAAC), which The Oxford Student revealed on 8th September.

The College, designed in the 1960s by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen, “uses RAAC in certain areas of its site” according to an email by College Master Kersti Borjars.

Borjars stated that older areas would be subject to “risk assessments”.

While those assessments take place, the College has “[restricted] access” to key areas. Admission will not be permitted, unless it is granted by the College’s Home Bursar.

A University spokesperson told The Oxford Student that at the moment “there are no identified cases of RAAC materials”, but to maintain safety their “internal surveyors are conducting an internal review, and preparing a training pack for wider awareness”.

They promise “to be vigilant when completing building surveys and maintenance activities” as well as to “take necessary action if required”.

In an email to students after the revelation, the College said that key areas of the college including its JCR, Dining Hall, and the top floors of major residential staircases will remain shut as “advisors carry out investigations and explore remedial measures”.

The College is enacting “temporary measures” to ensure continuity. These include marquees that now serve as a JCR and dining hall.

It also needed to secure “al-

ternative accommodation” for students living on the top floors of Staircases 1-16 of the college, which includes 152 bedrooms and houses a significant number of 1st and 3rd years. The top floors of staircases 1-8 were later secured, with 9-16 still to be opened again.

College promised to prioritise freshers, third, and fourth year students left 2nd year accommodation status up in the air, so left 2nd year students’ accommodation status unclear. However, 2nd years live in “New Quad” rooms that were built from 2002-5, and as such were not affected by RAAC concerns.

In an email to the College JCR, its president Axel Roy Lee stated that “the student body must be allowed to contribute to addressing the situation as it unfolds, rather than simply react”.

In line with this, Lee revealed that he was pressing College administration on six key issues. Among these are reductions to rent fees (Battels) in light of limited access to the College, details of alternative accommodation, alongside the method and order of priority for allocating College accommodation.

Students that agreed to the room-sharing agreement are paying half of the standard accommodation charge, amounting to c. £13.50 per day, for the duration that a room is shared.

It was proposed for “a mattress on the floor” to be provided in a shared room, which will “allow the mattress to be moved during the day to provide more space in the room”. Extra desks would not be added. Many students

are also staying in dedicated shared rooms.

Lee had stated that roomsharing would only be asked for “if it becomes necessary”.

JCR Vice President Kelsey Moriarty revealed in an email that second-years not housed in the College, either in a single or shared room, would be housed offsite. This was likely to be at other colleges or hotels, which she called “frustrating and undesirable”.

Moriarty stated that it is expected that “[by] Hilary, it is expected that students will be back in their planned rooms”.

One second-year student criticised what they perceived as the College’s “incompetence” as they had “known” about the RAAC issue “since May”. The student also commented that they were uncomfortable with how “it’s [their] year […] that has to suffer” and that they were “made to feel bad for complaining” because it is not in the College’s “spirit”.

Another second-year student, who did not want to be named, commented that “it’s a tough situation for College”, but that their “vague and somewhat insulting plans” and a “lack of acknowledgment of the major impact” that the situation will have on second years “makes it hard to have any sympathy towards them.”

Across the UK, hundreds of educational settings were closed due to concerns regarding the safety of concrete roof panels.

Image description: St Catherine’s College

6 | News

Friday 13 October 2023 | The Oxford Student

Malaria vaccine developed at Oxford approved by WHO Emily Hudson

A

Editor-in-Chief

malaria vaccine developed by researchers at the University of Oxford has been approved for use by the World Health Organisation and is expected to save millions of lives worldwide.

The disease, which is responsible for an estimated 627,000 deaths in 2020, remains one of the leading causes of death in children in sub-Saharan Africa.

This is in spite of the annual global death toll almost halving since 2000.

The Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford collaborated with the Serum Institute of India to develop this vaccine, which has been recommended for use by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) and the Malaria Policy Advisory Group (MPAG), both of which are components of the WHO. This approval is a key step in administering the vaccine to

children in populations most at risk of malaria, alongside it being a more affordable and easily deployable option.

This makes the vaccine the second-ever approved by the WHO for use in preventing malaria in children. To date, the vaccine has been licensed for use in Ghana, Nigeria and Burkina Faso, with Mali and Tanzania participating in Phase III in clinical trials.

The vaccine was approved after rigorous testing involving pre-clinical and clinical trials in 4 countries, where it was proven to be both safe and effective in protecting against the disease.

It was found that over 12 months, the vaccine had 75% efficacy in places with high seasonal malaria transmission and 68% efficacy in areas with more perennial transmission. A booster dose was found to be required to maintain efficacy going beyond 12 months, achieving

New College ends scout cleaning of undergraduate rooms Blane Aitchison

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ew College put an end to scout cleaning in its undergraduate accommodation and will instead have regular cleanliness inspections of student’s rooms, something that the college already does in its Weston Buildings Graduate Centre.

Despite only 16% of 118 surveyed students voting in favour of the matter, this change was agreed on last Trinity by New College’s governing body.

Further to the change, one scout said they “still don’t know what the expectations are with what they should be doing”, while one student confirmed that there was a “genuine lack of communication with all those involved”.

New College’s Home Bursar stated that no job losses would result from the

News Editor

change, but did not mention if there would be changes in wage or working hours.

The role of scouts at colleges is generally to maintain the cleanliness of student accommodation and communal areas, including bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms.

Oxford, Cambridge, and Durham employ staff responsible for cleanliness in halls, with Emmanuel College at Cambridge even providing a service for students’ laundry to be done for them. The system is criticised for being out of touch with the reality of life after university.

Most UK universities do not offer regular cleaning services. They instead expect students to maintain standards themselves and offer limited visits to check rooms and assist communal cleaning.

74% efficacy 18 months after administering the vaccine.

The vaccine is particularly effective among young children, who are intended to be its primary recipients.

Alongside prevention measures such as bed nets, the vaccine has the potential to transform millions of lives.

Professor Sir Adrian Hill, who leads the Jenner Institute, lauded how “the vaccine is easily deployable, cost effective and affordable, [and]

ready for distribution in areas where it is needed most”.

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute of India, said “the WHO recommendation and approval…marks a huge milestone on our journey to combat this disease.” It is expected that further licences will follow this landmark approval by the WHO and pave the way for a “healthier, more equitable world for everyone”.

Deliveroo drivers protest, demanding higher pay, better working conditions Gaspard Rouffin News Editor

O Shake Shack chain to open new branch on Cornmarket Street Tasneem Jodiyawalla

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ontractors have revealed that the fast food chain Shake Shack will have a new restaurant opening on Cornmarket Street, most likely in early 2024.

The restaurant’s central location is likely to make it particularly popular amongst students. It is hoped that the attraction will contribute to the liveliness of Cornmarket Street, where there are currently a number of empty lots.

The site will contain three floors, which previously belonged to the jewellery shop Pandora. An empty Burger King lot stands opposite, which closed down after it was given a one-star hygiene rating in January of this year.

With most of its UK-based restaurants in London, this will increase its total number

News Editor

of chains to 16. It will serve all of its classic menu items, as well as hand-spun shakes.

To commemorate its opening, the restaurant has commissioned a mural from the illustrator Ellie Fryer, which will take inspiration from the rich historical and literary heritage of Oxford.

Shake Shack’s origins lie in the USA, where it began in the form of a hot dog cart in Madison Square, New York, founded by Danny Meyer.

An American student studying at the University expressed she is “excited for this American delight to come to Oxford”. She highlighted the chain having “plenty of delicious options for those with dietary restrictions” and said it would “provide a much needed taste of home for American students”.

ver 30 drivers working for the food delivering company Deliveroo protested in the Oxford city centre on the morning of the Sunday 8th of October.

Their demands involved higher compensation and better working conditions.

The protest took the form of slow driving on the city centre’s major roads, including George Street, St Giles, Woodstock Road and Banbury Road, with drivers repeatedly honking their horns.

Deliveroo drivers are selfemployed and paid per task, often meaning they have to work long hours to make a living.

Protesters affirmed that they are “unsatisfied” with their working conditions, which they find “embarrassing”. Many chose to remain anonymous, over fear of repercussions and potential account closures.

These working conditions disproportionately affect people from international communities and lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Their demands included a pay raise per delivery from £3.15 to £4.50 for motorbikes and £2.90 to £3.50 for bicycles, that waiting time in restaurants was paid, that deliveries after midnight as well as when it is raining or snowing were paid extra, and that the extra mileage was paid when the address was changed during the delivery.

There was a possible impact on delivery times around lunchtime, but quite limited as the protest dispersed before noon.

Deliveroo drivers have previously gone on strike in London outside the HQ in 2021, organised by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain. They took this action in opposition to gig economy employment practices.

The Oxford Student | Friday 13 October 2023

News | 7

OUCA invites former PM Liz Truss to speak in November Daisy Outram Head of News

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he Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA) has invited former Prime Minister Liz Truss to speak about her memoirs on 24th November.

“Ten Years to Save the West”, which was announced earlier this month, argues that Truss’s downfall occurred due to a lack of “support for Conservative ideas”. It is planned to be released in April 2024.

Truss read PPE at Merton College and matriculated in 1993. However, she was president of the University’s Liberal Democrat society, rather than the Conservative alternative.

Truss reportedly began her shift to conservatism towards the end of University, joining

the party in 1996. It shocked some, as a fellow student had highlighted her as a “very strong radical liberal”. Truss reportedly promoted the decriminalisation of cannabis at the Liberal Democrat Freshers Fair stall.

However, another Oxford Lib Dem Mark Littlewood viewed it as a natural change, given that she had been “a market liberal all of her adult life”. He attributed the change to Truss joining whichever party was the “most likely vehicle for her to succeed in politics and get what she wants to get done”.

Looking back at her Liberal Democrat activism, Truss stated that “[we] all make mistakes, we all had teenage misadventures, and that was mine”.

The politician began her professional life as an accountant,

first standing for a parliamentary seat in the 2001 general election. However, she did not succeed at first and only in 2010 did she become MP for South West Norfolk via David Cameron’s “A-list” of priority candidates.

From 2021 to 2022, she held the position of Foreign Secretary, tackling the Northern Ireland Protocol and then the UK’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Her premiership began on 6th September 2022, following Boris Johnson’s resignation due to several ethics scandals.

However, Truss’ administration marked her as the shortest-serving prime minister the UK has seen, lasting only 45 days in Downing Street. Her promises to cut taxes and lessen the role of the state may have

brought her victory in the leadership election, but the chaos of her and Kwasi Kwarteng’s “mini-budget” led to her downfall.

Her memoirs now seek to teach lessons from her time in power “to avoid a managed decline of the western architecture that has presided over

generations of relative peace and prosperity”. Truss points to this decline and her own being down to there being too much support for the “global left”.

OUCA’s term card for Michaelmas also includes the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt MP and Minister for Security Tom Tugendhat MP.

Union controversy over Hopkins and Shapiro invites The Oxford Student News Team

T

he Oxford Union’s Michaelmas termcard features a number of controversial speakers, just months after the uproar over the invitation of Kathleen Stock.

Media personality and commentator Katie Hopkins will speak as part of a debate on veganism. Ben Shapiro, founder of the Daily Wire known for his controversial views on abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and racism, will also appear, giving an interview to the Union.

Another right-wing provocateur, Turning Point activist Charlie Kirk, has also been invited. Both Kirk and Shapiro are noted for their aggressive rhetoric, which is often deployed on U.S college campuses.

This will not be the first time Hopkins addresses the Union.

She has previously appeared at the Union twice before: for the “This House Supports No Platforming” debate in 2019 arguing for the opposition, as well as the 2016 debate “This House Believes Positive Discrimination Is The Best Solution To An Unequal Society” also on the opposition.

In 2019 she shared some of her views about veganism at the Union, remarking, “God help this debating society if vegans ever get in power”. The appearance also prompted significant backlash against the Union’s trend of inviting far-right figures, involving an arrest when one protestor attacked a man making the Nazi salute sign.

Hopkins is no stranger to controversy, after her 2015 article “Rescue boats? I’d use gun-

ships to stop migrants” landed her in controversy, where she wrote “Show me pictures of coffins, show me bodies floating in water, play violins and show me skinny people looking sad. I still don’t care”. In 2020, Hopkins was permanently removed from Twitter for violating the platform’s “hateful conduct” policy.

Political commentator Ben Shapiro is also known for his contentious views, including his opposition to a Palestinian state. He explained his perspective as “Israelis like to build. Arabs like to bomb crap and live in open sewage”.

In 2022 he also celebrated the fall of Roe v Wade, as he has previously referred to those who get abortions as “baby killers”. More recently, he responded to Riz Possnett, the activist who glued themself to the Union floor protesting Kathleen Stock’s appearance, calling them “stupid”.

The termcard also features a host of other significant political figures. These include US Representative and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who will speak at the Benazir Bhutto Memorial Lecture, and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who will argue in favour of US intervention in a thirdweek debate. George Vella, the President of Malta, will also appear.

Other major appearances include Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe, Camille Vasquez, and Tom Hanks. Ratcliffe was a political prisoner held by the Iranian regime for 6 years.

Vasquez was the attorney representing Johnny Depp in his now-infamous defamation case

against actress Amber Heard.

Hanks is a prolific actor who has starred in films ranging from Forrest Gump to Saving Private Ryan.

Union President Disha Hegde has since been fire after a member of her committee launched an attack over the invitation of Katie Hopkins.

In a meeting of the Union’s Standing Committee, Librarian-Elect Ebrahim Mowafy gave a long speech railing against the invitation, which appeared to involve numerous interruptions. He described the atmosphere as “emotionally charged”. The Oxford Student has since seen the version of the speech Mowafy intended to give, after he sent it to the Standing Committee mailing list, which includes numerous senior Union officials, including former presidents Ahmad Nawaz, Charlie Mackintosh, and Matthew Dick.

In that speech, he argued that while free speech is something [he appreciates and values]”, he questioned whether Hegde was aware of Hopkins’ track record and the fact that she is “not your average controversial speaker”.

In particular, Mowafy cited Hopkins’ remarks which “[called] for violence and the killing of Jews, Muslims and Refugees” when the decision to invite her was made. He asked whether the President would apologise to those groups.

Moreover, Mowafy argued that Hopkins’ remarks were in line with the legal definition of hate speech in the Public Order Act, remarking that “hate speech… is not free speech”. He also stated that he “opposed her invitation because she calls for violence to be used against every one of my faith, other faiths, identities and to so many other marginalised groups”. He also

took particular issue that this was the third time Hopkins has been invited in recent years, questioning if she was a “regular guest”.

In addition, Mowafy cited various organisations condemning her platforming. These included the Jewish Labour Movement, the Zionist Federation, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, as well as various media organisations which had either fired her or banned her from appearing on their networks.

A follow up email from Mowafy clarified that he was not interested in rescinding the invitation, but instead wanted to understand the process by which Hopkins was invited and whether Hegde would consider apologising. He also expressed concerns over apparent suggestions to not minute elements of the meeting, arguing that it was “antithetical to free speech”.

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Friday 13 October 2023 | The Oxford Student

Deputy Editor: Jack Arrowsmith Section Editors: Haochen Wang, Tasneem Jodiyawalla, Thomas Cowan comment@oxfordstudent.com

On the intersection of class and journalism Emily Hudson

I

t is a truth universally acknowledged that a prime minister in possession of great power must be in want of a spin doctor. ‘Politics’ is seldom seen without its trusty right-hand, ‘the media’. Another fact: in recent years, the proportion of journalists from working-class backgrounds has steadily declined, with the NCTJ finding in 2022 that 80% of people in British newsrooms come from top social classes.

When all the storytellers come from one background, most stories are inevitably cast aside.

This should be a matter of public concern, as a lack of representation in media undermines its ability to effectively perform its sole purpose: reporting the truth.

Since Brexit and its seismic aftershocks, the media has increasingly come under scrutiny from itself. This is entirely deserved. Emily Maitlis’ lecture decrying the sinister impacts of “Both-sidesism” was a breath of fresh air, and marked some recognition that the BBC, good as it is, has strayed from the impartial and fair reporting it was so long a beacon for. The BBC is much like the NHS in this sense: an excellent public service, world-leading for the majority of its existence, losing much of its reputation due to mismanagement.

Laura Keunssberg’s tenure as political editor the BBC is par-

ticularly cited as an example of how far political reporting has been allowed to stray from its original intention. The Byline Times was scathing in its review of what went wrong: it is an important reminder that journalism is not as simple as passing information along, and equally that it is not a game of egos; atmosphere and ethos are important in ensuring that a news desk is reporting fairly, accurately and holding political figures to account. It is this atmosphere that has been allowed to erode, and in its erosion the ethos faded. It is hard not to believe this is a

“the media has increasingly come under scrutiny from itself. This is entirely deserved.” deliberate sabotage to further private interests. In light of this, we should maintain hope that it can be restored to its former status in the right hands, and the public should not give up on this service.

Issues with representation, however, must be addressed if we are to have any hope of a broadcasting service that serves the people. To fulfil this purpose, it must give due attention to important issues, scrutinise leadership and pro-

mote unity, not division. What we have seen lately is quite different: the national media as a mouthpiece for the government (something more often associated with authoritarian regimes). We are seeing a subversion of the natural order of things, where it is not the government that learns from the people what issues matter, but rather a government that decides for the people what issues should matter to them.

This is profoundly wrong and could perhaps be combated if the government (and media) looked a little more like the population they are supposed to serve. It would take some gall to tell a child of refugees that the most pressing issue is to “stop the boats”, but it feels slightly more comfortable when it’s a slogan repeated to the so-called ‘media class’, who dutifully regurgitate it to a public they must hold in dry contempt, to believe that they cannot determine their own media agenda.

Journalism is becoming more unequal, not less, and with it the government is able to get away with worse and worse abuses of our constitution, of our laws, and of their own positions. In 2020, 75% of journalists had a parent in a high social class, compared to 45% of the overall workforce. In 2021, this figure jumped to 80%. This regentrification of the industry is akin to what is seen across wider media. With consistent

cuts to the arts and humanities, many state school students feel they have nowhere to turn but quantitative subjects, and once again ‘culture’ at large has become the playground of the rich.

This has resulted in a media sector who are unable to empathise with the experiences, joys, and concerns of the vast majority of the population. This trend runs in parallel to the decline of local news outlets, (with around 30 local newspapers closing each year) resulting in a ruling class and representation that would struggle to be more out of touch. And where the media walks, the government is sure to be nearby, as the two take many cues from each other.

The argument makes itself: more local journalists, stuck into public concerns, spotlighting issues that matter to people on the ground, will instil more trust from the public in the government, as they would feel they are being listened to and represented. It is absolutely essential to the political health of the country that working-class issues are reported on with the same dignity and attention given to other problems, and perhaps journalism as a whole would be better if there were a move away from playing on people’s fears, and more towards communicating them to those who can instigate meaningful change. An effective media would do far more

for the efficacy of whichever party is in power than 3-word slogans that do little beyond obscuring the important detail of the policies they are selling.

This class disparity in our media is itself played out on an Oxford level. Perhaps this is unsurprising, but private and grammar-educated students are overrepresented in leadership positions in student journalism at Oxford. Upon our appointments as EditorsIn-Chief, Charlie Bowden and

“Even student journalism, which is regarded as one of the most accesible ways to get involved, falls short.”

I were told this was the first time in 5 years that both Editors-in-Chief were state educated. This demonstrates that the inaccessibility of journalism begins before people have even had a chance to step into the job market. Even student journalism, which is regarded as one of the most accessible ways to get involved, falls short.

The reduction in working class representation in the media parallels a decline in social mobility across the UK in recent years. I could very well argue that social mobility itself is a problematic concept

The Oxford Student | Friday 13 October 2023

— but that is an issue for another article. The Sutton Trust, which produces annual reports, cited the loss of education due to the Covid-19 pandemic as one of the possible explanations for the decline, when until 2020 Britain as a whole had been steadily improving.

Another report, this time by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) found that social mobility in the UK has hit a 50-year low.

The impacts of parental income and geography have never been more closely correlated with life outcomes. This contrasts starkly with the narrative the government’s own reports are attempting to propel, with Katherine Birbalsingh leading the most recent ‘State of the

“for news reporters it’s often exactly our workingclassness that allows people to trust us” Nation’ report. Almost every chapter begins with words to the effect of ‘Things are not as bad as they seem’. Does the government, perhaps, have something to prove?

If a working-class person does, against the odds, manage to land a secure career in journalism, their experience will be almost invariably different to those of their more privileged peers. Some of this is due to assumptions from colleagues and others are facts of a working-class background, regardless of their eventual career. Guardian Northern Correspondent and Reuters Institute fellow Robyn Vinter wrote in response to the NCTJ’s 2022 findings that ‘we simply do not represent the people we serve…I have heard some genuinely horrendous stories from other working-class journalists and I have suffered classism myself, more times than I can count.’ Vinter makes clear that newsroom environments are unwelcoming to working class voices, even though ‘for news reporters it’s often exactly our working-class-ness that allows people to trust us.’

This paradox is at the heart of the class crisis in journalism — and it has allowed classism in the UK to flourish with wild abandon. There are simply too few working-class advocates allowed into journalism spaces for them to meaningfully influence the narrative on class in

Britain.

Welsh journalist Diffwys Criafol, in their article for Inclusive Journalism Cymru, explains how class attitudes prevent a true diversity and honesty in journalism, stating: ‘Poor and working class people are not rare, but you would think that they were unfortunate creatures from a fairy tale if you looked around at the almost exclusively middle class demographic that creates culture and discourse in Wales.’ This is an issue: by treating poverty as an exception, rather than a common experience, elite journalists who think this way are able to shape the national narrative.

And their peers, equally privileged, are ill placed to check the veracity of this narrative. It is not difficult to see why this perception exists in a society as stratified as our own, where the richest will seldom interact with, let alone understand the experiences of their more disadvantaged counterparts. The solution is frustratingly simple, however: make space for people to tell their own stories.

Other ramifications are realised in pay. There exists a class pay gap, and much like the gender pay gap, regressive attitudes are at play in maintaining the presence of an underclass.

Professionals in all sectors experience an effective pay penalty of 17% on average per year if they come from a working class background, something that compounds upon other pay gaps involving gender and ethnicity.

It appears that social mobility in the UK is declining quite rapidly. The gentrification of the media class, however, occurred over longer timescales, in part due to the changing makeup of a ‘typical’ journalist. Journalists nowadays are far more likely to have a degree in journalism prior to starting, and also more likely to already have experience in a newsroom – something that is hard to come by without connections in the industry. On top of this, journalism is associated with freelance writing which prices out people without financial backing.

It is this element of risk which makes the media and arts at large inaccessible as viable career choices. When social mobility is already so low, these factors will only plunge an industry already in crisis into even deeper water. It comes as no surprise, then, that trust in the media is also at a low, and that people are increasingly turning to alternative sources, most notably social media, for

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their news and analysis.

In the digital age, it has become increasingly difficult to combat the growth of misinformation campaigns, and in such times the presence of wellresearched, reputable and critical reporting is paramount to a functioning society. Misinformation has moved from fringe conspiratorial corners of the internet to infect any issue of the day, from Covid-19 mitigation measures to a longstanding ‘debate’ on the scientific consensus that the Earth’s climate is changing for the worse. Suella Braverman herself has contributed to misinformation and in doing so encouraged race hate, having been found by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) to have made misleading claims about a correlation between ethnicity and participation in grooming gangs in an article for the Daily Mail. It is unconscionable that elected officials, members of the Cabinet no less, are able to commit lies so profound in media outlets and face zero repercussions. Would this have happened fifteen years ago?

Movements regarding these points of contention have stalled measures to combat the large issues, and in doing so contributed to the loss of human life. It is from this perspective that we can consider it dangerous to lend unqualified contrarians equal credence in a national discussion, as this itself leads to the spread of misinformation. ‘Both-sidesism’ as Maitlis dubbed it, has serious consequences. After all, where better to put a conspiracy theorist, or a bigot, than the nation-

“the UK media is on a trajectory to becoming more fractured, partisan and post-truth than it ever has been” al, well-reputed news service?

The interplay between journalism, politics and the social makeup of both these sectors is tricky to unpick. What is manifestly clear is that the UK media is on a trajectory to becoming more fractured, partisan and post-truth than it ever has been, and it is manifestly clear that the increasing homogeneity of journalists in a country that is otherwise increasingly diverse has no small part to play in it.

The Broken Priorities of the British Press

Thomas Cowan

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n the 28th of September, two huge stories broke in the British press. First came news of the senseless and tragic murder of Elianne Andam, a fifteen year old schoolgirl from Croydon. Then it was reported that someone had felled the Sycamore Gap Tree, an icon of the Northumberland landscape, planted nearly three centuries ago. In some ways, these two events were complete opposites: a young life cut short and a piece of heritage destroyed; one in the rural North and the other in the heart of south London. Still, the shocks caused by these two stories were deeply felt and widely recorded. But not equally.

Take the BBC for example. At the time of writing, our national broadcaster has published four reports online concerning the death of Elianne Andam since the 28th of September. In the same time frame, its reporters have written nine times about the Sycamore Gap affair. The story is the same at the Guardian. Four articles on Elianne, fifteen on the Sycamore Gap. It shouldn’t have to be said that this feels wrong. When it is easier to find accounts that mourn a tree than an innocent girl, I can’t help but feel that our media has got its priorities incorrect. Even those publications who have given the two events equal attention are surely misfocused. The Telegraph has dedicated ten articles to Elianne and to the Sycamore Gap each - but in what world is the destruction of a plant as important as that of a life?

There is an argument to be made, however, that the felling of a historical icon is somehow more “newsworthy” than Elianne’s tragic murder. The Sycamore Gap tree earned its fame for its uniqueness. It stood

alone near Hadrian’s Wall for three hundred years, and this ancient isolation made it a noted site of beauty and wonder. Conversely, the unfortunate truth is that the murder of a teenager in London is not a novel story. Sixteen young lives have been taken this year alone, already surpassing 2022’s figure of fourteen. It is only in this sense that an act of vandalism could be considered more “newsworthy”. The Sycamore Gap tree will only ever be felled once; a teenager is murdered in London, on average, once every seventeen days.

But this is a dishonest com-

“When it is easier to find accounts that mourn a tree than an innocent girl, I can’t help but feel our media has got its priorities incorrect” parison to make. To group all the lives lost to stabbings into one block is to deny each of the victims their personhood.

No longer a name, but simply a number. And that is not even taking into account the gutting impact that each murder has on the communities who are left to deal with the aftermath.

Elianne Andam will only ever be lost to the world once, same as the Sycamore Gap tree. Her passing is certainly more monumental.

The uplifting news is that the public knows this. Compare the fundraisers started for Elianne’s family and for the Northumberland National Trust. Some of the many people who have felt the grief of Elianne’s passing have altogether donated £45,000 towards ameliorating our cities’ endemic

Friday 13 October 2023 | The Oxford Student

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problems. No one fundraiser for Sycamore Gap has come anywhere close to that number, with the most prominent of them hovering around the £5,000 mark. Grief can obviously not be quantified, but these figures clearly show a greater public outpouring towards the plight of Elianne and her family. The question then, is why this balance of concern is not reflected in our press.

The answer, I think, is that the bastions of British journalism are still rooted in an archaic culture of the middle to upper classes. Few other people could empathise more with the English countryside than a young black girl. I can’t imagine that the fact that Elianne was a girl attending an independent school hurt the chances of her story appearing in the press; her murder was certainly reported more widely than the fourteen murders of teenage boys from less privileged back-

“the bastions of British journalism are still rooted in an archaic culture of the middle to upper classes.” grounds. In no way should that diminish the importance of Elianne’s story: her’s is as worthy of being reported as any other young life lost. Her story helps to keep the awful issue of stabbings in London at the forefront of the public conscience. But the relative silence surrounding the multiple murders of disadvantaged young men of colour speaks volumes.

Thankfully, British journalism is not entirely monolithic. The Independent, for example, has dedicated substantially more coverage to Elianne Andam than to the Sycamore Gap. What’s more, they have produced a graphic mapping all the murders of teenagers committed in London this year. It is work like this that stops such a harrowing issue from being simply reduced to a set of numbers. The Independent’s map and other pieces plainly lay out how endemic and how pressing the problem in our cities is. History provides ample evidence that popular media shapes our collective consciousness. We can only hope that the British press will learn to reflect the public’s prevailing concerns, and do its duty to ensure that no more tragically lost lives will be quietly swept under the rug.

Strange bedfellows: the left, the right, and the European Union Thomas Thornton

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he British people were asked a simple question – leave or remain. This was to be a once in a generation vote that the Prime Minister promised to respect. We all remember the outcome of course; the people voted to remain. It wasn’t even close, a healthy majority of 67% voted to remain within Europe. While this may sound like a strange alternative history, it’s true. The 1975 EEC Referendum promised by Harold Wilson as part of the October 1974 General Election campaign gave a resounding endorsement of British involvement with Europe.

The parallels with the Brexit referendum campaign in 2016 are striking. Like in 2016, the leaders of all three major parties, Wilson, Thatcher, and Thorpe all supported remain.

The two most famous figures of the right, Nigel Farage in 2016 and Enoch Powell in 1975, both supported leave.

The latter went so far as to imply voting Labour as a Tory MP in 1974 to get a referendum. One of the key differences between 1974 and 2016, however, is the attitude of the British left to the EU. Tony Benn was the most famous, and most villainized, left-wing member of the cabinet to support leave. Benn in his diary when discussing the EEC said, ‘You hear all this about our parliamentary democracy being undermined by Marxists… but the plain truth is that it has been undermined

by Brussels’. In other words, we need to take back control.

Even more interesting is the position of a young Labour councillor, who voted to leave in 1975, but then voted to remain in 2016. His name was Jeremy Corbyn.

The issue of Europe has always been divisive, ever since the idea of Britain joining was first proposed by the fresh-faced Edward Heath in 1961. But despite this, many

on the right of the Conservative party supported the EEC. Geoffrey Rippon MP, a member of the right-wing Conservative Monday Club, was a very prominent supporter of British entry into Europe.

The Monday Club, for context, was so right wing it supported white minority apartheid rule in South Africa and Southern Rhodesia. The response of the left was more divided with some prominent members of the Labour left against the EEC in 1975. This included Benn of course, but also other cabinet members such as Michael Foot and Barbara Castle.

“The issue of Europe has always been divisive”

After the election loss to Thatcher in 1979, Michael Foot was elected leader of the Labour party, and this signalled a left-wing shift within the party. The 1983 manifesto called for the introduction of industrial democracy, increased public ownership and public spending; but also called for the immediate withdrawal from Europe.

This shows the power of antiEuropean sentiment within the Labour party well into the 1980s. At the same time the Thatcher government was passing the Single European Act, which helped to promote greater political and economic cooperation between European nations, as well as entering the Exchange Rate Mechanism which tied the value of the pound to other European currencies. Thatcher’s focus on the so-called ‘enemy within’, miners and trade unions, led her to ignore the enemy without.

The main shift within the Conservative and Labour parties on the issue of Europe, however, came in the 1990s.

The final defeat of true, redblooded socialism in Britain, reflected in another loss for Labour in the 1992 General Election, was a nail in the coffin of socialism within the

party. The new leader John Smith, who died in 1994, tried to modernise, reducing union power within the party. After the death of Smith in 1994 and the premiership of Tony Blair, with his middle-class upbringing and neoliberal beliefs, was the culmination of this trend. After winning the 1997 election he said, “We were elected as New Labour and we will govern as New Labour.” Blair was notably more in favour of Europe than previous Labour leaders, such as Neil Kinnock. I think this cannot be separated from the decline of class as a framework for Blairites going into the 21st century. The Labour Party under Blair it is fairer to say was more focused on social justice than class, deliberately rejecting both the term class and socialism in his campaigning and government.

This influenced the position of the party on Europe, because the main critique of the EU from the left was that it was a ‘capitalist club’ of states and big business against working class interests.

As a result of the same process, the final defeat of social-

“Thatcher’s focus on the so-called ‘enemy within’... led her to ignore the enemy without ” ism in the UK, the Tory party were able to unlock their own Euroscepticism. This was seen in Thatcher herself after she had left office. Perhaps realising what she had done, Thatcher supported the Eurosceptic wing of the party in the debates over Europe in the 1990s and 2000s. This included the Maastricht Treaty of 1992, which among other things changed the name of the European Economic Community (EEC) to the European Union (EU). This signalled the

move of Europe toward political integration away from a free trade organisation of independent nations. Right wing Tories called the Maastricht rebels (or just ‘bastards’ if you ask John Major) resisted this, voting against their government throughout the debate about the treaty. These MPs, along with the Eurosceptic Tory press, especially the Sun, did significant damage to Major throughout the period up to 1997.

The mainstreaming of Euroscepticism within the Tory party has played a huge role in the character of the party in the 21st century. While the leadership of the party has remained cautiously in favour of Europe; Tory voters most certainly did not. In the local elections of 2014, UKIP went from 3 seats in the European Parliament to 166, winning 17% of the vote. It was in part due to the fear of a resurgent Euroscepticism on the right of the Conservative party that Cameron made the ill-fated decision to call the referendum. I have to say, the hubris of Cameron in the belief that the voters would come round to his view does still make me laugh.

This historical take on the fall of Euroscepticism on the left and its rise on the right is very useful for understanding the 2016 referendum and its aftermath. Corbyn was criticised at the time for his less than fulsome support for the EU during the campaign. Subsequently his decision to accept the result, only then to support a second referendum was one of the reasons for Labour’s loss in 2019. This inability to give a coherent policy on Brexit is as much a reflection of Corbyn’s own personal dislike of the EU from his experience in the 1970s. His outdated view was caught in the crossfire between a younger generation of Labour voters who support remain, and an older generation of Labour supporters who voted leave.

Perhaps this fatal indecision was the reason for 5 more years of Tory rule, only time will tell.

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Friday 13 October 2023 | The Oxford Student Deputy Editor: Martin Alfonsin Larsen Section Editors: Jack Arrowsmith, Lukas Seifert, Holly Errington profile@oxfordstudent.com

of the week

In conversation with the Editors-in-Chief Martin Alfonsin Larsen and Tara Earley mily Hudson (4th year, Oriel College) and Charlie Bowden (2nd year, Jesus College) are the new Editorsin-Chief for Michaelmas 2023.

As Associate Editors, we are tasked with helping them to implement their paper-wide vision for one term.

In this interview, we sat down with them to find out what that actually is. We discovered along the way that they’re keen to improve access to the paper and to student media more widely, that they both *actually* like their degrees, and that they have a debilitating obsession with podcasts.

E

Why did you apply to be Editor-in-Chief?

Charlie Bowden: I didn’t apply to be Editor-in-Chief necessarily thinking that I was going to get it; I knew that because I had only been on the editorial team for one term, I was essentially [throwing] my hat in the ring. From what I saw in the paper in Trinity, things felt organised and stable, and I wanted to continue the environment that the previous editors-in-chief Rose and Ayomi had cultivated. I also had creative ideas that I wanted to try and make a reality.

Emily Hudson: I also didn’t entirely think I would get it. But I thought that if I did, I would be a good person for the job, as I’ve been on paper for a long time. I wanted to make sure it stayed on a good road, and I felt that I was in a good position to do that. I also thought it would be good for me because I do a science degree, to try and get more scientists involved in the paper. By being Editor-in-Chief, it shows that it can be done, because scientists worry about scheduling, and if they have the time to get involved in something like this. So I’m trying to keep the paper accessible while maintaining it on the good road that it’s been on.

What would you say has been your proudest moment at the OxStu so far?

CB: I’d say that it’s the article I did last term on the coronation,

and how Oxford reacted to it; on the ground journalism, as opposed to writing up a press release. As part of that, I collaborated with other journalists, and we were each able to focus on things that we particularly wanted to discuss. It was really rewarding to talk about something that was felt throughout the whole of the UK, rather than just inside the Oxford bubble.

“That’s something I like about journalism in general; you’re able to become an expert in a very specific thing.”

EH: The funny answer is when I won Best Chat at the OxStu awards; I thought it was the culmination of a long term of being really funny.

More seriously, there’s three articles of mine that stand out to me, because in all of them I stepped into a field I wasn’t immediately involved in. The first was the House of Lords article I wrote, which had me going through PPE reading lists, and just getting stuck into something that I don’t necessarily have a background in. That’s something I like about journalism in general; you’re able to become an expert in a very specific thing.

Second was the article on space ethics. I very much had it on my mind, because people like Elon Musk were talking about colonising Mars. And

thirdly, my article on superconductors. That was, again, topical, and following the way that science was changing through that, I found it really interesting.

You’ve been in the role now for a couple of months, but in term time, it’s just been a week. What part of your vision are you most excited to execute as an Editor-in-Chief of the paper?

CB: For me, the podcast is the most obvious thing. There were talks about it in previous terms, and it took a lot of work. I think it was only because we had the summer vacation to get it going that we were able to recruit a proper team and prepare everything. It hasn’t come out yet, but I’m sure that when it does, it will really deliver and be able to show yet another side to the publication. It’s now not just in journalism on the page, but showcasing the people behind it, why they make the decisions they make when they create their journalism, and hopefully some harmless fun along the way.

EH: The podcast also helps to further our aim of making the newspaper accessible, because if people hear about how we get ting involved in the paper, they might realise that it’s nowhere near as scary as they might think. I’m also excited to be training a new team of editors, who will hopefully take over and continue the work we’ve done. I’m excited to see where it goes next, and our main goal is to get more people in to The Oxford Student

over time.

Emily, you mentioned the news. What are your thoughts are on how best to cover student politics, especially in the Union and OUCA? EH: I think one of our goals in the paper is to make sure that the news we produce is relevant to most Oxford students. Perhaps the Union does get a bit too much coverage, but I think it’s important that issues that affect any group of students are treated with dignity and sensitivity, particularly in relation to controversial figures coming to Oxford.

We understand that may be distressing for some students.

So it’s good to get the information out there, so students can prepare them- selves, and so that student groups that might want to protest can do so in an organised way.

“Your student journalism experience is what you make of it; you only have to be involved to the extent that you want to.”

We can’t deny there’s student politics here, and people will be affected by it. This is, to some extent, the training ground for future politicians. If they want to act like politicians, we should treat them like politicians, and hold them accountable if they do things that affect others.

CB: I broadly agree. As some-

one who was on the News team last term, sometimes you do get a bit sick of the student politics, especially because it often does seem to come from similar groups. But we do have to report on it. As Emily said, sometimes we care more about them than we probably should, because there’s so many societies in Oxford, and sometimes it feels like we’re only focusing on a select few who do things that make headlines often. But we try to treat whatever we’re reporting on, and the people that it might hurt, with dignity and respect. I definitely don’t want it to become the only part of our news carousel, because there’s so many different elements to Oxford life.

What advice would you give to someone who’s just joined the paper?

CB: Voice what you’re interested in, whether you’re looking to be a freelance contributor who writes when you have time, or a section editor. This is a space where you can discuss and explore things that you want to pursue. We’ve got something like 50 people on the paper in all this term, and this isn’t just a training ground for journalists. People join the paper for different reasons, and this should be a space for people to write about things that you care about, and things that interest you. Your student journalism experience is what you make of it; you only have to be involved to the extent that you want to.

EH: I would add that even if we’re in charge, there is no real hierarchy. This is a paper for everyone, and I really want the input that goes in to reflect that principle. It’s a space for students to do what interests them, and to explore writing.

This is an extracurricular activity; no one’s marking your work. Try your best to enjoy what you’re doing and get to know others on the team, because there’s plenty of likeminded individuals. Make the most of it.

This article is an excerpt read the full interview on oxfordstudent.com.

The Oxford Student | Friday 13 October 2023

Profile | 13

In conversation with Billy Billingham

Charlie Bowden

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ark ‘Billy’ Billingham is a decorated former sergeant major in the SAS who came to public prominence as an instructor on the Channel 4 reality series SAS: Who Dares Wins. The show is a strenuous test of contestants’ mental and physical abilities in unforgiving challenges meant to replicate the selection process for the UK Special Forces.

He has been awarded an MBE and the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery for his military service.

Ahead of an upcoming national tour and two new series of SAS in the UK and US, we spoke about his struggles coming to terms with his increased public profile, his involvement in charity work in Haiti, and what he wants audiences at his shows to take away from his life experiences.

Many will know you from SAS, which you joined in 2016. The show has gone on to achieve a lot of success since then. How did you find navigating the elevated platform the show gave you, especially since you’re not able to talk much about your time in the SAS? Billy Billingham: It’s been an interesting journey, to be honest. When you’re first on the show, you worry about how you present yourself and making sure you’re not saying anything that you shouldn’t be saying. It takes time to get used to having cameras pushed in your face. But after your first time on TV, it soon settles down and you realise it’s not about you. It’s about giving knowledge based on your life’s experiences, not just to the people on the show, but all the people that are watching it as well.

In the early days, I forgot that people actually watched the show and wanted to come up to me in the street. Once – I think I’d done two series – I was in New York in a tiny airport with hardly anyone around. There was a guy staring at me and I confronted him about it, and he

said, “I’m sorry, you look like a guy on this TV show, SAS.” I’m very grateful to be in that position, but it was hard to get my head around it. I’d been a celebrity bodyguard before the show, so I was used to people doing it for my clients, but now they were doing it to me.

It was awkward at first, but I started to embrace it. I love having a platform. 70% of mine and my wife’s lives are focused on charity now, so it’s wonderful to be in a position where people follow and support our work.

On SAS, you’re there to mentor the contestants and push them to reach their potential, but is there anything that you’ve learned from filming the show?

From the beginning, I learned that the show was not about four special forces guys. We’re just the ones who keep the train moving on the track to get the best out of people, and to get the right sort of content for entertainment. We have nothing to do with that, though.

When we do the program, it’s filmed 24/7, and we have no idea where it’s going to go. We don’t know what the narrative is going to be. We only see the students in front of us. When they go back to their dorm, we have no idea what’s going on.

I learned from that environment to just be yourself; don’t try and be an actor. What you see of me on TV is the real me.

I’m not playing for the cameras – I’m truly passionate about getting the best out of these people, whether they’re celebrities or not. It doesn’t matter to us. They’ve come for a reason, and often that reason is that they’ve lost direction in their life. For celebrities particularly, they’ve got their fans telling them all these things they think they want to hear.

It’s not genuine.

You’ve been very involved in charity work in Haiti. What motivated you to do that?

BB: Being a soldier, I’ve been all around the globe. I’ve seen conflict, I’ve seen natural disasters, I’ve seen people suffer. You naturally become a charitable person. In the past, I’d boxed and run for charity, but I’d never really followed all

Credit: Billy Billingham the way through. I didn’t mind raising money, but someone else always took the money and used it to help people. I wanted to get involved more directly.

When the 2010 Haiti earthquake happened, I was a partner in a security business in Iraq. What grabbed us when we saw the news was the sheer number of people who died – 250,000. We went out to Haiti 10 days after it happened. We started building portacabinstyle hospitals, and getting the local people involved to take their minds off the terrible situation. We ended up staying longer than we planned and built a school with the support of Sean Penn. I met my wife there and we got talking, and we began to wonder what charity really means.

“They’ve come for a reason, and often that reason is that they’ve lost direction in life.”

Charity, of course, is about giving, and when disaster strikes, you give yourself. You get in there, help people, get bodies out, because there’s a time limit on saving lives. After the initial devastation, you give experience, knowledge, food, water, whatever’s needed to help rebuild what was lost.

Then, there comes a time when the only thing you should be giving is dignity for the people suffering. They wanted a chance to stand on their own two feet. They didn’t need our commiserations, they needed work.

What is the turnkey solution to ending poverty after a disaster? Three things: education,

job training, and employment.

So that’s what we set out to do.

My wife set it all up. Through REBUILD Globally, we got Haitian kids off the street and into school. We’ve been running that for 13 years now. If they stay in the whole four-year school program, they go into a work experience program we set up for them. We thought, what happens after they get through that?

You’re going on tour across the UK in October and November. What can audiences expect from the show?

BB: Everyone can take something different from it. I don’t throw statistics and quotes at people. I take them on a journey, and it’s my journey from being a young kid that went rogue, being thrown out of school, being stabbed, generally getting in trouble. I’m not proud of a lot of the things I talk about, but they’re worth sharing, especially to younger audience members. Everyone’s been down that road. Getting things wrong is part of growing up.

I want to show people that you have to believe in yourself and not be afraid to go for goals. There are so many goals I haven’t reached, but by trying for them, I’ve opened up a new world. I never intended to be a bodyguard, I never intended to be on TV, but I went down those avenues when they offered themselves and I’ve enjoyed them. My mantra is ‘always a little further’. We can always do that little bit more by not being afraid to get knocked back.

Looking beyond the tour, do you have any big future ambitions?

BB: I’m always aiming for something ridiculous. I want

to break the world record for parachute jumping. My wife thinks I’ll never do it, but I’m always aiming for it. Will I get there? I don’t know.

I’ve gotten back into parachuting and I set that goal for myself so I can keep at it, because there will come a day where I won’t be able to do it. That day isn’t marked out for us. You never know what’s going to come.

You have to keep pushing forward and enjoy what you’re doing.

Given your wealth of experience, do you have any advice for our student readers going into the real world?

BB: Education is paramount for the youth of today; you have to get education, but that is ultimately just a foundation. It’s not a substitute for experience.

Travelling is probably the best thing you can do in your life.

Go out there and meet people.

Be respectful of people who’ve been out there before you and pick their brains to learn from their experiences.

Never think you have all the answers. Even as a sergeant major in the SAS, when I had done hundreds of operations, I always asked the new guy for his ideas. I could’ve just done it my way without asking anyone’s opinion, but that’s not how you learn. That’s not how I’ve gotten to where I am today.

Tickets for Billy’s tour are available to purchase now, and new seasons of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test and Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins premiered in late September.

This article is an excerpt read the full interview on oxfordstudent.com

Identity

14 | Identity

Friday 13 October 2023 | The Oxford Student

Deputy Editor: Sami Jalil Section Editors: Georgia Ferris, Ivy Wong, Amelia Gibbins identity@oxfordstudent.com

Welcome!

Sami Jalil ear readers, I hope you’re doing well, and thank you so much for taking the time to read The Oxford Student. I’m Sami (they/them), the Deputy Editor of the Identity section, and I’m in my second year of studying Music at St Catherine’s College. I personally identify as neurodivergent, queer, working class and BAME! This is just a little note to introduce the Identity section and our values. I’ve been running the Identity section for a

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term now, and I’ve been able to facilitate such wonderful articles from a broad range of people. Identity is a really broad category, and we warmly welcome any and all writing about any aspect of identity: this can include gender, sexuality, mental health, class, race, religion/ faith, nationality, culture and so much more. For example, we’ve had articles in the past about intersectionality as a Muslim woman, experiences with drink spiking, and reports on conferences discussing the Holocaust.

Student journalism can take the form of your standard reporting article, more opinionbased articles, creative writing, interviews and many more. I

like to run the Identity section as a very open platform for student self-expression, and I’m very passionate about making student journalism more accessible. Journalism can be very daunting, so if you just want to have a chat with us about any topic you’re passionate about, we can write that up into an article for print! We’re very happy to cater to your needs, and our editing process is always centred around the author and what they want to achieve.

I hope you take something away from this, and I’d really love to hear from you if you have any questions or would like to write for us. Student journalism is a fantastic way

Image Source: National Parks Gallery

of sparking conversations on really important issues, and I would really love to hear about what’s important to you!

Feel free to direct any questions or ideas to identity@oxfordstudent.com or @Sami Jalil on Facebook. Best wishes!

Can birth order affect personality?

Image Source: Adobe Stock

Georgia Ferris his question has been widely debated throughout the years by both psychologists and the public, yet to this day there is still no clear answer. Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and researcher Alfred Adler first developed the birth order theory back in the 20th century, in which he claimed that the order in which a child is born shapes both their development and personality. These are some of the personality traits that he deemed applicable to each child in the birth order: Eldest children are the ‘overachievers’; the overly ambitious Hermione-Granger-esque hyper-independent leaders the stubborn and outspoken perfectionists. They tend to be more family-oriented and feel a need to protect their younger siblings, almost as if they are a parent or caregiver themselves. This is the reason why eldest children are sometimes referred to as the ‘third parent’ in the family home. That is their job - caring physically, men-

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tally, and emotionally for those they love. Additionally, various psychological studies have determined that eldest siblings tend to exhibit overachieving behaviour due to high expectations placed on them from caregivers and family members.

Therefore, they develop perfectionistic tendencies which can be seen within their grades in school, sports, and even careers later in life. They are held at a higher standard than their younger siblings, as they are expected to be a good role model for them to follow. While being the eldest sibling isn’t exactly always sunshine and rainbows, there are most definitely some advantages. For example, they are (usually) the first to do everything, such as learning how to drive, staying out late or going to parties. Plus, no hand-medowns!

Then there are the middle children, the so-called ‘forgotten children’ or the ‘middlechild-syndrome-sufferers’.

‘Middle child syndrome’ is yet another concept which was initially coined by Adler, in which he argued that middle children

often feel resentful and bitter as they do not receive the same attention or privileges of that of their other siblings.

There is no scientific evidence to determine that this is true, but that does not stop us from using this concept in our dayto-day vocabulary. They are usually more extroverted and more self-expressive, as since middle children lack the title of being the oldest or the youngest, they tend to shape an identity for themselves. In fact, according to Meri Wallace, a family therapist and author of

“While being the eldest child isn’t exactly always sunshine and rainbows, there are most definitely some advantages” the novel ‘Birth Order Blues: How Parents Can Help Their Children Meet The Challenges Of Their Birth Order’ details that “Middle children often go to an extreme to get attention, which is why some dye their hair purple or become a fanatic about a particular singing group-because they need an identity really bad”. Although being the middle child is usually seen as a negative position

in family birth order, there are advantages to being the middle sibling. For example, they are rational, meaning that they make good leaders, and they are great empathisers.

The youngest children, however, have a reputation for being wild, rebellious, and confident. They usually have less responsibilities merely because they are the youngest and are generally coddled and spoiled a lot more than their other siblings by their caregivers. They get away with a lot more than what their older siblings do, simply because they are the ‘baby’ of the family and exhibit attention-seeking behaviour, which comes in the form of humour and natural charm.

As caregivers can only give a certain amount of attention to their children, they may feel that they need to work even harder than their older siblings to get the attention they so desperately crave, due to the fact that they are the youngest. Despite this, it is rather advantageous to be the youngest child, seeing as caregivers are more relaxed when it comes to rules and youngest children are hardly every blamed for anything!

I do speak from experience, since I am the eldest of three children, and some of these personality traits do line up to a certain extent. I am the eldest, and I would personally say that I am the perfectionistic,

overly ambitious type, however where I disagree with this theory is with regards to the quote-unquote ‘rebellious’ nature of the youngest child. Yes, my youngest sister would (and does) get away with murder, but I would not class her as a quote-unquote ‘angsty teen rebel’ at all. Rather, she is like me, detail-oriented and independent (but a lot sportier).

So, is there truth to this theory? Well, yes and no. While there are some common traits which each type of sibling has throughout the families across the country, ultimately, personality is heavily influenced in a social and familial way, especially by caregivers. After all, they are the first people you meet when you are born! It is also rather significant to note that Adler’s theories are not widely accepted by professionals, as his theories are quite outdated, and a person’s place in the family tree does not always dictate their identity and personality traits, seeing as everyone is unique in their own way. Thus, as of 2023, scientific research has not proven that there is a directi correlation between identity or personality traits and birth order. However, such theories certainly act as food for thought when we reflect on how our upbringings have shaped the person we are today, and as a result, how we may choose to raise our own children.

Pink Oxford Student Faith Action publishes safe The Oxford Student | Friday 13 October 2023

Pink | 15

Deputy Editor: Etienne Baker Section Editors: Amelia Gibbins, Charlie Wild, Lauren Gray pink@oxfordstudent.com

churches report on LGBTQ+ inclusivity Etienne Baker TW: Homophobia, Transphobia and Conversion Therapy

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he Oxford Safe Churches project, run by a coalition of LGBTQ+ organisations and Churches in Oxford, have published their first faith report, titled ‘Attitudes towards Queer Christians in Oxford Churches.’ The report, published on Friday 22 September, uses a ‘traffic light’ system to rank the LGBTQ+ inclusivity of churches in Oxford. St. Aldates Church and St. Ebbe’s Church, both located next to Pembroke College in the centre of Oxford, are ranked in the lowest rate of inclusivity, and have a notable amount of evidence suggesting active displays of both homophobia and transphobia.

Ranking based on a ‘traffic light system’ comes from an ‘Honest Church Toolkit’ developed by the Student Christian Movement, which also includes suggestions of how to make your church ‘more welcoming’ of LGBTQ+ people. The decisions on ranking were made ‘on consideration of the team made up of 11 members, either based on evidence which has been made publicly available by churches, or from collected personal experiences.’

Anonymous testimony from St. Aldates speaks of feeling ‘totally shocked and sick’ after finding out the views of the leadership, and another mentioned one recent upsetting preaching on a passage in Ephesians which made them

tion to sex and gender, but we seek to be very careful indeed in how this is applied pastorally.’ He also said that they didn’t respond due to concerns over binary answers, which

“it is encouraging to meet other LGBTQ+ Christians” wouldn’t ‘provide a proper reflection of the reality of our attitudes to LGBTQ+ people.’

On the other end of the rankings, Sacred (Christ Church Cathedral), University Church of St Mary the Virgin and St

and pastoral counselling, and psychological methods, such as talking therapies. Conversion therapy appears to be most commonly carried out in religious settings, by either individuals or the organisation.

The government reported that whilst there is no robust evidence to support claims that conversion therapy is effective, there is an increasing amount of quantitative evidence that exposure to conversion therapy is statistically associated with poor mental health outcomes.

About 5% of people who responded to the UK-wide LGBT Survey in 2018 said that they had been offered some form of conversion therapy, whilst that figure was 10% for Chris-

The introduction to the report states that it is intended to ‘give LGBTQ+ people the tools to make informed decisions about what church to attend.’

It acknowledges that whilst ideally all churches would be welcoming spaces for LGBTQ+ people of faith, this is not the case, and it is important to help prevent queer people experiencing trauma caused by ‘spiritual abuse’ suffered in churches. A spokesperson from the group told us that ‘for a long time, students in Oxford have walked into churches not knowing how their LGBTQ+ identity will be received. We desperately want to stop this from happening, and this is

“Anonymous testimony speaks of feeling ‘totally shocked and sick’” what our report attempts to do’.

Of the 29 churches evaluated, 13 were categories as ‘Red’ (the lowest rating). These include St. Aldates Church, St. Ebbe’s Church and Magdalen Road Church in the centre of Oxford.

ing to the Government’s proposals of a ban on conversion therapy were from St Ebbe’s leadership.

The report, which has already been covered in The Times and the Church Times, could bring attention to the trauma caused by non-inclusive experiences for LGBTQ+ individuals, and the continuing prevalence of conversion therapy, as many figures do not necessarily reflect the true number of people impacted. This is due to the lack of legal definition and reluctance to share experiences that may be traumatic for the victim to speak about.

The Times also commented on Christian LGBT rights campaigners saying that they want to see the ‘important’ project copied nationally, showing the potential scale of the project.

This would not only equip LGBTQ+ individuals with the

“we do affirm a traditional Christian ethic in relation to sex and gender”

realise ‘that St Aldates wasn’t truly queer friendly as an institution.’ St. Aldates did not respond to the survey provided by the Safe Churches Project.

St. Ebbe’s also had similar levels of evidence of homophobia and transphobia, however apologised for not responding to the survey. In a comment made to the Church Times, Canon Vaughan Roberts, the Rector of St. Ebbe’s, said that he was ‘very sorry to hear of anyone who has not had a positive experience of St. Ebbe’s’, and that ‘we do affirm a traditional Christian ethic in rela-

Columba’s United Reformed Church all scored as a ‘5’, the highest rating, with anonymous testimony from Sacred (Christ Church Cathedral) saying that it is ‘encouraging to meet other LGBTQ+ Christians in a space where you know you are fully accepted.’

Content in the report also raises the issue of conversion therapy and its link to churches and spiritual spaces. Government research, published in October 2021, found that the most common methods identified involved spiritual methods, such as prayer ‘healing’

tian respondents, and 20% for Muslim respondents. The government says that it will ban all forms of conversion therapy in England and Wales, after criticism for previous plans which excluded transgender people from the ban. The Faith Report from the Oxford Safe Churches project highlights how several churches in Oxford signed a letter opposing the government’s proposals of a ban, due to concern that areas of Christianity would become criminalised through a conversion therapy ban. In 2022, 6 of the 18 Oxford signatories of a letter respond-

information to allow them to practise their faith in a safe environment, but also bring important attention to the need for greater support of LGBTQ+ people of faith, particularly in instances where conversion therapy is normalised and practised.

If you have been affected by any of the topics in this article, or in the report, the ‘resources of support’ section of the report provides information on how to access this support. You can send an email to oufaith01@gmail.com, or message them on social media pages found at ‘oxfordstudentfaithaction’.

For crisis support, Samaritans are found at 116 123, or, for Galop’s helpline supporting LGBTQ+ individuals facing abuse of any sort, call 0800 999 5428.

16 | Column

Paul Furey Visited OUCA and The Student Greens

So You Don’t Have To...

Paul Furey

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here are over 400 clubs and societies at this university. How can you possibly be expected to pay a visit to them all in the limited free time your degree spares you? Freight not! I’m here to spend my evenings off touring as many of Oxford’s societies as I can, and give you the honest rundown. So whether you’re trying to find the hottest new networking opportunity or which club is most generous with the free booze, allow me to test the waters, so you don’t have to.

The societies with the good sense to hold social events on the first two days of term turned out to be the Oxford University Conservative Association and Oxford Student Greens. This, I hoped, would allow one to get an early grip on the full political spectrum of students, and potentially

snmuloC

Friday 13 October 2023 | The Oxford Student

bump into a future prime minister or two.

of the ship, or the country, but of the whole world”, declared one port-wielding speaker.

OUCA has possibly had the biggest revamp of any student society over the “This house would smoke summer. Their termcard is because smoking now headlined by Liz Truss is cool,” decried and Jeremy Hunt, plus what another. seems to be most of the Tory backbenchers.

Franek BednarPort and Policy is their Sun- ski, the day social and their first this A c t i n g term was held in St Giles’ P r e s i Church Hall. £14 earns non- dent, said members unlimited port for of P&P, the evening (£9 if you hap- “where else pen to be a member) and the would you opportunity to participate find such a colin debate on three motions. lection of Marxists and strong conservatives The three motions being and have the finest debates considered were this house fueled by plenty of port”? is fiscally conservative, this house would take the helm, Leo Buckley, another OUCA and this house would smoke . member, quipped, “It doesn’t matter how bad the compaAll arguments put forward ny is if you don’t remember took an unorthodox ap- it in the morning”. proach to logic. “This house should not just take the helm Port and Policy boasts of

being Oxford’s largest weekly political social event. I counted 80 attendees, each donning their lounge suits and dresses. Not meeting the dress code is unlikely to get you removed, but I was reminded by a former OUCA president that my suit, “made me look poor”.

Nature and Negronis is the Student Greens’ chosen alliterative social event. It is held on the Mondays of odd weeks in Magdalen’s Oscar Wilde Room. Entry is £6 (£4 if you bring a reusable cup).

N&N provides a calm and cosy environment to to discuss all things environmentalism, with a healthy supply of vodka, gin and mixers.

Amongst the topics in their

first of term were proportional representation and cutting down on eating meat.

The Student Greens are not affiliated with the Green Party and accept views warmly which don’t fall in line with official party policy. Pragmatism when it comes to tactical voting and nuclear energy were key talking points around this.

Mor Stinchcombe, Chair of the Student Greens, commented, “we are a left-wing space that isn’t the Labour Club. We run a more discussion based method of being political. Reasoned points are preferred over grandstanding. We want to find the best for people who live on this earth”.

This really shone through in the conversations taking place and showed promise and ambition for a society holding their first social event ever.

(Turbo-Folk) Songs My Mother Taught Me Vuk Winrow

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he dynamic between the Balkan mother and the turbo-folk singer is like no other. Akin to a fraught mother-daughter relationship, these women and their music are decried as white trash, whilst their clothing (or what little there is of it) invokes a disapproving stare or worse – the combination shaking head and pout. (Sometimes the Balkan mother might go further by signing the Orthodox cross on herself and yelling God help me, but this sight is reserved only for the most serious of mis-haps).

Luckily, being homosexual, I do not need to deal with the nuances of this relationship. In fact, I am lucky

enough that I can look at these women as platforms to learn from. Rooted in that moment of the 2000s where euro-trash reigned supreme, their aesthetic has become one which is close to my heart and provides me with a sense of comfort. And, the sounds of autotuned female voices layered over techno, like Cher on steroids, form a kind of irresistible call.

Little musical merit is actually present in these songs but that’s not really the point. The women themselves come from their own hyper-feminine aesthetic, their replicas and emblems rather than people, but it’s this which makes them fun, they’re almost untouchable goddesses who in-fact can be accessed at most European clubs for 20 euros or under.

So, what have I learned from

these women and what life never participated in) was lessons can I pass on? not on my bingo card for this year. It might prove entertaining in the moment, but Lesson 1 - Don’t marry such displays of emotions someone who will embez- are rarely good for the body. zle money. Something that should be a simple lesson in Lesson 3 - Try not to sing life has only become more these women’s songs in pronounced the more I learn the shower. This one I also about these women, it’s a les- learned the hard way, whilst son I shall forever be grateful it’s testament to the irresistto them for teaching me. ible pull of turbo-folk music, others in your household Lesson 2 - Do not critique might not consider it that others’singing on TV if one way. Consideration is imor more Serbian women are portant. watching (even if you happen to be a paid judge on this Lesson 4 - Do not, under TV show). This, I learned the any circumstances praise hard way. Being subjected these women to other famto a tirade about the state ily members unless you are of modern womanhood and absolutely certain that they who, or where we should share in your praises. These derive authority from (if we seem to be a list of lessons I happen to be on a singing have learned the hard way. competition – of which I have What might be considered

expressions of fun and life could have deep political undertones (this is the Balkans after all) and unless you are willing to be subjected to laments about your music taste and its national implications, it is best to keep this to yourself.

Lesson 5 - Smoking. The uses of the cigarette in the turbo-folk music video are varied, and I do not have space to delve into all its implications. But the cigarette for these women is more than just an addiction, it’s an emotional prop – the way one holds the cigarette can be used to symbolise happiness, sadness, self-reflection.

I could go on, but the multitudes of the cigarette have never been clearer to me than when watching these videos.

Columns Yesterday in Yerevan The Oxford Student | Friday 13 October 2023

Columns | 17

Mass Protests and Humanitarian Crisis in Artsakh Jonah Poulard

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ello gang, welcome to the column. It’s nothing special, just another year abroad columnwith a painfully alliterative title – don’t sweat it. As the name suggests, I am currently in the great city of Yerevan, Armenia trying my very hardest to get decent enough at Russian to pass finals, and quite possibly failing. It is what it is.

I had intended to write about Snoop Dogg’s concert for this first column, which was sure to be a mad one. But sadly events out here took a turn for the worse, and Snoop was cancelled.

I’m not sure to what extent the recent crisis in Artsakh has made it into the news back in the UK, or how much you guys know about the history of the smouldering conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, so we’ll start with some basic context. Both Azerbaijan and Armenia were republics of the Soviet Union, and Nagorno-Karabakh was a semi-autonomous region within the SSR of Azerbaijan due to its ethnic Armenian majority.

As the USSR went caput underGorbachev, fighting broke out between the two mainly over Karabakh, the Armenian majority of which wanted to unify with Armenia. The result was a brutal conflict that lasted until 1994 that left almost 100,000 dead and over a million Azeris and Armenians displaced. Warcrimes and ethnic cleansing of civilians were widespread on both sides, although Armeniawas probably the worse of the two. The Armenian victory saw much of the province of Nagorno-Karabakh under ethnic Armenian control as the internationally unrecognised Republic of Artsakh, and surrounding areas of Azerbaijan under Armenian occupation as ‘buffer zones’.

That’s a gross oversimplification and I’ve not even dealt with the earlier history at all.

Nothing happened other than a few skirmishes until the Second NK War in 2020, where a newly oil-rich Azerbaijan took

back the Armenian occupied zones with ease, leaving Artsakh completely surrounded

by Azeri-controlled territory.

The only point of contact between Artsakh and Armenia was the Lachin Corridor, essentially a mountain pass a few kilometres long through Azerbaijan, administered by Russian peacekeepers (!) to allow goods and aid to pass in and out of Artsakh. However, from April of this year, the Azerbaijani military implemented a blockade of the corridor, on the pretence that it was being used to smuggle arms to the Artsakh army, resulting in a monthslong humanitarian crisis in which the people of Artsakh were continually on the brink of starvation and lacked other crucial resources like fuel, electricity and medicine. This was a violation of the ceasefire of 2020 and a failure of the Russian peacekeeping force, whose numbers were depleted due to the war in Ukraine.

In mid-September things began to look up, as Azerbaijan allowed aid trucks into Artsakh.

Then, on the 19 th September the optimism was shattered as Azerbaijan mounted an offensive against Artsakh military targets, although civilian settlements were hit too. The

bled into my first class still half asleep, had lunch and a couple more lectures, and then went to my Russian lesson in the centre.

At this point, the news of Azeri shelling of Stepanakert (capital of Artsakh) and other places was breaking. However, it was on my way home from my lesson that the weight of the situation hit me. My route back takes me directly through Republic Square, the focal point of the city surrounded by beautiful ne classical buildings that glow pink in direct sunlight.

next day, the decimated army of Artsakh surrendered and agreed to a ceasefire, whereby the unrecognised republic is to be dissolved by 2024.

This brings us up to date, sorry for the history lesson. I remember the day of the 19 th fairly well, it started off like any normal Tuesday. I stum-

sakh! Artsakh!” and “Nikol is a traitor!” rippling through the mass. The mood was stern; anger and frustration were more palpable than sadness. I asked someone what was happening, he simply replied “It’s war”. I stayed for a while, soaking in an atmosphere that was entirely novel and fairly frightening to

“A protestor told me that the attack is the fault of PM Nikol Pashinyan, whose light-handed policy towards Azeri aggression and refusal to intervene is viewed as a betrayal.”

As I approached, I could sense something was off, the roads around were closed, there was something heavy in the air. A crowd of at least a thousand faced the parliament building, every so often chants of “Art-

me, talking to people and taking some photos of the standoff between the crowd and monotonous ranks of the stainless-steel shields of the riot police.

I nipped home to eat and change after a long day, in which time the crowd had grown and begun to clash with the police. As I walked past my local shawarma joint, three coaches packed with riot reinforcements sped past along the deserted road towards the square.

When I got there, the violence had already been subdued, the crowd now rallying around a series of black-clad anti-government figures giving speeches in the middle of the square.

Outside parliament, elderly women hurled insults and entreaties at the row of shields, now three deep, and the men behind them. A protestor told me that the attack is the fault of PM Nikol Pashinyan, whose light-handed policy towards Azeri aggression and refusal to intervene is viewed as a betrayal.

The next few days saw a constant riot police presence outside parliament and a steady stream of protests and roadblocks throughout the capital.

Away from Yerevan however, an unending column of refugees arrived in Goris, the closest town to the Lachin Corridor.

At the time of writing, most estimates put the number of refugees at over 100,000, constituting almost the entire population of Artsakh. The people fleeing believe that it is their only option, they do not trust Azerbaijan’s promises of integration from the autocrat Ilham Aliyev, a man who has

frequently referred to Armenians as ‘rats’, threatened to expel them from Karabakh ‘like dogs’ 1 and said that ‘Armenia is not even a colony, it is not even worthy of being a servant’.

In essence, what has happened here, in the space of less than a month, is a tragically successful ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Karabakh. The west, thoroughly dependent on Azeri gas and reluctant to support a country whose two closest allies are Russia and Iran, have stood by and watched. The distraction of Ukraine nullified any chance of Russia helping their supposedly close ally, as their peacekeepers allowed first the blockade and the subsequent invasion.

Here on the ground the gravity of the crisis is apparent. Around every corner is an aid drop-off point, every day the main hall at my university swells with boxes destined for Goris, as the country bands together to support the influx of refugees.

A classmate of mine has left for the army unit near Goris where he completed his military service to help. It’s a sombre time, but at least the bloodshed has been minimal and most people are safe.

I had hoped to share the funner side of my time out here in this first column, but it would have felt remiss not to shed light on this critically under-reported crisis. Do take the time toread up on the situation and donate to Armenia through the UN Refugee Agency if you wish.

Until next time.

Image Credit: Jonah Poulard

s n m u l o C History Beyond the Reading List 18 | Columns

Friday 13 October 2023 | The Oxford Student

Narrative History Matt Holland

H

istory owes much to its ability to tell stories of past feats and events. Our best stories are

the ones which recount the past in which our ancestors lived and breathed, giving depth and colour to what is otherwise black and white.

Historians are remiss in losing touch to this often, with academic History struggling to engage in the past in the way in which popular History can. My favourite Histories are the ones that remind me why I chose my degree in the first place; those which immerse you into the past and introduce you to the characters who populate it.

Narrative History is one particular approach which can do this, being the barrier between a novel and a His-

tory book. It tells the story in a way that excites you and oftentimes makes you jolt on occasion realising that these stories aren’t fictional but are the real, amazing events which have actually happened. Two examples I would highly recommend and will discuss now are the books of John Preston and ‘Dreamers’ by Volker Weidermann.

John Preston’s books are so brilliant in their storytelling ability that two of them have been adapted for screen: ‘A Very English Scandal’, which depicts the doomed love affair between Norman Scott and Jeremy Thorpe, was adapted

in 2018 by Russel T Davies of Doctor Who fame into a brilliant BBC series starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw; while ‘The Dig’, which is a semi-fictionalised version of the Sutton Hoo discovery, was adapted in 2021 by Netflix as a film starring Lily James and Ralph Fiennes. Preston’s books combine a journalist lusting after the truth, a writer’s sense of story-telling and a historian’s obsession with recapturing the past and preserving it for the future; all of which makes his books incredibly addictive and highly entertaining.

F i t t i n g l y, while Preston has a back-

Blane’s Style Files Microtrends and the Illusion of Novelty Blane Aitchison

I

f you’ve been keeping up with the whirlwind of microtrends that have pervaded the fashion world over the last year, then you probably know exactly what I mean when I mention blueberry milk nails, glazed doughnut nails, tomato girl summer, cowboy copper hair, and cinnamon cookie butter hair.

If you have no idea what any of that means, then not only do you actually have a life, but you’re probably in the majority.

To put you out of your misery, blueberry milk nails are pale baby blue nails. Glazed doughnut nails are pale pink nails with a shear chrome or pearl finish. Tomato girl summer is a vaguely mediterranean aesthetic using red and off-white clothes with an occasional food-themed graphic print. Cowboy cop-

per hair is a muted, autumnal, red-toned hair colour.

Cinnamon cookie butter hair seems to just mean brown hair. No, I’m not kidding.

An interesting theme linking some of the most viral microtrends of the last year is that they all have obscure names, to the point where their meaninglessness only serves to fuel their own virality through google searches that lead to articles advertising the products the trend entails, and confused TikToks that transmit curiosity about the trend to even more people.

However, as soon as you dissect what these micro trends actually are, another common thread emerges – all of these trends revolve around ultra-specific items and leave very little room for interpretation.

This is probably because the majority of the trends originate from pictures of

celebrities. Both Dua Lipa and Sabrina Carpenter posted pictures of themselves with pale blue nails not long before the commencement of the blueberry milk nails saga. Fashion reporters (or avid fans) then pick up on this and spread the word about it.

However, there are only so many different colours of nail polish, or hair colours, or clothes colour combinations to write about, so fashion reporting outlets often give new and obscure names to old trends that have come back, and as previously discussed this fuels the trend’s virality, successfully recycling an old trend under a new name. A quick search will easily reveal that Vogue magazine has featured shades of pale blue nail polish several times before, and nails that look suspiciously like Hailey Bieber’s famous glazed dough-

ground as a journalist, so too does Volker Weidermann, with this coming across the way in which both of these writers craft their narratives.‘Dreamers’ is so amazing for the story which it tells, depicting the circle of writers and characters who led the Munich Revolution of 1918-19, tying the utopian philosophy of these revolutionaries to their roles as cultural icons.

Some of Germany’s most famous and renowned writers, notably Rainer Maria Rilke and Thomas Mann, find themselves front and centre at a time of unbelievable change and in the shadow of a war which would have a profound effect on an entire generation.

The beauty of these books is providing approachable introductions to these fantastical stories of the past. nut nails have appeared before until articles talking about frosted makeup and pearl nails – the only difference is the (completely arbitrary) name that’s been slapped onto the trend.

Especially with the blueberry milk nails, the resemblance to Miranda Priestley’s cerulean monologue in The Devil Wears Prada is so obvious that it shouldn’t need to be mentioned, but it does go to show just how carefully curated and calculated the world of fashion really is.

The truth is that fashion magazines have a lot more control over the current fashion climate than first meets the eye, not only with what styles they choose to feature, but also with how they market them, or even just the language they use to write about them Image Credit: Ruth Johnston via WikiMedia Commons

If History is valuable at all, then popular History, in the way in which it shapes how people understand the past and certainly the past of their own country, is the most valuable form of History possible. Preston’s books give a dark and morbid character to the modern History of Britain, putting the flawed historical actors in the forefront of History.

‘Dreamers’ contributes further to populating German History outside of the Nazi period, showing the competing movements and ideologies which both plagued this period in German History and develop it beyond the simple ways in which Germany and its past is perceived abroad.

Image Credit: Lesekreis via Wikimedia Commons

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Columns Mental Health Walk Michaelmas The Oxford Student | Friday 13 October 2023

Columns | 19

Christ Church Meadows and Oxford Botanic Gardens started to get sore. Luckily, I’d scheduled a mental health walk/catch up session Sunmanda’s mental day morning with my friend health is regularly through Christ Church Meadin a worse state ows (CCM) and the Botanic than Catz accommodation.” Garden.

— my tutorial partner from CCM and the Botanic Garlast year, this morning den are connected through To the new freshers– wel- a series of gates, and the come, and to everyone re- complex stretches from turning– welcome back!

Hope you aren’t afflicted with freshers flu like I am and that you’ve made it through zeroth week relatively unscathed. But if you haven’t (mentally, at least), then this column is for you!

I am unashamedly a New Yorker (and annoyingly so) and have gotten used to many a mental health walk over the years, during bad days and good days alike.

Yet the differences between Oxford and NYC do not end at Oxford’s lack of gray, but also include the small town aspect of life that I never really enjoyed. You know everyone here, and it’s so Christ Church all the way difficult to find a public pri- down to Magdalen on the vate place that’s a change High Street. We walked for of scenery from your small about an hour and a half, getcramped room or your col- ting in about seven thousand lege quad where somehow steps in the meanwhile. The every tutor you’ve ever had CCM section was first, taking ever is wandering at all given a loop from Christ Church times. NYC gives you a sense past their cows (which my of privacy through not know- friend told me are killed and ing anyone– you can sob on served at formal—the joy of the subway and no one will seeing a cow kind of dissistare– making mental health walk locations easily findable. At Oxford, though, I’ve been judged multiple times when crying on my way back from a bad tute, and it feels shameful to speak about mental health here, let alone express it. So here I am, finding all the best mental health walks for us to take, ranked by cryability, seclusion, fun, helpfulness, and time-consuming ness.

This week, I was more than a little stressed, with varying deadline and society work that were urgent, plus freshers week events and the looming threat of sickness.

By the time it reached the weekend, I was at my breaking point, plus my throat Amanda Li

“A

“Amanda’s mental health is regularly in a worse state than Catz accommodation.” — my tutorial partner from last year, this morning

pated after that. Please tell me it isn’t true), by the river, and through a little trail in the trees, eventually looping back to Christ Church or heading on to the Botanic Garden depending on which path you take. Despite the large number of tourists in Christ Church, there were less people walking the meadows, and we only ran into two people during our walk. The sunshine was beautiful, the breeze cooled me down from my slightly sweaty jog over, and the nature was a nice escape from the beige that afflicts our lives in the old colleges.

CCM is quiet enough to hear your thoughts but not quiet enough that you worry about being lost. I talked through my problems (when I’m alone on this walk, I listen to music) and felt better by the time we got to the ducks near the Botanic Garden turn. CCM has many bridges and trees, and if you walk by the river in the early morning, you can see rowers going out for their first sessions of the day. Overall, CCM is a good place to chill and escape from academic life, especially if you are pressed for time. A walk around the loop is only thirty minutes long!

We then went through the cattle gate to head to the Botanic Garden, walking

through the side path into the admission area (free if you show your bodcard!) and then through to the garden. It was my first time there, and I realized that it was a great place to work, with benches everywhere and even a cafe within the gardens selling Jericho Coffee Traders drinks. As a walking location, though? There were definitely more people here as casual tourists than as wanderers, and it was mostly silent, so our conversation echoed and at times it felt like we were being eavesdropped on. It ended up becoming more of a topical conversation about the plants we were seeing while we entered the lush greenhouses than a mental health walk. The outside

gardens were a bit better, though still more crowded than CCM. Perhaps it was the size of the gardens compared to the meadows, or maybe we just got there during the afternoon rush. Either way, the plants were cool but the walk less so, and the long walk back to College proved a better walk than the garden.

Overall, that hour and a half was a helpful walk, and I think if you want to take your first walk around Oxford, CCM is a great place to go. Our welfare reps always offer to take us on a CCM walk and for good reason!

Plus there are so many hidden turns and corners that will make a walk here never boring. Try it out and hopefully you’ll feel much more relaxed after this walk!

Christ Church Meadows Cryability: 8 Seclusion: 5 Fun: 10, Helpfulness:10 Quickness: 8

Oxford Botanic Garden Cryability: 2 Seclusion: 2 Fun: 8 Helpfulness: 6 Quickness: 4

Image Credits: Jonas Magnus Lystad, Txllxt TxllxT via WikiMedia Commons

20 | Features

Features

Friday 13 October 2023 | The Oxford Student

Deputy Editor: Haochen Wang Section Editors: Patrick Groves, Helena Catalán Busquets, Elliot Francolla features@oxfordstudent.com

An American in Oxford “L Elliot Francolla ook right!”

I can’t recount the number of times - in just the week I’ve spent in England - that I’ve moved to cross the street, tossing a glance over my left shoulder, only to be nearly crushed by traffic coming from the right.

Some American stereotypes are truer (and more dangerous) than others, but I must admit that I’m certainly not exempt from this habit. Besides walking carelessly into the street, we’re known for our lack of basic geographical knowledge, loudness, and repeated mentions of Harry Potter.In defiance of the particular American stereotype of obsession with Harry Potter-land, my real favourite piece of Oxford media is not Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, the acclaimed Babel, or even the Inspector Morse detective show. As a coursemate at Oriel will testify, it is Rob Lowe’s 1984 “Oxford Blues”’ Trashed by critics and viewers alike, full of halfbaked plotlines and insensitive stereotypes, it is a hilarious piece of cinema wherein the American main character, Nick, cons his way into Oriel College in pursuit of the alluring Lady Victoria, a British woman attending Oxford.

Throughout the course of the film, he blunders his way through Oxford in a way that inspires second hand embarrassment as well as laughter.

Interestingly, another main character is a fellow American girl that he meets on his first day in Oxford.

On my first night in Oxford, I attended a charming dinner with the fellow international students at my college, including two other Americans. Two of us struck up a conversation and became fast friends throughout freshers week we’d like to think not just by virtue of our shared nationality.

However, the situation couldn’t help but bring to mind a scene from Oxford Blues, where Nick is talking with the other American at Oriel, and says rudely that “I did not travel

ten thousand miles to spend my first morning in England talking to some wise-ass girl from Weehawken, New Jersey.”

I myself am from a good four miles from Weehawken so it can’t entirely apply, but otherwise, that quote struck at the heart of my quick friendship with my American. Whether we came here to escape America or not, for better or worse, we Americans simply cannot seem to be rid of each other.

Infamously, geography is also a sore subject. Although to be at Oxford, it is implied that one must be reasonably intelligent, the age-old idea that Americans couldn’t point to their own country on a world map still seems to apply. Though it’s

“In Oxford, one might accidentally step on the spot Cranmer was martyred on the way to pick up a coffee, or in my college’s case, on gravestones between the quads.” never done with even a hint of derision, I have been asked if I have heard of fairly major cities in the UK and elsewhere in Europe as though they’re tiny towns in the middle of nowhere. Truly, the saddest part is that I wish I could argue against the stereotype, but I have experienced American geographical ineptitude firsthand so many times that I have accepted that this is a cross I must bear.

Speech is slightly different too, and I’ve found myself guilty of a few “American moments” of failing to comprehend basic expressions. On the first day of freshers week, after responding to polite ‘where are you from?’s, I was casually asked how I found the state I had lived in. I pondered for a moment before answering that Florida is quite southern, and on a map it’s the peninsula that sticks out of the bottom right-hand side of the United States. My new friends had been asking about

my experience living in Florida, not how to place it on an atlas.

Though I was warned of culture shock in advance of arriving in England, I can’t say there has been a great deal I have found shockingly different. There are some notable exceptions, though. On Monday of freshers week, my college put on a pub crawl where we walked around the city visiting various establishments. In the White Horse, I had my first experience of someone proclaiming in a truly heartfelt manner that monarchy was indubitably superior to democracy, which I found astounding to the point of hilarity. As a proper Yankee myself, I gleefully tapped the monarchist on the shoulder and asked, in my most exaggerated American accent, “Who won the war?”

One leg of the pub crawl ran along Broad Street, past the stone cross in the pavement marking the spot where Thomas Cranmer was famously martyred. It was there that our monarchist stopped the whole group of tipsy freshers and gave a short speech honouring the martyrs and their ascent to heaven. I wasn’t the only person who continued to our next stop bewildered.

Thankfully, I have met wonderful and welcoming people in this first week in the UK who have taken care to introduce me to such quintessentially British experiences as Tesco

and Wetherspoons. I am well on the way to being properly British since I have managed to register for a Tesco Clubcard (although my phone refuses to believe I live in the UK, and I cannot download the app) and been to a pub at least three separate times. Spoons is definitely an experience, and it was in fact thanks to a Spoons TV that I first learned that the US Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, had been deposed.

Though the stereotype of the silly American will never really miss the mark, I feel that being from the US has made me especially aware of the enchanting and sublime in Oxford, and for that I am grateful. The United States is an incredibly large and diverse place, and it depends very much on one’s region of origin, but often Americans come from a place where history is bulldozed to make way for four-lane roads and Walmarts. I am originally from the Northeast of the US, where the past and present coincide much more than other places, but for the past six years I lived in Florida, and though Florida does actually have the oldest extant European settlement in the country, St. Augustine, the state is often characterised by a soulless suburban sprawl.

Oxford is likely the farthest possible thing I can imagine to a Florida suburb. If you walk an hour in almost any direction from the city centre here

you’ll end up outside of the city, but the walk is a bustling small city with shops, cafes, colleges, and museums stacked up against one another. In Florida, you may walk hours and hours along the same harsh, busy road, and end up nowhere at all.

Florida has a rich and enthralling history, but it is shamefully obscure. In Oxford, one might accidentally step on the spot Cranmer was martyred on the way to pick up a coffee, or in my college’s case, on gravestones between the quads.

It is here and nowhere else that I have read Walt Whitman in the gardens while the sun shone through the leaves. It is here that I have seen the stars framed by four ancient walls after midnight. It is this place, so distant from my life five thousand miles away, that ignites my morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs. This past Thursday, my college hosted a lovely dinner with the tutors to welcome the bright-eyed freshers in advance of term.

Our president gave a beautiful speech in which she called upon the 468 year history of our college. I couldn’t help but think that my entire country is only a little over half that age.

We are barely a flicker in the jaded eyes of this university. As my other American said, here, you must be aware of death.

Image description: The Hertford College bridge

The Oxford Student | Friday 13 October 2023

Features | 21

Oxford and its coffee Haochen Wang ecently, the Vaults and Garden café was given notice by the Parochial Church Council of the University’s St Mary’s Church to close so the Church can renovate.

Perhaps, in the grand scheme of Oxford’s history and economy, the potential closure would’ve only been a footnote, but within four days, a petition to save the café launched by its customers has gained over 4000 signatures. And while Vaults and Garden is only one of the many cafés in Oxford, the uproar and outpouring of public sentiment evidences just how greatly the Oxford populace loves them.

When someone mentions Oxford, we might immediately conjure up images of the Radcliffe Camera (affectionately, the Rad Cam), the stairs in Christ Church where the Hogwarts first-years stood, or the glorious rowing. But, we must not forget the source that seems to keep all the students alive, awake, and functional: coffee, and cafés.

“Hold on, I can’t think properly without my morning cup of coffee”, or “Let’s meet up for a cup of coffee”, and many other such phrases have, long ago, become staples in our vocabulary and vernacular. Of course, cafés do not only cater to students. Whether a college café

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or one along the High Street, it would not surprise anyone to see townsfolk and tourists enjoying a cappuccino and soaking in the scenery. In fact, England’s (allegedly) oldest cafés are almost all from Oxford: The Grand Café established in 1650; Queen’s Lane Coffee House in 1654. Evidently, Oxford has been surviving on coffee for almost 400 years.

Yet it would be remiss to think that this dependency is solely one way. In the case of the potential closure of Vaults and Garden, Will Pouget, the café owner, spoke about the financial fallout: having to dismiss 70 employees within the next three months (the time given by the Church) would result in financial liability of £100,000.

In 2018, the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) found that Brits drink 95 million cups of coffee a day, and now, the number still rises.

In the same year, the Office for National Statistics found that the coffee business has also grown steadily in Oxford, from 55 businesses in 2010 to 80 in 2018. Finally, Oxford City Council summarised that Oxford attracts more than 7 million visitors per year, generating more than £800 million in income for local businesses.

These seem like – and are – impressive figures. But, what

“…coffee houses here don’t only offer drinks and pastries, but also a glimpse into the historically inaccessible world of academia. ”

does this mean? Considering Oxford’s unique position within the UK’s “Golden Triangle”, the city’s primary economic output comes from education, publication, manufacturing, and other professional industries. So, while tourism is significant, the tertiary education and manufacturing sectors reign fiscally supreme (think of how many MINIs are driven everywhere).

However, with how long coffee has been around in Oxford, its role has long transcended beyond pure economics and business.

Before Oxford, I wasn’t too big of a coffee drinker. Sure, I too would relish in its warm embrace during the cold winter months, but never had I found it an indispensable necessity.

However, something changed when I, along with every other new student, was handed café vouchers and encouraged to purchase keep cups during Freshers’ Week. Now, subconsciously, I find myself wandering towards Pembroke’s Farthings Café whenever I need to escape from my reading list; and paying a visit to G&D’s or Taylor’s is little more than routine. Of course, we don’t only drink coffee for the energy boost or the warmth it gives – coffees and cafés serve as a place where students can meet friends, relax, date, and escape from the burden of es-

says, problem sheets, and week five blues.

Indeed, for almost 400 years, the marriage between Oxford and its cafés and coffees has run smoothly in the background.

Generations of patrons have met in coffee houses to socialise and discuss common matters of interest (it was said that Christopher Wren, the famed architect, was a frequent visitor to the Queen’s Lane Coffee House), leading to coffee houses and cafés gaining the name “penny universities”.

Clearly, with Oxford’s leading role in research, education and its high concentration of academics, coffee houses here don’t only offer drinks and pastries, but also a glimpse into the historically inaccessible world of academia.

“The Vaults and Garden café … has become a city institution over the last 20 years”, were some of the first words written in the petition to save the café. Undoubtedly, visiting the myriad of cafés, coffee houses, and other eateries that make up the city’s social, cultural, and economic landscape have long become a central part of the Oxford lifestyle. As such, the wealth of signatures on the petition to “savethevaults” represents not only a desire to save a beloved café, but also a reluctance to let go of an integral part of the Oxford identity.

Culture

Friday 13 October 2023 | The Oxford Student

22 | Culture Deputy Editor: Jennifer Robinson Section Editors: Johannah Mathew, Ivy Wong, Declan Collins culture@oxfordstudent.com

I, Porphyria Be sure I loved. Be sure I loved She – until our hearts did sever.

When she took her murderous glove, Hatred pursued with frightful endeavour.

She dropped my hand, her love in vain, Her whispered words sure to impale.

She promised me her sweet disdain, A madness then did soon prevail.

I should have fought with force except Her arms invited strange content.

She took my life and wrapped my neck, This is what my love had meant: She took my life with one death stroke And watched as yellow hair did choke.

by Cate Morris

The Wonderful Anthology of Roald Dahl: Wes Anderson’s Take on Four Short Stories in New Netflix Series

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Jennifer Robinson

eleased on Netflix one after the other from the 27th to the 30th September, the four short adaptations form their own disconnected anthology series, beginning with The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and continuing through to The Swan, The Rat Catcher, and then finally Poison. Perfectly incorporating whimsy with the slightly macabre in a typical Roald Dahl blend, Wes Anderson fantastically executes this strange little series with a stellar cast behind it.

The short films feel less like a typical film project and more like what I can only describe as their own blended medium of narrated tale and cinematography, which very effectively encapsulates the sense of both being read a story and the role of imagination in constructing that story in front of the mind’s eye. The role of the narrator naturally becomes the most crucial, coming in and out of the diegetic narrative, becoming Dahl himself, or else the main character of the tale, so that the storyteller is never detached but integral.

The meta role of the narrator is furthered by acknowledgements to the production of the films themselves, as the blue-overalled men silently change out props and shift scenes in every iteration. I love Anderson’s use of practical effects, and there is a particular moment in Poison which I think highlights why it works especially well for these specific adaptations.

The set shifts from the outside scene of the bungalow to Harry’s bedroom as Timber Woods walks in, which was particularly effective in conveying the mind’s imagination upon hearing a story, magically transporting characters to the relevant scenes rather than focusing on the details of realism. The general, oddly false atmosphere of the films is achieved through variously engaging with painted backdrops, stop motion puppets, and invisible props the viewer must ‘imagine’, really situating the viewer in the role of

listener in the series of tales and perfectly encapsulating the childhood experience of sitting down to hear a story.

Wes Anderson was a natural choice for Netflix, with the success of his Fantastic Mr. Fox adaptation, but he does something different here, and for my part I am relieved it wasn’t just a carbon copy of the previous Dahl adaptation transferred onto one of his other widely known books.

I also have to respect Netflix for not immediately cashing in

‘complete’ of the narratives, which otherwise foucs on an isolated moment, the character’s worlds beginning and ending within the climactic event.

Poison is an interesting choice of all the films to end on, about a man finding a poisonous snake on his bed and the panic ensuing in saving his life. But it’s not so isolated as that, as is revealed towards the end of the film with Harry Pope’s jarring outburst of racial slurs.

The point is very much that the racism of Harry is a crucial flaw

with the money-making hits in the likes of The BFG, or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when they bought the rights to Dahl’s work back in 2021. Rather, for their big debut into this new intellectual property, they’ve gone for something darker, more obscure: shining light on the less well-known short stories, it bodes well for how Netflix plans to handle more Dahl adaptations in the future.

When the first film I watched (The Rat Catcher) began, I had my doubts. It was the classic, stereotyped Wes Anderson treatment: yellow tint; slightly odd-dressed character sat off to the side; wide shot. I thought I knew what I was in for. But as the film, and indeed as the rest of the films in this anthology, proved, Anderson cleverly adapts his style to work with rather than dominate the original stories.

The tale most likely to be recognised from the anthology would be Henry Sugar, following a man who learns how to read the backs of card to make a fortune. It may be my favourite, and it certainly feels the most

to his character, and plays into his paranoia surrounding the poisonous krait snake that may or may not be on his chest, representing broader racist anxieties. However, it inevitably draws upon the tension of Dahl’s own racism, especially when seen in a modern, 2023 lens, which the film crucially has to be seen in. The question is, do they succeed? It feels like a case of resignation in the characters of Dr. Ganderbai and Timber Woods, a reluctant acceptance of Harry’s racist attitudes as he grows increasingly deluded – and perhaps this is the film’s own reluctant acceptance of Dahl’s character: one that is implicitly critiqued but ultimately still warmly clad in jumpers and cardigans, nestled snugly in a cosy writing shed to tell us stories.

Dahl has always skirted the line between the whimsical and the macabre, and these short films meet their source material at every turn through the excellently paced interrogations of human cruelty and kindness, the duality always wobbling on an ambiguous knife’s edge.

The Oxford Student | Friday 13 October 2023

Culture | 23

Michaelmas podcast picks: From Kathy Burke to Delta Work Charlie Bowden Where There’s a Will, There’s a Wake

There’s something so comforting about Kathy Burke’s gruff, interrogative voice as she talks about death. Each segment is announced by a hauntingly overzealous choir that provides a strange sense of calm as the guest moves through each stage of their inevitable demise. Comedy legend Burke is there the whole time, taking on the role of a caring grim reaper making sure all the infernal arrangements are in order. The subject is, unsurprisingly, fairly untrodden ground in the world of podcasting, but that only makes Kathy’s successful navigation of it all the more endearing.

Frank Skinner’s Poetry Podcast The perennial problem with getting many people to engage with poetry beyond the requirements

of GCSE English Literature is its perceived inaccessibility. The only way to shift those assumptions is to present poets and their work in an accessible manner, and comedian Frank Skinner does just that on his podcast which does exactly what it says on the tin. Taking two or three of his favourite poems by a particular poet each episode, he dives deep into personal interpretations and biographical information without veering into unfamiliar territory for the average listener. He discusses high-level poetry in practical, engaging terms that take it out of its drab classroom manifestations and push the listener to think about their own life in a poetic sense.

to be able to tell a historical narrative well. Comedian Angela Barnes, best known for her appearances on Mock the Week, and author John O’Farrell, previously the lead writer on Spitting Image and Have I Got News for You, come together to explore all manner of interesting historical stories. They take particular interest in British political history, with O’Farrell, a former Labour campaigner and parliamentary candidate, demonstrating his expertise and lived experience. If you enjoy history but don’t want the chance of one of your Oxford tutors popping up to give their academic opinion, this is the podcast for you.

Drag Race star enthrals listeners with stories of bad customer service experiences and gives her expert opinion on how to fix these problems. She also interviews a wide range of guests, from LA nightlife icons to queer music royalty, and together they answer listener questions and give advice in the segment ‘Read Me Delta!’.

There might be bigger fish to fry in the world, but here Delta fries the small fish. In fact, she recently won multiple awards for her fish-frying. It’s an exciting time to tune in, because this month Very Delta transforms into Very Scary Delta, with different Halloween costumes and spooky iconography on display each week. This podcast is all treats, no tricks.

We Are History There are many excellent historical podcasts on the market, Very Delta often fronted by prominent aca- Are you a lady like Delta Work? demics and popular historians, On her weekly “luxury public ac- The Oxford Student Podcast but you don’t have to have a PhD cess podcast” the Emmy-winning Surprise, if you hadn’t already

What’s on this week?

John Kearns: The Varnishing Days The acclaimed comic comes to Oxford. The Bullingdon, Sun 15 October, 7pm (18+ only).

David Mitchell: Unruly Actor and comic interviewed on medieval history by Jeremy Paxman. New Theatre, Mon 16 October, 7:30pm.

seen our calls for hosts and editors or the numerous times we mentioned it before! After several terms of plans going unfulfilled, we’re proud to say that The Oxford Student is officially starting its own podcast. With a little help from our friends at Oxide Radio, where our episodes will be recorded, the OxStu will be bringing you regular term-time content to enjoy, from commentary on the latest Oxford news to recommendations for local entertainment. Our three hosts will feature regularly on the podcast but we want to engage with the Oxford student community more broadly as well. If you have any requests for content to cover or an idea for a segment you want to feature in, let us know!

In conversation with Paterson Joseph The award-winning actor discusses his debut novel. Pitt Rivers Museum, Tues 17 October, 5pm.

The Isis’ Inheritance exhibition Includes curated archival pieces.

Kendrew Barn, St John’s College, Tues 17 October, 8-10pm.

Subscribe to our newsletter to get these events in your inbox every week! Link on our website: oxfordstudent.com

Royal Gossip: Meaningless, or Historically Necessary?

Liz Lane

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ver found yourself flicking guiltily through the “entertainment” tab on twitter, or desperately trying to conceal how much of your TikTok feed is full of the latest Sophie Turner/Joe Jonas gossip? Ever feel embarrassed by how much you know about Meghan and Harry’s love life, or reluctant to admit you can name all of Taylor Swift’s rumoured boyfriends? It’s time to relax. Gossip just became a thing of historical significance.

Yes, that’s right. Mary Beard, the world-renowned Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge, has just declared that gossiping, specifically about royalty, serves an important function.

‘I’ve been reading that they are going to get a divorce,’ the classicist says in an interview with The Times. Promoting her new book Emperor of Rome, which explores, in part, the wild and rumour-filled lives of Ancient Roman rulers, she declares that

speculation about the marital status of Meghan and Harry is ‘very much the same sort of gossip.’ Clarifying her position, she then adds: ‘Before anyone thinks I’m trivialising it, gossip is very important... from a historical point of view.’

Beard is not the only one to make this claim. French enlightenment philosopher Voltaire also categorised gossip in the same, if slightly crueller, light: ‘Historians,’ for him, were ‘gossips who tease the dead’.

Beard’s claim suggests that such gossip can also be fairly applied to the living as today’s rumours fuel tomorrow’s papers which, believe it or not, one day, may be referred back to by royal historians keen to find the quote that will clinch the final point in their research paper. But what about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce? Can non-royal gossip serve any other useful purpose?

Israeli academic Yuval Noah Harari argued in his book Sapiens that gossip has played an essential part in evolutionary

human survival. “Social cooperation is our key for survival and reproduction. It is not enough for individual men and women to know the whereabouts of lions and bisons,” he writes.

“It’s much more important for them to know who in their band hates whom, who is sleeping with whom, who is honest and who is a cheat.” Gossip was a way for early humans to make allies, learn who could be trusted and who was best to avoid.

Gossiping is a fundamental part of human connection, and just as early men and women used it to form tribes, today, it can used as a bonding factor in friendships.

Gossiping did not always have negative or frivolous connotations it has today. Etymologically speaking, the word itself is rooted in the Old English godsibb meaning ‘godfather, godmother,’ or ‘baptismal sponsor’.

The noun itself has a completely different, and much more pious, meaning than the verb too, as a “gossip” was considered to be someone ‘who has con-

tracted spiritual affinity with another by acting as a sponsor at a baptism’ (OED). The verb, on the other hand, meaning ‘to talk idly, mostly about other people’s affairs’ only found its footing in the 17th century though some trace it back to the mid-1500s.

We also have to consider the positives that can come out of celebrity gossip. The latest rumours surrounding the turbulence in the marriage of Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas were on one level invasive and troubling for both parties. On another level, the conversation around the rumour-fuelled speculation prompted conversations online that were long overdue. Questions around mother-shaming and the way the media has treated celebrity parents arose.

Twitter users and journalists cried misogyny on a story that, ten years ago, would have seen Sophie Turner villainised.

On a more basic level, the coverage of Taylor Swift’s appearance at Travis Kelce’s NFL game has provoked questions about

how much the NFL features celebrities at their games. Ariana Grande’s confession to getting botox and lip fillers brought about debates around celebrity transparency and unrealistic beauty standards. Pamela Anderson’s makeup free look empowered women to reconsider questions around ageing and glamour. Meghan and Harry’s exit from the royal family has resulted in a wealth of debate and about race, media misogyny and the value of a British constitutional monarchy.

There is no denying that gossip can be vicious, used for cruel purposes with little thought for the subject involved. It can be the source of bullying in high school, workplaces and online.

In a way, it’s hardly surprising that in 2019, the Philippines mayor Ramon Guico III banned gossip for those living in Binalonan. Nevertheless, we should also be able to see the efficacy of gossip and what it might bring about it our societies. It can certainly lead to things fruitful as well as sour.

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26 | Green

Green

Friday 13 October 2023 | The Oxford Student

Deputy Editor: Jasmine Wilkinson Section Editors: Gaspard Rouffin, Jessica Wang green@oxfordstudent.com

Vilnius, Lithuania wins the European Green City award Gaspard Rouffin he European Commission announced last week the winner of its Green Capital 2025 award, which went to the city of Vilnius in Lithuania.

This prize rewards capital cities that promote innovation and sustainable development, and is part of the EU’s mission to encourage transition towards a greener and healthier living environment.

Vilnius will be awarded a financial prize of €600,000 for this victory, and will serve as a role model for other cities throughout Europe. The second category of this prize for smaller cities was awarded to Viladecans in Spain and Treviso in Italy.

Between 70 and 80% of Europeans live in urban areas, so it is clear that cities play a crucial role in the continent’s environmental and economic transformation towards a sustainable, cleaner future.

Lithuania is a European leader

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in sustainability, with the country recently topping emerging Europe in this Climate Change Performance Index, and Vilnius being distinguished as Europe’s healthiest capital city for its air quality and its high standard

“Lithuania is a European leader in sustainability, with the country recently topping emerging Europe in this Climate Change Performance Index”

of green spaces available to residents.

Vilnius has the mission to become a climate-neutral smart city by 2030, and is in that respect part of many EU initiatives for sustainable cities. It is also a signatory of the Green City Accord, a movement of European mayors committed to improving the quality of life of their residents and accelerating

the implementation of relevant EU environmental laws.

Vilinius is committed to addressing five areas of environmental management: air, water, nature and biodiversity, circular economy and waste, and noise. The city aims to actively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the use of renewable energy sources, and renovating heating infrastructure to avoid energy waste.

Green spaces play a particularly central place in Vilnius’ sustainability strategy. This is because it goes towards a variety of targets, from the happiness of residents to clean air and water, to biodiversity preservation. In Vilnius, over 46% of the surface area is composed of green spaces, compared to London’s 18%.

The city is part of the Green Wave Initiative, which aims to plant millions of trees, shrubs, and vines across Europe. Vilnius also invests in renovating and reforming public parks,

and establishing healthy natural meadows, composed of local

“In Vilnius, over 46% of the surface area is composed of green spaces, compared to London’s 18%.” wild flowers and plants.

To combat noise and environmental pollution, Vilnius encourages sustainable transportation in the form of bicycles, and took the decision of replacing fireworks with lasers, light performances, or even drones to continue to celebrate, but sustainably.

Vilnius’ sustainability strategy also relies heavily on technology and innovation, and more specifically on the Internet of Things, i.e. connected devices.

The city for instance uses virtual reality for simulations, as well as an app for citizens to engage in all relevant areas of city management.

New Term, New You? 5 Quick Changes You Can Make to Be Greener: 1. Turn the lights off when

you leave your room: I’m so guilty of leaving it on when I head to the kitchen or to my friend’s room, but it takes 5 seconds and you are saving a loads of energy.

2. Cycle or walk instead of

taking the bus: if you live out of town, it’s easy to go for the easy option, but cycling is not only a great way of keeping fit, it’s also great for the environment.

3. Buy a reusable water bottle instead of using plastic water bottles.

4. Recycle!!

5. Order the veggie option

at formal- delicious and better for the environment!

The Oxford Student | Friday 13 October 2023

SciTech | 27

SciTech 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics announced

Deputy Editor: Bridget Harrington Section Editors: Tymoteusz Syrytczyk, Samkeet Shah, Gabriella Kchozyan scitech@oxfordstudent.com

Emily Hudson

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he Nobel Prize in Physics for 2023 has been awarded to three researchers for their work in developing experiments to measure events happening on the very shortest of timescales.

Anne L’Huillier, Pierre Agostini and Ferenc Krausz have been awarded the medal for their independent work on experiments that enable us to see processes happening within atoms and molecules. Their research field, known as attosecond physics, refers to the timescale of light pulses they have produced: an attosecond.

This is such a small time interval that there are as many in one second as there have been seconds since the birth of the universe.

The researchers’ contributions “open[ed] the door to the world of electrons”, enabling physicists to understand processes governed by the move-

ment and interaction of electrons. “The next step,” says the Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, Eva Olson, “will be utilising them”.

L’Huillier’s experiment is the earliest of the three, with the Laureate’s 1987 observations upon transmitting laser light through noble gases providing rich groundwork for future breakthroughs.

L’Huillier, of Lund University, Sweden, discovered that many different overtones of light arose from this laser transmission, from interactions between the laser light and the atoms in the gas.

Electrons gain extra energy upon being hit with the laser

side base modifications would later revolutionise mRNA as a vaccine technology platform, eventually enabling Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech to quickly develop their own mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Karikó and Weissman refined the technology that led to vaccines that saved the lives of millions.

Vaccines have traditionally either been live attenuated or inactivated. Live attenuated vaccines, such as the MMR and shingles vaccines, contain a weakened, live version of the virus or bacteria. This allows the immune system to produce specific antibodies that form immunological memory and help protect the body from the disease. Although the weakened version does not cause the disease, it may not be suitable for those with underlying health issues or weaker immune systems. Inactivated vaccines, on the other hand, do not contain live bacteria or viruses, but may not always produce long-term immunity in comparison to live attenu-

ated vaccines.

The breakthrough in mRNA vaccine technology allows for quicker and more efficient vaccine development. Traditional vaccines take a significant amount of time to produce, while mRNA vaccines can be quickly designed and tested since they do not contain a live or inactive part of a virus. In-

light, which is then re-emitted as light at a wavelength related to the characteristics of the atom. For this reason, attosecond processes are useful in the identification of atoms and molecules, which has direct applications in the field of medicine.

Agostini and Krausz worked independently in 2001 on these attosecond light pulses, at the USA’s Ohio State University and the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Germany respectively. Agostini produced and investigated a series of consecutive pulses,

whilst Krausz developed an experiment that isolated a single pulse of slightly longer duration. Both methods were instrumental in developing ways to investigate electron dynamics in matter, which happen so fast that they were previously impossible to follow.

Indeed, it was a long road to this breakthrough, with 1999’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry being awarded to Ahmed Zewail for studies on chemical transition states in reactions. This was made possible by developments in laser technology, which Agostini and Krausz built upon. The Laureates will travel to Sweden in December to formally receive their medal alongside winners in the categories of Physiology and Medicine, Chemistry and Economics, Literature and Peace.

stead, mRNA vaccines instruct the body to produce the viral proteins itself to build immunological memory and prevent future infection.

Karikó and Weissman worked on their award-winning research at a time when interest in mRNA technology was low.

Their determination and years of hard work have helped mod-

ern medicine in profound ways, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Laureates are invited to receive their awards in Sweden on the 10th December. The prize includes a diploma, gold medal, and a $1 million cash reward.

Image credit: Wikipedia

2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine announced

Gabriella Kchozyan

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wo scientists have been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their contributions to messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology, which later enabled the development of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute announced the joint winners on Monday in Stockholm, Sweden.

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman conducted their seminal research together at the University of Pennsylvania.

The pair researched the use of mRNA for therapeutic means, discovering that experimentally base-modified mRNA induces greater protein production and significantly reduces inflammation. This is an important discovery as it helps to overcome some of the barriers that have previously prevented the use of mRNA vaccines, namely the large inflammatory reaction they provoke. Nucleo-

Image credit: Niklas Elmehed

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OXYOU

OxYou | 29

Deputy Editor: Olly DeHerrera Section Editor: Florence Purcell oxyou@oxfordstudent.com

Oxford Alternative Careers Fair Guide Olly DeHerrera

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oomed over by Nobel Prize winners, world leaders and inventors of life-saving medicine, it’s easy for the average maintenance loan-haver at Oxford to feel hopeless about their post-graduation prospects.

But with over 900 years of students, there are plenty of alumni who have taken their Oxford education to new lows. Here OxYou is taking a quick look at some of the alternative careers pursued by Oxford alumni to give you a taste of the options out there.

KING CHARLES II FAN (OR NOT) Fan of the monarchy?

Well, you’re well placed in Oxford where many alumni helped restore King Charles II to the throne after his father, Charles I, became the first King of England to be executed by his subjects.

Oxford heralds big names in the Charles II Fan Club, including Thomas Carte, and who could forget Sir William Blackett, 2nd Baronet of Newcastle-upon-Tyne?

Alternatively, Oxford also produced its own share of anti-Charles-ists, including Henry Marten who not only attended Oxford but was

physically born on Merton Street. With the government’s recent commitment to free speech in universities, Oxford students will have even more liberty to express their pro or anti – Charles views.

MEDIA TYCOON Want to try your hand at phone hacking? Up for publicly claiming that the Queen voted Brexit? Oxford can certainly prepare you for becoming one of the most disliked people globally by creating your own media empire. Completing his MA at Worcester College, Keith Rupert Murdoch was poised to take over the world of journalism, with “Girl eats 4000 washing up sponges” and “Man who made love to pavements” being some of the tamer headlines of Murdoch-owned papers. This saga of Murdoch madness ended last week, with the comment switched firmly off on stories reporting his resignation within his own paper.

It looks like a new position is up for succession.

STAGING A JEWELLERY HEIST A descendant of the man who formally discovered the Guppy (yes, really), the

BEST OF THE ROAST

Rordon Gamsay

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ordon is back and serving up the (late) dessert to your naughty noughth week. We’re off to a bang as Oxford University held its reunion party in Manchester, to which Rordon was not invited. Explosions in the political world were followed by literal explosions as lightning caused a recycling plant to explode outside Oxford- or maybe it was that dodgy concrete. HS2 was cancelled after its 2012 tweets resurfaced.

The American XL Bully was banned for having that annoying accent. The only thing not being tossed out is this draft edition (sorry).

than the OxStu, Rordon was inspired to try out for Oxford’s very own Acapella society. It certainly is as feast for the senses: the stunning staccatos and plucky polyphonies of the all-male acapella group, grinning in their V formation like a hive of M&S bagging assistants.

Don’t let all that testosterone fool you, the boys aren’t afraid of a bit of Girls Aloud, (catchy, but Rordon doesn’t want to taste their kisses in the night, if it can be avoided). Up on the stage, Rodon was hoping to channel Bublé and Jackson, but came out a little more Gove.

He can’t sing, he can’t dance, and he sure isn’t ‘levelling up’ either. Maybe next year.

OUT OF THE BLUE

OXFORD’S MATING SEASON BEGINS

With a 100% higher success in being retweeted by Shakira

As the sweet smell of BO swirls about the JCR, the sweat be-

Magdalen alumnus Darious Guppy was more than a little bit fishy. Darious would be the one to tarnish the name of the humble fish by staging a £1.8 million jewel heist as part of an insurance fraud scheme revenge plot against a company he claimed to have shafted his father in business dealings.

He was also alleged to have conspired with Boris Johnson to beat up journalist Stuart Collier in their Oxford days.

studied Law and Political Science as a Rhodes Scholar before working his way up in the National Socialist German Workers Party (yes, that is exactly what you think it is).

Luckily for Oriel he never took any interest in commissioning his own statue above their gate. Hopefully we don’t see anyone else inspired by his career path anytime soon.

MURDERING GRIGORI RASPUTIN

Want to be remembered for having your semen be the subject of a White House enquiry? You may want to take inspiration from President Bill Clinton, who studied PPE on the Rhodes Scholar program where he famously “did not inhale marijuana”. The herb was clearly not needed for Bill to live the high life, with fan favourite moments including comparing his role as US President to running a cemetery, jamming saxophone on live TV, and rocking short shorts in a McDonald’s with Al Gore. This shining example of American leadership was dashed when Bill was indicted for sexual misconduct against a young White House intern, which he defended by claiming in a roundabout way to not know what sex is. Very Oxford of him.

Yep, you heard right. Budding Oxford students can take inspiration from Felix Felixovich Yusupov, who studied Forestry at University College (they should bring that back) in 1909.

Yusupov was one of the men who conspired to murder Russian politician-cum-disco star Grigori Rasputin, obviously jealous of his musical success.

NATIONAL SOCIALIST GERMAN WORKERS PARTY MINISTER OF FINANCE Another one that Oriel like to let slip off the roster, Johann Ludwig “Lutz” Graf gins to trickle down my back.

Another year, another batch of keen and horny freshers. Though Rordon has not yet had the chance to make sweet love himself, he has decided to document the highs and lows of Oxford’s mating season. Standing there, with the fluorescent light of the JCR penetrating his eyes, he observes what can only be described as the first act of the mating ritual. Nervous shuffling and awkward, rehearsed renditions of ‘Hi I’m Munty/ Bunty/Cunty/Ethan, and I study English/PPE/Chemistry/etc.’ fill the room. Walking towards the cornucopia of joy, also known as Atik, Rordon overhears eager young men and women alike passionately discussing the merits (and only the merits, this is Oxford after all) of their admissions process, bestowing upon the fortunate ear of whomever is accompanying them their first

SAXAPHONE SEX SCANDAL

experience of Oxonian dirty talk. After the confusion that is queuing and being shouted at by the staff, the second act of the ritual commences. Alcohol-driven hips swivelling and gyrating, the first fortunate couples begin to lock lips on what appears to be Oxford’s most potent aphrodisiac: the cheese-board floor at Atik. As mentioned above, Rordon has not yet had the greatest honour of exploring another’s body, so he must sadly stop his reportage here. We can only speculate that the rest of the evening included hefty amounts of dry humping, and the bumpy and crammed delights of student sleeping arrangements.

ALIEN ENCOUNTERS America is at it again. At first Rordon thought he was looking at Senator Mitch McConnell being wheeled out for a public address but was relieved to see

it was just the body of an ‘alien’ found in Colombia. This “non-human alien”, (thanks for the clarification BBC), was debuted after NASA launched an enquiry into why no one else has bothered visiting our sad little planet. How NASA could only produce 36 pages on aliens when James Cameron can crank out 354 minutes makes you wonder if maybe a film degree is more valuable than a physics degree after all.

Rordon was asked to approach Oxford’s Astrophysics department for comment on this extra-terrestrial romp but could only find the Hunger Games District 12 Justice Centre had been built in its place. Determined for answers, Rordon employed the time-honoured journalistic practice of copying from better news sources: In a wave of brilliant reporting, the BBC declared “There’s no proof aliens exist, but they might”.

Glad we cleared that up.

Food & Drink

30 | Food & Drink

Friday 13 October 2023 | The Oxford Student

Deputy Editor: Tara Earley Section Editor: Johannah Mathew food@oxfordstudent.com

The Great British Bake Off: the love language of food Tara Earley t is high time for another for another OxStu review of the Great British Bake Off. Previous articles have included witty episode commentary, and an analysis of the new format when the show switched to Channel 4. Never before, though, has there been a “love letter” of sorts to Bake Off. Which is ironic, because this programme literally has its departing contestants write a note of kisses and farewells to its loyal viewers.

This is just one in a long line of traditions that make the show feel “cosy”. Their newest presenter, Alison Hammond, has been a fantastic addition to the lineup. Her playful banter makes for great viewing, but also harks back to that nostalgic BBC charm, when Bake Off was probably better known for its rustic creations and household names like Mary Berry. The show has held onto that authenticity, whilst growing more and more ambitious in recent years.

Part of its charm is that its stars were never setting out to be just that. Some of the show’s most beloved contest-

I

ants have been the typical everyman - or woman. Nadiya Hussain, Rahul Mandal, Liam Charles, Kim-Joy, Jürgen Krauss, all kind and enthusiastic people who have gone on to make a living doing what they love. Isn’t that the dream, after all? Maybe not for E&M students, but the rest of us still stand a chance.

A review of the show’s 2020 Christmas special by Yomi Adegoke stated that after such a tumultuous year, “a spin-off contest that doesn’t really count feels like the right, tolerable level of excitement.” Whilst the sentiment is appreciated, I’d have to disagree - there is no such thing as a “tolerable” level of excitement when it comes to Bake Off. The gravity-defying showstoppers and timepressured challenges add a crucial element of danger.

The signature, which used to be an opportunity for bakers to showcase their personal touches to a standard bake, is reaching greater heights every week.

It’s this thrill that I want to linger on, as Bake Off has seemingly cracked the perfect formula of combining familiarity

and homely congeniality with daring new challenges and the ever-growing pressure of elimination. For the most part, Bake Off does well at giving each baker their time to shine.

returning from abroad is to comment on what we ate. Perhaps this is because the food in Britain is on par with our weather, politics, and economy, and student journalism, but it surely also has something to do with the raw excitement of trying something unaccustomed. This summer, I endeavoured to try some new restaurants that I didn’t manage to visit in first year; if noth-

We get to know and love them all; the possibility of going home is a real one, and it stings.

The show does well at amping up the stakes, so that a baking competition - which in itself, could be stale - still brings in over 8 million viewers over a 7-day period, despite being on its fourteenth series in a long run of television. Yet this phenomenon is not limited just to the Bake Off. Food in general can provide joy and even adventure in new, unexpected ways.

One of our first instincts when

ing else, so I could have some half-decent recommendations for my portion of our Freshers’ Guide. And it was genuinely refreshing to discover so many new cuisines. Having tried pig’s trotters, something that would have daunted me a year ago, I can safely say they are delicious, and I’m glad to have branched out.

One of TV’s greatest fictional characters, Captain Holt from Brooklyn 99, proudly proclaims: “I have zero interest in food. If it were feasible, my diet would consist entirely of

flavourless beige smoothies”.

It is why the cold open of him eating a “marshed mallow” and giggling like a child is so entertaining, but also impactful. Holt may not ever be a foodie, but throughout the show’s run he experiments with cooking for his husband and opening himself up to a new and compelling world.

Even writing this article has presented a challenge, as my usual ATS order today was out of stock. Instead of turkey, stuffing, and cranberry with salad on olive bread, it had to be on spinach. It might sound trivial, but it was surprisingly good to be forced to pick something new. I’ve been to ATS dozens of times, and have always ordered the exact same sandwich. But perhaps switching it up isn’t a bad shout.

Food can be both comforting and bold. It can be any number of fusions of these at the same time. Part of the reason why Bake Off works so well is that it combines that sense of familiarity with the excitement of new challenges, eliminations, and victors each week.

And part of it is that it’s genuinely just good television. The only show, even, to convince me to ditch Tuesgays and settle down with a cup of tea and some biscuits for a quiet night in. So, cheers, to the Bake Off. I wouldn’t trade the double entendres for the world.

OxStu’s Picks!

Parents coming to visit? Friends round for dinner? Nice date approaching? OxStu’s got you covered.

Recipe of the Week - Pumpkin Muffins

Lunch

Dinner

- BBC Good Food, makes 12

SOFI DE FRANCE - £

TSE NOODLE - ££

Ingredients: - 225g plain flour - 100g caster sugar - 50g soft light brown sugar - 200g pumpkin purée

33-36 Covered Market, Oxford, OX1 3DX

8 Ship Street, Oxford, OX1 3DA

Takeaway and café dining, perfect for a lunchtime pit stop with friends. Snack on pastries, samosas, or even a full English. Why not?

Intimate and soulful dining in the city centre, with dishes ranging from stir fried noodles to steamed dumplings to roast duck rice.

Extra credit for speedy service and some of the friendlist staff in Oxford!

Make sure to bring cash as they don’t take card payments.

- 2 tsp baking powder - 1 tbsp cinnamon - 125g melted butter - 2 large eggs

Method: - Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6 and line a muffin tray with cases.

- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl until there’s no lumps.

- Whisk the purée and the eggs in a separate bowl or jug, and then add to the dry ingredients alongside the melted butter. Mix for a few minutes or until well combined.

- Pour into muffin cases, and then bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool, and enjoy with friends and a glass of milk for a sweet autumnal treat!

Sport

Sport | 31

The Oxford Student | Friday 13 October 2023

Singapore 2023: the smooth operator strikes again Patrick Groves

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he Flying Dutchman, it seems, has been bested and returned to the ‘depths’ of the midfield. Well, sort of. After an impressive recovery drive, aided by some favourable safety cars and four DNFs, Max Verstappen’s record breaking ten race winning streak was brought to an end at the Marina Bay circuit, crossing the line in a measly P5. It was Carlos Sainz’s ingenious tactics in the scarlet Scuderia that finally broke the Dutchman’s streak, as he capped off a dominant Saturday pole position in qualifying with his second race win, simultaneously adjourning both the constructor’s and driver’s winning streak record (10 and 15 consecutive victories respectively).

RedBull’s indelible unwillingness to build an even slightly unreliable car has precipitated one of the most historic, if not a little repetitive seasons to date, and so though the podium celebrations lacked their usual Dutch and Austrian soundtracks, the ending under the lights of Lion City has certainly injected new life into the somewhat stagnant 2023 season.

One of the biggest stories making the rounds in the paddock since F1’s return from the summer break has been the slick Spaniard that is Carlos Sainz Jr. With a convincing P5 in the Dutch grand prix, followed by a pole and P3 in Monza (much to the delight of the Tifosi), Sainz has returned with a new vitality and hunger for victory that is undeniably evident in his performance.

In fact, across the Singapore weekend Sainz topped all but one session (coming in at P2 behind his teammate in FP1) and subsequently out-qualifying all other drivers, and was the only driver to set a time within the 1 minute 30s. With the RedBulls down in P11 and P13 after an uncharacteristically poor qualifying, the race was Sainz’s to lose, and boy did he capitalize on it.

The Smooth Operator controlled the pace from the onset, keeping it slow so as to conserve tyres for a later push should the inevitable safety car come. Though the first safety car had Sainz set up well, Frenchman Estaban Ocon’s birthday bash was brought to an untimely end with gearbox issues which enabled the two not so Silver Arrows to pit for fresh mediums under the second safety car – an eventuality they had specifically planned for in their tyre allocation – and thus triggering the nail-biting final twenty laps. With Russell leading Hamilton, the Mercs had to close the gap and dispatch both the other Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris’ papaya McLaren if they were to take the win. The first of these obstacles was overcome rapidly with Russell and Hamilton shaving off some six seconds in four laps, and making short work of Leclerc who was ailing with ancient hard tyres.

Though the Mercedes’ rapidly caught up to Norris’ gearbox, an ingenious tactical play

“This left the run to the top step open, so long as they displaced the McLaren. ” from the leading Ferrari by slowing his pace to gift Norris DRS and thus creating one of the notorious ‘DRS trains’ left the Mercs within touching distance, but Norris’ increased speed prevented the seemingly inevitable overtake. The gap between the leading four was within 1.7 seconds in the final two laps. Though Sainz was under pressure, risking the speed advantage from Norris’ DRS ultimately earned him the top step on the podium, on which, until the final lap, he looked to be joined by Norris and Russell.

That was until Russell, who was ardently engaged in the fight for P2, followed Norris into clipping the inside wall of turn 10. Lando escaped by the skin

of his teeth, George was not so lucky as he was sent careering in a shower of sparks into the barrier whilst uttering an understandably bleeped string of expletives. But it was another smooth operation from Sainz who prevailed in reinvigorating the season with a race to remember.

However, the question remains: was RedBull’s poor performance that led to Sainz’s dominant victory an anomaly? Or have they reached their ceiling? The answer is likely no. Both the intense humidity, heat and the fact Marina Bay is one of the most technically demanding street circuits on the calendar all point to it being RedBull’s poor performance that was anomalous, and many expect business to resume as usual next week in Suzuka.

Though, Aston Martin’s rapid return to the midfield after blistering early pace is still fresh in the minds of all constructors, Christian Horner and co. would be foolish to get too comfortable. After all, the finishing top three were separated by less than two seconds across the line (make that top four if Russell hadn’t binned it) – one of the closest photo-finishes in recent memory…

In all probability, RedBull will resume their wining tendencies and likely go about

starting a new streak with the commencement of the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. Considering that there are seven championship rounds remaining, should RedBull’s performance resume its unattainably high norm, Verstappen’s third consecutive world championship seems very likely, and I’m sure he’ll go and break his own record of the most number of wins in a single season whilst he’s at it. Nevertheless, Singapore will, for me as it will for many, remain the highlight of the 2023 season so far. In a sport that not unlike the Premier League is all but certain in one team/driver/player’s dominance (I’m looking at you Man City and Erling Haaland), the rare instance when F1’s plentiful talent pool from lower down the grid have a chance to prove themselves is a prized commodity.

The idea of ‘F1.5’ gets thrown around a lot, albeit often jokingly, the notion of a season without the almost certain week in, week out victory of one driver certainly appeals. If the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix is any example to go by, should F1’s regulators ever manage to preclude the apparently inexorable periods of racing supremacy by one team, the future of the sport looks bright.

It’s Coming Home, Again? Cricket World Cup 2023

Continued from back page.

This was again painfully exposed in the Ashes against the benchmark of Australia’s Nathan Lyon. Compared to Lyon, England’s Moeen Ali was simply unable to keep the pressure on the Australians. India being the host nation for the World Cup, known for pitches that reward good spin bowling, may also expose this issue for England.

Early signs from the first game were not encouraging and both Ali and Rashid struggled. Resorting to part-time spinner, Liam Livingstone, will hardly fill them with confidence. Not to mention the threat the other teams pose to England…

Perhaps I am being too negative about England’s chance of retaining the world cup.

They are still contenders with a powerful batting order and some standout bowlers such as Wood. Despite this however I have some reservations about the reliability of the English team, especially when put on the defensive in a game. Nonetheless it is shaping up to be a close tournament and if it is anything like the Ashes, should be fantastic watching too.

Sport

32 | Sport

Friday 13 October 2023 | The Oxford Student

Deputy Editor: Patrick Groves Section Editors: Purav Menon, Thomas Thornton, Charlie Wild sport@oxfordstudent.com

Berlin: The Marathon Heaven Haochen Wang

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.195 kilometres is far.

For many of us, the thought of continuously moving that far is fatiguing and yet, millions of marathon enthusiasts around the world still eagerly run every year, and few do it better than the elite athletes at the Berlin Marathon.

Since 1974, the Berlin Marathon has played host to some of the world’s best marathon runners. Known for how conducive it is to speed, the winning times at Berlin often feature in the fastest times in marathon history. Indeed, since its formal inception, the course has produced 12 world records (before the 2023 event), and with the elite portion of the 2023 rendition coming to an end, the desirability of a title in Berlin has only grown.

For decades, long-distance running has generally been dominated by athletes from two countries in East Africa: Kenya and Ethiopia. Of course, Mo Farah, Paula Radcliffe, and many others have long secured their own stardom within the sport, but with nine out of the fastest ten finishes in both the

Men’s and Women’s races being from Kenya or Ethiopia, the two’s dominance in the discipline is unparalleled. And once again, at Berlin this year, the two nations flexed their muscles.

Whether his 13 major – in-

“Eliud Kipchoge’s legendary status in marthon running cannot be disputed.” cluding Olympics and World Championships – titles, or his (unofficial) sub-two attempt at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, the Kenyan seems to fly wherever he races. Yet, Berlin is where he thrives. Including his successful 2023 title defence, his five wins – itself a record number – at Berlin include two world records, and overall some of the fastest races in men’s marathon running.

While Kipchoge was the race winner and his GOAT status indubitably further cemented, he was perhaps not the brightest star in Berlin that day as Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa blazed

through the Berlin streets with a time of 2:11:53, breaking Brigid Kosgei’s record set four years ago in Chicago by more than two minutes. If Kipchoge dominance is the sun, an unrelenting light over the men’s division, then Assefa’s rise is perhaps best characterised as meteoric. Having only competed in three career marathons, she won the 2022 Berlin race on her debut with a national record time of 2:15:37.

And this year, with a dominant 2:11, almost exactly six minutes in front of runner up, Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui, one can do nothing but wonder at Assefa’s potential.

Yet that wasn’t the end, the wheelchair and handbikers’ events also saw dramatic races with a new world record in the women’s wheelchair race

by Catherine Debrunner and a heap of other close calls and repeat victories.

What makes Berlin, and indeed the 2023 rendition, so special? Berlin has always been fast, its low altitude and flat terrain ideal for road racing.

Indeed, the men’s race was particularly quick, to make the top 10, one needed to run a time of 2:05 or less, making it one of

the fastest races in history. Total Running Productions, a YouTube channel dedicated to the sport, pointed out that Sunday’s conditions were, simply, perfect – 55° Fahrenheit (12° Celsius), no chance of rain, plenty of cloud cover and no wind. In comparison, the other major marathon races do not have that level of comfort.

Boston’s winding, hilly roads, New York’s bridge climb, and London’s twists and turns all make them difficult to navigate, while Berlin, with its flat, asphalt German roads and an elevation difference of only 25 metres, offer much more luxu-

It’s Coming Home, Again?

Cricket World Cup 2023 Thomas Thornton

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o far this year: the England football team came tantalizingly close to bringing home the World Cup trophy and the rugby team have, at best, an outside chance in the Rugby World Cup. So perhaps it will be down to the England cricket team to deliver some silverware. The Cricket World Cup is already underway; it’s time to take stock of the Cricket World Cup and see what England’s chances are.

Heading into the event, England looked to have a very good

opportunity at retaining the trophy they won at Lord’s in 2019. Ben Stokes’ decision to come back to one day cricket just for the World Cup undoubtably gave the team a morale boost. Impressive performances in the warmups against New Zealand in September after the Ashes looked encouraging, with destructive batting from Brook and Bairstow in the T20s. The tactics of so called ‘Bazball’ were criticized during the Ashes series but suited the 50 over game. All these predictions however came crashing down after the first match – where England were routed

by New Zealand, losing by 9 wickets. The sheer ease with which New Zealand were able to knock off England’s 283 was remarkable, winning with 13.4 overs left. Even worse, with his injury, it is unclear how much Stokes will be able to participate in the tournament. Mark Wood is certainly correct in saying England can’t rely on ‘messiah Stokesy’, and it will be interesting to see how England will respond to this setback.

While Stokes’ injury is concerning, upcoming games against Bangladesh and Afghanistan should help England stir up some momentum heading into

the rest of the tournament.

The potential absence of Stokes reveals a much deeper issue with English cricket. The England team are capable of dominant victories, racking up huge run totals that are hard to chase down. During the Ashes, England were scoring regularly at five or six an over, and the power of players like Stokes, Bairstow and Livingstone is undeniable. Despite this massive potential, however, there are worrying issues.

First, it seems that the England squad struggles to win games should they get off to a shaky start with the bat. Over

rious conditions. Even beyond that, the September weather provides an ideal coolness unavailable in other times of the year. Combine these with the high altitude, hilly, and generally difficult conditions of East Africa, it is easy to see why athletes such as Kipchoge and Assefa thrive striding down towards the Brandenburg Gate.

While Berlin 2023 has come to a close, one cannot help but anticipate the future of the marathon. Regardless, however, for all aspiring marathoners out there, the precedent is clear: if you want to go fast, go to Berlin.

the summer England lost wickets in clusters, and a bad start became a potential game ending collapse quickly. This was exemplified in the second test at Lord’s, where despite Ben Stokes’ second innings heroics, England went 2-0 down in the series. In their first innings, England went from a strong 188-1 to 222-4 within little more than an hour. While the ODI World Cup, of course, differs greatly from the Ashes, fifty overs is still a long time to bat, and the ability to ride out difficult spells is a facet of the game with which England has serious issues.

The second issue is perhaps even more concerning for England - the lack of a world class spinner.

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