Cherwell 1st week MT17 by Cherwell

NEWS

OPINION

Oxford to become ﬁrst How saving Cellar was UK city to ban polluting a victory for people vehicles power

Cherwell page 3

1st week Friday, 13 October 2017

page 10

Pakistani truck art and political cartoons in Oxbow

cherwell.org @cherwell_online

INDEPENDENT SINCE ��

Drunk Tory ofﬁcial defaces church REVEALED

Ofﬁcial tore down papal ﬂag after drinking event, sparking allegations of club’s anti-Catholicism By WILL DRY AKSHAY BILOLIKAR An appointed committee member of the Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA) was suspended last term after an act of drunken vandalism. Following OUCA’s weekly Port and Policy event, at which the individual in question served port, he and two accomplices crossed St Giles’ road, climbed the flag pole of the Oratory Church, and tore down its papal flag. The incident has sparked allegations of prevalent anti-Catholicism within the Assocation. The Oratory Church refused to publicly comment, with multiple members of the church expressing an attitude of forgiveness towards the individual. The individual was immediately suspended from OUCA by thenPresident William Rees-Mogg. The morning after the incident the individual attended mass, apologised profusely to a priest, and left his contact details, apparently at the request of OUCA committee members. He has reportedly agreed to pay for the re-attaching of the flag to

Backlash continues against Balliol CU ban By CHERWELL NEWS

the pole, which at the time of print is yet to occur. Speaking anonymously, the individual expressed regret, telling Cherwell: “This was a personal mistake and not indicative of the University or of OUCA”. A former OUCA Political Officer said: “This is a microcosm of the abuse and debauchery at the top of OUCA. It is shameful that such anti-Catholic sentiment runs rife, especially from an unelected member personally appointed by William Rees-Mogg - a president whose primary wish was to protect his surname.” Another OUCA member remarked that ‘Papist’ was regularly tossed about as an insult at Port and Policy, while the loyalty of Catholics towards the monarchy was frequently questioned. He commented that “by an eighth week Port and Policy, anti-Catholicism is pretty widespread”. While acknowledging that ‘papist’ is used as an insult, ReesMogg strongly denied the allegations of anti-Catholicism. He told Cherwell: “I was of course deeply shocked to hear what had happened on that evening, and at once suspended the person in ques-

tion. Such behaviour has no place within the modern Conservative movement. “As a confirmed and practising Catholic myself I do wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment given by the Oratory, that the individual, having apologised, and paid from his own pocket for the flag’s replacement, should be forgiven and allowed to move on”. “I’m also a little confused about the above claims of a rise in anti-

Catholic sentiment within OUCA. If such a sentiment exists it seems odd to me that I should not have encountered it during two years of involvement within the society. “I certainly do not think that the use of terms such as ‘papist’ should be taken to heart any more than friendly cries of sound and shame. My accuser, being an ex-member of committee, also knows full well that he was welcome to attend the meeting at which I proposed the

individual become a committee member (an event which passed with no objections). “I will admit that, like most people, I do tend to try to avoid my name being blackened unfairly, especially in circumstances where I have not actually done anything wrong. “I’m only sorry that my accuser has decided to be quite so openly

Balliol has found itself at the centre of a national backlash this week after a Cherwell report revealed how JCR ofﬁcials banned Christian Union (CU) representatives from attending its freshers’ fair. A leaked email chain showed how JCR representatives prevented CU representatives from attending the fair, over fears that it risked “the potential for harm to freshers”. Freddy Potts, whose correspondence with CU representatives on

behalf of the JCR committee led to them being excluded, resigned from his position as JCR vice president at the end of freshers’ week. It is unclear if this was directly linked to the controversy surrounding the ban. In an email to CU ofﬁcials, Potts, speaking on behalf of the JCR committee, had written: “Christianity’s inﬂuence on many marginalized communities has been damaging in its methods of conversion and rules of practice, and is still used in many

places as an excuse for homophobia and certain forms of neo-colonialism.” Former President of Oxford University Lib Dems Harry Samuels said on Twitter that the ban was “truly one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen at Oxford”. The move led also to backlash within the college, with a JCR motion passed unanimously on Sunday accusing the JCR of “barring the participation of speciﬁc faith-based

organisations” and describing the the step as “a violation of free speech and a violation of religious freedom.” In today’s edition of Cherwell three of the motions proposers Aidan Balfe, Nicholas Halterman, and Will Cowie - set out their reaction to the media reaction. They describe their “disappointment” at seeing the inaccurate nature of some media coverage, and

Students of oxford...

The ﬂagless pole outside the Oratory Church where the incident took place. PHOTO: JACK HUNTER/CHERWELL

A*AA at A Level required

Are you a little bit geeky? Find out more: www.tpptop50.com

CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO

Join inno an tech vative com pany

CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO

#TPPtop50

NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Friday, 13 October 2017 | Cherwell

News INVESTIGATION

Revealed: The dirty reality of crewdate kitchens

page 4

SPORT

Oriel Boat Club buy rivals Keble’s website

page 16

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS Cherwell takes complaints about editorial content seriously. We are committed to the codes and practices of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso). Requests for corrections or clariﬁcations should be sent to editor@cherwell.org or by post to The Editors, Cherwell, 7 St Aldate’s, Oxford, OX1 1BS. Last issue’s Oxbow cover was designed and illustrated by Rebecca Marks. To ﬁnd her work or seek a commission, visit @missmarksart on Instagram.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE vile, while making sure to protect his own anonymity. He is of course welcome to come forward and address his concerns to me in public”. Another member of OUCA, speaking anonymously, told Cherwell: “It’s a source of great puzzlement to me, but there seem to be people with little better to do than go after William Rees-Mogg via the rumour mill and the press. “Anyone who has met him knows he has done nothing to deserve it.” The incident follows a confidential Conservative Party report leaked to the media which suggested moving “risky student politics” completely out of the official party structure. A confidential internal party document, leaked last week by the

University democracy “hasn’t been working well”, says Louise Richardson By FELIX POPE Oxford vice-chancellor Louise Richardson has sharply criticised the university’s system of democratic self-governance, blaming a lack of engagement from staff for its failings. Currently less than 10% of university committee positions are contested, meaning that figures advising on areas from finance to Oxford’s “educational philosophy” face little risk of being challenged for their post. A meeting of Congregation, the University’s ultimate legislative body, was called during last Trinity after 20 members signed a motion calling for the move. Of the over 5,000 academic and research support staff eligible to attend, just nine did. Three quarters of the motion’s signatories were not present, while just four spoke. In her annual Oration to Congregation last week, Richardson said that this state of affairs, “is not an example of a well-functioning system, or wise use of scarce resources.” While stating that Oxford’s democracy is one of its “rare and admirable attributes” and “a wonderful ideal”, she indicated that staff must begin to engage more closely with it and to avoid using Huffington Post, set out proposals to “take risky student politics outside the remit of the Party.” By integrating Conservative Future branches within local associations, the party hope to “bring the youth wing firmly into the mainstream Party”. It comes after a wave of recent student Tory scandals, such as reports of student Tories at St Andrews setting fire to an effigy of Obama. Earlier this year, a member of the Cambridge University Conservative Association suspended his studies after a video emerged of him burning a £20 note in front of a homeless man. The student has since resumed his studies. The Oratory Church declined to comment.

Religious ofﬁcials arrive under the ﬂagpole of the Oratory Church, across the road from St Giles Church Hall.

it as “a mechanism for the promotion of self-interest”. Richardson’s critique of “selfinterest” comes as part of a broadside against those protesting the introduction at Oxford of an age limit for academics. Following the government’s abolition of a national default retirement age, Oxford introduced an Employer-Justified Retirement Age (EJRA) of 68. This met with fierce protest from older academics, and support from younger fellows who characterised the issue as one of intergenerational justice. Professor Peter Edwards of Oxford’s Chemistry Department questioned whether it was appropriate for the Vice-Chancellor to make such comments, writing in a letter set to be published in Oxford Magazine and seen by Cherwell: “Can it be acceptable for the ViceChancellor to make what appears to be a blatantly ‘ageist’ remark by criticising the ‘self-interest’ of those querying the University’s decision to claim exception from equality legislation in this respect? “And what of younger colleagues who have expressed equally legitimate concerns about the EJRA? Will the University assign a critical age above which a

legitimate ‘concern’ transitions to an unreasonable ‘self-interest?’” Richardson went on to say that she sought to “plead with those who last term lost six votes on the subject of the EJRA to abide by the expressed preference of their colleagues and let the issue rest until the next review, scheduled in four years’ time”. She compared the continued struggle by EJRA opponents to that of Remainers and Hillary voters, arguing that while they lost “as democrats they accepted the decision”. Professor Edwards however described these comments as “simply incorrect and misleading”. He told Cherwell: “There was only one resolution to Congregation specifically targeted to the abolition of the EJRA... that was the resolution on 16 May 2017 proposed by Sir John Ball and seconded by Professor Paul Ewart.” Edw a rd s claimed that the other votes were in fact on “tangential

issues”, such as “procedural issues and in particular governance in relation to the EJRA”. The last major attempt to reform Oxford’s ancient and complex governing structures was under the Vice-Chancellorship of John Hood, from 2004 to 2009. Hood – who came to the post from business rather than academia, as is typical – sought to end Oxford’s 900-year-old tradition of complete self-governance by introducing ‘external members’ to council, the executive body elected by Congregation. In this way Hood hoped that corporate management principles might be brought into Oxford’s governance, saving money and time. Lord Patten, Oxford’s Chancellor then and now, defended the move, telling the BBC that reforms were necessary to ensure that private money could be raised, and children from deprived backgrounds helped. Hood’s proposals were, however, defeated even in an amended form, largely due to C o n g r e g a t i o n ’s desire to remain independent of any external influence.

Backlash over Balliol JCR Christian Union ban CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE clarify their belief that the committee was acting “with goodwill, and with the wellbeing of fellow students at the forefront of their minds.” They speak further of the “patience” and “compassion” that Balliol students have exhibited throughout the affair, and state that going forward “Active steps will be taken to encourage the widest possible range of different religious groups and societies at freshers’ fairs in years to come, each one being treated with equality and respect”. Reaction in the national and international media was almost wholly extremely critical. Revd Nigel Genders, the chief education officer of the Church of England said: “Christian Unions represent some of the largest student-led organisations in many universities across the country, and to exclude them in this way is to misunder stand the nature of debate and dia logue and [is] at odds with the kind of society we are all seeking to promote.” Chief Executive at Christian Concern, told MailOnline: “The leading institution in the world founded on Christian principles is forgetting its great history. In Christianity there has been freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom to believe and manifest belief. It is the student union that is rewriting history and using cheap smears to spread falsehoods with regards to Chris-

tianity.” Balliol College said in a statement to the The Telegraph: “We are pleased to see that the students themselves have now resolved this matter. “Following last night’s JCR motion, the Christian Union will be offered a stall at future freshers’ fairs. “Balliol is a tolerant, friendly college where students of all faiths and none are free to worship and express their beliefs openly.” The ban on representatives

attending was presented by some as a possible infringement of legal rights. Paul Diamond, a barrister specialising in religious liberty, told The Telegraph: “Student Christian Unions have the right not to be discriminated against. “Student Unions and Universities are required by the Education Act 1994 to observe fairness and democracy; and students have a right to hear different worldviews.” Neither Freddy Potts nor Hubert Au have responded to a request for comment.

Freddy Potts competed as part of the winning Balliol University Challenge team this year. PHOTO: BBC

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

Oxford to become ﬁrst city to ban all polluting vehicles Council rules out special treatment for students arriving at affected colleges By MIA MILLMAN Polluting cars are set to be banned from Oxford city centre in a newlyannounced scheme starting in 2020. The City Council’s plans would make Oxford the world’s ﬁ rst zero emissions zone. The initiative aims to exclude all petrol and diesel cars, including taxis and buses, from six city centre streets. The area would include Queen Street, New Inn Hall Street, Ship Street, St Michael’s Street, and Market Street. Students from colleges inside the new zero emission zone, including St Peter’s and Jesus, would not be able to drive to their colleges when moving in at the beginning of term. This area is projected to expand in several stages over the following 15 years, and would eventually encompass the majority of the city centre. By 2030, at the proposed scheme’s end point, the zero emissions zone would stretch from the train station to Magdalen College, and north to the Museum of Natural History. 23 Oxford colleges would eventually be affected by the ban including Christ Chuch, New College, and St John’s.

Buses using the route will be replaced by non-fossil fuel alternatives. In total, the proposals are expected to cost £14 million. The plans seek to cut levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the city centre. The zero emissions zone is anticipated to reduce pollution by up to 74% on certain streets and improve the air quality of the city. Several streets, including George Street and High Street, are currently above the European Union’s legal pollution limit of 40 micrograms of Nitrogen Dioxide per cubic metre. Oxford City Council environment chief, John Tanner, told Cherwell: “In some city centre streets, the pollution is still above the safe level so we really had to take action because this is a health issue which is affecting hundreds of people. “Young children, people who are unwell, and elderly people are already affected. Some die earlier because of this pollution so it’s clearly something we’ve got to act on. “Also, it ﬁts in with our determination to join in the campaign to tackle climate change because we’re encouraging people to switch from using fossil fuels to using green electricity.”

When asked about the impact on students moving in to their university accommodation, Tanner said: “Either parents will have to use electric vehicles or they’re going to have to walk a bit further, and carry things a bit further. “This is something where everyone is going to play their part to clean up the air in the centre of the city and that means all of us using petrol vehicles less and using electrical vehicles more.” The plans have caused some upset among students at affected colleges. Second-year St Peter’s student Eimer McAuley said: “The new ban on non-electric cars seems both impractical and inconvenient for students at Peter’s. “I don’t really see how it’s possible for people to get their stuff from outside the city centre on foot.” St Peter’s JCR President El Blackwood told Cherwell: “it is frustrating that little provision has been made for students moving in and out of their colleges”. Those who fail to follow the regulations are likely to face penalty charges, similar to the £60 bus gate ﬁ nes currently levied on motorists caught parking in public transport only zones. Several students have voiced their opinions on the new initiative. Jesus College JCR’s Environment ofﬁcer, Imogen Dobie, told Cherwell: “This move by the council

is a mixed bag for students. “While the practicalities are obviously annoying, it would be extremely exciting to be the ﬁ rst zero emissions zone, especially after the recent warning that Oxford was one of eleven British cities set to breach the safe limits set for PM10s.” In May 2016, Oxford was listed

by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of eleven UK towns and cities failing to meet air quality standards. On Monday, the council is set to launch a six-week consultation on the proposal. It promises to seek responses from all regular travellers through the city centre, including university students.

Friday, 13 October 2017 | Cherwell

News INVESTIGATION

Food for thought: concerns over crewdate hygiene

By RYAN GOULD GREG RITCHIE We all know that food on a crew date isn’t exactly gourmet. But this week, Investigations set out to find out how bad it really is. Under the Freedom of Information Act, Cherwell obtained food hygiene inspection reports from 24 of students’ most loved eateries – and some of the findings may surprise you. Some establishments should rightly be proud of their flawless five-out-of-five rating: Ahmed’s Bar B Q Van, Ali’s Kebabs and At Thai were all given the top mark following inspections in 2016. The picture is not so rosy elsewhere. Wok ‘n Roll, a popular crew date destination, made the news last year for its poor hygiene levels, with a two-out-of-five rating. The Food Standards Agency noted “dampness [which] may contribute to physical contamination” in the restaurant. However, the restaurant changed owners and became CreAsian within the past year. CreAsian received a one-out-of-five rating in May 2017. Temple Lounge, which serves Arabic and Asian cuisine “with the atmosphere of Perzian bazaar”, was

awarded a rating of two-out-of-five in November 2016. The report noted that there were “no cooking temperatures available” to ensure food was cooked through safely and that the hand wash basin was “full of cloths” and a “scrubbing brush”. In July of this year, the outlet was re-inspected and awarded a fourout-of-five rating. Perhaps most interesting, however, is the story behind Jamal’s, the ever-popular Indian restaurant and crew-dating venue on Walton Street in Jericho. In 2012, Jamal’s was forced to close by environmental health offic-

Ahmed’s Bar B Q van

ers from Oxford City Council after a complaint from a neighbouring property about mice. The restaurant reopened the following day after being issued with a certificate stating that the problem no longer existed. At the time, Richard Kuziara, Environmental Health Officer at Oxford City Council, told Cherwell: “We closed the premises because we found conditions that presented a serious risk to customers. The owner was cooperative and carried out the necessary improvements and it has now been allowed to reopen.” Mr Kuziara said that the council would continue to monitor the restaurant “to ensure that the owners can demonstrate that food safety risks are adequately controlled.” The restaurant was given a zero-out-offive rating, meaning it was classed as needing “urgent improvement”. Jamal’s was then bought in October 2012, given a £200,000 makeover, and renamed Arzoo Oxford. Muhammad Ali, partner and chef Arzoo, told Cherwell at the time that the new restaurant would “continue to welcome students at all times”, stressing that Jamal’s was closed because the owners chose to sell. = Arzoo was visited by a food hygiene inspector in November 2014. The restaurant was granted a

Zachary Quinto crashes Hertford bop By MIA MILLMAN Zachary Quinto surprised Hertford students by making an appearance at their bop after speaking at the Union earlier last Thursday evening. The Star Trek actor was reportedly advised to visit Oxford’s gay club Plush with his boyfriend and Union President Chris Zabilowicz later in the evening, but was unaware that the club was hosting a Hertford bop. Eleanor Frew, Hertford Freshers’ Committee President, told Cherwell: “We were expecting some masters students on the guest list, so when three older men came in we thought it was them. “I said the £3 entry fee, then looked at the guy standing in the middle. He was the spitting image of Zachary Quinto, so I said: ‘Woah has anyone ever said you look like Zachary Quinto?’ He said: ‘Yah, all the time’, handed me the money and walked in.

“The coat check guy and I were just like wow they looked so similar, but didn’t think anything more of it because why the heck would Zachary Quinto be at a Hertford bop?” Another Hertford student, George Grun, told the bouncers to let Quinto in because he assumed that

he was an Hertford alumnus. Quinto spoke at the Union earlier in the evening and also attended an LGBTQ+ drinks event before going to Plush. He is an active campaigner for LGBTQ+ rights and is best known for his role as Spock in Star Trek.

Zachary Quinto with his boyfriend and Union President Chris Zabilowicz / PHOTO: AHMED AHLUSSNI

Oxford graduates establish black alumni network By HENRY STRAUGHAN

A group of black Oxford graduates have set up a network to encourage more black teenagers to apply to Oxford. The Oxford Black Alumni Network, which has over 200 members, also aims to alleviate the lack of black people in high-proﬁle jobs. The network states that it is aware that “many negative perceptions persist about accessing and studying at the University

of Oxford and other elite higher education institutions... [and] are determined to work against the disadvantages that hold many back.” Naomi Kellman, the network’s co-chair, who graduated with a PPE degree in 2011, said: “There is still a concern among black students that if they apply they might be the only one — they might think Oxford is not for ‘people like me’. “But we want to show that’s not true. There is a long history

of black students at Oxford doing well and being happy.” Samuel Gebreselassie, another PPE graduate said: “By increasing the visibility of role models for younger people, we hope this campaign will demonstrate that Oxford is a place where people from diverse backgrounds can belong and thrive.” In 2016 only 45 offers were made to black students out of around 3,200 undergraduate places – a proportion of 1.4%.

Jamal’s restaurant in Walton Street, Jericho rating of one-out-of-five, meaning “major improvement necessary.” A pest control contract was “strongly recommended” due to “past mouse [sic] problems at the premises”, and that the hand wash basin was blocked with “no hygienic hand drying in the kitchen or the WC.” In 2016, Arzoo reverted to Jamal’s, bringing with it a return of the restaurant’s original owners. While little is known about the reason for its reversion, Jamal’s was inspected in February 2017. It received a threeout-of-five rating, meaning “generally satisfactory”. A spokesperson for Jamal’s said: “We are fine now. There are no issues. The previous owner had some issues, but we are now fine.”

We were interested to hear whether food hygiene standards inﬂuenced the decision over crew date venues. A social secretary of a major college boat club told us that they have “never considered food hygiene standards when selecting a restaurant for a crew date, nor has any boat club member raised any concerns about it. They’re normally pretty drunk by the time the food comes out so aren’t very picky. “Nonetheless I am not very surprised to hear that the ratings are so low and I don’t plan on avoiding our normal restaurants as a result because we are expected to run crew dates and there are only a few restaurants that allow them.”

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

Anger at Hugh’s over all-male University Challenge team Frustration amongst female students over “problematic” selection process

Women on teams a non-starter for ten

By EMILY LAWFORD

Jeremy Paxman recently claimed in the Financial Times that the gender imbalance in University Challenge was down to the fact that “like football or darts – more males than females care about quizzing”. But one reason for the lack of female contestants could be the treatment the women who do appear on the show tend to face, both in the press and on social media. When Corpus Christi’s Emma Johnson appeared on the show earlierthis year, the Daily Mail announced: “University Challenge’s hottest ever contestant reveals she’s SINGLE”. In 2009 Corpus’s “human google” Gail Trimble, was trolled for her appearance, and even asked to appear in a Nuts magazine photoshoot. Following alleged sexist remarks made off-camera by Paxman to a female competitor, some students boycotted the show. Whatever the reason, just 22% of last year’s competitors were female, and that doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.

Former women’s college St Hugh’s has been widely criticised for fielding an all-male University Challenge team. The college, whose alumni include the prime minister Theresa May, was set up in 1886 by Elizabeth Woodward for women who could not afford to attend other Oxford colleges. On its centenary year the college began to accept men for the first time. 30 years on, as presenter Jeremy Paxman joked: “On the basis of tonight’s team, we could be forgiven for thinking they’d rather taken it over.” The all-male team was slammed on Twitter, with one user writing that the show had become “a male club”, and another saying: “That’s the second time recently I’ve seen what used to be a women’s college with an all-male team, grrr #UniversityChallenge”. A spokesperson for the BBC said that although they encourage the

universities to reflect the diversity of their student body when they choose their contestants, “ultimately each university has their own team selection process”. While St Hugh’s said that the team was chosen by the students, a number of complaints relating to the selection process have been made on the college women’s Facebook page. In a post on the group, a women’s rep wrote that she was “very annoyed that it was an all-men (and all-white) team”, and claimed that she had spoken to the team captain to encourage diversity in future. She added: “As far as I can tell, it was quite subjectively selected on who was rumoured to be or had a reputation to be ‘good’, which I think is a bit problematic”. Another St Hugh’s female student told Cherwell that the application process did not feel completely fair: “We applied to the Hugh’s University challenge competition on the understanding that the best players would be picked from this

The Hugh’s contestants, from left: Kazi Elias, Ewan Grainger, Daniel de Wijze, and Aidan Mehigan. to make up our actual team for the year. “But the organisers just decided to make their own team, it seemed, with themselves in, made up of men from college, one of whom initially applied but was just rumoured to be decent. It feels like the ‘application process’ was irrelevant. “As a woman who initially applied, I was pretty gutted to not even be asked about it and only found out who had been picked when they went to do the record-

ings. I would have loved to have that opportunity. In future, I am confident that we will learn from this, but it was a bit embarrassing and made me feel dismissed without a chance.” The team captain, Daniel De Wijze, told Cherwell that while one of the team had been selected because he was rumoured to be a “good quizzer”, the rest were selected as they were the best players from the internal competition in the college.

Meet Sidd. Biological Sciences, Brasenose College I applied to be a Summer Business Analyst on a whim, not really expecting to get anywhere and not sure if I wanted the job anyway. I’d spent most of my time at Oxford studying biology in labs and forests – hardly your typical consulting profile. I did end up giving it a go, and was pleasantly surprised to find that they didn’t expect you to have a business degree and a passion for financial modelling – just intellectual curiosity and a willingness to learn! The best bit of the job is how diverse the Business Analyst experience can be. In my year at the firm I’ve worked on projects in a range of sectors. I’ve helped write a report for London’s future economy, set up a non-profit to address the societal implications of technology, and created a public affairs strategy for a pharma company. I also have Business Analyst friends who have sought out opportunities in other countries – with a firm as global as McKinsey, the travel opportunities really are endless. I love that there isn’t an expectation to move straight up from one role to the next – consultants often take time off from the firm to get another degree, go on secondment, or work on a personal project or ambition. I’m still very much enjoying myself here, but I’m beginning to think about what to do after my two years as a Business Analyst – McKinsey certainly does open a lot of doors!

www.mckinsey.com/careers

To sign up to our events and learn more, please visit www.mckinsey.com/ukevents Please follow us on Facebook McKinseyCareersUkIreland or visit our website at www.mckinsey.com/careers

Friday, 13 October 2017 | Cherwell

News Oxford worst UK city for bike theft By ANASTASSIA GLIADKOVSKAYA

Oxford is the biggest bicycle theft hot spot in Britain, a survey has revealed. Out of the 30 UK university towns and cities evaluated by a Hiplok survey, Oxford ranked highest in bike related crimes. In the year to May 2017, 932 incidents of bicycle theft were reported to police in the Oxford city area. The second highest location for bike theft, Cambridge, saw nearly 700 bike-related crime reports over the same period. In 2016, 17% of working residents in the city cycled to work regularly. According to national cycle database Bike Register, over 4000 bike thefts were reported in the city last year. Belinda Hopkins, Crime Prevention and Reduction Advisor at Oxford’s Security Services, said that in the last five years, bike crime has risen significantly. Hopkins commented: “We have installed surveillance cameras in all the top hotspots for bike theft, and have about twelve security officers a day patrolling these areas. Several thieves have

Christ Church bids au revoir to post-bop drunkenness By OLIVIA CHERRY

been caught so far, but I don’t know what the police are going to do about it at this point. “The majority of these incidents would be preventable, if people knew how to properly lock their bike. That means having a metal D-lock and locking the back wheel and frame to the pole.” Earlier this year, an Oxford resident was caught with a stash of a 164 stolen bicycles in his backyard. New College student Michael Rope told Cherwell: “A while back

I left my bike locked up outside Tesco on Magdalen Street. I was only in there for ten minutes, but came out and saw someone hacking at my lock – I couldn’t get there quickly enough.” As an additional safety precaution, Security Services have teamed up with Bike Register, where students can register their vehicles and change their status from “sold” to “stolen” accordingly. This method involved fitting QR coded stickers to the registered bicycle, so that it can always be tracked.

Up to 100 croissants were handed out free to Christ Church College students at the end of their freshers bop last week, in an attempt to mitigate drunkenness. The handing out of croissants was one of several measures undertaken by the college stewards in an attempt to mitigate intoxication, after one Christ Church studdent fell out of a window at a Trinity term bop. Security was also tightened at the college’s gates during the first bop of term, and restrictions on guest students from outside Christ Church were increased. A spokesperson from the college told Cherwell: “As far as the croissants were concerned, these proved very popular with our students at the summer ball, and we were delighted to offer them again at the end of the evening.” Christ Church JCR Entertainement rep, Jason Pilsbury, told Cherwell he was “glad to

hear that some people enjoyed it.” Speaking about the initiative, he said: “It will have helped some people but not others. It probably helped more people in avoiding the treacherous journey to Hassan’s.” Several Christ Church students have also voiced their opinions on the new measure. Ella Thomas, a first year student, told Cherwell: “It was buttery and delicious… someone fed it to me.” Christ Church student James Matthews commented: “There was a lovely array of French patisserie that we enjoyed at our bop. “It helped to soak up the Bollinger that I consumed in copious quantities. “It was the best bit of a quality night”. The introduction of croissants and additional security measures comes after a series of drunken incidents at Christ Church bop in Trinity term. These were allegedly inspired by the playing of Robbie Williams’ hit song ‘Angels’.

The Fellowship 2018

Ambidextrous brains required WPP is the world leader in marketing communications, with more than 160 companies setting industry standards in Advertising; Media Investment Management; Data Investment Management; Public Relations & Public Affairs; Branding & Identity; Healthcare Communications; Direct, Digital, Promotion & Relationship Marketing; and Specialist Communications. We are manufacturers of communications ideas that help to build business for our clients, through creating and developing relationships with the people who buy and use their products and services. We do this through a demanding combination of hard work and flair; logic and intuition; left brain and right brain thinking. The Fellowship was started, 22 years ago, to create future generations of leaders for our companies. Fellows tend to be intellectually curious people who are motivated by the challenges of marketing communications and by the prospect of working at the confluence of art and business. They spend three years on the Program: in each year they work in a different WPP company, in a different marketing communications discipline and, usually, on a different continent. Long-term prospects within a WPP company are excellent, with many former Fellows now occupying senior management positions.

Deadline for entry: 9 November 2017 Visit our website and apply online at www.wpp.com

WPP_Fellowship_Ad_Oxford_Careers_240417_VS.indd 1

To find out more, come and meet us on: Monday 16th October, 6pm Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology University of Oxford Beaumont Street Oxford OX1 2PH

24/04/2017 17:16

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

Shark Tales

Drunk freshers meet world-class journalists. Watch now at facebook.com/cherwellonline

New Jesus fresher: Ex-Australian PM Kevin Rudd By WILLIAM DRY A former Prime Minister of Australia will begin studying at Jesus College this term. Kevin Rudd was the Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010 and again in 2013, and will be reading for a DPhil on the worldview of the Xi Jinping, the President of China. He spoke to Cherwell earlier this week, while in Oxford to address the Oxford Union. Speaking about political leaders’ careers after politics, Rudd said: “If you are motivated by the world of ideas... it’s a useful exercise to engage – not only in what I would describe as the day-to-day tactical debate – but on the state of our democracy.” “I think there is a real responsibility for those who have been in the business to actually defend the institution of democracy. I worry about it suffering death by a thousand cuts.” Rudd also emphasised that you “don’t have to become some adolescent politician – we’re not all designed to become Pitt the Younger”. His decision to undertake a DPhil at Oxford comes after he became

a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2014, where he wrote a paper on the future relations of America and China under Xi Jinping. He also became the inaugural president of the Asia Society Policy Institute, a political think tank. As part of his talk at the Oxford Union on Wednesday, Rudd discussed his fascination with Asia – he believes that “we are witnessing a historical turning point” and that “none of this is laid out by the gods”. He argued that “the West is losing conﬁdence in itself”, and that “China is conscious of this, and conscious of itself representing something else for the future”. Rudd also labelled President Trump “the deﬁ nition of an assault on reason” and commented that Brexit and Boris Johnson were part of a worldwide rise in demagoguery. He weighed in on the recent decision by Balliol JCR to ban the Christian Union from appearing at their Freshers’ Fair. Rudd said: “The moment we start banning Christian groups from the debate is a very bad day. “We need to be broad shouldered

Mansﬁeld College honours Maggie Smith Mansfield College is to confer an Honorary Fellowship on actress Dame Maggie Smith. Smith will receive her fellowship during an evening attended by Mansfield students and staff on 20 October. Smith will then give an informal talk, in conversation with the Principal of the college, Helena Kennedy, on her life and career. Smith’s links to Oxford University date back to her early career. She studied at the Oxford Playhouse School from 1951 to 1953, and made her professional stage debut in an Oxford University Dramatics Society production of Twelfth Night in 1952.

Scholars gowns Vote fails at Oxford SU Council A controversial motion to oppose the wearing of scholars’ gowns in examinations has been voted down in Oxford SU’s first Week Michaelmas Council. The motion fell with 16 votes for, and 36 votes against. Scholars gowns are worn by students who have received a scholarship or excelled in their preliminary examinations. The motion, proposed by Matilda Agace, Wadham College, claimed that the gowns ought to be prohibited because: “People who do not have a scholar’s gown can feel stressed, uncomfortable and inferior to their peers”. The vote follows an advisory referendum on the motion in Trinity 2017, when students overwhelming voted to keep scholars gowns, with 2126 students voting against the motion, compared 1214 in favour.

Shutdown JT’s sound system fails JT’s Cocktail Bar and Club suffered an embarrassing mishap on Thursday night as its sound system broke. Only one of the speakers in the George Street venue – formerly known as Roppongi – worked properly that evening. The event, Pounded Thursdays, was popular among Exeter and St Peter’s students last year, but attracted negativity after increasing its entry fee from £3 to £5, and eventually £6 on the door. Arthur Wellesley, a second year student, described the night as “dire.” He told Cherwell: “[it] was awful. One speaker worked. So we left.”

enough to take opinion from wherever it comes from.” He also remarked that this generation will be the ﬁ rst to grow up in a post Judeo-Christian world for over 2000 years. He believes that the Christian settlement gave “place and opportunity for people of no religious belief to fully express themselves. Now that the boot is on the other foot, I would humbly suggest that there be an open platform for all and that includes voices for the Christian Union”. Rudd is not the only ex-Prime Minister to spend time conducting research in Oxford. As of March 2017, David Cameron has chaired a commission with the Blavatnik School of Government guiding policy on economic growth in geopolitically fragile situations. Several other Australian prime ministers have also been educated at Oxford, including Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke, and Tony Abbott. Whilst in government,

Rudd was renowned for providing a robust response to the 2008 economic crisis with stimulus packages – Australia was the only major Western economy not to dip into recession. This was after he led the Labour party to a landside victory in 2007, with a 23-seat swing towards his party. He famously delivered a national apology to Indigenous Australians for the ‘stolen generations’. Rudd was leader of the Australian Labour Party until 2013, when he left

politics after losing the election that year. This will be Rudd’s ﬁ rst degree at Oxford. He previously studied for his undergraduate degree at the Australian National University. He received a First in Asian Studies, and majored in Chinese language and Chinese history, writing his thesis on democracy activist Wei Jingsheng. Then, in 1980, he continued his studies of Chinese culture at the Mandarin Training Centre in Taipei, Taiwan. Despite missing freshers’ week, Rudd’s views on the Oxford club scene remain u n clear.

Apple CEO opens new business hub The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, spoke at the opening of the Oxford Foundry, a new entrepreneurial hub. He described his invitation to speak at the event as a “privilege.” He offered advice to student entrepreneurs during his speech and Q&A. Cook said: “If you’re starting a business, if that’s your goal, my recommendation is recruit the friends of yours who are not like you... “If you can ﬁnd that group of people – that is the kernel for creating a successful business.” The University’s new hub is part of the Saïd Business School. It has been built on the site of nightclub Wahoo, which closed this time last year. The Foundry is open to all students at the University and aims to aid entrepreneurship amongst students from all disciplines. PHOTO: SAID BUSINESS SCHOOL/FISHER STUDIOS/ TWITTER

Friday, 13 October 2017 | Cherwell

8 Independent since 1920 Vol. 282, No. 2

Cherwell BALLIOL’S BAN

Just the facts, and nothing more

eople don’t like hearing “bad” news – and Cherwell has been publishing lots of it. Last week: an account of how Christian Union (CU) officials were prevented from attending Balliol’s freshers’ fair by the college JCR. The response to our story has been mixed. Some have described it as “misleading”, arguing that, for us, the “need to create drama” was more important than reporting the facts. For all the anger and controversy that news of the CU’s ban has caused, however, we stand by our reporting. Far from distorting the events of freshers’ week or the Balliol JCR meeting on Sunday, Cherwell has set the record straight. Our job is to report the facts in a clear and har-hitting manner. This is not “drama” or “sensationalism”. It is genuine popular journalism and it ensures powers are held to account. Elected officials, even student ones, sometimes overstep their bounds. We’re all young people, and making a mistake – from JCR rulings to newspaper editorials – should not tarnish your reputation for life. On this key principle, we agree with our critics. But, student leaders – be they JCR presidents or Union hacks – must be aware of the consequences of their actions. It is not for Cherwell to claim that the decision to prevent CU officials from appearing at freshers’ fair was a “disgrace”, as one commentor wrote, but it is our role to let the public know that such a decision was made, and allow them to make up their own minds. We do so by providing the facts, even if those facts do not make for “good” news. These facts may be unpleasant or unwelcome, but they are also unavoidable.

Going underground Another of our stories broken in the past week has been overwhelmingly more positive. The news that the beloved nightclub Cellar had apparently been saved after a planning application was withdrawn is being heralded as a “victory for people power”. And it’s true: our city’s students and locals banded together to prevent the loss of a wonderful platform for music. As Max Reynolds, organiser of club night Dr Feelgood, told us: “Nightlife culture is often disregarded as superficial and unimportant, and so it is heartening that it has been recognised as having a tangible value.” “Well done to all that supported the effort to protest its closure, I look forward to getting sweaty with you all in that hallowed basement.” We agree. Nightlife isn’t everything, but it isn’t nothing. And Cellar offered a home for nightlife that eschewed commercial motivations for the love of music, pure and simple. In no other venue in Oxford could you find such variety – folk, funk, disco, techno, and more, all under one roof. All is not yet saved, of course – Britain’s cities still have fewer and fewer nightclubs each year. In the past two years, Warehouse, Wahoo, Lola Lo’s and Roppongi closed. The latter two have since reopened. The site of Warehouse sits dilapidated and Wahoo’s site has only just been redeveloped as the Foundry, Oxford’s new entrepreneurship centre. We thought perhaps this was a sign of things to come. If Cellar has been saved, perhaps we should reconsider this fear.

The Editorial Team Michaelmas 2017 AKSHAY BILOLIKAR and JACK HUNTER, Editors

CAT BEAN and RYAN MAMUN, Food Editors

ETHAN CROFT, FRED DIMBLEBY, SUSANNAH GOLDSBROUGH, FELIX POPE, and MATT ROLLER, Deputy Editors

DAISY CHANDLEY and ZOE HARRIS-WALLIS, Fashion Editors CHLOE DOOTSON-GRAUBE and GEMMA O’SULLIVAN, Deputy Fashion Editors

EMILY LAWFORD, MIA MILLMAN, and HENRY STRAUGHAN, News Editors JORDAN BERNSTEIN and NAOMI PACKER, Comment Editors ROSIE DUTHIE and GREG BRINKWORTH, Comment Contributing Editors GREG RITCHIE and RYAN GOULD, Investigations Editors THEODORE CORNISH, MAXIM PARR-REID, and ALEX WAYGOOD, Deputy Investigations Editors

IRTEZA ISHRAQ and JON STARK, Science Editors ELEANOR BLACKWOOD and THOMAS MUNRO, Satire Editors SHIV BHARDWAJ and THOMAS BROWNE, Sport Editors THOMAS PLAYER, Puzzles Editor CALUM BRADSHAW and KATIE COOK, Video Editors

SELMA STEARNS and ROSA THOMAS, Features Editors

JULIA ALSOP, EIMER McAULEY, and CHARLOTTE TOSTI, Blogs Editors

ABBY RIDSDILL-SMITH and JULIA ROUTLEDGE, Life Editors JAMES LAMMING, Deputy Life Editor

ELLA BENSON-EASTON, Chief Photographer

ALTAIR BRANDON-SALMON and ANOUSHKA KAVANAGH, Culture Editors LUCY ENDERBY and GRACE HUCKINS, Books Editors BECKY COOK and JACK ALLSOP, Film Editors KATIE SAYER and IZZY SMITH, Theatre Editors CHARLES BRITTON and HENRY HATWELL, Deputy Theatre Editors THOMAS ATHEY and JOE BAVERSTOCK-POPPY, Music Editors ELEANOR BIRDSALL-SMITH and ELLIE DUNCAN, Visual Arts Editors

INDIA BARRETT, ELLIE BOURNE, POLLY HALLADAY, GEORGIE RILEY, Business Team Cherwell is published by Oxford Student Publications Ltd. Oxford Student Publications Ltd. LOUIS WALKER, Chairman REBECCA ILES, Managing Director KATIE BIRNIE, Finance Director UTSAV POPPAT, Tech Director TESS HULTON, Events Director For all advertising enquiries, please contact OSPL at advertising@ospl.org or 01865 722780, or visit www.ospl. org Printed in Great Britain by Mortons Ltd.

Evelyn Waugh. Graham Greene. Michael Crick. Anne McElvoy. Evan Davis. Christina Lamb. Hadley Freeman. You? Writing, illustrating, and photography opportunities still available at Oxford’s oldest student newspaper.

survey.cherwell.org

Life Arts Style

by Cherwell 13 October 17

Designer Rides + Culture Designs from past and present meet in the streets of Pakistan Interview Alain de Botton on mental health and the meaning of philosophy Theatre Mertonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Paul Foot returns to the Oxford

Friday, 13 October 2017 | Cherwell

2 oxbow

EDITORIAL Great design can be found in suprising places By ALTAIR BRANDON-SALMON ANOUSHKA KAVANAGH Saul Bass, who designed posters and titles for filmmakers from Hitchcock to Scorsese, once remarked, “I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares, as opposed to ugly things.” Design is all around us, but often it is awkwardly composed, difficult to grasp, offensive to the eye. This week, we want to reflect on design that works, that creates ‘beautiful things’. The Design Museum’s recent exhibition, California: Designing Freedom, has highlighted the unique West Coast aesthetic which, since the 1960s, has transformed everything from computers to surfboards. Yet

good design is found across the world, not just in the refined environs of northern California, and often appears in surprising places. In Oxbow, you’ll find painted trucks from Pakistan, Giovanna Bertazzoni talking about designing themed art sales for Christie’s, and a selection of timelessly powerful poster designs from Saatchi to Warhol. Good design does not age. It operates on an intuitive level, no matter its date, be it William Morris or Peter Dyer’s labyrinth front cover for Sarah Perry’s recent novel The Essex Serpent. And we humbly submit even the simple design of the newspaper you’re holding in your hands right this moment. So do good and embrace good design.

Contents

Clockwise from top left: A Mural to Victor Jara 12, Inside the Rad Cam 4, ‘Family Dinners be Like...’ by Holly Stone 8 , Merton almunus Paul Foot 15

Interview 3

In Conversation with popular philsopher and School of Life founder Alain de Botton

Life 4 4 4 5 5 6 6

Love Oxland The Alternative Guide to Oxford Snapshot a night out in Spain John Evelyn Overreachers, glory seekers, and a lack of speakers How to pace Matriculash Food at Dartmouth College A Life Divided by Matriculation

Style 7 7

Skater Boys another fashion fling? Self Sabotage on Instagram

Visuals 8 9 9

Explored the art of cartoons Opera through power, passion, and politics New Standards in political cartoons

Culture 10 Modern Design in Pakistan 10 Picks of the Week Iconic Designs

An Interview with the chair of Modern Art at Christie’s

Music 12 Playlist Building and design 12 Pick of the Week from Kelala 12 The Latin Revolution in music 12 Review of Lil Peep in London

Film 13 The Return of Rick and Morty 13 Rewind Blade Runner 2049 13 Ones to Watch silver screen showstoppers

Theatre 15 Paul Foot at the Oxford Fire Station 15 Confessions of rejection and dismay 15 Five Minutes with the Director of Tightrope Productions

Satire 16 16 16 16

Charity Appeal TV debate Crewdate games Puzzles

This week’s Oxbow cover was designed and illustrated by Mila Fitzgerald. Find her artwork or seek a commission @ miss.mila.art on Instagram.

“The university system is failing people” Interview Author Alain de Botton, founder of the School of Life, talks philosophy, mental health and the education system with Lucy Enderby

lain de Botton started his career with the philosophicallycharged novel Essays In Love, but now his broad range of work crosses genres from architecture to psychology, and most recently has attempted to teach people to develop emotional intelligence through The School of Life. In an era of specialization, de Botton is uniquely polymathic. In his books, and most recently his series of YouTube videos, de Botton draws upon what thinkers, and philosophers over time have argued about love, work, and purpose in life. Although this has placed him on the receiving end of criticism from traditional academics, who desire the esoteric to remain so, his unpretentious inclusion of and engagement with philosophers has helped build his large audience within a younger generation. Does he see himself mediating and interpreting the often impenetrable, like Nietzsche, to the masses? His response is surprising: “I have no real interest in Nietzsche himself, or philosophy itself, or any of these great thinkers themselves, I simply see them as a resource to exploit in order to mine potentially interesting ideas. “Academics and the whole academic superstructure see themselves as very much having a responsibility to people who lived hundreds of years ago, and they see their life as trying to recover what so and so actually said, and what so and so actually meant.” But, he tells me: “That’s not really my project at all, I don’t really care what they meant. What I’m more interested in is how what they said is of relevance to me and how I see

Alain de Botton speaking to the Fronteira the world. So I think that’s different from writing a Wikipedia entry on a thinker, which is a valuable project but not really the one I’m engaged on. “I’m trying to develop my own thinking, by sharpening it against the insights of other people.” In fact, de Botton sees these prohibitive “academic superstructures” across the whole university system. “I think in the humanities, the current university system fails about 60% of people, because what it does is to excite, by using these amusing cultural figures, who really did want to change the world, help us to live, and open up our eyes. “But then the academic system more or less just kills it by forcing one to do very weird things with these people, with no idea what these cultural figures themselves were up to. Nietzsche wouldn’t have gone to university to study Nietzsche, Shelley wouldn’t have gone to university to study Shelley, it’s paradoxical that we’re doing something, which however respectful it seems, is actually a betrayal of the figures that one studies.” Instead, de Botton proposes “dismantling” the current university system. He would make a “big change” and “change what people are rewarded for.” “Given that most young people go to university particularly to study

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

oxbow

interview His words “Most of what makes a book ‘good’ is that we are reading it at the right moment for us.” “One rarely falls in love without being as much attracted to what is interestingly wrong with someone as what is objectively healthy.” “The moment we cry in a film is not when things are sad but when they turn out to be more beautiful than we expected them to be.” “Every fall into love involves the triumph of hope over self-knowledge. We fall in love hoping we won’t find in another what we know is in ourselves, all the cowardice, weakness, laziness, dishonesty, compromise, and stupidity. We throw a cordon of love around the chosen one and decide that everything within it will somehow be free of our faults. We locate inside another a perfection that eludes us within ourselves, and through our union with the beloved hope to maintain (against the evidence of all self-knowledge) a precarious faith in our species.” “One of the best protections against disappointment is to have a lot going on.”

as do Pensamento in Porto Alegre in 2011. PHOTO: FRONTEIRAS DO PENSAMENTO the humanities – broadly speaking, to learn how to live – people should be rewarded for how well they have achieved that. This would mean that they are better teachers, better writers, better communicators – not just at the level of language, but picking up on what the real sources of distress and curiosity might be in the audience that they’re deal-

“Nietzsche wouldn’t have gone to university to study Nietzsche” ing with. The system of incentive should be geared towards that.” Despite his fascination with the great names of philosophy, de Botton advocates a “massively redesigned” curriculum which questions “some notional idea of the canon, which is often full of really quite peculiar choices, which hasn’t been interrogated for many, many decades.” He views philosophy as a vehicle for public virtue: “I am keen on the concept of relevance, which is a very frightening word for most academics, because they immediately

think that one means they should make some money, whereas I think it means that they should help some people.” Despite a Double First from Cambridge, and a Masters in philosophy from King’s College London, de Botton eventually packed in his PhD in French philosophy at Harvard in favour of writing books that have sold millions of copies. When asked what the future holds for philosophy, he did not hold back. “The future for academic philosophy is I think, very bleak. I think it’s fated to be a completely marginalized subject, studied by a few die hard people, and it will essentially have no relevance and no import to society, and that’s tragic

really. “Kant thought that philosophers should be legislators to the world, Plato thought that philosophers should become kings, Emmanuel Macron who studied under Paul Ricoeur thought philosophy was the ideal grounding for a statesman. “There are very many people who have made grand claims for philosophy, but I don’t see those being honoured in modern academic philosophy. “But that said, in a way the salvation might come from a slightly unusual place – which is ordinary people’s ordinary curiosity in philosophy, and that’s powered, and changed what people think philosophers might be up to.

“Ultimately the definition of a philosopher is up for grabs, and we need to move away from the notion that a philosopher is someone who is going to tell you about Hegel and reference Descartes, and move towards a new model that a philosopher is really anyone who is trying to work through the great questions of life, and that can encompass a psychologist, an economist, even a journalist, anyone who is thinking rationally in small, logical steps with care and intelligence, is really in the meritocratic sense a philosopher. “The professionalization of the subject, and the fetishism around referencing, has I think, been really unhelpful to the wider take up of the subject.” De Botton’s School of Life is his attempt to change the role of philosophy in public life. It now has branches in London, Amsterdam, Paris, Melbourne and Seoul among many more around the world, and sells highly-priced hard-back books and ‘career prompt cards’. He says despite its growth, his vision has remained consistent. “The goals are always the same, we’ve got better at what we’re doing. The main idea was to go beyond books, and create a home for ideas that might be in books as well, but give them a kind of resonant form by ensuring that they could exist in many different formats, including film or

a pack of cards, or an event, or a set of programs for people in offices. “So it’s kind of trying to amplify ideas and I’m very influenced by what religions are up to, and what impresses me is not their content but their form, and their ambition

“The future for academic philosophy is, I think, very bleak.” to touch us simply in a one on one experience like a book, but also to try and touch us through communal actions.” The School of Life is now expanding its activities to include news, psychotherapy, and even a porn site. De Botton sees no limits to his vision of philosophy as a force for the common good: “Through music, through architecture, through the senses, through art, in a way to seduce us into being certain sorts of people, and that’s obviously a very dodgy sounding idea, but it’s got a lot of valuable things to it. “So if you like, the School of Life is really an attempt to mirror some elements of religion, but using cultural content to hold people in a more engaged way through the process of living.”

Friday, 13 October 2017 | Cherwell

4 oxbow

Love Oxland

“If she were a true fan of Rick and Morty, she would be able to quote it verbatim.”

Claire Castle and Samuel Juniper go from cartilage piercings to piercing gazes during a cocktail-fuelled evening of philosophical musing Samuel Juniper Third Year, Maths Somerville

Claire Castle Second Year, PPE Keble

Going to a bar with a total stranger was far less awkward than I feared it might be. Claire and I quickly found common ground over cocktails, philosophy, and our respective parents’ contempt for our respective cartilage piercings. However, at one point I dropped a quote from Rick and Morty in conversation, which she failed to notice. Frankly, I was disgusted. If she were a true fan, she would be able to quote season 1, episode 8 verbatim, like me. Despite this unfortunate impasse, I thought she was great company, and the evening ﬂew by. She appeared far less keen to cycle after a few drinks than I was, so I rolled her a cigarette and walked her home. Who said chivalry was dead?

What was your ﬁrst impression? She accidentally blanked me Chat? Better than this answer Personality? Sweet, sarcastic, sanguine Any awkward moments? She accidentally blanked me

Being five minutes late (as normal), I was slightly on edge when I arrived. This was not helped by the fact that I walked straight past Sam before realising who he was. Initially, his brightly coloured jacket and cartilage piercing made me worry that he was “too edgy for me”, but I quickly learned that he actually studied maths. Luckily, conversation flowed pretty well; ranging from TV show opinions, to run-ins with the Somerville/Keble nurse, to philosophy and existential considerations. Sam was funny and friendly, and even walked back with me when I was too much of a wimp to cycle home after a few drinks.

What was your ﬁrst impression? Charity shop chic Chat? A mix of funny and mildly dark Personality? Edgy nerd Any awkward moments? Nodding along to a maths chat

Enjoyed Sam’s romantic gesture?

Voting now open on our Facebook page Sponsored by

£4.50 cocktails Monday to Thursday from 9pm.

The alternative guide to Oxford

Vying for public Facebook adulation, stud

You’ve been told where to go for coffee, clothes and clubbing – but what about the real student essentials? Julia Routledge is here to lend a helping hand

Snapshot

A night out in Spain by JOSH TRAVERS

Where to go if you want... To cry post-tute

ou’ve emerged into the college quad with your essay eviscerated by the talons of your tutor. Reeling from the bruising encounter, you start to feel tears pricking your eyes – so where do you flee to weep in peace? If you’re lucky, you’re in your own college and will be able seek solace in the tender embrace of the stash of chocolate biscuits in your room. But you can also go further afield – it all depends what you’re looking for from your crying experience. Recognition? Sympathy? Complete isolation in which to wallow in your pain and self pity? If it’s recognition or sympathy you’re looking for, I would have to recommend the centre of the Upper Camera at around 3pm. An iconic spot, packed out with students, and (if you’re lucky) tourist groups, your wails of grief and anguish will certainly be greeted with some degree of notice – even if it is tinged with irritation. On the other hand, if you’re searching for utter solitude, just head down to the English faculty and sit in the back of a lecture hall. Whether or not a lecture is taking place will not have any serious impact on the emptiness of the room.

he first thing that struck me on my night out in Spain was that all the lads (and I use that term loosely) in our group were wearing shorts. This was something of a novelty for me. Having come of age amid the nightlife of Manchester, it wasn’t so much that the bouncers wouldn’t let you in wearing shorts, but that the weather wouldn’t let you out in them. No such worries on the Costa del Sol as we sat outside a bar in Nerja until about 1am – but I’m

To avoid rowers It’s the week of Torpids, Summer Eights or whatever else is going on in college rowing this week. Understandably, you’re looking to avoid anyone involved and, in so doing, evade the terrifying prospect of being roped into spectatorship. So what do you do? Where do you go? The most important thing to remember is to put distance between yourself and the river. The closer you are to the river, the more likely you are to hear those haunting words, the stuff of nightmares: “Do you want to come and support us tomorrow?” As such, you should start heading north with as much speed and enthusiasm as possible, probably with headphones on. St Hugh’s serves as a safe haven: do they even have rowers there anyway? To be scouted for an Oxlove It goes without saying that the Rad Cam is the ultimate location to be spotted for an Oxlove. But you’ll need to do more than just turn up and read your set-text on Renaissance rhetorical theory. With such huge competition, you’ll need to commit to the cause. Striking an attractive pose is key: sit with a winsome smile playing on your getting ahead of myself. The night began, as all good things do, with a bout of pre-drinks. Giving a whole new meaning to the term ‘party bus’, we hopped aboard the local public transport service to Nerja, trying to avoid the looks of distaste from other passengers as we unceremoniously cracked open our tinnies and slurped on the regrettably lukewarm froth that burst forth. Several miles and several more units later, we stumbled off the bus and into the aforementioned

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

oxbow 5

life Evelyn’s diary Overreachers, glory seekers, and a lack of speakers

he intoxicating haze of degeneracy past descends into the sadism that somehow manages to be passed off as a world-class education. For the moment, however, one ﬁnds a general air of contentment has settled upon the City of Dreaming Spires. Sharks have managed to feast, new friendships have been forged, and plans have begun to be laid for the future. The cyclical history that is the hack world is once again set in motion.

Standing for Election

dents take up tactical positions in a sunlit alcove in the Radcliffe Camera. PHOTO: JON STOCK lips as you gaze pensively into the distance, and you’ll be sure to ﬁnd a suitor. Alternatively, make eye contact with the potential admirer at the desk opposite you. This can be achieved by looking up frequently from your note-taking, or, if you’re feeling particularly desperate for an ode, by maintaining forceful eye contact over the desk partition and ﬂuttering your eyelashes at the wordsmith in front of you. To see wildlife:

observed slithering around in their natural habitat. To have a snack post-clubbing It’s the end of a long night at Emporium: you’ve endured the pain of an empty danceﬂoor, terrible tunes and an overpriced vodka mixer, and now it’s time to try and salvage the night with a great post-clubbing snack. Your friends are depending on you for a novel suggestion that will transform this night from a calam-

Common sense suggests that University Parks might be the best place to search for flora and fauna, with its leafy glades, manicured flower beds and beautiful trees, only slightly trampled by rugby players. Or else you might fancy an afternoon stroll in Port Meadow, where wild horses frolic in bucolic bliss. But there’s no need to go that far – there are many breath-taking wildlife spots closer to home. Start by paying a visit to the college library late at night, where crepuscular creatures with hollow eyes squat over desperately scrawled notes. You might also enjoy the cheese floor at Park End, where sharks, maddened by the scent of fresh fish, have been driven into a feeding frenzy. If you want to seek out nature during the day though, there is no better spot than the Oxford Union, where snakes can be

ity into a giant triumph. Which way do you turn? There’s a couple of easy answers: Hassan’s, Ahmed’s, even McDonalds. But you’re not going to win friends and influence people with these basic attempts. You need to be more imaginative. You have two options: pick somewhere completely unlikely, and then draw out the night in order to wait for it to open. Otherwise, pick a kebab

bar, where we were immediately treated to some free shisha and, more importantly, a complimentary round of fruit ﬂavoured shots. Compared to the usual scene of cigarettes and jägerbombs, it all seemed very exotic, which only made us all the more inclined to buy more drinks. They saw us coming a mile away – and probably heard us too, considering how much we’d already had. That said, I had to contain my disbelief and delight at the price of drinks. A couple of euros

for a cocktail? It’d be rude not to. As it happened, I was incredibly polite that evening. My politeness endured into Tutti Frutti Square, where we sampled bars and clubs for every taste until about 4am, when my politeness began to catch up with me. Wetherspoon’s had softened me with their watery Woo Woos, so the liberal Spanish attitude to cocktail ratios hit me like a party bus to Nerja. Worse for wear but better for the experience, we decided to call it

Visit the Park End cheese ﬂoor to spot frenzied sharks in their natural habitat

van which isn’t on your normal walk home. This will undoubtedly improve your night by providing variety, excitement and adventure. It doesn’t matter that anything you’ll eat there will be the exact same as any other kebab van: it’s the journey that counts. Free food JCR meetings have few beneﬁts. Dominated by protracted discussion of seemingly meaningless issues, and desperate calls for quorum, it might seem that there is really no reason to attend a JCR meeting, at all. Yet this is a misguided view. JCR meetings have one redeeming quality: free food. As students, we cannot recommend the possibility of free food highly enough. What could be more appealing than being offered huge amounts of chocolate mini rolls, crisps and pizza just for dropping in. After all, you can always beat a hasty retreat after you’ve restocked. Christian Union meetings also tend to offer more than just spiritual nourishment, although this is less relevant if you go to Balliol. A quiet Thursday night Anywhere other than the Bridge queue. a night as Tutti Frutti began to quieten down. Not that there was nowhere else to go, as the survivors began draining into a nearby club that kept the party going until 7am. Even we, the demonised British tourists, couldn’t handle it for that long. But it didn’t all end in tears – I managed to make friends with an alleged ‘shaman’, who tried to cure my ailments by tapping my head and showering me with water. Now there’s something you don’t see in the queue for Bridge.

It appears a certain sturdy president has taken upon himself to take two offices when one is only customary. The man from Magdalen, spurred by his VERY special bespectacled friend, seems to be contemplating running for office well above what most would consider wise for a first timer in Frewin Court. Perhaps his soft spoken ways will curry him favour with people beyond the usual voters, but to stand while he leads the blues would be quite a shock.

No conﬁdence in scheduling This week, it seems that the Union

was caught on the back foot regarding its No Confidence debate. The highlight of the term card faced rumours that the snake pit is not beyond lying to Joe Public. John Evelyn heard of a potential crisis for the Opposition (not for the first time, grant you). It seemed that there was a distinct lack of people willing to speak out in support of Theresa May. Now one understands why this would be the case. But, are the rumours which claim this is because of the sensitive nature of scheduling disingenuous to a fault? I wish the President the best for the term ahead, but humbly advise him that clarity in his use of language is of the utmost importance. He may also wish to take a firmer grip on his emotions, after a rather humiliating vocal display of desperation this week. On hearing that one bar(tington)ely relevant foot solider in May’s army was willing to appear at the debate, Evelyn’s sharp ears registered a high-pitched yelp of celebration that echoed down St Michael’s. If the President is reduced to hysteria from the good grace of a failed MP, Evelyn worries that the rest of term holds little promise for speakers of genuine importance.

How to

Pace Matriculash By MAXIM PARR-REID

ints at 9am. Ten pubs by 1pm. Passed out by 3pm. We didn’t pace Matriculash, but you, dear fresher, can! Despite what you may think, Matriculation isn’t vastly improved by being plastered – or through the use of any other stimulant, I hasten to add. For goodness sake, remember to wait until you’ve left the Sheldonian before hitting the bottle. As fantastic as prosecco is on a crisp autumnal morning, Trinity’s endless rounds of Mexican waves and anti-Merton chants were a bit much, and did leave me amazed that we weren’t made to sit through the whole thing again. After that, though – once you’ve managed to matriculate with at least the appearance of sobriety – the fun and games begin. It might be good to start by

eating something so the alcohol doesn’t go straight to your head. Chomping down on the pastry selection in hall is a delight, and will also line your stomach so the alcohol has more of a slow burn effect. Peer pressure is a dangerous thing, kids, so don’t let older years get you more plastered than you want to be. I vividly recall a certain 3rd year who made that his mission last year, and he probably succeeded, most regrettably. (Another tip for you – don’t run around the quad extolling the virtues of ‘the sesh’). Matriculation is an enjoyable experience so long as you don’t overdo it. If you want to celebrate being an official Oxonian by going clubbing, you actually have to last until after 3pm. But the most important thing is to enjoy the experience: afterall, it only happens once.

Friday, 13 October 2017 | Cherwell

6 oxbow

Life Food

The illusion of choice in the land of the free

Matt Roberts contemplates the variety (or lack thereof) of eateries at Dartmouth College

artmouth College is one of the oldest institutions of higher education on the North American Continent, nestled in the verdant New Hampshire countryside in a crook of the Connecticut River. The college was founded in 1769, originally intended as a cornerstone of a proselytising mission to convert the indigenous population of New England. The tiny town of Hanover, with a population of 12,000, is comprised of a single high street, and utterly defined by the college which grows like a vast carbuncle out of it. I was lucky enough to spend my summer at Dartmouth, on an exchange programme run by my college. The teaching style was the biggest shock – as a Liberal Arts college, all students take three subjects every term, as widely ranging as History, Chemistry and Psychology. What’s more, there are no big final exams at the end of your degree, as every class is examined cumulatively every single term. However, the change that hit hardest was the food, which was utterly bizarre. Initially, food at Dartmouth seemed like a sort of dream – an all-youcan-eat buffet all times of the day, a boutique bakery at the entrance of the library, a late night cafe with fried chicken and smoothie machines. All of this food could be eaten anywhere on campus, including inside the libraries, which took a novel Google Campus feel, with beanbags, sofas, whiteboards and, most strikingly, no silence policy. The main dining area was called ‘Foco’, a shortening of food court, because its official title, ‘The Class of 1953 Commons’ doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. The dining hall was vast, with a dozen or so serving sta-

tions offering endless sustenance for wide-eyed undergraduates. The predominant theme was that everything was slightly too sweet, perhaps a reflection of American propensity for high-fructose corn syrup. My highlight was Sunday morning brunch, which featured scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, crisp back bacon, black coffee, and freshly squeezed orange juice. However, for every surprisingly nice plateful of food, there was also a disappointing one – unchewably tough beef, tongue-searingly salty chili, and vegetables consistently cooked to an unstructured mush. Whilst Foco was hit-and-miss at best, King Arthur’s Flour, the boutique Vermont based bakery, offered an incredible start to every day. Over the summer I became addicted to

their caesar salads, with crisp lettuce, tart, anchovy-rich sauce, and croutons which had a hint of garlic, and a faultless crunch without the sandy texture or excess oil that dooms many croutons to the culinary wayside. Equally, their cinnamon rolls balance delicately flakey pastry with thick icing - the lightness of the base avoiding the Cinnabon density that cinnamon rolls so often suffer from. However, the really interesting thing about dining at Dartmouth is that your options are so limited. There are a handful of fairly expensive restaurants on the high street, and the supermarket has a rather narrow selection of produce available. This is at its most apparent when it comes to fresh fruit – one of the few places to buy fruit is the small on-campus mart,

where I was able to find a pitiful punnet of raspberries for $7 – I’d expect to pay a pound at most for a similar container back home. This question of cost is one of the most important underpinnin the Dartmouth dining experience – everybody on campus has to opt into the College Dining plan. The least expensive meal plan costs $1,400 a term. Due to limited kitchen facilities, there simply is nowhere else to eat, so this becomes unavoidable even if it wasn’t compulsory. It is a system that only rewards eating as much as possible, as everybody pays the same for access to the buffet dining hall – I can think of a lot of rugby players in Oxford that would love this system, but for the majority it only seems to lead to unnecessary waste, and unnecessary cost.

Top picks

From left: Matcha latte at Rick’s, Szechuan spicy beef and aubergine, stir fried mixed vegetables at Sojo, sausage roll from West Cornwall Pasty Co

reshers: you’ve gone to the Rad Cam, narrowly avoided being hit by a bus on St Aldates, and sorrowfully removed your freshers wristband. You’re a fully-fledged Oxford student, right? But, to adapt Mean Girls, “you don’t even go here”. It sounds harsh, but it’s true, and that’s exactly what will make matriculation a memorable day in your Oxford life. Often dull, frequently drunken, you’ll eventually look back on those strange hours with a certain fondness. Ultimately, matriculation’s just one of those Oxford things. It’s a ceremony in which you are officially enrolled into Oxford, and simultaneously spend the day so inebriated you forget you’re wearing sub fusc. Matriculation is much more than a traditional ceremony: it’s an introduction to the unique cocktail of ritual, gown-wearing, and, occasionally, alcohol, that is central to Oxford life. Sub fusc may be a bizarre mixture of school uniform and capes, but as

a second year whose gown brings horrific Prelims flashbacks, do enjoy the novelty while it lasts. Photos will act as essential fodder for your Facebook profile/Instagram feed, and are something to look back at nostalgically when you’re no longer “fresh”. Moreover, matriculation is effectively a free-pass for daytime drinking. With the ceremony often ending by 10am, what else is there to do but grab a pint before returning to college for a champagne reception, followed by free food with wine provided? After that you need only keep up your blood-alcohol level for matriculash, where you can recreate the joys of Freshers’ Week, but now with friends! Matriculation is an opportunity to take a day off and celebrate getting into Oxford. So enjoy it, because tomorrow you’ll be back in the library, probably with a headache, working on the next essay.

A life divided

Matriculation

Rachel CraigMcFeely and Anna Elliott discuss the merits of sub fusc and day drinking

atriculation was always destined to be a disaster. The sub fusc you purchased last week seemed exciting and Harry Potteresque at the time, but now it’s become clear that it’s actually impractical and confusing. After only a few minutes, you’ll realise that almost nobody looks good in a billowing gown and, unable to use your mortarboard for rain protection, your hair will be stuck to your forehead and your white shirt alarmingly transparent. Not only will your drenched attire be forever immortalised in tourists’ photos, but, for the next few weeks, these terrible memories will be plastered all over Facebook. You may have dreamed that such photos would portray you and your cool new friends posing on the Bodleian steps in the sun. Not so. Instead, the sky will be overcast, and the sheer volume of students jostling for the perfect shot means that you’ll be forced to take pictures on the pavement outside Sainsbury’s. And let’s face it: you’ve

known these people for two weeks. Many matriculation pictures end up capturing pretty random groups of people, some of whom may detest each other by the time Prelims roll around. Although the matriculation ceremony itself takes only about ten minutes, the whole day is filled with pressure to commemorate this unique event. The afternoon will generally be spent doing one of two things: either you’ll be stuck in the library attempting to salvage first week work, or in the pub participating in matriculash. Either way, by the evening, you’ll be exhausted – but the pressure to go out means you, and everyone else in the entire college, will troop out to Bridge in the cold and the dark just to stand in a hot, cramped room, packed with freshers. In the end, the only thing that makes matriculation bearable is knowing that next year you’ll be able to laugh at the idealistic freshers who don’t know what the day has in store for them.

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

oxbow

style Skaterboy fashion rules Supreme The fashion world is obsessed with skate culture, but is this the start of a long-term relationship or just another a short-lived flirtation? Zoe Harris-Wallis reports.

or a long time now, skate brands such as HUF and Vans have featured in the wardrobes of young people. However, in the last few years, the influence of skater style has cruised its way upwards out of the mainstream and into the world of high fashion which is not, as of yet, bored with the board. And it’s not just the fashion

The world of high fashion is not, as of yet, bored with the board industry that has taken interest. In 2013, Palace collaborated with the Tate Britain when Lev Tanju , the brand’s creative director, created a new range of boards, projecting works by John Martin onto busts, creating photos that he then used as skateboard graphics. Not long after this, the infectious creativity of such hugely popular skate brands as Supreme and Palace touched the world of high fashion with their celebrities and theatrical catwalk shows — something that seems the antithesis of the laidback, carefree philosophy and style of skate culture. Designers such as Vetements and Gosha Rubchinskiy showed collections that were clearly influenced by skaters, with hoodies, oversized t-shirts and Thrasher-esque flame motifs dominating the catwalks. Unsurprisingly, as Rubchinskiy had become a darling of the industry, this new aesthetic quickly spread. Soon, elements of skate culture were pervading the fashion world with pro skaters such as Dylan Rieder, Ben Nordberg, and Alex Olsen becoming models for major labels like DKNY and Louis Vuitton. Skate style also became the

On the street

Original photography by Daisy Chandley

choice off-duty uniform for many, from models Binx Walton to the mainstream music artists Rihanna and Justin Bieber. Recently, Vogue even published an online article series, with the cringe inducing title ‘Skate Week’, including a piece on how to achieve street style. This shows how obsessed the industry has become, treating the look more like a costume than a source of style inspiration. Although skate style has not actually been championed by many designers, it is not surprising that it was so popular. Before Vetements arrived on the fashion stage in 2013, the seventies appeared on almost every catwalk. With Hedi Slimane’s rebranding of Yves Saint Lauren, all eyes seemed to be fixed on him as he brought a youthful edge to the long-established fashion house. With collections such as Nicolas Ghesquiere AW14 for Louis Vuitton going down a similarly retro trajectory, Vetements and Goscha’s laid-back sportswear-inspired collections were something new for the industry to get excited about. Furthermore, the big skate brands had already made links between different areas of the cultural sphere, increasing their profile. Palace’s graphic designers, for example, came from outside skateboarding. Fergus Purcell was named design director at Marc by Marc Jacobs in 2013, and Will Bankhead was one of the main visual directors behind the Mo Wax imprint and Joy Orbison’s Doldrums. He cited skate magazines Transworld Skateboarding and Thrasher as his inspiration. Therefore, with skateboarding already appearing across the creative board, and Palace and Supreme growing ever bigger, the popularity of this new style could easily have been predicted. Now, on both the high street and in vintage shops there is a multitude of skate-inspired clothing. From low rise baggy jeans and

Daisy Chandley

Instagram’s self-sabotage

oversized hoodies, which are sometimes made more ‘skater’ by text or flames decorations added down the sleeves. In the accessories department, high-top Converse and checkerboard Vans are making a comeback from our pre-teen emo days. As elements of skater style has made its way into the mainstream, it has merged with other styles popular among the urban creative youth, such as the

Checkerboard Vans are making a comeback from our pre-teen emo days 90s sportswear that has come from the rise of the ‘Wavey Garms’ look. Now in the nightclubs of the UK’s biggest cities you’ll see this new breed of creative youth lounging around in the smoking area sporting their Dickies and pulling out a packet of Amber Leaf from their across body bum bag. This new style has brought with it a new stereotype of the skater. Supreme is now a highly successful business, having recently collaborated with the fashion giant Louis Vuitton. Across the pond, the skater turned artist-cum-fashion designer Blondey McCoy is showing that skaters can be far more than the stoner dropout cliche they are usually associated with. Blondey skates for Adidas and Palace, while also acting as the creative director of the skate brand Thames. McCoy has recently launched his

fifth exhibition, entitled Us and Chem, which includes a creative collaboration with the Brtish artist Damien Hirst. Some skaters do not seem bothered by the eclecticism and ambition of creatives such as Blondey. But unsurprisingly many are unhappy with the way in which fashion designers have plucked out elements of their style, and gone on to be lauded by the industry for their creative genius, not to mention the financial remuneration they have received. Skaters are rarely involved in the conversation the fashion industry is so excitedly having about their culture and style, making the industry more vulnerable to the accusations from skaters that their pursuits are cynical and disingenuous. This raises questions about the nature of fashion itself, an industry inherently prone to accusations of appropriation, cultural or otherwise. If a designer references something without belonging to that culture or subculture, does that immediately make their product problematic? Perhaps the skaters who take issue with the industry are just reacting against the increasing inclusivity of their subculture. The opening up of their world to the general consumer may well result in a serious loss of authenticity, as the mainstream image of skate culture becomes all that they are represented by. Most significantly, when the fashion world decides that its skater crush is over, the boys and girls in body bum bags might fall by the wayside with all those other discarded trends.

n the midst of the 280-character roll-out on Twitter, a dark rumour has been spreading – Instagram is making another change that nobody wants or asked for and it might come close to destroying your life. In the ultimate affront to carefully curated feeds everywhere, a few choice influencers have noticed that their three-image rows have gained a new box, shifting everything along into an unfriendly foursome. Such testing usually means the app is gearing up to make the change for everyone. In a world where nuclear

Why does Instagram keep trying to fix what isn’t broken? war is looming, this seems a sickeningly petty complaint, but it does raise the question: with users still complaining about the dreaded algorithm change a few months back, why does Instagram keep trying to fix what isn’t broken? As a bit of background for those not as manically up to date on Instagram’s every move as I am, the aforementioned algorithm change saw feeds moving from broadly chronological order to a sprawl of images ranging from a minute old to a (relatively ancient) few days old depending on a somewhat mysterious group of factors including how relevant the app thinks various photos are to you, what your relationships are to other users, and so on. This ended up leaving smaller accounts in the cold as their images were pushed down people’s feeds, while those who were already popular simply grew more so, helped by the valuable likes of their widely-followed friends. This is all entrenching Instagram as a place of cliques rather than a forum for new work and new faces. Admittedly, altering the grid is a change which has at least some rationale: with phone screens increasing their sizes and image resolutions, you can fit more images on the screen without that new hair picture turning from bob to blob. And Instagram is right to try and keep up with changing tech. Instagram is akin to LinkedIn for many creatives, and for photographers and stylists who cut their images up and spread them across a number of adjacent slots on their feed, this change – combined with the app’s refusal to introduce a much desired rearranging tool – will prove seriously annoying, turning their portfolio into a nonsensical mess of rogue limbs that won’t sit well with potential clients. If Instagram do need to make the change, they should do what they failed to do in the past: listen to the valid concerns of their users.

8 oxbow

The art of cartoons, explored

In our second issue, Viveka Herzum argues for a reassessment of the way cartoons participate in satire and expression of opinion. She finds a political narrative that must now be held to a higher standard in the age of reactionary, populist politicians. Clockwise from top: Holly Stone’s ‘Family Dinners’, William Hogarth’s classic ‘Gin Lane’, Mila Fitzgerald’s ‘Rocket Man vs the Dotard’, and ‘Girl’s Night’ by Jessie Evans

Friday, 13 October 2017 | Cherwell

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

oxbow 9

visuals Opera: Passion, power and politics The new exhibition at the V&A entertains yet bemuses Julia Alsop

F Political cartoons must now be held to a new standard in the age of Trump

By VIVEKA HERZUM

emember the political cartoons published on the day Trump was elected? The day of the inauguration? When new information on the ties between Russia and the Trump administration caused mayhem in US politics? Me neither. But I do remember CNN playing in the dining hall back on results day in November, the countless clips of Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert, and the headlines about the new administration’s DACA decision. And, frankly, the memes, we all remember the memes. So if we don’t remember the cartoons, what role did they play in establishing the current political climate? Cartoons no longer have the social sway they once did. Though news reporting remains essential, print publications and political cartoons are simply not as important now as when they were one of the only methods of circulating information. However, if viewed as an example of satire, cartoons retain their power to make political statements, call out injustice, and incite controversy, as well as heavy backlash from their unwilling subjects. Well-known cartoonists like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Nast, William Hogarth, and Honore Daumier, whose portrayal of King Louis-Philippe as Gargantua famously led the king to comment that while, “a pamphlet is no more than a violation of opinion, a caricature amounts to an act of violence,” were often heavily criticised and even persecuted for their publications. Cartoons no longer garner such strong reactions, but the king’s outrage is not so different from Trump’s reaction to a different incarnation of humour, sketch comedy. See, for

example, Trump’s tweets regarding his representation on Saturday Night Live, which include such comments as “@NBCNews is bad but Saturday Night Live is the worst of NBC. Not funny, cast is terrible, always a complete hit job. Really bad television!” or “Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me. Time to retire the boring and unfunny show,” or “Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can’t get any worse. Sad.” In the past, cartoons had value as political influencers and as conversation starters. Before the digitalization of most media, they were useful in sharing information and helping shape opinions because they reached an audience that didn’t have access to many other sources of information. Though distorted in their representation of reality, they had an almost educational value. Their nature as a visual instead of a verbal medium meant that they did not require literacy, and thus made them less elitist by allowing them to reach an larger audience. Today, most information is available in seconds. Obligatory education and the pervasiveness of media means that in many countries, even a politically apathetic member of the public has multiple sources of information readily available. We no longer need cartoons to tell us how to think. The value of cartoons is now found in their expression of widely held viewpoints, rather than the contraverisal opinion of the individual cartoonist or of a limited circle of politically involved elite. Though not all political cartoons are inherently comic, the medium is defined by its use of irony, emotional symbolism, exaggeration, and distortion, all of which translate to bias. These quali-

ties make them a sort of shorthand, a way of synthesizing what many people are already thinking, useful for looking back on a political moment. But the conversations that cartoons once helped start are already happening, and the cartoon itself acts as merely an echo. When viewed as a small part of a larger phenomenon, cartoons offer an example of the essential role satire and humour played in the US 2016 presidential election. In a post-truth media climate, truth is our most valuable currency and often our most powerful form of pro-

Cartoons no longer have the social sway they once did test. People have a hard enough time avoiding fake news and alternative facts as it is. They want ammunition for debate, to engage with the content they consume, and for art and the media to help them understand what is real and what isn’t. Because of its distortion and unavoidable bias, caricaturization is no longer a satisfactory foundation for forming an opinion, unless it is accompanied by something more substantial (statistics, quotations, specific policy decisions). The trite “a picture is worth a thousand words” is in the most part no longer applicable. Many prefer words allowing them to engage with truth and fact in a way that cartoons, by nature, do not. In comparison to other forms of humour, or even to editorials, cartoons leave the consumer nothing to respond to. Their power, and their curse, is that they demand merely to

be taken at face value. Both cartoons and comedy in more general terms draw attention to inconsistencies in the current administration’s policies and statements while voicing the needs and views of those who are not directly involved in the government. They exaggerate reality in a situation that is, by many moral and logical standards, preposterous, and criticise both government officials and the public who placed them in power. But not all comedy or criticism is productive, and other attempts to ridicule Trump, like the five naked statues placed in cities across the US or the frequent comparisons to Hitler, have caused controversy for the wrong reasons. Treating comedy, and more specifically cartoons, as anything more than partial representations of one aspect of public opinion would downplay the importance of concrete political action. Cartoons fill an ambiguous category in the wider frame of “culture,” existing at the intersection of art, journalism, and satire. But despite their value, it is dangerous to exaggerate the extent to which any of these single categories can dictate the outcome of any social change. In today’s political climate, sharing a meme or a political cartoon on social media, even when it perfectly encapsulates your opinion, has the potential to trivialise the very view you are trying to defend. We have a responsibility to use our voices in real conversation and to use laughter to feed our political drive, not satisfy it. Though cartoons, art, and comedy always have been and will continue to be a powerful social tool, they are effective only when coupled with concrete action.

rom the sublime to the frankly terrifying; from the exquisite displays of Baroque Handelian instruments to the gruesome and disturbing videos of a bloodcovered Salome cradling the head of Jochanan, the exhibition in the Sainsbury Gallery could be perceived as the thrilling melting pot of truly holistic art form. Following seven different European regions, the audience is able to experience the role of opera in national identity, class and rebellion. The sound system perfectly facilitated the decision to make the music itself the focal point of the exhibition. The headphones provided selected tracks of operatic works by acclaimed performers, as well as commentaries creating an immersive atmosphere in an already visual stimulating moment. To be particularly lauded is the Leningrad section. Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District is the focal opera, featuring harrowing visual displays of the darkly themed opera alongside a rarely seen score of Shostakovich’s. However I am left unsure who this exhibit is aimed at. Whilst the artifacts and design are striking, they only scratch the surface of operatic context.The exploration of the musical content seems superficial, and in some displays only really discussed by showing a few period instruments. Equally, whilst the drama of opera is evident, the accessibility to a modern day audience isn’t convincing. It is hard to fault the all-encompassing aesthetic, epitomising opera as an art that contains not just music, but also of costume, and the power of movement. This is an aspect which Kate Bailey, the curator, explained was the reason it was chosen as an ideal topic for the V&A. However, its polarisation of geography fell short in the omission of certain key operatic cultures. It seems a shame to only explore Paris through Wagner, forgetting French opera, Britten’s English operatic protagonists, or even America’s multicontinental influences and creation of operetta. In representing a holistic art form it is easy to make a superficial sweep of individual elements, rather than digging deep into the cohesive whole, which is something that the V&A may have fall victim to.

Friday, 13 October 2017 | Cherwell

10 oxbow

How traditional craftsmanship meets modern aesthetics on Pakistani trucks Sam Dalrymple reports on the phenomenon of truck art that is spreading across Pakistan

et amongst the luscious Sarban hills of Northern Pakistan, Abbottabad attracts virtually no foreign travellers. Ever since 2011, when Osama Bin Laden was shot and killed here, the town’s name has become synonymous with terrorism. However, just a few minutes from Bin Laden’s old abode lies an unexpected dusty courtyard, teeming with artisans. Sitting cross-legged on a stool in its centre, a moustachioed miniature painter applies the ﬁ nal touches to his painting of Pakistani cricketer and politician, Imran Khan. Beside him lies an engine fastened onto a colossal wooden skeleton, like some Mad Max monstrosity. To the left, a scruffy carpenter chips away at a

Folk art has turned village lanes and city streets into a national gallery” sheet of scented deodar wood, humming along to a scratchy radio pop

Picks of the week

Iconic designs

By ANOUSHKA KAVANNAGH NICOLA DWORNIK

song. This is the hotbed of a new artform sweeping Pakistan: the Abbottabad Truck Depot. It is common for trucks across South Asia to be decorated in elaborate ways – but in Pakistan, the art has undergone a true renaissance. Almost every truck in the country is embellished with a dazzling array of paintings, calligraphy, stickers, and delicately carved wooden panels. As Richard Covington writes: “All across Pakistan, this rolling folk art has turned village lanes, city streets and long-distance highways into a national gallery without walls, a free-form, kaleidoscopic exhibition in perpetual motion”. Artisans have been decorating tonga carts for aristocracy since the height of the British Raj, yet truck art as it exists today began during the violence following the British departure from India. After the partition of a Muslimmajority Pakistan from a Hindumajority India, over ten million people were displaced, and three million more brutally killed. It was against this bloody backdrop that Haji Hussain – a court painter from Gujarat – ﬂed to Pakistan to start his life over as a refugee. Given the lack of work for someone of his disposition, Haji was forced into the trucking business in Karachi – where he began decorating ve-

hicles for a small fee. Business grew rapidly and this emerging art form

Truck design is often regional and varies drastically from state to state begun a rejuvenation. Today, Karachi remains the epicentre of the industry, but an estimated 50,000 independent artisans populate three specifically devoted districts. Many former court artists followed in Haji’s wake to innovate the trucking industry, after courtly and folk traditions fell prey to modernisation in the early years of the 20th century and truck decoration offered a form of salvation. As a result, truck design is often regional and varies drastically from state to state. Whereas the red trucks from Sindh sport floral patterns of camel-bone inlay, trucks from Peshawar and the North-West Frontier are known for their intricately carved wooden panelling and calligraphy. Hence truckers can usually identify where another is Left: Le Chat Noir, Theophile Steinlen, 1896 One of the most reproduced posters of all time, Steinlen’s black cat marks the birth of modern European graphic design as we know it. Watching us with beady eyes, the cat appears appropriately alluring for Paris’ fi rst modern cabaret. Right: Tube, David Booth, 1986 30 years old and perhaps the most iconic London underground map cover of all time. David Booth draws the network through different coloured paints from a tube. Now displayed in the London Transport Museum, it’s an ode to better and simpler times – when maps had covers and weren’t just shiny screens.

Truck art can be found throughout Pakistan and the Indian subcontinent, from cit from, simply from the design of his vehicle. Despite this regional variation, the designing process is more or less the same across the country. Given the lack of safety restrictions in Pakistan, artisans have free range in what the truck should look like. Having consulted a patron about which design their vehicle will follow, an imported truck is stripped down to its machinery, and crafts-

men set loose in building, sticking and tinkering with the exterior. Finally, images of home and poems about travel, spiritual longing, and unrequited love are painted around the frame of the vehicle . Owners spend fortunes on decoration. As Richard Covington revealed in a recent essay on the phenomena, “a decent paint job costs $500 to $1,000—perhaps more... Body decoration and repair can easily run an extra $2,000. All

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

oxbow 11

culture “Truckers don’t even spend so much money on their own houses,” marvelled Durriya Kazi, head of the Department of Visual Studies

More recently, truck art has been at the centre of Pakistani diplomatic efforts

ities to villages. PHOTOS: SAM DALRYMPLE told, a basic painting and body job adds up to a minimum of $2,500, equivalent to two years of the average truck driver’s salary”. By the time the whole process is completed, costs can run as high as $13,000: a colossal amount in a country such as Pakistan. Indeed whilst talking to the truck drivers in Abbottabad, one revealed that on average he would spend 80% of his income on decorating his ride and only 20% on his family.

at the University of Karachi. “We [Pakistanis] have an irresistible tendency to decorate everything— from lowly tape cassette players to brides to trucks. It’s all part of our need to intensify experience.” However, such is the absurdity of the industry that the expense is almost always worth it. The more lavish a truck’s decoration, the more jobs it is likely to run and an undecorated truck is likely to receive little to no business. More recently, truck art has been at the centre of many Pakistani diplomatic efforts. In September 2013, truck art was featured prominently in the Hindu Durga Puja festival in neighbouring India as a gesture of peace. This year also saw Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, become the fi rst western leader to be portrayed in truck art. An article from Outlook Pakistan proudly writes: “There is no doubt that Pakistanis have a special place in their heart towards the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who is a lively person with a friendly attitude towards cultural diversity. “He has always been doing something that makes Pakistanis feel him as their very own… [be it his] love for Biryani or his expertise in Bhangra dancing.” Pakistan is not a place that is known for art, yet the country’s raging obsession with truck décor has led to an absurd and brilliant fusion of modern aesthetic tastes and traditional workmanship. Even in the most dangerous corners of the country, trucks have become unlikely bastions of the arts helping to employ many thousands of artisans from any and all backgrounds. It is an industry that continues to evolve, and the spiritual figures that dominated imagery in the ‘50s have been joined by Lollywood film stars and hippie-era psychedelia. With a stable future affi rmed by its absurd economic necessity, truck art is rolling on.

“I’m very lucid about my job – it’s to sell works of art” Altair Brandon-Salmon dives into the world of art auctions with Giovanna Bertazzonia, cochair of Modern Art at Christie’s

hristie’s has stood on King Street in St James’s for the past 194 years. The auction house’s founding dating back even further, to 1766, when James Christie held his first sale on Pall Mall. It is an institution as venerable as those which surround it, from the London Library to the panoply of gentleman’s clubs and St James’s Palace itself. Along with its traditional rival Sotheby’s, Christie’s has become synonymous with art auctions, and after each sale, the press indubitably report on the extraordinary prices achieved: in 2015, Picasso’s Version ‘O’ of Les Femmes d’Alger (1955) sold for a world-record setting £179.4m, while Modigliani’s Nu Couché (1917) sold in the same year for £170.4m. These are figures which Giovanna Bertazzoni knows well, for as Co-Chairman of Impressionism and Modern Art at Christie’s, she oversees one of their most important (and lucrative) departments. As she says to me in her rich Italian accent, “I’m very lucid about my job – it’s to sell works of art: you can’t put it another way.” Bertazzoni is as immersed in her art as any curator or critic: she studied art history at Italy’s prestigious University of Pavia and the École Nationale du Patrimoine in Paris, before working for the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts in San Francisco. Moving to the UK in 1997, she went to work for Christie’s, initially as a catalogue editor, before rising through the ranks. She’s proud that she has “worked in every single role in the department.” Bertazzoni talks of a “passion for works on paper, particularly original drawings, gouaches, pastels, watercolours.” It this combination of market acumen and a genuine love for art that marks Bertazzoni out. Bertazzoni talks about the whole process of selling, buying, and collecting art, a commerce marked by the emergence of significant Chinese collectors in recent years: “For a lot of very important mainland Chinese collectors, they come to us after they have gathered an important collection

Left: Grab ‘em by the Ballots, Zoe Buckman, 2016 This billboard, displayed in Harrisburg, PA, in the runup to the 2016 election, was a call for voters to vote responsibly. Buckman responds to Trump’s misogynistic remarks, repurposing his quotes within the locker room chat setting, with which he defended them. Right: Labour Isn’t Working, Saatchi & Saatchi, 1979 Designed by advertising giants Saatchi & Saatchi, this infamous queue was used in the 1979 election. When printed, unemployment was a then remarkably high at 5-6%. The photo received considerable backlash in the Commons – but it won Thatcher the election, so someone must have liked it.

of Chinese art. They start with their identity – as we all do... Generally they come to us after they have collected for ten year, after that they feel it’s the moment to explore something else. But they’re collectors, they’re astute, they know the game.” Chinese collectors have particularly sought out Impressionist works, driving the style back into renewed fashion. Becoming department head as the great recession began in 2008, Bertazzoni recalls with an encyclopaedist’s precision the period’s sales, saying, that for the art market, “the recession was a short moment of hesitant supply, which was confined to maybe nine months in 2009.” Modern art is in the middle of a virtuous circle, with “Surrealism finding great strength at the moment because it’s the cradle of a lot of conceptual art, so a lot of powerful buyers look back to it,” in turn encouraging rarer pieces to market, generating even more interest. This requires careful management by Christie’s: one of the key aspects of Bertazzoni’s role is meeting with prospective sellers, shepherding works to market, creating the right context for artworks to be sold. This has lead to what’s become known as “themed” sales, such as 2015’s Looking Forward to the Past sale, described by Bertazzoni as “a reflection around the avant garde,” which saw the Picasso Les

Femmes d’Alger achieve its astonishing record. They appeal to what she calls “collectors in the Medici style, putting together a cabinet of curiosities, where they want to put together a collection of the best of everything.” It’s a constantly shifting market, and the adjective ‘nimble’ springs to Bertazzoni’s lips more than once. You feel Bertazzoni’s thrill when she confides her surprise at “how many works in a matter of years, have gone for over 50 million pounds – we never thought we would see that, it’s exceptional.” One of her greatest memories is the sale of Gustave Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I for £135m in 2005 to the Neue Galerie in New York. Returned to Maria Altman by the Austrian government after a protracted legal battle, Altman reclaimed the Klimt paintings stolen from her family by the Nazis, the saga dramatised in the 2015 film Woman in Gold. “I do remember... as Maria was there, she was 90, and so charismatic and fighty, and really someone who had decided to rewrite history.” Christie’s became the centrepiece in an important moment of cultural repatriation, because, really, where else? As Bertazzoni guides me through the labyrinth of storage rooms beneath the King’s Street premises, I spot two fine Miros being prepared for sale and experience a frisson of delight, a quiver Bertazzoni still gets at being surrounded everyday by the glories of world art; as she says, “If we think what is beautiful is good, à la Plato, then we are also doing good.”

Friday, 13 October 2017 | Cherwell

12 oxbow

music

cherwellmusic listen to our latest playlists

Playlist

Building and design

he relationship between music and design is a nuanced one. Often songs held as classics appear to epitomise the very opposite of a controlled thought out plan, with unpredictability and a lack of polish

allowing music to remain ‘real’. Dig deeper however, and structure is always there. Whether it be chords, scales, or rhythm, the underlining design is always there. Without it, music would not exist as we know it, if at all.

The music of Latin American revolution

By DANIEL ANTONIO VILLAR

Manic Street Preachers ‘A Design for Life’

Architecture in Helsinki ‘Escapee’

This classic demonstrates the Welsh band at their ﬁnest musical talent, with ﬁnally crafted lyrics back the most memorable of riffs.

Living down under is not all its cracked up to be, as the Aussie indie rockers make a bold statement on the inevitability of escaping home .

New Order ‘Blue Monday’

Simon & Garfunkel

If any band took to heart the importance of clinical design in song writing, it was New Order. Regular beats and bass is timed here to perfection.

‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ Paul Simon was famous for his acoustic style, but a clear lyrical design was always present.

Review

Pick of the week

Kelala ‘Blue Light’

et us play a little game of word association. Caribbean Music. What do you imagine when you read those words? Scantily clad women moving their hips in tropical rhythms on the beach? Men in guayaberas dancing the night away between swigs of rum? How about biting social commentary, and the basis of political movements? Because that is precisely what the Nueva Trova Cubana, and other associated movements across Latin America, were. Between the rhythms and the dancing, there was denunciation of poverty, of landlords and exploiters, all, a constant jeremiad against “imperialismo yanqui”. The nueva trova began in Cuba, in the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution. Combining the traditional rhythms of Cuban music with new political lyrics, it was an attempt of the artists to bring the revolution into people’s lives in an artistic manner. Its most prominent practitioners on that isle were revolutionaries who ever faltered in their belief that 1959 was the birthdate of a new dawn in Cuba. They were men like Carlos

A unique and uncomfortable experience

Released in anticipation of Kelala’s debut album, Blue Light follows the tradition of futuristic R&B that has been booming in the UK for a good few years now. Kelala’s wispy vocals drift over the convulsing instrumental. Despite the age of the genre, Kelala’s sound is fresh as ever and more reﬁned than ever.

Lil Peep’s London gig was most deﬁnitely a guilty pleasure, writes Joe Bavs Lil Peep O2 Academy Islington

5/10

Puebla, who spoke of how before the revolution the rich “conspired against the people, continuing their exploitation, but then arrived Fidel, and he ordered that to end”, and Silvio Rodriguez, whose moving ballad ‘Playa Girón’ about the cruel US-attempted invasion inspired a generation of revolu-

Under fascist dictatorships, nueva trova became a song of resistance tionaries to honour the memory of those who died against the American empire. The nueva trova may have begun in Cuba, but it quickly spread from there to other countries. Outside Cuba, the greatest practitioner of the nueva trova was Victor Jara of Chile. A revolutionary, who used his music to help Salvador Allende win the Chilean presidency in 1970, his lyrics spoke of the poor and oppressed in Chile, and sang praises to those, from Allende to Che Guevara, who would help them fight capitalism. So dangerous was Jara, that Pino-

il Peep is an unusual artist, seemingly a relic from an era where rap-rock crossovers and angsty emo was all the rage. Peep doesn’t completely ﬁt this description - his trap inﬂuences are decidedly modern – however his lyrics about socially awkward experiences at high school are obviously backwards looking. It’s fair to say that I am not the biggest fan of Lil Peep but with my diehard friends desperate to go, I decided to join them. Looking like they’d stumbled out a wormhole from the mid-00s, the energy from the crowd contributed a lot to the experience. Every song was met with cheers, sung along to, and ended with chants for another hit tune. As someone not too acquainted with Peep’s songs and additionally suffering a personal memory block that can’t recall words within a musical context, I felt like the only person in the crowd not singing along to ev-

chet had him murdered after his coup launched fascism in Chile. It was under the dictatorships that were fostered upon Latin America by the United States that nueva trova was at its most revolutionary. Under democratic or revolutionary states it was easy enough being a lefty musician, but under fascist dictatorship nueva trova became a song of resistance. In Nicaragua, Carlos Mejía Godoy gave succour to Sandinistas as they liberated their nation from Somosa’s oppression; in Uruguay Daniel Viglietti was arrested and beaten by the fascist military police; and in Argentina the music of Mercedes Sosa was sung in secret by those who wished to overthrow Videla’s regime. When you listen to nueva trova without knowing the lyrics, it sounds like any other popular music: fun, and very easy to dance to. But this is music with a purpose: to energise the people to fight their exploiters, be they American imperialists or native capitalists. The time when the CIA would overthrow any palest pink social democratic government is over, but the exploitation of the peasant and worker in Latin America still continues. And so long as it does, there will still be a place for nueva trova. ery word. Despite this, the crowd was the most positive element of the gig. Of the performance, I’d say that the songs individually were not bad, each sounding like a emotional hit in their own right. However, in a larger context, these songs all meshed into one, too similar in tone and sound to stick out from each other. Peep himself was another issue – unsurprisingly sloshed, he downed a whole bottle of Hennessey during the show. Each song was preceded by a long interlude of Peep chatting to the crowd. At times this was endearing, with Peep offering consoling words about making “some noise for yourself as individuals” and engaging in banter with the crowd about song choices. However, other moments were awkwardly silent. Peep just stared at his laptop screen for what felt like minutes ﬁguring out what to do next. It was an amateur gig. I enjoyed it, but not without a sense of guilt for having done so.

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

oxbow 13

ﬁlm Nihilism, narcissism and noobnoob as Rick and Morty returns Olivia Webster is impressed with season three, despite the critics

Blade Runner 2049 pleases fans of the cult classic By MATTHEW NICHOLSON

his week Rick and Morty aired its season finale, after reappearing on our screens without warning earlier this year. We should have probably seen this return coming since Mr Poopy Butthole did predict season three’s air date almost to the day. However, a lot had changed in this year and a half hiatus. Once a show with a cult following, Rick and Morty has now truly entered the mainstream, and with new fans came new criticism. It is Netfl ix we have to thank, or blame, for this new wave of ‘fans’ (and I use this term very loosely). With passwords to Netfl ix accounts being passed around more than a common cold, the show gained a much wider viewership. Unavoidably then, when ‘The Rickshank Redemption’ dropped as a potential hoax on April Fool’s Day, audiences were shocked, surprised, and often disappointed. This criticism is often from the fi rst-time watchers of the show (rather than us hardened veterans), January converts who want the show to be something it’s not. People who yearn to see our antihero, Rick, simply develop from evil to good when [spoiler alert] it just isn’t that kind of show. Rick

Rewind

will remain a murderous sadistic terro-rick, whether you like it or not. The writers, Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, even tease us with a tragic backstory in ‘The Rickshank Redemption’, a cleansed Rick in ‘Rest and Ricklaxation’ and the Simple Rick that fans wanted to see in ‘The Ricklantis Mixup’. But all these deviations from the nihilistic norm were either fake-outs or false dawns. All we are left with is a Rick whose entire arc is to ﬁ nd the hallowed Mulan McNugget Szechuan sauce. A Rick who exploits the most tender memories to make biscuits for sale to his fellow Ricks. If our protagonists won’t even answer a “literal call to adventure” as in ‘Vindicators 3’, then they won’t answer ﬁckle fan’s call for the show to change. This season continued the dark

humour, clever storylines and shocking character twists we have come to love. From erasing people’s memories to murdering alternate versions of himself and his grandson on an incredible scale, Rick emotionally (and physically) battles with himself and all those around him, dragging Morty along for the ride. This season wasn’t without its faults however, with ‘Rickmancing the Stone’ being a markedly poorer episode and the ﬁ nale not hitting quite as hard as that of season two. There were also some notable absences from this season, like Birdperson and Tammy not making any appearances, and ‘Morty’s Mind Blowers’ replacing ‘Interdimensional TV’. Yet, let’s not forget that this season contained undoubtedly the show’s ﬁ nest episode, ‘The Ricklantis Mixup’ which stunned even

the harshest critics into silence. The twisted world of the Citadel, where divisions are exploited by the Rick’s at the top and paid for by

Vertigo

The Exorcist

The Silence of the Lambs

Saul Bass’ block colours and hallucinatory lines, drawing from 1920s Soviet ﬁlm, give the piece its effortlessly timeless quality.

The power is in what is implied visually. The tilt of the priest’s head foreshadows an iconic scene in the ﬁlm that scarred cinema-goers.

The individual elements are not in themselves terrifying, but when brought together there’s a sense of something terrible.

They won’t answer the fans’ ﬁckle call for the show to change the lives of Morty’s on the bottom is wonderfully crafted using shock, satire and a ‘Stand by Me’ parody. The mind-blowing return of Evil Morty after two seasons is just another hint towards the show having a greater narrative and another example of the writer’s incredible attention to detail.

Ones to watch

Prominent posters of the silver screen

o say that the announcement of a sequel to the original 1982 Blade Runner was met with scepticism is an understatement. Fans of science fiction have often been left disappointed as sequels, prequels, or reboots of their favourite film fail to meet the high standards set in the first instance (see Star Wars). The challenge with Blade Runner is even more precarious; fans of the film feel that nothing has really ever surpassed it. The original is not at all dated, as all its nuance and symbolism is equally as iconic and relevant today as it was 35 years ago. Nevertheless, 2049 works, both in its own right and 35 years after the release of Ridley Scott’s cult classic. The opening sequence explains that a few of the Nexus 6 androids are still in hiding and Blade Runners are still employed by the police to ‘retire’ them. The film’s protagonist, Ryan Gosling’s Officer K, is a replicant blade runner, derided and estranged by his human colleagues. After all, he isn’t really human. All the cast perform magnificiently. Harrison Ford is as witty and cool as ever and Ryan Gosling an excellent choice. The script is in keeping with Phillip K. Dick’s dystopia, likely because Hampton Fancher, who wrote the first draft of the script of the original film, returns to the fold for 2049. Executive producer and science fiction king-pin Ridley Scott lends his idiosyncratic thoughtful and uncompromising vision to film as expected. Aesthetically too, the film is beautiful. Director Denis Villeneuve is clearly a huge fan of the original, using absolutely huge sets to shoot the film. Supposedly, Ryan Gosling had to visit the sets hours before he filmed just so he wouldn’t be overwhelmed on camera. The plot did not feel stale or unnecessary, and has added even more intrigue and life to the original. Some reviewers are even stating that this film tops the original, although this may be rather unusual, and perhaps a step too far. However, it appears unlikely that 2049 will not become a modernclassic. I came away from the film having not only reignited my love for the original, but feeling satisfied that it now has this sequel to continue the story. It would also be surprising if this is the end of the Blade Runner franchise, with Ridley Scott announcing the possibility of three further sequels. If the same amount of consideration and love is put into these films as was obviously put into this one, then this can only be a good thing.

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

oxbow 15

theatre Confessions of a Drama Queen

Energetic and farcical, if lacking self-discipline

Ethan Croft reviews Paul Foot’s new venture, ‘Tis A Pity She’s A Piglet, as the Merton alumnus returns to Oxford on tour

★★★★ ‘Tis A Pity She’s A Piglet The Old Fire Station 30th September, 7.30pm

aul Foot walked out onto the stage of Oxford’s Old Fire Station somewhat like an alien landing from outer space. “Greetings!” he barked, dressed with a shiny shoulder-padded jacket, silver dress shoes, and a necklace of conkers. This particular extra-terrestrial did not come in peace though, beginning his show, ‘Tis a pity she’s a piglet, with some confrontational lines on the nervous disposition of the audience. Although it was a Saturday night, the room, according to Foot, had the atmosphere of a Tuesday evening.

Five minutes with

Philippa Lawford, director of Tightrope Productions

This was unorthodox icebreaking from an unorthodox comic, and established the rather on-edge mood of the evening. After some preliminary explorations in the ‘observational’ – school days, marriage, etc – Foot took us into his world, the realm of the ridiculous. Beginning with a discussion of ‘literal surrealism’, a genre which he claims to have invented, the comic began to rattle off a series of bizarre vignettes, which he described as “possible but unlikely.” After imparting to us the story of a businessman who sat on a chocolate bar, Foot came up against the ﬁ rst and most determined heckler of the night, who remarked rather loudly: “I don’t get it.” Foot countered by repeating the joke once more – directly at the dissenter’s reddening face – adding a slightly meta elaboration about the soiled businessman’s disillusion with his career. This elicited hearty laughs from most of the room, but I suspect the

n our new feature, interviewing some of Oxford’s most proliﬁc and interesting rising stars, we chat to Philippa Lawford, the director of Tightrope Productions, about her experiences with drama at Oxford, her involvement in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and her inspirations in the world of theatre.

How did you get involved in drama at Oxford? I directed Regents Park College’s Cuppers play – we did an extract from Mercury Fur. It was such a fun experience and I became friends with Kiya Evans and Alex Jacobs, who I now work with on everything (Kiya produces and Alex does our tech). What’s your happiest memory of drama at Oxford? I had an amazing time at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this

Rejection and dismay By KATIE SAYER

slain heckler was putting on a bit so that the kook would let him alone. Such moments, when Foot ad-libbed and engaged with his sceptical audience, were preferable to his more mechanical instances of farce. Foot was, after all, showing us his ‘routine’, and so the most outlandish moments were hard to believe. They were spoiled by a lingering sense of rehearsal. One segment of the show centred on Foot asking members of the audience to abuse his best friend, a teddy bear. This was derailed slightly by two women who seemed to have adopted the notion that they were the comic’s sidekicks. ‘Fiona’, who was asked to punch the teddy bear in the face, launched into a bizarre spectacle in which she pretended to be deprived of hands. Of course, we didn’t pay to see her. Foot had some trouble handling what he termed their ‘postmodern approach’ to audience participation, but managed to steer the show away from their obstruction in the end. In this instance of ‘crowd work’, Foot demonstrated his skill as an experienced performer, if not his ability to write a disciplined show. The title, ‘Tis a pity she’s a piglet, and the allusion to Ford, remains

unexplained. The stronger parts of the performance involved Foot playing off his audience, and with this in mind it seems a saving grace that the gig was performed at the Old Fire Station on George Street.

summer with Sex Education, which I directed. It was very exciting putting on a play at the Fringe and spending so much time with the cast in a new place.

Pericles as I’m hoping to stage it next term. I don’t want to give too much away but I want to break away from a completely naturalistic style and tell the story in as vivid and engaging a way as possible. I love Shakespeare’s language and I just hope I can rise to the challenge of staging it.

Have you ever had a complete nightmare with a production going wrong? In both of the plays I directed this summer, Sex Education and Baby Blues, we had an actress drop out fairly last minute, so we had to scramble to cast someone else. It took a lot of emailing and messaging people but we found two wonderful replacements – one was cast the day before rehearsals began. What’s your favourite play, and how would you like to stage it in Oxford? At the moment I’m thinking a lot about S h a kesp ea re’s

An unorthodox comic, Foot took us into his world, the world of the ridiculous This proved a far more intimate setting than the Playhouse, Oxford’s larger venue of choice for ‘TV’ comedians, where I speculate Foot’s style would have proved a little impractical. The show concluded with an extended riff on the long since concluded Oscar Pistorius trial. This felt indicative of Foot’s abrupt leaps from one gag to the next throughout the performance, which were a mark of his boundless energy, but also his lack of self-discipline. Paul Foot: ‘Tis A Pity She’s A Piglet is on tour until 2 December. Find an exclusive interview with Paul at cherwell.org.

Who’s your inspiration? Peter Brook is an absolute hero of mine – The Empty Space introduced me to the extraordinary potential of the director - and his whole career is so inspiring. Do you have any advice for freshers who might like to get involved in the Oxford drama scene? I would encourage

tragic event has taken place. By some miraculous oversight, I have been passed up for the role of Hedda! I am shocked and disappointed at this rejection, and now know how Dido felt when Aeneas left Carthage, or how Ant felt when he was replaced by Caroline Flack on I’m A Celebrity. This is a slight I fear I may never overcome. In a bid to recover from this rejection, I have spent all day lying in bed listening to Kodaline, and reminding myself that great art is never truly appreciated in its day. After all, J.K. Rowling was rejected by many a publishing company before Harry Potter was accepted. Vincent van Gogh never sold a painting in his lifetime. Kim Kardashian was Paris Hilton’s maid before becoming a feminist role model in her own right. As the great bard, Will S himself would say – this is merely the winter of my discontent. What was so wrong with my audition? Was it because I dressed entirely in black and covered my face with a bridal veil to add an air of mystery and elusiveness? Was it because my chosen monologue was Chris’s speech to Olivia in the penultimate episode of Love Island? I can’t think what I did wrong! Anyway, there’s a welcome drinks event with the drama society happening on Tuesday. My friend who had a brother whose girlfriend went to Oxford in 2009 said that apparently the rule is you can only talk in quotes from famous plays at these events, and that if you don’t you’ll be completely socially ostracised. I’ve been googling Oscar Wilde quotations, and I’m not really sure how this is going to work. How am I going to ﬁt “A handbag?” into a discussion of Brechtian alienation technique? Or, more importantly, how can I possibly ﬁnd a hot thespain boyfriend if all I can say is “Bigamy is having one wife too many, monogamy is the same”? Alas. Wish me luck, dear readers. Adieu. freshers not to let themselves be intimidated by the Oxford drama scene, as it can seem quite scary, because everyone seems to know everyone else. I think the bid system is great as it means that everyone has fair and equal opportunities to get a play on, and there’s no need to worry about knowing anyone or being somehow established in Oxford. Are you working on any exciting projects at the moment that you can tell us about? Yes! I’m working on The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the moment, which is going to be on at the Keble O’Reilly in 5th week. It’s dark and hilarious. I can’t wait to start rehearsals with our incredible cast and crew. I went to Inishmore a few weeks ago and since then I have been itching to get to work on creating the world of the play.

Satire CHARITY APPEAL

Cherwell editors go head to head

Make a difference today to remove this part of their lives necessarily means that the incoming freshers ﬁnd themeselves in an alien enviroment which pays no heed to the fact that they are not used to such a lack of traditions. How long, we ask, before the other great bastions of student life are torn away from us? First they removed the insitution of having scouts serve tea to students in their rooms whenever they wanted, and then the tradition of making commoners and scholars sit seperately at hall. Where will it end? You, and you alone, can stop this. You, and you alone, can stand up for justice, for your fellow students, and for the right to be served three-course dinners every evening. For just £50 a month you can sponsor a Christ Church student in these trying times. Give today, and make a difference. This appeal was sponsored by the Friends Of Christ Church Catered Dining, registered charity 00100101. for information please enquire at givetoday@foccd.net

This Monday, Cherwell editors Jack Hunter and Akshay Bilolikar will be debating the ethics surrounding newspaper journalism on NBC. A close friend of the pair has revealed that they feel conﬁdent in their upcoming television appearance, after hacking the chair of the debate’s phone. Staff have expressed concern, mainly with the pair’s clothing choices. Chloe Dootson-Graube, the deputy fashion editor, was seen shaking her head and mouthing: “I’m not a miracle worker”. The Satire team have questioned whether or not 7pm is an appropriate time for such an X-rated debate – and the photoshop skills of whoever made the poster advertising this highly-anticipated event. For updates, make sure you follow our Twitter account set up speciﬁcally for regular coverage: @ HacksJackandAk To bet on who you think will do better, call a close family member and just assume that we’re listening. For comments, email murdochreignssupreme@gmail.com.

8 Crewdate Games You Have To Try At Oxford! American Football There’s nothing like a bit of full-contact sport to get the sparks ﬂying between your respective groups.

Hunt the Cockwomble A ﬁrm favourite of the rugby Blues team, Hunt the Cockwomble is a game best played by men, and kept among men.

Air Raid/Shark Attack No crewdate is complete without a visit to the local war museum or aquarium.

The Game of Thrones You win or die, there is no middle ground. Perfect for spicing up a crewdate that’s losing momentum!

Edward Winehands Taping two bottles of wine to your hands and being forced to drink them can be surprsingly liberating if your idea of liberation is falling asleep in Bridge.

British parliamentary debating ‘This house would condemn society’s attitude to women’: only suitable for crewdates with a tarts and vicars theme.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Although now a little dated and with a suboptimal multiplayer mode, Modern Warfare II on its release was a milestone for a franchise, taking it in a decidedly different direction. The campaign boasted an impressive plot, while the open feel of missions such as Cliffhanger markedly improved the linear play of the game’s predecessor.

Pennying The most famous and widespread crewdate game, based around the fun concept of maximising choking hazards at the restaurant you’re eating in.

The issues There are issues abound in the ﬁrst ever Cherwell editorial debate. First up, the editors will tackle the “Murdoch question” – is he the hero we need or the hero we deserve? Next up on the agenda is phone hacking, and the pressing journalistic question of whether it is ever wrong. After all, there’s a paper to make, and there are phones to be hacked in the pursuit of news. The Satire editors have long sought to capitalise on Cherwell’s abysmal lack of self-awareness, by pursuing weird meta-jokes that only members of Cherwell staff will understand.

JOURNALISM

ANCIENT HISTORY

Cherwell can reveal that an otherwise irrelevant second-year PPE student has shared his insipid thoughts with us. Citing statistics and putting in the odd graph in a futile attempt to add validity to an otherwise substanceless piece of rubbish, he also quoted some authors in an attempt to increase the intellectual credentials of his vacuous turd of an article. This is a breaking story, and Cherwell will update as it gets more information.

Speaking to the eight wide-eyed freshers sitting at his feet, JCR Old Man Ron McHarris, 22, began to tell the story of years gone by: “Back in 2014, we hadn’t yet had Brexit, and the coalition was still in power. “Freddos were 8p each, and the Union didn’t allow slates. Babylove existed and the Weston hadn’t been built. My wife and I were happy then.” At press time, Ron was wiping tears from his eyes as he recalled his lost youth and dreams.

Student journo has important opinion

4th year recounts the tale of his youth

by Rebecca Marks @missmarksart

ACROSS

1 Information technology (2) 8 Discoverers (7) 9 Goalies (7) 11 Cupola (4) 13 Items (6) 15 Nocturnal flier (3) 16 Fish eggs (3) 18 Devotee (3) 19 Beneath (5) 21 Definite article (3) 22 Interjection showing confusion (2) 23 ___ West, American actress (3) 25 Estate (4) 27 Lancastrian or Yorkist flower (3)

29 As well as (3) 31 Los Angeles (2) 32 Undergarment (3) 33 Ill-looking (5) 34 Futon (3) 36 Lion (3) 38 Glee (3) 39 Sorrow (6) 41 Kills (4) 43 Awakening (7) 44 Luminous (7) 47 Exclamation to attract attention (2)

DOWN

1 Given that (2) 2 Seventh note of major scale (2) 3 Snake (5) 4 Rascal (4) 5 Chock (5) 6 Mimic (3) 7 Reverie (5)

10 Chunk of ﬂammable material (4,7) 12 44th US President (5) 14 Neither (3) 17 Believe singer (4) 18 Entire (4) 20 Require (4) 21 Thanks (inf.) (2) 23 Unit of distance (4) 24 Completely (4) 26 Dim (4) 28 Slumber (5) 30 Sodium (2) 33 Chat (3) 35 Obelisk (5) 36 Cylinder of tobacco (5) 37 Accept (5) 40 Pirate catchphrase (2,2) 42 Large hole (3)

NEWS QUIZ

5 The old “round pound” goes out of circulation next week – which has the larger diameter, the old pound or the 1 By what name is Theresa May’s P45 prankster Simon Brodkin better known? new? 2 The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to ICAN – an acronym which stands for what? 3 Netﬂix announced a price hike last week, bringing the monthly cost of a standard subscription to what level? 4 Nick Clegg has suggested in his new book that UK voters should join which political party in order to “stop Brexit”?

6 Game of Thrones star Kit Harington recently got engaged to his co-star Rose Leslie, who plays which character in the hit show? 7 The average length of a single’s intro has shrunk from more than 20 seconds in the 1980s to just ﬁve seconds today. Four UK number ones this year have had intros of just one or two seconds – can you name one?

NEWS QUIZ 1 Lee Nelson 2 International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons 3 £7.99 4 Labour (or, indeed, the Tories) 5 The new pound 6 Ygritte the wildling 7 Any of: Rockabye, Wild Thoughts, Bridge Over Troubled Water, and Too Good At Goodbyes Last week’s crossword: ACROSS 1 Holy 3 Well 6 Screw 10 George 11 GUI 12 Mol 14 CIA 16 Pace 17 Omni 19 Scoff 21 Ferry 23 Air 24 Cue 25 Ket 26 Rat 27 Stock 28 Satan 30 Made 31 Ghee 33 Tis 36 New 38 Owl 39 Magpie 42 Speed 43 Lane 44 Hall DOWN 1 High 2 Loo 4 ET 5 Logic 6 Ship 7 Rim 8 Wellington 9 Sgrafﬁto 13 Sparks 14 Covered 15 If 18 Markets 19 St Clements 20 Jack Straw 22 Yeomen 29 AI 32 Halal 34 Wood 35 Meal 37 Woe 40 Pea 41 On

In place of our usual comic article this week, we at Cherwell Satire are making an appeal on behalf of of your fellow students, oppressed by their college, abandoned by their JCR, and whose rights are now being trampled. Students like Tarquin. Tarquin, currently at Christ Church, has to walk 30 feet every day, just to get food from a canteen. The college’s bureaucracy, callous and deaf to the cries of students, has condemned Tarquin and his closest friends to a life of near-starvation, dependent on Artisan Pizza or Giordains just to survive This needs to stop, and soon. When Christ Church became a Living Wage accredited employer and thus secured the livelihoods of their privileged canteen staff, scouts, and maintenance team, it’s clear they did not consider the people whose lives would be most affected: their students. The majority of students at Christ Church are privately educated, used to ﬁne dining and table service, and for the college

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

Opinion

Despite the media storm, Balliol JCR remains united after its controversial freshers’ fair Aidan Balfe Nicholas Halterman Will Cowie

We risked setting a dangerous precedent and harming students

he passing of a motion that prohibited the banning of official Balliol religious societies from attending the freshers’ fair received an enormous amount of media attention, making headlines in national newspapers, and even getting picked up by Breitbart. It was disappointing to see the way in which the issue had been presented: as a malicious and authoritarian JCR committee attacking a religious society on the grounds that they were a harmful presence. We were particularly saddened to see respected and good-willed committee members—friends to many in Balliol—vilified by certain outlets. We would like to take this opportunity to stand with those friends, to give a more accurate account of what happened, and to better understand the outcome of that meeting. As proponents of the motion, we were keen to acknowledge that committee members have an incredibly difficult job to do—often having to make decisions within a limited period of time, that need to take into account the interests of a diverse student body. In this particular case, those difficulties were exacerbated by the raising of this issue outside of term time. While the committee might have reached a decision which we disagreed with, we acknowledge that all committee members were acting with goodwill, and with the wellbeing of fellow students at the forefront of

their minds. As such, we did not bring the motion in order to point fi ngers or lay blame. We stand by those JCR committee officials as fellow members of our community, who selflessly sacrifice time and energy to making Balliol the most inclusive and welcoming place it can be. In this instance, however, we believe that the wrong decision was taken. We did not think that the decision to ban the Balliol Christian Union from the freshers’ fair reflected the JCR’s commitment to non-discrimination of students based on religious belief, and saw that unintended harm had been inflicted on members of our community. Representing the best interests of students whom one has been elected to serve can be a challenging task, especially if those students are a marginalised or under-represented group, whose very existence as such makes their welfare a matter of particular importance and sensitivity. It is clear that committee members were trying to do just that, but in this instance got that judgement wrong, and by doing so risked setting a dangerous precedent and causing harm to students. The ensuing discussion that took place at the General Meeting on Sunday was not only civil and respectful, but positive, constructive, and full of hope. Great efforts were made to ensure that the conversation remained policy-focussed, revolving around what precedent we

wanted to set for the future—in this case one that values the religious identity of Balliol students, and respects their freedom to express that identity. There was no animosity towards those who were responsible for the decision. An important element of respect for an individual is the acceptance that they make mistakes, and that those mistakes should be forgiven. Perhaps the principle reason for that lack of animosity is because the meeting was not used as a venue in which students made personal attacks on one another. It was understood by all present that the way to resolve the issue and make positive progress was not to conduct a trial and dredge up individual actions as evidence against the guilty, but rather to engage in dialogue, make genuine efforts to understand the point of view of others, and ﬁ nd the expansive common ground that we share as members of one community. It is somewhat ironic, therefore, that the issue was handled in the media in almost exactly the opposite way. Journalists will be journalists, and we must forgive that of them, but it was striking for us to see the schism between the

Of course Balliol isn’t always a complete paradise

nature of the discussion we had here at Balliol, and the nature of the discussion that it provoked in the columns and comments of some online newspapers. We would like to thank all of those who took part in the discussion, listening with patience and speaking with compassion. We were particularly pleased to accept an amendment that aims to promote further religious diversity and tolerance in the future. Active steps will be taken to encourage the widest possible range of different religious groups and societies at freshers’ fairs in years to come, each one being treated with equality and respect. Of course Balliol isn’t always a complete paradise, and this certainly won’t be the last controversial issue that we deal with. But in our minds the discussion that was undertaken at last Sunday’s general meeting typiﬁes the tolerant and understanding environment that Balliol students create and sustain for one another, and we are all proud to be part of that community. We hope that people beyond Balliol can understand this not just as a controversy, but also as an example of the importance of open and respectful dialogue in the face of difﬁcult issues. While we were unhappy with the original decision of the committee, we have been nothing but impressed with the way they were willing to engage afterwards, with a genuine desire to make Balliol a better place.

Friday, 13 October 2017 | Cherwell

Opinion Step aside, ‘Tory Lite’: it’s time for ‘Diet Labour’ Jessica Smith

The Tory conference showed that Theresa May’s uninspired incompetence will be her downfall, writes Adam Ellison

ast Wednesday was the day the Conservative Party surrendered. Lost and shattered, scared and full of dread – they made it clear how desperate they were, how devoid of ideas they had become and how close to the edge they feel. Theresa May’s speech was an utter disaster, front to back – from the prankster handing her a copy of Boris’ P45, to the faulty sign falling to pieces, to the now-infamous coughing ﬁts, the conference came to encapsulate the incompetence and lack of organisation that grips the Conservative government. May has seen the writing on the wall, whether or not the rest of her party have – the times, they are a-changin’. Labour and their ideas are on the rise and somehow, in just two years, we have gone from Labour being “Tory Lite” to the Tories being “Diet Labour”. Labour now just needs to watch from the opposition benches as the Tories implement their old ideas and wait for their own chance to bring about the new ones. If you took the transcript of May’s speech, crossed out the names and showed it to a visitor from 2015 they’d immediately deem it one of Ed Miliband’s greatest hits. From the “British Dream” (Miliband’s idea of each generation passing on a richer Britain to the next), to the cap on energy prices that the Tories branded ‘socialist’, to the large-scale investment in social housing, the priorities, policies and language all have much more in common with Miliband’s ideas than those of Cameron or Thatcher. In case there were any doubts, Miliband was no Blairite: labelled “Red Ed” and seen as a rejection of the hyper-centrist legacy of his forebears, his ascent to the leadership was a shock success for the Labour soft left. This isn’t the Tories shifting some policies to the middle: they’re shifting them wholeheartedly to the centre-left.

But Ed Miliband isn’t the only high-ranking politician May’s been copying. President Josiah Bartlet, Martin Sheen’s lovable character in The West Wing, has also had his ideas repeated word for word. When May talked about “reaching deep within ourselves to fi nd that our capacity to rise to the challenge may well be limitless”, she was stealing from a fictional President who went off the air a decade ago, and indeed one from the left-leaning Democratic party. If grabbing ideas from your opposition wasn’t the very defi nition of desperation, I think that might be. With all the drama, parody and mockery however, many are missing out on the actual ideas May put forward. To put it bluntly, they are far too little, and much too late. Her talk of the “largest social housing scheme since the 70s” turned out to be another laughably small promise. Whilst the £2 billion budget might sound meaty, it equates to barely 5,000 houses a year – not even an eighth of the average 41,000 that Margaret T hatcher ’s government erected every single year. Some ideas are merely fl ip-flops; the freeze on tuition fees at £9,250 is not only a blatant reversal of previous policy but still keeps tuition fees higher than they were at the start of her premiership. The energy cap is interesting, but just two years ago we were told it would be a disaster by the very people who now support it. Ideas on Brexit were most notably absent from the speech as indeed they appear to be absent from the minds of government ministers. And that’s it. Those three stolen, watered-down, forgettable ideas, comprised the entire content of her

The speech clearly ripped off Ed Miliband and a TV character

key-note speech. If it hadn’t been a disaster, we’d all have forgotten it by now. There is simply nothing on offer. The disconnect between the Conservatives and British youth is staggering, the former desperately telling themselves that it is the promise of “freebies” that is winning over students to Jeremy Corbyn, rather than the promise of a new political reality. The scraps she is content to throw are not nearly enough to reverse the growing political divide between young and old and her attacks on Corbyn were like white noise, repeated slogans from a disastrous election. She has nothing. The rest of May’s time in office will be a struggle to cling on, a fight for the right to be the Tories’ fall guy, and the honour of taking the blame for Brexit. The plot to remove her is now in the open and whether her premiership lasts another two years or two days, we all know that this speech was the beginning of the end. On reflection, it’s hard not to feel bad for Theresa May. For all her bumbling incompetence, she hardly chose to be pranked midspeech, she wasn’t responsible for affi xing the letters behind her and I’m almost certain she didn’t write the speech herself. That doesn’t change the fact, however, that her ideas, her policies, and her tone were all desperate, failed attempts at appeasement. Selling out to left-of-centre ideas is all the Tories have left. The initiative is lost: they are being routed from the field and, in front of her party and the entire nation, Theresa May has surrendered to Labour.

The Tories are lying to themselves if they think all Corbyn offers is ‘freebies’

More Americans have been killed by gun violence than war

The Las Vegas shooter was no lone wolf. He was a white terrorist

fter the Las Vegas tragedy, the White House said it’s not the time to talk about gun control. “We’ll be talking about gun laws as time goes on,” the President said. Yet we know that far more are killed in the US by guns than in twisted acts supposedly in the name of Islam. In 2017 alone, there have been 273 mass shootings and 11,671 deaths due to gun violence. Why are guns not more heavily regulated? The answer lies in the institutionalised racism in the USA. The acts of Stephen Paddock should be defi ned as terrorism, but Trump focused on his possible mental health issues, calling him: “a sick man, a demented man”. At the heart of the problem is avoiding the term ‘terrorist’. According to the media, the attack’s white perpetrator is not a terrorist, but a ‘lone shooter’. Nevada’s law defi nes terrorism as “any act that involves the use or attempted use of sabotage, coercion or violence which is intended to cause great bodily harm or death to the general population”. Killing 59 and injuring more than 500 seems to fit this defi nition. If Paddock had any connection to the Muslim world, his motive would be ‘jihad’ or ‘Islamic terrorism’. The underlying judgement is that being a white American means individual action, separate from the civilised society, while Muslim identity is associated with foreign collective dangerous action. While fully innocent Muslim communities are unfairly expected to condemn extremists, the white population of America is not expected to apologise on behalf of Paddock’s actions. This flagrant double standard demonstrates that racism lies at the heart of gun control opposition. This bias is even embedded in law. The classification of terrorism cases under federal law is done with reference to a list of 60 terror organisations, the vast majority of which are active in Muslimmajority countries. Islamophobia is enshrined in the law. Domestic terrorism rarely triggers higher penalties. Such institutionalised and ingrained Islamophobia will stop many domestic terrorists from being identified for what they are. A 2012 study showed racial resentment is highly correlated with gun ownership. Meanwhile, Congress does not permit the Center for Disease Control to research gun violence. Adding universal background checks and increased fi rearm prohibitions for those with a history of violence does not disrespect the Second Amendment: it guarantees that the it is taken seriously and responsibly. Gun regulation does not confiscate guns from licensed, law-abiding Americans. Racism continues to infiltrate gun control policy and allows ‘lone shooters’ to commit acts of terrorism while guns remain fully accessible.

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

Shape the conversation Oxford’s debate continues around the clock. Get your voice heard at cherwell.org

Your university years are not just a race for a job

A Colleen Cumbers

fter months of revision, stress and waiting for results, you have finally arrived at university. The next chapter in your life, that you have been anticipating for years, has finally begun. Within only a few days of starting, you are receiving emails and Facebook notifications inviting you to various different corporate events. Career clinics, networking events, talks from industry experts. It all sounds really exciting and you eagerly click ‘Going’ on Facebook. But wait: you haven’t yet worked out where your laundry room is, and yet you’re already being forced to think about a job. Is it right to put such pressure on students to decide upon a career early on or does this

taint the university experience? These events can be incredibly useful. The opportunity to gain an overview of the corporate world and to build connections with a large number of top firms is undoubtedly a golden opportunity to take the first steps on the path towards your dream job. They also help to create more of a level playing field in the search for jobs, pushing pre-existing connections to one side. However, corporate events at university can be overwhelming, not least to freshers, or those with little to no idea of what they want from life after Oxford. We don’t all have the luxury of a more vocational degree such as medicine or law. For some, it’s impossible to know where to begin. The large number of corporate events organised and promoted by

the University give the impression that only these jobs are worth pursuing. This is, of course, untrue. Even though the majority of Oxford students go into law, finance, accounting etc, there are other avenues. Perhaps companies should advertise events with a target audience, from students searching for an overview of a profession to those graduating this year dreaming of a job with a specific firm. Having a central hub through which all such events are advertised would also mean that students wouldn’t miss out on helpful events. If societies advertised their events through this central hub, students could then decide to sign up to a society if they organised lots of events relevant to them. Yet organisations like Bright Network are trying to change this. They host an annual festival, which is similar to Freshers’ Fair, but with different companies from a range of fields. There are also talks giving tips on CVs, applications and the like. Go to events that interest you, but don’t panic about attending everything. Oxford is not a race for a job. It is a place to study your chosen degree and to make the most of the other activities and societies around you. Even if you have no idea what you want to do post-Oxford at the end of your final year, everything will work itself out. Don’t be intimidated by other students with job offers or events promoted by the University which suggest you need one too.

CONTESTED

Was saving Cellar really a victory for people power? Joe Bavs

Yes

ersonally, when I heard the news that Cellar was set to close down, I thought that, despite the campaign, that would be the end of it. The council never listens to what people have to say, right? It’s fair to say I was mistaken. Cellar has been saved and although it’s not the greatest victory, it should teach us something about the power our voices have. I can hear the complaints: quibbling over the closure of a nightclub is certainly a rather bourgeois and self-indulgent thing to worry about. People are dying from a lack of basic needs, unnecessary war, brutal oppression, and the want of a safe place to call home. The world stands on the precipice of nuclear or environmental disaster and society appears to be arranging in a way such that the super rich survive and the super poor die. Meanwhile, Cellar is just a hipster club full of poseurs: why should we care about it? Of course, I agree that we need to consider our priorities. We certainly shouldn’t care about Cellar and forget about everything else. The Cellar campaign could – and should – help people become more aware of what they can do. I am not saying that those who

campaigned to save Cellar can now take those skills and solve the menagerie of issues that plague the world, but it’s a start. No justices were achieved from the top down. It takes small changes in each small town. Looking at the city of Oxford, the campaigning force, now aware of the voice it have in local community, can make a start in combatting injustice at a local level. It can campaign to end the unfair laws and fines placed on the homeless, intended simply as an excuse to evict them. It can campaign to increase the building of affordable housing – combatting the campaigns of greenfield-living NIMBYs, who, in their self-interests, have artificially driven up house prices, resulting in the effective social cleansing of the city. It can campaign for greater pedestrianisation of Oxford, improving air quality in the city and making it more peaceful for cyclists and walkers to travel. Obviously, solving problems in Oxford won’t solve all the problems in the world. There are limits on the impact that a group of students can have, and our expectations should be kept in check. But, if Oxford can look to itself as a city of justice, fairness, and an example to all, then it can help inspire improvements in other cities around the world: coming together through the medium of music to save Cellar is just the first step.

W Cellar has taught us something about the impact our voices can have

alking into the pres in my college, I delivered the happy news that the planning application for the replacement of Cellar had been removed. Cheers went up around the room, as students realised that their actions had preserved one of Oxford’s cultural highlights. The student body has the ability to fight for larger social issues. This, however, does not qualify as a true victory for the people. The recently founded Class Act campaign, and the previous work of ‘Rhodes Must Fall’, are real examples of this, where many students work for real change in Oxford and beyond. The problem is that, unlike the Cellar campaign, other students are not getting on board with their campaigns. If it doesn’t directly impact us, we don’t seem to care. In a Cherwell editorial from October 1987, there was a call to action Let’s not to fight for human rights. leave the real They quoted Elie Weisel, a campaigning winner of the to other Nobel Peace Prize, saying: people “it is by fighting for the rights of the oppressed that we justify our own lives”. The following lines detailed the ways that Cherwell readers, and Oxford students, could mobilise against oppression. It launched a campaign to

No Fred Dimbleby help free the Jewish Soviet ‘refusenik’ graduate Boris Nadgorny who was being kept in the Soviet Union, offering readers the use of the Cherwell offices to call the Russian embassy and demand his release. In last week’s edition, the paper published an exposé on a boycott by Christ Church students of their hall because they were no longer going to be served their food, and instead now had a canteen system. The disparity is shocking. Where we once joined forces across the University, we are now divided by infantile spats and unsavoury disputes. The campaign to save Cellar was impressive and it was certainly a start, but this is now the time to build to look at wider social issues. An outsider may be forgiven for thinking that our rallying around Cellar as a student body belied a practiced apathy towards social change where it really counts. Supporting groups like Class Act or the Oxford City Living Campaign, should be as common a task for the wider student body as fighting for the survival of Cellar. We must all take responsibility for bettering society. We can’t sit happy, having saved a nightclub, and leave other students fighting more important campaigns without support.

Friday, 13 October 2017 | Cherwell

At length

Finding national identity at the corner shop

called Minu – a far easier title to master – but Minu was the name of the cat in my mother’s French textbooks at school, and my grandma knew someone she hated called Minu, so it was vetoed on two counts. Sometimes I wonder how many awkward introductions I would have been spared if the cat was called Claude, Louis, or Mathilde. My knowledge of the polite-butconfused smile (a British trademark) would be far less intimate than it is now, and my aversion to introductions, hellos, and ﬁrst meetings would be much reduced. When I tell people my name, the interaction always progresses in a similar way: either the subject is quickly changed, or they ask me to repeat it many times, often to no avail. My now-boyfriend thought I was called Charlotte for the first two weeks of our acquaintance. I wish I could say this was an uncommon occurrence but I want to uphold as much Persian virtue as I can. I have no talent for horseriding and no access to a bow and arrow, so I will not tell a lie. My actual name is spelt as phonetically as possible, but the accuracy of pronunciation is largely lost in the transliteration from one alphabet to another. My grandma told me it means ‘dew drop’ in Farsi, but Wikipedia tells me it means hail stone. Unless I’m feeling unduly combative, I tell people it means dew drop. So back at the chip shop on Iffley Road, when the short f r iend ly man behind the counter turns to me and asks my name, I experience all the familiar symptoms. The heart sinks, the smile fades into a pre-emptive apologetic expression, a sigh is suppressed. “Jaleh”, I say, and his face lights up. It’s a Persian name, he tells me. “I know! My dad is Iranian!”, I say, followed by the shameful disclaimer: “No, no, I don’t speak Farsi, I wish I did.” It transpires that the man at the fish and chip shop is Iranian, and I should call him Uncle Kaz. “Have a nice day Jaleh-joon, you take care now.” No-one has called me Jaleh-joon since my grandma died in March last year. I have gained an uncle. This has been an emotionally tumultuous evening. But I was born and raised in Britain, so I suppress my feelings, take my fish and chips, and leave in a state of quiet appreciation.

However you think it’s pronounced, you’re probably wrong

Globalisation has altered the way we see national identity, yet in today’s world it is becoming more important than ever. Jaleh Brazell reﬂects on family, ﬁsh and chips, and having a name no one can pronounce.

ne of the most pleasantly surprising moments of my life took place in an innocuous fish and chip shop on Iffley Road. It was two terms into my first year at university, the Thursday evening hall option looked questionable, it wasn’t raining so the walk wasn’t too daunting: as good a time as any to see what East Oxford had to offer in terms of British cuisine. The chippy was run by a small, jovial man with a face-wide grin and an obvious interest in getting to know all his customers personally. He asked my friend what she studied. She said English. He asked if she

wanted to be a novelist someday. She said yes. I stood dreading the inevitable moment when the spotlight would turn to me and – even before coming on to future career choices, which is an anxietyinducing topic in itself – I would have to go through the common but uncomfortable experience of introducing myself, by name. Hesitancy over introductions is one small but persistent drawback to having a dual national identity. But there are some positives. Being Iranian has many ancient and noble connotations. Herodotus wrote that Persians prize three attributes above all others, and tailor their education accordingly: to ride well, shoot straight,

and always speak the truth. The country has a rich cultural history, including carpets, cats, and kebabs. Marjane Satrapi, the graphic novelist who created Persepolis, is a treasure in her own right. But unfortunately, all this can be eclipsed by nomenclature-related problems.

or me, the words “What’s your name?” prompt a reaction of trepidation for such a frequent and basic question. The issue is fundamental: however you think it is pronounced, you’re probably wrong. It was chosen from a book of Persian names my grandma dug out at the birth of each grandchild. I was going to be

y father was born in Iran in 1959 and moved to England with his par-

ents when he was three. He speaks Farsi, can cook Persian meals, has visited Iran twice as an adult, and is passionately and consistently optimistic about the country’s future, often disregarding the reality of fluctuating current affairs in favour of a broad-minded, idealistic outlook. I cannot speak Farsi and struggle to handle the ingredients for an omelette, let alone the myriad herbs required for his recipes – although I can manage tadeek, a kind of giant crispy rice cake that is an Iranian culinary staple. But I have never been to Iran and am frankly overwhelmed contemplating its politics. I ﬁnd it hard to be enthusiastic about a country with the highest number of state executions per capita, and where homosexuality can – and does – lead to capital punishment. My situation, of having a strong emotional connection to another country without much first-hand experience of the national culture itself, is in no way an unusual one. As with anything concerning self-definition or self-perception, ‘national identity’ is a complex and mutable concept. In my lifetime at least, the phrase itself has never been more fraught and loaded than it is now. You would expect that globalisation and all its knock-on effects (more accessible travel, immediate worldwide news, products purchased online from any location) would cause people to feel less strongly affiliated with their cultural or geographical home. Once you realise how easy it is to sympathise with someone on the other side of the world, for

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

example, or become interested in events that have no direct influence on your life, it follows that an awareness of the universal human condition would override any acute sense of belonging to a particular nation. On the other hand, the rise of identity politics means that there are now so many sub-groups active in popular culture that it seems more obvious to place yourself in one of these wider c o m munities (whet her L G B T Q +, ethnic, or generational) than to assert your position as part of a nation state. After all, the act of strongly identifying with a nation comes with the weight of history’s mistakes: political blunders, unjustifiable wars, and state-sponsored discrimination. Yet, the opposite seems to be the case. As with the Scottish referendum, Brexit, and the conflict over the vote in Catalonia, issues of national identity have burst violently into mainstream discussion. It would be a mistake to generalise too confidently, but these separate callings for an increase in national ‘autonomy’ do seem to indicate a world in which the importance of one’s country is viewed as something to be passionate about, to defend, and to be treated with a degree of sanctity.

t a time when the parameters of our everyday experience are wider than they have ever been – our knowledge and awareness has now expanded to reach every corner of the world at any time of day – the security in our own self-perception has diminished. It is difficult to be sure of your place when you are aware of a world constantly in flux. The search for belong ing, and the urge to place yourself in the context of a greater s o c i a l group, is a basic human need.

I was born and raised British, so I suppress my feelings and leave

We feel comfortable when we know where we stand, both in personal relationships and on a worldwide scale – but it is now harder than ever before to make any kind of permanent assertion when a stream of different information, opinions, and perspectives are constantly available. It also remains the case that ‘national identity’ can quickly become a difficult subject when considered in tandem with its divisive sister-concept: patriotism. Many feel that a love for your country is a natural reaction to the familiar customs, language, and behaviours of a certain place and people which, for whatever reason, you consider to be your own. Arguably, these feelings are stronger when you do not live in the nation with which you identify – I’m sure I wouldn’t think twice about being Iranian if I was brought up and still lived in Iran, just as I rarely consider my own British identity. Thus the two identities are in some ways symbiotic, where the sense of displacement is more important than each national link would be if it existed without the other. Indeed, it is understandable that feelings of national identity surge in times of crisis, when a country is brought together over a common threat or a common good. In the Western world, the most obvious examples are the World Wars and 9/11. At times like these, national identity answers the need for a greater network of support, and provides a shared ideological framework from which people can draw certainty and strength. The difficulty lies where the love for one’s country grows from an assertion of difference. It is a delicate balance to be patriotic without denigrating the worth or richness of other nations and cultures. So it is tempting to view the idea of ‘national identity’ as depending upon and encouraging an ‘us vs them’ mentality which – while creating a more secure space for the ‘us’ – inevitably emphasises the qualities that keep the ‘them’ distant, separate, and ‘other’. But this does not have to be the case. The ideal would be to love the familiar, while maintaining an appreciative interest in that which is unfamiliar or different.

The author and her Iranian family. PHOTO: JALEH BRAZELL and the specific, the worldwide and the personal, becomes more blurred, a point at which, in my mind, the abstract c o n c e p t of what is ‘Iranian’ becomes completely embodied by the figure of my Chanel-clad five-foot grandma. Then, ‘Iranian’ is a series of mannerisms and affectations: among them, her habit of shouting “Yo Ali!” in the effort to get up from a chair, and her tendency to understand words

Identifying with a nation comes with the weight of history’s mistakes

far better when pronounced in an Iranian accent. By this rule, the ‘microwave’ is an unheard-of contraption, possibly from another planet, but the ‘macro-weave’ is a useful device for heating up preprepared food. Likewise, ‘Hammersmith’ is an indecipherable jumble, but ‘Hammer-e-smitheh’ is a well-known area in West London.

efore she died, my grandma used to spend half the year in an orchard near Isfahan, and from her last visit she brought me back an authentic mini rice cooker so I could make tadeek at university. The rice cooker is unappealing to look at – a squat, metal object that resembles a small spaceship, but for

all its ugliness it can recreate the atmosphere of Sundays at home: it conjures up warmth, saffron, and a gathering of tiny women whose loudness is inversely proportional to their size. In my head these associations are Iranian trademarks, but they have more to do with feelings of belonging and acceptance than they do with any nation or culture. Identity is slippery, especially when you know a language but can’t speak it, or feel you are something but do not look it. Blue-eyed, lightskinned, English-speaking: I am glad I have my name, because from appearance alone, I would never have gained an Uncle Kaz. Original illustrations by Vicky Robinson

o for me, national identity is divorced from these big connotations. Being half Iranian is instead about the small, the intimate, the familial. It is in the language-specific terms of endearment, the suffix ‘-joon’ at the end of a name or the word ‘joonam’, which mean something like ‘dear’ or ‘darling’. From personal experience, the Iranian character is defined by a penchant for gold jewellery, chandeliers, beige interiors, an interest in impeccable self-presentation, and a strong aversion to tact, especially concerning body weight. Having not seen my cousin for a year or so, my grandma exclaimed to his face, “What happened? You used to be so fat!”. But there is a stage where the line between the general

The ﬁsh and chips shop where the author gained an uncle. PHOTO: ROSA THOMAS

Friday, 13 October 2017 | Cherwell

Science+Tech SPECIAL REPORT

Gravitational waves, the circadian rhythm, and nudge earn this year’s Nobel prizes This year’s Nobel prizes may shape how we learn about our world. Ishraq Irteza, Jonathan Stark and Nandana Syam look at the winners and anaylse the impacts of their discoveries

he famed Nobel prizes were awarded last week, in a ceremony held in Stockholm. Scientists dominated the list of winners, with awards going to researchers in the fields of gravitational waves, cryo-electron microscopy, and the circadian rythm. The prize, the first of which was founded in 1901, is valued as one of the highest achievements an individual can gain in their field. The Literature, Peace and Economic Sciences Nobel prizes were also awarded in Monday’s ceremony. Richard Thaler recieved the Economic Sciences prize whilst Kazuo Ishiguro won the Literature prize, and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons took home the Nobel peace prize. Cherwell looks at the stories behind the prizes, and asks what they mean for the world of science. Physics Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish, and Kip S. Thorne

here Einstein’s special theory of relativity combined the concept of space and time to a single “spacetime”, general relativity taught us that space-time is more than just a stage upon which objects in the universe act, but rather is an active participant in their dynamics. Just as objects warp space-time, space-time has a direct influence on their movement. Gravitational waves are travelling ripples in space-time that arise when the heaviest objects accelerate and create disturbances in their gravitational fields. With current technology, gravitational waves observations are reserved for cataclysmic astronomical events, such as merging black holes or a system of binary neutron stars. The Laser Inferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is a set of gravitational wave detectors in the US. LIGO works by first shooting a laser at a beam splitter located at the intersection of two perpendicular detector arms. The two resulting beams would then travel down the four kilometre detector arms to hit a mirror, and reflect back down to an awaiting detector. Provided no outside interference, the beams destructively interfere presenting no signal – however, on the event of a passing gravitational wave, the phase shift of the light would distort, resulting in a signal. On 14 September

2015, over 13 years after the first run, LIGO succeeded in directly observing a gravitational wave. These waves move outwards at the speed of light like the elect romag net ic waves predominantly used in astronomy today, yet they also interact much weaker with matter whilst travelling through space. This preserves more i n for m at ion about the source of the wave and allows for indirect observation of regions blind to electromagnetic waves, giving astronomers a new pair of eyes with which to see the universe.

Relativity taught us that spacetime is more than just a stage

Physiology or Medicine Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael Young

ircadian rhythms are essentially biological clocks which allow organisms to anticipate cycles of day and night so that physiology and behaviour can be optimised accordingly. This rhythm has been observed for centuries but the first experimental evidence was found in 1971 when mutant fruit flies showed alterations to their 24-hour cycle. Ten years later, the “period” gene was discovered by Hall and Robash. Further study into other associated genes led to the discovery of what has been named the TranscriptionTranslation Feedback Loop. This system is characterised by the products of “period” and its partner gene known as “timeless” resulting in their own repression. This creates a self-regulatory oscillation. It was also found that activation of these two genes were initiated by two other genes known as “clock” and “cycle”. When additional research was conducted it was found that there were many of these loops working together to monitor physiology of cells in many ways such as through control of sleep cycles, metabolism, hormone release and body temperature. Discovery of the molecular mechanism of circadian rhythms could have many implications for human health. For example, many illnesses such as sleep disorders, depression, bipolar disorder and some neurodegenerative diseases have been linked to dysfunctional

The Nobel prize award ceremony at the Stockholm concert hall. PHOTO: ALEXANDER MAHMOUD © Nobel Media AB 2016. circadian rhythms. Studies have also suggested that a difference between our natural circadian rhythm and our lifestyles could also increase the risk for various diseases such as cancer, inflammation and metabolic disorders. T h e r e fore, an understanding of this mechanism could lead to pharmacological and chronobiological advancements in the treatment of these diseases.

It could lead to huge advances in the treatment of disease

Chemistry Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson

hese days, inventing a new medical treatment requires a lot more than simple trial and error, with researchers using their knowledge of precise molecule-tomolecule interactions to tackle HIV, cancers and other formidable foes. Dubochet, Frank, and Henderson won this year’s Chemistry prize for the invention of cryo-electron microscopy, allowing delicate molecules to be modelled in much greater detail. In the past, the most common imaging method has always been X-ray crystallography, which requires molecules to be crystallised before an X-ray is sent through

them, producing patterns that are interpreted to give their structure. X-ray crystallography is behind many great discoveries, but it is totally ineffective if the subject cannot be turned into a flat crystal. This was the problem encountered by Richard Henderson when he was studying the protein bacteriorhodopsin in the mid-70s. Finding it impossible to crystallise, he turned instead to electron microscopy – where electron beams are fired at individual molecules, leaving an imprint that shows their structure. These efforts made it possible to model molecules in 3D without the need to crystallise. In the next decade, Jacques Dubochet extended the process to almost all biological matter by figuring out how to flash-freeze subjects so that they could survive the vacuum of the electron microscope. And so cryo-electron microscopy was born. Although the method was invented back in the 70s and 80s, it has experienced an explosion in popularity recently as better software and more accurate microscopes allowed it to overtake X-ray crystallography in its level of detail – now showing the locations of individual atoms. It is for this reason that last week – in the midst of what has been called a revolution in biochemistry – Dubochet, Frank and Henderson were finally awarded the Nobel Prize they have long been waiting for and certainly deserve.

Nobel prize facts The prize was established thanks to the last will of Alfred Nobel. Nobel was a Swedish scientist who left his substantial fortune to set up the award. He died in 1896, and the first prize was awarded in 1901. The Nobel prize has been awarded 585 times in its 116 year history. The prize in Economics is not technically a Nobel prize, but a Nobel memorial prize. The prizes have not been awarded 49 times. This has occurred during times of war, or when there are no candidates that fit the high standards of quality that the award requires. Malala Yousafzai, who recently joined LMH as an undergraduate student, is the youngest recipient of the award. She was only 17 when she received the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. The oldest recipient of the award was Leonid Hurwicz. He was 90-years-old when he was awarded the Economic Sciences Prize in 2007.

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

Sport FOOTBALL

Manchester rivalry set to dominate Prem By JAMES MARTIN It’s still early days in the Premier League season, but enough football has been played to start making some judgements on the relative strength of the squads. The two Manchester clubs can be the most satisfied with their respective starts: City have perhaps looked more unassailable than United, who have flattered to deceive at times, but the two teams undoubtedly deserve their positions in the top spots. Pep Guardiola’s men have been simply devastating. This season feels like a perfect storm for the Citizens: they have a world class coach at the helm, he has had the time to mould the squad in his image, and the depth and quality of that squad is frankly phenomenal. At the moment, it is hard to look beyond them for the title – their 5-0 dismantling of Liverpool and the six they put past Watford showed their terrifying potency, whilst at the other end a meagre two goals have been shipped. However, they will be wary of complacency: they started strongly and fell away last campaign, and injury woes are already beginning to take hold this time around. United, to their great credit, have stayed hot on the heels of their city rivals. They sit behind them on goal difference alone, and even this is a difference of just one: new signing Romelu Lukaku has been prolific. The wins have been far less pretty, and many of the big margins of victories have come from late flurries not reflective of the match, but Mourinho is more than

Running Record half-marathon numbers

By SECRET COLLEGE FOOTBALLER

Leaders Manchester United celebrate another goal in their rampant start to the 2017/18 season. capable of grinding out result after result in this fashion. Given their greater pedigree in terms of title fights, United fans may fancy they can overcome Guardiola over the course of the season. There is little to separate the chasing pack, all of whom have impressed in spells but looked wholly fallible. Liverpool epitomise this, with their usually exceptional attack guilty of squandering big chances and their defence as leaky as ever. Chelsea stumbled at Burnley,

but have grown in confidence: the loss of Álvaro Morata to injury will hurt them, however. Arsenal can be devastating, but on occasion have simply failed to get into games – Liverpool took them apart comprehensively, as has become something of a trend in recent times. Tottenham Hotspur have looked the most likely to threaten the Manchester duopoly – a solid defence coupled with a lethal frontman is always a good formula, but Harry Kane will perhaps need a

Football John’s win Jimbob’s Derby

123

Some 8,357 runners took part in the seventh annual Oxford half-marathon on Sunday. The event started on Broad Street and ended on Parks Road. Joe Morwood was first across the line in 1:07:52, with Trinity student Dan Mulryan just under three minutes behind in sixth place. Kim Horner, a St. Catz graduate student, won the women’s race in a time of 1:18:34.

St. John’s were victorious against Exeter in the inaugural Jimbob’s derby on Monday. The sandwich shop, which sponsors both clubs, offered a 40% discount to students at the winning college to add further incentive to the season opener. However, it turned out to be a straightforward affair for John’s, who outmuscled an underwhelming Exeter and were on top for most of the game: Harj Narulla and James Morris’ goals ensured a 2-0 win for the JCR Premier League newcomers.

Men’s JCR Football Premier Div

BUCS Women’s Football Midlands 2B

Away day magic is hard to beat

Hockey Blues lose precious quizbook

Saracens caps won by Andy Saull, who made his Blues rugby debut last month

Oxford University sports clubs represented at Freshers’ Fair

Oxford University Hockey Club went into a state of panic last weekend after the club’s famous quizbook went missing. The book, used at Vincent’s Club, was written by former OUHC players Duncan Graves, Gus Kennedy and Alex Stobbart, and contains trivia questions. Depending on their conﬁdence, respondees hold up a number of ﬁngers, which translates to how much beer either they (if wrong) or other members (if correct). The club described itself as “very solemn” in a Facebook post.

BUCS Women’s Hockey South A

BUCS Men’s Hockey South B

little more support if Spurs are to really challenge. It is too early to draw conclusions at the other end of the table, except to say that Palace are in real trouble. Roy Hodgson may be able to start picking up some points at the end of their brutal run of fixtures, but for now things are looking dire for the Eagles. Everything is still to play for, however: it’s shaping up to be another great season of football’s most interesting league.

Balliol

Warwick 1

Oxford 1

Bath 1

St. John’s

Lincoln 1

Bath 2

Cardiff 1

Queen’s

East Anglia

Cambridge 1

Exeter 1

Wadham

Worcester

Oxford

Canterbury CC 1

Oxford 1

Exeter

Cardiff 1

Cambridge 1

St. Catz

Exeter 1

Bristol 1

Oh I do love playing away. The mantra of many a devoted football fan, who are never happier than when they are following their team around the country, or even the world. For players as well as fans, away ﬁ xtures are eagerly anticipated from the very outset of the season, their sense of solidarity heightened as they share the road, and the challenges of unfamiliar territory. This is no different for college football. Away days do indeed present certain challenges to the college footballer, far removed from the home comforts of their own ground. ‘Oh, college X, that’s only just down the road,’ comes the overwhelming response from the squad as the captain posts the next game in the Facebook group, only to find out on matchday that said college’s sports fields are actually a considerable walk away, nowhere near the college itself. This poses a potential problem for the team, as the dressing room’s resident prima donna balks at the notion of jogging all the way there in order to make it in time for kick-off (“it’s across the river!”) and jogging all the way back in time for their afternoon tutorial. In this situation, the role of the captain is of paramount importance. He might well take a firm stance, the best way to cure cold feet is to get your boots on and get playing! However, with a squad of such strong personalities, the delicately balanced nature of the team dynamic might mean that a more conciliatory approach is required. Perhaps a captain’s most important asset is his ability to source extra players in emergency situations. Get on the phone to the lad who played that one game two years ago. He’s got a bike, so he should be able to get there for the second half. A full selection of players? Excellent. Complimentary oranges from the home side? Even better. Yet away teams are not always met with such lavish hospitality. Nothing screams ‘pre-match preparation’ quite like being locked out of the changing rooms because you don’t know the key code and no one on the home team has arrived to let you in yet. Then there is the occasional college groundsman who makes you realise that not all of them are as accommodating as your own, as he is inexplicably outraged by the notion that a game of football might actually require the players to set foot on the grass. Talk about a hostile atmosphere. With all this to think about as players look ahead to their first away fixtures of the season, it’s no surprise that a recent psychological study has described the mental demands placed on college footballer as ‘on a par with those placed on air traffic controllers’. And air traffic controllers rarely have to operate after a night at Bridge.

Cherwell | Friday, 13 October 2017

Sport

Premier League review A great season for the Manchester clubs is on the cards, writes James Martin

RUGBY

Blues play through the night for Um Rio

Keble left red-faced after Oriel hack

By THOMAS BROWNE

Oriel M1 on the way to the Summer Eights headship in 2016. PHOTO: César Manivet Photography By MATT ROLLER One of Oxford’s oldest and most bitter rivalries intensified this week, as Oriel College Boat Club bought Keble’s website following an administrative oversight. The Summer Eights runners-up failed to renew their keblecollegebc.com domain name at the start of the academic year. Upon noticing this, Oriel seized upon the opportunity to further stoke the fire, and purchased the website for themselves for the nominal fee of £6.99. For the past week, Keble’s professionally-made website has redirected to Oriel’s homepage, rowing.oriel.ox.ac.uk, much to the delight of Oriel Men’s Captain, Robert Boswall. “You snooze, you lose,” he told Cherwell. The two colleges endured a frac-

CLICHÉ OF THE WEEK

“Nadal is past it”

By JORGE LOPEZ LLORENTE

tious relationship last year, with both boat clubs using social media to stir the pot. The ‘Keble4Head’ Instagram account posted a series of memes – several of which were condemned as “sexist and misogynist” by one student in a JCR meeting – at the expense of Oriel. Meanwhile, Oriel’s Facebook page labelled the Parks Road college ‘Blues-buyers’, with reference to the high-number of universitylevel rowers within Keble, on account of the financial awards given to top-rowers by the college courtesy of alumnus Robin Geffen and his company Neptune Investment Management, who sponsor the Boat Club. “I was fed up of Keble buying Blues, so I bought their website,” Boswall continued. Cherwell understands that Keble are aware of the purchase, and

that Oriel have accepted the offer of a crewdate in exchange for the domain’s return to its original owners. Furthermore, it is understood that Oriel Boat Club have had access to a confidential Google Sheets document, from which Keble’s men’s training is co-ordinated, for the past six months. This meant that throughout the run-up to this year’s Summer Eights, Oriel had access to every erg score, training plan, schedule, line-up and practice video from Keble’s first VIII. “We watched them training, knew their start sequence. We knew exactly how fast their eight was, and had a rough idea of their race plan,” Boswall commented. The spreadsheet, which has been passed to Cherwell, also con-

tains the phone numbers of the whole club, from first-boat rowers to coaches. Oriel gained access to the document after stumbling across Keble Boat Club’s Facebook group, which featured a link to it in its description, in a remarkable lapse in security. Neither Keble Boat Club’s President nor its Women’s Captain responded to Cherwell’s request for comment.

“Rafa Nadal is done for”. “This injury will ruin him forever”. “Nadal’s getting old”. Lately, we have heard reporters’ and fans’ prophecies dooming Nadal to retirement or an inevitable dip in his tennis. After all, sometimes Nadal does seem closer to A&E than Centre Court. No matter how often critics dig his grave, the Spaniard has nine lives or more. After every injury and string of defeats, Nadal keeps biting trophies, not the dust, dominating the clay circuit and the majors. It’s no surprise though. Nadal has dealt with constant injuries since the beginning of his career. Despite his dodgy knees, Nadal’s work ethic is unbreakable – you feel that determination in his trademark baseline rallies, saving almost any ball, however tough it looks, often with unique passing or banana shots. If he is a “purely physical player” (an-

other cliché), how come his tennis remains jaw-dropping even when he is half-injured? He gets injured, his level drops, his comeback is stronger – Rafa’s story repeats itself. In 2012, Nadal disappeared for months due to knee injuries. By 2013, he returned for a brilliant season defeating Novak Djokovic (then-number oneranked) among others to win two Grand Slams. In 2014, Nadal was shaken by back pain, then wrist pain, then appendicitis, but he won Roland Garros anyway. After a dire 2015-16, not only having to weather physical problems but also serious mental issues, including dizziness and self-confessed anxiety, he tumbled down to ninth in the ranking. You thought it was the end, right? Well, now he is ﬁ rmly number one and won a tenth Roland Garros plus another US Open. In Beijing,

the Spaniard needed another tense comeback against Lucas Pouille and lost some sets, yet he fought back to win the China Open in superb style. In short, Djokovic and Andy Murray are undoubtedly great players, but look who are still ﬁghting for Grand Slam records: Roger Federer and Nadal’s peaks are past, but they are still out there on the court playing against players sometimes a decade or more their junior. The longevity, which these two have brought to their glittering careers and the many times that they’ve seemingly resurrected their careers after injuries or setbacks proves that they really do deserve the title of living legends. They prove the show must go on, because they are true champions. Let’s hope they continue to grace the courts of Grand Slams for many years to come.

OURFC ran a charity 24-hour nonstop rugby event on Friday, the third leg of an iniative that has so far taken place in Rio de Janeiro and St. Albans School, in support of the charity Um Rio – translating as ‘One Rio.’ The charity was founded, and is still run by, an Oxford graduate and Blues Rugby old boy called Rob Malengreau. Football is obviously synonymous with Brazil and it is hard to imagine that ‘the beautiful game’ will be displaced anytime soon as the nation’s favourite past-time. However, Malengreau’s charity has managed to use rugby as a tool to bring the children of the favela – the charity importantly helps both boys and girls – together in aid of social integration and has helped to steer them away from the crime and the drugs, which are still all too prevalent. The charity has created an alternative environment to the gang culture that plagues these areas. In addition, the charity brings together local dentists and doctors to provide these children with a level of healthcare far above anything they would have received if left to fend for themselves. When speaking to Blues Rugby player Will Wilson and England Sevens player Tom Mitchell, who were leading the event, it was clear how close this project is to their hearts. Mitchell recounted how, when he’d been out in Rio playing for the Great Britain team at the Olympics in 2016, the charity had managed to get tickets for children from the Morro do Castro favela for the Rugby Sevens ﬁnal. Wilson, who has also visited Rio and seen the charity’s work ﬁrsthand, told of “how amazing an experience being out there was , not just to grow the game but, more importantly, to see how the charity can really change these kids lives.” The charity has so far catered for over 400 children and with the backing not only of Oxford but also now the Cambridge Rugby Club – a contingent from the light blues made the trip out to Rio last year – the future looks bright for the Um Rio project.