0th Week Trinity Term 2022

April 22nd 2022

0th Week

Vol. 295 No. 1

John Evelyn is back with a bang p.18

Independent since 1920

Languages students slam Year Abroad Office failings Izzy Tod reports.

Modern Languages students on their year abroad report feeling let down and abandoned by Oxford University’s Year Abroad Office. Students told Cherwell that the Year Abroad Office provided minimal mental health support, a lack of meaningful assistance for students from working-class backgrounds, and has repeatedly disseminated false information and guidance. In one case, University failings led to students being scammed when applying for health insurance cards.

The Year Abroad Office is part of the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages. It is the central body that coordinates year abroad arrangements for Modern Languages students going abroad in their second or third year. With different colleges providing varying levels of support to their students, many rely on the Year Abroad Office when moving abroad to work, study or teach.

However, student testimonies heard by Cherwell have claimed that the Year Abroad Office is failing to provide adequate support to all of its students.

Third-year students currently on their year abroad feel that they were “unequipped” to travel abroad and “ill-informed” about the process. With the cancellation of the Year Abroad Health and Safety session in Trinity 2021, many students had attended only a singular hour-long presentation before embarking on their years abroad. One third-year student studying German commented that: “to send students out to their

target countries with woefully inadequate levels of advice about [...] the pathways available, and plainly amateur, even arrogant administration [...] is simply unfair.”

The student claimed that they were advised to “use their connections” to get a job abroad, a recommendation that they called “the clearest example of classism (inadvertent or not), that [they] have experienced in [their] time at Oxford”.

Another student felt that the Year Abroad Office “alienated working-class students” by failing to provide meaningful assistance to those looking for jobs abroad.

Once abroad, students reported a “lack of communication”, “lack of empathy” and inadequate “year-round support” from the Year Abroad Office, with several students expressing concern over the mental-health implications of such treatment. One third-year student studying French stated: “I have had no communication from anyone at uni checking that I am even on my year abroad and asking me if I am ok and alive.

I think this is very poor from a welfare standpoint as I know that the university doesn’t even know where I am...I have felt completely abandoned by the university for the duration of my time abroad.”

Where the Year Abroad Office has attempted to provide some assistance, students feel that their advice is at best unhelpful, and at worst, actively harmful. In Michaelmas 2021, for example, the Year Abroad Office provided students with a link to a scam website that charged £35 to order a fake GHIC insurance card (the post-Brexit replacement of the EHIC card). A third-year student studying French, who applied through this link,

said: “I originally applied for the card through the link sent by the university and paid the £35 fee without thinking. Must be the right link if it’s recommended by the year abroad office, right?

A few weeks later, I was told by another student that the GHIC should be free through the official website! Although uni did then refund this error, my application was then ‘lost’ by the official GHIC handlers [...], 10 weeks later I got my card and could finally get the visa.”

The Year Abroad Office triggered further administrative complications for students studying French planning to take up internships abroad. In August 2021, students who filled in the “Convention de Stage” form drawn up by the faculty found their applications to take up internships rejected by the French authorities because the form did not comply with the necessary French law.

These mistakes, according to the students affected, are symptomatic of the Year Abroad Office’s “failure to adapt to Brexit”, with students claiming that the University is still “unprepared for all of the corresponding bureaucracy” that is involved in post-Brexit year abroad arrangements. The Year Abroad Office is likely to face further challenges in the coming months, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine has created uncertainty for current first and second-year students studying Russian. Having flown home all of the current Year Abroad students in Russia, the Year Abroad Office must now decide on alternative arrangements for the upcoming cohorts.

When approached for comment, a representative from the YA told Cherwell: Continued on Page 3

NUS facing antisemitism disgrace…again Isaac Ettinghausen reports.

See inside: Interview with football journalist p.23

The National Union of Students has once again been embroiled in an antisemitism scandal, drawing criticism in recent months for its failure to protect Jewish students from discrimination, as well the revelation of antisemitic statements Robert Halfon, the MP in charge of the Commons Education Select Committee, last week referred the NUS to the Charities Commission “in regards to their treatment of Jewish students and the Jewish community’s concerns regarding antisemitism.” The nationwide confederation of student unions – of which Oxford SU is a part – was also the subject of a Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) report which claimed that the organisation’s policies and actions had resulted in “tangible harm to Jewish students.”

Shaima Dallali, the President-Elect of the organisation, has been criticised for tweets,

including one that translates as “Jews, remember the battle of Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning”, referencing an AD 628 massacre of the Jewish community in the town of Khaybar. Apologising, she did not acknowledge the genocidal element of the event, instead simply referencing “the battle of Khaybar in which Jewish and Muslim armies fought”.

Dallali has previously referred to cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi as the “moral compass for the Muslim community at large”. Al-Qaradawi has said that he would “shoot Allah’s enemies, the Jews”, and called upon God to “count their numbers, and kill them, down to the very last one.”

In the wake of a huge rise in universitybased antisemitism in early 2021, the NUS released a statement in solidarity with Jewish students, reading “We are deeply concerned to hear of a spike in antisemitism on campuses

“No Excuse for Abuse”: Hundreds of protestors made their way through Oxford on Tuesday to call for a total ban on any form of conversion therapy. Transgender conversion therapy remains legal in the UK. Read more on Page 3 by Niamh Hardman

as a result of Israeli forces’ violent attacks on Palestinians”. This statement came under fire for associating Jewish students with the actions of the Israeli state, and not simply condemning violent antisemitic attacks.

Responding to this, a spokesperson for CAA said: “Even when supposedly showing...

Continued on Page 2

News

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What’s inside?

4. Boat Race future in doubt

13.Whistler at the Orsay: An American in Paris

5. Oxfordshire ‘Capital of Woke

14.Father John Misty: “A New World Order of Old Characters

9. Calorie labelling proof government has failed with eating disorders

15. In Conversation with Elaine Hsieh Chou 15. Interview with Nocturner Productions 16-17. The Source: Poets’ takes on traditional and historical stories, mythology and folklore

11. Why the human genome is still not fully complete Continued from page 1 solidarity with Jewish students, NUS has managed to blunder in ways that will leave Jewish students wondering how serious the organisation can be about representing and protecting them. It would almost have been better had they said nothing at all.”

Oxford Jewish Society’s president told Cherwell: “Oxford’s JSoc is deeply upset by the actions of the NUS leadership. Its response to the concerns of Jewish students at its national conference will be viewed by many as, at best, insensitive. Past comments of the President-Elect are also of concern to us. Though she has since apologised for some of these remarks, Oxford’s JSoc believes that similar remarks directed towards those of other races or faiths would likely be met with resignation, rather than an investigation.

Among other incidents cited in the CAA’s report was the invitation of rapper Lowkey to perform at its centenary event last month. In the past, Lowkey has spoken of the “Zionist lobby” in the context of global capitalism, defended Chris Williamson, an MP suspended from the Labour Party for antisemitism, and recently claimed that the “mainstream media” had “weaponised the Jewish heritage” of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “stave off” concern about the Ukrainian far-right.

Jewish students who expressed concern at his invitation to perform were invited to remove themselves to a safe space which had been intended for attendees sensitive to loud music. Following criticism, Lowkey cancelled his performance, and the NUS released a statement expressing regret that the rapper had been the victim of “harassment and misinformation”. One Jewish Oxford student in attendance told Cherwell that there had been an “atmosphere of hostility” at the event.

These are not new issues; in 2016, a Commons select committee branded comments

20-21. Raging Against the Dying of the Light: What the DUP’s Predicament Tells Us About the State of Unionism

made by then-president Malia Bouattia as ‘outright racism’. Writing in a University of Birmingham Friends of Palestine blog post, she described the university as ‘something of a Zionist outpost in British Higher Education” which has “the largest JSoc in the country whose leadership is dominated by Zionist activists.’ An internal report found that her comments “could be reasonably capable of being interpreted as antisemitic” but recommended no further action.

Bouattia also used her casting vote to remove the right of Jewish students to select their own representative on the Union’s Anti-Racism and Anti-Fascism Committee.

On Wednesday 13th, the NUS announced an independent investigation into the antisemitism allegations, stating “There can be no place for antisemitism within the student movement. We are listening to the concerns being raised and we’re very concerned about the pain and hurt being expressed.”

They also reemphasised a commitment to the International Holocaust Remembrance

22. Names preserved in blue and white: exploring the plaques of Oxford.

News Shorts

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The president of Oxford JSoc’s statement continued “While the news of an independent review and commitment to the IHRA more still needs to be done to address the concerns of Jewish students in general considered unimportant compared to the interests of other identities.

“The NUS should therefore commit to following the recommendations of the review and take further steps to ensure the concerns of Jewish students are not ignored in this way again. Additionally, Oxford’s Student Union and Campaign for Racial Awareness and Equality should use their platforms to make clear on a national level the concerns of Jewish students in Oxford

project for Oxford students

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News

Protest held in Oxford against trans conversion therapy Niamh Hardman reports on the protest on Tuesday April 19th.

On Tuesday, crowds gathered in Bonn Square to protest the exclusion of trans people from the ban on conversion therapy.

According to NHS England, conversion therapy - sometimes called “reparative therapy” or colloquially known as “gay cure therapy” - tries to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The NHS has described it as “unethical and potentially harmful”.

According to the 2018 National LGBT Survey, approximately 5% of the 108,000 people who responded reported to have been offered some version of conversion therapy whilst 2% had undergone it. Those from an ethnic minority background were twice as likely to be affected. About 10% of Christian respondents and 20% of Muslims said they had undergone or been offered conversion therapy, compared to 6% who has no religious affiliation. Over half of those who had experienced conversion therapy reported that it was done by a religious organisation.

Isolating the statistics from transgender respondents perhaps demonstrates why the call to “include the T in the LGB” is particularly prevalent with issues of conversion therapy.

Almost one in 10 trans men said they had

been offered conversion therapy, and one in 25 said they had undergone it. The LGBT Action Plan 2018 set out to bring forward proposals to end the practice of conversion therapy in the UK and was cited often at the protest as an example of a Government who is failing to keep its promises to the LGBTQ+ community.

On the 1st of April, hours after it had said it would drop plans for the ban entirely, the Government announced its intention to ban conversion therapy for matters of sexuality, but not around gender identity. Clay Nash, one of the leaders of Oxford Against Conversion Therapy and organiser of the protest told Cherwell: “The Government went from scrapping the ban all together to protecting gay people from conversion therapy because there was a mass outcry from a majority. So now we need allies to stand beside us while we fight for the protection of trans people too […] If we, members of the public, continue to make noise and insist that a ban that doesn’t protect trans people isn’t enough, I’m hopeful that there will be another backtrack – this time one that protects us all”.

As the Government address the issue of rights for transgender and non-binary people

as carrying a “complexity of issues”, protesters in support of a full ban on conversion therapy accused the government of playing politics with people’s lives. Speaking to Cherwell, Clay Nash noted the importance of protesting in Oxford: “there is something very powerful about Oxford, the place where these politicians’ journeys began, coming together to say that we do not stand for transphobia and that we want to forge a more inclusive future.”

Speakers including, but not limited to, Jayne Ozanne, Director of the Ozanne Foundation and the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT Lives, Green Party Councillor Chris Jarvis, Sarah Stephenson-hunter, speaking on behalf of Trans Actual UK, and Dr Clara Barker addressed the people gathered to protest. Support was visible from the Student Union LGBTQ+ campaign, the University of Oxford and the Brookes’ LGBTQ+ societies, Oxford Pride, The Jolly Farmers and the Oxford University Labour Club.

The overarching theme was one of solidarity and the celebration of trans joy and trans beauty.

May Day celebrations to be held in person Izzie Alexandrou reports.

For the majority of Oxford Undergraduates, this Morning due to COVID restrictions over the past two years. The ceremony was held virtually in 2020 and 2021 – detracting from the spectacle of the fete.

To commence the celebration, large crowds traditionally gather outside of Magdalen College at 6am on 1st May to listen to the Magdalen College Choir. The tradition of singing of “Hymnus Eucharistus,” a 17thC Latin Hymn, dates back at least 500 years. The Magdalen Tower bells then continue to ring for 20 mins to mark the coming of spring.

The festivities allow for the Oxford community to come together and celebrate the event.

Crowds customarily come dressed for the occasion, wearing spring costumes and garlands.

The group of around 150 Morris Men will then parade their way through town, right the way from Magdalen College to the Radcliffe Square.

Folk music and dancing continues through until midday, with the whole community engaging in the dancing, singing, eating, and drinking. begin at 6am, the music and partying atmosphere commences on “May Eve,” for many students. College balls or club nights continue into the early hours of the morning, where partygoers emerge from clubs in the morning to continue the celebrations.

Traditionally, pubs and cafes open at 5am to welcome students from the night before, or those up early enough to get a good position for

the choir singing in front of Magdalen College Tower.

Although the modern tradition of jumping from Magdalen Bridge is now banned due to the shallow water, this by no means detracts from the fun. Students often opt for a dip in the River Cherwell as a way to “wake up” before the choir sings.

This unparalleled festivity is expected to be incredibly busy. In 2017, turnout reached 27,000 spectators. This year, May Morning falls on a Sunday, which offers the perfect occasion for partygoers and families alike to gather in Oxford city.

Oxford city council have set up a fundraiser for the celebrations. They have said that they are working to create opportunities for local artists, businesses, and residents to have more involvement in the event. Magdalen Bridge is set to be decorated with art from local artists and creative communities.

The Oxford council’s culture manager, Paula Redway said: “We want this year’s event to be extra special and we want to support Oxford’s artistic community.

“May Day is an occasion to lift the spirits and be joyful, so we’re raising funds to commission pieces showing Oxford’s hidden gems. They will then be displayed on Magdalen Bridge for May morning, and at future events.”

Dubbed one of the highlights of trinity term for students, May morning is set to be the most spectacular celebration in years. This 16th Century tradition is certainly not one to miss.

Image Credit: Gagravarr/CC BY-SA 2.5

Continued from page 1 “To the best of our knowledge, [that the Office shared incorrect information] is not true. Students were only ever sent the links to the FCDO website, and we additionally obtained advice directly from the British Council. Guidance for each of the 27 different EU countries has changed, as has FCDO advice on Covid-related travel - but that does not mean the advice was incorrect. There was an administrative error where an incorrect link was sent. The website was not a scam, although charged a fee for faster processing of a free application. The link was corrected as soon as it came to light, and the students affected were reimbursed for the fee.

A temporary template was made available to students almost immediately after the departure from the EU. However during the year, it came to light that there was additional wording required to meet the new legalities/Visa requirements for internships in France. As set out before: the UK did not decide until the last moment on what basis it would conduct its relationship with the EU after 31 January 2020. The YA office was prepared and had repeatedly flagged to students that work travel would be affected, and that every EU country would make its own decisions on immigration because of the decisions the UK government had taken - so that the result of Brexit was to replace one set of immigration regulations with 27 different ones.

The MML Year Abroad offers flexibility to undertake a range of options and the Faculty endeavours to provide a range of information for all options. Student feedback has always been that students value the flexibility of YA arrangements, where individual students - in consultation with their tutors - can make arrangements which meet their academic needs and their career aspirations.All students receive a language-specific YA meeting, as well as a faculty-based session in Trinity Term and repeated emails, have access to a host of resources on work-placement and internships, but are advised that it is the responsibility of individual students to find work.

Students have access to a range of funding opportunities for the year abroad including: The continuation of their full means-tested Government maintenance support and Oxford Bursary or Crankstart Scholarships if eligible, Turing funding opportunities, Heath Harrison Scholarships, Year Abroad Travel Hardship Fund as well as College funding. The YA provides a session in TT on how to cope with the YA and the challenges that it may pose (now called “YA orientation’ rather than ‘Myths and realities’), together with a set of resources on mental health and well-being. Students are advised to discuss mental health needs with their college and the faculty’s disability advisor. The YA officers have gone out of their way to support students who have found themselves in mental health difficulties.”

The University of Oxford told Cherwell: “The Year Abroad Office provides comprehensive support and information for all Modern Languages students, of whom there are around 300 annually, ahead of their year abroad and during it. This includes a session in the term before departure on coping with the year abroad and any challenges that may arise, resources on mental health and well-being, and faculty and college support throughout the year. All students receive advice and resources about work placements and internships for the year abroad, allowing students, in consultation with tutors, to find placements which meet their academic needs and career aspirations. Students also have access to a range of funding opportunities for the year abroad including continuation of University bursaries and scholarships, Year Abroad Travel Hardship Fund, College funding and Turing funding, which offers higher levels of support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

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News

LMH criticised for ball to be held during Ramadan Georgie Cutmore reports on the controversy, where Muslim students have felt left out.

Students have raised concerns over the Lady Margaret Hall ball being held in Ramadan, which has left some Muslim students feeling overlooked and excluded from the event.

One Muslim student at LMH, who chose to remain anonymous, expressed their disappointment in the conduct of both the Governing Body and Ball Committee. They objected that, despite vocal discontent among Muslim students at LMH, neither the Committee nor the Governing Body offered explanation or apology for the Ball being held in Ramadan.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, spiritual reflection and heightened worship. As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, Ramadan is regarded as a fundamental practice for Muslims. This year, in the UK, the period lasts from dawn of Sat 2 April till sunset of Sun 1 May. The common practice is to fast from dawn to sunset every day before observing a number of traditional meals such as the iftar, which is the first meal eaten in the evening to break the fast.

The student highlighted that the dining aspect of the event completely excludes Muslim attendees. They criticized the timing of the dinner, which begins before those observing Ramadan can break their fast. They also went on to cite the College’s statutes, arguing that the principles of justice and fairness which LMH strives to adhere to have been overlooked

in this case.

The student indicated that the Muslim community at LMH are seeking greater recognition of the issue, as well as an apology from the Governing Body and Ball Committee.

The LMH Ball Committee told Cherwell about the process behind the scheduling decision. The Committee had initially sought to hold the event on 14 May 2022, which would accommodate those observing Ramadan. In a meeting on 3 Nov 2021, LMH’s JCR President, Vice-President and Treasurer brought the proposal to the College’s Governing Body, a group comprising the Principal and seven other senior fellows. The proposal for 14 May was rejected due to its proximity to English, Biology and Engineering exams, which begin as early as 16 May. The JCR and Ball Committees also offered alternative dates in the weeks immediately following 14 May, including a date in ninth week. The Governing Body decided that these dates would be too disruptive for those taking and revising for exams. The proposal for ninth week was rejected due to concern for first years taking Prelims.

The Governing Body resolved that the Ball would have to be held in first week, or not at all. With the understanding that large-scale events in College may only be held on Saturdays, the Ball Committee was left to settle for this suggestion and schedule the 2022 Ball for 30 April, which falls during Ramadan.

LMH JCR President, Lewis Boyd, said that Ramadan “was not brought up in the governing body meeting. The ball committee had planned the schedule carefully so that the ball wouldn’t clash with Ramadan.

“However, there was a small miscommunication between the ball committee and the JCR core exec before the meeting. The ball

Photo of the week

committee asked that we represent and advocate for the 14th May, but didn’t explain why. I don’t believe they were expecting the original proposal to be rejected, and so didn’t expect us to have to argue against it being on the 30th.”

Boyd added that the JCR executive were unaware of the dates of Ramadan, so did not bring it up during the meeting. As a result, they pushed for later dates because they had been told they would be preferred.

The Ball Committee has offered the following apology: “We’d like to stress that Ramadan was a key consideration for the Ball Committee, but we’re sorry to have made a mistake during the process for deciding the date, and to Muslim students and their friends for the impact our mistake has had. We want everyone to be able to enjoy our ball, and we’re disappointed that we’ve fallen short in this way.”

By Teagan Riches

Lady Margaret Hall has been approached for comment.

Image credit: Herbi1922 / CC BY-SA 4.0

Boat race future into doubt due to Fulham Stadium plan Oliver Hall reports.

“I took it on the 5th of April in Budapest. It’s a photograph of part of the memorial sculpture

The Committee highlighted that “plenty” of halal food will be available when Muslin students break their fast, and that the JCR would be available as a prayer room. Prayer mats, water, and dates (which are traditionally eaten during iftar) will be provided in the JCR. The Committee has extended their ticket exchange period to 15 April, and will continue to issue refunds so students who are unable to attend the ball because they are observing Ramadan can get a refund.

For the next ball, the Committee are working to make sure that a member of the Committee will be able to sit in on relevant meetings of the Governing Body to reduce the risk of further miscommunication.

The MP for Putney, Fleur Anderson, has warned that Fulham FC’s planned construction of a pier into the Thames risks putting the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race and all watersports on the river in doubt.

The proposal forms part of Fulham Stadium’s redevelopment plans. They have seen the demolition and reconstruction of the riverside stand, downstream from Putney Bridge, and also include the redevelopment of the area and the new passenger pier which would be used to transport fans to and from the ground. The expansion would see the capacity of the ground increase from 25 700 to 29 600 and has already cost over £90 million.

Last year saw the Boat Race held in its traditional location between Putney and Mortlake, after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event was cancelled altogether in 2020, and held in Cambridgeshire in 2021 before a return to Putney this year, which saw Oxford win the men’s event for the first time since 2017 and Cambridge win the Women’s event in a record time.

As well as the impact on the boat race, Ms Anderson, a Labour MP said: “There are about 4,000 members across 41 clubs along the river who will be impacted” “As well as 30,000 participants in rowing

races in the first quarter of the year, there are approximately 1,400 children from clubs and rowing centres near the Fulham Football Club and that part of the river who use it several times a week.”

A public petition over the matter has attracted 12,000 signatures so far in an attempt to put a stop to the plans after backing from both British Rowing and The Boat Race.

The campaign has also attracted cross-party support across the floor of the commons.

As for the football club, they have responded by saying that the comments are “inaccurate and wrong”. In an official statement, they said: “For clarity, there is no proposal to extend a pontoon 80 metres across the Thames (nor has there ever been) and there is absolutely no risk whatsoever to the boat race. Fulham’s design would, in addition to creating substantial and obvious benefits to the local community, focus on providing a wonderful viewing platform which would enhance the boat race atmosphere, experience and accessibility.”

Anderson brought her comments to a close by saying that she was “incredulous” at the plans and asking the DCMS to review the proposals so that “the future of the boat race will be secured”.

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Oxford river is second in nation to be awarded bathing river status Special correspondent Estelle Atkinson reports on the new step towards safe open water swimming.

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Oxfordshire named UK’s ‘Capital of Woke’ Meg Lintern reports on Oxford being designated ‘Drippy Hippy Central’.

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Editorial Masthead EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Maurício Alencar, Estelle Atkinson SENIOR EDITORIAL TEAM Pieter Garicano, Leah Mitchell, Clementine Scott, Shiraz Vapiwala, David Tritsch, Wang Sum Luk NEWS Meg Lintern, Humza Jilani, Isaac Ettinghausen, Charlotte Keys, Annie Lu, Issy Alexandrou COMMENT Georgie Cutmore, Isobel Lewis, Hope Philpott, Sonya Ribner PROFILES Aarthee Parimelalag, Sam Zia, William Foxton INNOVATION Matthew Clark CULTURE Meg Goundry-Napthine, Caitlin Wilson, Elena Buccisano, Charlotte Kutz FILM Joshua McGrane, Flynn Hallman, Mayu Uno MUSIC Marlon Austin, Flynn Hallman STAGE Neily Raymond, Anna Stephen, Anya Biletsky BOOKS Fariha Uddin, Paula Odenheimer, Madeleine Hopper FASHION Madeleine Hopper, Yuri Hwang, Anna Roberts THE SOURCE Jessica DeMarco-Jacobsen, Aaron Low LIFE Aiktarini Lygaki, Bruno Armitage, Michaela Esau, Adam Collins pigeons FEATURES Jimmy Brewer, Imaan Haidar, Daisy Clague, Sara Hashmi COLUMNS Matilda Piovella, Anneka Pink SPORT Oliver Hall PUZZLES Ifan Rogers CREATIVE Ben Beechener, Eve Gueterbock, Charlotte Rich-Jones, Aleksandra Pluta, Rachel Jung PHOTOJOURNALISM Ceci Catmur, Cyril Malík, Jessye Phillips, Meghana Geetha, Michelle Marques, Niamh McBratney, Teagan Riches, Jana Nedelkoska, Daniel Stick, Amy Van Wingerden VIDEO Kaly de Oliveira Cerqueira, Taylor Bi, Yushi Zhao, Zack Thomas MARKETING Jacobus Petersen

Maurício Alencar (he/him), Editor-in-Chief “Dear President Biden, I have formed the impression that many in Washington, government officials and newspaper columnists alike, are completely ignorant of Halford Mackinder’s article of 1904 in The Geographical Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, titled “The Geographical Pivot of History” and, accordingly, have failed to understand what has motivated President Putin to attack Ukraine militarily, with such frightful human consequences.

The inf luence of Mackinder’s geopolitical theory upon President Putin is discussed with brilliant clarity by Ezra Sharpe in his article of January 17, 2022, “Back to the Future: Putin’s return to classical geopolitics” in Cherwell, an online publication founded in 1920 as a printed journal.” Sharpe doesn’t mince words, either, when he writes of what needs to be done to deal with Putin’s attack on Europe’s and the broader world’s political stability, writing, ‘That is why it is essential that the US, among other Western powers, take the initiative to mobilize active troops within Ukraine.’”

This is no joke: a Cherwell article did indeed get mentioned in an email to the White

House, which we got CCed into. Others CCed included The Washington Post and The New York Times. Yes, my friends, Cherwell is within the glowing calibre of some of the world’s most important newspapers. That’s just one example of what this newspaper is capable of achieving. We might as well go for it.

The upcoming Cherwell team will do a bloody outstanding job at journalism once again. From OxPops to Puzzles, Newsletter to the brand new ‘Oh Well!’ section, this is Cherwell’s time. So, you might as well get involved with us. Send us your tips, your pitches, your ideas. Who knows, your article might end up on the President of the United States of America’s desk.

While I’m still not sure what the legacy of TT22 will be, I want you to feel that Cherwell is as much yours as it is ours. It’s easy to believe that the classic Oxford student journo is in it for their own purposes, and the culture of student politics here certainly lends itself to that theory. But the value in what we do lies after publication, once papers are on JCR stands. It is your discourse, readership, and completed puzzles that make my job a true privilege, and I’m struck with gratitude to think I get to do this for eight more weeks.

Welcome back to Oxford, and welcome back to Cherwell!

Estelle Atkinson (she/her), Editor-in-Chief Pictured to the left is the first stage of the handover from the lovely, now former EiCs Jill and Charlie, to myself and Maurício.

Featured is our celebratory prosecco popped (unscrewed) in honor of the final print edition sent off for HT22. What a term!

And now, we are thrilled to present our first print edition for TT22. Though Cherwell has been around for over 100 years, this paper that you are holding in your hands feels brand new to me.

During each of the four terms I’ve been around for, Cherwell has had a distinct personality, changing with every new masthead.

Though I have to emphasize, this is not for better or for worse; the work that goes into producing the paper is so personal to the team of people who create it, that it can’t help but take on a new look, feel, and vision.

Knowing this, it leaves me, and I’m sure every other editor in Cherwell history, wondering what my version of Cherwell, otherwise known as Volume 295, will mean for readers, and whether or not our impact will last beyond the 8 week confines of the term.

Leader: The SU should take a stand against antisemitism in the National Union of Students to have drifted even closer to extremism.

In 2018, Shaima Dallali called Yusuf alQaradawi the “moral compass for the Muslim community at large”. Al-Qaradawi has said that he would “shoot Allah’s enemies, the Jews”, and called upon God to “count their numbers, and kill them, down to the very last one.”

When confronted with a rise in violence against Jewish students throughout last year, the NUS released a statement announcing that they were “deeply concerned to hear of a spike in antisemitism on campuses as a result of Israeli forces’ violent attacks on Palestinians” — a statement so wrong that one wonders why they bothered

Pieter Garicano (he/him), Deputy Editor When Shaima Dallali tweeted ‘Khaybar Khaybar O Jews … Muhammad’s army will return’, the president-elect of the National Union of Students was being explicit in her views. Khaybar, a seventh-century massacre and expulsion of Jews

by Muhammed’s armies, is used as a rallying cry for the extinction of Israel. A watchdog recently warned the NUS was failing to protect Jewish students. The Oxford Student Union should be explicit in rejecting its parent organisation.

Only a few years ago, the NUS had promised extensive reform after a previous President, Malia Bouattia, made repeated antisemitic statements, including when she called Birmingham University “a Zionist outpost in British Higher Education”. Instead of reforming, the NUS seems

Jewish Britons, it strongly implies they are responsible for their persecution.

“The NUS was failing to protect Jewish students. The Oxford Student Union should be explicit in rejecting its parent organisation.”

In the past few months, the NUS invited (and then disinvited) Lowkey, a rapper with a history of support for antisemitism, to its conference.

“The Oxford SU should make clear that it wants nothing to do with the NUS - or risk enabling the worst kinds of hate.”

With a recent history like this, one has to ask Now, the crisis seems to be coming to a head.

Last week, the Commons Education Select Committee, referred the NUS to the Charities Watchdog “in regards to their treatment of Jewish students and the Jewish community’s concerns regarding antisemitism.” An emergency letter to the NUS board was undersigned by twenty former NUS presidents, including three former cabinet ministers and Wes Streeting, the Shadow Health Secretary.

This should be a clear moment for the Oxford SU to reconsider its relationship with the organisation. The previous antisemitism crisis led to a sustained campaign amongst many universities NUS, Oxford ended up staying. Recent events have shown that the attempts at reform have been futile. The Oxford SU should make clear it wants nothing to do with the NUS — or risk enabling the worst kinds of hate.

7

Bulletin

Week 0: Welcome back to Oxford!

What’s On

Welcome back to Oxford, Cherwell reader. This brand new Cherwell page will provide you with updates on different Oxford student societies and let you know what events are taking place around Oxford. We know that the Oxford Union is not the only society that exists in this university.

Oxford Strategy Group Applications Close Saturday, April 23 at 23:59

The Oxford Strategy Group is a great way to gain experience in consulting while working with friendly and talented students from across the university. The application is available at oxfordstrategygroup.com/apply and any questions can be sent to info@ oxfordstrategygroup.com.

Some words of motivation: If you have exams, we hope you ace them; remember that you are a legend! Even if a billionaire’s PR team denounces your journalistic integrity, keep shining, star.

Doctor Who Society The Sea Devils Thursday April 28 at 20:00

NB: To other papers who call our upcoming BNOC list “accursed”, cheers Image credit: Michelle Marques

On the web Analysis: Should children be allowed on TikTok? Matthew Clark

Review - Stolen Focus: Why you can’t pay attention Katie Schutte

Layla Moran MP: Oxford University students key to repealing Vagrancy Act Layla Moran MP

Write for Facebook Groups - Join our writers’ groups on Facebook Email – Send your pitch to cherwelleditor@gmail.com Messenger – Contact one of our section editors with any questions!

The Third Doctor and Jo visit the Master on an isolated English Channel Island old race ready to re-emerge as Earth’s it’s the Master and a race of reptiles in hibernation under the sea.

Oxford Iraq Society Diner/Iftar at La Kesh Friday April 29 in the evening Spilt Milk Zine - Call for submissions deadline Saturday April 30

Spilt Milk are putting on a queer feminist at St John’s College, Oxford 16/5/22, showcasing art made by artists who are queer and female, non-binary, trans, gender questioning or otherwise genderqueer.

Check our facebook page and @spiltmilkkkkkk on Instagram for more info!

Submissions to be emailed to spiltmilkoxford@gmail.com.

Are you a part of a student-led society and want to see your events in this space? Email cherwelleditor@gmail.com with your term card to be included - free of charge to student societies

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8

Jashn-e-Riwaj and linguistic myopia Akshat Pranesh discusses the evolution of the Hindustani language and examines how its culture is written into the very language used for its rejection.

CW: Islamophobia

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he growing rejection of anything not deemed purely Hindu is a deep affliction within contemporary Indian society, not least because such furore is directly motivated by Islamophobia. Anything which does not seem to fit an increasingly uniform party narrative is often subjected to violent criticism. In recent memory, who can forget the outrage caused by jewellery company Tanishq’s advertisement, which so brazenly depicted the marriage of a Hindu woman to a Muslim man, despite a well-established precedent of such interfaith marriages in a country with such a history of religious diversity? Who can forget when, last year, Indian clothing company Fabindia had the audacity to release a clothes collection called Jashn-e-Riwaj (Fes-

“Language is often personified as a living, breathing entity.” tival of Tradition) around the time of Diwali?

This was naturally decried by many, among them an MP from my home state, who wrote, “Deepavali [a synonym of Diwali, commonly used in South India] is not Jash-e-Riwaaz” (typos and all), before going on to complain about the lack of “traditional Hindu attire” in the ad, seemingly having overlooked the multiple saris on show. So why did the name cause such controversy?

The issue at hand was the name of the collection (not a renaming of the festival of Diwali, despite this being the name-plate of many a fervently constructed straw man), which is written in Urdu - evidenced by the izafat (the possessive connective ‘e’, found in Persian and Urdu but not common practice in Hindi) - as well as the choice of words, which derive from Persian and Arabic respectively, as opposed to the possible Sanskrit equivalents. It would be another article entirely to analyse the extent of nationalistic fragility that might evoke such a response to three Urdu words, but today’s quiver contains only the arrow of language, so let us focus on that.

Before looking at the language in depth, it is worth defining a few key terms: Sanskrit is an extremely ancient standardised IndoEuropean language, a direct ancestor of Hindustani, and the language of the Hindu religious and literary canon. In contrast, Persian and Arabic are not languages native to the Indian subcontinent (although Old Persian, Avestan, and Sanskrit share close linguistic links), with Persian generally spoken in modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, while Arabic stems from a different language family altogether: the

Afro-Asiatic languages.

Language and history are, of course, connected. That is quite the understatement.

Language is often personified as a living, breathing entity, which develops into the future based on its markings from the past.

Hindi and Urdu, which will henceforth be referred to together as Hindustani, are not exempt from this process. Hindustani is an Indian language, and therefore derives the majority of its vocabulary and syntax from Prakrits, descendants of Sanskrit that were spoken in India from approximately 300 BCE to 700 CE. After this, the language underwent several stages of development across the Indian subcontinent, yielding varieties such as Dakhani, spoken in the Deccan region, which was strongly influenced by Muslim rulers, as well as varieties around Delhi, which received less Muslim influence.

During the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Period a process of Persianisation took place, whereby Hindustani retained much of its Prakrit core vocabulary, but absorbed huge amounts of Persian, Arabic, and Turkic loanwords. As the Mughal empire spread, so too did Hindustani, benefiting from HinduMuslim contact. This coexistence was so harmonious in places that it gave rise to the development of the Ganga-Jamuni-Tehzeeb , a synretic cultural fusion of Hindu and Muslim culture and religion. At this stage, historical linguists point out that Hindustani was so diverse as a language that it was referred to as Rekhta, ‘mixed.’ Hindustani has survived with these various influences throughout the extended period of British Colonialism, and is still often used as a term to describe the language in Bollywood, which enjoys popularity in both India and Pakistan and cannot be described as belonging to one or the other.

It is, of course, impossible to speak Hindustani without subconsciously accepting, with almost every sentence, the role that Persian and Arabic culture has played in the formation of the country and its eponymous language (Hindustan is a synonym for India).

We could, for example, look at an excerpt from speeches made by India’s Prime Minister,

Narendra Modi. In a speech made on March 2022, at the India-Australia summit, he talks about the ‘creation of structural mechanisms of regular review of our relationship,’ using the word taiyar, standard Hindustani for ‘ready,’ a perfectly normal word, which came into Hindi from Arabic, via Persian. Such

“Is it really the case that the right-wing can enjoy the Taj Mahal as a symbol of India, a wonder of the world, without noting its origin and name?” is the case for countless other Hindustani words and phrases which have been integral to a rich literary tradition for centuries. They are found in poetry, prose, ghazals (amatory poems with an origin in Arabic poetry), and many other forms of art enjoyed by innumerable proud Indians, myself among them.

If the extreme right-wing are to kick up such a fuss about names such as Jashn-eRiwaj, then it would be quite hypocritical to use any vocabulary with a similar origin. Let us say goodbye to any words with the suffix -dar, as they are borrowings from Persian, and bid farewell to words such as intazar, mohabbat, duniya, zindagi (‘expectation’, ‘love’, ‘world’, ‘life’), mainstays of not only poetry but everyday language, too. Following this reductive logic, only obscure words with a purely Sanskrit origin should be used (often lovely words too, it must be pointed out), before speech would inevitably judder to a halt. Let this blindfolded right-wing pause for thought when trying to express words for beginning or finish, (shuru, khatam - both from Arabic via Persian), or even trying to eat their favourite foods, such as paneer.

Let them find a new name for their very

identity and religion - the very word Hindu is directly from Persian, deriving from an ancient Indo-Iranian root likely referring to the river Indus.

There is, then, a truly outrageous hypocrisy in criticising companies for choosing Urdu names and in the same breath making daily use of Arabic and Persian vocabulary loaned into Hindustani. This intentional linguistic and historical myopia, if it can be termed such, is one that transcends the boundaries of ignorant comedy, and has the capacity to yield horrendous consequences, particularly in a country as animated, energetic, and fervent as India. It is indicative of an attitude of historical revisionism, which seeks to ignore the role that Muslim influence has played on the very formation of the country. Is it really the case that the right-wing can enjoy the Taj Mahal as a symbol of India, a wonder of the world, without noting its origin and name, both from a Persian-speaking Muslim dynasty? (Taj - ‘crown’ in Persian, Mahal ‘place’ in Persian, reanalysed as palace in Hindustani) It must surely be the case that even this group, which better resembles a kindergarten than a political faction, must eventually grow up and realise the inherent hypocrisy of such ways - one can only hope that this realisation occurs before it is too late.

I should like to conclude this article with a couple of lines from an Urdu ghazal, written by poet Syed Khwaja Mir Dard, a poet from the Delhi school, which seem particularly relevant to this discussion of identity. It is below in transliteration, alongside a meagre translation attempt: tum raho ab hum to apne ghar chale ‘friends, I’ve seen the spectacle here that’s enough you stay here, I’m heading back home’ Make of that word, ghar - ‘home’, what you will.

9

Calorie labelling is not a miracle cure for obesity, it’s proof that the government has failed those with eating disorders Noah Wild criticises the government’s decision to make calorie labelling mandatory in restaurants.

CW: Eating disorders

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very time I eat in a restaurant I am reminded of the stress of eating out when my sister had anorexia.

There’s only so many times you can ask a waiter ‘to come back later’, to sit for thirty minutes whilst she stares at a menu, obsessively reading the ingredients list as my parents near a rage. You’ve probably not witnessed a teenage girl sample almost all the ice creams available - a staggering range in this particular shop - before deciding on which scoop to place on her waffle cone (though skipping the bubble-gum, or the ones evidently heavy in sugar). For her, it was

“Displaying calorie information on menus is a step towards furthering a culture that believes food is the enemy…” also important that if she was going to eat she needed to enjoy it; try all the ice-creams to ensure that you knew with absolute certainty that you were eating the best one. For me - twelve, at the turn of puberty – seeing the smile of the assistant turn to strained frustration as she struggled to hurry my sister along, the queue rapidly increasing, was painful and embarrassing. Then the situation turned to trauma when my parents’ attempts to negotiate with my sister became restrained anger. Any trip to a restaurant, any snack, would only be possible if planned in advance so that my sister could herself mentally prepare. You announce a spontaneous waffle to someone with anorexia and you’ve got a fight on your hands. Though for me these memories may be traumatic – it’s never reassuring to see your family argue, or your sister be taken over by a parasite that you don’t recognise as her – I cannot imagine how difficult these moments must have been for her to live them, to fight against the all-consuming voice in her head.

The government, in their wisdom, has recently made it mandatory for businesses of over 250 employees to display the calorie content of the food and drinks they serve.

Whilst this has been widely accepted by the hospitality industry as a policy aimed at reducing obesity, an issue we can all agree does need to be addressed, this is not the way to do it. That is not a statement of opinion, but a statement of fact. Calories have been mandated on menus in US restaurants since 2018 and have since done nothing to reduce the amount of calories in food, or to counter obesity. A report from 2012 even suggests that calorie labelling encourages consum-

ers to buy products with more calories, not fewer. Increased calorie labelling has been discussed for a long time, alongside its clear ineffectiveness.

For those without an eating disorder, the calorie statistic is quickly forgotten when browsing a menu. Yet the leading eating disorder charity Beat has stressed that ‘calorie labelling exacerbates eating disorders of all kinds’. Personally, I think it is best to describe the anorexic mind as Edi. When I was first introduced to the term, sitting on my Mum’s bed whilst she forced us to listen to an extract from an eating disorder support guide, he was merely an ‘Eating Disorder Individual’. But naming the ‘voice in the head’, giving it an identity separate to the individual’s own (to me he’s most assuredly male), has since made anorexia much more understandable to me. You see, Edi thrives off calorie information. My Mum’s fury as she ripped the traffic light sticker off a packet of doughnuts, so my sister wouldn’t be obsessed by the trio of red blotches, has never left my mind. Calorie labels have been widely attacked on all fronts by those with any sort of experience with eating disorders. Whilst the government highlights that the pandemic has revealed the ‘impact that obesity can have on people’s health and health outcomes’, it has also led to a stark and worrying increase in those suffering from eating disorders. The number of young people accessing treatment for eating disorders has risen by twothirds since before the pandemic. It seems ironic given the government’s actions that in reporting this statistic the NHS listed ‘a preoccupation with checking calorie or other ingredient content in food’ as a top indicator of an eating disorder.

So where does this leave those who struggle against Edi, around 2% of the population? Take Claire Finney, reflecting on her own struggle with anorexia, writing in The Guardian: ‘When I was unwell, restaurants were a rare and special refuge; a place where, because I couldn’t easily count them, calories were off the table.’ Research has suggested that calorie labelling decreases the number of calories chosen in those with anorexia and bulimia, and increases the number of calories in meals chosen by those with binge eating disorder. Why should a policy that provides no proven benefit to the majority be passed with great harm to the minority?

You may, like me, have noticed the plethora of posts shared on Instagram in recent weeks offering advice for that 2%. However, the focus should not just be the struggle this policy forces on those diagnosed with an eating disorder. Edi lives inside us all, a parasite

perhaps buried, or kept at bay, or able to consume an entire mindset. Edi is ever present within myself, when I - depressed, tired, maybe lonely – consume enough chocolate to make me feel sick and criticise my actions.

Edi was the reason I stupidly used an exercise bike whilst isolating with Covid because I hadn’t exercised for a while and worried about my weight, a decision my body didn’t need as it made me throw up almost immediately afterwards. He is with me when I look at my body and feel like I have got fatter, my belly bulgier. I have always said that I never fully understood anorexia until I started to go through puberty and was faced with that

“You cannot solve obesity without changing the way that we engage with food.” ever-present feeling of self-doubt, of worthlessness; that you are not good enough, your body not good enough, ugly even. This is Edi and all he lives off.

Displaying calorie information on menus is a step towards furthering a culture that believes food is the enemy and a poison that only leads to obesity and ill-health, rather than a vital element of human life. Seeing calories as the be all and end all of food and health ignores the complex web of wonderful benefits food has, whether in its nutrients, or in the social ability it grants people to connect to others, to share a moment together.

Calorie information does not just harm the 2% diagnosed with an eating disorder, it harms us all. The many articles published recently with the headline ‘Which high street meals are the most and least fattening?’ (take The Guardian for an example) reflects a highly damaging fetishization of calorie content. How many calories a person eats in

a restaurant, and its effect on their health, means nothing if not compared to the food they eat outside of that meal, the amount of exercise they do, or the needs they have as an individual in response to their own health. Nor is calorie counting itself in any way a healthy process.

We can all agree that obesity is an issue, but the action of this government has done nothing to counter the complex web of reasons that has led to its rise. As Stuart Flint, the director of Obesity UK, has recently said: ‘Obesity is very complex. If it was as simple as eating less or more, people wouldn’t gain weight to the extent we have at the moment, and people would be able to lose weight more easily.’ Obesity, as well as eating disorders, is ingrained in a relationship with our own mental health and the position of food within this. For instance, research has shown that up to 30% of people seeking support to lose weight could be diagnosed with binge eating disorder. The relationship between obesity and eating disorders must be acknowledged. The government has categorically done nothing to respond to this complexity. Their actions may be an easy measure to grant the illusion they are taking action against obesity, but the policy is only targeted to a specific setting where the majority of the general public do not even consider the calories they are eating, that is except for those with Edi shouting in their head. You cannot solve obesity without changing the way that we engage with food. You cannot solve obesity without considering that other side of the coin, without considering those with eating disorders, without considering the Edi parasite.

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10

Profiles

In Conversation with Cameron Saul Iseult De Mallet Burgess interviews Cameron Saul, founder of the sustainable fashion brand BOTTLETOP.

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n our golden age of greenwashing, few fashion brands can claim to be both disruptive and genuinely ethical.

Speaking to Cameron Saul, however, I am convinced that BOTTLETOP is one such brand.

Cameron is the co-founder of British luxury sustainable fashion brand BOTTLETOP, which originated through a design collaboration with the Mulberry fashion label in 2002. BOTTLETOP operates an atelier in Brazil, where they empower local artisans to sustainable livelihoods, and make accessories from waste and sustainably sourced materials – from upcycled ring pulls used to make the brand’s iconic chainmail design, to zero deforestation leather. The BOTTLETOP brand funds the BOTTLETOP Foundation, which empowers disadvantaged youth and their communities through vocational training and creative education projects that tackle issues such as HIV/AIDS,

“Fashion could play a really powerful role in both empowering people economically through the creation of those bags…but also in cleaning the environment through the waste materials we were using, raising money to support creative education projects, and acting as a tool for advocacy. ” teenage pregnancy, and substance abuse.

Cameron joins me via Zoom. As we begin talking, I am struck by how open, engaged and personable he is. Cameron’s passion for creativity, sustainability, and the brand that he has built is refreshing and contagious; he is a man on a mission.

Cameron’s father, Roger Saul, is the man

behind Mulberry. He confesses that this is where the interest in fashion began. “It was inescapable in my family. Dad’s passion for creating beautiful, special things that would carry meaning for people was always something that was infectious…Nothing was not discussed over the kitchen table.

[Mulberry] was a proper family business from that perspective.”

Through the original BOTTLETOP bags that Cameron and his father launched together in 2002, Cameron became convinced of the efficacy of business as a tool for impact. “Even at that super early time and even before people were having conversations about sustainable design or using business as a tool for impact, it was already immediately clear to me and my Dad that fashion could play a really powerful role in both empowering people economically through the creation of those bags…but also in cleaning the environment through the waste materials we were using, raising money to support creative education projects, and acting as a tool for advocacy.”

Cameron maintains that prior to this collaboration, fashion social enterprises were exceedingly rare; there was a gap between poorly designed products released by the charity sector and big fashion brands that occasionally raised and donated money. “What we did with BOTTLETOP was effectively bridge all of that through a concept that was about truly beautiful design made by vulnerable people in challenging circumstances…

Everything we’ve done since has built on that blueprint of using design to drive impact.”

“Because we were back in 2002 and no one was really thinking of using business in that way, my father and I decided to register BOTTLETOP as a UK charity, rather than set it up as a company. For the next 10 years we spent our time working to fundraise through the sale of the artisanal products that we developed, but also by putting together high-level contemporary

art exhibitions, auctions, and music.” As part of this fundraising, they produced an album series that led them to Brazil.

There, they happened across the technique of recycled ring pulls crocheted together – which would become BOTTLETOP’s signature design – and began working with local artisans in Salvador to create the initial designs.

As time went on, the evolution of both consumer consciousness and technology gave new impetus to “different p r o d u c t i o n techniques” and “wanting to play with different recyclable materials.” This, Cameron said, ultimately formed the basis of the #TOGETHERBAND campaign, which was launched in partnership with the United Nations Foundation in 2019.

Each #TOGETHERBAND bracelet represents one of the UN’s 17 Global Goals and are handmade in Nepal by a collective of women who have been rescued from human trafficking. The bracelets are made from upcycled marine plastic waste and decommissioned illegal firearms. Designing this campaign to feature “more accessible products like friendship bands” which could “act as a tool for advocacy,” since consumer awareness continues to evolve, was vital to Cameron.

Yet despite a huge shift in environmental awareness and consumer consciousness in recent years, fast fashion brands continue to grow. We venture into a discussion about the tension between growing social consciousness and capitalist profit-seeking, overproduction, and overconsumption.

What is Cameron’s hope for the future of fashion in an era of microtrends and fast fashion? “For me, the hope is that there will continue to be more and more awesome new brands that are delivering real solutions, that there will be more and more investment going into the development of leading-edge sustainable materials, and that the pressure on high street brands to incorporate those

“Fast fashion is ultimately flawed.

We just know it shouldn’t be possible for things to cost that little. It’s people in the supply chain and the planet that are ultimately paying the price."

materials into their collections is somehow manifested.

“Fast fashion is ultimately flawed. We just know it shouldn’t be possible for things to cost that little. It’s people in the supply chain and the planet that are ultimately paying the price. So, I would love to think that [fast fashion brands] are just going to go out of business because people continue to awaken, but I don’t think that’s really the case. I think the best we can do is hope to find ways to coexist with them, where there’s such a level of awareness that people aren’t choosing them as much as possible,

“I would always encourage people to ask the tough questions of brands that they love and would want to see improving, and for everyone to use their actual voice and their digital voice to make noise.” but also that those brands are forced to have a product offering that resonates with an increasingly aware consumer base.”

As we move towards a sustainable future, Cameron hopes that young people will continue to be vocal, ask questions, and demand change. “I think the reason we’ve seen such powerful shifts in the climate space is because particularly young people have started to unashamedly voice their opinions and demand accountability.

“I would always encourage people to ask the tough questions of brands that they love and would want to see improving, and for everyone to use their actual voice and their digital voice to make noise.”

“We need to continue to build community,” Cameron says as we part, “both in the real world and the digital universe that we all now inhabit, to really drive things collectively.”

Image credits: Bottletop/Facebook

11

Innovation What’s new?

Why is the human genome still not fully complete?

Matthew Clark explores how the DNA code is unravelling.

T Companies bought carbon offset credits which helped to extract oil extraction projects

Cambridge-based pharmaceutical to research animal faeces for vaccine development

Suffolk communities threat government with legal action after wind farms approved

World Bank is preparing a $170bn countries amid several world crises Image Credit (top to bottom): Galya Malanchuk/CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons, Matthew Clark, Rob Farrow/ CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons, Franz Mahr/ CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

he original Human genome project was started in 1990, and aimed to determine the entire sequence within 15 years. In 2000, a rough draft was published to celebrate the international cooperation that was making this achievement possible. This draft was an impressive feat on its own, covering 83% of the genome.

In 2003, the Human genome was announced to be ‘essentially complete’. 99% of the gene rich DNA had been sequenced.

The importance of noncoding DNA was not fully appreciated, so most people didn’t realize that 8% of the DNA letters still hadn’t been determined Ridiculously, only 1% of the human genome actually codes for proteins. Most of it regulates when and where those protein coding genes are switched on. There are also countless stretches of nonsense letters that go on and on with seemingly no purpose. These regions are called ‘junk DNA’.

An especially interesting example of junk DNA is the repeats. Instead of mutating randomly, some sections get over-replicated. The DNA polymerase enzymes slip whilst reading along the double helix, causing these repeats to grow and grow over generations. This is implicated in several diseases such as huntington’s and cancer.

DNA is ‘read’ like morse code except instead of having 2 letters (dot and dash) it has 4: A T G C. This allows it to code for the amino acid alphabet in a shorter space.

Each amino acid corresponds to a unique sequence of 3 DNA bases.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Each of them have slightly different properties such as positive/negative charge and hydrophobicity. The genetic code is important because it specifies which order these building blocks should be linked together in a chain. Each chain folds into a specific 3D shape with an important function, and mutation of a single DNA letter can completely ruin this. For example, Sickle cell anemia is caused by mutation of A->T in hemoglobin, leading to a glutamate amino acid being swapped out for valine.

Despite being just a simple repeating pattern, these regions were practically impossible to sequence with the techniques available during the 1990’s. This is because the techniques involved digesting the DNA into tiny fragments and determining the bases bit by bit. Then they would see where each fragment overlapped and put them all in order. Unfortunately, repeat regions can look like utter nonsense. “cccccc aaaaa once upon a time there aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb ccccccccccccc w as a man called bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb Steven bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb aaaaaaaa” The sentence is interrupted by 3 repeated stretches of ‘b’. After this sentence is cut up for shotgun sequencing, imagine if the cuts are in the middle of the b repeats.

You would have no way of knowing which order they are supposed to fit together in!

You could end up with a sentence like this: “cccccc aaaaa once upon a time there aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb Steven bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb ccccccccccccc was a man called bbbbbbbbbb” Over the last few decades, more accurate and reliable sequencing techniques have been developed such as oxford nanopore.

This has allowed these mysterious regions to be explored. The Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) Consortium is a team of over 100 scientists that are working to fill in the gaps.

We have 2 copies of the genome in our cells, 1 from each parent. Keeping track of which half of chromosomes are which could be a massive problem and cause alignment errors. Therefore, this new sequencing project used a special type of cell called a Hydatidiform mole. This is an empty egg cell lacking its own copy of the genome, fertilized by a healthy sperm cell.

The sperm’s DNA becomes more accessible and easy to sequence.

The downside of this method is that it leaves out one of the sex chromosome because sperm can only be X or Y. They chose an X sperm because it is far bigger and would be difficult to obtain on its own. To solve this, Leonid Peshkin (a biologist at Harvard University) donated a Y chromosome sample from his own genome.

Oxford Nanopore sequencing was used to fill in gaps in the centromere. These are patches of each chromosome that don’t contain any genes; instead they serve as handles for the spindle proteins to grab hold of during mitosis. A different techni-

que called PacBio HiFi was used for many repeating sequences. The key thing that both techniques haxave In common is that they are ‘long-read’ and able to process huge fragments – hundreds of thousands of letters at a time.

After this brilliant effort, all the gaps in the human genome have been filled except for 5. Only ~10 million letters remain to be sequenced.

Even after these tiny gaps are closed, the goal of the human genome project is not quite fulfilled. There are many genes that have significant variations throughout

Editor observations:

Matthew Clark Sequencing the genome of the coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) was a key step in understanding how it replicated inside our bodies. However, the sequences of bases can only tell us so much.

The protein data bank (PDB) is a free and open archive of experiments that capture a protein’s 3D structure. Over the past couple of years it has assembled over a thousand models for coronavirus proteins, allowing us to design therapeutic strategies.

Structures of their protease drugs assisted in the development of antiviral drugs such as Paxlovid. Models of antibodies bound to the infamous spike protein has helped to reveal which binding sites are likely to be most successful in blocking infection.

the population. You will have no doubt observed this for superficial things like eye and hair colour, but more pernicious differences lurk below the surface.

Mutant versions of key signalling proteins are linked with an increased risk for diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Understanding how their genes vary in different people could be an important step in treating these devastating conditions. The Human Pangenome Project are working towards sequencing 350 different genomes from diverse populations Image Credit: Matthew Clark

12

Culture CONTENTS FASHION

13 | Battle of vintage fashoin eras 13 | “My wardrobe is not the most cohesive”: Exploring nonbinary fashion

MUSIC

14 | Father John Misty: “A New World of Characters

FILM

14 | The Godfather and thrill of cinema

BOOKS

15 | In Conversation with Elaine Hsieh Chou

STAGE

15 | Interview with Nocturne Productions

THE SOURCE

16 | ‘Omoroca’ - Leah Stein 16 | ‘Once Long Ago’ - Jenny Robinson 17 | Dresse me my Harpe - Anna Cowan

Whistler at the Orsay: An American in Paris Sonya Ribner discusses her experience at an exhibition of James McNeil Whistler’s paintings.

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oiling waters. Liberated waistlines.

Crumbling palazzos. From his landscapes to portraits, James McNeil Whistler brings to the fore the equally haunting and mesmerizing beauty of natural movement. As the historic Frick Collection undergoes renovation, a collection of the artist’s masterworks takes residence at Musée d’Orsay in Paris from February 8 to tion of Whistler’s paintings, etchings, and watercolors are paired with Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1: Portrait of the Painter’s Mother (from Orsay’s main collection): the picture of American style with French sensibility.

Length, Width, and Everything in Between “I can’t tell you if genius is hereditary, because heaven has granted me no offspring.”

While Whistler’s portrait subjects appear dated by hair styles and dress, it is perhaps the artist’s self-assured brushstrokes and attention to detail that allows for the subjects of his portraits to have a presence outside of time.

Mrs. Frances Leyland in Symphony in Flesh Color and Pink rejects the corseted silhouette

of the Victorian style and appears as natural as the blossoms of the almond tree that grows beside her. Whistler had a hand in every component of this work, from Mrs. Leyland’s tea gown to the frame that encases her. The monochromatic minimalism enables the viewer to enjoy the harmony of colors and shapes. It frees the eye from solely focusing on the image depicted on the canvas and gives way to the general aura exuded by Mrs. Leyland. Her elegance lives in the present; she is timeless.

Composed Color A melody with a tempo that escapes Victorian English and bourgeois French conventions: the correspondence between tones of color and textures of sound evidently guides Whistler’s brush. The studies for Nocturne in Blue and Silver: The Lagoon, Venice on display at Orsay indicate how the artist’s pursuit of formal harmonies prompted him to view worldview.

Whistler’s body of work develops a harmony

between the Aestheticism of the American Golden Age and the Realism of French artists such as Courbet and Manet. The exhibition hall in Orsay comes alive with the remarkably vital portraits of nineteenth century nobility, one of whom is Count Montesquiou. Whistler orchestrates a symphony of colors, symbols, and gestures that takes art beyond the canvas.

Image credits: James McNeil Whistler/Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Upcoming cultural events: I’m excited for...

Lily Jones, Isabella Elliot, and Elena Buccisano share the events they’re most excited for this

C

roquet Cuppers Season Two of Bridgerton has given me a newfound desire to grab life by the mallet, so this term I have decided to sign up for Croquet Cuppers. Is this because I believe that I could be a valuable addition to the team and lead my college to victory? No, of course not. My only experience playing croquet included getting so drunk on Pimms that I vomited on the side of the perfectly manicured lawn - any sport which includes a tacky chun is a winner in my book.

I have decided to sign up to Croquet Cuppers as I feel it could really benefit me personally. Not only is it one of the few sports in existence which I may have the athletic ability for - next to perhaps, chess or twister - but Bridgerton has also taught me that it is a great game to find a handsome man in a billowy shirt. As I approach the end of my second year, the three main Oxford goals - gaining a first, a spouse, and a Blue - are slipping further out of my grasp. Seeing as the first is pretty much a write-off I think croquet is quite possibly my only chance of ticking off the other two. So, I suppose I’d better give it my best shot.

By Lily Jones May Day Coming up in a few weeks is May Day, a unique Oxford event for which celebrations have occurred for over 1000 years (Slagel, 2020). The festivities mark the start of spring, and the coming of summer with a general atmosphere of festivity permeating the city. Events on May Day itself start at 6am with the choir singing from

Magdalen tower, but celebrations continue through the morning with traditional Morris dancers in Radcliffe Square and the procession of a garlanded ox, to jazz band and sol samba performances ( Healey, 2022).

Though the day occurs on May 1st, it is common for students to stay up through the evening, acting as an unusual end to a night of clubbing at Atik or O2, or following on from the Somer villeJesus and LMH balls.

This May Day also falls on a Sunday, allowing both students and Oxford residents to take part in the revelries. May Day is in fact particularly special in this regard, as an event

in which both town and gown are united in celebrating, and in which traditions unique to the city of Oxford are venerated by all.

The physical May Day events have been cancelled for two consecutive years as a result of Cov id-19, meaning it is a celebration the majority of Oxford’s u n d e r g r a d uates have never experienced before.

Consequently, excitement is higher than ever this year, with the 2017 record of 27,000 spectators expected to be eclipsed ( S l a g e l , 2020), so it is certainly not something that should be (or can be!) missed, and I urge all readers to join in the celebrations. Up the may!

By Isabella Elliott

The Oxford Medieval Mystery Cycle Saturday 23rd April 2022, St Edmund Hall, 12:00pm - 17:00pm Admission: Free I stumbled across this intriguing albeit slightly strange event in a random Modern Languages faculty email, and the phrase ‘Medieval Mystery’ caught my attention.

The premise of the event is a sort of theatrical retelling of the story of mankind with a series of plays performed by groups of Spanish, French, Italian, and German students and a number of MML lecturers around St Edmund Hall. As the faculty website states, “at noon the chapel bell will ring for Creation to commence in the Old Dining Hall. From there the story will unfold, with the Old Testament being acted out in the Front Quad and the New Testament in the churchyard around St Peter-in-the-East.”

Although a slightly bizarre concept, these plays were a very popular form of drama in the Middle Ages– and what is more Oxford than desperately trying to hold onto tradition. If you enjoy theatre or story-telling and wish to fill a Saturday afternoon, this could be an ideal way to experience something a bit different as the audience will be asked to move around the college to see the various groups perform.

Combining multilingualism and the medieval experience, this event could be the ideal way to start off a fun-filled Trinity.

If your aim this term is to adopt a ‘say yes to everything’ mentality then look no further. Everyone is welcome and the event is free of charge.

By Elena Buccisano

13

Battle of the vintage fashion eras Anna Roberts, Madi Hopper, and Yuri Hwang each lay out the case for their favourite vintage fashion era.

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nna: Y2K Love it or hate it, you have to admit that Y2K fashion is absolutely iconic.

From chic slip dresses to not-at-allchic but absolutely stylish cargo pants, this era of this era to our age group, who grew up with diamanté tees and Ugg boots, Y2K fashion feels incredibly vital and endlessly creative. What other era could pair the absolute weirdness of a nonsensical slogan tee with the ageless glamour But the feature of the Y2K era which tops it all off, even if it seems a bit like cheating, is its recourse to vintage style inspiration itself. If you noughties. If you want an eighties workwearchic look without the disturbing shoulder-pad silhouette, you only have to reach for a Y2K

your Bridgerton binge, look no further back than top. Y2K fashion may be in right now, but it is Yuri: 2010s

Swan and Elena Gilbert-core stylish once more. As at that decade of fashion as loud and confusing - how on Earth did grunge and athleisure copairing Abercrombie zip-ups with red jeans and still refuse to look back at pictures from my early teenage years to this day. But wedge sneakers and

it changed the culture of the industry forever.

Thanks to Instagram, the world was now your runway: streetwear dominated “The fashion week and music festivals

Fashion

favourite piece of clothing is a pair of orange as you can get. But as a decade, the 70s was an only stray a little from the beaten track.

The same ten years which witnessed 2010s the birth of British punk also saw

was a revolutionary decade for Sloane Ranger, in her pearls fashion in that it and piecrust collars (think or what you followed online. changed the cultu- gender-bending innovations of All in all, it was the chaos of the re of the industry forever.” only scratching the subculture paradise. Internet subcultures proliferated, and your personal

but vibrant and memorable decade for fashion.

Madi: 1970s Despite being the recent victim of a rather lukewarm revival (anyone remember the microunderrated, sandwiched as it was between the 60s counterculture revolution involving the revelation of the knees and the bright, bouffant to disco and drip-dry. Now, I myself am partial

surface. The past, too, echoed loudly throughout the decade, from the Edwardian revival, spearheaded by Laura

Hollywood. It was an era which encompassed an incredibly wide and divergent variety of trends and anti-trends – and which deserves

still a revolutionary decade for fashion in that

“My wardrobe is not the most cohesive”: Exploring non-binary fashion Naomi Man explores the blurred lines and performative norms of self-expression in non-binary fashion.

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ith the ever-increasing accessibility of new trends and decreasing pressure to adhere to conventions, fashion is becoming less gendered. Even runway shows such as Gucci and Thom Browne are no longer divided by gender, demonstrating how the growing understanding of gender as a construct is changing the industry. Although the lines between masculine and feminine clothing are slowly but surely blurring, the idea of nonbinary or androgynous fashion feels more confusing. Although the two are actually quite different concepts, non-binary fashion and the idea of masculinity and femininity cannot be disconnected, even though the term nonand masculine fashion is different from nonbinary fashion and it is important to make that distinction. There is a disconnect between the two binaries and what lies outside them. Simply looking at red carpets (the epitome of couture,

of femininity appears easier with a wider range

of pieces, but is this primarily because of the rigidity of the idea of masculinity and the performance of masculinity or femininity rather than a combination of both.

As someone whose gender feels more like a question mark, my wardrobe is not the most cohesive. Sometimes I enjoy the concept of hyperfemininity, but my attempts feel uncomfortable

the entire collection was worn by male models, which I suppose is unsurprising, and the location, too, was disappointing: maybe the collection could have been more easily perceived

- with its absurd amount of traditions and

Uomo, with images of the clothes on invisible models instead. The clothes themselves were stunning, with the concepts and styles repeated enough that the forty looks were cohesive but still distinct and varied. The leather jacket of the tenth look was cut above the chest, creating an ultra-cropped silhouette, which was beautiful

day delivery, I still had to scramble for shoes.

be considered genderless or non-binary fashion.

Thom Browne is another interesting designer garments, although corporate, feel distant

combination of masculine and feminine ideas

divorced from the masculine-presenting suits of

patterns, prints, and colour combinations to draw perception away from who I am and instead

and red carpets, and the pleated skirts are a far cry from the Miu Miu micro-mini. The collection feels slightly surreal, as he manages to separate centuries that created a wider silhouette for the

feel it is near impossible to separate gender from changing contemporary ideas of gender. But industry, consistently creating collections that look and feel genderless.

Uomo, during the highlight of menswear fashion week.

Nevertheless, he stated in an interview that the intention behind the collection was to be unrestricted by “regular notions such as gender, boundary, era”. He considered both men and women whilst designing, but somehow created clothing one gender or another: the turtlenecks emblazoned with “GENDERLESS” are a not-so-

Returning to the changes in gendered fashion, it makes sense: the period of the pannier also saw men wearing heels, something now seen as feminine. His skirts do not feel feminine as skirts so often do, but seem like a powerful

was unsurprisingly underprepared for it. Saved

and a pair of low slingbacks. The combination of the dress and shoes was not something I had there was still something unsettling about it.

the role of a pretty lady without having read anything but dresses to formals, as though I have a subconscious belief that androgyny and blazers, skirts, and trousers made sure of that.

But formality and evening wear seem to end know what I want or what I feel comfortable in.

Though I still own and enjoy skirts, the days on which I look at myself and feel comfortable in them are dwindling. My own discomfort probably stems from the idea of performing, gender. Feminine and masculine qualities, yes,

despite the apparent absence of gender in his clothing, he produces gendered performances in

those off-days where nothing I put on feels

Spring 2020 collection that it was “profoundly sad to see his models made powerless” through his unfortunate “habit of feeding that whimsy by transforming women into props”. It is interesting to consider that despite the absence of gender in his garments, the presentation was still gender-performative. Comparing the

over my identity, to feel as though the slipper

Fall/Winter one seems to demonstrate a rapid ed show the house put on: the models walked down the runway in twos, side by side in identical looks, with no visual differences between the menswear and womenswear.

I write about it, I make it a hobby, and I hope with certain items of clothing are prone to be personal, moulded from their own ideas of gender and fashion. Clothing is one of the most intimate yet visual aspects of ourselves, and I becomes less polarised, so that my wardrobe comfortable.

Image Credit: John Gurinsky / CC BY-NC-ND

Music Cherwell Recommends: Indie Rock

14

Father John Misty: “A New World of Old Characters” Marlon Austin reviews Father John Misty’s album “Chloë and the Next 20th Century”.

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FLOWERS IN DECEMBER

Gloriana

Flynn Hallman

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Paramore Marlon Austin

Image credits: Raph_PH/ CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons; Justin Higuchi/ CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

CW: mentions of death, suicide or the last two years, Josh Tillman has been on a well-deserved break. He had released a concept album about his own love life (2015’s I Love You Honeybear), tackled the grandiose issues of mankind’s flaws and the breakdown of his own marriage (2017’s Pure Comedy and 2018’s God’s Favourite Customer respectively), written for both Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, and parodically covered Ryan Adams covering Taylor Swift in the style of the Velvet Underground. In 2020 h e released a live album for Covid relief, a n EP of covers, and a pair of singles. Then he disappeared.

Having deleted Instagram and Twitter during the God’s Favourite Customer release cycle, the artist better known by his pseudonym Father John Misty only re-emerged in 2022 with the announcement of Chloë and the Next 20th Century and its lead single, Funny Girl. Its lush strings and titular reference to the Streisand film evoke an Old Hollywood feel that is mirrored throughout the album, while its lyrics introduce the listener to a celebrity stalker and Tillman’s trademark lyrical style.

The opening track introduces the eponymous shoplifting socialist Chloë

with 1920’s orchestral flourishes and and subsequently has her kill herself as the music fades out; “summer ended on the balcony / she put on Flight of the Valkyries / at her 31st birthday party / took a leap into the autumn leaves.” It sets the tone for an eclectic mix of tragic storytelling and showcases the wide array of instrumentation provided by an 11-piece orchestra and a string quartet. Production duties are immaculately handled by long-time collaborator Jonathan Wilson; the band sound polished as ever and the orchestral touches only add to the sense of grandeur created by the imaginative and evocative lyrics.

Goodbye Mr. Blue deals with a failed relationship briefly brought back together through the death of their shared cat (“that Turkish Angora’s ‘bout the only thing left of me and you”), retaining the tragedy of 2018’s piano ballad Just Dumb Enough to Try over an instrumental homage to Harry Nillson’s Everybody’s Talkin’. The narrator’s sadness at his own misfortune is exacerbated by his wish for the rekindling of their love through the cat dying earlier; “maybe if he’d gone sooner / could’ve brought us back together last June.”

The album is a sprawling delight, full of morbid ends to inconclusive love stories.

Entertainment Weekly’s Leah Greenblack argues that “they feel less like songs than Paul Thomas Anderson movies compressed to six minutes or less,” and it is clear that Tillman has achieved the Hollywood ambitions hinted at in his debut album.

Contrasted with Pure Comedy, it is less modern, less timely and much, much less political, but it introduces sparkling new stories and songs to fill the void left by the lack of social commentary. In Chloë and the Next 20th Century, Tillman succeeds spectacularly at creating a new world out of old characters.

Read the full article on cherwell.org Image credit: Paul Hudson/ CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The Godfather and the Thrill of the Cinema Camille Antonsen discusses her experiences at a special showing of The Godfather.

CW: mentions of death, violence.

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ith the 50th anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 film The Godfather, many cinemas throughout Oxford — including Curzon, Phoenix Picturehouse, and The Ultimate Picture Palace — showed Parts I and II in their theatres to nearly sold-out audiences.

The special showings have provided film enthusiasts the opportunity to see the classic films in theatres; for many it was for the first time. The simple act of seeing a well-known film in cinemas — as opposed to watching it on a streaming service — has the potential to give the film another life and enables audiences to see it from a new perspective gives audiences the opportunity to see it from a new perspective.

The Godfather is a controversial topic in popular culture. Ask two different people for their opinions on it and they will give wildly different answers. To

fans, it is the beginning of a duology that can be considered two of the greatest films ever made. To others, it represents a class of film that people pretend to like; in reality, it’s boring, drawn-out, hard to follow, and — worst of all — overrated. Whatever your persuasion, The Godfather is undeniably an ambitious, wellmade film with a vast cultural impact.

A film that rests so prominently in the public’s psyche can be difficult to watch subjectively.

Audiences go into it with their own biases and expectations. In many ways, they have already formed their opinions before hearing “I believe in America” for the first time.

The 8:30 PM showing I attended at Phoenix Picturehouse was sold out.

The theatre burst with every type of film-goer: students, families, elderly couples, friend groups of friends who later discussed the film outside over cigarettes, young amorous couples who made out as people were murdered onscreen, and plenty of solo film enthusiasts like me. We all sat shoulder-

to-shoulder, in a the small movie theatre in 2022, to see this film from 1972.

The Godfather gripped the audience in rapt attention. Everyone held their breath as Jack Woltz followed the layer of blood in his bed to the severed head of his prize horse. Some leaned forward in their seats when Michael crept around the empty hospital trying to protect his father. Others audibly gasped when the car blew up (to avoid spoilers, I won’t say who was in the car). Everyone laughed when Clemenza made fun of Michael for not telling Kay he loves her over the phone while standing in a room full of mafiosi. The audience’s reactions, in the same vein as Cinema Paradiso, added to the viewing experience. There is something to be said for the fact that, after all these years, The Godfather could still elicit these reactions.

Perhaps the secret to ‘saving’ cinemas in the age of streaming services is to show more classic films and audience favourites in theatres. People, perhaps even unconsciously, want to experience films in their intended forms. Watching a film on a laptop in bed is great, but going to the cinema to watch a classic film is, without a doubt, a worthwhile experience.

Read the full article on cherwell.org Artwork by Wang Sum Luk

Film

Must See: Crime Classics

PRISONERS Josh McGrane

Denis Villeneuve’s brutal crime thriller is a masterclass in tension

THELMA AND LOUISE Mayu Isabelle Uno

A classic that turns a road-trip into a fugitive police chase

Image Credits: 652234/Public Domain via

15

Books

In conversation with Elaine Hsieh Chou Sonya Ribner speaks with the Taiwanese-American academic and author about her new novel.

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isorientation – a state of mind or a play on words? It seems like both when 29-year-old PhD student Ingrid Yang’s academic and personal life are upended by her discovery that the

Chinese American author, Xiao-Wen Chou, whose work is the subject of her dissertation and eight years of scholarship, is, in fact, the fabrication of a white man, John Smith. The novel’s author speaks about activism, rage and the novel’s hopeful ending.

In Paris you helped organized protests and rallies. How did your activism shape your approach to Disorientation?

Elaine Hsieh Chou: Before moving to Paris in 2014, I had never had any experience organizing or protesting. It was an entirely new world to me. Most people had already been doing this work and knew the language. In the novel, Vivian is the star activist of Barnes,

tried and true topics because they sell is very undergrad, I remember classmates constantly being surprised that I was studying English – it was like they were questioning if I should be an expert in this language and literature because I’m Asian. Those feelings were percolating during the moment that Ingrid is coerced into writing her dissertation on a topic that she doesn’t want to study.

Stephen takes liberties with the Japanese texts he translates. From whose perspective should these texts be translated?

None of us are conduits of pure, unbiased

white men like Michael or Stephen. Ingrid is forced into this box, and by the novel’s end, she’s out of the box. After being in the box for so long, Ingrid just wants to walk around, hang out with her parents, work at a minimum wage job where she doesn’t have to worry about being a brilliant researcher. A lot of pressure is taken off her shoulders by just doing her job. I wanted her to have the freedom to not know what she is doing next.

Read the full interview at cherwell.org Image Credit: Elaine Hsieh Chou

Recommended Reads Welcome to Cherwell Recommended Reads! Every week, one of our section editors will recommend something

lives. There were also moments where I also became more like Vivian, wanting to lecture other Asian Americans who I felt had to unpack their unconscious biases and anti-Blackness.

perspectives and baggage and history. So, when a white translator approaches a language which they were not raised speaking, they approach it from the outside-in. There is a new wave of translation that views the text as a sort of historical reparations. Translators have immense power because they are responsible for how Asia is seen by Americans.

is a play about addiction, both to drugs and to the limelight. Stay tuned for our Instagram, @cherwellbooks!

In Disorientation, we see the paradox of Asian students being recruited for research in the East Asian Department in the name of inclusivity. Does something as deceptively simple as selecting a dissertation topic convey where academia is going wrong?

It comes down to feeling pigeonholed – the expectation that Asian American literature should look a certain way or address only a few

Disorientation seems the gradual unspooling of Ingrid Yang. During her birthday party, Ingrid entertains the idea of throwing a tantrum but she keeps her urge to tear her world apart inside. Is making a physical or emotional mess a privilege?

It is absolutely a privilege to be able to make a scene. Marginalised people learn certain tactics of survival to move through the world, and I think one of them is holding

This is a play that deals with the topic of addiction and everything that comes with it - family troubles, loss of work, etc. One of its strengths is that it doesn’t come up with a solution.

- Paula Odenheimer, Books Editor

People, Places & Things Duncan MacMillan

Stage

‘Beckett on speed’: in conversation with Nocturne Productions Anna Stephen speaks to director, producer and actors from Nocturne Productions about their first play, Jez Butterworth’s Mojo.

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ou’re a newly-formed production company. How did Nocturne come about?

Max Morgan, director: Jem and I vaguely knew each other before we came to Oxford and I knew she’d been producing things. We set up the company at the start of Hilary, picking the play, and now we’re here.

Jemima Chen, producer: We’re really keen on Pinter, Beckett, Jez Butterworth. I was already doing [Pinter’s] The Dumb Waiter, and we want to do more dark comedy.

M a x : H e n c e ‘Nocturne’, because it’s kind of dark, but also has the element of musicality and melodiousness. We had this image of a piano with the black and white keys.

Jemima: There were a lot of names. We were almost called ‘Wheelbarrow’.

Could you summarise what Mojo is about and why you chose to adapt it?

Max: I was really attracted to it because it’s been described as ‘Beckett on speed’: a real pressure-cooker play that unfolds over the course of less than twenty-four hours on a Saturday night and early Sunday

morning, after six Soho gangsters in 1958 have discovered that their club owner, of the Atlantic, has been cut in two. It’s about how they descend into paranoia, and carnage unfolds in a network of marvellously-layered backstabbing.

Jemima: Mojo’s such a stylistic play and we can really mess around with that. We’re row of seating converted into chairs and tables.

Our drummer suggested having a 50s-Soho-Kit Kat Club dress code for opening night.

Max: It’s been described as a combination of Tarantino, Pinter, and Mamet in its witty dialogue and absurd tropes. It’s the ultimate combination really.

Any advice you might have for those wanting to start out in Oxford drama?

Jemima: At school I mainly did acting. I didn’t do anything behind the scenes, but I always wanted to do the producer aspect, because it’s kind of an ‘unsung hero’ role. It started like that. You pick it up so, so quickly and you go from there!

Max: I got here and was so overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of stuff on the OUDS

Facebook page. I just applied for everything manically, and managed to get involved in the Jesus College Shakespeare Project. I learnt a lot from it. Assistant directing roles are a really good way of getting to grips with it, and people really want to give you tips and share techniques.

Could you tell us what attracts you to your part in Mojo, and how it differs from roles you’ve played in the past?

Noah: The last two parts I’ve played have been quite surly, senior characters and I wanted to do something completely different.

I love the juvenile vulnerability of Baby and I think he’s so unpredictable and volatile but at What has your experience been like the same time so vulnerable. auditioning?

Emma: Sweets is quite a paranoid Noah Radcliffe-Adams, actor: person, but also very funny.

It is quite nerve-wracking He’s one of a comedy duo, auditioning for anything. I “It’s about how they Sweets and Potts. They’re auditioned for a couple of always on pills, and that Covid online things and makes them even more descend into paradidn’t get them and had paranoid. It’s as if you some serious self-doubt. inserted a child into noia, and carnage Then at the end of the this gang environment. year there was a [St A different perspective unfolds in a network Peter’s] play on, and I got involved in that. That way. of marvellously-layto just go for stuff. From ered backstabbing.” Finally, in one word, the outside looking in, it why should we come and does look quite exclusive. I see Mojo? think there is a certain element Jemima: Cutlasses. of getting your foot in the door, maybe Max: Speed. through a college play.

Noah: Drums.

Emma Pollock, actor: The radio plays and Emma: Violence.

Covid plays didn’t appeal to me at all. I hadn’t met anyone, it was absolutely terrifying. You Mojo runs at the Michael Pilch Studio from really have to put yourself out there. And 10th-13th May. Image credit: Biba Jones (@bibasketches)

16

S E O H U T

RCE

This week’s theme honours traditional and historical stories, mythologies and folklore throughout time. Our talented poets have delved into their imagination, experiences and heritage to bring you poems inspired by these stories.

Leah Stein’s poem is based on a version of the Babylonian creation myth.

The poet offers “She” as the subject of our myths. Her vivid language paints womanhood as cosmic, and her powers akin to fables. The shift to the imagery of a “crime scene” is made all the more jarring as a result, inciting divine anger at the profane treading by “He”.

Omoroca

By Leah Stein She is a kingdom contained within herself, A menagerie of half-formed beasts human-faced, stampeding against her ribcage,

Blood seeping beneath Walked-on ground.

He treads heavily On her spine, Bruises blossoming green on

Around cartilage-capped bone, Seagulls’ cries escaping salt brine lips.

She is a universe, A supernova caged In the cavity of her chest, Galaxies pulsing

He washes his hands clean And forgets her face.

He calls her vessel,

She is cut apart, Halved at the waist, a pale moon hovering, phantom, overhead.

Her thighs become earth, dark soil Breasts fall into mountains, And her breath hovers, fog in winter air.

She is a planet, Pieces of herself scattered Over a world created In her wake, A crime scene She, the evidence.

He buries the bloody sword That cut her to pieces, Buries and forgets,

Calls her anything but her name, Anything but kingdom, universe.

Why is it always she who must bleed, Who must render herself offering, Conduit of creation?

Why is it always she who ends up in pieces?

In Once Long Ago, Jenny Robinson invites us to listen to the “dead tales of old gods long gone” where they are “only folklore”. The resultant effect of her aural images and enjambed lines is one of limping — each line unfolds hesitantly, like the shifting of tired feet.

Once Long Ago

By Jenny Robinson

The dead tales of old gods long gone Far off from slumber, In dreams they shall wake As their backs break, Cracking to conform to a new world, Their stories, only folklore, All that’s left of them lives on.

To breathe and to die, to slowly be consumed Back into the worlds from whence they came, A Like a snake eating its own tail, Wrapped around the world Patiently waiting to be one Again.

17

Dresse me my harpe

By Anna Cowan

Poet’s note: “This is a poem of the mysteries of the harp. My instrument transports me to an ancient memory of its Celtic heritage which surrounds the music and the imagination when I play. These are some tales which present themselves to me through the harp, bordering reality and the old magic, like my beloved Shropshire bridges England and Wales. I usually accompany this poem with my harp, so consider turning on some Welsh trad harp to read to! Let us begin with a Shropshire proverb...”

I am of Shropshire, my shins be sharpe.

Lay wood to the fyre and dresse me my harpe It is time.

When I play, I pull the faeries from the woodwork I enchant the spirits from the ceiling beams, old oak, auld oak, struts darkened in the farmhouse since cows crowded the kitchen wall.

(of elated yews, I’ve seen it myself) The welsh strings thrum to his hoarse shout for blood, and life, of fear, and release.

On the spine hard spider silk, strained from headpiece to soundboard, strung from branch to branch.

Red brick hearts ticking in the heat and the gentle must, rising from broad threadbare backs.

Wet tongue swipes idly over the snubbed nose.

I play for O’Carolan, Sweetening the Solstice night.

A commotion in the barn – sudden shifting, sudden strewn hay, A revelation of glassy eyes,

the wall, lonely for its cows, all superstitious still.

I resurrect the jigs,

It was only a sudden pigeon.

The herd tension subsides – a maverick’s swaying tail, nonchalant, switch switch

Even the comatose fey Hide with me on that night.

Burrow into my music, as warm and heavy as bread.

All this past I conjure on the strings.

Auld dangers are abroad that night; The giant unseated from Caer Gwrygon, the drowned, singing witch of the Mere, the great, marsh-soaked bear, And Old Shuck, slinking down ditches.

When I play, the fey tremble behind the oak leaves, hawthorn, ash, deadly yew, caught drunk on my twined notes.

Petal-strewn, tiny limbs, they weevil in the grass. shock the great cows’ udders into pinhead streams of milk, slice the peapods with feline nails, tearing the leathery skins apart.

Peas rupture into the breeze.

And far away little girl, in the sunken dell, banked by briars, canopied with yew, when the moonstone mushrooms bubble up in a ring you’ll run if you know what’s good for you.

These fey wiles I conjure on my biney strings.

sooth the old beams,

All this I conjure, All this I know.

My harp sings of wonders lost, found and unknown.

The speaker in Anna Cowan’s poem herself undertakes a myth-making activity in playing her harp. “It is time”, she declares, as she unshackles the spirit of her surroundings, coaxing all still things into motion.

Submit your creative writing to The Source at: cherwelleditor@gmail.com Pictures from Unsplash

18

Life

Trinity term expectations: Oxford at its finest?

Anya Biletsky looks ahead to the sunnier days of the coming term from a fresher’s perspective.

‘So, what’s Trinity Term like?’ an unsuspecting fresher asks a second-year.

‘Ah, Trinity Term …’ the second-year replies, looking off longingly into the distance.

Trinity Term seems to have some sort of mythical status. Its mention in the presence of older years is met with sighs of yearning and assertions of how splendid it is. After the cold gloom of Hilary term and the months when darkness settled over the city at 4pm, I sure am looking forward to experiencing Oxford in all its sunny glory.

When I first visited, it was mid-July, and summer was at its height. The city was magical – the yellow brick golden, the blue sky a marvellous backdrop to the Rad Cam. Soon, Oxford will transform once again into a city of gleaming spires.

As a Classicist, I am lucky enough, if you can put it that way, not to have to worry about Prelims until Hilary of second year. So, my aim for this Trinity is to lap up every beam of Oxford sun that I possibly can before the gruelling marathon of Mods kicks in.

My desire to spend as much time outdoors as possible, whether while studying or not, is heightened by the two years of lockdowns we have just emerged from. What better way to remedy this feeling of prolonged confinement than by frequenting the rolling fields of Port Meadow or Uni Parks? They promise us picnics in fields, swimming

in the river, and, of course, punting.

The question remains to be asked as to who will be the punter and who the puntee (I am most certainly the latter).

Something I and my fellow freshers are particularly excited about is Trinity’s promise of our first Oxford ball. I am eager to see the colleges spruced up for this triennial affair, much as a ball does seem like an extra-massive, extra-fancy open-air BOP. I can already hear my friends’ groans at the dozens of disposable photos I will insist on taking. The prospect of dressing up and spending the night in the sultry summer outdoors, drinking and eating and dancing to our heart’s content until dawn, is one that seems straight out of a fairytale.

With, of course, the less romantic but equally entertaining addition of stumbling around at 6am. Somerville-Jesus students are already preparing for their postball stagger over to Magdalen bridge for the May Morning choir performance.

The Somerville college quad was cordoned off during Hilary term to allow the grass to recover, but for Trinity it will be made accessible to students again (sticking to the boast that it is one of the only colleges to let its students walk on the grass). Might we be able to convince our tutors to let us have tutorials on the quad?

Probably not, but, at any rate, we can “study” in groups on the grass, fulfilling our light academia fantasies. Picture perfect: book in hand, dappled sunlight over the page, bottle of lemonade (or perhaps pink gin) by our side. We will become the embodiment of tourist eye candy.

Clubbing in the summer will be a whole other experience to winter clubbing.

It will be thrilling to walk back to our accommodation when we can catch the first glimpses of the new day’s sun skirting the horizon, albeit a little concerning for our 9am lectures. And – this is the thing I’m most excited for – not having to use club cloakrooms. No more

Horoscopes... TAURUS SCORPIO What are those faint chimes I’m hearing in the background? They must be bells. Keep on encouraging the musical dreams of others.

SAGITTARIUS I’m manifesting good things for you. Your schedule always seems to be very hectic, but you will be able to get your daily dose of vitamin D this term.

Lizzie McGuire once sang ‘this is what dreams are made of’. It is time to embrace your weird fever-dreams.

LIBRA I have so many questions for you: you perplex me.

GEMINI

VIRGO I am getting mixed signals from you. I can’t read your stars because of all these clouds. Declutter your space and mind, and clarity shall follow.

Image credit: Tankilevitch

Polina

An inside look at the Oxford Union The trinity sun shines down on an Inspiring new era at Frewin Court. Despite the illuminating light, this election is shrouded in mystery. A three way again?

No one wants a sequel to that mess. But fear not, John Evelyn will reveal all in time. But before we talk of week 7 shenanigans lets see what the hacks have been doing over the vac: It appears some of the officers haven’t seemed to Connect their heads to the idea of vac days. Even the Wonder Kid has been seen doing more work. Therefore, the Procastinating Finalist has been left Frying up his term card with little help.

John Evelyn finds it funny that Michaelmas’s competent slate couldn’t muster competent officers.

One (scots)man has been all too happy to stride down from the highlands to fill the spaces to the left and the right of the throne. In doing so he has left a particularly Fishy stench hanging around the PO. This #Appoint coup has partially occurred beCOS of the GLO who has shot to stardom amongst the junior hacks.

After a third successive election defeat at the presidential level, the establishment have been left reeling. This Trinity, they have placed their faith in The New

College Warden who knows a thing or two about reeling. He is out to a strong start despite having issues at the Bank early in the vac. Even the most empowered people have come to his side.

For a while it looked as though his strongest opponent would be the Party Policer who, after a prolonged period of dormancy, may have wanted to get back into the game. However, like their first attempt at the Union, their campaign may have kicked up a big fuss but has had very little impact. Only time will tell.

Fresh off a top 3 finish in the last election, the Uplift Campaign Manager seems to have had a tough time of it lately. Having lost his Rojo, he appears to have given up on the election and most certainly his work. Or at least that’s what he wants you to believe…

The Vibe Queen appears have offered her immediate D1 superior a spot on her slate.

Furthermore, this duo has recruited the powerful Coventry Doctor who is looking to re-establish his (em)power over committee members who may have Sparked interest from the other side. A stormy term awaits.

Yours, John Evelyn x

AQUARIUS

Wear your damn hat. I know that hat hair is no fun at all, but I’m sorry, heat stroke isn’t a cute look on anyone. Who are you trying to impress?

It is time for some wild swimming. Who doesn’t love some aquatic fun? Don’t let the ecoli scare you!

– it is something I feel compelled to try.

Drama-wise, various student companies will be putting on a number of different productions, from musicals to traditional plays. Some will even be hosted in open-air theatres, which promises to be a real treat.

I might be romanticising Trinity Term slightly. Collections, the workload, and the general intensity of Oxford life will of course be as prevalent in Trinity as they were in Michaelmas and Hilary. Attending lectures in Exam Schools will involve both kinds of sweating. However, I do think that the warm days will bring with them a certain levity; as they say, the sun makes for a sunny disposition.

John Evelyn

PISCES

I’m envisioning some hard-core vibes from you this term. I love your energy, keep it up, and don’t forget to be intentional with your goals.

CAPRICORN

standing in endless queues to deposit our college puffers! No more college puffers at all, in fact. I am curious as to what everyone’s preferred item of stash will be for the summer months; Oxonians will hardly be able to go for long without donning some sort of college insignia.

Bucket hats maybe? College polo shirts?

There is of course everything sport and drama related to look forward to. A few of my friends and I have decided to commit to having a go at rowing, after two terms of reluctant delaying. The idea of falling into a lukewarm river on a moderately sunny day in May is heaps more appealing than having the same experience in the middle of Storm Eunice.

Although there are more than a few people who have warned me off from rowing – I still can’t tell if they were joking or not

CANCER

Sun’s out, buns out: this term’s priority for you should be to enjoy trinity because life is short, and there is absolutely no time for another existential crisis.

Who ever said that you are too young to rollerskate? I picture you skating down Cornmarket st with some sunnies. Pop off!

LEO

It is wine o’clock somewhere. Grab that bottle of rosé, sit in the sun, and have your main character moment. There’s no judgment here.

ARIES Spring is a time of rejuvenation. Take time to romanticise the little things of life: take yourself to a fancy coffee date, wear that item of clothing that makes you feel amazing.

Artwork by Ben Beechener

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Cherpse! Words of Wisdom RUSTY KATE

Amelia and Emily Amelia

This mildly comedic column has been written by a drag queen agony aunt. It is not for the faint hearted and contains sensitive topics which may cause distress to some readers.

Struggle remembering who you shagged last night? Think it might be early on-set dementia? Struggle remembering who you shagged last night? Good old Aunt Rusty is here to help!

First impressions?

Both of us arriving in awful Oxford rain meant

Rusty’s in the middle of a busy few weeks! She’ll be back soon enough to answer your burning questions - but if it’s burning, it’s probably infected, so don’t wait for her. For now, here’s just some of the audacious activities she’s been up to lately. To gain some of her pearls of wisdom later in term, just email your queries to lifestylecherwell@gmail.

Did it meet your expectations?

Having read previous articles I was a bit nervous.

RUSTY'S BUSY SCHEDULE

What was the highlight?

Mutually complaining about the choice of Missing Bean as a date spot when it’s always completely full.

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

What was the most embarrassing moment?

Maybe this part where I have to write down all my thoughts.

Is there a second date on the cards?

I enjoyed this one and would be happy to do another.

“I was expecting way worse based on the past Cherpses.”

Emily First impressions? liked her stripy trousers.

Did it meet your expectations?

It exceeded them! I was expecting way worse based on the past Cherpses (no offence Cherwell).

What was the highlight?

Going to the Handlebar Cafe, the Missing Bean isn’t the best date spot (no offence Cherwell).

Describe the date in 3 words: Worth 10am wake-up.

Is there a second date on the cards?

Maybe as friends! She’s welcome at the Jesus bar any time as it is way better than Regent’s.

Looking for love?

Email lifestylecherwell@gmail.com or message one of our editors

Before the year abroad Elena Buccisano describes stepping into the unknown during the third year

T

he year abroad – exciting gets closer and closer, the reality and and ominous words which all stress of the upcoming year is not only students of Modern Languages unexpected to me, but anxiety-inducing. are faced with from the moment When I took a moment to unpack the they begin university. Echoes of the nature of my apprehension, I quickly compulsory year spent abroad begin in realised that it is multi-faceted – the stress first year, until the words themselves revolves around not only where I will end become deafening in second year as tutors, up, but what I am leaving behind, and the parents, and friends all weigh in with their uncertainty of what I am coming back to. advice, hopes and The idealisation has ambitions. mostly disappeared Often considered “ Deep down, what I really and what I am a ‘rite of passage’ for left with is what want is to overcome the modern linguists, feels like an the year abroad is a over whelming feelings of dread and significant selling l o g i s t i c a l point of the Modern regain the excitement that nightmare, and Languages degree. the weight of the prospect of an entire a mountain of The chance to experience life for a year spent abroad used to opportunities. year in the countries The beauty whose languages and, as I am bring me.” you spend so much discovering, time studying is the pressure of both exciting and the year abroad invaluable, and it is certainly presented is that you can really do what you want that way. and go wherever you want – in fact, On hearing that I was going abroad in the possibilities are vast and thrilling. my third year, the most common reaction I This freedom was one that I used to rave received was one of wonder, exclamations about, but the pressure to make the ‘right’ of jealousy and many comments on the choice, the choice that would mean I could special nature of this opportunity. My truly make the most of my year abroad – best friend described it as chance to ‘find one that I am so lucky to get the chance myself’, my mum described it as a chance to embark on – feels more and more ‘to grow as a person’ and experience suffocating. The accompanying voices a year of travel with relatively little and opinions from the people who care – responsibility. But, as the time to depart tutors, family members, people who want

you to have the best year abroad possible – can unexpectedly add to this mounting internal pressure to make the right choices that respect everyone’s opinion.

On top of this comes the logistical stress – all of a sudden, the curtain falls on the romanticised view of the year abroad as emails come flooding in about funding, tutors start asking about accommodation and internship arrangements and I realise that I have absolutely no idea how to plan a move abroad. How do I fund it? How do I find somewhere to live? Which is the best arrondissement to live in? The questions become endless and I put off planning in order to avoid accepting that I am out of my depth. Deep down, what I really want is to overcome the feelings of dread and regain the excitement that the prospect of an entire year spent abroad used to bring me.

Beyond the stress of ‘where will I end up?’, what often looms larger is the anxiety of what I am leaving behind. Unfortunately, as many modern linguists experience, many of my friends will have left Oxford on my return in fourth year, making Trinity 2022 the term of many ‘lasts’. Although I am excited to spend what might be my best term yet amongst them, it will nonetheless be bittersweet knowing that when I come back from my year abroad, I will have to readapt to a familiar, yet different, environment. Ultimately, at the core of my anxieties, is the idea of the unknown. I need to convert that fear back to anticipation and find joy in the multitude of possibilities and experiences.

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Features Raging Against the Dying of the Light: What the DUP’s Predicament Tells Us About the State of Unionism

Thomas Evans discusses the state of the DUP in the run-up to the 5th May elections and what it means for political unionism in Northern Ireland.

A

ll is not well for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the current overall largest political party in Northern Ireland’s legislative assembly, both in terms of vote share and seats.

Since 2004, the DUP – which regards itself as Northern Ireland’s and Unionism’s leading political protector against internal and external challengers has occupied a pre-eminent position electorally within the Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist (PUL) community. Despite its opposition to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement (GFA), which its PUL rival the Ulster Unionist strongly from the electoral provisions that the GFA accorded. It has been a party of government in Northern Ireland’s consociational administration, Stormont, since 2007, where the electoral system can reward in-group ap-

peals and hard-line positions. By capitalising on these embedded rewards, the DUP has thus far successfully squeezed out the UUP and the smaller Unionist and Loyalist political parties with no clear challenger to its intra-Unionist dominance.

But on 5th May 2022, when Northern Ireland goes to the polls to elect representatives to its legislature, the DUP is expected to have its long shadow over Northern Irish politics substantially shortened. Polls have consistently shown the party’s leader – Sir Jeffery Donaldson – as the most unpopular of the Northern Irish political leaders, and the party has been embattled by resurgent intracommunity political rivals. The more existential worry for the party, and for elements of PUL community more broadly, is the distinct possibility that Sinn Fein, the largest political

party within Catholic/Nationalist/Republican (CNR) communities, will become Northern Ireland’s largest overall political party. This would and a party whose expressed goal is Irish Unias a political entity, would be in the electoral driving seat. Not only is the future of the DUP’s predominance at stake, but so is , in the eyes of the party and for sections of Unionism , the future of Northern Ireland’s six counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, (London) Derry, and Tyrone.

Squeezed out: How the DUP ended up here The DUP’s recent predicament, one largely of its own making, has not emerged overnight.

Rather, it appears to be the culmination of perceived failures at the community level to improve the mainly working-class areas that it represents, despite its longevity in government. These feelings of being left behind have protests’ of 2012 in response to a perceived

negation of PUL identity through the removal of the Union Flag above Belfast Hall. Though instances like these are often characterised as knee-jerk reactions to greater inclusion of the historically marginalised CNR community, they also belie real feelings within many working-class communities that they have been abandoned by both their political leadership and the Peace Process more generally. Indeed, the DUP’s tenure in government has seen continued socioeconomic deprivation and stagnation within working-class PUL communities. Protestant boys have the lowest education achievement rates in Northern Ireland, and working-class PUL communities centres available than their CNR counterparts.

Furthermore, whilst certainly not exclusive to PUL communities, prevailing issues arounwd generational unemployment, low-wage work, narcotics abuse, and rising suicide rates raise questions around existing political leadership.

Yet these trends have been present for decades. What then explains the DUP’s sudden

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embattlement now? The answer can be found in the Northern Irish Protocol, or more accurately, what the Northern Irish Protocol represents for the future of Northern Ireland. The DUP gambled by whole-heartedly supporting Brexit, spectacularly. Hypothetically, Brexit not only complemented the party’s wider worldview of British nationalism and Euroscepticism, but also appeared to be an opportunity to safeguard the Union with Britain by entrenching the existing Irish border. Britain has left the European Union (EU), but by attempting to protect trade and free movement across the United Kingdom’s only land-border with the EU, the customs border has been in effect moved from within Ireland to the Irish Sea. For many Unionists, and particularly Northern Irish Loyalists, composed of primarily Protestant working-class communities, this marks the of a starting pistol to a United Ireland.

This is by no means a distant threat. If demographers are correct in their expectations, the 2021 Census results will reveal Catholics have overtaken Protestants as the largest group population size for the Catholic community is not to say that Nationalist and Republican parties will dominate, or that Catholicism in Northern Ireland maps uniformly to political parties and constitutional views, or that Northern Ireland will disappear overnight (or even at all), but it does represent a seismic shift for a region founded as “a Protestant government for a Protestant people”. What is more, Sinn Fein continues to succeed electorally in both the Republic of Ireland, where it is currently the second largest party, and Northern Ireland, where it is predicted to become the largest party. Conversations around a united Ireland are being held with renewed vigour including in Irish political circles beyond the political mainstream, increasing feelings of tension and apprehension amongst some within the PUL community about where Northern Ireland’s political future lies.

The intersection of these two dynamics has resulted in increased pressure on the DUP by other forces within the PUL community, with Irish politics. At one end of the spectrum, the DUP faces a political challenge from the resurgent Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), which risks the PUL community. For the UUP, the sole party of government from the country’s inception in 1921 until the suspension of Stormont and the establishment of direct rule from Westminster in 1998, this election offers the promise of recapturing lost ground. In recent years, the party – under the leadership of Doug Beatie

into a hard-fought battle with the smaller Loyalist parties, vying to be the voice of loyalism and the dominant PUL party in working-class areas. This challenge has most noticeably come from the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party. The TUV, a splinter from the DUP, broke from the party in 2007 following the DUP’s power-sharing agreement with Sinn Fein (historically the political wing of the Provisional IRA), something the TUV regards as a red line. The TUV is to the DUP what the latter once was to the UUP: an intra-unionist rival able to outbid the party on its right. The TUV has campaigned hard on the intertwined issues of the Irish Sea Border and the Northern Irish Protocol, forcing the DUP into the chal-

“May’s election will likely result in a wounded, but not dead, DUP” lenging situation of both positioning itself as an opposition party and simultaneously being a party of government. The TUV, which currently only has one assembly member – its leader Jim

tions for removing the Protocol and fomenting a practical alternative, that politically violent Loyalist paramilitary activity will be curtailed.

The DUP is hemmed in on both sides by forces which appear to be chipping away at the grip the party has over its base.

in all 18 electoral districts. The TUV may not take any seats in May, but its presence as a party pushes the DUP further to the political extremes. This may drive more moderate voters away or into the arms of other parties, while

The Future of Political Unionism and Northern Irish Politics May’s election will likely result in a wounded, but not dead, DUP – one that is still the largest PUL political party, but which has lost overall to Sinn Fein. At a Loyalist anti-Protocol rally in Markethill, Belfast in February, DUP MP Sammy Wilson was booed and heckled by the assembled audience over the party’s failure to rescind the Protocol. Faced with this backlash the DUP looks set to continue doing what has resulted in previous electoral dividends: increasing its attractiveness to a subset of the PUL community through increased tribune appeals. This will likely manifest itself in an ever more siloed Northern Irish political system, with cross-community politics suffering as a response. Indeed, this looks to have already begun. In February, the DUP’s Paul Givan, Northern Ireland’s First Minister, announced his resignation from his position. In doing so, he effectively collapsed Stormont, which requires both communities – nationalist and unionist – to share power at the executive level. Ostensibly, the DUP’s stated reason for Givan’s resignation was the failure to revoke the Northern Irish Protocol. More likely was the backwards slide of the DUP within intra-PUL polling and perceived vulnerability to other Loyalist groupings within working-class communities, particularly the TUV. Sinn Fein are the bookies’ favourite to be the largest party in the assembly after the dust of 5th May has settled. The question, therefore, is what the DUP will do after it has lost its coveted First Minister position, and how (if at all) it will govern in symbolic subordination to Sinn Fein.

There are strong pressures on the DUP’s leadership, from both inside and outside the party, to boycott Stormont in such a situation. This will not only anger a nationalist community which feels that it has played by the political system’s

its working-class heartlands, characterised by growing intransigence to cross-community politics and hard-line, immovable positions on Loyalist issues.

More concerning has been the DUP’s vulnerability to a progressively assertive and political

working-class PUL communities, particularly those with elevated levels of socioeconomic deprivation and a paramilitary legacy dating as ‘The Troubles’). While these groups postcriminal enterprises than paramilitaries in the conventional Northern Irish sense, they have been increasingly politically vocal following the establishment of the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) in 2015. This represents the three main Loyalist paramilitary organisations: the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), and Red Hand Commando (RHC). In March 2021, the LCC announced its members were withdrawing their support for the Good Friday Agreement. The

“The DUP gambled by whole-heartedly supporting Brexit, but the outcomes have backfired somewhat spectacularly.”

– has attempted to reverse its decline in Westminster and Stormont by positioning itself as a softer, more liberal alternative within the PUL community. A party, in its own view, committed to pragmatic governance, not divisive cultural ‘orange and green’ wars (increased appeals to the ethno-nationalist blocs at the expense of other policies and issues). It remains to be seen if the UUP can dent the DUP substantially. At time of writing (17/04/22) the DUP remains the expected largest PUL party overall. A slew of misogynistic and racist historical tweets have damaged Beatie’s liberal image, and as the election looms closer, the ‘orange card’ which been increasingly played by a DUP with its back against the ropes.

Meanwhile, the DUP has also been drawn

In 2021 there was a spate of bus hijackings and burningsby the so-called Protestant Action Force, thought to be a cover-name by at least some elements of the UVF. This violence escalated in late March, with the Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney being targeted at an event in North Belfast. A van hijacked off the PUL enclave of the Shankhill Road was driven to an event at which Coveney was speaking, with hoax claims of a bomb being on board. The PSNI are investigating UVF links to the incident, and there are concerns that further Irish politicians could be targeted or that attacks could be escalated . It seems unlikely, given the DUP’s current weak position and limited op-

same month marked the beginning of Northern Ireland’s worst rioting within PUL areas in several years, with one reason for the youth mobilisation (among others, such as socioecoclosure of schools and youth services during COVID lockdowns) being the Northern Irish Protocol. Calls by DUP representatives to stop the violence went ignored, raising questions about the ability of the party to diffuse tensions within communities.

Shortly before their withdrawal from the GFA, LCC representatives met members of the DUP in a closed meeting, a growing indication of paramilitary pressure on the party. As the demands of the LCC and its members for a political removal of the Northern Irish Protocol look increasingly less likely, Loyalist paramilitaries

“The Troubles” and present-day Northern Spanning three decades and affecting many lives, ‘the Troubles’ was a violent unionists, who wished Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK, and nationalists, who wanted Northern Ireland to be united with the Republic of Ireland. The unionists were predominantly Protestant and the nationalists largely Catholic.

Tensions between Ireland and Great Britain can be traced as far back as the twelfth-century Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland, but the period known as the Troubles is widely considered to have originated with the Northern Irish police’s violent suppression of a Catholic protest in October 1968.

After thirty years, in which over 3,500 people were killed, most of the violence was brought to an end by the 1998 ‘Good Friday Agreement’, which provided arrangements for cross-border cooperation between the Northern Irish and Irish governments.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) emerged from the earlier Protestant Unionist Party (PUP). It was founded in 1971 by Ian Paisley - a prominent Protestant minister and the face of hardline Since 1998, NI has been under a devolved legislature in which the majority of seats are held by two parties: the DUP and Sinn Féin. Tensions continue to rise and fall between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland.

Recommendations for learning more The story of the Troubles and the rise of the DUP itself is entwined with the history of Ireland as whole, stretching back as far in the late 12th-century. For a long view on Irish history, Alvin Jackson’s Ireland: 17981998 gives a formidable overview. Other interesting introductions to the topic for a non-specialist audience include: • • • • •

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, Patrick Radden Keefe.

We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958, Fintan O’Toole.

Milkman Burns set against the backdrop of Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

Belfast caught up in sectarian tensions at the beginning of the Troubles.

The Linen Hall Library - an institution in Belfast containing a museum collection of 350,000 items of documentation relating to the Troubles and the peace process.

day-to-day running of Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland faces plenty of problems that go beyond one community or another and effective cross-community leadership is desperately needed. But times are changing in Northern Ireland. Regardless of what happens with Sinn Fein, ambitions for a United Ireland will likely increase over the coming years if current trends hold. There will be plenty more challenges for PUL politics in the near future, both at the community level and beyond. If PUL

•

this new reality, they risk destruction.

Compiled by Daisy Clague and Jimmy Brewer

Artwork by Ben Beechener

(CAIN) - digitised information and source material on the Troubles and the politics of Northern Ireland from 1968 onwards.

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Columns Names preserved in blue and white

are a physical link to the past, allowing the history of a building to be maintained and acknowledged, and are almost unavoidable when walking around Oxford. I believe that many are not understood properly, and I want to engage with these plaques in a way which will further my own interests and the reader’s; highlighting the intriguing lives of the people commemorated and their contributions to the city that Oxford is today.

Whenever people come to visit during term, I always take them to Merton Street.

The cobbled road, strikingly old buildings and Merton’s sizeable chapel give a classically ‘Oxford’ impression. Just opposite Merton’s entrance there is an ancient mediaeval cottage with mullioned windows, known as Anthony à Wood (1632-1695) was born, lived and died, with his Blue

A gifted historian or just plain arrogant? Thomas Bristow sets out to understand the plaque of Antony Wood.

I

become a staple of British culture. Since its launch in London in 1866, it is almost impossible to go to any larger settlement and not see one. Their purpose is simple and clear; to commemorate a location and its link to a notable person or event. It is perhaps unsurprising therefore, that Oxford is richly endowed with over 70 such plaques. They

Haute Kosher: My Jewish reading tips

Tamzin Lent, encouraged

by New Year’s resolutions, encourages all to heed her recommendations.

I

had never heard of Joseph Roth. Or Arthur Schnitzler. Or Stefan Zweig. Or even Canetti if I’m honest. I had heard of Kafka of course – and I have always been enamoured with that sharp, folkloric, sinister quality that always seems to know more than you do. I think in some ways it is a distinctly Jewish quality in this period, the painfully sharpened perspective which comes from assimilation. It was only after seeing

wall just to the right of the cottage.

He was educated at New College School and Lord William’s grammar school in Thame, where his education was halted by a minor inconvenience known as the English Civil War. Nevertheless, he went on to matriculate at Merton in 1647. Interestingly, he was not considered a talented student, and it took him until 1652 to graduate (I dare say Merton would not be impressed with his lack of Norrington Table contributions). But he soon immersed himself in what he was to become best known for; antiquarian studies (studying the past with the use of evidence such as archaeology, manuscripts or, in Wood’s case, archives).

He began by trawling through the registers of Christ Church until Dr John Wallis allowed him access to the University’s archives in 1660, as he was their Keeper. It was here that he discovered William Burton’s The Description of Leicestershire (1622) and Sir William Dugdale’s Antiquities of Warwickshire (1656).

Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt that Austria – and its writers – became of interest to me from a Jewish heritage point of view. It was as though, when I encountered that play, the richness of Jewish life in Vienna before the war opened up to me in a way I had never imagined before - in a way I never imagined it would. When you walk into the theatre, you face a large screen

“Every page is another street in Vienna, another meeting with Freud, Herzl, Schnitzler, Karl Kraus, and famous artists, writers, musicians.” of rapidly changing photographs of Jewish life in Vienna. Snapshots of people who look uncannily like people I know – who look just like me – but from before the war. The play follows the Merz family through the generations. It is Stoppard’s most intimate play, and at times, it is deeply haunting. But it is the characters, who are so full of life, that are more memorable than even the most painful parts of the play. I had never seen on the stage a family having a only a few scenes after they decorate a Christmas tree with a Star of David. Stoppard shows the joy and the anguish of being an assimilated

Wood, so much so that he was determined to pen a similar great work about Oxfordshire.

He drew on another project by an earlier antiquary, Brian Twyne, and systematically searched through the legal documents of all the colleges. It’s a shame Wood didn’t have SOLO to use, but as we all know from last minute searches, the college library doesn’t have everything. In the year 1667 he made people who were able to provide him with even more libraries. After consulting more parish and city archives than one could ever published. In 1669 Dr Fell, the Dean of Christ university press, offered to publish Wood’s work. From this Wood would earn £100 (Just over £23,000 today), on one condition; it had to be published in Latin. Wood duly consented, and in 1674 The History and Antiquities of the University of Oxford appeared in two volumes. colleges. Wood’s book was successful, and established his reputation as an antiquary.

Dr Fell suggested another project which Wood undertook enthusiastically. Alongside John Aubrey, he compiled another great tome of Oxford history. It took them both the rest es was published. It detailed all of the many writers and bishops who had been educated at Oxford since the year 1500. Unfortunately, the book was met with mixed reviews, and in 1693 Wood was even sued by Henry, the Earl of Clarendon, for the portrayal of his late father. One could only assume that accusing someone’s father of corruption was quite bad.

Anthony Wood (the à was his own later addition) fell out with Aubrey, blaming him for Jew in a Christian country.

I began to think about Vienna – and particularly, Vienna after World War One. I wanted to know what Jewish life was like, and I came across Stefan Zweig’s The World of Yesterday.

I had not read Zweig before, even though I have been assured that he was one of the most famous writers of his generation. After escaping the Holocaust, in 1942 he and his wife were found dead in South America, holding hands after having overdosed. The day before he had To read Zweig’s memoirs is to enter into the golden world of Vienna before World War II. Every page is another street in Vienna, another meeting with Freud, Herzl, Schnitzler, Karl Kraus, and famous artists, writers, musicians. Beginning from his school days, the passion and desire to learn, to stay up to date with modern literature, was something I had never encountered before. Each page contains something funny and something tragic. Like Roth’s Radetzky March, it is clouded with the knowledge of what happens in the next chapter of Austrian history. We meet Herzl as the and we see Herzl’s funeral through Zweig’shis uncomprehending eyes: “people arrived… from all lands and countries; Western, Eastern, Russian, Turkish Jews… It was an endless procession… There was an almost raging turmoil; all order failed in the face of a kind of elemental, ecstatic grief.

I have never seen anything like it at a funeral time from all this pain, rising in sudden great outbursts from the hearts of a crowd a million strong, how much passion and hope this one lonely man had brought into the world by the force of his ideas.”

Zweig – like many of the bourgeois Austrian

the book’s questionable reception. He died in 1695 and was buried in Merton’s chapel, where he had once been that supposedly mediocre undergraduate.

“Whenever people come to visit during term, I always take them to Merton Street. ” his projects and the legacy which he left behind. Aside from his works, he bequeathed 127 manuscripts and 970 books to the Ashmolean Museum, which are now housed in the Bodleian. From these papers his autobiography, The Life and Times of Anthony Wood, was compiled from 1891-1900 by Andrew Clark. It is written in the third person and is an excellent collection of the most minute details of his life. Wood had a reputation for being a rude and disagreeable person.

Hall on Merton Street and not imagine Wood toiling away long hours within. The fact that his two main works took up so many years of his life is a testament of his commitment to knowledge, and something which a Blue return to Merton Street, I will remember that this plaque is not just notifying the viewer of someone interesting, but of a man whose obsessive research led to perhaps two of the most thorough academic works to come out of this city.

Image Credit: David Hallam-Jones/CC BY-SA 2.0 via Geograph Jews – was not a Zionist. He believed in Europeanism and internationalism, and called himself “a citizen of the world.” But what I realised, from reading Schnitzler’s The Road to the Open more than anything, was how modern Jewish identity questions – and their relacult to deal with even then as they are now.

The book is full of endless dialogues about being Jewish and assimilated. Characters visit return disillusioned and depressed. They pretend they aren’t Jewish. They pretend to be Jewish. The main character is a Christian aristocrat who spends all of his time feeling an outsider in his social circle of upper middleclass Jews amidst the pressures of rising antisemitism. It is people trying to live in a polarised society, a world where psychoanalysts, Zionists, Socialists coexist and try to understand their own world. It’s entertaining, extremely funny, and at times entirely bleak.

Like Leopoldstadt, it is these expressions of Jewish life before the war – beset with jokes, neuroses, and anguish – which stay alive long after reading the texts. I would highly recommend.

Image Credit: Kevinbism via Pixabay

23

Sport

English Fans, European Football: In Conversation with Julien Laurens Oliver Hall speaks to French football journalist about the changing landscape of European football.

to watch and far less popular in England. your thoughts are on it? some that. Lots of people don’t really care about, you know, France or Germany or Spain, from the Premier League, farmers leagues.

Exactly. Always sh*t or is this or that or the other.

There’s actually not many more people who like (other) football and can watch it legally on BT Sport, if you want Germany it’s on Sky. If you wanted all of the big European leagues,

F

rench football journalist Julien Laurens has spent the last few years

tions to get it to get La Liga, Bundesliga, and

English media on European football.

His work with the BBC, most notably on their ‘Euroleagues’ podcast, has brought insight from across Europe to millions and he now regularly appears on BT Sport, ESPN, Premier League TV, and many other broadcasters across the continent. All of this meant that when I was looking for someone to speak to about the relationship between English fans and leagues from around the world, there was no one better to speak to. Gone are the days of millions tuning in to Sky Sports to watch

problem with different broadcasters but don’t

broadcasters, only worsening the situation by making them harder for fans to access.

Laurens offered fascinating insight on not ing across different leagues from around the continent and the rest of the world.

why do you think that is? stuff. But really, you’re an island and you are care about anything else those outside the island, not just with football but in general.

So maybe it is cultural.

Also, your league is the best in the world. reason to watch anywhere else. I mean, if tirely Premier League apart from Euroleagues.

That’s literally the only half an hour you get of European football on the BBC.

you. I think there are a few things, I think the

change, it sounds almost like the guy is boring himself talking, you know and then I don’t with you when you tell the story. And if you make it fun and punchy, I think that people start to really, really listen.

And I think and the other thing is always trying to, for you to learn something. If you’re paying your BT subscription towards the Goal Show or you know if you pay the licence fee That’s always what I try to do with the energy, to come up with things that people might not try to help people to learn. league for English fans to watch to broaden their horizons, what would it be?

their shopping in France anyways. We are a feeding league there is no doubt, it is unfortu nate but that is how the business model works. than anywhere else so clearly there’s so much next big players and big names, I think this

the highlights.

his injury, media outlets suspected and forecasted Murray putting down his racket for good and retiring from the sport, de spite his claims that he still wants to play.

Four years later and Murray still is on the professional circuit, and while of course, he is not at his best, he is still in the top about his retirement. In doing so, we find

that sport pushes you to be your best, to

idea that Murray is not embarrassed, re gardless of whether he enjoys it. It’s like we

a bit like the Super League. The two groups much two leagues really if you think about it. It won’t last long though. For example, you might get Manchester United qualifying their side underperforming in Europe and it also damages the brand. with how Villareal are performing this season because that is what football is all about. If

To listen to the full interview, head over to cherwell.org.

is inherently tied to the British pride and ‘stiff upper lip’ which honestly plagues

fact that pride gets in the way of our en joyment. The British media cannot fathom Andy Murray continuing to play tennis, and will speculate about his retirement at

change the format of the Champions League, especially with the pressure from the top clubs for the Super League. We knew that the format was always going to be changing

lot more interest in English than in Spanish or German or Italian. But also, there aren’t as many big clubs. If you take away Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Milan, then there aren’t that

As a culture, we see this decline as worse

was No.1 directly opposes this idea. It pushes us to confront the fact that we, as

you about is the upcoming changes to the Champions League and how they safeguard certain clubs. Do you think that the changes endanger the rest of European football in any way?

speak to Julien, it has been such a fascinating

something at the heart of British sporting

your best, but if it is known that gold was within your reach, then it is a failure to do anything but that. Andy Murray continu

been incredibly successful. Now the presence is too strong and has been too strong for too long for others to compete.

League. Why do you think that is?

Nina Holguin takes a look at the British public’s view on Andy Murray’s career.

A

just football, in the UK, especially in England, you’re the masters of selling. The product that was created with the Premier League

the Champions League then it wouldn’t mean as much.

British Culture’s Obsession With Andy Murray’s Retirement ndy Murray is one of, if not the, most successful British Tennis players. He has been No.1 for 41 weeks during his career, won 46 ATP singles titles and

many historically big clubs. The Premier League sides are also the ones that now most often get to the later stages of the Champions League and that is incredibly important.

do it at all. There’s the saying ‘quit while you’re ahead’.

It is supposed to apply to situations where there’s an element of risk to keep go to fail at sport, especially one that we once succeeded at. I stopped swimming around my 15th birthday, and for years I was too proud to go into a pool, to not be as good as I was, and,

Image credit: Julien Laurens

Sport in Oxford: OUCC Women’s Blues face Loughborough University on April 24th OUCC Men’s Blues face the University of Cardiff on April 27th OUACC Beginner’s Coaching every Tuesday and Thursday, weeks 1-4 still try. It’s taken me years to rid myself

embarrassing. If Murray wants to play ten nis, he should be able to play, free from any whispers from the sidelines. He’s earned that much, at least.

Image credit: Diliff / CC BY 3.0

24 Medium Sudoku

Hard Sudoku

Cryptic Crossword

Across 1. Hiding grandpa’s tagliatelle? (5) 6. Lad at a musical piece (6) 7. National Insurance in relation is frightening (9) 8. Press one to vote for no candidate (4) 11. Advise COBRA in shambles by destroying document is harsh (8) 14. Puzzle moves from one spot to another (3-2-3) 16. Unusual way to cook steak (4) 18. Isaac found it for Luke to use? (3, 5) 20. Teresa somehow associated with this holiday? (6) 21. Ernest’s room has alternative fashion (5)

CHERDLE

Down: 1. Used to login on twitter to give gossip (8) 2. PhD in twisting needed to change views? (4, 6) 3. A register for popular celebrities (1-4) 4. Earl Grey and Chamomile? Explosive stuff!

(3)

Pencil Puzzle - Marupeke

6. Peter’s broth served for family member (11) 9. Finest roar around the jungle (10) 10. Where law students go for a night out? (3) 12. Does half of newspaper with old coffee (8) 13. Not backing - too much (3) 15. Bid cancelled on hospital department (5) 17. Detectives come in suits? (4)

Fill each square with either a circle or a cross such that no horizontal, vertical or diagonal line contains a ‘3-in-a-row’.

Send your solutions to puzzlescherwell@gmail.com

(3)

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be honoured in the way he deserves to be. One of Oxford’s leading nightclubs– ranking below just Bridge, Plush, The Bullingdon, O2 Academy, Anuba, and The Four Candles for quality and fun vibes– will see its biggest reform since owners promised to distribute covered plastic cups.

Park End to be renamed the “Boris Johnson Institution for Parties”

The new Boris Johnson Institution for Parties will provide this new Gen Z population the nocturnal experience they so crave – Tik Tok songs on repeat, choreographed dance moves only policy, excessive “Woo-Woo”ing, and everyone will delightfully be asked to leave 3 The Boris Johnson Institution for Parties will be the home of breaking the law in Oxford.

All students who attend the nightclub will automatically receive a US Green Card, and any non-oxford students trespassing the premises will instantly be deported.

Liz Buss-a-Move room and the hip-hop room will now play the classical hits of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. Jacob Rees Mug has been announced as the headline bouncer. will not be allowed anywhere near pigs within the establishment, and yes there will be pigs in the establishment.

The bar will serve Tignanello - Johnson’s favourite tipple - and Tignanello only (with the exception of tropical VKs).

The main opposition’s spokesperson told Oh Well! reporters the following: “Errrrrr… Yeah.

It’s bad, I guess. Should we disagree with this?

Ummmmm……. Not sure. Just got to go check some important future government things.”

The city’s two universities said that they don’t really care.

Image credit: Annie Spratt