Concrete 319

Elitismat

Drugs survey

2016

OXBRIDGE

by Lillie Coles

>Inside

>P11

12th January 2016 Issue 319

concrete-online.co.uk @Concrete_UEA ConcreteNewspaper

UEA to give scholarships to Syrian refugees EXCLUSIVE Dan Falvey Editor-in-Chief UEA has announced that it is planning to provide a small number of scholarships for Syrian refugees. The announcement comes shortly after a petition created by the Union of UEA Students’ Migrant Solidarity Campaign began to circulate online.

TYhe Migrant Solidarity Campaign was set up at the beginning of the academic year. Since then, it has tried to help Syrian refugees through campaign efforts such as organising clothing collections for refugees in Calais. On 1st January, the society started a petition asking for UEA to offer scholarships to Syrian migrants. Written as an open letter to UEA’s Vice Chancellor, Professor David Richardson, the petition, started by Robyn Sands, the campaign’s president, called upon the university to “please consider offering five [article 26] scholarships for the academic Continued on page 5

Photo: Flickr, Cabrera Photo

Survey reveals UEA’s drug habits >> Annual Concrete Drugs and Alcohol survey shows multiple-drug taking at all time high Peter Sheehan Deputy editor Two thirds of students at UEA have taken illegal drugs according to Concrete’s annual Drugs and Alcohol Survey. Only 2% of students are daily smokers – part of the 39% who smoke more infrequently – but 95% say that they drink alcohol.

Of those who have taken drugs, cannabis is by far the most popular, having been smoked by 96% of drug-takers. Ecstasy and cocaine have been taken by 62% and 38% of drug-takers respectively, whereas heroin, which 58% of students consider to be the most dangerous narcotic, has been tried by only 1.2% of drug-takers.

Of the 37% who have not taken drugs, nearly seven in ten say that they would not consider doing so in the future. These students are also far more likely to worry about the possible consuquences of drugtaking (90%) than their peers who have tried

drugs (56%).

In general, and in contrast the the pillpopping reputation of students, there does not seem to be a marked culture of encourgaing drug use at UEA. 93% of drugtakers and 88% of their sober coursemates say that they do not feel under more pressure to take drugs since coming to university, although a large number of respondents commented that their attitude towards drugs had softened.

The opposite appears to be true of drinking. 77% of students drink more, and 62% drink more frequently, since starting university; 53% of drinkers think that drinking games put pressure on students to drink to excess. However, only 29% claim to have themselves drunk to impress others.

For the first time, Concrete asked nondrinkers whether they used to drink: 44% said that they did, with most saying they gave up because they never really enjoyed it.

A third of former drinkers gave up because of health concerns, while 20% said that they

95

% drink

62

% take drugs

24

% take legal highs

had a bad experience.

Now in its 14th year, the surveys reveal interesting long-term trends about drug and alcohol consumption at UEA. In 2003, 20% of drug-takers said they had taken more than one substance at the same time. According to this year’s survey, that proportion has more than doubled to 44%. More generally, however, incidence of drug use appears to be more stable. In 2003, 68% of respondents had taken drugs. In 2005, this figure had fallen to 58%, but rose to 72% six years ago.

Worryingly – but perhaps also questionably – the 2003 survey found that 13% of students had operated heavy machinery while under the influence of drugs, the same percentage as claimed to have driven a car while high.

Just over a third said they enjoyed taking drugs; today, 70% of drug-takers describe their experiences as good or very good.

Older surveys did not cover alcohol in such detail, but the percentage of drinkers consuming alcohol every few days had fallen from 54% in 2010 to 44% in 2016.

12 January 2016

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Editorial Dougie Dodds

COMMENTcartoon

The University of East Anglia’s independent student newspaper since 1992 Tuesday 12 January 2016 Issue 319

Union House University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ www.concrete-online.co.uk

Editors-in-Chief Dan. Falvey Joe Jameson concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Deputy Editor Peter Sheehan concrete.deputy@uea.ac.uk

The Concrete Drugs and Alcohol Survey is out What do the long term trends say about us?

Joe Jameson Editor-in-Chief The holidays are over, the mince pies have been eaten, and the decorations are coming down. It’s always a rather slow time of year, when the hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Year’s which seems to be synonymous with that time of year (whether you celebrate either) has faded and the dreary rainy days of January set in. However, it’s always great to be back at UEA, seeing friends for the first time at the beginning of a semester is always refreshing, and we here at Concrete are just as excited to be back and get stuck in with this semester.

In an attempt to blow away the Christmas cobwebs we’ve kicked things off by releasing our annual Drugs and Alcohol Survey, for which we’ve produced a 20 page supplement full of statistics, analysis and comment pieces.

We’re particularly proud of this supplement, and we hope that you find reading it at least marginally interesting, but it would be remiss of me if I did not thank Sam McKinty for all of his hard work pulling the articles together and working with us on this.

Concrete have been doing The Drugs and Alcohol Survey for a rather long time now, and after a quick plunge into our archives, we’ve found one of the first ever surveys and that forms the foundation for our front page story which highlights how that the number of students at UEA who take more than one drug at a time has more than doubled since 2003. This we think is a particularly interesting statistic and perhaps shows the liberalisation

of this issue.

On the topic of liberalisation, Global covers the debate taking place within the US over gun control, which is steadily becoming a quagmire of partisan politics and special interest bickering, which has consumed a President and left the American public no safer than before. The United States cannot maintain its fundamental belief in its constitution, things do have to change, and they don’t always have to change for the worse, unless it accepts this the nation will risk being overwhelmed as the rest of the world passes it by.

In Features we have a fantastic example of the sort of change which the US has gone through in the past, by taking a look at the

“It’s always great to be back at UEA” life of Martin Luther King and his incredible achievements as well as the impact which his death has had upon America. There is no doubt that whilst King’s impact has been profound and created a truly free America, there is still much to be done, in the states and around the world in order to combat racism and to ensure that all oppressed people have the ability to empower themselves.

In Comment we have an article which covers the pressing need for global action to confront climate change and ensure that our own actions do not further harm our planet, for our own sake, if for nothing else. The flooding in the North of England this winter is just one chapter in the saga of our changing climate and only shows how we are directly affecting ourselves, but combatting global

climate change offers us a real chance at fighting so many other crises which we face around the globe, such as poverty, disease and hunger.

In Science and Environment, Ellen Coquio has written on the fact that this year’s El Niño event is likely to be one of the strongest ever on record and that this is going to have a knock on effect in the forms of droughts and flooding in the Asia-Pacific. Nick Hurd, the minister of International Development has said that it is important that we act soon in order to help protect those who may be at threat from an exaggerated weather pattern and it is great to think that we are still able to help those who really do need it. The current talk about cutting the international aid budget, to spend on any number of projects, or as Nigel Farage suggests, flood defences in the north, is simply laughable, and would only amount to the UK becoming a diminishing irrelevance.

One thing in which the UK is certainly not an irrelevance is our sport, which is the same here at UEA. Our Ice Hockey Team, UEA Avalanche, has won their second victory of the season and continue their fine run of success, which is covered in the article on our back page. Obviously this semester we are all looking forward to Derby Day and to chance to see whether UEA’s sport societies have the chance to once again claim the trophy.

Derby Day is a fantastic example of UEA coming together in support of one another, we certainly enjoy covering it!

Make sure to keep your eyes peeled this semester for some of the many things which we’re planning on doing, and don’t ever feel afraid to send us an email and get involved; this is your student newspaper and we’re always happy to have new faces join the ranks!

Online Editors Rob Drury Tom Etheridge concrete.online@uea.ac.uk News Jessica Frank-Keyes Sam Mckinty concrete.news@uea.ac.uk Global Caitlin Doherty concrete.global@uea.ac.uk Features Olivia Minnock Alice Mortimer concrete.features@uea.ac.uk Comment Megan Bradbury concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk Science&Environment Jacob Beebe concrete.scienv@uea.ac.uk Travel Dahlia Al-Abdullah concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk Sport James Chesson Tom Gordon concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk Chief Copy Editor Tom Etheridge concrete.copy@uea.ac.uk Principle researcher Sam Naylor email TBC

Editorial inquiries concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk

Complaints & corrections Front page credits Top bar, left: www.tOrange.us Top bar, far right: Dougie Dodds Correction: In issue 318, Concrete included an article concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk on homelessness in Norwich, on which we had failed to get a quote from Norwich City Council. We would like to apologise for this error, the statement can be read in full on our website.

No part of this newspaper may be reproduced by any means without the permission of the Editors-in-Chief, Dan Falvey and Joe Jameson. Published by the Union of UEA Students on behalf of Concrete. Concrete is a UUEAS society, but retains editorial independence as regards to content. Opinions expressed herin are those of individual writers, not of Concrete or its editorial team.

12th January 2016

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News

Student rents set to rise following increase in stamp duty >> Page 7

Osborne may face student loan U-turn legal action Caitlin Doherty News reporter

Germaine Greer, whose views have lead to calls for her to be banned from some universities Photo: Wikimedia, Helen Morgan

Lecturers accuse universities of limiting free speech on campuses Sam McKinty and Dan Jeakins News editor and News reporter A group of university academics have published an open letter in the Telegraph criticising their universities and unions for “stifling free speech by banning anything that causes the least offence to anyone”, which, according the academics, denies “the intellectual challenge of debating conflicting, and often unpopular views”.

Writing in the Telegraph, the academics, led by Frank Furedi, a professor of sociology at the University of Kent and Joanna William, education editor at Spiked magazine, suggest that the growing censorship taking place on university campuses is rife, pointing to Oriel College, Oxford, considering the removal of a statue of Cecil Rhodes, a college alumni and benefactor, as a result of his involvement in establishing the apartheid in South Africa.

They add that “because universities

COMMENT Chris Roberts explains why it is important that students must have freedom of speech

F

ree speech should be protected, even when we don’t agree with it. Free speech has become a touch paper subject on many university campuses

increasingly see fee-paying students as customers, they do not dare to stand up to the “small but vocal minority” of student activists who want to ban everything from the Sun newspaper to the historian David Starkey”.

This comes in the aftermath of the development of the Free Speech University Rankings by Spiked magazine, which seeks to chart the extent of the apparent censorship

taking place on university campuses. The results showed that 80% of universities censor the free speech of students in some way.

This comes in the wake, at the end of last year, of the Union of UEA Students banning sombreros on campus after receiving complaints from some students that the hats were appropriating Mexican culture.

In his report Furedi stated that ‘few

academics challenge censorship that emerges from students. It is important that more do, because a culture that restricts the free exchange of ideas encourages self-censorship and leaves people afraid to express their views in case they may be misinterpreted. This risks destroying the very fabric of democracy’.

‘An open and democratic society requires people to have the courage to argue against ideas they disagree with or even find offensive. At the moment there is a real risk that students are not given opportunities to engage in such debate. A generation of students is being denied the opportunity to test their opinions against the views of those they don’t agree with’.

The letter concluded by calling for vicechancellors to take a “much stronger stance” against the forms of censorship that are becoming prevalent on university campuses across the UK, adding that “students who are offended by opposing views are perhaps not yet ready to be at university”.

across the country and has even recently been the subject of government legislation designed to stop ‘extremist ideologies’ being propagated.

What has been lost from the debate on this issue is that if we as a society decide to place importance on defending the liberal value of free speech, both at home and internationally, then we must also be willing to accept the right of all people to have this right.

If we start attaching conditions to a right it becomes a privilege. At universities in particular, to deny extremist ideologies the right to be academically scrutinised and

understood is not only to do a disservice to the founding cause of universities but also to handicap ourselves in the fight against these views.

Extremism is not like a plant, you can’t lock it in a cupboard and wait for it to die.

Instead you must take these views into the open, exposing them to the glare of academic rigour.

If an idea is to be considered extreme then there should be nothing to fear from tackling it head on, rather than shielding ourselves from it and pushing to the margins where it can gain traction and percolate.

80

percentage of unis that % The censor the free speech of their students according to Spiked magazine

George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, could face legal action over his decision to freeze the student loan repayment rate, rather than keeping it in line with rises in inflation, a decision that has meant that a proportion of students could be more than £300 worse off every year after graduation.

Osborne froze the income level at which graduates start to repay their student loans at £21,000 in 2015, a decision which was written into the small print of the autumn statement and was not mentioned in his widely televised speech to the House of Commons.

When tuition fees rose in 2012, the £21,000 limit – above which students pay 9% of their annual earnings as a repayment of their student debt – was intended to increase in line with average wages from the year 2017.

However, given that the move will also reflect on retrospective students, those who took out loans from 2012 onwards, believing that the threshold would rise with wages, this freeze is set to benefit the Treasury by approximately £360 million every year after 2020, whereas graduates look set to be approximately £310 worse off every year.

The Treasury stated that the move was taken in an attempt to reduce government debt and ultimately reduce borrowing to zero, however, the Universities and College Union believe that the move will disenfranchise disadvantaged students and undermine any sense of trust in the higher education system and its methods of funding: “It will be a real financial blow to lower-earning graduates and… sends precisely the wrong message to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are understandably concerned about the rising cost of university”.

However, consumer champion and founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, Martin Lewis, has said that his legal team are investigating the possibility of legal action against the government. They claim that this move would, effectively, be a breach of a contract, thanks to terms being changed after a financial agreement has already been reached and signed for through Student Finance England loan body.

As far as Lewis is concerned “were the government a commercial company, they would not be allowed to do this… you don’t change terms after people have already signed a contract”. His approach to the potentially financially devastating new legislation has been welcomed by many across the academic sector; Lewis has received messages from many academics supporting his campaign and dozens of students have volunteered to stand either as test cases or witnesses should the matter come to court.

Thus far, the government seem to have dismissed the claims of injustice and the threat of legal action, going as far as suggesting that the legislation has been somewhat verified by the academic sector.

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills claimed that: “Graduate earnings have not risen as they were expected to and we consulted on the change with the sector and student organisations in the summer (2015)”.

12th January 2016

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News

Photo: Wikipedia, Wilson Dias

UK universities in “plagarism epidemic” Sam McKinty News editor An investigation by The Times has revealed close to 50,000 students have been caught cheating over the past three years, after submitting their academic work.

Of the 129 UK universities that formed a part of the investigation, the University of Kent was considered the worst university for student cheating - with 1,947 cases followed by the University of Westminster, which has 1,933 cases, and the University of East London, which clocked in 1,828 cases of student cheating.

The newspaper also found that students

categorised as international students -those studying at a UK university from outside the EU- were the worst offenders for cheating, with them being four times more likely to cheat in exams and coursework as their UK and EU counterparts, a series of freedom of information requests revealed.

In a statement to the Independent, the University of Kent said it used “robust systems” to detect anyone cheating whilst studying at the University, adding that it “will not tolerate academic misconduct”.

A freedom of information request seen made earlier this year asked for information to be released regarding the prevalence of student cheating at UEA. They requested figures from the past three academic years

about cheating in coursework and exams by ‘Home/EU’ students and ‘overseas’ students.

The request was denied on the grounds that the “cost of finding and assembling some of the requested information will exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450, which equates to 18 hours’ work”.

According to The Times, “type-one plagiarism” -direct, word-for-word copying of another person’s work without attributionis decreasing in prevalence because it is so easy to detect, something which students are aware of. But “type-two plagiarism”- the use of bespoke essay-writing service, is on the up.

Businesses such as these can charge hundreds of pounds for a variety of services,

ranging from proofreading and editing of essays through to the full writing of dissertations.

One of these services, Essays UK, advertises that it provides an undergraduate essay worth a 2:2 for £119, £135 for a 2:1, and £270 for a first.

One UEA student, who aksed not to be named, admitted to using such an essay writing service. They said that “It was really a last resort. I had two essays that I really put off and didn’t really know how to approach, saw an advert, and decided to go for it.”

UK Essays assures students that the bespoke quality of their essays means that “the service we offer is 100% legal, it won’t make you a cheat”.

12th January 2016

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News Norwich residents least lonely in UK

Migrant Solidarity Campaign “proud” of UEA’s Syrian scholarship intentions

Thomas Kish News reporter

Continued from front page year 2016-17”.

The Article 26 Campaign, started by the Helena Kennedy foundation, encourages universities to offer scholarships to asylumseeking students so that they may study at a higher education level. The campaign gets its name from Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that “higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit”.

At the time of going to print, Migrant Solidarity Campaign’s petition has been signed by 114 people. However, it appears that the petition is no longer required as a university spokesperson has exclusively revealed to Concrete that UEA already intends to create such scholarships. “Plans for Article 26 Scholarships are already in progress. We hope to offer a small number of scholarships specifically for refugees who live in Norfolk and we are working with a Norwich-based refugee agency to develop our plans”.

On 7th September last year, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, announced that the UK would resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees as a part of the government’s Syrian Vulnerable

5

The number of Article 26 scholarships that the Migrant Solidarity Campaign wants UEA to introduce.

Persons Relocation Scheme. The scheme has already seen 5,000 Syrian nationals granted asylum in this country since 2011.

However, there have been calls for the government to do more to help Syrians in need. Immediately after Cameron’s announcement, Labour’s then-Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, claimed that the government’s plan “did not go far enough”.

Responding to the news that UEA intends to introduce Article 26 scholarships, Sands said: “Article 26 scholarships are an important part of upholding the freedom of education in this country and I’ll be proud to be a part of a university which values access based on merit and not ability to pay.

“Article 26 scholarships don’t cover maintenance. Offering them to people in Norfolk is a wise move as it gives a student more opportunity for support; however, I hope this will be expanded to people from elsewhere at some point, as UEA is fast becoming a prestigious university which many would be grateful to attend”.

She went on to urge the university to have plans in place by the end of this week – that is, before the Ucas deadline for 201617 applications passes – so that Article 26 scholarships could be in place for potential students who wish to start studying in September. “It’s very important to me that UEA announce their plans in time for the Ucas deadline on Friday”, she said The univeristy has not yet clarified the exact details of its plans, nor has it stated how many Article 26 scholarships it intends to create, or indeed when such scholarships will be offered. The spokesperson said: “More details will be shared when [the plans] are finalised”.

Photo: Flickr, Josh Zakary

The petition Dear Professor David Richardson, I write to you in my capacity as president of UEA Migrant Solidarity Campaign about an important issue that has come to my attention. I urge you to please consider this matter as swiftly as possible and we would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss this with you further at a suitable time between 4th and 12th January.

Through my volunteering with the Norwich organisation New Routes, which helps to integrate refugees and asylum seekers into the local community, I became aware of the unfortunate situation many refugees of college and university age find themselves in. The complexity of the asylum process means that many families are left awaiting a decision or going through an appeals process for up to five years. During this time, asylum seekers are entitled to some benefits but are not allowed to work, and of relevance here is that the children of those families are not entitled to student finance and in some cases, depending on their asylum status, can even be charged as international students.

I also learned that this is not a hypothetical scenario, but that there are many people who find their access to higher education blocked even in a small city like Norwich. Naturally, this waiting period can be devastating to a young person’s life plans and academic growth.

However, I also learned of a project started by the Helena Kennedy foundation called the Article 26 Campaign which helps asylum seeking students overcome this obstacle to higher education. It does this by encouraging universities to offer Article 26 Awards or Scholarships to a small number of asylum seeking students each academic year. A list of universities offering these scholarships and far more useful information can be found on the Helena Kennedy Foundation website. (article26.hkf.org.uk/). UEA Migrant Solidarity campaign have been working to gather relevant resources which we can share upon your request. I was disappointed to find that UEA was not on the list.

Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is access to education, and it states that ‘higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit’. It seems to me to be clear that for many young people in the UK this is not the case. A family who are not allowed to work and must live on benefits cannot afford to pay for their child to go to university. During this time period, a hopeful student will find their human right of access to higher education on the basis of merit denied. I know that in this country and especially in our higher education institutions we like to think of ourselves as those who uphold human rights- unfortunately, while UEA does not offer access to the many students in this position who may want to study here, I believe it may be in violation of Article 26.

Many universities offer only one or two of these scholarships. UCL have been outstanding and have offered 6 scholarships after campaigning by students. UEA Migrant Solidarity Campaign committee urge you to please consider offering five of these scholarships for the academic year 2016-17. As UEA recruits more than 2,000 paying undergraduate students per year the financial implications of this will be of little concern to the university.

The implications, however, for upholding human rights and making UEA a progressive institution which accepts students on the basis of merit rather than income, will be widely felt, not least to those students who would love the opportunity to study here. I know personally of asylum seeking students in this area who would like to apply to UEA but cannot, simply because they cannot afford it.

Yours sincerely, UEA Migrant Solidarity Campaign

Research by the Co-op group has suggested that the residents of Norwich are the least lonely in the UK. The survey, carried out last month which questioned 2000 adults, found that 57% of Norwich residents never felt lonely. This runs in stark contrast with Bradford and Belfast, where just 37% of the residents questioned said they never felt lonely.

The findings come as the number of single-occupancy house-holds is on the rise, meaning that it’s highly like that people will face loneliness at some point in their lives.

Despite this, the research indicated that many people are not prepared to acknowledge the the issue of loneliness themselves, and, as a result, may not the the ability to deal with the issue on their own.

Speaking to the Eastern Daily Press, Richard Pennycook, the Co-op’s group chief executive, said “Whilst Norwich has fared well in our research, loneliness is a problem that does not discriminate”.

Mike Adamson, chief executive of the Brisish Red Cross, said that ““Loneliness is one of our biggest social issues, but gets little public attention. Our members overwhelmingly chose it as our campaign issue this year, illustrating how pervasive it is.”

1/3 of medicine students no longer wish to study medicine Elea Street News reporter An online poll conducted by online student forum The Student Room has revealed that 37% of medicine students polled on the website no longer wish to study medicine.

The survey, which was taken by 1,550 students, found that those studying medicine wished to end their studies as a result, of the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt’s, proposed changes to contracts.

The result of the poll comes in the wake of the news that the British Medical Association announced plans for junior doctors to take strike action across England on 12th January.

Jack Willington, Community Director at The Student Room, said that contract changes posed “one of the most significant challenges to the NHS we’ve seen in recent years”. He added that “While major budget cuts have had a direct impact on the NHS and its staff in the present, this latest cut threatens the lifeblood of the UK’s future medical workforce: students”.

November 2015 saw junior doctors vote by a huge majority to go on strike, with 98% voting in favour of strike action, and 99.4% of the doctors that said no saying they would take part in protests, short of a strike.

The strike will take place between 08:00 and 17:00 on the day of the strike.

12th January 2016

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News Pay gap: females graduates earn £8,000 less Joe Jameson Editor-in-Chief A report published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission at the end of December last year has found that on average, women graduates earn £8,000 pounds less than their male counterparts. These findings highlight the scale of the task still to be achieved over women’s equality in the workplace, even after 45 years since the Equal Pay Act came into force.

The commission’s report details how that female graduates are likely to receive a starting salary between £15,000 and £24,000, whilst male graduates are most likely to enter the workplace on salaries worth more than £24,000. On top of this the commission found that women make up the majority of the low paid workforce and that there are only very small numbers of women on high quality apprenticeships.

“Forty-five years after the Equal Pay Act was brought in to herald an end to gender pay inequality, our research provides clear evidence that the old economic and societal barriers are still prevalent for working women and overshadowing the prospects of our girls and young women yet to enter the workplace.”

Said Laura Carstensen, Chairperson of the EHRC. The report looks into the true nature of the gender pay gap and found that the worse disparities between male and female pay were in the legal industry, where women were often starting on £20,000 per annum, whilst men were offered starting wages of at least £28,000.

I

Photo: Flickr, Christopher Dombres The commission also found that there is an imbalance between the types of work which women and men are in, with part time work being more heavily dominated by women, with women especially over-represented on zero-hour contracts.

Ms. Carstensen, continued: “In today’s world women should not face these kinds of injustices, especially when data shows time after time girls and women are outperforming males at every stage in education.

Whilst looking at wages the report also investigated characteristics of the workplace which directly impacted women and negatively affected their employment prospects writing that women still face issues such as pregnancy discrimination, unfair dismissal, as well as verbal harassment.

“We cannot continue to accept that a woman embarking upon her working life can expect to be paid less because of her sex,” Carstensen added.

Ed Balls: Labour should have fixed funding for higher education Photo: Flickr, UNE Photos

Ucas chief exec: gender gap widening in higher education Sam McKinty News editor Mary Curnock Cook, the head of Ucas, has voiced concerns over the low proportion of boys gaining places in higher education compared with girls.

In a press conference, Curnock Cook said that “there is a deafening policy silence of the issue”. She added “Has the women’s movement now become so normalised that we cannot conceive of the needing to take the positive action to secure equal education outcomes for boys?”

Data released from UCAS in the past indicated that UK women are 35% more likely to to go to University than men, indicating that the gender gap has been “widening to a record level”.

Curnock Cook’s remarks came on the same that the Further Education Admissions Service released data on the numbers of men and women accepted onto 150 higher education degrees, which showed that there

COMMENT Meg Bradbury points out the absurdness of the graduate pay gap

was more women than men on two-thirds of University level courses. For courses starting in September and October 2015, women outnumbered men in 112 out of 180 subjects, with women appearing to leap ahead in number in courses including psychology (82%), social work (88%) and education (89%). It was nursing, however, that took first place for the most female dominated subject, with females accounting for 91% of those on the course.

In response to Curnock Cook’s comments, Dr Lee Elliot Major - chief executive of The Sutton Trust - described how the gender gap within education as “a tragic waste of talent with a significant economic cost”.

Males are, however, ahead of women in numbers when examining traditionally male dominated STEM subjects, including computer science and engineering. Caroline Jordan, president of the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA) said more needed to be done to inform girls about the careers and educational opportunities offered such fields.

Dan Falvey Editor-in-Chief The former Labour Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls has announced his frustration that the Labour Party was unable to “find a sustainable way forward for the financing of higher education”.

Speaking in an interview to the Times Higher Education, Balls argued that the present £9,000 tuition fees system is “random and unprincipled” way to fund universities.

Balls instead explained that he advocates a graduate tax as the best way to fund higher education and said that it was a “bit of a blot on Labour’s copybook” that they had not dealt with the issue of university funding when they were in power before 2010. Prior to becoming an MP in 2005 Ed Balls was Chief Economic Adviser to the Treasury since 1997.

Balls has long been a supporter of the introduction of a graduate tax and used his platform as a candidate in the Labour leadership campaign in 2010 to explain his opinion.

Recalling the leadership race he said: “The reason I was in favour of a graduate tax was I absolutely thought students should make a contribution, but I was very wary indeed of where allowing variable fees set by different institutions…would take us”.

In the lead up to the 2015 election, when Balls was Shadow Chancellor, the Labour party pledged to reduce tuition fees from

t’s 2016, 45 years after the original Equal Pay Act was introduced, and female graduates are still earning considerably less than their male counterparts. It’s difficult to say what’s more ridiculous: the fact that we’re still talking about this, or the fact that we’re often actively discouraged from talking about this. Last October, Jennifer Lawrence was bombarded by attention from the press after speaking out against the gender pay gap in Hollywood, and has since criticised herself for not wanting to raise her wages to higher those of her male co-stars out of fear of seeming “difficult” or “spoiled”. Why should a woman, any woman, discussing an issue that affects women everywhere, cause such a stir?

Historically, women have had to fight tooth and nail for the right to an education; in many countries, and in many cultures, the battle continues, as Malala Yousafzai is living proof of. The fact that, at the end of it, women still aren’t able to reap the rewards to the same extent that men do, regardless of whether the difference between the two is less apparent than it used to be, is nothing short of absurd.

It’s time for the government to seriously address the growing gender gap. £9,000 to £6,000:“We came up with some proposals before the election, which clearly didn’t win universal support”.

He continued: “They were never, ever presented as a solution. They were a step along the way.

“But you have to stand back and say: we need a system of higher education which really finances excellent institutions for the UK, which means that those students with talent go to universities to do what they want to do regardless of…affordability and [their] perception of affordability, and which is fair to the taxpayer.

“And you’d have to look at the current system – I don’t believe it’s succeeding on any of those fronts… the fact it’s so untransparent at the moment, I just think is very flawed”.

Ed Balls lost his seat in last May’s general election in what was widely considered the biggest constituency upset of the night. He has since then taken up a position as a visiting professorships at the Policy Institute at King’s College London and at Harvard. At the end of December last year it was also announced that he has taken on the role of Chairman at Norwich City Football Club in an unpaid capacity.

Tuition fees were first introduced at £9,000 under Tony Blair’s Labour party in 1998. They were then raised by Labour to an upper limit of £3,000 in 2003 before being tripled to £9,000 by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government in 2011.

Photo: Flickr, Plashing Vole

12th January 2016

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Student rents set to rise following increase in stamp duty Megan Baynes News reporter

Photo: geography.co.uk, David Hawood

Student accommodation has always been expensive, but now rent will be higher than ever before, due to the chancellor’s decision to include an extra three per cent stamp duty on buy-to-let properties. This extra cost will be transferred from landlords, to tenants.

Shelly Asquith, NUS director of welfare, described how students are already being “forced to live in poor conditions and pay soaring rents.” She went on to add: “So if extra costs from buy-to-let policies are passed on to tenants the situation will only worsen.”

“The problem is particularly bad in London, where students are facing the highest rents.” Currently, students in London pay twice as much as students in Wales, and £30 per week more on average than students in other regions.

The National Union of Students said, “Student accommodation currently takes up 95 per cent of the maximum amount of finance available for a student, which leaves them with an impossibly small amount of money to live on.”

News Many UEA students already feel the financial strain, and nationally, nearly two thirds of students work part time in order to fund their studies.

A survey conducted by insurance provider, Endsleigh, alongside the NUS found than the percentage of students who consider their student loan to be their main source of income has decreased from 73 per cent in 2012 to 60 per cent in 2013.

Director of AccommodationforStudents. com, Simon Thompson, told the Independent it is “difficult to predict” what will happen the market, but a real possibility is that the supply of the accommodation that students heavily rely on could potentially decrease in the wake of the new policy as “new entrants to the market may be deterred from investing.”

If supply decreases, it will mean more students are left with the financial burden of not being able to afford adequate accommodation.

However, the changes to stamp duty, which are due to come into place in 2017, are

95

%

The amount of a student’s finance the NUS claims student accommodation currently consumes

set to face a legal challenge. 250 landlords are set to work together to challenge the decision, claiming that they believe the increase in stamp duty is “unfair, undemocratic and underhanded [as well as] unlawful”.

Challcellor George Osborne has defended the stamp increase arguing that landlords are crowding out the market from buying multiple properties: “Frankly, people buying a home to let should not be squeezing out families who can’t afford a home to buy”.

12 January 2016

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Global

Obama attempts to tighten grip on gun control Beth Fisher Global writer Last week, President Obama pledged to use his right to Executive Order to enforce tighter gun legislation before he leaves office in January next year.

These controversial measures were decided upon following a meeting with US Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, on 4th January, and are fuelled by Obama’s desire to bypass Congress and widen background checks on those wishing to purchase firearms.

Following the meeting, the tearful President unveiled his plans to the world’s media. They include a Congressional investment of $500m (£339m) in mental healthcare, an increase in FBI forces to facilitate a 50% increase in firearm background checks, and for states to provide information on those disqualified from the right to the Second Amendment due to mental illness or domestic violence. It is likely that the President will elaborate further on these plans ahead of his annual State of the Union address, set for 12th January.

It is the Presidential right to the Executive Order that has given Obama the ability to bypass the usually grid locked,

“Gun control laws are the “greatest frustration” of [Obama’s] presidency” divided Congress; an Executive Order is a directive issued by the President, as head of the Executive branch, without any input from the judicial or legislative branches of government. Debates over the use of Executive Orders and their validity typically boil down to political bickering. The party that is out of the White House usually rails against them, but will often vote in favour of them when they return to power.

As could be expected, pervasive opposition to the new legislation has risen. A National Rifle Association (NRA) spokeswoman, Jennifer Baker, claimed “the President’s gun control agenda will only make it harder for law-abiding citizens to exercise their right to self-defence”. However, many argue that is the whole point, given that Obama’s plans have been prompted by

Global Editor, Caitlin Doherty, considers whether 2016 will be the year when the West rallies against ISIS As midnight approached across the globe on 31st December 2015, celebrations worldwide were somewhat interrupted by the widespread, fears of terrorism, a trend that seems set to continue into the New Year.

Celebrations in Brussels city that has been the focus of the world’s media since the November Paris attacks, were brought to an abrupt halt after three men were arrested on New Year’s Eve, suspected of planning an attack at midnight. Similarly, in

Photo: Flickr, The US Army an array of violent gun attacks, perhaps the most shocking of which was the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre in 2012, in which 20 children under the age of seven and seven teachers were killed. Those events led Obama to declare that “we have been through this too many times…we’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics”, a speech that many consider to have been one of his most powerful.

However, three years on and with the US still averaging more than one mass shooting per day, last July Obama admitted that gun control laws are the “greatest frustration of his Presidency, testifying, “The United States is the one advanced nation on earth in which we do not have sufficient, common-sense gun safety laws, even in the face of repeated mass killings”.

Candidate for the Republican presidential nomination Donald Trump has vowed to challenge Obama’s plan, explaining, “There’s an assault on the Second Amendment [and democracy]…the system’s supposed

to be you get the Democrats, you get the Republicans, and you make deals. He can’t do that…so he’s going to sign another Executive Order…I will veto”.

This pro-gun stance is seemingly inherent within the Republican party, and is echoed by other Republican presidential hopefuls.

In October 2015 Jeb Bush controversially dismissed the Umpqua Community College shooting, stating that “stuff happens, there’s always a crisis”. Meanwhile, Ben Carson has revealed he would “never advocate anything to interfere with Second Amendment rights”and likewise, Ted Cruz has commented on the “unconstitutional” nature of Obama’s actions.

In contrast, Hilary Clinton, like the majority of Democrats, supports gun control, believing that local police should be able to track gun information, that lawsuits against gun manufacturers concerning gun violence should be legal, and that assault weapons should be kept off the streets. A statement that has been made in the wake of the state of Texas legalising the open carriage of assault

weapons in public. Bernie Sanders has also spoken in favour of increased legislation, stating, “I think the vast majority of the American people…including gun owners… want sensible gun control legislation”.

However, in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting last month, which left fourteen dead, The Washington Post and ABC News conducted a poll and found that 53% of respondents opposed a ban on assault weapons. Equally, when asked which is the better reaction to terrorism, forty-seven per cent said encouraging more people to carry guns legally, while 42% preferred enacting stricter gun control laws. These results ultimately suggest that a slim majority favour the open American approach to firearms.

Even if, as is predicted by polls, the Democrats take office again, it is likely that Obama’s plans to expand background checks and ultimately restrict universal firearm ownership will be a focal point for Republican opposition and their presidential campaigns, whilst simultaneously further hindering the potential for cross-party alliances.

Paris, the traditional Eiffel Tower fireworks were substituted for a light show on the Avenue de Champs Elysees, both as a mark of respect towards those who lost their lives in France due to terror throughout 2015, and as a result of the intelligence from Brussels.

Armed forces were deployed in the German city of Munich – when many parties were already underway – on suspicion of an ‘imminent armed terrorist incident’; the city’s transport network was closed with immediate effect and many were forced to cancel their plans. Meanwhile, the NYPD carried out what has been described as their largest ever operation, policing the world famous Times Square Ball Drop in the wake of yet another arrest for terror planning offences, a popular tourist bar in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv was targeted by a loner gunman, and terror accusations flew around the internet and world’s media as one of Dubai’s biggest skyscrapers burned.

It seems as if this is something that should have been expected. The word ‘terror’ was hardly out of the headlines throughout 2015, the last 12 months have represented a shift in

the ways in which we, our governments and our armed forces approach this tentative, and increasingly widespread subject. Terror has become a part of everyday life across the globe; why should New Year’s Eve have been any different?

It should not come as much of a surprise, therefore, that several influential world figures used their Christmas or New Year messages to confront, condemn and challenge the growing terrorist threat and to stand defiant against its consequences.

However, in addition to the more obvious, violent impact ISIS’ actions it appears that politicians are bracing themselves for further humanitarian consequences and consequent political upheaval. Angela Merkel appealed to her country to welcome the approximate one million refugees that have entered Germany in the last twelve months. Warning against xenophobia and racism, she reiterated, “It is important that we do not allow ourselves to be divided”, urging Germans to view this population growth as “an opportunity for the future”.

It is not just when travelling to work or

when taking our holidays that we should be aware of the impact of this worldwide political situation; as the attacks increase and the headlines become more shocking, the involvement of everyday people within this political situation – one equivalent to that which would have previously been reserved for armed services and world leaders – will inevitably, concurrently increase. Perhaps 2016 should be approached with the words of France’s President Francois Hollande ringing in our ears: “Nous n’en avons pas terminé avec le terrorisme”. We are not finished with terrorism.

Photo: Jean-Marc Ayrault, Wikimedia.org

12 January 2016

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Global International coffee price to plummet As the second most traded commodity in the world after oil, the coffee industry is big business, however, due to unusual weather conditions, its price is falling.

In Brazil, the country that produces the largest proportion of the world’s coffee, a long rainy season has led to a surplus of the crop.

This has pushed commodity prices down as supply has rapidly outstripped demand.

The fall in value of the commodity has also been linked to the depreciation of the Brazilian exchange rate, which has dropped to a 12 year low. While this may be welcome to the consumer, it’s bad news for coffee farmers who now have to sell their product at a significantly lower price, and is of particular concern to many countries who rely heavily on the export of the beans as a major element of their economy.

It’s also uncertain as to whether major coffee retailers will pass on these savings, as the effect is yet to be seen in the price of a cup of coffee in high street cafés.

Natalie Froome

ROUNDUP

360

Islamic State militant executes own mother An Islamic State militant has publicly executed his own mother after she asked him to abandon the group and flee Syria, reports are suggesting.

Twenty-one year old Ali Saqr apparently shot his mother, forty-five year old Lena asQasem, at point-blank range outside the post office in the Islamic State strong hold of Raqqa, Syria, the de facto capital city of the group since mid 2013.

According to the UK based Syrian monitoring organisation, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and the activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, Lena told her son that she believed the US led coalition of air strikes against the militant group would ‘wipe out’ the militia,

and begged her son to flee the area with her.

Her son informed the leaders of the group of his mother’s comments, they then ordered her execution.

This is the latest in a series of a reported 2,000 Islamic State executions, the reasons for which range from homosexuality to the alleged practice of magic.

Caitlin Doherty China trading closed as Osborne doubts British economic safety The Chinese stock market was forced to suspend trading for two consecutive days with the implementation of it’s new ‘circuit breaker’ stock checking system which is supposed to stop share value falling below seven per cent. The uncertainty sent the global economic markets into turmoil.

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The mechanism has been in place since January 1st, and has so far been activated twice; on Thursday January 7th, it was activated within half an hour of trading, giving China their shortest trading day in more than twenty five years.

As a result of these shut downs, analysts have criticised the circuit breaker system as being counter productive, given that it has done more harm to both the Chinese and the w o r l d markets than good. As a result of these judgements, the Chinese authorities have decided to abandon the system.

This uncertain start to the New Year comes as George Osborne unveiled his latest predictions for the British economy.

He reiterated that the country should not consider itself out of economic trouble, despite a recent rise in nationwide employment and the upcoming rise in minimum wage, given that Britain still faces a “cocktail of economic threats” like international instability, such as that exhibited in China this week.

Angus McCain Photos Left: Flickr, FreeForUse, Above: Wikimedia: M. Holland Graphic: Wikimedia, US government

Features Martin Luther King day 12th January 2016

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So, what went down in 2015? >>Page 11

Zhou Miaoruo examines the history behnd Martin Luther King Day and discusses how far the world has really come regarding issues of race

W

e might just be easily startled by the thought of racism and how it has clung to the question of humanity over hundreds of years – no less when we are reminded of it again on the 30th Martin Luther King Jr Day – which takes place this year.

On 19th January, in America and all over the world, children will celebrate in schools, commemorating this remarkable historical figure and the contributionshe made to the American civil rights movement. Martin Luther King considered a figurehead of racial justice, and is a controversial legend who is much remembered for his persisting faith.

On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King gave his famous I Have a Dream speech. It was a declaration that marked the history of African-Americans and shook the nation’s foundations on the notion of equality. On that day, around 250,000 people came to stand before the Lincoln Memorial to listen to a declaration of their freedom and equality that echoed the Gettysberg Address, delivered 100 years previously by a similarly revered national leader.

As a black American himself, King was dedicated with undeviating faith to fighting for the civil rights of black people, and freeing them from social discrimination. He was jailed for his convictions and yet pursued his goal unyieldingly. He united the black community through churches and led his people to openly protest against government oppression and police brutality. All this he did in a pacifist manner. For some, he was a heroic and principled leader; yet for others, his peaceful, non-aggressive methods of protest showed him to be an undecided character exercising comparatively feeble leadership.

“I have a dream that one day.. we hold those truth to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”, King solemnly declared. His speech expressed his desperate agitations against the discrimination against AfricanAmericans in American society: they were systematically oppressed by unjust – later found to be unconstitutional – legal systems.

His speech was one of indignation and passion, which was and is seen as fighting back against social segregation. Segregation of black and white people on public transport was a common practice in the South, and was one that rendered African-Americans secondclass citizens.

King called for a notion of awakening: “We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their adulthood and robbed of their dignity – and now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children!” It is a declaration that required freedom in both actions and minds.

The impact of King’s speech and actions was profound. The year after saw the passage

of the Civil Rights Act, which brought about the end of public racial segregation of black and white people. Subsequently, the Voting Rights Act brought in measures to prevent racial discrimination in elections. Up until today, nations all over the world have chosen to advance King’s dream of racial equality, opening up many new homes for thousands of immigrants.

Does it then mean racism is at a thing of the past? Or is the bank of justice still labelled “insufficient funds” in modern world?

This speech, though admired by many today, is likewise woefully ignored by some who may believe that time has washed away the validity of its rightful claims. Needless to say, black minorities suffer from less physical brutality today than in the early 20th century, but exploitation and oppression carry on in different social forms. According to the US Justice Department, 80% of those death penalty in 2000 were black. In 2013, 13.4% of black people were unemployed, compared to just 6.7% of white people. The New York Times also reported that black minorities unfairly receive poorer health care in medical institutions, though they pay the same amount for medication. These figures show us that racism and racial inequality still remain fatal issues today.

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ut does racism merely exist in such straghtforward terms? Or is it more complex? Racism can be seen not only as a biological, but as a cultural issue. In the first instance, media representations of minorities tend to portray black communities as the baddies: as street guys and criminal gangsters. This is bad enough, but it then becomes more confrontational when racism occurs in real life. The Rodney King story tells us thatsuch real-life conditions still affect many African-Americans today: a black man being beaten by four Los Angeles police officers, who stated they feared that “they might have been attacked or harmed [by him]”. This accusation, which might have stemmed only from a groundless cultural assumption, manifests itself as a relentless present phenomenon of racial discrimination.

It is perhaps difficult to counter the issue of racism even in our ordinary lives, for example, when last year UEA union officials banned students wearing sombreros, who meant to celebrate the Mexican culture. The wearing of sombreros was accused of promoting a “racial stereotype” that risked offending Mexican students. As a result, wider concerns were raised around whether the distinction of a culture can or should be considered racially offensive.

The celebration of Martin Luther King Day is therefore a vital reminder of how we should treat people who are racially and culturally different from ourselves. Overall, though racism and varied racial prejudices might always exist in varied forms, the important thing to remember is – as most of us have been taught since childhood – not to judge someone by their appearance, social or cultural background, or even to make unconscious assumptions based on these, before getting to know them as individuals, We must not judge people on the “colour of their skin” but on the “content of their characters”. Then we might be able to face the racial issues more honestly.

2015 12

Features

D

efined by a long-awaited Star Wars sequel and going for a cheeky Nandos, 2015 was year of exciting new releases in music and film and hysterically relatable lexical trends. But it wasn’t all Justin Bieber and Netflix and chill: 2015 was also a year characterised by political turmoil, war and heightened fear of global warming. News of terror and destruction dominated the media, seemingly without a day off. With the good, bad, and the downright ugly, I’ve taken a look back at what I think defined 2015.

for many reasons, we should not forget the positive news stories and the societal developments that have been made. In June, same-sex marriage was finally legalised nationwide by the US Supreme Court. Barack Obama referred to it as a “victory for America”; and minutes after the decision was announced, couples were lining up in the state of Georgia in order to be wed. Later on in the year the Republic of Ireland also legalised gay marriage, becoming the first country to do so through popular voting.

Politics

Environment

2015 also bought with it a general election, and saw David Cameron re-elected with a majority Conservative government, winning 331 seats to Labour’s 232. Anti-austerity protesters stormed the streets of central London against the Prime Minister’s re-election, and we saw dispute over the fairness and accuracy of the UK’s voting process being based on seats and not votes. We subsequently witnessed the resignation of Ed Miliband – much to the disgust of teenage girls of the #Milifandom – and, later, the election of new Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

Also last year, we witnessed the worsening of the refugee crisis, as many families were forced to flee the war-torn Middle East. Not long after his re-election, Cameron announced that the UK would accept up to 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020, whilst France announced that it would welcome 24,000 over just two years.

More attention was later brought to the welfare of Syrians as the media showed increasing activity of Islamic State (Isis).

On the 13th November, the reality of the extremist group was bought to the Western world when a series of terror attacks took place in Paris. The most deadly attack on France since the Second World War, Isis gunmen left 130 people dead, 89 of whom were shot at the concert of American rock band Eagles of Death Metal at the famous Bataclan Theatre. Despite the terror, the attacks united the world, with famous landmarks lighting up in the colours of the French flag. Eagles of Death Metal, who survived the attacks, have since announced their Play It Forward campaign, a plea for musicians of all genres to cover their song I Love You All The Time to express unity and solidarity, with all proceeds going towards the victims.

Although we can look back at 2015 as a year of devastation

Another year, and the news presents us with further reasons to fear the imminent threat of global warming. Towards the end of 2015 we witnessed the start of severe flooding in Cumbria and parts of Yorkshire, devastating homes and local communities, resulting in tens of millions of pounds’ worth of damage, as well as heart-rending fatalities. But there were many other natural disasters around the world.

In April, Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, was hit by a deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake, killing thousands of citizens and injuring thousands more.

With many environmental disasters considered as a direct result of global warming, December’s Paris climate change conference was much anticipated, with the agreement on global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in an attempt to limit worldwide temperature increase to below 2°C. No doubt the topic of climate change, and further discussion on how we can reduce our carbon footprint, will continue to be a key media talking-point throughout 2016.

12th January 2016

A look back a

As we venture into 2016, Fe Mortimer looks back on all the general election to Hotl

Popular culture In 2015, for reasons beyond our comprehension, we carried on Keeping up with the Kardashians, and in doing so the world joined Kylie Jenner as she bought herself a $2.7m property, and received a Ferrari for her 18th birthday. Casual. Drake release his hugely popular music video for his hit Hotline Bling, featuring some dad dancing, allowing for a whole new trend in social media with the creation of hilariously mocking spoof Vines. Last year was a year of cheeky Nandos, and later

Supreme Court: Flickr, Ted Eytan; Adele: Flickr, Ben Houdijk; Carr thecomeupshow; Nandos sign: Flickr, Mr.TinDC; Jeremy Corbyn: F

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12th January 2016

Features

at news, politics and popular culture

eatures editor Alice l things 2015, from line Bling

rie Fisher: Wikimedia, Riccardo Ghilardi; Drake: Wikimedia, Flickr, Chris Beckett; Paris, Agencia Brasil, Kinoko Kokonotsu

The phenomenon of the new year’s resolution Alice Spencer examines the origins of the New Year’s resolution, and whether they make us change our habits or simply promote a culture of false promises

H

ere we find ourselves again in the bleakest time of the year: the post Christmas period. Once again our tendency to overindulge is regretfully brought to our attention by the realisation on 1st January that the new semester starts in just under two weeks; that the past few weeks of partying with old friends hasn’t launched us into a permanent time warp where the days of the week merge into one another; and that we should probably start revising for the exams that are going ahead whether Santa brought us a Netflix subscription or not. With the third Monday of January said to be the most depressing day of the year, many of us go into the New Year with a gung-ho determination to improve ourselfs. For the first two weeks anyway.

The fact remains that, despite our numerous angsty, 2015-hating Instagram posts, it is almost guaranteed that by the time this article is published many of our pledges for 2016 will already have been broken. With a recent YouGov Poll revealing that 66% of us admit to breaking a New Year’s resolution within a month, do New Year’s resolutions really make us change?

Commonly described as a product of American fad culture, New Year’s resolutions in fact date back to the Babylonians some 4,000 years ago. In a bid to bring good favour for the coming year, the Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of their 11-day New Year’s festival, vowing to repay their debts. Although the advent of the on in the evening, invitations for Netflix and chill. Our eye brows were on fleek, group photos were simply #SquadGoals, and for the first time ever, an emoji made word of the year.

Music Hello… it’s Adele, returning for a third album and breaking pretty much every record that there is to break. Her comeback saw her single, Hello, smashed records for the most Spotify streams globally in a week, and her album, 25, was the fastingselling release of 2015. The Tottenham-born soul singer also announced a UK and European tour for this year, her first since 2011. Surprisingly, though, there was debatably competition for the title of the year’s most successful artist, of the blondehaired, tattooed kind…

Who would have thought 2015 would be the year of the Belieber? With number one singles What Do You Mean, Sorry and Love Yourself, Canadian singer Justin Bieber went from strength-to-strength last year, converting your hipster boyfriend into a hard-core Belieber, and breaking chart records for the most ever simultaneous entries in the UK top 40: eight tracks from Purpose, the pop artist’s fourth studio album. A favourite for Christmas number one, the 21-year-old gave us even more of a reason to give in to our guilty pleasure with his heartfelt Twitter appeal for the public to get behind the NHS Choir’s charity single, also in the runnings. With their track A Bridge Over You, the choir made up of working NHS staff deservedly won the title of UK Christmas number one. But Bieber? I think he may have just won 2015.

For those of you just too cool to give in to give in to the brown-eyed boy whose first hit was titled Baby (vomits), the end of last year bought better news for music. At 12:01 on Christmas Eve, The Beatles finally became available for listening on a wide range of streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music and Google Play. After publishers initially denied the availability of the band’s catalogue to such services due to worry of potential damage of reissue sales, it was eventually decided that making it available to stream was vital in a modern industry where streaming is a highly significant part of the listening experience. It is thought that the availability of The Beatles’ music on such services will protect their legacy, allowing younger listeners to discover the original rock n’ roll. Long live the Fab Four!

New Year has now been marked in January since the reign of Julius Caesar, even in 2016 the wishes of the Babylonians are depressingly familiar.

Many of us still promise ourselves that we will be better with spending and borrowing money. It perhaps says a lot about our society, however, that even these goals of financial soundness are secondary to our desire for the “perfect” body.

Of course, it seems only natural that feeling guilty about the overeating customary of the Christmas period is alleviated by promising to be healthier in the New Year. January, more than any other month, sees the biggest increase in gym memberships, with YouGov reporting 35% of respondents said they planned to lose weight, compared to just 14% vowing to see more of friends and family.

While a resolution to be healthier is all well and good, psychologists have suggested that this focus on promoting ourselves, more often than not aspiring to unrealistic goals leaves us more likely to fail, so setting a pattern of negativity for the rest of the year. However, while a few weeks of overeating is not likely to be rectified in a few days, that is not to say New Year’s resolutions are totally without merit.

The key sentiment is that of self-improvement – but why does this have to wait until 1st January? Good intentions can reap benefits all year round; a ‘new’ you doesn’t have to wait for a single day of the year. Success comes from determination, and this persists after the first few weeks of January.

Sport The past year was a truly exciting one for sports fans. For us Brits, Lewis Hamilton won the Formula One World Championship, and Andy Murray won Sports Personality of the Year following his victory with Team GB in the Davis Cup. In football, we saw big names in ex-players put their skill and fame to positive use with a charity match. Driven by David Beckham, the match was designed to raise funds for Unicef, the world’s largest charity for children Football was also the winner last year when Fifa’s Women’s World Cup saw record-breaking viewing figures, topping 750 million viewers. Broadcasters greatly increased their coverage, showing 31% more than in 2011. Fifa’s flagship competition resulted in 2015 being a breakthrough year for women’s football, and a big step towards gender-equality in sport.

Towards the end of the year, Premiership football saw Leicester Football Club rise to the top the league table, the previous year maintaining a space firmly at the bottom, whilst previously successful Chelsea Football Club saw the sacking of their manager of two consecutive years, José Mourinho.

Film For film, the year of 2015 was all about Star Wars hype. The first of a long-anticipated sequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was released in the UK on 17th December, and grossed a figure of $1,228,349,526 worldwide by the 30th, breaking records in the US for the highest-grossing film of all time. Also big in film in 2015 was the release of the 24th James Bond film. Spectre, the direct sequel to 2012’s Skyfall, featuring the fourth performance of Daniel Craig in the role, grossed over 800 million worldwide.

When it came to award season, Alejandro Iñárritu’s Birdman walked away with the highly sought after Best Picture Oscar. The film told the story of former cinema superhero Riggan Thomson, played by Michael Keaton, putting on a Broadway production in pursuit of critical acclaim. This year we’re set for even more cinematic excitement with the expected release of films such as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Finding Dory, the sequel to kids favourite Finding Nemo.

12th January 2016

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Features

Politicians: often ridiculous, not always a joke B

Charlie Dwyer discusses the dangers of dismissing potentially powerful politicians as ridiculous

roadly speaking, it is fair to say that the defining theme of democratic politics in 2015 was that of protest. From the decisive victory won by Alexis Tsipras’s hardleft Syriza party in Greece and the four million votes accrued by Nigel Farage’s Ukip in the UK general election, to the enormous grassroots support generated by pro-Jeremy Corbyn campaign, voters across the Western world have been reliably throwing their support behind any candidate bold enough to decry the failures of the entrenched political classes.

Naturally, the over-arching anti-establishment movement is deeply divided along the lines of political ideology, but this does not change the fact that, for the first time in many years, the guardians of the status quo are facing a serious threat to their monopoly over matters of the state.

Nowhere is this phenomenon more apparent than in the US, where the process of selecting presidential candidates for the 2016 election is in full swing. At the liberal end of the spectrum, independent senator and self-proclaimed democratic socialist Bernie Sanders has shaken up a race for the Democratic nomination, which many predicted would be nothing more than the coronation of establishment favourite, Hilary Clinton. Sanders has rallied thousands of embittered Americans to his cause with a strong, coherent vision of a political system free from the influence of moneyed interests, a strengthened welfare state, financial institutions held in check by robust regulatory bodies, and harsher taxation. Across the aisle, however, we find a farcically overcrowded platform on which many of the Republican candidates appear, at least to the outsider, to be engaging in their own private competition in determining who can make the most outrageously backward and, in many cases, untrue statements on topics ranging from foreign policy and economics to women’s reproductive rights.

The centrepiece of this perfect caricature of modern US politics is Donald J Trump, business magnate and inflammateur-in-chief: a man who has variously delivered a borderline

was realistic to suggest that Trump’s success was down to an American attraction to the ‘bad boy’, the rogue candidate more likely to troll his opponents on Twitter than engage them in serious debate. And we must now accept

“The spread of harmful ideas is not the most serious threat these politicians pose” that the arguably bigoted, anti-humanitarian agenda he pedals appears to resonate with a sizable percentage of the population.

It should also be recognised that Trump is not a lone voice in western politics – far from it. The Netherlands’ Geert Wilders, Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Paul Golding of Britain First, to name a few, all belong to a new wave of rightwing populism, and all have gained support in the same way Trump has.

D

Photo: Wikimedia, Gage Skidmore anti-Semitic speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition – “I’m a negotiator... like you folks!” – seemingly implied that Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly’s rebuke of his more misogynistic comments was the result of PMS and, perhaps most famously, written off the majority of Mexican immigrants as “criminals, drug dealers and rapists”. And this man is the runaway leader of the race.

Photo: Wikimedia, Diliff.

It may be tempting, as many pundits did in the earlier months of his campaign, to write off Trump as nothing more than a clown, with the primary aim of raising his public profile.

Or, as some have suggested, to sabotage the Republican nominations and allow his old friends the Clintons to reclaim the presidency.

But to do so at this stage would be unwise. We have long since passed the point at which it

oes the popularity of such figures simply reveal the unfortunate prevalence of racism and xenophobia in our supposedly progressive, enlightened society? In all likelihood, yes. However, as damaging as their views may be, the spread of harmful ideas is not the most serious threat these politicians pose. The real danger lies in the fact that the grievances Trump and his fellow demagogues seek to exploit are very much real. But by directing the people’s anger towards immigrants, minorities, welfare claimants and the other marginal groups currently under fire, the pressure is taken off those truly responsible: the vast, nebulous institutions of neoliberalism to which our governments, through the power of capital, are hopelessly in thrall. It is encouraging to see that people are frustrated enough to break out of their disaffected stupor and rally around charismatic speakers articulating an anti-establishment message. We now need to ensure that those speakers who would attack the true perpetrators gain more attention than buffoons like Trump.

When one man’s terrorist becomes another’s freedom fighter Caitlin Doherty discusses reluctance to label acts as terrorism and what the word really means

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nce more, the political battleground is tense: populated by representatives of opposing ideals, the world wonders whether any form of solution will ever be agreed. The backdrop in question here is not the Palace of Westminster, the Oval Office or the Assemblé Nationale, but a small, snowcovered farmstead in the western American state of Oregon. At the time of writing, an armed militia calling themselves the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom – formed mainly of white, middle-class, conservative men – have been in control of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for almost a week. They are threatening the US government with war, claiming that a “federal tyranny” currently exerts too much control over the “private business affairs” of US citizens.

The owners of the wildlife range, and friends of many in the militia face five years in jail, having burned a large portion of protected land in a suspected attempt to conceal poaching.

A group of heavily armed, media-literate

men are threatening war with the United States government, yet the world’s media is doing all they can to avoid labelling them as terrorists. Barack Obama, the man who is apparently under the greatest threat, even refused to use the loaded term, referring to the incident as “a local law enforcement matter”.

So when exactly does one man’s freedom fighter become another man’s terrorist?

Terrorist is a word that has been bouncing around in American conversation rather frequently in recent years. This is unsurprising, really, given that America can be described as the “birthplace” of 21st century terrorism – the Twin Towers falling upon New York will surely be remembered as a defining moment of the century – however, researchers at the Los Angeles Times have suggested why politicians may be so reluctant to use the term this time around.

Despite vocal protests on social media, this act does not qualify as terrorism because, in academic terms in any case, the term refers to “acts of indiscriminate violence directed at

civilians or non-hostile personnel” – that is, an act of violence toward a normal person unable to fight back, or who is otherwise unprepared for attack. Therefore, given that the president is not a civilian – he is the commander in chief of the entire US military – this is not an act of terror. Whilst the seemingly random assassination of 130 people in Paris last November, or the events of 9/11 easily qualify as terrorism, this occupation of a rural, otherwise unoccupied building, without the taking of hostages, and without active fire or other forms of violence, does not qualify. it is an easy enough concept to understand and one that explains this week’s press reaction.

I have questioned when one man’s terrorist becomes another man’s freedom fighter, but maybe I should be questioning when one man’s civilian becomes another man’s reasonable target? Is it when he is an African-American member of a Southern Church? Is it when he is a six year old child in his kindergarten class? Or is it when he is the President of the United States of America?

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12th January 2016

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Comment

Nicky Morgan has failed to understand the role schools play in safeguarding their students Meg Bradbury

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t appears the Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, in her quest to misunderstand almost every aspect of the British school system, has taken a further step into the absurd. As a part of her latest plans, new measures are to be introduced that would require schools in England to set up online filters and monitor their pupils’ internet use, in order to protect them from radicalisation.

Concerns have been raised about the potential for students to be contacted by extremists via school computers; this follows several incidents last year of British school children either travelling to, or attempting to travel to, Syria – although the head teacher of Bethnal Green Academy, one of the institutes involved, has said there is no evidence the pupils were contacted whilst at school. Many schools already have systems in place to monitor and filter students’ online activity; however, the Department for Education has said the new guidelines are designed to strengthen the requirements, along with tackling other internet-related issues such as cyber-bullying and pornography.

This, in theory, sounds like a change for the better. Nonetheless, it has the unfortunate side effect of demonstrating just how out of touch Morgan is with the realities of running a school. As the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has highlighted, schools are “doing many of these things anyway”; Morgan has underestimated the role played by the filters already in place. I once had a search blocked at school when I was looking up pictures of oranges for a food tech project. A friend of mine was dragged into our deputy head’s office and accused of cyber-bullying because she’d used the word “murder” whilst writing a news report in an English lesson. Clearly, the requirements do not need strengthening. The idea of anyone being able to access Isis propaganda on their school computers is, frankly, laughable: where do they think they are – the University of East Anglia?

I’ll admit, I’m being facetious. The primary concern being targetted in these measures is with pupils being exposed to extremist views via social media. This seems perfectly reasonable, until you consider that when schools are setting up their internet filters, Facebook, Twitter and the like are almost certainly going to be the first sites they block. Quite apart from anything else, surely students are far more likely to be accessing social media on their phones than risking the clunky, built-sometime-in-the-1990s school machines, in constant fear of the librarian breathing down their necks.

This, really, is the crux of the issue. Sally Bates, the chair of policy for the NAHT, has argued that whilst schools may need to “rethink” the way they deal with technology, the government equally needs to be adopting a wider approach to internet safety, in order to safeguard pupils outside as well as inside school. The measures probably won’t do any harm, but they fail to take into account the practicalities, and thus their effectiveness will likely be negligible. If Morgan wants to protect students from radicalisation, then focusing her attention on something that was never happening to begin with isn’t the place to start.

Lillie Coles questions whether the reputation of Oxbridge is driving away state school pupils

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hey’ve written their personal statements; endured the nail-biting wait for a response; been through the gruelling interview process. Now, the results are almost in. It’s the time of year where students who have applied to Oxford or Cambridge find out if they’ve secured an offer – and two years ago, I was one of them. I made it through to the interview stages, only to find myself sat in a room full of people I could never compete with – I was just a normal student from an East London comprehensive – and feeling like everyone could tell. Safe to say, I didn’t get an offer.

Fewer than 1% of students in my year at school were successful in securing places at Oxbridge. Meanwhile, the prestigious Eton College sends roughly 30% of its final-year pupils to Oxbridge every year. Across the board, this deep-rooted inequality is apparent in the ratio between state and private school students. A recent report by the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission has heavily criticised both universities for failing to improve state school access, requiring Oxford and Cambridge to increase their intake of state school pupils by 24% and 18% respectively. Certain colleges, such as Oxford’s Christchurch College, offer fewer than 50% of their places to state school pupils; David Cameron has admitted that the lack of diversity among students at his former university (Brasenose College, Oxford) was

“disgraceful”. This evident lack of social mobility at Oxbridge proves more needs to be done to make these top institutions accessible for non-private school students.

While Oxbridge degrees are no doubt impressive, there is more to intelligence than mere academia. It is therefore unfair to base someone’s suitability for Oxbridge on their background. If someone has not been presented with the same opportunities readily available to those who have been privately educated, then is it really possibly to determine their intelligence from an application form and an interview? Even successful state school applicants are not always welcomed, with stories of classist bullying rife at Oxbridge.

This leads me to question whether the reputation of Oxbridge and its students is driving away less-wealthy or state school applicants. The Oxbridge alumni list of politicians, writers, scientists and mathematicians can seem daunting to even the most confident person. I was intimidated by the entire experience of my application process, to the point that I’m glad I didn’t get an offer.

With people from more varied backgrounds completing higher education, and hefty tuition fees for all, Oxbridge’s topof-the-food-chain status needs to be broken down, and it needs to be more accessible and accepting towards state school students. We

are all paying for our education at a range of institutions, which are no doubt equally as stimulating as Oxbridge, as well as offering courses in other areas, including creative and vocational fields. The Russell Group label is slowly losing its prestige, as upand-coming universities, including our own beloved UEA, storm the leader boards for student satisfaction, beating both Oxford and Cambridge in the Complete University Guide 2016.

Surely this says something about the university experience and how it is evolving?

Studying at a diverse and welcoming university better facilitates learning. This is why Oxford and Cambridge are under such pressure to expand their intake; intelligence should be welcomed at every institution, without exclusivity or condescension, and especially as universities begin to welcome more students across the board.

These statistics prove that Oxbridge is falling behind in several aspects. Although its academic power cannot be disputed, the experience of its students is rivalled by UEA. This focus on Oxbridge and social mobility is necessary, because university is no longer exclusively for the top 1%. More and more people are succeeding in education, and it is vital that students from state schools are included in this.

Illustration: Dougie Dodds

Campaigns for equal pay need to recognise all forms of discrimination as equally valid Grace Gurbutt

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t has now been 45 years since the implementation of the Sex Discrimination and Equal Pay Acts. These acts were described at the time as "radical legislation" with a "far-reaching" impact, yet it would seem that expectation has fallen short of reality.

Currently, the gender pay gap is estimated to be around 9.4% for full-time workers, rising to 19.2% for those in part-time employment.

Nonetheless, it is possible to argue that whilst there are some elements of the acts in need of improvement, they have been somewhat successful in protecting women from discrimination at work and beyond. Taking this into account, is the continued focus on gender discrimination worthwhile? Or should we spending more time on what some would consider more pressing civil rights concerns, including racial discrimination, disability discrimination, and discrimination on the basis of sexuality or gender identity?

Although there have been improvements, most would agree the gender pay gap warrants continued concern regarding gender discrimination. Indeed, for many, the existence of such a disparity in 2016 is met with a degree of confusion. How is it that campaign groups such as the Fawcett Society

are predicting it will be another 50 years until women are paid the same as men? Why is it that, even though the acts of 45 years ago made it illegal, women are still being paid less than men for equivalent work? Surely, closing the gender pay gap is just a case of sanctioning the employers who fail to pay their female staff the correct wage, leaving the rest of us to advance down the golden path of female empowerment?

The fact is, the gender pay gap, and sex discrimination itself, are considerably more nuanced. For example, recent statistics on the earnings of young, female workers could be seen to virtually negate the gender pay gap; according to findings by the Press Association, women between the ages of 22 and 29 earn on average £1,111 more per year than their male counterparts. Yet despite this encouraging statistic, the trend rapidly reverses when a woman reaches the age of 30.

The Fawcett Society have suggested maternity is one significant contributor to this; once women return to work post-pregnancy, they are more likely to take part time opportunities with lower pay and fewer prospects, to allow for childcare responsibilities. There are also issues relating to maternity that act as wider

evidence of gender discrimination in the workplace, including women being excluded from bonuses whilst on maternity leave, or finding, upon returning to work, that less skilled male colleagues have been awarded promotions. This bleak picture of female empowerment in 2016 is exacerbated by the statistics for unlawful dismissal. The Fawcett Society estimates 54,000 women each year are forced to leave their jobs after having a child.

Clearly, there is a need to continue tackling gender discrimination. However, this is not to say we cannot combat other types of discrimination through these campaigns. An intersectional approach to activism would help to dissipate the exclusivity sometimes prevalent in such movements, thereby making them accessible to people other than cis, heterosexual, able-bodied white women. Through this approach, we could judge all types of discrimination as being equally valid, and refrain from judging one type of discrimination to be more important than another. We need to stand together to overcome all types of discrimination. We cannot be discriminatory in our challenging of discrimination.

12th January 2016

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Comment

Documents released from the National Archive show that progress is slowly winning Thomas Gymer

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Photo: Wikimedia, Rose and Trev Clough

James Chesson examines why the flooding in northern England won’t be enough to change government policy on global warming

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orget the elephant, there’s a mammoth in the room, and it’s terrorising northern England. Global warming has been a major – though largely unrecognised – factor in the floods that have crippled our country over the Christmas period. It is easy to think of climate change as a far-off problem we won’t have to worry about for years to come; all the talk of protecting the world for our children and our children’s children has distracted us from the fact that it is already happening.

Global temperatures are now one degree higher than pre-industrial levels, which is halfway to the two degree rise predicted to cause even more serious damage. The milestone of that one degree rise has coincided with a much more severe version of the El Niño climate phenomenon, as well as Britain’s first named storms, Abigail and Frank, which have brought about the horrendous flooding this winter.

Global warming and our visibly changing climate are unavoidably linked, but you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise, considering the political reaction to the flooding. Incredibly, some political figures, including Ukip’s Nigel Farage, have blamed the foreign aid budget, and argued that the money should be invested at home rather than helping desperate people abroad, effectively ignoring the real problem.

Climate change is hardly a new, radical concept. There is almost universal consensus amongst the scientific community that humaninfluenced warming is happening now, and as a direct result of our continually excessive emissions. 2016 marks the tenth anniversary of Al Gore’s famous documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, which firmly established

the issue in political conversation, yet we have failed to act since, largely because global warming is indeed “an inconvenient truth”.

The laughable claim of the coalition government being the “greenest ever” has proven to be utterly false. The Green Investment Bank was created to set aside funding for projects to combat global warming – until the government sold it to private investors. The solar industry was close to being able to survive without subsidies when the Conservatives ripped them away, crippling a vital source of renewable energy

“Cameron recognises that global warming is happening, but he refuses to do anything about it” in the process. The government would rather settle for hydraulic fracking, and the risks that accompany it, than invest in safer, cleaner and more progressive sources.

Cameron recognises that global warming is happening, and that it is a problem, but he refuses to do anything about it, because he is still at the mercy of the oil companies.

Our failure to move on from fossil fuels is gradually killing the planet, but it remains a highly profitable industry, and so is allowed to continue; oil is such a valuable commodity that some are prepared to buy it from Isis, without a thought as to what they might do with the money. Yet switching from fossil fuels is an ideologically impossible option for the Conservatives. It requires a serious amount of public investment and patience,

which is unlikely to be found in a government that prioritises short term financial gain over long term planning. Private companies cannot properly get started with renewable energy without subsidies; incidentally, fossil fuel industries continue to receive subsidies, despite their enormous dominance.

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t would be nice to think that having half of the country forced to swim back to work would be enough to impress upon Cameron the urgency of the issue.

Unfortunately, it probably won’t. Public pressure on the government is the only way we are going to see any real action, and for that to happen, the public needs to care more.

The time has come to improve the narrative around global warming. This can no longer be viewed as a debate. Given the scale of the flooding, it must be recognised as a crisis that is happening now, and will only get worse if we fail to act.

The best way to expand on the global warming narrative is to focus on the positives.

Obviously, there is nothing good about the catastrophes caused by climate change, but there is plenty of potential when it comes to our response. A thriving renewables industry would provide us with the security of energy sources that will outlast the human race, removing the fear of the inevitable exhaustion of fossil fuel reserves. Our cities will become less polluted; our country will be safer from the threat of flooding, and vulnerable parts of the planet will remain habitable, providing stability for families across the world. The flooding of Christmas 2015 might be an early sign of a coming apocalypse, but it can inspire us to create a better world.

t the end of every year, certain government documents are released to the public: documents which have previously been kept in the National Archives, to be made available after 30 years have passed. Two documents relased at the end of 2015, dating from Margaret Thatcher’s time in Downing Street, have caused a particular stir.

The first is a memo, sent by Oliver Letwin (currently a member of the Cabinet, then a Downing Street aide) to Thatcher regarding riots in Britain. In this memo, Letwin argued that white people who lived in areas of deprivation had not rioted, and that plans by the Conservative Lord Young to encourage black entrepreneurs would cause them to set up in the “disco and drug trade”. The second document revealed Thatcher’s initial opposition to an Aids awareness campaign, citing fears that its references to sex, and in particular anal sex, would cause offense, and that “adverts where every young person will read and hear of practices they never knew about will do harm”. Thatcher later agreed on the campaign referring to anal sex, but less than in the original plans.

It is important to consider both of these revelations; examining how a government has acted in the past, especially when members of that government are still involved in politics, is one way of judging how they might act today.

Letwin has apologised for comments he says were “badly-worded and wrong”. Whilst we should condemn what he said at the time, this should not make him an instant pariah.

Before this incident, he was regarded as an intelligent and capable cabinet member. That much remains true. Letwin is not a cartoon villain; his views then were wrong, and he has not said otherwise. Our judgement of him should be based on how he acts now.

The views expressed by Thatcher should be regarded in a similar manner. It was ridiculous to place fear of public offense, prudishness and homophobia above public health, particularly when the LGBT+ community were the most vulnerable to Aids, but Thatcher has since passed away, and it would be pointless to direct any anger at her over this now.

Really, neither of the revelations in these documents should come as a surprise. Racist and homophobic views were prevalent amongst the Tories during the 1980s. Indeed, one cause of the riots Letwin was responding to was their failure to deal with the problems faced by the black community. Furthermore, this was the same government that brought in Section 28, which banned the promotion of homosexuality in schools. Why should either of these revelations shock us?

There is one positive aspect that can be drawn from this incident: it has clarified how the prejudice expressed in both Thatcher and Letwin’s statements is no longer viewed as acceptable. Over the time that has elapsed, the face of Westminster politics has been changing, reflecting a wider variety of nationalities and sexualities; Sadiq Khan, for example, who is a muslim of Pakistani descent, is now running for Mayor of London.

Would that have been possible 30 years ago?

Politics is moving forwards. Progress, slow as it is, is winning.

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12th January 2016

Science&Environment

Warm winter may effect droughts and flooding Ellen Coquio Sci&Env writer El Niño, the natural periodic weather event that increases global temperatures and disturbs weather patterns, this year has been the strongest on record. The phenomenon is expected to exacerbate droughts and flooding, with the worst effects likely to be observed in Africa, where food shortages are set to peak in February.

Dr Nick Klingaman from the University of Reading said, “In a lot of tropical countries we are seeing big reductions in rainfall of about 20-30%. Indonesia has experienced a bad drought; the Indian monsoon was about 15% below normal; and the forecasts for Brazil and Australia are for reduced monsoons”.

Around 31 million people are thought to be facing food insecurity in Africa, this number has increased significantly over the past year.

The continual growth in both droughts and flooding, and the potential impacts these may cause, are a great concern for aid agencies.

In Ethiopia alone, 10.2 million people are predicted to require humanitarian assistance in 2016.

Originally recognised in 1600 by fishermen in South America, El Niño occurs when the warm waters of the central Pacific expand eastwards towards the Americas. It is a part of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, the opposite being La Niña (often referred to as the cold phase). Occurring every two to seven years, El Niño often peaks in the later months of the calendar year, although the effects can last for up to 12 months.

The current event is the strongest since 1998, and is predicted to be within the three most powerful ever recorded. At its peak, average water levels in the tropical Pacific are expected to be 2°C above normal.

The Department for International Development is beginning to take action.

“If we fail to act now against this especially powerful El Niño, we will fail vulnerable people across our world”, claimed Nick Hurd, the UK International Development minister.

The new quick fix to sort broken bones Sophie Christian Sci&Env writer Have you ever wished you could fast forward time and avoid waiting weeks for that pesky broken bone to heal? That fantasy is quickly becoming a reality. We may start saying goodbye to the days when all of your school chums insisted on signing your cast.

The pioneers behind this creation are a team of French scientists, who have produced a foamy cement which, when injected into the bones, helps repair the injury and stimulates new bone formation.

It was previously suggested that a biodegradable implant could help heal broken bones, made from corn starch and a volcanic ash compound, montmorillonite clay. However, this takes up to 18 months to dissolve into the body and will not be available to patients for years to come.

Much like a well performed magic trick, everyone is eager to know the secret behind this new phenomenon to hit the

Photo: Wikipedia: Gemeinfrei1838 He continued, “Ensuring security for those affected by El Nino is important to their countries but also in Britain’s national interest.

Only by protecting and stabilising vulnerable countries can we ensure people are not forced to leave their homes in search of food or a new livelihood”.

While the direct effects will mainly be felt scientifc world. A fundamental component of this foamy cement is a group of minerals that includes hydroxyapatite, which forms nearly 70% of our bones. They are admirable bone substitutes because the minerals can easily be injected into the body. Providing the patient does not have a deadly fear of needles, this is a revolutionary invention that could offer people the chance to significantly reduce their recovery time.

Professional athletes would welcome this new invention, because there is nothing more frustrating than being caged in a cast, and rendered unfit to train. The fantastic formula could bring unending benefits to individuals who need a speedy solution to an injury, which applies to anyone who has a fast-paced life.

As all of the materials in the foam are porous, the minerals are able to flow into the implant site, aiding quick bone regeneration.

Scientists have been concerned that these holes are not big enough to allow bone cells to penetrate deep into the area, which could make the healing process difficult.

This is important to consider; if the cement contains holes that are too large then it can rapidly disintegrate, rendering the cement useless. Thankfully, the cement being a foamy texture combats this query, because it is made from a hydrogel called Si-HPMC, a biocompatible polymer that helps prevent calcium phosphate cements from cracking.

By separating the two materials in syringes and quickly mixing them, the scientists

in the developing world, the developed world will see impacts on food prices. In the past, food prices have increased by 5-10% during events, with coffee, rice, cocoa and sugar often significantly affected.

The El Niño event is expected to tail off in the spring, however, it is often followed by La Niña. This phenomenon can have opposite,

but still harmful effects. Dr Klingaman said; “It’s possible but far from certain that this time next year we could be talking about the reverse of many of these impacts. In places where we are seeing droughts from El Niño, we could be seeing flooding from La Niña next year. It’s just as disruptive, it’s just the other way round”.

Photo: Flickr: Sandor Weizs incorporate the correct amount of air to produce the foamy consistency.

Importantly, the injectable material has been tested on the bones of rabbits, where the researchers report that there is proof of

new bone formation around the implantation site. At this rate of progress, one day we could be like a famous Time Lord, our bodies healing within mere seconds. Alas, we are only human.

refresh16 isScience&Environment refresh16 is coming England’s largest What’s new inall science insealunion house in union population coming 12th January 2016

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A National Trust spokesperson said. “This is good news, as the seals were spreading at such a rate over such a big area that it makes it easier to protect them”.

When a breeding site becomes too Researchers have identified “runaway Plans to create a ‘highway’ in the densely populated, the seals tend to colonise stars” in the Milky Way. Mediterranean have been backed to new habitats. In recent years there has been protect marine mammals threatened by oil increasing evidence that the seals from Tim Peake set for first spacewalk by a exploration projects.

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From 2010 the seal colony at Blakeney Dutch entrepreneur Boyan Slat invents Point has grown almost ten-fold, until it largest floating barrier, using the ocean’s peaked at 2,426 individuals in 2014. 2,342 pups own currents to clean the Pacific. were recorded in 2015, a decline of 84 pups.

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Flickr: NASA HQ PHOTO Photo: Flickr: Mike Lawrence view the population decline as a good thing.

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12th January 2016

20

Travel

The must see events of 2016 Travel editor, Dahlia Al-Abdullah discusses world events to look out for this year

T

he new year always seems to bring an immense sense of opportunity that ignites the ambitious side within us, and it is absolutely true regarding travel. Seeing the whole year ahead never fails to give a huge sense of excitement and inspiration. Feeling ready to dream about where to go this year, we love to begin planning and scheduling in those trips, having something to look forward to whilst trawling through mounds of essays and revision. Often, we can spend lengthy amounts of time scrolling through tour websites for the adventures that interest us, and spend hours reading articles about the wonders of different countries and why this should be the year we visit them.

However, when it comes to researching what time of the year would be best to see certain places, it often takes a lot more effort.

If there was an easier way of being able to see recommendations for which places we should be visiting and the times that would be best to visit them, our travel experiences would be a lot more fuller. Many of us have experienced that sinking feeling in finding out your trip ends a day before a big event is on, so to avoid that we have collected a guide on what events to look out for whilst planning your travels this year. Putting a collective list of places to visit, and what time to visit on the calendar, and gathering in some of nature’s wonders alongside annual events and experiences specific to 2016, this is the ultimate guide for your 2016 travel calendar Starting off the year, taking a trip to see the awe-inspiring Northern Lights in Iceland would be an unforgettable experience. With package deals becoming increasingly more common, most now also including visits to the iconic Blue Lagoon, this is the time to tick it off your list.

Whilst we are shaking off the grey mood in Britain, bringing us in to February is the bright and bold Venice Carnival, complete with masks and all the drama of the opera.

With plane rides to Europe often studentfriendly, there is no need to venture far for a piece of the theatre. To see Japan during Sakura season is a dream shared by many; the juxtaposition of watching locals wearing the traditional kimonos whilst celebrating ‘Hanami’ under rows of blushing cherry blossom trees against the skyscrapers and futuristic vibes of the Japanese cities towards the end of March is an unforgettable sight.

Come April, you won’t have to venture very far to take part in a large festival. In Stratfordupon-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace, there will be huge celebrations of his life and his work for the 400-year anniversary of his death. There will be a whole host of plays and dramatic adaptations of other playwrights’ work, specially commissioned artwork displayed in the church where he was baptised, and a birthday procession with over 1,000 people expected to attend.

Only a two-hour plane ride away, Cannes will host its annual film festival towards the end of May which could be a wonderful way to celebrate the end of the academic year and the beginning of summer with a group of friends. As always, it is sure to be full of glitter and glamour as world-famous film stars make their way to the city famous for celebrating cinema.

Dedicated jazz lovers should consider heading to Montreal to experience the worldfamous Jazz festival held there annually.

Photo: Wikimedia, Changlc

Photo: Lionel Leo Photo: Wikimedia, flickr, Romain Pontida

Photo: flickr, Kimberly Vardeman World-class performers such as Gregory Porter and Ludovico Einaudi are on the lineup for this year’s event and should be a treat to watch.

July will see in the anniversary of the

Battle of the Somme, sure to be an extremely important, and very emotional, event.

Memorials will take place in both France and Britain, with a number of events held in commemoration of those who lost their lives.

Though it feels as though it was only yesterday that the Olympics were hosted in London, this August sees them coming to the gorgeous city of Rio de Janeiro. If you didn’t get the chance to see them whilst they were here, taking the trip to Brazil could be just as unforgettable an experience, and a chance to experience the joy of celebrating sports within a different culture. Alternatively, closer to home the infamous, though controversial, ‘La Tomatina’ food fight is always a messy event. Held in Bunol near Valencia in Spain, the event has previously had up to 50,000 spectators crammed in to the Spanish streets.

Taking a break in September, just before the academic year begins, to appreciate the beauty of autumn in New England, America would be a very unique adventure. Famous for its glorious display of warm coloured foliage, this is one of nature’s greatest sights and taking a drive or a hike through the seemingly never-ending forests would make a magical trip.

Diwali, the festival of light, is celebrated in India during October and coincides with the Hindu New Year. Many of those who celebrate the festival will light candles in their houses, and outdoor celebrations with fireworks and prayers aplenty.

Atmosphere in America during November is sure to be electric, due to the presidential election taking place. The country is the root of some of the most controversial politics in the world, and so to observe and share in the charged atmosphere of political US is definitely poignant, and interesting.

Being able to plan your travels around significant events in the calendar adds another dimension to your travel experience. It gives you an incredible way to involve yourself in another dimension of a culture, whether that is through a nation’s nature, music, food, or history. You understand how it feels to observe, or be a part of, a group celebrating an event together, and the significance of different things to different cultures. This is an enlightening experience, a way of opening your eyes to the diversity of celebrating life around you, and is a wonderful way of creating connections with places long after you have visited them.

Photo: flickr, Aakash Kandils

12th January 2016

21

Travel

Don’t dream of adventure, act on it Laudia Wride Travel writer The beginning of a new semester is normally an exciting time as a student. With no serious work to be done, the parties can resume once again, and the workload is easily brushed off until the 24-hour deadlines hit. Sometimes, though, it can feel like you get stuck in a little bit of a trap. Once you are in the university bubble, it is hard to step out and leave; after all, taking a trip can be pricey when your budget has been spent on taxis to various dodgy clubs on Prince of Wales road. It can be

“Once you are in the university bubble, it is hard to step out and leave” harder to feel inspired to step out once you are in, and just the thought of travelling abroad is laughable. Arguably, though, nowadays we can experience all the wonder of travel without even leaving the room. With the travel genre becoming a huge one in books, films, even in online personalities, you can experience almost anything without having to step out of your student house.

In such a mediated society, it’s impossible to not feel inspired to get out there and get travelling. Over the last few years there has been a huge surge in books and films related

to travelling. Looking through Netflix, there is a huge array of films based on travel, and there are multiple lists on sites such as goodread.com with recommended books for the adventurers within us. Normally also the kind of films that discuss taking a huge personal journey mentally, these will definitely get you inspired to get out there, and take up an adventure.

Perhaps it’ll even help you to stop spending copious amounts of money on coffees from Unio after a rough night out at the LCR. One of the most popular ways of getting inspired nowadays is to simply open up YouTube and watch some travel videos. Search any destination you like, and thousands of videos come up. Whether that is from travel companies or individual vloggers, see places in a million different ways right from the comfort of your sofa. Even if you won’t be able to go travelling any time soon, simply being able to visualise any kind of challenging journey can help to inspire you to move forward in other parts of your life. I’m sure many of us have experienced that feeling where we have watched a film that is completely unrelated to anything we would ever have to do, yet are filled with a huge sense of inspiration and drive in our own lives.

The main idea to keep is that although we cannot always be physically travelling to different destinations, we can keep ourselves dreaming and inspired in a million different ways. Just by putting in a little bit of effort to search for different ways to experience travel in some way, it can help us to keep dreaming and keep planning for when we eventually step out of our little university bubble.

Photo: Flickr, Paul Townsend

New Year’s travel resolutions Tori Brown Travel writer Every new year, we hear the familiar debating between people for and against resolutions.

Some people think we should make them, tables and lists of them, trying our best to get them done. Others think there is no point in making any whatsoever; after all, why would this year be the one we make change?

As with all things in life, the wiser ones might argue that it is about striking a fine balance between the two and it is no different when it comes to travel. To make a few new travel resolutions, or perhaps travelling ‘habits’, could be beneficial. It is helpful for you to keep moving forward and challenging yourself, but making a list of a million places you would like to visit and experiences you would like to have is often just as aimless as doing nothing at all.

Why is this just as important for travel as it is for other areas of your life? Surely health and fitness, or career goals, should be a bigger priority? That is a valid point; however the beauty of travel is that it can be mixed with other goals. Most people spend hours dreaming of visiting a new destination, but often they cannot, because other things get in the way. They need to wait till they get fit, or they will not be able to get time off from their part-time job; the

reasons are endless. What if we thought about challenging ourselves with those other goals in a new environment? Working abroad is becoming increasingly easier for the adventurers within us. Finding shortterm summer work on an exchange basis is so common, that most people who wish to finally visiting their dream destination can do so without too much hassle. There are websites dedicated to student travel, as well as exchange sites that are inundated with requests from people abroad for workers.

“Most people who dream of finally visiting their dream destination can do so without too much hassle. ” Instead of trying to get a regular part-time job on your CV whilst still in the UK, why not branch out and do the same abroad? If anything, it is more interesting to say that you pushed yourself and went to work in a place that was completely unfamiliar and required you to really challenge yourself.

Then there are those who choose to make no travelling resolutions at all. Arguably, this is one of the On the opposite end of the spectrum,

some people find themselves travelling so much, and so often, that they forget to take a step back and think about where they would really like to go. Travel becomes a tick-list of places that they have seen, and places can often begin to blend in with each other and the travelling burnout can get to people viciously. Taking the time to step out and think carefully about a few dream adventures you would like to take helps you to stop seeing travel as another thing to ‘get done’.

It reduces the possibility of burnout, and of continuing with your adventures even when your heart is not in it. Visiting places you would really like to go to, that you’ve dreamt about and planned, will help you to stay motivated and fixed on the idea of a single place and enjoying it fully. Often people gloss over this aspect of travelling, of the moment you would actually like to return home but keep going just because you feel like you must. Honestly, it is so much healthier to admit to yourself that backpacking up until this point was wonderful, but if it is time to go home then that is okay, and revisiting any other places you had in your list when you can enjoy them fully would be a much more fulfilling experience.

Whatever habits you would like to make this year with travelling, the main tip most people who have ‘tried and tested’ either styles of resolution would give is to just keep it simple. Forget huge lists that are

completely unlikely to happen; try to make some goals at least, but don’t travel aimlessly either. Stick with a few simple goals, is doable and enough to inspire. Perhaps this is the year you venture further out than Europe, you really dedicate yourself to keeping the promise to visit your friend who now lives abroad, or you climb a mountain in a new country. It isn’t overwhelming but keeps you interested in seeing the world around you, and inspiring you to keep challenging yourself outside your comfort zones.

Above all, travelling can really inspire us to open our eyes in other areas of our life.

After visiting various different countries, you learn customs and habits from other cultures that can shape you to be a better person. Perhaps you may even experience some things you didn’t like, and know what to avoid in the future. For yourself, you go through challenges that you may have never come across should you have stayed in your home, you learn how to interact with all different kinds of people, and develop yourself as a person. Staying stuck in the same habits is never a healthy thing to do, so to have a few goals for moving forward is just enough to keep you growing and adapting.

Once you have set yourself a few goals, make sure you go out there and make them happen. You will feel amazing getting those few goals done, but having put your whole heart in to them.

12th January 2016

22

Sport UEA sport round-up Tharsani Sivapalan UEA Ladies 4s Hockey 2 - 0 Pelican 3s Last Saturday marked the first win for the UEA 4s ladies hockey team against top of the league team, Pelican 3s.

After a drive to King’s Lynn, we ended up having only 20 minutes to get changed and warm up so we did not have much time to talk about tactics or practice short corners. Considering Pelicans are at the top of the league and have won six out of eight games we expected a tough match and did not even consider that winning would be a possibility.

We started the match very well a n d dominated p l a y from the beginning w h i c h surprised o u r opposition. We

had the majority of the possession and even thought we had scored a goal in the first half, only for it to be disallowed.

The opposition had few breakthroughs but our goalkeeper Shani Brooks and defenders did a brilliant job to keep the score 0-0 at half-time.

Within five mins of starting the second half, Carey J. Sevier scored our first goal with help from Amy Shepherd from a short corner. The rest of the game was a battle and our hard work was not wasted as Lauren Setterfield scored our second goal from another short corner. At 2-0 up we wanted the game to finish. Sadly we had another 16 minutes to go. It was a challenge to keep the score at 2-0. When the final whistle was blown, we were all relieved and celebrated our first win of the season.

Considering the 4s hockey team consists of players who have never played hockey before, this was an impressive and truly deserved win. Credit for the win goes to every single player who worked hard in that match and for their fighting spirit.

Cindy Berry & Rachel Hawker Bucs duathlon and Norwich half marathon and not far off other major sports universities report with highly-developed elite performance provisions.

As temperatures plummeted last weekend, For eight members the event was their first UEA Triathlon members braved the icy duathlon. The high number of debutants (all conditions to conquer two keystone races in finishing the event in style) and the increase the winter calendar: Bucs (British University in female participation this year is something and College Sports) duathlon and the Norwich the club is very proud of. Along with the strong Half Marathon. performances from individuals and teams The 16 members who opted for the short in the elite field, the high participation rate and fast Bucs duathlon faced a two mile run, demonstrates the versatility and wide range of followed immediately by a ten mile bike, and abilities for which the club caters. another two mile run at the Castle Combe Back in snowy Norwich, four members Circuit, near Chippenham. Competing on a braved the elements to complete the Norwich track normally meant for race cars encouraged half marathon. In a huge field of over 2300 high speeds. Tom Huband posted an average runners, Dave Chesterman and Ben Beynon speed of 40.5km/hr, scoring him the 25th finished in 27th and 76th place respectively. fastest bike of the day in a field of 415 men. In Both had extremely strong runs achieving well the ladies race, Rachel Hawker placed tenth out above the times they had been aiming for. Ellie of 200 women, despite wasting time losing a Bedwell also completed the race, running her sock after the first run. Rachel Hawker has also furthest distance to date and raising £500 for recently won the Triathlon Ireland Super Series the Alzheimer’s Society in the process. due to podium finishes in four races, including The weekend’s races were target two national championships, over the summer. events for UEA Triathlon this term and all After only two girls racing the event last year, members performed exceptionally well due nine ladies participated in the race, providing to determination, dedication to training and three teams of three. The fastest of these positive attitudes. Personal bests and stand-out comprised of Rachel Hawker, Claire Caiger and performances were a deserved sign of hard Cindy Berry who placed seventh. They finished work paying off. Congratulations to everyone a mere 45 seconds behind Loughborough, who made the weekend such a success.

Surf ’s up for youth champion peony knight EXCLUSIVE Phoebe Johnson Sport writer At the end of last year, the fierce 18-yearold, Peony Knight, dominated at the British National Surf Championships, winning both the Under 18 girl’s title and the Women’s Open. The contest was held at the surfers local beach break Croyde in North Devon where I caught up with Peony a few months later. In an exclusive interview she talks about her strong lead at the British Nationals, and her ambitions for the New Year.

So, how did you feel before the contest?

Did you have any concerns? The Nationals were right after the World Tour in California? How was surfing on your own turf after having had better and warmer waves out there?

I went in to this competition feeling quite relaxed. I had just spent three weeks in California surfing in the biggest and most important competition of my surfing career to date, where there was a huge amount of pressure placed upon me to do well. I took 13th place at this event which I was completely blown away by. Coming home to a familiar break with familiar competitors felt natural, the pressure was off. I was excited to compete with some of the UK girls again and to really go for it with my surfing maneuvers… I had nothing to lose! Having local knowledge and incredible surf conditions made the whole weekend enjoyable.

Big swells hit Croyde the day of the British finals. Did you have a strategy in mind to help you through the bigger surf?

The swell was big and no doubt it was going to be tricky. We only had 25 minutes, and I knew at least half of that was going to be spent battling the white water! It was important that I picked off the right waves

Peony Knight at the National Surf Championships Photo: Rob Tibbles that were offering high scoring potential.

I took a wave in the first five minuets to get myself ready and warmed up, which was an average wave score. After this it was all about building the score, only taking on waves better than the last.

Winning two major titles to round off 2015 must have been a real confidence boost. Would you say it has conquered any previous doubts you had as a surfer?

And especially as a female surfer?

Winning both the under 18 girls and woman’s open at this event really capped off a great year for me. I couldn’t have been

happier with the result. Ending the year on a high has meant that I’m going into 2016 with a huge amount of motivation and confidence to do well on a European level.

I try not to let any kind of sexism get in the way of my love for surfing. But there is no doubt that female surfers are not just viewed for there talent as an athlete. I have flicked though endless surf magazines dominated by pictures of men surfing, where the only females featured are standing on the beach modeling bikinis. It seems in the surfing world females are often viewed for the sexual image they promote. It’s difficult at times to get recognition and publicity as a female athlete. The good news is that the standard

of women’s surfing has escalated beyond recognition right across the world over these past few years. It’s exciting to think that female surfing has started to be taken just as seriously as men’s surfing.

That is great news! And finally Peony, what are your goals for 2016? Places, contests, what is next?

I’ve got another exciting year lined up with traveling and competing around the world. My goals for this year are to get a good ranking on the Qualifying Series events on the World Surf League. I’ll be competing around Europe this summer then come autumn and winter I’ll be doing some more competitions globally.

12th January 2016

23

Sport

Blatter and Platini banned for eight years Liam Dotson Sport writer The latest episode in the extraordinary scandal surrounding Fifa that has tarnished the reputation of the organisation and shocked the world of football, has seen the Fifa Ethics Committee ban Fifa President Sepp Blatter and Uefa President Michel Platini for eight years.

The decision was announced in Zurich on the 21st December by the adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee and although it was not enough to bring corruption charges it meant that both men were banned from all football-related activities for eight years with immediate effect.

The lengthy ban follows an investigation into a payment of £2.1m from Blatter to Platini in 2011. Both parties claimed the payment was for work done by Mr Platini between

9

The number of senior officials indicted last May on charges including laundering and racketeering

1998 and 2002, but the chairman of the Ethics Committee, Hans-Joachim Eckert, labelled it a “disloyal payment” and cited the men’s inability to provide a written contract for the illicit payment as reason for the ban. The timing of the payment was also brought into question as it came nine years after Platini’s supposed work for Fifa and just three months prior to the Fifa presidential elections, in which Blatter’s presidency was faced with rare opposition in the form of the Qatari Mohammed Bin-Hammam.

Blatter was due to step down as Fifa President in February in any case and Platini was a candidate to replace him, but he will no longer be eligible and will also have to step down as Uefa President with Uefa’s General Secretary, Gianni Infantino, taking over from the disgraced Frenchman. Platini, who was capped 72 times for France, has

Michel Platini, banned Uefa president Photo: Flickr.com, Klearchos Kapoutsis had his reputation severely stained and will no longer be able to play an integral role in the European Championships held in his homeland this summer. He was even unable to attend the draw for the tournament due to his preliminary 90 day ban from football, and will now certainly be unable to attend the tournament itself.

Blatter and Platini maintain their innocence and have launched appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to have their bans rescinded, with the latter declaring the ban “pure masquerade” meant simply to tarnish his reputation. Blatter, never one to shy away from the spotlight, held an immediate press conference where he bemusedly asked “suspended eight years for what?” Blatter, who has been accused of treading football’s reputation into the dirt, he has even claimed to

be a “punching bag” and a victim in all of this.

Fifa’s integrity has been under the microscope since the controversial awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively. Despite the furore surrounding the decision, the future of football still looked bleak and corrupt until May last year when the organisation found itself embroiled in a crisis that shook it to its core. Nine senior football officials were indicted in the US on charges including money laundering and racketeering.

Last month a further 16 individuals were charged after more early morning raids.

Blatter has faced criticisms for using power politics and sly backhanders and leaving Fifa resembling more of a Mafia family than football’s governing body during his tyrannical 17 year tenure as Fifa president. Despite the organisation vowing

to fix its drastically damaged reputation and more importantly, to eradicate this virus of corruption from the game, the two disgraced Presidents have bred and supported a culture of corruption that runs right through the heart of Fifa. It is certainly hard to take anything coming out of the organisation at face value. The sympathy Blatter received from within Fifa after his ban is testament to this. Individuals like Peter Verlappen, former General Secretary of the Asian Football Federation, claimed the ban was “harsh” and dubbed it a “death sentence” for Mr Blatter.

Who is to say that Blatter’s replacement will be any better or any less corrupt? Banning Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini is certainly a step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go if the world of football is ever going to be able to trust its governing body again.

house he had chased and apprehended one of them, before being hit over the head with a concrete slab by the other. His lightweight world title fight scheduled for January of this year was cancelled and the boxer’s dreams were ‘in tatters’.

Many would have retired. However, Crolla vowed on his hospital bed that he would come back “bigger and stronger”. He returned in July to fight Darleys Parvez, a fight which ended in a draw although many were of the opinion that he deserved to win.

However Crolla did not leave it to the judges in November. An excellent left-hook knocked down Perez in the fifth round and, after Perez was unable to make the count, Crolla won the WBA lightweight title. Few sportsmen or women displayed the personality that he did in 2015.

Crolla’s omission for the shortlist could be seen as being testament to the status of boxing on the fringes of mainstream sport.

Possibly another victim of this is cricket’s Joe Root. He was the man of the series in a successful Ashes victory and briefly ranked the number one test batsman in the world, but he also missed out on the shortlist. For cricket fans, this is a worrying sign that the sport is diminishing in public conversation and Root himself called it a “wake-up call for cricket”.

However, it is hard to see any change until ticket prices are reduced or it returns to freeto-air television.

While the absence of Crolla and Root from the shortlist is questionable, it is clear that Andy Murray did a great deal to deserve the award. Despite being Great Britain’s tenth title, it was their first for 79 years, having not won it since 1936. Murray, who was also voted Sports Personality of the Year in 2013, not only won all 11 of his rubbers but also won all three of Britain’s points in the final, beating Belgium’s David Goffin in straight sets to seal the trophy in Ghent. After receiving the SPOTY award, Murray said “this has been a five year journey - we were down in the bottom level of tennis and now we’re number one.”

Andy Murray bags second Spoty award Richard Ewart Sport writer Andy Murray was crowned the 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year (Spoty) for the second time in his career in December, following his inspirational performances for Great Britain in tennis’ Davis Cup. The Scot won all eight of his singles matches and all three doubles, meaning he contributed 11 instrumental points to Britain’s total of 12.

Britain has certainly taken Murray to its heart.

Murray obtained 35% of the vote, with his biggest challenger being Kevin Sinfield, the Rugby League star, who won 28% of votes cast. Sinfield, the first Rugby League player to be nominated for the award, led Leeds Rhinos to the domestic treble in 2015 capping off an illustrious career before his switch to Rugby Union. There was little to split the rest of the field with athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill narrowly beating boxer Tyson Fury to third place.

Perhaps the most surprising result was Lucy Bronze finishing in tenth place, despite starring in England’s best ever finish in the Women’s World Cup. The team suffered

Photo: Flickr.com, Francisco Diez heartbreak in the semi-final and eventually achieved third place. However, the very fact that she was shortlisted highlights the progress the sport is making. This is further illustrated by the fact that 2.4 million people tuned in for the semi-final, despite the midnight kick-off.

Among those overlooked for the award was boxer Anthony Crolla. At the start of the year, Crolla was in hospital ‘“lucky to be alive”, having suffered a fractured skull. After spotting two burglars leaving a neighbour’s

Sport 12th January 2016 Issue 319

Interview with surf champ Peony Knight

>P22

Platini and Blatter Banned for eight years

>P23

UEA Avalanches trounce Nottingham Mavericks Leah Brown Sport writer The UEA Avalanche Ice Hockey team have done it again, winning their second game of the season against the Nottingham Mavericks, 7 - 3. This game was considered by some to be a long overdue rematch, after the formidable Nottingham team thrashed the Avalanche in a resounding defeat for UEA last season.

With that in mind, it only fuelled the drive for victory this time around.

Throughout the game the Avs showed clear dominance over the struggling Mavs, starting the first period off with good possession of the puck. Although Nottingham kicked off the scoring, it took fewer than two minutes for UEA to slide one past Nottingham goaltender Thornton, thanks to Dom Rodwell’s smooth finish. From then on it was all UEA, scoring again within two minutes as captain Paul McDermott chalked up his first goal of the year. Just for good measure Rodwell scored once more in the first period, bringing the Avalanche up to a two goal lead going into the second.

UEA were most certainly not content to rest on their laurels. They had a point to prove and were hungry for the win. Within five minutes of the commencement of the second period Chris Dobson scored what would come to be the game-winning goal, whilst the Avs were on the penalty kill. A few seconds earlier McDermott had been sent off with a somewhat dubious call for holding (“holding” being where an opposing player is grabbed to impede play) but that didn’t stop Dobson lighting it up, even shorthanded. A pattern seemed to be emerging here, as UEA’s James White managed to net two minutes later, once again with a shorthanded team. At 5-1 up to UEA, Nottingham’s fate was sealed. They couldn’t leave such a productive period there

Photo: Flickr, Pittaya Sroilong Photo: Ryan Holland though; Laura Goold rallied to raise the score once more, closely followed by alternate captain Phil Carter, rounding out the second 7 - 1. The Avs couldn’t have hoped for a better rematch.

Although during the last period UEA conceded two goals, it wasn’t enough to

stop the Avalanche flattening Nottingham.

Ultimately, these two victories in a row bode well for the UEA team, especially with the road to the British University Ice Hockey Association Nationals this semester. The standard of play was much better in this game compared to their last challenge against

Birmingham, even if the scoreboard was in fact the same (7 - 3 to UEA Avalanche). This, and the fact that even some of the newest members of the roster are being credited with assists, surely indicates a bright future for UEA Avalanche and the development of the team.

The Canaries look for new opportunities in transfer window James Chesson Sports Editor The January transfer window is a crucial period of the season for Norwich. A run of three wins from four games over the Christmas period, including a memorable 2-1 victory at Old Trafford, has moved the Canaries six points clear of the relegation zone. However, given how this extraordinary season has developed so far, it would be naïve to assume they are safe.

Alex Neil has shown signs of early transfer activity, with an £8m move for Everton forward Steven Naismith looking likely to be completed, and an optimistic bid for Inter Milan centre-back Andrea Ranocchia. The latter is less likely to happen, as Liverpool’s interest in the Italian international appears to be proving a more tempting proposition.

Winger Matt Jarvis has made his loan move from West Ham permanent for a fee of around £2.5m.

Clearly Neil knows where his side’s biggest weaknesses lie. The Norwich squad is relatively strong overall, but is short of a consistent striker and higher quality defenders. They have managed just three clean sheets so far – only bottom of the league Aston Villa have

fewer, with two, and two of those have been in the two most recent games. That has much to do with the suddenly brilliant form of back up goalkeeper Declan Rudd, who took over from John Ruddy after a disappointing season so far from the former England international.

Ranocchia is a tall, but slow defender, similar to Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker.

I worry about a slow centre-back in that Norwich team, as the rest of the back four does not have an exceptional amount of pace to cover a slow figure. Acquiring new centrebacks tends to be the most challenging position to get right with transfers, with players who excel in other countries failing to replicate that form in the Premier League (such as every centre-back Manchester City have signed in the past few years). For now it may be best for Neil to wait and see whether the recent good defensive form will continue, rather than disrupting the balance of his back four.

The other glaring problem for Norwich is a shortage of goals, which they will hope Naismith can improve upon. They may be putting faith in the wrong man, unfortunately, as the Scottish forward has never been a particularly prolific goal scorer. He has never managed more than six goals in a Premier League season, although it should be noted that he has spent much of his career with

Norwich’s prime transfer target, Everton’s Steven Naismith Photo: commons.wikimedia.org, Aleksandr Osipov

Everton on the wing. He may get a greater haul by having regular playing time in the central striker position, but this is a risk.

Strikers are a valued commodity as always, and two players in particular are likely to be the subject of intense speculation throughout January: Charlie Austin and Loic Remy. Austin is likely to be an expensive option, but is available on account of currently playing in the Championship for QPR. His impressive total of 18 goals last season make it a wonder that no one has signed him yet. Presumably the reported price tag of £15m is putting off relegation threatened clubs who cannot take such a financial hit. Remy would present a much cheaper option, as he is out of favour at Chelsea, so may be available for a loan.

Aston Villa manager Remi Garde has publicly declared an interest in Remy, and Alex Neil surely will consider a rival bid. The challenge on this one is convincing Chelsea to part with him, considering they are short of strikers themselves.

Norwich are currently in a strong position and are probably only one effective striker away from safety. Whether the club bag their desired targets or not, the team still needs to continue their decent run of festive form if they are to have any hope of staying up this season.