Issue 262

Issue 262 | Tuesday 6 December 2011 | Fortnightly | Free

UEA’s Independent Student Newspaper concrete-online.co.uk

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“Expect to hear a lot more from us”

Concrete UEA

Page 3

Music School closure agreed TRAVEL Page 10

Visit Edinburgh this Christmas FEATURES Page 13

Chris King

>> School of Music closure was agreed following a brief meeting of University Council >> People associated with the campaign attempted the force the hand of the Vice Chancellor by occupying the Registry for 11 hours, but their actions were to no avail >> The campaign refuses to be silenced and has pledged to consult higher bodies to support its position Chris King Editor The Save UEA Music campaign has promised there will be more to come as it looks to fight the agreed closure of the School of Music.

Bill Vine, a leading figure in the campaign, promised that there would be more official rallies and large-scale protests, after a meeting of the University Council on 28 November rejected

the Royal Musicians’ Association (RMA) offer to send in four experts to assess the School’s viability.

However, the struggle between those opposed to the closure of the School, and the University, which took on an insurgent nature in the form of the Registry occupation and poster campaign, also looks set to rage on in awkward tandem with the official campaign.

Vine, interviewed by Concrete immediately after the closure was announced to have been agreed,

said: “They have a PR nightmare on their hands already, it’s going to get worse from them now.”

Vine emphasised the peaceful nature of the campaign, and stressed that this would continue, but the conflict between the campaign organisers and associated sympathisers was particularly evident during the 29 November occupation.

Despite an agreement to “do something” having been reached at an official Save UEA

NEWS

Music meeting, coordinators of the campaign were “shocked” at the occupation, having initially planned a sit down protest outside the Registry.

With the Union of UEA Students having aligned itself with the campaign’s objectives, it remains to be seen how this support will manifest itself in the future, particularly in the event of further insurgency. For details on the poster campaign and occupation, go to page 3.

Joey Essex interview LIFESTYLE Page 16

Clive’s Christmas tips

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comment p7-9

travel p10-11

features p12-14

turf p15

lifestyle p16-19

The fortnight’s news in brief Address Concrete Newspaper Union House UEA NR4 7TJ Email concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk concrete.advertising@uea.ac.uk Contact 01603 593 466 Concrete is published by UUEAS Concrete Society ©2011 Concrete BMc. ISSN 1351-2773 Letters should be addressed for the attention of the Editor, Chris King. Letters must include contact details, but we will consider anonymous publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity as necessary. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the newspaper.

No part of this newspaper may be reproduced through any means without the express permission of the Editor, Chris King.

Printed by Archant.

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norwich

Registry occupied

Climategate II

City on strike

Following the decision to shut the School of Music, the registry was occupied by protesters from the Save UEA Music campaign.

UEA has responded to a release of further emails connected to 2009’s Climategate scandal, which has alterted the national media.

As part of the national movement against government cuts, public sector workers marched through Norwich.

James Dixon reports, p3

Beth Wyatt reports, p3

Richard Joslin reports, p4

103 cafe shut Fancy a pint? Short back and thighs 103, the Unthank haunt which enjoyed popularity among the student population, has been closed.

As reported on local news website South Norwich News, the cafe/deli, whilst successful, had suffered losses and was threatened by liquidation.

For those who are missing “the poshest cheesy chips in Norwich,” it is hoped that it will be able to repon soon, with a number of buyers already interested in the cafe.

Since the beginning of November the Union bar has been exclusively selling Woodforde’s “Union Ale.” It bears a “bitter tang” and has citrus tones.

James Dixon

Got a story? Let us know, no matter how big or small.

Email concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

Contributors/Editorial/Contacts Editor | Chris King >> concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Deputy Editor | Hannah Britt >> concrete.deputyeditor@uea.ac.uk News Editors | James Dixon & Susanna Wood >> concrete.news@uea.ac.uk Comment Editor | Josh Resoun >> concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk Travel Editor | Greg Lewry >> concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk Turf Editor | Becky Hazlewood >> concrete.turf@uea.ac.uk International Editor | Rachael Lum >> concrete.international@uea.ac.uk Lifestyle Editors | Hasina Allen & Rianne Ison >> concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk Sport Editors | Matt Scrafton & Chris Teale >> concrete.sport@hotmail.co.uk >> concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk Chief Copy Editors | Amy Adams & Harry Slater >> concrete.editorial@uea.ac.uk

News

James Dixon, Riccardo Monni, Daniel Pirozzolo, Richard Joslin, Susanna Wood, Beth Wyatt, Philip Thomas, Ingrid Kornstad, Frances Mckeown, Catherine Hardy

Comment

Joshua Resoun, Hannah Britt, Ciara Jack, Jess Collett, Richard Law, Rebecca Goodacre, George Hamilton-Jones, Chris Teale

A Norwich nightclub is making plans to open a day-time barbers where the hairdressers will be naked from the waist up.

Qube, a nightclub on the Prince of Wales Road, is looking to expand business with their topless barber idea.

However, the proposal is contentious, with a Facebook group, entitled “Against Topless Barbers in Norwich,” already having been set up.

Travel

Chief Photographer | Laura Smith Deputy Chief Photographer | Harriet Jones >> concrete.photographers@uea.ac.uk Distribution Manager | Stephanie Gover >> concrete.distribution@uea.ac.uk Advertising Manager | Chris King >> concrete.advertising@uea.ac.uk

Media Pack 2011 2012

For all advertising opportunities contact Fran Poole, Retail Services Manager Email: union.advertising@uea.ac.uk I Tel: 01603 592510 Union of UEA Students, Union House, UEA, Norwich, NR4 7TJ

Rachael Lum, Rachel Kimberley Sparkes

Union of University of East Anglia Students (UUEAS) is a registered charity England and Wales no 1139778

Greene-Taylor,

Features

James Dixon, Susanna Wood, Josh Bowker

Turf

Becky Hazlewood, Chris Teale

Lifestyle

Lauren Cope, Freya Barry, Emma Williamson, Rianne Ison, Hasina Allen, Susanna Wood, Ally Kayler

If you are interested in placing an advertisement in Concrete, visit www. concrete-online.co.uk to view our media pack and advertising regulations, which contain details including sizes and prices.

To arrange an advertisement, email Editor Chris King at concrete. editor@uea.ac.uk or call 07515005090.

International

Robert Norris, Isabelle Carty

Sport

Matt Scrafton, Kris Nelson, Mike Tomkins, Adam Plom, Lewis Dalton, Keiren Cordery, Chris Teale, Billy Sexton

Copy Editors

Amy Adams, Harry Slater, Harriet Smith, Frances Mckeown, Matthew Weddig, Beth Wyatt

NEWS A word from the editor We’ve finally entered December, and Christmas has at last arrived.

Although for slaves to consumer capitalism and the power of advertising, the proliferation of high-street shop displays and sparkly television adverts, it’s been Christmas since midOctober.

My grinch-like attitude towards this aside, I am both proud and a little saddened that we’ve already hit Issue six, and got through the first semester (relatively) unscathed. From the awful office music to the insanity of production Mondays, it’s been a blast so far.

Concrete has come far this term, but the only way we can truly improve is for you to tell us what you want to read. We’ve got some great features coming up next term, including (fingers crossed), the ever-popular sex and drug surveys, so don’t forget us while you gorge and laze about over the festive period, because we will return on 17 January 2012.

Chris King

NEWS

registry

d e i p u c c o

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www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 6th December 2011 - Issue 262

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Silence before the storm

14:00 Members of the Save UEA Music campaign enter the Registry and begin an occupation.

16:00 More protestors storm the Registry and are caught in a scuffle with security. The Registry door key is snapped in the lock.

Ga Chun Yau

5.00

16:15 Further security staff arrive at the Registry and are joined by Police Officers who position themselves inside and outside the building.

17:00 The first occupier leaves citing a need to use the toilet, as the occupiers are not allowed to use the Registry toilets.

19:00 Sandwiches, biscuits and chocolate bars are handed through the windows of the Registry to the remaining occupiers.

00:01 Occupiers voluntarily leave the Registry to applause from students and members of the Save UEA Music campaign.

James Dixon News Editor The Save UEA Music campaign was dealt a devestating blow last Monday (28 November) when the University Council agreed to the future closure of the School of Music.

Upon hearing of the decision, members of the Save UEA Music campaign diversified their tactics by moving away from large scale protests to tactics based around more direct action.

On 29 November, a day after the closure was announced, members of Save UEA Music entered the Registry at 14.00 commencing an occupation in the reception area. The occupiers were allowed entry to the Registry reception without challenge where they displayed a banner made of A4 pieces of paper which read: “Save UEA Music.”

At around 16.00, protestors outside sought to capitalise on a woman exiting the Registry by attempting to enter as she left.

This resulted in a minor scuffle with security as they tried to prevent the protestors’ entrance.

During the disturbance, the Registry door key was accidentally snapped in the lock.

A contingent of Norwich Constabulary officers were called to the scene following the skirmish where they stationed

themselves alongside campus security staff.

The occupiers were supplied with water but were not allowed to use the Registry toilets causing the first occupier to leave the Registry due to the need to relieve himself.

Union of UEA Student Officers provided food for the occupiers by passing sandwiches, biscuits and chocolate bars through the Registry windows.

The occupation ended peacefully at 12.01 when the occupiers emerged from the Registry to a small contingent of clapping and cheering students. Save UEA Music issued a statement, following their emmergence , which stated that ‘“The University knows our campaign is not over” and that “we will continue our fight.”

The following day, 30 November, on which national strikes and also an open day for UEA, a small insurgent group of Save UEA Music campaign took to distributing posters around campus. These carried a message which aimed to dissaude open day attendees from applying to the University. One poster read: “Come to UEA? And face your course being cut with no warning.” Another stated: “Welcome to UEA - a Uni that closes schools without consulting students.”

The poster campaign

has proved contentious and split opinion. An anonymous reader on Concrete’s website commented: “So very small minority of students trying to give UEA a bad name? Pathetic.”

When questioned about the posters, campaign leader, Bill Vine said: “Our official stance is that we are not commenting on it.” He later added “We don’t condemn these stunts though.

This kind of thing will keep happening.”

The Union have officially supported the Save UEA Music campaign thus far, and Union Communications Officer, Matthew Myles, voiced his opinion on the posters stating: “In terms of deterring students from coming here; if students are upset about this it is because it is based in fact. It’s a justified move.”

Concrete spoke to Pro ViceChancellor, Tom Ward, who voiced his concerns and the university’s, about the posters: “It would be reasonable to ask the designer of the posters: ‘What does success look like?’ Because success with this campaign is capable of closing other schools.”

Ward expressed his displeasure at the current landscape for higher education. He insinuated the university’s hand was forced and said: “Im as frustrated as anyone that we can’t control more of our destiny but we can’t.”

Background: the White Paper The White Paper is a document which outlines government proposals on higher education.

Since the University chose to raise tuition fees to £9,000 a year from 2012, they are subject to restrictions from HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England) regarding the recruitment of students.

The White Paper requires that the University must recruit a certain amount of AAB students.

The School of Music has currently around 18% students entering with an AAB grade tariff. There are also research requirements that the School has suffered under due to being a small, specialist school.

The new system is meant to inject dynamism to Higher Education, but has left many, including our Pro Vice-Chancellor Tom Ward, confused as to exactly what the white paper means for universities in the long term. Talking to Concrete, he said: “I don’t know what dynamism is. But I don’t think its stability.”

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Vodka standards drop The Food Standards Agency is cautioning consumers against an illegal brand of vodka, which has been found in shops in Norwich and other UK cities.

Drop Vodka, which contains 28.6% alcohol content as opposed to the 37.5% minimum legal threshold for vodka, is not registered by any British company, and has been shown to contain such harmful chemicals as methanol and Propan-2-ol.

NEWS

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Though only previously found in small independent retailers such as petrol stations and corner shops, there are fears that clubs and pubs may also have been targeted.

Anyone encountering the retailing of Drop Vodka is advised to contact the Food Standards Agency Food Fraud Hotline on 020 7276 8527 or their local authority.

Riccardo Monni Greg Mann

Strike action hits Norwich Richard Joslin News Reporter A public sector strike and rally in central Norwich surprised many shoppers last Wednesday lunchtime, while many public sector workers picketed their workplaces. Joining tens of thousands of people around the UK, over two thousand people took part in a political march and rally protesting against government policy, such as the plans to cut pensions and enact cuts to public services.

With many different unions and demographics taking part around the UK, the TUC described Wednesday’s strike as “the biggest strike in a generation” contrasting Prime Minister David Cameron’s comments that it was a “damp squib”. The Public and Commercial Services

(PCS) union’s regional vice chair, Julie Bremner, described it as a “fantastic turnout”.

Passing a few cheering picket lines along the way, the Norwich strike march started down Ipswich Road at around 11:40AM before proceeding into the heart of the city, marching down St Stephens Street, into Norwich Market, and holding a rally on the steps of the Norwich City Council building. Armed with protest signs such as, “2 year pay freeze – what a joke” and “Danny Alexander is a rodent,” the protestors were met by a variety of reactions. Many children who were off school for the day appeared bemused, while many adults cheered as the procession went by. However, the reaction was not all positive, particularly amongst the elderly, with one man bitterly shouting that they had “let the entire

country down”.

Once everyone had arrived outside Norwich City Council’s building, the rally began. There were a variety of speakers, including a national executive of UNISON, a NUT representative, UEA’s Jack Brinded, and the organiser of the march, Julie Bremner. Borrowing from the worldwide occupy movement’s lexicon, Bremner stated that “we are the 99.99%” and in reference to George Osborne, Bremner defiantly boasted that “he wants us to pay, but we won’t pay”.

The speeches gave the message that this was just the beginning of a protracted fight between the government and public sector workers, students.

Former Labour Party Norwich MP Ian Gibson, told Concrete that the march was “one of the best marches ever,” and that they “can build on this.”

Queen’s prize awarded to Creative Writing Daniel Pirozzolo News Reporter UEA’s creative writing course has won one of the most prestigious education awards, which will be presented by the Queen herself.

The news that the course had won the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education was announced on 24 November, at a reception in St. James’ Palace.

Her Majesty the Queen will be presenting the award at Buckingham Palace this February.

UEA vice-chancellor Edward Acton said: “I am absolutely delighted that UEA has come to be renowned nationally and internationally as a centre of excellence in this now thriving academic discipline. I believe we are still seen as a benchmark for others.”

The course, when founded 1970/71, was the first of its kind in the country and is now widely regarded as the best in Britain.

Now, four decades later, its alumni include Booker Prize winners Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Anne Enright amongst many other successful writers.

The programme has courses at undergraduate, postgraduate

and research level. The creative writing MA is widely regarded as the best in Britain and competition for places is notoriously tough.

Prof David Peters Corbett, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, said: “Over the last 40 years, the programme has been host to a distinguished series of tutors and to a striking number of future successful authors who have come to UEA to study with them.

“Creative Writing is a jewel in the university’s crown and this award is a wonderful acknowledgement of an intellectually dynamic feature of humanities at UEA.” The UEA’s director of creative writing, Andrew Cowan, said: “This is a tremendous accolade because it not only recognises UEA’s groundbreaking role in establishing creative writing as an academic discipline in the UK, and the unrivalled success of our alumni in achieving publication and major literary awards, but it also recognises the continuing excellence of what we do.

“This is a very exciting time in the development of our programme, with many initiatives under way, and this award is hugely encouraging as we continue to innovate and expand.”

Harriet Jones

Taking the fight to the streets News editor Susanna Wood reports from the TUC rally on London’s Embankment, and reflects on the country-wide strike action Grey weather in London on Wednesday failed to dampen the electric atmosphere as over 50,000 strikers descended on the TUC rally.

People from all walks of life gathered to make their feelings felt about the public sector pension cuts. Young and old, “we’re all in this together” was the phrase of the day in a piquant reversal of David Cameron’s catchphrase.

The PM was under fire throughout the speeches, made by members of the 30 different Unions represented at the rally. the UCU’s Mark Campbell delivered a wellreceived speech, in which he estimated that 125,000 university lecturers were on strike.

Talking passionately to the crowd, he talked of

the need for persistence in the fight for Higher Education, saying: “We will be out again in our millions until we win. We will not compromise.”

Another popular speaker at the rally was the former London mayor, Ken Livingstone. He emphasised how private sector workers should also have fair pensions, and asked why MPs could cut public sector pensions when their own are in the region of £40,000 a year.

David Cameron may have referred to the day as a “damp squib,” but the only really bleak moment of the day came from Livingstone, who pointed out a sobering statistic: suicides on the London Underground have doubled since the banking crisis.

NEWS

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CRU unfazed by “Climategate II” Plans unveiled to combat Beth Wyatt News Reporter Fresh email leaks have threatened to resurrect the scandal dubbed “Climategate.”

On Tuesday 22 November, a folder was posted onto four blogs popular with sceptics of climate change containing 5,000 emails intended to discredit UEA’s Climatic Research Unit (CRU).

As with the original release of emails in 2009, which were timed just before world leaders were due to meet in Copenhagen, these emails were released close to a climate change summit for optimum impact. This year’s meeting began in Durban, South Africa, on 28 November.

Global warming critic Andrew Montford responded by saying: “What climate scientists

are saying in private is very different from what they are saying in public.”

However, research director of the CRU, Professor Phil Jones, launched a staunch defence of his and his team’s work, describing the quotes as “cherry picked.”

Statements which could be potentially damaging, such as “we’re choosing the periods to show the warming,” and the “basic problem is that all models were wrong,” were among those Jones attempted to contextualise.

Regarding the first quote, Jones said: “The full email exchange reveals that we were choosing colours for a chart covering periods that showed warming.”

The university also released a statement, on 22 November.

It said: “These emails have the appearance of having been held back after the theft of data and

emails in 2009.

“This appears to be a carefully-timed attempt to reignite controversy over the science behind climate change.”

The impact of what the media has hesitantly dubbed ‘Climategate II’ appears to be slight, with key climate change experts backing Professor Jones and his colleagues. In addition, the emails seem less incriminating than the original Climategate documents. The 2009 scandal centred on correspondence which some argued suggested that the scientists had been deleting and manipulating data.

As the university has reaffirmed, three investigations cleared the scientists of any serious wrongdoing. However, the Muir Russell review did question the seemingly secretive manner of the unit.

graduate unemployment Philip Thomas News Reporter Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg revealed last month a £1 billion scheme to tackle the crisis of rising youth unemployment.

The new proposals promise to help the growing number of young people labelled ‘NEETs’ (those aged 16 to 24, not in education, employment or training), and in September statistics indicated their numbers had risen to over 1.02 million across the UK, provoking a renewed pressure on the government for a viable solution.

University and college graduates are among those worst affected by youth unemployment, prompting the government to unveil its youth contract scheme. Beginning next April the scheme pledges wage incentives for employers amounting to the subsidy of 410,000 work and training placements, with additional support for work experience and apprenticeship programmes for the most disadvantaged.

The government is keen to

encourage the private sector to employ young people in areas such as retail, construction and the green economy. Nevertheless, the contractual emphasis of the scheme means those withdrawing from a work placement could be penalised with the potential forfeit of unemployment benefits.

On the issue of the youth contract, Nick Clegg told the BBC: “It provides hope to the many, many young people who, at the moment, are feeling, very anxious and uncertain about their future.”

Praised by some business leaders, his announcement was questioned by the Labour party. In asking how the coalition government would fund the new scheme, they highlighted its similarities to their own future jobs fund. The Trade Unions Conference echoed this scepticism warning that young people could be exploited by the work experience initiatives.

Concrete asked one student graduating from UEA next year what they thought about the scheme: “I think it’s a good idea and with increasing tuition fees could be a better alternative to starting university after school.”

A little taste of Italy Frances Mckeown News Reporter Laura Smith

Night reclaimed by UEA few Ingrid Kornstad News Reporter This year, for the first time ever, the Union paid for a coach for those students at UEA who wished to go to Reclaim the Night, a yearly march where hundreds of women take to the streets of London to take a stand against violence against women and cuts in benefits.

Unfortunately, not many people made use of this opportunity. out of the 24 seats the Union had booked, only seven were filled.

The London Feminist Network, who arranged the

march, is a women-only group, and created some contrversy by excluding men from the march.

Of the UEA representatives, two were male and therefore had to follow the march from the sidelines. However, after the march, both women and men gathered in Camden Centre for a rally, eating delicious Caribbean food and listening to the speakers, before the evening ended with music and the opportunity to make use of the bar provided.

Among the speakers was Selay Ghaffar, Executive Director of Humanitarian Assistance for the Women and Children of Afghanistan, stopping by during

her one week in the UK to speak about her organisation’s work and to express their support for Reclaim the Night. She was rivalled in applause by Femi Otitoju from Million Women Rise, who welcomed attendees to “the feminist revival” and stated her number one demand from politicians: a long-term strategy to end violence against women.

Judging by the audience’s reaction, she was not alone in wanting this. However, the spirit of the movement was perhaps summed up best by NASUWT’s representative at the rally when she stated, to cheers from the crowd: “No, Mr Cameron. We will not calm down!”

A brand new “Jamie’s Italian” restaurant is set to open in Norwich’s Royal Arcade after the recent closure of the Waterstones bookshop situated there. The chain, owned by the celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver, is quickly expanding nationally with restaurants already established in Birmingham and Brighton.

It is set to open by the summer with planning permission having been granted recently, and will create up to 120 jobs. The company has established a good reputation for investing in staff development, providing good working conditions and creating opportunities for young people.

The council also reports that this opening will add significant value to the local economy and to Norwich.

The opening will bring the second floor of the building back into use as a staff area, with

the dining area situated on the ground and first floor. There will be seating created outside the restaurant, as well as customer access to the balcony above the former ballroom, and a new bar area on the ground floor.

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NEWS

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world News from around the world, brought to you by Concrete’s Catherine Hardy Germany

Afganistan

Scotland

Israel

America

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for treaty changes at the next EU summit in order to create a “fiscal union” across the Eurozone, as part of an effort to solve the European debt crisis.

This announcement has added fuel to accusations that Germany is trying to “dominate” Europe.

NATO commanders are planning an offensive in eastern Afghanistan, aimed at quelling insurgent groups based in Pakistan. This will involve an increase in aerial attacks on insurgent bases with the possibility of cross-border raids.

The Pakistani military have been told that if they cannot eliminate the bases the US forces will step in.

Amnesty International and Free Tibet have warned Scotland’s first minister Alex Salmond to not let China’s gift of two pandas to Edinburgh zoo distract them from demanding better civil rights in the country. The pandas are on a ten-year loan and are the first pandas to live in Britain for nearly 20 years.

Jewish women in Britain and the US are being asked to send photographs of themselves holding signs saying “women should be seen and heard,” in a campaign against efforts by orthodox factions to remove female images from advertising billboards in Jerusalem. The New Israel Fund will then compile the photographs into posters to display.

The Gulnare Free Will Baptist Church in Kentucky has voted to ban interracial couples from joining its congregation, stating that they do ‘not condone interracial marriage’.

The controversial resolution says anyone is welcome to attend services, but interracial couples cannot become members or be “used in worship services or other church functions.”

Concrete world focus: British Embassy in Iran stormed Phillip Thomas News Reporter Diplomatic relations between the UK and Iran faltered last week when staff were dismissed from the Iranian embassy in London, following the occupation of British diplomatic missions in Tehran by hordes of protesters.

Foreign secretary William Hague ordered their expulsion and set the deadline for their departure by Friday, announcing to MPs: “If any country makes it impossible for us to operate on their soil, they cannot expect

to have a functioning embassy here.”

Last month hundreds of protesters with the alleged backing of Iranian president Mahmood Ahmadinedjad stormed the UK embassy in the Iranian capital during an anti-Britain protest. Contrary to official explanations and apologies issued by the Iranian administration, the UK Foreign Office believes the regime-backed Basij militia group instigated the attacks and broke into the highsecurity compounds, ransacking offices and setting buildings alight. Embassy staff had been

evacuated beforehand.

The foreign ministries of Germany, France, Norway and the Netherlands have taken measures to consult the security of their diplomatic missions.

The recent animosity directed at Britain by Iran has arisen from recent trade sanctions imposed

by EU and UN members, responding to concerns about Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme. The UN Nuclear Watchdog stated that Iran had performed tests “relevant to the development of a nuclear device,” however, Iranian officials deny these allegations, stating that the

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nuclear programme is peaceful.

Meanwhile recent events have caused concerns for Iranians living in the UK, some of whom expressed their dismay at the embassy occupation and are worried about current affairs in Iranian politics. Deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg spoke resolutely, promising that diplomatic links with Iran would not be entirely severed, nor will the attacks lesson the international community’s “determination to try to find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear question”, whilst the Iranian foreign ministry described the

expulsion of embassy staff as “hasty.”

YouTubed News This fortnight’s featured video is a viral window into the upsetting world of intolerance. The online hit depicts a white woman racially abusing other passengers on a tram in central London whilst cradling a young child on her lap. The woman has since been arrested after being identified in the video.

The video was uploaded on 27 November and has had over 10m views in its short lifetime. You can brave the vitriol and watch it yourself by searching for “My Tram Experience.”

COMMENT

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2011: a reflection As the year comes to an end, Comment editor Joshua Resoun looks back on all that has taken place This year we’ve seen a deepening of the financial crisis, prolonged protests, the driest summer and soon to be the driest winter on record. The Middle East has been racked by a series of popular uprisings, a movement against the capitalist system has sprouted all over the developed world, and to top it all off, the long-awaited Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was finally released.

So that last one is probably of least significance, but the diversity of events which took place in 2011 is mind boggling.

Looking back though, you can identify one trend above all overs, and that is the spread of liberal democracy.

Francis Fukuyama identified that liberal democracy was the “end of mankind’s ideological evolution”, and eventually, if enough time passes, all nations will come under its sway. After this year, it would seem that Fukuyama’s prediction is steadily coming true. The Arab Spring has resulted in free political elections – as surprising as it is, those in Tunisia and Egypt haven’t seen any major scandals – for the first time in generations.

Even as I write this, the citizenries of countries such as Syria are still fighting for political freedom in the form of liberal democracy. It is not because liberal democracy is the best system of government out there, rather, as Winston Churchill remarked, “democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.” It is because, compared to authoritarian systems, liberal democracy offers the space for peaceful change, and through electing a different political party, you can change the way the country is run. Of course, it isn’t faultless, and a fairly big one has been highlighted by the Occupy movement. Liberal democracy is, by nature, focused on the

free market, and as such it is in the state’s best interest to keep business happy, unfortunately, this does tend to result in a degree of inequality of wealth. However, the election process can change this by putting peaceful pressure on governments to make amendments to the system that bring greater benefits to all, and liberal democracy is unique in that the people do hold the power.

I’m sure many of you are shaking your head at this point, thinking to yourself, “but governments don’t listen to the people,” and that is true to an extent, but the election process is not to blame.

Rather we should be blaming the continuous eruption of social discourse which reinforces the status quo. Without drawing this out any further, I would just like to finish by saying that liberal democracy has spread quite exponentially throughout 2011, and I hope this it continues.

Moving from one depressing point to another, the continuation of the financial crisis is beginning to sound like the Never Ending Story, just without the cuddly looking dragon and giant turtle (or is it a tortoise? I really have no idea, I’ve never watched it). I’m not going to attempt to make a suggestion as to how we solve it. I’m not an economist, and I’m sure better people than me are trying to fix it. What I would like to say though is that the financial markets are, at least in part, based on confidence.

We’ve heard how “market confidence has waned in recent months” from every reputable news source out there (and by reputable, I’m not including the tabloid presses), so surely it can only sound reasonable that we all stop saying how bad things are, and just say: “things are ok.”

Yes, we’re not as well-off as we were five years ago, but we’re still miles better off than those living in Somalia, China, and

even Romania. By continuously saying everything is crap, we’re just pushing market confidence down even more, and therefore making things even worse for ourselves. It’s just a thought anyway; I’m sure those doing “real degrees” will be able to correct me if I’m wrong.

The world has, in part, gone down the drain a bit over the last twelve months, but I like to think I’m a “glass half-full” kind of guy, and for me, 2011 has been a great year. Obviously, as you may have guessed from the start of this reflection piece, I was slightly too excited for the release of Skyrim, which, despite the numerous bugs present in it, is a fantastic game. Perhaps my summer is of note though, having spent several weeks working in a summer camp (I maintain that Camp Wah-Nee is the best camp out there) but I also received the opportunity to be an editor for Concrete, which has been, despite the music taste of my fellow editors, a great experience.

It is here then that I would like to say a massive thank you to all of my writers, without them I would have a pretty dull section come release date. I would also like to say a thank you to all of Concrete’s readers, we write for you, we put in a huge amount of effort, energy, and enthusiasm to make this paper, and it is all for you, the reader.

All I would suggest is that you look back over 2011, and make a list for yourself about all the good that has happened this year. I know it’s hard to do, what with budget cuts, rioting, protests, closures, job losses… Ok, so the list of the bad is quite long, but there is some good out there, honestly.

Finally, without sounding overtly sappy, I wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

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Feminism can look good Deputy editor Hannah Britt offers a rebuttal to the claim that women only dress up to attract men

On the Daily Mail website this week, there was an article asking why young women dress like skanks on a night out. Consider this a rebuttal.

The aforementioned article argued the only reason why we girls suck ourselves in and push ourselves up when we head out on the town is to attract men. I disagree. Apparently, girls dress like skanks all in the name of “confidence”. Confidence... May I ask what is wrong with that?

Surely we should encourage confidence in our fellow females, not belittle them? If we want to wear hot pants in December because they make our legs look fabulous then, dammit, we will.

If it takes a bottle of fake tan and a short skirt for someone to feel good about themselves, do we really have any right to judge them for that? Would we rather they sat in their rooms in old trackie bottoms and baggy jumpers, miserable and too selfconscious to go out? I sincerely hope not.

If someone wears Lycra, it does not automatically make them cheap. Perhaps they find it to be an affordable alternative to satin. Perhaps they just haven’t read Vogue in a while. Clothes do not a person make. If a girl wears a tight dress it does not signal that she is about to give a blow job to a boy she’s just met in a corner of the LCR (well, probably not anyway…), she’s going out to dance to Beyoncé

with her friends.

The other day, I was laughed at by my housemates for going for a run wearing a bin bag.

“What are you wearing?!” they asked. “Quite clearly, a bin bag,” I replied. Now, I obviously didn’t don said bin bag for anyone else’s gratification. I wore it because I’d remembered hearing somewhere that it makes you sweat more when you exercise and thus lose more weight. My bin bag is another girl’s boob tube.

What I am saying is, if we girls want to dress like ‘sluts’ (your misinterpretation, not ours), it certainly doesn’t mean we are sluts.

Don’t judge us. We may, correctly, draw the line at girls donning crotch-less pants and nipple tassels on a night out.

There is a time and a place for that, and Lola Lo’s is probably not it. However, if I don’t wish to cover up, does that make me less of a feminist? Or more? My feminist mother burnt her bra, and proudly bounced her way through the unenlightened 70s and 80s as she clawed her way up the corporate ladder ; no-one who met her then would have dared to think she was doing it because she was a “skank.” It was a visible sign of the freedom she was fighting for.

So let us not judge. We should embrace freedom of expression.

It was hard won, and the battle is not over yet...

>> Your Comment >> Your View >> Your Paper Disagree with something said? Have an opinion you want voiced? Want to raise a complaint? Email the editor at: concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk

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You won’t feel a thing, it’s just a little prick With Andrew Lansley introducing yet more changes to the National Health Service, Ciara Jack doubts the future sanity of NHS patients Did George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four or the film V For Vendetta ever make you ponder the ominous notion of a police state? Well that was the nightmare that Andrew Lansley decided to inject into the NHS recently.

In order to gain access to different channels on hospital televisions, patients must pay, otherwise facing continuous rolling footage of Lansley talking. In said video, he reminds patients that their care “really matters to me,” although

apparently not their sanity.

Surely this is just rubbing the salt into the wounds of ailing patients. If anyone is capable of making one splash vegetableflecked bile into a tin bowl it’s Lansley himself. At least the mobile patients will be capable of getting up and turning it off. Some are bound to be less fortunate. Perhaps someone in full plaster-cast with their legs suspended up to the ceiling, anguishing in silence, will be wanting to shout through their tiny air-hole in the plaster: “Oh

Olympic culture Jess Collett laments the BBC’s choice of cultural programming for 2012 The BBC have announced their cultural programming for the Olympics, and I’ll give you one guess as to what our summer 2012 schedules will be dominated by.

Yes, you’ve guessed it, Summer 2012 will be one of intense Shakespeare, special editions of QI, Antiques Roadshow, and I don’t know, a time travel edition of The One Show so we can all revel in how brilliantly amazing the Bard is. Yeah, I’m not too pleased.

This is not me saying I despise Shakespeare, because, like everyone else on the face of the planet I know how good his plays are, which is my point exactly.

Everyone knows Shakespeare equals English culture, so for the BBC to come up with a Shakespeare season is perhaps the laziest, least imaginative thing they could have done. Don’t the Olympic team represent Great

Britain?

My meaning is that we should really have something that displays the cultural identity of all the countries that make up Great Britain.

When I think of Scotland or Wales, I don’t go: “Ooh jolly William Shakespeare.” I think Dylan Thomas or Robert Louis Stevenson, works by whom would both make fantastic programmes next summer.

Documentaries about actual British culture have been shoved onto BBC4, a channel which is like the aunt who ran off at the age of 63 with a 20 year old guy from Spain who wears leopard print; no one wants to talk about her, but we’re all sure she has some fantastic stories.

The official music will be provided by Elbow, who of course represent happiness, joy and excitement. If you didn’t already know.

please god make it stop!”

We can’t have a government which is responsible for causing a shortage in painkillers and narcotics, due to patients demanding amputation strength anesthetics to numb the pain of watching this footage.

Andrew Lansley has failed to spot the desperate irony of wanting to introduce Conservative principles, but with a big brother-style state endorsement. The NHS can be remedied, but Lansley will never hold the cure.

Money speaks, diversity walks Richard Law discusses the closure of the School of Music, and how a world of specialised institutions is one which should be avoided There inevitably comes a time in every student’s life when they hear these words: “a real degree”.

The phrase has been of particular currency of late in the form of a snide, lazy criticism of a “real” protest against the closure of the School of Music. I confess, I find the phrase at the very least to be lacking in clarity, if not to be utterly meaningless.

I suspect its users do not mean to suggest that upon graduation the music student will receive a forged degree, given by some powerful prankster at UEA. Although, when the time comes, our freshers may well be justified in feeling short-changed. Perhaps they are kindly expressing concern for their fellow students’ career prospects, but they needn’t, since the UEA website makes clear that – excluding professional schools – the School “has the highest graduate employment record within the University”.

Or maybe they have reached the conclusion, obviously after thorough research, that music

is not an academic discipline.

Admittedly, we must concede that LMFAO didn’t need music lessons.

By implication, are we to understand that these people are in favour of a UEA that is a more specialised university?

Let us for a moment take this proposition to be true. UEA outperforms many universities that specialise in music both in terms of course and teaching satisfaction. Similarly, Drama possesses a superlative record in student satisfaction. Not only is UEA often outperforming them, but specialised institutions seem to be, by definition, contrary to the interdisciplinary relationships prevalent in courses. Music is highly mathematical, bridging and crossing both sides of the brain. Literature is a mongrel of subjects, for instance, History, Psychology, Sociology. If a purebreed subject is of greater worth then it must have advantages other than the valuable prospects, knowledge, and experience

gained in these courses that prosper in universities offering variety.

The fact is we all, by virtue of being here, are approaching the summit of our subjects. I dare say some readers will have turned their noses up at my previous examples, which are distinguished by their allegiance to the dreaded cult of arts and humanities. Such a prejudice is inextinguishable and spreads with little opposition in this culture of ideological attacks on the arts, symptomatic of an emphatically capitalistic perspective of our educational institutions. It is for this reason that even more disheartening than the Save UEA Music campaign’s loss is the unshakeable feeling that they never were going to win: money speaks louder than words; profit takes precedence over students.

Soon, UEA will cull an indispensible part of its culture.

But, that said, if higher education simply and singularly denotes a continuation of academic learning then perhaps specialised universities are functional. I suspect that for most of us higher education means this and much more. Perhaps one of the greatest times of our lives, the very greatness of which is achieved through a variety of culture, community and opportunity that we will likely never experience again. However, if we are quick to gratitude, we ought to be quicker to defence.

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Beyond our means: an overdraft culture With the next instalment of student loans on the horizon, Rebecca Goodacre looks at the peculiar scenario of students living on the overdraft limit throughout their time at university Money is the bane of student life. It’s the difference between whether you’re going out tonight, or staying in eating Tesco Value fish fingers wrapped in a duvet because you can’t afford to turn the heating on.

As the numbers on the bank statements dwindle, for some it means the good times are over.

No one wants noodles with ketchup but it happens to the best of us. But for many others it just calls for back up support in the form of a student saviour: the overdraft.

The overdraft is the darling of the student world. It’s the light at the end of a very bleak financial tunnel. You can do anything with an overdraft. The numbers might say -£340, but your social life says top notch. And plus, it doesn’t cost you anything, it’s just like borrowing a tenner off your mum, if she were a bit more generous that is. Except it isn’t

Just a loudmouth?

George Hamilton-Jones looks at the bigger debate behind Jeremy Clarkson’s most recent outburst Britain’s most famous motor journalist, and Top Gear lynchpin, recently joked that he would like to see participants in the recent public sector strikes “executed in front of their families.” The outburst took place on The One Show, and received thousands of complaints from viewers.

Deliriously unprofessional and individualistic, Clarkson can be highly appealing. The sense of power at being able to tell large organisations, do-gooders and bureaucrats to get stuffed is seductive but, as he sometimes fails to remember, he works for the BBC. While it is consistent for Clarkson to go after public sector workers given past utterances, he fails to acknowledge his profitable relationship with the same in doing so.

With this and his claim that Mexicans are lazy, Clarkson follows the Ricky Gervais “mong” controversy. More than the Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross affair, Gervais and Clarkson are responsible for quite nasty sentiments expressed as jokes

under the guise of bucking political correctness and challenging the bounds of public discourse.

With plenty of media outlets to choose from, offense can feel like a choice. No need to watch anything offensive. Choice is great, but if taking offense is the province of the offended how do you hold people responsible for their message?

“It is consistent for Clarkson to go after public sector workers, but he doesn’t talk about his relationship with the BBC” I believe that empathy is the key. When debates like this rear their ugly head I try to remind myself of this central point.

Maybe “offense” is getting outdated, and with it defensive tendencies like political correctness but surely we should take opportunities like this furore to reaffirm our commitment to understanding each other.

really like that at all.

Some say student life is like living in a bubble, and when it comes to finances most of the time that’s true.

When our student loans arrive at the beginning of every semester, it’s as though a friendly stork dropped by and just fancied giving us a whole lot of money.

But from previous experience, things involving storks never turn out to be quite that simple.

out on a Saturday night in this season’s fashions, well, chances are you’re not living within your means either.

There’s a reason our loans aren’t enough for the latest trends and late night drink deals.

Life as a student isn’t financially

easy. If it means getting a job, then get a job. A lot of the time it’s about compromise and making do. It’s an important lesson to learn in life: money won’t always be freely available, so why should we think it is now?

“The overdraft is the darling of the student world. It’s the light at the end of a very bleak financial tunnel” The reality is that we’re in a financial crisis: a crisis caused by people, companies and governments not living within their means. And if you’ve been in your over draft for the best part of two years, and are still

More than just sweet FA Sports editor Chris Teale argues why the FA Cup is still football’s greatest cup competition There is no better cup contest in club football today than the FA Cup, despite the criticisms levelled against it. The competition sees amateurs and professionals standing toe-to-toe on the field, for ninety minutes football equals with crowds of tens of thousands cheering them on. Where else could painters, decorators and taxi drivers play on the same pitch as their professional counterparts?

The “romance of the cup” still rings true, especially in the relatively early stages of the competition, long before the top teams come into play in the third round. The human interest stories that emerge from the tournament dominate headlines, and these are often fascinating, resonating strongly with amateur enthusiasts across the length and breadth of the nation, who often have to balance work and family in order to play a game of footy every Saturday afternoon. This year’s second round was no different.

AFC Totton of the Southern Premier League would have only dreamed about reaching

this stage of the competition, especially as they started in the first qualifying round, having to win five games in order to get this far. For them to welcome Bristol Rovers, a team three divisions above them, would have been beyond anything they could have imagined in their opening game at home to Fleet Town on September 17.

“Where else can painters, decorators and taxi drivers play on the same pitch as their professional counterparts?”

For AFC Totton, their manager a delivery driver by day, and star striker a student at Portsmouth University, having the chance to compete alongside professional footballers is something that they would not be afforded in any other sport. While they are grateful for the guaranteed £72,000 that comes from television revenue, this club in particular are a prime example of how the “romance of

the cup” is still alive and kicking.

Let’s take another example: Redbridge FC. They began their FA Cup campaign at home to Cockfoster’s in the preliminary qualifying round on September 3, and their manager is a taxi driver by trade. They may have been demolished 5-0 away by Crawley Town, but they still exit the competition with their heads held high, having been the lowestranked side in the competition, playing against the so called “Manchester City of the Football League.”

Some have suggested that the FA Cup has lost its magic, due to the dominance of the Premier League and the Champions League in the English football media, and many clubs fielding weakened teams to avoid damage to their league campaigns.

However, if you asked any of the amateur teams, they would say the FA Cup is still important, and often the highlight of their seasons. Football is certainly the great game, and the FA Cup is the tournament to prove it.

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TRAVEL

Edinburgh, the fringe city

Rachael Lum bravely investigates Edinburgh’s literary past following its ghostly streets and its famous authors’ old haunts to discover both the light and the dark side of Scotland’s cultural capital Robert Louis Stevenson had Edinburgh in mind when he wrote The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Its literary connections were what brought me to the “city of literature” last summer, the capital of Scotland that inspired art with its duality.

The bright and pleasant side of Edinburgh can be experienced in its unique museums and galleries located around the city centre. Obscurely hidden in Lady Stair’s Close is The Writer’s Museum, which exhibits the possessions and rare editions of books that once belonged to three celebrated Scottish writers: Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott.

Strolling through the city centre at our own time proved to be rewarding as we chanced upon many other amusing sights. The

Museum of Childhood, for one, is a depository that traces the evolution of childhood toys and objects from the 18th to the 21st century.

Art lovers should visit The Elephant House, a quaint little teahouse and restaurant frequented by contemporary writers such as J.K. Rowling. It boasts large crowds that were ardent (as much as we were) to have meals at the birthplace of Harry Potter. Instead of waiting in the queue, however, we decided to have lunch in a lesser-known pub, aptly called Jekyll and Hyde, notable for the Gothic ambience created by its remarkably detailed interior design.

As night descends, Edinburgh morphs into eerie streets characteristic of Mr Hyde’s haunts. Not called a city of

secrets for nothing, it did not take us long to learn about its dark past, from the oppression of the poor through the Poor Law to the unorthodox witch-hunting and persecution. The underground South Bridge Vaults are located down below the Old Town, rumoured to be haunted. There are five-star guided tours held within these vaults, dramatically conducted with as much historical authenticity as possible, although it is not for the superstitious or faint-hearted.

Up on the streets there are various other evening tours that delve into Edinburgh’s bloody past. The guides, dedicatedly dressed and acting in character, share the tales of famous criminals and victims of the gallows and the guillotine in Royal Mile, a stretch of busy streets which people

would otherwise walk past in ignorance.

We maximised our activities by purchasing two-day Edinburgh passes at about £39 (one-day and three-day passes are available at different rates). The smart card gave free entry for over 30 attractions and discounts all around the area. Although it does not include entry into Edinburgh Castle, the pass is sufficient for one to visit galleries, the Camera Obscura, Dynamic Earth, the Edinburgh Dungeon and more without having to worry about the entry costs.

Edinburgh, the Unesco world heritage site, embodies the juxtaposed elements of light and darkness in the city. They form the literary fascination that drives culture vultures to hover in the city year after year.

Essential Edinburgh Getting there

>> Edinburgh’s Waverley rail station is six hours 15 mins from Norwich via Peterborough >> Tickets two weeks in advance with a raildcard are around £70 open return

Staying there

>> Edinburgh has a fantastic range of hostels with dorm rooms from just £6.50 a night >> The Castle Rock Hostel is opposite Edinburgh’s famous castle and was voted hostel of the year for the past three years

TRAVEL

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New Zealand: lord of the tourist traps Although touring film sets is big business in New Zealand, middle earth isn’t all it seems, says Rachel Greene-Taylor Imagine you are staring up at a big dirty quarry covered with cranes, whilst a man tells you that this is where Peter Jackson filmed the battle of Helms Deep.

In the back of your mind the $90 that you spent on this Lord of the Rings tour in New Zealand goes up in metaphoric flames, but that is trivial compared to the crushing ache of disappointment.

The three people that you managed to persuade to join you on this tour are looking at you with a mixture of anger and disbelief. The visions of Arwen sauntering through Rivendell, a Nazgul attacking Minas Tirith and Gimli puffing along the fields of Rohan with his axe, quickly evaporate. After paying $90, I almost expected to bump into Treebeard.

Throughout the day we were given staffs to imitate Gandalf; blonde wigs, elf ears and a bow and arrow to imitate Legolas.

We even rolled down hills to act out hobbits escaping from ring wraiths, all in places around Wellington where they were

supposedly filmed.

The salvaging point which the group were anticipating was the gourmet lunch but although we didn’t expect a three course meal with real silver cutlery, we certainly expected more than half a cold subway on a picnic bench.

At various points throughout the day I wanted to find Mount Doom and throw myself into it, alas, that did not exist either.

Although the whole tour was a complete shambles, I cannot avoid the fact that it was hilarious.

However, this was a man’s livelihood, and like other times when you know that laughter is extremely rude, the fact you have to hide it sends you into a vicious circle of hilarity.

So, if you want to see the wonders of Hobbiton and Gondor then I suggest you find an Imax, for the experience would be a lot more in touch with reality. Damn CGI, damn my naivety, but thank you Mr. Tour guide for conning us into one of the funniest days of our lives.

Guiding your gap year plans Top 3 - Occupy locations Are you planning a gap year after you graduate or planning on working or volunteering abroad this summer? You’ll be needing the Gap-Year Guidebook then. Guidebooks have become an integral part of modern travel, whether it’s the latest Lonely Planet or guides that offer advice on everything from immunisations to visas.

Now in it’s 20th edition, the Gap-Year Guidebook has been described as “a must for anyone taking a year out” by the Telegraph and with its mine of information and travel company contacts it’s like a Google search condensed into an easy-to-read book.

The internet can be a confusing universe of information, but the Gap-Year Guidebook does the sifting and sorting for you, with a bright design and clear layout.

Gap years cover a huge range of opportunities and there are a million companies that will offer you anything from the chance to find internships in America over the summer, to year-long volunteer placements at charity projects in Africa.

There are also plenty of options for gap years in the UK, with ideas for seasonal work, volunteer placements and information about further study and skill enhancement.

Gap

“

Travel Confessions

years are much more than just “discovering yourself” on a beach in Thailand!

Win a copy of the Gap Year Guidebook! To be in with a chance of winning simply answer the following question:

Which country has the longest coastline?

Send answers to concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk

Whilst traveling through the outback, Wilson, our much-loved cameraman, started to slow down, only 40km outside of any civilisation. We didn’t know what was happening but we knew something was wrong.

Over the space of the day we were jump started over 15 times by different cars. Thankfully every car that passed us on the road

1) Occupy Hawaii

America’s island state has garnered huge support throughout the islands with almost 5000 ‘likes’ on its Facebook page and seven Occupy locations across three of the major islands.

2) Occupy U.S Virgin Islands

The Unired States Virgin Islands may only make up 133 square miles but that hasn’t stopped two Occupy movements forming, one on the island of St Thomas and the other on St John.

3) Occupy Barnaul, Russia

Surely some of the hardiest Occupiers are located in Barnaul in Western Siberia, Russia where temperatures average around -10 °C in December. stopped to offer a jumpstart or some kind of refreshment. I think they must have just thought: “Oh, just more stupid English tourists not realising what they are getting themselves into!”

In the early hours the next morning we managed to drag Wilson into a tiny town called Halls Creek. The next day we did it all again. By the following night

the adventure factor had started to wear thin. It was getting dark and civilisation was nowhere to be seen. We were in the middle of one of the remotest places in the world with no lights and no power. And to make things worse there was a massive storm brewing. It was just like a horror movie!

Kimberley Sparkes

”

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FEATURES

Labour’s Clive also cares...

After having been formally chosen as the official Labour party candidate for the South Norwich constituency, Clive Lewis spoke to James Dixon and Susanna Wood about beginning the fight against Simon Wright

C

ould you tell us a bit about yourself?

I was born in London, I left when I was three and moved to Northampton. I went to state school, a comprehensive. I was the first in my family to go to university.

My dad’s from Grenada. I’ve been back there a couple of times, it’s lovely. I got on the BBC News training scheme after the NUS, worked on my local newspaper for a time and then travelled around with the BBC for a while. I became chief political reporter for the BBC politics show, East. Then I went off to Afghanistan with the reserves. That was quite tough. I had bit of a hard time when I got back. I’m looking to move into the Golden Triangle. I live in Norwich North currently and now seems as good a time as any to move into the heart of the constituency. I’m single at the moment and I’ll try and resolve that if I can find the time. I’d like to have a family. I run, I play squash.

UEA is a massive cohort for Norwich South’s constituency.

That’s right. It has been instrumental in the fates of quite a few MPs. Do you have any plans for involvement with UEA in your run up to the election?

In terms of specific plans, I’ve been elected for two weeks so it’s early days, however I was elected on a platform of community campaigning. I think sometimes that the campus is one part of student life but the vast majority of students live in the Golden Triangle area, so they’re part and parcel of the community. This is the heart of my constituency and a number of community campaigns I am looking to run will always want to involve students. I think sometimes people obsess about the campus, but actually the student community is probably out there in reality and we need to try to bring students away from the perception that you’re on campus and therefore not part of the community.

What sort of an alternative do you think you would offer to Simon Wright?

I’m not part of one of the most

right wing governments we have seen since WWII. I think I offer principled politics. I think I offer a sustainable left wing alternative to Simon Wright, but let’s not forget: there will be other candidates in the election. Although he is the incumbent MP. You served a tour of Afghanistan in 2009 as a member of the Territorial Army. How do you think this will affect you as a prospective parliamentary candidate?

I was the vice-president of the NUS and the president of my student union so apart from that and apart from the work I did with the BBC politics show, I don’t have any elected political experience. I have life experience and it’s not always expected that someone who considers themselves a socialist will also serve in the army. Why I did it is something I could talk about at length: it provided me certain attributes and skills, and given me certain experiences which I will rely on in later years and I rely on now.

I think, in terms of how people perceive the armed forces, they are an integral part of our country and our institution itself. Let’s not forget, it’s not the military that decides where we fight. It’s the government, democratically elected governments, but I would like to think most people view it as a positive and I’m very proud of the time I served in the army.

You took part in Operation Black Vote, an MP shadowing scheme. Alongside your life experiences, do you think this makes you a more representative candidate for Norwich South?

I don’t think there has ever been a black parliamentary candidate or black MP in Norfolk, so in that sense it could be a first. I first came to Norwich in 2001 with the BBC and I remember when I came here, I couldn’t quite work out what was different. I was sat there down on Gentlemen’s Walk and I was looking around thinking “Something’s bugging me, what is it?” I realised after 15 or 20 minutes that there were simply no black people, and that has changed considerably but

it is still a predominantly white city. I think the vast majority of people will see and judge me on my abilities as a candidate and whether I can represent them.

Do I have policies that they want to buy into as opposed to where my dad came from? I think what is most important is where you are at and what you are doing now.

You have quite a strong union backing from the GMB, Unite and the East of England cooperative union. Are you connected with UCU or NUS? The Labour party itself has a connection through our youth officer, Tim, and he is here on campus. One of the reasons Labour lost Norwich South was because Simon Wright made certain promises. Charles Clarke was obviously in a slightly weaker position in that he had been in government when tuition fees were introduced, and I can understand student anger over that. Some, not all of them, will have made him pay for it in terms of voting for Simon Wright.

Unfortunately, now I think they realise that that was perhaps a mistake.

So you were in support of the 30 November strikes?

100%. I don’t think any of those public servants would have wanted to disrupt their pupils, patients or anyone’s lives but I think in the long run, it’s not just an attack on pensions, it’s also a wider attack on public services. On health, education and the privatisation of both. Simon Wright is part of a government that has no mandate to privatise

education or health. That was not in their manifestos, and they have no right to do it. What happened on November 30 was all part of that process, it’s inextricably linked.

Have you been following the Save UEA Music campaign?

Yes, I sent a statement of support to [the campaign] because as far as I saw, it was a fantastic community movement. I tried to explain that you need a little bit of analysis of why this happening. With the removal of the vast element of core central funding from government, universities are now almost entirely reliant on £9,000 fees. The government has in effect created a pure market in higher education and they’ve looked at the balance sheet and the music department doesn’t stack up financially. In a market system, you have winners and losers and unfortunately, according to this system the UEA music department is the first casualty.

Graduate job prospects appear grim at the moment so this is a great worry for students too.

I remember when I was in my second year we had a careers talk saying: “It’s grim out there kids, it’s tough and when you leave next year it’s going to be hard to find a job.” I guess not being the party of government, all I can do is sit on the sidelines and say what I think they should be doing. I think an increasing number of people are beginning to say to themselves there has got to be a better way of running the economy.

One that isn’t simply market based, I think there has to be more intervention from the government. I still believe in

capitalism as a means of generating wealth and income.

I believe in business, I believe businesses should be supported but there needs to be, what I would call a “good society,” where we all take a responsibility.

How would you look to combat the Greens, who have a strong presence in Norwich South?

Since 1997, the high watermark of the Labour vote here, we have lost about 13,000 voters and 10,000 votes to parties claiming to be more left-wing than us, namely, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens. Voters didn’t leave us, we as the Labour party left them. I think some of the Greens’ politics are good politics and I won’t deny that. Labour party politics and my policies will always want to have sustainability and environmentalism at the heart of them because as a socialist, I believe people need a sustainable, clean environment to live in and socialists are natural environmentalists, they have to be. I don’t have an issue with the Greens but I don’t think they are politically relevant. Come the general election, I think people have a clear choice between Labour and Simon Wright and the Tories. The Greens are not going to perform in the next general election. If you vote Green, you are voting for the Liberal Democrats or the Tories.

Could you tell us a bit more about the compass initiative?

Basically, it has been designed by a series of economists who want to take a different approach as to how we are looking at the economy. If I can sum it up in a nutshell, if we want to have a better society, a less divisive society, a more equitable society then what we need to do is begin to move away from a deregulated lay-markets, deregulated energy markets, deregulated banking systems.

What’s your favourite biscuit?

Oh, that’s a really good one. It’s between two, Viscounts and actually, if there was a platter of biscuits on the table, I would pick a fig roll.

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Joey Essex: Behind the fake tan When Hannah Britt met Joey Essex, star of The Only Way Is Essex, things did not go to plan

F

ake tan applied and false eyelashes in place, I arrive at Project in downtown Norwich for the start of their Reem Party. In a few hours, the stage would be graced by none other than Joey Essex, the beloved star of The Only Way Is Essex. But, before he goes on stage, I am going to interview the man himself for Concrete.

Famous for quotes such as, “Who’s the prime minister of Essex?” in all honesty, I was not holding out much hope for a deeply intellectual interview.

However, nothing could prepare me for the disaster which was about to unfold. “Follow me girls, I’ll set you up in VIP,” sounds like the start of a good night, right?

Wrong.

I am sipping on my third (or maybe fourth) cocktail when a buzz goes round the room: Joey is in the building. I am ushered out of VIP and into the backstage area. Joey is in the bathroom. I wait. My eyes wander to a table, there’s a list of things Joey would like upon arrival to the club.

On the list there are Dairylea Lunchables, pineapple juice, vodka and ready salted crisps.

What a diva.

When Joey emerges he is a vision of orange. He looks tired; his face is puffy. He is, however, glowing. Not as one would glow after an expensive facial, but as would after a nuclear radiation leak. He is wearing his signature outfit: a tight, white t-shirt and even tighter denim shorts. He is smaller than I imagined. I feel like the jolly green giant standing next to him in my six inch heels.

I wish I’d worn flats. I usher him to a sofa. We sit. The interview begins.

I tell him it’s fantastic to meet him, that I love TOWIE, that I’d once seen him in Sugar Hut in Essex and that the excitement I felt that day was a close second to Christmas. Joey looks blankly at me, “I like your watch,” he says, “it’s well reem.” Brilliant, Joey likes me already. I have a good feeling about this. Unfortunately it doesn’t take long for that feeling to fade.

“Er ... wait what?”

Joey says in answer to my inquiry as to his opinion

of the economic situation at the moment. He scowls at me.

Fabulous. I take a different tact and ask him about vajazzles.

Now, for those of you that have yet to have the pleasure of watching TOWIE, a vajazzle is when one has little gems (crystals, not lettuces) placed in an aesthetically pleasing pattern around one’s private parts. What a lovely idea, right? Don’t worry, I won’t be offended if you put your issue of Concrete down while you rush out and get one. But back to Joey. Upon the mention of the word vajazzle, Joey is back in the game. Clearly in his comfort zone, his little puffy face lights up: “I ain’t never looked at one really, Sam never got one when I was with her. But love hearts are the best.” So there you have it ladies, the way to Joey Essex’s heart is by framing your bits with a spangled love heart.

Sod Kate Adie, this is hard hitting journalism at it’s very best.

Joey’s enthusiasm is short lived, however, as he stumbles over the use of the word “inspiration” in my next question. “What do you mean?” he asks, bemused, when probed about the inspirations behind his style. We look at each other in silence for a moment. I wonder if he’s joking.

He’s not. I think of another way to ask him, speaking slowly so he understands.

Somewhere deep inside his brain a low watt light bulb flickers: “I just wear what I want to really,” he says.

I begin wondering if interviewing a potato would be more interesting when Joey suddenly stands up, making me jump, and points at himself. “This is called Joey Essex,” he shouts, “that’s it.” He sits back down.

When asked what he

thinks of Norwich, Joey says he has “only been here for five minutes,” he thinks it’s “reem” but doesn’t really know, he doesn’t think he’s ever been here before. The light bulb flickers again. “Fuck, are we in UEA?” I

Snog/Marry/Avoid

Joey picks...

Snog Lucy Mecklenburgh Marry Sam Faires Avoid Lauren Goodger nod. “Is UEA near Norwich?” Is he being serious? Oh, wait, he is.

Nice one Joey. Very reem.

Thanks to Mr Essex, the word “reem” has entered the vocabulary of the TOWIEwatching public. One could say that Joey Essex is

the modern day Shakespeare.

Sort of. The word in question is actually a Swedish slang term used to describe an incredibly sexy and talented individual. I, however, am starting to prefer Urban Dictionary’s definition of “reem,” which is something along the lines of: “saying this word automatically gives others permission to belt you around the face with a shovel.” But what does Joey think? Keen to get the Essex Shakespeare’s view, I ask him. “I just heard it in south London. I like it. It’s reem,” he replies. I ask him if he knows that its roots lie in the Swedish language. “What do you mean?” he asks. I try to explain. “What?” he asks again. I give up. I begin to wonder if Joey would buy a dictionary if they introduced the word “reem” into it. Probably not. While I’m musing this, he gets up again. “Is it me or is it hot in here?” he asks. I tell him that I’m sorry but I can’t help being so hot. I laugh at my own joke.

Joey looks at me blankly. He turns around and heads towards the bathroom. I, naturally, follow.

I tell him to run his wrists under some cold water to cool himself down, he asks where we heard such a stupid idea, I tell him that I don’t know, but I might have seen it in a rubbish TV programme on ITV2 .

After a few minutes, Joey’s wrists are cool enough for us to leave the bathroom. Fantastic.

Is he ready to answer my questions again?

Of course he’s not.

He comments on my watch again, which is bright orange. Maybe he’s feeling inspired as to his next shade of fake tan. Or he would, if he knew what the word “inspired” meant. He picks up the copy of Concrete I’ve brought with me and takes a picture of it on his phone. “What’s this?” he asks.

He seems agitated. He gets up again. I tell him he seems nervous. He tells me he’s not. I try another question, what type of girl does Joey Essex go for usually? “They’ve just gotta be reem man.” Fabulous, I think, this interview is going to change the world.

The way Joey Essex is portrayed onscreen is as a dim but charismatic young man with a heart of gold. “I’m just myself on it”, Joey says of his onscreen persona. Bollocks. He must be happy with the way the producers of TOWIE edit the programme because so far the only characteristic I can vouch for is that he is dim, very dim. His favourite food must be dim sum.

If he was a household appliance, he’d be a dimmer switch. His favourite political commentator (if he had any idea what that means) would be Jonathon Dimbleby.

At this point, Joey sits down and starts picking at his knee. He tells me it hurts. Now it’s my turn to look bemused. This interview just gets better and better doesn’t it? Michael Parkinson eat your heart out. I tell him it’s probably an ingrown hair. “What’s one of them?” asks Mr Essex. I explain.

“It’s hurting, do something,” he says. I tell him that I don’t really have much experience in dealing with the pain caused from ingrown hairs. Bloody hell.

“I need to go outside. I’m boiling,” Joey looks visibly flustered, he is beginning to sweat. “I can’t handle this, I’m hot,” he says. Then he gets up and I watch, incredulous, as his little orange legs scuttle out of the door. I’m speechless: something which doesn’t happen often, let me tell you.

Tucking Concrete under my arm I go to follow. My path is blocked

by Joey’s security guard. Even in my heels, he is a foot taller than me and about eight times as wide. I contemplate taking a run at the door but I decide against it. He could snap me like a Toblerone. “Joey’s not doing anymore interviews tonight,” is all he says, his arms folded.

Brilliant.

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UEA Music: 1965-2014 Josh Bowker provides a near half-decade tribute to the School of Music At 11.40am on 28 November, the last post was sounded in the Square, mourning the decision to close of the UEA School of Music, made just a few hundred feet away in Council chambers.

The music was audible to those who had made the decision, and as the Chaplaincy placed signs in its windows proclaiming “Play on” it was difficult to contain the sadness. A protest that had started in absolute silence began to assume a distinctly funereal air.

It is hard not to treat the School of Music as sentient. One of the oldest schools in the University, it began its life in 1965 as the School of Fine Art and Music in the prefabricated site where the village now sits.

The dedicated School of Music was born amidst the brutalist architecture of campus in 1973,

and has over the years enjoyed a colourful and quirky history.

The school was commissioned by the then Vice Chancellor, Frank Thistlethwaite. It was with collaboration from the prominent composer Benjamin Britten and also Imogen Holst, daughter of Gustav, that Thistlethwaite set about the creation of the School, attempting “To bridge the gulf peculiar to this country, between universities and music academies.”

The School has long been held in high regard. It enjoys an almost unparalleled reputation in the sonic arts. It was Denis Smalley, Studio Director (1987-1994), with his reputation as a composer of electroacoustic music who brought a focus to this, particularly in the postgraduate community.

Indeed, his first PhD student was current senior lecturer in music Dr Simon Waters. But it is not just Waters who has gone on to direct a studio in an institution of learning; many alumni from UEA now not only teach in, but run studios with a similar ethos in universities around the globe. With UEA as the blueprint for these institutions, it is no wonder that the School has long been seen as the leading light in its field.

However, the University hasn’t merely excelled in the field of electroacoustic composition. It has produced performances of Rameau operas at the Southbank Centre, is strongly connected with Chamber Orchestra Anglia, and has enjoyed excellent links with the Aldeburgh Music Festival.

When designing the course

Thistlethwaite prudently observed to Britten that to establish music “as an academic discipline, on all fours with the other humanities, the emphasis will inevitably be on music history and criticism.”

Fortunately, a more well-rounded course was developed. The School became a place where all varieties of musical study could be undertaken. The original brochure boasted: “Whether as conductor, performer, composer, critic or musicologist, each takes a very active role in the teaching programme.” This is an ethos which has continued to the present day. It is the forward thinking and teaching of the UEA music department which made such a performance possible.

There is something about the School that makes those who

study and work there hold it dear. Upon news of the intended closure, emotional messages of support containing fond memories from past students flooded in. Simon Waters has been a presence in the School for many years, but it is one of the original lecturers of the School of Music, the late Professor David Chadd, who was most fondly remembered. Since his untimely death in 2006, the University has not sought to fill his chair, instead the department functioning under a series of acting heads.

This closure will undoubtedly leave a great void within the arts, and it is all that the faculty and students can do to document its history as best they can in order ensure that this department does not fade from memory.

To read Josh’s full tribute to the recently closed School of Music, visit www.concrete-online.co.uk

SENIOR RESIDENTS 2012-2013 The Dean of Students’ Office is recruiting enthusiastic, mature and capable people to join our team of Senior Residents in September 2012

Senior Residents will work closely with staff in the Dean of Students’ Office to deliver high quality advice, guidance and support to students living in residences and to facilitate the development of a well-integrated residential community.

In return for rent-free self-contained accommodation comprising living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, Senior Residents will: • promote the well-being and good order of students in residences and strive to create a positive living environment; • play a key role in the welcome and induction of new students and support students’ transition from home to university life; • provide a duty system which guarantees students can access help and support out-of-hours and at weekends.

The role of Senior Resident will be rewarding and represents an excellent personal and professional development opportunity for those able to respond to the challenges.

Comprehensive induction and in-service training will be provided to the successful applicants.

Application Deadline: 12pm on Wednesday 4 January 2012

For more information visit the Dean of Students’ Office or go to www.uea.ac.uk/dos : Life in Residences

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The Christmas consumerism controversy Becky Hazlewood looks at the often overlooked environmental impact of the festive season After spending the last couple of months turning a blind eye to the tinsel clad shop dummies and squinting against the blue and silver glare of shopping lanes illuminated in festive anticipation, December is finally is here and it is time to soak up the Christmas spirit.

As much as there is to love about Christmas, be it the cheesy music, social gatherings, roaring fireplaces or hustle and bustle of the city centre, there is one element of the season which can niggle at the conscience.

There is no escaping the fact that Christmas is a consumption fest. This does not just mean the

guilt that comes from the glut of mince pies, roast dinners and (it goes without saying) far too much mulled wine. Consumption reaches its peak in December.

Electricity demand soars whilst homes and shop fronts compete for the most eye catching light display, and everybody begins the mad rush to find that perfect present for their Aunty Lyn, Uncle Pete and Cousin Bob. Of course, there is absolutely no problem with presents or a few fairy lights. In fact, Christmas shopping is my all time favourite activity. You can’t beat the thrill of running round like a headless chicken on Christmas Eve

hoping for a last minute flash of inspiration before the shops shutter up for two days.

The only troubling part of the holiday is the huge piles of empty packaging and wrapping paper that accumulate on every doorstep on boxing day; the unwanted presents which get shoved to the top hand corner of your wardrobe, not to be pulled out for another decade, and the huge amounts of food that get left to fester in the fridge when no one can face another Christmas dinner.

Although each household’s contribution may be small, altogether the festive footprint

is pretty significant. So put your feet up, snuggle up with a glass of mulled wine and turn a thought this year to the environment by checking out our top tips for a climate friendly Christmas.

Biodiversity of the Broads: a matter of national importance Chris Teale Turf Writer A UEA study, commissioned by the Broads Authority, has shown that the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads are a host for a quarter of the rare animal and plant species in the United Kingdom.

The study, carried out by the School of Environmental Sciences, is believed to be the first complete audit of the species present in the Broads.

It combined data collected from research over the last 12 months by the team from UEA with records dating back to the 17th century.

The study identified over 11,000 species living in the Broads, of which over 1,500 are rare and would probably be extinct were it not for the existence of the Broads. It also discovered 66 species that have not been seen anywhere else in Britain, despite the area making up only 0.4% of its land mass.

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Despite the possibility of hundreds of species having disappeared, after not being recorded in over two decades, the discovery of species such as the previously unrecognised Broads Dolly Fly, the Slender Amber Snail and the Scarce Marsh Neb shows the ecological importance of the Broads. The research found that 63% of the 1,500 rare species are reliant on the freshwater in the Broads, which may be problematic if sea level rise encroaches as predicted, due to climate change.

However, Dr Hannah Mossman of the School of Environmental Sciences is confident of preserving many of the species, and said: “This study has shown we can identify which of the hundreds of rare species are most threatened by climate change, and that we can map these to show which parts of the Broads could be priorities for protection from sea level rise, based on their vulnerable biodiversity.”

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Climate-friendly Christmas tips 1) Save cash by checking the charity shops. You could find a weird and wonderful gift and contribute to a good cause.

Plus, buying second hand means you’re also helping the environment by reducing, reusing and recycling unwanted items. Score.

2) Instead of buying a load of mass produced tat to hand over to your family, why not put on your artistic hat and fashion a homemade gift? Try knitting, print some treasured holiday snaps and make a frame, or give glass painting a go. It’s amazing what you can create with items you already possess. You’ll save money and look twice as thoughtful, clever and creative!

3) Think outside the box and invest in an experience.

Companies such as Groupon offer great savings on spa days and massages. If you want to contribute to conservation how about adopting an orangutan, elephant or dolphin?

And for the person who has everything (even an elephant) you can buy a goat for a family in poverty, and give them a yearlong feel good factor.

4) Fairtrade? Organic? Ecofriendly? When it comes to food all those claims can be confusing and not necessarily environmentally beneficial. If you want to cut your carbon footprint then source this year’s dinner from your local fruit and veg shop. Chances are you’ll get better quality produce that won’t have been flown in from Madagascar.

5) According to estimates, enough wrapping paper to cover Guernsey is thrown into our bins every Christmas. Not to mention the 1bn Christmas cards which end up at the dump. If you want your presents to stand out under the tree then wrap them in old newspapers (excluding Concrete, these are sacred!) and cut out pictures from old cards to use as labels. Worried about them looking dowdy?

Bling them up with a bit of glitter!

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Have yourself a very student Christmas Lifestyle writer Lauren Cope reminds you that the holiday season doesn’t need to empty the bank With cash running low as the end of semester nears, Christmas presents can be an unnecessary drain on funds for students.

This doesn’t mean skimping on presents for loved ones: it’s all about being a little bit smarter with money. Here is Concrete’s

guide on how to be a savvy student shopper at Christmas.

Firstly think homemade gifts: the nicest gifts are the ones that come from the heart. Photo collages, homemade gift boxes or a scrapbook are affordable, easy to make, and will mean

CliveCares

more than anything bought from a shop. Making them will be fun as well and will get the festive spirit flowing.

Another great option is “Secret Santa.” deciding how many friends a budget can include is an awkward situation,

so avoid this by organising a Secret Santa. Buying one gift is easier on the bank balance and saves planning, resulting in a nicer present. Agree a price limit and arrange a get together before the holidays.

Shops around Christmas are bursting with promotions and offers: buy one get one free, discounts on Christmas ranges and at shops such as Debenhams and Boots, three for two. Friends don’t have to know that their present came as a freebie, but the bank balance will be satisfied.

Instead of spending £20 for a friend, why not spend £10 and get someone else to chip in? It is still a good quality present but at half the price. As students, everyone understands how tight money is, so make the most of this!

Christmas is undoubtedly the most expensive period of the year, but being frugal with money can cut the price significantly and leave a little money for the January sales.

The best way to escape a problem is to solve it

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Clive

recommends Our regular agony uncle, Clive Ashcroft, shares some of the best gifts to add to your list this Christmas

Earmuff headphones: The perfect accessory to keep you warm and block out the noise on your bus journey!

Kindle: Why not kick back and relax with your favourite book on the back seat?

If you have a burning issue then Clive Ashcroft is the man for the job. Contact him at: clivecaresconcrete@gmail.com

“The Naked Truth” Dear Clive, I have three male housemates and we all get along really well. Unfortunately they have developed this prank where every Monday they undress and dance around in my room. It was funny to begin with but now it’s starting to make me uncomfortable. They are even escalating it by inviting others to join in. I’m worried I may get so irritated I will end up using my martial arts training. What should I do? Thanks, Phil.

Dear reader, Imagine some nuns sitting in your room when your housemates burst in, now that would be funny! Seriously, please talk to your friends and explain you feel uncomfortable with the situation and you may consider moving. May I suggest a lock on your door to maintain your privacy? Good luck Phil!

“Lonely this Christmas” Dear Clive, I am looking for some relationship advice. Last year I was seeing a girl who unfortunately is now on a year abroad. We still talk regularly over Skype and we still have very strong feelings for each other. I really like this girl, Clive!

Christmas is coming up soon and it’s her favourite holiday.

I haven’t got much money so visiting is out of the question, how can I make this festive season a special one for us?

Regards, Anon.

Dear reader, It sounds like a long term relationship could be blooming... and an engagement ring is looming! Could it be that this is the right time for that very special moment in your lives? Wishing you both every happiness for the future and a very merry Christmas! Good luck and take care.

Retro Sweet Box: If you are peckish, tuck in to these delicious sweets, ideal for those longer journeys in to the city centre.

Counting Money Box: Save your change from your bus fare and watch your savings shoot up!

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The war of the Advent adverts The ultimate question is: who wins the battle for the best Christmas advert of 2011?

Freya Barry Lifestyle Editor “Build it and they will come,” so opens one of the most repulsive and offensive Christmas adverts ever. Give us back Kerry Katona and seasonal hoisin duck dips, and all is forgiven. Instead we are presented with a Christmas dystopia.

The setting is a provincial town somewhere in middle England, with Freddie Flintoff as our guide and the creator of this strangely authoritarian market place. Is the England cricketer really the first thing people think

of at Christmas?

It only gets worse from here.

Like a Christmas Pied Piper, dancing to the tune of Take That with many very irritating children in tow, Freddie tours us around the market place. While being surrounded by unbearably irritating children may be festive, the “Christmas quiche” Freddie is reminded by one of the sprogs to buy is most definitely not.

The world envisioned by this advert becomes increasingly sinister with a mixture of Bruce Forsyth, the butchering of the Italian language and the fact that “Turkeys are only available until 20 December.” Under

the tyrannical rule of Freddie Flintoff, last minute buying is not an option.

However, even this grotesque image of Christmas cannot cannot be worse than the hymn to consumerism that is the the Littlewoods advert. This advert contains ill-advised rapping, more incredibly irritating small children and gratitude towards their lovely mums, who placated their nearest and dearest with gadgets and trinkets. In the light of the recession this message of showing familial love through the purchasing of expensive gifts is tasteless and offensive. Bah, humbug.

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Have an Appy Christmas Lifestyle writer Emma Williamson counts down the top ten Christmas apps bringing cheer to iPhones in 2011

1.

Impress your family this year with the latest kitchen gadget, TurkeyTimer. This app will not only time your turkey, but will also track the approximate internal temperature and how close it is to being cooked (£0.69)

2.

Santa Tracker 2011 functions as both a countdown to Christmas and a “tracker” of Father Christmas’ journey. From 11am on 24 December, users can follow Santa’s journey across the globe, tracing his deliveries via his carefully devised route (£1.49)

3.

Yet to be released, Apple’s annual 12 Days of Christmas offers users a free download from iTunes every day between 26 December and 6 January. Previous years have offered films, music videos, games and music (Free)

4.

Robot Unicorn Attack Christmas Edition. A unicorn, The Darkness and an arctic landscape. This seasonal twist on the infamous Robot Unicorn Attack game will entertain 365 days a year (£0.69)

5.

Jess Beech Lifestyle Writer Despite all the other signs that Christmas is on its way, it is never truly here until that tubby man in a red suit hits the TV aboard his Coca-Cola truck. With advertising this strong, we are all inclined to throw down our mulled wine for a glass of Coke, and those crafty geniuses even managed to persuade Santa to swap his green suit for red. This year, to excite us even more, they are sending a Coca-Cola Christmas truck around England, which will be hitting Norwich Riverside.

This year John Lewis has released a competitor for most iconic advert. Love it or hate it,

it’s been said to make even grown men cry, and caused a heated debate. For those of you who have not seen it, the advert tells the story of a little boy’s impatience as he waits for Christmas Day. Including, amongst other things, lots of stroppy faces, table tapping and staring out of windows. The best part of the advert has to be the many adorable dressing-up outfits, the Gruffalo being a favourite. While the music does fall on the very thin line between dramatic and creepy, it is hard when watching it not to be reminiscent of a time when Father Christmas was real and December meant pure excitement, not coursework deadlines. Although the advert sparks nostalgia and is undeniably

cute, the Christmas reality for this writer was not about sharing.

Christmas was about demanding the entire Argos catalogue and then playing with the boxes of presents. It was not about giving presents to other people. Either way, the advert gives a heartwarming Christmas message, which maybe I should take on board now that I am a bit older and wiser.

My favourite advert this year is Marks and Spencer, simply for their skilful editing in managing to remove and replace the X Factor contestants. It had to be done though, because let’s face it, the image of Frankie Cocozza with coke up his nose really does not scream Granny and Grandad’s Christmas presents.

Elf Ur Face and those of your friends with this fantastic free app from TinyCo. Adornments include Santa hats, red noses and gingerbread men. What better way is there to embarrass your loved ones? (Free or £0.69 for Elf Ur Face Pro)

6.

7.

With over 60 festive recipes, Great British Chefs – Feastive HD is a great accessory to the Christmas kitchen (£1.99)

Reminders comes installed on i0S5 and serves as a valuable tool to the savvy seasonal shopper, functioning as a wish list as well as a shopping list. (Free)

8.

Amazon Mobile places all of Amazon’s conveniences in the palm of your hand. Allowing free browsing, purchases and order tracking, this app certainly eases the pressure of the festive rush (Free)

9.

MyVoucherCodes is an indispensable app for your Christmas shopping. Using GPS, this app locates the closest deals to the user, including 10% off Hotel Chocolat and Menkind (Free)

10.

Finally, if you over indulge this season Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker by MyFitnessPal is a fantastic aid to losing those extra pounds (Free)

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Campus wish list: what are your 2011 Christmas hopes?

Armed with decorations, Santa’s little Lifestyle helpers ask students to share their festive wish. Read on below to find out what they said:

From left to right, and top to bottom: 1) “Snow!”

2) “That everyone comes to see Twelfth Night on the 7/9/10 December at the UEA Drama Studio!”

3) “To learn to keep my eyes open in photos” and “a skateboard”

4) “For all my friends in the UEA Pirates to be happy.”

5) “Not to fail any of our exams” 6) “An iPad....”

7) “A big audience at the Fractured Discourse Christmas extravaganza”

Recycle with Lifestyle: Concrete wreath Jessica Ball

Lifestyle editor Rianne Ison makes this beautiful, eco-friendly Christmas wreath, using only old Concretes, a wire coat hanger and some string As the academic year draws to a close, it is a great idea to collect all those old issues of Concrete that you have stored in your bedroom and get creative!

Over this semester we’ve been showing you new ways to re-use your wellthumbed Concretes, and enjoyed seeing your interpretations of our recycling challenge.

This Christmas, why not try making your own Christmas wreath to hang on your bedroom door. You are being environmentally

friendly and getting decorations for free, so give it a try. Tearing up old newspaper is also a fantastic way to relieve any deadline stress as week 12 approaches.

Don’t just stop at this, the festive season is the perfect time to go craft mad.

Try handmade Christmas cards, Christmas hats, or

if you really want a challenge a Concrete angel!

It’s simple, follow this step by step guide, and you’ll have your own Concrete Christmas wreath in no time at all.

Stretch the wire coat hanger into a round shape. To make the paper flowers cut your Concretes into eight inch squares, three or four sheets thick. You will need hundreds of these, so keep cutting. Fold the squares like a paper fan but make folds oneinch to one-and-a-half-inches wide (about three or four folds per square). Fold the fan in half

and wrap around wire. Wrap the string around the newspaper as close to the hanger as possible.

Repeat until the hanger is full, and join the ends. When it’s complete, personalise it using as much glue and glitter as you can get your hands on. Photos also make a nice touch.

Remember to keep tweeting us (@Concrete_LifeS) and emailing concrete.lifestyle@ uea.ac.uk, as well as recycling your Concretes. We’re looking forward to seeing any “Recycle with Lifestyle” ideas you have for 2012.

LIFESTYLE

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19

Sugar and spice: a selection of festive treats Candy cane swirl A completely irrestible addition to any Christmas event. Add this festive cocktail to the menu for a christmas party you’ll never forget, that is if you can even remember.

They’re fun and easy to make, far better than a bottle of Tesco value white wine.

(Please note: Concrete takes no responsibility for any damage caused to trees or toy reindeers after consuming these drinks).

Ingredients: For the mint infused vodka: > Fresh mint leaves, destemmed > 1 bottle vodka For each cocktail: > 1 tbsp crushed candy cane > Double shot of mint infused vodka > 2 tsp Brandy & Benedictine > 1 tbsp single cream > Ice > Peppermint stick The mix: Mint infused vodka: Thoroughly wash the mint leaves and place in a large bowl or jar. Empty the vodka on top of the leaves and then crush them slightly to release the flavour.

Cover this and then leave in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to make the cocktail.

Ally Kayler

The cocktail: Place the crushed candy cane bits into a pint glass. Crush the candy cane slightly more in the glass to break up any bigger pieces. Add the (strained) vodka, brandy and cream, then stir.

Pour into a shaker with the ice. Shake lightly to chill then strain the mix into a glass full of ice. Add a peppermint stick and stir. If you have any mint left over add it to the glass to garnish.

Must-have mulled wine If you would like your Christmas party to at least begin with dignity, mulled wine is the perfect tipple to get your guests warmed up nicely. Warming, mellow and sweet, it's reminiscent of Christmas markets, walks in the snow and Boxing Day with Nan. However many times this writer gets told that German Glüwein “ist besser,” this recipe from staunch Norwich legend Delia Smith is pretty much foolproof.

No ready made bottles from the Co-Op here; they're tempting, but trust us, your home brew will be so much tastier (and more alcoholic). What's more, it is guaranteed to make your house smell like Christmas.

1 cinnamon stick/1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground ginger 1.5 litres water Method: 1. Find the largest saucepan in the house. Two average sized ones will be ok, but make sure you split the ingredients equally.

2. Put all the ingredients in the pan and bring to the boil, stirring continually.

3. Once the sugar/honey has dissolved, bring the heat right down so it is barely simmering. It is very important to turn the heat right down, because otherwise the alcohol evaporates.

4. Put your feet up for 20 minutes while the mulled wine softly simmers, before serving in mugs to your grateful companions.

Susanna Wood

Ingredients: 2 bottles cheap red plonk - this is not the time to be a vino snob.

Go for the cheapest you can find; Sainsbury’s do a wonderful house red in a plastic bottle which is probably the best value Hasina Allen for money.

1 orange, stuck with cloves (Essential for that Christmassy Tip: For variety in style scent) and taste, try this recipe 2 sliced oranges out with yellow and 2 sliced lemons 6 tablespoons honey or blue striped candy cane granulated sugar

Cha-cha-chai Christmassy cookies Ingredients: 190g flour ¾ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt 6 tbsp (¾ stick) butter, softened 95g packed brown sugar 1 egg 2 tbsp molasses 8 tbsp cup chai tea For the icing: 4 tbsp (½ stick) butter, softened 110g cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla extract 256g powdered sugar 2 tbsp powdered spiced chai mix The cookies: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Roughly mix together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until throughly combined. Stir in the egg, molasses and chai tea. Have no fear if the mixture appears curdled, it’s just a part of the process, it bakes up deliciously in the end.

4. Add dry ingredients and mix until the dough is combined.

5. Drop round spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and space about 2” apart. Bake for 20 minutes.

6. Make sure to check on them reguarly. When done, set aside to cool while you make the icing.

The icing: 1. Blend the butter and cream cheese together in bowl or stand mixer. Stir in the vanilla.

2. Add powdered sugar and blend until it has reached a

smooth and creamy consistency.

3. Stir in spiced chai mix until fully combined.

4. Spread the icing on top of the room temperature cookies.

5. Sprinkle them with some cinnamon and sprinkles and, in case they weren't already cute enough, serve them on a cake stand if you have one!

Ally Kayler

Tip: These really are delicious when eaten fresh from the oven. Hot, gooey and completely irresistible.

Nobody will blame you for not wanting to share them!

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features p12-14

turf p15

lifestyle p16-19

sport p21-24

INTERNATIONAL

Spend Easter in China Robert Norris International Writer The Study China programme has been running since 2007, sending hundreds of full time students from the UK to various parts of China annually.

Upon arrival, students are sent to one of the many elite universities in China such as Beijing Normal University and Zhejiang University in Hangzhou. At these universities students are taught Mandarin and will embark on a number of cultural activities such as calligraphy and Tai Chi classes.

“The trip is a once-in-alifetime oppurtunity to explore the rich culture China has to offer and to make lifelong friends with the Chinese students you’ll meet once there”

Yuletide:

The Scandanavian way Isabelle Carty International Writer Scandinavia is a cultural and historical region in northern Europe that includes Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Sometimes the term is also taken to include Iceland and Finland due to their historical association with the Scandinavian countries.

The now commercialised western Christmas traditions of a decorated tree surrounded by presents and Santa Claus are immediately recognisable worldwide.

However, in Scandinavia, celebrations are a little different.

In Sweden, Christmas celebrations begin on 13 December with Saint Lucia Day. Christmas trees are set up two days before Christmas. Homes are decorated with gingerbread biscuits and red tulips. Christmas Eve (24 December) is known as

Julafton in Swedish and locals will form processions to church with lit candles. There is a festive dinner on Christmas Eve and one popular tradition is to serve Risgryngrot, a special rice porridge with one almond in it. The person who finds the almond gets to make a wish.

After the meal, someone dresses up as Tomte, the Chrismas gnome who looks a little like Santa Claus and hands out presents while singing funny rhymes.

In Denmark, the mischievous elf, Nisse, plays pranks on people during this festive season. On Christmas Eve, many Danish families will leave rice pudding to appease him. The traditional Christmas starts on 23 December, with hot cinnamon-laced rice pudding (Grod) served with a knob of butter. Children are not allowed to see the Christmas tree until dinner time on Christmas Eve (Juleaften). On Christmas night in Denmark, families gather around Christmas trees, exchange

presents and sing carols.

Norway also has an elf called Nisse who is a known trickster but has goat-like attributes and is considered to be a guardian of animals. For Christmas, a special biscuit called Sand Kager is eaten and children go from door to door asking for treats in the afternoon.

In Iceland, there are 13 Santa Clauses. Each has a different name, character and role.

Icelandic children place a shoe by the window from 12 December until Christmas Eve. If they have been good, one of the Santas leaves a gift. Bad children receive potatoes.

Whether there are mischievous elves or jolly men in red suits to facilitate the festivities, one thing that remains constant throughout Scandinavia and the rest of the Christmas-celebrating world is the spirit of Christmas. "Merry Christmas,” and “Happy New Year!” Or as they say in Swedish, “God Jul... Och Ett Gott Nytt Ar!"

This may sound expensive, but Study China is a government funded programme which means that other than flights, travel insurance, visas and food expenses, everything else in the programme is free of charge. Your accommodation will be completely covered by the programme. The trip is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the rich culture China has to offer and to make

lifelong friends with the Chinese students you’ll meet.

Unfortunately, the number of applicants for next year’s programme in April has seriously declined. There are 280 places available on the programme, and so far there have only been 190 applicants. Andrew Taylor, the organiser behind the Study China programme stated: “We’re seriously down on applications for the next programme.

Although it is quite usual for everyone to leave it until the last minute to apply, we’ve not got long until the closing date.”

Next year’s programme also offers an alternative option to just study at a Chinese university.

There are 40 places for students to partake on a special internship programme in either Beijing or Zhuhai, which will allow the applicants to gain firsthand work experience in China.

The programme currently exists due to government funding and if all the places are not filled up it is possible that the programme will be stopped. The end of the Study China programme would come at a great loss, not just for students, but also for the continuing relations between some of China’s and the UK’s finest universities. If you are interested in applying for next year’s trip the deadline for applicants is 21 December 2011.

Visit studychina.org.uk for more information.

SPORT

comment p7-9

Editors’ Column

Following last week’s tragic news of the death of former Premier League footballer Gary Speed, calls have been made to raise awareness of the problem of depression within the sport.

The former midfielder was found dead in his home on Sunday morning after hanging himself.

While it is unknown whether Speed was depressed, the Professional Footballers’ Association plans to send out booklets on the subject of handling the condition to all ex-players.

Narrow-minded views on depression are still worryingly present within society today, which makes it painfully obvious that more needs to be done to understand the condition.

Such attitudes were expressed by the QPR player Joey Barton, who Tweeted: “Suicide is a mix of the most tragic, most selfish, most terrible (and I want to believe preventable) acts out there.”

This comes after former Premier League striker Stan Collymore detailed the current battles he faces with depression. Whatever your opinion of Collymore, he correctly asserts that: “the stigma around this illness suggests that sufferers all of a sudden become useless, maudlin, and unable to function.”

Sadly, depression is still seen by some as a taboo subject, which is off-limits.

We must accept the frailties of the human mind and acknowledge that there is nothing wrong in asking for help. Until this deep-rooted attitude changes for the better, we can expect similar tragedies to keep occurring.

Matt Scrafton

travel p10-11

features p12-14

turf p15

lifestyle p16-19

international p20

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So You Think You Know Trampolining?

When people think of Olympic sports, they often focus upon the blue riband track and field events that create lasting legacies.

Often overlooked are the lesser known events such as trampolining, which potentially stops hundreds of people experiencing an exciting and vibrant sport that is totally unique.

UEA trampoline club is forward-thinking and friendly, welcoming males and females of all abilities to receive expert tuition from their two coaches who guide members through new skills and routines. The club also has an active competitive element, recently competing in a national event at Loughborough University and plans are in place to participate in BUCS in 2012.

Trampolining has been one

of the first sports clubs to be able to take advantage of the new gymnastics centre at the Sportspark, adding a twohour session on Wednesday afternoons (2-4pm) to their regular slots of 5-7pm on Mondays and Thursdays in the Sports Hall.

Trampolining also has a strong social scene, with President Kristofer Dunn remarking that they have two Christmas socials organised and a second ice-breaker social next semester to welcome new members.

Trampolining promises to be a real crowd-puller at London 2012 due to its venue of the O2 Arena. Why not experience such an exciting sport on your doorstep at UEA?

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www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 6th December 2011 - Issue 262

BUCS stats

BUCS Index

s

BUCS results Wednesday 30th November 2011

Football

53) Oxford Brookes 363 pts 54) Bangor 346 55) Lincoln 345.5

UEA Men’s II Northampton II

60) UEA 337

Hockey

57) LSE 329.5 58) Coventry 320 59) Liverpool John Moores 318

Derby I UEA Women’s I

UEA Form Guide Top 10 Women’s Hockey (WWWWWW) Women’s Netball I (WWWWLL) Men’s Table Tennis I (WWLWW) Men’s Lacrosse (WLWWW) Men’s Rugby II (WWLWDL) Men’s Football I (WLLWDW) Men’s Football II (DLWLWW) Men’s Rugby I (WLLWWL) Women’s Tennis I (WDW) Men’s Fencing I (WLW)

21

2 2

0 2

Rugby Leicester I UEA Women’s I

20 38

Table Tennis Imperial I UEA Men’s I

5 12

Tennis Warwick II UEA Men’s I

6 6

Kris Nelson

Ruthless Rugby slaughter Staffordshire Matt Scrafton Sports Editor

Men’s Rugby I Staffordshire II

94 12

UEA advanced to the last 16 of the Midlands Conference Cup after a straight-forward 94-12 victory against lower league Staffordshire.

The visitors, who play their rugby in Midlands Division 4A, were no match for a clearly superior UEA side, three leagues ahead of the team from Stoke.

Despite suffering from injuries to a number of key players, the hosts were rarely threatened and the victory was never really in doubt, despite a lacklustre fiveminute period in the first half where Staffordshire threatened a comeback of sorts.

UEA got off to the best start possible, with Adam Bramhall scoring two tries in quick succession after showing good pace to evade a number of halfhearted tackles. UEA made a number of opportunities for themselves after successful rucks in the centre, creating space in

the flanks for the wingers to take advantage of. When Connor Sutherland scored a simple try under the posts to make the score 19-0 early on, the game seemed virtually over.

But the visitors reacted positively to their latest set-back, and put together a number of promising periods of possession.

Their pressure finally paid off, as they bundled over the tryline to cut the deficit in the scoreline. The try reinvigorated Staffordshire, as you could tell from their improved tackling,

whilst UEA were punished by the referee as he awarded a number of penalties against the sky blues. After a UEA line-out near their own 22 was intercepted by Staffordshire’s fly-half, he sprinted away and ran the ball home in the far corner of the pitch. Despite the missed conversion, the score was now 19-12 and it seemed as if they were firmly back in the game.

However, the away side’s good spell of play only lasted for a short while, and UEA dominated from this point

onwards. Bramhall ended the match with four tries to his name, while both Shaun Cahill and Mark Perkins scored two each and fly-half Sam Wilkinson racked up plenty of points with his boot. The second-half turned into a procession for the hosts as Staffordshire struggled to get out of their own half, with tries coming at a consistent rate.

Following their impressive victory, UEA will now face an away trip to De Montfort I in the last 16 of the Midlands Conference Cup.

Greg Mann

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SPORT

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Canary Corner England get lucky in Euro draw

by Mike Tomkins Norwich continued their bid for survival with two hugely contrasting results. Whilst they were able to claim a win against QPR, the Canaries were ultimately given a reality check

by Manchester City.

In the QPR game, Norwich looked more promising in the early exchanges, and went close through Steve Morison.

It seemed almost inevitable then that the Canaries would score first. Russell Martin soon pounced on some hesitant Rangers’ defending to grab his second goal of the season, and put Norwich into the lead.

QPR had previously picked up nine points on the road this season, and levelled midway through the second half through Luke Young. However, such is the Canaries’ endeavour so far, they pushed on and were rewarded with a second. Captain Grant Holt was in the right place at the right time to convert Wes Hoolahan’s cross for the winner.

Holt is proving to be an important asset to Paul Lambert’s side this campaign, scoring his third successive goal as a substitute.

Despite some nervy moments, City managed to hold on for an important three points.

Carrow Road may be crucial in their survival bid, with three of their four wins coming at home.

“Holt is proving to be an important asset to Paul Lambert’s side” The next fixture for Paul Lambert’s side was against the Citizens, and the difference in opposition showed as they were handed a heavy 5-1 defeat.

Although City only led by one goal at half time, they were to show their superiority by grabbing a further four in the second half.

Steve Morison managed to net a consolation strike, but it was a one sided affair.

The Manchester City result may have dented Norwich’s confidence, but they should not be too disheartened. On the balance of the season so far, the Canaries have shown strong survival credentials. Besides, many teams have been defeated heavily by Roberto Mancini’s men.

Adam Plom Sports Correspondent On Friday evening (December 2), England learned their Euro 2012 fate, drawing a very respectable group of Ukraine, France and Sweden. Meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland were handed extremely tough opponents in the form of Spain, Italy and Croatia. In a typically prolonged process, the Euro 2012 draw was made amid a show of Cossack dancers and Europop singers, but the outcome was far more thrilling.

England breathed a sigh of relief after missing the extremely tough Group B, which already featured the Netherlands, Denmark and Portugal. They could then celebrate evading Group C, containing Spain, the Republic of Ireland and Croatia.

Instead, those places went to Germany and Italy respectively, meaning that Group B became the “Group of Death.”

England can be very happy with their draw, despite landing resurgent rivals France. Co-hosts Ukraine and Sweden, regular opponents in international competitions, certainly weren’t the trickiest ties on offer.

Undoubtedly, England could have had a much more daunting group, and ought to be confident of advancing into the latter stages of the competition.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Ireland.

Playing in their first European Championships since 1988, the Irish will find life very difficult in Group C, after drawing reigning champions Spain, Trapattoni’s home nation Italy and Croatia. The Italian will surely be hoping that Ireland can carry the confidence from their play-off victory into the tournament if they are to stand any chance of progression.

In what would have been a comic twist, Ireland almost joined the comically named “Group of Debt.” Before the draw took place, it was noted that a group could emerge of financially troubled Eurozone nations. In the end, however, the line-up lacked the most cash-strapped nation of all, Greece.

The Greeks find themselves in Group A alongside co-hosts Poland, Russia and the Czech Republic, certainly the weakest group. It leaves fans with the uninspiring opening salvo of Poland vs. Czech Republic, when the tournament begins next year.

Lacrosse see off Lincoln in tight clash Lewis Dalton Sports Correspondent

Men’s Lacrosse I Lincoln I

9 6

Men’s Lacrosse defeated Lincoln 9-6 in last game of the year for one of UEA’s most on-form sports teams. They held off a spirited comeback from the away side in the second half to record another victory prior to the new year.

Both Lincoln and UEA are known for being two of the previous season’s most physical teams, so tension was high between the two camps.

However, UEA immediately went 1-0 up from the face off, with Ben Dickson firing off his trademark long range, underarm snipe from just in front of the restraining line.

From here, goals began to flood the scoreboard, with fresher Ross Field scoring from

a flamboyant swim dodge to the shock and delight of the home team players. With this surprise goal came another, as Field scored once again, this time from a beautifully crafted split dodge, which sent his defender the opposite way, allowing for a free shot on goal. A final goal from Alex Watt, this one much in the same vein as Dickson’s earlier goal, meant that at the end of the first quarter, UEA were 4-0 ahead.

The second quarter began with a sublime play between Lincoln’s two best players, with rapid one-two passes and a quick cut through the defensive lines, dissecting the UEA defence and bringing a well-deserved goal, taking the score to 4-1. However, Mikey Bolton, recently moved from ‘keeper to an attacking position, remedied this quick goal with a trademark of his own, darting across the crease, collecting a feed and dumping the ball into the back of the net

from in-close. It seemed that this game was going to be a walk over, especially with a second goal from Alex Watt and Ben Dickson, increasing the score even further.

At half time, confidence was high on the UEA sidelines,

Laura Smith

though not for long, as costly defensive errors saw Lincoln pull back five goals in quick succession with the UEA goalkeeper scoring an own goal from a miss throw, leaving the score at 7-6. This didn’t really reflect the way the game had

been played, however. Two final goals from Canadian Matt Laustrup made sure the game ended a little more how it had been played, with a 9-6 result.

This leaves UEA sitting safely in second position in the league, behind high rollers, Leicester.

SPORT

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NBA agrees end to lockout for Christmas Kris Nelson Sports Correspondent After 139 days of bitter arguing, accusations and attempted negotiation, the news that millions of Americans had been waiting for finally broke on 26 November. The NBA’s selfimposed lockout had finally come to an end.

The lockout situation is a phenomenon the majority of English sports fans will never experience, but in America it seems to be happening on a regular basis across the so-called “big-four” sports of basketball, NFL, ice hockey and baseball.

An entire season of hockey was lost in 2004-2005 and this year’s NFL only just got the goahead, but it seemed for a long time that basketball would be the real loser with seemingly no end to a dispute revolving

around revenue sharing and the structure of the salary cap.

During the lockout, franchises were unable to trade and sign players, or access facilities controlled by the NBA. As top players such as two-time all-

star and Olympic gold medallist Deron Williams defected to European leagues, American basketball was being shaken to its very foundation.

Eventually, after claiming all pre-season games as well as a

significant portion of what would normally be the regular season, common sense has prevailed.

Both parties have managed to reach a tentative agreement whereby teams will play two pre-season fixtures before embarking upon a shortened 66game regular season, beginning on Christmas Day. Finally, the world can get excited about basketball again.

Star performers Chris Paul and Dwight Howard seem set for moves to new franchises, current titleholders Dallas Mavericks face a real battle to retain the championship and there is heightened interest within Britain as $50m man Luol Deng looks set for a key season at Chicago Bulls before leading Team GB at London 2012.

The world can now finally start getting excited about potentially the most exciting season of basketball yet.

Netball ease to BUCS Cup win

Greg Mann

Women’s Netball I Warwick III

60 18

Chris Teale Sports Editor Netball I are through to the last 16 of the BUCS Midlands Conference Cup after a highly impressive 60-18 demolition of Warwick III at the Sportspark.

Given that the away side are in Midlands Division 4A, a full two divisions below UEA, they were always expected to struggle, and it was no surprise that an attacking onslaught from the home side saw them open up an early 6-0 lead. This

domination continued thanks to some excellent defence and rapid counter-attacking movement, to which the away side had no answer. Thanks to a number of intercepted passes and great rebounding, UEA found themselves up by a margin of 12-3 at the end of the first quarter. Their opponents had little answer to the home side’s great attacking play and stifling defence, and it appeared they would struggle for the rest of the game.

The second quarter began much the same as the first, as Warwick had little answer to constant pressure by the home side, and UEA’s domination was even greater than in the

first quarter. The home side continued to rain in the shots and the goals, with the away side’s defence struggling to cope with a constant barrage of attacking play. It was all very comfortable for UEA, who went into the half-time break with a 31-5 lead, looking very strong and keen to continue their dominance.

UEA managed to keep up the momentum from the first half as the second period began, and their good rebounding and interceptions continued, adding to their already impressive goal tally and margin. While Warwick managed to find a few more goals, their defence still struggled to keep the home side’s scoring under control, and found themselves still very far behind an impressive home side performance. Despite an injury where one of UEA’s players took a ball to the face, the home side were looking extremely comfortable at the end of the third quarter, with a 44-12 lead.

The fourth quarter continued somewhat in the same vein, as UEA still managed to score numerous goals, and their movement was far superior to their opponents’. As their lead became even more unassailable than before, some slight handling errors began to creep

into the home side’s play, but the damage was done.

At the final whistle, the scoreline of 60-18 did not flatter UEA whatsoever. Credit must go to Warwick, who continued to work hard throughout and kept pressurising UEA, but it is the home side who advances.

Now, they face an away trip to Birmingham II, and will be hopeful of taking the momentum from this game into their next league match, again away, this time to Birmingham III.

Greg Mann

23

Federer ends season with Finals victory Keiren Cordery Sports Correspondent Roger Federer overcame a brave fight-back from Jo-Wilfred Tsonga to win the ATP World Tour Finals for the sixth time. Federer beat his opponent 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 on the way to a 17th straight victory.

The Swiss looked to have the match wrapped up after going a set and a break up, but the resilient Frenchmen summoned all his strength to save match point before eventually breaking back to ensure a third set would be played.

Unfortunately, Tsonga, playing Federer for the third consecutive Sunday, lost comfortably in the third.

“Defeats in the group will do little to overshadow Djokovic’s outstanding year” Federer was the only one of the “big four” to emerge from the group stages, as this tournament proved one too many for his competitors. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal suffered from fatigue after a long season, while injury-prone British player Andy Murray was forced to pull out.

However, defeats in the group couldn’t overshadow Djokovic’s outstanding year, in which he has won three of the four major tournaments. Nadal’s humiliating 6-3, 6-0 loss to Federer would certainly have been more painful for the Spaniard, but his season will conclude with the final of the Davis Cup against Argentina, despite complaints of fatigue.

Murray, who suffered a groin injury during his straight sets defeat against David Ferrer, had a miserable homecoming at the O2 Arena. With notable performances from Berdych and Tipsarevic, and strong challenges looming from other players, he has his work cut out trying to capture that elusive Grand Slam in 2012. Ultimately, it was the consistency and class of Federer which shone through. At this point in time he appears to be immune to the injuries and fatigue which have plagued his opponents, and this has allowed him to end the season in triumphant fashion.

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concretesport

issue262 06december2011

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ueasport >> Rugby match report | p21 >> Lacrosse match report | p22 >> Netball match report | p23

Inside concretesport this fortnight:

• Mike Tomkins analyses the recent performances of Norwich City, while Chris Teale watches Netball I progress in the BUCS Cup • Matt Scrafton sees Men’s Rugby I dominate their cup match, and Kris Nelson reports on the end to the NBA lockout

Football enjoy ideal Derby Day preparation Billy Sexton Sports Correspondent

Men’s Football I Essex I

4 1

UEA needed extra time to secure a 4-1 victory over rivals Essex in a hotly contested Last 16 BUCS Cup encounter.

It was a bright but chilly afternoon at Colney Lane as UEA faced Derby Day opponents Essex, with both teams hopeful of progressing to the quarter finals. Neither team took control in the opening 10 minutes, with heavy tackles coming in the centre of midfield from both sides.

UEA looked promising on the counter-attack and opened the scoring 20 minutes into the game when Calum Hutcheon headed in from close range to put the hosts ahead. Essex fought on and produced some attractive attacking play but never looked threatening to the solid UEA back four. The home side came close to doubling their lead, seeing a curling shot glance off the crossbar towards the end of the first half.

UEA continued with their attacking ethic in the second half, and Essex found it difficult to break down a calm and composed UEA defence. Utilising the pace of their wingers, UEA were able to frequently get inside the Essex 18 yard box, but with no clearcut chances, the score remained 1-0.

However, Essex got back into the game with a strike from 25 yards out, as their skilful centre midfielder spotted UEA’s goalkeeper off his line and placed the ball into the back of the net to

Laura Smith level the score. Two consecutive saves from UEA’s ‘keeper after this kept the hosts in the game as a revitalised Essex pushed forward.

UEA’s Danny Scott used his pace and power to dispossess a nervous Essex defender and neatly placed the ball into the back of the net, only to see his goal ruled out for a foul on the Essex player.

The scores remained level

after 90 minutes, meaning extra time would decide the contest.

UEA found themselves through on goal almost immediately and should have capitalised on this chance.

However, they quickly rectified this, Jason Ayton sliding in at the far post to put UEA ahead for the second time in the game.

Talented left-footer Josh Kelly put UEA two goals ahead after a horrendous defensive mix

up from Essex and could have scored again had it not been for an impressive save from the Essex goalkeeper. Ayton got his brace before the full-time whistle and the game ended 4-1, with UEA fully deserving the victory.

They now face an away fixture at Brighton II in the quarterfinals of the BUCS Cup on February 1, and will be hopeful of progressing against the side currently sitting in second place

in Southern Division 1A. Men’s Football I return to league action in the Midlands Division 1A on January 25, when they are due to travel to face Warwick I, currently sitting in third place but only one point ahead of UEA, who are fifth.

The result is also ideal preparation for Derby Day in March, which sees UEA travel to Essex to defend their title from last year.