Counterpoint Issue Eight by Counterpoint

@_counterpoint #8

COUNTERPOINT

rebels

agender fashion / fan takeovers / podemos / roller derby / zines

Counterpoint is an online publication featuring thoughtful journalism, photography and illustration. Counterpoint is based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The theme of our eighth issue is Rebels. We wanted to feature the rebels who interest and inspire us, so for this issue we selected articles about roller derby demons, fed-up football fans, punk zine publishers, and fearless fashion designers.

CO N T EN TS 4 Trouble on eight wheels Sam Bradley investigates the growth Reporter behind an unlikely sport: flat track roller derby 8 Paper revolution

Zinester Eloise Hendy discusses the renewed importance of zines in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s publishing world

14 Conversation: Podemos Reporter Riley Kaminer speaks to the organisers of Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political revolution in Madrid

18 Agender agenda

Writer Vic Cooper evaluates the emergence of gender-neutral fashion designers

22 Moan or own

Reporter and Magpies fanatic Sean Douglass looks at efforts by football fans to regain control of their clubs

CONTACT counterpointeditor@gmail.com @_counterpoint counterpointjournal.co.uk Cover: Sam Bradley

trouble on eight wheels Counterpoint investigates the growing popularity of roller derby amongst women in the UK Words: Sam Bradley Pictures: Bethany Thompson

It’s a Saturday, and Hibernian are playing St Mirren at home in front of the old faithful. You can hear the roar of the crowd from a couple of streets away, tilting back and forth as the flow of the game shifts and turns. But down the road at Meadowbank Stadium, there’s a different kind of pre-match atmosphere. There’s a craft fair set up in the corridor outside the indoor arena selling artisan fudge, traybakes and nerdy t-shirts. On the court, Leithal Weapons and Banana Splits, two teams fielded by the Auld Reekie Roller Girls – Edinburgh’s roller derby league – are warming up for the first competitive bout of the season. Roller derby is a fast-paced, full-contact sport that requires agility, balance and a high pain threshold from players. It’s my first time watching a game, and it takes me a while before I learn to spot complicated manoeuvres being executed amid the chaos. My curiosity about derby led me to try and find as many players as I could to speak to about the sport. I spoke to Gill (derby nickname: ‘Harm’) about her first experience of derby. “I knew as soon as I walked into the sports hall that I loved it,” she said. Gill’s a member of the Lothian Derby Dolls, another Scottish league. She told me that, “As a 37-year-old woman there is no other sport I could join as a beginner and be part of a team. There are not many sports that women any age, shape and size, can join and be accepted.” Rachel (derby nickname: ‘Rambo’), one of the organisers at Lothian Derby Dolls, told me that, “Anyone who wants to take up the sport is welcome. It’s a full contact sport so like all roller derby

“I knew as soon as I walked into the sports hall that I loved it” - Harm, 37 leagues we have a minimum standard that people need to reach before they can play – for their own safety as well as the safety of other skaters. Whilst some take to it like a fish to water and will be ready to join in straight away, if it takes someone longer they’re given all the support they need.” With approximately 140 leagues in the UK and nearly 2,000 world-wide, roller derby is gaining momentum. To find out more, I spoke to Tess Robertson, a board member of the UK Roller Derby Association (UKRDA) – the national governing body for roller derby in the UK – and a member of London Rollergirls. “The sport has become incredibly popular in the UK. The UKRDA lists 61 member leagues, but there are new leagues establishing themselves on a frequent basis,” she said. “There’s nearly a team in every major city in the UK, and if not, you’re likely to be able to find one very nearby. The sport is growing at a phenomenal rate.” London Rollergirls (LRG) were the first team to set up in the UK and Robertson said that as the sport has grown, it’s become more professional. “When roller derby began in the UK in 2005, it was very much an underground, alternative sort of scene. There were a

“In our league we have nurses, social workers, teachers, students and office workers. We’re just everyday folk who do something that little bit more exciting in the evenings.”

lot of fishnets, tutus and face paint,” she said. “Now, it’s more legitimised as a sport, people take it very seriously and it’s much more athleticism and strength. People tend to care less about what hot pants they wear to a game, they care about how they’re going to perform with their team in order to win and when they can next go to the gym.” Speaking about her own team, she told me, “I play on the b-team, Brawl Saints, who also play on an international level and are in the top ten teams in Europe. Playing roller derby as a part of LRG is amazing, and it fills me with pride and confidence.” Despite that, derby is very much a grassroots sport. I spoke to Mel (derby nickname: Melicious Intent), the vice chairwoman of Helgin Roller Derby. Based in Elgin, Moray, the league was organised on social media. “We’re approaching our first birthday, we’ve now got eleven members, and around twenty regular skaters,” she said. According to Mel, Helgin is the northernmost roller derby league in the UK. She said, “There are quite a few leagues in Scotland now - I think officially, by the curve of the Moray coast, we’re the most northern Scottish league, but there is also Inverness City Roller Derby, and Granite City Roller Girls up here in the north!” Each of the derby players I spoke to praised the inclusiveness of the sport - and said that it was one of the main reasons they joined. Tess Robertson said that spirit was directly responsible for the sport’s expansion. She told me, “Roller derby offers a very inclusive environment where people from all

walks of life and of all shapes and sizes are welcome to join our sport. We’ve been commended in our community for our Transgender Policy, and we were one of the first sports in the UK to introduce a policy that doesn’t involve hormone testing; it’s all about how the individual self-identifies.” The other players I spoke to agreed. Rachel said that, “I’d like to think roller derby allows people to feel safe with who they are. The sexuality or gender of a team member has never been an issue… I wouldn’t expect anything else from ours or any other league.” Gill told me that, “I really don’t think anyone cares where you come from or who you sleep with, it’s just all about skating.” Each of the players I interviewed told me that it was the sense of community within their respective leagues that kept them coming back each week. “The derby community is everything for me,” said Gill. “I know I have had the hardest personal struggles to get through and my team have brought food to my house, babysat so I could get to training and been there if I needed a hot chocolate.” Rachel told me, “I’m a short plus size girl who isn’t that athletic. Here, people don’t judge me. In our league we have nurses, social workers, teachers, students and office workers. We’re just everyday folk who do something that little bit more exciting in the evenings.”

paper revolution Counterpoint looks at the renewed importance of zine culture - the moody punk sibling of the publishing industry - in today’s society Words: Eloise Hendy Zines pictured: ‘Postal’ by Becca Howard, ‘Shape & Situate’ by Melanie Maddison, ‘Crows Nest’ by Eloise Hendy and Figgy Guyver, ‘Mother Medusa’ by Tom Kindley, ‘EGAD!’ by D.F. McAllister, ‘Workplaces’ by Sonny Ross, ‘A Big Egg’ by Stephanie Shaw and Tom Fish, ‘Yellerzine’ by Edinburgh University ArtSoc, and ‘Boredom and Coffee’ by Wolfmask

It has become cliché to describe Generation Y as the generation of apathy. Millennials are all too readily dismissed as tech-obsessed, apolitical and disengaged. The dominant narrative is a dystopian one, as the proliferation of social media platforms and infinite scrolling is blamed for all contemporary woes, from fading attention spans to the Kardashian/Jenner supremacy. The Eighties are mourned, with subcultures and activism lost to Directioners and YouTube vlogged make-up tutorials. Yet this is, like all clichés, an over generalisation. It is an easy stereotype handed down by the youth of the Eighties – the adults formerly known as punks and New Romantics. The Boomers and Generation X are misplacing their middle-aged angst and projecting it onto those following them; they are mourning their student days as if they were the definitive golden days of youth culture. The truth is, this lazy homogenisation of ‘the youth of today’ is missing the mark. Popculture is not totally eclipsing ‘high’ culture (despite efforts to eradicate the inherent snobbery of the term) and counterculture has not disappeared. If the young adults of the Eighties looked away from scaremongering screentime statistics they would notice that, 30 years later, counterculture hasn’t even undergone a radical repackaging. Collective action is making a comeback; zine culture has returned. In the midst of the digital age, the physical object is having a resurgence. The vinyl trend of the last few years has been roundly dismissed as a predictable offshoot of beard and brew hipsterdom – an affectation of those who search for ‘craft’ on their beer labels and

In the midst of the digital age, the physical object is having a resurgence. ‘artisan’ on everything else. To some extent this disparagement is justified. The sudden emergence on every street corner of coffee shops, record stores and bars – all with identikit charcoalgrey paintjobs, exposed light bulbs and hiked-up prices – represents the total commodification of bohemia. Rebelling against the Starbucks society is admirable, but, when all the alternatives have the same ‘Alternative’ playlist on loop, it’s a charade of dissidence. The subversive space, the one that challenges chain-store dominance, loses its power when it is swallowed by the mainstream to become the unavoidable aesthetic. Far from radical, this trend is a triumph of elitism; the very people most likely to sneer at the Kardashians as opiates of the masses have made vinyl and artisan coffee into the opium of the intellectuals. However, while Amazon-purchased vinyl, Urban Outfitter’s ‘vintage-inspired’ outfits and craft beer bars are easy to mock and undermine, there is another side to the narrative – the yearning for something ‘real’ and ‘authentic’. The desire for ‘artisan’ or ‘crafted’ products, the search for retro clothes and the reclamation of near-defunct material items may mark an internalisation of the Boomers’ eulogising of the predigital age, but it also heralds the need for something outside the current system, something that subverts mass,

Zines are boundary crossing; they are able to combine the politically serious with the trivial and ironic. anonymous consumer culture. The desire is there, it is just being misplaced. Zine culture may be the beginning of the answer. In its current guise the zine is another throwback from the Eighties and early Nineties, but the cheap production of printed material is as old as print itself. And pamphlets have always had the power to be subversive. Not relying on publishers’ approval or the usual hierarchy of production, the zine is the magazine’s punchier cousin. In its purest, most rough and ready form, the zine is free at all stages – designed and manufactured using photocopiers and old fashioned cutting and pasting. Even in a more glossy form, the zine represents an alternative to the norm, with the availability of editing software like InDesign, Photoshop enabling direct competition with the standard magazine format. Coming from a long tradition of collective, anti-establishment pamphlets, the most prolific zine cultures of the late 20th century were linked to feminist movements, most

notably from the Riot Grrrl scene. Underground, punk and unafraid of addressing issues of patriarchy, racism, rape and sexuality, the momentum of the Riot Grrrl movement was turbocharged by their explosively creative Xeroxed zines. Defying dominant narratives through the format as well as the writing, these zines challenged the idea of the individual author, the public space and an exclusively adult political realm. Topics seen as no-go in the popular media were given a radical platform – one that was attention grabbing, stylish and provocative. The zine is naturally collective. Even in the case of zines that have an editorial team, the zine’s project is to group diverse styles, groups and voices. Art, poetry, politics and pop-culture can be united in a mash-up that accords each voice equal hearing. Ideally, their funding is sourced from donations and events – happenings that connect the printed zine to live co-operative action. They can be the tools for building a community. Zines are boundary crossing; they are able to combine the politically serious with the trivial and ironic. They unite the passion of the band fanzine with anti-establishment zeal. They defy genre and resist categorization. They are truly artisan, in the hand-crafted, creative sense of the word. We are told print is dying out, as newspapers head online and commuters carry Kindles on the Tube, but what has more radical potential than the underdog?

the view from Madrid

Counterpoint speaks to the people behind Podemos - the protest movement that has electrified Spanish politics - about this winterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coming elections Words: Riley Kaminer Picture: Daniel Lopez Garcia

“I think Spain is ready for a new transition in its electoral system” - Javier Burrieza, Ahora Madrid

With Spain’s general elections only a matter of weeks away, the streets of Madrid are buzzing with pre-voting speculation. This is partly due to the fact that, for the first time in the country’s recent history, the traditional two-party system is being threatened by a host of alternative parties. One of the most popular of these parties is Podemos (Spanish for ‘we can’), which is being propelled forward by a win in the May 2014 EU parliamentary elections, a major bump in polls in November 2014, and a relatively large win in Spain’s regional elections last May.

Since then, Pablo Iglesias, a former political science lecturer at the Complutense University of Madrid with a loyal following from his appearances on TV news programmes, has gradually surfaced as the leader of the party. Iglesias’s no-nonsense attitude and unshakable confidence has given him the populist appeal that has made his name almost synonymous with the party itself.

The party released its first manifesto in January 2014, emphasizing policy points such as fiscal freedom for Southern European countries, equal legal rights and protection for citizens, and derogation from EU immigration laws, among a variety of other leftwing policies.

With a sundry assortment of parties on both sides of the aisle vying for electoral seats, it is becoming increasingly likely that a coalition between a traditional party and a new party will be ultimately decide who will reside in Moncloa come late December. Given Podemos’s roots as a unifying party, this inherent need to find consensus could work in its favour; however, some argue Iglesias’s forthright and sometimes aggressive approach to leadership will make potential voters shy away.

Written by a group of intellectuals and professors in an attempt to unite various leftist groups, the manifesto followed in the footsteps of Spain’s 15-M antiausterity movement, especially in its aim to have a completely horizontal and transparent structure.

With that in mind, Counterpoint had the opportunity to sit down with Javier Burrieza, a participant in Ahora Madrid, the citizen platform backed by Podemos that has ruled the local government in the city of Madrid since the municipal elections last May.

Counterpoint: How important a role does Pablo Iglesias play in the success of Podemos? Could Podemos exist without Iglesias? Javier Burrieza: Podemos is almost a personal initiative of Pablo Iglesias. This makes it very difficult to imagine the party without him. Furthermore, until the media decided Pablo Iglesias’s exposure was becoming excessive, he enjoyed high levels of popularity. This is because of his strong oratory skills which pleased a lot of people. CP: Is Spain ready for a new party such as Podemos? JB: When talking about politics, Spain does not follow a common pattern of behavior. Rural areas and elderly people usually reject changes in the electoral system, so they continue to back PP and PSOE [Spain’s main political parties]. However, urban areas and the youth have split a lot their support among the new and traditional parties. I think Spain is ready for a new transition in its electoral system, but that does not mean it is ready for assuming certain policies.

“Podemos is almost a personal initiative of Pablo Iglesias” him have backed Tsipras [the leader of Syriza]. Various minority groups within Podemos, such as the critics of Pablo Iglesias, supported the antimemorandum party which came from Syriza in the last elections. CP: What can other left-wing European parties learn from Podemos? JB: Podemos has always been a dynamic movement and is even more so now with the upcoming general elections. This makes it difficult to extract specific lessons, but I’d point out the managing of time as crucial. Iglesias’ media exposure was an advantage at first because it led to amazing levels of awareness in a short period of time, but since then it has been costly. Given that their main objective was winning these general elections, perhaps they should have waited a little longer to launch the new party, instead of preparing it for European elections. That being said, it is hard to evaluate Podemos’s legacy before the whole electoral cycle finishes.

CP: What is the relationship between Podemos and Syriza, Greece’s ‘Coalition of the Radical Left’? JB: There is a strong relationship between the two parties. Traditionally, Pablo Iglesias and those around

agender agenda Fashion designers are creating gender-neutral lines - but are they affordable for the people who need them, or just another luxury trend? Words: Vic Cooper Pictures: Bethany Thompson

Clothes can be a problem area. What assortment of fabric you have on your body has been a feminist battleground ever since bodies started existing (give or take). Size, style and price are three points of a compromise triangle already, but how do you navigate this if you don’t even fit in the men’s or women’s sections? What if you’re nonbinary? For those who don’t fit into the category of man or woman – people who present or identify anywhere on a broad spectrum between a lot of gender and no gender at all – we hit a brick wall at day one. Having to overlook categories, size and broader perceptions of gender can fuel the ugly inner feud between dysphoria and self-acceptance.

Many nonbinary people have to compromise on fit, style or comfort to present anywhere near how they would like to be seen. Lately, however, some retailers have tried to shake up this schism. Selfridges released their ‘Agender’ campaign earlier this summer, alongside a promotional video starring transgender model Hari Nef, and a diverse range of people of colour, older models and people with various body types. It was a bold and exciting declaration of difference, acceptance and individuality. “Luxury Online Boutique” The Corner now has a permanent ‘No Gender’ category on

Having to overlook categories, size and broader perceptions of gender can fuel the ugly inner feud between dysphoria and self-acceptance their site, a space dedicated to genderneutral fashion. Odeur’s online shop have gone a step further by removing categories or size differences for their clothing whilst using male and female models indiscriminately. The binary nature of fashion is more scrutinised than ever, with an increasing number of designers seeing it as redundant or outdated. H&M’s subbrand ‘& Other Stories’ have created a range featuring transgender models Hari Nef, Valentijn De Hingh, directed by a team of transgender professionals – a clear and definite statement describing clothing as a personal expression unrestricted by body or gender. It must be noted that alongside these positive developments, there is also a worrying trend. Selfridges’ range aimed for something more subtle than clichéd “gender-swap” androgyny, but when scrolling through their fourpage selection on their website there is a lack of anything even vaguely feminine. Everything is straight from the shoulders or the hips, there are only a few colourful items and despite the diversity and body positivity in their campaign video, their choice of models is the same as with any other range.

The binary nature of fashion is more scrutinised than ever, with an increasing number of designers seeing it as redundant or outdated

Gender neutrality is seen as a luxury, but we need clothing we can live with Masculine is often seen as the default, with ‘feminine’ attributes shunted into the background. For a true acceptance of the fluidity of gender, any and all forms of presentation must be permissible, or there will always be an “othered” nature to the feminine. The straight-edged minimal look to agendered fashion may be my style, but it should not be prescriptive to gender-neutrality.

There are people designing cheaperthan-cheap binders or breast forms for those who can’t afford it, because it is a necessity for dysphoric people without much money to be able to feel comfortable. Many nonbinary people have to compromise on fit, style or comfort to present anywhere near how they would like to be seen. Gender neutrality is seen as a luxury, but we need clothing we can live with.

Furthermore, designers behind these moves such as Ann Demeulemeester, Yang Li, Gareth Pugh and Yohji Yamamoto are expensive. Inclusivity is the cornerstone of activism, and though a positive example may be being set, it is still an exclusive one.

The fashion industry is accepting a more fluid approach to gender, but a lot of work needs to be done before the end products are truly representative and accessible to us all.

moan or own Fans are leading the charge in the battle for footballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soul - can they beat the oligarchs? Words: Sean Douglass Pictures: Bea Shireen and Dom Fellowes

Sat in a Wetherspoons in Newcastle on a Friday night, it doesn’t often take long for conversation to turn to football. At the time of writing, Newcastle United and fierce rivals Sunderland fill the bottom two spots in the Barclays Premier League. Across the table from a Sunderland fan, we lament the fortunes of our respective clubs and talk about better days. You can’t say glory days because, well, North East football doesn’t do glory very often. “During the days of Quinny [former Sunderland striker and chairman Niall Quinn] and Keane, we would have 40-odd thousand people at the Stadium of Light for a Championship game. Now, it’s just not the same,” the Sunderland fan lamented. “During the days when (former Newcastle United chairman) Freddie Shepherd was in charge, even if he was an idiot, at least he showed a bit of ambition. He ran the club like a fan would, because he was a fan – you can’t say that anymore with (current Newcastle owner Mike) Ashley in charge,” I added. Despite both of us living in Edinburgh for a number of years, it is the growing emotional distance between fan and club, rather than the geographical separation, that was the main source of frustration. Football, certainly in the top two divisions of the English game at

least, is a rich man’s game. In the past 10 years, the Barclays Premier League has been won by only three clubs – Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City. Those clubs are owned respectably by the family of Malcolm Glazer, the late American businessman who controversially bought the club in May 2005, Roman Abramovich, a Russian oil oligarch, and the Royal family of Abu Dhabi. I find it difficult to believe that any of them would be able to regale me with tales of standing on the terraces with their dad as a kid or travelling for hours to see them lose away on a cold Wednesday night. What some owners fail to realise however – or worse, ignore – is that clubs are not just status symbols or marketing vehicles. They are focal points of their towns and cities that can unite communities in a way that politicians could only dream of. There has always been mismanagement in football but with more businessmen, more ‘non-football people’, entering the game, it feels like both the severity and number of instances are on the rise. Leeds United. Portsmouth. Cardiff City. Hull City. Blackburn Rovers. Blackpool. All of these clubs have been in the Premier League at some point but no more.

Whether by financial mismanagement or poor boardroom decision-making, with the exception of Blackpool, all of the clubs above have suffered at the hands of new, supposed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;savioursâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Instead of putting their faith in false idols, some supporter groups have decided to become the masters of their own fate. At the time of writing, fanowned Portsmouth are sitting second in League 2, the fourth division of English football.

After a series of botched takeovers, the club plummeted down the football pyramid and almost went extinct before the Pompey Supporters Trust and its 2,300 members were able to secure a deal to save the club. Portsmouth

Instead of putting their faith in false idols, some supporter groups have decided to become the masters of their own fate.

are now legally, as well as emotionally, their club. Rather than leaving the future of the club at the whim of one or two owners, fan-ownership groups are looking to take control themselves. It gives greater transparency and accountability in a sport where these traits have been in short supply. In an age where world football’s elite have almost nothing in common with reality for most of us, these clubs are one way of returning the sport to the people that matter most – the supporters. The problem is that the top end of the game is moving away at such a rate that it takes massive amounts of money just to compete. With only League 2 clubs Portsmouth, AFC Wimbledon and Wycombe Wanderers in the top four divisions of English football, it seems there is a glass ceiling for this type of club. Most fan-owned clubs fall into one of two main categories – protest clubs (e.g. FC United of Manchester, AFC Wimbledon) and supporter buy-outs (e.g. Portsmouth, Wycombe Wanderers, Hearts). At present, these sorts of teams are serious, last-resort options. In Mike Leigh’s ‘Looking For Eric’, one of the characters tells an FC United of Manchester fan that “You can change your wife, change your politics, change your religion. But never, never can you change your football team.” That quote perfectly illustrates the reason why protest clubs are few and far between.

Supporter buy-outs are usually when a club is on the bones of its financial backside and on the verge of going bust. Rather than let it go to the wall, fans join together to fund the club themselves. Hearts of Midlothian have shown that it is possible to challenge at the top level – but the Scottish Premiership has about as much financial clout as the English League One or League Two. The club, which nearly went under, was saved and has thrived under the management of former player Robbie Neilson. Businesswoman Ann Budge bought the club last year and has said she will transfer the club to fans group The Foundation of Hearts after a stabilisation period of five years. Once again, it is an example that money is a necessity in the modern game. Even with the efforts of the Football Supporters Federation and even the Labour Party before the last General Election to increase fan representation on the board of football clubs, supporter buy-outs are only likely in desperate. To those fans who want a greater say in football, there are no easy ways to take charge. Boycotts and protest clubs are rather extreme measures for most supporters to come to terms with, and very few have the resources to buy their team. It’s very easy to sit back and complain so hey, maybe fan ownership is the way forward, it’s a personal choice. In the meantime however, if anyone needs me, I’ll be in the pub complaining about Newcastle United.

CON T R IBUTO RS Words

Pictures

sam bradley

bea shireen

vic cooper

bethany thompson

sean douglass

eloise hendy

dom fellowes

riley kaminer

david lopez garcia

Editors sam bradley bethany thompson you can read about our contributors at counterpointjournal.co.uk/writers or /illustrators

GETT IN G IN VO LVE D We hope you liked reading our words and looking at our pictures as much as we enjoyed writing and drawing them. The next issue of Counterpoint is in the pipeline - if you want to help out, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to hear from you.

We want writers, illustrators and photographers for our next issue. If you want to do something creative for Counterpoint, the best way to get in touch is to send us an email at counterpointeditor@gmail.com.

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