Epigram #242

Bristol University’s Independent Student Newspaper Issue 242

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e2

Monday 7th November 2011

UCAS applications for 2012 fall by 9% Sarah Lawson News Reporter

Mood turns against College Green occupiers

Overall university applications for 2012 have dropped by 9% in the lead up to the tuition fee rise. According to official figures, the number of UK-born students applying for university places has fallen by 11.9%, with 52,321 student applications for 2012 received by 15th October, compared to 59,413 recieved by the same date in 2011.

The statistics, provided by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), reveal the number of applications received by universities by the deadline for Oxbridge applications.

Figures in the south-west show the biggest fall in applications in over 30 years, with a decrease of 11.3% in comparison with last year. Sarah Thwaites, Deputy Chief Executive of FSP (Financial Skills Partnership) shared her view on the situation.

‘Young people in the south west may see apprenticeships as an attractive option due to rising university costs. They can be seen as part of the solution to bridge the so called “skills gap” identified by George Osborne.’

The figures have given rise to allegations that would-be students are being deterred from applying for further education by the threat of debt. However, others have commented that part of the fall in applications this year compensates for the rise in applications for places for 2011, when UCAS saw 6.6% more applications than for 2010.

Mature students in particular represented a significant drop in applications – there has been a decline of 22.7% in applicants aged between 30 and 39, and applicants aged 40 and over have seen a decrease of 27.8%.

The NUS Vice President, Toni Pearce, said ‘The significant reduction in applications from mature students is a warning sign and Government needs to quickly take their concerns on board or else risk those people falling away from education for good. (continued on page two)

Revolution on the streets of Bristol

Ann Widdecombe visits Bristol

See Page 4

Former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe visited Bristol University at the end of last month for an event organised by the Politics Society. In an exclusive interview with Epigram, she answered questions on topics ranging from the coalition to Strictly Come Dancing before addressing the public conference.

Page 3

1000 votes cast in officer elections The election race for part-time Union Officers has come to a close after just 1000 student votes were cast in the week-long poll. The successful candidates for Union Officers, Senate Representatives and Student Trustees were announced following the following the first annual Students’ Conference.

Page 4

Lakota loses licence

Flickr: spartacusxx

Using your erotic capital Should women flirt their way to the top?

An interview with Catherine Hakim

Features 10

Lakota has once again had its licence suspended, following a fatality earlier this year.

The club, which first opened in 1989, has been the subject of much controversy this year since the death of 16-yearold Joe Simons on 30th April.

Page 7

Keep Calm and Curry On Epigram talk to Bombay Bicycle Club - page 23

Epigram

07.11.2011

News

Editor: Alice Young

Deputy Editor: Jenny Awford

Deputy Editor: Abigail Van-West

news@epigram.org.uk

jawford@epigram.org.uk

avanwest@epigram.org.uk

Inside Epigram Features 11 Hidden truths

What help is available for university students with eating disorders?

13 Libya far from free

Jevon Whitby looks at how much Britain has actually done for Libya, and whether or not the intervention was worthwhile

15 Marat/Sade

Do certain productions push the boundaries of taste, or can real art never go too far?

21 Culture 21 Hello... Bristol?

Five stars awarded to Stephen Merchant’s homecoming gig at the Colston Hall

Film & TV We examine whether Hollywood’s most bankable modern director has lost his touch

34

Vincent Tabak has been found guilty of murdering Joanna Yeates at her home in Clifton last year. Following a four week trial and three days of deliberations, the jurors reached a 10-2 majority decision that Tabak was guilty of murder.

Mr Justice Field, the judge presiding over the trial, has ordered that he spend at least 20 years in prison. Following the verdict, the judge said to Tabak, ‘In my view you are a very dangerous individual.

‘That wicked act ended the life of a young woman who was entitled to expect a life of happiness and fulfilment.’

Joanna Yeates’s parents also issued a statement read by police outside court, in which they expressed their sense of injustice for Joanna. ‘For us, it is with regret that capital punishment is not a possible option for his sentence.

‘The best we can hope for him is that he spends the rest of his life incarcerated where his life is

(continued from page 1) ‘Ministers must stop tinkering around the edges of their shambolic reforms, listen to students, teachers and universities and completely overhaul their white paper before temporary chaos turns into permanent damage to our education system.’

Furthermore, female wouldbe applicants have been discouraged more than their male counterparts,

Is Scottish manager Derek McInnes the answer Bristol City have been looking for?

36 Hockey heartache

Bristol Men’s Firsts suffer a last-minute defeat in their season opener against Oxford

places it shouldn’t go, just like me.”’

Tabak claimed he had then made a pass at Miss Yeates who screamed before he put a hand over her mouth to silence her. Tabak continued, ‘I said something like, “I am sorry, it’s okay, please stop”.’

The Dutchman added that after removing his hand Miss Yeates continued to scream. He then put one hand around her neck and the other over her mouth before Miss Yeates went limp.

Following the verdict it has been revealed that police analysis of Tabak’s computer discovered that he

as the number of female applicants for 2012 has dropped by 10.5% compared to last October, but the number of male applicants has only decreased by 7%.

The statistics do not indicate whether students from lowincome families have been put off by the increase in tuition fees. Josh Alford, the UBU Vice- President for Education, told Epigram, ‘The drop in early university applications

is a clear sign that the Government’s confused and ill-thought through Higher Education policy is having a negative effect on the sector as a whole. Even if the drop in applicants so far is not indicative of a drop in the final numbers of applicants, it is proof that students are hesitant over entering into such large debt and are really considering their options before applying.’

Meetings

Editorial team Editor

Deputy Editors Deputy Editors Bauckham Jon Jon Bauckham jon@epigram.org.uk jon@epigram.org.uk Hannah Stubbs Hannah Stubbs hannah@epigram.org.uk

34 Robins revival

a living hell, being the recipient of all evils, deprivations and degradations that his situation can provide.’

At the start of the trial Tabak had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but denied murdering the 25 year old landscape architect. His defence had argued that Miss Yeates had invited him into her flat after the pair waved to each other through her kitchen window.

Tabak told the court that Miss Yeates had then made a flirty comment whilst in conversation.

‘We talked about the cat, her cat, that had come into our flat and she made a flirty comment, something like “the cat went to

Female UCAS applications down 10.5%

Tom Flynn Editor Tomeditor@epigram.org.uk Flynn editor@epigram.org.uk

Sport

Tabak pleaded guilty to manslaughter

had an interest in hardcore pornography, often depicting violence towards women, such as strangulation. Nigel Lickley QC, of the prosecution, had argued that evidence of Tabak’s pornographic interests should be used in the case against him.

‘We submit that these images explain why he held Miss Yeates by the neck’, he said.

The judge, however, had ruled that evidence of Tabak’s pornographic internet use could not prove the killing was premeditated and was less significant than the prejudice it would cause against his defence.

The jury, therefore, were not informed of this particular evidence.

Police are also investigating the time Tabak spent away on business trips for his engineering firm, Buro Happold, to see if he committed any other crimes before murdering Miss Yeates. Enquiries in the U.S. have revealed that Tabak had sex with a prostitute whilst in Los Angeles on business, just weeks before he murdered Miss Yeates.

His DNA has also been sent to police in the Netherlands.

hannah@epigram.org.uk

e2 Editor Matthew McCrory e2 Editor e2@epigram.org.uk Matthew McCrory

e2@epigram.org.uk News Editor AliceNews Young Editor news@epigram.org.uk Alice Young news@epigram.org.uk Deputy News Editors Deputy News Editors Abigail Van-West Jenny Awford avanwest@epigram.org.uk jawford@epigram.org.uk Jenny Awford Abigail Van-West jawford@epigram.org.uk avanwest@epigram.org.uk Features Editor Features Editor Tristan Martin Tristan Martin features@epigram.org.uk features@epigram.org.uk Deputy Features Editor Deputy Features Editor Andrew White Andrew White deputyfeatures@epigram.org.uk deputyfeatures@epigram.org.uk

Comment Editor Comment Editor Patrick Baker Patrick Baker comment@epigram.org.uk comment@epigram.org.uk

Deputy Science Editor Science Editor NickEmma Cork Sackville deputyscience@epigram.org science@epigram.org.uk

Letters Editor Letters Editor Emma Corfield Emma Corfield letters@epigram.org.uk letters@epigram.org.uk

SportScience Editor Editor Deputy Tom Burrows Emma Sackville sport@epigram.org.uk deputyscience@epigram.org

Culture Editor Culture Editor ZoeSherwood Hutton Calum culture@epigram.org.uk culture@epigram.org.uk

Deputy Sport EditorSport Editor Stone TomDavid Burrows deputysport@epigram.org.uk sport@epigram.org.uk

Deputy Culture Music EditorEditor Zoe Nathan Hutton Comer music@epigram.org.uk deputyculture@epigram.org.uk

Puzzles Editor Deputy Sport Editor LilyStone Buckmaster David deputysport@epigram.org.uk Head Sub Editor Emma Corfield Puzzles Editor Lily Buckmaster Sub Editors Jennifer Hooton, Harriet Layhe, Head Sub Editor KateCorfield Moreton, Rosemary Wagg Emma

Music Editor Deputy Music Editor Pippa Shawley Nathan Comer deputymusic@epigram.org.uk music@epigram.org.uk Deputy Editor FIlmMusic & TV Editor Will Ellis Pippa Shawley filmandtv@epigram.org.uk deputymusic@epigram.org.uk FIlmDeputy & TV Editor Film & TV Editor Adeane Will Anthony Ellis deputyfilmandtv@epigram.org.uk filmandtv@epigram.org.uk Deputy FilmEditor & TV Editor Science Nick Cork Anthony Adeane science@epigram.org.uk deputyfilmandtv@epigram.org.uk

Flickr: yintungho

28 Has Spielberg lost it?

Kristian Stanley News Reporter Flickr: Canarian Weekly

Comment

Jo Yeates’s neighbour Vincent Tabak found guilty of murder

SubIllustrator Editors Sophie Sladen Harriet Layhe, Kate Moreton, Rosemary Wagg Web Designer Illustrator Maciej Kumorek Sophie Sladen Web Designer Rob Mackenzie

News:

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Comment: Tuesday 8 Nov, 1.30pm, The Hill Culture:

Tuesday 8 Nov, 1.00pm, Common Room, 13WR

Music:

Tuesday 8 Nov, 1.10pm , The White Bear

Film & TV: Thursday 17 Nov, 1.15pm, Union 3rd Floor Science:

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For Lifestyle, What’s On, Fashion, Travel and Money see e2, page2

Epigram is the independent student newspaper of the University of Bristol. The views expressed in this publication are not those of the University or the Students’ Union.

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Epigram

07.11.2011

3

Controversy at UBU Student Conference Stephanie Linning News Reporter

Alex Sheppard

On Saturday 29th October, the University of Bristol Students’ Union hosted the first Students’ Conference, providing students with the opportunity to shape Union policies by debating and discussing key issues affecting various areas of university life.

The conference, the first in a series of new student democracy events organised by the Union, allowed attendees to participate in small forums and discussion groups, before a more formal ‘Decision Making’ session, similar to those normally held at the AGM, was held to debate and decide on a series of motions concerning Union policy.

A total of nine motions were timetabled for debate during the session, with the issues addressed ranging from offensive advertising in the Union to a call for the Union to support the Occupy Bristol movement.

Many of the motions proposed addressed controversial topics, including a motion on ‘Unethical’ companies at University careers fairs. The discussion centred on the recent

student protest against the presence of arms companies at several fairs earlier in the month and whether or not it would disadvantage students seeking jobs with companies affected.

The motion, which mandates Max Wakefield VP Community to provide information about ethical issues linked to any compnay exhibiting at a careers fair, was passed with 62% of the vote.

The most extensive debate of the day surrounded VP Welfare & Equality Sophie Bennett’s ‘Pro-Choice Policy’ motion, which saw Bennett and other supporters of the motion engaged in discussion with members from the Students for Life society.

The motion resolved that the Union would take a ‘prochoice’ stance and ensure that any material displayed in union buildings conforms to the existing safe space policy, which exists to ensure that all students can express views freely and without negative judgment.

Speakers argued against the motion on the grounds that the motion was seeking to ‘restrict freedom of expression and silence voices’. Bennett repeatedly insisted that this was not the case, explaining that, ‘it is a matter of clarification,

Students gather in the Anson Rooms to debate a range of motions

not of restriction,’ that she is concerned with.

Following discussion and an extended round of questions from the audience, the motion was passed with 68% of the vote, seeing the University of Bristol’s Students’ Union becoming only the third Union in the country with an official

Zaki Dogliani News Reporter

Rob Grant News Reporter

were ‘too many universities, too many silly courses and too many students’, labelling the upgrading of polytechnics to universities as ‘a mistake’.

She believes that the change meant that ‘world class polytechnics became third class universities’.

Widdecombe converted to Roman Catholicism in 1993, and once stated she ‘believed in equality from the Prime Minister down through the country’, but that ‘the Church is a thing apart and always should be’. She believes that religion ‘should play a major part in politics’ and that ‘if you are driven by faith, you should say so and put that before the

Alex Sheppard

Ann Widdecombe addresses students in the Wills Memorial building

support mass industrial action on the 30th November’, which mandates the Union to actively encourage student support for the public sector strikes taking place on the day and to provide students with transport to London so that they can take part in the march if they so wish.

Speaking at the close of the debate, Student Union President, Gus Baker, deemed the event ‘a success’, despite the minor technical difficulties that restricted the number of motions that could have been discussed in addition to the low turnout of only around 100 students.

Multiculturalism memorial lecture

Widdecombe visits Bristol Former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe visited Bristol University on October 28th for an event organised by the Politics Society. In an exclusive interview with Epigram, she answered questions on topics ranging from the coalition, religion and tuition fees to Strictly Come Dancing, which she appeared on last year, before addressing the public conference.

Widdecombe, who studied Latin at Birmingham and then Politics and Economics at Oxford, said she ‘hated coalitions on principle’ but considered David Cameron to have had no other realistic choice – rejecting the idea of a minority government – and thought it ‘must last the full five years’, after which she wishes it ‘a speedy death’.

The ex-MP for Maidstone and the Weald called efforts to send 50% of the population to university ‘ludicrous’ and cited the increase in students as the main reason for her support for the trebling of tuition fees.

‘If you go on increasing the numbers going, it will become even less affordable’.

Widdecombe claimed there

‘Pro-Choice’ stance.

In total, all six of the motions that were addressed were passed, which will affect the Union’s policies across a number of key areas.

One of the most immediately relevant motions to be passed was the ‘Motion for the University of Bristol Union to

electorate’.

The former Shadow Home Secretary told Epigram she was ‘deeply eurosceptic but if there was a referendum tomorrow morning I would vote to stay in. Absolutely nobody is telling us what the plan is for coming out’.

She maintained that May’s plebiscite on the Alternative Vote was ‘one referendum which was won on the arguments’ and didn’t think there would be electoral reform for at least 20 years.

When asked about the ‘Occupy movement’, she responded with a tycpically blunt response, ‘Clear them out! I’ll do it myself’.

A Bristol University Professor and former advisor to Ken Livingstone spoke at a talk on multiculturalism at the Council House on the 25th of October.

Professor Tariq Modood of the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies and Lee Jasper, former advisor to the previous Mayor of London Ken Livingstone spoke at the event, entitled ‘Defending Multiculturalism’.

The lecture was in memory of Stephen Lawrence, a teenager who was murdered in an unprovoked, racially motivated attack in south London in 1993. Over 100 people attended the event, which coincides with Black History Month this October.

Jasper attacked Prime Minister David Cameron’s stance on multiculturalism.

He commented that ‘There are politicians who have sought to exploit people’s anxieties and fears about changing character and diversity in modern Britain

for their own political ends and I count unfortunately our own Prime Minister in that category.’

He also called David Cameron’s recent speech on multiculturalism ‘ill-timed’ and ‘historically misinformed’.

The former advisor to Livingstone, Lee Jasper, said that people from ethnic minorities tend to live in similar areas because of economic factors and not because they choose to be amongst people of their own race or background. ‘The idea that multiculturalism leads to separate lives, parallel lives, extremism and terrorism is nonsense’.

Jasper added that, ‘Multiculturalism is a wonderful thing to celebrate.’

Professor Modood also provided a defence of multiculturalism. He said that the ideology accepts that it is not enough to expect people to assimilate or to practice their own culture or beliefs privately.

Professor Modood argued that ‘these things are important to people, they’re central to their ideas and central to their sense of who they are.’

He added that majority groups express themselves in public and asked why minorities should not be able to do the same, ‘why should others, the so-called different ones be the ones who have to be privatised?’

Later that evening there was a Love Music Hate Racism gig at Start the Bus on Baldwin Street, organised jointly by the University of Bristol Union and the UWE Students’ Union.

Sophie Bennett, the Union Vice President for Welfare and Equality said ‘It’s really fantastic that UBU and UWESU worked together to put on our Love Music Hate Racism event at Start the Bus. It is so important to celebrate cultural diversity, reinforce the importance of Black History Month and promote equality.’

Barbara Janke, the leader of the Liberal Democrats in Bristol City Council said ‘The council is a major player in the fight against racism and strongly promotes race equality. So I was delighted to share a platform with Professor Tariq Madood, Lee Jasper and the other speakers on this vital issue.’

Epigram

07.11.2011

4

Only 1000 votes cast in UBU elections Josephine McConville News Reporter The election race for part-time Union Officers has come to a close after more than 1000 student votes were cast in the week-long poll.

The successful candidates for Union Officers, Senate Representatives and Student Trustees were announced on Saturday October 30th, following the Decision Time at the Students’ Conference.

Candidates were competing in the elections for five Senate

Representative positions.

Mark Parry was elected as the Arts Undergraduate Senate Representative, Jo Dennison for Medicine and Veterinary Science, Harriet Kiddy for Medicine and Dentistry and Eleanor Humphrey for Science Representative.

The successful Taught Postgraduate Representative, Christa Schweizer, told Epigram ‘I am very happy and fortunate people are voting, not just for me but in general. A lot of people may be apathetic or indifferent to the system but I’m happy so many people voted.’

Seven Union Officers were elected, including Rhian Greaves for Disabled Students Officer, Georgina Bavetta for Environmental Officer, Shruti Choudhary for Ethics Officer and Godfrey Wechie for International Students’ Officer.

Calum Sherwood was elected as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) officer and Ruth Davies as the Women’s officer. Sophie Mew is the new Widening Participation Officer.

There were four available Student Trustee positions, and using the STV (Single Transferrable Vote) election system, the poll went to six

rounds of voting before the four winning candidates could be revealed.

The winners were Josephine Suherman-Bailey, Martha West, Raakhi Chotai and Reza Kateb.

Students’ Union President Gus Baker told Epigram he was ‘happily surprised’ at the number of votes received, describing the elections as ‘a big success and a big change.’

He also confirmed that over 1000 votes were cast in the elections.

Some feel more student votes are needed. Elected Arts Undergraduate Rep, Mark Parry, second-year Spanish

and Portuguese student and President of the Hispanic Society, said ‘I had never heard of the Senate before this came up, only reps between students and teachers, not an academic council.’

Parry commented that, ‘I hope as the Senate Representative I can give not just Languages, but the Arts in general, a louder voice. I think although they were publicised well, the number of people who voted is still too low.’

Some positions only received one nominated candidate, including Disabled Students Officer and International

Students Officer. The Black and Ethnic Minorities Officer and Mature and Part-Time Students’ Officer, had no candidates, leading some to question the elections’ success in representing minority groups.

Elected LGBT Officer, Calum Sherwood said, ‘I think that the campaign was a good experience in general, my only concern is that some vital positions, such as Black and Ethnic Minorities Officer, didn’t even have one submission to stand for the position, which shows there is more work to be done to make UBU truly representative’.

Williams values post-results application Alice Young News Editor

in the country who could come to Bristol but are not applying. I think the biggest change we need is a move to post-qualification application – instead of applying before you have your A-level results, you would apply afterwards.

That would require a little bit of adjustment in both the school and university timetable, so there would be enough of a time window for applications from students who could get in to Bristol, but don’t realise that until after their results.’

Williams argued that the University’s failure to meet access targets was part of ‘a long term problem for Bristol’ and part of a “preconception issue - the city and the university are seen as an expensive place.”

Williams was interviewed at an alumni event, which is part of a wider expansion of Bristol’s post-university networks. It was attended by both recent graduates and experienced senior executives, Lords and MPs.

Flickr: Liberal Democrats

Bristol West MP, Stephen Williams, has revealed in an interview with Epigram that he supports a move to post qualification application, which means that students could apply for university after they have received their A-level results.

The student admissions service, UCAS, have announced that they also support the move. Williams, has advocated the move as a solution to the University of Bristol’s problems with widening participation.

A review of the application system concluded that the current system, which asks universities to offer places based on predicted grades, asks students to make choices about their future before they are ready.

A UCAS document said ‘The cumulative effect of predicted

grades, insurance choices and clearing have led to a complex, inefficient and cumbersome system for higher education institutions.’

The proposed system, which would not be in place until 2016 at the earliest, would see students sit their A-levels earlier before applying for university over the summer.

Courses would then start in mid-October.

NUS vice president for higher education, Usman Ali, said that ‘The evidence shows that applicants from poorer backgrounds are more likely to exceed their predicted grades.’

Speaking to Epigram at a Bristol alumni event in the Palace of Westminster, Williams claimed that applications made in the summer, after A-level grades were received, would result in more students feeling able to apply to the university.

Williams commented that, ‘Making the applications is a big problem for Bristol – there are more than enough students

Bristol West MP Stephen Williams supports the introduction of a postqualification application system

Growing opposition to the ‘Occupy Bristol’ protesters Shanice Swales News Reporter

Flickr: Zolaczaki

Protesters have been occupying College Green for two weeks

Protesters in Bristol have now being occupying College Green for over two weeks and are showing no signs of moving on anytime soon.

The camp has been steadily growing despite the onset of colder weather and darker nights, when many thought this would be a force to drive the campers away.

Consequently resources have grown, including a fully running kitchen area serving meals to fellow campers and a welcome centre equipped

with a growing number of books and information, as well as organised daily meetings and events, welcoming people outside of the camp to join in.

There is growing opposition to the camp. Many campers fear the recent attacks from members of the EDL (English Defence League) on the ‘Occupy Newcastle’ camp may be a threat to the camp on College Green.

This has been furthered by messages about counterdemonstrations which have recently come through on ‘Occupy Bristol’ social networking sites, fuelled by talk of campers disrupting the upcoming Remembrance Day

events.

Matt, who has been a part of the occupation since the beginning wanted to put the record straight.

‘We plan to fully support the Remembrance Day events... we have been discussing the possibility of ceasing the protest for the day.’

Matt also went on to say that a number of ex-servicemen and families of those serving in the Armed Forces are taking part in the protest and added, ‘We all want to pay our respects’.

Despite opposition from the Dean of Bristol Cathedral and some members of the local government, the Leader of Bristol City Council, Barbara

Janke, has spoken to many members of the camp and has said there are no plans to disperse the protest unless violence and damage is caused.

Similar views have been put forward by the Labour group on the Council, with Peter Hammond adding ‘there is no justification in taking eviction action’.

Along with other ‘Occupy’ camps across the UK, the protestors on College Green are steadily drawing more attention to themselves. The resignation of the Dean of St Pauls Cathedral, Graeme Knowles, in conjunction with the protests has shown a testing time for the movement in London.

Epigram

07.11.2011

5

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Epigram

07.11.2011

66

Student marches planned in London Tom Powell News Reporter

“

What you lose in parliament you can win on the streets

”

The march will begin on Malet Street outside the ULU and move through the city centre during the course of the afternoon.

Mark Campbell, member and elected officer of UCU Left (a national organisation of University and College Union activists), confirmed that UCU fully support the call for action. ‘Together we will fight to defend education as a public good’ he rallied.

Campbell also urged everyone to sign the national petition against the White Paper - the government’s latest plan to cut bursaries and replace them with fee waivers.

Campbell claimed the paper will ‘impoverish student choice.’

‘Students are in the driving seat, but the wheels have been taken off’ he explained. The NCAF has also issued a specific pledge for Vice Chancellors to sign.

This publicly condemns the White Paper and calls for it to be withdrawn.

Chessum agreed that the government is ‘determined to privatise education.’

Mark Bergfeld, from the National Executive Council of the NUS and spokesperson for the Education Activist, argued that the November demonstration is just a ‘launch pad’ for the entire campaign and that last year’s protest ‘ignited a new era of action against the government.’

All the speakers focused on ‘unity’ being the key to this new wave of action. Last year was a ‘wake-up call’ according to Chessum, this year there is ‘a palpable desire to resist’ and every student can be a part of that fight to keep higher education a public service and a public right.

‘What you lose in parliament, you can win on the streets’ said Chessum, and the NCAF will continue to protest throughout a winter of discontent, with an even bigger demonstration in the pipeline for February.

Eliza Dolbey News Reporter This October more than 5,000 people gathered in 12 different cities across the UK to protest against the government’s planned disability cuts.

Campaigners are protesting against Government aims to introduce PIP (Personal Independence Payment), to replace DLA (Disabiltiy living allowance).

This new system will aim to save money by enforcing stricter checks and regulations on those claiming for disability allowances. This has left many fearful that this may lead to a reduction in their benefits.

The Bristol public showed their solidarity and commitment to the campaign against these propositions, congregating on College Green, chanting and waving banners.

A huge range of ages and disabilities were represented and some people showed significant strain during the march.

One woman with Parkinson’s disease voiced her discomfort, saying, ‘I struggled to do the march because of my legs but was okay after taking my medication.’

Among the protestors was Gus Baker, the Students’ Union President who told Epigram, ‘Tory and Lib Dem cuts to disability funding will trap some people in their own houses, and even their own bodies. As one blind speaker at the march said - disabled people didn’t cause the recession and the financial crisis; but they are paying the price for it.’

Many University of Bristol students will be hit hard by the cuts. There are over 300 disabled students at Bristol and many more who have disabled family members or friends. The University of Bristol Students’ Union will campaign hard against the cuts.

At the heart of the reforms is a new and improved objective assessment of individual need.

In just eight years, the number of people claiming Disability Living Allowance has risen from 2.5 million to 3.2 million, an increase of around 30 per cent. The fact the DLA has not

been fully reformed or looked at since its instigation 19 years ago and its current lack of basic checks both acted as the impetus for serious change.

Full time carers of disabled relatives are also dreading the new legislations, as are those with disabilities, which they feel could be overlooked as a result of the new assessment scheme.

Around 130,000 people since DLA was introduced in 1992 have never had their claims looked at since getting the benefit. It aims to get a further 35,000 disabled people back into work, beginning from 2013.

Josephine Suherman

revealed by by Michael Chessum, the spokesperson for NCAF. Under the presidency of Liam Burns, NUS has once again decided to support students as they protest in London.

Chessum declared that students are currently witnessing the ‘biggest betrayal of young people in living memory.’

He made a call to arms, stating that from noon onwards on 9th November, protestors will be rallying for ‘the future of education, young people and public services in the UK.’

Protests in London last year turned violent in some cases

Flickr: Semisara

The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAF) has announced plans for a major campaign for the future of education with a mass demonstration in London.

Last year thousands of students took to the streets of London to protest against the government’s cuts to university funding.

On 9th November they will return to fight the decision to increase tuition fees and scrap bursaries.

Epigram witnessed the announcement of these plans in a press conference at the ULU (University of London Union) on the 18th October. The plans were

Protests against disability cuts reach College Green

Students join in the march in Bristol

Student council passes motion to open votes to all students Amina Makele News Reporter

Photosoc Vice President, Sarah Haswell, spoke against the motion, ‘Society presidents know their members and how the Union works. Those not engaged in a society have subject reps who are supposed to allow students to communicate with the union.’

Despite the motion being passed, failure to reach quorum at the student council meeting means that the decision must be approved by the current board of student trustees. Inability to reach quorum fuels worries that there will be low participation figures if the council meetings were open to all. However Gus Baker told Epigram, ‘In the face of greater cuts and rising fees we must increase participation and encourage all students to engage with the Union.’

The first meeting of student council for this academic year

James Houston

A motion has been passed by the student council to open up voting rights to all students.

The proposal by Student Union President, Gus Baker aims to allow all students to have a say about how their Union should be run.

Currently voting rights are only afforded to sports clubs and society presidents, Union officers, student representatives for departments or orbital or JCR presidents.

Baker told Epigram, ‘The outdated rules of student council mean that we’re forced to have meetings where some students don’t have a voice.’

Alice Peck, a student who

wanted to attend the meeting but was denied access was in favour of extending voting rights to all students. She commented, ‘The current system is undemocratic rather than unfair because everyone doesn’t have a right to elect trustees to monitor their union.’

However some students think that opening up student council would render the meetings pointless.

Allowing all students to attend the council would in effect create another AGM (Annual General Meeting).

Student council caters to those who already understand the Union procedures and therefore issues can be debated in greater depth than at the AGM.

Epigram

07.11.2011

7

Bristol’s Lakota temporarily loses licence Josh Gabbatiss News Reporter

Flickr: Nose in a book

Lakota in Stokes Croft has been in business for over two decades

Celebrating Bristol University’s historic gardens

External Estates

The gardens of many halls of residence, including Goldney, Clifton Hill House and Wills Hall are set to appear in a new book on the University of Bristol’s historic gardens.

Commissioned by the University, the book aims to increase public awareness of the historic importance of the gardens and is set to be published next year.

Lakota, ‘Bristol’s number one underground nightclub’, has once again had its licence suspended, following a fatality earlier this year.

The club, which has existed since 1989 and helped to establish Bristol as a clubbing hotspot throughout the 90s, has been the subject of much controversy this year since the death of 16-year-old, Joe Simons on 30th April at one of the clubs biggest nights.

The cause of death is believed to be drug-related and the club was subsequently closed for two weeks but was then re-opened for the summer, on the condition that it met 61 stringent conditions including stricter training for staff and increased CCTV. On 17th October, however, Lakota’s licence was once again suspended, this

time for three months.

This has prompted an outcry from their loyal following and a flurry of rumours offering an explanation for the sudden closure of the club, which had already planned for a number of events to go ahead as normal this year.

Many of these explanations have involved a violent incident or a stabbing. These have been dismissed as ‘wild rumours’ by Marti Burgess, the nightclub’s owner. Instead she cites two incidents involving overdoses of MDMA which happened in fairly quick succession as the reason.

Many clubbers are angry, pointing out Lakota’s history of ‘good behaviour’, as the Burgess family have run the club for 20 years without incident.

One suppor argued, ‘In all the years of the Lakota, if you added all the wrong things that have happened there to the amount of people that have passed through its doors, then sorry Mr lawman you’re in the wrong.’

At the time of the tragic events last April, the police’s licensing officer for Bristol, Inspector Keith Rundle, said that the club’s lack of more historic issues or engagement with police was the only reason they were not asking for revocation of Lakota’s licence.

The management at Lakota seem committed to work with the authorities and to open once again.

In a statement issued by the club, they express a desire to create a ‘safe environment’ for customers.

They intend to completely restructure the club and will not reopen until they have done so.

The Burgess family have owned bars and clubs in Stokes Croft since 1981 and claim to be committed to the area, its people and its music scene.

After an unfortunate year, they are dedicated to reopening a club that has been a cornerstone of Bristol’s nightlife for more than two decades.

Epigram

07.11.2011

8

Alleged rule-breaking in officer elections

Flickr: gothick_matt

The Union has come under fire after allegations of election cheating

the committee are standing.

Rhian is running for Disabled students officer, Ruth for Women’s officer and Calum for LGBT officer – your support would be appreciated!’

The candidates mentioned were all successful in their bids, the votes revealed.

Scott Farmer, Head of Membership Experience at UBU, commented that ‘the returning officer received reports (not a complaint) that a society had promoted candidates in the elections. In this case in order to balance the playing field the returning officer asked the society to send a further email highlighting the other candidates in the election. This was done within an hour of the request from the Returning Officer.’

David Polonowski BobFlickr: Pitchford

On Saturday 29th October, elections for Student Union Officers took place, with over 1000 votes being cast on the day. However, questions have been raised over the potential disqualification of some candidates, due to society endorsement and use of society mailing lists.

In previous years, the rules have stated that no canvassing may be done via the email lists of University of Bristol societies, and societies were not permitted to endorse candidates. Punishment for not obeying these restrictions was set to be strict – the society

would be disaffiliated with the University and would not be allowed to display at the next Freshers’ Fair.

During last year’s elections there were allegations of misconduct, but the Union took no action, as they were made after the close of polling; this year, they came before. Furthermore, the rules for the election are not available online, due to the extensive web-page redesign taking place.

This has added to the confusion surrounding the precise rules for this year’s elections.

The society in question in this instance is Bristol Labour Students, who sent out an email to their members appeared to breach the Union’s rules. The email stated, ‘The UBU Officer elections are coming up and a few of

Flickr: robertomd

Katy Barney News Reporter

‘Zombie Walk’ takes over Bristol city centre

Over 1000 zombies, ghosts and creatures of the night paraded around Bristol city centre on Saturday 29th October, to mark the festival of Halloween. The event is now in its fifth year, and is organised through Facebook and social media. The event normally passes by peacefully, but this year several arrests were made as revellers climbed onto a police van during the walk.

Roof lost in crash FUZE returns to launch 2012 show Jessica Wingrad News Reporter

Jodie White News Reporter

The last few weeks have seen the first stages of the audition process for FUZE 2012, Bristol University’s annual fashion, music and dance show. The largest student charity event in England, it attracted an audience of over 2,000 people over two nights this spring, and has raised over £30,000 since it was founded in 2004. The solely student run show has had over 100 people audition for just 50 modelling and dancing roles this year.

Natasha Evans, second year Biology student, attended the first round of dance auditions held at Churchill Hall. She said ‘It was quite nerve-wracking at the beginning but the committee made us feel really comfortable and as if the session was just another dance lesson.’

Fashion Director Jalal Rahim, emphasised the committee’s

Jamie Corbin

Eighteen commuters were injured on 24th October when a tree branch tore the roof off a 342 First bus on Fishponds Road.

The roof of the bus landed 100 yards behind the spot where the bus finally came to a halt. It is suspected that heavy winds over the weekend caused the branches of a tree to move significantly so that they were in the way of the oncoming bus.

Seven of the injured passengers were taken to hospital from Fishponds Road, suffering from injuries to their heads and faces.

Paramedics, who arrived just before 8am along with police and fire services, also treated the passengers at the scene.

A 20 year-old man required a spinal board while he was transported to Frenchay

Hospital with a suspected back injury.

Dave Manners, an officer for the Great Western Ambulance Service who was present at the time, said that ‘this incident obviously had the potential to be much worse.’

One spokesman for First Bus said ‘A number of people have sustained injuries and have been taken to hospital for further treatment. Our teams are on the scene and are working with the relevant authorities to determine exactly what has happened.’

Jonathan Pomeyie heard the collision and described it as ‘A very deep impact type of sound, like an explosion. I saw police, paramedics and firemen everywhere. It was a horrid and unbelievable sight to wake up to.’

Simon Starr, a passenger on the bus, claimed that ‘speed wasn’t a factor; I wouldn’t blame the driver. This one branch was just lower and bigger than most.’

Over 100 people auditioned for FUZE this year

desire to promote the diverse and all-encompassing nature of the show. Speaking to Epigram, he said, ‘The aim is to raise money and have fun, whilst all exploring our creative side to create a diverse and inspiring show.’

The show attracts a wide

range of students from different performing expertise. The committee are keen to make the show the biggest and best yet, promising spectacular numbers that ‘fuze’ together dance and fashion more so than ever before. Dance director Lizzie Coote said ‘I look for ability,

performance, and someone who is just going to get up there and absolutely love it. Working so hard, for so long, is completely and utterly worth it when you get to not only see the huge amount raised for charity, but cherish the amazing friends you’ve made along the way.’

Epigram

07.11.2011

9

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Epigram

07.11.2011

Features

Editor: Tristan Martin

Deputy Editor: Andrew White

features@epigram.org.uk

deputyfeatures@epigram.org.uk

Get ahead in life: use your Erotic Capital?

In an explosive interview, Catherine Hakim makes her argument that women should capitalize on their sexuality to succeed Mia Zur-Szpiro Features Reporter

Pixmac

Walking into the Ramada Hotel, there was no question that the woman in the turquoise blue leather jacket, with piercing and obsessive scanning eyes, was Catherine Hakim.

After a sit-down, get-up, move-again tour of the lobby and bar, Hakim and I were back where we had first been seated.

Scathing about the choice of accommodation and making no effort to hide it from the waiter, the attempted neutrality in which I met Hakim was already teetering.

‘Men are making money out of being attractive, women are making less money. I am arguing that women need to do some catching up and should be exploiting their erotic capital more than they are. It is their answer.’

The reason women are failing to get their adequate economic return is because ‘women fail to ask’. According to Hakim, ‘women don’t think of asking, they just expect things will happen for them; they sit back and wait for bounties to be offered to them.’ Then in contradiction, Hakim claims ‘women do ask, but what they ask for is flexible hours, parttime work and all other kinds of benefits other than money.’

Such ‘convenience factors’ are regarded with visible contempt: ‘women value work-life balance more than money.’

I ask whether she thinks it is wrong for a woman to choose an autonomous lifestyle over wealth. ‘I’m not a moralist; I’m not a priest; I’m a social scientist.

I don’t have to think! I’m not a moralizing person!’ Finally, something we both agree on.

Four out of the six categories of the ‘theory’ include facial beauty, sex appeal, dress sense and sexual competence.

My head is ringing with the objectification of women and sexual harassment. But Hakim assures me that what with men already taking advantage of their erotic capital, and ‘women not sexually harassing men in the work place, [she sees] no reason why talking about erotic capital would suddenly justify men sexually harassing women in the workplace. The two have absolutely nothing to do with each other.’

Hakim was adamant that private sexual lives are completely separate from the workplace and therefore, ‘utilising your erotic capital has no impact on a person’s sexual

behaviour towards another in the workplace.’ When I challenged this, Hakim declared: ‘there are no studies that make a link between public and private life.’ Intrigued by Hakim’s psychological intuitions, I suggested that despite superficial changes in behaviour, surely individuals remain inherently the same person regardless of being at home or work. Demanding an on-thespot résumé, Hakim responded by passing off my experiences of employment as ‘not proper jobs’ and therefore I really ‘have no idea of the dynamics of a place of work.’ Lest you think this is a woman completely out of touch with reality, she did agree that ‘people do flirt from time-totime, but at the end of the day, flirting is actually like having a coffee from time to time.’

I still would not accept that Hakim’s recommendations would not have any implications on potential cases of sexual

harassment.

Suddenly she turned on me. ‘My book. Does not. Discuss. Sexual Harassment.

I don’t discuss it.’ She was angry.

‘Yes, young women have men making passes at them all the time; it started at the age of 10 with me and it never stopped,

“

Women can use their erotic capital to their advantage, or they will have to learn to defend themselves and just deal with incidences of men hitting on them

”

I’ve been there, all, my, life.’

Evidently I had touched a nerve.

‘Incidences of sexual harassment are greatly exaggerated in the workforce’ and young people, like myself apparently, ‘think it happens all the time, whereas after the age of 25-30 it stops and never comes back.’ She

angrily continued, ‘women can use this and erotic capital to their advantage, or they will have to simply learn to defend themselves and just deal with incidences of men hitting on them.’

Christine Lagarde is Hakim’s poster-girl of erotic capital, crediting her success to ‘her gorgeous jewellery, the way she dresses, nice hairstyles, extraordinary social skills’ and attributing her position as the first female head of the IMF as ‘partly due to her intellectual competence but mainly down to taking advantage of her erotic capital.’ I wonder if Dominique Strauss-Kahn would agree.

When asked whether feminism might have any relevance to gender imbalances in the workplace, she was dismissive: according to Hakim the feminist movement and the establishment of women’s rights is a ‘historical and totally separate social and political

movement from the issues women face today.’ In actual fact, ‘women of the 21st Century’s answer is erotic capital.’

One might ask whether Hakim has merely given a provocative twist to the existing theory of ‘Survival of the Fittest’ and therefore what is she telling us that we don’t already know and

don’t already do? Well, ‘there is a difference between having received wisdom and common sense, and being presented with concrete social science evidence’, as she has done. I should mention that Hakim’s conclusions haven’t arisen from any of her own original research, but instead come from research ‘carried out in the last 15 to 20 years.’

So what is she teaching us that we don’t already know? ‘Erotic capital matters equally to human capital’, that is intelligence, education, qualifications and work experience. I asked her why people should choose to invest in their erotic capital instead of investing in those other factors.

Because ‘everybody is already investing in that, everyone gets the qualifications and work experience they need. However, nobody is at all aware of the importance of attractiveness and it is this we should be investing in.’ According to Hakim ‘people either choose, or don’t choose to go to university’, adding, ‘if you want it, it’s a given’.

Not wanting to limit her potential audience, Hakim declared that besides ‘manual labour, erotic capital and its importance are crucial to every type of work place.’ Surely not in a discipline entirely focused on education, knowledge and intelligence like academia? But according to Hakim, ‘students always rate the more attractive lecturers as the better teachers.’

Time to spruce up Professors.

As we drew the interview to a close, she imparted one final piece of questionable historical analysis: ‘Being attractive hasn’t been so important in the past and for most people it wasn’t important at all. I think it has become important as of today and therefore I am alerting people to something they must be aware is happening.’

Is it possible that Catherine Hakim has fallen out of touch with modern day women, men and the real issues they face?

Catherine Hakim, former social scientist at the LSE, was recently touring the country with a bold and contentious message: that the gender pay gap will only be closed if women wake up to the potential of their ‘erotic capital’. Her book Honey Money is out now, available to buy in all good bookshops and online.

Epigram

07.11.2011

11

The hidden truth of eating disorders Epigram investigates the issue of eating disorders and finds out what is being done to help those students who suffer from them Olivia Maynard & Rosie Oldham-Cooper Features Reporters

20% of those affected may die prematurely, and the recovery rate currently stands at around 40%.

“Anorexia nervosa is the only ‘serious’ eating disorder” Anorexia nervosa is perhaps the most ‘well-known’ of all of the eating disorders. However, bulimia nervosa, which involves periods of overeating as well as compensation, affects three times as many people as anorexia. Binge eating disorder, which is thought to be even more common, shares the bingeing aspect of bulimia but does not involve compensatory purging.

Both of these illnesses are extremely serious and are just as damaging, both physically and

psychologically, as anorexia.

“I don’t need treatment, I can get better on my own” By the time people seek help, they have often been suffering for around five years. Dr Will Devlin (clinical psychologist at the SHS) stresses the importance of early intervention in successfully treating eating disorders. In the case of anorexia, it is well-documented that by the time an individual’s BMI falls below 16 (a healthy BMI is between 20 and 25), devastating biological changes occur in the brain, damaging reasoning and decision-making abilities.

This can create an even greater barrier to recovery.

“Even if I did want help,

Darren Tunnicliff

University is often described as the ‘best days of your life’.

However, for some people the huge pressures of university can make them feel like their lives are spiralling out of control. This added pressure can put some at increased risk of developing an eating disorder, or can perpetuate one that originated previously.

This is certainly the case at the University of Bristol, where this year alone 120 students have sought help at the Student Health Service. Unfortunately, however, Director of Service at the SHS, Dr Dominique Thompson, suspects that this is just ‘the tip of the iceberg’.

Many eating disorders go undiagnosed for years, making treatment and rehabilitation more difficult. One obstacle to early recognition and treatment is a general lack of knowledge about the causes and consequences of eating disorders. Here, we want to dispel some common myths and misconceptions held by sufferers and the general public about eating disorders.

‘Eating disorders only affect

young, white, middle-class females, right?’

In fact, among the 1.6 million people in the UK diagnosed with an eating disorder, around 15% are males, and sufferers are of all ages and racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.

“Eating disorders are just diets gone wrong” Eating disorders are serious psychiatric conditions – not a diet gone wrong, fad, or fashion. They are often a way of coping with difficult thoughts, emotions, or experiences, and a way for the sufferer to gain subjective control over a part of their life. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Up to

there’s nobody I can turn to” Although there are large numbers of students at Bristol University suffering from eating disorders, luckily, students here ‘couldn’t be at a better University in the whole country’ for support and treatment, says Dr Thompson.

A number of groups work together to provide a ‘goldstandard network’ of support for sufferers. The SHS has a dedicated clinical psychologist for one-to-one support and treatment. Ours is one of the only universities in the country to offer this kind of support.

Sufferers only have to book an appointment with a GP at the Health Service for more information.

The student-run Beat support group operates fortnightly and provides a safe space for those affected by eating disorders to share and discuss their experiences. The group is endorsed by the national eating disorders charities, ‘Beat’ and ‘Student Run Self Help’ who provide specialist training to the facilitators of this group.

The Multifaith Chaplaincy, the Student Counselling Service and the Disability Services also provide support for those individuals with possible questions about eating disorders.

people in •the 1.6UKmillion diagnosed with an eating disorder. 15% of these are men

•andAll

ages and racial socioeconomic backgrounds are affected Up to 20% of those •affected may die prematurely disorders have •theEating highest mortality rate of illness.

any

mental

University of Bristol Beat self help group: www.ubu.org.uk/justask/ beat Student health service: www.bris.ac.uk/studentshealth/mentalhealth Student counselling service: www.bris.ac.uk/studentcounselling

Where do women stand in the masculine world of science?

Stephanie Linning Features Reporter This month, a report published by leading European research group, Gender in Science, entitled ‘Recommendations for Action on the Gender Dimension in Science,’ reveals that there remains a clear gender divide in certain professional fields.

Specifically, the report draws attention to the fact that women remain underrepresented in

what are collectively termed the ‘SET’ subjects, Science, Engineering and Technology, despite having made significant advancements in other traditionally male-dominated fields such as Business, Law and Medicine.

With the SET sectors representing some of the most dynamic and economically viable in the UK, the question remains as to why so few women are choosing to pursue careers in them. Why are fields that offer both professional growth

Juan Barredo

and academic advancement not being pursued by female graduates?

Research published by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) would suggest that the male/ female disparity witnessed in professional and academic circles first emerges in the classroom.

The report proposes that there is a misguided preconception that girls under-perform their male counterparts in SET subjects at school level, despite empirical evidence to the contrary.

It states that even those who claim not to hold any gender stereotypes still find themselves returning to the deeply ingrained gender cliché, ‘Maths is for boys and English is for girls.’

When placed in conjunction, these two factors inhibit what the AAUW term the female ‘growth mind set’.

That is to say that as a result of the school-level gender stereotyping, girls can lose their ability to rationally assess personal academic capability and foresee future growth in a particular subject, in this

case, the SET subjects, greatly limited.

As a result of their acceptance of their perceived weakness in the broadly termed ‘Sciences’, girls and women are far less likely to apply themselves in the classes in school, and therefore are less likely to pursue subjects such as Computer Sciences and Physics at A-Level, where females account for just over 40% of all SET exam entrants.

This trend continues into Higher Education where, according to a 2010 report by UK-based gender equality group UKRC, women comprise just 33.4% of all SET undergraduate students, with the figure dropping to just over 15% for subjects such as Computer Sciences.

Speaking to Epigram, third year Mechanical Engineering student Daniel Ratcliffe says, ‘The gender imbalance in Engineering is unmissable, I would say that only 10% of the students in my year are female.’

From interviews conducted with students, it is apparent that the under-representation of women in certain faculties of the University of Bristol is a cause for comment, if not

concern.

One final year Chemistry student, Beth Johnson says, ‘I have only ever been taught by three women. Nearly all of my lecturers are male,’ an observation echoed by other students in subjects across the University’s SET faculties.

However, the lack of female faculty members is not unique to the University of Bristol, it is an issue facing all British universities.

According to the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU), women make up just 16% of the Vice-Chancellor positions available.

The lack of female academics, particularly in the SET subjects, is rooted in the fact that relatively few women who graduate with a degree in an SET subject choose to pursue it as a career.

According to UKRC, over 70% of women who graduate in SET are not actively involved in a related field following graduation. This means that there are significantly fewer women available to pursue an academic career; a field that several campaign groups argue is designed to better suit men than women.

Speaking to an audience of educational specialists in 2004, Lady Warwick, former Chief Executive of Universities UK, said that a lack of strong female role-models in positions of academic importance along with the ‘long hours culture,’ and the requirement to network both nationally and internationally in order to gain academic prominence meant that female academics often were forced to choose between their work and family lives.

Although this is not a problem unique to women in academia, there is evidence that there are fewer provisions made for women in Higher Education than in other professions.

When asked whether she would consider pursuing a career in academia following the completion of her degree, Ms. Johnson said that she wouldn’t, but that she did hope ‘to do something related to chemistry.’

Evidence, perhaps, of a future shift towards a greater gender balance in the SET sectors, in industry and, most importantly for universities across the country, in academia.

Epigram

07.11.2011

12

How sisterhood, prayer and sex changed Liberia Nahéma Marchal Features Reporter

Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET) in 2002. One spring night that year, she awoke from a dream in which ‘God was telling her to get the women of the church together to pray for peace.’

From that day on, she and just under 2,500 women decided to take action and make their voices heard. They began to sit on the dusty yellow ground of Monrovia’s fish market, by which Taylor’s convoy drove past every day, fully conscious that they could be shot at any time. Wearing only white clothes, these ordinary mothers sang and danced for weeks to voice a single demand: ‘The women of Liberia want peace now.’ The gatherings saw for the first time in African history Christian and Muslim women alike, praying together under the blazing hot sun.

As the war escalated, the International community’s call for peace emboldened the women even further. Like a modern-day Lysistrata, Gbowee encouraged her fellow activists to start a sex strike in the name of peace. ‘Men were the perpetrators of violence, either by omission of commission’ she argues. They protested until Taylor agreed to sit at the peace table with the dissidents.

In July 2003, the talks finally began in Ghana. To keep the pressure up on the warring factions during the peacetalk process, WIPNET sent a delegation of Liberian peace activists to Accra. Gobwee recalls: ‘As the women sat and looped arms in front of the building where the negotiations were taking place, the next thing we heard was: “Oh my God. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the peace hall has been seized by General Leymah and her troops.”’

Two weeks later, the fight proved successful: a peace agreement was reached and UNpeace keeping forces were sent to Monrovia.

It is tempting to see today’s revolutions as the children of technology. However, no social networks existed ten years ago in Liberia: what made this movement of ‘ordinary’ women successful was simply faith and temerity.

‘You can tell people of the need to struggle. But when the powerless start to see that they really can make a difference, nothing can quench the fire,’ concludes Leymah in her memoir: Mighty Be our Power: How Sisterhood, Prayer and Sex changed a Nation at War.

Michael Angelo

On Friday 7th October, the Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to the two Liberian activists Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee for ‘their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work’ (along with Yemenite journalist Tawakkol Karman).

This honor is shared by two generations of women who were united towards a common goal: the ending of a fourteen years war, which saw children enrolled as soldiers, and women raped by hundreds.

Leymah Gbowee’s notoriety certainly does not rival that of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: the first female African president ever democratically elected. However, the political success of the latter could not have existed without the strength and determination of the former. ‘There is no way that the history of Madame Sirleaf can be written without the history of the women’s peace work. It was the cake, and her election was the icing,’ explains Gbowee in the moving documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell.

The award-winning film (it won Best Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival) chronicles the extraordinary story of a small group of Liberian women, led by Leymah Gbowee, who fought restlessly to hasten the end of the bloody civil war.

It all started in 1999, with the emergence in the north of the country of a rebel group backed by the neighboring Guinea government, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) - soon followed by a second group, MODEL in 2003. The insurgents had risen in hope to overthrow the dictatorial regime of warlord Charles Taylor, who had himself violently seized power in 1997.

Following the besiegement of capital Monrovia by the dissidents, Taylor deployed fighters from his own militia (the Anti-Terrorist Unit) all over the country, leaving innocent civilians bearing the brunt of violence: thousands of people were displaced from home and countless were brutalised and raped.

At the time, Gbowee was volunteering as a social worker at St Peter’s Lutheran Church in Monrovia. Encouraged by her Nigerian friend Thelma Ekyor, she joined the Women in

Leymah Gbowee, recipient of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for her work in Liberia.

Women of the revolution: the aftermath of Egypt’s emancipation Ellie Groves Features Reporter

Joseph Hill

Tunisia held its first free election in over 50 years, Colonel Gadhafi was finally dethroned and subsequently buried after a long, brutal rule in Lybia and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt is on trial at the Hague. The ‘Arab Spring’ has entered a new chapter. So what is the legacy, and has anything changed for the people within these countries? More specifically, has anything changed for the women?

Egypt is no longer featured in the headlines, yet progress in this country is key to gauging the real impact of the ‘Arab Spring’ across the whole region. Made clear by the cries beginning in January this year, the women of Egypt wanted emancipation, and ultimately played a crucial role in the success of the Tahrir square demonstrations.

The post-revolution treatment of this hitherto neglected group is a good measure of the hopedfor legacy of development and freedom. Was the heterogeneous mix of the people during the revolution comparable to what is now seen in its aftermath?

According to a survey taken in 2008 by the Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights, four out of five

women reported to have been subjected to sexual harassment and two out of three men admit having subjected them to it. Furthermore, the World Economic Forum conducted an international study in 2005, measuring the global gender gap of 58 countries; Egypt came out on top with the highest gap between the sexes.

Schooling was free under Mubarak’s rule, however girls were often not sent to school leading to a worryingly high level of illiteracy, which is double that of men. In past revolts women were instructed by men to stay at home, as it is considered not only too dangerous but also unacceptable for them to

partake.

Yet women’s campaign groups and individual women activists within Egypt would not keep quiet. It was women such as the courageous activist Asmaa Mahfouz who sparked the revolution in Tahrir Square.

From start to finish women played an indispensable role in the revolution; they not only acted as nurses and catered for the protesters but could also be found on the front line.

When the pro Mubarak fighters came to disrupt the peaceful protesters women fought back alongside the men. In this revolution gender seemingly no longer mattered; it was about freeing the Egyptian people. There were no reports

of sexual harassment despite women sleeping alongside male revolutionaries in the Square. Women became valued for themselves; they were empowered. Until the day Mubarak was captured.

Reporting that day was Lara Logan for CBS; she was sexually assaulted by a group of men partaking in the celebration.

The treatment of women in Egypt came to the forefront of international news, but how was the new Egypt going to progress from this?

On the 8th of March women and a few men took to the streets of Cairo for a peaceful march to commemorate International Women’s Day. The crowd was not large and women

on the march were surrounded by a much larger jeering crowd of men. Reverting back to the thinking that women should be at home and not protesting, they sexually harassed and beat the women on the march.

The army only intervened to break up the demonstration.

According to an Amnesty International report at least 18 women were detained in a military detention centre near Cairo. The women arrested by the army have made allegations of beatings and ‘virginity checks’, reported on 23 March.

The army originally claimed that they had held these virginity checks so the women could not claim they had been raped. Amnesty described the virginity tests as ‘nothing less than torture’. Later they retracted any statement and denied the checks took place.

The treatment of the women demonstrating is a clear indication that patriarchy is still hugely present within Egyptian society. This opens up a wider issue: if women are still being viewed as lower class, has anything really changed within the politics of the county?

Egypt is still a military run regime although the army claim this is not permanent. They promise elections for the near future, however the election date keeps on being pushed

back and the rules on political parties allowed to partake are constantly changing. The idea put forward by women activists early this year of the possibility of a woman prime minister is openly disregarded by male politicians.

Under Mubarak’s rule there was a quota for women in cabinet; this has been scrapped.

There are now fewer women in politics than in 2010.

There is also an increasing fear of religious extremism reducing the freedom of women to an even greater extent. The rising popularity of the conservative Muslim Brotherhood party fuels this fear among women activists.

Although their official line is to enhance the freedom and equality of women this is seen as a front to appease rather than a reality.

There is, however, some hope. Women’s rights campaign groups are now well-established, and the fact that women did join in a demonstration on 8 March shows that women are actively seeking equality in Egypt. This alone is something that would not have happened before the fall of Mubarak. The significant difference in Egypt now is that people are at least able to talk about what they want to see changed; this is the first step to understanding and equality.

Comment

Epigram

07.11.2011

Editor: Patrick Baker comment@epigram.org.uk

Libya liberated, but still far from free As Libya declares its freedom after years of Gaddafi’s rule, the UK counts the cost of war Jevon Whitby

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Libya may well come to be seen as an extravagance

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Libya on the basis that we could recover the cost’ will surely please those advocating the humanitarian motives of the war, but will do little to placate those concerned about large budget cuts back in Britain.

In perspective, £300 million represents approximately only 10% of the defence cut for 2011 lost. On the other hand, most people will be less pleased that such a figure represents the annual average salary of roughly 14,000 nurses. With an estimated 610,000 jobs to be lost in the public sector due to government spending cuts, Libya may well come to be seen

as an extravagance.

Some of this money could of course be retrieved. It is expected that in the race to reopen Libya’s vast oil industry - 95% of its export earning - to the markets, companies from NATO allies will get some form of highly profitable preferential treatment. Italian oil group ENI has already reopened the Abu Attifel oil field, French group Total have restarted production at the al-Jurf offshore facility and UK based Heritage Oil has recently invested £12.6 million in Libya’s Oil fields.

October also saw a suggestion in Parliament that Britain could

ultimately be repaid directly.

In a question to the Defence Secretary, Philip Hollobone MP asked if Libya and/or the Arab League could compensate the UK in a similar manner to the Kuwaitis after the First Gulf War. Yet repayment seems unlikely for the near future, with the National Transitional Council’s focus on rebuilding a damaged nation and holding elections within eight months.

Is the pound really worth any less when spent on defence?

Compared with the war in Afghanistan at least, which has reached a total cost to Britain of £18 billion along

with considerable loss of life, Libya has admittedly been an inexpensive gamble. The issue is the hypocrisy of the ‘new age of thrift’ government being willing to spend such sums so readily, yet condemn others for appealing for it.

In bleak economic conditions, is unemployment not enough of a crisis to draw even partly on the ‘contingency reserve?’

Whilst the government demands that the UK simply comply with spending cuts, why should nurses, teachers and police officers not also campaign for a last minute £300 million reprieve?

Tripoli, home to the late Colonel Gaddaffi

Flickr: gordontour Flickr: UN photo/Stuart Price

With Gaddaffi dead and the British intervention in the Libyan war all but over, the Treasury can surely breathe a sigh of relief. Since March, the government’s ‘contingency reserve’ has paid for air-strikes that have provided much needed tactical support, giving the inadequate forces of the rebels the crucial advantage.

Has British involvement been a success? On the surface at least, it would appear so.

Both the British and French governments will doubtlessly be pleased with having taken the ‘lead’ in a successful military operation with only the limited participation of the United States. It seems almost inevitable that images of Prime Minister David Cameron and President Sarkozy in Tripoli, surrounded by cheering rebels, will resurface for their respective election campaigns.

However, the debate over whether British intervention in Libya merits its expense will probably continue for some time. Operation Ellamy has cost approximately £260 million so far, with the final cost projected at nearer £300 million. After spending an estimated £35,000 a day to keep a VC10 refuelling plane in flight over the designated ‘no-fly’ zone, and firing more than £140 million worth of guided bombs, missiles and other ammunition, criticism over spending was sure to appear.

Whether this is unrealistic or not depends on priorities. ExDefence Secretary Liam Fox’s assertion that ‘We didn’t go into

Speed limit increase on the road to recklessness

Joe Kavanagh One implication of this argument is particularly chilling, as it reveals Hammond’s conviction that the value of a human life is quantifiable in monetary terms. The Transport Research Laboratory, who researched and then refused to condone Hammond’s idea, before he decided to continue with it regardless, opposed the new speed limit due to their estimate that it would be responsible for roughly 18

additional deaths per year.

18 avoidable human deaths.

Hammond’s office’s press release speaks euphemistically of ‘costs and benefits’; in real terms, he is arguing that such a death toll is acceptable in the pursuit of economic gain. Such reasoning could only be spawned in the mind of a civil servant.

In practical terms, too, the plan is ill-conceived. Many motorists - the official figure is 49% - break the speed limit whenever they can get away with it, so it is possible that the new figure of 80mph will have little effect on current journey times.

Current guidelines suggest that the limit should be enforced when a motorist’s speed is at 10% above the limit, plus an extra 2 miles an hour. So, if the limit is 70mph, a motorist

will often only be stopped if they are travelling at 79mph or above. If the limit is raised to 80mph, they will be stopped for travelling at 90mph or above, which is alarmingly fast.

So in human and practical terms the idea falls flat. When we also consider Britain’s international obligation to reduce carbon emissions, it appears even more lamentable.

Vehicles travelling at 80mph use between 10 and 20% more fuel than those travelling at the current limit, and thus produce more carbon dioxide, which is unacceptable given the environmental context of our age. All things considered, this proposal reveals itself to be a lazy and reckless attempt to solve to Britain’s complex economic difficulties.

Flickr: Flickr: admanchester LRPS purplemattfish

‘While we must ensure that our roads remain among the safest in the world, we must also consider the huge economic benefits that can be created by shortening journey times.’

So argues Philip Hammond, the Conservative ex-Transport Secretary, who is currently defending his decision to potentially change the maximum speed limit on British motorways from 70 to 80mph.

His argument is quite simple: a 10mph increase in the speed limit would bring ‘Hundreds of millions of pounds of growth to the economy.’ Since economic growth is desirable, and urgently required, it is ultimately worth the inevitable rise in automotive deaths and accidents that an increased speed limit would cause.

Epigram

07.11.2011

14

Cameron’s Major problem

A hole in humanity?

Prime Minister suffers John Major repeat as Tories rebel over Europe

David Cameron’s authority within the Conservative Party was seriously undermined by the recent Commons debate on an EU referendum. Although the government won the vote, 81 Tory MPs defied a threeline whip and supported the referendum, participating in the largest rebellion ever against a Conservative Prime Minister on Europe.

In an attempt to appease the Eurosceptics, Cameron announced that he appreciates their ‘yearning for fundamental reform’ and that the opportunity for change ‘was coming’. But this sort of language is unlikely to win over the disillusioned backbenchers. If Mr Cameron truly understood their concerns, then why did he choose to impose a three-line whip, the strictest possible instruction for MPs to vote with the government? This

well trigger massive changes in the EU’s infrastructure, surely the British people should be allowed to have their say? In fact, according to David Davis, who contended the Conservative Party leadership in 2005, ‘This is absolutely the time to think about this. We should be protecting ourselves from the consequences of the Eurozone.’

Monday’s debate was reminiscent of the political infighting, which marred John Major’s premiership.

In 1993, the Prime Minister’s authority was dealt a severe blow when a group of ‘Eurosceptic’ backbenchers refused to ratify the Maastricht treaty, voting against it in parliament. Arguments over Europe continued and Major came close to sacking three of his ministers (Peter Lilley, Michael Portillo and Michael Howard) over the issue. The failure to agree on Europe undoubtedly contributed to the Tories’ disastrous performance in the 1997 General Election. What must be worrying for Cameron is that the ‘Maastricht rebels’ only included 41 MPs - on

Monday he was faced with almost double that amount.

What has strained the government’s relations with Tory backbenchers further is the fact that Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats are ardent supporters of Britain’s membership of the European Union. David Cameron and William Hague have both spoken of their desire to repatriate some powers from Brussels – yet the Lib Dems are opposed to any such moves. As a consequence, David Cameron finds himself in an awkward position – he has made promises to his backbenchers and cannot deliver on them.

It is clear, therefore, that Monday’s Eurosceptic rebellion has severely undermined the Prime Minister’s authority and could well do further damage, particularly if the backbenchers continue to vote against the government.

It is clear that David Cameron might regret imposing the three-line whip, an incredibly unpopular decision which has damaged his reputation both with the Conservative Party and in public.

Flickr: David Shankbone Flickr: conservativeparty

A long time coming Giving girls equal rights to royal succession is a long overdue reform

Rosie Goodhart If Kate Middleton’s first child is a girl, that girl will become Queen even if her second child is male. Not a very big deal you might think: after all, for more than 150 years it has been recognised that women should be regarded as equal citizens and have equal voting rights and be equal before the law. Yet until now we have been following the British monarchy’s rule of primogeniture dating back

to more than three hundred years, under which a younger son takes precedence over his older sisters in the order of succession. It is about time that the monarchy caught up with the rest of the world.

No matter what your views are on the monarchy, this is a major historical change and one that has strangely not been easy to secure. According to royal author Robert Hardman, there have been 11 attempts in recent years by individual MPs and peers to change these succession laws. The decision should also be seen as an honouring of three of our longest serving monarchs: Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II.

Graham Smith, spokesman for Republic, the group campaigning for the UK monarchy to be replaced by an elected head of state, dismissed the rule change as irrelevant and claimed that ‘It is all just princesses and fairyland.’ Yet part of the point of the monarchy is to be an institution steeped in tradition. It represents continuity, a backdrop to people’s lives. But being slow and cautious about change is what the monarchy is about. It follows archaic rules which are inherited from the past and our past is part of the monarchy.

Yet however traditional and symbolic the monarchy may be, it still needs to gracefully

adapt to the modern times while preserving its traditional ethos. Five hundred years ago it wielded huge political power and today it holds none.

It is only a shame that this change has come as a result of Kate Middleton’s arrival, and not Elizabeth II. Kate has popularised the monarchy, by parading onto the front pages of newspapers and fashion magazines; we know where she buys her clothes and how she applies her make up. She has become, whether you like it or not, an icon of the modern age. To allow this modern couple to bypass an elder daughter for a younger son is a notion too silly for even traditionalists to hang on to.

Flickr: SaulPhotos

Michael Hindmarsh

was labelled as a ‘catastrophic’ move by Conservative MP, Stewart Jackson, who, due to his support for the referendum, resigned his ministerial position. For many, the use of the threeline whip, also employed by Labour and the Lib Dems, stifled the debate and only served to reinforce the perception that the political elite are ignoring the public on the issue, the majority of whom - 70% - support a referendum according to a recent Guardian poll.

The government suggested that it was not the right time to hold a referendum because of the uncertain economic situation in the Eurozone.

According to David Cameron and the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, it is both Britain’s responsibility and in her interests to remain in the EU and help her neighbours out. After all, a Euro collapse would have disastrous effects on the British economy, since the EU consumes more than 50% of UK exports. But given that Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel are openly discussing fiscal union, which could

Mike Jones As soon as I read the cruel details involved in the death of Chinese toddler Yue Yue, I was filled simultaneously with disgust and despair. Two-year old Yue Yue was run over by two vans consecutively in the city of Foshan, in the Chinese province of Guangdong, on October 13th. Disturbingly, following the accident 18 people were recorded on CCTV walking straight past the mutilated, helpless child without offering any assistance. What really upset me is that among these coldhearted individuals was a mother with her own baby, as well as a few people who had to physically steer their motorcycles to avoid the girl’s wounded body.

The incident is an illustration of what is being referred to as ‘China’s Moral Crisis.’ Questions have been raised by this powerful video over whether China’s much lauded economic progress has seen a kind of ethical decay. The shocking clip has now accumulated over two million views on ‘Youku’ - the Chinese version of ‘YouTube.’

While of course this minute cross-section of the country does not represent the entire 1.3 billion members of the population, it is a shameful and embarrassing time for China’s people. Many users of Chinese Micro-Blogging site “Weibo” have defended the 18 by referring to the precedent of Peng Yu, a man who was forced to compensate 40% of an elderly lady’s medical costs after he helped her out of the street to hospital and was subsequently accused of pushing her.

This example of corrupt bureaucracy may appear to some as a justification for this soulless reluctance, but can it really excuse someone from leaving another as good as dead? Our innate awareness of what is right and good should triumph over the fear

of consequence; surely the overwhelming guilt that Yue Yue’s death would provoke is exponentially more damaging than any potential lawsuit might be?

The Local Government in Guangdong are discussing the introduction of a statute imposing a ‘duty of rescue,’ to deter future passersby from patently ignoring emergencies such as this; legislation for this cause is already in existence in other legal systems worldwide.

Despite my belief that helping a fellow human being in tragic incidents like Yue Yue’s should be the most basic, primitive instinct programmed into every person’s moral compass, perhaps establishing this law could be a step in the right direction to encourage a more selfless China.

A further consideration by the Province authorities is a potential reward to the equivalent of £49,000 for people who risk their lives to save others. Has humankind reached such a level of moral ineptitude that a sum of money is required to persuade us to help someone on the verge of death?

Press coverage worldwide has been quick to judge China’s apparent shortage of ‘Good Samaritans.’ Firstly, the term doesn’t seem to apply to this case. The Biblical reference conjures an image of one going above and beyond the call of duty to help another; is the story of Yue Yue really an example of a lack of ‘Samaritanism’ or merely a lack of common humanity?

There is also an element of hypocrisy in this media attack.

On Christmas Day last year, a woman from Brighton told 1,048 Facebook ‘friends’ she had taken a fatal overdose, yet no one went to her flat or contacted the police until it was too late. In 1960s New York, 38 neighbours witnessed and failed to act when Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death outside her apartment.

Is China the only civilisation amidst a moral crisis, or is today’s culture breeding a callousness and apathy towards anyone outside the boundaries of our own selfish interest?

Epigram

07.11.2011

15

The Big Debate: The production of Marat/Sade: can ‘art’ go too far?

Yes

No

Ollie Ratnatunga

Rosslyn McNair

wide a reaction as possible, through whatever extremes may be necessary.

More than this, I believe that any great art should be able to captivate the hearts and minds of those whom it reaches, not through resorting to crude and explicit examples of sex and violence, but through its deftness and control, executed by a creator at the height of his or her powers. If we do not believe this, then how can art possibly have any credibility?

In effect, with plays such as Marat/Sade, we are implying that, as long as one is given a space or an authority with which to be artistic, then the product cannot fail to be art, as we do not impose any kind of objective standard by which it can be measured; plays which rely on excessive instances of torture, for example, might suddenly be as ‘artistic’ as a work of Harold Pinter. As a society, we need to ensure that we have certain boundaries in order to maintain a sense of credibility in the arts and to avoid using art as a blanket term for anything which is merely ‘intended’ to be artistic.

Flickr: Kevin Dooley Flickr: IsmaSan

I believe that art can and often does go ‘too far.’ It must not be forgotten that for all the talk of ‘audience interpretation’ or the imagination of the author, art has a primary function; this is to entertain. I believe that when art loses sight of its intended recipient, when it becomes an extension of the creator’s vanity, a sheer product of self- indulgence, then the art form has, in a sense, lost its integrity; it becomes gratuitous.

Of course, whether or not the art form has indeed gone too far can be difficult to assess, as of course we are all different and have different tastes. When provoking the audience’s reaction or, indeed offending the spectators, becomes the primary aim, losing sight of subtlety, judgment and taste, then art becomes nothing more than an excuse to depict whatever the author’s mind allows. Indeed, with all great works of art, there emerges a discipline, a sense of measured, contained control.

It seems to my mind as though plays such as Marat/ Sade lose sight of this aspect, and become distastefully obsessed with achieving as a

I was interested to hear that the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Marat/Sade described as ‘utter filth and depravity’ by one theatregoer - was sparking walkouts of on average thirty people a night due to its explicit sexual and violent content.

To fill in the gaps a little, the main character in this play is the Marquis de Sade, a French aristocrat, from whom we get the word ‘sadism’. The reaction seems to be that the extent of sex and violence in the play is indulgent, gratuitous and a step too far for the RSC’s primarily middle class, middle aged theatre-going audience.

As an arts student, I question the idea that art can go too far. I believe that art is fundamentally a reflection of the human condition.

It inspires empathy and a common feeling that makes it absolutely addictive to engage in. The character Hector in Alan Bennett’s The History Boys puts it beautifully when he describes the best moments in reading as being when ‘A hand has reached out and taken yours.’

Art is often an emotional, thought-provoking and moving experience, but it also often relies on a connection

with other people’s perceptions and realities, even if they are out of our comfort zone. As long as depravity, sadism, torture, sex, drugs and Tracy Emin exist then art will have the right to reflect this, and in some sense we the audience have a duty to acknowledge it.

If daily torture is someone else’s reality then who are we to dismiss it as tasteless just because it disturbs us or because it is contrary to something we find acceptable? If such art has the capacity to sicken us then surely it is only because we are being confronted by an aspect of the human condition that we are unfamiliar with, indeed perhaps ignorant of.

Art is and should always be free to show us everything that humanity is truly capable of both beautiful and repulsive.

To censor it would be to simultaneously condemn our own species and the society we have created. The fact that Damian Hirst’s pickled shark is worth £6.5 million is hugely disturbing to me, but I still rather like him as an artist. Life is not always a cosy ‘rom-com’ and frankly, audiences need to toughen up and confront their own boundaries, not put them in place.

‘Unethical’ companies at Careers Fairs The Students’ Union tackles the issue of whether or not arms companies should be allowed to recruit at Bristol events

Amina Makele Every year companies involved in the armaments industry – often including the production of torture equipment - attend University of Bristol Careers Fairs. The rights and wrongs of this form a contentious issue that has been debated at the student conference and council but should the Union be able to take a stance on such a moral dilemma?

There is currently no explicit policy on the presence or role of arms companies. However,

the Union does deem as ‘unethical’ any company that ‘produces or invests in the production of armaments or torture equipment’ in the Ethical Investment Policy, passed in February 2010.

So we ask ourselves why companies deemed as morally ‘wrong’ were present at last week’s Autumn Careers Fair.

A number of these companies have a history of criminal behaviour demonstrated by acceptance of liability in settlements or criminal convictions in court. One company in question, BAE Systems, has been the centre of controversy for allegations of ‘unethical’ and corrupt practices, namely the selling of arms to the Saudi Arabian Al

Yamamah contracts. However, BAE Systems is still recruiting at Careers Fairs. Their strict controls mean that students are sometimes searched on entry and any student protestors are evicted immediately.

Currently Max Wakefield, the Students’ Union Vice-President for Community, is requesting to be mandated to lobby the University for permission to clearly and explicitly offer alternative information to students regarding any company, which they object to morally. Wakefield also aims to lobby the University to clearly distinguish any company convicted of criminal behaviour in the last decade in any careers related information.

This issue primarily affects

engineering students because many companies involved in defence and security are targeting them. Many students feel that they have the freedom to choose whom they work for and do not want their valuable time talking to recruiters disrupted by protestors. However, students are prevented from making fully informed decisions about potential employers with only the

company’s often misleading publicity material on offer.

These students must be made aware of any company’s criminal convictions or liability for criminal behaviour.

All students should have the free choice to decide whom to work for but as a freethinking and critical institution, all students should also be allowed to protest t h e i r moral

objections to any company at any Bristol Careers fair.

By having a Union representative protesting at Careers Fairs there are worries that companies will be deterred from recruiting at Bristol University and as such students looking to work for such companies will be at a disadvantage. However, it is the responsibility of the Union to set the precedent on behalf of the student-body that the ‘unethical’ actions of such companies will not be tolerated.

Those who do not have objections to these companies may stress their freedom of choice, but the Union is not seeking to tell people what to think; it is stressing that these practices are unacceptable.

Epigram

07.11.2011

Letters & Editorial

Editor: Emma Corfield letters@epigram.org.uk

Unfair blame on the judiciary Conference motion provokes debate on purpose of union

system. It exists to apply the law as enacted by parliament. Those rioters found guilty of offences were sentenced according to the sentencing guidelines as laid out by the Sentencing Council (an independent body set up by the Coroners and Justice Act

Flickr: s_falkow

2009). Those guidelines (http:// sentencingcouncil.judiciary. gov.uk/docs/web_Theft_and_ Burglary_of_a_building_other_ than_a_dwelling.pdf) set the boundaries, within which the courts may act. The starting point for theft from a shop where there is ‘Organised gang/group and Intimidation or the use or threat of force (short of robbery)’ is 12 months custody. The maximum suggested sentence is four years.

Aggravating factors, which may increase the sentence include: the victim is particularly vulnerable, the offender targeted high value goods and a child accompanying the offender is involved in or aware of theft. As such, the quoted average sentence of 10.4 months for August’s London rioters if anything would appear lenient.

The article in issue 241 seemed to expressly and impliedly apportion blame for ‘harsh’ sentencing and our failing prison system at the

Stereotyping needs to stop

Having read R. C. Beavis’s letter in issue 241 I am struck by how myopic some can be when judging their own cause (or a cause in which one has some vested interest), nemo iudex in causa sua!

Our Vice-Chancellor’s salary is (as of March 2010) the 9th highest in the country. Ergo as it is not just a Bristol centric trend to pay a high salary there surely must be a scintilla of logic to justify it.

Universities need to compete with each other and other big organisations in order to attract the best person for the job. Or are we expecting that a suitable, brilliant and completely altruistic chancellor would have been found, untempted by another institution?

Jay Crush

I am writing in response to ‘Yeates’s landlord plans to sue police’ by Katy Barney in issue 241. The substance behind this news article epitomises contemporary society’s lust for criminals who fit certain stereotypes, a desire pandered to and perpetuated by the media.

Mr Jefferies’s ‘creepy’ appearance and links to Miss Yeates must have made journalists feel as if all their Christmases had come at once.

Mr Jefferies’s plans to take legal proceedings against the police will make many uneasy, believing the police should have

In response to R. C. Beavis’s letter in issue 241, as of last year’s student EGM any cuts made by the University must be opposed by the UBU. This would include cuts to senior staff’s salaries. Just a thought.

R. F. Webster

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immunity due to the nature of their work and the powers they should have to facilitate this. But this is exactly why they should be held to account. The power they can wield and the effects on those involved means the police cannot be allowed to act with impunity.

The prospect of legal action and damages will not only provide the victims with a tangible remedy but also encourage the police to take greater care and disregard society’s conception of the stereotypical murderer from their investigations.

Simon Wyatt

To get in touch, send an email to letters@epigram.org.uk

Hardly a capital idea, Catherine Regardless of what you think about Catherine Hakim’s views on women exploiting their feminine wiles to get ahead in life, you can’t deny that they are controversial.

Arguably, controversy for controversy’s sake. It’s this issue that bothers Epigram with regard to her recent offering to the literary world. Most readers can see through the thin veil of ‘controversy’ for what it probably is; just another way to get media attention and sell copies, and from anyone else, it probably wouldn’t have made as much difference.

However, her publications get more attention than they are due because she is a former LSE researcher and her views get credit because people expect better from an academic. If we are to support our lecturers, and academia as a profession, we also have to challenge those people who ride on the good name of once being employed by a university.

Epigram also wonders if, had the interview been taking place in a union building, Hakim’s borderline on passive aggressive comments about sexual harassment to our reporter would have contravened the UBU safe space policy?

feet of the judiciary. In reply, I simply suggest that should Mr Macdonald find the sentences for rioters unduly excessive, he ought to address his concerns to the law-makers, Parliament, or the sentence guideline setters, the Sentencing council, not the judiciary. Sentence length and the functioning of our prison system are both political policy decisions, not determinable upon the whim of a judge in court.

Additionally, in response to the question posed in the article ‘What… judge could pass fair judgment under these conditions?’

I draw attention to the fact that the UK’s judges are considered some of the most impartial, consistent and fair in the developed world. Thus, the cry for special treatment or harsher sentences for the London rioters, whether from tabloids, the public or Mr Macdonald is likely to fall on deaf ears.

Steven Hunter

Justified cost Think again

Flickr: andreaalessandretti

The first Student Conference last week saw the issue of ‘unethical’ companies at careers fairs come to a head after years of low-level activism. The annual ‘die-in’ protest at the Engineering and IT Careers Fair - as reported in Epigram 241 – is aimed at those companies like BAE Systems, that have either been guilty of criminal behaviour, or are explicitly involved in the arms trade. Students voting at the conference passed a motion mandating the VP Community to provide more information about any ethical issues surrounding companies exhibiting at careers fairs, but its presence alone as an issue for debate at Student Conference raises a difficult question: how should the Students’ Union act when the interests of students - in this case the career prospects of some with the moral objections of others appear to conflict?

Outright bans on certain companies have not been proposed so far; the recently passed motion mandates lobbying for stands adjacent to ethically dubious companies to be reserved for those students who object morally to provide an alternative view of said companies.

This route is fraught with potential pitfalls. Some students worry that such moves may amount to a de-facto ban, as certain recruiters would be driven to steer clear of Bristol careers fairs altogether. Further, there is a danger that these measures could prove the thin end of the wedge, and set a precedent that is difficult to apply consistently. Should any company that some students have ethical objections to be subject to the same treatment? Whilst a great deal of the student body will shed no tears for the arms trade, would we all be just as happy to see the same treatment reserved for energy companies by environmentalists, or to see healthcare organisations protested next to by the prolife lobby?

At its heart, the conflict seems to boil down to conflicting opinions about the very purpose of the Students’ Union.

Epigram would point out that the Union exists to further the opportunities of all of its members. It is not for an already unrepresentative sample of students to seek to act as the student body’s moral compass, especially if that action could be in danger of restricting opportunities and veering inexorably down a slippery slope towards outright censorship.

This is a response to the article ‘The Big Debate: Are the London rioters being punished too harshly?’ in issue 241, in particular with reference to the ‘Yes’ column written by Stuart Macdonald.

‘Dishing out retribution’ is not the function of our judicial

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Founded (11) 9. Former name of

2. ... sauce, native to

Ethiopia (9) 10. Luxurious resort (3) 11. Infuse, inspire (5) 13. No longer in existence (7) 14. Sign up eg. army (6) 15. Mending (6) 25 18. Eichman (anag) (7) 20. Russian river (5) 21. Caspian, Red, Baltic ... (3) 22. Add detail to (9) 24. Organ where bile is stored (4,7)

Asia (3) 3. A localised swelling,

growth (7) 4. Joined (6) 5. Commence (5) 6. Indispensible (9) 7. One who stuffs animals

(11) 8. The art of making maps

(11) 12. Hat that covers the

face (9) 16. Sick person, without

foundation (7) 17. Pet rodent (6) 19. Concept of perfection

(5) 23. Dancing On ... (3) 21

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Epigram

07.11.2011

17 Scribble by Tamara-Jade Kaz

Fancy packaging

Face it. It’s brilliant!

Buy My Face Ed Moyse, 22, and Ross Harper, 21, have come up with an innovative and novel way of paying off their combined student debt of £50,000. The Cambridge graduates are selling advertising space on their faces for one year, using face paint as an advertising medium, and targeting this at individuals and companies: ‘Maybe you’re launching a new product? Maybe it’s a friend’s birthday? Maybe you’d like to propose to the love of your life? Maybe you just want your name on our faces?’

Ed and Ross earned £3,500 in the first ten days of the business, and initially charged £1 per day for their faces. This cost will be incrementally increased throughout the year as the business gains more exposure.

Ed and Ross’s viral marketing through social media and buymyface.com has certainly secured a considerable amount of media coverage for the business so far. Notable names who have bought advertising space from them include Paddy Power and Russell Howard’s Good News.

Buymyface.com allows you to buy advertising space and follow Ed and Ross’s exploits.

The website also provides much needed optimism and hope for university students as Ed and Ross aim to ‘demonstrate that, with a bit of creativity and a twinkle in your eye, you can beat the current job climate’.

www.buymyface.com

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@BinaryDad I have no amusing observations to make at this time. Please try again later.

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@RufusHound If you’d have asked me how drunk I was last night, I’d have told you ‘Hardly at all’. However, I am now aware I would have been lying to you Rufus Hound, comedian and presenter, 32

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With an empty bank balance and a new flat, I spent this summer working full-time at the local branch of a well-known coffee and sandwich chain. After undergoing an intensive period of training during which I was drilled into learning about the company’s ‘passions’ and commitment to ‘excellence’, three months of getting up to my elbows in falafel and other exotic foodstuffs certainly paid off as far as handing my landlord a post-dated cheque was concerned. But what I disliked the most was not my colleagues or the early morning starts. Nor was it the high concentration of Bristol’s Hollister-clad population in the upstairs seating area. I just found something particularly nauseating about a company that insists on using the word ‘yummy’ to describe every product it sells. And likewise, if a customer had actually slapped me on the wrist for giving them too many napkins – just as each napkin’s printed instructions firmly encouraged them to – then it’s more than likely I would have flung their overpriced crayfish wrap back in their face.

Now it might be easy to assume where this is going. Epigram launching an attack on thinly veiled corporate greed and middle-class eating habits, perhaps? But it’s not. I just find this self-congratulatory smugness incredibly annoying.

I guess it originates from Innocent smoothies. Over the past decade or so, Innocent have forged a very successful but intensely irritating brand identity. But hey, they’re your new best friend, so of course you’d love them to tell you how hard they worked perfecting their new goji berry recipe? Or how Ian, the bloke down in I.T., really enjoyed tasting this ‘utterly scrumptious’ concoction? No. When you get the impression that they’re only one step away from whacking on a winky-face emoticon at the end of each sentence, they’ve clearly overdone it. Equally, their website lends them about as much wit as a failed pub standup in an effort to demonstrate just how real and human they are. Littered amongst their FAQs, where queries relating to the company’s ethical credentials are answered in great detail, we find other pressing questions such as: ‘Where did I put my keys?’, ‘What colour should I dye my hair?’ and ‘How are babies made?’ Somehow, Innocent have built up a loyal (if ultimately deluded) following through their use of fancy packaging. But I personally don’t trust a company headed by executives who probably sit around laughing at their own fart jokes.

Similarly, there’s now the Graze initiative. After taking out an online subscription, Graze will post you a cardboard box packed with fruit, nuts and other tasty ‘nibbles’ on a weekly basis. In fact, you can have them delivered as often as you like. My flatmate has even convinced me to give it a go, though probably because he gets extra vouchers and the rare sense of feeling valued just for referring others. But as much as I appreciate their gesture of using Royal Mail to send me a hand-drawn booklet illustrating how their ‘little figgy went to market’ selection will adequately cleanse my bowels, it’s most definitely not ‘my body’s b.f.f.’ I mean, who even really says ‘b.f.f.’ anyway? Unless I’m a thirteenyear-old Belieber, that slogan will never be appealing. And no, putting it in that ‘quirky’ font doesn’t make it any better.

Lolololol indeed.

Maybe I’m being too cynical. I’m sure that the people at Innocent and Graze are really very ‘nice’. You know, you could probably ‘veg out’ with them on the beanbags at Fruit Towers HQ while conversing over a skinny soy latte. And after all, both endeavour to promote a healthy lifestyle through their use of fresh, natural ingredients. It’s the kind of rhetoric that goes hand-in-hand with those mumsy reminders to get your five-aday, an initiative which I do fully support. I’m definitely not whinging Telegraph columnist James Delingpole, who once likened supermarkets sticking recommended daily allowances on their products as akin to the Nazis blacklisting Jewish goods during the Third Reich. But to reiterate further, this is not an attack on the corporate ‘hippy chic’ image that Starbucks so lovingly project. I agree that it is important to create an identity that customers can put a face to, no matter how much you secretly want to rip them off. I just don’t want my food to talk to me, no matter how ‘yummy’ it proclaims to be.

Jon Bauckham

Epigram

07.11.2011

18

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Epigram

07.11.2011

Culture

Editor: Zoe Hutton culture@epigram.org.uk

‘Kevin’ and the dangers of adaptations As We Need To Talk About Kevin is released to international critical acclaim, Epigram asks: ‘can the film ever match up to the book?’

oscilloscope.net

I have always been a great advocate of reading the book before seeing the film. And I’m not alone - ReadIt1st, an American website which produces regular updates on newly released films that have been based on novels, urges filmgoers not to ‘let the movie ruin the book’. I certainly think they’re on to something - some of my favourite books have been absolutely destroyed by film adaptations. Take the Harry Potter series, for example: the seventh book left me in tears but, as the credits rolled up at the end of the final film, I was crying with laughter.

For me, a film’s brevity is the real problem. The task facing screenplay writers as they attempt to wrangle a 700-page Potter book into an enjoyable, 3hour film is nigh on impossible.

Especially when we’ve all already fallen in love with the characters, and chosen our House - only really relevant to Potter, but you get what I mean.

Why would you let someone else make all these decisions for you and watch as they’ve tried to squeeze their reactions into a couple of hours? That is not to say that I don’t love a good film and some of my favourites are adaptations of novels -

ReadIt1st claims that around 50% of films come from books but I don’t think you can really have the same relationship with the characters just from watching the film as you can from delving into a 500-page book, where you can step inside someone else’s head.

Therefore, when I first heard that We Need To Talk About Kevin - a book I had already read

and adored - was being made into a film, I had my doubts.

“

How could a film ever hope to capture such a thoughtful book?

”

How could a film ever hope to capture such a thoughtful

book? And it turns out I wasn’t the only one who was concerned - Lionel Shriver herself told the Guardian of her fear that the film would ‘Hollywoodise’ Kevin, casting Cameron Diaz as Eva and retitling it ‘High School Hijinks’.

That said, I was relieved to find that the film was remarkably true to Lionel Shriver’s novel.

Lynne

Ramsay’s direction managed to avoid any temptations to glamourise the text, keeping the focus on the complex interplay of the protagonists.

The cinematography of the film was superb, emulating the intense and complex feelings and thoughts that dominate the book. However, the loss of Eva’s narrative meant I was left with very different questions after the film than after reading the book.

Was Kevin born ‘evil’ or did his mother turn him into a monster? The book tells us that Eva resented Kevin before he had even been born, suggesting that his terrible actions were as much to punish her as anything else - but was it her fault, did she deserve it? The difficult relationship between mother and son is certainly conveyed very well and Eva’s resentment and regret is brilliantly shown

by Tilda Swinton, but the film seems to suggest that Eva’s feelings are as a result of Kevin’s antagonism, rather than a possible cause and the conflicting guilty, hateful, defensive emotions of Eva’s narrative appear to have a slightly different root in the film.

This may seem like a subtle

distinction but it completely altered my reactions, particularly towards Eva. I had never liked her and although her narrative is convincing and thought-provoking, I could never really have much sympathy for a woman who could resent her child before he was even born. After seeing the film, however, I found I did sympathise with her - or rather the Eva of the film whose life had been ruined by the kind of child no mother would want: defiantly belligerent, deliberately difficult and destructive.Kevin’s malevolence is fantasticly portrayed by all three actors, especially when pitted against Swinton’s Eva; and the ensuing stand-offs are full of the same bitterness that pervades the book.

Though the film is certainly a visual masterpiece, it ultimately left me cold. We Need To Talk About Kevin is a story of alienation - and while the book hooked me through Eva’s narration, the film alienated me from everyone. I would therefore urge anyone to read the book first, if only to see Shriver’s story through their own eyes before they see it through the director’s.

Holly McCormick

Black culture championed at Bristol poetry night

Bristol has always been renowned for its excellent dramatic involvement and facilities. From the larger Hippodrome and the Old Vic theatres, to the smaller more intimate spaces such as The

The Colston Hall: A place of hip middle-class culture. Thirtysomething men strutting around with their plastic pint of beer (‘all the rage’) suited in their mauve or navy blue suits, booted in their converse trainers (think Derren Brown meets Jamie Oliver); lipstick ladies in their late twenties showcasing sophisticated, large, thick framed glasses. All in small circles of about three guffawing and politely disagreeing with each other on whether Banksy is an artist or struck-lucky criminal.

I walk in and soak in the atmosphere: the lighting; the seating; the gentle bubble of background chatter. I spot a man, boasting dreadlocks down to his waist, sitting alone on his African drum outside Hall 2. As a performance poet (aka Spoken Word artist) myself, I knew what to expect. Lyrical Minded. A night of performance poetry, comedy and music, sponsored

by Ujima Radio and hosted by the radio presenter and poet, Miles Chambers. The theme was

Wardrobe there is a vast array of dramatic experiences and opportunities for students to get involved with both on and off stage.

However, it is within the Students’Union that some of the

jamiecorbin.co.uk

most exciting and innovative pieces of work are being put forward. Though I was initially nervous about getting involved in the Bristol drama scene, my role in DramSoc’s production of TRASh has already shown me how rewarding it can be.

And yet, TRASh has only served to whet the appetite of the theatrical among us. For the budding Bristolian actors and actresses, the upcoming productions of Black Canvas

by DramSoc and Rope by Spotlights are yet to be cast.

For those who are interested in the production or direction of a show the proposal meetings loom in November for the largest Dramsoc slot of the year. Budding Bards too have opportunities for innovative and expressive forms of writing through ‘Write Bear’ and Spotlights.

So whatever the angle, style or involvement you are looking for in Bristol’s dramatic scene there are an abundance of opportunities waiting!

Olivia Lace-Evans

Freedom in celebration of Black History Month.

We saw performances by the talented and very sexy R&B artist Celestine; storytelling master Talking Tekla The Narrata; youth-worker-cumspoken word artist, with some cuttingly good points to make, Steve Duncan’; slam impresario, whose lyrical pieces and stage presence commands respect, Vanessa Kisuule; the vocal pugilist, David J; and the allwoman word painter, Rebecca Tantony.

Ms. Tantony holds her own free entry Spoken Word event on the last Sunday of every month at The Leftbank, Cheltenham Road, Stokes Croft, 7pm till 11pm. (8pm – 9pm is a dedicated open mic slot).

Judging by the success of the night, there will be more to come next year. All I can say after the sheer unity, empowerment, talent and passion displayed – and mark my words: Black ‘History’ certainly ain’t history yet.

Gemma Smith

ujimaradio.com

Spotlights, DramSoc and TRASh: a fresher’s take

Epigram

07.11.2011

21

On tour: Stephen Merchant talks love Bristolian Merchant takes to the stage at Colston Hall with his ‘Hello Ladies...’ tour STEPHEN MERCHANT Hello Ladies...

Colston Hall 20-24 October 2011

Now that term is underway and you’ve found your feet in Bristol, we’ve scoured the city for the best venues for theatre, arthouse cinema and comedy.

The Arnolfini

The Wardrobe Theatre

arnolfini.org.uk More than just an arts venue, The Arnolfini is home to a wide array of exhibitions and events. Art exhibitions featuring innovative works from the contemporary arts scene and the monthly film club are musts. Add in a dash of live dance, theatre and music and you really do have one the best cultural hubs in the South West.

Alice Piper

thewardrobetheatre.com All those living in Cotham or Clifton or in fact anyone who passes along St. Michael’s Hill will know of the quaint old pub, The White Bear. Yet The Wardrobe Theatre, which resides in the once neglected store-room upstairs, is something of a hidden gem.

Whether you are watching a play, poetry reading, improvised soap opera or a cabaret, the Wardrobe promises a cosy, atmospheric and enjoyable night for all.

Jessica Wingrad

The Little Black Box

‘Flies’ reaches new heights in absurd, Beckettian meditation on phobia

the-little-black-box-theatre. co.uk Opened over the summer as part of a Bristol council scheme to get empty spaces back into community use, this intimate venue seats just 37 around a small stage. Located on Chandos Road, it not only shows theatre but also film and music nights, as well as a the bar which offers pre- and post-show drinks. A glance at next month’s line up makes it clear that the Little Black Box is set to become a staple of the student theatre scene.

We hear it’s only going to be around for a year – make sure you catch something at the Box before it disappears!

Kirsty Morrissey

The Comedy Box comedybox.co.uk Situated above the Hen & Chicken, the Comedy Box manages to maintain that beer-soaked, pokey comedy club charm, all the while attracting some of the biggest names in stand-up.

If Live At The Apollo has been your only foray into comedy, it’s well worth a visit to be the first to see the likes of Mark Thomas and Rhod Gilbert as they try out never-beforeseen material. Well worth the trek out to Bedminster.

Hannah Mae Collins

FLIES Tobacco Factory 04 - 22 October Director: Emma Earle Writer: Oliver Lansley

‘I took a shit on your food...and then I vomited...and it was all because I don’t like you.’

Perhaps this is not one of the most eloquent lines from Oliver Lansley’s (writer of BBC 2 series ‘Whites’) morbidly comic meditation on a man’s

phobia of flies, but then again, Flies is not a piece of theatre comparable to The Sound Of Music.

From a pre-show soundtrack reminiscent of effeminate German electro, to the sight of a toy donkey being rammed down a human throat, Lansley’s work treats the audience as a sponge for absurdist ideas.

This is echoed by the opening scene: a penguin, polar bear and a bespectacled man dancing to a vaguely tuneful Antarctica, an original song that, I ashamedly admit, left me feeling rather fearful of

the following ninety minutes.

However, what originally felt like a twisted hybrid of Pingu and the Teletubbies turned into an enduringly terse and witty reflection on the hilarity and confusion of phobia.

The role of a critic is often to inform, but to reveal too much about this play would detract from its charm. Nonetheless, it seems significant that despite the eponymous theme that pervades the play, Flies is about far more than the ‘irrational fear’ of an insect. It is about the projection of the workings of one man’s mind, played out in

Beckettian style by the superb three-man cast, with particular praise given to Paul Mundell for his disarmingly effective portrayal of the fly.

In a way, this play could have turned into a parody of itself, frenetically switching from an airplane scene, to the nightmarish confines of a dentist chair, to a banal psychiatric office. But its direction, by an assured Emma Earle, creates instead a gripping narrative that should be savoured and shared by audiences around the country.

Oliver Arnoldi

Number 51 51stokescroft.com Love Orange Wednesdays but too hip for the mainstream and too cash-strapped for Cabot? Number 51’s film nights are the answer. They may specialise in live music and club nights, but each and every Wednesday they’ll be cracking out a classic film and offering homemade wood-fired pizzas for 2 for £10. And the best part? The film is completely free, and they’ll even throw in free popcorn while you’re at it.

Zoë Hutton

Flickr: stringberd

Sauntering on stage with some very admirable dance moves, Stephen Merchant was welcomed home to Bristol by the crowd of Colston Hall. The title of Merchant’s latest tour: ‘Hello Ladies...’ felt pretty apt, as every woman in the room instantly melted under his charms.

Those already familiar with Merchant’s style were not disappointed by his trademark self-deprecating wit and faux cockiness. With tales of Merchant’s hapless love life, and at times very detailed re-enactments of moments of said stories, the audience empathised with Merchant’s dilemma of being a tall, slight man with glasses trying to woo a member of the opposite sex.

If he did not have the sympathy (especially from women) at

some of the disastrous dates he has been on, involving the issue of the man ‘doing everything’ he certainly got the laughs.

This point was demonstrated laughably by him grimacing tellingly at a camera zoomed in on his nonetheless endearing face; audience acting as prospective lover. It is not just his inventiveness that is worthy of praise, his simple acts where the outcome is obvious arguably received the most applause.

His desire to write love letters rather than to use text language, with words such as ‘soz’ and the equally degrading smiley face icon, was depicted with comic timing so faultless it is easy to see why Merchant was greeted back with such enthusiasm for an encore.

Being back in his home town, Bristol was treated to a revival of his first play written during his schoolboy days at the local Hanham High School. If only this self-acclaimed ‘geek’ knew that in years to come this same script would appear with him once again with his (one of three) Baftas in tow.

Jessica Wingrad

Best of Bristol culture

The Shop shoptheshop.co.uk Located on Christmas Steps, The Shop not only sells vintage clothing, home ware, books, vinyl and games, but also provides space for art exhibitions throughout the year. The Shop hosts live music events showcasing local musicians from the South West and is a social enterprise that puts all of its profits into community arts in Bristol. If that’s not persuaded you to check it out then maybe cake and free coffee in the cute lounge area will.

Alice Ticehurst

The Watershed watershed.co.uk Tucked away by Bristol harbour, The Watershed plays host to a huge variety of films and artistic projects and boasts the title of the UK’s first media centre. Its programme offers talks, film festivals, digital art projects but, most importantly for students, it houses three cinemas which show those less mainstream films which don’t always make it to the bigger cinemas.

Jessica Wingrad

Antlers Gallery antlersgallery.com A nomadic and bohemian enterprise, Antlers art gallery changes its location for every show it puts on. Since it started in 2010, they’ve put on five shows and this month will see its sixth.

Emily Erskine

Epigram

07.11.2011

22

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Music

Epigram

07.11.2011

23 Editor: Nathan Comer

Deputy Editor: Pippa Shawley

music@epigram.org.uk

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Doing the shuffle with Bombay Bicycle Club Guitarist Jamie MacColl discusses returning to an electric sound on their ‘third debut record’. He speaks to Rajiv Karia.

It’s difficult to believe that any reader made it through this summer without hearing a certain keyboard intro that now rings familiar, if not reminiscent for them. I am, of course, referring to the opening riff of ‘Shuffle’, the lead single off Bombay Bicycle Club’s latest record, A Different Kind of Fix. The song, released in June, has proved itself commercially successful and positively infectious while still maintaining the quartet’s musical brilliance. Whether it was heard live from the band themselves at one of their many festival appearances this summer or from one of the constant Facebook postings of the video, the track has found a spot on almost everyone’s summer soundtrack.

However, Jamie explains that despite the colossal tour they’ve embarked on around the nation and their upcoming dates in Europe, their rise in popularity is anything but instant. ‘The whole thing has been very natural and gradual, it’s never been a huge overnight success,’ he says.

Contrary to their fresh faces, the gents have been making music together for over six years. Since winning the Road to V competition in 2006 and taking an integral position in the London underage scene in the following years, they have grown in the most organic of ways. The band took a very relaxed approach to releasing music rather than doggedly pursuing commercial success, and describe their antics as an extended gap year even after reaching such milestones as sell-out tours and critically acclaimed albums. The record before us is the product of hundreds of gigs over the last few years (ignoring a few cancelled shows due to the band sitting their A-Level exams in the Spring of 2008).

Despite the popular description of the new release as a return to the electric sounds of the band’s debut, there are notable influences from the band’s acoustic, Ivor Novello-nominated second record Flaws. Jamie admits that while they all expected to return to their original sound, they found themselves holding on to more features of Flaws than they had thought.

Most obviously, folksy features of Flaws are evident in the use of harmonies; however they now are emitted from looped keyboard tracks and backing vocals. An ideal example is opening track ‘How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep?’,

which combines enchanting guitar lines with looped vocal harmonies as vocalist Jack Steadman warbles “Would you back me up? Would you back me up?” Attention is also drawn to the most recent single ‘Lights Out, Words Gone’, which combines a beat and bassline that would be welcome in any Ibiza ambiance lounge with the delicate twinned vocals of Jack and Lucy and all the while remains danceable.

Jamie explains that the diversity within this record and across the band’s entire discography is merely due to the fleeting nature of what influences their art.

When asked about the most significant influences on this record, he struggles to give a simple response, ‘we’re not

tied down, we’re just into what we’re into’. This has definitely been reflected in live shows over the last two years. In addition to the banjoist that joined the tour for Flaws, the band have welcomed a choir, a samba band and most recently, have introduced the backing vocals of the aforementioned folk singer Lucy Rose. It has also led to their control of creative freedom from their label, due to the success of singles that the band believed in but the record doubted (‘Always Like This’ and ‘Ivy and Gold’). Jamie says that thanks to this freedom, the fourth record could really be in any direction.

Musically, the record demonstrates maturity beyond the years of its youthful

composers, also displayed in its predecessor. A Different Kind of Fix bears moments of tender sensitivity like closing track ‘Still’, a gentle song, accompanied solely by piano and practically glowing

“

It’s never been a huge overnight success

”

with Radiohead influences.

That being said, the band’s trademark energy is found in upbeat tracks like ‘Take the Right One’. Most significantly, the return of female vocalist Lucy Rose, who appeared on numerous tracks from Flaws brings a welcome development

in their sound.

In reference to the band creating what they refer to as their ‘third debut record’, the evolution of their sound and introduction of new features appears to be closer to a reincarnation than a revolution. They’ve made a move back to electric, but have brought the use of keyboards and loops into the mix as well, producing an entirely fresh sounding product. Jamie explains that there has been a long standing interest in dance music, which has certainly emerged in the record.

The most surprising feature of the band appears to be the simple humility of it all.

After years of almost constant acclaim, an ever-expanding loyal fanbase and the increased

size of the venues that they play, the band remain four North London boys, with no interest in letting their fame make them arrogant (even after measures at Reading Festival found that the crowd push during their set was the most powerful ever recorded.)

Jamie explains that it’s still about four guys with guitars doing their best to put on a good show, and ‘to wear a smile while doing so’. The simplest explanation of it all seems to be that while the gigs get bigger, the sound keeps developing and everything around them seems to change, the boys in Bombay are staying the same.

‘A Different Kind of Fix’ is out now on Island Records

Epigram

07.11.2011

24 A rummage in the Garage What is Garage Rock? It is a tag that has been stuck to countless bands since the early 1960s, from the British Invasion influenced bands of the Pacific Northwest to the “The” bands championed by the NME in the early 2000s. Garage bands have been referred to as everything from Proto-Punk to Frat Rock, but as much as the music produced, it is the primal, raw aesthetic and DIY attitudes that tie so many bands to the garage scene.

With this aesthetic and sound barely changing from The MC5 to The White Stripes, it is one of pop culture’s great survivors. With such a long history that can lend itself to prodigious productivity combined with little obvious commercial success, it can be hard to single out particular artists for recommendation, but here is a small selection for someone who wants to delve a little deeper than The Hives.

A happy musical chaos Nahéma Marchal discovers the musical processes of French musician Yann Tiersen For any student loosely familiar with fine French cinema, the name Yann Tiersen should evoke retro Parisian cafés, accordions, xylophones, and a playful and whimsical Audrey Tautou in award-winning movie Amélie. The unexpected success of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s film has brought the talent and unique sound of the French composer to the mainstream limelight.

This is a millstone that Tiersen has worn around his neck for a while now, and would rather get rid of, ‘it was a long time ago, you know’.

There is a tone of annoyance when I question him about the importance that the movie’s soundtrack played in launching his career in the UK. ‘It did have an impact, but not that much.

I mean, I still have requests for Amélie tracks at certain shows, but we began touring around Europe way before the movie came out’, he snaps.

Indeed, remembering Tiersen solely for the soundtrack of this kooky French romance would do injustice to his creativity.

His work is characterised by a menagerie of instruments, from the conventional piano, guitar and violin to more irregular choices, such as the ondes martenot, harpsichord, bouzouki, xylophone and

even the type-writer (just to name a few). Despite the ambitious orchestrations, he balks at the term ‘composer’.

‘I’m the complete opposite of a composer in a way because I’m really instinctive. When I started to make my own music at the beginning of the 90s, I was just playing around with my piano, making sounds parci par-là,’ he reminisces. ‘One day I simply got bored of my keyboard and thought, instead of spending days listening to tons of records to find the nearest sound of what I have in mind, why don’t I fix this fucking violin and use it?’

During the summer of 1993, Tiersen stayed in his apartment, recording music alone with piano, guitar, violin and accordion, guided not by the classical canon, but by intuition and his vision of ‘a happy musical chaos’ - an unusual creative process which led to the artist’s first album, Monster’s Waltz.

Two further scores, and five studio albums later, Tiersen has proved to be navigating freely and has reached a musical world which he now inhabits comfortably. It took him only a year to release his seventh opus Skyline, recorded between Paris, San Francisco and Ouessant, a

little island off the coast of West Brittany. ‘It was quite quick. When we came back from the tour, I had a lot of unreleased material that was originally planned for Dust Lane, and I was quite eager to go back in the studio and work on those again.’

‘It’s always really exciting to work with different types of vocals. In the song ‘Exit 25 Block 20’, there is even a dog barking in the background, whereas it’s an acoustic piece!

As for the electric guitar, it is like a celebration of my teenage years: I listened to a lot of postpunk back then’, he laughs.

“

Why don’t I fix this fucking violin and use it?

”

Skyline could be seen as a natural progression from his previous album Dust Lane, often described as a ‘dark’ album, very complex, and seemingly preoccupied with mortality (Tiersen lost his mother and a close friend during the recording sessions).

He disagrees with this ‘dark’ pigeonhole, however. ‘Dust Lane wasn’t that dark you know. It was just very texturised. I had a very vague idea of what I wanted to

do - for all the instruments to be there, but none of them to be overpowering. I wanted it to be very dense.’ Despite his protestations of terminology, Skyline certainly comes across as musically lighter and, well, happier.

Tiersen is also well-known for his numerous collaborations, from Lisa Germano, Jane Birkin to Peter Broderick and Neil Hannon. ‘I love collaborating.

But people mostly come to me and ask me to work with them. I always have samples, and ideas, and people are like, “can you send me this track?”

It is that simple.’ And next? ‘I will probably do another album with Shannon Wright soon, which I am very excited about.’

Then comes the tricky question. I jokily point out that he is described as an ‘avant-garde’ and ‘minimalist’ musician on Wikipedia. He bursts out laughing, ‘what the fuck does that even mean? I don’t particularly like genres and labels. There could be as many genres as there are artists nowadays! To me, music is something really abstract anyway – and what is important is where the music takes you.

There is no need to say or tell things, and even less to categorise them.’

Nuggets The American bands that honed the sound in the 1960s often imploded after a few releases with members deciding it was time to get a real job, so finding a definitive band or LP is problematic. Early garage rock is therefore often best suited to release in compilation form.

Nuggets: Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968, compiled in 1972 by Lenny Kaye (later lead guitarist in the Patti Smith Group), showcases the bands that became known as the precursors to punk in the late 70s. From the hazy psychedelia of The Electric Prunes to the heavy blues-rock of Ted Nugent’s Amboy Dukes, Nuggets is the best introduction to the garage band explosion in 1960s America. One band omitted from the record, The Sonics, are vital to anyone wanting to explore early garage.

Their album Here Come the Sonics laid out a blueprint that garage bands have been following ever since.

Billy Childish Moving from the 1960s and Garage’s origins to one of its many revivalists. Billy Childish is an astoundingly prolific musician, artist, writer, poet (the list goes on) who is depressingly still best known as ‘the guy who went out with Tracey Emin’, despite fans ranging from Jack White to Johnny Depp. Initially a product of punk, Childish has been in numerous different bands since. From the 50s inspired Thee Milkshakes, the Francophile pop of The Delomas, through to the incredibly influential primal garage-punk of Thee Mighty Caesars and Thee Headcoats, Childish is not a man to spend five years working on a difficult second album. Whether it’s sheer unbridled creativity, boredom or just a talent for career suicide, Childish seems unable to remain in one band for more than a few years. A selfconfessed amateur at everything he puts his hand to, he sees a

bandmate’s proficiency at his chosen instrument as a sign of their demise. In his unique worldview, professionalism is the ruination of passion and creativity in art.

Thankfully, (yet again!) this intimidating roster of musical monikers is available in compilation form. Archive From 1959 explores the highlights of Childish’s musical career and also removes the problems of a lack of self-editing that such a productive yet eccentric and stubborn personality brings.

King Khan Turning towards the present, another man of many bands is Montreal’s King Khan. A product of the Canadian punk scene,King Khan started out as the bassist in raucous garage-punk band The Spaceshits. However it’s his later work that is of far more interest, particularly King Khan and the BBQ Show. Producing stripped down, ‘guitar ‘n’ drums’ doo-wop inspired rock ‘n’ roll, the best starting point for anyone interested would be the excellent ‘I’ll Be Loving You’ from the Invisible Girl.

For those who prefer something with a fuller sound should head immediately to the self-described ‘psychedelic soul’ of King Khan and the Shrines. Featuring a full brass section and Khan’s formidable stage presence, The Shrines channel James Brown if he had grown up listening to suburban hardcore punk. Handily, Vice Records have collected the best of the Shrines onto a nice little record called The Supreme Genius of King Khan and The Shrines. Also worth looking at is another of Khan’s bands, The Almighty Defenders, a garage rock ‘supergroup’ formed with young, hip label-mates the Black Lips with the one aim of helping us all find salvation through gospel and rock ‘n’ roll.

Seb Jones

Epigram

07.11.2011

25

The Second Coming?

Clockwise from left: Tom Williams & the Boat, Theme Park and Molotov Jukebox

The news of The Stone Roses’ reunion has been divisive. Two Epigram writers fight their corners

Ian Rook: www.ianrook.com

Five to make you get down

What the world has been waiting for...

When The Stone Roses announced their reunion and subsequent homecoming shows in Manchester, Roses frontman Ian Brown launched a scathing assault on the current music scene, describing it as ‘boring, bland and corporate with nobody saying anything’.

Brown’s sentiments echo comments recently made by Noel Gallagher. and it is clear that while the quality of musical output from many modern bands is still undeniably high, there is an apparent rock crisis with no band seemingly willing to ‘have it’, as Gallagher eloquently puts it. Thank God then, for the return of The Stone Roses.

Not only does their upcoming tour signal a return for a fantastically talented and influential band, it also promises to inject some much needed attitude back into the tired music scene. The band’s first spell together was packed with incident and controversy, from causing a power cut on their TV debut to Brown almost inciting a riot by sporting a Cardiff City shirt at a gig in neighbouring Newport. Whilst in the 90s such events were commonplace amongst British bands, comparable drama is almost non-existent today. Many will argue that a band whose members are fast approaching 50 are not the act to fill the void. However, the animated way in which the Roses spoke about their comeback not only signalled a band ready to return, but a band ready to make a difference. Add to this the fact that tickets for their three homecoming dates sold out in just over an hour, and it becomes clear that the band are still massively relevant.

It is about so much more than the music when The Stone Roses are concerned; a band entwined with popular culture and whose swagger onstage has influenced countless bands since. If the Manchester four-piece can even create half as much of a stir as they did first time round then who can really complain about their return?

Kieran O’Brien

Isaac Harland presents us with a mighty handful of up-and-coming musical talent

Listen to: ‘Wax’ http://soundcloud.com/ themepark Tom Williams and The Boat Championed by the likes of Steve Lamacq on BBC Introducing, Tom Williams and The Boat have recently released their first full-length album on independent record label Unlabel, three years after

Williams first set up his own imprint, Wire Boat Recordings, in order to produce a small run of self-recorded singles.

TW&TB’s anti-folk style combines driving acoustic chords with neat guitar work and violins – there’s nothing revolutionary going on here – but below the surface lurks a deeper psychological subtext evoked by Williams’ lyrics.

Tracks like ‘Concentrate’, with its metronomic march rhythm complemented by gently building and undulating guitar riffs, evokes the dark image of a man struggling to break free from home and the constrictions of society in order to forge his own identity.

Listen to: ‘Concentrate’ http://soundcloud.com / tomwilliamsboat Frontiers Handpicked by Jane’s Addiction to open for their recent show at Camden’s Koko and by We Are Scientists to support on their last UK tour, Frontiers have been garnering a reputation as a strong four-piece guitar band from their Nottingham base.

Frontiers’ certainly wear their musical infuences on their sleeves: the lead singer has perfected the Matt Bellamy vocal style and the basslines pay obvious homage to Joy Division. Frontiers’ success

is in channelling these influences positively – their sound remains experimental, yet structured; earnestly intense, but still controlled.

‘Alibi’ is undoubtedly their standout track, a swirling reverberant haze of deep, fast basslines contrasted with guitar work high up the fretboard driven by breakneck drums. Frontiers must now bridge the gap between teen potential and actual fulfilment by continuing to etch out their own distinctive sound.

Listen to: ‘Alibi’ http://soundcloud.com / frontiersofficial Molotov Jukebox ‘If I see anyone not dancing then they can get the fuck out!’ yells lead singer and accordionist Natalia Tena at The Big Chill festival. So begins your average show with a remarkably non-average band. Molotov Jukebox evade all genre tags in a manner that epitomises how the band have captured the very essence of what musical culture should be – ascribed as gypsy, funk, ska and pop – the band prefer to call their music GypStep.

The theatrical nature of the singing exchanges between Natalia Tena (who plays Tonks in the Harry Potter films) and Sam Apley is exhilarating – fast, wrought with emotion

and unpredictable. The band has currently made huge inroads in Brazil, due to the Latin influence on their music, and was recently crowned Best Breakthrough Artist 2011 at the UK Festival Awards.

Listen to: ‘Laid to Rest’ http://soundcloud.com / molotovjukebox Essáy ‘Emotional Electronica’, ‘Thought Tempo’, ‘Chill’ and ‘Broken Down’ are all tags that have been latched on to the German-based producer from Heidelberg who has been thriving since the free release of his EP Distance & Lights earlier this year. More recently he’s taken a sample from Birdy’s cover of The xx’s ‘Shelter’ and reworked it into an abstract wraith of gentle bubbles and distortions through drum taps, soft voice samples and snappy claps. In contrast, ‘Morning Mountain’, due for release in 2012, combines the sort of light synth-infused tones and nuances that could be the soundtrack to a dream, similar to the sound that brought Washed Out into the mainstream. Emotional electronic remains an exciting new soundscape, with Essáy at the forefront.

Listen to: ‘Morning Mountain’ http://soundcloud.com / essayessay

Flickr: paulohrodrigues

Theme Park ‘We got the love / We got the night / We got the time / We got the fight’ swoons lead vocalist Marcus Haughton on his band’s first single ‘Wax’, a smooth, Talking Heads (circa Speaking In Tongues) style guitar pop number.

It’s hard to disagree with Haughton, Theme Park is white funkadelica close to its best – splashy reverbed guitars and psychedelia with soft keyboards and vocal overloaded distortion – not 70s trippy tranquillity. Their second single, ‘Milk’, is slightly disappointing – although somewhat catchy, it has Haughton crooning, a tad like Johnny Borrell, through an equally bland melody. Theme Park remains an exciting prospect if they keep to their strengths using their active music brains to construct songs in a loosely conceptual manner. Brilliant, but still in need of a little avuncular guidance and nurturing.

...or Fool’s Gold?

The Stone Roses are one of the most recognisable, influential bands; a favourite of many worldwide, and for good reason. The Stone Roses was an unbelievable joy of an album that inspired countless artists.

And so one can sympathise with the hype surrounding their return in the new year, but I’m afraid you won’t find any sympathy here.

Firstly, The Second Coming was nothing special , and to borrow a phrase from Simon Reynolds, the Roses were ‘divorced from the cultural moment that gave them meaning, [they] were just another band’ after moving away from Manchester at the time of recording.

They inspired a generation of like-minded artists, but tragically to such an extent that their music has been recreated to a better standard than they had done before (Blur and Oasis spring to mind). Instead of returning with a new and fresh sound, the Roses will join the music scene they created as part of a homogenous whole, not a ring-leader.

Moreover, I have concerns about Ian Brown. No doubt a maverick and frontman extraordinaire during the 1980s, it is unlikely that he’ll showcase the same prowess as he approaches his half-century.

The irrepressible, effervescent performances of yesteryear will be harder to create, something that made The Stone Roses so famous and enjoyable in the first place. Despite having a relatively successful solo career behind him, with six albums and a number of tours, Brown may struggle to display the aspect that makes a great band: chemistry. Without this key ingredient, there is potential for disruption and unease. Brown’s egotism and desire for the limelight that inevitably accompanies a solo career, may prohibit the creative tendencies of main songwriter John Squire.

Lastly (and perhaps a little frugally) is the price of the tickets. A face value of £55 is faintly ridiculous, and frankly screams to me that the Roses are back to make a quick buck before literally doing just that: bucking. I wouldn’t wait with bated breath for a musically gifted third album, just one to please the fans.

Simon Burt

Epigram

07.11.2011

26

Reviews CEREMONIALS DELICACIES Florence + the Disco Machine Simian Mobile Island November 29 2010 31 October 2011 Delicatessen

Terrifying android Florence Welch returns with her follow-up to the catastrophically successful Lungs.

Employing a just-weird-enough sound to allow her to straddle both the pop and indie markets, Flo & co. dominated the music world in 2009, using Lion Kinginfluenced ‘tribalism’ to hide her true cyborgian intentions. As if her quest for world domination wasn’t clear enough (rumour has it she spearheaded a rise of the machines in her native Camberwell), Welch used her considerable musical, commercial and political influence to secure performances at every single outdoor event over the past three years.

It should be no surprise that Ceremonials chronicles the upgrades that Florence 2.0 has had. ‘Only If For A Night’ sees the Southwark Skynet and her 500 clones take her easily recognisable caterwauling to new heights, incessantly repeating the title over a gradually augmented texture. Indeed, from the very beginning, Welch shows us that she has no intention of stripping back. While the amount of reverb laid on here convincingly recreates the echo-laden acoustics of the toilets where she first made her name, it often has the effect of casting the music down into some sort of digitalised, artificial canyon, leaving only an ‘epic’ blur.

PARALLAX Atlas Sound 4AD 07 Nov 2011 The once bedroom-confined solo project of Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox has reached new levels of maturity on Parallax. His stream-ofconsciousness methodology, when unshackled from the restraints imposed by a band dynamic, could easily have produced a record lacking in cohesion. Thematic exploration of cosmic reverie finds “entire galaxies” encroaching upon the hazy sonic daydreams of his work, a spaced-out feeling persisting throughout, providing a central frame of reference for the sprawling range of variety on show and swiftly allaying earlier fears over cohesion. Combining the best of Cox’s creativity with the sharp focus of a Deerhunter record; hypnotic electronic repetitions layered with unabrasive yet enchanting hooks create an astral atmosphere over which a crooning Cox masterfully presides. An immersive opalescence pervades each song on the record, from the shoegaze garage-pop ‘Mona Lisa’ to the melancholic folklament ‘Terra Incognita’, heightening the sense of escapism characteristic of a Bradford Cox record.

A line from the pensive ‘Flagstaff’ serves as a self-contained description of Parallax itself – “I’d describe it, but your jaw would drop”.

Rishi Modha

HELLO SADNESS Los Campesinos!

Wichita 14 November 2011

Perhaps this choice is an attempt to create a church-like atmosphere. There is certainly a religious influence throughout much of the album. Numerous tracks begin with only an organ, typically developing into an all-Florence choir, not to mention the title of ‘And This And Heaven Too’. Does this mean that Welch has found salvation? Lyrically, it seems too nonsensical for such a premise to be genuine; it’s more likely just another attempt to convince us that she could perhaps be human.

Songwriting is not the issue here. For instance, ‘Breaking Down’ and ‘Shake it Out’ show a flair for melody that even the most ardent members of the resistance would be hard pressed to criticise.

In fact, every track possesses some element of decent writing, but each invariably succumbs to an overwrought, tiresome and overly digital texture – one of her mission parameters, perhaps. Worst of all is ‘Heartlines’, which boorishly creates the impression of an ‘anthem’, without any of the good qualities of something anthemic. The problem is, nothing on Ceremonials is particularly exciting or interesting.

Regardless, we’d better get used to it – Florence will no doubt continue to conquer. She will be back.

Nathan Comer

THE VISION Joker 4AD 31 Oct 2011

With The Vision we have the eagerly awaited debut album from 20-year-old Bristolian producer Joker.

Anticipation amongst his strong fan base has been particularly high following a number of releases over the last couple of years, making him a reckonable force on the dance scene. However, those of you expecting a pure dubstep LP will be disappointed with this predominantly commercial first effort, an act undoubtedly due to the genre’s rising popularity following similar releases from the likes of Nero. Joker’s natural aptitude for producing grime instrumentals - clearly evident from previous works - is grittily displayed on the track ‘Back In The Day’, with its heavily distorted basslines that resonate around the vocals (provided by a multitude of up-and-coming talented MCs) sweetly. Several of the album’s tracks, whilst loosely falling under the dubstep umbrella, imitate the current pop formula and thereby function as potential Top 40 hits, such as the previously released single ‘Slaughter House’. The Vision keeps proceedings light with its out of space theme, Sega-esque synths and G-funk influence; but it’s on the frenzied ‘Tron’ where we’re treated to the dark sounds we come to expect from Joker.

Abbie McEwan

Sweeping statement time: with every Los Campesinos! album after 2008’s sugar-powered Hold On Now, Youngster, the listener has a choice between hearing the songs as either mordant self-satire, or annoyingly self-involved. Or sometimes both. If you buy into option A, it’s great: stereotypical twentysomething music nerd lampoons his continual romantic failures; hilarity ensues. And up until now, the songs (both lyrically and musically) have been strong/funny/ambiguous enough to carry the occasionally overblown lyrical conceits. But with Hello Sadness it’s significantly harder to plonk for the self-mocking side of the divide - this time around the ambiguity seems largely to be gone. And if honesty was the point, it’s difficult to be interested in what Gareth Campesinos actually has to say.

It all starts promisingly enough: sprightly guitars, the familiar plastic-sounding keyboards, solid choruses aplenty. Musically at least, they’re a slightly updated version of their particular distillation of canonical American indie-rawk.

Rapidly, though, the whole enterprise starts to feel weirdly leaden - as soon as the tempos start to drop, the lyrics can’t be glossed over. And it is most definitely what’s being said here that’s the

CRAZY CLOWN TIME David Lynch Sunday Best 08 Nov 2011 It’s not every day we see a solo debut LP from one of the greatest ever film directors, especially one closely associated with backwards-speaking dancing dwarfs, giant talking rabbits and a particular fondness for black coffee. David Lynch’s aptly titled Crazy Clown Time is a hypnotic tale of love lost “to other dimensions”, unifying electropop, modern blues, tight industrial beats and dissociative soundscapes.

Claustrophobic electro-punk track ‘Pinky’s Dream’ is a tense yet addictive trip featuring a cutting edge saw rhythm, seductively haunting vocals from the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O and a dramatic climax to watch out for. The subdued synth-based stroll in the dark ‘Noah’s Ark’ provides one of the record’s highest points, with its deep bass and time-ticking beat; whilst accessible minimal electro work-out ‘Good Day Today’ provides a feelgood sense of emotional detachment. Elsewhere, ‘Strange and Unproductive Thinking’, an epic seven-and-a-half minute cosmic musical journey through the highest levels of consciousness effectively meditates on astral travel, philosophy and - rather typically - tooth decay. Welcome to the world of David Lynch.

Luke Swann

problem, rather than how. What’s being sung about here falls largely into two (apparently closely-linked) camps: girls, (and problems and self-pity ensuing from the same) or odd, extended discussions of death, dismemberment and viscera.

And football. And girls. It all seems very male and teenage, especially when Gareth mentions “every girl who wouldn’t fuck [him]”, or the black bird feeding upon his guts, or little gems like “you can lead a horse to water/but it won’t drown itself” - and everyone knows how insufferable young melancholics can be.

All this won’t be easy to stomach, especially for diehard Los Campesinos! fans (of which there are many). Occasionally, too, there are little moments that hint at their past form - the lovely, overloaded second half of ‘Baby, I Got The Death-Rattle’, or the earworm melodies they’ve always done so well.

But there’s only so much misery one can bear indulging. If they’re going to continue making more songs about fucking and dying, something else is needed; honesty suits Gareth not. But - and here’s a classic breakup cliché for a clichéd breakup album - maybe we’ve just grown apart.

Mathew Pitts

WELCOME TO CONDALE Summer Camp Apricot Recording Company 31 Oct 2011 The sound that defined 2010’s Young EP was a sunny, lo-fi and nostalgic one, displaying an obvious fondness for 1980s pop, doo-wop, and the work of John Hughes (director of cult teen films The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Sixteen Candles). Welcome to Condale doesn’t mark a significant shift in their aesthetic, although Pulp bassist Steve Mackey’s production has an audibly higher budget. The album is ambitious, with a vague concept revolving around a leafy suburban town in California seemingly composed entirely of teenagers and wide-eyed romantics; the record flits between the 1950s and the 1980s, reflecting the band’s influences.

From the outset it is clear that Summer Camp are strong songwriters; the boy-girl harmonies are gorgeous, and they have strong ears for melody.

Lyrically, the focus is on young people and their relationships. The verses of ‘Brian Krakow’, for example, deftly relate the bratty posturing of the average high school boy, while the dark but sweet, BDSM-tinged ‘I Want You’ is a great representation of the crush phase of youth. Best of all, though, is ‘Summer Camp’, which perfectly encapsulates that feeling of being head-over-heels in love. Wonderful.

David Biddle

Film & TV

Epigram

Editor: William Ellis

Deputy Editor: Anthony Adeane

filmandtv@epigram.org.uk

deputyfilmandtv@epigram.org.uk

07.11.2011

An energetic take on much-loved comic The Adventures of Tintin Dir: Stephen Spielberg Starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig

well to the character even if he is at times, in the words of his companion Haddock, ‘some pipsqueak ginger and his irritating dog’. Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, King Kong) is accomplished as a gruff and amiable Captain Haddock, whilst Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Layer Cake) delights in his delivery of the villainous Ivanovich Sakharine.

The sharp, comic exchanges of dialogue in the original books are not lost in the

“

The sharp, comic exchanges of dialogue in the original books are not lost in the adaptation

”

smahou.info.com

Planes, trains, and automobiles are the order of the day in this thrilling live action adaptation of Hergé’s The Adventures of Tintin, a project which marks the first collaboration between director Stephen Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson .

The influence of Spielberg’s earlier action-adventures is overwhelmingly apparent, with the film careening giddily from one hair-raising car chase to the next. As the protagonists’ motorbike rattles precariously through the cobbled streets of a busy market town in the Middle East, pursued by a tank, a team of merchant pirates and a very big bird, the sudden swell of the iconic theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark (also scored by The Adventures of Tintin and Star Wars composer John Williams) would not have seemed out of place.

Spielberg has been working

on the Tintin project since 1983 when he first approached the author Hergé to produce a working script for a film, and anxious fans of Tintin fiction should be reassured by the commitment made to preserve the integrity of the original.

Eagle-eyed connoisseurs of the books will be delighted by nods to other works in the canon, such as The Crab with the Golden Claws and Flight 714. And for those that don’t sleep under a Captain Haddock bedspread, the film is still a delight.

The live action technology employed by Peter Jackson’s Weta Workshop is stunningly rendered, as actors and even narrative at times play second fiddle to the film’s visual effects. The detail lavished on each frame is at once both reminiscent of the artist’s work on every panel of the original books, and refreshing in its bold use of modern technology.

Whilst the technical work is great, the acting is also commendable.

Jamie Bell’s (Billy Elliot, Jumper) Tintin is as earnest and eager as one could hope for, with his perfect diction lending

adaptation, and are particularly well carried by supporting cast members such as Mackenzie Crook (Pirates of the Carribean, The Office) and Daniel Mays (Made in Dagenham, Doctor Who). Thompson and Thomson, voiced by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), somewhat disappoint.

Harry Potter fans may wish to keep one ear pinned back

for Toby Jones, the voice of Dobby the House Elf who here plays Silk, the ‘light fingered larcenist’.

Tintin’s faithful canine accomplice Snowy is partially reimagined from the books, thankfully denied the chance to project his thoughts through the use of the speech bubble in this picture, a device that would have struggled to translate to the big screen.

The script is strong, as one would expect of the prodigious writing team composed of Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), Joe Cornish (Attack the Block) and Stephen Moffatt (Sherlock, Doctor Who). Tintin is ultimately a children’s book, and The Adventures of Tintin is ultimately a children’s film. The feature is peppered with high speed pursuits, pirates and pistols, whilst the inimitable vernacular of Haddock holds universal appeal. It may not be a masterpiece, but the film certainly cannot be faulted for its spirit of endeavour. How’s your thirst for adventure?

The film’s answer is emphatic.

‘Unquenchable’. Audiences are in for a blistering joy ride.

Sam Fishwick

Swinton shines in adaptation Infectious thriller impresses We Need To Talk About Kevin

Contagion

which Eva, as an unwilling mother, must bear the responsibility.

Straight from its eerie opening scene the film creates a dark and tense atmosphere that absorbs its audience, making it vulnerable to the film’s provocative narrative and brutal dialogue. Though not completely devoid of lighter moments, the film’s aim to move and to disquiet the viewer is consistently achieved thanks to some excellent performances. Reilly is perfectly cast as Franklin, the traditional but shortsighted family man; Miller is convincing as sociopath Kevin; and Swinton is outstanding as Eva, an engaging but distant woman advancing stoically through a life in ruins.

The film’s technical aspects successfully reinforce the bleak

and hostile environment (albeit somewhat heavy-handedly at times): the lingering shots of the characters’ expressions; disorientating and confused images reflecting the tangling of Eva’s thoughts past and present; the pervasiveness of the colour red throughout the film.

Certain aspects may prove divisive, for example whether the film’s obtrusive soundtrack detracts from the emotional intensity, or whether the depiction of Kevin’s malice is overly simplistic, relegating the film from psychological drama to inflated horror movie.

However, the film’s strong performances,emotional punch and haunting atmosphere grip you from the very start and don’t let go until long after you leave the cinema.

Philip Nuttall

Dir: Stephen Soderbergh Starring: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard

With a myriad of film genres behind him, disaster movie Contagion is the latest addition to Stephen Soderbergh’s everexpanding repertoire. However, has the driving force behind the Oscar-winning Traffic, and the widely popular Ocean’s franchise managed to offer something new and exciting to a genre which has seen increasing interest over the last decade?

Contagion is not your ordinary disaster movie. There is no threat to the entire human race, no handful of survivors fighting to maintain humanity, but rather a world trying to cope with the spread of a virus that they know nothing about.

In the wake of bird flu this all feels very real. It is this reality that Soderbergh thrives on.

Leaving nothing to the imagination, be it a head sawn open during an autopsy, or explaining to the audience every aspect of the virus in meticulous CSI fashion, he

and gripping and it certainly lives up to its tag-line: ‘nothing spreads like fear’. Be careful not to sneeze in this film or you may just empty the cinema.

William Miles

coveringmedia.com

Although Lionel Shriver’s florid and profoundly introspective 2003 novel We Need to Talk About Kevin may not seem an obvious choice for a cinema adaptation, Lynne Ramsay crafts the source material to create a film which is fearless, powerful and deeply unsettling.

Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton) is a mother trying to come to terms with the atrocity that her fifteen-yearold son, Kevin (Ezra Miller), has committed: a Columbine-style attack which kills nine of his classmates. As Eva tries to piece her life back together in a town haunted by her son’s actions, she mentally revisits her reluctance to accept motherhood, her son’s increasingly malevolent behaviour and the strain that this puts on her relationship with husband, Franklin (John C. Reilly). Through these flashbacks, Eva seeks to resolve the issues which permeate the film: the motivation behind Kevin’s act and the extent to

thelexixinema.co.uk

Dir: Lynne Ramsay Starring: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller

manages to create a sickening feeling of the unknown. The camerawork itself achieves this as it lingers tantalisingly on every lift button or bus pole touched by an infected person.

One cannot ignore the cast in this film. In a flurry the audience are introduced to big A-list names: Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Matt Damon and Marianne Cotillard. So many stars risks in-fighting but Soderbergh overcomes this; rather than compete, the cast play off each other brilliantly. The work relationship of Fishburne and Winslet is heart-wrenchingly believable, whilst Damon, playing family man Dad, is back to his best.

The only criticism perhaps can be that the film never hits fifth gear. Throughout, the action remains low-key with no build up to a final climax, and some critics have been left a little cold.

However, for me, this is not a negative. Life does not often reach Hollywood fifth gear and by resisting commercial pressures Soderbergh successfully keeps the film realistic.

Soderbergh has created a film not afraid to stand on its own. Contagion is both assured

Epigram

07.11.2011

28

Has the golden boy lost his Midas touch?

Cass Horowitz explores the career of one of Hollywood’s most bankable directors, in the wake of his latest foray into CGI Fast forward 20 years or so and I can only laugh as Indiana is blown up by an atomic bomb but, don’t worry, he walks away unharmed due to the lead lining in a conveniently placed kitchen fridge. In fact whether it was swinging with monkeys in the jungle or ladder-building poison ants, this film had, without doubt, not one but several of the silliest scenes ever to be projected onto a wall.

In my view Spielberg’s problems started with the development of advanced CGI. In the early Indiana films Spielberg was more constrained by technology and thus had to use his creativity as a director to create scenes that his audience would believe in. These days I can imagine Spielberg, like one of the villains in his films, mad with power, picking off a shopping list of available special effects and action set pieces with no limit to what he can create.

The ease with which Spielberg can produce these new films makes his more recent filmmaking lazy and this conveys itself in a lack of

connection with his audience as they no longer believe, or care, in his characters and plots. This is a criticism that can be applied to several of the more recent Spielberg films such as Minority Report and A.I., films with admittedly spectacular set-pieces but no really convincing character development.

Spielberg has also run into

“

Spielberg is no longer in touch with the public that used to admire him for his creativity rather than his film-producing abilities

”

other criticisms for selling out what can now almost be called the ‘Spielberg brand’.

Believe it or not Spielberg has been named as a producer on 22 films since 2000. Since Spielberg certainly doesn’t need the money I wonder why he has been so quick to lend his name to what are some predictably unsuccessful films.

My guess is that in the Hollywood bubble in which

the director exists, he is no longer in touch with the public that used to admire him for his creativity rather than his film-producing abilities. It has got to the point where a trailer that boasts ‘Executive Producer: Steven Spielberg’ has obviously very little else to boast about.

Despite all this there have been murmurings of a comeback by Spielberg in the shape of The Adventures of Tintin film out now (see this week’s reviews). He has been planning this film for 30 years, long before the post-millennium madness, and the film itself took three years to make (by which time Spielberg had already made two others).

The use of performance capture animation is a potentially worrying addition with Spielberg again having creative carte blanche leading to the possibility of style once again winning out over substance. That said, the reviews have been largely positive and with a second film already being penned by a prolific British author, Steven Spielberg may once again discover a winning formula. juliasegal.tumblr

thepeoplesmovies.com

If I asked you to name three films by Spielberg, you might say any of ET, Jurassic Park, Jaws or of course, one of my personal favourite films, Schindler’s List. Right? Now how about three films made after 2000? Bit trickier isn’t it?

A few come to my mind; Cowboys and Aliens, A.I. and The Legend of Zorro but unfortunately not for the same reasons. Whether lending his name to other films or making his own, the sad reality is that Spielberg hasn’t been involved in an outstanding project for over ten years now.

So where has it all gone wrong for Spielberg? The answer to this question is clear for all to see in my least favourite of his films: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I remember watching the first Indiana Jones films and being amazed by the exotic backdrops and non-stop adventure.

What was great was that although it was clearly fantastical, for those one or two hours you suspended your disbelief and were brought into the world that Spielberg created.

Chilling fairytale both stuns and delights

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) Dir: Guillermo del Toro Starring: Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Doug Jones

exercise in keeping parents happy while their children enjoy the film. If one looks only slightly further afield to the Spanish-language Pan’s Labyrinth, nominated for the Oscar for best foreign-language film in 2007, it is possible to find a truly ‘adult’ fairy tale. In this film (and indeed others – Cronos, for instance) director Guillermo del Toro creates a fantasy world of beautiful danger, an interrogation of evil by an innocent eye.

That innocent is Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a young girl moving with her pregnant mother to live with Vidal, her step-father and a brutal embodiment

haunt childhood dreams. These fantasy scenes are extraordinary.

Every movement is imbued with menace and fear; every shot is visually a marvel; every object is wondrously ornate.

However, behind everything lies a sinister shadow which threatens the naïve girl with death and danger.

These two worlds are, of course, completely at odds with each other – the world of people and violence is filmed in a realist style, whereas Ofelia’s magical experiences are dream-like. The genius of del Toro is that he manages not only to reconcile these two opposing forces, but to place this tension at the

Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and the mysterious faun (Doug Jones)

centre of the film. In works of fantasy there is an inherent and indeed fundamental difficulty in matching the strange settings and scenes to real life – a task which is all the harder if fantastic elements are to be placed alongside horrifying depictions of civil war.

Ofelia is the solution to this dilemma. She is the central character and the pivot around which the two worlds turn, the point where the two worlds coexist. As the film moves closer to its climax the seams start to leak, the worlds start bleeding into each other until they finally mix gloriously, yet tragically, together.

Pan’s Labyrinth is a perfect example of a fantasy film. There is always a risk with any genre piece that it could become hackneyed and derivative, but del Toro uses the generic tools to craft his own singular vision.

Where this vision leaves the audience, though, is hard to say.

As with all great works of art (of which this film is most certainly one), there is a resistance to any quick conclusion. Evil and good constantly struggle, but to which side the film swings is not clear. In the end, all that is left is the haunting beauty of a great film.

Jasper Jolly

ludumu.blogspot.com

It is often glibly observed that fairy tales are the domain of adults as much as that of children. In Hollywood this has recently taken the form of the gently ironic,lightly postmodern renderings of fantasy clichés – Tangled for instance, or Shrek ad nauseam – which can be highly entertaining, but sometimes seem to be a demographic

sgnewwave.com

The terrifying Pale Man (Doug Jones)

of Franco’s newly victorious dictatorship, whose job is to root out guerrilla resistance in the forest. Vidal, who is played with chilling intensity by Sergi Lopéz, is a fascist in the most terrible sense of the word. He is a tyrant in every aspect of his life, from smashing the head of a suspected rebel to controlling dinner party conversation.

This too real world does not seem at first to impinge on Ofelia’s life, as she is away in wonderful but disturbing places. This is Ofelia’s way of escaping from the dreadful reality of her mother’s new husband. An insectile creature guides the innocent girl into the titular labyrinth, where she meets Doug Jones’ faun, a disconcertingly ambiguous presence who explains that she must undertake three challenges to prove that she is a lost princess.

These challenges are setpieces which bring del Toro’s disgustingly gooey aesthetic thrillingly to the fore. Nobody does gore like del Toro. First, Ofelia must collect a key from the belly of a vomiting frog, and then she must escape the Pale Man, (again Doug Jones, an expert at acting under makeup) one of the most terrifying nightmare creatures ever to

Epigram

07.11.2011

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America’s finest: Curb Your Enthusiasm Matthew Rose continues our analysis of the best American TV has to offer with a look at Larry David’s unique comedy

HBO.com

Larry David and Jeff Garlin share a joke over ‘The Freak Book’

completely oblivious to his effect on others. He’s someone who we can all, to an extent, associate with. Yet, there is also a beautiful naïvety to the character which creates an idiot-savant persona; Larry might say and do the things that are tactless, but he doesn’t really notice that he’s doing it.

More a victim of circumstance than anything else, it his stubborn belief in his own set of principles and his refusal to bend to society’s will that either causes or aggravates his problems.

The series also stars Jeff Garlin

as Larry’s manager Jeff Green, Susie Essman as Jeff’s wife Susie and previously starred Cheryl Hines as Larry’s wife Cheryl.

Curb is entirely improvised around a script outline written

by David, and the cast are all expert improvisers, taking the wonderfully implausible situations and just running with them. In particular, Essman’s portrayal of the foul-mouthed and terrifying Susie is a joy to watch. A perfect example of this comes in one of the best episodes of the series, ‘The Doll’, in which Larry and Jeff have ripped the head off Jeff’s

Larry suspects that he’s using his Parkinson’s disease to get away with acting like a jerk, was a bold creative risk that paid off in a funny and self-deprecating performance.

Most of the seasons have arcs that tie each individual episode together. These have included Larry being cast as a lead role in The Producers, opening a restaurant and looking after a black family (called The Blacks, leading to the wonderful line ‘That’s like if my last name was Jew. Like Larry Jew’). These arcs help to give each season a focus and allow for multiepisodic jokes. In this way, it

is a series that rewards the careful viewer as seemingly minor plot developments in one episode may end up having major repercussions later down the line. In many aspects, it is structured as a typical farce in which the first half of an episode, and more broadly of a season, is focused on setting up the narrative elements that will come together in the latter half in various convoluted, yet ultimately hilarious, ways.

I cannot recommend Curb Your Enthusiasm highly enough.

Anyone with a love of comedy should add the box set to this year’s Christmas list.

curb-your-enthusiasm.edogo.com

It is a widely held belief on this side of the pond that us Brits do comedy better than our American counterparts.

However, one show more than any other defies that generalisation – Curb Your Enthusiasm. Curb (as it’s known to its fans) follows the exploits of Seinfeld creator Larry David, playing himself, as he bumbles through life leaving havoc in his wake.

Curb’s success hinges on the superb performance of David as such a grotesque version of himself. Larry is a self-centred, socially inept man who is

daughter’s doll. Susie screams at them ‘You four eyed fuck and you fat piece of shit! Where’s the head?’ and it is a performance that is wonderful to behold.

This episode is in fact a great example of another facet of the series that makes Curb so unique in American comedy – its willingness to push boundaries. In ‘The Doll’, Larry keeps being refused entry into a cinema with his bottle of water. With the men’s toilet out of order, Larry goes into the women’s to hide the bottle of water in his pants. At that moment the girl who’s doll Larry fixed runs in and gives him a hug before running out looking confused. The episode ends with the girl shouting ‘Mommy, Mommy, that bald man’s in the bathroom, and there’s something hard in his pants!’ Larry’s resulting look of horror is priceless.

The sheer quality and popularity of Curb can be seen in the calibre of guest stars queuing up to appear on the show. These have included Dustin Hoffman, Martin Scorcese, Mel Brooks and most recently Ricky Gervais and Michael J. Fox. Fox’s recent appearance as himself, in which

David on typically exasperated form

Bristol comic Merchant stands up tall

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Stephen Merchant, globally known for his collaborations with Ricky Gervais, as cowriter and co-director of The Office and Extras, has recently decided to go it alone. His new stand-up tour of the UK, Hello Ladies, charts the 36-year-old’s failings with the opposite sex, and has been lauded by critics and audiences alike. This is his first solo comedy tour since he began as a stand-up in 1997, at the Bristol Comedy Box, and it has been well worth waiting for.

With an Emmy, several BAFTAs and a Golden Globe adorning his mantlepiece, multimillionaire status and an established status in comedy circles, Merchant is not an obvious candidate for lady troubles. Yet the lanky comic proclaims ‘Life can be lonely as a TV writer so this tour is a great opportunity for me to get out there and meet my fans.

And make at least one of them my wife.’

By focusing the show around his luckless lovelife, Merchant draws audience attention to potentially his most amusing asset – his appearance. We’re treated to giant footage of his quite astonishing sex-face and are made aware throughout of the trials and tribulations that

are faced by a man who stands at an awkward 6”7.

The good thing about going on tour, apart from meeting ladies, he says, is that he doesn’t have to share the profits with ‘you know who’. He might not mention his comedy partner by name, but Gervais’s comic influence is evident in parts.

For example, when lacking a prop baby for a spoof about teenage pregnancy, he nonchalantly produces one of his several Bafta awards, and uses that and his pronunciation of ‘mental’ is very Brent-esque.

The Bristolian alternates easily between self-mockery – ‘not a lot of repeat business back at Chez Steve’ – and mock egotism, unmistakeably reminiscent of his writing buddy – ‘anyone here ever been to the Golden Globes?’

But this supposed arrogance is more attractive coming from Merchant than Gervais. With his disarmingly gentle West Country accent and geeky appearance, the lankier half of the duo comes across as more self-effacing and approachable.

He may be less in the media spotlight but he is perhaps more well-liked by Office fanatics.

If the show is an attempt to step out of Ricky Gervais’s shadow then it is a resounding

success. Gervais’ performance as David Brent has indeed cemented his place in British comedy history, but his excessive stand-up performances have left many critics disappointed, not to mention his bizarre decision to perform in the distinctly mediocre films Ghost Town and The Invention of Lying. Perhaps it is telling that the one film that Gervais has had success with, Cemetery Junction, was cowritten by his old goggle-eyed pal. Clearly Merchant is more than just a simple sidekick.

The material won’t all be new to stand-up fans; Merchant has been building up to this tour for years, and we’ve heard some gags before. The show also confirms that Gareth in The Office is essentially a stunted version of his co-creator.

‘I really am mediocre [at standup],’ Stephen Merchant told Radio 4 last year. In fact, he’s just mediocre at selfpromotion. It would appear that he couldn’t have been more wrong. Hello Ladies brings an end to Merchant’s perennial sidekick status and marks him out as a great comedian in his own right. At last it would appear that he is getting the personal praise and attention that he deserves.

Hugh Davies

Epigram

07.11.2011

Science

Editor: Nick Cork

Deputy Editor: Emma Sackville

science@epigram.org.uk

deputyscience@epigram.org.uk

SPICE geo-engineering project delayed The Bristol-led project, which could help to reduce the effects of climate change, is hindered by pressure from environmental groups Jack Podmore Science Reporter An important initial test for a Bristol-led project has been postponed to facilitate engagement with stakeholders, particularly environmental groups. The SPICE (Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering) project had originally scheduled its preliminary test for October, but this has now been pushed back by several months and awaits the approval of the Research Council. The SPICE project,

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led by Dr Matt Watson of the Department of Earth Sciences, is an investigation into geoengineering – an umbrella term for strategies to manipulate the Earth’s climate in an attempt to reduce the current effects of climate change. SPICE will look specifically at the effects of releasing small particles into the upper atmosphere, mimicking the way volcanoes affect global temperatures.

Following volcanic eruptions, particles of sulphate are ejected into the atmosphere with ash

Flickr: Scott Ableman

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It seems naïve to limit our options at this point

and cool the earth by reflecting sunlight back into space. The last large eruption was by Mount Pinatubo in 1991 which cooled the Earth by half a degree for two years.

SPICE is intended to investigate the feasibility of replicating this effect through artificial means. It will cover three areas of research: Candidate particles – there are a number of qualities that need to be examined for particles to be used in geo-engineering.

Aside from the obvious need for them to effectively scatter sunlight, the main requirement is for them to do very little else, so as not to interact with local weather systems, the atmosphere, plant and animal life or human health.

Computer modelling – the use of computer simulations to analyse previous volcanic eruptions, their effects on atmospheric chemistry and rainfall patterns and other, more subtle, consequences. For example, changing the amount of light and how it actually enters the system - making the sky brighter but the solar disc dimmer - could affect plant life, such as trees or crops. This needs to be investigated.

Delivery systems – having settled on a particle, or particles, to use, any geo-engineering project requires a suitable

Following volcanic eruptions, particles of sulphate are injected into the atmosphere with ash and cool the earth by reflecting sunlight back into space

method of transporting them to the required height and dispersing them. This will be tested by launching a tethered helium balloon to a height of one kilometre. A hose will be attached to the balloon, and water will be pumped up the hose and out into the air. The test is intended to assess the effect of the wind at such altitudes. The data will be used in computer models, and extrapolated to see

how the wind affects balloons at heights of 20 kilometres.

This is the test that has been delayed; it has now been pushed back to early 2012 after the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) decided that further engagement with environmental NonGovernmental Organisations was needed.

A campaign called ‘Hands Off

Mother Earth!’ was launched by the environmentalist Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC) Group. Their concern is that the project represents an intent to implement geoengineering techniques, rather than research assessing their feasibility. They also believe that geo-engineering distracts from the real and pressing need for drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

Both are valid concerns.

There is an understandable fear about adding things to the atmosphere to counteract climate change, particularly since the inspiration is volcanic eruptions. Geo-engineering is seen as an attractive alternative by governments and businesses reluctant to enact cuts in emissions; there is a danger that the focus may shift away from sustainability and a reduction in emissions, which are the only guaranteed ways to prevent, minimise and reduce climate change. The call to cancel this test is based on the notion that potentially dangerous geoengineering techniques can never be implemented if they are never developed.

It seems naïve, however, to limit our options at this point. With greenhouse gas emissions continuing to rise themselves an example of geoengineering, albeit unmeasured and uncontrolled - we need to explore all available options.

Geo-engineering may well be impossible to perform safely; if this is the case, SPICE may yield the crucial research that demonstrates this. If it turns out to be safe and effective, SPICE could play a valuable role in mitigating the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and preserving agricultural land, wildlife and biodiversity.

Dr Matt Watson, SPICE project leader, talks to Epigram Science

Marek Allen

Which areas of the project are the responsibility of Bristol University?

Bristol has overall control over the project, so I’m the project leader. We also have responsibility for the first of three sub-projects. The first is the way light bounces off various different particles and what they might do to the chemistry of the stratosphere, particularly ozone.

The other thing that Bristol is responsible for is modelling the impact on the biosphere.

What’s your personal stance on geo-engineering?

That sounds like an easy question to answer, it’s actually very challenging because geoengineering is a whole suite of different technologies.

The critical thing is to differentiate between geoengineering research and geo-engineering. I’m for geoengineering research because I think that climate change is going to be so significant that in 10-30 years’ time, we’ll need to have a very serious debate about our options and how to deal with it.

I think that CO2 emissions reduction is the right thing to do and I’m alarmed at how little we’re doing it. CO2 removal, where you basically have artificial trees to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, is probably the best thing to do but they’re expensive and take a long time to work.

There’s also adaption but your ability to adapt depends on how vulnerable you are; the most vulnerable people in the world are the ones least able to

adapt.

Then there’s this thing called geo-engineering, which is really solar radiation management.

My opinion on implementation is pretty negative. I’m realistic enough to know we might need it but pretty sceptical about doing it because I’m not sure we’ll ever know what the ramifications are well enough to justify it.

Could you describe the test that was scheduled to start last month?

The idea of lofting aerosols into the stratosphere isn’t new, it was originally proposed in the 1970s but popularised by a Nobel Laureate called Paul Crutzen in the 1990s. The most obvious way is to use planes, although that’s not as easy as it sounds because commercial aircraft don’t fly high enough; you’d need to use fighter or spy planes. Most of those have a capacity of a few tons, so you’d need about a million flights a year. That could be done tomorrow, if people deemed it to be right but it’s expensive

and the aircraft themselves produce emissions.

A few years ago, someone proposed having a 20 km long hose attached to a balloon and pumping them up from the ground. It turns out that’s easy to say but not to do. An engineer in our group proposed a 1/20th scale model.

It’s clear that we have no mandate to pump anything up there during the test that would affect the climate, weather or biodiversity. All we want to know is how the balloon and the hose couple dynamically.

The balloon bounces around in the wind which puts tension on the hose and produces some funky vibrational modes. There are models available but they’ve never been validated and that’s what this experiment is for.

We were going to pump water because we need to accurately replicate the mass. We’ll take something like two bath-loads of water, a heavy duty pressure washer (which you can buy in B&Q) and pump it up a hose that’s suspended from a balloon that’s usually used to

take aerial photographs.

Were you surprised by the decision to delay it?

Yes and no. We’d spent a long time planning to talk to the media and an awfully long time justifying the experiment so we thought that if people had concerns about it, it would’ve been made clear to us before the project was publically announced.

In general, I’m not surprised because people are very nervous about this and that’s good.

What we’re doing is challenging within the social context of the research. There are some good arguments as to why we should be very careful. The one that really plays on my mind is that it would be used as an excuse by politicians to not commit to CO2 emissions cuts, which are still vital.

What will you be doing during the delay? Is there a review process?

An independent panel had to decide that we’d met a certain number of criteria; the thing

that they are still not quite satisfied with is that whilst we’ve spent a lot of time engaging with the public and the press, they think we need to be talking more to environmental NGOs, like Greenpeace, so that’s what we’re going to do.

Are you hopeful that the experiment will go ahead?

The interaction I’ve had so far with the NGOs has been pretty positive. If we approach the engagement thinking that it’s just a box ticking exercise, then they won’t come to the table. But the opposite is also true, if they’re coming simply to say ‘we hate it, you shouldn’t do it’, that’s not engagement either. What we’re going to do now is sit down, say what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, look at their objections and move forward. I am hopeful for the experiment because my personal feeling is that it’s important that we do it.

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We did what!? Exploring that hangover With Freshers’ Week a distant memory blank, Edith Penty Geraets pieces together just what happened to all that alcohol we drank Edith Penty Geraets Science Reporter A month now from Freshers’ Week, the hangover - known medically as Veisalgia - has for many become a regular, and in some cases permanent, experience. The symptoms are well known, but have you ever wondered about the chemical processes responsible for those pounding headaches, dodgy stomachs and mood slumps?

Whether your taste is for vodka, wine, or beer, the consequences of your night are all determined by the tiny molecule known as ethanol - or ethyl alcohol.

From the very first sip, chemical reactions are taking place. The part of the molecule specifically responsible for its effects – the functional group – is the chain of paired oxygen and hydrogen atoms protruding from one side.

This ‘hydroxyl’ group is able to dissolve in both fat and water, so the molecule easily penetrates biological membranes and is absorbed by cells throughout the body. Within 40 minutes of drinking, the level of ethanol in your blood reaches a maximum; inhibitions fall away and you begin to relax into the environment.

Between 2-4% of ethanol is eliminated from the body without having any effect, either by breathing it out or via excretion through the kidneys.

The remainder quickly gets to work. The stomach responds to ethanol, particularly in sweet alcoholic drinks, by secreting huge amounts of hydrochloric acid – stomach acid. This additional acid triggers a defence mechanism,

8 - 12 hours

Time required to digest ethanol causing the stomach to expel its contents - often over the pavement. Ethanol also irritates the stomach lining. It’s little wonder that you’re left feeling delicate the next morning, and that it can take a while for your appetite to return. When it does, it can take the form of strange cravings.

Once ethanol has been absorbed in the gut, the molecules are then carried in the blood to the central nervous system. This leads to the recognisable feelings of carelessness and increased sociability, whilst progressively

delaying your reactions and blurring your vision. In the brain, ethanol stops the pituitary gland from producing anti-diuretic hormone. Normally this hormone tells the kidneys to reabsorb water and keep the body hydrated, but its absence leaves you constantly rushing for the toilet – probably more often than convenient! For this reason a glass of water or two before bed is the best remedy to stave off a severe case of sandpaper tongue and a thumping headache the following morning.

The complete breakdown of ethanol takes between eight and twelve hours, releasing huge amounts of energy. Most is discarded as heat, leaving you with that nice comfortable ‘beer jacket’ to walk home in.

To counter the dehydration, the body races to break down ethanol faster than you can swallow it. Blood constantly sweeps it to the liver where the hydroxyl group is stripped of its hydrogen atom, converting

ethanol to ethanal – a molecule described chemically as an aldehyde.

Aldehydes are highly toxic to the human body as they disrupt normal reactions, preventing your cells from functioning. A large accumulation of ethanal is one of the main culprits in brewing your hangover. It takes time for the ethanal to be broken down, meaning the effects linger well into the following day - essentially your body is recovering from poisoning.

Cells responsible for digestion, damaged by the strain of absorbing such a concentrated alcohol hit, continue to perform at well below standard levels.

This suppresses the metabolism of future meals, leading to low blood sugar levels, and you are left feeling drowsy and physically weak. All the while the remaining ethanal must be converted to a non-toxic product - acetate - that can finally be fully excreted.

It would be unjust though to solely blame ethanol for the

H

H

H

C

C

H

H

O

Ethanol

Each molecule of ethanol is made up of the same arrangement of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms as shown above.

The ‘functional group’ - in this case a ‘hydroxyl’ group - is shown in red. It is this that gives ethanol its specific properties.

In the body, ethanol is converted into ethanal. Ethanal is very toxic. You will feel hungover until it is fully broken down by the liver and excreted via your kidneys and lungs as acetate.

many ugly side effects of a heavy night out. The mix of other biologically active ingredients known as congeners - added to drinks are likely to contribute far more. Research has shown that pure ethanol beverages such as gin and vodka induce far fewer side effects, while cheap spirits which have not been distilled as thoroughly also contain significant amounts of another alcohol: methanol.

The same bodily processes are

Worse than heroin or all in the mind?

Suzi Gage Science Reporter

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Our livers need three days alcohol free per week, if we have more than one or two drinks per day

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recruited to digest methanol, but its different molecular structure means the products - formaldehyde and formic acid - are far, far more toxic. In high concentrations these byproducts can cause blindness the historical origin of the term ‘blind drunk’ - and even death.

Basics vodka drinkers and those home-brewing for the first time, you have been warned!

Few regularly think about their drinks from a molecular perspective - it rather puts a dampener on a good evening.

It’s strange then to consider that those tiny molecules swilling around in your favorite tipple bring about such extremes of euphoria and pain through only a handful of chemical reactions.

For relative drug harms: http://www.thelancet.com/ journals/lancet/article/ PIIS0140-6736(10)61462-6/ fulltext

Flickr: ChrisCarpenter

If you’ve been following reports in the media recently, you may be a little confused about alcohol and its effects. A year ago, the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs published a report in the Lancet on drug harms. They calculated relative ‘harm scores’, to the individual and to society as a whole, and concluded that alcohol was more damaging than heroin or crack cocaine. Just last month the Royal College of Physicians reported to the Science and Technology Committee’s Inquiry into the evidence base for alcohol, detailing the maximum safe limit of alcohol you can consume in a week. The evidence suggests that our livers need three days alcohol free per week, if we have more than one

or two drinks per day. If you drink heavily one evening, you should have a couple of days off before you drink again. It would appear that alcohol is bad news.

However, Kate Fox, a social anthropologist based in the Social Issues Research Centre, has claimed that the effects of alcohol on behaviour are determined by cultural rules and norms, not by the chemical actions of ethanol. She cites evidence that in cultures where alcohol is integrated into society - as in Spain and France - there are fewer instances of alcohol related disorder than are seen in the UK. She also argues that people can be ‘fooled’ into thinking they’re drunk and acting as if intoxicated, if they’re given a placebo nonalcoholic drink they believe to be alcoholic.

Experiments conducted in ‘naturalistic’ settings have found that people can experience some feelings associated with alcohol even when drinking a placebo.

A study in Psychological Science has found that at least part of the ‘drunkenness’ we experience is due to expectation.

But Bristol University’s Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group run

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experiments in which people are either given alcohol or a placebo, and they observe that although people cannot tell immediately whether they’ve had alcohol or not, after half an hour they know. The pharmacological effects of alcohol such as cheek flushing and cognitive slowing are not present in those who have been given a placebo, so

they can tell they’re not drunk.

But differences between cultures may have some impact on how people react to alcohol.

It may be that cultural norms mediate the pharmacological effects of alcohol.

Fox believes that governmental warnings about the dangers of binge drinking lead us to believe alcohol will have the

disinhibiting effect that we see here in the UK, which might not be seen in other cultures.

She claims warnings about the dangers of drinking are too strong.

Though culture may exacerbate alcohol’s effects, there are real and important dangers caused by drinking.

This is particularly true of binge

drinking, but you don’t have to be an alcoholic to put yourself at risk. Liver problems, reduced fertility, high blood pressure, and increased risk of various cancers and heart attack are some of the numerous harmful effects of regularly drinking even a little bit above recommended levels. In terms of behaviour, it is accepted that alcohol does increase aggression, aside from the effects of culture, although the mechanisms are unknown.

Alcohol affects levels of chemical neurotransmitters in the brain, which in turn affect behaviour, so to say that all behavioural effects are cultural is just as improbable as saying none are.

Although culture may play a part in how alcohol makes us act when we’re drunk, to ignore the pharmacological effects of alcohol is dangerous.

Government warnings about the behavioural effects of alcohol may encourage these behaviours to occur, but there is as yet no evidence to support this theory. However, there is ample evidence of real dangers resulting from heavy drinking, and it is important that the public is aware of them.

Epigram

07.11.2011

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BUCS Match Results and Upcoming Fixtures Results Wednesday 12th October Rugby Union Men’s 1s 13 - 31 UWE (Hartpury) 1s Exeter 2s 52 - 19 Men’s 2s Men’s 3s 23 – 26 Marjons 1s Wednesday 19th October Badminton Southampton Solent 1s 3 - 5 Men’s 2s Basketball Southampton 1s 65 - 43 Men’s 1s Men’s 2s 79 - 59 Southampton 2s Southampton Solent 1s 67 - 47 Women’s 1s Football UWIC 1s 8 -0 Men’s 1s Bath 4s 2 - 3 Men’s 2s Men’s 3s 0 -1 Winchester 1s Southampton 4s 2 -2 Men’s 4s Marjons 1s 1 - 1 Women’s 1s Hockey Oxford 1s 3 -2 Men’s 1s Men’s 2s 2 - 1 Cardiff 2s Glamorgan 1s 3 -2 Men’s 3s

Marjons 1s 3 - 1 Men’s 4s Women’s 1s 4 -1 Gloucestershire 1s Women’s 2s 2 -0 Cardiff 3s Marjons 1s 4 -1 Women’s 3s Cardiff Medics 1s 1 -1 Women’s 4s Lacrosse UWIC 1s 16 - 2 Men’s 2s Women’s 1s 12 - 6 Exeter 1s Southampton 1s 12 - 13 Women’s 3s Netball Women’s 1s 37 - 27 Bath 3s Women’s 2s 26 - 32 UWIC 3s Southampton 4s 26 - 53 Bristol 3s Glamorgan 2s 25 - 45 Bristol 4s Rugby Union Men’s 1s 3 - 39 Bath 1s Men’s 2s 10 - 32 Swansea 2s Squash Plymouth 1s 5 - 0 Men’s 2s Tennis Exeter 1s 10 -2 Men’s 1s Southampton 1s 12 - 0 Men’s 2s Women’s 1s 3 -3 London Met 1s Plymouth 1s 8 -4 Women’s 2s

Wednesday 26th October Badminton Men’s 1s 2- 6 Oxford 1s Men’s 2s 1- 7 Southampton 2s Women’s 1s 6 -2 Glamorgan 1s Fencing Southampton 1s 114 - 135 v Men’s 2s Southampton 1s 106 - 135 v Women’s 1s Football Men’s 1s 0 - 5 v UWE (Hartpury) 3s Men’s 2s 0 -0 Marjons 2s UWE 3s 1 - 0 Men’s 3s Men’s 4s 1 -1 Southampton 3s Women’s 1s 4 -2 Aberystwyth 1s

Men’s 2s 2 -4 Gloucestershire 1s Women’s 1s 2 - 1 Cardiff 1s Women’s 2s 20 -3 UWE 1s Netball Women’s 1s 23 - 26 UWIC 2s Women’s 2s 49 - 28 Glamorgan 1s Women’s 3s 38 - 18 v Bath 5s Aberystwyth 1s 66 - 39v Women’s 4s Rugby Union Plymouth 1s 14 - 22 v Men’s 2s Exeter 4s 7 - 34 Men’s 3s Mens 4’s 95 - 0 Gloucestershire 3s Women’s 1s 15 - 20 v Marjons 1s Squash

Hockey Exeter 1s 7 - 0 Men’s 1s Men’s 2s 5 - 0 Glamorgan 1s Cardiff Medics 1s 4 - 3 Men’s 3s Mens 4s 2 - 0 Southampton 3s Exeter 1s 7 - 1 Women’s 1s Women’s 2s 4 -2 UWIC 2s Women’s 3s 0 -2 Southampton 2s UWIC 3s 3 - 1 Women’s 4s Lacrosse Oxford 1s 2 -4 Men’s 1s

Mens 2s 5 - 0 Plymouth 2s Men’s 3s 0 -5 Gloucestershire 1s Bath 1s 4 - 0 Women’s 2s Table Tennis Bath 1s 15 - 0 Women’s 1s Tennis Oxford 1s 10 - 2 Men’s 1s Men’s 2s 2 - 10 Bath 2s Exeter 1s 12-0 Women’s 1s

Fixtures Wednesday 9th November Badminton Men’s 1s vs. Bath 1s Women’s 1s vs. Swansea 1s Basketball Women’s 1s vs. Southampton Solent 1s Fencing Swansea 1s vs. Mens 2s Football Southampton 4s vs. Men’s 1s Men’s 2s vs. Southampton 3s Men’s 3s vs. Bath Spa 1s Exeter 4s vs. Men’s 4s Marjons 1s vs. Women’s 1s Golf Mixed 1s vs. Southampton 1s Hockey Men’s 3s vs. Bournemouth 1s Women’s 2s vs. UWE 2s Exeter 3s vs. Women’s 3s Gloucestershire 2s vs. Women’s 4s Netball Bath 2s vs. Women’s 1s Royal Agricultural 1s vs. Women’s 2s Women’s 4s vs. Gloucestershire 4s

Rugby League Men’s 1s vs. Exeter 2s

Football UWIC 2s vs. Men’s 1s

Rugby Union Men’s 1’s vs. Swansea 1s Men’s 2s vs. Gloucestershire 1s Men’s 3s vs. Gloucestershire 2s Newport 1s vs. Men’s 4s Marjons 1s vs. Women’s 1s

Men’s 2s vs. Winchester 1s Marjons 2s vs. Men’s 3s Bath Spa 4s vs. Men’s 4s UWIC 2s vs. Women’s 1s

Squash Southampton 1s vs. Women’s 2s Tennis Men’s 2s vs. UWIC 1s Wednesday 16th November Badminton Bath Spa 1s vs. Men’s 2s Bath 2s vs. Women’s 1s Basketball Exeter 1s vs. Men’s 1s Men’s 2s vs. Bournemouth 2s Fencing Aberystwyth 1s vs. Men’s 2s Aberystwyth 1s vs. Women’s 1s

Golf Mixed 1s vs. Bournemouth 4s Hockey Men’s 1s vs. Bath 1s Cardiff 1s vs. Men’s 2s Swansea 1s vs. Men’s 3s Bath 4s vs. Men’s 4s Women’s 1s vs. Bath 1s Bath 2s vs. Women’s 2s Women’s 3s vs. Plymouth 2s Women’s 4s vs. Cardiff 4s Lacrosse Men’s 1s vs. Brighton 1s UWE 1s vs. Men’s 2s Women’s 1s vs. Bath 1s Exeter 2s vs. Women’s 2s Netball Women’s 1s vs. Swansea 1s Cardiff 2s vs. Women’s 2s Exeter 4s vs. Women’s 3s

Cardiff 4s vs. Women’s 4s Rugby League Men’s 1s vs. Oxford 2s Rugby Union UWIC 1s vs. Men’s 1s Men’s 2s vs. Hartpury 3s Marjons 2s vs. Men’s 3s Glamorgan 3s vs. Men’s 4s Glamorgan 1s vs. Women’s 1s Squash Bath 2s vs. Men’s 2s Swansea 1s vs. Men’s 3s Womens 2s vs. Cardiff 1s Table Tennis Southampton 1s vs. Women’s 1s Tennis Men’s 1s vs. London Met 1s Exeter 2s vs. Men’s 2s Bath 1s vs. Women’s 1s Women’s 2s vs. Bath 2s Volleyball Bath 1s vs. Men’s 1s Women’s 1s vs. Southampton 1s

Deputy Editor’s picks of the fortnight Wednesday 9th November Rugby Union Men’s 1s vs. Swansea 1s (Coombe Dingle) Bristol go into this match looking for their first win in the Premier South League after a difficult start to the season. Hard-hitting Swansea aren’t going to just roll over though, so all support will be needed this Wednesday afternoon at Coombe Dingle.

Wednesday 16th November Hockey Women’s and Men’s 1s vs. Bath 1s (Coombe Dingle) This local derbies are sure to be some thrilling games as both the men’s and women’s XI face some difficult matches against strong Bath Teams. These two fierce mid table clashes will be the best entertainment of the week.

Epigram

07.11.2011

33

UH defeat arch rivals in feisty dogfight Wills Hall University Hall

0 1

Daniel Thacker Sports Reporter It was a dark and stormy night on the Downs, the rain came down in torrents. A few hardy souls had ventured out of their warm University Hall bedsits in order to watch arguably Bristol University’s biggest intramural derby. The Bristol fixtures computer had thrown it up, the first and most competitive match of both sides’ seasons. Wills vs UH, rich vs poor, the Malfoys vs the Weasleys, Toffs vs Lads.

Intense pre-match rivalry had been ramped up a notch with Wills underhandedly hanging incendiary banners between UH trees. Our trees. It was to provide the perfect pre-match motivation.

The underhand tactics continued as the day went on, with Wills requesting 35 minute halves, as they were ‘tired from the morning’s polo’. No, I kid you not, a genuine request. The alcoholfuelled fitness levels of UH’s first XI, and the epic battle music flooding through blocks and flats had motivated them, along with Wills’ bare-faced cheek. It was to be their day.

It was indeed, a flying start, the Wills centre-half flying off

his feet into a bone-crunching tackle on UH’s star forward, Aaron Ritchie, who bore it with his stoic nature, knowing the goals would come. Penzer, Boggs and Hart began imposing their short-passing game amongst the long grass, creating opportunities for the former Southampton starlet Ritchie, who spurned chance after chance. His time would come.With the first half progressing,Haluk cast crossed the ball eloquently onto the head of Penzer who shot directly onto the woodwork.

Unlucky it may have been, but a good leap none the less, and it most certainly had the advancing goalkeeper beaten hands down.

Defensively solid, with Phipps dominating in the air and Thacker elegantly tidying up, UH could focus their efforts on attack. Eventually, good work from Penzer and Boggs combined to find Ritchie, whose low curling shot found the bottom corner, only to be overruled by a Wills linesman who claimed to be ‘unsure of the offside rule’.

In the dying moments before half-time, a flowing team move resulted in a diagonal ball finding Penzer, whose clever dink confounded Wills polo-playing centrehalves, finding Ritchie, who, in the classically composed fashion that only he could manage, rolled the ball into

the centre of the waiting goal.

The second half brought changes in personnel, but everyone who donned the black of UH gave their all for their hall. Hart’s potential legbreaking challenge resulted in a 22-man brawl, which the referee had no control over.

Soon, a penalty was awarded to Wills, only moments after UH had been denied one at the other end due to brilliant work up top from front man Penzer, who had been hauled to the ground by Wills’ goalkeeper.

The awarding of the Wills penalty resulted in skipper Thacker roaring ‘Are you having a giraffe!?’ at the referee at the top of his voice, looking

and sounding remarkably like the Big Issue seller outside CoOp. With help from Piaras the referee was forced to revoke the penalty decision, kudos to the Wills play artist who admitted his deceitful act. As the rain poured again on the sodden players, their resolve to defend their goal only hardened as wave after wave of Wills attacks were repelled brilliantly over and over again

by Phipps, Lysaght, Willes and Wood.

Eventually, the referee’s metaphorical whistle drew the curtain on a thoroughly deserved and satisfying victory for the UH troopers, with Wills having been vanquished for another year.

Whatever happened to...

Andy Fordham?

Sports Club Quickfire: Amateur Boxing Club

Tom Mordey Sports Reporter

Tom Burrows Sports Editor

When people argue over whether darts can be classified as an actual sport or merely pub entertainment, they often comment on the non-athletic stature of the players themselves.

For those who suggest the game is only suitable for the lager-swilling chain smokers of Britain’s pubic houses, one name always supports their argument: Andy Fordham.

A man known more for his weight than his ability with the darts, the man nicknamed ‘The Viking’ for his 6ft frame and hefty beard became one of the more recognisable faces alongside Phil Taylor in the darts world.

He burst onto the scene in 1995, featuring regularly in the BDO World Darts Championship, and reaching the semi-finals three times in five years. A couple of poor campaigns followed, before he finally achieved his ultimate goal, attaining the World Title in 2004, beating strong favourite Raymond Van Barneveld in the Semi Final, before seeing off Mervyn King in the final. Then it all went wrong. His world ranking fell faster than his weight climbed, and he has since failed to win a World Championship match.

Unfortunately, health problems have seriously marred his progress in the game. Indeed, after withdrawing from a match with Phil Taylor in 2004, a visit to the doctors’ informed him that 75% of his liver was dead and he was urged to stop drinking immediately. Sound advice given that his regular pre-match tipple consisted not of Powerade,

This week’s Sports Club Quickfire focuses on Bristol’s Boxing Club. Epigram caught up with its Club Captain, Ben Amanna.

but 25 bottles of lager. Fordham himself claims not to remember the final of his 2004 title win, and Phil Taylor commented on his profound drinking ability, stating ‘I’ve seen some big drinkers in my time but never anyone like Andy Fordham, never.’ Whilst his darts career stagnated, he disappeared off the map after a 9 month lay off following a serious health scare and cirrhosis of the liver.

Fordham burst back onto the public platform once more in 2005- just not the one facing a darts board. An appearance on Celebrity Fit Club set the ball rolling for a weight loss regime that saw him fall from an astonishing 31 stone to a more manageable 16, making him literally half the man he used to be. Gone was the ice cream, the takeaways and chocolate biscuits, but also gone was the successful darts career he once enjoyed. Phil Taylor questioned the desire of his former competitor back in 2008. ‘Will he be at the top again? I don’t think so, I’m not sure he’s got the ambition to be at the top level again.’ His

words were to be proved right, as Andy now barely features in any darts tournaments, never mind the major ones. His world ranking has now slipped to 303, having not won any prize money since 2009, but he still vehemently defends darts as a sport, outlining his opinion in an interview last year: ‘I’m not having a go at any other sport, but shooting’s in the Olympics and they lie on the floor. It’s not a fitness thing, darts. But mentally and physically a long game can be exhausting. For me there’s no doubt, darts is a sport. If we keep battling it’ll get recognised in the end.’

Although his career may have fallen by the wayside, Fordham has finally hit the bull’s-eye with his life objectives; not a drop of alcohol has been touched since 2007, whilst his weight remains at a stable level. His career is ending where it all started, down the pub, albeit behind the bar pulling the pints. We may no longer hear the cries of ‘180’ where Andy Fordham is concerned, but the Viking still remains a cult hero in the game.

How many teams does boxing run?

We run three teams. We have one competitive team that takes part in the knock out competition against boxers from other universities. As well as this, we also run the mixed ‘boxfit’ session which works on fitness and technique. Lastly, we have the weekly women’s ‘boxercise’ classes.

Tell us more about this ‘university knock out’ competition?

Basically, boxing does not have a league format. Instead, it runs a knock out competition.

Each university puts forward about 10-12 boxers that then fight against boxers from other universities. Quite simply, if you win your fight, you go through to the next round.

How often do the competitive boxers train?

We train twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This year, we had 180 turn up for trials, which we trimmed down to a squad of 50.

And what about the ‘boxfit’ classes?

The ‘boxfit’ classes are run by myself and predominately concentrate on fitness and technique. We regularly have 80 to 100 coming to our sessions which is fantastic.

These classes run from 5-7pm in the Anson Rooms in our lovely Students’ Union.

Tell us about the ‘boxercise’ classes?

These classes are for women only and are essentially aerobic sessions. It is a common misconception that these sessions are solely for stacked, burly women. This is not the case; we do not expect the girls to hit one another.

It is really just an intensive fitness class.

How do other clubs view you?

I think other clubs are often intimidated by us. I also think that people have the wrong

idea about boxing. They tend to view it as being very aggressive, when really it is a controlled and skilled sport.

Dream season?

If one of our boxers were to win the university knock out competition. It would also be brilliant to win the varsity box against UWE. Here, we both enter 6 boxers and the university that wins the most fights wins.

Nightmare season?

One of our training rituals is to carry one another up and down the stairs of the Students’ Union. If one of us were to ever fall down the stairs, it would be pretty drastic!

Epigram

07.11.2011

34

Robins fail to take flight and turn to McInnes Tom Davoll Sports Reporter

The Robins Quick facts

Bristol City hope that Ashton Gate will play host to Championship football next season.

With only two wins so far this season,the Robins are propping up the Championship table.

Following the 5-0 thrashing away to Blackpool, managed

by Bristolian and Rovers legend, Ian Holloway, Millen was relieved of his duties. The hapless Steve Wigley, who had recorded only one win from 14 matches at Southampton, his only spell as a manager in the Football League was drafted in as caretaker manager. Two defeats followed.

Come in Derek McInnes, a relatively unknown Scot who has been given the job of reviving City’s fortunes.

McInnes has joined the Robins after a four year spell at St Johnstone, with whom he won promotion from the

Scottish First Division to the Scottish Premier League in 2008. McInnes has made all the right noises since arriving at Ashton Gate in late October, calling the Robins ‘a sleeping giant’ and hailing the club’s potential for progression.

Nevertheless, he was gloomy about the short-term picture, saying that ‘the club is in a position we don’t want to be in at the minute. There is a lot of work to be done to get us up the table. If you start picking up points you get that confidence going and the team are in dire need of that.’

Despite suffering a 20 defeat at home to high flying Birmingham City in McInnes’ first game in charge, City recorded their first win

WikiCommons: Badboylain

In the not-too-distant past, Bristol City were a football club on the rise. A number of stable and successful years under the guidance of Gary Johnson led to an unsuccessful tilt at the Premier League in the 2008 play-off final, where they narrowly lost to Hull City.

Remember that Dean Windass volley?

From there, things have gone steadily downhill. A disappointing campaign two seasons ago, culminating in an extraordinary 6-0 home defeat to rivals Cardiff City brought an end to Johnson’s five year reign at the club. The reliable and efficient Steve Coppell was lined up as his replacement and his appointed was met with approval by the City faithful, hoping that they could finally achieve their dream of promotion to the top flight. In Coppell, they had a manager who had already achieved this feat, having won promotion with Reading in 2006, amassing a staggering 106 points in the process.

However, Coppell dramatically parted company with City, after only two competitive matches at the helm, citing a lack of passion for the job.

This was an even shorter reign than his time at Manchester City back in 1996, where he quit after a mere six games in the hot seat.

After Coppell’s astounding resignation, City turned to assistant and well-respected Keith Millen to steady the ship.

After a tricky start, where the Robins spent a large part of the season languishing in the lower reaches of the league, they managed to gain midtable mediocrity.

This season, City are struggling more than ever.

In the not-too-distant past, Bristol City were a football club on the rise. A number of stable and successful years under the guidance of Gary Johnson led to an unsuccessful tilt at the Premier League in the 2008 playFull Name off final, where they narrowly Bristol that City Football Club lost to Hull City. Remember Dean Windass volley?

Manager From there, things have Derek gone steadily downhill.

A McInnes disappointing campaign two seasons ago, culminating in Chairman an extraordinary 6-0 home defeat Colin Sexstone to rivals Cardiff City brought an end to Johnson’s five year reign Founded at the club. The reliable and 1897 efficient Steve Coppell was lined up as his replacement and his Ground appointed was met with approval Ashton Gate by the City faithful, hoping that they could finally achieve their Capacity: dream of promotion to the top flight. In Coppell, they had21,497 a manager who had already achieved this feat, having Nicknames: won The Robins - Kit same promotion with Reading in colour as a robin’s chest, featured on the106 club’s badge 1976-1994 2006, amassing a staggering points in theCider process.

However, The Army - Bristol’s alcoholic heritage

since mid-August when they beat Burnley at Turf Moor last Saturday. Supporters desperately hope that this will be a sign of things to come.

Having had a relatively quiet summer in the transfer market (versatile midfielder Neil Kilkenny from Leeds being the only signing of note), it is crucial that McInnes is given the backing to make the most of the January transfer window. In particular, City require a creative midfield player able to get the best out of their promising forward line of Nicky Maynard and Jon Stead, both of whom are proven goalscorers at Championship level.

Off the pitch, progress has stalled on the proposed

Colours: Home - Red/White Away - Yellow/Black Last Season: Finished 15th in the Championship Rivals Bristol Rovers, Cardiff City, Swindon Town Did you know?

The clubs official anthem is ‘One For The Bristol City’ by The Wurzels. A newly released version reached number 66 in the UK music charts in September 2007.

30,000 capacity ‘Bristol City Stadium’. Originally part of England’s 2018 World Cup bid, construction has been halted after local residents appealed against the granting of planning permission, due to a row about the use of a

communal piece of land.

At this moment in time, however, this is the least of Bristol City and its fans worries, as the club look to climb the Championship under their rookie Scotsman.

University water polo: Speedos, stamina and skill Tom Mordey Sports Reporter With the Olympics fast approaching, less publicised pool sports such as water polo are set to be thrust into the limelight, as Great Britain dreams of a gold rush in 2012.

The UBSWPC (University of Bristol Swimming and Water Polo Club) look set to benefit from such increased publicity and Epigram caught up with Jack Holt, the men’s second team water polo captain to find out more.

Who are they?

Although the society combines both swimming and water polo,

the latter offers two men’s teams and one women’s team. Club membership is proving highly popular this year, with almost 100 people signed up already.

Teams consist of 6 field players and one goalkeeper, meaning there is stiff competition for places. However, a squad of 13 are taken to national matches, with this number increased to 15 for BUCS matches.

Hotshots The men’s team boasts a number of highly talented individuals, three of whom competed at junior level for Great Britain. Standout performer, Joel Thomas, is a member of the esteemed High Performance Squad and was

named ‘Bristol Sports Person of the Year’ in 2008 at the Athletic Union awards. The women’s side is equally as impressive, with Andrea Holmes posing the main threat to opposition.

Who do they play?

Both the men’s and women’s 1st team are in the highest BUCS league. The men play against Birmingham, Plymouth and Southampton, while the women face Bath, Cardiff and UWIC. More regular matches are played at both local and national level, which provides high standard opponents for the Bristol sides. There is also an annual varsity match against UWE, which (to put it politely) is rather less competitive. The

cricket team would have been proud of the scores that the men’s and women’s sides racked up against UWE last year.

The water polo side are always strong contenders when the BUCS tournaments come round.

Both the men and women’s teams won the silver medal last year, almost replicating the success the men’s 1sts enjoyed back in 2008, where they won gold.

Training Routine Given the rigorous nature of the sport, training is regular and intense. There are sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, as well as a gruelling 6:30am start on Wednesday mornings. Mark Taylor, a former Great Britain

coach, offers his expertise to the men’s side in running technical and tactical drills whilst also practising frequent game play.

The women’s team are trained

by Greg Harper, who also coaches Bristol Central.

Society Socials The club has a strong social scene given that the water polo and swimming clubs are combined. This ensures that a healthy number frequently

turn out for socials. UBSWPC members are hard to miss on Score nights; they are the ones sporting nothing but Speedos, usually accompanied by a generous dose of fake tan. An upcoming tour sees the teams travel out to Serbia (whose national team is one of the strongest) to take on some challenging opponents. As well as this, a top side from Paris visits next term for an intensive weekend of matches.

Epigram

07.11.2011

35

University of Bristol Olympians Epigram meets final-year law student Georgia Twigg, England women’s hockey player and London 2012 Olympics hopeful from the University in the England set-up?

Yes, there is Dilly Newton, who has just graduated and also Charlotte Craddock, who left after a year to concentrate on her hockey.

Tom Burrows Sport Editor In the third of our series of Bristol University Olympic hopefuls, Epigram caught up with England hockey player, Georgie Twigg.

Georgie started at Bristol in 2008 and is currently in the final year of her law degree, where she is splitting it into two due to her sporting demands. Georgie made her debut for the England hockey team at the 2010 women’s Champions Trophy against world champions, Argentina. She has since represented the national side at the World Cup and Commonwealth Games.

When did you get called up by England?

I played for the U16, U18 and U21 England teams. I got scouted while I was playing for my club and the U21 team. From there, I got asked to trail for the national team. I was then called up for the 2010 Champions Trophy (a prestigious annual tournament that pits the top six sides in the world against each other) and amazingly made my debut against the world champions, Argentina.

Firstly, Georgie, what hall were you in?

I was in Wills Hall.

What are your favourite Bristol memories?

I particularly enjoyed first year in halls and the formals we had.

I also, perhaps unsurprisingly, particularly liked the university hockey matches. To be honest, I just generally loved university life!

How did the High Performance Squad help you?

It was so good; they gave us help with strength and conditioning exercises and also provided us with physios. They were also very supportive in helping us manage

M.Paine

How are you coping with the demands of a law degree while also playing such a high standard of hockey?

I was meant to graduate last year, but the law department kindly let me split my third year over two years. I come to Bristol every Friday, which is when I have my seminars. I then catch up on the reading the rest of the week.

our academic demands.

and

sporting

Moving away from Bristol, when did you start playing hockey?

I started playing at school when I was about seven or eight.

What position do you play?

Anywhere in the midfield,

although preferably centre.

Do you also play for a club?

Yes, I play for Clifton Ladies, who are in the Premiership.

Do you still get a chance to play for the University?

Not really this year. I tried as much as I could last year, particularly in the important

BUCS Cup games. In my 1st and 2nd year, I played almost every game. We had an awesome team in my 2nd year; we got through to the semi-final of the BUCS Cup, where we narrowly lost to Birmingham who had four or five England players and we also won our league.

Are there any other people

What was it like playing in a World Cup? It was incredible. As a team, we played really well and won the bronze medal which was a fantastic achievement, as it was England’s first medal at a World Cup. The tournament was held in Argentina, where hockey is the most popular sport after football.

We therefore had 16,000 people watching our matches and when we played Argentina, the atmosphere was electric as their fans were manically jumping up and down in the stands.

Who are the teams to watch out for in the Olympics?

Apart from us of course? Well, Argentina are the favourites and the Netherlands are always very strong. Those are the two teams we are targeting.

gym session on Wednesday. On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, we are therefore doing drills and match play.

I take it you are now training as a Great Britain squad?

Yes, we are, although out of the squad of 29 there are only four Scottish girls and one Welsh girl! We have a month’s training camp in San Diego, Argentina, in December this year. We then compete in the 2011 Champions Trophy in January (also in Argentina) as a Great Britain team, which is the crucial preparation prior to the Olympic Games.

How many of the preliminary squad make it to the Olympic squad?

Out of the squad of 29, only 16 will make the Olympic squad so quite a few have to miss out. This means that there is a competitive edge at training, but it does make training more intense and worthwhile.

What do you make of the Olympic hockey pitch?

I think it looks really cool actually! The synthetic surface is blue and the run-off areas are pink. The stadium will hold 16,000 and the building for this starts in January. We then have Olympic test events in May next year.

What is your training routine?

I train at Bishop Abbey from Monday to Thursday. While I am in Bristol on Friday, I am prescribed a gym programme I must follow. We also have a

Finally, how much are you looking forward to competing in London?

If I make it through to the final 16, it would just be incredible; it is something you can only dream about. To compete in the Olympics is one thing, but to do so in your home country would just be amazing, especially with the atmosphere that will be around London.

especially for their home games, finishing a respectable 12th – out of 12. The challenge for our handballers is huge.

Still, if you applied for tickets to watch Bolt break the 9.5 second barrier or Hoy win a record 6 gold medals, do not be

too disheartened if you got a couple of group games of men’s handball. You might get to see Lazarov beat his record of 92 goals in a single tournament instead – and that would be much better value for money than 10 seconds of running.

Obscure Olympics: Handball Will Jackson Sports Reporter

it was voted the best spectator sport at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, and you start to understand why handball has garnered such a following.

So what of Great Britain’s chances in 2012? Well, the fact that the national team was only reformed in 2008, after a 24-year hiatus from the sport tells its own story. It also took three and a half years for the men’s team to record a victory in a competitive match (3332 against Bulgaria in June).

With just 1,000 registered players in the UK, much of the British Handball Federation’s efforts to attract new talent to the sport in time for London focused on campaigns such as Sporting Giants, which sought tall and athletic types, twelve men and women of whom are

now training with the national squads.

Both squads include players who qualify to play for Great Britain on technicalities, and the women’s team in particular draws comparison with the German football team for its, ‘cosmopolitan’ complexion – just two of the squad were born in the UK, and all live and play abroad. This might explain why their results have been slightly more encouraging than their male compatriots, with a narrow defeat last Saturday to world champions Russia underlining their potential.

Without trying to paint too pessimistic a picture, it would be a minor miracle if Great Britain were to win a medal in London. In Sydney in 2000, Australia too formed a team

Flickr: Raka18

When asked to name a sport that includes 166 member federations, approximately 795,000 teams and 19 million players, you might be forgiven for thinking of the obvious choices. Granted, football’s numbers are far greater than that but sports like rugby, basketball and baseball would all be fair guesses. You would, however, be wrong on all three counts. These numbers in fact apply to the sport of handball, little practised in the United Kingdom but so popular that it meets the criteria for any Olympic sport, namely that the sport must be practiced in at least 75 countries and spread

over four continents.

Indeed, it’s a bit of a mystery as to why handball isn’t more popular in the UK, because it includes many of the characteristics of other sports that we seem to enjoy. Playing on a field similar in size to an indoor football pitch, teams of seven players attempt to score points by putting the ball into the opposing team’s goal (using, unsurprisingly, their hands). It’s fast, full of goals, physical – players are allowed to check their opponents if they are running straight at them – and extremely skilful.

A quick browse on YouTube reveals some moments that rival a Benji Marshall no-looker or a Roger Federer hotdog shot in the league of sporting genius. Add to this the fact that

Epigram

07.11.2011

Sport

Editor: Tom Burrows

Deputy Editor: David Stone

sport@epigram.org.uk

deputysport@epigram.org.uk

Hockey men suffer last minute heartache in season opener

Inside Sport In the third instalment of our series on Bristol Olympians, Epigram met current law student and hockey star, Georgie Twigg.

While studying at Bristol, Georgie has represtented the national side at both the World Cup and Commonwealth Games. She hopes to go one better this summer by playing for Great Britain at London 2012.

Oxford 3 Bristol 2

Nick Gregory Sports Reporter Bristol opened their 2011/12 BUCS league campaign with what they knew was going to be a difficult, but winnable, away fixture against the traditionally strong Oxford University.

Nevertheless, on the same site on which Sir Roger Bannister became the first man to run a sub-four minute mile, Bristol ran out of steam and were unable to bring home three points, despite being 2-1 up at half-time.

The combination of an extensive and successful preseason campaign, a new-look side and the appointment of a new director of hockey, Ian Cordwell, meant that confidence within the squad was high and expectations for the season were great.

Going into the match, 1st XI captain Matt Phillips had called for his team to arrive ‘fired up and ready to go’. They did just that and started the game the brighter of the two sides. Both teams looked to play open, expansive passing hockey from the outset, which provided a great show for the four spectators who braved the driving rain. The introduction this season of first-year student, and England international, Eugene Malthouse, proved effective as he pulled the strings

Page 35

in the Bristol midfield. Chances soon came thick and fast for the visitors but they were unable to capitalise, and somewhat against the run of play, Oxford took the lead with a quickly taken free hit that was driven across the Bristol D and deflected home by an unmarked Oxford forward.

However, this only served to spur Bristol on even more, and eventually continued pressure on the shaky Oxford goalkeeper told, as Malthouse calmly despatched a short corner with a well executed drag flick straight from the training ground. The game continued at a frenetic pace as the home side started to regain an air of parity, thanks predominantly to their captain

and centre forward, Adam Jordan. He was a constant threat to Bristol’s defensive ‘General’ Finn Hoolahan and his back four colleagues. Nevertheless, on the stroke of half time Bristol took the lead, thanks to a scrappy goal that saw Dave Bates react first to a deflected cross and slot home under the floundering Oxford keeper.

At half-time both captain and coach stressed the need to push on and secure a more comfortable margin of victory as opposed to trying to defend the precarious one goal lead Bristol were currently enjoying. However, these pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears as Bristol started sluggishly, and

conversely Oxford came out flying. A quick counter attack by the home side resulted in a goal that had looked likely for a while and took the score to 2-2 with 20 minutes to go. Oxford continued to assert their growing control on the game with a succession of short corners, which Bristol had England and Great Britain goalkeeper James Bailey to thank for keeping out, with a number of first-class saves.

With the visitors now creating nothing going forward, man of the match Bailey kept them in the game until the final minute when yet another passing move from the home side proved too much for the Bristol defence and allowed the ever-threatening

Oxford captain the chance to drill the ball home for the win.

Bristol were left devastated at the final whistle. However, Oxford’s domination of the second half meant the result was probably a fair reflection of the game overall. Bristol will need to start converting the substantial possession and chances they are getting early on in games into goals if they are to succeed this season in the highly competitive Premier South BUCS league.

It would be great to get as many supporters as possible down to Coombe Dingle on Wednesday 16th November for our much anticipated fixture against hockey rivals, Bath.

In the not-too-distant past, Bristol City were a football club on the rise. With Keith Milen being the latest in a series of managers to depart Ashton Gate in the past year, Tom Davoll assesses whether The Robins now have a chance of survival.

Is their new boss, rookie Derek McInnes, up to the challenge?

Page 34 The fixtures computer has already thrown up one of the most fiercely contested games of the intramural football season. Was it to be Rich vs poor, Malfoys vs the Weasleys, Toffs vs Lads?

Daniel Thacker reports on the day when University Hall took on their archrivals, Wills Hall, on the Downs.

Page 33

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dominos.co.uk 3/10/11 13:23:28