Bristol University’s Independent Student Newspaper Issue 245
•
Monday 23rd January 2012
• www.epigram.org.uk
Student housing plans upset locals
Comment What next for North Korea?
13
• High Kingsdown locals call the area a ‘student
ghetto’ • Ice rink closed to make way for student housing amidst protests (see page 2) Jessica Wingrad News Reporter
e2 Lifestyle
‘The Olympics suck’ Will Self finds little reason for fanfare Features 11
Julia May
Home, sweet home Interior design for the student house
The Kings Arms pub, which is due to be turned into twelve student flats
Yisan Cheong
Local residents in High Kingsdown have expressed strong opposition to plans for a local pub to be converted into twelve new student flats. The pub, The Kings Arms, could potentially be reorganized to house fifty students into ‘cluster flats’ which would not require any rebuilding to take place on the site. The High Kingsdown development is an award-winning area of Bristol built in the 1970s, where local residents take pride in their vibrant, friendly community. The location is extremely desirable for University of Bristol students since it is under ten minutes’ walk from Woodland Road and other major university buildings. Residents fear that the area is becoming a ‘student ghetto’ where the peace of the neighbourhood will be disturbed by students creating ‘an uncared-for area, a mess of litter, overflowing rubbish bins and front gardens looking like tips, not to mention noise’ as Linda Ewles, of Tyndall Park Mews, put it. An anonymous resident who has been living in High Kingsdown for 25 years said ‘I think it is outrageous. ‘There are already a large number of students here, which makes it a transient population. This development, with so many more students, would swamp the place with them.’ As well as objections online from local residents, there have been concerns voiced by the Kingsdown Conservation Group, the Bristol Civic Society and
the Highbury Residents Association. Mark Wright, a Councillor for the area, has said that, ‘The surrounding area of High Kingsdown is already well over 50% students and what the area needs is more balance in its demographic rather than more transient residents.’ Concerns coming from residents are focused on anxiety over the negative atmosphere that students may bring to the area in the form of noise, rubbish and late night parties. Dr Julie Clayton said ‘We need more young families who can attend local schools – and walk to school rather than driving from a distance. ‘We need owner-occupiers who are going to care for each other and the neighbourhood and support a mixed sustainable community.’ Response from students has defended their reputation, with one student saying ‘I am saddened that students are being depicted in this negative way.’ Another has claimed that ‘It is no less discriminatory to suggest that students make bad neighbours than to say ethnic minorities or those dependent on social welfare make bad neighbours.’ Those who do not support local objections have argued that students can benefit a community and that other residents can also be held responsible for noise levels and litter. In an online comment, one resident has said ‘I appreciate the important contribution students make to the community. ‘The shops, cafes and pubs in the area would close down without them.’ Although consultations regarding the plans to convert the pub have finished, the decision will not come before the committee until next month.
Epigram
23.01.2012
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 A sterling choice
As plans for the Bristol Pound are finalised, what will a new currency do for the city?
Comment 14 Farewell, Hitch
Tom Straker pays tribute to controversial journalist Christopher Hitchens, who died last month
Letters and Editorial 16 Love thy neighbour?
Why local residents and students both have a part to play in improving relations
Ice rink closure makes way for ‘Unite’ student housing Josephine McConville News Reporter Locals have been left reeling at plans to convert Bristol’s only ice rink into student flats. A petition against the closure of the 45 year old rink on Frogmore Street has attracted over 3000 signatures. The conversion, which is due to start in October, is planned by student housing firm Unite. James Hunt, development director at Unite, said, ‘We are in the early stages of planning new Unite student accommodation on the site currently occupied by the Bristol Ice Rink and the O2 music venue. The O2 will not be impacted by our plans; however, the ice rink will be affected. ‘We are in discussions with
the owner of Bristol Ice Rink about their future role in the new development. ‘The new development will include some leisure space and we will work with the ice rink to keep users informed of our proposals as they develop. ‘The current lease expires in January 2013. ‘Early discussions have begun with local amenity groups and further consultation will take place in the next few months with neighbours, local businesses and residents to inform the design of the new building before we apply for planning permission. Subject to receiving planning permission the scheme could open for September 2014.’ He added, ‘Unite has owned the site for ten years and we would now like to redevelop the site in response to the positive outlook
of the city’s two universities.’ This positive outlook is not shared by everyone, as the conversion will force skaters to travel to Swindon for the nearest alternative ice rink. Anne Strange, chairwoman of Bristol Ice Skating Club said ‘The closure of Bristol Ice Rink means a long journey to any other rink’ which would be ‘impossible’ for some people. Sharon Davies, chairwoman of the Bristol Bulldogs junior ice hockey team, said she was ‘shocked’ by the news. ‘I am devastated for the children. It’s not only them but also the figure skaters and synchronised skaters who practise at the rink. ‘There are also sledging sessions for disabled adults and children – there’s things that go on there for older people too. ‘A lot of children go down
there at the weekends – it’s a nice place to go and keeps them off the streets, they make a lot of friends down there. It’s such a big part of Bristol, it’s been there for so long.’ However, there is hope that a new ice-rink could be built in south Bristol. John Nike, the Berkshire-based businessman who operates the ice rink, wants to build hundreds of homes along with a leisure development that could include a £10m ice rink. Nevertheless, the supporters of the rink say it will be missed by many people. Ice rink manager Eddie Pearson said, ‘This is a very sad day for everyone connected to the ice rink, both the staff and the users. ‘This is not a decision that has been taken by us but by our landlords.’
Flickr: dichohecho
14 Music 23 California Girls Rishi Modha catches up with San Francisco indie darlings, Girls
Flickr: James Clay MarekFAllen
25 Rising new talent
Azealia Banks and Clams Casino both make appearances in Epigram’s top tips for 2012
Film & TV 27 Silence is golden
With The Artist tipped for Oscar success, should cinema seek the past for inspiration?
25 Sport 32 The ‘magic’ of the FA Cup A definitive guide to the biggest clichés when reporting on English football’s most coveted competition
The ice rink on Frogmore Street is due to close this year
Meetings
Editorial team Editor Editor Tom Flynn editor@epigram.org.uk editor@epigram.org.uk Deputy Editors Deputy Editors Jon Bauckham Jon Bauckham jon@epigram.org.uk jon@epigram.org.uk Hannah Stubbs hannah@epigram.org.uk Hannah Stubbs e2 Editor hannah@epigram.org.uk Matthew McCrory e2 Editor e2@epigram.org.uk Matthew McCrory News Editor e2@epigram.org.uk Alice Young news@epigram.org.uk Deputy News Editors News Editor Alice Young Abigail Van-West news@epigram.org.uk
avanwest@epigram.org.uk
Deputy News Editors Jenny Awford Jenny Awford jawford@epigram.org.uk jawford@epigram.org.uk
Features Editor Abigail Van-West Tristan Martin avanwest@epigram.org.uk features@epigram.org.uk
News Online Editor Amina Makele Deputy Features Editor newsonline@epigram.org.uk
Sport Online Editors Features Editor Deputy Music Editor Science Editor Tom Mordey Tristan Martin Comment Editor Pippa Shawley features@epigram.org.uk Patrick Baker Nick Cork tmordey@epigram.org.uk deputymusic@epigram.org.uk
comment@epigram.org.uk
Deputy Features Editor Andrew White Letters Editor deputyfeatures@epigram.org.uk Emma Corfield
science@epigram.org.uk Paddy Von Behr
Music Online Editor pvonbehr@epigram.org.uk David Biddle Deputy Science Editor musiconline@epigram.org.uk Emma Sackville Puzzles Editor letters@epigram.org.uk deputyscience@epigram.org Film & TV Editor Lily Buckmaster Comment Editor Will Ellis Patrick Baker Culture Editor Sport Editor filmandtv@epigram.org.uk Head Sub Editor comment@epigram.org.uk Calum Sherwood Tom Burrows Emma Corfield culture@epigram.org.uk sport@epigram.org.uk Deputy Film & TV Editor Deputy Comment Editor Anthony Adeane Sub Editors Hugh Davies Deputy Culture Editor Deputy Sport Editor deputyfilmandtv@epigram.org.uk Jennifer Hooton deputycomment@epigram.org.uk Zoe Hutton David Stone Rachel Hosie deputyculture@epigram.org.uk deputysport@epigram.org.uk Science Editor Harriet Layhe Letters Editor Nick Cork Rosemary Wagg Emma CorfieldMusic Editor Puzzles Editor science@epigram.org.uk letters@epigram.org.uk Nathan Comer Lily Buckmaster Photography Editor music@epigram.org.uk Deputy Science EditorHead Sub Marek Allen Culture Editor Editor Emma Sackville Zoe Hutton Deputy Music Editor Emma Corfield deputyscience@epigram.org Illustrator culture@epigram.org.uk Pippa Shawley Sophie Sladen Sub Editors deputymusic@epigram.org.uk Sport Editor Deputy Culture Editor Harriet Layhe, Web Designer Hannah Mae Collins FIlm & TV Editor Tom Burrows Kate Moreton, Rosemary Wagg sport@epigram.org.uk Maciej Kumorek deputyculture@epigram.org.uk Will Ellis
Illustrator
filmandtv@epigram.org.uk Deputy Sport Editor Sophie Sladen Music Editor Stone Nathan ComerDeputy Film & TVDavid Editor Web Designer music@epigram.org.uk Anthony Adeane deputysport@epigram.org.uk
Andrew White deputyfeatures@epigram.org.uk
deputyfilmandtv@epigram.org.uk
Rob Mackenzie
News:
Monday 30th Jan, 1.10pm, The White Bear
Features:
Tuesday 24th Jan, 1.15pm, The White Bear
Comment: Tuesday 24th Jan, 1.30pm, The Hill Culture:
Monday 23rd Jan, 2pm, The White Bear
Music:
Wednesday 25th Jan, 1.15pm , The White Bear
Film & TV: Mondays, 1.15pm, Union 3rd Floor Science:
Tuesday 24th Jan, 1.10pm, Chemistry Foyer
Sport:
Tuesday 24th Jan, 1.30pm, The White Bear
For Lifestyle, What’s On, Fashion, Travel and Money see e2, page 2 Epigram is the independent student newspaper of the University of Bristol. We are supported but not financed by the University of Bristol Students’ Union; however the views expressed are not theirs. The design, text and photographs are copyright of Epigram or its individual contributors and may not be reproduced without permission.
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Epigram
23.01.2012
3
‘Occupy Bristol’ ordered to disband camp Alex Bradbrook News Reporter
Flickr: Richard J Lockley-Hobson
College Green has for three months played host to the ‘Occupy Bristol’ movement, but this is soon set to change after Bristol City Council and Bristol Cathedral succeeded in their legal action to have them removed. A judge at Bristol County Court made the decision to end the 12-week protest, saying that the encampment and its campaigners should be made to go. Bizarrely, the courtroom was also the site of a small protest itself after the verdict, when six ‘Occupy’ protesters refused to leave for five hours, expressing dismay with the result and questioning the judge’s authority to order them to leave. Protestors acting under the ‘Occupy’ banner have led wide-scale occupations of famous locations in recent months, including Wall Street and St Paul’s Cathedral. The campaigners, who describe themselves as ‘part
of a global movement aiming to create a fairer society with fewer inequalities’, have been present on the Green since the 15th October and have polarised opinion amongst Bristol’s residents. Alasdair Watson, writing on Occupy Bristol’s website, highlighted an issue important to many supporters by describing the current economic system as ‘unsustainable’ and ‘unfair’. Other supporters have cited issues such as corruption in government and large corporations’ alleged taxdodging as additional motives for protesting. Until January, the ‘Occupy Bristol’ camp had not been challenged in the courts. However, at the start of 2012, Bristol City Council ended its period of tolerance, with Council Leader Barbara Janke saying, ‘the camp is less a symbol of citizen concern and more an environmental eyesore and antisocial nuisance’. In addition, the council had criticised other implications of the protest, including ‘public health concerns and
The protest on College Green has begun to disband
denial of the use of this much-loved public space to the wider people of Bristol’. The Very Reverend David Hoyle of Bristol Cathedral stated that ‘whilst we are committed to listening to the occupy movement, we believe it is now time that this stage in their protest came to an end.’ In a report published in December, it was estimated that ‘Occupy Bristol’ would cost
the council around £100,000. Whilst this figure is disputed by activists, it served to anger many local residents, with anonymous posters on an online message board saying, ‘It is time we stopped [Occupy Bristol] destroying beautiful historic sites’and others labeling them ‘idiots with no clue’. News of the eviction did not come as a surprise to the ‘Occupy Bristol’ spokesman
Tony Cripps, who initially responded by saying that the group were now seeking legal advice themselves. ‘We were fully aware this would happen but it means nothing. We’ve made changes by being here. But we don’t intend to move and they aren’t forcing us out yet’, commented Cripps. However, in a dramatic U-turn, ‘Occupy Bristol’ confirmed on the 13th January that they would
voluntarily leave College Green, acknowledging that ‘it is time for [us] to go’ and choosing not to contest the court’s decision. The group also offered to pay for any reseeding of damaged grass and to completely dismantle its lodgings in the next few days. The departure marks the end of one of the most unique and divisive protests in Bristol in recent years.
Road rage bus Bristol achieves record number of registered voters driver hits cyclist Jodie White News Reporter
Flickr: gothick_matt
Watching the leaders’ debate at Bristol harbourside during the last general election in 2010
Jenny Awford Deputy News Editor Bristol Council has received a record number of registered voters on the city’s electoral roll following an annual canvass. An impressive total of 93% of eligible Bristol voters are now formally registered. This is the highest documented figure that the city has ever had, according to Bristol Council. The record is due to the successful 2011 Bristol Council electoral campaign, which involved sending over 190,000 electoral registration forms to local residents. The annual canvass is carried out to ensure that electoral registers remain
as accurate and complete as possible. It also means that in the event of a snap election, those eligible to vote can do so. Bristol City Council’s statutory services manager, Yvonne Dawes, commented that ‘A high quality electoral canvass maximises participation in the electoral process and ultimately, underpins our democracy. Thanks must go to the electoral service team and our canvassers who have gone door-to-door to boost register numbers and accurately record Bristol’s electoral population.’ Chair of the Election and Democracy Committee, Councillor Trevor Blythe, said that the ‘The Election and Democracy Committee have
worked closely with officers to bring about real improvements to the service. These excellent figures show we are on the right track and making good progress.’ Bristol’s high registration rate is bucking the national trend, as a recent Electoral Commission report showed a 50% rise in the number of unregistered voters in England and Wales. The independent elections watchdog reported that at least 6 million people in Great Britain were not registered to vote in December 2010, with the number rising to 8.5 million people found to be unregistered in April 2011. The referendum for an elected mayor in Bristol is due to take place on Thursday, May
3rd. This citywide election will reveal the number of eligible registered voters who actually choose to use their vote. If there is a ‘yes’ result then elections for a Bristol mayor will be held on the same day as the Police Commissioner elections for Avon and Somerset on Thursday 15 November 2012. Dawes commented on the record number of registered voters, saying ‘Our success does not mean we are complacent. We know there are still many eligible adults in our city who have not yet registered. And with the referendum on an elected mayor for Bristol taking place in May 2012 it is important everyone eligible to vote is registered.’
Following a terrifying incident of road rage in Bristol, bus driver Gavin Hill, 29, has been told he faces jail for deliberately swerving into cyclist Philip Mead on April 5th 2011. The men had been involved in a verbal confrontation at the St. James Barton roundabout, before Hill overtook Mead in the single-decker bus and lurched sharply towards him. Mead spent the next two weeks in hospital after the blow hurtled him ten feet across the road, crushing his bike under the wheels of the bus and breaking his leg, wrist and thumb in the process. He also needed an operation to repair damage to his left knee. Police attended the scene to find Mead being treated by paramedics, and Hill was arrested immediately. Bugler Coaches, for whom he had been driving at the time, then dismissed him from the company. Gerald Creed, managing director of the company, said ‘We were deeply shocked when we heard of this incident and once we had established what had happened, Mr Hill was
immediately dismissed as we did not want him driving one of our buses ever again.’ ‘We can assure all passengers that this was an isolated incident by a driver that has badly let down our company. ‘As a cyclist myself I am very aware that some drivers of large vehicles, both buses and lorries, treat cyclists as a nuisance as indeed do some car drivers.’ Hill admitted causing grievous bodily harm and dangerous driving at Bristol Crown Court on January 4th. Presiding judge, Frank Abbot said, ‘My understanding is he drove his bus in the direction of the bicycle after, at worst, losing his cool. ‘He drove in his direction to frighten him or show him who’s boss but caused much more damage.’ ‘You drove in a way that was patently dangerous and in my view you did it out of spite towards the cyclist with catastrophic results. ‘He could have been killed and you would have been facing a much more serious offence.’ Mr Hill was granted bail following the initial hearing and is due to be sentenced later on this month. The incident follows a spate of similar occurences, including a bus driver who was convicted of assaulting a cycling pensioner.
Epigram
23.01.2012
4
Bristol council clampdown on parking Alex Bradbrook News Reporter
regulations instead of fines in order to familiarise the public with the new scheme. After the first fortnight, offenders caught by the van will be issued with a £70 fine, which will be reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days of receiving the penalty notice. Public opinion appears to be in favour of the crackdown; posters on one online forum raise points such as how dangerous it is for pedestrians, especially children, when cars are parked on the pavement and that fire engines would not be able to access some roads with particularly bad parking, impacting public safety. Whilst the new van has cost the taxpayer around £36,000 to bring into service, it is thought that it is worth the expense to try and improve parking throughout the city and address many of the issues raised by concerned members of the public.
Marek Allen Marek Allen
Bristol City Council has promised to get tough on parking from this month onwards after the purchase of a new mobile enforcement vehicle. The Ford Fiesta van will be used to monitor areas outside of schools, hospitals, bus stops and other public buildings, to try and prevent illegal or discourteous parkers from blocking or inconveniencing other road users. The council’s head of transport, Tim Kent, said, ‘the aim is to get people parking safely and legally at problem locations’. He also highlighted the importance of a steady flow of traffic and said that this should not be disrupted by poor parking. The enforcement van has been painted in the City
Council’s livery and number plate recognition technology has been installed in it, making it easier for offenders to be identified. Operations using the van will run from 7am until 10pm from Monday to Saturday, and 9am until 5pm on Sundays, and will be initially used outside schools at drop-off and pick-up times. The van will also be used to monitor areas such as zones with ‘keep clear’ markings, zigzag lines by road crossings, bus stops, taxi ranks, loading bays and, crucially, spaces for emergency services’ vehicles at hospitals. The success of the scheme has already been proven. In February 2011, a trial scheme was conducted, and an improvement of parking behaviour was observed in areas near to where the van was positioned. In the first two weeks of the scheme, warnings will be issued to people breaking traffic
Bristol Council has purchased a new mobile enforcement vehicle to help improve parking throughout the city
Record low for higher education spending Emily Gotta News Reporter Government spending for higher education has hit the century’s lowest record of public funding for British universities. The Universities and College Union (UCU) has issued a report, which finds that funding cuts have reached a historic low not seen since the 1900s. The UCU, which represents
more than 120,000 academics, lecturers and staff from universities, colleges, adult education and training organizations across the UK, released the report in advance of the controversial Higher Education Bill which is slated to enter parliament in May. If the bill is passed, forecasts assert that by 2014-2015, the annual government funding for teaching and research will make up just 15% of universities’ income, leaving
universities the massive task of funding the difference. According to the UCU, ‘the bill will deregulate the university places,’ and has been accused of creating chaos in the system by the National Union of Students. President of the University of Bristol Students’ Union, Gus Baker, responded to the government’s higher education policy by calling it a disaster. ‘This report shows that the government’s higher education policy has been an unmitigated
disaster. The UK has the highest public tuition fees in the world and applications to universities are down by over 20%. Students are being put off going to top universities like Bristol by the increasing cost, while privatisation and commercialisation of the sector are driving down standards,’ he said. Universities across the UK have already released plans to spike tuition fees and decrease funding for student university
services such as tutorials, pastoral support and extracurricular activities. University career service centers throughout the UK can expect to lose a cumulative £200m. The University of Bristol responded to the budget cuts by announcing their decision to charge the maximum amount of tuition fees of £9000 in 2012, and the rush to beat the mounting costs was clearly seen in the increased number of applications
Bristol received last year. As funding decreases and tuitions increases, record application numbers might remain a thing of the past. The landscape of higher education is shifting becuase the burden of paying for the majority of degree courses is passing from the state, to the student. This radical change may see entire subjects, mainly the arts, humanities and social sciences lacking in public funds.
Struggling students turn to prostitution Jodie White News Reporter
Flickr: Jules Heath
Swansea Universty has been awarded £500,000 to investigate the problem of student prostitution in Wales
The National Union of Students (NUS) has reported that increasing numbers of students in England are turning to prostitution in order to fund their studies. The rise in living costs, cuts to the education maintenance allowance, and the planned increase in tuition fees has been blamed for this issue. Research published by the University of Kingston in 2010 stated that the number of students who knew someone working in the sex trade had increased from 3% to 25% in the past ten years. The English Collective of Prostitutes, who run a helpline from their base in London, have
stated that they have witnessed at least double the number of calls from students in the past year alone. Sarah Walker, who works for the organisation, said that although there has been a steady increase in calls from students over the past decade, her group had received an unprecedented number of calls from this cohort since the government announced that English universities could charge tuition fees of up to £9,000 per year from 2012. Swansea University have been awarded £500,000 of lottery funding in order to investigate the problem in Wales, with the aim of uncovering the motivations and needs of students who turn to prostitution. The high levels of pay, alongside flexible hours and lack of alternatives are all reasons which have been put
forward to explain the attraction of the industry to students, but the study hopes to provide more substantive, factual evidence on the issues. The national women’s officer for the NUS, Estelle Hart, blamed government cuts for the increased financial pressure experienced by students, despite the fact that they claim to offer a ‘generous package’ of financial support. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Breakfast programme, Hart said, ‘Students are taking more dangerous measures. ‘In an economic climate where there are very few jobs, where student support has been massively cut, people are taking more work in the informal economy, such as sex work. It’s all dangerous unregulated work, simply so people can stay in education.’
Epigram
23.01.2012
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Epigram
23.01.2012
66
Bristol City Council seeks to borrow £50m Emily Gotta News Reporter
intends to allocate cash towards a swimming pool in East Bristol at Bristol Brunel Academy in Speedwell, as well as a third recycling site for south Bristol. Money would also fund sheltered housing schemes for elderly people to offset potential care home closures that are still being threatened by the authority, years after they were first proposed. The council, which already spends roughly £1bn every year, would pay the loan back by making the council run more efficiently and shaving £3m every year to fund the 25-year repayment period. Despite the benefits for Bristol, Tory group leader Peter Abraham disagrees with the measure. ‘I’m very concerned. Worthy as some of it may be, to enter into serious borrowing schemes at this time is not sensible or proper. Some of them are nice to have but not essential.’ The last reported figure for city council borrowing was a £454 million net debt for the year 2010/11.
Professor Jean Golding appointed OBE
Marek Allen
Bristol City Council will vote next month to decide whether Bristol should go £50m further into debt to fund major infrastructure improvements. The funding has been contested by the council’s conservative members, who fear the rising debt of the authority, at a time when the coalition government aims to reduce the amount the county owes. If passed, the city will have to pay a total of £80m, owing to the fixed interest rate of 4%. However, the Liberal Democrats stress that the money will be used wisely and should be seen as an important investment for the city of Bristol. Council leader Barbara Janke defended borrowing the money from the government’s public loan board, asserting that the funds will benefit Bristol. ‘This is investment in things that are desperately needed. ‘If you think that the council revenue budget is £400m,
it’s a very small part of that.’ The Liberal Democrats have already pinpointed how the £50m would be allocated across the city. On January 9th 2012, the council cabinet revealed the five major areas which would benefit from the loan. Education would gain the largest amount with £20m going towards the £150m the city needs to solve the shortage of school places. Furthermore, £16m would be spent on public transport with £10m going towards funding the bus rapid transit routes; Ashton Vale to Temple Meads; Hengrove to North Fringe, and the South Bristol Link. According to the Bristol Evening Post, ‘that reduces the amount businesses may have to pay towards the schemes, either from a workplace parking tax or rates increase.’ The remaining £6m would be divided among the local rail, road repair, bus route improvements and a new rail-based park and ride for Bristol Parkway station. The money will be widely spread and the council also
Bristol City Council spends roughly £1bn every year
New BrisFest location will hold crowds of 40,000 Jessica Wingrad News Reporter
BrisFest provides a range of entertainment, including music, comedy and circus acts
event’s organiser and part of the Bristol Festival Community Group, said, ‘Having started off on a smaller scale, we’ve built BrisFest from the ground up over the last 4 years. We now have the people, the resources and the systems we need to bring us home to Ashton Court, our spiritual home. Despite an increase in space which Ashton Court estate will give to the festival, the new location is further from the city centre and also the Bristol University site which has meant that there has been
Flickr: Pshab
Professor Jean Golding has been appointed OBE for her services to medical science. The Bristol Professor founded the Children of the 90s study in 1991, which she based at the University of Bristol. Since then, Professor Jean Golding has enrolled 14,000 expecting mothers and followed the health and development of their children. She has been recognised for providing valuable genetic and environmental information and helping researchers worldwide to study a range of health issues.
The community music festival, BrisFest, is moving from Harbourside, near College Green, to the Ashton Court estate, where it hopes to see crowds of up to 40,000 people. BrisFest was first staged in 2008 and is advertised as running a ‘programme of music, circus, street art, theatre and comedy.’ It has attracted up to 25,000 people at its previous location. However the move to Ashton Court means this capacity will increase to accommodate crowds of up to 40,000 people. A festival has not been held on the Ashton Court estate in five years, since the annual Ashton Court Festival, established in 1974, stopped being held. Following the discontinuation of the Ashton Court Festival The Bristol Festival Community Group were keen to start up a new festival. According to their website, ‘the word was put out through previous volunteers and bucket shakers, to music forums and the internet, for individuals interested in putting in the hard work to revive a festival to come forward and meet.’ It began as a two-day event in 2008, attracting 14,000 people and has expanded over the years. Poppy Stephenson, the
less enthusiasm from Bristol students about attending. Yet, the inexpensive price for a ticket to BrisFest as well as advertisement of the festival as a registered charity have encouraged university students to attend in the past. By holding the festival at the Ashton Court site, organisers are keen to move from the concrete of Harbourside to an area of greenery which lends itself better to the festival atmosphere. This year the festival will take place on the 22nd and 23rd September.
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23.01.2012
7
Bristol’s anti-Tesco campaigners plan new community-owned supermarket Jenny Dye News Reporter
The project envisions itself as ‘providing an important income for local farmers and producers’, and will work closely with them as well as involving both local producers and those from developing countries in the management of the shop. It is currently made up of a group of 70 volunteers and aims to increase its membership widely among members of the local community. A market-stall was held at the Stokes Croft Winter Fayre on 17th December offering a taster of local products such as homemade cakes and locally grown fruit and vegetables. The campaigners gauged public interest and found out more about what customers wanted from a communityowned supermarket. Possible future developments include the opening of a pop-up shop in Cabot Circus in March and the gaining of a permanent outlet later on in the year.
Anti-Tesco protesters have been expressing their views since the opening of a Tesco Metro in Stokes Croft in 2011
Flickr: Sam Breach
Bristol residents and anti-Tesco campaigners are planning to set up a community owned supermarket that will be staffed by volunteers and run as a social enterprise scheme. The group hope the supermarket will offer an affordable alternative to nationwide chains such as Tesco and Asda, by selling locally produced and fair trade food at as near to cost price as possible, with any profits being reinvested back into the shop. The initiative is inspired by and modeled on the ‘People’s Supermarket’ enterprise in London, the subject of a 2011 Channel 4 documentary. The launch of a similar venture in Bristol follows local controversy surrounding the opening of a Tesco Express on Cheltenham road in Stokes
Croft, which was attacked during rioting in April last year. ‘Our aim is to offer people convenient and affordable healthy food that supports the local economy and offers a fair deal to everyone involved’, said Claire Milne, a coordinator of the No Tesco in Stokes Croft campaign and member of the new scheme. The supermarket will be run collectively by its members who, in return for a monthly investment of money and time spent volunteering in the store, will have a say in its management and a discount on the produce. Those involved also seek to be actively involved in the community, by providing work placements to unemployed people as well as training to its members. They also plan to hold community events and workshops to show people how to make cheap, healthy meals and grow their own food.
Woman, 79, sexually assaulted in Bristol Abigail Van-West Deputy News Editor
Flickr: nicksarebi
East Street, where the incident took place, is normally one of the busiest roads in the area
A 79 year old woman became the victim of a sexual assault on New Year’s morning. The pensioner was on her way to her local church in Bedminster at 10.30am, when the attack took place. Despite taking place on East Street, one of the busiest roads in the area, the identity of the attacker remains unknown. Police acknowledge that the street may have been uncommonly quiet on New Year’s morning, but remain hopeful that people
will eventually come forward with evidence. Detective Inspector Steve Cartlidge, of Avon and Somerset police’s sexual offences unit, Operation Bluestone, said, ‘The offence took place on the morning of New Year’s Day, so it would not have been the busiest time, but I have no doubt that people would have been on East Street and may have seen what happened.’ The victim says she was just turning onto East Street when she became aware of someone behind her. The attacker is believed to be around 60 years old. According to Cartlidge,
‘The victim was not physically injured, but she is still very distressed and shocked by what happened.’ He added that an attack of this nature in broad daylight is extremely uncommon, particularly with a victim and attacker of these ages. The offender has been described as white, with short, grey hair and a round face which was clean shaven. He was wearing a fawncoloured rain mac and was last seen turning into Philip Street from East Street. Police are appealing to witnesses to come forward with any information as soon as possible.
UWE study reveals men feel self conscious about ‘beer bellies’ Lucy Woods News Reporter A recent Bristol study has revealed that British men openly worry about their physiques and regularly discuss body issues with their male peers. Researchers at UWE (the University of West England) examined the responses of 384 British men and discovered over 80% regularly discuss one another’s body, with particular reference to muscularity. The study disclosed that
men felt most unhappy about the state of their stomach, or ‘beer belly’, to which it is commonly referred. The study was conducted at the Centre for Appearance Research at UWE in order to better get to grips with male attitudes towards their appearance. It is clear from the results that many men suffer from self-confidence issues with concern to their physique. The study also found that 17.8% of men felt fat every single day while 31.9% of men reported they had ‘exercised
in a driven or compulsive way’ at least once as a means of controlling their weight. Moreover, the most popular terms men use to describe another man’s appearance included commenting on his beer belly (74.5%); six pack (69.8%); or man boobs (‘moobs’) (63%). These terms allow men to judge each other against the unrealistic male ‘beauty ideal’ and as a result have encouraged up to 32% of men to take protein supplements in order to achieve the much-desired six pack. Dr Phillippa Diedrichs,
who conducted the study, feels the research ‘really demonstrates that body image
More than
80% of men questioned regularly discuss their bodies with peers is
an issue for everyone.’ She adds that we must collectively promote ‘an
environment that values diversity in appearance and promotes healthy body image.’ Rosi Prescott, Chief Executive of Central YMCA, felt that ‘men are also guilty of commenting on one another’s bodies; and in many cases this is having a damaging effect.’ She expressed fears of a ‘growing obsession with appearance’ which is clearly affecting men as well as women. The growing understanding of male body issues is represented by online websites such as ‘Men Get Eating Disorders Too’ (MGEDT), which
provides support specific to the unique needs of men and recognises that eating disorders among men can be a ‘coping mechanism, or an expression of, underlying emotional stress.’ Early last year, Central YMCA commissioned COMRES; an independent market research company to discover what MPs thought was responsible for provoking body issues. Celebrity culture (68%), the fashion industry (53%) and advertisers (52%) were thought to be most responsible for encouraging negative body image among the British public.
Epigram
23.01.2012
8
Graffiti artist jailed for £1m damage
Busy road in Stokes Croft to undergo improvements
Alice Young News Editor
Graffiti artist Daniel Tyndale, known locally as ‘Dotcom’, has been jailed for 12 months
building. He has been dubbed ‘Baby Banksy’ after the infamous Bristol graffiti artist. However in contrast to Tyndale, Bristol City Council protects some of Banksy’s work, following an online poll in 2006 where 93% of Bristol residents voted to protect the notorious graffiti art. Tyndale was previously imprisoned in custody in 2008,whilst awaiting sentencing for a previous offence. When brought back to court the graffiti artist described the experience as ‘terrible’, adding that he would not like to return.
Marek Allen
with court orders.’ The graffiti artist’s defence admitted he had ‘a dreadful list of previous convictions which is all graffiti.’ The skilled young artist had exhibited his work at galleries and even sold some of it through a dealer. Tyndale had also been offered a place at Goldsmiths College of Art, but declined because he was worried about the expense of accommodation in London. Tyndale built up a portfolio of graffiti tags around Bristol, which included buildings, road signs, trains and even the University of Bristol psychology
Flickr: Dotcom
A young Bristol graffiti artist has been jailed for causing £1m of damage to buildings and public areas across the city. Daniel Tyndale, 26, was sentenced to twelve months in prison at Bristol Crown Court after repeated run-ins with the police. Tyndale, who is know locally within the graffiti community as ‘Dotcom’, had previously been given an ASBO (AntiSocial Behaviour Order) and admitted to a number of crimes including assaulting a police officer and possessing cannabis. He had been given a number of chances to avoid serving time in prison for criminal damage, including working with the youth offending team decorating the Bear Pit under St James’ roundabout. Judge Darwall-Smith told Tyndale, ‘this was a catalogue of offences which bears a very strong resemblance to previous offences on your record and in direct conflict to the antisocial behaviour order. You have a history of not complying
The Liberal Democrat-controlled council is planning to replace the pavements on the A38 in Stokes Croft between City Road and the Bear Pit roundabout. A spokesman said it would also remove and relocate street signs to ‘declutter’ the area. He added the footpath outside the Full Moon public house would be widened and the junction with Moon Street made more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly. Local trader, Jane Brewerton, commented that, ‘the new pavement construction from City Road down to The Full Moon will hopefully make a big difference to this end of Stokes Croft...I look forward to seeing this area blossoming.’
Blind ex-sailor treks to the South Pole Anna Godfrey News Reporter
Flickr: Ajak
Alan Lock, a blind ex-sailor, completed his trek to the South Pole and raised £15,000 for charity
Former Royal Navy sailor, Alan Lock, from Clevedon in North Somerset, has set a new world record and raised money for charity by becoming the first visually impaired person to trek to the South Pole. Lock, 31, was accompanied on the epic journey by his sighted team-mates, Andrew Jensen and Richard Smith, and guide Hannah McKean. Together they raised £15,000 for the charity Sightsavers. During his 39-day expedition Lock suffered howling winds, temperatures of -35C and whiteout blizzards. Lock lost his sight due to macular degeneration over a six week period whilst training as a Royal Navy officer nine years ago. Eight years on and now working in telecoms Alan’s central vision is completely gone. By completing one of the world’s toughest mental and physical challenges Alan hopes he has shown that, despite his visual impairment, he can take on significant feats and raise
awareness at the same time for his chosen charity, Sightsavers. The team, who set out on November 22nd, fought temperatures as low as -35C during their 39 day trek, which covered almost 1,000km. Lock admitted that the trip was, at times, a struggle, as he suffered from ‘many falls and bruises whilst trekking across the rough terrain, as there are many big drops and jumps which I’ve relied on my teammates to guide me through.’ Lock continued saying, ‘Trekking for over nine hours each day we have been losing up to 9,000 calories a day’. The Polar Vision team underwent intensive training, as Lock would be dragging a 60kg sled and trekking for over nine hours each day during the expedition. Training included a camp in Iqaluit, Canada, where they spent a week traversing the ice pack near the Arctic Circle on skis, and dragging tyres attached to their waists along beaches and parks back home to develop the muscles needed to pull the sleds. Lock commented that, ‘The high point is having the opportunity to make this expedition in the
first place’. Indeed, Lock’s inspiring tale is not limited to this trip. Since losing his sight he has undertaken ten marathons, including the 151 mile Marathon Des Sables in the Sahara Desert. He has been to a number of mountain summits including the highest mountain in Europe, Mt Elbrus, and set a Guinness World Record in 2008 after becoming the first visually impaired person to row across the Atlantic. The charity Sightsavers, who the team raised money for, has been running since 1950, and aids in the elimination of avoidable blindness and the promotion of equality of opportunity for disabled people in the developing world. The chief executive of Sightsavers, Caroline Harper, thanked Lock and his team, saying, ‘Sightsavers is incredibly grateful and honoured that Alan has chosen to support our work to eliminate avoidable blindness in the developing world. By taking on such a colossal challenge and raising money for Sightsavers’ work, they will help to transform the sight and lives of some of the world’s poorest people.’
Epigram
23.01.2012
9
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Epigram
23.01.2011
Features
Editor: Tristan Martin
Deputy Editor: Andrew White
features@epigram.org.uk
deputyfeatures@epigram.org.uk
What will a new currency do for Bristol? Epigram finds out how preparations for the Bristol Pound are getting on, and whether local businesses support the scheme Tristan Martin Features Editor
: Tristan Martin
While Greece teeters on the brink of economic collapse, France and Italy get a ratings slap, and Scotland threatens to throw itself into the North Sea, Germany is playing an intriguing double game. Besides being the economic powerhouse in whose hands the disgraced Euro lies trembling, it is also the country going most successfully in the other direction – towards the humble local currency. The Bavarian Chiemgower is one of 24 local currencies already up and running in Germany, with many more on the way. The most successful of its kind, last year it turned over around 4 million Euros, or Chiemgowers. Emphasising local culture and values, this type of monetary system is a way of keeping money in the local area, rather than watching it disappear into a tax haven after a brief spell in a supermarket checkout. After numerous successful outings of local currencies around the world, and four others in the UK, the idea is now being brought to Bristol. Aiming for a launch in May, the Bristol Pound is currently run entirely by volunteers. Ciaran Mundy, one of the directors, told me that it was his background in ecology that inspired him to put so much of his time in to the project. The study of ecology has a lot to do with the philosophy behind local currencies and the broader ‘Transition’ movement they are a part of. The UK’s first Transition Town was Totnes, a small, relatively alternative community in an idyllic part of Devon. Heavily inspired by James Lovelock and his Gaia Hypothesis – that the world is a complex and self-regulating system – this is a place that takes sustainability very seriously.
Bristol shopkeepers share their thoughts on local currency.
Unfortunately, the Totnes Pound has not been a great success. Though strong on ideology, the infrastructure to support it never really materialised. When I asked Ciaran what he has learned from previous attempts at introducing local currencies, he made it clear that technology was going to be key: ‘Most of the local currencies we have seen in the last few years have been note based, and this works really well in terms of raising a lot of awareness about the importance of diversity in the local economy. It brings lots of press. But in terms of people actually using them, as a significant percentage of the local economy, its probably not very high. As 90% of transactions are now electronic, these paperbased systems are pretty oldfashioned. The next phase is internet banking, which is what
One of the first local currencies in the UK, the Totnes Pound launched in 2007. A long-term haven for those seeking a more sustainable and community spirited lifestyle (complete with requisite acupuncture and crystal healing practitioners), Totnes was also the town that sparked off the ‘Transition Town’ movement. The pound itself never really took off, but the atmosphere of local community solidarity and alternative living is thriving.
we’re doing.’ First implemented in Brixton, the Monea online banking system has been developed by a number of organisations brought together by the Transition movement. Each user will have
“
This type of system is a way of keeping money in the local area, rather than watching it disappear into a tax haven after a brief spell in a supermarket checkout
”
an online bank account, which keeps track of their balance and all their transactions. Payments are made via text, which must include your pin number, the name of the recipient, and
the amount to be transferred. Having seen it in action, I was surprised by how quick and easy it was – not a great deal more complicated than a chip and pin payment. So what happens to the actual money? The system operates on the back of the Bristol Credit Union – a local co-operative bank – and in terms of financial regulation and transactions it has the same kind of safeguards as any other kind of banking. The Bristol Pound also has the approval of the local council, and is now in negotiations to allow for council tax and business rates to be paid in the new currency. It is quite clear that the system will technically work, that it’s about as safe as other ways of transferring money, and that it is legitimate in the eyes of the law. It is also clear from previous
Following hot on the heels of Totnes came the 2008 launch of a local currency in similarly quirky Lewes (famed for its riotous bonfire night celebrations). This currency has been rather more successful than Totnes, but maintains the same ethos of promoting sustainability and strengthening the local economy. Now accepted by around 120 traders, the Lewes pound was perhaps the first currency to really take off in the UK.
attempts that the implementing of a local currency is akin to a giant PR stunt, bringing a lot of attention to local businesses. I was interested, though, in whether Ciaran thought the Bristol pound would make any real economic difference. ‘No, of course not. Yes… I don’t know. All of those answers. There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to do it.’ As Ciaran went on to explain, the answer is maybe. The theory (known as the local multiplier effect) is that if you spend your money in multinational companies, that money won’t spend very long in the local area. In fact, it will disappear entirely, with the only further benefits of it being the provision of jobs. If you spend your money in independent local stores, however, it is much more likely that the money will
be re-invested in the local area. The idea of a local currency is that any purchase made with it is tied to the local area in a very tangible way, and will thus spend its life in a virtuous, local cycle. Whether or not this theory proves correct, there is no doubt that Ciaran and his team of volunteers have a long way to go. The first challenge will be to convince shop owners that it is worth bothering with in the first place. To find out how his chances looked, I conducted a highly unscientific study of my local area. Speaking to ten owners or managers of independent stores on Gloucester Road, I tried to get an idea of how welcome the idea was going to be. To my surprise, at least half of the people I spoke to didn’t really know what the Bristol Pound was, and those who had heard of it didn’t know enough about it to form a strong opinion either way. The owner of Chilean café LaRuca said she hadn’t really thought about it, but was welcome to the idea. The owner of health food store ScoopAway felt that it would be good for independent stores, but it would depend on how easy it was to use. This soon became the recurring issue. Richard, an employee at the cooperative store Harvest, said that they didn’t think they would be able to use such a system as they are limited to the number of hours they work: ‘We wouldn’t have time to deal with another currency.’ Michael, the owner of record store Prime Cuts said that he liked the idea, but in reality ‘cold hard cash is what I need right now.’ Over the next few months the Bristol Pound will be making a huge marketing drive, but it is clear that they have a long way to go in convincing the population of Bristol that a local currency will solve their problems. If May is to be the launch date, they have a lot of educating to do.
The Brixton Pound was the first local currency in the UK to appear in an urban area. Launching in 2009 it has proved quite successful, and has kept up with the times by implementing an electronic transfer system last year. With figures on the notes ranging from Vincent Van Gogh (who apparently lived there in his 20s) to environmentalist James Lovelock, this currency seems to be going from strength to strength.
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23.01.2011
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Will Self interview: ‘The Olympics suck’ Faye Planer probes the nation’s angriest wit on the forthcoming London Olympics, and on what ‘psychogeography’ is all about Q. You have been rather unenthusiastic about the prospect of the Olympics this summer. In your eyes what is the greatest folly of the whole affair? A. I think the Olympics suck dogshit through a straw. People believe they encourage da yoof to take up running, jumping and fainting in coils - but this is nonsense, they’re a boondoggle for politicians and financiers, a further corruption of an already corrupt self-appointed international coterie of Olympian cunts, an excuse for ‘elite’ athletes to fuck each other, snarf steroids and pick up sponsorship deals, and a senseless hitching of infrastructural investment - if there’s any reality to this anyway - to a useless loss-trailing expenditure on starchitectural bollix. The stadia themselves are a reified folly, the new Westfield is a temple to moribund consumerism - in ten years time they’ll all be cracked and spalled, a Hitlerian mass of post-pomo nonsense. Q. If the Olympics did not exist, would it be necessary to invent them? A. They didn’t exist for thousands of years, the modern Olympics is a fatuous exercise in internationalism through limbering up and then running down to entropy. The modern Olympics have always been a political football - nothing more
were best defined by a graffito I once saw on a supermarket wall outside Yate in Somerset: ‘Work, Consume, Die’. What I think of as ‘the manmachine matrix’ wants you tramelled on EasyJet, watching a six-inch screen implanted in the back of another human’s head, wants you stuck in a car coughing out lead particulates, wants you staring at a VDU, doesn’t want you on foot transgressing.
and nothing less - endlessly traduced and manipulated by the regimes that ‘host’ them. This one is no different, presenting a fine opportunity for the British security state apparatus and its private security firm hangers-on to deploy the mass-suppression and urban paranoicac technologies in the service of export earning. Some peace,some freedom. Q. Assuming we will always have the Olympics could you suggest a better way of doing them? A. Why assume that? If you want to run and jump go do it in a field for free. If you want to run and jump with a Kenyan or a Croatian go out and find one - there are plenty around my way - and go and run and jump together in a field. Costs nothing, you may even make a few bob by charging people to watch you. Q. You walked around the Olympic site a few years ago. What were your observations? Have you been back since? A. I didn’t see much of it - there wasn’t much of it to see. I joined (Iain) Sinclair for part of his circumambulation of Hackney for his book. I can’t remember a lot about the walk at all, except that Iain held forth a lot - but that’s OK, he’s good at holding forth. He and I agree on most things Olympic and consensus is a big barrier to keen observation
Q. I went to a talk you gave about J.G Ballard. What do you think he would have to say about the Olympic transformation of the east end of London? A. He’d probably have loved it! He loved modernity, he loved big things - he was ambivalent of course, but it gave him a sort of visceral thrill that he connected to his wonderstruck childhood in Shanghai which at that time - the 1930s - was one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world.
- ask Lordy-Lordy Coe and Tessa Jowls. I haven’t been back - it’s not my manor, thank God. Q. Could you explain the principles of pyschogeography - and do you think it’s something that can only be applied to urban spaces?
A. Ooh, big question. I take my lead on matters psycho-geo from the Situationist fons et origio: it’s part of the tearing down of the Society of the Spectacle mandated by late capitalism: unstructured dérives or drifts across the urban landscape cut across the predetermined routes of commercial necessity which
Q.“Really one may say that the whole Olympic process was a pasteurisation of the city.. the microbes disappeared and from a hygienic point of view maybe that was positive, but really what happened is that the variety was destroyed in the process..” Manuel Vázquez Montalbán said this about the 1992
Barcelona Olympics. Do you believe that London is being pasteurised too? A. No, I’m quite confident that London is too big and too anarchic to be seriously pasteurised by the games. It’s so big, so filthy, so nasty that it could probably eat twenty Olympiads for breakfast and spit out the Ferroconcrete bones. Q. Iain Sinclair believes that cities aspire to be like an airport departure lounge. How do you envisage cities of the future? A. Declining in the West, certainly. With no industry and an ageing population - except for gestarbeiter - the cities will decline into monumental care homes rather than departure lounges. No one will want to go anywhere because their private health insurance provider which is what the Government will become - will make them stay here. The colours will be muted pastel, the building will be soft and foamy, the food will be puréed. Q. You are the ringmaster: what sport would you make Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP enter in the Olympics? A. Something equestrian - he could be the show pony. Q. What would be your sport of choice? A. Riding him - hard.
Emmaus: the charity that gives homeless people a home Andrew White Deputy Features Editor The Emmaus movement was started sixty years ago by a French Catholic Priest, Abbé Pierre, becoming internationally important and a key contributor to local communities around the UK, especially here in Bristol. Emmaus has three outlet stores in the city: Barton Hill, Barton Manor and Bedminster and sells numerous goods at prices that ‘make Ikea seem expensive’. However to see Emmaus as merely another charity shop is missing the point. What can, admittedly, be a place for students or anyone else to buy cheap furniture, clothes and bric-a-brac, is also a place where hard work is alleviating one of the most marginalised groups in this country: the homeless. Emmaus provide people in need of work and a home with a place in a community. They are given access to an en-suite room, dining room, television room and other communal areas and facilities, creating an
environment suited to growth and development, which is less often provided at a hostels and other forms of shelter for people in need. Companions, as residents are known, then work in varying parts of the charity’s operation, working full-time collecting renovating and reselling donated furniture with some running the newly-founded Amazon book department. Working 40 hour weeks, given free board and lodgings and £42 per week allowance, vulnerable people are given a purpose. No drink or drugs are allowed onto the premises but people are free to go to the pub and enjoy their leisure time as they see fit. The key for the companions, according to Richard Pendlebury, organiser of the Bristol branch of Emmaus, is to give people respect. Most importantly, people are given ‘stability and something to do every day’ and able to feel pride in working for themselves. Through their ethically sound business model, they are able to fund most of their activities, even finding
the money to support projects in Africa, Bosnia and Bulgaria. Their ethos is to always help those less fortunate whilst maintaining a non-judgemental view which preserves dignity and respect for all involved. Richard’s work on the charity came from his work in prisons, re-educating prisoners through,
amongst other things, music lessons which he had set up. Although few of Emmaus’ employees are those released from prison, the methods used to rehabilitate someone needing to rejoin society can be just as applicable to other vulnerable people who need to rebuild their lives. This is undoubtedly
one of the key services to the community that the charity provides. Richard explained to Epigram that another part of Emmaus’ work is called Solidarity. It involves companions helping other people, which this Christmas included three companions helping at the night shelter in Easton. This year the charity has lost £60,000 from local government funding and needs help even more than usual. According to Richard, Emmaus’ long term view of homelessness is not compatible with the government’s new view on social enterprises in the current climate. So what about future plans? Primarily, Emmaus are planning to buy their own premises, which would have the dual purpose of saving an annual rent bill of £50,000 and showing the local community that they are here to stay. ‘People will know that Emmaus will be here in twenty years time and will continue to work in the community for the foreseeable future.’
Emmaus has a 20 •year history in Britain
• Has been in Bristol for 8 years
• 21 shops in the UK (and counting)
•
Staff given an allowance of £42 per week, £6 of which is saved
• The house is currently
at full capacity of 21 people For More information Emmaus visit their website: www.emmaus.org.uk
Epigram
23.01.2011
12
War crimes: innocent until proven defeated? Ellie Groves Features Reporter
once it was in place rather than to prosecute. Thus it would seem that even from the start the US leaders could be classified and tried as war criminals. Yet, the US government and army generals have never had to face prosecution. The morality of their mission was decided through the (arguable) success of their mission. This can be seen further when the human rights abuses carried out by the US army are looked into. In 2010 when Bradley Manning, a 23-yearold Army intelligence analyst, leaked information to WikiLeaks a host of illegal acts came to light. The US Army is shown to fire indiscriminately in a circular motion. Not only using unnecessary force but also killing civilians. Manning is being tried for revealing the information. Yet those who called for not only an illegal act of war but an order that is clearly inhumane are not held accountable for this breach of human rights. They are not prosecuted as war criminals. Yet if the losing side had acted in such a way would this not have been the case? The most recent case of human rights abuse and a clear breach of the Geneva convention is the four US marines urinating
on dead Taliban soldiers. The US military command in Kabul claim to be fully investigating the event. Yet is it not a case larger than this, shouldn’t the US military be under investigation itself for allowing these types of human rights abuses to occur? This is an event that follows the prosecution and convictions of eleven soldiers due to them carrying out a ‘killing squad’ on Afghan civilians. The soldiers targeted and murdered unarmed civilians. Although the prosecution did end in convictions, Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, 26, who led the group, could be free in ten years. His sentence is slight, especially in comparison to Bradley Manning’s who could face a life sentence, or even an execution. Again the morality of a crime is determined by those who win the war, by those who are in power. The US, and through extension the UK, have partaken in war crimes. The retrospective armies and government continue to partake in war crimes. Yet the political leaders and high military figures are not tried as war criminals. Shouldn’t morality be independent to the act of winning a war and not depend on who is victorious?
Adam Jones
Speaking in the film Fog of War directed by Errol Morris, Robert MacNamara, US Defence Secretary (1961-1968) states that ‘LeMay [US Air Force General] said, “If we’d lost the war, we’d all have been prosecuted as war criminals.” And I think he’s right. He, and I’d say I, were behaving as war criminals. LeMay recognized that what he was doing would be thought immoral if his side had lost. But what makes it immoral if you lose and not immoral if you win?’ It’s an age old question: is history written by the winners? Are standards measured against achievement? Do morals depend on the ability to win? Human rights abuses carried out by the US military are continually coming to light. Human rights abuses that range from four men urinating on the bodies of Taliban fighters to ‘killing squads’ deliberately murdering Afghan civilians. If the allied forces had lost the war would we find ourselves in a position where our leaders were war criminals? If this is true then why is it not the case purely because the war was won by those men. The
‘just war theory’ is often still used to justify conflict carried out by both the US and the UK. Within this theory a state must have a just cause, the war must be agreed on by a body who hold authority, there must be a moral intention for the war, there must be a high probability of success and it must be a last resort. During the war the party must only intentionally attack the enemy not civilians. Torture of political prisoners must not occur nor must unnecessary force be implemented during an attack. This is prevalent within the Geneva Convention drawn up in 1995. Throughout the ‘war on terror’ the US government and army alongside the UK government and army have broken all the above stipulations and have been in breach of the Geneva Convention. The war in Iraq was ruled as illegal under the United Nations as it was not supported nor was the invasion voted for by the Security Council. This immediately throws the invasion, and thus those who called for it, into a compromising position. A position that would implicate other world leaders, yet does not for the US nor the UK. In fact, the UN made the decision to support the mission
An exhibit at the My Lai Massacre memorial, Vietnam
Republicans battle it out for Presidential nomination Jevon Whitby Features Reporter
Dave Delay
This spring sees the early US primaries to find the Republican nominee for President, the candidate who will run against President Obama in November 2012. To date, five Republican candidates have been the shining favourites before crashing in the polls from debate blunders or the added scrutiny of being the ‘frontrunner.’ For the Republican Party, 2012 will doubtlessly be an uphill struggle. Unlike in 2008 or 2016, the Democrat field is closed: the winning candidate must face an incumbent President, exceed the formidable campaigning of Barack Obama, and meet the conservative expectations of the currently prolific ‘Tea Party’ right, the insatiable ‘Antigovernment spending’ and hard-line Christian wing of the party. It is no surprise that many of the more popular and respectable candidates are suspiciously absent this year. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has refused to stand. Tea Party darling and 2008 vicepresidential candidate Sarah Palin, despite spending months in Iowa, ultimately decided not to run. Chris Christie, the
The five hopeful candidates at a debate in South Carolina
more moderate governor of New Jersey, also refused calls proclaiming ‘I don’t want it that badly,’ before endorsing the current favourite, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. This race’s bizarre collection of actual participants has been entertaining. For outsiders like Bachmann or Cain, this was probably their single shot at the nomination. A positive reputation gained this year might well be a springboard to a 2016 bid, or a vice-presidential role on someone else’s ticket,
but for most it has clearly been a long shot. Texas Governor Rick Perry’s ‘oops’ debate moment after forgetting his own plan, Michelle Bachmann’s historical gaffes, and the sexual misconduct allegations against Herman Cain all show a distinct lack of quality in the Republican field; attributes which will be mercilessly culled in the more serious race of 2016. With the consistent second place position, $32 million in campaign funds by September, presidential ‘look,’ and now an eight vote win in the
Iowa caucus, Governor Mitt Romney remains the somewhat unpopular favourite with his reluctant party. His acceptable (if somewhat soulless) public image and the lack of viable alternatives may stand in his favour, but the Republican base remains deeply suspicious of his ‘flip-flopping’ on important conservative issues such as his pre-2005 ‘pro-choice’ abortion position. Nevertheless whilst Romney’s poll ratings have not exceeded a 25% share to date, his ‘Super Political Action Committee’ has
already succeeded in smearing his more serious rivals such as former House Speaker (and adulterer) Newt Gingrich, whilst the campaigns of Perry and Cain have imploded naturally. By ‘Super Tuesday’ in March, realists must surely vote for Romney as the bland ‘default’ nominee, the only candidate without scandal, and the best chance of defeating the President in November. How would his campaign look? Romney will undoubtedly emphasise his business record for economic credibility. Candidates traditionally choose running-mates that complement their weaknesses; should millionaire Romney win the nomination, expect to see a values candidate join him on the stage to impress the religious right and shore up his conservative credentials with ‘small-town’ America. It is perhaps no coincidence then that Romney paid tribute in his Iowa victory speech to close runner-up Rick Santorum, the Pennsylvania Senator (infamous for his strong antihomosexuality and Christian values advocacy) with a sudden surge in the polls. Be under no illusions about this recent popularity though, Santorum has already faced the wrath of an online campaign for his extreme views, and as the
President’s Senior Adviser David Axelrod joked to reporters, Romney’s SPA committee is about to ‘carpet-bomb him.’ Even if the GOP constructs a unifying ticket by November, the election will be difficult.
“
The winning candidate must face an incumbent President, exceed the formidable campaigning of Barack Obama, and meet the conservative expectations
”
Gallup estimates that President Obama would still have a 2% lead on Romney despite the USA’s severe unemployment problem. Eccentric third-party bids from the Christian right, Libertarian Ron Paul or Independent candidates like Donald Trump still threaten to split the Republican vote. Apathy will be the central issue in this troubled year, if the Republican nominee fails to energise and reassure the voters by the time the race reaches the August Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, then they will have to wait for 2016’s more promising selection of candidates.
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Epigram
Editor: Patrick Baker
Deputy Editor: Hugh Davies
comment@epigram.org.uk
deputycomment@epigram.org.uk
23.01.2011
North Korea : Long live the Kim? Despite the death of the ‘Dear Leader,’ troubled North Korea looks bleaker than ever George Hall
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We should not be afraid of becoming dull or repetitive on the subject of 21st century totalitarianism
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So, does anything change about North Korea in the absence of this dictator, known in more affectionate, if nauseating terms, as ‘The Dear Leader?’ Should the citizens of the state be hopeful of having their basic human rights established? Will the atrocities, including the confiscation of citizens’ private savings, the operation of concentration camps for those citizens with the moral and intellectual courage to oppose the regime, the emission of lies and nationalistic propaganda through frequently placed megaphones, the complete state control of all forms of media, the market, the internet, the arts and the compulsory curfews and wake up alarms, all come to an end? In short, no, no and no. At this point, it is worth
drawing upon the writings of, the 19th century moralist philosopher, John Stuart Mill. The principles outlined in his essay ‘On Liberty’ were not only progressive for their time, but progressive for ours. However, though I feel such principles are significant in the discussion of North Korea, just as in 1984, it almost seems too obvious a reference to cite. I think that most people would agree that ‘the human faculties... are exercised only in making a choice... Human nature is not a machine to be built after a model... but a tree, which must grow and develop itself on all sides.’ North Korean society has been vigorously fashioned into the ‘machine’ Mill so advisedly warned against and, as a consequence, has destroyed any notion of the individual and of
basic human rights. The word ‘inhumane’ doesn’t even do justice to the treatment of the North Korean populace by the self-elected heads of state; the obsession with state control and suppression of liberty is barbaric. In an essay concerning animal rights, Bernard E. Rollin describes primates held for experimentation in laboratories as inevitably living ‘wretched, isolated, deprived lives.’ Shockingly, due to its imperialistic military policy - which ensures the military forces are economically well off whilst the remaining population suffers - such a description can be transferred to the lives of those living under the control of this dictatorship. No appeal can be made against the regime. To do so
would result in a period of internment in labour camps, where, according to accounts of ex-prison guards and exprisoners, detainees are often worked to death, or otherwise die of malnutrition and disease. Protest against such abhorrent conditions and grotesque treatment would usually end in public execution. Surely, this suggests that a new analysis of North Korea - with the potential for an intervention to democratize the state - is a moral imperative for the governments of the West. We should not be afraid of becoming dull or repetitive on the subject of 21st century totalitarianism, but instead continue to view it with contempt, and to provide its famine stricken, oppressed citizens with the media coverage they so desperately need.
Flickr: GSCIFphotos
The infamous opening sentence to George Orwell’s 1984 reads: ‘it was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.’ The abysmal dystopia portrayed in this great novel irrepressibly springs to mind when one considers North Korea - I refuse to give any credence to its official title, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea - ‘It is a bright cold day in January, with the tyrant deceased; alas, the tyranny continues.’ On 17 December 2011, amid the seemingly endless tears on show from the North Korean public, it was announced that Kim Jong-Il who, lest we forget, possessed supernatural powers - enabling him to change the weather, for instance succumbed to a common, but nonetheless fatal heart attack. His corpse has not yet been given a ludicrous posthumous title like his father’s - the ‘Eternal President’ Kim Il-Sung - though I don’t think it would be too presumptuous on my part to suggest that it is only a matter of time before he will. Due to the hereditary principle by which the heads of state are chosen, a sophisticated philosophy called ‘chance’ or ‘incidental luck’, the son of the current leader is immediately prescribed the axiomatic right to ‘inherit the throne.’ Kim Jong-Il was quickly replaced by his son, Kim JongEun. Kim Jong-Eun is thought to have very little if any military experience. However, on the 24th December, just one week after his father’s death, he was bestowed with the official title of ‘Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army,’ the highest military rank attainable.
Should we really care about Calamity Clarkson? Rosslyn McNair assesses the BBC’s tolerance of the controversial Top Gear presenter’s offensive remarks
Rosslyn McNair Picture the scene: a Taliban leader sits in front of a television camera. With sweeping charisma he declares all Western lorry drivers to be prostitute murderers. He laughs as he compares the drowning of 23 immigrant workers to ‘competitive swimming’, and jabbing forth a finger,
explains his desire to execute striking workers in front of their families. His comments are violent and aggressive and the reaction to them is one of universal disgust and horror. Suddenly, the figure begins to morph slowly into Jeremy Clarkson, the ‘enfant terrible’ of the BBC. At once the reaction to these comments changes somewhat. Some people snigger quietly, some roll their eyes, a few register their outrage directly with the organisation responsible for this greying jelly baby, the BBC. But there is a reason why the outcry aimed at Clarkson is considerably weaker than one
might think, given the reality of his comments. There’s just no point in trying to reason with a man who argues that ‘speed doesn’t kill, stopping does.’ But Clarkson’s views represent those of a frightening amount of ‘middle England’ - ‘the non-chattering classes’ - who represent a large percentage of the BBC’s core audience. His use of comedy allows people to indulge in their own bigotry without societal guilt. The reason his books and DVDs have sold millions is because he is a voice for those whose views are constrained by political correctness. If the BBC sacked him or censored
him, they would be alienating a large part of their audience who, although not identifying directly with Clarkson’s rhetoric, certainly identify with his right-wing stance. Ultimately, one must remember that Jeremy Clarkson is a television entertainer. Violent comments from him are mere verbal fodder for the vegetative Sunday night viewer. He is a maverick, a caricature, a pantomime villain and his use of hyperbole undermines whatever serious point he is trying to make. Although his comments are offensive, the question is, does the presenter of Top Gear, as a public
figure, have the same social responsibility to moderate their views as a news reader, or a politician? Judging by the fact that Clarkson continues to be employed by the BBC despite his many indiscretions, it would seem not. Clarkson is a wildcard, with a unique public persona large enough to separate him from association with the BBC. His opinions are very much his own and the public are less likely to be enraged by the lone comments of an individual than if such an individual has the weight of an establishment behind them. His opinions are undoubtedly inappropriate but to take them
seriously would be like gagging a stuffed animal: a redundant action that infers the animal made noise in the first place. Jeremy Clarkson has a place on our TV screens because he is harmless to those that disagree with him and reassuring to those that do. Television is another art form and as such should always remain uncensored, which means that fundamentally so should Clarkson. He should be giggled at, maybe quietly acquiesced with or just ignored. As a result, those who really find him offensive should take a deep breath and watch Fifth Gear instead.
Epigram
23.01.2011
14
Here’s to Christopher Hitchens, the noisy genius With the death of the renowned anti-theist in December, Tom Straker looks back on his colourful career
Tom Straker
Flickr:Wayj
eventually penned a scathing 145 page individual critique in 2001. His similarly vociferous loathing of figures such as Mao and Castro in the 1960s was also admirable; this was in an era when many political writers harboured convenient illusions about them. Hitchens’ intellectual bravery seemingly knew no bounds - he risked public outcry by referring to those responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks as representing ‘fascism with an Islamic face,’ and was unafraid of radically changing his political views.
Showing no sense of ‘loyalty’ to his former Leftist supporters, Hitchens’ decision to support President Bush’s war in Iraq came as a surprise to many. A misguided view, perhaps, but it showed that, once again, his personal views took precedence over any desire to pander to popular opinion. It would be fair to say that Hitchens’ anti-theism was what most amplified his international profile. His frank and combative approach to religious criticism won him many admirers, catapulting him
Flickr:Wayj
On 15 December 2011, a truly great voice fell silent. Christopher Hitchens, the fearsomely polemical antitheist, consummate essayist and compelling orator suffered a final, cruel complication in his gruelling battle with oesophageal cancer, and passed away in a Houston hospital, aged just 62. The AngloAmerican iconoclast attracted a myriad of international notoriety and controversy, thanks in no small part to his viciously opinionated, unrelenting denunciation of religion, and his candid endorsement of radical politics. He was rendered a profoundly divisive figure: not just among the political and religious intellectual community, but by anyone treated to the pleasure of one of his witty and commanding displays of rhetoric, or one of his fervidly argumentative yet beautifully fluid pieces of prose. For the
most part, however, even those who publicly disputed his views or passionately challenged his beliefs maintained a genuine, palpable respect for ‘Hitch’, and it is in this that his true genius shines. Only a remarkable man could publicly label ‘water-boarding’ as ‘more like foreplay [than torture],’ condemn Mother Theresa as a ‘thieving, fanatical Albanian dwarf ’ and still manage to attract remarkably fond public tributes from such a wide spectrum of people: supporters and opponents, Marxists and conservatives, the devoutly religious and the vehemently anti-theist. Hitchens gained many of his plaudits from the boldness and courage with which he expressed himself. He rose to prominence among Leftist circles whilst writing for such publications as The New Statesmen, The Nation and The Socialist Worker, in which his passionate contempt for tyranny and authoritarianism found a receptive audience. He became known for his unrelenting support for Palestine, his disgust towards American foreign policy, and his inexorable hatred for those he deemed to be abusers of power; none more so than Henry Kissinger, of whom he
into the upper echelons of the atheist community. He became an international figurehead for atheism, on the level of evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. His 2007 work ‘God is not Great’ secured widespread praise from his atheist and anti-theist contemporaries, and it is rightfully regarded as an important piece of literature. It is, of course, inevitable that Hitchens would attract criticism as a result of such a publication, but this was characterised primarily by a respectful debate, not a loathing of his character.
He may not have broken new ground, but he produced thoroughly entertaining, witty and thought-provoking arguments against religion. Those who ostracise Hitchens from serious debate, and view him as simply an attentionseeking polemicist with an unnaturally ardent hatred for religion are so few in number that they are barely worth considering. George Galloway’s opinions on the ‘drink-soaked former Trotskyist popinjay’were certainly more tightly aligned to the exception than the rule. Hitchens’ genius was such that some of his fiercest opponents in a debate ended up as among the first to pay their tributes. This was the effect that his masterful rhetoric and writing had upon people; they could not help but admire his skill, if not his views. Even Tony Blair, with whom Hitchens engaged in a heated religious debate in November 2010, lauded him as an ‘extraordinary, compelling and colourful human being.’ Hitchens may not have been an outright innovator in political or religious writing or debate, but he never claimed to be. When viewed as he should be viewed - as a writer and an orator - he was clearly far more than just a noisy polemicist: he was a genius.
Illegal fishing: the real cause of Somali piracy Ricky Noble
and international community when he noted that what was happening in his country was ‘economic terrorism.’ ‘Sugule Ali, a leader of one of the pirate gangs built on this in an interview in which he claimed, ‘we don’t consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits [to be] those who illegally fish and dump in our seas.’ Yet instead of acting on these crimes, the UN resolutions, NATO orders and EU decrees are persistently failing to protect Somali Marine resources from IUU violations.The international community are quick to come out in force and condemn the Somali pirates, while discreetly protecting the numerous illegal and unregulated fishing fleets from Europe, Arabia and the Far East. Peter Lehr, a lecturer in terrorism studies at St Andrews University, argues that ‘conducting anti-piracy patrols in these waters can only ever be half of the solution. The other is to protect Somali waters against illegal fishing, thus giving local fishermen a fair chance to earn a living without turning to criminality.’ He is right, and the international community should lead by example by directly tackling the IUUs.
Flickr: Allengreen
Flickr:AllenGreen Zutufarms Flickr:
those who tried to protect their national fishing areas. The names of existing pirate fleets such as the National Volunteer Coastguard of Somalia or the Somali Marines are a testament to the pirates’ initially innocent motivations. Furthermore, foreign ships have long been accused of dumping toxic and nuclear waste off Somali shores. A UN environmental programme report found that deposits of radioactive, hazardous substances such as uranium had caused an upsurge in ailments and skin diseases along the Somali coast. At the time of the report, it cost $2.50 per ton to dump these materials off the Horn of Africa, as opposed to $250 it cost to dispose of them cleanly in Europe. As a result, Somali piracy has turned into the country’s only truly prosperous industry, resulting in high-profile cases like the capture of the Spanish fishing boat Alakrana and its 36 crew members in 2009. This resulted in Somali pirates being sentenced to 439 years in prison. Mohammed Hussein summed up the universal feeling of the 60,000 Somali fishermen in an address to the United Nations
Flickr: Pisana
Ever since a civil war brought down Somalia’s last functioning government in 1991, its 2000 miles of coastline has been a battleground for a piracy war between local fishermen and IUUs (Illegal Unregulated and Unreported Fishing Vessels). Somali pirates since then have been portrayed as lawless, dangerous criminals who roam East Africa’s waters terrorizing the shipping industry. However, they are not the only ones exploiting the vulnerabilities of this troubled and failed state. Indeed, they are in part a product of the rest of the world’s neglect. The origins of the piracy war date back to 1974 where, after severe droughts, thousands of nomads had their livestock wiped out. They then resettled all along the villages of the Somali coast and developed into large fishing communities whose livelihood depended on onshore fishing. After
the collapse of Siyad Barre regime in 1992, and with it the country’s only ever serviceable coastguard, the Somali waters became an international freefor-all. Fishing fleets around the world started illegally plundering Somali stocks and freezing out the country’s own rudimentarily equipped fishermen. A UN report in 2006 estimates that $300M of seafood is stolen from the coastline every year by high seas trawlers from places as far flung as Japan, South Korea and Spain. These countries are often flying their flags around sea-faring friendly nations like Belize and Bahrain, which further helps them skirt international regulations and evade censure from their home countries. And for good reason: the coast of Somalia has some of the highest concentrations of fish in the world. As a result, the first Somalian pirates emerged to protect against fishing trawlers, out of ports such as Eyl, Kismayo and Harardhere, which are now considered to be pirate dens. Local villagers documented cases of trawlers pouring boiling water on the fishermen in canoes, their nets being cut or destroyed, smaller boats being crushed and killing
Epigram
23.01.2012
15
The Big Debate With the killers of Stephen Lawrence finally brought to justice, we ask: is Britain still institutionally racist? Yes
No
Nardiya Margera
Ollie Ratnatunga
The McPherson report, the result of an inquiry into the handling of the Stephen Lawrence case, exposed the existence of institutionalised racism amongst the Metropolitan Police Force. Despite some change in positive attitudes in society in general, the subsequent reforms have not been successful in eradicating institutional racism or even in greatly reducing the problem to which even David Cameron in the past week admitted: ‘we have still got a problem with racism.’ The police have failed to meet many of their targets on the recruitment, retention and promotion of black and minority ethnic (BME) officers. In 2009, they claimed to have reached their target of 7% in recruitment of BME officers but these targets were only reached by massaging their data to include community support police officers; the real figures were only a measly 4%.
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In the last four years, there has been a massive 32% rise in the number of complaints of police racism from the public
Mayor of London Boris Johnson with Stephen’s mother, Doreen Lawrence
Flickr: GLA
Flickr: GLA
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In the last four years there has been a massive 32% rise in the number of complaints of police racism from the public. Stop and search figures have continued to rise, with black people being disproportionately stopped and searched seven times more than their white counterparts in 2009/10. Black and Asian defendants are also more likely to be given harsher sentences when committing similar crimes. The lack of adequate retribution against officers who have been found to be racist is also deeply concerning. Over 300 black people have died in police custody since 1998. The 2011 IPCC report expressed concern about the ‘alarming trend of black deaths in police custody.’ To date, no police officer has ever been convicted or suspended. In order to create public trust in the police, there needs to be evidence that officers found guilty of racist conduct will be adequately punished. The lack of BME people employed by the criminal justice system is exemplified with a judiciary comprising of predominantly white, upperclass men coming from a largely public school and Oxbridge-based background. Institutionalised racism is a problem not solely confined to the criminal justice system. The cases of Luis Suarez and John Terry have recently brought the issue of racism in sport into public focus prompting a parliamentary inquiry. The NHS recently had to pay £1M to an employee for racial discrimination. The growth of far right racist groups, ‘Islamaphobia’ and rise in racist attacks against ethnic groups suggests that we need to do far more work in challenging racism in all its ugly forms. After 18 years only two of several people involved in the murder of Stephen Lawrence have been convicted. This says enough.
Britain is not institutionally racist. It is undeniable that racism exists in Britain, and that there are thousands of racist individuals that live in Britain. The fact that 87,000 people from black or minority ethnic communities said they had been a victim of a racially motivated crime in 2004 proves this. However, from an institutional perspective, there is much less of an issue. Take, for example, the way in which Nick Griffin, the bigoted leader of the BNP, was utterly condemned by his fellow politicians on Question Time last year, a BBC programme. Consider the way in which Stephen Lawrence’s case has left a profound legacy on the Metropolitan Police Force, to deal with crimes without prejudice. The Race Relations Act of 2000, which extends existing legislation for the public sector to the police force, and requires public authorities to promote equality, illustrates this greater sense of social and racial awareness that has become engrained in the police’s methods. As Trevor Phillips, the opinionated chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, puts it, ‘the phrase ‘institutionally racist’ has been hijacked by guilt tripping white folks who refuse to acknowledge that Britain has become by far the best place in Europe to live if you are not white.’ Phillips argues, as do many others, that the cause of any kind of institutionalised discrimination in Britain stems from different factors in this day and age. Indeed, there are many poor, white people who feel marginalized by the archaic and ill-informed debate about whether or not Britain is racist. I am not for one second implying that racism is not an important issue in this country, but to suggest that the police have learnt no lessons, to suggest that politicians are considered based on their race and advantaged if they are white, is quite simply misguided and outdated. In terms of the police force, Phillips goes on to describe the label of institutional racism as a ‘badge of shame that has hung over’ the police for the past decade,
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The cause of any kind of institutionalised discrimination in Britain stems from different, non-racial factors
” before commenting: ‘So, today, ten years on, is the accusation still valid? I don’t think so.’ Take the London riots for example. These, in my view, did not represent a particular ethnic minority. It was not a symptom of a specifically racist society, but of an unfair one. The mindless rioters convey what Britain has become today: a society which is underpinned with a general feeling of dissatisfaction and anger. It is, however, not fiercely focussed in the same way as it was back in the 1980s for example, when endless rioting took place in Notting Hill and Tottenham from the AfricanCarribbean populations, hitting home the message that Britain was a racist country. Though Britain has still got problems with race, from an institutional point of view, there is much to be optimistic about. Britain has become a flourishing, assertively multicultural place. Although there are many problems, I have to agree with Phillips. As a nation, Britain is one of the most accommodating and liberal on the planet. This identity is something we should be proud of.
Epigram
23.01.2012
Letters & Editorial
Editor: Emma Corfield letters@epigram.org.uk
Campaign for Jeff to carry Olympic Torch High Kingsdown need not be a battleground First, an admission: students can on occasion be irritating, rowdy, and annoying. But this does not excuse the residents of High Kingsdown, and especially not local Liberal Democrat councillor Mark Wright, for their latest attack on student residents, as reported in the Bristol Evening Post. In the course of vigorously protesting a new set of student flats, locals used inflammatory, over-the-top language such as ‘ghetto’ and ‘swamped’, which does nothing to improve relations between long-time and student inhabitants, and is far more likely to harm them. The residents of High Kingsdown are to be applauded for maintaining a close community spirit despite a high proportion of students who live there for no longer than a year. The local residents’ association newsletter generally treads the tightrope between fostering civic pride and imposing stultifying conformity well, dictating the precise shade of paint to be used on garage doors aside. But if they want to see further progress, or at least arrest what they clearly see as a decline, then engagement with the local student population, as opposed to branding them a scourge, is paramount. Many students would agree that we can often be thoughtless neighbours, but this is understandable, if not excusable. Leaving home at 18 or 19 and having to live with people of a similar age and of varying domesticity is not always fun, which is why mouldy kitchens, sleepless nights and occasional simmering resentment are recognised tropes in student living. But in this weakness lies an opportunity for Kingsdown’s permanent inhabitants to engage, perhaps reminding students of the bin days, or scalding them gently and with good humour when we make the area untidy, rather than ringing the Evening Post or the local councillor to have a moan. It’s an opportunity for the less transitory locals to guide students in how to be the kind of neighbours they want. This is a plea to Kingsdown residents. We’re young, we’re crap, we don’t know what we’re playing at. Instead of slamming us in the local paper – help, please?
off my face. Who am I to judge? These people are human beings and we should not forget that. Suddenly a sacrifice of £2 a week doesn’t seem so bad, does it? The support of the student population is vital to The Big Issue. According to the magazine’s own statistics 31% of people who buy it are still studying, a figure that looks even more impressive when compared to full-time workers, who make up 41% despite often having more disposable income. Plus our age category made up 58% of the Facebook campaign support. Therefore you need to remember that your contribution is important and that we can use such sites to create a change that is socially good. For six months you made one Jamaican even happier than normal, as well as raising
the important charitable work of The Big Issue in the media. I think that in itself made it all worthwhile. M Walsh
Shut up and eat the chicken Ongoing referendum debate so why would it matter? Does a crocodile avoid eating the women and children fish? Doubt it. So why should we take the responsibility for ensuring what comes naturally beneath us in the food chain has rights? It has always struck me as bizarre Finally, Hill’s argument that mankind has bigger fish to fry in the form of unemployment and war smacks of naivety. Obviously human quality of life is more important than animal rights, even the biggest RSPCA campaigner would have to agree with that. The real argument is that beyond the obvious basic standards set for farms and abattoirs, the issue of animal rights is all getting a bit farcical. Just shut up and eat the chicken. If we didn’t eat them they wouldn’t even exist after all. Tom Bombadil
If Rupert Hill’s contradictory piece on animal rights for ‘The Big Debate’ in issue 244 wasn’t headed by a bold N0, I would have been clueless as to the fact he was supposedly against them. I began reading, neck braced for vigorous nodding, but his selfproclaimed, bleak summation with no particular profundity merely offered an unbiased overview. I would like to think I’m not an (oxy?)moron but I am genuinely of the opinion that animal rights should not be taken all that seriously. Humanity is the dominant species; we run the world. Maybe in a parallel universe it is chickens that evolved conscience and intelligence and us humans live a brief life of battery farms and abattoirs. But we would be emotionless and unknowing
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In response to Mr Hindmarsh’s remarks in issue 244 about my previous letter, I must say, to quote Milton, he spoke ‘high words, that bore / Semblance of worth, not substance’. The European Financial Stability Facility was certainly agreed at the European Council in 2010, before the European Union Act 2011 (hint is in the title) had received royal assent so the relevance of this can be doubted. David Cameron did not agree to this treaty change as Mr Hindmarsh states, Alistair Darling did, it was agreed on the 9th May, two days before David Cameron became Prime Minister.
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However, the European Stability Mechanism was agreed in March 2011; the Government decided not to hold a referendum for that treaty change. I assume this was the evidence Mr Hindmarsh intended to use. However the decision not to hold a referendum was sensible. The ESM only affects the Eurozone, only they pay into it, and with the state that the Eurozone is in a stability mechanism is of paramount importance; just imagine what would happen if the UK were to delay such plans by holding a referendum on it! Patrick Ayers
To get in touch, send an email to letters@epigram.org.uk Letters may be edited for clarity or length
ACROSS
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Cuts to student funding take their toll With research revealing this week that more and more students are turning to prostitution in order to fund their university education, Epigram is concerned that this could be just the first of many signs that cuts to bursaries and other support could yet have a devastating effect on students struggling financially. In light of the need to address the issues that can lead to students undertaking sex work, which range from the lack of available alternative employment to the high pay and ‘flexible’ hours prostitution offers, Epigram implores our university to maintain funding for the services that help students both financially and pastorally.
I recognise the social stigma that comes attached and I understand that it is easy to walk by and ignore getting a copy of The Big Issue for £2 (the vendors buy each copy for £1 to make a £1 profit). I do not claim that there are no flaws in the Big Issue concept, but these people are making a real effort to maintain a good work ethic whilst attempting to integrate back into society. We should be completely supporting them in that. Of course there will always be people that will condemn such vendors for using their money to buy drugs or alcohol, but whenever such an excuse springs to my mind I say - hey wait! that’s exactly what I’m going to spend my money on! True to form you can usually find me drunkenly slouched in Spoons on a Friday night completely
Flickr: iheartfishtown
Whilst the campaign for the Big Issue seller to carry the tourch in Bristol ultimately ended in disappointing failure, I feel that our efforts were not all in vain. The campaign received much local media coverage, even getting a small mention in The Guardian, and raised a lot of publicity for The Big Issue in getting otherwise apathetic people in the city to reflect on the issue of homelessness. It is certainly testament to the rich character of Jeff that over 13,500 people joined the Facebook campaign group. I can’t imagine that many other candidates received anywhere near that level of support, and I hope that Jeff has still been able to take something from this experience. Yet whilst the campaign was light-hearted, the issue of homelessness is a serious one.
5. The stomach area (9) 8. Garden of England (4) 9. Abbrevitaions formed of intial letters (8) 10. Office held by the Pope (4) 11. ...... 25Scott, director (6) 13. Attorney (6) 20 15. To pluck (6) 16. Flexible appendage (8) 18. Musical symbol (4) 19. Forecaster (9)
DOWN 1. Account of a life (8) 2. The study of plant life (6) 3. Tabloid newspaper (6) 4. Chess piece (4) 6. Apart (9) 7. Fraudster (9) 12. Wet through (8) 14. Decree (anag.) (6) 15. WW1 warfare (6) 17. Sour (4)
Epigram
23.01.2012
17 Scribble by Jen Springall
Give it up!
Guardian Careers Live Q&A At the beginning of January, The Guardian’s Career Blog held a live question and answer session for predictions about the job market this year. The panel’s predictions included that unpaid internships will be a rising issue and that social media will become increasingly important for job hunting. CV consultant Mildred Talabi claimed ‘A LinkedIn account, Twitter and Facebook profile will soon become a standard requirement for jobseekers’, and other panellists encouraged graduates to get ahead of the competition by using social media for networking and for researching organisations. Among the panellists who discussed sector growth were marketing and social media specialist Chris Dodson, who predicted ‘it is going to be another huge year for web based skills’, and Oxford University’s Careers Service director Jonathan Black, who believes jobs in human resources will continue to increase. The question and answer session proved useful for general careers advice. The panel gave tips on CVs, work experience and graduating, and were also helpful in answering questions users had about their specific circumstances. For these reasons alone it is worth participating in future sessions via Twitter or a free, online account with The Guardian. http://careers.guardian. co.uk/careers-blog/job-marketpredictions-2012
Best of the web
Tweets of the fortnight @ConanOBrien Thank God Beyonce had her baby and can go back to work. For the past 6 months that family’s had to live entirely on Jay-Z’s salary. Conan O’Brien, comedian and TV personality, 48
@stephencgrant Who I follow on Twitter gives me an inflated view of how bright most people are. Nothing like emailing an eBay seller to bring it back. Stephen Grant, comedian, 38
@KimJongNumberUn Just followed South Korea on Twitter. Then like 2 seconds later blocked them. #BOOM #goodtimes KimJongNumberUn
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Barely has the new year yawned and scratched its groin than many of you will have already failed in your year-long ambitions for 2012. Don’t get me wrong – a new year’s resolution is a fabulous concept and I totally get why we go in for them. There is nobody who can claim that the previous year was 12 months of utter fabulousness devoid of any flaw whatsoever. If there are, they tend to have a grin like the Cheshire Cat having just spent the night with Mila Kunis and need pushing down a disused mineshaft faster than you can say ‘goshwhatanicebottom’. We could all do with some improvement to say the very least, and it does not necessitate lengthy contemplation to realise the myriad ways that we could have done things better, slimmer and more economically last year. Plus it’s a new year! Our enthusiasm is off the scale!! However, as with any resolution, the beginning is always the hardest which is where my first and foremost grievance with new year’s resolutions rears its ugly, inexplicable head – January. Really? Hands-down the most depressing month of the year. The immense wasteland of everything that is shit. It’s cold, it’s dark, we are sickeningly skint, we have eaten our organs into oblivion, our liver threw in the towel a fortnight ago and we are back at university, doing exams that make us want to stab out our yellowing eyeballs with a blunt toothpick - and yet we unanimously settle on this as the perfect time to give up our very favourite things in life. On what unholy planet does it make sense to cut out pleasures which make getting up in the morning bearable and take up things that will make our lives significantly more miserable in January? There are terrorist cells more comforting than the idea of going on a diet or taking up spinning classes right now. Furthermore, we have paid no heed to our shortcomings all year and not cared one iota. In 2011, I ate the weight of a large sea mammal in cake, drank too much, ate more, chose nightsin gawping at Tom Ellis on the television over the gym every single time, probably smoked too much (read, ‘definitely’), wore outfits inspired by Ronald McDonald in a bid to look ‘edgy’, bought things I didn’t need and haven’t used, kissed the boys and actually made them cry, continued to admire the packaging of that painting by numbers, developed enormous bags by scarcely ever getting more than seven hours sleep a night - the list goes on for eternity, believe me. While reversing all of this would immeasurably improve me as a human being, I just haven’t got round to it yet and a renovation of the date is not about to bring that to pass. Nothing about January 2012 makes me believe that I am any closer to a gym membership, a functional boyfriend or a size 8. If anything, it being January, I am further from all of those things, lugubriously nursing a mug of Bovril while watching Bridget Jones. However, in a drunken stupor on 31st December on the stroke of midnight, most people are suddenly overwhelmed by the need to better themselves. You haven’t done any exercise for weeks, your body is accustomed to eating Ferrero Rocher laced with port for breakfast and that unquenched crush you are harbouring on your tutor is not about to vanish overnight. You shall still lust about him for the foreseeable future, just as he shall remain married and as disinterested in you as ever (not least because it would be riotously unprofessional not to). Rather than for the new year, you should change these things when, and only when, your existence can go on no longer unless you do so. That is when you shall be rewarded with success, happiness, money, weight loss and your tutor reclined on a silver platter decorated in Mr Whippy, should you desire. Well, that’s my theory anyway. To anyone who does manage to drop several dress sizes, give up smoking, grow their own vegetables, find a functional partner, take up knitting, spend every weekend working in a soup kitchen, learn to make soufflé and switch to green energy – and all as a result of a new year’s resolution - then I really do take off my hat to you untouchables; believe me I do. But I just don’t believe that you exist, sorry. No, the closest that I will get to any ‘resolution’ is that this year I have vowed to buy myself some high-waisted black jeans. Do you have any idea how hard it is for a girl to find a good pair of jeans? Verity Stockdale
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23.01.2011
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Culture
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Pop musicals: is theatre losing its soul? With remakes of popular films dominating new musicals, Karima Rahman wonders what this spells for West End originality
The Ambassador Theatre
Matilda, Shrek, Legally Blonde, Ghost: presented with this list you would be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled across a programme for a slightly bizarre rerun cinema, instead of today’s West End. The recent trend for musical adaptations of popular films seems to be taking over London’s theatres, but is this a smart move or a bit of a cop out? The ‘musicalising’ of some films appears inevitable. It actually seems bizarre that 1987’s Dirty Dancing didn’t make it to the West End until 2006, and I will always be grateful to Lee Hall for adapting his screenplay of Billy Elliot for the stage. But there is a fine line between skilful adaptation and unabashed money-making ventures. Different degrees of this ‘musicalising’ are prevalent in today’s West End – the first is the shameless tribute musical. Shows such as Mamma Mia! and We Will Rock You pay homage to their chosen bands (ABBA and Queen respectively) and little else. The plot is unashamedly weak with tenuous links between songs, sometimes with the original lyrics altered slightly to force them to fit. People buying tickets for these musicals are, or at least should be, aware that unless they are already a fan of the band or artist in question they’re probably not going to have the experience of a lifetime. That said, there’s something quite refreshing about the honesty of these musicals, and if Pierce Brosnan’s terrifying rendition of ABBA’s ‘S.O.S’ can’t harm
Mamma Mia!’s popularity I doubt anything can. So then there are musicals that do claim to have a plot, usually with their own specific librettos (although some, such as Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, are successfully comprised of various covers). Many of these are taken from films and indeed more and more we are seeing adaptation as a common trend of emerging culture, but preconceived expectations create risk of disappointment. Some films seem made to be musicalised - when I heard that Sister Act would be making its way onto the stage I was hardly surprised. After all, the film was basically all-singing all-dancing
anyway. All this I can understand, all this I have found rationale for, but recently I’ve been struggling. Legally Blonde? Now my humble opinion is nothing compared to three Olivier’s and £2 million of advance sales, I’m aware of this, and I am actually yet to see it so I’m sure it has its merits but it’s the principle I take issue with. I want to go to the theatre and see a show that I don’t necessarily already know the plot of inside out (okay so I’ve seen the film a few times), and that hasn’t been padded out with songs such as ‘Omigod You Guys’. Also, surely staging something such as Shrek, in which the central character
is a green ogre, is counterproductive for displaying vocal prowess. Gone are the days when cumbersome costuming such as this was confined to ice shows. I was surprised in July last year to hear that Ghost was joining this roll call. My problem with these musicals is that if the film does not lend itself to ‘musicalising’, then I am inclined to see the show as an unnecessary tainting of the original. Can it really be Ghost without Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore? I’m sure that it is possible to change my judgment on these shows but I’m afraid I would find it difficult to keep an altogether
open mind when entering the theatre. The adaptation that does seem to work, however, is from book to stage. One of the most recent and prominent examples of this is the Apollo Victoria’s production of Wicked. Based on Gregory Maguire’s novel, Wicked stormed the West End with its alternative perspective of the story of Oz, and is still proving to be a huge success with over two million of us having seen it (some of us more than once). Other musicals in this category are classic shows such as The Woman in Black and Les Misérables. I think these can often be more successful as a book provides a wealth
of material to condense into a comparably short two to three hour show, as opposed to what can often feel like the stretching of a film to fill this time. The audience may not have already made their mind up about a book’s character, and realistically are probably less likely to have read it, so a descriptive, solo ballad seems less indulgent. I should state that I am not naïve enough to believe that these decisions are made purely with artistic merit in mind; I understand that with the money put into these productions considerable returns need to be guaranteed. Of course I wouldn’t want the West End to diminish as a tourist attraction or stop being an option for a family day out, so a bit of tackiness is inevitable I suppose. If only they weren’t quite so blatant about it. Or is it that we don’t give our theatre-goers enough credit? Not that I believe you are all as pretentious as me and feel the need to write an article complaining of the deterioration of the West End’s soul, but maybe sometimes you think the shows are a little bit silly? After the intense popularity of the stage production of War Horse, Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation has just been released, so it would seem there is hope for us yet. That doesn’t mean it has to be serious - give me the sexobsessed puppet show Avenue Q any day - it just has to be really, really worthwhile without any shortcuts. That’s not too much to ask, is it?
National Theatre’s farce takes to the stage for classic slapstick knees-up ONE MAN TWO GUVNORS Adelphi Theatre, London Until 25 February 2012 Cost: £15+
dinner in a key, famous scene, and transporting their luggage without the other knowing. Corden is without a doubt a phenomenal talent and huge success. Both literally huge, as hunger and food are constant motivation for his actions, and also his impeccable timing and perfect delivery means the audience is kept enthralled and laughing throughout. Be aware – there is some audience participation, and this is delivered with superb acting and professional execution. The set itself is perfect, with the Brighton coastline often being depicted. At scene changes, a 1960s style band performs, which provides a sense of novelty and gaiety.
At the end of the play when all of the lies have been revealed, chaos has been resolved and lovers restored to one another, Corden and his co-stars sing a song about how tomorrow looks bright and promising. My only criticism of the play would be that the farcical nature is over-emphasised. For example, the dinner scene is a highlight of the play, and the presence of a doddery old waiter is initially funny, but the same scenario whereby he is pushed over and drops the food is repeated once too often. However, this is more than compensated for by the hilarious one-liners and the simply brilliant acting by all involved. Charlotte Phillips
National Theatre
One Man Two Guvnors, a play adapted from Carlo Goldoni’s The Servant of Two Masters, is hilarious, drawing strongly on farce, slapstick and physical humour. Whilst the extent of slapstick comedy might be considered excessive, if one simply accepts it at face value, the play is thoroughly enjoyable and funny.
Set in 1960s Brighton, it is the style and humour of the play that carry it, rather than the plot. Essentially, Francis Henshall, played by the excellent James Corden, is down on his luck and out of money when he finds himself employed by two bosses. The first is Rachel, dressed as a man to impersonate her dead twin, and the second is the over-emphasised English toff, Stanley, who delivers his many ‘yah’ lines to perfection. Stanley is both Rachel’s lover and her brother’s murderer. Confusion reigns as Corden serves these two masters simultaneously so that neither realise he is employed elsewhere, delivering them
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Improv comedy: do the Yanks know something we don’t?
American sketch show Saturday Night Live. Amazingly, these styles of ‘long form’ improv haven’t yet hit the UK. Luckily, Bristol seems to be on the cutting edge. Local group ‘Only Humour’ did a show in November that was one of the best blends of both long and short form improv I’ve ever seen and even Bristol ImprovSoc have been playing around with new styles. I admit that I might be alone in this, but to me, there’s just nothing better than knowing you’re experiencing something truly unique. And that’s not to say standup, sketch, or plays are inferior, because they’re not. I’ll readily admit that the material they produce is generally better, but there’s something about knowing a scene is spontaneous that makes it so much more
fulfilling. Think about it, what brought a more powerful reaction, The Beethoven Sonata as introduced by the conductor, or your friend blasting “You Give Love A Bad Name” at two o’clock in the morning after a bottle of bourbon? Was it more exciting to kiss her on the first date, or the fifteenth? This is the power of Improvised Comedy. It’s the constant pursuit of taking something that’s inherently imperfect and trying to make it funny. And yes, sometimes she turns her cheek, or your friend puts on Backstreet Boys, but the risk of the unknown is half the fun, right? Besides, how would you know what’s good if you don’t see what’s bad? Life is all about contrast, and the UK is just starting to get the comedy version of color TV... Miles Lindahl
Cambridge Theatre, London Until 21 October 2012 Cost: £25+ (£5 lottery)
school memories that will appeal audience members of any age, including wonderfully disgusting school dinners and gruellingly sadistic P.E. lessons. Without a doubt, much of the success of this musical is owed to a fabulous cast. Bertie Carvel’s performance as the authoritarian, hammerthrowing Miss Trunchbull was gorgonically fabulous, complete with ticks, flying spittle and fanatical patriotism. Jake Bailey, meanwhile, shone in the role of Bruce Bogtrotter – at the
opening line of his brilliant solo, the audience audibly gasped. Nominated for 9 awards, Matilda: The Musical has now moved to the Cambridge Theatre in the West End, where I hope it will remain for the foreseeable future. With its mixture of naughtiness and nostalgia, I defy anyone not to leave the theatre smiling - and if you don’t, there’s always the recipe for Bruce Bogtrotter’s chocolate cake in the programme. Rebecca Hare
Matildathemusical.com
When I heard that my favourite childhood book was to hit the West End, I was dubious. The successes of now well-established shows like Les Miserables aside, the most recent examples of the ‘musicalised’ genre have been a little disappointing. But upon arrival at the RSC theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, any fears of ill-fitting music or a muddled plot line were soon allayed: Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly’s giddy, mischievous ‘Matilda: The Musical’ swept me off my feet. The most important aspect of any musical is, of course, the music. Written by Minchin, the production’s soundtrack embraces the impish, childish atmosphere of Dahl’s book,
complementing its anarchic storyline. Matilda’s extraordinary imagination – a feature vital to the book, but easily lost in adaptations such as the 1996 film – is brought to life in songs like the one depicting the story of an escapoligist acrobat who flies through the air with dynamite in her hair. The music encompasses a wide and wonderful range of styles, with particular favourites including ‘The Smell of Rebellion’ and ‘Revolting Children’ – both combining Minchin’s gift for the hilarious and Dahl’s incredible sense of the ridiculous and the grotesque. Kelly preserves Dahl’s writing style, too, by including features such as his zealously exaggerated speech, exemplified by Miss Trunchball’s line: ‘he should have thought of that before he made a pact with Satan and decided to steal my cake!’ Equally, though, the story is developed and updated through more modern references, making the humour easily accessible to younger children. Kelly uses universal
7-11 February, Bristol Old Vic A hit at this year’s Fringe, Translunar Paradise is a charming, moving mask and mime show. A love story without words, but all the more powerful for the silence, emphasising the little things you lose when a loved one dies - an extra cup fetched out of habit when only one is needed.
The Table 21-25 February, Tobacco Factory A puppet show that credits its inspirations as Sartre and Kierkegaard - a bit pretentious, perhaps. But when the puppetry is this beautiful, the dialogue this meaningful and the humour this abundant, pretention is the last thing on your mind. By the end, you’ll really feel for the piece of animated cardboard in front of you.
The Boy With Tape On His Face 11 March, Tobacco Factory Drawing on a heritage that includes silent film, mime, magic, puppetry, Motown and the films of Patrick Swayze, The Boy With Tape On His Face is a pensive, curious soul approaching every object and audience member as a potential friend - or plaything. Shoes sing, empty dresses dance and electrical tape blossoms into roses creating a world of possibilities where the only certainty is laughter.
The Boy With Tape On His Face
Simon Munnery 18 March, Tobacco Factory Milliganesque silliness and cerebral wit reign in Sony Radio Award-winning Simon Munnery’s new show. Praised by Stewart Lee as the Peter Cook of his generation, Munnery’s comedy is beautifully written and surreally delivered. Expect jokes about Horfield, music about the R101 airship of the 1930s and - if his website is to be believed - fruit.
Fascinating Aida 30 March, Tobacco Factory This operatic trio flew to fame when their song ‘Cheap
Flights’ became a viral hit on YouTube. They’re no one-hit wonder, though. And while their combined age adds up to over 150, songs like ‘Dogging’, ‘Sweet FA’, ‘Getting It’, and ‘I Watched Two People’ prove this is no Stitch and Bitch.
Isy Suttie 8 May, Tobacco Factory Best known as Dobby in Peep Show, Isy Suttie’s one-woman comedy show tells the story of two unlikely lovers thrown together at Butlin’s and reunited over the internet.
Simon Munnery
National Theatre
into Second City if you’re not funny, but it was more than that. It was...layered. When I went to university in New York, some friends introduced me to yet another form of improv: ASSSSCAT. Despite the ridiculous name of the show, this style (performed by the Upright Citizens Brigade in a ratty, run down, 80-seat theatre under a grocery store on 26th Street in Manhattan) changed everything. Like Second City, they were improvising full scenes, but they threw all the rules out the window. They’d jump backwards and forwards in time, introduce new characters, and generally play to the temperature of the room. It was brilliant. People would line up for tickets three or four hours before the Sunday night show, which often featured cast members of the
Minchin’s Matilda is marvellous medicine MATILDA THE MUSICAL
It’s grey outside, and that Christmas tenner from grandma’s still burning a hole in your pocket. Ditch the gym, forget exams and come and get your culture fix Translunar Paradise
Emily Cawse
I’m going to make a bold statement here: American-style Improv is going to revolutionize British comedy. Like most people, my first introduction to improvised comedy was through the incredibly popular “Whose Line is it Anyway?”, a show where a handful of comedians played short, humour-based actinggames in style that felt like “team-based stand-up comedy”. And, like most people, I laughed my ass off. “How do they come up with this stuff on the spot?” I wondered. This was something new, spontaneous, and had an energy I couldn’t explain. I loved it. Pure and simple. Now, anyone who knows anything about sketch comedy or improv knows that most of the greats in the sketch comedy world (Bill Murray and Tina Fey, to name a few) started out in Chicago’s comedy theatre, Second City. There, the actors would perform two sets of scripted sketch comedy followed by a set of completely improvised material, only this improv was different... It wasn’t the tight, rule-based game-show I was used to seeing, but a series of vignettes that converged into a bigger story. These people weren’t “telling jokes”, but creating characters whose stories and lives I had a genuine interest in. Was it funny? Yeah, of course it was. You don’t get
2012’s Hottest Tickets
Like a cross between Victoria Wood and Daniel Kitson, Suttie flits expertly and endearingly between standup, music and character comedy. Exploring her own romantic experiences in the process, this is a show that beautifully captures all the awkwardness of falling in love - with plenty of laughs along the way.
Simon Amstell 11 May, Colston Hall Amstell’s last attempt at stand-up resulted in 2009’s critically acclaimed ‘Do Nothing’ tour, in which the famously critical Buzzcocks host turned the focus on himself. What we got was a mass of insecurities, selfdoubt and loneliness, all delivered with immense wit and perfect timing. Critics of Amstell’s cruel presenting style will be pleased to see that he saves all the most damning lines for himself, and this show looks sure to be just as relentlessly introspective. Josh Gabbatiss
Lucian Freud: Portraits 9 February-27 May, National Portrait Gallery in London Featuring over 100 works from museums and private collections across the world, and produced in close collaboration with the artist himself before his untimely death late last year, the National Portrait Gallery will exhibit emotionally intense studies of Freud’s family, friends and lovers – a fitting commemoration of his prolific 70 year career. Oli Arnoldi
Epigram
23.01.2012
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23.01.2012
Looking for love and wanting happiness Rishi Modha talks to Christopher Owens, the creative force behind San Francisco’s indie darlings, Girls 2011 saw the completion of a transformation of the relationship between musicians and their influences. It’s now au fait to openly engage in revivalism; new music is borrowing heavily from the past in an unprecedented fashion. At the forefront of this were Girls, skilfully avoiding the usual pitfalls of making retro music by injecting colour and personality into the eerily familiar soundscapes present in their latest release, Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Frontman and primary creative force, Christopher Owens, explains that ‘the influences are different for each song and to me unimportant. The music is only a backdrop for what is operant. People spend too much time trying to figure music out, in my opinion.’ Owens works on his own terms, refusing to allow even the weighty influences employed to distract from the task at hand; an introspective exploration of the important things in life, which he explains are ‘looking for love, wanting happiness [and] reaching out to be noticed.’ With such an ambitious remit, it’s not a surprise that Owens is so forthright in being uncompromisingly hardhitting lyrically. ‘I don’t know how to take a step back or be impersonal or to write fiction. I only write from my heart when I become overwhelmed. I think that’s the reason I love it, because it’s a release’, he says.
“
I only write from my heart when I become overwhelmed
”
The extent to which Girls’ directness is unrelenting is particularly clear in the emphasis placed upon the no-holds-barred discussion of Owens’ relationship with his mother throughout the record. He explains that ‘[catharsis] is the only thing songwriting is for me’. With the discussion of such emotionally charged personal issues Owens admits that in a live scenario ‘it is intense, and there’s no way around that for me, because any other way would be a bad show and I’m very committed to a good show’. The honesty and integrity required to pull of such a feat could easily be understated as it’s clear that Owens’ feelings regarding his maternal relationship are particularly intense and complex in ways far removed
Girls! We run this mother! Chet ‘JR’ White and Christopher Owens
from ordinary experience. Having been brought up by his mother within the confines of cult-like separatist Christian group ‘Children of God’, they led an almost nomadic existence, rarely settling in any country or area for large periods of time, an experience that Owens doesn’t ‘feel much affected by musically’, but that clearly affected the relationships that form the basis for his lyrics. The underlying tone behind the exploration of his feelings
towards his mother appears to be forgiveness, a notion heavily supported by the spiritual transcendent quality Girls’ music takes on, a result of the utilisation of a gospel choir as modest backing for a voice which is self-described as ‘not the best’. Christopher has wised up and grown up and wears this on his sleeve without betraying the fraught sense of vulnerability present in his voice that lends his words discomfortingly
penetrative power. There’s a strong sense that ‘My Ma’ and ‘Vomit’, both perspicaciously commenting upon previously unhealthy perspectives towards past relationships, are reactions formed following a period of epiphany and selfrealisation. This is evident in the borrowing of a biblical metaphor found in Proverbs 26:11 (“As a dog returns to his vomit, so does a fool return to his folly”) to liken a parasitic relationship to in the sprawling epic documenting emotional breakdown,‘Vomit’. The wisdom exuded by the resurgent Owens is unflappable, taking on an almost supernatural capacity for love in opening himself up towards reconciliation with the mother he left when escaping from ‘Children of God’ aged 16. There is however danger in overplaying the religious aspect of a record filled to the brim with biblical references, it’s merely one facet of a complex narrative woven by Owens and he’s keen to draw
attention elsewhere; ‘I have a heavy religious background… it’s less important than people think though’. The emphasis ought to be placed more in spirituality and Owens’ clear desire for love, the religious themes are just more prone to being picked out and analysed, given his background. Father, Son, Holy Ghost differentiates itself from previous Girls records through its departure away from their original lo-fi approach, though Owens explains that ‘the only reason we sounded lo-fi in the beginning was because we had bad recording equipment which was broken half the time - we would have loved to have sounded this clean from the start, it’s only just now affordable for us.’ The effect this has on the record is immediate. The sonic constructions are awe-inspiring and the emotional weight of the material is striking from the offset. This allows Girls to be more effective in being faithful
to their artistic intentions, which they pull off flawlessly, despite having set lofty aims. With such an achievement in their hands it’s difficult to see how Girls can follow up the intricately constructed rich and complex tapestry they’ve presented to the world in Father, Son, Holy Ghost. However, the prolific Owens appears full of self-assurance in his assertion that ‘there are so many options (about 100 songs)’. Owens, a man never short of faith in himself, prophesises that the next step for the band ‘won’t disappoint’.
‘Father, Son, Holy Ghost’ is out now on Turnstile
Epigram
23.01.2012
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The formula for a successful reunion
On their new album, No Thyself, Magazine show their legions of imitators who’s boss. Seb Jones meets keyboardist Dave Formula Band reunions can be a strange thing. The argument regarding their merit has been played out countless times over the past few years with the return of everyone from ‘Britpop’ icons to the inevitable return of every boyband after Take That’s ‘manband’ success. Out of the multitude of reformed acts was postpunk trailblazer and ‘the connoisseur’s choice’, Howard Devoto’s Magazine. Returning for live dates in 2009 and recently taking the daunting next step to actually record and release new material with No Thyself hitting shops at the end of last year. Returning after such an extended period of time (thirty-one years to be exact) could easily reek of the desperation for a quick buck that tarnishes the public and critical view of so many reformations. However, Dave Formula, Magazine’s synth and keyboard guru, stresses that in
their case they weren’t content to just milk past glories. ‘Howard had mentioned that if we continued past 2009, he couldn’t see us doing nothing but old material. He needed the challenge of writing new material. It just really developed from that. It was a natural evolution from that discussion.’ With a band as influential and respected as Magazine, new material after such a long time was always going to be treated with some trepidation. It could be seen as digging up and playing around with a legacy that should have been left in peace. ‘It would be a lie to say that you don’t have a deep feeling of “I wonder how this is going to go down”’. However Formula didn’t let this potential for criticism to overshadow the recording process. ‘As it evolved relatively slowly as an album, if we sat around thinking too much we’d have never got it finished.
L-R: Dave Formula, Jon Doyle, Howard Devoto and erstwhile bassist Barry Adamson
We might get some flack or people might like it, but you have to believe in what you are doing and do believe in it quite rightly. The main thing is if you are happy with it yourself.’ This sentiment may have been true for the remaining members of Magazine, but original bassist Barry Adamson (who left shortly before recording began) didn’t share it. ‘I had sent him the rough sketches and stuff for a few new songs and he’d had them for a while and it got to the point where we really needed to move on and I asked him to put his bass parts down. He didn’t feel good about recording new material, so that was how we left it.”
Luckily for the remaining members of Magazine, any worry of receiving flack over the new album hasn’t been realized with No Thyself receiving mostly positive reviews across the board. Many of these reviews noted the classic Magazine sound that made up No Thyself and that the album fitted into Magazine’s discography as the fourth album that should have been as opposed to the poorly received Magic, Murder and the Weather that was released just before their original split. This is something that Formula agrees with. ‘It’s more in the tradition of the first three albums than the last one.
The BRIT Awards and the Age of Beige January is a funny old month for music. Following on from the turgid Christmas songs and end of year lists that December brings, January presents a confusing mix of ‘ones to watch’ lists and award ceremonies. Earlier this month, the nominations were announced for the 32nd BRIT awards. What was originally created to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee by recognising the best of British music during her reign, has now evolved to become one of the biggest nights in the British entertainment calendar. From Jarvis Cocker’s legendary stage invasion during Michael Jackson’s performance of ‘Earth Song’, to the ongoing feud between Robbie Williams and the Gallagher brothers, the BRIT Awards are now as much
about celebrity tiffs as they are about music. The 2012 nominees suggest that this year’s awards are even less concerned with the
music. Rather than celebrating the cream of British music, this year’s nominees list reads like a who’s who of what in the Guardian’s Peter Robinson called ‘The New Boring’, citing Adele’s performance of ‘Someone Like You’ at last year’s awards ceremony as the beginning of the age of beige. This year’s ceremony looks to be more ginger than beige, with Ron Weasley doppelganger Ed Sheeran leading the pack with four nominations, closely followed by last year’s Critics’ Choice winner Jessie J who is up for three awards. The winners are supposedly decided by a panel of a thousand industry experts, however this year it could be argued they simply consulted the Trending Topics on Twitter and picked the most
popular artists at that time. While mainstream pop acts such as Adele and JLS dominate the list, there has been an attempt to include more credible acts like Mercury award winner PJ Harvey and music veteran Kate Bush in the proceedings. While this is admirable at a time when reality shows are consistently churning out manufactured acts, it has also highlighted the ignorance of those involved; Wisconsin indie-folk group Bon Iver may be wondering why they’re up against acts such as Bruno Mars and David Guetta in the International Male Solo Artist category. Perhaps the only way to shake proceedings up this year is for David Cameron to duet with Ed Sheeran on a Big Society rap. Pippa Shawley
The last album we did before the band split was not fully representational of what had gone before.’ The influence of Magazine is undeniable with bands ranging from Radiohead to recentlyhyped band Chapel Club referencing them. Chapel Club went as far as to release a near shot-for-shot remake of the video of ‘The Light Pours Out of Me’ as their debut video. You would hope that this combined with a new album would bring a new audience to Magazine’s gigs. This is something Formula agrees with. ‘It would be a bit pointless to play to the same audience the whole time’. Unfortunately, standing
in Bath Komedia on the first date of the No Thyself tour, you would have witnessed the most follically-challenged mosh pit this side of the Skrewdriver gig. Formula can only hope that the other dates on the tour had a wider audience. The future for Magazine is uncertain. After the touring around No Thyself ends they will assess, as they did after the 2009 tour, what will come next. If they do decide to call it a day again (which seems unlikely after the reception their return has received), you get the impression that they would have given the band the fitting end it was denied in 1981.
The BRITS: a potted history 1977 – The first BRIT Awards were held at Wembley 1989 – Comperes Sam Fox and Mick Fleetwood proved such a disastrous hosts, the ceremony was a TV hit and became associated with car crash television 1990 – In a pre-recorded segment, Margaret Thatcher announced to the nation that one of her favourite songs was ‘(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?’ 1992 – Avant-garde band The KLF opened the show with grindcore metal band Extreme Noise Terror. Band member Bill Drummond ended their set by firing blanks from a vintage machine gun into the audience.
1996 – Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker invaded the stage and brandished his bottom at Michael Jackson as he performed ‘Earth Song’ surrounded by children 1997 – Geri Halliwell wore her legendary Union Jack mini dress to the awards. 1998 – Bjork won the award for Best International Female and declared that she was a ‘grateful grapefruit’ 2000 – Robbie Williams invited former friend Liam Gallagher to take part in a televised boxing match 2011 – Adele wows the world with her performance of ‘Someone Like You’.
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Clockwise L-R: Sharon Van Etten, Azealia Banks, Ifan Dafydd and Clams Casino
Epigram’s Rising New Talent 2012 The end of the world may be nigh, but at least we can all go out with a good soundtrack, courtesy of the Epigram team Azealia Banks
Clams Casino
Ifan Dafydd
King Krule
Spector
Sharon Van Etten
Azealia Banks released her debut single ‘212’ in December last year and, while it failed to break into the charts at the time, it’s been a modest YouTube hit and grabbed critical attention. The song shows that Banks is capable of arrogant aggression reminiscent of Nicki Minaj’s guest spot on Kanye West’s ‘Monster’, calmer (but no less self-assured) rapping in the verses, and casually dropping the c-bomb into the song’s big hook. She’s also got a knack for unorthodox song structures (the ‘chorus’ of ‘212’ only appears once), which brings to mind Janelle Monae or Missy Elliott. Her production choices are more interesting than most mainstream hip hop – ‘212’ is based around a sample of electro house producer Lazy Jay, while she’s also worked with Diplo and collaborated with Machinedrum on ‘L8R’ and ‘NEEDSUMLOVE’. She has a cameo on the Scissor Sisters comeback single coming out next month and she’s on the bill for the NME Awards Tour 2012 along with Two Door Cinema Club and Metronomy. Her debut album is due later this year, and it’s being produced by Paul Epworth, the man behind Adele’s 21, so expect big things. David Biddle
It’d be relatively easy to dismiss Mike Volpe’s (alias Clams Casino) tracks offhand if you haven’t actually heard any of them - the easiest adjectives to reach for (‘woozy’, ‘hazy’, etc.) have pretty negative kneejerk associations. But you really shouldn’t: his instantly recognizable combination of detuned, overloaded synths, zonked-out just-on-the-edge-of-discernible vocal samples and erratic bursts of percussion easily ranks some of the most interesting music to emerge last year. Whether taken in instrumental form or with vocals, his productions are endlessly interesting: from the weirdly euphoric to a kind of screwed up take on straight-up bangers, always caked in effects, and always with a keen ear for structure. He’s very much of the moment - samples were apparently found by typing terms like ‘cold’ into limewire, and the tracks often sound best through crappy speakers - but it only takes one listen for, say, his incredible earwormy rework of a Janelle Monae sample (‘Cold War’) to lodge in your brain. And it’s testament to his talent just how, and how swiftly, his profile rose: his self-titled compilation was endlessly linked to and downloaded. Volpe makes the kind of music you just can’t help but, in Facebook’s terminology, ‘share’ with everyone you know. Mathew Pitts
The Welsh wonder first exploded on to the scene last summer, seemingly from nowhere, with two remarkable edits. The first was a reworking of the late Amy Winehouse track ‘You Know I’m No Good’, which, while staying true to the bluesy and soul roots of the original, effortlessly showcased the producer’s talents for cut and paste vocals with hefty overdubbing, bathed in thick texture of warm synths. Equally exciting was the flipside of the limited 12”, ‘Miranda’, a track composed around a heavily treated vocal sample from Usher’s 2001 smash ‘U Remind Me’ with a James Blakeesque organ providing the main body of the production. 2012 has seen Ifan pick up where he left off last year with his debut EP featuring his own compositions coming out on the new Push & Run imprint, slated for release in late January. Showcasingthemoreintrospective and experimental side of the producer ‘Treehouse’ and ‘To Me’ contain the same signature loops and glossy production while simultaneously armed with compelling woodblock beats. The two generous five-minute offerings encapsulate Dafydd’s honey-soaked electronica and cement him firmly as one of the leading lights of UK producers in 2012 alongside the likes of James Blake, Mount Kimbie and Burial. Mike Limb
King Krule is already a relatively well-established newcomer going into the New Year, after the release and warm reception of his excellent eponymous EP in November. From the melancholy jazz and hip hop sounds blended in its intro, the hungover guttural drawl of vocals on ‘Bleak Bake’ and the quietly displacing and abrupt lyrical end to ‘Lead Existence’ (‘I lost my soul to the blues a long time ago’), it served the ideal purpose of a debut, stopping just short of completely answering the listener’s attention or settling himself too firmly into one musical space. His early work under the name Zoo Kid introduced that distinctive pairing of chiming, reverb-maxed guitar with chewed up and spat out vocals, and attracted attention from those keen to pigeonhole this young man as a new Billy Bragg or Jamie T, or cynics drawing attention to his BRIT-school education. But if King Krule, straddling an image of bohemia and urban disenchantment, could fill out the echoing sketch of talent that his early work has given us, we could have a voice to channel the legacy of the likes of Tom Waits, Ian Dury and Joe Strummer. No pressure for a 17-year-old kid, then. Eliot Brammer
Judging by their name, you’d expect this London band’s music to reflect super-producer Phil Spector’s unmistakable sound. However, like The Killers before them, with their wobbly synths (‘Chevy Thunder’), epic harmonies, catchy choruses and matching monochrome suits, Spector’s early 80’s influences are obvious; New Romantics such as Spandau Ballet can certainly be heard in ‘Grey Shirt and Tie.’ Bespectacled frontman Fred MacPherson, formerly of bands Les Incompetents and Ox.Eagle. Lion.Man, sounds like Arcade Fire’s Win Butler, and writes like Jarvis Cocker. His melancholic lyrics about young love are juxtaposed perfectly by soaring synth-pop melodies, with their first single ‘Never Fade Away’ being a prime example of this perfect combination (“Whatever you ask of me, I will obey, just give me the word, I’ll start fading away”). Having performed on Later... with Jools Holland in November last year, and with an upcoming stadium tour with Florence + the Machine, and the release of their debut album ahead of them, Spector are undoubtedly going places. And whilst it’s fair to say that they are unlikely to create anything as revolutionary as their namesake’s wall of sound, they’re definitely going to make a mark on 2012’s music scene. Lucy Fowler
Unlike many of the artists on this list, Sharon Van Etten is not releasing her debut this year. Tramp, out on the 7th of February, is actually her third album; her last, 2010’s Epic, was critically praised but did not sell in any major quantity. Recently, though, she’s seen her popularity rise, partly due to her association with The National – she appeared on their 2011 single ‘Think You Can Wait’, and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Dessner is producing her record. He’s also featuring on the album, along with his brother and bandmate Bryce, Zach Condon of Beirut, and Matt Barrick, drummer for the Walkmen. It seems that the media are finally starting to believe in her too - she’s appeared on TV to promote the album, and her performance of ‘Serpents’ on Jimmy Fallon’s show is well worth looking up. As might be expected, her music has touches of The National, but there are also traces of PJ Harvey and even Lana Del Rey. Most importantly, it’s all built on a solid foundation of strong songcraft. Conditions seem to be perfect for the resilient Sharon Van Etten and it looks like she might be on the cusp of breaking through into indie rock’s big leagues. David Biddle
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Reviews WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? DELICACIES Ani DiFranco Simian Mobile Disco Righteous Babe Records November 29 2010 16 January 2012 Delicatessen
Studio album number seventeen carries the momentum of this folk veteran’s four decadespanning career, with few signs of fatigue or focal saturation within earshot. Whilst generally holding tones of contentedness, cracks of disillusionment do seep through, lyrically (presumably due to a lack of significant world change after over twenty years of singing about said change), often appearing in juxtaposition with cloudy, carefree delivery and playful melodies that we usually associate with lullabies of butterflies rather than abortion and government corruption. DiFranco’s radically reworked rendition of ‘¿Which Side Are You On?’ – the title track, originally written in 1931 by Florence Reece and since popularised by Pete Seeger, who also provides the befitting banjo opener here - is a funk-fuelled epic, which evokes memories of PJ Harvey’s ‘war album’ Let England Shake. Over abrasive guitar chords, American’s political agendas are examined in a reverential manner, repetitively drilling the chorus out in between verses that question the country’s current position and the path it has taken to get there (“Thirty years of diggin’ / got us in this hole / The curse of Reaganomics / has finally taken its toll”). The added backing of a children’s
AMERICA GIVE UP Howler Rough Trade 16 Jan 2012 It’s hard to believe that, at a mere 10 years old, The Strokes’ Is This It has already passed into the rock canon. Since its release, too many column inches have been wasted on the fictional death of rock’n’roll, a myth invented by lazy journalists and perpetuated by certain aspects of the music industry. Consequently, there is a constant bombardment of bands prophesised to ‘save guitar music’ from its apparent death throes (see The Drums, The Vaccines etc.). Howler, it seems, are on the same valiant quest, if their press coverage is anything to go by. Indeed, they have all the indicators of a poor (in more than one sense of the word) version of The Strokes, and there are many conspicuous ‘references’ to various elements of rock history – singer Jordan Gatesmith is always attempting to channel Lou Reed, Joey Ramone and, of course, Julian Casablancas depending on which song you’re listening to. Derivative they may be, with lyrics like “I hate myself more than I hate you” they have certainly nailed the succinct rock’n’roll quip. Which serves quite well to sum up the album: quick, briefly satisfying and ultimately unrewarding. Jean Parmesan
THE FACE OF MOUNT MOLEHILL Neil Cowley Trio Naim Jazz 23 January 2012
choir and brass band roughly translates to images of DiFranco marching down Pennsylvania Avenue with thousands in her wake: a sight that epitomises the majority of what is a fairly consistent album, save ‘Promiscuity’ and parts of ‘Unworry’. Album closer ‘Zoo’ is the mountain peak of the record, a simple but effective archetype of desolation. DiFranco flits between linguistic devices as effortlessly as she changes the rhythm they are delivered in, and exercises more abrupt lyricism than she previously has, often to great effect; however, occasionally, she loses some of the melodic richness she usually displays and begins to sound a tad monotonous. ‘If Yr Not’ offers the most affluent example of her ardent articulation, showcasing the perfect timing of “If you’re not getting happier as you get older / then you’re fucking up”, before weaving into more intricate variants of the phrase, whilst fervently hacking away at her poor guitar, which must surely be feeling the simultaneous pleasure and pain of a masochist masturbating with a belt around their neck, ‘on the verge’ (in both respects) and unsure whether to loosen the belt or just continue in hell. Luke Swann
U&I Leila Warp 23 Jan 2012 U&I is not the best title for an album struggling to come to terms with its identity as fiercely as this one is – perhaps I&I would have been more appropriate. London-based Iranian electronic musician and occasional Björk collaborator Leila Arab’s fourth full length seems unable to decide what it wants to be. Some of the tracks, like ‘interlace’ are Autechre-inspired exercises in crushed, broken beats and the grinding sounds of humanity’s enslavement by machines; some are more straightforward pop-dance songs featuring Mathew ‘Mount’ Sims; ‘boudica’ is hard, detuned and distorted techno while ‘eight’ could be a late submission for the Drive soundtrack. The IDM stuff is generally the better material; the Mt. Sims songs are generally weak, with the exception of lead single ‘(disappointed cloud) anyway’. The problem is none of it seems to fit together – U&I doesn’t sound like an album, it sounds like somebody’s iPod on shuffle or a Warp B-sides collection. As a result it doesn’t feel like the ideas within are explored or developed as much as they ought to have been if this had been two or three more coherent albums. David Biddle
Neil Cowley is perhaps the most listened to pianist of 2011 – not that many of the people that heard him knew it. Cowley’s easily identifiable percussive playing defined much of the character of Adele’s 21, and judging from his upcoming recordings with Emile Sandé and Michael Kiwanuka, it seems he is a session musician that is very much in demand. On The Face of Mount Molehill, the follow up to 2010’s Radio Silence, Cowley once again steps into the role of composer, this time accompanied by his own string arrangements. This is certainly an ambitious project to undertake, and orchestral additions always run the risk of producing a bloated, overproduced result. Cowley’s strong grounding in classical tradition makes him a good man for the job, and fortunately the task is sensitively handled. Opener ‘Lament’ shows us that he has not lost his knack for melody with the augmentation of his trio. His typically catchy, neoclassical influenced motifs lilt up the keyboard, subtly underscored by muted strings and ambient textures. As Cowley’s breathing sneaks into the mix, it becomes clear that production values have not come at the
VOYAGEUR Kathleen Edwards Decca 23 Jan 2012 Canadian Edwards’ fourth album comes four years after the release of her critically acclaimed Asking for Flowers. Tinged with her signature Americana style, Voyageur chronicles the breakdown of her marriage and is co-produced by her current beau, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. Listeners hoping for a female answer to For Emma, Forever Ago will be disappointed; where Vernon’s breakup album was a sparse obituary for a past love, Edwards’ is a wistful review of a relationship doomed to fail, full of frank confessions of inner turmoil, admitting ‘looking back it was such a dumb idea/five girls in the same coloured dress’ (‘Pink Champagne’). It is rare to come across an album so refreshingly honest, and it is this candidness, combined with Edwards’ aptitude for writing beautifully earnest songs that makes this so special. From the saddest declarations ‘you don’t kiss me/not the way that you used to’ on ‘House Full of Empty Rooms’, to the elation of a new relationship on ‘Sidecar,’ which features Vernon on backing vocals, by way of ‘Change the Sheets’ (which should go down as one best Americana records in history), Voyageur is an undulating journey which is simultaneously delightful and heartbreaking. Pippa Shawley
expense of intimacy. After easing us in with the plaintive opener, the trio remind us that they are an extremely well-oiled machine. Tracks like ‘Rooster Was A Witness’ and ‘Fable’ bound along with such impeccable timing that is only possible in a group with great musical understanding, which the Neil Cowley Trio have in abundance, as anyone who as seen them in concert will know. Moreover, the rollicking energy captured here would not sound out of place on many rock albums. In fact, the ‘jazz’ umbrella that the trio are so often pushed under can be a bit misleading, and can perhaps alienate some potential listeners. Indeed, they have all the trappings of a jazz group: an eponymous piano, double bass and drums ensemble playing instrumental music. But Cowley eschews jazz harmony and extended improvisations in favour of the bags of hooks and riffs. The coda in ‘Skies Are Rare’ teases the listener with a tasteful piano solo, a rare moment of flair. Perhaps Cowley is deliberately taking a ‘leave them wanting more’ approach here, but one can’t help from hoping he lets his hair down more in future. Nathan Comer
FUTURE THIS The Big Pink 4AD 16 Jan 2012 Most of the bad things said about The Big Pink are said in reference to their breakthrough hit ‘Dominos’, an infuriatingly catchy song which we now know was written in cahoots with a well known pizza chain. But, whatever you say about the London duo, at least they have a ‘sound’ that they can call their own. This ‘sound’ is one founded on a bombastic chorus, faux-futuristic guitars and a thumping beat. In shampooing terms, it is washed, rinsed and repeated on their second album Future This. Opener ‘Stay Gold’ is a more tolerable version of the ‘Dominos’, while ‘Rubbernecking’ exemplifies their characteristic use of a juvenile vocal propelled by a heavily processed drum effect. There is strong evidence of the hip-hop direction that singer Milo Cordell has alluded to in the extra beef put behind the album’s notable production. Indeed, the gargantuan effects on ‘1313’, a heartfelt ballad about waking up and then going back to bed, are certainly a treat for the ears, should they be listened to on good enough speakers. Essentially, Future This won’t disappoint those who enjoyed The Big Pink’s debut. It will, however, also vindicate those who never claimed to like them in the first place. Eleanor Bluth
Film & TV
Epigram
Editor: William Ellis
Deputy Editor: Ant Adeane
filmandtv@epigram.org.uk
deputyfilmandtv@epigram.org.uk
23.01.2012
Silence could be golden for The Artist THE ARTIST Director: Michel Hazavanicius Starring: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman
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The stock scepticism that meets the suggestion of spending an entire afternoon watching a ‘silent’ film is somewhat unsurprising, given the attitudes of modern moviegoers today. Many may ask, ‘Why develop 3D technology, high-definition cameras and microphones capable of recording the subtlest of sounds, if one intends to return to the simplest of cinematic techniques?’ However, those who express hostility toward an invitation to Michel Hazavanicius’ The Artist, a film with only one small scene of spoken dialogue, should take a moment to reflect on another question; ‘What is it that makes a
film worth seeing?’ Presumably the use of modern techniques is not required for a film to be enjoyable, or nothing produced before the last decade would be regarded with any esteem today. Nor is the presence of high-level technology sufficient for a film to be worth watching, evidenced by the existence of Final Destination 3D. But, technology or no technology, whatever it is that makes a film worth seeing, The Artist has got it in spades. The story follows George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), who we meet in 1920s Tinseltown as the fans’favourite; the silent film star whose success seemingly knows no bounds. A chance meeting with Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) introduces the audience and George to his eventual love interest. Peppy speedily soars to fame with a good deal of assistance from George, who introduces her to the who’s-who of Hollywood. Much like today, the movie
industry of Valentin’s time is swiftly developing, and despite his reservations, ‘talkies’, films with spoken dialogue, are increasing in popularity. Valentin, however, proudly declares himself uninterested in playing a part in such films, having established his career with silent movies alone. But, as the ‘talkies’ continue to rise in popularity, Valentin’s own star begins to wane. This film is saturated with
cinematic references, from ‘borrowed’ parts of Bernard Hermann’s soundtrack to Hitchcock’s Vertigo, to the clever reconstruction of a montage from Citizen Kane. It is however in its ‘secondorder’ references where the true genius of The Artist shines. The film industry portrayed is amusingly analogous to the industry today; many people are passionate about moving forward with new technological
techniques, whilst some are left wondering whether the original charm of the cinema has been overlooked. This subject matter, along with the presentation of the film using ‘archaic’ cinematographic techniques, provides the audience with another reason to smile; The Artist comments both directly and indirectly on the industry of which it is a part. This film is thus better described as a piece of ‘meta’-cinema; and it truly works. As is exhibited by many of the great modern comedians, when the aim is to bring smiles to the faces of the audience, subtle self-deprecation is often the surest means. Far from requiring a deep knowledge of classic cinema for its appreciation, the story progresses with a pace suitable for those with the briefest of attention spans, and the most minimal of background knowledge, as any quality narrative should. The script is blessed with humour,
subtlety and a real sensitivity to the characters. Each role is portrayed with theatricality true to silent movies; the absence of a spoken script provides the cast with the opportunity to play their parts with brashness similar to that of a stage production. Watch out for an exceptional performance from John Goodman as Al Zimmer, though he is far from alone in his quality characterization. In the case of Dujardin, the opportunity to fully commit to a role is thoroughly seized, as he plays an elaborate and unforgettable part with two impressive accompaniments, one from Bejo, the other from a nine-year old Jack Russell terrier. The Artist is a film to remember, and should certainly not be snubbed in favour of more technologically impressive fare when those golden statuettes are handed out in March. Alasdair Copland
Silent treatment can cure current malaise In this era of overblown, soulless 3D blockbusters, Alice Johnston reminds us of the debt we owe to a too-often ignored genre Three years ago, I had barely heard of silent cinema. It was the midst of my A levels and my parents, sick of me moping around the house leaving trails of highlighters in my wake, treated me to an evening at the Hackney Empire. With no idea what to expect, my night comprised of a selection of silent films accompanied by a four piece band and piano. I haven’t laughed so hard whilst sat in front of a screen since. Some people might say that silent films are obsolete, and what’s the fun in not having a soundtrack when there are so many new films that come with 3D-edible glitter-smothered multitasking experiences for your eyes and ears as standard?
They may not be to everyone’s taste, but this type of cinema has many things to offer. This is where modern cinema started, with the ‘silent era’ stretching from 1888 to the late 1920s. The basic model of a silent film is one that is, well, silent. There is a soundtrack, but no spoken dialogue. They can be long or short. The lack of sound does not diminish the narrative in any way, and they are eminently accessible and watchable even for the discerning modern day audience. I was lucky enough to have the ideal introduction to silent cinema. These films are meant to be watched in a theatre with a red carpet and swishy
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velvet curtains, not in bed on a glowing laptop screen. The lack of dialogue or CGI sound effects focuses your concentration on the acting and plot. While this is great, it makes it difficult to multitask as you lose the plot completely – best leave painting your nails for another day, as fans of The Killing well know. Unlikely as it may sound, those who are fond of modern ‘rom-coms’ may come to love the melodrama of silent movies. A recovering addict myself, you can feel free to indulge in the soppiness safe in the knowledge that in these early films, the plots hadn’t had the chance to become clichéd as it was the first time it had been told on screen. You can also enjoy the smug feeling that comes when you do something cultural and vaguely intellectual. Try saying to a flatmate ‘I can’t cook dinner tonight, I’m studying the birth of English cinema’ and see the reaction you get. They’ll probably call you something rude but the sanctimonious feeling will remain nonetheless. Apart from anything else, these films are really, really funny. Two stars of this era, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chapin, are still considered to be heroes of physical comedy and slapstick. These men pulled off stunts that were dangerous even at the time, the most
notable being Keaton’s famous trick of having a barn door fall on him whilst he stood in the gap where the window landed, avoiding being squashed by a few inches. While the stories told through this medium may be simple, they are hugely accentuated by the drama provided by the actors. Actions and facial expressions are often exaggerated because many of the new film stars came from a theatre background. Whilst in later films the acting is more naturalistic because the audience thought it too overdramatic, the early offerings provide much of that glorious melodrama. The soundtrack for silent films understandably had to be interesting as it essentially took the place of dialogue. Every cinema used to be equipped with an organ or piano that was manned by the resident musician, who would improvise an accompaniment whilst the film played behind them. These scores impacted hugely on the audience’s reception of the film, emphasizing the emotions and events on screen. The tropes of cheesy soundtracks were at least partly inspired by this – think of the mournful violins we know so well, their vibrato quivering like the tears about to drop from the heroine’s eyes. Despite all the praise I’ve
heaped upon these films, they’re not perfect. Those easily offended would probably be horrified at the misogynistic and racist values they uphold. These standards were the norm at the time, however, and although they are unpleasant to see it is a useful indicator to see how far society has moved on. In addition to changing attitudes, silent films show how far the film industry has come since those early days. Some
modern films would do well to look back and see how it used to be done (Pirate of the Caribbean 4, I’m looking at you…). It may be film-making at its rawest, but they are still relevant and just as funny as they’ve ever been, and I doubt they will ever age enough to become obsolete and unenjoyable. Anyone looking for a basic introduction should type ‘Buster Keaton Seven Chances chase’ into YouTube and chortle wildly at what follows.
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The year of the blockbuster franchise
After an uninspiring 2011, Philip Nuttall looks forward to a brighter year. Here’s what to look out for in the next 12 months 2012 is being characterised as a year of franchises, adaptations and re-makes. At first glance, this may seem uninspiring, evoking that oftcited criticism of filmmakers: that their creativity can’t keep up with their constant quest for the economically successful. This impression is further reinforced by 2012’s series of 3D re-releases, including The Phantom Menace (Feb 9th), Titanic (Apr 6th) and Finding Nemo (Sep 14th). However, critics are not at all morose about the coming 12 months; indeed, some are speaking of it as the most exciting year in film for decades. January is marked by the last wave of Oscar hopefuls. The award for Best Actor is difficult to predict, but the ones to watch include Leonardo diCaprio as the first director of the FBI in J. Edgar (Jan 20th) and George Clooney as the ‘backup parent’ suddenly finding himself responsible for his two daughters in The Descendants (27th Jan). Meanwhile, Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady (6th Jan) and Charlize Theron’s incarnation of a failing writer in comedy drama Young Adult (3rd Feb) are likely to complete
the line-up for Best Actress. The last big contender for Best Film will be Steven Spielberg’s War Horse (Jan 13th); a story of the friendship between a young soldier and his horse during the First World War. In 2012, there is one thing of which there can be little
doubt: summer belongs to the superheroes. The first to don their costumes and flex their muscles will be The Avengers (Apr 27th), in which Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Thor join forces to protect earth from Loki and his alien soldiers. Next, Andrew
Garfield is the new face of Peter Parker in The Amazing SpiderMan (July 4th), a series reboot under the direction of Marc Webb. Two weeks later, The Dark Knight Rises (July 20th) sees the return of Batman and, after the phenomenal success of the Nolan’s first two films, expectations will be high for the trilogy’s conclusion. Finally, Karl Urban will star in Dredd (Sep 21st) as the iconic lawman and Britain’s most famous comic book character. The list of returning franchises carries on. The Bourne series continues with The Bourne Legacy (Aug 17th) despite the absence of Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones reprieve their roles after a ten year absence in Men in Black 3 (May 25th), the Twilight Saga comes to an end with Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (16th November) and Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in Skyfall (Oct 26th) with Javier Bardem assuming the role of the villain. Finally, Peter Jackson returns to Middle-Earth with the first part of his adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous prequel in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Dec 14th). Adaptations also abound in
2012. Keira Knightley will play the title role in an adaptation of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (Aug 7th), Robert Pattinson will play the amoral Georges Duroy in Maupassant’s Bel Ami (March 2nd) and Leonardo DiCaprio will lead the cast of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (Dec 25th). Even fairy tales are receiving the Hollywood treatment. Snow White will make two appearances this year; one in the form of Lily Collins in Mirror Mirror (March 16th) and one in the form of Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman (June 1st). Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (March 2nd) will show how the siblings escape the gingerbread house and become bounty hunters. There will also be plenty to keep cinema-goers laughing this year. Sacha Baron Cohen returns with The Dictator (May 18th), fiercely keeping democracy out of his country; Creator of Family Guy Seth MacFarlane makes his liveaction directorial debut in Ted (Aug 3rd), following the story of a man whose teddy bear came to life after a childhood wish; the cast of American Pie returns for the American Reunion (April 6th); and Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn team
up in Neighbourhood Watch (Aug 22nd) as a group of suburban fathers required to fight off an alien invasion. Also, those in search of light entertainment won’t go far wrong with The Muppets (Feb 10th), Aardman’s The Pirates! In an Adventure with the Scientists (March 28th) or Pixar’s Scottish-flavoured offering Brave (Aug 17th). This preview of 2012 can’t claim in any way to be exhaustive and there will be some quite inexcusable absences from it; so, keep an eye out for what’s on and enjoy what will surely be a very good year in film.
Riveting return for McQueen War Horse falls at first hurdle SHAME Director: Steve McQueen Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge, Dale
Following on from his impressive feature debut Hunger, the latest film from artist-turned-auteur Steve McQueen is a dark, brooding affair, depicting the seediest side of human nature and human desire. Brandon (Michael Fassbender) has cultivated for himself distinctly different public and private personae. To those familiar with his public projection Brandon is charming, liked by his colleagues and a clear favourite of his sleazy boss, who, despite his marital status, encourages Brandon to join him traipsing through bars hoping to pick up woman. Behind the closed doors of his sterile, clinical apartment, Brandon is nothing more than a shell of a man. His apartment – spotless, virginal – is at odds with the increasingly depraved acts that take place within: Brandon is, as the film’s opening graphically depicts, a sex addict. His addiction is all-consuming:
for Brandon, sex itself is no longer a pleasure, instead it has become a desperatelyneeded relief in order for him to function daily. Brandon, despite this damaging addiction, is able to exist in daily life: discreetly visiting the staff bathroom to relieve himself during the day and downloading graphic content upon his work’s computer, whilst employing the services of prostitutes at night. Brandon would continue to exist in this manner, trapped in a self-abusing, self-destructive pattern, were it not for the arrival of his flighty, damaged younger sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan), who provides the catalyst for the film’s subsequent narrative. Sissy is as much of an addict as Brandon: for Brandon, sex provides gratification and fulfilment, for Sissy, the sexual liaisons she engages in smack of her own personal desperation. Sissy, in her lonely, desperate state, just wants to be needed and to be loved. Brandon and Sissy’s relationship is cloying, hinting at an implicit claustrophobic incestuous nature. Sissy, despite the private acts the pair both actively engage in, appears to have little regard or recognition for personal space. Little is told about their background, but
it is apparent that something traumatic has occurred for the pair to behave in such a manner. The cast are wonderful: both Mulligan and Fassbender’s performances are compellingly nuanced, both literally and figuratively exposing themselves completely. Despite Mulligan’s admirable efforts, there is little doubt that this is, at all times, Fassbender’s film. McQueen’s trademark sustained shots enable Fassbender to demonstrate the multi-faceted approach he brings to Brandon’s character. Later in the film we witness first-hand, through a lingering close-up, Brandon’s ultimately empty, soulless drive for desire. Critics of the film may find it hard to empathise with a character so devoid of any warmth, but importantly, this is precisely what Brandon’s desires have resulted in – he has become little more than a man continually looking for sexual relief, and it is to Fassbender’s credit that he can create a mesmerising performance with such a character. A raw, often horrific depiction of human desperation, Shame commands the viewer’s attention – try as we might, it’s impossible to look away. Siobhan Denton
WAR HORSE Director: Steven Spielberg Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis
I’m five minutes into Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, and I’m worried. After several sweeping shots of the British countryside an extremely fresh-faced young actor is running through a field with what looks like the backdrop to Midsummer Murders. All this set to an almost comically overepic string score composed by John Williams. With two hours and twenty-one minutes left to run, suddenly this seat isn’t feeling so comfortable. War Horse is Spielberg’s adaptation of Michael Morpugo’s hugely popular book which became a worldwide hit
in the theatre. The story follows the journey and relationship of a horse (Joey) and its owner, Albert (Jeremy Irvine), who are separated from the Yorkshire countryside by the First World War. Not even a quarter of the way in and we have our first major animal-based triumph as Joey defies the landlord and ploughs the field to great cheers from the villagers, a scattering of scripted clichés and yet more larger-than-life music from Williams. The film continues like this for much of its duration as we follow the journey of the horse being passed from owner to owner - the horse usually fares far better then its owners - taking time only to run miraculously through no man’s land and unite the British and German forces. In fact it becomes pretty clear that the best actors in this film are the horses themselves, and they
are, at times, mesmerizing. But a word of warning: this film will definitely not appeal to any selfperceived macho men. In fact even the softest of women may find the unashamed quantity of ‘cheesy moments’ quite difficult to stomach. Where this film does impress however is when Spielberg is doing what he does best. In between some of the heavy emotional material are one or two brilliantly directed battle scenes. The representation of the Battle of the Somme is impressively chilling whilst a special mention must go to a scene featuring doomed British cavalry, with the ever-talented Benedict Cumberbatch, charging and yet almost floating through a French cornfield, reminding us of just how good Spielberg can be. Unfortunately these moments are just too few and far between to keep the audience engaged in the film. This film follows in the footsteps of many of Spielberg’s recent offerings. The glimpses of a former genius are still evident beneath layers of poor plotting and a feeling that the production may have been rushed. It is a big sweeping candyfloss of a film that for many may be far too sickly sweet. Cass Horowitz
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BBC Holmes hits on a winning formula Anouska Wilkinson examines how contemporary London provides the perfect setting for Conan Doyle’s superlative sleuth texting, blogs, and the royal family being blackmailed from an iPhone. Nothing has been lost since series one and the sheer pace of it is exhilarating, continuing to give their manipulations of the original plot-lines an updated, dynamic force. Indeed, Sherlock’s finesse and logical reasoning now revolves around the wielding of his mobile telephone, albeit the harpoon of episode two with which he has brazenly travelled, blood soaked, on the tube. Apparently to Sherlock: most ‘tedious’! Meanwhile, Sherlock has a wryly comic resistance to its predecessors. Basil Rathbone’s symptomatic deerstalker appears as the subject of a notorious press shot of Cumberbatch in fancy dress, and becomes a source of increasing exasperation. Even the infamous Baskerville Hall has become an MoD testing site. The jumpy editing that illustrates Sherlock’s empirical detections has an uncanny resemblance to the recent, highly successful film adaptations by Guy Ritchie. Both instil their concepts with a jocular tone and the whole production is imbued with much the same vibe:
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For anyone persistently avoiding any modicum of academic toil over the festive season, and happily perusing the abundance of television offerings, the BBC’s Sherlock was surely the peak of our procrastinations. Following the universallyheralded first season, Mark Gatiss and Stephen Moffatt resolutely triumph in returning Sherlock to our screens undiminished. For those yet to become captivated aficionados of the series, this is Sherlock Holmes ingeniously metamorphosed into the 21st century. Despite our arcane preconceptions of the Victorian age, Sherlock has always been a man of modern methods, and it is the quest of adaptations today to translate his inventive initiative in a manner that resonates with us as a contemporary audience. However,appearing progressive these days is no easy task with the surfeit of science fiction innovations that preside over our screens. Indeed, as the gentlemen behind Dr Who, the team is well accustomed to the exploitations of exaggerated, imaginative license. However, here, Gatiss and Moffat get it just right. This is sat-nav,
slowed down action sequences, cutting close-ups, and dizzying streams of information. The soundtracks too are oddly analogous, both compositions contrasting the same earthy, racing quality to the sinister strains of on-setting mystery. Gatiss and Moffat however enforce their technocratic agenda still further as Sherlock’s thoughts materialize as text on screen. Sherlock also, looking frankly a little hilarious,
navigates his way around his ‘mind palace’ using his hands as if to conduct a projected computer; the information processing becomes a game of associations and an escalating flurry of sly witticism. Both adaptations work, Sherlock’s cold grey modern London and Ritchie’s luxuriously textured period setting. Yet, the secret of reinventing the Victorian drama is not quite elementary.
The task is not one of creating a lavishly styled re-envisaging that is almost entirely devoid of substance – anyone watching the cardboard vacuity of Great Expectations must have been hard pressed to rouse any reaction – but rather retaining the vital essence of their characters that has augmented their enduring appeal. Wherever one renders the world of Sherlock Holmes, it will be inevitably outshone by the sheer charisma of his character. Especially when Sherlock is the mesmeric Benedict Cumberbatch. Cumberbatch’s Sherlock is eccentric, egocentric, marvellously rebellious, cruelly exceptional, and indefinably attractive. Rather elongated and less brawny than Robert Downey Jr., but for both Sherlocks, it is their unabashed humility and indifference to all social decorum that produces such divinely outrageous comedy. They capture the magnetic enigma of his genius that has sustained his fictional legacy whilst also managing to retain a darker sense of the character: his emotional capacity to love (flirtations with Irene Adler simmer over sexting), or ‘feel fear’ give the character just the
right measure of weightiness. My only real qualm with the series is the weakness of the supporting cast to equal the luminosity of its Sherlock. Watson (Martin Freeman) is just faintly mundane. He does not appear as either medical or militaristic, and consequently any sparring rapport with Sherlock looks tremendously one sided. Correspondingly Moriarty (Andrew Scott), in what I deduce to be an effort to sustain the more youthful vibrancy of their take, is emphatically lacking in any trace of menace. Scott is small, juvenile, temperamental and far too trivial to pose any believable threat. However these criticisms are really minimal transgressions of what otherwise is a beautifully engineered and finished creation. It has an irresistible charm and a fantastically written, dazzlingly sharp script. Gatiss and Moffat craft a Sherlock that is wholly inspired, on the cusp of everything new, utilizing every gadget and thrillingly fresh in a manner that remains devoted to what is integral to the original. Sherlock’s biting brilliance has been introduced to the modern age.
Period drama fails to match expectations As 2012 marks the year of Charles Dickens’ bicentenary, Mona Tabbara reviews the BBC’s flawed remake of Great Expectations opposed to his original, rather more depressing, conclusion. The casting of 43 year-old Gillian Anderson (of X Files fame) as the old spinster Miss Havisham has been the hottest source of contention. Anderson has been criticised for being too young to take on the legendary old spinster. It appears these critics have missed the point of Anderson’s casting. It is not an attempt to make Miss Havisham more sexy, but rather to allude to her inability to move on from the fateful day she was jilted by her great love. She has been trapped in that same body. The real problem with this Miss Havisham is not her age but her styling: the hair, makeup and Satis House appear more befitting for a 1980s Meat Loaf video than a Victoria melodrama. The casting of Douglas Booth as Pip is another controversial issue. Many audience members will surely admit the real draw of the series is Booth’s extraordinary beauty. The gorgeous Vanessa Kirby (Estella) pales in prettiness next to Booth. His cheekbones, chiselled to perfection, and enchanting cherub lips make it impossible to tell whether
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With ITV’s Downton Abbey dominating the ratings, the BBC needed a costume drama of their own to compete with. Enter Great Expectations, the Dickens classic with all the right ingredients for a Christmas hit: the hero of the tale is an orphaned underdog who goes by the delightful name of Pip faced with an eerie old spinster. Add in a heart wrenching will they/won’t they romance, some ballroom dancing, a sizable budget and the fact that it just so happens to also be coming up to Dickens’ 200th birthday and everything begins to come together nicely. Or so the BBC would like to think. TV adaptations of beloved books have long been subject to intense scrutiny by die-hard fans of the novel: if they stick rigidly to the book, they lack originality; if they stray too far, they are sullying the book’s great name. Sarah Phelps, writer of the 2011 BBC three part adaptation, chose to take the risk of not sticking too faithfully to the original text, altering Miss Havisham’s demise and choosing an ending more closely fitting to Dickens’ rewritten, happier ending, as
Booth’s delicate looks seem somehow out of place and inauthentic in the setting of a gritty Victorian melodrama
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or not Booth can actually act. What one can ascertain from the series is ex-Burberry model Booth is fantastic at smouldering, and pouting, and can even do both at the same time. His beauty is a doubleedged sword: although a crowd pleaser, his appeal draws on the 21st century fashion for androgyny (no surprise he rose to fame playing Boy George in the 2010 drama Worried About Boy.) I kept expecting him to stroll into the shot with an undercut, skinny jeans and check shirt. His delicate looks seem somehow out of place and inauthentic in the setting of a gritty Victorian melodrama. The earthy performances of Shaun Dooley (Joe Gargery), Clare Rushbrook (Mrs. Joe) and Jack Roth (Dolge Orlick) helps to ground the series as well as an outstanding performance
from Tom Burke as Bentley Drummle. Burke pulls off Drummle’s smug swagger as if the part was written for him, commanding each shot with his haughty sneer. The casting of Ray Winstone as Abel Magwitch and David Suchet as Jaggers are of no surprise. They are the two most established actors on the cast list and they are both put to good use. Winstone is in his comfort zone as the tough yet vulnerable Abel Magwitch, while Poirot actor Suchet is the perfect fit for Jaggers, the man with all the answers. Although Booth may not be quite of the same calibre as, say, Colin Firth in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, his efforts are decent and what he lacks in experience he masks with his angelic face. The raw grit that determines a Dickens creation can be found in the performances of Dooley, Rushbrook, Winstone and Burke. Ultimately, the BBC has attempted to please everyone by combining twenty-first century eye-candy with Victorian tragedy. An ambitious task, but one which has managed to redirect some of the limelight away from ITV.
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Editor: Nick Cork
Deputy Editor: Emma Sackville
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Inaccurate journalism: the human cost When academic science meets media scrutiny it tends to be vulnerable individuals, with the most to lose, who are most at risk Nick Cork Science Editor
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What can people do to protect their health? When information is conflicting, which should be listened to?
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slurred Speech and the battle against Time to find medical aid – and had reacted accordingly. If her awareness is matched by others in Ruth’s position then the earlier detection of strokes should lead to less severe cases with easier recoveries. As with many preventative health measures though, this transfers the burden of responsibility to the general population to maintain their own health. What can people do to protect their health? When information is conflicting,
which should be listened to? Considering the sheer number of health claims that saturate modern life, from official sources, print and broadcast media, advertisements for nutritional supplements and the diet industry, it’s perhaps little wonder that many individuals are left confused and anxious. Ruth recalled how she’d periodically spent her time since leaving hospital on her computer, researching her statin medication online. One article in particular, a BBC webpage from 2011, had caught her eye. The featured research, a systematic review from The Cochrane Library, was disseminated via special interest charities such as The British Heart Foundation, which issued a press release with analysis and commentary, before finally appearing in the report. Compare the following statements, firstly from the original review: ‘For people without a past history of cardiovascular disease (primary prevention), the evidence is less clear... All cause mortality, coronary heart disease and stroke events were reduced with the use of statins...we recommend that caution should be taken in prescribing statins for primary prevention among people at low cardiovascular risk.’ And from the BBC report: ‘The report...concluded that
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The effects of climate change are considered some of the foremost challenges facing our generation. Numerous scientists have expressed frustration at media handling of the topic, accusing editors of presenting their research on an equal footing alongside outlying minority views to satisfy a requirement for ‘balanced journalism’. Counter-claims often take the form of results that have escaped the scrutiny of peer-review through publication in disreputable journals, or are taken from researchers no longer active in the field. This skewed representation reinforces a public perception of discord amongst the international scientific community regarding climate change. In reality a recent analysis of the 1,372 most prolific climate scientists revealed that 97-98% support the conclusion of climate change as a result of human activity. Many commentators hold unrepresentative media coverage responsible for public scepticism and government lethargy in combating the issue.
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Two weeks after being discharged from hospital, Ruth Johnson found herself sitting once again in front of her GP. A neatly-dressed woman in her 50s, Ruth smiled dryly as the conversation revisited the events that, for her, defined her life: a history of anxiety verging on depression, including post-natal depression following the birth of her second child and divorce from her first husband and, most recently, hospitalisation for five days with a minor stroke. These past two weeks she’d taken the drugs she’d been given to lower her blood cholesterol faithfully. Until that morning. Then, without warning, Ruth began to experience distressing side-effects that she described as feeling ‘like a spreading paralysis’ through her arms and legs, with an aching neck and shoulders, and reached for her phone. Hours later her smile barely wavered, but Ruth’s eyes told a very different story – she was evidently shaken and had stopped taking her medication. Ruth’s fears, in light of her recent experiences, were immediately apparent; she’d worried she was suffering another stroke. Thankfully there was nothing to suggest that she’d experienced anything beyond a
panic attack. Her GP reassured her by pointing out that she had followed the correct precautions in seeking assistance. In February 2009 the Department of Health launched its stroke awareness campaign, Act F.A.S.T. It is estimated that, at the height of publicity, around four in every five people were familiar with stroke symptoms and knew to call for immediate emergency assistance. Ruth was one of these; two weeks previously she had recognised the signs - asymmetrical Facial expression, Arm weakness,
The MMR scandal has been one of the most high-profile entanglements of science and the media. In 1998 Dr Andrew Wakefield published his now discredited evidence linking the MMR vaccine to the development of autism in young children. Despite overwhelming scientific consensus refuting the association, wide-spread rejection by professional bodies, and the unreserved retraction of his original paper by the publishing journal, Wakefield’s theory was featured repeatedly in the media. The Daily Mail alone ran over 700 stories in relation to the vaccine. This consistent media presence offered the claims a level of undue credibility, amidst a drastic fall in vaccine uptake by worried parents. Wakefield was dismissed from the Medical Register by the General Medical Council on grounds of serious professional misconduct. His fraudulent claims, and the ensuing media attention, have been held responsible for various epidemics and child fatalities.
statins reduced death rates. But it said there was no evidence to justify their use in people at low risk of developing heart disease.’ The semantic distinction might appear subtle, but in actuality there is a marked difference between evidence of reduced clarity and an absence of evidence. This is particularly so when consideration of the former might still persuade a clinician to prescribe medication with a proven efficacy in reducing mortality from stroke events, just as the latter may simultaneously dissuade a patient from concordance with the same therapy. Ruth provided the perfect illustration of these dangerous ramifications as she confessed that her father, on reading a similar media report suggesting that Aspirin had no proven benefit in patients with Abdominal Aortic Aneurisms, ceased permanently to take his prescribed medication without consulting his GP. In this context, inaccurate reporting of emergent medical evidence could be considered a real risk to public health in the UK, with patients endangering their health due to irresponsible, misleading, poor quality journalism. The significance of poorly communicated evidence is quantifiable, and cannot
be underestimated. In 2002 the Cochrane Collaboration produced a systematic review investigating the effects of mass media on the adoption of specific health interventions. In all five studies documenting media handling of health issues, the review determined that positive coverage corresponded to greater usage of the given health service, and negative coverage to reduced usage. An analysis in 2008 of fivehundred US newspaper articles concluded that only 35%
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The significance of poorly communicated evidence is quantifiable, and cannot be underestimated
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adequately analysed the quality of evidence underpinning the respective discussed treatments, while only 33% quantified the inherent harms satisfactorily, and 28% the inherent benefits. This has been a focus of the Epidemiologist and Guardian journalist, Ben Goldacre, who proposes that, ‘the science of health is important to people, and at the very time when we need it the most, our ability to think around the issue is being energetically distorted by the media’.
Ruth’s case raises a number of issues, not least of which being how to ensure the dissemination of accurate evidence on which a concerned patient population might base healthcare decisions, whilst preserving journalistic freedom of speech? There is a clear need for responsible evidence-based journalism, ideally with writers trained in the scientific method, but also the potential for further engagement between research institutions and media outlets, to mutual benefit. Of chief importance is the trust engendered by a strong relationship between doctors and patients. Trust facilitated the dialogue that assuaged Ruth’s doubts about her medication and her anxieties following a traumatic period of ill health. In the ever-looming shadow of NHS reform, a focus on preserving this therapeutic alliance is key in ensuring that potentially vulnerable patients are not misinformed as to health-promoting behaviours and their treatment options. This, and solely this, is the tried and tested way to improve the health of the nation. Ruth consented to the use of her story. Her name and age were changed to preserve her confidentiality.
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The technological revolution in Africa Ciara O’Sullivan Science Reporter
Pam Morris
It’s impossible to overemphasise the extent to which technology has transformed the existence of those living in developed nations, nor the relentless pace with which revolutionary inventions are refined and improved. Computers are ever faster and smaller, while the popularity of smart phones means that the internet is available to many at the stroke of a fingertip. A new humanitarian project, set up by IBM, now looks to take advantage of these advances to further their work on a once inconceivable scale. The World Community Grid is a public computing enterprise that harnesses the unused capacity on laptops and home PCs, running scientific projects with the potential to help cure diseases common in developing countries, such as AIDS and Dengue Fever. It takes at least ten years for a new pharmaceutical drug to be developed, and usually costs millions of dollars. Typically there are over 1000 molecules that must be considered, so computer models are increasingly used to test out potential drug molecules in order to save time and money. The concept driving projects such as ‘FightAIDS@Home’ and
‘Discovering Dengue Drugs – Together’ is that the spare space on your computer can be used as part of a network to help test out these drugs, since charitable organisations geared at combating the disease rarely have enough money to finance the vast computing power needed. These drugs are still in early developmental stages,with much
work needed before they are of use to those combating such diseases today, but this is not the only example of technology being used to help with medical issues in the developing world. An African start up company, Shimba Technologies Ltd, recently launched its flagship app ‘MedAfrica’, which provides a range of free health advice. Considering the ratio of one
billion people on the African continent to only three hundred thousand doctors, easy access to the health guidance that we take for granted could improve countless lives. Other home-grown entrepreneurs are capitalising on the massive increase in mobile phone ownership which has doubled in the last 5 years to an estimated 41% of
the population – to aid in crime prevention and anti-corruption. Morris Mbetsa, a school leaver from Kenya, has invented an app that monitors your car’s security from a distance. This creative software includes a feature that alerts the owner if their car has been started, immobilising the vehicle if the owner isn’t present. From this he has established his own
company, Mbetsa Innovations Ltd, which is, along with MedAfrica, one of the showcased initiatives of the Kenyan governments ‘Transforming Kenya’ programme. Another of Shimba’s apps, CDFMonitor, aims to combat corruption. It allows locals to monitor funds spent in their constituencies, increasing the transparency of local government and allowing constituents to raise concerns if they feel budgets aren’t spent appropriately. These success stories are inspirational, but restricted access to education remains a real issue. Of principle concern is the relatively small proportion of people with the necessary skills to continue the technological development. Programmes such as AIMS, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, have been conceived to combat this. The mission of the institute is to recruit students from across Africa to be taught by leading academics from top institutions, including Oxford and Cambridge, who donate their time to come and teach, develop and mentor. Africa continues to face a number of challenges, but as technology becomes ever cheaper and more advanced there is hope that the continent will soon start to truly prosper from the work of its homegrown, enterprising sons and daughters.
Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Empathy, once considered an emotion exclusive to humans and some other primates, may have been observed in laboratory rats Jon Crook Science Reporter
whether the free rat was actually experiencing distress on behalf of the trapped rat. Another possibility is that the free rats felt agitated as a result of unpleasant signals (e.g. highpitched calls of alarm) from the trapped rat, and learned that opening the container alleviated these, thereby minimising their own distress. This would be evidence of a phenomenon known as ‘emotional contagion’, similar to the way in which a baby may start to cry if exposed to the sound of another baby crying. This is arguably not an example of empathy though, as this explanation does not require the free rat to ‘understand’ the distress of the trapped rat. Such findings show that laboratory rats engage in behaviour that aids their cage-mates, though further experiments are required to ascertain whether this is driven by a form of empathy. There could be important implications for our views regarding animals, the evolution of social behaviour, and our definition of empathy itself.
Flickr: SMercury98
Empathy is the ability to recognise and understand another’s emotional state, and to consequently experience a similar emotional response yourself. Empathy, in other words, allows you to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes. This was originally considered a uniquely human trait, though it is now thought to be shared with some primates; however it is not known whether other non-human animals also have the capacity for empathy. Last month, in the December issue of Science, a group of behavioural neuroscientists published findings which they believe suggest that rats are motivated by empathy for their cage-mates. The paper describes experiments conducted on pairs of laboratory rats - one of which was trapped in a closed plexiglass tube, and its cagemate, which was free to roam the arena. The experiment was set up so that the free rat was
able to release the restrained rat by opening a door on the tube. Once the free rats learned how to operate the mechanism over repeated sessions, they consistently replicated the behaviour each time. In contrast, the rats did not frequently open the container when it was empty or contained only a toy rat. The rats were more likely to free their cage-mate even when the trapped rat was released into a separate cage, suggesting that the motivation for the freeing behaviour was not merely the ‘company’ of the trapped rat. This led the authors to conclude that the rats were not motivated by any kind of social reward, but were acting solely with the intention to alleviate the other rat’s restraint-related distress. They further suggested that this may represent a form of empathy. Naturally, for any paper with such striking conclusions, there are some doubts from other researchers. The fact that this study did little to assess the ‘emotional state’ of the free rats has led some to debate
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The essential FA Cup cliché guidebook Tom Burrows Sports Editor Ah, the FA Cup 3rd Round. The time for ‘giant-killings’, where the ‘minnows’ can inflict embarrassment on a top-flight side. It is also prime time for footballing clichés. On third round day, the television camera will make a rare visit to the ground of a lowly, cashstrapped team who have been drawn against one of ‘the giants of English football.’ Such a day, we will be told, captures the ‘romance of the FA Cup.’ Before kick off, the viewing public will be introduced to the tea-lady and the groundsman who have worked at the struggling outfit for over 50 years. A short interview will be conducted with the ‘proud’ chairman who has purchased a dapper new suit for the occasion. If we are lucky, we might also meet the kit man, who will demonstrate how best to fold a pair of shorts. This will be followed by the customary shot of the man selling team scarves outside the ground, while grinning fans make their way to the tin-pot stadium. At this moment, the presenter will explain to us that ‘Cup fever has hit the town’ and that ‘the whole town has come out for this one.’ The cameras will pan to the studio where a couple of ex-professionals with enormous knots in their ties will be sitting uncomfortably
close together on the couch in the make-shift studio, wishing they were anywhere other than Runcorn/Darlington/Crawley. When asked for their insightful thoughts on the game, the analysts will remind us that such an occasion (small club v big club) demonstrates the ‘beauty of the FA Cup.’ This cliché sets the trend for the remainder of the day.
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Before kick off, the viewing public will be introducted to the tea-lady and the groundsman
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Here then is the comprehensive list of FA Cup clichés which will follow: 1. ‘Potential banana skin’ One of the ex-professionals will explain that the lower league club might spring a surprise on their superior opponents. The phrase coined for this is ‘potential banana skin.’ It may be repeated for emphasis. 2. ‘Form book goes out the window’ The other ex-professional will immediately pipe up to inform the viewing public how ‘the form book goes out the window in the Cup.’ The ex-pro will then recline slightly, satisfied that he has prevented his colleague from landing two consecutive clichés.
a cliché snatched from them. 3. ‘It’s their Cup final’ However, the ex-professional quickly gets his revenge on the cliché thief by laying down the classic: ‘It’s their (small club’s) Cup final today.’ At this moment, the cliché thief winces, knowing that he is now behind in the battle of the clichés, and must dig deeper. 4. ‘David v Goliath’ The presenter is starting to feel envious for he is missing out in the cliché war unfolding before him. He wants a piece of the action. He therefore brings a momentary pause to the ongoing debate and faces the cameras to tell us that the tie is a ‘David v Goliath’ battle. A chart then appears on the screen showing the gulf in the wage bills, transfer fees and average attendances of the two teams. At this point, the presenter will explain that while a certain player for the Premiership team cost 15 million pounds, a player for his Conference opponents was bought in exchange for a bag of footballs and a packet of jelly babies. One of the players almost certainly has gritty credentials and a tear-jerking private life, and will have been given a three week column in The Times to ‘capture the mood in the camp.’ The camera then returns to the screen, where the former professionals are quietly seething at having such a gem of
5. ‘I’ve just told them to go out there and enjoy it’ To further incite our pundits, the presenter tells us that the manager of the lower/non-league club is ready to talk to ‘our man on the ground.’ Straight away, the manager says that he wants his players to express themselves: ‘I’ve just told them to go out there and enjoy it.’ Unfortunately, when the small club inevitably lose by a comprehensive score line, the commentator still thinks the players are ‘enjoying it.’ Despite the score line, he will explain, ‘it remains a day that none of these players will forget.’ Yes, it will. They are 6-0 down. They have been embarrassed and humiliated in front of the general public. It’s actually been a thoroughly miserable day and one that they will wish to quickly put behind them. 6. ‘Biggest day of their lives’ In the pre-match interview, the manager might go on to say that the cup tie ‘is the biggest day of my boys’ lives.’ Blimey. His players must have a depressing life if playing at home to Aston Villa’s reserve team is their ultimate highpoint. 7. ‘He’s got the best view in the house up there’ The match coverage eventually gets underway and almost on cue, the camera pans to a lad perched precariously on a
branch of a tree overlooking the ground. The commentator chuckles to himself and tells us that ‘he’s got the best view in the house up there.’ Really? Surely then the stadium would be empty and there would be a full on brawl for that much-coveted position on the branch.
their opponents with ease, the cliché thief will tell us that ‘their quality shone through in the end.’ The important thing, he explains, is that ‘they’re in the hat for the next round.’ What precisely is this hat that everyone refers to? Unless I’m mistaken, the teams are drawn out of a silky bag.
8. ‘They’re in the hat for the next round’ At the end of the game when the Premiership side have defeated
But that’s just the ‘magic of the Cup’ isn’t it?
Whatever happened to John Fashanu? Twitter and Sport Paddy Von Behr Sports Reporter John Fashanu was a fairly successful Premier League striker, spending the bulk of his career at Wimbledon’s ‘Crazy Gang’ and earning himself two caps for England. Despite often being placed in categories such as ‘worst players to play for England’, he enjoyed a decent club career, amassing 134 goals in 383 senior club appearances. However, it is his post-football career that makes Fashanu so fascinating. Like a number of fellow ex-professionals, Fashanu’s choice of career path postretirement was television. Although he has never been too far away from football since retiring, Fashanu’s charisma and personality meant his transition into the world of TV was seamless. In the early 1990s he landed the role of presenting Gladiators alongside Ulrika Johnson, where he coined his famous “Awooga” catchphrase. Fash actually picked up the word from Red Dwarf star and Robot Wars presenter Craig
Fash only came 2nd on ‘I’m A Celebrity’ in 2003
Charles. Fans of Charles were supposedly unhappy that Fashanu had appeared to claim the word as his own. He hosted Gladiators for four years, until 1996, when he was replaced by Craig Charles lookalike Jeremy Guscott, before returning for the final mini series in 1999. As Fashanu’s slick website (www.johnfashanu.com) will tell you, he has many strings to his bow. He demonstrated this in 2000 when, after Gladiators was cancelled, he compiled a report on corruption in
Nigeria in the 1980s and 90s, which came to be known as the ‘Fashanu Report’. The report took three years to put together but was eventually proven to be false. In 2009, he publicly apologised to those who were accused in the report and it was later claimed that Fashanu was given false information by the Church of Scientology. The website also lists Fashanu’s numerous achievements in the business world, as well as such honours as being appointed a UNICEF
ambassador for Africa and the ‘Coca-Cola Face of Nigeria 1995’. To date, he is also the chairman of the Nigerian Football Association and was named by the Sunday Express in 2002 as the ‘279th most influential person in Britain’. However, in 2007 The Times awarded Fashanu one accolade with which he’ll have been less pleased. He was labelled as number 22 on their list of the 50 worst Premier League footballers ever. However, Fashanu was never off our TV screens for too long. In 2003 he appeared on the second series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! Fash finished second in the competition after spending three weeks in the jungle, narrowly losing out to Phil Tufnell. After a couple of failed television ventures he disappeared to concentrate on his business interests and football commitments. He now hosts Deal or no Deal Nigeria and returned to UK screens briefly on Celebrity Total Wipeout earlier this year, beating Calum Best and Chico to the top prize. Awooga!
David Stone Deputy Sport Editor There is an ever increasing number of sports personalities who ‘tweet’ on a regular basis. But is this a good thing for sport? Do I really need to know what Joey Barton had for breakfast? Let’s look at the arguments before concluding that yes, yes I do. Twitter has enabled us to connect with athletes and players on a whole new level, whereas previously whatever they said in the public would first be checked over by various PR personnel, we now have a direct line to their thoughts and activities, giving us a fascinating view of life behind the cameras. They also communicate quite regularly with us regular folk helping to bridge the gap between celebrity and the public. Twitter means that stories can get around instantly and gather quick attention, when Amir Khan recently released photos about dodgy practices which took place during his loss to
Lamont Peterson, he chose not go to the traditional media but instead via his own twitter account. However whereas Twitter used to be a minor annoyance to sporting authority it’s now become a big thorn. Ill thought out, angry and abusive tweet have landed people in big trouble. Who can forget the England international cricket who told his selectors to ‘f-off’? Twitter is now even banned at some training grounds and tournaments. Furthermore this abuse now works both ways, sportspeople are now susceptible to it from any member of the public. I would say Twitter in sport is fantastic. It enables us to see sportsmen and women for who they really are beyond the world of managed interviews and painful press conferences. If not for Twitter, how else would I have known that last night Mario Balotelli was driving with a car full of cash to save Darlington FC, a moneystricken non-league football club. That was true, wasn’t it?
Epigram
23.01.2012
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BBC turns blind eye to women in the Sports Personality of the Year shortlist Much controversy was caused by the all-male 2011 BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) shortlist, and rightly so. It demonstrated the gulf that still remains between male and female sport in Britain, showing an ugly reality that London 2012 has great potential to correct. I have sorted the outpouring of outrage into three categories. Firstly, it was widely believed that, contrary to the BBC’s decision, there were women who deserved to be selected in the shortlist. Among them was Keri Ann Payne, who became the first British athlete to confirm her qualification at next year’s Olympics by winning the 10km Open Water event at the 2011 World Swimming Championships. Similarly, after her gold medal at the European Track Championships, plus a silver and bronze at the World Championships, Victoria Pendleton was also worthy of a nomination. Moreover, Katherine Grainger won gold at the World Rowing Championships in Bled this year and Rebecca Adlington remains at the top of her sport following her gold and silver
Flickr: Ride On!
Matt Dathan Sports Reporter
male-dominated audience, it is therefore unsurprising that their shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year reflects this. There remains a perception in sport that is far behind normal society, an unspoken perspective that it is acceptable for women’s sport and sportswomen to play an inferior role to their male counterparts. Female sport’s subordination to its male counterpart is the elephant in the room which we must address if sport in our country is to match the superior, though not yet perfect situation of gender equality in society in general.
Mark Cavendish’s Tour de France victory (above in the green jacket) was the main reason for getting the BBC award. However he faced an entirely male shortlist, something which has caused great controversy
medals at the World Aquatics Championships. In my view, however, the most deserving sportswoman of a place in the shortlist was Chrissie Wellington, who won her fourth world title in the Ironman triathlon this year. The event is gruelling and not for the faint-hearted. In short, it consists of a total 140 mile race, comprised of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle and a full 26 mile marathon. If that wasn’t hard enough, Wellington was
carrying an injury sustained during training. I cannot see how her victory in one of the world’s most physically demanding sports was not deserving of a place whilst three male golfers were, one of whom did not even win one of his sport’s major events. My second point is that even if we accepted the view that no woman was deserving of a place in the shortlist, the BBC still has a responsibility to promote women’s sport. Thus
it should have included at least one woman in the list to stand as an icon for fellow women. This was particularly the case as Sport England recently released figures demonstrating how female participation in sport has drastically decreased over the last year, whilst male participation has risen. In the year leading up to hosting the ‘Biggest Show on Earth’ our public organisations should be making a far greater effort than that shown by the BBC.
Having foregone both these possibilities, the BBC succumbs to a third category of criticism, namely its process of choosing the shortlist. Twenty-seven magazines and newspapers put together their shortlists of the top ten sportsmen and women for the BBC to collate. However, such magazines include ‘lads mags’ such as Nuts and Zoo, while the corresponding female magazines are overlooked. Given the decision makers are themselves targeting a
BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2011 Shortlist Mark Cavendish - Cycling Darren Clarke - Golf Mo Farah - Athletics Luke Donald - Golf Andy Murray - Tennis Andrew Strauss - Cricket Alastair Cook - Cricket Rory McIllroy - Golf Dai Greene - Athletics Amir Khan - Boxing
Intramural Football - Christmas Report Paddy Von Behr Sports Reporter The Bristol Intramural League is well underway and, following a term that avoided too much weather-related disruption, it’s time for a report on how things stand at the Christmas break. In the Premiership, ‘Alma Villa FC’ top the table with 14 points from their 6 games, leading ‘The Badgers’ on goal difference, but also with an extra game to play. ‘Garth Crooks’ team of the Week’ lie in third, one point off the pace but, with a game in hand on the leaders, they could soon be topping the table themselves. At the other end of the table, ‘CHHB’ are yet to get off the mark, registering a goal difference of -27 from their four games. However, ‘Waverly Rovers’ and ‘Helix’ have each played six times, accumulating just two points and one point respectively. This gives the bottom-of-the-league strugglers an opportunity to jump off the foot of the table by registering a win in either of
their two games in hand. And in the first week of fixtures this term, ‘CHHB’ are up against ‘Helix’ in a bottom of the table six-pointer, which promises to be a classic. The Championship has seen ‘Galenicals’ run away as early season leaders. Six wins from six, scoring 21 goals and conceding just twice, they look unstoppable, but face their toughest task of the season in the first week back against second-placed ‘Las Nuevas Maradonas’. ‘Chaos’ then sit ominously in third place, with a game in hand on the leaders. Mid-table dwellers ‘Dirty Mike & The Boys’ are the league’s most entertaining side to watch, scoring 23 times in their 6 matches and conceding 18. Their campaign has included a recent 11-1 win over ‘Trinity Tigers F.C.’, one of two sides still without a point. The other is ‘SPAIS’, who have played an extra game to their fellow strugglers but avoid the bottom of the table as a result of their superior goal difference. ‘Arsene Wenger’s Lonely Hearts Club’ sit third from bottom, with just one
point from five, and will be looking nervously over their shoulders. ‘Steaua Sambucharest’ lead the third tier, dropping just two points in their six fixtures and scoring 33 times in the process. ‘Goldney Quads FC’ are then one point off the pace, with ‘Pink Panthers’, the league’s least entertaining side, sitting in third. ‘UWE A’ are rooted to the bottom of the table and are yet to score a point, suffering a recent 10-1 defeat at the hands of Hiatt Baker B, a side without a brilliant record themselves, collecting just seven points from the same number of games. However, the bottom side have an opportunity to climb above ‘Fusion’, who they face in their opening match of the new term. The other standout tie of the round is the top-ofthe-table clash between ‘Steaua Sambucharest’ and ‘Goldney Quads FC’, as the two sides compete for the top spot. The top of League 2 is a twohorse race at present, with both sides on the same points total, 18, as well the exact same record of goals scored and
conceded. ‘Orbital A’ currently sit at the top, by virtue of the alphabet, but ‘Werder Beermen’ have a game in hand on the leaders and will look to go three points clear at the top when it is played. The top two are in excellent form, recently disposing of bottom club ‘Manor Monstars’ 14-0 and 8-0 respectively. The ‘Monstars’, along with ‘UWE’ have failed to score a point from their five fixtures last term and both sides’ records make fairly miserable viewing. ‘UWE’ are yet to find the net this season,
POS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
conceding 15 times, but avoid the bottom spot by virtue of goal difference. In fact, ‘Manor Monstars’ boast the worst goal difference across the four leagues, conceding an average of just over 8 times per game to leave them on a depressing -38. Surely then, the highlight of this term’s opening round of fixtures is the bottom-ofthe-table ‘six-pointer’ between these two giants. Special mention also goes to fifthplaced ‘Gary Glitter’s U16s’, for the intramural system’s most inappropriate team name.
PREMIERSHIP
P
Alma Villa FC The Badgers Garth Crooks’ Team of the Week CHH 1st XI Bristol University 5th Team BUGGS Badock Icemen Nice Fridge FC Oldney FC Didier Drogbeer Waverly Rovers Helix CHHB
6 7 5 5 5 5 5 6 5 5 6 6 4
W 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 0
D 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 0
So, as we kick off the second instalment of Bristol’s intramural football season, anything could happen. If you don’t play for a team, get yourself up to the downs on a Wednesday afternoon and watch some of the football on display. It’s not always of the highest quality but there’s enough to keep you entertained. Full info can be found at http:// bristol.leaguerepublic.com/
L 0 1 0 1 1 1 2 3 2 3 4 5 4
A 12 6 5 4 3 10 9 16 13 13 20 19 30
+11 7 17 15 13 8 -1 -4 -2 -7 -15 -15 -27
PTS 14 14 13 10 10 10 7 7 5 4 2 1 0
Epigram
23.01.2012
34
Festive cheer for Bristol Clay Shooting Club
Review: The Smell of Football Alex Benedyk Sports Reporter
Lucy de Greeff Sports Reporter
Lucy de Greeff
On the 4th December, Bristol Clay Shooting Club took four teams over the border to compete in the annual Christmas Cup competition in Monmouthshire. Amongst a sea of tweed and pompousness, two men’s and two women’s teams held their own against some of the country’s strongest agricultural college teams along with local rivals, Bath. The Bristol teams comprised of several newcomers to the club – and even some newcomers to the sport altogether – in addition to longstanding members. Over the course of the day, each team member completed a 50 bird sporting over eight stands, whereby clays were launched from a range of different traps with varying difficulty in eight locations. The results of this part of the competition went towards individual scores, with excaptain Henry Webber topping Bristol’s men’s team scores at 39. Webber’s performance was hotly followed by first year Laura Macfarlane, who rose easily to 4th place overall
for the women’s individuals, scoring an impressive 33. Other high scorers included Freddie Sutton, equalling Macfarlane’s score and Jed Peacock, highest scorer for the Men’s Seconds. Returning shooter Rebecca Rimmer also achieved an admirable result, alongside newcomer Emily Cox whose performance in the Women’s Seconds greatly enhanced the team’s final placing. The second part of the competition involved the undertaking of a 100 bird flush
between each team of four. Each person stood at their specified stand, and collectively, aimed to hit as many types of clay as possible. The women’s teams were ably assisted by some of the men in order to ensure that the guns were loaded quickly and efficiently; given the pressure and speed of the flush, all of the teams performed well. With hot fingertips and cold faces, the participants travelled back down South in good spirits. Final scores for each of the teams combined the results
of all participants’ efforts, resulting in the solid placing of the women’s teams in 5th and 8th places, whilst the men were placed 26th and 32nd. Overall, all of the teams enjoyed what was, for some, their first experience of competitive shooting. Post-shooting drinks and dinner back in Bristol rounded off the day, with all looking forward to competing in the BUCS Nationals later this term, aiming to further improve their already strong performance.
Mick Rathbone is a name you probably don’t recognise. David Moyes, the Everton manager described him as his ‘best ever signing.’ You’re probably now racking your brains as to who this Rathbone is. Well, he is Everton’s physiotherapist. However, he is not any ordinary physio. In this fantastic account, Rathbone explains his 35-year career at the heart of professional football, providing any football fan with a truly unique opportunity to find out what really goes on in behind closed doors. Being an Everton fan born in the early 1990’s, I had no idea just how dramatic Rathbone’s professional sporting career had been. It all started with a wonderfully talented young fullback fulfilling his dream of playing for Birmingham City, his home town club. However, what should have been the happiest years of his playing career ended in tragedy due to a chronic lack of self-esteem. Rathbone details his sleepless nights, distressed at how how everything he ever wanted slipped away from him in the unforgiving world of football. The mercilessly honest and selfreflecting nature of the Smell of
Football leaves you feeling every emotion as Rathbone painfully moves down the divisions, not through a lack of ability, but a lack of confidence. It is a heartwrenching read. As Rathbone’s playing days come to an end, the reader prays that he can cut it as manager of Halifax Town. At the time, the club was in the relegation mire. Rathbone’s near game-by-game analysis of his struggle with this troubled club gets you closer than ever to the psychological strains on managers trying to save clubs from relegation. As if you hadn’t learnt and laughed enough about the paradoxical world of Mick Rathbone, the book concludes with his vivid account of being head of medicine at Everton FC. Rathbone tells us about working under David Moyes. The reader is taken on a privileged journey right into the heart of the most pressurised sporting league in the world, including attending the parties of the likes of Wayne Rooney and making careerchanging medical decisions for the leagues’ biggest stars like Duncan Ferguson. Rathbone once again reaches the heights that were tantalisingly out of his reach as a nervous Birmingham City player. No football fan can claim to understand the world of football without reading this.
Sports Club quick fire: Epigram meets Men’s Rugby Tom Burrows Sports Editor This week, Epigram caught up with Will Hammond, Tom Bramah and James Munton for the inside story into the men’s rugby club. Firstly, do any of you hold any positions within the club? WH: I don’t this year, but I was club secretary last year (or ‘email bitch’ according to JM) and I was also the 3rd team captain. TB: I was the most improved player in the club last year and was effectively social sec due to Ben Manser’s inability to do the job! I was also the 3rd team player of the season. JM: I was the sevens captain. The sevens season starts after Easter and this Summer, we ran two tours, one to Lille and the other to Cordova in Spain. How many teams are there in the rugby club? WH: There are 5 teams, of which one is a freshers team.
How many freshers play in higher teams? TB: This year there are quite a few more than usual, due to a very strong intake and a number of our star players leaving. There are probably 4 in the 1st team at present. What is routine?
the
training
JM: The 1st team train on Monday and Friday nights for about 2 hours. The sessions are run by Rob Higgit and Matt Salter (mentioned in Jonny Wilkinson’s autobiography), who are both former professionals who joined Bristol university this year. Our former coach left for UWE Hartpury. Favourite SCORE location? WH and TB: Motion JM: O2 Academy
so I’m happy with that. JM: Braveheart/butlers the buff
in
How do other clubs view you? WH: With reverence. TB: There is a mutual respect; I think people look up to us as the leading light in the university. This was particularly the case last year when our first team won their league in the very tough Premier South division and also reached the final 4 in the BUCS Nationals. JM: I don’t think they like us that much. Best player? WH: Simo TB: Simo in the backs, or Stevo in the forwards. They’re both very different players, but are both quality in their own right. Wise head of the squad?
Most memorable dress?
fancy
WH: Butlers in the buff TB: To be honest, we always get our rigs out for fancy dress,
WH: I think Greg Nicholls has been at UBRFC since its foundation! What
would
the
dream
season be for the club? WH and TB: For the 1st team to stay up. JM: The 1st team needs to remain in the League. We have about 5 games left and we are in a dogfight at the bottom. We play Exeter twice, which are going to be huge games as they are only just above us at the moment. We also play Cardiff one more time, which will also be key to our survival hopes. And what would the nightmare season be, a reversal of what you said before? WH: Relegation would obviously be bad for the club, would we have enough quality to go and get promoted again next year if that would ever happen. TB: Yeah, our freshers are very strong this year. JM: We have about 5 games to remain in the division. Out of those 5 games, we play Exeter twice which is going to be huge. We also a massive game against Cardiff. We really have to win at least two of those games to stay in the league.
Will Hammond on the rampage
Epigram
23..01.2012
35
Exclusive interview with the Chairman of the British Olympic Association With the Summer Games looming, Epigram caught up with Colin Moynihan, Chairman of the British Olympic Association Laura Lambert Sports Reporter 2011 was a challenging year for the British Olympic Association (BOA) and its Chairman Lord Moynihan. A widely publicised debate regarding the operating surplus from the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012 left Colin and his Chief Executive excluded from London 2012 board meetings from March until May. More recently, debates between the BOA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (regarding the BOA by-law imposing lifetime bans on athletes who have intentionally used performance-enhancing drugs) have led to Colin once again making headlines. He launched a stinging attack on the Anti-Doping Agency saying that ‘the sanctions against the hard-line cheats have never been so weak since the end of the Cold War.’ Epigram met with Colin to discuss London 2012, his experience as a past Olympian and doping in sport. What has changed in the Olympics since you won a Silver Medal in Moscow in 1980 coxing the Men’s VIII? There has been a massive change. In 1980 we were still very much in the days of amateur sport. Today, sport is a global industry. It is highly professional and the attention to detail to deliver a gold medal requires a wide range of sophisticated, professional, dedicated support structures which were never there 30 years ago. The preparation of the athlete and the financial support needs to be substantial. Today, the athlete will have strong lottery and sponsorship funding and Britain has had a budget of close to £100 million a year for nearly six years to support the 26 Olympic sports. The total budget for sport throughout the UK in 1980 was less than £50 million, and that included all the facilities (Olympic and non-Olympic) as well. How do you manage your time to allow you to be such a figurehead in British sports and what led to your position as Chairman of the BOA in 2005? I stood for election in 2005 under the impression that it would take three days a
month. In practice if I get three days off a month I’m lucky! Having said that, to be head of the BOA at a time when the Olympic Games is coming to London is a once in a lifetime opportunity. As someone who has had a background in international sport and had the good fortune to be Minister for Sport, to be able to put time back in to support the young athletes of today and tomorrow is everything anyone could possibly hope for. So, it is an amazing experience, it’s a great opportunity to support the athletes of TeamGB and whilst it’s difficult to fit in a business career, work in parliament and spend time with the family it’s nevertheless been a five year journey I will never forget, and
sport, then the whole edifice of competitive Olympic sport would be damaged globally; so this issue goes to the heart of the integrity of Olympic sport. Fourth, what message would it send to a 16 year old athlete if they saw that the only way to get to the top was to take drugs? Fifth, it is inherently wrong for someone secretly to take a cocktail of drugs to beat a clean athlete out of selection. There is no redemption for that clean athlete who is not selected, who doesn’t get another chance, who is never heard of again despite the years of training they have devoted to their sport to reach the pinnacle of their sporting career. To deny a clean athlete the opportunity to compete is
constitute cheating in sport. Onto London 2012, what should we expect from the Opening Ceremony? A memorable evening, hopefully without rain! It will be a great celebration of ‘the old’ and ‘the new’. We should never forget that the Opening Ceremony is to celebrate the athletes, so the parade of the athletes and their enjoyment of what should be a great party atmosphere will be critical. What are you most looking forward to in the Olympics and what are your biggest fears about it? I am most looking forward
“
The total budget for sport throughout the UK in 1980 was less than £50 million, and that included all the facilities as well
”
never regret. What has it been like working across the political spectrum in the ten-year build up to London 2012?
First and foremost because the athletes want us to run a Selection Policy that ensures that the Games deliver competition between the world’s greatest clean athletes and not between chemists’ laboratories. Second, the use of performance-enhancing drugs is dangerous. Top sportsmen have lost their lives through taking performanceenhancing drugs. Third, if National Olympic Committees did not fight to ensure clean
What special factor will London give to the Olympics? The greatest celebration of sport in my lifetime. Firstly, the British public are passionate about sport, their knowledge about sport is second-to-none in the world; the crowds will appreciate great moments of sporting excellence and the athletes will feel that knowledge and enthusiasm. Secondly, London is a multicultural city, there won’t be a single one of the 204 teams that won’t have some people from their country living in London, organising support for them, and giving them a great time. The atmosphere in London will be that of a party, and I cannot think of a better city to host a celebration of sport than London. London is on a high at the moment and I think it is ready to party! What will the Olympics give to London, aside from stateof-the-art sports facilities?
If you look at the cities that have hosted the Games in the last 30 years, the key to the success of staging the Games is consistent all-party political support. Thankfully, that has been a characteristic of the run-up to London 2012, from the work of Tessa Jowell and Tony Blair, to the equally enthusiastic support from Gordon Brown, David Cameron and the Coalition Government. Why are you so passionate about fighting for the BOA by-law to stand (imposing lifetime bans on athletes who use performance enhancing drugs)?
literally millions of people coming to London to enjoy the Games and we need to make sure our transport system works in a faultless way, since the whole Games programme is built on public transport.
unacceptable. So, for all these reasons it is important to take a tough stance on doping in sport, and to fight against the development of performanceenhancing drugs which
“
If National Olympic Committees did not fight to ensure clean sport, then the whole edifice of competitive Olympic sport would be damaged globally; so this issue goes to the heart of the integrity of Olympic sport
”
to the performances of Team GB as I believe we have a strong team that will deliver outstanding results. I have no fears but there are continuing concerns, mostly surrounding security and transport. We are going to have close to 100 world leaders here following their teams in the Opening Ceremony. The global spotlight will be on London, and we are a very open and welcoming country, so security must be appropriate. Regarding transport, given the network of access to Europe and the attraction of London as a city for tourism, we could see
My view is that the Olympic Delivery Authority have built phenomenal facilities, and left a major urban regeneration legacy for the East End of London. I think LOCOG have organised the Games highly professionally and have nurtured and trained a generation of sports administrators who will feed back into the coaching and sports administration network to support British sport in the years to come. Third, I think that TeamGB will perform outstandingly well, and that will leave a legacy of excellence in sport for future generations. But fourth, I think the problem and the challenge is for the government to design and implement a sports legacy policy which reaches out and changes the whole fabric of sports delivery in the UK and here I don’t think we are making the progress we should. I have yet to see the amazing nationwide inspiration caused by the Games being translated into practical policies of securing playing fields, improving the delivery of sport in schools, protecting local authority spend and transforming the
sporting landscape. That is the challenge of government and I hope it rises to that challenge in 2012 and beyond. Following on from that point, do you think there need to be changes in the government support for sport after the Games? The importance of sport in public policy has changed radically over the last 20 years. It is now an integral part of policy-making in a whole range of government departments, from Education (with school sports), to Health (in the fight against obesity), to Home Office policy (where sport is seen as an important area of contribution to taking young people in inner city areas off the escalator to crime), to international reputation (through the hosting of
“
I have yet to see the amazing nationwide inspiration caused by the Games being translated into practical policies, specifically improving the delivery of sport in schools
”
global sporting events), to the economic impact of sport (which is a multi-billion pound industry today). These are major challenges and lead me to the view that a stand-alone Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is not the most effective way of ensuring joined-up government and coordination of sports policy in the United Kingdom. I hope that the Prime Minister will look at whether he can use the Cabinet Office to drive the importance of the sports agenda throughout government departments, as Francis Maude has done so effectively on other public policy issues. Equally, I think the biggest post-Games challenge is to address the inadequate structure of delivering competitive sports in our schools and creating far stronger links between schools, clubs, coaches, volunteers and local authorities. I think there is a really strong case for ending the divided responsibilities of school sports between DCMS and the Department of Education, and putting the key central role of a senior Sports Minister within the Department of Education.
Epigram
23.01.2012
Sport
Editor: Tom Burrows
Deputy Editor: David Stone
sport@epigram.org.uk
deputysport@epigram.org.uk
Dodge, duck, dip and dive: £400 raised for RAG in charity event
Inside Sport Epigram speaks to Colin Moynihan, Chairman of the British Olympic Association. A former Olympic athlete and medallist himself, he discusses the current ban on athletes who take p e r fo r m a n ce - e n h a c i n g drugs, what his job entails, and of course, plenty about the upcoming London 2012 Olympics.
Page 35
Ben Brown Sports Reporter University of Bristol’s Dodgeball society, DodgeSoc, successfully hosted its first charity Dodgeball tournament at the end of last term. It proved to be a wildly successful day of money raising, ballgrabbing and name-calling. DodgeSoc has only been existence for one year, yet it has proved immensely popular, with over 100 members. Moreover, it signed up almost as many freshers as illustrious and well-established clubs such as rugby and football at the freshers fair. With this in
mind, DodgeSoc decided that it was only fitting for the club to put on a charity event to mark the success of the club in its debut year. Hosted at Cotham School, the day began early with winter frost covering the ground and making the committee members who waited outside to direct people to the venue wishing they had remembered to bring coats. Divided into two group sessions of three hours, followed by a knockout round to determine the finest ballers in Bristol, there were over 142 competitors in 23 teams. This resulted in some fierce competition and the inevitable heartbreaks and frayed nerves
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Saara Junttila
Doctors strut their stuff in Cotham School
Winning team ‘The Sam Allen Project’
which followed. Despite the early first session beginning at 9.30am, the day kicked off in fine style with most people remembering the rules in the haphazard introduction set out by the committee members, who relied heavily on the film Dodgeball as their version of a rulebook. For those of you not aware of the film, the rules of Dodgeball are very simple: ‘Dodge, duck, dip and dive!’ With a scream, the matches got underway, with the first 12 teams playing across two courts. After a smooth first session, the most successful teams were invited back for the knockout round (after the second session). The second
set of teams then battled it out and a host of new faces were left to charge around the courts. Just how hard is it for people to stay inside the white lines? The outfits were outrageous and hilarious, ranging from Viren’s Pink Panther approach to one team of reprobates who felt the need to all turn up in thongs. And no….before you ask, they were not the type of people we wished to see in thongs. When the knockout round began, we thought all the childish tantrums, thrown balls and downright cheating would be done with, amongst this crowd of now seasoned
ballers. Oh how wrong we were. With the conclusion of the arduous knockout session, we were proud to crown The Sam Allen Project the overall champions of the day. More importantly, the event raised over £400 for Bristol RAG. This was a very impressive sum and one that the dodgeball club was immensely proud of. The day finished with the DodgeSec committee members thanking everyone for turning up and hoping to win the muchcoveted award for best RAG Event 2011. It would be the icing on the cake for what has been agood year for this new university society.
Over the festive period, the Bristol Clay Shooting Club took four teams to compete in the annual Christmas Cup Competition in Monmouthshire. Aside from the tweed and pomposity, was Bristol able to achieve a decent result? Also, three players from Bristol University Rugby Club find themselves targets in Sports Club quick fire.
Page 34 Now halfway through the season, Paddy Von Behr reports on the latest results from the Intramural Football league. Epigram also discusses the recent controversy and future implications of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year contest, which has seen the selection of an all-male shortlist.
Page 33
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£5.55 each*
Collection or delivery
DH01059 Whiteladies 555 Ad.indd 1
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dominos.co.uk
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* From the menu or ‘Create Your Own’ up to 4 toppings. Not valid with any other offer and subject to availability. Collection or delivery. Offer only available if you purchase 3 or more small (9.5") pizzas in any one transaction. Subject to availability. Valid for a limited time and at participating stores only. Please mention offer when ordering. Offer valid from 28th December 2011 until 12th February 2012. ‡For a full explanation of the term ‘Domino’s Family’, please see the DPGL privacy policy. If you would like to review the privacy policy and direct marketing practices of the Domino’s Group (and by this we mean Domino’s Pizza UK & IRL plc and any of its group companies) please visit www.dominos.co.uk and click on ‘Boring Legal Stuff’. Similarly, if you would like to review the privacy policy and direct marketing policies of a Domino’s Franchisee please ask your local store for a copy of their privacy policy and/or direct marketing policy.
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to receive 25% OFF your next order and to be kept up to date with further offers from the Domino’s family.‡
20/1/12 09:16:29