The Martlet - Issue 10

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SCHOOL

The final interview with Miss Lusk before she leaves

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NEWS

What does the sugar tax mean for us?

SUMMER ISSUE

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FEATURES

Are Christians right to claim that they are persecuted?

Abingdon School’s Leading Newspaper

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SPORT

Tom Brady for dummies, the football star explained

ISSUE 10

Brexit - Where Next?

Nick Harris responds to the shock result to leave the EU

B iENTER MR WINDSOR P.3i

THE FESTIVALS OF 2016 P.17i

HENLEY REGATTA MOORS UP P.30i

ritain has voted out. Against all the odds, against the academic consensus, against the markets and most importantly, against the Prime Minister, Britain has gone. So before we begin any sort of post-Brexit re-evaluation of the arguments let us remember that such an endeavour is entirely in vain. Britain is going whether we liked or loved or hated or loathed the idea and painful as it may seem for many of us to have not been able to participate in this important decision, that is now the way it will be. What is much more important is what happens to Britain in the short to medium term and what we can possibly learn from this historic vote.

At the time of writing, all we know so far is that Britain is out and the Prime Minister will go before October. It is all very vague and uncertain. However what is clear to me is that there must be an election before then or at the very least before the post-Brexit negotiations begin.

The current government was elected on a mandate of, predominantly, continuing austerity, the carrying out of an EU renegotiation and a referendum on that renegotiation. It has done these things but during the campaign the official government has campaigned for Remain with such admirable passion that the administration as it is can not be the one to re-negotiate our status with Europe. Neither would it be appropriate for a clique of Leave campaigners led by Michael Gove and Boris Johnson to assume power in the vacuum left by the Prime Minister.

This would be an administration that no-one has voted for and would be one that would be only supported by the right leaning half of the Tory party that is completely unrepresentative of the UK overall, with absolutely no mandate to

govern. Therefore there must an election, as soon as possible. This would be feasible, despite the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, with the support of two thirds of the house. It would give all parties a chance to re-assess their policy following this vote and to decide their stance on the future of Britain’s relationship with the EU. But most importantly, it would give the electorate a chance to select their chosen renegotiation strategy. A Brexit government is the only one which can carry out these talks with the EU and find a way through the stunned disbelief with which much of the world has reacted to this vote. Once that government is in place we can answer many of the questions that have so befuddled many such as, among others, whether we are a member of the EEA, EFTA, have our own free trade arrangements, or find another path.

One other result of this referendum is the striking and unavoidable observation of how divided our country is. The truth is that, on the whole, the educated and higher income south east and London voted for Remain, along with Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Out votes came predominantly from working class areas such as the North and the Midlands. This is not to say that votes from any particular area were driven by any particular argument but the fact remains that this is how the votes were distributed. We can each draw our own conclusions from this but perhaps the biggest thing to think about is how different the priorities of different strata of society have been during this referendum and why that is. It is not enough anymore to abandon such people as political parties have done for far too long, and in this allowed for the rise of parties like

Continued on page 2

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THE MARTLET SUMMER ISSUE 10

News

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Letter from the Editor

ear Readers,

Welcome to the summer edition of The Martlet, which lays several milestones for the school’s leading publication. This is our tenth issue since the relaunch, but it is also the first issue overseen by our reshuffled editorial team. It is also my first issue as editor. Dan Alcock joins me, taking the mantle of Deputy Editor. Ben Ffrench has taken over as News Editor, Jacob Lillie has moved into the role of Features Editor, whilst Dan Brown has retained the celebrated title of Sports Editor. Henry Waterson has also taken the new position of Copy Editor. Fianlly, Blake Jones has been appointed as Managing Director, to oversee and add to the running of The Martlet. I would like to pay tribute to Toby Jupp as outgoing editor. His superb leadership has kept The Martlet ship steady for a long time.

Our cover story offers a number of perspectives on the aftermath of the EU Referendum a few days ago. But the focus is on school news for this issue, as we have conducted an exclusive interview with Mr Windsor to gain an insight to the future of our school whilst Kofo Braithwaite has done the same with Miss Lusk for a clear picture of the legacy that Abingdon is left with at the end of this year. In the News section other highlights include Ben Ffrench’s piece on the future of the Greening Wing and Little School along with a gripping investigation into the current NHS crisis by Milo McNally. Alex Thulin also presents the intriguing story of the legal ramifications surrounding the case of a man in Ohio who was given two death sentences.

In the Features section the Martlet tries its hand at economic advice services with Jacob Lillie’s examination of the global repercussions of a Chinese slowdown. Mean-

COVER STORY

Brexit - Where Next?

Nick Harris responds to the shock result to leave the EU Continued from cover page UKIP. It is also not enough anymore to bat down legitimate questions such as on immigration with cries of ‘racist’ or ‘bigot’. There has never been a more clear indication of what worries people and it is not just politicians’, but everyone’s job to listen to these concerns and think on how to act.

The final thing to learn from this referendum is perhaps how dangerous a tool they are for a government to use. This one was, in essence, called to attempt to cull the UKIP surge, a goal that failed at the election anyway with

UKIP still gaining 12% of the vote and damaging Labour at the polls more than the Conservatives. But this referendum has completely run away from Cameron. What he probably saw as an easy re-affirmation of Britain’s membership of the EU has become his legacy from office. As a supporter of the European project and a passionate believer in the ideals of the EU, he will no longer be remembered as the Prime Minister who stabilised the economy or as the Prime Minister who kept Scotland in the Union in 2014. But as the Prime Minister who, against his will, took the United Kingdom out of Europe.

There must a General Election as soon as a new leader of the Conservative Party is chosen Right: a United Kingdom? Yellow represents remain; blue represents leave

while, Calum Egan and Sammy Chambers kick off the summer entertainment season with reviews of the latest television drama from Britain and America as well as a preview of music festivals across the UK. Blake Jones also discusses the persecution complex which has haunted the Christian faith since its inception, whilst in the Martlet’s latest travel piece, Pawin Sermusk brings you his ultimate guide to the joys of visiting Thailand. Features is topped off by Calum’s thoughtful comment on the continuing relevance of Shakespeare in the modern age.

The sport section is as diverse and vibrant as ever. Toby Jupp brings you his original predictions for the Euros in France and Dan Brown charts the history of the Henley Royal Regatta, so dear to Abingdon rowing. The potential that Twenty20 cricket brings to that most English of sports is discussed along with Charlie Clarke’s appraisal, although I am sure to many introduction, of the decorated sporting career of one of the most celebrated NFL stars, Tom Brady.

The future of journalism is said to lie in the digital world. Many print journalists are writing for the papers one day and sleeping under them the next. In the hope of avoiding that fate, the Martlet continues to add content to the MartletOnline and it is gratifying to see the enthusiasm for the recent online pieces (for our EU poll in particular) that has affected so many. You can also find an assessment of the BBC’s new Royal Charter, and the website is more accessible than ever with its own link and a list of top articles available on the Firefly study page.

Many thanks, and please enjoy.

Nick Harris

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THE MARTLET SUMMER ISSUE 10

News

Enter Mr Windsor SCHOOL

Nick Harris speaks to our new headmaster

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veryone at Abingdon is aware of the imminent arrival of our new headmaster, Mr Windsor, but few of us know much about him and what the school will be like under his leadership. So, the Martlet got in touch with him to give you an idea of what to expect when the school changes hands in September.

What impressions of the school do you have already?

I’ve been extremely impressed by what I have seen of the school so far. It is clearly a place of endeavour and ambition and there’s a huge amount going on. I’ve been made to feel very welcome every time I’ve visited.

And so what do you see as the first change you would like to make?

I think it’s too early to be talking about changes. First I need to get to know the school better and really understand its spirit and ethos and then I can start to think how to make a great school even better.

What sort of atmosphere will you hope to bring to the school?

I hope there will be a strong sense of community and that pupils, staff and parents will be proud to be part of Abingdon. I hope to nurture a supportive atmosphere that allows pupils to flourish, make the most of the amazing opportunities that are offered and enjoy their time at school.

I would like the school to be of national, indeed international, renown as a school that is innovative and creative in its approach to boys’ education and that sets the standard in terms of its academic and co-curricular achievements.

What are you most proud of from your legacy from your previous school

(Reading Blue Coat)?

I am most proud of the various achievements of the pupils who have come through the school during my time, as well as the way in which teachers who started out under my headship have gone on to develop their careers. I feel that Blue Coat is now a more confident and ambitious place with a stronger reputation for its academic and co-curricular achievements and its pastoral care.

Do you have any catchphrases in store for assembly speeches?

Like most Heads, I have a ready supply of hyperbole and superlatives at hand to describe pupils’ successes and triumphs.

I’m afraid I also have a weakness for puns and bad jokes.

Which of the school’s new facilities are you most excited about being involved with?

The new Science Centre is a wonderful building and I love the facilities of the Sports Centre but I am even more excited about having the opportunity to lead the next phase of development at Abingdon.

What kind of Headmaster will you be?

What is your style of leadership?

I like to be out and about so that I can experience the various facets that make up school life and I hope I am approachable and ready to listen. Having said that, I believe I also know when to step back and make the longer-term strategic decisions which are fundamental to being the Head of a school. You will all find out soon enough though…

Genre of music?

This is really hard to narrow down as I listen to a broad and eclectic range of music, and have played the bass in all sorts of

settings, but if you are going to limit me to one, it would probably have to be jazz – mid-60s hard bop to be more precise.

Meal on death row?

I love food, especially Indian and Thai, but the best food I have ever tasted was fresh sardine caught off the side of a boat on the Bosphorus in Istanbul, instantly grilled and served with Turkish flatbread.

Ridiculously cheap and ridiculously good.

Rugby or football?

I played rugby rather than football when I was younger and love to support England at Twickenham when I can. I love football too though and have stuck with Bristol Rovers through thick and thin (mainly thin) for the past 40 years or so.

Why do you want to be Headmaster of Abingdon?

It’s a fantastic job. The school has a great reputation and its history, values and ethos all chime with me, especially the commitment to the Other Half and the development of character as well as academic aptitude.

The past or the future?

I’m more interested in shaping the future but to do this successfully, I think you need to have a strong understanding of the past. I love reading history as I think you can learn a great deal from the successes and mistakes of those who came before us.

Were you a try hard or a lad at school?

A bit of both…

How would you sum yourself up in three words?

Bald Bristolian bassist.

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THE MARTLET SUMMER ISSUE 10

News

“And Don’t Forget to Register with your Tutors” SCHOOL

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Kofo Braithwaite speaks to the Head about her final year at Abingdon

fter six years of being headmistress at Abingdon, Miss Lusk is moving on to new challenges. I met with the Head and asked her a few questions.

Kofo: Thank you for speaking to The Martlet. Firstly, how demanding is it being Head of Abingdon?

Miss Lusk: That’s a really good question; I don’t think anyone has ever asked me that. It is completely killing! Headship has changed so much in the 20 years that I’ve been a head - it’s unrecognisable now.

You’re running a big business, and there’s so much legislation now, about risk and compliance and auditing and implications of the Charity Commission and all of that.

Then this goes on alongside all the things that you really want to do, which is just go out to the concerts and go to School Council and wander around the place and see everybody. And in a school like this, because there’s a boarding dimension and because we run very much on boarding school lines, we have a long school day, and there’s something on every Saturday.

It is a lot of time. There are very few free evenings for example, but all that aside, it’s just the most fantastic job in the world. I think headship in general is a fabulous thing to do but to be Head of Abingdon is a dream job. It’s a very great place.

Kofo: Have you ever thought about a different career?

Miss Lusk: My father wanted me to follow him into the law, but I didn’t, obviously.

I read music at university, which I did, because I really wanted to read music, whereas he wanted me to do something like History (or English I think he would’ve accepted) and then maybe go off and read law. But that’s not how it happens and I think that, in itself, it’s so important to go off when you leave school, and do what you want to do. Because if you do what your parents want it’s just not going to work out because it’s not your thing. In life, you have to go out and make your own way.

But I also always knew that I wanted to be head of a school in England before then, so I could see that reading music was going to take me on a certain route. But amazingly I ended up here, and I come from New Zealand, so I’ve gone quite a long way to come here.

Kofo: Do you have a favourite day of the week?

Miss Lusk: I quite like Sunday, because I try not to do any work! No, because the way the school is structured is that there

is a routine and there are things that happen regularly, but every day is different - absolutely everyday. So, every day is fantastic.

Kofo: So there’s no single regular event you look forward to?

Miss Lusk: No I like it all. I mean, difficult meetings with unhappy people, I don’t relish, but when I’ve done them and if I’ve had to stand my ground and if I think we’ve done the right thing, then I give that a sort of a tick. But it’s not comfortable. I think that’s the downside of running a school: when things go wrong for people, and people are unhappy or something horrible happens to someone. Because you’re working with humans and humans go through difficulties all the time, there’s a lot of sadness. You’re dealing with a lot of sadness. I have a gate off Bath Street which is great, because I often have private conversations with people, and often it won’t be about their work or school - it will be about something else happening in their life - and that’s a great privilege because in order to understand how this community ticks, you need to know how the people are inside it. And everybody goes up and down, people have good times and bad times, and sometimes that impacts how they are at school whether they work here or are a student here. So yes, that’s a great privilege.

Kofo: You’ve often described the Lent term as ‘the concrete in the middle’, so how would you describe the Michaelmas and Summer terms?

Miss Lusk: That phrase is not original. I nicked that from Michael St John Parker.

But the Michaelmas term is a hard, hard slog. I introduced the two week half term (we used to have one week) and that sort of happened around the same time as when I got rid of Saturday school and everyone was absolutely thrilled. Because there was so much sickness, and the boys were exhausted and the staff were exhausted and it’s a very long term, and it’s also getting colder and darker, and people who come from overseas I just feel so sorry for, like the boarders, who have come from lovely sunny places and suddenly, the central heating goes on on the 3rd of September and they’re in complete culture shock.

I’ve been living here now for 27 years and I’m still in culture shock when it kicks in.

But then, the Michaelmas term is when the bulk of the work gets done and there are lots of trips over the half term so it’s a really solid term. But then you have all the Christmas stuff, and I just love Christmas at Abingdon.

Kofo: How about the summer term?

Miss Lusk: The summer term is complete joy - although for me this summer term is not complete joy, being my last ever, we’ll come onto that, but the summer term is great. First of all, the place sort of empties so even though the exams are going on, people are much more relaxed. They get into their summer uniform, they’re sitting out on the field - there’s just a sort of sense of, you know, it’s summer and it’s warmer.

And the place looks so beautiful. It’s also quite a short term, but you can only have so many short terms. It’s not always a picnic or a party; you can’t have that all the time.

Kofo: If you were an animal, what would you be?

Miss Lusk: I think I’d probably like to be a giraffe. Because then I’d be very, very tall and I’d be able to just stand there and look around and go up in the trees and have a sense of being in another world even though my feet were still on the ground.

Although, I could also be a lhasa apso, because my lhasa apso has such a nice life.

Look at this, Dudley’s Dilemmas - this dog has an intriguing life. It’s fab. I’ve got them all framed. They’re really good. The other lot, your rivals, they don’t like it that I’ve framed all these. They come in and they look around and say “where’s our copy on the Head’s wall?”, but Words and That is fantastic too. But, yes, Dudley’s Dilemmas are very witty, they’re really witty. I think the writing of the boys is fantastic. I was just looking at Griffenomics, which is the economics magazine, and the standard of writing and the level of intellect and the ability to argue is really, really strong with our boys. People think, which is great.

Kofo: What is your favourite area of the Other Half - sport, music, drama, or other societies?

Miss Lusk: I really shouldn’t say, but the music, I do love the music. But I love the drama, and I love the CCF parades. DofE I think is fantastic, sport - it’s all really amazing. But the music I like because I used to do it. I used to take choirs and conduct orchestras and run productions and all that sort of thing - a very long time ago now. And again the standards are so high, and the thing I like about the music is that you can go to the music and see a boy playing, and then you’ll go and see him in something completely off piste. It’s the same boy and he’s doing something like fencing, or he’s running around the world - it’s amazing. Really amazing.

Kofo: What keeps you going as Abingdon’s head?

Miss Lusk: I’m just on a sort of adrenaline rush. During the term, you’re just like this all the time and, I think, I always want what we can offer to be the absolute best.

So, I think that’s a great motivator: we’re always looking to see what we can do better. I like the challenge of it. I’m going to miss being part of it. We have a very strong senior team, which is where all the decisions are made, and it’s very feisty. I like the debate in that team; they’re just like the boys: sometimes quite difficult to manage. Sometimes I think everybody is on the verge of mutiny - but that in itself is the challenge. And people think in many different ways, and I think that’s very exciting. It’s not dull, there’s never a dull day. I never sit here thinking, “oh, gosh, I’m so bored, I’m just waiting for something to happen”, it’s never like that.

And, there are lots of things that go on all the time, layers of things. So, for example, I’ve come into this with you, I’m about to go into the Education Committee meeting, then I’m having governors to dinner, I went on a little wander around at lunch time, and, it’s just fantastic. It’s a good job. If you ever want to be head of a school, but you have to really want to do it, because it’s very lonely. Retiring Heads always say it’s the loneliest job in the world because you’re there, and the buck stops with you. You can’t always tell the people you’re closest to how you’re feeling about something. You can’t sort of weaken and be vulnerable and you can’t really have a bad day. You might stomp around a bit but you can’t actually say, “I’m not coping with this”, because that’s demoralising for other people. And everybody helps when things go wrong, which is good. We work in teams, which is great.

Kofo: Here at Abingdon, we’re often thinking about leadership. What is the best quality a leader can have?

Miss Lusk: That’s a really good question.

I think possibly the capacity to see ahead.

To try and see what’s coming and then prepare yourself for how you’re going to deal with things. Certainly being able to step back and evaluate, but not spend so much time evaluating that you miss the moment to make the decision. Seeing the big picture is absolutely crucial and it’s often a fault with heads of school, that we get down into the weeds and we’re interfering with everyone else’s jobs, and not empowering people. So I think the capacity to empower people is really

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THE MARTLET SUMMER ISSUE 10

News sometimes I do think the boys are under a lot of stress, which is why I try to introduce mechanisms to help counteract that.

There’s so much we can and need to do for mental health, it’s a huge thing.

Kofo: What’s been your most difficult time at Abingdon, and how did you get through it?

Miss Lusk: I suppose I can’t really say specifically, because it’s all confidential, but the most difficult times for me have been when for one reason or another, I’ve had to discipline a member of staff and move them on. That’s difficult because firstly you have to get the case properly prepared, there’s the whole legal side of everything you’ve got to watch that you’re not getting the school in a bad position legally - you have to be very certain that you’re right, and then of course you’re dealing with a person, who is sitting just here like you are, and you’re thinking, well, it would be easier just not to deal with this. Because they have a family and it’s their job. But sometimes, people do things, and I always just remember what’s best for the school and the boys, and that takes me through it. And you have to be quite dispassionate.

You can’t get emotionally involved with somebody that’s in that situation. But there’s a lot of support because we have a very strong HR Department, we have the legal advice, they have their union here and all of that so it’s not as though I’m doing it on my own. But sometimes people do some really stupid things.

important and to do that you have to trust your people, and then it works. You can’t do everything on your own, you can’t be everywhere at once, you can’t be doing everyone else’s jobs and interfering too much. That’s a really good question; everyone has a different leadership style.

So, I’m sure that Mike Windsor will have a different leadership style from me, I have a different leadership style from Mark Turner and so it goes on, because there’s a lot of your own personality in how you deal with things. But when you’re the person who is that person, you are the one who is accountable. But of course I am accountable to governors, so, we’re all accountable to somebody in life. We can never function by just going off and doing our own sweet thing, there’s always somebody sitting on us somewhere! And when you become a leader and start running things - as I’m sure you will, you’ll go off and do interesting things - and you climb up the ladder and you think somehow it’s going to get safer or easier or better as you go up, but actually that’s not the case. Then there are all the people who think they can do your job better than you can, who you’re sort of pushing away, and you have to be pretty thick-skinned. But that’s absolutely classic stuff with anybody who’s running anything. You know, even if it’s the Parish Council.

Kofo: Do you have any heroes?

Miss Lusk: The usual people like Nelson Mandela. Edmund Hillary, who of course was the great New Zealander who first climbed Everest. But I admire him not really because of the big climb of Everest, but because he overcame such terrible things later in life and did so much for the people of Nepal. He lost his wife and daughter in a plane crash in Nepal and went through a very rough patch, where he was drinking too much - this is all in the public arena - but he overcame that and he went on to do so much for education and health in Nepal, building hospitals and schools. I think he’s remarkable. He died quite recently, about 8 years ago.

Kofo: What has surprised you most about being Abingdon’s Head?

Miss Lusk: I would say what has surprised me is that it’s actually been much nicer and easier than I thought. The boys are really nice people. They come from good families, and they’re just very easy to rub alongside. They’re not arrogant or pushy or demanding or difficult. And the boys work so hard, it’s extraordinary. Sometimes I worry that people work too hard, are too driven. I worry very much about stress in this generation. It goes hand-in-hand with these very high-achieving families, ambitious families, parents making sacrifices to send their children here. And

Kofo: On a lighter note, can you tell us a bit about Dudley? How long have you had him for?

Miss Lusk: I got Dudley because my son said that I was rattling around in that great big house and I needed to have somebody in the house. So I got him when he was a puppy, he was 11 weeks old, and he’s just a complete joy. He comes to all my senior meetings, because we do lots at Lacies’ Court, so he comes to all the receptions and meetings and, you know, he trots around.

And he’s become a little bit of a mascot.

Kofo: Certainly, and now that Dudley’s leaving The Martlet with you; will you read his successor’s column?

Miss Lusk: Is Dudley going to have a successor? He’s going to have his own column? Oh I don’t know if I should tell Dudley that… I don’t know what Mike Windsor’s dog is called; it’s one of these rather esoteric, mixed, special, types of dogs. A labradoodle or cockapoo or something. I’m sure that their dog will have a different take on things, would have a different slant. But I’m amused that this is going to continue.

Kofo: Mr Dawswell has been your second hand for years. Do you think he could be a future headmaster? Is the ‘Dawswellian Regime’ on the horizon?

Miss Lusk: You know, he’s terrific isn’t he? He is just perfect. He’s not my second hand; really, he’s my right hand. What you won’t see is that, I don’t know how this

happens, but in Common Room, I have a meeting once a week with the staff, and sometimes he and I get into this sort of pantomime. Just occasionally we see signs of it in assembly, where I say something, he says something back and it goes backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, and it’s just hilarious, you couldn’t script it.

And somehow that side of this relationship is very unusual, and it’s very funny. But it never happens anywhere except in a really public place. It doesn’t just happen when it’s just us having a meeting. I mean, he runs the place. He does all the minutiae of running the place and you need somebody who is just fantastically organised to do that, because this is a really big enterprise.

I think he’s fantastic. Whether he would want to be a head or not, I don’t know.

You have to have a mind-set to be a head and you know very early in your career.

Sometimes people fall into headship simply because they’ve got promoted and they get to headship, and I meet heads like this occasionally who say actually it wasn’t really for them but they’ve kind of found themselves there. And I just think that must be terrible, because on a bad day, when everything is going wrong you must hate what you’re doing. How awful for anybody to hate their job, whatever their job is. So, I think that David Dawswell is fantastic, and we’ve never had a cross word. At least I don’t think we have, I’m pretty sure we haven’t. He’s just unfailingly considerate, he’s such a considerate man, and I am very grateful to him for everything he’s done to help. But that whole team is terrific, they’re great. From Crispin at the prep school, to our new Director of Finance, Justin Hodges - he’s wonderful they’re all marvellous. Graeme May - you don’t necessarily see these people in the same way that you see Mr Dawswell, Mark Hindley, Jane Jorgensen and Michael Triff, they’re all great. So all of these people solve problems. They come to me with a problem and they always have a possible solution, which is really good.

Kofo: Finally, how many times do you think you’ve forgotten to say ‘register with your tutors’ at assembly?

Miss Lusk: That would not be very often, only once or twice and that’s only because Mr Dawswell hasn’t written it down!

That’s become a little established thing.

So when he doesn’t write it down for me, I then say to him, where is the final notice?

No, that’s just become one of those things.

The other thing about assemblies is that I try desperately to get to the bottom before anybody stands up, and sometimes I get halfway down before people think, oh okay, this is starting. But no it would only be once or twice, and I’ve only got a couple of assemblies left, so I must make sure to say it.

Kofo: I’d like to thank you very much on behalf of The Martlet for speaking to us, and we wish you the best of luck.

Miss Lusk: No, that’s great, it’s been really enjoyable. Lots of good questions. Thank you very much.

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THE MARTLET SUMMER ISSUE 10

News POLITICS

China 1 - UK 0: The UK Steel Crisis Piers Mucklejohn explores the reasons for the UK Steel Crisis and what has happened as a result

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ince the beginning of this year the UK steel industry has been suffering from a crisis the likes of which Britain has never seen before. With no end in sight, the situation seems to be spiralling into chaos. The UK steel industry is in deep trouble.

The Indian steel company, Tata Steel, plans to sell its UK business, putting 15,000 jobs at risk. It’s no surprise that Tata Steel wants out in light of its production figures. In 1994, 37,000 workers produced 16,000,000 tonnes of steel.

In 2015 13,000 workers produced less than 12,000,000 tonnes; in less than 25 years the number of workers has halved and, as a result of this, production has suffered heavily. In 1990, 50,000 steel workers were employed in the UK, but since then the numbers have been falling drastically. As a result, Tata Steel has decided to sell all of its UK assets.

After all this, one question is on lots of people’s minds: Why is the UK’s Steel Industry in such bad shape?

It could be said just one country is responsible for all these problems and that country is China. In 2013 China produced 779 million tonnes of steel, 48% of the world’s total, compared to the UK’s measly 12 million tonnes, making up less than 1%. On top of this, China is selling its steel for a much lower price than the UK. If China produces more steel for a lower price then there’s no need for the purchase of UK steel and so less money goes into the industry. Less money in the industry means that the companies are faced with a choice: pay workers less or

Port Talbot Steelworks, Wales employ fewer workers; Tata chose the latter. On 11th April this year Tata Steel agreed to sell one of its main British steelworks to the investment group, Greybull Capital, for the sum of £1. Who wouldn’t want to buy a company with hundreds of buildings and thousands of employees

China is selling its steel for a much lower price than the UK

when it only costs £1? The only problem is that Tata Steel’s UK assets carry a huge amount of debt, allegedly suffering £1m losses daily. This purchase will however secure 4,000 jobs, and the company promises to invest £400m with the aim of restoring the organisation. The company is planning to rename to ‘British Steel’, which became defunct in 1999 after merging with Koninklijke Hoogovens. Amidst all this, many people want to know what we can do to ‘save our steel.’

The biggest motivation for change seems to come from the people. There have been mixed reactions from a variety of people throughout the crisis. Of course, UK steel workers have raised

protest against the changes; in June 2015, some even planned to stage the first UK steelworkers’ strike in over 30 years, although it was later called off. It’s not only the workers themselves providing the impetus for change, for many living in mining communities have also expressed their opinions alongside the friends and families of those affected.

Last September a rally was carried out in Redcar in support of steelworkers. As a result of this, the government held a steel summit in Rotherham last October to discuss what can be done. The government says it has already attempted to help the steel industry through taking action on imports, government procurement and EU emissions regulations, cutting energy costs, and meeting key industry asks. All this is done in the hope that there will be minimal job losses and that some compromise can be reached which could allow the UK steel industry to survive.

The situation is not helped by the fact that there are higher electricity prices facing the steelmakers in the UK than in most European countries. This means that producing steel is very expensive and therefore other countries, China included, can make more steel for a lower price. In addition to this, there is a massive global surplus, with only two-thirds of steel produced actually used. Some people even accuse China of ‘dumping’ steel exports in the EU. Some claim that China does not just sell it cheaply but is actually making a loss on some of it.

The UK might produce much less steel

per year than China, but prides itself on producing high quality, high value steel products; the steel produced by the UK is of a high quality, although not extraordinarily high, and seems to be of high value given that it is being sold for so much more than the steel from other countries, like China. However, in a world (and industry) overshadowed by money, the cost is all many prospective buyers will see.

One possible solution, proposed by the opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is to nationalise the steel industry. Corbyn

Only about two-thirds of all produced steel actually being used

has called for the government to intervene and has visited Port Talbot to join in with the Save Our Steel campaign in the belief that with proper investment and appropriate handling the UK steel industry can survive and thrive. The way things currently look, the UK steel industry has a lot of progress to make, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

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THE MARTLET SUMMER ISSUE 10

News

The process of lethal injections has always been surrounded in controversy, but little has been done

I

n 2009, Romell Broom faced execution by lethal injection at an Ohio prison. Ideally, this procedure would result in Broom’s quick and painless death. However, this execution was far from ideal.

The executioners tried for over two hours to connect the IV line that would administer the drugs before Governor Ted Strickland finally ended the nightmare execution, which failed hopelessly as the executioners struggled without success to find a vein in his arm. Broom said he was pierced with needles eighteen times; the pain was so intense that he cried and screamed.

A failed execution such as this is one of the most traumatising experiences a person can suffer, although Broom may have to live through it a second time.

The Ohio supreme court ruled that the state would have a second opportunity to attempt the execution, overruling the arguments of Broom’s lawyers, who insisted that a second execution would be a cruel and unusual punishment. Article fourteen of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states, ‘No one shall be liable to be tried or punished again for an offence for which he has already been finally convicted or acquitted in accordance with the law and penal procedure of each country.’

The death penalty itself has recently been met with controversy, with many claiming that the excruciating side effects are inhumane. Predictably, there has been some public anger against the decision to retry the execution. This

Double Jeopardy LAW

Alex Thulin investigates the second execution of Romell Broom included a campaign waged by Amnesty International to inform the public about the failed execution.

For an execution to fail so spectacularly may seem incredibly unlikely, but such incidents are disturbingly common.

7.1% of lethal injections conducted between 1990 and 2010 vastly prolonged

late 19th century when lethal injections were introduced. This statistic is conclusive proof of the urgent need to develop more reliable methods of execution.

Up to this point it has not been explained why Broom was on death row in the first place. It is necessary to first approach this debate with an objective

Broom said he was pierced with needles eighteen times the execution and produced an undesired level of pain. This represents over seventy failures. This problem should not exist. Campaigners have been calling for more humane executions since the

outlook, with no emotion clouding our judgement. If we consider Broom as an ordinary man, it appears that a second execution is a breach of his rights. The Supreme Court ruled that the botched

execution can be reattempted as the drugs were never actually administered, but being made to scream in agony sounds like punishment enough to me.

The point raised is as follows: does knowledge of the crime bring prejudice against a criminal? Does your opinion of the second execution change when I tell you that Romell Broom was sentenced for the brutal stabbing and rape of a fourteen-year-old girl, child molesting, multiple kidnappings, an extra count of rape and two more counts of murder.

Does this man deserve to die? Knowledge of the these crimes seems to eradicate most of the sympathy he may otherwise have received. In fact, I found it difficult to write the large section of this article which defends him. Though I hate to say it, he deserves the pain for what he did.

And this is not the only case of its kind; the mass murderer, Anders Breivik, triumphed over the Norwegian state in a court case regarding claims of inhumane treatment during his imprisonment.

He complained about almost constant solitary confinement and regular strip searches. Breivik was involved in the 2011 massacre on the island of Utoeya, Norway.

I want to see a full review of the death penalty and human rights in prisons.

While I feel in extreme cases the death penalty may be required to protect the public the amount of failures and the pain they can cause is not acceptable. There is clearly work yet to be done, we have to address this problem lest we become the very monsters we are eliminating.

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THE MARTLET SUMMER ISSUE 10

News HEALTHCARE

NHS in crisis: What’s going on?

T

he NHS has fallen on hard times - it’s no surprise: a service in turmoil, a deficit problem that doesn’t seem to stop growing, and cut after cut to public health spending.

Currently the NHS finds itself in a deficit of £2.3 billion, a massive jump from the May 2015 deficit of £882 million. So how did things get so bad? Where’s all this heading?

Many point the finger at the Conservative Party. After all, some would say that the NHS’s deficit wasn’t in the billions under Labour’s rule, but was much better off. They claim the Tories are 100% responsible for this crisis. This is a rash judgement and not one I am on board with, and it’s because both parties have different economic policies.

Although the NHS was far better off under Labour, it was to the detriment of the rest of the country. This was due to the party’s excessive borrowing of money that drove up the UK’s deficit massively; so of course labour had more money to spend on the NHS, but in doing so they sank the UK into momentous debt.

The Tories inherited this debt when they came to power and set about trying to get rid of it. Conservatives aren’t fans of big loans and huge deficits so aim to get them down by any means necessary. This is done partly through cutting funding to services which will always put that service, in this case the NHS, under stress.

With the National Health Service treating a million people every 36 hours, it’s no wonder it finds itself heading into a whole new world of stress.

Naturally Labour will blame the Conservatives for not spending enough on the NHS and Conservatives will argue that they’re cleaning up Labour’s mess and it’s a necessary action.

Milo McNally takes a look at our health services troubles

Junior Doctors on strike in protest over new contracts. health service. Labour on the other hand believe in a welfare state where the NHS stays free under state funding; with money from the taxpayer coupled with increased benefit spending to deliver a deficit free and well functioning NHS. There is, however, a problem that is the same for both sides, and that is that this “welfare state” we find ourselves in has become too big to sustain, with preventable illness putting greater strain on the health service.

The NHS came about in 1948 under

Mr Hunt handled the crisis with the grace of an elephant and with the insight of a potato.

Both sides have a valid point, so let’s look into them further. The Conservative side is this: Labour borrowed and spent too much money so now the UK has a big deficit problem; so cuts must be made and government spending reduced. This has hit the NHS hard, and plunged it into billions of pounds’ of debt, a figure estimated at over two billion and has put the gears in motion for a possible privatisation of our

Labour, with 50 million people living in the UK. However the UK’s population has increased to 65 million. There are an extra 15 million people in the state for the NHS to look after, which suggests that a welfare state this size is too big for a free NHS to sustain. The NHS is therefore being stretched in both its budget and service due to our large population, and if it’s funding is cut, the deficit will continue to

rise exponentially. If it’s rescued by government funding, it could become a black hole that sucks more and more money into it at an increasing rate. The size of the “welfare state” is key a factor toward the NHS’s troubles but no threat is more prominent than the rise of preventable disease. Diseases and conditions related to smoking, drinking and things like obesity and type 2 diabetes are all preventable diseases; and are usually caused by poor lifestyle choices but cost the NHS billions every year in treatment and long term care. In 2007 the cost of treating obesity to the NHS was £4.2 billion and was set to rise to £6.3 billion by 2015, and these figures ignore the indirect costs to the health service looking after those with obesity which for 2015 is estimated to amount to £27 billion. The worst part of this statistic is that it arises from something easily preventable. Something as easily preventable as overeating has a multi billion pound price tag on it. This is only one of the preventable health problems that the NHS provides care for. Care and treatment for preventable diseases needs to be regulated and cut back or it will be the death of our NHS, which cannot afford to be spending billions on something easily preventable.

Therefore it may not be the case that the NHS must become privatised, but instead must prioritise its spending. Campaigns to raise awareness of preventable diseases would be a good start. Turning away and refering home patients who take up beds

when they do not need to be in a hospital for what’s wrong with them is a good plan as well, and would decrease the number of people on long term care that causes such economic strain. Methods like this could save the NHS large amounts of money that would’ve been spent on less urgent matters in the hospital and could be redirected into buying new equipment or reassigned to other departments in need, to benefit the NHS in the long term and contribute to its recovery.

Finally, let us discuss Jeremy Hunt and the junior doctors. Mr Hunt handled the crisis with the grace of an elephant and with the insight of a potato. It was truly a sham. The Health Secretary locked himself away from the junior doctors and their negotiations, and in doing so prolonged a potentially dangerous strikes in what I must assume was to show his “resilience” in the face of a crisis. In my opinion it came across more as stubbornness and arrogance. However after multiple strikes, Mr Hunt came to his senses and finally opened negotiations and a new contract was agreed on. Premium pay is included for weekends if the doctor works seven or more weekends in a year, and there’s a pay increase across the board of 10-11% and 37% enhanced pay rate for hours worked late at night after 10PM, however there are still doctors who are unhappy with the way the crisis has been resolved. This comes at no extra cost to the government, so maybe Mr Hunt isn’t as clueless as he has let on.

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THE MARTLET SUMMER ISSUE 10

News

Nigeria: POLITICS

failed state or world super power?

Kofo Braithwaite explores the complexities of Africa’s most prosperous nation

N

igeria is a country riddled with superlatives: the largest economy, the most populous country, the largest oil exporter in Africa and a lot more. But there are several problems stopping Nigeria from reaching its full potential.

The most significant issue is the government. Corruption is enshrined in Nigerian political history. You can look back through the era of military rule in Nigeria all the way back to when she first gained independence from Britain, but you will inevitably see that the plague of corruption has persisted all the way through.

However, the corruption in Nigeria is unlike most other countries. It is not the kind of low-scale corruption where a few crooked officials are siphoning off government money to buy a new car, but corruption where billions are being pocketed without anyone batting an eye.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, considered to be the most execrable and indifferent president Nigeria has ever seen, was criticised for not acting upon news of several corrupt officials within his government and was even accused himself of looting government funds. Former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori, is currently serving a prison sentence of 13 years here in the UK for stealing a whopping $250 million from the Delta State government, and former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been found to have looted a blinding £13 billion from the same

President Buhari at a campaign rally government she took an oath to protect.

An example of corruption coming from the top job is that of the late Sani Abacha, former military head of state, who looted so much money that the IMF actually declared the amount stolen was “too much for [them] to handle”. Recently, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, even described Nigeria as being “fantastically corrupt” in a leaked conversation with the Queen, to which President Buhari astutely replied, “I am not going to demand an apology from anybody. What I am demanding is the return of assets.” But with all jest aside, does the Prime Minister not realise that the UK has become a safe haven for corrupt Nigerian officials? What Nigeria needs is for these people to be extradited back to Nigeria, where they will stand fair trial. And although President Buhari, who is also a former military head of state, is doing a great deal to eradicate the disease that is corruption in Nigeria, it is not the only problem with the government.

For decades, inept leaders have driven Nigeria further and further into the ground. For example, President Buhari: a man who is divisive at his best and a war criminal at his worst, is losing credibility and popularity amongst Nigerians every single day. Since his election victory in May 2015, fuel scarcity in Nigeria has gotten a great deal worse, where citizens are spending their entire days queuing for fuel - a basic necessity. The Nigerian currency, the Naira, seems to be falling down an apparently bottomless pit.

President Buhari even went as far to say during an interview with AlJazeera that Nigerian parents who have children going to school abroad should pull them out if they can’t afford it and that it was “tough luck”. Buhari’s government has gone back on almost every single pledge that was made during his campaign. He said he would defeat Boko Haram by the end of 2015 but the organisation is growing every day. He said any unemployed university graduates would be given an allowance of N5000 every month yet this doctrine has also not been employed. In fact, the president and his party, APC, actually denied ever making that promise! However, I think I am in fact right in saying that there is one promise the president has kept and that is that of change.

The premise of his campaign was based on change from years of the opposition party, PDP, rule and yes, Nigeria has had change - but a change for the worse.

The aforementioned militant extremist group, Boko Haram, has added to the list of problems facing Nigeria in recent years. The group was brought to light in 2014, with the abhorrent kidnapping of 276 girls from their school in the town of Chibok, and with strong ties to Islamic State, the group is becoming stronger by the day. The kidnapping led to a massive surge in support of the Nigerian government’s attempt to rescue the girls, with the famous #BringBackOurGirls campaign being created, with endorsements from the likes of Michelle Obama and Malala Yousafzai amongst many other celebrities and politicians.

However, as soon as the public started to lose interest in the girls, so did the Nigerian government. Former President Jonathan was much more interested in idling about and travelling the world, and the incumbent president, Buhari, seems to be more occupied with chasing down corrupt officials. Only very recently, one of the kidnapped girls, Amina Ali Nkeki, was found in the Sambisa Forest, where the girls are rumoured to be being held.

However it was the locals who rescued this girl, and not the government.

So, where does Nigeria go from here?

What is the route to prosperity? Well, the key phrase is ‘learn and adapt’. Being a Nigerian myself, I can say for certain that Nigerians have somewhat of a supercilious attitude, an unwarranted pride almost. But Nigeria must learn from other nations that have been in similar predicaments and have come out on top.

For example, the USA wasn’t always the land of freedom and opportunity.

During the Great Depression, infrastruc-

ture in America was at its worst, some 13.5 million people (over 20% of the population) were unemployed and citizens were starving on the streets: life was horrific.

But look at America now. Due to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his WPA program, America flourished. Because people were unemployed, the government created jobs, built schools, hospitals and roads.

And although people were not being paid very much at that time, the average salary was about $41.57 a month (which today is about $750), people were glad to go out and work in order to be getting some sort of income. It was in the period where people had no jobs and America’s economy was crumbling that the infrastructure of modern America was built.

So if Buhari wants to justify giving out this N5000 to our graduates, if he doesn’t want to hand them the money for free, instead of him going back on his promise and saying he has new priorities, he could at least stipulate that the money would be given in return for work. This could lead to a million and one improvements in Nigeria. Because when you build new hospitals, more medical graduates will have jobs and less people will die due to a lack of medical treatment. When you build new schools, people who train to be teachers will have more job options, school fees would decrease, and the level of education would increase - you wouldn’t have to be putting 30 students in one class! People abroad would be attracted; people would want to come to Nigeria to go to school just like Nigerians go abroad to go to school. If proper sewage systems are constructed in Nigeria, not only will people have more jobs, but also there will be less disease. Imagine if 50 more international airports were built: the amount of people that would be employed is staggering. This would substantially help Nigeria’s failing economy.

The list of possibilities is endless.

The government often lament the amount of crime there is in Nigeria, but if there are no jobs, how can Buhari expect crime rates to go down? People must survive somehow; and I’m not saying that it’s the right thing for people to do, but some of these people have been desperate for years. When you see your children hungry, you have to feed them somehow.

So perhaps Nigeria can learn from America and the Great Depression, or even Japan or South Korea who were also not always the countries they are today. But Buhari must keep in mind that he cannot go back on his promise one day then expect people to vote for him the next.

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THE MARTLET SUMMER ISSUE 10

News SCHOOL

Abingdon’s Real Plan for the Future Ben Ffrench interviews Estates Director, Martin McKenna, about the future of Abingdon School

A

fter years of stability, Abingdon is set to undergo a great upheaval. In the wake of the Science Centre’s arrival, buildings and rooms are to be reconfigured. The sciences have embarked on a mass exodus into the great building that is the Yang Science Centre. Classics have also fled the former (yet relatively new) chemistry labs.

This is only a temporary arrangement, leaving us to wonder where the school is going next. I aim to reveal the Abingdon School of the future. What’s changing?

It’s all here.

Ever since 2008, Abingdon has been upgrading. Sponsorship from many high profile donors brought a brand new sports centre in October of that year.

One contributor was former Arsenal defender, Martin Keown. However, the

best was yet to come: in September 2014, Abingdon School acquired the lease to Tilsley Park.

In October 2015, the much anticipated science centre was unveiled. But as we found out recently, there is yet more to come.

After the recent revelations in Head’s assembly, I asked the school’s estates director, Martin McKenna, for an overview of upcoming developments.

I let myself into a contemporary office building just next to the Science Centre.

When I enter, I’m greeted by an enthusiastic Martin McKenna. As he shows me into his office, one thing is clear: he’s just as excited about Abingdon’s future as I am. I look around and see Abingdon’s bold new plans all around me.

Being Abingdon’s estates director, Mr McKenna tells me, is all about enhancing

the learning environment. It’s all about embracing the future and modern technology. This is nowhere shown more clearly than in the Noad Chair, a futuristic chair with a steel frame and worktop, adaptable for laptops and other gadgets.

Some younger designers, he tells me, like this. Senior designers do not. There are currently many technical difficulties with the Science Centre, particularly with central heating. It’s his job to address these issues.

He tells me of Abingdon’s future…

Ben Ffrench: We’ve all heard the exciting new plans for the Greening Wing.

What’s going in it, and which subjects will it house?

Martin McKenna: We have some great new plans for Greening Court. It covers 2000 metres squared of land, and I would call it a ‘pukka job’. It is a sustainable development and a brand new refurbishment.

On the eastern side of the building, on the ground floor and first floor, will be the classics classrooms. On the ground floor, on the north side we have new Geography classrooms, and on the first and second floor is History. There are also many special new features: between rooms G1 and G2 there is a folding wall acting as a partition which can be removed to create one large classroom if necessary. This can fit up to 60 people and has many uses. It is quite a good venue. Another idea we have is an open ceiling in what used to be the science technician’s room. There’s also the GIS room.

BF: Yes. What’s in this?

MM: A GIS (Geographical Information System) is a system which is able to take in a variety of data, regarding terrain, weather, demographics, population, and global GDP, and to compile it into one big picture. You can then make predictions based on this data. You could look at terrain information of a certain area and link it to the demographic of this given area. This is a very useful tool.

BF: How will the floor plans work? What are the plans?

MM: We want to have large open corridors, and a more open plan feel, as opposed to the narrower corridors of the old Greening Wing. We are planning on having a featured display wall for each subject, just like the structure on each

floor in the science centre. We also want more colour in Greening Court, and are wondering which colours the walls could be painted. We want to consult the students on this. Do you have any ideas?

BF: Err… it should be homely. I can’t think off much of the top of my head. It’s a question we can definitely ask Martlet readers. Perhaps take it up with the school.

MM: If you have any ideas, please get back to me. We need to hear from pupils.

BF: How is progress with the new Greening Court? How far through are we?

MM: There are three phases to it, and we are currently on the final phase of knocking down the walls. The corridors are going to be widened, and we are on program at the stage of putting up acrow props. Acrow props are supports which hold up the ceilings while the walls are knocked down. We are looking at a more audio-visual approach to Greening Court using more windows. It is currently quite cramped.

BF: And we can we expect the Greening court to be finished?

MM: We expect it to be completed by around the end of July, so it should be ready for the start of next year. By this time the school can then take possession of the site. It will by then have been carpeted, painted and jumbo studded. The corridors will also have been completed.

BF: There are also obviously two new house rooms in Greening Court: James’ and Cotton’s. What’s going into these?

MM: These will have a much better size and design than the previous house rooms, with a lot of space and different types of furniture. We are to look at high level and low level parts to the house to increase the space. We are therefore looking at things such as crenellation (raised walkways). Currently, there is very little space in a house room, with lockers taking up much of it along with furniture. Crenellation would mean different levels in the house room, with

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THE MARTLET SUMMER ISSUE 10

Vacancies at Abingdon: A message from the Office of the Head

lockers on a raised area, and space for furniture down below, with two levels.

The two house rooms would have space for 24 boys. Another idea we have is the inclusion of viewlux windows. If you’ve been down to the boathouse, you’ll have seen the open windows on the ceiling, and likewise in the lower school study hall. These give a nice illusion of the outdoors, and are good to have.

BF: I understand that RS will be moving to Mercer’s Court. Are we entirely clearing out Maths and History? Where’s everything going in here?

MM: History will be moving to Greening Court, but Maths will remain in Mercer’s Court. There will be 7 new classrooms made for RS in Mercer’s Court.

BF: After all this, little school is now entirely empty plan. Any idea what’s happening with this building?

MM: We’re unsure at this stage, and we haven’t decided on this yet. One room

working on this a lot. We’re working on refurbishing the running track and athletics facilities. We’re building a new throwing zone, for the shotput and javelin, as I think this is very dangerous to have this in the middle of a running track, especially if someone gets hit by a javelin.

This should be ready soon. We want to make the athletics facilities the best in the south, if not the whole of England, recognised by UK athletics. In place of the throwing zone, we’re developing a new 4G, 65 mil grass pitch in the middle of the track, with accommodation for football and rugby. It could also be used for American football, with rugby posts.

We hope to be able to give this pitch FIFA accreditation. Elsewhere, the portacabin that currently houses James’ is going to be removed. In its place will be a 3G grass pitch, with space for four tennis courts, as well as football pitches.

BF: Well, you’ve given me a lot of information, thank you very much.

MM: Thank you.

Your future is happening, and it’s bigger and bolder than you could ever imagine is currently being used as the Greening Court project room, where I liaise with the architect, project manager, consultants, and contractors working on Greening Court. I think this is the worst building in terms of development, as it is unsustainable, and difficult to supply with hot water. We are currently having to use portable heaters to insulate the building. The future of Little School is to be confirmed.

BF: Finally, do you have any other future plans for Abingdon? What else are you involved in?

MM: We’re currently in the middle of developing Tilsley Park, and we’re

The interview is over, after shaking hands, I depart. I’ve learnt a lot. Your future is happening, and it’s bigger and bolder than you could ever imagine.

A new-look school is on the way, with many exciting developments. And you have a part to play - as revealed by Martin McKenna. What colour should the walls be inside Greening Court? Mr McKenna wants you to get in touch.

The Greening Court will be finished very soon, and developments in Tilsley Park are coming in the near future. The future of Little School is up in the air, and there are also many more uncertainties. But whatever’s happening, the future of Abingdon school is bright and exciting.

Senior Pastoral Correspondence Officer (Canine) Employer: Abingdon School Location: Abingdon Salary: Working Dogs Pay Range (£3,561.99 per annum) Contract type: Full Time Contract term: Permanent Posted: 28 June 2016 Closing date: 25 August 2016 Job starts: September 2016 Abingdon is a leading independent day and boarding school for boys aged 11-18. Abingdon is situated in 35 acres in the centre of Abingdon, just south of Oxford. Abingdon combines the very best in academic standards, music, sport and the arts. The School combines over 750 years of history and tradition with a modern outlook. As well as encouraging academic achievement, with impressive results at GCSE, A Level and Oxbridge and university entrance, the School provides extensive extra-curricular opportunities, encouraging pupils to try something new, to develop existing talents and to ‘give something back’.

You will have -the ability to sensitively and responsibly handle a whole variety of pastoral issues put forward by boys and staff of all ages.

-the confidence to maintain an air of professionalism and sympathy when tackling absurd, inconsequential, and generally futile appeals put forward to you.

-an in-depth knowledge of the latest developments in the field of human psychology and behavioural studies.

The ideal candidate will -be an approachable, considerate counsellor at all times and to all people under his or her responsibility.

-assure clients that their grievances are being taken seriously at every stage of the correspondence process.

-work closely with the counselling team to deliver the greatest level of support possible.

-have the proven ability to comprehend and formulate sentences in English.

As Abingdon School’s Senior Pastoral Correspondence Officer (Canine), you will come into contact with a whole variety of clients. It is not expected that applicants will possess the ability to talk, so unless this is the case, you will work close to the center of the school administration alongside one of several secretaries, who will assist you in the comprehension and composition of incoming and outgoing correspondence respectively. The post carries the added perks of regular walks around the school site and monthly grooming appointments.

Interviews will take place the week commencing Monday 11 July 2016.

Abingdon School Park Road, Abingdon OX14 1DE Tel: +44 1235 521563 as.reception@abingdon.org.uk

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THE MARTLET SUMMER ISSUE 10

News

The new sugar levy will mean a can of Coca-Cola would cost 8p more before tax

POLITICS

A Bitter Pill to Swallow

Scott Thomson investigates the potential effects of George Osborne’s sugar tax, and its impact for our country’s fight against obesity

O

n Wednesday 16th March, many were shocked by George Osborne’s decision to introduce a sugar tax. This new ruling, effective as of 2018, will add varying levels of tax to sugary drinks, including such ubiquitous drinks as Coca-cola, Red Bull, and Pepsi. Drinks with added sugar have been placed in three categories: drinks that are exempt from tax, drinks that are charged low rates of tax (more than two grams per 100 millimeters), and drinks that are charged high rates of tax (more than eight grams per 100 millimeters). Drinks exempt from tax include flavoured milk, Lucozade Sport, and pure fruit juices. Drinks that are charged low rates of tax include Coke Life, Fanta Orange, and tonic water. Drinks that are charged high rates of tax include standard Coke, Red Bull, and Strawberry Ribena. In this way, a 330ml can of Coca-cola will cost around 8p more and a litre would cost 24p more.

The primary goal of this tax is to decrease child obesity. In his budget statement, George Osborne pointed out, ‘within a generation, over half of all boys and 70 percent of girls could be overweight or obese’. The chancellor also made it clear that ‘obesity drives disease’ and costs us ‘27 billion pounds a year,’ which is more than half of the NHS pay bill. By taxing soft drinks, which account for 40% of added sugar consumed by 12-18 year-olds, and 30% by 4-10 yearolds, the Government hopes to reduce sugar intake amongst young people. The

Government is targeting sugary drinks in particular because they are consumed on a daily basis, whereas chocolate bars and the alike are usually consumed as a treat.

The Treasury predicts that the sugar tax will raise 520 million pounds in one year. This money will be used to fund sports in primary schools; the current

Within a generation, over half of all boys and 70 % of girls could be obese

budget will be doubled, further decreasing child obesity.

There is evidence that a sugar tax could work. Mexico introduced a 10% tax on sugary drinks in 2014. This has proved effective, reducing obesity by 12% in a year. Now, poorer families drink 17% less sugary drinks and large industries have stopped producing sugary drinks in such great amounts. Hungary is another country where a sugar tax has had a positive effect on a nation’s health; since 2011 obesity has fallen there also.

Many health campaigners have enthusiastically welcomed the sugar tax. Jamie Oliver, television chef and and children’s health activist, has described the new reform as ‘amazing news’ and ‘symbolic’.

However, many critics have identified the sugar tax as yet another superfluous burden on Britain’s poor. Many cannot afford these higher prices, especially if the consumer is being pressured into buying sugary drinks, either through peer pressure or addiction. Others question the Government’s decision to exclude drinks containing milk, for they can often contain large amounts of sugar too. Some also question the government’s decision to not impose the tax on companies such as Starbucks and Costa. These sell products that contain just as much sugar as a can of Coca-Cola. For example, Starbuck’s hot mulled fruit drink contains 13 teaspoons of sugar, compared to the nine teaspoons in a can of cola, which is only 10 ml smaller than a tall cup size.

However, it could be argued that even if the government did try to tax, Starbucks would simply ignore them.

Many would argue that the sugar tax could potentially have a negative effect on the country’s economy. As soon as the tax was announced, shares in companies such as A.G Barr, the makers of Irn Bru, and Coca-Cola UK slumped severely, by 26p in Barr’s case. If the sugar tax reduces sales, then with it falls the number of jobs in areas around factories, such as Barr’s factory in Cumbernauld, Scotland.

Some have also argued that the sugar tax

will have a negative impact on the pub trade. 2.8 billion pounds of soft drinks are sold in pubs every year, and dissuading customers from buying soft drinks will severely impact pubs’ failing income.

Critics have also complained about the sugar tax’s priorities. Soft drink sales have decreased by 19% since 2011, and the consumption of chocolate bars has risen by 1%. Some argue that the general public will now buy more chocolate bars, and that this is the more sensible target. However, many have dismissed the rise in chocolate bar sales as a negligible difference.

While there are many diverse views, I think we can all agree that obesity is

The sugar tax could potentially have a negative effect on the country’s economy

definitely a problem worthy of immediate attention. This is a huge problem for the country, and it is commendable that the Government has acted decisively to combat it.

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News WORLD

The Mafia State O Ben Ffrench exposes South Africa’s web of corruption

n 17th March this year, Gwede Mantashe, Secretary-General of South Africa’s ruling ANC party, said this: ‘We are going to develop into a mafia state’. This remark is not to be taken lightly from one thought to be the third most powerful man in the country. The remark offers a glimpse of South African politics at its most corrupt, exposing a web of unruly connections and party infighting. It comes amidst a sea of attacks on President Jacob Zuma, many from within his own party. The situation begs the question: is there any hope for South Africa?

Just one day previous, Deputy Finance Minister, Mcebisi Jonas, stated the following: ‘Members of the Gupta family offered me the position of Minister of Finance to replace [then] minister Nene’. These are explosive claims which carry a lot of weight. On the 9 December 2015, the then finance minister, Nhlanhla Nene, was relieved of his position by President Jacob Zuma. Nene was widely held by critics to have been a strong minister, praised for his criticism of the Zuma government.

In his statement, Zuma was unclear over the reasons for the dismissal, stating, ‘I have decided to remove Mr. Nhlanhla Nene as Minister of Finance ahead of his deployment to another strategic position.’

Unsurprisingly, Nene wasn’t reappointed and returned to parliament as a backbencher. It is obvious why; it doesn’t do to be a Zuma critic.

Mcebisi Jonas claims that he was offered the position of Finance Minister by the influential Gupta family before Nene was sacked, but declined on principle. Jonas was then appointed Deputy Finance Minister straight after Nene’s sacking. Pravin Gordhan was appointed as minister, making him the third finance minister in a week, following the sacking of Nene’s replacement of David Van Rooyen, whose appointment was highly criticized. This had a great impact on the economy. The value of the currency, the Rand, at the time of writing just under half a pence in pound sterling, dropped to a record low, causing investors to pull out of the stock market. These backroom dealings indicate a web of corruption at the top of the party, and this is only a glimpse of it.

Who are the Gupta family? As Jonas has revealed, their influence is ubiquitous, affecting the whole country. Indian-born brothers, Atul, Ajay, and Rajesh (AKA Tony) Gupta moved from Uttar Pradesh in 1993, establishing an extensive network through many areas of interest. They are said to be one of the richest families in South Africa, with a four mansion estate worth about 52 million rand (£2.3 million) according to the BBC.

But it is their strong controlling hand over Jacob Zuma that irks most South Africans the most. They have numerous family links to the Zumas- Jacob Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile, was a director of Sahara computers, a large Gupta-owned company. His son, Duduzane, is still a Gupta company director. And one of Zuma’s wives, Bongi Ngema-Zuma, was a communications director, of JIC mining (a Gupta-owned company). This is questionable, to say the least. But just how much influence do the Guptas have?

In short: a lot. ‘Guptagate’ was the billing for one of the biggest South African scandals in recent years in April 2013.

Waterkloof air force base in Pretoria had not seen a single aircraft land for 2 years, but that all changed on April 30 when a certain private Airbus was allowed to land on the military base. The arriving Indian passengers were to be guests for the wedding of Vega Gupta, the Gupta brothers’ niece, to Aakash Jahajgarhia. As they got off the plane, they were said to be given a ‘VIP welcome’ by air force staff. The guests were then escorted off to Sun City, a nearby entertainment complex, with a luxury resort and casino for the wedding.

This is very fitting- Zuma and the Guptas are gambling with South African money.

This kind of activity is a devastating con-

How long to go for Jacob Zuma? the ANC, exposing to the world the disgrace of the South African leader. This was nothing short of a public display of disapproval. Many gave rotating hand gestures- they wanted a political substitution. But Zuma survived. What way was this to remember Mandela? It shows South Africa is no longer the ‘rainbow nation’ it once was. But it is no surprise.

Zuma is the leader of a crumbling country, and his corrupt incompetence is costly for many.

We are going to develop into a mafia state

firmation of what many feared: the Mafia State’s living proof. It makes a mockery of South Africa’s security and has united the ruling ANC and their opposition opponents against Zuma. And it has rightly drawn the fury of the electorate. Yet Jacob Zuma still denies any involvement. As Gwede Mantashe said: ‘The ANC… shall never allow a situation where our ports of entry and National Key Points are penetrated with impunity’. But they were.

These kinds of goings on raise serious questions about the Guptas control- South Africa is often dubbed ‘Guptastan’ for its corruption. And Zuma’s rule is more despicable than ever.

Zuma is not just known for his links with the Guptas. His reputation is extremely poor, lacking almost any integrity. This came to the fore in December 2013, at the funeral of arguably South Africa’s greatest hero, Nelson Mandela.

In Johannesburg’s Soccer City stadium, jeers and boos rang out from many inside

8.3 million are unemployed in South Africa. This is just one of the ‘growing list of scandals’ according to opposition leader Mmusi Maimane. He couldn’t have put it better. Slow economic growth and gross corruption have led to this.

And a list of horrific details accompanies Zuma’s name. Amongst this is a rape charge, of an HIV-positive woman, a deceased friend’s daughter. On 6 December 2005, in the Johannesburg high court, Zuma was charged with the crime, but the following year he was acquitted after the court found the act to be consensual.

It is not just financial corruption that is gripping South Africa. Should this man really be South Africa’s President?

Zuma has also spared no expense for his personal luxury, paid for by the taxpayer. He owns a large mansion called Nkandla, in KwaZulu-Natal. In 2013, he decided to spend a whopping £15 million ($23 million) of taxpayer’s money on renovating the rural home for

‘security reasons’. This prompted a large social media campaign called #PayBackTheMoney. A public protector said that Zuma had ‘benefited unduly’ from the upgrades. Another inspector called the mansion ‘obscene’. Amidst more calls to resign, Zuma eventually backed down and paid back the money.

But this is yet another humiliation for South Africa and the ANC, and a dagger through the heart for the hopes of all South Africans. And the unrest is only going to get worse. On 16 December 2015, thousands of all backgrounds, creeds and races took to the streets to demand Zuma’s resignation. Across Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Port Elizabeth they marched under the banner of ‘Zuma must fall’. And these gatherings are increasingly common.

But how is Zuma still in power after all this? The answer is simple. Zuma is clinging on and still has influence at the top of the party. The controversial leader is popular with many of the working class, coming from a very poor background himself. And he is idolised amongst many of the ANC and South African Communist party youth. But Zuma cannot hold onto power endlessly. He has to go. With no economic policy or vision for the country, he must be careful. One more corruption scandal could be deadly.

Or will it? He has become very adept at surviving. As Barbara Hogan, a former Minister for Public Enterprises points out: ‘the rot is for us to see, all before us.’

But one thing is clear: the bright days of Nelson Mandela have long been forgotten.

On 17 March this year, the Guptas said this: ‘Any suggestion that the Gupta family or any of our representatives or associates has offered anyone a job in government is totally false’.

Jacob Zuma said this: ‘I am in charge of the government, I appoint in terms of the constitution.’

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Features

TRAVEL

The Ultimate Guide to Thailand Pawin Sermsuk recommends some key sites in his homeland of Thailand BANGKOK The rich and vibrant capital is a city that never sleeps. Whether you’re on the river for an afternoon cruise or outside for a midnight stroll, Bangkok has it all. This is where modern lifestyle meets authentic traditions and cultures. With a population of 15 million in Greater Bangkok, it is the 19th largest urban area in the world.

Last year the city welcomed over 18 million visitors and has always topped the most visited cities in the world alongside London.

Silom District, Bangkok

Things to do: The obvious places to go are the Grand Palace, the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Keaw), the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) and the reclining Buddha (Wat Pho) You can do a lot of typical shopping starting from Siam, the Bangkok Piccadilly Circus, then work your way down Sukhumvit Road, our Oxford Street.

51 out of Bangkok’s 162 shopping malls are along that road, including CentralWorld and Siam Paragon, the two largest department stores in the world in 2008. If you’re looking for some more ‘budget’ shopping, Chatuchak Weekend Market, Platinum Fashion Mall and MBK Center are the places you can’t miss. An evening stroll at Asiatique the Riverfront or Lumphini Park will ease out your day.

Getting around: Bangkok currently has 6 rapid transit lines, but by the end of 2020 it will quadruple the size and consist of 14 lines. It will be wise to get a day pass if you’re just visiting, as that will only cost THB140 (£2.80) and covers the majority of the city.

Taxi will start from the price of THB35 (70p), and go up by increments of THB 1.5 (3p) per kilometre. Always bear in mind that Bangkok is the most jammed city in the world so try to avoid using the road if possible, especially during rush hour. If you want to experience the iconic Tuk-Tuk ride, make sure you agree on a reasonable fare before hopping on.

Climate: Officially, there are three seasons in Thailand: summer, winter and the rainy season. They are known to locals as the hot, hotter and hottest seasons. Six months fall into the rainy season, while three months are winter and three months are summer. During the winter, the temperature hovers around 33°C during the day and just below 20°C at night, but during the summer, the heat index can rise to almost 50°C, so make sure you know what sort of temperature you want.

CHIANG MAI Once the capital of the Lanna Kingdom, Chiang Mai is the most populous city of northern Thailand. Situated almost 3000 feet above sea level, it is also one of the highest and coolest. Locals in Chiang Mai are well-known for being calm, gentle and caring. They also speak in a different dialect, what we call ‘Pasa Nuea’ or the Northern Dialect. The province houses some of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the country.

Wat Phra Singh, Chiang Mai

Things to do: For casual backpackers, the city has so much to offer. Tawai Village off the city centre has a variety of shops with local products. The Chiang Mai Walking Street at Tha Pae Gate, which begins from 5PM, is a 2km stretch of road which, for a period of time, will be fully occupied with little stalls selling local cuisine and handicrafts. If you’re more of an adventurous person, driving

up or Hiking along the mountain range is the way to go. Doi Suthep and Doi Inthanon (Doi means summit) are two of the most popular mountains in Thailand.

Getting around: Chiang Mai has its own public transport known as ‘Rod Song Taeo’ (translated Two-Row Car), a modified pickup truck with two rows of seats in the rear section. You won’t miss them as they’re red all over. Fares are inclusive of the entire service length, and depending on the service, can cost as low as THB7 (14p) per person.

Climate: Temperatures in Chiang Mai, on average, are slightly cooler than that of Bangkok and the rest of the country.

During the summer it ‘only’ gets as hot as around 40°C, but during the winter, temperatures do get below 10°C, even below freezing in the highlands.

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PHUKET As Phuket is one of the most well-known seaside getaway destinations in the world, it would not be much of a surprise that it is the second most visited city in Thailand. It’s so famous that it has more direct links to the UK than Bangkok; you can fly directly to Phuket from both London and Manchester. The lovely beaches and tropical weather are all well and good, but Phuket also has a history of its own. And let’s not forget, as a city that welcomed 13 million visitors last year, Phuket is said to have one of the best nightlife of all.

Things to do: Lying on the beach and soaking up the sunlight is the obvious thing to do, but if that’s not enough, you can boat tours to the smaller islands around the province. When you’ve had enough of the beach, head off to Phuket city and try out some of the local food or maybe buy some souvenirs to bring home. Go and visit the recently-completed Giant Buddha or have a cup of coffee on Rang Hill, overlooking the skyline of

Nakalay Bay, Phuket

Phuket city. And, as the sun goes down, head to Patong district and enjoy the night of your life!

Getting around: Getting around the 576 square kilometre island isn’t easy. Your hotel will probably be able to arrange hotel limousines to wherever you want to go, but that will probably cost a fortune.

You will probably be better off going on local public transport or even enjoy the scenery driving around on your own, and for that reason, hiring a car is advised.

Climate: Unlike the other parts of the country, the South has two main seasons, the green season from May to October and the hot season from November to April. Temperatures down south can be summed up as ‘hot all year round’ as you’d be lucky if it goes below 25°C at any time of the year, and the hottest times in the summer, you’ll get to experience heat index of up to 50°C at times. But isn’t that what you’d want for the roasting summer holiday?

KO SAMUI

KRABI

The largest island in the Gulf of Thailand, Ko Samui is within the province of Surat Thani, just 35km off the coast of the mainland. In 2010, Lamai Beach in the east of the island was ranked the best beach on the planet. A trip to Samui is considered quite costly, but once you get there you’ll understand why it’s worth every penny. The food, the beauty, the friendliness of the locals and the crystal clear water sums up so well together. I’ve been to Samui a few times in my life, and it has never failed to blow my mind every single time I go back.

The undiscovered gem of the southern coast, Krabi is a quiet seaside province with its own character. It is not the most well-known destination, which is why most of the beaches are still virtually untouched. Whenever you’re visiting the town, you’ll find that most of the services are of local origin and that the cost of living in Krabi is relatively cheaper than the other places. The proximity to the Malaysian border means that the cuisine will be mostly Muslim. It’s the perfect getaway when you just want a quiet, uninterrupted time on the beach.

KHON KAEN

NAKHON RATCHASIMA

The most developed city in the northeast, or known locally as the ‘Isan’ region, Khon Kaen is a city with a different and unique culture. Once part of the Lan Xang Kingdom of Laos, the similarities between the region and the neighbouring country of Laos are endless. As the entire area is landlocked, it developed a completely different cuisine, allowing it to be the birthplace of the well-known ‘Papaya Salad’ and sticky rice. The locals speak in a different dialect, they wear quite different clothing, and the differences goes on and on.

Just a few hours’ car ride from the capital lies the province of Nakhon Ratchasima, home to Khao Yai National Park. The first national park in Thailand is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Despite being a conservation area, Khao Yai still has a range of different accommodations to offer, from the most affordable to the most luxurious. Waking up here in the morning is like waking up in a dream. A thin layer of fog creates a gentle glow outside your window, and slowly unveils the beautiful mountains outside as the day progresses.

SUKHOTHAI

KANCHANABURI

The first capital of Thailand, Sukhothai lies in the heart of the central region.

Despite being landlocked, the province is mostly made up of rich and fertile land, allowing most of the infrastructure to be made by laterite. Today, tourists can take a tour around Sukhothai Historical Park, listed a UNESCO world heritage site, visit the Royal Statue of King Ram Khamhaeng, the ruler of the most prosperous era, and witness the vast remains of what was once the largest thriving Kingdom in the region, and certainly one of the most powerful in the world.

The province plays a huge role in the history of Thailand. Legends say it may be where King Naresuan won his wellknown Elephant Battle and regained independence from the Burmese 400 years ago. During WWII, Japanese troops built the world-renowned ‘Death Railway’ and the ‘Bridge of the River Kwai’ as a link to Myanmar. Today, the province links the two countires together. Nature-wise, it is home to Erawan National Park and Srinakarin Reservoir where you can stay in floating bungalows and absorb the stunning nature.

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Features ECONOMY

The Coming of Another Financial Crisis?

Jacob Lillie looks into the economic prospects of the coming year

I

t is often said that when America sneezes the whole world catches a cold. Nowadays the same thing could be said for China. A relatively poor economic year for China in 2015 with a 25 year low of 6.9% growth, has sent shockwaves across the world. Along with relatively low oil prices and now the UK’s departure from the EU, it seems that we very well could see an underperforming world economy in 2016.

This April, the IMF cut its global growth forecast to 3.2% from January’s 3.4%. It seems that the future doesn’t bode well.

Whilst this isn’t a guarantee of a long-term deceleration on the scale of 2008, there are many signs that we may be imminently headed for a global recession of sorts.

Let us return to the great issue of China. Perhaps not the most current issue, it is still highly important. There is sentiment amongst many leading economists that China’s economy is overvalued and that this bubble will soon burst. The same goes for many major developing economies besides. This doesn’t bode well in light of the fact that the 2008 financial crisis owed a lot to the bursting of the US housing bubble.

The ballooning Chinese stocks are reaching beyond their intrinsic values, as can be ascertained from Chinese tech stocks bought despite having a P/E ratio of 220.

This means that one can expect to earn back the price paid for a Chinese tech stock in 220 years, all other factors being equal.

Although this is a rather sensationalistic example, there is clearly a lot of blind faith in the Chinese market. Other telltale signs of a bubble include mounting debt, and Chinese non-financial private sector companies have been accruing debts of $4.5 billion a day since 2010. When this bubble bursts, an economic slowdown is inevitable as the values of Chinese companies are slashed. Given that so many of the world’s economies are so tightly linked to China, a collapse in China would prove detrimental to already flagging global performance.

Two of the UK’s largest banks, HSBC and Standard Chartered, have many assets in China. These companies defaulting on their loans could prove damaging to their own prospects and the prospects of the rest of the UK financial sector.

Yet the most daunting part of this is the fact that central banks already have very little room for manoeuvre with regard to monetary policy. What is generally agreed to be the government’s most reliable tool to control the economy doesn’t currently look like it will be of much use. Global interest rates are incredibly low already, with some countries such as Japan even pursuing negative rates. In the UK, the interest rate has remained frozen at 0.5% since 2009. Central banks have little room to go any lower, but stagnant economic

growth at what are already expansionary rates doesn’t fill many with confidence. If economic performance worsens, it seems as if there will be little the central banks will be able to do to help.

You likely will have been bombarded with much news and debate about Brexit by now and will likely be growing tired of it as well. But given its vast economic consequences, I can’t offer you any respite from that. Running up to Referendum Day on the 23rd of June, the Remain Campaign constantly pedalled the potential economic damage that a departure from the EU could wreak and rightly so. Given that it is early days, we shouldn’t be too quick to label this a total economic catastrophe but initial signs aren’t encouraging. The Pound dropped to a 30 year low the day we voted out and $2 trillion was wiped off the value of stock markets globally not to mention that the UK’s future access to the single market and its ability to trade with its largest trading partner (44% of UK exports go to the EU) has been compromised. Credit rating agencies have also downgraded their view of the UK with groups such as Moody’s downgrading their outlook from stable to negative. This will raise the cost of borrowing for the country, placing an obstacle in the way of reducing the UK’s debt and improving its fiscal position. This fall in confidence manifests itself not just in credit ratings but also in a more simple uncertainty about the future amongst firms.

Many firms are currently uncertain about undertaking investment, deciding to postpone such spending decisions until a time when the future is more clear and certain.

Leave Campaign’s answers have generally been similarly poor as well. Following news like such, they have tried to rebuke these facts with rather weak arguments. “The stock market is picking up.” What else could you expect once Mark Carney declares that the Bank of England will do all it can to help surmount this period of instability? “We will just be able to sign a free trade deal with the EU on our own terms.” How hopeful that is, given that the only countries who have free trade agreements with the EU are South Korea and Mexico. In a similar vein, TTIP is likely to be delayed given that the UK as one of the EU members most eager for it will be out soon. That is not to say that all is utterly gloomy. A weaker pound, whilst a sign of a lack of international confidence in the UK, should increase foreign demand for exports, helping to address the UK’s current account deficit. Despite uncertainty about access to the single market, there is also now greater scope for negotiating free trade deals with non-EU members. Finally, trade with the EU won’t grind to a halt either. But it is hard to see why the people of the UK would think that it is a good idea to forego its voice

in a body which we are still so dependent on. The UK isn’t on the brink of a total economic cataclysm, but the foreseeable future is far from rosy.

On to another issue concerning the EU would be that of Greece. Although it is not very likely, given that the Greeks accepted the EU’s 50 billion Euro bailout, there are still fears that Greece could leave the Euro and revert to the Drachma. If this were to happen, it is feared that the other so-called ‘PIIGS’ nations (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, and Spain: the flagging Eurozone nations) would follow suit, bringing about a domino effect that would cause the complete collapse of the Euro. A rush of assets out of the EU would spell havoc for the world economy and could bring about a recession of untold proportions. However, to be perfectly frank, I can’t see an exit from the Euro by Greece or indeed by any other nation now that the worst of the European Sovereign Debt Crisis has blown over. However the UK’s answer to the referendum is unlikely to inspire further confidence in the single currency.

Falling global oil prices have their part to play in the global economic slowdown too.

It is quite remarkable to examine oil prices over the last ten years. Prices were astronomical in 2008 at $140 a barrel according to the Brent Crude index. At the beginning of 2016, it is under $30 per barrel. One can argue that this is not in fact a problem, for the extra money subsequently retained by consumers can be spent on other goods and services, and inflation has fallen. But there is no guarantee that consumers will act in this fashion. It is entirely likely that spending on other goods and services will rise, but not sufficiently so to make up for the fall in prices, as many will choose to save some of this money. Damages to oil companies don’t inspire great confidence in the global economy either. Six out of the world’s ten largest companies are in the petroleum sector, and the turnover of some of these companies exceeds the entire GDPs of some nations. In addition, it is likely that this fall in oil prices could put many people out of work for a while. With oil companies seeking to cut costs and pursue restructuring programs, many people will inevitably be made redundant. Unfortunately, due to have a highly specialised skillset, they will

require retraining for many jobs. But such is the predicament of unemployment that the longer one is unemployed, the less employable they become that we may see this pernicious cycle play out in the year ahead.

Lack of progress in OPEC negotiations due to disputes between Iran and Saudi Arabia have also meant that production hasn’t been curtailed to help raise the price and so recovery of the price has and will be slow.

However not is all doom and gloom for the world economy. Despite poor performance at the beginning of the year, it seems that things are starting to pick up with the IMF adjusting its forecast for Chinese growth up 0.2% and the UK’s unemployment rate at a 10 year low of 5%.

However just as we can’t automatically assume that we’re headed for a recession of cataclysmic proportions greater than that of 2008, we can’t automatically jump at the first positive signs and expect great things for the year ahead. Certain measures need to be taken in order to protect the UK economy. Before I had to alter this article, I would’ve said that remaining in the EU would be one such measure. Despite its at times often excessive red tape, access to the single market and the confidence a remain vote would’ve been a remedy for the UK in the face of weak global performance.

However it is fruitless to dwell on what could’ve been, so all I can say is simply that the UK government and the Bank of England needs to do all that it can to ensure the best economic deal for the UK now.

Furthermore, reducing the UK’s daunting current account deficit, which as of writing stands approximately at 7% of UK GDP will help to minimise our exposure to poor economic performance in other countries all other things being equal. To quote Mark Carney, it will reduce our economy being “dependent on the kindness of strangers”.

Recessions are cyclical and as such inevitable. However despite this problem of inevitability, this doesn’t mean that we should just accept them as a matter of life.

They cause great suffering and pain to millions. We can’t stand idly by and just let them occur unchecked. All measures must be taken in order to safeguard the global economy in such precarious times. We can’t really stop them, but we can at least protect the people from the worst of them.

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Features

Tomorrowland is one of the most electric and vibrant festivals on earth

ENTERTAINMENT

Festivals of 2016

Sam Chambers picks out the festivals to be at this summer JULY 8-10 The first major festival of the summer is Wireless. Since its inception in 2005 it has claimed to be the premier pop, urban and R&B festival in London. Set against the backdrop of Finsbury Park, the festival has been viewed as a promotional cash cow in previous years. After last year’s spectacle, which included Kanye West, Avicii, Kendrick Lamar, David Guetta and Nero, and also cut down on the commercial element (cutting main sponsor presence such as Yahoo), Wireless is expected to come into its prime this year and be even better, with Calvin Harris, A$AP Ferg, Martin Garrix, and Boy Better Know amongst the lineup this year. Tickets start at £155 for a three day weekend.

JULY 22-26 Tomorrowland is a festival that goes beyond anything else in the UK or anywhere else in the world due to its sheer size.

Every year, 400,000 people migrate to the small and appropriately named town of Boom in northern Belgium to immerse themselves in the holy grail of EDM that is this festival. Being such a success, it has created not one but two spin off festivals which take place in the USA and Brazil. With 14 stages

ranging from capacities of around 100 to 100,000, there’s a little, or rather a lot, of something for everyone and the behemoths of the EDM scene such as David Guetta, Avicii, Tiesto and Dimitri Vegas will put on a show that you’ll be unlikely to forget. The atmosphere is as electric as the music itself and, with most tickets sold out within seconds, you’d be very lucky to get your hands on one (prices start at around 370 Euros).

AUGUST 10-14 Whilst slightly different to the other festivals on this list, Boardmasters is no less enjoyable than the others. Held in Watergate bay near Newquay in Cornwall, the festival is a music festival only in part, as the sports events on Fistral Beach down below the main site such as surfing, skateboarding and windsurfing attract as many viewers as the music. It is this alternative entertainment which perhaps sets this festival apart from others. However don’t let this fool you into thinking that the music is second rate, as the festival has seen the likes of Snoop Dogg, Rudimental, Bastille and Chase and Status headline in previous years and with Deadmau5 booked in for this year, the music should continue being just as good. Another selling point of this festival is the price, with a weekend

ticket listed at £134, which is relatively cheap compared to the other festivals on this list.

AUGUST 19-21 Entering its 21st consecutive year, the venerable V Festival returns to Essex and Staffordshire and shows no signs of age as it continues to pull superstars such as Rihanna, Justin Bieber and David Guetta into its lineup. Whilst 2015 received rather tepid critical reception due to its lack of big names that would have otherwise provided the life of the festival, this year’s festival is shaping up to be quite different in this respect. With their current crop, visitors should be set for quite a show. Tickets start at £199 for a full weekend.

AUGUST 26-28 Of course I could hardly omit Reading, the best festival between here and London which is a cult favourite for the private school mob. The festival was manic last year with Kendrick Lamar providing the highlight but with Alt-J, Deadmau5 and others all providing a great show for all in attendance. This year the lineup looks even tastier and showing a strong depth of acts with the Red Hot Chili Peppers headlining alongside Imagine dragons, A$AP Rocky, Fall Out Boy and The 1975.

Away from the main stage are various acts booked onto the smaller stages such as BBK, G-Eazy, Jack Ü and many others that will definitely make this year worth it for those there. Weekend tickets start at £215.

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Features SCHOOL

The Evolution of Houses at Abingdon

H

Dan Alcock investigates the origins of our house system

ouses at Abingdon School are an integral part of the student’s life. With inter-house sport, House Singing, debating, and more, it’s hard to imagine the school without them. Although the school is over 750 years old, the house system hasn’t existed for very long at all. The true sense of house spirit that we get today is a modern concept, yet one that is intertwined with all the teachers and pupils. Something I’ve always wondered is just how they came to be implemented and why. I visited the archives and found out when and why houses arrived at the school, and discovered the history behind the part of school that we have all become so dedicated to.

Today, there are nine houses incorporating students in Middle and Upper School. There is also Lower School, which some would argue is a house in its own right due to its participation in the inter-house singing competition. Other than that, there is little interaction between them and the rest of the school. It has not always been this way, and houses at the school began quite modestly.

Houses were originally intended just for boarders. School House appears to be the oldest house, with the earliest mention of it in 1870. Its only use was a home for boarders, and it created a place separate from the usual day boy locations. The school ran this way for a while, until 1900 when the second boarding house, known as Tesdale House, was opened. It was set up to cater for the growing demand for places at the increasingly renowned school. There are also 1912 documents that provide proof of something similar to inter-house sports: a report of a dayboys vs boarders cricket match, as well as a match featuring day-boys opposing a team of Old Abingdonians.

A much needed extension was required for the house system, and this came in the inclusion of “coloured” houses. They became known as Blue, Green, and Red house, which admittedly was not very inventive, but the names were good enough for the time. The sole purpose for these was sporting competitions. The earliest evidence I could find was a 1920 copy of the Abingdonian, which references a School Regatta which a boat of four stu-

Crescent House supported the growing demand for boarding places at the school dents from Blue House won. Blue House appeared to dominate the sporting competitions for a few years, until 1923 where there are records of both Red House and Green House finally getting some medals in the athletics competition taking place on Upper Field. House matches became a regular termly occurrence from there on with evidence of the House Challenge, House Shooting, and other sports. During all this, there were also still Heads of House and House Prefects, showing that they are indeed longstanding traditions within the school. There were a number of trophies that were presented for the various sports: the Lin Cup for senior house rugby matches, the Bayley Cup for the junior houses, The Ladies of Abingdon House Challenge Cup for Athletics, plus several others.

In July 1928, an article was published on ‘the purchase of Waste Court House,’ an area of the school that we now all know and love. It was quite a hassle to acquire as well, taking about four years for the school

Houses were originally intended just for boarders

to raise money for the selling price of £5500. This was done primarily through donations from parents and benefactors, and the borrowing of money. As soon as the house was bought, it was converted into another boarding house to match the growing demand for student places. It was given to the care of the married couple of Mr and Mrs Rudd, who worked for the school, and appeared to be very popular with students. This means that Mr Rudd was essentially the first housemaster of what is now Austin House. Other housemasters included, former housemasters of School House Mr Ingham, who held the position for 22 years, and Mr Holmes, as well as former housemaster of Crescent House, Mr Talbot.

The house system wasn’t shaken up again until January 1949, a copy of the Abingdonian from the time says that there was a ‘re-arrangement of the School into four new houses.’ They were no longer known as Blue, Red, and Green, but instead called: Blacknall, Bennett, Reeves, and Tesdale. These are first referenced in a match report for a inter-house rugby, as the teams competed for the Lin Cup which Tesdale House won. This was the start of the day houses reforming into something more familiar to what we have today. They coexisted with three boarding houses, featured still were School House, and Waste Court. However, it seems that a house called Larkhill took the place of Tesdale House as a new boarding house, and the earliest record of this that I could find

was January 1950. At this point there were 207 dayboys, 78 borders in School House, 34 in Waste Court, and just 19 in Larkhill.

The school continued to grow over the next 50 years, with more day boy houses being created, and the housemasters and location of house rooms often changing just like how they do today. Despite having being created primarily for the purpose of inter-house sport competitions, they began to be combined with other competitions such as singing, debating, and quizzes.

Larkhill, over time became non-existent, but in its place rose Crescent House, which opened in September 1953. The school had bought the land in 1951 for £2000, and was set up for new boarders to move into. It expanded in 1954 when Glyndowr came onto the market, which was used to house a further 22 boys. In 1963 a further boarding house was also created, in Lacies Court, but has been used to house the Heads of School since 1965.

Some aspects of how the houses evolved over time are unclear from the archives, but to this day we still have School House, Austin House in Waste Court, and the Crescent Houses. The houses are more integrated into our school lives now than ever before, as we are all placed into one. Their purpose is no longer solely for sporting competitions like they once were either. Now, with many inter-house competitions, and house ties, I think it’s safe to say we won’t see any more big changes to the school’s house system for a while.

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Features

Back with the Lions SOCIETY

Blake Jones unpacks the nature of the modern day Christian victim complex

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oday innocent Christians are tormented by evil atheists trying to force them to renounce their faith and betray God. This is the state of affairs which some Christians would have us believe. Christianity was built under the heel of oppression, founded by the Jewish race, one of the most persecuted in history. It seems that today Christianity cannot sever its ties to oppression and instead indulges in them.

Even the prime minister once said that Christians were the most persecuted religious group in the world. To what extent is this characterization genuine?

Are Christians just trying to relate to the Book of Acts?

Some sources would have it that those Christians who faced the lions got lucky.

Christianity.org writes, ‘The persecution facing Christians is among the largest human rights violation issues in today’s world. It is estimated that 200 million Christians in at least 60 countries are denied fundamental human rights solely because of their faith.’ Supporting this view is the charity, OpenDoors, which is 60 years old and has worked in over 55 countries. It is committed to serving

Americans are Christian and there has never been a non-Christian US president (to all intents and purposes), many American Christians consider themselves to be oppressed. There is increasing sentiment in the West that it is hard to be a Christian, and that standing up for the faith is crucial. The most explicit examples of this sentiment are God’s Not Dead, films one and two.

God’s Not Dead was produced by Pure Flix (Christian Netflix). Pure Flix is a film streaming service which only offers family and faith films. It has come to be popular in America. Their titles include Revelation Road, Beware of Christians and Bible Quiz, a film about memorising Bible quotes. God’s Not Dead was very successful, grossing over $62 million on a $2 million budget. The story was of how a Christian student was forced to declare that God is dead in order to not be failed by his philosophy professor. He goes on to argue against his professor and convert his class to Christianity. God’s Not Dead is bearable once you get over the terrible character of the evil atheist who shows none of the virtues of philosophy and would struggle to gain any respect in the field.

God’s Not Dead 2 came out this year and is much more ridiculous. It tells the story of a teacher who briefly quoted Jesus to her class when answering a question about Jesus and pacifism, and was consequently banned from teaching and became the subject of a lengthy legal persecuted Christians around the world, working in those countries where oppression of Christians is the very worst.

The charity released the statistic that Christian killings in Nigeria recently increased by 62%, with 4,028 killings and 198 church attacks in 2015. This all sounds morbid and moreover seems very far from the truth.

There are reasons for such statistics.

Many of the countries listed do indeed practise persecution. These are countries like Iraq, Afghanistan and North Korea, where all religion which does not honour Allah or Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un is banned. Whilst the charity’s figures treat this as an attack on Christianity, it is more appropriately an attack on anything which does not conform to authorized beliefs. However, due to nature of particular ‘altruists’ in America, it is only the Christians or the religion itself which they can sympathise with, so the Christian oppression is focussed on.

Some say that Christian oppression is not found solely in developing nations lacking respect for all other religions, but is also present in the Christian heartland itself, America. Even though 71% of

as victims. This may seem like an odd thing to do, but it is understandable when we consider the Christian message.

Whilst there are many virtues to Christianity (which I shall not discuss here), the Bible has been particularly successful as a victim support book. It is filled with cases of suffering and oppression and looks at helping people in these times. Although the Bible can be highly insightful to modern readers, it took a long time for it to be used by and be relevant to rich white leaders. Moses was a leader of refugees, migrating from their conflict ridden home; Acts and the letters of Paul are written with respect to suffering and a lack of freedom of religion; Jesus was hated all his life until he was put to death. The suffering of outcasts was the context which so much of the Bible was written for. To truly understand the message one must relate to the minorities who wrote it. From the Bible, the need to understand persecution arose and Christians looked for a claim to this. To understand the mystery and message of Jesus’s life, suffering is important. As can be read in John 15:18, “if the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you”.

The Christian victim complex should nevertheless be allowed to exist. It may be irritating when people of privilege talk about their oppression, but this is a trap we all fall into. In the same way people interpret the Bible in slightly abstract ways to understand its message, people

To truly understand the message they must relate to the minorities who wrote it case. This entire film is laughable.

The premise of the film is where it falls apart, because it goes nowhere without saying that Christians are an oppressed group in America. Cases like this simply do not happen. Although you are not meant to teach about religion in America (except for when you do) this small blip would be ignored by anybody. However, in the film it results in angry mobs with ‘TEACH NOT PREACH’ placards. In truth, the Christians of America are the ruling class. The line between oppression and objection or criticism has been blurred, creating the dynamic we find. Christians have taken the small scale opposition they have faced and used it to cast themselves

can interpret their lives in alternative ways in order to make sense of complex ideas. Christianity provides big solutions to the big problems of its historical context. Today, we are left with those very same big solutions for the smaller problems which modern Western Christians face. Some Christians may talk about how the internet has made this the toughest era for Christians, or how Christianity is being silenced by secularism and Islam.

This may represent nothing more than the slightly misguided path which people go down in order to connect themselves to the humble origins of Christianity.

Western Christians may not suffer, but they can understand those who do.

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Features TELEVISION

British vs American TV drama S

Calum Egan compares the headliners of American and British TV drama

ome people prefer British TV drama, some prefer American TV drama. Personally I have no preference, but judging the form of each brings out the best of what each country has to offer to the drama genre. For the purpose of this article, I’ll be considering any shows that include drama within their title genres, so science fiction or comedy will be eligible as long as they have sufficient dramatic tendencies. I won’t be considering any shows that I haven’t seen. Fan favourites like Breaking Bad and Mad Men won’t be included on the basis that I simply don’t have an opinion on them.

Game of Thrones is back on the air after a hiatus lasting almost a year, and I’m sure that everyone is thrilled that their favourite medieval drama is back for a sixth season.

The ultimate TV drama in the eyes of

many, this cast-killing show is dominating the hype on social media, with 602,000 people tweeting #GOT over the course of the weekend of the second episode. It’s considered to be the most pirated TV show ever, although that’s a hard accolade to verify. Due to the success of Game of Thrones, the reports that it is due to finish after series seven are not being well received by fans and HBO alike. Considering that George R.R Martin has made up his mind in agreement, I am not hopeful for more.

Fans predictably don’t want it to end because it’s the best Sunday night television around. HBO do not want it to end because it’s their headline show, bringing in the big money and attracting viewers to their streaming platform, HBO Go. So is there life after Game of Thrones for HBO? The answer is probably yes.

Capaldi was stunning in Torchwood Season 3

Other shows like Vinyl, a music drama set in 1970s New York, and True Detective both have stellar reviews, with 8.1 and 9.1 on IMDb respectively. True Detective is a crime drama divided between the 1990s and the present day by the recollections of a particularly intriguing case featuring Matthew Mcconaughey, Woody Harrelson (with hair) and a curious number of antlers. Mcconaughey steals the show with his portrayal of an introverted genius troubled by his past, often rattling off monologues about the futility of religion or the human psyche. The present day recollections of the case offer a unique selling point, with hints and clues in every conversation. Finding out the answers to its many mysteries is a big part of what makes True Detective such a must-see TV show. Talks of a Game of Thrones spinoff are also rife, supposedly set around a century before our characters entered the fray in season 1. This would fill the gap left by Game of Thrones and allow for HBO to develop other shows to compliment their headline act for their streaming service. They have a solid record, with shows like Boardwalk Empire, The Wire and The Sopranos all having proved incredibly popular over the last fifteen years, which also bodes well for the future.

Meanwhile, across the pond, British drama is arguably hitting its peak, especially with gorey detective drama series, Luther. Idris Elba plays a hard-hitting police detective with a penchant for violence and going outside of the law, who encounters the freaky and fatal side of the London criminal scene. Not for the faint hearted, Luther’s villains frequently give the show value for its post-watershed time slot with a Jack the Ripper wannabe and other hideously contrived criminals brutally massacring the general public. This show really makes its point with its gothic motifs, harking back to the Victorian era where murders would happen on the street and not be solved. In the same way as Jack the Ripper himself, this show rose to fame for its mystery and brutality. Luther’s gothic tone really sets it apart from rival drama. In Luther there is no theme too hideous.

However, it’s perfectly feasible to argue that the best of British drama is behind us with such shows as Torchwood and Doctor Who, gone from our screens and deteriorating with age. Torchwood was another of the post-watershed dramas on the BBC and entertained viewers with four seasons of fluctuating brilliance and the charismatic John Barrowman leading the way. Series Three being the highlight, a five-episode story with thrilling stakes and extraordinarily dark themes for essentially the extension to the Doctor Who universe.

Speaking of the time travelling shapeshift-

er, Doctor Who has, in my opinion slipped in form over the last few series after the exit of David Tennant. Now, while I realise this is all hideously clichéd in the grand criticism of Doctor Who but it hasn’t been the same since the departure of David Tennant. Although that’s not to say that I think David Tennant was the best Doctor.

In fact, I preferred Christopher Eccleston.

Yet back in Tennant’s tenure, everything was clearer; the plot lines not so ridiculous, characters more relatable and the series were actually linear (yes, that’s a real issue, can anyone tell me what series we’re on?). I’ve got nothing against Matt Smith or Peter Capaldi, I just didn’t think that their times as the Doctor coincided with the best of the series. Capaldi weirdly has another character in the Doctor Who universe, playing the troubled politician in the aforementioned Torchwood Children of Earth, a role in which he excelled, showing it might just not be the role for him as the long-coated traveller, usually reserved for a more energetic portrayal. Speaking of previous timelords, David Tennant and Christopher Eccleston have gone on to show their acting expertise with their varying degrees of success within the Marvel Cinematic Universe; Tennant playing the charismatic and psychopathic antagonist of Jessica Jones while Eccleston steals the stage with the showstopping Malekith and his seventeen lines (if that) in Thor 2.

If you’re looking for a show that’s so shamefully cliched, it becomes one of the most endearing features, then look no further than American lawyer drama Suits. It starts out as a very satisfying addition to the drama genre, being both suave and vaguely compelling as college dropout Mike Ross (Patrick J Adams) pursues his unlawful career in law with his (bordering on super) brilliant mind. However, it somewhat begins to parody itself as the series go on as you’ll begin to wonder whether lifts are kickstarting the inevitable AI revolution as they become nigh on sentient with their intuition on when someone just delivered the killing blow in gripping lawyer lingo.

There’s even a faint hint of a moral conundrum as Mike wrestles with the pull of the big bucks in the New York offices versus

Is there life after Game of Thrones for HBO?

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Suits, while largely flawed, is a whole lot of fun

Tennant plays the psychopathic antagonist of Jessica Jones his gracious nature and how they conflict and restrict one another. But in the end, whatever the repetitiveness of the show, it’s a lot of fun.

One show that’s most certainly not cliched was the third series of BBC’s Torchwood, Children of Earth. Never have the stakes felt so high for a Doctor Who universe show, which is saying quite something given how the Doctor saves worlds nearly every episode and is able to solve any problem and formulate a solution in a flash. This is unequivocally not the case with Torchwood as everything seems so very human. Despite the extraterrestrial threat, it has an innate ability to be grounded in the realms of believability, helped by the normality of the majority of the characters who have positively relatable problems. Though when the show does need to dial up the tension, it does so fantastically as the mysterious alien threat named curiously ‘456’ deliver the ultimatums in a truly terrifying proposition to the powers in Whitehall. Peter Capaldi, who I somewhat slated for his role in Doctor Who, is flawless as the tortured middle man, stuck between a rock and a hard place as he tries to hold his own

among the wolves.

Tom Hiddleston is the next purported James Bond and I for one would not be adverse to this headline for he seems to excel in every role, the latest being the critically acclaimed Night Manager, adapted from the novel by John Le Carre. In perhaps one of the greatest acting performances, Hiddleston features in at least four roles within the series. Watching Tom Hiddleston play Jonathan Pine, the hotel manager, playing Jonathan Pine, the unbalanced sociopath, playing Andrew Birch, company man, playing Andrew Birch, arms dealer, was tremendous fun to watch. This is what makes The Night Manager so good: it does drama well by creating tension and intrigue when needed. Ultimately, it’s just immensely enjoyable to watch Tom Hiddleston suavely manoeuvre his way past some obnoxious antagonists. Of course no single actor can make a TV show, and Olivia Coleman plays her role with typical wit and passion that one can expect after seeing her on any other British drama. Trust me there’s a lot, which is to be expected as she’s truly found her grounding within British TV. If there’s ever a need for a middle-aged, fiery, mildly inspirational supporting actress, Olivia Coleman will be on it in a hot fuzz.

All of these shows share some characteristics, especially the ability to make a story gripping without using action scenes all of the time, which instead give way to relationship drama which helps to keep the tension flowing. Is there a winner?

I’d have to favour the American drama if given the choice between the two, mainly for the considerable variation and quality available, Game of Thrones and True Detective being the highlights. There is, nevertheless, some genuinely enjoyable TV to watch on the British networks like The Night Manager and Luther.

Elba (above) is stellar in his role as Luther

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Features

Shakespeare is still very popular today

LITERATURE

Why Do We Study Shakespeare?

Calum Egan examines why we study Shakespeare today

‘W

hy do we study Shakespeare?’ It’s a question asked by many a disgruntled student or even a despairing teacher trying to explain the words of England’s most famous writer. Given that it was the 400th anniversary of his death in April this year, I wanted to explore some of the motivations and reasoning behind the influence that Shakespeare still exerts over the modern curriculum.

It’s easy to see how Shakespeare’s works are rejected by some and disliked by others because they’re simply different from other works of literature; not as relatable as a novel, not with the same moral as a fable, or simply as easy to read as other texts. So if you’ve just been told to read up on your Shakespeare, you might not be encouraged by the complexity of the language as it can act to hinder your progress and make it

more of a slog than reading Shakespeare ever should be. The solution? Simple, don’t read it as a novel. A mistake made by many, including myself, when reading dramatic plays is to treat them as a book. What you have to remember is that these texts were plays, performed in the Elizabethan era, and were designed as an experience for those who attended. As a result, for you to enjoy the works of Shakespeare to the maximum, they have to be treated as an experience, with their sensual imagery in particular needing to be appreciated. For an idea of the sensual context, the bard’s plays often began at three in the afternoon so it was dark outside by the finale of the play, adding to the intrigue and mystery of his dramatic pieces.

Music is something that’s also been often associated with Shakespeare, a partnership that was born out of his defiance of

orthodoxy by using music unsparingly in some of his plays, especially Othello, King Lear and Hamlet. It was traditional to include maybe one song to reflect the mood of the play, whether a comedy or a tragedy, so Shakespeare received much appraisal for his startling and moving use of music within his plays. His rationale behind this decision can be easily explained by the similarities between his plays and music and how they are both aimed for consumption in the same fashion: an immersive enterprise. Like a song, Shakespeare’s works are best enjoyed when you embrace the imagery offered and allow the piece to dictate how you feel.

Shakespeare was also undervalued by his contemporaries, especially by one Ben Johnson, who thought that the writer had a contemptuous lack of discipline. This view does have some gravity, as Shakespeare was said to never blot a word and just let his creative influence reign free.

They’re simply different from other works of literature

On the other hand Johnson himself was a very confrontational individual who killed two men in duels and would probably have been hanged if not for the fact he was a clergyman. Robert Greene was another member of the anti-Shakespeare club who described him as a money-grabbing, attention-seeking upstart (I’m paraphrasing).

Although this view of Greene’s is tainted by his position, he was himself a very popular writer, described as ‘the first author of England’ so it is only natural that he was jealous of Shakespeare’s growing reputation on the dramatic scene.

Shakespeare is also held by many as one of the first pioneers of gender equality, for a large number of his plays empowered female lead characters. One example of this is Lady Macbeth, in Macbeth, as she drives her husband, Macbeth, to glory and then failure at the play’s finale. There’s one especially poignant moment when Macbeth has just killed his king and his best friend Banquo and has started to doubt himself and his resolve, but he is consoled and motivated by Lady Macbeth to persevere and complete his rise to power. This proves that Macbeth wouldn’t be able to embark on his Kevin Spacey style murder spree had it not been for the support and determination of his wife. Shakespeare wasn’t able to totally escape the misogyny of the time. Ophelia is seemingly lost when she’s rejected by Hamlet, reflecting how a woman was expected to marry in the Jacobean era and to forfeit her right to her wealth in doing so, putting her at the mercy of her husband.

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Sport

Sharapova: DOPING

Innocent or Ignorant?

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Calum Egan investigates the controversy surrounding Sharapova’s announcement

lack blouse, pale face. That was former world no.1 Maria Sharapova as she announced to the world that she had failed her drugs test. This presentation was undertaken with no stone left unturned, no detail left unconsidered. From the beige curtains to the black outfit, the tone was sombre and the words precise, as the conference of Russia’s number one tennis player set the stage for one of the sporting stories of the year so far to unfold.

The defence: She simply had not been made aware of the illegality of the substance Meldonium, that she’d been taking for ten years and had been caught unawares by the ITF (International Tennis Federation). She’d been given the drug by the family doctor, not a backstreet dealer or unknown scientist, the family doctor who she trusted and would never give her anything harmful to her or her career.

For evidence of how careful Maria Sharapova is, her former agent Max Eisenbud once said she is so conscious of the smaller details that she peels the labels of water bottles in nightclubs in case she is pictured with a product she hasn’t endorsed. So, surely someone as self-aware as this could not be unaware of new rule changes by the ITF? Well that’s the argument that the opposition use and in all likelihood can only lose in the public perception due to the legal procedure that follows. In the eyes of the

she is telling her fans all she knows to keep them in the know of her own accord and free will. “A few days ago I received a letter from the (International Tennis Federation) that I failed a drug test at the Australian Open,” the five-time grand slam winner said in the press conference that was streamed live on Sharapova’s website. ‘A few days ago”, she’s taken by surprise at this as well. ‘I received’; she’s very much the victim of this act. Any-

She simply had not been made aware of the illegality of the substance ITF, whether her misstep was down to negligence, taking it and not knowing it was banned, or that she took it, knowing it was banned, which is cheating.

Whether you choose to regard Maria Sharapova as innocent or guilty, she has taken on the inevitable media storm with incredible detail. Everything about her announcement seemed to be perfectly considered and planned. From the first words of the conference; “I wanted to let you know”, not ‘you would have found out anyway or ‘I have been told to tell you’. It’s very personal and indicates that

way haven’t we heard this before from athletes, for instance a survey last year proved that 724 of 4,316 Russian athletes had consumed meldonium. It’s all too easy to be cynical about this, but that’s the nature of the modern day perception of celebrities, who we don’t know personally so can’t possibly judge on their decisions or pretend to know why they do what they do. Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge summed it up perfectly recently, saying “The majority, probably 95 per cent of the people who talk and say things about me, don’t actually know me.

Even some of the people who’ve played with me don’t actually know me” after he was criticised for his work ethic.

However, surely someone as fitness and health conscious as Maria Sharapova would be extremely aware of just what she put into her body and so must have seen that Meldonium was now becoming a banned substance? Not necessarily, as the substance itself more commonly goes by a different name, Mildronate. She has been taking this drug for ten years, a drug commonly taken to avoid heart failure, which was put onto the WADA watchlist at the start of 2015 over concerns it could be used to boost performance levels.

People question why a presumably very healthy woman in her late twenties would need to take a drug to avoid heart failure but the bottom line is why not? It could be seen as an unnecessary risk to take if she is doing this highly physically challenging sport as her profession.

Her argument infers that her only crime is of not clicking on a link from an email sent to her by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency), something that I’m sure we all do on a regular basis. She’s a tennis obsessed 28 year-old who’s living the dream, she’s got no time to be checking her emails and worrying about new legislation. Yet Sharapova is named as the 26th highest earning athlete in 2015 by Forbes magazine and the richest female athlete by CNN with endorsements from corporate heavy weights Nike, Tag Heuer and Head, although both Nike and Tag Heuer have dropped their client due to the reveal. So,

if she has all these sponsors and a full team backing her, then how could she not have been made aware of the rule change?

With all things considered, if you want to see Maria Sharapova as a cheat who has taken drugs to get an unfair advantage, the evidence can be used to make her look guilty. But, if you believe that Maria Sharapova, the great tennis player, has simply made a mistake, then you’ll be hoping she takes more care in the future about what substances she takes. However, The bottom line is that emotion has no say in the decision by the Anti Doping Agency so Sharapova is currently serving a six month suspension, which will severely damage her ranking in female tennis for the next year.

This article was written before the verdict was found by the International Tennis Federation and Sharapova was sentenced for a two year ban from tennis. However, the verdict was actually that Sharapova was not guilty of taking meldonium with the purpose of increasing performance levels, leaving the decision to ban the athlete for two years a baffling one. After all, if it wasn’t intentional, then why is she being so severely punished? Of course it’s difficult to know but the most likely scenario seems that the ITF intend to make an example out of Sharapova in such a big-name case as a deterrent for those who might think to dope in the future. Given the perhaps exaggerated nature of her persecution, little are surprised to hear that Sharapova has appealed against the decision and expect the legal battle to drag on for months to come.

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Sport LEICESTER

The Incredible Rise of Leicester City Toby Jupp and Dan Brown digest what must be the greatest feat in the history of football

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ell ... that happened. No article can ever fully convey how incredible the achievement of Leicester City, in winning the 2015/16 Barclays Premier League, truly is. To go from surviving by the skin of their teeth from relegation to being champions in the richest league competition in the world over the course of the last 12 months is just unbelievable. It’s ridiculous, to be honest.

The last time a team that finished in the bottom half to merely achieve a top four spot in the subsequent season was Everton in 2005. It’s practically unprecedented what Leicester have managed.

The background of the players only serves to make this achievement ever greater. Jamie Vardy was signed as the most expensive non-league player in 2012 for a fee of £1m; N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez

were both signed as unknowns from Caen and Le Havre respectively. Vardy would break a record by scoring in 11 consecutive matches between September and November en route to winning Football Writers’

Ferguson. All three were told that they would not make it as a footballer, because of their size.

There are so many amazing stories. Players deemed of little value proved their worth

Tuesday 3rd May, the World awoke to Leicester City as champions.

Player of the Season, Mahrez would win PFA Player of the Season and Kante would be dubbed ‘the best midfielder in the Premier League’ by none other than Sir Alex

at Leicester. Danny Simpson, deemed surplus to requirements by a would-be relegated QPR in 2014, and Danny Drinkwater both released by Manchester United, barely kicking

a ball for the Red Devils. Marc Albrighton, let go by Aston Villa in the summer of 2014.

Robert Huth labelled as not good enough for Stoke. Even Captain Wes Morgan came as somewhat of a discard after being sold by Nottingham Forest for a meagre £1m. A similar story came for the man in between the sticks with Kasper Schmeichel sold against his will by Leeds in 2011. Jeffrey Schlupp, Leonardo Ulloa, Andy King, Demarai Gray all inglorious professionals who no one gave a chance. Only Christian Fuchs and Shinji Okazaki could claim to have had glamorous careers, until now.

How on earth does a team of misfits and rejects become Premier League champions? How does a team which cost as much to assemble as Mario Balotelli triumph against odds of 5000/1? Their story is one that will live on and give hope to every team and player in the English football pyramid

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that, one day, it could be them.

There were several turning points throughout the season but, arguably, it was their two defeats to Arsenal that had the most influence. The Gunners romped to a 5-2 thumping at the King Power in September (Leicester’s only home defeat this season) and changes were made for the next game which formed the basis of their title challenge. Ritchie de Laet and Schlupp were axed in favour of Fuchs and Simpson, forming a back four which has conceded just 20 goals in 29 matches since. And who could forget Danny Welbeck’s 95th minute sucker punch at the Emirates? Many thought it could be the beginning of the end for the Foxes, but they bounced back by recording six wins (five by 1-0) in their next seven matches, conceding only two goals in the process; Arsenal meanwhile would self-destruct but that story is for another day.

By this time, only Spurs remained as any form of challenge which petered out with two draws to West Brom and Chelsea - meaning on Tuesday 3rd May, the world awoke to Leicester City as champions. It is an achievement which eclipses everything.

Arsenal’s invincibles, United’s treble and even Nottingham Forest’s hay day. To accomplish what Leicester have done in today’s financial climate will almost definitely never be done again.

The real question is how did they manage this incredible feat and gain the consistent victories each weekend. Well it could be very well argued that Leicester did not exhibit the now so-called beautiful style which so many of the much larger clubs are trying to create. However, the point is they won the games and got the required points and this was done by Leicester redeveloping ‘traditional’ football. So many aspects of Leicester’s team highlights this. For example, Morgan and Huth fit the stereotype of tall and physical centre backs with both easily clearing the six foot mark helping them to consistently do their job well and gain 15 clean sheets between them and conceding less than a goal a game. Then in attack, Leicester’s exemplar of traditional attack is shown as clear as water. It contains a playmaker in Riyad Mahrez and a fast clinical striker in Jamie Vardy. This is then topped of by two midfield engines who work at 100% the whole game in N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater. I believe these players provide the spine to Leicester’s tactical success but there are many other players who did indeed contribute to help achieve this level of success.

The actual tactics applied to this team were very simple to match the team’s strengths. This is firstly shown by the 4-42 formation which some may say is prehistoric. Unlike the rest of the top teams, they are not bothered about possession (averaging around 40% a game) along with some of the worst passing statistics which are among the worst in the top flight.

However, when Leicester do have the ball, they capitalise on this by often creating deadly counter attacks, which leads to the 1-0 scorelines that Leicester were on the right side of so many times this season (15, unsurprisingly a league high).

Typical Leicester Starting XI Claudio Ranieri deserves a lot of credit too. Unlike one or two members of his team whose peerless performances on the pitch were let down by more unsavoury behaviour off it, the Italian never put a foot wrong through a momentous season. It now looks as if he will be celebrated chiefly for pizza incentives and “Dilly ding, dilly dong” routines, which is exactly as he would wish it. Although in fact Ranieri has done a lot more than simply smile benignly as his players raised their sights from survival to Europe to the Premier League crown.

Ranieri hatched the plan that might have worked and did work, and for that he deserves credit, considering his reputation was at such a low ebb when he arrived.

He did not talk of three-year plans or periods of transition, he simply got down to work with the players at his disposal,

making bold decisions from the start such as leaving out his own signing Gokhan Inler because he was impressed with the contributions others were making. Ranieri has said he felt sorry for Inler on a number of occasions, but he still kept leaving him out.

Ranieri saw what he had at Leicester and single-mindedly made the best of it. Switching to a 4-4-2 setup cannot be described as an adventurous or fashionable move, but Ranieri must have recognised what suited his players best and together they made it work. There was nothing secret about Leicester’s plan for success. They allowed opponents a lot of the ball and relied on defenders staying in defensive areas to repel attacks until possession could be regained and their speed merchants in forward positions could be brought into play. Yet even the best sides found it a difficult game plan

to counter.

Leicester’s story is one that will last a generation. Who knows, it could even last longer? It will be remembered as a group of 20 or so individuals who came together to produce the biggest triumph over adversity ever seen in world sport. It shows that money isn’t everything. It shows every player, every club, even every human being that anything is achievable. It shows, no matter who you are or where you come from, you can make it. They are an inspiration to everyone, not just footballers. No matter what your background and what you’re competing against, have the self-belief to achieve the impossible. Leicester did it, and now is time for everyone to salute this outrageous team. Leicester City, Champions of England, get used to hearing it - you’re going to hear it a lot.

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THE MARTLET SUMMER ISSUE 10

Sport ENGLISH RUGBY

Has Eddie Jones’ Instant Impact Marked the Beginning of a New Era for English Rugby?

William Stewart discusses the immediate impact of the new England coach, Eddie Jones, and asks whether England’s Six Nations success marks the start of a new era

E

ddie Jones has begun his tenure as England coach in the best possible way. After the disappointing World Cup campaign, the Australian’s arrival has brought a new lease of life to English rugby.

Eddie Jones was the Japan coach before he joined the England set-up. He is best remembered for his team’s miraculous victory over South Africa during the World Cup. He has a lot of experience, including a significant role in the Australian side, which only just succumbed to England in the 2003 World Cup final. He has also coached the Australian club side, The Brumbies, the current English Premiership champions, Saracens, and was involved in the South African team that won the 2007 World Cup. He only spent eight days as coach of the South African club side, the Stormers, before signing for England.

He is renowned for his plain talking in the media which has shown ever since his appointment as England coach.

Hidden under his ‘nice-guy’ exterior is a hard edge mentality. He has made it clear that he wants to bring back an aggressive side to the England team. There is no need to look for proof much further than his appointment of Dylan Hartley as captain. Hartley is renowned for his unruliness and has been banned for many offences, including: making contact with the eye of an opponent, biting, punching, verbally abusing an official, and elbowing and making contact with the head of an opponent. In total, Hartley has spent over a year of his career banned from rugby. However, this did not deter Eddie Jones, and his decision to appoint him as captain seems to have paid off, after Hartley led England to a first Grand Slam in 13 years.

Jones’ first matches as England coach were in the Six Nations, and the fact that he secured the Championship and Triple Crown with a round to spare are signs of his instant impact on English rugby. His squad selection was similar to his predecessor’s, Stuart Lancaster, apart from the inspired inclusion of

Twickenham has experienced a new style of rugby since Eddie Jones’ arrival Maro Itoje, who critics are saying is a potential future England captain. Credit must be given to Lancaster, whose style of attacking play and squad selection has remained the same, but Jones’ new ideas have been a breath of fresh air for northern hemisphere rugby. I have been impressed with his ability to win games when his side haven’t been playing all that well, a quality that many coaches desire. I am still surprised that some flare players, such as Danny Cipriani and Christian Wade, have still been left out of the squad, but England have improved hugely from their dire and very short World Cup campaign nonetheless.

Eddie Jones has made the headlines, and not all for the right reasons. One of his players, Joe Marler, racially abused Welsh prop, Samson Lee, by calling him a ‘gypsy boy’ and inevitably, a significant part of the blame was laid on Jones. It could be said that he is bordering on overconfidence: saying he wants to give Italy ‘a good hiding’ could be classed as disrespectful. However, his intention was to bring an edge back to the side and in my opinion, he has done just that. Some coaches don’t like him for his controversial comments, but I think that some sort of friction between the international

Eddie Jones has made the headlines, and not all for the right reasons

Only time will reveal his true calibre as a coach coaches can only be a good thing.

Jones got off to an ideal start, winning the Grand Slam. However, England’s real test will come when they play the southern hemisphere sides in the summer. The standard of opposition in this year’s Six Nations wasn’t fantastic, so when England come to play the likes of the All Blacks and Australia, this will show how good they truly are. Of course, England did very well to seal the Grand Slam, playing the majority of the same squad who were involved in the disappointing World Cup. Jones has kept the same core group of players as Lancaster did, but several new additions have improved the team further.

Wales and Ireland weren’t at their best in this year’s Six Nations, but England played what was in front of them and won either way. I believe that Dylan Hartley’s appointment as captain was truly inspired, and Eddie Jones’ coaching set-up selection was also good. The lineouts were flawless and lots of the plaudits must go to Steve Borthwick. Paul Gustard implemented his ‘wolf pack’ mentality into defence and England are now a force to be reckoned with.

Putting things into perspective is important because this is just the start of this England team’s development. Winning the Six Nations is one thing, but what

really matters is beating the best teams in the world. The players are ambitious and do believe that as the team develops, the possibility of World Cup success may one day become a reality.

There is a positive feeling around the camp, but what intrigues me the most is whether Eddie Jones is truly the real deal.

He has done very well using most of the same players from the previous coach, but the question now is whether he can maintain this success. Can he turn this good side into a great side? Jones’ coaching methods will take time to fully soak in and pay off, but so far, his arrival has created a very positive impact.

Only time will reveal his true calibre as a coach, and this side’s challenge now is to beat the southern hemisphere teams.

However, I am still not convinced that England will be able to beat teams such as the All Blacks and Australia. There remains a big gap in quality between the best northern hemisphere sides and the best southern hemisphere sides, but after England’s recent triumph, I can see this gap closing.

England have done extremely well under Jones so far, but only time will tell if this side has what it takes to become the World Cup winners, something this country has not achieved since 2003.

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THE MARTLET SUMMER ISSUE 10

Sport NFL

Tom Brady for Dummies Charlie Clarke tells the story of the man behind the world famous name

C

hances are if you ask a Brit to name an NFL superstar they will immediately give the one name that’s loosely in their mind, Tom Brady. We have all heard his name whether thrown around in conversation, making the news for some controversy, or with an appearance on an american TV show. What a lot of people do not know, however, is the man behind the name. So who is he? The time is right to properly introduce him.

Could this be the beginning of the end for Tom Brady?

Origins of Brady

Tom Brady is currently the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots and has been for 15 years, but how did it all start? He was drafted in the 2000 NFL draft and was picked, shockingly, in the sixth round, 199th overall. The way the draft works is a bit like having captains in PE lessons. The possible players are all figuratively lined up and the teams take turns picking a player in a designated order over seven rounds. Predictably the best players go in the early rounds and by rounds six and seven players aren’t expected to do too well at all. Brady was benched all through the 2000 season and when Bledsoe, the Patriots starting quarterback, was injured, Tom had to step in. From then, his dynasty was born. The 199th pick of the 2000 NFL draft is considered the biggest draft “steal” in history.

seasons as a starter. The legendary Quarterback took them to Super Bowl championship again in 2003, 2004 and 2014, they also visited the Super Bowl in 2007 with an undefeated regular season, but in 2011 they were sadly defeated by Eli Manning and The New York Giants. Throughout his career he has broken records including ‘Most Super Bowl Appearances’, ‘Most Super Bowl Rings’, and ‘Most Super Bowl MVPs’.

Countless other post-season records have been crushed by him as well. Due to this colourful NFL career many even consider him the greatest quarterback of all time.

Although he will be 39 in September, we have not seen the last of Brady.

Records and Career Highlights

Brady’s Future

The Patriots were 0-1 at the start of the second week of the 2001 NFL season when Drew Bledsoe, the nine year starter, was hit by a Miami Linebacker Mo Lewis. This sent Brady straight into the game and opened up the opportunity he had been waiting for. The Patriots lost this game, taking them to a 2-0 record on the season and creating many worries for fans and staff. Fast track to the end of the regular season and Tom Brady is a Pro-bowler and the Patriots are Super Bowl 36 Champions, having beaten the St Louis Rams by a field goal, Tom is the MVP. Super Bowl MVP after just two

While Tom is playing as well as ever and has signed a three year contract, he has admittedly been in a rough patch recently. As many will have seen in the news, Brady is currently in a court battle over a cheating scandal that suggests he was responsible for the deflation of NFl game balls in the 2014 NFC Championship against the Dallas Cowboys, making them easier to grip and throw. He is currently facing a four game ban at the start of the 2016 NFL season which he is appealing. Could this be the beginning of the end for Tom Brady? Lets hope not.

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Sport

Why Twenty20 is Cricket’s Saviour Not its Downfall CRICKET

Toby Jupp explains why Twenty20 could finally establish cricket as a worldwide phenomenon

Nepal could be a team likely to benefit from an expansion in the World T20

I

t was Ben Stokes to Carlos Brathwaite: the posterboy of English cricket throughout the nation’s recent renaissance in white-ball cricket versus a hitherto unknown quantity on the international stage; one of the world’s premier death bowlers against a guy with only 25 international Twenty20 runs to this point. No one could have predicted what happened next.

Needing 19 runs off the final six balls, the Barbados all rounder bludgeons four successive maximums to break England hearts, almost reduce Stokes himself to tears and record an incredible 34 not out from just ten deliveries.

The final between England and the West Indies was what T20 cricket is all about. How on earth England managed to recover from 23-3 from five overs to being 1/9 to lift the trophy before the last over is remarkable - yet the game

had ebbed and flowed throughout.

From 23-3, Jos Buttler and Joe Root compiled 61 runs in only 6.4 overs to swing the tide back towards England at 84-3. With four wickets in three

David Willey stood up with a vital 21, and with the help of the tail managed to get England to 155-9, a sub-par total indeed but one which would require a record chase in a World Twenty20 final

Can a sport played only by 10 nations really be considered to be ‘the pinnacle’? overs, including both Buttler and Root, leaving the score at 111-7 and almost six overs to be bowled, West Indies recovered the initiative decisively. Yet

for victory.

Root who, rivalled only by Virat Kohli, is the leading batsman in the world game at the moment, then took

two wickets in three balls - Stokes catching ‘The Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle in the deep to spark wild celebrations.

Soon enough, England had West Indies writhing at 11-3. Marlon Samuels consolidated to shift the momentum back but when the pinch-hitting trio of Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell and Darren Sammy were dismissed with the Caribbean outfit requiring 48 off 27 balls, England edged back in front and their position was cemented by an excellent 19th over

by Chris Jordan, conceding just eight runs to set up that final over. Victory was just a formality for unfancied England it seemed, about to triumph against the odds; but then Brathwaite’s sickening cameo threw the Eden Gardens crowd into pandemonium.

Brathwaite’s assault on England at the death was just one of countless moments throughout the tournament which produced such a great advert for

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Twenty20 cricket. Who could forget Chris Gayle’s 47-ball hundred or the run fest at Mumbai which saw England and South Africa share more than 450 runs in 39.4 overs? Meanwhile the wizardry of New Zealand spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner, defending totals of 126, 142 and 145, illustrated the uniqueness of every single match.

One game teams struggle to chase barely run-a-ball targets, the next game teams can’t defend nearly 12 an over!

The game is just never over. England looked dead and buried at 85-7 against Afghanistan but somehow managed to win. India successfully defended two runs off the last three balls against Bangladesh.

Many thought Twenty20 would be the death of cricket, but the truth is that it is the means for expansion of the sport. Test Cricket will always be the pinnacle for the traditionalists, but can a sport played only by 10 nations (even then, Zimbabwe are fairly dire) really be considered to be ‘the pinnacle’? FIFA has 209 member associations and World Rugby has 100 full member unions. The ICC consists of only 10 full members.

Twenty20 has fast managed to transform cricket into a marketable product which ensures the survival of the sport. It has created a concentrated blend of what is good about Test matches: everyone talks about the power and innovation of AB de Villiers et al but the importance of skill, patience and reading of situations has been evidenced by the batting of Kohli and Root. That said, there is now a pure athletic element to the sport with six-hitting and diving in the field - even the staunchest admirers of Test cricket can’t claim the sport to be excessively

physically demanding.

Cricket needs to build on this platform that this tournament created.

Twenty20 is the format which can finally establish a global audience for a sport which genuinely is like marmite; it polarises opinion. Here are five things cricket needs to ensure its progress isn’t stifled:

A Strong West Indies Firstly, cricket needs a strong West Indies in all formats (not just T20) so the ‘player vs board’ dispute needs to be re-

Treat fans with some more respect Cricket doesn’t deserve its fans sometimes. The farcical scenes of watching simply brainless procedures in response to rain and bad light have to change.

It’s unfair on paying crowds to call off a day’s play because of bad light when a ground has floodlights. Likewise, there are stupid cut off times in limited overs games in case of rain. It’s an utterly ridiculous situation when a game is reduced by two overs because it will end 15 minutes too late, but sadly this situation is not uncommon.

Farcical scenes of watching simply brainless procedures in response to rain and bad light have to change solved, because they are by all accounts the heart and soul of the sport. The dancing and the entertainment value they brought to the last tournament is unrivalled, and their spirit is exemplary just look at the way they celebrated with the Afghan team after suffering a shock defeat. Neither can you deny what they do for gender equality in the sport. With both the men and women triumphing in Kolkata, it was so refreshing to see the two teams celebrate each other’s success and show an unprecedented unity throughout the tournament.

England v Sri Lanka in one of the first World T20 Competitions

Test Cricket to be more entertaining This is unequivocally clear. Five day attritional cricket is a thing of the past - there is no viable market for this anymore. Reducing matches to four days would force a more aggressive approach and is a good start. Day or night tests are a curious matter but in many nations it is necessary to get good crowds in, particularly on the subcontinent. A league system is probably a good idea, but a two-tier competition could be counter-produc-

tive and lead to the complete neglect of test cricket in countries ranked outside the top six (the most likely cut-off point for such a ‘Division One’) such as West Indies and Sri Lanka. Whatever change may be made it needs to make Test cricket more appealing to the masses.

Everyone to embrace, not resist, franchise cricket Particularly in England, there is a reluctance to adopt a franchise competition. You only have to look at the success of the likes of the Big Bash and Indian Premier League to see the potential benefits. These concentrated competitions are the future. Four or five weeks of pure T20 cricket, attracting the best players from around the world and packed crowds at the height of the summer. England needs to get on this bandwagon, or risk being left behind.

Expand the World Twenty20 There’s debate over whether the World Cup (the 50 over tournament) should be reduced to ten sides, personally I am in favour as it will increase the competitiveness to have a round robin system which I believe is proposed. However, the Twenty20 tournament needs to be expanded. Why not make it as big as the FIFA World Cup? You may say that there aren’t 32 cricket-playing nations, but the ICC has nearly 100 affiliate and associate nations who don’t get a chance to showcase their talents. If Cricket is serious about being a global phenomenon, the ICC needs to look at having a tournament with at least 24 nations by Australia 2020, to ensure that the likes of Ireland, Afghanistan and the Netherlands can get proper recognition on the world stage.

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Sport

The Regatta during the 1980s

ROWING

The History of Henley Royal Regatta

T

Dan Brown delves into the history of the most famous regatta in the world

he regatta was first staged in 1839 and has taken place every year since then save for the two world wars. Interestingly, the regatta was not originally focussed on rowing. It was set up as an attraction by the mayor and people of Henley, and to this end it included a fair and other amusements.

The first rowing competition at Henley took place in 1839. It only lasted one afternoon, but it proved so popular that it was extended to a two day event the next year. A gradual rise in popularity led to a four day rowing event by 1906. The greatest surge of interest really began in 1928, when the number of entries was greater than the capacity of the programme, meaning that there had to be a week of qualifying before the event itself.

In 1851 HRH Prince Albert became the regatta’s first ever royal patron. Ever since the death of the prince consort, the reigning monarch has always consented to become its patron. This patronage meant that the event had to be renamed ‘the Henley Royal Regatta’. Over the course of the regatta’s history it has been honoured by many members of the royal family, the most recent of whom was the princess royal in 2010.

Recent years have seen international entries from Australia, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, USA, Germany, South Africa, and many other countries. Last year 107 crews were from overseas.

Since 1884 Henley Royal Regatta has been organised by a self-electing body of stewards. They number 60 at present

bought Temple Island, the famous landmark at the start of the regatta course.

Extensive renovation of the temple, built

by James Wyatt in 1771, was completed and the important wall paintings in the main room were restored to their original appearance.

The cost of staging the five-day Regatta is near £3 million a year. About

The most successful school in the Princess Elizabeth Cup is Eton college who have won the event 12 times. and are mostly well-known rowers and scullers. The stewards’ knowledge of the sport and contribution to the running of the Regatta is pivotal for its success. A committee of management, consisting of 12 stewards, is elected annually. It is responsible for all planning and indepth organisation. In 1987 the stewards

85% of this is derived from subscriptions paid by members of the Stewards’ Enclosure, and sales of additional badges and services for their guests.The regatta is one of the few major sporting occasions today which is run without any reliance upon commercial sponsorship or outside subsidy.

One of the main events at Henley Royal Regatta is the Princess Elizabeth Cup, which was originally instituted in 1946 for public schools in the United Kingdom. It was opened to entries from overseas in 1964, and that year Washington-Lee High School (USA) became the first overseas crew to win the event.

Abingdon School is one of the most successful boat clubs in the competition.

This is illustrated by the success of the 1st VIII, which won the Princess Elizabeth Cup three years in a row between 2011 and 2013. This was an amazing feat, especially since Abingdon had only won the event one time before this. The most successful school in the Princess Elizabeth Cup is Eton college, who have won the event 12 times. As the most prestigious race of the schoolboy rowing year, the event attracts strong competition both from the UK and abroad. For British crews, winning the ‘PE’ is often the final victory needed to win the ‘treble’, a prestigious achievement gained through victory in the Schools’ Head of the River Race, The National Schools Regatta and of course the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, all in the same year.

This incredible task was completed by Abingdon School in 2012.

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Humour

Dudley’s Dilemmas ADVICE

Dudley, the Head’s dog, intends to burn almost all evidence of his reign at Abingdon when he leaves. To remember him, some evidence of his correspondence was collected by Henry Waterson and Blake Jones Dear Dudley, Over your time at Abingdon you have formed a brilliant reputation as an abundant fountain of knowledge and insight. There are countless individuals who have had their lives turned around by your advice. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Where did I read that? Some of your most thrilling wisdom was published in my paper, The Martlet, and now hang on the walls of my office. As we both know, you will soon be leaving Abingdon and the school will be deprived of the most glorious oracle it has ever had. I too will be leaving Abingdon, so had hoped that you would be able to solve one last case.

I have spent the last six years at this school and now I am moving on to be Head of State (DJD won’t let me announce where). There are many aspects of the school that I will deeply miss. The school year never ceases to yield delights, from the Lent term to the Summer term and the Michaelmas term: the concrete in the middle to the plaster on the surface and the tiles on the top. The café is the jewel of my Abingdon Empire – little known fact. I have stirred a shilling into every cake made there while the cooks weren’t looking. I shall miss the teaching staff and the intellectual salons I have with them in the MCR (My Common Room). I love how here at Abingdon boys are always telling me how grateful they are for the removal of Saturday school from their lives. Sport is but one of my great loves here and I have seen the school build a marvellous reputation for its croquet team. I am also proud of how pupils who cannot get into the croquet team are still able to do some recreational badminton or rugby.

As this era comes to an end, I am finding it very hard to move on. Abingdon has been my home for a long time and I find myself in the same position many Upper Sixth boys are in, savouring the memories and struggling to leave them behind. We must all leave (unless we’re talking about the EU), but the excitement of new places comes hand in hand with the loss of things that once were. I will certainly take away many fond memories from Abingdon, but if you do have any suggestions for more substantial mementos, I was thinking a prefect’s tie, a copy of The Martlet, my office door, the flag pole, and the gold eagle lectern. Please help me to move on, Dudley, as we both leave this glorious kingdom and you remain the luckiest dog of all.

Most sincere thanks and congratulations, Anonymous Head of Abingdon Foundation and Abingdon School

Dear Client, While I do appreciate the undoubtedly urgent letter you left in my basket, I think we should agree to discuss your dilemma in person. I’ve been clearing my backlog of correspondence this week, so a face to face discussion would be rather apt. We do, after all, work in the same room. It will be alright.

Yours sincerely, Dudley Dear all, I am writing to thank you, my readers, for all the trust you have invested in me during my Abingdon pastoral career. Unfortunately that’s not the only reason I’m writing to you. Owing to recent developments, I am heading for an inevitable change in personal circumstances that leaves me on the horns of a dilemma.

It is with considerable regret that I announce my resignation from my current position at Abingdon School at the end of this academic year. This decision has caused me no small amount of anxiety, but I have chosen to pursue my primary function as a pet dog, and will be accompanying Miss Lusk on her travels for the foreseeable future. Until a suitable replacement can be found, please continue to record your dilemmas and try not to worry about them too much. Farewell.

Yours sincerely, Dudley

The

{Marlet}

Quiz

See what you can remember about the last 10 issues of The Martlet with this quiz by Jate Jaturanpinyo 1. Who founded the Martlet?

Ms. Lusk, Ms. Williamson, Mr. Evans, Mr. Boyd

6. Who invented the initial design of the Martlet?

George Jeffreys, Toby Jupp, Asten Yeo, Blake Jones

2. Who was the first Martlet Editor?

Henry Wilkinson, Thomas Lawler, Thomas Harkness, Toby Jupp

7. How many football articles have been published?

Less than 10, 10 to 15, 15 to 20, More than 20

3. How many editors have we had since the first issue?

2, 4, 6, 8

8. Who wrote the only basketball article?

Daniel Brown, Adrian Lei, Boladale Babalakin, Supasin Kongpun

4. How many staff writers did we have in issue 1?

6, 9, 10, 15

9. Who has never written an article for the Martlet?

Jonathan Lee, James Beazley, Jate Jaturanpinyo, Jack Lester

5. Who has been our only illustrator since issue 1?

Michael Man, Ms. Hancock, Ms. Byrne, Asten Yeo

10. What is the name of our printer?

Leach Printing, Newspaper Club, Pulse Print, Oxford Print Centre

Where is it?

c

Try to work where the following stadiums are.

Quiz by Jonny Hurrell

a d

b e

PUBLISHER Emma Williamson

NEWS EDITOR Ben Ffrench

EDITOR Nick Harris

FEATURES EDITORS Jacob Lillie

DEPUTY EDITOR Dan Alcock

SPORTS EDITOR Dan Brown

COPY EDITOR Henry Waterson

DESIGN EDITORS Blake Jones Felipe Jin Li MANAGING DIRECTOR Jate Jaturanpinyo Blake Jones Pawin Sermsuk

STAFF WRITERS Alex Thulin Ben Ffrench Blake Jones Calum Egan Charlie Clarke Dan Alcock Dan Brown Jacob Lillie

Kofo Braithwaite Milo McNally Nick Harris Pawin Sermsuk Piers Mucklejohn Sam Chambers Scott Thomson Toby Jupp William Stewart

ONLINE SUPERVISORS ILLUSTRATOR Sam Chambers Michael Man George Jeffreys Initial design by Asten Yeo Printed by the Newspaper Club

Contact us at martlet@abingdon.org.uk

1. Mr Boyd 2. Thomas Lawler 3. 4 4. 9 5. Michael Man 6. Asten Yeo and George Jeffreys 7. 15 to 20 8. Supasin Kongpun

a. Olympic Stadium b. Wembley Arena c. Twickenham d. Lord’s Cricket Ground e. Wimbledon 9. Jate Jaturanpinyo 10. Newspaper Club