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WWW.MANCUNION.COM 30th NOVEMBER 2015 / ISSUE 10 FREE

Spending Review: What it means for Manchester Higher Education Marcus Johns Deputy Editor-in-chief

As part of the joint post-election Spending Review and Autumn Statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has announced more devolution measures for Greater Manchester.

The further devolution to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and directly-elected Mayor is certainly more evolution than the revolutions we have previously reported on. Though substantially less than the £7 billion devolution wishlist submitted by council leaders before the deadline in September, there are key changes to Devo Manc.

Sir Richard Leese, Vice Chair of Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Devolution to Greater Manchester’s is about shifting influence and decision-making to local Leaders better placed to respond to the city-region’s priorities and needs, delivering better outcomes and better value for our residents and businesses.

“Whether that’s investing in the services or infrastructure we need to drive improvements and ensure that Greater Manchester have the skills which match the jobs being created – benefiting employees and employers alike – the measures announced today are another step in that incremental journey.”

Devo Manc arrived a little over a year ago and much has changed since, with additions such as the devolution of the £6 billion in health spending and the awarding of the right to retain 100 per cent of growth in business rates that has been in place since April.

This comes in the week after a ComRes poll commissioned by BBC local radio found that 44 per

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cent of Northerners said they have never heard of the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ and a further one in five said they had heard of it, but know nothing about it. The poll did, though, show strong support for devolution in the North; 82 per cent agreed the North should have more control over transport, health, and other services.

The announcements on the 25th of November were formally endorsed by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) on Friday 27th.

Tony Lloyd, interim Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “I strongly welcome the recommitment from both sides to deliver real change to how decisions about Greater Manchester are taken. Decisions about people in Manchester and Greater Manchester are best made here and today’s announcement is another step in that journey.

“We are bound to continue to press government on resourcing so that we can ensure that communities across Greater Manchester get the services and investment they deserve.”

Osborne announced that the Greater Manchester Earn Back deal, announced in November 2014, will be continued subject to a gateway review in 2019. This includes £30 million per annum for 30 years to enable the delivery of the Trafford Park Metrolink extension, connecting the Trafford Centre to the Metrolink network, and the SEMMS road link, which will ease congestion around Manchester airport.

The Chancellor also confirmed £9 million a year from 2018/19 in the Spending Review; this came on the same day as the plans for the multi-million pound creative hub that will house the Manchester International Festival were released. It is expected that The Factory will create 2500 jobs and contribute millions of pounds to Manchester’s economy.

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William Brown News Editor The government’s spending review, announced this Wednesday, has seen a number of key policy implementations and cuts for the student population.

Despite strong protests over the last few months, the spending review confirmed that student maintenance grants for those from disadvantaged backgrounds will be scrapped completely and will be replaced by additional student loans.

According to the Chancellor this review could save some £2 billion. However, this highly controversial move could leave students from the poorest backgrounds, as the National Union of Students calculates it, in over £50,000 of debt on leaving university.

The spending review also revealed two other key changes to higher education. Student nurses are to face huge cuts to their education budget.

Tuition fee grants are to be axed and replaced with loans. According to Osborne this will help free up some £800 million a year for the treasury.

Parallel to this cut, Osborne has removed the cap on student nurse places. Osborne said: “Over half of all applicants are turned away, and it leaves hospitals relying on agencies and overseas staff.

“We’ll replace direct funding with loans for new students—so we can abolish this self-defeating cap and create up to 10,000 new training places in this Parliament.”

However, the general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, Janet Davies has responded saying that the change would leave the UK in a “precarious position” saying the move would make people worse off, put people off becoming nurses for the NHS, and would be a “big loss for our society”.

The news comes as earlier this month CEO of

the NHS in England, Simon Stevens, described Osborne’s funding plan for the NHS as not “workable”.

Wednesday’s spending review also announced a shake-up in the student loan repayment schemes. Notably, the review reveals that students who took out loans after 2012 will have to pay more in repayments through a freeze in the £21,000 repayment threshold until April 2021.

The Times Higher Education reports that originally the government had pledged to up-rate the threshold in line with earnings.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has estimated that this freezing of the threshold for repayment means that the average graduate has to pay back £3,000 more than previously thought.

Strikingly, the IFS also estimates that disadvantaged students, who will have taken the additional maintenance loans in place of the scrapped grants, will be on average £6,000 worse off.

Moreover, the Student Opportunity Fund will, according to the spending review, have its budget halved by 2019-20.

The former head of the Independent Task Force on student finance information, Martin Lewis, has described this as a “disgraceful move and a breach of trust by the government that betrays a generation of students”.

Many of these shake-ups and saving schemes have gone ahead so that Osborne can roll out new schemes for post-graduates and part-time students.

According to the TLS, students wishing to study for a second degree will be allowed to access a tuition fee loan from 2017-18, as long their chosen subject is in science, technology, mathematics or engineering.

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Belated Belieber or Believer Berater?

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Features: Tweeting on the beat

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Fashion: A fashionably christmas special

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Music: Top ten albums of 2015

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Students from Goldsmiths University’s Islamic Society intimidated wellknown activist and ex-Muslim Maryam Namazie, including turning off the projector, gesturing death threats, and laughing at the death of a blogger William Brown News Editor At around thirty-four minutes in, Namazie displayed images of the Prophet Muhammad in a ‘Jesus and Mo’ cartoon. A student in the front row left his seat and turned Namazie’s projector off. Then security forcibly removed him from the room.

After the talk, Namazie said that, “After my talk began, ISOC ‘brothers’ started coming into the room, repeatedly banging the door, falling on the floor, heckling me, playing on their phones, shouting out, and creating a climate of intimidation in order to try to prevent me from speaking. I spoke as loud as I could.”

Reza Moradi, a lecturer present at the talk and who was involved in the group discussion that followed, said that one Muslim protester “Looked right into my eyes and with his finger, shaping hand like a handgun, touched his forehead,” in what Moradi described as a “death threat”.

Since the event, ISOC has accused Ms Namazie of “harassment” of its members after the incident. ISOC has

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In a statement, a university spokesperson said: “Goldsmiths supports freedom of speech and follows a set of regulations to help ensure that it is, within the law, secured for members, students, employees, and for visiting speakers.”

However, the Campaign manager for the National Secular Society has said: “It’s becoming very clear the concept of ‘safe spaces’ is being abused to the point where it is becoming a direct threat to freedom of speech.

hosted three events a year, adding a Welcome Week date on top of the January and June dates. Pangaea Festival has reportedly become the larg-

est student-led festival in Europe.

Pangaea will take place between 8pm and 6am on Saturday the 30th of January 2016, to round off the exam

“Some students may find criticism of their religion offensive but, in an open and free society, that does not give them the right to close down such discussion and intimidate those expressing their views.”

Since the event, well-known scientist and atheist, Richard Dawkins, has described Namazie: A brave, wonderful woman, champion of the oppressed, of freedom of speech, and of women.

The University of Manchester Students’ Union declined to comment Photo: Screenshot; Nano GoleSorkh

Pangaea Level 10 Charlie Spargo Editor-in-chief January 2016’s Pangaea theme will have a retro games theme, it was announced today.

Titled Pangaea: Level 10, this will be a celebration of the Festival’s 10th birthday. “Featuring 15 stages—or levels—across the entire Students’ Union and Manchester Academy site, almost 6,000 students are expected to attend,” say the organisers.

After the success of a sold-out September event, the Students’ Union are hoping that this will be the best one since its inception in January 2006.

“We’re incredibly excited for the 10th anniversary of a festival which has grown from strength to strength to be one of the most important dates in the student calendar,” says Joel Smith, Activities and Development Officer. “It’s been really exciting to see hundreds of students getting involved with such a dynamic project.”

2013 saw the first year that Pangaea

Head News Editor: Jenny Sterne News Editor: William Brown Deputy News Editor (Science & Technology): Andy van den Bent-Kelly news@mancunion.com

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Head Music Editor: Henry Scanlan Deputy Music Editors: Matthew Staite, Rob Paterson music@mancunion.com

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also condemned what they see as the “vile harassment of our ISOC members (both male and female) by the Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Society (ASH).”

According to ISOC: “Muslim students who attended the event were shocked and horrified by statements made by Namazie.”

Strikingly, both the University’s Feminist Society and LGBTQ+ society have come out strongly in support of ISOC’s actions at the event. This action has received heavy criticism on twitter with many claiming Namazie has done more for for LGBT+ and women’s’ rights than either of the groups.

According to National Secular Society, Namazie said: “The behaviour of the ISOC ‘brothers’ was so appalling that a number of Muslim women felt the need to apologise, to which I explained that no apology was needed from those who were not to blame.”

She added: “Freedom of expression and the right to criticise and leave Islam without fear and intimidation is a basic human right. We have a responsibility to fight for these universal values at British universities and also across the globe.”

www.mancunion.com The Mancunion Mancunion Extra @TheMancunion

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Subeditors: Gemma Sowerby, Shaun Carter, Nadia Cheung, Lauren Nolan, Karenza Cutting, Jack Howell, Emily Piper

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period. Line-up and ticket details will be released in the coming weeks.

The Mancunion is the official student newspaper of the University of Manchester., established in 1969 with a readership of around 20,000. It is printed weekly for 20 editions and is distributed across campus and the city.

All writers are volunteers and new contributors are always welcome. You can get involved by turning up to a meeting, the times of which are listed on the Mancunion website’s Join page.

We gladly accept contributors from outside the University of Manchester.

The Mancunion is part of the Manchester Media Group, along with Fuse FM and Fuse TV. This body encompasses all of the Union’s official media outlets, and organises training, outside speakers, and social events for Manchester students interested in student media.

If you have any comments, questions, or complaints, or would like to contribute, please e-mail the Editor-in-chief or Deputy Editor-in-chief.

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ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Continued from page 1: Manchester The combined spending review and autumn statement devolves further powers and responsibilities to Greater Manchester The largest financial package agreed is the devolution of control over European funding. The GMCA will become an Intermediate Body for European Regional Development Funds and European Social Funds in Greater Manchester. With respect to 2014–2020, this amounts to €413.8 million, over which the GMCA will have greater influence and decision making powers.

In planning policy, Osborne has given the Mayor the power to implement a Community Infrastructure Levy, subject to the unanimous approval of his cabinet, the GMCA. This levy will permit extra spending on development and regeneration across Greater Manchester. In the short term, the GMCA has been asked to develop a business case for a Land Programme, which will ensure strategic sites for housing and employment are developed faster—though in order to activate the Land Programme, the case will have to demonstrate that it expedites development.

Beginning on the 1st of April 2017, the government has committed to the full transfer of resources to support bus franchising. The government will work closely with the GMCA to ensure this timetable is met and that bus related payments will become part of the Mayor’s multi-year transport settlement.

There was disappointment as only £300 million was budgeted for cycling outside of London, whilst London alone has £1 billion earmarked. The non-London cycling funding average is now £1.39 per person per annum, which is set to disappoint the citizens of Greater Manchester who asked for £25 per person per annum in a Sustrans Greater Manchester survey about cycling earlier this month.

The GMCA and the British Business Banks will now agree a Memorandum of Understanding setting out how they will support small and mediumsized enterprise businesses, ensuring access to support and financing for better growth.

Subject to legislation, the GMCA will also be able to introduce a Business Rates supplement to support local investment.

In children’s and young people’s services, the government will support the GMCA to develop an integrated Greater Manchester approach by April 2017. This comes too with increased focus on skills, seen as key to Greater Manchester’s success.

The government has asked the GMCA to complete analysis into post-19 skills provision and how

Continued from page 1: Higher Education

it can better meet the needs of the local economy by the end of the financial year so that the process of devolving this skills provision can begin.

The GMCA and Osborne have agreed that subsequent to the Spending Review, discussions will take place to allow Greater Manchester full control of the commissioning process of Employment Support. These discussions will be finalised by the end of the financial year.

Councillor Sean Anstee, Vice Chair of GMCA and Leader of Trafford Council, said: “The announcement today of further devolution of powers is welcome and demonstrates the on-going commitment of Government to this cause and enables Greater Manchester to look at new areas where local decision-making will make a positive difference.

“Whether it is enhanced transport, energy and science commitments, integrated services for children or a joined-up skills and employment system, this announcement, coupled with those over the last year, mean the foundations have been laid for stronger, more prosperous Greater Manchester to benefit our residents and businesses across the city-region.”

Councillor Sue Derbyshire, Vice Chair of GMCA and Leader of Stockport Council, said: “While local government is facing the challenge of further spending reductions, the 10 Greater Manchester councils are working together to make sure we can maintain growth and services to residents.

The devolution agreements with government are a major step towards this and these extra announcements take us further.”

Stranger leaves £20 for struggling student A kind stranger gifted a University of Manchester student the funds to pay for a doctor’s letter after overhearing a difficult phonecall Jenny Sterne Head News Editor Charlotte Rose Ford, a student at the University of Manchester, was treated to a random act of kindness after a stranger overheard her phone call to a counsellor about the pressure she was under.

Charlotte had been sitting in the Students’ Union speaking with her counsellor about the £20 cost to get a doctor’s letter needed to get mitigating circumstances for her university deadlines.

Charlotte explained she sometimes misses deadlines due to getting distracted by her low mood or gets anxious that her work isn’t good enough.

Her phone call in ended in tears, but she was then presented with a coffee with a note and two £10 notes in the coffee cup’s sleeve.

The stranger’s note said: “I hope you don’t mind that I overheard. Just wanted to say don’t worry!

I’ve been there, I thought I wouldn’t get through my undergrad and now I’m doing a PhD! This is for the doctor’s note. You’ll get through it!”

Charlotte posted about the incident on Facebook and it was widely shared. She wrote: “Mental

Medical student banned from practicing has appeal denied The High Court has denied Ravindu Thilakawardhana’s appeal against his punishment, which resulted in him being struck off for posting a Facebook threat and quoting Liam Neeson in Taken Charlie Spargo Editor-in-chief

Photo: The Office for Metropolitan Architecture

health stuff at uni is hard and sometimes I struggle to get my work done to a standard I’m happy with, or I miss deadlines because I’m too distracted by my low mood or I’m too anxious that my work isn’t good enough—so I have to ask for mitigating circumstances. It wasn’t a particularly fun phone call, and I got a bit emotional whilst I was explaining to the counsellor what I wanted to see them for.

“At one point I mentioned the fact that I needed a letter for a mitigating circumstances form, and that I’d been to the doctor but that they would charge me £20 for it, which is money I can’t always spare.”

Charlotte has said she is now booking an appointment with the University’s Counselling Service.

Charlotte added: “I don’t know who it was that sent it to me but if they read this I want to thank them so much because they completely made my day and made me feel so much better; as well as completely baffled by how kind strangers can be!”

Charlotte said the experience proved “you’re really not on your own” and that “the world is a lovely place”.

A medical student at the University of Leicester has been struck off after making a threatening comment, which quoted the Liam Neeson action film Taken.

Ravindu Thilakawardhana, then a fourth year medical student, saw that an explicit photo of a friend of his had been posted to Facebook in October 2013. The person posting the photos was accidentally sent the images.

Thilakawardhana reacted with anger and posted the famous Neeson quote from the thriller: “I will look for you, I will find you. And I will kill you.”

He continued, warning: “I don’t want to see you on a night out in Leicester, or in the UK.” When this was reported to the medical school, disciplinary

action was taken. Months later in April 2014, a disciplinary panel declared him “unfit to practice” and he was removed from the course and medical register.

Thilakawardhana appealed against the ruling to both an independent adjudicator and then to London’s High Court. His legal team stated he was remorseful and that he only reacted in this way due to being provoked.

Their defence rested on the assertion that the student who had posted the photos was carrying out calculated revenge by targeting the student’s career prospects.

The appeal was to conclude this month.

However, the judge upheld the decision, stating what the student did was “fundamentally incompatible with continuing on a medical course or eventually practising as a doctor.”

UEASU introduces food banks to combat student poverty

Wednesday’s spending review heralds massive cuts for student nurses and higher education more broadly

Though they are required to attend a meeting to prove thier status, students in need will be given food tokens to help combat rising levels of student poverty

Moreover, the current age restriction of under 30 will be lifted for those who wish to take post-graduate loans out after 2016-17. Instead loans will be available to all those under the age of 60.

Part-time students will also have access to a new maintenance loans from 2018-19. The government says some 150,000 students could benefit from this change by 2020.

The director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, Nick Hillman, said: “The Spending Review could have been worse for universities and students than it has turned out to be.

“The improvements to postgraduate loans, the new support for part-time students and the protection of research spending are all welcome and better than many people feared.”

The University of East Anglia students’ union (UEASU) has launched a food bank programme in response to the rising problem of student poverty. It is part of a wider ‘Cost of Living’ campaign to give students “the time and money to get as much as they can from their education.”

The initiative, called FoodbankSU, uses money and food donated to the shop on campus with the proceeds being split between the student food bank and further banks in the Norwich area. Students in need are required to first meet with the dean of students to discuss their situation and will then receive a food token. The UEASU plan a campaign for later in the year to increase the stock in the food bank, as well as raising awareness.

George Ball Reporter

Liam McCafferty, a postgraduate education officer at the university, outlined the situation.

Speaking to The Independent, he said: “Flatlining student maintenance support, the rising cost of living, and sky high accommodation prices are forcing some UEA students into impossible situations and dangerous payday debt.”

Whilst the UEASU are the latest to act, it seems student poverty is rapidly becoming a more prominent issue. In January this year, the New Policy Institute published a report to highlight some serious issues. It showed that there were 440,000 students at the time living in poverty, some 25 per cent of all young people in poverty in the UK. Back in April 2014, concerns were already being discussed. Then vice-president of the NUS Colum McGuire, speaking to The Independent, stressed the severity of the situation. He said “People are struggling... Our members report that

they have to provide food parcels to students who literally cannot afford to eat.”

Furthermore, a recent study reinforced the view that finance and diet was an issue for the majority of students. The 2015 National Student Money Survey showed 80 per cent of students ‘worried about making ends meet’ and a further 63 per cent were of the view that this affected their diet.

Students using food banks is unfortunately not a new occurrence. Last year, Manchester Central Foodbank reported an increase in the number of student users of the service. The University of Hull Students’ Union also reported an increase in students using food banks last year, with numbers doubling.

The foodbank launched on 13th November and the campaign is due to continue throughout the rest of the academic year.

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ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Yoga and 1920s themes Music will beat mines targeted in ‘cultural appropriation’ disputes Daniel Saville Reporter

This week both Oxford University and the University of Ottawa have been criticised in the latest examples of unacceptable “cultural appropriation” Tori Blakeman Reporter

After ‘culturally insensitive’ Native American attire was prohibited at this year’s ‘Neverland’ Pangaea, and ‘racist’ Mexican sombrero hats were banned at a freshers’ event at the University of East Anglia, it seems that cultural appropriation is a recurring dispute at many universities across the globe.

Two colleges at the University of Oxford have sparked a race row over plans to hold New Orleans and 1920s themed end-of-year balls. Students have claimed that the plans outlined by the two colleges may cause offence to female and ethnic minority students. The balls have been branded ‘problematic’ for commemorating ‘an era of history steeped in racism’.

Law student, Arushi Garg, originally from India, expressed her disappointment of the 1926 theme planned for the Magdalen ball, stating that “if we’re reliving the past, the corridors of institutional spaces like Magdalen/Oxford is definitely not where you would find people of my gender, race and nationality.”

Lincoln College has also faced criticism for the marketing of its New Orleans-themed ball, being accused of mimicking the Mexican holiday ‘Dia de los Muertos’ (‘Day of the Dead’). The Lincoln

ball committee has denied using material based on the holiday, or any other aspect of the Mexican culture, insisting critics have “misinterpreted” the advertising.

Continuing the series of recent cultural appropriation allegations, the University of Ottawa in Canada have suspended free yoga classes after complaints that the lessons were unacceptable “cultural appropriation” of a non-Western practice.

Yoga practitioner, Jennifer Scharf, has held free weekly classes to students at the university since 2008. At the beginning of this semester she received an email from the Centre for Students with Disabilities informing her of issues surrounding a formal complaint.

Staff from the centre wrote in the email: “While yoga is a really great idea and accessible and great for students... there are cultural issues of implication involved in the practice. Yoga has been under a lot of controversy lately due to how it is being practiced,” and which cultures those practices “are being taken from.”

The email continued to state that many of those cultures “have experienced oppression, cultural genocide, and Diasporas due to colonialism and Western supremacy… we need to be mindful of this and how we express ourselves whilst practicing yoga.”

The Ottawa Student Federation, the university’s

independent student body, made the decision to cancel the classes, despite Ms Scharf’s suggestion to change the name of the classes to “mindful stretching.”

The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is a 1997 Nobel Peace Prize winning charity that works in areas and communities affected by landmines, unexploded bombs and weapons left as a legacy of conflict. Students here at the University of Manchester are going to contribute to the cause by holding an online auction of music and literary memorabilia from November 26th to the 6th December.

All money raised will go towards aiding MAG in continuing their work. Last year the auction raised £4500 which helped MAG to clear 3000m² of land, making life safer for communities dealing with the threat of unexploded bombs. Worldwide MAG have cleared over 20 million square meters of land of land mines, directly benefiting 1.1 million men, women and children.

This ‘Music Beats Mines’ auction will be selling items from big names such as The Editors, Scouting for Girls and John Bishop. Anyone looking to place a bid should keep an eye on the fundraisers’ Twitter page @MusicBeatsMines where they will be posting regular updates about the auction which will itself be held on eBay.

Photo: MAG Photo: The Mancunion

Students promote the importance of the arts as higher eduction options

Arts Emergency Manchester plans to build on the success of last year by conducting another series of workshops in schools around Manchester, promoting the arts and social sciences Jenny Sterne Head News Editor Arts Emergency Manchester is a faction of Arts Emergency, a London based charity working to create an alternative to the old boy’s network.

They are in their second year of running workshops in schools in the Manchester area.

On the Arts Emergency website the charity claim that “learning to read poetry or philosophy or how to understand a painting or film are not elite pursuits, but now rising tuition fees and the withdrawal of public funding for the teaching of Arts and Humanities at university means they risk becoming so.”

The number of students taking arts subjects at GCSE level and beyond has been in decline for many years. The Cultural Learning Alliance revealed this summer that over the last five years there has been a decline of 13 per cent in the number of arts GCSE entries.

Bianca Ama Manu, co-chair of Arts Emergency Manchester told The Mancunion: “As a Manchester student branch, we work in conjunction with Access All Areas at the University of Manchester Students’ Union in order to offer top quality workshops to secondary school pupils.

We aim to address under-representation and equal opportunity in Higher Education by providing local secondary school students with the opportunity to explore the wide range of Arts and Humanities subjects offered at the University of Manchester.

Last year the project was very successful, a

sta ndout succe s s b e i ng t he re s c u i ng of Sociology from being scrapped as a GCSE choice in a school.

The main aim of the project was to encourage young people to think about university and hu-

manities subjects as options. Bianca said of last year’s achievements: “Students were concerned about leaving home, choosing the right subject and rising tuition fees. We invested a lot of time dispelling myths and negative images about uni-

Photo: The University of Manchester

versity. By answering all the questions and concerns students might have had about university, we made it approachable and accessible.

The results of last year’s workshops speak for themselves with 100 per cent of the 24 students strongly agreeing that all their questions about university were answered because of the project. 63 per cent strongly agreed the programme had made them think more about university as an option for them, whilst 71 per cent strongly agreed the Arts Emergency Schools programme had helped them discover subjects they hadn’t previously known about. 98 per cent of students would like to go to college or sixth form, and 92 per cent were certain about advancing to university.

Arts Emergency Manchester plans to hold more workshops this year beginning in January 2016 for 10 weeks and each week will consist of an hour lesson. The selected students will be given an insight into humanities or social science subjects including Anthropology, Geography, Politics, Journalism, Anthropology, American Studies, and History of Art. Bianca added: “This year, we intend to increase our reach and work with another secondary school. We need as much support to make sure we can keep promoting the importance of arts, humanities and social sciences.”

If you would like to get involved e-mail artsemergencymanchester@gmail.com or join their Facebook page for updates.

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ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

SU confronts student alcoholism as campus drinking problems rise

Amid growing calls for drinking culture reform and support, the SU is planning a partnership with Alcoholics Anonymous to battle alcoholism in students Paul Scott Reporter The University of Manchester Students’ Union is looking to create a support group in partnership with Alcoholics Anonymous to help troubled students and tackle a dangerous drinking culture, as the number of drinkrelated issues is on the rise.

Binge drinking, ‘lad culture’ and sports team initiations have become as familiar on university campuses as academia, and have garnered much criticism for British universities from the media.

Drink-related instances across Britain’s university campuses are on the increase and there is mounting concern for student welfare as young people barely of drinking age are consuming dangerous levels of alcohol on a regular basis.

Statistics from the past few years show that as many as 40 per cent of students are classified as alcoholics under the formal medical definition.

The Union are responding to this concerning trend by potentially adding another dimension to the several support services

offered to students.

A third year student who characterised his own experience as “typical” said of university drinking: “Obviously it’s very intense at the start of first year with freshers’ week and the constant expectation to be going out.

“I think at that stage everyone knows how ridiculous it is when you see guys being sick everywhere or trashing up their halls, but at the same time people find it funny and probably what they think is normal for uni.”

The normalisation of this kind of behaviour and mounting data pointing to a student drinking problem is what has prompted the Students’ Union to consider setting up the AA group on campus.

Although the initiative has yet to be rolled out, the Union encourage students who feel they need support surrounding the issue to make use of “the wellbeing services that we already offer to our students.”

However, as with many support services, many students are unaware and unsure of the procedures or hesitant to ask for help.

PhotoCredit: ‘(Erik)’ @Flickr

Another third year student said of the AA group idea: “If I ever had an issue with alcohol I don’t really know what I’d do, would that qualify me for counselling? At least with an AA group there’s an obvious place for people to turn.”

The group will look to provide such a place for students and to

confront what appears to be an endemic problem across British universities. For most, drinking is an enjoyable part of student life, but excessive drinking should, many argue, be more widely viewed not as an inevitable part of the university experience.

For those who experience

the potentially serious and dangerous consequences of regular drinking, the UnionAlcoholics Anonymous partnership will represent much needed support network and progress on an issue that has largely been neglected.

needs help with alcohol-related issues, contact the University’s Counselling Service, at manchester.ac.uk/counselling, or search for a local meeting of Manchester Alcoholics Anonymous.

If you or anyone you know

History of students going to university ‘beginning to erode’

Katie Hopkins left redfaced by Brunel students

Accoding to the Association of Colleges, Britain has made a mistake in not investing in professional and technical education

Alexandra Bickell Reporter

Jacob Nicholas Reporter

The ‘long history’ of British students going to university is ‘beginning to erode’, due to rising fees and poor university business models.

In an interview with Times Higher Education, the president of the Association of Colleges, John Widdowson, and its higher education policy manager, Nick Davy, claimed that Britain has made a mistake in not investing in professional and technical education, and now universities have gone ‘too far’ into higher education, and cannot ‘adapt’to using a different model.

Davy stated a need for a shift to colleges, saying that ‘if we’re going to develop a technical and professional stream, it’s the colleges that have got the expertise and the links with local employers and labour markets.’

Whilst university applications are rising consistently, with 2015 seeing a record breaking 590,000 applicants, Davy says it will not be until April 2016, when the first students to be paying £9000 a year ‘get the

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

bill through the door’, that people will realise the cost of university.

He continued to say that there has been no reaction yet because ‘young people don’t understand debt the way older people perhaps do.’ Once this debt hits, Davy claims that ‘that long history of going away to university in England, I think that will begin to erode,’ although ‘not completely, because it’s still very much a part of our culture.’

When asked for comment, Students’ Union Education Secretary Michael Spence expressed concern for all

areas of higher education, saying that ‘As fees begin to rise, I fear that prospective students will be put off attending university.

However, unlike Mr. Davy, I fear that many will not find alternatives in Further Education because the sector is severely underfunded and many colleges are likely to close in the next few years.’

Recent research by House of Commons library staff showed that £1.6 billion could be cut from college budgets next year if the government continues its aim of a 25 per cent cut to the services. This would be the equivalent of closing four in every ten higher education colleges. However, in the Autumn Statement, it was announced that school and college funding would be protected this year, and that colleges could choose to become academies, saving on average £317,000 a year on VAT.

Brunel University recently hosted a debate on the welfare state featuring Katie Hopkins as a speaker. Just as Hopkins began to speak, around 50 of the students stood up and silently walked out of the lecture theatre, refusing to listen to her provocative views.

Hopkins had been asked to speak during the university’s 50th birthday celebrations, as a member of a panel debating the motion “Does the Welfare State Have a Place in 2015?” Given that Hopkins has previously compared refugees to “cockroaches” and has suggested using “gunships” to prevent mass migration into the UK, she was always going to be a very contentious and potentially unpopular choice.

In fact, several months ago, a petition was started on Change.org to swap Katie for 50,000 migrants – a request that now has over 60,000 signatures on it. Before the debate even began, the controversy was evident. The president of the Brunel Student Union, Ali Milani, said “the inclusion of Ms Hopkins has been met with widespread outcry from the student body and the Students’ Union.”

Social media sites were full of Brunel students voicing their disapproval of the choice, with Twitter user Conor Sheehan, @ConorNotColin, writing “[I am] genuinely ashamed that my university would consider bringing such a vile woman here.”

As Ms Hopkins began to speak, the students stood up and faced away from her silently, some checking their phones, some simply declining to look at her. After being invited to return to their seats after around a minute, the students walked straight out of the lecture theatre, emptying it significantly and leaving the chairman of the debate understandably flustered.

Hopkins predictably believes that the students were in the wrong, stating “To those who debated openly – thank you. You give me hope our future is not entirely populated by closed minds.”

What may be surprising however is that she did have some resounding supporters, such as Harry Dawes, who argued “These Brunel students are shameful, cannot handle a debate and an alternative opinion! I’m fearful for my generation!”

Nevertheless, the majority of people were busy stating their approval of the students’ actions. Hundreds of Twitter users weighed in on the debate, with Niall Breslin, an Irish musician and sportsman, saying “You can always trust the students to get the job done. Simple, effective.” In slightly less polite terms, user Rebecca Crow, suggested “this is how you should deal with any troll-like creatures.”

After being involved in intense televised debates and fierce arguments with celebrities, from Lily Allen to Philip Schofield, neither the media storm nor the overt dislike from the public will be new to Hopkins.

News & Global

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Manchester to be a carbon neutral city by 2050 Manchester City Council has outlined its intentions for the city to be run entirely on green energy within the next 35 years, along with several other British councils Andy van den Bent-Kelly Science & Technology Editor Manchester, along with multiple British cities, will be run entirely on green energy by 2050, in a bid by the council to totally eradicate carbon emissions.

More than 50 Labour-run councils across the country, including Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh, have signed the pledge, which was organised by the Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Lisa Nandy.

It is hoped that by introducing totally green transport, scrapping gas heating in homes nationwide and installing efficient insulation in residences, the UK’s total carbon footprint will be cut by 10 per cent.

Manchester has already made advances in these key areas, with a whole host of eco-friendly buses currently running throughout the city.

The leader of Manchester City Council, Sir Richard Leese, said that the transition would happen “through acts of leadership by the

many, not the few.”

He added: “We are taking action to show a completely clean energy future is both viable and within reach within the course of a generation.”

It is intended that the pledges made by these councils will inspire mayoral candidates in London to declare support for these plans – several Labour boroughs in the capital have already expressed their intentions to follow suit.

The move comes at an appropriate time, with the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference due to begin on November 30th in Paris. Ahead of these hugely important talks, cities across the world have made similar pledges, including New York, Copenhagen and Sydney.

The pledge itself says: “We have the ambition of making all our towns and cities across the UK 100 per cent clean before 2050, in line with the commitments made nationally and internationally at the Paris summit.

“We hope other towns and cities across the globe will join us to

demonstrate that this transition will happen through acts of leadership by the many, not the few, and that a transition to a clean energy future is both viable and already beginning to happen in many towns and cities today. Our UK towns and cities are committed to making a better future for all.”

The initiative showcases the benefits that a Labour government could have for the environment. The current Conservative regime has severely cut subsidies for renewable energy sources, but according to Nandy, the opposition’s intentions are drastically different.

“Where Labour is in power we will push for a clean energy boom even if the government will not,” she said.

“Ministers say they support devolution to our towns and cities so they should back these council leaders by ending their attack on the schemes that can help to make this safer, cleaner future a reality.”

In Science this week...

Rocket debris found GM mosquitoes may off coast of Isles of Scilly eradicate malaria A large chunk of an American rocket has washed up on the shores of the Isles of Scilly.

The section, believed to have originated from the ill-fated SpaceX Falcon9 launch in June, measures roughly 10m by 4m. It was discovered by Joseph Thomas of Tresco Boat Services, who then helped to tow it to the island. It is now under the careful supervision of the local coastguard.

The fuselage piece was only correctly identified after removing the multiple goose barnacles that had grown on it, which revealed an American flag.

Following its launch over summer, the spacecraft disintegrated shortly after take-off in Florida, some 4,100 miles away.

Stories by: Andy van den Bent-Kelly, Jenny Sterne, Georgie Hines, Rossy Natale, Alexandra Bickell, Eva Katz, Elinor Bridges & Marcus Johns

Heightened security for Thanksgiving parade New York City New York City’s annual Thanksgiving Day parade was this year protected by record numbers of police officers, with an extra 200 counter-terrorist officers backing up the usual forces.

This extra security was due to the lingering threat after the Paris attacks earlier this month.

Police lined the streets with helicopters flying overhead to make sure that the spectators could enjoy the enormous spectacle in peace.

Around 3 million people watched the parade from the roadsides whilst about 50 million are thought to have watched it on television.

Trump insults disabled reporter USA Donald Trump is yet again in hot water after performing an imitation of a New York Times reporter with a congenital joint condition.

He started his bizarre impression by stating “the poor guy, you gotta see this guy” before flailing his arms and jerking uncomfortably in a mocking fashion.

Mr Trump was using an article written by Mr Kovaleski, the reporter in question, to support his claims that Muslim Americans celebrated 9/11. Kovaleski, has said “the sad part about it is, it didn’t in the slightest bit jar or surprise me that Trump would do something this low-rent”.

Syrian refugee feeds homeless Berlin, Germany Alex Assali, a Syrian refugee, has chosen to show his gratitude to the German people by offering traditional Syrian food to Berlin’s homeless community every Saturday. The MailOnline reports that Assali was forced to flee Damascus in 2007 following his criticism of President Asaad’s regime.

A photo of Assali carrying out this act of appreciation has gone viral since it was posted Facebook by his friend Tabea Bü.

Assali asserts “we are not consumer people but we are people who love tender.”

“We want to be a positive part in the German community. Want to be one hand (Syrian and German citizens) to help the others and help each other.”

sistant mosquitoes.

A new type of genetic engineering, involving cutting out segments of mosquito DNA and replacing them with malaria resistant genes, has been used to generate the mosquitoes.

A technique called ‘gene driving’ has also been used. This involves inserting the resistance gene in not one, but both of the mosquito chromosomes. This ensures that the malaria resistance is passed on to all of their offspring.

Gene driving is incredibly efficient; the researchers believe that malarial resistance has the

to spread throughout the world in as litNew treatment for potential tle time as one summer. diabetes could mean Mars will someday no daily injections have its own ring Diabetes sufferers may no longer need to inject themselves on a daily basis, after scientists showed that boosting the body’s immune system can restore insulin production for up to a year.

Type 1 diabetes sufferers do not have enough ‘peacekeeping’ cells called ‘T-regs’, which protect insulin-secreting cells from the disease. However, American researchers have shown that these cells can be removed, increased 1500-fold in the lab and then returned to the body.

An initial trial of 14 people has had positive results, with the effects of the technique lasting for as long as a whole year.

Domestic Global abuse call for In the news this week... actually spider The important and interesting stories from the wider world this week.

Researchers at the University of California have finished engineering a new strain of malaria re-

Australia Australian police rushed to a New South Wales home after neighbours reported a series of female screams from a nearby house.

Once officers reached the property, around 2am, they heard a male voice shouting “I’m going to kill you!

Die! Die!” Worried about a potential domestic violence incident, police on the scene were surprised to find the man was alone.

He had been chasing a spider around his house with a can of bug spray for several hours.

When asked about the women screaming the man became shy and replied: “Yeah sorry that was me, I really hate spiders”. Police said they left “after a long pause” and “some laughter”.

One member of the force said “judging by the size of the spider, it is not a shock that the man decided to scream at it”.

Mars is likely to have its own ring within the next 40 million years, according to researchers. Unlike, Saturn, however, the ring will be formed of the remnants of one of its moons.

Phobos, Mars’ closest moon, is circling inwards towards the red planet and will be torn apart as it closes in. After 20-40 million years, the planet will rip its moon apart in as little as 40 days. The remaining chunks will continue to orbit as part of a ring. Depending on when this disintegration occurs, the ring could last for up to 100 million years.

Although the ring will be nowhere near as bright as Saturn’s, it may still cast a shadow on the Martian surface.

Software pirate needs 200,000 views Czech Republic Jakub F, a software pirate who has uploaded hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of copied software programs to filesharing sites, has been spared paying damages through a unique out of court settlement.

The Czech criminal court ruled that any damages would have to be claimed through the civil court, the Business Software Alliance responded by offering an alternative.

The company gave Jakub the chance to star in an online video to deter others from committing piracy.

If the video reaches 200,000 views, Jakub will not be taken to court again, and will only have to pay a small fee.

Siberian tiger befriends dinner Russia Amur, a Siberian tiger at the Primorsky Safari Park in North West Russia has made friends with his dinner, Timur the goat. Timur was supposed to be one of Amur’s biweekly living meals.

Timur was supposed to meet an untimely and gruesome end when the goat was feasted on by the tiger, but instead chose to chase the tiger around its own enclosure.

Following the chase, Timur the goat took up residence in Amur’s shelter—whilst Amur was forced by the goat to sleep on the roof.

This has happened over the last six nights, and it appears to be the case that the two animals have become friends.

Timur follows Amur relentlessly around the enclosure, clearly either oblivious to or ignoring the risk of following a tiger around as a goat.

Timur was named by the staff at Primorsky Safari Park after a courageous young boy from a popular Soviet-era children’s novel, Timur and His Squad.

The staff have expressed surprise at Amur’s elective kindness, as Siberian tigers are far from renowned for their friendly nature.

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In conversation with Tariq Ali Left wing giant Tariq Ali talks to The Mancunion about student power, the world today, and his hopes and fears for the future peal in the South-East may be limited but I think he will appeal to people in large parts of England. Not Scotland in my opinion, that’s over. But certainly in the north of England. He will appeal to people.

“The game’s not over yet. The very fact that 200,000 people have joined the Labour Party since Jeremy was elected—young people have been mobilised—offers a lot of opportunities.”

Ali’s interests and breadth of knowledge are such that the conversation moves to international affairs and the supposed ‘decline of the USA’ in the face of emerging economies such as China, Brazil, and India.

“Just being realistic—and this is a point I’ve expressed in my book The Extreme Centre—I don’t believe the USA is in decline. I think that the USA is still the only imperial power in the world. The challenges it’s facing are not from people who want to work together with it, but those whom the USA has kicked aside— like Putin and Russia.

“I think the Chinese have no desire to rival the US in occupying countries and taking over this that or the other. Their army isn’t strong enough and it’s not built for that—it’s largely a defensive army.

So even though the centre of the world market appears to have shifted to China, the United States still remains the major power.”

He mentions how after the Vietnam War and the USA’s ventures in the Middle East everyone thought that USA was never going to be able to project its power across the world again. Despite this, according to Ali, the USA’s power is clearly demonstrated by “the breaking up the sovereignty of three countries in the Middle East who were seen as a threat to them and their allies: Iraq, Syria, and Libya. They couldn’t do that in Iran because there would have been a huge rebellion against them, but they did it to those three.

“They don’t necessarily see these things as defeats. They say they handled it badly, we should have done it better, but basically even Obama defends it now. So it’s not a decline of the empire, it’s a readjustment if you like. It’s a re-establishing of its hegemony in new conditions.”

William Brown News Editor Tariq Ali stands as a giant in left wing circles. He has been vehement and fearless critic of the West and its policies towards the global south since the late 1960s. A radical through and through, there is little Ali has not seen or done. A tireless activist, upon graduating from Oxford, Ali made his name leading the British Vietnam Solidarity Campaign in the late 1960s and 1970s. Since then Ali has been at the forefront of the international left.

Over the years Ali has campaigned, argued with, and befriended names that ring through history: Malcolm X, Bertrand Russell, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Noam Chomsky, Julian Assange, Ralph Miliband, Christopher Hitchens, and Edward Said to name but a few. He is the inspiration behind the Rolling Stones’ song ‘Street Fighting Man’, and he will “shout and scream”, he will “kill the King”, he certainly will “rail at all his servants”.

Ali is a prolific writer, having penned more than 35 books over the years. He also sits on the editorial committee of the New Left Review, and is an accomplished film-maker. But selling the revolution gets you rich, and as I sit down in Ali’s luxury London Highgate home, decorated on all sides with art from every continent, I can’t help but wonder just how radical he still is.

We start off talking about student power. As the government continues to roll out cuts to education, and students only seem able to rally a few thousand to march at best, I question him on his time in the 1960s and 1970s—the so called ‘golden era’ of activism.

“It is romanticised in my opinion. No doubt that the students were more radical. The students were more radical because their environment was more radical.

“The point I stress again and again whenever I talk about it is that it was the ability of students to act together with elements of society outside it, who were resisting various things that gave them the power.

“Students were not facing unemployment when they left universities. I think it’s very important to understand that. The promise of employment was there. Virtually every student at a university knew there was a job when he or she graduated.”

This raises the question—have universities expanded too much? This year alone, over 400,000 people got confirmed places at university. On graduation there is a fraction of that number of graduate jobs available.

“We live in a world where stupidity is encouraged.”

Ali counters this: “I mean basically these were Thatcherite reforms: Turning the polytechnics into universities. The aim was to improve the statistics—‘we have so many people in education’.

“I mean, in my opinion everyone who leaves school should have the right to a free university education. The money is there. It should be spent.

“In the 1960s and 1970s there was no economic pressure as such, and that lack of economic pressure gave students far more leisure time to think about politics, changing society, changing the world, because they didn’t feel threatened.

“And your generation and the Thatcher generations have felt that pressure. Large scale postgraduate unemployment. Graduates driving cabs— things like that.

“This is the world we live in. That is the social and economic context in which both the Conservatives and Labour have operated in. They’re not interested in students as such. Actually capitalism today doesn’t need so many graduates, if one is be-

Photo: Tariq Ali

ing cold-blooded about it. What they actually need is people in science, medicine, engineers, et cetera.

They don’t need the arts graduates.

“And the Japanese government has taken the horrific logical step of saying that the humanities will no longer be taught at Japanese universities.

And that is the shape of the future. Unless you’re an imperial country like the United States where you do need historians and you do need more rounded people—you’re running an empire.

“But in this country that’s not the case—in fact they’re even nervous about people knowing too much. We live in a world where stupidity is encouraged. You just have to watch what goes on on television and the huge changes in the culture of this country. I think there will be more and more attacking universities.”

The conversation moves onto free speech at universities. I mention the recent debacle at the University of Manchester; both the feminist Julie Bindel and the right wing writer Milo Yiannopoulos were banned from speaking at an event entitled ‘From liberation to censorship: does modern feminism have a problem with free speech?’ by the Students’ Union, because they violated the Union’s ‘safe-space’ policy.

Ali was not impressed by the Union’s decision: “I do believe universities should be a safe space in terms of making sure that attempted rape, successful rapes, racism, anything like that is firmly challenged and protection is provided.

“But I am not and never have been in favour of

a no platform policy. It’s a total cop out. It doesn’t solve anything. You haven’t heard the case. And in my opinion unless you hear the right wing argument and debate with the right, it’s very difficult to develop yourself. You’re then talking to a closed circle and feeling good about yourself. A safe zone isn’t really a safe zone, it doesn’t really have that much of an impact in terms of harassment et cetera, and then you join the outside world. I mean how you are going to deal with these problems there.

“It shows how weak we are if we can’t take these people on and defeat them.”

As well as his student activism and continued interest in the landscape of universities, Ali is a long-standing friend of Jeremy Corbyn. I would be remiss to not get his views on the strained relationship between the leader and the bulk of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

“In my opinion the Blairites are not going to let this continue; even as you’re interviewing me there’s probably some cabal or other talking about the best way to do it. I think they’ve decided on two ways: One is a big psychological attack on him helped by the tabloids and the British army and whoever else, to try and force him out voluntarily.

“The second way, is to start leaving in dribs and drabs. If that happens then there should be enormous pressure put on these MPs to… go independent or whatever and fight it out in the constituencies. That would be a good test.”

But Ali seemed hopeful as to his chances: “His ap-

“I am not and never have been in favour of a no platform policy. It’s a total cop out. It doesn’t solve anything. You haven’t heard the case.”

One of the charges levelled at the recent foreign policy of the United States and its allies is that botched interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan has stoked fundamental Islamist violence, leading to the rise of so-called IS. If intervention caused these issues, how can they be solved?

“I do not think an American or Russian intervention is going to stop [IS]. You know, I’ve always believed this. Its only internal opposition than can defeat it. I mean look at Afghanistan, the Americans have occupied the country since 2002—that’s already 13 years—and have they been able to displace the Taliban? No. “The Taliban is now stronger and now they’re negotiating with it. It’ll be the same in Syria; I’m not fan of ISIS or the Taliban, but when you intervene in these countries, effectively all you’re offering is more war, bombs, and killing.”

Ali is equally sceptical about the case for humanitarian intervention against IS: “I don’t believe there is such a thing as a humanitarian intervention. It’s a contradiction in terms. Just look at the Balkans: Bosnia is effectively a UN colony, whilst Croatia is an EU colony—there’s very little independent politics that goes on in these countries.

Got an idea for a feature? Come to the Features section meeting on Mondays at 5:30pm in the Students’ Union Activities Space, or email features@mancunion.com and get involved. No experience is required—just enthusiasm!

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“Every time [humanitarian intervention] happens, for the variety of reasons, external and internal, the result has been a disaster.”

Ali, true to form, continues to be cynical about the reasons for repeated humanitarian interventions in the last three decades: “It keeps happening because we live in a world where money rules and you keep removing all the social safety nets for people. Let’s just suppose the Americans in Afghanistan had built schools, built roads, built hospitals, built cheap housing for the population—they probably would have won over a large chunk of the population. They didn’t do that.

They did what they did at home. They gave money and power to the one per cent.”

Ali is unequivocal—the continued and repeated foreign policy blunders by the major powers is a product of historic and contemporary colonialism: “Ruling other parts of the worlds is embedded in their political genes. It’s something they do. This tiny little set of islands ruled large parts of the world—that doesn’t just go away.

“There is this notion we have the right to do this.

And they carry on and there is no opposition to them. I mean, once the Soviet Union and that entire system collapsed there was no bloc whatsoever to prevent them doing what they want and so they’ve done so.”

I ask Ali, who has been largely pessimistic throughout, what his hopes for the future are. Is there a future where these issues don’t exist?

“If you look at the way technology is moving and developing, I think over the next 20 – 35 years it’ll be perfectly possible for robots to produce a large number of commodities on a global scale.

I mean big commodities—buses, trains planes, cars—all that sort of stuff.

“Ironically, the productive forces will create a situation, in theory, where a life largely can be devoted to leisure and education and democracy could exist on this planet.

“But in order for that to happen, the way in which the social forces operate and the way the rulers of this world are becoming smaller and smaller and earning more and more money. And will they permit the ownership of the means of new productive forces to be challenged from below? I don’t think so. And they are constructing huge armies to protect them, and huge internal surveillance.”

Surveillance has been a central and controversial topic, but has taken on a new urgency in the aftermath of numerous terrorist atrocities in the last few years. This interview was conducted prior to the Islamist attacks in Paris, but it was clear before then that Ali was against mass-surveillance as a tool to counter the threat of terrorists who seek to wreak havoc in the West.

“The notion this surveillance is done to combat terror is just nonsensical. The terrorists are small groups of people who want to throw bombs and kill people. They can change their habits completely. Most of them are probably not internet users or use it carefully. They can revert to sending messages my hand if they have to do it.

“I’ll tell you, a thought flashed through my head a few years ago when two young Chechen American terrorists dropped a rucksack containing bombs during the Boston marathon—a horrific event. But they more or less knew where these boys were. What was the need to close down the whole of Boston, and to frighten the population for 48 hours?

“A thought flashed through my head that this was a dress rehearsal for the future. That it was convenient this happened, so that they could see how they could control a city. And I think increasingly they will use repression—which is why I argued in my book The Extreme Centre that democracy is a sham. That to function properly capitalism doesn’t need democracy at all.”

This idea of some secret cabal of people pulling the strings confuses me. It doesn’t seem viable.

Ali expands: “It’s not from behind the scenes.

It’s in the open. I mean the link is plain to see between big money and politics—it’s so clear. I mean it’s always been clear in the United States.

“But now in Europe it’s increasingly clear that’s how Europe functions. Thatcher did it in a big way, Blair followed her in an ever-bigger way, and now Cameron is following suit. It’s not a secret cabal at all. It’s a cabal that links politics to money.

And this cabal is the political system of these countries.”

Tariq Ali produces videos on tariqalitv.com/ episodes. His latest book, The Extreme Centre: A Warning, is published by Verso Books and is available at all good book stores.

Lemn Sissay’s Christmas dinner Many care leavers spend Christmas Day away from family and friends, with no definite place to go, and often feeling desolate. Lemn Sissay is doing his bit to give something back Photo: The Christmas Dinner

C

hristmas is a time to be thankful for those around us, to gorge ourselves on delicious food and to give and receive wonderful presents. At least, that is what the majority of us have to look forward to this festive season.

It is difficult for the majority of us who are lucky enough to have such a Christmas that there are those in society—people with whom we interact on a regular basis—who do not experience any such enjoyment.

Young people who have left care are one such group. According to poet Lemn Sissay, the newlyinstalled Chancellor of the University of Manchester and himself a care leaver, big, set-piece events like Christmas are the most difficult times for care leavers.

“We want to say: ‘Put your feet up, relax, and let us treat you. Let’s make a memory, so that next year you have something really positive to look back on.’”

He has, in typically eloquent and emotive style, compared the Christmases of those in care, or who have just left it, as “like playing pass-the-parcel to the tune of Jingle Bells when everyone knows there’s nothing in the box.”

For care leavers, Sissay says: “Christmas Day can be the saddest, most distraught day of the year. I remember when I was in care, and when I left care, that Christmas Day was the worst day. So I get as much out of this as the people who come along.”

However, it does not need to be like that. In 2013, Sissay and a group of like-mined people began organising Christmas festivities specifically for those young people who have left care and will have no family or friends to celebrate Christmas with. They started in Manchester and Hackney, and have expanded to Leeds for 2015.

Members of the group give up their own time at Christmas to help put an end to such miserable Christmas experiences felt by young care leavers.

Now in its third year—and growing—Sissay’s collective is hosting Christmas dinner for over 150 care leavers aged between 16 and 30 in Manchester,

Leeds, and Hackney—those who would otherwise be alone without family and friends to be a part of the festivities.

This Christmas, the young care leavers will be given a delicious, home-cooked Christmas meal, and bespoke gifts, bought with public donations.

Today, the group has volunteers from an incredibly broad cross-section of society: From paediatricians to teachers, surgeons to social workers—even unemployed people have given up their time to help host the dinners. Members of the cast of Coronation Street and EastEnders turned up to the Manchester and Hackney events last year.

Sissay is unequivocal about why he feels such an initiative needs to be undertaken: “So that no care leaver, on Christmas Day, is alone, on the streets, in a B&B, or in desperate need. I want us to start taking our responsibility as a community to look after them on that particular day.”

Facing Christmas alone is staggeringly tough, and part of what Sissay is doing is to provide respite from the hardship: “They need to have fun, they need to have a great, joyous experience, and wonderful presents.

“We want to say: ‘Put your feet up, relax, and let us treat you. Let’s make a memory, so that next year you have something really positive to look back on.’

“It’s not like a group therapy session though—it’s a laugh.”

This year’s festivities promise to be the biggest yet, and future growth seems assured. However, Sissay is adamant that this won’t become a national charity—with all the bureaucracy that would entail—but a grassroots movement of altruistic communities.

“I don’t want to go national and create a formula through a series of management committees and provide justifications to people: It has been born out of the grassroots, it has to be people in the community giving up their own time and giving something back.”

The University of Manchester has provided a (secret) location to host the Manchester event, whilst supermarket Booths, and Bailey’s Turkeys will be supplying the food.

However, Sissay and co. still require donations— and volunteers—in order to ensure that the everything runs smoothly on the day. At time of writing,

£16,245 of their ambitious £30,000 target had been raised. It is critical that in the next three-and-a-bitweeks this target is reached.

You can donate to, or volunteer with, the Christmas Dinner appeal at http://www.crowdfunder. co.uk/the-christmas-dinner-2015/, and can keep up to date with developments on social media at #MCRCD2015.

34% of care leavers are not in work by the age of 19, compared with just 15.5% of the rest of the population 1 in 4 homeless people have been in care as a child 40% of the prison population have been in care

Opinion

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Africa must not be forgotten

With an ever increasing focus on the Middle East, we must not forget the related conflicts that rage across Africa

Meetings Mondays, Tristan Parsons 5pm , First Floor of Opinion Writer the Students’ Union.

Put up or shut up Jacob Nicholas on how the Labour Party is being attacked from outside and within Last week comedian Robert Webb posted on Twitter that he was leaving the Labour Party.

A staunch opponent of Corbyn since the leadership campaign begun (he previously called him “almost designed by the Tories to win the next election” and “fucking awful”), it came as no real surprise to anyone to see him leaving.

This could be seen as just the next part of Labour’s slow implosion – a parliamentary party that refuse to accept the results of a democratic election and treat their supporters with contempt, a media that has launched an endless stream of smear campaigns against Corbyn and his allies, and a series of high profile Blairites storming out of the party less than two months after the party changes direction for the first time in over two decades. However, I would argue that what is happening is the very opposite – the constant media storm is not Labour dying, it is the sound of the whole establishment collectively quaking in their boots at the idea of an actual alternative.

Webb has long been an avid fan of Blair’s ‘third way’ politics – there’s an old sketch in ‘That Mitchell and Webb Look’ where he says he got in a fight for defending Blair, pointing out “he doesn’t have an army anymore!” It is a throwaway line, but one that is telling, and a view that has been confirmed in numerous interviews over the years. But in the run up to the election, Webb wrote a brilliant article in favour of Miliband, urging him to “tax me till I fart.” He spoke about being left wing his whole life and, crucially, about his deep-seated hatred of the Conservatives. This hatred is more than understandable, what is not however is the way it is being used to turn on Corbyn. From the Blairites that have abandoned ship to even the supposedly moderate or left-wing media, Corbyn in their eyes cannot be trusted to fend off and beat the Conservatives.

ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

A girl steps out of the bus and into the search point for the city of Maiduguri, Cameroon. We can only make guesses about the thoughts and fears she was enduring in that moment. She presses the button—killing herself and seven people surrounding her. Her act, the five other people killed on the weekend of November 21st, and allegedly a total of around 20,000 deaths since 2009, are all blamed on Boko Haram.

Yet, the world largely turns a blind eye to the most deadly terrorist organisation in the world.

Oil was first discovered in the Niger Delta, in the South of Nigeria, in 1956. With the assistance of a corrupt and oppressive Nigerian government, the world’s biggest transnational corporations moved in to take advantage. In the 1990s, Shell was providing around 50% of the government’s income, helping to maintain itself, the power of the military, and the elite that surround it.

The conditions the Nigerian people have been put through are extraordinary. Since 1956, relative to inflation, average incomes have halved. This figure fails to account for widespread health problems – such as respiratory problems caused by the burning of excess gas. The loss of identity, too, has been important, as farming and fishing incomes were reduced due to environmental pollution.

There is a history of militancy in the north, from the pre-British Sokoto Caliphate to the Maitatsine Sect of the 1980s. However,

this is not merely a continuation of history.

Like the Maitatsine Sect, Boko Haram feeds off chaotic social and political relations, oil money, and desperate poverty. In northern Nigeria 70% of people live on under $1 a day. Recruits for the group often come from the drilled area in the south.

The role of the Nigerian state in controlling the group has been minimal until fairly recently. The government is now raiding camps and bases in northern Nigeria. But the degree to which the group controls the north makes it extremely difficult to infiltrate. The United States has provided some assistance, with extra funding being sent to 2015’s President Muhammadu Buhari. However, they are reluctant to increase funding too much, or provide surveillance drones because of the Nigerian military’s reputation for brutality, and because of priorities in the

Middle East.

The locations of Boko Haram and the oppressed ethnic minorities in the Niger Delta are rather a convenience. Although there is some militancy in the Delta, Boko Haram are not located too near the majority of oil reserves, whilst the conditions of the ethnic minorities are swept aside. This all helps to secure the $59bn export market (as of 2010).

Nigeria is not a major member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Although it has high reserves and output, it is not near the Middle Eastern power centre. This has meant that over the years, the US and her allies have not nearly paid as much attention to the state then they have to the Middle East. It will be interesting to see how Nigeria fares in the midst of changing oil geo-politics. Whilst the release of Iranian

oil may alleviate pressure, the increasing pressure on Western governments to disassociate from Saudi Arabia, as well as increasing violence in the wider region, may have implications that stretch to Nigeria.

China is new big player that has interests in the region. Their spread of economic influence throughout Africa has come to the continent’s third largest economy.

Nigeria is set to overtake the population of the US by 2050, and with militancy still continuing, international investors have an interest in reducing conflict. These are the reasons behind the $12bn Chinese investment in 871-mile railway system in the country, as well as job-providing infrastructure projects. So far, Chinese efforts seem positive. We should, however, remain sceptical, in order to scrutinize what many regard as the new scramble for Africa.

But aside from the Chinese efforts, the tale of Nigeria is a depressing one. Indeed, the tale of central Africa is a depressing one. After the Paris attacks, there was many attempts to unify attention across other issues such as the Beirut bombing and Japan’s earthquake. Even with this kind of movement, in comparison to the scale of Boko Haram and others’ atrocities, Central Africa does not nearly receive the almost running commentary of events in the Middle East.

When both China and America—for better or for worse—are increasing their economic and military presence in Africa, we need to be aware. It must not become the world’s forgotten continent. Nigeria and Boko Haram is a case-in-point.

Photo: Michael Fleshman @Flickr

Who is Justin Trudeau and why should we care?

Justin Trudeau could be the international test case for the revival of social democratic policies worldwide, and in Britain Joel Kelly Contributor 2015 was a bad year for the left. In Poland the right-wing Law and Justice party secured a victory this October, partly by capitalising on anti-immigrant sentiment.

In Israel the Likud party retained power, and once again aligned themselves with the various right wingers who populate the Knesset. In May, the UK electorate broke the Conservative Party’s reliance on coalition by voting for a majority government. The Turkish AKP recouped its losses from June in November, and then some, but are thankfully short of the seats needed to fully enable President Erdoğan’s odious constitutional reforms.

These parties do not constitute a homogenous right wing bloc, however it is demonstrably true that, for last year or so, the tide of history has been moving against Social-Democratic Politics. Jeremy

This is an excerpt from Jacob’s article the rest of which can be found at mancunion.com/opinion Photo: DonkeyHotey @Flickr

Corbyn secured a clear mandate from the Labour Party this September, and United States Senator Bernie Sanders is inspiring a left-wing Democratic revival in the USA. However, neither of these two have yet to gain national power, and both face huge electoral hurdles. In terms of actual winners there has been a definite trend towards the right.

In Canada we find an exception. The Liberal Party decisively defeated Harper’s Conservative government this October, winning 184 seats, giving them a majority in the Canadian House of Commons. Their leader, Justin Trudeau, is the eldest child of the late former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. The 43-year-old ex-teacher should be a person of interest for any British voter interested in left wing politics, as he is, in some areas of policy, very similar to Corbyn.

Neither, for example, are afraid to run a deficit. The Liberals expect to run deficit of $10 billion a year for their first two years, while also investing $120 billion in infrastructure. Going into deficit to invest is only effective when a government spends its money in the right places, and mistakes have been made in the recent past by Labour. However, Trudeau’s plan is preferable to the regressive, and damaging spending policies of the Conservatives (both Harper’s and Cameron’s). A recent study conducted by City University argues that the government’s current spending and tax policies will only drive Britain further into debt over the long term, predicting a £40 billion deficit, worse than anything Trudeau or Corbyn have advocated.

In Canada, investment is to be paid for via a 4% tax rise on anyone who earns more than $200,000 a year, and a tax cut of 1.5% for those earning $44,701-$89,401. This is a ‘revenue neutral’ (i.e the loss equals

the gain) tax, designed fairly by putting the burden on the highest earners, and encouraging growth by giving the middle classes some extra spending money. This system will face long term tests. Wealth taxes are thought to encourage avoidance among the top 1% of whom are targeted, meaning returns could be lower than predicted. Labour has bemoaned such tactics for years, but there hasn’t yet been a decent strategy to curtail it. However, it is undoubtedly preferential to the Conservative policy of cutting the taxes of high earners, and then doing the same to vital services in order to make up the loss.

British voters who are considering voting for Labour should use Canada to gauge the drawbacks and benefits of such a switch of focus.

Regarding foreign policy, the Liberals aim to end air strikes against the so-called Islamic State. The reception in Washington has been indifferent, and even in Ottawa it has been admitted that Canada’s withdrawal will not make a substantial impact. But far from going into isolation, Trudeau plans to mitigate the damages caused by so-called IS by spending $250 million on refugees displaced by the fighting, and plans to take in 25,000 by the end of 2015. Training for the ground forces fighting IS will continue. This an intriguing alternative strategy, and a possible model for ourselves.

A LSE report by leading diplomats this month concluded that British foreign policy lacks focus. We’re not using our position as the world’s preeminent soft power (an economic and cultural power) to tackle the issues. Rather than running headfirst into Syria and Iraq, as the Government seems set on doing, we could be using our position to degrade so-called IS via economic and coalition building means. This is not far away from Corbyn’s

position, and in Trudeau he finds a natural ally.

Interestingly, Trudeau is also aims to legalise marijuana. Corbyn has backed decriminalisation for medical use, rather than complete legalisation. Legalisation involves not prosecuting the transport, sale, possession, or cultivation of cannabis.

Tim Farron added some legitimacy to this cause by backing legalisation, however he’s a relatively marginal voice. Canada will be a crucial test case. Admittedly, the policy has yet to be elaborated on, but if Canada does fully legalise cannabis it will be the first demographically and economically significant country to do so. Uruguay and North Korea have already fully legalized, the former violating an international treaty in order to do so, but they’re not of quite the same international calibre.

‘Reefer madness’ and ‘gateway drug’ hysteria will naturally see its first major test in Canada, and I suspect will largely be discredited. Possible tax revenues (the rate is still be decided), and a huge land area and population block leaving ‘The International Drug Control Conventions’ will add to the slow process of legalization we have already seen developing in the US. Now, much of this is speculative. We do not know what policies the Liberal Government may actually implement over the next 4 years, or how successful they’re declared policies will be. The similarities between Corbyn and Trudeau can be overstated, especially when you get into the detail. But, if there is a revival in the left, the Liberal Party of Canada are today’s political spearhead. For the British electorate they have a dual purpose. Firstly, to gauge how successful a prospective Corbyn government may actually be, and secondly, as a potential stick with which to beat Conservative policies in our own country, between now and 2020.

Opinion11

ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Feminism and the new threat to equality

Can the debate surrounding gender equality exclude men from something that they should, and need to be a part of?

Will Baldwin-Pask Contributor It was International Men’s Day (IMD) last Thursday. This year, the organisers presented the day as an opportunity to promote “a focus on men’s and boy’s health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models”, according to their website. This year was also, however, the first time that the day had ever seen such controversy. Since 1999, IMD has never caused as much of a discussion about what was going on across the nation, particularly this week. This signals a new development in our gender equality movement and raises a new question about whether those who are causing it most harm are in fact those claiming to champion it.

I am, of course, talking about the feminist movement. In a dramatic resurgence matched only by the Star Wars franchise, feminism has, in recent years, become a big topic of societal conversation in which women’s rights are finally being given the media and political attention they need. However, this is not an analysis of the last five years of feminism, or a grand exploration of the International Men’s Day argument—this is an evaluation of recent standout examples of feminist factions which are unintentionally ruining gender equality for everyone.

First, the backlash towards International Men’s Day: this has come in varied forms, including articles typified and published (perhaps unexpectedly) in The Independent. Labour MP Jess Philips’

article is soaked through with cynicism—she dismisses the need for a mens’ day as “men are celebrated, elevated and awarded every day of the week on every day of the year.” Less scathing but missing the point similarly, is Michael Kimmel’s article for The Guardian, where he questions whether IMD is just a response to the growing popularity of International Women’s Day—which has a stronger case to make for its own existence. The argument against International Men’s Day on the grounds that it undermines the gender disparity that women experience is, itself, contradictory— how can someone claiming to endorse equality be so against the annual one-day celebration of one sex, but at the same time, be so supportive of the other?

Initially, IMD’s tremors were in fact felt in the university community. York had to disband its plans for celebrating the day after an open letter complaint had accused IMD of anti-feminist ideals.

This complaint was met with its own opposition in the form of a 4000 signature strong counterpetition. In the case of York, a clear bilateral debate had taken place over whether IMD was conducive to equality or not. Now an unhealthy standoff whereby feminists are seen as prohibiting a day dedicated to men from being celebrated exists— and so as a result, men want that day more than ever.

This is not the first time feminism in a university context has been the bad guy. According to an article in The Telegraph, at Durham University last year, a student’s attempt to set up a men’s issues society in the wake of his friend’s suicide was rejected by the university’s Societies Committee—

yet the Feminist Society was unable to cater for these issues as it apparently “would be extremely unreasonable to expect [Fem Soc] to support and cater for the needs of men”. Though the Feminist Society did not object to the student’s raising awareness of such issues, it was not the platform for gender equality that both men and women should be able to utilise. In failing to cater for both women and men, it had failed in its sole purpose.

Gender equality was once again divisive.

Now back to September 2014. We all remember when Emma Watson had made the most circulated contemporary speech on feminism at the UN, publicising the ‘HeForShe’ campaign and defining the feminist goal to have equality of the sexes, not at the expense of men. A month later, the door that had been opened for male involvement was slammed back over the furore surrounding astronaut Dr Matt Taylor’s decision to wear a provocative shirt on TV. Through a weeping apology, the man who had helped land a rocket on a comet showed how ruthless some feminists had become over tedious cases of contestable ‘sexism’.

At this point, men had felt very much unwelcome at the party, decided to leave early, and came back with ‘Meninism’. Described on Wikipedia as semi-satirical, this supposed movement rather tragically throws up the rare point about gender issues for men amongst a murky stream of sexist bile. A ridiculous response to what many men see as the man-hating, delusion of feminism, they have successfully distorted the work of everyday feminists so that all feminists appear radical. This has gotten to a point where the 90’s term ‘feminazi’ is no longer applicable in the eyes of a ‘meninist’

follower, as all feminists are ‘militants’ and menstruation is a nasty chemical weapon that makes them the greatest national security threat since Jeremy Corbyn.

‘Meninists’ and ‘feminazis’ may be the most over the top examples of gender rights campaigns, however, there is no question of a growing conflict-like discourse in the gender equality space. Yes, men have been against feminism before feminism had even existed, but now in the 21st century resurgence of the movement, we have seen an increasingly recurring instances of harmless men being punished. Women’s rights still require some serious progress, but this does not mean men should be ignored.

We need a policy of gender-blind inclusion. It is crucial that men join in on the conversation, but it is vital that women are the ones who make space at the table. Women dominate the feminist sphere, they can ultimately decide the role men play; after all the inferiority that a patriarchal society brings, women know better than anything what it’s like to have your side of the argument shunned.

Feminism needs to get men on its side as much as it needs to get women on its side. Jess Philips’ claim that “being a man is its own reward” not only smacks of misandry, it sums up a poisonous attitude in the feminist community that needs to go—along with all the typical obstacles for women gaining total social equality. Men can be obstacles, but we can also be here to help—only if you’ll let us.

Jeremy Corbyn’s omnishambles

First there was George Osborne’s omni-shambles, but now the tables have turned and the new Leader of the Opposition is having one of his very own

Colm Lock Contributor

Back when most current students were just getting out of nappies, New Labour was emerging from a staggering victory at the 1997 general election. They had won it with a mix of sound political promises and very smooth and co-ordinated media coverage. It was the time of ‘cool Britannia’, and when the Labour party seemed unstoppable. For the whole of Blair’s first government, he managed to completely eclipse the then leader of the opposition, William Hague. Well, how the mighty have indeed fallen. The party has had something of a Bolshevik revolution with the established Blairite royalty being taken down into a cellar and shot by the Corbynite communists. The likes of Liz Kendal, Yvette Cooper, Chuka Ummuna, and Tristram Hunt have fallen, and with them, Labour’s electability.

Let us first deal with the Shadow International Development Secretary Diane Abbott. Rightly sacked

by Ed Miliband, this woman—whose behaviour was described by another shadow minister as ‘fucking nutty’—has returned. She appears to be the person Labour want to throw under the bus for terrible interviews. If she isn’t insanely cackling through tricky questions, she is defending the indefensible.

Recently this took the form of her claiming on The Daily Politics that John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, had not signed a certain petition calling for MI5 to be abolished. A point she chose to defend even when the host pulled up a picture of Mr McDonnell holding said petition. Not much can be said of her taste in men either, when past partners include the chief comrade himself.

Now we come to John McDonnell. He is a man about as qualified to be Shadow Chancellor as a sheep that has somehow come to be in possession of an abacus. As mentioned above, he has previously chosen to back the disbanding of MI5 and Britain’s armed police forces, probably so that his friends in the IRA have an easier time. He is known to have supported anti-British terrorists to the extent that he said dead IRA terrorists should be honoured. These being the same people that bombed the Arndale centre back in the 90s. Furthermore,

his economic policy is about as coherent as a Glaswegian after a hard night out in Motherwell. He plans to increase the deficit, print more money and in the process, raise your taxes! How would you like to surrender 50, 60, or 70 per cent of your hard earned pounds to a man who would waste it on such anachronistic vanity projects as re-opening the coal mines and subsidising unprofitable industries.

“There is one thing I can not fault Mr Corbyn on and that is his remembrance day performance. He behaved above and beyond the call of duty.”

Now we come to the main man, the first among equals, Jezza Corbyn. Now, as students of the University of Manchester, we have all had to achieve a certain academic standard to attend this fine institution. Mr Corbyn however only managed 2 Es at A level before going on to do Trade Union Studies, which he did not even complete, at North London Polytechnic. I don’t know about you but I want my leader to be, you know, actually clever. His frankly dismal commons performance has shown that he about as capable a debater as an unusually timid doormouse. Then there’s his dubious past. Following the Brighton IRA bombing, he invited the leaders of Sinn Fein to parliament. He has called Hamas and Hezbollah his friends and encouraged Iraqi resistance to the 2003 invasion, which is tantamount to an endorsement of the killing of British troops.

He is also a member of the pressure group Stop the War which recently blamed the Paris attacks on the West, saying that it is our fault a bunch of nutty murderers chose to slaughter innocent people.

Then of course there are the other failings of his

Photo: Lewisham Dreamer @Flickr

party. One of the most glaring is his Shadow Minister for the City of London, Richard Burgon MP. He has never even had a meeting with city bosses.

Instead, he chooses to go to a friends of Venezuela meeting and other assorted socialist events, showing the party’s lack of respect for an important part of this country’s economy.

“The party has had something of a Bolshevik revolution with the established Blairite royalty being taken down into a cellar and shot by the Corbynite communists.”

We also must not neglect politics north of the wall, where Labour is declining under his leadership in Scotland as he lets the Scottish cohort become

more and more SNP-lite. This has understandably frightened the unionists amongst Scottish Labour’s voters who appear to be deserting to the Tories in numbers that could see Labour pushed into a narrow third place.

However, there is one thing I can not fault Mr Corbyn on and that is his remembrance day performance. He behaved above and beyond the call of duty. I say shame on Mr Cameron for not following suit. Corbyn chose to stay behind to applaud and chat to the veterans as they marched on Horse Guards. The names of my village war dead are ingrained on my memory. I would personally love the chance to meet some of the veterans and hear their stories. They have lived history and like many in my family, have seen things many of us couldn’t even imagine in service of their country.

I will leave you with this one thought readers. The Labour Party has never in its history deposed a leader because he is unpopular. They kept Michael Foot, Neil Kinnock and Ed Miliband until they had lost the next election. So, for all of Corbyn’s trials and tribulations, he is likely to hold on until 2020 and then we will see what the British people truly make of him. Does anyone else smell toast?

Music

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Feature

Belated Belieber or Bieber Berater?

Justin Bieber’s latest album may leave you questioning your stance on the controversial pop brat; a renaissance to rival the McConaissance is afoot. Eva Katz is our latest convert.

Despite being widely despised by the music industry and general public alike throughout his teenage years, Justin Bieber had somehow managed to score the front cover of NME last week. His new album, Purpose, has unsurprisingly got big expectations—with a pre-empted sales figure of 450,000 copies in its first week.

Not only does this album feature some chart-topping hits, but what’s more, Bieber seems to have taken this opportunity to humanise himself to both his fans, and the world, too. He even goes so far as to assert that he’s “not made of steel” in his song “I’ll Show You”. You may even start to sympathise with the unbelievable pressures, and continual abuse subjected onto this pop star—who coincidentally, has a net worth of $200 million. This brings me to question whether the ‘good teen gone bad’ trend has finally come to an end for Bieber’s generation of young pop stars, or whether we have simply become immunised to their behaviour.

Although not completely unaware of Justin’s religiousness, I, for one, was surprised to learn that the meaning behind the album’s title was none other than God. One cannot help but wonder if this toned down bad boy persona and commitment to faith is a promo stunt

co-ordinated by his oddly named manager, Scooter; or an honest realisation at the atrocity of his own past behaviour.

As I listen to this album, there’s no denying that my previous flame of dislike for Bieber is gradually warming to him. His voice has finally lost his pre-pubescent whine and has consequently become rather sexy and thus more appealing to the ear.

However, I cannot say that I am not mildly disappointed with Bieber. This album is clearly his attempt at showing the world that he has become a man, yet he has chosen to do this through revealing his sensitive side with a string of seemingly heartfelt ballads.

Whereas I would have preferred him to have taken a leaf out of Justin Timberlake’s book, with his rite of passage album Justified embracing his inner sexiness and thrusting it upon the world with provocative force.

Ultimately, I must admit that despite previously hating on the teen pop sensation, I have been converted to the reformed church of BELIEBERS. There’s no denying that the album consists of multiple hits that make it hard to deny that Bieber has succeeded in producing music that will even leave a Bieber hater’s feet tapping.

Live

Hiatus Kaiyote

19th November @ Club Academy

Hiatus Kaiyote are making ‘future-soul’ happen here and now.

Henry Scanlan Music Editor “So wide you can’t get around it So low you can’t get under it One SU basement under a groove.” ...These are the words I scrawled onto my pad midway through Hiatus Kaiyote’s bodacious live rendition of ‘Shaolin Monk Motherfunk’ from the future-soul quartet’s second album Choose Your Weapon, out since May. Is paraphrasing George Clinton’s socio-political funk game changer to describe a gig in the student union basement a tad overblown?

Perhaps. But I wouldn’t do it for just anyone. Hiatus Kaiyote’s groove is strong enough for its own Pledge of Allegiance.

There’s no escaping it once you’re caught in its bass-heavy tractor beam and abducted by its walking basslines. The keyboard sound is silky, expensive and, for lack of a better description, like a pimped-up version of Donal Fagen’s playing for Steely Dan (praise be), while singer Nai Palm should’ve been around to front a Vietnam War protest band purely on the basis of her brilliant name, let alone her rousing scat vocals and “free all the animals” attitude. For their 9pm postwatershed get down, the basement seemed populated with very like-minded people. Or, at least, they were like-minded by the time they walked out of the exit as one synergetic, gyrating limb, united by the groove. Everyone seemed on the same wave length. Bass faces were exchanged en masse at all the same drum breaks. A large minority were wearing sound cushioning earplugs - the badge of the serious music lover. Dreadlocks stood tall, jutting above the crowd like signal fires calling out for common ground. The ratio of dreadlock:regular hair was around 10:1 - an abnormally high rate, but suggestive of an ideological harmony amongst the fanbase.

A wonderment of this set and its liberated tone was that Hiatus Kaiyote’s fans were expressing themselves with ac-

Tracks of the

Week Dom Bennet Contributor

Photo: villunderlondon@Flickr

tual flair and actual panache. As the band executed every skipbeat, breakbeat, dragbeat and jizzbeat with a flourish, the crowd obliged with some downright dirty moves. Oftentimes I had to remind myself that I was in a damp basement on Oxford Road, and not, in fact, a Brazilian street carnival.

Observing a flurry of crowd activity involving a group of teenage boys a few feet in front, one gentleman turned to me and said, “check out the moshpit”, to which I replied, “it’s not a moshpit – it’s a sexpit”. This may be an odd thing to say to a stranger about a group of 16 to 17 year old boys, but my poorly articulated point was this: the young guys in the ‘pit’ weren’t competing, or being machismo, or venting anger, or intimidating each other; they were just trying to get their groove on, and that was refreshing to see.

Without getting too graphic, Hiatus Kaiyote’s rhythm is very sexual. It stutters through tracks, stop-starting, finding the groove intermittently and locking in. Chord changes never quite arrive on time – the slight time drags relax the tempo like oil to a bike chain, lubricating the beat. It all gets to be a little too much. Alongside oysters, chilli and chocolate, you can add Hiatus Kaiyote to your list of aphrodisiacs.

Live Chvrches

19th November @ The Albert Hall

Chvrches graced Manchester’s favourite church. However, their considerable flock of pop disciples seemed to be diminished by an over 18 age limit.

Oscar Talbot Music Critic

Photo: Album Artwork

8.5/10

8/10

As Lauren Mayberry leaps around the stage flicking, her microphone cable around like a whip and singing ‘we will take the best parts of ourselves and make them gold’ it somehow seems a little trite; too unequivocal. The balance is slightly off for the whole night, meaning I am struggling to make out her excellent vocals, but the synths are buffeting the crowd around.

Someone’s mum looks a bit uncomfortable. There’s no doubting Mayberry’s energy, I feel a little tired just watching her, and her charisma and stage presence demonstrates that Chvrches are truly in their element. Her controlled aesthetic compliments the 80’s dance music, and is undeniably catchy. Although ‘Make Them Gold’ is not my favorite track on Open Every Eye, the bands latest offering, it’s still a good tune, showcasing Chvrches blend of 80’s revival complimented by cycling crescendos that have made the Glaswegian band so popular. As beautiful as the Albert Hall is, it’s over 18’s only policy slightly screwed Chvrches in my opinion, as it seems highly likely a large part of their appeal is to the 18 demographic.

However the more cinematic songs of the first album, such as ‘Gun’, still generally still reign. There are some songs that could have been omitted from their discography. Open Every Eye

Photo: Kmeron@Flickr

is such a strong album that weaker songs such as ‘Under the Tide’ could finally be dispensed with. Easily the weakest song of the night it sees Mayberry get behind the synths while the overly enthusiastic Martin Doherty takes center stage. Destroying the carefully constructed feeling of contained emotion that Mayberry creates, Doherty’s dancing is too reminiscent of Gob Bluth’s chicken dance to be taken seriously. Fortunately the next song on the roster is the excellent ‘Recover’, clearly still a crowd favorite, and although Chvrches must be bored of their stand out track by now they don’t show it.

The encore ‘Leave a Trace’ is also excellent, although it seems a shame to keep the stand-out single from Open till the end. Nevertheless it merits a triumphant return to Manchester, and while Chvrches could have quite easily converted to being a stadium band it shows a particular kind of integrity that they haven’t.

Many of the songs would lose their meticulous ensemble, and there is a sort of wonderfully shambolic enjoyment that Chvrches emulate. And as often happens at the Albert Hall it was a star studded event, meaning I got the immense pleasure of watching a very drunk Jack Whitehall scream along to ‘Recover’, which was the icing on the cake for a fantastic night.

MONEY: ‘I’ll Be The Night’ Released November 23rd on Bella Union

Wild Nothing: ‘TV Queen’ Released November 24th on Captured Tracks

Mothers: ‘Too Small For Eyes’ Released November 24th on Wichita Recordings

With their latest single, MONEY maintain their transition into a folkier sound. However, this certainly isn’t some twee nonsense you can put on in the background, more like a rousing modern day Pogues, if you took their accordions away and added a heavy dose of existential angst. Singer Jamie Lee’s guttural and impassioned vocal is the star here, sounding like a man possessed and finding some triumphant determination amongst the bleakness that permeates all their songs. MONEY continue to cement their place as the finest band in Manchester, if not anywhere.

Jack Tatum has been making pleasant indie pop under the Wild Nothing moniker for several years now but has often failed to produce any really captivating songs. Fortunately TV Queen (as well as the more kraut influenced To Know You which was simultaneously released) addresses this. The song possesses a super catchy synth hook and big pop chorus, with a beefed up rhythm section and more prominent vocals adding to this direct new sound. TV Queen does still retain the breezy dream pop sound that Wild Nothing have become known for, but manages to find a perfect balance between the dream and the pop.

Four piece band Mothers originated as the solo project of singer Kristine Leschper, and she features almost unaccompanied on this sparse new single. The song opens with Leschper’s wavering, Angel Olsen like, vocal being joined by plucked mandolin, creating a fragile and tender atmosphere. The honest and emotive lyrics add to this: “I want to apologise to everyone I see, to everyone I meet”. Piano chords and jagged strings do begin to build as it progresses, but the song never quite reaches the emotional build that that this leads you to expect. Nonetheless it is a devastatingly beautiful and moving piece well worth listening to.

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ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

the Opinion 2015: The year pop was cooler than rock Whether you like it or not, pop is making somewhat of a comeback this year and Abi Aldred argues that it’s not just in the mainstream.

Pop is dominating the charts right now. If you want confirmation of this, look no further than the ridiculousness that is Justin Bieber’s new album. Who would have thought that the guy we loved to hate would become the guy we hate to love all in the space of a few months. Whilst it is clear his ego has been taken down a few pegs and his image rebranded, he is also releasing pop anthem after pop anthem that even the most self-proclaimed, chart-loathing individuals can’t help but catch themselves singing along to when they think they’re alone. The top forty this week features a record-breaking EIGHT singles from Bieber’s new album whilst Adele is smashing fastest album sales ever. Mainstream pop is alive and well and ruling the charts. Onehit-wonder, deep-house tracks have been pushed aside to make room for guilt-free, pure pop supremacy.

It’s even infiltrating other music scenes, with edgy queen and alternative girl-crush Grimes producing one of the poppiest albums of 2015 so far; Art Angels. Grime’s previously ethereal sound has been replaced with songs that drip with as much glucose as a mid-00s chart banger, though it’s a twisted take which is thrillingly and unmistakeably her own. She’s not alone, with artists like MØ, BANKS, Charli XCX and Chvrches also fore-fronting this regeneration of pop music. There is a new sense of female empowerment attached to these artists. In decline are the over-commercialised pop-princesses and here to reign are the alt-pop queens, ready to inspire us to grab our hairbrushes and sing along to pop songs we can be proud of. The cool girls are reclaiming pop and making it relevant again.

This cross-pollination of music genres however has come at the sacrifice of the once ruling indie and rock bands. This

pop-rock crossover has even created the ideal climate for Busted to make a comeback, encapsulating perfectly this strange regression to our pre-teen conception of what constituted a rock band. Boy bands are masquerading as rock bands, brandishing instruments and creating records lacking in substance. They cater to their tween audiences and leave the rest of us wondering what happened. Even going through old albums we can see the gradual transformation of our favourite rock bands into pop-rock hybrids.

I think perhaps the reason we are more reluctant to embrace these bands as much is that rock and indie groups have a different responsibility to music lovers. Their songs have been our companions through the best and worst of times in a way that other genres sometimes can’t achieve.

Rock, in itself, is an institution and the grittiness, honesty and rawness of rock doesn’t always translate well into pop, leaving us feeling a little under-whelmed and certainly unsatisfied.

I’m not saying that pop is to blame for the decline in rock.

As Alex Turner once infamously proclaimed whilst accepting a Brits award in 2014, “Yeah that Rock‘n’Roll…it will never die”. Although it certainly took a sabbatical in 2015, like pop, it will have its comeback. These days, music seems to come into fashion as quickly as it goes out. The world of music is a fickle place with last year’s underground techno lovers this year’s grime aficionados. However, for the time being at least, pop appears to be here to stay a while. It’s permeating all corners of the music globe, with R’n’B, Rap and House all also taking a pop injection. I for one am embracing it, pop is no longer my guilty pleasure but the feel-good respite we could all do with this winter.

This week’s fish Matthew Staite leaves the murky waters of Warehouse Project and dives into the lucozade filled pond of pop at a Marina and the Diamonds concert.

The Litmus Test Reassessing Morissey’s controversies: Where to start right? The former Smiths frontman has a way with words.

Joe Casson Contributor

walking wallets like most pop stars do these days.

Early music from The Family Jewels such as ‘Oh No!’ and ‘Hollywood’ may have been light hearted and jokey, but it’s joyous. My favourite track of the night, ‘I am not a Robot’ was from this first segment. The second transformation for Electra Heart was definitely the weirdest with Marina bringing out a strange toy dog and labelling it her crack addict pup. New music from Froot is more serious and brooding. Its ironic that ‘I’m a Ruin’, which starts as a sensitive piano ballad is surprisingly upbeat in its lyrics, while the bouncy ‘Blue’ has deep lyrics referring to her break up, but this is part of her genius.

If it hasn’t come across already, I thought Marina was great. Her voice was subtle yet powerful, allowing her to hit beautiful notes that captivate the audience.

Compared to most other pop stars on the scene nowadays like Miley Cyrus or Nicki Minaj churning out crock after crock of shit, we should celebrate a homegrown talent like Marina more.

Photo: frankmojica@Flickr

‘The National Front Disco’ ‘Margaret on the Guillotine’ “England for the English” may be sung from an adopted perspective, but it doesn’t go down well when sung draped in the Union Jack. More problematic in light of dubious comments on national identity in recent years. Art imitates life?

Amidst guillotine soundeffects, Morrissey eagerly awaits Thatcher’s death (and later gets questioned as a potential security threat). Not at the top because, well, it’s hardly the first time the idea has crossed someone’s mind.

Here’s a sound bite from Jacob Bernard-Banton’s sit-down with brit-rock relics of permanent relevance. Gary Jarman condemns the misogyny festering in what’s left of their old scene. ....Talk moves onto sexism and misogyny in the music industry. There’s a “double standard,” says bassist Gary Jarman. Allfemale bands are held to a different standard “because [for] some people it still seems like an exceptional thing. That was something that we used to talk about a lot.” Gary cites the wave of noughties guitar bands still beholden to that era’s “new rock and roll spirit.” “I thought it was old-fashioned, [those] ‘sex, drugs and rock’n’roll’ clichés.”

It is unbearably macho, isn’t it? “We thought so,” Gary replies. “For a long time,” he adds, “if you spoke about it you’d have to identify as a feminist. I grew up as a feminist, as a riot grrrl or riot boy or whatever, but it seemed that just to be a sensible, non-chauvinistic person you were identified as a feminist. It’s just a case of not being a chauvinist.”

Sexism still prevails unfortunately: the less said about Catfish and the Bottlemen’s infamous merch posters (“signed titties, £1 per melon”), the better. I’m reminded of Duran Duran’s bassist John Taylor’s recent nauseating comments on Later with Jools Holland. After Wolf Alice’s barnstorming performance, Taylor remarked, “What is it with girls and guitars?” Puke. Gary attributes those attitudes to guys starting bands, hoping that they’ll “get laid, and the band

Photo: starbright31@Flickr

is an outlet for their testosterone. At least, people are calling it out now. Once upon a time, if you called that stuff out, you were seen as being radical. It was very difficult for women to be actively opinionated on chauvinism without being called ‘man-hater’.” Part of the problem lies with journalists, Gary thinks. Instead of being routinely asked why bands identify as feminists, he rails, “Why are you not calling out bands who are being fucking pigs?” It’s symptomatic of a ‘boys-will-be-boys’ defeatism, I suggest. “Yeah,” agrees Gary. “Lad rock—that was the norm. Anything that wasn’t like that was considered radical.”...

Read the full interview along with many more features, reviews and interviews at www.mancunion.com/music/

Record Reappraisal

Fish out of water: A rough amongst the Diamonds It’s fair to say I didn’t know a lot about Marina and the Diamonds, unless you count the 2 tracks that I accidentally synced onto my iPod from my sister’s iTunes a couple of years back. Not really being a pop fan, and normally used to seeing DJ’s or predominantly male rock groups, Marina’s gig was certainly different from how I expected it to be. I’ve been lucky enough to see some of my musical heroes perform, but I can honestly say that this was some of the most fun I’ve ever had a gig.

The first noticeable thing upon entering the Ritz was the crowd. The devoted level of fandom was unlike anything I have ever experienced. Alongside the expected teenage fan girls, grown men, and crying teenage boys were crazy to every single song. People on the front row were holding banners with messages for Marina. One even had a drawing of the signer, which after an hour of holding it in his outstretched arms finally managed to give to her. To my surprise Marina wasn’t overwhelmed by such a hysterical crowd, despite it being a rainy Monday night in Manchester, and took it all in her stride.

The gig itself was loud, eccentric and brilliant. Split into 3 segments (each to cover one of her three albums) the set up was pretty mental. With each album change came a costume change. Each more elaborate than the last, the costume transformations were fantastic. Combined with the musical changes, the whole thing almost felt Bowie like; yeah I’ve said it - Bowie like. Thankfully the band carried on playing over a visual backdrop during the intervals so the gig never dropped in pace. Marina herself was a star performer.

She didn’t remain still for the whole set, instead dancing away enjoying herself and interacting with crowd.

It was a pleasure to see a singer enjoy their own music so much and treating their fans so well, not as just

the Interview The Cribs

Burial: Untrue Released 5th November 2007 via Hyperdub

As cold winter nights roll in, Burial’s dubstep masterpiece hardly seems more appropriate for rediscovering, thinks Jacob Bernard-Banton.

Somewhere on YouTube exists a rather ad hoc interview conducted by esteemed DJ Gilles Peterson – and featuring an uncharacteristically cheerful Thom Yorke – in which Flying Lotus claims that Burial’s Untrue only really made sense when he went on “a road trip” around the UK. That it had been raining on his visit only endeared him more to the album. Truth be told, the only backdrop that feels appropriate for Untrue’s deeply affecting, haunting soundscapes would have to be a cold, grim day in south London, cast in grey skies at the same moment that the heavens have opened.

The beauty of Untrue lies in its undimmed, elegiac melancholy: this is an album that sounds like the wistful memories of an aging clubber.

There are muffled swells of UK garage and deep house flavours; warped vocal samples cribbed from 90s UK hardcore; the rattling thump of 2-step. The result is amorphous and nebulous, though strangely lucid. Stranger still is the warmth that emerges from the album’s ghostly ambient textures. The song titles are stark and unembellished (‘In McDonalds’, ‘Homeless’), visceral tunes told as matter-of-fact. Untrue sounds so authentically like dark winter nights in the SE postcode area that it spawned the short-lived pseudo-genre ‘night-bus’ – the musical incarnation of the type of person who elects to sit at the very back of the top deck of any night bus, dressed silently in a hoodie with their headphones on, nodding incessantly.

Untrue’s mood belongs to a specific era of exciting British music: the early-noughties dubstep explosion, an era that evokes images of lo-fi Boiler Room-imitating sessions in someone’s basement

listening to bass-heavy music amongst a dense cloud of cannabis smoke. Such a scene may never happen again: dubstep bore inextricable ties to the environments it was produced in, now rendered unrecognisable in the age of austerity and cancerous, homogenous gentrification. As ever, things got lost in translation when dubstep was belatedly embraced across the pond. The woefully unsubtle, commercialised American variant amplified the sub-bass showboating but lost its cutting-edge spirit. And yet, Burial remains thoroughly unique. Untrue wasn’t and isn’t like other dubstep landmarks: not nearly as deceptively abrasive as Benga’s Diary of an Afro Warrior, less spartan than DMZ’s output. In fact, it still sounds winningly alien, by turns mysterious (‘Ghost Hardware’, the loping stride of ‘Etched Headplate’) and desperately moving (‘Shell of Light’). An astonishing masterpiece.

Photo: Album Artwork

‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’

‘Meat is Murder’

‘Suffer Little Children’

In which Morrissey plays the victim: “I was only joking when I said I’d like to smash every tooth in your head...now I know how Joan of Arc felt”. At least he’s self-aware about his big mouth, but come on.

Boo-hoo.

Morrissey’s rarely a delicate activist, even for an accepted cause this is a man who sells ‘be kind to animals or I’ll kill you’ t-shirts on tour. It’s a bit heavy-handed, but animal rights and vegetarianism shouldn’t be offensive.

‘Manchester, so much to answer for’.

Morrissey’s lament for the Moors Murders victims provoked outrage and boycotts, but, having grown up locally at the time, Morrissey is motivated by morbid concern rather than facetiousness. The victims’ parents agreed.

Games 15

ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Review

Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate Deven Kara Contributor Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see London from the top of Trafalgar Square (Nelson’s Column)? It’s fair to say that I hadn’t considered it...until Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate came out.

With the newest addition to the Ubisoft franchise set in London, it’s on home turf for a lot of fans. Underneath this Victorian façade, however, is still the same Assassin’s Creed that we are used to, with the standard plethora of assassination missions, tailing missions and viewpoints.

The game follows on from that of Unity, with the storyline of the Initiate. Many may argue that the present day story became a little thin after the events that occurred in AC3. But in my opinion, I feel that it is an interesting take on the story because it shows the process of becoming an Assassin. And, with certain characters making a re-appearance, it paves the way for much more interesting developments in future instalments.

To deviate from partner characters, Ubisoft decided to include the Associates; a group of allies for whom you complete missions, rewarding you with loyalty

to that Associate as well as weapons, upgrades and outfits. Unlike the historical figures used in earlier games, Associates in this game are fictional characters who all relate to Victorian London in some way. A child mastermind, a transport mogul and the sergeant of Scotland Yard are just some of your allies in this game.

Child factory liberations, cargo hijacks, and bounty hunts are the respective missions for each of the Associates listed, and completing each will give you reputation with that Associate, which in turn will give you weapons that will help with the progression of the campaign, or in just running around and killing people.

The main additions to this game are the Twins: Jacob and Evie Frye. In a new venture, Ubisoft have opted to have two separate protagonists. They may be twins, but cannot be more different from each other. Jacob, the leader of the Rooks, prefers to use his fists to solve problems, whereas Evie takes the more stealthy approach. In the events of the game, they pursue two different objectives, which do sometimes clash. Both paths can only be completed by the relevant Assassin; Templar assassinations for Jacob, whilst Evie goes about searching for the precursor artefacts, A.K.A., the pieces of

Photo: Photo: Ubisoft Entertainment S.A.

Eden. To aid in character development, and to help with the missions, there are two separate skill trees for each of the twins.

One can be levelled faster than the other since free roam allows an instant change from one to the other, not constraining you to a single character. Progression through the game will grant you skill points, which can be spent on making Evie more stealthier (so much so that she becomes invisible when stationary), or making it so that Jacob takes a mere sliver of damage from a full-on attack. However, you may find that whatever your play style, both characters level very quickly, and can both be fully leveled even before finishing the campaign.

As good as all this sounds, it’s hard to not mention the hot water that Ubisoft have been in for the past few years. It started with the introduction of time-saving microtransactions in Assassin’s Creed 3, and the problems have carried on all the way to last year’s instalment of the franchise, Assassin’s Creed: Unity. The game didn’t have the smoothest launch with a lot, and I mean a lot, of people reporting game-affecting bugs. Missing graphics, unusual NPC behaviour, lost missions.

The game wasn’t as polished as previous versions, and resulted in the release of many patches. Too many to keep track of and they weren’t always a good solution.

Whilst one problem might have been fixed, another rose in its place due to the patch. This went on for a while, until in the end, it seemed as if Ubisoft might have benefited from delaying the game a few weeks to try to iron things out. Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate is a much better game in terms of launch, gameplay and amount of bugs. Having played the game for a while now, it is a much smoother experience, with very few glitches occurring. If glitches were to occur, it would be more to do with the NPCs bugging out and minor things with the protagonists. NPCs decide to hover; weapons are hovering from the positions they were in after a big fight,

Photo: Photo: Ubisoft Entertainment S.A.

and most recently, Evie stayed invisible for the last part of one mission. But these are minor and are fixed very easily by just walking away. It seems Ubisoft learnt from their mistakes and decided to ship a game that can be played with little graphical frustration.

With all AAA games, the whole game isn’t shipped. ‘DLC’ is one of the things that makes Assassin’s Creed what it is. There are a whole host of missions that are linked to the season pass, pre-order bonuses, or available with the special editions. This is where the famous people are introduced.

Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin are just two of the characters that can only be interacted with when the DLC has been obtained. Queen Victoria makes an appearance in the base game, however, she does so only for four missions. The Dickens and Darwin DLC gives an extra 15 or so between the two of them. The timing may be slightly out, and their motives questionable, but it’s all in the nature of the game to make everything about the fight between Assassins and Templars.

Who cares though, it’s all in the name of fun, and by Jove, is it fun! I mean, who wouldn’t want to go ghost-hunting with Charles Dickens. Currently, I do not have the season pass, so cannot comment on the missions from a personal experience,

but from trailers and other gameplay (I’ve been trying to stay away to avoid spoilers), it does look like a worthy expansion to the London scene.

Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate is just that.

An Assassin’s Creed game. There is no fancy multiplayer factor to it, no extra application for mobile devices, and is very simple to get your head around. It is basically a modern version of Assassin’s Creed 2. Ubisoft have partly redeemed themselves with this instalment, and it makes a very good addition to the arsenal of Assassin’s Creed games that Ubisoft have produced. If you are a fan of the series, go out and buy it. It is not a game to miss, and who knows; maybe playing this may prompt you to play the previous ones that you may have missed. If you are new to the series, it is not a bad place to start, and again, it may push you to play the older games in a chronological order.

Regardless of what rank of Assassin you are, go out and buy it.

Review

Subterfuge

Subterfuge is all about conquering the sea, and you can do it all from the comfort of your phone. But is it worth the time?

Saboor Qureshi Contributor Subterfuge is a mobile game. It’s also probably my game of the year.

Blasphemy, right? It turns out that this might be the best format for strategy games that I never knew existed.

Co-created by one of the minds behind World of Goo, Subterfuge is a multiplayer strategy game supporting up to 10 players at a time. Upon joining or creating a game, you will start off with an underwater base of a few Factories and Generators. Factories periodically make drillers and Generators increase the amount of drillers that you can have under your control at any one point. Nearby, there might be some unoccupied buildings just waiting for you to colonise in order to expand your empire. However, the only way to get your drillers to other outposts is by venturing into the murky depths of the ocean in fragile little submarines. This is where the first twist of Subterfuge presents itself: everything happens in real-time. A submarine might take seventeen hours to get to an adjacent outpost, and once you’ve sent it off, it can’t change course. This might sound tedious, but it’s the foundation of what makes this game so amazing.

Each game takes a week, but you’re never looking at your screen for more than five minutes at a time, since

Photo: Photo: Ron Carmel, Noel Llopis

most of your units will be in transit.

This is helped further by the ability to queue orders up for the future, which means I don’t need to be at my phone exactly when my sub arrives, because I made my next move four hours ago.

Winning a game of Subterfuge is simple: mine 200 Neptunium. This most precious of minerals is extracted from the ocean floor by building Mines amongst your other outposts. Of

course, you could just conquer your neighbour’s Mine, but that might make somebody upset. Underneath all of these mechanics, the real game of Subterfuge exists in the in-game chat function. You can send any number of other players messages whenever you feel the need to communicate something about the game. Want that outpost that somebody’s already claimed? You could just ask him, maybe even offer some drillers in compensation. Though it’s only your word against theirs, so whether you keep up your end of the deal is down to how much you trust them.

Alliances form quickly in Subterfuge and break explosively, twice as fast.

The best way to play Subterfuge is just like any other game: with friends.

In my first game I was in alliances with three different people, all of whom were bitter rivals and wanted each other eliminated. One was also my housemate and another my best friend.

For a whole week, I was gripped with paranoia that every time somebody went to the bathroom or was speaking to another player in real life, they were conspiring against me. Adopting my best Machiavellian mask, I just assumed that anything that anybody told me was a lie, and ruthlessly played people against each other by using our reallife relationships to my advantage.

At the end of the week, my empire lay in tatters, yet I came in third place

thanks to my merciless expansionism earlier in the week. The war was hardfought and the victory well-deserved, though tensions definitely rose to near-dangerous levels near the end.

I may have almost damaged a few friendships along the way, but I had a great time, so it was probably worth it.

The base game is free, though the full version (costing £7.87) is required to host games. Available on iOS and Android.

Want to meet fellow gamers in Manchester?

This Wednesday at Whitworth Hall ‘s Grove bar the Gaming Society will be holding its final console night of the year and so we have decided to go back in time and enjoy all of the memories of old.

Do you have fond memories of the Nintendo 64? How about the PS1? Or even the Sega Dreamcast?! If any of those appeal to you then you should come on down. Before everyone settles down into revision/christmas mode, make sure you enjoy some goods with some great people.

We will also be revealing the winner of the Minecraft competition this week so make sure you stay tuned for that!

We hope to see you there and happy gaming! /GamingSociety Photo: Photo: Ron Carmel, Noel Llopis

Fashion & Beauty

16

Loving & Loathing

Contributor’s Pick

Feature

The winter coat and Best of Beauty accessories edit Advent calenders

Photo: Lush Ltd

2. No 7 Boots—25 Days of Beauty Wonders: £38.00

Photo: Boots

The ‘Mini Mani Month’ calendar = pug level cuteness—it’s just so dinky… Could this calendar ever be deemed a bad decision? If only London in December was as chilled and pristine as its cityscape.

Manchester’s staple coat thanks, in part, to the Gallagher brothers. They’re warm, hooded, and practical; a rarity in a fashion-approved coat.

Even better, they come in so many different colours. Best of all is that they can take any accessory, whether its the old scarf that your Grandma knitted, or a blue fur stole. The parka is warm

A few years ago I would have shunned the thought of a puffer coat. Memories of the yellow one I had from my childhood still haunt me...

However, times have changed! Now thanks to celebrities embracing brands like Moncler and Canada Goose, they have become popular on the high street too. Possibly the warmest of all the coat options; paired with some mittens you’ll be good to go.

Faux Fur

My favourite blush for this time of year has got to be this beautiful plum shade blush from Hourglass. It just looks so perfect with a berry lip! However, at £28 a blush, it’s not exactly student-friendly. But never fear, for Max Factor have coughed up a very similar colour in the form of ‘Nude Mauve’ for just £8.99. They both have a marbled effect to them, which gives you a lovely mix of colour and glow. This shade is also perfect for giving you that natural flush look that everyone desires. Again, the packaging has got nothing on the Hourglass one, but once it’s on your cheeks, you’re not going to be looking at what packaging it comes in.

That’s a grand total saving of £70.51! What’s not to love?

I specify faux because I love animals and, as a student, I’d be shocked if anyone’s buying real fur. A faux fur coat is fabulously whimsical but not for the faint hearted. If a full coat is too much there are so many other options—a gilet or faux fur detailing are gentler nods to the trend. Plus, scarves, hats, and gloves can all have a touch of faux fur to add some glamour to your winter looks.

Photo: Benefit Cosmetics

Photo: Not On The High Street

Photo: Jo Malone

Less of a Christmassy slant and more of an emphasis on premium products. This calendar is made for the person in your life who will more likely be sipping festive martinis this Christmas, rather than wearing cracker crowns or gorging on pigs in blankets.

Photo: Selfridges

8. The Body Shop—Beauty Advent Calendar: £60.00

Winter Scents

Depop for Dummies Natasha Rushton Contributor The all too familiar struggle of trying to look effortlessly stylish on a student budget can be solved with the new app Depop. With its Instagram-like layout and user-friendly interface, you can buy and sell clothes, shoes and accessories as easily as uploading photographs onto Facebook.

Being something of a rookie when it comes to selling my wares online, I was urged to download Depop by my friend, a Fashion and Textiles student, who claimed that “everyone in Leeds does it.” Needless to say, I have often tried grappling with sites such as eBay in an attempt to sell the things that I just never seem wear anymore, but I haven’t stuck at it for very long. The app’s accessibility means that it doesn’t take long to get to grips with, and features such as having suggested followers enable you to quickly connect with friends on Facebook and see what they’re selling, too. My attention was caught pretty shortly after I downloaded Depop, as I found myself with over 150 followers in the first couple of days.

Having spent a suitable amount of time foraging around the depths of the app, I soon discovered that Depop is a place for the fashion lovers; ranging from the fashion conscious students on a budget, to high-end brands as far-flung as Hong Kong. The personalised aspect of the app is a standout factor in its success. You can upload as many as five images of your item, filtering them as you please in order to optimise the appeal to your potential customers. This free reign with images allows users to upload an image of them wearing the specific item to effectively market the product. There is also a social media-esque ‘explore’ page, providing the interface to search for items and users, as well as a tailored selection of suggested items that you may enjoy.

When it comes to actually selling your things, it

could not be any easier. During my brief stint on Depop, I have managed to sell my pair of Adidas Superstars in the space of a week. Discovering the secret to selling things is to choose current and popular items. This is what I believe sets Depop apart from eBay and gives it a fashionable edge.

While eBay benefits users seeking to ‘clear the closet out’ and get rid of the old, Depop allows you to buy something new and at its current height of popularity (that is before you then sell it on, just in time for the next fashion trend). This means that you can be continuously on top of the current trends—even if things are sold out on the high street, all while you are saving some money.

While I may not be a Depop pro, I can see myself using this app for the foreseeable future. Depop should be a smartphone essential for both the fashion and finance conscious.

Photo: Depop

What Drag taught me about Identity

Fleur Stevens Contributor

I have a question for you. What makes you feel sexy? Is it putting on a nice pair of heels? A tight LBD? A dash of your favourite lipstick? Well, for me it’s all about the perfume. If I’m wearing a scent that covers me in a cloud of sensuality then I feel sexier than ever. I’m sure most of you have already found your signature scent, but here are a few of the hottest scents available to stimulate your senses this winter.

Photo: Fragramce Direct

Photo: Ciaté London

Witheringly expensive. More of a Christmas spectacle to admire from a distance—a bit like the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree, or the mince pies your baby cousin helped to ‘make’ (lick).

Gucci Première Eau de Parfum 75ml, £66 This fragrance reeks of elegance and sophistication. Looking for the perfect date scent? This is most definitely it. With top notes of white flowers, orange blossom, freesia and jasmine, it’s sure to bring some heat to your cold, frosty night.

Stella by Stella McCartney Eau de Parfum 30ml, £36 I know this particular scent has been around for sometime now; however, I just couldn’t keep it off the winter must-have list. With its amber and rose top notes, this perfume is just perfect to the feminine woman who enjoys playing sport as much as she does putting on make up.

Library of Fragrance Gingerbread Eau de Toilette 30ml, £15 Who else likes the smell of freshly baked gingerbread? Well, if you do, this perfume is the perfect one for you. If you permanently want to smell like a gingerbread house, then get to Boots and buy yourself some of this perfume. It’s cheap, as well as delicious.

The One by Dolce & Gabbana Eau de Parfum 50ml, £53 This perfume is one that never goes out of style, or out of mind. This alluring scent is one that no one forgets, and this is no surprise with top notes of vanilla, mandarin and citrus. With its fruity extracts, you’ll feel as if you’re diving into a Christmas pudding.

Classic in its red and green design, this calendar also wins the award for the most varied treats—with a feast of makeup, tools and creams. Represent.

Another ‘ouch’ price, but a beautiful selection from the Parisian haircare bosses. The elves love this one—it’s done wonders for their dating lives.

Photo: Kérastase

Photo: Debenhams

Photo: The Body Shop

Photo: Boots

9. KÉRASTASE—Limited Edition Advent Calendar: £79.99

Now these have to be the best dupes I have ever found. The ‘Iconic 1’ is a perfect dupe for the first Naked palette, ‘Iconic 2’ matches the 2nd, and ‘Iconic 3’ is a replica of the 3rd. Not only are the colours in each palette in the exact same order they appear in the Naked palettes, but they are also of similar quality and have an equally great colour payoff. At just £4 per palette, you can afford to buy all three beauty products—even before your next loan comes in—and the variety of shades will see you through every possible look you may want to try this holiday season. Sure, the packaging isn’t as pretty, but with a £34 saving you can’t really complain. So, before asking for your favourite Naked palette for Christmas, I’d highly recommend giving these a try. You can get 9.5 palettes for the price of one Naked palette—you know it makes sense.

3. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in ‘Mood Exposure’ vs. Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in ‘Nude Mauve’

Contributor’s Pick

Interview

6. Jo Malone—Advent Calendar: £260

7. Selfridges—Beauty Workshop: £60.00

In the past few weeks there has been a definite chill in the air—winter has descended upon us and we need to stay warm! Thankfully, the fashion world understands this predicament, and there are some beautiful coats and accessories available on the high street. Here is a rundown of some of this seasons game players, with some tips on how to make sure you’re stylishly wrapped up.

Photo: Debenhams

A calendar containing exclusively beard oil—just imagine the delights of wearing a different scent on your chin on every day of the advent. Just how great this calendar is can be understood with the gravitas of their scents such as ‘Steel’ and ‘Tobacco’.

Amazing.

Quilted Coats

Ahh… the perfect berry lip shade that everyone is lusting after at this time of year. The beauty bloggers’ fave—and possibly the most beautiful-looking lipstick I’ve ever seen—the award goes to this Charlotte Tilbury number. However, at £23 per lippy, it’s practically a week’s worth of food (or a Warehouse Project ticket). Nevertheless, NYX have a similar shade in the form of their Soft Matte Lip Cream in ‘Copenhagen’. Although it’s not an exact dupe, it’s pretty similar, and it will still give you that dreamy berry shade that you’ve been dreaming of. NYX has recently been stocked on Boots online, so it is now really easy to get a hold of. Plus, at £5.50 a tube, it won’t break the bank.

2. Urban Decay Naked Palettes vs. Makeup Revolution Iconic Palettes

Photos L-R: Charlotte Tilbury, Feel Unique, Debenhams, Makeup Revolution, Liberty, Superdrug

Another 12 day calendar. For advent calendar devotees, this might seem stingy. However, all is forgiven when it is opened. The calendar plays a ‘Benesong’ and contains a full face of Benefit’s bestselling makeup.

5. The Bearded Man Company—Christmas beard oil advent calendar: £29.00

The name may not sound appealing, but a classically tailored men’s coat, like a pea coat or a Crombie, adds style. The elegant silhouette instantly dresses up any outfit, whilst keeping you nice and toasty. Throw on a pompom beanie and a tartan scarf for a bit of laidback lux.

The Parka

3. Ciaté—Selfridges: £49

4. Benefit—Debenhams: £34.50

1. Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in ‘Glastonberry’ vs. NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in ‘Copenhagen’

The Mannish Coat

Photos: Coat, New Look Hat , Topshop Scarf , Zara

1. Lush—The Twelve Days of Christmas: £49.95

Largely skincare with a few makeup minis, the ‘Youthful Eye Serum’ may not feel especially relevant, but on the number of occasions where you would have witnessed the John Lewis Christmas advert, by the end of December, it will be your best friend.

Laura Mills Contributor

and weather proof, a classic winter essential.

Christmas is nearly here, and what could be a better way for the festive eager beavers to enjoy indulging in the newest trend: beauty advent calendars. These calendars can often be pricier than their chocolate relatives, and their popularity means that they can suddenly vanish from shop shelves—making them the reserve for those with serious Christmas advent calendar syndrome. But there is something so satisfying about the concept—becoming the unashamed festive glutton, whilst stockpiling goodies that promise to come in handy for the parties yet to come. And for those of you who, like me, have a weirdly obsessive love for miniature versions of normal sized things (travel miniatures and canapes are my kryptonite), the little doors on each of these adorable calendars will squeal to be opened. The Christmas I anticipate for myself, if I submit to these advent joys, involves spending evenings with mulled wine, sobbing over miniature bottles of shampoo. Here are the ten best beauty advent calendars that can make this dream a reality...

Bringing Christmas cheer to the bathtub, this 12-day advent calendar contains the cutest bath bombs, such as ‘Butterbear’ and ‘Dashing Santa’—the optimum aid for the stresses of the festive season.

Cue unwinding in the bathtub after hectic episodes of christmas shopping.

AW15 Beauty Must-haves

Sarah Kilcourse Contributor

Rebecca Thomas Contributor

Fashion & Beauty 17

ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Kyle Zabawa Contributor As someone who has never been one to conform to behavioural or gendered expectations, identity is something that, thematically, has always been very important to me. Even as a young child one of my favourite pastimes was to neatly organise my toy trains on the basis of some imagined, yet seemingly sophisticated hierarchical system.

Today, few things are as captivating to me as the spheres of classy couture and cutting-edge cosmetics, yet, for this week’s confessional of sorts, I have decided to focus my attentions on to something a little more candid.

Long interpreted as a statement regarding the permeation of female inferiority throughout society, Madonna’s 2001 single ‘What It Feels Like for a Girl’ opens with an interpolation of the following dialogue from 1993 film ‘The Cement Garden’: “Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short, wear shirts and boots, because it’s okay to be a boy. But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, because you think that being a girl is degrading.”

In what can be interpreted as an aggrandisement of social media culture, for the Instagram generation, the pressure to be somebody is well and truly on. The contemporary female needs only to journey to her nearest WHSmith where she is greeted at eye-level by a glisteningly tempting copy of ‘Cosmopolitan’ magazine with its hackneyed headlines: ‘Feel Sexier Instantly! The 50 Quick Tips to Get the Beach Body YOU Deserve’, ‘Sex Goddess Secrets: The Key to Being Amazing In Bed’, or my personal favourite ‘Fasting: The Ultimate (and Best) Diet.

You Can Do It If You Try!’. The heat is

also very much on for those possessing a Y chromosome; ‘Men’s Health’, for instance, is forever peddling the clichéd fitness themed headlines of ‘The Shirt-Off Muscle Plan’, ‘The Insanity Workout’ and ‘The 29 Minute Fat-Frying Inferno’.

It makes sense to announce here that my intent is not to nullify the entertainment value of these publications – I’ve always loved these styles of magazines for their sheer irreverence. Instead, I wish to make the case for their nuances within popular culture. Sex sells—it always has, and probably always will— but what can we do to inspire the hearts and minds of the disenfranchised, for whom these cookie-cutter cover stars who adorn our magazines do not resonate? Ladies and gentleman (and those of you who have yet to decide), hear me out, for I believe that drag queens could possess the answers we so desperately seek.

The expression of identity is a defining factor of the human condition – but what happens when the way you think and dress doesn’t quite live up to the standards purported by wider society? Armed with a slick of luminescent lip-gloss and a wit as sharp as the studs of a Louboutin heel, the art of drag elegantly illustrates just how constructed 21st century fashion and beauty standards are. Drag as we know it today is conceptualised by characterised exaggerations of gender roles. Through repetition of images of women in dresses (and men in suits), historical stereotypes have become commonplace. At least in my opinion, in the modern era, what one wears and uses to paint their face with should be a matter of choice rather than a biologically-based prescription.

Drag relies upon the aura of illusion.

Drag can reinforce inner confidence.

Drag says: “Okay, you might not like your nose, but if you accentuate your dark eyes and lashes, then nobody will notice it”. Drag is about owning your flaws, because poor self-esteem kills.

That contouring tutorial you love so much? Drag queen approved. That joke that made you laugh that one time? A queen probably wrote it first. In recent years, even everyone’s favourite pop divas have been known to take influence from drag culture, sporting the bedazzled costumes and sizeable hairpieces that queens have been wearing ‘since the year drag’.

“Drag demonstrates how opposed ideals of sex-related behaviours are flawed and need no longer be relevant.”

An unexpectedly logical countermovement to dissatisfaction with one’s image is to shape and mould conventions of appearance in order to present a new character - someone who displays how truly forged these ideological constructs are. For some queens, the underlying message to their act is the irony that, what you see in front of you, is being achieved by a 6’5 gentleman sporting an intricate ensemble of glitter, cosmetics and rhinestones.

Identity is a performance—we have the power to be, or become, whoever we want to be (thanks for that, Judith

Butler). The way that we dress can set us free.

In an online interview, piano playing chanteuse, Vanity Von Glow, starlet of ‘Drag Queens of London’, details how, in its essence, her feminine aesthetic has enabled her to unleash her performing talents: “I wanted to perform from the position of a character who had a status and presence that was different (or perhaps even greater) than my own… I wanted to create a character that kind of projected either real or imagined glamour. And with that heightened reality of bigger hair, and lashes, and statues, and sequins, I could explore bigger emotions and I could hopefully relate those emotions to an audience.”

While to some the art of drag and debauchery go hand in hand (and for some queens this may be true), at its core, drag is a mode of activism in one of its purest guises, albeit, a highly contoured one. Society promulgates austere definitions of identity (alongside fashion itself) whereas drag generates a fluid continuum of an unfathomable range of expressions. Drag blurs the binary to demonstrate how opposed ideals of sex-related behaviours are flawed and need no longer be relevant.

Through teetering across the gender divide, a ceremonial exploration of the grey areas in between can take place.

From the extreme Hollywood glamour of the archetypal midnight Marilyn to the recent rise in unorthodox bearded queens, drag is the personification of possibility. If you don’t fit the mould, then that’s okay—through your own journey in life, you can carve out your own sense of beauty and belonging.

For Generation Y, labels of identification are only a hashtag away—but why should we be happy to be put into a box? Our identities are a sophisticated

merger of the multiple flavours of life that make us unique, regardless of the stereotypical images of heterosexual masculinity and femininity that the media tries to sell us on a permanent basis. Drag gives us the carte blanche to carouse with how society deems it appropriate to dress, think and act.

In the minds of some, I imagine that I am (and in some ways always will be) that one, quiet boy from school who was often lost in an avant-garde daydream—and I’ve learned that that’s not only true, but also okay. Drag shows us how to challenge our thinking but also to accept who we really are. Behind the frothy fun entertainment of what is essentially ChapStick and mascara, lies a unique humanity and vulnerability.

Owning your identity unapologetically and authentically is something that drag queens do best and, for that, they have my sincerest applause.

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Film

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ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Interview

TV Binge

Master of None

Filmmaking Society :

Robert Rowan Contributor

This sharp comedy makes for another stellar entry to the Netflix originals canon Aziz Ansari has made a career out of exuberant comedy, whether he’s being Tom Haverford in Parks and Recreation or himself in his stand-up.

However, as Dev in Master of None he takes on a noticeably more subdued role; for once Aziz is not a caricature, but just how you imagine he’d be in real life. The tone of the show is understated and surprisingly calm, but still hilarious. Frankly, this new Netflix original is brilliant, sharply written and wonderfully shot—it exceeds all expectations.

The basic premise of the show is nothing revolutionary: a youngish man trying to find his feet in New York, navigating problems in both his career and his personal life, and stylistically it’s similar to Louie, but more upbeat.

Master of None is unashamedly modern; Dev uses Rotten Tomatoes ratings as a gauge for his relationship, and the countless effortless references to our modern world make the dialogue incredibly realistic, I’m convinced I’ve had some of the same conversations with my friends. Furthermore,

it’s stunningly shot, painting excellent scenes and adding a real intimate feel to the show. Master of None frequently looks like a film rather than a TV series.

Each episode focuses in something different and they all do a wonderful job—Parents, which actually stars Aziz’s real parents, is a touching look at family relationships, whilst Indians on Television is a funny and frank look at the acting industry. Mornings is perhaps the best episode; it takes place over the course of Dev’s relationship and perfectly captures it, warts and all. In fact all the relationships are really well done—Dev’s romantic entanglements are believable, whilst the friendships are great, and Eric Wareheim’s Arnold is particularly hilarious (think an X-rated Marshall Eriksen).

What I cannot express enough is how funny it is, the majority of the jokes take a while to build but end brilliantly, and the writing team have done a great job of inserting the occasional witty one-liner to keep you going, even the sad moments bring a smile at the least. It flows smoothly,

the plot works well, and real growth is seen throughout.

Overall Master of None is wonderful.

It’s excellently made, wonderfully acted and brilliantly written. Netflix have made yet another great show and this should be the next series you watch. I really can’t emphasise how good Master of None is; it’s just the perfect modern comedy, and a real joy to watch.

Photo: Netflix

James Walker Nicole Tamer Film Editor The University of Manchester Filmmaking Society is currently producing two short films but how did the society start and who’s behind the projects? With over 70 official members and 300 members on Facebook, the society attracts a lot of students. President James Walker decided to take over the former Script and Screen society, rejuvenate it, and give it a different name. He was disappointed that the many societies at the university did not offer a society which produces films. Although FuseTV has a drama department, it focuses on mini-series and sketch show instead feature films.

After renaming the society, he developed a format similar to the University’s Drama Society. The committee decided that two films should be produced per semester and the scripts should be voted by the society members. The two chosen films for this semester are written by Taiyo Yoshida and Patch Middleton. The former wrote One to Ten a short film about superheroes and it is being produced by Lauren

Image: Lily Ashton , Riley Bramly-Dymond

Evans. The other film Hostage, a psychological thriller, is produced by Cerys Spilsbury. Furthermore, the society is looking forward to produce a lot more exciting projects next semester Although James wants the films to enter competitions, his emphasis is on fun and giving students the chance to be creative without controlling everything too much.

Finding equipment and some budget issues made the road a bit rocky so far but the society got on with the kindness of strangers. During a running job, James managed to get an old industry camera due to the connections he made.

If you have a passion for filmmaking or want to get some experience, join the Filmmaking Society on Facebook or contact the producers under cerys.spils@ gmail.com or leevans@hotmail.co.uk. The membership fee is five pounds per person and the society is especially looking for visual effects artists at the moment.

Film Reel

War Movies: Our Picks Photo: United Artists

Apocalypse Now (1979) “My film is not about Vietnam. It is Vietnam.” Francis Ford Coppola’s bold statement about his masterpiece, Apocalypse Now, bears an almost frightening level of truth. No other war picture as better captured the scale, the shock and, indeed, the horror of human conflict. It’s sinister title speaks volumes. - James Moules

Photo: Columbia Pictures

From Here To Eternity (1953)

Photo: Summit Entertainment

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Photo: Universal Pictures

The Deer Hunter (1978)

Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the More of an anti-war film than a war film, it stars Robert Academy Award for Best Director, showing up exDi Nero and Christopher Walken as two Vietnam War husband and 3D enthusiast James Cameron. A well- soldiers. It features truly harrowing war scenes, includresearched film, which had so many hearts going ing a stomach-dropping game of Russian roulette which because of how relevant it was with what was going on has been somewhat disrespectfully parodied in in the world at the time. - Nadia Cheung Revels adverts. - Jane Simmons

Photo: The Weinstein Company

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

More of a film about soldiers than a conventional Inglorious Basterds marks the beginning of the ‘Tarantino war film, From Here To Eternity’ is both a buddy film universe’, *spoiler alert* by killing off the Third Reich. comedy and a sweeping romance. Frank Sinatra and The film’s dramatic final act ignores the genre’s emotional Montgomery Clift both give career best performances tropes, instead embracing Tarantino’s typical style of OTT as two screws that don’t quite fit into the military violence. Ultimately, it’s better to view as a Tarantino film machine. - Jake Sanders than as a war film. - Barney Weston

Photo: Paramount Pictures

Saving Private Ryan (1998) If anything the beginning sequence of Spielberg’s 1998 classic has become more synonymous to World War II than any other historical documentation. Unlike previous war films, Saving Private Ryan established a band of brothers upon a perilous quest to establish freedom within Europe. - Alasdair Bayman

Film 19

ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Review

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

Mockingjay – Part 2, the final instalment of The Hunger Games franchise, can’t help but feel like a drawn-out cash-grabbing exercise Nadia Cheung Subeditor Jennifer Lawrence reprises her role as protagonist and hero Katniss Everdeen for the last time. We see all sorts of familiar faces in this last instalment, especially the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died in the middle of filming in early 2014.

A one-year wait is quite a long time to wait for the second half of a film that did not prove to have much happening plotwise in the first place. In a way, I guess it built up anticipation for this one—especially for its loyal fans. Opening up straight from the first Mockingjay film,

Katniss Everdeen, after healing from her shock-asphyxiation and almost being murdered by a “hijacked” Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), prepares to kill President Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland) to end the war in Panem and restore peace in its post-apocalyptic land once and for all.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 set up a lot for this film, meaning that as an audience, you won’t really understand much of the film unless you have seen the previous films, which puts a lot of expectation on an audience. This can be good for returning audiences or people already familiar with The Hunger Games, because it is saved from repeating itself in order to delineate backstory,

but it leaves the other prospective viewers in the cold, not knowing who, what, why and where—I imagine, this because I felt this way with the Harry Potter franchise.

A lot of action occurs in this film. It has to. Gunshots, explosions and all sorts of warlike violence to the Capitol. A lot of familiar characters unfortunately die, leaving many of its associated characters in mourning—which in a way, is cathartic for some. But Katniss cheats death multiple times as the Mockingjay—the icon for its rebels, led by President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore), who wants to keep her safe and protected, because she proves to be a valuable asset in uniting the rebels in order to overthrow President

Snow’s power in Capitol, where most of the film’s violence (and death) is set.

The Hunger Games trilogy became known for its love triangle thing going on between Katniss, Gale (Liam Hemsworth) and Peeta—who still has not yet recovered from being brainwashed to kill Katniss because he was convinced that she was truly evil. This final instalment allows the audience the moment where Katniss finally chooses—which doesn’t really seem like a decision… since she was disappointed with one, and it had become clear since the first part of Mockingjay, how much she missed the old Peeta in the first place.

Mockingjay ­– Part 2 is not the best of its trilogy. It was a continuation from the last one, tying up the loose ends that had left you hanging in Mockingjay – Part 1.

I feel like this is sadly another cash cow film from a franchise that didn’t have enough material to make more films.

This final film is more of an action drama with a twist of really predictable pre-teen romance, that reminded me of Anne of Green Gables, where you followed a protagonist, saw her live out her whole life with the bumps on the road and the events leading up to who she chooses to eventually marry and have kids with, and what she does next—which isn’t a good thing. Katniss Everdeen finally gets a rest in this trilogy. Any other option next would probably be to buy the DVD, go on Netflix, or pick up the books with Suzanne Collins’s name on. But I feel that a lot of people might not do any of those anyway. Goodbye, The Hunger Games.

Top 5

Films Set In Paris Paris stands as one of the liveliest cultural hubs in the world—here are five of the best films set in this shining metropolis 5) The Aristocats What better way to serenade to the eternal city than with a bunch of singing felines? Disney’s classic The Aristocats is a sweet film about a crazy cat lady who has her family of cats stolen by her scheming butler. A wonderful celebration of song and life in the city of love.

The animated realisations of the city, and the blossoming romance between pampered puss Duchess and Thomas O’Malley, “the alley cat” will make any heart swoon.

Photo: Walt Disney Productions

4) Bob Le Flambeur This French New Wave film from the 1950s is totally unheard of, but a masterpiece nonetheless. Quite literally translated as ‘Bob the Gambler’, it’s a tense heist movie about a broke gambler who gets together his team of cool, urbane criminals to rob a casino in the South of France.

3) La Haine

Photo:Lionsgate

HOME Pick of the Week

The Dressmaker

The Dressmaker features fine humour and a quality performance from Kate Winslet, even though it lacks tonal consistency throughout its runtime

Alasdair Bayman Film Critic Myrtle ‘Tilly’ Dunnage (Kate Winslet) walks down her dusty hometown—Dungatar’s main strip—as if it were a catwalk in Milan. Dressed head to toe in lavish 50’s designer outfits, she is a binary opposition to her rural surroundings and even more so, her female counterparts. Myrtle has returned from Paris to her native home in Australia in a quest of revenge towards those who had expelled her for seemingly unknown reasons. Accused of murdering a fellow school pupil at an early age, Tilly is armed and dangerous— with the power of fashion to ridicule sweetened grievances upon those who stripped her away from her mother.

One could mistake its beginning as a spaghetti western rather than a black comedy. Equipped with needles, a sewing machine and mannequin corsets, Winslet’s Tilly Dunnage is our Clint Eastwood and lone rider. The actress’ effortless ability to captivate an authentic Australian accent accentuates her position as still one of the best female actresses in the business—even after all these years. Accompanied by Hugo Weaving, Liam Hemsworth and Judy Davis, a true championing of indigenous talent is fundamental to Jocelyn Moorhouse’s film.

The comedic values of The Dressmaker are akin to those of Aussie Rebel Wilson. Judy Davis and other supporting roles are loud, boisterous and over the

A familiar one for those of you who studied French at A-level, La Haine is an angry revenge tale of three banlieue youths, whom, after the wake of violent riots in Paris, plot to kill a policeman.

Everything about this film screams edge—from the black and white cinematography that highlights Paris’ rich and poor, to the taut 24-hour narrative—you will be on the edge of your seat until the explosive dénouement.

Photo: United Artists

2) Last Tango in Paris

Photo: Universal Pictures

top. Thankfully, Wilson’s ruckus of homosexual and weight-orientated jokes are not so prevalent as they are in her performances in the Pitch Perfect franchise. Aligned to an exploration of darkened humour, and an ability to surpass Mark Kermode’s infamous six laugh test is achieved within the first half-hour—the latter cannot be said in regards to modern comedies like Vacation. The basis of this film’s humour is rotated around a transvestic police officer, an alcoholic mother and other small town caricatures—as well as Winslet’s Dunnage. This embroidery of characters tailors itself into a fine weaving of well-known arche-

types and plays upon pre-existing tropes of cinema’s portrayal of small towns.

Although Moorhouse’s latest release is sporadic in tone—shifting from comedy to romance, to tragedy—a fundamental narrative is withheld. A slight weakness derives from its constant movement from one genre to another—in particular, its melancholia. Undeniably, this hybrid element is to be rejoiced and praised, but does have its problematic consequences. One or two generic plot devices are installed too, the father of Tilly being one in particular—the identity of whom can be seen a million miles off, just like any car travelling towards the Australian

outback.

The Dressmaker’s adaptation from literature is evident in Tilly’s lavish fashion sense, though Moorhouse’s script and direction conceal this factor for the most part. However, one can identify its origins through the assortment of its variation in thematic values. Winslet is in impeccable form, as continued from Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs—but its design towards the big screen doesn’t quite cut to shape.

For those of you who like a saucier film, this stars classic actor Marlon Brando as a depressed American who shacks up with a young French woman in a Parisian apartment. The film was notorious for its graphic depictions of sex (including a questionable butter scene), and provoked outrage from conservative 1970s Britain when it was released.

1) The Beat That My Heart Skipped French tour de force Romain Duris stars as thuggish gangster Thomas, who must choose between a life of cocaine and crime working for his father’s gang, or escape to a successful life through his talent as a classical pianist. With a fantastic use of sound and editing, Jacques Audiard’s breathtaking snapshot of the life of a French gangster will stay with you for life.

Jane Simmons Film Critic

Books

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ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Feature

Curry Mile’s new bookshop: The Alexandria Library

Photo: Melissa Maples @Flickr

Walking home from university along the infamous Curry Mile, you may have noticed that a new player in the Manchester literature scene has arrived. The Alexandria Library, having opened only on July 14th this year, is a specialist secondhand and new bookshop which is making an impact on the Manchester literature scene already. One afternoon walking home, a slither of gold Arabic script was glistening in the window and I knew that I had to find out

what this new addition to the Curry Mile was all about. I was kindly given an interview by the owner of the shop, Josh, and the overseer, John, to discover more about what their thoughts behind the Alexandria Library were.

When asked about the concept behind the shop, Josh said that it’s simply “something different—there is no place in that you can get this variety of literature in Arabic and Urdu anywhere else in Manchester.” John further

highlighted how the shop was funded by the local Arabic church and a number of South Asian Churches, too, who wanted to showcase their significance in Arabic and Asian cultural heritage. John had said that the input from the churches were “essential to creating the blend of the shop” and that it was a space which allowed Arabic Christians from Syria and Iraq, along with South Asian Christians to have a voice. The location for both of them is key as “people had told us to open in Didsbury, saying that the Curry Mile was no place for a bookshop like this,” but they were determined to be situated on the famous strip anyway The Alexandria Library stocks both secondhand books—including poetry collections, language books, and novels—as well as new contemporary literature which is often brought back directly from Egypt or taken from suggestions from interested readers who come into the shop. John highlighted the struggle competing with Amazon but say that their secondhand collection often has trumped against Amazon’s—especially in such a niche market. A lot of students who are currently working on their dissertations or researching into Arabic or South Asian culture have been found to come in seeking language books and tips about learning Arabic—John himself has done an Urdu Leap course at the University of Manchester, as well as being fluent in Arabic after living in Sudan for many years.

The shop also facilitates a lot of cultural activities and connections between people.

Both Josh and John emphasised how the churches run groups such as free English conversation classes for local people who want

to better their English. There is also a Kurdish Book Club, too, who meet upstairs in the shop.

Even though it has only opened in July, the Alexandria Library is rapidly becoming a pillar in the local community. John told me how he has had people coming in, asking him how to “crack English society”, as well as having local artists coming in to ask if they could exhibit their work. Josh and John are both keen to attract writers to do poetry readings which fit in with the shop’s ethos.

People at the shop are very willing to help students who wish to learn Arabic or want to learn more about Arabic and South Asian culture. It seems to attract a very diverse range of people such as Syrian refugees who volunteer there, representatives from the church, and also people like myself who are generally interested in literature and suffer vaguely from a cultural identity crisis which they express in writing. As someone whose Pakistani parents had never taught me Urdu but enjoys writing in many forms, I was automatically drawn to the what the Alexandria Library is doing and the space it is creating for anyone interested in the literature and culture of that region—especially during this time of having a sharpened international political climate, misinformation and demonization stemming from some strands of the mainstream media.

Cultural spaces like the Alexandria Library are multilayered in the roles they play in society. I would definitely recommend popping in.

Review

Review: Carrie Brownstein discusses ‘Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl’

Laura Walsh reviews Carrie Brownstein’s discussion of her memoir at this year’s Manchester Literature Festival Never have I ever attended a talk by an author at a literature festival by myself. So, it was with slight trepidation that I embarked upon my first experience of this precise scenario. On the 12th of November, I attended a talk by Carrie Brownstein on her new memoir, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, as part of the Manchester Literature Festival 2015. For those who perhaps don’t know,

Carrie Brownstein is one-third of the seminal post-riot grrl punk band, Sleater-Kinney. With her unique guitar-playing and strident, highly politicised lyrics; she arduously carved out a path for future female musicians to follow.

Sleater-Kinney’s sudden decision to go on a ‘indefinite hiatus’ in 2005 left a legion of loyal fans bewildered and heartbroken. Fortunately, after ten years apart, they reformed and earlier this year released their newest album, No Cities to Love .

Photo:

This month, Carrie Brownstein released a memoir, which chronicles her life as a member of SleaterKinney—from its humble beginnings to its inevitable demise.

As this effusive p r e a m b l e demonstrates, I am a big fan!

And needless to say, I was extremely e x c i t e d , d e s p i t e some initial awkwardness due to me being by myself (fortunately, this awkwardness was Kris Krüg @Flickr

assuaged through implementation of the tried-and-tested method for situations such as these—taking out my phone and pretending to text someone).

As I took my seat in the third row, I marvelled at how close I was to the stage.

“I could definitely reach out and touch her from here” was the (creepy) thought that was running through my head. When she walked onto the stage, I spent the first two minutes trying to rearrange my face so that it didn’t reflect the childlike glee bubbling inside me.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I succeeded.

The format of the talk was that of a conversation, which was led by Manchester Literature Festival’s Kate Feld.

The conversation had covered a variety of topics—from how Carrie had approached the writing process (with a lot of procrastination apparently), to the books that she had enjoyed quite recently (Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates and A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara). A particular highlight was when Carrie had described Sleater-Kinney’s music as ‘not easy listening’. She recounted a time when she was at the hairdresser’s and “Dig Me Out” (one of Sleater-Kinney’s more energetic songs, shall we say) started to play on the radio—she immediately exclaimed, “what’s that racket?!” before realising it was, in fact, her own band that was the cause of the din.

Admittedly, I am probably biased in my assessment, but I found Carrie to be very

eloquent and entertaining throughout the talk. She is obviously very well read (as demonstrated by her casually dropping in such words as ‘monolithic’ and ‘highfalutin’ throughout the conversation), and it was interesting to hear her discuss her favourite writers, too. At one point, she described the time when she had met short story writer, Lorrie Moore in an elevator and proceeded to bombard her with a multitude of questions and proclamations of adoration. It was comforting to hear a person whom I admired myself, describe their own participation in the culture of fandom.

Once the talk had concluded, the audience was welcomed to ask questions. “This is my chance!” I thought as the microphones made their way through the crowd. I mustered up the courage to raise my hand and, with a voice more unsteady than I would have liked, I asked Carrie about the musical influences behind Sleater-Kinney’s most recent album. Her reply referenced musicians as disparate as the topics discussed in the talk itself—from The B-52’s to Kanye West. When the last question had been answered, a final enthusiastic applause rattled throughout the venue. As I stood up to leave, I caught Carrie’s gaze—she smiled and nodded at me politely. Buoyed by this small interaction, I glided out of the theatre. My first solo venture into the world of literature festivals was an unequivocal success.

Food & Drink

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ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Feature

The Pomegranate Soirée Food Editor Elena Gibbs cooks up a vegetarian Ottolenghi-inspired middle eastern feast

Having moved into a new flat with a wide, spacious kitchen and matching living area, I thought it was time to host my first dinner party of third year. Originally cooking for two, I got carried away with invitations and soon eight people were coming to eat.

For large parties, I think it best to present a range of options for people to select from and fill their plates with. A buffet of sorts, but not one that conjures images of Iceland oven-ready sausage rolls. Heavens no.

This was an Ottolenghi-style smorgasbord. When you get that hit from all the flavours, I guess you could call it a smorgasm (but only if you really want to).

Here’s the menu, complete with recipes:

Aubergine imam biyildi stuffed with Ghanaian stew

Beetroot, red lentil and courgette cumin curry

Imam biyildi is one of Turkey’s national dishes, which is unsurprising considering the use of aubergine in many of their traditional recipes.

The name translates to ‘the imam fainted’, which arose as a Turkish imam’s reaction to tasting the dish. It’s delicious, but it’s even better if you can stay conscious. I chose to do a twist by stuffing the vegetables with Ghanaian stew, in homage to my flatmate, who introduced me to the pantry-staple dish.

1 onion, chopped 2/3 cloves of garlic 4/5 small beetroot, or 2 large beetroot, peeled and chopped 1 large courgette Handful of red lentils Cumin seeds, cumin, coriander, ginger

The Imam: 4 aubergines, halved lengthways and immersed in cold water Olive Oil Salt The stew: 1 onion, finely chopped Rapeseed Oil A mix of spices (see method) 2 tins of tomatoes Sweetener (I use date syrup, but brown sugar works well too) To start, flesh out the aubergine until you have a thick and robust hollowed shell left, put these back into the cold water. Chop the spongelike flesh until you are left with small and fine uniform-enough pieces.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and begin to brown.

Meanwhile, heat the rapeseed (can sub any other oil) in a saucepan and add the onions, softening on a medium-high temperature for around 15 minutes. This stew is one that is liable to change with every attempt, so it’s best to not be too strict with the spice amounts. I tend to throw in a healthy shake (about a teaspoon) of: madras, cumin, cumin seed, coriander, nutmeg, ground cloves, ginger, chilli (use less), paprika and black pepper. Add a little sweetener, about a teaspoon, then add your tinned tomatoes and the browned flesh of the aubergine. I find that the date syrup compliments the spices well, and I buy mine from Worldwide in Rusholme, £3 for two jars.

Leave the tomatoes to boil and simmer for around 30 minutes until thickened and spitting, add water if necessary and for extra flavour add a stock cube and some bay leaves, as the traditional recipe calls for.

At this point, remove the aubergine shells from their water and heat the oven to around 200 °C. Place the shells onto a large baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and bake for around fifteen minutes. After this time, remove from the oven and fill with the thickened stew. Back in the oven, roast for around 15 more minutes, until the skin has deepened in colour and looks more loose than spongy—the rigidity should be lost.

Once ready, present overlapping in a square glass bowl and top with fresh herbs and pomegranate.

Heat the onion in a little oil and begin to soften, add the courgette and turn up to medium high. Meanwhile, immerse the beetroot in hot water in a separate saucepan and boil until the courgette in the other pan has begun to wilt and brown. Add the dry lentils, spices and beetroot mixture along with the pink residue that bleeds into the water. Boil until it begins to form a thicker, less watery mixture. Turn the heat down and let simmer to combine, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary.

It’s ready when you’re happy with it. Feel free to add more spices, some sweetener, extra vegetables, stock or fresh herbs. It’s very versatile and has a great colour.

Top with fresh coriander and pomegranate seeds.

Spicy cashew rice 1/2 tsp of the following spices: turmeric, paprika, coriander, cumin, salt 1/4 tsp of: chilli powder, ginger, ground cloves 1/2 cup cashews I do this in the rice cooker, but similar if not the same results can be achieved by using a large saucepan with a lid. Allow 1.5 cups of water for 1 cup of rice.

Rinse rice in a sieve until water runs clear, then add all ingredients to rice cooker/pan with lid on for 25 minutes. After this time, remove lid and it should be ready, add more water if necessary.

Top with fresh coriander and pomegranate seeds.

Adapted from Nigella, I modified this to suit the middle eastern flavours by including spice and replacing sugar with date syrup. This is also suitable for those avoiding dairy, gluten and refined sugar.

150ml olive oil 50g cocoa powder 125ml boiling water 2 tsp vanilla extract 3 cardamom pods, crushed 1/2 tsp chilli powder pinch of salt 150g ground almonds 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 cup of date syrup (or 200g caster sugar) 3 large eggs

The Mancunion: Food and Drink @MancunionFood Photo: The Mancunion

Helena Maxwell-Jackson Deputy Food and Drink Editor

Chapter One The rain beat down on us as we made our way through the brickclad lanes of the northern quarter. The wind chased us forward until our saunter broke into a reluctant jog. As we ran, we jumped, and swerved to avoid the puddles; until we were half-hearted gymnasts vaulting over ponds of murky city rainfall.

We had left our gloves in London. My friend was wearing a pair of socks on her hands, in an attempt to escape the inevitable fate of chilblains. My hands were bare. My pale face shivered beneath my acrylic beanie cap, like a rippling white flag, as I surrendered to the cold.

As we turned on to Lever Street, we came to a grey concrete building.

The ground floor jutted out from the mass of the building above, literally stopping us in our path.

We slowed our pace until I could feel the slow squelch of cold water in my saturated shoes.

The grey façade of the building was punctuated by floor length windows. I peered through the window.

Inside the building were large, fabric, coloured armchairs that were dispersed between displays of books, some of which were perched upon dark green picnic tables. My eyes drifted upwards toward the ceiling until they reached the sculptural lights. Their refulgence cascaded from the ceiling, meandering between the exposed copper pipes that hovered just below.

I peered at the shop sign at the front of the buildings. ‘Chapter One’, it read.

I reached out to open the door, and let the warmth of the room guide me inside. The sound of babbling water from a stone fountain in the middle of the shop mingled with the playlist of soft folk pop that trickled through the space.

I walked through building, between the chairs and tables, between the books. As I walked I saw that the shop gave way to an exhibition space, its presence foreshadowed by the many art books situated at the back of the room.

Cardamom chilli chocolate olive oil cake

Preheat the oven to 170° and lightly grease a round tin with oil and baking paper.

Whisk the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and spices with the boiling water to form a runny paste and set aside.

Whisk the date syrup, eggs and oil in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until thick, frothy and bubbly for about 3 minutes. Add the cocoa mixture and combine. Fold in the ground almonds, salt and bicarb until incorporated into the mixture. Tip the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until the sides are set and the centre looks slightly damp. A fork (or cake tester if you’re a pro) should come out virtually clean but for a few chocolatey crumbs clinging on. The date syrup gives a rich, earthiness to the cake, which also makes it more syrupy, so do watch out for it to prevent burning. My advice is to check after 25 minutes and play the timings by ear.

Let cool and serve on its own or warm with coconut ice cream if you’re feeling especially decadent. Oh, and top with pomegranate, of course.

Photo: The Mancunion

The Coffee Column

food@mancunion.com

Photo: Pietro Bellini

Just short of the art gallery was a row of typewriters, each one separated by a glass plane. I tapped one of the metal keys, and I watched as the 4 letters instantaneously formed in front of my eyes.

First a C, then an A, a K, an E. ‘Cake’, we both whispered, in unison. We spoke the words as if we were possessed, for we could sense that vegan cupcakes were in the vicinity.

We found ourselves striding toward the café counter.

We stared at the selection of loose teas as we were hit by an enchanting ultimatum: berry tea and red velvet, or vegan chocolate cupcake with rose bud tea?

The latter materialised. Sitting upon the large tarted armchairs, I watched as the amber liquid poured itself into the delicate china tea cups. As I did so, fragrant notes of vanilla and orange filled my nostrils.

Outside, the wind and the rain quickened to form a swirling vortex of fallen leaves, cigarette butts and….

‘Rose buds’ my friend gasped. Rays from the lights above hit her spectacles, and a pink glare filled the frames.

I looked down to the chocolate cup-cake. It was a real old-fashioned fairy-cake with a moist crumb and glacé icing. With each bite of the cake, I could hear the wind swirling faster and faster outside. The sound filled my ears, as chocolate cake filled my mouth. And then, I wasn’t sure if the storm really was outside at all. Perhaps the windows had buckled under its force, for the whole room seemed to be spinning now. Books, and tea, and art works whirled around me, until I lost all sense of space, of time, of place.

I didn’t know if I was in Manchester any more. All I knew was that I was caught up in the magic of Chapter One. Chatsworth House, Lever St, Manchester M1 1BY

Food & Drink 23

ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM Review LAYOUT. It’s not until you look around that you realise how big PLY actually is. Up a few stairs and through a door, you’re faced with a large bar taking up the majority of the front-facing wall. The middle has a few low sofas and chairs for relaxing on, and either side has long tables suitable for large parties and creative events. The right side with high chairs that seems to mark the spot for after-work drinks, the left more suitable for casual dining and creative pizza-box doodling. PLY has a second level, which outskirts the perimeter, making for a more private and intimate setting for those not wishing to mingle in large open space. For those with work to do, PLY also has an area designated to reading, complete with a colour-coded bookshelf.

SERVICE. Everyone who works in PLY is also a really big fan of the place. The staff are friendly, upbeat and so ready to plug their own establishment.

Customers are always greeted with a smile and are attended to in a timely fashion. Any questions will behappily answered and requests always welcomed; even the tap water is served in a quality glass with ice, straw and a sprig of mint.

When such care is taken with no money involved. that really shows a genuine attitude in a place.

FOOD. PLY are the proud owners of a unique mirror-balled disco pizza oven, the object

PLY

Elena Gibbs spins a 4PLY yarn about the Northern Quarter’s hippest pizza joint

Photo: The Mancunion Photo: The Mancunion

When advising new contributors on what to include in a review, I tend to say the same four things: layout/decor, service, food, atmosphere. These headings more or less encompass all one needs to know about a place.

However, not everyone cares about all of these things. Some love what’s on their plate, but don’t care if they’re sitting on a gold throne or a Hessian bean bag. Some love the music, and are indifferent to hostile service. Some want it all, but to make it easier to digest the expanse of comments under each heading in reference to PLY, they are split here visually into slices of information.

26 Lever Street, Northern Quarter, M1 1DW

Photos: Freepik.com

plymcr.co.uk/

responsible for its production of irresistibly chewy sourdough Neapolitan flatbreads, all topped with a range of gourmet ingredients. From porcini mushroom with garlic oil to fennel sausage and wild broccoli, courgette taleggio and flowers, confit tomatoes, rocket and goat’s cheese. Gluten Free dough is also available, confirmedly as chewy and delicious as the real thing. Drinks start from a range of bubbly draught beers to a well-stocked fridge of carefully selected bottled varieties such as the Beaver Town Gamma Ray pale ale and ABC Crate Digger coffee stout. Wines have been chosen to complement the food and the atmosphere, and a range of inhouse cocktails such as ‘Kid in a Sweetshop’ reflect PLY’s playful and creative nature.

ATMOSPHERE. PLY is more than just a bar-restaurant, it is a creative space that plays host to exhibitions, artwork, and youthful eclectic parties. Due to the many areas sectioned around the venue, there is a sense of being in a school workshop, an art day where the staff are the supervisors (also serving beverages) and everyone is encouraged to think outside the box. Customers are encouraged to get involved with the displays and have some down time for artistic thinking. At the moment they’re exhibiting pizza-enthusiast Scott Wiener’s box artwork, where, on the opening night, people could meet Scott and have their own go at designing a luxury takeaway container.

Previously, there has been a DJstyle pizza booth where patrons could animate their own topping-designed slip mat. PLY’s vibe, put simply, is fun.

Crazy Pedro’s

Delicious and classy pizza until 4am? If that’s not enough to tempt you, Felix Sanders visits this outthere pizzeria to dish out what’s on offer

Photo: Love Food Hate Waste

Hope Rapp tells us why we should #wastenot and be aware of wasteful practices, both to save money and save waste

Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year - approximately 1.3 billion tonnes - gets lost or wasted. Huge facts like this can be hard to digest, but made bitesize, this means that every week roughly one day’s worth of food per household is thrown away. Those familiar past the sell by date yoghurt pots, crusty bread ends and wrinkled grapes are costing the average household a shocking £700 each year. You would never dream of casually flinging a £10 note in the bin, yet edible, nutritious food is continuously met with this fate.

Although half of our annual waste comes from the domestic sphere, this is just one part of the food waste chain.

Supermarkets are a forceful fuel behind the crisis with the over-ordering of shelf supplies seeing thousands of consumable products unsold and subsequently thrown away.

Whilst this preventable practice is extremely frustrating, the strict cosmetic guidelines supermarkets apply to farmers produce are less publicised but even more ridiculous.

Supermarket standards mean that perfectly edible crops are not making the cut because of their appearance and size, causing thousands of wonderful but ‘wonky’ vegetables to get the chop. Not only is this distressing for farmers crippled under the commercial superpowers, but for all who see the homeless on our streets and the malnourished child on our television screen.

So what can you do? An enjoyable yet constructive place to start is to watch ‘War on Waste’ on BBC1 where writer and broadcaster Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall reveals just how much food and other recyclable materials are being wasted. Although he is pointing a finger at Britain’s food industry’s flawed redistribution system, he highlights how we too can contribute to a more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable society. The two episodes are available on iPlayer. But in the meantime, here

are some quick tips for how you can help: Don’t go by the use-by-dates! A handy test to tell whether eggs are good to eat is by placing them in a bowl of water, if they sink to the bottom they are completely fresh, if they rise they are rotten. Dates are simply guidelines, use your common sense and sniff test before you bin that yoghurt or hummus.

Don’t fall for the BOGOF (buy one get one free) deals in the supermarkets, ask yourself will you really be able to eat all this fresh produce? Do you really need it?

Use your freezer, get that sliced loaf of bread in there before it can go mouldy and freeze your fresh herbs - they take minutes to defrost but go off quickly when left in the fridge.

Use your leftovers before you head to the shops, some surprisingly tasty recipes can be whipped up from the random bits and bobs in your fridge, why not try bargain bruschetta?

‘Bargain Bruschetta’ ingredients: -A few squishy tomatoes.

-Ends of bread.

-One onion.

Method: Grab a grater and those wrinkly tomatoes.

Fry the onion in a splash of oil.

Add the bread (if it’s slightly stale - even better as it will soak up the oil better) and toss till golden.

Mix the juicy tomato with the onions and place on top of the sliced crispy bread.

Grind some salt and pepper to top.

If you have some squidgy avocado too, any type of onion, going off yoghurt and a dollop of mayonnaise you can also make a quick and easy guacamole!

-‘The Thrifty Cookbook’ by Kate Colquhoun at £9.99 would also be the perfect Christmas present offering 476 ways to eat well with leftovers, a lovely illustrated book offering delicious dishes from curries to crumbles.

Get online to www.wastenotuk.com read, sign, share Hugh’s petition #wastenot and explore his quick, easy recipes. With the festive season in our sights, let’s indulge in ingenious ways!

I’ve never been to Italy, so I couldn’t tell you what real pizza tastes like. The closest I think I’ve ever come was at Franco Manco’s. A place that came from humble beginnings in Brixton Market to now having seventeen locations all over London. The focus there is, above all, on the dough. They use sourdough, which uses a natural leaven rather than yeast to make it rise.

This is what makes their pizza incredible; they have got the foundation so right that the toppings become almost superfluous.

Photo: Crazy Pedro’s

Last Saturday I went to the one year anniversary of Crazy Pedro’s Part-Time Pizza Parlour.

They put up a small marquee in the square outside their restaurant and held a four day event with live music. I came reasonably early in the evening and listened to some fairly decent singer-songwriters. The place was starting to fill up but wasn’t spectacularly busy. I heard that Thursday, the opening night, had more of a buzz.

As for the food, it’s definitely their own interpretation of what pizza should be. They have a fried chicken and waffle pizza. You can buy by the slice, for £2.50, and I went for a wacko jacko, topped with pepperoni, jerk chicken, jack cheese, onion, olives and jalapeños. I find that style of pizza over the top, the flavours do all come together but you can’t help but feel that somehow, somewhere, an Italian is turning in his grave.

Crazy Pedro’s has a very relaxed, informal atmosphere with a long bar where they serve up both the pizzas and the drinks. Staff are friendly and very in-keeping with the feel of the restaurant. The decor is somewhere between Lucha Libre and pop-culture. The roof being plastered with album covers and film poster, and the walls painted with wrestling masks. The Liars Club, also ran by Crazy Pedro’s Lyndon Higginson, is a Tikki themed dive bar. It seems Higginson has a knack for taking something that might be considered pastiche, and making it work.

One of the best features of Crazy Pedro’s is that there open until 4AM. Although my heart does go out to the poor chef’s on duty, it’s good that Manchester has a late night eatery that is a little more sophisticated then suspicious pieces of fried chicken.

I really enjoyed what the event and the restaurant represented, an independent place doing its own thing and still going strong after a year. In a sea of chains and exported London franchises it’s encouraging that there are still some little beacons of mancunian independence.

55–57 Bridge St, Manchester M3 3BQ

Arts

24

ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Exhibition

Exhibition

MMU’s Holden Gallery reminds us that when it comes to housing the maquette precedes the market

Review: Through No.3 by Liz West

Model Behavior

Ashley McGovern Arts Editor Before going to the Holden Gallery’s latest exhibition, my mental image of model housing was the twee scenery of English country villages — a generalised scene of little slate-roofed homes, small village greens and miniaturised parish churches. This is not the case with ‘Model Behaviour’. Most of the artists’ work on show here is interested in maquettes because they are a way of viewing the original social contract, made between designer and developer, before the housing market reduces it to either redundant or extravagant shelters of capital.

James Casebere’s Landscapes are photographs of a slightly sterile model recreation of American suburbia, based on affluent Duchess County in Upstate New York.

They show long, placid lawns of white houses and an involved community spirit: baseball courts, parked bicycles and a yellow school bus driving along the main road. The only thing is no one is around; the whole town is deserted with no one to enjoy the numb prosperity of the place. Instead there are unnerving signs of danger littered across the sloping hills. Piles of logs are stacked outside the homes, as though some scaremongering telecast has told them to stock up, and the town’s distant bit of pine forest, encircled by a wind farm, is quickly catching fire. If this is suburbia build on sub-prime credit, then the sulphurous economic revenge is coming.

This exhibition also has its protesters to match. Jordi Colomer’s ongoing work in progress, Anarchitekton, consists of four videos based on his visits to four cities: Barcelona, Bucharest, Brasilia and Osaka. As a series they form a video travelogue of one man’s outcry against hegemonic power. He acts through a madman alter ego, Idroj Sanicne, and runs around the cities, all the while holding a miniature version of the surrounding architecture e.g. the advertisements plastered on

city buildings in Osaka, the dull exterior of Ceausescu’s grandiose palace. He is alone; there are no crowds of fellow campaigners, no banners or even text to explain his wild jeering.

Not all of the work is anti-capitalist defiance aiming to destroy the illusions we have about our homes and cities. Some of the artists retain the romantic view of the modelesque. Luis Lambri’s photographs are highly formalist interior shots of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin House and Turin’s Teatro Regio. She stalks through the buildings and snaps narrow views through windows, the nooks of the opera house’s ceiling. They are too formalist in my view, the spaces are framed for brief decorative pleasure and are photographed too preciously.

Oliver Boberg’s Night Sights cast a tender, blue look at an unusual subject: industry. His short films, looped every 30 minutes, are practically motionless views of deserted factories and alleyways late at night. Their stillness is interrupted only by the hum of machinery and the occasional gust of steam. Industrial production, it seems, has its rhythms and they are made to appear filmic, seductive.

All in all, the exhibition analyses the architectural contract that is made up before we ever come to inhabit our homes. They can be highly prettified, formalist contracts, or they can show early on the dangers, greed and oversight of investment. Model houses are unveiled before closing a sale, the period of glossy pitching before any filthy bricks are laid, and this show keeps us on the edge of unbuilt possibility.

Closes 11th December 2015.

To find out more visit: http://www.holdengallery.mmu. ac.uk/2015/model-behaviour/

Castlefield Gallery provides Spinningfields with a mesmerising piece of public artwork

Neil Greenhalgh Contributor 2015 has been a great year for Liz West, having been one of the stars of Castlefield Gallery’s ‘New Art Spaces’ at Federation House, she is now beginning to gain national and international attention. Fighting off 5 other candidates for this new collaboration between CG and Allied London, West has been embraced by the agency style approach that CG operate within the city, and hopefully this will be the first in a series of new public artworks in a city with a flourishing art scene.

Through No.3 is best enjoyed as an interactive experience. It is one thing to see it or to take a photograph, but another thing entirely to walk through it. In fact, walking through it is so completely different, it is staggering. This is why it has such a mesmerising effect; it allows the viewer to reset all expectations and engage with a completely uncontaminated experience. The light shines through the colour blocks in playful ways, offering patterns on the floor, on the walls and on myself. The choice of colours hints at an almost primitive playfulness, and I’m reminded of a toy I had as a child: a bunch of chunky semi-translucent rings on a hoop with, if my memory recalls, the same colours that are at play here. There’s something fundamentally exciting about the primitive enjoyment of an interactive experience of colour and light—your inner child will love it!

The brief for this commission called for a work that was bold, innovative and reflective of the environment of modern architecture in

Spinningfields.

Through No.3 definitely provides this and more. It will be a shame when it is removed

Photo: Neil Greenhalgh

because it adds character, energy and artistic vibrancy to an area known for concrete, glass towers and finance. Let’s just hope this is the start of some new collaborations between the city’s thriving businesses and growing contemporary art community. Multi-million pound Northern Powerhouse venues are one thing, grass roots collaborative societies are another thing entirely.

Open Daily: 25 November 2015 to Wednesday 6 January 2016 Located: Crown Square, Spinningfields, Manchester.

Read more here: http://www.castlefieldgallery. co.uk/news/through-no-3-by-liz-west/

Theatre 25

ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Review

Review: English National Ballet’s Lest We Forget The English National Ballet’s Lest We Forget brings a poignant reflection on World War I to Manchester’s Palace Theatre

Millie Kershaw Fashion Editor 2014 was a year of widespread commemoration to mark the centenary of the First World War. This memorial extended to the stage with the English National Ballet’s triptych of pieces under the phrase synonymous with remembrance, Lest We Forget, which made a return this autumn for a nationwide tour.

Whilst intending to diffuse public preconceptions on ballet with its innovative style, the collaborative work simultaneously challenges the way we reflect on the Great War, one century on.

Liam Scarlett’s opener to the evening, ‘No Man’s Land’ played on the significance behind his chosen title. There was a surprising absence of khaki and helmets as the ornate velvet curtains rose to reveal a row of women, not tutu- and tiara-clad, but in sootstained aprons and bonnets.

Bent double with hacking coughs, the women sent dust clouds flying as they worked in a munitions factory assembly line with hands yellowed by gunpowder.

Once the ‘Canary girls’ in the factories had bade the men farewell as they set off for the trenches, Scarlett was not afraid of maintaining a simplicity in his choreography.

The stillness of slouched soldiers waiting at the Front was more powerful than any possible interpretation of a glorious military push towards enemy lines.

The sombre and reflective piano composition by Liszt mournfully accompanied the pas de deux between a woman and her soldier returned from the Front. It impressed on me how minute changes in eye contact and body language can collapse or transform the

Alina Cojocaru and Junor Souza in Lest We Forget. Photo: ASH

mood of the performance; the soldier’s dropped gaze— hunched soldiers and limp movements effectively depicted the psychological impact of the war beyond physical injury.

Russell Maliphant incorporated recorded sound with the live orchestral accompaniment in ‘Second Breath’ to announce the transition into a more contemporary interpretation of the War after the interval. A series of numbers were read out in English, German and in French, which increased as the dancers’ movements gradually became more frenetic, to culminate in millions, denoting the conflict’s astronomical worldwide death toll.

The pitch-black, empty set was stark, focusing all attention on the movement onstage. In a particularly poignant moment incorporating Michael Hulls’ stunningly simple lighting design, the bottom half of the space was plunged in darkness, lighting the emptiness above the heads of dancers.

Intricate aerial work saw some dancers lifted into the light, before falling helplessly into darkness... and death.

This symbolic and physical representation of going ‘over

the top’ was deeply moving and engaging, without the need for an elaborate set.

To conclude the trio was ‘Dust’, the most dynamic and least ‘balletic’ piece of the evening.

The dancers were strong and warrior-like, in contrast to the stillness of ‘No Man’s Land’, moving powerfully as one in some extremely impressive ensemble sequences. The electronic percussion in the soundtrack reverberated around the space like artillery fire, and choreographer Akram Khan pushed the art form to its breaking point as the dancers writhed and twitched in pain.

The devastating effects of war felt uncomfortably familiar in this more transcendent interpretation of the centuryold war.

As depressing and inaccessible as a ballet about the Great War may sound, Lest We Forget was highly compelling, and it captivated the audience until the curtain fell. The horror of the subject was approached in three very separate and interesting ways.

The outstanding quality of the dancers’ performances effectively communicated the various memories of War to its modern audience— unforgettable.

Editor’s Picks

What’s on this week?

Monday RAW (Rhythm and Words), Contact Theatre 8PM Bridges Company, Octagon Theatre 2-4PM CLIC Sargent Hospitals Christmas Carol Concert, Bridgewater Hall 7:30PM Tuesday Lord of the Flies, Lowry Theatre 7:30PM Wednesday Lord of the Flies, Lowry Theatre 2PM & 7:30PM It’s a Wonderful Life, Lowry Theatre 7:30PM

Photo: garryknight @Flickr

A few picks throughout the week in Manchester

Wordplay, Royal Exchange Theatre 11AM

Symphony, Bridgewater Hall 7:30PM

Thursday Lord of the Flies, Lowry Theatre 2PM & 7:30PM It’s a Wonderful Life, Lowry Theatre 2PM & 7:30PM Pen:Chant, Contact Theatre 7:30PM INDRA, Octagon Theatre 5-7PM

Saturday Lord of the Flies, Lowry Theatre 2PM & 7:30PM Snow White, Lowry Theatre 7PM Into the Woods, Royal Exchange Theatre 7:30PM

Friday Into the Woods, Royal Exchange Theatre 7:30PM Comic FX: Randolph Tempest, Royal Exchange Theatre 6PM BBC Philamonic Brahms’s Third

Sunday Snow White, Lowry Theatre 11AM & 3PM Diversity, Lowry Theatre 1PM & 7PM The Hallé Christmas Family Concert, Bridgewater Hall 3PM

Review

Review: Paul Foot Paul Foot’s stand up makes for an uncomfortable watch with few good moments

Liam Kelly & Joe Evans Features Editors It is necessary to begin this review by immediately stating that, as soon as we hit the intermission, we decided to get on the first bus away from Salford Quays, and drown our sorrows in The Old Monkey pub on Portland Street.

Neither of us had hitherto left partway through a performance, but it felt almost essential to do so during the interval of Paul Foot’s gig.

That Paul Foot is a weird guy should not come as much of a shock—his appearances on panel shows firmly disabused us of the notion that he was “normal”. The results of our interview with him a few weeks ago confirmed the peculiarity of the character we were dealing with here.

To call Foot a surreal character—as I erroneously did during our interview with him—is to do a disservice to those surrealists who harness their talents in a far better way.

(Apologies to Franz Kafka, Haruki Murakami, et al.)

Foot makes a big deal about how, when he goes from town to town, no two shows are the same, which is something of a mercy—the number of people who were subjected to

this particular showing was minimised.

We knew that we were in for a long, bumpy ride when Foot contrived to make his offstage announcement—which would traditionally involve the performer briefly introducing themselves to the audience off-stage—last 35 minutes, and include a “dress rehearsal.”

Fundamentally, Foot’s gig was an uncomfortable one.

He has issues with personal space (he gets very close to his audience) and, during one incredibly uncomfortable skit he dons a cowl and transforms himself into “Penny”: a highlystrung, shriekey and sexually deviant femme fatale.

Despite these myriad issues, he is a talented performer (infrequently). For instance, he affects grievance incredibly well: The audience from the previous night (one member of which had inexplicably decided to make a return appearance), and the technical staff at the Lowry were just two sources of his opprobrium.

One of the less unenjoyable portions of the show featured Foot using a horse’s head toy to change the “language” he used.

The head pointing downwards meant Foot spoke in (and the audience understood) English; upwards meant the language

reverted to “nonsense”; in between was a weird pidgin blend of the two.

The ease with which Foot was able to switch between these languages at speed (and, when the head was given to an audience member, without his input) was genuinely impressive, and demonstrates the potential he has. Unfortunately, it was not enough to salvage this gig.

It is rather disheartening that the highlight of the show featured the performer literally speaking gibberish.

Photo: IWMPUK

Review

Miracle on 34th Street: Christmas spirit on Quay Street

The Christmas period has been thoroughly introduced after a great performance of Miracle on 34th Street at the Manchester Opera House Harry Newton Sport Editor Wrapping-up warm, shelling out a tenner for a sausage muffin at the Christmas markets, and racist grandparents sitting around the dinner table... (alas)...

Yes, Christmas is coming! As we swiftly move into December, the world is swept with Christmas Fever, and nothing will get you more in the mood for this festive period than Miracle on 34th Street at the Manchester Opera House this December.

Taking my mum to this performance made me forget the terrible attempts for Christmas presents down the years she has given me, and made me remember the great Christmas dinners she has provided, as we both fell hook, line, and sinker for this Christmas extravaganza of a performance, singing along by the end!

Despite a slow beginning to the show, with the first half of the performance lacking in some humour and seeming to just be the lead up to the second half, part two did not disappoint! With the roles of Marvin Shellhammer (played by the wonderfully camp Brendan Matthew) and

Michael Adams as the stern Mr Macy, being given more of a spotlight in the second half, the show became more lighthearted and the festivities began!

You can always expect in these kind of shows a certain amount of songs, and this show was no stranger to a song. The first half’s inferiority to the second half is somewhat accountable to the volume of songs that were placed in the performance, since there were many more, and a few tended to make you lose interest, due to them being a bit slow.

Despite the odd questionable American accent from time to time, the small group of actors and actresses overall created a great, fun performance, with

nobody standing out as a bad performer. A note must be made for the fantastic recovery from one actress during the performance. After accidentally walking into a prop, she came back onto the stage later in the scene dramatically steering clear of this prop to be met with laughter from the crowd.

It’s difficult to set a particular audience in stone for this performance, because there was a variety of people in attendance.

There were children, the elderly, people on romantic dates, and of course me and my mum; as long as you are open to being entertained with Christmas festivities, then you are the audience for this show!

Photo: Miracle on 34th Street the Musical

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Lifestyle

ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

The Art of Sexting The Evolution of

“Netflix & Chill”

Rowan Jenner charts the evolution of “Netflix and chill” from innocent beginnings to misleading euphemism

Photo: xopherbrown @Flickr

Hannah McGrory Lifestyle Contributor As with a lot of things that involve sexual exploration, there seems to be somewhat of a taboo around sexting—but why should there be? As long as the participants are two consenting adults, then exchanging sexy messages can actually be really rather exhilarating. When done correctly, the best sexts can act as a new spicy injection to your foreplay repertoire and all you really need to pull it off is trust, confidence and a little bit of imagination. To truly get the best out of it however, you probably don’t want to jump straight into

exchanging erotica with someone you barely know—especially if they’re a bad Tinder match whose opening line is to ask for a picture of your junk. But when you’ve found someone who makes you feel comfortable, to engage in a cheeky sexting session can allow you to communicate exactly what you want and desire in the bedroom without having to face any awkwardness in saying it out loud.

Let’s face it, exchanging sexual messages with your partner isn’t exactly a revolutionary idea—it’s just that back in the day it was done via long-winded letters with far more elaborate vocabulary and plot lines, but that’s not

to say sexting isn’t just as good— and a hell of a lot more concise!

And for those of you who don’t have an other half, why don’t you utilise your saucy writing skills in other ways? For example, there is a huge online community of erotica writers who are always looking for new stories, and you don’t even have to put your name to them if you’re too shy!

So whether you’re looking to add a bit more excitement to your romance, or are a singleton looking to branch out into more erotic circles, why not give sexting a go? It’s more common— and definitely more rewarding— than you think!

It’s everyone’s new favourite internet-born, social media-fuelled, tongue in cheek innuendo—“Netflix and chill”.

In the most literal sense, it could quite simply be a screening of Gossip Girl with a packet of Maltesers in hand on a Friday night—but in recent times, this phrase has evolved to represent something else entirely.

In a sense it’s kind of perfect. It’s the ideal way to mask one’s adolescent, sexual intentions. To an unsuspecting victim, “Netflix and chill” can sound as innocent as a good old-fashioned first date in the cinema— where going to watch a movie you’ve paid to see is far from your number one priority. Yet, as always, social media has promptly jumped on the bandwagon. The creation of endless memes, tweets and vines ensued, all highlight the fabulous new code lan-

guage for inviting someone around for a from from innocent encounter.

Netflix first began offering a video streaming service in 2007, which was available for free to all of its subscribers. In the years that followed, and as Netflix grew more and more popular, “Netflix and chill” had remained to have no alternate or subversive meaning—it was just a two-word pairing, or, alternately, a verb phrase that had literally meant to watch something on Netflix, whilst chilling.

It wasn’t until the latter end of 2014 where people had started to catch on and adopt the true euphemism behind the phrase. There were tweets with pictures of smug faces, and memes alongside captions such like, “When she says Netflix and chill”.

Meanwhile, other, more naïve twitter-goers have

tweeted pictures of surprised, and somewhat dismayed, faces with their captions including, “When you find out what Netflix and chill really means”. By 2015, a “Netflix and chill” app had even been created in order to find people nearby, inviting them to join you to “Netflix and chill”. In April this year, it had finally became an addition to Urban Dictionary with the rather blunt definition: “Code for two people going to each other’s houses and fucking or doing other sexual related acts”.

Then, finally, even Netflix itself had joined in with the latest internet craze—by posting a GIF from Clueless, revealing Cher Horowitz’s honourable attempt to seduce her high school crush whilst watching a movie, with the caption: “Netflix and chill? No, really”.

Sadly, the cat may be out the bag as many

American parents have started to catch onto the innuendo. There have even been rumours of one American mother attempting to sue Netflix, as she blamed Netflix for her 16-year-old daughter’s pregnancy which had resulted after a “Netflix and chill” session. As more parents and older people begin to understand the secret language of internet slang, the hidden meaning behind this comical phenomenon is revealed and ultimately loses its appeal. Could this really be the end of “Netflix and chill”? There is little doubt that performing the actual deed of “Netflix and chill” will cease— but for the phrase itself, it may be the end of an era.

At least until social media undoubtedly fires up the next flirty and hilarious euphemism.

Diary of a Tinder Walk of Shame Tips Addict Looking for love in all the wrong places...

Make the Saturday/Sunday morning stride of pride a little less embarrassing Aj Mal Lifestyle Contributor For some, the ‘walk of shame’ is usually accompanied by a grin, a confident sexuallyassured saunter home and loudly slamming the door in the morning to make sure every house or flat mate knows what time you got in.

But for those who do not like to kiss and tell, here are a few tips to wash away the eau du sexe.

Firstly, hygiene is key.

Although this depends on your eagerness to get away, a shower is advisable. Before setting off, one should at least try to wash away the alcohol, sweat and the lasting aroma of that dodgy take away from the night before.

Freshly washed hair will confuse your witnesses.

Erasing smudged lipstick, club

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entry stamps and mud stains may even leave you in an acceptable enough state that fellow Magic Bus passengers will not shun you.

Comfort is also of extreme importance.

Nothing says walk of shame like a pair of toohigh heels, sex hair and smudged makeup. A pair of flats, a makeup wipe and a toothbrush could make all the difference but honestly, who has that kind of space in their night out bag anyway!?

Second of all, timing. Not so early that it seems as if you deeply regret what you have just done. Not too late so that the whole world is already awake to witness your shame.

Staring intently at the ground, red faced and wishing you were elsewhere whilst people pass you on their way to work, families on their way to church and your friends on

their way out of the house, is not advised.

Practice walking in dodgy footwear. Even doing this in the gym on the treadmill will be more useful than doing it in comfortable running trainers. Hey, maybe you can even practice after a few drinks to make it even more authentic.

Fourthly, assuming that last night was a sexual extravaganza, you probably did not get chance to fit much sleep into your schedule. However, do not be tempted to fall asleep on the bus home! Yes you are tired, but wait until you are warm and in (your own) bed before catching 40 winks.

Fifthly, keep it classy.

That means no to carrying any half finished beers or takeaway with you as you walk — no matter how hungry or thirsty you might be.

A hot fresh Dominos once you get in will

surely do you more good than the stagnant piece of fried chicken you could not bring yourself to finish last night.

Sixthly, make sure you have everything before you leave. Underwear, keys and phones….all essential, you do not want to have to go back for any of these. A phone call the next day asking for your favourite knickers or boxers back is never sexy.

And finally…sunglasses (God’s gift to hungover beings).

These magical glasses not only hide your puffy eyes or smudged mascara, they also hide the ‘I had sex last night’ smirk glint in your eyes. You can also pretend with your still-drunk-from-thenight-before logic that because it is still dark (in your world anyway) no one can see you...

Aj Mal Lifestyle Contributor

Swipe, swipe, swipe Stacey has found herself matching, chatting, flirting and arranging dates with new men in the most unusual of places.

Swipe, swipe, swipe.

Flicking through potential love interests with a wave of a finger, Stacey wondered how long she would have to wait to hear back from Will, her date from the night before last. “Call him, text him, facebook message? Definitely don’t call… who does that now anyway?”

She sends a text and waits...

Still waiting on the bus to Uni… considering replying to the good looking photo with the standard cheesy opening: Heyyy. Possibly the least pervy message she received in the last 24 hours.

During lectures, and Will has posted on Instagram and Facebook, yet no reply… Stacey considers updating status to: Fuming.

Messages sent over lunch and revenge date arranged for tonight.

Also just recognised recent Tinder match after passing on street. Definitely worse in real life.

Her non-stop 20 second cycle of looking at her phone screen, responding to messages, and just seeing if there was anyone new online has become an addiction. She knows this because her date has just told her. First date dress and make up on, butterflies in her stomach on the way to the bar, but completely bored and wondering how to make an early exit before she has finished her first drink.

He said he was into comics and rolled his eyes when she said she likes all types of music.

Why did she agree to a meal… rookie mistake.

It’s going to be a long night. She reaches for her phone as the red flame beckons…

Photo: Tinder

27/11/2015 18:14:59

Lifestyle 27

ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Overheard University of Manchester The funniest things you’ve been saying around campus this week ‘Stroking his noxious cock.’

- Overheard in Withington ‘I’d rather be alone than be with any of those twats out there. ‘ - Overheard in Didsbury ‘He just walks like a prat you know? Literally no guy has junk that heavy that the core of his body is weighed down.’

- Overheard in the SU ‘I’ve had an emergency. I was trying to see how much piss I could produce and I’ve overflowed my bin.’

- Overheard in Withington ‘Don’t you have a wank towel?’

- Overheard in SU ‘I think my whole being is peeling away from me.’

- Overheard in Blue 3 ‘Her vibrator is like an alarm cock! Should definitely go on Dragons’ Den with that. ‘ - Overheard in Withington ‘The only friend I have is my sex robot.’

- Overheard outside Ali G

The night we lost our Ann Summers virginity ‘Fuck it Fiona’ peels back the lace to reveal the rabbits, romping, and ridiculous behaviour of an Ann Summers party.

Last week, I lost my Ann Summers party virginity. At first we were a little apprehensive, but we soon learnt that “time flies when you’re playing with vibrators”. Our Ann Summers Ambassador, ‘Anal Andrea’ with 14 years of experience below her belt, got right down to it. We were each assigned a naughty name whilst we perused the catalogue. Sat between ‘Tight Twat Pat’ and ‘Deep Throat Deirdre’, I was the first to make the mistake of referring to a fellow party goer with their actual name instead of their naughty substitute and for this I was to be punished. The snitch too was sentenced to join me. Our comeuppance: a demonstration of as many sex position as possible within 50 seconds. An ice breaker like none that I’d experienced before, it most certainly warmed us up with a mixture of physical exercise and embarrassment .

However any awkwardness was rapidly diffused

by Anal Andrea; this women does not take no for an answer, although she is open to compromise.

Think sassy teacher crossed with your favourite aunt—sounds odd, but she had a strangely comforting presence.

Party games are key to the Ann Summers experience. Simply done with the aim to get you giggling, I even found myself reciting the words “I love to cum so get the mop and bucket!” (no, these were not of my own creation) and this was after a single glass of wine. The recital of AS’s version of the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ gave us a hint of what was to come as we thanked heaven for the gift of vibrators.

Next came the moment we had been anxiously anticipating from the moment we booked the party—playing dress up. However Andrea, being the expert she was, judged her audience well. We were offered a compromise: we were all to don outfits for a consequent catwalk but whether we kept our clothes on underneath was at our own discretion. For myself, Andrea selected the Red Devil costume-a sexy number complete with

horns and miniature glittery red pitchfork, I was in my element preceding to prod every one of my now scantily clad amigas as they strutted and posed in their outfits. So content in my costume, it took me a while to realise that I was the only party goer still wearing a saucy ensemble, twenty minutes later.

Still, we were soon to discover that Andrea had been teasing us, as the climax of the event was yet to arrive. The sex toy demonstrations left no burning questions unanswered. An explicit exhibition of their uses, unique designs and stimulating abilities, this is quite an upgrade on your school’s awkward excuse for sex education. The ‘sink’ and the ‘moregasm’ tests were particularly awe-inspiring, but you’ll just have to have your own party to uncover these mysteries. From rampant rabbits and bijou bullets, Ann Summers has it all, and Anal Andrea’s years of experience allow her to recommend a product to suit all wants and whims. At one point, I even turned to find my friend ‘Shag a lot Sarah’ sat clutching 3 pulsing vibrators giggling with glee. Some toys, however, were a little more weird then wondrous, namely ‘The Ultimate O’, resembling the hand of an extraterrestrial. But we soon learnt that looks are deceiving, as this ugly duckling is in fact one of AS’ best sellers.

You’d be mistaken to believe that Ann Summers parties are all frivolous games and filthy fun (although this does make up the most part). Bra fitting and lingerie parties are also offered. With the statistic of 80 per cent of women wearing the wrong bra size, AS are on a mission to put the world and their breasts right.

On the other hand, if this all seems too tame for you, or if you’re quite simply an old hand at AS events, then a Dark Desires Party could be for you.

A little more hardcore than the Original, this alternative delves into your wildest fantasies and adds a little ’50 Shades of Grey’ to your evening.

Photos: Polly Bartlett

‘Can I microwave this fork?’

- Overheard in Withington ‘It was just wall-to-wall essay wanking. The only way I got through GCSEs.’ - Overheard in Fallowfield

Ask Us

?! ?!

I’m heterosexual but lesbian porn turns me on, does that make me strange?

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No, you are not strange! In fact, you’re more than normal. A PornHub study has recently shown that women are actually watching more girl-on-girl porn than they are guy-on-girl. This generally boils down to the fact that female arousal is far more complex than its male counterpart and, as such, there are a variety of elements involved with stimulation. Women can often find heterosexual porn too “hardcore” and the male star unattractive. The sensuality displayed in lesbian porn, however, is found to be much more appealing. Regardless of the statistics, just because you find pleasure in watching lesbian porn, does not mean you want to have sex with a woman. As I’m sure anyone will agree, arousal is all relative. If it turns you on, it turns you on. You’re really not alone.

27/11/2015 18:22:14

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@Mancunion_Sport

Rugby Roundup: Club rugby returns Alex Whitcomb Sport Reporter It may have gone unnoticed to many, but club rugby is back in full swing. Since the weekend after England’s final game in Manchester there have been four rounds of England’s top division and two rounds of matches in the European Cup, and both seem to be as competitive as ever.

Local favourites Sale Sharks have had a mixed start to the season, with an unblemished home record but without a single win on the road to date. Making their adoptive home of Salfords’s AJ Bell stadium a fortress after being there for only 3 years is a tough ask, but they haven’t lost there since April, and will hope to extend this winning run further into the season. A win against perennial favourites Northampton is also a sign that the team is in good health, after narrowly missing out on a play-off place for a spot in the European Cup last season.

The squad have over 300 international caps between them (98 of which are provided by Ireland legend Peter Stringer), and have shown their potential to be amongst the contenders. It’s also an opportunity for star fly-half Danny Cipriani to make his case for an England place after being omitted from the World Cup squad.

2015 Champions Saracens have been the early pacesetters, and are top of their Champions Cup group. The bookies favourites are so far unbeaten in the league and have recorded very comfortable wins over solid Toulouse and Ulster

sides. Wasps also managed to claim the scalp of triple European Champions Toulon in a remarkable 32-6 win at the Ricoh Arena. The scale of the Coventrybased team’s victory over a side that, until now, have seemed invincible, will provide a great deal of confidence to other English sides, especially since they finished 8th in the Premiership last season.

Eddie Jones’s appointment as Head Coach has also hopefully signalled the end of the fallout of England’s embarrassing world cup campaign. After a month of acrimony over Lancaster’s coaching, Sam Burgess and the reasons for England’s failure, English rugby can now move on, and the premiership will be where that recovery will be based.

ing French clubs a massive advantage cash-wise. With English clubs subject to a lower salary cap than their French counterparts, the worry is that the only thing keeping top players in the Premiership is the prospect of national team selection. While this debate will roll on for years to come, Jones’s decision to carry on current policy during his tenure does bring some stability to the new regime.

tradition of seeing some of the most internationally recognised players taking to the field. Since the mid-1990’s, greats of the game such as Francois Pienaar, Martin Castrogiovanni, Phillippe Sella and Michael Lynaugh have played in the Premiership. This year, fans will see Jean De Villiers at Leicester, George North and Victor Matfield at Northampton and James Hook and Greg Laidlaw at Gloucester, among many others.

So while the disappointment of the world cup will be felt for a long time, English rugby fans will take much consolation from the fact that club rugby has returned. The Aviva Premiership is arguably the most competitive league in Europe and will be well and truly up for grabs right up until the final at Twickenham on May 28th.

The premiership will also continue its

Jones has confirmed that he will continue the RFU’s policy of only selecting players based in England outside of “exceptional circumstances”. Some have argued that the last three European Players of the Year being English counts as “exceptional circumstances”, and there was some pressure to change the policy after the world cup. Steffon Armitage—2014 winner and Toulon No.8— voiced his anger over the fact that he and 2015 winner Nick Abendanon were overlooked for the World Cup because of their expatriate status.

However, home-based English players, commentators and administrators have responded by saying that the monetary fallout, as well as the effect on the harmony of the team, would be too severe. French Rugby recently signed a 3-year contract worth €300 million, giv-

Photo: Charlie @Flickr

Sport in the City Adam Selby Sport Reporter Well… what is it?

If all the mentioning of Christmas puddings and mince pies has yet to whet your appetite enough to go and want to undertake an admittedly difficult five-mile-long run on a Sunday morning, then this week’s festive offering may do just the trick in inspiring you to dust down your running trainers.

They say that football has little spirit and connection with the fans in a modern-day focused solely on profits and success on and off the pitch, yet it is community events like a Santa Run that maintain solid links between your everyday fan and the city’s two heavyweights in world football. Both Manchester City and Manchester United therefore cordially invite you to join in their annual Christmas Santa Run for 2015. As we’re here to showcase the best of what Manchester has to offer, it is only fair to ensure some neutrality by offering both and we will leave up to you which race you sign up to, or more importantly, which colour Santa outfit you would prefer to wear.

Yes, that’s right, and in keeping with the colours of both Christmas and their iconic home shirt, Manchester United have opted for a traditional red Santa outfit, whilst their “noisy neighbours” Manchester City are bang on trend this AW2015 with a stylish yet simplistic sky blue Santa outfit to complete the race in. Again, the choice is completely yours, but it is worth noting that regardless of the colour of the outfit, of the stadium around which the race unfolds, and of the team hosting the event, all proceeds from both events go to charities that help to support the clubs’ respective foundations, which for us, is surely the most important thing this Christmas! In terms of distance, both runs offer a 5KM route, but please, please note there is no ex-

pectancy in either race to run the whole distance, and walking is encouraged. The race element is not what is important; instead, raising money for the respective foundations at both teams is paramount.

There is, however, the option for anybody who regularly runs to take part in a Santa Dash at Manchester City, but unfortunately no Santa outfit is provided for this elite race. Whilst at Manchester United, there is a shorter route of 2KM available to choose for those who don’t particularly want to run a full 5KM! How do I get there?

For those unfamiliar with two of Manchester’s most iconic landmarks, or simply for anybody who has yet to tick it off their list of places to go and visit whilst they study here in the city, let us be your tour guides in directing you to both stadiums.

Etihad Stadium (Manchester City): I would recommend the Metrolink tram system, since the club are lucky to have a dedicated tram stop—Etihad Campus. The stop is located adjacent to the Stadium, beside City Square. The journey time from Piccadilly is less than ten minutes. On event days, trams run to/from the stadium stop every six minutes. A number of public bus services run from all directions and, from experience, the 216 service as well as several others leaving from Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens offers a reliable connection between the city centre and the Etihad Stadium.

Old Trafford (Manchester United): Again, like for the Etihad Stadium above, I would recommend the Metrolink tram system. From the city centre, you can catch an Altrincham tram, alighting at Old Trafford, or alternatively choose an East Didsbury tram, alighting at Trafford Bar. However, if you would prefer to travel by bus, there are again a number of services that run directly to Old Trafford football stadium including the 79, 250, 255,

256, 263, X50. The X50 and 250 both run every 15 minutes from Manchester Piccadilly Gardens and would be my two preferred services.

But how much does it cost to get in?

The Manchester City Santa Stroll costs £10 to enter the race and your blue Santa outfit is included.

Meanwhile, for those wishing to compete in the MCFC Santa Dash, entrance fee remains the same, except instead of a Santa outfit you will receive a white t-shirt, which indicates your participation in the dash.

The Manchester United Santa Run costs £15 and like MCFC, includes your Santa outfit in the bundle.

Both races are further incentivised by a goodie bag following the completion of the race and a range of festive activities during the event, ranging from spot competitions and early Christmas presents on the day, to guest appearances from club legends past and present!

What are the facilities like?

Given the nature of the event, in that it is largely a fun-run, the route is not published online before very close to the event itself, so do please keep a look out on both Manchester City’s and United’s official websites. However, in terms of the scenery and the landmarks you will be running around in your Christmas attire, they are certainly worth admiring, and this might perhaps be your perfect (and undeniably your most unique) photo opportunity. From personal experience, having run the Manchester City Santa Stroll on two occasions previously, the route involves running both through the concourse inside the Etihad Stadium, before travelling outside to gain an exclusive look at the Citizens’s brand-new football academy complex (most notably where President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister David Cameron visited several

weeks ago).

Meanwhile, the Manchester United website has confirmed that this year there is the opportunity to venture down the tunnel at Old Trafford towards the finish line after taking in the sights of the local Imperial War Museum, The Lowry Centre and Media City UK. So make sure to not forget your camera!

Tell me something I didn’t already know…

The 2014 Manchester City Santa Stroll and Dash events saw 1,200 sky blue Santas take to the Etihad Campus to raise money for the local community.

The family-friendly run was founded by lifelong Manchester City supporter Jason Manford and former club captain and now Sporting Director of New York City Football Club, Claudio Reyna.

Meanwhile at Old Trafford, there were 1,200 Santas involved in the Christmas event, with club legend Bryan Robson starting the race alongside Coronation Street star Anthony Cotton.

Finally, when can I see this in action?

Manchester City Santa Stroll and Dash take place on: Sunday 6th December 2015 Manchester United Santa Run takes place on: Sunday 13th December 2015 For more information on collecting your Santa outfits, the starting times of both events and anything else, please visit mcfc.co.uk for information on Manchester City’s event and conversely, manutd.com for details of Manchester United’s event.

If you have any requests for local teams, sports or events taking place in Manchester, or if you wish to be involved, please contact: sports@mancunion. com.

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ISSUE 10 / 30th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

University Teams Oliver Grey Sport Contributor

Ultimate Frisbee

Ultimate Frisbee is a fast-paced BUCS sport that has recently received full recognition from the International Olympic Committee and gained professional status in the United States.

Imagine a perfect blend of American Football (without contact), and Netball if you are new to the sport. The University of Manchester team, nicknamed Halcyon, has consistently been one of the strongest programmes in national university ultimate frisbee over the past decade. However, a win at nationals (indoors or outdoors) has so far eluded the club despite the numerous silvers and bronzes. With an incredibly strong core group of players, including representatives of the Great Britain U23 team from 2015 (Steve Dixon, Amelia Cartwright and Oliver Gray), and the Mexican U23 coach, Pepe Espinosa, Halcyon Ultimate is one of the most experienced and athletic clubs in university ultimate. As such, this year’s men’s squad will be one of the favourites to win nationals in April. With the increased recognition, such a win would earn the University approximately double the number of BUCS points as it has done previously.

The club is one of the most rewarding for social players and this aspect of the club is ever expanding. As well as weekly socials, these players have the opportunity to take part in fun tournaments and have amazing weekend trips to other cities that include big parties. UoM Halcyon Ultimate has an ex-

Ellen Leahy Sport Contributor The University Water Polo Club is a great way to get involved in a sport that is different to any other! Water polo is a team sport played in a twenty-five meter pool with a goal at either end. Each team has six outfield players in the pool and one goalie. Matches are four quarters of eight minutes per and the winning team is that which has scored the most goals.

Both the university’s men’s and Photo: The UoM Water Polo Club

ceptional prevalence of international students, which reflects the global nature of Ultimate and the UoM. Students from Mexico, USA, Japan, Lithuania, Italy and Malaysia are all represented amongst a large membership.

Season Overview so far: The 2015-16 season thusfar includes strong performances from UoM Halycon Ultimate. The new #BUCSWednesday league structure saw Halcyon—with four players in their rookie year—defeat Sheffield University 12-10 in a tough battle on the 28th October. A combination of injuries, inexperience and absence of big players resulted in a disappointing loss at home to University of York 10-14 on the 4th November. On the 25th November, Halcyon bounced back with exceptional professionalism and composure to beat current league leaders and biggest rivals in the North, Durham University 14-10.

Exceptional performances were made

by Andranik Barsegjan and rookie Ben Frankish. The team also included Will Thatcher and Josh Koch, both in their rookie year, who both played notably strong defence. The win sets up a tight battle for the regional title and puts UoM in a very strong position to qualify for nationals, needing only one win from two home games against traditionally weaker opposition.

The mixed team began by qualifying for mixed indoor nationals for the first time in two years. Whilst the women’s team failed to qualify for nationals in an ever-more competitive and sizable region, the squad looks to be growing in strength and depth, and the out-

door season looks like providing some strong results. With the aim of strengthening the women’s squad, UoM Halcyon Ultimate will be aiming to recruit as many new women to the sport in January’s Refreshers as possible!

Men’s indoor regionals has been a happy hunting ground for the University of Manchester. Nothing has exemplified the continued strength of the club better than six years unbeaten at the tournament. Additional pressure accompanies retaining such hardfought club history. Halcyon worked hard to win the group stages and then

cruised through the knockout stages to progress to the final. An athletic, skilful and intelligent performance resulted in UoM Halcyon Ultimate beating Liverpool 7-5 in dominant style to secure seven years unbeaten, and some wellearned BUCS points. In addition, the size and strength in depth of the club was on full display. Halcyon were the only university to enter four teams and the third team in particular were very successful, punching well above their weight and finishing above a number of first and second teams.

Men’s first team captain, Andrew

On Facebook, search Halcyon: The University of Manchester Ultimate Frisbee or email our president, Carlo Ferrazzano: carlo.ferrazzano@student.

Photo: The UoM Frisbee club

Water Polo

women’s first teams have had strong starts to their respective seasons. The women went five games unbeaten and are now at the top of their league!

They are hoping to be promoted this season. Kathryn ‘Speedy’ Fowler has taken over the coaching position of the women’s teams, and has helped old and new players alike to improve their skills and fitness. The team is very grateful to have such a strong player and coach backing them for success this year.

Training: Should you find yourself enthralled by the prospect of giving the fastest growing global sport on the planet a try, then we train on Wednesdays at 2pm on Platt Fields Park and Fridays 8-10pm in the Main Hall at the Armitage Sports Centre. All are welcome irrespective of playing experience or aspirations within the game.

Khan, believes he has a strong team this year, with a few new faces. They have won all of their matches this year, bar two, by at least ten goals, and are confident that they can continue at this standard for the rest of the season.

They are also hoping for a promotion this year.

team’s attendance and hard work in training. The majority of second team players have never played any water polo before September, but they have been dedicated to the sport over the last few weeks and are prepared to go out and smash their first matches in February.

Neither the men nor the women’s second teams have had any matches yet this season, because they have been rescheduled for February. Nonetheless, Rachel McNally, the women’s second team captain, has praised her

Raj Contractor, men’s second team captain, is equally impressed with his team’s attitude towards the game. Raj has organised an extra swim session for players who feel as though they need to improve their fitness in the

pool. He mentions Joe Stickley and Dimitrios Asvestas in particular as stand-out players, for their hard work and good attendance for the team. Raj is also confident that his team can excel in their league come February.

Flora Harrison, the president of the club, has ensured that the club take part in the Manchester Homeless Shoebox Appeal. This is the first year that the club has partaken in this particular charity event, and thus far thirty boxes have already been collected! That number is expected to be doubled by the end of this week, and will make a great difference as it continues. This is a wonderful opportunity to help those less fortunate around Manchester.

Even at this early point, it is evident that this will be a successful season for the Water Polo Society. President Flora Harrison has said, “The club is doing so well this year. There is a real sense of unity among our members, which is reflecting in our success in the pool, and in our club development. As club president, I couldn’t be happier or more excited!”. With so much still to come this season, including Sporticipate sessions starting next semester, we can’t wait to see how the club progresses this year. The Sporticipate sessions could act as a great platform to improve players, whilst playing at a more relaxed level and growing to love

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Ascending the ladder With Footballers going up and down the leagues, Toby Webb looks into player mobility within the pyramid of English Football Toby Webb Sport Reporter Jamie Vardy’s current vein of form is nothing short of exceptional. Vardy has scored in his last 10 games, equalling the Premier League record for consecutive scoring set by Ruud Van Nistelrooy and subsequently resulting in an England call-up. While the ability to score goals is a priceless attribute, the ability to score goals consistently is even more valuable.

Vardy’s rise to success is even more remarkable given his history. He spent the beginning of his career playing in the non-league for various clubs, playing outside of the Football League until he was 25. In the 2011/2012 season, he scored 31 goals in 36 appearances for Fleetwood Town, securing the Conference Premier title and progression into the Football League. Vardy was snapped up by Leicester City following this, where he remains today. In Vardy’s second season with Leicester, they were promoted to the Premier League.

Vardy is a perfect example of a player assailing the English football pyramid: he has reached the peak and had success there. His story is quite the fairy-tale. However, it does open up a debate around player mobility in England. With the amount of foreign players brought into English football, one might think that the ability to move up through the leagues is unattain-

able, top clubs choosing to buy more proven players from abroad than take risks on players from the lower English leagues.

While buying from abroad over buying from below is generally the favoured option, it is not always the case.

Numerous examples can be reeled off of current Premier League players who have journeyed through the leagues to the top. Manchester City’s Joe Hart began his playing career at Shrewsbury Town, making 54 appearances before being bought by Blues. Similarly, Manchester United’s Chris Smalling played at Maidstone United, before joining Fulham, and subsequently United, in the Premier League. Further examples of players who have risen to the top include Ashley Williams, Craig Dawson, Neil Taylor, Yannick Bolasie, Lee Tomlin, Michail Antonio, Dwight Gayle and Callum Wilson.

Out of all those, Joe Hart is the only one that will go down as a Premier League great. Premier League stars of the past to have played non-league include the likes of Ian Wright, Les Ferdinand, Stuart Pearce and Stan Collymore, notably 3 of these are strikers. With the exception of Pearce, this shows again that the ability to score goals is priceless, something that has helped Vardy get to the Premier League. As well as ascending, players can also descend down through the leagues. While the majority of players move down when in the lat-

Doug Scott CBE Everest: The Hard Way Saul Gallagher Sport Contributor Doug Scott is such an understated persona the wider general public would have no appreciation or the remotest idea of what he has achieved in his climbing career. Instead today we now have a “celebrity status” bestowed upon any individual who may catch a few moments of attention upon the big screen. There should be an important preface here: I am a fan.

He stands amongst an elite group of climbers from a truly unique period of time when adventurers were pushing back boundaries on a level that your average Joe couldn’t even begin to imagine. With this in mind the achievements are all the greater given the equipment and funding boundaries of the era.

However where he truly stands out amongst this elite group is the fact that there must be something particularly special for him to succeed further amongst his original group of climbing peers. What is particularly astounding is the span of time in which he not only climbed, but continuously returned home.

Many of Scott’s peers who successfully pushed the boundaries of climbing didn’t stand the test of time. Very few lacked the capacity which Doug Scott seems to, even now, exude and embody.

Sir Chris Bonnington and Reinhold Messner are other notable individuals who for a time were within the same league of Scott, unfortunately all too many were left in the shadows as their time ran out.

Having recognised the part that the Nepalese people have played throughout time when travellers and adventurers have visited and explored the Himalayan region prompted Scott to dedicate the last 20 years of his life in repayment. To date a total of 44 projects have been conducted through Scott’s Community Action Nepal charity. Sadly however, the earthquake of April 2015 affected most of the projects.

This lecture, on Monday 16th of November at the Lowry Theatre, celebrated the 40th anniversary of ‘Everest: The Hard Way’, the conquest of the south west face of Everest, which he conquered with Dougal Haston in 1975, bringing to a close the last of the great siege assaults upon the earth’s largest peaks. In doing so, he opened the way for a new breed of rapid, lighter, and faster summit attempts.

All proceeds from this nostalgic and humbling story-telling evening have been delivered to the very heart of the needs of the Nepali people.

ter end of their careers, some simply find that they aren’t good enough for the Premier League. Moving down the leagues is more common than moving up. Alan Smith, once of Manchester United, now at the ripe age of 35 plays in League 2 for Notts County. A lot of ex-Premier League players can be found in the lower leagues, seeing out their careers.

The tendency to import talent in the modern day Premier League has been hugely detrimental to player mobility.

Every team now exercises the ability to buy players from abroad to bolster their ranks, limiting the opportunities for players to move up the leagues.

This is even more of a problem given that the majority of lower league players are English. With less opportunity to advance up the English football pyramid, the quantity of English players in the top division has diminished.

Indeed, in the opening weekend of the current Premier League season, less than a third of starting line-ups were made up of English players.

Less English players in the Premier League means a smaller pool to pick the national side from. One could contend that greater mobility in English leagues, more English players reaching the top of the pyramid, would lead to a better national team. Playing in England’s top division breeds international quality.

If there was more player mobility amongst the English leagues, Jamie

Vardy’s journey wouldn’t be so astonishing. There is a huge disparity of quality between the English leagues, with the influx of money, and therefore quality, since the inception of the Premier League. There is a massive difference between the Premier League and the Championship, while a much

smaller difference between the Championship and League 1. Player mobility is far more prominent within the 3 leagues below the Premier League.

The decline in player mobility up to the Premier League is ultimately a consequence of the affluence of top level clubs.

Photo: Pioeb

New Sports Facilities will place Manchester top of the League Will Kelly Sport Editor The Sports Centre in Fallowfield is the University’s flagship sports facility and has long been home to many of the highly successful University Athletic Union sports clubs and community teams. It provides outdoor pitches and indoor facilities for a range of sports and activities including football and hockey.

The plans for four artificial, all-weather pitches to replace some of the existing grass pitches include one rubber-crumb rugby and one rubber-crumb football pitch. There will also be two sand-dressed hockey pitches funded by Manchester City Council, Sport England and England Hockey, which will secure the re-provision of vitally important hockey pitches in the city. Three new artificial-turf cricket wickets with nets will also be provided.

Head of Sport and Active Lifestyles at The University of Manchester, Vicky Foster-Lloyd, said: “The Univer-

Photo: SPORT Manchester

sity is proud of its sporting heritage and provision and is committed to upgrading its facilities for the benefit of all groups. With six full-size, all-weather pitches Manchester can boast the greatest provision of any University in the country. These new facilities will allow greater use by staff, students and the wider community, enabling us to develop and create strong sporting partnerships across the city and beyond.”

The plans, which have been developed in consultation with the relevant national governing bodies of sport, are linked to the University’s plans for the wider redevelopment of its Fallowfield campus. They mitigate for the loss of one sports pitch but formed a separate planning application to allow the provision of the pitches to be brought forward. This was approved last week.

The aim is for the work to be completed in time for the start of the academic year in September 2016.

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Sport is becoming a bit of a dope: Action is required Will Kelly Sport Editor Forget the individual players, it’s administrators who need performance enhancement if sport is not to soon come crashing down. The world’s sporting governing bodies cannot keep up with the performance enhancing drug use out there, meaning ultimately there will be, for the foreseeable future, less enhancement in those who are supposed to be running the sports. At the moment, the heads of these organisations are currently competing in the Olympics of uselessness. To quote from an excellent article written by Marina Hyde of The Guardian, “It’s time to either clean up sport or simply put the Teletubbies in charge.”

As of last week, Russia’s Athletics Federation has accepted its ban from international competition without requesting a hearing. How they could have even attempted to defend themselves is perhaps in the loose sense, like suggesting that the Americans ‘faked’ the moon landing. This was essentially a state-sponsored doping programme that sabotaged the London 2012 Olympics, and the word ‘ludicrous’ doesn’t give justice to what an appalling situation it really is.

Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko had originally dismissed the IAAF’s “immediate sanction” as a minor inconvenience and said that “nothing will happen”. The IAAF will be holding a meeting in Monaco on Thursday to determine the measures Russia needs to implement to be reinstated to world athletics.

It’s quite frankly laughable that it was only in August that the President of the IAAF, Britain’s Lord Coe, declared: “There is nothing in our history of integrity in drug testing to warrant attack”, and that the press were simply wrong in their reports of suspicious blood tests involving hundreds of athletes over a 10-year period. His terminal defense on athletics is as dogged as his refusal to realize that his own conflict of interest in roles as IAAF and his ambassadorial role for Nike. Coe has come under scrutiny that he was still receiving £100,000 a year from Nike whilst an email obtained by the BBC appear to show Coe in discussions with a senior Nike Executive over for the 2021 World Athletic Championships for Eugene. The calls for Coe to quit his Nile role mirror that of the sportswear giant’s slogan, “Just Do it”.

IAAF would ultimately win gold in the race for the most useless sporting organization out there in regards to doping in sport. Boxing may soon join the race after Wythenshawe Boxing maniac Tyson Fury has come out recently suggesting boxing has a big problem with doping. However, this is of course the same man who has recently suggested that pedophilia will shortly be legalised because the “devil’s” ideas of abortion and homosexuality are legalised in this world. Wladmir Klitschko’s comment, that this man has the “brain of a squirrel,” is perhaps the most polite way of putting it.

Up then steps the Wales Rugby Board onto the podium, who appear to have reverted to the “but so does everyone else” card. Martyn Phillips, the Chief Executive of the Wales Rugby Board, has been asserting that doping is not just a rugby issue but in fact “a challenge for everybody”, despite the fact a third of the

Photo: Fetch

Lord Coe, President of the IAAF. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

British sportsmen and women currently banned for doping are from Wales, including 17 club rugby players from both codes.

Normally, there will be something every week that would entice someone to have a rant about how corrupt and awful FIFA as an organisation is and the astonishment that Sepp Blatter has not left football yet.

But we now turn to another football organisation in UEFA, the European Football Association.

Dinamo Zagreb’s Arijan Ademi failed a drug test after his side defeated Arsenal in the Champions League group stage. The midfielder, who played the full 90 minutes as Zagreb defeated Arsène Wenger’s side 2-1 in September. Of course, this is not enough to actually get the team thrown out of the competition, because this apparently requires two people to have positive test results, as ridiculous as that sounds.

How can organisations such as UEFA not realize that the only way to stop cheating is maybe to threaten the innocent as well as the guilty, and ban teams from their competitions? The authorities appear to have struggled by other means.

Ultimately, it’s time for sport to wake up. The widespread allegations of doping have become ridiculous, and sport itself will go into decline if these organisations do not do something about it.

Rooney DVD Competition We are offering readers the chance to win a DVD of the recent BBC documentary: Rooney: The Man Behind the Goals. Rooney has recently become England’s greatest ever goal scorer after scoring against Switzerland at Wembley in September this year, eclipsing a record held by Sir Bobby Charlton for almost half a century. The documentary is presented by Gary Lineker and provides an extraordinary insight into the life of England’s top scorer. Rooney is a man watched by millions but known by few, and this documentary wonderfully brings to light we never knew before him Who knew Wayne Rooney wrote poetry! For your chance to win, simply answer this question:What team did Wayne Rooney score a hat-trick against on his debut for Manchester United?

Email your answer to sports@mancunion.com