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ions, workshops, es showcasing Lecturers divided on the NSS The politics of a galaxy far, A student life: UoM P3 Board Games Society P5 far away P10 omenboycott in media ring confidence ing to follow in 48 students have put themselves forward in this year’s Exec elections, significantly lower than the ootsteps.

Exec elections: Low candidate turnout 105 that stood last year

Jennifer Sterne Editor-in-chief

mediacon.co.uk/

Standing for the Exec elections closed last Friday at 5pm, with the final number of candidates standing at 48, with all the positions contested.

In 2016’s elections 105 candidates stood for the Exec positions, with 10,169 students voting in the elections, short of the record-breaking 13,500 from 2015.

The Exec Officers of the University of Manchester Students’ Union are the eight full time Supported by Amnesty International UK representatives of students at The University of Manchester. The roles are General Secretary, Education Officer, Women’s Officer, Diversity Officer, Wellbeing Officer, Activities & Development Officer, Campaigns and Citizenship Officer and Community Officer.

The position with the highest number of candidates this year is Diversity, with nine running for the role, while Campaigns and Citizenship only has three candidates standing, the lowest of the eight positions.

The current Exec Team were hailed last year for being the most diverse in Union history. The breakdown of this year’s candidates show that 42 per cent of candidates are white, 10 per cent black or black British and 21 per cent Chinese.

Naa Acquah has held the position of General Secretary for two consecutive years, and therefore is ineligible to run again, and seven students have put themselves forward to replace her.

Events will be happening across campus in the

run-up to the elections to get as many people involved in the election activity — if you are interested in setting up your own event the Students’ Union urge you to get in touch with your society co-ordinator.

A spokesperson for the Students’ Union told The Mancunion: “We’re pleased with the number of candidates standing this year and we look forward to seeing them out and about engaging with students finding out their needs and wants.

“These elections are at the heart of why we as a union exist and look forward to what the candidates will bring”.

They also stressed the importance those who are elected will play “in the development of the new Students’ Union building. This is the first time the building has undergone such a major investment since 1957 — your vote in deciding this team will be crucial to the future Union’s development”.

Finally, they add that “whilst recognising that numbers were lower than the unprecedented numbers last year, the group overseeing the elections this year have heavily invested in raising potential candidates’ awareness of the different roles on the University of Manchester’s Students Union’s Executive team, and their key role in representing student views to the university”.

To see whose running visit the University of Manchester Students’ Union website: manchesterstudentsunion.com Voting opens on 3rd of March at 12:00pm and runs until the 9th of March 5:00pm, with the results being announced that evening.

Photos: wwarby@Flickr, fleshmanpix@Flickr & Junaid Ali Bokhari

University of Manchester and SU “create a hostile environment for free speech” The University of Manchester has been rated as one of the worst Russell Group universities for free speech

Tom Patterson Senior News Reporter Online magazine Spiked has published an analysis of censorship across 116 institutions which ranked the University of Manchester’s Students’ Union (SU) as red in their traffic-light system and the University itself as amber. They are suggesting that the University of Manchester and SU “collectively create a hostile environment for free speech”.

Spiked points to the University of Manchester’s verbal harassment policy, the SU stopping a Charlie Hebdo front cover from being displayed during the 2015 Refreshers’ Fair, and the banning of Julie

Bindel and Milo Yiannopoulos from speaking in 2015 as evidence for their ranking.

It was the SU’s Free Speech and Secular Society (FSS) that originally invited the speakers, and Edgar from FSS released the following statement to The Mancunion: “The University of Manchester has been supportive of free speech, in stark contrast to the Students’ Union.

“The Students’ Union has actively censored events. Some minor clarifications to the Safe Space policy have been passed last year, so we hope that the arbitrary, censorious attitude of the Students’ Union is a thing of the past.”

The Safe Space policy states that “freedom of

speech is important, yet intention to incite hatred is never acceptable”. The SU detailed the reasoning behind banning the speakers in a statement released in 2015 which can be viewed on their website.

The SU’s Diversity Officer, Ilyas Nagdee, told The Mancunion: “The visiting speaker process is the same for all societies. They submit a speaker request, the Union and University have a system to look through all speaker requests to ensure they comply with all regulations”. He went on to highlight the SU’s opposition to policies which it sees as limiting to free speech such as the government’s Prevent Agenda. Ilyas said this has led to some Mus-

lim students “not picking certain modules or feeling wary of engaging in political conversations in seminars”.

But not everyone is taking Spiked’s analysis seriously. WONKHE, the higher education blogging site, said in their Monday Morning HE Briefing:“The politically-charged magazine surveys universities, examining the policies and actions of universities and students’ unions, including anecdotes and press coverage, to rank them with a red, amber or green traffic-light award.

“The methodology may well be beyond proper scrutiny, but the rankings do have an ability to

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make a splash in sections of the press that are hungry to paint life on British campuses as chilling outposts of political correctness.

Jeanette Winterson, Professor of Creative Writing at University of Manchester, talked to The Mancunion about the differences between private and public platforms.

“It’s very different if you’re behind closed doors thrashing something out amongst equals… [as opposed to] where there’s any hierarchical situation… you’ve got to be much more careful, because the person with the power has to be both better mannered and restrained and not always say the things that are in his or her mind.”

But with regards to guest speakers she believes that everyone should be allowed have a platform.

“If they’re saying it in private let them say it in public, I’d rather the thing had some good fresh air round it than it was festering away in some ugly corner. So this has to be allowed to happen but it also has to be countered and the business of allowing someone to speak is not the same as agreeing with them or welcoming them or not challenging them.”

“None of us is free from prejudice or cliché or assumption…[but] when we hear

people who take an extreme position, it can often make us think how much we hate that position anyway and then we work harder to stamp it out in ourselves.”

She went on to say that it can also motivate people to think, “I want to stand out against that, I’m not just going to be a passive person”, and finished by saying: “Let’s hear what people have to say in the wider arena but in the private sphere of how we manage our lives in the workplace particularly, let’s be very careful about how we talk to one another because hierarchies of gender and of power are real. And to me that’s what you’ve got to watch every day, how you talk to somebody does matter.”

A spokesperson from the University of Manchester stated:”We reject the claims made about the University in this ranking.

“The University of Manchester is fundamentally committed to freedom of speech, and we have a Code of Practice to protect and uphold this and to ensure speakers act within the law. We work closely with students, staff and the Students’ Union to support hundreds of events each year and give as many people as possible the opportunity to debate a wide variety of topics safely and constructively.”

Racist graffiti at Exeter University

The slurs were found carved on walls at University of Exeter’s halls

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Iona Taylor News Reporter Exeter University has come under recent scrutiny after a swastika and ‘Rights for Whites’ sign were found graffitied in a halls of residence.

The swastika was carved on the doors of the campus hall, Birks Grange, and has since been removed.

This comes after the criticism of an Exeter Fresher’s Week sports social that included T-shirts emblazoned with handwritten racist slogans including the words “the Holocaust was a good time”.

The University of Exeter’s spokesperson has responded, saying that: “The university believes any form of racist or discriminatory behaviour is unacceptable and the actions of those involved are in contrast to the vast majority of students, who help to build our tolerant and inclusive university community.”

One student from Birks Grange described the “confusion” over the offensive images, pointing out that the swastika carved was slightly ob-

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scured and may have been there for some time.

Upon noticing the sign, the university immediately conducted interviews of each member of the corridor in an attempt to find the culprit but have, as of yet, been unsuccessful.

This has come at a time where many of the leading Russell Group Universities are facing allegations of on-campus racism, leading to questions regarding the anti-Semitic nature of Britain’s universities. Baroness Deech, former senior proctor at Oxford University, has warned that Britain’s top universities are becoming no-go zones zones for Jewish students.

According to Baroness Deech, “amongst Jewish students, there is gradually a feeling that there are certain universities that you should avoid”, and she continued to include both University of Manchester and Exeter in her list. These comments have been contentious however, with the Union of Jewish Students arguing that the “UJS rejects the notion that there are ‘certain universities that you [Jewish students] should avoid”.

Whilst they acknowledge that there has been a

Editor-in-chief: Jennifer Sterne editor@mancunion.com Deputy Editor-in-chief: Elise Gallagher deputyed@mancunion.com Postal address: University of Manchester Students’ Union, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PR Phone: 0161 275 2989 Subeditors: Gemma Sowerby, Robert Parris, Jane Simmons, Hannah Foy, Christopher Tchen, Lauren Bramley, Adriana Elgueta, Lauren Pizzey, Stevie Grieves sub@mancunion.com

Head News Editor: Yasmin Mannan Deputy News Editor: Rosa Simonet & Lily Sheehan Science Editor: Georgie Hines news@mancunion.com science@mancunion.com Head Features Editor: Jacob Nicholas Deputy Features Editor: Emma Shanks features@mancunion.com Head Opinion Editor: Tristan Parsons Deputy Opinion Editor: Marina Iskander opinion@mancunion.com Head Fashion Editor: Sarah Kilcourse Deputy Fashion Editors: Sophie Soar and Talia Lee Skudder fashion@mancunion.com Head Food & Drink Editors: Lily Carden & Miriam Mizzi foodanddrink@mancunion.com Head Film Editor: Eliza Slawther Deputy Film Editor: Shema Begum film@mancunion.com

recent spike in anti-Semitism in universities, they deny the claims of Baroness Deech “fully portray the experiences of Jewish students. It does a disservice to the thousands who are able to freely express their Jewish identities in whichever way they choose”.

Nonetheless, this comes at a time where UK Universities are facing a definite increase in antiSemitic behaviour. The police were called to UCL after a group of Jewish students were barricaded in a room in the heat of an anti-Israel rally — they were told it would be unsafe for them to leave the room alone, and were forced to wait for the police to escort them across campus.

The University of Cambridge has seen the distribution of leaflets that have denied the occurrence of the Holocaust.

The Community Security Trust recently reported figures showing that anti-Semitic attacks against students or professors have doubled in 2016 in comparison to 2015.

Head Lifestyle Editor: Rachel Adams Deputy Lifestyle Editor: Araddhna Patel lifestyle@mancunion.com Head Music Editor: Joe Casson Deputy Music Editor: Katie Shepherd music@mancunion.com Head Sport Editor: Harry Newton Deputy Sport Editor: Alex Whitcomb University Sport Editor: Ben Ryan sports@mancunion.com Books Editor: Roma Havers books@mancunion.com Theatre Editor: Brogen Campbell theatre@mancunion.com

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. No previous experience is necessary, just a passion for student media and a good story. 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.

Head Online Editor Rebecca Carr Deputy Online Editor: Holly Smith online@mancunion.com

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.

Copyright belongs to the photographers. If you wish to reproduce them contact them

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

Arts Editor: Laura Joyce arts@mancunion.com

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Lecturers divided on the NSS boycott The NSS boycott has brought conflicting statements across departments at the University of Manchester Rosa Simonet Deputy News Editor The National Student Survey (NSS) is being used as part of the government ranking system, the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), introduced this year. In response, the survey, now widely associated with the rise of tuition fees, has been met with nationwide boycotts and criticism.

The boycotts and campaigns, coordinated by the NUS, have encouraged students to ‘opt-out’ of the survey. According to the Union, if enough students boycott, the survey will become invaluable and the TEF unworkable.

The Students’ Union at the University of Manchester have been using their own #DontFillItIn initiative in support of the boycott. Their campaign

includes a video, lecture shoutouts, banners and a blog created by Emma Atkins, Education officer.

The blog not only addresses the questions and concerns about the boycott but also advertises the alternative Manchester Student Survey.

This week, concerns the University of Manchester have been pressuring various departments to oppose the boycott have been raised.

When asked, departments across the University of Manchester provided differing opinions on the NSS. Many, including Arthur Garforth, Head of Teaching within Chemical Engineering, and JulieMarie Strange, Head of History, have not taken clear positions on the survey but have encouraged students to make informed decisions.

However, Strange adds, unlike previous years, she has not “offered any incentives (e.g. iPad draw) to fill

it”. Garforth, on the other hand, states “the dilemma for me is that we welcome all sources of feedback and act accordingly to develop future School and T&L Action Plans, so I will always be disappointed if NSS feedback is impacted on”.

In response to the original concerns, Richard Winpenny, Head of Chemistry, believed departments had not been pressured by the university but argued “the NSS is very important as it provides useful information to sixth-form students when they chose their university courses.

As fees rise, it is ever more important students are as well informed as possible when they make choices”.

A spokesman from the university claimed “the National Student Survey is an important way for the University to learn what it needs to do to ensure that Manchester students have the best possible

experience while studying with us. As a result, we encourage all eligible students to complete the survey”.

In strong support of the boycott, however, the English department, represented by Noelle Gallagher, have stated they “believe that the NSS does not provide an accurate or reliable means of measuring the quality of university education, and we object to the use of NSS scores as a means of evaluating teaching and assessing student fees”.

The range of responses has been said to indicate a lack of trust in the TEF amongst staff, who still wish to have some form of feedback structure still in place. Emma Atkins states, a recent unpublished survey, conducted at the University of Manchester, revealed an “unsatisfied picture” of staff with the TEF.

Labour tests two US universities to Manchester MP as sue Donald Trump Corbyn successors over travel ban Araddhna Patel News Reporter

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Lily Sheehan Deputy News Editor The Labour Party has tested public opinion of two Greater Manchester MPs, possibly as part of “succession planning” for leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The Sunday Times obtained the results of a secret focus group, assembled in Manchester last month. Carried out by pollsters BMG Research, it tested the popularity of senior Labour politicians amongst Northern voters.

A source in the Labour Party told The Guardian that the importance of this research had been overestimated, saying: “Polling of northern voters was about how best to get Labour’s message across in the north and has nothing at all to do with ‘succession planning”.

Whilst it has been denied by party officials, a Sunday Times source indicated that the polling was intended to measure the likeability of potential successors for Corbyn, the current Leader of the Opposition.

Recent research by YouGov found that Jeremy Corbyn is the most unpopular major party leader in the UK, scoring lower than Conservative Theresa May and UKIP’s Paul Nuttall. Respondents in this internal polling described him as “boring”. His appearance was a source of criticism, with members of the focus group believing that he looked “fed up” and “like a scruffy schoolkid” when appearing in public.

Two female Members of Parliament for the Greater Manchester area were also scrutinised by the public. Rebecca Long-Bailey, the MP for Salford and Eccles, was especially appealing to the focus group.

A former solicitor who studied at Manchester Metropolitan University, Long-Bailey was made the Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy earlier this month. She was seen as “passionate,” “genuine,” “sincere” and “very smart”. However, some respondents thought her manner of speaking

was a potential issue, describing her as “aggressive” and “rough”.

A Labour source told The Sunday Times that the party believed Angela Rayner’s backstory would make her popular with the electorate.

Born in Stockport, Rayner left school at sixteen to give birth to a son. Despite this, she has risen to become the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne and the Shadow Secretary of State for Education. However, the Manchester focus group returned “overwhelmingly negative” opinions of her, according to the Times’ source. Those polled believed Rayner was “not likeable”, “weird” and “a bit charity-shop looking”.

One participant even suggested that voters would not be able to take her seriously.

In a visit to Manchester earlier this month, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn told Manchester Evening News that both Long-Bailey and Rayner were “absolutely brilliant” politicians. He described Long-Bailey as “a great friend” and “an absolutely brilliant person”.

Corbyn said of Rayner: “she’s made such a mark and such a difference...there’s more victories to come”.

Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, refuted rumours that the focus group was linked to a hunt for Mr Corbyn’s successor. On the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, he acknowledged that “there was a range of shadow cabinet members that were so-called road tested”, but stated that “this is what we do in our normal run of political consultations”.

Speaking about the recent YouGov concerning Corbyn’s popularity, Watson said: “this is not the time for a leadership election...it is [Corbyn’s] duty to lead the official opposition through a period of unprecedented economic uncertainty and he will be tested. He has to explain those and he has to improve on them and he’s well aware of that”.

In support of an existing lawsuit, Harvard, Yale, and Stanford are just three of 17 Ivy League universities in the United States that have filed papers in Brooklyn federal court challenging Donald Trump’s travel ban.

President Trump signed an Executive Order in January that blocked the entry of refugees and citizens of several Muslim-majority nations — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen — from entering the US. In a press release issued jointly by the universities, they stated: “By prohibiting persons from freely travelling to and from this country, the Executive Order divides students and their families, impairs the ability of American universities to draw the finest international talent, and inhibits the free exchange of ideas.”

They added that the ban has “serious and chilling implications.”

The government refuted the lawsuit since no students are in custody, but according to The Independent, the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously supported the blocking of this ban after upholding a lower court’s ruling. The President’s administration has stated they will fight

this decision.

However, the universities have said the travel ban has already had “damaging effects” that “have already been widely felt by American universities,” adding that there is potential for the Executive Order to continue to do.

Another university amongst the 17 is Johns Hopkins in Maryland. The President of the school said that the ban “takes our country down the ominous path of erecting barriers not on the basis of a demonstrated security threat but on the basis of religion.”

He added: “The order stands in unambiguous opposition to our country’s long-cherished values and ideals.”

Scholars worldwide have called for a boycott of conferences within the US in response to the order. The court document claims that more than 42,000 academics from around the world have also signed an online petition expressing their opposition of this Executive Order.

According to the petition, there were over one million international students welcomed by US universities in the last academic year.

For instance, Yale’s international faculty makes up around 10 per cent of students, whilst 16 per cent of Columbia University’s undergraduate students are international.

Photo: Andrew E. Cohen @Flickr

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Danny Boyle to help Woman found ‘bleeding heavily’ set up MMU’s brand in Arndale Centre new media school Yasmin Mannan Head News Editor A 30-year-old woman has been hospitalised after being found seriously injured in in Arndale shopping centre on Friday morning.

According to The Manchester Evening News, an ambulance and police were called to the Arndale at approximately 8.45am and the woman was taken to North Manchester General Hospital.

Customers reported that the area around Topshop had been cordoned off while emergency services attended to the woman.

The casualty had apparently suffered severe cuts to her wrists and was bleeding heavily.

A spokesperson from the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said “We were called to a shop on Market Street at 8.45am to concerns for a women’s health.

“We discovered a woman bleeding heavily from her wrists and she was handed into the care of the ambulance service.”

North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) fur-

ther stated that: “We sent a rapid response vehicle and an ambulance to the scene and a woman in her 30s was conveyed to North Manchester General Hospital.”

David Allinson, Centre Director for Manchester Arndale, told The Manchester Evening News: “We can confirm ambulance services attended the centre this morning. The safety of all involved and our shoppers and staff remains our first priority.”

Reporters at The Manchester Evening News discovered that both Arndale and GMP received tweets from concerned customers: Tommy Jack posted: “@GMPCityCentre any update on what happened this morning in the Arndale? Is she at least ok?”

Lydia Titterington wrote: “@manarndale what’s happened in @Topman.... no one is allowed to walk past the store.”

The Arndale replied: “Our team dealt with an incident in that area early this morning, and the area has now been reopened for shoppers.”

Roof collapses at Factory nightclub

Saturday night revellers experienced one of their more interesting nights out when Factory’s first floor ceiling collapsed Ollie Potter Senior News Reporter The popular Factory nightclub gave clubbers what must be one of the most unique nights out of their lives, when the ceiling of the first floor collapsed in the early hours of Sunday the 12th of February.

Clubbers were filmed holding up the remains of the ceiling following the bizarre incident, and it was reported by some eyewitnesses that people had glass and dust in their eyes.

Situated on the corner of Princess Street and Charles Street, the club also experienced building collapse in 2014 when 850 people were evacuated from the establishment, whilst seven people were injured.

George, who was attending the club during the incident, said “”I was getting a drink and all of a sudden I see half of the ceiling fall, and some of the students holding it up”. He then added that, in true clubber fashion, “We then began chanting Don’t Take Me Home until everyone got kicked out of the club”.

MMU are set to launch the International Screen School Manchester, with the help of the local visionary director

Elise Gallagher Deputy News Editor With the help of Bury-born director Danny Boyle, Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) is set to launch a brand new £30m media school.

Boyle, responsible for Oscar winners such as Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire, and the visionary behind the 2012 Olympic opening ceremonies, hopes the new school will encourage and enable home grown talent to make their mark in the industry.

The school expects to welcome 1,000 students per academic year, whilst working closely with existing media and arts institutions Manchester already can boast about, including: BBC, HOME, ITV, and Red Productions. It is predicted that the venture will accumulate a £13m boost for the local economy annually.

The International Screen School Manchester (ISSM) will provide courses in film, applied games, animation, sound design and special effects for screen, user experience design and immersive media content production.

Industry heavyweights from film, media and commerce have apparently already agreed to be a part of the school’s Industry Advisory Board which will be co-chaired by Boyle.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Boyle said he was delighted to be a part of the International Screen School Manchester: “Manchester is a prolific centre of media production already and the Screen School will create the talent needed in the North to create even more success.

“I’m really keen to see young people from all

backgrounds given the opportunity to learn to be the filmmakers and media producers of the future, and to have the opportunity to tell their own stories — but in ways that we’ve never experienced before.”

Though the funding decision is expected to be signed off next week, it is believed that the media school will be half-funded by MMU whilst the other remaining half will be covered by a pot of government money intended to boost the economy.

If agreed at a meeting next week, work will begin to develop the project on a site on Manchester’s Oxford Road.

Manchester council leader Sir Richard Leese told The Manchester Evening News: “The International Screen School Manchester will be a creative and digital skills powerhouse, supporting the creative and digital industries to secure the skills needed to drive innovation, growth, and transformation.”

Creative and industrial industries are one of the fastest-growing sectors in the region, with the industry growing faster than anywhere in the UK. Leese went on to say, “Manchester is Europe’s second largest creative, digital and media hub and the sector is growing faster than anywhere else in the UK.” It is reported that the creative and digital industries are one of the fastest growing sectors in the Greater Manchester economy, accounting for over 55,000 jobs which in turn generates around £3 billion a year.

The Screen School will be a part of MMU’s world-leading School of Art.

Tom Foster, speaking to The Manchester Evening News, said “It took about two minutes for the DJ to stop, then bouncers rushed in. But there was no plan. I was surprised there was no announcement.” Foster, a third year University of Salford student, speaking to The Tab, added that “it was definitely the strangest experience I’ve had on a night out.”

People took to Twitter to express light-hearted comments about the night and to recount their experiences.

Factory’s Twitter account advertised their Monday ‘Quids In’ Night with a video from The US Office of Steve Carell literally trying to raise the roof. Potential clubbers may be discouraged however, following Saturday’s surreal events.

A Factory spokesman said: “A section of plasterboard came loose from the first floor”, which had also collapsed two years ago, before adding “no one was hurt and the club was evacuated purely as a precaution. This issue relates to the first floor only, and the ground and second floors will open as normal on Monday”.

Photo: cornerhousemanchester @Flickr Photo: Geograph

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ISSUE 15 / 20h FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

International students’ English “inadequate”, say a third of academics

Half of academics know students don’t prepare for seminars, and many believe that falling entry requirements have led to “almost illiterate” students Charlie Spargo Editorial Adviser A study by Times Higher Education of over 1,000 Higher Education staff has shown that academics have serious concerns about the readiness and ability of most students at their institutions.

According to the THE Teaching Survey 2017, one-third of academics believe that international students’ English is not adequate, and less than a quarter believe that students are in any way well prepared for classes.

The survey, which collated feedback from 1,150 academic staff from universities across Britain but also a few from the USA, Asia, Europe, Canada and Australia, heard that the vast majority of academics still enjoy and feel the benefit of lecturing, despite expressing concern about slipping standards of assessment, bureaucracy, and limited time to prepare their teaching.

A senior lecturer at an English university told the survey “few students will read the material on the reading list, [relying] instead solely on lecture handouts or PowerPoint slides”, while 52 per cent of aca-

demics said they knew students were turning up to seminars without preparation.

“We were told we are not allowed to ‘draw attention to’ those students who turn up to seminars having done no preparation whatsoever because it might deter them from attending future seminars,” said another, “and then the Key Information Set data for student attendance would be adversely affected.”

For almost half of academics (48 per cent), students’ schooling does not prepare them sufficiently for university, while one lecturer blames falling entry requirements for the high number of “almost illiterate” students who arrive.

9 per cent of academic staff “strongly disagree” that international students display the adequate level of English, with one lecturer telling the survey they did not understand “how some [postgraduate] students got their first degrees, as the quality of their written English is really poor.”

Academics lament the move away from the focus on teaching quality at their institutions, with 47 per cent of respondents not agreeing that good teaching can lead to opportunities for promotion. The fo-

cus instead on results and targets disappoints them — three-quarters of academics think that the Teaching Excellence Framework being introduced at UK universities will inaccurately assess teaching quality, while 43 per cent think the NSS gives students too much power.

“It seems that institutions are doing lots of evaluation, but they are not using these evaluations to promote people,” says Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute.

A University of Manchester spokesperson said: “The University of Manchester has stringent English language requirements for all students,” said a university spokesperson. “To obtain admission to any of the University’s degree programmes, students must meet the universal entry requirements for that programme. Students who narrowly fall short of the English language element may be required to take a pre-sessional English course as part of their offer conditions.”

“Students who have been admitted having met the English language requirements of their programme but whom subsequently encounter difficulties, for example in understanding subject-specific vocabulary, are able to access free in-sessional support.”

Job applications from EU graduates fall by 18%

Photo: Kordite @Flickr

The UK is suffering from a decrease in the number of EU graduates that are applying for jobs according to a survey conducted by LinkedIn with over 3 million participants

Shivani Kaura Senior News Reporter The effects of Brexit on UK businesses are already becoming apparent, after research done by LinkedIn revealed that the number of EU graduates looking for jobs in the UK fell by 18 per cent between May and July 2016.

The same report, based on data from three million people, also showed that 14 per cent of all job searches are UK graduates seeking work abroad.

Josh Graff, President of LinkedIn, speaking to The Australian Business Review, stated that “this should be a warning to British businesses that face not only a critical skills gap but also what I would call an interest gap. Domestic and international talent is starting to look outside the UK for job opportunities.

“Whilst there remains a great deal of uncertainty about what Brexit means for UK businesses, our findings make one thing clear. If British business leaders don’t act now to shore up their talent pipelines for a post-Brexit age, they risk facing interest and skills gaps in the future.

“It’s therefore vital that businesses work closely with the Government to ensure that Brexit negotiations prioritise businesses’ access to top talent from across the globe,” he added.

Separate research released by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and

The Adecco Group has shown that, as reported in The Independent, specific sectors in UK businesses dedicated to EU graduates are already experiencing a shortage in labour.

The CIPD report, based on the accounts of 1,000 EU employers in the UK, has revealed that many workers want to leave their jobs this year and have considered moving out of the country.

Gerwyn Davies, labour market adviser for the CIPD, has proposed that if job positions are unfilled it could “act as a brake on output growth in the UK in the years ahead”.

Chief executive at The Adecco Group UK John Marshall said that the after-effects of the historic Brexit vote are starting to make an impact on the UK jobs market.

Marshall said: “Whilst the outcome of Brexit negotiations is still uncertain, employers’ access to EU migrant workers is likely to change. Investing in young people is a solid long-term strategy, but employers also need to face the facts and prepare for a situation where they might lose access to significant numbers of skilled EU workers in the near future.

“It is encouraging that some employers are beginning to look to new solutions for their future workforce with investment in retraining and apprenticeships, but many more need to begin this planning and investment in their workforce,” he said.

Bristol student accidentally makes explosive Charlie Spargo Editorial Adviser The University of Bristol was forced to evacuate a Chemistry building earlier this month, after a student inadvertently produced a dangerous explosive.

A statement by the university revealed that the chemical triacetone triperoxide, TATP, “was unintentionally formed during a routine procedure” being conducted by a Ph.D. student on 3rd of February.

The building was evacuated, and emergency services were called to the laboratory and carried out a controlled destruction of the substance.

TATP was the same substance used in the Paris attacks that took place in November 2015. It is easy to avoid detection as it does not contain hydrogen, but is also highly unstable.

Often, the illegal premises where bombs are being made are destroyed when it detonates early.

“Following a full investigation, we can confirm that the chemical triacetone triperoxide (TATP) was unintentionally formed during a routine procedure carried out by a Ph.D. student,” the university’s statement said.

“The student was following a published literature method and the risk of TATP as a potential byproduct had been identified during the risk assessment process.

“We have robust contingency plans in place to deal with incidents of this nature. As soon as the presence of TATP was identified, the student immediately notified those responsible for laboratory safety in the school.

“A series of actions were then taken which resulted in the precautionary evacuation of the chemistry building and surrounding buildings and the controlled disposal of the substance by the emergency services.”

They will review the risk assessment process to see if further steps can be taken to prevent a similar situation in future.

6

Science

ISSUE 15 / 20th FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Department of Health to remove NHS staff safety body

Another threat to the future of the flailing NHS has come as the body focussed on the safety of doctors is to be removed, despite a recent increase in attacks by patients However, figures published by NHS Protect show annual assaults on staff rose by 18 per cent between 2011 and 2015, with the total number reaching 70,555, highlighting staff safety as a continually serious issue.

Healthcare workers in the NHS are up to four times more likely NHS Protect will be ending its security management operations to experience physical assault in their professional environment in hospitals by April this year, under order of the Department of than other workers.

Health, according to a recent report from the BBC. A first year medical student at the University of ManThe body currently works by advising hospitals chester, who wished to remain anonymous, has on improving staff safety and educating staff said he “feel[s] worried as removing this [body] on how to avoid, handle and report inciwill only increase the number of incidences dents of physical assault, violence and and puts me as well as other future doctors aggression in clinical settings. It is yet to more at risk.” be decided whether the body will be He further expressed concerns that reassigned to a different department, such measures could result in a “drop and which department will shoulder in patient care due to medical staff not the responsibility. knowing what to do in such situations”.

NHS Protect was established in The Government’s Health Service Cir2003 to reduce crime across NHS cular in 2001 noted that in certain cirfront-line services. One of its prioricumstances it is appropriate, and safer, ties was to enforce the NHS’ zero tolto withhold treatment from aggressive or erance policy on violence towards violent individuals in order to ensure the healthcare workers. safety of staff and other patients.

Amongst its five strategic aims is The majority of patient assaults are related “establish[ing] a safe and secure environto medical reasons, so a lack of suitable trainment [to] protect NHS staff from violence, ing amongst staff to handle such cases may lead harassment and abuse”. Since it was introto negligence of patients with violent or aggressive Photo: Pexels duced, NHS Protect has shown a “significant intendencies due to mental illness. crease” in prosecution of offenders, with up to 98 per The decision to transfer the responsibility for the security cent of annual physical assaults on A&E staff resulted in the arof staff comes at a time when the NHS is under the severest strain rest of the offending party.

Tabitha Hanks Science & Technology Reporter

it has ever seen. Accident & Emergency waiting times in recent months have been at their highest since 2004, when the Labour Government introduced the target of a 4-hour maximum wait time for patients to be seen by a doctor.

A Department of Health associated publication on reducing violence in A&E units linked longer waiting times with patient and relative aggression; with a consistent and growing failure to meet waiting time targets, it is more likely that violence and threats towards staff will rise.

“Annual assaults on staff rose by 18 per cent between 2011 and 2015, with the total number reaching 70,555” Such working conditions could see a further shortage of trained staff as well as a decline in applications for healthcare training courses across England. Currently nursing vacancies exceed 24,000 and only 50 per cent of those completing medicine degrees in UK universities continue their specialist studies here.

Since the Brexit referendum applications for NHS jobs from the EU have declined enormously, with nursing alone seeing a decline of 90 per cent in EU workers registering.

Staff shortages could rise significantly in the coming years, especially without a defined body to ensure staff safety and prevent assaults on front-line workers.

Finding the public’s lost faith in science

Academics come together to discuss the issues surrounding public trust in science and ways to improve science communication

Aliya Ismangil Senior Science & Technology Reporter

to do so. Explaining how fiction is by far more popular than biographies, and so could be used to highlight the issues that scientists face, prompting thought into what can be done within the science community to correct this.

In the famous words of Michael Gove, the public has “had enough of experts.” A similar sentiment has been attributed to the untrustworthiness of science perpetuated through Trump’s dismissal of climate change.

In a recent Times Higher Education article, five academics recently discussed ways that scientists could bridge the communication gap between research community and the public. Many disagree that this loss of trust is actually the case. An Ipsos MORI study published at the end of 2016 revealed that 80 per cent of respondents say they would trust what a scientist says.

Dr. David Kirby, a program director for the University of Manchester’s MSc Science Communication, also emphasises that “science is still considered very trustworthy by people as a whole... it’s just when people point to specific cases, their own opinion outweigh any evidence that they see in front of their face”.

He uses the example of vaccines and autism: “The evidence is overwhelming that there is no link between those two. People trust science in many other ways but on this particular issue, they’re not willing to trust scientists because they think there are pharmaceutical conspiracies and they need an explanation.”

Another 2014 Ipsos MORI survey showed that 68 per cent of respondents agree that scientists should take more time to discuss the social and ethical implications of their work to the general public. Nicholas Russell, of Imperial College London, talks about how expertise and hard facts and no longer enough to convince the public, referring to a study by Friederike Hendriks, a psychologist at the University of Münster in Germany, he expresses that the public must also believe that scientists and experts are also honest and ethical.

Dr. Kirby also shares this sentiment, stating that “the problem with scientists is that we always think in terms of facts and rationality, well of course if you see the evidence, you’re going to believe it. But, as scientists, we should know that human nature doesn’t always work that way. We need to convince the public, not just that what we’re saying is right, but why they should want to think that what we’re saying is right.”

Russell proposes that portraying science in fiction is one way

“As scientists, we should know that human nature doesn’t always work that way” Amitava Banerjee, honorary consultant cardiologist at the Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research, University College London, believes that open discussion is the way to communicate science’s use to the public. She reflects on her experience at a Denmark viva voce event, which was open to the public, allow-

ing questions and discussion with non-scientists and scientists alike. Banerjee highlights that ‘open science’ does not just relate to its methods and data but “also requires open discussion of the ways in which data are used, interpreted and ultimately translated for use in society.”

Julio Gimenez, head of the Westminster Professional Language Centre, Guy Waddell and Doug Specht of the University of Westminster, also echo this, believing that the closed nature of journals and scientific reports exclusive to academics and institutes mean that scientists are missing out on opportunities for communication and discussion with the public.

“I think what’s important when we think about science communication is that we don’t want to think of it as an alternative means to educate the public,” says Dr. Kirby. “It’s more about sharing to people what science can do for them, what science has done for them.”

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Global 7

ISSUE 15 / 20th FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

In theThenews this week... important and interesting stories from the wider world this week.

Stories by: Chloe Hatton and Macarena Martín Martínez

Kim Jong-un’s half-brother dies suddenly

Spelling embarrassment for Trump

Malaysia Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of Kim Jong-un, has reportedly died after being taken ill at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia. One female has been arrested in connection with his death, following rumours of an attack by two female operatives, thought to be from North Korea. He reportedly fell out of favour with Kim Jong-Un after sneaking out of the country to visit Disneyland Tokyo, and it is rumoured that he had been banished from the country ever since. Malaysian police are looking for more suspects, although his identity has yet to be confirmed by police.

US Donald Trump’s inauguration poster has been released — but with an embarrassing spelling mistake. Featuring an image of a smiling Trump, and a quote from his victory speech, the mistake comes in the phrase: ‘No dream is too big, no challenge is to great [sic].’ This grammatical error has been seen as a source of amusement for many. The poster has been removed from sale from the Library of Congress’ website after the mistake was noticed, but not before people picked up on the error on social media, with many taking this latest mistake as a sign of the President’s incompetence.

Spain kidnaps lettuce from supermarkets The Sun blames the Spanish city of Murcia for hoarding massive reserves of vegetables, whilst British consumers face rationing. The newspaper published a photo taken inside supermarket chain Mercadona, in which a large amount of lettuces is shown, alongside a photo of a Tesco supermarket with empty shelves, as a way of showing that the cold weather that Spain has suffered is only affecting England. The tabloid also confirms the existence

‘Drunk’ hedgehog given helping hand New Zealand A hedgehog has been helped

by New Zealand police after what seems to be a particularly mad night out. The disorientated creature was found wandering the streets of Arrantown “looking very drunk and walking into things,” with a yoghurt pot firmly wedged on his head. Thankfully, the police officers were able to assist this public menace, and a Facebook post shows the story has a happy ending, saying: “After a brief foot pursuit, the subject was cornered and the yoghurt pot removed. Crime prevention advice provided about going through other people’s rubbish. [He] lived to fight another day.”

500kg Egyptian woman in India for surgery India Eman Ahmed, the heaviest woman in the world, will fly to India for weight loss surgery. At 500kg, the Egyptian is now the heaviest woman alive — the former Guinness record holder was Pauline Potter of the United States, who weighed 292kg in 2010.

At first, the Indian embassy in Egypt denied her visa request as she was unable to travel there in person. Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj eventually approved a medical visa request, allowing Ahmed to remain in Egypt for surgery until early March. So far, she has lost 30kg over 5 days of treatment.

Film banned for not starring Morgan Freeman Uzbekistan Licensing authorities in Uzbekistan have postponed a movie because it does not star Morgan Freeman. The thriller movie, Daydi, has been delayed in post-production, after the production company was accused of featuring Morgan Freeman on promotional material, and even briefly appearing in the trailer, giving the impression that he stars in the film. He does not. The images appearing on posters and in the trailer are said to be taken from another film of his, Last Knights, which was poorly received. Timur Films has yet to comment on the allegations.

Man finds cocaine in Nesquik Spain In Spain, a man bought what appeared to be a regular packet of Nesquik in a supermarket. At home, when he was preparing his breakfast, he discovered cocaine inside the box, instead of the powdered chocolate milk he expected. After making this discovery, he went to the police station, where he was told that this amount of cocaine had a street value of €13,ooo.

This news story has got all the social networks excited all over Spain. Memes related to the incident have quickly appeared; the infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar dressed up as Nesquik’s rabbit is one of the best.

In Science this week...

The Nokia makes a come-back International Nokia is set to re-launch the famous mobile Nokia 3310, known for being the most resilient phone in history. Released in 2000 but discontinued in 2005, many originals are still going strong. However, a new incarnation of the old 3310 will be selling for €59 after the relaunch in the next few months by Finish company HMD Global.

The much-loved brand is known for its everlasting battery life, its ability to survive through a war zone, and of course, for the creation of the game Snake.

Chemical pollution discovered in deepest part of ocean The Pacific Ocean Chemical pollution has been found in the depths of the Mariana Trench, in shockingly high concentrations within marine animals. The Mariana Trench is one of the deepest points on the planet, reaching up to 11,000m deep. This pollution is despite most of the chemicals being banned for human use in the 1970s.

The most prominent pollutant was PCBs, previously found in flame retardants and insulators. It is unclear the extent of damage this could do to the fragile ecosystem, however it is believed that this shows impact of humanity on our planet is much greater and much more persistent than previously imagined.

Cheating husband sues uber France

A French man is suing the taxi company Uber after his wife received app notifications from a ride he took to meet his lover. The man used the app once from his wife’s phone, and so every time after that, his Uber notifications appeared on there.

Thanks to the notifications, she found out about her husband’s unfaithfulness, and now she wants to divorce him. The man is now asking the California-based company for €45 million, or $48 million, according to Le Figaro. Uber has not publicly commented on the case.

Flowers, Theresa?

UK Downing Street have fallen for a hoax planned by comedian Heydon Prowse, who phoned No. 10 claiming to work for Sean Spicer and offering flowers on Trump’s behalf.

According to The Telegraph, Prowse said: “OK, what we’ll also do is we’ll send over a lovely card with a picture of Mr Trump grabbing Theresa May’s p****, I mean hand, sorry, [aide laughs and says ‘Oh God’] — I meant hand obviously, sorry, that was a slip of the tongue.”

The Downing Street aide is said to have promised to pass on Trump’s well wishes, although since the hoax was revealed, they have declined to comment.

Nazi anthem played at Tennis match

US

The United States Tennis Association has been forced to apologise after a Nazi era version of the German national anthem was sung at a Hawaiian tournament. The song, the Deutschlandlied, became the official German anthem under the democratic Weimar Republic in the 1920s. The first verse, which was removed after the Second World War, was sung by a soloist at the Fed Cup before German Andrea Petkovic played American Alison Riske. Petkovic said that the incident was “an absolute outrage and affront, the lowest.”oist at the Fed Cup before German Andrea Petkovic played American Alison Riske.

Petkovic said that the incident was “an absolute outrage and affront, the lowest.

Science by: Megan Harvey

Football headers linked to brain damage

UK New research suggests that professional footballers are at a greater risk of brain damage as a result of heading footballs. UCL scientists claim that the damage can be equally as risky as boxing, and can lead to early-onset dementia and early death.

The study found that a specific brain trauma known as CTE was 12 per cent higher in retired footballers than in the average population. Urgent research is now needed for a greater understanding, with a focus on the prevalence of dementia in retired professional footballers.

Self-flying taxis arriving this summer

UAE Autonomous drones that can carry people will begin to transport passengers across the city of Dubai this July. To call one, all someone needs to do is enter their destination into an app and a drone will arrive to transport one person and their luggage up to 50 km.

The drone recently passed field tests and is controlled through 4G mobile internet connections. They are designed with a “fail-safe” system, according to the company, to ensure safety.

8

Feature

ISSUE 15 / 20th FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Andy Burnham and the mayoral election’s historic significance As Andy Burnham prepares for the Greater Manchester mayoral election, Barney Weston looks at its potentially huge importance for the region

A

ndy Burnham is expected by many to breeze through the Greater Manchester Mayoral election, and into the Mayor’s office at Churchgate House (across the road from the Palace Theatre) on May the 4th.

All bar one of Greater Manchester’s councils are controlled by Labour. (Trafford Council is the exception, controlled by the Conservatives. Its leader, Sean Anstee, is the Conservative Mayoral candidate.) There are just five, out of a total 27 Greater Manchester constituencies that Labour MPs do not represent. Before 2015, there were only three.

Going into the speed networking event with Andy Burnham, organised by the Greater Manchester branch of the Fabian Society, and held at UTC@ MediaCityUK’s television studio in Salford, I felt unexcited over the prospect of a predictable election.

Over 40 people sat in a room separate from the studio, watching the event via a projection of the YouTube livestream.

Waiting, I introduced myself to Matt Mason, a University of Manchester Politics student. He was here taking notes on the event as a requirement of one of his modules; on political communication.

But Matt was also a member of the Labour Party.

I asked him what he thought of Andy Burnham.

“He seems alright, but as charismatic politicians go, he’s not one of them.” He expected, he said, “a massive figure of the North of England.” He quoted IPPR North, the Northern thinktank he works for, to clarify: “A Nicola Sturgeon for the North of England”.

A relatively ordinary video opened the event.

It explained how members of the audience, ’networkers’, would be able to come and take the ‘hot seat’ and have two-and-a-half minutes to chat with Andy monitored by a countdown clock.

Microphones bumped. Awkward questions about CVs were asked. Laughs were forced.

Especially when a ‘May the 4th be with you’ joke was made, out of the blue. A shelf sat behind Andy featuring Manchester memorabilia such as the album cover for the Smiths, for The Stone Roses’ Fools Gold single, and for New Order’s Substance.

Halfway through the evening, Matt leaned over to me: “He’s making some good points but I don’t think anyone is listening.” He seemed right. Perhaps the most exciting event of the evening was one of the ‘networkers’ getting the microphone caught on his foot. It certainly drew the biggest reaction from the audience.

The event only seemed to help Andy Burnham.

Perhaps things will change as the campaign progresses, but ultimately, it seems that as long as he does not lose the momentum Labour has in the region, he should have the job as Mayor in the bag.

One ‘networker’ even opened a question with “once you do become Mayor...”, to which Burnham replied: “I like that you say ‘once you become Mayor’, because you think it’s a given… but I’m still…

I’m not taking the election for granted, but I hope I do become Mayor.”

“A Nicola Sturgeon for the North of England” As the event progressed, it became clear that ‘devolution’ was the buzzword of the night. Andy Burnham wants “to use devolution to reinvent ourselves”.

When asked how to get rid of the London-centric view of the UK, he cited “devolution as the chance to change that”.

But Andy Burnham seems aware that devolution does not seem to be the word as much on everyone else’s lips as it is on his. “If we could click our fingers and make that happen, I’d be so happy,

because I feel at the moment maybe people aren’t so sure about this whole thing […] and I don’t think people yet have embraced what it means and got involved.”

I started writing this feature and it became clear to me that, in the context of a perhaps predictable election, the news here was in the historical significance of the election itself, as a product of devolution.

In recent years, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has been making strides forward for Greater Manchester. A ‘city deal’ was announced for Greater Manchester in 2012. It included a Revolving Infrastructure Fund, allowing the GMCA to earn back up to £30 million a year for spending on infrastructure projects; a Greater Manchester Investment Framework, letting the GMCA have increased independence over both Westminster and EU funding; and a Greater Manchester Housing Investment Board, permitting the GMCA to build new housing in the area (it currently has a £300 million budget).

This is where things get important. In 2014, George Osbourne, as then-Chancellor of the Exchequer, reached agreement with each of the leaders of the ten district councils to create the first county-wide elected Mayor outside of London.

(Different to Liverpool’s city-wide elected Mayor.)

The ten district council leaders will form the Mayor’s cabinet, whilst continuing to lead their own councils. To introduce any major changes, and prevent the wants and needs of Manchester being paramount, instead of Greater Manchester’s, the Mayor will need the support of two-thirds of his cabinet.

The power devolved to the Mayor of Greater Manchester via this deal is tremendous. The Mayor will be chair of the GMCA, (meaning he will lead the Revolving Infrastructure Fund, the Greater Manchester Investment Framework as well as the Greater Manchester Housing Board).

He or she will be the Greater Manchester Police & Crime Commissioner, setting the policing budget and deciding priorities for Greater Manchester Police, as well as being responsible for the transport budget. These are just some of the powers devolved.

Andy Burnham therefore stands both in the midst and on the brink of that history, and he seems to understand that. He references the IRA bomb on Corporation Street in June 1996.

“It then kick-started, I guess, a whole series of change in Manchester. The rebuilding of large parts of the city centre and, I think, though it was a terrible event and people were injured, in some ways it kind of was a turning point for the city. And then the Commonwealth Games came and that took us on a whole new level again And then MediaCity came, about five years after the Commonwealth Games. So really we never looked back and Greater Manchester really kind of built through that era.”

He also consistently references Manchester’s future throughout the evening. “In ten years’ time I want the rest of the country to look at Greater Manchester and say ‘you know what, they do things right there. They do things differently, but they do things better.’ And I want Greater Manchester to be a real beacon of social justice to the rest of the country.” He cites how he wants Greater Manchester to be “the best place to grow up, the best place to get on, the best place to grow old”. It seems he has plans to be Manchester’s very own turning point.

Andy Burnham was also quizzed on the national question. On Labour and having a continuing role on the national stage and in the politics of the Labour Party; “I do, but I wouldn’t put it about me really. I want Greater Manchester and the North to have a stronger voice on the national stage.” In the context of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Photo@Wikimedia Commons

reaping the benefits of devolution, he describes how the North has been left “unsure where it fits in”.

He believes he can make a success of devolution for Greater Manchester, and create a “more distinctive Northern brand of Labour”, allowing for the party to recover both “its position and its standing in the North”.

“I think we should tell him straight what we think” On how he thinks Manchester should respond if the rumours of Trump coming to Manchester were to be true, he said: “I think we should give him a traditional Manchester welcome, tell him straight what we think.”

Even on clubbing, within the context of Fabric being reopened and Sankey’s being closed, Andy Burnham was asked, “what would you do as Mayor to fight for Manchester’s proud and historic music culture, and broader reputation as the best place in England to be young?” Referencing his experience growing up in the 1980s, he describes the music as one of the few positives of the era: “This is another passion of mine [but] I feel a bit of complacency has crept in to the Manchester music scene and we’ve got to challenge that.

“I’m a big believer in the life and soul of the city […] these venues need to be protected and I will protect them […] this will be a big agenda.”

Andy Burnham also spoke about his Mayoral influences. He cited Sadiq Khan in London, Bill de Blasio in New York, as well as Mayors in several Spanish cities as well as Singapore. “But we wanna do it our own way as well don’t we. We’re going to be Greater Manchester and we’re going to be unique and different and do it our way.”

However, although he claims to be putting young

people at the heart of his campaign, (and testament to that, he is promising a free bus pass for 16–18 year olds, as well as the implementation of a UCAS-style system for apprenticeships), there does not seem to be much to appeal to undergraduate students.

I pressed him on the issue. “Well I’ve got to be careful about the commitments made,” he replies, much to my initial disappointment. But he thinks on his feet. He doesn’t dodge the question but goes on to decide to include (only paid) internships on that UCAS-style system. He also talks about helping people in their 20s and 30s on to the housing ladder. He considers offering them an affordable Greater Manchester housing rent-toown programme, thus encouraging them to stay in the region.

This attitude is evident in a policy he floats to me in regards to the NHS bursary, cut as of August 2017.

He suggests that perhaps he could fund them if graduates were to spend at least five years working in the Greater Manchester NHS, or perhaps he could pay off 10 per cent of their loan for every year they spend in the Greater Manchester NHS post-university.

Andy Burnham seems full of ideas and he encourages people to submit their ideas as he writes his manifesto. I wondered if perhaps he could work with the careers service in the implementation of that UCAS-style system. Could he do more for students going into privately rented accommodation?

Andy Burnham also seems keen on conversations with the universities. He talks of the benefits of “all the research coming out of the University of Manchester”.

As the evening came to a close, Andy Burnham said it had been “good to be tested in that way”.

Tested? We will see if things get much harder as the campaign progresses.

Feature 9

ISSUE 15 / 20th FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

A student life: UOM Boardgames Society

Photo : @Jon Bebb

Emma Shanks Features Editor

P

icture this: Tuesday night, 8pm, Woolton Hall dining room, Owens Park.

20 to 30 students gather for a non-stop night of entertainment — and no, this is no boozy pre-drinks, this is the University of Manchester Board Games Society weekly meetup, and I caught up with Jon Bebb, its Social Sec, to find out more.

“Once all the students who’ve eaten have been cleared out we just hang around for hours playing anything that takes our fancy from the massive collection of games.” He describes it as a place to relive the simpler old-time party classics, like Codenames, as well as an opportunity to discover a range of newer more complicated material, like The Game of Thrones board game (which takes 8 hours on average to complete).

“Sometimes people will turn up to play and not leave till about 3’o clock in the morning.

The latest we’ve had was when a few guys were playing a game about shipping and stayed until the following morning when the kitchen staff were coming in to arrange breakfast for the next day.”

Jon is quick to emphasise how much of a casual environment the society seeks to create, something that appealed to him back when he joined two years ago. “A lot of people are a bit worried because they come and might have only previously played games like Monopoly, which we don’t play by the way because it’s not a good game — hard to say that without sounding like an elitist twat — but we always try to be accommodating and we always make sure to thoroughly explain things.”

“I know when I first turned up I’d never played, or even heard of any of these games, but everyone was so welcoming and happy to explain things. I never felt as if people were looking down on me for not being familiar with stuff.”

When asked how he first got into the UOM Board Games Society back in his third year as an undergraduate, Jon told me that he had just been looking to get out and do something “a bit different. I was following certain people on the Internet who were talking about video gaming but who were also into board games, so I thought if there’s a society I’ll just turn up. Then I started getting so into it to the point where everyone kind of knew me and I felt obliged to take over”.

Though these days university funding is not given out based on membership, the society has over 600 affiliates on their Facebook page, from which a solid 20 to 30 are regular attendees — “this year I’ve tried to really push the idea that people can turn up whenever they want to make it more of a casual thing”.

To read the rest of our interview with Jon, and all our other features, head to www.mancunion.com

With this year’s conference weeks away, we discuss why events such as this are important in ensuring aspiring female journalists and media professionals have the tools to succeed in a cut-throat industry Jennifer Sterne Editor-in-chief

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t the end of last year’s Women in Media Conference, I received a message from one of the delegates. She wrote to tell me: “I only recently started being honest to myself about my interest in getting into journalism…

I used to play it down and hide behind by lack of confidence.”

However she went on to tell me how “being around likeminded people really has made me more confident”.

It was after reading this message that I decided that the conference could not be a one-off. Building the confidence of female students considering a career in the media is exactly why the conference was born, and even if we had succeeded in boosting the confidence of just one delegate, it was worth the energy.

“We need more visible role models in senior levels of the media” More women than ever are entering into the media: 65 per cent of journalists entering the profession over the past three years have been women, and our own Mancunion editorial team has more women on it than ever before, so it may seem from this fact alone that our work is done.

Women have the confidence now to not see their gender as an initial exclusionary barrier to entering the media.

The keyword here, though, is ‘initial’. While at the lowest levels women now outnumber men, they are still on average paid significantly less than their male counterparts and only 22 per cent of female journalists are in senior management positions.

With the large numbers of female journalists coming through the ranks, the next generation could potentially see these figures toppled.

However, it is because of this that events such as the Women in Media Conference 2017 are so important, with real change on the horizon, is not the time to be complacent.

Until those in the lower echelons of the media are encouraged to realise that the current statistics do not represent how the media should look, and as long as they are not introduced to role models who have reached the level they aspire to, then many may not be able to imagine that this could change.

While teaching a class of Year 9s last year, one told me simply that journalism was not a job for women — we need to make it easier to prove to this 13-yearold and many more around the world how wrong this is, and to do this we need more visible role models in senior levels of the media.

The only way of doing this is working from the bottom up — ensuring that women entering the media are doing so with an unflinching drive and determination to reach the top, and the belief that they will not be held back.

Ultimately, the conference aims to celebrate the incredible successes women have had within the media, to ensure that people are inspired and not deterred by discussing the obstacles or difficulties they may face. Our speakers will be living proof that our position within the media has vastly improved — the statistics may still be far from perfect, but instead of dwelling on the negatives, let’s highlight how far we have come to ensure that it keeps improving.

Last year’s conference was incredible, with over 70 delegates attending from all over the country to listen and learn from some of the very best women in the media.

This year it is only going to get better.

Our venue for Women in Media 2017, the People’s History Museum in Manchester City Centre, could not be more perfect, as the museum’s championing of “ideas worth fighting for” perfectly encapsulates the motivation behind the conference.

What began as a realisation that fewer women, even at a student level, were embarking on careers in the media then turned into a few speakers coming to encourage our team, which then became a national conference, now supported by Amnesty International UK and the NUS. For us, it is clear that our ideas were definitely worth fighting for.

Guest speakers for this year’s conference include: Harriet Minter, the BBC’s Shelley Alexander, Kate Cocker, Nazia Parveen from The Guardian,

YouTuber Grace Victory, BBC Breakfast’s Steph McGovern, Megan Lucero, Sue Turton, Channel 4’s Karthi Gnanasegaram and we even have our very own Polly Bartlett, one of last year’s co-founders, returning to speak about having ‘just made it in the media’.

The conference will include a diverse range of panel discussions with speakers from BME and LGBTQ+ communities, and a talk on entering the media from a working class background. Alongside these we will have workshops on data journalism, developing ideas, getting into documentaries, and Q&A sessions on sports journalism, political reporting and a special Amnesty International panel ‘Journalism Under Threat’, where Sue Turton will discuss her experiences as one of the Al-Jazeera journalists convicted by an Egyptian court on terrorism charges.

“ It’s so amazing to see what started as a small group of student journalists become such a ground breaking event” Students and young women from around the UK will get the opportunity to hear about and learn from these inspiring and successful women in media, as well as the chance to network and take part in this pioneering event. These speakers are just a few examples of what the conference has to offer, and there are still some very exciting announcements to be made.

Hareem Ghani, the NUS Women’s Officer, said about this year’s conference: “We know that women and their skills are under-represented at all levels of the media industry, which is why it’s so amazing to see what started as a small group of student journalists become such a ground breaking event.

“Hosting high profile inspirational speakers from journalism, TV, radio and blogging, the day allows young women thinking about careers in media to gain key skills and leave feeling empowered about their future.”

The conference will be held at the People’s History Museum in Manchester on the 4–5th of March 2017.

To see the full timetable so far visit our website at womeninmediacon.co.uk and join our Facebook event, and follow us on Twitter @ womeninmediacon for all the updates about the conference.

Weekend and individual day tickets, at studentfriendly prices, are still available on our website: womeninmediacon.co.uk.

Opinion

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Have an opinion?

Come to our meetings: Monday 5:15pm, first floor of the Students’ Union

LGBT History Month: body issues Michael Petch Opinion Writer Body shaming within the gay and bisexual male community is rife. Beauty standards for gay men are either hypermasculine or are solely focused on being youthful and thin. These are so entrenched into the culture of gay men that we even have terms to denote these different kinds of men: jocks and twinks, respectively. The existence of these standards is harmful, as it creates a social narrative where men who do not fit into these boxes are not deemed attractive.

As a result, it pushes people to try and fit themselves in, reducing themselves down to a vapid caricature.

“The majority of body issues that affect LGBT women come from the hypersexualisation of lesbian relationships” This goes beyond people feeling unattractive; it causes serious health problems amongst gay and bisexual men. The International Journal of Eating Disorders found that 42 per cent of men who have eating disorders identify as gay or bisexual. This is ridiculously high, and it clearly shows that unrealistic beauty standards are impacting on the health of gay men in a very real way.

This then made me wonder if the same bodily pressures exist within lesbian and trans spaces.

For lesbians and bisexual women, the answer is somewhat more contrived. Due to the close cultural ties to feminism, there is much more body tolerance within the lesbian community.

Butch and femme identities are respected without people being pressurised from within the community to conform to these ideals.

The majority of body issues that affect lesbians and bisexual women come from the hyper-sexualisation of lesbian relationships by society. This is established in media, like music videos and films, whereby two typically attractive straight women make out for the purpose of pleasing straight men.

This ideal is then awkwardly pressed onto real life couples, where the expectations are inevitably not met. Those who do not conform to society’s beauty standards are then seen as ugly man-haters...

This is an excerpt. To read Michael’s full article, head to www.mancunion.com

ISSUE 15 / 20th FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

The present-day minimalist movement is The limits to minimalism making strides in the right direction, but has a number of limitations

Tristan Parsons Head Opinion Editor

Minimalism, in the sense of restricting material consumption, has become quite a trend over the last few years. Like many lifestyle movements, it has deep roots in passionate YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter accounts, where its proponents can effectively motivate its imagery: that crystal clear photo of a clear desk, or the cleansing idea and action of tidying one’s space.

Beyond this sphere, we can see minimalism variety of other forms: modern music, architecture, and art often channel the basic notion that less is more. One particularly interesting field in which minimalism features heavily is design.

This is best exemplified by Apple’s imagery. For years (though the iPad arguably reversed this trend for a moment, before going the same way) the company held obsession over making their products smaller, whilst at the same time doing more. They continued in the minimalist spirit through their adverts: a simple, upbeat backing track, a white background, a clean thumb, and the product in the middle. And it sold.

The technology sector’s adoption of minimalism was a timely strategy, given the rise of ‘individualist environmentalism’ (turning off the lights, doing the recycling etc.) in the preceding decades. The IT sector managed to sell their energy-guzzling products (partially) on the premise that they did many things with little space.

Here, today’s minimalism comes to a dilemma. It risks failing to adequately take account for the invisible and displaced ‘consumption’ in our lives. The IT sector, again, is the best example of this. Whilst Apple proudly garnishes a white background with their sleek products, the internet that so many of its products run on, though we often ignore the physical infrastructure necessary to its running, con-

Photo: FirmBee @ Pixabay

sumes 10 per cent of the world’s electricity.

Instead, minimalism picks on easier, though often worthwhile, targets. The clutter that fills living rooms, garages, and bedrooms ought to go. So, too, should the car. Downsize the home, if possible. These are all highly visible forms of consumption. The clutter adds frustration to living in one’s house; the car’s coughing exhaust pipe is visible below the plastic sheen; and housing was the centre of the last financial crash.

These visibilities do not account for the entirety of consumption involved in owning such items. There are rare earth metal components in a phone that the user will never see and likely never get replaced; yet, the mining for such metals is a major driver for the Chinese corporate ‘occupation’ of Mongolia.

I watched one of The Minimalists’ TED talks (though, of course, they do not represent the entire movement) in which they speak highly of the initial transition to minimalism. The strategy recommended is a day-by-day questioning the sentimentality and personal need for each individual item, so that one item is thrown away

per day for one month.

But, before this, one must decide to become a minimalist. This moment is potentially a moment of radical politics: a fury with the materialist, modern world, and then relief from its cultures. At such a juncture, one’s perception of possessions (or commodities) are altered. In contrast to the (usually, though not always) calculated action of purchase and product accumulation for specific needs, this radicalism might scream, I don’t need ANY of this stuff.

“The radical within us whines about an apparently universal consumerism” The items become just that: stuff. Last year, IKEA said that we had “reached peak stuff” — though that claim now appears dubious. The radical within us whines about an apparently universal consumerism, seeks to leave a culture that allegedly pressures us to buy buy buy in every

movement, and imagines sped-up film of shoppers scurrying amongst the glass.

The patron saints of this feeling are those who go off the grid, who refuse to play the game; they run to the hills — perhaps in angry disgust, perhaps in calm solitude.

Minimalism takes issue with culture and our impact on our planet. We can see these awkward generalisations in popular environmentalism. Bernie Sanders, in his running to be the Democratic candidate in last year’s election, and then kneeling alongside Hillary Clinton on her Presidential campaign, often preached (and continues to preach) that, with regards to climate change, “the debate is over”.

Climate change cannot merely be “accepted”. Sanders, and others, too often present climate change as a singular, unquestionable phenomenon. But is not a singular thing. The expected impacts resulting from the warming of our planet (though itself not universally equal) are intensely varied. The UK will likely suffer from more damaging winter storms, areas of the USA are set to benefit from increased crop yields, and some animal species in the Amazon will become extinct.

Though, Sanders’ forcefulness is understandable given that 16 per cent of Americans are still climate change deniers.

Minimalism makes many good points, it bolsters a certain political platform, and is headed in roughly the right direction. But, its radical, generalising potential threatens widespread, ‘common man’ progress towards social and environmental goals.

Though it comes at an effort, we ought to recognise the individuality of different actions and their impacts. We need a politics that sees the hills but doesn’t run for them; that knows the severity of our ecological predicament but doesn’t ridicule those who do not ‘accept’ climate change; but, rather, seeks to work with reason in the face of such challenges.

The politics of a galaxy far, far away The long-standing parallels between politics and Star Wars have been hightened in recent times, says Opinion Writer David Moseley Disney’s ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’, released in late in 2016 and hot on the heels of Episode VII, was a welcome spin-off instalment. This year, Star Wars fans are awaiting the continuation of the Sequel trilogy proper. While these films offer us a classic hero story narrative of the clash between good and evil, the Star Wars franchise has also been swept up in our ever more divisive political discourse.

The recent controversy surrounding ‘Rogue One’ was tied up the election of Donald Trump and the emerging far-right conservative. One of the film’s writers, Chris Weisz, tweeted, “Please note that the Empire is a white supremacist (human) organisation.” Many have since accused Disney of inserting anti-Trump propaganda into the film. Bob Iger, Disney’s chief executive, made the statement that “there are no political statements in [the film], at all.” Those who called for a boycott also claimed that anti-Trump scenes had been edited out of the film.

Obviously, Trump supporters felt that they were being unfairly likened to cinema’s most famous authoritarian fascist government, the Galactic Empire. It’s no secret that the Empire of the Star Wars universe draws hugely on the aesthetics of the Third Reich and the uniform of the wartime German Wehrmacht. With all the comparisons of Hitler and the Nazis with Trump, his supporters clearly took Weitz’s tweet as another Nazi comparison.

It may seem pointless to argue about the nature of Star Wars in this way, or to even consider the franchise in political terms.

However, the political debate about Star

Wars is nothing new. Not only are the allusions to Nazism clear, but the 1977 original also draws on the imagery of the Vietnam War. As The Washington Post noted at the time, air to ‘ground’ combat in the trenchrun denouement and having a technologically superior power oppressing an alliance of rebels were two of the transplanted themes of the film.

In fact, George Lucas intended to make a Vietnam combat film before setting out to make Star Wars, according to the same Washington Post article, but “it would have been impossible to make the film then and have it be so successful.” So instead, he made Star Wars, a film about Vietnam. Lucas has also been frank about the subliminal significance of the Prequel trilogy with regard to the Bush administration in Iraq.

“Either we admire the plucky rebels fighting a powerful tyranny, or we look for the strengths of the Empire’s ideology and apparatus” Rogue One director Gareth Edwards has said that there are still references to Vietnam in the latest instalment, noting that early on in production they “took images of Vietnam and Middle East conflicts and World War II and literally just photoshopped rebel clothes over the soldiers.”

Photo: Tio Hanny @ Flickr

This is especially clear in the beach assault scenes at the end of the film, both in terms of the tropical location and the rebel soldiers landing in transports.

The most striking, and controversial, political element of the Star Wars films, old and new, is the Galactic Empire. This totalitarian imperial theocracy rules with violence, demands conformity, and silences dissent. They represent, of course, whichever undesirable government we may be faced with. In 1977, the threat of authoritarian-style communist governments haunted the liberal democracies of the ‘free world’. Today, we are concerned with the rise of Trump and his wide-ranging use of presidential executive powers.

While it’s more common to cast the Empire as the baddies, some prominent figures have come out in support. One such notable figure is political analyst and former Chief of Staff to Vice President Bill Kristol, who has described the Empire as “a liberal regime [with] meritocracy, upward mobility. Neoconservative... in spirit.”

He also observed that there is no objective evidence that the Empire is ‘evil’.

On screenrant.com, one author drew up “15 Reasons the Galactic Empire was Actually Good”, which included that “the

empire was willing to leave lawful persons in peace”, “the empire grew the galactic economy”, and “the empire provided opportunities for advancement.” These benefits of the empire, while backed up by scant evidence, also clearly jive with small government, Republican ideals.

And that is at the heart of these debates: that we can read our own messages into the far-removed Star Wars universe. Either we admire the plucky rebels fighting a powerful tyranny, or we look for the strengths of the Empire’s ideology and apparatus. The lines between art, entertainment, and social commentary are as blurred as they have ever been.

It seems that nothing is safe from the mire of contemporary politics. The moral simplicity of the Star Wars universe (Jedi/ Sith, Rebels/Empire) should also remind us of the complexity of our own world.

The lines between the good and dark side are not so clear cut; as a society we can barely agree who plays which role.

Though the science fiction world of Star Wars is distant from our own, our responses to it expose the concerns and spirit of our age.

Opinion 11

ISSUE 15 / 20th FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Proofreading companies: right words, wrong idea Opinion Writer, T. S. Eliot* examines proof-reading companies: are they killing the skill of writing a good essay?

Do you ever get tired of having to use certain words in your essays that create sentences which are grammatically correct and work together to build up a paragraph where, hopefully, each sentence makes sense and relates to its neighbour sentence in a harmonious way? I find this task of organising clear and logically constructed clauses really rather arduous.

If you have frequented the library recently, you’ll have noticed that a proofreading company is here to help, announcing itself onto the scene by means of flyers proliferating eerily here and there. I look to the left and see two flyers entitled ‘Wordsmiths: Experience You Need. Results You Want’. I look to the right: ‘Wordsmiths’. I look back to the left and there are now three flyers despite no one else being in at this time.

“The more expensive services are concerning: one paraphrasing service charges £45 per thousand words” I begin to consider whether the overly sombre night-shift library staff member is in on the game, as he paces the perimeter in his characteristic slow, measured severity. I fear that talking to him would be to break some essential rule of courtesy, like waking up a sleep-walker or interrupting an ancient religious ritual.

Looking back down at all these words I am trying to jam into sentences like a square peg through a square hole that is too small, I feel compelled to find out more about the ones they call the Wordsmiths.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I find that

nothing screams ‘this is not dodgy at all and you shouldn’t feel ashamed about using this service’ quite like the proviso ‘100% Confidentiality’. It is a badge of consummate honour and can be found elsewhere — most notably in the payment conditions of online porn subscriptions. And people say I don’t do any research before writing these articles…

Well, the Wordsmiths proof-readers urgently promise 100% confidentiality, in a sales technique reminiscent of someone who once approached me saying “do you want to buy this bike?” before almost instantly qualifying his question by assuring me: “I haven’t stolen it.” I saw this Wordsmiths flyer as I then saw that attempted bike flogging: with doubt as to the product but with sure knowledge that I would write about the situation sooner or later.

It should be said that any editing service is primarily aimed to help those for whom English is not a first language. And anyway, how different is sending your essays to professional editors from simply having a friend or family member read through your work?

For my part, I don’t tend to have others read through my essays, but these Mancunion articles go through an editing process. This is a case where there are benefits from an outside perspective looking over my writing, as I derive great pleasure from the inventive experimentation which goes into the spelling of my name. The unceasing creativity of the editing team has yielded some absolute gems, and I do hope for the much sought after T. S. Eliot* variation this week. (My own version shares the stage with the likes of Missy Elliott and those portaloos you see on building sites, the latter providing evidence that almost all Elliotts lead to the waste land.)

The Wordsmiths flyers on my left, which now have amassed in their hundreds, tell me that the

Photo: Morten Oddvik @ Flickr

cheapest of their services is the proofreading package at a tenner per thousand words. I have yet to enquire whether it would be possible to offer them a sole penny for one word you are having particular difficulty in spelling.

“Your assignments can now be seen as monetary investments, rather than intellectual investments” This service, it says, acts as “your second pair of eyes.” Above this description is a picture of someone doing some proofreading while wearing glasses, thus generously doubling up on the company’s initial claim.

Proofreading is a fairly unobtrusive process, but it is the more expensive services which may offer cause for concern, such as a paraphrasing service

at £45 per thousand words for those who “have the right ideas but have trouble finding the right words.”

That people might pay this much for their essay to be rewritten further illustrates the trend of money pervading all areas of higher education. Your assignments can now be seen as monetary investments, rather than intellectual investments, where you will see a return in the earning of a job that has been rewarded on the basis of your degree. All the things which we are encouraged to tell employers about studying an essay subject — those skills of argument, analysis and communication — won’t actually have been accrued if people choose to have professionals do it all for them.

With four years of essay-writing under my belt, and with the knowledge that the skills of writing essays are now dying out, I think I’d better give Wordsmiths a call and ask for a job, offering them a CV of attributes that their own organisation has now proved obsolete.

Why we have to promote safe drug use

With many drug-related deaths per year, greater efforts should be made in drug use education The fact that we do not condemn people to death for their crimes is a huge part of what makes us civilised.

When someone breaks the law, we punish them with imprisonment and aim to rehabilitate them.

Whether or not this works in practice is another issue. However, we can probably agree that, no matter what, breaking the law should not be a death sentence.

Despite this common moral understanding, our current drug policy sentences dozens of young people to death every year, simply because they choose to break the law.

In the UK, around 5 per cent of 16-24-year-olds take ecstasy every year. Ecstasy itself is a relatively safe drug when taken responsibly; it has little potential for addiction and is not toxic when taken at safe doses. Professor David Nutt, former head of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, has previously stated that ecstasy is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco and that taking ecstasy is less risky than horse-riding.

Despite the relatively low potential harms of ecstasy, the UK is one of the leading countries in the world for ecstasy-related deaths. In 2015, 57 people died as a result of taking ecstasy, or a combination of ecstasy with other drugs. Recently, the London nightclub Fabric was shut down over two ecstasyrelated deaths on its premises.

So why are so many young people dying from this drug if it can be taken safely, and is in fact taken safely, by so many people every single day?

The main problem is lack of education.

Our current drug policy purely focuses on prohibition: “Drugs are bad, do not take them.” The situation is parallel to abstinence-based sex education resulting in the highest pregnancy rates. As a result of our abstinence-based drug education, when young people inevitably do take drugs, they do not know how to use them safely.

Ecstasy should be taken at a low dose. This means less than 100mg for a first time. If you do not know the concentration of your pill, grind it up into a powder and take a small dab on your finger, and wait an hour before taking any more. You should take ecstasy in a safe environment, without mixing it with other drugs – including alcohol and prescription meds. If you are dancing, you should stay hy-

kids not to do drugs, the government is not discouraging drug use. Kids know that people their age take drugs everyday and do not end up being forced into prostitution or with brain damage. The messages of the government are ignored, and illegal drug use continues.

The only rational alternative is for the government to accept that illegal drug use will always occur, and aim to reduce drug-related harm. We can take a number of harm-reduction approaches: Allowing on-site drug testing at festivals and clubs (piloted by pioneering charity The Loop) to enable people to avoid potentially deadly pills.

Providing better drug education to young people will reduce the prevalence of risky drug-taking behaviour.

Offering drug-testing kits to students that allow them to test their drugs before use, promoting responsible behaviour and reducing harm from adulterated substances.

Photo: Oceana Z @ Flickr

Patrick Smith Contributor drated — this means drinking around 0.5-1L of water an hour.

Ideally, you should also test your drugs before consuming them, with one of the many types of test kits that can be purchased online. This will give you more of an idea about the contents of your drug, helping you detect potentially harmful adulterants.

Almost every single ecstasy-related death could have been prevented if the victims had known these facts, if they would simply been educated about the risks. Telling people “ecstasy is bad (end of story)” produces situations where uninformed people take drugs anyway and get hurt.

For example, the most infamous ecstasy-related death, that of Leah Betts, is commonly known to be due to her drinking too much water. This is technically true – she drank too much water because she was told to stay hydrated. What she did not know was that ecstasy interferes with your body’s ability

to regulate water retention; lack of drug education is what killed Leah Betts.

Many parents of children who have died due to a lack of drug education have realised that our current drug policy is partly responsible for their deaths. They realise that telling kids not to do drugs just does not work, and that we need to be pragmatic about preventing drug-related harm.

So why hasn’t the government listened to the parents or the scientists? It is likely that politicians are afraid of angering their constituents, as most voters want to see illegal drugs eradicated, and worry that harm reduction initiatives would encourage illegal drug use.

While it is possible that telling kids how to take ecstasy safely could encourage a small increase in drug consumption, we know that the alternative of prohibition does not keep drug use down; ecstasy use is rising and shows no sign of slowing. By telling

“Students will never stop taking drugs, just like they will never stop risky behaviour like cycling to class or walking out in front of buses” The last two approaches are what the Students’ Union has decided to adopt, in line with the “effectively countering drug misuse” policy passed at Senate last year. Where the government has failed, our student organisations will step in; the SU will soon be providing drug-testing packs, including test kits and harm reduction information, to all students. These will undoubtedly have the potential to save lives.

Students will never stop taking drugs, just like they will never stop other risky behaviour like cycling to class or obliviously walking out in front of buses.

It is our responsibility to make sure students are kept safe. Ignoring the failures of our drug policy condemns countless young people to death.

Music

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Album Album

ISSUE 15 / 20th FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Feature

Sampha – Process

Released 3rd February via Young Turks

Process is an emotionally bare and richly compelling debut album, writes Tara Bharadia Tara Bharadia Contributor

8.5/10

Photo: album artwork

After being prominent on the music scene for a number of years and working with the likes of Kanye West, Drake and Frank Ocean, Sampha has finally blessed us with his eagerlyawaited LP. Way back in 2014, when Sampha decided he was ready to write his album, he stopped recording in his bedroom and starting renting out studio spaces. The product of this is Process, a beautiful piece with a lot of weight to it, coloured as it is

by Sampha’s recent loss of both of his parents. In that sense, Process is his way of doing just that: processing changes to his life in recent years by looking towards his music.

Every track is written for a purpose. On a record full of ballads, Sampha explores love, life and death in the most sophisticated of ways. His own health struggles over the last year are magnified in ‘Plastic 100°C’ — “I didn’t really know what that lump was, my luck”, and in ‘Reverse Faults’ he deals with brotherly regrets over an erratic yet controlled beat.

‘Timmy’s Prayer’, co-written by

Kanye West, explains love in the most peaceful yet truthful way.

Sampha makes clear his feelings that love is like a prison and that he must decide if he is okay with that dynamic — “I wish that I listened when I was in prison/ Now I’m just a visitor.”

The stand out track on the album is ‘(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano’, dedicated to his late mother Binty Sissay. It is the perfect amalgamation of childhood regression and acceptance of the future, complemented by clean piano notes and a gospelinspired chorus. After playing his first piano at the age of three, it is clear how much music shaped his childhood and is now a vessel for him to relive his warm family memories and the home he grew up in — “You know I left, I flew the nest/… And you know I’ll be back home.”

Process can be considered as an ode to his mother and is swamped with references to her, leaving us in awe of their relationship — “the more time that passes, the more I see the extent of her love for me”. Sampha’s frank explanations of his struggles after his mother’s death make

‘Kora Sings’ (“a mother needs her sons/... I just need you here”) and ‘What Shouldn’t I Be?’, an encrypted celebration of all he and his family have achieved, highlights of the album.

“Process is a beautiful piece with a lot of weight to it. It’s his way of processing changes to his life in recent years by looking towards his music” Sampha is one of the very few figures who has mastered the ability to make his own genre.

The use of classical instruments and electronic beats combine to create an ethereal and potentially soul-shattering musical experience. What makes this album so good, however, is the precise music’s interaction with Sampha’s raw emotions. On Process, Sampha reminds us again and again that is okay to feel, as long as you let it drive you forward rather than hold you back.

Album Released 27th January via Atlantic

Kehlani – SweetSexySavage

Kehlani’s debut album is a personal and dark as it is fun, resulting in an album that manages to discuss difficult topics whilst remaining a pop delight, writes Charlie Maudsley Charlie Maudsley Contributor After receiving a well-deserved Grammy nomination in 2016 for her mixtape You Should Be Here, there was a lot of anticipation for Kehlani’s debut album SweetSexySavage.

On the surface, the 21-year-old singer takes a similar stylistic approach towards her debut effort, employing the same R&B tones and feisty attitude to her work that she has used previously. Nevertheless, with the release of SweetSexySavage, Kehlani has seemingly proven herself as an artist that can hold her own next to her moreestablished female contemporaries in the music industry such as Tinashe and Jhené Aiko.

Throughout SweetSexySavage, Kehlani utilises her music as a form of therapy by expressing her darker, more sinister thoughts in various tracks. Not shy to controversy, Kehlani kicks off her album by addressing her mental health issues that lead to a well-documented suicide attempt earlier last year in the first track aptly named ‘Intro,’ where the singer offers “con-

7.5/10 dolences to anyone who has ever lost me.”

“Issues of mental health are clearly very sensitive and personal topics for the star, and Kehlani offers an insight into her life and thought process by talking about them” Likewise, in ‘Piece of Mind,’ Kehlani reveals how, after a lot of soulsearching and support, she “can feel again, won’t be dumb again” – a clear reference to her demons and her success in overcoming them.

Issues of mental health are clearly very sensitive and personal topics for the star, and Kehlani offers an insight into her life and thought process by talking about them, giving her debut album a more personal edge in the process.

Although her album does offer

thoughtful and introspective lyricism, Kehlani still delivers a handful of pop-infused tracks to keep the club-goers happy. For example, the single ‘CRZY’ offers an incredibly infectious chorus as Kehlani repeats the words “crazy” over a heavy urban beat.

Similarly, ‘Distraction’ is another example of a radio-friendly single that sees the star ask her lover “Are you down to be a distraction, baby?” Kehlani hires her long-time producers Pop & Oak and Novawav on tracks such as these to add a pop influence to the mostly R&B-based tracks, which gives the singer her signature musical style.

Overall, Kehlani has managed to top her earlier musical projects with SweetSexySavage, as she seems to have matured into her own, self-established artist. In comparison to her peers, Kehlani applies R&B beats over her lyrics that often are delivered in a very candid manner, giving an edge to the singer that offers an alternative to her sweet yet sexy image.

Photo: album artwork

Music13

ISSUE 15 / 20th FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Interview

Interview: Stornoway On the eve of their farewell tour, Christian Hurry speaks to the beloved folk-pop group about their career highlights and future trajectories

Christian Hurry Contributor

Top 5: Tracks by LGBT+ Artists Ever since the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which we now call Valentine’s Day, February has been associated with love and romance. Thousands of years later in 2005, February became the UK’s LGBT History Month to celebrate love of every kind and to pay tribute to LGBT historical icons who both fought for the rights and representation of the community.

Throughout history, we have been blessed with a plethora of talented LGBT artists, so here are just a handful for you to enjoy.

Charlotte Ridout Contributor 5. “Russian Dance (Trepak)” – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Being gay in Russia isn’t easy even now in 2017, let alone in 1860. Arguably one of the best ballet composers ever (and, I’ll admit, a personal favourite), Tchaikovsky was the man behind famous scores such as The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet and Swan Lake. He lived as a bachelor for most of his life, keeping his homosexuality a secret but spoke of it in his letters which were censored by the Soviet Union.

4.“Downhearted Blues” – Bessie Smith

Photo:Ed W @flickr

After ten years together, beloved indie-folk group Stornoway are coming to a close. Led by a PhD student specialising in ducks, scattering birdsong and sampling the sounds of nature throughout their work, Stornoway are a truly unique voice in British music and they will be missed. I was fortunate enough to speak with Rob Steadman, the drummer of the group, to discuss their break-up as well as their upcoming farewell tour.

I’ve been a huge fan of the group since their debut album surfaced almost seven years ago, and having listened to their music through my formative years it was nice to get the chance to interview them before their split. Asking Rob how the members of the group were feeling, he tells me “it’s the end of a big, long chapter” but that the band were parting for the right reasons.

As he described each member moving in different directions, focusing on family and other personal interests, he painted a picture of Stornoway naturally coming to an end. Indeed, Rob was speaking with me from New York, where he’s been living for the past two years, coming back to the UK to tour with the group.

The group have made much of their career, as so many do,

through social media. Announcing the split online, the group opened itself up to a flood of comments from fans across the world. “With this kind of announcement people react honestly,” Rob tells me. “There was a real outpouring of love, and sadness — it was very important.”

“Stornoway are known for adding layer upon layer of quirky sounds (footsteps and chopping carrots, to name a couple)” The group clearly thinks much of their fans. They went so far as to ask each one of them to post online one song that they would want to see on the upcoming tour. “We literally tallied up everybody’s votes.” He laughs as if remembering the effort that must have taken. “Thousands and thousands of votes.”

I ask if there were any songs that surprised them on that list and Rob remarks that there were a few songs that were “a bit out there”. Listening back to the recording I can hear myself laugh, because I’m definitely one of

those fans. “It was quite funny to see people requesting things from some weird EP before anyone knew about us.” Well… if you don’t ask you don’t get!

Looking back over their career Stornoway have had some truly huge moments, playing at prestigious venues including the Barbican, Somerset House and Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage.

“That was a real special gig,” Rob says of Somerset House. “That was the first time everything felt really professional.” He adds that he’ll always be proud to say that he played the Pyramid Stage — “even if it was at 11am to about 500 completely hungover people.” He also remarked that the group reached a wider audience after performing on Jools Holland: “I don’t think Stornoway would be where it is today without Jools Holland.”

So what will the group do now? Oli (bass) is producing records and running TIGMUS, a kickstarter-type service helping small bands to host gigs. Jon (keyboards) is producing music for radio and film, whereas Brian (vocals, guitar) is returning to his conservation roots and is now a nature reserve warden. Rob is still playing music with several new groups in New York but reflects that “the folk sensibility and Brian’s ornithological, hum-

ble personality is something I will miss.” A feeling shared by many fans, I’m sure.

“Announcing the split online, the group opened itself up to a flood of comments from fans across the world.”

For myself, it’s interesting to see each of them taking these different paths. Stornoway are known for adding layer upon layer of quirky sounds (footsteps and chopping carrots, to name a couple) whilst still providing the smart arrangements, driven bass, solid percussion and catchy melodies that any indie-folk band needs. Knowing where each of the members is going, it makes a little more sense about where this unique, improbable band came from.

Stornoway have been praised time and time again for the energy they put into their live shows.

From this dedicated fan, it would be well worth your time listening to their hits and seeing this group in their element.

Stornoway play Manchester Academy on 4th March for their farewell tour.

Bessie Smith was a blues legend during the 1920s and 1930s and openly celebrated her identity as a black, bisexual woman during an era where one could be shunned for any one of those things, let alone all three. Nevertheless, Smith became the highest-paid black entertainer of that time, and was accompanied by greats such as Louis Armstrong and Fletcher Henderson.

3.“Ivy” – Frank Ocean The name Frank Ocean will doubtless be one you are familiar with. In July 2012, the singer/songwriter posted an open letter on his Tumblr account describing his first taste of true love when he fell for a young man at the age of 19. The letter appeared just days before the release of his debut album, Channel Orange. Whilst the feelings were unrequited, Ocean thanks the man for his influence.

2.“Spooky” – Dusty Springfield Dusty Springfield was a Sixties icon and lent her sultry, sensual voice to classics such as “Son of a Preacher Man” and “I Only Want to Be with You”.

Despite many of her biggest hits being about men, Springfield was reportedly never in a relationship with one, stating “I know I’m perfectly as capable of being swayed by a girl as by a boy. More and more people feel that way and I don’t see why I shouldn’t.”

1.“Standing in the Way of Control” – The Gossip Never one to mince words, lead singer of Gossip, Beth Ditto, has been known to describe herself as a “fat, feminist lesbian from Arkansas”. Ditto has a powerful voice which she uses not only to belt out indie hits like this but also to advocate for feminism and LGBT rights.

Music

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Live

Live Album

Live: Ladyhawke Live: Mario Biondi

Ladyhawke comes to Manchester in an effortlessly cool performance at the Academy, writes Lydia Ransome

The Italian soul singer seems awkward and lost in translation in a disappointing show, writes Hugh Morris

11th February at Academy 3

13th February at RNCM

Lydia Ransome Contributor

7/10

ondi draws comparison easier than most. His distinctive low voice

regardless of an RNCM crowd intent on lapping up the stylish Biondi, the first set left me dissatisfied enough to wish to leave before the second.

Photo:Eva Rinaldi @flickr

quirky bomber jacket, Ladyhawke dives straight into ‘Pip’, one of her newer tracks. The great thing about the singer’s performance was that she knew what the crowd wanted – instead of arrogantly playing tracks from her newer, arguably less popular albums, the tech-queen played essentially the entirety of her first album.

A real treat for all die-hard Ladyhawke fans, the second song of the night, ‘Back of the Van’, was followed by ‘Dusk Til Dawn’ and ‘Professional Suicide’ – all classic tracks by the techno-pop artist.

There was never a dull mo-

ment in her sixteen-track set.

There was definitely opportunity for the artist to dive into her less well-known tracks, as the Stevie Nicks-indebted performance was a crowd pleaser regardless of whether the fans actually knew the songs that were being played. Ladyhawke’s on-stage presence was stunning – a real treat for the fans.

A rare UK performance for the New Zealand artist, Ladyhawke will be sure to return. A truly compelling performance, Ladyhawke is one of those artists you’ve got to see before you die.

“During a moment of mindwandering in the first half, I wondered if the band could ditch the singer and play a jazz set with occasional vocal interludes”

fun

a theme of poor, including a

which he clearly isn’t fluent in,

very loud bang at the end of

making the role of a frontman

able moments. Biondi’s back-

one song, leaving the crowd

in England an awkward chal-

ing band, a quintet comprised

to awkwardly applaud whilst

lenge. The point of soul music

of two multi-instrumentalists,

anxiously looking towards the

is to connect with the subject,

keys, bass and drums, showed

mixing desk. Even with the

and his generic lyrics struggled

their class in the solo sections.

noted difficulties of amplifying

to do this at all.

During a moment of mind-

a voice like Biondi’s, there was

Best of Soul is an okay album;

wandering in the first half, I

a physical void between band

the highlight is the sing-along

wondered if the band could

and crowd, highlighted by the

style of ‘This Is What You Are’.

ditch the singer and play a jazz

singer’s awkward shuffles back

Mario Biondi has a unique

set with occasional vocal inter-

and forth from his microphone.

voice that sells and a select

Which leads on to what I felt

fanbase which is growing in

The venue didn’t help. Biondi

was the main problem with

Britain. But, once the talented

obviously suits a more intimate

Biondi. Every song from the

band is stripped away, the only

environment,

ludes.

RNCM

newly released Best of Soul

real comparisons to Jones and

doesn’t offer. The balance and

album and his popular Sun al-

Porter are in age and facial hair.

mixing

bum is in English, a language

were

which

variations

2. ‘Cool Your Heart’ by Dirty Projectors

1.

The

from

Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth’s

Recorded around the same time

upcoming

recent writing collaborations with

as Animal Collective’s 2016 album

album Drunk is an anti-

the likes of Kanye West and Solange,

Painting With, the first single

love song. It’s funky, it’s

who co-wrote this song, shine

from their similarly named The

fun and it’s about a man

through on the latest single from

Painters EP continues the themes

who just wants to play

the band’s upcoming eponymous

of the previous LP’s dinosaur-

album. While the previous singles

laden recording sessions. With

dwell on the breakup of Dave

upbeat

Longstreth

Dirty

to French toast and promoting

Projectors member Amber Coffman,

the unity of all kinds, this track,

‘Cool Your Heart’ ceases mourning

though childlike, is anything but

loves lost and says yes to new love.

innocent.

latest

single

certainly not Thundercat at his most serious, but it may be him at his most

releases Photo: album artwork

on

3. ‘Friend Zone’ by Thundercat

Diablo. ‘Friend Zone’ is

of

Photo: Giandomenico Ricci @flickr

There were certainly redeem-

Thundercat’s

and idiosyncratic week

stature

names thrown about. However,

Ollie Clack runs

new

striking

Gregory Porter are among the

Tracks of the week a

and

means that Tom Jones and

“The Stevie Nicks-indebted performance was a crowd pleaser regardless of whether the fans actually knew the songs that were being played”

through

4/10

Italian soul singer Mario Bi-

Last weekend, synth-pop legend Ladyhawke delivered a flawless performance at the intimate Manchester Academy 3 venue as the New Zealandborn blondie played a set of old and new tracks from her decade career in the music scene.The gig was part of her Let it Roll tour, which include appearances across UK cities including Birmingham, Leeds and London.

The night began with the support act named Isle, an electric two-piece with enough energy to excite the room in anticipation for the main performance.

Soft-pop vocals teamed with rock guitar chords, the Glaswegian duo got the crowds going with some up-beat tracks.

Think The 1975 or Girls, across a set of four or five glossy pop songs which wouldn’t feel out of place in the backing track of an episode of Made in Chelsea or some other reality TV programme. Perhaps not an immediate choice for a support act for this artist, but it works well Arriving on stage with her Stevie Nicks-esque hair-do and

Hugh Morris Contributor

relatable.

and

former

‘Kinda Bonkers’ by Animal Collective

lyrics

comparing

life

Fashion & Beauty

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When fashion fights

Slogan t-shirts: a political The rise of menswear Menswear is an ever-evolving sector of the fashion industry, fashion statement and in recent years it has truly asserted itself as valid monNew York Fashion Week kicked off this season’s shows with a distinct political tone. Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor Talia Lee-Skudder reveals how the politically inspired slogan t-shirt should be your next purchase

The fashion industry has a long and complicated history with protests: in our heated political moment does fashion have a voice that can be heard through the wave of activism? By Fashion and Beauty Editor Sarah Kilcourse Unless you have spent the past eighteen months living under a rock away from all other human interactions the current wave of political change cannot have gone unnoticed. From Trump and Brexit to anti-abortion laws in Poland, protests have dominated the British media effecting all industries in one way or another — including the fashion industry.

Fashion has a complicated relationship with protests, partly due to the way ‘fashion’ functions: it can be fashion as an area of commerce, one that is particularly subject to interrogation; or, personal style as a way of presenting yourself, showing the world your opinions in your physicality.

Women chose to wear trousers in the late nineteenth and early-twentieth for practicality, to ride a bike and for ease at work, and this simple change was an act of defiance against the version of femininity endorsed by patriarchy.

It has only recently become accepted that make-up is not limited by gender, in the past year mainstream make-up brands Covergirl and Maybelline have employed men as the face make-up campaigns (James Charles and Manny Guiterrez respectively). The way we present ourselves can break boundaries if we dare.

However, the fashion industry uses, breaks and creates these boundaries to suit its purpose - inevitably, tapping into consumers.

The Chanel Spring Summer 2015 runway show was a prime example of the fashion industry objectifying protests — the runway show

Photo: madame-ostrich.com

was a mock protest. Admittedly, the signs the models carried tapped into the injustices woman face in the world but this was a staged event designed to encourage wholesalers and customers to purchase the collection the models were wearing. A protest was turned into a shopping event. Consequently, Chanel asserted themselves as a brand that is liberal, feminist and unashamed to shout about it, they made it fashionable to be politically active.

As much as there are so many positives to arguably the biggest fashion house in the world doing this, there is an underlying current of the business behind the protest. Chanel only used the protest form to show their clothes because they knew it would draw publicity which ultimately leads to more sales, they made use of increasing cries for gender equality for profit.

Back in the 90s fashion shows were more likely to be the subject of protest rather than host one, and always for the same reason: Fur. The Peta movement was strong in the 1990’s and 2000’s, celebrity faces were lining up to show their support for the ‘I’d rather go naked than wear fur’ campaign. Protesters were regularly waiting with red

The changing landscape of Fashion Week

Jennifer Knowles explores how Fashion Week is an evolving event that seems to be leaving tradition behind The many frequent and vast changes of everyday life are bound to have an impact on the way in which designers choose to present their collections.

This year for the first time, designers such as Tom Ford, Rachel Zoe and Tommy Hilfiger have chosen to move their runway shows to Los Angeles, a city rich in art, fashion, and culture, in lieu of the narrow-minded, money-centred city of New York. As well as this, new fashion week locations are on the up: in Copenhagen designers and buyers alike are opting for the cool quirky streets of an off the radar city, swerving away from the traditional New York, London, Paris or Milan.

With more and more of us relying on social media for our fashion fix, many designers this year including Tori Burch who streamed their show live using Google’s Lightbox, have decided to share their catwalk shows with the internet community. It seems fashion week is becoming less of an exclusive affair as fashion houses are realising the most effective way of broadcasting their collection’s is to anyone, anywhere - in 2017 this is through the global phenomenon that is social media.

Another drastic change on the runways this year is the introduction of wearable haute-couture. The garments we have seen on the runways have always had an ethereal essence due to the fact that we would never actually wear them in real life, but according to on-

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line sources such as new online fashion community Polyvore, which discusses current trends ahead of fashion weeks and streams clothing images at the time of the shows, this is all changing. The creation of garments that you and I would wear on an everyday basis is a massive stepping stone in the history of fashion weeks, could haute couture soon have a whole new definition?

Fashion week is advancing in more ways than location, the new ‘real’ theme in fashion means that designers are not only making changes to the style of their clothes but to the sizes of them. Thus, enabling for greater representation of model sizes on Fashion Week catwalks. Ashley Graham cover girl of January 2017 Vogue, plus size model and body activist has 3.5 million followers on Instagram. She constantly posts bikini pictures, model shoots and unedited cellulite pictures with the hashtag #BeautyBeyondSize. Graham is a prime example of how being super skinny is becoming less relevant to beauty and style in the fashion world and this is reflected in the slow but sure increase in weight variation of models in fashion weeks this year. Just take a look at the American Vogue March 2017 cover and you’ll see Ashley Graham in amongst the regular Vogue faces, is a change gonna come for good?

Photo: Farrukh@Flickr

paint to throw on those fashion show attendees who wore fur, and then, fur went out of fashion. The quality of faux fur produced improved and it’s ethical status made it more desirable. Unfortunately, fur is gaining popularity again but the clean/vegan world we live in is vocal enough to rally a decent cry.

Now, the issue celebrities are most vocal about is undoubtedly Mr Donald Trump. Whether it’s turning up to the Screen Actors Guild Awards with paint on your chest or attending the anti-Trump rallies like the Hadid sisters, fashion is engaging in politics.

This took an even more literal turn during the Fall/Winter 17 men’s shows when Demna Gvasalia sent his model’s down the runway in clothing that used the format of the Bernie Saunder’s logo for the Balenciaga logo. Firmly stating the presidential candidate he was backing.

Equally, New York menswear brand By Robert James had his models hold anti-Trump signs, showcasing a menswear line as pro-abortion.

Collectively, fashion houses seem keen to assert where they stand in the 2017 political climate; however, as with all things fashion you are left wondering whether this is just a trend that will be long gone in two seasons time.

Barbie Girl

This New York Fashion Week saw a number of designers using the catwalk to demonstrate their dissent with the Trump administration. After Trump’s controversial executive orders that included the immigration ban and the removal of funds from US groups that perform or provide information on abortions, NYFW became a platform where designers and models can make statements about the current political system. This season has seen a wave of slogan t-shirts emblazoned with captions: Prabal Gurung released a range of t-shirts with different captions including, ‘Girls just want to have fundamental rights’, ‘This is what a feminist looks like’ and the popular phrase that is currently making rounds on social media, ‘Nevertheless, she persisted’.

With the fashion industry publicly endorsing Hillary Clinton, it is perhaps unsurprising that designers took this opportunity to voice their opinions on women’s rights and the immigration ban.

Back in October, when the idea of Trump becoming President seemed unbelievable, he caused outrage when he referred to Clinton as a ‘nasty woman’. This sparked clothing brand ‘Nasty Gal’ to release t-shirts with the caption ‘nasty woman’.

Now there is a range of merchandise available with this phrase, turning Trump’s insult into a positive attribute for a strong, career driven women. Fashion Week jumped fully on board with this slogan trend.

While designers from Tommy Hilfiger to Diane

Von Furstenberg sent their models down the runway with white bandanas tied around their wrists in support of the #TiedTogether campaign which demonstrates unity amidst the political unrest, Prabal Gurung and other big names fully embraced the slogan tee trend.

New York-based brand Creatures of Comfort followed suit with light blue t-shirts with the words ‘We are all human beings’, while designer Christian Siriano included a black t-shirt with the writing ‘people are people’.

The fashion forecast is that the slogan t-shirt is back and it can be worn casually with jeans or dressed up with heels and a skirt in the style of Gurung’s catwalk show. These designers are encouraging us to be loud and proud with our views and stand up for what is just, so wear your views across your chest with slogan t-shirts and make a political as well as a fashion statement.

These t-shirts that were debuted at Fashion Week are more than just an accessory, they are a symbol of unity, support, and inclusivity.

These politically charged shows are perhaps a sign of what is yet to come in the succeeding shows in Paris, London and Milan. For this season, politics is intertwined with fashion, as the industry uses its voice to demonstrate discontent and celebrate that we are united against hatred and discrimination. This year, grab your slogan tee and stand together.

The Barbie doll is an iconic image, found in most family homes; Gigi Hadid is an iconic image, found on most Instagram home pages. Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor Sophie Soar asks what happens when the two meet In March 1959, Mattel, Inc. released the iconic Barbie doll. The child of Wisconsin-based George and Margaret Roberts, Barbara (“Barbie”) Millicent Roberts has featured in many of our lives. Her CV boasts companionship with nearly every girl during childhood, in addition to a modelling career, several movie roles and a feature of Warhol’s work, not to mention an enormous wardrobe and long-term relationship with action-figure boyfriend, Ken. She also celebrated her 50th birthday in overstated style seven years ago, which involved a runway show in New York during Fashion Week featuring designs from Calvin Klein, Christian Louboutin and Vera Wang. Apparently life in plastic really is fantastic.

She is however an immensely controversial figure, who has evoked many controversies and featured in several lawsuits. Whilst her Wikipedia page tells us that she has a ‘significant impact on social values by conveying characteristics of feminine independence’, Barbie has come under heavy fire for her physique, exhibiting a standard of feminine beauty that is frankly quite terrifying to present to young children. Still, she features in millions of homes worldwide and my family home was no exception. Nonetheless, Barbie lost immense popularity by retail standards in 2014; perhaps an inevitability considering the disastrous haircut I gave her ten years before.

However Barbie’s three-year lull seems only fleeting as younger, world-famous companions flock to her side to boost

their elder’s image. In November last year, the Ashley Graham Barbie appeared, praised for its ‘touching thighs’ at the body-activist’s request.

She also has a custom-made lingerie collection to match Graham’s for Addition Elle.

Just two weeks ago, Mattel announced the next release of the Gigi Hadid Barbie doll, snapped rollerblading with her predecessor as they wear matching Tommy Hilfiger tees.

The similarities are striking; Hadid’s modelling career and enormous array of accessories presents her as a keen comparison to Barbie, as do her celebrity besties and famous boyfriend.

However whilst Graham’s doll attempts to mirror the plus-size model’s image, Hadid’s representation follows exactly in Barbie’s miniature physique. Studies have shown that a human body’s incarnation of Barbie’s proportions cannot physically exist, which arises some key issues with characterising Hadid as such. The model is a keen activist for healthy living and exercise. She also appears immensely aware of her influence by responding accordingly on social media, but whilst many of us bear in mind the false reality that is Instagram and Facebook, it is still a platform of delusion and impressionability.

Presenting Hadid as Barbie’s body double aligns her with a physical impossibility and, whilst I’m not suggesting that with a few rounds in a boxing ring we’d all look like Gigi Hadid, she is still human. I will concede that the face is scarily accurate for a plastic doll but this representation complicates and undermines her work promoting positive body image and looking after one’s body. It also sadly undermines the steps taken by Mattel with their Ashley Graham doll only four months previously.

eymaker. By Fashion and Beauty Editor Sarah Kilcourse

Photo: unlimitedbyjk @Flickr

As with most things created in the human history of ever, fashion started for men. Heels would be a prime example of a trend that men began and women merely imitated; however, in today’s modern world fashion has long been considered a female territory. But a little gap in the fashion framework is just beginning to open.

This is largely thanks to one of Manchester’s most famous associates (don’t fret I know he isn’t actually Manc), Mr David Beckham. Although it was many moons ago that we took delight in his meterosexual stylings he very publicly made it acceptable for men to take pride in their appearance. From his dabbling in frosted tips, to his underwear campaigns, David Beckham is the face that relaunched men’s style.

In more recent years the London’s Men’s Collection’s has become a growing event in the fashion calendar, famous face like our reverend Mr Beckham, along with Tinie Tempah, Oliver Cheshire, David Gandy or Nick Grimshaw have made fashion cool. They have showcased that men’s style can vary greatly from a simple jeans and shirt combo. And oh how the fashion industry has rallied to cry of men seeking new looks.

Many of the old powerhouses of fashion have long shown menswear collections: Gucci, Burb-

Photo: dsineyabc @Flickr

erry, Armani and Ralph Lauren; however, new up-and-coming brands are finding a space for themselves in the market: Sibling, House of Holland and Vetements all create overtly ‘fashion’ pieces. There are seemingly no rules to mens fashion anymore — just think of Rick Owens AW15 collection, seemingly a swing of the schlong is an acceptable fashion statement post-Beckham.

As the men’s fashion show’s become a bigger event, even merging in with womenswear collection (but that is an entirely different conversation) designers are looking to models to be the face of their collections. So, the ever increasing menswear industry is creating supermodels of its own, models no longer limited to spreading their legs in an underwear billboard. The ‘it’ male model of the moment is Lucky Blue Smith, he walked pretty much every major catwalk and became a member of Olivier Rousteing’s infamous Balmain army, and he is set to be the tip of the male model iceberg.

All in all the growing menswear collection can only be seen positively, mainly because it means it is becoming less and less acceptable to see men in fleeces, which frankly can only be a blessing from the fashion gods.

Photo: Gucci.com

Do you want to write for Fashion and Beauty ?

Photo: prabalgurung.com

It’s so easy to get involved! Simply send an article to: fashion@mancunion.com That’s it! No CV, no cover letter and you can be published.

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @mancunionfashionandbeauty Meetings are Wednesday at 1pm in the Students’ Union Activity Space.

Film

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Top 5

Feature

YouTube Film Q&A With Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins continues his international charm offensive Channels Alasdair Bayman shares his favourite film channels

Photo: Criterion Collection

In an age where YouTube content producers can make just as much money through Patreon as a football player, their videos often range from the absurd to the thought provoking. The latter is more distinctly applicable to those interested in film.

Varying from discussions to video essays, these five channels off the best in the business in their respective fields. Like a nice warm hot water bottle, these videos will soften to blow of a busy and stressful day.

5. VICE In their series, VICE talks Film, the multi-media company chairs an in-depth interview with a specific film-maker. Differing from your normal interview surrounding the director’s latest release, their discussions transpire into filmography and influences. From the likes of Todd Haynes to Mike Leigh, their interviews are lengthy but are deserving of your time. Shot sometimes on location or in a high-end furnished room, they constantly have impressive scenery. Supporting their astute current affairs journalism, VICE has a YouTube film series to be proud of, even if they are owned 5% by Rupert Murdock.

4. Now You See It With a funky twitter handle (@SwagThug4Lyfe), Now You See It offers an eloquent insight into specific thematic, visual and narrative themes and tropes throughout film’s history. Varying from Milk in Movies: Why Do Characters Drink It? And Phallic Symbolism in Film, his analysis is exemplary to those searching how to approach the medium of film. As he states himself in his about section, “it’s like a college film analysis class minus the lecture halls, essay assignments, and student loan debts.’’

3. BFI The godfather of British film, the British Film Institute are not only distributing film across the UK, they are also video and audio creating content on a plentiful scale. Focusing on the former, however, their channel works with critics like Mark Kermode, writers and film-makers to deliver video essays and Q&A recordings from the Southbank and other places.

Currently, a standout feature is their Q&A with the Moonlight cast and director Barry Jenkins from the London Film Festival.

Their video essays also explore the issues of every corner of cinema including the insightful Textiles on Film: Lancashire Hotpot, an early call for women in the workplace.

2. The Nerdwriter1 Evan Puschak aka The Nerdwriter creates possibly the best video essays on the internet. Visual, expressive, and sophisticated, these essays are not your average cup of tea. Film-makers, cinematography, and performance are all areas well versed by the channel. With colour vistas and sleek animation, Puschak has tapped into something. That something blends language with visual, just as film does.

Recently passing 1 million subscribers, the channel is growing at a phenomenal rate. Join the hype train, I beg you.

1. Criterion Collection Famed for their beautiful rendered blu-rays, Criterion is the bee’s knees when it comes to the medium of publishing defining films and world cinema. As part of these releases, they upload short and sweet clips of their interviews to wet your appetite for the Blu-ray release. On the side of this, their YouTube channel has the best film feature on the internet: Closest Picks.

As film-makers, actors and writers walk into Criterion’s vast closet of blu-rays and collections, their faces are comparable to those of a child on Christmas Day. Exploring the old favourites, Eastern unknowns or recent releases, these fortunate human beings can take freely from the collection. Envious does not cover it. Inspiring you to search out these film, Closest Picks is untouchable in cyber space’s film hierarchy.

Jake Sanders Film Critic

“As you can see, I can talk” remarks Jenkins, concluding his answer to one of the night’s earlier questions. Jenkins can’t just talk, he has the entire audience hanging on his every word.

Jenkins’ boundless charisma has turned him into as much of a star as any of the actors from Moonlight. However exhausted he must be from his worldwide promotional tour, he isn’t showing it. Jenkins settled into his position at the front of the crowd with such ease and charm that the host almost seemed a little taken aback. As a relatively new commodity to filmgoers, Jenkins’ lively, funny and insightful engagement with the patrons of HOME was a refreshing change of pace from the grizzled industry vets who so often find themselves reluctantly asked to elaborate on their process.

It took a while for the audience to emerge from the stunned state that will be familiar to anyone who has had the chance to see the film but but after their awakening, the crowd had a wide range of questions for Jenkins. Some trod familiar ground, Jenkins responded to a recent viral video that highlighted the visual cues Moonlight took from Hong Kong auteur Wong-Kar Wei, though he also dismissed some of the perceived references joking

Review

that “there’s really only one way to shoot a guy on the phone”. One audience member asked Jenkins if he had any particular demographic that he hoped Moonlight would reach and Jenkins replied with an answer that would become a recurrent theme for the evening, emphasising the importance of trying to tell the story as authentically as possible and hoping that audiences respond to it.

Though he might seem like an overnight success, Jenkins’ spoke of his history not only as a director but his experience working at the Telluride Film Festival and his romance with foreign cinema during his period as an undergraduate at Florida

State University. It is the influence of foreign cinema, specifically directors like Claire Denis, that Jenkins explained helped to elevate the more familiar story elements of Moonlight (such the crack addicted single mother played by Naomie Harris) from a social realist drama to the fever dream, art house masterpiece that it became.

As the host tried to wrap up proceedings, Jenkins insisted on taking a question about Moonlight’s sound design from a giddy Mike Leigh lookalike in the back row. “He called you “bruh!”” his wife could be heard gushing as they exited the cinema. Clearly this was a satisfied audience.

Photo: A24

50 Shades Darker

Emilia Ujejski Film Contributor Based on the best selling book series by E.L James, a dismayed Anastasia Steel (Dakota Johnson) decides to take a second chance on the man that has impressed women worldwide, the chiseled but ever so brooding Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan), in this sequel to the notorious box-office hit 50 Shades of Grey. In a shocking turn of events things get sexual very quickly, but are even the sex scenes worth the ticket price?

Although the plot was not very complex, nor the acting seriously accredited in the first film of the franchise, 50 Shades Darker is severely lacking in both onscreen chemistry and a clear narrative.

The sex scenes resemble airbrushed perfume ads, where both Dornan and Johnson’s glamorous appearances (expect bulky abs and arbitrary oiled breasts) and dispassionate performances contradict the premise of a gritty, darker expression of sexuality.

The plot, just as the sex, is white-washed and lacks a focal point. Random events are displayed and dropped as quickly as they are presented. It is unclear if the narrative arc is supposed to be Christian’s dramatic helicopter crash, where he plummets into a forest bed on his way to a work meeting with no context whatsoever. Although there is a moment of initial concern, this is quickly scrapped in the next scene where he strolls in unharmed ready for his own luxurious birthday party. Or perhaps Anastasia’s antagonism towards her sexually assaulting boss is supposed to be central to the plot, or Christian’s worry over his violent self-harming stalker. It is difficult to tell as all these issues are briskly swept under the carpet for decorative sex scenes.

Perhaps the strongest potential theme

50 Shades Darker is a simpering, airbrushed perfume advert

explored in the film is the tension between Anastasia’s desire for a normative ‘Vanillaflavored’ relationship and Christian’s deviating desires due to his troubled past.

‘I’m a sadist’, he claims during what is supposed to be a key revelation in the film, explaining that he uses BDSM as a coping mechanism towards his hatred of his negligent, drug addicted mother. On paper, this is a strong psychoanalytic theme, but is hardly presented in the film, aside from a flashback during the opening scenes.

Instead we get the stereotypical sugarcoated romantic notion of the brooding rich bad boy who is completely turns himself around when the woman of his dreams comes along (and becomes boring and generic).

Obviously, the success of the first movie can be attributed to the racy sexual scenes, but also arguably by indulging in a fantasy that goes beyond conventional relationship norms. What was so gripping

about the premise of 50 Shades, was the viewers’ ability to escape norms and conventional relationships and indulge in an alternative that questions the need for emotional intimacy and sheds light on supposedly deviant forms of sexuality, such as BDSM. 50 shades darker contains an oozing of materiality, beautiful actors, a multitude of narratives, and yet falls flat in terms of substance which one can fantasize about.

Then again, as a film that was inspired by a book based on Twilight fan fiction, the franchise is doing quite well for itself, with an incredible amount of ticket sales for both 50 Shades and the second film of the franchise. Whether the audience feels indulged in the stale fantasy is another story.

1/5

Photo: Universal Pictures

Film 19

ISSUE 15 / 20th FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Review

20th Century Women

A beautiful and insightful tale of what it means to become a man in a woman’s world Esther Hamilton-Ivory Film Critic In light of recent political events, women’s issues have been at the forefront of much discussion, and Mike Mills’ 20th Century Women is a beautiful representation of three women trying to navigate through these very same issues. The film follows the story of a mother called Dorothea, played by the brilliant Annette Bening, and her son, Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann), as he attempts to negotiate the difficulties of coming of age. As the story progresses, Bening’s character becomes worried that she is not doing a sufficient job in raising Jamie as the moral individual she so desires, so recruits the help of Abbie, her lodger, superbly played by Greta Gerwig and Julie (Elle Fanning), Jamie’s best friend and the object of his affection. In attempting to build Jamie up as a ‘good man’, the film raises pertinent questions regarding family, identity and happiness and in struggling to answer the questions her son proposes to her, it soon becomes clear that Dorothea, too, is struggling just as much with these big, life-defining questions.

Mills uses flashbacks, photography and voice overs in order to transport the audience back to the late 1970s. Some critics have argued that these effects add to the film’s feeling self-indulgent and affected. However, this seems an unfair claim to make. The cinematography and direction is part of what made this film so great; the perhaps cliché sweeping shots of windy roads, often with Jamie skateboarding down them, offers to the

audience a warm feeling reminiscent of the Southern Californian evenings in which the characters of the film are enjoying. Additionally, the careful use of music, mostly acquired from Gerwig’s character’s collection of loud, purposely lo-fi punk and feminist records, suitably portrays the angst with which the young characters in the film are so familiar. It is these contrasts between the dreamy daze and the small angry acts of rebellion which so intricately portrays the intensity, and often confusion, of being a teenager.

This film, however, is not just aesthetically pleasing, it is also clearly political. As a result of Dorothea’s attempts to bring Jamie up a moral man, he becomes a feminist. However, it is not through Dorothea that Jamie receives his feminist education, it is from Dorothea’s two recruits, Abbie and Julie. Abbie gives Jamie ‘Sisterhood is Powerful’ to read and it is from that book that he learns about modern feminism and it is from his and Julie’s frank conversations about sex that he learns about true female sexuality. The

film features a brilliant scene in which Abbie, suffering from cramps, forces all the guests at Dorothea’s dinner party to say, in unison, the word ‘menstruation’ in order to normalise it, something which Dorothea finds rather unpleasant.

In order to portray truly human characters, Mills creates Dorothea as such that she finds much of this new feminism too radical, a natural reaction of a woman her age living in that era.

However, this scene is one that would not be out of place in a film set in the modern day. It could be said that Mills is not only triumphing feminism but also highlighting that women’s issues and all the stigma attached is still very much ubiquitous today and in some cases, not much has changed since the late 70s.

Perhaps Mills is urging us all to chant ‘menstruation’ in an attempt to truly end this stigma once and for all.

20th Century Women is a beautiful film with brilliant acting that tackles real human issues with real human feeling and certainly one which is worth a watch.

Photo: Annapurna Pictures

Feature

Interview with filmmaker Josh Appignanesi The New Man is now available in cinemas and on iTunes

Barney Weston Film Critic Josh Appignanesi sports a black turtleneck jumper, as well as longer and curlier hair. Both are an improvement on his appearance in the documentary that he co-directs, The New Man. It seems as though with that smarter dress and those few more centimetres of hair has come a different lease of life. Josh is clearly The New Man he depicts in his documentary.

Turning the camera on themselves, filmmaker Josh Appignanesi and his wife Devorah Baum film the process of becoming parents at a time when late reproduction is the norm and masculinity is in crisis. Having been through multiple rounds of IVF, the couple finally get pregnant, but when complications hit, they’re pushed to their limits. What emerges is a moving and intimate portrait of a generation going through a revolution that nobody is talking about. The New Man is a film for anyone who has children, is thinking of having them, or still feels like a child themselves.

We talk about the documentary in the context of Brexit. Josh describes how a “Brexit feeling” has led to some backlash surrounding the film. A voice has emerged stating “we’ve heard enough of them.” Them being “the metropolitan liberal elite,” and Josh is quick to define himself, as well as everyone else in the room (like it or not), as such. Josh seems concerned with the film being depicted as such. He describes how the film’s reenactments tried not to be “meta, or up its own arse.”

Within the context of Trump and Putinism, Josh believes masculinity has been warped. He has realised how the documentary appeals beyond that, depicting how modern masculinity “encompasses limitation and admits it.” He states that the documentary thus appeals to all humans, and their ability to overcome.

This gives the documentary an intensely personal feel. This is Josh and, his wife and co-director, Devorah Baum showcasing their ability to overcome.

Talking about the documentary’s narrative, it seems to have “presented itself.” Josh references his rom-com writing experience — he wrote All

Roads Lead to Rome starring Sarah Jessica Parker — in regards to such.

However, this is no rom-com. Josh and Devorah worked on the film together. Devorah was “the driving force” in the edit. Both found it difficult to go back. “No one wants to revisit stuff like that” Josh tells me. He has only seen the film seven or eight times, whereas Devorah has only seen it three times. Both are an abnormally small amount of times to review a film you have created.

“It was so horrible making this film,” Josh tells me. But ultimately, “a truth is revealed in it and it’s the one we were comfortable showing.” I’m glad they did. For a film that gives you an insight, as a student, into later life and its potential trials and tribulations, see this.

The New Man was shown at HOME on Sunday, the 12th of February.

The event featured a Q&A with the documentary’s co-director, Josh Appignanesi, and was chaired by Charlie Phillips, Head of documentaries (multimedia), Guardian News & Media.

Photo: Creative Life Film Company

Feature Feature

Short Documentaries of Sergei Loznitsa Film is a theorem

Photo: Studio Okno

Mritunjay Sharma Film Critic Sergei Loznitsa belongs to the generation of Russian filmmakers who were born in the Soviet Union and saw its dissolution at the young age of 25. Loznitsa studied Mathematics and Engineering, but later ended up at the highly selective Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography. His films, therefore, are highly influenced by the people living in the transition from Soviet Russia to a newly-made country. Sergei Loznitsa came into limelight when his feature film My Joy was selected for the main competition at 2010 Cannes film Festival.

However, the avant-garde director had already made more than ten feature length and short documentaries.

His short films are rooted in the Russian countryside, and it’s safe to say that he is a distinctly Russian director in all his documentaries. The most flummoxing part of his films is that unlike conventional documentaries, Loznitsa doesn’t provide any voice over or any explanation. There is a clear violation of the beginning, middle and end. Moreover, there is no background music or folly music present in these films, only ambient sound is engineered carefully to maintain the sanctity of the image. Yet, the montage that he presents in his films is breathtaking and provocative. The juxtaposition of images is a work of a world class director. His films are as surreal as Kafka’s novels and as grounded as Ozu’s films.

His film The Train Stop (2000) consists of only people sleeping; for 15 minutes we see people sleeping in different manners, people of different ages and possibly economic backgrounds. In The Settlement (2002), we go into the world of a mental asylum and we see their daily chores. However the film is made in a way that we don’t see them clearly, the people seems like ghosts on screen, a clever way to tell how the people in such a place are viewed as of no importance to the world.

In Portrait (2002), we wander across the quite countryside of Russia, and a milieu of people: Farmers, fishermen, men, women, young, old who are unaware of the socio-political situation of the world. In Factory (2004), the pattern of the montage is the same but only the backdrop is changed, this time we peregrinate in a more noisy factory, full of workers, more mechanical than human, in a pursuit of nothing. The most captivating of all is Blockade (2006) — the film was made out of found footage of the longest siege in World War II, the siege of Leningrad which lasted for 900 days. The film consciously tracks throughout the siege capturing the life of people in various phases.

Loznitsa’s documentaries are quite and meditative, they don’t tell you anything but ask you to think and explore yourself. These films are like the four seasons of Vivaldi — the films will take you to a point and leave you to explore yourself in the hidden worlds that are seldom found in our privileged urban life.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Books

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ISSUE 15 / 20th FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Top 5

Top Five: Manchester libraries Rhys Walker suggests five stunning libraries in Manchester that are definitely worth a visit

Whether you’re a veritable library lover, or only use them when you’ve got an essay due in that you’ve barely even started yet, they’ve always got our back when it comes to helping us study or helping us wind down. But which libraries should you visit? Fear not, this article will tell all.

5. In at number five is the Working Class Movement Library in Salford Crescent.

And yes, I hear your cries of “That’s not in Manchester!”, but it’s in Greater Manchester and that’s good enough for me. Anyway, at just a stone’s throw away from Salford Crescent station, it’s well worth visiting simply for its rich array of 18th and 19th century pamphlets, plays and poetry that wouldn’t half come in useful for any literature and history students when doing research. And it doesn’t stop there.

There’s plenty of talks on at the library, with the International Women’s Day lecture on the 4th of March being a must-see (or must-hear, I suppose). If you’re interested in books, history, or feminism then why not give the library a visit?

4. Next up we have the Manchester Central Library which, being just a twenty minute walk away from the University, offers a nice spot for study or pleasure away from the hustle and bustle of campus. Get some work done in the reading room or check out some of the library’s collections! From reams of Elizabeth Gaskell’s original manuscripts, to first editions of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s works, if you’re a literature fan then the Manchester Central Library is the right place to go. If that doesn’t take your fancy, why not visit the library’s Oasis DNA exhibition to see photos charting the history of Manchester’s greatest rock band. Not bad all for one library.

3. It’s a cold, grey Saturday and you think you can only find solace in spending a day looking around the shops of Piccadilly Gardens. But now there’s another choice! With the Portico Library only a mere five minute walk from Piccadilly, why not give it a go? Often featuring exhibitions which celebrate Britain’s greatest works of literature, including a recent 350th anniversary commemoration of John Milton’s Paradise Lost, this library is a must-visit for literature lovers. But it’s not all about the books; the library also hosts a gallery, which will soon be housing a ‘Contemporary Art in Britain’ exhibition which displays the works of some of the greatest artists from around the nation. So, whether you’re book lover or an art lover, this library will certainly have something to offer you!

2. Of course, how could I create a list of Manchester’s must visit libraries without mentioning the John Rylands Library? Being the largest academic library in the UK there’s bound to be something in there that can help with your studies; there’s also plenty to keep you entertained there as well! Why not take in the Jeff Nuttal exhibition, which allows visitors to explore the underground, counter-culture

writings produced in Manchester during the 1960s? And for you fans of the Bard there’s an upcoming talk about Shakespeare on the 21st of February that’s definitely worth a look-in!

Even if that doesn’t entice you, the library’s astounding reading room is in itself a reason to visit. So, what are you waiting for?

1. In first place we have the wonderful Chetham’s Library. ‘Never heard of it’, you might be saying. Well, despite it being relatively obscure, the significance of this library is unparalleled in it being the oldest library in the English-speaking world! Dating back to 1653, and housed in buildings that go back to the early 1400s, this library has a marvellous ‘old-world’ feel to it. But it’s the library’s range of books that really steals the show, which includes a first edition of Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language and an original copy of Isaac Newton’s Pricipia Mathematica. However, if that isn’t enough, there are also guided tours every weekday where you can see the actual table where Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels met to discuss their socialist theories. Not bad, eh?

Bringing together books, history and science Chetham’s Library is the must-see library in this glorious city of Manchester.

Farah Elhouni suggests three must-read novels found in Main Library, Near East Collection (Orange 4)

This novel by Moroccan author Leila Abouzeid follows a woman after Morocco gained independence from France. The heroine finds herself in a new world after being left by her husband despite her sacrifices alongside loosing her standing in society despite the role she played in the political battle for independence.

The main themes of the novel can be found in the title, ‘ Year of the Elephant ’, which has significance in Islamic culture. It refers to a failed invasion of Mecca, pre-Islamic period.

This novel is considered a feminist text, but is unique from other feminist texts in that it remains local and therefore loyal to the culture and independent from Western values. The plot manages to reflect the conflict between tradition and modernity. This is seen in the depiction of traditions as having deprived her of her marital rights, and in the way modern stand-

I am bright yellow my face twisted into a grin you’ll wince if you stare too long sunshine dripping down my chin none of this is never called into question.

A face without lines to chart my flaws, openness shown on a vacant expression, sustaining myself with bottled applause.

I welcome sleep with open arms and never injected ink nightmares into my skin, I do not have scars pressed into my palms and never watched myself get thin.

I only place importance on my own life.

I’d sell myself to avoid death’s list, removing the gears, watching the clock unwind Comma Press as I pressPhoto: a knife to time’s wrist.

Three must-reads fromOrange 4

Year of the Elephant by Leila Abouzeid [Orange 4 (843.09 A46 )]

A Dishonest Prayer

My feet are planted firmly in this world I live in.

I take life for granted ignoring the suffering of others; blinkers made of skin.

Features

Orange 4 in the Main library is home to the Near East Collection of books, holding books from different countries across the Middle East and North Africa. It is a relatively small but rich collection, with widely circulated names such as Nagib Mahfouz and Tawfiq Al Hakim.

The following are three modern works that revolve around the Arab world that can serve as an introduction to modern Arabic literature.

They are all available in English, two being translated from Arabic and one originally written in English.

Poet of the Week: Kayleigh Hicks

ards of life do not align with her moral compass.

In the original Arabic version, the language used in Leila’s debut novel is beautiful and balanced with the regional dialect ‘derja’, native to Morocco. This is perhaps an intentional pull between the traditional standard Arabic and the ever evolving Moroccan dialect to parallel the main theme. It follows through in the English translation found in the NE collection in Orange 4, leaving you equally as confused... much like the heroine herself.

The honest yet unconventional approach of storytelling is what makes this an interesting read.

The Journey of Ibn Fattouma by Nagib Mahfouz [Orange 4 (892.73 M156 )] In this philosophical novella by Nobel Prize winner Nagib Mahfouz, political ideologies are examined and applied to society in an attempt to identify what the best ideal to strive for in society should be. The story follows the fictional Ibn Fattouma, parodying the journey of the famous traveller and scholar Ibn Battuta. Just like Ibn Battuta travels the world to explore it, Ibn Fattouma travels and experiences a culture shock in each “bilad” (land) he visits. The descriptions are vivid and detailed, taking us to what may be considered valid adaptations of what ideologies envisioned by political thinkers might look like in the real world.

Although this novella was written in a time where Egypt and the world was up against competing ideologies, it is still very relevant today with the question of ideologies still being one

that is widely debated in the Arab world.

The Journey is from Mahfouz’s philosophical era, where he takes a break from his usual fiction on honest reflections of everyday Egyptian society, and moves towards big ideas without neglecting society as a whole.

For anyone wanting to explore Arabic literature, Mahfouz is a must read. The Journey of Ibn Fattouma is as an interesting starting point.

The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between by Hisham Matar [Orange 4 (892.73 M212 )] This autobiographical account of Matar’s return to his native country Libya in 2012, after a lifetime of exile, is his most recent after a number of novels that deal with the same themes of exile, coping with loss, and dictatorship. The nostalgic family memoir centres on his Father who was abducted by government officials in the 1990’s, and the way by which the absence affected him and those around him. Matar’s return to Libya is chronicled in a nostalgic manner – following from passages of his longing to return to Libya.

Matar explores his relationship with Libya as someone who grew up as a “third culture kid”.

He also explores his relationship with other countries he resided in, including Egypt, referring to it as the Land in Between.

For many, the appeal of this memoir lays in the fact that it is a sentimental account of a little known about country… but later turns out to be about much more than just that.

Because I was never taught how to be faithful, silken selfish spun lies were weaved into my hair, now I spin my own webs into the lines I speak.

I am solid steel on my surface but beneath I am weak, a pale imitation of a girl stepping on stage to whisper my dishonest prayer.

Book contributors meetings are at 5PM every Tuesday.

Join our Facebook group to get involved!

Mancunion Books Contributors 16/17 If you would like to be our poet of the week and have your poetry published in The Mancunion, please email: books@mancunion.com, with a selection of work and a short biography.

FINAL YEAR STUDENTS! The University will use the National Student Survey (the NSS) to put up tuition fees.

Tuition fee increase

Genuine student feedback

SAY YES

You will be told to fill in the National Student Survey (the NSS) from the 30th of January to the 29th of April.

What you will NOT BE TOLD is that the NSS, your feedback, will be used to increase tuition fees for future generations of students.

Student feedback is important, so fill out the Manchester Student Survey (MSS) instead to have your say. The MSS, unlike the NSS, will not be linked to tuition fees.

Fill in the MSS to say NO to increasing tuition fees!

Find out more: manchesterstudentsunion.com/nss

Food & Drink

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Falafel

The food at falafel is incredibly reasonably priced; a falafel wrap will set you back just three pounds, the same price as a meal deal Patrick Young Contributor

“Crisp, hot and heady with spice, the falafel is a stalwart of Middle Eastern cuisine. In search of an authentic experience of the chickpea fritter, I travelled to a small Palestinian café nestled in the heart of the curry mile. The suitably named Falafel Café does not aim to compete for the diner’s attention in the neon glow that is created by the surrounding plethora of curry houses and shisha bars. An underwhelming and dimly lit front to the café gets straight to the point and simply states ‘Falafel’ in both English and Arabic. The bluntness of the exterior is a promising sign, it immediately instills a sense of hope that the substance of the experience is going to be in the quality of the falafel.

The initial reception on entrance to the café is not entirely welcoming, my friend and I are met by intrusive stares from the owner and his teaslurping regulars. The owner sits confidently in the corner of the room assured of the fact that his falafel recipe will keep the doors swinging.

Photo: Izzy Oldman

His confidence lacks any sociability with the customer, and his passiveness could almost be interpreted as a belligerence to the diner. The interior of the café has a canteen feel as the harsh industrial lighting strips the room of any ambience. There is a splattering of interesting Palestinian kitsch’s across the walls which instil character into the otherwise nondescript room. On approach to the counter the staff are amiable and if asked will take their time to talk you through the various mezze and shawarma options available.

My friend and I settle on ordering one falafel mezze meal (given that it is the name sake of the café) and one lamb mezze meal (for the sake of diversity) with an Arabic coffee and mint tea to accompany. We take our seats by the window of the café and start to warm to the auditory delights of the Arabian pop music that quietly fills the room. It is not long before the food comes, and it is soon apparent that the falafel is by far

the superior dish. The falafel’s perfectly crisp exterior gives texture to the dish whilst the gently crumbling warm interior gives all the flavour to the fritter. The spices of cumin, coriander and garlic are faultlessly balanced and it is easy to see why the falafel is such an indomitable feature of Middle Eastern cuisine. It becomes clear that the owner’s belief in his authentic falafel recipe is justified, and he remains quietly resting on his laurels in the corner of the room.

The mezze that accompanies the falafel and lamb consist of a parsley cucumber and tomato salad, home-made hummus, pickled beetroot, red cabbage, tahini and Kobeda wraps. They are clean and fresh and perfectly complement the falafel and lamb as the main stays of the dish.

The lamb is crisp and nicely spiced but a little dry, and by far the inferior dish to the falafel.

The falafel is quick to go, and as my friend and I finish the lamb, we query any logic we had in ordering a lamb mezze at a café named Falafel.

Say hello to Fuse Food Sophia, a drama and screen student, recently decided that the University of Manchester’s large international make-up was a culinary opportunity just waiting to be explored. This, after some serious brainstorming, lead to the idea of Fuse Food.

Fuse Food is a new show coming to Fuse TV which will have student chefs cook simple, healthy and tasty dishes to inspire other students to save pennies and get back in the kitchen.

The show is looking to encourage students to be inspired by different foods and diets and ultimately open students’ minds up to healthier dinner options.

Fuse Food will enjoy a different chef that are

experts in a particular cuisine each week. This is where Sophia saw the chance to celebrate Manchester’s enormous international student body. Sophia felt that it would be a wonderful opportunity to have students from all over the globe cook a delicious and healthy meal that they can share with other students.

The idea is to not only include different cultures and cuisines, but give all students a new insight into cooking and encourage them to try some fantastic recipes that they might otherwise not have tried or have deemed too complicated.

The show will include a variety of different cuisines, including Spanish, Indian and Caribbean. However, there will also be a focus on

to Eat New York — the butter-dunked bagel company can already be spotted in places like the pop-up events at SCRANcoats, but now, I’m sure, we can be expecting to see a lot more of their luxurious fillings, from hot salt beef to crab claw, all over Manchester.

1. The lip smacking street food, trendy music, and late-night bars that B.Eat Street brought to Manchester’s Great Northern Warehouse has been closed — after just seven months, the space will now be used as a private space for businesses to hire, and will no longer be open for large public events. Why, oh why?!

3. Poutine pop-up coming to Didsbury — Poutine, that modern street food feast, constructed from chips, cheese, and gravy, is set to turn up in West Didsbury. Head to Mary and Archie’s on the 26th of February, where Blue Caribou Canteen will be serving up some of this delightful new food trend. See you there.

2. Parklife and Warehouse Project boss Sacha Lord-Marchionne has invested in Manchester’s food scene by pledging himself

4. Greggs have started a delivery service — two city centre stores have started delivering

The food at falafel is incredibly reasonably priced; a falafel wrap will set you back just three pounds (the same price as a meal deal). There is also a broad range of Fatayer options available on the menu, if the falafel isn’t tickling your fancy. A combination of the cheap price and the location of Falafel, being just ten minutes’ walk from the students union make it a great university lunch option. So next time you pass through the curry mile make sure to slow down, ignore the tidal wave of neon signs and loud traffic and keep your eyes posted for a quaint little block in the heart of the madness called Falafel.

Point of note: the owner smokes inside which may tarnish some people’s enjoyment of the experience.

Miriam Mizzi Co-Editor

different diets, to suit any taste. Many dishes will be vegetarian and a whole episode is dedicated to veganism.

Another factor Fuse Food looks into is nutritional eating for physical and mental health to boost students in the more stressful parts of the semester. The first episode is Vegetarian, and our student chef will be making a potato and onion frittata.

The first episode is available now and is accessible through Fuse TV’s Youtube channel.

www.youtube.com/user/uomfusetv Photo: Fuse Food

Manchester Fossip Sometimes the news is full of foodie related gossip, and recently it has been just so.

Therefore, we have decided it is about time to round it up and fill you in. Here is what has been going on in Manchester’s ever-thriving food scene.

Once all the food has been eaten, the excellent people-watching opportunities of the window seats on the curry mile provoked us to linger, as we soak in the fresh mint tea and Arabic coffee.

All the food-related gossip

our Greggs favourites such as the steak bake, the cheese and bean melt, and those greasy, greasy pizza slices. Put your hands up if you could easily reach that £20 minimum order.

27th of February). Its £37 for four courses, this being a small scratch on what you normally pay for this chef’s food, so snap up a ticket and wander down to Koffee Pot.

5. Fear not, all those belly-rumbling January deals may be over, but there are still some savings to be made. Head to The Pen and Pencil in the Northern Quarter where food is 50% off on Mondays. Or what about Salvi’s two-course Italian lunch for £12.95 every day?

I know, the weather’s too horrible, well, stay in and get 20% off takeaways from East Z East this month.

6. 3-AA Rosette chef comes to Koffee Pot — Ernest Van Zyl is coming to this Northern Quarter venue for one night only (Monday the Photo: Flickr @dullhulk

Food & Drink 23

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Chocolate Cake

Meals Out With An Allergy

Jacob Nicholas Features Editor

With the number of food allergies on the rise, we went to five different restaurants to see how they deal with allergies We all know meals out are brilliant, but for people with food allergies they can also be a huge pain. Depending on the severity, you can end up with discomfort, sickness, or even anaphylactic shock and possible death.

Before you even go into the restaurant you have to look at the menu carefully to gauge whether you can safely eat there, and there might even be whole cuisines you have to avoid — for instance, I have a nut allergy, which usually means curries and Chinese food are out of the question.

To make things even worse, the conversation you need to have when ordering with a severe allergy is usually an embarrassing, awkward affair. Servers are often blank-faced or confused as to why you are asking if, say, a margherita pizza has nuts in, when it obviously should not.

A lot of the time they simply do not know, meaning you have to go elsewhere and go through the same frustrating process all over again.

Allergies are on the rise in the UK, with Allergy UK estimating that the number increases by five percent every year, and from 1992 to 2012 there was a 615 per cent increase in reported cases of anaphylactic shock. According to YouGov, one in four households now have a member with an allergy or intolerance. It’s not known exactly why the number of allergy sufferers is on the rise, but theories include rising standards of hygiene, as well as our increasingly varied diets as cuisine from around the world becomes more popular.

With all this in mind, we thought it was important to look at five different restaurants and bars in Manchester, both to see how well Manchester deals with allergies, and to perhaps show how difficult it can be for those afflicted.

My allergy is incredibly serious, which I believe is a strong test for restaurants, as if I have even a trace of a nut I will go into anaphylactic shock and possibly die.

In every place we went I was told that they could not completely guarantee that I would be alright — this is largely to protect themselves legally — but as this article exists and you are not reading an obituary, I clearly came through OK, and I had some brilliant food along the way.

This is a good sign, and it shows that allergies in Manchester are being treated seriously, and if you suffer from one, some places can be difficult and you still always need to be careful, but you can eat in a wide variety of places without having to worry too much.

standard pub fare, so is likely to be free from most allergens, apart from perhaps some of the desserts.

The food was nice too; the burger was thick and satisfying and the chips were the exact right level of crispiness, making it superior to the standard hyper-processed Wetherspoons equivalent. However, this is reflected in the price — a burger, chips and a pint cost around £9, which is certainly not bad, but not hugely cheap either. Despite this, the SU bar is definitely worth a visit, and if you have an allergy you will be in safe hands.

Tzatziki’s This relatively new Greek deli and takeaway is in the middle of Fallowfield, next to nightlife stalwart Venice Pizza. It is also the place where I thought I was most likely to die. The staff seemed confused by my questions, and it took a while for them to realise what I meant. Their desserts were also crammed with nuts and out on the counter, which is always a bit worrying.

Despite these concerns, however, once they understood I had an allergy they clearly took a lot of care, and although I was a bit uncertain the whole time I was there, it was ultimately fine.

Whilst the process of ordering was awkward, the food itself was amazing. We each had a slice of spanakopita, which is a warm pastry filled with spinach and white cheese. The pastry itself was flaky and crispy, and the filling was just right — spinach can easily be overcooked, soggy and bland, but it mixed perfectly with the cheese to make a great side. For the main, I went for a pork gyros, which is a pitta bread stuffed with pork, salad and chips. The whole thing was lovely — the chips were covered in herbs, the pork was soft and the salad — as well as the deli’s titular tzatziki — gave it that vital extra touch. It was cheap too, at just £6 each. Overall then, Tzatziki’s is definitely worth going to, even if you have an allergy — the initial conversation may be a bit tricky, but the food is so good and so well priced it more than makes up for it.

vided the right amount of kick without being overpowering, and the rice and beans filled the whole thing out without lessening the taste in any way. At six pounds for a large burrito, Pancho’s is not quite the cheapest, but it is still incredibly reasonably priced, and with the staff being so good about my allergy I cannot recommend it enough.

Al Bacio The obligatory high-end restaurant — they had bottles of champagne going for up to £420, which was sadly slightly out of our budget — Al Bacio is a decent Italian that sadly is not quite up there. They are, however, relatively good about allergies. I asked the waiter about the meal, and after he stood there for an uncomfortably long time he went and checked with the chef, before assuring me it was all fine. A bit awkward, but absolutely fine.

Absolutely fine is, however, also the most that can be said about the food. The garlic bread with mozzarella we had to start inexplicably alternated between being very nice and tasting of literally nothing with every bite. I had a calzone for my main, but they tried to put too many different things in — it had cheese, tomato, mushrooms, spinach and chicken, and all I could really taste was soggy, overcooked spinach — for over four times the price of a slice of spanakopita at Tzatziki’s. The most my friend could say about his penne al arrabbiata was that it was “sufficiently heated,” though he did insist it was nice. The food would have been good at a lower price, or in a less classy environment, but at such a high cost — most mains are around the ten-pound mark — at best you hope for that bit extra, which sadly Al Bacio was lacking. To finish off a somewhat disappointing evening, both my friend and I felt incredibly ill after eating, and although it thankfully was not an allergic reaction, it was unpleasant.

Fuel Café

Our first port of call was the SU — we fund it, so those of us with allergies should be able to eat there safely. Fortunately, the staff were accommodating, and although they made the usual claims that they could not be certain the food

Tucked away in Chester Street near MMU — though there is also a branch in the Arndale — Pancho’s is brilliant in just about every capacity. You choose exactly what you want in your burrito, from main filling to salsa and sauces.

This is usually a massive pain if you have an allergy — you need to ask about every single part.

However, when I first asked, the manager was called over who immediately assured me that nothing had nuts in whatsoever. He quickly added that “you can never be completely sure,” but it was definitely the most comfortable I felt in any of the places we visited. For other allergies, it may be more difficult, but for me it was perfect, and they did not seem to have any food that obviously contains any common allergens.

The burrito was also by far the nicest thing I ate at any of these restaurants. It was simple, unfussy and every element was prepared to perfection. I opted for slow-cooked beef, which was exactly right; perfectly tender but still full of flavour. The guacamole was also great, and

Finally, we visited the Withington cultural mainstay Fuel, which puts on a wide variety of gigs upstairs, as well as serving great vegetarian and vegan food downstairs. Similar to the SU, they were great for allergies — immediately checking with the chef, and confirming that whilst there were nuts in the kitchen, there were no nuts in the food I had ordered, and the chef would take extra care.

The food at Fuel is always lovely. I went for the halloumi fish and chips, which was brilliant — the halloumi was covered in delicious, crunchy batter and the cheese itself was incredibly soft: just on the verge of melting but still keeping its shape and texture fantastically. The chips were nice and thick, cooked with the potato skins still on, and the salad had a great dressing. It was similar in price to the SU as well, with the food costing £6.20 each, and the cheapest pint — their own, incredibly nice ‘Fuel lager’ — is £3.

However, Fuel is definitely the superior option, with the food being more unique and better tasting, better drinks available, and the café itself is just a great environment to be in. They clearly take a lot of care with allergies too, so I

would be nut-free, they said they would tell the chef to take extra care. The menu is relatively

unlike many other similar establishments it was included with no extra cost. The salsa pro-

highly, unequivocally recommend it to anyone, no matter how much you like meat.

The Students’ Union Bar

Lily Carden Food & Drink Co-Editor

Photo: Daniella Segura @Flickr

Pancho’s Burritos

Photo: Lily Carden

Who doesn’t love cake? This is a great basic cake recipe that everyone should know. Remember the mantra four, four, four, and two (4oz sugar, 4oz butter, 4oz self-raising flour and 2 eggs) and you’ll be good. Topping the cake with a simple ganache elevates a simple cake to a whole new level and will impress anyone. You’ll need an 8” round loose bottomed cake tin.

Ingredients 110g soft butter 110g caster sugar 2 eggs Pinch of salt 100g self raising flour 25g cocoa powder 4tbsp double cream 150g milk chocolate Preheat the oven to 170 degrees fan. Grease the cake tin. Cream (beat with a wooden or silicone spoon) the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until pale and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, and beat into the butter and sugar mix, adding a tablespoon of flour to stop the eggs from curdling. Sprinkle in the salt. Sift the rest of the flour and the cocoa powder into the bowl and gently stir everything together so that the mixture is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Turn out onto a wire cooling-rack and leave to cool.

If the chocolate isn’t drops or buttons either chop it into small pieces or put into a sandwich bag and bash with a rolling pin or heavy based saucepan to break it up. Pour the double cream into a small saucepan and gently heat to just below boiling. Take off the heat and drop in the chocolate, stirring continuously until it’s smooth and all mixed together. Leave to cool and thicken a little.

Place the cake on its serving plate and pour over the ganache, spreading it evenly across the top of the cake and letting a little drip down the sides. Serve and enjoy.

Photo: Lily Carden

Arts

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Feature

Instagram: The pros and cons

A celebration that anyone can be an artist, or just another reminder of the mediocrity of today’s society? Georgia Welch takes a look at the best and worst of Instagram In 2017 you would be hard-pressed to find someone who does not use, or at least is not aware of, Instagram.

The much-loved photo-sharing app was first launched in 2010 and later bought by Facebook in 2012. Since its inception, approximately 20 billion photos have been uploaded, with 90 per cent of users falling into an age bracket of under 35 years old.

With these figures in mind, it is clear that Instagram has an enormous presence in the social media sphere of young people, so unsurprisingly it has garnered endless amounts of praise and criticism alike in its seven year existence.

Some have argued that Instagram detracts from the artistry of photography as a craft, to some extent, suggesting that the idea that anyone can easily take and showcase their own photos contributes to mediocrity in the field and also reduces the impact of truly great photography.

Naturally, of course, this calls into question what actually constitutes ‘good’ photography, seeing as though the art form is so inherently

subjective and relies heavily on knowledge of both the photographer intention and the viewer’s perception, as well as the technical aspects of successful photography which tend to be learned or acquired in the study of photography as a medium.

Whilst Instagram may promote the art photography as accessible for any young

Photo: Georgia Welch

mobile phone user, why is this necessarily a bad thing? In the increasingly visual and technology-based culture we inhabit, the documentation and communication of one’s own life and interests through the most visual of mediums is something we ought to embrace, particularly if it allows users to develop their own creativity.

In addition, it is difficult to discuss Instagram without mentioning the concept of the ‘selfie’, which the app played an instrumental role in popularising.

Again, young people are criticised for the alleged vanity of celebrating one’s own appearance, but in a world where self-love and acceptance is largely discouraged and even shamed, surely Instagram’s propulsion of young people’s comfort in their own skin and exposure to a diverse range of people and body types, this is something that should be encouraged.

As one of the fastest growing social networks of the 2010s, Instagram ultimately has a positive effect on the art of photography, so long may it continue.

Editor’s Picks

Opening this Week … in Dark Times At Castlefield Gallery 24th February – 15th April 2017

…in Dark Times at Castlefield Gallery draws on the distance that is put between humanity and the objects that exists in the real world by the modern obsession with screen-based technology and the online world. This distance is not simple: transient things in the real world may find second lives online, while certain forms of media draw us away from the direct experience of objects. This exhibition of six contemporary artists features works of imminent materiality, others filled with excess information, disposable pieces that are highly symbolic and enduring works that are difficult to pin down.

Never Going Underground At the People’s History Museum 25th February – 3rd September 2017 Never Going Underground marks the 50-year anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK. The title of the project is taken from the campaign against the infamous Section 28 which forbade the promotion of homosexuality, which led to the UK’s largest ever protest for LGBT+ rights here in Manchester. The exhibition focuses on the on-going fight for LGBT+ rights, enlightening visitors with events both before and after the 1967 Sexual Offences Act. The exhibition comes as a precursor to Manchester’s feminist Wonder Women festival which will see a vast array of equality themed theatre, arts, and even conferences across the city.

Following the controversial inauguration of President Trump, the general consensus from LGBT+ supporters seems to be that there has never been a more important time to fight for equality, and basic human rights for all.

Review

Deanna Petherbridge at The Whitworth

More than thirty years after her residency, The Whitworth showcases work from Petherbridge’s 45 year career Isabell Oldman Sub-editor More than thirty years after her original residency in 1982, The Whitworth has welcomed back Deanna Petherbridge, CBE, curator and one of Britain’s most prolific artists. The seven month exhibition, finishing in June, showcases work from a career which has spanned 45 years. Working predominately in pen and ink, Petherbridge’s art reconciles mathematics and architecture with social observation and critique.

Knowing little about the artist when I entered the gallery, I was firstly struck by the quantity of the artwork that the exhibition room had on show, Petherbridge’s work is clearly defined by it’s bold, straight lines, and geometric patterns with sequences of shapes meticulously formed in accurate detail. Upon entering the gallery,

Photo: Isabel Oldman

the viewer notices that the pictures are done almost exclusively in black and white and at first glance, lack the showiness and boldness of colour that would usually draw the eye. However, Petherbridge’s drawings both require and deserve more than just a cursory glance.

A surprising element in Petherbridge’s work is her attention to social, cultural and historical issues, particularly in regards to human conflict and suffering. In pieces such as Urbs Militans (1984) an interpretation of the Second World War, the harsh, angular lines effectively allow her to convey the callousness of war and the destruction of which humans are capable.

Similarly, drawings such as The Destruction of the City of Homs painted last year as a response to the war in Syria, Petherbridge’s work also seems to take on a photojournalistic quality, bringing together the tragedy of those destroyed home with her own artistic study of the lines and shapes.

This is a theme that runs throughout the exhibition, and Petherbridge does not let her chosen style prevent her from taking a political stance.

Untitled (Turning Tables) (1989) is a drawing which the artist describes as ‘explor[ing] the symbolism of empty tables as the seat of patriarchal power’. The precision of her lines and patterns makes political statements like these all the more effective.

Overall, Deanna Petherbridge sees pattern and intricacy where others may not and whilst the detail and skill of her artwork is impressive, for me, the over-riding message of her work is that the existence and influence of people is what brings patterns, lines and shapes to life.

Photo: Isabel Oldman

Fancy getting involved?

If you enjoy art, and would like to write for the Arts section, join our Facebook group :

Mancunion Arts Contributors 2016/2017.

Come along to our weekly meetings in the Activities Space in the Students’ Union. at 4pm on Mondays.

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ISSUE 15 / 20th FEBRUARY 2017 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Review

Was it good for you?

Part of the MIFTAS season by the University of Manchester Drama Society this is a hilarious play about one night stands Pete Stallard Reviewer One night stands are a strange, post-modern phenomenon.

The idea of becoming entirely intimate with a total stranger for a few hazy hours only to depart their lives often forever seems at odds with any notion of forging emotional, fulfilling relationships which- in this increasingly lonely world- seems to be the end goal for a lot of people.

Thankfully then, directors Rosie Harris and Luke Smith along with the wonderful cast of ‘Was it good for you?’ are here to guide us through the joys and anxieties of the one night stand. The play is hilarious in large parts and touching when it needs to be, and is ultimately an uncomfortably honest look at the great embarrassing anecdote of our time.

The play begins in medias res in the bedroom scene. The two leads, a boy named Isaac and an apparently unnamed girl are already back (postpub foundation laying) to the site of the bedroomthe locus for so many unsaid worries about what is going to happen next.

The play is built around a series of interior monologues from the two leads as they anxiously project their worries about the upcoming and apparently inevitable sex that is to follow. The monologues are impeccably written, unflinchingly discussing sexual pitfalls such as worries over out of control pubic hair or sexual virility (can I get it up? A problem as old as sex itself).

Chris Pope and Izzy Lewis are brilliant, candidly discussing taboo subjects with the audience in a way which is uncomfortable yet reassuring; these are just two normal people with the same worries about sex as anybody who hasn’t been trained in the Hugh Heffner school of sexual prowess.

The direction of the play is great; these two characters never voice their concerns to one another, only second guessing each other in brilliant comic fashion (where does this go? Shall I put this here? Etc.). As an audience member, you are left thinking ‘just TALK to each other’, yet that of course is the point the play drives home; the lack of communication due to embarrassment underpins so many of these true to life situations.

The play progresses through various ‘stages’ of intercourse, and wryly portrays the oftenmechanical motions people go through when becoming intimate with a stranger. The leads worry that they are being too adventurous while the other wonders if their partner could maybe be doing more. If an audience member is made

uncomfortable during this play, it is only because it is so unnervingly accurate for anyone who has been in this situation before.

The play must also be commended for its daring nature; this is not a PG-13 comedy. All the sex acts are performed as to be one step away from pornographic. There is no interpretive dance

to signal the erotic union of two beings, or an explosion of petals to emulate an orgasm. The play opts for realism over ‘high art’ and it is extremely effective.

As I have mentioned, any discomfort felt by the audience is just an honest reflection of how these real-life scenarios play out; they are nature

Photo: University of Manchester Drama Society

awkwardness. Of course, nudity (or partial nudity) in theatre is nothing new, but it still exhibits a complete shedding of self-consciousness on the actor’s part and is a very impressive artistic choice.

In order to flesh the monologues out, a series of muses appear to guide our leads through the night; fully fledged Casanovas our heroes are not (who is?). Fergus Macphee’s turn as a kind of highcamp, transvestite figure is uproariously funny, confidently guiding the bemused Isaac (and the audience) through the oft-challenging process of donning a prophylactic (condom to the layman).

Clint Eastwood, Simone de Beauvoir and assorted others also make bizarre and hilarious cameos, further emphasising the crazy and random thoughts that invade our brains in these apparently most intimate moments. These two characters may be physically interacting with each other, but their minds are off on their own journey, desperately seeking help from these fictional characters.

As the play reaches its climax (sorry) it entails a brilliant departure from the mostly comic scenes that have occurred prior to this final act.

Both characters begin to address their past, and wonder what it is that is stopping them from fully enjoying this moment. One moving scene involves Lewis’s character confronting past demons and attempting to exorcise them in a show of autonomy that the play gets right, never wandering in to the realms of cliché or forced sadness. In a brilliantly acted scene, the audience is privy to the trauma that Lewis’ character has experienced and is a brutally honest moment that elevates the play from raunchy comedy into a deeper exploration of the sexual psyche.

Overall then the play is pure comic gold, almost every joke landing and sharp pop-culture references abound. The fact that it deals with the concept of the ‘one night stand’ in a nuanced and honest manner is a bonus. The score is also great, a series of jazz standards helping the play along as our leads bumble through their sexual odyssey.

The setting is also brilliant, a classic messy ‘uni’ bedroom being the site of the play, and a kind of lewd shadow show helping the play’s action to proceed while our leads talk to the audience. If you want to see some honest, no holds-barred theatre about sex in all its baggage-ridden glory from the University of Manchester Drama Society then go and see ‘Was it good for you?’. Who knows, you may even learn a trick or two.

‘Was it good for you?’ is part of the MIFTAS season and is playing at the Martin Harris Building from the 15th to the 17th February.

Features

BAFTA Awards 2017

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) took place on 12th February at London’s Royal Albert Hall Brogen Campbell Theatre Editor The award ceremony was hosted by Stephen Fry for the 12th time and kept proceedings without any comments that would land him in hot water like last year. ‘La La Land’ has continued its exceptional run of bagging awards here, there, and everywhere and the BAFTAS were no exception. The film won a total of five awards, the most of the night, but was still expected to have won more having been nominated for eleven.

The film ended up winning awards for Best Film, Best Actress for Emma Stone, Best Director for Damien Chazelle, Best Cinematography and Original Music. A total of fifteen different movies bagged an award across the evening. ‘Manchester by the Sea’ managed to beat ‘La La Land’ for Best Original Screenplay and Casey Affleck won Best Actor. Dev Patel won Best Supporting Actor for Lion, having come a long way since his Skin days, 10 years since its first release.

Just like any other award show it wasn’t just about the glitz and glamour and many used the platform to voice their political

concerns. Ken Loach used his speech for winning the Outstanding British Film award for ‘I, Daniel Blake’ to reprimand the government for treating the poorest of society with contempt. Trump was called a blithering idiot by Stephen Fry for not recognising Meryl Streep as one of the best actresses of all time.

Viola Davis — who won Best Supporting Actress for ‘Fences’ — also supported Streep’s stand at the Golden Globes and highlighted that more roles needed to be available for black actors in the coming years.

The BAFTAS most prestigious honour, a fellowship, was awarded to Mel Brooks.

Brooks made the films ‘The Producers’, ‘Spaceballs’, and ‘Blazing saddles’ amongst numerous others. He joins the ranks of Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, Sidney Poitier, Judi Dench and Helen Mirren who have all been awarded a fellowship.

The next award ceremony will be the Oscars being held in Hollywood on the 26th February.

For a full list of BAFTA award winner please go to www.mancunion.com.

MIFTA Season is here!

The MIFTAS are the University of Manchester’s largest season of plays, performed and directed by students. Of the 9 shows we have this year, 8 have been written by students; these shows range from absurdist to sociopolitical engagement with contemporary issues. At all points are the shows nuanced in their dealing with a range of issues, both theatrical and cultural.

‘Was it good for you? ‘ on the 14th, 15th & 16th of February at 7pm Double Bill of ‘Cloud Avenue’ & ‘Artificial Salt’ on the 20th, 21st & 22nd of February at 7.30pm

‘Killing Curtis Drake’ on the 25th, 26th & 27th of February at 7.30pm ‘Swings and Roundabouts’ on the 1st, 2nd & 3rd of March at 7.30pm ‘Helping Hannah’ on the 4th, 5th & 6th of March at 7.30pm ‘No God Down Here’ on the 8th, 9th & 10th of March at 7.30pm ‘Lovesong’ on the 11th, 12th & 13th of March at 7.30pm ‘Blattodea‘ on the 16th, 17th & 18th of March at 7.30pm

Fancy writing for the Theatre Section of The Mancunion?

If so, join our facebook page Mancunion Theatre Section Contributors.

Meetings are held every Monday at 6pm in the Activities Space in the Students’ Union.

If you have any questions why not message the Theatre Editor (Brogen Campbell) at

theatre@mancunion.com

Photo: University of Manchester Drama Society

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Lifestyle

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Travelling solo

Thinking about travelling by yourself this summer? We’ve got some tips on how to stay safe and make it an unforgettable experience

Sophie Manley Lifestyle Contributor

Travelling on your own can be a daunting and an even seemingly impossible prospect. Glorified blogs and epic Instagram accounts make it seem like only the most accomplished travellers dare to wander the world independently, risking their lives every day and partying with new people every night. These travellers usually have expensive GoPros and movie editing software, endless streams of money and an innate ability to talk to anyone.

However, from my own experience, I can tell you that it’s not as glamorous and scary as it seems.

The trick to travelling is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. There are lots of ways to ease yourself into life on the road that will make you answer the question, “How did you find travelling on your own?” with a confident “I was never on my own” when you get home from your adventure, full of pride and amazing memories.

Now you’re all inspired to organise your first solo journey, I’ll give you a few tips on how to get going. There are several ways to start your travels, but the main ways are working, volunteering, or backpacking.

Working: Is cash a problem? Work your way around the world and you’ll never have to stop travelling. The beauty of being prepared to work is that you can keep going for as long as you like;

whenever you’re close to running out of money, get a job wherever you are at the time. Working holiday visas for 18-30 year olds are pretty easy to get for Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Buy yourself a visa, book a week in a popular hostel in a city of your choice, catch a flight, and get job searching once you’re out there. My first job in Sydney was door-to-door sales. I quit after a week, but I ended up moving in with the people I met

up and start handing out CVs. Volunteering: If there’s something more specific you want to do, maybe this is the way forward.

The International Citizen Service is a great place to start if you want to make a difference in a small community by working on a project. The great thing about ICS is that all you have to do is fundraise £800, and all other costs are paid for.

Something I’m desperate to do once I’ve finished

Photo: ilike@Flickr

on the job and we became really great friends.

Alternatively, you could get a seasonal job. During summer, you could work in a bar/restaurant in a party town around Europe; to do this, you’ll either need to go through an agency online, or just rock

university is to volunteer at a yoga and surf retreat.

These are found all over the world (I want to go to Sri Lanka!), and usually say if you work in a cafe/ restaurant for free, then you have access to surf equipment and yoga classes at their facility. If you

want to volunteer while on the move, you can work for bed and board. This includes WWOOFing, (a popular option in Australia) or working in a hostel in return for free accommodation.

Backpacking: There are so many organised tours out there, visit STA or look on Google to find some of the most popular tours for solo travellers.

These are great for the first couple of weeks as they give you a good feel for a new country, whilst keeping you totally safe. Downside is these are a little more expensive. If you don’t fancy a tour, just rock up to a new place having pre-booked a popular, suitable hostel and researched a bit about the area and what you want to do there, and start making friends! People are much friendlier in hostels than they are anywhere else in the world — I promise. If you’re more organised, then plan your journey and your accommodation in advance. If you’re more spontaneous and get a thrill from last minute decisions and not knowing where you’re going to end up, then just book the first few days and see where life takes you.

So hopefully you now feel equipped with a wealth of knowledge about how to plan and implement your solo travels. Good luck! Find yourself, lose yourself, take lots of selfies — don’t be scared to ask strangers to take your picture — and take care.

Paris: Exploring the city of love If I asked you to name the most romantic place on earth, there is one city which eclipses all others — Paris

Megan Byrne Senior Lifestyle Contributor

Photo: Megan Byrne

We took the short plane journey across the channel, flying from Manchester to Paris Charles de Gaulle, before hopping on a short train ride into the city itself. The Hotel Charlemagne in Neuilly-Sur-Seine was a pleasure to stay in, as it was very small and quaint with friendly staff.

The décor in the room particularly made me feel like we’d stepped into a F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.

As it was a special occasion, my girlfriend had arranged for champagne and patisseries to be waiting for us when we arrived, which the staff were all too willing to provide. My favourite part of the room was the tiny balcony, which provided us with an outlook onto the Avenue de Madrid with its pavement cafes and fountain.

In Neuilly-Sur-Seine, I enjoyed a steak with a blue cheese sauce whilst Em tucked into a gigantic burger. The food was delicious and not badly priced (around €10-€11 each). After a day of travel and with the wine going straight to our heads, we made our way back to the hotel to

enjoy a good night’s sleep before the next day’s adventures.

On our first full day in the city, we started at one of my favourite buildings in Paris — the Sacré-Cœur. After battling the 300 steps up to the building we were rewarded by the stunning views of Paris that the piazza provides, as well as being able to see the majesty of the Basilica up close. The walk down was much gentler, and we decided to wander around Montmartre a little and take the time to look around a few of the independent shops that populate the area.

After that, we headed to the Champs Elysees where we opted out of venturing up the Eiffel Tower and instead chose to climb up a narrow staircase to the top of the Arc-de-Triomphe. In my opinion, the views here are unrivalled as you can see the Eiffel Tower in all its glory, and the SacréCœur as well as the eleven streets which spread out across Paris with Napoleon’s monument as their centre point.

Next, we paid a visit to another one of my favourite places in Paris, the Shakespeare and Company bookshop. The hub of writers and artists is also a stockist of new and antique books,

Photo: Megan Byrne

and is a vital historic landmark for fans of both the Lost and Beat Generations. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn and we took shelter in a little café to enjoy a hot chocolate whilst it passed, then took a stroll along the river before heading back to the hotel.

That night we got all dressed up and went to Notre Dame, which is absolutely stunning at night as it is all lit up from within. We had a beautiful

dinner in a restaurant whose tables spilt out onto the pavement. After a walking dessert of crepes with strawberries, we took the short trip across the city to the Eiffel Tower just in time for it to begin to sparkle at midnight. After a very long and exciting day, we collapsed into bed so we could wake up ready to make the most of our last day.

The final day of our trip was dominated by a boat trip down the Seine which took us from the Pont de Alma to the Pont de Sully and back again. It was a beautiful day and an amazing way to see lots of the city that doesn’t involve a load of walking! We probably had the most fun window shopping for dream houses out of the many beautiful buildings which line the Seine. We did a little bit of real shopping on the Champs Elysees afterwards before making our way back to the hotel in order to be ready for our flight in the middle of the night. All in all, it was an unforgettable and undeniably very romantic weekend.

Return flights from Manchester Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle are about £100 with Easyjet.

Photo: Megan Byrne

Lifestyle

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27

Finding a job at university

Struggling to find a job whilst at uni? Not sure where to look? We’ve put together a list of the three of the best places to start your job hunt Rachel Adams Head Lifestyle Editor

Photo: slightlyeverything @Flickr

Being a student is hard in many ways. There’s the constant stress, the bad eating habits, the nights out, and inevitable hangovers. It’s also expensive.

For probably the first time in your life, you’re living by yourself and having to spend money on things like food and public transport that you just took for granted when you were living at home.

Only at uni have I truly realised how expensive cheese is (and how I can’t be without it). So, the solution to your money worries is to get a job, right?

Well, getting a job isn’t as easy as it sounds. Depending on your degree, you might not have that much free time in the week, at least not as much as you would need to appeal to an employer. If

you’re only available for two hours on a Wednesday morning, is someone really going to want to hire you? Yes, you do have your weekends free — but if you’re busy with uni all week, do you really want to spend your only two days off at work? For some, however, they have no choice. They have to find a job.

Therefore, we’ve put together a couple of places to look for parttime jobs and internships, to make the job hunt that little bit easier.

CareersLink: This should be your first stop if you’re looking for a job. Run by the University Careers Service, it’s really easy to use and can be filtered depending on a number of preferences. You can choose between full-time or part-time jobs, graduate-level internships, student placements, or casual/seasonal work. You can

also refine it by location — if you want to stay in Manchester, for example, you can filter it to only see jobs in the North West. The website is really well laid out and offers you details about over 1000 jobs. These are jobs that might not be advertised elsewhere, and so is a really good resource to use throughout your time at Manchester. Access via MyManchester or the Careers website.

Indeed: This is perfect for finding a part-time job to complete alongside your studies. It can be refined by area or job title, which is a great way to narrow down your results if you know that you want a job in retail, for example. You can also upload your CV to the website and apply to jobs directly from Indeed, saving you a lot of time if your schedule is packed. They feature a variety of jobs from healthcare to finance, and is definitely a website that you should use when searching for a job. Access via their website/ Milkround: Run by Totaljobs, Milkround is a website specifically for students and graduates looking for jobs. They feature internships, placements, graduate jobs, and graduate schemes, and cater to all careers. You can search within specific sectors of the job market, or if you’re not sure which sector you want to go into you can do a general search for student/graduate jobs. They also offer advice for people who don’t know what they want to do after they graduate, and articles on improving your CV. It’s indispensable for any student looking for jobs. Access via their website.

So, there you have it — three different places to search for jobs whilst at uni. There are many more ways to find jobs, but these are probably the best places to start!

If you’re really struggling with finding a job, why not go and visit the Careers Service? You can book 15 minute appointments where they will give you feedback on your CV or help with an application, or guidance appointments which can help you decide what to do after uni. Most of all — good luck!

Recognising toxic friendships Are you having doubts about whether a friend is treating you right? Shannon Winterbone looks at how to determine when a friendship has become toxic and how you can make it better

Starting at university is obviously a brilliant chance to make a lot of new friends, some of whom might even become friends for life!

However, not all the people we meet are going to add positively to our lives, and friendships are not always necessarily going to remain healthy. Therefore, it’s important to know how to recognise friends who are toxic, and causing more damage than good.

Firstly, I want to talk about that friend who is the one to always let you down and cancel plans at the last minute. We’ve all been guilty of cancelling on a night out once or twice because we’d rather have sat in bed with some snacks, but when you can predict that someone is going to cancel on you or just not show up without an explanation (yet again), then that person is being a bad friend. If you said you were going to meet for a drink at a certain time and they don’t show up, don’t let yourself be the one waiting by the phone for them to not call; you can’t allow yourself to be continually disappointed by the same toxic person.

The next friend that I want to talk about is the friend who will never let you feel good about yourself. When “I got 64% in my essay!” is answered by “Oh, I got 70%” or “Yeah, but your course is so much easier than mine,” then it’s safe to say that that friend isn’t contributing positively to your feelings. Real friends will let you have that moment to be proud of yourself and celebrate with you.

By responding negatively to your good news, a friend can bring your confidence down and

thereby make you feel pressured or trapped into situations. If a friend is always forcing you to do something that you don’t want to do, then you shouldn’t do it. Don’t just go on a night out to a place you don’t even like every week if you don’t enjoy it; tell that friend the truth, and maybe they’ll ask you where you’d like to go instead, you never know! Do what you want to do sometimes, not what your friend always insists you must do.

In addition to pressuring you into uncomfortable situations, some friends could

try and force their opinions onto you and make you feel bad for making your own choices.

Yes, we need someone to truthfully judge our outfits in the changing rooms but not to judge our personal choices; if your friend doesn’t like your boyfriend/girlfriend, why does it matter?

If you’re happy with your choices, then a good friend would be happy too and know when it’s important to raise any concerns they might have.

Disliking your partner without good reason, for example, isn’t helping anyone.

Friendship is a two-way thing; no one can let themselves be continually hurt by someone on purpose and still carry on being their ‘friend’.

Think about whether someone you’re having problems with is substantially adding to your life; if they’re not, then does that mean they’re taking away from it? Hopefully this will help anyone to spot a toxic relationship and work on making it healthier and happier!

Photo: think_different@Flickr

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Gary Neville plans to open a university

Pundit, alongside brother, Ryan, and Paul Scholes, are in talks with Lancaster University to open new sites across Manchester Georgie Hines Sport Reporter

Gary Neville, and other teammates from Manchester United’s ‘Class of ’92,’ are looking to open a university in the Greater Manchester area.

Reports suggest they have been looking at possible sites in Stretford, Trafford – most likely on Chester Road.

In collaboration with Lancaster University, the former footballer’s new university hopes to specialise in sport studies, but will also offer courses including media, physiology, and sports management.

Although the name of the university is yet to be decided, sources have revealed it could be University Academy ’92, which can be shortened to UA92.

The name is thought to be in tribute to the winning Manchester United team that won the FA Youth Cup in 1992.

The new university will include a new build, and halls of residence that could cater for up to 5,000 students.

A Lancaster University spokesperson has said: “We can confirm that we are discussing this project with Gary Neville, but we are still evaluating its feasibility and no decision has yet been made to proceed or otherwise.”

Neville has also not given much away regarding the endeavour, previously saying, “I have been working on an exciting educational project but by no means is it ready to speak about in detail.”

These university plans are just a small part of Neville’s bigger plan for the redevelopment of Manchester. His St. Michael’s project, with business partner Ryan Giggs, includes two skyscrapers in the city centre.

A planning application for the scheme has revealed the plans, which include a hotel, skybars, an apartment complex, a synagogue, offices, and several bars and restaurants.

However, the redevelopment has been met with criticism from Historic England, who believe the project will cause “irreparable damage” to the “precious heritage of the city”.

Catherine Dewar, the North West planning director of Historic England, has said: “It would have an impact on people’s appreciation and experience of the stunning town hall and library but it would also erase different layers of this area’s history, irreparably damaging the special character of the surrounding conservation area.

“A dynamic city like ours needs to fully embrace development but this scheme is not good enough to justify the damage it would cause to the streets around the site and to the setting of the city’s most important buildings and spaces.”

Expressing how “deeply concerned” she was about the change to the city, she added that the

Photo: University of Salford Press Office@Flickr

change or loss of buildings, which include The Sir Ralph Abercromby pub, Bootle Street’s former police station, and Manchester Stock Exchange, “that have soul and tell important stories about our city’s past,” would be devastating.

PSG 4-0 Barcelona Dane Massey Sport Reporter

When Bayern Munich inflicted a 4-0 defeat upon Barcelona in the 2013 UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg, it marked the Catalans heaviest defeat in a Champions League match. Almost four years on, Paris Saint-Germain matched Bayern’s feat as they thumped Luis Enrique’s side by the same scoreline at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night.

After early pressure from PSG, the ball fell to Edinson Cavani’s feet in the box but he failed to convert. The home side maintained their fast start to the game, and they were rewarded as Angel di Maria curled a delightful free-kick past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen to put PSG 1-0 ahead.

Barcleona began to see more of the ball, but Andre Gomes fired wide after he went one on one with Kevin Trapp. It would soon prove costly as Julian Draxler doubled the hosts lead shortly afterwards.

Enrique’s men would have been glad to see the break, but his half-time team talk proved to have no impact as Barcelona started the second half as slow as they did the first.

Ten minutes into the half, they were made to pay once again as Di Maria, the Spanish side’s tormenter-in-chief, put PSG 3-0 up before being substituted moments later for Brazilian Lucas Moura. The Barcelona boss made a change of his own, but Lucas’ fellow Brazilian Rafinha Alcantara had little influence on the game.

PSG’s influence, however, contiuted to grow, and the Blaugrana’s miserable night continued when Cavani rifled a first time shot into the net, making it 4-0 on the night.

It was a night full of bad luck for Barcelona, and Samuel Umtiti’s headed effort in the latter stages of the game summed this up as the French cen-

tral defender hit the post. The defeat was humiliating for Barcelona and Enrique, and it could represent more than just a loss for the latter.

Just as Tito Villanova left his post as Barcelona manager at the end of the 2012/13 season shortly after a 7-0 aggregate loss to Bayern Munich, Enrique could do the same this summer or perhaps sooner.

Of course, there is a second leg to play at the Camp Nou in Spain, and if any team can turn around a 4-0 deficit, it is Barcelona. For this to happen, though, they must produce their best performance of the season and reach the standards they have set over the last two seasons – standards they have fallen short of so far this campaign.

The result shocked the football world, but it should come as no shock to Enrique following the way he set up his team, and his inability to change.

Barcelona are one of the best teams ever to have graced the football pitch, but despite their quality, they can’t beat every team playing an open, expansive style of play. PSG deserve credit, they played magnificent, but the opposition played into their hands and offered them little respect.

Barcelona afforded Di Maria and Draxler far too much space, the pair could drift inside as they pleased and influence proceedings their own way. The attacking duo were the stars of the show; they gave Barcelona’s defenders nightmares.

PSG’s midfield trio also played at the top of their game both individually and collectively. Frenchmen Adrien Rabiot and Blaise Matuidi, along with Italian maestro Marco Veratti crushed the Barcelona midfield, who were nowhere to be seen.

The same can be said for Barcleona in an attacking sense, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were

Speaking on the matter, Neville has said the redevelopment will be “one of the biggest statements in architecture in modern times in Manchester” and would create 1,000 jobs in the area.

What next for Luis Enrique and Barcelona?

anonymous, while Neymar, despite glimpses of promising play was shrewdly snuffed out by PSG’s incredible defensive teamwork and organisation.

These are traditional traits of Barcleona, and just under two years ago they displayed this against the same opponent, when they beat PSG 3-1 away from home in the Champions League quarter-finals on their way to winning the prize in 2015. In this match, eight of Barcleona’s starting XI in on Tuesday night also started this game.

For Barcelona, not a lot has changed in two years, but buoyed by their recent record against the Catalans, Unai Emery’s PSG would have been keen to set the record straight. Enrique, however, failed to see this.

Barcelona’s defensive struggles were clear, and they were reminiscent of Chelsea’s defensive frailties earlier on in the season. Antonio Conte, though, remained pragmatic and found the solution – switching to 3-4-3 which deployed an extra man at the back and allowed the wide players to get closer to the central striker.

On Tuesday night, it was evident that Messi and Neymar were playing too far away from Suarez, and the full-backs were pinned in by Di Maria and Draxler. A 3-4-3 system would have suited Barcelona better against PSG, a formation they have played already this season.

If Enrique took a leaf out of Conte’s book, it would have represented an act of pragmatism.

In certain games, Barcelona need to display this if they are to eliminate their defensive weaknesses against sides with an abundance of attacking talent.

It is likely, however, that this will not be Enrique’s job – there is a strong possibility that he will be replaced at the end of the season as a new era dawns at FC Barcelona.

Photo: Ver en vivo En Directo@Flickr

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Which clubs will be relegated from the Premier League?

With a third of the season to go, how are the relegation candidates placed to beat the drop?

Photo: SteHLiverpool@Flickr

George Ball Sport Reporter With thirteen games to go the Premier League title race looks all but over, with trophy seemingly on its way back to West London after a brief stop off in the East Midlands. This means that for the rest of the season the main excitement will be found at the bottom of the table, where the trio of teams that will depart the league is anything but certain. Just three points separate the bottom five, whilst Bournemouth in fourteenth are starting to look over their shoulder.

So, which sides depart the top flight come May? Let’s look at how each of the candidates are shaping up: Sunderland: Perennial relegation battlers, Sunderland look the safest bet for relegation at this stage. David Moyes’ men have failed to inspire so far, spending most the season in the relegation zone, yet they find themselves just two points adrift of safety. Despite the exploits of fourteen-goal Jermain Defoe,

Sunderland are the joint third lowest scorers in the league, a problem which they will need to address in the remaining thirteen fixtures. With three of their final four fixtures against fellow relegation battlers, it is not out of the question for Sunderland to embark on yet another great escape from relegation.

Crystal Palace: After appointing Sam Allardyce just before Christmas, Crystal Palace thought they had found the answer to their struggles. Unfortunately for them, Allardyce – who has never managed a side to top flight relegation –has struggled in South London. He has managed just one win in eight league matches, including a morale-crushing 0-4 home defeat to Sunderland. A warm winter training in Dubai has been rumoured to have been cancelled, the Eagles look like a side destined for the drop.

Swansea City: a common theme amongst the relegation candidates is a change of manager, with three of the seven candidates deciding a new man in the hot seat would lead them away

from danger. Swansea made Paul Clement their third permanent manager of the season in early January, luring him away from assisting Carlo Ancelotti at Bayern Munich with the promise of a first chance of top flight management.

The decision has paid off with Swansea rising from 20th to 15th in the table since.

They are not safe yet, but a four-point gap over the final relegation spot means they can breathe a little easier.

Hull City: prior to the appointment of Marco Silva, the Tigers were sinking back down to the Championship without leaving much of a mark on the Premier League. January was a transformational month however, with numerous transfer deals enabling a fresh look to their starting XI for the relegation run-in.

Promising results against Manchester United and Liverpool mean that Hull cannot be written off in the race for survival.

Middlesbrough: back in the Premier League for the first time in seven years, Middlesbrough have gone under the ra-

dar somewhat, in part down to their low scoring matches. They have conceded fewer goals than Manchester City and Arsenal, but are also the lowest scorers in the league. They are a point above Leicester City yet have a far superior goal difference, which may come in useful at the end of the season. It looks like Aitor Karanka’s team will be in the relegation fight until the end.

Leicester City: surely the Champions can’t go down? Claudio Ranieri’s miracle men look bereft of confidence, enthusiasm and most worryingly for Foxes fans, any discernible footballing ability. A dismal start to 2017 has seen them ship twelve goals in the league, with none in return. Players such as Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, who lit up the Premier League last season, have looked shadows of their former selves. Ranieri has cut an isolated figure on the sidelines in recent weeks, pursuing with an ageing defence and an ineffective attack. Unlike their relegation rivals Leicester have the distraction of European football, with a double legged fixture against Sevilla to

come. Can the spirit of the great escape of 2014/15 be re-discovered? Or will the fairy tale have an unhappy ending?

Bournemouth: Eddie Howe’s team have avoided much of the hype around the relegation fight to date, but one win in nine games has forced them into the conversation. Despite being fairly prolific in front of goal – they are the highest scorers in the bottom half – their defence has been their weak point. Recently this become a major concern for the Cherries, conceding eighteen goals in the six league games since the turn of the year.

Despite poor recent form they have a six-point cushion over the last relegation spot, which should mean they survive, although perhaps not without a scare.

With over a third of the season still to play and the close nature of the league table, there is likely to be plenty of twists and turns in the relegation battle before the three teams to drop down to the Championship are decided.

Relegation Prediction: Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Hull City.

Leicester City: From dream to nightmare The Foxes’ fall from grace could be one of the worst moments in football history

George Green Sport Reporter In spite of last year’s heroics, it’s been a season to forget for Leicester City, with them now facing the relegation battle in the Premier League. We take a look at some of the reasons why this unexpected decline has occurred.

In May 2016 Leicester defied all odds and were crowned champions of English football for the first time in their history. They marked their elevation above all English giants like Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal, proving that money is not always the key to success. They showed consistent ruthlessness in the way they played throughout the season.

However, this season, it has been a very different story. Leicester currently sit in 17th position, one point off the relegation zone and there’s been a complete dissatisfaction in the way they’ve been performing. There appeared to be, at the beginning of last season, such a buzz around the football club — but this has been almost non-existent this campaign.

It was always going to be a difficult task to retain the Premier League title, most much more experienced top flight Clubs have struggled in the past also. Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri had admitted that it would in fact be “impossible” for Leicester to retain it. The expectation from many was that they would finish around mid-table this year — instead they are fighting the relegation battle in February. Lots of fans and pundits put this down to the loss of a key player.

N’Golo Kanté was sold to Chelsea in the 2016 summer transfer window for around £32 million. He was undoubtedly a vital player for Leicester last season, topping the charts for the amount of interceptions and he even paved his way into the PFA team of the season. He was the one player who really made the team tick. A fair few pundits put Leicester’s decline on his shoulders, considering he’s done the same

thing at Chelsea, and they currently sit eight points clear at the top.

However, can the absence of one player be the reason for a drop of 16 positions down the table?

Probably not. The whole dynamic of the team needs to be assessed to make such claims.

Jamie Vardy made a name for himself last season as a prolific goal scorer by winning the Premier League Player of the Season, a remarkable achievement. He holds the record for scoring in the most consecutive premier league matches (11). However, he’s been off-target this season, only scoring five goals in twenty games. The Swansea City fans were eager to point this out last weekend — “F*** off Jamie Vardy, you’ve had your f****** party, you’re going down down down”.

Similarly, Riyad Mahrez hasn’t continued with last season’s brilliance. He was arguably the most important player for Leicester last year, his skill and influences in big games were phenomenal. Barcelona legend Xavi claimed that Mahrez was “good enough” to play for the Spanish giants and that they should have signed him. Although, like Vardy, he’s performed below par this campaign, showing signs of laziness.

Vardy’s and Mahrez’s inability to continue their superb form for this campaign could be a reason why Leicester haven’t maintained their dominance, especially in an attacking sense. Key players should be able to perform consistently, but at the moment, the pair look like one-trick ponies.

We spoke to some die hard Leicester City supporters about the current situation and why they think they’re in such a mess. Thomas Miles said that there has been a “complete loss of life” at the club. Mr Miles also claimed that “other teams know how to play against us this season, we’ve become flat and predictable”.

Gary Neville recently blamed Leicester’s downfall on their defensive issues. He said that the mistakes the players have been making are “nothing to do with coaching”, and just down to “a lack of common sense”. Neville also made the statement that each player should seriously take a look at “their own

individual levels of performance”, and in spite of what’s happened to them, it’s hard to disagree with this.

It hasn’t been a complete horror show for the club, they’ve made it to the last 16 of the Champions League, so something has gone right for them. It’s just in the Premier League that they’ve been really struggling.

There are a variety of reasons why this has been a poor season for Leicester. With all facts considered,

the deterioration can be put down to the combination of losing key players, key players not performing well enough and a lack of hunger.

It would be remarkable if Leicester were relegated this season, especially if they were to go on and win the Champions League — they’ve already proved that anything’s possible. Imagine that, the Champions of Europe regularly playing against teams like Nottingham Forrest and Brentford.

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Club profile: AS Monaco Monaco are the the goal-scoring greats of this season’s European Leagues, but how have they done it?

Magnus Henderson Sport Reporter The French League has a negative stigma for being below par when compared to the rest of the European Leagues.

Paris Saint-Germain have been the only regular performers in the Champions League over the past five years and exgiants Lyon and Marseille have fallen to bits since their respective heydays, while nouveau riche upstarts Monaco have failed to capitalise on the lack of competition at the top.

With PSG struggling to churn out performances under new manager Unai Emery, Monaco and lowly lying Nice have grasped their opportunity to create some tension at the top of Ligue 1.

While Nice are riding a wave of form, euphoria, and Mario Balotelli, Monaco have strength in depth and look the more likely to topple the capital club from their perch for the first time since the turn of the millennium, and end PSG’s four-year winning streak.

The Principality based club, which was successful in the 90s under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger, suffered from backbreaking financial difficulties and poor ownership which quickly snowballed into relegation from the French top division in 2011. The club was saved, however, the following season by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev who

bought 66.67% of the shares while Monaco were rock bottom of Ligue 2. With a few new additions, including current Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri, Monaco managed to gain promotion back to the top flight in 2013 and went on to pay a club-record £50 million for Radamel Falcao that summer.

Monaco struggled, however, to make any real impact on PSG’s dominance despite their lavish spending. Similarly to Manchester City, Monaco learnt the hard way that spending huge amounts of money on word class players does not equal immediate success. Instead, like City’s ownership, the club invested in infrastructure, youth development facilities and scouting systems and are only now reaping the rewards.

Their manager is the relatively unknown Portuguese mastermind, Leonardo Jardim, whose previous jobs most notably consisted of Olympiacos and Sporting Lisbon before moving to the South of France. The 42 year old plays expansive attacking football on the counter attack in a similar way to Leicester City last season: a 4-4-2 formation with fast wingers and clinical strikers while their defensive strategy consists of soaking up possession in a no-nonsense style.

At the hub of everything good about Monaco this season is their destructive centre midfield partnership of Tiemoué Bakayoko and Fabinho. At just 22 and

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

23 respectively, these burly youngsters play the N’Golo Kanté–Danny Drinkwater roles of being an all-round nuisance in the middle of the park. Sitting behind the duo in defence are the equally as tough partnership of Kamil Glik and Jemerson. The Polish centre half arrived from Torino last summer to add steel to Monaco’s ranks while Jemerson has grown into a very capable defender and could be on the fringes of the Brazilian national team in the not-too-distant future.

While their defensive capabilities are commendable, where Monaco really come to the fore is in creating opportunities and scoring. The French side are averaging a total of 2.9 goals per game in the league. Two point nine. Per game.

That is more than Barcelona, Real Madrid, Napoli, Bayern Munich… it is more than any other team in Europe’s top five

leagues. Their main threat is collectively from the wings. On the left, the combination of Benjamin Mendy and Thomas Lemar have terrorised relentlessly while the on the right, the more intricate duo of Djibril Sidibe and Bernardo Silva have consistently caused overloads in the wide areas. One of the more impressive facets of this persistence on the wings is the fact that the average age of the players mentioned is 22 years old, meaning that, scarily, there is plenty more room for growth.

With the flanks being relentlessly exposed, the strikers better be pretty ruthless footballers to be tucking away all the chances, right? How about failed Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao and ex-benchwarmer/loanee Valère Germain. Jardim has seemingly accidentally struck gold with the unorthodox pair with Falcao scoring 17 goals

in 17 starts while Germain has eight in 22 from a deeper position. Even better for Jardim is the emergence of the fiftieth ‘next Thierry Henry’, Kylian Mbappe.

While Antony Martial may be in the mould on the ex-Arsenal superstar, Mbappe looks to have been forged from the same refinery. The 18-year-old has started eight games in the league and hauled in six goals and three assists in that time.

Goals are the name of the game with Monaco, and with a +52 goal difference in Ligue 1 the coastal club are sitting pretty atop of the table, with PSG hot on their heels. Whether Monaco can keep up the tempo, only time will tell, but their clash with Manchester City in the first round of the Champions League knockout stages will be a thigh-rubber of third degree burn proportions.

The race for the top four

We analyse the top six Premier League teams’ chances of securing a Champions League place Joe Murphy Sport Reporter

of the top 6. Unlike Gerrard, I don’t see them slipping up. Prediction 3rd.

Manchester United: It would be criminal if I

didn’t believe my team were making it to the top 4. I believe it will be very close but I feel they will just edge out the two north London clubs. There are several factors behind this madness. Firstly,

Chelsea: The runaway league leaders are the most balanced team in the league, as they look strong both defensively and attackingly. There was a danger when Costa was rumoured to be leaving in the January transfer window that they may fall from grace and their place at the top of the table was under threat but now all that’s resolved, and contract extension deals are being discussed, Chelsea seemingly have one hand on the league title. The 8-point gap to second placed Manchester City is a comfortable cushion for Conte’s side, and I would say their top 4 place is all but assured, with no hazards in the way. Prediction 1st.

Manchester City: Football is a strange game, Manchester City were 5th only a couple of weeks ago, and the pressure on Pep was growing. With strong form from young Gabriel Jesus, and some divine luck against Swansea they now find themselves resurrected into second, and the only one’s seemingly with a chance of catching the league leaders.

To have your bad spell in the season and still be second is a good sign that a top 4 finish shouldn’t be a problem, especially with Aguero to come back into the side. Their involvement in the Champions League may hinder their progress, but a top 4 finish should be comfortably achieved. Prediction 2nd.

Liverpool: Choosing the top 2 was easy, but Man-e it was hard to select the teams for the next two predictions, and thinking which two teams would miss out. As much as I despise them, I believe Liverpool will walk alone into third place come the end of the season. They have had their bad patch and still find themselves in contention. Not only this but now Mane is back, Coutinho is free from injury, no other cup competitions mean a less congested fixture list and they have arguably the easiest running of any

United are on a superb unbeaten run, they are playing good football and have only one or two injuries.

The only thing that could hinder United now is their congested fixture run, and this Mata-s. They are still involved in 4 competitions meaning they could have an extra 20 games of the season should they go all the way. A Europa league win would ensure Champions league football next year anyway, but I see Mourinho’s mean going out of Europe earlier this year, and focusing on the league, I’m Shaw of it.

Prediction 4th.

Spurs: Purely because on their Europa league involvement, and the fact they haven’t had their inevitable bad spell yet, I feel Spurs will just miss out.

They haven’t had many problems, and have played consistently well, but their form against the big teams is Dier and needs improving to finish above such clubs. I do believe Spurs could go on to win the FA cup and have a busy summer transfer window where, hopefully for spurs fans, there is a marquee signing; somebody like Real Madrid’s Morata maybe. Prediction 5th.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Arsenal: I’ve watched Arsenal, and they have been incredibly lucky in so many games. They didn’t deserve to win against Burnley, and had some help from the referee to beat Hull. Yes, champions must win gritty games any way possible, but they haven’t looked like the old Arsenal, and I genuinely believe that if the club lose Alexis Sanchez, Laurent Koscielny and Mesut Ozil (who at the minute looks a shadow of his former self), then they could fall out of the top 8 without sufficient backup. They have the least depth on any squad in the top 6. I do feel that they won’t go far in the Champions League this season, as they are facing Bayern Munich. However, I feel going out of the competition at this stage will improve their chances of a top 4 finish. One thing’s for sure, the pressure on Wenger will be immense if they finish any lower than 4th. Prediction 6th.

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6 Nations: 2 rounds down, 3 to go With rounds 1 and 2 of this year’s 6 Nations completed, we reflect on the tournament thus far, while previewing what’s to come Toby Webb Sport Reporter As always, there were several questions posited leading into this year’s 6 Nations. Would England’s unbeaten run continue? (They finished 2016 on a 14 game winning streak). Could Ireland build on recent success? (They beat New Zealand, amongst others). How would Wales fare after heavy criticism of their “sterile” play? Would Scotland, France or Italy make a statement in the tournament? Finally, how would the introduction of the bonus points system effect play?

While still in a nascent stage, the tournament narratives are beginning to unfurl. First, I will consider the action that has already taken place.

In the Autumn, England demonstrated their attacking capability in registering victories over South Africa, Fiji, Argentina and Australia. In the 6 Nations so far, they have exhibited another side of their character. This team is showing its sheer desire to win, at all costs; through all adversity, it is simply never beaten. So far, they have registered victories against France at home (19-16) and Wales away (21-16). In both games, England were largely the inferior team; in both games, moments of perfect English execution sealed victory.

At Twickenham, against the French, the goal was simple: win the game. England were blighted by first-game-of-thetournament lethargy. They trailed past the 70 minute mark. It was power off the

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bench, particularly James Haskall and the game-winning try scorer Ben Te’o, which eventually secured the victory.

The French, to their credit, were powerful and effective, overwhelming an English team lacking the brawn of the Vunipola brothers and George Kruis. It was Eddie Jones’ bench players, the “finishers” as he has termed them, that got them over the line.

The Wales game was different. While sporting fixtures often pale in comparison to the build-up, this was a monolithic clash, a true heavyweight bout. Like France, Wales upped their performance level massively. They had comfortably dispatched Italy 33-7 in their opening game, barely getting out of second gear.

However, I would argue this was the most complete Welsh performance since the 2015 World Cup. They were almost perfect. Their tackling was ferocious, along with their ability to affect turnovers.

The Welsh backrow, Sam Warburton, Ross Moriarty and Justin Tipuric, were gargantuan, completely overwhelming their English counterparts. Moriarity, particularly, was phenomenal; bringing him off after 50 odd minutes was a mistake. Moreover, Liam Williams’ try just before half time demonstrated all blacklevel ingenuity.

However, it was one fatal error, Jonathan Davies’ clearance kick that didn’t make touch, that gave England the opportunity to win the game. As with France, perfect execution put Elliot Daly into the corner for the game-winning try. It was sporting drama at its most raw.

For the English, Joe Launchberry and

Profile: AS Monaco

Courtney Lawes had mammoth games, while Daly had his best game yet since becoming a starter. A critic will say that Wales should’ve killed England off, they had the opportunities to. Yet, England showed the pedigree of champions: they were never fully beaten. As a result, after two matches England are in pole position.

“England showed the pedigree of champions: they were never fully beaten. As a result, after two matches England are in pole position.”

Scotland vs Ireland was the match of the opening weekend. It presented Scotland playing to their fullest capability, with dynamism and pace. Stuart Hogg at fullback was magnificent; he has developed into a world-class player and must surely be a starter for the Lions in the summer. Scotland really hit Ireland hot, going into halftime 21-8 up, scoring 3 great tries. The Irish fight back was convincing and it seemed they would claw their way back to victory. However, a Scottish re-

P30 Relegation battle

surgence eventually secured a 27-22 victory. It was completely deserved. Ireland responded to their opening game defeat, hammering Italy 63-10 in Rome. While Italy were admittedly poor, Ireland were precise and clinical. CJ Stander was the exceptional player in game, scoring 3 tries: he is another who has stated his claim for a Lions starting place.

While Scotland demonstrated their full potential in round 1, their deficiencies were exhibited in round 2: they lost 22-16 to France in Paris. In a hugely physical contest, the French weight that gave England a real test was too much for a lightweight Scottish side missing prop WP Nel. Again, the Scots played with real ambition. Hogg dazzled with a lovely try, while the second try, finished off by Tim Swinson, arose from a positive kickand-chase. Finn Russell missed a seemingly-simple conversion in front of the posts which would’ve made the game closer. The French try, finished off by Gael Fickou, came after an endless passage of phases. Ultimately, it was French strength, and Scottish indiscipline giving Camille Lopez penalty opportunities, that decided the tie. Despite the loss, Scotland are showing promising signs. A big blow for Scotland is that Greg Laidlaw, the instrumental captain and scrum-half, is out for the rest of the tournament with an ankle injury.

Where does this leave us then? The tournament is delicately poised. England have a very favourable route to a Grand Slam decider in Dublin against Ireland, facing home games against Italy and Scotland. Potential banana

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skins no doubt, particularly the Scottish.

However, two convincing victories are expected. England are a class above the rest currently and anything less than a second consecutive Grand Slam will be viewed as a disappointment.

For the rest, the bonus point system has resulted in the standings being incredibly tight. Scotland and Ireland will look to utilize home advantage in 2 of the remaining 3 games. There are several home-nation grudge matches still to play: Scotland vs Wales, Wales vs Ireland, England vs Scotland, and the big one, Ireland vs England, which will likely decide the tournament outcome. I expect England to finish the job, securing 3 more victories and a second consecutive Grand Slam, with Ireland finishing second and Wales third. With Lions places up for grabs, it’s still all to play for in the tournament.

Toby’s Prediction 1: England 2: Ireland 3: Wales 4: France 5: Scotland 6: Italy

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