Issue16

“Reclaim the Night is so much more than just one night and one street.

It’s about a movement of people who can build unity to stand together, to break the silence and to say enough is enough.” Jess Lishak

29th FEBRUARY 2016 / ISSUE 16 FREE

WWW.MANCUNION.COM

News

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ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

St Andrews Appoints Calls to repatriate Second Female Chancellor bronze cockerel at Cambridge Rebecca Noël Reporter

Professor Sally Mapstone, Oxford University’s current pro-vice chancellor of education and Professor of Older Scots Literature, is to become the second ever female vice chancellor at St Andrews University in Fife.

As one of the four ancient universities located in Scotland, St Andrews has only once before had a female vice chancellor, Professor Louise Richardson, who took up the role in 2009 before moving on to become the vice chancellor at the University in Oxford in 2015.

Richardson was historically appointed only a year before the University of Manchester’s own first female vice chancellor, Dame Nancy Rothwell, was employed.

As an English scholar with a focus on Scottish culture and a wide array of accomplishments within prestigious organisations in her research area, Professor Mapstone expresses delight about her new role at St Andrews and the positive influence she can have. She is celebrated for having been responsible for policies and strategies for teaching and student support in her role at Oxford.

According to The Equality Challenge, despite there being a greater percentage of women as students in universities, only 20 per cent of professors are women.

The appointment of a second female chancellor at the UK’s third oldest university could therefore be seen as a representation of the future inclusion of women into higher positions within education and research.

Fewer disadvantaged students get places at Oxbridge Lucy Menage Reporter Over the past 10 years, the number of disadvantaged students accepted into the Oxbridge has fallen. In the academic year of 2004/2005, the percentage of disadvantaged students entering Oxford was 12.3 per cent, yet the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has published data that show only 10% of accepted students were from disadvantaged background in the year 2014/15. It is a similar story with Cambridge, which has seen a fall from 12.4 per cent to 10.2 per cent.

Unfortunately Oxford and Cambridge aren’t the only universities where this trend is appearing. There has also been a decline in Exeter, Durham, Imperial College, Glasgow and Queen’s University, Belfast.

Despite this, Samina Khan, head of Oxford admissions, claimed in January that if they are trying to choose between applicants with similar grades, if one of the students

is from a disadvantaged background then “you are more likely to be looked at and shortlisted for an interview. All those indicators are giving us information about your academic journey in a particular context.”

Oxford has defended the statistics provided by HESA claiming that they categorise disadvantaged backgrounds based on postcode rather than parental occupation. With this criteria, Oxford claim to have seen a 34 per cent rise in students from poor socio-economic backgrounds.

However the data that HESA published has also revealed that Oxbridge takes a lot less students from state schools that the rest of the country. Of Cambridge entrants, only 61.8 per cent of students are from state schools. Similarly, Oxford isn’t any better with only 55 per cent .

The figures are put in perspective when compared to Manchester, another member of the Russell Group, which takes on 82.4 per cent of students from state schools and where students from disadvantages backgrounds make up 21.5 per cent of entrants.

Students at Cambridge University have held a debate to decide if a Bronze cockerel should be repatriated back to Nigeria where it was stolen by British colonisers in the 19th century Emily Hulme Senior Reporter

Photo: The Mancunion

Following the Cecil Rhodes controversy at Oxford University, Jesus College Cambridge has witnessed a similar debate in its own Students’ Union. The Benin Bronze Appreciation Committee (BBAC) put forward the motion to return the statue to Nigeria in a repatriation ceremony, in an effort to “weed out the colonial legacies that exist” in the University. The 11-page document that proposed the motion emphasises that the gesture to return the cockerel would be the “just” thing to do.

The sculpture, named “Okukor”, along with several other Benin Bronze items, was looted by the British during the ‘Punitive Expedition’ in 1897. The expedition is remembered as a brutal act of imperialism, in which the British killed thousands of citizens and destroyed the city of Benin, leading to an annexation of the Kingdom. Nigeria has made several requests for Benin artwork to be returned to its rightful home, as the art is essential to Nigerian history and culture.

Students state the returning of the okukor would provide mutual benefit both for the university and Nigerian culture.

The Benin bronze cockerel has been situated in Jesus College since the 1930s.

The cockerel is the mascot for the College, named after its founder, John Alcock, the Bishop of Ely. Students suggested Okukor could be replaced with something of the college’s choice.

The BBAC presented their debate success-

fully, meaning that the College’s council will discuss their proposals on the 7th of March.

It was a unanimous decision in the Students’ Union, however there has been discussion elsewhere to allow the cockerel to tour different places of the world. Jonathan Jones from The Guardian argues that this way it can be seen by many people, whilst being reminded it is a piece of Nigerian culture.

Jason Okundaye, a Pembroke College student involved in the discussion, brought forward the point that black students should have more say in the cockerel’s repatriation.

Vice Chancellors against Brexit Felix Sanders Reporter In a letter published published in The Sunday Times on the 21st of February 2016, a total of 103 university vice chancellors have provided their signatures in order to highlight the negative impact of leaving the EU on British universities and their European alliances.

The letter presents the view that leaving the EU would cut our universities “off from established networks and would undermine the UK’s position as a global leader in science and the arts”.

This is a mission statement for the ‘Universities for Europe’ campaign. In conversation with The Mancunion, Universities UK, the conductors of the campaign, reported that the letters were extended to the vice chancellors of all Britain’s universities. From the list of co-signers there is one notable exception: Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell from The University of Manchester. A

Media Relations Officer for the university commented that: “The University has not yet agreed on a position on EU membership as this would need to be considered by our Board of Governors.”

However, a spokesperson for Dame Julia Goodfellow, President of Universities UK and Vice Chancellor of the University of Kent, said that getting “103 university leaders to sign—from a membership of 133” was “pleasing”, as this volume of response for a Universities UK action was unprecedented in “recent times”.

News of the letter follows recent developments in the referendum that have had a direct effect on young people’s voting rights. The House of Commons blocked a motion by the House of Lords in December, allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to have a say in the EU debate.

It is the unheard voice of the next generation of British students that will potentially feel the detrimental effects of the nation’s decision.

With record numbers of people enrolled in

77% The proportion of Universities UK Vice-Chancellors from across the country expressing concern about leaving the EU higher education, the student vote, with reference to the EU, will inevitably have a substantial impact. Therefore, the claim that “throughout the campaign, as university leaders we are committed to highlighting the value of EU membership to our universities”, indicates that

Current Affairs Editor: Joe C. Evans Magazine Editor: Elise Gallagher

Highlight P26

Visit Our Website www.mancunion.com The Mancunion Mancunion Extra @TheMancunion Editor-in-chief: Charlie Spargo editor@mancunion.com

Women in Media 2016 Smashing through the glass ceiling

Deputy Editor-in-chief: Marcus Johns deputyed@mancunion.com Postal address: University of Manchester Students’ Union, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PR Phone: 0161 275 2989 Subeditors: Gemma Sowerby, Shaun Carter, Nadia Cheung, Jack Howell

Head News Editor: Jennifer Sterne Interim News Editor: Merle Streck Science Editor: Andy van den Bent-Kelly news@mancunion.com science@mancunion.com Features Editor: Liam Kelly features@mancunion.com Opinion Editor: Isaac Atwal opinion@mancunion.com Head Fashion Editor: Kassi Allcock Deputy Fashion Editor: Kathryn Murray Deputy Fashion Editor (Beauty): Millie Kershaw fashion@mancunion.com Head Food & Drink Editor: Ellie Gibbs Deputy Food & Drink Editor: Helena Maxwell-Jackson foodanddrink@mancunion.com Head Film Editor: James Moules Deputy Film Editor: Nicole Tamer film@mancunion.com

the ‘Universities for Europe’ campaign is very conscious of its potential power.

Goodfellow’s statements and the ‘Universities for Europe’ campaign emphasise that in their eyes, Brexit would constrain the EU in having a “positive impact on our universities”. It will further inhibit helping “universities create employable graduates and make cutting-edge research discoveries”.continuing to encourage consumers to take matters into their own hands and not buy Israeli goods.

As far as institutions such as the SU are concerned, we will be playing it by ear and deciding how to move forward with the BDS campaign legally in the near future.”

The future for boycotts within students’ unions remains unclear at this point but they could soon be under threat from a measure the government says will tackle anti-Semitism and improve “good community relations”, but critics are branding an “attack on democracy.”

Head Lifestyle Editor: Eva Katz Deputy Lifestyle Editor: Alice Williams mancunion.life@gmail.com Head Music Editor: Henry Scanlan Deputy Music Editors: Matthew Staite, Rob Paterson music@mancunion.com Head Sport Editor: Will Kelly Deputy Sport Editor: Harry Newton sports@mancunion.com Books Editor: Yasmin Mannan books@mancunion.com Games Editor: Josh Goldie games@mancunion.com Theatre Editor: Elise Gallagher theatre@mancunion.com Arts Editor: Ashley McGovern arts@mancunion.com Head of Photography: Hannah Brierley Photographers: Ege Okyar, Przemek Piwek, Thomas Chan, Avinash Kumar, Daniel Saville, Kayleigh Brook mancunion.photography@gmail.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. You can get involved by turning up to a meeting, the times of which are listed on the Mancunion website’s Join page.

We gladly accept contributors from outside the University of Manchester.

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

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

News 3

ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Our page three girls: Reclaim the Night

Jennifer Sterne Head News Editor Last night, 3,500 students and supporters from the Manchester community descended on the streets of Manchester to Reclaim the Night, to raise their “collective voices and say no to street harassment, sexual violence against women, and victim blaming”.

Reclaim the Night began in 1977 when women took to the streets after the police told women not to leave their houses after the attacks and murders of sex workers by the ‘The Yorkshire Ripper’, which many claimed to be placing blame upon the women rather the attacker.

39 years later, the marches continue to take place across the country in response to the police and media’s treatment of sexual violence against women. Last year 2,000 marched from Fallowfield to the University of Manchester’s student union, making it then the largest-ever Reclaim the Night event in the UK, but this year’s turnout, as hoped by organisers, has made it the event once again bigger than ever.

Jess Lishak, Women’s Officer for University of Manchester’s Students’ Union wrote in her blog after the event: “Just like in 1977, the harm and violence against women in our communities is insidious. There have been numerous high profile rapes in the media and many more behind closed doors that never made the news. Lives have been destroyed and fear is rife. The fear and violence that makes us feel so alone, so scared and so vulnerable is everywhere.”

Unfortunately, as Lishak highlights, “this fear isn’t there because we have been taught to be afraid of some mythical bogeyman. It’s there because one in five women aged between 16 and 59 have experienced sexual violence; because in England and Wales, two women a week are killed at the hands of a male partner or ex-Partner. Because one in seven women students have been sexually assaulted whilst at University.”

One of the terms campaigners have the biggest issue with is that these acts of sexual violence are ‘isolated incidents’. Caroline Criado-Perez, a feminist activist, argued in the New Statesmen back in 2014 that “such words may comfort us, but they

are dangerous, and our comfort comes at a cost of reckoning with a reality that we must face if we are serious about tackling the epidemic of domestic violence”.

Lishak echoed this sentiment after Reclaim the Night, imploring people to “join the dots to understand the structural causes if we are going to tackle them”.

Lishak claimed such structural casues stem from the violence being “a gendered crime; a symptom of a society that belittles, degrades and disrespects women. A society that allows our government to cut budgets so they fall disproportionately on women’s services: Closing refuges, increasing already unacceptably long waiting lists for support, and privatising aspects of NHS sexual assault referral centres.”

This year Reclaim the Night organisers also ran sessions in local schools and youth groups as part of their Reclaim the Night Youth outreach project, teaching over 250 young people across the city about consent and healthy relationships, advising them on how to campaign to get these issues on the curriculum.

The march finished with an after party at the Students’ Union, boasting a line-up of women speakers including Kate Green, the Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, poets, musicians, and DJs. The campaign Time of the Month also launched alongside the event, a student-run project which aims to gather donations of much needed sanitary products for homeless women; raising well over £200 for Emmeline’s Pantry Parlour by selling vagina cupcakes and badges and tampon earrings.

Speaking at the after party, Lishak told the crowd: “It is through our collective power that we can create real change and Reclaim the Night is the perfect example. 3,500 people are too visible to ignore; it forces people to face the facts and listen.”

Concluding her blog post, Lishak says that “women should have the right to walk around our own city, on any day of the year, without being subjected to sexual harassment or abuse, or to feel like we have to modify our own behaviour due to the fear of the violence inflicted on us. We need to live in a society that teaches us to respect women and our right to choose what happens to our own bodies.”

Photos: The Mancunion / We Are Invite Front page photo: We Are Invite

4th-10th March

All of the Students’ Union‘s facilities and events are provided with the direction of our elected Exec Team, who work full-time to implement your ideas, run campaigns, support student-led activities and ensure your voice is heard by the University.

So if you’ve ever wondered why we talk so much about elections, that’s why.

We need students to vote to shape the future of the Students’ Union. All registered students can vote for the 2016/17 Exec Team between Friday 4th and Thursday 10th March via MyManchester.

Vote because students need your support to win and make a difference.

Vote because you’ll get free printer credit, tea, pizza and a chance to win Pangaea tickets!

Vote because last year 13,264 students did and this year UCan do better!

manchesterstudentsunion.com/elections

News 5

ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Poor GCSE results jeopardise Northern Powerhouse The government’s Northern Powerhouse plans could be in jeopardy after secondary schools in Manchester and Liverpool underperform in GCSE Harriett Gaynor Reporter The government’s Northern Powerhouse strategy has come under further criticism after substandard GCSE results in the Manchester and Liverpool city regions were highlighted by Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw in a keynote speech to the Institute of Public Policy Research. The criticism comes after it was found that secondary schools in Manchester and Liverpool had seen deterioration in their GCSE results, with a decline in both cities in the number of pupils gaining at least five grade Cs at GCSE. The Northern Powerhouse strategy, led by the Conservative MP for Stockton South and Minister for the Northern Powerhouse James Wharton and championed by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, aims to boost economic growth across northern cities such as Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds. The main objective of the plan is to bridge the economic gap between the North and South, enhancing economic growth with investment in infrastructure, political devolution, and investment in skills.

A key package is the government’s aims to increase attractiveness for potential investors by improving pan-Northern transport links.

However, the proposals have come under sustained attack for being nothing more than rhetoric and political manoeuvring. Indeed. these GCSE results are a worrying statistic for advocates of the Northern Powerhouse, who may fail to see plans materialise if secondary school students are not provided with a sufficient set of skills. Sir Wilshaw said that if results and schools in the cities do not improve, then the Northern Powerhouse will come “spluttering to [a] halt.”

Manchester City Council has reassured critics of the plan claiming that

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin opening the renewed Manchester Victoria train station in 2015, little change has been afforded to Northern education however.

Photo: The Department for Transport

certain procedures are in place to ensure that the decline in GCSE results is temporary.

Sir Wilshaw highlighted his frustration that cities such as Manchester and Liverpool are home to some of the best universities in the world, which offer an outstanding quality of education for students over the age of 18, yet fail to provide the same standard of education for secondary school students.

Despite the concern, Councillor Rosa Battle, of Manchester City Council, emphasised that the council and schools in the Greater Manchester area had already liaised over the past years in an attempt to improve the quality of education in schools.

In 2008, the then Labour government launched its Greater Manchester Challenge which aimed to echo its London Challenge that dramatically improved schools in London, however it was rapidly scrapped by the Coalition government in 2010. The Conservative-led academy programme has also not improved schooling in Manchester, five of Manchester’s’ acad-

Stoke-on-Trent to pay off maths teachers’ tuition

emies are below the government’s minimum standard for GCSE results having been removed from council control as part of the government’s agenda.

However, figures that have recently been published highlight that the rate of improvement in these schools far outweighs that of the national rate of school improvement. Additionally, Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for Education, Nick Small, stressed the importance of increasing the power of local councils on influencing the education system in schools, contrary to the Conservative’s academy programme which aims to do the exact opposite.

By allowing local councils increased power to intervene in schools, the Northern Powerhouse concept may still be achievable. Providing the younger generation with a solid foundation in education will ensure that these individuals are well equipped with the knowledge and set of skills needed to boost the economy in the northern regions at a later date.

Kent Tory students petition for 250ft statue of Margaret Thatcher

A one-million-pound maths teaching initiative has been launched by Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw, to help to improve education standards of young people in Stoke-on-Trent Harriett Gaynor Reporter Stoke-on-Trent has issued a project in the attempt to improve maths standards across the city. The idea behind the programme is to pay off maths teachers’ tuition fees to create more incentive for them to teach in the region on a more permanent basis. Most notably, the project aims to target young maths graduates, through monetary incentives, in an attempt to encourage prospective maths teachers to move into the area.

The project has been described as a form of ‘educational urban regeneration’, which attempts to reverse the decline of traditional industries such as pottery and coal mining and to improve the academic underachievement in the area.

The recruitment of maths teachers has seen a decline over recent years and it has been increasingly difficult for cities such as Stoke-on-Trent to recruit maths teachers when competing against larger cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and London.

In order to help potential maths teachers fund costly tuition fees, the project will offer payments of £2,000 each year over a period of three years plus a further £2,000 relocation payment. In addition to this, students will also receive a supplementary bursary from the government of up to £25,000, which was introduced to encourage them to pursue a career in maths teaching.

In today’s tough economic climate, the offer of monetary incentives can often encourage graduates to consider a career in teaching. Teachers who are currently working in the area will also benefit from the project by receiving further financial support to help fund more specialist teaching. The project has been estimated to cost the local

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Merle Streck Senior Reporter

Photo: kaboompics @pixabay

council £334,000 per year over the course of three years.

Schools in Stoke-on-Trent and in the city’s immediate surroundings have received increased criticism after statistics showed that they possessed some of the lowest performing GCSE results in England.

The Maths Excellence Programme, which aims to encourage support from local organisations to improve the teaching of maths in schools, is coordinated by Stoke-on-Trent’s local MP and former shadow education secretary, Tristram Hunt. This programme intends to raise the number of pupils achieving high marks in GCSE maths from the current level of 59% to a 70% target level.

The project has been praised by lo-

cal schools, council members and employers, and has received further support from the local online gambling company Bet365. Mr Hunt aims to encourage graduates to move into the city and to build upon their professional career.

This initiative will not only improve the livelihood of such young professionals, but it will consequently improve the quality of education for members of the younger generation in the city. Furthermore, improving the quality of education and increasing the number of maths teachers could help to put Stoke-on-Trent on the map as a hotspot for young professionals whilst helping to reverse the decline in the city’s traditional industries.

Tory students of the Kent University Conservative Association (KUCA) have issued a petition detailing their plans to erect a 250ft (76.2 metre) iron “colossus” of Margaret Thatcher. The statue would be raised opposite a university nightclub on the University of Kent campus.

The petition was approved by Kent Union and the Association is currently working towards collecting enough signatures in order for the petition to be negotiated further with the student body.

The students delineated their exact vision of the statue in their petition. They state that it would be inspired by the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and would be sculpted in a Graeco-Roman style.

The statue is to be placed on a 50ft (15 metre) white marble pedestal and will consists entirely of iron at a 46:1 scale. “At this scale,” the petition reads, “the Iron Lady’s handbag would be approximately 30 foot tall. The plan is to construct the handbag of a highly polished Bronze.”

The motivation behind the “colossus” is to restore “good and sensible behaviour” on campus. This will be achieved by awarding the statue a strategic position which would “allow the sun to reflect off the handbag at certain times during the day.” This will highlight the statue’s aim to serve as a “shining testament to liberty”.

In a statement to The Tab, Emilio Kyprianou, chairman of KUCA, states that the campaign initially began in order to “highlight problems with the current petition system”. Nonetheless, the initiative will continue and “could be a real positive for Kent,” according to Kyprianou.

A previous attempt at erecting a statue of the former Prime Minister was overwhelmingly voted down by students. In 2013, Guy Snowden, former KUCA treasurer, outlined plans to mount a 200ft bronze statue of Thatcher on the Canterbury campus at Kent. Mr Snowden was later told that his petition “a complete waste of time”.

KUCA’s second attempt at the petition currently has the support of 90 out of a possible 150 signatures, and the deadline for collecting signatures is 7th of March.

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ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Manchester researchers shed new light on tumour growth New methods of identifying and treating various forms of cancer could emerge from the study, which has enhanced understanding of how cancerous tumours manage to survive when starved of oxygen Andy van den Bent-Kelly Science Editor Researchers from the University of Manchester have revealed new information on how some tumour cells seem to flourish in potentially hostile environments, which could prove pivotal in helping to diagnose and treat different forms of cancer.

By studying how cells behaved in different levels of oxygen, the team was able to

Malignant tumours often swell in size very rapidly and can end up outgrowing the blood supply feeding them.

This means that various parts of the tumour receive significantly less oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia.

The cancerous cells, realising that they need to produce energy via a different mechanism in order to survive, alter their metabolism to work against this drop in oxygen level. Molecules known as hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are responsible

HIF-1, a protein responsible for countering decreases in cellular oxygen levels.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

determine what processes were initiated to produce the required amounts of energy.

for driving these changes and are prominent in solid tumours.

HIFs are beneficial for all

human cells and play hugely important roles in regulating our metabolisms. The most well-known and well-studied of these is HIF-1, the presence of which is vital for the survival of cells in healthy cartilage.

However, HIFs don’t discriminate between regular and cancerous cells and will act whenever a low oxygen environment is detected. This means that simply depriving a tumour of oxygen will not kill it.

The study was led by Professor Kaye Williams of Manchester Pharmacy School. She explained that “if we deprive cells of oxygen in controlled conditions, we can see which new processes kick in to overcome hypoxic stress.

“We can only stop cancer in its tracks when we understand all of its survival mechanisms.”

The study focused on the metabolic fingerprint of cells in different oxygen environments and compared the methods of energy production. Some of the ‘fingerprints’ suggested the work of HIFs, whereas others implied that other mechanisms were responsible. Two different types of cancer cells were examined to see how these sepa-

Tumours often lack a sufficient blood supply, resulting in lower oxygen levels and the need to obtain energy in different ways.

Image: Wellcome Images @Flickr

rate processes interacted.

The researchers found four fingerprints, suggesting that cells have multiple tricks up their sleeves when it comes to dealing with sudden decreases in oxygen level. This revelation paves the way for researchers

to try to target individual processes, so that only cancerous cells are affected by treatment.

The results also could also be used in diagnosis and prognosis, according to Professor Williams. She added: “By looking for these metabolic fingerprints

in patients, we could better understand the level of hypoxia present in each individual tumour.

“Such knowledge would aid doctors when choosing how to best treat their cancer.”

Tatchell criticised for media storm against NUS officer After weeks of controversy surrounding the refusal by Fran Cowling to attend a debate featuring veteran campaigner Peter Tatchell, his treatment of the situation has been heavily criticised

Charlie Spargo Editor-in-chief An open letter signed by more than 150 academics and campaigners has criticised LGBT* activist Peter Tatchell for the way he has conducted himself in recent weeks which has seen a media storm surrounding his supposed “no-platforming” by NUS LGBT Officer Fran Cowling.

Cowling herself also published a 1,000-word blog on the NUS’s website defending herself and aiming to clarify that it is “not the case” that Tatchell has been “no-platformed” by either her or the NUS. In her post, she explains that she had “declined an invitation to attend the ‘Re-Radicalising Queers’ event held at Canterbury Christ Church University” in a personal e-mail to the organiser, as well as the reasons she felt uncomfortable at the event at which he would be present.

“I did not seek to make my opinion of Peter public, nor have I claimed that my membership share my views, or shared the original emails between myself and the organ-

Photo: Chris Rimmer@Flickr

iser with anyone else outside of NUS. “Indeed, the only individuals I shared this belief with was the principal organiser of the event, who then shared my views with Peter. The decision to bring this situation into the public domain was never mine, it was that of Peter himself.”

She goes on to explain that her actions were not meant to be an attack on Tatchell but simply to separate her, quietly, from the event. “I was not prepared for

my opinion to be shared so publicly, or for the media coverage that has ensued. I have been given unreasonable timelines, I have been lied about in that national press [sic], and have had every single aspect of my life under scrutiny ever since.”

She claims she received notification from The Observer that the e-mails were shared with them by Tatchell.

“I did not ask to be hounded via social media and be expected to explain my sexuality and

gender identity to people I am not ready to talk to.”

The open letter, published on the website of sociologist and social theorist Alana Lentin, is titled ‘Open Letter on Peter Tatchell, Censorship, and Criticism’ and has been signed by 164 at the time of writing.

In it, the signatories “strongly condemn the actions of Peter Tatchell in bullying, vilifying, and inciting a media furor against a student who criticized him in a private e-mail.

“UK media have attacked Fran Cowling, National Union of Students (NUS) LGBT+ Officer (Women’s Place), for allegedly ‘no-platforming’ Tatchell from a conference on “Re-Radicalizing Queers”. These reports are simply untrue.

“The facts are these. Cowling was invited to attend the conference by the event organizer, another Canterbury Christchurch student. She declined.

Her decision not to attend was informed by her belief that Peter Tatchell has engaged in problematic tactics and politics regarding Muslim, Black and trans communities, for which she provided evidence.

Without permission, the other student forwarded this confidential email chain to Peter Tatchell.”

They call out the actions of the veteran campaigner, highlighting that his powerful position allowed him to call out Cowling in an extreme way, comparing it to the recent controversy surrounding Germaine Greer. “Greer can go to the Guardian; Tatchell can take his complaints to Newsnight.

The risk that their voices will be ignored is nonexistent.”

A main point they make is that national media scandals surrounding accusations of “no-platforming” are an overblown tactic to demonise those who express any objection to a speaker, and are often not even true.

“Cowling has been smeared, bullied, trolled, and harassed in the national press and on social media. Tatchell has personally vilified her and encouraged others to do so, writing in the rightwing Telegraph that she posed a threat to ‘enlightenment values.’

Yet Tatchell was never censored.

He spoke at the conference; he took his case to the Telegraph and Newsnight; he has not been ‘silenced.’”

However Tatchell, in a response published in LGBT* newspaper PinkNews, said he “never said [he] was no-platformed and [he] defended Fran Cowling’s right to not share a platform.” He takes each point made in the open letter and offers his response as to why the accusations are not true.

“I have a right to defend myself against malicious, untrue accusations [of transphobia and racism]. I have done so courteously and truthfully, unlike many of my critics.”

Global 7

ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

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

Stories by: Marcus Johns, Joe Evans, Emily Hulme, and Jenny Sterne

Angry Rhino rams tourist van Nambia An very angry Rhino has rammed a jeep full of tourists in Etosha National Park, Nambia. The park is popular with Western tourists, who often ride in vans taking photos of the local wildlife.

The vans edge ever closer to the savannah’s animals so the visitors can get better photos. However, it appears that one particular Rhino had had enough of the intrusion.

In footage captured by Alexandra Poier—also a tourist— the rhino charges at the Van, damaging the car and leaving the passengers shaken but unharmed.

After charging the van twice, the Rhino meandered off into the wilderness.

Greggxit: To burn or nationalise UK The United Kingdom’s reddit hub, /r/UnitedKingdom, is engrossed in a two-sided fundamental debate about the status of Gregg’s within our country.

Two clear campaigns have emerged, those who wish to burn Greggs down, and those who believe its profit-making abilities would be an excellent boost to the treasury, arguing for its immediate nationalisation.

There are roughly 1,650 Greggs in the United Kingdom, though there is only one in Northern Ireland, with 4 of them being along the Oxford Road or Wilmslow Road.

Greggs before tax profit in 2014 was £58.3 million, pro-nationalisation campaigners believe this would boost the treasury whilst stimulating British business—Greggs is (as far as campaigners are aware) rooted in Tyneside and pays tax.

Pro-Greggs campaigners also believe that nationalising Greggs could redistribute the number of Greggs better so that there are less Greggs concentrated in small areas and more Greggs for everyone to enjoy.

Anti-Greggs campaigners have called for the destruction by fire of all Greggs, citing the fact that Gregg’s pies “are a bit like sucking on moist toilet paper wrapped around a dog toy,” and highlighting Gregg’s monopoly over the taste buds of British citizens as damaging small British businesses.

Some redditors are campaigning for a national ‘Greggxit’ referendum to finally settle the, “is Greggs even good?” question.

El Nino uncovers lost brothel ship USA The violent storm El Nino uncovered the Monte Carlo brothel ship, which sunk off the California coast in 1936.

The vessel had sat three miles off Coronado Beach in San Diego - officially in international waters – and was infamous for gambling and prostitution.

The SS Monte Carlo had been an oil tanker as the SS McKittrick before it became a floating brothel.

On New Year’s Day in 1936 the anchor of the vessel came loose and the ship drifted away from the beach.

Eighty years later the brothel has been uncovered from beneath the waves and the wreckage has been washed ashore.

He made a real hash of that

UK Scott Riley has told police that 26kg of cannabis, the equivalent to the weight of a 4-year old child, was his own supply.

The 33-year-old told from Liverpool was busted when police found his stash amongst kids toys in his flat.

Riley insisted to the police he was just a ‘social smoker’, before later admitting in court that his brother has asked him to store the weed at his flat with intention to sell.

In Science this week...

Science by: Andy van den Bent-Kelly

Artificial sperm used to breed mice in laboratory Artificial sperm created in a laboratory has successfully been used to father baby mice in an experiment that could pave the way for future human infertility treatments.

Scientists in China manufactured the sperm from embryonic stem cells gathered from mice and used it to fertilise ordinary mouse eggs.

Similar efforts to produce human sperm have so far been unsuccessful, but it is hoped that the technique outlined by the researchers could prove to be transferable.

The technique is a controversial one, as any mistakes could result in genetic damage to not only the offspring produced, but to their future descendants as well.

Stem cells can be converted into any other type of tissue. The team used a mixture of hormones, chemicals and testicular tissue to encourage a single stem cell to become sperm.

For this change to occur, the cell must delicately rearrange its DNA in a crucial process called meiosis.

This form of cell division results in the number of chromosomes being halved, which is necessary for fertilisation.

Several barriers – both practical and ethical – will have to be overcome if the process is to work in humans. However, the team believe that success is inevitable and that the method could revolutionise IVF treatment.

Russian schoolboy wins opportunity of a lifetime

Russia A sixteen year old boy has won the opportunity to spend a month with pornstar Macy Sens after entering an online competition.

Ruslan Schedrin, who is described as a child actor on various website, has said that he is “so happy” and “boiling inside” having won the opportunity.

“I didn’t believe it at first, I thought it was rubbish,” he said, “I called my friends and they did not believe it either.

Now they are happy for me too. Some of them are envious.”

His mother is unsurprisingly unhappy at the situation. She has told Schedrin that he should swap the prize for a cash sum: “‘I am absolutley against it. He has got exams, he is studying.”

It is perhaps worth noting that the aged of consent in Russia is sixteen, although some sources are suggesting that Schedrin may in fact be fourteen. The Mancunion will follow this story for further details.

Swedish teens turn to extreme means... of drinking Sweden Swedish teenagers have been found to be using hand sanitiser in order to get drunk. The problem has become so widespread that bottles of the alcoholic antibacterial wash are being moved behind the counter in some pharmacies.

You have to be 20-years-old to buy alcohol in from government-owned off licenses in Sweden leading to the craze. However, the issue is not exclusive to Sweden. Some hospitals have had to remove gels “in a bid to stop visitors drinking it.”

And a shit time was had by all

Hong Kong Revellers in an exclusive, members only, nightclub were this week covered in human excrement after a pipe bust.

The club, Hong Kong’s Lan Kwai Fong district, experienced the blockage in the waste pipe of its second floor VIP bathroom.

Unfortunately for all involved the pipe ran directly above the dance floor.

Raymond Jiang, a 32-year old financial analyst, described the incident stating, “Suddenly, there was a loud cracking sound, followed by screams from the dance floor and a terrible smell.

The birthday girl in our group had been wearing a white dress at the start of the night, but now it was completely brown.”

The visiting DJ saw the funny side of the accident, opting to play a dubstep remix of Van Morrison’s ‘Brown Eyed Girl’.

The club has been closed until further notice. In the meantime it is understood that the organisers have been contacted by the team behind ‘Why Not Wednesdays?’ for consultation on running a successful club night.

What would you pay for a President?

Egypt Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was put up for sale on eBay after claiming “if it were possible for me to be sold, I would sell myself,” to help the economy.

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi made is pledge while laying out his development plans for the country. The proposal made on state television was widely mocked. In the same speech he asked Egyptians to send in donations to public funds by text.

One eBay user then put the President up for sale with bids from over 100 users getting up to $100,300 until the page was taken down.

President Sisi was listed as a “slightly used” field marshal, with the description reading we decided to sell “Mr Abdel Fatah elSisi on eBay to bail out the

Cruz rises to Trump jibes USA Ted Cruz has created yet more confusion in the Republican candidacy race by comparing Donald Trump to ‘Fat Bastard’ and himself to ‘Mini-Me’.

The bizarre comparison to two of the characters from the Austin Powers series came following Trump suggesting that Cruz was a “soft weak little baby” following Trump’s victory in the Nevada caucuses.

Cruz shot back the strange reply via his twitter account saying, “@realDonaldTrump, showing class & grace, calls me a “soft weak little baby.”

Hope he doesn’t try to eat me!” He also attached a clip to the film further illustrating his point.

It is not the first time the former friends have clashed on the campaign trail. Trump has nicknamed Cruz “Canada Ted” and has publicly called him a “pussy”.

Antarctic study reveals the benefit of excess weight in penguins An unusual study has revealed that fatter penguins are less steady on their feet, but that the additional weight is vital for surviving when caring for their eggs.

Researchers from London travelled to Antarctica to study king penguins, which can grow up to 1m in height and can weigh as much as 16kg. The aim was to see what effects weight gain has on various aspects of their lives.

Extra weight hinders a penguin’s ability to waddle, making it more vulnerable to potential predators.

However, the fat reserves are essential during courtship, when penguins must fast for long periods of time to take care of their eggs.

The researchers captured ten male king penguins from the edge of a colony, all of which were in courtship and weighed at least 12kg. The penguins were kept for a fortnight, during which time they fasted. Both at the beginning and end of the two-week period, their ability to walk on a treadmill was tested.

It was concluded that while the penguins waddled in a more agile manner after losing weight, they had still adapted well to waddling with excess weight.

It is hoped that the findings will help scientists to better understand and protect the species, which has in the past been threatened.

8

Feature

ISSUE 16/ 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Lunch with The Mancunion: David William Brown talks to University of Manchester Aaronovitch alumnus and Times columnist David Aaronovitch

T

alk to any writer talking about their life and their work and, as a rule, you can pre-empt the course the conversation will take. They’ll use your questions to launch a series of rehearsed speeches designed to impress. In ever-intensifying self-congratulatory tones they’ll talk about themselves, their opinions, and at all points emphasise their righteousness.

It’s understandable: They are only human, after all.

And on the whole, any writer worth their words is a brilliant self-promoter. But sit down with The Times columnist David Aaronovitch and you’re in for something completely different. Very few writers turn the interview back on you.

After two hours of conversation I stumbled down onto the Northern line with my pride shaken. The award-winning journalist had shown the amateur how it’s done. My assortment of questions were derailed from the moment I pressed ‘record’. He led the interview.

My first question, “What was your time like at the University of Manchester?” turned into a no-holdsbarred dissection of my dissertation plans. An old history student himself, David seemed to know the literature better than I did, even after my of supposed studies. After five minutes arguing over varying interpretations of Indian human rights, I realised my cause was futile and I retreated to the tried and tested evasion tactic that all humanities students know well: blame post-structuralist academics’.

He nods sympathetically. “I’ve never had time for them myself. As Orwell says in his essay on ‘Politics and the English Language’, when someone is being obscure, usually they have a hidden motive.”

Evidently he was too much of a gentleman to comment on my own obscurity. I sighed a breath of relief. The rabbit was out of the headlights. For now, at least.

In the early ‘80s David was the President of the National Union of Students in it’s most left wing days.

He was elected as a member of the Eurocommunist bloc—a loose political term for someone who rejected both the West’s material greed as well as the Soviet Union’s reactionary party line. Instead they embraced liberation movements, from anti-racist movements to LGBT and women’s rights movements.

They say that age makes you more conservative and that you approach the world with a more levelled head. Certainly Aaronovitch’s political stance has changed over the years. Writing for Rupert Murdoch, one cannot claim to be a revolutionary but none of the old fire has gone. The man is angry: “I’m still 99 per cent Thomas Paine over Edmund Burke,” he tells me.

“Free speech allows things to happen which you don’t expect” David Aaronovitch lives to argue, whether that be with the left or right. Jeremy Corbyn, George Galloway, Peter Hitchens, Mehdi Hasan, Alex Jones or Katie Hopkins—it doesn’t matter, he won’t hold back.

His new book, Party Animals: My Family and Other Communists, describes his hard left upbringing and its effects on his continued political outlook.

He’s moved on quite a bit now. He’s one of a series of originally hard-left British writers who shed their purist roots and confronted what they perceived as dogmatism head on. It seems he still holds a real dislike for certain Tory attitudes, though.

“There is a real prejudice amongst Tories at large... a lot of them believe that the less of something there is, the fewer people have it, the better it is. This really goes on the rubric of ‘excellence’: ‘We don’t want all these students doing ‘Mickey Mouse’ courses.

“Of course, you define for yourself what one of these courses are—they’re usually courses which the person themselves didn’t do. Then they’ll say: ‘Wouldn’t we be rather better off if we had less of this?’ It’s a kind of attitude akin to ‘Hasn’t the seaside been ruined by all these people going?’

“Essentially as soon as it becomes ‘mass’, it’s not

Photo: David Aaronovitch

good any more. They are continuously worried about the competition coming from other people and the competition their kids face. And it seems to me, whether they’re aware of it or not, they continuously psychologically reduce the level of competition that their own people face.”

One episode Aaronovitch claims he’ll never live down is his 1975 appearance on University Challenge. David’s Manchester team answered almost every question with “Trotsky”, “Karl Marx”, “Che Guevara”, or “Lenin” in protest of Oxford and Cambridge’s unfair representation on the show, with their ability to enter as individual colleges. University Challenge “didn’t let the polytechnics on, who were of course our proletarian brothers and sisters in the struggle. It was an elitist institution [an] ideological arm of the state apparatus... We were entitled to take action against it!” Aaronovitch said, describing the incident in a documentary.

“Jeremy Paxman would have been absolutely brutal if we did that today. He would have just cut us off at the knees,” Aaronovitch explained to me. “‘What’s that stupid accent for? What this Trotskyist nonsense!’”

David Aaronovitch is proud of his Marxist roots: “Back then, saying you were a Eurocommunist allowed you to say you were Marxist and that you were on the side of the working people. But it also allowed you to say you were in favour of a Westernstyled democracy. It was an intellectual stance. You had to argue your case.”

He gestures to his baguette—“this was your objective.” He gestures over at my olives—“this is where you are.

“Movements like Eurocommunism said: ‘We’re going to get to the objective, and this is how we’ll do it through this step and then this one’. Now I’m not saying that those steps weren’t unproblematic, but at least they were intellectually serious.”

David Aaronovitch clearly thinks Corbyn would not get to the baguette. “Now Corbynism isn’t intellectually serious. Take some of your Corbyn supporting friends aside and ask them: What do you want for this country? Do you want a new economic system called socialism? Will it be founded on the abolishment of capitalism? In the end they’ll say: ‘I want nice things and I don’t want horrible things’.

It’s childlike and frivolous.”

I bite the bullet: “I voted for Corbyn.” David raises his eyebrows. Sensing I had put myself back into the headlights, I quickly add: “But I’m regretting it now.”

Gesticulating wildly with my cutlery, I try to make a joke out of John McDonnell throwing a copy of Mao’s Red Book at George in the House of Commons—“It demonstrates his incompetency, they simply don’t understand political spin!” My fork slips out my hands and clatters onto the floor—as Hampstead’s Café Rouge diners look up irritably.

Aaronovitch pauses for a moment. “Now this is something I’m struggling with. Why have young people voted for him? What would make someone like you, who’s essentially slightly left of centre, vote for an old Trotskyist? If I was to take you through his policies issue by issue, you’d never vote for him.”

I reply with the pro-Corbyn line: “Well I think young people are disillusioned with the old party spin and general way of doing things. He’s put important issues back on the map.”

“How old are you—21?” David retorts. “When were you ‘illusioned’? You haven’t been around long enough. You have the same opinion of Labour politics as Bart Simpson has about geometry.”

Out of surprise I choke on my beef pâté. In between coughs I wince: “Well, he speaks his mind.”

Sharply Aaronovitch replies: “Well his mind’s stupid! He’s never solved a problem in his life.” He stretches out his arms and gapes his jaw, “Corbyns a scarecrow, he hasn’t moved politically in about 50 years!”

Renewed with confidence at his comical skit I argue that Corbyn had redefined the parameters of political debate and that he was potentially starting a genuine grassroots movement, citing the hundreds of thousands who had joined Labour since his election.

I believed about half of it but Aaronovitch did not believe any of it, and proceeded to unrelentingly take Corbyn, and my initial support for the man, apart issue by issue—from Diane Abbott, to local councils, to Corbyn’s divorce. From Corbyn’s position on Northern Ireland to the current Ukrainian crisis, the word ‘naivety’ was thrown around more than once.

“The latest polls show Labour and the Tories basically on level pegging in Scotland. Now for the theory of enthusiasm in politics you put forward to be true, you would expect that that wouldn’t be the case!

“Corbyn doesn’t solve problems. He doesn’t know how to. He’s an opposition politician. He essentially, as a friend of mine put it, is a great masturbator. He’s in his room doing his stuff as it operates in his own

head.

“Now for some reason all you young people have decided to help him with this—given him a ‘helping hand’ if you will. Mostly it seems that’s because you’ve all invested in him an idea of what needs to happen, which actually has very little to do with him.”

Aaronovitch proceeds to describe his break away from the idealism of his youth and the process of growing up, stating: “Now I don’t actually separate idealism from realism because to do that is to betray them both.”

However, when I ask him who he voted for in the Labour party elections, David replies sheepishly that he had voted for Liz Kendall, who polled just 4.5 per cent of the vote. No one can say there was anything idealistic or pragmatic about that political car crash.

I ask, “So just how much influence does Murdoch have over you at The Times?”

“Over me? None whatsoever.

“The most important thing about where I work, is for me to be arguing with people. It’s pointless being at a paper arguing with people who already agree with you. If what you’re looking for is an echo chamber, then what you’ll do is work for a paper whose readers have views that already agree with yours.

But what kind of challenge is that?”

Today, according to Aaronovitch, you see a “silo mentality” all over the place—a refusal by many people to talk to others who don’t share the same political opinions as they do. Nowhere is this trend more apparent in than the student body. As a close friend of the feminist campaigner and writer, Julie Bindel, who was recently blocked from speaking by Manchester’s Students’ Union, David Aaronovitch turned his guns on the student movement.

“Why are students blocking people from speaking who they don’t like? Well it looks to me as if we’ve brought you up to be such a nice bunch really. You don’t sod off out of the house at 18 and not come back like our generation did. And you don’t think your parents are a bunch of shite, you actually quite like them.

“It’s a bit like the argument that we haven’t let our children play enough in the dirt because that actually effectively inoculates you against viruses.

Have we been so incredibly protective, are you so precious, that whether or not you feel slightly bad at any one moment matters more than whether or not something is true?”

David Aaronovitch was Chair of the International Index on Censorship in 2013 suggesting that he knows his stuff on freedom of speech. Perhaps members of the NUS knew this, as he tells me that when Newsnight invited Student Executive members from the NUS to debate Aaronovitch on censorship in universities, only one member accepted the invitation—the Dane, Toke Dahle from Leeds University.

“Somebody coined the term ‘vindictive protectionism’,” he continues. “It’s where people claim to be active on behalf of other people who they think are being offended or denigrated. They use this as an opportunity to get pleasure from condemning someone else. The only time you can legitimately be very nasty to someone else is when you accuse them of being offensive or morally wrong. You can be really horrible them, whilst pretending to be the virtuous one.”

Mentioning the recent case at Goldsmiths University where Iranian exile, feminist and ex-Muslim, Maryam Namazie, was shouted down by protestors from the university’s Islamic Society, Aaronovitch laughs at the absurdity of one protestor who cried out “safe-space, safe-space!” when confronted by Namazie.

“Look, the men were behaving very badly at the front of the show. But when they’re kicked out, the women protesters at the back start off trying to be really offensive. But actually, Maryam engages them in debate and suddenly there is something going on there which is outside everybody else’s control.

“There’s a dialogue going on. They are talking to an older woman who actually has been a victim of Islamic extremism. Free speech allows things to happen which you don’t expect.”

David Aaronovitch’s latest book, Party Animals: My Family and Other Communists, can be bought from all good bookstores.

Feature 9

ISSUE 17/ 7th MARCH 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

SZC

Oliver Lloyd

Sia Zheng Cheng

1. Tackle mental health issues and stigma with innovative techniques, such as a MyManchester app.

2. Champion the student voice in consultation on the £1bn University master plan.

3. Reduce crime and the impacts of crime on students.

1) Free textbooks.

2) More learning spaces.

3) More course selection choices.

Eman Almoalim

“I usually try to improve everything around me, starting with improving myself.”

SA

Siddharth Agarwal

Nicola ‘PickNic’ Carter 1. Decrease waiting times to access mental health services.

2. Kitchen facilities on campus.

3. Enabling student safety on and off campus.

YF

Yuan Fang 1. Responsible.

2. Diligent.

3. Reliable.

“Have a vision? Make the right decision! Vote!”

LL

SF

Sajia Ferdous

“I am committed to working for gender equality on and off campus and also for women’s well-being.”

YZ

Yusu Zhang

“women should be loved and cherished”

Linda Liang

1. Ensure learning experience at University of Manchester is student focused and student friendly.

2. Bring in more practical and real life experience to students.

3. Ensure students get the most from their education as well as their life here !

LY

Liu Yuxian

Ali Amiri 1. How to guarantee People&Planet health.

2. Having fun.

3. Doing sport.

LT

Laven Tong

“Sincerity, diligence and obliging”

Wellbeing Officer Joe Clough

Hanxiao Li

1. Feel of student 2. More participants 3. Feasibility.

1. Better mental health support. Improve counselling.

2. Supporting student safety – expand important schemes such as self-defence classes and the student safety bus. Better police priorities.

3. Stop the cuts to financial and health care support.

Srood Rashid

RH

Rebecca Huang

1. Well-organized.

2. Love to chat to people and give advice.

3. Good leadership performance.

1. Maximum welfare services to the students by making strong interaction between old and new students. Sharing information between different cultures.

2. Making healthy environment for students with their surroundings.

“YOLO.”

AA

Adam Ahmed

1. Develop administration and other relevant systems to support effective information and contact management.

AM

Xuening Qu 1. Knowledge.

2. Passion.

3. Confidence.

Augustino Msanga 1. Providing support to disabilities

Fidan Bakirova 1. Personal development/ fulfillment.

2. Creativity.

3. Good rapport with co-workers.

Annie Vasiutina Naz ‘Take You HIgher’ Nahar 1) Improving available resources for mental health.

2) Regular exercise classes.

3) Improve sexual health knowledge.

RZ

Ruishan Zhang

1. Improving the University’s counselling services and, providing an alternative route for students who need help.

2. Campaigning for a higher police presence in Fallowfield 3. Improving links with local businesses in the interest of student wellbeing.

FM

Fadzai Muzenda

1. Improve.

2. Response.

3. Time

Women’s Officer Maddy Lewis 1. Celebrating and promoting diversity.

2. Personal safety against sexual harassment.

3. Educating about services and making them accessible

“As there are growing number of students especially the Chinese students in the university, I would like to do my best to help them in wellbeing issues.”

Izzy Gurbuz 1. Diversify the Counselling Service by employing LGBTQ+ and BME counsellors.

2. Address the overpricing of FoodOnCampus and increase vegan and vegetarian options 3. Rationalise mitigating circumstances rules for ongoing illness and mental health issues

Sarah ‘Crown Brown’ Brown 1. Improving counselling services.

2. Workshops for students managing voluntary roles alongside their degree.

3. Considering all viewpoints and opinions within the Union (within reason), without judgement on bias.

Jenni ‘from the block’ Smyth 1. IMPROVE: I will ensure that safety on and off campus is improved.

2. PREVENT: I will prevent sexual violence/harassment and relationship abuse within the student population.

3. SUPPORT: I will ensure that there is adequate and accessible support for ALL women.

Roisean Joy Metcalfe 1. Representation.

2. Stopping harassment.

3. Intersectionality.

DAR

Dunya AL-Rawdhan

“I realy want to help you in any thing i can help with.”

Voting is open until 5pm on Thursday the 10th of March. All registered students can vote using MyManchester or at a station in and around the Union building where you can claim a free cup of tea or coffee for casting your vote.

Opinion

10

Get in touch.

ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Colm Lock, swipe right on the Students’ Union

Facebook - /mancunionop

Activites and Development Officer Joel Smith offers a reply to recent attacks on the Student’s Union

Twitter - @MancunionOp

I opened last week’s excellent Mancunion to find a piece by Colm Lock from the Conservative Future society criticising some aspects of the Students’ Union. It’s likely that as a result of his political leaning he will continue to be fundamentally displeased by the Union’s actions, but I would like to respond to some points. Despite highlighting the issue of free speech as a means to rubbish the Union, statistics from this year show students are more involved with the SU than ever before. It is not the disconnected hard-left organisation you have been presented in Lock’s piece.

I have seen the Union come a long way over the six years since I arrived in Manchester. When I started here, the building was entirely purple and claustrophobic. The only food on offer was a school dinner-style canteen on the first floor—it took me a year to return to the building after this experience.

The Union has been on an upward trajectory ever since, and now there’s more students engaged in what we do than ever before; in total, 11,567 students hold 29,048 society memberships (over 25 per cent of students), election turnout last year was double the year previously (setting a national record for highest ever Union election turnout) and election candidates standing this year are double last year.

These aren’t all “communist” students standing for election. Of the 18 standing for Activities & Development officer, none are people I would associate with traditional “student activism”. All have found their way to leading this organisation through different routes; be that through chairing societies, being in RAG, Access All Areas or Student Action, being involved in Pangaea, or simply having joined a society at the start of the year.

To continue to view the Union through a lens of right-wing critique of its very existence is nonsense. This Union is a broad church with hundreds of societies, hundreds of staff, thousands of reps and tens of thousands of students involved,

Email - opinion@mancunion. com

Meetings Mondays, 5pm, First Floor of the Students’ Union

Misogyny, the Pope, and the church Rose Mills Pope Francis’ reputation as the progressive new voice of Catholicism was strengthened last week, as he weighed in on the growing Zika virus crisis.

Esteemed broadsheet Teen Vogue ran with the headline, ‘Pope Francis Says He’s Cool With Birth Control Now’, going on to describe how the Pope has ‘made history’ by condoning women rebelling against the church’s ban on unnatural contraception. In fact, all he said was that ‘avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil’, in cases such as the Latin American women faced with the Zika epidemic. And this was only in response to a question asking whether birth control might be, in the Catholic credo of ‘the lesser of two evils’, better than abortion as a way of avoiding giving birth to a baby infected with the virus. Inspiring.

Despite the apparent tenuousness of the link much of the media seems to find between ‘endorsing’ birth control and saying it is ‘not an absolute evil’, perhaps we should make allowances for those who believe the quote points to the end of the Church’s ban on reproductive rights. After all, compared to his predecessors’ opinions on the subject, Pope Francis saying that contraception is anything less than an abhorrent abomination is positively liberal. Probably the biggest controversy surrounding the Church’s stance on birth control has been in the condom ban in Africa at the heart of the HIV/AIDs epidemic.

While evidence has proven condom use to drastically reduce the infection rate, and ‘abstinence only’ sex education to be ineffective, Pope Benedict XVI spread the lie to African bishops in 2009 that AIDs ‘cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems’. In his own visit to Africa the following year, Pope Francis softened the rules in a similar way to his current commentary on the Zika virus, stating that condoms could possibly be used in ‘justified individual cases’. However, the statement was as hollow then as it continues to be.

He did not lift the ban then and he hasn’t now, and while his attitude may seem progressive – that is, compared to previous Popes – it is still anticontraception, anti-choice and, by extension, anti-women.

This is an excerpt of Rose’s article, the rest of which can be found online at www. mancunion.com

working for the betterment of student life here in Manchester. This is not some administrative body that concerns itself daily with the only issues seen in the press.

This is a place with infinite potential for people to grow and discover.

Whilst all criticism is welcome, I would rebut Lock’s suggestion that our organisation fails “to stand up for rights of students”. In fact, this really is our raison d’etre. Presenting some of our recent key campaigns: Supporting medical students campaigning against changes to Junior Doctors’ contracts, with over 1200 medical students annually standing to benefit from any ground that can be made in preventing dangerous contract changes.

Our Community Officer has been organising with residents around the standards and management of housing in the private rented sector. As a result the council will pilot three selective licencing schemes. If rolled out across the city the scheme would radically improve conditions for students and others.

Printing & binding dissertations will now be free as a result of the Education Officer’s work.

Last year we fought the university’s attempts to change discipline procedures for students in their homes off campus.

Our Women’s campaign has gone from strength to strength; the student support worker at Manchester Rape Crisis is perhaps the biggest success this year. It’s ironic that Lock would highlight the campaign against cuts to women’s services whilst supporting a government implementing such horrific changes in this area. But I thank him nonetheless.

A massive voter registration drive last year, which was totally non-partisan and focused on engaging students with citizenship and empowering them politically.

Successfully campaigning for postgrad education to be more inclusive by getting the proposed age cap for loans lifted.

Campaigning against the government’s Prevent strategy which seeks to divide BME communities and infringes upon the rights of students.

Campaigning by the Exec Team the year before last led to the university meeting the costs of the £1.1 million cut to the National Scholarship Programme that Lock’s party, the Conservatives, removed from the Higher Education budget—a £100 million cut nationally.

This is only a fraction of the amazing campaigning done by our societies and students with support from the Union.

It’s incredibly disingenuous to suggest that the cost of the Exec Team is large in the scale of the Union and could instead fund bursaries. We are the very people consistently standing up for bursaries and financial provision for students.

Specifically looking at the protest at the Conservative Party Conference, this was the first action in our democratically approved Grants Not Loans campaign seeking to save maintenance grants. Our officers met three different Members of Parliament before Christmas and urged them not to scrap maintenance grants.

As a result of this government’s actions nearly a million of the UK’s poorest students will now leave Higher Education around £12,500 more debt than otherwise.

This is clearly an issue the Students’ Union should campaign on. It will fundamentally affect university in the same way that tripling tuition fees did in 2010 and this campaign would happen no matter the political party advocating such a change.

Obviously Lock has chosen to disengage from our democracy and, without turning this comment into simply more literature for the free speech debate, in last week’s third ever Senate—which was not designed by the Exec Team as suggested— the first item for discussion was around changing the Free Speech policy. This motion passed with amendments and we now have a new collaborative process for visiting speakers that will allow more easy facilitation of difficult debates, with ‘banning’ of speakers now only possible with approval from the Senate.

This is just one issue that was discussed and the “Ideas” process is open to any student—meaning ANYONE can submit an idea for discussion. To Lock I would say, if you aren’t happy with what’s being discussed or what we’re campaigning on, why don’t you come along or submit your campaign idea on our website? There is already a good spectrum of political opinion at the Senate but if you really

want your voice to be heard in the Union then why don’t you use it rather than positioning yourself at the outside and acting as just another keyboard warrior?

This is an excerpt of Joel’s article, the rest of which can be found online at www.mancunion.com

Photo: The Mancunion

Cameron’s EU deal increases the possibility of Brexit The Prime Minister’s deal does not do enough to blunt the Euroscepticism that exists in the left and the right Daniel Austin Contributor Prime Minister’s whistle stop tour of Europe has finally reached its end in Brussels, culminating in his announcement that the United Kingdom’s referendum on membership of the European Union will be held on the 23rd of June this year, in a move which will ramp up pro and anti-Europe campaigning throughout the spring and into summer.

Having sought a special deal for the UK to remain a member state, Cameron was forced to renege on many of his proposals, such as the removal of childbenefit for families with children at home in other EU member states, which drew staunch opposition from Eastern European countries. He did, however, manage to have words to the effect that “the United Kingdom is not committed to further integration in the European Union” included in the agreement’s final draft, one of his primary aims. Overall, he has deemed the pact he managed to secure strong enough to mean that remaining in the EU can help to create an “even greater Britain.”

Yet, last week’s Question Time began with the question: “Has David Cameron really done enough to persuade the British public that we should remain in the European Union?”, and the fact of the matter is that he has not.

The bargain he returned with will do little to appease those on the right or left who were already Eurosceptic. For the

former, he has not gone far enough in his demands. His manifesto promise of restrictions to access to social housing for migrants were nowhere to be seen, while he was unable restrict to levels of EU migration, so often lambasted by the far-right in their fight to ‘take back the borders’. We will therefore most definitely be seeing Nigel Farage touring his “Australian points-based system” spiel around the TV stations for the umpteenth time.

The left, meanwhile, will question why the Prime Minister didn’t seek to negotiate over things like the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which alarmingly lowers barriers in accords between the EU and US concerning things such as environmental law, food safety regulations and banking practices.

The Prime Minister hasn’t even been able to find a consensus amongst his cabinet. Though Cameron and his major Conservative allies George Osborne and Theresa May will be campaigning for the UK to remain in the EU, many of his ministers are pro ‘Brexit,’ including London Mayor and deviously cunning idiot-impersonator Boris Johnson, and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan-Smith, who last year fist pumped and hollered in the House of Commons during a speech where George Osborne announced savage cuts to tax credits. Such scission will cause deep ruptures within the party that will be difficult to heal.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn argued that the negotiations were more about

Tory party politics than genuine reform, calling them a “theatrical sideshow” in parliament. With Cameron having already made clear that he will not stand for a third term, Johnson, Osborne and May have been made favourites to replace him and their actions are a demonstration of their posturing for the top job. Osborne and May are sticking to the central ground in the hope of having more widespread political appeal, while Johnson has gone renegade in actively campaigning against his own party-line, seemingly seeking popularity with the far-right of the party and those who have already defected to UKIP. Cameron’s negotiation battlegrounds were deeply flawed from the outset—he raised none of the issues which are most pressing to the EU or the UK. He sought no cooperation or discussion on the migrant crisis which has seen thousands die in desperation and will see so many more perish in the future. Nor did he enquire about the state of the UK and EU steel industry and its workforce in comparison with that of China. Furthermore, the Union’s attempted bullying of Greece last summer following its people’s’ rejection of austerity, led by Angela Merkel, showed a hostility towards democracy that should be debated and combatted, but has not. The Prime Minister did not see fit to negotiate on any of this, instead seeking measures to further impose his own harsh austerity measures, and allowing himself to be bogged down in relatively meaningless semantics about sovereignty. What should have been a set of reforms which sought to put the UK

at centre stage in the fight against such difficulties has amounted to little more than a regression in power that implies a desire to take a hands-off approach which leaves humanitarian crises to be dealt with by others.

Whatever the outcome, Cameron will certainly struggle to hold on to power. In his new year interview with the Andrew Marr Show, he declared that he would remain as Prime Minister even if he loses the referendum. But the prospect of losing one of the most significant votes in the country’s history would yield pressure difficult for any leader to handle, let alone one on shaky ground who has already stated that he won’t be around for the next General Election. And even if he wins, the in-fighting amongst his cabinet and backbench Tories will surely cause too much division for the man to retain every minister’s trust. The fallout will be dirty and Labour must be ready to capitalise as it seeks to reassert itself before 2020.

The reality is that Cameron’s deal has ensured that the possibility of the UK leaving the EU has vastly increased, an unbelievably poor piece of politicking and the exact opposite of what he initially set out to achieve. If his last major act as Prime Minister is to set in motion what he describes as the “leap into the dark” a departure from Europe would represent, it would be a fitting finale to a premiership which has offered no light and seen little other than pain and suffering for the most vulnerable.

Opinion11

ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Whilst I don’t find Stephen Fry the easiest character to like, his latest departure from Twitter following criticism and backlash over comments made at this year’s BAFTA awards raises ever more potent questions about the nature of our society, the ongoing issue of the right to offend, and the role of social media in overseeing this.

Fry is notorious for leaving Twitter, having done it twice from 2014 to 2015 and threatening to quit in 2009. It is true, therefore, that he is no stranger to public controversy, and even following his latest leave-taking from the social networking site, he says he hasn’t “slammed the door” on his Twitter presence. His reasons for quitting the site this time were that Twitter had become “a stalking ground for the sanctimoniously self-righteous” and that those who had condemned his “bag lady” comment at this year’s BAFTAs were “tragic people”.

As is the norm when he presents the BAFTAs, witty comments and jokes here and there are said without anyone batting an eyelid, and have become as customary as Ricky Gervais’s jibes whilst presenting the Golden Globes. Following the award for costume design given to Jenny Beavan, he commented: “Only one of the great cinematic costume designers would come to an awards ceremony dressed as a bag lady,” in his usual comedic manner. Of course it was only a matter of time before the Twitter police surfaced, throwing criticism his way over his joke about Beavan, which seems unjustified given that Beavan has said “Yes we are friends, and I am absolutely not upset,” in light of the furore.

In fact, she actively discouraged discussion over the matter, saying: “I don’t want to talk any further because if I talk about it it will just create more fuss.”

Twitter fries Stephen Romy Biscoe Opinion Writer

whose remarks on Muslims and Mexicans come very close to the highly prejudiced and offensive.

Fry, however, was hounded off Twitter for making a light-hearted remark about a friend. Whilst I don’t

“Twitter has become “a

“What has our society

become if a social media site is using its platform for bias political purposes?”

These criticisms would be somewhat more justified if Fry had been intentionally spiteful or misogynistic. It is evident, however, that people jumped to conclusions over his comments and tried to defend Beavan needlessly. A culture has grown of late whereby it seems people lie in wait to be offended by something. This is not to say there aren’t certain figures who are offensive, such as Donald Trump

Elliot Mills Contributor Recently I received a letter in the post, and it doesn’t stop there. I tore it open and read the title heading the first page: ‘The National Student Survey 2016’. Finally, I thought, a chance for me to have my say! I read on and noticed that ‘have your say’ was in the opening line. It was a promising start, but this was somewhat undercut by the fact that they had actually put inverted commas around ‘have your say’. I wondered if perhaps this was the draft version of the letter that had been sent around the office as a joke and then sent to us by accident. It was as though there were so many empty clichés on the first page that some had taken to waving at me to get my attention.

Photo: The Mancunion

condone what he said, because I think it was unnecessary to comment on Beavan’s appearance, the comment did not warrant such a torrent of anger.

It says a lot about society at the moment that people were offended on behalf of someone else. The question of whether freedom of speech should include the right to offend is a current debate, however it seems there is a consensus, at least in my knowledge, that people are often too readily offended, which taps into the wider debate about censorship and safe spaces. The commotion around Fry’s comments, however, led me to consider the role of Twitter and social media in the debate about freedom to offend.

everyday”. Shadowbanning does not outright ban users, but it makes their content invisible, in other words stopping them having an online presence on Twitter. Breitbart spoke exclusively to a source inside the company, who said that Twitter has a ‘whitelist’ and a ‘blacklist’ of users, with the latter being considered unfavoured accounts. Posts from these accounts are placed further down the search results, and eventually could disappear. This is usually used for accounts who spam, however it has been reported that it is being used against “tweets from populist conservatives, members of the alternative right, cultural libertarians, and other anti-PC dissidents [who] have disappeared from their time-

The Student Survey misses the point

What does the questionnaire really say about university expectation?

To be fair though, and fairness is key, the statement did get me questioning just how much special equipment I had been offered over my three years of studying English Literature. Not much! In fact I wouldn’t say any of the gear I’ve been given

“The NSS talks as though students are not interested in their course and they are only there because they want to earn a qualificiation.”

Nevertheless, I was just so excited about having my say, whether it was intertextual or not, that I turned to the survey itself and browsed through the points. Down the page was a list of statements to which you could express a range of nuanced responses, all the way from violent disagreement to ecstatic and partly spiritual concurrence. For those of the participants who were just in it for the experience, you were also offered the response ‘neither agree nor disagree’.

Number 18 caught my eye, as the statement offered read: “I have been able to access specialised equipment, facilities, or rooms when I needed to.”

Well, it is true, I have accessed a fair few rooms in my time. Many tell me it is one of my defining features—there goes ol’ Elliott “The Room Accessor” Mills, accessing rooms when he needs to, they say.

Don’t even try stopping him from accessing a necessary room, they reiterate in partial italics.

A recent investigation from Breitbart, reported in an article by Milo Yiannopoulos, hinted at the high number of ‘shadowbanning’ cases on Twitter recently which is apparently “real and happening

lines”, including those who promote non-PC views.

This report is of particular concern given the current climate of banning speakers, and even banning practices such as yoga (suspended at the University of Ottawa in Canada) from university campuses, and it points to an increasing concern about the power of companies like Twitter, using their influence to reach out into the political sphere.

A network like Twitter should not be able to pick and choose who has more prominence on their site, given that users of Twitter have a wide reach now that the site has 232 million active monthly users, according to a report in Business Insider. This report is also troubling because of the new Twitter Trust and Safety Council, which has been criticised for including only left-leaning individuals, what Jon Gabriel calls “leftist anti-speech activists”.

Of course, Twitter should have regulations in place to protect members of the public from those inciting violence, and they should monitor accounts of suspected terrorism given that there is an increasing online community for members of extremist groups to coordinate. It should not, however, use its power to silence those with views it deems unfavourable. What has our society become if a social media site is using its platform for bias political purposes? Twitter is a great way of getting in touch with people, for both personal and professional reasons, and should not merely become a puppeteer for a political agenda, and as Yiannopoulos draws attention to, behind a “veneer of opposition to online abuse”.

Photo: malachybrowne @Flickr

at university was all that special. Someone had to be blamed for this, and it certainly wasn’t going to be me. I crossed the ‘Definitely disagree’ box and with pencil added in “with an undue sense of selfentitlement”, to strengthen my case. Hopefully, in

stalking ground for the sanctimoniously selfrighteous” Bringing this back to the Fry issue, it highlights that Twitter has become a stomping ground for political and politically correct means, and this has extended beyond just its users to the organisation itself. It seems it is no longer a place to discuss ideas, or even make jokes about friends, without being at risk of complaint and having your tweets do a disappearing act. It comes to something when people are getting offended on someone else’s behalf, and taking this into a wider context, not be able to express more conservative right-wing views. just redress, at least one member of staff would lose their job.

Jobs, I think, are the main concern for the structuring of university, as this survey suggests the future of university experience is more based around the acquisition of qualifications for the benefit of future employment, rather than the enjoyment of an area of study in itself. One of the opening points in the survey asks us whether the “staff have made the subject interesting”. This seems to suggest that it would be strange to find the subject interesting anyway. That notion is compounded by the fact that the largest section in the survey relates to ‘Assessment and feedback’ and wants to know whether the student has been told assessment criteria, been marked fairly, and has received a no-win-no-fee 2.1 guarantee.

The National Student Survey tell us that they are “giving students a powerful collective voice to help shape the future of both their course and their university or college”, but it just so happens that the voice mostly talks about how they’re not interested in their course and how they are only there because they want to earn a qualification for the purposes of future employability. It’s not an evil voice, but it’s not an interesting voice either: It talks over-aggressively at waiters. It says ‘dividend’ quite often. The shape of this future university is already just about in view, predetermined rather than open for moulding. It is as though there is a giraffe shaped balloon and we are told that we can contribute to its future shape by how much air we would like to blow into it. Similar to a balloon, this survey seems innocuous and is carried by a fair amount of hot air.

I will admit that the imagery and the concepts didn’t quite align there. I’m not sure why the balloon was shaped like a giraffe nor why it then turned into a hot air balloon. I suppose I don’t fully have control over my literary and rhetorical devices because the staff didn’t make the subject interesting enough.

I remember the phrase ‘Homeric simile’ from second year because the lecturer did a joke about The Simpsons. After that joke the topic was no longer interesting. Then The Simpsons didn’t even come up in the exam. I guess that means the lecturer didn’t give me enough academic support. I guess that means they should get rid of that lecturer.

Music

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Live

Mystery Jets 19th February @ Gorilla Part space, part unity, part Instagram filter. We briefly interview Mystery Jets about their magical new album following its stratospheric take-off at Gorilla.

Jane Simmons Contributor

9.5/10

Four-piece London band, the Mystery Jets have been absent from the music radar for the past few years, and after the January release of their latest studio album Curve of the Earth it’s easy to see why; laced with bittersweet lyrics, space-age imagery and sumptuously catchy pop riffs, the Mystery Jets have lifted-off with possibly their most mature, melancholic and inventive studio album yet. Judging by the sweaty packed out capacity in Gorilla on Friday night—where the band played their new songs for the first time in Manchester—it is clear to see that the album has earned deep respect from fans both new and old.

Usually when bands play new songs for their audiences for the first time, they’re met with utterances and sighs from the audience—irritated with the idea of having to listen to a song they are not yet familiar with. With the Mystery Jets, this is not the case; the night begins with the first new single ‘Telomere’, and there is a real palpable sense of anticipation from the audience, as they watch engrossed, swaying hands in the air, softly repeating ‘Oh telomere’ back to the band. As they launch into Photo: Chloe melancholic anthem ‘Taken by the Tide’ the crowd Chaplin@Flickr come alive, jostling and wavering, crying “taken by the tiiiiide” in time to the chorus. It is great to be at a gig where the audience are so receptive and excited about the new tunes; to the point where they know every word to sing. The band pleased with old tunes too; ‘Young Love’ and an encore for ‘Two Doors Down’ were met with frantic crowd-surfing and singing. However, it is not only the new album that’s been baptised in approval. “Mr Jack Flanagan, ladies and gentlemen” Blaine Harrison announces during the gig, as the bands new bassist is met with a friendly cheer by the crowd.

Backstage, The Mancunion spoke to the band be-

Savages

fore the show, are enjoying gin cocktails in Gorilla’s kitchen before the set.

“Did we order these? Who ordered these?” They joke as they pick at a bowl of spicy fries that arrived at the table. They discuss the making of the new album, a personal and nostalgic journey for the band. “It’s our most personal record, and it’s based very much on the experiences that we’ve all had as a band over the last 10 years, so it’s kind of like a study of the band’s history really” says guitarist Will Rees. “A lot of the record kind of sounds like memories to me it’s got this kind of filter, like an Instagram filter!” “X Pro 1” adds Jack.

Despite the songs having this nostalgic “filter”, the dark elements of the past for the band have not been overlooked. “It’s definitely not sugar-coated, some of it—if anything has got chilli oil dribbled all over it,” explains Rees. “I think we were trying to be as honest about it as possible. If it’s too sugar-coated it’s too sweet. But the past is quite a magical place, really. That’s worth making the most of, you know, music’s gotta be magic otherwise it’s boring.”

Visually, the show was magic to watch. One searing pink line breaking through dark navy illuminated the band in pinks, purples and blues—all resembling the album artwork for Curve of the Earth.

Space and earth have contributed much of the inspiration behind the record, as the band cite the Whole Earth Catalog (WEC) from the 1960s and ‘70s as a “springboard” for some of the images within the album: “[WEC] was pretty much like a yellow pages for the 1970s counter-culture like, hippies, and in the Whole Earth Catalog, you could kind of learn how best to cultivate your own marijuana or where to meet like the like-minded people,” Jack explains, “once Steve Jobs in a speech described it as like the analogue internet, and when the book came out, he went round to university campuses and handed out these badges saying ‘why has nobody ever seen any pictures of the whole earth?’ And there’s just this real kind of innocence and naivety to it that’s part of it I think.”

I think these catalogues sort of reflect a yearning to like, bring people together and connect people.” Rees adds. Perhaps this is the intention of Curve of the Earth, to bring their audience together—much like they have at their Gorilla gig—and unite the past of the band with the future.

22nd February @ Albert Hall It’s not about gender; it’s about gristle. Post- punk prodigies Savages cast their black magic over Albert Hall.

Izabella Kerr Contributor

9/10

Dressed in their iconic black attire, Savages took to the stage and burst straight into their recently released track “Sad Person”. From the first rapturous note, it was clear that frontwoman Jehnny Beth had complete command of the crowd. She was an incredible presence: powerful, confident and oozing sex appeal, the audience revered her with awe.

The former Wesleyan Church surroundings suited Beth’s somewhat operatic yet gritty vocals, which were flawless throughout the entire performance. This is an incredible feat seeing as she enthusiastically danced and moved her way through pretty much every song.

As Beth was such a dynamic presence, she remained at the forefront of the audience’s mind and vision, which unfortunately rendered the rest of the band a bit of an afterthought – they were mostly still, though fully invested in the music they were performing. Guitarist Gemma Thompson’s incredible performance of “Mechanics” almost stole the show away from Beth – though this band are not out to compete with each other. They worked in perfect cohesion throughout the show, delivering a tight and thoroughly enjoyable performance of old and new songs; there is very little to be faulted.

It is refreshing to see a band like Savages do so well. In a male dominated industry, particularly the rock genre, it is inspiring to see (and hear) an all-female collective of musicians who are so undeniably talented they could rival a great number of male bands and musicians.

To certify their talent on the basis of their gender, however, would be to marginalise them: their talent does not stem from their appeal as female musicians. Savages are not just wonderful performers, but musicians as well – regardless of their gender. With flawless performances and boundless energy, Savages delivered an intense and empowering gig.

Album

Kanye West: The Life Of Pablo Released 14th February via GOOD Music Jacob Bernard Banton Music Critic

7/10

Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo was always going to be as polarising as the man who made it. Over the course of eighteen tracks, he goes from wishing his penis had GoPro to exhibiting hitherto undisclosed self-awareness on ‘I Love Kanye’: “I miss the old Kanye,” he opens, “I hate the new Kanye…the always rude Kanye.” His taste is as omnivorous as ever. ‘30 Hours’ finds West ad libbing and taking a mobile phone call over an Arthur Russell sample, while André 3000 provides vocal garnishing. What started brilliantly turns self-indulgent, but something about his extended, half-arsed coda is very entertaining. ‘Fade’ drops into slinky, muffled Chicago house – crisp TR-909 handclaps and all.

The arrival of grating Auto-Tuned singing, gospel voices and low-slung, chattering trap threaten to overwhelm the tune, until it abruptly stops.

Everything here, like West himself, is inconsistent. ‘Facts (Charlie Heat Version)’ showcases West’s flagrant self-aggrandisement (“2020, I’ma run the whole election!”) against crunching beats and tiresome bombast. Kid Cudi’s vocal hook compliments ‘Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1’ remarkably well amid West’s lacklustre verses; its superior second part comes laden with distorted handclaps, icy synths and fleeting references to West’s parents’ divorce. ‘Feedback’ struts with what appears to be a whining, high-pitched police-siren as its lead melody – it might piss off some, it might delight others. Many will just clench their fists. Still, for every ludicrous boast (“Name one genius that ain’t crazy…I shouldn’t even bother with all these gossiping, no-pussy-getting bloggers”), there’s a brief glimmer of self-awareness (“I’ve been outta my mind a long time”). ‘FML’

Tracks of the

Week Ellie James Contributor

Kanye West’s much-anticipated and flawed seventh album The Life of Pablo will delight some and piss off others. But then it wouldn’t be a Kanye West album if it didn’t piss somebody off.

Photo: monophonicgirl@Flickr

is less involving, both lyrically and musically, until a bizarre interpolation of Section 25’s ‘Hit’ heaves into view – the thrilling, disturbing sound of its creator’s mind unravelling.

‘Freestyle 4’ and ‘Famous’ both encapsulate the entire record: less songs than splintered, sporadic and fragmented ideas. Pablo feels like Yeezus – noted for its impressively abrasive brutality and brevity – engulfed in a protracted bipolar episode, growing more introverted and ecstatic with each track. Both ‘Wolves’ and ‘Real Friends’ are truly affecting. They sound doleful, though glancing at their lyrics, they’re anything but. The former appears to have West compare himself, his wife and young son Saint to Joseph, Mary and Jesus; on the latter, he laments the fact that he has no real friends, less doleful than a bit whingey.

Some tracks fall flat: the less said about ‘Low Lights’ or the supremely uninteresting ‘Waves’ the better. But when it works, like the jaw-dropping ‘No More Parties in LA’, it really works. Hands down, it is the album’s best track. However, it puts forward the compelling argument that despite his sonic achievements, West’s lyrical dexterity has been surpassed by others, namely guest rapper Kendrick Lamar, who delivers funny, dexterous rhymes over Madlib’s effortless production. West, ‘No More Parties…’ aside, is rarely on the kind of form he displayed on previous albums, scant on the incisive social commentary of ‘New Slaves’, and even the braggadocio here feels rehearsed. Yet it wouldn’t be a Kanye West album if it wasn’t a flawed tour de force.

5/10

Photo: Album Artwork

Yoko Ono: ‘Catman’ ft. Miike Snow From Yes, I’m a Witch Too, released 19th February

Ludovico Einaudi: ‘The Drop’ (Mogwai remix) Released 19th February via Universal

BJ The Chicago Kid: ‘The New Cupid’ ft. Kendrick Lamaar From In My Mind, released 19th February via Motown

One day, a megadrive and a tonne of amphetamine decided to have a baby. After prolonged discussion over some bottles of Shlöer, they decided to call their baby Catman.

Yoko Ono’s original vocals have been chopped up by Miike Snow and strewn across this rework of the 1972 track, rendering it unrecognisable. It’s the perfect taster of what to expect from the rest of Ono’s album of re-imaginings entitled Yes, Im a Witch Too. Sega!

Einaudi is an Italian minimalist composer whose his music is guaranteed to have crept into your life somehow in the last ten years. He collaborated with Mogwai on this remix of original track ‘Drop’, a beautiful example of Einaudi’s monochrome musical tendencies. His hallmark piano arpeggios weave through Mogwai’s metallic drums to slowly build atmosphere. It would be the perfect accompaniment to a pensive wander round town, the Yin to Catman’s Yang if you will.

Imagine: it’s mid July, you’re on a sprawling beach somewhere at sunset, at a bar with a cold beer and several of your best mates. OK, now what is the song playing in the background?

If you don’t already have one... You know. A repeating baseline underlies BJTCK’s soft, lilting vocals, Raphael Saadiq’s earworm of a sample from ‘Oh Girl’ punctuates the intro and Kendrick Lamar adds 45 seconds of grit. Shame, it’s definitely still February outside.

Music 13

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Interview

James One of Manchester’s mostloved 90’s bands catch up with Hannah Brierley to both revisit and reminisce of their time at Manchester University

I’m sitting in the Malmaison Hotel reception area, waiting for the band to come over. Jim Glennie and Saul Davies approach and I stand up to shake their hands. Immediately I have the urge to burst out the lyrics ‘oh sit down, sit down next to me’ … but I then think about how many times people must have done that before, and swiftly decide against it.

Being described as Manchester’s ‘best kept secret’, the two members reminisce about their university

Photo: Waxorian@Flickr

Photo: James’s facebook

days and how they met. Saul tells me that he studied Law originally but left because it was ‘fucking bollocks’. He then went on to study Archaeology and Ancient History, on the basis that you do nothing about nothing.

“The band very much fell together”, they explain. You can understand why some hippie dippie people believe in this fate sort of shit. Jim clarifies that in his younger years he was best friends with exbandmate Paul Gilbertson; however, they had an argument and fell out for a year. When they rekindled their friendship, Jim had commitments to play football and games, while Paul had reinvented himself and delved into the world of music, and made it his mission to educate Jim. He recalls a time in particular, when he was dragged into his friend’s house and was made to listen to ‘Psycho Killer’ by Talking Heads and repeating to him ‘YOU WILL NOW APPRECIATE MUSIC.’ Pre-James, Jim and Paul met lead singer Tim Booth in the Manchester Student Union underground bar, or as we know it today, Club Academy. Jim laughs that they used to go there a lot and were too broke to buy drinks, so would steal unattended drinks; this one night, it just so happened to be Tim himself...even if he did catch them in the act, and was...surprisingly chilled out about it.

Saul (who plays the violin and guitar) was spotted playing on a night out at Band on the Wall, where band member Larry was in the crowd, and invited him along to their rehearsals, and that’s how the band fell together.

The Academy and the Manchester Student Union hold great significance for them as a band, so when it was being decided that they were to do another UK tour, they were adamant that they wanted to play at the place where the band had been born, especially since they

have never previously played the Academy despite playing other large venues such as The Ritz and The Apollo. They also explain how weird it was to be as huge as they were in Manchester despite being relatively small to the rest of the country. So to be back in their home town felt somewhat magical, and the tickets became a bit like ‘gold dust’.

Saul then talks about his memories of watching other bands play when he was younger, and thinking to himself, “One day my band is going to be on that stage!” and finally, having formed in 1982, they are getting to play in the place where it all started.

The pair get excited and explain that for the first time in a long time they’ve actually rehearsed together, and in the past this has always felt tedious and like being back at school. Also, bringing ten brand new songs to the setlist that they’ve never performed before, they have hopes of blowing the audiences’ heads off.

I was lucky enough to watch James perform last summer at Kendal Calling. Saul admitted that he loves playing at small boutiquey type festivals, as opposed to the much larger ones, because they feel more intimate. The pair go on and fantasize about one day starting up their own festival and how great that would be. Jim says they’d ask the likes of Biffy Clyro and The Courteeners to come play for them. Saul also says how he’d love to be able to encourage other small northern bands as well as some of the bands he used to love to listen to when he was younger, to come perform, too.

In conclusion, I guess the moral you could take away from this story is to steal people’s drinks in clubs… you never know, you could become Manchester’s next best-kept secret.

(But take that advice at your own risk.)

Opinion

It seems like Spotify is like Marmite; consumers love it, while artists tend to hate it. Frank Hillman believes we shouldn’t fight against the tide of technology, and that maybe Spotify isn’t all bad... merely as a tool for the spread and sharing of art in the best way possible.

It’s not all bad for the artists either. Spotify is a framework that artists can and must use to spread awareness, reach more listeners, and acquire more fans. It is under these conditions that modern music fans are then subsequently more likely to invest, both emotionally and financially, in artists and music as a whole. When music is provided both extensively and readily, fans are given the best opportunity to indulge fully in an artist, making them more prone to direct investment, by attending live shows, or even (god forbid) buying the physical album.

The rise of Spotify can in this way be seen as a symptom of a wider change in the music industry, where the focus is no longer on the sale of music in the traditional form. Whereas the ‘band’ used to be an advert for potential sale of the album, roles have now reversed, and the music is a shop window for a further investment in the artist. The hyper-inflation of live music prices (a ticket for Glastonbury has risen from £1 in 1970 to £228 for the 2016 edition), along-

“Artists deserve reward for their art. That’s a given. But music is no longer a commodity to be traded and possessed - it is an entity to be shared and experienced.”

Academy Award Original Score Winners With the Oscars upon us, let’s take a look at some of the greatest winning original scores…

‘Jaws’ (1975) John Williams Williams has had over 50 nominations, and Jaws was his first win. Iconic yet simple - he used just two notes to create the ferocity and tension of shark attacks.

5

Photo: Cover

4

‘Up’ (2009) Michael Giacchino

Disney soundtracks feature frequently among previous shortlists, but ‘Up’ is a highlight. Brilliantly mixing the upbeat Pixar charm with the bittersweet premise of the film, particularly in the otherwise silent opening scene.

3 ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ (2008) - A.R.Rahman

Rahman mixed old and new India in his globally chart successful soundtrack that featured the singles: ‘Jai Ho’ and M.I.A.’s ‘Paper Planes’.

‘La Vita è Bella’ (1997) Nicola Piovani Piovani has worked on over 130 film scores; his dramatic and best known soundtrack for ‘Life is Beautiful’ perfectly mirrors the tragic love story set in facist Italy..

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In defence of Spotify Prominent opposition to Spotify has never been hard to find in the music industry. Neil Young and Taylor Swift both had their back catalogue removed from the service in 2015, Thom Yorke proclaimed it to be “the last fart of [the industry’s] dying corpse”, and in a 2013 Twitter rant, Foals’ Yannis Philippakis told Spotify to stay away from the croissants in his metaphorical bakery. The argument is well rehearsed: artist’s royalties should be greater than a fraction of a penny per stream, and the Spotify model is a damaging force to the music industry. While it is true that artists certainly deserve reward for the music that they produce and release, the vilification of Spotify as the pseudo-criminal killer of the music industry is not only excessive, but undeserved. The streaming service’s role in establishing a means by which all music can be instantly enjoyed makes it a powerful force for good on the shifting sands of musical media.

From the fan’s perspective, this is most obviously observed in its scope; Spotify maximises the opportunity for creative discovery and collective enjoyment of music. Music from whenever can reach whoever, where ever they are. Albums from last month can be compared to those from last year, and judged against those from the last century. The world’s smallest artists are granted the same potential platform for exposure as their more established and successful counterparts, no longer relying on radio plays and album sales to further their reputation. Spotify, by elevating the music itself to being the most important feature of the industry, appears

Top 5

side an increasing trend of artists such as Radiohead releasing albums for nothing or on a ‘pay what you want’ basis, is comprehensive proof of this. All the potential to earn money in music still exists, just in different forms and areas. Streaming services such as Spotify have been the first to adapt to this change in the industry’s tide, and hence represent the future of listening to music.

Another of Spotify’s unappreciated functions is its role in the war against piracy; in many ways it represents the moral way of accessing music, an ironic claim given the language of its critics. Kevin Spacey, central enthusiast of the parallel TV service Netflix, eloquently spoke in 2013 on how the most effective method in taking a “bite out of piracy” is to “give people what they want, when they want it, at a reasonable price”. Spotify, with an estimated 20 million paying customers worldwide, is central proof of this trend; especially when considered alongside the rise of BitTorrents and other forms of pirating.

Artists deserve reward for their art. That’s a given.

But music is no longer a commodity to be traded and possessed - it is an entity to be shared and experienced. Spotify is what the people want for the right price. It is not only the best way to improve the collective experience of music, but an exciting opportunity for artists new and old, and a representation of the art in its widest form. Spotify’s own slogan neatly summarises its greatest and finest function: Music for Everyone.

Photo: Cover

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‘The Social Network’ (2010) - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Composed by some members of Nine Inch Nail’s, this alternative soundtrack with an electronic edge was very different from previous winners giving the contest a needed shake up.

Hannah Woodbridge Contributor

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Music

ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Yuck: Stranger Things Released 26th February via Balaclava Records

Yuck haven’t just lost their original frontman, but the very thing that made their raucous indie rock so enjoyable the first time around. Their new album is for 90s trad-indie devotees only Jacob Bernard Banton Music Critic

9/10

In 2013, Yuck frontman Daniel Blumberg announced he was quitting the band and going solo. Since then, the London-based quartet have released a second album, Glow & Behold, and 2014’s underappreciated Southern Skies EP. Though it might have been three years since Blumberg’s departure, it seems to be the primary lyrical concern on the title track of Yuck’s third record Stranger Things. “Stranger things have happened to me since you’ve been gone,” guitarist Max Bloom sings. “It’s hard to think that you could ever be replaced.” Of course, the song isn’t so much about Blumberg as much as an ex-lover, while musically, the shadow of Big Star looms large.

At its least interesting, as on ‘Hearts in Motion’ and ‘Hold Me Closer’, both recalling 90s emo outfit Jawbreaker (right down to the latter’s brief, languid coda), Stranger Things is unapologetically retrograde which, in the time of folks like Girl Band, is unforgivable. Once again, the band take their cues from Dinosaur Jr., though unfortunately the point of their career when they lost their bite. Some gems still remain. ‘As I Walk Away’ checks into the same hotel as Real Estate’s Atlas and is all the better for it, featuring bassist Mariko Doi’s lovely, mellifluous vocals; even some of the overwhelming sonic chaos of MBV’s seasick guitars threaten to sneak themselves in. ‘Like a Moth’ is rather beguiling, supported by a gleaming chorus.

‘Swirling’ is an utter joy, something of a revelation tucked in amongst less successful tracks. It transplants the lush, swooning cacophony of MBV’s Loveless, albeit softened and polished for radio airplay, into the service of a beautifully spectral, sedated tune, the sort you might find on a Sarah Records compilation – it might well be the best goddamn thing on here. However, repeat listens reveal Stranger Things’ many shortcomings as it settles into lazy, trad-indie, slavishly indebted to 90s fuzzy alt-rock. ‘I’m Ok’ betrays an uneasy tension between Beatlesque pop and Meat Puppetsinspired noise. ‘Only Silence’ travels in one ear and out the other without leaving a lasting impression. The moaning, shrieking guitars and unhurried melody on ‘Yr Face’ offer some redemption, but almost everything here is perfunctory and littered with well-worn chord progressions. There’s none of Yuck’s former squalling guitar violence, no sudden attacks of distortion or amplified feedback. As a result, Blumberg won’t the only person to desert Yuck: their fans might leave them behind and all.

Photo: Album Artwork

Rec rd Reappraisal

The Lounge Lizards: Voice Of Chunk Released 1988 via Strange and Beautiful Music

Pierre Flasse journeys into the realm of the punk-influenced, no wave-inspired jazz of the Lounge Lizards The Lounge Lizards were an experimental group formed by two brothers, John and Evan Lurie in 1978. By combining elements of experimental jazz, free improvisation and minimalistic repetition, they together created a sound which was a niche genre within itself. One of the most prominent features of this music is the particular strong sax line, juxtaposed with laid back beats and cross rhythms.

Voice Of Chunk was released ten years into their flow, once they were comfortable and familiar with their sound. Many have described this as one The Lounge Lizards’ lesser albums, yet for me it combines two elements of their sounds in subtle harmony; it effortlessly blends their noisy anarchy-like sound with a smooth melodic side. The album itself is a story or a journey, taking you through all the complexities and wonders of all aspects of the voice of ‘chunk’.

The album starts with ‘Bob The Bob’, for me one of the best on the record. It is so, so incredibly smooth: beginning with a silky sax line that tastes creamy, the guitar, piano and drums all tinker in, fitting like cogs spinning in the welloiled machine. This song starts slow, creeps up on you, and then slyly knocks you over with some frankly serious side-rhythms. At only 2

minutes long, it’s one of the gentler but sexier tracks.

This moves seamlessly into the title track, ‘Voice Of Chunk’. This feels like a natural development upon the previous track, incorporating a slightly angrier dual sax voice that never quite synchronises with a thrashy piano and jumpy beat. The sexy ‘Bob The Bob’ grows into a fiery cross-rhythm paradise. The prominent feature of this track is the constantly repeated but always subtly varying sax melody.

‘One Big Yes’ comes as yet another natural progression pushing you further into the soundscape of The Lounge Lizards. As a fairly similar track to ‘Voice Of Chunk’ in structure and layout, it sounds remarkably different, with a strong driving riff. This song feels like you’re being propelled forwards, with the chords that never quite settle on a root and throbbing drums.

A final touch on a song worth hearing is ‘Tarantella’. Imagine a Spanish fairground that engages in pyrotechnics and a sense of terrifying decor that doesn’t quite fit. An entirely different song to the rest of the album, it’s wonderfully catchy and acts as a brilliant anthem showing the admirable personality of the group. It has a jaunty piano fairground riff

Q&A: Mystery Jets

How is Curve of The Earth different to all previous albums you’ve done before?

Jack Flanagan: Curve of the Earth is kind of like the most personal album that the bands ever done really, Will’s very good at answering this question...

Kapil Trivedi: He’s the question-master.

Will Rees: Well I think, as Jack was gonna say, it’s our most personal record, and it’s based very much on the experiences that we’ve all had as a band over the last 10 years. So it’s kind of like a study of the band’s history really, an autobiography if you like.

WR: Well we did write a space-rock record, there’s actually two… we got two albums out of the three year period in which we made Curve of the Earth but the third one was just too space-rock basically and too slow and wasn’t gonna work.

JF: Earth-rock.

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Photo: Press release

The south London indie mainstays are on a hot streak after the release of their latest LP, Curve of the Earth, in January. Jane Simmons does her best to uncover the mystery in the Mystery Jets

JF: Some of the experiences happened while we were in the studio. There was kind of a break in writing the songs where we had one batch which was kind of around a lot before we started recording it. I feel like some personal experience kind of seeped in half way through the recording… We didn’t intend for it to be very personal though. We wanted to write a space-rock album.

Get Involved!

Photo: Album Artwork

which gets overpowered by spooky screaming instruments and a tongue-in-cheek vocal refrain.

This is jazz with a cinematic sensibility. As an album, not one song acts as a weak point, each bringing something further to the fore.

It can be so wonderful because it doesn’t just showcase the smooth and tasty sections; it stands strong and pisses the ugly parts right down your throat. As they say in ‘Tarantella’, “And we’re proud of it, oh so proud of it, that’s just the kind of guys we are”. It’s both a soft dream and hard hitting kick in the gut. I’m not a fan of the word quirky, but it actually really well describes this niche corner of jazz. If you listen and enjoy, have a gander at their title album The Lounge Lizards (1981) for an angrier, harder hitting, toe-crushing performance.

management were like you’ve got a deadline.. and we set up like five breakaway mini-studios inside our studio and everyone was just on laptops like doing different things and weren’t sleeping very much… The last bit got really quite intense because the whole process was very kind of like just doing the best we could possibly do.

When I was listening to the album I thought it was quite, I’m not sure if you agree with this, but it felt like it was quite a nostalgic album, reflecting on your past. Would you agree with that?

WR: Yeah absolutely, good question. I totally agree, yeah. I think all of the songs, apart from maybe one or two, are very much rooted in past experience… there’s this kind of… I think a lot of the record kind of sounds like memories to me it’s got this kind of like filter, like an Instagram filter! A memory filter…

JF: (laughs) X Pro 1.

KT: Yeah, Earth-rock.

WR: That was the inspiration for the record, yeah. (laughs) That was your inspiration.

So this album, I mean obviously you recorded it in your own studio, do you think that’s contributed to the sound being different - especially from the Eel Pie days?

JF: That was my inspiration, yeah! No I totally agree. I think you’ve summed it up.

WR: Yeah, I think the great thing about having your own studio and selfproducing is that you can take as long as you like and there’s no one to stop you working all day and all night if you want to. Also you’re the master of your own limitations so you go as far as you wanna go. So for us most of the songs were re-recorded quite a few times so we’d written quite a lot so we really kind of just didn’t stop until we felt totally happy we were ready and there with it.

JF: Yeah it really helped not having somebody with their hand on their watch, ‘cus normally you go in and you’ve got too much to do or like a certain amount of time, but now it’s like we’re not gonna stop until it’s the right record.

So saying it’s like a filter would you say that you’re sort of sugar coating the past?

WR: Um I don’t know about sugar-coating I mean some of it’s definitely not sugar-coated, some of it if anything has got chilli oil dribbled all over it. (To Jack:) Certainly your bits have… encona…. I think we were trying to be as honest about it as possible. I think if it’s too sugar-coated it’s too sweet…. Well I think naturally you kind of have a tendency to, I mean the past is quite a magical place, really, so that’s worth making the most of you know, music’s gotta be magic otherwise its boring, like what’s the point, it lives in that area.

So, on the point of magic, I noticed on the album that there’s quite a lot of spacey, watery imagery…

Yeah, so there were no people in suits sort of telling you when to do it…

WR: I thought you were gonna ask us about Coldplay.

JF: Yeah exactly… well kind of like in a way. There were people like dropping in and keeping check on it and like the last two weeks were quite... cus our

...Read the full version at mancunion.com/music

Games 15

ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Review

Xenoblade Chronicles X Joshua Goldie Games Editor Back in 2010 there was an internet movement known as ‘Project Rainfall’.

The idea behind this was to convince Nintendo to localise three games on the Wii that had gained some notable notoriety online due to the positive reception in Japan and the prestige behind them. These three games were Pandora’s Tower, The Last Story, and Xenoblade Chronicles. In the end, Nintendo of Europe would bite the bullet and localise the games in English, and all three titles were met with a positive reception. Out of these three games the most famous, and by far the most popular, was Xenoblade Chronicles by Monolith Soft. This gargantuan game was easily the best JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing Game) in a long time. The game was successful enough both here and in Japan that the games protagonist managed to earn himself a space on the roster for Super Smash Bros on Wii U and 3DS, was remade for New 3DS in 2015 and eventually got a sequel for the Wii U called Xenoblade Chronicles X, which launched in Japan April of last year and December for the rest of the world.

The first Xenoblade Chronicles was known for many things. It had a very likeable cast of characters and a very strong story that spanned 100+ hours. A big draw of the first game was its world.

The land of the Bionis and Mechonis, two titans who killed each other in combat, and from their corpses the world was born, was breathtaking and looked absolutely stunning, especially for a game on the Nintendo Wii. This world was packed with life from collectible material, people with side-quests to give you and lots of monsters with varying ranges. One step into the Guar Plains really showed off how great this game could be.

Unfortunately with such great scenery, something was inevitably there as a counter, and these were the character models. They were not good, especially the faces, which was slightly disappointing. The combat was done in real-time and used a new style of fighting where you and your team would autoattack while you decided what special abilities they would pull-off. These abilities were called Arts and ranged from a certain type of attack, healing, stat buff/ debuff and aggro among many more. All this went together perfectly to make an ultimate JRPG experience and is a game I recommend everyone to try. However, it is not the game I am reviewing today.

The reason I am explaining the first game to you now is because the games sequel, Xenoblade Chronicles X, takes everything from the first game and expands on it; unfortunately, not all of these expansions are an improvement.

We will start this review with the

positives, and the first thing to note in this game is its world. The world of Mira is massive and beautiful. There are five main environments to be found on Mira with two lesser areas that you will visit.

The main areas consist of a huge plain and mountains called Primordia, something very similar to the Guar Plains but with an even greater sense of awe; there is the giant rainforest of Noctilum with huge vines, swamps and insects to be found; the area to the east is the ruined desert of Oblivia with lightning rain and floating islands; there is the ash soaked valley of Sylvalum which is guarded by ancient monsters and giant robots that patrol the area looking to destroy other mechanical life; and finally in the far north is Cauldros, a land of fire a brimstone where only the most powerful of monsters can survive.

While visiting these areas you may sometimes find yourself travelling across Mira’s great sea and discovering little Islands along the way. If you ever find yourself needing some downtime there is also the final area that acts as your main hub: New LA. New LA is a bustling metropolitan filled with humans and other peaceful alien life. New LA really does feel like a living, breathing town lost in the heart of an alien planet and that is exactly what it is. This games biggest strength is the fact that you really feel like you are exploring an undiscovered alien planet and it creates a sense of adventure in the soul that no other game has done to me before.

This breathtaking world could not come to live if it wasn’t for the amazing HD graphics that this game has an over.

This title really shows exactly what the Wii U can do and looks a lot better than many of the games you would find on the PS4 or Xbox One, at least from a distance. When you actually jump into the game you will end up finding that up close not everything is as great as you might have expected, with the character models still being the worst of the bunch. In Xenoblade Chronicles X you have the ability to create your own character which is new to the series.

However this comes with a downside, as all the playable cast essentially has the same build. This is to allow for any outfit or weapon to work on any character but it creates the problem that characters either look really generic or have really odd faces up close.

The only exceptions to this are Elma and Lin who are the de facto main characters, as the story follows them along with the Avatar character, but more on that in a bit.

The player may find themselves running into graphical issues when entering into a new area with textures not loading or just looking rather choppy and some elements like cars and planes literally go through the player which kills some of the immersion. However with all this said there is an upside. It becomes

Is the newest entry into the Xenoblade series as good as the last? Joshua Goldie tells all.

somewhat understandable why all of this happens when you realize that there are practically zero load screens in this whole game. The whole world, minus one or two areas, is one gigantic map that the player can freely enter from any side and at any time without restriction. The game’s focus is freedom and exploration, and Xenoblade Chronicles X captures this perfectly.

Another new feature of Xenoblade Chronicles X is the class and Skell mechanics. As the main character is an avatar they do not have a set weapon or ability layout like the characters from the first game. Instead you have access to a full range of classes and weapons to pick from. You can decide to be a jack-of-all trade or prioritize one specific loadout.

With each of these classes come different skills and Arts you can equip to make your character play like you want him to. The player moves around in a squad, with a maximum of four members, and while you can change the classes of your partners, there are more than enough of them to truly customize every aspect of battle.

Unfortunately, as cool as the class system is, it almost becomes pointless when the Skells are introduced. The Skells are basically giant robots, like Transformers or any mech anime, which the player can pilot from the inside. The Skells have all their own stats and abilities and offer a better damage output, more health and more manoeuvrability when travelling the world. In exchange for this you will likely never use your class loadout again until the game forces you into ground segments. This is all worth it though as soon as you unlock the ability to fly, as flying around Mira with 4 Skells feels amazing, and the music really helps to make the moment feel special, especially the first time you set off.

There are two more combat features that play a role in this game, both during ground and Skell combat, and these are Soul Voice and Tension Points. Soul Voice replaces healing in this game and takes some getting used to. Essentially, you have to be a good team mate. Your partners will sometimes make requests of you such as ‘Move in close with a melee attack’ or ‘I could use a buff’.

These prompts are met with a coloured border and require the player to use an art of that same colour. This will not only increase your affinity with that character but activate a quick time event that upon entering correctly both you and the character you helped will get some health back. It seems complicated but it will eventually become natural and the same can be said for the Tension Points (TP).

Over battle various factors increase your characters TP such as morale, autoattacking, and as a side-effect of certain Arts. TP can then be used to perform

Photo: Nintendo Co., Ltd., Monolith Soft, Inc.

certain Arts; specifically Auras which have miscellaneous effects on you or your party, and for activating Overdrive.

Overdrive is a special mode where all of you characters stats will increase for a set amount of time. The time you are in Overdrive can be extended by the arts you perform and the more TP you can earn while in Overdrive. This skill is absolutely required to learn for the later parts of the game, and this can seem quite confusing at first, so I recommend paying sharp attention when they explain this in the game.

That covers it for all the gameplay parts of this game so now is a good time to discuss the music. The music for this game was done by popular Japanese artist Hiroyuki Sawano who is well known for his work on Blue Exorcist and Attack on Titan. He puts his usual style into the world of Xenoblade and it is certainly not for everyone but personally I found it to be very cheesy, camp, and ultimately very awesome. Every track feels different and matches what is happening on screen. The various songs that play during a battle match the scope of the fight and make you feel pumped. The music that plays when you fly through the sky is also magical while Noctilum’s theme is probably my favourite of all of them, as it makes you really feel like an explorer of unknown lands. Not all the songs are good; the night-time New LA theme is just strange, but for the most part this game OST is definitely one I would like to own myself.

So, finally we come to this game’s negative, and I was saving it for the end because it is quite major: The story is pretty bad.

The games plot is simple: Aliens have destroyed the Earth but a small section of humanity escaped in various ships. We follow the White Whale which has been shot down and lands on an alien planet.

Now it is up to the player character to join the military organization BLADE and help the human race survive by finding the life hold of the ship, where the

majority of Earth’s population is asleep in cryogenics. Unfortunately, the Aliens who destroyed Earth have appeared here as well in attempt to finish what they started. The game’s premise is fine, and the world it has built seems like a good one, but the issue is that nothing is given a proper explanation.

Only a handful of the games many plot threads get some kind of resolution and a lot of the character moments are relegated to the side quests (which are vastly improved from the original game, although gathering quests are even more annoying this time due to a lack of direction for the player). There are about six player characters in the game (out of 17) who matter at all and most of them lose all sense of character outside of Elma and Lin as they are required but the fourth character is not so they usually stand there as a lifeless husk. Almost like the main character in this game, your avatar. Shulk was an enjoyable protagonist because he had character, but the issue with using a player controlled avatar this time around is that they have no character. Every so often you pick from a choice of dialogue options but your character never speaks outside of battle and so really just feels like he is a side character to Elma’s story rather than it being the other way around.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is an absolutely wonderful experience and one I recommend any Wii U owner picks up.

The gameplay, presentation, and music are fantastic and will keep you engrossed for over 100 hours easily. This can be a problem because it does require some sort of investment, however the game can be tackled with a group of friends (a feature which I, unfortunately, did not get to try). If you are expecting a great story, however, you will be left feeling very disappointed.

Despite this major flaw, I loved Xenoblade Chronicles X and I pray that one day it may see a sequel with a halfdecent plot to wrap up everything left behind in this game.

King of the North 2016 King of the North is happening THIS WEEK and this time it is bigger and better than ever. We have moved from Academy 2 to Academy 1 so that is double the space and you bet we are taking full advantage.

This year at King of The North there will be Leage of Legends, DOTA 2 and CS:GO UK university finals which you can watch live.

There will also be two tournaments based on the Super Smash Bros series: a Melee tournament and a Smash for Wii U tournament. For fans of rocket league there will also be a 1v1 Rocket League tournament.

If all of this excites you then buy a ticket now! It is really cheap and can be bought over at: www.uomesports.com.

If you purchase a ticket now it will cost you £2 rather than the £3 on the door. To enter either of the Smash Tournaments it will cost you £5 but that is nothing compared to the £100 cash prize. As for Rocket League, entrance is free! So you have no excuse to not enter.

Check out the King of the North facebook page or the UoM eSports website for more information. The festival will be held on Wednesday and we hope to see you there.

Want to meet fellow gamers in Manchester?

And following on from the left we will also be at King of the North this Wednesday and this will act as our event for that week. We will have a section of the festival dedicated to us all day with various games from Mario Kart to Kinect! If you are visiting King of the North and want to relax then make sure to come and visit us.

Make sure to also pay attention to our Facebook page as we will be giving more details on our annual charity event very soon. /GamingSociety

Fashion & Beauty: Feminism Special

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Are fashion and feminism incompatible?

Millie Kershaw argues that there is a place for feminism in the fashion industry and that being passionate about both subjects is not contradictory In anticipation of the Women in Media conference hosted by the Manchester Media Group, 4-6 March, and International Women’s Day, which follows shortly after, on 8 March, I started musing over my position when it came to feminism. As an editor for the Fashion and Beauty section, does an interest in appearances and the ‘superficial’ necessarily dictate my stance on the social, economic and political equality of the sexes? Is this concern for fashion and beauty just a conspiracy created by the industry to oppress women?

A widely-held opinion that I have come into contact with is that an interest in fashion and beauty is incompatible with feminism.

A movement that fights for the equal status of men and women is supposedly undermined by the desire to express oneself through their outer appearance. I would argue that this simplistic view of the fashion-feminism relationship comes down to a misogynistic binary that applies the fundamentally subjective notion of beauty in opposition with intelligence: Women who are preoccupied with their appearance lack capacities in other areas; intelligent thinkers have greater concerns than that of their clothing.

This entire argument is flawed and, moreover, out-dated. Fashion, like any other creative medium, should be considered like an art and a form of self-expression that people can appreciate and replicate in the manner that suits the individual. A quick Google Image search of feminist pioneer Simone de Beauvoir confirms that she was a beautiful woman who expressed herself through her fashion and accessory choices. An example such as this goes to Photo: Madame Ostrich show that an interest in fashion and beauty, or, indeed, the act of dressing oneself, should not be considered as a visual interpretation of how an individual wants to be perceived, rather, a way of exercising their freedom of choice to buy and wear what they choose. It is, to avoid charges for indecent exposure, a fundamentally legal requirement to wear clothing in the UK, so making this daily task more expressive and creative is a naturally human reaction. There is, undeniably, a more nuanced relationship between fashion and feminism than just simple opposition.

The idea that fashion and feminism go happily hand-in-hand is, however, undermined by the nature of the fashion world, which is emphatically a profitable industry. Can fashion really have a credible impact in the feminist movement if it has consumerism and not revolutionary social change at its heart? There is nothing feminist about brands capitalising on their target market’s perceived insecurities to ensure that an economic investment in their appearance will be beneficial, after all.

There have, however, been moments when the worlds of high fashion and feminism have very deliberately collided. During Karl Lagerfeld’s S/S15 Chanel show, he staged a feminist march, complete with megaphones, placards, and lively, animated models who ditched the regimented walking style in lieu of a catwalk mob of psychedelic clothing.

Many were sceptical about Lagerfeld’s faux demonstration. Is the runway really the right place for feminism? As the same man to have called Adele ‘a little too fat’ in 2012, can this revered creative director suddenly be a feminist crusader? It is inevitable (and perhaps necessary) to look to the importance of trends in Lagerfeld’s staging choice. With a feminist discourse (quite rightly) more

prominent in popular culture, this cultural trend was perhaps seen as way to capture the attention of modern audiences and garner attention on social media, which is becoming an increasingly vital tool for the fashion industry. Were Lagerfeld and the Chanel entourage simply fishing for Instagram likes by adding a dash of feminist spirit to the show? Needless to say, there have been no feminist runways in the seasons that have come and gone since. This, by all intents and purposes, was a trend that Chanel seized upon; a wave to be ridden, to make a statement in line with popular debate, before proceeding to seek out the next ‘in’ thing.

As dubiously as the floral-clad, megaphone-wielding supermodel-cum-protesters were received by commentators, it was unequivocally a positive thing for feminism to be promoted in such a deliberate and visual way. Popularity and outreach have to be considered in an argument about a fundamentally social movement such as feminism. Beyoncé’s VMA performance backdrop, emblazoned with the word FEMINIST, and the speech conducted by Emma Watson as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, have reached an astronomically larger and more diverse audience than the readership of Germaine Greer’s feminist text, The Female Eunuch.

Figureheads of popular culture, including those in the fashion industry, are integral to the progression of feminism and its evolution, so that feminist becomes a word that women and men embrace and embody, instead of the being the shameful ‘F-word’ that women shy away from using.

Although the growing pro-women sentiments in popular culture are undoubtedly a positive thing, the lucrative fashion industry still has a long way to go in fully embracing a feminist cause. While women account for over two thirds of clothing sales, at an executive level, the fashion industry is still very much a man’s world. Just last month, one of the few female fashion house CEOs, Maureen Chiquet, left her long-standing position as Chanel Global CEO, to be replaced by a man. Mainstream brands such as Victoria’s Secret bid to promote female empowerment with their supermodel turned role-model figures who exhibit the lingerie in immense annual runway shows. As positive and pro-women as Victoria’s Secret’s mission statement might seem, a feminist message cannot be credible if it celebrates the empowerment of an exclusive few; namely the minority of individuals with a desirable (and generally unattainable) look and lifestyle. This example of the workings of the fashion industry begs the question of how women and men can be valued as equals if there is such a defined hierarchy between women, that is entirely based on appearance.

As the face of feminism reshapes and evolves in the wake of a fast-changing, modern society, it seems logical that all facets of society and popular culture should be promoting important messages, such as that of feminism, instead of leaving them for the academic elite to peruse and debate. It is a duty of the fashion industry to interact with feminist issues in order to engage an international and mediatised market. Once we have done away with the redundant binary of beauty and intelligence, perhaps women and men alike can take pride in the freedom of choice to express themselves through their appearance, and thus fashion and feminism can, although not without some contradictions, live together in harmony.

The Mancunion: Fashion and Beauty @MancunionFash fashion@mancunion.com @mancunionfashionandbeauty

We have weekly meetings on Wednesdays at 12pm. Find us on the first floor of the SU.

ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Top Five: Female innovators in the fashion industry Talia Lee-Skudder looks to the top five most successful and influential women who have helped to shape the fashion industry 1) Anna Wintour It is impossible to write about the most influential women in fashion and not mention the editor-in-chief of American Vogue. Known for her iconic look and chilly demeanor, Wintour is a force to be reckoned with. Her 28-year reign as editor has seen her transform and reinvigorate Vogue into the powerhouse that we know and love today. It was Wintour who made the creative decision to feature celebrities on the cover, thus marking an end to the era of the supermodel. Wintour is also an avid advocate of new talent and, alongside the Council of Fashion Designers of America, has helped to create a new fund to support rising designers. In 2009, Wintour launched ‘Fashion’s Night Out’ which allows for the general public to shop and socialise with major personalities in the fashion sphere. Wintour had a vision for Vogue that encapsulated the essence of the modern day woman and this has assured the longevity of the most influential fashion magazine.

2) Natalie Massenet Perhaps not as widely recognised as Anna Wintour, Natalie Massenet is and continues to be an incredibly influential voice in the fashion industry. A journalist-turned fashion entrepreneur, Massenet is the mastermind behind the online shopping website Net-a-Porter and its sister site The Outnet. Styled in a magazine format, the website is the one stop shop for designer fashion online. Massenet is a modern genius in the fashion industry, she made designer clothes accessible to people all over the world and in doing so took fashion into the technological era and potentially a lot of women into debt. In 2013, Massenet took over the role of chairman at the British Fashion Council.

3) Victoria Beckham What makes Victoria Beckham one of the most influential women in fashion is her transformation from a nineties popstar to noughties WAG and finally to a bona fide fashion designer. Long gone are the days of ‘Viva Forever’, this Spice Girl is now a style icon and Vogue cover girl who has taken the fashion world by storm. Launching her own line in 2009, Beckham’s label has gone from strength to strength with her classic designs being admired by celebrities and high fashion magazine editors alike. It is only now that she is a fully-fledged style icon that she can be forgiven for some of the questionable outfit choices of the late nineties and early noughties. That said, any woman who can persuade David Beckham to wear a sarong should be applauded for exceptional persuasive skills.

It seems that, in fashion, Victoria Beckham has finally found her true calling.

ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Fashion & Beauty: Feminism Special 17

Fashion and fluidity Have gender norms in fashion history ever swapped around? Rebecca Thomas investigates Nowadays, there is a growing consensus that having two distinct gender camps, ‘male’ versus ‘female’, is a bit silly, really: The yin yang model is gradually being replaced by a rainbow variance, and it is increasingly acceptable to wear what speaks to you without worrying which section of the shop it appears in. Fashion is one way in which this antiquated binary thinking has been performed, but there have been times in which the difference between men’s and women’s fashion has been less obvious, and when trends we would recognise today as being the preserve of one, were reversed.

Contemporary fashion is understood to have started around the 1300s, and was solely for men; paintings from the time only depict men’s fashion, reflecting the gender hierarchy and the importance of showcasing wealth. The ideal shape was an inverted triangle, with voluminous upper body and slender legs, covered in ornate buttons and detailing.

Ornamentation and fashion gradually crossed genders, and signs

of wealth, such as the fur tippet scarf of the 1600s, were adopted from men by noblewomen. Fashion was for the rich, and men and women wore clothes that referenced one another, with heavy ruff collars and lace, while various political fluxes determined how flamboyant, or conservative, fashion displays were.

Make-up was also worn by both men and women throughout history, with the aligned desire for pale skin, which they achieved with white lead paint. In the 1770s, young men would go on their ‘grand tour’ of Europe, and were hugely concerned with their appearances; their wigs mirrored those of aristocratic women and they carried effeminate handbags, which were later carried by women.

Heels were initially worn by men, with a noblewoman, Catherine de Medici being the first woman to wear them, in the 1530s, to compensate for her short height. Louis XIV, the King of France, in the late 1600s, was renowned for wearing intricate heels, with the fashion for heels worn by both men and women vanishing upon the onset of the World Wars.

The big rise in the divergence of male and female fashion came in the early 1800s with the rise of the ‘gentleman’: men dressed in practical wear to compete in sports, and the flamboyance of previous centuries was rejected. It wasn’t until the beginning of the 1900s that the practical wardrobe began to be worn by women, brought about by women’s suffrage movement and the beginning of World War 1. Important icons such as Coco Chanel and Marlene Dietrich contributed to the acceptance of women in masculine dress, such as trouser suits.

Today’s increasing liberation from gender-rules grew across the last century, with gender-bending icons like David Bowie to thank.

The emergence of gender-neutral catwalks and Vivienne West-

wood’s recent gender-neutral campaign, show just how far fashion has progressed in the last century.

Photo: RAZ Zarate @Flickr

International Women’s Day: Beauty Charities International Women’s Day is approaching so we talk you through a few charities that help give back to women in need With International Women’s Day (8th March) just around the corner, what better time to start thinking of ways we can help out other women? Sure, telling someone how great you think they are is a good start but, if you’re looking to do a little something extra, here are two charities that keep women in mind and provide help to those who need it most.

Give and Makeup Every week, two women in the UK are murdered by a partner or ex-partner. One in four women experience domestic violence in their lifetime and the average woman experiences domestic violence 35 times before phoning the police or telling a friend. It is with these figures in mind that Give and Makeup was set up by blogger and skincare guru Caroline Hirons. It is non-profit initiative that aims to get everyday essentials such as clothes, underwear, sanitary products, and personal hygiene products into the hands of women and children who have escaped, or are trying to escape, an

abusive relationship and have been left with nothing.

We’ve all got spare products lying round the house. Whether it’s toothpaste, shower gel, or blusher, we’ve all probably got more than we need. Give and Makeup needs a variety of products to help them help women in need. Everything from nappies, tampons, deodorant, body lotion, bras, pyjamas, underwear, t-shirts, skirts, trousers, socks, children’s toys, and, of course, makeup. Most items can be sent second hand with the exception of mascara and lip-gloss (due to the risk of infections). For a list of where to send items please visit Caroline Hirons’ website. Alternatively, if you don’t want to donate clothes or makeup, you can make a donation online through Caroline’s website.

It’s difficult to imagine a life without having the basic essentials to brush your teeth, wash your hair, or apply a bit of makeup for a confidence boost, but sadly this is a reality for many women. You can do your bit by donating to Give and Makeup and help to make the lives of those in need a little more bearable.

Look Good Feel Better Look Good Feel Better is a charity that provides practical support and workshops to women struggling with the side effects of cancer.

They dedicate their time to improving the self-esteem, confidence, and well-being of those undergoing treatment. They run free workshops that focus on skin care and makeup, and create a sense of support and confidence to women who have often hit a low.

The charities held their first workshop in 1994 and have since helped nearly 200,000 women. They run workshops all over the UK and rely on volunteers to help make the brand a success. Providing women with a place to make friends, laugh, and feel good about themselves again is crucial during an overwhelming time where they can often feel isolated and reclusive due to changes with their appearance.

In order to run the workshops, they rely on product donations from brands, and also anyone who is able to help. Anything from eye makeup remover, cleanser, moisturiser, concealer, foundation, lipstick, eyeliner, and blusher is accepted, alongside fragrance and body lotions to add an extra bit of luxury.

Again, if donating products isn’t your thing, you can volunteer at one of their workshops. This is aimed more at beauty professionals, since the charity asks for a year’s minimum experience in the application of makeup or skincare. However, if you know someone whom this would suit, it’s always good to let them know.

High-Fashion Hypocrisy

4) Naomi Campbell One of the five original supermodels, Naomi Campbell has been ever-present in the modeling circle since the age of 15. She has adorned the covers of numerous fashion magazines and featured in many high-end campaigns. However, she is also notorious for her fiery temper and diva ways, which have landed her in court on many occasions. In 2008, she had to undertake 200 hours of community service for kicking and spitting at police after having a tantrum on an air plane at Heathrow… not quite the height of sophistication that has been synonymous with the other influential women who have been mentioned.

Despite being a huge diva, verbally abusive and at times probably quite frightening, Campbell has also had a positive impact in the fashion industry. She was the first black model to appear on the cover of TIME magazine, Russian and French Vogue and the first British black model to feature on the cover of British Vogue. Campbell is also a passionate charity worker and has worked with Nelson Mandela. In 2005, she set up ‘Fashion for Relief’: A charity fashion show that raises funds for victims who have been affected by disasters or disease. Whilst Campbell’s behaviour is not always admirable, her influence in the industry is undeniable. Not only did she pave the way for subsequent black models, but she has also used her platform as a model to encourage charitable activism.

Sophie Soar takes us through time to often turbulent relationship between models and high-fashion

5) Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte Tilbury represents yet another aspect of the industry. Starting her career as a world-class make-up artist, Tilbury was a regular behind the scenes at fashion week and gained an elite celebrity following. In 2013, she launched her own makeup range and since then her popularity has boomed. No longer is her work reserved only for celebrities, her products are now a staple in the everyday woman’s make-up bag. Alongside her strong 100-product range, Tilbury also produces online tutorials to educate her customers on how to achieve the sexy smoky eye of the Dolce Vita palette or the Rock Chick look, inspired by her close friend and top model, Kate Moss. There is no doubt that Tilbury’s make-up range will continue to flourish in the future, leaving many of us make-up lovers lusting after her fabulous products.

Photo: fervent-adapte-de-la-mode@Flickr

Despite its roots in the late 19th century, the modeling industry began to form into what it is today in the 1950s. Fresh-faced and beautifully sensual women, such as the bee-hived Brigitte Bardot, draped in nautical stripes with a lick of eyeliner, sprung to celebrity. Soon followed brand names such as Twiggy, Joanna Lumley and Jean Shrimpton. These multi-talented beauties fast became permeated within the creative world: musicians fell at their feet; their bodies became artwork and muses to photographers; they snapped up acting roles, from Twiggy’s cameo part in The Blues Brothers, to Lumley’s iconic Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous.

Inevitably, with their success and praise came scepticism and aloof uncertainty; the employment of women to promote products was still a foreign concept, and perhaps rightfully so when the job sidelines an individual’s personality to promote a product. Despite these powerful names and fierce characteristics, they were primarily and predominantly applauded for their appearance and figure.

In the 1970s, out crept curvaceous Californian creatures who fast established the supermodel standard. With this new hierarchy came the competitive side, and the career of the elite few rapidly developed as the Eighties fast approached: pay checks volumised in correlation with the hair and its collection of icons. Linda Evangelista famously said ‘I don’t get out of bed for less that $10,000 a day’, placing a price on beauty and cultivating girls’ aspirations to a career based on objectification and voyeurism.

The early Nineties fell upon the fashion industry, bringing with it grunge and denim, platforms and plaid, Naomi and Kate. The two brought with them a revolution in the fashion industry and weight fell off the runway almost overnight. Moss’s stick-like figure and angular features were coined as ‘heroine chic’ and modeling became less associated with the powerful, healthy woman and more with drug taking and the emaciated form.

By the end of the Nineties, the grunge, heroine chic had passed, but the demand for skinny sex appeal resided, unsatisfied, along with the ever-increasing paychecks. Recently retired Gisele Bündchen remains the highest paid model to date: from September 2012 to September 2013, Gisele earned around $42 million, whilst her male counterpart in status earned an estimate of $1.5 million. The industry has changed immensely since its infancy, but the female dominance in the industry retains a strong hold.

Alien, emaciated, prepubescent, the industry today tells a very different story to its establishment in the late Fifties. The current casting requirements immensely contrast the soft-edged cover girls of the decades before, and weight regulations remain a dirty, whispered echo in the casting room.

The industry is not a healthy one, with overt sexualisation of the teenage form, rife inequality between male and female pay, and a morbid obsession with weight. The image of the model has led us to disregard the anonymous majority as clothes hangers, while the leaders firmly dominate.

Despite this, we still love our favourite models and follow them religiously on social media. As a result of their cult following, they use their Internet personalities as a means of promoting the ideological lifestyles more closely associated with their predecessors of the Fifties; perhaps indicative of the industry heading in a full 360. Their status is cleverly manipulated by the industry to speak to the masses, but therein also lies hope still for equality; it fuels optimism for the next generation of models and their powerful input on society.

The Manchester Media Group is hosting the Women in Media Conference 4th – 6th March.

Visit the website for more information and tickets: www.womeninmediacon.co.uk

Film

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ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

TV Binge

Review

How to Be Single

Jessica Jones

Its well-intentioned attempts at social commentary fail to make up for it’s generally clumsy direction

Esther Hamilton-Ivory Contributor

Photo: Netflix

James Moules Head Film Editor The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a behemoth, a ubiquitous presence in the contemporary world of film and television that many cinephiles loves to bemoan as the epitome of the commercialisation of art. This criticism is a fair one, and for the past few years, we have been ‘treated’ to an incessant barrage of formulaic superhero blockbusters upon the silver screen.

Enter Netflix. Ever since everyone’s favourite streaming service began producing original television, its run of content has been consistently strong. Marvel joined their party last year—a wise move. The quality of their Netflix series far surpasses anything the MCU has been producing for the big screen. For anyone who believes that we are living in a golden age of television, Marvel has provided the proof to the pudding.

Jessica Jones—their second series on Netflix—is, in basic terms, the best thing to come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far. It is the Marvel story for non-Marvel fans and outright Marvel-sceptics; a dark and gritty tale worthy of the film noir heritage where it overtly takes influence from. In fact, to even classify Jessica Jones as a superhero story would be seen as a stretch.

The plot sees Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter)—a woman with superhuman strength and flight abilities—struggling to rebuild her life as a private detective after a harrowing encounter with the mind-controlling villain Kilgrave (David Tennant)—whom she assumes is now firmly in her past. But his unexpected return into her life forces her to confront him once again, drawing her action increasingly deep into a moral grey zone. Unlike many superhero movies, matters of life and death are truly at stake here.

Many viewers familiar with the more family-friendly flicks presented by the MCU so far will likely be shocked at the content of Jessica Jones—the series pulls few punches in portraying sex, alcoholism, violence and rape. And yet its way of tackling these tricky topics never feel oversensationalised. It perfectly fits the shady atmosphere of the story, giving us a brooding (yet never bleak) superhero drama. In fact, without the logo in the title sequence, it would be hard to guess that this was even from Marvel.

The quality of the writing and performances should not go unmentioned. The plot is perfectly paced, and the sharp, insightful dialogue is delivered superbly, especially by Ritter—her performance as the titular character gives us the ultimate super-anti-hero. David Tennant also shines as the thoroughly detestable—yet often surprisingly sympathetic—bad-guy. The complexity of these two characters is the stuff of truly great TV drama.

Jessica Jones is the kind of superhero TV series that non-superhero fans have been waiting for. Forget Deadpool—this is the essentially edgy and R-rated Marvel product. It is not only the best thing that the MCU has done, but also one of Netflix’s best original series to date. Next time you have 13 hours to spare, this is the TV binge you need.

Following the huge success of female-led films such as Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck and Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s Sisters, How to Be Single has much to live up to. The film explores the journey of a young woman named Alice (Dakota Johnson) living in New York, and attempting to navigate her life as a newly single woman. Along the way, she befriends the riotous Robin (Rebel Wilson), and they share many wild nights out together partying. Following several failed relationships, Alice arrives at the state of harmony where she believes she live can happily, and unapologetically, single. In order for such a predictable storyline to have an effect, it needs to be executed perfectly—or the audience will be left feeling cold and manipulated. Unfortunately, How to Be Single doesn’t quite succeed in doing this.

Perhaps the film’s greatest success, like in Trainwreck, was the candid way it explores female sexuality and femininity—something to be proud of. Robin’s hearty sexual appetite is depicted as healthy and enjoyable and not at all like a coping mechanism for a heart left shattered by a cheating man—such a familiar trope in so many romantic comedies. The women in the film are, and rightfully so, are never questioned or shamed for their personal choices; whether it be committing their lives to their careers, or wanting to enjoy a fast-paced partying lifestyle..

Although the film is progressive in this sense, it is nevertheless difficult to ignore the disappointing fact that these three women are still very much stereotypes. Leslie Mann’s character finds herself unfulfilled as a result of her childlessness, reinforcing the perception that a woman is only truly a woman and happy as one when

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

she has kids. Similarly, Rebel Wilson’s character is portrayed as being genuinely content and settled into her life choices. But towards the end of the film, Robin is revealed to be, in fact, filthy rich—suggesting maybe that the filmmakers felt it might be too harrowing for her to be a woman, living alone and making the choices she has because she doesn’t need a regular salary.

Perhaps taking the film only as social commentary is the wrong thing to do. In terms of its capabilities as a romantic comedy, it certainly succeeds on many levels. Rebel Wilson provides terrific light entertainment with her slapstick— particularly what looked like very real—titty punches and references falling into “dick sand”.

It certainly has romance, too: the sweetest (and most unbelievable) relationship with Jake Lacey’s character’s unwavering love for Meg. The scenes of downing never-ending shots to a thumping soundtrack were undeniably entertaining to watch, too.

Yet, as a whole, it seemed that the film lacked direction—a problem which can be seen in some

of Christian Ditter’s other films, like Love Rosie.

The last 15 minutes of this film was made up out of a series of unfitting and laboured conclusions, with a voice-over from Dakota Johnson’s character, clumsily tying the film together. Having to be told how all the characters are feeling at this point—rather than be allowed to decide for ourselves—distances the viewer and increases the sense of directorial catch up.

All in all, How to Be Single fundamentally fails to evoke a great emotional response in ways that Trainwreck did. It does manage, however, to make an attempt at tackling the detrimental and stereotypical perceptions of the modern day woman that are so enforced in so many mainstream films. The ending of the film is a testament to this—instead of running across the city to a man once realising she is in fact in love with him, Alice runs to her friend, Robin. It is a shame that the rest of the film couldn’t combine these two elements of traditional entertainment and critiquing important issues in a seamless way.

Classic Review

Purple Noon

This French adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley provides a beautiful blend of pulp and art house cinema

Jake Sanders Film Critic

scenes involves Ripley strolling through a fish market, sampling the food, talking with the vendors, surrounded by both the working classes and the blood-and-guts reality of the world. In a later scene, we see a rich couple completely turn their noses up at a vendor who offers them a taster. Though Ripley is clearly talented and completely unfettered in his ambition it becomes increasingly clear that his quest of integrating into society’s upper echelons is a doomed one.

Clement could justifiably be criticised for sidelining Marge (Marie Laforet), the only prominent female character to simply another conquest in Ripley’s journey. Ripley’s interest in her only seems to relate to her relationship to Greenleaf and Greenleaf’s lifestyle. An earlier scene where Ripley impersonates Greenleaf before kissing a mirror is prime material for queer interpretations, but I would argue that Ripley is in love with only what Greenleaf represents—hence his general indifference to stabbing him to death.

Therefore, in Ripley’s eyes, Marge is simply another means to complete his transformation into Greenleaf.

Though Purple Noon has some interesting ideas about class divides and upward mobility, it is at its most successful when it deals out simple pleasures. It is a film of uncommon beauty, with the action playing out across the canvas of the Italian coast and the central trio of Ripley, Greenleaf and Marge both looking enviably tanned and gorgeous as they lounge around in the sun. Clem-

Like a lot of the best French cinema, Purple Noon offers an exciting blend of pulpy thrills with art house touches, and it’s no surprise that Scorsese is a member of this film’s considerably cult following. Based on the Patricia Highsmith novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, Alain Delon plays Tom Ripley, a con artist with a desire for the comforts afforded to the upper class. Having been tasked with returning the rich layabout Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) to his father, Ripley sees an opportunity to take what he wants by murdering him and stealing his identity.

It would be easier to feel bad for Greenleaf were he not such a brat, and Delon’s portrayal as Ripley is not so eerily captivating. Director René Clément and Delon present Ripley as a kind of proto-Patrick Bateman, with Delon’s fascinating beauty masking his almost comical levels of insanity. Exactly what motivates Ripley also makes him a more compelling character than if he were simply after Greenleaf’s money. Ripley seeks out for something that he can never steal or forge: a complete acceptance into the world of the bourgeoisie.

As an audience, we might be impressed by Ripley’s ability to disappear into his new persona.

But we are shown, time and time again, that it will not be sufficient for him to fake his way into the world of the wealthy. One of the film’s strongest

ent clearly has a great time having it both ways; simultaneously condemning Ripley’s actions whilst allowing the audience to vicariously experience his triumphs. Murder and identity theft have never looked this good.

Photo: Titanus Miramax

Film News from Nicole Tamer (Film Editor)

Horizontal Oscar Statue Shocks

Photo: Dangerousminds

A life-sized Oscar statuette created by the street artist Plastic Jesus was placed on Hollywood Boulevard at the section which will be closed at the awards. This does not sound fascinating or newsworthy at first, but the statuette is on all fours snorting two lines of cocaine from the ground and is named “Hollywood’s Best Party”.

According to the artist, it is an homage to the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman who passed away weeks earlier because of a heroin overdose and a commentary on Hollywood culture. It is supposed to draw attention to Hollywood’s buried problem of drug abuse which is ignored until someone newsworthy and well known dies.

First Vertical Feature Film Rocks

Photo: Phi Phi Anh Nguyen

The Vietnamese producer and director Phi Phi Anh Nguyen created the world’s first vertical feature film Arbitrary Fairytales. With a length of 83 minutes, the absurdist film was designed to topple cinematic conventions by shooting the film entirely with a rotated camera. The plot revolves around a dying teenager who challenges death to help him solve a case of a serial killer. The existentialist murder film shows the progress of the case by using a chaptered recollection of memories. The film is nearly completed and looks for funding on Kickstarter. A link to the campaign and trailer: www.kickstarter.com/projects/ppan/ arbitrary-fairytales-a-vertical-feature-film

Film 19

ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Review

Zoolander 2 Barney Weston Film Critic Zoolander 2 reminds us that sequels to cult comedies, like Anchorman 2, can never live up to their predecessors. But these kinds of films can instead, allow for audiences to once again return to their favourite characters. Zoolander 2’s characters are what makes the film function.

It is fantastic to see Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson as Derek Zoolander and Hansel onscreen again. It is also refreshing to have a few new faces, be them Kristen Wiig playing Alexandra Atoz, or Benedict Cumberbatch playing the ‘male-orfemale? Who knows?’ model. There are some great cameos throughout the film as well, including Billy Zane (again), Justin Bieber, Kiefer Sutherland, and most memorably, Susan Boyle and the American astronomer Neill de Grasse Tyson.

But it is Will Ferrell reprising his role as Mugatu, and his assistant Todd (Nathan Lee Graham), who steal the show. In Zoolander 2, Mugatu truly cements himself as one of the greatest villains in comedy history. His presence saves the film with funny after funny. It is sad, however, to see such a talented actress like Penelope Cruz, playing the Interpol Fashion Police Agent Valentina. She only seems present as an object, and her crude role in the film

reminds me of several comedies (normally starring Vince Vaughn or Adam Sandler) that the Zoolander franchise is not.

The opening sequence of Zoolander 2 is a highlight of the film, and lets the audience watch Justin Bieber get gunned down, whilst also bringing them up to date from the Zealander original story in 2001. Watching Derek lose his son following not being able to ‘make the spaghetti soft’ is particularly amusing. This passage of time is emphasised throughout the film. As Derek and Hansel return to the fashion world, they find themselves not strutting along beautiful New York City gangways, but instead performing in shows taking place on top of toxic waste heaps.

It is these kinds of moments, unfortunately only really taking place in the opening 45 minutes of the film, that makes the Zoolander franchise stand out from others. Just as how Anchorman was about the classy news of the 1970s, Zoolander is all about the modern day fashion world. Hipster designer Don Atari, played by Kyle Mooney, is another fantastic reflection of this.

Zoolander 2’s plot is also commendable. All films need good plots, and comedians tend to forget that comedy films are also true of this.

Zoolander 2 is ultimately a relatively

Although inevitably not as good as its predecessor, Zoolander 2 still succeeds as a funny and well-plotted comedy that will please fans of the original

Nadia Cheung Subeditor

5) They’re Filming Midgets (working title) – In Bruges Despite Colin Farrell’s initial reaction to the film set, this film in production actually sounded very interesting.

Somewhere between a pastiche of and a homage to Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now, complete with Lynchian midgetfilled dream sequence. I can see it at Sundance.

Photo: Focus Features

Photo:Paramount Pictures

funny sequel, whilst obviously not being as good as its predecessor, it manages to return audiences into the Zoolander franchise. Had it not been for the film’s predecessor, I would not have been a fan of this film at all. But when you consider the groundwork Zoolander did in regards

Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore), a loyal police lieutenant serving Ocean County, New Jersey, for more than 23 years, has kept her sexuality a secret from her workplace until realising that she just might die from terminal lung cancer and

Photo: Summit Entertainment

love relationship between two individuals—a crappy house renovating/tender love-making montage that elicited no on-screen chemistry whatsoever. I also had a problem with the way that the film had to justify Stacie as the butch lesbian because she likes motorcycles, works in mechanics and likes dogs. Stacie is obviously younger, but Ellen Page’s portrayal is more childlike and mopey, rather than showing any real feeling toward her partner, who is dying and fighting for this pension battle for most of the film’s duration. What’s the point?

Where the film probably gets its title, is likely due to the relationship its dying protagonist has with the freeholders who get to make a decision on whether her domestic partner is allowed to have her pension when she passes…or not.

Obviously, at this time, around 2005 or 2006, gay marriage was not as legalised all over the United States like it is now.

So it seems this film tries to be lots of different things, but it comes to nothing, feeling irrelevant in 2015 or even 2016. The battle is already won, so what is the motive? A critique at Republicans dominating law and order? I don’t know.

There’s a lot of long-winded politics in

4) Angels With Filthy Souls – Home Alone

to building some fantastically memorable characters, Zoolander 2 works well, Not only does this film look like a classic of the mob movie genre from the and progresses from its predecessor. short clip we see, but it’s dialogue is so true and so sinister that it can both provide a young boy with free pizza AND protect him from dangerous criminals. I would donate at least a fiver to the kickstarter for this film, and they can keep the change on the filthy animals.

Despite good intentions, Freeheld falls completely flat through its terrible script and ill-considered motives

wants her domestic partner, Stacie Andree (Ellen Page), to receive her pension, so that she can keep the house that they renovated together.

The film starts off relatively mediocre in what can be seen as an attempt at attracting sympathy between the couple as the film goes on. With love scenes and what I could describe as possibly the driest, and laziest attempt at articulating a

Films Within Films This week, we count down the five fictional movies within movies— and we want to see them all!

HOME Pick of the Week

Freeheld

Top 5

this film, which feels more dry as it goes on, and Steve Carrell introduces himself as Steven Goldstein—a “big gay Jew” and rallies for gay marriage even though Laurel Hester just wants her equality and her goddamn pension. So which is it? A political film or a love story? Because it can’t be both. But what it can be is an exemplar film for True Movies, because it is so dry, boring and dull that I would never ever ever want to talk about it ever again because I hate political films. Especially when they’re outdated. And Ellen Page is the worst and it felt like Freeheld was just another film trying to do something that Still Alice did when they cast Julianne Moore.

I know this film has good intentions of making a biopic out of a real life story that matters in society and was an act of injustice and so forth. But this story already had an Academy Award-winning documentary short. So why did the director even bother? Without putting it all on Peter Sollett, I just have to say that script was equally bad, if not worse, than everything else in this film.

3) Simple Jack – Tropic Thunder It was the film which destroyed Tugg Speedman’s (Ben Stiller) career, and by the looks of it for good reason. Simple Jack is terribly written, horribly acted and extremely insensitive. But overall, I think its hilarious. I would watch Simple Jack if it was on TV. Interestingly, the titular character bears a striking resemblance from another completely terrible film I love—The Lawnmower Man.

2) Nation’s Pride Inglourious Basterds

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For a piece of Nazi propaganda, Nation’s Pride actually looked remarkably well shot. A real piece of history, if it was an actual film and not part of a subplot for a Tarantino film, it would be a mandatory watch in history courses. But I would probably give the screening a miss.

Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Photo: HBO

Thrones does well for Ireland...

But Clarkson doesn’t...

Game of Thrones does not only break records anymore but apparently boosts the economy in Northern Ireland. According to the film agency Northern Ireland Screen, the HBO fantasy drama had contributed £110 million to the local economy. It is filmed at the at the Titanic Studios in Belfast, and many other locations across Northern Ireland. Those locations have become tourist attractions; especially the Game of Thrones tour attracts visitors from all over the world. Due to the economic success of the show, Belfast City Council has approved a plan for a studio thought to be worth up to £14m.

Jeremy Clarkson finally came to his senses and apologised to the former Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon who he infamously punched last March.

Oisin Tymon is expected to obtain over £100.000 from the BBC and Jeremy Clarkson after settling his racial discrimination and personal injury claim. He was punched and called a “lazy, Irish cunt” by Clarkson after he told him that he could not order a steak after a long day of filming. It is good to know that will not always be hangry.

Photo: BBC

1) Birdman Returns – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Birdman was undoubtedly a great film, but the titular Birdman franchise may have been even better. While he may have Batman, I for one would love to see a feature length superhero movie featuring Michael Keaton dressed as a giant bird. I don’t know why he never made Birdman 3.

Joe Hunt Contributor

Books

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ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Review

Review: Diao Dou’s Points of Origin

Feature

Hope Abbott reviews the otherwordly, yet understated, Points of Origin—the first English translation of any work by the award-winning Chinese author Diao Dou Hope Abbott Books Contributor Points of Origin is the first piece of work by the award winning Chinese author Diao Dou to be translated into English.

This collection of short stories cleverly exploits his range of storytelling. He mixes the mystic with the mundane, describing a vibrant and sometimes uncomfortably honest view of life.

There are nine stories in all.

The first is Cockroaches; a town is overrun by the pests, and a man bent on destroying them is slowly sent mad by his quarry. The influences of Kafka are evident, even reflected on the cover. I’m not particularly squeamish but I was left itching all over after reading it.

Vivisections is a collection of very short, almost anecdotal tales, each relating to a certain body part. Points of Origin, the story that gives the book its title, includes one of my favourite literary tropes- it may feel like a wandering and sometimes directionless tale, but in the end, everything connects.

The stories are told from various points of views.

Adults, children, even Diao himself pops up to narrate one.

Throughout all the stories, the author’s voice is clear and they feel very personal. This makes

the moments of sadness even more poignant. Although the perspectives vary, the same fluid pace remains throughout.

The beautiful imagery paints a vivid picture of Diao’s China, and the characters that inhabit it, without being hyperbolic.

There isn’t a vague moment, and you feel firmly planted in the story. In Metamorphisis (a story about an old man moving to the city with his gifted cat) there are sequences that feel entirely alive.

The book has been translated from Mandarin, and there were some points where this was evident. Talking about translating Diao’s work into English, Brenden O’Kane said “the most glaring difficulty is the lack of almost any shared history or cultural touchstones.

There are things Chinese authors can throw out and reasonably expect their readers to know that you can’t throw at English-speaking readers”. I only found a few phrases that we wouldn’t use, or simply do not have colloquial translations for. However, this wasn’t jarring.

It reminds the reader that the original language is not English and is intrinsic to the way you experience the book.

The humour you can find in this book is not obvious, but I often found myself smiling wryly at a subtle joke. This is Diao’s style-

the author is a celebrated satirist in his homeland, and I can see why. You constantly feel like he is trying to tell you something that at first is not apparent, even in the most domestic and routine situations. The stories almost sound like fables, each one teaching the reader a lesson about life, but they are also contemporary, ranging from China’s reasonably recent collectivist past, up until more modern times. The understated comedy is contrasted against situations that are bluntly ridiculous. For example, to lower the nocturnal crimes rates in a city, the local government introduces the rule that anyone moving about after 8pm must do so while squatting.

These stories are about people from all classes and, alongside Diao’s narration, this contributes to the intimate mood. However it’s the magic that makes the stories so enjoyable to read. This can be outright, fake cities come alive, a cat that can talk, or just the quiet whisper of something that isn’t quite normal. It embellishes the stories just the right amount, camouflaging the observations on relationships, on class, on family and the many other social and moral issues that are brought up. Diao has been praised for his social commentary, and Comma Press, the publishers behind

this introduction of the satirist’s work to the English speaking world, point out that “these stories offer a very particular window into the contemporary Chinese psyche”. As someone who is studying Chinese, it is very interesting to read a book that is written by a Chinese author, for a Chinese audience.

I have often thought that China is a country that is a mystery to Westerners, and I found Diao’s honest portrayal of a range of Chinese characters very enlightening.

Whenever you listen to an album, it is unlikely that you like all the songs on it. I find myself in the same situation with collections of short stories all too often. However, for the first time I enjoyed them all. It is well pitched, and easy to read, without scrimping on depth.

The variation in length and tone means you don’t get bored and I finished it feeling satisfied.

There’s nothing I like more than a good balance of humour and emotional complexity, and Diao achieves this easily. The stories range from the creepy to the romantic to the ridiculous and are accompanied by beautiful descriptions of day-to-day life.

It keeps you under their spell throughout.

Top Quotes: Umberto Eco Umberto Eco, the revered Italian author and intellectual, died aged 84 last Friday.

He is inernationally known for his bestselling Italian historical murder mystery The Name of The Rose, set in an Italian monastery.

Matteo Renzi, the Italian Prime Minister, described Eco as “an extraordinary example of a European intellectual, combining unique intelligence of the past with a limitless capacity to anticipate the future” saying that his ‘humanity’ and ‘his writing, voice, and his sharp and lively thought’ would be sorely missed.

Review

In order to remember his tremendous writing, Mancunion Books have selected some of their favourite quotes.

Photo: Hope Abbott

‘“What is life if not the shadow of a fleeting dream?” Eco, Baudolino

““I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth.” - Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum “I always assume that a good book is more intelligent than its author. It can say things that the writer is not aware of.” - Eco, The Paris Review (2008) “A book is a fragile creature, it suffers the wear of time, it fears rodents, the elements and clumsy hands. so the librarian protects the books not only against mankind but also against nature and devotes his life to this war with the forces of oblivion.” Eco, The Name of The Rose

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Food & Drink

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ISSUE 16/ 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Reviews

Cottonopolis Treasure Top reviewer Felix Sanders checks out the newly opened Tokyoinspired bar refurbished from a tailor’s studio I read a review of Cottonopolis on the Manchester Evening News website. It opened with the lines “Sophisticated Asian eatery,” which led me to think, what makes a restaurant sophisticated? Perhaps having a waiter gently graze your crotch when placing a napkin on your lap? Or, all the food arriving at your table under silver platters, cooked by tweezer-wielding chefs in tall hats. Or is sophistication determined by the number of 0’s on your bill?

Cottonopolis certainly has an air

Schmidt was sinking very nicely into his pivo.

The menu, devised by Joe Grant and Alastair Long, both of Australasia heritage, is split into four categories: Ice, Fire, Steam and Oil. A quintessentially Northern Quarterian vogue style of menu layout.

But where Cottonopolis does buck the NQ trend is with its food. It is refreshing to see a new restaurant that’s not serving the standard pizza or tarted up American comfort food. The menu is a spectrum of Asian cooking, drawing largely

When the chicken finally arrived it did benefit from the peanut sauce, when squeezed over with the lemon and swirled in the glaze, the whole thing came together really quite nicely.

I’m all for more Asian food in Manchester, and especially more Japanese food. With ramen tipped as the next big thing, or #2016foodtrendwatch, and London ramen chain Shoryu set to open a branch in Piccadilly later this year, it looks like the sun in Manchester is very slowly rising in the east.

from Japanese influences with dishes like sashimi, sushi, yakitori, and tempora. There is also a Chinese element with a selection of baos, and a small Korean contingent with Kimchi on offer as a side.

We opted for one of each, yellowfin tuna nigiri, chicken yakitori with a sweet soy mirin glaze and a peanut sauce, pork belly baos also with a peanut sauce, and salt and pepper squid with Japanese seven spices rather than the Chinese five.

The tuna wasn’t the best quality, we had two opportunities to try it because a delay on our chicken resulted in a complimentary tuna sashimi.

It tasted better over rice with wasabi and a few sesame seeds, but when standing alone it a left something to be desired. The squid was great, not in any way chewy, and a first time try for Mr. Schmidt, who inevitably had “a lot of time for that.” The bao was ok, not my best, not my worst but it didn’t need the peanut butter-esque sauce.

Coincidently Cottonopolis does offer ramen, but as a lunchtime special with ribs for £8.00.

Ramen is something that requires meticulous preparation and deserves fresh noodles, and this lunchtime deal looked a little throwaway so didn’t risk it.

Like ordering ramen at Wagamama’s, the McDonald’s of Asian food, you will always leave disappointed.

Trove

Photo: Cottonopolis

of smartness in its decor, but I don’t think it was ever going for sophistication. The restaurant sits on the corner of Dale Street, above The Black Sheep Skate Shop. A Grade-II listed building and former tailor’s studio, leaving behind some wonderful architectural features like the original wooden floorboards.

Plain clothes waiters inject a casual air into an otherwise sharp setting, dimly lit by naked lightbulbs suspended in wire cages. It was only on stepping out of the restaurant, into the roar of the street, that my friend and I released how pleasantly escapist the Cottonopolis atmosphere was.

After being seated I recommended my dining partner, Mr. Schmidt, try a pint of Krusovice, a Czech beer from a town of the same name in Bohemia. Although I’m not opposed to liquid Wednesday lunches I had a lecture later that day, but someone had to try it.

While I stoically sipped my coffee

Price: £££ Food: 3/5 Drinks: 4/5 Service: 4/5 Atmosphere: 4/5 Value: 3/5

Pork and Shiitake Ramen Having admitted that ramen, Japanese soup noodles, requires meticulous preparation and fresh noodles, I’m now going to reject all of that and tell you how to make budget, easy ramen broth.

2 Pork stock cubes 150g Dried shiitake mushrooms 3 tbsp Good quality soy sauce 2 tbsp Sesame oil 1 Serving of dried noodles 1 Egg 1 Spring onion 6 pieces of bamboo shoot (optional) With the stock cubes make up 1 litre of stock and pour into a large pot, bring to a gentle simmer then

add the dried shiitakes. After about 35-45 minutes remove the mushrooms and set to one side, these can be added to the dish later. Add the sesame and soy then simmer for a further 45 mins. When the broth is ready prepare some noodles and when they are al dente run them under cold water to stop them cooking, they will soften up more when added to the broth. At the same time, soft boil an egg for 6 minutes and 20 seconds, then run under cold water to stop it cooking before de-shelling and cutting in half. Finely slice a spring onion. When all this is done, pour a few ladles of the broth into a large bowl, place in your noodles then arrange the egg, spring onions and pieces of bamboo around the outside. The broth will keep happily for a week or can be frozen for later use.

Photos: The Mancunion

Levenshulme.

Where?

Let me consult my coffee-stained map, my crumpled set of clues to find the stash of risen loaves, chunky jam preserves and malty sourdough crusts.

X marks the spot halfway between Stockport and Manchester city centre, a 15 minute train ride or an exhilarating 20 minute cycle.

Amongst a narrow high street filled with daytime traffic and open shop displays with an abundance of plastic goods lies the little white box filled with stools and tables, counter and kitchen.

This modest little box is rather like Pandora’s; its relatively small appearance bears no match to its ability to stock the majority of Manchester with artisan bread. It is a goldmine of molasses and apple bloomers, rosemary polenta bakes, and floury croissant knots. Where Pandora’s box opens to reveal a world evil, the wooden door of Trove pumps the air with the irresistible

With Manchester’s most popular artisan bread stockist left unreviewed, Food Editor Ellie Gibbs rises to the opportunity

smell of Britain’s most staple carbohydrate, the same food that was used to feed the five thousand in Matthew 14:13-21, the food that every bread appreciating non-coeliac in Manchester ought to have tried.

Any Manchester foodie reading this will no doubt be familiar with the omnipresent menu tag ‘supplied by Trove’. Common bar, Takk, Fig & Sparrow and 8th Day Co-op are just a few of its proud pioneers.

But as for the source itself, could it match up to memories of that first bite of oil-brushed sourdough on the pan-fried chorizo, shrimp and avocado sandwich a la Common, or the taste of the diced wholemeal boule dipped in olive and balsamic on a friend’s balcony in summer?

Trove did not disappoint.

A bustling Sunday proved the patience of the staff as I unintentionally arrived half an hour late (due to unforeseen bike circumstances) to the lunch date. Despite an unwavering supply of potential new custom, my comrade managed to anchor the table with a strong black coffee.

Food arrived in 15 minutes in three variations: eggs benedict, salmon and scrambled, and parsnip hummus with shitake mushrooms on rye and fennel. Bread is the focal point here, but gluten-freers needn’t panic as daily specials, salads, soups and vegan breakfasts are also available.

The hummus on my sandwich was top-notch, very parsnipy. I devoured it whilst placing order number two of a cardamom 83 pe cent salted dark hot chocolate creamed with almond milk.

Our server warned that this was not the done thing, and couldn’t promise it would work. But oh, did it work.

We stayed at Trove for two hours, basking in the low bulb lighting and heady fumes of yeast and caffeine. An early grey and prune scone, lavishly accompanied by the liquid form of the first ingredient, kept us happily floating ashore as the rest of the customers sailed away.

The bell tolled 4pm, and we knew it was time to move off. With full tanks, we put up our masts to battle the recurring Manchester gale, so enchanted by the spell of Trove that we forgot to loot any treasure.

1032 Stockport Rd, Manchester M19 3WX

Facebook: The Mancunion: Food and Drink Twitter: @MancunionFood Email: food@mancunion.com

Food & Drink 23

ISSUE 20 / 18th APRIL 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM Feature

The Diarrhoea C Dance Elena Gibbs Food ditor

Welcome back to another term of Uni. Easter is over and those interesting things one may or may not have been up to are now a thing of the past. As a time to relieve stress, I took the chance opportunity to join the Newcastle Yoga Society on a week long retreat in an eco-community in Greece.

The schedule consisted of a daily morning run, yoga by the beach, unlimited fresh fruit with Fouhata – a honey, tahini, hazelnut and carob spread – followed by more yoga at the specially made canvas white dome overlooking the sea.

The Free and Real project is all about sustainable living; so their way of life relies on using local produce with a low negative impact on the environment. Free time is spent making natural toothpaste, soaps, jams and reading or producing art. The site uses compost toilets and has an unlimited supply of fresh herbs which can be used to make teas of such combinations as pomegranate, plantain and eucalyptus.

It feels a bit like the best parts of a festival, the hippy workshops and the connections with na-

plete said wash during our stay as the number of toilets was limited to a total of three.

However, to finalise my personal cleanse from any toxins acquired previous to the trip, I took Tuesday morning to try out this questionable practice. Two teaspoons of sea salt into a teapot* of hot water, I poured the solution into my favourite mug and diluted it with some cold. Gulping as fast as possible, the saline liquid travelled into by body as I prepared for the movements of the bowel.

1. Tadasana. Stand with arms raised overhead, fingers interlinked and the palms to the ceiling raise and lower the heels quickly.

2. Tiryaka Tadasana. Stand with feet apart, arms raised overhead, fingers interlinked and the palms to the ceiling. Bend to left and then to the right.

3. Kati Chakrasana. Standing waist rotation.

Arms out to the side, and twist in pushing the alternate shoulder back.

4. Tiryaka Bhujangasana. In bhujangasana (cobra pose) with legs apart and toes tucked under. Twist to look over the left shoulder at the right foot then return to centre before twisting to look over the right shoulder at the left foot.

5. Udarakar shanasana. Squat with the hands on the knees. Drop the right knee to the floor and twist to the left. Return to the centre and then drop the left knee to the floor and twist to the right. If this is not possible then move fists from elbow forward and down whilst clenching.

Photo: Jasmine Jade, Newcastle University

ture. The diet is vegan, mostly raw and features a large evening meal with a mixed salad and fresh bread with oil and chilli salt. Examples were baked aubergines, vegetable pasta, spiced rice burgers and mushroom soup.

The sleeping field was a short drive from the eating area and contained four consecutive yurts complete with bunk beds, log fires and soft blankets. One of them was built as a treehouse and if you stood on the wooden pole of the top floor you could see the coast. The field is used as a testing site for ways of natural and semi-natural building before they are brought to the main site of the project, on top of the mountain.

We unlearned ‘the lie we live’, watched La Belle Verte; a French film dramatising the idea of human aliens visiting our distopic cities, and were brought close to tears at the story of a personified plastic bag. A workshop explaining the eco-sanitary protection of the mooncup and reusable lotus pads was given alongside a group rendition of The Circle of Life in a field of trees and daisies. To describe the occurrence as both idyllic and surreal would be an understatement.

To sum up the lessons we were given, it was gently outlined that each individual is responsible for their impact on the planet. Be that through food waste, excess plastic, tissue, light and heat, each person makes a difference to the weight of the carbon footprint. The idea of the vegan lifestyle was also to reduce the need for medicinal input by maintaining a healthy body accentuated by daily movement. The project effortlessly displayed how this way can be easily and enjoyably possible.

Our first yoga session was led by Thanos, the friendly Grecian rock band drummer with a ‘fuckin gonuts’ t-shirt and an unkempt beard.

Before beginning practice, he told us of the Laghoo Shankhaprakshalana: the intestinal wash.

This involves the consumption of one litre of salt water followed by a series of stretches repeated eight times in a cycle of three. We didn’t com-

These actions are repeated eight times each, in three cycles, drinking two cupfuls of the prepared water first. After the dance, my stomach was yet to speak so I sealed the deal by drinking another mug of himalayan salt water and running to the shop for bananas. I returned in still a steady state but after 20 minutes heard the water in my stomach. Toilet time was minimal and an unexpectedly smooth transaction. I did three poos. Not the gushing load of shit I was hoping for, though the results will be different for everyone as it depends on a multitude of factors such as current diet, time last eaten, level of fitness, etc.

It’s cheaper than a colonic and is an amazing natural way to clear the body. Who needs laxatives? After the process one can lie in Savasana for 30 minutes or as long as desired. Then food can be consumed and the daily routine commenced.

The body is capable of so much more than we use it for. For a multitude of languages, physical skills, healing and survival abilities. Our current special powers tend to involve the controlling of smartphones or superspeed touch typing. While this has its uses, why not do more? It upsets me a little that I can write a 3,000 word essay but can’t do a backwards crab walk. freeandreal.org jalanetipot.com/intestine_benefits *edit: 3 litres in total are required for the cleanse. I only used one which probably accounts for the lack of dramatic success.

A K Easy no-bake E Oreo cheesecake Photo: The Mancunion

Whip up this creamy Oreo cheesecake using only four ingredients and your microwave. Ellen Fouweather Ingredients: 200g Oreos 50g butter 400g cream cheese 200g white chocolate Optional decoration: an extra few Oreos to crumble on top Equipment: 20cm Cake Tin Microwave Rolling pin Large sandwich bag Method: Put the Oreos in a large sandwich bag and use a rolling pin to crush them up into fine crumbs.

Cut up the butter into chunks and microwave for 1 minute. Mix the Oreos and melted butter and press into a cake tin to make the base.

Next, break the white chocolate into chunks

and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave, stir, and microwave for another 30 seconds. Repeat this until the chocolate is completely melted. It is really important to only microwave the chocolate in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, so that it does not burn.

Once the chocolate is melted, beat it into the cream cheese and pour onto the base. Decorate with some more crushed-up Oreos and leave in the fridge to set for 2 hours.

Note: If you don’t have all the equipment, you can improvise! Rather than using a cake tin, you can press the biscuit base onto a flat plate and then build up the filling on top. It won’t look as neat, but will still taste the same. Similarly, you can use pretty much any heavy object from your kitchen to crush up the Oreos (or you could bash the bag of Oreos against all the hard surfaces in your kitchen, though this can scare housemates).

Hedgehog Cake

Watermarks: Freepik

A bit like a cross between rocky road and chocolate tiffin, Hedgehog cake does not resemble a hedgehog in any way and is not really a cake. Ellen Fouweather This is my granny’s recipe, so she can take the blame for the bizarre and slightly misleading name. Hedgehog cake is amazingly easy to make and seriously addictive. It is absolutely impossible to eat in moderation! I make this with drinking chocolate, as I think it makes it taste fudgier, but if you don’t have such a sweet tooth using cocoa powder instead will give it a darker richer taste.

Ingredients: 125g butter 125g caster sugar 1 egg 3 tbsp. drinking chocolate (the “just add milk” variety not the “just add water”, as contains added milk powder) 250g of plain biscuits (rich tea or malted milk work well)

Intestines. Photo: Hey Paul Studios @Flickr

Method: Cream the butter and sugar, then add the egg and beat until smooth. Add the drinking chocolate.

Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and heat gently until it darkens in colour and begins to bubble, being careful not to let it burn. Break up the biscuits (the easiest way to do this is to put them in a large sandwich bag and hit them with a rolling pin). Add the biscuits to the mixture and stir until they are completely coated. Spread out the mixture on a lined baking tray and leave in the fridge to set for 24 hours.

Photo:The Mancunion

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N O I N U S T N E D U T S R E T S E H C MAN

Theatre 25

ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Review

Review

Goodnight Review: Novel Experiments Review: Mister Tom in Living

A writer and his writer’s block form the basis a witty and ambitious play written and directed

by Rob Paterson Joe C. Evans Current Affairs Editor Rob Paterson’s second foray into writing and direction is a witty, fast-paced, meta-comedy that looks to sidestep all potential criticism by, well, critiquing itself.

It is a ploy that is very nearly pulled off without exception, the writing and performances being strong enough to carry off such pretension without the audience really minding but certainly not without them noticing.

Aatma is a fitting setting for the production. Claustrophobic to the extent that the first row becomes part of the scenery—and allowing for cast members to be easily placed amongst the audience—the space was utilized excellently.

Specifically, the alluded to placement of The Critic within the audience took the audience by surprise and only served to draw the play off the stage and into the stalls. Tilly Woodhouse, as The Critic, was the stand out performer, handling her role with consummate comedic ability and engaging with the audience leading some left feeling she truly had critiqued them.

In truth it is a play that it would be difficult to leave without feeling violated.

The play’s themes smartly manoeuvre through what makes us, us and stresses more than once that we are, every day, playing a character.

More than once I found my mind

pondering over the notion that I am in fact nothing more than a cliché of myself. It is a sentiment that was mirrored onstage by the character’s struggle to carve out anything resembling individuality, whilst questioning the notion of who was writing their story.

Calum Pearce, in the role of The Writer, delivered a strong performance as the character that had supposedly authored the events on stage. Opposite him Holly Willmott gave an enduring depiction of The Love Interest; a character heavy handedly, albeit deliberately, evoking Rabin’s Manic Pixie Dream Girl.

Herein lies the only critique that can be made of the play. By deliberately making blatant its shortcomings, it pre-empts but does not wholly negate its weaknesses.

While parts of the script were incredibly strong, there were passages that dragged, making pacing an issue. The characters declaring their horror at being found in a ‘student play’ does take the sting out of this complaint; drawing a laugh out of being self aware about the rough theatrical aesthetic we have come to expect from abstract student productions. What this doesn’t however change

is the fact that the largely intelligent script did have sections that felt less astute.

This is a small issue though in what is predominantly a well-written piece of theatre honed to its venue with precision. Full of pop-culture references, and scattered with four letter words, it is unlikely to be a hit with older audiences.

For a generation who feel defined by the culture they consume though, this is a resonant, and aptly self-deprecating,

What’s on this week?

Tuesday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange Theatre, 5PM Reckless Sleepers: Negative Space – Contact Theatre, 8PM End Game – HOME, 7:30PM Wednesday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange Theatre, 7PM Reckless Sleepers: Negative Space – Contact Theatre, 8PM Architecture and Performance Panel Event – Contact Theatre, 5PM (Free) End Game – HOME, 7:30PM Thursday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange Theatre, 1:30PM & 7PM

Photo: garryknight @Flickr

Michelle Magorian’s classic story of wartime England, adapted by playwright David Wood, arrives at The Opera House, Manchester. Having seen its debut on London’s West End in 2013, the Olivier award-winning Chichester Festival Theatre production of Goodnight Mister Tom has arrived to tug at the heart strings of the North as we follow a troubled young evacuee, William Beech, on his journey to the countryside during the build up to World War II. Our young hero finds himself placed in the care of the old local recluse, Tom Oakley; a seemingly harsh man who seeks only the company of his dog, and avoids human contact since the passing of his wife years ago. The audience watched, captivated, as old Tom transformed into Willy’s beloved Mister Tom. The stripped back production used only the necessities to create an enchanting hold on those lucky enough to be watching. A simple set with minimal props and furniture subtly highlighted the meagre lifestyle of England living through the war. The acappella renditions of wartime melodies were minimal, haunting, and beautifully executed by the multi talented cast. Puppetry was an ingenious portrayal of Mister Tom’s beloved canine companion, Sammy, with Elisa De Grey mastering his sound and movement to the point where you forgot there was even a puppeteer present, and saw only man’s best friend.

Mister Tom himself is played by British stage and TV regular, David Troughton. Spieling lines is an easy feat for an actor, but to be comfortable in silence is an art. He nailed it. It was like he was born to play Mister Tom. Of course, he has two bright young stars to perform with. Alex Taylor-McDowall as William Beech made the entire audience want a little evacuee to call their own, and Oliver Loades as Zach broke the hearts of every last person in that auditorium.

Bright futures ahead for both child actors in this performance.

Goodnight Mister Tom at The Opera House is a must see for anyone who enjoys a touching wartime narrative, a father-son love story, or for anyone who enjoys good theatre.

Simple, stunning, superb.

Review

Editor’s Picks

Monday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange Theatre, 7PM Let it Be – Manchester Opera House, 7:30PM

Photo: Lily Ashton

Laura Joyce Reviewer

Reckless Sleepers: Negative Space – Contact Theatre, 8PM Pen:Chant – Contact Theatre, 7:30PM End Game (with Post Show Talk) – HOME, 7:30PM Friday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange Theatre, 7PM Saturday Husbands & Sons – Royal Exchange Theatre, 1:30PM & 7PM Backstage Tours – Octagon Theatre, from 10:15AM – 3:30PM

A few picks throughout the week in Manchester Fancy getting involved?

We’re always looking for new contributors who have a passion for all things theatre.

Whether it be reviewing a show straight off the West End or an article discussing the ins and outs of theatre.

No experience is requried. Simply email us at: theatre@mancunion.com Or join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/ groups/388450984644679/ to find out more about joining The Mancunion team.

Review: Husbands & Sons Marianne Elliot brings a cocktail of DH Lawrence’s greats with Husbands & Sons to the Royal Exchange Theatre Elise Gallagher Magazine Editor The Royal Exchange Theatre opened its doors to Marianne Elliott’s adaptation of Husbands & Sons. Having premièred at the National Theatre’s Dorfman Theatre on the 27th of October, and having theatre heavy weight Anne-Marie Duff fronting their poster campaign, the performance was heavy with expectations.

Going into the theatre I originally thought that the performance would follow Duff’s character as the protagonist. However, stepping into the actual theatre we were met with a dystopian type diner set up. Looking down from aerial the stage was divided into three very grey scale and cramped houses belonging to our three families of focus: the Holroyds, the Lamberts and the Gascoignes.

Adapted by Ben Power, Husbands and Sons is an interweaving of three of DH Lawrence’s greatest dramas: The Daughter-In-Law, A Collier’s Friday Night and The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd. Although completely separate narratives the characters from each of the greats interweave as if they are neighbours.

The Holroyds consist of

wife Lizzie (Duff) who is torn between her drunk husband (Martin Marquez) and a much younger electrician Blackmore (Philip McGinley) whilst trying to keep her family together for the sake of her son.

The next house along is home to the Gascoignes, which features newly-weds Luther and Minnie Gascoignes who are already encountering problems.

Minnie, coming from money, craves more from life. Whilst Luther’s brother Joe (Matthew Barker) and his Mother (Susan Brown) are torn between breaking the news of Luther’s future child out of wedlock or paying off the expectant Mother.

Finally we come to the Lamberts door, which houses miner’s wife Lydia (Julia Ford), her husband Walter (Lloyd Hutchinson) and their children Nellie (Tala Gouveia) and Ernest (Johnny Gibbon). The drama within these walls revolves around Lydia trying, though in vain, to keep her family together. The sight of exercise books slightly dusted dark with miner’s coal perfectly illustrates the social divides rivalling against one another within the family home.

Marianne Elliott, who has directed theatrical giants such

as War Horse and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, states, “This is a story about the uncomplicated identity of men clashing with the trapped, frustrated and aspiring souls of these women.”

Although, ultimately, I believe the focus and narrative of the play is driven by the women who are left waiting.

My only criticism with the performance would be the varying array of dialects the cast had on offer. Although I’ve taken note of the work with dialect coaches the amount of different accents the East Midlands supposedly had on offer did not go without note. However both Duff and especially Matthew Barker seemed to master the articulation.

Despite this, the performances were clearly of National Theatre level. It was the poster girl AnneMarie who stole the show with the torment her character was clearly feeling etched across her face. She mastered the silent but incredibly powerful talent of non-verbal acting. It was certainly the second half which stole the show.

Lasting approximately three hours and 20 minutes, Husbands & Sons runs at the Royal Exchange Theatre until the 19th of March.

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Smashing through the glass ceiling Ahead of the upcoming Women in Media Conference (4th-6th March) Co-Chair Jennifer Sterne recounts her motivations and inspirations

The Prince Albert piercing.

Photo: songzhen@Flickr

I recently asked a group of Year 9 students what their dream job would be; one responded “A journalist, but I won’t ever be one because my dad’s told me that journalism is just for men.” This unfortunately was not a shocking statement to hear. Far too often girls accept claims that some careers are ‘not for women’ or at least not easily so, so think that it’s not worth the effort.

This was one of the driving forces behind the conception of the Women in Media Conference, a conference aimed at empowering women’s confidence in themselves and their ability to enter into their career, by hearing from the inspirational women who have created successful careers within the media.

In order to believe in their own possibilities, women and more importantly young girls need to have role models to model their own aspirations on. This was made far too clear by what 11-year-old Destiny told some Women in Media organisers: “I don’t want to go to university because there aren’t any famous women who have done that.”

Young girls can be easily convinced of the belief that journalism is just for men, as sadly it is a belief backed up by evidence.

With only two female editors of national dailies in the country and no female heads of broadcast companies, to say it is a career “just for men” is not a huge jump to make.

This belief shouldn’t be so easily justified and that is what makes the Women in Media

Conference such an important event. The conference was started by a group of women working within student media who, unfortunately, noticed the national trends of gender imbalance at a student level.

When first proposed it seemed liked a nice idea, but few of us thought it would take off quite like it has. In the first meeting we discussed perhaps getting a few local journalists down to the Students’ Union to talk to people working within our Manchester Media Group. But the conference has received previously unimaginable amounts of attention from speakers and students alike. Within the week, we will have students from across the country arrive at the Anthony Burgess centre to hear from women who are coming from as far away as Hawaii.

What’s more, the conference has managed to attract some of the biggest names in the industry, including Louise Court from Hearst Magazines, Helen Pidd, the North of England Editor of The Guardian, Jane Bradley, an Investigations Correspondent at Buzzfeed, Fran Yeoman the Assistant Editor The i, Shelley Alexander, the Editorial Lead on women’s sport at the BBC, and Sam Walker, BBC 5 Live Presenter. With new people being added to the timetable all the time, the conference is set to be a weekend long celebration of some of the most inspirational women within the media, a clear reflection that a career in this field most certainly isn’t restricted to

men.

The weekend’s events will consist of three exciting panel discussions on the rise of females’ influence in the media, invaluable knowledge that the speakers wish they’d known at the start of their careers, and feminism in the fashion industry. Alongside these discussions, there will be keynote speeches from Shelley Alexander, Women’s Editorial Lead at BBC Sport, and Louise Court from Hearst Magazines.

Students will also be able to take part in the various workshops on offer, including freelance journalism, commercial media, and how to play to and be proud of your strengths.

Ultimately, the conference aims to highlight that there are a plethora of successful females within the industry, and that equality within the industry is becoming ever closer. Until more women believe they can and will reach these positions of power, there will never be lasting change.

Hopefully the Women in Media Conference will be a step in the right direction direction, but it is just one step. We hope that its legacy is long-lasting, so that in our future as student journalists, and the futures of countless young girls around the world, gender never acts as a barrier to our aspirations.

To find out more about the conference and to to buy tickets visit: www.womeninmediacon.co.uk

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Overheard University of Manchester “Couscous goes with apricots you fool!”

Overheard in West Didsbury

“You’re a mooncup kind of gal.”

Overheard in Withington

“I wouldn’t rub my clitoris with my foot in front of you, that’s just disrespectful.”

Overheard in Fallowfield

“Maybe that’s my secret life.

Heroin and Tinder.”

Overheard in Didsbury

“If Lord Of The Rings had sex in it I’d never leave my room.”

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Operation Masturbation

Ellie Gibbs shares some soul soothing advice on remedying writer’s block. But is that all she’s talking about?

Having been asked to write a piece for feminism week in the lifestyle section, I found myself in that state dreaded by journalists and authors alike: writer’s block.

Being blocked is frustrating. You know there’s something you need to do, you know there’s something you can do, but for whatever reason, it just ain’t happening. Why was I blocked? A lack of motivation perhaps, a lack of inspiration, food for thought. Maybe I doubted my ability to produce anything.

What I needed to do was to calm down, forget about the end point of finishing the article itself, and take baby steps. Play around with it, slowly undress my ideas onto a blank page without the urgency to come to the climax.

I thought about the deadline, issued on Monday and I had until Thursday. What was the rush? I had loads of time. I could write a little bit every day if I wanted, write it all in one go, or simply let the mood take me away without any kind of plan. The latter was my favourite.

Besides, the act of writing wasn’t going to go away, it wasn’t like this was my only chance. As with anything, practice makes perfect. The first time may not be successful, but to succeed we can keep trying and only get better.

There’s nothing embarrassing about feeling pent up; nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to everyone, and some may be more open about it than others. One thing is for sure: we shouldn’t shame those who have something to release, we should encourage and help them to channel their inner-spirit out, bring them to life by giving hope, empowerment and sisterly advice.

This empowerment is for everyone. Whether you feel like trying is like hitting a brick wall, and you have come to a stage of acceptance and that it’s not for you, or whether you feel that you have no problem with this issue and you don’t need the help—it’s important to be aware that everyone is different and the conversation is worth having between trusted friends.

Make time for yourself, for your personal creativity. Try to connect the ideas of your brain with your fingers. This output is an important part of human nature and a valuable form of meditation. If you find yourself over-thinking whilst trying to remain in the moment, you could always try chanting ॐ, or “Om”.

Spirituality is an ancient thing, the body is designed to facilitate its own pleasure through the power of the mind and the fingertips. This

Photo: joyruH7@flickr

past time is as valuable to your happiness and wellbeing as sleeping, eating and keeping clean.

Take it slow, take it easy. Light some candles if you like, have a bath. Let the mind relax and forget about the impending objective of the activity. Do some stretches, loosen up and let your hands do

the magic.

Everyone can do it. Everyone can let their creativity rush. Don’t give up, you have it in you. Just release the pressure, take it slow and make the experience an enjoyable one.

Oh look, it’s the end of the article.

I made time, I did it, there was no pressure. And oh, does it feel good.

Dispelling the myths of feminism Alice Williams looks at some of common misconceptions about feminism

“Have you seen her new hair?

Yeah, my dog’s arse looks like that when we have to bath her.”

Overheard in the Library

“His performance was so passionate; I didn’t know whether to cry or wank. Or both.”

Overheard in Didsbury

“Is it acceptable to eat this garlic cheese in the library? I’m thinking no...”

Overheard in the Library

Whilst the acceptance of feminism is now widespread across every university campus in Britain, you do still come across the occasional misguided individual in the Friendship Inn, convinced that feminists are out to cut their dick off. Here are some common misconceptions about feminism, debunked.

Feminists hate men The theory here being that because feminists are so invested in fighting for equality for the female sex, that this obviously involves crushing their male counterparts to dust in the process. This is quite clearly not true, since the point of feminism is to have equality for both genders.

Feminists in fact don’t hate me, they hate sexism, misogyny and the patriarchy. In Feminism is For Everybody, bell hooks rightly stated: “Masses of people think that feminism is always and only about women seeking to be equal to men. And a huge majority of these folks think feminism is antimale. Their misunderstanding of feminist politics reflects the reality that most folks learn about feminism from patriarchal mass media.”

tics know most people do not understand sexism or if they do they think it is not a problem.” It is a rare passionate feminist who doesn’t have solid evidence to back up her emotional protestations, and facts don’t mean hysteria.

Photo: LeHook@Flickr

Feminists are hysterical It’s centuries old, but the stereotype of women with a point to prove being hysterical refuses to die. By this logic, feminists are left with no leg to stand on when all of

Ask Us

I’ve recently started trying to invest more time in doing some exercise. Unfortunately, the rest of my friends aren’t very sporty and they never want to join me and have started doing things without me when I’m going for runs or doing exercise classes. I don’t want to end up missing out on everything but I really do think it’s important for me to exercise more.

their highly valid points are shot down as overly dramatic. But you quite simply can’t argue with the facts that feminists have to offer.

Returning to what bell hooks says: “As all advocates of feminist poli-

?! ?!

Feminism is only beneficial for women Feminism helps both men and women as it works to achieve a more realistic version of masculinity for men. There is a strong feminist focus on ending cycles of abuse in the marital home that are thought to stem from supressed male emotions. A study in 1981 called The Unintended Victims of Marital Violence, found that “Male children who witness the abuse of mothers by fathers are more likely to become men who batter in adulthood than those male children from homes free of violence.” By embracing a more equal society, the hyperbolized figure of masculinity is defunct.

While not exhaustive, these are some of the most general misconceptions about feminism. Next time you get irritated at Lena Dunham or Caitlin Moran’s latest tweet and are about to try and take down feminism in one fell swoop, bear these in mind.

This is one of those situations where you’re just going to have to choose what matters more to you. Your friends surely can’t be fickle enough that they’ll forget about you if you’re not around them 24/7.

Since you’ve decided that exercising is something important that you want to do for yourself, you should stick to doing it. Don’t isolate yourself by spending all your time at the gym and missing out on everything your friends do, but missing out on a few nights spent in front of the TV is surely something you’re not going to look back on and regret.

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Role Models in Sport

Toby Webb Sport Reporter

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

@Mancunion_Sport

The revelations coming out of the Adam Johnson trial have been shocking. The footballer is currently undergoing a trial for four counts of underage sexual activity; he has pleaded guilty to two of these counts. The details coming out of the court room paint a sickening picture. One can only hope that the justice system adequately punishes him for his misconduct.

The crimes committed by Johnson stand as a gross abuse of his esteemed position in society, utilising his fame, and subsequent power, to satisfy his perverted desires. He is the stark opposite of a role model. Despite this, the vast majority of sportspeople live reputable lives, aware of their elevated position. Instances, such as Johnson’s, are infrequent. However, they continue to crop up.

It is generally accepted that sportspeople should be role models in society; there is a greater emphasis on, a greater requirement of, sportspeople to live respectably. This greater emphasis results from the intense scrutiny and attention, as well as the position of power and influence, which comes with being a professional in sport. This principle has been heightened in the social media age, where people’s lives can be monitored even more precisely.

Sportspeople are marvelled for their ability: people want to imitate them. As result, their actions outside of sport can also be open to imitation also. Wrongdoings can appear permissible if enacted by someone who has influence over others. All this puts emphasis on top sportspeople being models of reputable living in society.

There is a tension at the centre of the role model debate. I often feel it is forgotten that sportspeople are still people, and that people make mistakes. Not for a minute am I attempting to rationalise actions such as Johnson’s: they are unlawful and wrong. However, the intense scrutiny that sportspeople live under means that even the

Alex Whitcomb Sport Reporter England’s men were humbled by a rampant South African side who whitewashed the tourists in the T20 series 2-0. In the final regular tour Twenty20 International series before the World T20 they displayed the same aggressive style that has been the trademark of Eoin Morgan’s captaincy, but they were simply outplayed by stronger opposition. While elements of bad luck did affect both England matches, South Africa showed more consistency and played out both games superbly. England’s women fared much better, beating the Proteas 2-1 and cementing their place as a firm favourite to regain the title they won at Lord’s in 2009.

The men’s first match was certainly a more encouraging affair for Eoin Morgan’s team, with the game going down to the final ball. Although Reece Topley will certainly look back at his failure to run out Kyle Abbot and wonder what might have been, England as a whole performed well at Newlands in a game that was far from a thrashing. Taking South Africa to the edge of defeat looked like the continuation of a run of good T20 form that had seen Morgan’s men remain undefeated since May 2014.

In contrast, England were trounced at the Wanderers in match number 2 and must be bitterly disappointed that they let a game that was well within their grasp go away from them so quickly.

Lancashire’s Jos Buttler showed his superior class in the game by smashing a 40-ball 54 and put England in a strong position to take the game away from the Proteas at 157-4. However, the loss of Morgan soon after wards – in one of the unluckiest of fashions – precipitated a spectacular batting collapse, and England finished on 171 all out just three overs after Morgan fell. South Africa then proceeded to successfully chase the score set by England in just 14.4 overs and with the loss of just one wicket.

As far as England’s chances of success at the World T20 goes, the men’s team is still strong and there are match winners there. Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid and skipper Eoin Morgan have proved themselves as one day specialists, with Buttler fetching £385,000 in the IPL auction and Rashid the top wicket-taker in the Big Bash League group stages. They have also proved that they can play to the death in big games, beating Australia by 6 runs in Cardiff last year and India by 3 runs the year before.

The coaching pedigree behind the England side is the best in the world, Head Coach Trevor Bayliss has won all the major franchise cricket trophies in the world. Big Bash and Champions League wins with the Sydney Sixers and an IPL with Kolkata Knight Rid-

slightest misdemeanours are elevated to massive heights. For example, the footballer Raheem Sterling was videoed, and then photographed, using the legal high laughing gas last year. This is an activity that many people of Sterling’s age (now 21) engage in. While it is thought there are dangers in using laughing gas, it is not illegal. Sterling was merely participating in something popular with his age group. However, it was perceived that Sterling was not taking his position as a top sportsperson into account. In using laughing gas, he was promoting it; in doing so, he was deemed a bad role model.

I can sympathise with the intense scrutiny that sportspeople live under. However, this sympathy is finite. The modern-day sportsperson will undoubtedly be aware of the demands of the job.

They know they will constantly be under the spotlight; they will know that even the smallest transgression will tarnish the perception of them.

However, the intense scrutiny sportspeople are subjected is constraining. I can understand why certain ‘forbidden fruits’ seem very appealing, especially at the young age that many people turn professional these days.

While the majority of sportspeople respect the esteemed position they hold, stories of transgressions continue to crop up. So, how can sporting role models be encouraged? I will focus on two ways in which I think good actions can be inspired.

Initially, the culture in a specific sport can be improved, where players are models of respect and decency. This would promote better action. Rugby Union is renowned for its respectful culture. In rugby, respect towards the referees is paramount. Any abuse or questioning of a referee is punished with a sin bin, or a sending off in extreme scenarios, and the captains of each team are the only players allowed to have significant conversation with them. Moreover, despite the ferocious nature of the sport, in rugby the players have deep respect for each other; it is traditionally for each team to clap the opposition off the pitch after each game. This respectful at-

titude is heavily encouraged at a grassroots level too, meaning that the culture is embedded right through the spectrum of the sport.

Football, on the other hand, is renowned for disrespectful nature. Premier League games are characterised by players surrounding and questioning referees after the making of a decision.

The attitude the players have for each other is improving, the multicultural nature of club football meaning that players of the same nationality will often play against each other. However, poor conduct amongst the players is still present.

The problem is that, at a grassroots level, footballers observe this behaviour and replicate it.

Disrespect is engrained as the culture of football.

The FA have attempted to address the issue: in amateur football, disrespect towards another player often results in a yellow card, and subsequent fine, for the player in question. However, ultimately the culture within the English football pyramid will not improve until the culture in the Premier League is. Rugby has shown the model for success: make the top league reputable then attempt to improve the rest. Amateur players will be more respectful if their favourite players are.

Another way of inspiring sportspeople to be role models is through direct encouragement.

For example, the NFL has a yearly award, known as the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, for volunteer/charity work within a player’s community. Through the means of an award, the league encourages all players to do beneficial action in their communities, and in the process be role models. The use of awards to encourage charitable action is definitely something that should be implemented in other sports. The NFL now has a culture where players are driven to do good things in their communities.

Whether they like it or not, sportspeople have a unique requirement to live reputably. This can be as little as getting on with your job and staying out of trouble. While the influx of money and status can distort the moral compass, there are ways in which better role models can be encouraged.

South Africa throw a Spanner into the Works

Photo: 6000.co.za@Flickr

ers – along with a World Cup final with Sri Lanka in 2011 – shows the white-ball knowhow guiding the squad through the World T20 is second-to-none and gives this England team a little something extra that could be the difference that wins the title in India.

However, they must bounce back quickly in the warm up matches if they are to have the momentum to win what would be England’s first major championship since the 2010 World T20. Within two days, England have gone from being undefeated in two years to being on the end of a whitewash in the first series of the year, which will be a massive blow to their confidence. The scale of the collapse and the failure to adapt to a sudden change in game situation will be concerning, but it will feel well within the grasp of this squad.

On a more positive note, England’s women will go to India with much more confidence, having comfortably defeated South Af-

rica 2-1. Sarah Taylor impressed with a third consecutive fifty and joined Charlotte Edwards in the exclusive club of women to score 2000 career runs in Twenty20 internationals, and is now behind Edwards second on the all-time list of run scorers in the format. That meant that England consolidated their second place in the ICC team rankings and go into the tournament as the favourites to topple world number 1 side Australia in India.

Andrew Strauss’s new regime at the ECB will be tested for the first time since the Ashes and consistency will be key to whether either England side can vindicate his approach of allowing both sides to play expansive and exciting cricket.

England Men start their campaign on March 16th against the West Indies and England Women against Bangladesh on March 17th.

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Photo: Robbie Shade @Flickr

‘Snakebite’ heads Wright to the top Joe Murphy Sport Reporter First to enter the fray was Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright, with his trademark dance to Pitbull’s ‘Don’t Stop The Party’, getting the crowd even more pumped up for the evening’s action. This was halted by the entrance of ‘The Machine’ James Wade (a former Premier League champion), who has been in stuttering form so far this year. He produced the biggest upset of the premier league so far, defeating the odds-on favourite Michael Van Gerwan; but then he lost catastrophically to an improved Phil Taylor, last week. After some missed doubles and a breath-taking 161 checkout by Peter Wright, the game ended 7-4 in Snakebite’s favour. The world number five looked comfortable throughout, averaging over 104 and achieving a checkout success of 70 per cent—the best of the entire night.

In contrast, James

Wade could only average 98, and had a considerably lower checkout success of 44 per cent. The win gave Peter Wright a third successive victory, keeping him on top spot and maintaining the only 100 per cent record. James Wade now faces an uphill struggle to qualify for the top four.

KEY MOMENT: Peter Wright hits a stunning 161 checkout, ending on bullseye, giving him the momentum to go on and claim two points.

Bully Boy gets his first point as Chizzy falters The second match of the night featured two players in contrasting form, and demonstrating different levels of confidence. The world number eight, Michael ‘Bully Boy’ Smith, has found his debut season difficult. On the back of some great performances in the World Championship in December, fans expected him to do well. However, he has started with three defeats from his first three matches.

On the other hand, Dave ‘Chizzy’ Chisnall has been in magnificent form, whitewashing Rob-

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ert Thornton in week one before a narrow defeat to Adrian Lewis last week, a match where both players average over 100 points. However, this contest ended in the first draw of the season after a closely fought, topsy-turvy match: 6-6. At 5-5, Smith Broke Chisnall’s throw; meaning he had the advantage of going first in the last leg, leading 6-5. Just as it appeared Bully Boy was on course for his first win of the campaign, Chizzy produced a remarkable ‘11 darter’ to claim the draw. He was pleased, yet also disappointed, with the result: “At 6-5 down it’s always good to get a point…but it feels like a point lost really.” Both men have played a lot better in previous weeks, only averaging in the mid 90s, and both had an unusually poor time hitting the doubles, with an identical 43 per cent success rate. A draw seemed to be a fair reflection of the match, and gets Michael Smith off the bottom of the league, while Dave Chisnall remains mid-table.

make the top four, but if he doesn’t start winning soon, the gap to those above him may become too big to close.

KEY MOMENT: Dave Chisnall’s 11 darter in the final leg to guarantee himself a point.

Flying Scotsman derailed by the Power Two of the biggest names in darts clashed for the next match. With 18 World Championships between them, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor (16) met the reigning Premier League and World Champion, Gary Anderson (2). It was Phil Taylor who took both points with a 7-4 victory. Gary Anderson missed the first week through illness and has since come back in indifferent form. He lost to Michael Van Gerwan in week two, and looked a shadow of himself in this match, only averaging 93.38. This, compared to his form at times in the World Championship, where he was averaging over 110 and hit a ‘9-darter’, shows just how badly he is playing at the moment. Take nothing away from ‘The Power’ though, another brilliant display where he averaged over 100 gave him the two points that took him into joint second.

In contrast, ‘The Flying Scotsman’ remains winless and in the bottom two, although he has games in hand on those above him in the table. Both players will be concerned by only achieving a checkout success of 40 per cent, but Taylor will be grateful of the points against the reigning champion. For Anderson, he certainly isn’t out of the running to

KEY MOMENT: Lewis has chance to break back at 6-4 on 164 finish, but hits wire aiming for bull, MVG then wins the match with his next dart.

Barney removes ‘The Thorn’ from his side Raymond Van Barnevald is almost a sure bet to finish in the top four, and has done so numerous times before. The 2014 Premier League champion has been in fine form both in the World Championship, where he was a semi-finalist, and so far, this campaign, where two wins from three have put him level with Adrain Lewis, MVG and Phil Taylor. Having dominated against Peter wright in week two, he somehow lost the match. Barney dominated against Robert Thornton, too, but almost chucked it away at the end. The scoreline 7-5 in Barney’s favour hardly did justice to the match itself. Barney averaged over 102.6, whereas The Thorn could only manage 89. Although Thornton managed a 63 per cent checkout success, almost double that of RVB’s, he is still bottom of the league on leg difference. He faces an almost impossible task to make the top four. As for Barney, he is well and truly on course for the top four.

KEY MOMENT: 3RD LEG—Anderson ready to pounce and break, but Taylor manages to checkout 101 to hold throw.

Mighty Mike wins the jackpot, against ‘The Jackpot’ ‘Jackpot’ Adrian Lewis and ‘Mighty’ Michael Van Gerwan have arguably been the two best players of the season so far. On this occasion, it was ‘Mighty Mike’ who won 7-4, averaging 106.4 (the best of the night) with a checkout success of 54 per cent. Lewis played well but ultimately fell to the world number one. This result leaves them on the same amount of points (four), and in joint second in the table. At two wins from three, both will be feeling relatively happy with their start to the campaign.

KEY MOMENT: First leg break for Barney, checkout 116 to set the tone for a dominant display.

Sport in the City There’s more to sport in Manchester than City and United: this week we highlight Manchester Thunder Netball Club

Adam Selby Sport Reporter In the spotlight this week: Manchester Thunder (Netball) Well… what is it?

Manchester Thunder, founded in 2005, are a netball team currently competing in the Netball Superleague made up of the top eight netball teams throughout England and Wales. After a 3rd place finish in the 2015 Superleague Season, having overcome rivals Yorkshire Jets to crucially win their 3rd place playoff 55-49, Manchester Thunder’s next home game is only their second of the current league campaign, which kicked off at the end of January.

A first win of the season came at home against Team Northumbria and their comfortable 59-37 victory was followed by a consecutive win, this time over the Celtic Dragons with a score line of 72-52.

Manchester Thunder are currently managed by Dan Ryan who has previously worked as assistant coach at Adelaide Thunderbirds and took over the side in June 2015 after Gary Neville’s younger and Phil Neville’s twin sister Tracey Neville left her position as manager to become the manager of the England National Team. And although it is still too early to say whether Manchester Thunder can continue their good form of last season and progress higher in the table, recent results would certainly suggest they’re determined and more than prepared to be battling at the top of the Superleague standings.

How do I get there?

Nicknamed the ‘Manchester Thunderdome’, Manchester Thunder play all of their games at Wright Robinson Sports College on Abbey Hey Lane in Manchester. With regards to public transport I would recommend the train as the best method of transportation to and from the venue. From Manchester Piccadilly station, catch a train to either one of Gorton or Fairfield, as the Wright Robinson complex is situated centrally to both and leaving a short walk away from either train station. Trains from Manchester Piccadilly run frequently and direct to both stations without any need for a change and should you struggle to find your way after disembarking the train, head in the direction of Wright Robinson Sports College which includes the Manchester Thunderdome. If you are fortunate enough to be driving there or intend on getting a taxi, a full set of directions are avail-

Photo: Manchester Thunder

able via the Manchester Thunder official website in the ‘Contact Us’ section.

But how much does it cost to get in?

Students with valid identification are able to make use of the reduced ticket options available at Manchester Thunder, making your day out that bit more affordable. Available to purchase online via the team’s official website or at the venue alternatively, a concessionary ticket only costs £8.00, or £10.00 for a full priced adult ticket. Not bad if you ask me! Additionally if you for whatever reason wish to enjoy your day out watching Manchester Thunder in style with more comfort then a VIP ticket option is also available with cushioned seating and refreshments before, during and after the game and is priced at £22.50. We’ll leave that choice up to you…

What are the facilities like?

The Manchester Thunderdome is

situated at the heart of the leisure centre at Wright Robinson Sports College. Often in-front of a packed crowd, as well as the indoor netball court and sports centre, there are also facilities within the complex including FIFA 1STAR 3G pitches, swimming pool and both a sports hall and dance hall, all available to hire at a concessionary rate should you wish to host a sporting event with such modern facilities in the near future.

Tell me something I didn’t already know…

Manchester Thunder are set to make netball history when they compete in the Netball Manchester Live competition in April this year hosted at the Manchester Arena. In what looks set to be a tense war of the roses clash up against Yorkshire Jets, the match aims to break the record for the highest attended domestic netball game. This title is currently held by Netball London Live with an

attendance of 6033 people but if recent audience figures are anything to go by, Manchester Thunder have the potential to carry on making headlines on and off the court. Meanwhile the club won the annual Mike Greenwood Trophy three times in a row between 2012-2014 and were crowned Superleague winners back in 2014, and also in 2012 under their previous name Northern Thunder.

Finally, when can I see this in action?

Manchester Thunder take on reigning champions Surrey Storm on Monday 29th February, kicking off at 7.45pm. For more information on ticketing, directions and anything else head over to: http://www.manchesterthunder.com/

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ISSUE 16 / 29th FEBRUARY 2016 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Interview: Run Wild MCR

Adam Selby Sport Reporter Following the recent announcement from SPORT Manchester that the University’s Sport Office has negotiated 1,000 places for staff and students to run the Great Manchester 10 KM, the largest 10 kilometre run in Europe, what better way is there to make the most of this opportunity than by joining like minded students at Run Wild MCR? And ahead of what is often referred to as ‘Running season’, or ‘Marathon season’ with both the Manchester and London Marathon amongst many others taking place just after Easter in April, I caught up with Mark Harrison from the Run Wild MCR society to discuss running in general, the events you can get involved in across campus and also some advice on how you can reach your full potential.

7) And finally if you had to give three tips to help potential runners reach whatever their target may be, what would they be?

1. Make your goals ambitious but achievable.

2. Never say “I can’t”. Anything is possible with enough work.

1) So what exactly is ‘Run Wild MCR?’ We’re a group of students who love running, whether that means going for a light jog followed by brunch on a Saturday morning or pushing our limits on a track. We focus first and foremost on having a great time, and enjoying the benefits that running can offer for your health and well-being. There is also a great social side to running, and this is integral to the Run Wild community.

2) What types of events do you host?

We arrange a wide variety of sessions, ranging from track sessions to fell runs. Our regular meeting is every Tuesday evening, where we go for a run either into the city centre or around the campus. We also coordinate a ‘Great Run Local’ event in Birchfields Park every Sunday. Our other sessions are organised on a more ‘ad hoc’ basis, and usually take place on Thursdays or Saturdays. Our Facebook page is also a place where runners can find others to run with, or organise informal runs whenever suits them.

3) Is this society only for students with running experience or can anybody join?

We welcome all abilities, from beginners to more advanced runners. To do this, we split

3. Enjoy it! Running can be challenging and still be fun! If you plan your runs around interesting places and sights you will enjoy them a lot more than if you run simply to cross off a certain number of miles.

Photo: Rob Lawton @Flickr

into a number of differently paced groups on our Tuesday runs. Our one request is that you can do at least 30 minutes of light continuous exercise to come to our Tuesday sessions, as the routes are usually at least 5km. We occasionally organise 4-week beginners’ courses, and our next one (led by qualified leaders) will take place in the coming months.

4) Other than the Run Wild MCR events, what events would you recommend for aspiring runners?

Manchester has a wide variety of free timed runs that take place in local parks. For example, there is Park Run in Platt Fields and Heaton Park, Great Run Local in Birchfields Park, Salford Quays etc. There’s always a great vibe

United in crisis!

James Haughton Sport Reporter After a 2-1 defeat away to Sunderland left them 12 points behind Leicester City, 10 behind Tottenham and Arsenal and 6 behind fourth-placed Manchester City, Louis Van Gaal conceded that Manchester United’s best chance of reaching next season’s Champions League would be by winning the Europa League. That made the 2-1 defeat to Midtjylland, a side who had not played a competitive match for two months beforehand, in the first leg of their last-32 Europa League tie even more abysmal, and Van Gaal’s time as manager even more damning.

To be fair to the Dutchman, he achieved what was expected of him last season, but rather than the improvement anticipated after another large outlay in the summer, United

6) What piece of advice or encouragement would you give to anybody still hesitant about coming to a Run Wild MCR event?

Don’t be nervous! As I said before, we cater for all abilities and on our Tuesday runs we have a group specifically for beginners, so you will not be left behind! If you do feel like you need a bit more confidence though you can always drag your flatmates along as well! Alternatively, keep an eye on our Facebook page for announcements regarding our next beginners’ course.

have regressed; there were doubts about United’s style of play last season, but those murmurs of discontent have only grown louder this season.

Despite possessing the joint thirdbest defensive record in the league, United have scored only 33 goals in 26 Premier League matches, a stark contrast to the attacking brio seen during Alex Ferguson’s reign. Yes there have been significant injury problems – David De Gea’s injury in the warm-up only compounding the misery of that match against Midtjylland – but the players seem stifled and disinterested with Van Gaal’s philosophy.

The problems at United, however, are not just confined to on the field, but off it as well, as they have been since Ferguson and the chief executive, David Gill, left the club. Ferguson was succeeded by David Moyes seemingly based on his recommendation alone, despite the fact that the only

at these events and there will always be runners of similar ability to you. Also, events like the Great Manchester Run are great targets to work towards and can give that extra incentive to keep up the training!

5) As a runner yourself, what are your hopes or goals for 2016?

Personally, I’ve decided not to worry so much about getting lots of personal bests in races (something I used to care about a lot!), but to do a wider variety of running events such as fell/trail races. I’d love to explore more of the trails around the country, rather than just the local ones. Also, I want to keep increasing my limits in terms of distance and see how far I can push it!

Photo: Vegaseddie @Flickr

trophy Moyes had won up until that point was the Football League Second Division (now League One) title with Preston in the 1999-00 season.

Moyes’ and Ed Woodward’s (Gill’s successor) first transfer window proved presciently shambolic. United pursued Marouane Fellaini throughout the summer, paying £27.5 million for him in a deadline-day deal. But Fellaini’s contract had contained a £23.5 million release clause that had expired during that same transfer window. After comfortably winning the title in Ferguson’s last season in charge, Fellaini was United’s only significant purchase, a tactic which spectacularly backfired, as shown by Chelsea this season.

Since then United have spent lavishly on players in a bid to seriously contend for trophies once again; Woodward, in particular, has been keen to legitimise his appointment. Among

The University of Manchester is offering a discounted entry price of £20.00 for staff and students only, which also includes a purple technical running T-shirt. Everyone is welcome, as long as you are a member of staff or a student at the University of Manchester, but please note that there will be no refunds available.

For more information on how to get involved with Run Wild MCR or the Great Manchester 10KM please visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/runwildmcr http://www.sport.manchester.ac.uk/fitness/ manc10k/

others, Angel Di Maria, Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial, Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Radamel Falcao and Memphis Depay have all moved to United, but performances and results have not improved drastically with them.

The transfer strategy has lacked a clear plan, with, from the outside, some signings made on the basis of attracting headlines as opposed to strengthening the team. Mata’s best position is central and off the striker, which is where Wayne Rooney likes to play; Herrera was wanted by Moyes, who had been sacked before Herrera joined the club, yet Van Gaal has only started him sporadically. While a traumatic attempted burglary exacerbated Di Maria’s desire to leave Manchester, Van Gaal did not find a way to incorporate him into the first team.

Watching Di Maria return to form at PSG this season is particularly galling and an indictment of Van Gaal.

As for Woodward, United continue to gain new sponsors and improved commercial deals, but the running of the football side of United with him in charge has been at times laughable and his transfer record poor.

Discounting the Community Shield, United have not won a trophy since Ferguson left, and continued poor performance, even for a club as popular worldwide as United, will affect the club’s ability to attract sponsors. In addition, unlike Moyes, Van Gaal was Woodward’s choice, and it will reflect badly on him should the Dutchman be sacked.

United’s academy is also under scrutiny. The Class of ‘92 were highly successful and contained some genuinely world-class players. In the 24 years since then, however, the academy has produced some decent Premier League players, e.g. Danny Welbeck and Wes Brown, at best. Nicky Butt is the new head of the academy, but Brian McClair, Butt’s predecessor, announced he was leaving in February 2015, and vacated his role in May. That indicates the lack of emphasis placed on the academy currently, especially in comparison with the likes of Chel-

sea, Manchester City and Everton.

That negligence has affected results; Paul McGuinness left his position in charge of the under-18s this month, with United eleventh in a twelve-team division.

Should Van Gaal leave before next season, his potential replacements are not without concerns, especially as the next manager will probably have to significantly restructure the squad once again. Rumours about Jose Mourinho replacing Van Gaal have been incessant since Chelsea sacked him. The Portuguese manager has had a trophy-laden managerial career and, in terms of results, will maximise the squad’s potential. But he has rarely developed young players, which is not a criticism that can be labelled at Van Gaal, and has so far left clubs after a few seasons. He is likely to solve United’s on-field issues in the short term, but will he provide long-term stability at a club that desperately needs it?

Ryan Giggs, on the other hand, is unproven as a manager. The fact that he is Van Gaal’s assistant suggests that Giggs has either agreed with LVG’s methods or been unable to convince Van Gaal enough to change his tactics. Either way it suggests that Giggs is not yet ready to take on a job of this magnitude at a world-renowned club in need of a strong and able manager.

Overall, United’s problems both off and on the field since Ferguson left the club are not mutually exclusive.

United lack a strong footballing structure (sporting directors etc.) that the likes of Bayern Munich – whose executives shepherd the club through managerial and squad changes, and thus ensure the continued success of the club – possess. This means that when a talismanic figure, such as Ferguson, leaves, United enter a period of uncertainty that affects performances and is difficult to rectify, as has been shown over the past three seasons. For United to remain at the top of world football, strong, decisive leadership is needed at an executive and managerial level.

29th FEBRUARY 2016/ ISSUE 16 FREE

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Photo: Rhiannon Davies

Rhiannon Davies Sport Reporter

Half naked, soaking and delirious after three hours sleep with a hangover that just asks: ‘why.’

Sound familiar? Think again.

This was Saturday morning at BUCS Long Course Swimming Championships; one of the most important competitive swimming competitions of the year.

Over the weekend of the 19th21st February, around 3500 swimmers were among the six thousand athletes to descend onto Sheffield’s sporting venues for three days of competition.

For the University of Manchester Swimming Club, BUCS is a measure of talent, endurance and determination in the pool, on the poolside and around the dance floor. Captains expect teammates to replicate and uphold the city’s energy and success through race results, vociferous support and vibrant fan-

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cy dress. BUCS exposes the character of university teams; their strengths, weaknesses and self -identification. Whilst once again top sporting uni’s such as Loughborough, Bath and Edinburgh comprised the highest points scorers this year, Manchester should be proud - swimmers proved themselves just as committed to principled fun and tenacious enthusiasm as previous, more successful years.

Compared to recent years BUCS results in both November and February have fallen short. From placing in the top ten between 2011-2014, winning AU club of the year twice, AU official of the year and AU sportswoman of the year, 2015-2016 has not managed to yield any BUCS points either in November’s competition or during this weekend. Swimming is one of the most participated sports in the country and one of the biggest individual sports within BUCS; being a BUCS points scorer is incredibly difficult. Success comes from talent and an unwavering commitment to hard work, with top swimmers training over ten times a week for 2 hours at a time. Manchester was lucky enough to attract a number of these top swimmers between 2011 and 2014, but as time moves on so do university students.

With their departure went the ‘top ten’ place on the BUCS scoreboard along with all funding from Sport Manchester. Pool hire is costly and a swimming club is highly expensive to run. Recently, funding has become a major prob -

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lem. President of the club Justin Craig has had to donate £1000 of his own money to cover competition expenses and the once complementary circuits session on a Saturday will now have to be paid for by swimmers. Withdrawal of funds endangers not only racing success but threatens to distort the teams character.

Committee members fear that if swimmers have to pay for Saturday circuit sessions the recreational members, who contribute a vital part of the teams spirit, will be less willing to participate given the relatively small amount of competition time they get.

The Sport Manchester homepage boasts of the Manchester Aquatics centre as ‘one of the biggest and best swimming facilities in the country’, and uses the University swimming team as part of their campaign to ‘make sport part of your Manchester.’ Whilst public promotion is sustained, the swimming club might hope to carry on attracting dedicated swimmers. However, there is a negative cycle for both Sport Manchester and the club; less funding leads to fewer swimmers and less success in the pool. Coverage of this year’s BUCS aims to demonstrate a team and its ethos; still willing and committed despite the recent difficulties.

On Friday evening Manchester’s first swimmer was Alberto Albona who endured the gruelling 1500m freestyle despite a lack of distance training. Following on was an exciting performance in the 4x100m freestyle relays.

Fifty university teams competed in each race and, roared on by poolside support, the Manchester boys secured a place in the B team final to be held the following day. With the swimming over the team headed off to re-energise at one of Sheffield’s finest eateries; the local Weatherpoons. Dinner and drinks lead on to a successful night out at Leadmill club, then

bed for a couple of hours sleep before warm up the next day.

Session two began at 8am Saturday morning with all swimmers keen to get stuck in. Despite Manchester’s high spirited antics lasting into the early hours of the morning the captains upheld the team’s traditional ‘no lie ins’ policy, ensuring all team mates were on poolside as supporters, whether racing that morning or not. Manchester’s swimmers showed grit and determination when racing and cheering on their teammates.

Special mention to top forty finishers Carita Hui for her 50m backstroke and Sultan Alotaibi for his 50m breaststroke, along with Danial Zakaria for his 100m butterfly and Justin Craig for a speedy 50m freestyle (a recently healed broken arm withstanding).

The mens and women’s 4x100m individual medley relay once again proved productive, with the girls team finishing 26th and the boys team making yet another B final. The last event of the day was the mens freestyle relay final; Justin Craig, Max Granger, Laurence Gummerson and Matthew Rudolph swam a neck and neck race, with Surrey and Exeter with Rudolph finishing in an impressive 55.18 seconds.

Although pipped to the post for 8th by just 0.04 seconds the Manchester boys managed to steal 9th from Leeds Becket by over two seconds and provided the audience with a heated and exciting finale to the days events. Worn out and in need of some immediate calories the team decided to forgo the usual Dominos for something a little more nutritious; Wetherspoons once more welcomed the athletes with open doors. With another day of exhausting racing ahead the team decided to don fancy dress and head out to Sheffield Hallam’s ‘Get Dunked’ night for some well deserved raucousness along with the rest of the competition’s fun-loving swimming teams.

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Another 7am wake up call followed by an enormous breakfast and dash to the pool began the last day of competing. With poolside smelling a little more like alcohol than chlorine and swimmers from all teams decidedly zig-zagging across the lanes in warm up the atmosphere was one of nervous resilience. Once again Manchester gave everything into the last few nauseous hours of racing to produce some incredible swims and clamorous cheering. Both Laurence Gummerson and Faris Alhassan performed commendably for their 50m butterfly and Matthew Rudolph came within two seconds of his club record in the 100m backstroke despite yet another recently healed broken arm. Other mentions go to the teams paraswimmer Rosie Bancroft who placed 18th in the open 400m freestyle and Aimee Harvey for her stoicism and determination during her many races. The final event was the Mens 4x100m individual medley final which proved a gripping end to the competition.

The race was close with York, Nottingham, Manchester and Exeter side by side throughout.

Manchester squared themselves with Exeter’s previous victory by beating them to 5th place and ending the weekend on a high.

Captains Connie Prowse and Laurence Gummerson have praised the team for their efforts this weekend, stressing the centrality of enthusiasm and solidarity to the club’s ethos. ‘BUCS top girl’ has been been awarded to Carita Hui for her 50m backstroke and Aimee Harvey for her upbeat attitude when asked to swim more events than any one else on the team. ‘Bucs top boy’ has been awarded to Matthew Rudolph for his 100m backstroke performance and James Hulbert for reflecting Manchester’s vigorous fun seeking and dedication to enjoyment. Finally, swimming hats off to both boys relay teams for placing 5th and 8th in the B finals.

What is clear from this weekend at BUCS is that the dip in Manchester’s swimming race performance is not down to nonchalance or lacklustre spirit in training or competition but perhaps instead highlights a weakness in the way Manchester is advertising itself for potential swimmers. Manchester Swimming Club does not pose as anything but what is is; a lively, hard working, inclusive and dynamic team, proud to be committed to enjoyment and enthusiasm as well as competitive results. Like many university teams Manchester depends on the quality of recruits and the lottery of university applications.

With or without these luxury recruits the club continues to strive for impressive results with gusto.

This weekend Manchester will be holding the annual Quest for the Crest competition at Manchester Aquatics centre on Oxford road. Over thirty teams from all over the country will be competing to raise money for Diabetes UK. Come along to see what the swimming club does and donate to a great cause.