Issue6

WWW.MANCUNION.COM 26th OCTOBER 2015 / ISSUE 6 FREE

“Black History Month reminds me how important voice is”

UCU announces possible strike action Charlie Spargo Editor-in-chief

The University and College Union (UCU) has announced a formal Trade Dispute with the University of Manchester and will ballot for strike and other industrial action, after negotiations regarding the outsourcing of IT services broke down again.

The UMUCU Executive Committee sent a message to all its members on Wednesday the 21st of October, announcing that a sixhour meeting on Monday for Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) talks did not end in agreement.

In the AGM held the same day, it was unanimously agreed upon that a strike should be balloted for. According to President of UMUCU Dr. Adam Ozanne, this would be the first time in the history of the university that industrial action has been called locally as opposed to in a national campaign.

“In the continued absence of any concrete proposals from the Senior Leadership [Team] (SLT), UCU has no option but to exercise our members’ mandate, declare a formal Trade Dispute and ballot members on industrial action, authority for which was granted to the branch last week by UCU’s national officials,” read the Committee’s message.

“Despite this declaration, we wish to emphasise that the branch is committed to seeking a negotiated agreement and avoiding industrial action. However, achieving this will require significant concessions on key negotiation points from the SLT, which it has failed to do for nearly six months now.”

The campus unions asked the leadership of the university that there would be no compulsory redundancies of the 37 redeployees and 219 IT staff notified of their situations in April and July respectively; that the maximum time an employee can remain on the redeployment register—currently being reduced from an unlimited time down to six months—can be negotiated; and that agreed policies and procedures were agreed to. The university, however, dispute that they have violated these procedures.

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An interview with Pixelbomb Games

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Guantánamo: We must take responsibility

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Protests, presents, and the Northern Powerhouse

Full coverage of the Chinese President’s visit to Manchester on page 2

Manchester receives enormous funding from fossil fuel giants Charlie Spargo Editor-in-chief

The University of Manchester has received almost £28 million in funding from fossil fuel giants since 2010, according to a report released by Greenpeace, following the submission of multiple Freedom of Information requests to British universities.

More than £134 million has been taken by the country’s top universities in five years, according to the data, which is published on Greenpeace’s website.

Manchester took the highest amount of funding at £27.7 million, 20 per cent of the total found in the investigation, the vast majority of which came from BP, at £18.6 million, followed by Shell, at

£5.6 million.

Manchester was followed by Cambridge, which received £25.7 million, and then Imperial College (£23.9 million). 80 per cent of Russell Group universities told Greenpeace that they have taken the funding, though this figure may be higher as some refused to release the data.

A spokesperson for the University of Manchester said: “The university has a Socially Responsible Investment Policy, which is a public document, and is available on our website. Our investment portfolio is managed by one of the world’s leading asset management firms, and is reviewed annually against our Socially Responsible Investment Policy.

“The terms of the Socially Responsible Investment Policy were agreed by the university’s Finance Committee and by the Board of Governors, which has Students’ Union representation.

We do not hold any direct shareholdings, so any influence is brought to bear purely by our Fund Managers, and because they work on behalf of a number of institutions, they can bring much greater influence to bear than a single organisation.

“As part of our review process, there have been occasions in the past when the university has disinvested in certain companies; for example, we no longer invest in tobacco companies.”

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ISSUE 5 / 19th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Protesters and supporters greet Chancellor: Sorry Birmingham, Chinese President at Town Hall Xi is coming to the Powerhouse Nicole Tamer Reporter & Film Editor Thousands of people gathered in front of Manchester Town Hall on Friday 23rd October in order to celebrate or protest against the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

During his 4-day visit in England, a series of investment deals have been signed. David Cameron welcomed him in Manchester to visit the National Graphene Institute and to promote the government’s Northern Powerhouse agenda.

Amidst the cheering of Chinese supporters, protests were called by many organisations. The reasons for protesting were varied but the main concern was China’s human rights record. The Manchester Disabled People Against The Cuts (MDPAC) states that human rights abusers are not welcome in Manchester and that earlier protests in the city were apparently not clear enough.

Members of the Manchester People’s Assembly also voiced their concerns over many government deals and protested loudly with drums and slogans. People from all walks of life were present and came from all corners of the world.

A couple who flew to Manchester from the Netherlands protested with a big group against the prosecution of people who practise Falun Gong. Under China’s last president, Hu Jintao, followers of the harmless health practice were persecuted and their organs sold for transplant. The European Parliament expressed their concern over this violation of human rights in a resolution in 2013.

Mary Begley, a guest lecturer and Ph.D. student at the Uni-

versity of Manchester, protested against the development of two new nuclear power stations at Sizewell and Bradwell.

Investments in the Hinkley Point nuclear plant have been secured although it came under fire over its costs.

It will be more expensive than current solar energy sources and the Government has just proposed huge cuts to the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) - the scheme which supports small scale renewables. Cutting the tariff will put at least 20000 people at risk of job losses and harm further investments in renewable energy in the future. Gerald Kaufman, the MP of Gorton, voiced his concern in a letter to The Mancunion but sees no point in attempting to sway Cameron’s opinion.

However, he promised to remain active on the matter.

It wasn’t just the protesters who came from far away. The Mancunion spoke to supporters of the President, specifically Chinese students from the University of York, Liverpool John Moores University, and some who flew in from China.

Many wore traditional gowns and uniforms to greet their President. Allegations from protesters that some students were paid by the government to cheer, wear stickers, and wave flags were denied.

Another protester was given the honour of representing Tibetan refugees in Manchester by Chodak Hunter, a well-known Tibetan activist in the UK. Supporters of Tibet hoped that the President would be reminded of his human rights responsibilities and would learn from the power of debate and democracy on show during his visit.

Although the protesters’ voices were loud, the number of Chinese supporters was higher and they will probably have made a bigger impression on the President and the gathered crowds.

Emily Hulme Reporter

The President of China, Xi Jinping, has visited Manchester as part of his four-day state visit of the UK. It is the first time in ten years that a Chinese head of state has visited Britain.

The Birmingham Mail has reported that George Osborne personally veered the Chinese President’s trip away from Birmingham to come to Manchester instead. Osborne recently opened contracts up to Chinese businesses to work on the £50 billion HS2 project that will, at first, connect London to Birmingham. The midland city will also house HS2’s headquarters. Despite officials’ and businesses lobbying the Chancellor to bring the Chinese President to Birmingham, Manchester prevailed in the contest.

A spokesperson at Downing Street said the Chancellor has no comments regarding the decision.

In the promise that China will invest millions of pounds in the North West, Osborne took the opportunity to show off the UK’s Northern Powerhouse to Xi Jinping. To make Manchester the ‘hub of the North’, Mr Osborne has encouraged Chinese companies to invest in various projects around the city.

Mr Osborne accompanied Xi Jinping and his wife, First Lady Peng Liyuan, in their visit to Manchester, which included a visit to the University of Manchester. The 62-year-old also toured the Manchester City ground, despite being a life-long Manchester United fan. Xi, a chemical engineering graduate, visited the National Graphene Institute at the University where he was fascinated by the potential of the new found material.

Photo: The Mancunion

Manchester and UK universities build stronger partnerships with China Elena Losavio Senior Reporter According to Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings, the quality of Chinese universities is significantly rising, with four Chinese universities currently in the global top 100.

President of Imperial College London, Alice Gast, wrote that UK universities will benefit considerably from constructive collaborations with highly trained Chinese researchers. She highlighted that nowadays universities and science are key topics in the discussion of foreign policies both for the UK and China. These topics are highly regarded, especially in the agenda of President Xi Jinping’s visit.

The President Xi Jinping’s visit at The University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute is an example of this stronger partnership. According to Sky News, the Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei will soon announce an investment of “millions of pounds” for the National Graphene Institute.

Manchester will become an important bridge between the UK and China, in particular at the university level. Many projects have been realized and will be created in the future in order to increase these connections. From June 2016, a new Hainan Airlines flight will connect Beijing and Manchester.

Four flights a week will be available and it is already possible to book from The Hainan website.

Manchester Airport Group (MAG) will be subject to a new plan of developments and investments. A new “China Zone” will be created to consolidate the link between the northwest hub and Chinese industries. The redevelopment will increase the exchange of people between the two countries.

Chinese students, who already constitute a significant part of the student population in Manchester, will therefore have a direct link to the Chinese capital.

The Chinese Ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, said: “Britain has by far the largest number of Chinese students in any country in Europe.”

“In turn, British people have supported the creation of the largest number of Confucius Institutes in any country of Eu-

rope. A third of the Chinese students, who are studying in the UK, are based in areas around Greater Manchester, and 3,600 of them are in the University of Manchester.

“As a result of this visit, Manchester will likely become more attractive to Chinese students and Chinese tourists, and I am sure the attraction will be mutual.”

While Alice Gast argues that UK education is “helping to educate China’s future leaders” and science will benefit by the “collaborative spirit”, this is not the only issue that is being discussed at the moment. The increase of Chinese students and common scientific research goals are associated with substantial Chinese investment in the UK. According to David Cameron, in the future China will also invest another £30 billion in the media, education, leisure, banking and energy sectors in the UK and among these are £200 million new TV training programmes at The University of York, £25 million to distribute Chinese TV to international audiences and investment in Manchester’s National Graphene Institute.

Questions are being raised about increased Chinese economic power in the UK, especially concerning energy. According to Cameron, the biggest investment concerns nuclear power. A Chinese company is set to invest from £5.4 to £8.2 billion in a new nuclear power plant.

Reflecting upon the relationship between Chinese investments, the UK and the future of university education, Miller argues: “Chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne said nothing about human rights on a recent trip to Beijing, during which he promised that Britain would be China’s ‘best partner in the West, while prime minister David Cameron remains disgracefully silent on Hong Kong’s democracy movement.”

“With US$30 billion (£19.4 billion) of Chinese money invested in Britain over the past decade, it’s not hard to see why.”

In addition, Miller points out that the scholarly prestige in the UK, which attracts Chinese students at the moment, is at risk. If that prestige was the result of a centuries-long academic tradition, now it has been put a risk by current policies.

He remarked: “The fundamental question that even socalled pragmatists must consider is this: if there is to be an Asian Century, can Britain help illuminate it – and, in the process, prevent its own sun from setting?”

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

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

Features Editor: Liam Kelly features@mancunion.com Head Opinion Editor: Isaac Atwal Deputy Opinion Editor: Joe Evans opinion@mancunion.com Head Fashion Editor: Kassi Allcock Deputy Fashion Editor: Kathryn Murray Deputy Fashion Editor (Beauty): Millie Kershaw fashion@mancunion.com

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Head Food & Drink Editor: Ellie Gibbs Deputy Food & Drink Editor: Helena Maxwell-Jackson foodanddrink@mancunion.com

Postal address: University of Manchester Students’ Union, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PR Phone: 0161 275 2989

Head Film Editor: James Moules Deputy Film Editor: Nicole Tamer film@mancunion.com

Subeditors: Gemma Sowerby, Shaun Carter, Nadia Cheung, Lauren Nolan

Eyewitness: Chinese President visits Graphene Institute Allie Liu Eyewitness Early on Friday morning, a huge crowd of Manchester students gathered and lined the streets to greet Xi Jinping, the President of the People’s Republic of China, on his last day of his UK tour. Mr Xi’s long awaited visit to Britain comes after the last official visit by a Chinese Head of State ten years ago. This day also marks the first time that Manchester has been visited by a Chinese President.

Amongst those to greet him outside the National Graphene Institute was the University’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Dame Professor Nancy Rothwell and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne.

The crowd were kept behind metal barriers and were adorned with face paint waving both the Chinese Five-star Red Flag and Union Jacks. There was a harmonious atmosphere between students and police as there was shared excitement for the President’s arrival, with some students even managing to take selfies with the police.

As it got closer to 10am, the crowd grew more enthusiastic and cheers filled the street as the overhead helicopter signalled Mr Xi’s imminent arrival. Several police vans

Head Lifestyle Editor: Eva Katz Deputy Lifestyle Editor: Alice Williams lifestyle@mancunion.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 sport@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 Photographer: Ege Okyar, Przemek Piwek, Thomas Chan, Avinash Kumar photography@mancunion.com

and motorcycles blocked both sides of Booth Street East where the Graphene Institute is situated. A convoy of blacked-out cars followed and led the President to the red-carpeted entrance of the Graphene Institute. Students were left with bated breath as they tried to catch a glimpse of Mr Xi. The President, a chemical engineer himself, was shown around the research centre

by University of Manchester student representatives and observed demonstrations which presented a range of graphene-based prototypes, including pioneering drug delivery for cancer treatment.

The President’s visit coincided with the release of a statement from Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer based in China. The company announced their partnership with the National Graphene Institute to research graphene and other related 2D materials.

Mr Xi swiftly left out of an alternative exit of the building, leaving hundreds of students and spectators disappointed as they hoped to see the President in person. The President then met with the Prime Minister, David Cameron outside the Etihad Stadium and the two leaders made their way to have lunch at the Town Hall.

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 Write For Us page—www.mancunion.com/join.

We gladly accept contributors from outside the University of Manchester.

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

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

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ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Tents and possessions removed as bailiffs move in to clear ‘The Ark’ for a second time Paul Scott Reporter

Residents of ‘The Ark’ homeless shelter underneath Mancunian Way have been evicted for a second time after Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) were granted a possession order, following over a month of legal wrangling. Bailiffs from the High Court were sent in at 7.30am on Tuesday 20th October to dismantle the camp and remove the occupants from land to which the university claims ownership.

The Mancunion has closely followed developments with the Ark since a judge granted MMU permission to remove the make-shift shelter on the 18th September, resulting in a female activist being hospitalised.

Founders and supporters of the Ark claim that it had represented a safe space for people to come together in a “self-serving community” where people protected one another from the precariousness and dangers of sleeping rough, providing some measure of security and comfort.

MMU claim an unlawful settlement was established on their land and have sought to remove the camp through legal channels. However, in early October legal action against the homeless camp was then thrown out, Judge Allan Gore branding it as “misconceived and inappropriate.”

The case has been reviewed again and subse-

quently the council and university have succeeded in clearing the area—after receiving a possession order—in move activists are calling “social cleansing.”

In less than an hour early on Tuesday morning, the temporary homes of around a dozen people— tents, barriers and cardboard signs displaying mes-

sages of protest—were taken down and thrown into a waste-disposal van.

This fresh round of evictions occurred on the opposite side of Oxford Road from the original settlement which was forcibly removed the day before MMU Freshers week. The university has come

Photo: Rosa Methol

under strong criticism from students who have stood in solidarity with the homeless and routinely protested the “persecution” of Manchester’s vulnerable population.

The basis of the university and council’s action against The Ark has been that it breaches an injunction forbidding the erection of tents as protest against the issue of homelessness and occupiers were threatened with two years in prison.

Student Action in Solidarity with the Homeless (SASH) has been campaigning regularly over the past few weeks and following Tuesday’s eviction they penned an open letter to university management to rethink their stance on the homeless issue.

In recent developments, MMU management summoned leading student activists to a meeting on Thursday afternoon to discuss the issue, during which the university stated they have “acted morally and responsibly” with regard to The Ark. In the same meeting, university bosses have said they are willing to take into consideration an “alternative homeless shelter” which is called for by SASH and the open letter they have written.

Though nothing concrete has been promised, campaigners will take hope from the opening of dialogue with the university, who until now have shown no sign of negotiation and spoken only with force. In spite of this, The Ark founder Ryan Mcphee, speaking after Tuesday’s eviction, said the situation for Manchester’s homeless is “dire”

UCU strike ballot Visa restrictions Continued from page one

“This morning, we were told the SLT is now willing to ‘move’ from its current position of 6 months, but no concrete alternative proposal was offered.

In addition, there is still no firm commitment to removing the threat of compulsory redundancies facing at risk staff,” said the Committee in its message.

“The misguided plans for outsourcing large parts of IT Services, the restructuring of FLS, MHS and EPS and the announcement last week of a review of Archaeology that focuses primarily on its “business case”... should worry every member of the University.”

Following a review of the Faculty of Life Sciences, it will be broken up and its constituent parts being integrated into the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences or the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

A University of Manchester spokesman said:

“The university continues to meet with the trade unions on a range of matters and has offered further discussions to try to resolve any issues.”

Campaigns and Citizenship Officer Hannah McCarthy said: “The decision which came out of the UCU AGM to unanimously ballot for Industrial action shows an incredible appetite from staff to resist the increasing attacks on their employment terms and conditions by university management.

“The fact that staff are forced to contemplate industrial action in order to remove pernicious compulsory redundancies from the academic sphere and to fight 67 redundancies in IT services is shocking, and merely typifies the fact that the university and higher education more generally is becoming marketised; concerned more and more with the accumulation of profit as opposed to the welfare of staff and students and the promotion of education as a public good.”

Fossil fuel funding scandal Continued from page one

Professor Colin Bailey, the university’s Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, said: “Ignoring the problem of the global challenges of climate change and energy is not socially responsible. The Earth’s natural resource is incredibly precious and we must not waste it or damage the planet for future generations. Simply, refusing to engage with companies involved with fossil fuels is not the answer.

“We must work with these companies to ensure that this precious resource is not wasted. This will involve using the latest research and techniques, together with regulation and investment, to ensure that any extraction of fuel has the least impact on the environment, is transported to its point of use

without any waste and is used sparingly and effectively.

“Strong engagement with these companies, through our range of activities, will ensure responsible corporate behaviour. In parallel, we continue apace to research and develop all low-carbon forms of energy, in terms of its source, transmission and use, with the ultimate aim of significantly reducing the world’s dependency on fossil fuels.”

Earlier this year, The Mancunion reported that the university still retained a portfolio worth £40 million in the fossil fuel industry.

The University of Manchester Fossil Free Campaign has been approached for comment.

for international students is ‘racial discrimination’

Students denied visas to UK based on immigration offences in their country Georgie Hines Reporter A number of UK universities are reported to be turning away applicants from countries based on the ‘credibility’ of the area they come from. Offences are often based on graduates from the same country as applicants not leaving the UK after the end of their courses.

Stricter visa rules implemented by the Home Office are said to cut the number of overseas students in the UK by 15 per cent. They have said there are is no limit to the number of ‘credible’ students wanting to study in the UK. Speaking to The Times, the NUS International Students’ Officer Mostafa Rajaai said the move was “very unfair” and that because of this policy “prospective students from these countries have a very negative view of the UK now.”

Refusal rate for non-EU applicants over the last two years is at 9 per cent, based on nearly 250,000 credibility interviews conducted by the Home Office.

Universities must reach a 10 per cent refusal rate in order to keep their sponsorship licence,

prompting reports they were being forced to make more decisions based on ‘credibility’.

One source claims that “some universities were told by the Home Office to stop recruiting from certain regions, mainly in Pakistan”.

This news comes only a couple of weeks after Home Secretary Theresa May announced her plan to continue to include international students in net immigration numbers, stating they are a major factor in escalating migration numbers. Her approach has been described as “chilling and bitter” and received criticism from her fellow cabinet members and various refugee

charities.

New Home Office rules and May’s plan are seemingly against the position of the prime minister. “As I’ve said before, no cap on the number of overseas who come and study at our universities,” he has said on the matter.

Overseas students make up 18 per cent of the UK student population, with 435,500 studying here in 2014. The current worth of international students is estimated to be £7bn annually.

Overall, refusal rates have dropped within the past year falling from 15 per cent at the start of 2014 to 5 per cent at the end of 2015.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Think tank proposes cuts of half a billion to grants funding Policy Exchange, a leading think tank, has proposed cuts to Higher Education grant funding, with the funds to be redirected to further education.

Jenny Sterne Head News Editor A leading think tank has proposed that the government should cut half a billion pounds from higher education to be redirected to further education.

The paper entitled ‘Higher, Further, Faster, More’ by Policy Exchange argues that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) should take £532 million of grant funding, aimed to aid widening participation efforts and provision for high-cost subjects, and use it instead to safeguard the further education sector.

Policy Exchange, established in 2002, is one of the leading UK think tanks and is thought to be David Cameron’s “favourite think tank”.

The aim is to boost higherlevel professional and technical education and any money left over should go to universities with limited financial reserves.

They propose that “universities should not only be required to maintain their responsibilities in these areas but to now partially fund them themselves”.

The think tank highlighted

that since the introduction of tuition fees, funding for higher education has increased by 26 percent since 2009-10 and universities have £12.3bn of unrestricted reserves.

Further education in comparison has seen a reduction is funding. The National Audit Office has warned that more than one in four institutions could be bankrupt by the end of the year.

Policy Exchange argue that by prioritising the funding of higher education the government is not addressing the need for more students to be trained for technical and professional jobs.

The paper also proposed a widening of maintenance support for students in further education, not just limiting it to higher education students.

They argue that no matter which education route a student takes they should have access to financial support.

Johnathan Simons, head of education policy at Policy Exchange, said the UK needs “many more people with highclass technical and professional skills.”

“That is why we think a

proportion of the government grant to universities should be reallocated towards offering more students higher-level technical qualifications at further education institutions, and why the student loan system should be expanded so that young people have access to finance to support their higher-level study whichever route they choose.”

John Widdowson, president of the Association of Colleges, said that the paper made a “strong and convincing case” on the redistribution of education funding.

“The government must now… ensure that the further education sector has the funding it so desperately needs to enable colleges to tackle the massive skills challenges faced by this country,” he said.

“The outdated practice of highly funding our universities while continually taking money away from colleges is creating a surplus of graduates and not enough people with the qualifications required for technical and professional jobs, such as engineering and construction.”

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, has argued however that it should not be an “either-or” choice between the two and it is “misleading to suggest universities are awash with cash reserves.”

“The increase in the fee cap in England to £9,000 was largely a replacement for cuts in direct government funding. Fees, also, do not cover the cost of high-cost subjects such as science and engineering.

“Universities also need capital investment to invest in worldclass facilities and to leverage additional funding from external sources.”

Michael Spence spoke to The Mancunion about these proposals and argued: “This proposal is a ludicrous race to the bottom in which they tackle to chronic underfunding of Further Education by underfunding Higher Education.”

“The suggestion that we should take money from widening participation programmes, aimed at getting people from less well-off backgrounds to university, is a callous attack on these very people.”

Photo: bobaliciouslondon @Flickr

South Africans protest 24 per cent of against proposed rise students sacrifice in tuition fees learning materials Merle Streck Reporter

Since mid-October, South Africa has seen the largest student protests since apartheid ended in 1994. Students of seven major universities in the country have been demonstrating against the planned tuition fee increases, resulting in at least 23 arrests. Outrage among the student body began on 13th October, after universities proposed an 11.5 per cent increase on fees for 2016.

On the 17th of October, due to several days of continued demonstrations, the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) announced the suspension of the planned 11.5 per cent increase in fees. The protests reached their peak on 19th October, when Wits students blocked roads and overturned vehicles off campus in Johannesburg.

Even after the Higher Education Minister, Blade Nzimande came to a decision with university officials to cap tuition fee increases at six percent for the next academic year, the student protests continued. “They know very well that we can’t afford six per cent. We want free, quality education,” said Vuyani Pambo,

chairperson for the Economic Freedom Fighters at Wits.

Commenting on the recent proposal to increase tuition fees, Mr Nzimande said: “Considering the current economic challenges and fiscal constraints facing the country, the department urges all university councils and management to exercise greater caution and sensitivity in the process of determining fee increases in their institutions.

It’s imperative that they consult all relevant key stakeholders in order to minimise the detrimental impact on poor students.”

Reports indicate that at least 23 students have been arrested after the entrances at the University of Cape Town were blocked. As a result of this, the police got involved by launching stun grenades into crowds of protesters after the student actions were declared unlawful.

Teaching was suspended at both The University of Cape Town and Rhodes University as a result of the protests.

In particular, students have voiced concern over the policy of a minimum initial payment, which comprises 50 percent of the total annual fee. Furthermore, the students believe that the increase in tuition fees represents yet

another mark of discrimination in South Africa, a country where the income inequality between black and white families is particularly prevalent.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, Francis Petersen, expressed his discontent about the suspension of teaching, saying that this “infringes on the rights of others who wish to continue with their work” as well as describing the students’ behaviour as “unacceptable and illegal.”

After continued unrest, the protests reached both Stellenbosch University and the University of Pretoria.

Lauren Hess from Stellenbosch University said: “Many students are in complete shock about the lengths management has gone to in order to not meet with students and about seeing our fellow students being put in chokeholds by police. Many are angry that their legitimate concerns have been dismissed in such a violent manner and this has cemented their resolve to make the university ‘ungovernable’.”

On Friday the 23rd of October, South African President Jacob Zuma announced a freeze in tuition fees for the next year.

Photo: stevieisdead @Flickr

A revealing survey, carried out by Voucherbox.co.uk, found that 23 per cent of students in the UK spend less than £15 a week on food, and another 62 percent spend less than £25.

Food purchases were also found to take up to 50 per cent of a student’s average weekly expenditure.

Shockingly, of those interviewed, 24 per cent admitted to cutting back on books and studying materials in order to feed themselves.

Other common sacrifices made by students attempting to eat healthily include heating their home, medicines, and trips home to see family.

Many British universities state that a healthy student diet costs between £32 and £44 a week.

With the average student food spend found to be £24.12 per week, it is clear that students are spending well under national guidelines on food, and that

many are sacrificing our health and education due to the lack of money.

Of the students interviewed, 70 per cent admitted to eating unhealthy or strange meals due to a restricted budget.

Strange meals listed by some students included eating cereal for every meal of the day, chips and ‘mystery’ meat, butter and sugar with rice, bread and water, and even bananas with baked beans.

Despite a restricted budget, Nutritionist Dr Rosland Miller, from the British Nutrition Foundation, ensures that it is possible for students to eat a healthy, balanced diet.

She stated, “It is important to eat a healthy, varied diet whatever your age or income.

A healthy diet does not mean that you need to buy expensive foods, but an understanding of food budgeting and good nutrition can help.”

Dr. Miller’s top tips for eating on a budget included: • Make a shopping list to avoid impulse buys • Shop around for the best deals—markets and butchers are often cheaper than supermarkets • Buy frozen or canned fruit and vegetables—they are cheaper and last longer • Buy canned oily fish such as sardines and salmon—a lot cheaper than fresh fish, but still contain the essential nutrients • Eat cheaper cuts of lean meat, or cut down on meat by replacing with protein-rich alternatives such as eggs, beans and lentils • Cook at home—ditch the expensive takeaways and freeze leftovers

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ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Strict university security Manchester Students’ at Israel Palestine debate Union recognised as Isaac Atwal Opinion Editor

The Manchester Debating Union hosted on Thursday night what was arguably their most over-subscribed event to date. Entitled “This House Believes Israel is a Force for Good in the Middle East” speakers included Yiftah Curiel, an Israeli diplomat and spokesman of the Israeli embassy in London and long term human rights campaigner and journalist Peter Tatchell. The motion did not carry with 64% voting against.

A restriction on the amount of people that could attend was imposed by university security who would only allow the event to take place on campus if the audience was limited to 200.

Despite debates usually being held in the Roscoe building where the capacity is much larger, the debate was moved to the fourth floor of University Place in a smaller lecture theatre.

Students queued to get into University Place, which meant the debate started twenty five minutes late.

There was a high level of university security at the building entrance and two private bodyguards for Curiel remained in the lecture theatre throughout the debate. The atmosphere however was far from overbearing as the audience listened to what each speaker had to say.

The participants of the debate enjoyed a robust and fair discussion with the audience largely staying quiet when the motion was being proposed and opposed. Despite the topic of

the debate being whether Israel was a force for good in the Middle East, the conversation often slipped into the familiar discussion about the Israel-Palestine conflict and the prospects for peace between the two parties.

There was however one interruption when Yiftah Curiel was responding to a question about the treatment of people inside Israel with a member of the audience demanding that he “give proper facts.” This stopped proceedings as the chair of the debate and head of the Mancester Debating Union, Jack Mellish, appealed for calm. When Curiel then gave his response, the heckler left mid-way through, much to the amusement of the audience.

Speaking after the debate Yiftah Curiel said it was unfortunate that more people could not have been at the debate and that it was important that this kind of dialogue took place.

Peter Tachell echoed this sentiment saying, “the more the better, if the debate venue has been predetermined [with regards to numbers then] it’s very wrong”.

Regarding the the audience restriction, Jack Mellish said it was “unfortunate that only 200 could attend as so many hundreds wanted to,” but he could also see why security may have wanted to limit the numbers attending. He added, “the Students’ Union were absolutely brilliant and got us a big a venue as possible”.

The University of Manchester has been approached for comment regarding the security arrangements of the event.

living wage employer

Jack Howell Reporter All employees and contracted staff at the University of Manchester’s Students’ Union will now be paid a minimum of £7.85 an hour, a measure which means the Union is now a Living Wage Foundation accredited employer.

In accordance with government policy, the move also includes provisions that pay will continue to increase annually alongside the cost of living.

The measure was pushed through following an extensive and long-running campaign, and has again raised questions about the wage policies of the University.

The University of Manchester Living Wage Campaign said: “We are thrilled that the Students Union has now become officially accredited by the Living Wage Foundation, enshrining the rights of its workers to a living wage now and in the future.

“As one of the biggest employers in Manchester, we hope the University will follow suit, in line with its aims of social responsibility.”

The campaign has been pressuring for this change for some time.

Headlines were made and University chiefs were slammed last year after it emerged that catering staff were being paid through a backdoor subsidy which allowed them to be paid less than the living wage. Some 217 of this subsidy’s

500 employees were working on zero-hours contracts, with 262 being paid less than the enhanced rate.

The University had promised that all of its employees would be paid the living wage in 2012, and the paycheques of top officials had risen by some 20 per cent by 2014.

University chiefs responded to the criticism by arguing that although workers employed directly by the University are paid the living wage, greater flexibility was needed for catering staff.

Campaigns Officer Hannah McCarthy praised the fact that the move came as a result of student-organised pressure, saying: ‘this seals an extra layer of protection for permanent, temporary, casual and student staff – and represents a step forward in combatting the unjust and endemic rates of poverty pay in Britain today.

“While this is a great achievement in symbolising what students can achieve through organising, the work doesn’t stop here. As campaigns officer, I’ll be working tirelessly throughout the year to empower students and workers to be able to fight for better pay and working conditions across campus and the local community.”

The decision by the Students’ Union to pay all of its members the living wage has been estimated to add some £80,000 to the organisation’s annual bill.

Both the University of Salford and the University of Bolton are Living Wage Foundation accredited.

Better sex education key to tackling sexual assaults, say campaigners Paul Scott Reporter

The growing problem of sexual assaults on the country’s university campuses has fuelled calls to reform sex education for adolescents. In an era of ‘lad culture’ where objectification and degradation of women is rife on campuses, campaigners insist the consequences of systemic sex education failures are clear to see.

Photo: Sex Education Forum

The Sex Education Forum (SEF) claims that many incidents of sexual harassment and confusion over consent derive from a poor or non-existent sex education earlier in life. The forum asserts that the most effective means for tackling

these issues is prevention through a comprehensive sex education programme – implemented earlier on – that will produce better informed and more responsible adults.

Many young adults today characterise their sex education experience as vague and biologicallycentred, barely touching on issues of consent or the emotional implications of sex.

The term ‘consent’ has become increasingly problematic and the varying notions of what people perceive as consent are “as starkly different as they are concerning” one female student said. In a 2014 survey, only one third of respondents said they had learned about consent during their sex education.

These hazy perceptions around what can be considered consensual or non-consensual sex are, according to campaigners, indisputable symptoms of a society that is in desperate need of an earlier and better sex education.

In spite of this new pressure to reform sex education in British schools, it is still not even a mandatory part of the UK school curriculum; many students do not even receive teaching under

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

the current system that campaigners deem to be inadequate.

The SEF and other campaigners are asking the question: “When people are never taught what consent means or what is respectful behaviour towards others is, how can we expect them to act appropriately?” A recent survey showed that at the beginning of this academic year, 17 per cent of students

had been sexually whilst two-thirds of that group did not know how to report their abuse. A different poll has shown that one in seven female students are sexually assaulted in the UK during their time at university.

Campaigners say these statistics are unacceptable and Universities UK echoed their sentiments, saying there must be a “zero tolerance” approach.

As evidence showing the prevalence sexual assault mounts, campaigners argue that there needs to be a conversation about sex education; one that will pressure the government to make it compulsory, occur earlier in children’s lives and provide useful, lifelong guidance that goes beyond how to open a condom packet.

News

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Cambridge students Shortlist Announced scolded for “sadistic for Iconic Female Statue in Manchester initiation rites” Rossy Natale Reporter The Master of Gonville & Caius College at the University of Cambridge has sent out an outraged email to students following the annual ‘army pub crawl’ held two weeks ago.

The email, sent by Professor Sir Alan Fersht, a 72-year-old don at the University of Cambridge, demands that behaviour such as that he witnessed on CCTV at the pub crawl be “nipped in the bud.”

Fersht described the event as “a national scandal of students drinking irresponsibly, indulging in laddish behaviour and sadistic initiation rites, and men plying women with drink and abusing them.”

Foremost on the Don’s list of grievances was older students “bullying” first years into drinking, which he claimed to have witnessed on the university’s CCTV system. Bystanders are just as much at fault in Fersht’s book for not attempting to stop the events.

“I fear that these bullies,” Fersht explained, “will leave the College and become unethical pariahs

like insider traders, exchange rate riggers and corrupt Volkswagen engineers.”

The Professor’s duties are first and foremost to monitor the welfare of the student body. Behaviour such as this, he fears, is becoming far too common, and poses a serious threat to the wellbeing of his students.

Fersht cited how “incapacitated students were dumped on other students’ floors without any regard to the consequences that there could have been a fatality because of inhalation of vomit.”

Alcohol fuelled initiations such as these are, as Fersht stated, “deeply rooted” in universities throughout the UK., and have been for a considerable length of time.

Recent allegations regarding David Cameron’s time at Oxford have only enhanced this viewpoint.

This incident is far from the first in Cambridge’s track record of such behavior.

An ex-Cambridge student described to The Mancunion how, as a first year, “you would get ‘parents’ who would be two second years and they would get you drunk.”

The colleges would also host

“swap” events, she told us, where a small group of females from one college organised a night with a same-sized group of males from another college. All attendees were required to bring a bottle of wine to the event.

“The same thing for societies as well; the Natural Science society took us to the Mahal [restaurant] and you take wine and play drinking games all night.”

Cambridge also made headlines this past summer when 2000 undergraduate students took to a city centre park “Caesarian style” and engaged in drinking games while stripping off clothing.

The don concluded his email imploring students to “not indulge in irresponsible drinking but take advantage of all the academic, social, sporting and cultural activities that make up our unique environment and will shape your future lives.”

In the meantime, the college’s “Fresher’s bop” has been cancelled.

Fersht also has encouraged the pub crawl’s leaders to right their misdeeds “by writing letters of apology to your victims and by discussing the events with your Tutors.”

Eve Foster Reporter Currently, out of the seventeen statues in the city centre, only the statue of Queen Victoria depicts a woman. This is set to change, and the shortlist of six women who could be Manchester’s first female statue for one hundred years has been announced.

Each woman is an important figure with a link to Manchester.

The women were shortlisted by a panel in the town hall and will now be put to a public vote. The statue will be placed in one of the squares in the city centre, although where has not yet been announced.

The shortlist comprises of the following women.

Emmeline Pankhurst: born in Moss Side, a vital figure in the women’s suffrage movement, as well as being the founder of the Women’s Social and Political Union.

Elizabeth Gaskell: the Victorian novelist best known for ‘North and South’.

Louise da-Cocodia: an instrumental figure who moved to Manchester from Jamaica in 1955 to become the city’s first black senior nursing officer and an anti-racism campaigner.

Margaret Ashton: the first female City Councillor in Manchester and a campaigner for women’s suffrage.

Elizabeth Raffald: a cookery author and business woman who wrote ‘The Experienced English Housekeeper’ and opened a what was potentially Manchester’s first register office.

Ellen Wilkinson: a Labour MP born in Manchester who also led the 1936 Jarrow March, after whom the Ellen Wilkinson Building at the University of Manches-

ter is named.

Didsbury councillor Andrew Simcock began the campaign last year, and cycled from John O’Groats to Land’s End in order to raise money for the project.

Voting closes on the 31st December, 2015, and the results are set to be announced in 2016.

The plan is to unveil the state on International Women’s Day 2019.

Anyone can vote for who they think should win at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/ WoManchesterStatue

The only statue depicting a woman in Manchester city centre can be found in Piccadilly Gardens, although that is about to change. Photo: Duncanh1 @Flickr

Girls scared away from science by gender stereotyping in schools A new report by the Institute of Physics suggests that schools should do more to tackle ‘sexist banter’ that leads to youngsters being gender stereotyped and can discourage girls from pursuing careers in science Georgie Hines Reporter The Opening Doors project focused on inadvertent gender bias shown by students and sometimes teachers throughout 10 schools based in the South of England.

The guide urged schools to prioritise gender bias as well as more recognised racism and homophobia. It was noted that although all schools involved had policies on tackling derogatory language surrounding these issues, complaints involving sexist behaviour were treated less seriously.

This ‘harmless banter’ was shown to considerably affect the confidence of students who despite efforts from the school “found it difficult to break out of their roles, and many girls, in particular, passively accepted the situation”.

Cases in which a teacher was thought to have shown gender bias were not perceived to be sexist.

However, such behaviour was seen by female students as reinforcing gender prejudices.

An Improving Gender Balance survey included in the guide collected opinions on gender from

921 female students across Years 9 to 11.

45.6 per cent of these students thought that “girls are often steered towards humanities” and 64 per cent said they were “aware of at least two examples of gender issues in choosing careers”.

The Telegraph reported in February this year that only 13 per cent of science, tech, engineering and maths workers are women”.

A similar guide published by the Institute of Physics in 2012 found that girls attending private, single-sex schools were “four times more likely to choose physics than their contemporaries in mixed, state-funded schools”.

The report made this year attributed this substantial difference to a school’s environment. It claims that 81% of schools are not doing enough to ensure female students progress into subjects such as mathematics or the sciences at a higher level.

Dame Mary Archer, the chair of London’s Science Museum, spoke on the subject science in single-sex schools earlier this year.

She said that “going to a singlesex school is quite a traditional route for women my age because nobody said ‘You shouldn’t do

that, dear’ – not until it is too late anyway”.

Speaking further on the subject she went on to speak about self confidence in young girls and said that unfortunately “there’s a sense that ‘I can’t be as womanly as a scientist as I could be as a beautician or a journalist’”.

The University of Manchester’s student population is 53 per cent female and 47 per cent male.

This balance is not seen throughout the university, with the School of Physics and Astronomy estimated to have only 20 per cent intake of female students.

Physical Education (PE) was another focus, as it was a common grievance with female students. Schools with strong PE departments had a range of sports available to both genders through mixed sessions showed less evidence of gender bias.

However, it was noted that within schools lacking in a range of activities “girls resented being prevented from taking certain sports considered unsuitable for them”.

On the matter of gender stereotyping in schools, the government has said that “no woman should feel that their gender is a barrier to their success”.

Photo: Argonna National Laboratory @Flickr

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ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

In the news this week...

The important and interesting stories from the wider world this week.

Stories by: William Brown, Merle Streck, Judith Morales, Katie Buckingham, Jack Howell, Lina Java, Jenny Sterne & Andy van den Bent-Kelly

Bastian Schweinsteiger and Nazi doll United Kingdom Famed footballer, Bastian Schweinsteiger, has reportedly taken legal action against a Chinese doll manufacturer over a Nazi doll bearing a striking similarity to Manchester United’s midfielder.

The doll, standing in at 30cm, was due to be sold £78 (HK$958), an astonishing price by any measure.

Named ‘Bastian’ on ‘German Army Supply Duty’; the footballer’s doppelganger brandishes two loaves of bread and a canteen of soup, with a wry grin spread across his face and a tipped grey Nazi cap.

According to the Guardian, the manufacturer Dragon in Dream (DiD) says the similarity and name was “pure coincidence” as “many people in Germany are called Bastian”.

Church emerges from water Mexico The Apostel Santiago church, a 16th century building, emerged from the water in southern Mexico. It vanished in the gulf 49 years ago, when in 1966 a hydroelectric dam was built in the Grijalv river.

Half of the ancient construction -rising 15 meters high- is now visible and attracting visitors who travel by boat to see the roofless place of worship.

The church reappeared again in 2002, at which time the whole building was visible. Now the water level is rising again since the last storm

Camera woman to press charges against migrant she tripped

Hungary Petra Laszlo, the Hungarian camerawoman who was fired after being caught on video tripping a migrant father with his young child, plans to sue both Facebook and the father.

Laszlo was shocked that Facebook allowed threatening comments by users to remain on the site after the footage was made public.

She has since apologized for her actions after the video provoked international public outrage. However, it has been reported that Laszlo still plans to press charges against the migrant father she tripped, Osama Abdul Mohsen, who she has accused of changing his testimony in court.

New Zealand changes racist place New Zealand The New Zealand Geographic Board is formulating proposals to rename very remote locations with racially offensive names.

Niggerhead to be called Tawhai Hill, Nigger Hill would be known as Kanuka Hills and Nigger Stream to become Steelhead. All new names would be reflective of native trees and local trout species.

The NZGB will conduct these changes based on the views of the public. However, as the BBC state that reports in 2010 express, government officials were not aware of public concerns or plans to change them.

Twitter unimpressed with new flavoured United Kingdom Tesco’s Christmas-themed crisps of Prosecco and Elderberry have, so far, proved unimpressive according to many Twitter (and other social media) users.

Illustrated Lawyer posted a picture of the crisps alongside the caption, “Go home Tesco, you’re drunk.” Yahoo News reports that the crisps have been launched as a response to Marks and Spencer’s Winter Berries and Prosecco crisps, with pink glitter sprinkles, in what appears to be a new supermarket trend of elaborate snacks.

However, it appears that Tesco may have to review the product since tweeter Katherine Jayne posted that the ‘Sweet, delicately fragrant elderberry with the festive fizz of Prosecco’ flavours, did not come through.

Revlon advert accused of sexism World Make up firm Revlon have released a new advert which asks women to speak about the intimate details of their relationships, including when they last had sex.

They are then shown to partake in an experiment which Revlon reports brought 97 per cent of them happiness.

The couples individually critique their relationship.

Some of the men in the experiment suggested that more sex would improve their relationship. The women are then taken off for a week of free make-up, chocolate and perfume. The men are not involved in the experiment.

Taryn Hillin critiqued the advert saying the advert advises, wrongly that women should “go tidy themselves up” to improve their relationship “while men continue to go about their everyday lives eating Cheetos and Watching Netflix”.

In Science this week...

Birth order has little impact on personality

Children may no longer be able to blame any family-related problems on being the middle child, after a study appeared to debunk the suggestion that birth order significantly influences personality.

It has long been believed that siblings fight for parental attention, with the eldest child often assumed to be the most responsible. It has been suggested that siblings born later are more rebellious, original and sociable.

Researchers in Germany studied more than 20,000 adults across the UK, the US, and their home country, comparing siblings both within the same family, and people with the same birth order across families “We found no birth-order effects on extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, or imagination,” they concluded

Strict antigay laws begin in Aceh Indonesia Indonesian region introduces strict anti-gay laws In Indonesia’s Aceh province, new laws will see any Muslim man or woman convicted of gay sex receive one hundred cane lashes.

The law is also applicable to Muslim foreigners travelling through the region.

Under these new laws, adultery will also be punished with one hundred lashes.

However, in the case of adultery those who accuse someone without sufficient evidence will themselves receive eighty strikes.

The strict Muslim province is the only one, according to the BBC, which is allowed to implement aspects of Sharia law. However, gay sex remains legal in the rest of Indonesia.

Buddhist Monk completes gruelling nine-day Japan Kogen Kamahori, of the Tendai sect of Buddhism has completed a nine-day ritual without eating, drinking or sleeping. Kamahori chanted the Buddhist mantra of the God, Acala, 100,000 times in an endurance test that is known as “doiri” which means “entrance to the hall”.

The Mainichi Daily News reports that the ritual is supposed to make a person the living incarnation of Acala, or a “wisdom King”, whose purpose is to protect all other religious people.

The BBC News reports that approximately 600 people gathered to meet the 41 year old monk as he emerged on the holy mountain of Mount Hiei, in southern Japan.

Kamahori is only the 13th person to complete the challenge since 1945.

French bus crash France At least 43 people, many of them pensioners have been killed in a devastating bus crash in the south of France.

The tour bus crashed head on with a timber truck at around 7.30 am in the Gironde wine region east of Bordeaux. On collision, both vehicles quickly caught fire.

François Hollande, the French President has called it an ‘immense tragedy’. The BBC reports the crash as the worst French road disaster since 1982.

It is understood that only eight people survived. Of these, four are in a critical condition.

Snow leopards face new threats, Asia The WWF says that snow leopards, one of the rarest and most elusive of the big cats, are facing new threats to their survival due to climate change.

As temperatures rise, plants and trees in the snow leopard’s natural habitat will likely not survive, rendering more than a third of the animal’s usual living space uninhabitable.

This living space is also being encroached by humans, especially in the Eastern Himalayas The WWF also highlighted a decline in natural prey as being a critical danger to their survival – such changes encourage the snow leopard to hunt livestock, which in turn exposes them to humans who often respond by killing them.

In addition, snow leopards are increasingly being poached for their body parts, which are in high demand in South-East Asia.

One dead, three injured in Tennessee University shooting Tennessee, USA A nineteen year-old man has died and three female students have been wounded in a shooting at Tennessee State University in Nashville on Thursday evening.

The man who died has been identified as Cameron Selmon, from Memphis.

This is the second gun-related incident at the University in less than a month, after three people were wounded by gunfire at a party outside the main campus.

Police are investigating the incident, but tweets from the Nashville Police Department have revealed that the violence is suspected to have been over a dice game.

TalkTalk Cyber Attack United Kingdom The BBC reports that the company share price drops by 2%, after a speedy recovery to which it fell it’s lowest since 2013.

The Chief exec Dido Harding has said he received a ransom email from the group behind the cyber-attack.

TalkTalk detail the attack as ‘significant’, up-to 4million customers maybe affected.

Some of the data breaches include names, addresses, email addresses, TalkTalk account information, credit card and bank details.

If you’re a TalkTalk customer then check your bank account, if you experience any unusual activity then contact your bank and the Action Fraud –on 0300 123 2040 or via www.actionfraud.police. uk

Scottish woman can smell Parkinson’s A Scottish woman could change the way that Parkinson’s disease is diagnosed – all thanks to her incredible sense of smell.

Joy Milne noticed that her late husband’s body odour changed several years before he was informed of his illness by doctors. After joining the charity Parkinson’s UK, she noticed that several sufferers also had the same, musky smell.

Her theory was tested at the University of Edinburgh, where out of a sample test of 12 people, she was able to correctly identify that 6 were sufferers. She also stated that one of the ‘control’ subjects had the disease; he was duly diagnosed eight months later.

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“Black History Month reminds me how important voice is”

Ariel Nash reflects on what Black History Month means to her, and the powerful potential of the BME movement in art and culture Photo: telekon @ Flickr

When I was a little girl in primary school, my favourite gift to get was a journal or notebook with a nice pen. I would use these tools to write down my thoughts, my feelings, and the daydreams that wouldn’t leave my head. Whenever anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would tell them I wanted to be a writer.

My parents would smile and pat me on the head when I said this. It wasn’t that they didn’t encourage me to follow my dreams, but rather, they were looking to me to be more practical about what I wanted to be when I grew up. Writing was great as a hobby, but it wasn’t something you did as a career unless you had a profound talent. Unfortunately, I was no child prodigy.

Still, my desire to write was like a fire burning inside of me. I felt this inexplicable itch to write notebook after notebook of my thoughts. I relied on teachers to help me develop my skills further. My teachers always encouraged me to read and write.

They would give me books and I would eagerly read them, sometimes finishing chapter books in one sitting just so I could have more to read the next day. And when I was really inspired by a story, I would write.

There was one problem, though. Every story I wrote about was predominantly about white characters. Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) characters were non-existent in my work. This was puzzling; I went to a diverse school and came from a predominantly black background.

After some reflections, I realised that even though my teachers meant well, the books they gave me mostly had white characters. And if there were BME characters, they were secondary and their lives were filled with struggle, pain, or trauma.

When I was old enough to do my own exploring, it was difficult for me to find books with BME characters who weren’t going through struggles that were real to me, rubbing against the internal scars of oppression that I had in my heart. It was sometimes nice to read those stories as they made me realise I was never alone, and that those scars could be healed.

However, sometimes I just wanted to read a fun and fluffy story. When dealing with those scars every day, sometimes I wanted to wrap a blanket around myself, curl up, and read a romantic comedy with a series of ridiculous events that made me laugh out loud. And when I reached the end of the

book, I would sigh when the two characters admitted their love for each other and lived happily ever after. I’m a romantic at heart, and these are my favourite stories to read and write about when I crave an escape.

“Our voices must blend together to create a blend of change, love, and power.”

This is the part where I say that I know stories with BME characters like this exist. However, the young me did not know that 10 years ago. All I had were the experiences fed to me through the adults in my life. Going to a school with a large BME student population but low BME teacher population meant that the adults who nurtured my writing were all white. And many of them pushed me to write about my “experience”, this being a code word for “black experience”. Even though it wasn’t said out loud, I knew what it meant. I had to write about those personal, internal scars that I obtained as a result of growing up in racist America.

In my mind, that had been done 100 times before already. I didn’t feel like my life was as interesting as the fictional and nonfictional BME characters that were already out there. Why would anyone want to read about my life story, my thoughts, my feelings, my internal scars? If they wanted access to that, there were hundreds of stories that covered it more eloquently than I ever could.

The only thing I was good at was daydreaming about what it was like to be in love and writing it down. But based on what I read about publishing, no one is interested in reading about BME couples falling in love with each other.

Resigned to this reality about the lack of visibility with romance novels and BME characters, I became a journalist. It didn’t take long for me to realize that it wasn’t the career for me either. So instead I fluttered off to do my undergraduate degree. My writing became impersonal and academic. Still, there was small part of me that loved to write romantic

stories. To procrastinate on my academic writing I would secretly write love stories and post them online (and no, I will not link you to those stories!)

Eventually, I graduated and got my first full time job working as a mentor for teens between the ages of 14-18.

Writing for pleasure disappeared for me. I didn’t lose the imagination. I always had five story ideas swirling around in my head, begging to be written down. But my thought was always, “What’s the point? No one is going to read it.”

Two years after graduating from my undergraduate degree, I had the opportunity to see Cornell West and a panel of other important BME leaders speak. What he said struck me and made me rethink what it meant for me to be a writer.

He told the audience that we should not try to be like the famous people we admire. Rather, we should keep the values of those we admire in our hearts and instead find our own way of expressing our voices.

When we go to see a symphony perform, we would be quite upset to see 100 chairs of violins on stage. And when we go to hear a choir sing, we would walk out if there were only tenors performing. We go to the symphony to hear the blend of different instruments and we go to the choir to hear the richness of different voices. We go to these performances to hear the creation of harmonies and melodies that touch the core of our hearts. To be an activist, or any kind of artist, our voices must blend together to create a blend of change, love, and power. We are a choir and together, we create music.

Black History Month reminds me of how important voice is. Those artists that I thought I couldn’t live up to or be like would have never been able to intimidate me if they hadn’t used their voices. What those artists had to share was important. And what I have to share is important. When I allow myself to write and I’m not afraid to let others see my words, I actively create a harmony with other black artists that is crucial to keeping the music of our history alive.

I let Black History month remind me that no one sings alone. I now realise that my voice is unique and beautiful. When I use it, I add it to a choir of people who embody the melodies of love, wisdom, and resiliency.

With music like that, the songs will live on for an eternity.

Diana Khasa reviews one of BME MCR’s Black History Month events The networking event at the start of the Black History Month was intriguing, and I’m glad I attended it. It was my very first time meeting a number of BME staff all at once here in Manchester, which is a rare thing. I study a small course and for the past two years at university, I’ve only been taught one module by a BME lecturer. That’s how rare it is to come across BME staff.

I’m used to Black History Month being all about phenomenal individuals like Dr. King who spent years fighting for the rights of Black people. Not that there is anything wrong with celebrating these historical people, but there are also other stories left untold and issues left unspoken in our current time, and I think that Black History Month is a perfect occasion to raise awareness of such issues and speak out loud.

The BME student officer did an amazing job bringing us, the students and staff together to network. As a BME student I really appreciate the platform that was made available to meet and have a discussion with BME staff at university. It was a thoughtful way of starting the special month, as I truly felt empowered by those who understand our lives as BME students in Manchester better than anybody else.

I hope there will be many more opportunities to meet BME staff here in Manchester.

The final Black History Month event­ —Black Lives Matter Discussion Foum—takes place on Monday the 26th of October., in the Students’ Union Council Chambers. 5:30-7pm.

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Manchester graduates on the front line One Manchester alumnus is changing the face of social work in Britain, and revolutionising the graduate job market in the process Liam Kelly Features Editor Social work is not the most glamorous profession university students will consider as a career once they have completed their degree. Chances are that you will not have thought about becoming a social worker before.

Indeed, social work is a highly demanding career that, unfortunately, has seen more negative than positive headlines in the last few years. Controversies in Rochdale, Birmingham and Haringey have not been ideal from a PR perspective.

The negative headlines come at a particularly inopportune moment, as there are around half a million children in the UK that need social work at any one time. These children, at risk of abuse or neglect, are ten times more likely to be excluded from school; only seven percent get to go to university; and, most staggeringly, a quarter of the young prison population were in care at an earlier stage of their life.

However, in a bid to address this challenge, one University of Manchester alumnus has teamed up with a Labour peer to make more top-quality students consider social work as their career. In so doing, they are hoping to transform the lives of vulnerable children across the UK, and improve the image of social work nationwide.

Josh MacAlister graduated from the University of Manchester in 2009, with a degree in Politics and Social Policy. He subsequently joined Teach First to train as a teacher, before his big idea hit him: What if he applied the Teach First model of training–an intensive, but short, residential course followed by on-the-job learning–to social work?

He wrote a paper after his Teach First placements in Oldham and Stockport, having been inspired by seeing the attainment gap between children who had social workers involved at home, and those who did not.

“It wasn’t statistics, it was the real life stories of children who were not going to do well at school, who were going to struggle to get a job, had huge disruption and distraction in their home lives; and I compared that to the status, the standing, the lack of prestige in social work.”

Josh’s treatise came to the attention of Labour party peer Lord Andrew Adonis and, together, the two managed to get Frontline off the ground in 2013.

In its first year, there were 27 applications for every one place available on the scheme. Now, they have shot up from 76th to 40th place in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers, leaping above companies like Bloomberg, RBS and Citi. This year, there are places for 180 graduates who would like to become social workers, with a commitment of two years.

Lord Adonis is the son of a Cypriot immigrant, who was placed into voluntary care, and lived in council children’s home until the age of 11. He went on to earn a place to study at Oxford, where he earned his Ph.D. in History. He became an academic of repute and had a stint as a journalist, before he was made a key advisor to Tony Blair in 1998, covering education policy.

He was the driving force behind Labour’s academy programme and pioneered the plan for the HS2 rail line. He has recently been in the news for giving up the Labour whip in the House of Lords (though not his party membership) in order to chair the new National Infrastructure Commission, which has been set up by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.

Adonis is also the chair of Frontline, and MacAlister tells me in no uncertain terms that, without him, Frontline would not be prospering as it does today.

“Andrew’s got quite a rare political skill, which is he can get things done… He’s also got the ability to work party boundaries to make things happen, which is quite an admirable thing in politics.

“From the get-go, Andrew knew what was needed

Frontline’s 2015 cohort, with Josh MacAlister and Lord Adonis. Photo: Frontline

to get government interest, he advised me on how to build the case for change at the Institute for Public Policy Research, and also meant that throughout Frontline’s existence, we’ve been given enthusiastic cross-party support, which is still true to this day.”

Despite the consensus amongst political parties on the virtues of Frontline, the charity has not been free of criticism. Some social work academics have criticised the programme, accusing it of fast-tracking graduates into the highly sensitive profession of social work. There are also concerns about the balance of the social workers they recruit, as three quarters are women.

On both of these points, MacAlister is bullish: “We have one of the most rigorous selection processes in the whole graduate market, and certainly the toughest process to get on any social work course.

We look at both intellectual ability and personal qualities and attributes.

“This is not simply altruism, but a combination of wanting to better yourself and better society.”

“Social workers need to have resilience, they need to have good communication skills and, most importantly, they need to have empathy and the ability to build relationships with people from very different backgrounds.

“The feedback from the local authorities we have placed them in has been very good, and there’s more demand for Frontline participants than we have participants available. There were some early sceptics, and they’ve not all gone away, but we’ve persuaded people over the years that we’re adding something to a profession that already had top quality professionals.”

MacAlister also doesn’t worry about the diversity of the intake: “One in four of the cohort are men, which is a larger proportion than on other routes in social work.

“I think part of the problem is a misunderstanding about what social work is. It often gets confused

with care in the community. Sometimes people think it’s about visiting elderly people at home and provide meals, which is perfectly fine for people to do, but it’s not the same as child protection and child in need social work, which requires a much broader and much more demanding mix of skills that men and women both have to offer.

“All of the skills needed in a social worker are not particularly gendered so it should be the case that more men come into social work and the profession, and I think that lack of balance is due to a lack of understanding about what’s actually involved.”

Alice Withington, also a Manchester alumnus, was part of the first cohort of social workers, and is now working in Harrow in London, and explained why she decided to work on the front line of social work.

“I’d never considered social work before, but my dad saw an advert and suggested that I check it out, and it really sparked something in me. I knew I wanted to work with children and do something that helped disadvantaged children at home, but I didn’t know what that would look like or be.

“Seeing the advert for Frontline made me think about doing social work, and when I started looking into it, it all kind of felt very, very right, and I recognised that this is what I wanted to do. The job description really just clicked for me.”

So, is she happy with her experience of social work, after a year of training on the job?

“I won’t lie, it’s hard, but it is just so rewarding…it’s a job that’s all about relationships and people, and people are infinitely interesting. It’s a real privilege to hear people’s life stories. It’s an extremely privileged job, because people will open up a lot about their most personal details in their lives. You’re let into this secret world of their life.

“I’m not going out to make money for some CEO, I’m doing it because I want to make a difference to a child’s life, and I think Frontline provides an amazing opportunity to be able to do that.”

MacAlister is a social entrepreneur whose mind appears set on changing not just the social work profession, but assumptions about graduate life and society as a whole.

“Something that is really important for society is that more people who leave university apply their talents to public service in the broadest possible sense. If we want a society that is more equal, more mobile, and has people that better understand the nature of the challenges in the country, we need to

turn the assumption in the graduate world that you go into the Big Four or into financial services, or you go into law.

“We need to turn it so that the basic norm is that people apply their talents to public service, and that it becomes something the best people are doing.

The thing that’s really powerful about it is that, not only are you applying yourself to something that is socially worthwhile, you grow and develop talents you didn’t have before. This is not simply altruism, but a combination of wanting to better yourself and better society.”

In response to a query of whether social work has taken a hit as a result of some of the more negative headlines, Lord Adonis is unequivocal: “I think that the challenges involved in social work have made it more, not less, attractive, because successful graduates know that they can make a difference in a crucial area that has been badly served in the past.

“When the opportunity is put before graduates, there is a very large pool who find this incredibly exciting and attractive, and the very fact that it is challenging is part of its attractiveness.”

Where does MacAlister see Frontline going in the future? Does he have the big employers in his sights?

“In the next five years, we’d like to be in Top 10 graduate employers. We should also have a huge network of people who are Frontline alumni who have had a shared experience in children’s social care; and are either still doing social work, or are setting up their own ventures, or are formulating policy, or are in positions of management and leadership in social work. And we’d like to bring more people into Britain’s toughest, but most rewarding, career.”

Applications for the 2016 intake are open now, and close on the 12th of November. More information can be found at thefrontline.org

Opinion

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Hesitating to Laugh Jessica Chow-Lau on the censoring of raw and cutting comedy.

Artistic censorship exists in the same universe as oppressive governments, graphic depictions of a woman’s body, and all other things young people enthusiastically champion against. If asked whether art should ever be edited for public display, the answer will almost always speak for how receptive to new ideas someone is and— because millennials are seen as open-minded—the consensus is usually no.

Paradoxically, the same age group of 12-34 year olds also has had a staunchly expurgating attitude towards the art that was welcomed by their parents. In the form of political correctness, comedians are being pushed to construct their jokes to either fit a certain configuration that repeat (without creativity) multicultural, gender equal, LGBT, handicapped sensitivities or resort to aeroplane food humor.

Narrow analysis that fuel raging demands for apologies discourages comedians to comment on deep-seated injustices and society’s unconscious ideologies. As a result, it is my opinion that comedic censorship by well-meaning social activists obstruct the free flow of ideas in society.

This past June, veteran comedian Jerry Seinfeld expressed how excessive concern over jokes covering minority groups bothered him. Almost instantaneously, liberal media outlets like Salon and The Huffington Post defended the idea of a PC police, denying the harms. Most (if not all) lambasted Seinfeld for not being able to adapt to a changing society where people are more aware of discrimination. He doesn’t pander to an audience outside of his fan base, he stated his opinion in response to a question, and is a successful straight white man—that’s hardly grounds for lumping him with sectarian dogmatists. In the fight for equality, some have demonized all straight white men because many offenders fit the criteria. Energy spent on that however, dilutes the equality movement and takes focus away from the original idea.

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

ISSUE 7 / 9th NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

The Students’ Union Senate is fatally flawed.

The newly introduced body possess fundamental issues that need to be challenged Joe Evans Opinion Editor Two weeks ago saw the first meeting of the Students’ Union’s new democratic body. The newly formulated Senate is responsible for representing students, shaping Union policy, and holding elected representatives to account. It is—at its heart—a well-intentioned organisation. Its essential aim is to make the Union more democratic by giving the student body a voice.

Good intentions aside though it is, in places, fundamentally flawed to the point of being undemocratic. In its early stages, teething problems are inevitable, but it cannot claim to be representative of anybody while carrying with it such clear constitutional issues.

One of the more nuanced issues facing the Senate is a lack of education surrounding its workings. Opening the first Senate agenda was a series of bylaw amendments each to be voted on a Yes or No basis. The issue here is that a glance around the room made clear the lack of clarity regarding the content of the constitution. From a position of such misunderstanding, making a valid judgement on amendments is impossible.

This is relevant given that one amendment was to allow non-elected nominees to sit in for elected members of the Senate should the latter be unable to attend. On issues such as this, issues that pertain to the elected legitimacy from which the Senate claims its power, knowledge as to what you are condoning is vital. In an ideal world everybody involved would have an intimate knowledge of the constitution, which is available for us all to study in our downtime.

Unless you are a paid member of staff, whose job it is to know the constitution, this is impractical. What this results in is Student Exec members explaining amendments to their own constitution from a position that is nothing like that of an independent adjudicator.

In issues like this, more transparency and less insularity would not harm Union politics. Instead it would only generate more faith in the work the Union does and the democracy they claim to speak on behalf of. The issue of transparency is also highlighted in the ordering of policy proposals.

If the Union truly serves as our voice then its politics are our politics.

Last week, the Safe Space Policy, which made national news, was seventh to be voted on. Placed ahead of this was the introduction of Amazon Lockers in the Students’ Union, an issue that clearly carries less importance. Senate members are contacted via the Union’s Democracy Coordinator prior to sittings in order to vote on order. This is a good start, but it does promote the idea that this could be more visibly extended to the entire student body.

If we accept the premise that the Senate represents the student body—a premise itself built on shaky foundations—it

would still be more fitting for votes on which proposals are most pressing to be clearly extended beyond this clique.

Promotion of an extension outside the Council Chambers and into the university body would serve to further remove the murkiness shrouding the Senate’s actions.

Rather than—in the case of the Safe Space debate—rumours of filibustering being cultivated, forthright politics should be the target, undermining any perceived lack of agency in order to effect the Union’s actions.

Even as a member of the Senate, attempting to sit in on the debate presents its own challenges. Voting via the raising of hands is an issue that needs to be addressed, especially given that some votes are conducted anonymously evidencing the possibility for all votes to be the same. Relating again to Senate procedures, public voting, when combined with various hand gestures and stipulations—about which some members of the Senate are unaware—serve to pull the shutters down further on the seemingly closed shop of Union politics.

Alongside this, rather than engaging in the debate, elected members find themselves cast out to the fringes, left scratching their heads at what it turns out is called deaf clapping.

Despite this though the Senate’s most undemocratic flaw is its issue with just who is voting on Union policy. In the first meeting of the Senate, the issue of whether the Union should officially support a campaign for the protection of the NHS was voted on. This is essentially a political debate, posing the question of what right Senate members without a political mandate have to dictate the Union’s position.

If the Union truly serves as our voice then its politics are our politics. Sat on the

Senate, voting on our Union’s political stance, was a collection of people without any elected political authority.

The deputy Editor-in-Chief of <em>The Mancunion</em>, for example, has the power to dictate policy, and so too does the Captain of the Athletics Union. Likewise representatives of non-political charitable organisations have a say. These are just some examples, and this is in no way meant as a slight on these individuals. I’m sure they campaigned for their positions driven by a passion for their areas of interest. What I am saying however is that their electorate gave them no political mandate from which to influence politics, and this is a fatal and fundamentally undemocratic flaw in the Senate.

The Senate cannot outline policies unless it is mandated and in order to do this there need to be elections based on people’s political ideology. In other words, a separate body needs to exist to deal with these issues. We would condemn a national electorate who were kept in the dark like this and would argue that lack of information forces people into uninformed voting. It is wholly undemocratic, and its influence in terms of putting politics in place is huge.

As I said at the beginning, I do truly think that the Senate was created with good intentions and, in its defence, it does extend a hand to try and include people that otherwise wouldn’t have a say in student politics.

Where this goodwill disintegrates though is in the fundamentally undemocratic elements of its makeup. Those without the support of an informed electorate must not dictate politics, and the lack of forthrightness surrounding the Senate’s practices needs to be challenged. That, sadly, is damaging any sense of its positive potential.

Will tax credits unstick Cameron’s slick style?

George Bolton looks at how David Cameron’s PR managed answers could be harming his credibility

Last week in Prime Minister’s Questions, a clear clash between the politics of the new and old occurred. Jeremy Corbyn’s trademark straight-talking, honest politics were on clear display as he repeatedly asked the prime minister if three million people would be worse off after the impending cuts to tax credits— even with the chancellor succumbing to the overwhelming pressure to “soften the blow.” In the long-term, however, George Osborne’s future prospects may well benefit from the fact that the House of Lords have hindered the progress of his harsh reforms. As for Corbyn, he now has the prime minister on the backfoot. His confident and passionate stubbornness of the issue could win some Conservative voters back if they feel betrayed by these hidden cuts.

David Cameron’s sleek, Blair-esque knack for dodging difficult questions proved extremely effective during the general election campaign, but the public’s patience is wearing thin. At no point was this clearer than recently on Question Time, when an enraged, Toryvoting mother expressed her feelings of disgust and betrayal. Before the general election, not even Jeremy Paxman could destabilise the electorate’s evident confidence in Cameron, even when food banks were the subject matter. Now, the tide is changing. The vague and slippery technique that both Blair and Cameron mastered (and Miliband, not so much) is rapidly becoming a political burden. Like with all tricks, after a while, the audience is beginning to catch on.

This is manifesting itself in two main ways. First of all in Prime Minister’s Questions, in which the juxtaposition between Cameron and Corbyn’s speaking style was blindingly obvious. Replying to the Leader of the Opposition’s question: “Will you confirm right now the tax credit

Photo: Donkey Honkey @Flickr

cuts will not make anyone worse off in April next year?” Cameron could only reply “What we want is for people to be better off because we are cutting their taxes and increasing their pay.” This obvious inability, or unwillingness, to honestly answer an incredibly important question surely could erode the reputation of the prime minister.

During the bewildering election campaign, this sidestepping of questions comes in handy because in this period, it is the words that matter most. When it comes to the incomes of the poorest working people in the country, however, no

amount of spin can save the Government.

This is something that even Tory backbenchers such as Heidi Allen, MP for South Cambridgeshire, who vigilantly argued: “as these proposals stand, too many people will be adversely affected.”

Allen’s defiance showed uncharacteristic cracks appearing around the Conservative Party’s economic policy.

We only have to look back to Margaret Thatcher’s Poll Tax disaster to remind ourselves of what can happen if an overconfident prime minister is blinded by a grand vision and overlooks both backbenchers and public opinion. If these

reforms did go ahead in their original form they could have very well caused serious damage to Cameron and Osborne’s credibility. Of course, Cameron is far more conscientious than the Iron Lady, and is no doubt quietly grateful for the House of Lords veto in light of the recent political outcry.

These tax credit reforms are a major focal point for Cameron’s second term. If he wants to prove to the electorate that his party really is that of the “working people,” cutting the income of 3 million families by an average of £550 per year is, to put it lightly, a step in the wrong direction.

Trust is also a major issue here; a key mistake of Blair’s government was to promise to not raise income tax, and then proceed to cut marriage tax credits and raise VAT. This quickly turned Blair’s charm from an appeal into a vice. The same could feasibly happen to Cameron.

These sneaky and deceptive tactics that have become the norm in recent politics have and will continue to erode the public’s trust in political parties.

To claim that tax credits is a hurdle for Cameron and Osborne however, is far from doubting the ability of the dynamic duo to recover from such a setback. As Thatcher proved in her first term, it is possible to infuriate the electorate, reverse unpopular policies and restore popularity all within 4 years. Similarly, to applaud Corbyn’s effectiveness in Prime Minister’s Questions is far from arguing that he could go on to win the next general election. Corbyn has proved himself an effective speaker with strong principles—but this is not enough on its own. These qualities may merely be, as many have claimed, those of a “protest politician.” It will prove to be the make or break of Corbyn’s Labour whether or not he will be able to exploit the current wobbles of the government.

Opinion11

ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

How private school shaped me I consider myself a success of private education—because it turned me strongly against the idea Tristan Parsons Opinion Writer Roughly two years ago, I remember walking out of the gates after a particularly gruelling day at my new school. The sun was breaking through crumbling leaves, but my new suit was feeling stiff and claustrophobic. I was not a very happy person, but at least I had learnt some life lessons—even if perhaps they did come jarringly quickly.

I came to the new school as a vaguely committed Thatcherite. These were the views that dominated in my home, and thus with a lack of political challenge at school, these were the views I adopted.

I had been transported from the fairly stagnant surroundings of a secondary comprehensive with a rural intake and immersed into a climate of debate and thinking. I found myself in a friendship group that loved to talk politics. They were also the minority in the year that seemed to have the feet on the ground—one of few comforts to me.

A few years later, in fact just a few months ago, I cast my vote for Jeremy Corbyn to become the next leader of the Labour Party. I believe I am one of few people that can consider themselves as a true success story of private education—because I now oppose it.

The thought I had on that autumnal afternoon was this: Private education is no more than segregation by wealth. Merely grouping students of comfortable, well-connected, and intelligent families drive its success. In most cases, they have

support from home, and learn the value of hard work from that safe base.

These students aren’t necessarily bright—if we assume that intelligence depends to a degree on genes—they merely exist in conditions that get the best out of them. The rise of the super-state schools in London proves this point well. Yes, the teaching was slightly better at my new school, but my secondary school was below the national average for GCSEs, and I did not notice a great improvement.

“I can distinctly remember a large group of students who were failed by their education in a way that manifests in their outlook on society.”

But the fees did go somewhere. The school was able to pay for guest speakers to come in, so that a group of largely uninterested students could be forced to sit through it and slip it into their personal statement. The school paid half the wages of each instrumental teacher, and funded an incredible amount of music events. This was part of an obvious attempt by top schools across

the country to push extra-curricular development given the substantial proof that musical activity boosts grades and discipline. Sport is key for driving performance and competition, particularly amongst maturing, testosterone-filled boys. The school could afford a large playing field on site, a full-size hockey pitch, several netball courts, a swimming pool, and extensive indoor facilities. At my old school we ran across town to a large field with a small Astroturf pitch and football goals.

As a side note, a recent article in The Mancunion

by Joely Thomas discussed rugby and social class. In fact, when I went for my interview at the new school, I asked the headmaster if they had a football team. He replied with a stammered answer about some kind of adult’s team that was loosely connected to the school. As it turned out, football was on offer—in fact it was very popular—but rugby was pushed. An elitist attitude, even towards sport, still prevailed.

Another thing that most private school kids learn is how to socialise, essentially how to work hard and play hard. One key difference I was fascinated by when I moved was the attitudes towards recreational drugs. At my old school, they were associated with crime, dodgy areas of town, and students failing in school. The was none of this when I moved to private school: Smoking a spliff or two over the weekend did not mean you would end up in a social group that would drag your academic performance down. This attitude can likewise be applied to regular socialising, drinking, and partying too.

Think before you pink

All of this, of course, may be of great benefit when it comes to applying to a high-flying corporate job. I imagine a perfect candidate would have a driving sense of competition from sport, a large amount of social confidence, and the willingness to work long hours—for, sadly, they are often used to parents coming home from work late, or at weekends.

Although there are many exceptions, of which many are my friends, I can distinctly remember a large group of students—however happy and successful they may be now—who were failed by their education in a way that manifests in their outlook on society.

Few have thought seriously about inequality. Few have socialised with people unlike themselves.

Compared to their academic performance, few have truly developed useful critical skills that might allow them to see the wider reasons for their achievements.

However, in practical terms, the issue is very difficult to confront. The importance of education means that serious involvement by a government is considered too risky. There are also great difficulties in how the newly nationalised resources would be distributed and managed.

Furthermore, evidence from top state schools in London shows how the housing market and catchment areas controls school applications. This may seem uncontrollable and benign, but it too serves to create segregation by wealth.

Perhaps simply—although evidently not simple— an effort to reduce social inequality is the only answer to this difficult dilemma education poses.

An analytical look at breast cancer campaigns asking if they are the best way to support the cause.

cancer victims feel. Think for example of No Bra Day, which takes place annually on July the 9th.

It may seem appealing at first, but upon further scrutiny, you’ll realize that women are essentially encouraged to flaunt exactly what breast cancer survivors or fighters may have lost. It is astonishingly contradictory that a society that showed so much care towards removing the stigma behind breast cancer years ago now trivializes it and belittles it so much that it becomes a mere event.

A double mastectomy isn’t beautiful or inspiring; It is complicated, emotionally draining and downright painful. Yet somehow, we have made posting topless pictures on social media seem altruistic. It is as if the idea of breast cancer has moved in a circle: from a sexualised stigma to social acceptance and right back to become an overly sexualised ailment.

The mere fact that breast cancer is represented by the colour pink forces us to compartmentalise it into as some sort of “feminine disease” reserved for older women. At a time and age where people are becoming more aware that gender roles must

be broken, we have forgotten to look back and see that we have managed to assign a type of cancer to a gender. Ignored are the men who suffer from it, or the women who don’t just remove their breasts but also under-arm tissue, or the victims who have to face months or even years of physical therapy just so they could use their arms again. Breast cancer goes beyond what we have made it out to be, and people who are even at risk of facing it should not be subject of this trivialisation.

We’ll do anything to feed our ego, and we’ll go to even more desperate measures to feel like we went out of our way to help someone. It is unfortunate, however, that this leaves us running after the wrong cause. So instead of blindly buying anything with a pink ribbon on it, think before you pink, and actually question whether or not this corporation you are supporting donates towards breast cancer.

Think before you take your shirt off or use a catchy hashtag, because breast cancer isn’t a cause, it’s a terribly common, overbearing, life-threatening curse.

Photo: The Breast Cancer Network @Flickr

Marina Iskander Contributor “Pinktober” and “Movember” are just around the corner—and raising awareness for cancer is all the rage. The problem is though, what exactly are we supporting? You could say people buy pink ribbons and grow out their moustaches to support those who are battling cancer, but what does that, at the end of the day, even amount to? Taking part in such mainstream, terribly redundant campaigns is merely a way to quiet our consciences—sometimes even at the cost of those we claim to help.

Looking back raising awareness for breast cancer was needed at a time. Years ago, this specific type of cancer was a taboo that people preferred to ignore.

Over time, however, breast cancer has become recognised for the disease that it is; deadly, painful and disfiguring. In fact, it was because different campaigns, charities and organizations that people started talking about it openly. But today, with this

stigma effectively removed, we are left with “pink washing”: a modern phenomena of turning breast cancer into a marketing tool.

Companies everywhere are now slapping pink ribbons on their products to make the buyer feel like they’re making a difference, while in fact, few of these corporations actually donate a percentage of profits towards breast cancer research. Even worse, this deters people from actually donating or volunteering because for all they know they’ve done their part. The irony of it is that often, these companies don’t just keep the profit for themselves, but may be even selling products that contain carcinogens—such as water bottles containing BPA for example. The corporate world has once again stepped in and played with our heads, making us feel like heroes at the cost of the real martyrs.

The absolute worst part is how this makes breast

Photo: Paul Falardeau @Flickr

Music

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ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Festival

A Carefully Planned Festival Carefully Planned (ACPF#5) provides a slew of fringe acts with a Northern Quarter-wide platform. For two days, the offbeats rule the roost in N4. Elinor James dived in.

A Carefully Planned Festival (ACPF) rocked up to Tib St, Oldham St, Spear St and Lever Street and brought with it a serious groove. It is a quietly confident festival that filled Manchester with alternative talent.

If you’re a fan of “birds on a lake, wild blackberries, dawn”, or, any of The Beatles, The Smiths, Weezer and Yann Tiersen you’ll find a band to jam to, according to the programme.

Genres such as “swingin’ ‘n’ clangin’ pop declamation”, “numerous flailing limbs” and “schizophrenic pop soup + sweet mangoes on the side” are also scattered over the 9 Northern Quarter venues—rainbows of sounds to explore.

“We fit ALL the genres in one song.”

Stacey, the bassist from Axes, crouches down on stage and explains to me that Axes are a band with no rules. Their songs are complex: At one point each guitarist is moving with a different rhythm. However, the mixture of on-point timings and styles is satisfying and draws in all of a busy Night and Day Café.

“We’re leaving now to go on tour with two other bands from ACPF” Stacey told me, sweat running off her nose after the gig. And ten minutes later Axes leave.

All weekend people with instruments are darting in and out of buildings and it’s exciting—no banners, flyers or shouting about ACPF—but a distinct, unusual buzz lingers in the air.

Unapologetic Ridicule “SPACE DICK” is being shouted repetitively at the crowd in the back room of The Castle. ILL are musically venting about sexual harassment at work (when you work in outer space). Fiona, Harri, Whitney and Sadie make politically and socially charged points with every single song. Their message is loud, clear and well received by the crowd: inequality is rife and disgusting.

Aside from politics, Fiona told me post-show that “we all need to leave our own creative mark on the world.”

ILL cleverly leave theirs by transforming the tiny Castle stage into a sarcastic mini-protest against inequality. I left thinking “If only I had arrived in time to hear them play ‘Cock in my Pocket’ and ‘Breast’.”

The Hyena Kill destroy eardrums in Mint Lounge.

The drumming is passionate and exact and the guitar is angry. The closer to the stage the crowd are, the more intense the head nodding becomes.

Shields are a 5 piece band from Newcastle who tease

Photo: ACP Festival

movement out of a slower Sunday night crowd. They are like a heavier version of Alt J. Their drummer and percussionist/guitarist are smiling like a pair of Cheshire cats as they play.

Something missing?

ACPF is a decidedly ‘alternative’ festival, as in the opposite of populist; not much room for emerging styles of hip hop, R’n’B, rap or more mainstream types of pop. According to ACPF “there is something for everyone”, so it would be apt and refreshing to see an entire spectrum of music represented over the weekend. Maybe something that isn’t guitar music?

My friend, the drum machine.

The ACPF layout is compact so no problems with losing heat and dryness walking between gigs.

Downstairs in Soup Kitchen it is cold but the music isn’t.

During Hannah Lou Clark’s gig, the bar is an old blank canvas with cool blush backlighting.

Hannah Lou’s drum machine is called Lucy Brown— after her good friend—and on stage are only Hannah,

Lucy Brown, and an electric acoustic guitar.

Hannah’s clear, assured voice is everyone’s focus during the gig; her lyrics talk both idealistic romance and reality. The guitar complements with scratchy growling riffs and Lucy Brown obediently adds a subtle layer of electronica. She is more than just a hat stand, that girl (she is a drum machine).

Overheard at ACFP: “Where are the big tinnies of Grolsch?”

“My dad is in 5 bands and I’m 9 years old and I’m really proud of him.”

“I want to quit work! My managers are twats. I just want to sing instead.”

People of all ages and backgrounds are here to enjoy this weekend of new music. Sam, a friend of mine, waved me over as I left Cord Bar on Saturday night.

He is not at ACPF and does not know it is on. “There is definitely something different going on in town tonight” he said. Definitely, Sam.

Review

Live

Album

Alex G 19th October Night & Day Café Henry Scanlan Music Editor

Deerhunter : Fading Frontier Released 16th October 4AD

“HOLLOW!” “READY!” “CRAB!” “TRASH!” “CHANGE!” It’s half 10 at the Night & Day, and Alex G has opened the floor for song requests. Above is an inconclusive list of demands. Only thing is, we’re already in the encore, and G only has time for one more song. Even after a full set, the number of suggestions blurted at the stage gives an idea as to the depth of Alex G’s songbook after only seven years of output. After a minute or two of rabble, the fan with the strongest baritone gets his wish, and the band close with ‘Change’.

Playing live, Alex Giannascoli comes across as facetious and nihilistic, and sounds much grungier than on record. Gone are the delicately sampled micro-melodies that litter his albums, replaced with anti-form jams that break up the show and at times bring the momentum of the setlist grinding to a halt. These freakouts are as disruptive as Spotify adverts, but gripping nonetheless. The drummer keeps no time, the bassist spanks strings at random, and Alex G screams into the mic. He doesn’t seem to give a fuck. Is he slurring his words because he’s wasted, or just apathetic? As an interviewee, it’s like talking to Holden Caulfield (see the Q&A on page 14). Online, it’s like he’s mastered technology but remains a luddite: everything on his tumblr and bandcamp pages are in small caps, lacking punctuation and proper grammar, illustrated with Polaroid pictures. As Dan Miller noted in last week’s issue, he’s also a technically brilliant home-producer, but chooses to leave his coughs in the mic track. It all appears authentic, but also non-committal in its own way; he seems pretty out there, but his wilfully disaffected attitude is what stops him from taking things to the next level. He may lack ambition, but to me that seems a wonderful thing. Much of his music is about innocent pleasures, like his dogs, or warding off complications by retaining childhood innocence. Like Mac DeMarco, who scaled things back

Tracks of the Week

Dom Bennett Contributor

Jacon Nicholas Contributor

8.5/10

Photo: Press Shot

this year with Another One, Alex G is another small town music maker who just wants to kick back with his homies, and his pets.

I imagine most of Alex G’s fans harbour that strangely protective sentiment of hoping your favourite artist doesn’t become too successful. For reassurance, they should go to one of his unambitious, bittersweet shows. His set at Night & Day wasn’t that good—half-arsed and lacking in stage presence—but somehow that makes me glad. Clearly, Alex G fans are not going to have to endure the loss of their indie totem to money and fame; he’s not going to achieve it, because he doesn’t seem to want to. And so back to that set closer, ‘Change’, which says it all in a few words.

It’s a minimal four chord structure, ending with a repeated, timid refrain: “I don’t like how things change”.

When people label something “90s guitar music”, it’s usually a fairly meaningless term, but for Alex G it totally makes sense. If there is a meaning to the “90s” term, I’d say it’s to do with documenting twisted adolescence. A lot of bands before the 90s dealt with growing up, but mostly in different ways: 60s bands sang about girls and drugs, 70s punk was teenager-ish but in a much angrier and more purposeful way. But the first thing that comes to mind when someone drops the “90s” suffix is unglamorous, snotty, lazy music for fucked up young people and their petty lives. In this way, it’s the music with the most defined generational gap – it’s the stuff you couldn’t imagine listening to once you’re out of your twenties and trying to get on in life. The “90s sound” gets thrown around a lot in music writing, but Alex G truly embodies it. In all his pitch-warping, throwaway home-recording, wordslurring nihilistic glory, Alex G is every inch 2015’s poet laureate of youthhood.

Majical Cloudz: Downtown from Ae You Alone?

Album released 16th October via Matador Canadian duo Majical Cloudz have long made synth laden torch songs, but on ‘Downtown’ they really seem to have perfected the art. An atmospheric mix of keys and synths swirl around the song’s simple drum beat, but the real star here is Devon Welsh’s outstanding vocal. His deep, yet emotive voice is rightly kept front and centre in the mix, as it effortlessly puts across the sentiment of this solemn love song. Welsh’s voice and the accompaniment then open up into a soaring chorus that few songs this year can match.

9/10

Listening to Fading Frontier at first you’ll probably be confused. After the ‘nocturnal garage’ of Monomania, Bradford Cox and co have gone in the complete opposite direction, making an album of relatively traditional pop songs. This is initially disappointing, as Deerhunter are masters of the weird, particularly the spaces where rock and ambient meet (something lacking on Monomania, which was relatively disappointing). However, this is an album that reveals its nuances with each listen, moving from luscious, immaculately produced indiepop to something else entirely.

At only nine tracks long, Fading Frontier is brief and punchy, split into two halves. The first half is the poppier side by far, with singles ‘Breaker’ and ‘Living My Life’ being the clear standouts. ‘Breaker’ is a duet between Cox and guitarist Lockett Pundt, drifting between verses in which Cox describes a recent serious car crash which left him severely injured, but “alive, and that’s something,” and Pundt’s plea to accept what happens in life, not to try and “stem the tide.” The track finally gets submerged in synths similar to Skying-era Horrors, before Cox finally comes to terms with himself, resolving to “never waste another day.” It’s the best song on the album. ‘Living My Life’ is much stranger coming from Deerhunter, a gentle pop song built around drum machines and synths that sound more like the Postal Service than Halcyon Digest or Cryptograms. However, once you get through the initial surprise the track is fantastic, a further song of acceptance in the wake of Cox’s injuries.

The second half is more traditional Deerhunter, in that it’s weird and messy and brilliant. Beginning with ‘Leather and Wood,’ a six minute creeper that’s built around looping guitar and Deerhunter’s usual noises and echoes, with Cox declaring “I believe we can fly, I believe anything is real.” It shouldn’t fit with the rest of the album, but the immaculate production keeps everything seamless. ‘Snakeskin’ is the heaviest track, all distorted scratches and declarations of mortality: “I was born already nailed to the cross.” ‘Ad Astra,’ the sole Pundt track on the album is glorious, all ambience, synths and growls, it reinforces Pundt as a worthy foil to Cox. The closer ‘Carrion’ brings Deerhunter’s new pop sound back to its old perspective—abject fear of mortality, built around the pun title, and Cox desperately asking “What’s wrong with me?” The circle is complete, and Deerhunter’s new place in the pop canon is surely assured with this exceptional album.

Chairlift: Ch-Ching Released 14th October via 4AD

Yak: ‘No’ EP to be released 13th October via Thid Man

‘Ch-Ching’ marks an exciting shift to a brazen R&B sound for Chairlift (yeah, the band that did that song about handstands in the old iPod ads). This is their catchiest and most sultry song yet, and it’s no surprise to learn that the band have collaborated with Beyoncé since their last record; her influence can definitely be heard. The song is described as being about the “feeling of getting lucky and not realizing what just hit you, and rolling with it”. As the irresistible R&B pop sensibilities of ‘Ch-Ching’ are sure to lead the band to new heights, it’s a feeling they’re going to have to get used to.

A large amount of recent British guitar music has ended up being bogged down by its past, and many bands seem to have resorted to adding a dose of pointless attitude and angst to their songs so that the NME can call them the saviours of rock. Yak could represent the absolute nadir of this. The band might be setting out for an enthralling and impassioned 2 and a bit minute garage punk tour de force, but it just sounds lazy and plodding. The guitar sections and lyrics are both incredibly repetitive and the song lacks enough ideas to fill its already short running time.

Music 13

ISSUE 5 / 19th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

the

Opinion

Photo: mercuryprize

Is the Mercury Prize in retrograde?

Their aim: povide a ‘Snapshot of the year in music.’ Jacob Bernard-Banton’s problem: A snapshot tells you very little about music in 2015.

I’ve never been vociferously critical of the Mercury Prize. Quite the opposite. In years past, it seemed to be a genuine alternative to the populism of the Brit Awards, which appeared to congratulate artists solely on basis of shifting units. I’ve since changed my tune and have become increasingly cynical about it all. The Mercury does not reflect the sort of catholic music taste it claims to embody.

“The Prize has no categories, and is open to all genres of music,” states their website, which is hard to read without derisively sniggering. Dance music is severely underrepresented: admittedly, Jamie xx’s fantastic In Colour has made this year’s shortlist, however that seems more an anomaly than anything and is unlikely to win. Likewise, the Mercury isn’t above lazy tokenism, specifically when it comes to jazz and folk.

It is rather telling that there hasn’t been a shortlisted classical album since 2002. Metal never makes the cut either. The ballast of what’s left comprises what some might uncharitably call 6Music-approved “alternative” rock and pop filler.

If you were being churlish, you might accuse the Mercury Prize of conforming to a stiflingly worthy, middle-class sensibility: nothing that’s going to put off Middle England. There’s ostensibly no room for grime – currently having something of a renaissance – or R&B, last seen on FKA twigs’ contorted reimagining of the genre on last year’s superb Mercury-nominated LP1.

But it can’t be all that bad, you say. Indeed, 2014’s winners Young Fathers were a band that defied easy categorisation and whose triumph earned them wider recognition, every inch the sort of band whose profile the Mercury seeks to raise.

Although you can’t imagine every independent artist on a small label benefitting from the award. To enter, artists must pay a fee of £170 including VAT. That may not seem much, but consider this: an independent artist, who’s released their album for free via their Bandcamp or Soundcloud, and who makes a modest earning from their work, likely to cough up enough cash for entry into a prize they may not even win? It doesn’t sound worth it.

Of course the Mercury can lead to increased recognition and sales, but it can also achieve the complete opposite. Does anyone remember 2009’s controversial winner, rapper Speech Debelle, who despite her win still didn’t manage anything above a devoted cult following? Indeed, when Gorillaz were offered a nomination in 2001, Damon Albarn turned it down, describing the nomination as “like carrying a dead albatross round your neck for eternity”. Without constant hype and expectation, the underwhelming careers of many a past winner may have turned out differently.

The Guardian recently asserted that this year’s shortlist “offers no sense of a prevalent trend in British music”. This may be true, but don’t take the Mercury’s tokenism as representing the zeitgeist of our musical landscape; it very rarely offers a sense of the plethora of British music being made in a given year – and that’s the problem. Georgia, Sleaford Mods, Ghost Culture and Lonelady all released albums that positively sounded like 2015, characterised by an ambiguity and agitation that summed up the mood of the year perfectly. Whoever wins this year – and for the love of god, let it be Róisín Murphy – is unlikely to reflect the year in music, simply because the Mercury’s view of the best in British music in 2015 is far too narrow.

The Litmus Test

Like a thermometer, this week’s scale is full of Mercury. Which artists have profited from their win?

Elinor James & Rob Paterson Contributor and Music Editor

the Interview Lucy Rose

From the stool to the stadium: her new album may have broad appeal, but a chat with Lucy Rose suggests she’s uncomfortable in new skin.

Liam Killeen Contributor

“I realised that I could stand up and enjoy myself whilst still playing meaningful music,’” Lucy Rose responds when asked about her transition from her sat-down acoustic, melancholy debut album to her lively new album Work it Out .

Her 2012 debut album Like I Used To was home recorded, but saw her rise to fame; she supported Bombay Bicycle Club and Noah And The Whale shortly afterwards.

Many had thought that she would stay fairly similar in style on her second, with only the odd track on Like… showing signs of creative exploration. Surprisingly, it takes a more electric route. The single ‘Cover Up’ screams Bombay Bicycle Club’s influence, whose own style over the years could hardly be described as consistent. She maintains that her sound is sill “lo-fi” and does not completely abandon the acoustic guitar; opening track ‘For You’ is likely to fool many a listener that this is the same Lucy Rose.

Listen on and Rich Cooper’s sleek production soon speaks to the contrary. It’s a fine-tuned lo-fi sound to say the least.

Lucy feels very strongly in anchoring herself as an artist whilst maintaining the creative progression seen in her new album.

“There seems to be pressure to become something you aren’t. [Some artists] are interested in making their music accessible…

I want my music to be something people understand.” When referring to her previous album, a defining characteristic is ‘the stool’ which she sat on whilst touring for it. “The stool was a way in which I stopped people from thinking I was going to go in a certain direction that I wasn’t. It was a way of saying ‘no, if I want to play my entire show on a stool,

that’s going to give you a clear representation of who I am as an artist’.”

She goes on to talk of why she picked up the Fender Jag and got off the stool. ‘It’s really hard to tour a sad album for two years. I just felt like I didn’t want to be so one dimensional as an artist, especially when I was doing festivals where I would be headlining a Saturday night. I would have two sort of upbeat songs and the rest are just depressing and downbeat; it didn’t fit.’ The title of her first record may be ironic with this in mind, but Lucy doesn’t dismiss its importance, ‘[the album] did allow me to become happier due to the recognition I received even if I was sad when writing it.’

Criticism of her new album has been mixed

Illustration courtesy of Ethel Wilks.

Email music@mancunion.com if you’d like to contribute your artwork.

on the whole, with loyalist fans branding it ‘too happy’. This certainly doesn’t seem to fit with her outlook on herself as a musician. ‘I’m not a singer’ Lucy says firmly, before questioning her touring drummer on whether he would define himself as a drummer and then conceding, “okay, maybe I’m a singer.” When asked about her humility as a musician she responds, “Yeah it’s a confidence thing I guess. It’s got better through a combination of the new sound as well as progression through time.”

She’s just embarked on her UK tour with support from Mercury award nominated C. Duncan, Jake Isaac and the budding artist Billie Marten, who rose to fame from a YouTube clip of her doing a cover of Lucy Rose’s ‘Middle of the Bed’.

“It’s sort of romantic notion that I saw her when she was 12 doing one of my songs when I was relatively unheard of,” Lucy says with her eyes following her dog, Josie, about the room.

“It’s nice to take people on the road that are genuinely into your music.”

When talking to her, Lucy doesn’t comes across anxious and disinterested, as if she’s not quite comfortable in her skin.

Her change in sound may reflects this, but growing is a process and I for one am excited to see where she grows next, both live and in the studio.

the Profile Songhoy Blues

Exiled from a country where music was outlawed, they’ve played with Damon Albarn and are soon to feature in a film. With the help of translation, we learn more about this unique new band.

Helena Maxwell-Jackson Deputy Food Editor

Photo: Paul Hudson@flickr

The opening riff of Soubour–the first song on Songhoy Blues’ new album, Music in Exile and probably their most famous in the UK– is a mesmerising mélange of zesty beats, rock guitar riffs and insistent vocal lines. It’s music that runs; free of chains that, until very recently, it was held down by. Yet there is melancholy underlying the sprightly pace, for whilst they experience freedom in their music, they’re all too aware that it’s a luxury which many do not have.

“The problems we have in Mali are great,” they tell me. It was these problems that forced the band to leave their homes there: when Jihadists took control of North Mali, they enforced strict Sharia law and outlawed music. This travesty is the subject of a new film– They Will Have To Kill us First; Malian Music in Exile– in which Songhoy Blues feature. Now, the Malian military is working with French armies to reclaim the country, and, although the situation seems to be improving, there is still conflict in both the North and the South of the country.

Despite the threat from extremists, the band

Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am... (2005) 7 Brit awards, 2 Glastonbury headline spots, 5 out of 5 albums hitting number 1. It’s hard to find a Mercury winner who’s achieved more mainstream success.

maintains that “there is also much (in Mali) to celebrate. The good, the bad; it’s all in our lyrics” they assure me. You could argue that hope outstrips the melancholy in their music, with the chorus of Sobour urging the Malian people to remain optimistic. “Patience and tolerance resume life,” it can be translated as, their voices coming together in swift and affecting harmony.

“Soubour is a message to the Malian people to be patient,” they explain. “In the aftermath of the war in the north of the country, lots of people are impatient to rebuild their lives, but it is only with patience that good things will come.”

Mali is always at the center of the band’s work; even their name, they tell me, “is in honour of our Songhai people.” These are people who speak Songhai languages and are primarily found in Mali. However, more western influences are prevalent in their music too, such as American blues and rock and roll. They also have much love for the UK, where they are signed with Transgressive Records after having been championed by big British names such as

PJ Harvey: Stories ...(2001) Dizzee Rascal: Boy in da Let England Shake (2011) Corner (2003)

And they say lightening never strikes twice. To call her mainstream would be a stretch, but having received an MBE for contributions to music in 2013, it’d be crazy to call her unsuccessful.

With 8 top ten singles and collaborations with the likes of Calvin Harris, Mr Rascal’s career has blossomed since his win. However, he lingers in the minds of many as a pop relic.

Did the Mercury pin him to a dying scene?

Damon Albarn. I ask them what effect their connections with America, France and the UK has on their music, wondering to what extend they would describe their music as distinctly Malian.

“Musically it has many elements of modern Malian music” they tell me “but in a different context, with less traditional instruments, more electric guitars and big drums”.

Despite their global collaboration and appeal, they are adamant that their album is not labeled as world Music. “We’re just a band with the same influences as lots of other musicians.

We’re just a rock band.” This may be true, but Songhoy Blues’ music contains messages that seem to stretch far and beyond the normal domain of rock music. Songhoy Blues write about unity, hope and optimism; “We want our music to celebrate peace and reconciliation, because we can all be united in music despite our differences of culture or religion or ethnicity.” It may not be world music, but it’s certainly music that calls out to common humanity.

Alt J: An Awesome Wave (2012) Maybe it’s too early to make comment on their longevity, but the pressure winning seemed to weigh on their follow up. Halfway between evolution and familiarity, it tries to soothe all possible detractors.

The result: wallpaper.

Talvin Singh: Ok (1999)

On one hand, his reinvention of Indian classical music has won him an OBE for contributions to Asian Electronica music. On the other, Ok only sold 90,000 copies in the UK and unlike other winning albums, failed to draw the masses to new sounds. Have you heard of him?

14

Music

Janet Jackson: Still the Queen of Pop? We might be a little late in reviewing Janet Jackson’s 2nd October release of Unbreakable, but Jack Ashworth thinks it demands attention.

When discussing a musician who yields as much star power as Janet Jackson, it is impossible to separate the mythology from the reality. In a career spanning four decades, Jackson has established herself as a ‘gamechanger’—the kind of star who has reshaped and redefined what exactly it is to have professional integrity in popular music, an industry so accustomed to insecurity and flux. In a career tainted by both professional and personal setbacks, played out in front of the world media from an early age, the youngest member of the Jackson clan has survived and thrived in spite of the media circus that has followed her throughout her life. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Jackson has always endeavoured to not only be implicit in the production of her material, but to be firmly at the helm. This has often had a negative effect on her commercial and critical compatibility, but has similarly led to the production of some of the most progressive R&B albums (in both a musical and socio-political sense) of the last few decades—notably her 1997 magnum opus The Velvet Rope.

Her latest release, the aptly named Unbreakable is arguably her most solid work since then. Exploring a variety of musical styles – funk, soul, and electronic dance to name but a few – the sonically diverse Unbreakable sees Ms. Jackson at her most confident. Lead single ‘No Sleeep’—a collaboration with J Cole—sees Jackson revisiting themes of sexual exploration and emancipation so central to her body of work. The mellow soundscape compliments Jackson’s soft vocals perfectly and her restrained sensuality offers a reminder of what has distinguished Jackson from her more bombastic, sexually explicit contemporaries. The whole album has an air of retrospection, with songs like ‘Well Travelled’ and ‘Lessons Learned’ offering an insight into the mind of a woman who is clearly using her first release in seven years as a vehicle for introspection and reflection. Gospel flavoured ‘Gon B’ Alright’ is perhaps an homage to her musical roots, and the soul music that originally launched the Jackson family into the pop music stratosphere. Songs like ‘BURNITUP!’ and ‘Dammm Baby’ however see the female megastar from America’s biggest musical family delving into new territory and utilising contemporary production techniques to offer her fans something qualitatively different from her past body of work. A little long winded at 17 tracks, Unbreakable can feel a little inaccessible at times, but for the most part Jackson has delivered a cohesive and exciting piece of music, cementing it as one of the many benchmarks in her career.

Confident and collected, Janet Jackson has managed to find a middle ground between commercial accessibility and musical craftsmanship, something unattained by many musicians today. With an album that has taken the pop world by surprise, Jackson is making a clear statement to her fans that she is still here—and can still send shockwaves ricocheting through the industry, 30 years after exploding onto the scene.

ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Record Reappraisal

Outside: Almost In

Released 1993 via Dorado Records

Outside’s debut album redefined what it is to be acid jazz. Pierre Flasse reveals how.

Outside is an acid jazz group formed from the brainchild of Matt Cooper’s first project. The group through the 90s helped establish a reputation of “the perfect embodiment of progressive jazz” (URB Magazine, US). The band itself drew upon the funk, hip hop, soul and progressive style to create a new and original sound.

The opening track ‘Movin’ On’ is highly reminiscent of soul-like duet vocals combined with a funk driven bass riff. As a track, it sounds most like their second album The Rough and the Smooth, using strong string tracks and a deep, dark male voice booming across the record.

What a song to define the album, it’s packed full of character and for me one of the group’s highlights.

Mid album, the track ‘If You Come With Me’ sets up a disconcerting synth track to a heavy hip hop beat, that almost makes you feel nauseated and violated. A strong flute solo permeates the majority of the track with jutting, dissonant chords, drawing in a psychedelic synth based journey. “If you come with me, and leave your world of pain” is a vocal riff that invites you into the strange insight of what “acid” jazz can really be.

The most perceptive song on the album seems to be ‘11:08am’, which combines the heavy hip hop drum beat, with soulful vocals.

The reappearance of a low male voice broods on the spoken word and scat-like piano chords, in what becomes a responsive relationship between the rhythm section and commanding voices. It truly represents the full sound and identity of the group: enterprising acid jazz and unafraid to subtly whisper and subdue your ear drums to excellence.

Outside as one of the most experimental acid jazz groups did not get a lot of press. From searching the web, the only place you can find them is to directly buy their CDs or find a vague few tracks on YouTube. They are without band page, publications, or reviews. This is somewhat a combination of the lack of press from the debut album, and the difficulty in releasing an album in a mainstream pop and indie driven decade.

Acid jazz in its nature is not what you think.

It’s a wild confusion and complication of hip hop drum beats, funk driven riffs, soul vocals, synths amassing in a true experimentation of style. Some of the more well known groups you

Quick Q&A: Alex G Alex G keeps his answers to Henry Scanlan’s grilling (very) short and sweet.

Sup! Yo. How was writing & recording at university?

Recording and university were hard to balance. I’m lucky one seems to have worked out.

Your unreleased music is all over the net. Are you OK with that?

If people like it then that’s fine.

There are a lot of characters in your songs. Are they real people?

It depends on the song. I don’t like to talk about what I write because I fear it will ruin the song for people who like it...

I hear you’re a fan of Boards of Canada—has electronic music always been a big part of your sound?

I’ve always been a fan of electronic music. I’m probably influenced by it.

Couldn’t put my finger on how.

How important is it nowadays to be tech-savvy in order to get the sound you want if you don’t have much money?

I think there are ways to make good stuff regardless of your means. You just need to have the motivation.

I saw your AMA on reddit recently. You seem to have a tight relationship with fans...do you thinkthat could be hard to maintain if you become ever more famous?

Maybe. I’m just trying to do what feels right.

Are my questions too long?

Kind of.

Is it different playing in England to playing in America? Is America much preferred?

Either country is great. England is always enjoyable.

Photo: Album Artwork

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You’re always labelled as ‘lofi’ - do you think that’s a relevant description?

I’m trying to make quality music with the means I have. Some people might consider that lo-fi. I don’t, but my music sounds different to me than it does for others.

Do you credit the internet for your success? Do you think your music would have found a way to popularity without the use of social media?

Not sure. I don’t have a good answer.

You don’t like interviews very much do you?

Not really.

The Media Review Show Tune into our weekly radio show in collaboration with Fuse FM! Roundtable reviews, artist interviews and bovine moos.

Mondays 7 – 9pm—find us at fusefm.co.uk

Photo: Album Artwork

definitely would know are Matt Cooper’s later band Incognito and the well established Jamiroquai. In a decade driven by indie, boy bands, hip hop and pop, there was not room for a small experimental group Outside (excuse the pun) of the borders.

However the album and following 4 albums lead the way for Cooper to release his full artistic licence on those listening. In later albums Outside delve into drum and bass, stronger soul and heavier hip hop, and really push the boundaries of what people would expect from a small acid jazz group. Almost In was aptly named, as for a newfound listener it is an introspective insight “almost in” to the genre and what it could do for you. If you manage to listen and love what you hear, other recommendable albums are The Rough and the Smooth (1995) and Out of the Dark (2001).

tial

n campus confide

A new featue where we uncover the best student bands this university has to offer. This week, Rob Paterson chats to Golden Gray.

Genre: Folk Members: Eli Carvajal (vocals, guitar). Mathilda Du Tillieul McNicol (Vocals, violin), Lara Agar (Violin) and Ollie Thomson (Percussion) HQ: Martin Harris Centre Basement Where did your name come from and when does the breakfast cereal come out?

‘Golden Gray’ the name: one of our lyrics was slightly misheard by a fan (Lara’s mum), who suggested it when taking part in a band-name brainstorm.

Once again the old Hitchcock saying rings true - mother knows best.

The breakfast cereal: we’re currently in talks with Nestlé regarding ‘Golden Gray-hams’. Our faces beautifully rendered in whole grain wheat and cornmeal - topping the charts by hopping in your cart.

How often do you practice and play gigs?

We practice once or twice a week; ideally twice. Enough to keep momentum going between practices, but not too many so that ideas get muddy. We gig every few months.

Where are your favourite places to play in Manchester?

We played an amazing gig at Gulliver’s in the Northern Quarter last Christmas— the vibe was beautiful, the audience were beautiful - it was our first proper gig as well.

What’s your typical process?

Eli writes a song, gets together with Mathilda and they work out harmonies and vocals; next Lara lays a violin melody down, and finally Ollie adds the pulse and the spice with a beat. We like to jam a song for a while before finalising parts - get it to a place we all like it. We work together.

What’s been your greatest achievement as a band so far?

Probably the Nestlé deal.

What advice would you give other students trying to start bands?

Ours was the obvious origin; we met on the music degree, but it doesn’t have to be the way. Get yourselves over to the UoM Live Music Society. It’s run by friends of ours and is an amazing place to meet music-makers who want to start bands.

Just start playing and practicing and making music together. Manchester is an amazing city to be in a band—make the most of it. Make a demo, then get gigs with promoters like Tuesday Live—it’s easier to gig than you might think.

If your sound were a breakfast cereal, what would it look and taste like?

Our Golden Gray muesli would be stored in a glass container high up on a dusty shelf—but the walnuts, the coconut shavings and the raisins within would taste as fresh as a summer’s day. Sweet, but not sugary; firm, but not dry. In a word: Yum. Next Gig: Joshua Brooks, Nov 24th

Find them as ‘Golden Gray’ on Facebook or GoldenGray on Soundcloud.

Games 15

ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Feature

An Interview with PixelBomb Games Josh Goldie Games Editor At this year’s Play Expo I was lucky enough to sit down and interview Manchester-based indie studio PixelBomb Games, who are developing a game set in Manchester called Beyond Flesh and Blood. This is their first game, and after playing it at Play Expo, I have to say that the team have done a wonderful job so far.

Hello. I am here at Play expo with PixelBomb Games. Would you like to introduce yourself?

Hello, I am Philip Muwanga and I am Lead Coder for Pixel BombGames and today I am here to show the game Beyond Flesh and Blood.

And would you like to tell me what your game is about?

Beyond Flesh and Blood is a third-person action adventure in the Unreal Engine, set in a post-apocalyptic Manchester 200 years in the future. It features gory, over-thetop action with 12 feet tall mechs and sleek prototype frames [manned robotic suits] with time-bending, anti-grav powers.

So, the setting of this game is rather unique. Is the plan to have an accurate, 1:1 representation of Manchester or just a vague representation of the city?

We are a Manchester-based studio, so it has been a joy and an honour for us to make our own interpretation of our home city. It’s based fairly accurately on the way Manchester is laid out. Most of the game takes place on Deansgate. You actually start the game in front of the Hilton and then from there to Deansgate, to Albert Square, to the Triangle and then past the Arndale, and we have made sure that they are as accurate a location as their real-world counter-parts. Obviously we had to take a few artistic liberties to allow for good gameplay in these spaces—I believe our Deansgate is about twice the length of the actual Deansgate—but, if you have ever been to Manchester, you will recognize key locations and landmarks.

Photo: Play Expo

Photo: PixelBomb Games

I’m curious, what video games helped to influence the creation of Beyond Flesh and Blood, if there were any at all?

Myself and my colleagues, we are oldschool PC gamers, so we were inspired by games like Unreal Tournament. As much as I love Gears of War, I am tired of hiding behind walls and having to take cover. So, while the enemies in our game can take cover, you as the player cannot. Instead, you have to use your dodge skills as well as the suit’s abilities in order to stay alive during combat, much the same as it was in Unreal Tournament back in the late-90s.

I remember seeing PixelBomb Games at last year’s Manchester Play Expo and I was wondering what it has been like working with Play Expo these two years?

We met the guys who organise Play Expo at EGX in Earl’s Court a year ago and because we are a Manchester based-studio who are making a game set in Manchester, when we found out Play Expo was on we had to make sure we were a part of that. They have been great and have been really friendly to us. They have been a pleasure to work with and we will definitely be coming back next year.

Last year, this game ran on Unreal Engine 3 but recently it moved onto Unreal Engine 4. What was that like, moving everything from one engine to the next?

The short story version... it has been hell. It’s not Epic’s fault, it is the way that scripting works in Unreal Engine 3, and that it is completely different to how it works in Unreal Engine 4.

We essentially had to build the whole engine again from scratch and it has been a nightmare. On the plus-side, Unreal Engine 4 is a joy to work with

and our engine is in a much better state now. This was a thing that had to happen, it was just a shame that it had to happen just as we were about to finish our Unreal Engine 3 build.

Why was the Unreal Engine chosen over other engines like Unity?

We have been working in the Unreal Engine on and off for about 10 years now, so it is like an old friend at this point. When we started with Unreal Engine 3, Unity was not quite at the place that it is now, and now that Unreal Engine 4 has come out, I am more than happy with how it works. Being able to have access to the C++ source code has allowed me to adapt the engine to any needs that I have. I cannot stress enough how much of a joy it has been to work with the Unreal Engine. It is a gorgeous engine. It allows us to render wonderfully high-res art assets and to make our version of Manchester look like a next-gen game.

So the game is currently scheduled for PC, Xbox One and PS4. What has it been like working with Microsoft and Sony to get this game up on their systems?

About a year ago to this day we were showing off a PC build of the game at last year’s Play Expo when a chap from Microsoft saw the game and liked what he had seen. It was through him that we managed to make some good contacts with Id and they have been great. They helped us with the application process. If we had any issues on the tech side then they were able to help us with those and we’ve got two dev kits for free. I can’t speak anymore highly about my experience with Microsoft. It has been a different process, heading towards Sony and the PS4, but things are currently in the works on that front. As for PC, we were green-lit within 13 days and are now good to go on Steam.

Photo: PixelBomb Games

So, your game has Oculus Rift support. Was this a feature that you wanted since the very beginning, or was this something you thought would fit the game later in development?

In the game’s single-player campaign, you play as Ethan, who is not actually down on Earth but is instead on a space station in orbit, and from a terminal there he is controlling the Frames that are sent down to Earth. This ties in to our death mechanic, where you cannot actually die because if you lose a Frame then they simply send down another one from orbit. There is actually a wonderful scene at the start of the game where you see Ethan for the first time and he is wearing a headset that looks similar to an Oculus. This was all planned-out before Oculus became a thing, so it has been a joy for us to see the birth of this new wave of VR and be near the forefront of the studios who are able to develop for the Oculus.

The game has been in development for roughly two years now. When do you hope to have a release date?

We have been thinking about going into early access on the PC before this christmas and then we are aiming for all our platforms, Xbox One, PS4 and PC in Q1 2016.

OK, well thank you for having this interview with me and I hope everything goes well for the future of your game.

It has been my pleasure and I hope you enjoy the rest of your time at this year’s Manchester Play Expo.

Preview

Unravel

Photo: Coldwood Interactive, Electronic Arts Inc.

As his final Gamescom coverage, Connor McBride writes about what is one of his surprise favourites of the show!

If you told me this time last year that one of the games I would be the most hyped for in 2015 would be about a ball of string in a field, I would have questioned whether you were feeling alright. But there I was, intently watching a developer presentation on the EA stage about Unravel and the only thing stopping me from jumping to grab the free shirts they were throwing out was the fact I was standing in the queue to play it.

Unravel is a physics based game where you play as Yarny, an anthropomorphic ball of string that tries to traverse the world around him using his string to climb, bounce off and manipulate the environment.

Initially starting off at an

elderly woman’s house, you travel through distant lands using nothing but your twine, and with distant lands comes different puzzles.

You’ll find yourself navigating a small pond one minute and then the next having to deal with radioactive waste.

However, you have to be frugal with your yarn as if you run out you can’t progress, and have to back-pedal to try again. Solutions in this game are always quite novel and require a degree of lateral thinking before the sudden “Eureka!” moment hits.

The creative director on Unravel, Martin Sahlin, made a prototype Yarny doll while on holiday with his children and took pictures of him in different

scenarios, which speaks volumes for the amount of heart and charm this game has.

When Sahlin speaks about the game it is always with a strong passion for the project and a love for what he is doing. His natural nervousness on stage and seeing him discussing how he wanted the game to feel and how fun he could make it was more effective than any focus group or rehashed old IP could ever be. I for one cannot wait for this game to come out in 2016.

Want to meet fellow gamers

in Manchester?

Get your spooky on! This is the week of Halloween. You would think it was christmas with all of the decorations people have begun to put up in stores but do not worry, the University of Manchester’s Gaming Society has not forgot about this haunting holiday and we will be celebrating it in true student fashion: drinking while dressed in silly costumes.

Join our event for times and route information.

As for reading week, we may have something special planned and you do not have to go anywhere in order to take part. Like us on facebook and join the official group for more details. /gamingsociety

Fashion & Beauty

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Feature

Has fashion gone too far?

Photos: (L-R) Urban Outfitters, Urban Outfitters, ASOS

The stigma about mental health has decreased in the past few years, with more people coming forward to discuss their experiences. The public is slowly starting to realise that mental illness is no different to physical illness—it cannot be helped, it is difficult to fix, and it should not be subjected to ridicule.

Despite this incredible progress, the fashion industry can still be held accountable for making light of mental health. Far too many slogan T-shirts have been manufactured in recent years, glamourising problems that 1 in every 4 people in the UK suffer from each year.

Back in 2010, Urban Outfitters released a grey V-neck tee with the words ‘eat less’ written across the front. This caused a great deal of controversy, as it was seen to be promoting eating disorders. According to The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), anorexia is the third most common long-term illness among teenagers. As Urban Outfitters’ target market, the T-shirt could have had a disastrous effect if it had been kept in stores for too long. Responsibly, Urban Outfitters did remove the item from their website, but only after they were heavily criticised for producing it in the first place.

Not learning from their mistakes, they released another T-shirt making a mockery of mental health. This time around, the word

‘depression’ was written repeatedly across a white crop top. Again, after several complaints, the item was taken off their website.

Regardless of their offensive reputation, Urban Outfitters continue to create products that can be seen to demean mental health. In their quirky home section throughout 2015, they have sold mugs with the tagline “Britney survived 2007. You can handle today”, as well as the (sadly) popular phrase “More issues than Vogue”. Both phrases hinder the progress made in understanding mental health, and further try to romanticise serious illnesses. What’s more, the public doesn’t seem to realise how offensive these slogans are—social media was full to the brim with snapshots of these products, labeling them as ‘funny’ and ‘clever’. A much bigger emphasis needs to be shone upon this problem if we are to move away from the stigma about mental health.

Urban Outfitters is not the only culprit—they are merely the brand that is seen in the brightest spotlight. ASOS have recently released a slogan t-shirt, reading “Hangxiety: A self-inflicted state of fear after a night out”, which belittles victims of anxiety, including myself. Topshop have also been known to manufacture a slogan jumper, reading “Stressed, Depressed, but Well Dressed”. Young, impressionable shoppers may be given the impression that their mental wellbeing is

Feature

Trends

Kassi Allcock Head Fashion Editor insignificant in comparison to their fashion sense.

As the Head Fashion Editor for The Mancunion, I am definitely in favour of the importance of fashion and the major role that it plays in society. However, fashion is all fun and games at the end of the day; what really matters is how you look after yourself and your mind.

Mental health is not a trend—it’s an illness, just like cancer and heart disease.

Anybody who has ever experienced a mental health problem would say that they would never ask to be subjected to such a tormenting illness; they would be rid of it if they could. If suffering from a mental illness is so heartbreakingly hurtful, why are fashion brands trying to make them seem popular, something to aspire to?

Perhaps I am being too harsh on the fashion industry, when their real intention may be to raise awareness. Instead of adding to the stigma of mental health, they may actually be attempting to decrease it.

Irrespective, glamourising mental health is not the right approach.

I am all for promoting self-love and widening the understanding of mental health, but how about we leave it to the non-profit professionals?

Photo: Urban Outfitters

Photo: H&M

Perisha Kudhail Contributor

example, H&M has a ‘conscious’ collection (see photo), which they release a couple of times a season. This collection is relatively affordable but still more expensive than the majority of the other items that H&M sell.

Similarly, ASOS has the ASOS Africa collection, which is sold at a considerably higher price point than the rest of the ASOS own brand collection. I can only assume that this high price scares ASOS customers away, especially the increasingly poor students who just so happen to be scrolling through the “new-in” section.

It could be argued that, to an extent, having a sustainable section in a global corporation just highlights that the rest of the collection isn’t sustainable. If they can have an eco-friendly collection, why is the rest of the store not thus?

Truthfully, I believe it is because being eco-friendly doesn’t increase business. It may attract a certain clientele, but the majority of people don’t consider where their clothes come from, how much the workers get paid, or the effects that these clothes have on the environment. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the general public don’t care, I’m just saying it’s not at the forefront of their minds.

While brands like Stella McCartney may show great pride that none of their products harm animals, this also offers them a niche in the high-end market. Those beautiful chain trimmed bags are all faux-leather, yet because of the brand they can still charge thousands. And in the high-end market, creating that uniqueness has grown business.

Even after a Primark factory (allegedly a sweatshop) collapsed in India in 2013, we all still shop there. Perhaps we are too accustomed to the low prices of fast, high-end copies to consider the ethics of the clothes. But the existences of sustainable lines, like the H&M ‘conscious’ collection, prove that people do care. Every year more companies introduce new Earth-friendly collections and procedures, so fear not, the fashion industry does appear to be trying.

As with any other debacle in fashion, the ethical reasoning behind vintage shops is being questioned all the time. Surely selling second-hand clothing for profit is the same as buying clothes from a charity shop, without giving to charity?

What is the difference between vintage and charity? Aren’t they the same thing with different ethical outcomes?

With charity, there exists a constant suspicion as to how much of the proceedings actually go towards the ‘cause’. The rent of the shop has to be paid, alongside the managers who run the store.

Realistically, how much does this leave for the charity itself? This ‘could’ be argued to be immoral in its own right. Why buy from a charity shop, when you don’t even know if your contribution makes a difference?

With Vintage Clothing shops, there is no barricade of morals. You buy the goods, the workers get paid, and they can then go out and acquire more

Photo: staffslive@Flickr

Kyle Zabawa Contributor

With temperatures dropping to below that of even my bitter old heart, and as the campus foliage begins to lose its chartreuse tinges in favour of more chestnut tones, there is no better time than autumn to add some new pieces to well and truly spice up your wardrobe (and life).

1. A most marvellous mac If, like me, you have grown bored of last year’s furry-hooded, waterproof parka, then fear not, for this next item is sure to add a touch of on-trend, 1930s art deco to your outerwear. In terms of palette, we’re waving goodbye to summer brights and saying hello to neutral, rusted shades such as burnt sienna and cocoa.

And what better way to embrace the colours of the season than with this lightweight, yet structured, double-breasted mac, courtesy of River Island? Military chic has once again proved popular on the catwalks of London, Paris, Milan (and even Manchester) for AW15. An extraordinarily versatile piece, wear this coat belted in cooler climes or leave it open for those last few days of late summer sun.

It is also of note that, as of 2008, River Island has been a supporter of the ETI Code (that’s ‘ethical trading initiative’ to you and I), giving you the piece of mind that your new coat is an ethically-considered purchase.

Whether at a party for two or even ‘in da club’, incorporate some dark green hued fabrics into your ensembles this autumn.

Olive (think a timeless, versatile, earth-toned green) is predicted to be everywhere this season, so make sure to invest now in pieces that will see you right through from the serotinal months and beyond. I’m suggesting a long-sleeved polo as an easily achievable eye-catching addition to your capsule wardrobe.

How ethical is our fashion? Vintage vs. Charity shops When I googled ‘ethical fashion’ I was greeted with a list…of lists. Helpful. These lists were, mainly, magazine compilations and websites that can help guide you to eco-friendly clothing companies.

Worryingly, I noticed the absences of many of the big fashion names. Ethical seems to be a niche accessory to a fashion brand, rather than a standardised requirement.

When you delve a little deeper, there are certain known brands that offer more ethical options. For

Fall favourites for fellows

2. All olive everything?

Feature

Sarah Kilcourse Contributor

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3. “It’s okay to put your foot in it, as long as you’re wearing fabulous shoes” – Real Housewife of Cheshire, Lauren Simon As much as it pains this writer to admit, autumn is the time to unfortunately retire those delicate, suede tasseled loafers you sported all summer in favour of comfortable and enduring leather boots. However, when this next pair of shoes caught my eye in an ASOS flash sale (sign up for their emails by the way, they

will hook you up with bargains you didn’t even know that you deserved) it was love at first sight. If gaudy (now there’s a word we don’t use often enough) leathers aren’t quite your cup of tea, then similar style dress slippers in more muted, subdued colours are my recommendation to you. Needless to say, I shall not be sporting these emblems of regalia during my thrice-weekly commute from Piccadilly station on to campus anytime soon, but I am saving them for my next rendezvous with my partners in crime back home.

4. Let’s get aromatic this autumn Picture the scene. Soft, white sands. Pure, celestial waves delicately breaking along a charming shoreline. Golden rays of sunshine glittering down from the heavens above. Sprawling cliffs and dunes as far as the eye can see…blissful isn’t it? If, not unlike myself, you find yourself drawn to anything even remotely nautical, this fragrance is a joy for the senses. Clean yet masculine and with base notes of aromatic, evergreen sage and a heart note of sea salt, you and everyone who comes into close contact with this whimsical scent can be, at once, subconsciously transported to a Utopian beach retreat. Memories of summer may be just a spritz away thanks to Jo Malone’s Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne.

Photos: (L-R) River Island, ASOS

5. “Oud” have thought I’d be able to make a pun out of a candle?

Although I am indeed fully aware that one cannot sensibly wear a candle, for the metrosexual of 2015, my next recommendation is a must.

Housed intricately in signature, smoked black glass, the incense from this luxuriously decadent Jo Malone Oud & Bergamot Candle is divinely rich and warm-heartedly woody. Just in case you needed any more convincing that this product has the potential to change your life for the better, some wider reading (AKA a Google search) seems to suggest that the Agarwood included in the oil of this candle (the most expensive wood in the world by the way, for the timber experts amongst us) was frequently used, inter alia, within medieval medicine for the treatment of colds and flu. Alas, don’t catapult your ‘Lemsip Max’ sachets into your nearest bin just yet, because this candle does carry a hefty price tag. For this reason (and because student loans define the notion of ‘squeezing every penny’), I’ve located a more budget friendly ‘dupe’ version of this product—namely, ‘Oud Oasis’ by Yankee Candle.

Photo: ASOS

Photos: Selfridges

Beauty vintage goods. With vintage, you cannot argue that you will be able to find some good buys. They are timeless pieces that you can keep and they will remain vintage.

However, if you look hard enough in a charity shop, you cannot argue that economically and practically, buying from a charity shop can bring the same joy as buying designer gear at full price.

At least a charity shop boosts morale and makes you feel like you are making a difference, as well as getting a bargain or two. Should vintage shops convert? Or should we convert from vintage?

A lot of people don’t have an opinion about the fact that vintage and charity shops do equate to each other in terms of what is being sold. The assumption is that clothes used are better than clothes thrown away. And if you’re not giving to a charitable cause, to some extent you could argue that paying someone’s wage is as good a cause as any.

The darlings of cruelty-free beauty

Photo: Lush

Rebeccca Thomas Contributor The sorry habit of my life. The newest lipstick range or eyeshadow palette has been previewed by my favourite beauty guru and I am there, in the store a week later, trying to justify a purchase.

With great guilt, I admit that my first thoughts when buying a new product usually extend to: How decent is the consistency? Can I really get away with that fuchsia for daywear? Perhaps ‘lickable’ isn’t the best choice for lectures. Pants, why is it ten times more expensive than my lunch? I don’t usually dwell fully on whether or not these products are linked to animal cruelty, instead trusting that the UK industry is enlightened in this field.

Sure enough, a law was passed in 2013 making it illegal to sell products that have been tested on animals in Europe, which is a good start. However, if brands sell products elsewhere, they may have given permission to use animal testing at some stage of the product development. Many brands still manufacture products that are tested on animals, or are cagey when questioned about their testing methods, meaning that there is very much an ethical choice to be made when buying any beauty product.

Checking PETA’s list of companies who definitively do not test on animals, I was shocked by just how few the number of familiar beauty brands have been given the thumbs up. Even more

shocking are case articles or photographs of animals that have been used for the purpose of testing. They are truly awful. The list of PETA approved brands is lengthy; however, many are fairly unheard of. LUSH, Smashbox, The Body Shop, Too Faced, NYX, Urban Decay, and Marks & Spencer Beauty are a few of the recognisable high street brands that are true cruelty-free honeys. As well as makeup, free-from-cruelty skincare can be found at Liz Earle, Burt’s Bees, and Dermalogica.

A personal favourite is the liquid lipstick range from LUSH. Made from completely natural ingredients, each colour is said to make the wearer adopt the quality of its name, such as ‘Charm’ or ‘Decisive’. I was a little sceptical of these professed powers; however, the colour ‘Drive’ is amazing, a gutsy pinky-purple ensconced in the cutest vial, and the perfect friend to have when giving presentations or job hunting.

Sadly, most of the beauty giants, such as Benefit, Revlon, Clinique, Maybelline, and MAC to name a few, remain on the list of brands that potentially test on animals. A good way of putting pressure on these latter companies to change their practices will be sourcing makeup from the cruelty-free gems instead. Have a check of the PETA and Cruelty Free International websites for good guides on who’s who, or look out for the leaping bunny symbol when buying to make sure any beauty product is free from animal testing!

Photo: Lush

Contact Us!

Photos: Lush

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Film

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ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

TV Binge

Feature

The Returned The Returned manages to transcend zombie clichés to become something far darker and more sinister than many would expect

And The Next Bond Should Be...

Damian Lewis Jason Spencer Contributor

Chiwetel Ejiofor Jake Sanders Film Critic

Photo: Showtime

Damian Lewis is like a fine wine. As his career has progressed, he has become increasingly popular, and this is mainly because of the huge commercial and critical success of Homeland—now into its fifth season. Lewis is however, quite possibly the underdog of the candidates, because his CV is not as quintessentially successful in terms of labelling him as a Hollywood A-lister. When Daniel Craig was handed the notorious role, he had the same dilemma, now his career has catapulted and his interpretation has been likened to Sean Connery. Who’s to say it won’t happen again?

Handsome, suave and talented at the perfect level of fame to comfortably slide into a tuxedo, Chiwetel Ejiofor is my choice for Bond. At 38 years old, Ejiofor has the distinguished demeanor of a true British gentleman and young enough to give him the time to settle into the role before Q has to start giving him Viagra prescriptions along with his pistol. Whatever direction they decide to take with the next series of Bond films, I have no doubt that Ejiofor would be able to balance the intensity, charm, ruthlessness and sophistication that are necessary for 007.

Idris Elba Barney Weston Contributor

Jon Hamm James Moules Head Film Editor

Photo: BBC One

Idris Elba should be the next Bond because he’s fantastic—a versatile actor who is badass. Other candidates’ have filmographies which feature one familiar TV series and such films like The Muppets. But if you look at Elba’s filmography, he’s played a Norse god, a detective, a gangster, Nelson Mandela and has battled sea monsters, too. In regards to him not being a white man, to me, Bond is only quintessentially British—which goes to say that being British means that you can be of any cultural background or race. So if Elba iss the most qualified and most interesting actor that can take on the role and give it an interesting twist while still maintaining the spirit of the Bond series—why not?

Photo: Canal+

Jane Simmons Contributor The Returned was a critically acclaimed French drama that aired on Channel 4 in the summer of 2013, evidently drawing less viewer interest than it deserves judging by the second series’ recent move to More 4. This is disappointingly so, as The Returned was so riveting and horrifying a programme, if more viewers had given it a chance it surely would have ensnared its grip upon their memories forever.

Set in a sleepy French town in the Alps, we see 13-year-old Camille wake up dazed in a mountainous ditch, mystified as to what has happened. When she returns home to her family, she learns from their horror and bafflement that she died in a bus crash three years ago.

There are, however, more that have been resurrected, hoping to resume their lives again.

As the programme unfolds, the other ‘returned’ protagonists try to win back their living loved ones, from the Byronic Simon who tries desperately to win back the love of his fiancé Adele, oedipal brothers Toni and Serge, and an ominous little boy named Victor who seeks a home-comforting damaged soul Julie.

Surprisingly however, the dead returning to life are not the only strange occurrences taking place in this town; featuring a prostitute medium, the perplexing falling of the water levels, and a cannibalistic killer loose on the prowl, the end of every episode will have viewers gaping in wonder, hungry for questions to be answered.

On paper, The Returned sounds like a cheesy zombie programme— it sounds like it should portray the undead as dead-eyed, flesh-eating cadavers, shuffling around their home towns, plaguing their loved ones with terror and misery. The Returned is nothing as clichéd as that—the dead persons in question return unscathed, intelligent, and completely unchanged as to how they were before they died, with absolutely no recollection of their apparent fatality. It also does not conform to the average supernatural/zombie show—it is not strewn with blood, gore and terror throughout the duration like the series; instead it plays on using a sinister tone, gently building this sense of dread, so that when something truly shocking does happen, it has even more impact on the viewer—and there are some truly stomach-churning scenes.

This sense of the sinister is further helped by a brilliant soundtrack

by Glaswegian musicians Mogwai, who recorded the album Les Revenants specifically for the series. The ambient yet chilling sounds that they have created compliment the drama spectacularly, stirring fear when we anticipate it, and elation with a happier scene.

There have been different interpretations to what a programme like The Returned could possibly represent; some have argued that it is about resurrection, and others have even argued it could be an analogy for the Holocaust. Overall, however, The Returned is essentially a philosophical exploration of death and the grieving process, handled in the most mature manner—unlike other supernatural programmes.

The soundtrack is excellent, and with a plotline so peculiar, it is a mustwatch if you need something spooky to entertain you during these cold autumn nights.

Photo: AMC

An American as James Bond? How would that work? Brilliantly, of course—the correct answer to that question. Assuming the former Mad Men star can affect a British accent, he would be the perfect pick to be the next 007. With the good looks and charm of a Greek god, and a voice that could be gruff and suave at the same time, Hamm has every necessary attribute to fill the shoes of Daniel Craig. And of course, nobody rocks a suit as well as Don Draper. Just imagine Hamm on a movie poster—sporting a tuxedo and wielding a pistol. The only problem would be that it sounds too good to be true.

Daniel Craig

Tom Hiddleston Alasdair Bayman Contributor

Photo: Columbia Pictures

Imran Bukhari Film Critic

Photo: Eon Productions

Photo: Walt Dinsey Studios

Suave, canny and handsome are all attributes associated to Hiddleston as an actor. They are also key ingredients to the foundations of James Bond and attributes personified in Daniel Craig, too. But if change is wanted by the suits at Sony, then they couldn’t do any wrong in giving him the role. Hiddleston would bring in a complete change to the franchise—reinvigorating the comical days of Roger Moore as apposed to the gloomy state currently found. Although it is yet to be shown if he can outwrestle a hitman in a bathroom, as Daniel Craig has proved to do so effortlessly, Hiddleston would be a refreshing choice.

Whoever is recruited to serve Her Majesty’s Secret Service next is going to be a disappointment. The reason why there are rumours of a non-white or female James Bond is simply to distance the new 007 from the last. The best Bond to have ever graced our screens, Daniel Craig has defined what James Bond is. He has melded the necessary tropes—charm, wit and suaveness, with an added a level of intensity and grit—ultimately influencing the character for future generations.

The dream scenario would be to have Craig continue indefinitely, potentially exploring a veteran Bond coming to terms with his impending mortality. Nobody does it better.

Classic Review

The 400 Blows Jake Sanders Film Critic In dedicating The 400 Blows to Andre Bazin, François Truffaut establishes himself as a student of cinema and as an artist with an intellectual’s mind. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that The 400 Blows has solidified its position in film history by kickstarting the French New Wave. Yet, even when removed from this contextual significance, what really distinguishes The 400 Blows is its immensely personal, intimate nature, functioning as both an autobiography of its director and as an exploration into the spirit of adolescence.

Based on Truffaut’s own childhood, The 400 Blows is the story of Antoine, a young boy whose innocence and generally sweet nature are insufficient to shield him from the ire of

Truffaut’s masterful debut, The 400 Blows, helped kick the influential French New Wave movement into motion

his parents and teachers as Antoine’s mischief is mistaken for genuine malice at every turn. Fundamentally, this is a film about the desire to escape. Antoine dreams of escaping his claustrophobic home life—where his mother and father squabble endlessly and seem to take no responsibility for his behaviour. Both Antoine and his best friend, Rene, also dream of escaping their school, where their authoritarian teacher shows little sensitivity to the boys. These dreams of escape initially lead to the boys forging doctor’s notes so that they can scurry around Paris, then escalate somewhat as Antoine hides out first in Rene’s home, then in an abandoned factory.

Eventually Antoine attempts to steal and sell a typewriter but a disastrous encounter with a fencer and a botched attempt to return it only lands Antoine in hotter water.The film’s third act largely involves Antoine’s experienc-

Photo: Les Films du Carrosse

es in a young offenders institution, where the question of Antoine’s future really starts to hang heavy over the film. No longer is this the story of a cheeky Parisian scamp, instead we begin to wonder if Antoine is destined to live the life of a criminal. The film’s ending, which I won’t spoil here, is absolutely breathtaking and serves as a monumental testament to the resolve of the human spirit.

Jean Pierre-Lenaud deserves enormous credit for his ability to embody Truffaut’s onscreen alter-ego, bringing a naturalism to the character that anchors the entire film.

In scenes such as Antoine’s questioning by the institution psychologist, Pierre-Lenaud expresses as much with a smirk or a downturned glance than most actors could with a monologue. His soulful eyes seem to be endlessly questioning—so expressive and pure that it seems that each injustice inflicted upon him is more comparable to an assault on a wounded animal. Perhaps it is the film’s autobiographical nature that allows Truffaut to ground us in Antoine’s shoes with such expertise.

Admittedly, later films in the French New Wave might feature elements that are more impressive on a technical level. Godard’s Breathless, for example, drew attention for its unique style of editing and exciting yet often jarring use of jump cuts. But, in choosing to explore material from a personal source, Truffaut taps into the heart of the human condition. 56 years later and The 400 Blows remains as timely and as touching as it ever was.

Film 19

ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

HOME Pick of the Week

Lobster is a poetically absurd comedy that The Lobster The invites the audience on a macabre roller coaster

Photo: Picturehouse Enertainment

Nicole Tamer Film Editor The Lobster plays with the fears of the audience like no other film. Everyone somewhat has the fear of dying alone at least once in their life, and this film certainly brings those fears back and intensifies it, too. Yorgos Lanthimos’ first feature film in English draws the audience slowly into its descent into madness, and moves deeply with its hauntingly beautiful cinematography and unique plot. Colin Farrell convinces all in his role as David—a simpleton with

looks far from being a Hollywood sex symbol.

He checks into a hotel in which he has to find a partner within 45 days, otherwise he will be turned into an animal of his own choosing—a lobster. The hotel seems welcoming at first, but the guests all seem a tad too desperate in finding a partner.

The seemingly flirty atmosphere turns into a battlefield at night when the hotel guests have to hunt each other down with tranquilizer guns in order to gain more days to find the love of their life.

This film is full of unique characters, like David’s companions—who are referred

to as the limping and lisping men (wonderfully portrayed by Ben Whishaw and John C. Reilly).

The bizarre but ordered world of the hotel contrasts with the second half of the film—which thematises David’s escape from the hotel, where suicide attempts and punishments for masturbating are on the daily order. He joins a group of loners who live in the nearby forest.

Their ruthless leader, portrayed by the mesmerising Léa Seydoux, teaches them to survive and encourages them to dig their own graves. The group of loners seem rather normal at first, but

the punishments for initiating physical contact with another loner are torturous.

They call themselves ‘loners’ for a reason.

The whole cheerful situation does not get better when one of the loners (Rachel Weisz), falls in love with David and they have to communicate their passion to one another without getting caught.

It is not mentioned, but slowly revealed that the outside world and society do not reflect our reality—but rather, a dystopian near future in which people are governed by different rules. This revelation helps to understand the bizarre circumstances of the rest of the film, yet it does not remove the uneasiness of the viewer.

Furthermore, the score accompanies the film perfectly and provides us with effectively shocking scenes and gives us further revelations more momentum.

The strongest point of the film is the macabre plot—which is full of disturbing moments that are hard to watch since they play with the preconceived notions of how humans are supposed to behave.

When asked, Colin Farrell confessed that he was unsure about what it was about and that it was indeed hard to pinpoint the meaning of the film—but the themes of loneliness, heartbreak, and the search for a lover are familiar to most.

The Lobster, in my opinion, is not a film to be recommended to anyone who is not happy being a singleton, because they will leave the cinema with a sense of emptiness and paranoia.

Top 5 Worst Movie Soundtracks 5) A Knight’s Tale I absolutely adore this film and it actually features some pretty awesome songs too, such as Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’. So why has it made the list? Because Robbie Williams covers Queen. It’s wrong on so many levels.

4) Grease Grease is supposedly an indisputable classic but it only has two decent songs.

For such an iconic musical to only yield a very small fraction of catchy tunes is exceedingly disappointing.

3) Disney’s Tarzan Tarzan is a rather enjoyable film, but compared to other classics, it is more than a little disappointing. Featuring five original songs, Tarzan’s non-diegetic soundtrack denies us the singing trees, monkeys, and leopards, we were all yearning for. Also, Phil Collins? How the Genesis singer was thought to be a suitable choice for a sweet lil’ Disney film will always remain a mystery.

2) Titanic I have still not seen Titanic but I’ve managed to hear Celine Dion warble her way through ‘My Heart Will Go On’ more times than I care to remember. It’s not a romantic song. It’s shrill and cheesy.

1) Spiderman Nickleback. Enough said.

Izabella Kerr Contributor

Review

Crimson Peak

Del Toro’s take on the Gothic horror genre largely delivers, though it lacks the most memorable qualities of the director’s auteur Parizad Mangi Film Critic Guillermo Del Toro’s latest directorial venture, Crimson Peak, sees him return to his avant-garde horror form following his last apocalyptic flick, Pacific Rim. Bleak and eerie, this gothic creation has been unleashed in cinemas just in time for Hallowe’en. So, does Del Toro’s most star-studded Hollywood fare live up to the hype?

The film is aesthetically stunning, from the exquisite sets and costumes to the atmospheric music and crisp cinematography; the film will be a visual treat to period drama lovers. This is perhaps one of the biggest victories of this film, that Del Toro manages to masterfully switch between the lightheartedness of a period piece in some earlier scenes and the chilly ambiance of a classical horror. The film emphasises this contrast through the characters of the bright and kind Edith Cushing (played by Mia Wasikowska) and the gloomy mysterious siblings (played by Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain).

As far as the actors are concerned, Wasikowska delivers a natural performance as the strong and wilful heroine, and has palpable chemistry with Tom Hiddleston, who excels during the film’s intense scenes. Jessica Chastain, who has received all award nominations Hollywood has to offer at this point, impresses, especially in her emotional scenes. Her rather inconsistent British accent, however, can be distracting at times. Even Charlie Hunnam manages to make an impression in his small role.

The downside, on the other hand, is that the dialogue can be quite subpar at times and the plot is stretched

Photo: Universal Pictures

thin over two hours. Still, the grotesque thrills that Del Toro’s smoke-and-bone ghosts serve keep you on the edge of your seat for the final resolution. Although the film comes straight from the director’s own imagination, it unfolds like a classic gothic novel that could have easily come out of the mind of Edgar Allen Poe or Mary Shelley.

Another amusing upside to this film is the subversive nudity. A genre where it’s typical for the heroines to drop their robes to titillate the male audience, Del Toro keeps them covered from their necks to their ankles in elegant gowns and instead sheds the clothes of his hero. This may not seem like much, but still felt like a welcome departure from the tired trope.

Although this film may not carry an elaborate mythology like Del Toro’s Spanish-language horror flicks, it manages to string together a beautiful and emotional tale of love, revenge, and desperation.

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Books

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Review

Review: Still Howling Roma Havers reviews the unique celebration of the 60th anniversary of the first reading of Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’

On Sunday, October 10th, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first reading of Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’, I joined the starred participants of Still Howling, at The Wonder Inn. Despite an oddly early start, 2pm on a Sunday felt practically dawn-like, especially considering the event would span right through to 11pm at night. I packed some food and steeled myself for the stamina level I might need.

When I arrived, however, the atmosphere was one of casual intimacy, it felt like everyone already knew each other and it made the whole room feel like a memorial for a friend between friends. This feeling continued for the rest of the afternoon.

The first section of the day was an ‘Afternoon Symposium’, which in itself sounds pretentious but they proved me wrong! This first four hour slot included frank conversations between people who had known Ginsberg, including his guitarist Steven Taylor, Barry Miles, Ginsberg biographer and friend in his later years and Michael Horovitz, friend of Ginsberg and veteran poet. To me, this felt like the first time Ginsberg seemed like a real person, who wrote magnificent poetry but also who allowed friends to live in his apartment for months on end and who loved Liverpool. Steven Taylor was particularly humorous in his tale-telling,

remarking once that you should “never be the one with a credit card in a punk band”.

Later in the afternoon, a series of poets performed their work. The variety was fantastic and the local performers were some of the best acts of the day, including Elmi Ali whose fantastic spitting poem, Prometheus and the Dictator, shocked the room to silence.

The Reclaim Poets, who work with young people from disadvantaged homes to give them a voice, were next and were equally inspiring and incredibly powerful, opening the floor up to ask questions about what we as a community could do to fight against racism especially in Manchester. Finally Michael Horovitz performed; he chose to read poems from friends who had sadly passed who were inspired by Ginsberg, and then some of his own.

Including absurdist pipe playing and singing so terrible it was remarkably touching, it seemed there was a general sense of mourning for a time past and another era of poetry and thought. Finally, he sang some William Blake poems with Steven Taylor as Ginsberg often did. The afternoon finished with a certain sense of melancholia, or maybe that was because the room was so cold by 6pm I couldn’t feel my feet.

The evening started again an hour later, by this point I was slightly less cold and

significantly more tired. The night promised music and an inspiring performance of ‘Howl’ itself. However, from the offset, it seemed like a different atmosphere, the room was still pretty sparsely filled and lit differently. The music itself was an odd mix of passable and entirely bizarre, with elements of loveliness like Chris T-T’s renditions of some A.A. Milne Photo: The Wonder Inn

classics and Steven Taylor’s songs. However, Heath Common was self-indulgent and poorly accompanied, a singer he proclaimed wonderful was difficult to listen to. By this point I was very much looking forward to the final act, George Hunt’s performance of ‘Howl’. One of my favourite poems ever, it transcends its time and continues to fight against the theatrical nature of previous poetry, its honesty is its quality. In light of this you can imagine my horror when George Hunt’s Corrie-like rendition began; with offensively Panto-esque gesturing and vocals hammier than a sandwich. He ended the rendition with a fall to his knees, not dissimilar to the action my drama teacher called ‘Total Meltdown’, the only time he echoed anything going on in my head. With a cold end to a day colder than brain-freeze, it took me a moment to reflect on the wholeness of the day. While long, it had elements of intimacy, humbleness, great humour and real reflections of Ginsberg ideals. It was a shame that the lead-up was better than the finale. Despite this the final song ‘Footnote to Howl’ composed by Steven Taylor was delightfully rude and a great end to a day so long one of my housemates went to Sheffield and back in the time. Kudos to Roger Bygott and Simon Warner, they certainly put on an event!

Review

Love Takes Guts

Ola Youssef reviews Fuel Café’s charity poetry event in aid of organ donation Poetry, live music, and free entry, three things that are guaranteed to draw me in. And I must say, I was not disappointed.

Last Sunday I was at Love Takes Guts at the Fuel Bar and Café, a charity event for Live Life, Give Life, an organisation that helps raise awareness for the importance of organ donation, fund research, and help improve the lives of transplant patients.

The event itself was incredibly friendly, with the host, Eilís Hall, kicking off the night with a bold cover of ‘Gold-digger’, backed up by Liam Morgan on guitar. Small girl, big voice, the night was off to good start, and with the tension broken, the mic was open and the audience sat

and some of his words were lost to speed and nerves, but as soon as he got into it, so did we.

His poem ‘Idyllic’ was the poetry equivalent of a cup of tea at the end of a long day. Grandiose poetry about romance is commonplace in the world of literature, but ‘Idyllic’ was about the comfortable everyday. His poem ‘I like you’, another romantic one, also made me smile, if only because I could relate to it so much.

Incidentally I think that’s one of BernardBanton’s biggest strengths, his poetry speaks the mind of his audience; ‘She Didn’t Ask’—a self professed angry feminist rant—certainly spoke the mind of many people at one point or another. One poem—untitled—quirkiest

with bated breath waiting for someone to take the plunge. And then. Christina. I wish I could tell you a surname, because she is definitely a poet to keep an eye on, but alas I can’t.

Dressed all in black, with a sunhat at night and indoors, she looked a woman who demanded to be listened to. And once she started it, it was near impossible to stop listening to her.

Could you blame us? The drama, the romance, the intrigue, she had us hanging on every word. Her poem ‘Artificial Identity’ about the dynamics of coming out in a religious family, was the perfect cross of storytelling and poetry, with a strong narrative voice, flowing verse, and unfaltering rhythm. Just stunning.

Next up, Jacob Bernard-Banton, to showcase a fifteen minute pick n’ mix of poetry. Now, truth be told the boy did not own the stage,

one of the set, captured the human condition of constant growth—the constant sense of incompletion. It was done in the style of stuttering machine, incapable of processing the vast amounts of information bombarding it all times, and we’ve all been there, haven’t we?

A little break from the poetry and into some live music from Johanna Alba and Alice Macy, playing covers as well as original music. Macy’s set was incredibly chill, acoustic guitar and a soft voice, it went well the with cosy living room vibe about the stage. Her song ‘Sticks And Stones’ had to be my favourite of the set, a simple song with an almost bluesy quality to it that I’ve been finding pretty moreish, in that I’ve listened to it several times since.

Alba’s set hiked up the tempo a little, her

music was more indie folk, spilling into a bit of light rock at times. She is an artist I thoroughly enjoy, in fact I think I’ve been through her entire SoundCloud page twice today. She performed three originals, ‘Can’t Stand Your Love’, ‘Runaway’, and ‘No Autobiography’, the first two however are part of an EP that is yet to be released so you won’t be able to find them anywhere yet, you’ll just have to take my word for it that they were very good. Keep your eye on that one, she’s going places.

Last poet of the night was the wonderful Roma Havers, also doing a fifteen minute set.

Her first was an ode to the art called ‘For Those Who Call Poetry Boring’, essentially a call for more people to open up their minds and see the poetry all around and inside them. ‘Halloween Safety Month’—definitely one of the weirder poems of the night—was a vivid, strangely dark poem considering it contained nothing more unusual than trick or treating. After that we had a funny little poem called ‘Coming Out To Yourself’, which had me smiling the whole way through. It was an upbeat one about denial, and realisation walloping you on the head when you least expect it, with a rhythm to be commended and a beat that nearly pushed it over the line between spoken word poetry and rap. Roma also explores mental illness in her poetry, her poems ‘Hysteria’, ‘For When Nothing Should Be Said’, and ‘¬Old Peg’, covered anxiety, depression, and dementia, respectively. Havers approaches these topics, as she does the all her poetry, with good taste, humour, and vibrant imagery.

To wrap up the night we had Janethan perform with his band, Levi O’Reilly, Liam Morgan, and Calum Bowie. Not a minute into the first song and the whole place was on its feet. After a quiet night of poetry and acoustic guitar we were hit by a full on show of alternative rock playing half a meter away from

our faces. Some very skilled instrumentalists and one of the smoothest voices out there, it was an explosive end to the night. Janethan’s single ‘Drummer Boy’ is out now, if you want to have a look, but nothing really beats live music, does it?

So that was Love Takes Guts. If you get a chance to come to one of these events, do, and bring some money with you to donate, but in the meantime if you would like to donate to Live Life, Give Life, or if you just want to take a look at their website, you can find them at http://livelifegivelife.org.uk/.

Photo: hey_paul @Flickr

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Food & Drink

22

ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Review

The Coffee Column

BAKCHICH: A taste of Lebanon

Columnist Andrew Wells heads to the business quarter of Manchester to check out the daily grind

Ellie Gibbs heads to the sibling of Liverpool Bold Street’s Bakchich, to see what Lebanese culture brings to the city of Manchester When one enters a restaurant, it’s like entering an alternate reality: The atmosphere envelops, an illusion unfolds, and the customer becomes one with the restaurant.

No? Maybe this just happens to me.

Whatever the stance, it’s an undeniable fact that restaurants are about the experience as well as the food.

Otherwise, we’d just get a takeout and sit in the park or eat on a train facing forwards whilst staring blankly into the back of a chair.

People come to restaurants for many reasons—to relax, to meet friends, to do business, to be a family, to catch up, to eat.

Bakchich’s menu is an array of west Asian delights—hummus, homecooked sauces, spices and stews all served with steaming baskets of floury flatbread. Not only do they transport you to their country via the taste sensations of their food, but the interior is imported directly from Beirut to make you feel in another world of Middle Eastern magic. Part of the restaurant’s mantra is to educate their customers about Lebanese customs, and through their combination of, food, flavour and visuals, they succeed.

The menu is an extensive treasure map, where gems lie encrypted amongst the coppers and nickels of wraps, pizzas and burgers.

This is what makes part of the fun of Bakchich. The idea of Lebanese cuisine is to pick an array of dishes and share them, a lucky dip where every plate is delicious, and it’s your task to find the best.

Their Lebanese moussaka is the kind of home-cooked speciality you’d expect to find in a little Arabian kitchen, with scents of cumin waft-

ing through the air and hungry children crowding their noses round the pot whilst an angry, but secretly jovial, Mother bats them off impatiently. It’s a shame that this dish’s title is not hoisted on a blackboard plaque somewhere above the bar, chalked in a homely scrawl and accompanied by inviting side dishes and recommendations. Perhaps it should be engraved in gold.

The dishes themselves are orally stunning; the kind where you take a mouthful, look at your friend and go ‘Mmm!’ with raised eyebrows.

Creamy chickpea purée with tahini and lemon, soft bulgur wheat with spices and large, oily chunks of hot grilled halloumi. Alongside are tantalising mixtures such as halva and pistachio, date and sesame, pomegranate and orange blossom frozen yoghurt smoothies.

To drink there’s hot and fragrant Arabic coffee, Jus Royale with avocado, almonds, dates and milk, or Lebanese Tea with rose water, zataar and cardamom, the flavour combinations are truly exceptional.

For dessert there is traditional Baklawa, Muhalabiya (Egyptian milk custard), coconut cheese cake and almond caprese torte. Ingredients are wide, varied, and centred on being fresh, wholesome and delicious.

I went to Bakchich on the premise to review, and I’m not denying that I got special treatment. So special, in fact, that we were asked about eight times whether everything was “okay?” by four consecutive members of staff. I can’t really comment on Bakchich from an objective viewpoint, as I clearly experienced a goldcard form of what was on offer. But then I also would not be surprised if

Grindsmith

Photo: The Mancunion

this attention reflects the kind and friendly nature of Lebanese culture as a whole, and would be given to any customer regardless of their status as reviewer or eater. I also can’t deny my joy in receiving the exclusive recommendation of the moussaka.

That moussaka changed my life.

Chickpeas steeped in fragrant cumin and dispersed with leaves of coriander. Who knew it could be vegetarian and so much better than the version I was used to?

I like the décor, I like the empty harissa cans holding cutlery, the colourful and playful pottery that’s ironically a rich man’s clay plate. I am wisely informed that Bakchich is as authentic as an Arabic street food restaurant comes in England.

The Eastern menu is as vast as one would expect to find on the other side of the globe, and the restaurant

is marketed as one of good food and convenience. Bakchich boasts a halal offering as well as having a Souk (open-air food selection) that acts as the heart of Lebanese culture, and there is plenty of scope for the modern vegetarian and those with specific dietary requirements.

The staff are attentive, lovely and genuinely passionate about their service to you as a customer.

I advise you to go, get lots of small dishes, find your favourite and feast inside this surrogate Lebanon on Oxford Road.

The Quadrangle (turn left in front of Costa facing towards town), 1 Lower Ormond St, M1 5QF

Feature

Kitchen to classroom Felix Sanders Commis-chef Before I came to Manchester, I spent 10 months working as commis-chef in the restaurant of one of Britain's celebrity-chefs. I got the job there by washing dishes for two months. During that time I absorbed as much as possible and tried to help out wherever I could. Being at the bottom and dealing with all the waste of a restaurant is humbling, for a wonderfully eloquent description of the life of a dish-washer read George Orwell’s ‘Down and Out in Paris and London’.

The evening I moved from Kitchen Porter to Chef was on New Year’s Eve. The pastry chef had quit that day, to become a policeman no less, and when I got to work my head chef came up to me and said ‘so, are you ready?’. That first night was crazy, we had this new Spanish guy washing dishes, he’d been in the country for two weeks and could say about three things in English. I spent the evening flitting between the pastry section and pot wash getting furious because the Spanish guy was moving at about three miles an hour and plates were stacking up. Then I was having fully plated desserts thrown in the bin in front of me because they weren't neat enough, the dutch sous chef simply barking ‘shit, again’. Despite

the insanity of that night I still made it to a New Year’s party before midnight.

A good way to outline what life is like in a kitchen is through the people. I’ll start with T because he was the first good friend I had who was a chef and who also helped me get into the kitchen. There are a lot of good stories about why people become chefs but T’s is my favourite. He’d been at college for three months when someone set fire to his backpack containing three months worth of coursework, rather than redo the work he just quit and started washing dishes. Now, at the age of 21, he’s a chef de partie and at times an absolute machine.

I’ve seen him find out that his Aunt had, that day, been diagnosed with cancer and go on to work an entire service on the verge tears, face in the grill, swollen red eyes. He was a comedian as well, he used to dip his whole hand in pans of sauce then come up to you like ‘alright man I'm off, see you later’ and shake your hand without you even realising.

After T the chef I became closest with was a guy called B. He started working there a few months after I did, and at 21 was also close to my age. Despite his youth B had a lot to deal with. He had a son with an exgirlfriend that was about 8 years his senior. It was a bad situation that he used to often vent about. I remember him going to the citizens advice

bureau and to see lawyers during his breaks. A really good chef with real passion and confidence. He taught me a lot.

Then there was P. A little older at 23. He perhaps fits the chef stereotype more than the others. He’d had his battles with cocaine addiction facilitated at an early age by an inheritance he was too young to handle responsibly. By the time I met him he was largely beyond that.

He’s the first friend I've had who I would consider a functioning alcoholic. He would never drink at work , just immediately after and all day when he was free. He’s the only guy I know that starts drinking in the morning, like when Wetherspoons opens. Through him I can tell an obligatory chef burning story. The Spanish kitchen porter I mentioned earlier, although much loved, became the subject of some torment.

P used to heat up pans till they were practically glowing then hand them innocently to the Spaniard causing shrieks and howls of ‘mierda’.

C. I could write a whole book about C. Married with four children and a man in the clutches of mental health problems and drug addiction. Liable to turn up hours late just to storm out again when someone told he was doing something wrong.

In one such rage he threw his entire roll of knives into a dirty bucket of water. Our head-chef D tolerated him for as long he could before let-

ting him go. He ended up getting sectioned at the next restaurant he worked at. He’s now resorted to his original profession, as a bin man.

D is one of the most interesting men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. He was around 45, 25 years in the industry, and still at it. His entire torso and arms were tattoo’d, flesh plug in one ear and this slicked up haircut. But his manner could often totally belie his appearance. He had this wonderfully sensitive side, once during service he carved a potato in to the shape of heart, wrapped it in tinfoil and handed it to me without saying anything. He could be also ruthless, when he needed to swing the hammer he wouldn’t hold back. He once sacked a chef 30 minutes before the restaurant opened on a Saturday lunchtime for lying behind his back.

D is now working as a private chef for Winston Churchill's great-granddaughter.

At the moment cooking is very en trend but I think the reality is very different from what most people imagine. There is a lot of undue glamour. There is nothing remotely glamorous about working a 60 hour day just to chop your fingernail off.

Walking down Deansgate can be a bit of a rat race at times.

But located in a quieter corner, and not too far from the John Ryland’s library, is Grindsmith. Situated over two units within the Great Northern Railway Company warehouse, visiting this independent coffee house was an interesting experience.

The interior of the shop is impressive. Retaining the lofty, arched ceiling and bare Accrington brick that once would have been the industrial décor of the GNRC is a masterstroke of design. On entering, the first impressions are spoton for a quirky independent coffee house. You walk up to the bar where you’re served by a friendly barista who inputs your order into an iPad - a pretty novel detail.

Coffee sat firmly on a miniature chopping board, you then look for somewhere to enjoy your hot cup of java. This is the fun part, there are so many places to sit that you don’t know where to put yourself and, like myself, you could end up doing a full lap of the shop before you decide.

On my little tour, I noticed a few things. Firstly, the ubiquitous upcycled objects, mostly former factory-ware acting as tables, coupled with mass-produced chairs. Secondly was the chipboard panelled walls that formed alcoves and meeting spaces. It’s exactly how you’d imagine an IKEA fac-

Photo: Grindsmith

tory to look. Finally, where I chose to sit was opposite a conference room. It was at this point that it hit me, this place is most definitely geared towards the Mancunian yuppie.

But enough about the interior, let’s talk coffee. There’s enough coffee in its varieties to choose from with cold brew and teas also on offer, all of it is for a seemingly reasonable price too. Trying their ‘long black’ (aka Americano), was a pleasure to the taste buds. At first, you’re not too sure what to make of it as the aroma suggests it’s going to be a really bitter coffee but tasting it contradicts this pre-conception as that first sip is mellow with perhaps a slightly fruity hint.

Full marks for the coffee on taste and originality. The downside is that I probably would have liked a larger cup for my money.

Grindsmith also provide an excellent range of light snacks and baked coffee shop classics. Recommending the flapjack, this is fantastically spicy with ginger and dotted with currants. Though I only tried the flapjack, there have been a few recommendations for their food so it would probably be worth another visit for lunch.

The quality of food and drink is fantastic at Grindsmith, the shop itself is comfortable and a great place to work. But, personally, I felt a little out of place and it’s pretty obvious who their target market is with free booking on conference rooms and spaces for ‘blue sky thinking’. However, it’s an ideal spot to write essays or meet with project partners with a great cup of coffee that’s away from the high octane environment on campus.

TAKE-AWAY FOOD CAKE OTHER DRINKS

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

231 - 233 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 4EN The Mancunion: Food and Drink @MancunionFood food@mancunion.com

Food & Drink 23

ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM Review

Review

‘Tis the Saison

The Deaf Institute

With a revolving year-round menu, there’s al- Like a cat, the green-eyed Bon Vivant prowls just off Oxford Rd to see what can get her paws on ways something different at Saison. See what she Having spent many messy, tequila filled nights in The Deaf In135 Grosvenor St, at the likes of the infamous Gold Teeth; I was understandManchester Hope Rapp and Astrid Kitchen had to say stitute ably sceptical about what the venue could offer in terms of food.

M1 7HE If you’ve not yet had the opportunity to visit this venue then about winter’s seasonal offering you’ve been missing out. The Deaf Institute is undoubtedly one

United by a love for food and a degree in anthropology but having never met, the meal was nothing short of a blind date. Following its recent makeover, what was once the Violet Hour is now Saison.

A popular spot amongst the locals of West Didsbury, safe in the knowledge that babysitters were on call, my companion and I stood out as the only representatives of the student bubble that is Fallowfield. This is not to say we were not welcomed by the staff, who were consistently attentive throughout the evening.

Presented simply, they looked a little underwhelming swimming in a red sauce which, defeating the mint, left sweet pepper the sole survivor of flavour. This was not to say that they were not tasty, rather that the theme of a British roast and Spanish tapas did not completely fuse.

The main came second in more ways than one. Far from the crescendo of the meal, with the repeated appearance of brioche (an evident attempt at simplifying stock) sandwiching a beef burger smothered in blue cheese. Sadly, the combination

of Manchester’s unique treasures. Made up of three floors, there is a cinema/ theatre style room on the top floor which makes a suprisingly fun night club in the late evening. The middle floor and location of the restaurant looks very different in the light of day, I must admit. There’s a mish mash of furniture and worn booths which give it a well worn but comfortable aura. The Deaf Institute is the kind of place you can come for a meal, or just to chill with your laptop and a coffee.

Despite my hazy drunken memories of this establishment we were tempted in by the lure of the Vegetarian special: a sweet potato and butternut squash hash topped with goat’s cheese and accompanied by mushroom and tomato cornbread. And I can now confirm that this was a omnivore’s delight. To start we indulged in some jalapeño poppers, a new found morsel of tangy fried goodness for my friend. They were so good, I greedily burnt my mouth in my haste to taste! For my main, I opted for the Halloumi oomi burger with’pimped’ fries. The brioche bun held all kinds of salty cheesy joy and the fries were most definitely pimped to a tee.

One thing worth noting is the standard of the service at the Deaf Institute. One would assume that with the prospect of serving hordes of fucked fresher’s in a matter of hours that the waitresses would not be the happiest bunch. But you would be very, very wrong. The staff at the Deaf Institute were refreshingly friendly and attentive; we got the impression that we were regulars despite having never been there for food before. They were knowledgeable of the menu and eager to recommend dishes to suit our wants and needs. They really went the extra inch by ensuring that we were both comfortable, well fed and watered, also checking up to confirm that everything was indeed delicious- we honestly could have snuggled into the soft booth seats for a lot longer if we hadn’t had a gig to attend.

All in all, the menu has a rather Mexican vibe to it, hence why I felt that it would be criminal not to wash down my meal with a cool Estrella, full of memories of my time in Barcelona. Assuming that you too enjoy the cuisine of our sombrero wearing friends, be sure to check out their TNT: Tacos ‘n’ Tequila evening which takes place every Wednesday. So, if you’re willing to spice up ya life and go for somewhere you wouldn’t expect to surprise you then head on down to The Deaf Institute where you’ll be sure to receive good food with a smile.

Happy Hour 4-7pm (you can kid yourself you’ve only been drinking for 60 minutes)

Photo: The Mancunion

11 Photo: The Mancunion

Any beer boffin would sniff out Saison as an appropriate dwelling for the craft of draft but the French term, meaning ‘season’ - more relevant to us food disciples, also connotes the seasonal nature of their debut menu.

A tapas style menu encouraged the ice breaker of one plate, two forks… would this be a ‘Joey doesn’t share food’ scene? To mutual relief, this was certainly not the case as we selected three ‘small plates’ at a reasonable £5 each and a main for good measure.

Accompanied by two glasses of a delightful Pinot Grigio preceding the food, our attention shifted to the interior of the room. The down-to-earth atmosphere generated by rustic oak harmonised the restaurant’s theme of producing food in line with nature’s moods, and the raw bulbs dangling from the ceiling added to this.

The tuna steak; meatballs, and mushrooms on brioche offered relief from self-inflicted fasting, the latter being particularly impressive. Leaving not mushroom for fault, the warm bun piled high with creamy garlic infused wild mushrooms made for a soft and sweet bite.

Turning to the tuna, a real treat on a student budget, the pan seared steak with an oriental twist tasted as delicious as it looked. Blushed with a red cabbage and carrot salad, it was cooked to perfection, not at all dry but tender and tantalising on the taste buds with hints of teriyaki sauce.

From sea to land, the third plate boasted lamb and mint meatballs.

drawing from the same flavour family where sweetness runs in the blood, was far too overpowering and sickly.

It was easy to forget the meal was intended for savoury consumption. Perhaps, a milder sourdough or a sharp relish to offset the cheese would have complied with the safest cooking rule in the book: opposites attract. As a light bite, the burger hit the spot, but if you are looking for fast food dressed in a suit i’m afraid Saison is not the one for you.

Despite some awkwardness in their food, courtesy of a mismatch of ingredients, the restaurant proved to be a charming grazing ground for local demand, both in food and drink. Small plates of small delights and a comprehensive range of craft and cocktails are on offer.

Leaving the warm restaurant into the dusky, cold evening we noticed cozy blankets flung over outdoor, candlelit tables. As the winter nights draw in, and Saison’s menu rolls into its next season, we have a perfect excuse for a second date!

Saison 236 Burton Road, West Didsbury M20 2LW

Photo: The Mancunion

Photo: Cafe Marhaba

Cafe Marhaba Gina Castellheim and Kate Savin, two poor and very hungry students, find their way through a tiny doorway to sample some delights at Marhaba On the edge of the Northern Quarter, down a suspect-looking alley, lies a tiny restaurant that may well serve the best curries in Manchester. In stark contrast to the consciously cool bars and eateries that define the Northern Quarter, family-run Café Marhaba has spent the last 23 years focussing less on aesthetics and more on taste.

With only five two-man tables that are always filled at lunchtime it has a cosy atmosphere, whilst the lack of décor only adds to its charm. Café Marhaba doesn’t need to rely on decoration, its food is that good. Served straight up, no frills, this is home-cooked fresh Indian food at its finest. Gina and Kate, two hungry and impoverished students, found their way through its tiny doorway to sample the famous three curry plates (why have just one when you can have the best of three worlds?), and found themselves more than a little rewarded after a gruelling morning of lectures.

Gina opted for a dazzling curry of deep green Okra, which was soft and gorgeously juicy. Beside it was the potent orange sauce of the Fish Masala, in which the fish was beautifully cooked, soft and crumbled in the mouth. The mouth-watering sauce smothered atop was a thick consistency and perfectly complimented the delicate fish texture. The third magical mixture was Vegetable Paneer, with real chewy paneer pieces. Paneer normally just dissolves in the mouth, whereas this almost resembled that of heavenly halloumi (what did the cheese say to itself in the mir-

ror…hallou-mi!).The spices used—perhaps a little too hot for those not accustomed to Indian dishes—gave a pleasant kick that could be felt in the throat, rather than a tongue-burning sensation.

Kate chose Lamb Jalfrezi, which balanced tangy ginger and rich tomato perfectly with soft, succulent meat. The Jalfrezi that Café Marhaba serves is one of the most fantastic dishes Kate has ever tasted, and had her pausing to marvel in its perfection. On the side a simple but wholesome Daal complimented the heavier Jalfrezi perfectly, balancing its sweetness with a salty flavour.

The two students, by now rather full, shared a sweet naan that was absolutely divine: its flavour was more subtle than a coconut-flavoured Peshwari, and instead had a lingering sweetness that kept them coming back for more. Freshly cooked in the restaurant’s traditional clay oven, Kate truly believed she’d never had a naan as good as this.

Café Marhaba’s curries are a refreshing change from the additiveladen alternatives of the Curry Mile. Unassuming, authentic and with an abundance of flavours—it’s the kind of restaurant that people come back to again and again, without feeling bad because the three curry plate only costs a fiver! Who knew a dingy alley could be hiding such a gem within its depths?

Café Marhaba 11am-7:30pm daily 36 Back Piccadilly,

Arts

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ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Feature

Sterling Prize: Substance over style This year’s award sidelines swanky style for the art of collaboration, says Ashley McGovern

Last week, Burntwood Comprehensive School, designed by AHMM, was awarded the Stirling Prize for Architecture. Along with the other contenders – among them NEO Bankside, Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre, and Manchester’s own Whitworth Gallery – the list is somewhat ironically similar to a list of Whitehall cuts: health, education, arts. Indeed, RIBA’s president Jane Duncan gently hinted at a politically biased victory when she said given the overcrowding of schools it was refreshing to see such an aspirational place of study.

Burntwood’s overall style could be described as ‘elegant-clunky’. The faceted façade is neat but the repetition of the pre-cast concrete shapes has the appearance of a nuclear resistant base. Inside the new four-storey pavilions are high-ceiling classrooms, tall glass windows with pretty views that overlook campus-style plazas and walkways, and airy library spaces. Smart, clean, and set-out like a palatial job-centre, the style is not overwhelmingly impressive. It has the slightly numb calm of a modern gallery, which is almost to be expected from a firm whose catalogue includes Westminster Academy (shortlisted in 2008) and the Saatchi gallery.

However, beneath the concrete portholes lie the foundations of an important historical homage. The six new sites incorporate two original buildings by Sir Leslie Martin, built during a golden age of intelligent comprehensive design in the 1950’s. In contrast, Burntwood’s renovation was commissioned during the dying months of New Labour’s BSF (Building Schools for the Future) programme – the last major initiative to fix old and downright dangerous schools.

As it stands, the school is grey testament to the art of difficult negotiation. Under BSF, schools came up with a plan and then liaised with a quango called Partnership for Schools to find the best firm to build their vision. Shortly after the Coalition was elected Michael Gove criticised the planning process, arguing that the nine ‘meta-stages’

and host of smaller sub-stages resulted in overspending and gross bureaucracy. It was axed in 2011 – around the time of Burntwood’s initial work – and the remaining desperately incomplete projects had to bid case by case for funding.

It’s fitting that a ‘Coalition era’ building should enshrine tense political haggling. However, unlike the bickering common room of politics this came out as a concreteclad sign of hope. Amid the beggarly bids for money by over 700 abandoned school projects, AHMM plodded on and found true collaborators in the invaluable advice of

Photo: Cabinet Office @Flickr

teachers, the commotion of student life and the historic groundwork of Leslie Martin.

The transparency of the company is also something to praise. Their website contains all the architects’ preparatory work, like elevation plans and impressionistic vistas, so anyone can browse freely at their creative process.

Underneath these designs are captions that give away their grand intentions. Rooms are discussed in terms like “transferrable space,” “circulation spaces,” “external teaching terrace” and “interactive theatre.” Seen through this vocabulary of style, the rooms themselves devolve their use to the needs of the pupils. A humbler art of collaboration is at the core of the project and for this Burntwood was a worthy winner.

Exhbition

Last chance to see...

HOME’s I must first apologise...

Phishing and spam take centre stage at HOME’s latest art offering

Photo: HOME Gallery

Neil Greenhalgh Contributor We have all had an email that was quite clearly a scam, a stranger writing from their death bed, wanting to transfer a large sum of money in return for a certain percentage.

But what about that email that on first glance looks legit, apparently from Google, warning you that your account will be de-activated if you don’t verify your details? How do we know what we can and can’t trust online?

Working from an atlas of spam mail and phishing, Beirut-based artists Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige give faces to names and a tactile poignancy to the experience of this modern phenomena. Their exhibition seeks to question of the concept of trust in the age of the internet.

Walking into the first room is uncomfortable and unsettling. I find myself stepping into darkness, unsure of my feet and what I might encounter. I can hear a million voices at the same time and when my eyes properly adjust, I can see what I now know to be 17 screens, dotted about in the darkness, each playing a different video dramatising a scam email. It is

almost impossible to hear any of these videos in isolation. This is due to the numerous additional loud speakers hanging from a pendant overhead, which relentlessly and confusingly juxtapose the audio files. We do not know what to look at or who to listen to.

Walking into the second room was like a breath of fresh air, with white walls and a sense of order re-gained. On closer inspection, there is a lot to look at and a ridiculous amount to read; some truths, more lies and a lot of obscenity. Among the humour, nudity and horror stories there are shocking displays of forgeries and gross manipulations of trust.

This is, after all, about the internet.

The rest of the exhibition follows a similar rhythm and there are recurring, oxymoronic themes of light and dark, fact and fiction, comedy and tragedy. How can we trust something so contradictory that we rely on for more than we care to admit? Like all good exhibitions, this offers no answers, just more questions.

At HOME, First Street, until 1st of November 2015.

In Partnership with the Students’ Union

NO MONEY TO GET HOME? The Students’ Union has an exclusive partnership with Street Cars which means you can get home, even if you don’t have any money!

Download the booking app or call:

Even if you don’t need the SafeTaxi scheme, you still get 10% student discount off your fare.

StreetCars are the Union’s approved supplier

For more information on how to use the Safe Taxi Scheme visit manchesterstudentsunion.com/safetaxi or pick up a business card from the Union helpdesk.

0161 228 7878

Theatre 25

ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Feature

Review: 1984

Rob Paterson Music Editor

This review needs an important preface: I know nothing about ballet. However, I actually think a position of ignorance is useful when appraising this particular show.

For starters, I’m sure countless other, more distinguished publications have plenty to say about how technically accurate the dancers’ pirouettes were, though it surely goes without saying that in any Northern Ballet production the standard of dancing is high. You don’t get dubbed Europe’s best dance company for nothing. More importantly, if there’s one title that could draw philistines like myself into trying out ballet, it’s this one.

It wouldn’t be an understatement to call 1984 one of the most culturally significant books of all time. Not only has it worked its way into pop culture and the common lexicon, having invented the terms ‘big brother’ and ‘room 101’, but Orwell’s astonishingly detailed world of ultimate state control has come to resemble ours in a frightening number of ways; from government programs allowing constant surveillance, to the destruction of language by the LOL. This marriage between a work of seemingly permanent relevance and a performance type which is stereotypically old fashioned and inaccessible has the makings of either a cross cultural extravaganza or poorly judged hash of a literary great.

One aspect of the book which ballet arguably manages to capture better than many other visual mediums is the love story between Winston and Julia.

Theirs is not a relationship that builds through communication: such activity is strictly banned by the party and, conveniently, banned by customs of ballet.

They’re drawn to each other by those ineffable, inexorable forces that make your stomach

lurch when you look at someone; love at first sight if you will.

There’s a beautiful moment when Winston first sees her whilst performing the daily hate. The frenzied crowd begin to move in slow motion and the two break out and dance together with fluidity and grace.

These moments of freedom juxtapose the rigid, unified movements performed when engaging in party activity.

However, it seems that director Jonathan Watkins was also aware that this love story provided the most lucrative muse for choreography and rather over-emphasised it. It’s true that Winston and Julia’s relationship is mostly sexual; it’s in this way that they rebel against the party, but never have sex scenes taken up so much run time in an adaptation of 1984.

Criticising this aspect is problematic though, as these scenes were some of the best in the show and provided welcome relief from the constant repetition of movements that were performed under the watchful eye of big brother.

Herein lies the main problem with the production: the aspect of the book which can best be represented through ballet is the plot and that is arguably its least interesting aspect.

Winston’s day to day activities are dull and repetitive and many of the scenes convey this all too well. At the same time details that we’re supposed to

Review: We Want You To Watch

see through Winston’s eyes, such as the construction of newspeak and the children who are conditioned to report their parents to the authorities, are totally unrepresented. On reflection, I’m not sure they could have been.

As well as and perhaps because of this, for an art form which encompasses pure expression, it never made me feel the way I did when I first read the book. Perhaps it’s this Elise Gallagher constant outsider’s perspective, Theatre Editor or the fact that the cast exude being in control rather than Writer Alice Birch has being controlled, but I was not left feeling the same collaborated with RashDash’s claustrophobia and paranoia Abbi Greenland and Helen Goalen in a creative blend of ideas the novel conveys.

So, extravaganza or hash? to create a 75-minute piece for the It probably falls somewhere National Theatre, exploring the in between. There are great destructive influence that video moments: the first time the porn has had and continues to ensemble dances in front of inflict on its consumers.

Comissioned by the National the stark brightness of LED screens is visually spectacular Theatre, ‘We Want You To Watch’ and the climax involving is made up of four playlets, Winston’s ordeal in room 101 is which each combine expressive interestingly choreographed movement and monologue in and genuinely tense. These order to rouse debate. Our two moments may be enough to central characters, Pig and Sissy, draw in many a newcomer take us on a non sequiturial but, overall, 1984 provides adventure, ranging from an regarding the an insufficient plot for a interrogation consistently entertaining ballet murder of a dental student, whilst ballet itself (at least to a situation with the Queen, this one) seems incapable of conveying what sex feels like capturing the essence of the through interpretative dance, before the three of them perform novel.

Jonathan Watkin’s 1984 will to Beyonce’s ‘Run the World tour to Edinburgh’s Festival (Girls)’ complete with giant Union Theatre, Southampton’s Jacks. Slightly different, isn’t it?

Pornography itself is a subject Mayflower and London’s particularly ripe for theatrical Sadler’s Wells later next year. debate; however, the production

We Want You To Watch by Alice Birch. Photo: Richard Davenport

permitted only brief moments where questions were raised before cutting to our two central characters trying to get the internet switched off.

The piece constructed does well to raise issues of debate, but unfortunately falls short of actually exploring them. And if they were truly explored, the absurd nature of whatever fantasy realm we were introduced to distracted us from the point at hand.

It cannot go without note that RashDash are a physical theatre company, who in total have won two Fringe-First awards, The Tods Murray Awards for Best Book and Innovation in Musical Theatre, whilst also receiving nominations from Total Theatre and Off West End Awards. Abi Greenland and Helen Goalen worked tirelessly throughout the performance, exuding the palpable feminist anger that goes hand in hand with what the show was hoping to confront.

An issue many audience members may have had towards the production is the lack of continuity between the playlets. There existed Andy

Warhol-esque style cans framing the stage, with the word ‘Sex’ stamped across them. At one point, an old man wandered onto the stage and proceeded to drop his shopping before someone put a Snow White mask on whilst dry humping the air. There was almost an unspoken suggestion that having such bold and, quite frankly, ludicrous scenes, was something done merely for effect.

The scene that stood out the most happened to be the simplest. Pig and Sissy standing either side of the stage, clad in black coats behind a young boy complete with school uniform and rucksack. Their words are quick and harsh but completely immerse the spectators. They predict a future timeline of relationships doomed by his first playground glimpse of porn, before reluctantly shooting him.

While We Want To Watch You is well-intentioned and at times hard hitting, its spontaneous and often hysterical nature leaves it missing the mark.

News

Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ to hold open auditions in Manchester Elise Gallagher Theatre Editor

Jonathan Watkins’ 1984 . Photo: Emma Kauldhar

Editors’ Picks

few picks throughout the What’s on this week? Aweek in Manchester Monday RAW (Rhythm and Words) Open Mic Night 8PM Contact Theatre An Enemy of the People 7:30PM Octagon Theatre, Bolton Morgan & West 7PM Lowry Theatre Hairspray the Musical 7:30PM Palace Theatre

Wednesday An Enemy of the People 7:30PM Octagon Theatre, Bolton Patrick Kielty 8PM Lowry Theatre Jersey Boys 7:30PM Manchester Opera House Hairspray the Musical 2:30 & 7:30PM Palace Theatre

Tuesday One Man Breaking Bad 8PM Lowry Theatre Jersey Boys 7:30PM Manchester Opera House Hairspray the Musical 7:30PM Palace Theatre

Thursday New Art Club: Hercules – A Dance Cabaret 2PM & 8PM Contact Theatre Sean Kelly 8PM Lowry Theatre Nosferatu 8PM Lowry Theatre

Photo: garryknight @Flickr

Feature

Friday Ada Ada Ada 8PM Lowry Theatre Jason Byrne – 20 Years a Clown 8PM Lowry Theatre Rob Beckett – Mouth of the South 8PM Lowry Theatre Saturday Forced Entertainment: The Possible Impossible House 11:30AM & 2:30PM Contact Theatre Kiln: Lady Gogo Goch 7:30PM Contact Theatre Chris Ramsey 8PM Lowry Theatre

Disney’s award-winning musical ‘The Lion King’ is due to be holding open auditions in Manchester for roles in the West End production that is celebrating 16 triumphant years at London’s Lyceum Theatre.

Auditions for male/female singers and dancers will be taking place on Sunday the 1st of November at The Dancehouse Theatre, Oxford Road. Morning registration is at 10am and it is advised that auditionees arrive early. The afternoon registration is at 1:30pm.

Now in its 16th successful year at London’s Lyceum Theatre, ‘The Lion King’ has been viewed by more than 80 million people across six continents. Since the UK premiere in London on Tuesday the 19th of October 1999, ‘The Lion King’ has entertained over 12 million theatre-goers, and remains the West End’s best-selling stage production. It also recently became the sixth longestrunning West End musical of all time. Nine productions are concurrently running across the globe.

Disney’s casting team are looking for male and female singers with strong soulful or gospel style voices who also have good movement skills.

Singers should be of excellent ability and be able to dance well in order to make up the ensemble. The casting team is also looking for strong dancers with a modern dance background; any acrobatic skills are keenly desired. Performers of all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds are strongly encouraged to attend.

Singers should be prepared to sing a contemporary pop or rock song and should bring the sheet music. There will be no backing tracks; however, a pianist will be provided. Dancers must be warmed up and ready to dance in jazz shoes or bare feet. Dancers may also be asked to sing and should therefore prepare one rock or pop song

that showcases their voice and vocal range.

Open auditions will also be held in Birmingham (31st of October) and London (singers on 7th of November and dancers on 21st of November). Attendees must be 18 years or older and must be eligible to work in the UK. All hopefuls must be prepared to stay all day and should bring a copy of their CV with a photograph stapled to it.

For more information please visit: http://www. thelionkingauditions.co.uk/ The Dancehouse Theatre 10A Oxford Road Manchester M1 5QA Sunday 1st November

Disney’s The Lion King. Photo: cobaltfish @Flickr

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Lifestyle

ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Hallowe’en Party Tricks and Treats Polly Brown Lifestyle Contributor All Hallow’s Eve is fast approaching and the swarm of girls in cat ears is impending. The chances are if you have not yet typed the phrases ‘Halloween costume ideas’ or ‘cool halloween decorations’ into Google, you’re already behind, or just not entirely bothered. Either way, there is nothing to fear this Hallowe’en, for I have bravely scoured the depths of Pinterest to provide the “spookiest” party and predrink ideas. Let’s face it, cotton wool and bin bag creations just don’t impress anymore.

The first thing to consider when hosting a party is the music. Where there’s music, there’s people. The creaking floorboards and wailing ghoul soundtrack may have been a hit in 2003, but sadly it won’t make you popular now. Generically, you will be saved the stress of music selection by a cool kid that enjoys playing DJ. The trick here, however, is to not become too reliant. Everyone needs a break once in a while- even your politely head bopping guests. The easiest recommendation is to download a free music app like SoundCloud and play a Halloween mix. I’ve suggested SoundCloud but Spotify playlists can also be used. Spotify tends to broadcast a lot of adverts during peak usage time, so unless your guests enjoy boogieing to the ‘Spotify Premium’ ad be wary. Otherwise, consider upgrading to Spotify Premium as students can get a reasonably cheap subscription.

Some may say that the next important aspect of a party is food. These people are presumably not students. The

Photo: Boostboy@Flickr

next important thing is always alcohol.

The drunker people are, the more social they will become; it’s called ‘liquid confidence’. One sure fire way of getting people talking is drinking games.

Drinking games such as ‘alcoholic apple bobbing’. Contrary to its inferences, this game does not involve plunging your face in vodka. That would be wasteful and more than a little dangerous. No, in this version of apple bobbing, the apples have numbers carved into them. These numbers then correspond to the number of shots you must drink. Although

this game will certainly get people laughing, it will also ruin their facepaint or makeup. This game is therefore designed for the already tipsy; for the ‘why not?’ phase of drunkenness. In the interests of health and safety it’s suggested that those approaching the ‘room spinning’ or ‘sharing entire life story before sobbing’ phases be escorted towards the nearest sofa. Drink aware, and all that.

Now, it’s time to think about your decorations; keep it cheap and easy. Although, a pumpkin looking sick is, well, sick; you can do better! My advice would be to pay

particular attention to the rooms that guests will be in most. If you have a big kitchen, focus your attention there. After all, you’ll always find people in the kitchen at parties. That applies to bathrooms and smoking areas too. Something as simple as using coloured light bulbs or placing plastic spider trails across doors will make all the difference. My personal Pinterest favourite was the novel idea to cut eye shapes into empty loo roll tubes and place them in trees with a glow stick inside. The image of glowing eyes looming over visitors outside seems almost

too good to miss. Another top tip was to stain white hand towels with red hand prints. This, of course, alludes to the execution of a gruesome murder. The obvious suggestion, however, is to have a nosey on Pinterest yourself and get ‘pinspired’. It’s astonishing how much can be made with loo roll.

Finally, playing the role of party host can be a daunting venture, particularly when there are things like green face paint and synthetic blood to contend with. So to avoid the risk of smudges and other unidentifiable marks gracing your walls (and resulting in a hefty chunk out of your deposit), it may be practical to cover them with some trendy Halloween tablecloths. These plastic tablecloths can be purchased from any Poundland and are a simple yet protective way to decorate the walls.

Now for the food: although making all the Halloween inspired delicacies featured on Buzzfeed may seem like a good idea to begin with, in practice it involves pizza on the ceiling and a deep sadness in your heart. Remind your guests of their childhood parties and stick to the easy clean version of a standard crisps and cheese square buffet. Yes, the pumpkin-being-sick nacho spread may be aesthetically pleasing, but in this case you’re signing yourself up to more trouble than it’s worth. You can’t and shouldn’t do it all. Ultimately, your deposits need not be put in danger. There is a vast difference between clearing up crisp crumbs and chiselling lasagne off the sofa. That tomato stain will haunt you forever.

Domestic Abuse: Slut Shaming A double standard Everybody knows that physical violence is wrong, so why are men hit so much harder when being charged with domestic abuse?

Evangeline Katz Head Lifestyle Editor So everybody knows you shouldn’t hit a girl. It’s a lesson engrained into the psyche of every little boy. But what about girls hitting boys? Physical violence should never be encouraged, but there is a stigma surrounding it which affectively condones women abusing men, but not the other way round.

I’ll admit it, I’ve hit a boyfriend in the past, or at least tried to.

Blinded by anger we all do things that we later regret. But I never felt like I had to think twice about what my friends and peers would think if they found out. However, when the shoe is on the other foot, it’s a little more taboo.

Kelly Brook, a British model once voted the Sexiest Woman in the World, giggled as she recalled punching her boyfriend in the face, live on a nationally broadcast television show. Such trivialisation of domestic abuse was not received lightly and she was thus given a slap on the wrist for her actions. But when Chris Brown infamously attacked, his then girlfriend, Rihanna in 2009, he faced severe repercussions including a lengthy legal battle and heavy financial losses.

Why is it that men are chastised so much more severely for the same action as women? Arguments include “surely a woman can’t hurt a man as much as he could hurt her?” and that men should just “know better.” But what if the woman is bigger than her male victim, how then should that case be addressed?

According to the NHS, men were victims of just over a quarter of incidents of domestic violence in the UK in 2010 and those are only the ones that were reported. Domestic abuse isn’t

Sonia Mansouri discusses the stigma surrounding sexually liberated females and how woman are fighting back

Women of the world: have sex but do not, under any circumstances, take pride in it. Unfair, right? Such is the act of slut shaming—criticising and stigmatising any sexual behaviour or desires of females, and perpetuating the idea of the double standard that exists between sexually-liberated men and women.

Take for instance Amber Rose, who was very publicly slut shamed by both of her exes, Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa. Yet she didn’t attack back, and if she had, would it even be taken as an offense? Therein lies the double standard, since slut shaming men just doesn’t happen in the same way as slut shaming women.

Maybe the reason that men aren’t so frequently slut-shamed is that they’re not represented so sexually in the media and haven’t enPhoto: kakhunwart@Flickr dured the same expectations and condemnations over time. Dan just physical though; emotional Bilzerian, applauded and aspired abuse, threats and intimidation to for his lavish ‘Playboy’ lifestyle, and sexual abuse also come under this umbrella term. Thus the argument that men are more capable of abuse than women is completely undercut. There’s no denying that women are equally able to threaten, intimidate, belittle or blame so maybe, just maybe, we as a society should begin to overcome our childhood lessons and view domestic abuse in the same disapproving light, irrespective of gender.

Photo: shankbone@Flickr

is a prime example of this.

But women are taking back their sexuality and reclaiming the word ‘slut’. Amber Rose is one of them, who organised a Slut Walk in Los Angeles earlier this year, campaigning for gender equality and calling to end rape culture. Slut Walk is an international movement, and has previously marched in Toronto, New York, London, and even Manchester (in 2011). The movement sparked as a response to a policeman’s comment that “women should avoid dressing like sluts” in order to prevent being raped, highlighting one of the most dangerous aspects of slut shaming, which is its links to rape culture and victim blaming. With signs proclaiming “How we dress does not mean yes”, women are taking to the streets to reclaim their sexuality and combat rape culture.

In many cases, slut shaming is done by women as well as men, and it is very easy to slip into.

In her book: ‘Slut! Growing Up Female with a Bad Reputation’, Leora Tanenbaum writes: “Slutbashing is a cheap and easy way to feel powerful. If you feel insecure or ashamed about your own sexual desires, all you have to do is call a girl a ‘slut’ and suddenly you’re the one who is ‘good’ and on top of the social pecking order.”

However, it is easy to call any and every slightly critical comment about a female display of sexuality “slut shaming” if you delve too deeply into the social media reactions and opinion pieces that fill the internet, which seem to polarise, rather than empower and unite. Every behaviour can be criticised, and most likely has been by somebody.

What is important is that women are becoming more and more open and comfortable with all aspects of their lives, sex being just as important as any other.

Lifestyle 27

ISSUE 6/ 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Overheard University of Manchester The funniest things you’ve been saying around campus this week “I didn’t describe it as the shits, I said that I was passing water.”

–Overheard in Didsbury “I’m so depressed, I woke up this morning and found a used condom under my pillow with two hairs stuck to it.”

–Overheard in Withington “Yeah, he’s proper nuts. He once snapped a glow stick and drank the contents.”

–Overheard in New Zealand Wines “I don’t even associate the smell of shisha with shisha anymore. It smells like the feeling of regret as I walk home drunk from Antwerp.”

–Overheard on the 143 bus “Kate Bush would be a great lover.”

–Overheard in Didsbury

! ?

Ask Us

The resting bitch face Evangeline Katz Head Lifestyle Editor As a personal sufferer of this infliction, I wanted to share my experiences to console others who have also been inflicted with this tiresome fault. “Who died?”, “Smile love! Life’s not as bad as you think!” and “You’ve got a face like you’ve been slapped with a wet fish,” along with the relentless “Are you ok?” are just some of the phrases that I, for one, am a little tired of hearing. For some of us, a friendly smile is not eternally plastered on one’s face. It doesn’t help my case that I’m a daydreamer too. Apparently

whilst I’m emerged in some parallel universe, my expression in this one is not too joyous.

Resting bitch face plus a sensitive soul bring the side effects to a whole new level.

At 5’3”, with blonde hair and big blue eyes, my constant look of disdain has even led me to being referred to as “really intimidating” by new acquaintances?!

At one time, I considered my permanent facial expression a bit of an affliction, but with time and an increase in maturity, I have learnt to love it. Perhaps it matches my personality? I shy from falseness and don’t enjoy the company of those demon-

strate it.

When I’m happy, sad or angry, my facial expression most certainly shows it. This, too, has caused me some trouble in the past but it has also encouraged me to pursue a life that I actually enjoy. I don’t accept invitations to things that I don’t want to do anymore but I also put myself out there to try more new things than ever before.

So to all of you who suffer from this infliction: Embrace it! Be sassy and know that when you crack out a rare smile, your facial expressions are appreciated twice as much as those without a resting bitch face.

Let’s talk about money Sam Smith Lifestyle Contributor

bizarre night out your friends have suggested, you can find out in 2 clicks whether you can afford it.

Actually, let’s not. Talking about money is awkward, and frowned upon.

But money is important to students, so here are 3 vital methods for managing your money, for making it go further, and for avoiding ugly confrontations about who owes who how much!

Splittable Splittable is the gem in the budget-balancing crown. The best app since sliced bananas (see Fruit Ninja). It is designed specifically to help you manage the money you owe, and are owed by your flat mates.

Let’s say that you go to the pub with your flat mates and buy a round for everyone, then you go to dinner and you are £10 short so two flat mates lend you £5 each.

One of them also pays the electricity bill, and you pay for the month’s internet. Who owes who how much? Frankly, who has the time or energy to figure it out? Let Splittable do it for you.

Simply enter who paid how much on each occasion, and Splittable will balance everything out, so you can easily see who owes who at any point in time. Pretty handy. Even the repayments to one another can be done right there in the app, with just a click.

Splittable is completely free and will

Banking Apps If you haven’t got a banking app on your smartphone then I presume that you either make all your calls from a payphone, or you keep your money under your mattress. Get a smartphone, get a bank account and then, repeat after me, get your bank’s app!

Has your student loan come in? Use the banking app.

Need to extend your overdraft? Use the app.

Once set up, you can access it by entering a passcode which takes 5 seconds, and voila. You can access, move, and, if you’re that way inclined, count your money. No matter where you are, regardless of what

?!

I’m a live at home student and I’m finding it difficult to integrate myself into the uni life. I often feel left out as even though I get on with people in my lectures, I still seem to miss out on nights out. I am beginning to resent my decision to stay at home even though it saves me a lot of money.

How could I connect better with with people at university and get more out of my time here?

Dear Home-Boy, Whilst halls is a unique part of the British university lifestyle, there is a substantial amount more to be enjoyed without having to be situated there.

University is the perfect time and place to push yourself outside of your comfort zone, and despite you living at home does not make you ineligible to so.

There are various clubs, societies, groups and organisations where likeminded people get together, and whatever the niche, everyone is catered for. Joining one or more could springboard you to meeting new people and developing new relationships. Furthermore, If you feel you connect with the people on your course, attend the socials, drive yourself to keep in contact with your associates, and make an effort to see them socially outside of your lectures, you will find the more you push yourself you the less excluded you will feel and the more you’ll enjoy university.

save you from ever awkwardly asking your housemates for money again. , If that isn’t enough, they are also offering Manchester students the chance to win £350 simply by signing up at http://www.splittable.co/win/manchester.

Avoiding arguments will save you friends, getting debts paid will save you hassle, and that giveaway could save you from the nightmare of an overdraft.

Discounts Everybody loves discounts and student discounts are everywhere. Many stores will accept your University ID card, but if you’re serious about searching out savvy deals, get yourself an NUS Extra card for just £12 for a year. Get the app too, and it’ll let you know what discounts are available and where. From Amazon to Ask, Odeon to Alton Towers. You can even use it to get a discounted railcard, saving you a third on all train journeys. You can’t go wrong, really.

Money management can be manic.

But don’t panic. Get these apps, and then wherever you go, you can take care of your virtual wallet from your phone in the other pocket.

I don’t smoke, sorry.

Alice Williams Lifestyle Editor When envisaging a pint at the pub with your friends, an image of you sitting alone at a sticky table memorising the cocktail menu and flipping beer mats isn’t the first you want to spring to mind. It might, however, be a familiar one if you are the only member of your friendship group that doesn’t smoke, socially or otherwise.

You’ll spend so much time apologising that no, you don’t have a lighter, papers, filters, or bacci that you begin to wonder whether in fact you should just carry them in order to solve the perennial problem that, in every packed smoking area, not one smoker will have all the requisite items for their desired cigarette.

But this in itself is part of the draw of smoking. It gives you a reason to approach people you otherwise would have no idea what to say to and a shared interest of being willing to stand outside for your habit. Hell, if you find that the person you stand hunched next to uses menthol papers then bloody marry them. They are the one for you, in inevitable sickness and in unlikely health.

Never before than within the uncomfortable and often awkward social hub of univer-

Photo: FelipeAlonso @Flickr

sity has such a social crutch emerged. At any social gathering, watch the boy (Rachael’s friend’s housemate’s mate?) who has sat mutely by the corner of the table for 2 hours rise like Lazarus with his packet of American Spirit at mention of ducking outside for a cigarette. Entire relationships can be forged in the 6 metre squared smoking areas across Manchester.

If you’re confused as to why half of your flatmates get on better, or have started having ‘hilarious’ in-jokes, then a quick glance at how many Bic lighters lie scattered across their floor will give you some answers. Of course, there’s no point in being self-righteous. Many people who criticise those who smoke take the smoker’s break as an opportunity to go to the bar, forcing about 3 litres of hard liquor upon their wailing kidneys as they grimace at the pictures of dead people on their friend’s Marlboro packet. (I feel for the moustached guy with the throat tumour—maybe he grew that fabulous facial hair to distract and failed miserably.)

In fact, maybe when looking around the poorly-lit and increasingly empty dancefloor, it’s worth taking yourself out to the smoking area and see what social delights are offered there; you’ll be surprised at what creatures you may find.

Sport 29

ISSUE 9 / 23rd NOVEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

SPORT

/TheMancunionS@Mancunion_Sport

Victoria Halls Netball Team

Laura Callard Sport Contributor Victoria Hall (UBS) Netball Team adopts a relaxed approach to the Campus League. Whilst every match is driven by a level of competitiveness, it cannot be said that we are the most serious team in the league! With our players ranging from third year history students to first year nurses, we have a wide range of disciplines and ages playing for the team. It provides the opportunity for students to socialise with girls that they don’t see every day on their course or live with.

Training every Wednesday afternoon at Withington Girls School, a relaxed atmosphere has proved key to our success. Whilst circuit training and drills are weekly events, we ensure frequent water breaks and gossiping are included in the schedule. The last quarter of the session is dedicated to a practice match against MathSoc. Sharing train-

ing allows our teams to unite and swap tales of previous matches to warn one another about upcoming opposition and tactics!

Wednesday evenings are match nights, so we equip ourselves with our black kit and a fierce attitude and prepare to face our opposition! Rotating throughout the match, players get to play a minimum of two quarters each, and at least one in their preferred position. In our most recent match, we faced St. Gabriel’s Hall, and surprised ourselves with a 28-8 win.

In light of our matches so far this season, areas for improvement certainly include slowing down our game, making use of the 3-second time allowance, and finding space on the court.

Whilst we may not take ourselves too seriously, the competitive edge in us all has encouraged us to build upon our strengths and to continue improving. We hope to see a clear progression in our performance at the end of the

season, in comparison with the start.

We are currently working alongside Victoria Hall Residents Association to purchase new kit, so hopefully the New Year will see this development as a success.

Losing a number of players this season while they embark on a year in placement, or have opted to study abroad, we started this semester low on numbers. However, each year it is amazing to see fresh faces, with new skills and personalities brought to the team. We have entered the season with a development in tactics, hoping to climb the league table!

A fan of socials, we try to hold as many a year as possible, though this year we have not been so successful. Hopefully we will manage to hold a couple in the upcoming festive period. It is important that we retain our relaxed approach to the sport, enjoying training and matches, yet still experiencing success!

Awarded ‘Most Enthusiastic Team’ at

last year’s Campus Sports Ball, we aim to continue this season with the same attitude!

Whether you are a netball fanatic or just fancy experiencing a new sport

and socialising, we are always welcoming new faces. If you would like to find out more about how to join the team, please email laura.callard@hotmail. co.uk.

Photo: Laura Callard

Sport in the City

Adam Selby Sport Reporter Over the course of the academic year, as well as paying close attention to, and prioritising the progress and successes of, our university’s very own societies, teams and campus sports, let our new Sport in the City feature tempt you into a very different sporting day out. Whether it’s a new sport, a team about whom you did not know, or just an event that interests us, we hope that we will be able to entice you to explore the wide sporting variety that the city has to offer during your time studying at the University of Manchester.

In the spotlight this week: Manchester’s outdoor Curling lanes Well…what is it?

And the award for the most unpredictable Sport in the City featured activity goes to…Curling. This Christmas, Manchester is to welcome outdoor

Curling lanes for the first time, to allow the general public the opportunity to try their hand at the winter sport. Arguably a sport traditionally reserved for Curling clubs throughout the country, Manchester will host the country’s only outdoor Curling lanes this winter, and in doing so, shall provide a unique festive experience. Aimed at wannabee curlers of all abilities, do not be deterred if you had no idea about the winter sport before this article. Whether you’re an amateur or a professional makes little difference, unless you wish to go brush-to-brush in the outdoor Curling lanes league table. All in all, if you have ever been interested in how the sport works, or simply wouldn’t mind a try at mastering the art of Curling, then you are certainly in the correct city. Just be ready to grab a broom and Curling stone and brace yourself for a sport that is often described as chess on ice!

How do I get there?

Luckily, the UK’s only outdoor Curling lanes this winter can be located not too far from the city centre, meaning it’s certainly not too difficult to get to.

By means of public transport, the short journey from Piccadilly Gardens to the ice rink situated on New Bailey Street can be reached by bus, in particular bus numbers 12, 25, 36 and 37. All services are sure to drop you a mere minute’s walk from your destination. However, should you wish to catch the tram from Manchester City Centre, your nearest Metrolink stop to the destination would be Deansgate/Castlefield and if you simply walk down Deansgate, and then take a left onto Quay Street, you will find the ice rink on your right as Quay Street turns into Irwell Street. Alternatively, you can make the journey by train, just make sure to book a ticket to either Salford Central or Deansgate Railway Stations.

But how much does it cost to get in?

For such a novelty activity this Christmas, the pricing is surprisingly cheap, and given the nature of the sport in needing a small group of people for Curling to work smoothly and properly, the cost of time spent on the ice I feel is both reasonable and affordable. In each session you are allowed a maximum of four people per lane and tickets (available online now) start from £20 for a group of up to four people per 15-minute session on the ice and three sessions per hour are also available.

If a quarter of an hour simply isn’t enough, there is also the option for an hour session costing £60 and working out at £15 per person in a lane of four people participating. Please note: it is advised to purchase tickets in advance, because tickets might be in short supply and there could be limited availability at the venue itself.

What are the facilities like?

Photo: Laura Callard

Manchester’s Curling lanes are located next to the 620sqm ice-rink in Spinningfields and are modelled on the traditional appearance and layout of what is traditionally known in Curling as a sheet. The rectangular area of ice is modelled to be as flat as possible in order for the Curling stones to glide as desired. Traditionally, one can expect a Curling lane to be anything up to 150ft long and around 15ft wide, although due to space and the leisurely nature of Manchester’s outdoor lanes, please do not expect these Curling sheets to be perfect simulacrums of the Olympic specifications and guidelines! What you can expect,

however, is to experience a surface more than adequate to properly practise the sport on, and in doing so get a flavour of what Curling is all about.

After your stint on the ice, you can then expect a different type of surface, and the taste of a different flavour in the Curling clubhouse with a range of festive refreshments on offer as you get warm again.

Tell me something I didn’t already know…

I can’t imagine many of you are experts on both the art of Curling and the fine details of the sport itself (me included), but rather than tell you the basics of the sport, which you can easily pick up after some time on the ice at Manchester’s outdoor lanes, here are a few facts that you may not have known earlier. Curling is traditionally known as the sport of good sportsmanship. After a good shot, it’s of great importance and respect to congratulate your opponent, and conversely, to not cheer a mistake or miss, whilst traditionally the winners have to buy the losers a drink after the match. Manchester is etched in the history of the sport, too, after opening its first ice-rink in 1877.

As a country, England’s most significant contribution to the winter sport is their invention of artificial ice. And it doesn’t take practice to appreciate that the Curling stones used must weigh heavily Coming in between 17kg and 20kg, and the granite used for the Curling stones is only sourced from two places, both within the British Isles: The Scottish island of Ailsa Craig and the Trefor Granite Quarry in Wales. Who knew, eh?

Finally, when can I see this in action?

The Manchester outdoor Curling lanes are now open to the general public and are open every-day except Christmas Day until the 26th of January, 2016. The lanes are open weekdays from noon up until the last session at 7:40pm and at weekends for slightly longer, opening at 10:00am and shutting after the last session at 9:40pm. For more information, please visit http://thecurlinglanes. co.uk/ If you have any requests for local teams, sports or events taking place in Manchester, or if you wish to be involved, please contact: sports@mancunion.com.

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Sport

ISSUE 7 / 9th NOVWEMBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Debate: Competition in Sport

Toby Webb looks into the competition within two of the world’s biggest sporting leagues, our very own Barclays Premier League and the National Football League in America.

Photo: Keith Allison

Competition makes sport. While this assertion can be debated, I would argue wholeheartedly that competitiveness is one of the essential elements of an engaging and interesting sport and sports’ league. Competition leads to unpredictability, and unpredictability leads to debate. Indeed, without competition, sports journalism would be largely redundant.

Competition is vital for both consumers and those involved in sport. Yet, why is the English Premier League the most watched football league in the world, and allegedly the most desirable league to be a part of, when only 5 teams have won it in 23 seasons? (Manchester United (13), Chelsea (4), Arsenal (3), Manchester City (2) and Blackburn Rovers (1)) Surely, this is evidence of an uncompetitive league.

Perhaps not. While this shows that few teams are capable of the consistency needed to finish top of the table, I would argue the league as a whole is competitive. The decline of Chelsea this season has shown that dominance might only be temporary.

Furthermore, it is becoming a weekly thing where a supposed ‘big team’ is beaten by lesser opposition. Teams like West Ham, Crystal Palace and Leicester have competed well against the ‘big teams’.

Obviously, competition isn’t the only thing that can be attractive about sport. The dominance of Ferguson’s Manchester United during the Premier League years is admirable purely for the fact they consistently quelled the rest of the competition. However, dominance provides extra motivation for the rest, and seeing United eventually overcome by other teams was satisfying for the neutral observer. Moreover, the quantity of world-class footballers playing in the English league these days is a further reason for its attraction and resultant consumption worldwide.

This season we will see, bar nothing short of a Mourinho miracle, a different team winning the Premier League to last season.

While this is good, competition for the league title can be whittled down to 3 teams: Arsenal and the two Manchester teams, with Manchester City being the favourites.

Here is where I would like to introduce a comparison with the National Football League in America. While I admit that comparing sports with completely different codes can only go so far, there are some telling stats.

Firstly, since the English Division One became the Premier League (1992/1993 season), there have been 13 different winners of the Superbowl, the final between the winners of the two conferences that comprise the league. In addition to this, there are 9 teams that have played in a final but not won a Superbowl since 1993. If we compare this to the variation in winners’ and runners’ up in the Premier League, only 3 teams have finished 2nd without winning it. On the surface the statistics indicate the NFL to be the far more competitive league.

Obviously, it’s not as simple as this. There are several factors that mean the NFL will be inherently more competitive and the Premier League inherently less competitive.

The biggest aid to competition is the NFL’s structure: 32 teams divided into 2 conferences (AFC and NFC), which are then divided into 4 divisions of 4 teams each. The winner of each division qualifies for the Play-offs along with 2 wildcards (the two best runners up in each conference). The play-off games are internal within each conference.

This structure means that, say if the quality of the AFC was markedly bad in comparison to the NFC one season, an average team could feasibly make their way through the season and the play-offs to the Superbowl. Effectively, if the best teams in one particular season all happen to fall in one conference, they will have to fight it out between them for one Superbowl place. Thus, there can be a tendency for the Superbowl to not contain the two perceived best teams of that season.

This can be looked at both ways. For the fan that wants to see the two best teams fight it out for the grand prize, this system will not deliver every season. You could argue this system creates variation rather than competition.

On the other hand, the longevity of the Premier League season (38 games) will always mean that the winner is the most consistently successful team over the course. It must be remembered that consistency doesn’t always reflect quality. The tactically-astute team that plays for results can often triumph over the team that plays the higher quality football. Arguments over quality are ultimately subjective.

There are other factors that create competition in the NFL, namely the salary cap and the draft system. On an elementary level, the salary cap universalises how much can be spent by each team on player wages in each season; it is adjusted every season and stands at $143.28 million for the current season. This is something that theoretically could be instated in football, as long as it was enforced across the whole of Europe, and ideally, worldwide. It would conceivably mean that the best players wouldn’t simply be lured to the richest clubs, namely the 4/5 teams that realistically compete for the English league each season. However, attempts at trying to curb spending in European football via the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules have been ineffective. In football, competition for titles is stifled by the riches of a handful of clubs.

The draft system is the way in which teams acquire new players in pre-season. It is rigged so the perceived worst team of the previous season gets the first pick of new talent. The draft system sounds good theoretically, however, it is based on potential; the new players coming into the league are a risk and incomparable to those established as the league’s best. Stumble across one gem and your team can be successful for a decade.

Ultimately, competition comes down to the spread of quality, both players and coaches. While you can attempt to spread it more equally, if the right combination ends up at one team (lured by riches potential), there is little that can be done.

Photo: Keith Allison

Photo: minhguangle87

More of a writer than a player? Come to our contributor meetings on Monday at 5pm, Students’ Union First Floor. @mancunion_sport /TheMancunionSport sports.mancunion@googlemail.com NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Sport 31

ISSUE 6 / 26th OCTOBER 2015 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

The University of Manchester’s

SPORTLIGHT Toby Webb Sport Reporter With lots of sport available on the university campus, Spotlight aims to show you the different varieties of sport available and the different levels at which you can play. This week, we take a look at Hockey.

meant that the team narrowly avoided relegation, finishing second to bottom of the division. “We had our good days and many more bad days, but we weren’t the worst at least!” describes a cheerful joint-captain.

As expected, he is optimistic about this year. The team has put last season’s disappointment behind them, and a strong recruitment drive has resulted in more quality being added.

sport, and then the British University and College Sport Leagues (BUCS) may be for you.

BUCS player Lucy Roberts, a 2nd year Biomed student, has been talking to the Mancunion Sport about playing for the University Women’s Hockey second team in the BUCS. The level of commitment required for the step above is significantly higher, as it consists of two training sessions a week, alongside weekly fixtures—therefore a much higher standard of hockey is played, and the players improve by playing with one another. With this increased technicality and skill at the higher level, it offers Lucy an escape from studying, just as a campus league would—but with that little bit more quality.

Last season the team did not challenge for the league but were happy with the season and ready to kick start this year! Particularly tough opposition find themselves against the university this year—in

viously a lot more strenuous and time consuming than a campus league—but the team find themselves battling in much more challenging games.

In addition to this, the team are entered into a knock-out cup competition. The team came close to glory last year, reaching the semi-finals of the cup, and hope for another great cup run this year, kick started on the 28th of October, away at northern rivals Leeds. The thrill of a one game shoot-out against other teams gives the team added motivation.

Further to this, the team are involved in the Christie cup, a battle of the redbrick universities across the North-West. It is a yearly round-robin tournament involving the University of Manchester, the University of Leeds and the University of Liverpool. A particular emphasis will be placed on this year’s competition as we are the host team, and can have the whole university behind us to clinch the

Photos: The Mixed Oak House Hockey team

Oak House mixed hockey team’s joint-captain and a 2nd year Chemical Engineer, Fabio Primavera has been talking to the Mancunion Sport about the season ahead.

With one of the most thriving halls teams in the whole university, Oak House play in the first division of Campus Mixed Hockey League—this is different to what you would expect. Sport is often criticised for how it separates the genders and doesn’t give equal footing to all genders, but the mixed leagues that the university offers are open to anyone.

The team itself also contains players of very different abilities, as well as gender, as there are players who have played for the university team before – but those who have also no experience in hockey before, which really highlights how diverse campus sports are.

Despite these mixed abilities, there is still an element of rivalry present in the campus sports game!

Primavera reminisces on last season’s big wins over Sheavyn and Ashburne that are still fresh in the mind. He demonstrates that this may be a casual level, but everyone still puts their all into the game; this is evident when he reminisces on a goal he scored last season. “The keeper had no chance!” he reflects on his reverse kick shot thunder-bolting into the top corner of the net.

This season has seen the Oak House team improve immensely, after a difficult season last year

Initial performances this season have exceeded expectations. Despite advertising that no skill was required to join, the new crop has demonstrated a natural talent. Despite having only played a handful of games thus far, the cohesion and understanding in the team has improved. A 5-0 win against medics 2 and 3-3 against University Development illustrates the progress the team has made. These 2 teams, as well as University of Manchester Geography, will be their main rivals this season.

Fabio remarks that the atmosphere in the Oak House team is very friendly and relaxed while maintaining a competitive edge; the emphasis being that playing hockey should be an escape from academic stress. Training sessions are light, yet, there is still a fervent desire to win matches. Matches are played on Sunday afternoons at the Armitage sports centre and are traditionally followed by a team social at squirrels. Yearly highlights include the end of season fancy dress tournament and joint events with Oak House rugby.

Despite the season already being in full flow, the team remains open to anyone interested. Fabio was keen to mention that anyone wishing to join will be welcome, regardless of ability and what stage of your degree you are at. Anyone wishing to join should get in touch via Facebook, through the ‘Oak House Mixed Hockey 2015/2016’ group.

However, if a more competitive and professional level is what you are after from your university

Fabio Primavera in action

Liverpool John Moore’s and Sheffield Hallam, but positivity is within the ranks as a new crop of first years have brought an even higher level of quality to the team.

The team has played 2 BUCS matches so far, a comfortable home win against Keele (3-1) and an away loss to Bangor (2-0). Lucy commented that the arduous travelling to play away from home is often a detrimental to the team’s chances.

The team will play 10 league matches this year, playing every team home and away, which is ob-

cup this time round. Lucy predicts that this will be one of the highlights of the season.

It is sure to be a thrilling season for the women’s second team. Anyone wishing to follow the progress of the team can find results and upcoming fixtures on the BUCS website (www.bucs.org.uk), or keep reading the Mancunion SPORT. Home games are played at the Armitage centre on Wednesday afternoons for anyone wanting to see the ladies in action. We wish the team good luck for the season.

Lucy and the women’s team in action

26th OCTOBER 2015/ ISSUE 6 FREE

SPORT City’s booing bother P.29

Will Kelly Sport Editor

Red or pink ball?

: @Mancunion_Sport : /TheMan cunion

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University Hockey

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‘Thirty Years’ Before Equality in Football

It could be 30 years before black and minority ethnic (BME) managers are properly represented in English Football, according to a new study by Sports People’s Think Tank. The report found that only 23 out of 552 elite coaching roles are held by BME people. That is just 4 per cent of the available positions, despite 25 per cent of players being from BME backgrounds.

Last week, the Mancunion Sport section brought to you an interview with Viv Anderson—the first ever black player to represent England—as part of the celebrations for Black History Month. The focal point of the evening was Anderson’s thoughts on the lack of black managers within the English game. 15 years ago when Anderson took on the manager’s job at Barnsley, he was only the second black manager in England. Today, there are only six black managers at the 72 Football League clubs.

The report concluded, in the same way it did last year when the study started, that “a form of institutional discrimination” continues to limit opportunities for BME coaches. Speaking on the night, Anderson put this down to the perception that notable black candidates are seen to be good players, but people doubt their ability to go into management.

The recent report has brought repeated calls for the FA to stand up, take notice and ultimately, deliver action. Anderson spoke of how many players, when they go into retirement, have that desire to enter football management but this is proving to be a struggle for BME players. Such sentiments have been echoed by Jason Roberts, who believes that many black players are coming to the end of their career and thinking, “well there’s no opportunity for me as a manager, and the statistics only prove that.” Graham Taylor, the Professional Footballers’ Association Chief Executive,

2 Black Managers or Coaches

1 Black Manager or Coach

Brentford, Huddersfield, and QPR

Bolton, Burton, Carlisle, Dagenham, Everton, Ipswich, Luton, Manchester City, Oxford, Port Vale, Stevenage, Tottenham, and West Brom

spoke during the interview with Anderson of his recounted conversations with the likes of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Chris Hughton, who had serious doubts that they could make it into football management because of the lack of representation. For Roberts, the English game is losing potentially top managers and top coaches due to the fact there appears to be a “structured exclusion of a minority in football.”

Former Birmingham defender Michael Johnson agrees with such sentiments, having waited for four years before being successfully interviewed for a role with Cardiff City’s academy this year. For Johnson, “the networks are closed off” due to the fact that “predominately, football is run by white, older men.” He added: “I couldn’t get any more qualified. But I was out of work from August 2011 to August 2015. My main challenge was getting to the table to show people what I’m about…”

Such opportunities to show one’s capabilities as a manager have become increasingly difficult for BME coaches and Anderson believes that this is down to the very fact the game has orientated into a “results business.”

Anderson remarked on the evening that something significant had to be done, whether this came in the form of American Football’s Rooney Rule, something had to be done to help people from minority backgrounds to enter football management.

The Football League is set to vote on bringing in a version of the Rooney Rule at its 2016 annual general meeting.

It would see clubs interviewing one BME candidate for each head coach or manager role from next season.

Such a move would be welcomed by Johnson: “Hopefully this will start to make things easier for talented black managers, who are qualified to get in front of chief execs and chairmen, just to show they are capable of doing a fantastic job.”

The FA is currently spending £1.4 million over five seasons on BME coaching bursaries, includ-

Photo: Sona Hovasapyan @

ing working with England development teams.

The Premier League has made additional space available to BME applicants on its elite coach apprenticeship scheme to help develop world-leading coaches.

The Football Association said it has endorsed “the principles of the Rooney Rule in its own hiring processes,” but talk is nothing without action.

Their track record of protecting minorities in football is particularly suspect when you take into account Eva Carneiro’s recent departure from Chelsea as First Team Doctor, in which the FA failed to punish José Mourinho after he had effectively dropped her for doing her job. Women in the medical profession involved with football are also a minority.

Obviously things do not change overnight but clearly, with these appalling statistics, not enough is being done to challenge the decision makers at football clubs and structured exclusion of a minority in football will long continue if nothing is

done.

The report that will be presented to the All-Party Parliamentary Football Group at Westminster on Wednesday,classes senior coaching positions as anything from a manager through to an under 18s coach.

Key findings from the report: · 18 of 92 clubs (20 per cent) employ a BME coach in a senior position · Barriers to BME coach progression remain and include “conscious and unconscious racial bias and stereotypes” · There is a “consequent lack of BME role models at all levels” · It will monitor the “upward career mobility” of a number of other BME coaches in less senior roles such as Richard Shaw at Crystal Palace, Eddie Newton at Chelsea, Ledley King at Tottenham, Darren Moore at West Brom and Michael Johnson at Cardiff.

0 Black Managers or Coaches Accrington, Aldershot, Alfreton, Altrincham, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Barnet, Barnsley, Birmingham, Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bradford, Braintree, Brighton and Hove Albion, Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, Burnley, Bury, Cambridge, Cardiff City, Chelsea, Cheltenham, Chester, Chesterfield, Colchester, Coventry, Crawley, Crewe, Crystal Palace, Dartford, Derby, Doncaster, Dover, Eastleigh, Exeter, Fleetwood, Forest Green, Fulham, Gateshead, Gillingham, Grimsby, Halifax, Hartlepool, Hull, Kidderminster, Leeds United, Leicester City, Leyton orient, Lincoln City, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Macclesfield, Manchester United, Mansfield, Millwall, MK Dons, Morecambe, Newcastle United, Newport, Northampton, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, Notts County, Nuneaton, Oldham Athletic, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Rochdale, Rotherham, Scunthorpe, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Shrewsbury, Southampton, Southend, Southport, Stoke, Sunderland, Swansea, Swindon, Telford, Torquay, Trammere, Walsall, Watford, Welling, West Ham, Wigan, Wimbledon, Woking, Wolves, Wrexham, Wycombe, Yeovil, York.