Democracy At Work
Issue Number 4 : November 5th 2007
Martyn Harris Speaker of the House
The first Union General Meeting (UGM) of 07/08 went nice and smoothly last Tuesday – there wasn’t too much business planned, and so no-one was expecting too much controversy.
This UGM, as the first of the year, had the job of ratifying last year’s budgets, and Karen Lowe from the auditors GEENS, who audited the accounts, was on hand to answer questions, along with Oli, VP(finance) as to how and why money was spent last year. A few questions came up about the money that CFM gives the union to counter the competition that Union Square provides for union services. Naz, our lovely President managed to assuage fears that we weren’t getting enough in compensation. That done, the budgets were passed with a very comfortable majority.
The meeting then went on to officer reports and question time, with union committee detailing what they’d been up to since coming into office in July this year – Naz gave a lengthy report, on the extensive work he has been doing, particularly with meetings about Institutional reform and changes in the way that KUSU is run, as we undertake a governance review in the coming months. Matt,
CAC stear the meeting
ernance review, which was agreed upon by nearly everyone in the meeting to be the best possible course, and the motion carried with no major scruples voiced.
VP(comms) detailed the results of the by-elections, and talked about the work he had done in making this publication full-colour and working on bringing the paper online as well. Matt also encouraged students to help him work with the University on student input in future editions of the prospectus.
Jack, VP(ed/welfare) gave a smashing report about the goings on in Safety Week, which by all accounts was much bigger and better attended than in previous years. Oli, VP(finance) talked mostly about the £600k fund (for a change), detailing what the state of play was. He also talked about the success that was society sign-up fair, and the changes to the K2 venue hire charges, which brought about much debate over the summer with societies. The rest of Union committee detailed what they had been up to, most notably Nikki (Disabled Students Officer) setting up the society KUDOS (Keele Univer-
In Concourse Issue 4 By-Election Results > Page 2
sity Disability Organisation for Students) to support students and campaign on the welfare of disabled students at Keele. Ben Powell, the Male Gender Officer also alluded to the importance of maximum participation in the upcoming ARCH Domestic Violence Awareness Week, beginning on November 23rd.
The meeting then moved onto more policy motions, with the ever-popular (or unpopular) issue of the running track being used as a car-park. After much debate from all sides of the floor about the parking implications of shutting off the running track, including much discussion from the Sabbs and Manni, the AU President, the motion was carried by a huge majority,. NUS reform was up last, Naz calling for KUSU to be a major player in proposed NUS reform by calling for an extraordinary conference to discuss their Gov-
New K2 Quiet Room > Page 4
The meeting finished with not too much to add; Jack made a mention to a petition run by the Keele Labour Students’ society opposed to lifting the cap on top-up fees, and commended their efforts. Oli got mobbed by people clamouring for their free drinks vouchers, and everyone went for their lovely drinks in the Lounge and chatted about how fruitful and short the meeting was. From the front of the meeting it was great to see lots of new faces as well as lots of old ones doing their democratic bit for their Union .
The recently elected Campus Affairs Officer Mark Holland reports to UGM
Dyslexia Awareness Week > Page 6
Concourse
By-Election Results
5th November 2007
See who YOU elected!
After a long drawn out process we now have the results from the recent By-Election! These are the people that YOU have elected as representatives for 2007/8 and will be working hard throughout the year to tackle the issues that effect YOU. I’d like to thank all those who voted and took part in the election. For further information about the Officers please look at the ‘representation’ section of the KUSU website.
Campus Affairs Officer Mark Holland sta47@keele.ac.uk
Mark has been elected to represent you to the University in reagrds to living on campus. If you have any issues regarding your accommodation or the facilities avalible then drop Mark an e-mail, or visit him in his office hour from 11am - 12pm on Mondays in the Elected Officers corridor on the top floor of the Union.
Female Gender Officer Beccy Gamble sta53@keele.ac.uk
Beccy has been elected to represent the Female population of Keele. She is responsible for safeguarding KUSU’s policy on gender equality, proving infromation and running campaigns on behalf of the female students. She can be contacted by e-mail at the above address.
Humanities & Social Sciences Representative Nicky Godrey
Nicky has been elected to represent the issues surrounding courses in the faculty of Humanities and Social Science. She can be contacted through the Vice-President Education & Welfare (Jack Corrigan) on the top floor of KUSU.
There are still positions available as Faculty Representatives or Union Committee members. If you are interested in being a representative for any of the following positions then e-mail Matt Alexander at vp.comms@kusu.keele.ac.uk or visit the VP Comms office on the top floor of KUSU. Positions on Union Committee still available are; Off Campus Affairs Officer, Hospital Campus Affairs Officer, Environmental Officer, Mature Students Officer and Postgraduate Officer Positions as Faculty Representatives still available are; Faculty of Health, and Faculty of Natural Sciences
NAME YOUR VENUE!
Naz KUSU President
Many of you will have noticed the considerable changes made to the Students’ Union this year, especially the new toilets in K2. The new and exciting re-furbs don’t stop there. We are hoping to open up a new room in K2 as well as develop an outdoor recreation area at the rear of the building. Not only will this increase the capacity in the venue but also provide a chillout space in which to sit down and sip your drinks. All the decor and furniture has been chosen for the K2 venue and we hope to open this space before Christmas. All that needs
doing now is to name both the areas that’s where
you as students get to choose. We have compiled a list of funky (or not so funky) names for this venue.
We are going to hold an online student poll via kusu.net starting from today, Monday 6th November, whereby you can choose which name is the best. The polls will close on the 15th November at 5:00 pm. The winning names will then be announced the following week. In order to make it interesting and get you guys really excited, we will also be having a prize draw in which the winner will win a ticket to the Christmas party held at the Students’ Union. What you waiting for? Get on to www.kusu.net, follow the links to the student poll and have your say!
Potential Names For The New K2 Venue
The Hub The Core The Den
K3 The Living Room The Bubble
In2 Oliverʼs The Casbah
Forum Sanctuary The Retreat The Terrace
The Garden The Deck The Green Room The Backyard
Outback The Rendezvous
Potential Names For The Outside Area Visit kusu.net to name these new venues!
Concourse
Safety Does It
Jack Corrigan Vice-President Education & Welfare
During the last week of October, Keele University Students’ Union ran its annual Safety Week campaign. After months of meticulous planning, the event finally came together as a series of engaging and interesting awareness events, and those members of the student body who participated in the week’s activities have commented positively upon the safety campaign’s underlying messages. The main goal of Safety Week was to counter the blasé attitudes held by many students who believe that safety issues are not really of concern to them as young adults. One of the issues tackled by Safety Week - mental health - is especially pertinent to students, considering that 1 in 4 UK students will suffer from mental ill-health during their time at university; these issues can range from eating disorders to depression to stress. Safety Week’s ‘beat the stress’ day provided an opportunity for students to come into the union and just relax and enjoy themselves. With great help from the Chess society, ‘beat the stress’ allowed students to just chill, and some of the chess played that day would have had even the most hardened grandmasters trembling in their boots - even on the Disney chessboard. The gladiator duel
sticks turned the Ballroom into a Flavian Amphitheatre of skill and strength, with people literally whacking away the stress. Another issue which Safety Week aimed to bring to attention was the matter of road safety. Road traffic accidents are the biggest killer of 16-24 year olds in the North Staffordshire area, a danger that clearly affects Keele students. The road safety event worked in partnership with the local council and fire & police services. The daytime ‘beer goggles’ event challenged students to drive a remote control car whilst wearing visual inhibitors, designed to replicate the effects of a heavy night’s drinking. All students who participated in this event commented upon how much more difficult it was to navigate the course with the ‘beer goggles’ on, and how this had really hit home the dangers of drink-driving. In addition to this, there was a contest to see who could drive the car the fastest around the track without the visual impairments. The competition was won by Gary ‘Briggers’ Brigden and he won a replica Mini Cooper remote control car. In the evening the Carnage video was shown, which was a hard hitting exposé of the truth about road traffic accidents. Winners from Safety Week recieved free Skid-Pan lessons The message was simple; SLOW DOWN & BELT UP. The
KUBE comes a long way from biscuit tin beginnings… Lee Bradshaw
Jonty Bloom was considered an inspiration by the crew of KUBE when he visited their newly refurbished studios in the Students’ Union last Tuesday, 30th October. As he reminisced about his student days, he explained how a biscuit tin and an empty store room were the founding elements for his career in radio journalism. Jonty continued by explaining that it was a transmitter, soldered into a biscuit tin by some friends in the physics department, an empty store room in Hawthorns and his flat mate’s microphone that started it for him, as he regurgitated the Radio 4 News over an illegal broadcast, which could possibly be considered as KUBE Beta. It was this experience of being dragged out of bed to read the news on the original incarnation of KUBE, that when combined with some selective wording, helped to land Jonty one of his first roles as a producer on morning radio.
5th November 2007
Over the last 19 years Jonty has worked across a whole range of journalism, from World Service Radio to the 10 O’clock News, and for the last 4 years he has been the business and economics correspondent on the World Tonight on BBC Radio 4 where he has a special remit to report on the EU, its politics, institutions and economy. Eamonn Kubba, Head of Production at KUBE, commented; “…it’s always hugely inspirational meeting radio professionals, particularly for us at KUBE, hearing about when they were students and how they got into the industry. A lot of the time, that kind of information is invalu-
Concourse Editor : Matt Alexander Concourse Issue 4 contained articles from;
event ran in conjunction with a competition that had prizes focussed upon road safety. The first prize given away was £100 worth of AA driving lessons, which was won by Sam Corrigan. Sam was chuffed with the prize and declared how he was right on board with the idea of road safety, and to make it official he set fire to a posh hammer. The second prizes where won by Alex Laney, Katy Swingland and Oscar Smith. They won the opportunity to undertake ‘skid pan’ training, which is a training session provided by the police service that educates participants on how to correct skids. All 3 students enjoyed the experience, as well as learning something undoubtedly useful. The only real thing that went wrong on the day was when Oscar smashed the ABS off the bottom of an official police car, oops. All in all Safety Week was a success. However, if you feel you missed out on this event don’t hesitate to tell us. In addition to that, keep your eyes peeled for other welfare campaigns coming your way this year. Finally I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who helped during the week - all my bread packers and distributors, the rest of the Sabbatical team and especially the Dance society who were a great help.
able for anyone considering getting involved with radio professionally, and makes you try that little bit harder to get there. So it was really helpful to have a sit down with him yesterday and have a chat to him, especially getting words of encouragement from him”. Jonty reflected on his early days of pirate campus radio and compared it to how KUBE has developed into a globally recognised radio station, claiming that student radio is so essential for students looking to move into radio and media and that KUBE is most certainly a flagship example of what can be achieved with the right mindset, determination and a good level of commitment. Kate Vanhinsbergh, Head of Music at KUBE, added; “Meeting Jonty Bloom was a great experience. It was wonderful to hear how a Keele graduate went from broadcasting with the most basic of equipment in a broom cupboard to being a successful business and politics reporter for the BBC (something that all of us here at KUBE one day wish to be able to equal or
Martyn Harris, Matt Alexander, Jack Corrigan, Michael Barnett, Naz Patel, Nikki Cooper, Lizzie Leeson, Rebecca Mulhearn, Phil Boydell, James Appleby, Manpreet Manku, Simi Want to write for Concourse? Sehgal, Owen Meredith, Becky Taylor, Jamie Barker, Kate You can submit articles and adverts to Matt Vanhinsbergh, Rasha Touqan, Carrie Martin, Jonny Wright, Alexander in the VP Comms office on the top floor of Matt Lewis, Rich Hill, Lee Bradshaw and Beth Hind.
the Students’ Union, or at; vp.comms@kusu.keele.ac.uk
Chilling out in Safety Week
even out-do!). It was with pride that we showed him round our lovely new studio; we have all put in a huge amount of effort to get the station back up and running after the refurbishment and it was nice to see it all being appreciated. I think all of us who were there from KUBE wished we had longer to talk to him about his work but unfortunately there wasn’t enough time. Its not often that we get these opportunities to grill the professionals, but we enjoyed his visit thoroughly, brief as it was!” If you missed Radio 4 journalist and Keele graduate Jonty Bloom giving the first lecture in the University’s fourth high profile Public Sector Series on Tuesday evening, then you can catch him on the World Tonight show on BBC Radio 4, weekdays from 10:00pm to 10:45pm. Other speakers in the series of lectures are Professor Sir David Weatherall, Oxford University (January 21), Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty (date to be confirmed), Dame Mary Marsh, Director and Chief Executive of NSPCC (March 10) and Geoff Mulgan, Director of the Young Foundation (April 30). Contact whatson@kfm.keele.ac.uk or 01782 584169 for more details.
Next Edition of Concourse: Monday 19th November
Please submit articles for this edition by 12pm on Sunday the 11th of November to VP Comms
Concourse
Michael Barnett
5th November 2007
Don’t Look Back In Angers : Part Trois - Nuns on the Run
In my last two articles I’ve mentioned some of the differences between the Univerité Catholique de l’Ouest Angers and Keele. I have not however, talked about the most fundamental thing that differentiates UCO not just from British universities but from most French universities as well. This is the fact that UCO, affectionately referred to as ‘La Catho’, is a private university - one of only 5 in France - run by the Catholic Church (the clue was in the name). What difference does this make? Well firstly the students pay significantly more to study here than they would at a public university (and remember this is France where higher education is seen as a right not a privilege and so is not meant to be expensive). Secondly it means they are allowed to have a Theology department. France’s strict laicité laws (basically a rigid separation of religion and state) forbid
these and any other departments concerned with religion, e.g. Islamic or Jewish studies, from public universities. I am also told that being a private university means they have smaller class sizes and better teachers, however I have no way of telling whether this is true or not. What is certainly true is that there are a lot of Nuns running about the place but this is the only visible sign of the university’s Catholic links. This is very disappointing, I was hoping that the lecture theatres would smell of incense and that the vending machines would sell rosaries along side Mars Bars, alas, it is not so.
One of the things I quickly realised upon arriving at La Catho was how tough it is to be an international student. Vital information has a habit of bypassing you and so you will go to a lecture only to find there’s no-one there or a lecturer will start talking about an exam that you’re due to sit in two weeks
time, an exam the existence of which you were totally oblivious to until it was mentioned just now. Fortunately there are compensations of being an international student, UCO has a very active international students society ‘Relations Internationales Relais Etudiants’ or RIRE for short (rire in French means to laugh) One of the activities they put on was an international meal evening. Everyone brought a dish from their own country to share, there was Humous from Greece, waffles from Belgium, Ants on a Log (raisins and peanut butter spread on celery) from the USA, some absolutely delicious pancakes from Korea the name of which I didn’t quite catch and from England there was …….porridge. Ok it’s not the most imaginative meal in the world but it was a great success….I think. If you think you can come up with something better, bearing in mind that all the ingredients have to be available in France -so no baked beans- and that it
has to be successfully transported from my room to the University please let me know and I shall try it next time.
The fact that I now need to write a French essay ( a laborious process even without the obvious language problem, there are very rigid rules as to how a French essay should be written and structured and woe betide you if you break them) precludes me from telling you about how I was disgracefully refused entry into a tacky Irish theme bar, or about the Rugby World Cup (suffice to say it got messy) or about various other shenanigans besides. In the meantime may I wish you all a happy Toussaint- a public holiday in France stretching from the end of October to the beginning of November. Oh, and guys, be nice to the international students, I’m sure they would appreciate it.
Dyslexia Awareness Week November 5th – 11th
Nikki Cooper Disabled Students Officer
Dyslexia: The Gift and the Curse Dyslexia is defined by many as a ‘specific learning difficulty’; however an alternative view is that dyslexia should be described as a ‘specific teaching difficulty’. Why? Well dyslexia, although a recognised disability only is a disability because the norms of our society disable the people that learn and think differently, i.e. the people labeled dyslexic. The word dyslexia is taken from the Ancient Greek: dys- (bad) and lex (word) this refers to the reading/writing problems that many dyslexics have, and that is often thought to be the whole of the issue. Consequently, the dword is misleading because it’s inaccurate: it’s literal meaning is not to be trusted…
Dyslexia is… 1 A pictorial/graphical/multi-dimensional/structured way of thinking: by contrast, non-dyslexics appear to think linearly, in words.
2 High-speed continuous thinking (also referred to as “24/7”)
3 A different balance of abilities – e.g. spatial and conceptual, with overall understandings and a desire/need for understanding of principles, rather than detailed, accepting of arbitrariness, and sequential. 4 Not an all-or-nothing issue: there are many degrees and variations of dyslexia. 5 Not related to intelligence, race or social background.
6 A disability in a world where 90% of the population think differently, just as items like righthanded scissors and right-handed cork-screws make left-handedness a disability in a dominantly right-handed world.
7 A severe disability for non-compensated dyslexics in a world full of e-mails, books, credit-card contracts, notice-boards, textbased road signs, and other text giving essential survival information.
8 A disastrous disability in a world where at least 90% of school-teachers think differently, and have no grasp that other ways of thinking are possible.
The Gift of Dyslexia can result in many wonderful things; the works of Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein’s theory of General Relativity are examples of this.
Traits of the gift include: * Innovative thinking
* Excellent troubleshooting * Creativity
* Lateral thinking
* Intuitive problem solving
The Curse of Dyslexia can cause: * Difficulty knowing your left from your right * Difficulty with learning to tell the time
* Hesitant or slow reading and writing
* Misreading, which makes understanding difficult
* Putting letters and figures the wrong way round * Difficulty with sequences
* Poor organisation or time management * Erratic spelling
* Poor memory and concentration
* Difficulty organising thoughts clearly * Poor self-image
If any of these things sound familiar you can ask Disability Services for a dyslexia assessment. If you already know you are dyslexic (and haven’t already had one) you should ask Disability Services for a ‘Needs Assessment’ which may entitle you to some (or all) of the following:
* A computer with specialist software such as ‘Read & Write’, ‘Dragon Speak’ and ‘Inspiration’ * A Dictaphone to record lectures
* A note taker to take notes for you in lectures
* A personal tutor to assist you with planning your work and creating coping strategies
* A prompt sheet to take into exams. This is an A4 piece of paper to help compensate for poor memory; it can include names, dates, formulae, but cannot indicate meaning * Book extensions from the Library
* Allowance to spend on books, photo copying and printing
Even if you have had a needs assessment you should check that you are getting everything you are entitled to, things can be missed! So if you are still struggling, it is worth double, even triple checking that you are getting all the support you need. I know that some students who are not dyslexic can feel hard done by, by the perceived “luxuries” given to students with dyslexia. What I would ask people with this view to consider is that these extras are not luxuries but necessities. Just as a guide dog may enable someone with a visual impairment to carry out day to day activities, equipment for dyslexic students enables them to compete on a level playing field, and participate to their full ability in university education.
For more information about Dyslexia give the following a look www.dyslexia.tv – a fun little site for all the ‘Multi-dimensional Free-Thinkers’ out there www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk – information for students, teachers and parents www.dyslexic.com – Information, technology and programmes designed for people with dyslexia.
Lizzie Leeson Entertainments Officer
November
5th Manic Monday 6th Comedy on Tap 7th Rewind/UDisco 8th KRAP/Quiz 9th Reloaded 11th Pigeon Detectives
12th We Are
Scientists
14th Rewind/ UDisco
16th Reloaded 18th Karaoke
Alright Keele? I hope you have enjoyed the last couple of weeks? I certainly have! The entertainment department have again been working hard this fortnight and I must say they have provided you with some classy nights. I hope you all had a wicked Halloween, didn’t the union look amazing? That was all thanks to the KUSU club décor team. All their hard work paid off, and I reckon the
Battle for UK’s favourite university
Rebecca Mulhearn
I am sure the majority of you out there will have seen the Facebook group, and I hope most of you have joined it too! The new obsession in the virtual world of Facebook is apparently defending and supporting Keele in the group called ‘the battle for the UK’s favourite university’, as the ‘winners’ win a party hosted by O2. I am not going to pretend that I too have not been sucked into this vicious competitive group; in fact I will openly admit that I am an avid member. However, the group no longer contains the friendly banter of students happily voting for their own university, and instead it is a blood bath where every student in the country can take their frustrations out on each other. From the perspective of a Keele student, it appears that every other university in the country has turned on us. But how does Keele cope with this? Why, we all group together and blow the competition out of the water! So far Keele are miles ahead of the rest of the universities,
union has never look so fit, so thanks to all you guys for all your help. We also had in my opinion one of the best KUSU gigs, with the Twang’s immense gig. Wide awake now means far much more to me than it ever did, a special moment I would say created by Keele! Now I know we are way into the semester but the next two weeks are going to be big, just a few little highlights for you here; The Pigeon Detectives, and We are Scientist are both playing in the same week! Unfortunately both gigs are sold out but for those luck people to have tickets make sure you enjoy yourselves. We also have our weekly events, with Manics, Rewind and Re-
and long may it continue. The next question that we must address is why do the other universities resent Keele so much? Is it because we have one of the best community spirits and unions in the country? Is it because we have one of the most beautiful campuses to be found in the UK, with students who love nothing more than joining together to support a common cause? It’s difficult to be certain, although with all these things in mind we can’t blame the others for being jealous! Although I’m slightly ashamed to admit it, the Facebook group even sent me a message, thanking me for being an ‘engaging and active member.’ Ahould I be flattered that my participation and efforts had been recognised, or should I be truly embarrassed that I have commented on a Facebook group so regularly that I have been singled out? There have been several rather competitive students from other universities who have taken the time to respond to every Keele student on the group. I won’t name any names, but I am sure that a fair few of us are all too familiar with the regular abuse we receive from certain opponents.
loaded I know you can’t get enough of them Keele! And for you who want to have more of a chilled evening with have Keele’s Comedy night on 6th November, which is sure to be a laugh! Every Thursday KUSU presents quiz night, so get your brain into gear and have a go. If any of you want to come and have a say or get involved in your union, then don’t forget I hold the Entertainment Forum every Monday, for you to express your ideas and shape the running in KUSU. So come down every Monday in K2 at 1pm. That’s all from me for now. Have a good couple of weeks and I hope to see you out and about the union!
All I can say is don’t take any of the comments personally - everyone else is obviously very jealous that they don’t go to Keele, and all those incredibly ‘funny’ comments asking us where Keele is shouldn’t be taken so seriously, I think these people really do want to know where Keele is, so that they can get on the next train and come themselves! I just love the fact that Keele students simply cannot let a competition pass them by. Students have clearly been inspired by our success in getting on the monopoly board and believe that, although we may be small, we are mighty! Despite the fact that we don’t actually know what this party is going to consist of, Keele students are fighting for victory anyway! I expect that O2 will demand us all to sign away our email addresses so that they can hound us for the rest of our lives. However, this competition is no longer about the ‘free party.’ The competition is now about respect, dignity, and winning! I doubt that anyone really cares about the party anymore; we just want to ensure that we beat every other university by a mile. That is the Keele spirit and I too have
caught the Keele bug; I feel like I am going to be defending and supporting Keele for the rest of my life! Every other university seems to have a vendetta against us and I can’t understand why. There are over 280 discussion groups devoted to Keele some of the best I have seen are ‘Keele over and die’ and ‘Keele is a fake place invented by O2 so they don’t really have to host this party!’ As you can see, we here at Keele can take a joke, and it’s even funnier knowing we are still 15,000 points above second place! Logging onto Facebook each day and seeing the support of the Keele students makes me proud. The fact that we live in such a tightly-knit community with a very friendly atmosphere full of big personalities is the reason I was drawn to Keele University in the first place. Our university is so unique and so incredibly under-rated, and all this recent publicity only proves that we are worthy of big things - a small university with a huge personality. Whatever the competition, no matter how sad and pathetic it may be, Keele will be involved, proud and fighting. And to be honest with you, I love it!
Kanye West’s Keele Graduation by A.J.
Two weeks ago JUS:J set the standard with a Def Jam Launch Party, and on Friday October 19th he raised the bar with the Kanye West Graduation Party in K2. This week our female DJ - DJ Tijanuna warmed up the crowd with the help of JUS:J protégé Kev T. JUS:J came back even stronger with international DJ, and long term companion Diffusion. They gave Keele yet another night to remember. To kick off his set, JUS:J announced that Kanye West had a message for all us Keele students so of course, on listening to Kanye speaking the words, “Hello ladies and gentlemen” we were more than excited that this night had finally arrived. The music was live and JUS:J had the crowd hyped all through the night, dropping exclusive tracks once again and distributing signed Kanye West goodies every time he played a Kanye track. These goodies included signed Kanye West posters, signed copies of his Graduation album, champagne bottles, Louis Vuitton T-shirts specially designed by Kanye West, and two tickets to see the man himself at the M.E.N Arena this coming
December. People were going crazy for the music; each track hit the right spot, and with it being Kanye West’s Graduation Party, people were certainly dressed to impress. The better they looked, the louder they screamed and the harder they partied. That said, the party was kicking to the end, with the crowd singing in chorus the words to “Slow Jamz” and then chanting in chorus for “one more track”. Yes Def Jam, you did it again! Bringing the Keele students something different, JUS:J didn’t fail to come back harder, better, faster and stronger. Check out the pictures on the DEF JAM UK and BBC 1XTRA @ KEELE facebook group and don’t forget, the night you’ve all been waiting for, JUS:J going head to head with Atlantic Records DJ, Martin 2Smoove, as they both release their new mix-tapes on the same day! A note from JUS:J: Thanks to everyone that attended the biggest party in Keele. It was a sell out event! November 2nd in K2 is the showdown between me, JUS:J, and Martin 2SMOOVE. This party marks the release of both our albums. Def Jam UK, ACCEPT NO IMITATION.
PRIZE DRAW
2 pairs of Pigeon Detectives tickets 3 pairs of We Are Scientists tickets email j.winstanley@keele.ac.uk and you will be entered into the prize draw. Winners will be notified on the KUSU Entertainments Facebook group on Wednesday 9th November
Concourse
Something Dodgy Is Going On: And It’s Being Done In YOUR Name
Owen Meredith I decided to write this article after KUSU accepted and ratified results from fraudulent elections which, had they happened anywhere other than within our own institution, we would condemn! Not only did major errors occur during the elections, but an extraordinary meeting of the Student Representative Council (SRC) was called on Monday 22nd October, where VP Democracy and Communications, Matt Alexander who was the Returning Officer for the October by-elections for Union Committee, supported by the sabbatical team asked for the election results to be approved despite the multiple and serious errors that occurred. To explain: The elections occurred over 2 days, but on the first day the record of people who voted was lost due to a computer error. This allowed people to cast a second vote on day two. When this was realized on day 2, during the confusion over how to proceed we now know the deputy returning officer (VP Ed & Welfare, Jack Corrigan) actively encouraged people to vote for a second time! In addition to this, the ballot box was left manned by only one person for a period of 2 hours or more [which is against the constitutional regulation prescribed by Article 30.5]. Furthermore, the election dates and timetable were not ratified by SRC and no Elections Forum (EF) was appointed as is required. Perhaps the most important failing to note is that the ballot papers were incorrectly printed. The candidate running for ‘On Campus Affairs Officer’ had the position of ‘Campus Affairs Officers’ printed on the ballot papers, despite his nomination papers clearly stating the former, meaning at the very
least voters were left confused, and at worst voted for the candidate under false pretences. During a passionate eSRC, Matt Alexander admitted mistakes had been made, but appealed to the Council to ratify the results anyway, saying the errors had “not influenced the result”. During the meeting, I asked the SRC to decide the course of action based on the principal, not the specific results. As contrary to Matt Alexander’s opinion, we have no real way of knowing if these errors influenced the result, particularly printing the wrong position on the ballot paper - which is unforgivable. We had a choice to uphold democracy and re-run the election or completely disregard it. Despite lacking the constitutional ability, SRC voted to approve the motion ratifying the elections; rejecting the amendment I proposed which outlined timetable on which elections could be re-run (which was approved by CAC). The Vote was split ‘For’ 21, ‘Against’ 12, ‘Abstention’ 3 – it should be noted that the ‘For’ vote was boosted by all 9 members of union committee who were present voting for the motion to approve the results. After the meeting Off-Campus councillor Clarissa Hemmingsen said, “I am livid! I cannot believe that the VP Democracy and Communications has proposed such a motion. As supposedly intelligent and interested students I don’t know how SRC can justify breeching its constitutional mandate to approve these un-constitutional and fraudulent elections.” In my opinion, the result of this eSRC will have a potentially damaging impact on the rule of the constitution within the KUSU. The constitution should be, at all times, our guiding force. The vote has seriously weakened it [the constitution] and will have long-term impacts on the democracy of KUSU. The whole process is shambles and more akin to a banana republic than a democratic students union!
5th November 2007
Don’t go Democrazy!
Matt Alexander Vice-President Democracy & Communications
The term ‘fraudulent’ suggests that it was intentional for the By-Elections to encounter problems. This is an outrageous claim to make as the IT problem that occurred during the election was entirely unintentional and unforeseeable. In regards to the misprint on the ballot paper, Mr Meredith does a fantastic job in his article by making a similar mistake himself (despite his efforts to make a strong point out of this), which highlights how easy the misprint was to make! The candidate affected by the misprint was informed during the election, and was happy for the election to still proceed. Admittedly the ballot box was intermittently manned by 2 people on the Monday and the dates were not ‘ratified’ (although they were reported to and unquestioned by SRC), however these issues were regarded as trivial by Owen himself in the emergency meeting! The decision to take the faults back to the Student Representative Council (SRC) was carefully considered by the sabbatical team alongside the Constitutional Affairs Committee (CAC), who at all times were consulted on how best to proceed. The SRC was made up of more members than the Elections Forum and as a result was far more representative. During the By-Election I worked extremely closely with the Constitutional Affairs Committee, and the actions that were taken following the problems encountered were taken on their recommendation. Martyn Harris from CAC reported, ‘the decisions made by the Constitutional Affairs Committee during the By-Elections were aimed at preserving the constitution in nature whilst leaving the Returning Officer with a practical way to resolve the issue’. I supported the proposal to accept the results from the By-Election because every candidate was uncontested in the election and I do not believe that the errors encountered made any difference to the final results. I think that by re-running the elections we would have been without essential student representation for a significant period of time, and would have disadvantaged those who ran by opening nominations again. I consider Owen’s use of the word ‘Banana Republic’ as extremely inappropriate and even offensive! The sabbatical team were transparent at every stage with students and candidates, which when last I checked wasn’t a bad thing!
5th November 2007
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When You Need More Than Alcohol To Sustain You
James Appleby, Manpreet Manku and Simi Sehgal
For nearly all of us, there’s been a glimmer of hope, a beacon of light amidst a slew of assignments, seminar preparation and dull lectures. Your loan has come through (finally!) and you’ve finally got the money to try and impress that special person. Instead of going to the Union you’d rather do something a little more special one night. What better way is there than to do the classic thing and go for a meal in a fancy restaurant? If what you’re after is good food, an impressive menu that caters to all tastes as well as a bill that shows you’re not afraid to appreciate the finer things in life, then Pizza de Piazza is just the place you’re looking for. Located in Newcastle-Under-Lyme to the left of the bus station, it’s hard not to miss. (For all the second and third years reading this, just head towards where Pinocchio’s used to be and prepare for a big shock once you step inside) Upon entering, you know that this is a place that believes it is classy. It has that self-conviction that’s hard to find. Most places come across as pretentious and you’d be forgiven for thinking that here, you’d find more of the same. All cleanliness, hard to pronounce dishes (hence our forgetfulness) and extortionate prices. So far, it sounds more than enough to put someone off. Again, you’d be forgiven for giving Pizza de Piazza a miss. But once you sit down and the waiter finally shows up, you’re in for a treat. James says: “Apart from the heart attack I suffered when I saw the bill, this has been one of the best experiences I have had in a restaurant. The starter, while not particularly to my taste, due to its reliance on vinegar for flavour, was still per-
fectly edible. The main course was perfect. I can’t put it down in any way or form (and believe me, that’s a first!) There was enough, it was flavoursome. After this filling meal I hazarded a desert and was rewarded with a perfect Tiramisu. In short, if you’ve got the money, go there.” Manny says: “Even though I can’t remember the exact name of the dishes, my menu consisted of garlic pizza bread with cheese for a starter, a pizza topped with chicken onions and peppers for my main dish and for dessert, a banana split. Every dish was fabulous – the pizza bread was slightly hard but the crispness was nice in that it gave a unique taste to what is usually a generic dish. The pizza incredibly flavoursome (more so than what you can get at Pizza Hut for example) and the presentation of the pizza was also wonderful. The dessert was lovely, with the split served with fresh fruit. However, I was disappointed as it seemed to me a little bland but that may have been because I tried some of James’ Tiramisu which was gorgeous!” Simi says: “I might not be able to remember the exact names of what I had, but I can tell you that I had Calamari as a starter, and the vegetarian Mushroom and Four Cheese Tagliatelle as a main course. Very heavy stuff. So heavy that I couldn’t even think of having dessert. The starter was edible, but my only criticism is that the Calamari was over-cooked to the point that it had become chewy. However, the main course told a completely different story. Now, when I have Italian food, I usually find that the cream based dishes are bland. I end up adding as much salt and pepper as is socially acceptable, and even then I’m not satisfied. But for the first time, I didn’t have to do any such thing. I really could taste the four cheeses separately. I could actually appreciate how they worked together to create a flavour that is truly spectacular.”
Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink?
Phil Boydell
Now, it’s not usually in my nature to complain, but I have to say that I do enjoy the odd rant every now and again! When I was lunching in Harvey’s, having my weekly Thursday potato with my geography buddies, I thought to myself that I’d like a glass of water. Now, I don’t really like paying for water since it comes free from the tap, so I asked the server if I could have a glass of tap water. I was told by the waitress that “The tap water was not drinking water” and that she was “unable to give me a glass of tap water.” This got me thinking: firstly I was surprised because I thought it was against the law not to be able to supply drinking water in an eating establishment (one of my flatmates works for the catering industry…), and secondly I was surprised simply because I have never been refused a glass of tap water, and thirdly, if the tap water is not drinking water, then what do the staff use to wash their hands and food? After a little bit of research, The Supply of Goods and Services Act says that there is a legal requirement for tap water to be supplied, but not necessarily for free (this, according to the Act is up to the individual restaurant – further information can be found on the BBC and DTI website). If you can think of a suitable sign off, please add one!!
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Look…New Volunteer Opportunities at VE @ Keele!!
5th November 2007
PALS Give Patients a Voice in the NHS
Becky Taylor VE @ Keele Project Leader
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service is an identifiable and accessible frontline service for patients, carer’s and families – providing on-the-spot help. PALS gives information to patients, carers and families about health services locally. skills, and in return the club may be able to offer Helping to put patients in contact with relevant voluntary organisations and support groups. assistance in gaining Coaching certification.
VE @ Keele has teamed up with Betley Football Club Youth Development Programme to recruit volunteers to help ensure the club’s under 17’s members continue to kick their way to success!
Betley also has a girl’s football team and is keen to recruit volunteers to help coach the team to success.
Betley football club has been ‘kicking around’ since 1955, enjoying many successes along the way. In 2004, the club set up its Youth Development Programme to support and encourage local children to get involved. The club wanted to create a quality, safe environment for Children to play football in the Village. With an already very successful senior team and an even more successful U17’s Youth team, the club felt is was in danger of not providing the facilities to attract younger players to continue its traditions.
The club now has a very pro-active Youth Development Programme with in excess of 100 children attending organised coaching sessions each week. The club is really excited to have local Professional Tony Dinning from Port Vale FC helping with training for the Under 14’s team, and Tony has made a really positive impact with all the players.
The club is fully committed to ensuring its future through the introduction of new teams at younger age groups who can eventually aspire to play for the senior Betley team and has a number of volunteer opportunities within the overall programme.
The club is looking for volunteer coaches who can offer a little of their time regularly each week to help youngsters develop their football
* PALS can give information and advice about health service locally and nationally
* PALS can give information on other local health, care and voluntary organisations * PALS will represent the views and concerns of people to the Primary Care Trust
* PALS are committed to providing a service that is accessible and inclusive to ALL Alternatively, if you are interested in developing members of the local community management skills in the voluntary sector, Betley Football Club is also looking for a Volunteer * PALS cannot act as advocates but can put people in touch with someone who can Co-ordinator to help manage and support its * PALS cannot influence anyone’s position on a waiting list but can signpost and/or supvolunteers. port people to find the information they need Other volunteer opportunities at the club include Referees Co-ordinator, IT support to de- * PALS cannot give medical advice or opinions velop the club’s website, media and publicity * PALS cannot handle formal complaints but can advise people on how to complaints communications officer, Sponsorship & Fundraising Co-ordinator, general admin sup1. By helping Individuals port and help to organise events and refreshBy helping individuals to ments. sort out their own Problems Betley Football Club provides a unique opportunity to get involved in the local community, get 2. By having a service hands on experience, meet new people and that responds to the have fun! If you think you might be interested in patients needs joining this enthusiastic team, contact Becky at By ensuring that the VE @ Keele today. healthcare organisation The Clinical Education Centre learns from all of the Other volunteer opportunities at VE @ Keele inproblems brought to the clude NACRO, Save the Children, Age Conservice and then cern, Youth Support Services, Mind, The Implementing Caudwell Charity and many more. To find out more about these and other volunteer opportuHayley from PALS will be in the Independent Advice Unit (IAU) to talk to students from 2nities and how to get accredited for volunteer4 on Thursday 15th November. ing telephone or email VE @ Keele. She will be talking to students about anything from not having a dentist, to transferring hospitals to rights of access to health records, all sorts of things related to the the care Email: volunteering@keele.ac.uk they, or their relatives, are receiving from the NHS. Tel: 01782 583626 Drop in, no need to book, call in 2-4 15th November to the IAU. For students on health related courses the IAU will be hosting outreach advice sessions at the Clinical Education Centre on the 8th and the 15th of November, and the 13th of December. from 2pm - 4:30pm.
Keele Amnesty International Society
On Saturday 13th October, three students from Keele had a taster of what it would be like to be prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Myself and two fellow Human Rights postgrads went to an Amnesty International conference in Birmingham about security and justice, and thought we would have an enjoyable afternoon walking around Birmingham in orange suits chanting and waving banners. We were in for a shock... The conference was part of the launch of the new ‘Unsubscribe’ campaign. This is Amnesty’s new campaign to spread the word about how the ‘war on terror’ is being used to justify acts of torture, rendition, discrimination and unlawful detention. The idea is to state that you do not support your government in these acts and so you ‘unsubscribe’. One of the main aims of the campaign is to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, infamous for its human rights abuses and detention of people without trial. This is why we were willing to dress up in orange boiler suits, masks and goggles and pretend to be prisoners for the day.
Instead of a nice walk around Birmingham however, we were told we would march single file, head down and hands clasped in front of us to Centenary Square. We would then line up and get into whatever positions the ‘guards’ told us to do, imitating how prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are treated. By now I was starting to get a bit anxious. There would be no walking round waving and talking to your fellow demonstrators: we had to try to make things as realistic as possible. The three Keele students were filed at the front of the demonstration behind the banner. At the beginning I felt like a complete fool, and when the guards started shouting I was terrified! We couldn’t move at all, not even our eyes, apart from getting into the positions
they ordered us such as bent forward or hands on heads. I knew it was pretend but I didn’t want to spoil the effect and I certainly didn’t want them to shout at me! After an hour it was finally over and we were released. It was such a relief just to be able to smile! We couldn’t wait to get out of those suits and become individuals again. It was hard for us to imagine living everyday in such fear, and we had experienced nothing of the isolation or humiliating and painful physical positions these prisoners are put into. I was very thankful to be able to laugh about how silly I’d felt before getting a train home. It all seems like a good story now but when you were stood there, with your back and neck hurting, dreading that those guard’s feet were going to stop in front of you, it made you a bit closer to understanding how it felt to be in that prison. At least we knew that when it had finished we could get our tea or coffee and get home in time for Strictly Come Dancing, but for those prisoners that is what it’s like everyday, with no idea of when the ordeal will end. Keele now has an Amnesty International Society which welcomes all who are committed to ending human rights abuses. Find us on Facebook or email u7r33@str.keele.ac.uk for more information. Unsubscribe at www.unsubscribe-me.org.
5th November 2007
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60 Second Reviews
Jamie Barker Music Editor
The Wombats – A Guide To Love, Loss & Desperation After the success of their recent singles, ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ and ‘Kill The Director’, The Wombats have taken the unusual step of re-releasing their ‘Girls, Boys & Marsupials’ album with a new title and a slightly modified track-listing. The aforementioned singles are, obviously, both here, alongside future chart-bothering pop gems such as ‘Moving To New York’ and ‘Lost In The Post’. There’s nothing breathtakingly original here, but this is a fine set of shiny, singalong anthems in-waiting. With youth on their side and a blatant ear for melody and catchy hooks, The Wombats are certainly set to spend a lot of time on our stereos in 2008. Various – Radio 1’s Live Lounge Volume 2 When an organisation like the BBC releases a compilation CD which experiences the level of success allowed to the first Live Lounge CD you can rest assured that a follow-up will be along just as soon as the first set of sales dry up. Sure enough we’ve been graced with ‘volume 2’ and unfortunately the flaws from first time round have yet to be solved. The collection is still an unorganised mishmash of covers and original material, which leaves it all feeling a little directionless again. However, nit-picking aside, the 40 tracks contained within are great value for money with highlights including The Holloways romp through own track ‘Generator’ and Biffy Clyro kicking the shit out of Rihanna’s mind-numbing ‘Umbrella’.
Kate Vanhinsbergh
Radiohead’s innovation with new album ‘In Rainbows’ Radioheads seventh album has created a stir amongst music lovers, the music industry and critics in a way that has never been seen before. After a string of coded emoticon-style doodles that appeared on radiohead.com led to a false-alarm countdown, the band’s actual announcement came 48 hours later. A simple statement- a new album is coming out. In ten days time. AND YOU CAN CHOOSE HOW MUCH YOU PAY FOR IT. It will be available to download and in physical form, a £40 diskbox with CD and vinyl versions plus eight bonus tracks. So why on earth have they done this? According to Yorke, the whole process of using record companies to release music has destroyed “the preciousness of the whole thing”, something that he is prepared to put his band on the line for in order to break the mould. The whole system inevitably questions how much people think the music is worth and challenges what people are prepared to pay for it. It seems that with the boom of the downloading culture it has become increasingly difficult to value music in monetary terms. However, people have generally been offering around the £7 mark for the downloadable version, and not for pennies as you might expect. And Radiohead are not likely to end up out of pocket, as many hardcore fans are opting for the £40 diskbox release. So are Radiohead sitting on a revolutionary bomb that could change the face of the music industry for ever? Possibly. But not many bands can rely on the fanbase that they boast or the deep-held respect for their music. Its an experiment that I, for one, am eager to see the results of.
The Libertines – Time For Heroes (The Best Of The Libertines) The concept of a ‘greatest hits’ collection after the release of just two albums is ludicrous at best, but while The Libertines may ultimately be remembered as the band who spawned a thousand headlines, ‘Time For Heroes’ is a timely reminder that a clutch of legendary songs were created in the process. There’s nothing here that isn’t available elsewhere in the same form, but despite the elitist within wanting to scorn upon this as the blatant cashcow we all know it to be, it’s still humbling to hear these anthems collected together onto one disc and stuffed into a shiny box. A breathtaking collection then, which highlights the disappointing realisation of all that could have been, but ultimately the lack of rarities here is surely going to limit this release to real completists and tabloidhungry latecomers.
Operator Please – Liverpool Barfly – 19th October 2007 In our current age of flavourless have-a-go indie anti-heroes, it’s refreshing to see a band with personality flavoured with vigour and enthusiasm rather than fuelled by drugs and a lust for press attention. Jetting in from Australia to open proceedings on every night of this years ‘MTV Gonzo Tour’, Operator Please set the bar high. Sure, it’s all a bit samey, and by the end of the set songs you’ve never heard before feel slightly over-familiar, but these guys look and feel like they’re only late onstage because they were held up leaving their performance at their high-school talent show. If they want to achieve longterm success they’ll need to broaden their musical scope, but for now that youthful energy, backed with a plethora of catchy, but ultimately disposable, pop gems is a welcome breath of fresh air.
The Enemy Review Having arrived despicably late and having missed Lethal Bizzle might not make me the best person to be writing this review. However, as a self-confessed heavy metal freak I can happily say, without qualms, that this was one of the happiest rock gigs I’ve ever been to, and I’m glad to say that I take back everything I ever said about ‘rubbish/talentless’ generic indie-rock. The Wombats were in full swing when I arrived and, launching into ‘Kill The Director’, they had by that point earned themselves a pretty enthusiastic crowd whose jumping up and down and rigorous arm waving I’ve never encountered at a Slayer gig. It was a nice change! Quite quickly it was obvious that they were popular even though not many people seemed to know the songs. Introducing their mascot wombat as ‘Cherub’, who was apparently one ‘sexy mo’fo’ was a good way to describe the general atmosphere they created!
Although being ashamedly ignorant of song names at this point, The Enemy’s opener was met by a ridiculously hyper crowd who thought nothing better of drenching them and their friends in all the beer they had…this and the heat meant an inevitable frenzy of a guys, girls, and bare chests! Although The Enemy lacked some of the bounce and boyish charm of The Wombles, they made up for it with the clearly superior song writing and the obvious die-hard-fans in the making. The swagger and sneer of front man Tom oozed confidence and only he could have pulled off demanding that the crowd make the bouncers work…and work they did, because rockers, indie’s and emo’s alike started hurling themselves about. It was a force to be reakoned with. By the end of the gig a lot of men were topless and so were some of the girls…it was brilliant. Hardcore Stoke-on-Trent chanting and dancing in this fashion never goes amiss, not even for us stiff upper lip metal fans.
Eastern Promises: A Thriller that Loses its Way
Rasha Touqan
Eastern Promises comes at the heels of David Croenenberg’s last movie, A History of Violence. The latter had been lauded as one of the greatest movies of the year. So, Croenenberg is back with the same movie star, Viggo “Aragorn” Mortensen. Also, in the movie is the always amazing Naomi Watts. The movie starts promisingly, hinting at being a critique of a foreign England, full of shops from India and Russia. In typical Croenenberg fashion, the movie starts with a violent murder. The story is a simple one. Anna (Watts) works at the maternity ward in a London hospital. That stormy night, she delivers a baby girl to a young, homeless Russian girl, who dies giving birth. The girl leaves behind the baby and a diary in Russian. Thus, Anna ventures into the underground of the Russian mafia to find out where this baby belongs and what is the story of this girl. It may seem intriguing and it is so at first, but the movie loses its way. The beginning comes as a kind of commentary on immigrants in England, blaming London conditions for what is happening. Also, there are hints at racism among different nationalities, like when Anna’s Russian uncle comments that she had a miscarriage due to the fact that her boyfriend was Black. The movie has lots of dark humor that is not too typical of the brainy Croenenberg. Yet, like all of Croenenberg’s movies, it loses its way halfway through. It could have been a sort of Russian Godfather in England. Watts could have been another tough heroine like in The Ring. It could have been a story of redemption. All these thing fall flat. In true Hollywood fashion, there has to be a romantic spark between Watts’ doctor and Mortensen’s driver/mob boss. Also, Mortensen can’t lose his all-American hero persona. Even with his thick Russian accent, Mortensen can’t shake it off. This could have been a great movie, but it ends up being another cheesy Hollywood thriller.
Guy’s old Skool Disco – The best example of non-drunken partying I have ever seen!!
Saturday 27th October. Lindsay Bar. One man and his music collection. Thank you Guy for one of the best nights out I’ve had since arriving at Keele. Everyone was feeling a little bit rough; it was the night after the 999 party after all. But his friends were out in force still, and mostly drinking just Coke or a couple of beers. With all the music coming from the 90’s, and ranging from solid dance to more cheesy (The resident of Lindsay Block A managed to bully the DJ into playing the Vengaboys twice!), there was something to fall into everyone’s ‘guilty pleasures’ box. Guilty being the operative word as most of the audience refused to admit how much fun they were having, and stayed sat firmly in their seats, but no matter. We saw you nodding your heads and tapping your toes. No one in the bar could sit still that night. Guy’s friends managed to provide a fairly regular dancing crowd and even encouraged a few others to come join in the fun (including myself). With everyone being pretty much sober, we got to see exactly how well (or badly) the lads of Keele can dance. I have to admit to being impressed, there was a decent amount of rhythmic jumping around going on, and a good time being had by all just generally. So, Big Thanks to Guy for a brilliant night out, and to Lindsey Bar for taking a risk and letting Guy have a go at throwing a disco in their bar. Rumour has it they have already requested a repeat performance in a couple of weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for more info!!
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Keele Labour Students : More Than Meets the Eye
Carrie Martin
I’m going to start this with an admission: when I first joined the Keele Labour Students I was apprehensive to say the least. I had a horrible feeling that it was going to be a group of students sitting and agreeing with every Labour policy in the manifesto and believing that the party could do no wrong. Thankfully I discovered I was very much mistaken. At the first social all the members were invited for a curry with the local MP, Paul Farrelly. Paul made every effort to speak to everyone during the evening, bridging the gap between the representative and his consitituents. Along with this came the debating of policy, which to me was a pleasant surprise. Disagreements over Trident, tuition fees, and the Iraq war punctuated the evening, a number of different opinions were offered, showing that not all members and MPs regurgitate and believe in every policy decision made at the top end of the party. This evening has been one of the high-
lights of my time at Keele University so far. I made a number of new friends, everyone was really pleasant and people were genuinely interested in my opinions. Also, I wasn’t treated like I knew nothing about politics because I’m female, unlike some other events I have been to with different groups. Keele Labour Students is one of the few societies that actively seeks to make a difference, and since the social event we have been campaigning against the BNP in the local area. Personally I think it is nice to be involved and to do something to try and change things; after all, if we don’t campaign against the BNP support for them will snowball in the area. During the year Keele Labour Students will be campaigning on a number of issues – we’ve already got plans for campaigns against raising tuition fees, on disability issues, and on environmental concerns. Get involved, make a difference and make a heap of new friends while you’re at it. Contact ian@keelelabour.co.uk for more details.
Barry Riley Keele Law Society
First of all, we would all just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who keeps turning up to our events and making them such a success. We have been really surprised with the enthusiasm this year, and let’s hope that it continues throughout the semester. We have recently had guest speakers from a range of law schools all over the country, and the list doesn’t stop there, we have plenty more still coming, along with workshops concerned with applying for training contracts and vacation schemes.
Next up for us is our big quiz night in the Union, where Nottingham Law School have kindly donated us £1000 for a big prize and a
5th November 2007
Conservative Party Conference
Matthew Lewis
Conference season is over, and where do we stand? I attended Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool this year fearing the worst with the ‘Brown-bounce’ still seemingly ongoing and Labour boasting a seven point lead in the opinion polls. This conference was a make or break moment for the Conservative Party; with their long awaited policy reviews now completed, David Cameron and his Shadow Cabinet would reveal the agenda they hope will deliver them back into Government. And it seems, so far, the country is interested in what they have to say. A decade ago Labour made themselves the party of the people, pledging to fix the problems with our health and education systems and stormed to an election victory over a Government that was tired and had overstayed its welcome. Have the tables turned? With unprecedented levels of skilled UK citizens migrating, military numbers and morale plummeting, ineffective government response to MRSA, Foot and Mouth and this summer’s floods, record numbers on benefits and the shocking reality of children killing other children on our city streets, many of us are asking “shouldn’t life in Britain be better?”. Step up David Cameron and co. A good amount of strong policies came out of the conference, with
Jonny Wright
Keele Drama Society
Cards, guns, money, good blood, bad blood, and most important- Drugs. ‘Brothers’ marks the triumphant return of the trademark writing and directing of Andy Humes. Following the success of last year’s ‘Business’, ‘Brothers’ tells the story of where it all began for Carl and George Summers- and their rise up the criminal ladder. We join the story before the events seen in ‘Business’ unfold- 80’s London, the drugs revolution. ‘Product’ is the word on everyone’s lips, and the problem is getting the white stuff to the people. Harry the Preacher is introduced as an ex-SAS killer looking for work on the streets, whilst the brothers plan to achieve an international reputation, which will come at a high price- but may hold
Keele Law Society
FREE BAR, yes you heard me right! A good £900 of that money will be put behind the bar and means you won’t have to pay for a drink all night - add to that top prizes for the winners and it should be a great night. Keep your eyes peeled for the posters advertising the event which will take place on November 8th at the Student’s Union.
The following week, we then head off to Amsterdam - if you are lucky enough to have booked a place on the trip then keep checking your emails as you will receive more information regarding the departure nearer the time.
We are in the process of finalising our plans for the 2008 Law Ball and more will be revealed soon, lets just say it will be the biggest ball we have ever put on, and one of the best nights of the entire year - keep your eyes
some really standing out: removing stamp-duty for first time buyers, allowing young people onto the housing ladder; removing the financial penalties for couples on benefits, ending the phenomenon of people living apart simply because it makes financial sense to do so; redirecting military spending away from managers and towards recruitment and improved accommodation and education for Forces’ families and their children; moving the tax burden from families to polluters, helping both working people and the environment. The first indication I had that things were going well was the complete lack of dissent from within the Conservative Party’s own delegates. The Conservatives, being a party whose members make it very plain when they are dissatisfied, the strength of unity evident in Blackpool was astonishing. Returning home to Keele, the press seemed to concur, and then came the biggie, the first barrage of polls since before Conference season. So, where do we stand? Well, current polls show the Tories hold a 6% lead in the key marginal seats and have drawn level nationally. Brown’s honeymoon period is well and truly over, and he has announced we will not see an election this year. For too long this country has lacked an effective opposition, but now it seems the Tories are back up and running, and keen for a fight. Game on.
an even bigger reward.
Expect to bear witness to mass executions, gang wars, and betrayal of the highest rank in this twist-filled, nail biter of a look into the world of two of the most prolific criminal under-lords London has ever seen.
‘Brothers’ is a Keele Drama Society production. The play opens in K2 on the Wednesday 14th November 2007; performances will follow on the 15th 16tth and 18th November. Tickets are available in the foyer of the Student’s Union, weekdays 12-3pm. To miss this play would be truly Leroy…
peeled for more on this, we will be releasing our plans to the world very soon . . . Last years ball was a huge success, and this year promises to see us go all out in topping that.
Thank you to everyone who has ordered hoodies from us, the order has been now put through and they will be with you very, very soon - once again keep checking those emails to see when they have arrived. If you missed out with hoodies the first time around, there might be a chance later in the year to get one; demand has been high already so we will see how it goes towards the end of the semester.
To finish I would just like to mention the Law Society Library Room which is open EXCLUSIVELY to Law Society members, and houses all the books you need for your course, including those hard to find books that help with
your essays when the main library books are on loan. Books cannot leave the room, but it is an exceptional student resource that has been underused in previous years. The Society are currently in the process of working with our sponsors to provide even more resources in the room, and update it to provide the best possible library to its members. There will be more on this soon, and it is definitely a work in progress. If you have any questions or want to join the Law Society, email keelelawsociety@hotmail.co.uk, or you can email me, the President of the Society at u5k34@ugk.keele.ac.uk