Palatinate 847

Palatinate The UK and Ireland’s Best Student Publication, 2021

Thursday 27th January 2022 | No. 847

Indigo look ahead to the Platinum Jubilee Interview: Royal Commentator Camilla Tominey

FREE

www.palatinate.org.uk

Profile: Green leader and Durham alumna Carla Denyer

p. 12

Durham ‘saturated’ say local residents Lizzie McBride & Laetitia Eichinger Investigations Editor & News Editor As part of its ten-year strategy, the University plans to increase Durham’s student population from 15,000 to 21,500 by 2027.

This plan is already in motion.

John Snow College’s relocation from Stockton to Durham and South College’s opening for the 2020/21 academic year provided accommodation for 1,000 more students.

Durham’s student numbers have accordingly risen from 15,479 in the 2016/17 academic year to 20,268 in last year.

The existing pressure on the Durham rental market is wellknown.

Data collected by Palatinate showed that rent prices increased this year. With a shortage of houses in Durham City’s centre, rent price increases are almost inevitable.One landlord described the problem as inching into Durham’s outskirts.

“In certain areas of Durham, you aren’t allowed to have any more student properties.”

“I think that’s probably the reason why house prices in the likes of Gilesgate and the surrounding areas are going up.”

Palatinate spoke to a number of leaders of residents, associations, and local government to gauge the City’s perception of the existing and future impact of the University’s plans on Durham, especially in light of the recent approval for developers to replace Gilesgate’s Apollo Bingo Hall with private student accommodation.

Richard Hornby, the Chair of the Gilesgate Residents’ Association, said the decision was a huge loss for the community.

“The existing bingo hall is a valued community asset, and for those in our community who use it, it provides a much needed social opportunity, and a venue to relax, meet and make friends.

“It cannot also be forgotten that this is a place of work for a number of local people, who are likely to lose their jobs with this development” Continued on Page 4

Staff check the compulsory negative Lateral Flow Test at the entrance to Castle’s college bar (Thomas Tomlinson)

Just 54 students followed University testing advice • Only 0.56% of student users followed “strongly advised” two tests a week last year • University spent over £580,000 over 2020/21 on often unreliable LFT programme Lizzie McBride Investigations Editor Only 54 students followed the University’s guidance to use a University testing site twice weekly in Easter term — making up 0.56% of the 9,621 students who participated in the testing programme last academic year. A Freedom of Information request

by Palatinate revealed that despite consistent University messaging

for twice-weekly test, an average week would see just 4% following the guidance.

Durham City had the highest Covid-19 rate in the country during the term, and, as this newspaper revealed in September, the University had spent over £580,000 that year to provide free testing to students.

Even with the low takeup, the effectiveness of the LFT scheme has been questioned. In Michaelmas 2020, 38 of the 40 positive lateral flow

results received by the University term were matched with a PCR result, and just five were positive Prior to and throughout Easter Term, the University “strongly advised” students to take two Lateral Flow Tests (LFTs) a week while at University.

In response to these findings, Durham University stressed LFTs have always been voluntary and that the University worked closely with student leaders in

communicating the benefits of regular testing.

Participation in the “Wider Student Experience” — such as sport at the collegiate and University level, and visiting college bars — was also dependent on showing a negative LFT result from 48 hours prior.

On any average week throughout Easter Term, 401 Durham students tested twice, just 4% of total users.

Continued on Page 4

2

Thursday 27th January 2022 | PALATINATE

Editorial Inside 847 News pages 1-7 Satire page 8 Comment pages 9-11 Profile page 12 SciTech pages 13-15 Politics pages 16-18 Puzzles page 20

PalatiDates page 21 Sport pages 22-24

Indigo

Editorial page 2 Film & TV page 3

Missing the mark?

(Rosie Bromiley)

T

he announcement from the University and Colleges Union (UCU) of a fresh round of strikes this February won’t come as much of a surprise to anyone who’s been keeping an ear to the ground for the slow rumblings-on of the higher education sector’s latest industrial dispute.

Somewhat less expected, is the Union’s threat of a marking and assessment boycott.

Should university employer bodies fail to meet UCU’s demands regarding pensions, pay and working conditions, students could see their lecturers refuse to mark formatives, summatives, dissertations and even exams, in the most extreme scenario signalling potential delays to graduations.

The explicit wheeling out of the headline-grabbing phrase “marking boycott” in last week’s UCU memo was a calculated and provocative move, designed to rile students and by extension, decision-makers in universities’ higher echelons.

The threat marks an escalation in a dispute over cuts to the University Superannuation Scheme, the sector’s main pension provider and in a separate longstanding campaign against systemic issues within the higher education sector, including the use of unstable casual contracts and below-inflation pay increases.

With a deadline for final pension proposals approaching in February, Union leaders are engaged in a desperate, last-ditch attempt to clarify minds ahead of negotiations that could represent the final opportunity to defend the future economic welfare of their members.

For those not afflicted by the notoriously short-term collective

student memory, UCU’s latest move may ring some loud bells, after all the tactic was deployed in both 2006 and again in 2014.

Eight years ago, staff were once again engaged in a dispute over USS cuts and pay issues, when the Union ushered in a boycott as an “ultimate sanction” following numerous failed negotiations with employers.

A mere 11 days before lecturers were due to set down their red pens, the action was called off following a new pay offer.

A similar pattern played out in 2006, with staff and employers reaching a new pay agreement shortly before the start of exam season at most universities.

A calculated and provocative move, designed to rile students

The tactic was controversial on both occasions. In 2014 it divided student bodies, with the National Union of Students backing staff, whilst Durham Students’ Union voted to condemn the boycott on the grounds that it was unnecessarily harmful to students.

Although it’s too early to fully judge, it seems likely that the majority of Durham’s students will fall into the latter camp this time around too.

Finalists, already quick to take to Twitter to decry three years of

disrupted learning due to the killer double-whammy of lockdowns and strikes, are unlikely to warm to a manoeuvre that targets them even more directly than staff absences for strike action.

The drawn-out game of chicken that UCU and university bodies are engaging in may well result in compromise before students’ academic progress is significantly affected by a marking boycott, just as was the case previously.

But the anxiety caused in the interim will nonetheless prove damaging. In a destabilised learning environment of rapidly changing Covid-19 regulations, further uncertainty could have a serious impact on finalists’ mental health.

The move seems likely to alienate many who may have been sympathetic to previous strikes, risking damaging student-staff relationships.

So why are UCU issuing such a controversial and potentially damaging threat?

It’s worth remembering that the dispute is not an entirely equal fight. Universities clearly have greater scope to flex their muscles without directly affecting students as demonstrated all too clearly by the University of Cambridge’s decision to dock a 25% pay for “each day that a staff member chooses not to reschedule lectures or classes disrupted by [strikes]”; the economic leverage employers wield is their ultimate trump card, risking negative press at worst.

Marking boycotts will likely be met by yet more cuts to pay and given the pre-existing economic insecurity of many of those taking part, staff will not be taking the decision to go on strike lightly.

But marking boycotts have a successful track record for unions,

Visual Arts pages 4-5 Style page 6 Travel page 7 Interview page 8 Books page 9 Features pages 10-11 Music page 12 Food & Drink page 13 Stage page 14 Creative Writing page 15 historically bringing about swift conclusions to painfully protracted disputes.

In an increasingly monetised higher education sector in which students have been made “consumers” by key government policies, frustrated staff aiming for university wallets have little choice but to strike out at a crucial source of university revenue.

And as the long-standing issues of over-work, under pay, contract instability and dwindling benefits seem unlikely to be resolved in upcoming talks, even if a compromise is reached on pensions, unfortunately students will likely find themselves in this unfair position of piggy(bank) in the middle once again.

Poppy Askham Editor-in-Chief

Clarification: Last edition’s story on page 6 incorrectly stated that Nadhim Zahawi criticised Durham University’s return to online learning at the beginning of this term, the comments were instead made generally about universities that had taken similar measures.

Palatinate is published by Durham Students’ Union on a fortnightly basis during term and is editorially independent. All contributors and editors are full-time students at Durham University. Send letters to: Editor, Palatinate, Durham Students’ Union, Dunelm House, New Elvet, Durham, DH1 3AN. Alternatively, send an e-mail to editor@palatinate.org.uk

Palatinate Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief Max Kendix & Poppy Askham editor@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Editors Harrison Newsham & Patrick Stephens News Editors Lilith Foster-Collins, Laetitia Eichinger & Waseem Mohamed news@palatinate.org.uk News Reporters Orlando Bell, Emily Doughty, Daniel Hodgson, Emily Lipscombe, Louisa Barlow, Sarah Matthews & Tiffany Chan Investigations Editors Kathryn Ellison, Elizabeth McBride, Frank Kelly & Sam Lake investigations@palatinate.org.uk Satire Editors Ben Lycett & Hannah Williams satire@palatinate.org.uk Comment Editors Ellie Fitzgerald-Tesh & Anna Noble comment@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Comment Editors George Pickthorn & Miriam Shelley Profile Editor Ethan Sanitt & Tom Hennessy profile@palatinate.org.uk Science & Technology Editors Cameron McAllister, Caitlin Painter & Will Brown scitech@palatinate.org.uk Politics Editors Maddy Burt & Joe Rossiter politics@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Politics Editors Eli Rasmussen & Mikhail Korneev Puzzles Editors Thomas Simpson, Hugo Bush & Katie Smith puzzles@palatinate.org.uk Sport Editors George Simms & Abi Curran sport@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Sport Editors Harvey Stevens & Mary Atkinson Sport Reporters Sam Lake, Maddie Parker & Joe Harston Indigo Editors Honor Douglas & Samuel Lopes indigo@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Indigo Editor Adeline Zhao & Nicole Wu Features Editors Isobel Tighe & Miriam Mitchell features@palatinate.org.uk Creative Writing Editors Millie Stott & Ella Al-Khalil Coyle creative.writing@palatinate.org.uk Stage Editors Ben Smart, Molly Knox & Saniya Saraf stage@palatinate.org.uk Visual Arts Editors Christian Bland & Cameron Beech visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk Books Editors Imogen Marchant books@palatinate.org.uk Style Editors Grace Jessop & Anna Johns fashion@palatinate.org.uk Food & Drink Editors Nia Kile & Emerson Shams food@palatinate.org.uk Travel Editors Gracie Linthwaite & Holly Downes travel@palatinate.org.uk Film & TV Editors Charlotte Grimwade & Grace Marshall film@palatinate.org.uk Music Editors Katya Davisson & Annabelle Bulag music@palatinate.org.uk Interview Editor Stephanie Ormond, Josie Lockwood & Lara Moamar indigo.interview@palatinate.org.uk Photography Editors Lainey Lin, Thomas Tomlinson & Rob Laine photography@palatinate.org.uk Illustration Editors Verity Laycock, Rosie Bromiley, Victoria Cheng & Anna Kuptsova illustration@palatinate.org.uk Social Media Officers Felicity Hartley, Georgia Heath & Hannah Davies social.media@palatinate.org.uk Head of Advertising Kyra Onyebuchi advertising@palatinate.org.uk Heads of Alumni Relations Elena Liciu alumni@palatinate.org.uk Finance Officer Sophie Garnett finance@palatinate.org.uk

3

PALATINATE | Thursday 27th January 2022

Back in person, but not for long

News The Epiphany wave shows signs of retreating Line shows when numbers start including LFTs

Durham faces another wave of isolating students as hundreds test positive after mass January return

By Max Kendix & Lilith Foster-Collins Editor-in-Chief and News Editor A college formal has been cancelled and module leaders have been sending mass emails about hybrid seminars as Durham students have yet again faced a Covid-19 spike, and the accompanying compulsory isolation.

Last week, hundreds tested positive on the University’s LFTs. But following government advice and anticipating yesterday’s scrapping of Plan B restrictions, the University confirmed its ‘soft start’ to Michaelmas Term would end after the scheduled two weeks. This is the first week of Epiphany with all teaching back in-person; however with many isolating, the return has in reality been partial.

A St. Mary’s College formal dinner

on Tuesday was cancelled due to the number of isolating students in college putting pressure on catering staff. An email from Professor Maggi Dawn, Principal at St Mary’s, explained that the kitchen staff had to provide three meals a day in the Dining Hall alongside preparing a large number of individually packaged meals for delivery to those in isolation: “There are simply not enough hours in the day to cover three daily meals, several cartloads of individually packaged meals, and a College Formal.”

Meanwhile, module leaders have been inundated yet again with emails from students concerned about missing contact hours in isolation.

One email noted: “Not surprisingly my inbox is filling up with messages of various students having tested positive”.

After outlining how to attend a specially arranged online seminar, the Professor urged students: “I would appeal to your conscience not to abuse this”. Other modules

have encouraged isolating students to take part in ‘hybrid’ seminars, where a sophisticated ‘owl’ video technology is used to show students the in-person seminar room and

focus on the person currently speaking. Despite lifting of law on masks yesterday, Durham will still mandate they are worn indoors in all University buildings.

Below, the lateral flow testing centre on The Racecourse has served the student population since November 2020 (Amana Moore)

Durham leads in £2.5m BAME scheme

By Emily Lipscombe News Reporter Durham University is leading a new £2.5m project to support BAME students and staff in postgraduate research. The pro:NE project, also launched at Newscastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teeside University, aims to widen access and participation in postgraduate education through events, training and workshops for BAME students and staff in the North East.

The project focuses on four key areas: mental health, development, mentoring and admissions, to widen the pathway for current and prospective BAME students to enter academic employment.

As part of the project’s focus on mental wellbeing, a specialist mental health pathway for postgraduate research students of colour has been established in collaboration with Newcastle Psychologies Therapies Clinic, with the aim to offer culturally competent support.

The project also offers a yearly online conference for postgraduate research students of colour as an

opportunity for networking and developing skills and best practise.

Its mentorship programme hopes to further foster academic community and collaboration through pairing postgraduate students of colour with academic staff. In admissions, the project aims to build on previous research on name-blinding, tackling unconscious-bias and contextualising admissions to widen inclusivity and opportunity for BAME students. Project lead Professor Jason Arday outlines the project’s aim “as a means of dismantling racism and creating more opportunities for academics of colour to enter the Academy particularly in the North East of England”.

In November, Palatinate revealed that the number of Black students attending Durham has not changed in five years.

The number of Black students at Durham remains at 2016-17 levels, despite a 13% increase in the student population. Durham People of Colour Association said said it was “unsurprising” that the number of Black students at Durham had not risen: “While the University does have a very

committed access and engagement unit – mentoring, outreach, scholarships – the issue is not just about getting Black students to come to Durham. It’s equally, and if not more importantly, about making sure Durham is a safe and inclusive space for those students once they are here. Often this is an afterthought.

“You cannot diversify an institution like Durham without consistent and unequivocal commitment to fostering a safer environment for Black students, home and international.

“Racism has a massive role to play here and naturally, that is a major deterrent for potential Black students and a retention problem for those here.”

In response to these figures, the University said: “We run a number of successful schemes aimed at widening participation.

“We actively encourage students from a broad range of backgrounds to apply to Durham, including those who are from backgrounds that are underrepresented in Higher Education. We are not complacent and we are constantly making improvements to our admissions and support systems.”

(Amana Moore)

4

Thursday 27th January 2022 | PALATINATE

News

0.56% of students took two tests a week in Easter 2021 Continued from front As many, especially international, students returned to Durham in Michaelmas Term, the number of students taking LFTs jumped 70%, to 16,413.

In Epiphany Term last year, just 68 students took regular weekly tests as per the guidance at the time. On average, 205 students consistently took at least one test a week.

However, the student population resident in Durham was lower due to the pandemic, especially in Epiphany when England was under lockdown restrictions.

The University advised students against returning to Durham until the 26th April 2021— the start of Easter term — unless “essential” for the student’s educational needs.

Questions over the effectiveness of the LFT programme at detecting coronavirus have been raised.

For example, 38 of the positive

lateral flow tests detected by the University in Michaelmas term 2020/2021 were matched with a PCR test: only five of which were positive.

Between April and June 2021 only 0.33% of tests taken were positive: 339 out of the 103,061 conducted.

Durham City’s infection rate peaked at 2169.6 in the week to 19th June: the highest in the country.

In the last week of Easter Term — the week to 3rd July — the Covid-19 rate halved in a week as University events were cancelled and some students were either isolating or returning home.

Studies have given estimates of LFT reliability that vary from 40% to 90% as their efficacy depends in part on how carefully the instructions have been followed.

Durham University said: “The health, safety and wellbeing of

our students, staff and the wider community is always our first priority.

“Lateral Flow Testing is one of a range of measures we’ve introduced to support a healthy campus, along with enhanced cleaning, awareness of personal space, ventilation and use of face coverings.”

“We’re grateful to students and staff for their participation.”

“LFTs are voluntary.

We encourage all students who are in Durham to test regularly and have made accessing the LFT programme as easy as possible.“ “We’ve also worked closely with student leaders to develop communications campaigns to promote the benefits of regular testing and encourage uptake.”

(Image: Amana Moore)

Durham is “well beyond tipping point for community cohesion” Continued from front their jobs with this development.”

“Our additional concerns about this specific development are very practical: the closest existing properties to the development are bungalows for elderly residents, whose lifestyle and waking hours are naturally very different to those of students, which could lead to conflict and tensions.”

In response to planning approval criticism, Durham County Council maintained last year that “When assessing applications for any new development, we liaise closely with all relevant stakeholders and infrastructure providers to ensure the impact of development is properly considered. We will also give careful consideration to all points raised by members of the public.”

Janet George, the secretary of St Nicholas Community Forum (a Claypath residents’ association),

said she personally saw the demolition as “cold-blooded”.

“The development of the bingo hall has taken a potential community asset from that area, [an area] which has little for the people living there.”

“The unsuspecting students who go there will meet huge resentment from local people who have lost the bingo hall and the students will bear the brunt despite it not being their fault whatsoever.” The City of Durham Trust concurred, describing the situation as one which: “the local community was very strongly against, as were the Parish Council, all three local County Councillors and the Member of Parliament.

“Far better use of the site would be retention of the bingo hall or development of much-needed affordable housing.”

Palatinate contacted GW Architectural Ltd, who submitted the planning application, for comment but did not receive a response.

Concerns about new student accommodation blocks more generally were also raised — especially those on Silver Street, in the city centre.

(Mark Norton)

Last year, a planning permission approval, involving a one-storey extension, triggered concerns over conservation of the historical inner city.

Regarding the construction of such buildings, the City of Durham Trust told Palatinate: “Generally, these are well-designed but too bulky for the local streetscene, and some seriously intrude in views of the Castle and Cathedral World Heritage Site despite the protection that UNESCO and County Durham Plan policies are meant to ensure.”

A local resident told Palatinate: “Rather than developing property for other things, it seems that more student accommodation just keeps popping up [around the city centre].”

Fears over increased house prices, as a result of growing student numbers outpricing local residents and families, were rampant.

A Viaduct resident, Mike Costello, said: “The situation has definitely deteriorated in the last 5 years.”

Emma Backhouse, who also lives in the Viaduct area, said her personal view was that “there is nowhere to put these [extra] students. The city is saturated.”

The City of Durham Trust expressed concern that the local community is still reeling from the University’s expansion to 15,500 students in 2013.

During this expansion developers and landlords allegedly “bought up much of the working class terraced housing in Durham, pricing out locals and resulting in whole areas without school-children, without neighbours for the elderly, without shoppers for half the year.”

“For their part, the former Durham City Council and then Durham County Council for many years resisted any planning policies to control conversions of family homes into Houses of Multiple Occupation.”

Walia Kani, who lives in the Elvet area, said that “the character of the city” is being lost as rising house prices push families out of the city centre.

Many do, however, see positives in the University’s expansion. Paul

Howard, the manager of Durham Business Improvement District said: “Increased footfall in the city most certainly increases demand for retail, cultural, leisure and hospitality businesses and we are keen to ensure that we make the most of the associated economic opportunities.”

A local resident said: “The more people you can get in the area, spending money, the better the area is gonna become.”

The Chair of Gilesgate Residents’ Association described the area as “the definition of a balanced community, with a good mix of both students and permanent residents which can be advantageous to both.”

“The problem is that such a community is a very fine balance: we already have streets in Gilesgate where all the properties are occupied by students.”

“The increasing number of HMOs also sadly leads to increasing numbers of three things that neither students nor permanent residents like: burglaries (inevitable if the majority of homes are vacant for four months of the year), absent landlords (it’s very hard to let someone know about a problem with their property if they’re in a different part of the country) and rats (landlords often don’t account for the extra rubbish generated by larger HMOs).”

As a means to circumvent the city centre’s housing shortage, the University aims to have 50% of students living in college-owned accommodation by 2027.

This plan was generally applauded. However, some felt it should be taken further.

George, secretary of St Nicholas Community Forum, said that she personally feels “the target for the amount of students in University accommodation should be increased to 70%”.

Another local resident, Vicky Matless, felt that the plans in their current state were unfeasible and that “the University needs to drop the prices of their accomodation to solve the issue”.

The Chair of the Gilesgate

Residents’ Association further said: “I hope that having 50% of students ‘in College’ will lead to those who live in the HMOs within our community doing so because of the positive choice that they want to be in a friendly, dynamic community of people of all ages and all walks of life.”

“I suspect, however, that the answer in reality will be somewhat different, and may well depend on the quality, cost and value of the College accommodation.”

The City of Durham Trust saw the University’s pledge as a “comforting aspiration”. However, the Trust also felt that “the increase in Durham University student numbers has gone well beyond the ‘tipping point’ for community cohesion and balance” highlighting how “Oxford City Council’s policy is that the two Universities each should have only 3,000 students living out.

“In Durham 14,000 live out, in a city a quarter the size.”

On the matter of further increases in student numbers, the City of Durham Trust said: “The Government planning inspector who scrutinised the County Plan in 2019-20 expressed major reservations about the city’s ability to cope with any increases beyond the 2026/27 target in the University’s masterplan.”

Palatinate contacted the University for comment. Professor Claire O’Malley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global), Durham University, said: “We’re proud to be part of Durham and of the positive contribution we make to the City, County and region.

“We appreciate that, as with any university city, residents will sometimes have concerns. We welcome feedback, including via our Community Engagement Task Force, Durham University and Residents’ Forum and our Community Liaison Manager, Rebecca Eves.“ “We’re committed to fostering a positive environment for all who live, work and study here and we value open dialogue with partners, residents and others on how best to achieve this, together.”

5

PALATINATE | Thursday 27th January 2022

Highest number of Durham students come from London Waseem Mohamed and Patrick Stephens News Editor and Deputy Editor Data obtained by Palatinate via Freedom of Information request shows that, on average, the county which sends the highest number of students to Durham each year is London.

Between the 2017-18 and 2021-22 academic years an average of 1409 home-fee status students enrolled at the University came from London, closely followed by Surrey which averaged at 906.

Counties in the north of the country also figured highly, with an average of 915 students from County Durham, 577 from North Yorkshire and 563 from Lancashire and Greater Manchester combined.

However, it’s worth noting that these raw figures do not take account of the population size of each region. Palatinate has estimated the student-age population from government data on numbers of primary school pupils from 2012. Based on these calculations, the North-East sends the highest proportion of students to Durham. The NorthEast is followed by the SouthEast, Yorkshire and the Humber, and East Anglia. The number of students per capita from London was comparable to the South-West.

Among international students, by far the most common country of residence is China with an average of 2514 students per year.

Hong Kong sends 448 students per year, and behind them, the USA sends 284 and India sends 187.

Durham was recently named the 26th most international university

by Times Higher Education. The University said in response that they “actively recruit students in over 70 countries” and that they are “very proud to have staff and students from more than 150 countries.”

Commenting on Palatinate’s findings, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global), Professor Claire O’Malley,

News County Durham News Waseem Mohamed News Editor

Durham Cathedral lighting set for upgrade Durham Cathedral’s lighting system will be revamped over the coming months, as part of a wider project to renew lighting at various historical landmarks including Durham Castle.

Durham County Council, in partnership with the Cathedral and Thorn Lighting, will replace the current exterior lighting system which was installed ten years ago. The new lighting will utilise modern LED technology, with the aim of reducing carbon emissions and increase efficiency.

The update will also ensure energy efficient floodlighting and a state-of-the-art control system.

This will allow operators to control the colour of the lighting, which the Cathedral uses to mark special occasions.

Councillor John Shuttleworth said “Durham Cathedral and Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is an integral part of not only the city, but County Durham as a whole. A project like this has to be carefully managed and sympathetic to

such a magnificent structure.

“The new lighting will allow people to appreciate the cathedral at night with a new perspective, while it also enhances the current structure and ensures the lights will be kept on for years to come.”

Maya Polenz, the chief officer of property at Durham Cathedral welcomed the lighting upgrades: “This new system will once again showcase the cathedral in all its glory, as an icon of worship, history and heritage on Durham’s landscape.

“We are grateful to Durham County Council for the investment, which will enable a reduction in our carbon footprint whilst enabling the building to be fully illuminated again. It will allow the cathedral and the wider county to mark moments of national significance, such as the upcoming celebrations for The Queen’s Jubilee.”

The lighting project coincides with Durham’s continued efforts to prepare the city during its bid to become the 2025 UK City of Culture.

Durham among easiest areas to pass driving test said: “We strive to ensure we have a diverse and inclusive student community. We want students from all backgrounds with the merit and potential to succeed here at the University.

“Our students come from over 150 countries and all regions of the UK. We run a number of successful schemes aimed at widening participation, and our latest Access and Participation Plan is by far the boldest yet.

“We actively encourage students from a broad range of backgrounds and domiciles to apply to Durham, including those

who are from backgrounds that are underrepresented in higher education.

However, we are not complacent and we are constantly making improvements to our admissions and support system for all students, and especially for those who are underrepresented at Durham University.”

The University has launched a variety of scholarships for students in the North East region, and has recently announced a scholarship for students from Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Vietnam.

New figures have shown that Durham’s driving test centre is among the top ten centres in the country for drivers passing their practical driving test.

According to figures from A-Plan Insurance, 63.2% of learner drivers who took a practical driving test at Durham’s test centre since April 2020 passed their exam, placing the centre sixth overall in the UK for pass rates.

Durham joins areas like Blyth, Aberdeen and Dorchester as one of the easiest places in the country to pass a practical driving exam. Yeovil test centre in Somerset took first place in A-Plan’s rankings, with 67.4% of learners passing their driving test at the centre since April 2020.

Meanwhile, the hardest

places to pass your driving test were all located in London.

Erith in South East London has the lowest pass rate of any test centre in the UK, with only 29.4% of drivers passing their test.

Belvedere (South East London) and Goodmayes (East London) were also picked out for having relatively low pass rates.

A spokesperson for A-Plan Insurance told Chronicle Live that “Taking a driving test is a landmark moment in anyone’s life, and can often feel very daunting. It’s fascinating to see the considerable difference in success rates between major test centres.”

It is believed that variables, including how urbanised and congested the area around a test centre is, could be contributing to these differences.

Gas works to close major Durham road for 11 weeks One of Durham’s major through roads will be closed for 11 weeks from 3rd February due to gas works.

The A691 Framwellgate Peth, which connects North Durham Hospital to the junction by Durham Station, will be closed to eastbound traffic after the plans were approved by Durham County Council.

The works are being carried

about by Northern Gas Networks, with workers replacing the old metal pipework with long-lasting plastic pipes, designed to ensure the safe transport of gas and in the future, transport green fuels such as hydrogen.

Motor users are warned of potential delays due to increased traffic in the local area, particularly during rush hour.

Delays to buses are also expected.

6

Thursday 27th January 2022 | PALATINATE

News

University to return Japanese ‘good luck’ war flags as part of decolonisation efforts

Kathryn Ellison Investigations Editor The repatriation of two Japanese flags has been approved by the University and Library Collections Service’s Acquisitions and Disposal Panel, in collaboration with the Japanese government.

Taken as souvenirs during the Second World War, the flags will be returned to the next-of-kin of the original owners.

The two flags were taken from the body of a Japanese solider by

allied servicemen searching for souvenirs.

Known as hinomaru yosegaki (or ‘good luck’) flags, they were traditionally presented before a soldier’s deployment or induction into the military. In Japanese tradition, the flag offers communal hopes and prayers to the owner when it is unfolded.

Many relatives of Japanese casualties believed that their family member’s spirit lives within the hinomaru yosegaki. As many have no recorded grave, the return

of hinomaru yosegaki flags to the family of soldiers can be very personally significant.

The decision by the Acquisitions and Disposal panel was made following an incident in 2018, where police were called to remove several Japanese artefacts from the home of an elderly woman, who said her family had held the items for several years.

The artefacts included one of the flags and a samurai sword, which the woman feared may be used against her if it remained in

Above, then Vice-Chancellor Stuart Corbridge engages with staff on the picket line in 2019. Unlike in that year, the University under new boss Karen O’Brien has not come out against national pension scheme cuts. Below, a picketer poses for the camera (Tim Packer)

her home. They have been held in Durham’s Oriental Museum, opposite Van Mildert College, since, while the Museum attempted to contact the relatives of the deceased soldier.

Commenting at the time of the original acquisition, Oriental Museum Rachel Barclay said: “There was a tradition in Japan in the 20th century where silk flags would be signed by people, sometimes friends or family, they would then be folded very small and kept within the soldier’s uniform

as good fortune”. Announced in the 2020/21 University Library and Collections Annual Report, the repatriation of the flags was done in collaboration with the Japanese government as part of the ongoing active decolonisation work undertaken by University Libraries and Collections.

A working group within the department will be established during the current academic year to support its work around decolonisation, diversification and repatriation.

Max Kendix and Poppy Askham Editors-in-Chief

contracts”. She continued: “Time is running out for university bosses to avoid more disruption this term […] We hope vice chancellors finally see sense and address the longstanding concerns of staff. If they don’t, any disruption will be entirely their fault.”

Durham Students’ Union has backed staff industrial action this year, but it is unclear whether the support would extend to the marking boycott, which the SU voted to oppose in 2014. Palatinate understands a decision on support of the boycott will be reached in the coming week. Durham and 57 other universities faced strikes last term from 1st to 3rd December.

When industrial action was first announced Durham University told Palatinate that “our priority is now on making sure any impact to student education and staff workload is minimised. Members of the Durham community can stay up to date at our dedicated USS changes webpage, which has detailed information on the proposed changes and sector developments.”

Durham’s UCU branch did not require a reballot for the new round of action as members came out strongly in favour of strikes in the initial votes. On a 63% member turnout, almost 80% voted in favour of action over the proposed pension cuts.

The UCU argue proposed changes to the University Superannuation Scheme (USS), the sector’s principal pension benefit system, would significantly cut staff’s annual guaranteed pension and limit protection from inflation.

Industrial action also addresses the Union’s ‘four fights’: rising workloads, staff casualisation, workplace inequalities, and pay issues. The UCU has proposed a £2,500 pay rise for all staff and measures to tackle unmanageable workloads and insecure contracts.

UCU gears up for full marking boycott after February strikes

Just as Durham University’s Covid-19 restrictions ease, students are to find themselves facing more disruption this term. The University and College Union (UCU), the trade union representing academic nationally, has approved a new round of strike action in February at 68 campuses, including Durham. In the first such threat since 2014, the union also warned of a full marking and assessment boycott by members if an ongoing dispute, chiefly surrounding the changes to a staff pension scheme, is not resolved.

The Union’s higher education committee backed “sustained industrial action” last week, threatening “UK wide and regional rolling strikes” should university employer bodies fail to meet its demands. In 2006, thousands of students graduated months late as a boycott took hold during peak assessment season.

Though details have not been announced for this round of industrial action, in 2014 the union called on its members to not mark students’ work, including all formative and summative assessments, coursework, and presentations, not to communicate marks to anyone if work had already been marked, not give feedback on students’ work, and not attend any exam board meetings.

The principle also applied to all students, including those on professional courses who need to complete a certain stage of study successfully before being allowed into placement settings.

UCU General Secretary Jo Grady said the Union does not “take this action lightly” but that “university staff are tired of falling pay, cuts to pensions, unsafe workloads and the rampant use of insecure

7

PALATINATE | Thursday 27th January 2022

News

Two more student expulsions Max Kendix, Dan Hodgson and Waseem Mohamed Editor-in-Chief, News Reporter and News Editor

(Thomas Tomlinson )

Two students have been expelled from Durham University following “a serious breach” of the University’s sexual misconduct and violence policy.

The latest decisions bring the total number of student expulsions this academic year to seven, and the number of year-long exclusions to four – three of which were for sexual misconduct.

The two recent expulsions for sexual misconduct follow one previous case so far in this academic year. There were also two expulsions for breaches of Covid-19 regulations, one due to harassment of students and staff as well as a single serious criminal offense expulsion.

Two other students will face a one-year exclusion period, also for violating the sexual misconduct and violence policy. This is in addition to two students who had previously been disciplined with a one-year exclusion since September.

Since the start of the pandemic, 57 Durham students have faced

If a student breaks the law or breaches University regulations, we take swift and decisive action.

Silver Street regeneration?

Waseem Mohamed News Editor Silver Street, in Durham’s historical city centre has been the subject of debate this month, as stakeholders discuss efforts to regenerate the street following the closure of several retail outlets.

The street, which connects Framwellgate Bridge to Market Square and is one of Durham’s key shopping locations, has seen the closure of many of its retail stores during the Covid-19 pandemic, as footfall in the city dropped during lockdown periods.

Speaking to Palatinate, local historian David Simpson voiced disappointment about the direction in which Silver Street is heading. He acknowledged that “there are many great independent retail outlets in the city”, but noted that “Durham could be doing much better and at present Silver Street is a bit of an embarrassment.

“One of the problems is that the owners of empty properties may not be based locally and may not have a civic interest in the appearance or general welfare of the city.”

Simpson explained that as a result “people are frustrated because they have a pride in their home city and want answers when certain key parts of the city seem to be struggling”.

Despite these issues, Simpson remains hopeful that students could help bring about a revival for

Silver Street.

“Durham students and exstudents can be important ambassadors of the city.

“Ask questions and demand a better quality environment, and take an active role in campaigning for improvements in Durham”, he urged students.

Durham students and ex-students can be important ambassadors of the city.

Retail consultant Graham Soult was more optimistic about the street’s current status, telling The Northern Echo: “Overall, Silver Street is in a better shape now than it was early in the pandemic.”

Soult said “independents are key to the future of Durham”, helping to ensure that the city remains “a bit less ‘clone town’ and a bit more independent and diverse”.

“Many owners of vacant properties in Silver Street are actively investing in those premises.

“There is no shortage of interest from businesses wanting to open in

Durham.”

Graham Galpin, a member of the High Street Task Force, shared Soult’s optimism. He told The Northern Echo that despite the struggles faced by retaillers over the last two years, “the death of the high street has been exaggerated”.

Like Soult, Galpin cites independent businesses as the key to Silver Street’s revival, saying that “independents offer a unique service experience”.

He warned of “more tough times to come”, but said “Silver Street is in that early stage of recovery”, thanks to “great leadership in the community”.

Galpin also echoed the calls from Simpson for coffee drinkers and shoppers to play their part by “going out to support Silver Street”.

Geoff Paul, Interim Head of Housing and Development for Durham County Council, also commented on the high street’s fortunes, saying “we have contacted the owners and agents of all these units to find out their intentions for the premises.

“Enhancing the vibrancy of our high streets and bringing empty properties back into use are key aims of our Towns and Villages programme.”

To achieve this, Paul explained that the council intends to “raise the county’s profile as a tourist destination.

“It’s all about promoting County Durham as a great place to live, work, visit and invest.”

exclusions for set periods of time for breaches of Covid-19 regulations. Other disciplinary measures issued since the start of the pandemic include 2327 hours of community service. In addition, £14,598 of fines have been issued, along with a further £9,000 of suspended fines.

The Senate Discipline Committee said: “As part of our drive to ensure we create a respectful and inclusive University culture, we expect staff and students to adhere to the University’s values on behaviour and our regulations on conduct.”

“If a student breaks the law or breaches University regulations, we take swift and decisive action.

“In addition, we have committed to our community that we will promptly investigate, take action and provide support when our students disclose or report instances of sexual misconduct or violence to us.”

The Committee noted that “this approach has seen an increase in cases reported to us, but we see this as our community growing in confidence that we will act appropriately in response to such reports; and we are resolved that it will not deter us from our commitment.”

Last year, Durham University hired two former police officers as permanent investigators of misconduct, one of whom has particular experience in handling sexual violence cases. It made Durham the first UK university to have two, and one of only three – alongside Bath and Bristol – with any at all.

In an interview with Palatinate at the time, Jeremy Cook OBE, the University’s Pro-ViceChancellor for Colleges and Student Experience, said that tackling sexual violence was a key priority for the University’s Executive Committee (UEC).

“One area that we looked at as well in the University is looking at trying to speed up the process, because justice delayed is justice denied to some extent.

“The University is working really hard to increase the agility and the speed of our conduct processes.”

“It’s about being demonstrable,” Cook went on to say.

“The students tell me, ‘That’s great Jeremy, but we want to see more of that, we want to see you doing things and taking action and showing us that you mean what you say’. And for me that’s really, really important.”

From the Archives

Palatinate’s 1987 ‘cruciality test’

Whilst staff are currently gearing up for a fresh round of strikes, in November 1987, it was students instead who were considering taking to the picket line over the Great Educational Reform Bill. When passed in 1988, this legislation would bring in the national curriculum in and standardised testing in secondary schools.

8

Thursday 27th January 2022 | PALATINATE

Satire Satire Editors: Benjamin Lycett & Hannah Williams For more satire, visit www.palatinate.org.uk/category/satire

College rower’s housemates were “completely unaware” that he rowed Max Davies

Everybody is familiar with the prestigious sport of rowing.

Those brave enough to compete in the cut-throat crucible that is getting up at 5am to complain about the cold, complaining about their sore hands in even the most demanding of situations, and complaining about going to ‘ergs’ every other day to get sweaty with ten topless men and have another very small, very angry man shout at them, have certainly earned our admiration and respect.

All would agree that the sacrifices these valiant individuals make elevate mankind to a higher plane of existence and remind us that life is, in fact, beautiful.

It is therefore the least we can do to recognise these accomplishments.

These rowers, after a hard day of willingly subjecting themselves to a sport they apparently hate, need – nay,

Student theatre production ‘LFT and me’ nominated for Palme d’Or prize

This prestigious award at the Cannes film festival is an outstanding achievement for student theatre – reviewers say the production is ‘thrilling and suspenseful’ and ‘a love story that will take your breath away’.

The popularity of the production among students is said to be due to a policy meaning they all had to go see it at least 48 hours before they did any other university activity

Conservatives book Jimmys for work event Jimmy Allen's will be closed to the public this week due to a government work event.

One MP claimed that the Woodgates help them “think seriously about issues,” like “where are my keys?” and “who has a cig I could borrow?”

A further MP commented that ‘Angels’ by Robbie Williams is “an absolute tune.”

deserve – to tell the world of their service.

“A simple “I’m off to ergs” or “sorry, I’ve got to be up early tomorrow for an outing” would have been enough” laments Charlotte, housemate of Axel McMann, a college rower who failed to mention to any of the people closest to him that he had been rowing for his college for over two weeks. “We simply had no idea” remarked Jeremy, another shocked friend of Axel’s who spoke to Satire about this extraordinary occurrence.

The testimony of Axel’s housemates paints a grizzly picture of a man who had been suffering in silence for the better part of a month.

When asked about how this possibly could have happened, Axel stoically told this reporter that he “just enjoys the sport” and “didn’t see any reason to mention it”.

Eliza Steel, a rower currently serving in her seventh tour of the UK regatta circuit, explained to us the consequences that such needless heroism could have on

Delighted to announce student causes UK wide LinkedIn system crash

This came after the student posted of their 32 spring insight weeks, 25 vacation schemes and 18 job offers, including but not limited to: all magic circle law firms, their dad’s friend of a friend’s investment bank and a handful of consulting firms.

Congrats to them!

New political party on the scene New party. This Sunday. Same place as usual (Boris' newly built basement club beneath Downing Street).Downing Street this Sunday. Positive Covid test required for entry.

Also, no snitches allowed. You know what they say: snitches get a stern telling off.

Creator of the study space booking system awarded OBE The honours were rightly awarded for ‘outstanding contribution to public efficiency and technical progress'.

Palatinate Satire

a person’s psyche. “To bottle up all that pain, and to hide from the world all that you have done on its behalf, is unprecedented and highly concerning”.

“It could lead to sudden outbursts of genuine personality, and even entire conversations which have nothing to do with rowing”, Steel continued, visibly shaken by Axel’s reckless behaviour.

Axel’s housemates have been working in cooperation with the wider rowing community to ensure that this will never happen to another rower again.

The DCR announced that any person who has been rowing for their college for more than 24 hours will be obligated to wince when applying hand sanitiser and remark “I hate doing this, it always gets into my blisters”.

There are rumours that a ‘two strike system’, requiring rowers to cancel at least two nights out a week to make outings, as well as a rule mandating the wearing of a college splash jacket in any public setting, are also in the works, and are to be rolled out later this month.

Don’t look up

Student left unable to look above desk level after working on laptop for 120 hours straight.

Tories' decision to defund BBC was "to protect public from Mrs Brown's Boys" The government and the baffling decision to announced nearly two keep recommissioning 'Have weeks ago that it would be I Got News For You' - which, freezing the BBC's funding we are led to believe, has and abolishing the license been running since shortly fee. This comes as dreadful after William the Conquerors news for angry, bored coronation.

However, one reason for elderly men as they have one less thing to get riled persecution of the BBC stuck out as the most noble reason up about.

The Guardian reported - the desire to kill off 'Mrs that the decision was Brown's Boys'.

"We thought it'd be funny to briefed to the media as part keep commissioning of a plan to shore up it, just to piss public support for "We people off," Boris thought it said the Johnson, who was funny to piss spokesperson, has recently mournfully, shown he people off, but we "but now we is not the now realise we unrealise the level-headed, true evil of our compassionate leashed evil" actions." genius we all To ensure that thought he was. the show "stays dead", In a lengthy press briefing, a spokesperson for the spokesperson noted that the government outlined Brendon O'Carroll had been the reasons for the decision. executed at the order of the These include some pretty Queen, to protect her country. obvious ones like the failure "I did it by my own hand", her of new streaming platform majesty told us, "I just had 'Britbox', the anti-climactic to be sure he was definitely series finale of 'Line of Duty' gone."

Buy college charity fashion show tickets TODAY This year's college’s fashion show is being held in aid of world peace.

Head online to book your place at exactly 2:03am TODAY if you don't want to miss out on the biggest event in Durham's social calendar. Tickets will sell out in approximately 0.8 seconds, so please make sure to have multiple members of your group each purchase a table. This way, the extra tables can be sold for profit on Overheard the next day.

Tables of 27 must be organised prior to purchase, at a minimum cost per head of only £345 (this does not include alcohol). Tickets include snacks (sliced melon, mini hot dogs and millionaire shortbread) and merch (one branded waterbottle each)!

Tables come in three tiers:

Gold: You will be sat crosslegged on the stage.

Silver: Your table - carried all the way from your hill college’s canteen to our towncentre venue especially for the occassion - will have prime view of all the night's thrilling events.

Bronze: your table will be on the street next to the venue (be sure to bring your fashion show sponsored puffer jackets to keep warm!).

On top of that, all tickets include exclusive access to our ‘meet the models’ event held the week before the show at a the cheapest club we could rent. Here, you will be able to ‘meet’ your first-year roommate, who has decided that anthropology is not for her and that she would rather get

scouted for IMG models.

On the actual night of the show, you will get the extreme privilege of watching the people you choose not to talk to in college walk down a makeshift stage in your least favourite club.

The highlight of the evening is, of course, our beloved underwear walk of the. Get ready to see the boy you regrettably shagged in freshers' week strut his stuff in a pair of Calvin's (reminding you that he still has remarkably hairless legs). You might even meet your very own Prince William – there will be boys with trust funds and receding hairlines aplenty!

So splash out, buy a ticket!

Charity has never looked this hot. The ticket won’t even look that expensive in comparison to the cost of the therapy you'll need afterwards.

Comment 9

PALATINATE | Thursday 27th January 2022

What do rising living costs mean for students?

Millie Adams

T

his year’s intake of Durham University undergraduates was even larger than the year before. Inflated ‘Covid grades’ and a growing demand for higher education has seen the student housing market become all the more competitive. This has undoubtedly been welcomed by landlords, who have pushed up rent. Indeed, this year Palatinate found evidence of prices jumping by as much as £25 per person (pppw), within a year in Gilesgate, and £20 in the Viaduct.

Such a rise in student living costs can be observed throughout recent years and is the responsibility of the University as much as it is private landlords. College residence fees rose by 3.5% at the start of the 2019/20 academic year, and a further 2.9% at the start of last academic year. Although this year’s fees for standard rooms have not been increased, this small mercy does not change the fact that today’s prices are the result of ten years of inflation.

The University’s example encourages private landlords to follow suit and push prices up each year. The University could be viewed as seeming to prioritise profits, which recent strikes and a refusal to reduce fees, in order to compensate for the way in which the student experience and higher

Such financial burdens invariably affect students from workingclass backgrounds more

education was affected by the pandemic, may further suggest.

Rising rent is, unfortunately, not the only financial hit students will face this year. 2022 brings with it the promise of an energy crisis worse than any brought on by a 9am lecture. On April 1st, Ofgem, the energy regulator for the United Kingdom, is due to raise the price cap on energy bills, despite it already being at a record high of £1,277. Keeping warm will come at a higher price for students next winter.

Such financial burdens invariably affect students from working-class backgrounds more and it is the responsibility of the Government and universities to ensure that rising living costs do not disadvantage these students.

Although maintenance loans have maintained their real value since 2016/17, Government reports have nevertheless revealed concern that ‘it is not enough to cover student living costs.’ If they acknowledge this is not enough, the Government must find solutions to the financial concerns of its student population.

Increasing the student loans that burden graduates, however, is not necessarily the appropriate response. Recent research carried out by stockbroker, Interactive Investor, has compared the cost of living for 30-year-olds in 1991 and 2021; whilst wages appear similar at first (the average salary of a 30-year-old in 1991 was £31,239,

in today’s money, whilst in 2021 it was £31,772) this changes once the cost of student debt is factored in.

It was recorded that taking this into consideration docks wages by around £1,100 a year. Delaying the financial burden of university is not the solution.

What the Government owes its student population is affordable student housing, subsidised if necessary, an energy market that

The student will foot the bill

is regulated with appropriate price caps, and a reduction in tuition fees. With recent cuts to universal credit, we cannot expect this Government to be sympathetic.

Such neglect, however, undermines ‘widening participation’ strategies and comes at a severe cost, and it is the student, of course, who will foot the bill.

(Rosie Bromiley)

More must be done to increase diversity in STEM Sophie Sherratt

I

t is a well-known fact that people of colour are underrepresented in STEM, whether within the education system, or within the workforce. What is more concerning, however, is that this fact is not changing. It is a worrying statistic that the number of Black and African individuals graduating from undergraduate engineering degrees is 3.9%, compared to 59.3% of white students.

The starting point for exploring this statistic is at the secondary and higher education level. The largest factor evident for explaining why Black individuals are less likely to study STEM-related subjects at school is due to socioeconomic factors. Such factors cause high dropout rates, or a lower quality of education. In a survey conducted in 2017 by PEW Research Centre, it was found that 52% of Black and Hispanic STEM employees believed

Sadly, this is a factor that will not alter until real change

that their inability to access a high-quality education was the reason for the lack of diversity in their fields. However, if this is evidently a pattern that has been forming over the past decade, reducing the number of Black people in STEM, one inevitably questions why nothing has been done to spark change.

This change could include addressing issues of income for Black families across the United Kingdom, or altering criteria for entrance into higher quality schools. By making such changes, the United Kingdom would increase opportunity and level the playing field for all, regardless of race.

Until this happens, further change is unlikely to occur within schools and universities.

According to Egalite and Kisida, students are more likely to perceive teachers of the same race and ethnicity as role models. However, considering that in 2020 0.3% of professors were Black in the UK, students lack clear scholastic role models. Thus, the lack of diversity in STEM becomes a

cycle; the absence of Black professors creates a lack of role models for children in STEM subjects, therefore perpetuating the deficiency of qualified black individuals who are able to teach STEM at universities.

Yet issues of underrepresentation in STEM go beyond this; in both the education system and workplace, Black individuals have come forward to speak of the discrimination they have faced from peers. Although many defend their actions as intended to be harmless, this does not take away from the discrimination Black people nonetheless face, whether it is intended negatively, or not.

One of the biggest forms of discrimination faced by people of colour in the workplace is microaggressions (these are the everyday, subtle slights or insults directed towards a minority group).

Examples of verbal microaggressions that may occur in the workplace include: ‘where are you really from?’, or mispronouncing/shortening

The lack of diversity in STEM becomes a cycle

names that are deemed ‘too hard to say’. Although to some, these comments may appear to be without issue, they create a detachment between the ‘normalised’ white employees and the ‘othered’ minority employees.

The simplest solution to rectify this would be to educate a workforce on what varying types of discrimination can look like, preventing the uncomfortable treatment of Black colleagues.

Furthermore, the students who do pursue such subjects despite these barriers and go into a STEM related workforce may experience imposter syndrome, considering the low number of Black individuals who are also present.

This is especially difficult for Black women in STEM, who often face self-doubt over their position in such a field because of their gender and race. Sadly, this is a factor that will not alter until real change takes place. An apt place to start with solving this problem would be teaching students of the importance of diversity at both an educational and workplace level to promote inclusivity.

10

Thursday 27th January 2022 | PALATINATE

Comment

Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss: is feminism in trouble?

Harvey Joyce

M Are the Government policies in children's best interests ? (Number 10 via Flickr)

Better Health campaign: a facilitator of unhealthy food relationships?

Holly Downes

T

he coronavirus pandemic has fuelled a large increase in child obesity, with 27.7% of children a t reception school age are now categorised as overweight, we are in an era where the UK has the highest rates of childhood obesity in Europe.

Yet, whilst this statistic is highly alarming, it sadly comes as no shock.

Being locked within the four walls of our homes has meant children’s impressively active lifestyles came to a sharp halt – no more energetic school runs, violent games of tag at playtime and hour-long swimming lessons. Instead, a child’s daily routine became a mixture of struggling to sit at desks for more than ten minutes for online school, spending too many hours playing with their brand new Nintendo Switches, and continually raiding the sweet-treat cupboard out of sheer boredom.

As the government would prefer not to have this negative statistic tied to the country, they recently launched a 'Better Health' campaign which strives to improve the health of the younger generation. Creating the NHS food-scanner app which allows parents to control their children’s diets, it includes a ‘scan, swipe and swap’ feature which allows parents to simply ‘scan’ foods and choose from a selection of alternative choices marked with a ‘Good Choice’ badge.

By signposting healthier options in line with the government’s dietary recommendations, the days where you could freely throw chocolate croissants, sugary cereals, and packets of Haribos into your shopping trolley are long gone. Instead, these ‘unhealthy’ options are replaced with wholewheat cereals, no-added-sugar options, and every fruit imaginable – a nightmare for the majority of children who turn up their noses at the prospect of eating an apple.

At first glance, the ‘better’ health scheme seems a hopeful attempt to prevent this statistic from rising.

Simply substituting your usual Walkers crisps multipack purchase with a wholegrain crisp option seems a small change, but such choices can, in the long run, prevent children from

being burdened with painful tooth decay, heart disease and diabetes later in life. And as the last thing we want is a younger generation bombarded with detrimental health issues due to their poorly structured diets, this app appears effective in reducing such a disheartening outcome.

However, lying within the NHS food-scanner app lies an arguably more disheartening outcome — the development of an unhealthy relationship with food. With the app urging parents to swap their usual ‘unhealthy’ foods with ‘healthy’ foods, this strictly categorises food as ‘good’ and ‘bad’, a categorisation that is deeply problematic.

Every food provides nutrition and sustenance regardless of what the alarming red nutrition labels tell us – occasionally treating your children to Dominoes on a Friday night will not automatically cause them to develop diabetes. Yet, this app creates a hyper-focus on dieting, where pizza becomes categorically unwholesome and therefore a food that should be completely avoided.

By demonising whole food groups, families are forced into a restrictive diet where toxic habits develop within the home – habits that are sadly but inevitably re-enacted by young children.

This process prevents children from having a balanced diet, a lacking balance which can plummet children into harmful eating habits further down the line. As parents begin to remove packets of Haribos from their child’s diet, when they become older and have free reign over their diets, they will only indulge in these restricted food groups. Constantly being fed healthier alternatives and restricting enjoyable foods is not balanced – it is a harmful process that will only facilitate this statistic in the future.

Instead, this app should urge parents to find such balance. Yes, you can choose to give your child the whole grain cereal over the chocolate croissant for breakfast, but you should not completely wipe out chocolate from their diet.

Allowing children to moderately indulge in food they enjoy only means a long-term healthy relationship with food will be developed – something which will always be more important than a short-term weight loss plan.

olly-Mae Hague, influencer and Love Island contestant, caused a storm recently by proclaiming “We all have the same 24 hours in a day” on a podcast, ‘Diary of a CEO’, about her career. She has recently signed a £500,000 deal with fashion retailer PrettyLittleThing and is now working as the firm's creative director. Hague’s comments have received an immense amount of backlash on social media.

One can easily point out the 'tone deaf' and ‘Thatcheresque’ problems in Hague’s points.

Simply saying “if you want something enough you can achieve it” completely ignores the different socioeconomic backgrounds everyone faces.

Trying to promote the idea that someone can just ‘positively think their way out of poverty’ ignores the systematic policies governments choose to enact on impoverished people, which is completely out of their control. In addition, her words seem ignorant as she doesn’t reflect on her own privileges of being from a white, middleclass background.

These comments have caused further outrage, due to the controversies surrounding PrettyLittleThing and the fast fashion industry. Sunday Times investigations have exposed the retailer for poor working conditions and for paying their garment workers in Leicester only £3.50 per hour. It would be facetious to believe that the only difference between MollyMae and her garment workers is a positive mindset. This is a corrupt system that MollyMae benefits from and now represents.

She has now apologised for her comments, saying her words were meant to “inspire”, not antagonise. Compared to her fellow contestants on Love Island, she has achieved a lot more than them, so to trivialise her success as ‘just luck’ would be incorrect.

It’s also important to note that the majority of the other guests on this podcast say similar things to her, yet they are not criticised as harshly.

I believe we are seeing a new paradigm shift in how we view successful women and girlboss feminism in general.

She didn’t break the glass ceiling, she just coated it in pink paint

The story of the girlboss is interesting. In the early 2010s, the term became synonymous with ‘hustle culture’, the hyperoptimistic devotion to get ahead of the curve, and look good doing it. Yet over the past couple of years, this empowering idea has become subject to memes and mockery, “Gaslight. Gatekeep.

Girlboss”, this compliment is now an insult.

The problem with the girlboss is that she didn’t break the glass ceiling, she just coated it in pink paint. The commodification of f e m i n i s m encouraged by the concept, meant that it became

another cog in our capitalist society, doing nothing to change the system whilst creating its own toxic practices and work culture. Eventually, everyone became fatigued and more critical.So the girlboss has left the building. But where is she going?

A great article by Emmeline Cline, titled “The Smartest Women I Know Are All Dissociating”, explores this problem, ex,=plaining that the demise of the girlboss and the “‘Run the World (Girls)’ feminism… of plaintive begging and swaggering confidence” didn’t leave the desired impact. So now we “seem to be interiorizing our existential aches and angst, smirking knowingly at them, and numbing ourselves to maintain our nonchalance. Let’s call it dissociation feminism.”

This ‘dissociation feminism’ has become popular in a lot of recent media such as tv shows like Fleabag (2016) and Euphoria (2019) as well as books like My Year of Rest and Relaxation (2018). There is a glamorisation of self-destruction within their female characters.

The issue of the nihilistic perspective is that it is unproductive and dangerous.

“Giving up on progress is the epitome of white feminism”, this mindset is a refuge, only for people who disproportionately benefit from other structural inequalities, namely wealthy white women.

Dissociation feminism is tearing down girlboss feminism but it doesn’t seek to dismantle the systems of oppression both share. The Molly-Mae controversy is only a small facet of a wider cultural shift. But are these shifts beneficial for everyone, or simply the wealthy, white women already at the top?

It is difficult to tell what the ne It ‘wave’ of feminism will look like, but it will have a major impact on how we view feminist successes and failures.

(Raph_PH via Flickr)

11

PALATINATE | Thursday 27th January 2022

Comment

The UK is failing refugees

In breaching its international law obligations, the UK is damaging its reputation at home and abroad

Madeline Ballay

The British Houses of Parliment are a supposed symbol of democracy. (Maurice via Flickr)

Is Britain's proud democracy under threat?

Dite Bagdonaite

B

oris Johnson’s desire to be world king has been evident since his career began at The Daily Telegraph. His time spent stirring up Euroscepticism for the paper meant Johnson was ripe for his ensuing course towards demagoguery.

Ever the opportunist, Boris Johnson utilised his formidable intelligence — apparently displayed in his notorious ability to write in Latin and Greek concurrently — to paint himself the ‘everyman’.

Since then, he has managed to amalgamate a cabinet of likeminded individuals; to capitalise on the nation’s democratic fatigue, to utilise its sleepiness to masquerade their power hungry ambitions and erosion of civil liberties.

A precursory glance through the Prime Minister’s Wikipedia page identifies at least three distinct ‘controversies’ since 2021. The latest in the pantomime-worthy ‘partygate’ has been a flagrant exercise of the autocratic attempt to eliminate accountability; case in point, Simon Case was ousted as head of investigations because his own offices appear to have been a venue of festivities.

Juan Linz’s seminal work ‘Modernism and Totalitarianism’ serves as a step-by-step guide by which to condemn Boris Johnson’s government.

Nonetheless, he is only developing the trend towards autocracy, a trend facilitated by the global air of despondency and disillusionment since the 2008 crash. Linz articulated the limitation of political pluralism as a warning sign. It is clear that, for the Conservatives, this stems from within – former MP for Bath, Ben Howlett, launched accusations that one of the Conservative whips

blackmailed him with the threat of withholding funds from his constituency if he did not toe the party line on Brexit. It is Johnson's sense of theatre as well as his , ruthlessness, which has given the appearance that he is starting to display autocratic behaviour. He is following a two-step programme of consolidating groupthink within his ranks before channelling efforts outwards.

Johnson's government appears to be developing a trend towards autocracy Counterintuitively perhaps, this week the House of Lords has, once again, proven itself to be an unlikely guarantor of liberty.

Often decried as out of touch and unelected, it is essentially curbing the power many British people farcically elected based on wanting everyone unlike them to be worse off – “Restrict the rights of immigrants, refugees, Romany people, but not us”; the belief that the government would not leave its own citizens stateless has been clearly undermined by the Nationality and Borders Bill.

In voting against much of the substance of the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, the Lords have not only protected the right of protestors not to be arbitrarily stopped and searched, but have also made a compelling case for their value to a democratic society.

There is also another deeply

concerning feature of Johnson’s governance: the idea of ‘jobs for the boys’.

This has underpinned the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic thus far, through covert deals where quality control is eluded based on whom you know. 47 companies were awarded PPE contracts, with Matt Hancock administering four and bouncer-turned-aideturned-whistle-blower Dominic Cummings managing one.

The High Court found that ‘opportunities were treated as high priority even where there were no objectively justifiable grounds for expediting the offer’, perhaps a polite way of saying Pestfix and Ayanda products could not even be used by the NHS because of defects.

It should be cause for concern that the High Court challenge to these VIP contract lanes had to be crowd-funded.

Boris Johnson and his precedent Conservative governments have aggressively played into the depiction of Judges as ‘enemies of the people’; they are fervently and constantly seeking to restrict judicial review of conduct such as PPE mismanagement.

At present, the government’s Interpretation Bill is a Lovecraftian horror — it remains to be seen whether it will be a despotic curtailing of ministerial accountability or an amorphous, unworkable entity.

It has, however, been demonstrated unequivocally that Boris Johnson fears the efficacy of unelected bodies in pointing out his tendencies to edge towards autocracy. Once again, our democracy has had to turn to the unlikely allies against populism, the House of Lords and the High Court.

2

022 marks ten years since Theresa May announced the Home Office’s policy of making Britain a “really hostile environment for illegal immigrants”. This included cutting the undocumented off from public services, making it impossible for them to rent safe accommodation and preventing them from legally working.

Since then, successive Conservative governments have solidified May’s pledge through a series of Immigration Acts (2014 and 2016), which have failed to deter new arrivals — the stated object of May’s policy.

The Nationality and Borders Bill, currently before the House of Lords, is the government’s latest attempt to overhaul what it calls our “dysfunctional asylum system”. Few would disagree that this system does require significant reform, however the overwhelming criticism of the Bill from commentators across the spectrum suggests that the legislation would fail to achieve its stated objectives.

It would also break the UK’s longstanding commitments under international law as a signatory of the 1951 and 1967 Refugee Convention and the resulting international backlash has been fierce and steady.

In a document published in October 2021, the UNHCR explicitly stated that “the Bill would deny recognised refugees rights that are guaranteed to them under the Refugee Convention and international law”. In the context of the Home Office’s championing of the “pushback” tactic, wherein small boats crossing the Channel are repelled into French waters, serious questions need to be asked about this country’s commitment to the defence of human rights and the application of international law.

Such blatant disregard towards the UK’s historic international obligations jars with its selfcongratulatory rhetoric with regards to its Afghan evacuation achievement.

Boris Johnson described Operation Pitting, which saw the evacuation of 15 000 people last August, as “one of the outstanding military achievements of the last fifty years”. However, five months after the Taliban takeover of Kabul, with the situation in Afghanistan becoming

increasingly bleak, Home Office lawyers continue to defend Afghan asylum refusals before the Immigration Appeal Tribunal, on the basis that it is ‘safe’ to return.

Further to this, the lauded Afghan Citizen’s Resettlement Scheme has still not opened, and procedural details on its practical application remain limited.

The government has thus taken the stance that returning asylum seekers to active warzones is defensible. The UK has come to rely on sporadic humanitarian achievements and claims to a proud history of refugee and human rights protection to defend itself against accusations of failing the international community, when ultimately what is needed is a consistent, evidence-based immigration policy.

In this month’s Law Society Gazette, an article drew attention to the political posturing represented by the Nationality and Borders Bill. It foresees “years of litigation” in response to the unenforceable nature of the proposed legislation.

Not only is it detrimental to the government’s domestic credibility to champion reform that it knows is impracticable, but a tremendous waste of tax-payers’ money.

This point might appear to have a primarily domestic impact, but it is worth questioning how the UK can expect to be considered a reliable member of the international community when it continues to promote policies detrimental to dialogue with key partners in the regulation of migration, such as France and the EU. The Bill states that “people should claim asylum in the first safe country they arrive in”, externalising Britain’s obligations to refugees within its jurisdiction to third nations. In leaving the EU, the UK renounced the Dublin Regulation which had provided a framework within which asylum seekers could be returned to the ‘first safe’ European country they passed through. No settlement has been reached since then to encourage international cooperation.

Out of forty-two European countries, Britain is the 21st in its number of refugees and asylum-seekers per capita, far behind the likes of Greece and Germany. Britain is failing to share the international burden for displaced people. Instead, it would shamelessly break its commitments to international law, dismantle key checks and balances in its judiciary and criminalise tional law.

12

Thursday 27th January 2022 | PALATINATE

Profile

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer “I was Environment Rep at Chad’s”

Ethan Sanitt interviews the politician about universities, her time at Durham, and what she would like to achieve as co-leader of the UK’s fastest-growing political party

L

ast October, world leaders and thousands of delegates travelled to Glasgow for COP26. Joe Biden appeared to fall asleep during the opening speeches. Boris Johnson talked about it being “one minute to midnight”. And then, after a couple of weeks of negotiations, a deal was finally agreed on the 13th of November: the “Glasgow Climate Pact”, a compromise which will reduce estimated global heating from 2.7C to (a still high) 2.4C. According to Carla Denyer, the co-leader of the Green Party and Durham alumna (2005-2009), COP26 was a “colossal wasted opportunity”.

“The agreement failed to get us on track to 1.5C and is woefully short on providing support to the Global South, protecting future generations or safeguarding the natural world.” Despite this, Denyer adds that “the legacy of this COP doesn’t need to be a failure.

‘This is the crucial decade to stop catastrophic climate change and we cannot let a lack of leadership at COP26 stop us in our tracks now.”

Profile spoke to Denyer about what policies the Green Party are advocating for instead, and what Denyer has thought of Boris Johnson’s leadership.

Were you involved in politics while at Durham?

Not party politics, but I was involved in campaigns on issues — mostly climate change and peace.

In my third year I was elected as Environment Rep on St Chad’s College JCR. I used that role to lobby the College’s management to provide recycling bins in student bedrooms — it was frankly incredible that in 2007-08 they weren’t yet doing so. I was able to persuade them through a series of meetings and by presenting a briefing that showed that not only was it easy, but it would save the college money in the long run by reducing the amount of waste they sent to landfill. I went on to win the DSU ‘Student Environmental Champion of the Year’ award for my efforts.

In retrospect it was kind of crazy for me to take on that big chunk of voluntary work while also completing my final years.

But I enjoyed the variety and motivation of working on both my Engineering final year project and this environmental project. They say ‘a change is as good as a rest’ and that was definitely the case for me.

The 2019 Green Party manifesto pledged to redefine University courses “as learning experiences, not as pre-work training.

Education will be for education’s sake”. What would this look like?

How would University courses change in line with this policy?

Higher Education should enable a democratisation of knowledge and skills which are available to anyone who wants to study for a degree regardless of their age, means or background.

A Green Party Minister for Higher Education would support universities to recognise their responsibility to foster independent and critical thought, to ensure access to university for all social groups, and to seek the participation of the local community in the life of the university. That means that your courses might better prepare you for life, not just for your first job. Your coursemates would come from more diverse backgrounds, and the gap between ‘town and gown’ could soften so that you get to know Durham locals better.

We would commit to lower staff/student ratios, meaning that lecturers and tutors would have more time to support you when you need help.

We would require universities to pay staff fairly, including no more than a 10:1 pay ratio between the highest and lowest paid staff, and end the casualisation of the workforce which means that many junior lecturers are stuck without any job security.

To achieve this, the Greens would provide more funding for Higher Education – to at least the EU average level. We would cancel Student Loan Company debt, and maintenance loans would be replaced with grants.

This would mean that

universities would no longer have to pursue the harmful ‘grow or die’ business model linked to chasing lucrative tuition fees, and could instead focus on providing a quality education for its own sake.

You said, on Any Questions, that “our out of date electoral system in this country is … broken”. How would you fix this?

The voting system used in Westminster elections is called ‘First Past the Post’. It is an unfair system where the number of MPs and the amount of power that each party gets is not proportional to the number of votes they get. In the last election, on average the Conservatives only needed 38,000 votes per MP seat, whereas the Greens needed over 800,000. And at a national level the Conservatives won just 44% of the votes, but got 56% of the seats, and 100% of the power in Government.

Our electoral system is embarrassingly out of date. There is only one other country in Europe that still uses First Past the Post —

Belarus — literally a corrupt dictatorship.

The solution is to switch to a proportional voting system. There are a few options, but the best system for Westminster elections is known as AV+, where electors have two votes — one for their constituency MP, and one for their favourite party. This ensures that everyone has a local MP to represent specific local issues, but each party’s representation is ‘topped up’ if needed on a regional basis using the results of the party vote, so that the number of MPs matches the number of votes.

Frustratingly, the barrier to the UK switching to a fairer voting system is that both the Conservatives and Labour support this old and unfair system. That’s particularly disappointing because every other social democrat party in Europe supports fair votes, except the UK Labour Party.

But the good news is that recently one of the big Labouraffiliated unions has changed its policy. Unions have a big influence on Labour Party policy, so is change in the air? I hope so.

You’ve recently described Boris Johnson as “a threat to public health”. What did you mean by this? How would you describe the Conservative government’s handling of the pandemic?

How would you like to change the Green Party while you are coleader? What policies would you like to amend or add to the Party’s manifesto?

Leadership of the Green Party is not like that of others. Our members are our lifeblood — they set our direction, decide our policy and choose our leaders — one member, one vote. So unlike other parties, I don’t have the power to unilaterally change policies on a whim, and that’s a good thing.

We are using our job as co-leaders to inspire, to organise, to reach out, and to collaborate

I have, on the other hand, frequently used my power as an ordinary member, before and since being The government’s hypocrisy — elected as co-leader, to propose represented by the Prime Minister motions. and other senior figures repeatedly For instance, in 2020 I cofailing to follow their own rules — is proposed three policies that were undermining trust in public health adopted at our party conference — and science. Because of their mixed on decarbonising transport, a ban messages and hypocrisy, it may now on the advertising of high carbon be harder for health professionals goods and services (similar to the to persuade everyone that these ban on tobacco ads), and supporting measures are important. self-declaration of gender for trans On top of that, his prevarication and non-binary people. at every stage in the pandemic, When Adrian Ramsay and I were his reluctance to take necessary elected as co-leaders in October, it public health measures at was on a platform of building the the time they would party into a powerful electoral force, have had most to win power and influence in every benefit, meant corner of England and Wales so that the pandemic was we can transform society to create a worse in the UK brighter future for everyone. than in many We are using our job as co-leaders other countries. to inspire, to organise, to reach out, Let’s be clear and to collaborate. We sit on the what that means Green Party Executive so we do have - it means more ‘traditional’ leadership/executive people catching responsibilities too — setting Covid-19, more strategy and agreeing the budget people ending for example — but we share our up in hospital, power and work together with party and of course members to achieve our shared more deaths. goals. To me, that’s what leadership (@Joncraig_Photos) should really be.

13

Thursday 27th January 2022 | PALATINATE

SciTech

A sorcerer’s manual to the multiverse Leo Li Before sci-fi writers and Marvel’s founding fathers began exploiting the (meta-)physics of the multiverse, physicists and cosmologists — atavistically resembling their Greek philosophising counterparts — had already conceived of this dangerous notion. The fictional pens gave the multiverse its name and fame, but the empirical minds imbued reality and possibility into what otherwise would be considered lunacy and sorcery.

Multiverse (n.): a group of universes which contains our Observable Universe. Cosmologists taxonomise universes in subgroups — like Max Tegmark’s four levels and Brian Greene’s nine types — according to different multiverse theories. Notable theories are the Big Bubble, the many-worlds and M-theory. Before examining some of these theories, let us first revisit the history of our Cosmos. In the

A group of universes which contains our observable universe

(Adeline Zhao)

beginning the Cosmos created space and time. It had existed as a Big Bang singularity before, one in which the laws of physics break down.

Then, from unity sprang out one after another the four fundamental forces: gravity, the strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear force, and electromagnetism.

Gravity is the only one out of these four horsemen which disobeys the principles of quantum mechanics, the darkness that governs the microscopic, and instead allies with general relativity, the light that governs the macroscopic. The darkness and the light disagree with each other. The darkness dominated before the light came about. In the first 10-43 seconds after the Big Bang known as the Planck era, the cosmos was a fathomless sea of quantum fluctuations. Afterwards, along with the Light came the Inflationary Era, which occurred 10-36 seconds after the Big Bang. In the span of 10-32 seconds, our observable universe expanded exponentially

in spacetime and became the flat universe we are familiar with today, only devoid of galaxies, stars and our little blue planet. Inflation ceased at the 10-32-second mark, but our observable universe’s spherical causal boundary — the cosmological horizon — continues expanding even now, constantly being pioneered by photons emitted 14 billion years ago.

How does the multiverse fit into this narrative then? Well, it doesn’t fit in, but out! Our bubble of universe is named the observable universe precisely because we cannot see what lies beyond its cosmological horizon. Light signals beyond the horizon, travelling at max speed c, are undetectable. We are cursed by the second postulate of relativity, blinded to what lurks in the unobservable cosmos. It can be infinitely many bubble universes similar to ours. Every one of them is like a snow globe which contains a cosmological habitat governed by a different set of physical laws. They are a product of eternal inflation, a proposal that inflation never ceased at the 10-32-second mark, but has only been shredding off anomalous and self-contained fractal-volumes of bubble universes, none of which participate in the exponential expansion ever again.

Another more quantum mechanical theory imagines universes in the multiverse landscape as forking rivulets instead of dissociated bubbles: the many-worlds theory. Near-perfectly encapsulated by the Marvel TV series Loki, the Multiverse River encounters a branch point at an event which has multiple outcomes.

Instead of classical determinism, quantum mechanics’ principle of superposition — the ‘lunacy’ Schrödinger introduced in the infamous 1952 Dublin lecture — dictates that all outcomes occur all at once. Exempted from the manipulation of Marvel's Time Variance Authority, parallel rivulet

Another theory imagines universes in the multiverse landscape as forking rivulets instead of dissociated bubbles

universes are constantly created.

Some physicists view the Big Bubble theory as a redundancy or a self-explanatory component to the many-eorlds interpretation. Bubble universes, rather than being paper cut-out copies, are organic, fluid variants of each other, like living cells undergoing reproductions and mutations.

Superseding general relativity and quantum mechanics is (super-) string theory, which gives birth to the notoriously abstract M-theory.

In this theory, constituent elementary particles up to entire composite universes are contained in branes, a hyper-dimensional abstraction which ushers in extra dimensions.

The cosmos, at the end of the day, would have 9 spatial + 1 temporal = 10 dimensions. It has more than enough spacetime to encapsulate our 4D (3 spatial + 1 temporal) observable universe, and thus could accommodate many other universes existing in different dimensions.

Notwithstanding the plethora of possibilities, the multiverse theory is embroiled in much controversy for our inability to either empirically validate or falsify it. Its metaphysical edge, though of great novelistic value, provokes many scientific purists who predicate their theories solely on empirical inductions and logical deductions.

However exciting it is to see beyond our universe’s horizons, it is crucial we look within them for evidence to the multiverse.

Studying what exactly occurred during and before Inflation could be the critical spell to transmute mysticism into robust scientific enquiries.

After all, any sufficiently confounding cosmic mystery is indistinguishable from magic; what demystifies sorcery, or elevates it through understanding, is a venturing and enquiring passion for the unknown.

The remarkable trailblazing botanist who sweetened sugar Chloe Ellison Edavaleth Kakkat Janaki Ammal was a woman of firsts. She was India’s first female botanist and the first female scientist to be awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Madras (now Chennai).

She taught at the Women’s Christian College in Madras, and before long she was awarded the prestigious Barbour Scholarship to study at the University of Michigan.

There, she earned her master’s degree and in 1931, Ammal was one of the first women to receive

a doctorate in the USA. In 1934, Ammal joined the Sugarcane Breeding Institute of India. She was a pioneer in creating hybrids of sugarcane.

At this time India imported sugar, despite the many indigenous species, because they were not sweet enough. Ammal’s work on Saccharum officinarum, a sugarcane originated in New Guinea, revolutionised India’s crops and solved its sugarcane crisis. Throughout her life, Janaki defied many societal norms, including being a woman of colour in science and never marrying.

She enjoyed working with other female scientists from other Asian countries as she noted in letters

to her sister: "It is my dream to send some Indian girls to study in China and Japan and have girls from these countries to come to our country". In her later years, Ammal became a prominent environmental activist. The Indian government planned to flood a vast tropical forest in Kerala to build a hydroelectric power plant.

Ammal, then 80 years old, led a movement to call for the preservation of this land.

She succeeded and the Silent Valley National Park in Kerala is now home to lion-tailed macaques, endangered orchids, and there are several indigenous tribal groups that live within park boundaries, whose communities are protected.

(Ashwini Chaudhary, Unsplash)

14

Thursday 27th January 2022 | PALATINATE

SciTech

Durham research Successful launch of the James Webb Space Telescope Lauryn Tapper At 12:20 GMT on Christmas Day 2021, possibly the most anticipated scientific instrument ever was blasted into space from the launch site in French Guiana. 25 years in the making, the James Webb Space Telescope (known as the JWST) is the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built.

Durham’s Physics department played no small role in the development and engineering of the JWST, and our scientists will be some of the first to use the data it collects.

The project allows us to see things we never even dreamed of

Dr Bourgenot, who helped develop optics for the NIRSpec instrument, commented on the project: “The whole Physics Department at Durham University has followed, with great tension and excitement, the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope on Christmas Day. Durham scientists and engineers have been particularly involved in the construction of this outstanding instrument and will be as well in the exploitation of the data produced.”

Professor Richard Massey, a member of Durham’s Institute for Computational Cosmology, explains what the telescope expects to see.

“JWST will see things that are smaller, or farther away than we have ever been able to see before.

Durham and NASA/JPL are leading the COSMOS-Web survey’s measurements of dark matter (one of the survey’s three main goals).

"Simulations at our Institute for Computational Cosmology predict that “cold" dark matter would make transparent but lumpy soup around all galaxies; “warm” or “self-interacting” dark matter would give a smoother broth. To distinguish these hypotheses, we will measure the paths taken through the Universe by light rays from distant galaxies.

"If the cosmic soup is lumpy, the rays of light will occasionally be deflected, distorting the images like a funhouse mirror.”

Durham’s Professor Sharples spoke about his involvement in leading a team of engineers and scientists at Durham to develop an integral field model for the NIRSpec instrument on the telescope: “The technique was pioneered at Durham University in the 1990s, initially for use with ground-based telescopes.

The unit is quite small, only about the size of a shoe box, but contains over a hundred optical elements.”

Even though nothing travels as fast as light does, on cosmic scales it still takes a while to reach us. The universe has been expanding since the Big Bang, so we know that the further something is away from us, the older it is.

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST, previously the most powerful telescope) allowed us to see 13.3 billion years into the past, but now the JWST will allow us to see 13.6 billion years into our past. We will be able to see all the way back to the time that Methusela, the first known star, was formed! It is for this reason that the JWST has been dubbed a “time machine”.

However, the project is not without its controversy. Originally estimated to be a $500 million project, it has to date cost almost $10 billion. Some are also campaigning for a change in name.

James Webb, Administrator of NASA (1961-1968) — a politician rather than a scientist — has been connected to the infamous ‘Lavender Scare’ (a period in the mid-20th century when hundreds of homosexual people in the US government were fired).

Nevertheless, a project of this scale will undoubtedly bring unanticipated discoveries and allow us to see things we never even dreamed of.

Much like its predecessor the HST, it will unequivocally send shock waves through Physics as we know it.

If you fancy having a look at one of the famous gold-coated hexagonal mirrors for yourself, stop by the Ogden Centre West building at some point to see the replica they house in their reception, it really is quite something!

(ESA/ATG Medialab)

(Anna Kuptsova)

Metaverse: virtual world gives property a Second Life

Will Brown SciTech Editor Narrowly beaten by NFTs to become Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year, the Metaverse has had a meteoric rise over the last few months. It was only last October that Facebook’s name change to Meta was received with derision and memes, but now nearly every company is scrambling to have a part to play in what Mark Zuckerberg believes is the next iteration of the internet. Recent months have seen a scramble for virtual real estate, with property prices soaring as celebrities, companies, and investors gamble on the future of the Metaverse.

Almost a month after Facebook’s name change, Animoca Brands launched the first Alpha season of The Sandbox — perfectly capitalising on the hype for NFTs and cryptocurrencies. This is not something that has been hastily developed for a quick profit. Originally a humble mobile game, free from cryptocurrencies, Animoca Brands purchased the game in 2018 and redeveloped the property into a blockchain-based virtual world. There’s no real goal or objectives, and the game is described on its Instagram page as an opportunity for players to “build, own, and monetize their gaming experience”.

It’s been noted by many that The Sandbox is effectively a blockchain-based reboot of Second Life. Perhaps familiar to fans of The Office (US), the virtual world was released in 2003 by Linden Lab. Players were able explore the town, meet others, play games and activites and purchase virtual property. Governments, churches, and companies were all eager to

participate. The Maldives was the first to open a functioning, virtual embassy. Islam Online purchased land that would allow players to perform a virtual Hajj.

When the BBC ran a documentary on such virtual worlds, it was initially broadcast inside Second Life. Second Life is still running today but has mostly declined in popularity — kept afloat by a small group of dedicated fans whilst the companies and governments have mostly pulled out.

Even major financial companies such as PwC are now participating

History appears to be repeating itself. Celebrities and companies are now flocking towards The Sandbox, with co-founder and CEO Sebastien Borget noting the meteoric rise in real estate transactions in recent months.

One major player now is Snoop Dogg, who is set to perform virtual concerts and owns a large virtual mansion that players are clamouring to live nearby — someone recently paying $450,000 to do just that.

Even major financial companies such as PwC are now participating, having recently purchased real estate for an undisclosed amount in the hopes of creating a ‘digital advisory hub’. The Sandbox

maintains a virtual currency — SAND — for use in the game. Many of those who originally played the game during its first Alpha season are now seeing major returns on their investments as the value of SAND rose from $0.8 to $8 in just under a month. Such sales are not restricted to The Sandbox either. Decentraland is a similar virtual world that was launched in February 2020 and experienced a major surge in sales during 2021 to the point where prestigious auction house Sotheby’s created a digital version of their premises on New Bond Street to showcase digital artworks.

SuperWorld acts as a digital version of Earth that allows people to buy the digital equivalent of anywhere on Earth, and prices have risen meteorically: the current owner of the Eiffel Tower originally paid $400 for it and is now selling it for $400,000. It sounds like an absurd idea. But we now live in a world where fortunes have been made and lost in dog-based joke cryptocurrencies and NFTs featuring dressed-up apes — virtual real estate seems relatively sensible by comparison.

It remains to be seen whether this new venture into the Metaverse represents a repeat of Second Life that will quickly burn out, or the beginnings of a genuine digital revolution.

As it stands, much of this investment is speculative. Despite the corporate frenzy towards the Metaverse, it’s not currently something that the average person has much involvement with.

Many of the major platforms now are also struggling with the user experience and have been criticised for running poorly.

But don't dismiss it entirely — investing in Bitcoin once seemed equally absurd.

15

PALATINATE | Thursday 27th January 2022

SciTech

100 years saving lives, but so much more to do

What next for insulin treatment?

Insulin is vital for the 415 million living with diabetes. But its inaccessibility in many countries shows the advancements that still need to be made in treating, and one day curing, the disease.

Maria Silva Calvo On 11th January 1922, 14-year-old Leonard Thompson received the first insulin injection as treatment for type 1 diabetes mellitus in a Toronto hospital, Canada. Frederick Banting and Charles Best, under the supervision of John Macleod and with the help of James Collip (instrumental in the purification process) developed the first insulin intended for human use in Toronto University almost exactly 100 years ago. This was a monumental development for the treatment of a chronic disease that currently affects approximately 415 million people worldwide, or what would be 1 in 11 adults, out of which 46% are thought to be undiagnosed.

Type 1 diabetes, commonly known as insulin-dependent diabetes, was the disease killing young Leonard. Food provides the body with both energy and building bricks for growth and restoration.

Energy is mainly in the form of glucose and insulin is the key that allows glucose to enter the cells where it is used. No insulin and the organism starves, since energy cannot be used.

Type 1 patients died soon after diagnosis in a state of extreme malnutrition. This is what the first insulin (made from the purification of animal sources) solved.

But diabetes is nowadays a word that, unbeknownst to many, comprises over 20 different diseases, all related by some sort of pancreatic malfunction. Type 1 (T1) diabetes is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the beta cells, which produce insulin in healthy bodies, stop working, meaning that the body no longer makes the hormone and the automatic regulation of blood sugar stops. T1 is mostly diagnosed in children, and there are many potential causes, none 100% dominant or identified. Similarly, Type 2 (T2) occurs when the beta cells can still produce some insulin, but the body grows natural resistance to the hormone and cannot assimilate glucose at a rate that allows normal blood sugar levels. T2 diabetes, aside from being the most common type, is strongly related to genetic factors, and can also be influenced by some lifestyle choices. Although treatment for T2 is usually initially oral, insulin is also a viable treatment option. Importantly, insulin is also a lifesaving drug for many people with LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults), MODY (Mature Onset Diabetes of the Young), gestational diabetes, brittle diabetes and many more.

Since its inception 100 years ago, however, insulin has improved dramatically. The protein is now modified to produce the actual drug

Diabetes affects 1 in 11 adults, out of which 46% are thought to be undiagnosed

(Anna Pycock)

we currently simply denominate insulin. The two most commonly known are fast- and long-acting.

Fast-acting, or bolus insulin, otherwise known as lispro or aspart insulin, is used when eating, as it takes effect in 15-30 minutes and has an acting time of 3-5 hours, helping the glucose in food enter our cells.

The most well-known brand names for fast-acting insulin are Humalog and Novorapid/Novolog. Longacting, otherwise known as basal insulin, on the other hand, is used to maintain stable levels of blood glucose throughout the day. There are several types (glargine, detemir, degludec), some lasting between 1218 hours, others 24, and others even 42. The most well-known brand names for long-acting insulin are Levemir, Toujeo, Tresiba, Lantus, and Basalgar. Most recently, even a super-fast type of insulin has been developed which takes effect in only 5-10 minutes. This has meant a lifestyle improvement for those diabetics with access to it, as the time between injection and actual eating is reduced, and sharp spikes in blood levels can be avoided.

There’s even inhalable insulin now.

Developments in insulin and diabetes treatment technology don’t end there. We have moved from insulin vials and syringes to insulin pens with a myriad of needle lengths available. Delivery methods now no longer require several injections a day, even when using pens. The i-port, a cannula that sits in subcutaneous tissue and is held down by an adhesive with an injection site on top, helps prevent the lipohypertrophy (a deterioration of the subcutaneous tissue through an abnormal accumulation of fat) that can develop through regular injections.

I-ports are changed every three days, reducing the number of injections over the same period of time from anywhere between 15-40 to just one.

And it just gets better. Insulin pump technology has evolved from being a machine the size of a microwave oven to a 4x5x1.45cm pod that adheres to the skin and delivers insulin via a cannula.

The world of insulin pumps is vast: you can go from tubed to tubeless, from Medtronic to Omnipod to Roche to Tandem, and then all the different models that exist within each brand.

When coupled with the developments in glucose monitoring and linked devices, insulin pumps operate closedloop systems, meaning that given the parameters of each individual diabetic’s treatment requirements (such as insulin to carb ratio and sensitivity factor), the pump will receive the blood glucose measurements and use the data to adjust basal patterns, give correction doses, and calculate bolus doses.

Even so, not everything is as rose-coloured as it seems. All of the advancements you have just read about, even including simple, basic insulin, is inaccessible to three out of every four diabetics in the world. Banting and Best sold the original patent of insulin for the symbolic price of CAD$1 to allow access to the drug for everyone who needed it. Now, only three insulin manufacturers; Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi, have a de facto monopoly over insulin production worldwide, marking up prices in a way that makes this life-saving drug increasingly inaccessible to millions. In the US, a Humalog vial containing 1000 units of insulin retails for approximately US$300.

Most diabetics on insulin therapy need more than one vial a month, and on top of that, there are costs for long-acting insulin, glucose monitoring, hypoglycemia treatments, and all other associated costs of living with diabetes. In Syria, on average, diabetes costs can amount to 75% of a person’s

In Syria, diabetes costs can amount to 75% of a person's monthly salary

monthly salary. In many places in the world, even if you had the money to buy it, there simply is no insulin.

If you have diabetes and are lucky enough to live in a western state with fully subsidized healthcare, you are extremely privileged. If I hadn’t been born in Spain, maybe I wouldn’t still be alive today.

Diabetes is an extremely hard disease to live with that requires constant, 24/7 attention.

The advancements in therapy, technology, and treatment that have been made over the past 100 years are incredible and lifechanging, bringing us closer to a cure every day.

But the real question is — how much do these advancements really mean if barely anyone who needs treatment can access them?

(Rosie Bromiley)

Cameron Scott On the 28th January 1986, the Challenger shuttle exploded 73 seconds after lifting off. On board were mission commander Francis Scobee, pilot Michael Smith, and mission specialists Ellison Onizuka, Judith Reznik and Ronald McNair, as well as engineer Gregory Jarvis and, in an unusual and publicly prominent position, a teacher – Christa McAuliffe. All of whom were killed.

The mission itself was somewhat uninspiring.

After launch, the crew were to deploy a satellite that enabled better communication with orbiting craft and then to study the passage of Halley’s comet as it passed the Sun. The relative tedium of the mission was counteracted by the personalities of the crew and in particular, that of McAuliffe. She had won a government sponsored competition proposed by the Reagan Administration named Teacher In Space which aimed to give young people something to aspire towards. If this mission went well, thousands of school children could hope to follow in McAuliffe’s footstep and work towards careers in space exploration and science. Consequently, many schools showed the launch of Challenger live in classrooms.

Due to bad weather, the launch was postponed to the 28th. On that day, the temperature at the Kennedy Space Centre, was a record low — forecast for -3°C at the launch of 9:38am. Engineers had voiced concerns that the low temperature could cause issues with the O shaped seals of the rocket and yet the leadership of the consulting engineering firm approved the launch anyway. The decision proved fatal. As famously demonstrated in the inquiry by the physicist Richard Feynman, the low temperature caused the O-rings to become brittle and they could not effectively seal around the necessary parts, leading to catastrophic malfunctions and the subsequent explosion.

36 years on, the Challenger disaster remains in the societal memory and indicates, more than anything, the need for stringent health and safety checks, and also the necessity for executives to take the concerns of their employees seriously. Accidents will continue to happen, but it seriously undermines the credibility and esteem of science if they happen only after significant warning bells are sounded.

16

Politics

Thursday 27th January 2022 | PALATINATE

Student

Higher Education cuts: art, design, and social science snipped at the STEM

By Sam Lake

In July 2021, then-education secretary Gavin Williamson announced funding cuts of 50% for degrees in art and design. More recently, there has been talk of limiting student numbers on nonSTEM degrees in a bid to create a high-earning and science-oriented workforce. The government have justified these moves by citing the lack of financial returns that nonSTEM courses offer.

This overly commercialised view of a degree’s value and the purpose of university education has been branded ‘anti-intellectual’ by its critics, and indeed, it is an approach that is not only far too simplistic in its definition of ‘value’, but also inaccurate. Though indeed, the arts are not worth as much to the UK financially as science and technology, they still bring in a significant sum every year, generating nearly £11 billion per annum.

Their real worth, however, is in the cultural capital that they produce; cultural capital that flows into a vibrant creative landscape that has consistently produced some of the best music, film, and works of fiction in the world for over half a century.

But it’s not simply about having James Bond and J.K Rowling to boast of. People do not take arts degrees because they’re after the big bucks — they take them because they love them. Keith Chapman, the man who created Bob the Builder and Paw Patrol (both huge financial successes), studied graphics at what was then Great Yarmouth College of Art and Design, now a part of Norwich University of the Arts. Writing in The Times Red Box, he credits his degree with giving him and people like him “a sense of personal fulfilment and a chance to do something we love for a living.”

Money is not the path to contentment for all of us. To many, like Chapman, the route to happiness is instead to be found in the freedom of expression and experimentation that is offered by their time spent studying what they love at university.

That’s just the arts. Social science subjects, economics aside, do not necessarily promise huge financial returns, and could also be hit by the cuts to student numbers that are being discussed. This, frankly, seems bonkers, especially when one considers that 20% of MPs studied politics, followed by 13% boasting history degrees and 12% law — Gavin Williamson himself studied social sciences. Economics at 10% is the only STEM subject to make the top six, and as has already been hinted at, even it is as much social science as it is STEM. The

Money is not the path to contentment for all of us

social sciences and arts subjects like history and English produce graduates whose skills are vital to the effective operation of a political system as complex and multifaceted as the UK’s, whether in frontline politics or behind the scenes in the civil service.

STEM subjects can never compete with the arts and social sciences in the production of critical thinkers, able to see the world in less blackand-white terms and to treat that world with a healthy dose of scepticism. Nor do STEM degrees teach the skills in both written and verbal communication that are so central to courses in history, English, and philosophy. These are all skills that are crucial not only in government, but in areas like journalism, law, and consultancy.

We need scientists, but we also need social scientists, artists, historians, and writers if we want a functioning and healthy society. Director of SOAS, Adam Habib, embellishes

to claim that the social sciences have been more important than the work of natural scientists in tackling Covid-19, but something of the essence of his point is certainly valid. From a public health perspective, the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences need to work in tandem to produce a country in which expression is encouraged, political stability and accountability are ensured,

(Source: Studee)

(Illustration: Victoria Cheng)

Balance is what is needed

and innovation in science and technology thrives. Mental health problems cannot be fixed by making everyone a scientist, just as issues in bodily health cannot be fixed by making us all actors. It is wrong to privilege one subject area over another — balance is what is needed if we are to address the challenges our society face.

17

PALATINATE | Thursday 27th January 2022

Domestic

Politics

Conservative leadership contenders Liz Truss

By Ingrid Sykes Latest poll numbers indicate Liz Truss as one of the favourites in a looming Conservative leadership race. Given the reports of multiple parties at Downing Street during lockdown, many would question her electoral chances and support as she defends Johnson and

The Foreign Secretary has worked on buidling an image as stateswomen and continues to back Johnson over ‘partygate’. She remains the favourite within the party to replace the PM.

recent Tory sleaze. According to Truss, people should “move on” from the party-gate scandal.

Latest poll numbers state Sunak to be more popular with the wider public; however, more crucially for a leadership election ConservativeHome surveys indicate Truss as most popular with party members.

Truss was raised by parents described, her own words, as ‘to the left of Labour.’ Having ditched her socialist roots, whilst reading PPE at Merton College, Oxford, she became President of the Liberal Democrat Society.

Truss is famously libertarian on economics and trade.

(Rosie Bromiley)

Rishi Sunak

By Anna Noble Two years ago, I doubt the majority of the population would have been able to pick Rishi Sunak out of a line up. Relatively new in politics, having first been elected as MP for Richmond in 2015, Sunak has had what has been described as a ‘meteoric’ rise in politics. Gaining prominence following his appointment as chancellor in February 2020, he is now tipped to replace Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.

The second youngest MP to take on the role of Chancellor, if Sunak were to proceed Johnson he would become the Prime Minister with the least experience as an MP for more than fifty years.

Sunak has preferred to keep a low profile during his time as Chancellor, being somewhat elusive in the large gaps between budgets or announcing policies.

He has often been accused by the press of simply disappearing.

Just last week when ‘Partygate’ was ramping up and Johnson most needed the support of his cabinet, Sunak was nowhere to be found, only tweeting his lukewarm support for the PM.

The phrase ‘thrown to the wolves’ springs to mind.

Graduating in 1996, Truss embarked on her political career by joining the Conservative Party and representing Greenwich in local politics while failing to gain a parliamentary seat twice. The turning point of Truss’s career was 2009 as she was placed on Cameron’s A-list of party candidates and, subsequently, she won the safe-seat of Southwest Norfolk in the 2010 general election.

However, her ministerial career had a weak start. As Environment Secretary in 2014, her cutting of taxpayer subsidies on solar panels on agricultural land to promote food production were criticised.

Later comments including, “We import two-thirds of our cheese!

That is a disgrace!” were ridiculed.

As Justice Secretary in 2016, her refusal to condemn the Daily Mail’s “enemies of the people” headline was criticised by legal experts for failing to protect the constitutional principle of judicial independence.

Truss initially favoured the Remain campaign and was heavily involved in the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign. She only came to support Brexit after the referendum.

Inevitably, one may see this as a career move: Truss tweeted only days before the Brexit vote, “Leave cannot name one country we would get a better trade deal with if we left the EU.” However, speaking to BBC’s Daily politics in 2017, Truss declared “I voted to Remain because I was concerned about the economy but what we’ve seen since the Brexit

vote is that our economy has done well.”

Truss has gained recent public attention in her appointment to Foreign Secretary in 2021. Prior to holding the position, she had served as International Trade Secretary under Boris Johnson since 2019. In the role, she secured rollover EU deals with 63 nations and helped to oversee a prospective deal with Australia; she is now in Australia in discussions over the next steps of the Aukus partnership.

Truss’s political career thus far indicates her to be on the neoliberal, New Right strand of the Conservative Party. Her views on Brexit may have wavered but her political philosophy has remained consistent.

Speaking to POLITICO, she claimed to be “one of the more ideological among my colleagues.”

Truss is famously libertarian on economics and trade. Believing in a free-market, entrepreneurial economy, and fewer employment laws, she founded the Free Enterprise Group of Conservative MPs in 2020. In her speech to the London School of Economics in 2018, she said “More spending, more state control and runaway debt.

This would lead straight to penury.”

Her social views are mainly conservative and she has frequently criticised ‘woke culture.’ At the Conservative Party Conference last year, Truss asserted the need to “reject the illiberalism of cancel culture” and described herself as “a

huge believer in free speech.” Truss also criticised identity politics at a fringe meeting during the conference, “If you have a separate women’s ministry, you’re looking at people through the lens of being women.” This appears backwards and offensive, although Truss later declared “policies should be, in the criminal justice system, making sure women are being treated fairly, gay people are being treated fairly, and black people being treated fairly.”

Recent official photographs of Truss, released over Christmas, suggest a desire for an ‘Iron Lady’, authoritative style of leadership.

Her energy and determination in her various rolesw cannot be denied. But, after a period of huge government spending, it cannot be doubted that libertarian, economic policies would be disfavoured publicly.

Sunak’s support for most of the population through the furlough scheme and lifesaving grants for businesses suggest him to be a more ‘compassionate’ Conservative.

This approach to governance will prove popular to most given recent financial hardships and uncertainty produced by the pandemic.

Truss’s future as a senior Cabinet minister seems promising and secure but her chance of reaching the top position as Prime Minister ultimately seems slim. Above all, her sights should be fixed on supporting a UK-US trade deal instead of career driven goals.

The Chancellor may lack political experinece, but he remains a steady favourite with the public as he continues to distance himself from scandal and sleaze.

Described as ‘ferociously intelligent’, Sunak studied at Oxford and Stanford, meeting his wife in the latter institution.

After graduating he worked for Goldman Sachs and then as a partner in a hedge fund before helping to establish a new one. He is thought to be the richest man in the House of Commons and his wife is the daughter of an Indian billionaire.

It is an impressive feat that Sunak made it through the pandemic with his reputation intact. With just a month’s experience as Chancellor under his belt, the nation was plunged into the first lockdown, and one of the biggest economic crises of the century. The phrase ‘thrown to the wolves’ springs to mind.

His economic policies have received a mixed reaction.

Initially his furlough scheme was popular, yet it was criticised for not going far enough. ‘Eat out to help out’ was similarly popular, but it was also linked to driving the second wave of Covid-19 infections. Other policies have been fiercely criticised, including the hike in National Insurance.

The lack of funding for catch up education was described as ‘pitiful’ in comparison to other

countries, with the offer of just £50 per pupil in comparison to £1,600 per head in the US and £2,500 per head in the Netherlands. Furthermore, while the state of the economy has improved, inflation has rocketed to the highest level in 30 years (5.4%).

As food and energy prices soar, this will continue to pose an active challenge for the economy.

It is clear Sunak’s financial policies have had a mixed level of success. Sunak’s approval ratings, however, have remained high. The Guardian reported that he was the most popular potential successor to Johnson with 45% of those surveyed saying he would make a good PM, and his approval ratings are often higher than Johnson or Kier Starmer.

Sunak lacks the experience that most Prime Ministers have had and has a habit of disappearing when the going gets tough. There is also the small matter of him meeting with American Health Insurance companies, for reasons he is reluctant to explain. However, the problem that the UK has is there is no obvious figure from the Conservatives or Labour who springs out as a ‘good’ candidate to replace Johnson. Perhaps Sunak is the best option to lead until the next election.

Sunak is somewhat elusive in the large gaps between budgets or announcing policies

(Rosie Bromiley)

18

Thursday 27th January 2022 | PALATINATE

Politics

International

Germany’s new government:

A progressive era begins Joe Rossiter Politics Editor Olaf Scholz became Germany’s chancellor last month after his SPD brokered a coalition agreement with the Greens and the liberal FDP. After Angela Merkel’s 16-year premiership, the accession of her former deputy could be taken as the endurance of her defining gradualism, yet Scholz will surely lead Germany’s most progressive government in a generation.

As journalist Jeremy Cliffe points out, the title of the coalition deal, Mehr Fortschritt wagen, “dare more progress”, is a clear echo of Willy Brandt’s Mehr Demokratie wagen, “dare more democracy”.

Brandt’s government of the early 1970s greatly extended civil liberties and boosted democratic participation, as well as strengthening the welfare state; the coalition deal agreed last week promises to match the ambition of Scholz’s SPD predecessor.

The new government’s headline policies herald a social transformation in Germany after the Merkel-era caution with regard to proactive governance.

This tone has been set from the top, with the Greens’ former chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock becoming the country’s first female foreign minister; she is joined in government by the first federal minister of Turkish descent, Cem Özdemir, the son of guest workers from Turkey.

In terms of policy, the new government plans to legalise cannabis, lower the voting age to 16 and will abolish a piece of legislation from the Nazi era which makes it illegal to ‘advertise’ abortion services. The law on gay men giving blood will be liberalised and it will be easier for trans individuals to have their accurate gender reflected on government documents. This is a marked shift from Merkel’s conservative instincts: where she preferred to lead from the back, allowing public opinion to consolidate before acting, it looks as though Scholz’s government will spearhead reform.

Continuing this ambition, the coalition plans to significantly loosen citizenship requirements.

Where Germanness was almost solely inherited, it will now be possible after just three years of residence in some cases.

Environment policy looks to be another area where the new government will look to act substantively. The Green party co-leader Robert Habeck has been charged with leading a new ‘super ministry’ combining climate, energy and the economy.

So far, he has not shied away from acknowledging the “gigantic”

challenge Germany faces to hit its carbon dioxide emissions targets, with the liberal finance minister Christian Lindner announcing €60bn of investment in climate policies last month.

The coalition deal included a commitment to remove coal from the national energy supply “ideally” by 2030. This is a controversial area for Germany, with questions remaining about how the transition to cleaner energy will be completed: the country’s remaining three nuclear power stations are set to close by the end of the year. While the Greens will push for heavy investment in this area, it will have to be reconciled with the FDP’s insistence on restricted borrowing and ideological aversion to tax rises.

Scholz will surely lead Germany’s most progressive government in a generation Where there seems to be clear consensus is on foreign policy.

Baerbock has signalled much tougher stances on autocracies in Belarus and Russia, suggesting that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline could be halted if the latter invades Ukraine. This is a clear shift from Merkel-era policy, where the attitude towards Russia was dovish, particularly in the face of a volatile Trump administration in America.

A whole section of the coalition agreement was devoted to the rule of law, with support for the use of EU mechanisms to combat infringements of democracy.

This will mean more pressure on the increasingly authoritarian governments of countries such as Poland and Hungary, as Germany’s influence within the EU means this cannot be taken as an empty threat.

On Brexit, the deal committed to preserving the Northern Ireland Protocol and supports retaliatory action if Britain does not fulfil its pledges contained in the Withdrawal Agreement.

With a huge programme to deliver the question of whether Scholz’s government can make good on its promises is an important one. Jeremy Cliffe points out that the last two governments fulfilled around 80% of their coalition agreements, so the prospect of the deal becoming reality are high. The traffic light government look to be transforming German society; whether or not the term pans out as planned, it cannot be said that Olaf Scholz is simply continuity Merkel.

(Verity Laycock)

Sanctioning North Korea is the best bad solution Max Malone North Korea has spent most of its history under sanctions. From the 1950s the USA and South Korea limited their economic engagement with North Korea.

Much others followed in the aftermath of North Korean acts of belligerence in the 1980s, such as the Rangoon and Flight 858 bombings. While sanctions loosened briefly in the 1990s, the nuclear escalation since 2006 has brought them to their most severe.

The United Nations currently prohibits its members from buying North Korean textiles and minerals vital to its economy, and bans the sale of fuel, weapons, luxury goods and any material that could be used in weapons development to North Korea as well as all money transfers in and out of the country. These are some of the most extensive sanctions the UN have ever applied.

However, this doesn’t mean they are working. On the contrary, if the point of the sanctions was to stop North Korean development of nuclear weapons and deter them from using their

intelligence services to murder people abroad then they have failed.

Pyongyang has successfully tested long range nuclear missiles and has not stopped trying to assassinate high profile defectors, including Kim Jong-Un’s half-brother in 2017.

The ineffectiveness of sanctions poses two questions: firstly why are they not working and secondly is there a better way to restrict North Korea?

In order for sanctions to work they must put pressure on the elites of the state to act differently.

This is not currently happening.

Sanctions are broken with complex smuggling and through non-enforcement agreements with China and Russia. Foreign currency keeps flowing into the country to fund the nuclear program. This is acquired through the international black market.

High quality crystal meth, fake US dollars, sophisticated cybercrimes and North Korean slave labourers are prime sources of hard currency. These are shipped abroad through multiple front companies and their embassies throughout Asia. North Korean slave labourers have been found as far away as Poland showing the breadth of the operation keeping money flowing back to Pyongyang.

In cases where sanctions have successfully brought about domestic change, such as Apartheid South Africa, the sanctioned state has to be cut off from the global economy by all states with whom it could trade or use as smuggling conduits.

This is not happening to

North Korea. Its hackers can still rob the world, it can still sneak goods out through China or swap ships in international waters and most importantly China still is unconcerned with properly enforcing sanctions to block trade.

In short, the cash still flows and North Korea is not cut off.

The most challenging thing is that there is no better solution than sanctions. Military means would be foolhardy. China would block any direct use of force at the UN security council, and with nuclear weapons and other WMDs in the picture it would be a particularly bloody fool’s errand.

Attempts to entice Kim Jong-Un to end his nuclear program through negotiations have been unfruitful.

Historically, such diplomacy has involved a slight loosening of sanctions and lowering of tensions until, like clockwork, another nuclear test is discovered and talks collapse, only to be revived when it is time for the cycle to repeat itself.

Given that negotiation alone goes nowhere and force is a nonoption, sanctions are the only way to drive the regime to negotiate in good faith to denuclearise and stop their clandestine murders abroad. Sanctions have delayed nuclear developments within the country and have caused the regime enough trouble to make them consider negotiations, even in bad faith. Yet such restrictions themselves are undermined by the parallel interests of the states that have to enforce them.

Ultimately North Korea will not give up nuclear weapons as they guarantee the Kim family’s security and the international community will not dare invade a nuclear-armed state. The regime will hold on so long as the economy holds up and the economy will hold up until China makes the decision to properly enforce sanctions.

(Image: Cheongwadae via Wikimedia Commons)

19

PALATINATE | Thursday 27th January 2022

Palstrology Palatinate’s resident pseudo star kid, George Simms, analyses the planetary alignments to reveal what’s in store for you Aquarius

Taurus

Leo

Scorpio

May this be the dawning of the age of Aquarius? A fresh start means new challenges for you to overcome. Get that Tinder account fired up.

You have learned such a lot about love lately. Whilst it may have damaged your trust, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. But this rugby boy might be different…

Beware a new arrival in your life.

You’re probably going to want an LFT for that.

Struggling to make friends? It’s not because you’re a Scorpio. Stop talking about your Gap Yah and burn those flares.

20th Jan – 18th Feb

23rd Jul – 22nd Aug

20th Apr – 20th May

Pisces

Virgo

Gemini

19th Feb – 20th Mar

23rd Aug – 22nd Sep

21st May – 21th Jun

24th Oct - 21st Nov

Sagittarius

22nd Nov - 21st Dec

This is a week for you. Tell MollyMae to shove her 24 hours up her arse. Remember formatives are formative. Have that lie-in and get that takeaway.

The warrior Mars is in Mercury this week. Single? The only man in your life this week is Billy B.

This is a week for taking risks. If you get that rescue cat, your landlord almost definitely won’t notice. You could always claim it just wandered in.

There’s a summative extension in your very near future. Go on. Do it.

The stars say so. What can’t speak, can’t lie.

Aries

Cancer

Libra

Capricorn

You are strong, and you will need that strength this week. Beware a black cat, or a Hatfielder, crossing your path.

You’re a sensitive soul, so if you like having a driving license and debit card, don’t go to Jimmy’s. Overheard at Durham will not judge your actions kindly.

It’s time for you to get outside your comfort zone and travel. I know Stevo is a long way away, but the trip will be worth it.

Great hope and great disappointment lay ahead for you. Beware the path well trodden. Single? Unlucky, mate.

22nd Jun – 22nd Jul

21st Mar – 19th Apr

23rd Sep – 23rd Oct

From Barcelona With Love Barcelona is, architecturally speaking, not a challenging city to navigate. This is largely due to Catalan architect Ildefons Cerdà’s significant remodelling of the city in 1855.

Cerdà expanded the city to encompass neighbouring towns (such as Gràcia and Sarrià), and created the popular Eixample district (the name means

I prefer the sprawling maze-like streets of the Barrio Gótico.

expansion in Catalan). His basic design features remain today: the roads outside of the old town are shaped in a grid-like structure, with each block measuring exactly 113x113m, and having a north-west to south-east orientation in order to maximise daily sun exposure. In this way Cerdà arguably created a model of orderly, safe and hygienic urban living.

I live in Eixample, and I can attest to the ruthless uniformity of the roads. Although I admire the social principles behind Cerdà’s design, I will admit to finding the area tedious to walk through, and even worse to run along (the traffic lights at every corner really get in the way of my monthly jogs). I prefer the sprawling maze-like streets of the Barrio Gótico.

Navigating the throngs of tourists is no easy or pleasant feat.

(Bea Hale)

Navigation of the housing market in Barcelona is not an easy feat. My advice would be to start looking early and to base your timings around the start of university terms (February and September each year). Looking for somewhere in October which

is what I did proved immensely difficult.

Idealista and Badi are useful sites but beware the extortionate agency fees if you go for a nonprivate listing. I’d recommend booking a hostel for the first week or two in Barcelona while you visit rooms in person. One of my most enjoyable weeks was spent in a 6-bed girls dorm at TOC Hostal. I made the mistake of booking my flat from the U.K. (through one of the afore mentioned extortionate agencies), only to have been very much catfished my room when I did finally move in. But then year abroads aren’t to be spent in your room.

In terms of navigating the Spanish/Catalan dual language element of the city, it’s not as daunting as it sounds. A 2021 survey revealed only 21% of young people in Barcelona regularly speak Catalan.

I’m sure native Spanish speakers are greeted with more hostility than my (very clearly) English accented Spanish, but in my experience people are so accustomed to tourists they’re mainly surprised you don’t immediately launch into English.

It’s worth making the effort to learn a few basic Catalan phrases: ‘bon dia’, ‘gràcies’ etc.

The main issue when it comes to effective language learning is not the Catalan presence, but the fact that the majority of people speak English, and readily so.

You really have to make an effort to speak Spanish: I practise with several language partners on the exchange website Tandem (a word of warning though that most men seem to view this is a platform for exchanging more than language).

If you sift through the ‘hola guapa’ messages, it is worth finding someone to meet with.

Otherwise it’s a question of

22nd Dec - 19th Jan

embracing the small language learning opportunities: go to a bar that hosts language meet ups (Monkey Factory has an international meet-up every Saturday evening), choose the Spanish option for museum guides, and join a local class of some sort (I tried tango, salsa and belly dancing lessons).

Although Barcelona is not a hard city to find your way around, navigating the throngs of tourists is no easy or pleasant feat. Barcelona attracts 32 million tourists a year, many of whom come from cruise holidays and stay for less than a day, and the majority of whom stay for an average of two days. The condensed timing of tourist trips, and the sheer number coming at peak times results in hoards gathering at the same spots (Las Ramblas, Gaudi architecture, Parc Guell etc), and obstructing the city.

Although many locals vehemently resent and reject the oppressive mass tourism, the commercial landscape has grown to accommodate their every retail whim, and this can result in a materialistic aesthetic. The central Plaza Cataluña is a gleaming assortment of huge stores – Zara, Mango, Bershka etc. – that seem to be a honey-pot for tourists who come to Europe only to shop in brands which are available more or less worldwide.

Discounting the commercial aspect to the city, and the mass tourism that plagues the city in holiday periods, Barcelona is enchanting, and I would never have realised that had I not had the chance to live here.

You can make of it what you will: take it at face value and enjoy the aesthetic lifestyle, or turn off your phone, wander the streets and get lost.

Bea Hale

20

Thursday 27th January 2022 | PALATINATE

Puzzles Chess Puzzle

Puzzle Editors: Katie Smith, Hugo Bush & Thomas Simpson For online versions, answers and more puzzles, head to www.palatinate.org.uk/category/puzzles @palatinatepuzzles

Sudoku 845

Black to checkmate in 2

5 8

4

7

9 8

7 1 3

4

8

7

8 1 3 7

4 7

Here are the animals of the Chinese Zodiac

Missing Letters with every other letter removed. Can you work _ a _ b _ t _ r _ g _ n _o_s_ _ o _ k _ y _ x _ o _ s _ e _ _ n _ k _ _ i _ e _ _ a _ _ o _ _ i _ _ o _ t

Kakuro 845

To solve a Kakuro you must fill all of the empty squares with a number between 1 and 9 so the sum of each horizontal block equals the clue on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on its top. Within the block, a digit cannot be repeated. A block of two squares with a clue of 3 will solve as 1,2 and a 5 will produce 4,1 or 2,3. A 4 can only be 1,3 never 2,2.

9

42

17

4

22

11 17

8

16

30 36

4

3

4

11

15

19

20 9

6

5

7 4

9

9

5

Arrow Word Fizzy drink

↓

2

17

12 6

15

14

6

4

5 4 7 5 8 4 6

1

4

Convex roof

↓

Frequently (archaic)

↓ Lose from memory

4

1

2 9 6 7

9

Mate, buddy

Rowing stick

Prefix meaning “new”

House animal

6

8

4

9

8 8

7 1

2

An arrow word works the same as a normal crossword, except that the clues are written in the boxes. Each answer appears in a straight line next to each clue, in the direction indicated by the nearby arrow.

→

Sentence Sleuth

18

6

3 9 9

→

13 8

4

4 5 3

→

16

22

6

8

2

out what they are?

9

3

Succeed in an exam

↓

Journey

↓

→

Be nosy

Lay (a table)

↓

↓

→

Swiss fried potato dish

→ Abominable snowman

→

Find the 5 things from a pencil case in this story about some not-so-easy listening music

The experimental music group couldn’t believe their luck, They’d been asked to open Cilla Black memorial garden at the Merseyside Museum of Music. The band, “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better”, as erratic as their style was, were chosen because the kalimba player happened to be Cilla’s great nephew. Their sound included a cacophonic mix of melodious harp, energetic power guitar, and a few bassoons for good measure. The rhythm sitarist was intent on a mashup of Stravinsky and Van Halen and no one thought to overrule. Rather disappointingly, the news of the event’s postponement came over the telecom; passers-by were rather relieved.

But they’d be back to finish the job, the bassooner the better.

PALATINATE | Thursday 27th January 2022

21

PalatiDates

Charlotte from Hilde Bede and Ben from Cuths meet for a blind date walk along the riverside

Ben on Charlotte

Charlotte on Ben

“She said I reminded her of her Dad.”

What were your first impressions of your date?

I thought she was pretty and very confident.

Who got there first?

She did.

What did you talk about?

Travelling, family and our contrasting political opinions!

How would you describe them?

Chatty, intelligent and up for trying new things!

What were your first impressions of your date?

Positive and dressed appropriately for the cold weather.

Who got there first?

I did - he left me waiting.

What did you talk about?

We covered loads of topics! Mainly societies, friends and some light politics.

Most awkward moment?

He made the same jokes my Dad makes.

How would they describe you?

Probably very loud and political.

How would you describe them?

Kind and very fun to be around

Most awkward moment?

She said I reminded her of her dad.

If they were a Durham night out, which would they be?

Bar 33 becasue he loves cocktails!

If they were a Durham night out, which would they be?

Sunday night Klute - very upbeat!

Did you kiss?

No.

Did you kiss?

No.

What would you change about the date?

I would have suggested to get a coffee it got very cold.

What would you change about the date?

I wouldn’t have worn white shoes for a walk.

Would you introduce them to your friends or family?

Definitely! I think he’d make my Dad laugh.

Would you introduce them to your friends or family?

For sure!

Would you like to see them again?

Maybe just as friends

Would you like to see them again?

Not romatically, but could be a great friendship.

Marks out of 10?

7

Q

Marks out of 10?

6

(Adeline Zhao)

GREY

Q

AIDAN’S

Dear Violet, My dearly loved friend was invited to a party. All was going well until, to everyone’s amazement, he decided to whip out his french horn. He fiddled with it for a while then proceeded to play several songs, including the national anthem.

I’m not sure if it was the best or the worst party I’ve ever been to, but Aunty Violet, how do I explain this to my neighbours?

Dear Violet, A Palatinate article just came out revealing that my college is the least popular out of all the colleges. I’ve never felt so betrayed in my life - all the freps told me to hate Trevs and JoBo but they’re placed above us on the rankings! I’m not sure that I even have the motivation to climb all of the steps to Aidan’s s anymore.

Please help me if you can!

A

A

Dearest mild child, I’m afraid I honestly am not quite sure what your problem is, darling.

This sounds like a perfectly reasonable occurrence at a houseparty - at a university home to over-achievers and supreme appreciaters of culture, it’s fairly common to witness such displays of dominance. Besides, I’ve always argued that the National Anthem should be featured at least once at every communal gathering: not for patriotic reasons, I just like the tune.

I’m sure your neighbours will understand, they’re extremely likely to be other students too and will understand the situation - let’s just hope you don’t live next to something important like the police station or pharmacy.

Dear Aidanite, Just remember: your college doesn’t make you, you make your college. I can only offer my condolences and at least you’ll (maybe) be out of college for next year so you can distance yourself from Aidan’s and those traumatic 85 stairs. In the meantime please remember some positives about Aidan’s: you have a really nice view over the city, you’re getting regular exercise and fresh air, you’re isolated from everyone else (a positive in Covid times!).

Ask Aunty Violet Have a problem for Aunty Violet?

Fill out the form via the QR code!

PalatiPets

Think you have the cutest pet? Email editor@ palatinate.org.uk with three pictures and 100 words explaining why for a chance to be featured in print

Fuji

Fuji is a lovely four-old Birman Cat. Despite being quite thick himself, he somehow manages to outsmart one of the neighbours’ cats which is quite tragic to watch.

If I’m having a really horrible day, just holding him and telling him my problems makes me feel so much better. He brings me lovely presents of dead mice and birds. They aren’t quite to my taste, but I appreciate the gesture.

Eddie

Lexi

Lexi is a Siberian Husky, she loves long walks on the beach and cuddles on the sofa Curtis

Reuben Reuben is the absolute GOAT dog. He chases balls like there’s no tomorrow, loves a good scratch under his ears, and chomps his food down at impeccable speeds. Massive shoutout to him recently for enduring the cone of shame for a few weeks - hang in there buddy!

Harrison

22

Thursday 27th January 2022 | PALATINATE

Sport

Sheffield draw ends Durham promotion push Continued from back page Durham were the better side throughout, so will rightly feel aggrieved that they didn’t get all three points, but they also looked disjointed and short on ideas going forward. A casual observer may have thought this to be a perfectly solid Durham performance.

Sheffield rarely, if ever, looked threatening and Hardy had some brilliant chances to wrap the game up, including a disallowed goal in the second half.

However, regular followers of the Wildcats will know how much better they can be, and have been.

Sheffield United’s goal inspired a five-minute period of brilliant attacking play from Durham, combining incisive vertical passing with their usually relentless pressing which could easily have seen them reclaim their lead.

This was what was missing throughout the game – it often felt flat and fragmented. Durham struggled to string passes together and final-third passes were often

either overhit or overthought. They nullified the visitors almost totally but then nullified themselves with sloppy, uninventive play.

However, this is often the case with a team in transition.

The flashes of brilliance were there, but too often they were overshadowed by silly mistakes caused by unfamiliarity. It feels odd to call Durham, a team who lead the league until November as, ‘in transition’, but a look at the starting line-up sheds more light on the situation.

Whilst bringing in a new goalkeeper when Megan Borthwick has been one of the club’s best performers this season raised some eyebrows, it was clear from Naoisha McAloon’s imperious debut what manager Lee Sanders’ rationale was. Just 22 years old, the Northern Irish stopper is a modern sweeperkeeper, comfortable with the ball at her feet, positioned outside her box in a way that Megan Borthwick, for all her shot-stopping brilliance and highlight-reel saves, just isn’t.

McAloon allows Durham to play

with a high line and use their keeper as an eleventh outfielder, playing out from the back and allowing them to press even higher and harder. We’ve all seen what the signings of Ederson and Alisson have done to Manchester City and Liverpool – McAloon just might be Durham’s equivalent.

This is a clear sign that Lee Sanders continues to innovate tactically to help the Wildcats punch above their financial and reputational weight.

At the other end of the pitch, Rio Hardy was a constant threat throughout. Thought she looked isolated for some periods of the game, Hardy ran the channels relentlessly and linked up play effectively.

Perhaps most excitingly for the Wildcats, she showed early flashes of a potent combination with Beth Hepple. She is a clear improvement on any striker currently at the club and will hopefully be a fixture up front for Durham for some time to come.

Leicester’s brilliance last

season and Liverpool’s form this year shows what it takes to get out of this division. Weaknesses anywhere on the pitch simply aren’t acceptable, and you also need a healthy slice of good luck.

However strong Durham’s start to the season was, their weaknesses were exposed through November and December. Whether in the 1-0 loss to Coventry or at Maiden Castle on Sunday, they’ve had perhaps more than their fair share of bad luck, but also haven’t been at their best. The side who got five consecutive clean sheets in September and October are now seven league games without one.

Their defence was at the heart of their near-miss 2020-21 campaign but has been beaten too easily of late.

Yet this performance certainly signalled an improvement in that department. Sarah Wilson and Becky Salicki were a rock-solid centre-back partnership and Abby Holmes and Kathryn Hill were clearly defence-first full backs who made occasional, but often

effective, forays forward. Courtney Sweetman-Kirk, Sheffield’s jointtop scorer, was effectively shackled throughout the afternoon But Sarah Robson was clearly the Player of the Match. The Northern Irish international was imperious at the heart of the Wildcats’ midfield, winning tackles and laying off clever passes throughout the 90 minutes.

From McAloon between the posts, to Emily Roberts and Lauren Briggs’ defensive work from the wings, this was a performance which deserved a clean sheet, and Durham was incredibly unlucky not to get one.

With the signings of McAloon and Hardy, Durham are clearly building something.

With promotion now out of the picture, Lee Sanders has the chance to experiment and use the next nine games to build a team which can go all the way in 2022-23.

The Wildcats will face 10th place Blackburn Rovers in the Women’s Championship next Sunday as they hope to ignite a cup run.

Ramside ramble: Alice Craig on her journey into the ring Many who know me will tell you that I have few other personality traits at the moment apart from boxing. I thought I’d put this to some sort of good use by writing about it.

I first got into boxing as a bit of a pipe dream in freshers and as a way of escaping from my previous interest in long distance running. I joined with a corridor friend in the first week of term, simultaneously trying desperately to reverse the mistakes of the night before and to find some mates.

There followed a year of plank competitions, dubious pad work and sweaty dojo sessions where the walls would drip after hours of various gruelling exercises. I absolutely loved it.

I successfully swapped tramping through mud for ridding myself of all aggression on the pads and made a few friends along the way.

I was always too shy to spar it out in front of the intimidating squad members and often headed directly to ‘pres’ after training to undo all my hard work, silly fresh.

I worked tirelessly the year that followed to try and make it into Aggression Sessions, undertaking ruthless one-to-one pad sessions with the now President, James Nugent.

In all weaathers on my patch of earth garden, irritating both my housemates and the house over the road with the loud bangs of an obnoxiously early Monday morning. I would become easily frustrated at my mistakes and my lack of progress. Eventually I discovered that the event wasn’t going ahead thanks to our notorious friend Covid-19.

Although I was heartily disappointed because I had been so excited to showcase how hard I’d worked and be part of it all, I think this moment was what encouraged me to pursue boxing to a more intense level.

This year, I have worked as the Fitness Coach for DU Amateur Boxing Club and have graduated to squad member, rendering myself oftentimes as a full kit wanker in the Billy B. I have also become part of the exec group masterminding Aggression Sessions as Boxing Coach, making the challenging selection of boxers and reserve fighters for our upcoming February Rainton Arena extravaganza.

I have seen boxing grow in popularity throughout

the university, gaining traction with events such as Aggression Sessions and Fight Night - portraying boxing as it is: a highly skilled sport which is open to anyone with a determined mentality and the ability to harness adrenaline and nerves.

On top of all this, I have developed a determination, drive and passion for the sport which has led me to my first amateur fight on 21st January…in two days at the time of writing.

Boxing was previously a sport seemingly out of touch; heavyweight males at the height of their profession punching the stuffing out of each other in round upon round of bloodthirsty caterwauling from the crowd.

But boxing can be enjoyed by one and all at varying levels of intensity. Despite being completely outnumbered as a female in first year, the sport amongst young women has grown and grown, especially in recent years.

Most notably, Aggression

Sessions has achieved a 50/50 split for our fights this year.

Boxing has less and less to do with outright violence and more and more to do with a showcase of supreme physical fitness, ambition and stalwart determination – incorporating tight, tactical technique.

Boxing has improved all sectors of my life and made me a much more resilient and strong-willed individual. I leave all my aggression and anxieties in the gym, which makes me a much calmer and more balanced individual.

The challenges of sparring and getting absolutely clarted in the face have been testing at times, giving me a bloody nose and many a tear during training. However, each setback has spurred me on to improve and try harder.

Despite it being an individual sport which is associated with mindset and attitude, the community that surrounds it is hugely welcoming and accepting of complete beginners who are just

finding their feet in the sport.

Finding a new skill and purpose for myself has been hugely rewarding and the strength I have gained both mentally and physically has been a huge boost for my self-confidence.

Towards the end of my school life, I suffered with a debilitating eating disorder which manifested itself into excessive exercise and drastic weight loss to the point at which I had to sit out for all school sports.

Today, I am proud of how far I have come. Boxing has allowed me to see weight in a completely different way and to appreciate my body as a vehicle for all I want to eventually achieve. Weight has become merely a number allowing me to compete at something I love.

I go into my fight excited and with high hopes of a win. However, I think the biggest win for me will be simply be ducking under the ropes and stepping foot in the ring in the first place.

(Image: Aggression Sessions)

Post-fight reaction Can you talk us through your fight? “On Friday 21st January, at Ramside Hall, I lost my first amateur fight.

Nerves got the better of me in the first round - coming up against a much taller girl left me quaking. I brought it back and ramped up the intensity in the second and third rounds - my opponent was struggling to breathe and had totally lost her feet. However, it was just not quite enough to clinch the dub. I was heartily disappointed and many a tear was shed in the changing room, clutching my ‘Runner Up’ trophy. Upon a few days’ reflection, nursing a bruised nose, whiplash, and a shattered ego, I am proud of myself for getting up there, harnessing my aggression and pushing through three rounds. There are lots of things to improve on but much to be content about. The support and celebration from my coaches and friends afterwards was tremendous! Chin up and on to the next as the ref said to me at the end.”

What song did you step into the ring to? “Although the technicians at Ramside Hall failed me, I wanted to walk in to the ring to ‘Icon’ by Jaden. The lyric that spoke to me most was ‘now I’m focused and we ‘bout to blow up.’”

Who is your boxing hero? “Katie Taylor - “I never think about losing. That’s why it’s so hard to accept a loss.” She encapsulates the grit and innate belief required for this sport.”

23

PALATINATE | Thursday 27th January 2022

Sport

“Sunderland is my life” Sport speaks to Sunderland legend and Show Racism the Red Card patron Gary Bennett MBE about his new honour, Sunderland, and racism in football George Simms “I sat down the other day and said to my wife, ‘To get awarded an MBE, from where I’ve come from, who would’ve thought that?’ I’ve been lucky enough to play football, and sign autographs, and run out in a red and white shirt. I’ve had a very privileged life.”

Gary Bennett MBE is sat in front of a shirt signed by the entire Sunderland squad, emblazoned with ‘Benno 60’. In the last six weeks, he’s turned 60 and been awarded an MBE for services to anti-racism in football. While many professional footballers, especially those who had a career as long and illustrious as Bennett, might be seen to have peaked during their playing careers, this clearly isn’t the case for this Sunderland legend.

Legend is an oft overused and abused word in modern vernacular, which risks devaluing quite what a Sunderland legend Bennett is.

After joining in 1984, Bennett made the fifth-most appearances of any Sunderland player, captaining the side for five years and seeing them from the old First Division, down to the Third Division, and back up to the top flight again in 11 ½ years at the club. He played in an FA Cup Final, a League Cup Final and a Playoff final and finished his time at Roker Park with a testimonial against Rangers.

Manchester born and bred, Bennett started his career with his hometown club, “I was lucky

enough to start off at my local club, which was Manchester City.

Unfortunately I got released on a free transfer and had to go to Cardiff, and learned my trade there for three years. Then I got my move to Sunderland.”

Luck is something which Bennett mentions time and again throughout our interview, which may seem surprising for someone who’s had his career. But this wasn’t the life that a black kid born in early ‘60s Manchester could grow up to expect: “Now every team has a black player, or a foreign player, playing in their team. If you go back to when

I became the black player who represented Sunderland

I was breaking through in the ‘80s, my brother played for Man City, but there weren’t many clubs who had black players. I was lucky enough to start my career at Man City, we five or six black players there. We had myself, my brother Dave, Alex Williams - maybe one of the first

Bennett during his playing days (Tom Elliot)

black goalkeepers to play Premier Division football, Clive Wilson, Roger Palmer. But there were some clubs who didn’t have a black player at the football club. That was something that went on for numerous years.”

This disparity became very clear for Bennett when he followed Cardiff manager, and one of the few people to have made more appearances for Sunderland than him, Len Ashurst, to the North East: “The biggest hurdle was obviously being a black player playing for Sunderland back in 1984. There had only been one black player there before, a lad called Roly Gregoire, who played about half-adozen games. Besides that, I became the black player who represented Sunderland.”

Bennett talks about the New Year’s Day derby game against Newcastle in 1985 as a particularly significant example of the challenges faced by black players in this period. Facing constant abuse throughout the game, himself and fellow black Sunderland player Howard Gayle were sent off. It’s this tie that Bennett credits with inspiring Newcastle fan Ged Grebby to say, “well, we need to do something about this”. Grebby went on to set up anti-racism campaign Show Racism the Red Card in 1996.

One of its founding patrons? Gary Bennett.

It’s been 25 years and Bennett is still heavily in involved in Show Racism the Red Card. Despite all this work, he’s still sceptical as to the progress made fighting racism, in football and in wider society.

“I used to say we’d made giant strides, but for every two steps we take, we take three backwards.

We’ve been talking about racism for 25, 30 years, and it’s still going on.

It’s in a different way now, because we’ve got social media. When we started the campaign, we didn’t have people who could sit at home, behind a screen, and just push a button. No doubt we’ll have a lot of it again this weekend, we’ll have players who will be racially abused on social media. It’s something we’re still challenging, we’re still tackling. It’s important that we continue the fight.”

Bennett’s solution to this problem is twofold. Firstly, he explains, “Social media should be accountable now. They know and understand and see what’s being put up and what’s not being put up. There’s time that they can stop what’s going up on their page.

You push that button and it goes worldwide – it’s not just to friends.

They need to be accountable.”

“When we talk about FIFA, or the FA, or UEFA, especially when it’s happening in football clubs, at football grounds, fining football clubs or players now, does that make any dent in what they’re

doing? Fining a player £10,000 or banning them for two games, it’s not going to do anything.”

Alongside this, he talks a lot about education. “By educating yourself we build up the strength to challenge people, and ask questions why. Why the first thing you see is the colour of somebody’s skin, or their nationality, or their religion, or their culture?”

“Look at the Suarez/Evra case, or the Cavani case. Sometimes when we talk about terminology in some countries, they don’t see it as a racist tone, that’s something where we need to educate foreign players.

What they use as a normal word, may be a racist word in our country, or vice versa.”

Having spent the best part of his adult life fighting racism, Bennett is still incredibly tolerant and understanding in how he deals with it. “What we’ve got to be careful with, if someone uses a racist word – are they racist? I don’t think they are. If you’re in a household, and you’re hearing something on a constant, daily basis – let’s say a certain word, you grow up believing that’s the right word to use to describe something or somebody. If somebody does use a racist word, you have to turn around and question it, ask why?

And they might say they thought it was the right word to use.”

Since he moved to Sunderland nearly forty years ago, Bennett has become something of a naturalised Mackem. Football in the North East has defined his life, and it’s something he still plays a huge part in today. Alongside his role as a matchday co-commentator at Sunderland, he’s also been head coach of the five teams at the

You’ve got to actually be in the North East to understand what football is University of Sunderland for the last 15 years, overseeing success at all levels.

He’s also set up his own coaching company, Back2Basics, with another player who made the North East their second home, former Sunderland and Middlesbrough fullback Julio Arca. The company does everything, “coaching not just young people, but adults, teams, individuals, all the aspects, the

mentoring side, understanding the game, the fitness side of it, the technical side of it.”

As someone who spends his life involved in it, he knows exactly what football means to people in the North East:

By educating yourself we build up the strength to challenge people “I don’t know where you want to put it – it’s in the top three, put it that way. It’s either before your wife, girlfriend, boyfriend – is it before you eat? Before you drink? You’ve got to actually be in the North East to understand what football is, what it means to this area. No matter where you go, what industry you’re in, there’s only one thing you talk about – football. You’re either black and white, or red and white, there’s no inbetween.”

“That’s how you’re brought up and that’s what football means to people in the North East – it’s their life, it’s what they live for, what they work for, they’ll travel miles to watch their team and they’ll find the funds to do it. Once you’re in the North East you get that mentality and before you know it you’re part and parcel of what the North East is, and what football is. It’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week – whatever you do, wherever you go, football is a number one topic. It’s infectious.”

Whilst playing for Sunderland may have had its challenges for Bennett, he is in no doubt as to just how important the club has been, and is, for him. The club, and city, welcomed him and gave him his career, and he now seems set on spending a lifetime giving back to them.

“Sunderland football club is my life. I’ve got to thank Sunderland football club for a lot of things.

Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I’m a patron for Mind, I’m an ambassador for St Benedict’s Hospice, and I do a lot for the Sunderland soup kitchen as well. I try to put my hand in and help as much as I can, especially with the community.” Bennett is clearly one of football’s good guys.

He was awarded his MBE in the New Year’s Honours list for services to anti-racism in football. As with all of his charity and community work, he tells me “I wasn’t doing it to get pats on the back or get any accolades. I was doing it because it was something I believed in.”

24

Sport

Thursday 27th January 2022 | PALATINATE

“Sunderland football club is my life” Sport talks to Sunderland legend and anti-racism campaigner Gary Bennett MBE

“Each setback has spurred me on to improve and try harder” Alice Craig discusses her first steps into the world of amateur boxing

Durham study reveals...

• Openly misogynistic attitudes towards women’s sport may be common amongst male football fans • Progressive attitudes amongst men also strongly represented, but not as common

Durham Women 1-1 Sheffield United

Harvey Stevens A new study from Durham University has found that openly misogynistic attitudes towards women’s sport may be common amongst male football fans.

The study was was led by Dr Stacey Pope from the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences. The paper is based around a survey of 1,950 male football fans on message boards in the UK. It found that fans can be split into three groups which either showed progressive masculinities, overt misogynistic masculinities or covert misogynistic masculinities.

Whilst those with progressive attitudes were strongly represented, they were still outweighed by those with hostile and sexist attitudes.

Progressive attitudes on te message boards showed strong support for equality in media coverage, with the 2015 Women’s World Cup being seen as a positive turning point in the representation of women’s sport.

The men who held openly misogynistic attitudes towards women’s sport saw it as inferior to men’s sport, particularly in relation to football.

Some suggested women should not participate in sport at all and others were extremely hostile against the increasing media coverage of women’s sport, which was sometimes described as ‘PC nonsense’.

The minority group of fans would express progressive attitudes in public but in more private settings reveal misogynistic views of women’s sport.

Dr Pope says that the study is set within the context of a ‘new age of media coverage of women’s sport’ with the increased visibility of women’s sport since the 2012 London Olympics and the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Researchers suggest that the dominant misogynistic attitudes show a backlash against advances in gender equality. They call for more coverage of women’s sport to counteract this attitude.

The study was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and is published in the Academic Journal of Sociology.

The research paper was led by Durham University researchers working with academics from the University of Leicester and the University of South Wales.

George Simms

The Wildcats’ promotion dreams fade in a 1-1 draw against Sheffield at Maiden Castle on Sunday (Durham Women)

Rugby

Adamson helps England Sevens to Scotland win DURFC player Jamie Adamson scored his first try of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

England beat Scotland 24-17 in Malaga as they look to advance in the group stage.

Fencing

Collis-McCann high in world rankings Durham alumna Gemma CollisMcCann has been ranked 12th in Sabre and 10th in the Épée in the most recent Wheelchair Fencing World Rankings.

Football

Phillips takes helm at South Shields F.C Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips has taken charge as manager at South Shields F.C. The Mariners are currently third in the Northern Premier League Premier Divison and will play against Warrington Town in Phillips’ first fixture.

Hockey

Durham Men’s and Women’s Hockey beat Scotland U21s A clinical Durham Men’s team beat Scotland U21s 5-1 and 2-1 whilst Durham Women’s won 4-0 in challenge matches played at Peffermill in Edinburgh.

Football

Middlesbrough and Hartlepool away end sell-outs Middlesbrough and Hartlepool United sold out their respective away ends at Old Trafford and Selhurst Park in just a few hours for the upcoming fourth round FA Cup ties against Manchester United and Crystal Palace.

Hartlepool, 16th in League Two, train at Durham’s Maiden Castle.

When Bex Rayner’s deflected strike looped into the far corner of the Durham net to equalise after 85 minutes of Wildcats domination at a drab Maiden Castle, you couldn’t help but think that this simply isn’t their season. To paraphrase John Cleese, their promotion push is no more. It has ceased to be. It has shuffled off this mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. It is an ex-promotion push. Now ten points behind imperious leaders Liverpool with just nine games to go, their chances of playing WSL football in 2022-23 seem about level with mine.

Beth Hepple, who was awarded HerFootballHub’s FA Women’s Championship Player of the Year 2021 on Saturday, won and converted a penalty 25 minutes in to give Durham the lead after a clumsy challenge from Ellie Wilson.

Durham’s top scorer was cleared out in the box trying to get onto a low cross from Kathryn Hill, and then smashed her penalty into the bottom right-hand corner of Fran Kitching’s goal.

Emily Roberts and debutant Rio Hardy both hit the woodwork before half-time as Hepple’s goal threatened to breathe some life into a game that often lacked impetus.

Hardy missed a sitter in the sixyard box just after half-time and looked lively throughout her full debut after her move from lastplace Coventry United.

Continued on p.22

FA Women’s Championship Table Club

MP

Pts

Liverpool

13

32

London City

12

25

Charlton

13

23

Durham

13

22