769 by Palatinate

Should Katie Hopkins be burnt at the stake? (page 16)

indigo interviews the Ting Tings (page i6)

Durham’s independent student newspaper

Palatinate

No. 769

www.palatinate.org.uk

Thursday 22nd January 2015| FREE

Profile: Labour activist Harry Leslie Smith

Durham Cathedral looked stunning following a light snowfall last Tuesday evening.

Profile: Former Tory minister Edwina Currie

Sport: Sport interviews BBC legend Gabby Logan

Photograph: Isabel López Ruiz

Durham falls six places in research rankings James Poole Josh Smith Durham University has dropped to 20th in the latest research excellence framework (REF) results, which were published over the winter break. The rankings, which are formulated by the weekly newspaper Times Higher Education, saw Durham place behind the universities of York, Warwick and Sheffield, despite beating all three in the world rankings earlier this year. The Times Higher Education also published subject rankings for UK universities. Durham

placed 32nd for Biological Sciences, behind the Universities of Reading and Southampton, and placed joint 34th for Psychology, behind the Universities of Dundee and Sussex. However, Durham’s Department of Theology placed 1st in the rankings, ahead of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, whilst Durham’s Law school ranked 3rd, also ahead of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. In response to the rankings, Professor Claire Warwick, ProVice-Chancellor for Research, told Palatinate: “There is world leading research across the full spectrum of

subjects in each of our Faculties. However, it is difficult to compare our overall performance with that of others because we have a different mixture of subjects from many of our competitor universities. “For example, we do not have a medical school, which is significant because medical research attracts very large amounts of funding. “There are several ways of reading the REF results, depending on the metrics one chooses, and as a result interpreting the results is not straightforward. For example, overall rankings look different when weighted by percentage of staff entered.

“We will continue to deepen our analysis of the outcomes - this will be one element of our ongoing review of research strategy.” Overall, the Times Higher Education claims that the quality of UK research has increased since the last REF results in 2008 22% of UK research was judged to be of world-leading standard. The Institute of Cancer Research maintained pole position on the rankings after placing first in 2008. Cambridge University dropped in the rankings, falling from second to fifth, whilst Cardiff University climbed from joint 22nd to sixth.

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Editorial Welcome back! This term started with the horrific news that Mary’s student Euan Coulthard had gone missing. The united student response has been astonishing. We have all seen the hundreds of posters around Durham and the crowds of students helping police in the freezing conditions. This galvanisation has seen a Facebook page set up to help find Euan and #findEuan is trending on Twitter. Then there are the dozens of members of the Mountain Rescue Team, volunteers with other full time jobs, and other emergency services doing their very best in the search. St Mary’s College has provided catering for emergency service workers and the support that students have received from Mary’s has been described by one student as “incredible and beyond all expectations”. However we are unable to bring you any updates on the case in this edition of Palatinate. The investigation is ongoing and very changeable and it is imperative that we do not come to any conclusions yet. Our news team is in frequent contact with the police and any updates on the search for Euan can be found at www.palatinate. org.uk.

Thursday 22nd January 2015 | PALATINATE

Inside 769 Over Christmas, we published an investigation into a popular Iranian professor who allegedly plagiarised his Durham PhD and a number of books and articles he has since written. We uploaded two eyewitness accounts from France of the aftermath of the terrorist attacks and we republished a number of the Charlie Hebdo cartoons after we received an excellent article on freedom of speech and the media. I spoke at the Union Society last Friday to defend our move, arguing that the cartoons (like the magazine itself) were satirical and fiercely anti-racist. On closer inspection their true complexity becomes evident. We should stick our two fingers up to the terrorists and those who appease them — they cannot be allowed to choose what we can or cannot do. And besides, what’s wrong with mocking religion? It should have no advantage over any other idea and we must all have the freedom to testify its validity or otherwise. We’ve progressed, have we not? It seemed the audience thought so because we won — although maybe that was down to my partner’s debating finesse.

In this issue, we are excited to re-launch a Profile section. For this edition, our new Profile editors have interviewed the former Conservative MP Edwina Currie and the Labour Party activist Harry Leslie Smith. You can also read interviews with the award winning ‘Ting Tings’ and BBC presenter and Durham alumna Gabby Logan in Indigo and the sports section of Palatinate. Look out every other Thursday for more profiles — I don’t want to spoil the fun, but we will have interviews with a social media star, ex-ministers and a party leader. And lastly, as always, if you have any stories you wish us to investigate or any strong opinions that you would like to share, email us at editor@palatinate.org. uk or the appropriate email address that can be seen to the side of this column. We hope you are all feeling refreshed and looking forward to the term ahead!

Tom Fenton

News pages 3-7

Profile pages 8-9 Careers page 10

Politics pages 11

Business & Economics page 12

SciTech page 13

Comment pages 14-16 Sport pages 17-20

indigo

Editorial page 2 Film & TV page 3 Features pages 4-5 Music pages 6-7 Stage page 8

Visual Arts page 9 Fashion page 10 Creative Writing page 11 Travel pages 12-13 Food & Drink page 14 Books page 15

Letters to the editor

Want to see your name in print? We’d love to hear your opinion on our stories. If you have praise for Palatinate or a bone to pick with us, email editor@palatinate.org.uk. Your letter could appear on this page in the next edition.

The best of Palatinate Online www.palatinate.org.uk

News: Archbishop of Canterbury urges ‘courage’ in the wake of Charlie Hebdo tragedy

Politics: From Terreur to Solidarité – in the midst of an extraordinary week in Paris

Scitech: Durham cosmologists produce realistic virtual galaxies using EAGLE

Stage: Preview: The Elephant Man

Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief Christopher Somers & Thomas Fenton editor@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Editor Lawrence Holmes deputy.editor@palatinate.org.uk News Editors James Poole & Henry Clare news@palatinate.org.uk News Features Editor Rebekah Wilson news.features@palatinate.org.uk Deputy News Editors Josh Smith, Pippa Cole Politics Editor Alex Cupples and Ollie Hamlet politics@palatinate.org.uk Profile Editor Oliver Mawhinney and Will Fremont-Barnes profile.editor@palatinate.org.uk Business and Economics Editor Sophie Tulley business@palatinate.org.uk Careers Editor Toyosi Taiwo careers@palatinate.org.uk Science and Technology Editor Sadie Bartholomew scitech@palatinate.org.uk Comment Editor Patrick Brennan comment@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Comment Editors Ellen Orange & Sandy Thin deputy.comment@palatinate.org.uk Sport Editor Nick Friend sport@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Sport Editors John Evans & Kieran Moriaty Indigo Editor Kate Wilkinson indigo@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Indigo Editor Sraddha Venkataraman indigo.deputy@palatinate.org.uk Features Editor Zosia Eyres feature@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Features Editor Ellen Finch Food and Drink Editor Anisha Mohan food@palatinate.org.uk Travel Editor Oliver Collard travel@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Travel Editor Naoise Murphy deputy.travel@palatinate.org.uk Fashion Editors Jessica Ng & Megan Magee fashion@palatinate.org.uk Film and Television Editor Jonathan Peters film@palatinate.org.uk Stage Editor Amy Price stage@palatinate.org.uk Music Editor Ana Symecko music@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Music Editor Will Throp deputy.music@palatinate.org.uk Books Editors Atifa Jiwa & Florianne Humphrey books@palatinate.org.uk Visual Arts Editor Frances Marsh visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk Chief Sub-Editor Lucy Hart sub-editing@palatinate.org.uk Sub-Editors Morgan Hayden-Kentt, Marianna Mukhametzyanova, Kiara Murphy, Isabel López Ruiz, Ellie Mullan Online Editor Kat Hind online.editor@palatinate.org.uk Web Editor Ian Ager web.editor@palatinate.org.uk Photography Editor Venus Loi photography@palatinate.org.uk Illustrations Editor Mariam Hayat illustration@palatinate.org.uk Blogs Editor Katie Winter blogs@palatinate.org.uk Publicity Officer Alexandra Fitzgerald publicity@palatinate.org.uk Advertising Officer Jess Sham

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 | Thursday 22nd January 2015

Union President’s Column Welcome back! We hope you are feeling refreshed after the winter break and ready for a jam-packed Epiphany term! This term is your chance to have your say and make your voice heard with our Student Officer elections. There are five different fulltime positions that you can stand for, which suit different areas of interest and passions. Positions are open to all Durham University students, regardless of their past involvement with the Union. Nominations are open until 17:00 on Wednesday 28 January. If you would like to know more about the roles, visit our website www.durhamsu.com If becoming a Student Officer is not for you, you can still have your say by voting. Candidates running for the various positions will each have different ideas about where they will take the role. You can find out more about the candidates by coming to the candidate question and answer sessions. These will be held in Durham City and at Queen’s Campus. Voting for the elections opens at 10:00 on Tuesday 10 February, until 17:00 on Friday 13 February. Make sure you have your say and cast your vote. Alongside the Student Officer elections, this term you also have the chance to have your say on a national level. The General Election is less than 4 months away and students at this University can have a very real impact on the final result. The number of students in the constituencies that the university is located is greater than the current MP’s majority. Therefore student opinion is crucial if the candidates want to be elected. By the time this issue of Palatinate goes to print, voting will be well underway for our preferendum alongside the Student Trustee Bi-election. We are asking for student opinion on a range of policies, which have been originally set by the National Union of Students. The list of 30 manifesto pledges they created was shortlisted at a Zone meeting in November, before being voted on. We will present the results online and to the Prospective Parliamentary Candidates to hopefully influence their policies. To ensure all eligible students have the chance to vote, we will be getting involved with National Voter Registration Day, with a big event set to be held in Dunelm House and the Waterside Restaurant on February 5th.

News

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News

@PalatinateNews

The weekly slog of lectures, seminars and tutorials resumed last Monday following the four-week winter break.

Mary’s students win Npower Future Leaders’ Challenge

Photograph: Venus Loi

Durham County Council forced to cut £250m

University defends accommodation fee increases

Photograph: Venus Loi

Photograph: Venus Loi Photograph: Venus Loi

Turn to page 4 to read more

Turn to page 6 to read more

Turn to page 7 to read more

News in brief 70% OF STUDENTS ACHIEVE 2:1s

STUDENTS CALL FOR SKYROCKETING RENT

DURHAM RECEIVES £1M FOR DOCTORAL TRAINING

Figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency have revealed that universities gave out more firsts and 2:1s last year than ever before. Almost 10,000 more students graduated with a first in 201314 than in 2012-2013, whilst the amount of students leaving university with a 2:1 increased by 6% on last year.

Students in Scotland have staged a protest against rising rent prices after research by the Resolution Foundation found that 95% of an average student’s maintenance loan is spent on accommodation costs. Meanwhile, student groups in London are organising a march due to take place at the end of the month that will demand the reintroduction of rent controls.

The University has been awarded £1,050,000 to fund doctoral training in visual culture. The donation comes from the Leverhulme Trust and will enable the University to recruit seven new PhD students in September 2015. The visual culture doctoral training programme was launched yesterday at a reception at Trevelyan College.

END

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Thursday 22nd January 2015 | PALATINATE

Mary’s students win Npower Future Leaders Challenge

Pippa Cole Two St Mary’s College students will be jetting off to the Amazon Rainforest this June, after winning the Npower Future Leaders Challenge. Sam Shuttleworth and Finlay Milner, who are both second-year Engineers, received the prize alongside joint winners from the University of East Anglia and the University of Bristol. Their trip to the Amazon will involve joining the Kaxinawá tribe in the jungle, living with the Huni Kui people in the Brazilian side of the rainforest, and installing renewable technology such as solar energy panels and a solar water pump. They have also secured a summer internship with Npower as part of their prize. The competition asked both students and employees to run a project promoting sustainability in their local communities, and asked them to film their progress for the final submission ahead of the final on the 4th December. Sam and Finlay travelled around the North East publicising their campaign ‘Student Grub’, which aimed to encourage eating insects as part of a sustainable and healthy diet.

Npower’s office in Rainton, and appeared on BBC Radio North East.

The campaign involved offering various treats, such as grasshopper kebabs and chocolate covered crickets, to members of the public.

Sam and Finlay described the schoolchildren’s reactions as “interesting”, and told Palatinate that the feedback they received was positive. The competition reached its climax on the 4th December, when competitors met at Regent House in Rainton for the final. Prior to the announcement of the winner, a number of prominent figures from the energy industry spoke. Darren Messem

from the Carbon Trust, gave an insight into sustainability and how reducing waste, water and carbon can help to ensure the future of our environment. The Earl of Selborne, John Palmer, the Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee in Parliament, then announced the winners of the competition, and presented Sam and Finlay with their trophy. When asked how they felt about winning, Sam and Finlay told Palatinate “we thought we were in with a good chance”, but that overall they were “pretty surprised to win”, given the strength of the other teams. The other winning campaign from the University of East Anglia, called ‘Go with the Flow’, asked students at the university to urinate in the shower in order to save water. The project attracted national press and the video that they produced to accompany the campaign quickly went viral. Meanwhile, Bristol University’s team set up a pop-up swap shop to sell on used clothes, which has now become a permanent shop. Sam and Finlay hope that “in later years, the campaign could

provide an idea for setting up a business.” For now though, they’re focusing on their studies as second-year Engineers.

When asked how they felt about winning, Sam and Finlay told Palatinate ‘we thought we were in with a good chance’ but that overall they were ‘pretty surprised to win’ given the strength of the other teams.

Looking forward to their prize trip to the Amazon Rainforest, Finlay told Palatinate: “I have never been to that part of the world and I think it’s going to be fantastic!”

Their trip to the Amazon will involve joining the Kaxinawa tribe in the jungle, living with the Huni Kui people in the Brazilian side of the rainforest, and installing renewable technology.

The campaign involved offering various treats, such as grasshopper kebabs and chocolate covered crickets, to members of the public. To get their message across to their local community, they visited Joseph Swan School in Gateshead, promoted the campaign on campus around Durham, visited

Finlay and Sam were given their prize on the 4th of December, and will go to the Amazon in June Photograph: Venus Loi

DUCK Chair’s Column Jordan Riley Happy New Year from all at DUCK! It already seems as though Christmas was an age-old memory and that we have been back in Durham for some time now. This term is jam-packed full of really exciting events in DUCK; the Cathedral Sleepout, Tough Guy, Formally Lost, DUCK Race and Canoe Across Scotland are all happening before the end of term, so we’re convinced that we have something for everyone. The Cathedral Sleepout offers students the unique opportunity to stay in one of the most extraordinary buildings in England – Durham’s very own Cathedral. This is a fundraising event for two incredible charities: Moving On and Foodcycle, both of whom work with vulnerable people in the local community, helping them to get back on their feet. As well as passing an unforgettable night in a historic monument and raising awareness of homelessness in Durham, there will also be live music and entertainment. It’s not something you want to miss, as it’s one of the only opportunities in the whole of the UK which allows you to spend the night in a Cathedral as grand as Durham’s. Sign up for this event closes this Friday 23rd January, so be sure to visit the Durham Students’ Union website to book your place. It’s probably worth noting that we are currently experiencing a few issues with the website. Students need to ‘Join DUCK’ on the Union’s website in order to sign up to our events, otherwise you will receive an error message telling you that the event is fully booked. Joining DUCK is completely free and means you are signed up as an officially member, allowing you to participate in our events and sign up online. If you have any problems with sign ups just drop us an email at dsu.duck-chair@durham.ac.uk and we will get back to you as soon as possible!

PALATINATE | Thursday 22nd January 2015

5 www.palatinate.org.uk

Rede House students make “best of perfect storm” Henry Clare Administrative staff made the “best of a perfect storm” by moving 96 Stockton Campus students into Rede House, a new block of flats in Middlesbrough. The decision to move the firstyear students was taken after the number of students subscribed to live in the Stockton Campus grew to unprecedented levels. With two weeks to go before the start of the academic year, administrative staff were forced to move 96 excess first year students into Rede House. Duncan Macfarlane, JCR President at Stephenson College, said the situation was a “perfect storm”. “We had a situation where, a few weeks before the start of term, we had 96 students too many and nowhere to put them. It was absolutely ridiculous, and it was dumped on our shoulders”.

Once the decision to put the students into Rede House was taken, staff at the accommodation block had to work fast in order to get it ready in time, whilst the staff at Stephenson College had to make students aware of the new arrangements. One student, a first-year studying Finance, told Palatinate that he was informed that he would be living in Rede House just four days before the start of the year. “I’m an international student, so I flew over to the UK a week before the start of the year, expecting to be living in Stephenson College. When I found out I would be living here [in Rede House] I couldn’t believe it.” Further, the last minute nature of much of the building work meant that the rooms were only finished on the day that students started to move in. In an article published in Palatinate last November a host of

students living in Rede House took the opportunity to complain about the situation, with one student claiming that the building was not fit to live in. However, since then the University has worked hard to improve the situation, and have addressed what Macfarlane calls “teething problems”. The biggest of these issues was the poor internet, which, according to a first-year Business and Management student, has improved greatly. “The problems that we had early on were mostly related to the WiFi, now that they have sorted that out it’s all ok. “When I moved into my room everything that I need was already there, and room was ready on time, which wasn’t the case for a lot of students.” [sic.] Despite the improvements, a number of students have still registered their frustration at being so far away from the

Stockton Campus. One first-year Finance student said that most of the students are disappointed by the location. “The accommodation here has definitely improved, but the main problem is that it’s just too far away, and unfortunately nothing can change that now. “Before I came here, I looked up Rede House on the map, expecting it to be in Stockton. I couldn’t believe I was so far out of the city. “I’m a Durham student, not a Middlesbrough student. “But our JCR President has really done a fantastic job of trying to sort out the issues that we had earlier on.” “We have coaches that come every now and then to take us to Stephenson and Durham for evenings out.” The fact that students from Rede House have been able to integrate so well with those living in college is testament to the college spirit, according to Macfarlane.

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“They have their own little community up in Rede House, it’s amazing to see. “The students there are really tight knit, and many of them have already agreed to live together again next year. “We arrange for coaches to pick them up and take them to events at the Stockton Campus, and students who live in college often go up to Rede House too. “The other night, for example, we had a big college event, and a lot of students from the college went up to Rede House to predrink with the people there.” Professor Graham Towl, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Warden, praised the hard work of students and staff at Stephenson College. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved who have pulled together and worked so tirelessly, it is much appreciated.”

Rede House is a bus journey from Stockton Campus Photograph: Henry Clare

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Thursday 22nd January 2015 | PALATINATE

North-east teachers stand up for education

Josh Smith County Durham hosted an ‘Education Question Time’ last Friday where teachers expressed concerns about education in the North East and across the country. A panel of seven education experts led the event, which took place at Durham Johnston Comprehensive School. This included Ofsted’s National Director for Schools, Sean Harford, and the Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Kevin Courtney. More than 100 local teachers, parents and governors attended the meeting to voice their concerns to the panel. Most controversially, Courtney accused Ofsted of being “fundamentally flawed on reliability, validity and effectiveness.” This accusation comes amid proposed plans for Ofsted to use two inspection teams in every school, despite calls for Ofsted to step down. Sean Harford supported this argument, claiming “enough is never enough” with regard to school inspections. Courtney went on to criticise the lack of trust between organi-

sations like Ofsted and teachers, saying: “Teachers are not trusted anymore. When they give verbal feedback, they have to write it down for an Ofsted inspector. This is infantilising professional teachers. “Ofsted is also creating a culture of compliance for some schools, and that’s very bad.” Courtney also proposed that inspections should be abolished instead ‘bottom-up’ reviews introduced. Emma Ann Hardy, a teacher from Hull and education blogger, gave a passionate speech in defence of teachers in the audience: “Teachers are tired of hearing things Ofsted is going to do to them. Why not just ask schools?” Ofsted’s entire structure has recently come under attack from the NUT. Inspections have been accused of being too grade-orientated, and of not giving improving schools the recognition they deserve. Another hot topic was the escalating workload many teachers have to face across the UK as research has found that 25% of newly qualified teachers leave the profession within five years. There has also been a 10-20% increase in workload since 2010.

Cllr David Simmonds, chair of the Local Government Association (LGA) Children’s Board, also shot down claims that the government is not providing local authorities with enough money for education. Simmonds questioned: “Will extra money bring results that children will actually see?” Pat Glass, Labour MP for North West Durham rebuked Simmonds’ arguments: “There are greater needs in different schools, which

date the coalition government’s policy of austerity. “Though we are easing the burden on the public by saving money internally, frontline services inevitably have to be compromised.” So far, there have been cutbacks of 20-30% across the board, and 2,000 redundancies in the council alone. Last week, due to a change in the New Homes Bonus scheme, Durham County Council learned that it will receive an unexpected £600,000 from central government. However, this short-term fix will do little to satisfy local councillors and residents, who believe the coalition is unfairly targeting the North East. Henig says “some areas have had smaller cuts and there have been increases in areas of the South East

while we continue to deal with large reductions. “I don’t see how it can be fair or right if we are living in a period of national austerity that some of us should pay for that more than others. Continued from front page

must be reflected in the funding.” Glass was met with applause from the audience: “Schools shouldn’t all have the same amount of money.” The debate ended on the issue of free education, a proposal Durham Students’ Union rejected last term. Simmonds argued: “Somebody always pays. Is education best bought by the person who uses it, or by society?”

Ann Hardy made the panel aware that many prospective undergraduates are put off by the high tuition fees, while an audience member noted added: “It’s not just fees, how do you pay your rent?” Professor Robert Coe, Professor of Education at Durham, concluded the event by commending the panels’ efforts: “After all, what could be more important than education?”

The ‘Education Question Time’ was attended by Pat Glass MP, third from the right

Photograph: Josh Smith

Durham County Council forced to cut £250m

Becky Wilson New austerity measures mean that Durham County Council will lose up to a quarter of a billion pounds in funding from central government by 2019. Between 2011 and 2019, the council, which provides refuse collection, bus services and policing across County Durham, will have £250m less to spend on local services. This follows Chancellor George Osborne’s announcement of plans in his Autumn Statement to continue to cut local government spending. Durham County Council leader Simon Henig told Palatinate on Friday that the authority is under “tremendous strain” to accommo-

“If there’s a period of national austerity, it should apply to Surrey just as much as it does to County Durham.” On average, councils across the country will lose 1.8 per cent of their spending power, whilst Durham will face a loss of 2.7 per cent. Nearby councils will also be hit hard, with Newcastle and Middlesbrough losing 4.9 per cent and 5.6 per cent respectively. In contrast, Surrey’s spending power will grow by 3.1 per cent. Third year student Sadie

Bartholomew, who lives in Newcastle, said: “I find it hard that my hometown has to bear the brunt of austerity. “Only last June, Osborne asserted the need for cities in the North to function collectively as a ‘northern powerhouse’ to prevent economic domination by London, and that ‘powerful’ local authorities were an essential way to achieve this. “But such disproportionate cuts to funding will just make it harder for councils in the North East to operate effectively and deliver quality frontline services.” In a speech at Durham Cathedral earleir this month, Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury said: “When you look at the relative investment in other parts of the country, this area merits, from its skills and the talent of its people, a lot more investment.”

Given the current economic climate, Labour councillor Simon Henig’s criticism of Osborne’s austerity measures could be perceived as unreasonable. However, Henig told Palatinate that the problem is not with the measures, but with the way they have been handled. “Of course there needs to be cutbacks, but there also needs to be honesty. Central government should be more open about the consequences of their budget cuts, rather than leaving it all to local councils. It is an extremely challenging situation.” Nearby councils will also be hit hard, with Newcastle and Middlesbrough losing 4.9 per cent and 5.6 per cent respectively. In contrast, continued on page 7

PALATINATE | Thursday 22nd January 2015

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University defends college accommodation fee increase Henry Clare

The University has defended its decision to increase the cost of college accommodation for the 2015/16 academic year. Students living in college next year will have to pay £600 more for a standard room, a rise of almost 8.5%. Overall, the last two years have seen price increases of 5.6% for catered accommodation. In an email addressed to all students last November, the University justified the price rise by claiming that it expected the cost of gas, electricity and food to increase by 12%, despite inflation falling to a 12 year low. Students living in catered ensuite rooms will have to fork out an extra 9%.

£6,289

The cost of a standard college room this year

The news left many students angry and upset, and a petition was promptly launched in the hope of forcing the University to reconsider the soaring prices. However, Professor Graham Towl, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Warden, told Palatinate that the benefits of living in

£6,819

The cost of a standard college room next year

college outweigh the £6,819 continued from page 6

Surrey’s spending power will grow by 3.1 per cent. Third year student Sadie Bartholomew, who lives in Newcastle, said: “I find it hard that my hometown has to bear the brunt of austerity. “Only last June, Osborne asserted the need for cities in the North

cost of a standard room. “We are a collegiate University and this comes at a price. “Benefits of living in college include strong pastoral support, opportunities to get involved in a wide range of activities – such as college sport, the arts, volunteering – and belonging to a unique environment for students to make long-lasting friendships”. The professor also revealed that the University took advise from the Students’ Union, as well as Junior and Senior Common Rooms across the University, when revealing the price increase to students. “Our transparent approach to costings was referenced recently in a THE (Times Higher Education) article about the cost of college accommodation and we think its important to provide a breakdown of costs to our students. “The student representatives persuasively argued for this continued transparency, an approach we entirely support”. Despite the transparent approach, a number of students have claimed that the university must do more to justify the constantly rising costs. The fact that part of the fees paid by students goes towards ‘capital and borrowing expenditure’ has also been questioned. Professor Towl told Palatinate that this money helps to secure the “long term stability” of University buildings, and contributes towards funding future refurbishment programmes. Laura Carter, the Community Officer for Durham Students’ Union told Palatinate about the petition to make the University reconsider the increases, saying: “We added a petition to

to function collectively as a ‘northern powerhouse’ to prevent economic domination by London, and that ‘powerful’ local authorities were an essential way to achieve this. “But such disproportionate cuts to funding will just make it harder for councils in the North East to operate effectively and deliver quality frontline services.”

College accommodation is set to increase by £600 next year

our website, to gauge student opinion. This has received over 2000 signatures from students. We have met with the University to discuss the amount of signatures and expect a detailed plan for how the repair and

“To justify the price [the university] needs to lower it...People are being charged too much for what they need” Lloyd Bent, 3rd year Van Mildert College

In a speech at Durham Cathedral earlier this month, Justin Welby, former Durham student and Archbishop of Canterbury said: “This is a really great part of the country. But when you look at the relative investment in other parts of the country, this area merits, from its skills and the talent of its people, a lot more investment.” Given the current economic cli-

maintenance charges will be spent.” Despite the attempts to justify the price increase, a number of students still believe that the University needs to provide more information on where the money paid by livers-in goes. “I think they need to justify the price hike more convincingly if they intend to up the prices year after year”, said one final year English student living in St. Aiden’s College. “Giving ‘significantly higher than predicted inflation rates’ as the reason will never be enough to satisfy students who already have to fork out £9000 a year on tuition fees”. Another student, a second year at St. Mary’s College, told Palatinate that the fact that the fee increases are above the rate

mate, Labour councillor Simon Henig’s criticism of George Osborne’s austerity measures could be perceived as unreasonable. However, Henig told Palatinate that the problem is not with the measures, but with the way they have been handled. “Of course there needs to be cutbacks, but there also needs to be honesty. Central government

Photograph: Venus Loi

of inflation is a concern. “I’m choosing to live in next year as its my final year, so I thought the convenience of living in college and being catered for was worth it. “I do believe that the fact that the fees are above the rate of inflation is unfair and had accommodation been this price when I was a prospective student it might have been offputting”. Lloyd Bent, a final year English student living in Van Mildert College, said that he believes that living in college isn’t worth the fee-increase. “To justify the price they [the university] need to lower it! I don’t think people need more, I just think people are being charged too much for what they need”. should be more open about the consequences of their budget cuts, rather than leaving it all to local councils. It is an extremely challenging situation.” For all of the latest updates, follow @PalatinateNews

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Thuesday 22nd January 2015 | PALATINATE

“I am not an historian, but at 91, I am history” Former RAF veteran and author of Harry’s Last Stand talks to Palatinate

Photograph: The Guardian

Oliver Mawhinney Harry Leslie Smith lives by the trademark “I am not an historian, but at 91, I am history” and it is this mantra that enables the 91-year-old RAF veteran turned Guardian writer and author of Harry’s Last Stand to draw close to unparalleled comparisons to Britain of the past. Harry’s Last Stand is an “impassioned plea for change over a hedgefunded mentality” drawing on how his life experiences, including growing up in the depravation of 1930s Bradford, have shaped his perceptions of modern Britain. In an exclusive interview with Palatinate, Harry identifies the 20072008 financial crisis as the inspiration to write his memoir. His tone is imbued with evident anger when discussing the crisis and in particular the belief that the government allowed such a crisis to occur while “no one paid the price apart from the public.” It is the subsequent austerity in response to the financial crisis that leads Harry to draw his comparisons of modern-day Britain to the poverty ravaged Britain he grew up in. Harry familiarises with a sense of despair and hopelessness that “things won’t get better tomorrow,” with the only difference between his youth and the youth of today being

that today we “have a few more material possessions.” “I could cry when I consider how our world has turned out,” Harry grieves. It is clear that this is far from a statement of hyperbole. Harry speaks with great emotion when he says that “we’ve lost everything we’ve fought for by selling off most of the country for a pittance.” Consequently, Harry has made it his endeavour to save our world that has become measured by money. He believes that the current situation has further distanced the rich from the poor, excluding the underprivileged and resulting in a 42% rise in inequality since 1977. The route for Harry to achieve his bold aim is through his plan to “devote all expense and energy in making the whole of Britain realise change has to happen in the upcoming General Election.” “This General Election is the absolute most important in my lifetime and an opportunity to reverse the erosion of the society my generation created,” Harry recalls. It is conspicuous that Harry is a man of joyful hope; few would replicate him in going backpacking across Europe aged 75-years-old or, when feeling restless, hop on a plane to San Francisco to explore California. However, when considering the future Harry says dauntingly that “unless we affirm to change, we’re

all lost and will never recover.” It is hard to disregard such foreshadowing presented by the man who is ‘history’ himself. Harry’s Last Stand reads like poetry. It is a melodic memoir reflecting a range of emotions from fury to pride. In a political landscape dominated by Oxbridge PPE graduates, his education dwarfs that of our political elite. Yet Harry is able to resonate and inspire the electorate more than any other politician. He laughs that his speech at last year’s Labour Party conference was the first time he had ever used a prompter and brought his paper notes as a contingency. In discussing the importance of the NHS, the speech drew on a childhood compounded by the death of his older sister Marion of tuberculosis, aged only 10 years old, and electrified not only the room but the party conference. For many Labour supporters the image at the end of the speech of Harry with Shadow Secretary of State for Health Andy Burham’s arm wrapped around him like a proud son, is symbolic of a commitment to the NHS. Even Harry Leslie Smith, the Internet Phenomenon - with a Twitter following of close to 30,000 and Guardian articles ‘This year I will wear a Poppy for the Last Time’ and ‘A Eulogy for the NHS’ shared over 150,000 times on Facebook - was

“amazed at the response.” The speech was typified by the coining of the phrase ‘Mr Cameron, keep your mitts off my NHS’, that has since evolved into a slogan for many NHS campaign groups. He describes the slogan as an impromptu idea when writing his speech yet the rationale behind it is far from impromptu. Having grown up in a preNHS Britain, Harry is convinced of the importance of the NHS. He dismisses the government’s claims that we cannot afford the NHS as “bullshit” to serve their agenda of “crushing the NHS, to serve their many ilk in private companies.” In 1945 Harry voted for the Labour Party that created the National Health Service, leading to the contention that “Election day 1945 was one of the proudest days of my life.” Clement Attlee’s post-World War II Labour Party is one of great difference to Ed Miliband’s Labour Party. Harry however, asserts that “the Labour Party is still the party for the working class due to the communal beliefs of compassion, prudence and provision.” The passion in Harry’s core prevails when discussing Ed Miliband, “the firm believer in social justice”, and affirms that he is the right man for the party and future of Britain. Over the course of several meetings, he has identified Miliband as “a fine man and deep thinker who has the

potential to change Britain for the better.” “This is a generation that has been disappointed and let down in the past.” Harry identifies with the young who have become accustomed to broken promises and a lack of representation. He understands the air of apathy that surrounds the electorate but champions the importance of voting, declaring the message of “get up and vote, vote, vote.” As a man who has fought throughout his life for democracy it is unsurprising that he rejects the apathetic cry of ‘they’re all the same’ as a reason not to participate in voting. Conversely, Harry advocates that a “spoilt ballot is an opportunity to send a message of rejection to government because those votes are still counted.” Whether you are in consensus with his views or not, it is difficult not to feel inspired by Harry Leslie Smith. A survivor of the Great Depression and World War II, he is still relentlessly and selflessly campaigning to “prevent the young going through what my generation went through.” In a post-WW2 Britain, Harry concludes that “my generation built a country by virtue of democracy” and most explicitly Harry Leslie Smith epitomises the power and importance of voting in generating change.

PALATINATE | Thursday 22nd January 2014

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Edwina Currie speaks to Palatinate about salmonella, feminism and the Iron Lady Will Fremont-Barnes In the age of the identikit politician, Edwina Currie is anything but bland. Generous with both her time and her anecdotes in this conversation with Palatinate, the former government minister turned novelist, broadcaster and reality television show star talks enthusiastically about everything from her childhood in Liverpool to a recent weekend spent watching Shrek with her granddaughter: “I was absolutely entranced,” she says of the film, clearly relishing immensely her “precious” role as a grandmother. A self-confessed “socially liberal” Conservative, Currie’s view on the importance of family nevertheless remains entrenched in traditional values. Being a mother is a choice and one that is, in her opinion, being “seriously undermined” in modern society. “Motherhood is not imposed on us. It is the pattern of life for billions of women worldwide. The most militant feminists really misunderstand the nature of women’s lives.” Having succeeded in a maledominated environment, Currie has little time for those who indulge in self-pity. She argues that the advancement of women’s rights (or anyone’s rights for that matter) has “nothing to do with movements that say ‘it’s somebody else’s fault that I fail’.” That antipathy towards feminism, particularly the radical strand that appeared during Currie’s formative years, is one she shared with the dominant political figure of the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher. Currie speaks with genuine admiration of the Prime Minister under whom she served as Minister for Health, pinpointing the miners’ strike, which became an issue in her own constituency, as the moment Thatcher came into her element. “She was absolutely steadfast. Nobody else would have stood up to the unions in the way that she did.” There are obvious and important similarities between the two. Thatcher also studied at Oxford, came from an ordinary background, and had a father who ran a shop. Currie identifies their shared “outsider” status and, with a nod to Little Britain, jokingly likens being a Conservative MP from Liverpool to “being the only gay in the village.” Currie is on safe ground when making quips like that. Ahead of her time in terms of gay rights, she sought to frame the 1994 debate about lowering the age of homosexual consent around removing government interference in people’s private affairs. Yet it was also an equality issue for her: “Adults

should be able to consent in exactly the same way and at the same age whether gay or straight”. Anything else, in her view, was tantamount to discrimination enforced by “unpleasant fools” opposing equality. Given her relatively socially liberal outlook, it seems quite legitimate to ask how this “outsider” became a Conservative. Currie describes at length seeing “the worst of trade unionism up close” during her childhood in Liverpool, and the prevailing consensus that union leaders could “close down the docks and factories any time they liked.” It was a consensus that riled Currie, who acknowledges her own “naturally rebellious” disposition, intensely. She felt that the Labour politicians in the city “lost an important part of equality, which is excellence.” Meanwhile, “the Tory Party seemed to be in favour of all the progressive, forward-looking, encouraging things. I was a Tory by the time I was 14.” Only after going to university, where Currie discovered that she could hold her own among the brightest students in the country, did she consider a career in Westminster. “I found fairly quickly that I could stand up and make an argument. I’d read the same books, gone to the same lectures, but I’d come from a much rougher background, and I knew what I was talking about rather more.” That “belief and selfconfidence” which Currie identifies as absolutely essential for success, then led her to parliament in 1983. The manner in which her fledgling ministerial career ended abruptly five years later remains the cause of considerable regret. She quotes Enoch Powell, typically referenced for his distasteful views on immigration, for his “wise” observation that “all ministerial careers end in tears.” Currie’s ended when she provoked outraged by stating that most of Britain’s egg production was infected with the salmonella bacteria. Despite angering the entire farming industry, her assertion was vindicated years when the government cover-up was exposed. “I wish I had managed to convince my colleagues about eggs, because I was right, and the nation knew it. She [Thatcher] should have moved me to education, or local government, and promoted me. That’s what should have happened, but I got scrambled instead!” she says, half-joking, half wistful. “All political life is frustrating,” she continues; “if you’ve achieved everything you set out to do, then you’re bereft. If, however, you still feel as though there are things that still need your attention, you’re distraught.”

With fewer regrets, Currie reflects on Thatcher’s tearful exit from Downing Street in November 1990. “She was in office too long. By the time Margaret left she had gone a bit bonkers and was extremely difficult to deal with. I voted for her to leave because we knew that if we wanted to keep Thatcherism, we had to get rid of Thatcher.” Was it the right decision in hindsight? “The result [in 1992] showed we were right. We had to defeat Kinnock, and that meant a change of leadership. Unfortunately the next leader did not turn out to be a very good Prime Minister.” The affair with Thatcher’s successor, for which Currie is arguably most famous, does not come up directly in our conversation. However, she delivers an extended critique of John Major’s premiership, arguing ruefully that “he didn’t have leadership qualities,” suggesting also

that many of the problems faced by the Conservative Party today originate from his failure to quell its Eurosceptic fringe whilst it was still relatively weak. She highlights the “argument about privatising the rail industry” and the “row over Maastricht and the EU” as being Major’s abiding legacy. Although it is nearly a quarter of a century since the Conservatives last won a general election outright, Currie rejects any notion that there is a crisis of conservatism in Britain. “At the last election he [David Cameron] won a hundred seats, but we were starting from an extremely low base, which is why we got so close but not quite close enough to form a government.” Her vision is of an electoral system that would be “streamlined”, “less expensive to run” and “more responsive to the electorate.” With more than a hint of mischief, she

argues that “if we did have it, the Tories would win hands down, and that’s why we haven’t got it.” That aside, she concedes that the Tories face a battle to restore trust with swathes of the electorate, and feels that going ahead with HS2, the UK’s new highspeed rail network, will help in that respect up north. Just as our phone conversation is drawing to a close, Edwina Currie has one final thing to say: “Politics should be an honourable profession,” she insists persuasively, “and it will be if honourable people join in. My lot are too old… the next generation are still blotting their copybooks by getting drunk and messing up their expenses. So your generation have got to take over and I hope you do a better job. Politics will only work if the best people are prepared to come and have a go.”

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Thursday 22nd January 2015 | PALATINATE

Was 2014 a good year for women in business? Durham University Women in Business Society offer their opinion

Chloe Kopala

Forty-five years have passed since female machinists in Dagenham went on their landmark strike over equal pay. Since then, significant progress has been made towards providing gender equality in the workplace. So why, in 2014, did we still see gender equality issues in the workplace reaching headline news? Silicon Valley hit the headlines in 2014, when companies such as Facebook and Apple attempted to target career women by offering to cover the costs of freezing eggs. Controversy aside, it did bring attention to the continued existence of social concepts that deter women from the business world. Pregnancy and child-rearing are arguably some of the most significant causes, with many seeing a dichotomy between career progression and starting a family. However, 2014 did see progress being towards reducing this ‘motherhood penalty’- including a legislative change allowing parents to have more choice on how they split maternity and paternity leave.

events are organised to encourage a sense of unity, interactive seminars are held which focus on educating and encouraging a platform for discussion. DUWIB encourages female speakers and company representatives to lead events and recount their paths to success. Michaelmas term has already seen an array of sponsor events, and exciting events are planned this term. This includes: our flagship ‘Finding your

Photo provided by: Farah Thobhani

On a more positive note in 2014, we celebrated new data revealing that there are now more women on British company boards than ever before; showing that woman made up 17.4 percent of the FTSE 250 boards, a 40% increase since 2011. Encouragingly, it seems likely that the government is on board to meet its target of 25% by 2016. So how can students become more involved in learning about this controversial topic and help to

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Skills Workshops

tackle the ongoing gender imbalance in the workplace? Durham University Women in Business (DUWIB) aims to empower enterprising students to expand and sharpen their understanding of business, providing them the skills they need to become future leaders. The activities of DUWIB cover a broad scope and aims to encourage participation from all students as a platform for personal development at Durham University. Networking

all workshops can be booked via the University careers

What Effective Applications Accenture Inspiring Women event with Katie Piper

Skills workshop: Being a confident presenter Explore Careers Fair

When

Where

26th January 13:15 – 14:00

Ebsworth Building, D111, Queen’s Campus (Sign up through Careers Portal)

27th January 18:00 - 21:00

Newcastle, register through Business or Consulting Society

12th February 12:00 - 14:30

Dernam Christopherson Room, Calman Learning Centre

2nd February 17:15 - 18:15

Job Openings/Graduate Schemes

Venue details to be confirmed online

BBC Journalism Graduate Scheme

National Grid Graduate Scheme

Deadline: 26th January 2015 Location: London Industry: Media/Journalism Salary: £20 - £24k depending on living area Degree Needed: 2:1 Apply at: www.bbc.co.uk/careers Hiring For: Trainee Journalists

Tesco Graduate Scheme

Deadline: Ongoing Location: Nationwide Industry: Energy Salary: Starting salary of £25,000 Degree Needed: 2:1 Apply at: www2.nationalgrid.com Hiring For: Roles ranging from finance to property management

Deadline: 31st January 2015 Location: Nationwide Industry: Retail Salary: £26 - £30k Degree Needed: 2:1 Apply at: www.tesco-graduates.com Hiring For: Buying, Distribution, IT Management

Deadline: Rolling basis Location: Nationwide Industry: Financial Services Salary: Competitive Degree Needed: 2:1 Apply at: www.smithandwilliamsontrainees.co.uk Hiring For: Graduate tax programmes

Smith and Williamson

Career Calling’ event with a speaker session, followed by afternoon tea, networking and a drop-in CV clinic. Following on from this we will host an ‘IBM Roundtable’ event which offers the chance to explore careers in IT. Finally, we’ll also be holding a Business and Finance black-tie ball held in Durham Town Hall. Such events provide the opportunities for members to network with influential female mentors and peers and ask questions within a relaxed environment. To discover more about women in business and to get involved, please see their website on www.duwib. org.uk or visit their Facebook page by searching ‘DUWIB’.

To sign up simply email at women. inbusiness@durham.ac.uk with the following information: Name College Year Group CV (Optional - if you’d like a oneto-one feedback session please include this in the email and we will allocate a time for you between 15:15 - 16:00)

Politics

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Three cheers for the general election! Matthew Beebee

Conservatives The Conservatives are keen to emphasis that their “long term economic plan” will continue into the next parliament by pledging to introduce another £25bn worth of spending cuts, increasing the tax threshold for both low and middle income earners by 2020 and creating more apprenticeships. The rise of UKIP has also seen the Conservatives pledge a referendum on EU membership in 2017 as well as clamp down on migrants claiming benefits until they have lived in the UK for four years.

Labour Labour is striving to win support from their core workingclass voters by focusing on the “cost of living crisis” through policies such as freezing energy prizes, raising the minimum wage, banning zero-hours contracts and repealing the bedroom tax. Labour is also hoping to utilise the NHS to their advantage by pledging to increase spending on the service, paid for by clamping down on tax

The 2015 General Election promises to be one of the most important, and closely-fought, contests in modern British political history. But how do we get from the votes cast at the ballot box to the formation of a new government? Britain is divided into 650 constituencies, with an average electorate of around 70,000 people per constituency. In each constituency, eligible voters vote and whichever candidate receives the most votes is elected to be the representative for that ‘seat’ in the House of Commons. The vast majority of

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FireBrand Ollie Collard

The 2015 General Election is less than four months away and here is a short rundown of what the main parties stand for. avoidance and introducing a “mansion tax” on the wealthiest homeowners, while also ending the “creeping privatisation” of the current government’s topdown reorganisation.

Liberal Democrats The Lib Dems are keen to differentiate themselves from the Conservatives by emphasis their commitment to social equity by increasing the personal allowance on the lowest earners, something they would continue to do in government after 2015, while also pledging to remove universal benefits from the wealthiest pensioners and protect education spending. The Lib Dems are the most socially liberal of the main parties – implementing legislation to protect people from online intrusion and decriminalising drug possession – as well as being unashamedly pro-European.

UKIP UKIP have taken the political world by storm in 2014 by utilising both an anti-establishment

and anti-EU rhetoric that chimes with popular opinion. UKIP have devised other policies along populist lines: the introduction of an Australian-style point system on immigration and pledging to take all minimum wage earners out of income tax stand out. UKIP also favour a handful of ‘traditionalist’ policies such as opposition to same-sex marriage and increasing the number of grammar schools.

Green The Green Party have moved to position themselves to the left of the Labour Party by calling for the implementation of a living wage and the renationalisation of the railways. Environmentalism is still key to the Greens’ message on reducing our reliance on non-renewable energy sources and ensuring sustainable economic growth. The Greens are also one of the leading critics of UK fracking. The party also holds socially liberal views on issues of LGBT rights and ending the prohibition on drugs. Images: www.twitter.com, @ Conservatives, @UKLabour, @ LibDems, @UKIP, @TheGreenParty

How does the general election work? Matthew Lavender

Thursday 22nd January 2015 | PALATINATE

candidates stand for a political party, such as the Conservatives or Labour.

After the election (on May 7th), each party will have a certain number of MPs; equivalent to the number of constituencies, or seats, they have won. If a party has 326 seats or more, they will be invited to form a government, as they will hold a majority of the seats in the Commons. If no party has a majority, the largest party may choose to form a ‘minority government’, and attempt to rule without a parliamentary majority, or they may seek to form a coalition with other parties, in order to take them beyond the all-important threshold of 326 seats.

Photograph: Creative Commons

Ed Balls recently hit back at Russell Brand after an acerbic gibe from the comedian, dismissing him as a ‘pound shop Ben Elton’. 2014 could have been a watershed moment for Brand, riding high after his fiery Paxman interview. While a book outlining his ‘revolutionary’ ideas was critically panned, Brand has shown himself to be capable of mobilizing the ranks of disaffected and marginalised voters in a way which Balls should envy, going into the next election. Far removed from the exigencies of power, criticism is easy but simply accusing Brand of agitating is missing the point. The ideas may not always be fully coherent, but they seem to resonate. As Ed Balls’ party takes to the country clad in their traditional rhetorical panoply, clanking monotonously, they could do worse than look to a certain invigorating brand of populist leftism.

German antiMuslim movement cause for conern Lucy Bune

Photograph: Creative Commons

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“We will take in people who seek refuge with us.” Merkel’s words rang out clearly in her New Year’s message, sternly condemning PEGIDA, the Dresden-spawned anti-Islam movement sweeping

across Germany. But PEGIDA is growing. As concerns build over the increasing numbers of Middle Eastern asylum seekers entering Germany, anti-immigration demonstrations proliferate, the most recent attracting a record following of 18,000 participants. Counter-protests are also on the rise, as Germans mobilise in a national stand for diversity and tolerance, but will these alone quell the storm?

Definition of rape misu n d e r s to o d , study finds Elizabeth Buckheit A recent study found that 31.7% of American male university students would force a woman to engage in sexual intercourse against her will. However, many of the students did not identify forced sex acts as rape. Only 13.6% of respondents said they would rape a woman if there were no consequences. These results suggest the need for more comprehensive sex education including increased discussion of consent and sexual violence.

French terrorist attacks spark global outcry Hannah Matthews

Attacks in Paris on the headquarters of a satirical newspaper and a kosher supermarket by Islamic extremists have left 17 civilians dead. The attackers are said to have been working together. The gunmen were shot dead in separate sieges on Friday by police but accomplices are still being tracked. The shootings have sparked a worldwide defence of freedom of speech coining the phrase ‘Je Suis Charlie’.

Jade Azim National Voter Registration Day, hosted by Bite The Ballot, will be held in the Joachim Room of St Hild & St Bede on Thursday 5th February until 4pm. It is certain to be a fun and interactive event, seeking to encourage participation in the general election in May.

The greatest of all weapons. Illustration: Uel McCreary

Business & Economics

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Thursday 22nd January 2015 | PALATINATE

The economics of an epidemic

How the Ebola crisis has impacted the economic infrastructure of affected countries Darcey Brough-Mylod

Since February 2014, the Ebola epidemic has swept the countries of West Africa, killing 6,915 people (at the time of writing). The economic effects of this crisis are becoming increasingly evident, with both the disease, and efforts to contain it, affecting the short and long-term growth of affected countries. The impact of Ebola on West African economies presents a bleak picture. In Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the three worst affected countries, agriculture and mining have been adversely hit. Agriculture, which accounts for over 50% of GDP in Sierra Leone and Liberia, is a labour intensive sector which is now struggling to find enough workers to maintain production levels. Coupled with this, addi-

tional quarantines on food exports mean that farmed crops are often left sitting in ports for weeks. As a result, demand for export is falling. The economic problems associated with the epidemic have been further exacerbated by efforts to control the outbreak. Through the enforcement of curfews and quarantining of exports, governments in affected countries have inadvertently heightened economic hardship. International flights have been cancelled, borders sealed off and multinationals such as ArcelorMittal – the largest mining company in Liberia - are sceptically reviewing investment whilst foreign workers are withdrawn. Through the attempt to control the spread of Ebola, West African economies are left increasingly isolated. Such isolation is leading to widening foreign currency exchange gaps in the region, which could serve

to weaken an already heavily burdened infrastructure. At present, Liberia is estimated to have lost around $30 million in domestic revenue. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is preparing for two scenarios: ‘Low Ebola’ and ‘High Ebola’. If ‘High Ebola’ becomes a reality, the organisation estimates that West Africa may lose around $32 billion. Such loss will have long-term effects on West African economies, chiefly through its impact on infrastructure. Governments in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia are stretching budgets to cover healthcare, civil servant salaries, and security to enforce curfews and quarantines. There is little room for investment in anything else. Thus, if the Ebola epidemic persists in the long-term, the effect on already impoverished governments is likely to be felt even more widely than before.

Reduced investment in education and healthcare is predicted to lead to a reduction in the skilled workforce, rendering West African countries undesirable investment landscapes to multinationals such as Caterpillar, a manufacturer based in the region. The timing of the Ebola epidemic in Western Africa is particularly unfortunate. Many West African economies are currently in the process of transitioning from primary product dependency to industrial production, which requires investment and a skilled workforce. The rapidly growing populations of these countries means that high economic growth is required to maintain living standards. In spite of this, Bloomberg estimates that in 2014, the Ebola epidemic shaved off at least 2% of such growth. All of this is not to say that West Africa cannot emerge from

the Ebola epidemic relatively unscathed. WHO has released a cautiously optimistic estimate, stating that the overall economic impact may only equate to a loss of around $3-4 billion, not the absurdly high $32 billion that ‘High Ebola’ would incur. Likewise, only Sierra Leona, Guinea and Liberia appear to face real fiscal setback, with Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, remaining largely unaffected. In the long run, the isolating and austere measures currently adopted by West African governments may be contributing to short-term economic paralysis, but they are crucial to containing and ending the Ebola outbreak. This must take priority, not only to save lives, but also to prevent a future of total collapse in infrastructure, governments and the underlying economies alike.

PALATINATE | Thursday 22nd January 2015

SciTech

Cancer is “mainly bad luck”

Reader’s Scigest

Why the media needs to stop misinterpreting science and get a clue

A QUICK LOOK AT SCIENCE

PAND-AMMONIUM A suspected gas leak resulted in a dramatic evacuation of the US side of the International Space Station on the 14th January. At around 8.45 am GMT an alarm sounded to indicate a potential detection of ammonia gas, forcing six astronauts and cosmonauts to quickly put on oxygen masks and retreat to the neighbouring Russian segment. Toxic ammonia flows around the outside of the space station, cooling the electronics, but it was feared to have entered the interior through the water system. However, officials in NASA’s Mission Control Centre later established that it was a false alarm, thought to be caused by a faulty card in a computer-relay box; the crew were able to return to the US section after 11 hours.

LIKE YOUR LIKES

A new study has concluded that computers are able to determine personality better than a person’s acquaintances by analysing enough of their Facebook ‘likes’. Researchers created a computer model to predict a person’s psychological traits based on the pages which they had ‘liked’ on Facebook. By comparing this to data from the app ‘myPersonality’ which assesses users against the five major personality traits – openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism – they concluded that a computer was more accurate at judging someone’s personality than a friend given 70 ‘likes’, an immediate family member given 150, and a spouse given 300.

CATCHING COLD

Feeling cold is contagious according to research conducted by a team at the University of Sussex. They measured the hand temperature of 36 volunteers whilst they watched eight videos of actors placing their hands in water of various temperatures. When watching the actors touch cold water, the participants’ hands became slightly colder, but there was no change for warm and hot water. Lead researcher Dr Neil Harrison suggested that coldness is an ‘emotional contagion’ – a phenomenon that people tend to automatically mimic when observed. Other examples include laughing and feeling stressed. He believes that the mimicry helps us to empathise with people around us.

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Bryony Hockin

et’s be honest, no one wants cancer. It’s not a fun experience. Unfortunately, it’s quite common, and now, in our age of modern technology, everyone is convinced that we should be able to get rid of it as easily as we eradicated smallpox. When it comes to the media’s attitudes towards the scientists working on this truly enormous problem, opinions tend to wildly vary between thinking that all scientists are magical wizards or that all scientists are idiots and we shouldn’t believe a word they say. As a scientist myself, I’d like to say that we are somewhere in between those two ridiculous extremes. Yet this weird mixture of blind faith and utter mistrust of science by the media (and by extension the general public) gives rise to some utterly baffling headlines. Take an example from just a few weeks ago; presumably on a slow news day, some bright spark at a popular news outlet that I shan’t name dug up a recent paper from Johns Hopkins University which suggests that most types of cancer are actually attributable to random mutations in DNA. The media decided to top this with a headline claiming that two-thirds of cancer cases are down to “bad luck”. Not only is this an incredibly

badly worded headline, it’s also crucially only based on a single, recently published paper. In the field of medical science, cancer is one of the most widely studied areas of all, and there are thousands of different conflicting theories about its causes. As any science student knows, papers such as this one should be read with a critical eye, certainly until more evidence and other independent studies can verify the results. Having had a quick look at the data myself, I can say with absolute certainty that the two-thirds figure was plucked from thin air, and furthermore the actual data is shaky at best. The authors suggest that the lifetime risk of diagnosis with organspecific cancers is not entirely down to environmental and hereditary factors; depending on the organ, some or most of the risk could be down to random genetic mutations. The research claims that some tissue types (e.g. the intestine) are more likely to develop mutations than others (e.g. the brain), and therefore that certain cancer types are naturally more prevalent. So for example, a tissue that replicates more cells in its lifetime, such as the colorectal tissue, is more likely to develop mutations and hence has a greater lifetime risk of cancer. This is a perfectly reasonable claim to make, and is pretty obvious to anyone with a background in medical science, but the conclusions

drawn from it should be taken with a pinch of salt. For all that newspaper headlines blare about X or Y causing cancer, the truth is that we don’t actually know all that much about it. We may think immediately of examples such as smoking causing lung cancer, but in fact carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) exist all over our planet, and in the unlikeliest of places. Although the first carcinogenic compounds discovered were found in sites of industry such as mines and chemical plants, it is now clear that our entire lifestyle is filled with them. Almost everything we eat contains carcinogens; meat and fish produce carcinogenic heterocyclic amines when cooked, while excess salt and fat in our diets have long been attrib-

438b. The principle behind catching an exoplanet is to analyse the light output from a large number of stars. When the intensity dips in a characteristic way, an exoplanet is found. Unfortunately, there are limitations. This method, known as the transit method, only works when the plane of an observed extrasolar system is just in the right inclination. Given this, and the now limited ability of Kepler to observe, it is a minor miracle that three new Earth-like planets have been discovered. Kepler-438b, Kepler-442b, and the equally imaginatively named Kepler-440b have now been added to the existing five exoplanets that are of similar size to Earth and exist in the habitable-zone, where liquid water and water vapour are thought to coexist. But why are we trying to find these Earth-like exoplanets? Is it within the

realm of possibility that we will ever travel there? If we are to believe popular culture – movies such as Interstellar and much before it, A Space Odyssey – interplanetary travel is no more than waiting for a cataclysmic event and being in the right place at the right time. There are many problems with travelling long distances in space. Kepler-438b is 475 light years away; even if it was possible to travel at the speed of light, it would take 475 years to get there. Clearly it would be several generations before the planet is reached, and who knows if it would be any good anyway? Then there’s the slight issue of radiation. The earth protects us from a great proportion of harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun with its unique atmosphere. This is easily blocked by a simple sheet of glass, but in space, there are more harmful

uted to increased rates of cancer. A lot of common cosmetic ingredients have been suggested as being potentially carcinogenic; the most widely publicised being parabens, which have been rather dubiously linked to breast cancer. Should we be worried by this? In the grand scheme of things, probably not. While cancer is an unpleasant and scary topic, it’s also mostly treatable in this day and age. So long as we try to stay relatively healthy and are aware of genetic risk factors, there isn’t too much to worry about. As for the unfortunate headline choice picked by news-starved media outlets, it would perhaps be best if science and health journalists did their research before they crow their idiocy from the rooftops.

Cancer: forever in the headlines Photograph: Cory Doctorow on flickr

Earth Mark II: Kepler finds further habitable exoplanets

Alistair Madden It’s funny how news can slip past you. It wasn’t so long ago that we were hearing a lot about newly discovered exoplanets, or extrasolar planets – planets not in our solar system. It transpires that one of the main instruments used to search for them, namely NASA’s Kepler space telescope, incurred a major problem. One of its four reaction wheels – the parts of the satellite responsible for maintaining altitude – failed. This meant the ability of Kepler to stay perfectly stable whilst taking pictures was seriously impeded. Luckily, however, with a bit of engineering genius, the planet hunter is back. Amongst the first results from the newly revived Kepler is what is claimed to be the most Earth-like exoplanet ever discovered, Kepler-

gamma rays that can only be stopped by several centimetres of lead (not conducive to building a light spacecraft). Outside of the Sun’s sphere of influence, things get even worse. Finally, propulsion must be considered. Whilst it is true that the vast majority of fuel in a spacecraft is used to get into orbit, we would want to get to this new planet in a reasonable timescale. This means speeding up to near relativistic speeds, then slowing down again when the target planet is reached. All of this requires fuel. Maybe one day, with advanced propulsion systems or a loophole in physics, these planets will be within our grasp. Presently, however, over forty years have passed since the last Moon landing. Perhaps it would be best to take baby steps and explore our own back garden before venturing further.

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Thursday 22nd January 2015| PALATINATE

Durham housing crisis

In light of the recent rise in college accommodation fees, Miriam Brittenden asks the question: ‘is Durham facing a student housing crisis?’ Miriam Brittenden

With 2015/16 rent contracts for livers out accommodation soaring by an average of £10 per person per week compared with current prices, alongside the ever-rising cost of college accommodation, there’s no other way of saying it: Durham students are getting well and truly ripped off. Now I fully accept that it would be naïve to think that UK student landlords would do anything other than try to rip us off, that’s their job after all so who can blame them? But somehow an increase of £10 a week in the space of a year, an average of an extra £520 in a year, slightly oversteps the mark. I’m not denying annual inflation, but this is more like a hot air balloon that has over-inflated and i s about to burst. Comparisons with friends at other universities confirmed my thoughts. None of them are exactly paying a pit-

tance next year, and doubtless all universities and their respective cities are witnessing inflation in ac-

“

Who knows what the Durham student of 2020 will be paying

”

commodation costs, but there was no mistaking the look of horror in their eyes when I relayed the kind of prices I’d been looking at in different areas of Durham for next year. What concerns me the most

about this gargantuan inflation is its potential implications. When I decided that I wanted to come to Durham, my selection criteria was based primarily on the university, its merits, and the quality of the course I wanted to do. Average house prices in the area were not the first things I looked at. Nor should it have to be. If financial considerations regarding housing and accommodation become the key focus of people’s university choices, something has gone wrong. We are undermining the very point of university, especially an institution as renowned and respected as Durham, to provide people with a solid education and allow people to pursue their interests, based on academic and personal merit - not bank balance. It has always been the case that the cost of any university experience throws up financial strain for a significant

number of people, but there are usually ways of managing this, bursary funds and such like. Yet now we could be facing a situation where a majority of Durham’s student population can’t afford to live here. If house prices continue to ratchet up at this rate and by this much, in 5-10 years’ time Durham could have become a university exclusively for rich kids. Is that really what we want? I’m not denying that a fair few Durham students could still manage that, but not the majority of us. So why is Durham hit so badly? Someone told me the other day that Durham was

one of the next most expensive cities after London in terms of student accommodation, and I felt inclined to agree with them. I suppose part of the reason is that canny landlords have clocked onto the ‘pocket of London in the north’ Durham stereotype. It has to be said, there are a LOT of southerners here. ‘We’ll give southern people southern prices’, they think. The fact Durham is such a small city must also have something to do it. With less houses than big Northern cities like Newcastle and Manchester there is a greater demand. Undoubtedly the prices of all university accommodation is rising, but

“

I chose Durham based on the university, its merits and the quality of the course I wanted to do. Average house prices in the area were not the first things I looked at.

”

at an unsustainable rate, and especially so in Durham. What most perplexes and frustrates me about this issue, is the way that we all just seem to accept it. You hear the odd mumble or groan, but no one really challenges these sky high jumps. Admittedly it is difficult to see how, in the short term, we can directly ease the inflation, but what ever happened to student protest? Forget tuition fees, at least we all get a loan that actually covers that, it’s the shambolic state of student house prices that we should be waving our fists at. Be it protests, petitions to the university administration to attempt some kind of intervention or liaison with local landlords, or even just using social media – we could and should kick up more of a fuss. Or else who knows what the poor old Durham student of 2020 will be paying.

Illustration: Mariam Hayat

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PALATINATE | Thursday 22nd January 2015

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Checkpoint: a leap forward for restorative justice Lucy Hart investigates the beneficial effects of Durham Constabulary’s latest initiative Lucy Hart

At school, our R.E. Teacher tried to explain to us the difference between justice and revenge. He used the example of Batman – I forget exactly how this worked, but the main premise was that justice offers a solution, and that revenge just makes another problem from a problem. While Durham isn’t exactly Gotham City, it has its own problems which are in desperate need of solutions. The most apparent of these problems is crime, but crime doesn’t suddenly appear from nowhere, à la Bruce Wayne. The root problems of crime are many and varied: substance abuse, homelessness and domestic abuse, to name just a few. Of course, not everyone who suffers from these issues commits crimes, just as many

wealthy, healthy, happy adults do, but let’s accept the generalisation. If we hope to fight crime, where should we be looking to fix problems? Restorative justice holds the answer: we need to look at the root problems to combat crime on a more permanent basis. Durham Constabulary is leading the way in restorative justice in the United Kingdom. Last year the force pledged to support the approach, which encourages victim interaction and social support, and in 2015 it is launching a ‘world-first’ initiative called Checkpoint. The programme is ambitious, and takes a new stance on justice: not only does it want to bring down reoffending rates, save taxpayers’ money and cut court appearances but – and in my opinion, most excitingly – it encourages offenders to deal with the deeper, often personal, problems behind their crimes. Durham’s Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Hogg puts it this way: “At the heart of this is the individual, and a lot of individuals commit crime because of the situation they

find themselves in.” He hopes the scheme will make criminals’ lives better as well as taking them away from crime, an idea many seem to forget. Hogg has it just right: crime is kick-started by a criminal’s circumstances, so if we can improve their situation, we can limit crime in the county. The initiative will, of course, only be open to offenders committing low-level crimes such as shoplifting, fraud and vandalism. Durham Constabulary is optimistic about the initiative’s results: government research shows that interaction between victims and criminals provides an 85% victim satisfaction rate. Restorative justice also helps victims to deal with the repercussions of the crime, and similar techniques are now being implemented in schools in order to encourage children from a young age to deal with their misunderstandings fairly and cooperatively. Restorative justice opens a can of worms when it comes to the crime and punishment system in the United Kingdom. We have a tendency to

want every criminal to go ‘behind bars’, or ‘down for life’. This may be applicable to perpetrators of heinous crimes, who are often, it should be added, mentally disturbed. Our ‘tough justice’ attitude extends to prisons; we accuse prisoners of having it too easy, despite new measures put in place in 2013 that mean prisoners must earn perks, rather than being entitled to them. We forget how much a person can change in five years, or even in one. But the average criminal is not so far from

you or I – as we should well know, 2 series into Orange is the New Black – and is often a product of difficult circumstances. Criminals are not the villains of Batman films, they are very often decent people trapped by difficult circumstances. Durham Constabulary is leading the way towards the dawn of a better justice in the United Kingdom with Checkpoint, and I strongly hope it is an example that others will soon follow. Photograph: Tom Reading

‘New year new me’: yet another way to brag? Convinced your New Year’s resolution will work? James Knight isn’t feeling so optimistic... James Knight

It is neither exciting nor original to criticise the ‘new year, new me’ attitude that sweeps the dreary corners of social media and mainstream journalism every new year. With all the apparent optimism surrounding the subject of new year’s resolutions, in my judgment I risk sounding like a cynical-for-the-sake-of-it Daily Mail column, written by someone so boring they actually speak in Times New Roman. But quite like a negative review of the latest Adam Sandler film, it has to be said every time another one comes around, regardless of the fact that it’s been said countless times before. Needless to say, most resolutions aren’t kept: 88% according to a study by Richard Wiseman. A large part of the problem is that people tend to set goals that they would like to meet, and not necessarily goals

that they will try to meet, or could foreseeably meet. So when you vow to do something remember making the vow is not enough in itself, having made the vow your chances of fulfilling it do not increase. You can tweet platitudes about how willing you are to ‘put 2014 behind you’ and ‘start fresh’, but a lot of effort is still required on your behalf. We can probably trace the inception of this trend to the very night of New Year’s Eve, when the surrounding mirth and the appealing pull of a clean slate gets the better of inebriated minds. And in their drunken stupor they lose grip of reality and forget their complete lack of potential: ‘I can quit smoking’ they say, whilst having their first ‘last cigarette’ of many; ‘I can be nicer to people’ they say, before waking up the next morning with a hangover strong enough to make the Dalai Lama cave in to misanthropy. Of course, on their own, new year’s resolutions can seem innocuous, albeit somewhat unrealistic, but the real problem arises when people

start to advertise their resolutions, to wear them on their sleeves, to use them as bragging power: because what’s the point of ‘bettering yourself’ if nobody else knows about it? We’re seeing a growing trend of crass exhibitionism regarding our

petty goals for the new year. And the truth is, nobody really cares about your resolutions. Increasingly, our need to set these goals is becoming less to do with our

genuine longing for self-improvement, and more to do with boosting our self-image. It’s part of the creation of a narrative, a fetishised and idealised version of ourselves that we project onto others through social media; we spread a kind of contrived plumage that builds the impression that we’re some spiritually-enlightened peacock. Though as much as we would like to be seen as a peacock, underneath this caricature lies nothing but a dirty pigeon, drearily strutting through our routine lives, pecking away at our Tesco ready-meals until we cry ourselves to sleep. I’m obviously grossly generalising a certain type here, so allow me to grossly generalise some more. This is the same type of person who thinks that a quote like “some people only hate you because of the way other people love you” is so profound that they post it to their Instagram. The type who gets a tattoo of a crucifix

on their wrist to match the tribals on their back. The type who suddenly thinks they have a more visceral view of the world than everyone else because their cousin’s dog died. “Life is just too short to be unhealthy” they proclaim, sipping on their innocent smoothie, “so I want you all to know that I’m going to the gym more often this year”. Cue rapturous applause. Admittedly, you really don’t want to be that person who declares: “I don’t do new year’s resolutions” with an air of genteel superiority. And likewise, you don’t want to be that person who broadcasts their resolutions so that the world can know about their glorious ‘cognitive transformation’ or whatever new age ‘improvemet system’ they’re undergoing. Because let’s be frank, you’re just quitting smoking mate, keep it to yourself.

Illustration: Mariam Hayat

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Thursday 22nd January 2015| PALATINATE

Should Katie Hopkins be burnt at the stake? Palatinate explores the pros and cons

Infamous for her controversial views and risqué tweeting, Hopkins has gained a reputation as a national menace. Palatinate asks, would it be best for all concerned to simply rid ourselves of her once and for all? Against: Zosia Eyres

I’ll answer this question immediately with a definitive no. After recent events in Paris, I won’t entertain the idea that freedom of speech should be repressed by violence even in jest. However freedom of expression also means a freedom to criticize – and, my oh my, will I criticise Katie Hopkins. For those of you who aren’t aware of this woman’s foray in the pubic eye, I don’t know whether to congratulate you or ask you where you’ve been but I’ll do my best to explain. Hopkins first appeared on our television screens in 2008 as a contestant on The Apprentice and since then she has made her living by saying controversial things to keep herself from being forgotten.

For: Patrick Brennan

When I originally posed the question ‘should Katie Hopkins be burnt at the stake?’ to my mailing list, I was preparing myself for a small tsunami of articles endorsing the proposition. She’s the perfect subject for mockery: a heartless, classless douche at best, and positively dangerous at her worst. She’s exactly the kind of person we don’t need at the centre of our national media right now, even in the form of Celebrity Big Brother. But then some terrible, Kalashnikov-wielding people arrived at the offices of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, and suddenly the idea of suggesting – even in satirical form – that someone should be killed because of their views just didn’t seem remotely funny. However, I wanted two articles on this headline: one for and one

Her profile rose when This Morning hired her a number of times to have an opinion on various issues and to take the role of a kind of pantomime villain. In one episode she told a shocked Holly Willoughby that she wouldn’t allow her children to play with friends who had names such as Charmaine or Taylor. She also declared that the same rule applied to children who were named after places which led to the lovely moment in which Philip Schofield gleefully asked, “your child’s called India?” Although Hopkins’ comments may seem ridiculous but essentially harmless, they are not. Katie associates these names with people who she deems to occupy a lower class than her and she is engaging in an attempt to undermine and isolate these people on breakfast TV. Hopkins unfortunately didn’t stop there and on the same programme she said that she wouldn’t employ someone who was overweight because they would look lazy. I really didn’t want to give the

against. So now, in the wake of these terrible attacks, the job of trying to legitimately persuade the readers of Palatinate that burning Katie Hopkins at the stake would, in fact, be best for everyone, goes to me. Perhaps it is first worth noting that Hopkins is not a clever political satirist like those journalists at Charlie Hebdo. She is simply an opportunist. She knows that she can rake in the dollar by simply saying the most controversial thing that comes into her head on a public platform such as Twitter, a tabloid or a morning chat show. It is wrong to assume she actually believes any of what she says – lord knows what her actual views are – whatever they are, they’re irrelevant. The fact is that she is putting on an act to become notorious. The saying goes that any publicity is good publicity, and in our educated, inter-connected, enlightened age, where the vast majority of us are rational, tolerant, good natured souls, it is in fact the bad publicity which is the best publicity – anything Hopkins says doesn’t just get noticed, it goes viral.

programme in which she tried to put on and then lose three stones any extra ratings but somehow I ended up watching it with my brother over the Christmas holidays. This is probably because Katie is somewhat enjoyable to watch in a horrible kind of way. You find yourself laughing in outrage from the safety of your moral opinions which assure you that you’re watching in derision rather than agreement. Unfortunately, this attitude is not good enough because every time I watch something that

The bottom line is she’s playing us all for chumps; leaching off of our morality to get a public platform. Quite frankly I’ve had enough of her getting money/publicity/any kind of credibility whatsoever by tantalising us with her pre-calculated hateful nonsense, and I’m starting to regret even having commissioned this piece, as in the end it’s just more publicity for her. But does any of this give us the right to set her on fire atop a large bundle of timber like the witches of old? Of course it doesn’t. Not in any way, shape or form. As Evelyn Beatrice Hall once said – and as is frequently misattributed to Voltaire – “I disapprove of what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.” Taking into account the inevita-

Katie Hopkins appears in, I am endorsing her presence to TV execs. This will lead to her being hired again and thus to her saying more things to get herself noticed. It’s a vicious circle and having someone in the public eye that, during Ramadan, tweets images of cakes in an attempt to calm down people in the Middle East is dangerous. Suggesting that the number of conflicts within the region stems from bad-tempered hunger is disrespectful, offensive and downright disgusting. The latest scandal that s u rrounds Hopk i n s comes f r o m her tweet about Ebo-

ble extra CO2 emissions that would arise from burning her, as well as the wasting of precious timber in a time when the Amazon is disappearing faster than a Tab journalist’s dignity, and simply the fact that whilst being burned alive, we’d probably all be subjected to her constantly tweeting about it, I think it’s fair to say that there’s no way I can justifiably argue that she should be burned at the stake. Perhaps I should allow myself a little artistic license when interpreting the proposal. There is in fact a restaurant called ‘The Steak Inn’ in the tiny town of Shell Knob, Missouri. The town may only have a population of 1,379 (according to the 2010 census), but I’m sure we could persuade them all to come over one evening to see Hopkins get ‘burned’. We could fly in Jimmy Carr, Jack Dee, or someone equally quick-witted to perform the actual ‘burning’ itself. And we could ask Channel 4 to film

la: “‘Little sweaty jocks, sending us Ebola bombs in the form of sweaty Glaswegians just isn’t cricket.” Reports rose that she would be investigated by the Police for racism and then less than a fortnight later it was announced that Hopkins would take part in the latest series of Celebrity Big Brother. It is clear that Katie Hopkins will say almost anything to further her career. As, Oscar Wilde wrote “There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about” and Hopkins seems to have taken this to heart. This seems to lead to the question, aren’t we better than this? What does it say about all of us if we need someone like Katie Hopkins to be shocked by? In an age when the world seems to be getting darker, I personally do not need any more reason to lose hope. Just because Katie Hopkins feels the need to talk, doesn’t mean I need to listen.

Illustration: Uel McCreary

it.

“Oooh, you’re gonna need some ice for that third degree BURN,” they’d shout, as Jimmy piled on witticism after witticism, and Jack Dee would just sit there, smirking. She’d blush; she’d cringe; she’d try to escape, but there’d be no way out. It might embarrass her so much that she decides to scuttle back into whatever dark cave she originally crawled out from and leave us alone for good. Whatever the final outcome, it would certainly be a better watch than anything else she’s been on. Call it a cop-out, call it winning by a technicality, call it scraping the bottom of the barrel, call it what you like: this is my irrefutable reasoning for why Katie Hopkins should be ‘burned’ at The Steak.

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PALATINATE | Thursday 22nd January 2015

Sport

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DU Motorsport gearing up for success William van Es Amongst the vast array of societies and clubs at Durham exists a littleknown club that brings together enthusiasts from one of the planet’s more exotic sports: motorsport. DUMotorsport (DUMS) brings together drivers from all levels of experience, from total novices to British champions. Two or three times per term the club organises races, often in cooperation with Sunderland and Newcastle University, at Karting North East, just 20 minutes from Durham. These events introduce novices to the sport, and though not always particularly competitive, the large grids give everyone somebody to race. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the year is the Intercollegiate Karting Festival after exams, where teams of two represent their colleges; Castle won last summer’s event and Collingwood the year before. However, it is the British Universities Karting Championship (BUKC) that is the pinnacle and most important date on DUMotorsport’s calendar. The BUKC is one of the most exciting sporting events on the University calendar. A big claim, but it is a big championship, with students competing individually and also as a team, challenging more than 45 other universities, more than 70 teams and in excess of 700 students, whilst also providing the adrenaline rush of wheel to wheel racing at average speeds of over 45mph, only an inch off the ground. The BUKC uses the fleet of Club 100 karts: the fastest arrive-anddrive karts in the world. These karts are capable of over 65mph, and can

accelerate from 5mph to 60mph in 4.5 seconds. The BUKC attracts some of the UK’s top drivers whilst they undertake degrees, with racers from Formula Ford, Formula Renault, British GT, and Porsche Supercup, as well as Britain’s top Karting Championships. Durham has competed in the BUKC for a number of years, but achieved their best ever championship finish in the 2012/13 season where they finished fourth, sat behind three universities which offer a specific Motorsport Engineering degree – a very strong achievement. The BUKC is spread over the academic year, with a Qualifying event taking place in first term before four further rounds, which generally take place in second term. These rounds are spread all over the country, with a couple in the Midlands, one up north, one in Wales, and one down south. In the past, Durham has experienced a number of impressive individual achievements as well as team successes. Two of the current lineup, Andrew Dawson and William van Es, hold the accolade of Driver’s Championship Champion in their respective weight categories; Dawson, Super Heavyweight, in 2012/13, and van Es, Lightweight, in 2012/13 and 2013/14 (only the second driver in the history of the BUKC to become a double Driver’s Champion). The latter also won Driver of the Year in 2014, awarded for a number of stunning drives (4x 25min Sprint wins & 3x 60min Endurance wins partnered with Dawson). In fact, van Es has a number of other significant accolades to his name. He began racing in 2007 and was crowned ‘Best Novice’ in all of his five novice races, following in the steps of Lewis Hamilton. In 2009, he

moved up to national level, racing in a series known as Super One. This series is the pinnacle of British kart racing, where the best talent from across the UK comes together to compete. In his first season he placed as the highest ‘rookie’, finishing fourth overall with his closest rookie competitor in eleventh. He continued racing at this level and made consistent steps forward, ultimately becoming British Champion in 2013 – joining famous names such as Jenson Button, David Coulthard, and Anthony Davidson on the championship trophy. The two-time Driver’s Champion

passes on this experience to the other drivers in his role as Captain, sharing the best racing lines, best places to overtake, and areas of driving style to focus on. As a result, and with two new drivers, the 2014/15 season has started incredibly well. Brad Appleton is a third year Engineer with a passion for motorsport of all kinds, working with United Autosports in the British GT. Elliot Graves is a geographer who has raced rally cars in the past, but has never before competed in any form of circuit racing. This year, Durham have qualified in the ‘intermediate’ tier, a strong

DUMotorsport at the British Universities Karting Championship

endar, which is the final BUCS Cross Country race of the calendar at Stanmer Park in Brighton. 53 Durham athletes, varying from National standard to keen enthusiasts, will make the six-hour coach journey to the South Coast for what promises to be a gruelling, draining race, but also a fantastic weekend. The standard at BUCS Cross Country Championship races is notoriously high and this bar is often raised even higher at this event, as athletes look to finish the season with a strong final race. St Marys, Cardiff, Loughborough, and Birmingham are just a few of the universities which continue to bring teams of the highest pedigree to this event, making it difficult for Durham to compete. Considering the high quality of the field, it would be a fantastic achievement for Durham to finish in the top

ten in the team standings. Nevertheless, Durham are going into this race with confidence that they can produce some standout performances. In terms of the athletes, James Stockings and Luke Grenfell-Shaw have been earmarked to potentially run well in the Senior Men’s Race, which promises to be a hugely competitive contest. Michael Cameron is also another strong runner in this category who is capable of a finish in the higher positions. For the Women’s Team, there is a sense of great anticipation as Durham are fielding possibly their strongest ever Womens’ Team for a BUCS race. Among this group is Rachael Dunn, the current U20 XC Champion and Jenn Walsh, a former BUCS 1500m winner and who has represented Great Britain in the past.

result considering the mix of experience. As it stands, Durham is leading the championship, and with the tools at the disposal of DUMS, the aim is to keep it that way until the end of the season! Follow them on Twitter @DUMotorsport

With 3 of the 4-strong team graduating at the end of the season, DUMS are also looking for new drivers. If you are interested, then please visit community.dur.ac.uk/motor-sports.society/ and get in touch using the online form.

Photograph: Stu Stretton Photography

DUAXC prepares for biggest race of season

Kieran Moriarty

As the days get bitterly colder and the snow begins to fall, spare a thought for the hardy Durham University Athletics and Cross Country (DUAXC) athletes who are now hitting the peak of their training schedules in preparation for the busy Epiphany term period. For the elite athletes, the National Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill in London and the Inter-Counties Championships in Birmingham are fast approaching, where DUAXC athletes will find themselves competing against the very best in the country. However, as a prelude to those events, many will join their fellow DUAXC members in competing in the biggest race in the DUAXC cal-

Alongside them are perennial high achievers Lydia Sharpe and Chloe Price, who are both expected to do well. However, the race is not just about the elite runners. The final race of the BUCS season always triggers a healthy surge in race participants from DUAXC. People who have been training alongside the Durham City Harriers at Maiden Castle have the brilliant opportunity to represent their university in the sport which prompts many to compete. Being at the end of the calendar, this race is known for its buzzing, high-spirited atmosphere, as athletes can enjoy a well-deserved party once their race is over to bring to an end to their year of hard training. This party comes in the form of a mass social in the Students’ Union of Sussex University, providing an in-

centive for the weary athletes as they pound up those treacherous hills. The race has not been held at Stanmer Park in recent years, so many athletes are unaware as to the layout of the course. It is situated around the old estate of the Stanmer House and is predicted to be an undulating, hilly, and naturally, very muddy course. As always, DUAXC have been training alongside the Durham City Harriers, the local athletics club situated at Maiden Castle, which has long provided excellent coaching and opportunities for athletes to compete in local races within the North-Eastern leagues. With such a large group of dedicated, enthusiastic athletes, there is no doubt that DUAXC will produce a spirited showing in Brighton and maybe even cause a few surprises.

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Thursday 22nd January 2015 | PALATINATE

Gabby Logan: ‘Life can’t g At the end of a long day of filming, Gabby Logan sits down on the sofa opposite us in a t

alumna opens up to us on a variety of topics, from her early sporting success and time at Nick Friend

The first member of her family to go to university, Gabby admits that she “didn’t really know what to expect” at Durham. With the sudden death of her football-playing brother in 1992 and her injury-enforced retirement from gymnastics – in which she had represented Wales at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, it had been a difficult couple of years. Having applied on an open application, Logan accepted a place at Hild Bede, and describes herself as “really lucky to get what I think is a really nice college.” Although she studied law, Gabby was set on her future career path. “When I was a gymnast, I went on Blue Peter”, she starts. “That was when I thought that I’d quite fancy working in a TV studio. “I was only fifteen so I wrote to the editor of Blue Peter and asked for advice. He offered me some work experience on local radio and things like that. It made me even more keen to do it. “When I was nineteen, I had a chance meeting with Giles Squire, head of Metro FM (a radio station in Newcastle). He told me to call him when I got to Durham and he’d give me some experience.” True to his word, three months into her time at Durham, she was being paid to read the news. “I basically had two different lives going on – my radio life in Newcastle and my university life back in Durham.” Her £120 weekly earnings were enough to support all of her student needs. The job, Logan says, allayed her frustrations of the curtailment of her gymnastics career. “I was so young when I finished gymnastics that I thought another sport would come along instead. When I look back on it now, I was young enough to do something else.” Other than coaching Durham’s gymnasts, this never materialised. Instead, she continued to focus on her fledgling radio career. “My first summer, university ended in June and we didn’t go back until October. I worked almost every day of that holiday.” Such devotion was not unusual for Gabby, who claimed that during her pursuit of a new sport, she “used to go down to the local pool in Leeds and test myself against World Championship times.” Despite her love of sport, it was only after graduating that she even considered the world of sportscasting. Gabby goes as far as saying that “the whole sport thing happened by accident. I liked the idea of being

somewhere in between Zoë Ball and Jeremy Paxman.” After taking a job on Metro FM’s Breakfast Show and being seen mingling with the sports reporters, she was offered a Saturday afternoon job conducting post-match interviews at St James’ Park. Already a season-ticket holder, this was a no-brainer. Shortly afterwards in 1996, she took a job at Sky Sports, becoming one of the first female sports presenters of the time. Two decades later, Logan is pleased with the increasing number of women working in sport but says that more must be done to ensure that progress does not halt. “It does feel a bit weird twenty years on, still being asked the same question about women in sport. And yet, I suppose it is still relevant with people have differing perceptions of

“It’s not a case of: ‘ooh, there’s a woman there’. They are there on merit”

women in sport”, she admits. “I like to think that if you’re good at your job, it doesn’t matter who you are, what gender you are, what you look like or what your sexuality is.” She uses Sports Personality of the Year, which she has co-presented since replacing Sue Barker in 2013, as an example of the progress made. Speaking before Lewis Hamilton’s victory in Glasgow, Logan claimed that “it’s brilliant how many women are on the shortlist. It’s not even a novelty thing now. It’s not a case of: ‘ooh there’s a woman there.’ They are there on merit.” The rise of women’s football also excites her. She believes that “it will match the men’s game” in terms of quality – if not finances. She cites the success of the Women’s Super League and the 55,000-strong crowd at Wembley for England’s friendly with Germany as proof its potential. Logan, herself, has been at the forefront of the increase in female sportscasters. She pinpoints the famous 2005 Champions League Final between Liverpool and AC Milan as the major turning point – before then, no woman had ever presented a live football match on terrestrial television in England. “That was a huge moment. It was important for someone to step through that barrier”, Gabby says with thoughtful pride. “Thirteen million viewers, an English team in-

Gabby Logan studied Law at Hild Bede (1992-1995)

volved. Then I did the following year as well.” She hasn’t hosted the final since 2006 and suggests that the commercialisation of ITV has hindered opportunities for women. “ITV is so commercial”, she explains. “Their sport is very focused on their demographic and trying to get the most advertising. For a

Photograph: Matrix Studios

woman to do that job is difficult because their audience demographic is 35-year-old blokes. BBC don’t have that specification.” Working for the BBC has brought Gabby her two career highlights: hosting Match of the Day and fronting the Olympic coverage. To any sports fan, these two productions are the staples of our televi-

sion diet. It is little wonder that Logan feels so strongly about them. Of course, as the daughter of former Wales captain Terry Yorath, her love for football is hardly surprising, and her exuberance towards Match of the Day is reminiscent of that of an armchair fan eagerly strapped in on a Saturday night.

PALATINATE | Thursday 22nd January 2015

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get any better than this’ tranquil corridor of the BBC ‘s plush broadcast centre. For the next hour, the Hild Bede

t Durham, to her career in broadcasting that has taken her to the top of her profession. “Whenever I sit in that chair, hearing the music and knowing the history that comes with the show – especially with it being the 50th anniversary, I’m immensely proud to be part of that rich heritage. For it – fifty years on – to still be at the top of its game and getting four million viewers on a Saturday night is incredible. You get this tingle on the back of your neck.” Understandably, it is the 2012 London Olympics that she is most proud of. Describing it as a fortnight “that changed broadcasting forever”; her pride is obvious at the astounding success of the Games. The BBC’s coverage won the Royal Television Society Best Live Event Award as well as being the biggest single event in the corporation’s 93year history. “You know when you just think, life can’t get any better than this. Even though it was an 18-night run, you just didn’t want it to end. “It was quite relentless. It surprised us all with how successful it

was, how incredible the results were, how much the BBC had pushed the boundaries with the technology being used.” Her pride goes beyond that of presenter. The British sportswoman in her is clear. “I had this innate feeling that it was going to be a success. I’ve been to Olympic Games before, worked on them before. I know what they do to the country they’re in and how they make people feel. “Knowing that various sports were becoming quite successful added to the sense of euphoria – I think it just felt like this kind of fusion of everything coming together and the stars aligning. “We, as a nation, wanted to prove ourselves in the Jubilee year. There was a real sense of national pride that we hadn’t really tapped into for a long time.” Whilst talking about the Olympics, Gabby often refers to one athlete in particular. Not Mo Farah or Jessica Ennis, but the rower Katherine Grainger – a silver medallist in 2000,

2004 and 2008, who finally claimed gold in 2012. She says that it is these stories – “about the people you just don’t hear about” – that grabbed the nation’s heart. We move conversation onto a difficult topic: the future. What more is there to do after a home Olympics? While she admits that she’d love to follow Sue Barker into hosting a panel show (although not on Question of Sport!), Logan also recognises the limits of the business. “Some jobs just aren’t going to come up unless someone retires or dies!” She loves the immediacy of sports presenting, admitting that she has often forgotten to ask certain questions but also stating that “live television doesn’t always lend itself to clarity of thought.” “We’re very lucky that we don’t have to sell things”, she explains. “If it’s a bad game, we can say that it’s a bad game. We don’t have to patronise the viewers and tell them that it’s amazing.

“You never know when the next Jonny Wilkinson or Wayne Rooney is going to appear and you never know when the underdog will prevail. That’s what sport should be about.” At the peak of her powers, Gabby now sees every show as an “opportunity to enjoy myself and to show off what I’ve spent twenty years learning.” She says that before, she was “all about professionalism and not enjoyment.” From this point of view, she sympathises with pundits and inexperienced presenters. “Punditry is hard”, she says. “They’ve got all the different cameras to worry about, what the touchline reporter is relaying back, information coming from all kinds of areas. She refers to the Malcolm Gladwell theory that 10,000 hours of practice makes perfect. “Experience is the only way of learning how to do it. You can’t replicate it in a fake environment because you need that pressure. It’s like taking a penalty in front of a fake crowd.

The pressure is what makes you react.” She refers to last year’s European Athletic Championships when competition was suspended due to galeforce winds as an example of her experience. “The producers were saying: ‘it’s dangerous where you are.’ But I just said: ‘if you move us to a safe area, nobody’s going to believe it’s that windy. If you take us inside it’s going to look boring. You have to look like the wind is battering you, your eyes are watering, people are holding onto their desks, paper flying everywhere. At least people know why there’s no athletics! “We didn’t actually lose any viewers. It was exciting for people to see whether or not we died!” The anecdote is typical of Gabby Logan’s professionalism and ability as a broadcaster. Her advice for aspiring presenters and journalists is equally typical of a presenter who sits at the very top of her profession. “You’ve got to really want to do it.”

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Thursday 22nd January 2015 | PALATINATE

Exclusive interview: Gabby Logan

Palatinate talks to sports presenter and Durham alumna p. 18 & 19

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In the fast lane with Motorsport Captain William van Es p. 17

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Preview to the biggest race in the DUAXC calendar p.17

Polo returns to Durham Nikki Todhunter

Durham’s Polo squad makes a return in time for the Northern Universities Winter Tournament in February at White Rose Polo Club Photograph: Josefina Troncoso

Premiership set for exciting finale Kieran Moriarty

Much like the Barclays Premier League, the title race in the Men’s Football Premiership is wide open as it returns for a crucial run of fixtures that will surely determine who stands victorious in March. Hild Bede A went into the Christmas period as league leaders on 16 points. After cup disappointments against John Snow A and Grey A, they now have their full and undivided attention on their Premiership campaign. Captain Will Cracknell said: “Our next three fixtures against Grey, Hatfield, and Collingwood will have a huge say in the destination of the Premiership title. As the current leaders, finishing any lower than 3rd would be a real disappointment.” Despite their position, Cracknell acknowledged the quality of rival teams, some of whom are fortunate enough to be able to field several Team Durham players. Cracknell said “a win against league rivals Collingwood or Hat-

field, both of whom boast numerous University level players, would be an unbelievable result for a team with only one Team Durham player. “However, if we perform with the same skill and togetherness we’ve displayed thus far, I’m sure we’ll give them a run for their money.” With a tough schedule of fixtures lying ahead, Hild Bede still maintain confidence that they can secure precious points that would edge them closer to the title. Only three points behind lie defending champions Hatfield A in second place on 13 points. Captain Harry Savill is satisfied with Hatfield’s league position following the first half of the season, in which they are poised to chase down the leaders. Even more impressively, Hatfield A remain in two cup competitions, ensuring there are plenty of opportunities for silverware. Savill said “We’ve won seven of our nine games so far and we’re still going strong in the Trophy and the Floodlit. Considering that, I’m very confident we will be able to maintain that form in 2015.” Savill also believes this achievement is all the

more impressive, considering the loss of several senior players who had been instrumental in Hatfield’s success last season. “Having lost a number of our senior players, many of whom provided the backbone to last year’s successes, it was always going to be a hard task attempting to replicate those glorious memories this season. However, I think we’ve adapted fantastically well considering the circumstances.” Nevertheless, the Premiership is looking far from a two-horse race. Behind Hild Bede and Hatfield, Collingwood A, Grey, and Aidans A all stand on 12 points, breathing down the necks of the Premiership pace-setters. With many of these big teams yet to play each other, it is anyone’s guess as to which team will be crowned the Premiership champion in March.

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Key Games Title Deciders Hatfield A vs Hild Bede A 1st February Collingwood A vs Hatfield A - 8th February Collingwood A vs Hild Bede A - 15th February Collingwood A vs Trevs A 8th March And at the bottom.... St Marys A vs Van Mildert A - 25th January St Chads A vs St Marys A14th February

Polo is undergoing a revival in Durham, with the new club looking to field teams in several tournaments this year, as well as introducing beginners via taster days. Rishi Ahluwalia, now graduated, recalled informally playing with fellow students and forming a team in his first year. They made it to the finals of the national University league, only narrowly beaten by Loughborough – an impressive effort for a team of casual players pitted against top teams from other universities. “In my third year,” Rishi tells me, “I thought it was a shame that Durham was not competing against all the other unis, especially as university-level polo is often the only way for people to experience it in an affordable and fun way.” He approached the already established Equestrian Society last year to organise a taster session for its members. The trip was a great success and following this, a small exec was formed. So far, several training sessions have taken place over the past two terms at White Rose Polo Club (also favoured by Polo teams from other universities, including Newcastle and York). These have been a great success, introducing around 30 beginners to the basics of the game, and even managing to play a few friendly chukkas at the end of each session. Alex Wood, who attended one of the sessions last term, thoroughly enjoyed the experience: “The horses were brilliant, and teaching was well suited to all abilities.” As well as running taster sessions, the club hopes to form a team of more experienced members to compete this summer in the Schools & Universities Polo Association (SUPA League). William Currie (the current president) is hoping to field several 3-a-side teams in the Northern Universities Winter Tournament in February at White Rose Polo Club, with a view to entering larger tournaments in June. For more information, email w.d.currie@durham.ac.uk (president) or nicola.todhunter@durham. ac.uk (secretary), and join the society’s Facebook group for updates.