Palatinate 809

Palatinate Officially the UK’s Best Student Publication, 2018

Thursday 18th October 2018 | No. 809

www.palatinate.org.uk | FREE

Music reviews Jorja Smith’s performance at the O2 Academy in Newcastle

With accommodation fees set to increase for yet another year, are we all being #RippedOff?

Students threaten legal action over Dun Holm House Anna Tatham News Editor Students living at Dun Holm House are threatening to sue Fresh Property Group as the accommodation remains under construction, despite promises it would be finished by September.

Entry to the site is partially obstructed by safety barriers, scaffolding and temporary iron stairwells, while some internal facilities, such as the cinema, still remain uncompleted.

Students were offered relocation to the Radisson Hotel by Fresh Student Living.

Rooms can be as much as £215 for a ‘Platinum’ studio river view room, with the cheapest room £145 per week for a ‘Bronze’ ensuite.

The housing company originally promised students entry from 22nd September, however this was moved to 29th September due to ongoing building work.

In an email to tenants, Fresh Student Living said it ensured the building would be “in tip top condition” by this date, however the exterior of the building is still undergoing visible construction work.

The company later made an offer of temporary accommodation in the Radisson Hotel, or two weeks’ free rent while they completed the fitting of communal areas.

Residents were without WiFi until 3rd October and washing facilities were not installed until Tuesday 9th October, although Fresh Student Living provided 4G dongles and offered to pay for external washing charges.

A Dun Holm resident, who wished to remain anonymous, called the accommodation “a rip off and a scam to gather up as much money asap to pay for the rest of the construction.”

Residents have also complained that the rooms shown in the...

Continued on page 5

▲ Durham University student Matthew Hedges, 31, with his wife Daniela Tejada (Daniela Tejada)

Hatfield PhD student charged with “spying for a foreign state” in UAE

• Matthew Hedges has beenimprisoned in UAE since the 5thMay with concerns about his mental health • The PhD student was said to be conducting research on the country’s foreign policy Madeleine Horton Deputy News Editor A Durham University student imprisoned in UAE has been charged with “spying for a foreign state”.

Matthew Hedges, 31, a PhD student from Hatfield College has been held in solitary confinement for five months following a research trip.

Mr Hedges was reportedly taken into custody at Dubai Airport on the 5th May as he was about to leave the country.

The PhD student had travelled

to the United Arab Emirates to conduct interviews regarding the country’s foreign policy and security strategy.

Mr Hedges had been held without charge from then until earlier this week. His wife, Daniela Tejada, who has been permitted to visit her husband just once during this time, said that his rights are being “violated on a daily basis”.

The student’s case had been raised by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt with his Emirati counterpart amid significant concerns over his mental health and wellbeing.

British officials have also visited Mr Hedges twice, however he is said to have been prevented from discussing any details with them A Foreign Office spokesman stated: “Our staff are supporting a British man following his detention in the UAE. We are assisting his family and remain in close contact with authorities.”

The exact nature of the alleged offences has not been revealed.

In an email sent to Durham students, Vice-Chancellor Stuart Corbridge said: “We are seriously

concerned about Matt’s welfare and wellbeing. We remain in close contact with his family, and we continue to offer our full assistance to efforts to bring Matt home safely and swiftly.”

He also requested that students do not comment on social media about Matthew’s situation.

The case was heard by an Abu Dhabi court last week.

However, the court was adjourned until an additional hearing on 24th October.

Ms Tejada said that: “All I want Continued on page 5

2

Thursday 18th October 2018 | PALATINATE

Editorial £350 for some avocados? I’m feeling #RippedOff

I

n case by some miracle you haven’t yet heard, the University will once again be rising its accommodation fees – meaning that you could be paying £8,149 to live in college next year. Our last edition led with the news that Durham University was ranked 4th worst for social inclusion in the country.

I hope the link is obvious enough.

If you thought you were sick of Brexit, think about how the Palatinate team feels about this Freshers’ week is sadly over and the reality of Durham University life is settling in. The Billy B is already far too full for my liking and the queues at Flat White are already extending, despite the opening of Whitechurch (see p.

4). There are already more flared jeans than the 70s and perhaps most importantly, we are reporting on the rising costs of living in Durham.

Returning to college in my final year, my room is costing me around £350 more than what I paid in first-year. Although I’m grateful for the improved food – avocados at breakfast? – the quality of my room and college facilities remain the same.

The Billy B is already far too full for my liking Looking back through the Palatinate archives, there is a steady trend of our reporting of accommodation fee rises. We are starting to feel like a broken record.

Each year we announce that the University is putting up the prices,

we cover the student protests, our comment section has pieces expressing student outrage, then we repeat it all over again 12 months later. If you thought you were sick of Brexit coverage, just think about how the Palatinate team feels about this.

The point that I want to make is that we will keep shouting about this until it stops being important. If Durham students stop caring about paying 3.5% more year on year for the same standard room, then we will have to look elsewhere for our headlines. But I hope the likelihood of that happening anytime soon is fairly slim.

As the wider University community becomes more aware of the issues of social inclusion, it is becoming harder and harder to justify an £8000 price tag for the ‘Durham experience’. Student numbers are rising and so is the cost of attending university.

It is becoming harder and harder to justify an £8000 price tag for the ‘Durham experience’ In his column, DSU president George Walker issues a call for action as they restart their Ripped Off campaign. I hope, if only for the sake of Palatinate Editors to follow me, that this is the last time we report on yet another increase.

If you can bear to read on after finding out how much accommodation fees have increased since 2011, Politics take a look at the #MeToo movement one year on (p. 12-15) and ask if it has really had the impact it first promised.

News also reports on the cir-

cumstances of Matthew Hedges, a Hatfield PhD student currently imprisoned in UAE having been accused of “spying for and on behalf of a foreign state”. Matthew was arrested in May and has reportedly been in solitary confinement for the past five months.

I hope this is the last time we report on yet another increase Many of you reading this might know Matthew, and we want to assure you that this is something we will continue to report on. He is not simply a statistic in a news bulletin, but a Hatfield student, a PhD candidate, and a member of the University community.

In our Comment section, freps and freshers reflect on the whirlwind that was Freshers’ week 2018.

In Indigo, Books interview the poet Simon Armitage - depending on your view of GCSE English literature this will either bring back fond memories or trigger a few nightmares.

I hope you enjoy reading our latest edition. If, like me, you’re procrastinating doing work for your dissertation, there is plenty of great content into which to sink your teeth.

Julia Atherley

Inside 809 News pages 4-6 Comment pages 7-9 Profile page 11 Politics pages 12-15 SciTech page 16 Sport pages 18-20

indigo

Editorial page 2 Features page 3 Film and TV page 4 Fashion page 5 Travel pages 6-7 Music page 8 Stage page 9 Food & Drink pages 10-11 Visual arts pages 12-13 Creative writing page 14 Books page 15 Interview page 16

Current vacancies

• Illustrations Editor • Deputy Sport Editor • Deputy Comment Editor • Comment Editor Email editor@palatinate.org.uk for more information

Photographs on front page: Justin Higuchi via Flickr, Illustration by Mariam Hayat

Find us on social media

www.facebook. com/palatinate @PalatinateUK

The bestwww.palatinate.org.uk of Palatinate Online

NEWS: Street food cafe to replace library cafe A marquee selling street food will be available on Library square as the library café undergoes extensive remodelling this Michaelmas.

PROFILE: Jack Edwards: from freshers’ fear to Jack of all trades Profile interview the Youtuber, blogger, and Cuth’s student Jack Edwards and talk to him about his success.

VISUAL ARTS: Claude Cahun at the Gala gallery: ‘striking prescience’

BOOKS: DBF - Rowan McCabe presents: Door-toDoor poetry

Visual Arts Editor Stella Botes visits the touring exhibition at the Gala gallery, Durham, a “small and fleeting chance to experience the thought-provoking artist”.

As part of their Book Festival 2018 coverage, Books review the event described as “a mix of spoken word

and theatre”.

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

Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief Cameron McIntosh & Julia Atherley editor@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Editors Millie Fender & Oscar Elmon deputy.editor@palatinate.org.uk News Editors Clara Gaspar & Anna Tatham news@palatinate.org.uk Deputy News Editors Madeleine Horton, Melissa Tutesigensi, Lydia Blundell & Naomi Clarke deputy.news@palatinate.org.uk Investigations Editor Joe Banfield investigations@palatinate.org.uk Comment Editor Madeleine Cater comment@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Comment Editors Holly Adams & Jacob Whitehead Profile Editor Ella Catherall profile@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Profile Editor Jamima Westermann Science & Technology Editors Ewan Jones & Charlie Hetherington scitech@palatinate.org.uk Politics Editors Alice Lassman & Sarina Rivlin-Sanders politics@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Politics Editors Jack Taylor & Matthew Spivey Sport Editor James Smith sport@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Sport Editors Ed Lord & Finlay Smart Indigo Editor Adele Cooke indigo@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Indigo Editor Alex Leggatt deputy.indigo@palatinate.org.uk Features Editor Kleopatra Olympiou features@palatinate.org.uk Food & Drink Editors Rebecca Russell & Piers Eaton food@palatinate.org.uk Travel Editor Patrick Noren travel@palatinate.org.uk Fashion Editor Anna Gibbs fashion@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Fashion Editor Ana Hamilton Film & Television Editor Hugh Johnson film@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Film & Television Editor Alexander Priston Stage Editor Kishore Thiagarajan stage@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Stage Editor Martha Wrench Music Editors Tom Watling & Francesca Howard music@palatinate.org.uk Creative Writing Editor Rhiannon Morris creative.writing@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Creative Writing Editor Susie Bradley Books Editors Freya Neason & Shauna Lewis books@palatinate.org.uk Visual Arts Editor Stella Botes visual.arts@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Visual Arts Editor Jo Chandler Interview Editor Zue Leong and Nathan Kelly Chief Sub-Editor Daisy Robinson Sub-Editors Heather Craddock, Ines Pandzic, Isabella Beaumont, Constance Castle & Freya Ellingsen Photography Editor Madeleine Flisher photography@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Photography Editors Claire Cortese and Yangjia Lin Illustrations Editor Vacant illustration@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Illustrations Editors Charlotte Way, Akansha Naraindas & Holly Murphy Website Administrator Bilal Mohd web.admin@palatinate.org.uk Advertising Officer Harriet Willis

advertising@palatinate.org.uk

PALATINATE | Thursday 18th October 2018

3

#RippedOff?

University announces 3.5% accommodation fee increase Anna Tatham

As those of you living in college will be well aware, the quality of college accommodation does not match the fees required to live there. And these fees are only going to keep increasing, for reasons that the University remain unclear on.

This is why I am calling for a freeze in fees, requesting that the University keep the accommodation fees for 2019/20 at the already inflated 2018/19 rate. We need to stop the increase to allow time to reach an alternative solution, before we price even more students out of an education at Durham.

Before any future fee increases, bursary provision must be improved, and announced in advance of the fee increase.

How are students supposed to accept a fee increase, when they do not know what financial aid is available to help them afford that increase?

How can prospective students confidently choose to come to Durham without knowing if they have the funds? Durham’s elitism and lack of diversity are only going to worsen if these questions remain unsolved.

We have had some success in this area. Lobbying this year has included being an active voice in shaping the University’s access and participation plan, where we proposed a tiered bursary system and overall increase in funding. I was really pleased that these ideas were taken on board in the plan, meaning that financial support will be more relevant to the financial needs of individuals.

But this positive step needs to be followed by further action before the problem spirals out of control. I hope my proposal of a freeze in fees will draw attention to the need to act now to ensure Durham is the most inclusive and welcoming place it can be.

George Walker

The University has announced that college residence fees will rise by 3.5% to £7,672 for the 2019/20 academic year.

The cost of a catered single standard room for undergraduates will increase from £7,422 to £7,672, while standard selfcatered rooms will cost £5,370 a year, instead of £5,195.

Catered single en-suite rooms will increase from £7,883 to £8,149, and self-catered ensuite rooms will rise from £5,655 to £5,846.

“We know some of our students face real financial pressures” The University has stated that the 3.5% increase in charges is in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI), a standard rate estimate of inflation.

College residence fees were previously increased by 3.5%

to £7,422 for the academic year 2018/19 in October 2017, as reported by Palatinate.

During the 2017/18 academic year, the University says that Durham SU and student representatives were consulted on the issue.

They requested a freeze in fees and for the Consumer Price Index to be used as the measure of inflation for obtaining the price rise of residence charges.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart Corbridge, said: “We are grateful for the insight and the contributions that student representatives made to these discussions.”

Hundreds of students responded to the news with numerous protests outside the Bill Bryson Library and in the Palatine Centre last year.

“We’re worried that this is really going to heighten the divide between an elitist University and a local community.”

Durham University Labour Club said: “The University hopes however that we will sit idly by and accept the jump in fees as an inevitability, while more money is poured

into developments that keep up Durham’s appearance as a world class institution but have little impact on student experience.”

“This decision actively excludes students from lower income backgrounds from attending Durham.”

“This decision actively excludes students from lower income backgrounds” Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart Corbridge, said: “Like any other enterprise, the cost of running the University increases

each year. College fees have been raised so as to reflect rising staff, utility, and building costs.

“However, we know some of our students face real financial pressures.

We offer a bursary scheme, known as the Durham Grant Scheme (DGS). The DGS is available to Undergraduates – throughout their course – who are Home Students, studying their first degree, and who have a household income of less than £25,000 a year.

“We are constantly seeking to expand these forms of support, as much as possible.”

Photograph: Maddie Flisher

COMMENT: Is the University doing enough?

Hannah Anson Quelle surprise; Durham University has announced yet another rise in accommodation fees.

As of the next academic year, college residency costs will increase by 3.5%, following the same increase in prices that was implemented last year.

Naturally, this has rekindled the Student Union’s #RippedOff campaign, Public #RippedOff demonstrations received widespread support last year, with hundreds of students campaigning outside the Bill Bryson in an attempt to have their voice heard by a University who seems unwilling to listen.

This financial exclusion is clearly an issue that is especially pertinent in Durham This is not merely the discontent of a few hundred politically charged students; dissatisfaction runs much deeper. In 2018, a Palatinate housing survey of 533 students found that nearly 80% disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement ‘College accommodation is good value for money.’

I do not think the most pressing issue lies with the University. The real barrier for lower income families is government policy.

Don’t get me wrong, Durham should be implementing far greater measures to support students from lower-income fami-

lies. Although the Durham Grant Scheme may offer £2,000 a year of extra financial support to some students, one can only qualify for said grant if your household income is less than £25,000.

However, according to the ONS, two parents each working 37.5 hours per week at the new National Living Wage rate will bring home £27,508 a year. Students in such a household are left in limbo, where their household income is just too big to receive financial aid from the University, but their parents may struggle to provide the essential extra support that they need to make attending University possible.

This financial exclusion is clearly an issue that is especially pertinent in Durham, with the Sunday Times’ Good University Guide revealing it as the fourth worst University in the UK for social inclusion.

This issue is much bigger than Durham. This is an issue that affects every single university in the UK, and even politicians who appear to be on our side are perpetuating the problem. The problem is not tuition fees, and

2010/11*

scrapping these is most definitely not the solution. While Labour brought tuition fees to the forefront of debate in the 2017 election, winning support from much of the student population with their promises to eliminate them, this entirely misjudges the causes of social and financial discrimination at University.

We should take this time to address the wider hindrances imposed on students Unlike the maintenance loan, tuition fees do not affect us at University; they can be viewed more as a graduate tax. You will only pay it back once your income reaches £21,000, and it is scrapped entirely if not repaid after 30 years.

Instead, it is the maintenance loan that presents an immediate barrier to lower income students.

Households earning £50,000 per annum will be entitled to a maintenance loan of £5,579; there is a disparity of nearly £2,100.

2014/15

Where does this leave students whose families do not have a spare two thousand pounds? How are students supposed to fund their everyday living costs? You could get a job, but the frustration remains that while your colleagues, uninhibited by finances, can devote as much time as they like to their studies and societies, while you’ve got to work for your place.

So while a rise in accomodation fees is clearly an issue, I believe we should take this time to address the wider hindrances imposed on students, the fault of which lies with government policy. I know many people who have not attended University simply because they could not afford it, and in 2018, in one of the most developed countries in the world, I’m still in disbelief that I’m having to write this article at all. *Prices for a single catered non ensuite room

2019/20

4

Thursday 18th October 2018 | PALATINATE

News

Lecture capture now available, but not for English students Melissa Tutesigensi Deputy News Editor Lecture capture technology has gone live at Durham University, as of 10th October 2018.

However, the University’s English Department have already opted out of the programme.

The new technology programme, Encore, enables students to re-watch lectures. Certain lectures will be recorded and students will be able to access the audio and digital content after two working days on DUO.

By Spring 2019, the University hopes that Encore technology will be available in 111 teaching rooms.

The technology promises to benefit students in a number of ways by allowing students to revisit specific parts of a lecture, aiding revision, assisting students who do not speak English as their first language and providing support for particular education con-

ditions.

The University have released a research summary to explain the benefits of Encore Technology.

Citing a handful of resources on Durham University’s website, the justification for introducing the technology is a mixture of student demand, the step towards more inclusive learning and the prediction that it will have an overall positive impact on the progression of learning.

By Spring 2019, the University hopes the Encore technology will be available in 111 teaching rooms Durham University becomes the latest to use the technology that has been in place in other universities, such as Sheffield, who introduced a similar technology in 2017.

The treatment of lecture capture material will need to be explained

to avoid breaches of the University disciplinary regulations. Students will not be able to share footage online.

Moreover, although the technology will be available in over 100 rooms around the university, individual lecturers still have the option to opt-out of the technology entirely. Teaching staff in this position are required to give an explanation for their withdrawal.

In some cases, lecture capture will not be available at all. Durham University’s English Department has withdrawn from the programme completely.

In an email sent to English students, Alistair Renfrew, Head of English at Durham University, stated that the department had made the decision not to make any English classes available on the new lecture capture platform.

Listing the motivations behind this decision, the email stated concerns about “material and undesirable changes in the teaching

relationship; an implied misunderstanding of the nature and purpose of the lecture” and “a lack of credible evidence that lecture capture improves academic attainment.”

“I sincerely hope the English department overturn their insulting decision” The email also stated “the danger of falling attendance at lectures; intellectual property and the question of re-use of the captured material” and “potential compromise of the classroom as a safe space, in which difficult or controversial material can be discussed without prejudice or fear” as reasons for not making lectures available in this way.

However, Ted Lavis Coward, third year English Literature student at St Aidan’s, voiced his concerns about the department’s decision:

“At a university where disabled students face so many difficulties, from overcrowding in study spaces to the continual lack of investment in mental health services, lecture capture was a way for the university to start backing up its claim that they care for those studying with disabilities.

“I sincerely hope the English department come to understand why disabled students have fought for lecture capture for so long and overturn their insulting decision.”

Durham University’s Undergraduate Academic Officer Saul Cahill has commented: “I’m excited by the opportunities this presents to enhance students’ learning experience and improve the accessibility of lectures for all students” Cahill stated that he expects “teething issues as staff and students get to grips with the system” but remains confident in the “tried and tested” Panopto system that is being used.

Flat White owners get new restaurant up and running Clara Gaspar News Editor Whitechurch, a new Durham restaurant, opened its doors to customers for lunches and dinners on Tuesday.

The new restaurant-café hybrid on Church Street Head has been open for drinks and cold food since early October but has launched brand new menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner for its 36-seat restaurant.

Whitechurch has been opened

by Patrick Clark and Peter Anglesea, the founders of the existing Flat White cafés in the centre of Durham City.

The new business consists of

a restaurant on one side of the building, with a coffee shop and outdoor seating area on the other.

Flat White Kitchen announced it was taking over the lease of the New Inn pub earlier this year.

“Whitechurch is dangerously (for my bank account) close to the Bill Bryson, especially when the library cafe is being refurbished” Both Clark and Anglesea are working in Whitechurch full time as the new business gets up and running.

“It’s already been so busy for lunches.” Peter Anglesea told Pa-

latinate.

“Everyone loves the design. It’s so nice for us to have the pub aspect of the place because we’re used to running cafés, so this is really exciting.”

The restaurant employs around 30 staff, 10 of whom have full-time contracts and are a mixture of residents and students.

Whitechurch’s head chef, Pete Barker, has previously acted at the existing Flat White cafés and has designed new breakfast, lunch and dinner menus for the new restaurant.

The restaurant will be serving breakfast from 9am to 11.30am, with lunch running from 12-3pm.

Customers can then sit down for dinner at 6.

Anglesea told Palatinate, “Our best seller has been our ales. We have Wylam Brewery beers on tap, and they’re based in Newcastle.

Our bottle and can bar features loads of UK brewers, and it’s great that we can support local businesses.”

Durham County Council bosses said the refurbishment would “breathe life” into the building”

(Clara Gaspar)

McColl’s, a brewery in Bishop Auckland, is one of several local beer brands served at the bar.

Other locally-sourced produce includes Durham honey, which will be served on the breakfast

▲Whitechurch has replaced the New Inn on Church Street (Clara Gaspar) menu.

The new lunch menu features bruschetta, a rarebit and risotto, while pork and pistachio terrine and steak will appear on the evening menu which offers starters and mains as well as dessert.

Customers must make reservations for lunch and dinner.

Anna Gibbs, a third-year Classics student at Durham University told Palatinate, “Whitechurch is dangerously (for my bank account) close to the Billy Bryson, especially when the library cafe is being refurbished.

“It’s a similar aesthetic to the Flat White Bailey branch but all on one floor. It’s got that light atmos-

phere and the burning fire makes it just as cosy. I almost wish I was living on the hill again this year because the bar addition would have been well used!”

Durham County Council bosses said the refurbishment would “breahte life” into the building.

“In the recent past the public house has traded poorly and the offers has not met the commercial potential of the site location.

“The addition of the New Inn public house to their portfolio of properties allows Flat White to expand their cafe format to all day drinking/eating with an evening offer increasing the range of goods, services and attractions available.”

PALATINATE | Thursday 18th October 2018

5

News

Pincident records over 60 incidents of harrassment since June Madeleine Horton Deputy News Editor Over 60 incidents of harrassment, violence and street discrimination in Durham have been reported to Durham Students’ Union online mapping software Pincident.

The software was launched to digitally map cases of violence around Durham city, ranging from LGBT+, race, disability, to sexually related harassment.

In total 62 submissions have been reported to the software since June.

Across all incident categories, verbal forms of harassment were the most commonly submitted.

Most of the reported instances occurred around the City Centre.

Although a significant proportion of submissions came from students, two had been reported by staff members. Many submissions, however, have been unre-

ported.

Overwhelmingly, the main reasons for non-reporting included; feeling that the incident was not serious enough to warrant a complaint, feeling that nothing would be done about the complaint, and believing that the incident could not be proved to have taken place.

While Pincident does not convey reports on to Police, it aims to provide a channel to an official complaint by encouraging victims to come forward.

Across all incident categories, verbal forms of harrassment were the most commonly submitted Durham University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Professor Antony Long, said of the submissions: “We do not accept any form of prejudice or discrimination at Durham University, and we condemn incidents of abuse and harassment in the strongest possible terms.

“Where such incidents are reported to the University, students are actively encouraged and supported to report these to the Police, where there are dedicated officers in place to respond to them.

“However, we respect the right of the individual who has expe-

rienced such behaviour to make that choice. Students can access support even if they choose not to report an incident.

“The wellbeing and mental health of our students and staff are hugely important to us. We’d always strongly advise anyone affected by such incidents to engage with our extensive network of support including College Student Support Offices and the Counselling Service.”

Meg Haskins, Welfare and Liberation Officer at Durham Students’ Union told Palatinate: “The statistics that we’ve collected so far already show that serious work needs to be done across Durham in order to tackle the prevalence of hate crimes and sexual assault.

“Throughout the upcoming year I’ll be putting forward recommendations to the University and local community groups of tangible ways to tackle the behaviour.

“At the SU we’ve taken initial steps to combat this behaviour by providing over 500 freps with Active Bystander training.

“We do not accept any form of prejudice or discrimination at Durham University” “I hope these initiatives will help increase the number of purple pins on the map designating incidences

objective.

Over 500 Durham Freps will be trained in Bringing in the Bystander, an active bystander training programme which is aimed at intervening during unwanted sexual and discriminatory incidents.

“Serious work needs to be done across Durham to tackle the prevalence of hate crimes and sexual assault”

(Photographs: Durham Students’ Union

of bystander intervention, where people have tried to put a stop to harassing behaviour in Durham, so that the map stands as a positive recognition of the actions of everyone in Durham, and shows that we will not let this behaviour happen here.”

In light of these reports, The University has emphasised its commitment toward ensuring every student at Durham feels safe. A series of additional measures have already been set out to meet this

The University also highlighted the importance of the Consent Matters course available to all students online, in addition to the Respect Matters campaign carried out by Durham Students’ Union, which raises valuable awareness.

Earlier this year, Durham University announced extra investment in specialist, external counselling available to both staff and students, increasing provision from 2.5 days per week to 3.5 days per week.

In April 2018, the University also embarked upon a £50,000 project to help combat religiousbased hate crime and harassment in North East England.

The institution has also received funding as part of a national network of projects to tackle hate crime and harassment on campus.

“We live with operating construction” Continued from front page Fresh Property Group showroom were not representative of the rooms they were given.

“The real room doesn’t exactly look like their picture and show room. We live with operating construction”, resident Sean Kim said. Kim described moving in as a “nightmare experience” and called the company “a liar”.

On its website, Fresh Student.

Living claims that “our specialist teams make everything run like a dream”, however residents have told Palatinate that staff were dismissive and unaware of the construction schedule.

Students were offered relocation to the Radisson Hotel

by Fresh Student Living Palatinate spoke to one resident who has decided to end their lease with Fresh Student Living and move out of Dun Holm House.

“They don’t know what they’re doing as a company… if I don’t get my money back, my dad is going to sue.”

When asked if said resident would live in a Fresh Property Group accommodation again, they said: “not in a million years”.

One resident said: “A rip off and a scam to gather up as much money asap to pay for the rest of the construction” Builders continue to work on the North Road site, with residents claiming to hear noise from 5am

until 11pm in the evening.

The ‘cinema room’ appears to remain unfinished with split beanbags and packaging all over the floor. Fresh Student Living told Palatinate that it had been completed.

Fresh Student Living has provided student accommodation since 2009, and claims 90% of its students to be either very satisfied or satisfied with its services.

A representative from the company told Palatinate: “Durham as a University town has a fantastic ac-

commodation block for students in Dun Holm House.

Fresh Student Living said: “There’s always going to be one or two teething issues in a new build” “We are striving to deliver a high end, high quality product.

“There’s always going to be one or two teething issues in a new build.”

It acknowledged that some in-

convenience had been caused, however argued they had “done everything they can to rectify the issue as quickly as possible” Fresh Student Living said that the reason for the delay was due to the ongoing £30 million Sir Robert McAlpine development of the Gates complex which shares a site with Dun Holm House.

Robert McAlpine have been contacted for comment, but at the time this article went to print had not responded.

(Photographs: Anna Tatham)

6

Thursday 18th October 2018 | PALATINATE

News

“We are all seriously concerned about Matt’s welfare”

Continued from front page is for Matt to come home.

“We cannot believe this has happened. We have been patient and done everything that has been advised, supposedly in Matt’s best interest, but we can no longer go on like this.

“Matt is a brilliant researcher, a man of integrity, and he has been punished in the most unjust and unfair way. His rights are violated on a daily basis and I am shocked that more has not been done to get him out,” Hamad al-Shamsi, UAE’s Attorney General, said on Monday that Mr Hedges had been charged with “spying for and on behalf of a foreign state” in an act that “jeopardises the military, economic and political security of the UAE”.

Mr Hedges’s research includes Middle Eastern politics, civil-mil-

itary relations and tribalism, and the changing nature of war.

Ms Tejada said the UK should review its educational ties with the UAE in light of Mr Hedges’s detention, warning academic researchers like him “face great risks in the UAE”.

His confinement has raised concerns about the freedom of university researchers to operate abroad His confinement has raised concerns among academics about the freedom of university researchers to operate abroad.

Durham MP Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods was alerted to the arrest in July, by Durham University and her colleague MP Ben Bradshaw, where Mr Hedges lives.

Dr Blackman-Woods said: “The

Foreign Office have done a really good job on making representations, including Jeremy Hunt who has spoken to his UAE counterpart.

“Obviously we are all very concerned about Matthew’s welfare.

He has had an appearance in court and will be back in court later this month (on October 24).

“Probably the nature of the charges against him will be clearer then. He has a legal team assigned to him and what we are hearing is that if he has specific welfare issues he needs to raise them with the UAE authorities.”

“His rights are being violated on a daily basis” “All we have ever been saying is that due process needs to take place and there needs to be some transparency - and that does seem to be happening now.”

University staff data compromised in breach Lydia Blundell Deputy News Editor Confidential University data has been compromised as a result of a data breach from a supplier.

The University has confirmed that Sodexo, the supplier of the My Durham benefits portal, have had names, emails and home addresses of all Durham University staff taken from its site.

In an email to staff, the University has said it is “taking this matter very seriously”.

Sodexo has contacted all those impacted by this breach directly.

Data breaches such as this are evermore common since the tightening of data protection laws following the review of the GDPR. The Durham University website includes a page instructing users

on what to do in the case of such a data breach, which it defines as, a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, data. It instructs that, in such an incident, victims should contact the CIS. Jennifer Sewel, University Secretary (Data Protection Officer), said: “The University is continuing conversations with Sodexo to obtain assurances of future security of information, which conform to the high standards of information security expected of it.

“We take our own responsibilities for information security very seriously and use a variety of organisational and technical measures to protect personal data, such as policy, training, guidance, as well as relevant technology-based controls for University systems

Green move out scheme raises £2000 Lydia Blundell Deputy News Editor The Green Move Out scheme raised £2000 last year as students donated unwanted goods ahead of the summer holidays.

The money was donated to charities in County Durham, including the Durham Palestine Educational Trust, the East Durham Trust and A Way Out. Durham University is leading the way with environmentally friendly action for reducing waste, focusing on achieving zero waste in halls of residence through reuse schemes.

The Green Move Out scheme, in partnership with Durham Uni-

versity, Durham County Council, Durham Constabulary and County Durham Furniture Help Scheme, is a key part of this effort.

Since the launch of the scheme in 2005, more than 126 tonnes of equipment have been donated.

The Green Move Out project has been a finalist in the EAUC Green Gown Awards in 2016 and 2017 and won awards at the Altogether Greener Environment Awards in 2011 and 2015.

Malcom Fallow, CEO of East Durham Trust, said: ‘Thanks again for your continued support… the donations are making a significant difference to people’s lives.’

The scheme is already underway for 2018. Purple bags for waste collection were distributed to liv-

ers out far and wide in the residential areas of Durham in May, whilst blue bags being provided for livers in. In addition, general information on recycling is being provided to students keen to do their bit for the environment.

Since 2005, more than 126 tonnes of equipment have been donated Incentives are being offered in the form of the inter-collegiate Green Move Out Awards. Up for grabs is the Best Undergraduate Performance award, the Best Postgraduate Performance award as well as the Most Improved Performance. The overall prize

Durham University)

of the Green Move Out Shield was awarded to Stephenson College last year, and Collingwood college in 2015/16.

This is just one aspect of the university’s environmentally friendly

endeavours where waste disposal is concerned.

Earlier this year, Environment Week was held between the 26th of February to the 4th of March, featuring talks from Durham County Council Waste Team and O’Brien Waste Recycling Solution.

With some events cancelled due to adverse weather, those interested can attend the rescheduled events in May, including a How to Reduce Waste event by Durham County Council.

In addition, WARPit is Durham University’s new electronic portal for swapping furniture and equipment, so that students can donate unwanted possessions such as student house furnishings to those who want them.

Durham couple open new upmarket jazz and supper club Naomi Clarke and Clara Gaspar Deputy News Editor A new 1920s Shanghai-inspired supper club has been opened in Durham by local couple, Nigel and Deborah Gadd, after a £1 million renovation.

The couple have remodelled The Rabbit Hole on Hallgarth Street, formerly a tapas restaurant, into restaurant that pays homage “to a bygone era of decadence.”

Located on 17 Hallgarth Street, the restaurant is secreted behind a “ramshackle-looking” antique shop, with a concealed entrance on Mavin street.

The restaurant aims to maintain its upmarket atmosphere with a ban on laptops and speaking on telephones after 6pm, as well as strict dress code.

The Rabbit Hole’s house rules request that guests “refrain from wearing sportswear of any kind, flip-flops, sandals, scruffy t-shirts, tired and dirty trainers, gym wear, torn jeans or baseball caps.”

However, Nigel Gadd, the owner of the new restaurant told Palatinate: “We plan to hold student promotions at our Sunday sessions which will run from 12-8, which will provide discounts and entertainment.”

“The aroma of incense mingles with the rhythm of mellow seductive jazz” The couple own the existing Zen restaurant in Court Lane and the Forty Winks Hotel and Guest House.

The Gadd family also run Tango Durham, on Elvet Bridge, as well as House of Gentlemen barber shop.

Nigel Gadd added, “The hostess will greet you and lead you into a lavish inner sanctum, where the aroma of incense mingles with the rhythm of mellow seductive jazz.”

Diners can choose between fine dining at The Supper Club, which offers romantic candle lit tables for two or intimate seating for small groups.

The club describes their menu

as “dual personality”, a fusion of oriental and grill.

Meanwhile, diners will be entertained by a projector that plays old films and a stage which they wish to be a focal point for live performances for budding jazz performers.

The Rabbit Hole also features a speakeasy style drinking lounge which has been described by its owners as “an ode to the chic subterranean prohibition style speak easy when booze was banned yet

free flowing!”

They will be holding a launch night on Thursday 18th October for the public to get a feel for their new local jazz spot.

The Former Musical Director of Durham University’s Big Band Zach Fox told Palatinate, The Rabbit Hole will “provide another fantastic outlet for Jazz in Durham.

The platform it is providing for students who perform Jazz can only be a good thing!”

7

PALATINATE | Thursday 18th October 2018

Is it time to talk about motherhood?

Page 9

Comment

►

Freps and freshers reflect on induction week

With Freshers’ week finally over, Comment asks those most involved to take a look back on its highs and lows Henry Jones The way in which Durham runs Freshers’ Week is fairly unique.

As a collegiate university, a student’s home is their college and, as you are welcomed into Durham as a fresher, you are not allowed to forget it!

A troop of freps (fresher representatives) greet you with banners, outrageous college apparel, and enough chanting to drown out your nerves.

They carry your luggage and move you in. They calm your parents and even get you everything you need to start the term; and then they remain with you all week, and herein lies the debate — do we mollycoddle freshers?

Having frepped (yes, it is also a verb) for two years now, I have had my fair share of comments suggesting that I am tiring myself out for no reason, just ‘babysitting 18-year-olds’.

Helen Paton I remember how unique it was to see the purple-wearing freps during my freshers’ week, and will never forget the energy of those who moved me to my room.

The experience is indeed exhausting.

This year, the freps in my college averaged about 18 hours a day on their feet.

You are expected to smile through the sleep deprivation, dance around sober 24/7, and still maintain a level of professionalism.

The freps in my college averaged about 18 hours a day on their feet Freps are also largely untrained volunteers who find themselves thrust into positions of responsibility, both physically supporting multiple paralytically drunk students (queue an article on university drink culture) and emotionally supporting those who (as many do) find the week a bit much.

You might be forgiven then for thinking that the system is political correctness gone mad — a poorly made administrative decision forcibly thrust onto the colleges.

This is my second year as a “Frep”, and many may wonder why I went for it again.

For us, it’s simple. The impact you can have on someone’s university experience is immeasurable, from

However, you would be wrong.

Frepping is organised by each college’s JCR. In my college, we hold elections for the roles.

The process is incredibly oversubscribed and those chosen consider themselves lucky.

The week is one of fated joy: with no other returners yet in Durham, the freps exist together as their own family, cementing some very special friendships.

A strange connection is forged over mutual headaches at 3 am as you walk the last stragglers home (or the fourth coffee of the day at 11 am the following morning), and there is a real sense of group achievement at the end of the week.

essence of frepping, where students from all years and groups unite for the same purpose.

Friendships and new bonds flourish, not only with the freshers but within the team.

Youwillbepartofsomeone’s memories People that may have never crossed paths are working together to organise events.

There is something distinctive about our collegiate system here in Durham.

The fact that hundreds of students give up two weeks of their holidays to give back to their college is astonishing.

If only students knew the amount of effort that goes behind

Frepping is a unique job, one that takes not only enthusiasm but also resilience.

It’s tough to be there for students 24/7, but it also is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and one I will never forget.

After the initial awkward handshakes were exchanged, my corridor found some common ground, christening our group chat “PUBS NOT CLUBS!”.

The tone firmly set, we later stayed true to our mantra, ditching the Klute queue in favour of drinking gin in our corridor.

Personally, I feel that even one conversation with someone sat outside alone, encouraging them to try something different tomorrow, makes the job worth it.

In reality, Freshers’ Week is hard and, whether people admit it or not, freps are greatly appreciated.

Freshers are almost all adults but, for many, the induction week is their first time away from home.

Some people have not drunk much before, or at least not to the move-in day to those many walk downs from clubs.

You will be part of someone’s memories and shape their definition of the college.

Teamwork is a fundamental

At this moment the excess of Freshers Week seemed challenging.

How, as someone who is fond of drinking, tepid at best on clubbing, and almost entirely opposed to being vomited on, would a whole week of this be survivable?

The answer is, in part, the freps.

Tour guides by day, rescue service by night, most freshers would humbly admit we’d would be lost without them.

The inter-collegiate spirit is

crucial – rescued by a Cuth’s frep on a night out turned awry, I was cheerfully handed over to their Mary’s counterpart to get me home.

The freps: tour guides by day, rescue service by night The freps, however, are part of a bigger picture.

In comparison to the array of overpriced and under-attended

spending hours organising. Freps are much more than baby sitters — they are the facilitators of your week.

Indeed, they facilitate your fun, as well as your safety.

The alcohol-filled environment of a student bar can be a dangerous place and, on the more serious side of the job, the presence of onlookers who are trained (at least in my college) to actively prohibit potential acts of sexual harassment or assault is invaluable at university (a place in which 62% of students and graduates report having experienced sexual violence.)

A students’ home is their college

A strange connection is forged over mutual headaches at 3am

It’s tough to be there for students 24/7

Ben Summer

levels they will now (again, queue that alcohol article), and others certainly have not experienced a university level of personal responsibility.

I see no reason for help not to be given.

The frep presence in my Freshers’ Week meant that I could be shown my department when I started, bundle along in a tailor-made week of events for my college, and solely worry about making friends instead of

club nights plastered on various friends’ social media, Durham’s feels oddly yet pleasingly organised.

Some complain, but the many walkdowns and drop-ins made my first week much easier.

Nonetheless, this structure has its flaws.

There are only so many hours in a day, so downtime becomes rare; ducking into your room for a breather feels like a guilty pleasure.

organising events, sorting out T-shirts and putting gowns into rooms.

I can safely say I’ve been to every room in college by now...

This sense of community can define Durham’s intercollegiate experience.

I’m a believer that it wouldn’t be the same if we got paid. We do it with selflessness to give back to the community that has given us so many opportunities to grow.

It’s a privilege to be able to showcase and welcome students from all walks of life to our college and offer them a warm welcome.

I think our pay comes when we hear those freshers’ screaming Mary’s after our college song on our last day of induction week or when students tell us they want to become freps.

No matter how friendly your corridor, the initial introductions still take a toll on anyone with an introverted streak.

Whilst it’s been ensured drinking isn’t touted as a necessity, standing in a room of drunk peers whilst stone-cold sober isn’t much fun – and so, the hangovers get rolled into the package.

Freshers, as an experience, is utterly and unavoidably Photographs by Maddie Flisher and Alex Leggatt

8

Thursday 18th October 2018 | PALATINATE

Comment

Comment debates: jazz hands

Manchester Students’ Union have encouraged students to use jazz hands instead of clapping at their events, Comment looks at both sides of the debate Dominic Dixey

Students do not need to be told how to behave First, I think it’s important to recognise how poorly this issue has been reported in the press.

It is not, in fact, a ban. It is merely a motion suggesting how to behave at democratic hustings, which clearly need to be welcoming to all.

It is always worth remembering the need to be civilised and kind at such events.

This is probably the only good thing to come from a PC culture – a reminder in these divided times that a kinder, gentler politics should be a priority.

This is probably the only good thing to come from a PC culture It is regrettable, therefore, that sympathisers think the best way to achieve this is to try to control every minutiae of student behaviour.

Not by using a “ban” as has been reported, but an “encouragement”, akin to the gentle hints the EU calls “directives”.

They wouldn’t dare MAKE us

behave in a certain way – but they’ll provide a handy guideline, to which one MUST adhere or face pariah status.

There are a variety of reasons why jazz hands may not always be the best course of action.

What about the blind community? What about students who may find the visual stimulus overwhelming?

What about the blind community?

The policy is said to be aimed at autistic students – but what about those autistic students whose “stim” or reaction would be to use jazz hands or wave?

Would a whole room doing the same not feel slightly mocking?

Students do not need to be told, least of all by pious Momentumsupporting peers, how to behave.

The only students I see behaving badly at such events are the lefties themselves, turning up in crowds across the country to no platform people, and generally making a ruckus.

The Student Union is the preserve of the sandal wearing vegans Furthermore,

Manchester Students’ Union (Vita Student via Flickr)

such

motions

only seek to alienate most people from student politics.

It simply reinforces the widely held view that the Student Union is the preserve of the sandalwearing vegans, crusading around the country with their rolled-up copies of the Guardian, ready to smite anyone who so much as whispers something that could potentially be misconstrued as Eurosceptic.

Most of the students, and indeed most of mainstream society, is completely sick and tired of this nonsense.

They should practice what they preach The nannies should stick simply to a “kinder and gentler politics” rather than spelling it out in dreary detail.

And they should practise what they preach.

“

Such motions only seek to alienate most people from student politics

”

Harry Cross

What is there to lose from inclusivity?

Earlier this month, the Students’ Union (SU) at Manchester University resolved to encourage the use of “jazz hands” rather than clapping at some union events.

The decision was taken to make events like election hustings more accessible for students who are deaf, autistic, or who have other sensory qualities that affect how they process sound.

It triggered the usual spiral of online outrage The move certainly caused a stir. It triggered the usual spiral of online outrage and misreporting by news outlets who claimed that Manchester University had “banned clapping”.

This, of course, is untrue.

Having been involved in student groups for a number of years, I can definitely see the advantages of jazz hands over clapping in large meetings.

During Occupy Wall Street, jazz hands were used to encourage more participatory discussions, allowing people to express agreement or disagreement (through “reverse jazz hands”) with what was being said without interrupting the flow of the meeting.

Removing applause from meetings can also encourage more thoughtful contributions by speakers.

Instead of going for punchy lines that bring easy applause, more emphasis is given to the flow of ideas and the attempt to develop a convincing argument.

Using Jazz hands can lead to more inclusive events Most importantly, the fact that using jazz hands can lead to more inclusive events – as was the original intention of Manchester SU – is, I hope, something to be welcomed.

Many people can find it intimidating or anxiety-inducing

to be in large meetings, and the noise created by thunderous applause can often be enough to put people off wanting to take part, especially in competitive events like election hustings.

A quieter, calmer meeting can encourage a greater range of voices to be heard.

What I am most troubled by is the collection of narratives that

Elvert Barnes via Flickr

routinely crop up to condemn students who are trying to make their campus more inclusive.

Engaged, young individuals are once again described as easily offended, overly protected and submissive towards an extreme form of political correctness.

I know from working in a range of student movements that these caricatures rarely capture the serious, nuanced and caring thinking of those engaged in student activism.

Just as troubling is the particularly macho nature of these criticisms, slamming students for behaving like overly-sensitive “snowflakes”.

Young individuals are once again described as easily offended Sometimes it’s OK to be sensitive, and to be allowed to organise meetings in a way that reflects this.

Finally, can I encourage anyone reading this to try out jazz hands in their next student meeting.

You will find that it’s an easy way to make your meeting both more inclusive and more fun.

What is there to lose?

HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION?

Tell us what you think by emailing us at comment@ palatinate.org.uk

9

PALATINATE | Thursday 18th October 2018

Comment

Motherhood: my choice not to have children Martha Muir I have just started my final year at Durham, so I’ve started signing up to careers agencies and have half a dozen or so application pages book marked on my computer.

The thought of deciding what to do with the rest of my life is a strange one - but what’s even stranger is knowing that I would only have so much time doing my job before I would have to take an extended absence, cut my hours or leave altogether.

We live in an era in which child care is increasingly shared between men and women, however the balance is still way off kilter.

Women spend twice as much time caring for children as men 2017 study found that women spend twice as much time caring for their children as men and although 74% of women return in some capacity to the work force, WOCinTech via Flickr

only 40% return full time.

This has serious implications for how far up the ladder women are able to climb.

The childless have the luxury of being free to network after work has ended, keep up with developments in their field and foster their reputation by simply being around the office longer than parents who have to take maternity leave and have to collect children from school.

If being a parent means more to you than being a CEO this is obviously a tolerable sacrifice.

However, when I think about my interests and goals they align far more with doing a job I love and exploring the world, So, I recently decided that if children and my independence are mutually exclusive, the kids would have to go.

If children and my independence are mutually exclusive, the kids would have to go Even beyond career concerns this should have been obvious, since I like to think I know and understand myself well.

I am not, and have never been particularly maternal or

comfortable around children. I hate the idea of my body changing and another person being dependant on it.

I have a tendency to catastrophise, so being responsible for someone as vulnerable as a child would give me chronic anxiety.

However, the idea that motherhood is an ideal end is so deeply embedded in society that I think even women who would call themselves progressive or aren’t suited to parenthood can miss it.

When I was a child, I had a plastic baby doll, which could cry and be bottle fed.

It’s not uncommon for children to play adult by dressing up as police officers or playing with fire trucks, but the fact that these dolls are marketed towards little girls and rarely boys suggests that women could be conditioned into thinking motherhood ought to be integral to them.

When I think about being childless I can’t shake the feeling that I will have, or will be seen to have failed in some way.

Successful childless women are barraged with questions and comments about it, which subconsciously tell us that being the Prime Minister of Australia, the most powerful woman in the world or even Rachel from Friends

is not good enough if we don’t procreate.

Thechildlesshavetheluxury of being free to network after work has ended A statistic that has long interested me is that Saudi Arabia costs itself between $80 and $100 billion in GDP per year because only 21% of women take part in the labour force.

Granted, women making the free choice to have children is unquestionably different from women being forced not to work because of repressive religious laws. And yet, I do wonder how much innovation and how many trailblazers we are missing out on because some women feel obliged to put motherhood before their careers, Having children is by no means a bad thing. In fact, for many people having children will be an endless source of joy and fulfilment.

But I’d like to encourage young women to not only decide if they want children but consider why they want them too.

Society must start valuing the role of mothers Holly Adams The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, made the headlines recently by bringing her three-month-old daughter to a UN General Assembly.

A working mother, Jacinda Ardern is one of the many women shattering the societal myth that as women we must choose: a career or a family?

Although she is in the privileged position of having a husband who primarily cares for their

“One cannot truly call themselves a feminist without valuing the choices of other women

”

daughter, Neve Te Aroha, and the help of a host of nannies, I feel her example is inspiring. We are heading into an age where to have a family and a career is not mutually exclusive. If men can have both, why can’t women?

There is an increasing stigma around women who choose to have families A study by law firm Slater and Gordon claims that 25% of mothers in the UK felt that they had been unfairly discriminated against at work on the basis that they were a mother.

The study also found a shocking 50% of mothers believed that motherhood was preventing their career advancement.

Silently, companies are still seeing mothers as a burden, even though the same study by Slater and Gordon goes so far to suggest that mothers work harder than the average employee.

Mothers are not valued in the work place and this needs to change. In a time where women’s opportunities are improving I cannot help but feel there is an increasing stigma around women who choose to have families.

In particular, there is a pervading sense that to have children before thirty, God forbid before twentyfive, is to waste your potential.

To have had a great education, attend a top university but to fall pregnant at twenty-three would lead to disappointed relations and the age-old ‘what a shame, she had such a bright future’.

Surely this completely misses the point of feminism.

Feminism is the freedom to choose. And for some women, as for some men too, to have a family is their decision.

Motherhood should be celebrated on par with those who choose high-flying careers This choice should not be degraded, it should be celebrated on par with those who choose high-flying careers.

Mothers after all are integral to our society, raising the next generation. Stay-at-home mums and dads are the unsung heroes of society. They are under-paid, over-worked and they rarely see the privilege of a day off.

But to aspire to have a family over a career, to many, is to

shirk your opportunities and to waste your potential. This stigma has to change now.

Society needs to stop passively shaming those who aspire to have families and, even worse, branding young mums as uneducated.

One cannot truly call themselves a feminist without valuing the choices of other women. My own mum made the choice to put her career on hold when my siblings and I were young.

With three children under the age of five she devoted every day to making us feel loved, teaching us our kings and queens in order, our times tables and taking us on adventures.

My mum did not get a day off. She did not get paid and I doubt once she got told, “well done you’re doing great”.

However, this was a choice

my mum made and I am continuously grateful that she did.

However, despite most of us agreeing motherhood is a full-time job that entails many sacrifices, George Osborne insultingly referred to it as a “life-style choice”.

So if mothers aren’t valued in the home or in the work place, where are they valued?

I have immense respect and admiration for both working and stay-at-home mums, young and old mums, and those who have chosen not to have children.

One cannot truly call themselves a feminist without valuing the choices of other women This article does not wish to say that any type of motherhood is more valuable than another but what it does wish to do is call for society to start valuing the role of the mother.

It is not a ‘life-style choice’, Motherhood is a full-time job.

Bob Whitehead via Flickr

PALATINATE | Thursday 18th October

11

Profile

Lord Adonis: A student’s guide to stopping Brexit Profile speaks to outspoken Labour peer and anti-Brexit campaigner Lord Adonis on his university years, Twitter hate, and his support for the People’s Vote

Ella Catherall Profile Editor Hearing the passion in Lord Adonis’s voice makes it clear he has found his cause.

After a varied career as a journalist, parliamentary candidate and policy advisor, whichever campaign he chose to swing his weight behind would have immediately felt the impact.

But it is Brexit that Lord Adonis has dedicated himself to- or rather, more accurately, stopping it.

Lord Adonis studied at Keble College, Oxford, in the early 1980s, and recalls his time there as a “voyage of discovery”.

His university years were filled with political drama, “very similar” to the charged political atmosphere students navigate today, and equally impossible to predict what’s next.

It was the early years of Thatcher, the midst of the Falklands War, and everyone waited anxiously for word from Parliament on each latest development.

“We all used to gather round the radio in the JCR”, he remembers.

“It was incredibly dramatic.”

“It was a very dramatic period, very similar to what’s going on now” There is no shortage of drama today’s political stage either, and instead it is the European question on everyone’s lips.

Despite narrow referendum results, students are ‘overwhelmingly in favour’ of staying in the European Union points out Adonis, a passion he was “struck by” when visiting

Durham.

In February this year he debated the question of Brexit alongside MP Anna Soubry at the Durham Union, and was surprised by the ‘huge drama and excitement’ it generated. In spite of the Union’s slight Conservative lean, the Remain camp emerged victorious “quite decisively” among Durham students.

“My advice to students thinking of getting involved in politics is get involved in the big European issue” Lord Adonis doesn’t hesitate when asked his advice for aspiring student politicians and urges them to get stuck into the People’s Vote campaign- a movement pushing to let the public have a say on the government’s final Brexit deal.

He speaks plainly and ardently on the dangers the UK could face after leaving the EU, and how it is the student generation who could suffer the most, both in economic and personal terms.

Crucially, Lord Adonis believes that an exit from the EU would not settle the Brexit question once and for all like intended. “For the next generation, their issue will be getting us back into the EU.” he claims.

A messy divorce with Europe would mean risking a return to Ireland’s “terrible past” “There will be a big campaign to take us back in, and it’ll be led in particular by younger people who don’t want their generation to be disadvantaged.”

However, Lord Adonis knows the enthusiasm thousands of young people have already shown for the campaign, and is “very impressed” with how they are mobilising.

There is no better example of this mobilisation than in Our Future Our Choice, a proEuropean group for under 25s, which demonstrates how young people are “taking charge of the campaign” and are “by far the most ambitious advocates for the cause”.

“

There will be a big campaign to take us back in, and it’ll be led by younger people

”

Such pro-Remain passion is by no means contained to England either.

According to Adonis, it is young people and unionist communities from Northern Ireland who have been some of the most zealous, as they could have the most to lose.

A messy divorce with Europe would mean risking a return to Ireland’s ‘terrible past’ of divided communities separated by hard, physical border; a past which noone wants to repeat.

Despite comparable levels

The next People’s Vote rally will be held October 20th (Photograph: Tim Jokl via Flickr)

Former New Labour cabinet minister Lord Adonis is calling on young people to push for a vote on the government’s final Brexit deal of political drama between the Falklands War and the Brexit fiasco, there is one major difference in how people respond to them- social media.

Adonis is a self-confessed keen Twitter user, and believes such platforms help movements like the People’s Vote tremendously, and brings awareness to campaigns in an unprecedented way.

“The negative side is that it tends to breed animosity and a level of aggression that I’ve never before seen in a political campaign” Adonis notes however.

“Most of the aggression comes from people who are anonymous, and I think that’s very dangerous.”

For students who favour a more active kind of activism, Adonis urges young people to come to the People’s Vote march in London on October 20. He is confident they will top the impressive turnout witnessed in June this year, when more than 100,000 people marched on Parliament in protest of Brexit.

The protest’s mission statement is to be “so loud and so big that no one can ignore it” This time, the protest’s mission statement is to be ‘so loud and so big that no-one can ignore it.’

Adonis clearly has the devotion

required to help achieve that.

For the community surrounding Durham, and for many students hailing from nearby, the issue of Brexit hits closer to home than it does for most.

Lord Adonis stresses that for the North East it is ‘particularly important, we don’t make a false move’- this area is home to big international companies such as Nissan and Hitachi, and so thousands of local jobs depend on membership of the European Union.

“Seeing how young people are taking charge of the campaign to stay in Europe is really impressive” It would “decimate” the economy in northern England if those companies were to withdraw from Britain, Adonis claims, and Durham, along with its neighbours, would ‘suffer grievously’ if there was to be a Brexit.

To see more Palatinate Profile interviews, including Youtuber Jack Edwards, visit: palatinate.org.uk/category/ profile

12

Thursday 18th October 2018 | PALATINATE

Politics Sexual assault can take many forms. It can be subtle actions that make a workplace intolerable over time. It can be a single instance of denied consent in a long-term relationship. No matter how it occurs, it can be have lifelong effects, scarring the victims.

For too long, the real and lasting effects of sexual assault were omitted from the public sphere and the claims of too many victims were dismissed.

But this year we saw a change.

For the first time a key principal

was accepted: that victims should be listened to and believed. That the perpetrators should be held absolutely accountable for their actions. While the movement still seemed to be primarily listening to the voices of rich, white, straight, cis women in the Western World, if this key principle could be accepted then surely it would give room for other voices to be heard on equal footing in time.

And yet in the last month even those ideas which had caused such an earthquake in society seem to

have been swept promptly aside.

Those who do come forward face retribution, through online harassment, death threats or in the worst cases actual violence, in Durham as much as around the world. #MeToo was a good first attempt and a year on, Palatinate looks into what steps the movement has made in eradicating sexual harassment

- The Politics Team

This piece will contain themes of sexual assault & harassment

FEATURE #MeToo A Year On

It is not yet #TimeUp for #MeToo

Anya Southby #MeToo. Popularised by Alyssa Milano following allegations in 2017 against Harvey Weinstein, the movement has undoubtedly provided catharsis for victims of highprofile sexual assault cases.

Thousands have come forward with their own stories and openness regarding sexual misconduct is at an all-time high. However, has #MeToo’s success extended beyond the Hollywood elite?

Hollywood elite have used their privilege to benefit others Some consider #MeToo a movement primarily for wealthy white women in the entertainment in-

dustry – and they may have a point. Entertainment figures with easy access to public platforms and excellent lawyers have it comparatively easy in the fight against sexual assault.

They have the wealth to live independently without reliance on those further up the hierarchy, and the support of many to back them up. Most women do not have these freedoms.

However, this fails to recognise the way in which some in the Hollywood elite have been able to utilise their privilege for the benefit of others.

Time’s Up, a movement founded by 300 women in the entertainment industry, provides legal aid for victims of sexual misconduct for those who cannot afford it themselves. So far $20 million dol-

“Justice is everyone’s business” Lucy Forster Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwege will be awarded with this year’s Nobel Peace Prize “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict”.

“Best Nobel peace prize in a long time” A Yazidi human rights activist, Murad has been praised for speaking up about her horrific experience being held capture as a sex slave by ISIS in August 2014, sharing this story in campaigns against sexual violence. Mukwege, a gynaecologist from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has dedicated his life to helping rape victims, treating thousands of Congolese women who have suffered in the country’s civil war.

This year’s prestigious peace prize draws some much-needed attention to the need for a global crackdown on sexual violence.

Rape as a tactic of war is alarmingly common. In 2017, the United Nations (UN) said that while over 970 Yazidi women had escaped the confines of sexual enslavement by

ISIS, over 1800 still remained captured. In the DRC, the UN estimates that at least 200 000 women have been raped since 1998.

“The best Nobel peace prize in a long time”, Jan Hegeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, tweeted in response to the news.

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize continues to raise the importance of women’s security as a universal issue. It echoes the demands for women’s liberation that has been voiced in #Metoo campaigns and women’s marches worldwide. But above all, it emphasises the need for international support for women’s security, because women’s insecurity is a threat to global peace.

Murad has been praised for speaking up about her horrific experience Mukwege’s basic principle, “justice is everyone’s business”, captures the significance of this year’s peace prize. Justice for victims of sexual assault is everyone’s business. Perhaps this is what continues to drive Murad and Mukwege in their tireless work.

19 women of sexual misconduct, a culture of believing women is difficult to cultivate. Brett Kavanaugh’s successful nomination onto the US Supreme Court raised a lot of questions about progress.

We must wait a little longer for #MeToo to be a success lars has been raised. #MeToo’s success may have been limited last year, when the only support unknown victims could access was within the confines of social media or an anonymous phone call.

But Times’ Up, founded at the turn of 2018, provides hope to victims for real progress and individual justice for all.

Jeanne Menjoulet via Flickr

#MeToo and Time’s Up require time to fully develop. Justice for individuals is significant, but the most important change must occur within attitudes. Before victims can begin a legal journey, they must be believed. But when the most powerful country in the world is run by a man accused by at least

Gender equality within leadership roles is pivotal in order to alter current power dynamics. Women must no longer be silenced behind non-disclosure agreements. #MeToo has changed the lives of many men and women forever and this success cannot be ignored. The world must wait a little longer before we can consider #MeToo a complete success rather than a work in progress.

#MeToo: Much to be proud of?

Matt Spivey Deputy Politics Editor

sexually assaulted at some point in their life.

As we are a year on from the momentous #MeToo movement it seems appropriate to review the current situation and the extent to which it is inclusive of minority groups, one of which is the LGBT community.

The #MeToo campaign is, on the whole, primarily seen as a platform for cis women to speak out, but this should not be the case.

In fact, the movement is based upon a message of inclusion

One resident said: “A rip off and a scam to gather up as much money asap to pay for the rest of the construction” The gay men’s health charity GMFA collected data which showed that 62% of British gay men have been sexually assaulted in a bar without consent.

The CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey has found that 44% of lesbians and 61% of bisexual women experienced rape, physical violence or have been stalked.

The 2015 Transgender survey found that 47% of trans people are

Despite the overwhelmingly shocking statistics, the #MeToo campaign doesn’t seem to be the platform for those assaulted to speak out. The culture of silence is not a result of the campaign being exclusionary. In fact, the movement is based upon a message of inclu-

sion.

Perhaps it is the case that the LGBT+ voice in #MeToo is not silenced but rather overshadowed by that of straight women and this rhetoric is supported in the media’s lack of coverage of LGBT+ harassment cases. This will be the case until we can successfully alter the social attitude towards the LGBT+ community and value their voices in aligned significance to that of the more socially accepted straight and cis gendered communities.

Ted Eytan via Flickr

PALATINATE | Thursday 18th October 2018

13

Politics

v. Believing FemSoc Pres, Hannah Brown: It is in- Kavanaugh Women. A Supreme clusive, you join in and say ‘Me Too’ Court Precedent Palatinate in interview with Hannah Brown, discussing the successes and shortfalls of the MeToo campaign one year on.

Hannah Brown is President of the Intersectional Feminism Society, she’s a third year Classics student, Glaswegian and has a real interest in gender and modern reception studies.

How do you perceive MeToo, do you think it’s an effective movement?

“It is an effective movement, the whole message behind it and what it tries to produce. But obviously theory is different from practice, and although its achievements have been great there’s also a lot it hasn’t done. Its central focus, with men as the perpetrators and women as victims, is still heteronormative and although we have been exposed to more men coming out as victims and women as perpetrators, there’s still a huge focus on women. It’s probably because women do tend to be the primary victims of sexual assault but also it’s great that cases from men and same-sex relationships are being incorporated into that landscape.

Given that the hashtag is supposed to be inclusive, do you think it’s not doing what it should do?

I think it has been inclusive to a majority and as with most things, the majority wins out. But we also need to be aware of minority groups who have been affected by MeToo, and those that have been affected in negative ways, such as those in same-sex relationships, different ethnic minority and class groups that are not being given the same scope. For example, MeToo is mainly focused on celebrities who tend to be in the upper echelons of society which means we are no longer focusing on ‘ordinary’ working class people.

The movement needs to incorporate a wider range of people and create a more accessible platform.

How do we do that?

We need to make it less of a titillating fantastical movement - a lot of people like it as it’s people and celebrities we know so well. But we need to ensure conditioning is more focussed on people outside of that community, as they have already been given that limelight and now we need to focus on communities with more working class people and minorities .

Sophia Obrecht

What do you think the role of feminism is within MeToo? Do you think it’s stopping people from joining the movement or encouraging them?

Feminists have a duty to ensure they are not attacking and making assumptions about different kinds of victims, as people that claiming to be feminists as an excuse to say it’s only males not only misrepresents feminism as hating men but will also drive people away. Feminism’s aim is to try and create an equal platform for all through a message of inter-sectionalism and if you are a true feminist then you should be aware of that and work to ensure that feminism keeps its message of equality - supporting victims and also educating everyone who is capable of being a perpetrator.

We believe that MeToo helps to reinforce the narrative of man to woman, so do you think the hashtag of MeToo should be continued? Does it need to be changed?

The issue isn’t the name, the issue stems from people’s interpretations and people’s own condescending ignorance. As a white straight female I have my own ignorance and I’m not excluding myself from that, but we are explicitly referring to the MeToo movement is inclusive - that you can join in by saying me too, I’ve experienced it too. We don’t need a new hashtag, although I can understand the argument for starting a clean state.

But if we go back to the hashtag in its pure meaning, it stands for inclusivity.

But has it been effective a year on?

Overall yes, its created a community, mainly a virtual community, that have been able to come together and open up about a lot of issues. It’s great to see a supportive and inclusive community. But the only issue that I have with it is to ensure it creates an intersectional message.

Do you think it encourages men to be involved?

The reason it may detract men is because the vast majority of people that are victims do tend to be women and as a result it is seen solely as a women’s issue. I feel that if you take the statistics then everyone will realise that it doesn’t mean to exclude men but simply follows the majority of cases where men are the main perpetrators of sexual violence. This isn’t meaning to attack men who don’t perform these

6th October 2018: Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed to the US Supreme Court. The appointment was marred by weeks of testimonials, committee hearings and press coverage focused on the allegation made by Dr Christine Blasey Ford, that she had been sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh whilst they were in high school.

What does this case tell us about society’s attitude towards women, and how we engage with allegations of sexual assault?

Tom Hampson

actions, it simply informs people as to how it is. And I believe men should get behind it as it helps men as much as women.

Why do you think it does help men?

It helps men to realise the issues of sexual assault and violence and it also helps men to realise what has happened to a victim and how it makes them feel. MeToo is based on communicating feelings, which helps people of all genders, including men who are actually victims.

The MeToo campaign has had victims come out and ensure we’re tackling toxic masculinity, and so it’s done more good for men than harm.

How do you feel about the narrative of constructing women as victims?

It’s dependent on how a woman wants to be portrayed, as a lot of women take empowerment from being able to speak out about their sexual assault they therefore don’t feel like victims. But also, a lot of women don’t want to speak out, so it really comes down to the fact that people are different and it depends on the way they interpret the crime.

doubts from Republican senators, or even stop the President mocking her at a campaign style rally, depicting her as forgetful and downright stupid.

“Women are not important compared to political agendas” The case tells us that women, and their allegations and experiences of sexual assault, are not important, not when there are politi-

Accusers such as Dr Ford are treated as suspects in their own cases In many societies there is a tendency to disbelieve women, to conclude that it is the victims of sexual violence, who must be the ones lying, never those accused. Our society, and its leaders, motivated by power, wealth and influence don’t understand why a women would be willing to come out in public, recounting their past trauma and risking their professional and personal reputation, simply for justice and for closure. Surely, they think, there must be something else they have to gain?

This means that women, even as educated and well-spoken as Dr Ford, are often treated as the suspects in their own cases, often portrayed as delusional, damaged, or on the other end of the spectrum vindictive and fame hungry.

Throughout the hearing procedure Dr Ford was portrayed as an innocent woman, who had simply mistaken the identity of her real attacker. She was considered unreliable and irrational, simply because she could not remember how she got home after that night, which as an expert psychologist she explained as a typical consequence of trauma. This did not stop the

Do you think that including people through MeToo deems people’s experiences into more generic and less personal experiences?

Not really no. MeToo shouldn’t be about thinking that people are sexually assaulted in the same way as you. It simply ensures that people are within a community where you feel compassion between people who have had similar actions committed against them. MeToo doesn’t limit a personal involvement, it simply acts to bring people together.”

The White House via Flickr

cal agendas to force through, such a nomination to the Supreme Court.

The limited and incomplete FBI investigation itself proves this: the FBI not only failed to interview Ford and Kavanaugh, they failed to interview 22 people listed as willing to provide relevant testimony.

Kenneth G Appold, who spoke publicly about hearing of the assault around the time it took place, was never contacted. James Roche, Kavanaugh’s former roommate claimed that the honourable justice Kavanaugh had ‘stood up under oath and lied about his drinking and about the meaning of the words in his yearbook’.

It is easier to dismiss than make real change Time and time again women are shown to the second-class citizens expected to quieten down, get over it, and just move on.

Society finds it easier to dismiss women, disbelieve their claims, and ignore their calls for justice, simply because it is the easy way out, because who really wants to acknowledge the prevalence of sexual violence in our society? That would mean having to make meaningful change.

Instead Trump decides to declare that it is a ‘very scary time for young men in America’, but what about women old and young, and the dangers they have always faced and continue to encounter?

Reality Check?

Mobilus in Mobili via Flickr

For sources on this and all our articles please see www.palatinate.org.uk

Thursday 18th October 2018 | PALATINATE

14

Politics Beyond the Spotlight: MeToo & the Everyday Amber Perera VP, Durham LGBT+ Society In September, McDonald’s employees across the UK launched #MeToo-inspired protests against sexual harassment in the workplace. The strike unfolded in 10 cities with the goal of enshrining better workers rights across the chain. The bravery shown by these employees is not to be understated. Showing up to the picket lines on a minimum wage is a massive gamble, in which your livelihood could easily be lost.

The bravery shown by those who strike cannot be underestimated The stories of working class survivors are never as popular as in the entertainment industry. The experiences of working class survivors are frequently undermined, even by those most publicly supportive of survivors’ rights. A Pew report, released on Wednesday, identified some similar concerns, with 21 percent of women saying that the increased focus on sexual harassment would lead to decreased opportunities in the workplace.

The bravery of those who strike cannot be underestimated: these workers face being fired, deported or physically harmed for their work. These are decidedly separate from the harms celebrity survivors encounter.

You need a certain amount of social capital; recognition and credibility, in order to gain widespread support and belief in your story.

Older victims of harassment did not speak out because they would have been fired and locked out of positions of power. When a woman speaks out about sexual violence, a man in power is likely to promote another woman.

It requires there to be a base amount of female economic power for women to feel safe enough to speak out about sexual violence.

For women who are illegal immigrants, speaking to the police could mean they face deportation. For women in low wage jobs, speaking out about sexual violence may mean they get fired from their crucial source of income.

The wider social impact of successful cases against sexual violence are worth being fought for, and in the wake of #MeToo, this social change is being achieved.

Survivors are more open than ever to talking about their experiences without feeling guilt or shame, as

sexual violence is tragically shown to be a universal, shared experience.

As a working class woman it is so easy to be made to feel like your body is less worthy If perpetrators are called out on their behaviour in the age of #MeToo, they are less likely to propagate sexual violence because they will be removed from positions of power.

It is unfair to blame women who cannot afford to speak out about sexual assault in fear of losing their jobs. #MeToo has created a culture where experiences of sexual violences are treated as more widespread, and crucially; more credible. However, this is only a small step. The tangible impacts do not stretch far enough from the entertainment industry, or from industries where people can afford to take time off work in order to find new employment.

As a working class woman, because your labour is less expensive than those in the entertainment, technology or professional industries - it is so easy to be made to feel like your body is less worthy of integrity and respect. When you

lack job security and live from pay cheque to pay cheque, it is easy to allow yourself to be exploited for the sake of financial security - to see your body as a commodity that ought to be sacrificed instead of your family’s electricity or food.

Even families further from the breadline could not sustain the financial strain of a survivor reporting sexual harassment to their boss, or quitting the company itself.

The rift between ‘individualist’ empowerment feminism and ‘social feminism’ of collective liberation becomes pronounced through the #MeToo movement. Whether it is the victim’s responsibility to withstand and overcome the misogyny she encounters, or the responsibility of us all to eliminate sexism and sexual assault. For every woman who is scorned for not speaking out, there are hundreds of women who explain the nuance of their circumstances that bar the es-

Fibonacci Blue via Flickr

cape route. Often the moral rule of speaking out cannot be anything but an abstract.

Tangible impacts do not stretch far enough from Hollywood What we can do is keep working to make the workplace safer. After a 2016 survey which showed 53% of Seattle hotel housekeepers had experienced sexual assault at work, the Hands Off Pants On Ordinance was launched. This mandates hotels to equip employees with portable emergency contact devices, which went into effect in Chicago and advocates are pressing for similar laws in California.

These institutional changes empower workers and make the company stance on workplace abuse clear.

Party Conferences - Not a moderate to be seen Labour’s underdogs truly excelled: whilst the Lib Dems re-build their strength, the Conservatives are tainted by Brexit, and Corbyn’s popularity wanes, both Sir Starmer and Labour foreign-secretary Emily Thornberry, with her speech on anti-Semitism, would have impressed the British electorate.

Sophie Blitz September’s party conferences sought to restore confidence between political leaders and the British electorate, following a summer of resignations, an anti-Semitism row and doubts concerning the Prime Minister’s Brexit negotiations.

The future of the Conservative Party lies in May’s negotiations with Europe

If the PM could not negotiate a deal, Labour would push for a general election Opposition to the Prime Minister’s Chequers Plan dominated the Labour and Liberal Democrat conferences, re-energizing the debate for a ‘second referendum’. Though the Lib Dems have consistently pushed the idea of a “People’s Vote”, the party seemed unenthused by their leader Sir Vince Cable, now seventy-four years old and struggling to find support from younger voters.

By contrast, Labour’s youthful and energetic Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer won a standing ovation for his foresight. Sir Starmer suggested that, if the PM could not negotiate a deal, Labour would push for a general election to “install a radical Labour government” for a better Brexit deal; failing that, Labour would turn to a public vote.

ilovetheeu via Wikimedia Commons

Taking a reconciliatory tone, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn offered a compromise to the Prime Minister: he will support May’s plan if she includes a customs union, prevents a hard border in Ireland and protects jobs, workers’ rights and environmental standards in her final deal.

Journalist Robert Peston stated that this compromise, supported by many in Whitehall and Europe, could “save or destroy” the Prime Minister; others, however, believe that Corbyn’s offer is unrealistic and a thinly-veiled bid to seem more reasonable than May. Dancing onto the stage, Prime Minister Theresa May appeared unfazed by her critics. May re-

mained firm on honouring the result of the referendum, but seemed desperate for support. “We need to come together” May repeats, seemingly criticising her former foreign-secretary Boris Johnson, who resigned in opposition to her negotiations.

May remained firm on honouring the result of the referendum, but seemed desperate for support What proved intriguing about this year’s conferences was not so much May’s dancing nor Corbyn’s radical vision, but rather the prospect of future leaders. This is where

Corbyn touches on antiSemitism in his speech. Yet, Thornberry concedes to the problem in Labour and investigates its sources: ‘We must all acknowledge that there are sickening individuals on the fringes of our movement, who use our legitimate support for Palestine as a cloak and a cover for their despicable hatred of the Jewish people” she said.

Notably, the Prime Minister introduced a number of domestic policies, seeking the trust of younger voters. May promises to end austerity, and to “help you get on the housing ladder”, scrapping the government-cap that limits the amounts councils borrow for their development projects. She also promises to increase the earlydetection rate of cancer from “one-

in-two today, to three-in four by 2028.”

Yet, May’s attempts to pull in the younger voters are long overdue. If these conferences have made one thing clear, it is that the make-up of British politics, its leaders and the future of the Conservative party lies in May’s negotiations with Europe.

Cartoon

Ella Bicknell

PALATINATE | Thursday 18th October 2018

15

Politics

Welcome to the Trump Referendum Perry Gresham On November 6th, Americans will head to the polls for what is shaping up to be a significant mid-term election.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are being contested, along with a third of the Senate (35 when including the 2 special elections) and a multitude of local elections.

The vote has huge implications for the rest of Trump’s term. The Democrats could take control of

the House with around a 25-seat swing, or the senate with just two extra seats, either of which would significantly affect Trump’s ability to pass legislation.

The vote has huge implications for the rest of Trump’s term Because of this, it seems like everyone is portraying the vote as a referendum on the President himself. At a recent rally, Trump told supporters to “Pretend I’m on

the ticket” and vote Republican. It’s a fascinating reversal from just a few years ago – the president now needs his followers to go out and vote en masse for a party establishment that once rejected him. At the same time he will be hoping that his Republican detractors forget about him and toe the party line come election day.

Meanwhile Democrats are supporting the same narrative as Trump, hoping to play into the nation’s general aversion to him. His approval ratings are currently in the low forties, but he was only at

37.5% approval back when he won the 2016 election. Lest we forget, also, that elections are not won by popular vote alone, the intricacies of the distribution of seats across America complicate matters.

Trump is keen to take credit for the state of the economy – will the electorate be convinced? The drama surrounding the Supreme Court appointment of Brett Kavanaugh is also relevant, although it’s unclear who this will benefit.

The latest claim is that this might energise grassroots Republican support.

Bjoertvedt via Wikimedia Commons

A Guide to Election Night The House: An End to GOP Rule?

Jack Taylor Deputy Politics Editor Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight currently have the Democrats at a 7 in 9 probability to win control of the House of Representative, the chamber of 435 Congressmen that each represent a district in a state.

With the average predicted gain to be 33 seats, the Democrats would have a majority in the House of 11, enough to block any of Trump’s legislation in the next 2 years.

If we see a swing ObamaTrump districts, the Democrats will be hopeful for 2020 On election night expect to see similar scenes as with Obama in 2010 and 2014, were his party lost 63 and 13 seats respectively.

There will also be much talk about Trump’s chances of re-election, as the districts that vote for a House member are the same districts that vote in the Presidential.

If we see a swing in lots of the 21 Obama-Trump districts back to Democrats in the midterms, the Democrats will be hopeful for 2020.

Nine of those districts won by Obama in 2012 but also won by Trump in 2016 are held by Democratic Congressmen, they are playing defence.

We will see the tactics used this election during the 2020 Presidential race The test for the success of Trump’s first two years will be places such as the Minnesota 1st district.

A close district in 2012, Trump won it by over 15% in 2016 and the Republican candidate now holds a 14% lead in some polls. It’s a different story in Maine 2nd, won by Trump with 51%, where both candidates are fairly neck and neck.

Of course the Senate is a different story entirely, only 35 of the 100 seats are having elections, the

Carolina Maberry

Office of the Vice President via Wikimedia Commons

two special elections to replace are taking place in Minnesota and Mississippi to replace departing Senators.

Minnesota is prime Democrat country so the candidate Tina Smith should win, as the republican Cindy Hyde-Smith will most likely do in reverse in Mississippi.

Most pollsters are predicting the GOP to remain in control of the Senate.

The Democrats may make gains in Nevada with Jacky Rosen level with the Republican incumbent.

The same can be said for Arizona, the Democratic House member Krysten Sinema is predicted at 60% to win in a fairly Republican leaning state.

Most pollsters are predicting the GOP to remain in control of the Senate Be prepared to see senior Democrats Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren win by win with 70% and 65% of the vote each. All eyes are on Texas where Beto O’Rourke has set fundraising records and visited all 254 districts in an attempt to win Ted Cruz’s seat in an upset.

Current polling shows Cruz to be winning but this campaign lays the groundwork, as with Warren and Sander’s wins, for a successful launch into the Democratic 2020 Presidential bid.

The midterms may see the end of 8 years of Republican control in The House of Representatives.

Democrats must gain 23 seats to control a majority; and their strategy thus far has been to directly engage with their base and outfund opponents in what is being labelled a “blue wave” by pundits and supporters.

Republicans have for the most part chosen to align themselves with the President; for example promising a vote on funding for a potential Mexican border wall after the midterms are over.

Democrats must gain 23 seats to control a majority While President Trump’s national opinion polls are low, his base has yet to waver in their support. Considering that midterms tend to have a smaller but more extreme turnout, as well as a traditionally larger Republican turnout, Republicans aren’t necessarily on shaky ground.

Other factors, such as Republican control of redistricting lines and purging registration rolls, also suggest that in close House races the Republican incumbents will still have an advantage.

Democrats will have to venture into even more Republican territories However, even Democratic candidates in former Republican strongholds have been polling well. In Ohio’s 1st District, 11 term Representative Steve Chabot is under risk of losing to a better funded Democrat opponent. Aftab Pureval, a 35-year-old central Democrat, is keen to capture the middle ground and the increasingly diverse urban and suburban voters who he argues Rep. Chabot has lost touch with. Trump won this district narrowly, but its Cook PVI is R+5, which means that as a district its voters are 5 points more

Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Republican than the national average. To gain a majority, however, Democrats will have to venture into even more Republican territories, capturing at least a few R+7 districts.

Republicans have seen less success challenging Democratic districts, although there are exceptions. Florida’s 26th District looks poised to re-elect Republican Carlos Cubiero despite a PVI of D+6; and voting handily for both Clinton and Obama. It is the most democratic district in the nation to elect a Republican Representative in the House. However, Republicans lose many incumbents’ advantages in difficult districts as they face a swathe of Representatives standing down; turning some safe seats into battlegrounds. This includes California’s 39th district which is now deemed a toss-up and may return to Democrat hands in the House.

This House election has proven already to be one of the more chaotic; two GOP representatives are under indictments including Rep. Duncan Hunter (California) who was revealed to be spending exorbitant amounts of taxpayer money on personal luxury, and Rep. Chris Collins (New York).

Both names are still on their respective ballots and have suddenly become difficult re-election campaigns for Republicans in once-safe seats.

This House election has proven already to be one of the more chaotic House elections across the country are being watched not only for their own importance but as a litmus test for the next presidential election. Republicans are trying to keep their base’s electrified enthusiasm for Trump and Democrats are seeking viable methods for attracting disaffected middle-ground voters. Democrats also want to find the key to unlocking the large swathes of youth voters which identify as Democrat but don’t reliably vote. In this midterm, they walk the tightrope of trying to get their base excited to vote and trying to appeal to a much more Republican middle.

United States House of Representatives via Wikimedia Commons

16

Thursday 18th October 2018 | PALATINATE

SciTech

‘Holy Grail of Mathematics’ Found ?

Holly Parkinson On September 24th, Sir Michael Atiyah presented what he claimed to be a “simple proof” for the Riemann Hypothesis, an achievement described as the “holy grail of mathematics” if shown to be true.

However, the proof, which relies on a seemingly unrelated piece of Physics, has been met with skepticism from the mathematical community.

As prime numbers pervade all aspects of maths, a correct proof would constitute an enormous breakthrough The Riemann Hypothesis concerns prime numbers (integers only divisible by 1 and themselves) and finding a pattern in their distribution. In 1859, German Mathematician Bernhard Riemann discovered that solutions for a complex mathematical

Reader’s Scigest

On the shoulders, giants (Photograph: ICM 2018 via Flickr) function (known as the Riemann Zeta function and responsible for ‘-1/12’ memes) would act as a guide if it could be shown that the real-part of all values were equal to one half. As prime numbers pervade all aspects of maths, a correct proof would constitute an enormous breakthrough.

Unfortunately, the conjecture has frustrated mathematicians since it was first put forward. One

of the Millennium Prize Problems from Clay Mathematics Institute - and so eligible for a $1 million prize - it has attracted many attempts to solve it, though all have been either subtly flawed or easily dismissed.

Sir Atiyah cannot be so easily dismissed. A retired BritishLebanese academic, he has been described by his peers as a ‘wizard of a mathematician’; he was

President of the Royal Society from 1990 to 1995 and holds both the Fields Medal and Abel Prize: some of mathematics’ highest honours. Nevertheless, what he claims as proof has more than a whiff of crankiness: it takes up no more than half an A4 page and is prefaced with the almost cocky ‘I believe it will live up to this challenge, and this paper will provide the proof.’.

A ‘proof by contradiction’, the work introduces and uses an as yet unpublished paper on the Todd Function, named after one of Sir Atiyah’s teachers. By assuming the hypothesis is false, and using the function to describe a physical value that describes the interactions between charged particles, he claims to have reached a logical contradiction.

As could be expected due to the difficulty of the problem and the shortness of the proof, the announcement has been met with considerable friction from the mathematical community, with most doubting its validity. Indeed,

NBC News described the problem as “unsolved for almost 160 years [and] probably still is”. This isn’t new for Sir Atiyah, whose recent paper regarding the 6 Sphere (a 7-dimensional sphere) was heavily criticised

by British mathematician Robert Bryant.

The announcement has been met with considerable friction, with most doubting its validity Winning the money is far less simple than presenting one’s proof and receiving a cheque: Atiyah’s work must stand for two years in order to pass. If deemed correct, The Riemann Hypothesis will become only the second of the seven Millennium Prize Problems to be solved, the other being the Poincaré Conjecture, which was correctly proved by Grigori Perelman in 2003.

Google ups the ante? The state of smartphone competition

Charlie Hetherington SciTech Editor

Ewan Jones SciTech Editor

A Computer Scientist from Durham has helped developed a system to counter advanced cyber attacks.

Hackers are increasingly switching from opportunistic attempts on random targets to persistent assaults on specific organisations.

To help counter this, researchers have developed a new machine learning-based system called MLAPT. By detecting intrusions and comparing them with past attempts, the the system is able to identify major threats in their premature, vulnerable stages with an accuracy of 84.8%.

Durham University Geographers have altered the timeframe of a major geological event.

By performing radiocarbon measurements (a technique that uses the decay rates of carbon-14 to determine the age of objects) on the remains of ancient sea life taken from a boreholl drilled by the Geological Survey of Canada, the group was able to narrow the window of time when a drop in sea level occured in the Arctic.

Google unveiled four new products at their ‘Made by Google’ event on October 9th: the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL phones, the Google Home Hub smart home assistant, and the Pixel Slate tablet. Whilst still receiving adoration from the many Google fans attending the event held in New York, the product releases were somewhat dampened by the consistent leaks in the weeks leading up to the event.

Some conspiracy theorists suspected Google of placing false information to increase interest in the event A retailer in Hong Kong was found selling the Pixel 3 XL a week before it was officially launched, and to make things worse, a large quantity of leaks stemmed from a test-version Pixel 3 XL left in the back of a Lyft! So severe were the leaks that many conspiracy theorists suspected Google of deliberately placing false information online in order to increase interest in the event, however, this was

disproved when all products revealed matched the leaked information exactly.

Google has been especially hit by leaks this year, with the recent Google + data dump that exposed the personal information of 500,000 users leading to the shutdown of the (admittedly seldom used) social network. These concerns with privacy may have influenced some of the design decisions for the new Google hardware, such as the lack of a camera in the ever-present Home Hub assistant.

Leaks aside, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL reveals stole the show at this event. Google is a company known mainly for its software, and its advent into hardware has been a challenge. Many people choose to own a Pixel phone because they get the latest software updates first, however, these phones have a new star feature: the camera.

The Pixel camera is arguably the best in the smartphone market right now The Pixel camera is arguably the best in the smartphone mar-

ket right now, and Google obviously knows this from the amount of time they spent advertising this fact at their event (even featuring a cheeky comparison with the iPhone X’s camera!).

On a negative note, however, Pixel XL fans may have been disappointed by the size of the phone’s camera ‘notch’ in the top of the screen. When the leaks occurred, this was the one point that people almost unanimously disliked, complaining that it was too big.

Also, whereas most phone companies are following the trend of reducing bezel size to allow for edge-to-edge screens, Google has made the odd decision to stick with a bottom-screen bezel.

In terms of price, Google is following in the footsteps of Apple by increasing prices from $650USD

(Photograph: Carlos Luna via Flickr) for the Pixel 2 to $800USD for the most recent phones. Whilst still cheaper than the ludicrously expensive iPhone X (does anyone ever worry about carrying a £999 device everywhere in our pockets?), prices were expected to be lower than this.

‘Flagship killers’ offer just as good specs for half the price The largest smartphone manufacturers need to keep price in mind in the coming years, as so -called ‘flagship killers’ such as the Oneplus 6 offer just as equivalent (sometimes better!) specs for only £429, less than half an iPhone X. Will brand name continue to keep customers happy when faced with these other, cheaper

Thursday 18th October 2018 | PALATINATE

18

Sport

Wan-Bissaka, Foden, and Nelson all keen to impress Tim Sigsworth assesses the young, English talent who could be bolstering Gareth Southgate’s squad in the near future

Tim Sigsworth On the 4th October, Gareth Southgate named his first England squad since signing a new fouryear contract with the FA. Included in the squad were first ever callups for three younger players who have been in mercurial form so far this season: James Maddison, Mason Mount and Jadon Sancho.

Throughout his tenure as England manager, Southgate has repeatedly given preference to club form over club reputation, and the inclusion of the aforementioned attacking trio represents a continuation of this policy.

“Maddison has contributed three goals and two assists since joining Leicester City” Their inclusion is hard to argue against, too. Sancho has already recorded one goal and seven assists in just 214 minutes of Bundesliga football this season (one start, six substitute appearances).

Maddison has contributed three goals and two assists since joining Leicester City from Norwich for £20m in the summer.

Mount has also been in great form in recent months; he has directly contributed to 17 goals in his last 18 league appearances for Vitesse Arnhem and Derby County in the Eredivisie and the Championship respectively.

These three young, creative, inform players add attacking threat and youthful dynamism to an England team which has seemed somewhat lethargic creatively in recent years, even during the unexpected success of the 2018 World Cup. So, because Southgate is continuing to bring youth into the national team, it’s worth asking (Brad Tutterow via Flickr)

▲ England training ahead of their 2018 world Cup successes (Kiril Vendiktov Via Wikimedia Commons) which other youngsters are close to stepping up into the England team, and how they would strengthen the current side?

A current England Under-21 player, Crystal Palace’s WanBissaka has impressed in South London since making his firstteam debut in February of this year.

“Phil Foden has been called up to the England Under-21 squad for the first time” Blessed with pace and positioning ability, he has started the season strongly and has won Palace’s Player of the Month award in both August and September.

Wan-Bissaka was converted from a winger to a full-back when playing for the Palace Under-23s during the 2016/17 season, and

he therefore has the attacking ability to pose a threat as a wingback as well as the defensive ability for a full-back role.

The positional versatility that he offers through this could be a real asset to Southgate’s England side, especially in the 5-3-2 system which was so successful in Russia.

However, his mere 14 Premier League appearances mean that he perhaps doesn’t have the top-level experience to make the step up to national team football just yet.

Furthermore, the intense competition that Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Kyle Walker provide for the rightback position could prove to be a stumbling block as well.

However, if Wan-Bissaka continues his early-season form for the rest of season he could well be deservedly donning an England shirt before too long.

Ahead of the upcoming international break, Phil Foden has been called up to the England Under-21 squad for the first time.

Despite only being 18, Foden’s progression to the highest level of England’s youth set-up comes as no surprise.

Having won the Golden Ball as England lifted the Under-17s World Cup in 2017, Foden broke onto the bench at Manchester City last season. Chances in City’s first team have been hard to come by for the Stockport-born playmaker but when given a chance, Foden hasn’t let it slip.

Towards the back end of September he scored once and

assisted once as City secured progression to the 4th round of the League Cup with a 3-0 win over Oxford United.

What Foden offers England is a technically able attacking midfielder who was moulded

by City’s state-of-the-art youth facilities and is currently under the tutelage of one of the greatest managers in the world. However, there is no better way for a young, inexperienced player to improve than to play regular first-team football and to remain humble.

Although comparisons with Andrés Iniesta aren’t likely to keep Foden’s feet on the ground, they do reflect the enormity of his potential. Again, like Wan-Bissaka, he lacks the necessary top-level experience to break into the England team as Maddison, Mount and Sancho have done.

“It can’t be denied that these three youngsters have all impressed when given the chance” The runs he makes, the passes he picks out, and the technique he possesses at the tender age of 18 all mean that England could well have an elite playmaker for many years to come in the near future.

Jadon Sancho isn’t the only English winger impressing in the Bundesliga this season. Despite struggling for starts in the same way as Sancho has, Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson has scored twice in

just 93 minutes (or 3 substitute appearances) of league football for TSG Hoffenheim.

Nelson has thrived for Arsenal’s Under 23s in recent years and has this season taken the bold step of moving abroad in search of regular playing time. Blessed with a low centre of gravity and skill with both feet, the 18 year-old is highly effective when dribbling at defenders. His ambidexterity in that regard means he is able to vary how he dribbles in one-onone situations, and therefore he is difficult to read.

When partnered with the variety of his finishes and his off the ball intelligence, Nelson’s skill on the ball makes him a very dangerous player. His move to Germany highlights his hunger for self-improvement but like WanBissaka and Foden, he simply hasn’t had enough regular firstteam experience this season to justify a place in the national team.

Furthermore, he is a player of the same mould as Sancho, Mount and Maddison – young, dynamic and dangerous in attack. As he has had less game time than those three this season and has been less impressive than them as a result, it is understandable why he hasn’t been called up.

He’s certainly one to watch, though.

It can’t be denied that these three youngsters have all impressed when given the chance this season. In my opinion, the most likely of the three to break into the England squad in the near future would be Aaron WanBissaka.

With an average WhoScored rating of 7.48 across 615 minutes of Premier League football this season, the 20-year-old has been the best performing defender in the entire league. If he can continue his form throughout the season, an England call-up surely is inevitable.

For Foden and Nelson, call-ups to the seniors are wholly dependent on game time. Whenever they’ve played this season they’ve played well, it’s just the fact that they haven’t played often that they aren’t in the England team.

If Nelson continues to play well for Hoffenheim, the necessary starting opportunities for Die Kraichgauer will be in the offing.

In Foden’s case, a loan move to a bottom-half Premier League side may do him the world of a good as he wouldn’t be able to rely on City’s stars to bail him out if his performances slipped below par.

He would either have to sink or more likely, swim.

PALATINATE | Thursday 18th October 2018

19

Sport

José Mourinho at the end? Or still hanging on?

Ben Fleming ‘I am the happy one’ beckoned José Mourinho as he sat in the press conference announcing his return to Chelsea, the grey-tinged hair the only difference between the man that had sat in that exact same chair nine years prior when he first arrived in England.

Given all this, it would be inconceivable that merely five years later, the same man would be working at arch-rivals Manchester United and having to answer questions about defeats to Brighton, Derby and West Ham to name but a few.

“The secret behind such success in Mourinho’s quasidictatorial control” What has gone wrong? Has the Mourinho mystique disappeared?

Is this yet another example of an ageing manager being usurped by exiting, young apprentices?

Arguably yes, but it is undeniable that Mourinho has a rare talent, something that has been found in very few managers in the history of football. Providing a club is willing to back this flawed genius, they will be ladened with trophies and successes.

At Porto, his first spell at Chelsea, and at Inter Milan, Mourinho brought unimaginable success. He won the UEFA Cup and Champions League with Porto, the back-to-back Premier Leagues with Chelsea, and the Champions League with Inter Milan, to name but a few.

“I am the happy one” The secret behind such success lies in Mourinho’s quasidictatorial control over first-team happenings. Infamously during the 2002-03 pre-season, Mourinho left nothing to chance even going as far to publish detailed reports of the team training on the club website.

Such control was most important when it came to

recruitment. Mourinho, rightfully, was given the money by these various owners to pick out his targets. Costinha and Derlei were both identified by Mourinho at Porto as the strikers to lead Mourinho’s high pressing system and were instrumental in their Champions League victory in 2004.

“Whilst silverware wasn’t present, there was definitive progress” In the same vein, at Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, Mourinho signed the likes of Robben, Drogba, Di Maria, Ozil and Sneijder, enabling him to storm the Premier league, win four domestic trophies in Spain and the treble with Inter Milan in 2010.

Where Mourinho has come into trouble, it is clear to see the link.

He has not been given total control.

His two reigns with Chelsea were ended due to complications with Abramovich. The first was largely due to the appointment of Avram Grant as director of football, something which left Mourino feeling threatened and his total control in question.

His second departure was a product of lack of transfer control once more, with Pedro being the marquee signing in a season where Abramovich was eyeing continental success and hence leaving Mourinho unable to develop the team.

However, whilst context is important, Mourinho’s current situation with Man Utd is perhaps the most pressing. During his first few seasons, Ed Woodward and the Manchester United board gave Mourinho the freedom to spend. He broke the then transfer record on Paul Pogba, as well as bringing in Baily, Mkhitaryan and Ibrahimovic amassing nearly £200m in transfer fees.

The success was evident with Mourinho winning the Europa League and gaining entry back into the Champions League.

The following summer, it was

▲ José Mourinho pondering his sides lackluster start to the season (Aleksandr Osipov Via Wikimedia Commons) clear that goals were the problem, and one that was exacerbated by Ibrahimovic’s lengthy injury, and so Manchester United allowed him to pick up Lukaku and such a signing propelled Man Utd up to second in the league and to an FA Cup final.

“Mourinho isn’t an innocent bystander in all of this” Whilst silverware wasn’t present, there was definitive progress. However, this summer, Ed Woodward decided to not back Mourinho in the transfer market as the manager looked to address the problems at centre back, with key targets of Aldeweireld and Boateng vetoed by the board.

Whilst the latter is somewhat understandable due to his injury record, Aldeweireld has often been regarded as one of the premium defenders in the league and signing him and crucially, trusting Mourinho surely would have been the right move given his previous track

record at the club and in the past.

“His general demeanor would suggest that he is sick and tired of the job” Mourinho isn’t an innocent bystander in all of this, however.

Much like his nemesis Wenger, his stubbornness has only served to perpetuate the crisis, most notably in his decision to play Pogba, McTominay and Herrera instead of actual centre-halves to seemingly prove a point to the board at his lack of centre halve options.

His handling of the media and very public spats with Pogba are somewhat reminiscent of his troubles with Hazard and Casillas at previous jobs and his general demeanor would suggest that he is sick and tired of the job.

He has certainly not helped the situation, but arguably has a right be enraged. He has bred success in all of his previous jobs

and his transfer recruitment record speaks for itself.

For the board to not back him in this crucial period for the club, when they could have pushed for a title challenge, must feel like a personal attack on his managerial nous.

This is constantly under fire in this modern era especially when his stern and meticulous style is compared to the vivacious and exciting style of Klopp, Sarri and Guardiola.

Even if future success for Mourinho at Old Trafford seems unlikely, his pedigree and winning record means he is surely not yet done in management.

By looking at his previous successes, one can see a clear recipe.

If you are willing to give him total control and back him when it comes to transfers, he will invariably bring you success and if Man Utd want some of this success, they would be unwise to give up on the ‘special one’ just yet.

Colin Kaepernick kneeling for what he believes in

Continued from back page ...more than just a football player or quarterback, he becomes a role model and inspiration for a new generation of young African American men.

However, more than onehundred-and-fifty years on from the abolition of slavery, the issue of racial inequality remains deeply contentious and American society remains fractured along racial lines.

Whilst Kaepernick and other players who have kneeled during

the national anthem maintain that their protest is about police brutality resulting in the deaths of unarmed black Americans.

This, however, hasn’t stopped their critics. `Perhaps most notably, this includes President Donald Trump. The main thrust of their criticisms is centred around claiming that Kaepernick has been disrespecting his flag and country.

He proclaimed “if a player wants the privilege of earning millions of dollars in the NFL, he should not be allowed to disrespect our great American flag. If not, you’re fired.

Find something else to do!”.

Superficially though, one might think that Trump has somewhat missed the point. Whilst a large proportion of white Americans are quick to accuse Kaepernick of disrespecting the men and women who fight for their country, in reality, he is doing anything but.

“He becomes a role model and inspiration for a new generation” His decision to kneel during the national anthem is therefore not a reflection of his attitude towards

the men and women who do fight for America, rather it is a reflection of his attitude towards the state of America itself.

In an era when sports stars can often seem remote and disengaged, it is somewhat refreshing to watch Kaepernick so willingly sacrifice everything in order to stand up for something he believes in.

Having lost his place as a starting quarterback, been shunned by leading figures within the NFL and subsequently lost his place on an NFL roster, there is little chance of seeing a return of Kaepernick to the field of play any time soon.

For Kaepernick, however, this really isn’t what’s important.

The huge publicity drawn to the issue of police brutality and racial injustice because of his actions is a payoff greater than any number of touchdowns he could score or passes he could complete.

The message behind the new Nike campaign featuring Kaepernick, “believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything,” has proven to be more than just empty words.

For Kaepernick, these are words to which we should all live by.

Sport

Thursday 18th October 2018 | PALATINATE

Mourinho, on his last warning again?

Palatinate Sport look into the Manchester United manager, his form, and what is going to happen next (page 19)

Wan-Bissaka, Foden, and Nelson all keen to impress As the international break comes to a close Palatinate Sport discuss who is going to be next on Southgate’s calling cards (page 18)

Athletes are not just athletes: the case of Colin Kaepernick Finlay Smart Deputy Sport Editor

▲ DURFC Captain X prepared for the start of the new season (Alex McNab via BUCS Super Rugby)

DURFC vs EURFC: Durham stay on top Josh Basham Wednesday 10th October, and the charity match against Exeter was upon them, the first home game of the year, with over 3000 people watching.

Already this was an occasion not to be missed, and yet it gets better, the opposition were Exeter University; last years league winners, and one of DURFC’s biggest rivals.

After a solid win in London the week before, against Bath, the team were keen to build on their previous efforts as well as the last season. The stage against Exeter was set perfectly.

The game was underway with Exeter having most of the early possession, but as was to be the theme of the game, the defensive endeavour of DURFC proved too much.

After winning the ball back, Durham had a lineout on halfway.

They set the ball up nicely, Fred Davies broke from the back, a quick ruck and out of nowhere Durham’s electric winger Jack Hedley streaked through on a short ball, linking with Matt Welsh who then scored under the sticks.

Magic play and now 7-0 Durham.

It was not long until Durham struck again through Myles Rawstron-Rudd, with some superb interplay between front row forwards Fred Davies and Scott Bowerman.

It looked to all be going Durham’s way but Exeter struck back quickly. A Pick and go sneaking over the line after a long period of possession in the DURFC 22.

Again, Exeter were attacking, phase after phase, stretching the Durham defence edge to edge, a battle of fitness and physicality, one which Durham refused to lose.

A crunching double tackle in the midfield sent the ball flying loose

which Saul Melvin-Farr expertly swept up, without breaking stride, and accelerated away over the try line - a simple score through unrelenting defence.

Defending for so long however does take its toll, and Exeter snuck in another 2 tries before the half time whistle, both under the sticks. Half time score: 19-21.

This however did not phase the Durham men, who ran out the sheds after half time with a renewed spring in their step.

The Leadership group was proving its worth. None more so than Tom Catterick who kept calm and collected to slot home an early penalty in the second half to put Durham back ahead, 22-21.

With 20 minutes left, Durham needed to hold the lead in front of the home crowd. However, Exeter slipped through a gap in the defence and finished well to regain control.Durham were now set the task to score a converted try in the last 15 minutes. Luckily

this Durham team thrives under pressure.

With impact off the bench, the Durham team slowly moved up the pitch through some tactically perfect kicking from Paddy Mcduel.

Durham were on the Exeter line, forwards crashing it up, followed by piercing hard lines from the backs, everyone working for the team. Finally DURFC broke through with Fitz Harding gliding through a gap to make the score 27-28.

Durham needed the conversion to go ahead. TC stepped up, struck the ball - it hit the post and went in, the crowd erupted in celebration.

There remained only six minutes left on the clock, A scrum centre field, the ball pops out the back and Ben Fowles kicks the ball, only to completely slice it and miss touch, the game isn’t over yet. Jack Hedley gathered with a great take and the ball was cleared.

If you had entered the name Colin Kaepernick into your search engine at the end of the 2013 NFL season, you would have found a swathe of impressive statistics about the number of touchdown passes he threw, or rushing yards he ran in leading the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship game.

Unsurprisingly, the American football star was known for being good at American football.

Fast forward to 2018, the name Colin Kaepernick has come to mean something very different for a remarkable number of people.

The once-starting Quarterback is now seen as the spearhead of a political movement aimed at combatting the existence of racial injustice and police brutality across America.

Kaepernick’s ascension into this role began in August 2016, when he willingly immersed himself in controversy by refusing to stand for the national anthem. He stated publicly “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour. When there’s significant change and I feel the flag represents what is supposed to represent, then I will stand.”

By taking a stand for civil rights, Kaepernick joins other athletes, like NBA stars Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul, Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony, who have all used their platform and superstardom to raise awareness, and campaign for issues affecting minorities all over America.

In many ways, the actions of these sportsmen follow in the footsteps of trailblazers like Muhammed Ali and Jesse Owens, both of whom are widely known for their propensity to use their sporting prowess to draw attention to wider social issues.

Indeed, there is an important point to be made here. Kaepernick’s decision to quite literally risk his career for something he believes in reinforces the idea that sportsmen and sportswomen can transcend their sport.

Continued on page