Palatinate 812

Palatinate Officially the UK’s Best Student Publication, 2018

Thursday 29th November 2018 | No. 812

Politics examine the representation of working-class students in Durham and speak to the Working Class Students’ Association

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Stage speaks to Jake Murray ahead of the North-eastern premiere of The River

Lloyds defends controversial new ID policy Anna Tatham News Editor

▲ The winning team in DUCK’s hitchhiking Jailbreak challenge reached Tel Aviv in Israel (Hugo Millard)

Durham PhD student Matthew Hedges pardoned with immediate effect He has safely returned to the UK after almost seven months in detainment. Vice Chancellor Stuart Corbridge said: “We will be thrilled to welcome him back to the University community.”

Julia Atherley, Clara Gaspar and Anna Tatham Matthew Hedges has been given a ‘presidential pardon’ in UAE with immediate effect.

The Durham PhD student was sentenced to life imprisonment for ‘spying’ following a brief court hearing in Abu Dhabi last week.

The 31-year-old had been held in solitary confinement for nearly six months, after being arrested on May 5th at Dubai Airport but was released on bail earlier this month.

Mr Hedges had travelled to the

United Arab Emirates to conduct academic research, which included interviews regarding the Arab Spring’s impact on the UAE’s foreign policy and security strategy.

Sources in the UAE claim “espionage material” was found on Hedges’ laptop, according to the BBC. Matthew has always denied the charges against him but the prosecutors have previously said that he signed a confession.

The UAE reportedly showed a video of Matthew’s confession at a press conference, which reveals him admitting to trying to discover military secrets.

Wednesday’s court appearance, in which he was sentenced, reportedly lasted just 5 minutes and was his third since his arrest.

A petition to free Matthew was started by his wife, Daniela Tejada, and has almost 250,000 signatures.

Ms. Tejada previously called the charges against her husband “absurd”.

In a statement, Daniela said: “The presidential pardon for Matt is the best news we could have received.

Our 6 plus months of nightmare are finally over and to say we are elated is an understatement.

“That he is returning home to me and the rest of his family is much

more than I was ever expecting to happen this week. I thank you all for your support.

“Without the involvement of the media, the overwhelming support of academics, the public worldwide, the work of the British diplomatic body in the UAE and Secretary Hunt’s intervention, this would have never happened.

“I ask for some time to process the news and I will be making more statements in the coming days. Thank you all once again.”

Officials have said that Matthew will be free to leave the...

Continued on page 6

JD Wetherspoon has defended its new ID policy whereby national ID cards, relied on by many international students, are “not acceptable proof-of-age documents”.

International students, who make up 30% of the Durham University student body, are henceforth only accepted into Lloyds’ Wednesday night event if they show a valid passport, photo card driving license (UK or international), Pass Hologram cards, citizen cards, prove it card, U Identity card, or Military Card.

The chain has argued recent fraudulent activity nationwide regarding international ID cards, causing heavy fines for the company, led to the change in policy.

A petition has been created to lobby changing the policy, and has over 500 signatures.

Palatinate spoke to Pauli Soravia, a second-year Geography student at Van Mildert from Austria, who began the petition.

He called the policy “outrageous, xenophobic and chauvinistic”.

“I wanted to provide a voice for the students at Durham who are not of UK origin, especially for first years who wouldn’t know how to go about this issue, considering that there has been a huge increase in the number of international students here this year.

“I also found it ridiculous since no other club in Durham has this policy, and that I can use my national ID card to travel across Europe with no problem, but can’t get into a student nightclub.

“Now I can either take my passport out, which is highly unsafe, or choose to sit the night out. Passports are expensive and difficult to replace, and it can lead to identity fraud if they are lost/stolen.”

Others have expressed their anger, with some claiming they “haven’t been back since” and others calling the policy “unfair, exclusionary & unreasonable” Continued on page 7

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Thursday 29th November 2018 | PALATINATE

Editorial

I

Welcome home Matthew

think I speak on behalf of the whole Durham University community in expressing relief that Matthew Hedges’ ordeal is finally over.

It is difficult to imagine the pain his family must have been suffering upon hearing the news he had been sentenced to life imprisonment in the UAE. It is therefore a testament to the campaigning of his wife Daniela Tejada, the Foreign Office and the thousands of people worldwide who lobbied for his release, that this decision was reversed so quickly and he has safely returned to his family in the UK.

The rallying of the Durham community behind the cause of a fellow student was a particularly welcome feature The rallying of the Durham community behind the cause of a fellow student was a particularly welcome feature that speaks to the strength of solidarity felt by the entire University body.

As Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt rightly pointed out however, there remain many families in the UK who do not have cause to celebrate, as their loved ones are imprisoned in similar circumstances.

For instance, Nazanin ZaghariRatcliffe remains imprisoned in Iran on a similar charge of spying.

Hopefully the Foreign Office’s successful dealing of the Hedges’ case will bring her family a sense of hope that a similar outcome can be achieved for Nazanin in the near future.

In the meantime, we wish Mat-

thew the best for his return to the UK and hope he gets the time to rest and reunite with his family.

We also look forward to seeing him return to his academic studies here in Durham and echo the remarks of the Vice-Chacellor that we will be thrilled to welcome him back.

As this edition marks the end of my two terms as editor of this newspaper, this editorial provides a useful opportunity for me to thank those who have made my time at Palatinate so rewarding.

I began writing for this newspaper in my first term of freshers.

For the past two and half years, I have been privileged to work alongside some of the most talented and dedicated people in Durham. I am constantly amazed by their willingness to go above and beyond to produce the best student journalism Durham has to offer.

Stand-outs include an investigation into the culture of initiations ceremonies in Durham, our exclusive revealing of the University’s plans to introduce 8am lectures and a series of highly entertaining interviews with famous faces from across the world.

Although it would be impossible to name everyone deserving of my thanks, there are a few people I would especially like to mention.

Firstly my former co-editor, Sophie, a great journalist who taught me the ropes in this role.

I would also like to thank our brilliantly dedicated news team, headed by Anna and Clara, who have worked tirelessly to uncover all aspects of Durham University

life and Indigo editors, Adele and Alex, for producing unrivalled insight into all cultural aspects of this city.

I wish my co-editor Julia, and all of the current editorial team, the very best of luck for the new year (not that they’ll need it). I look forward to seeing what exciting things they have planned for 2019 and cannot wait to pick up a copy of Palatinate #813.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy our final edition of term.

On page 4, News bring you all you need to know about your NUS delegate candidates for next year’s annual conference.

Page 11 has an interview with British explorer Will Millard about his time spent with tribes across the world.

On pages 13-15, Politics feature an interesting examination of the class dynamics at Durham University.

In Indigo, Food and Drink put craft beer under the microscope on pages 12-13, whilst Fashion speak to those involved in this year’s Charity Fashion show on pages 4 and 5.

I hope this edition can offer you some much-needed respite from your looming deadlines as we begin to approach the festive season.

Enjoy!

Cameron McIntosh

Inside 812 News pages 4-7 Comment pages 8-10 Profile page 11 Politics pages 13-15 SciTech page 16 Sport pages 18-20

indigo

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

Want to write for us?

Email editor@palatinate.org.uk to let us know what you’re interested in writing about

Find us on social media www.facebook. com/palatinate @PalatinateUK

The bestwww.palatinate.org.uk of Palatinate Online

NEWS: Cathedral scaffolding to be removed The removal of the scaffolding on the Cathedral will begin in December, the Cathedral has confirmed.

COMMENT: Extinction Rebellion: Why I am willing to get arrested for climate change action An anonymous member of Extinction Rebellion discusses their willingness to face arrest for the cause of climate change action.

STAGE: Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf? Review: ‘perfectly executed’ Tom Penman reviews ‘Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?’, which he describes as “a flawless performance”

POLITICS: Stories // Fighting against ignorance in Indigenous America Kristina Novakovic and Lois Gatehouse speak of their experiences in America this summer.

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 Editors Scarlet Hannington & Jack Taylor comment@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Comment Editors Jacob Whitehead & Hannah Anson 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 Editor Matthew Spivey Sport Editor James Smith sport@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Sport Editors Ed Lord, Alana Ker Mercer, Tim Sigsworth & Finlay Smart Indigo Editor Adele Cooke indigo@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Indigo Editor Alex Leggatt Features Editor Kleopatra Olympiou features@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Features Editor Imogen Usherwood deputy.features@palatinate.org.uk Food & Drink Editors Rebecca Russell & Piers Eaton food@palatinate.org.uk Fashion Editor Anna Gibbs fashion@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Fashion Editor Ana Hamilton & Frankie Reffell Film & Television Editor Hugh Johnson film@palatinate.org.uk Film & Television Editor Josh Sagoo 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 Travel Editor Abir Mishra Deputy Travel Editor Alex Bicknell-Cummings Interview Editors 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 Nayva Lobo illustration@palatinate.org.uk Website Administrator Bilal Mohd Advertising Officer

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PALATINATE | Thursday 29th November 2018

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Featured

Key dates in the case of Matthew Hedges The last couple of weeks have been difficult for the Durham community, with the devastating news that Durham PhD student Matthew Hedges, has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the United Arab Emirates, simply for carrying out academic research. We must stand united in defending academic freedom and demanding his immediate release. A petition in support of Matthew has received over 240,000 signatures at the time of writing and I am pleased that the University has committed to covering costs incurred by his family in working towards bringing Matthew back.

Tomorrow voting will be closing in our NUS Delegate elections, which will decide who represents you at NUS Conference from 8th-11th April. With Brexit and the Government’s funding review posing major threats to Higher Education, its vital that we have a NUS that is up to the task. This year’s conference will be incredibly important in determining the future of NUS, so its crucial that we elect the right team to represent Durham students. Make sure you have your say by voting before 5pm tomorrow!

Following last year’s UCU pension strikes, unpaid staff wages were placed into a fund to be used ‘directly to the student benefit’, with £350,000 of money to be spent this year yet to be allocated. We want this money to be used in a way that will have the biggest possible positive impact on students, so we’ve set up a poll to consult you on how this should be spent. Whether you think the money should be spent to support the growing number of students facing mental health difficulties, to create more study spaces or to help students access our academic societies, please let us know your thoughts by the end of term, so that we can make sure the University spend the fund the way you want.

George Walker

5th May Durham PhD student Matthew Hedges is reportedly taken into custody at Dubai airport after travelling to the UAE to interview sources about the country’s foreign policy and security strategy

10th October A court in Abu Dhabi hears Matthew’s case, but adjourns for another hearing on 24th October

11th October Matthew’s wife, Daniela Tejada, calls on UAE officials to “admit that they’ve made a mistake”. Daniela says she has not been told what exactly her husband has been accused of 15th October Daniela says he is a man of principle with an “impeccable track record” 19th October Matthew is said to be suffering from “significant health issues” after spending more than five months in solitary confinement. In a joint statement, Durham and Exeter Universities say they are “deeply concerned” about Mr Hedges’ welfare 29th October Matthew is released on bail. His wife, Daniela, welcomes the development, adding: “I cannot allow myself to get too excited by this information as Matt is not fully free yet.”

The Al-Qasimi Building, named after ruler of UAE emirate accused of human rights abuses (Des Blenkinsopp via Creative Commons)

25th November Mr Hunt has “constructive” talks with his UAE counterpart over the fate of Mr Hedges.

27th November Matthew lands safely in London and says in a statement: “I could not have done this without Daniela, I hear her face is everywhere! She is so brave and strong, seeing her and my family after this ordeal is the best thing that could have happened.“

Matthew is a PhD candidate in the School of Government and International Affairs Image: Daniela Tejada

16th October The Foreign Office says it is “deeply concerned” about Mr Hedges.

25th October Matthew denies spying for the UK Government when he appears at the Federal Court of Appeal in Abu Dhabi.

21st November Matthew is sentenced to life imprisonment in a five-minute hearing at an Abu Dhabi court.

23th November In a statement at the UAE embassy in London, ambassador Sulaiman Almazroui praises the closeness between the two nations as he says clemency is being considered for the “extremely serious case”.

26th November Matthew is pardoned in the UAE, as Emirati officials show a video of him saying he is a captain in MI6.

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Thursday 29th November 2018 | PALATINATE

News

Voting opens for Durham’s NUS delegates vations about the efficacy of the NUS as an organisation,

Clara Gaspar News Editor

“I worry they won’t be able to deliver on their promises in their current state of bankruptcy”

Voting for Durham’s new NUS delegates is now open.

Voting opened at 8am on Tuesday, giving Durham Students the opportunity to vote for the delegates that will attend this year’s NUS conference, which will be held on 8th-11th April 2019, in Glasgow.

The job of NUS delegates is to discuss and subsequently vote on motions which will then become NUS policy if passed Due to an increase in student numbers, Durham Students Union will send six delegates to conference, as opposed to five last year.

SU president George Walker automatically holds an ex-officio place as one of Durham’s six delegates, so 5 delegates will be elected from the 11 running candidates.

Candidates running this year are Erin Waks, Flower Lijie Dong, Tom Chapman, Matt Bonini, Sam Johnson-Audini, Caragh Aylett, Kate McIntosh, Amelia McLoughlan, Tom Pymer, Elysia Wright and Eleanor Harriet-Ferguson.

The job of NUS delegates is to discuss and subsequently vote on motions which will then become NUS policy if passed.

The chosen delegates will also vote for the National President of NUS, as well as 5 Vice Presidents and the 15 Block members of the National Executive Council as well as reviewing the work NUS has done throughout the year.

Due to the quota system implanted at NUS Conference in

▲The candidates vying for votes to be this year’s NUS delegates for Durham (Clara Gaspar) 2014, all delegations to National Conference would be made up of ‘at least 50% self-defining women, rounded down’.

Seven of the nine candidates vehemently opposed the prospect of two-year degree courses As Durham will be sending six delegates to conference, this means that three out of the five elected candidates must be selfdefining women.

At a question and answer hosted on Monday evening attended by around 15 students, questions were put to the nine candidates that attended.

Saul Cahill put asked candidates what they believed the NUS line towards two-year degree courses should be.

Seven of the nine candidates vehemently opposed the prospect of Durham offering two-year degree courses.

Candidate Amelia McLoughlan, president of Durham Students with Disabilities Association, stated: “I personally think it’s a terrible idea. Before they do any educational reform, they need to sort out things like counselling”.

Tom Chapman, a second year at St Aidan’s College told voters that two-year degree courses are merely a “Symptom of a higher level of marketization of education” and that a “degree needs to

be more than just a piece of paper”.

However, candidates Flower Lijie Dong and Matt Bonini stated that two-year degrees should be an option for students.

When candidates were asked whether they supported NUS campaigns to encourage universities to become living wage employers, the nine students unanimously expressed their backing.

Candidate Amelia McLoughlan stated, “I would absolutely support this on a national level”, while Sam Johnson-Audini answered that the NUS “should do a deep investigation into employment practises that various universities run.”

Helen Paton, one of last year’s chosen conference delegates told Palatinate that she has her reser-

steal personal information. I’d encourage all students to become phishing aware - it could save you a lot of money.”

lowing universities in particular should take action to make their students aware of the problem: Aberdeen, Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Imperial College London, King’s College London, Manchester Metropolitan, Newcastle, Nottingham, Plymouth, Queen Mary (London), Queen’s (Belfast), Southampton, Sussex, University College

“Being a delegate was a very humbling experience as I got to work with many societies and met students from all across Durham to represent them better.

The NUS is a very poor and unrepresentative organisation that is still very far from students’ reality, however I did my best to communicate and inform students about what was going on.

“Passing a motion at conference on actual action for mental health supply was a highlight, but I worry they won’t deliver on it with their current state of bankruptcy. I think we should be concerned about the running of the union and I encourage delegates to achieve that transparency we need.

“The NUS is a very poor and unrepresentative organisation and is still very far from students’ reality” “As elections are live, I look back and I remember how toxic crosscampus elections can be at times - especially for our mental health.

This year there are a variety of candidates from different areas of involvement. It should be a great election and I hope there is respect above all.”

Durham students at risk of scam emails

Clara Gaspar News Editor Durham Students at risk of scam emails HM Revenue and Customs has warned that hundreds of thousands of University students have been sent fake tax refund emails in the last month.

Durham students were among those listed as particularly at risk Durham students were among those listed as particularly at risk.

In a bid to steal personal details from students, the fake emails claim that the recipient is due a tax rebate from HMRC. The email then redirects stu-

dents to websites where their information can be stolen.

The scammers have been using .ac.uk email addresses that appear to be legitimate, in order to avoid detection.

HMRC have stated that such a tax-scam attack directly targeting university students in such high numbers is unprecedented.

Mel Stride, MP and financial secretary to the Treasury, said: “HMRC will never inform you about tax refunds by email, text or voicemail.

“If you receive one of these messages it is a scam. Do not click on any links in these messages, and forward them to HMRC’s phishing email address [phishing@hmrc. gsi.gov.uk] “Although HMRC is cracking down hard on internet scams, criminals will stop at nothing to

The scammers have been using .ac.uk email addresses that appear to be legitimate Director of Action Fraud, Pauline Smith, said: “Devious fraudsters will try every trick in the book to convince victims to hand over their personal information, often with devastating consequences. It is vital that students spot the signs of fraudulent emails to avoid falling victim by following HMRC’s advice.”

Students across the country have been affected by the scam, officials have warned that the fol-

London, Warwick.

Students at Durham University have been subject to various online scams in recent months.

In July, students were also made aware of phishing emails that appeared to be from their university’s Finance Department claiming they had been awarded a grant.

(Durham University)

PALATINATE | Thursday 29th November 2018

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News

Students hitchhike to Israel for charity challenge Lydia Blundell Deputy News Editor DUCK’S 2018 Jailbreak challenge has raised over £3,370.51 for charity, with the winning team ‘We Fried Our Best’ reaching Tel Aviv in Israel.

Jailbreak is an annual fundraising event run by Durham’s charity organisation DUCK, in which participants are challenged with getting as far away from Durham as possible within 36 hours without spending any money.

45 participants raised over £3,300 for Amnesty International This year 45 participants took part and the proceeds from the event are going towards Amnesty International.

The winning team, comprised of Durham students Gabriella Richardson, Jack Edwards and Patrick Digby, headed to Newcastle airport. From there they found someone willing to sponsor their endeavours, paying for them to fly to Cyprus, where they would then get a connecting flight to Israel.

The victorious Gabriella Richardson told Palatinate: “It ended up being a very rogue weekend

with an impromptu trip to Tel Aviv! It was so lovely to be able to raise awareness and money for such a great charity.”

The runners-up this year managed to hitch-hike all the way to Casablanca. Team members Jonny, Elsa, Ellie and Orlaith managed to catch a lift with a Moroccan drug dealer, received an 80-euro donation from a group of 28 Irish firefighters in Estapona and experienced extreme travel sickness on a long ferry journey.

Whilst some competitors only made it to the outskirts of Durham, others made it to Alicante, France and the southern coast of Britain.

Flavia Ganzer, DUCK Challenges Officer, told Palatinate: “I’m so proud of all the teams this year, everyone raised an incredible amount of money and surpassed all of our expectations.

“The winners got so far and have come back with an amazing story to tell.

for them! Can’t wait for the years of Jailbreak to come.”

“Our fellow Durham students were not just running away from impending summative deadlines” Yasmin Ahmed, DUCK Public-

ity Officer said: “This was all for a truly worthwhile cause; our fellow Durham students were not just escaping to run away from the impending summative deadlines, but were doing it in aid of Amnesty International.

“This grassroots human rights charity helps to protect people who have been denied justice,

“

I’m so proud of all the teams this year, everyone raised an incredible amount of money and surpassed all of our expectations

The runners-up managed to make it all the way to Casablanca, including a lift with a Moroccan drug-dealer “ I hope that they remember the experience forever and that Amnesty International will make a change with what we scrapped up

freedom and dignity. They work to educate the public, expose abuses and create a safer, fairer world.

“We would like to thank all our participants and those who supported them on their Jailbreak journey and hope that next year, even more people can get involved with this truly unique event.”

In 2010, Durham students reached as far as Australia in the DUCK Jailbreak challenge.

▲ The winning team in DUCK’s hitchhiking Jailbreak challenge reached Tel Aviv in Israel (Jack Edwards)

”

University considers two-year degree courses Anna Tatham News Editor Durham University has said it is “open to exploring the possible benefits” of two-year degree programmes, which would save 20% on tuition fees compared with a three-year course.

Universities Minister Sam Gyimah has confirmed plans for universities to provide shorter, more intensive two-year courses, which would cost around £11,000 per

year, saving around £5,500 in total compared with a three-year course.

Insiders argue that universities are not equipped to offer shorter, more intense courses A fast-track degree would consist of two 45-week years of teaching, meaning students would have to borrow less to cover fee costs

and would save on a year’s living costs and accommodation.

Universities minister Sam Gyimah argued that there are “undeniable financial, academic and personal benefits” of the following plans, and suggested it would encourage universities to “offer dynamic choices that serve the students’ needs”.

However, insiders argue that

“Two year degrees are a more efficient and costeffective method for students to get on with their careers and their lives

▲ Universities Minister Sam Gyimah (British High Commission, New Delhi vis Flickr

”

universities are not equipped to offer shorter, more intense courses, meaning that lectures and seminars could be held in the summer holidays, and tutors may not have enough time for research, according to The Times.

Raising annual tuition fees above £9,250 would also require Parliamentary approval - if successful, such courses could operate from next year.

Mr Gyimah said accelerated degrees would help improve access for "mature students and those who commute, who were previously locked out of higher education".

Professor Alan Houston, ProVice-Chancellor (Education) has said: “There are a number of reasons why full-time, three-year degree programmes are generally the most appropriate at researchintensive institutions like Durham.

“However, we are open to exploring the possible benefits and necessary compromises which two-year degree programmes would entail.”

Yet the head of one of the first universities to offer two-year degrees over 40 years ago has suggested universities will find it hard

to adapt to the two-year degree structure.

Sir Anthony Seldon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, said: "Two-year degrees are a more efficient and cost-effective method for students to get on with their careers and their lives."

Lectures and seminars could be held in the summer holidays, and tutors may not have time for research But he said: "Universities offering three-year degrees will find it difficult to restructure.

"We would like the universities minister to engage in discussions with us in order to assist independent providers who offer twoyear degrees."

Seven of the nine candidates running to be NUS delegates for Durham Students’ union vehemently opposed the prospect of supporting two-year degree courses.

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Thursday 29th November 2018 | PALATINATE

News

Preparations for Lumière 2019 now underway

Naomi Clarke Deputy News Editor Lumière has released that the 10th anniversary of the light festival will be held in Durham 14th-17th November 2019.

The hugely popular light festival has an extra-special programme in the works to celebrate the works of art from across the years and its ever-increasing popularity.

240,000 visitors attended Lumière 2017 Lumière is the UK’s largest light festival which began in Durham in 2009. Every other year, the festival

transforms the old cobbled streets and historic buildings into a spectacular prism of technicolour through light installations which are dispersed throughout the city.

Lumière is the UK’s largest light festival which began in Durham in 2009 The festival is led by the leading, London-based arts charity Artichoke and it ‘invites local and international artists to create works that reimagine buildings and public spaces, changing the way we experience our environment and the dark, winter nights.’

The installations range from ‘large-scale projections, interac-

▲Lumière 2017 (Naomi Clarke)

tive creations and mind-blowing installations’ alongside ‘more contemplative artworks.’ This special anniversary exhibition will contain past festival favourites and a host of new commissions.

Helen Marriage, Director of Artichoke, remarked: ​ “It’s exciting to be planning for this 10th anniversary edition and I’m especially looking forward to selecting my “Director’s Cut” from previous festivals. Over the last decade, around 150 artworks made by hundreds of artists and technicians have created a magical journey of discovery through the cityscape, involving thousands of community participants”.

“Lumière has been really important for County Durham over the past ten years” The Durham County Council commissioned festival generates an incredible amount of tourism for the historic city of Durham as 2017 alone saw 240,000 visitors from local areas and from farther afield. This footfall is greatly beneficial for the local economy and status of the city.

To mark the one-year countdown, Lumière installed Durham’s newest permanent public sculpture, the ‘Heron’ on the 13th November. The elegant artwork was created by Jon Voss and will ‘glow

▲ The ‘Heron’ light installation on the banks of the River Wear (Paul Norris) in soft luminescence’, illuminating the banks of the River Wear.

Voss designed the pieces as a homage to one of England’s most magnificent birds as they are often perched along the banks of the River Wear – it celebrates the beauty of nature in the heart of the city. The permanent acquisition of this work has been made possible through the generous support of​ the Banks Community Fund.

“Lumière 2019 promises to be another spectacular event” Simon Henig, Leader of Durham County Council, noted: ​ “Lumière

has been really important for County Durham over the past ten years, attracting tens of thousands of visitors and bringing millions of pounds into the economy. Its programme of community engagement has also ensured that residents from across the county are not only able to enjoy the festival but also have the opportunity to get directly involved in it.

“I am very much looking forward to ​Lumière 2019​, which promises to be another spectacular event. Although the programme has yet to be announced,​ Heron is the perfect reminder of what we can expect next year​.”

Revolution bar successfully opens in Durham Madeleine Horton Deputy News Editor Hundreds of party-goers attended the opening night of the new Vodka Revolution bar which opened up on Silver Street last week.

The grand opening follows a lavish £1 million redevelopment of the former Bishop Langley pub on the site, which overlooks the River Wear.

Revolution Bars, which run 76 branches throughout the country, operate their establishments as a bar, restaurant and party venue.

The grand opening follows a lavish £1 million redevelopment The new bar has created more than 60 full and part-time jobs for the area, which has been welcomed following the closure of several major stores on Silver Street in recent times.

Revolution Durham boasts of “a

night that’s going to be anything but ordinary with weird and wonderful live entertainment, yummy canapes and samples of our infamous cocktail menu.”

Revolution Bars filed for planning permission last year to refurbish the former pub, which had lain empty for over two years following its closure.

Controversy occurred when objections rose to Revolution Bar’s plans to construct a retractable roof over the patio area to accommodate al fresco dining all year round for customers. Concerns were raised that the construction would disfigure the view from Framwellgate Bridge of the historic Durham castle and cathedral, which is a protected World Heritage Site.

The Revolution chain has been expanding throughout the North East in recent years, opening new branches in Newcastle and Sunderland.

The area around Framwellgate Bridge has been undergoing a multi-million pound redevelopment as the new Riverwalk com-

plex also takes shape along the bankside.

“It’s been exciting to watch the transformation” Joe Banfield, third-year student said:“They sent a guy up delivering boxes to their neighbours - white chocolate vodka, red velvet cake and a load of discounts.

“I live just up the road, so that

was a real bonus. And they invited us for an evening to try a free drink!

“It’s been so exciting to watch the transformation of the abandoned Bishop Langley into an exciting if bourgeois new bar and restaurant that seems genuinely interested in its surrounded communities.”

“

The new bar has created more than 60 full and part-time jobs

”

(Revolution Durham via Facebook)

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PALATINATE | Thursday 29th November 2018

“We want everybody in” says Lloyds Continued from front page “This is a ridiculous policy that just serves to effectively ban international students. Unfathomable reasoning, nothing can justify the deliberate exclusion of international IDs” says Jordan Noffke, a second-year Geography student at Grey College.

Another student, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Palatinate: “[Lloyds] definitely doesn’t feel like the same safe place it felt like two years ago, and it has made me think twice about going again.”

Anona Galbraith, a fourth year Biosciences student, said “a bar should not need a higher security check than a national border”.

Guy Stoker, Manager of Lloyds

Bishops’ Mill told Palatinate: “We want everybody in.

“A bar should not need a higher security check than a national border” “As we are a corporate company with have to abide by our company policies.

“It’s an impossible task to actual train all our staff on every single international ID card as you probably can imagine.”

He advises students to buy pass hologram card, which is accepted as a form of identification. PASS hologram citizen cards cost £20.

JD Wetherspoon said: “In all of our pubs, we have adopted the Challenge 21 or Challenge 25 pol-

News

icy. If a member of staff believes that a customer looks under 21 or 25 years, they will be asked to prove that they are aged over 18 years.

“Acceptable documents to prove age are a valid passport, a UK or Ireland photo card driving licence, a UK military ID or any PASS-accredited proof-of-age card. All ID must have a photograph, include date of birth and outline the validity period for the document.

“A National ID card is not an acceptable proof-of-age document” “Our staff may accept other identification documents which meet all of the ID requirements;

▲The Bishops’ Mill in Durham (Chris via Flickr) however, this is at their sole discretion – if they are unsure about the document’s authenticity/validity or are unfamiliar with its features, they may feel unable to accept

them.

“A National ID card is not an acceptable proof-of-age document and we cannot accept this form of identification.”

Palace Green Library launches Mary Midgely Archives Melissa Tutesigensi Deputy News Editor The archives of the world renowned philosopher Mary Midgely have opened at Durham University’s Palace Green Library.

Midgely, who died recently in October 2018 at the age of 99,

(Wikimedia Commons)

spent much of her professional career as a lecturer at the University of Newcastle from 1962 and 1980.

After a long and successful career in academia, she was awarded honorary doctorates from both Newcastle and Durham University.

Midgely’s connection with Durham is further celebrated by In Parenthesis, a research project run by Dr Clare MacCumhaill of Durham University and Dr Rachael Wiseman of the University of Liverpool.

Its focus is to analyse how wartime (First World War) conditions allowed for ‘The Golden-Age of Female Philosophy’ to come to fruition.

As one of the prominent female philosophers of this time -alongside Iris Murdoch, Mary Anscombe and Phillipa Foot- Midgely is one of the subjects of In Parenthesis’ research. She had been involved with the project as she met with them regularly as well as contrib-

uting as an interviewee.

In Parenthesis marked the launch of the Midgley Archive with an event supported by the Royal Institute of Philosophy. It featured distinguished guests such as Professor Jane Heal and Midgely’s son David Midgely as well as archive tours.

Midgely was awarded an honorary doctorate from Durham University in 1995 Professor Anthony O’Hear, president of the Royal Institute of Philosophy has stated, “Mary Midgley, who sadly died very recently, became an increasingly significant figure in philosophy and in wider public debates over the past few decades.

“The launch of her archive in Durham is a significant moment in the intellectual history of our times, and The Royal Institute of

Philosophy is proud to be associated with it.”

Ellie Robson, Philosophy postgraduate student and intern at the In Parenthesis project reflects on the impact Midgely has had on her: “Personally, Mary Midgley has been of huge inspiration to me.

During my time as an undergraduate at Durham University, I spent the most memorable moments of my degree discussing the deep complexities of the moral life with Mary in her house in Newcastle.

She was a formidable and rebellious philosopher, constantly concerned with the next task within contemporary philosophy.”

“Reading Midgley’s vast and prolific writing has shaped the way I approach moral philosophy and indeed the moral life: I understand philosophy to be as much a part of human life as raising our children or falling in love - it is not a privilege for the learned few, but a necessity; philosophy is simply

and naturally human.”

“The launch of her archive in Durham is a significant moment in the intellectual history of our times” In response to the question as to whether the female voice in Philosophy has strengthened in recent years Robson said: “I like to think so. However, even though over half of philosophy undergraduates are women, only a quarter of university posts are occupied by women.”

“I think philosophy is still conceived as a combative and argumentative endeavour, something typically not associated with women. Having said this, I think that the women’s voice has a growing platform within academia more generally.”

“Our six plus months of nightmare are finally over” Continued from front page .... will be free to leave the country once the formalities are sorted.

Vice-Chancellor of Durham University, Professor Stuart Corbridge, said: “We are absolutely delighted to learn the news of Matt’s impending release.

“It is paramount that he is now allowed to return home to Daniela and his family as quickly and safely as possible. We will continue to offer Matt’s family our full support in the aftermath of this traumatic ordeal and we will be thrilled to welcome him back to the Durham University community.”

Matthew returned safely back to the UK on Tuesday morning.

His wife Daniela Tejada has said, “I am so happy to have my Matt home! Thank you once again for the overwhelming support we have received, especially from the Embassy in the UAE and the Foreign Office in ensuring that Matt was safely returned home.

We are overjoyed and exhausted!

“Thank you once again as well to the international community and the international media who were very supportive from the beginning. I hope you can all understand that Matt and I, as well as his family, really need some

time to process everything that we have been through. No one should ever have to go through what he did and it will take him

time to heal and recover. He is very overwhelmed.

“To say we are happy is an understatement.”

Matthew Hedges said “seeing my family after this ordeal has been the best thing that could have happened” Matthew Hedges said, “I don’t know where to begin with thanking people for securing my release.

I have not seen or read much of what has been written over the

past few days but Dani tells me the support has been incredible.

Thank you so much to the British Embassy and the FCO for their efforts in ensuring I arrived safely back home.

“I could not have done this without Daniela, I hear her face is everywhere! She is so brave and strong, seeing her and my family after this ordeal is the best thing that could have happened. I thank you all once again, this is very surreal.”

HEARD ANYTHING NEWSWORTHY? Email news@palatinate.org.uk

PALATINATE | Thursday 29th November 2018

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A critical assessment of the Extinction Rebellion protest Page 10

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Comment

Did you check your underwear before you left this morning? Turns out that’s ‘consent’ Ellie Bagley

Consent: only two syllables but defined so differently to many people. The word alone raises many issues – what counts as consent being the main question around the matter. I can, however, certainly say that the type of underwear worn by a woman does not equate even in the slightest to consent.

As a victim you constantly blame yourself, look for every little detail of the events leading up to the incident Recently, in Ireland, a 27-year-old man was acquitted of rape and one of the defence’s pieces of evidence was none other than the underwear the victim was wearing at the time of the incident. The underwear was described as “a thong with a lacy front”. Whilst showing the court the underwear, Elizabeth O’Connell (the defence) stated: “Does the evidence

out-rule the possibility that she was attracted to the defendant and was open to meeting someone and being with someone? You have to look at the way she was dressed.

She was wearing a thong with a lacy front.”. For someone to have their underwear shown publicly is embarrassing enough, but in a court?

I can say from personal experience, that as a victim you constantly blame yourself; look for every little detail of the events leading up to the incident. You convince yourself it was something you did that made them think it was OK. It’s not OK – it’s never OK unless the person explicitly, through words, consents.

I dread to think what the victim felt like. Innocent until proven guilty – yes, but the fact that the underwear was even mentioned is absolutely absurd. A woman should be able to dress as she pleases, as ‘provocatively’ as she likes. Dressing in this way should not make a man think it is fine for him to assume consent. Consent should never be assumed. Women are people, with

feelings and opinions and rights, and clothes should, quite frankly, never be a defining factor.

Wear what you want – you’re not making yourself more vulnerable to predators The response of Ireland to this has involved protests and the trending of “#thisisnotconsent”, with women attaching photos of their underwear to express their solidarity and support in the fact that how a woman dresses is not consent.

Women have also shown up to the protests in their underwear, including a woman named Stacie Ellen Murray, who also wrote upon herself statements such as “no consent” and “I’m not asking for it”. This is a very strong message which I totally agree with – but the fact that a woman has had to physically write this on herself to make it known is very upsetting. TD Ruth Coppinger also addressed it in Irish Parliament by producing a thong in the Dail chambers saying: “It might seem embarrassing to

show a pair of thongs in here in this incongruous setting, but… how do you think a rape victim or a woman feels at the incongruous setting of her underwear being shown in a court?” – I could not have said it better myself.

Consent should never be assumed – clothes should never be a defining factor This should be addressed, and very well known. If you’re a woman out there (or man) wear what you want – you’re not making yourself more vulnerable to predators. And if anyone is to actually believe that, their ignorance is showing. Clothing should never be brought up as evidence in rape trial. It is never the victim’s fault.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article the following University organisations may be of help: Durham Nightline, tel: 0191 334 6444 or email: nightline@ durham.ac.uk John Bauld via Flickr

Your Tinder fiasco doesn’t justify an age change Issy Rush Tinder: arguably the epitome of procrastination topped with an occasional ego boost. And, for the most of us, it ends there. Yet for one Dutch man, Tinder matches, or seemingly a lack of, have led to the decision to identify as 20 years younger. Legally.

Emile Ratelband, a 69-year-old from Holland, has gone to court to change his birth date from 11 March 1949 to 11 March 1969, in order to become, as he puts it, his true “emotional age”. Having been denied the right to legally change his age on his documents by local authorities, his response of suing these authorities has sparked much outrage.

What is there to stop a 47-year-old from ‘identifying’ as a 17-year-old in order to groom minors?

Ratelband’s reasoning? Not enough young women are ‘swiping right’ on his Tinder profile. In com-

parison to simply improving your bio or reducing the number of snapchat-filtered selfies on your profile, Ratelband’s response to his dismal numbers of matches does seem a little drastic.

It seems to me that Ratelband ought to accept the natural process of aging However, once we surpass the trivial aspects of this out-of-theordinary headline, we are met with the much more chilling implications of what might happen if his bid is actually successful. In particular, how would this change the laws relating to paedophilia? If were legally possible to change your age, what is there to stop a 47-year-old from ‘identifying’ as a 17-year-old in order to groom young teenagers, and legally get away with it? Moreover, if one could identify as younger, the same rules ought to apply to a person wishing to identify as older.

Suddenly, the business of fake-IDs seems to have gone bust.

That is not to say that nothing positive has emerged from this debate. Indeed, it has brought to light the issue of age discrimination and in doing so, Ratelband has

given the elderly what they often lack: a voice. It is undoubtable that the elderly are often dismissed as incapable, whilst the youth are seen to be tirelessly conscientious.

And yet both of these assumptions are often entirely unfounded. I need only compare my 80-year-old grandmother, whose domineering nature has a whole village wrapped around her little finger at home, to my 19-year-old housemate who has not changed out of his Hugh Hefnerstyle dressing gown for a week.

However, it is unfounded that “nowhere are you so discriminated against as with your age”, as

Ratelband has claimed to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, especially when one considers that Ratelband has compared his plight to that of the transgender community. It is undeniable that transgender people face much more discrimination than the elderly, and to a greater extent. As Marjolein van den Brink, a human rights and gender issues specialist, put it: whilst the elderly are wrongly discriminated against with regards to employment, this is “just one element” of your life and only occurs towards the end of it, whereas gender “follows you from birth to grave, and it determines

nearly everything”. Thus, it is understandable that Ratelband’s justification that “we live in a time when you can […] change your gender, why can’t I decide my own age?” has caused considerable offence. By placing gender fluidity on par with ‘age fluidity’, Ratelband has belittled the trans community and undermined the struggles and stigma that they have and do endure.

Ratelband’s reasoning? Not enough young women are ‘swiping right’ on his Tinder profile It seems to me that Ratelband ought to accept the natural process of ageing. Yes, it is scary – I know people who have already found grey hairs at even our tender age (!) – but it is inevitable. Perhaps all we need is a change in attitude. Your social life does not dissipate the minute you are eligible for a free bus pass.

And it certainly doesn’t permit you to change your age in the face of lacking romantic interest from younger women.

Marcia Pevey via Flickr

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Thursday 29th November 2018 | PALATINATE

Comment

Comment debates: Why do we wear makeup?

Who do we wear makeup for and why? Is this a Feminist issue? Comment examines two sides of the debate Tilda Williams

You can wear it to attract others - and it’s okay to admit that Since the ancient Egyptians women have been lining their eyes, colouring their lips, and altering their complexion. Not all women wear make-up, trends are always changing, and sometimes history gets in the way, but it seems fair to say that generations of women have inherited make-up as an essential part of femininity.

A woman should only wear makeup to feel good about herself, not to please men Today, our social media is saturated with heavily madeup women, tutorials, and advertisements, and we are accustomed to the idea of make-up as a fundamental part of a woman’s life. Turn on the TV and you will not see a single female face, from primetime drama to trashy reality shows, who isn’t wearing some amount of make-up.

Because wearing make-up is something traditionally only done by women, it is often perceived as frivolous, and the amount of time and money women spend on makeup is mocked as excessive, fuelled by insecurities or manipulative marketing, completely regardless of the amount of skill it demands.

Yet a lot of men continue to admire women who work in makeup, (partly because even the most basic layer of foundation really can work wonders), to date women who wear make-up, and to be

attracted and impressed by those with elegantly made up faces. The parody headline may well read, ‘Man says women don’t need cosmetics to be attractive whilst dating a woman in a full-face of make-up.’

“To suggest then

that wearing makeup so you are attractive to others is insulting

”

A face of make-up isn’t the only reason why someone would be attracted to you; no woman would want her make-up to be her only redeeming feature. But it seems fair to say that a lot of women put on make-up hoping it will make them look good to others; to their partners, or potential partners, male or female; or to friends; or just so they can pull on a night out.

It is a nice feeling for anyone of any gender to be attractive to others, to have others admire you.

To suggest then that wearing make-up so you are attractive to others is pandering to the male gaze is ludicrous and insulting. It suggests that a woman has no right to be sexually liberated, to wear revealing clothes or high-heeled shoes or glitter eyeshadow, to be hungry for sex or love or romance.

Sometimes you want to put glitter on and look good; sometimes it’s nice to feel desired Why is it wrong for a woman to want to decorate her face so she can, in her own head or in somebody else’s, be seen as attractive and desirable? The idea that a woman should feel guilty about that is extremely damaging. It suggests that despite the prevalence of make-up in our culture and our media, despite how it is taught to girls from a very young age, you, the woman, are at fault for trying to attract

men with it. A woman should only wear make-up to feel good about herself, not to please men, and if men are not pleased by a woman who is bare-faced, that is her fault too, for creating a society where make-up is standard.

To criticize why a woman wears make-up is to criticize the natural habits of women, to criticize them for wishing to be attractive to another person. It is a frustrating myth that a woman today should do everything for herself, and that she is responsible for everything that happens to her. Why can’t a woman’s self-worth rely on if she pulls in a nightclub or gets a date, why can’t she wear exactly what she likes and behave as she wishes?

It is a nice feeling for anyone of any gender to be attractive to others, to have others admire you Sometimes you want to put glitter on and look good; sometimes it’s nice to feel desired – and nobody has the right to judge you for that.

Thea Nikolova

Makeup is for me and me alone Debate consistently exists around women’s use of makeup, and the ways in which the beauty industry profits from our insecurities. There are many sides to the conflict; some women argue that wearing makeup is itself an act of feminist empowerment, while others counter this with the belief that in buying into the narrative, women are merely financing a global industry of prescribed beauty standards.

But who do women wear makeup for?

I am of the firm opinion that while there’s nothing wrong with wearing make up to attract romantic or sexual attention, it simply comes down to this: most women wear it for themselves and themselves only.

I certainly do. Putting on a fresh face of makeup in the morning gets me ready and excited for the day. Sometimes, the only thing that motivates me to leave the comforts of my bed and brave the grey day ahead is the precious 10 minutes I spend with my sparkly powders and colourful lippies.

Putting on a fresh face of makeup in the morning gets me ready and excited for the day.

It might be childish to say but it’s true; I like pretty things. I like to have them, and I like to put them on my face. I like to enter the outside world feeling like my best possible self, and my best self has glittery gold eyelids and dark pink lips, and enough highlight on her cheeks to blind oncoming traffic. I definitely make no attempts to look natural.

And I certainly don’t care whether or not some guy I pass likes what he’s seeing.

That’s not to say I don’t care about men’s opinions. It’s just that when it comes to my appearance, I … don’t care about men’s opinions.

The only important thing is this: feel beautiful in your skin, and enjoy yourself The sad truth is that for a long time, like many other women, I bought into what the industry was selling me; the fear that without their sparkly powders and strange concoctions I was ugly and undesirable. I don’t feel that way anymore, and no one, regardless of gender, should. But a part of me will always feel better with makeup on than without.

It’s about being able to devote those additional fifteen minutes to myself, to saying “you deserve this.

This is luxurious, and it’s decadent, and it’s for you.” It’s about seeing the red imprint of my lipstick on a cup, and feeling, weirdly, that deep primal impulse of marking my

territory. It’s about greeting my friends with enthusiastic cheek kisses and seeing them carry my lipstick mark with them (NB: never attempt this with another person donning a full face of makeup. They will not appreciate the affection.

“

That’s not to say I don’t care about men’s opinions.

It’s just that when it comes to my appearance, I … don’t care about men’s opinions.

”

At the end of the day, makeup, like many other things, is a part of our daily lives. Whilst not a necessity, it has become almost unavoidable, and like many aspects of life it has its upsides and downsides.

The only important thing is this: feel beautiful in your skin, and enjoy yourself. And if part of feeling beautiful or having a good time comes with painting yourself all the colours of the rainbow - go wild!

Illustration: Navya Labo

HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION?

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

PALATINATE | Thursday 29th November 2018

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Comment

The Financial Times: quotas do nothing for equality Dominic Dixey

The Financial Times’ recent announcement that it is providing its journalists and editors with a mandatory tool that warns them if their articles quote too many men is symptomatic of a media establishment completely out of touch with the people it is supposed to serve.

Is this really the best way to try and create a more equal society?

The media, above most sectors (probably even the public sector), seem at pains to appease the crazed demands of the foaming feminist mob at any cost. The idea that the FT’s journalists are overlooking sources based on gender is a wholly unjustified slur against its own employees. Likewise, the notion that an expert’s view should not be quoted in an op-ed just because he happens to be a “he” is such brazen discrimination it hardly needs retorting. Is this really the best way to try and create a more equal society?

The aim behind the move is

to try and increase the level of involvement of female experts and in turn hopefully boost the FT’s female readership. It is bizarre that an explicitly free market publication has decided to adopt the socialist policy of positive discrimination. I cannot imagine them applying the same lefty logic to any economic, market-based scenario.

Insisting upon equality of outcome is deeply flawed. The FT should look at deeper reasons as to why women are not well represented in financial media and have the self-awareness to realise that being infrequently cited in their op-eds probably does not feature very high up the list.

This kind of discrimination, of which the BBC is especially fond, leads to token appointments that achieve little but disillusionment and a fair amount of eye-rolling amongst the general population.

Every new opening at the BBC appears to now be arbitrarily filled

a supreme soviet “Commission” by a drunken imbecile from Luxembourg, or Belgium. Everyone would be paid the same and live in bland monotony as the countryside is savaged by the commission’s city planning bureaucrats.

Women growing up now, working their way through the education system and entering the workplace no longer face the kind of institutional discrimination they did. There is therefore no need for the positive discrimination the likes of the Financial Times feel necessary to redress the balance.

with a woman, regardless of the male competition.

There is no doubt in my mind that those females who are now at the top of their professions in the media have endured sexism and discrimination throughout their careers. But attitudes have changed quickly and recently; and this spasm of revenge against men is only tipping the balance in the other direction for those entering the professional world today.

Simply put – the feminist agenda has largely achieved its aims. Its more radical wing, however, is completely unwilling to admit this because to do so would

Financial Times via Flickr

involve having to find something else to do with their lives. Their world of selective outrage, trial by media and prescriptive, soviet governance should be resisted by all those who value this country and the liberty it affords them.

The FT should look at deeper reasons as to why women are not well represented in financial media These puritans would have us live in a globalised world, governed by egalitarian decrees issued through

Discrimination in the workplace is already illegal. What is there left to fight for?

We have a Queen, (second) female Prime Minister, and female head of the Met amongst many other positions – there are plenty of women in public life and the direction of travel is clear. Equality will only be achieved when we stop caring about these statistics and realise that everyone is free to make their own decisions and that discrimination in the workplace is already illegal. What is there left to fight for?

A 21st century protest struggles to do more than raise awareness Johnny Stocks On 28th June 2016, I took part in a mass demonstration following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union. Thousands of Londoners, and Europeans alike, gathered in Trafalgar Square to walk down Whitehall to the Houses of Parliament. Protestors left the square, walked straight across Charing Cross, and filled the entirety of Whitehall all the way to Westminster.

There was a little more than a confused Jon Snow reporting from a balcony to mark the event, despite the chaos it caused through the

heart of central London. Bus and Taxi drivers sat at their wheels, amazed, as a cosmopolitan crowd of demonstrators adorned in blue and gold ran before them. More than two years on, the futility of that event sinks in. We turned up, we marched and then we got the train home.

Protests raise awareness, but struggle to do much more This Saturday, thousands of protestors descended on central London to make their voices heard in the midst of an international climate crisis. Following what The Guardian described as a ‘huge act of peaceful civil disobedience’, with thousands of protestors occupying

five bridges across the Thames, eighty-five people were arrested.

Whilst most were arrested for obstructions under the Highways Act, the incident raises important questions, especially in light of the #RippedOff demonstrations here in Durham, about whether such protests can genuinely have a meaningful impact.

If there’s one thing to learn whilst we are young, it’s that, “Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.” This idea, associated with Leonardo da Vinci, is crucial in all walks of political and personal life, and bears an undeniable relevance in the fight against climate change.

However, whilst the heady idealism and neat packaging of this concept may inspire us, we also

have to realise that Government, or any institution for that matter, only listens to the protests it wants to listen to. Political narratives are constructed in large by the powerful, with power growing out of influence rather than numbers.

But it wasn’t always this way.

A Google search for the most effective protests of history quickly shows us clear examples of heroic campaigning that brought about genuine change.

The Boston Tea Party sparked the American Revolution. The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom advocated the rights of African Americans and was a vital catalyst for the Civil Rights Acts of 1964. However, it’s hard to find good examples from more recent times.

Julia Hawkins via Flickr

We turn up to feel good about ourselves – to feel useful Social Media has admittedly made such protests far easier to organise and grow to unprecedented scales, but it has also turned demonstrations into what The New Yorker describes as ‘social theatre’. We turn up to feel good about ourselves – to feel useful. In reality, the results are now far more personal than political.

Facebook can get us to a city

square, but it can never replace genuine political activism.

Despite this, British Artist Gavin Turk, who was arrested in last weekend’s Extinction Rebellion protest, said it was worth it. Direct action, for many, appears the only way to wake politicians up to the collective damage we are doing.

In reality, the results are now far more personal than political Herein lies the issue. Protests raise awareness, but evidence suggests a 21st century demonstration struggles to do much more.

But that’s not an issue.

Awareness is crucial, and for many such demonstrations are the only chance for engagement, even if superficial, with politics and national governance. Politics can so often be a game for the influential, and whilst we say we have a Parliamentary democracy, the average citizen in reality will never have much influence. Thus if we want a voice, we have to fight for it.

PALATINATE | Thursday 29th November

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Profile

Will Millard on life with the tribe Profile speaks to expedition leader Will Millard on meeting the Korowai, family memories, and accidentally exposing the BBC Ella Catherall and Jamima Westermann Profile Editors “I grew up in a really small village” Will begins- “I had a very rural, very sheltered upbringing”. When asking filmmaker, writer and expedition leader Will Millard how he first started travelling, I was surprised to learn he didn’t grow up in a household of adventurers and seafarers, but rather in the fens of the South East in a family who loved to fish.

It wasn’t until university that the travel bug sunk its teeth, and Will moved to Singapore in his third year, where he lived with “jungle people in jungle environments” and became fascinated with how people lived in marginal natural surroundings.

“There’s probably cynical people out there who might say you went there to cause controversy, but that’s not the kind of person I am”

With the rise of low-cost airlines, Will honed his craft in Borneo, Sumatra and Malaysia, and slowly fell into the world of television presenting as he developed his skills as an expedition leader.

Despite the far-flung regions he has trekked to since university, it is at a riverbank with a fishing rod that Will feels most at home.

“Water’s always been something that’s so central in my life” he explains. “I’ve always been able to

measure my happiness based on my proximity to it.”

As a child he fished almost every day, in “good times and bad times”, and after recently catching the British record sand eel in Dorset, Will made it his mission to spend the next few years trying to break another record, and to make a book out of it this time.

“We like to imagine that there’s still someone out there living a primitive existence”

“What the book actually ends up being about is a return to my roots” he explains, and reflects on how his grandfather taught him everything he knew about fishing at four years old.

Despite the difficulties that come with exposing your private life to public scrutiny, Will explains that writing the Old Man and the Sand Eel was cathartic, and helped him to “re-evaluate” his relationship with his dad, and better understand it.

Writing the book was a “difficult time” for Will, and coincided with the filming of My Year With The Tribe, which became something of a “controversial project” after it unintentionally exposed BBC documentary Human Planet for staging scenes of ‘tribal’ traditions, which the Korowai admitted were set up for the cameras.

“It wasn’t until after all that I realised how much I’d been struggling with my mental health” he admits, and is now more open about his battles with the trauma

Will filmed with the Korowai tribe in West Papua, Indonesia, over the course of a year (Photograph: Will Millard)

Will Millard’s documentary series ‘My Year With the Tribe’ aired on the BBC in spring of this year (Photograph: Will Millard) caused by ten years of ordeals as an expedition leader.

Some of those complications only arise after returning home, and six months on from the release of My Year With The Tribe, Will reflects on why society has a fascination with isolated, ‘primitive’ civilisations, and why an obsession with first contact can sometimes prove dangerous.

“There are a lot of people heartbroken by the idea people are trying to better their lives” he explains and denounces the idea that remote tribespeople should be prevented from transitioning into the modern world.

“A lot of them haven’t watched television before, but they know how to sell themselves to a media they’d never experienced”

“Have you ever seen a child die from something that’s treatable?”.

“Have you ever seen a forest ripped up for palm oil for our products back home?”

“We have an incredibly romantic idea of the man in the forest that isn’t akin to reality” Will explains.

He believes it makes us feel better about our own lives, and eases some of our guilt over destroying our planet when we can still watch people living a “primitive existence” in pristine, beautiful surroundings.

“People don’t want to know the truth” he claims- “They don’t want to know about child infant

mortality, they don’t want to know about genital mutilation, they want to believe in this Adam and Eve reality.”

being robbed multiple times at locations all around the globe has put him off getting back out there however, Will is insistent he is doing the job he loves. ”Hopefully in the spring we’ll get a big BBC2 series” he says cheerily- “and off I’ll go again.”

It was during his time filming with the Korowai people that Will realised he, along with all of us, had been duped by a romantic image, and “decided to tell the truth”.

What he didn’t realise was the media storm of controversy that the truth would spark, and admits although he wished it “hadn’t happened that way”, he had a responsibility to show how the tribe really live, and not how we would like them to.

Despite the privilege he finds in being able to give those like the Korowai people a voice, Will isn’t afraid to admit the toll a decade of exploration has taken on him personally.

“I got the end of My Year With The Tribe and I wasn’t enjoying it anymore” he explains, as tensions had ramped up in Papua so much that £3,000 was being demanded of Will to buy the tribe a boat.

He admits it “was a hard time”, but concedes he went out to film a tribe in transition, and sometimes, “conflict is what that looks like.”

When asked whether cerebral malaria, starvation retreats, and

They want to imagine this Adam and Eve reality, they want to be blinkered, they want to believe in this romantic idea

Despite the far-flung regions he has trekked to since university, it is at a riverbank with a fishing rod that Will feels most at home”

“

”

To see more Palatinate Profile interviews, including Michael Crick, Lord Adonis & Nish Kumar, visit:

palatinate.org.uk/category/ profile

13

PALATINATE | Thursday 29th November 2018 The term ‘working-class’ is a difficult one to define, and one I hadn’t paid all that much attention to, until it became clear to me at Durham, that I was different to my peers.

Back home in Manchester class had never been a major part of my life, I had felt that my home environment was normal, yet the clear disparity between my experience and that of many of my peers prior to University, led to me acknowledging my working-class identity.

To be working-class is not something we can bracket in terms of annual household income, affiliation to a political party, nor assign to a regional location of the UK; in this sense it is a loose term. But, to be working-class is, generally speaking, to be from a background with less economic means, and

Politics

with a sense of a positioning in the lower echelons of the UK class structure.

The Durham experience is permeated with ignorance towards economic difficulty and a profound underlying reminder of the privilege that working-class students do not have. The rise in accommodation fees only exacerbates this disparity, and makes Durham a University which is becoming increasingly a place only for those who can afford it.

Resulting in many students from lower-income backgrounds being reluctant to apply as they feel they may not be able to make the most of their University experience.

As a working-class, first generation student I have been able to make the most of my time here, but only with an acceptance that

there is an underlying privilege which permeates University life. It would be beneficial if there were to be an increase in the minority groups here, as Durham has become an almost suffocating environment for those who find the adjustment to an almost entirely middle class ‘bubble’ a difficult one.

Whilst the University itself does not promote a culture of privilege, the University’s reputation and the continuing economic exclusion of many students here suggests that, for the near future at least, Durham will remain a student body that lacks any real diversity or awareness of its undeniable class privilege.

sion (SP) Scheme influenced my decision to go against the norm in my area and aim for higher education. The scheme is targeted at high-achieving GCSE students studying in the North East, Yorkshire and Cumbria who have the potential to study at a prestigious university, but may require additional support.

A range of eligibility criteria apply such as: coming from

neighbourhoods with low overall progression rates to higher education or high levels of financial, economic or social deprivation, being the first generation in their family to attend university or attending a school/college with a low overall GCSE and/or A-Level, Higher/ Advanced Higher (or equivalent) point score and with low progression rates to higher education.

FEATURE

WorkingClass

- Matt Spivey, Deputy Politics Editor

Is Durham enabling disadvantaged students’ access effectively?

Alex Graham Coming from a working-class family and attending a state school, I often doubted whether I would attend university and earn my degree. The route to employment often does not involve university, and rising tuition and accommodation fees are continuously a dissuading factor.

Durham’s Supported Progres-

Durham will offer a bursary of £5,500 to contribute towards accommodation fees

The scheme consists of a twoyear structured programme of events and information, culminating with a five-night residential summer school, with assessed work submitted at the end. If the assessment is successfully passed, Durham will offer a guaranteed conditional offer with reduced

Matthew Spivey

grade requirements and a bursary of £5,500 to contribute towards accommodation fees.

These were major incentives to participate, particularly as finances were a concern for me when applying to university. The scheme was a positive experience not only due to these benefits but also for the opportunity to meet people from similar backgrounds with comparable concerns surrounding university life.

I was fortunate enough to be made aware of the scheme by my school, but were it not for them I may not have considered Durham as an accessible option.

I know of other students at my Sixth-Form who weren’t informed it was available to them, despite them meeting the eligibility criteria, meaning they felt Durham was not an accessible option for them.

Wider advertisement of such schemes must be put in place to

increase accessibility to Durham for more disadvantaged members of society who may otherwise be deterred from applying.

That is why it is important for working-class students to establish a presence at their universities. The creation of the ‘WorkingClass Students Association’ here in Durham is an excellent example of what students and universities can do to cater for those who have more specific needs. Finance should not stop anybody from attending university.

ground. I originally shared my experience of being a working-class student on a Facebook page called ‘Inspire to Aspire’.

Wider advertisement of such schemes must be put in place

A further criticism is the nature in which the SP bursary is paid - if living in college accommodation, the bursary is deducted from each termly invoice but if living out, it is paid into your bank as a refund on the last day of each term. The latter can be an issue as rent is due before these dates, which puts financial strain on students from lower income families.

Despite this drawback, the scheme as a whole has had a positive impact on my university experience and enabled me to access a high-quality higher education that may otherwise have been difficult due to my background.

‘Inspire to Aspire’: A platform for the Working-Class student Emily Clark When I told my housemate that I was writing an article for a feature on working-class students in Durham, I was jokingly told: “you’re not blowing your own trumpet again are you?”. Of course, they were only messing around. But sometimes it is necessary to blow your own trumpet. We are too often afraid to celebrate our own achievements. We all worked hard to be here and any form of degree from this University is certainly impressive.

However, if you got a place at this University and you came from a disadvantaged background – that is not only impressive, but rare. To work against the system without

guidance, without help, without privilege and win is really something. For many students here, it was just a combination of having their parent’s guidance, the money for a top education and the right influences at the right time.

For many, it was just the right influences at the right time

If you came from a workingclass family, having experienced a level of education tailored to and directed at a perceived idea of working-class children’s abilities, the odds were not necessarily high for you.

Add to that the hidden codes of a social structure in which you

are not familiar and have not made the rules, then it is possible to see just how alienating and frightening a university like this can be for working-class students. For myself, it resulted in a feeling of complete isolation throughout my first year, where I felt a divided loyalty whenever I tried, or was forced to, engage with the social and cultural capital necessary to survive here.

I felt bitterly home-sick, especially when I was forced to alter my class-bound habits in order to fit in to a social group which actively sought to exclude me anyway.

For state-educated students, elite Russell Group universities bring with them a whole host of challenges which only really begin once you get here.

You can read more about Emily’s journey to University in her full article on the Palatinate website

Finance should not stop anybody from attending University

Although my journey still continues, I am lucky to say that I have finally embraced who I am, my northern accent and my back-

Maddie Flisher

14

Politics

Thursday 29th November 2018 | PALATINATE

Worlds apart: Class culture in Durham

Hannah German Going into my third year I am far more conscious of the class split which exists in Durham than when I wandered into college as a naive fresher, unaware of the disproportionately large quantity of private school admissions and the ramifications it may have on my time here.

As a fresher I had to quickly learn and adapt to the fact that my background and subsequently much of my worldview was vastly different to the new friends I was making. Because the fact is that the homes that I and many others will return to at the end of term are worlds away from our middleclass contemporaries. Just one scroll through Instagram over the holidays will tell me as much.

After my first year in Durham, I was left confounded by my social media feeds which were clogged by friends bouncing from one

way into the top societies because your parents haven’t been able to pour the same amount of money into music lessons or sports clubs, is part of the standard, more unspoken working-class experience in Durham.

glamorous holiday destination to the next. When working-class students leave the Durham bubble for the holidays, it is often a jarring step back into the economic reality of so many in this country.

Class divisions which can feel alienating are subtly woven into Durham University life

It is not simply a jealousy which exists on the part of working-class students, but a frustration at what can too often feel like a wilful ignorance on the part of their peers.

So many Durham students seem to occupy their positions of privilege as if it is typical, blind to the British poverty which sits at their doorstep as they bustle past local residents on North Road, latest MacBook and Starbucks frappe in hand. It is infuriating to see how much is taken for granted with little concern for those whose economic reality is so desperate in

Gordon Griffiths via Wikimedia Commons comparison.

That is not to say, from my ex- visions which can feel most alienperience, that Durham University ating are often much more subtly is an isolating place. Friendships woven into Durham University life. frequently transcend economic Prior to Durham I had never disparity and meeting people from met anyone whose parents were a wide variety of backgrounds, dif- high flying lawyers or investment ferent from my own has made for bankers earning six figure salaries a vibrant university experience. in the city; it was a genuine shock Although it can often feel that it is to suddenly be living among so stuffy middle-class culture which many for whom this was the norm. pervades, there is a rising work- Casual dinner conversations about ing-class voice in Durham which expensive holiday homes, findoffers a space for working-class ing out that only a handful of your students to speak into this. peers have ever held down a part The manifestations of class di- time job, struggling to find your

When working-class students leave the Durham bubble it is a jarring step back into economic reality

More often than not, it is the small things, overhearing the flippant, offhand comment from someone whose parents have bought them a new car for Christmas or who have spent half the summer working for a family friend in Dubai, which can be the real alienating reminder to working-class students that they are miles away from the middle class experience the majority of their peers have been accustomed to.

Fitting in as a first-generation student

Jade Melling As the first in my family to go to university, the prospect of higher education was particularly daunting. I had no idea what to expect.

Despite my anxieties, I set my aspirations high and applied to read English Literature at five of the UK’s top universities.

In 2015-16, 6.6% of students admitted to University College were from a lower social class

After analysing Brontë’s Rochester as ‘an absolute git’ in what must have been an outstanding Cambridge interview, I was left with my second choice. Shortly after receiving the rejection letter,

I accepted a place at University College, Durham. Perhaps it was for the best - surely a Lancashire accent wouldn’t seem too out of place in the North East.

In my experience, being a first generation Northern student at Durham involves the following things: Being described as ‘the Northern friend’ in a place that is 112 miles more Northern than my hometown, becoming a caricature to fit into my new role as the Northerner, wondering whether people with my accent ever talk about Shakespeare, wondering whether this means I’m allowed to talk about Shakespeare, feeling inarticulate, feeling inadequate, feeling pissed off.

Before Durham, I’d never had an academic conversation outside the

confines of a classroom. In fact, I’d never had a one-to-one academic conversation at all. Once I arrived, I was forced to navigate a world of gowns, polo, and Shakespearean scholars. I was out of my depth.

£7,672. Given the maximum maintenance loan that could be applied for this year stood at £8,700, students with the lowest household incomes are left with little ‘disposable’ funds to pay for the many extra costs – such as gowns, balls, formals, society membership, and JCR fees

A working-class student could well get a job, yet this only further cements their inability to find consistency in attending social events and nights out. Resultantly, such students face what is an absurd choice as to where to get involved, which has a detrimental impact on university experience.

The process of ‘othering’ the working-class student is particularly insiduous

When you’re the first in your family to go to university, you’re pretty naïve. In 2015-16, 6.6% of the students admitted to University College were classified by the University as being in the lower social class codes of their socioeconomic grouping.

Yet this ranking classifies those students whose parents are small

employers and account workers with those individuals whose parents are long-term unemployed in their data collection. Therefore, within this 6.6% it is hard to determine how many of these individuals are from backgrounds where the economic constraints of Durham could be overhwelming.

As a result of this clear minority of working-class students in my college, there have been times when I’ve never felt more alone than in a room full of people.

I often find myself constantly reminded of the fact that I am different

The identity politics of being a working-class student at Durham

is complex. In an effort to transcend class stereotypes, I often find myself constantly reminded of the fact that I am different. The process of ‘othering’ the working-class student is particularly insidious in Durham.

In my personal experience, being a first generation Northern student at Durham also involves the following things: Being friends with people from different walks of life, becoming more empathetic towards other minorities, realising that some of the world’s best scholars are Northern, realising that eloquence is not equated with any particular accent, feeling articulate, feeling adequate. feeling proud to be part of the 6.6%.

What is the real cost of university?

Harry Brierly Earlier this year, on an episode of Question Time, financial journalist Martin Lewis suggested the misrepresentation of student loans as a financial burden serves to deter working-class students from going to university. Though laudable, Lewis failed to discuss costs whilst at university, and the issues of exclusion they cause.

News at the beginning of this term of a 3.5% accommodation fee increase rightly faced protest. A catered single standard undergraduate room will now be priced at

Thomas’s Pics via Flickr

Students have little disposable funds to pay for many extra costs

Elsewhere, such as at Newcastle, a Participation Bursary alle-

viates some costs affiliated with joining societies. Nothing of the sort exists at Durham, where it appears involvement is reserved for those who can afford to pay what, at times, are extortionate prices for membership and social lives. The Durham Grant, perhaps Durham’s closest approximation is not specific to joining societies and for those living in college is taken straight off their accommodation fees.

However, a student needn’t have to receive the full maintenance loan in order to be ‘working class’.

In fact, the burden is often felt

more by those who receive insufficient loans, yet whose parents are unable to help with costs. The Durham Grant only applies to those whose family income is less than £25,000 per annum, leaving everyone even marginally over that with nothing.

Opportunities for working-class students to integrate into Durham University life are restricted from the off. The result is a tangible disconnect of working-class students, which the powers that be continue to choose not to understand.

15

PALATINATE | Thursday 29th November 2018

Politics

Durham as a working-class student: jarring and difficult to articulate Politics speak to Neve Ovenden, Vice-President of Durham’s Working-Class Students Association, about what it’s like as a first generation student and why we need the Association Matt Spivey Deputy Politics Editor How have you found your experience at Durham as a workingclass, first generation University student?

Jarring. I can’t think of a single aspect of my experience at Durham, so far, that didn’t register as a massive shock to the system. The transition from further to higher education is generally accepted as a difficult adjustment due to the intensification of workload and the oftentimes brand new responsibilities of taking care of oneself.

(I lived in Parson’s Field, in selfcatered accommodation because I couldn’t afford to live in catered accommodation.) But I was most affected by the huge cultural and social differences between my peers and I, both inside the classroom and out.

I find it quite difficult to articulate to people, who haven’t experienced cultural and social marginalisation, my experience of alienation and isolation at Durham University, as it has been comprised of classist microaggressions and hostilities more general than the personal and sometimes violent attacks experienced by my friends.

I have all my life lived in a postindustrial working-class community in the Black Country. My dad works on a furnace making steel coils and my mom is a carer.

The social aspect of Durham can be very excluding and alienating

My education at the local comp, academised the year before I be-

gan high school, simply did not prepare me for the challenges of higher education and academia at the level of the elite university - that the grammar and private education of many of my peers did.

Many of my working-class friends have shared the same experience of ‘Imposter Syndrome’, intimidated into subdual in the classroom and even unsure of debating with our course-mates. And where students with family members who have had the experience of attempting a degree might have some prior knowledge of challenges ahead and a bank of resources on which to draw, I found myself floundering for some time – a disorientating sensation that eased somewhat when I met other working-class students, through societies and in college.

who share my experiences, will prove to be an inclusive space for working-class students to find community and build solidaristic bonds, whilst being empowered to create structural change and spaces of their own - which is so desperately needed if Durham is to be a more socio-economically diverse, and less hostile, academic community.

It’s telling that Durham University requires a platform to be created for working-class students to have a voice, do you feel there is a shift in Durham towards a more united front for workingclass students to have their say?

The term ‘united front’, to me, suggests displays of solidarity and support from middle- and upperclass students in Durham, who comprise the majority of the uniMost affected by huge versity’s student population. cultural and social differences However, many middle- and between my peers and I upper-class students, due to the social and economic privileges of One of the aspects of my expe- their class, have had little cause rience at Durham University that I or opportunity to engage with the have found most challenging is en- concept of class and class issues. gaging in the social scene. I found Durham University remains an that many of the students I talked incredibly insular bubble largely to had very different cultural expe- isolated from the realities of the riences to my own, but that these outside world, such as the socioexperiences weren’t very diverse, economic conditions of workingthough they were extremely elit- class people, varied as these can ist. The most publicised and popu- be, and in particular the disparity lar activities and events in Durham of social, cultural, and economic are, firstly, extremely expensive – capital between the working and e.g. balls at £60 to £100 a ticket, or upper classes. unfamiliar, such as the Palatinalps Certainly, it is one of the main skiing trip. aims of the association to create For working-class students, the more intersectional and solidarsocial aspect of Durham can be istic spaces in which discussion of very excluding and alienating – experiences of class in conjunction and one of the most staggering in- with race, gender, sexuality, and dications of Durham University as disability will be promoted. a stronghold of the upper classes.

The united front must come I hope that WCSA, for students from within the community of (Durham Working-Class Students Association)

working-class students at Durham, and through solidaristic bonds with other marginalised and minority communities within the University, in order to effectively organise towards a more inclusive institution that reflects more closely the national demographic.

Durham University remains an insular bubble largely isolated from the realities of the outside world

I do not believe that any great shift towards a ‘united front’ for working-class students has occurred, but the formation of the Working-Class Students’ Association is certainly a start - and we shall continue to promote the voices, experiences, and interests of our members and our allies - a united community within Durham University.

What would you say are the main aims of Durham’s Working-Class Student Association?

WCSA’s aims are two-fold. We exist to provide advocacy for working-class students in Durham, representing their interests on the SU Assembly where, as an association, we have the privilege of voting to decide SU policy, and through university-wide campaigns engaging students and workers alike on issues affecting working-class students in the context of the elite university.

It is of the upmost importance that the voices of working-class students can be elevated

As a minority and marginalised social group within the Durham University student population, feelings of alienation and loneliness are not uncommon. It is also of the utmost import that we provide spaces in which the voices of working-class students are elevated, and in which we can form communal bonds based upon our shared cultural and social experiences.

Upcoming campaigns to look out for in the imminent future include the mobilisation of working-class students’ reps in college common rooms, representing the interests of working-class students within the common room.

We aim to apply pressure on the university to acknowledge classism as a form of discrimination in order to bolster the seriousness with which the university regards complaints of classism towards its students and staff from our peers and colleagues at the university.

Durham University is economically inaccessible to many concerned students, as recent demonstrations opposing rising accommodation costs have indicated, but for studentsfrom low-income backgrounds in particular, access to financial support additional to the maintenance loan is vital.

DWCSA “aim to apply pressure on the university to acknowledge classism as a form of discrimination

However, in recent years the university has made cuts to the Durham Grant, available to students with a household income of less that £25,000 a year, and the Supported Progression bursary, awarded students participating in an access programme for working-class people in the North East, Yorkshire, and Cumbria. The latter has been cut from £5,500 to £2,000, to be staggered across the first two years of a student’s undergraduate degree.

Unfortunately, academic scholarships awarded to few workingclass individuals do not minimise the economic consequences of this massive withdrawal of support from the university. WCSA will be campaigning for the university to reinstate the Supported Progression in full and consult with a committee of working-class students on their Durham for All initiative to ensure future decisions about financial support are made transparently, so that decision-makers may be held to account for their consequences.

For more of this interview, please visit: www.palatinate.org.uk/cat-

16

Thursday 29th November 2018 | PALATINATE

SciTech

Antibiotic resistance: An underestimated threat?

Ewan Jones SciTech Editor Frustrated with a lack of action in regards to the threat posed by antibiotic resistance, 11 of the UK’s most senior medics have composed a letter imploring the government to implement changes in how antibiotics are used in the farming industry. A recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development suggests that more than 90,000 Britons will die before 2050 unless steps are taken to prevent the further spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, describing this issue as “one of the biggest threats to modern medicine”.

More than 90,000 Britons will die before 2050 unless steps are taken to prevent the spread of antibioticresistant bacteria Antibiotics work by disrupting the activity of bacteria, inhibiting

their growth and spread or simply killing them directly. The use of antibiotics allowed the development of radical medical treatments that were previously incredibly riskheavy due to the risks posed by bacterial infection, revolutionising the medical field and paving the way for the miraculous treatments we have today.

However, antibiotics have a serious weakness that arises from a simple trait of evolution: random mutation. Whilst antibiotics kill almost all bacteria, mutations in the genes of a tiny fraction of bacteria can allow them to survive an onslaught of genocidal antibiotics.

These antibiotic-resistant bacteria are then in a prime position to survive and reproduce, thriving in the empty space left by their fallen comrades. The resistant bacterium’s offspring will also contain the gene granting antibiotic resistance, leading to the eventual formation of huge colonies of bacteria that cannot be killed by conventional antibiotics. Even worse, bacteria have an incredible ability to

Trump doesn’t seem so scary compared to this (NIAID via Flickr) pass on their genes to surrounding bacteria through the use of short, circular segments of DNA called plasmids. Once another bacterium ‘picks up’ a plasmid it is then able to express the gene it codes for (for example, the antibiotic resistance gene). The combination of these two processes is the driving force behind antibiotic resistance, and in order to tackle the threat it poses, serious changes need to be made at the governmental level, especially in regards to antibiotic use on farms.

Farmers will often dose all of their animals with antibiotics

at the first sign of an individual animal falling ill. This is a highly dangerous activity, as the more antibiotics are used, the faster antibiotic-resistant bacteria are able to develop.

Bacteria have an incredible ability to pass on their genes to surrounding bacteria The letter signed by the senior medics calls on a complete ban on this preventative use of antibiotics on farms, which EU countries will be implementing by 2022. The UK government, however, will not

A weighty change: Redefining the kilogram

as a ‘Kibble Balance’ is used, in which weight on one side of the scale is balanced by the pull of an electromagnet on the other side, allowing a precise measurement of Planck’s Constant and consequently the kilogram. This will allow masses to be verified and checked by anyone with the apparatus, no longer requiring the somewhat unreliable reference artefacts.

Holly Parkinson The definition of the kilogram, the SI base unit for mass, will be changing on May 20th 2019, after a vote at the General Conference on Weights and Measures in Versailles on November 16th. Instead of being defined from a physical lump of metal, the new kilogram - as well as three other SI units will be defined using physical constants of nature.

Scientific fields that rely on extremely precise measurements, such as nanotechnology or experimental sciences, are about to benefit from a new, higher resolution standard for the unit of mass.

The new kilogram will be defined using physical constants of nature The SI (Système international d’unités) unit system gives definition to seven fundamental base units, from which all other units are derived. Every measurable aspect of nature can be described by some combination of length, time, amount of substance (the mole), temperature, electric current, luminosity and mass. This standardised system is essential to science, with the common units

It is only recently however technology has advanced enough to do so

A replica of the International Prototype of the Kilogram (Wikimedia) uniting practice across the world.

At present, the kilogram is the only SI base unit still based on a physical item: ‘Le Grand K’, the mass of an iridium-platinum cylinder. Upon its manufacture in 1889, replicas of Le Grand K were made for other nations to copy the unit’s definition. Over time however, these masses crept away from each other and the Le Grand K. It’s also suspected that the mass of Le Grand K itself has also fluctuated over time. As one kilogram is equal to the mass of that cylinder, this means the very definition of the kilogram varied as well. To stop this, metrologists have long wanted to retire the

weight and introduce a new metric. It is only recently however that technology has advanced enough to do so.

The mass of Le Grand K itself has fluctuated over time The new definition for the kilogram will be based on Planck’s Constant, a number that pervades nature at its smallest scales. The constant is measured in terms of length, time and mass; the first two are already defined, allowing a value for the kilogram to be established. To do so, an electromagnet system known

Along with the kilogram, definitions of other units - the Ampere (electric current) and Kelvin (temperature) - will also be changing to depend only on fundamental constants. The mole (amount of substance) too will change its definition to depend on a constant, as it previously directly depended on the definition of the kilogram.

This is not the first time that the kilogram has had a refashion; its original definition, holding up until the introduction of a reference artefact, was ‘the mass of a cubic centimetre of water, at the temperature upon which ice melts’.

be obliged to commit to doing the same following Brexit, lending to the letter’s necessity.

In our daily lives, we can help stall the evolution of antibioticresistant bacteria by holding our doctors accountable for the treatments they grant us. A recent survey showed that 38% of people expect to receive antibiotics when visiting a GP, even if they are afflicted by an illness that cannot be treated by their use (such as viruses like the flu, which are not bacteria-caused).

The current climate of antibiotic use is one of rampant overprescription, which contributes greatly to the spread of resistant bacteria. We need to accept that antibiotics are not a ‘cure-all’, and that in many cases no antibiotics or a delayed prescription if symptoms do not improve are the ways forward. The UK government would do well to pay heed to this warning letter, and follow in the footsteps of other governments around the world to prevent this looming public health crisis.

Reader’s Scigest Daisy Balmont

An Engineer at Durham has helped develop a computational method for simulating wind in order to improve accuracy of shortterm wind-power forecasting in wind farms. Using a Random Forest learning method (a combination of predictive algorithms) on historical data, the group successfully trained a model to predict short-term wind power. The model performed significantly better than its predecessors, and can be used to improve efficiency of daily operation.

Elsewhere, researchers from Durham investigated behaviour in the workplace and how it changes when different ‘Situation Contingencies’ (personality traits, specifically conscientiousness and neuroticism) are present in individuals. The study observed 124 managers before, during, and after performing a range of different tasks over the course of 2 years, with their performance rated. It found that managers were more highly rated when 3 of the 6 situation contingencies were present, providing the first evidence of the predictive validity for situation contingencies.

Thursday 29th November 2018 | PALATINATE

18

Sport

Flagbearers of the Banlieue: France’s football factory Tom Davidson gives an insight into where France’s football success stories are coming from Tom Davidson

As the Eurostar edges closer to Paris, passengers catch a glimpse of the city’s infamous banlieues – a term often translated as ‘suburbs’ but perhaps best left in the French for the connotations it bears.

Before reaching the Gare du Nord, the train cuts through the heart of the départment of Seine-Saint-Denis, where, unlike the idyllic suburbia of American sitcoms, social problems are rife.

These poverty-stricken northeastern banlieues made headlines for the riots they played host to in 2005 and, after years of neglect by both left and rightwing governments, continue to suffer from high crime and unemployment rates.

Whilst tourists close their books and gather their belongings, they are met by the sight of the graffitied brickwork

and towering apartment blocks of the disadvantaged districts that lie in the shadows of the City of Light.

Children of all ages play on worn, concrete pitches until night falls A stone’s throw from the tracks, the Stade de France, the national football team’s stomping ground, stands tall. Slightly further east, you’ll find Bondy, home to 19-yearold phenom Kylian Mbappé – the golden boy of the country’s 2018 World Cup-winning side.

On 15th July, in a spectacle to celebrate football coming à la maison, the masses poured onto the Champs-Elysées and sang as Mbappé’s face and those of his compatriots were projected onto the Arc de Triomphe.

As the names of the nation’s new heroes and their hometowns

▲ Stade de France ahead of the Final of the 2016 European Championships (Eric Salard via Wikimedia Commons)

resonated from the loudspeakers, revellers would have been forgiven for not noticing one simple fact: Eight of the 23 players had started their path to World Cup glory in Paris’s outskirts.

Although stigmatised as gangriddled ghettos, the banlieue is now, more than ever, emblematic of the country’s in bloom football scene. Here, children of all ages play on worn, concrete pitches until night falls and darkness prevents them.

Often found at the foot of drab high-rise apartment blocks, these pitches are known as city stades and have cultivated a style of play that favours the most intuitive, agile and daring of players - those not afraid to risk their reputation for the sake of an audacious stepover-nutmeg combo. Riyad Mahrez and Paul Pogba, who grew up in Sarcelles and Roissy-en-Brie respectively, both nurtured their technical ability out in the streets of the banlieue.

“There’s small pitches everywhere,” said Mahrez in a recent interview with Sky Sports.

“We were sleeping there, even.

Every day, every day, everyone does this,” the Algerian international continued, highlighting that, for many children living in the suburbs of Paris, football is as much part of their daily routine as a morning tartine or brushing their teeth before bedtime.

To them, the sport transcends the mere concept of a hobby - it’s a way of life entrenched in the urban culture of the banlieue.

In their documentary ‘Concrete Football’ (currently available on Netflix), filmmakers Jesse Adang and Syrine Boulanouar offer an absorbing insight into the world of street football that reigns in

the housing estates of suburban Paris.

‘Concrete Football’ shows why players like Mbappé, Mahrez and Pogba are so unique. In a game of street football, the emphasis is not on cross-field passes or aerial duels but rather close control, fast interplay and bursts of pace - ‘on-the-deck’ football played at its most effective.

It’s a way of life entrenched in the urban culture It is therefore no surprise that the game’s most technical players began their journeys in the outskirts of Paris. Les Ulis, a commune located in the southwestern banlieues, has exported the likes of Patrice Evra, Anthony Martial and Thierry Henry – the latter considered by many as one of the greatest French talents of all time.

On the opposite side of the capital, a few RER stops short of Charles De Gaulle airport, lies the Cité des 3000 - an estate bearing the nickname of the 3000 council houses built there in the 70s. Found in the commune of Aulnay-sous-Bois, where over a quarter of inhabitants live below the poverty line, the Cité des 3000 suffers from the vilifying stereotypes bound to the Parisian banlieue, often portrayed as a hotbed of delinquency and police brutality.

As children, Moussa Sissoko (currently of Tottenham) and Alou Diarra (a former France international) called the Cité des 3000 home. In spite of its reputation, there are certainly worse places for two aspiring footballers to have grown up.

In fact, in 2006 the estate was

dubbed a “football academy” by French publication Le Monde.

The estate neighbours a plethora of facilities; grass and artificial pitches, a small stadium, and a city stade ironically named after Barcelona’s Camp Nou. Add in a few eager youngsters with a tatty ball and it’s clear why the Cité des 3000 possesses all the ingredients to make it a real melting pot for footballing success.

In Russia, the Parisian banlieue stepped out of the shadows and into the spotlight, earning the global recognition it deserves as a football factory.

Whilst for many France’s second star simply marks another triumph, it brings hope and opportunity to those living precariously at the periphery of the capital.

Even though the 2018 World Cup now seems but a distant memory, it is important that we continue to highlight France’s budding football culture and the mobility shown by those blossoming within it, where they have come from, and why they deserve all of the credit that they get.

“

We were sleeping there even. Every day, every day

”

“Disability or not, allow the dyspraxic to participate” ...Continued from back page Lying close to the autism spectrum, a dyspraxic is often a perfectionist, possessing the ability to conquer a particular ability if given the opportunity and time.

One clear example of this determination would be Adam Gittings In my case, playing outfield in hockey required too much consideration for the part of the stick, ball and running – often resulting in human skittles.

Once I was placed in goal, however, I could focus on one

single aim – to stop the ball. A skill I would go on to develop and play at an International level as a junior.

I have been fortunate to come across a dyspraxic coach before – a rower.

This was my first instance of realising that there are other dyspraxics out there who choose to pursue sport; they simply had to find the discipline that belonged to them.

Finding a coach with dyspraxia allowed enjoyment in a sport I otherwise may not have been involved in, for the coach was able to instruct me in a way that benefited my disability – simple, precise and repetitive – much like the motion of rowing itself.

There is one thing true of every dyspraxic I have met:

determination. A determination that goes on to allow a complete mastery of a specific skill.

Yes, we may end up two lanes over from where we started One clear example of this determination would be Adam Gittings. In 2014, after only two years participating in the sport, Adam defeated the top-ranked domestic player and world bronze medallist, becoming the national champion in Class eleven table tennis.

Sport is beneficial to a healthy lifestyle, so disability or not, allow the dyspraxic to participate.

Yes, we may end up two lanes

over from where we started on a running track, or accidentally cause a pile-up on the rugby pitch, but laugh with us – the clumsiness

is unique.

Include us, encourage us, but maybe don’t throw a tennis ball to us.

▲ Durham Uni Rasecourse Sports Fields (Trevor Littlewood via Geograph)

PALATINATE | Thursday 29th November 2018

19

DUWRFC setting the bar high

Sport

All three Durham University Women’s Rugby Club have made perfect starts to the season, but they haven’t just been impressing on the pitch Eszter Pinter The final whistle blowing at 2:20pm on Wednesday 7th November marked a historic moment for DUWRFC. A 34 –10 win over rivals Northumbria in the local derby, following the previous weeks thrashing of varsity rivals Loughborough 69 – 0, secured their position at the top of the league as the only undefeated team left in the BUCS premier league.

The celebrations continued as news from the 2nd and 3rd teams came in - both victorious! The triple win left Durham women’s rugby undefeated.

It’s not unusual for the 1st XV’s team to be rubbing shoulders with the national champions playing in the premier league, always hungry for their own chance to play at Twickenham.

It’s a lot for an entirely student run club However, success and ambition can be found across the entire club - last year, the first ever women’s 3rd team for rugby in the UK was entered into the BUCS league.

Regularly playing against the 1st teams of other universities, these players have helped to

build a reputation for Durham university as both an elite-playing and development-focused club.

There is no doubt that our strong college system has been crucial to this success.

Most DU players will have never touched a rugby ball before coming to university and herein lies the best part of the club - the opportunity to excel in a completely new sport without needing years of experience.

The work that gets put into encouraging and developing players spreads down into college sport and out into the community, with players coaching in local schools and helping to set up a local girls and ladies side at Durham RFC. It’s a lot for an entirely studentrun club, but the motivation comes from a real love for the game and an understanding of the difference that a hard work ethic can make in our university and local community.

Nowhere is this more visible than in DUWRFC’s recent ‘This Girl Can’ campaign. In conjunction with County Durham sport, the team are highlighting some of the personal journeys of their players.

From struggling with body image, ill health and confidence these players have been brave enough to start a new sport and succeed in what is often perceived to be a male dominated and

marginalised environment.

The stereotypes for female rugby players can be unkind, something which puts many girls off, particularly at school age.

However, seeing the athleticism, sportsmanship and composure of the girls as they come up against big names like Edinburgh, Loughborough and Northumbria shows that there is infinitely more to them than most people realise.

Success and ambition can be found across the entire club The rugby community is close knit one, with many players ending the game and greeting members of the opposition who they know from home clubs, premiership team and even fellow international players.

Indeed, DUWRFC boasts an impressive line-up of premiership and internationally capped players both in the ranks of current players and alumni.

Without the constant drive to get all women playing rugby, England, Scotland, Hong Kong, UAE and more may have missed out on some star players.

It is this work ethic, this desire for excellence, that has continued DUWRFC’s success as we reach the end of the first term of the year.

On 14th November we saw all three teams win again,

▲DUWRFC standing strong as usual (Mark Bunting) maintaining the club’s unbeaten start to the year.

In amongst these wins was the 1st team’s first win away at Edinburgh in five years, showing just how far this group of ladies has come, and just how good they actually are!

And so, as if you needed another

excuse to support one of the UK’s premier university sides, here it is.

Come down to Maiden Castle for the chance to see some of the world’s best rugby players starting off, and the chance to say I saw her first.

Gamesmanship and The Grand Slam

Micheal Van Gerwen’s claim on the Grand Slam has finally slipped, after a final full of controversy James Smith Sports Editor On the 18th November at the Aldersley Leisure Village in Wolverhampton we saw Gerwyn Price come from behind to beat Gary Anderson, the Flying Scotsman, 16 – 13 in a final shrouded in controversy, to win the 2018 Grand Slam of Darts.

This was Price’s first TV Major, victory, having been defeated in the final of the UK 11-6 by Peter ‘Snakebite’ Write last year.

He walked away with a casual £110,000 in prize money, not bad for eight days of work!

In an interview after the match Price stated “I’m the first person to win the Eric Bristow Trophy and that means a huge amount to me - it’s something nobody can ever take from me.”

Ahead of the final it looked as if Gary Anderson was destined to pick up another TV Major from this year, having already won the Champions League, the UK Open,

three Players Championships, a UK Open Qualifier, and the US Darts Masters in this calendar year.

His route to the final was no less impressive, averaging over one hundred in all of his knock-out matches (apart from the final).

This including a win against Michael Van Gerwen in the Semifinals, ending Van Gerwen’s three-year streak as Grand Slam champion.

Price on the other hand, topped his group winning two of his three games. He lost to Witlock in a very impressive game, still averaging 104.58. He turned this around however in the Quarter Finals to edge past the Aussie 16-15.

So with such an impressive route to the final it was such a shame to see neither player shake hands afterwards, around claims

by Anderson that Gerwyn Price’s exuberant celebrations were distracting and disrespectful.

Having squared up to each other in the fifteenth and twentyeight legs it is no surprise that no pleasantries were exchanged after

the match.

However, it did not stop there, with Price claiming in an interview that “he [Anderson] can’t handle playing me”.

He went further to state that Anderson was just making excuses for the fact that he had lost and not played as well.

The incident has been referred to the Darts Regulation Authority, dart’s independent adjudicator, for investigation. PDC Chairman Barry Hearn stating, “The PDC is not against players celebrating, but clearly any celebration verging on gamesmanship would be something we frown upon.”

So where can this line be drawn? Quite clearly Price is a passionate player, and wears his heart on his sleeve, nothing wrong with that!

However, it was when he was seemingly deliberately leaving his darts in the board, to celebrate in front of fans, or shouting in Anderson’s direction that I feel the problems start.

Once a players’ actions appear

to be disrupting the opponent, especially players like Anderson who need to get into a natural rhythm, it seems that more respect needs to be shown in my opinion.

Personally I feel that celebration should be saved until the end of a leg, for especially at that standard, to scream in celebration after every one-hundred and forty certainly stretches the length of

the game!

So where to go next? Recent suggestions have implied that there may become a set of in-game penalties for such behavior, to be handed out by the match referee, instead of fines after the match.

This, surely, can only be positive.

Focus on the darts, play the board, and forget the shouting and until you have actually won the leg!

‘Mighty’ Michael Van Gerwen (Sven Mandel via Wikimedia Commons)

Sport

Thursday 29th November 2018 | PALATINATE

DUWRFC: Setting the bar high DU Women’s Rugby Club give us their take on their season so far, and why they are such great role models to so many young athletes (page 19)

Gamesmanship and the Grand Slam Following a controversial final, we ask whether Gerwyn Price has stepped the mark in darts: is it cheating? Or is it just simple celebration? (page 19)

Dyspraxia: “Include us, encourage us, but maybe don’t throw a tennis ball to us” Alana Ker Mercer Deputy Sports Editor

▲ Durham University’s women’s lacrosse 1’s after their impressive 11-8 victory over Germany back in March (Freya Savage)

DU women’s lacrosse take on rivals Nottingham

• The 8-3 victory ensured Durham women 1s remain undefeated for three years • Durham sit top of the table ahead of Loughborough and Nottingham whilst Manchester languishes at the bottom

Georgie Boardman On Wednesday 14th November the Womens 1s lacrosse team played Nottingham in the league decider.

Durham womens 1s have been undefeated for three years, therefore making this game a huge grudge match, with their match three weeks’ prior having finished in a draw.

In fact the last time that the Durham ladies had lost a league match was back in 2014 in the Championship final, against University of Birmingham, where they lost narrowly 11 – 9.

The 1’s have won the championship every year since

then however, winning all ten of their league games in each season.

Thus their 7 – 7 draw against Nottingham back in October, is the only blip in an exemplary record.

With a calm start in the reverse fixture, Durham went 4-0 up to take them into half time as the strong favourites down at Maiden Castle.

The second half saw Nottingham climb back to 4-3 within the first 7 minutes with a crease roll and two fast breaks, putting the Durham undefeated record under pressure.

However, the ladies kept their cool, with goals from midfielder Amanda Seekamp, captains Tilly Shires and Tilly Foster

and defender Maggie Auslander making the final score 8-3 to Durham.

It was a great game overall with Nottingham putting up an excellent fight and the team look forward to meeting them in knockouts next term.

At the time of writing Durham stood top of the table, with Manchester languishing at the bottom without a win to their name.

The 21st November saw the girls again come up on top. This time in an impressive win over Loughborough 11 - 4, again on home soil (well astro anyway).

So, the DU Lacrosse 1’s look well underway to replicating what they

have been doing so well over the past few years.

At the time of writing they boasted the best goal difference across the North and South tables.

But this year southern rivals Cambridge also remain undefeated.

Next term, however is where it really steps up. The top few teams from the North and South tables progress onto the knock-out stages.

They then head towards the final, to defend their long-standing title as Championship Title Holders.

Referred to as ‘clumsy-child’ syndrome, dyspraxia is a neurological condition that affects 2% of the population.

A developmental disorder of the brain, dyspraxia often becomes apparent within early childhood, with sufferers unable to master basic motor-control skills.

Using a knife and fork, catching and throwing, running without falling and tying shoelaces are all difficult to learn.

As a sufferer, I can trip over thin air, bump into others and am more likely to head-butt a ball than catch it – but does this mean I should avoid sport?

With difficulty in spatial awareness, a dyspraxic can easily cause havoc on the pitch. We are no doubt an injury hazard to ourselves as well as our teammates - so I apologise to that girl whose wrist I broke whilst attempting to pass a netball.

Coaches, when questioned on the disability, may claim to have ‘heard’ of it, yet may not understand it.

If a dyspraxic is asked to go from A-B whilst dodging in and out of cones, it may not be grasped the first time. It is frustrating for the individual and the coach, as a dyspraxic needs longer to process simple requests.

If this time is not given, often the dyspraxic makes mistakes and loses confidence – an experience that diminishes any desire to be involved in sport.

A number of sports are simply not an obvious go-to for a dyspraxic. Football? Shins will be kicked instead of the ball.

Cricket? The stump will be hit first by the dyspraxic holding the bat, not that red, leather flying object.

Swimming? Place a dyspraxic in the pool and you will see that moving arms and legs simultaneously is a mean feat – more likely to drown than float– no doubt a disappointment to my own world-record holding father.

So what should a dyspraxic, and coaches, be told?

Continued on page 18