Palatinate 824

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Thursday 23rd January 2020 | No. 824

Comment looks at militant veganism, US imperialism and Megxit

Fashion explores DUCFS’s 2020 charities and their success so far

Rugby accounts for 1 in 4 Maiden Castle hospital visits Jack Parker & Luke Payne News Team

▲ Durham’s Lumiere 2019. (Mark Norton)

Durham has experienced many changes and events over the past ten years, see Palatinate online for a ‘decade in review’ (Mark Norton)

1 in 5 surveyed have used study drugs Naomi Clarke News Editor A survey conducted by Palatinate has revealed that 21.4% of Durham participants have taken study drugs during their time at University.

A further 28% stated they would consider taking them if they had not already, and 45.4% said they knew of someone at Durham who has taken study drugs.

Drugs such as Modafinil, Adderall and Ritalin are taken to boost mental performance by

improving concentration and the capacity to absorb material. Modafinil is the most popular, accounting for 61.9% of Durham’s study drug use.

90.3% of participants said the drug they used was not prescribed to them by a health professional for medical purposes.

32.7% of study drug usage was during exam season, although 11.5% of those using such drugs do so at least once a week.

The self-selected survey was open to all Durham students...

Continued to page 3

Almost a quarter of all hospital visits from Team Durham’s main sports site are for injuries sustained playing rugby, according to injury logbooks at Maiden Castle.

The figures, obtained by Palatinate through a Freedom of Information request, show that of the 86 hospital visits recorded in the 18 months between September 2017 and February 2019, 21 (or 24%) were the result of rugby-related injuries.

A total of 189 injuries were recorded at Maiden Castle in that 18-month period. Injuries not requiring hospital trips received on-site first aid treatment, some involving GP appointments.

When injuries receiving first-aid are factored in, rugby caused 28% of the total, including 40% of all head traumas, and 75% of all neck injuries.

Fergus Hamilton, the Durham University Rugby Club Captain, recently had to retire from the sport due to concussion sustained while playing.

Continued to page 5

Students abroad feel “lost, lonely and hopeless”

Students embroiled in problems relating to immigration, acccomodation and sexual harassment, all without proactive pastoral support Tom Mitchell & Jack Taylor Editors-in-Chief Durham University is providing inadequate support for students who spend a year of their degree in a foreign country, a Palatinate investigation can reveal.

Students described to Palatinate how they were left feeling “lost”, “very lonely” and “hopeless” whilst abroad, with many describing a lack

of communication, care or advice from the University whilst away as contributing factors.

Gabriel Radus, a third-year student currently abroad, says that “many students feel the University places too much of an emphasis on completing paperwork at the expense of good pastoral preparation.

“Just because we fill out a risk-assessment form does not mean that we are ready

for the real risks and difficulties we face abroad”.

Despite this, most of the students who spoke to Palatinate said they felt that the University was oblivious to such problems. A fourth-year History student who studied in Sweden said “I did not have contact with Durham at all. I could have just sat at home all year and they wouldn’t have cared.

“Every single penny Continued to page 5

Thursday 23rd January 2020 | PALATINATE

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Editorial

New year, new Palatinate

The start of a new decade encourages both reflections and aspirations. We currently sit awkwardly perched, with the entirety of the Roaring Twenties ahead of us, and the moniker-less 2010s completely behind us.

A flick through the Palatinate archives shows that much has changed over the past ten years.

In early 2010, we reported that the EU was recruiting directly from top universities like Durham; now, we are just over a week away from Brexit day. Stuart Corbridge was at LSE, the students were striking rather than the staff, and ‘Bill Bryson’ still denoted the man rather than the library.

Much has changed at Palatinate, too. At the turn of the last decade, Indigo was still a glint in the Editors-in-Chief’s eyes; now, it plays a crucial role in talking about the issues that students are most passionate about, combining social commentary with art and culture. Palatinate had to compete with a range of national newspapers that were sold by the SU for the princely sum of 25p; now we reign supreme (deservedly, I’m sure you’ll agree) as the only physical newspaper distributed on campus.

Perhaps, come 2030, a future Editor-in-Chief of Palatinate (currently still at primary school) will find themselves pompously harking back to the halcyon days of 2020 and wondering how it all changed so quickly.

This will only be possible if we continue to move with the times. It is with this in mind that we will be reducing our number of printed newspapers over the next few years. We take our job of holding the University to account

seriously, and we have published numerous articles on the climate crisis and criticising the University’s environmental policy. This will become increasingly difficult to justify while we continue to produce thousands of newspapers that eventually (having been thoroughly read and admired, of course) are thrown away.

With that said, the print edition is integral to Palatinate’s heritage and tradition, and print journalism will continue to be a central part of what Palatinate provides going forward.

This term, we are also launching a mental health campaign. The stresses and strains of student life are well known, but many continue to suffer in silence. By focussing on mental health across all sections and the entire term, we hope to start a conversation around this important issue.

Our front-page story looks at the loneliness from which year abroad students suffer, and whether the University does enough to mitigate it. Having spent last year in Paris, the stories that past and present year abroad students told us were at times surprisingly familiar. I loved my time in France, but all too often those sent abroad feel abandoned by the tight-knit Durham community, and for some, reintegration into the bubble can prove equally difficult.

We also follow-up on last term’s investigation into study drugs. For better or for worse, increasing numbers of Durham students are turning to medication to cope with the academic pressures that they’re placed under.

That the University has yet to develop a guideline or policy on this growing reality is an oversight.

Elsewhere in today’s edition, Comment look at how Harry and Meghan’s departure from the Royal Family represents a victory for mental health, and Food & Drink write about finding joy in modern diet culture. Politics examine the implications of the Iran crisis, Sport report on DURFC topping BUCS Super Rugby and Stage look at this year’s mission for DUCFS. Alongside the changes being made to the paper, there will also be changes in personnel. Over the Christmas break, we were lucky to appoint some fantastic new members to the editorial board, and there will be more vacancies published soon. If you read Palatinate and want to get involved, don’t hesitate to apply.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the theme of this editorial has been change. The changes that have happened, the changes that will inevitably come, and the changes we are introducing at the moment. But don’t panic, much will stay the same. Durham will still be beautiful, the University will still have its ‘10-year plan’, and here at Palatinate, we will still be holding them to account.

Best of luck for Epiphany term!

Tom Mitchell

Inside 820 News pages 3-6 Comment pages 7-9 Profile page 11 SciTech page 12-13 Politics pages 15-17 Sport pages 18-20

indigo

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

Vacancies We are currently advertising for the following positions.

- Fashion Editor - Music Editor - Sub-Editor - News Reporter Email editor@palatinate.org. uk for an application form and more information

Palatinate Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief Jack Taylor & Tom Mitchell editor@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Editors Jamima Westermann & Imogen Usherwood deputy.editor@palatinate.org.uk News Editors Will Hutchings, Jack Parker & Toby Donegan-Cross news@palatinate.org.uk Deputy News Editors Emma Lucia Felisi & Joshua Hurn deputy.news@palatinate.org.uk Investigations Editor Luke Payne investigations@palatinate.org.uk Comment Editor Jacob Whitehead & Pip Murrisoncomment@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Comment Editors Kiara Davies & Michael Knezevic Profile Editors Theo Golden & Tash Mosheim profile@palatinate.org.uk Science & Technology Editors Ewan Jones & Hannah Goldswain scitech@palatinate.org.uk Politics Editors Marina Mestres & Patrick Stephens politics@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Politics Editor Sophie Farmer & Meera Navlakha Sport Editor Tim Sigsworth & Tomas Hill LopezMenchero sport@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Sport Editors Alana Ker Mercer, Hector Pearce & Matt Styles Indigo Editor Shauna Lewis indigo@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Indigo Editor Hugo Millard Sub-Editors Lizzie Murrall, Ruth Waterfield & Alice Latham Photography Editors Mark Norton photography@palatinate.org.uk Illustrations Editor Heidi Januszewski illustration@palatinate.org.uk Website Administrator Calum Johnston Advertising Officer Oliver Henry oliver.advertising@palatinate.org.uk

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

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PALATINATE | Thursday 23rd January 2020|

News Continued from front

Happy New Year! And if you have been away, welcome back to Durham. I hope that you are all enjoying the start of a new term.

At this time of year progress can seem very slow. Whether it be a slow start to a New Year’s resolution, or something a bit bigger.

A lot of us are feeling despondent at the moment about catastrophic events out of our control without having a clear view of how we could have the power to change anything.

But crucially, progress is still possible. Recently, I got to visit Turku University in Finland, which reminded me a lot of Durham. A few big differences, however, are that all their University decision-making bodies are one third students, education is free, and student satisfaction is at 98 per cent.

Visiting Turku made it clear how much is possible when students are trusted to have ownership of their education and the world around them. Imagine how different Durham could be if students made up one third of the committees that make decisions on accommodation fees or the content of the curriculum.

Big things happen in Durham when students act collectively.

The climate strike or students encouraging their peers to register to vote are two examples from last term alone. We might have a long way to go to achieve free education, climate justice, or such high satisfaction rates, but we’ve already achieved progress by acting together.

This term, get involved with the students striking for the climate, run to be a Student Officer or Trustee, or start a campaign.

The elections that decide who will lead Durham SU are coming up and there’s never been a more important time for students to have a clear voice in our university, community and country, so consider standing.

Continued from front “Every single penny of the £1,350 [tuition fee] is a rip-off.

What is the fee actually for? Administration? I didn’t even get an email.”

When approached with these claims by multiple students, Professor Jonathan Long, Head of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures said: “Our Year Abroad Officers make regular contact with students and can be called upon to discuss additional support matters.

...and recent Durham graduates. There were 231 respondents from a wide range of subjects and year groups.

The use of artificial stimulants can significantly affect sleeping patterns, with some respondents reporting anxiety, an increased heart rate, and an inability to sleep. Many reported that they subsequently took other forms of medication in order to offset the effects of ‘study-drug’ usage.

Study drugs, also known as nootropics, can help increase alertness, energy, heart and breathing rate and blood pressure. However, research isn’t conclusive about whether the drugs help people learn or remember information, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

One Durham respondent said they were able to “get more words down on the page than I would in a few days” however “the quality of that was questionable.”

While Modafinil is considered non-addictive, frequent users of Adderall and Ritalin have a high risk of abuse and addiction, especially if not medically moderated.

A National Union of Students study in 2018 which surveyed almost 3,000 UK-based students found that 1 in 10 of all students who took part in the survey said they had taken study-drugs to improve focus and motivation.

93.8% of all respondents stat-

ed they had received no information from Durham University surrounding study drugs. The University responded to the findings of Palatinate’s previous investigation into study drugs, but did not comment further when asked on the use of non-prescribed medication.

The Director of Student Support and Wellbeing, Sam Dale stated in October 2019: “The use of study drugs has not, to date, been identified as a major student wellbeing concern amongst Durham students and we read Palatinate’s findings with interest.

If yes, how often/when do you use ‘study drugs’?

Adderall and Ritalin have a high risk of abuse “We take the health and wellbeing of our students very seriously and work closely with County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service to understand issues, raise awareness, deliver training and provide support.

“We encourage students with concerns to speak to their College, Department or Student Support Services or attend the drop-in delivered by County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service.”

Efforts by college student welfare team’s to campaign on the issue have been hampered by the University’s ‘Code of Prac-

tice’ which states: “The University does not allow, in any way, the use of controlled drugs. The possession of controlled drugs is a criminal offence and the possession with intent to supply is a more serious offence.”

Responses to Palatinate’s survey varied widely.

Many made the distinction that those who are medically prescribed ‘study drugs’ such as Modafinil, Ritalin or Adderall should be allowed but otherwise it may provide an “unfair advantage” to neurotypical students.

A respondent who is medi-

cally prescribed them said: “As someone with ADHD I use them because without them I can’t concentrate, I slip into non-stop daydreaming, I can’t motivate myself and I can’t organise myself. For me they level the playing field.”

However, others argued: “I think the fact anyone even considers it necessary shows the university is doing something seriously wrong. I would definitely consider taking study drugs and think students should be allowed to if the University is not going to work with us to reduce the constant academic pressure.

“Massively pathetic effort”: student abroad waits 3 months for a reply “Those undertaking a study placement can access both academic and pastoral support at Durham and at their host university during a placement.

“A revised ‘fitness to study process’, carried out in advance of the year abroad, ensures that students are able to undertake an overseas placement.”

Andrew Dickson, a fourth-year who studied in Paris, said that he had to wait almost three months to receive a reply from his academic supervisor. An email sent on 13th May was replied to on 8th August. He said this represented a “massively pathetic effort” from the point of view of pastoral care.

The lack of support provided

by Durham provoked Radus to initiate his own pastoral support network, by connecting students who were living in relative proximity to each other. Since starting the scheme in October, he has been contacted by 1,100 students who want to be included. This is something that students from other Universities such as Leeds and Birmingham explained already exists as part of their program.

Radus said: “I don’t claim to have split the atom with this. I just wanted to raise awareness of the fact that universities are

sleepwalking into bringing back students who are more anxious, more stressed and more alone.”

Ian Moore, who is studying for a PhD in Education, has spent the past year researching the personality and language development of those studying abroad. He has found that on average, if a student spends 10 months abroad, they will spend half of those months feeling “predominantly lonely.”

However, Moore’s research also finds that students are able to develop resiliency before departure, and that joining societies while abroad is a key way of combatting loneliness. He also found that over the long term, individuals found that they were better equipped to deal with stressful or unknown situations.

Two students were interrogated by Russian police A current PPE student on their abroad told Palatinate that Durham hadn’t ‘checked in’ with them. Although they felt they didn’t need support, she told of friends in the same city that had moved three times, had accommodation roofs fall in and felt loneliness, who would have benefitted from a proactive pastoral message from.

The issue of inadequate pastoral support was raised at the Modern Languages and Cultures (MLaC) Student-Staff Consultative Committee (SSCC). The minutes from the meeting say that “students raised concerns about the lack of communication while they were on their year abroad.”

The University told Palatinate that they are currently undertaking a review of the Year Abroad, including student support before and during their time abroad.

Some students face even more serious problems whilst abroad.

Two students studying in Tomsk, Russia, were interrogated by Russian police having mistakenly entered the country illegally.

Lawrence Sharpe and Sam Reay Smith were attempting to re-enter Russia having travelled on holiday to Astana, Kazakhstan.

However, their multi-entry Russian visa had yet to become valid.

Sharpe says “we were kicked off the train and detained in a little cabin in the middle of nowhere.

They eventually took us back to Kazakhstan - luckily it wasn’t technically a deportation, which means there’s no criminal offence and we just got fined.

“We had no idea that our visas weren’t valid until after the single-entry ones expired”.

Maddy Wattles, who spent the second half of her year abroad in Chile, said she received no advice on finding accommodation in South America.

“I soon discovered that my landlords had been entering my room and taking my belongings while I was out.

“Having heard nothing from Durham all year apart from a couple of mass emails, I sought help elsewhere.”

A fourth-year student was the victim of sexual harassment while working in Paris. She told Palatinate: “my boss, who was in his sixties, put his hand on my thigh and tried to kiss me.” She did not feel comfortable telling Durham what had happened and instead resolved “to prove myself in a professional role.”

Professor Jonathon Long commented that the University attempt to alleviate these additional problems: “In preparation for a year abroad, students are given a full Pre-Departure Briefing that includes advice and guidance on what to expect around issues such as culture shock, emotional challenges of study abroad, health and safety.”

Students are also provided with information on how to access support.

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Thursday 23rd January 2020| PALATINATE

News

Durham awards 76.5% honorary degrees to men

Toby Donegan-Cross News Editor Palatinate has found that, between 2009 and 2019, only 23.5% of honorary degrees awarded by Durham went to women.

On two occasions, in 2010 and 2016, the number of degrees awarded to women was just a sixth of those awarded to men.

The best year for equal numbers of degrees was 2018, when there were four degrees awarded to women, compared to six awarded to men.

The 23.5% figure of the last ten years is a slight improvement on the previous 58 years, when females received an average of just under 20% of all honorary degrees awarded.

This news comes after four honorary degrees were awarded during the Winter Graduation season earlier this month.

The recipients were the Arch-

bishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, the educationist, Sir Kevan Collins, the rugby coach and mentor, Chris Kelly, and the energy specialist, Barbara Vest.

In response to receiving his award, Dr Sentamu said that “it is a privilege to accept this Honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity – what esteemed company I will be joining.

“It would be nice for the University to set the standard, rather than lagging behind” “I pray for all the Graduands as they celebrate their hard work and achievements and that the next stage of their journeys will bring fulfilment and joy. Every blessing.”

Mr Kelly, who studied at Hatfield College in the 1970s, said that the award left him “surprised, excited and honoured.”

Similarly, Ms Vest, a member

of the Durham Energy Institute, said that she was “still in shock to be considered for such a prestigious award.”

Sir Collins, who was previously the CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation, a charity dedicated to improving attainment for poor students, said that “I am honoured to receive this award and deeply grateful for the support I have received throughout my career.”

Honorary degrees are awarded by the university on the basis of nominations made by staff, and these cases can be strengthened by support of a department or college. Nominations are then judged by the Senate Advisory Panel.

Durham awards honorary degrees in recognition of “long and exemplary service of national and international importance.”

Previous recipients of honorary degrees include Durham alumnus Jeremy Vine (2012)

and Gabby Logan (2015), as well as the fiction writer Philip Pullman (2012).

Artemis Irvine, who is Chairman of St Cuthbert’s Feminist Society, has said that the statistics are “disappointing but not surprising considering the University’s track record when it comes to recognising, celebrating and rewarding the achieve-

ments of women.”

She continued: “Obviously, female students will continue to achieve incredibly highly and do great things in their work regardless of how many women Durham awards with honorary degrees.

“However, it would be nice for the university to set the standard for celebrating women, rather than lagging behind.”

(Durham University)

Archaeologists biggest spenders in staff expenses figures Graph showing the average expense bill per member of staff 2018/19 (Luke Payne)

Will Hutchings and Luke Payne News Editor and Investigations Editor Palatinate can reveal that the archaeology department spends one and a half times more per member of staff than Anthropology, the second biggest spenders.

The Department of Archaeology’s annual staff expenses bill of £260,000 was claimed by a combined 77 staff members. As a result, the average annual expenses for a member of Archaeology staff is £3,370, by far the highest such figure in the university.

For comparison, the average annual expenses total for staff members across all departments was £1,322.

According to Dr Mark Shaw, Department Manager of Archaeology, this is due to the large amount

of off-campus work necessitated by the discipline. “As a fieldwork based department, staff in the Department of Archaeology regularly undertake off-campus research, which is funded by research grants.

As a fieldwork based department, staff in the Department of Archaeology regularly undertake off-campus research “All staff expenses during these trips are funded by the relevant research grant, following the policies of the specific funding body.”

In the 2018/19 academic year a total of over two million pounds was claimed as expenses by over 1500 staff members across 24 academic departments. The figures indicate that expense culture varies considerably between academic departments.

The average annual expense claims per member of staff differ by more than £2,600 between the most costly academic staff and the most frugal.

Other departments with high annual average staff expense bills include Anthropology (£1,943), Computer Sciences (£1,638) and Physics (£1,624).

The Physics department also has the highest raw staff expense bill totalling £325,000.

Conversely, there are six academic departments whose staff on average claim less than £1000 per year, considerably lower than the inter-departmental average. These departments are: Governance and International Relations (£995), Biological Sciences (£941), Modern Languages and Cultures (£892), English (£860), Sport (£822) and Education (£719).

Academic staff receive funding from a variety of different sources and not all expenses are claimed through the aca-

demic departments. However, the figures highlight considerable discrepancies between staff expenses in different academic departments.

At a time where students are increasingly demanding value for money from their tuition fees, these discrepancies could raise eyebrows about whether there is sufficient transparency regarding how their departments spend money.

Web exclusive stories • • • • •

The council’s decision to plant thousands of new trees A review of new buildings that will go up in 2020 An obituary of Police and Crime Commissioner for County Durham Ron Hogg CBE A report on the University’s decision to raise accomodation fees by 2.9% A review of Durham’s new distillery.

PALATINATE | Thursday 23rd January 2020

5

News

“I have confidence that World Rugby will continue to improve their laws for player safety” Continued from front page Fergus Hamilton, the Durham University Rugby Club Captain, recently had to retire from the sport due to concussion sustained while playing..

He told Palatinate: “These statistics clearly make for difficult reading, but the increase in the standard of rugby since out 1st XV joined BUCS Super Rugby a few years ago has meant that playing stronger and bigger opposition week in, week out takes its toll.

“We have seen the same trend in the professional game, where it

has become ever more attritional, although I have confidence that World Rugby will continue to improve their laws for player safety.”

8 cases of concussion were recorded, as were 3 instances of broken bones A third year college rugby player praised the medical staff at Maiden Castle: “They are great. I only went in after suffering a minor concussion last term but was immediately taken care of and assured my injury was completely fine.”

In October 2017, rugby, football, and netball caused 9 injuries to be recorded within a 24hour window, with 3 involving hospital treatment.

Injuries incurred at Maiden Castle range from nosebleeds and foot cramp, to joint dislocation, leg fractures, and exhaustion. 8 cases of concussion were recorded, as were 3 instances of broken bones.

While rugby accounts for the highest percentage of hospital visits at Team Durham’s facility, hockey is not far behind, on 22%.

Maiden Castle’s data shows most hockey-related injuries are to the head and hands.

Climate Strike on Valentine’s Day Emma Lucia Felisi Deputy News Editor The Durham Uni Climate Strike organisers have announced plans for their next event. This will coincide with the national #YouthStrike4Climate day as well as the global Fridays for Future movement led by the Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg.

Last term over 20 different Durham SU societies supported the protests, which aim to demonstrate public support for institutional change On Friday 14th February, ECO DU organisers are planning to lead a demonstration outside the

Bill Bryson Library, before marching down to join the schoolchildren striking in Durham city centre.

Last term, over 400 university students took part in the Durham Uni Climate Strike outside the Bill Bryson Library, in support of 22 demands made to the University’s Vice Chancellor.

In 2020, the movement is looking to unite with the public and stand with the local school children who have been striking monthly since last January.

Last term over 20 different Durham SU societies supported the protests, which aim to demonstrate public support for institutional change.

The Environmental Community of Durham University (ECO DU) was formed in 2019, to lobby the university for specific environmental change, and has re-

cently established a formal executive committee, despite being a non-SU affiliated society.

Anna Marshall, Events Manager for ECO DU, has stated “Durham University scored 96th on the People & Planet’s Sustainability League Table in 2019, despite having a world-leading energy institute and classifying itself as a top university.

“Scientists and governments have known since the 1980s that climate change is an issue, but pressure to stop it has really mounted in the past year or so, and large demonstrations have been a huge factor in that.

“If you’ve never protested before, we need you. Whatever your skills, whatever groups you are involved in, climate change should be a cross-party issue and we need you to take part in this global movement”.

(DURFC)

Durham neo-Nazi teenager jailed Josh Hurn Senior Reporer A 16-year-old neo-Nazi who planned a series of co-ordinated terror attacks in Durham City has been jailed for 6 years and 8 months. Last week, a jury at Manchester Crown Court found the boy, now 17, to be guilty of planning terrorist acts between October 2017 and March 2018.

He was also convicted of disseminating a terrorist publication and three counts of possessing documents useful to someone preparing acts of terrorism.

He is now the youngest person to ever be convicted of terror offences in the U.K. By 2017, he was describing himself as a neo-Nazi and operated a since-deleted Twitter account.

He is now the youngest person to ever be convicted of terror offences in the UK His racist and homophobic tweets drew the attention of police but when he was interviewed in September that year, he claimed they were posted “for a laugh”.

The teenager initially agreed to take part in the Prevent counter-terror programme but later stopped engaging.

When he was arrested in March, police found a piece of paper in his pocket containing a message that said: “Killing is probably easier than your para-

noid mind thinks. You’re just not used to it ... good hunting Friday.”

The jury were shown a detailed diary kept by the boy detailing his progress in relation to planning acts of terror, with one entry reading “I am moments away from constructing bombs and weapons, how exciting”.

The boy also had a piece of material epxressing his desire to behead another student who he “suspected of being gay” which would be a “judgement exacted on the lowest of the low, as deserved”.

As well as seeking to attack government and public locations, the boy also sought to carry out an arson spree on North-Eastern synagogues with Molotov cocktails. Jurors were shown his recent internet searches, which included the location of areas of Jewish worship in Newcastle.

The boy was also found to be in communication with an online gun auctioneer, in possession of instructions on how to make ricin and a homemade bomb.

Judge David Stockdale described the defendant as a “highly intelligent” boy who had “contempt for Jewish people, black people, gay people and disabled people”.

During his trial, the boy said he had merely adopted a rightwing “persona” and only did so for “shock value”. The fact he has a diagnosed autistic spectrum disorder and his submission of a letter of remorse was taken into account by the court.

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Thursday 23rd January 2020| PALATINATE

News

University declared “institutionally disableist” by the SU Emma Lucia Felisi and Anna Marshall Deputy News Editor and Senior Reporter After conducting research on accessibility, the Students with Disabilities Association has convinced the SU Assembly to unanimously declare Durham University a disablist institution.

SwDA found various failings suffered by disabled students, such as disability support being minimal and lack of compensation for those with disabilities often leading to living expenses becoming more expensive.

The Assembly resolved to demand the University create an action plan, “for tackling the culture of disablism faced by stu-

dents of Durham.”

Jessica Madden, president of Students with Disabilities Association, has told Palatinate that “A lot of other universities will fund specific learning diagnosis, but as one of the world’s best universities, the fact that we don’t is appalling.

“They like the idea of inclusivity but they don’t like the parts of it which would actually make it a reality.”

“If students with disabilities come and look around on an offer day, Durham doesn’t tell students they would have to adapt buildings to make it accessible.

“Disability support is vastly

underfunded too, which needs to be addressed at a higher level with commitments and funding from the senior University staff with a commitment to uniformity across departments, which is currently not the case.”

Reflecting on the motion’s success, Madden has said that “these are issues SwDA has been fighting for years, and have yet to be resolved. Many disabled students drop out as they don’t receive the support they need.”

One example was desks designed to be wheelchair accessible in the new Teaching and Learning Centre were found to be screwed to the floor with immovable seats, making them unfit for accessibility purposes. Additionally, planned pedestrian routes have initially included only stepped access, while

Library spaces under strain Toby Donegan-Cross & Josh Hurn News and Deputy News Editors There are concerns that the university’s plans to expand its student body from 17,500 to 21,500 between 2017 and 2027 will not be matched by a comparable growth in study spaces.

As of yet, there are no specific details on the University’s library expansion plans available, although the university says that they are ‘coming soon.’

Mike Wall, Assistant Director and Deputy Librarian, said: “We are planning further investment in study space as the University grows and exciting plans are underway for the Business School

and Leazes Road developments.”

He continued: “Later this term we are going to introduce an app to make it easier for students to find a study space in the Bill Bryson Library and also improve the way we communicate the availability of space across the University.”

It is speculated that these plans will include an expansion of the Bill Bryson Library, which was originally supposed to have six floors. In addition, the University plans to have built six new colleges by 2027, presumably each with a new library.

The Bill Bryson Library has a capacity of 1,800 study spaces, while the newly completed Teaching and Learning Centre has 450 new spaces. In addition, each of Durham’s colleges has its own library, which can be used by

(@durhamuni via Twitter)

members of that college.

Nevertheless, there is a common perception that Durham’s library spaces are increasingly fought over, and that it is difficult, at times impossible, to get a seat.

In the last year, the Bill Bryson has sought to alleviate these issues by starting library 24/7, meaning that it is now open all day, every day. Furthermore, in order to highlight how many seats are available at any given time, a seat counter was installed, which is displayed opposite the reception desk and can be accessed online.

It is difficult, at times impossible, to get a seat In response to these concerns, Palatinate has compiled a list of our top five best, but somewhat underused, places to study The Cathedral Library: In operation since 995 AD, it is now the oldest functioning medieval monastic library in the U.K. It is free to join and is open 10am to 16:30 every weekday.

Techno café: Situated in the Calman Centre, this is perhaps one of the least known study areas in the city.

TLC: The newly opened £40 million development is part of the university’s 2017-2027 Masterplan, and is currently far less used than the Bill Bryson Library.

Kingsgate Café: Situated in the middle of the DSU, the café allows students to work in a less constricted environment. Renovated in 2019, it is open 9-5 during the week.

Leazes Road Library: The library is located next to Hild-Bede College and is part of the school of education. Visitors also make use of the library, with most students not frequenting it for study.

requests for dropped kerbs have been denied.

SwDA found various failings suffered by disabled students Students with long-term conditions are required to pay for evidence of their condition, and prove their disability to staff.

Another difficulty is that students who are screened for specific learning difficulties are required to pay for a professional report, which can cost between £300-£600, in order to receive support from the university. Unlike other universities, Durham offers no specific funding for this.

Within colleges, the practice

of preventing students from leaving formal dinners has been criticised, as it forces students to disclose their disability or, in some cases, face a financial penalty.

Amelia McLoughlan, SU Welfare and Liberation Officer, highlighted that “historic cities have major issues with accessibility issues which disadvantage minority students.”

On the University, she said that “they like the idea of inclusivity but they don’t like the parts of it which would actually make it a reality. They can say they want inclusivity and wider participation, but those are empty words” Palatinate contacted the University for comment on this issue before Christmas, but no response has been received.

Plans for zero-waste consumers’ co-op Emma Lucia Felisi Deputy News Editor A zero-waste food consumers cooperative was recently proposed on the 5th of January by 2nd year student and President of the Cuth’s Ripped-Off society founded last term, Caitlin Guibout.

The proposal aims to found a co-op through the Students’ Union, and if implemented, to sell wholefoods in convenient places for students, such as the SU or the Science Site, as well as support local businesses and advocate for a more zero-waste approach, selling items such as jars and paper bags for packaging.

The proposal aims to give students a cheaper, more convenient and more environmentally friendly alternative to larger supermarkets in Durham.

The proposal aims to give students a more environmentally friendly alternative Caitlin Guibout told Palatinate: “I thought of the idea ages ago, because I know from friends that other Universities have similar arrangements in place on campus, run by the Students’ Union.

“But it was only when I was back home over Christmas, and was using zero waste co-ops myself to buy food, that I thought of submitting an idea for change.”

Guibout continues: “I think we have a huge problem in Durham with students mostly shopping in supermarkets and not actually connecting what they eat with the

local area, and I’m guilty of it too, but I think if this project becomes successful, it could support a lot of businesses in County Durham, while reducing the price for students.”

The proposal was made through the Raise Your Voice system created by the Students’ Union and is an easy way for students to propose ideas for change to improve the overall student’s experience that students are passionate about to the Student’s Union.

A proposal has to receive at least 25 up votes to pass - Guibout’s proposal received an impressive 242 upvotes, and only 3 downvotes.

242 upvotes, 3 downvotes To propose an idea, students simply submit it to Raise Your Voice, and it is then voted on by Students’ Union members. If it gets enough up votes, it will pass and the SU will work on implementing the proposal into Durham life.

In regards to Raise Your Voice, Guibout has stated: “I wasn’t expecting it to get as many votes as it did, and I think it could have gotten more. The problem is that Raise Your Voice, while being a great idea, is not something many know about, or they don’t know how to submit their ideas.

“I have faith that other students have even better ideas for Durham, so I hope more can be done to publicise this amazing facility.”

Opportunities and Welfare Officers, Jess Dunning and Lia McLoughlan respectively were contacted but did not reply in time for print.

7

PALATINATE | Thursday 23rd January 2020

Comment

Positive discrimination: why can’t we define the worthy poor?

Faye Saulsbury Is it discriminatory to offer a bursary for white working-class pupils to attend private school?

Dulwich College and Winchester College say yes.

The two private schools are well-recognised for their exclusivity, but have rejected donations totalling to £1 million, because they were attached to ethnic criteria. The absurdity of their decision highlights British hypocrisy surrounding race and discrimination.

Sir Bryan Thwaites, an alumnus of both schools and a scholarship beneficiary himself, has demanded: “If Cambridge University can accept a much larger donation in support of black students, why cannot I do the same for underprivileged white British?”

He is referring, of course, to Stormzy’s personal funding of two black British students’ studies at Cambridge. Stormzy revealed this year that he would be funding two more. While the announcement sparked

similar debate around racial discrimination, the overall positive consensus shows that the funding of black students (and the consequent discrimination of the white majority) is the kind of discrimination we can tolerate.

Both schools, like many private instutions, financially exclude huge numbers of potential students

other, we consider the unequal treatment of people based upon their race acceptable. In doing so, we further embed prejudices into our society.

Bryan Thwaites’ donation was intended to help pupils afford the cost of schools they would not otherwise have been able

to attend. The colour of those pupils’ skin is irrelevant.

If Dulwich and Winchester would like to become more inclusive, as they have both stated, then both have missed the point. Their politically correct quibbling has obscured the bigger picture. Ultimately, both schools,

The message is clear: socalled positive discrimination is acceptable - or indeed welcomed - when it favours ethnic minorities. In other words, some types of disadvantage are more worthy of assistance than others.

Stormzy saw an opportunity to help disadvantaged people.

Those he chose to help were people with whom he felt he had a personal connection.

That personal connection was skin colour. Sir Bryan Thwaites, too, saw an opportunity to help disadvantaged people. He, too, chose to help those with whom he felt he had a personal connection, and that personal connection, too, was skin colour.

By allowing one and not the

like many private institutions, financially exclude huge numbers of potential students, from every racial background.

If, however, the schools seek only to appear more inclusive, then they have made the right decision.

(Heidi Januszewski)

Extremists: XR and Sir David Attenborough Ronan Burke

This week, Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) published, and then quickly withdrew, a guide titled “Safeguarding young people and adults from ideological extremism”. The document featured warnings against usual suspects: neo-Nazis, pro-Terrorist Islamist groups, environmental activists - radical groups which pose “significant risk of committing atrocities” aimed at the general public. From idolizing Adolf Hitler, to pledging to carry out murders on Britain’s streets, to (worst of all) engaging in civil disobedience to pressure the government to act on climate change; we ought to stamp out such terrible, “extremist” ideologies - right?

Wrong. Putting neo-Nazis on the same level as Extinction Rebellion (hereafter XR) activists leads to frankly laughable conclusions.

For example, if a teacher heard a

pupil chatting about Blue Planet and the necessity to act radically to prevent the devastating effects of single-use plastic, and another saying that Hitler was a decent guy, should they report both? Is An Inconvenient Truth the new Triumph of the Will? Seems so.

I wish I was being far-fetched.

According to the report, warning signs include people who speak in “strong or emotive terms about environmental issues like climate change, ecology, species extinction (etc.)”. Others include people engaging in sit-down protests, writing “environmentally-themed graffiti” or, my personal favourite, “neglect[ing] to attend school [to engage in protests]…or participating in planned school ‘walk-outs’”.

Followed through, all around the UK we’d hear of stories like: “Ronan wasn’t in school yesterday.

There was a big XR protest on, so I called the police immediately.

Turns out he was just in bed with the flu.”

As I’ve said, this document was

swiftly withdrawn. In a statement, CTPSE said “By including XR in this document, it gives the impression we consider them to be an extremist group which they are not”, calling it an “error of judgement”. But this isn’t the first time that environmental activists have been labelled as extremists, and it won’t be the last.

Even this week Greenpeace have been placed on a similar counterterrorism list alongside neo-Nazis.

Previous to this, the former head of the Metropolitan police’s counter-terrorism forces Richard Walton co-authored a report which argued that the “underlying extremism of [XR’s] campaign [was] largely obscured from public view by what many see as the fundamental legitimacy of their stated cause”, as Kevin Blowe of the Guardian pointed out in his article.

Why does being labelled as extremist matter? Well, this gives the police a blank cheque to engage in intensive surveillance of such groups. Surrey County Council claim that anti-fracking activities

were among their “main extremist areas of concern”, with Blowe noting that anti-fracking movements have been victims of “sustained surveillance”.

The idea that counter-terrorism forces are spending taxpayer’s money to strictly monitor environmental activist groups is a farce.

Coming from the North of Ireland, I know what extremist ideologies, groups and people look like. The main difference between them?

Paramilitaries kill people, Extinction Rebellion seek to provoke meaningful action against the climate crisis. In a way, labelling such groups as extremist downplays how the ideologies of the IRA/UVF destroyed families and communities in the North. But I digress.

Reflecting on this, it’s worth considering what could come next. Sir. David Attenborough, appearing at a parliamentary select committee to discuss environmental policy last July, criticized the government’s commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. At one stage,

the leading climate activist said “we cannot be radical enough” with action on the climate crisis. For counter-terrorism forces, this should ring alarm bells: what if young children heard this, started to believe it, which ‘radicalized’ them to protest government inaction with XR? Like a radical street preacher, Attenborough should surely be censured.

Labelling XR as representing an “extremist” ideology is a slippery slope, which if followed through, would feasibly see Sir. David Attenborough, Greta Thurnberg and even the Green Party itself blacklisted.

While an “error of judgement”, the mistaken inclusion of XR in this anti-terror document is an apt representation of an establishment who, in challenging the place of environmental activism, are prepared to question the right to non-violent protest itself.

So, next time you catch your friend watching Nazi propaganda videos, to avoid any comeback, hide your Blue Planet boxset.

Thursday 23rd January 2020 | PALATINATE

8

Comment

DEBATE: the Soleimani assassination US Imperialism is responsible for the crisis emerging in the Middle East

Abraham Leonard Keefe In case you missed it, which you probably didn’t, tensions between Iran and the West are at an all time high. The only thing surprising about this situation is that it didn’t come about sooner: the US has over the last three years violated, then pulled out of the JCPOA; it has violated the 1981 Algiers Accords and labelled an official army branch as a “terrorist organisation”; severe economic sanctions have been enacted, indirectly quadrupling Iran’s inflation rate and creating unrest, with sanctions also being threatened against any country buying oil from Iran; Iranian airspace has also seemingly been violated.

However, the droning of Qasem Soleimani has been the offense which has pushed Iran to the brink of war, and it’s not surprising to see why: Soleimani, one of Iran’s most notable figures, was on a peace mission in Iraq, to seek a diplomatic rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, a Western ally in the region. Instead, the US seemingly arbitrarily claimed that he was an “imminent threat”, and had him murdered.

And the West have lied about Iran before. Recent accusations that Iran have been cooperating with al-Qaeda are scarily similar to the myths perpetrated about Saddam Hussein - in reality, Sad-

dam was secular, Iran is fanatically Shi’a, and al-Qaeda violently opposes the both of them. Al-Qaeda does, however, tolerate the Wahhabi sect practiced by the Saudis, who, along with the UAE, have infamously aided al-Qaeda in Yemen and Syria.

In fact, whilst their internal domestic policy is indeed condemnable, authoritarian and reactionary, Iran’s foreign policy is actually more isolationist than we hear in the media: groups such as the Houthis or Hezbollah are more allies of convenience than

puppets, serving as resistance movements against Saudi and Israeli hegemony. Reminder: Saudi Arabia once helped engineer and maintain an Iraqi invasion of Iran, and Israel likely possesses nuclear weapons along with its strong anti-Iran rhetoric.

The principal aggressor here would have to be Trump’s USA, who have platformed notable warhawks such as John Bolton, operate armed bases practically encircling Iran, and have attempted the overthrowing of over 50 foreign governments

since the end of the Second World War. Trump himself has threatened to “obliterate” Iran and attack its cultural sites. In case you didn’t know, actions intending to wipe a culture off the face of the Earth have a name: genocide.

Trump’s flirtations with genocidal rhetoric must be thoroughly acknowledged and condemned, even if they are absent-minded 3am tweets.

Meanwhile, Iran and its ally Hezbollah have outright promised their intention not to attack any American citizens. Ali Khame-

(Orly Orlyson via Flickr)

nei even went so far as to clarify that civilians were not included in the infamous chant, “Death to America”

Iran’s foreign policy is actually more isolationist than we hear in the media Why would the Iranian government want a war anyway? A war would mean their ousting, if not something far more disastrous for their citizens. We’re dealing with Rouhani, a moderate reformist, after all, not Ahmadinejad. War only would benefit a small few: multinational corporations, the governments they lobby, and a few opportunistic jihadist groups. The instability from past interventions, some in which Anglo-American soldiers have died, have caused even some of the most anti-Saddam or anti-Qaddafi activists to switch allegiances in hindsight.

But if you want more assurance of a hidden agenda at play, just see Trump’s reaction to Iraq’s sovereign decision to expel foreign troops. The sanctions, he said, which he would place on Iraq should they go through with this decision, will “make sanctions [placed on Iran] look somewhat tame.” Trump’s primary concern is not social justice, or Iran specifically, but any nation who dares to challenge Western, capitalist hegemony.

Why did Trump really kill Soleimani?

Joseph Monaghan

Three days into the new year, the world was rocked by reports of the assassination of Qassem Soleimani.

His death was hailed as a victory

by Donald Trump and marked the culmination of a series of incidents between the two nations. While this was seen by many as a continuation of ongoing American interference in the Middle East, the defining aspect of America’s imperialist project, the motivation for the attack is far less strategic and much more personal.

Trump’s foreign policy is incoherent, a reflection of the uneasy alliance between the neoconservative and populist right in the USA. Whereas one side sees military

intervention in the Middle East as America’s God-given right, the other favours ‘America First’ isolationism. Although the American political establishment is interventionist to its core, Trump finds himself among the latter group, describing the Iraq war as the “worst single mistake” in U.S. history.

The motivation behind the assassination is best understood in terms of what matters to Trump Soleimani’s assassination did not come as part of America’s opening salvo in a new war to expand their influence into unconquered Iran or divided Iraq, or as the public given reason of a targeted killing to avoid an upcoming attack on America (no evidence or specifics

of which have emerged since), but instead as a hasty reaction to what Trump perceived as American humiliation. It achieved the opposite of what an imperialist would wantit united Iran’s hardline and moderate factions, created a martyr figure to win popular support in Iran for a fight back, and caused the Iraqi parliament to vote to expel American troops, losing an American foothold against ISIS. This was precisely the response feared when Bush and Obama, whose Middle Eastern policies were decidedly imperialist, each rejected assassinating Soleimani during their presidencies.

Instead, the motivation behind the assassination is best understood in terms of what matters to Trump: his popularity. He has demonstrated throughout his presidency that he measures success by how much his supporters are satisfied with his

actions, and is well aware that the most radical members of his base support his isolationist statements.

The populist right do not want another Middle Eastern war, seeing it as an unnecessary waste of American lives. What they do want is to be able to identify themselves as belonging to the strongest nation.

When viewed in this light, the assassination makes more sense, being a way of showing that America can do what it likes without consequences and take down its perceived ‘enemies’. This was certainly where Trump placed his emphasis in the aftermath of the event, labelling Soleimani a “monster” and appealing to nationalistic sentiment by announcing the death with an image of the American flag- and in this regard, he was successful. Iran therefore seems to him to be more of a stepping stone to reelection.

“

Trump’s foreign policy is incoherent, a reflection of the uneasy alliance between each side of the American right

”

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PALATINATE | Thursday 23rd January 2020

9

Is militant veganism counterproductive?

Hazel Laurenson In a recent court case, Jordi Casamitjana accused his employer – League Against Cruel Sports, an animal welfare charity – of firing him due to his ethical veganism. The case is further complicated as Casamitjana had exposed the charity’s investment of its pension funds in firms involved in animal testing, contradicting the League’s ethos. A full resolution is yet to be reached, although judge Robin Postle has ruled, under the Equality Act (2010), that vegans qualify for legal protection due to their lifestyle choices.

The reasoning for this is that veganism is a philosophical belief, comparable to religion, which influences all daily decisions.

This discourse has rekindled the debate surrounding militant veganism.

At this stage, it is important to recognise that generalising about vegans is risky - veganism today is practiced in many different forms. Consequently, however, it is increasingly unclear which standards one must abide by to legitimately self-identify as vegan. Is being a dietary vegan enough? Or is lifestyle veganism also a requirement (meaning the rejection of animal products

in one’s cosmetics and clothing, amongst other daily amenities)?

Or is ethical veganism - the form of veganism Casamitjana practices – the only pure strand?

Casamitjana avoids interacting with non-vegans, and doesn’t use buses because they kill insects as they drive along. Surely this is a bit far – or is it just me?

Being vegetarian or vegan for a month or so does little to satisfy the increasingly cultlike high-and-mighty vegans Casamitjana’s hardline approach is effectively polarising society, counteracting the positive progress the vegan movement is making. Although many committed vegans do, unlike Casamitjana, claim that they would never think less of a peer or relation for being an omnivore, this perfunctory courteousness is, unfortunately, often accompanied with a sense of conceitedness, through which the said vegan’s belief in their self-righteousness and superiority can be identified.

The new year and Veganuary, for many, constitute the ideal time to experiment with food.

But pledging to cut down one’s meat intake, or try being vegetarian or vegan for a month or so, does little to satisfy the increasingly cult-like high-and-

mighty militant vegans. If you think about a Lebeneat chicken shawarma wrap with anything other than disgust then you should be condemned to hell.

Apparently.

The sad thing about all this is that a minority of vegans are ruining the movement, and the popular perception of it, for the many. Who doesn’t want to save animals and the planet? But shaming people about being tempted by the smell of cooking bacon is not the way to get people onside. As hardline vegans become more vocal, veganism as an entity is increasingly submerged in a sense of exclusivity.

This is where a shift is required. Individuals within the vegan community can all play their part in ensuring that it is not swamped by this negativity and self-righteousness, and instead promote an atmosphere of inclusiveness. This is the way to move forward: small steps and encouragement.

It may not be the quickest or surest route to worldwide change but, crucially, the entrenchment of further social divides can be avoided.

Revolutions are seldom unequivocally successful. Rather, change is most significant when it is slow and stable, for only then can beliefs and habits become deeply rooted.

Comment

The monarchy is still relevant Nathan Choat Recently, it seems that discourse about the Royal family has regressed into the realm of gossip, the purview of Royal reporters whose worlds revolve around working out what Kate likes to eat for breakfast, or chronicling the endless twists and turns of Megxit. When presented with this barrage of inconsequential drivel, many people see the Royal family as irrelevant. And yet, the institution remains just as important today as it has ever been.

The Royals are not perfect.

They’re not at all representative of the British people, and they’ve had their fair share of scandals.

We must acknowledge these shortcomings, and demand that the monarchy adapts to the changing social context in which it finds itself.

Far from being insular and backward looking, the monarchy are increasingly facing the future Fortunately, the institution has succeeded in forging a bold new path for itself in the 21st century.

For one, in the age of Brexit and the Twitterstorm where nothing

seems certain, the monarchy remains reassuringly constant, something which the British people can unite over.

We must acknowledge shortcomings and demand that the monarchy adapts More importantly, however, the monarchy has been progressive in its championing of causes that British people care about. Whether it be the Cambridges and the Sussexes showing support for those with mental health issues or Harry and Meghan paying tribute to the LGBT+ community, royal endorsement helps to raise awareness of issues and stories that would otherwise not be heard. This is not to mention Prince Charles’ forty-year commitment to promoting environmental issues, which makes him one of Britain’s most committed climate activists. Far from being insular and backwards-looking, the monarchy is increasingly facing the future.

Therefore, putting aside wornout debates about democratic legitimacy and the cost to the public purse, the Royal family remains a relevant force for good.

Indeed, with 69% of Britons claiming to be monarchists, the monarchy shows no signs of weakening.

Meghan, Harry, and the mental health battle Jemima Gurney

With the threat of war between the United States and Iran looming, it could be expected that these issues would be the headlines. However, the vilification of the Duchess of Sussex in particular, as well as her husband, following their decision to “step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family,” has been widespread on social media and in the tabloids, almost eclipsing the considerably more menacing news. A point that is perhaps largely being missed, however, is the greater positive implications of Meghan and Harry’s actions for national and international mental health awareness.

Their announcement comes less than three months after the Duchess of Sussex agreed with interviewer Tom Bradby’s assessment that she is “not

really ok” and that “it’s really been a struggle.” As a result, the chronological correlation between the discussion of Meghan’s mental health and their decision cannot, and indeed should not, be ignored. Rather, this can be seen as a reminder of the fact that mental health is a topic that affects everyone, irrespective of their privilege, and that taking steps to look after one’s mental and physical state is exceedingly important, whether this is in accordance with what others expect or not.

the territory’. Live your life in accordance with your own terms, not the terms of haters.” His words highlight the extent of the positive impact that Meghan in particular can have in normalising discussion around mental health and empowering others through her actions.

The idea of reducing the

Live your life in accordance with its own terms, not the terms of the haters Matt Haig, author of Reasons to Stay Alive, wrote on Twitter:“I think Meghan Markle is an inspiration to anyone who has ever been bullied. You don’t have to put up with bullshit because it is ‘expected’ or because it is ‘part of the job’ or it ‘comes with

(Dan Lacey via Flickr)

stigma around mental health was already a concern of the Royal Family, as William, Kate, and Harry launched ‘Heads Together,’ a charity campaign which, according to its website, caused “1.5 million more people [to speak] out about mental health”. Thus, this latest move can be interpreted as Meghan and Harry leading by example in acting to make themselves happier and improve their mental wellbeing This echoes Meghan’s own assertion that “it’s not enough to just survive something, right? That’s not the point of life. You’ve got to thrive, you’ve got to feel happy.”

Evidently, not everyone has the financial security of Meghan and Harry to uproot and dramatically alter their lifestyle. However, the motivation of their wish to “step back” is not entirely dissimilar to that behind smaller changes made on a more mundane scale.

The decisions of a student to change course at university, or

for someone to change their job, for example, share the same overarching goal of becoming happier in the long term. Similarly, just as the question of tradition, expectation and duty pervades discussion of their controversial choice, pressure from friends and the expectations of one’s family, heavily influence and perhaps inhibit or even prevent decisions to take the road ‘less travelled by’ in our own ‘normal,’ day-to-day lives.

Despite seeming ostensibly removed from society by dint of their being members of the Royal Family, the humanity that they have exhibited through this decision, belies a relatable quality which has largely eluded the monarchy, and which should not be undermined or dismissed.

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PALATINATE | Thursday 23rd January 2020

11

Profile

Brexit will “inhibit the lives of musicians”

Profile speaks to classical singer Dame Sarah Connolly on her career and what Brexit means for musicians Theo Golden Profile Editor Dame Sarah Connolly is widely regarded as one of the finest British classical singers of her generation. Connolly was born in County Durham and has a “real kinship” with the area, but recently has generated interest with her outspokenness on current affairs.

Connolly has been one of the most fervent opponents to Brexit within the industry, and she is extremely vocal about how it will “inhibit the lives of musicians”. She argues that “British musicians should be furious” and blames Boris Johnson’s “contradictory rhetoric for the destabilisation of debate, and making the centre-ground feel like quick-sand”. She believes that Brexit shows how Brits “misunderstand the importance of European input into our arts” and cannot understand “why people want to make life harder, and are shooting themselves in the foot.”

“Jingoism has been shamelessly used to sell Brexit” Connolly’s most recent tweets have highlighted her objections to the so-called ‘Festival of Brexit’ -a £120m event- to celebrate the UK’s exit from the European Union. “The very people who are being asked to perform, are those who will be hardest hit”, she said, adding that it would be a case

of “ghosts at the feast”. Connolly calls on fellow artists to “be brave”, adding that she “would ask others not to do the concert on principle.”

“Politicians don’t want too many people who might question the Government’s motives” To Connolly, “jingoism has been shamelessly used to sell Brexit”, and that musical works like Rule Britannia “can never be the same, because of the abuse and lack of understanding that has been used by politicians”. Connolly contends that, “if only we’d been educated honestly about how the riches of our Empire were accrued, upon slavery, subjugation and slavelabour, then surely there would be more understanding and kindness towards others. .”

Connolly is a strong advocate for the importance of Arts education; “I consider art the most important food of all”.

“Studying the arts gives you the ability to think around a problem… and you need to have the arts to understand other subjects”. Nonetheless, she thinks this belief is contrary to current Government policy, for whom she says, “encouraging the arts is against their priorities”. Art empowers people in all walks of life, but “politicians don’t want too many people who might question the Government’s motives”. For Connolly, Nicky Morgan (the current Culture minister) is a “disaster” and exemplifies the Government’s “minimal interest in the arts”.

(Christopher Pledger) Yet, Connolly admits that, for the most part, this stems from an “ignorance and misunderstanding of the role of the arts”. This is often demonstrated by the labelling of arts as “elitist”, but Connolly says that this “argument is used when they have nothing else to say and is often said by those educated at Eton and other private schools”.

Connolly cites artists like Nicola Benedetti and the cellist Sheku Kenneh-Mason as examples of those who are “not privileged but are instead just talented hard workers.” Furthermore, she says “the arts bring colour and meaning to your life”, citing the increase in amateur choirs for city professionals.

“Vindictiveness is rampant in this business”, and Connolly’s

journey did not have an easy start. During school she “had a very abusive Headteacher, not sexually, and quickly learnt that some adults and those in authority couldn’t be trusted.”

In her career, she has “walked out of four rehearsals”, because a “a director’s attitude made her uncomfortable or angry”. These situations have led to some stern conversations with colleagues or even official complaints.

“Vindictiveness is rampant in this business” One of the huge issues facing the arts is the realisation of the #MeToo movement, but Connolly calls for a “case by case approach”.

She recalls several stories from her career and others, including an alleged situation where the a famous conductor, chased another mezzo around a piano shouting: “I don’t do drugs, I don’t do alcohol – I do sex”.

When it comes to the recent sacking of John Copley (a leading opera director), she “firmly believes that this was because of a misunderstanding.”

Connolly finds it “absurd that there are some people who focus unhealthily on the objections of the minority, those who are easily offended, conflating and weaponising victim status. They de-platform people like Germaine Greer or Jordan Peterson who, they say, offer unsafe arguments in a university debate. How will we ever find out if they’re not heard? The exceptions are those who incite hatred.”

One of the most interesting aspects of Connolly’s career, is

that she made a name for herself performing ‘trouser roles’. These are operatic roles, where women perform male characters, usually originally written for castrati.

Connolly says that to do this, she “plays the character, not the gender, although gender is considered. For example, I focus on age and lifestyle- including sexual- like Nero, if it moved, he shagged it or killed it!”

Connolly performed these roles, during the recent renaissance of the countertenor- who are men that train their falsetto in order to have a mezzo/alto range. Countertenors, to some, have become an instrument of patriarchal oppression in musicdenying women access to some cathedral choirs. Instead she calls for a “good split, but not at the expense of the countertenor sound.”

Connolly received her CBE in 2010, and her DBE in 2017 for her services to music When Connolly reflects on her career, her championing of Ivor Gurney’s music and the creation of the stained-glass window in Gloucester Cathedral stands out.

In the 2013 concert, Connolly sang several works and included arrangements by Durham University’s very own Professor Jeremy Dibble.

Connolly received her CBE in 2010, and her DBE in 2017 for her services to music. In spite of being diagnosed with cancer last year, Dame Sarah continues to teach and occasionally perform while having treatment.

12

Thursday 23rd January 2020 | PALATINATE

SciTech

COP25 fails to rise to the climate change challenge Elise Garcon After an extra two days and nights of debate, COP25, the recent annual climate change conference, has produced a deal that will hopefully deliver new carbon cutting plans at the Glasgow conference this time next year. Despite this, the outcome has been called “disappointing” with “no ambition or progress” as deadlock at the conference resulted in minimal compromise. Many in attendance felt that the postponing of some decisions, for example on carbon markets, did not reflect the urgency of climate change.

The outcome has been called “disappointing” with “no ambition or progress” The 20 warmest years on record have all occurred in the past 22 years, with the years since 2015 making up the top four hottest. In order to prevent freshwater and food shortages, as well as deaths from increased extreme weather, scientists argue that temperature rise must be limited to 1.5ºC. However, an IPCC report in 2018 stated keeping to this would require “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society”, which the outcomes of COP25 did not reflect.

The WWF said the summit

showed “a staggering failure of leadership by some countries”, as the push for higher ambition targets supported by the EU and small island states was opposed by big polluters, such as China, the US, Brazil, and India.

The summit showed “a staggering failure of leadrship by some countries” COP25 had the main goals of increasing ambition and action, by inviting finance and energy ministers to discuss the implementation of greener and cleaner sources of energy. Few countries came to this year’s talks, and neither cooperation nor willingness to implement the Paris agreement were seen. This follows President Trump’s announcement that the US will withdraw from the agreement in 2020.

The main outcome of COP25 was a partial agreement to request that countries come up with more ambitious targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and to present these in Glasgow next year.

Eyes now turn to the UK, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been warned by environmentalists that he would be “humiliated” if trying to lead talks whilst the UK is still failing to meet its own medium-term targets. Johnson’s £28.8bn road-building plans have been labelled incompatible with

eliminating CO2 emissions, and his plans to expand aviation have also raised eyebrows. The PM’s Brexit’s decisions are crucial at this point. While the US will not discuss the climate in any trade deal, the EU is placing a border tax on countries that do not reduce emissions.

The ambitious coalition between the EU and smaller developing countries pushed for stronger plans on cutting carbon, and the outcome of the conference

left many of the poorer countries frustrated and largely disappointed.

There is huge pressure on COP26 These countries are the ones most vulnerable to climate change, whilst also being the world’s lowest emitters. Sonam Wangdi, chair of the Least Developed Countries Group, said:

(GPA Photo Archive via Flickr) “This COP was not able to meet our expectations in raising ambition to address the concerns of our people at home and youth around the world.”

It is clear that the results of COP25 have disappointed not only certain governments, but many around the world, as youth climate strikes continue. No matter the changes in the next year, one thing is certain: there is huge pressure on COP26’s, and therefore the UK’s, shoulders.

Deep-water sponges: the cure for cancer?

Hannah Goldswain Scitech Editor

Do sea sponges hold all the answers? (Adam via Flickr)

Probably not your ASDA Smart Price ones, no, but research has suggested that deep-water sponges contain anti-cancer properties and a chemical that reduces tumour formation.

Cancer takes the blame for over a quarter of deaths annually in the UK, with a cancer diagnosis every two minutes. In the UK, there are 27 new cases of pancreatic cancer every day, making it the eleventh most common cancer. In general, one in five adults diagnosed with pancreatic cancer survive their cancer for a year or more, reflecting the need for new and improved methods of treatment.

A deep-water sponge, belonging to the genus Leiodermatium, produces an anti-cancer chemical that goes by the name Leiodermatolide. Causes of cancer are mostly unknown but involve some sort of damage to the cell cycle, which is where cells divide and reproduce to stay healthy and allow bodily

functions to run without a hitch.

But malfunctions in the cell cycle can mean cells divide without restraint, forming tumours.

Tumours can migrate around the body or remain where they are, either way causing problems.

In these sponges, isolated Leiodermatolide has been found to stop the division of cells during tumour growth by interfering with the process. Researchers in Florida found that cancer cell death was induced by Leiodermatolide in mice with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Cancer takes the blame for over a quarter of deaths annually Not only that, but Leiodermatolide also shows selectivity towards cancer cells, so won’t impact any healthy cells along the way, which can happen in other treatments including chemotherapy. Significant tumour reduction was seen in the mice, showing a promising future for the treatment in further trials

and eventually humans.

But these are not the only sponges to show anti-cancer properties - a synthetic analogue of a compound from marine sponges has been licensed in America to treat recurrent metastatic breast cancer. The compound Eribulin is a synthetic analogue of halichondrin B, which is naturally produced in marine sponges, and works similarly to Leiodermatolide to stop cancer cell division and tumour formation. Phase II trials are underway for its use in pancreatic cancer as well as breast cancer.

The disovery of chemicals that can reduce tumour growth opens the door for targeted cancer therapies that may be less debilitating than currently available treatments. Where Leiodermatolide is concerned, further elucidation of its mechanism of action in cells is needed before treatments can be developed and trialled but with its promising tumour reduction in mice and selectivity for cancer cells, it seems sponges might hold at least some answers to cancer treatment.

13

PALATINATE | Thursday 23rd January 2020

SciTech

Climate change and bushfires - are they linked?

Hannah Goldswain SciTech Editor This summer season for Australia has brought unprecedented heat, prolonged droughts and strong winds, fostering the perfect environment for the bush fires that are raging across Queensland and New South Wales.

Killing 28 people and destroying 3000 homes so far, fires have engulfed an area around 17.9 million square acres, and the season is still only halfway through.

Bush fires are a natural phenomenon in Australia and have been for years with many natural causes such as lightning strikes.

But with global temperatures on the rise and Australia having the hottest day on record there since 1920 at 41.9°C, 1°C hotter than 100 years ago - can climate change be to blame?

Can we stop climate change?

With politics and climate change intertwining in recent years, the lines become blurred as to what is exact science and what is opinion on events. However, scientists say that the interaction of climate change and weather events is complex, as it’s

difficult to solely put an event, such as a bush fire, down to climate change. But overall trends suggest that climate change is a contributing factor.

Conditions caused by climate change, such as increased temperatures and extended periods of drought have exacerbated the effects of the bush fires, increasing their intensity and duration, and scientists warn if rising temperatures continue then extreme weather patterns will only get worse.

cording to a UN report in 2019, the continent is not on track to achieve this. To make matters worse, America, one of the leading global polluters, pulled out of the deal in 2017.

Globally the average surface temperature has risen by 0.9°C in 100 years, with most of the increase occurring in the past

35 years, pointing to human effects contributing to the warming, such as increased greenhouse gas emissions that trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere.

Not only are polar ice caps seeing the effect of this through increased melting and sea-level rise, but at the opposite end of the scale there is increased drought

leading to fires, not just in Australia but globally.

The Paris Agreement is focussed on reducing the global rise in temperature this century to below 1.5°C, but with a temperature increase of 1°C already having catastrophic global effects, will this be enough to mitigate climate change?

Overall trends suggest climate change is a contributing factor Fires in New South Wales and Queensland have never been seen to such an extent, especially so early in the season, and it is thought that the driest spring since records began in Australia has had an effect on this, which correlates to global warming playing a role.

But if climate change is already having a drastic effect- can we stop it now? Australia’s target under the Paris Agreement - a global deal to reduce climate change - is for a 26-28% reduction in emissions by 2030, which has been criticised as not enough and ac-

Nearly half a billion animals have been killed in the fires (Image by Samantha Fulton)

First British astronaut says aliens are here Ewan Jones SciTech Editor According to the famous story, Enrico Fermi and three of his fellow physicists were having lunch at the Los Alamos laboratory when Fermi suddenly exclaimed “where is everybody?”. After getting over the shock of his out-

(Image by Amber Conway)

burst, the four began discussing the subject of his puzzlement: where are all the aliens?

His argument is as follows: the Milky Way has billions of Sun-like stars, and there is a high probability some have Earth-like planets suitable for the evolution of intelligent life. Given that many of these similar stars are billions of years older than the Sun, and even with the frustrating speed-

limit set by light, intelligent civilisations should have had plenty of time to develop interstellar travel and reach Earth. So where are they?

According to the first British astronaut, Helen Sharman, it’s possible that aliens are “here right now and we simply can’t see them”. Speaking to The Observer, Sharman remarked that “aliens exist, there’s no two ways about

it”, with a justification Fermi would be proud of, that “there are so many billions of stars out there in the universe that there must be all sorts of different forms of life”.

These forms, however, may not be made up of the stuff of Earth life, carbon and nitrogen, but could be formed from completely foreign chemistry, such as the popular example of silicon-based life. the Milky Way has billions of Sun-like stars, and there is a high probability some have Earth-like planets suitable for the evolution of intelligent life Silicon, like carbon, has the potential to form four covalent bonds with other atoms, which is the basic requirement for an element to take the form of a ‘building block of life’. In fact, in 2016, researchers at Caltech were able to breed a bacteria capable of making bonds with silicon, the first example of this process being performed by an organism.

These non-carbon-based lifeforms could potentially exist as a microbial ‘shadow biosphere’, passing right under our noses as we frantically search for beings that fit our anthropic view of what constitutes ‘life’.

If there is a plethora of life

formed from different chemical elements, Dr Frank Drake would probably be overjoyed. He pioneered the famous ‘Drake Equation’, which uses a number of estimates for factors contributing to the development of intelligent civilisations to estimate the total number of these civilisations in the Milky Way with which we could potentially communicate.

The equation contains such components as “average rate of star formation”, “fraction of planets that could support life that then go on to develop it”, and “length of time for these civilisations to release signals into space”, in addition to others.

“Aliens exist, there’s no two ways about it” Once each constant is derived, the equation comes to an estimate of 1000 to 100,000,000 intelligent, communication-friendly civilisations in our galaxy. Many critics claim this number is a massive overestimate, but if Helen Sharman’s ‘shadow biosphere’ exists, perhaps Drake was spot on with his estimate of a galaxy teeming with life, and the answer to Fermi’s famous question is that we just can’t see them?

This year we’re proud to introduce the brand new Kingsgate Bar and Café, which offers great coffee, fresh food, and comfy seating for studying or study breaks.

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13/09/2019 14:38:11

PALATINATE | Thursday 23rd January 2020

15

Politics

Iran crisis: is Trudeau a figure of peace?

Marina Mestres Segarra Following a series of unforeseeable events since the January 3rd assassination of Iranian military official Qassem Soleimani by a US drone strike, and the accidental, yet admittedly Iranian-caused plane crash five days later, the spotlight now rests on Justin Trudeau, and the intricate task that lies ahead of him.

The Canadian Prime Minister must now balance expressing anger towards Iran and President Trump (which he hasn’t quite done yet) for their responsibility in failing to avoid conflict, and keeping composure to ensure the safe repatriation of victims’ bodies and to maintain Canada’s key position in the investigation.

Since the incident, Trudeau has been purposefully deflecting questions regarding the blame Trump bears Since the incident, Trudeau has been purposefully deflecting questions regarding the blame Trump bears on the whole catastrophe, focusing in media reports

on expressing his condolences for the Canadian lives lost. In his most revealing interview to date, on Monday 13th January, he hinted resentment towards Washington; he also seemed to reflect the sentiment of other US allies who felt undermined by the unilaterality of the actions taken.

It is unclear how the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Iran and Canada will affect the situation So, what do we know so far?

After initially denying having had any implication in the crash, Iran admitted to having confused flight PS752 for a US fighter, thus shooting it down during a firing of ballistic missiles at two bases holding US military forces, and some Canadian soldiers, in Iraq.

176 people were killed, including 138 residents of Canada Two entire families, many young people, children, students and a PhD candidate fighting for the rights of indigenous people, all perished. Tributes were held on the 15th of January across the country, with many more still to come.

The families of the victims and all Canadians want answers’,

stated the Canadian Prime Minister in a heartfelt message. “I was answers. That means closure, transparency, accountability and justice - and this governmen will not rest until we get that.”

Yet until the results of the investigation come through, the nature of this ‘justice’ will remain unknown. Besides Iran’s Foreign Minister’s apology for the ‘human error’ and general Amir Ali Hajizadeh sharing that: “When [he] learned about this error [he] wished to die”, followed by the arrest of several people, few details are confirmed, and Iran is

not known for engaging itself in probation of such depth. The TSB has now confirmed Canada and Iran’s key role in the investigation.

Will Canada appeal to the United Nations to hold Iran accountable?

It is unclear how the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Iran and Canada will affect the situation.

As it stands, the only public action has been forming an international working group to share data and coordinate a response to the plane crash, which involves representatives from Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan and the UK.

Boris Johnson phrased his sup wr cooperation in the following way: ‘We can all see very clearly that further conflict will only lead to more loss and tragedy. It is vital that all leaders now pursue a diplomatic way forward.”

Specifics remain either hidden or unknown, but what is sure is that the events that have marked the start of the new decade have scarred our political sphere, angered many and have shown us the importance that diplomacy and conflict deterrence have in maintaining justice.

(NATO via Creative Commons)

Johnson won’t ‘lament’ cold-shoulder from Trump

Oscar A. Duffy Sophie Farmer On 3rd January 2020, as the world was just recovering from the beginning of a new year, the United States launched an unprecedented attack on Iran, assassinating General Qassem Solemaini, and sparking a brief escalation of tension.

Much has been said about this incident, from the legality to the moral justification.

The consequences have been much broader than simply aggression from either government, with

(Ministereie Van Buitenlandse Zaken via Creative Commons) the Iranian people themselves muted nature of the response. launching protests against Ayatol- As one of the US’ biggest allies, lah Khamenei. Yet what has not he could justifiably take umbrage been analysed as much is the ef- at not being notified of the atfects of this crisis on the UK and its tack, but unlike France and Gerforeign policy. many, Johnson was quieter in his response, commenting that he Johnson campaigned would not “lament” the assassiA New York Times piece hard on an increased part- nation. attributes this to the balancing nership with America act that the UK needs to carry out post-Brexit. Johnson campaigned For Boris Johnson, this is a real hard on an increased partnership test following his election vic- with America, and indeed, the retory. The fact that he took so long sponse paints a picture of the UK to respond was a stumble, how- fully backing the USA rather than ever the noteworthy point is the taking the more sceptical Euro-

pean view. Recent developments have blurred this somewhat.

The government is trying to balance a closer relationship with the US whilst keeping itself at the heart of European political life.

Only time will tell if Johnson will be able to have his cake and eat it too.

Yet the implications for the UK also extend further than diplomatic intricacies. For the last few years, the government’s dispute with Iran had implications on the struggle to free Nazanin ZaghariRatcliffe, who was accused of spying in 2016. Iran’s inflamed view of western power now has severe consequences for prisoners.

Johnson’s political game may be serving him in the political arena for now, but it spells disaster for Nazanin, who now faces even less chance of freedom.

For Boris Johnson, this is a real test following his election victory En-route to a Brussels conference on the Iranian crisis on 7th January, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab asserted that the UK government wanted to ‘de-escalate the tensions’ though acknowledging the hypothetical outcome of a

‘full-blown war’. Indeed, Britain’s ‘keep calm and carry on’ mentality seemingly remains at the forefront of international affairs, given that, realistically, the UK could not bear the possibility of a war. With the political uncertainties of Brexit posing as an obstacle for trade, it is imperative that the UK maintain bonds with potential trade partners. For this a stable economy and post-Brexit plan is desirable, as opposed to an engaged conflict with Iran.

What would be the worst possible outcome? History has shown us that wars take their toll on all socio-economic levels. Whitehall figures in 2010 revealed that between April 2001 and March 2010, £20.34 billion was spent on the war with Iraq and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, young people in the UK are currently protected from conscription (compulsory military service) so any fears circulating of being ‘drafted’ are at present unwarranted. But we should remember that conscription has been implemented in the past; both British men and women in World War Two were eventually conscripted.

Across the Pond, US males aged between 18 to 25 years old, on the other hand, would be liable to the Selective Service System in the event of a full-blown war.

Thursday 23rd January 2020| PALATINATE

16

Politics

Who should be the next Labour leader?

Samira Ahmed: 1 BBC: 0

Patrick Digby On January 10th 2020 Samira Ahmed won her discrimination case against the BBC at the London Central Employment Tribunal. Mrs Ahmed’s lawyers successfully argued that her work on ‘Newswatch’ was sufficiently similar to that done by Jeremy Vine on “Points of View” between 2008 and 2018, and as such, she is entitled to be paid the same as him.

For women in the media, this judgement is undoubtedly a big step forward This is the latest blow to the BBC, which has been plagued by a series of scandals in recent years, including criticism relating to the gender pay gap revealed when it published lists of all those earning over £150,000 a year. In that episode, Carrie Gracie, then China editor for the BBC, resigned after learning she earned less than the male Middle East and North America editors Jeremy Bowen and Jon Sopel. Ms Gracie took to Twitter to say she “could not be more proud” of Mrs Ahmed after the verdict was announced.

The larger implications of this ruling are yet to be seen, but it is clear that it is an important ruling for women working at the BBC and in UK media more generally.

The BBC should take a conciliatory approach and settle any similar cases quickly, generously and quietly, if it wants to move on and come out of this case with minimal reputational damage. Whether they will do so is yet to be seen.

The BBC is also in the crosshairs of Downing Street due to Boris Johnson’s refusal to be interviewed

by Andrew Neil, with the government reportedly wanting to scrap the license fee. As such, it is going to need every bit of public support it can get to weather the coming storm.

This judgement is undoubtedly a big step forward, giving hope to the 20 or so other cases that the National Union of Journalists said are in the works against the BBC regarding unequal pay. In a wider sense, it’s a positive move towards truly equal pay between genders.

Mrs Ahmed will continue to host Newswatch.

Despite this eight of the top ten earners in 2018-19 were male, with only Claudia Winkleman and Zoe Ball taking eighth and ninth place respectively.

The Durham University Labour Club give their view on the current leadership race.

In your own words, who is the strongest candidate in the Labour leadership contest?

Equally, who is the weakest?

‘Get Brexit Done’ leaves us waiting Charles Kershaw The December General Election might have been one of the important elections in our lifetimes. It gave the public a decisive say about Brexit and the future of the country.

What happened, however, is not what a lot of people expected - the Conservatives obtained a surprisingly large majority, gaining 47 seats, with the Liberal Democrats losing one. The SNP gained a shocking 13, and Labour lost a catastroph-

(Bluebottle71 via Creative Commons)

ic 59, making this their worst defeat since 1983.

While the Tories might be celebrating their victory, everyone else is asking the same question - what happened?

Much speculation has been made about the quality of opposition. Many have questioned whether Corbyn was the right leader, amidst concerns of antisemitism within the party, and over fears that his manifesto was too radical. While the Lib Dems did increase their share of the vote, some have argued that they suffered due to their

actions during the Conservative coalition, such as voting for austerity and raising tuition fees.

However, one issue stands above the rest that largely explains the success of the Tories and the failure of Labour and the other parties. Ipsos Mori’s regular survey showed that voters’ main concern in this election was Brexit. Given that it has been such a divisive issue, and negotiations have dragged on longer than expected, Boris Johnson was smart to make sure his slogan “Get Brexit Done” was an unforgettable part of his campaign. This

allowed him to galvanise support from areas of the country that would not usually vote Conservative such as former Labour strongholds in the North, where people likely felt that Labour’s stance, which had changed from negotiating a soft Brexit to securing a deal within 3 months and then putting it to a referendum, was not clear or decisive enough.

That being said, when it comes to the share of the vote, Pro-Remain parties gained a greater portion than Pro-Brexit parties, at 52.67% to 47.33%.

As Scotland largely voted to remain in 2016, this would also explain the votes gained by the SNP, a Remain party. It seems that while Brexit is still a key issue, the splitting of the vote between various Remain parties and the nature of our electoral system may also have played a key part in this election.

It may be hard to state an exact cause of this result, but it is clear that Labour and other opposition parties have their work cut out for them when it comes to tackling such a large Tory majority in the upcoming Brexit negotiations.

Five candidates have managed to get through the first stage of the process at this point, so it’s looking like a crowded field so far. What’s interesting about this election is the diversity of the candidates’ political positions, and it’s good to see so many women standing for both the leadership and deputy leadership this time. The Club can’t support any candidates at this point, it’ll be up to our members to vote for who we should endorse at a meeting next month.

Which candidate is most likely to change the direction of the Labour Party?

Arguably Rebecca Long-Bailey would represent the most similar positions to the last five years of leadership, being from the left of the party and the architect of much of the party’s industrial policies. At the other end Jess Phillips would be the candidate most aligned with the right of the party, so she would probably change the direction the most, with the other three candidates (Starmer, Nandy and Thornberry) representing different levels of agreement with the last five years.

How important a role will Brexit pose in the leadership contest?

It won’t necessarily be about Brexit itself, but rather more about how much of a role Brexit played in our defeat at the General Election, and what should be done to win back the particular voters we lost. There might be some debate about our continued opposition to the government’s Brexit approach and our possible position on the EU in the future, but at this point it seems likely the focus will be on winning back support.

PALATINATE | Thursday 23rd January 2020

17

Politics

Northern Ireland : a victory with a sour taste not restored by October. As this deadline passed and this week’s announcement came, leading campaigner John O’Doherty of “Love Equality”, one of the biggest advocacy groups for LGBT rights in Northern Ireland, said this “marks an enormous step forward for LGBT+ people”.

But why does this victory leave a sour taste?

Ronan Burke In the North, we often joked that crossing the border from the Republic of Ireland was like entering a time machine back to the 19th century. Same-sex marriage? Illegal. Abortion? Illegal. Until 2019, our abortion legislation dated from 1861, 60 years before Northern Ireland even existed.

This week, momentous changes came as it was announced that six years after being legal in the rest of the UK, and five years after receiving a 53-52 majority in Stormont, Northern Irish same-sex couples are now free to marry.

Since 2015, the DUP have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at preventing its legalisation But what took so long? Well, if you want a glimpse of the 19th century, look at our most popular party, the DUP. Their opposition to same-sex marriage rights is that they “redefine” marriage, with former DUP min-

sive, meaningful changes, as we celebrate this momentous victory for human rights in the North, we must not stop there. With three of the biggest churches in Northern Ireland explicitly saying they won’t perform same-sex marriage ceremonies, the rights of same-sex couples are still not set in stone.

The fight for human rights in Northern Ireland has just begun

ister Jim Wells infamously saying “Peter will not marry Paul in Northern Ireland”. Wells made even Piers Morgan look liberal by criticizing the introduction of same-sex dance couples on Strictly on Good Morning Britain.

First, they used their veto known as the ‘petition of concern’ to prevent legislation passing, despite it receiving a majority in Stormont. Second, after losing 10 seats in the 2017 Assembly elec-

(NICVA via Creative Commons) tion, thus removing their ability to block such legislation, the DUP played a large part in sustaining a political deadlock that shut Stormont down for three years, only re-opening last Sunday. Samesex marriage was one of their main ‘red lines’ in negotiation.

Amidst the deadlock, in July 2019, MPs backed amendments which required that same-sex marriage (and abortion) laws be extended to NI if devolution was

While we have finally achieved equal rights for same-sex couples, this victory feels imposed on us by Westminster, rather than agreed to. It didn’t come about in our Assembly, by our politicians or for the most part, our votes.

South of the Border, the Republic has made this and other such progressive changes through referenda, while we rely heavily on those sitting on Westminster benches. A reliance which, many hoped, was a thing of the past.

If Northern Ireland wants to make more truly progres-

Modi’s Citizenship Amendment Act attracts criticism Patrick Digby Even by India’s high standards, the political climate in the world’s largest democracy is currently tumultuous. On December 9th, the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Narendra Modi, introduced the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) which duly passed through both houses in two days; quicker than its dissenters could say “lack of legislative oversight”.

This latest controversy comes as part of a pattern of rising Hindu nationalism and aggression towards Muslims The CAA has been presented by the BJP as a humanitarian law which gives refuge to persecuted minorities by allowing them Indian citizenship. However, opponents have highlighted many flaws in the law and the stated reasons behind it.

Firstly, the CAA only applies to migrants who have been in India since 2014, have fled from either Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan and who are members of one of the following religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism and Zoroastrianism. Therefore, the CAA has

created a religious criterion in a path to Indian citizenship, which not only deliberately persecutes Muslims by omission (despite Islam being India’s second largest religion with appoximately 200 million followers) but also clearly violates India’s secular constitution. As such, the law has been denounced by, amongst many others, the UN Human Rights Office, the EU’s ambassador to India and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

That includes the abolition of the special status granted to Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir for the last 70 years, in August 2019. The area is now under direct control from Delhi, which has packed it with troops who have placed its political leaders under house arrest and cut off the internet.

The CAA only applies to migrants who have been in India since 2014 The reaction to the CAA has been unprecedentedly strong, with the submission to the Supreme Court of 60 petitions to annul the law and widespread protests and counter-protests over the last few weeks, some of which have been violent. A particularly nasty incident oc-

cured on January 5th at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), a hotbed of opposition to the BJP. Incidents like this are likely to continue. It is clear to all that

Mr Modi has been emboldened by his landslide majority in May 2019. However, the protests he has unleashed across the country with the CAA are likely to, at

least for the time being, seriously dent his popularity and reputation. He should tread more carefully, if he wants a third term.

Thursday 23rd January 2020 | PALATINATE

18

Sport Sport

Will the real Santiago Muñez please stand up?

15 years after the release of Goal!, screenwriter and producer Mike Jefferies tells all about the making of the cult film Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero Sport Editor The cult of the Goal! films came full circle when Brazilian forward Kenedy was presented as a Newcastle United player in the January transfer window of 2017. Having signed on loan from Chelsea, the youngster was asked how much he knew about the club. “I know a bit about the history of some players and I also watched a movie called Goal! – it was good.”

Other Newcastle players past and present have cited the film’s influence in interviews.

Current midfielder Isaac Hayden lists it as one of his favourites growing up, while it was one of the reasons Toon legend Jonas Gutierrez had heard of the club before moving to St James’s Park.

“It makes people want to play for Newcastle,” Papiss Cisse said when he watched it a year after joining the Magpies.

Then life imitated art when Miguel Almiron signed for a club record £21 million fee from Atlanta United. A young Latin American player making a dream move from the US to the Premier League and winning over the Geordie faithful in the process was always likely to draw comparisons with Santiago Muñez, the star of the trilogy.

Santiago Muñez has become a byword for the best player Newcastle never had.

For those who are lost, Goal! follows the story of Muñez, an amateur Mexican footballer living in Los Angeles who dreams of making it as a professional.

He gets his chance when an ex-Newcastle player spots him playing for his local team and sets up a trial for him at his old club. With cameos from a number of real players including Alan Shearer, the first film centres around his attempts to prove himself in English football and adapt to life in the north-east while dealing with all the pitfalls a young footballer usually faces.

It is a film which evokes fond memories for football fans of a certain age for whom Santiago Muñez has become a byword for the best player Newcastle never had. The final scene sees him lining up a free-kick in the dying minutes of a game against Liverpool, knowing a goal in

front of a packed-out St James’s Park will secure Champions League qualification. It is a far cry from where Newcastle find themselves now, in the bottom half of the Premier League with a threadbare squad and a manager forced to prioritise defence over attack.

Would Santiago Muñez be able to save Newcastle now?

“No, of course not,” laughs Mike Jefferies, the film’s producer. “It’s heart-breaking in one sense because I think all football fans outside of Sunderland want Newcastle United to be healthy and competitive. ” The story behind Goal! is almost as dramatic as the plot itself. As a diehard Liverpool fan who even fronted a bid to purchase the club in 2004, Jefferies was determined to write a football story for the big screen. But he was resigned to producing the film with archrivals Manchester United, having pitched it to his boyhood club with no success. That was before a last-minute bid from Newcastle’s chairman Freddy Shepherd came in as Jefferies was driving home from one of United’s preseason games on their tour of the US. “I was about half an hour from home when the phone rang, and this voice said, ‘Is that Michael Jefferies?’ It was an unknown number, and he says, ‘It’s Freddy Shepherd’ and I was like ‘Yeah, pull the other one’. He goes ‘No, no, no, I’m here in America, in Las Vegas with [Newcastle vicechairman] Douglas Hall. We’ve been hearing about your movie and understand you’re getting very close to making the film with Manchester United – is that true?’

And he says, ‘I’ve got three words for you: fook Man United.’”

Shepherd and Hall said they would fly to Los Angeles to meet him and see if the north-east club could “gazump Man United”. The sports pages in the UK speculated Newcastle’s directors were in California to finalise the sale of midfielder Kieron Dyer to the Manchester club. Jefferies jumped at the chance to make a film with a club who weren’t Man United.

But the producer was also drawn to the club’s attacking ethos and the north-east’s unique football culture. “Newcastle’s heritage, and our perception of the Newcastle football club’s heritage and values, has always been positive. I think all football fans like Newcastle United, particularly after what [Kevin] Keegan did there with the

Mike Jefferies (R) with Kuno Becker, who played the film’s protagonist (Mike Jefferies)

philosophy to go and score five goals and it doesn’t matter if you let four in, as long as you get the three points.”

Jefferies tells a number of stories about filming the trilogy which seem unbelievable.

In the case of the sequel, where Santiago Muñez makes a bigmoney move to join Real Madrid, it led to some surreal encounters – not least flying on the team jet to Barcelona for El Clasico.

Jefferies also recalls the moment he had to explain the project to the Galacticos in a hotel.

“There’s a knock on the door and it’s David Beckham. I sit down and talk to him for about an hour and a half about what we’re planning to do and how we’ll be involving the Real Madrid players.

He left, 20 minutes later there was a knock on the door and it was [Zinedine] Zidane. He came in with his manager or agent and I did the same thing, just yapped to him. And then he left, then 20 minutes later there’s a knock on the door and it’s Raul. And it was that type of access.”

There were massive challenges in the making of the films, though, not least the fact that Santiago Muñez couldn’t play football. Or rather Kuno Becker, the actor who played him, couldn’t. Jefferies remembers leaving him with Freddy Shepherd’s son Kenneth on his first evening in Newcastle, who took him to play football with his friends.

“I’m coming back from my dinner meeting in London to my hotel and Kenneth calls me. He

says ‘Are you joking? This kid is never playing the lead actor in Goal!, you’re kidding me, right?’

So I didn’t sleep that night and got the first flight, I think 6am or something, from Heathrow up to Newcastle. I went straight to the training ground, and I texted [Kuno] telling him to put his kit on, to bring his boots, and that we were going to have a knockabout: him, me, [then-Newcastle coaches] Graeme Souness and Dean Saunders.

“We spread out in a square and Graeme boots the ball over to me, and, thank god, for once in my life I managed to trap it on my chest, bring it down and play this not embarrassing ball for Dean Saunders. I’m just getting over the elation of that when Dean passes a very gentle ball to Kuno, who misses it. And then turns around and chases after the ball.

“There’s a knock on the door and it’s David Beckham. 20 minutes later there was a knock and it was Zidane.”

“And when he gets to the ball, what does he do? If you’re comfortable playing football, you’d put your foot on the ball, turn around and hoof it back to one of the three. He picked it up.

At that point, I just wanted to go to the toilet. I knew we were in a lot of trouble.”

By far the biggest challenge, however, was the one which all sports films face: how to replicate the real drama we see on our

screens every weekend. Jefferies thinks that is a big part of the reason why there has been a dearth of fictional, big-budget football films in the 15 years since the first Goal! film was released.

“We get so much drama through the football we get 45 weeks of every year on TV, seven days a week,” he says. “How do you overcome all the technical challenges and make something that’s compelling and is going to get bums on seats? To compete with that is very, very challenging.

“And I think that’s probably one of the reasons that people that have looked at football in Hollywood or entities like Netflix or whoever, have thought ‘nah’ and have decided, in the case of Netflix or Amazon, to invest in fly-on-the-wall documentaries, to further exploit the drama that you get from the real deal rather than coming up with something fictitious.”

Despite all that, Jefferies is proud of what he achieved with the Goal! saga – the fact that players and fans still reference the first film 15 years later points to its enduring appeal.

“At the end of the day I think it’s a pretty good film,” he says.

“It was never going to win an Oscar and we had a limited budget – we could have done a lot more with 300 million than 30 million in terms of special effects and making everything look believable. But there’s only so much you can do with the money that you have.”

PALATINATE | Thursday 23rd January 2020

19

Sport

College sport at the half-way stage

DUAFC set for huge final-day charity six-pointer

Matt Styles Deputy Sport Editor We have reached the halfway mark in the 2019/20 season and things are heating up. Across the board it is proving once again to be a thoroughly engrossing and unpredictable landscape: be it on the crumb, the track or the courts.

One constant, however, is the dominance of Collingwood who have topped the points table for eight years running and look well on course to win it for a ninth successive time. They sit top by some distance and their lead is virtually unassailable already, having racked up 1,883 points so far with Grey and Josephine Butler in joint second on 980.

Let us begin on the courts where college squash has seen a growing participation this season. So far Collingwood A and Van Mildert A have been untouchable at the summit of the men’s table, which means their clash next month will likely determine who wins the league this year. Meanwhile Hild Bede A are leading the way in the women’s Premiership, though a substantial chasing pack in the form of Collingwood A, Grey A and John’s A, who have each won all of their opening five games, will no doubt apply serious pressure until the end.

In netball, like in table tennis, Collingwood are predictably dominant and look well on course to defend their crown, with their last loss in the league coming all the way back in February 2018. Things are not so certain for Collingwood in the futsal, however, as the men will be aiming to shake off a stubborn outfit in the form of Van Mildert A if they are to defend the league title.

Things are equally uncertain in men’s hockey, with four teams battling it out at the top of the Premiership: Hild Bede A, Collingwood A, Grey A and Van Mildert A. In stark contrast Collingwood A look out of sight in the women’s, as they are four points clear having played two games less than second-placed Hatfield.

Full Report continued online...

DUAFC are looking to make the eight-team national play-offs and a win over Northumbria would secure their place (Bernadette Wang)

Hector Pearce Deputy Sport Editor Durham University Association Football Club will continue their contribution to Team Durham’s ongoing commitment to Sport in Action with a charity football match for their men’s first team against local rivals Northumbria University on Wednesday 29th January.

This clash of northern rivals marks the final game of the regular BUCS season and doubles as an important charitable occasion with significant competitive ramifications.

A campaign of high points and narrow losses has left the team in fourth place – the final play-off place – of the six-team Premier North on 11 points.

Northumbria, two points and

one place behind Durham but with a vastly inferior goal difference, will be looking to upstage the hosts in the last game of the regular season to secure a place in the eight-team national play-offs.

To add to the importance of the occasion, the women’s first team also play Northumbria in a titledecider on the same day.

The men’s match marks one of many charity events run by Team Durham throughout this academic year.

This clash of northern rivals marks the final game of the regular BUCS season The Perfect Day Foundation, a charity which donates to worthy causes throughout Zambia, most notably Sport in Action, was established in 2008 to ensure that

“friendships formed on the sports field of Zambia will develop to benefit further generations of sports people”.

As mentioned, the charity works closely with Sport in Action, promoting leadership, education, and HIV/AIDS awareness through sport.

Charity is an increasingly central part of sport at Durham University, and Team Durham’s continued support of Sport in Action has so far raised over £1,100 to help fund sports equipment for sites across Zambia’s capital, Lusaka.

Indeed, this support is emblematic of Team Durham’s stimulation through sport ethos, ensuring positive development within programs that engage and work with youth communities.

By drawing on the popularity and profile of football at Dur-

ham for a charitable purpose, the match represents a chance to not only support the club and University, but also to illustrate the standard of football at both DU and college level.

The event also promises to have a great atmosphere and a big crowd, especially as Northumbria claim that they will be bringing a large travelling contingent down from Tyneside.

The Durham Divas, the University’s cheerleading team, are also set to perform at half-time, thus increasing the extent to which Team Durham’s sporting prowess will be on show.

A £3 donation constitutes the entry fee and will also ensure entry to Players nightclub after the game. These donations can be made at the Bill Bryson Library beforehand or on the gate itself on Wednesday.

Durham Palatinates prepare for Trophy final Tim Sigsworth Sport Editor Continued from back page And although the Palatinates won against their final opponents in the league on Saturday, the tie is far from a dead rubber. Notwithstanding the differences between cup

and league fixtures, let alone between cup final and league fixtures, the Suns occupy third place in the league and have only lost once all season.

To counter their opponents’ self-evident quality, Durham, as ever, will be looking to their key, in-form players to put in strong performances.

So far this season, Fong Lyew

Quee, Dee Hayward and Caroline Ceazer have amassed admirable points per game scores of 13.8, 13.0 and 12.6 respectively, while Kara Elderkin and Megan Campbell lead the way in terms of average total rebounds with 8.1 and 7.6 each.

Hayward and Fong Lyew Quee are also the team’s major contributors in terms of assists,

with respective assists per game scores of 5.3 and 4.2.

The women’s final, as well as the men’s, will be shown live on the BBC Sport website and app, via the BBC iPlayer and via BBC Red Button. The games will also be available on demand via the BBC iPlayer for 30 days thereafter.

Tip-off is at midday in the biggest game of the Palatinates’

Sport

Thursday 23rd January 2020 | PALATINATE

DU men’s football prepare for decisive charity match A win against Northumbria University will seal their play-off place (page 19)

Will the real Santiago Muñez please stand up?

An exclusive interview with Goal! producer and screenwriter Mike Jefferies (page 18)

Basketball team prepare for second BUCS Trophy final Tim Sigsworth

Sport Editor

DURFC 1XV top BUCS Super Rugby Alana Ker Mercer Deputy Sport Editor Durham University Rugby Football Club head into the second half of the 2019/20 season sitting comfortably at the top of the BUCS Super Rugby league.

The men’s team’s impressive victories against the likes of Swansea (36-7), Hartpury (257) and Cardiff (26-5) have demonstrated the club’s might on the pitch, thwarting opposition chances while establishing a real presence on their own score-line.

Now the squad turn their attention to the second half of the season with a focus on claiming the title of BUCS Super Rugby champions. This achievement would demonstrate the effort performed both on and off the pitch by the entirety of the club, pulling together the determination and time spent by players, coaches, physios and supporters alike on developing a dominant team.

Those on the DURFC first XV sacrifice an immense amount

of time and effort to stand a chance of dominating the field.

Players undergo three weekly strength and conditioning sessions, two on-field training sessions and one weekly BUCS game in a schedule which is difficult to fit in alongside the regular University timetable but produces players capable of impressive organisation and drive physically and academically.

Captain Ben Fowles identifies the commitment performed by players, with the squad working throughout the recent break. By being “kept to a strict strength and conditioning routine” so they might “hit the January pre-season running”, the squad are now “fitter than ever” and ready to “face business” for this second half of the season, hungry for further success and to claim the trophy.

DURFC have also been prolific off the field, with a successful term of fundraising for multiple charities and the DURFC community. Club members helped raise an impressive £2,716 for the Movember Foundation, a global organisa-

tion committed to changing the face of men’s health. In addition, they raised a further £2,000 for Cardiac Risk in the Young.

But even more impressive is the incredible £5,572 raised for Sport Action Zambia by last term’s charity match. Further charitable efforts include support for the HALO charity, an organisation aimed at developing awareness for crimes against women and female genital mutilation.

Combined, the efforts produced by the entirety of the DURFC community and their supporters resulted in a tremendous total of £10,288 raised for a variety of charities and concerns in just one term.

This achievement is one that they wish to maintain, with DURFC standing dually at the top of their BUCS league and as the largest charitable donors of all Team Durham sports squads.

URFC are also looking to improve and develop their relationship with the local community.

Opportunities have recently been given to children from local rugby clubs to “show off their skills”

during half-time at some of the most competitive home games.

In addition, first XV player Charlie Spawforth has given talks and coaching sessions at many schools within county Durham, promoting the sport and identifying the many different pathways that lead to professional rugby.

One of these pathways has been fully grasped by player Jack Hill. Having been selected to train and compete amongst Scotland’s U20 squad, Hill stands as a representative for the BUCS pathway which allows a university player to be carried through to the next level. DURFC’s coach identifies BUCS as now “standing as a real viable route” for those wishing to develop their rugby to national and international level alongside a degree.

DURFC will face Cardiff for their first game in the second half of the season on home turf. With a 6:30pm kick-off on Wednesday 29 January at Durham City Rugby Football Club, the squad hope to pick up pace from where they left off.

Durham Palatinates, the university’s elite women’s basketball team, will play in their second successive Women’s British Basketball League Trophy final on Sunday 26 January.

In last year’s final, they were narrowly defeated 76-74 by Leicester Riders in Glasgow, and they will be looking to go one step further and lift the trophy in Birmingham this time around.

The Palatinates are in good form, having ended 2019 in faultless fashion with defeats of Caledonia Pride in the league and Oaklands Wolves in the Trophy quarter-finals as well as an impressive 81-74 win on the road at high-flying Nottingham Wildcats.

Those three victories were enough to see coach Lee Davie named the WBBL coach of the month for December, and his side have started the new year just as they finished the last.

On 4 January, in a Trophy semi-final match which was Davie’s 50th as a WBBL playcaller, Durham pulled off a remarkable comeback to seal their place in the final with a 79-72 victory over Sheffield Hatters.

Down by thirteen points with five minutes to play, a last-dash go-ahead three-pointer from Nicolette Fong Lyew Quee turned the tie around and helped to ensure the Hatters had no time to stage a counter-comeback.

A week later, they returned to league action with an 82-37 demolition of Oakland Wolves − a team they had defeated once already in the Trophy − before following that with a tightly-fought 74-87 loss to Sevenoaks Suns on Saturday.

This spell of results has lifted them to seventh in the 12-team Women’s British Basketball League, and they will play Sevenoaks once again in the Trophy final this coming Sunday.

Continued on p. 19