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Anxiety, frustration, and solidarity:

Level 4 Physics vivas cancelled as students share mixed reactions to marking boyco

Nicole Ireland, Becks Fleet and Emily Doughty News Editors and Editor-in-Chief

As the University and College Union (UCU)’s national marking and assessment boyco begins, Durham University has told students to study and submit work as usual. However, it has been revealed that the Department of Physics have chosen to cancel all level 4 Physics vivas impacting students in their fourth year of study.

The viva voce, commonly known as the ‘viva’, is an oral exam taken by level 4 students in which they are assessed on their understanding of the ideas and theories in their work, and to ensure all work is their own. It is conducted at the end of the 4th year research project, with the module itself being worth 50% of the year.

In an email to all level 4 Physics students, the department stated that “As it is highly likely that at least half of the L4 project interviews (‘vivas’) will not take

place because of the marking and assessment boyco , we have decided that the fairest approach is to cancel all the L4 vivas. We will not be rescheduling them later.

“Obviously, this means that a component of your marks will be missing. Boards of Examiners have long-established ways of mitigating for missing marks and we will use these to ensure you are not disadvantaged.

“All your other Physics assessments over the coming weeks will happen as planned, so please do

a end them as expected. This has been a rapidly developing situation and unfortunately, we have not been able to consult students as would be our normal practice, for which we apologise.”

As the marking boyco begins, Palatinate has been contacted by students about their feelings towards the boyco

Many students who spoke to Palatinate voiced their frustrations over the cost of tuition fees compared to the experience they were having.

A third-year student from Josephine Butler College also spoke about the fact that the marking boyco is just part of their damaged university experience: “I didn’t matriculate (covid), no fieldwork (strikes), and now might not graduate. Fed up”. In their statement to students, the University stated that “Our top priority will be to ensure you will get your marks and degree classification and can carry on with your plans for the future”.

Continued on page 4

Durham opts out of Turnitin’s ChatGPT detection system

Elliot Burrin

News Reporter

As of 4th April 2023, Turnitin

can now identify the use of AI writing tools, such as ChatGPT, in submi ed pieces of work. The plagiarism detector claims to have a 98% accuracy rate in determining

whether a sentence was wri en by a human or not. The software is able to distinguish the likelihood of AI input in individual sentences even if the author had edited the original AI-produced writing.

Durham University’s policy on AI writing tools can be found in the Teaching and Learning Handbook,

where the University states that, “the requirement that submi ed work must be a student’s own means that inappropriate use of generative AI in the production of assessed work is likely to constitute academic misconduct”.

The University advises that, “if students have any queries, they

should contact their department”.

Speaking to Palatinate, a spokesperson from Durham University said, “inappropriate use of generative AI in the production of assessed work is likely to constitute academic misconduct.

“Any student work may be

uploaded to a plagiarism detection system to check for possible academic offences.

“We frequently review our policies to take account of new developments. We currently have no plans to use Turnitin’s AI detection tool.”

Continued on page 3

The calm before the storm of exams (Emily Doughty)

Profile chat to Mayor Andy Burnham

The not-so-great divide

In a somewhat desperate a empt to finish Easter’s worth of work in a week, I have been living in the Billy B, spending more time fighting for a desk space than I have in my own house.

However, every time I finish reading another article, or write another 100, not-so-great, words of an essay, it’s hard not to feel like I am doing this for nothing. As Durfess, Twi er and constant emails from the University remind me, there’s the possibility that none of these essays will be marked until September.

The fact that this editorial was more likely to get feedback from those around me than any of my academic work is a source of frustration.

The marking and assessment boyco had been hanging over students’ heads like the UCU sword of Damocles since the strike action was announced earlier this year. We all knew it was coming, but lived in denial and hoped for a deal to be reached before we reached this point. Now we are in it with our work likely to be affected, the situation doesn’t seem to be going away, and mitigations put in place by the University become more confusing every time I read them.

However, as much as the Durham bubble has kept most students trapped in the stress of exams, one event has been so all-consuming in the UK that it managed to break through; the King’s Coronation.

Despite the Coronation

weekend and the UCU marking boyco having seemingly li le in common, arguably similarities can be drawn between the two. Both have been marked by differences in opinion between those who support them and those who don’t, with both groups seeing a fall in popularity as their respective disputes continue to drag on.

own public divisions covering seemingly every tabloid newspaper and breakfast TV show.

But most importantly both events are costly. Some have questioned the optics of the head of state riding in a golden carriage in the middle of a costof-living crisis, where some citizens are unable to afford to feed themselves or their families. How can a country rally behind a figure like that in such a difficult time? Similar criticisms of the marking boyco have been made. The University has said that those who participate in the boyco will experience a 50% wage deduction impacting the lives of those who take part, who may potentially lose wages for six months. However, a cost also remains for students whose teaching has already been disrupted by strikes, with the future of some now at risk as their work remains unmarked for that period.

as they reach the end of their time at a university with the very thing they came here to get up in the year. They will all a end Congregation but could be waiting until September to get confirmation of their grades, left to the mercy of the institutions they are moving onto, as the way that they will get their final grades is still unclear. It must feel like that as the rest of the country is looking into the future, those graduating are stuck in the present, fearing what could happen.

Emily Doughty Editor-in-Chief

Editors-in-Chief

Daniel Hodgson & Emily Doughty editor@palatinate.org.uk

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Ben Webb, Becks Fleet & Nicole Ireland news@palatinate.org.uk

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Nordiawan

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Both events have been marred by internal division.

UCU infighting over the steps forward covering my Twi er feed, and the Royal Family’s

By the time this print edition is out the Coronation will be about to start. The king will be readying himself to ride to Westminster Abbey in his golden carriage, be adorned with his vegetarian oil and be declared our god-appointed ruler. However, the marking boyco will likely continue well into September so at this time I would like for everyone to spare a moment of thought for finalists. Most of them started Durham in Covid-19 and have been impacted by strikes every subsequent year. Now

Film & TV Editors

Alice Purves & Jacob Dax Harris

Interview Editors

Lo e Micklewaithe & Charlo e

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Thomas Tomlinson & Nathan Becke photography@palatinate.org.uk

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Rosie Bromiley, Victoria Cheng, Anna Kuptsova & Isobel Warwick illustration@palatinate.org.uk

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Amy Whitaker, Luca Veronese, Olivia

(Rosie Bromiley)

The fact that this editorial was more likely to get feedback from those around me than any of my academic work is a source of frustration

Exclusive: Over 9% of University academic staff do not hold a postgraduate qualification

Doughty

Data released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency has revealed that 9.3% of Durham University academic staff in 2022 did not hold a qualification past undergraduate level.

This is equivalent to a total of 215 staff who do not hold a postgraduate qualification, out of a

total of 2,310 academic staff

This number has increased substantially since 2020, when only 4.4% of Durham academic staff didn’t hold a postgraduate qualification.

This is despite Durham saying they are a “globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence” conducting “boundary breaking research”.

According to HESA, postgraduate

Number of Uni students dropping out increasing

qualifications include doctorates, masters degrees and the Postgraduate and Professional Graduate Certificates in Education (PGCE), as well as postgraduatelevel professional qualifications. Undergraduate qualifications refer to degrees which are a person’s first degree, including those with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), as well as the Diploma of Higher Education, Higher National Diploma, Higher National Certificate and undergraduate-level professional qualifications.

In a statement to Palatinate, a Durham University spokesman said: “We are proud of the quality of teaching and learning available at Durham.

“We consistently rank highly in national and global university rankings, as well as performing well in the National Student Survey and most recent Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

“We have an extensive professional support programme to support our staff to develop their teaching, so that Durham students benefit from an education that challenges and stretches them, preparing them well for their future careers.”

Emily Doughty and Becks Fleet Editor-in-Chief and News Editor

Palatinate can reveal that the number of Durham University students choosing to withdraw from their studies is rising, but still remains lower than the dropout levels prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Additionally, the 2021/22 academic year saw 20 first-year students withdraw from studies in the Department of Modern Languages and Culture. This is the highest for any single subject since 2017.

Palatinate approached the University for a statement. with A Durham University spokesmperson said: “We offer a wide range of support for our students, including academic, wellbeing and financial support.

“Our most recent continuation data (undergraduate students progressing from first to second year) was 96.8%, pu ing us among the top 10 universities in England and above the benchmark set by the Office for Students.

“We provide easily accessible and high-quality academic resources to our students and have dedicated student support staff for every college.

The 2021/22 academic year saw a total of 235 students at Durham withdraw from their studies, an increase from 210 students in the previous year. These students studied 23 different subjects, including Geography, Law and History.

“We are also investing an extra £1.3m per year to enhance student support, including extra investment in the Counselling and Mental Health Service, Disability Support Service, Colleges and Departments.”

Continued from front

The response to generative AI in academia has been mixed: the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge have already announced bans on ChatGPT, though the University of Cambridge has also opted out of using Turnitin’s AI detection tool. A self-selecting online survey ran by Varsity showed that 47.3% of students at Cambridge have used AI chatbots to complete work for their degree.

is being examined in greater detail. A spokesperson from DCAD has announced that a “one-day online symposium” covering the use of AI tools in academia will take place on 3rd July 2023.

Student landlords requested to contribute towards council tax

Nicole Ireland News Editor

Student landlords in Durham are soon to be asked to contribute towards council tax for the city. City of Durham Parish Council councillors voted to make this request at the Full Council meeting in March this year, as they voiced concerns regarding waste and noise associated with student properties – a regular source of complaint from neighbouring residents.

and non-student alike.

“This is why we are asking all student landlords to share with us a shared commitment to maintain the a ractiveness of our environment by making a contribution to our percept so helping us deliver these vital projects for our community.”

Over 4,340 properties in Durham City are registered as student properties and are therefore exempt from paying Council tax – including tax payable to the Parish Council, Police and Fire Service.

important role which Durham University and its students play in sustaining local employment and services in the city centre.

“However, in Durham City, we are now in the position that a significant number of properties are being used as student accommodation and therefore exempt from paying any Council tax towards local services for the city.”

Many believe that ChatGPT can help with academia without replacing essay writing.

The software can be used as a reading or writing assistant, summarising long paragraphs or articles. Mike Sharples, emeritus professor of educational technology at The Open University, argues that, “ChatGPT should be seen as a tool for creativity not as a substitute writer”.

At the Durham Centre for Academic Development (DCAD), AI

This will include “a range of experts from across the sector speaking and discussing the likely current and future impact of AI on our practice as teachers and researchers”. Booking for the event will be available in early May from the DCAD website.

In the statement, DCAD state that, “2023 will be the year of generative AI”.

The Parish Council have expressed the desire to work proactively with the private-rental sector to tackle these issues, requesting a contribution from local student landlords in an effort to clean up the city.

One councillor described last year’s student Green Move Out day as “the worst year on record” for the city with waste and discarded furniture left on the street.

In January, the Parish Council voted to increase its percept to an average annual household contribution of £52 (an increase from £34 last year) to “deliver additional services” in the city to approach these issues, as well as additional Neighbourhood Wardens and police for the city.

Chair of the City of Durham Parish Council Coun. Alan Doig said: “This Parish Council has the responsibility of helping to maintain our beautiful parish on behalf of every resident, student

In the financial year 2019/20, over £7 million was reported lost in Council tax revenue due to Class M and Class N (student) exemptions. In 2020/21, the figure increased to nearly £8.8 million.

Mr. Doig added: “As a community, we recognise and value the

The plans were supported by student landlord and Parish Councillor Coun. Helen Weston who said: “As a fellow student property owner myself, I fully endorse the work of the Parish Council to safeguard the residents of this city and to ensure that the city is kept clean and enjoyable for all.”

The 2021/22 academic year saw a total of 235 students at Durham withdraw from their studies

“Inappropriate use of AI is likely to constitute academic misconduct”

Any student work may be uploaded to a plagiarism detection system to check for possible academic offences.

ChatGPT should be seen as a tool for creativity not as a substitute writer

Emily

and Becks Fleet Editor-in-Chief and News Editor

Claypath student housing (Mark Norton)

“I am deeply concerned”: Students faced with uncertainty at the start of the marking boyco

Continued from front

One finalist from University College said that their “parents had been saving for my education… something that me and my family have relied on for years,” further stating that their experience of strikes has potentially put them off studying a master’s in the future.

Another finalist, from John Snow College, echoed these frustrations, stating their view that, “As an international student, I expected so much more from a ‘1st world country’”. A third-year student from Stephenson College further agreed, stating: “[industrial action] has gone way too far”.

However, the main concern among finalists and students was the impact that the boyco would have on their ability to graduate with their degree classification, with a second year from St. Johns College sharing their anxiety on the impact that the boyco will have on the rest of their degree: “I am deeply concerned about my final grades upon graduation”. The University has stated that “Degree outcomes will not be negatively affected by missing marks”.

A third year Van Mildert student further spoke to Palatinate regarding the potential impact of the boyco on their grades saying they didn’t know how they were “going to make my [masters] offer without marks?”

Another finalist from Stephenson College also felt they would “not get on” to their master’s course due to the fact that it is conditional on them ge ing a 2:1. Palatinate received many more concerned comments from students with another stating: “I’m worried it will make me lose my master’s program in America as they need the final transcript”. In their email to students, the University stated that “we would like to reassure you that detailed mitigations are in place to minimise disruption and support our students, with a particular focus on finalists and master’s

students completing this year”.

A finalist from Trevelyan College also questioned the mitigations that could be put in place, stating, “I don’t understand how this can be mitigated.”

Some students believed that the fault for the boyco lay fully with the University. A student from Hild Bede said, “If the University supported their staff and provided a healthy working environment, we would all be be er off and happier”.

They continued, “The strikes are a necessity and students should look at the hardships our lecturers face”.

Additionally, Palatinate has been informed of the University’s internal contingency plans in case the marking boyco isn’t resolved by the Summer. In a document sent to staff, it reads: “Congregation and the conferral of awards typically happen at the same time, but are quite distinct.

“Congregation is a celebration of student achievement; the conferral of awards is a formal ceremony by which graduands are transformed into graduates and alumnae.”

On this distinction: “If degree results for some graduating students are delayed... Then we would hold a Congregation ceremony for all potentially eligible students”. The document states: “If at all possible, Congregation should proceed as planned”, although it will have no legal binding and that instead, “degrees would be conferred on eligible students in absentia by extraordinary congregation.”

The contingency plans also state that “If results are not known by the end of term, affected students will be kept informed by e-mail of the status of their results” via their University emails, and that “As an interim measure, the University does have existing policies which permit degrees to be awarded (on a classified or unclassified basis) even if not all marks are available”

in extreme circumstances.

For undergraduate outcomes that are relevant for postgraduate applicants, the document says: “A delay in the publication of undergraduate degree results at this, or other UK universities, will affect students holding conditional offers of a place for postgraduate study, and adversely affect student recruitment.

“Admissions staff will be advised that in the absence of definitive information about degree outcomes for students of this, or other UK universities affected by the industrial action, they should make a judgement on the basis of the available evidence and grant concessions to admit students who are holding a conditional offer, even if they have not demonstrated that they have met the conditions of their offer”

Palatinate recently contacted the UCU for a comment regarding student worries as a consequence of the marking boyco . Jo Grady, University and College Union general

secretary, said: “Our members want to thank the vast majority of students who support staff fighting for decent pay and working conditions.

“It’s important to recognise that the fault for ongoing disruption lies squarely at the feet of vice-chancellors who refuse to use universities’ vast wealth to make long overdue improvements to staff pay and conditions.”

Ms. Grady continued,

“Students realise that when staff are overworked and underpaid it hurts them. We do not want this disruption to go on any longer than it needs to, but the status quo cannot continue. We urge students to contact their vicechancellor and tell them to get back around the table with a fair offer”.

A spokesperson for Durham University said: “We are commi ed to doing absolutely

everything we can to minimise the impact of the boyco on our students. Our top priority is to protect their learning and ensure they can continue with their education or plans for the future.

“We will uphold the quality standards of a degree from Durham and will not allow these to be compromised. If marks or assessments are affected, we will take appropriate action to allow progression to the next level of study and ensure students can graduate.

“Students can expect to receive further updates by email during the coming weeks. In the meantime, it is important that they continue to submit assessments as required and continue to prepare for their exams.

“Our libraries and study spaces remain open. Wellbeing and support services are also available for any students who need to access them.”

University and College Union strikes in January (Becks Fleet)

UCU Marking Boyco explained

Nicole Ireland and Becks Fleet News Editors

The boyco will be carried out as part of both the pay and conditions of USS (Universities Superannuation Scheme) pensions dispute.

The USS pensions and the pay and working conditions disputes involve distinct UCU negotiation with two different bodies – the Universities UK (UUK) and University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA).

The UCU has advised that the pay related issues (review of the

UK higher education pay spine; agreement on addressing equality pay gaps, casualisation, and workload) have been important parts of the HE union claims for years. But there has been no progress or meaningful agreement made towards them.

According to information collected by the UCU in 2018, the typical USS member will be around £240,000 worse off in retirement compared to 2011 thanks to the changes made to staff ’s benefits since then. Progress has been made since in restoring cuts but the UCU assures members that “the fight is not yet over!”

Both disputes are kept under review by UCU’s democratic structures, specifically the elected members of the higher education commi ee (HEC) as well as higher education sectors conferences (HESC) who can decide UCU’s next steps in disputes.

If one dispute is suspended or resolved for any reason but the other dispute is not, the action in the unresolved dispute will continue. The UCU advised that a positive outcome in pay and working conditions dispute does not mean that they will abandon the USS pensions dispute, or vice versa.

The marking and assessment boyco (MAB) will continue until the disputes are se led, or UCU calls off the boyco , or at the end of the industrial action ballot mandate.

In an email to staff, Durham University responded to the marking boyco by stating that “We understand the strength of feeling that many of our staff have about the issues which are being disputed nationally. We continue to work constructively with our campus trade unions on local issues and continue to make significant progress on areas such as workload, equality pay gaps and

how we employ our staff. We are also pleased to see the improved position on USS.

“We are therefore disappointed that UCU has escalated industrial action to include a marking and assessment boyco despite e-balloting its members in respect of both disputes. This consultation closed on 17 April, with a significant majority voting to “note” the USS proposals, and a smaller majority voting to “reject” the pay and working conditions proposals.”

The UCU will hold a national special sector conference on 19 April 2023 to consider the outcome of the consultation.

UCU and you: Your marking boyco questions; answered

Should I still complete my assigned work?

Yes. Durham University have told students in recent communications that “all assessments and examinations will go ahead as scheduled”, with the expectation that all work will eventually be marked and returned, even if this is later than expected. However, there may be exceptions to this rule, so check with your department if you are unsure.

How long will the marking boyco last?

The UCU have stated that “The marking and assessment boycott will then carry on until the disputes are settled, or UCU calls off the boycott, or at the end of the industrial action ballot mandate.” As this is a national dispute, a Durham-specific solution will not end the marking boycott. The UCU’s current mandate extends until September.

County Durham News

New entertainment venue approved by Durham Council

Becks Fleet News Editor

Durham County Council have confirmed that the Stack leisure development proposal on Silver Street has been given the goahead to proceed.

The venue, which will occupy the building currently home to Yorkshire Trading Company and previously Marks and Spencer, is set to include 12 food traders, several bars, a stage for live music and comedy, as well as a “games area”. It follows similar developments in Newcastle and Seaburn, as well as another approved to be built in Bishop Auckland.

are being developed to keep the store based in the city. However, nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

The owners of the Stack development, Danieli Group, have claimed that the new complex will create more than 170 jobs.

Danieli Group chief executive Neill Winch said that “Stack Durham will be a focal point and an attraction offering a wide mix of street food and a variety of live entertainment for people of all ages, contributing positively to the city’s overall viability and vitality”.

Yes. Although there is an ongoing marking and assessment boycott, this is different to a strike; staff involved in the boycott will still be available as usual, and their regular scheduled contact hours will still take place. If you are unsure of how specific staff members’ responsibilities will change due to the boycott, contact them directly.

Can I still contact boyco ing staff for help? I’m a finalist, will I graduate this summer?

Durham University have confirmed that “every student who has completed their degree will be able to attend Congregation in June”, regardless of the status of the marking boycott at that time. The University are scheduled to update students regarding the awarding of degrees on their website in the coming month

Durham UCU statement on the Marking boyco

Last week UCU announced that a Marking and Assessment Boyco (MAB) will begin on 20th April 2023. This follows the results of the national ballot in which the majority of UCU members indicated willingness to continue with industrial action.

This is the latest action in our disputes with the employer on pay, casualisation, workload, equality issues and pensions.

This means that from 20th April, UCU members will not be undertaking any duties which relate to any form of summative assessment, or activities which facilitate the summative assessment process such as administration of marks or

the organisation of exam boards.

Durham UCU (DUCU) regrets that this action is required: however, the lack of progress in our disputes, particularly in relation to the Four Fights (Casualisation, Pay, Workload and Equalities), with the employer, have left us with no alternative.

We very much hope that the employers will engage positively with UCU at a national level to find solutions to the dispute before the MAB begins.

We recall that Durham University as an employer took a leading role in ongoing a empts to resolve the USS pensions dispute through the joint statement we agreed to avoid last year’s MAB.

We hope Durham will again lead the way in conversations with other employers and employer bodies to find acceptable solutions to pay erosion, pay inequalities, casualisation, and excessive workloads.

Fixing these problems in our sector will benefit staff and students alike. It will sustainably allow for adequate and sustainable staffing of academic and professional roles with diverse and securely employed staff who have adequate paid time to serve students and academia well.

Dr Jon Warren DUCU Vice-President, on behalf of the DUCU Commi ee

Although Yorkshire Trading Company will close to make way for the development, it has been reported that plans

Local councillor Carl Marshall added that “This isn’t just an establishment that’s going to attract stag and hen do’s, it’s going to really diversify the offering in Durham and the wider county”.

Events to be held in Durham to celebrate King’s Coronation

Samantha Webb News Reporter

The City of Durham has announced a line-up of events to celebrate the coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort. These celebrations include an immersive outdoor music event in Millennium Place on Friday 5th May, performed by the dynamic street theatre show, ‘Spark!’

For the day of the King’s Coronation on Saturday 6th May, several events will be taking place across the City of Durham.

Durham University will be showing the coronation of His Majesty the King live on the

Big Screen at a family-friendly event. There will be a marquee directly next to Durham City Rugby Football Club at its Hollow Drift Ground, on Green Lane, from 10 am-4 pm. Food and drink will be available at the venue, including vendor Fat Hippo who will be on-site for the event.

The Mayor of Durham, councillor David Freeman, will be lighting the coronation beacon at approximately 9 pm. The coronation celebrations will draw to a close on Tuesday 9th May with a special evensong at Durham Cathedral at 5:30 pm to celebrate the country’s new Monarch. HM Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham will be at the service and the Bishop of Durham will give an address.

Girls Aloud’s Nadine Coyle to headline Durham Pride 2023

performers.

Nadine Coyle, a former member of girl group Girls Aloud, has been announced as the headline performer at this year’s Durham Pride celebration.

This year marks the 10th Anniversary of Durham Pride, which takes place annually on the last weekend of May on The Sands field in Durham City. This year’s celebration is due to take place from Saturday 27th – Monday 29th May, with a parade taking place on the Sunday through Durham City.

The festivities on The Sands – which will be ticketed – following the parade on the Sunday will include performances from performers including Nadine Coyle, local musician Jordan Coulthard as well as tribute acts and drag

Other planned events on the weekend include a “Pride in Armed Forces day” on the Saturday which, according to Durham Pride, will “celebrate LGBT+ personnel past and present” and include “a chance to meet on the field with free entry and all the fun of the fair with many military themed attractions”, as well as the “Pride Past, Present and Future” art exhibition at the Gala theatre on the Friday. Both are free to attend.

Mrs Coyle has headlined a number of Pride events across the UK, and has been described as “bringing an unforgettable performance to each stage with her iconic powerhouse vocals”. During her time with Girls Aloud, the band released six albums and gained four number one singles, and she has since released a solo album.

Becks Fleet News Editor

English Literature faculty head offered research assistantship paid through academic books

Nicole Ireland

News Editor

A recent finding by the University and College Union has shown that the English faculty at Durham University advertised a research assistantship focused on the work of the Head of Department John Nash, paid in $1,000 worth of Cambridge Union Press books. Later, an email from Professor Nash to Postgraduate Research students admi ed the mistake and stated that the role was advertised directly by Cambridge University Press rather than Durham University.

Durham called one of the most “wildlife-friendly” universities in the Britain

Professor Nash clarified in his email that the role was not one that “involved engagement to be employed by the university” and further stated: “We should have been clear that this opportunity was not a departmental research assistantship; and it should not have appeared on the department RA form.

“The payment from CUP is not in line with how the University engaged staff or remunerates them.”

Postgraduate students have since expressed their concerns about how this mistake has affected them, with one student saying that they are struggling “to trust the department” after this mistake as they “don’t know how [they] will be paid in the future” especially when “this comes from Professor Nash”.

Another postgraduate from Ustinov College said that the CUP assistantship “continues to show that the University doesn’t care about arts postgrads”.

Nicole Ireland News Editor

According to a new report led by Ark Wildlife, Durham University is at the top of the UK league table for wildlife care and has been named one of the most wildlife-friendly universities in the UK.

Ark Wildlife surveyed all UK universities on their wildlife initiatives and support – on and off campus to find that Durham met the criteria for the ‘platinum tier,’ with wildlife protection policies, partnerships or funding for local wildlife causes, biodiversity or wildlife activities on offer.

Durham Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust.

There are also many opportunities for staff and students, organised by the institutions Environmental Sustainability Group, to participate in wildlife activities throughout the year.

Out of the 120 universities across the UK, almost a third of the universities who responded scored top marks for their support of wildlife.

While the majority of universities who responded are involved in at least one initiative for local wildlife, though there is always room for improvement. It was discovered that more than a quarter of universities fail to offer biodiversity or wildlife activities to students. Similarly, 30 universities have no policies in place for protecting wildlife, making animals on campus more vulnerable.

Remembering Dame Rosemary Cramp

Lucy Baldwin News Reporter

Professor Dame Rosemary Cramp, Emeritus Professor at Durham University has died aged 93. She became the University’s first female professor in 1971, in the Department of Archaeology. Professor Cramp was instrumental in founding Durham University’s Department of Archaeology in the 1950s. The department is now one of the University’s best regarded.

After Cambridge Union Press (CUP) suggested this role, the English faculty decided to share the CUP role at the same time as their research assistantships as Professor Nash said, “it was a potential opportunity that would not otherwise be available.”

Professor Nash advised that the English faculty would continue to recruit to the four Universityfunded research assistantships but “will not be taking applications for the role offered by CUP”.

To conclude the email, Professor Nash said: “I take responsibility for the ma er and apologise for the confusion”.

The University declined to respond to Palatinate’s request for a comment.

Durham University commits to promoting biodiversity on its grounds with its Biodiversity Strategy. The University has strong research links with local wildlife causes, working with DWT, Natural England, RSPB, and WWT in the region.

It also has numerous partnerships across the region, including the Wear River Trust,

Sean McMenemy, director at Ark Wildlife, said: “It’s clear that some universities are taking wildlife conservation extremely seriously, and it’s great to see. They’re really in tune with the local environment, providing invaluable habitats to animals in the area.

“Importantly, the most wildlifefriendly universities are actively encouraging students to become involved. This will breed greater awareness of conservation methods and just how vital wildlife is to the UK.”

Following her BA and later MA in English Language and Literature and a BLi at St Anne’s College Oxford, Professor Cramp became an archaeology lecturer at Durham University in 1955. She served as the Head of Department in Archaeology from 1971 to 1990.

Throughout her career, Durham University described her as “collegial and publicspirited, always finding times for colleagues and students”.

Durham University student numbers drop for the first time since 2008

Becks Fleet and Emily Doughty News Editor and Editor-in-Chief

Data released by Durham University has revealed that there are a total of 22,130 students enrolled at the University for the 2022/23 academic year, a drop of 100 students from the last academic year.

This is the first time the student population has fallen since the 2008/09 academic year, when the total number of students fell from 15,356 to 15,347.

Numbers fell for the first time since 2008/09

However, the number of students still remains 12% higher than the pre-pandemic total, with just 19,465 students studying at the University during the 2019/2020 academic year.

The table shows how the number of students in Durham City has increased significantly in

recent years, particularly since Stephenson and John Snow colleges moved from Stockton in 2018. Since this time, the number of students in Durham City (excluding distance learning students) has increased by 35%.

Since 2003, the number of students in Durham City has increased by just over 85%, from 11,868 to 21,960, and the total number of students (including distance learning and Stockton Campus residents) has increased by 54%.

However, the number of postgraduate students has remained relatively steady, with an increase of 51% in 20 years, from 2,843 to 4,320.

This increase in all students over time is significantly higher than other universities in the country, such as Oxford and Cambridge. Since 2003, whilst Durham’s on-campus student population has increased by 85%, Oxford’s has increased by 42.7% and Cambridge’s has increased by 40.8%. For a brief period prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Durham City had more students than Cambridge, which was 6,000 students larger than Durham in 2003.

In a statement to Palatinate, A

Durham University spokesperson said: “The University Strategy, 2017-2027, approved by University Council in 2016, included carefully managed growth in student numbers in selected departments. This is unchanged.

“Our student intake for 2020 and 2021 was higher than anticipated due to unexpected shifts in the grading of A-levels and other Level 3 qualifications.

“We were transparent about this and have worked with staff, students and external partners to ensure the best possible experience for our students, and balanced and thriving communities in Durham City.

“We deliberately reduced our intake by almost 1,000 for 2022.”

The University has strong research links with local wildlife causes

The payment from CUP is not in line with how the University engaged staff or renumerates them

The number of students in Durham City increased by 85% from 2003

The Last Summer: graduates, enjoy the final moments in Durham

Grace Marshall

Call it what you willgraduation goggles, rosetinted glasses, whatever - I still cannot help but anxiously await my final summer term of university. Sure, there may still be a whole host of exams and summative essays yet to write themselves, but at the end of those awaits a delicious fantasy of summer days on the racecourse, lazily sipping wine and joking about the uncertainty yet to come. Though, of course, it is precisely this uncertainty that threatens to tint these final days with a shadow of fear.

For the lucky few, their next adventures are already set, locked into place. They face a future of stability, or, at the very least, the illusion of stability. The rest of us, myself included, are still searching for precisely what comes next.

And, before the comments roll in, this is never for lack of trying. We’re all acutely aware (or paralyzingly aware, sometimes) that our time as students is coming to an end - that eventually we have to find a new path. Amidst applying for jobs, graduate schemes, and

everything in between, we, for want of a be er phrase, often lose a li le bit of our sanity. Sometimes, we even lose sight of ourselves. Who are we beyond the parameters of a job description?

These applications, this relentless pursuit of employment, often feels akin to packaging and repackaging ourselves for the job market – selling a performance of ourselves that, more often than not, barely scratches the surface of who we actually are. Are we really just a ‘self-motivated graduate searching for a new challenge’? (The answer is no, if you were wondering).

uncertainty, and LinkedIn requests. The need to secure our future inherently limits our present.

In constantly performing as our professional selves and searching The Bright Network for any and all availability in marketing departments nationwide, we lose our current self: the messy 20-something student with no responsibilities besides Durham’s next black-tie event.

It is important, therefore, to slow down and embrace the position we are currently in - surrounded by friends, memories, and within closerange of an alpaca farm. What more could you possibly ask for?

It is an undeniable fact that, for finalists, our days at Durham are limited. We have just a few pages left in our academic planners. I, personally, don’t want to fill those pages with the relentless pursuit of what comes next. Instead, I hope to fill them with precisely what is happening now.

In a empting to navigate and commodify ourselves in the name of employment, we, as finalists, often find ourselves fixated solely on the horizon, on the very question of what comes next. And so, those final, blissful days of summer that we crave often pass in a haze of stress,

The future is an entity all unto itself. It is ever-changing and developing. And, I think I speak for most of us when I say that that it is terrifying. But, it can also be magical. It gives us the freedom to accept that we cannot strictly define our fiveyear-plans. They will always evade us, even if only slightly. So, why not just turn our a ention to this summer – to the things that we can, and should, plan for.

Whether you’re desperate to a end the 107th fashion show this year, sneak your way into June Ball, or simply steal your friends away for an illicit BBQ on Observatory Hill, Durham has so many stories left to offer us. Don’t miss those stories by panicking about the next steps. We don’t have to be perfectly put together yet – we just have to show up to make the memories that we will torture our grandchildren with for decades to come.

Why university subject rankings are personal

Ellie-Dyer Brown

It’s a question almost as old as university ranking systems themselves: why, when Durham consistently achieves a spot in the top ten UK universities, does it perform so poorly in international league tables?

This year, despite having 12 subjects in the world top 50 and three in the top ten according to QS World University Rankings, Durham has landed in a less than impressive position of 92nd place. Things are worse when you look at the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, where it barely makes the top 200.

For prospective students, many of whom use league tables as a guiding factor in decisionmaking, the discrepancy between different ranking systems presents a conundrum. According to THE, Newcastle University beats Durham by 59 places, coming 139th in the world. Yet,

Newcastle doesn’t make it into the top 20 UK universities in The Complete University Guide, The Guardian or University Advice - all of which feature Durham in the top ten. This is just one example, but there are many more. So how to square these vastly different ranking systems?

One answer is to focus on subject rankings, which seem to cut straight to the heart of the issue. When I confirmed my place at Durham in 2018, the one thing that took the sting out of its lack of Oxbridge-ness was that the English department was, at the time, the best in the country based on The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide.

Unfortunately, these rankings are often subject to rapid change - the department has hurtled down nine places in just five years. But that isn’t the whole story, either.

Durham still has the secondhighest graduate prospects for English with a score of 85.7, just behind Oxford’s 87. This is despite the fact that teaching quality, student experience and research quality are lower than most other universities in the top ten.

It’s a similar story when you look at the scores contributing

to Durham’s overall ranking in the Good University Guide: 6th. Graduate prospects are consistently one of its highestscoring areas.

This proves something I’ve always suspected: while Durham is sometimes mocked for its bland nightlife and substantial population of signet ring-wearing rahs, it carries a certain prestige

through the city, past the castle and cathedral and the beautiful buildings on the Bailey, it’s difficult not to be taken in by the sheer sense of history that soaks the cobbled streets. Durham feels like a place where knowledge is meant to be pursued, which has undoubtedly influenced its ongoing reputation in the UK as a leading institution of higher education.

This is all very well for someone like me, who intends to pursue a career outside of academia, probably in this country. But what about students whose careers will take them further afield?

Global ranking systems like QS and THE typically prioritise research output and citations. When Research Professional News applied its Research Excellence Framework, Durham came in 21st behind Sheffield and Cardiff, two universities that it typically outperforms in UK league tables.

it is small compared to many rivals. The area is beautiful, but it simply doesn’t possess the kind of magnetism that London affords universities like KCL and LSE, which have stronger global reputations.

Durham is simply too small a city to support a larger student population (much as the university management would like to ignore that inconvenient fact and continue building new colleges).

One of the best analogies I’ve come across for understanding university league tables relates to food. If you took the equivalent criteria used by THE (teaching, research, citations, industry income and international outlook) and applied the same methodology to find the best restaurants in the world, McDonald’s and KFC would come out on top.

that has yet to be sullied even by poor management and falling standards. Part of this is because Durham emulates the collegiate system of Oxbridge and is one of the oldest universities in the UK. As you walk

The quality of Durham’s research is notoriously high (in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, 90% was rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’), so perhaps volume is where it falls.

Even though the university has a strong international outlook,

In reality, few would list these establishments as the best restaurant they’ve ever visited. Likewise, league tables provide one possible answer to a complex question that is, at the end of the day, deeply personal. World, UK and subject rankings ma er; but they are not all that ma ers.

The need to secure our future inherently limits our present

Holly Downes

We don’t have to be perfectly put together yet – we just have to show up to make the memories

League tables provide one possible answer to a complex question that is, at the end of the day, deeply personal

When it comes to higher education, the government needs to show their working

Samuel Lopes

Ihave never had a normal year at university. In my first year, I arrived at university in the midst of a pandemic; it was the result of the choice presented post A-Level results to either go to university (if Gavin Williamson hadn’t derailed your plans) or sit at home during repeated lockdowns unable to find work. It was a choice, but barely. In my second and third years, I have faced a continuation of the effects of the pandemic and near-constant industrial action. While our universities took the virus seriously (they can’t have it ge ing in the way of collecting our tuition fees, after all), the same cannot be said for their a itude towards striking staff

These strikes are symptomatic of a larger issue – that the UK’s higher education system urgently needs reform. In recent years, the government has pursued a policy of cu ing funding for ‘low value’ arts and humanities courses by 50% to prioritise STEM for its ‘strategic importance’. This has led to several universities cu ing some arts departments entirely to try to minimise costs.

Focusing on arbitrary metrics like graduate salaries after five years to decide funding is inherently reactive and will only entrench existing inequalities. Arts and humanities should not be the preserve of the welloff, and STEM alone is not the only way to ensure economic prosperity. My degree, Politics, Philosophy and Economics is proof of that – it has interdisciplinary thinking at its core. It’s been taken by many of Britain’s politicians across the political spectrum, from Tony Benn to Rishi Sunak, so there

Pronouns: neither zero-sum nor the death of language

must be something to it! Doing more of the same will endanger the UK’s most cherished creative industries, which are estimated to contribute £105b to the UK economy. The government should instead take a holistic approach to spending – a degree is not a silver bullet. Through increasing apprenticeships and pathways in the arts, the UK can ensure that its creative industries continue to be a driver for growth.

teach on fixed-term casualised contracts, or stand in solidarity with their colleagues to fight for fairer working conditions. Again, a choice, but barely. In seminars at Durham University, I regularly hear about the precarity of our lecturers and professors – one staff member has been on fixed-term contracts for 17 years – but I feel powerless to do anything about it.

Academic staff have been worked hard over the pandemic, successfully adjusting to online learning, and now feel taken for granted. Real wages have declined by 25% since 2009, and repeated calls to increase wages in line with inflation have fallen on deaf ears. Over that same period, students’ tuition fees have more than tripled. Universities may point to better buildings and welfare support to show where that money has gone but have done li le to improve conditions for staff

The decision to strike is not one that staff take lightly. They can choose to put students first, “carry on” and continue to

Although some strike days were ‘paused’ by the UCU in February, staff members have not backed down from demanding more change. The UCU did not allow its members to vote on its decision, and the decision to pause took staff by surprise. My plans had to change, as I had an extra week of contact hours that were previously wri en off. For finalists like me, every contact hour helps, but pausing the strike has had a perverse knock-on effect; paradoxically, despite fewer strike days, staff became less and less accessible due to the increased workload. One staff member told me they had a backlog of two weeks before they could get back to me. By chopping and changing on industrial action, unions and universities are placing staff in exactly the kind of precarious position they are trying to escape from. A month before my final exams, this uncertainty is unwelcome.

Universities should recognise the responsibility that they have to staff and students alike and engage in meaningful talks in good faith. The government should take a comprehensive approach to funding, and prioritise the needs of students and staff. If change doesn’t happen, higher education will be hollowed out, with a few world-class institutions and a long list of just-aboutsolvent universities, obsessed with quantity over qualtity. Oxford and Cambridge cannot teach everyone.

Ienjoy working in my local pub at home. There’s wood furnishing, local ale, and low ceiling beams I seem to frequently concuss myself on. Working there gives you insights into people’s opinions on the topics of the day, opinions they’re keen to share over a drink. One frequently mentioned topic is that of pronouns.

With one quarter of Gen-Z adults now using non-binary pronouns, it’s no wonder pronouns have come to the fore. Media discourse likens this to a shouting match between common sense warriors and radical trans-activists, but the general conversation on this issue is more measured than many think, provided all show respect. Void from the farcical media “debates” that equate to no more than show trials of loud and shouty people, what lies at the bo om of such a contentious topic is actually just the courtesy we show one another.

Talking to a regular at the pub, it is clear that something hindering the pronoun topic is the lack of understanding surrounding it, let alone the lack of want to understand it at all. I spent five minutes being told that the word “they” applies exclusively in the plural sense. Probably conceitedly, I tried to explain that were somebody to walk into the pub and I didn’t know who THEY were, I would ask THEM THEIR name and what THEY wanted to drink. Looking bemused, he asked me to do my job and get him another drink. But what can be seen here is not an a ack on language as some say, but rather a reluctance to use the English language fully and in a more inclusive way.

This isn’t me pontificating from some moral high ground. I too have to pay mind on how people want to be addressed these days. But from experience, those who want to be addressed by their preferred pronouns go about it very respectfully. The abstract bogeyman of being hung, drawn, and quartered for misgendering somebody isn’t accurate. If you are to do this accidentally, you’re more likely to be politely corrected than cancelled and banished to the JK Rowling colony. Only those who take issue with the wider concept of non-binary identity seem to be those most beguiled by the whole issue.

And this is what ma ers. Behind the buzzwords and media furore over woke professors and the death of enlightenment thinking are simply people who feel that they don’t quite fit into a dichotomous view on gender, but scepticism is not always an a ack. Pronouns frequently refer to how people talk about you when you aren’t there, such as talking of an abstract her and what she does. Considering that I’m probably referred to pre y poorly when not present, some understandably see pronoun preferences as people trying to control how people talk about them behind their backs. But here we ought to differentiate between our grammar and our discourse. Respecting pronouns is, resultantly, down to whether or not you respect the person who chooses them. So how can we foster respect for those who want to be addressed by their preferred pronouns. Some propose changing the curriculum. I think this would be misjudged. Using the current hysteria on more gender-inclusivity in PSHE lessons as a barometer, lumping pronouns onto the pile would probably be too much for many to handle. I think that this may be something that works itself out organically. By and large, people don’t tend to properly engage with a tricky topic until it directly concerns themselves or someone they love. Whilst many form opinions on this topic in a middle-England vacuum, with a more inclusive culture towards using nonbinary pronouns, soon this issue may find itself affecting these people directly. Scoffing at the abstract they/thems is one thing, but as concepts of identity decentralise over time, people more hostile to changing gender norms may find ones they love and respect identifying differently to what they imagined. Only then might respect be introduced into the argument, and only then may people properly engage with a more compassionate debate on identity, not charged by presuppositions but by meaningful dialogue on how to come to terms with ways of identifying previously kept hushed and hidden.

Using somebody’s pronouns is, more than anything, a nice show of kindness and acceptance and it’s not zerosum. Be it for you an a ack on language or a show of courtesy, English used to have pronouns of thou, thee, sheo, and hine, so I’m sure we’ll learn and I’m sure we’ll live.

Unions and universities are placing staff in exactly the kind of precarious position they are trying to escape from

Thomas Tomlinson

The celebrity memoir: why are we so invested in this new trend?

Holly Downes

Aristotle once said in his book, Metaphysics: “All men by nature desire to know”. To translate and erase the sexist terminology, he is saying that all humans have a deep urge to understand. To learn new things. To stay updated. To simply avoid not-knowing. This desire is the undercurrent of, well, everything. It is why the media exists, why books are wri en and read, why the education system was invented, why activists protest, and why the world is forever modernising. Knowing equates to being in-the-loop and avoids the frustration of not knowing what everyone else appears to know.

off our curiosity. We give in to watching another video to see if it is any be er than the last until we are four-hours deep and cannot break the trap.

So, when A-list celebrities package their life stories into a 400-word airbrushed hardback of them probably staring into your eyes, we just can’t resist. It would simply be against our nature to do so. The memoir has become a bestselling genre because you and me cannot suppress our curiosity. It is why Prince Harry’s questionable memoir, Spare, broke the records for the largest first-day sales for any non-fiction book ever published by Penguin Random House at a record of 1.43 million copies sold. In. One. Day. Or why Barbra Streisand’s upcoming memoir, My Name is Barbra, is already a No.1 Bestseller and is yet to hit the shelves for another six months.

These memoirs tell us about everything and anything about figures who recluse into the shade of their mansions. They unpack secrets of their dating lives, childhood experiences, friendships, failures and successes, regrets, religious beliefs, all down to their favourite breakfast. Most memoirs are ghost-wri en – the process by which celebrities dump their stories onto poor ghost-writers who must transform it into something intelligible – because God forbid celebrities writing their own book.

you are si ing in on a celebrity’s confidential therapy session.

Yet, I believe our obsession with memoirs runs deeper. We generally wouldn’t buy the biography of our postman or someone who spends all their time at home. It does not interest us enough. There is something so fascinating about reading about the lives of people who seem so alien from us. Perhaps it is our a empt to relate to them; to discover that they are not just Wikipedia pages and airbrushed faces, but like us, are humans who

experience the joys and tribulations of life.

I was left with this feeling after reading Paris Hilton’s recent memoir creatively named Paris: The Memoir. Her memoir is dominated by two things not known about Paris: that her parents sent her to various abusive ‘reform schools’, and that she is diagnosed with ADHD. It is the first time she has spoken publicly about her raw path to stardom and readers have started sharing their own journeys using #ThisIsWhoIAm. Paris’

memoir is moving, honest, and it is what I would consider the perfect memoir: it satisfies a reader’s ‘desire to know’ whilst simultaneously being something we can relate to. So, whilst some memoirs may just be commercial endeavours to increase fame (cough cough, Spare), they are important in communicating that celebrities are more than just what we perceive them as. That they have feelings like us and that their lives are not picture perfect; if anything, the opposite.

Finland joins NATO: was it a misstep for all?

Rory McAlpine

Simply put, we are nosey by nature. It is why drivers start to slow down at a crash scene; or why crowds gather when a dance flash mob breaks out; or why so many people tune into BBC News at Six. We want to know what is going on. And although some may appear an exception – they claim to ‘protect their peace’ and believe all news outlets are corrupt – this does not make them any less curious. If their time is instead dedicated to falling into the TikTok trap – the act of being physically unable to stop scrolling – this app sponges

And this is why many memoirs read as a long therapy session. Some have no chronological order whatsoever despite the editor’s a empt to create some clarity. But this is what readers want. We want to see the raw version of celebrities we see on big TV screens smiling with teeth brighter than the sun itself. We crave the dirty details of their career, how many secret relationships they had, or the lengths they went for fame and fortune. Sometimes it feels like I shouldn’t be reading some of the things these celebrities admit (I wish I could unread Prince Harry’s frostbi en penis story). But that’s the joy of the memoir: feeling like

Finland’s ascension to NATO member was ceremoniously marked by the raising of the Finnish flag outside the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, ending its long period of military non-alignment. The membership now extends NATO’s presence along Finland’s 1,340 km border with Russia and places the country under Principle 5 of collective security; that an a ack against one NATO member is considered an a ack on all. Finland’s president Sauli Niinisto claimed the membership was ‘not targeted against anyone’, an a empt to recognise how Russia have constantly viewed NATO advancement as a threat and a empt to assure against this. However, it is clear Russia will perceive this latest move as a sign of escalation and increased threat from the alliance.

The invasion of Ukraine served as the catalyst for a sea change in public and political opinion in Finland, with support for NATO membership among the population rising from 24 percent in October 2021 to 85 percent in October 2022. The membership decision ends military non-alignment a longheld policy by Finland designed to maintain good relations with its Russian neighbour and ensure its security. Yet Russia’s invasion of military non-aligned Ukraine and its rhetoric around securing its borders from Western and NATO threats has resulted in Finland discarding the belief military nonalignment serves their best interest or protects them from a volatile Russia. Instead, they have turned to the collective security of NATO, with the backing and military power of the alliance to deter any future Russian aggression.

The United States Secretary of

State Anthony Blinken in response to the membership claimed, ‘Finland is stronger and safer within the alliance, and the alliance is stronger and safer with Finland as its ally’. However, with clear headed analysis we can see how, in direct contrast, the membership represents an increased risk to Finland, the alliance and global security.

Finland's NATO membership is a poor decision that offers li le benefit to any side

Russian President Vladimir Putin has long painted NATOs expansion eastwards and movement of its military presence closer to Russian borders as an existential threat to Russian sovereignty. He has previously demanded NATO removed military infrastructure from Baltic states and offer Russia a veto in Ukraine’s membership of the alliance. A primary justification for his invasion of Ukraine was as a pre-emptive strike against Ukraine joining NATO and bringing western influence and military closer to Russia. Finland joining NATO then only serves to escalate the situation by increasing the perceived threat against Russia evidenced by Dmitry Peskov (a Kremlin spokesperson) calling it an ‘encroachment’ on Russian security. In response Russia has already announced it may take

counter measures and will strength its military power in stations in the north and northwest of the country near Finland, further actions that raise the risk of conflict.

Crucially in this instance Finland did not require NATO membership and in opposition to its intention being a member decreases its safety and security. Russia has never shown interest in the country and its military has been shown to be weak in Ukraine. The decision by Finland has been a reaction driven by shock and instinct for protection rather than clear thinking. Finland is now at greater risk as a NATO ally as should NATO engage with Russia, Finland will be required to follow suit even if it does not suit its interests. As a neighbour of Russia, it is likely it would receive a disproportionate amount of Russian military focus and bombing to prevent NATO using it as a strategic military location to a ack Russia. Finland has lost important autonomy on whether or how to engage should a Russian conflict emerge amongst NATO countries. Before its membership Finland had a stable and good relationship with Russia, now it has damaged this relationship and will be treated as a threat to Russian interests adding a greater security risk.

Finland’s NATO membership is a poor decision that offers li le benefit to any side. For Finland it has taken on greater risk of going to war with its neighbour and has sacrificed good relations and safety for tension and being labelled a threat to Russia. For NATO its expansion to Finland has increased what the Kremlin have repeatedly labelled a threat and warned of countermeasures and retaliation, escalating tension and the possibility of conflict with Russia who are increasing feeling isolated and threatened. As a result, Finland’s membership will only serve to further destabilise Finnish, regional and global security by increasing the threat of a major conflict.

There is something so fascinating about reading about the lives of people who seem so alien from us

Isobel Warwick

Profile

The Bishop of Durham: “The Church has always seen itself as being there fo r all people”

William Rome Profile

The incumbent Bishop of Durham, the fourth most senior clergyman in the Church of England, has none of the grandiosity which his high office might suggest. He is sincere, thoughtful and unpretentious throughout our Zoom call, as he was on a previous encounter, and though deeply devout and proud of the Church’s role in society, he does not evangelize. Rather, he emphasises the importance of people being able to make up their own minds about God in an informed way and is consistently pragmatic about the problems and opportunities with which the Church of England is presented.

notably as Chair of the Hild Bede Trust, whilst endeavouring “to get to at least one graduation every year.”

He is also acutely aware of the issue of “severe poverty” in County Durham, to which many students, who often “get into a bit of a bubble,” are oblivious.

He believes the Church can play a vital role, not only in improving towngown relations but more importantly in “being there for all people, not only those who associate themselves with it.” He notes that “the Church can offer students a way to engage with local community issues,” praising many different churches and charities in Durham for their efforts. He also highlights St. Nic’s Church’s efforts “with overseas students, offering them welcome…[and] helping them to understand cultural issues.” For him, the Church should provide “practical support as well as spiritual guidance.”

selection of activities with which students can occupy themselves. He praises Christian Unions, which were a great influence on him, for their ability “to give all students the opportunity to hear about the Christian faith and to make their own decisions about it.” He is also optimistic that the forthcoming Coronation will encourage people “to look afresh at the Christian faith” as it puts on display the role “the Christian faith has played in the life and history of this nation” and continues to play.

The Bishop grew up in Surrey, went to University in No ingham and has spent most of his working life in the South, all as a clergyman: “I knew pre y well immediately that if I was going to follow Jesus, it had to mean all of my life.” Being invited to be Bishop of Durham – after formal interviews – was a “shock,” as was his first appointment as a Bishop, given he had “never even dreamed I’d be a Bishop.” Indeed, when a young Christian, disillusioned with the Church of England, he’d have “run a mile and said you’ve got to be joking” if asked whether he would “end up being a vicar or even a bishop.” Despite his Southern roots, County Durham and its parishioners are clearly very close to his heart.

The Bishop of Durham is always a member of the House of Lords. Consequently, national ecclesiastical and political ma ers occupy much of his time, but he works to ensure that “in all the national things I do, I’m able to offer examples or illustrations from the North-East itself, partly because national government can very easily forget the North-East.” Although involvement within University affairs remains the purview of the Dean of the Cathedral, the Bishop meets frequently with the Vice-Chancellor and has links with various colleges,

The Church’s charitable role within local communities is clearly of great importance to him, perhaps unsurprising given his past work in London with young people. He is very proud of the Warm Spaces initiative in Durham, which involved 4500 different venues providing warmth and companionship over the winter but relied on the Church of England, the only institution which “had the convening power to do it.” He also highlights the Church’s extensive role in primary education, particularly in rural areas. He sees the Church as an important part of levellingup. He assesses this project as being “about addressing inequalities…and it cannot be done by government alone”, which he praises the national government for acknowledging. National and local government efforts must be accompanied by those of local businesses, large corporations and “the voluntary charity sector and the faith communities.” This combination can give people “opportunities for themselves to grow and develop, and that might often start as a volunteer.”

The Church’s charitable involvement inevitably makes it political, to which the Bishop does not object. He observes that “if you don’t only feed the hungry but start asking questions about why are these people hungry, you’re immediately involved in a political debate.” He believes that the Lords Spiritual in particular, of which he is amongst the most senior, “play an important role in raising moral questions, arguing the case around ethics and spirituality”; inevitably government policy, simply because there is more of it, tends to receive the most critique. Yet, his involvement in politics is not limited to Westminster, as the Anglican Communion has in recent years become increasing divided over issues like gay marriage. He believes that such divisions are inevitable, but he and his fellow Bishops are “commi ed to work…on seeking to find ways of holding us together.”

The Bishop recognises that the number of Churchgoers has significantly decreased in recent years, particularly amongst students, which he a ributes to a more secular society alongside “the pressures… [of] academic life” and the increased

The Bishop of Durham has a crucial role in the Coronation. He and the Bishop of Bath and Wells are the Bishops Assistant to the Sovereign, which means “it’s our responsibility to escort him at every point in the service.” “We’re there to assist the sovereign in whatever way he may need.” Tradition demanded that he submit to the Court of Claims his “claim as to why I should be given this role and that was all to do with the history.” He recognises that “it’s an extraordinary honour and privilege, certainly one that this li le boy from Chessington in Surrey never ever thought that he’d be doing.”

The Coronation is also important as a Christian ceremony. He mentions on several occasions that, despite the pomp and ceremony and the emphasis placed by the King (much like the late Queen) on there being “space for other faiths and…the freedom of worship,” the ceremony is “is in the context of a Church of England communion service.”

He remains coy about the role of other faiths, insisting we “wait for the Coronation itself to see in what ways other faith leaders might be involved” whilst emphasising that, this being an Anglican service, “it would be inappropriate for us to invite leaders of other faiths to do something that made

them compromise their faith.”

His role in the Coronation is well deserved for a man who has diligently served his faith and the communities in which he has lived across his decades as a clergyman.

He recognises how important the Church is to so many communities but does not dispute the challenges which it faces. He is very much a clergyman for the modern era - community-driven, politically astute and optimistic for the future.

Quickfire

Favourite Part of the Cathedral?

The Feretory – Cuthbert’s Tomb

One non-religious text that you recommend?

Gilead, the novel by Marilynne Robinson, or indeed the whole set of Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead group.

Any non-Biblical spiritual heroes?

Yes, but they’re all people no one would have heard of. … [It’s] quite important that actually it’s ordinary Christian people who are the ones who really inspire others.

Favourite part (particularly churches) of the Diocese of Durham?

Oh, I’m not allowed to have favourites. But because of the history and the roots, Escomb Saxon Church, because it’s such a wonderful example of a Saxon Church, and St. Peter’s Monk Wearmouth, where Bede studied, because when you’re leading worship there, and you look at the door, and it’s still the door that Bede would have walked in and out of.

Editor

Profile speaks with The Right Reverend Paul Butler about Durham, the Church of England and his role as Bishop Assistant to the Sovereign in the Coronation.

If you don’t only feed the hungry but start asking questions about why are these people hungry, you’re immediately involved in a political debate

The Church of England has always seen itself as being there for all people, not only those who associate themselves with it

Bishop of Durham (Roger Harris, via Wikimedia Creative Commons)

We’re there to assist the sovereign in whatever way he may need

Andy Burnham: “The voice of the North East can get a lot louder”

Profile speaks with the Mayor of Greater Manchester about his political future, love of the North and upcoming book

immediately apparent the Merseyside native’s true passion is

Alice Theakston, Emily Doughty and Daniel Hodgson Profile Editor and Editorsin-Chief

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, is immediately a personable and engaging politician. Indeed, Burnham opened our interview by jokingly teasing Palatinate, reminiscing about a ending

the North.

This passion shines throughout. He excitedly argues the proposed combined joint authority in the North-East, the ‘LA7’, is a great positive for the area, welcoming it as an opportunity for the “voice of the North-East (to) get a lot louder”, claiming “it needs to”. He takes the time to stress the challenges faced by the North, reminding Palatinate the region is all too often the worsttreated in terms of funding and

Mayor of Greater Manchester, claiming it as the happiest phase of his career thus far.

Acknowledging the mayoral role as demanding and “all-consuming at times,” with “no buffer or insulation between the issues (he) deals with and the people who have concerns”, Burnham nonetheless emphasises it is “pragmatic and real”, its strength seemingly lying in dealing with the day to day ma ers and concerns of real people.

As he faces re-election in the coming year, there is no possibility Burnham will return to the House of Commons. Instead, he cites feeling unfinished business in Manchester, asserting, “I am absolutely running for a third term as mayor, and there is no consideration of parliamentary options”. Perhaps this is hardly surprising; his pride in his job is central to the discussion. Indeed, to Burnham, mayors from both sides of the political spectrum are “establishing a sort of new tier of government in England”, one he feels “is already proving to be the most functional”. Uniquely able to circumvent party divides through a three-party state in Manchester, it is apparent issues are more easily resolved without infighting.

is removed from the infighting of Westminster and pe y forms of point-scoring politics based on party lines and not the public interest. Instead, he believes mayors are uniquely positioned to tackle the nuances of complex issues. Burnham offers homelessness as an example highlighting the freedom within his role to consider the broader factors influencing people living on the streets rather than dismissing the phenomenon as simply a housing issue. Such issues are explored in greater depth in the Mayor’s upcoming book, which he hopes will provide further rationale for his work. Exploring the past economic and industrial might of the North, Burnham hopes his book will rewire the country’s consciousness to give “fair power to the North to correct the imbalance with regards to a parliament that doesn’t fairly represent our communities”.

Burnham’s focus on practical solutions and his approach to governing based on the needs of the people are a breath of fresh air in a political climate that is often bogged down by party politics. As he heads into the next election, Burnham’s pragmatic and authentic approach to politics will undoubtedly resonate with the people of Greater Manchester.

infrastructure.

Notably, Burnham here pauses to reflect on a failed vote for a North-Eastern regional assembly in the early 2000s. Overwhelming dismissed as simply another layer of politicians and taxes, he proudly proclaims, “it is nice to see things come full circle” with the LA7, as local authorities come together, mirroring his own work in Greater Manchester. Something he hopes, in turn, will increase public support and see the power of the North grow - a growth he states “can only be a good thing”.

When questioned about potentially returning to the House of Commons, Burnham jokes he misses “nice days like this si ing on the terrace with a nice beer” and the grandeur of largescale parliamentary occasions in the Westminster bubble, feeling a palpable sense of history being made around him. However, it is clear he feels at home as

Quickfire

Manchester United or Manchester City?

Both

Lib dems or the Greens? Greens

Nigel Farage or Boris Johnson? Neither North or the South?

The North Favourite Book?

This devolution, still being actively built by his work, is what motivates Burnham as he stresses it gives the North “the best chance to have an equal voice” otherwise lacking in British politics. Indeed, across the House of Lords, Burnham remarks more went to Eton than have northern place names a ached to their peerage. Here, he finds his role all the more critical as the central force to balance such inequality.

Burnham’s stance is clear - he

“You’re asking an English student here so prepare for an essay. The Road to Wigan Pier is the book I come back to”

Any advice for students?

“The main thing I would say is believe in yourself. I remember how damaging imposter syndrome was and wasting so much negative energy on it. You are where you are for a reason and therefore enjoy it to the full”

The role of the Mayor is a place first approach rather than a party first approach (with) no buffer or insulation between the issues you deal with and the people who have concerns

Of the English regions, (the North) often gets treated the worst when it comes to infrastructure and other funding

Durham is the warmest and friendliest cathedral city I’ve ever been to

Andy Burnham (Rwendland via Wikimedia Commons)

Politics The Long Read

Starmer on trial: just how different is his Labour Party after three years?

Alex Everest House Politics Editor

Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, has one of the hardest jobs in British politics. Being leader of the Opposition, he is expected to effectively get into the news cycle whilst having absolutely no control over it – but perhaps his job was made all the more difficult by coming in off of the back of one of the worst Labour election defeats in decades, at a time when all he could do was nod his head to government policy about coronavirus. Yet, many would argue, he has done the impossible: he has turned the party round from being on the brink of split to looking far more united in the face of a fractured Conservative government.

Problems, however, remain and despite the incredulous polling lead that Labour have, victory is not guaranteed as Sunak’s government appear to get back on to a more stable footing. Perhaps he is more used to being the prosecutor, but to walk through the black door at Number 10, Starmer is going to be the one judged by the public, whether he likes the verdict or not.

To come out of that judgement well, Starmer’s first job was to radically change the party’s image. Of course, traditionally socialist policies are indeed popular within the UK, with the universal love of the NHS perhaps the best show of that, but it does not appear that socialist personalities share the same level of love: Jeremy Corbyn suffered some of the worst personal ratings of any leader in British politics ever, with Ipsos MORI showing his approval had plunged to a net of -60 at its worst.

Rooting out the image of antisemitism and moving significantly toward the centre ground has been a key goal for Starmer – despite his pledges to keep the majority of Corbyn’s policies during the leadership election in 2020. Having his predecessor suspended from the parliamentary party and blocking him from standing as a Labour candidate at the next general election are bold moves that even Conservatives – as ruthlessly pragmatic as they can be – would not dream of. They are extremely unpopular moves with many parts of the party’s membership and office holders, yet they are perhaps unsurprising moves given the deep level of resentment that voters showed for the party at the ballot box in 2019.

Indeed, the moves toward the centre ground too are designed to recapture support from the fallen ‘Red Wall’ lost to Boris Johnson’s Conservatives at the previous election. Many within the Labour Party, particularly those who

supported Corbyn heavily during his years as leader, have criticised Starmer for being somewhat of a ‘soft Tory’, but this largely misses the point electorally; that is exactly what Starmer wants to appear as to voters who placed their trust in the Conservatives in 2019 and instead want someone who appears economically responsible rather than reckless. Indeed, at a time when the Treasury’s coffers are severely limited – and even when they are not – many voters are sceptical of very large, very specific costs for policies, even when the policies themselves prove to be fairly popular. To that end, Starmer has forced his shadow cabinet to swap out their spending commitments for cuts or efficiencies within their department if they want to campaign on them in order to build back trust with the voting public. It is designed to be a change from previous leadership, but strategy alone cannot win you an election –you need to have ideas.

is not much policy at all, and even where it exists, the mechanisms and technicalities of it are not laid out to voters well. A more specific pledge like providing mental health care within a month of requesting it lacks the backing and funding for staffing increases, whereas other commitments – like making Britain a “clean energy superpower” – are largely just words in a press release.

others’ failings. Of course, as leader of the Conservatives, many argue he is responsible for defending his party’s record, but some within the Tory Party were quick to point out that the most striking advert – declaring that Sunak does not want to see child sex abusers punished – is historically more within Starmer’s remit as director of public prosecutions at the CPS. Yet, it would be absurd for Conservatives to pretend as though their party have not suffered from scandal over the past 18 months: from ‘partygate’ to Liz Truss’s ‘mini-budget’, to Sunak’s wife’s tax affairs, there has been no shortage of depressing headlines for CCHQ –and the polls show it.

And that is where one of Starmer’s most prominent criticisms lies. The truth is that in the eyes of the majority, there

Yet, it is probably for the be er at this stage if Labour really is to win the next election: detailing intricate policy ideas is risky business before reaching the 2024 campaign trail, as it leaves the door wide open to other parties to steal those ideas. Indeed, at even the whiff of the expansion of childcare provision from Labour, Jeremy Hunt promptly announced free childcare for one- and two-year-

olds in the Budget. This is perhaps one of the finest lines for an Opposition to walk in the run up to an election: your job is to convince the electorate you would make a good government whilst providing very li le public detail about how you would do it. It should come as li le surprise then that when asked what the Labour Party under Starmer stands for, Redfield and Wilton found that voters have no idea.

Ultimately though, a clean slate is far be er than a tainted one, and having his party marred by scandal is something he is keen to avoid whilst his opponents continue to suffer from embarrassments and policy failures: whilst it took Sunak more than a day to have Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab removed from his post after the longawaited bullying report landed on his desk, Starmer had Diane Abbo suspended as a member of the parliamentary Labour Party within about two hours of her bizarre le er to the Observer

This is not to say the party has suffered no scandal: its newest political adverts directly criticise Rishi Sunak for what are largely

4%

Starmer’s lead in ‘Best Prime Minister’ polling (source: Redfield and Wilton Strategies, 23 April)

Many in politics advise against reading too much from polls – they can be unreliable, unpredictable and change in a heartbeat. It is, however, unsurprising that Conservative strategists have paid a ention to a months-long, consistent twenty-point lead for Starmer’s party over theirs – with local elections taking place today in councils across the UK, the party is expected to lose hundreds of councillors, angering the grassroots in the process. It seems that the idea of ‘Tory sleaze’ has cut through with the electorate and after such a long time in government, the public may well be ready for a change.

Labour should be by no means complacent, however. A key metric, that being which party leader would make a be er Prime Minister, is much tighter, with Redfield and Wilton showing Starmer is only ahead by as li le as four percentage points, suggesting that the tide can be turned by Sunak as his personality appears to stand in the way far less than it did for his predecessors. Indeed, Starmer has repeatedly said that his party cannot be complacent; they say decades happen in weeks in politics, and with at least a year until the public decide the next government, there is more than enough time for several decades to pass us by.

If Labour really are to win the next election as the polls suggest, they are going to have to continue to work for it. They need to build a narrative of what a Labour Britain will look like without giving away too much meat for Conservative policy wonks to feed on, whilst avoiding the dreaded ‘boring’ tag. Starmer needs to remind the public of what many of them felt during some of the biggest political scandals of the decade, all whilst keeping a solid lock on any of his own developing. Most of all though, the party need to convince the electorate that they are serious about forming a government: at the end of the day, the public need the evidence to deliver the verdict that Keir Starmer wants.

Starmer has taken a different direction to his predecessor (Jeremy Corbyn via Wikimedia Commons)

Strategy alone cannot win you an election - you need to have ideas

In the eyes of the majority, there is not much policy at all, and even where it exists, the mechanisms and technicalities of it are not laid out to voters well

Local elections : should we expect a red tide to break the blue wall?

Luke Alsford

Another year, another set of local elections. What might appear as simply another rendition of an annual redrawing of the political map has, this year, an unmissable significance: it is one of the final litmus tests of voter opinion before the general election in 2024. Labour and the Conservatives already have a lot staked on the results. For Rishi Sunak, any outperformance of recent warnings that he faces losses in the quadruple digits can play into his narrative of a Conservative comeback and compound doubts as to Keir Starmer’s electoral appeal. The Labour leader, on the other hand, is eyeing an outcome that re-establishes his momentum in the polls and could reignite Tory infighting over their electoral prospects under the current Prime Minister.

child sexual assault should go to prison. This a ack ad, however, is a political red herring for those seeking to understand Labour’s local election strategy. For that, all eyes must turn to the paid advertising that Starmer’s election gurus are employing on Facebook. There the language is not inflammatory or aggressive, but the theme is the same: crime.

High Peak, Swindon, and North Lincolnshire – all, unsurprisingly, hotly-contested councils in these local elections.

Locking up violent criminals is not the only weapon in Labour’s election-winning arsenal. Starmer is also trying to take up the mantle of the levelling-up agenda that Boris Johnson used to appeal to disaffected Brexit-supporting voters in 2019. To do this, Labour are campaigning on a commitment to save the high streets and to deal with water pollution, both causes more associated with the Daily Mail than with left-wing politics. Labour are pu ing their money where their mouth is; they have invested significantly more in paid advertising and as a result have targeted posts on business closures and water pollution that are reaching potentially millions of people.

to voters of all stripes, but above all Conservative supporters. That is a crucial distinction; in local elections where turnout is minimal and when ge ing your base to show up at the polling station is essential, their Facebook ads a acking Labour on the small boats issue is as much about rallying staunch Conservatives than trying to win over undecided voters.

more on hoping that motivating their loyal supporters to vote could provide a momentum-shifting upset.

With the general election now on the horizon, this round of local elections has also become a training ground for the lines of a acks that both parties plan to use to win a majority at Westminster next year. This is no more so because scores of the key councils up for grabs this time around, the likes of Plymouth, Thanet and Broxtowe, are all must-win marginal parliamentary constituencies. The campaigns of the Conservatives and Labour in this election cycle reflect the importance of strong individual local election results for both parties as well as pointing to the cornerstone issues that will define the upcoming ba le to occupy Downing Street.

How is Labour trying to win the next general election? This is the question that many political analysts had on their lips when Labour posted a dubious and highly controversial tweet claiming that the Prime Minister does not think that adults convicted of

Starmer is seeking to mirror Blair’s crime-focused campaign in 1997 and hone in on the government’s failures on law and order to win over Tory voters. Labour’s social media campaign is also highly targeted; their ads calling for “safer streets” are specifically name-checking and being shown to the voters of

The Labour Party’s campaign may be relying on a quantity of political criticisms, but the Conservatives have their electoral hopes overwhelmingly pinned on the quality of one point of a ack: their plan to “stop the boats”. It will not have gone unnoticed in Conservative HQ that Rishi Sunak’s legislation to tackle illegal immigration brought a significant poll boost to the Tories. The Prime Minister is making his own play to retain the support of Brexit voters who abandoned the Labour Party in 2019, and indeed illegal immigration is a problem that is increasingly important

If you were wondering, however, why this wave of a ack ads is perhaps being outnumbered by Tory advertising reminding voters to ‘make a plan to vote’, then the answer lies in the same fundamental truth of council elections. One of the most reliable elements of the Conservative vote, the elderly, are the ones at the most risk of disenfranchisement because of the new requirement to bring identification to the ballot box. In an election where turnout could be the decisive factor, Rishi Sunak’s election campaign is relying less on winning over the public and

Labour are spending and a acking more in this election cycle because they are the Party with greater confidence heading into polling day. The problem for Labour is that as much as they have more to win, they equally have more to lose. After an unpredictable year in politics, these council elections could just as easily churn out an unpredictable result, one that puts the Conservatives back on the political map, or one that throws them out to sea with the small boats that they have been campaigning on. Voters are heading to the polls after a definitive year in British politics, but it is the next twelve months to come, with the general election fast approaching, that Sunak and Starmer will be focused on as those ballot papers are counted.

This round of local elections has also become a training ground for the lines of a acks that both parties plan to use to win a majority at Westminster next year

The campaigns of the Conservatives and Labour in this election cycle...will define the upcoming ba le to occupy Downing Street.

UK Polling Station (European Parliament via Flickr)

After an unpredictable year in politics, these council elections could just as easily churn out an unpredictable Illegal immigration is a problem that is increasingly important to voters of all stripes

Je proteste: the French love for taking to the streets International

Callum Tilley

Since January, France has been engulfed in civil unrest as protestors make their opposition known to President Macron’s pension reforms. Buildings have been occupied and set on fire, and infrastructure has been halted by striking workers in support of the protestors. The Government, lacking a majority in the Assemblé Nationale, used Article 49.3 of the Constitution to force through the reforms without a vote on the Bill. This inspired further protest at the undemocratic nature of forcing largely unwanted reforms through without a vote, and an Ifop study found that 78% of people surveyed see the reforms “illegitimate” because of the “unjustified” use of Article 49.3. So, what should we make of these protests? Should we take a leaf out of France’s book? And what do they say about France, and Europe more widely?

Traditionally, France is seen as be er at collective action than the UK, and perhaps also readier to riot. This may be a cultural stereotype or even a sign that the French carefully guard what some perceive as their enviable labour rights, but it can also be read as a sign of mass political engagement with a population quick to defend their hard-won rights.

Traditionally, France is seen as be er at collective action than the UK

Perhaps their willingness to strike and protest is a sign that they are more politically engaged and willing to act on their principles.

Although these protests have arguably failed – the reforms have been forced through – the protestors have certainly got their message across, and have proven that they won’t accept unwanted interference with their rights without a fight. This might be seen as reductive, but it is not untrue. Take, for example, the recent passage of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, which the human rights group Liberty has said “threatens protest rights”, a fundamental foundation of a democratic system. Can you

imagine if the French government had tried to pass a Bill like this? Judging by the reaction to pension reforms, there would have been mass protests, strikes, and civil disobedience across the country. Yet in the UK there was li le protest, and no mass movement to oppose the Bill. Some will say that we should learn something from the French if we want to defend our rights as well as they do.

Will Holmes

It has become fashionable within national security journalism to talk of war over Taiwan with a sense of inevitability.

is one China but that each side has different interpretations of what China is. This arrangement has encountered increased scrutiny over the past decade.

The recent strikes in the UK are perhaps the beginnings of this change. Public sector workers like teachers, transport workers, doctors, and nurses are taking their issues onto the streets and making their voices heard. Whether or not you support them, you cannot deny them their fundamental right to strike if you like living in a democracy (although apparently the Health Secretary doesn’t agree; Steve Barclay is taking the Royal College of Nursing to court to try to prevent an upcoming 48 hour strike). Maybe we are, finally, learning from the French model of political engagement and taking our concerns to the streets to make our voices heard.

The French response to pension reforms is taking place in a cost of living crisis (albeit to a different extent), where people fear for their ability to provide for themselves as they near retirement. Aside from the recent strikes, maybe the British public will be inspired to make its voice heard about the discontent over the cost of living crisis, in which people are struggling to heat their homes and buy groceries, with inflation hi ing 10.1%. Maybe strikes are the beginning of a movement reminiscent of French uprisings against Macron’s government.

It is important therefore to understand the roots of the conflict in order to assess the risks present. Too often this process views the potential for conflict through a purely strategic lens, omi ing the experience of the millions who live in its menacing shadow. Policy makers and the public need to understand why Taiwan is disputed, and to assess that dispute from the perspective of the participants themselves.

The islands of Taiwan have a complex history. Aside from the indigenous population, the islands host a mix of different ethnic groups from neighbouring China, Japan and Korea. These migrants arrived in several waves over multiple centuries: the most significant at present being the migration of Chinese Nationalists in 1949.

Exiled after their loss in the Chinese Civil War, the nationalist Republic of China (ROC) government fled to Taiwan. In addition to controlling the main island of Taiwan, Formosa, the ROC also controls over a hundred smaller islands, some of which are a mere 10 kilometres from the mainland. The victorious Chinese Communist Party (CCP) set up the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on the mainland. The CCP have long stated their desire to reunite Taiwan and the PRC.

Since 1992 a (somewhat disputed) ‘consensus’ has guided relations between the ROC and PRC. The Consensus states that the ROC and PRC recognize that there

There are two key drivers of the present tension. The first is the PRC’s renewed urgency to reunify, by force if necessary. China has become increasingly belligerent on the world stage and has on multiple occasions stated its willingness to use military action to subdue Taiwan if peaceful reunification is not forthcoming. Under the rule of Xi Jinping, the goal of reunification has gained greater prominence.

Increasingly nationalistic Chinese propaganda casts the nation’s history as a story of great rejuvenation. After a century of humiliation at the hands of Imperial Western interests, China has, under the guidance of the CCP, been restored to its rightful place as the ‘Middle Kingdom’. Crucially, this tale of rejuvenation necessarily includes Taiwan.

The presence of a successful democratic ‘China’ just 200 kilometres off the mainland’s coast would severely undermine the PRC’s claim to be responsible for the mainland’s rejuvenation. While the allure of ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’ wanes as GDP growth slows and inequality increases, the appeal to a more cultural and nationalistic authority will only become more potent. To Beijing, Taiwan is the last piece of the puzzle, a remnant of a shameful past in need of rectification.

The other key driver of tension is Taiwan’s growing cultural distance from China. Until 1987, Taiwan was under the rule of military dictator Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) party. Under Chiang, the ROC hoped to unify China under

nationalist rule. Imperial Chinese culture was encouraged while other minority ethnic groups and cultures were suppressed. Since transitioning to a democracy in 1987, previously suppressed ethnic groups have gained a voice, and what it means to be Taiwanese has developed well beyond ‘estranged Chinese’. In 1992 it may have made sense for the ROC to subscribe to ‘one China, two interpretations.’ Nowadays however it makes li le sense to call Taiwan China. Taiwanese identity is more diverse and more complex. Moreover, Taiwan’s status as a liberal democracy would make any sort of peaceful reunification with an authoritarian state unfeasible.

Put simply, the PRC and ROC are moving in opposite directions. As the PRC is becoming more authoritarian and nationalist, Taiwan is becoming more democratic and multicultural. This trend is ironically symbolised in the two populations’ differing interpretations of Chiang Kaishek’s legacy. In Taiwan, Chiang is a complex historical figure, revered by some but viewed by others as a tyrant. In the PRC, however, Chiang is undergoing a transformation from the CCP’s sworn enemy to a nationalist icon, symbolic of China’s great imperial history to which Xi Jinping now appeals.

Given the stark diversion between the PRC and ROC, it is clear that there is no easy path back to just ‘One China’. More worryingly, a continuation of current trends would surely preclude any chance of peaceful reunification. Both sides are aware of this problem. Fortunately, they are also aware of the cataclysmic consequences of foregoing a peaceful se lement. For the near future at least, we must hope that such awful consequences cannot be overlooked.

Our neighbours across the Channel are known for their revolutionary past, but will the UK follow the current tactics being used or sit back and watch?

Taiwanese military exercise in 2020 (Wang Yu Ching via Flickr)

China and Taiwan:

the coming war?

The recent strikes in the UK are perhaps the beginnings of this change. Public sector workers like teachers, transport workers, doctors, and nurses are taking their issues onto the streets.

“Choked Street”: students exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution

Cameron McAllister SciTech Editor

Local campaigners have warned of “dangerously polluted air” in Durham City, including important student thoroughfares like Church Street and residential areas popular with students like Gilesgate and Nevilles' Cross.

The National Air Quality Objective for nitrogen dioxide limits mean annual levels to 40µg/m3. Some parts of Church Street exceeded this limit every year between 2011 and 2019, with reduced levels in 2020 and 2021 a ributable to the Covid-19 pandemic and the closure of the New Elvet Bridge, which has since reopened.

The situation is so dire on Church Street – which runs between the Students’ Union at Dunelm House to the Bill Bryson Library – that Elvet Clean Air, a group of local residents working for cleaner air in Durham, have branded it “Choked Street”.

Elvet Clean Air have launched a survey for residents of the Elvet Triangle to share their ideas on tackling poor air quality and improving street safety in the area and are keen to receive more responses from students.

“We need to get the voice of the students to do two things: one, to tell them that there's a problem here; and two, to ask them for suggestions for change because we have a broader vision than this.” Steve Lindsay of Elvet Clean Air told Palatinate Poppy Jopson, Head Facilitator at the Durham University climate action group ECO DU, believes that the University has a duty of care to students with regards to local air pollution to “do something about it. Or at least […] push the Council on it.”

“It's definitely worrying from a student perspective. There are students that live on that road [Church Street] and every student walks down that road all the time, so it's definitely worrying just from a health perspective.”

Jane Robson, Director of Estates Operations, Estates and Facilities, Durham University, said:

“We are working to reduce the impact University activities have on air quality in support of our own sustainability goals and Durham County Council’s (DCC’s) wider plans to improve air quality across the City.

“Through our Integrated Sustainable Travel Plan (ISTP) we are working to cut the number of vehicles visiting our estate by

lowering the proportion of singleoccupancy car journeys, which has also been supported by the move to hybrid working.

“In addition to this, we are also encouraging greater use of public transport, walking and cycling, increasing the use of low emissions vehicles and reducing the impact of services and deliveries to the University.

“We work closely with DCC to help address the impact of travel and congestion. DCC is represented on our ISTP Steering Group and is involved in developing our travel plans.

“We look forward to continuing to work with DCC to help them reduce emissions and improve air quality for the benefit of the entire community.”

The University also pointed towards subsidised public transport, investment in walking and cycling infrastructure, and the upcoming trial of an app to promote car sharing as examples of initiatives likely to have a positive impact on air quality.

Provisional results for 2022 suggest the Air Quality Objective for nitrogen dioxide may have been again surpassed on Church Street last year.

But Church Street isn’t the only area of Durham with dangerously high air pollution. Other areas of Durham City, including in Gilesgate and Neville's Cross, have been found to exceed the annual mean National Air Quality Objective for nitrogen dioxide.

Importantly, the 40µg/m3. is not a safe limit for nitrogen dioxide. The World Health Organization (WHO) standard is four times lower, and it is accepted that there is no safe level of air pollution. The WHO has named Air pollution as the biggest environmental threat to human health.

Up to 36,000 deaths per year in the UK are linked to longterm exposure to man-made air pollution. Short term exposure, over hours or days, can exacerbate asthma, reduce lung function, and increase respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions.

“To make it real, do you remember the case of the young girl, the 9-year-old girl, that died of asthma and the coroner concluded that her cause of death was air pollution?” explains Lindsay. “It's the same levels of air pollution that that young girl experience. They're in Church Street.”

That young girl was Ella KissiDebrah. In 2020, a coroner ruled that the “excessive” and illegal level of air pollution she had been

exposed to – primarily due to traffic emissions – had contributed to her death.

Defra has estimated that 80% of the emissions of nitrogen oxides in areas of the UK which are exceeding nitrogen dioxide limits are due to transport – with the largest source being diesel cars and vans.

While nitrogen dioxide is the main pollutant in Durham, particulate ma er (PM) is also a leading contributor to poor air quality. Petrol and diesel vehicles are both sources of PM2.5 air pollution, fine particulate ma er with particles generally of less than 2.5 µm in diameter, along with industrial processes and domestic combustion.

Outdoor air pollution, particularly PM, has been classified a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Durham County Council has a legal obligation to assess air quality across the county. If a likely breach of an air quality objective is identified, the council must then declare an Air Quality Management Area, before agreeing a plan to improve air quality in that area.

Part of Church Street was added to the Durham City AQMA in September 2022. The area includes many air pollution hotspots throughout the city, including in Neville's Cross and Gilesgate.

The Durham City Air Quality Action Plan was approved in June 2016. As Air Quality Action Plans

are reviewed every 5 years, a review of the plan began in 2021.

Modelling in the initial stage of this review has suggested that locations in Gilesgate and on Church Street will continue to exceed the nitrogen dioxide objective in 2024. As Lindsay puts it, “It's very simple: same old, same old is not an option. We've got to do something. So, what is it?”

Owen Cleugh, Durham County Council’s public protection manager, said: “We’ve put a number of measures in place under our existing Air Quality Action Plan for Durham City.

“These include traffic control systems to ease congestion, steps to reduce emissions from buses and the development of cycle ways alongside work to encourage car sharing, walking and cycling, and greater use of public transport.

“We are currently reviewing the plan and as part of that we’re appraising and assessing a number of options.

“Once the options appraisal and assessment process is complete, we will produce an updated version of the plan and we will then go out to consultation with a number of stakeholders, including Durham University, on its contents.”

In a consultation meeting organised by Elvet Clean Air, residents of Church Street and the surrounding area supported more electric car charging points, the introduction of a one-way system, and reducing or eliminating student cars from the city centre.

No students a ended the consultation, but Lindsay and Jopson agree that students should play an important part in the conversation surrounding tackling Durham City’s poor air, in efforts which could also help to unite the local community.

“My view at the moment –because I work in international health and we've been doing this sort of thing for years – is: ‘what do the community think?’” said Lindsay. “And the students are very much part of that community … One of the missing pieces of the jigsaw is student population. We haven't had a voice from them.”

“It's not just the University that be we need to be paying a ention to,” adds Jopson. “I think the ‘towngown’ divide is not brilliant, so we're trying to [...] work on bridging that and engaging with the community a bit more because we do have a responsibility [to] look after the city that we're living in.”

Long queues of traffic like this are a regular sight on Church Street, AKA "Choked Street" (Thomas Tomlinson)

Scan below to complete the Elvet Clean Air Survey

Carbon offsets: the future, or a distraction?

Saskia Peal

Following the ratification of the Paris Agreement in 2015, the words ‘net zero by 2050’ have appeared more and more in the media, whether it be in the news, adverts, or plastered on the front of BP’s website. Despite this 2050 target being admi edly aspirational, more than 70 countries have net zero ambitions, including some of the greatest polluters such as China and the United States.

In some cases, however, it is not realistic to expect a company or country to eliminate all of their carbon emissions, especially if their work involves the direct release of greenhouse gases. The UN recognised this discrepancy at the 1992 Kyoto Protocol and created carbon offse ing. This scheme enables companies and individuals to balance out their carbon footprint by investing in various environmental projects, ranging from the planting of trees to the production of clean energy technologies.

In its short life, carbon offse ing has sparked major controversy over whether it’s the solution to incentivising companies to decarbonise, or just another Google Glasses: an unnecessary and expensive idea that will be humoured for a few years before everyone acknowledges it’s a sham.

The criticisms directed at offse ing can be simplified into two types of concerns:

pragmatic and philosophical. The pragmatic approach is concerned with issues such as fraudulent schemes. Cases of offset protected forests that have since been deforested are all too common. Mirroring this, some offset protected forests were never at risk in the first place, for example if they have been privately owned for decades. Therefore, these schemes provide no additional benefits. Some projects even inflate baseline emissions so that more carbon credits are generated for the scheme, enabling them to take extra credit. To reduce the frequency of failed projects, verification agencies, such as Verra, have promised to weed out any useless and deceitful enterprises. Unfortunately, Verra has also been found to be dubious. Alas, offse ing seems to be doomed at every level.

Even with carbon offset schemes, the carbon produced at home would still need to be cut in order to reach net zero. According to George Monbiot, an environmental activist, a 60% cut in global emissions by 2030 is required to stop the global temperature rising to 2°C above pre industrial levels, ‘which means a 90% cut in the rich world’. Projects such as BP’s “target neutral” scheme, which allows customers to “neutralise the CO2 emissions caused by their driving” for £20, are not enough, and we are under a false illusion pretending they are.

The philosophical approach denounces the wealthy using offse ing, claiming it allows them to aimlessly throw money at schemes in order to feel less guilty about je ing off to exclusive places and driving offensively large SUVs. Some even allege that it encourages people to consume more than before, as it negates the environmental costs of buying items produced across the

world. Offse ing also enables rich companies to buy credits, instead of taking direct responsibility for their climate crimes.

The sadly (or not so sadly) defunct website, Cheat Neutral, ridicules offse ing and spotlights the greenwashing that occurs in companies. The premise for the website is that people pay someone else £2.50 not to cheat on their partner, hence nullifying their own adultery. This quid pro quo is termed ‘monogamy-boosting offset projects’ and even if one is celibate, they can benefit off the exchange. Nonetheless, carbon offse ing does offer tangible advantages. Not only does it benefit environmental projects, but it also allows businesses to drastically reduce their carbon footprint. A Stanford study has found that it is effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, whilst providing habitats for endangered species and enabling the growth of initiatives in different countries. However, some types of projects are more fool proof than others, making it hard to generalise an entire outcome. Some consider Direct Air Capture technologies, the removal of CO2 from air and storage in geological formations, the most effective project. These projects are permanent, remove additional CO2, and have minimal land and water usage. Nevertheless, if one invests in a failed project, none of these advantages will be seen.

The common argument used by critics that rich individuals use offsets to justify their spending habits has been discredited by some due to the lack of evidence. A study by Deutsche Bundesbank has shown that individuals who choose to accept information regarding climate change are more likely to pay for offse ing. This proves that

those who use offsets are usually already environmentally conscious and use offse ing as an additional mechanism to reduce footprint, instead of a way to alleviate their guilt.

Yes, carbon offse ing may lead to greater consumption and less guilt regarding consuming. However, that logic can be applied to numerous other inventions. Many societies around the globe are structured to sustain the growth of larger corporations and the more money we spend, the more profits these companies make. This explains the ubiquity of consumerism; even though buying ephemeral items does not benefit us remotely long term, we are still sucked into it. Social media, crafty advertising, and online shopping have led to greater consumption; we haven’t given up either of those and, unfortunately, we most likely never will. In an ideal world, all harmful consumerist aspects of our society would vanish, and we would shift back to a needsbased consumer culture, rather than desires-based. However, even though offse ing is not unique in

inspiring more consumption, the fact that it claims to be a solution whilst also accelerating an industry that causes 60% of all greenhouse gas emissions globally is a bit more problematic.

It appears as though carbon offse ing has achieved the very opposite of its initial intention and encourages companies to take a sheltered interest in the environment without actually changing their policies. Many projects are unsustainable, ineffective, and both socioeconomically and environmentally unethical. Offse ing shouldn’t be one of the primary actions followed to decrease global emissions, but instead a supportive and transitional measure. Rather, money could be donated to a recognised charity, or reinvested in a company’s own sustainability project. The freedom to cut corners is offse ing's Achilles heel, and it has proved a few too many people and corporations will choose the easier option over the right one.

Durham's Trees: The Monkey Puzzle outside the Billy B

So, let’s talk Trees. Generally, they are considered inanimate objects, with muddy washed-out colours. Studied by people who would sooner be found in a dim lit basement than socialising with human beings.

As a biologist myself, I am not here to tell you you’re wrong. This isn’t a chance for me to write an aggressive, pro plant science article but more an opportunity to offer a different perspective on the gentil giants that surround us almost wherever we go.

Whether you want to poison a frustrating roommate, learn to make longbows and conquer the French, or absorb random information that you can impart on others to seem intellectual then this article series is for you.

To animate the inanimate, I will be writing about frequently passed, but not often viewed Trees, with

useless but possibly intriguing facts.

With exam season encroaching on the usual carefree Durham student the Billy B will be in more frequent use. Making it as good a place as any to begin.

Outside the entrance to the library stands a gracious and sombre giant. A Monkey Puzzle tree. Characterised by its spiral arrangement of rigid needle-pointed leaves, quite unlike any plant natural growing in this part of the world.

The Monkey Puzzle aka Chile Pine (or Araucaria Araucana for those who still speak Latin), is a species of coniferous tree hailing from the Andes mountains of South America. The Latin name is a ributed to the Araucanian people of Chile, who were the first to use the tree's wood for construction and other purposes. The species is endangered in the wild due to illegal felling and habitat fragmentation, though popular as an ornamental plant all around the world.

Despite its name, this tree has nothing to do with monkeys. There is debate over the exact origin of the name, though the general consensus is that a guest visiting an estate in Cornwall coined the term. On seeing

The tree itself can grow up to 4550 meters tall with a diameter of 2.5 meters, and some sources claim it can live for up to 1,000 years!

The species is dioecious (separate male and female individuals), with males producing oval-shaped 15cm long erect flowers, and the female producing cones with 200 edible seeds per cone (which take 2 years to mature). Pollination is done by most commonly squirrels, jays

and the wind. Though this lonely tree lacks a suitable bachelor for pollination, due to its isolation away from others in its species. This is made worse by the trees inability to stagger down to Jimmies on a Friday night to find a complementary partner.

Interesting facts about this species is that it is around 200 million years old, so rubbed shoulders with dinosaurs where its spin-like needles acted to protect against ancient grazing animals. As well as its bark is to some extent fire resistant so ‘islands’ of trees can even survive lava flows.

There is an old Fenland belief (Cambridgeshire area) that planting a monkey puzzle on the edge of a graveyard would prevent the Devil from entering the burial. Other stories extending country wide claim the Devil actually lives within the tree!

Finally, a note for all exam takers this term, it is said that speaking while passing one of these trees it will bring you bad luck or cause you to grow a monkey’s tail. So, make sure to keep the cha er to a minimum entering the Billy B.

William Tate

(Generated with OpenAI's Dall-E 2)

It is said that speaking while passing one of these trees it will bring you bad luck

the tree for the first time commented along the lines of that climbing the spiny, spiralling branches would be a puzzle even for a monkey.

Is social media driving the 'mental illness epidemic' in teenage girls?

Samuel Lambert

Ironically it was whilst browsing Twi er one night, unable to sleep, that I came across this topic, through a blog by American psychologist Jonathan Haidt. It had entered my mind on and off for years but I was never able to find any conclusive answers. However, work by Haidt in collating years of research papers together in preparation for an upcoming book shows that we’re coming closer to having an answer. His conclusion? That “increased social media use leads to worse mental health outcomes, especially for teenagers and especially for teenage girls”.

This is far from an uncontroversial claim with other academics such as Jeff Hancock of Stanford University stating that “There’s been absolutely hundreds of [social-media and mental-health] studies, almost all showing pre y small effects.” However, if Haidt is right, this should force us to reconsider the way that we’ve all accepted social media as part of our lives and the stranglehold which social media companies have over our free time and a ention. Let’s take a look at how Haidt reaches his conclusion.

A hundred correlational, longitudinal, and experimental studies ... taken as a whole shows clear evidence of causation

First, he asks us to look at the data surrounding what’s been described as a ‘teenage mental-health crisis’ taking place in America and beyond. Data from a range of sources indicates that young people in America and other Western countries are facing massive increases in mental health conditions. As Dereck Thompson writes in the Atlantic, citing data from a 2021 CDC study, “Almost every measure of mental health is ge ing worse, for every teenage demographic”, with the share of American high school students between 2009 and 2021 who report that they feel ‘persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness’ rising from 26 to 44 percent, which is the highest level ever recorded. This isn’t just happening in America, with a study from 2021 from the UK concluding

that “the overall incidence has increased substantially in both boys and girls in between 2003 and 2018 for anxiety disorders, depression and self-harm”.

The connection that Haidt establishes between this worrying data and social media is that there is a strong link between when mental health conditions began to really increase and the widespread introduction of social media, which he places at 2012, when Facebook bought Instagram and its user base exploded. Now on its own this isn’t sufficient to establish a link between these poor mental health outcomes and social media use but it serves as a starting point for investigating whether there is a link.

Here is where Haidt’s work collating dozens of studies looking at the link between social media use and mental health outcomes comes in. Haidt analyses dozens of studies, which can be broadly split into two categories: a) those that are looking for an association between social media use and mental health, and b) those that are looking for a causal link between social media use and mental health. The result is that “a hundred correlational, longitudinal and experimental studies … taken as a whole shows clear evidence of causation”. Let’s go through some examples.

For the first type of study, Haidt concludes that “almost all of the studies we listed … showed an association between hours of social media use and bad mental health outcomes”. For example, a 2019 study in the Lancet by Zilanawala, Booker & Sacker which looked for an association between social media use and mental health outcomes found that the percentage of ‘clinically relevant depressive symptoms’ amongst UK teens increased dramatically based on their social media usage.

This is a striking correlation but importantly it can’t show which way the arrow of causation points, or whether there even is a causal link between the two. For that, we need studies which specifically look for this link by performing an experiment. Luckily that job has been done for us.

Haidt writes that “These experiments provide direct evidence that social media … is a cause, not just a correlate, of bad mental health”. An example of such an experiment was carried out by Hunt, Marx, Lipson & Young (2018) who looked at the effects of reducing social media use to ten minutes per day on the mental health of a random group of undergraduate students finding that “the limited use group showed significant reductions in loneliness and depression over three weeks compared to the control group”.

What this tells us is that there is not only a correlation between increased social media use, but also a causal link between the two with time spent on social media impacting a user’s mental health.

But does this mean we should all delete our Instagram accounts and stop scrolling Facebook whilst we’re supposed to be doing work in the Billy B? Probably yes for the second one but as for deleting social media altogether it’s still not clear for a few reasons.

for every teenage demographic

Firstly, there is li le evidence for a link between light social media usage and harm, with effects only really beginning to show an impact after more than an hour of usage per day. Second, a majority of the studies only looked at time spent on social media, rather than trying to examine which specific behaviours impact our mental health. Social media use includes a range of activities, from looking on Tindurr to see if you’ve finally been mentioned, to being hooked on the Instagram explore page asking yourself why everyone there seems to be having a be er

time than you. This means we need more data on which parts of social media use lead to harmful outcomes. Finally, the fact that so many people use social media produces network effects, whereby friendship groups and social activities are coordinated and take place online. Qui ing these groups cold turkey without finding a replacement isn’t always going to be beneficial.

So, if you’re spending hours a day browsing social media, comparing yourself to others and feeling that you’re missing out, you would

probably benefit from taking a break. And as one study by Brailovskaia, Swarlik, Grethe, Schilack & Margraf (2022) showed, reducing social media use by 30 minutes a day and increasing exercise by 30 minutes boosted mental health outcomes. So maybe our parents were right all along when they told us to stop staring at our phones and go outside. Note that this is only a brief intro the topic, if you’re interested in more details and effects I’d highly recommend checking out Jonathan Haidt’s blog.

What does the data say?

A closer look...

• Rates of mood disorders are elevated in girls compared to boys

• Often, the effects of moderate use are comparable with li le to no use

• However, outcomes such as clinically relevant depressive symptoms become more pronounced as usage increases

• The dose-response effect is larger for girls; for boys, increasing daily social media use from 2 hours to 5 hours doubles the rates of depression

• For girls, increasing daily social media use from 2 hours to 5 hours triples the rates of depression

• In correlational studies, use of digital media such as TV and Netflix seem to have less harmful effects than social media

• The roll-out of high-speed internet in rural areas is linked with significant increases in mental health diagnoses' for teenage girls

Graph by Cas Gudgeon, with data taken from Kelly et al. (2019)

Almost every measure of mental health is ge ing worse,

Satire Editors: Sascha Lo & Rory Cronin

For less, visit www.palatinate.org.uk/weisprofoundlyamusing

A day in the life: the alternative student has an exam

Caleb Tutt

I start the day around 8am. I have the Radio 4 Today programme set as my alarm so I can be the first to hear about updates in international politics- I have to make conversation somehow.

unlike them I’ve actually got work to do.

Other students are probably in a hungover coma at this time, but

I breakfast on a bagel and chuck a satsuma into my tote bag before beelining to the Billy B. There’s already some rugby boys on level three who look defeated. Hahaha. No doubt they study some useless degree like business studies. It’s a painfully obvious means to an end. They probably have some banking job lined up already. I just think University is an important time to do a real and impactful degree. One that preferably has a niche podcast based on it. The sex life of medieval peasantsyes please! Something that can actually make a difference.

I open my MacBook Pro to load up my anthropology

poster summative due at noon. It’s about the evolution of plosive lip movement when talking to subordinates.

yoga

I manage to average about 100 words a minute, so I’m done fairly swi ly and beat the lunch queue at the café by about 3 hours. I don’t really follow conventional mealtimes on a moral level.

Better than Bitcoin: A Very Durham Currency

Thomas Page

The national office of statistics has revealed that Durham students earn, on average, 40 pints a year by solving the menial problems of other students who asked for help on overheard. This is significantly higher than the national average, where pound sterling is a more common reward for labour. The highest earners are those who work in the returning-of-sentimentalhats sector, who can make up to 6 pints a week, but similar eye-watering salaries can be attained by anyone with a basic understanding of the mechanics of a car or those willing to volunteer in dissertation interviews.

The practice of paying people in Durham with pints dates back to 1075, when

Palatinate was established, and the bishop was granted authority to mint his own currency. The pound was only introduced as an emergency precaution in 1661 when refurbishments to the castle, reported to cost over 500,000 pints (around 3.7 million pints today when adjusted for inflation, or fewer if drunk in a nonspoons), threatened to dry the supply of every pub in Durham.

county to this day, perhaps most concerningly by the criminal underworld who are attracted to its decentralised and untraceable characteristics. In fact, police believe a thriving black market exists in Durham, using the easily downed pints as the sole currency for transactions. Undercover police intelligence reports suggest criminals sell stolen North Face puffers for between 7-8 pints, a seat reserved by the window in the Billy B for around 4 pints per day and a harvested kidney for 15-20 pints.

A er lunch, some mates and I mull over Durfess and Overheard for examples of Durham “Rahs”, altruistically calling them out when we can. This normally takes the form of large paragraph responses and asking people if they actually have any idea what they’re talking about which they rarely do.

By around 5pm I head back to Claypath for some downtime. I avoided renting in such neighbourhoods as the Viaduct and Hallgarth. They’re full of privileged returners who, once again, I disagree with on a moral level. They sicken me. Plus, the houses are grimy exmining houses which are simply not up to standard.

My housemate was

The report also sparked anger with members of Underheard, a workers' Union focused on the rights and fair pay of workers who complete Facebook errands for alcohol.

Undercover police intelligence reports suggest criminals sell stolen North Face puffers for between 7-8 pints

fortunately out doing crocheting yoga so I spent a bit longer than usual on dinner. I still had some M&S shopping le from when my Mum dropped me up here. I’ve never been a fan of pasta to be honest, but some M&S orzo will always be a penchant of mine. Students could honestly make such healthier meals if they just put their mind to it.

I watch a bit of TV, probably something on Channel 4 because I disagree with the license fee on a moral level. I avoid going clubbing because the culture is pretty toxic, and people wouldn’t get my outfit. Me and my mates aren’t really like other students.

I’m in bed by midnight as I have an exam tomorrow and am yet to pick a playlist for the walk over.

Government on either the national or local level. Linda Strike, general secretary of Underheard, told Palatinate: “Many of our members are forced to agree to work before a fixed number of pints are agreed and in one instance, a worker lent a customer a banana costume only to be paid with a single pint of Carling. We're campaigning for the abolition of 0-pint contracts and a guarantee of quality at least that of Heineken”.

However,

The office suggested that the most under-privileged pint earners were those from backgrounds associated with families who had better things to do than return lost driving licences found outside Jimmy's.

They have drawn attention to the fact that, whilst some can earn several pints per shi , workers are granted no sick-pints, holiday-pints or pints for their pensions and there are no minimum pintage laws imposed by the

Barney Bird on the French

Those who have had the pleasure of walking past the backside wall of Elvet Riverside 1, and indeed the displeasure of realising that that is in fact the front of the building, will surely have noticed a new line of irritated looking students from the French language department in recent days. They are all a bit disgruntled about the general ignorance of the populace when it comes to accepting the true origins of their favourite late-

Even in the face of Brexit, the pint has remained constant against its European counterpart, the Litre, at 1.76 and as the stress of summative season increases, more and more are choosing to invest in pints.

*The author of this article reports that he was sponsored to write this piece, receiving 3 pints from Heineken breweries*

night snack. Carrying signs that read ‘phish-y business’ and ‘liberté a la crème glacée’, these students are mortified that the classic frozen french delicacy ‘Bénangerie’ has been anglicised to the much more marketable but unforgivably post-colonial ‘Ben and Jerry’.

“French food is more than just escargots and croissants” commented one of the protestors, waving a baguette and donning a stick-on mustache. Palatinate Culinary editor Billy Nomaits reached out to both Ben and Jerry for comment on the matter, both declined to comment.

My housemate was fortunately out doing crocheting

I don’t really follow conventional mealtimes on a moral level

the currency is still popular in the

The pound was only introduced as an emergency currency

For

Chess Puzzle

Puzzle Editors: Sophie Sherra and Lucy Hagger

Word Search

This

Maths Maze

WORDSEARCH = Maypole - left down, Spring = bo om across, Taurus = three along from the left diagonal, Ladybug = second from left up, Garden = right up. 1.

= 1. (Top left) Charles, 2. Holiday (top right), 3. Westminster (middle left), 4. Monarchy (middle right), 5. King (bo om left), 6. May Sixth (bo om right).

ANSWERS:

Aquarius

Palstrology

Gabi Gordon and Eve Kirman, a prophetic pair, look to the stars to offer some much-needed insight

20th Jan – 18th Feb

You’ve been waking up earlier than normal this week to try and bag your regular seat in the Billy B. Sadly, so has everyone else - it’s time to start waking up even earlier.

Pisces

19th Feb – 20th Mar

You’ve been feeling down ever since you missed seeing Sam Fender at SNK. Just because you’re sad doesn’t mean you should write another Durfess about it though.

Aries

21st Mar – 19th Apr

With Venus entering your sign, love is in the air for Aries. If Billy B eye contact gets too intense, maybe make a move.

QDear Violet, I am in a bit of a pickle. I have accidentally uploaded some (rather erotic) fanfiction I wrote about a dreamy lecturer instead of my Geography Dissertation! Please can you give me some advice? I contacted the department but they said it’s too late to do anything about it now, and that what I have submi ed will be marked as is! I am simply never going to live this down.

ADearest reader, This is indeed quite a conundrum. If the department has already said that there’s nothing they can do, then I think you only have one option: to hope and pray that your fanfiction is good enough to scrape a 2:1.

I must say that I am quite intrigued about who this dreamy lecturer could be... and equally curious about just how steamy your writing is. Maybe you’ll get lucky and that very staff member will be marking your Dissertation, and hopefully finds the piece fla ering enough to award it highly!

In the meantime, I would highly recommend that you start seeing if Daddy can get you a job at the family business. Or find an application form for your nearest Maccies.

Taurus 20th Apr – 20th May

Exam Season doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be social. If you get any Facebook invitations don’t decline! You are sure to not regret a ending.

Gemini

21st May – 21th Jun

Spring is your season, and the perfect time to start new rituals. Whether that’s playing around with birthday makeup or starting to meal prep, lean into the newness.

Cancer

22nd Jun – 22nd Jul

With the impending lunar eclipse, it is not unlikely that you might feel slight anxiety. However, channeling your feelings into a creative project will help with productivity. Why not dedicate some time to painting?

TREVS

QDear Violet, I need some pearls of wisdom. I have been offered my dream grad job in London, only to find out via LinkedIn that my ex will be working there too. Not just at the same company, but in the literal same office. We ended on terrible terms and I’m still secretly in love with him and I have absolutely no idea whether I should accept the job offer! What would you do if you were me?

ADearest reader, Perhaps I’m just a hopeless romantic about to feed into your delusions, but this sounds like the start of a fabulous love story if I’ve ever heard one.

Forbidden love? Coworkers?

Enemies to lovers? You have the making of all my favourite romance tropes right there in the palm of your hands!

Since you say that this is your dream job, I would be reluctant to reject it out of fear of crossing paths with your ex. It’s important that you remember to prioritise yourself and your future above all else.

Finally, as someone who has read the Toxic Partner Manual back to back, I can’t help but feel that maybe your ex posted on his LinkedIn so that you’d see it so that you’d reach out so that you’d fall in love all over again... who knows?

Leo

23rd Jul – 22nd Aug

This month is all about listening, something we all know Leo’s struggle with. If a friend tells you that your investment in the new Kardashians season is too much, hear them out.

Virgo

23rd Aug – 22nd Sep

You have the communication skills to make this period the most romantic time of your life. Don’t let revision get in the way of having a good time.

Libra 23rd Sep – 23rd Oct

Your housemates have started worrying about you ever since you’ve become nocturnal. Perhaps you should reassure them by waking up before lunch for once.

Ask Aunty Violet

Have a problem for Aunty Violet?

Fill out the form via the QR code!

Scorpio

24th Oct - 21st Nov

You’ll be pushed out of your comfort zone this week, and this doesn’t just mean having to pick a new go-to meal deal. Maybe you should try a new hobby - it’s not too late!

Sagi arius

22nd Nov - 21st Dec

Your quest for new study spaces has led you to travel Durham far and wide. Don’t give up yet a comfy chair is on the horizon.

Capricorn

22nd Dec - 19th Jan

It’s about time you got your finances in order as that student bank account overdraft won’t last forever. It’s not too late to start budgeting!

PalatiDates

Ash on Layla

Initial vibes?

Awkward and wet. Who forgets their umbrella in April?

What topics arose? Mostly summatives stress and our reasons for staying over during the break.

How would they describe you? She said she really liked my jumper so, well-dressed and confident.

Describe them in three words. Talkative, cheerful, tall. Most awkward moment? When we realised I had go en off with her housemate in Jimmy’s last month.

Which Durham college would you place them in and why?

Probably South, I just really get that kind of vibe from her.

Did they meet your expectations? Any surprises?

I think we both felt we were too different at first, so I suppose I was surprised we ended up having quite a nice chat about F1.

Is a second date on the cards? If we have time, I don’t see why not.

Marks out of 10: 5

Layla on Ash

Initial vibes?

He was sort of rude I won’t lielaughed at my wet clothes.

What topics arose? Revision, landlord troubles, him ge ing off with my friend at Jimmy’s.

How would they describe you?

I think he’d probably say I was taller than expected

Describe them in three words. Blond, very flirty Most awkward moment?

Most of it was awkward, the worst bit was probably that he’d already eaten, so was just watching me eat my pancakes.

Which Durham college would you place them in and why? Hatfield. Big Hatfield vibes.

Did they meet your expectations? Any surprises? I didn’t really have any expectations, but I suppose I’m surprised he seemed a bit keen for a second date.

Is a second date on the cards? He does seem nice, but I don’t think so.

Marks out of 10: 3

website

In our first PalatiDate back, we see what Layla and Ash have to say about their Flat White date over the Easter break.

(Images: Nicole Wu)

Ge ing F1 sprints right is a marathon

Fans have to be much more patient, writes Sanjay Suri

The first Formula One sprint weekend using the new format certainly divided opinion amongst fans. On the one hand, the extra competitive running meant that more was at stake with each passing session, resulting in more nail-biting racing action.

On the other hand, experts have argued that it has led to too much predictability, with the sprint race almost being a spoiler for what would happen on the Sunday. On top of this, the Friday afternoon qualifying meant that many missed watching this due to work commitments.

On the whole, I would argue that the first new sprint weekend was a success. It was a wise move to introduce the format at Baku, where overtaking, defending and chaos are rife. One must only look at the Formula Two sprint races to see the potential for this format in Azerbaijan.

Both the traditional qualifying and the ‘Sprint Shootout’ on Saturday morning were excellent watches. For the first time this season, a team looked like they could take the fight to Red Bull on one-lap pace, and Charles Leclerc converted this to two P1 starts.

It was not without drama

though. Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen were constantly within a couple of tenths. It took a very special lap from Leclerc on Friday to seal pole and errors from both his rivals to be fastest on Saturday morning.

The one downside was that both qualifying sessions produced similar looking grids. It was a good idea to mix up the format for the sprint shootout, mandating running new tyres, with the medium tyre being compulsory in SQ1 and SQ2.

track position was paramount. However, more variation is required for a more mixed-up grid.

One idea that has been put forward is one-shot qualifying, where drivers go out one-by-one and set one lap to determine their grid place. This was tried in the early 2000s but soon ditched. Now is the time to bring it back. With be er coverage, more camera angles, and drivers with larger followings, the event will be more interesting and engaging to watch.

This is why the sprint races have potential. It gives the organisers a free hit to experiment with different formats, whilst leaving the main race on Sunday largely unaffected. If something fails to work, it can be axed. Elimination qualifying was a disaster, and the organisers ditched it after just two races. Was staging the main qualifying session on Friday a good idea? Unfortunately, we are destined to see competitive running on Friday, and this is not necessarily a bad idea. It is frustrating for casual fans, but it rewards those at the circuit, who must not be forgo en about. As long as the organisers do not use this as an opportunity to increase ticket prices, this is certainly a decent idea.

though. Whilst drivers can now take more risks knowing it does not affect their grid slot for the Grand Prix, they are also wary of smashing up their car for very few points.

So how can we add more jeopardy to the sprint race? F1’s best solution is to look to its feeder series, Formula Two. Reversing the entire grid seems too artificial and almost rewards drivers too much for having a poor qualifying. What about having just one qualifying session and reversing only the top ten?

Currently, this would most likely lead to seeing the likes of McLaren and Alpine lining up on the front row for the sprint race. The fight in Q2 will be huge, as the difference between tenth and eleventh has never been larger. The only drawback is that midfield cars who make it to Q3 will have li le

incentive to set a lap time, if they know that they could line up on reverse-grid pole if they stay in the pits.

This is why we should reverse the top eight. It gives us a mixed-up grid for the sprint race, but drivers will need to push in Q3 in order to get to reverse-grid pole. Yes, it will still leave backmarkers with li le to fight for on Saturday afternoon, but often they have li le to fight for in a conventional race with li le drama.

Whatever direction they choose, F1 has many ideas for how to evolve sprint races. Fans must give them time to see what works and what does not work. It is admirable that they are trying new ideas, and, in the long run, I do believe that this is what the sport needs to maintain its growth.

It led to a situation where drivers were constantly out on track, rather than spending most of their time in the pits changing tyres and topping up fuel. The lap times tumbled as the session went on, meaning that

The sprint race on Saturday afternoon did leave a lot to be desired. Once Perez overtook Leclerc, there was li le to fight for. This was the same in the format of sprint races that was used last year

Warner woes: should he play in the Ashes?

Ben Bayly

Two weeks ago, Australia released their 17-man squad ahead of the Ashes series in England. As expected, David Warner, rightfully considered one of the best batsmen of his era, was included despite his poor form.

The decision has been criticised by many fans, writers and former players who have pointed to his recent struggles in India and woeful series last time Australia played England away from home. In three tests against India, he averaged just nine and has averaged below 30 in his last 14 matches, far less than his career average of 45.6.

His IPL form has also been hard to ignore. Despite being among the top run scorers, his ba ing has lacked any fluidity. It has been hard to watch at times, even as an England fan. Watching on, I have often been left thinking it would be be er for his side if he got out rather than waste balls.

A strike rate of around 120 highlights the demise of the opener, once famed for his destructive hi ing.

While in a different format, his T20 woes are concerning. At 36 it is

unclear whether Warner’s decline is a temporary lapse in form or simply a sign of an ageing cricketer past his best. Ricky Ponting’s general rule of thumb suggests very few cricketers improve beyond 33.

Furthermore, to add to his woeful recent form is the fact that even at his peak he has never been very successful in England. Warner is yet to score a century in England, and in the 2019 Ashes series, he averaged just 9.5, the lowest of any player to have ba ed in 10 innings in a series. He will surely have been left with nightmares of Stuart Broad bounding into bowl from around the wicket. There are few reasons to believe this series will be any different.

As a result, his test future remains far from certain. Whilst chief selector George Bailey confirmed Warner would open in the Test Championship Final at the Oval on June 7th, he refused to commit when asked whether he would be selected for the start of the Ashes.

Instead, Bailey said, “we’ll have a look at what that looks like as we get there.” The inclusion of four openers, with Ma hew Renshaw and Marcus Harris as two options to come in, further suggests a lack of confidence in Warner.

A surprise inclusion in Cricket Australia’s annual contract list, Marcus Harris is most likely to replace Warner should the selectors choose to drop him if he fails against India. Victorian coach Chris Rodgers recently claimed Harris is ‘as ready as he’s ever going to be’ to play Ashes cricket. Having averaged over 50 and scored seven centuries in county cricket since the 2019 tour, it is hard to disagree.

averaged under 30 during his stint in the test team. Neither are proven alternatives at the test match level. It is far from guaranteed they would perform much be er than Warner of late. In a recent interview, Candice Warner suggested as much, asking, “If Dave doesn’t perform in that first Test, who do they bring in

continues to defy convention. An unsavoury fall from grace awaits unless his performances improve. Nonetheless, Australia must give Warner the opportunity to end his career on his terms. Whether he deserves as much based on recent performances is debatable. However, a lack of alternatives means be ing on the out-of-form Warner remains their best option.

Experience in English conditions could prove invaluable for the opener should he get an opportunity. However, Harris is far from an established test opener, averaging just over 25 in his 14 test matches. In 2019 he fared li le be er than Warner, averaging 9.66 from his three appearances. Likewise, Ma hew Renshaw

An unsavoury fall from grace awaits unless his performances improve

(Naparazzi via Flickr)

(Joe McGowan via Flickr)

It gives the organisers a free hit to experiment with different formats

Former Durham student makes cricketing history

Sanjay Suri Sport Editor

Durham alumnus Tom Price etched his name in the cricketing history books by becoming the first player to score a century and take a hattrick on the same day of a first-class match.

In April, the 23-year-old hit 109 of just 98 balls, including four sixes, allowing Gloucestershire to recover from 45 for 7 against Worcestershire in the County Championship. Price then claimed the scalps of Pakistani international Azhar Ali, Jack Haynes and opposition skipper Bre D’Oliveira in the evening session to cap off a dream day out.

Whilst 17 players have taken a hat-trick and scored a hundred in a first-class match, Price is the only to do so in just one day. The two sides had to se le for a draw in a match shortened by rain.

Price, who graduated from Durham University in 2022, caught the eye of cricket fans by taking 8 for 27 against Warwickshire last September. Since making his first-class debut in 2020, he has established himself as a regular in the Gloucestershire side, regularly contributing with both the bat and the ball.

With a first-class bowling average of under 21, he has been one of the stand-out players in the County Championship in recent years. Price took 32 wickets last season, at an average of 20, in what was a difficult campaign for Gloucestershire, finishing bo om of Division One and consequently ge ing relegated.

Though he is renowned for his bowling efforts, Price often adds crucial lower order runs with the bat, with two fifties on top of his maiden century last month. Unfortunately, his recent performances have been in vain as Gloucestershire have failed to record a win so far this season.

Their first three matches have very much been rainaffected. The opener against Glamorgan never threatened to produce a result whilst their first home match versus Yorkshire was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Following the Worcestershire draw, the Bristol-based team once again ran into rain problems when hosting Sussex, notching up yet another draw.

However, this has not prevented Price from having a stellar season. He is currently averaging 105 with the bat, having only been dismissed twice, and is the fifth highest wicket taker in Division Two, with 12 dismissals.

Durham University Cricket Club were eager to praise their former player, with one member comparing him to “prime [Jacques] Kallis”, showcasing how impressive Price’s accomplishment was. It fully reflected how he performed in his two years playing for DUCC.

Strong start to Durham’s County Championship season

far. His gri iness and patience could well be required against a fearsome Australian seam bowling a ack come June.

that their performances have not been perfect.

Price averaged over 50 with the bat and under 20 with the ball when representing the University, juggling a professional career on top of his studies. His recent

Durham County Cricket Club have started the 2023 County Championship in promising fashion, topping the Division Two standings after the first four matches. They bounced back from a narrow loss in Sussex in the opening game with two wins and a draw, laying down the gauntlet to their rivals.

Durham, who have won the County Championship three times since the turn of the century, have been fortunate to be far less affected by the rainy April than their rivals. Whilst wet weather hampered their pursuit of victory in Cardiff against Glamorgan, all three other matches have produced a result, leaving the side top of the table in the early stages, having amassed 64 points.

batting form will surely put pressure on Gloucestershire to move him up the order in future matches, especially given his high strike rate in an era when ‘Bazball’ is in fashion. Having this form at such a young age could have Price knocking on the door for an England call-up in the near future. Hopefully this will turn out to be just one of many highlights in Tom Price’s career.

Key performances have come from both those who are a empting to re-establish themselves in their international set-up and players who have developed into seasoned county cricketers in recent years. Alex Lees and Ma hew Po s in particular will be hoping that these performances will cause the England selectors a few headaches ahead of the summer Tests.

Lees currently has two halfcenturies to his name, averaging just shy of 43. The opener’s performances have been particularly impressive considering that the English pitches have been very green and tricky to bat on so

Po s has been steadily accumulating wickets in each innings, consistently challenging the opposition top-order. His fivewicket haul versus Derbyshire was evidence of the seamer’s quality and, given that he fell out of favour with England in 2022, he will want to push on in order to resurrect his international career.

However, it has been the uncapped players who have stood out the most. Ollie Robinson is currently the second highest run scorer in the division, including a strong century in the most recent encounter with Derbyshire. The wicketkeeper continues to add middle-order runs to back up the strong starts from those in the top order.

The runs have certainly been flowing for Durham, illustrated by the fact that four of the top eight run scorers in Division Two play for this side. David Bedingham, Michael Jones and Brydon Carse are amongst the names who have looked in good touch with the bat so far.

All-rounder Carse has also been a threat with the ball, with 11 wickets to his name. As well as Carse and Po s, Ben Raine is constantly amongst the wickets, currently the leading wicket taker in the division with 16 scalps.

Australian spinner Ma hew Kuhnemann initially starred, but a recent hamstring injury means that his place in the team in the near future is uncertain. Durham have temporarily replaced him with Lancashire’s Ma hew Parkinson, who was steady on his debut for the side.

Durham last won the County Championship in 2013, and endured a difficult campaign last year, finishing sixth in a season dominated by too many home draws. They will be hoping to return to Division One for the first time since 2016 but will be fully aware

Having failed to capitalise on a first innings lead in Hove, Durham could not bowl out the Sussex tail, succumbing to a two-wicket loss. Victory against Worcestershire was a hard-fought one, but Durham managed to take the final wicket as the light was fading on the final day. Despite looking in control against Glamorgan, the rain wiped out nearly two days of play, meaning that Durham could not make the most of a sizable first innings total. The spoils were shared, but fortunately the points system meant that Durham took a healthy 13 points from the match, compared to Glamorgan’s nine. Last weekend brought Derbyshire to Chester-Le-Street, and Durham immediately tried to take rain out of the equation. Buoyed by centuries from Robinson and Carse, Durham scored in excess of four and a half per over, immediately applying scoreboard pressure.

Derbyshire duly crumbled under the pressure, scoring just 165 in the first innings thanks to an electric start by the Durham bowling a ack. After enforcing the followon, Durham were able to wrap up victory with a day to spare in spite of a middle-order flurry.

This dominant performance is the kind that will win championships, but Durham must back this up with consistency. Their rivals are yet to show their hand, due to the large numbers of draws so far, but, unlike last year, Durham are very much in the mix for promotion.

Price caught the eye of cricket fans by taking 8 for 27 against Warwickshire

Sanjay Suri Sport Editor

(Dave Morton via Wikimedia Commons)

However, it has been the uncapped players who have stood out the most

Durham are very much in the mix for promotion

Memorable results but consistently inconsistent: a review of Durham WFC’s season

Joseph Saunders Sports Reporter

Following a sixth-place finish in the 2021-22 season, Durham Women perhaps had their eye on a more lofty league position going into this season, with memories of second place in 2020-21 still fresh in the majority of the squad’s memory.

Durham began the league season slowly. Opening with a 1-1 draw with Sunderland, a 2-0 loss at Sheffield United was below expectations. Club captain, Sarah Wilson, seemed despondent following the match at Bramall Lane, saying the result was “difficult to take when you are kind of in control of the game”. The theme of failing to capitalise on dominance would be one that continued to plague the team throughout the season.

The Wildcats responded by claiming their first win of the season vs Blackburn as Saoirse Noonan struck twice, but the team fell again to early high fliers, London City, 3-0. Durham had only taken four points from the first possible twelve.

Manager Lee Sanders had stuck with Tatiana Saunders as his starting keeper for the first four matches but opted for Naoisha McAloon for the WSL Cup tie against Sheffield United. Despite squandering a two-goal lead, Durham claimed victory on penalties following a Beth Hepple double. McAloon would keep her place for the entirety of the season following an injury for Saunders, while the cups would prove to provide solace from patchy league form.

In the middle of the park, the partnership of Dee Bradley and Hepple started in 25 games together across the season. Hepple ne ed six times this campaign, second

Hepple ne ed six times this campaign, second amongst the squad behind Rio Hardy.

Noonan and Jess Clarke also notched five goals

amongst the squad behind Rio Hardy. Noonan and Jess Clarke also notched five goals. Sarah Robson played both centre-back and central midfield during the season and proved invaluable to the team in both positions.

Building on such a dramatic victory, Durham welcomed fellow mid-table women’s team specialists, Lewes, to Maiden Castle. Penalty controversy threatened to be the home team’s undoing, but they dug in and managed to claim all three points. Sarah Robson leapt highest to power home a header from a 97th minute corner to spark dramatic scenes. She’d have an even more remarkable late goal to celebrate ten days later.

WSL title challengers Manchester United visited the North East for the second matchday of the Conti Cup. United’s second-string side were leading 2-1 approaching the final whistle, but another heroic header from Robson sent the game to penalties, where Durham reigned victorious.

Miraculous though their two cup wins may have been, the team fell to successive narrow home losses to Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic. Durham hit the woodwork three times yet couldn’t find a way to breach Palace. In the absence of Wilson, Hepple had adopted the armband, but it was her missed penalty which left a sour taste in the mouth and her performance had become

increasingly frustrated as she was unable to atone for her error.

The Charlton game was an anomaly in the season. For the first time, Durham were inarguably outplayed by a mid-table rival at Maiden Castle, ge ing away lightly with a 2-1 loss. Sanders seemed apologetic for the performance, saying, “I take full responsibility for what happens. I am certain we will turn things around. Stand with us, and support the girls as vocally as you always do”.

season against Crystal Palace in the next round, winning 3-0. Mollie Lambert scored her first goal of the season and Clarke’s half-volley nearly took the net off to begin a hot run of form. Crosthwaite finished off the scoring.

Hardy and Noonan were Durham’s primary goalscorers earlier on in the season but a shift in form saw Clarke and Lambert especially turn their dynamic wide play into concrete results. Lambert often caught the eye and her versatility saw her deployed as a forward, winger and central midfielder at times. Crosthwaite’s industry offered something a li le different, though it was often off the bench. Bridget Galloway and Maria Farrugia were also useful substitute options throughout the season. Academy product Poppy Pritchard also proved her worthiness in the squad following some promising cameos.

League form continued to suffer, however. A late collapse at Sunderland was followed by a frosty goalless draw with Southampton. By this point in the season, a bo om-half finish seemed likely, yet relegation was never a possibility. February saw Palace get their revenge for the FA Cup result, but Durham rallied with wins against Coventry and Sheffield United, albeit two teams beneath them in the league.

He rotated his full-backs regularly throughout the season with fluctuating form. Ellie Christon became increasingly more familiar with the bench as Grace Ayre and Georgia Robert gained more minutes. Central defender Becky Salicki was utilised in a wide role by Sanders too, with his first-choice centre-back partnership seeming to be the Sarah alliance – Robson and Wilson. Salicki proved herself adept in central defence during Wilson’s injury lay-off or when Robson was pushed into midfield.

A comfortable victory over rockbo om Coventry went a long way to building confidence and a 1-0 defeat to WSL surprise package Aston Villa in the WSL Cup was no embarrassment. Moreover, Durham did excellently to glean a point from eventual league winners Bristol City.

Just before Christmas, a Lily Crosthwaite goal earned a dominant win against top-half WSL side, Everton in the final round of the WSL Cup group stage. This put Durham third in the group, narrowly missing out on qualification despite winning three of their four games in a group containing three of the top six teams in the country.

Adding to the cup fever, the Wildcats dispatched of Peterborough in the FA Cup third round before producing one of the performances of the

Durham’s FA Cup dream was to end against the team who they fought so fabulously earlier in the season. Manchester United ran out 5-0 winners, with huge names such as Nikita Parris, Leah Galton, and Alessia Russo on the scoresheet. There was li le that could be done by the team in blue.

Two surprise results followed an expected defeat to Bristol City, as Southampton and London City were on the receiving end of a rejuvenated Hardy. Lauren Briggs rescued a point against Blackburn with her long-awaited first goal of the season from the left of midfield. Sadly, the season would tail off with three defeats out of four; to Charlton and both home and away to Birmingham. Seventh place may appear a backwards step, but the signs are not all gloomy. This was the club’s first season with a fulltime training programme – players will have taken time to adjust and the whole infrastructure of the club is se ling into its new pa ern. Moreover, the group of players seem stable. No major outgoings are expected and there is admirable squad depth.

With the women’s game becoming increasingly monetised, it appears Durham’s status as a second tier side is unlikely to change soon, with big name franchises such as Manchester United and Liverpool investing heavily to join traditional heavyweights, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal. Nevertheless, the club is still on an upwards trajectory and have the capacity to compete with almost any team in the division.

They have the capacity to compete with almost any team in the division

DWFC

Sport

Consistently inconsistent

Page 23

Former Durham student makes cricketing history

Warner woes

Page 21

Relegated Pools to be sold by irritated Singh

“hopefully, in time, the truth and real facts will come out that may help [them] understand more why [he] made the decision”.

In a controversial interview on Hartlepool United’s social media, unpopular chairman Raj Singh announced that chants calling for his departure were enough to make up his mind about selling the club.

Last Saturday Pools were defeated 2-0 at home to relegation rivals Crawley Town, which all but confirmed their relegation from the Football League. And home fans made no mistake in expressing their disapproval of their beloved club’s ownership.

Four days later, Mr. Singh announced that he would begin looking for potential buyers for the club, doing so in a much-discussed 22-minute interview on YouTube –where he was given the opportunity to explain his point of view throughout the shortcomings of the club since their promotion from the National League in June 2021.

However, understandably, disgruntled fans have described the interview via social media as a ‘PR car crash’ after Mr. Singh used the interview to blame issues at the club on a former coach; boast about his lucrative spending habits during Hartlepool’s time in League 2 and warn fans that they should support him while he remains in his authoritative position.

He expressed how he felt there were problems behind the scenes the day after they were promoted from the National League as he believed that manager Dave Challinor “had no intention of staying” at the club.

Following promotion, Challinor penned a three-year deal at Victoria Park, but a month later he left to take the reins at National League Stockport County – who are now in search of back-to-back promotions.

Upon his exit, Challinor gave a statement to Hartlepool fans, in which he described his connection with fans as “special” and explained how he understood the disappointment they would be feeling.

Most interestingly, he said that,

Mr. Singh described Challinor’s replacement Graeme Lee as a “panic appointment” after the club were unable to agree a deal with their initial choice Gavin Strachan – who chose to remain within his role at Celtic, where he still acts as First Team Coach.

Towards the end of last season, Lee was relieved of his duties after Pools narrowly maintained their League 2 status – picking up just seven points from their last available 33.

Paul Hartley was the first of three managers this campaign and his time in charge oversaw a huge turnover in playing staff, with Mr. Singh boasting that the club spent £1.7 million this season.

His appointment, however, was quite the saga. Mr. Singh says he had offered the role to ex-Sunderland boss Jack Ross – who instead chose to take over at Dundee United.

Mr. Singh also admi ed that Hartley originally turned down their offer but he was able to negotiate a revised deal – a move the chairman conceded was a mistake in hindsight.

Winless in his first nine league games, Hartley was given his marching orders. Since then neither Keith Curle nor John Askey have been able to keep them afloat in the division. However the club has confirmed that Askey will remain in charge next season.

With Mr. Singh now looking for interested parties to buy the club, he warned fans that he would remain in position until he has found a capable buyer however implied that should he continue to “get flack” from disgruntled fans, he may rush to agree a deal with a less capable party saying, “the more heat I get, the quicker I’ll want to get out”.

Mr. Singh left former club Darlington in administration in 2012 and he has pledged that he doesn’t want what happened there to happen at Hartlepool, urging fans to trust him to find the best buyer to take the club forward.

Marshall confirms comeback with another undisputed fight

Joe Harston Deputy Sport Editor

Six months after losing her undefeated record and WBO middleweight belt to Claressa Shields, Hartlepool boxer Savannah Marshall has announced her return to the ring on 17th June. She will face Franchon CrewsDezurn in Manchester for the undisputed super-middleweight title – moving up a weight class since

October’s defeat.

The bout acts as the co-main event with Chris Eubank Jr’s rematch with Liam Smith.

Like Marshall, Crews-Dezurn has just one loss on her record and that too was against Shields – who many laud as boxing’s ‘greatest woman of all time’.

In last week’s press conference, Marshall expressed how eager she was to jump back into a high-stakes main event.

“How can I go back down to eight

rounds after losing my title after fans have supported me, coming from Hartlepool and the North East to London?

“I believe I am at world level and these are the fights that I want.”

With discussion of a potential rematch with Shields, victory here could pave another route towards such a bout.

The event is sure to be another historic night for women’s boxing – spearheaded by one of County Durham’s very own.

Joe Harston Deputy Sport Editor

(Ma Harston)

Joseph Saunders reviews Durham Women FC’s season.

Sanjay Suri reports on Tom Price’s heroics. Page 22

Ben Bayly discusses David Warner’s inclusion in Australia’s Ashes squad.

(Banner images: DWFC, Dave Morton and Naparazzi via Flickr)