QMessenger Issue 63

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MONDAY 1st OCTOBER 2012 ISSUE 63

QMESSENGER.CO.UK

THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF QUEEN MARY STUDENTS’ UNION

No Platform: Feminism and NUS Pg 9

NEWS

COMMENT

CULTURE

SATIRE

SOCIETIES

SPORTS

New Figures Expose Inequality

Great Debate: Offensive Tweets

The Vaccines Come Of Age

Lib Dem Revolution

Welcome: History Society

Don’t fold up your Union Flag just yet

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Monday 1st October 2012

News

Editorial Team: Executive Editor Kashmira Gander Managing Editor Sean Richardson Creative Director - Lloyd Ramos Cartoon Editors - Anna Titov and Charlotte Byrne Photography - Bethia Stone Sub Editors - Jasmine Virhia, Sarah Power, Issy Leach and Bethia Stone News - Joseph Flaig and Bethany Moffett Features - Aamna Mohdin and Preston Abell Comment - Stevie Rankin and Ruth Irwin Culture - Belphoebe New and Rhiannon Evans Satire - Benedict Fulford-Brown, Patrick Ford and Lucretia McCarthy Societies - Becky Adkins Sports - Hannah Clarke and Jeremy Baily Cover image by Special thanks to Tom Sutton and Melissa Snyder Our other media outlets include: QMTV Station Manager: Ozzy Amir www.qmtvchannel.co.uk

QM News

CUB Magazine Managing Editor: Anna Matheson www.qmessenger.co.uk Quest Radio Station Manager: Chris Smith www.questradio.co.uk

QMessenger is printed at Mortons of Horncastle Ltd, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 6JR. Tel: 01507 523 456. Each issue has a print run of 1,000 and costs £445 to print and deliver.

Established in 2008, QMessenger is the free weekly newspaper of Queen Mary Students’ Union. We are proud of our editorial independence and endeavour to always hold the College, Union and external bodies to account and to provide the best news and analysis to the students of Queen Mary, University of London.

QMessenger is created entirely by students and the publication retains all copyright of design, text, photographs and graphics, along with the individual contributor.

Any views expressed in QMessenger are those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the paper, the editorial board, Queen Mary Students’ Union or Queen Mary, University of London.

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ueen Mary ranks as the highest for student satisfaction amongst London’s Russell Groups universities.

The 2012 National Survey (NSS), which was launched in 2005, measures students’ opinions of the quality of their degree programmes.

Various aspects of student life were assessed, including academic support, personal development, learning resources and workload.

This year’s survey reveals that 87% of Queen Mary students are satisfied with the quality of their course, two percent above the sector average of 85%.

The highest approval ratings were from Physics students, with 97% being satisfied or extremely satisfied, whilst Dentistry students are 18% more satisfied than they were in 2011, moving the course up eight positions to the 6th in the UK. “We’re extremely pleased with the consistently impressive satisfaction rating from our students,” comments Susan Dilly, Vice Principal for Teaching and Learning.

“This is the fifth year in a row that we have scored above 84 per cent.”

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ssays from the ‘missing years’ of the great political statesman Edmund Burke have been uncovered.

A Queen Mary historian found the writings, which fill a hole in Burke’s work from when he was 27-yearsold.

Professor Bourke, from the School of History and Queen Mary, accidentally discovered the early essays amongst the notebooks of Burke’s friend and distant relation, William Burke.

“No new essays by Edmund Burke have been found since the 1930s, so these chance survivals are significant,” says Bourke.

These newly found essays are important because they give an insight into the philosophical thinking and intellectual themes that influenced Burke’s lengthy thirty year parliamentary career.

An MP for the Whig Party, Burke is a “great and controversial political icon”, having enjoyed cult status in both the history of conservatism and the history of liberalism. Burke’s speeches are still read today, while memorable quotes such as “the age of chivalry is dead” are forever ingrained into English language.

Monday 1st October 2012

News

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London Faces Further Strife dents who failed to meet the UKBA’s stringent immigration criteria.

The UKBA spokesman continued, explaining that ‘revoking the university’s licence was the right course of action and we will continue to fight the University’s challenge at the full hearing.’

This full hearing will be in the form of a judicial review, and will allow the university another opportunity to overturn the ban.

After the UKBA’s initial decision, the Secretary to Council and Academic Registrar for Queen Mary, University of London, Wendy Appleby, made a statement calming any fears here.

In an article on Queen Mary’s official news website, she said that the university ‘continues to meet the requirements’ to maintain its ‘highly trusted status’ and is compliant with all the Agency’s requirements.

‘We take our responsibilities very seriously and we are careful to ensure we work to the UKBA’s requirements.’

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N FRIDAY the 21st September, the nominations for a new ULU President re-opened.

The post of President has been under much stress as of late, with the resignation of the Presidentelect, Sean Rillo Raczka, in July.

Acting President, Daniel Cooper, has stressed that there is an opportunity for change in this situation. In his blog, Cooper stated he wished to ‘rebuild ULU on a new foundation, to make it the effective and credible union students across London need.’

Whoever the new President will be, there are three main responsibilities for them to fulfil according to the ULU election pack.

Firstly, the President is meant to represent all students in the University of London to the central University, the Government and the wider area and community.

Secondly, the office holder needs to take a lead on all educational issues, ensuring that all have access to quality education.

Finally, the President is also

given the responsibility of leading campaigning in London to make sure that all students within the University of London have equal opportunity to study and live in London.

At the last election, the winning candidate, Rillo Raczka, ran unopposed. Thus, there is much interest in who will run in this by-election, and who will be able to fulfil these promises and responsibilities.

Furthermore, in this election earlier in the year, the turnout was less that 5%, which has also raised questions of who will vote.

The full timetable of the election process has been published, with nominations closing on the 28th of October, and an official candidate questioning time and hustings to be held on the 31st of the same month.

The actual elections will not open until the 1st of November, already several months into the academic year. On the 9th of November, voting will close and the election result will be declared.

@qmessenger facebook.com/qmessenger

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HE SAGA of London Metropolitan University and the UK Border Agency (UKBA) asking students to find alternative courses or leave the country, appears to be ongoing, as a legal challenge brought by the university to the High Court has been heard.

London Metropolitan Unversity unsuccessfully tried to reverse the UKBA’s decision to revoke the license to sponsor students from outside the European Economic Area.

The universities’ license was revoked in August and affected more than 2,000 returning students, many of whom face deportation.

The legal challenge did bring hope to some students, however, as a UKBA spokesman announced that they would ‘allow existing genuine students to continue studying at the university until their course has ended or the end of the academic year, whichever is sooner.’

Despite this, unfortunately nothing will change for the stu-

Bethany Moffett

Get in touch:

Joe Flaig

news@qmessenger.co.uk

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Monday 1st October 2012

Following our article “The Darker side of Queen Mary”, the university has asked for the chance to respond. QMessenger has granted this, the words below do not reflect the beliefs of the paper: Following the publication of the article entitled ‘The Darker Side of Queen Mary’ on Monday 17th September in QMessenger, the Security Service would like the opportunity to respond to the points raised. Whilst the Security Service has been through a restructure, the restructure was customer focused, to enable it to deliver a safe and secure campus with student safety at the core of the service. Statistics show that we have had more staff on night shift duty in the three months after the restructure than in the three months prior.

This also includes two Duty Manager roles providing coordination of the service on night shifts across the College campuses. It is not the responsibility of ‘just one or two officers to sure the safety of thousands of students’. Security Officers do staff strategic locations on campuses in the evening , most noticeably the East Gate at Mile End. This allows the Security. Service to proactively discourage potential offenders from entering the campus in the first instance. These staff are however, required to respond to incidents that take place elsewhere, most notably any involving the safety and security of students, including fire alarm activations.

Regular patrols, both physical and by CCTV, are conducted across the campuses on numerous occasions each evening, including the Student Village. All Security Officers have contact with colleagues and the control rooms by radio at all times, and can be dispatched immediately to any area or incident of concern. This applies to all College campuses.The Security Service works closely with the local Police Safer Neighbourhood Team, who are based at the Mile End East Gate. As the Mile End Campus occupies the majority of the Mile End and Globe Town ward, substantial support is provided from this team to enhance security and safety on campus.

The Security Service also represents Queen Mary at ward panel meetings to ensure that the security concerns of the College are presented within the wider community and to the police service itself. The article states that ‘the University recently ranked highest for violent crime in London in statistics published by the independent Complete University Guide’. This is incorrect and misleading. These statistics are not a measure of crime at Queen Mary, and nor do they purport to be. Rather, these statistics are a measure of ‘annual reported incidents, per thousand residents, within wards or electoral divisions, of which parts are within three miles of the main campus’. Thus, these figures are reporting on crime that takes place across a large geographical area, and amongst the general local population, the overwhelming majority of which does not involve Queen Mary students.

The figures are not representative of crime on College campuses, which is actually very low. Specifically, incidents of violent crime reported to Security are at their lowest ever. Crime overall has reduced by 33% since 2002.

The Autumn 2011 ISB results show that, of the entire student body surveyed, upwards of 95% of students feel safe on campus. The Security Service would like this to be 100%, and would ask for your help to achieve this aim by following the advice printed in the Security Service Personal Safety Guide. Copies of this can be found at: http://www.security.qmul.ac.uk/documents/19882.pdf Should you have any Security concerns please contact the Security Service as detailed below: Email: studentsafety@qmul.ac.uk Mile End: 020 7882 5000 Charterhouse Square: 020 7882 6020 Whitechapel: 020 7882 2599 Emergency Response Only: 020 7882 3333 Dr. Kevin Thurlow Acting Director, Estates and Facilities

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Monday 1st October 2012

News

University Inequality Bethany Moffett

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he shocking reality of the inequality between Universities and their wealth has been revealed in a study by The Guardian. Roger Brown, Professor of Higher Education Policy at Liverpool Hope University, has revealed in a study that the income different Universities receive per student is remarkably different.

A study in 1999 by David Watson and Rachel Bowden first noted these differences between Universities. The research ranked each University according to income from all sources per fulltime student.

Brown’s further study has revealed that this difference is not only persisting, but has grown substantially over the past ten years. In 1999, Imperial College topped the University prosperity table, with £32,866 income per student for the institution.

Second was University College London, followed by Oxford and Cambridge respectively. Fifth in the table was Queen Mary and Westfield College, as it was then named, with a total income of

£14,371 per student.

This original table of prosperity was able to predict the rankings in the Times Higher Education rankings. Around 62 cases out of 97 were predicted within 10 places of their standing in the 1999 table. This evidence shows a huge correlation between the wealth of Universities and their prestige and standing in the country, which continues to be seen today.

Indeed, a clear similarity can be seen between 1999 and today, with Cambridge, Imperial College, Oxford and UCL still making up the top 4 Universities in wealth levels, all of which are in the top ten of the Guardian’s University League table. Yet, with certain Universities now able to charge £9,000 depending on their prestige and ranking, this gap is only set to become greater in the near future, and the domination by these institutions is sure to increase.

More recently, the income gap has widened, ranging from £65,840 per student at Cambridge University, to £7,050 at Edge Hill in Lancashire. With this significant difference, many

are asking the question, is this system fair?

The study also shows that the current 24 members of the Russell Group own 52% of the total assets of the sector, suggesting if not a monopoly of resources, certainly an elite group of Universities in wealth and standings.

As students who attend these higher earning Universities often come from a wealthy background, the question has been emphasised about bias and poverty discrimination. Fears have further been raised about how much the new higher fees will be used to subsidise research, instead of actually providing the best education possible for students. Thus, Roger Brown has called for Universities to declare what the extra money is being spent on, and how it is benefiting students in order to safeguard this money.

But for the longer term, he has stated that ‘the fee level should be reduced and Higher Education Funding Council grants restored with a much stronger built-in equalising device so there are agreed.

NUS Gains Steam

Joe Flaig

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HE DEMONSTRATION planned by the National Union of Students (NUS) for the 21 st November is picking up steam, with a specialised website that will be updating regularly with news about the demo and its organisation.

The demo, which is being called #demo2012 with a sly nod towards the social networking that has boosted the student movement in recent years, aims to reintroduce student issues back into the Houses of Parliament.

With a subtle echo of Tony Blair’s “Education, education and education!”, the NUS’ slogan for the demo is ‘Education, Employment, Empowerment’. The demo website cites several ‘attacks’ that the coalition government has made on the education system whilst in power: ‘scrapping the EMA, slashing undergraduate teaching funding, increasing tuition fees, introducing draconian restrictions on international students, cutting funding for post-graduate students, hiking fees for adult learners looking to gain basic skills.’ The issue of tuition fees is still clearly a huge issue for the union, and for the student body at large. Last week Liam Burns, the president of the NUS, made a video reply to Nick Clegg’s now infamous ‘Sorry’ video.

In it, Burns says that Clegg’s video served as an ‘unwelcome reminder that education was put at the back of the agenda’ when the Con-Dem coalition was formed. The demo’s aim, says Burns, is to send a message to the government that we need a society that ‘values the public good of education and has a positive, coherent vision of how society treats learners of all different backgrounds.’

The demo, which has been on the calendar since it was voted for by delegates of the NUS at the National Conference in April, will be travelling through central London, but the route is yet to be finalised. The NUS demo will be preceded by a march and rally organised by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on the 20th October.

That demonstration will be a protest against the government’s policy of austerity, and its main call is for ‘A future that works.’

The demonstration’s official website says that the government needs a policy of promoting ‘new and old industries’, which would ‘encourage companies to raise average pay’ and ‘tackle the growing inequality’ within our society.

Both the NUS and TUC demos will end the hiatus that followed huge demonstrations in the capital.

Half a million people attended the ‘March for the Alternative’ in March 2011, which was organised by the TUC and culminated in Hyde Park with a variety of speakers including Tony Robinson and TUC leaders.

London was a platform for four major student protests in the winter of 2010.

Huge numbers of students took to the capital in response to the coalition’s tuition fee hike, but despite the sheer scale of the protests and the obvious anger felt by a wide range of students, they were essentially unsuccessful as the government refused to overturn their decision and students were widely portrayed as violent criminals by the media.

Two years on, many of the students who attended will now have moved on from university, but hopefully their spirit will return and a new generation of students will continue their message.

news@qmessenger.co.uk

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Societies

features@qmessenger.co.uk

Monday 1st October 2012

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Monday 1st October 2012

Societies

Your new Societies Committee

Becky Adkins

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HIS YEAR, as part of the ongoing attempts to improve the way societies at Queen Mary work, the Students’ Union held elections for a societies committee comprised exclusively of students.

Both Queen Mary and Barts will be represented on the twelve person committee, with two cross campus positions existing as well.

The committee is a sub-committee of the Student Council and will be the main port of call for all societies’ related issues including the establishment of societies, decisions regarding the allocation of funding and even the dissolving of societies who do not meet their aims.

The members of the committee are all part of at least one committee of one or more societies at QM or Barts and were elected by the committees of all the societies at the meet and greet held during Freshers’ week. The societies committee is therefore something that is run by the societies for the societies.

Here are the cross campus and QM representatives for 2012/13:

Neha Patel

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HIS WEEKS’ quick chat took place in the library on an incredibly cold, rainy London day with one of the two Presidents of the History Society. Being from Manchester, the weather didn’t bother Joy one bit as she filled me in on what her society is all about.

Name: Joy Steele Role: Co-President Year: 2nd Course: History Fun Fact: I once met Tom Jones at a party, but didn’t realise it was him until after he’d walked away...

1. What is the History Society?

The History Society is where people who have a passion for History can come together and have fun – we even sometimes discuss History!

2. Who can join your society and how much is your membership fee?

Absolutely anyone! Our events cater for those who are really passionate about History and those

Cross Campus Positions; Political Societies Representative – Eduardo da Costa Faith Societies Representative – Yahsmak Karia Queen Mary Representatives: Cultural Societies Representative – Leith Ismail Gouta Academic Societies Representative – Jack Furlong Performing Societies Representative – Oliver Branton Special Interest Societies Representative – Lukasz Krebel Campaign Societies Representative – Isabelle Leach There will also be five Barts and the London representatives, who were elected at a separate election on the 24th September and who will be announced in QMessenger next week.

Over the coming months, the committee will be meeting regularly to ensure that QM and Barts Societies run smoothly and to try and improve societies at the University as a whole.

To find out more, head to www. qmsu.org/societies/committee/

Uncovering the History Society who are only slightly interested.

We welcome students and staff from all departments – as long as you’re up for a laugh you’ll fit right in!

This year the membership will be £5 per person. This will give you free entry to all our events – this is especially good as non-members will be charged to come along to our speaker events.

We sometimes even discuss History.

3. What did you get up to during Freshers’?

On the first Thursday we had an informal meet and greet for all first years at Wetherspoons. It was a great chance for new students to meet each other and the commit-

tee at the same time.

On the second Thursday we had our annual historical fancy dress pub crawl in central London. We went around some of the oldest pubs in London in ridiculous costumes. It was great fun which was made even better by how hilarious we all looked.

4. What other events do you have coming up this year?

This year the society will be offering a range of both academic and social events. On the academic side, we will be hosting a regular book club, where staff and students can come together at lunchtimes to discuss a particular historical book they have been reading.

We are also really excited about the speaker events we are going to be holding this semester. In October, David Starkey is booked to come in and in December we will be hosting Andrew Marr. We plan to host two more speaker events in the second semester so watch this space! In addition, our social events are looking to be the best we have ever had.

In February reading week we will be having our annual trip abroad. Last year we went to Prague, this year we are hoping to go to Budapest! We plan to hold at least one social every month, doing things like bowling, laser quest, pub quizzes and hopefully at some point a ball.

5. What do you hope to achieve this year as a society?

We hope to expand the society even more than last year and encourage more students who don’t necessarily study History as a degree to get involved. We want to try and top last year in every way

David Starkey is booked to come in and we will be hosting Andrew Marr.

by making the society bigger, better and more fun!

6. When and where do you meet?

We don’t have a fixed meeting place or time. Therefore we will update students via email and through our Facebook group a bout the date and time of our events.

They will be in a variety of places, which will make for an interesting year.

7. How should people contatact you?

You can join our Facebook group – search QM History Society 2012/13.

Alternatively, you can join our mailing list. Just drop an email to qmhistorysoc@gmail.com and we’ll be in touch!

8. Any final thoughts?

As Winston Churchill once said, “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” So join our society and we will write it together!

There you have it! Joy Steele, co-President of the History Society this year on why society is the one you can’t afford to miss out on.

features@qmessenger.co.uk

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Monday 1st October 2012

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Monday 1st October 2012

The Great Debate:

Comment

Should sending a malicious Tweet be a criminal offence?

CAPTION

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NO

Muhammad Reza

YES

protest on grounds of context that you might have in your own living room.

‘But I was clearly typing IRONically?’

Social media and the blogosphere have made journalists of anyone with an opinion and in many ways, this is glorious. Andrew J. Small can take photographs of food on his dog, post them onto Tumblr and, without funding or sponsorship, millions of dedicated followers such as myself can be updated with pictures of his dog, with food on it. But the flipside of this freedom of expression is remarkably similar to the flipside of, well, freedom of expression.

Part 2 of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights states that ‘The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society…’.

You are responsible for the output of your personal press, and if you’re lucky enough that a wide audience of followers find your published thoughts on the last sandwich you ate unendingly engaging, then you should be prepared for the consequences when a minority (representing a tech-savvy arm of the law) decide that the last joke you told the world wasn’t very funny.

So unless you’re sure your ironyladen tweet won’t be taken ‘the wrong way’, stick to ranting at the pub.

Frankie Aaronovitch-Bruce

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’VE THREATENED to kill my flatmate at least twice in the last week. I’ve definitely brought a group to awkward silence more than once with an ill-judged joke.

In 2010 Paul Chambers made a lame joke about blowing up the Robin Hood airport and was convicted of sending ‘a message of menacing character’ and fined. The difference?

Chambers posted his lame joke on Twitter. Tweeters everywhere rushed to his defence and claimed it a victory for freedom of expression and plain common sense when he finally won his appeal in June this year.

There seemed to be a general feeling when his conviction was overturned that the Crown Court had simply ‘returned to its senses’ and gained a sense of humour. As if previously, none of the High Court judges had realised that Mr Chambers was joking. This is obviously nonsense what Paul Chambers had done was create an administrative headache for the various duty managers throughout the chains of command who are trained, reassuringly, not to ignore any potential cause for alarm.

Whether the trolling footballer who sent badly-punctuated abuse to Tom Daley intended his threats of drowning and doing horrid things with a rope to be taken seriously is less clear, but, it’s almost irrelevant. As soon as you make the conscious choice to air whatever happens to be in your head on the internet, you lose the right to

HIS ARTICLE will argue that sending a malicious Tweet should not be a criminal offence. This argument is based on the fact that existing laws already cover this issue and therefore there is no need to draw up legislation specific to Twitter. In order to support this argument tweets will be analysed in two categories: those that are a threat to the general public and those that are threats to an individual.

It is possible to define threats to the general public as being threats of terrorist activity or to create a racist mob. In both cases the individual would already be committing a crime. In the case of threatening terrorist activity, such as to blow something up, it is illegal as they are sending menacing electronic messages, which are illegal according to the Communications Act 2003 s127.

Similarly, inciting racial hatred is a crime according to the Public Order Act 1986 Part III. Therefore, if anyone were to send malicious tweets of this nature they would already be committing a crime. Thus it is unnecessary to waste Parliamentary time in order to criminalise something that is already a crime under existing laws.

Tweets that threaten an individual are illegal because they constitute assault. Assault includes any action that causes the individual to fear immediate harm. Sending the tweet would be the action that causes an individual to fear the harm. The law defines the

required level of immediacy as any threat that would not be physically impossible to carry out. An example of physical impossibility would be if someone in a different country made the threat (in which case British law has no jurisdiction anyway) or if the individual was already in jail, in which case the threat would still be taken into account when considering the inmates parole. Furthermore, the case of Ireland shows that judges are willing to interpret the law to fit new technologies. This case involved an individual harassing a woman over the telephone. The courts interpreted this as being assault as it caused the woman to fear violence and there was nothing to suggest the violence was physically impossible. Therefore, the same can be applied to malicious tweets. Thus making the case for new legislation redundant.

Additionally, it is not a good idea to pursue creating legislation on every new social networking method as then the law would always be playing catch up to new technology.

In closing, there are already laws against malicious tweets and therefore new legislation that is specific to Twitter is not required and nor is it recommended.

Ultimately, most tweets are the same as boasting, many people will claim all kinds of things but when push comes to shove their actions are not going to require police intervention.

comment@qmessenger.co.uk

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Comment

Issy Leach

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HE RELEASE of Nick Clegg’s apology video has reignited the anger and bitterness still held by students today. This could not have come at a better time than during the preparations for what could be the biggest demonstration in British history. With people marching across Europe against austerity, we are reminded that the fight has not ended.

Since 30th November, the government has continued to destroy and privatise the welfare system, cutting disabled benefits, housing,

Joe Flaig

Monday 1st October 2012

A Call To Arms

healthcare and reducing pensions, while always finding money for war and nuclear weapons. The recent conservative cabinet reshuffle has confirmed that this will only intensify unless we mobilise to stop them.

This is a call to arms to defend the welfare that generations have invested in, by bringing down the corrupt and immoral government we currently live under. On 20th October in the UK people from all trades will take to the streets to demonstrate their discontent with this government. Despite the media slander on the student protests of Autumn 2010, they changed the public opinion on the

ways they could oppose the cuts.

Before, they were seen as inevitable. Whereas in a recent Social Attitudes Survey, it suggests that since then this has changed. This is an opportunity for students to stand united amongst those who respect protests as a peaceful but powerful political tool. The government will try and convince you through the media that you cannot create change, and that it is not your fight to be had. This is wrong.

This is your chance to be part of the global fight against austerity.

Though your student unions may only be building the NUS demonstration in November or, at worst, ignoring both, there is still

time to make October 20th a focus for students who want to be a part of the wider movement against austerity. A vast turn out of students will only encourage confidence in others for the November demonstrations, and win support from different groups of workers in our struggle. With the October demonstration only weeks away, it is time to mobilise fellow students before we are driven into a culture of demoralisation and despair.

Upon this solidarity with students and staff, plans for the demonstration can be built and expanded.

It is time to prepare stunts and stalls in your public spaces. Poster and leaflet your halls and cam-

pus. Even organise a picket line of your college on the day. Or book your train (it’s cheaper in large groups) to join the people on the ground in London for the electric atmosphere of social change. The 20th October demonstration can inspire endless protests, strikes, sit-ins and occupations. It could even topple this already fragile government.

If history has taught us anything, it is that protest is not futile but fertile. From the peasant’s revolt, the abolition of the slave trade, to women’s suffrage. The time that has past since these great achievements only highlights how overdue victory is for us.

The Future of London Met

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T WAS remarked to me at Fresher’s fair last week that, “if international students are banned from London Metropolitan the University will go under in a couple of years, they need the money”. This was said by one of the members of a left wing society and sparked a mini-debate between him and myself over a number of issues.

The first issue that must be addressed is, is an education from London Met worth getting? The university ranked in the 3 bottom Universities in the country last year. With the constant reminder

comment@qmessenger.co.uk

that a University degree doesn’t promise you a career anymore, should people be allowed to blunder into a degree that will add little to their CV and now land them in over £45,000 worth of debt for a home student (based on £9000/ year tuition fees and £4800/year loan on a three year degree)? With fees of up to £15000/year for international students, is this repeal of visas from the home office a whistle blower on a more fundamental issue with lower performing universities?

I do not wish this article to become a form of student snobbery with Universities who are ranked

higher looking down on those ranked lower, but the question must be asked, in this economic climate is it truly achievable to follow the Blairite policy of Education, Education, Education? Is the aim of 50% of students to attend university just unrealistic now? The question of what £45000 could be used for in place of a degree of questionable credibility is one that should be tackled. Should the route out of secondary education not be set only on higher education, should more entrepreneurial with low interest start-up funds of the same amount as the new £9000 tuition fees? Whilst this is

an ambitious concept it may result in a more diverse set of options for eighteen year olds who feel the Government is giving up on them if they don’t follow the traditional route of going to University to get a degree.

However, this may take away the student experience from the University degree.

For many people this the first time they move away from home and to a new city. This experience can really allow people to mould themselves into who they become in later life, gain many key social skills and have networking opportunities. This in itself may add an

abstract value that may not be seen through merely on the piece of paper you receive at the end of the three years of study.

On balance then with the whole issue considered, the end of London Met as some of the lovely members of a left wing society my not be a travesty and an outrage, it may be the beginning of more progressive and initiative thinking due to a re-evaluation of what can be done with funds for those aged 18 to 25 who currently are the most unemployed division of adults in the UK at nearly ¼ out of work, training or education.

Monday 1st October 2012

Comment

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No Platform for Rape Apology

CAPTION+CREDIT

Aamna Mohdin

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n the late 1960s, the threat of fascism in the UK resurfaced in previously unseen levels.

The National Front formed, encompassing various minor political parties, including far-right elements in the Conservative party, as well as violent gangs and fascist thugs, amalgamating ‘electoral fascism’ and ‘street fascism’ - as seen in continental Europe in the 1920s and 1930s.

Facing the threat of a resurgence in the ideas that lead to the annihilation and enslavement of vast bodies of people, progressive movements in the UK, particularly the student movement, were forced to confront the reality of the increasing strength and popularity of the National Front, devise effective and coherent policy for dismantling the fascist ideology that was beginning to grip large enclaves of the British electorate.

They quickly reached a controversial but firm decision: fascism could not be debated with, it had to be smashed.

Around the time of the National Front’s greatest electoral successes, 1974-79, the radical factions within the student movement raised the slogan ‘no platform for fascism’, arguing that fascists hate democ-

racy, using it only as a channel to gain power, whilst smashing it behind them, suppressing all forms of resistance, while organising and agitating against freedom.

This is a strategy unique to fascists, as other offensive, oppressive and politically repugnant groups do not share these qualities.

The only way that groups that stood for such extreme and antidemocratic principles, they concluded, could be dealt with was to isolate them from the political arena. Fascist conclusions are not reached through logic, and so cannot be debated. A fascist cannot be won to anti-fascism. The Black Student campaign within the National Union of Students took up the cause of anti-fascist campaigning, and in the 1990s passed a policy of no platform, stating that fascist candidates could not run for NUS positions, nor could they talk on NUS platforms.

Subsequently, groups deemed fascists were completely disengaged from UK university campuses.

The rape charges levelled against Julian Assange has been a divisive issue on the Left for the last year.

People in one camp believe there is no imperialist threat, and others have smeared the two women accusing Assange of rape. But surely

its possible to take these rape allegations against Assange seriously, and not participate in typical vilification of women reporting rape, while at the same time taking the US threat to Assange seriously as well.

Rape charges against Assange have been a divisive issue.

Many have made outspoken statements, including Respect MP George Galloway and Labour MP Tony Benn.

Galloway’s described a man inserting his penis into a sleeping woman as “bad sexual etiquette” in a podcast, and Benn attempted to defend Assange during a speech given at Conway Hall in London, in February of last year, when he described a “non-consensual relationship” as being “very different from rape.”

As a result of the comments, a motion was put forward by NUS Women’s campaign. Motion 3 demands Galloway and Benn are “No

Platformed” for their appalling comments on rape.

Tony Benn has since retracted his statements. Benn, who is an Honorary President of Goldsmith’s Student Union, issued a statement to Goldsmith’s apologising for his earlier statement and restating his views.

“My position is that non-consensual sex is rape, that no means no and that all allegations of rape must be treated with the utmost sincerity,” he wrote.

“I have been involved in support for women’s rights for all of my political life and would like to state clearly that I stand with all those committed to sexual equality.”

George Galloway, however, refuses to apologise: “I cannot and will not apologise for what I said.

Every word in my podcast, I stand by.”

During the NUS NEC meeting, an email was sent from Galloway’s office asking the members to reconsider and vote against the motion.

While Galloway and Benn’s comments were disgraceful, is implementing the no platform policy the best tactical way to fight against rape apologism?

NUS Black student officer Aaron Kiely provided an amendment to motion 3.

No platform has proven effective in challenging fascism.

Amendment 1 stated that “Redefining NUS’ No Platform Policy would weaken the fight against fascism”. Jamie woodcock opposed the amendment put forward because it “does not go far enough in either criticising or challenging their (Galloway and Benn) words,” but believes “No Platform has been proven effective in challenging fascist organizations, it cannot be used to challenge reactionary ideas.”

QMSU’s Black students officer Jannat Hossain says: “No platform is a specific extreme tactic we use against fascists to ensure the students on campus are safe. Fascists are anti-democratic and No Platform is about resisting anti-democratic practice, however the repugnant views of Galloway and Benn should be challenged and no platforming them doesn’t allow us to do this. It doesn’t allow us to tackle sexism and rape apologism. “

comment@qmessenger.co.uk

10

Monday 1st October 2012

Culture

A Coming of age for The Vaccines Bradley Smith

N

OT EXACTLY what you’d expect from The Vaccines, ‘Come of Age’ is an apt title for their second album, they mature in sound expanding their fast tempo indie sensibilities into an eclectic ensemble of surprisingly intricate and varied tunes.

You’ll still find the familiar Vaccines sound: rousing, catchy, high octane and high BPM songs straight out of the Ramones philosophy of keep it fast, keep it loud.

‘No hope’, the opener, is a classic example, and the simplicity of the choral hook insists upon an irresistible sing- along.

The gems on this album highlight a move away from the fastpaced adolescent sound of the first album. ‘Weirdo’ emits a pixies vibe accompanied with a surfer rock 60’s style guitar, whilst ‘All in vein’ showcases soaring Harrsion-esque guitar with a punchy drum beat á la ‘I Am The Resurrection’ to create the feel-good highlight of the album.

This all commends a band who

are expanding their horizons in terms of experimentation. Of course they wear their influences very much on their sleeve, but this is part of their charm, the familiar sounds are tasteful pastiches which form a superb sound which remains recognisable yet original.

It’s not a perfect album by any stretch, have the skip-button ready for one or two songs that fail to live up to the high standard of this album, but it marks a clear progression of this prolific band.

Singer Justin Young gloats how scary it is how easy he finds songwriting and his egoism is just about justified by this album with his superbly keen ear for an enticing vocal hook, though falling short of the whimsy and romanticism of say Alex Turner.

This album proves a strong bastion against the trend of the demise of guitar pop, a cause worth fighting for. The Vaccines keeping rock pop alive ensures British pop music is not stuck in One Direction.

Rhiannon Evans

Cafe 338

T

HREE FRIENDS and I woke up last Friday morning feeling close to death… The first week back had taken its toll and the rolling hangover that had been looming since the previous Sunday had finally hit us. Like a bus. Someone mentioned Café 338, describing it as the ‘best hangover cure in London’.

Sceptical, but in no real position

to argue, the four of us attempted to dress ourselves, and eventually made our way out of the flat and up to Bethnal Green Road. Friendly staff greeted our weary faces, took our order straight away and immediately brought over an enormous pile of hot buttered toast and four steaming mugs of tea.

There were at least ten fry-up combinations to choose from, with

a ‘create-your-own’ breakfast section too; we all opted for the full English which included toast, tea/ coffee, sausages, crispy bacon, eggs to your liking, mushrooms and beans for a measly £4.90. Needless to say we left satisfied and far more alive than we’d been feeling on the way in- I can’t recommend Café 338 enough for those days when you need a real kick-start.

Culture Clash Are ‘the arts’ accessible enough to students in London?

YES

culture@qmessenger.co.uk

Muhammad Reza

I

NO

from Leicester Square’s box office isn’t the most thrilling experience but it’s surely worth it to see world class performing arts for less than you’d pay for a round in Spoons. If being a passive culture sponge isn’t enough for you, there are numerous opportunities to really get involved, from stand-up comedy workshops to breakdance classes. No-one’s pretending that some magical presence is going to hand you free tickets on a plate but I say, if you’re bothered enough, you’ll be able to keep yourself entertained for three years on a minimal budget- you just need to be prepared to do a bit of searching.

Frankie Aaronovitch-Bruce

I

T’S EASY to look at London’s world famous arts scene and become a little overwhelmed.

Mainly because it’s not a contained ‘scene’ but an unending labyrinth of comedy nights, plays, musicals, burlesque shows, galleries, poetry workshops, buskers, street artists, dancers, fire eaters… People do tend to get a bit uppity when it comes to this subject, calling blue murder about ‘outrageous pricing’ - and yes London is expensive, but how can you argue with the Royal Opera House’s £10 student ticket scheme, or £5 standing tickets at Shakespeare’s Globe? Granted, queuing in the rain at 9am to secure

n order to make my argument, I will be focusing mainly on one word in the above question: ‘enough’; ‘Are the arts accessible enough for students in London?’ In short, I would say no, it is certainly possible for art to be more accessible.

The most prominent issue is expense. Society is becoming increasingly expensive for students, the arts included. While yes, many galleries and museums are free to the public, many specific exhibitions are not. If you want to see somethingnew, you can bet that you are going to pay for it, and often, you’ll be paying a lot.

The same can be said for shows

and concerts. Even with online offers, theatre tickets can be very expensive, and sometimes you can pay six quid upwards to stand in a pub and listen to an unsigned band (which should really be a cheaper alternative to the, at times, monstrous prices to see a well-known act.)

Large costs not only restrict who can attend, but also changes attitudes towards attending.

In order to increase accessibility, emphasis needs to be placed on increased student discount, and the government needs to bring back initiatives such as A Night Less Ordinary, allowing students to view art freely, not as a privilege.

11

Monday 1st October 2012

Culture

Lady G hits the spot Ciara Judge

L

ADY GAGA’S Born This Way Ball Fashion: On the 8th September, I was one of 50,000 people to attend the anticipated UK leg of the Born This Way Ball at Twickenham Stadium and some of the lucky few hundred that got into the front of the famous Monster Pit. Having gone to Lady Gaga’s previous two tours and having been a fan of her for years, to say I was excited was a complete understatement – the atmosphere of the Monster Pit was truly thrilling. As soon as Gaga started singing, we were completely galvanised and the electricity charged through us right to the end and one of the many things I was looking forward to seeing in person was the wonderful fashion and props used on stage.

You don’t just go to a concert- you go to a production.

When the tour kicked off in South Korea back in April the Haus of Gaga (a group of friends who travel and work with Gaga on a daily basis) announced that the outfits she and her dancers were wearing for the tour were custom made Versace - straight from the office of Donatella Versace herself. Gaga is no stranger to this powerhouse designer, Donatella even opened the private archive and gave her an outfit for Gaga’s Edge of Glory music video in 2011. It’s hard to imagine Gaga without Versace.

Many people agree that Gaga has in fact helped modernise this designer label into the new age; giving it more exposure to a wider niche. In Gaga’s previous tour, the Monsterball, she had collaborated with Giorgio Armani and so we knew this time round the costumes were going to be stunning, shocking and impressive once again.

There were several costume

changes and each outfit was unique and beautiful in different ways.

From a metal body cage that resembles something out of Alien Vs Predator to a pastel pink fur throw to a white latex goat headpiece - each outfit juxtaposed with the next but managed to add to the plot of the show of Gaga as an alien fugitive. There was even a cameo of some of her older outfits she wore back in 2008 including the original origami dress and the Kermit the frog gown, as well as some of the custom costumes featured in her last tour.

As she announced that the show was almost over the crowd chanted for a fan favourite Scheiße over and over until she said “I don’t speak English but I can if you like”, the militant outfits and the chorography was explosive as the crowd screamed the tongue-twister lyrics in perfection as if it was a army chant for self-independence, individuality and freedom. But it wasn’t just Gaga who pulled out all the stops with her outfits; so did her Little Monsters.

From the young to the old we were all dressed to the nines – some in meat dresses and others dressed flamboyantly with a hint of Gagaesque caricature. The Lady herself commented how as the years go on, her fans are becoming more confident to dress how they want to, creating beautiful outfits instead of just dressing like her.

As a fan I’ve noticed that over the years, every single piece of Gaga’s performance art is carefully planned out and each outfit is fitted specifically to collaborate with the song. The production of the tour is prolific and everything connects.

The fluidity is constantly moving forward in its design and projection. You don’t just go to a concert - you go to a production. It’s a show you experience in every sense.

If you haven’t seen Lady Gaga live I would highly recommend it.

Even if you’re not a huge fan, you will appreciate the show for sheer entertainment value and energy.

Whether it’s the fashion, the dance, the singing, the show will impress you on some level. I don’t think Gaga will ever miss her mark- she is a true professional.

Luke Richmond

I

N HER 2009 single ‘Paparazzi’ Lady Gaga promised the world ‘baby there’s no other superstar you know that I’ll be.’ Now in 2012, at the end of her Born This Way era and despite facing accusations that her gay anthem ‘Born This Way’ sounded similar to Madonna’s ‘Express Yourself’ she still manages to deliver on that promise. Her soldout show at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday 8th of September showed the world that she is still pushing boundaries and nosing her way ahead of the competition.

Gaga set the tone for the night; something like an out of space, love-yourself, dance party. Of course, part of the hype surrounding the reigning queen of twitter is her clothing. As was expected she treated her monsters to a medley of outfits that ranged from items that would have fitted nicely into a S&M video to a dress that resembled origami.

Though some may balk at the hefty price tag of £70 for standing tickets Gaga is not one for simply

standing on stage and belting out her greatest hits, instead putting on a flamboyant theatrical spectacular. During the two-hour show she cavorted round a spectacular medieval style castle - the largest scenic structure that’s ever been built to tour. On top of singing live throughout the entire show (something that not all pop-stars can claim to do), she danced through her numbers with surprising skill, surrounded by a host of buff male dancers bumped and grinded upon each other and Gaga.

Unfortunately the jigging around in some of her dancier numbers especially ‘Judas’ and ‘Sheisse’ - resulted in her vocal performances being hindered slightly and a greater reliance upon backing tracks.

Nevertheless, when Gaga sat down on her piano-stroke-motorcycle, her true strengths as a singer-songwriter shone through and proved why she is included in the Pop Pantheon despite her relatively short career. Transforming her upbeat dance track ‘Hair’ into a

touching ballad on self-expression and giving fans a song from her next album ‘ARTPOP’ called ‘Princess DIE’ she struck an emotional chord that cut through the shallow party lyrics that saturate modern pop. She also treated the London crowd to John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’.

By the time she finally left her bike and tore into the quasi-rock’n’roll ‘Yoü & i’ there was no doubting that she’s a talented woman with more to her than the fancy frocks and shock tactics.

Admittedly her lingering on the slower numbers resulted in a portion of the show being cut due to time restrictions and fans missed out on both ‘Poker Face’ and ‘Alejandro’, two of her biggest hits. As she left the stage, accompanied by a lucky few Monsters plucked from the crowd, the overwhelming feeling in the arena was vastly positive.

Clogging up the overwhelmed train station, a medley of people from fabulous drag queen to little old lady were all smiling after a truly entertaining show.

culture@qmessenger.co.uk

12

Satire

Monday 1st October 2012

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Please don’t mistake anything on this page for fact.

satire@qmessenger.co.uk

13

Monday 1st October 2012

Satire All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Please don’t mistake anything on this page for fact.

LibDem Revolution Nick Pleb Beno Fulford-Brown

I

N A hilarious Westminster prank the Liberal Democrats have decided to pretend to be social democrats for their party conference in Brighton this week.

The coalition partners of a government “further to the right than Thatcher’s” according to the captain of the Socialist U16s, Owen Jones, have been trotting out hilarious novelty policies such as taxing the rich, mansion taxes and ending tax avoidance schemes. Experts and journalists alike are bemused and curious as to when the practical joke will end and the real conference will start where the the likes of Danny

Lucretia McCarthy

Alexander can stop masquerading as the economic air to Cable and admit that spending cuts, austerity and unemployed plebs are what really gets his juices flowing.

It will be a difficult conference for Clegg who has just received the shocking news that some polls indicate that the Lib Dems might be intensely unpopular.

The news arrived just as Nick Clegg was putting the finishing touches to his speech, “ this news has really ballsed up my plans” said the leader, addi ng “ I had loads of great lines about how well everything was going, people have been

making music videos of me and everything”.

Other Conference highlights to watch out for: 1) Sarah Teather’s second attempt at forging a career in stand-up.

2) Vince Cable defending policies he despises.

3) Nick Clegg’s sad and serious face.

4) Desperate attempts at some much to late Tory-bashing.

5) Very very odd looking delegates from the South West of England.

P

LEB, A synonym for commoners, morons and police officers has had a revival this week due to the chief of discipline for the Conservative party using the word in an attempt to make a grand exit from 10 Downing Street.

The term, previously only used behind the aforementioned group’s back has not been in circulation since the 1800s. This bold revitalisation of dead language has enabled the group to organize, and in a cruel twist, rebel against the ruling government. Crusading against the previously unknown whip.

Nutt-ing but drugs

QMUL in Tie Up Patrick Ford

Q

ueen Mary, University of London and the University of Pyongyang have agreed a partnership to “combat the rising global uncertainty over the future of Higher Education”, their Principals have announced at a joint press conference held at Dixie Chicken.

The two universities, situated just 5,400 miles away from each other, will share lecturers and research facilities in the future, as well as providing an exchange programme to encourage diversity in each of the universities and are to share outreach partnerships in schools across the globe. Speaking at the launch of the alliance, Simon Gaskell, the Principal of Queen Mary, sensationally revealed that: ““Critical to this new approach will be the achievement

Beno Fulford-Brown

P

resident and Chief Nuclear Crackpot Dictator of Iran launched a campaign to try and improve Iran’s image in the West by embarking on a mini media tour of the US, including an appearance on Piers Morgan’s “Tonight” program.

Not content with the decision

Leader of the pleb opposition, Mr Cameron, refused to comment on the situation, but Mitchell has been extremely vocal, demanding the ‘morons’ stand aside for him and his prize bicycle in future, said to be worth around 1000 plebs in a new government exchange system.

Both onlookers and the Downing street guards were appalled by the man’s behaviour when he stepped out of number 10 shouting “don’t you know who the f**k I am?”, to which everyone shrugged, revealing much support for the commoners.

Lucretia McCarthy of the right balance between competition and collaboration”, as he confirmed that the two institutions would not merge.

The Dear Proctor of the University of Pyongyang, Nick Lee hailed the partnership as a victory for his country’s diplomacy and vowed to protect the new alliance with all his strength. “Large pearls formed on the mountains and a huge asteroid shattered the serenity of a lake”, said he. “From that moment on, I knew that this partnership was sincere and dignified and that it represents a natural progression in the history of North Korea towards a time when our Eternal Goblet is filled with peace and understanding”. A rare joint statement from the People’s Popular Socialist Party of Queen

Mary and the Queen Mary Socialist People’s Popular Party echoed Lee’s sentiments and expressed happiness in the partnership.

It is thought that the two universities will share timetables, despite the time difference between the UK and North Korea and that there is mutual interest in expanding the partnership, with Teheran University, the University of Havana and the University of Tiananmen Square all possibilities in a move already dubbed by some as the “Axis of Queevil”.

Gaskell said that Queen Mary students would benefit from “an enriching cultural and economic sphere” in Pyongyang, and Lee said that his country hoped to use the “world class facilities, with special mention to Drapers”.

A

STUDY LEAD by shamed Labour drugs expert Professor David Nutt is due to be broadcast this week in a new documentary for Channel 4.

The D-list celebrity participants, including an ex-liberal democrat MP and Lily Allen’s dad, will all be given pure forms of class A drugs live on television in aid of scientific research and channel ratings.

Those involved have made it clear that they were not just there for the free drugs, claiming that though they did enjoy ‘the juicy colours of ecstasy’ they are purely interested in experimenting in aid of furthering science, as evidenced by

their previous contributions to the subject.

Professor Nutt was keen to make clear that the effects of the show would be twofold, providing hilarious footage of drug taking and the comparable dangers of dance whilst also putting young people off illegal highs due to the carefully chosen fusty participants.

He also denied that the show was purely set up to get back at the Labour party who sacked him over comparisons between ecstasy and horse riding which he still maintains should be made illegal on the grounds that it is boring and possibly dangerous – both of which are harmful to health.

Media Makeover of choosing to be interviewed by one of the most hated men on TV in the world, Ahmadinejad kicked off proceedings by referring to homosexuality as an “ugly deed” and claimed Osama Bin Laden had been unfairly treated and perhaps deserved a fair trial.

It is clear that the West has

nothing to fear about Ahmadinejad, he is just a normal bloke who advocates the odd genocide, the destruction of a country and possibly has access to the some nuclear missiles.

If he fails to be re-elected as he comes to the end of this term of the Presidency, it would be a easy

transition into the after-dinner speech circuit for Mahmoud.

It was an historic moment for Morgan too, as for the first time in his life he wasn’t the biggest twat in the room.

Viewers can only hope that Morgan plans to embark on more interviews with world leaders,

QMessenger satire thinks that a trip to North Korea to visit Kim Il Sung would be a great experience for the perennial shit-spewer.

Alternatively if Piers fancies a trip to see Mr Mugabe then a whip-round for the flights to Zimbabwe could be easily arranged.

Keep up the great work Piers.

16

Monday 1st October 2012

Foot- Battle

Richard Maher

T

HE SHIP which sits proudly above the red devil on Manchester United’s crest often goes unnoticed, such is our familiarity with the global brand that the logo has become.

The ship represents the Manchester Ship Canal. It was completed in 1894 and meant goods were able to bypass Liverpool’s ports and be transported straight to Manchester. This resulted in substantial job losses on Merseyside and great resentment from the Liverpudlian population.

This is popularly cited as the root of a bitter rivalry which exists between the two vast industrial cities; a rivalry which is always evident when Liverpool F.C. meet Manchester United F.C. and has led many experts to label it the biggest game of football in the world.

Liverpool dominated English football for the 20 years between 1970 and 1990, a period in which they won eleven league championships and four European cups.

However, from that moment up until the current day, Manchester United have responded under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson.

They have now overtaken Liverpool’s famed 18 league titles and although they are still two trophies behind them in terms of the Champions League, they remain England’s biggest football club. This is despite surges of success from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Manchester has also retaliated culturally. Liverpool’s famous music scene, led by ‘The Beatles’ who took the world by storm in the 1960s, was replicated in Manchester with the emergence of ‘The Stone Roses’, ‘The Smiths’ and ‘Oasis’ to solidify their position as the leading city of the pair.

The rivalry has become so bitter that when the sides met last Sunday, there was a fear that Manchester United fans would disrupt Liverpool’s tributes to the 96 supporters who died in the infamous 1989 ‘Hillsborough disaster’.

The case relating to the scandal was finally closed this month when an independent panel concluded that multiple failures by emer-

sport@qmessenger.co.uk

gency services should be held responsible for the deaths. Sunday’s game was the first time Liverpool had played at their home in Anfield, since the ‘justice for the 96’ campaign.

It seems extraordinary that football could lead any fellow human beings to dishonour the practices which would take place in Liverpool on Sunday, but United boss Ferguson still felt the need to distribute letters to the travelling fans, encouraging them to respect the remembrance service.

Of course there were still an idiotic few who jeered as ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ was emotionally bellowed out by 40,000 sympathisers Unfortunately the minds of some fans are so polluted by rivalry that their loyalty clouds their judgement of what is simply right and wrong.

Similarly in the past, a few Liverpool supporters have crudely taunted Mancunians about the Munich air disaster which killed 23 people.

However, crucially, a memorial bouquet of flowers was placed outside the stadium, signed ‘The silent majority at M.U.F.C.’; it was certainly a humbling and truthful image which reflected the many who were able to lay their bitterness to one side.

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez rightfully accepted the hand of United captain Patrice Evra before the game, despite allegations of racism between the pair. The match didn’t continue as smoothly. It featured a sending off and a late goal from Robin Van Persie which gave the visitors the victory and epitomised their ability to go one better than their rivals in recent years.

However, the rivalry on the pitch is something that no football fan wants to lose. The united front between the majority of both sets of fans as well as staff and players of the clubs was a truly proud moment for English football and both cities.

The feud will remain, but Sunday showed that in the face of adversity, thousands are able to put the most intense of differences aside in order to respect justice.

Looking Forward

James Tory

A

FTER THE huge success of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games, there will not only be high expectations for Rio de Janeiro in 2016 but also for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. Why should we look forward to these games?

The Commonwealth nations’ sporting prowess.

While the Commonwealth Games doesn’t have the same prestige as the Olympics, it is still considered to be a major competition and is taken very seriously by the competing nations.

The Commonwealth nations who competed in the London Olympics (consisting of 364 athletes from 15 countries gained a combined tally of 178 medals (20% of the medals on offer). This included team GB’s most successful ever team for the Olympics, the Jamaican athletics team, consisting of the likes of Usain Bolt, and other serious contenders for medals such as the South African and Australian teams.

With athletes like these competing against each other for

gold, the competition in Glasgow will be intense and, along with the football World Cup in Brazil, is going to make excellent entertainment during the summer holidays.

The chance to spot the next major star of the sporting world.

Many sportspeople, from Victoria Pendleton in cycling to Jessica Ennis in athletics, made their debut on the senior international stage at the Commonwealth Games, showing their enormous potential to the rest of the world.

By 2014 new athletes will come through and challenge the dominance of the leaders of their respective disciplines.

Frequently, many people who have won medals at the Commonwealth Game later make it to the podium at the Olympics. Notable athletes include two- time gold medal decathlete Daley Thomson and 110m hurdler Colin Jackson.

Helps put a spotlight on unknown sports.

The Commonwealth Games is a major event which helps highlight sports which have little coverage and are not played at the Olympics such as squash, netball and

lawn bowls.

Even major Olympic disciplines such as athletics and aquatics have hardly any regular significant mainstream audiences.

Chris Hoy’s final goodbye.

Considered to be one of Great Britain’s greatest ever Olympians who embodies the Olympic spirit, Sir Chris Hoy has dominated the sport of track cycling by amassing a total of six gold medals and one silver over four Olympics, as well as being an eleven time world champion making the velodrome his stronghold.

Chris Hoy has made clear his desire to finish his cycling career in his home country of Scotland and he totally deserves to end his tenure as champion in this manner.

So on the 23rd July 2014, the 20th Commonwealth Games will begin, with hundreds of millions of viewers from around the world tuning in to watch the opening ceremony, and over the following eleven days, perhaps our imagination will be stirred by great feats of athleticism and maybe that feeling of optimism which we derived from the 2012 Olympics may return in 2014.