Issue 54
David Cameron intervenes on Higher Education Bill Page 4
Monday January 30 2012
QM Prof awarded CBE Page 16
The Great Debate: Page 7
Should Scotland be independent?
The Newspaper of Queen Mary Students’ Union
You will have a worse quality of life, says Ken
» Labour’s candidate spoke at QM about the hard decisions the next mayor will have to take
Image by Matthew TK Taylor
Alex Badrick Labour’s Mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone held a question and answer session with QM students last week, the same day a poll put him two points ahead of current Mayor and former frontrunner Boris Johnson. “You are the first generation of young English people that will have a worse quality of life than your parents. The scale of debt, the environmental crisis, the lack of housing, the recession...we could be in a whole decade of virtually zero growth and zero increases in real wages” said Livingstone, in his preamble. “Before everyone rushes off and
decides what’s the best way of killing themselves at that rather grim prospect, there is absolutely no reason why your future has to be like that.” Livingstone outlined his plans for a “diversified” economy, his “fare deal” package and a proposed Mayor’s Letting Agency – committed to a “London living rent” - before condemning frontline police cuts, and taking questions. The majority of questions focused on Ken’s “fare deal” package – a proposal to cut the cost of travel by 7% - paid out of TFL’s £700million surplus. Livingstone promised investment in infrastructure and a review of cycle lane priorities at the Bow roundabout, following the death of two cyclists.
Many questions asked about inequality and Livingstone’s response if rioters were to return, to which he said “When I was Mayor and there was the accidental shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, we took the number three officer and put him on a plane to Brazil immediately... to apologise to [de Menezes’] parents... I went straight in press conferences to apologise and explain what had gone wrong. I think you might not have had the eruption of rioting in Tottenham [this year] if Mark Duggan’s parents had come back and said ‘we think they’re being honest and they’re listening to us’... – the spark is something you can deal with.” “I have to tell you, I can think of only two [initiatives] that are
uniquely Boris’, one is the helter-skelter type thing opposite the Olympic Stadium... then there’s the Emirates cable car... it is apparently turning out to be the most expensive cable car in human history – oh no there’s a third thing, he banned you drinking alcohol on the underground” said Livingstone of the current Mayor, adding “[he] meets bankers more often than police]” and declaring the Mayor “risk adverse.” Livingstone also committed to freeze or cut top City Hall salaries. Livingstone was joined by London Assembly Member John Biggs and Rushanara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, who said “opinionated, argumentative, that’s our Ken!”
“Not impressed with Ken” Management student @antoniahobdenli wrote on twitter, “maybe he will blame the transport system for his lack of punctuality.” LLM student @AmyLWedgwood wrote “Question dodged on what you'd do for commuters. Guess spending money in London and contributing to its economy is irrelevant.” QMSU President @Sophie_ Ritchie noted “Great to see Rushanara Ali and John Biggs joining @ken4london” while Aaron, @ azza_ds, said “Ken does talk a lot of sense. He does know how to smooth talk an audience but his policy ideas were sound.” “Ken Livingstone’s quite hot” adds Law student Arlina, @LITM4.
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 30 2012
News
Editorial Team: • Executive Editor - Sam Creighton vpcommunications@qmsu.org • Managing Editor - Caz Parra editor@qmessenger.co.uk • Sub-Editors - Robert Pritchard, Maria Sowter and Lauren Mason proof@qmessenger.co.uk • News Editors - Rosie Reynolds, Kaamil Ahmed and Ariane Osman news@qmessenger.co.uk • Comment Editors - Kashmira Gander and Stephanie Rankin comment@qmessenger.co.uk • Satire Editors - Ben Richardson and Aaron Barber satire@qmessenger.co.uk • Sports and Societies Editors - Shafi Musaddique, Hollie Carter and Ashley Sweetman sport@qmessenger.co.uk • Photography Editors - Keeren Flora and Bethia Stone photography@qmessenger.co.uk
The Cloud
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown is calling for a ‘global fund for education’ in order to raise £13bn to enable all children to receive a primary school education.
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A Court of Appeal has for the second time rejected the British Government’s call to decrease the payments made to households with solar panels, calling them unsustainable.
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A US judge at Camp Pendleton, California has concluded that a marine who unlawfully killed 24 Iraqi civilians in 2005 should face no charge.
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President Obama called for more equality in his third state of the union speech.
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Egyptians last week held a rally in Cairo’s Tahrir Square in celebration of the first anniversary of the revolution where President Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down.
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 section 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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In this digital age of ours it would be remiss forusnottokeepaneagleeyeonouronline presence. So, here are the best messages tweeted @QMessenger this week. Giggling at this week’s @QMessenger satire section.
Had forgotten I’m quoted saying something dim about smartphones in @QMessenger this week. Bit of a shock.
Really enjoying commet section of @qmessenger this week, can’t believe I’m only just learning of lulvise, ergh.
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Home Secretary Theresa May has announced that tents and encampments will be banned during the Olympics in order to prevent protests.
The teachers at a Primary School in Birmingham are striking for the second time against proposals to turn their school into an academy.
Ecologists from the Queen Mary School of Biological and Chemical Sciences have discovered what the consequences of global warming will be over a range of different ecosystems during a research expedition to Iceland.
By Ariane Osman Images by: Tahrir Square Image by Ramy Raoof (Flickr) Solar Panel Image by Pixor (Flickr) Occupy LondonImage by sugarmelon.com (Flickr)
Principal releases statement on threatening campus intruder Kaamil Ahmed The Principal publicly criticised the disruption of an event organised by students from the Atheism, Secularism and Humanism Society in which members of the audience were threatened this month. Simon Gaskell released a statement to staff and students last week in a reaction to an occurrence in which a man said he would “hunt down” attendees at an event about Shari’ah law and human rights. Gaskell said: “The democratic right to freedom of expression and debate is one Queen Mary strongly upholds and promotes.
Talks, meetings and debates are held peacefully at Queen Mary on a daily basis and we will continue to host such events.” “We are equally committed to our duty of care to students. A police investigation of Monday night’s incident is currently underway and Queen Mary will conduct its own review. We will do our utmost to ensure this occurrence is not repeated and that our students are able to gather and engage in debate freely without interference of any kind.” This statement comes after heavy criticism of the QM security for not doing enough to protect society members at the event. Reportedly, a man interrupt-
ed the event at the beginning saying: ““Listen up all of you, I am recording this, I have your faces on film now, and I know where some of you live” After the original occurrence, the Students’ Union responded with a statement: “Our students’ safety is of absolute priority and we take such reports very seriously. We are confident our processes have been followed in organising the event and will be supportive of any investigations carried out by the Police or Queen Mary, University of London.” Muslim students at the University, including the Islamic Society, immediately distanced themselves from what happened, saying that
it did not represent their views. In an earlier statement by the college they expressed support for the students organising the events. “Queen Mary welcomes to its community students and staff of all faiths, and those of none. The democratic right to freedom of expression and debate is one Queen Mary strongly upholds and promotes. Equally the College is keenly aware of its duty of care to students and is committed to fulfilling this duty.” The event has received widespread attention and the Metropolitan Police have been carrying out an investigation into what happened and have been speaking to those who were present at the event.
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 30 2012
News
Union to buy iPads as Kettling is legal portable polling stations says High Court Chris Smith
Image byYagan Kiely (via flickr)
Kaamil Ahmed A decision to buy iPads to be used as mobile polling stations for the upcoming student elections has been defended by the Students’ Union who say they are necessary. The Union will be spending over £1,000 on three iPads which will be used to get more students to participate in the upcoming elections. Oscar Williamson, the Vice President for Education and Welfare, said that he feels the tablet computers will be a valuable tool for the Sabbatical officers, whose role it is to represent students at the University. “I know they sound extravagant at first but I wouldn’t recommend get-
ting them if I weren’t confident that they are a good investment,” said Williamson. “We justify them in the same way we justify buying shuttlecocks for badminton and iMacs for the media. They meet a pressing need, in that we need portable computers; they are no more expensive than the equivalent laptop, but are more suited to our needs.” Williamson said that the funding for iPads would come from the course rep budget and that course reps would be able to use them for some purposes. “They will be used as mobile polling stations during the elections, and then afterwards for surveys, petitions and research by course reps, full and part time officers and other
students, and as sign up sheets and registers at Union events.” The VP for Education and Welfare also said that the new tablets, which would replace outdated laptops currently used by the sabbatical officers, would allow the Union to use less paper which is something already done by senior staff at the University. “The President and VP Education have huge numbers of papers for union and university meetings, so the iPads will be used there if not in use elsewhere. Yesterday, for example, I had almost 200 pages of papers. This is expensive to print and they just end up in the recycling after a couple of months so it seems like a waste.”
The High Court has ruled in favour of the Metropolitan Police, overturning the original decision that kettling used in G20 protests in 2009 was illegal. The case was originally brought to the High Court by students Hannah McClure and Josh Moos, members of the Plane Stupid group. Both attended the G20 protests and brought successful action against the Met Police for ‘unjustified force’ used sxto contain them. This decision was later deemed flawed by Lord Neuberger, Lord Justice Hughes and Lord Justice Sullivan in the Court of Appeals. The ruling came down to the behaviour of the officer and if it was reasonable based on the information that he had. The previous judgement has partially ignored this and made a jump to describe kettling as illegal, when the actual test is whether it was “reasonable” for kettling to be used or not. Police continue to describe kettling as a key tool that helps them “to pre-
vent disorder within protests”. It has been repeatedly used within riots and senior Metropolitan Officers believe it is a key tool in the arsenal of the Met Police. After the judgement was passed, Josh Moos was relatively optimistic, saying “This judgment won’t make people forget the footage of the police baton charging the climate camp or what happened to Ian Tomlinson that day”. Keith Vaz, chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, said: “What we now need is for clear parameters to be set so that those exercising their right to protest and police officers are aware of the situations in which these methods will be used.” He did not go into detail as to when and how these parameters where to be decided. McClure and Moos plan to appeal the case. The improper use of kettling has already been brought before the European Court of Human Rights in 2001 regarding a kettling in Oxford Street and awaits judgement.
Crime on Tower Hamlets transport is rising » Crime on TfL network in the borough rose by 12% in the last year » Drivers spat on and attacked with CS gas Rosie Reynolds Figures raised at the Mayor’s Question Time last Wednesday show that crime on buses, tubes and DLR trains has risen in Tower Hamlets over the last year, despite falling across London as a whole. Crime on the Transport for London network in Tower Hamlets during 2010-2011 rose by 12% compared to the previous twelve months. Crimes reported include criminal damage, sexual assault and violence, with theft making up sixty per cent of all incidents. The rise is the second largest in London, only just behind Barking and Dagenham. London as a whole reported a four per cent drop. There have been particular con-
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cerns over passenger and driver safety on buses. Internal TfL reports detailing ‘Code Reds’ - when drivers or passengers report violence and vandalism to TfL headquarters - show that drivers often have missiles such as litter and food thrown at them, and some have been sprayed with fire extinguishers and CS gas. TfL has issued drivers with DNA swab kits to identify culprits who spit at them. Many instances of violence involve young people, with “an upsurge of disturbance” on buses between 3pm and 5pm as students make their way home from school. London Assembly Liberal Democrat leader, Caroline Pidgeon said there should be “no grounds for complacency” and is calling on mayor Boris Johnson to do more to
beat bus crime in the worst affected parts of the capital. She said: “It is simply wrong to suggest that bus crime is falling across the whole of London. Bus crime is a problem everywhere and in far too many places it is a growing problem.” Music student Alex Grosart was a victim of theft whilst travelling on the 55 bus, which runs from Oxford Street to Hackney. “The bus was really busy. I was wearing a suit jacket and had my wallet in an open pocket. The bus stopped and a guy got off, and a shady looking man behind me who had been staring at me since I got on leaned in and said “I think that man’s got your wallet.” Sure enough I checked and my wallet wasn’t there, so I jumped off and said to
the guy “Oi mate, someone says you’ve got my wallet”. He replied that he didn’t have it, and that he thought the man who told me was probably the one who had it.” Pickpocketing is a major problem on London transport, but it often goes unreported not just because of the perception that nothing can really be done once the crime has been committed Luckily, Alex was able to get his wallet back. “Once I’d clicked what was happening I jumped back on the bus, which was thankfully still there. The guy who’d spoken to me was standing there with my wallet in his hand. He said he found it on the floor. There was a five pound note missing but everything else was there. the guy looked comoletely wired on drugs and when I questioned
him about the cash he denied taking it. He even had the cheek to offer me change from his pocket. This happened in my second week of living in London, so I learned quickly.” There were 233 more robberies on the Tube and DLR between April and September this year than last, the biggest statistical increase. The number of sexual assaults reported has risen by almost thirteen per cent. However official figures released by the Mayor’s Office report that there are now 10.5 crimes committed per million TfL journeys, as opposed to 11.4 last year. Around twelve million journeys are made on the TfL network every day, and this is expected to increase by a quarter during the Olympic Games.
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 30 2012
News
New fund helps green universities bloom » Projects will enable participating institutions to cut carbon emissons by 18,500 per year
Ariane Osman Higher Education establishments around England are set to reduce their carbon emissions with the help of £11 million in interest free loans provided by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) earlier this year. This is part of the HEFCE’s Revolving Green Fund, which was founded in 2008 and aims to use money saved by universities in energy bills to fund new energy saving projects across the country. This second round of funding will support four main projects at the University of Exeter, the University of Derby, the University of Bradford and Plymouth University, which have received £4.2 million and will enable campus buildings to be retrofitted in a bid to decrease energy consumption. “Improving energy efficiency in the higher education sector is not all about new-build programmes,” said Steve Egan, Deputy Chief Executive of HEFCE, “These four retrofit projects will demonstrate the significant
gains to be made by improving the efficiency of existing buildings and equipment.” 24 smaller projects have also been awarded £6.8 million, which will contribute to changes such as voltage optimisation, lighting replacements and green IT. £4 million of the £20 million invested into the first round of projects have been saved by participating universities. This amount is helping to fund the second round of projects. Universities and Science Minister, David Willetts said : “Universities are significant energy users so it is important that they should reduce their carbon footprint where possible. These projects will deliver significant environmental benefits, but they will also improve the operational efficiency of the institutions.” An evaluation of the first round of projects found that they were reducing over 2 per cent of carbon emissions from Higher Education Institutions every year. It has been estimated that the second round of projects will save 18,500 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
Coalition drops unpopular Higher Education reforms Christopher Smith A bill that would have made it easier for private providers to set up in the UK higher education sector has been dropped after direct intervention from David Cameron. The HE Bill would have, among other things, expanded the size of student loans available to students at private institutions from six to nine thousand pounds, expanded the powers of HEFCE and make it easier for private companies to buy universities. However, it has been suddenly shelved by the Coalition, supposedly to avoid further friction between Conservative and Lib Dem MPs. David Cameron is also said to be ‘unimpressed’ by the proposed bill. Both Cameron and Nick Clegg’s spokesperson have refused to comment. These Bill has attracted criticism from UCU, NUS and many MPs. Clegg has also been against the reforms yet has held little sway in their future so far. Back in November 2011, Clegg ruled out schools for profits, however the bill continued, calling into question his power as Deputy Prime Minister. Yet some criticise that by shelving the bill, it allows government to bypass Parliament and make the changes under the radar. Liam Burns, NUS President, described it as “a legislative hit and run”. While
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Prof Alan Ryan, the former warden of New College, Oxford, believed it would create a “system in which institutions pursued short-term financial gain at the expense of a providing a decent education” if the bill or a similar version was passed. The universities minister, David Willletts, has already allowed the maximum loan for private university students to be raised from £3000 to £6000. Combine this with private universities running “tuition deals” that beat like for like public universities fees and students could feel pressure into apply to a private and cheaper university to save money. Willetts met with Education Management Corporation in July 2010 for advice on private higher education institutions. This company is now being sued by the US Department of Justice over alleged student recruitment practices. Mainly, the abuse of government money to fund bonuses. Willetts also met with Apollo, a company that thanks to a whistle blower in 2009, paid out settlements in the region of millions for improper recruitment practices. Controversially, it refused to accept liability and just wanted to bring “closure to a long-running dispute”. Previous reforms including raising the cap for tuition fees to £9,000 will not be affected. For more see leader p7 and comment p9.
The Higher Education Funding Council has set out a strategy aiming to cut carbon emissions by 34 per cent by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2015. Queen Mary University also took
part in its own retrofitting project energy demand and reduces 6.0kg with the recent recladding of the of CO2 emissions each year. GE Fogg building which houses the The building won the Green Gown School of Biological and Chemical Award for Sustainable Construction Sciences. The refurbishment has re- and Refurbishment in November duced 70 per cent of the buildings last year.
Universities and Science Minister David Willetts, above, commented that reduction of carbon footprints would “improve the efficiency of the institution[s].” Image by bisgovuk via Flickr CC
QM finds cancer gene
» Professor discovers gene linked to aggressive throat cancer Ollie Brown The discovery of a gene thought to be important in the development of oesophageal cancer has been made in a study led by Queen Mary Professor David Kelsell. This is thought to be a significant step in the fight against oesophageal cancer as the gene will be pivotal in combating the progression of the disease in patients. Oesophageal cancer affects more than 8,000 residents of the UK every year, with only eight percent of those diagnosed surviving more than five years after diagnosis. This poor survival rate is mainly due to the difficulty of diagnosing the cancer early, as most people who contract the cancer will not notice until the tumour makes it difficult to swallow, at which point it is fairly large. As well as being difficult to detect, it is also an aggressive type of cancer that has both hereditary and non-hereditary forms. Most cases are found in those with a history of heavy smoking and drinking. Oddly, those who suffer from alcohol flush syndrome, or go red after drinking, who also drink over two alcoholic beverages a day are six to ten times more likely to contract oesophageal cancer than those who don’t. The study, carried out in associa-
tion with university academics from way off, Professor Kelsell stated that across the UK and funded by both ‘finding a genetic cause for this agQueen Mary Innovations and Can- gressive cancer, and understanding cer Research, focused on three fam- what that gene is doing, is an enorilies with tylosis, a hereditary condi- mous step forward.’ tion that comes with a 95% chance Dr. Kelsell is a professor of huof developing this particular type of man molecular genetics at Barts cancer. A haunting probability giv- and the London with an extensive en survival rates. history of pinpointing specific genes However, hope can be wrought within disease. from discoveries like these, which His previous work has includwill aid the medical community in ed identifying the main gene that understanding which types of treat- causes genetic hearing loss, and ment are likely to be effective. two genes significant in the spread Although a cure may still be some of breast cancer.
Professor David Kelsell
Image courtesy of Barts and the London
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 30 2012
News
2012 jobs promises not kept by Boris
Livingstone: Mayor should make sure Olympic jobs go to local people. Image by jpowers65 (via Flickr)
Kaamil Ahmed Promises made to regenerate east London and employ local people as part of the Olympic bid have not been kept according to Ken Livingstone. The Labour candidate to for the next London Mayoral elections was speaking after a visit to Queen Mary as part of his election campaign last week and was critical of the way the development of the London 2012 games had been handled by the current Mayor. “If you actually want to make certain that local people are going to be employed on the Olympic site, you need a Mayor who says I want a monthly report from all the firms about who they’ve recruited,” said Livingstone, who had been Mayor when the Olympic bid and many of
these promises were made. “That’s claimed that Boris Johnson’s the sort of detail that Boris just term as Mayor has seen him doesn’t do.” make a positive contribution More than 50,000 jobs have with the creation of the Olympic been promised in the run-up to Legacy Company which it claims the games, with previous promises will create 10,000 jobs and up to being made that a large proportion 10,000 homes. of jobs would go to local people. Some Queen Mary Geography However, Livingstone has joined students have been engaged in the growing clamour for more to a project led by Professor Jane be done to ensure that this actually Wills to research on whether happens. the Olympics are improving job The London Development prospects for local people. Agency has denied these claims Professor Wills is also involved in the past, saying that almost a with The East London Communities quarter of those who worked on Organisation (TELCO) which the Olympic site between 2008 began a programme in August last and 2011 had been residents of one year to recruit local people for the of the five Olympic boroughs. They Games and has been successful in also claimed that many contracts placing 750 people into jobs. Their had been given to small London- recruitment drive also involves an based firms. attempt to convince some of the The Back Boris campaign also Olympic sponsors to create 2,000
six-month long paid internships for young people from East London. Livingstone suggested that an opportunity to create longterm benefits from the Olympics had been missed by not inviting foreign investors to take advantage of potential growth in east London. Apart from the Olympics, he was also critical of the way private firms in the City employed only a small number of local people. Livingstone said: “The public sector’s got quite good at proper equal opportunities for women and ethnic minorities. A lot of the private sector lags behind and the Mayor can encourage and if that doesn’t work name and shame.” “Brick Lane must be one of the most dynamic places economically anywhere in Britiain and you know
a mile to the west of that you’ve got financial firms that don’t employ a single local Bangladeshi, except perhaps in the security and cleaning and that really isn’t acceptable.” The long-term Labour politician advocated a policy of publicly exposing firms which did not take equal opportunities seriously, something he expected Boris J “Very often a lot of these firms have never really considered the issue and never done anything about it. Whereas 30 years ago the Bangladeshi community was quite small, very few went to university, now the proportion of young Bangladeshis going to university is probably the same as for any other community. There can’t be an excuse for this continuing failure to hire across all ethnic groups.”
Website launched to help Drinking should ease education transitions worry students Max Burman
Queen Mary last week launched a new website designed to ease students’ transition between school, university and employment. The University’s Thinking and Writing team, working in collaboration with local schools and employers, designed the site as part of the ‘Writing in Schools, Higher Education and Employment Settings’ (WISHEES) project, which is funded by the Government-backed JISC. The website features a collection of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) writing texts and podcasts developed by Teresa McConlogue and Debra Hills of the Thinking Writing team. As the UK looks to build a competitive economy going forward, a focus on STEM education is seen as vital to producing a skilled and varied workforce.
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This is underlined by the fact that academics from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, USA and employers such as Transport for London and Astrium Ltd (space transportation and satellite systems) have also contributed to the WISHEES collection. Sally Mitchell, Thinking Writing Co-ordinator at Queen Mary, said: “This resource provides fascinating insights into what teachers and lecturers value in their students’ writing. It’s a great addition to the Thinking Writing website which supports academics to develop their thinking and practice in relation to writing.” Osman Bawa from Astrium Ltd commented: “Astrium is pleased to be a part of the STEM WISHEES project as it is an excellent way of helping students and academics to understand just what industry expects.” JISC Digitisation Programme
Manager Paola Marchionni added: “This resource is an excellent example of how the higher education sector, schools and employers can work in partnership to tackle the need for innovative resources which are engaging and at the same time develop students’ digital literacy skills to prepare them for the demands of tertiary education as well as for the job market.” One Queen Mary student expressed their support for the scheme, explaining “the step up from school to higher education can often be a difficult one, particularly in terms of the standards expected. Any resource which helps students understand what their academics want from them and prepares them for future opportunities in employment can only be positive. It is even more encouraging to hear that Queen Mary is at the forefront of developing such useful tools.”
Kashmira Gander
Students who may find it difficult to stop heavy-drinking after university must be looked out for, according to an alcohol awareness campaign recently. A spokesperson for Alcohol Concern described health warnings on the backs of drinks as unsuccessful, stating that “people aren’t necessarily going to look at the warning and say ‘Oh, I better not’.” His comments come after Ministers recently unveiled proposals to ban shops and bars from selling drink for less than the tax paid on them, setting a “base price” for the first time. The spokesperson’s comments were echoed by Dr Chris Record, a leading liver specialist at Newcastle Freeman Hospital, who said alcohol is the most common cause of death in students. Dr Record, who is also a lectur-
er and consultant at the institution, expressed his concern on the Guardian website, describing how young people “drink too much, they’re sick, and they go and fall under a bus or they fall from a great height, and they kill themselves.” Students at Queen Mary appear to share share similar views. Chris Smith, a second-year Biomedical student, described the typical university student’s life as immersed in traditions surrounding alcohol. “Alcohol dependency is a problem. It plays a substantial role in a university student’s life and become associated with a range of feelings. When you win a sports game, you celebrate at Hail Mary. When you lose, you get very drunk at session to make up for it. When you are stressed, friends want to take you to the pub. When you want to celebrate, you jump at the chance to have a cheeky drink by the canal.”
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 30 2012
Newsfocus
Queen Mary Professor receives CBE
Clockwise from left: Ursula Martin, image by courtesy of Queen Mary, University of London Press Office; Alan Turing sculpture, image by Chris Brown via Flickr CC; English Heritage memorial to Alan Turing, image by Steve Hunnisett via Flickr CC.
Stefania Albanese Professor Ursula Martin, of the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at Queen Mary, has been awarded a CBE for her services to computer science. This prestigious award came after two difficult years for Professor Martin, as she faced a grave illness. “It was a lovely surprise to receive the letter of the award. Many people put my name forward and believed I was worth the honours. It is just wonderful to know that so many people think such nice things about you”. Professor Martin has held posts in many different universities across Britain and abroad. Her interest in computer science sparked soon after her masters and PhD in Mathematics. “Computer science is a constantly changing discipline, and its changes have an immediate effect on people’s lives. This year is
the hundredth anniversary of Alan Turing, a scientist that in the 1930s started posing questions regarding the potential of computers. Can computers think or be intelligent? What can they do? People like Turing had that vision and since these questions began to be asked, sixty or seventy years ago, computer scientists have come up with many different answers and have revolutionised people’s lives. “Nowadays it is impossible to imagine our lives without computers and the connections they allow us to establish. All this is just magical. Computer science is so varied and challenging at the same time. It implies a constant change in the way of thinking and this makes it hugely exciting.” Computer science doesn’t always get the publicity it deserves, and Professor Martin has been involved in many campaigns to change that. The government has recently made an announcement about changing the way computer science is taught
in schools. “Computer science in schools doesn’t teach the pupils how a computer really works, or how to do something socially worthwhile with a computer.” Currently Professor Martin is involved in a number of research projects at Queen Mary, including ‘Impact QM’ project, aimed at providing opportunities to enhance transferable and career skills and broadening students’ understanding of the context and impact of research. Throughout her career, Professor Martin has also been involved inactivities aimed at increasing the presence of women in fields such as computer science and mathematics, notably dominated by a strong male presence. “At the time when I was a student, there were so many social mechanisms that made women feel marginalised, but now it’s different. “If you look at the world today, there are so many options open to women. But choices of degrees are
still influenced by a number of social pressures or cultural factors. Personally I had a hugely strong encouragement from my parents to go into a mathematical career, my dad was a keen amateur mathematician. That was a very strong message that probable overcame other negative messages coming from society at the time” Throughout her academic experience, Professor Martin has witnessed the shortage of women in the computer science field, but also acknowledges that things are changing and that these changes are evident as well. “I look at our own department at Queen Mary and there are plenty of women coming on. This is partly due to the broadening of the discipline, which allows students to work in different areas such as academic research or working for a company or for the government. “A few years ago I was involved in a project about fighter aircraft. We had a team that was half people
from the company and half academics, and this team was half males half females. Some of the women there said that once you get your degree and your PhD for instance, it is more convenient to move in an organisation with a public sector ethos, as you are much more likely to be looked after well than if you move into something a bit more cutting trust, because the public sector companies adhere to all the codes of practice and have proper procedures for promotion. It is also a responsibility of the institutions to take things seriously.” All this shows that disciplines like computer science have adapted to different circumstances, thereby becoming more malleable and more open to different realities in a way. This has ultimately resulted in a moderate increase in the number of women undertaking such studies. “There is a wonderful phrase which says ‘change the water not the fish’. So don’t expect women to change, change the environment.”
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 30 2012
Comment
The Great Debate
Should Scotland have independence? Bye Bye Bill And Bye Bye Democracy It’s seems somewhat counter-intuitive that, only a few weeks ago, in a leader very much like this one, we were lamenting the fate of universities if the Higher Education Bill were to pass, and yet now, we are horrified to see it get ‘dropped’. That is weird! I hear you all declare, well, let us briefly explain why it is, in fact, an entirely logical position to take. Everything that the Bill contained is still poorly thought through, damaging in the short term and even more so in the long. However, by dropping the Bill the government has rather sneakily avoided what would be a lenghty, well-publicised and probably quite damaging public debate. If the debate were to take place the policy would either fall and thus the goverment would have no mandate to implement the reforms in any other way, or it would pass and at least we could say we had done our best. However, in the situation as it stands, the government can sneak through many of the measures contained in the Bill without legislation and, therefore, without debate. This isn’t democratic, this isn’t right and this isn’t what is best for the higher education sector. Even those of you who agree with Willetts’ proposals must surely think the traditional democratic process should be upheld?
Always, Always, Always Vote!
As you may have noticed while flicking through this fine publication, it is election season. Elections are looming in London, signified by Ken Livingstone, Labour’s Mayoral candidate, appearing on our front cover optimistically declaring how our lives will be of a worse quality than our parents. Inquisitive Queen Mary students engaged in a Q&A session with the former London Mayor last week where he put forward his intentions to review the cycle lane priorities at the Bow roundabout. In my humble opinion this was surely brought to his attention by reading issue 50 of this very paper which outlined the awful problems faced by cyclists and the tragic deaths caused by the unsafe roundabout. Perhaps not. Elections are also on the horizon for positions at QMSU, and who could forget the never-ending buzz in the US. Whilst we are swamped by manifestos, hounded by politicians: univerisity or otherwise, we must always remember how privileged we are to be able to vote. So, go to that ballot box, be it deciding on the future of QM or London, and remembering how important what you’re doing is.
Yes Ross Speer I am no nationalist. Nationalism is an ideology I regard as central to attempts to divide and rule the global working class. Capital, by and large, already has free reign to move across borders and yet labour remains divided and set against itself in competition. How often are we told by the likes of the Daily Mail that immigrants are the problem, while the fact that the expropriation of huge sums of wealth by the 1% that causes misery of untold magnitudes goes wantonly ignored? For this reason I am no ally of the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) which has pitched to the left to take votes from Labour, and yet there is little indication that they would continue a program of social democracy in an independent Scotland. The Scottish 1% would continue to exploit the great majority of Scottish workers who will be divided from their English and Welsh brothers and sisters raising an additional barrier to co-ordinated action between workers north and south of the border. An independent Scotland would be far from a socialist Scotland, and as an avowed internationalist it may seem paradoxical that I am calling for a Yes vote in any referendum on Scottish independence. However, there is a key consideration here that is often glossed over: that is the nature of the British state. The UK is an imperialist power that plunders the world’s resources. This has been the case for hundreds of years, and despite rumours of the demise of the imperial program, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya are all recent affairs. It is looking possible
we could attack Iran, or maybe Syria. The nature of imperialism may have shifted but the UK remains at the forefront of this renewed effort for plunder, pillage, destruction and domination. With this in mind anything that weakens the power of the British state to realise its imperial ambitions is something ordinary people should fight for. The breakup of this rotten ‘kingdom’ would be a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. The reason to vote for Scottish independence is then, to quote the historian Neil Davidson, “not because Scotland is oppressed, but because it is, as part of the British state, an oppressor”. It is important not to overemphasise the blow that would be dealt to British imperialism: Trident nuclear submarines may be moved from the Clyde, but would still exist. There is not room here to go in to particularities, but suffice to say that while Scottish Independence would not destroy the British imperial program, any restrictions on the British state to act should be something that we fight for. So I hope Scots will vote for independence. Not on the basis of an ideology of nationalism, not because of illusions in the SNP to curb the power of the Scottish bourgeoisie, not because the SNP pretend to offer Scots a better a deal but because British imperialism is a cancer upon the world and an independent Scotland will slow its ability to spread. The Scottish national question is a tactical one that we must be careful not to elevate to dogmatic principle, but with the British military again gearing up for war weakening the British state is of real and immediate importance; not least for those it may soon attack. Ross Speer is a third-year History and Politics student and a member of QM Socialist Worker Student Society.
Image by Maria D’Amico
No William Seddon The problems that face a recently independent country are numerous and difficult even in the best of times. You have to gain recognition, set up ministries that have never existed before, negotiate trade deals, immigration deals, decide to what organisations you will apply for membership, haggle, barter and bicker with your former political masters over every single curve and straight of the new border knowing full well that the decisions you make will shape your country’s future. Yet these problems will appear insignificant compared to the roadblocks the Scottish people will face, should they choose to declare independence. Scotland has been a part of the United Kingdom since 1707 and despite the occasional Jacobite attempts to overthrow the government, relations between Westminster and Edinburgh have been amicable. However post-independence they won’t remain so. Britain will still be facing the same economic problems in 2014 that it is now and thus any hopes of Westminster helping the fledgling Scottish state are best forgotten. Despite what Alex Salmond may say, Scotland will not be allowed to use the British pound, it will not be allowed to get away from paying its fair share of the national debt, and it will be getting screwed out of much of the North Sea Oil. Before 2008 Alex Salmond predicted that an independent Scotland would form part of a Celtic rainbow of prosperity, which would include such economies as Iceland and Ireland. Reflections of Mr Salmond’s economic credibility aside, the fact remains that an independent Scot-
land would not experience any kind of economic boom. As an independent country, Scotland would be considered as outside of the EU, not only affecting trade but also forcing Westminster to turn the now indiscernible border into one that is controlled-not good news for a country whose second biggest industry is tourism. If you couple this with the inevitable market uncertainty of a new Scottish currency and an already poor European economy, one predicts disaster. Then there comes the question of Scotland’s place in the world. As part of the UK, Scotland has membership to NATO, the WTO and enjoys a permanent place on the UN Security Council. As an independent nation Scotland would be fortunate to even be admitted to the UN. With so many other ‘should be states’ in the world such as Western Sahara, Tibet, and Palestine being deprived of UN membership, it will be difficult to admit Scotland membership while so many other deserving nations are denied for the sake of political convenience. Furthermore the SNP’s policy on nuclear power and nuclear weapons would quickly rule out the option of joining NATO. During PM’s questions two weeks ago, David Cameron and Ed Milliband both insisted that the country was better united than divided. Though they said why, what they forgot to say was that this country has achieved and can achieve so much more united than divided. I know this because it wasn’t the English who won WWII, nor was it the Scottish who conquered a quarter of the globe. Independence is certainly something Scotland deserves in theory, but it is certainly not needed. William Seddon is a first-year History and Politics student and a member of the History Society.
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 30 2012
Comment
Student elections matter, so give a shit!
Ozzy Amir urges students to put candidates through their paces to ensure the student body is best represented by their elected trustees, reps and officers.
Ozzy Amir It’s coming up to that time of year again. People start meeting behind closed doors, posters are being designed and speeches are being written. The rest of the student population meanwhile, are getting on with their lives. That is until election season officially opens. That’s when you can no longer ignore it. Weeks of careful planning and meticulous attention to detail explode into a barrage of harassment, a bombardment of posters, flyers and the constant repetition of one question: who are you voting for? Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you must have noticed the flyers advertising the elections. They’re the ones made to look like the London Underground map. No? Well, just flick a few pages ahead and you’ll see what I’m talking about. It’s all well and good convincing the committed few to put their lives on hold for a few weeks, undergo the stress of an election campaign and come out on the other side with more work on their plate next year and a backlog of that degree thing they’ve been neglecting. But what about the rest of us? What about the vast numbers of students who just want to get from lecture to seminar and to their sports club or society with maybe a pit stop in Ground for a coffee? Can we not just get on with our lives without someone thrusting a leaflet in our face asking us to vote for them? Well, no. There is no escaping the elections, because to a larger extent, there is no
escaping your Students’ Union. From the paper you’re holding right now to that assignment deadline you’re trying not to think about, the Students’ Union has had a hand in it all. When you visit Ground, Drapers, Infusion or QMotion the QMSU logo isn’t far away. Why? Because when an organisation has a turnover of £4 million every year, it better be doing a lot. So who decides where that money goes? Well, there’s a lot of bureaucracy and red tape, but for the most part, it’s the people you elect into of-
to exert next year, don’t brush them off and grumble some kind of excuse. Challenge them. They’ve stopped you dammit. They’re making you take time out of your day to listen to their manifestos. It’s time to make it worth your while. Instead of pretending to listen, give those flyers a once over, and if you don’t like what you see, call them out on it. Heck get into an argument, rip the shit out of them and vent all the frustrations you have and see if they can take it. Because if they can’t, they shouldn’t be wasting your time and everyone else’s by going for the job. That might sound like a bit of an extreme response but to be honest, our student body as a collective has been far too lenient on the guys who claim they represent us. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want some moron claiming to speak on my behalf on important issues. If we’re apathetic and dull about our approach to these elections, we’ll end up with fice. So, you would think they would apathetic and dull people in office, be competent individuals; people and that’s no good for anyone. who’ve dedicated all their time and Regulations bar me from suggestenergy to make sure you’re university ing good candidates to vote for, beexperience is the best it can be, right? sides it wouldn’t be ethical anyway. Well, not always. Which is why it’s up So instead allow me to list a few traits to us, as students who just want the that would make a good candidate. best for our tuition fees, that we elect These aren’t specific to a few indisomeone who can make us proud of viduals before you ask; rather they’re our Union and our university. Some- what I believe should set the stanone epic who we can be proud of, a bit dard for our elections; at least I hope like Obama back in 2008. they’ll set the standard. So, let’s take it back to that moSomeone who takes the initiative. I ment when a leaflet is thrust in your think it’s key because you’d want the face, because if you’re on campus person who speaks on your behalf to between 3 – 16th February, someone be a bold thinker, a person who sees WILL thrust a leaflet in your face. a problem and fixes it. Not someone Keeping in mind all the millions of who waits around for others to do so, pounds and influence they’ll have or waits to see if problems fix them-
“From
assignments to this paper, the SU has a hand in it all
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Image courtesy of QMSU
and puts them off voting. Don’t let yourself be put off. Instead put them off by making sure they, and the rest of the world, understand you won’t stand for any of it. For too long student politics has been about a few individuals, some who genuinely want to use their time at university to make a change, and others who see it simply as a platform to kick-start their careers. I’d consider myself to be in the former category. But regardless of what I think, it’s what you think that matters. All 16,000 of you. For too long many have grumbled quietly about those keen individuals who represent money away, but rather, they aren’t us, and (as some have argued) disapafraid to try new and exciting ideas. pointed us. What we forget is that in Innovating and progressing means these elections, more than any other, taking a few chances. I’d hope who- the voters have the power. Everyever we elect can keep pushing the thing from the QMSU’s official stancboundaries and push the Union to es on national policies to the cost of a constantly serve us, the students, bet- Panini and some tea, it is all down to who you decide best represents what ter. Just doing okay isn’t good enough. you want. So, don’t vote for that person just Well, this isn’t a trait but more a belief. I think that if the Union isn’t because they were in your seminar striving to improve everything it’s do- that one time. Don’t vote for that pering, something’s gone wrong; and I’d son because they’re in your society. want a representative who believes Vote for the person who’s actually going to make a difference to students. the same. No bullshit. This seems like an Vote for the person who’s going to obvious one but you’d be surprised. make your time at university that We’re all at university because, to a little bit more enjoyable. Vote for the large extent, we all have some degree person who’s going to make your deof intelligence. Please don’t insult gree just that little bit easier to study. that by telling you’ve been on twelve Vote for the person who should have different committees if you’ve got the job, not just the person who nothing to show for it. Please don’t wants one. But for God’s sake, just vote. tell me my life will be sunshine and butterflies if I elect you, when you’ve put forward no ideas to get there. It’s Ozzy Amir is QMSU’s campaign officer, the constant bullshit from wannabe tweets from @OzzyAmir and blogs at politicians that annoys many people ozzyamir.wordpress.com. selves. If I were a student with an issue, I’d want it to be my representative’s first priority. A risk-taker. No, I don’t mean in the sense that they’d gamble all our
get into an “Heck, argument, rip the
shit out them and see if they can take it
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Comment
A (gay) marriage of equals Joshua Lee
Art must be a higher priority than profit Mike Brown
Historically, the Conservatives haven’t always been a fan of the gay David Cameron has once again been community. Whilst I am no Tory enmaking headlines for his vision of a thusiast I’ve got to hand it to them future Britain. His focus this time? and, though it makes my blood run The film industry, of course. That slightly cold, the Lib Dems for trysame industry spearheaded by the ing to push marriage equality. For UK Film Council, a group abolished the first time in Britain, homosexwithout warning? Yep, that’s the ual couples may have the opportuone. nity to marry in the same way that This week we’ve been told that the rest of the country does – and our focus going forward should be it’s about bloody time. in international blockbusters such However, it’s been reported that as The King’s Speech and Slumdog over 100 Conservative MPs may Millionaire. Naturally, a blockbustvote against marriage equality – a er is easy to produce and is somenumber that seems pretty unacceptthing our industry has been purable. At the risk of sounding overly posefully avoiding all this time. simplistic, marriage equality isn’t It’s not so much the focus on about creating a gay-friendly ideolblockbusters that’s confusing. It’s ogy or furthering a gay agenda. It’s the sheer hypocrisy of a government about allowing two people who love with no commitment to the arts sudeach other the freedom to show that love and commitment in the same way that straight couples have always had the opportunity to. To attempt to deny this to homosexuals - people who, like the rest of Britain, work and pay taxes - is a terrifying concept. I’m embarrassed to consider the possibility that Britain denly declaring them a point of fomay not allow its citizens to commit cus. It’s the same government that in the way they wish, in a way that cut teaching grants for arts, hufor most British people is basically manities and social science suba birth right. There’s no doubt that jects by 100%. The same governreligious beliefs, personal views or ment that spent more money cutfamily values might be at odds with ting the UK Film Council than it gay marriage but the answer is simwas costing them. The same govple: if you don’t like gay marriage, ernment that is closing over 400 lidon’t marry someone of the same braries, with many more planned to sex. If any one else feels like they follow. This, reader, is not a governwant to marry the person they love, ment that cares about art. it just shouldn’t register to attempt Don’t be fooled: this is yet anto get in the way of it. other Conservative scheme to turn I hope that when the vote on gay Reports indicate that over 100 Conservative MPs may vote against marriage a much-loved national output into Image by Timothy Wells (via Flickr CC) marriage occurs the law is passed. equality. a profit-driven corporation. “Our Not because I hope that homophorole should be to support the secbia in Parliament is eliminated - ness of the state. David Cameron and lesbian couples to have the free- tor in becoming even more dynamfirstly, it would be far too optimistic said last October, “I don’t support dom to make a commitment to each ic and entrepreneurial, helping and secondly, who am I to tell peo- gay marriage despite being a Con- other with complete and total liberty. UK producers to make commerple what they should think - but be- servative. I support gay marriage cially successful pictures that rival cause denying two consenting adults because I’m a Conservative.” But it Joshua Lee is a third year English and […] the best international producthe ability to commit in the way that shouldn’t be for the PM to support Drama student and a member of the QM tions.” Cameron’s hope here is that they wish ought not to be the busi- gay marriage; it should be for gay Theatre Company. the British equivalent of Hollywood
“This is not a
government that cares about art
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will become a money-making powerhouse. British cinema has produced some excellent films over the years. But we don’t remember these films for their box office figures. We don’t remember them for how much profit they made, or how commercially successful they were. Films just don’t register with us in that way; we might look at Virgin or Amstrad and remind ourselves of the success stories behind the brand, but it’s very rare we’d do the same for This Is England. It’s because from a national standpoint, we value these films for what it says about our culture. The Italian Job is still watched over and over again because it encapsulates British culture in the sixties. James Bond is still seen as the epitome of suave British man, and the Monty Python films gave the world a unique brand of comedy still loved today. In the long run, it’s the artistic merit that holds the value in films. Judging whether a film is certain to make millions is a tough question to answer. Who could have predicted the runaway success of Slumdog Millionaire, or the impressive open-
value films “ We for what they say
about our culture, not their profit
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ing figures Four Lions received? Worse yet, what if small-time films like Submarine get shunned in favour of ‘safe bets’, pushing aspiring directors to the side and discouraging young talent? Treating film as a pure moneymaking machine is a dangerous road to go down, and one which loses sight of the reasons why we love and embrace it. Mike Brown is a second year English Literature student.
Why we should be sad that the Higher Education Bill is dead Sam Creighton At 11pm on January 23rd, The Telegraph announced that the government was shelving the Higher Education Bill indefinitely. You know the one, it’s what the Students’ Union (yes, me included) has been telling you is the worst thing since whatever we had before sliced bread. Therefore, the fact it has been dropped must be a great thing, surely? I did think so for about five minutes until I actually took a second to puzzle what it means. Which is nothing, and here’s why. The real damaging changes - £9k
fees, AAB threshold, etc. – are already in place regardless of what happens with the Bill, so there’s one great big reason to not be cheerful right there. More specifically though, the main thrust of the Bill, the most important thing in my opinion anyway, was the fact that it wanted to make it easier for private higher education providers to set up. This doesn’t need legislation; you can’t really legislate against someone doing that. The main thing that was stopping this happening was that state subsidies of higher education was keeping tuition fees low and so private providers couldn’t compete on price. Now that we have
£9k fees, it’s much less of an issue, so I’m sure it will happen anyway. Another thing was to further extend loans to students at private institutions, but this doesn’t need legislation, the Secretary of State can tell the Student Loan Company to do whatever the hell he wants to. The final big thing was to give more institutions degree awarding powers. This, again, doesn’t need legislation. To get these powers an institution has to apply to the Privy Council. It’s a tough process but it doesn’t rule out or exclude any type of provider and the government can loosen the QAA written guidance about who
should be given these powers without legislation. The increasing powers and presence of HEFCE (over funding, research and widening participation), OFA (over fee levels and bursaries etc) and the OIA (over student complaints, etc.) means all the other regulatory stuff in the Bill will happen regardless of any legislation. By dropping the Bill, the government will sustain some political damage, being accused of a U-turn, etc., but less so than having a very public debate on the issue, with Labour, many Lib Dems, the Lords and the HE sector all united
against the reforms. The Coalition has probably actually saved political capital by doing this. The only good thing is that Willetts is most likely dead in the water; you can’t be this tied to a set of reforms and survive if they are ‘dropped’. I actually wouldn’t be surprised if it came back in the next legislative session, assuming things in the rest of the public sector have cooled down a bit. In short, we’re worse off now then we were before. Bugger. Sam Creighton is Vice-President Communications at QMSU and Executive Editor of The QMessenger Media Group.
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 30 2012
Comment Why February will be a bizarre yet exciting month of elections for me Sophie Richardson President
February is going to be an extreme- Union forward into the new era of dents and working with others to im- and you should definitely consider ly bizarre month for me but an excit- Higher Education and more general- prove things both academically and running in the elections for either a ing one at that. Elections are well and ly, I’m excited about the election buzz more broadly, is something that I’ve part-time or full-time (paid) position. truly underway and when nomina- that there will be on campus during really enjoyed and all reasons I think If you’d like more information tions close on Thursday (yes, there’s February. Throughout my time at many of you would make great Offi- about the elections head to www. still chance for you to get involved!) QMUL I have been a Student Repre- cers or Student Representatives too. qmsu.org/elections/ or if you’d like it will mark the first election in four sentative, Vice President Education So many of you care about the qual- more information about specific years that I haven’t been a candidate & Welfare and President and I have ity of your education and the experi- roles then email me at president@ in. As strange as it’s going to be, I’m learnt a lot from each of these roles ence of those around you, whilst hav- qmsu.org also really excited to be on the oth- and have thoroughly enjoyed each ing the passion to actually act on this Good luck! er side of the action. I’m looking for- of them too. The opportunity to give and implement change. It’s people Sophie ward to hearing candidates’ exciting something back to the student com- like you who would make great OfFollow me on Twitter - @Presiand innovative policies for taking the munity, as well as representing stu- ficers and Student Representatives dentQMSU In the last QMessenger, Sophie Richardson’s column was given the title ‘Freedom of speech is one thing this union will always seek to protect’ this is not necessarily her opinion and we apologise for attributing this to her.
Money raised by BLSA Alumni Association will go directly to BL students George Ryan BLSA President
This month’s big project will hopefully allow BLSA to contribute to our pool of alumni and subsequentially the funding we receive from them. Currently our Alumni Association only targets much older graduates for large donations and it is struggling. BLSA is stepping in to play its part by creating its own branch of the Alumni Association targeted at graduating finalists. Mirroring a project set up at Imperial, which last year had
an income of £16,000 (projected £19,000 for next year) we want to entice our finalists when they graduate to sign up to donate a mere £20 a year to BLSA’s alumni pot. In exchange BLSA will organise annual events for each graduating year and send out a newsletter updating graduates on life at BL. This money will be directly accessible to students, who can bid for anything from elective funding to money for their club or society.
This project has huge potential to make a lasting impact for students at Barts and The London for years to come and I want YOU to get involved. The Alumni Officer will be responsible for overseeing the success of this project. If this sounds like something you want to get involved with please get in contact with me ASAP, as the deadline for applying to this position is the 2nd of February. To incentivise new graduates to sign up we are cur-
rently in discussions with the medical school to allow them to sponsor a seat in the Perrin. For their sponsorship, they will get a plaque on a seat with their name and year of graduation. Money we raise from this will feed directly back to you, the BL students. You will be able to bid for anything from elective funding to money for you club or society so keep your ears open for more developments on this.
Splitting up Colours and Honours into two events is a fantastic idea Dom Bell VP Student Activities
QMSU has got lots of events coming up. ‘Awards & Honours’ will celebrate students who have been involved with QMSU in Societies, Volunteering, Media, Campaigning, Fundraising, and Student Council. There will also be a Club Sport Awards Dinner. There is the Course Reps Ceremony. All in March. For the purposes of this column it’s all about the Awards & Honours and Club Sport Awards Dinner.
A year ago this was one event, namely ‘Colours & Honours’. So why the split? Last year’s Colours & Honours was great. We fitted over 300 students in to Drapers’ Hall – a beautiful venue. We awarded a great number of students that evening and then we bussed nearly all of them to a boat party from Temple pier. However, we couldn’t fit more students into that event so if we’re going to build participation we need
a bigger venue, ceremony, or…more than one event, which brings us on to the second reason for the split. By the time you’ve awarded over 300 students you start to forget that they might be your friends. You’ve heard enough speeches. At least this is the impression I get when the audience chatters melts speeches into the background, and the sports clubs asked why they couldn’t have their own event. Yes, maybe you can argue
it’s preferential treatment but the demand is there, tickets selling. Finally, splitting the events has actually given everyone something. With ‘Awards & Honours’ now including student performance because there’s more time to play with Societies will buy in. More time can be given to the individual student getting their award spread over two nights. We’ve definitely moved in the right direction.
I’m setting up a Mums and Dads scheme, don’t let the title put you off Oscar Williamson VP Education & Welfare
There are so very many things I learnt over the course of my degree that I really could have done with knowing right at the beginning when I started as a Fresher. Almost none of it is course related. Although I’m sure I could write a much better UCAS statement now that I actually know what I’m interested in, rather than just having suspicions that I had to sell to someone I didn’t actually know
and would probably never meet. Admittedly, most of it is about bars worth visiting and those worth forgetting forever, books worth reading, and modules worth avoiding. What I really needed was someone who had been through it all before just like me. This week I’m working on setting something exactly like this up in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. I don’t see daft names as
an obstacle, so I’m calling it Mums & Dads. The idea in a nutshell is that Freshers are matched with a pair of second year students from within their course who become their surrogate parents for their time at Queen Mary. They will be there to help with all that is new and different about university, which is pretty much everything. If you’re an Science and Engin-
geering student, you will soon be hearing from me about getting involved in the scheme. We’re looking for potential parents, and recruiting appropriately sized swarms of children. If you’re a first or second year in Humanities and Social Science and feel neglected, there’re loads of other things going on, so come along to the Blomeley Centre and get involved!
So, this Higher Education Bill yeah? What did it have in it? Well, this... Sam Creighton VP Communications
This is the third time in this newspaper that I will have written about the Higher Education Bill being dropped (you can see a very lovely comment article written by myself one page back and one of the leaders may have been written by me, although, obviously, I couldn’t say). What I have not done however is explain at any point what policies the Bill contained, so I shall take this opportunity to do so: 1) Private providers of higher ed-
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ucation would be brought under the jurisdiction of QAA regulation (which is the body that reviews the performance of universities) and the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (the body that deals with student complaints against their institution). 2) Students at private institutions would have been able to access government backed students loans of £9,000 a year when previously the maximum had been £6,000.
3) The powers of the Higher Education Funding Council for England would be expanded to include deciding which institutions can receive student loans (when previously it has been the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills that has done this), ‘promote the interests of students’ in the sector and encourage competition (whatever that means), the ability to fine failing universities and the granting of degree award-
ing powers would be given to HEFCE when previously it had belonged only to the Privy Council, Parliament and the Crown. 4) Non-teaching organisations (Pearson etc) would be able to apply for degree awarding powers. 5) It would be easier for private companies to buy universities. However, as I said in my comment article, this might all still happen anyway.
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QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 30 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.
Del Rey No Play
QM staff member ‘wanked off’ in masturbation fiasco
Ben Richardson
Ben Richardson
Reports have emerged this week that a selection of waxwork dummies have been doing the work of singer Lana Del Rey. These allegations follow pleas from music fans worldwide for just an ounce of charisma or stage presence from the 25 year old musician. In an interview with NME, Del Ray was asked how she had performed in Brazil and London, whilst giving an interview in New York on the same night. At this point the interviewer was asked to leave by staff. Following this suspicious behaviour we spoke to an anonymous source who works for tour production company KPL: “For the past 12 months we’ve been using these mannequins to do performances and interviews while we play a voice track.” “It all started when Lana was struck ill a while back, and rather than cancel on some big clients, we just improvised and used an inflatable doll in a dress. We were utterly shocked by the reaction, people commented on how much her personality had developed. We had 5 dummies commissioned and the rest is history.” This is not enough for some eagle-eyed fans, however, who are now claiming that there is no such person as Lana Del Rey at all. David Ely, a blogger from the UK wrote, “Lana Del Rey is nothing more than a PR creation. Developed in hell and made in China.” While it seems that the jury is still out on this one, we wonder what this says for the future
An unnamed member of staff in an undisclosed department of the university received a caution this week after he was caught pleasuring himself and consuming a speedy snack. The picture (left) was taken by suspicious students moments before the man (whose face is pixellated to protect his identity) pulled his trousers down and
started the lurid act. It is thought that the idea came to him after watching BBC’s The Office. In the series, character Chris Finch refers to having a “Pot Noodle and a wank”, causing the quote to become something of a cult saying. Although the man was accosted before he could accomplish his ultimate goal, some students have reported being “scarred” by what they saw.
MC, DJ Ed MP Aaron Barber
Image by Tony Felgueiras of music, as lawyers at Interscope Records scramble to work out if it is illegal to literally manufacture a pop star.
Ed Miliband’s first foray outside the world of Westminster saw him DJing at a top London club. The new initiative taken by Miliband is his latest and most unconventional method to come up with any form of Labour party policy. The music was frequently interrupted as Miliband MC’d policies he’d just made up through the microphone. Examples being: “free higher education for everyone”, “nationalise the utility companies, take them back off the banks”, “it’s all so clear.” The last thing he stated before being wrestled off stage by Labour party lackeys was “no more lobbyists, no more secrets, rise up, take this country back off the rich, burn the banks and kill your MPs.” Onlookers stated at the time, “It was weird man, it was like, an idiot, doing something stupid.” Another commented, “he didn’t really know
how to DJ, all his mixes were shit, his MCing was terrible; most people had left by the time he finished. There was just no vibe or personality around him at all. It was like he sucked it all out the room.” Millionaire shadow chancellor Ed Balls when asked about the issue stated, “Mr Miliband’s views were not those of the Labour party.” Labour party donor and multi-millionaire Lord Sainsbury had this to say: “Mr Miliband’s ramblings were clearly not indicative of his actual views or the views of the party. He had merely become delusional, left wing, and idealistic whilst on prescription drugs for chest pain prescribed by his doctor.” Mr Miliband has yet to make a statement himself, although some eyewitnesses claim to have seen him dragged from an unmarked car into a house by several men at two in the morning. He later emerged with the same men hours later
Fact of the week Michael Parkinson has a parking permit to park anywhere in the world for free.
Joke of the week Which singer perpetually suffered from urinary infections? Urethra Franklin
Make your own News!
Using the kit below assemble your own news story, also suitable for anonymous threats and ransom notes (vowels not included).
bbb ccc ddd fff
ggg
hhh jjj kkk lll mmm nnn ppp qqq rrr sss ttt vvv www xxx yyy zzz ... ,,, ;;; “““ ”””
satire@qmessenger.co.uk
Image by Lawrence Jones
Image by Tony Felgueiras bruised, missing an ear, and with several cuts that seem to have been caused by a razor blade. He is expected to issue a press statement later today stating: “I fell down the stairs”.
Also in the news this week... “Trains delayed after delays on trains cause further delays.” “Plans for horse dung to coat The Mall in celebration of the Queen’s Jubilee.” “Damien Hirst’s old snot rag fetches £1.4 million at charity auction for victims of The X Factor.” “Michael Portillo’s market stall raided by rogue raccoons.” “George Osbourne to star in pornographic remake of Schindler’s List.” “Brad Pitt announces plans to climb up inside Angelina Jolie and control her like a puppet.” “Egypt ends state of emergency with new series of CBBC’s Get Your Own Back.”
Cartoon by Shanel Wickramarante
14
QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 30 2012
Societies
BLAS present ELEGANCE » Show had Bollywood, street dance, and Glee freshers, and since then we have put on PLUSH nights at a variety of popular London bars and clubs. Barts and the London Asian Society ELEGANCE is the highlight of the (BLAS) is all about promoting BLAS year, and the committee has culture, creating friendships and been tirelessly sponsorship-hunting supporting charity. to ensure that this year’s show can be This year’s committee is made taken to a whole new level – not only up of medical and dental students, performance-wise but also where who work together to make one venue is concerned. Sponsors include, of London’s largest charity shows! RPS jewellers, Healthcare and Locum More than 1, 000 people turned Recruitment, Tax-Link, Veenas, out to watch students from London MPS, Snappy Snaps and thanks to universities showcase their talents them we are reaching enough money last year, with the money from every to help secure the world-renowned ticket sale going to a good cause. Savoy Theatre on the Strand, with a And this year, we want to make date currently set for 4th March 2012. the event even bigger and better With such an illustrious stage waiting, with acts performing Bollywood it’s no surprise that more than 300 numbers, street dance and a people auditioned to be one of twenty tribute to the American TV show acts. The competition was fierce. Glee. Oh, and there’s also a bit A prelaunch party has been of topless catwalk modelling. organised at the exciting venue Rewind to September 2011 when of Club Bond in Oxford Circus the new committee took over taking place on 26th Jan 2012. BLAS. We organised the PLUSH: Thanks to the choreographers, “Gangsters and Molls” night for the committee and especially the
Sanjay Trikha
student body of Barts and The London and Queen Mary who have made ELEGANCE 2012 a reality. We must also thank all those who plan to attend the show. Without the audience, all this hard work would be wasted. With your help, we hope to raise over £30,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital and Kotar Pur Village Aid Charity UK. We hope to see you all at ELEGANCE 2012! Visit our website at www. blaselegance.co.uk and join our facebook group-BLAS- Barts and the London Asian Society.
QM ISoc Islam Society in Spotlight: Queen Awareness Week Mary Nordic Society Muhammad Hussain The annual Islam Awareness Week is back! Organised by the Queen Mary Islamic Society (ISoc), it promises to be a week full of events and activities promoting a better understanding of the purpose of our lives, the existence of God and the truth about Islam. Open to all, the week aims to not only answer questions and clear up potentially damaging misconceptions of Islam, but also to ask questions enabling everyone to ponder upon their existence and finally make an informed choice about Islam. Throughout the week various events, debates and dialogues aim to take place. Including: ‘So What’s Your Purpose In Life?’, ‘My Journey to Islam’, ‘Is God a Trinity?’ and ‘God: Man Made or Made Man?’. In addition there will be outreach stalls, exhibitions and special invitations to Friday prayers, where guests can listen to the sermon delivered to a large number of Muslims gathered for the worship of the One God. Attendees can also watch how Muslims engage in prayer. Bringing what will hopefully be a hugely successful and informative week to a close, the ISoc will be
providing lunch for all those who attended the Friday sermon. In a time where Islam is being portrayed in a negative manner, such a week is necessary in order to enlighten everyone regarding the essence of Islam, its followers and its practices. Did you know ‘Islam’ (an Arabic word) literally means ‘surrender’ or ‘submission’ to the One True God, through which one achieves ‘peace’? Islam is not named after a tribe of people or an individual nor is it a name chosen by a human being. The followers of Islam, called ‘Muslims’, believe that it was divinely revealed by God (in Arabic, Allah). Islam is regarded as more than just a religion; rather it is a total system of life. From the purification of the soul and the spirituality of personal worship to the establishment of justice and a peaceful community. Islam provides guidance to the follower at every level. Because of its comprehensive nature, it is not surprising that Islam has become the fastest growing religion in the world. Want to find out more about this fascinating and life-enriching religion? Why not attend one of the events or approach an outreach stall and take a brief look into Islam from a Muslim’s eyes. For more details, visit:www. qmlovesit.wordpress.com
societies@qmessenger.co.uk
Andrea Scheel While our friends back home are still in a state of hibernation, the QMUL Nordic Society is enjoying the moderately sunny weather of London and is excited about our upcoming events! We have members from all over the world so there is no need to be Nordic to join us! In the first semester the Nordic Society organized various cultural and social events. We started off the year with a social at the New Globe, so that Nordic-minded people could meet and greet. Our first adventure was a trip to the student friendly furniture funland IKEA. However, it seemed that the furniture was outshined by the legendary Swedish meatballs! Other events during the autumn included a sauna-night, a trip to the Winter Wonderland and University of London Dragons ice hockey game (yes, there was face paint). Before we headed home, we ended the semester according to tradition - with a pre-Christmas party. We will kick start this semester with a late night ULU Dragons versus Oxford Blues ice hockey game in Lee Valley Ice Centre on the 4th of February. QMUL Nordic Society is the number one fan of the Dragons, who won the British Universities Ice Hockey Association
Image courtesy of Nordic Society (BUIHA) cup last year, and we'll make sure they do so this year as well! So all you ice hockey fans out there come and show your support. We will be loud and we will be proud! The annual Nordic Film Festival is organized in cooperation with other ULU. Nordic/Scandinavian Societies. There will be 3-5 films screened on different ULU campuses during the second week of February. Last year QM screened a Swedish comedy so this time we will show a Finnish one instead. In the end of March we will get together one more time in a Nordic fashion to celebrate the end of term. In 2011, the celebration was Viking-themed and we wish to make that our annual tradition. The
Nordic Society will also be present in the 'Go Global International Celebration Event' on the 2nd March in the Octagon. Make sure you stop by our stall to get a taste of what the Nordic Society is all about! For more info about the Nordic Society, please join our Facebook group (QMUL Nordic Society) or contact us qmulnordicsoc@gmail. com. To see our latest events, pics and what we are all about visit our blog (http://qmulnordicsoc.blogspot. com/). We will also try to keep you up to date with any kind of Nordic stuff happening in London (A Moomin store just opened in Covent Garden!). We have members from all over the world so there is no need to be Nordic to join us!
15
QMESSENGER MONDAY JANUARY 30 2011
Sport
Max-MILLION Melling finally proves his worth TJ Johnson, Ricci Treadwell and Alfie Sowden Odysseus defeats Cyclops. The Berlin Wall is smashed down. Man steps foot onto the Moon. This exclusive list of milestone events was completed around 3:45pm on the 21st January at Chislehurst, the Holy Grail of University Football. When the QM 4ths got out of bed on this morning little did they know how big their day would be. As they embarked on their journey with the usual pre-match Tesco Meal-Deals and Red Bull cans in hand, the discussion turned to when their highly unprolific striker Maximillion Melling would, if ever, score his first goal for the QM 4ths. Bets were placed at generous odds of 1000-1 before the game that he would score against the days opponents UCL 7ths, and ruthless Vice-Captain Alfie Sowden even stuck a fiver on ex-goalkeeper Maxwell Zimmerman flying over from Alaska for a game and scoring before him. The 4ths, on the back of a highly impressive 4-0 away thumping of Royal Holloway 5ths in their last outing, started the game very sluggishly. They struggled to get three passes together in the first 30 minutes and were fortunate to have keeper Karifa Sanfo on such good form, impressively saving two 1-on-1s, keeping them in the game. Then the stroke of luck came. The moment everyone had been waiting for came and Max scored and soon after someone managed to cheekily
Not even the cash of Torres-funded Liverpool could sway the sell of Melling... poke in QM’s vital second goal. 2-0. Despite the two goal cushion, the last 10 minutes were very nervy from the home side. With tired legs from three games in seven days, the QM boys invited pressure and it tolled in the 88th minute, when a free-kick was slotted in the bottom corner by UCL. Nonetheless, the QM lads saw out the final minutes
to hang on for a vital three points that saw them climb to fifth in the table. When asked about the rumours Liverpool were now in for Melling as a replacement for Andy Carroll, Captain TJ Johnson was quoted as saying “We’re not interested in selling Melling. He’s got that one goal and that’s all he needed. It’s
going to start raining goals for the big man now”. In an exclusive interview with QMessenger, Chislehurst Groundsman Bob, said “I’ve never seen anything like it. I watch those boys a lot and he’s a big lad but he just never looks like scoring. Ever. Over the moon that he’s got his first shot on target this season
Image by machernucha, via Flickr cc today. Long may it continue”. To celebrate scoring his first goal in four years for Queen Mary, Max decided to treat himself and the team on the way home by buying a copy of the ‘Midweek Sport’. “The perfect dose of news and true-life stories” says Max. Still no sign of that round of pints he us promised though…
A critique of the Twitter beast called the modern day footballer Shafi Musaddique In age of austerity, it has come to the public fore that a new intellectual class has found its voice. Intellectual perhaps not so, but liberated from the club culture of sport, footballers have become the Shakesperian fool of society. There has always been a misconception about footballers being out of touch with the outside world. Big buck millionaires, with banks swelling since 1992, have been the playthings of newspaper editorials, back and front page lining up to shoot. But now, the Twitter revolution has reordered the silent footballer. The Internet as a medium for sportsmen and women is not a pioneering prospect; Russian national captain Andre Arshavin set up his own website to become an overnight sensation in the
discipline of agony uncle. The much maligned star will perhaps need it more than ever, with his demeanour on the pitch matching the desperation of the letters of fans off the pitch. Twitter introduced the world to hashtag battles between Rio Ferdinand and Piers Morgan, Michael Owen maligned as a ‘bench warmer’ and the star of all stars, Mr Joey Barton. Once deemed to be a crimeridden joker of relegation battling teams, Barton’s pitbull stance has shocked the Twitter reading public. Barton’s liking of FIFA to an ‘Orwellian’ state lit the torch fire of mere peasants. Who would have thought Barton read 1984? Joey Barton has a point in making; the governing bodies of the game are out of touch with a game that is being shaped by the laws of time. The twenty first century, 24/7 opinionated society looks to be
crushing the veiled authority of world organisation. It is about time they adapted to a smaller world, adopting technological principals. However, the non-stop action of punditry from the tips of your fingers is causing the spontaneous crash of order. Recently, Barton bemoaned the a spate of letters from the FA. As like any other ‘fan’, Barton made predictions over the weekend about Manchester city and Manchester United; “What difference does my opinion of the outcome of a match have on the result? None. #rightinthebin”. It seems that as much as Barton likes to critique others, he cannot face others accosting him to the same pulpit of judgement or regulation. The jury remains out, the law unknowing of how to contain the Twitter beasts of today.
sport@qmessenger.co.uk
16
QMESSENGER MONDAY 30 JANUARY 2012
Sport
Novice fencers ransack ULU for a golden haul
» Annual University of London competition a success for QMBL fencing
Football Firsts Wednesday 1st February QMUL v University of Westminster
Andy Carlin
The 21st of January saw the University of London fencing club host their annual Winter Novice Cup. Many Queen Mary members have or continue to use ULU as an extra training session and this tradition has continued with the latest batch of novices signing up. The competition is open to all ULU fencers who began at the beginning of the academic year and there were four participants from QM; Riccardo Franchi, Omer Farooq, Katerina Charkova and Ivelin Roussev. The competition began with two poule (or round robin for those few non fencers reading!) groups which were both topped by QM fencers, poule one by Omer and poule two by Riccardo both coming through unbeaten. Due to their high rankings after the poules Riccardo, Omer and Katerina all received byes through the round of 16 knockouts whilst Ivo easily dispatched his opponent in an impressive first period. Knockout matches, or direct elimination/DE’s as they are known in fencing are fought to 15 points over the course of 3 separate three minute time periods, the winner being the first to 15 or the one with the highest score at the end of the nine minutes. The quarter finals saw strong performances again from Riccardo and from Omer who progressed despite a spirited comeback by the only remaining
Fixtures Wednesday 8th February QMUL v University of Greenwich Wednesday 15th February QMUL v University of Westminster Wednesday 29th February QMUL v Imperial College London Wednesday 14th March QMUL v Middlesex University
Football Seconds Wednesday 8th February QMUL v UEL Wednesday 15th February QMUL v University of Greenwich Novices do QMBL proud at ULU ULU only fencer. Ivo quickly built a strong lead in his match and despite some lengthy exchanges Ivo’s speed ultimately proved decisive. Katerina had perhaps the toughest draw of the quarter finals with an opponent who was virtually her polar opposite. The fight that followed was very much a battle of attrition neither girl being able to gain a lead of more than a single point. Katerina finally made the breakthrough at 13-12 to gain a small cushion and quickly scored
her 15th hit with just seconds remaining. The semi finals therefore were an all QM affair first with Omer defeating Katerina after a fast paced bout and then a bit of an upset with Riccardo coming undone against a fast improving Ivo and having to settle for bronze. In the final though Omer got off to the better start Ivo reeled him in and the 5th seed went on to cap off a highly impressive performance with a 15-13 victory. With the end
Image by Caroyln Sherman of the competition it was clear that QM’s advantage of more frequent training and one on one coaching paid off having taken all the medals available and continuing a very successful run for the novice fencers. Particular thanks should go to Will Lawrance, Carolyn Shearman and Graham Miles for organising and helping referee the competition. Final results for QM were; Gold Ivelin Roussev, Silver Omer Farooq, Bronze Riccardo Franchi and Katerina Charkova.
Wednesday 29th February QMUL v Goldsmiths Wednesday 14th March QMUL v University of Greenwich
As the sporting year continues, please send in your sports team results and society news to: sport@ qmessenger.co.uk
The heat of an Australian day in autumn »
Finals booked in tennis and football
Shafi Musaddique By the time you may read this, the tournament spectators will have subsided back to the heat of the Aussie sun. But for now, journalism’s tectonic plates urge me to report the sporting consensus. As one writes, Rafael Nadal has beaten eternal nemesis Roger Federer to reach the Australian
sport@qmessenger.co.uk
»
Andy Murray carries a hope of a nation (once again)
Open final. The Spaniard lost the opening set to bounce back with three on the spin. Another classic encounter is shaping up to dismantle the hopes of a nation, as Nadal will face either Andy Murray or Novak Djokovic. Talent for ‘team GB’ remains fragile however, as hopefuls Laura Robson and Heather Watson crashed out within a group of five Britons who failed to make it through the first stages.
Womens tennis continues to adjust , with Maria Sharapova proving that she’s still the golden girl of tennis. Her place in the final, agaisnt Victoria Azarenka, suggests the Russian’s injury nightmares are truly behind her. In the world of football, old dogs proved they can learn new tricks. Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool ended their fourteen year wait for an appearance at Wembley - once
nicknamed Anfield South because of how often Liverpool would visit - when they beat Manchester City 3-2 on aggregate in the Carling Cup semi-final. Steven Gerrard’s renaissance suggests he can still play a vital role for England at the European Championships in the summer. Craig Bellamy had the uncanny record of scoring for a former club agaisnt a former club, to set up a final agaisnt another
former club. This leads us to the Welsh capital of Cardiff, who edged out Crystal Palace to earn another cup final appearance. Liverpool will go in as bookies favourites, but Cardiff’s last appearance in a cup final was a 1-0 loss to Portsmouth. The world of sport has shown a great renaissance recently. Glory can still be attained. Old dogs can never disgard old tricks, simply aquire a new lifeline.