The Beaver: Week of November 27th, 2012

Page 1

OPENING UP THE EDUCATION DEBATE | PRIDE WEEK SPECIAL | HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO

TheBeaver

27.11.2012

Newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union FREE

Eggstreme disappointment

Liam Brown and John Armstrong

Liam Burns, President of the National Union of Students (NUS) was pelted with eggs DQG IUXLWV DQG ERR HG Rஉ WKH stage while speaking to a crowd of protesters, following a poorly-attended and poorly organised NUS Demo. The annual Demo, entitled “#demo2012: Educate, Employ, Empower,” was widely criticised for its route. Instead of going by the Houses of Parliament, like previous years, the demonstration crossed the Thames via the Westminster Bridge on its ZD\ WR .HQQLQJWRQ WKH ஊ QDO destination of the march. In a statement, Alex Peters-Day, General Secretary of the LSE Students’ Union, stated that “whilst it was brilliant to see so many students from across the country marching in support of education,” the route the NUS chose was “abysmal” as “Kennington Park has little to QR VLJQLஊ FDQFH WR VWXGHQWV RQ a march for education.” “I’m on the national committee for National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) and we’re working on a further response to pressure the NUS to be less rubbish,” she added. Similarly, Lukas Slothuus, former Community and Welfare Officer of the Students’ Union wrote on Twitter, “By now we can probably conclude that the route of the #NUSdemo is a complete DQG XWWHU ஋ RS 3UHGLFWDEOH ‫ڕ‬ Thousands of students braved the rain on Wednesday to protest cuts to education by the Coalition government. Nevertheless, it is estimated that between 3000-5000 students attended instead of the 10,000 expected. The demonstration started with a rally at Temple before moving down the Embankment towards Westminster. The police had quite a presence throughout the march with extra horse-based

squadrons stationed outside Westminster as well as barricades preventing protesters from breaking away from the designated demonstration route. Discontent towards the march was evident among protesters, with chants of “NUS, shame on you, where the fuck have you brought us WR‫ ڕ‬ஊ OOLQJ WKH DLU DV WKH PDUFK neared its end. By the end of the march, only a few hundred students were left. Burn’s closing speech DERXW KRZ LQஊ JKWLQJ ZLWKLQ WKH 186 VKRXOG QRW Dஉ HFW WKH ஊ JKW DJDLQVW WKH JRYHUQPHQW was accompanied by howls of “boo’s” and demonstrators began pelting him with eggs and fruit. Burns soon left the stage which was taken over by a faction of protesters. Burns tweeted after the march, “Amazing day, 10k out, students’ unions buzzing... And my egg dodging is SUHWW\ ஊ HUFH ‫ڕ‬

FT Managing Editor on the economy dismiss as irrelevant, such as faith and cohesion. Drawing upon the term Last week Gillian Tett, Social Anthropologist and award credit, as in the Latin meanwinning assistant editor of ing ‘trust,’ Gillian depicted the Financial Times, spoke the world of banking as beat the LSE 100 prize giving having much like the Roman ceremony. Her topic being Catholic Church. The investhe state of the economy to- WRUV DQG FRQVXPHUV RI ஊ QDQ day and over the past few cial products were like the decades. On the whole the congregation, sitting dumbly audience responded well al- in the isles feeling embarthough one academic from rassed that they didn’t unthe anthropology department GHUVWDQG WKH ஊ QDQFLDO /DWLQ judged her evaluation of cap- spoken by the priests, the italism to be missing out on bankers. Whilst they waved incense and cheap credit some crucial issues. Gillian champions a multi- cards above the crowds, their faceted view of the world as Pope, Allen Greenspan, stood taught in LSE 100, which was before the whole scene blessinstrumental in her predict- ing everyone and preaching LQJ WKH ஊ QDQFLDO FULVLV WZR WKH EHQHஊ WV RI LQQRYDWLRQ Since this era of moderayears before it happened. Taking an anthropological tion, the faith of the populaperspective she was able to tion has undergone a series take into consideration fac- of transformations. Accordtors which economists would ing to Gillian, after our faith Holly Brentnall, 6WD୼ 5HSRUWHU

in the banks collapsed, faith in Government and the pubOLF VHFWRU VXஉ HUHG D VLPLODU fate. The part of society in which faith is not declining, said Gillian, is technology. Now who people trust is not those above them but their peer group, Facebook friends and and social networks. The second theme Gillian drew upon was cohesion. Working for the Japanese Tokyo bureau in the late 1990s GXULQJ WKH -DSDQHVH ஊ QDQFLDO crisis, the head of a large Japanese bank had told her that he was going to have to cut his wage bill by twenty per cent. “So,” he had deduced, “I am going to have to cut everyone’s salaries by twenty per cent and my own by 30 per cent.” When Gillian queried this he had elaborated. Continued on page 4, col 1.

visit us online at thebeaveronline.co.uk and at twitter.com/beaveronline

2

Editorial

Editorial Board Executive Editor Liam Brown

editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Managing Editor Matthew Worby

27.11.2012

TheBeaver Established in 1949 Issue No. 779

managing@thebeaveronline.co.uk

News Editors John Armstrong Low Shu Hang news@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Comment Editor Alice Dawson

Telephone: 0207 955 6705 Email: editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk Website: www.thebeaveronline.co.uk

comment@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Features Editor Chris Rogers Nona Buckley-Irvine features@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Social Editor Cleo Pearson social@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Sport Editor Dennis Mooney sports@thebeaveronline.co.uk

partb@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Photo Editor Didem Tali photography@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Design Editor Khushi Mehra design@thebeaveronline.co.uk

The Beaver would like to thank the LSE students who contributed to this issue. Any opinions expressed herein are those of their respective authors and not necessarily those of the LSE Students’ Union or Beaver (GLWRULDO 6WD૸

web@thebeaveronline.co.uk

General Manager Benedict Irving info@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Collective Chair Eden Dwek collective@thebeaveronline.co.uk

The Beaver is published by the LSE Students’ Union, East Building, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE.

The Beaver is issued under a Creative Commons license. Attribution necessary.

EDITOR ELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT

Hustings are not mandatory and voting will take place online for Collective members.

If you would like to stand for this position please email collective@ thebeaveronline. co.uk with a 150 word manifesto by Wednesday at 8pm.

A E Dawson, A Doherty, A Fyfe, A Krechetova, A L Cunningham, A L Gunn, A Moneke, A X Patel, A Peters-Day, A Qazilbash, A Riese, A Sulemanji, A Young, B Arslan, B Butterworth, B Clarke, B Nardi, C S Russell, C V Pearson, D McKenna, D Ming, D Yu, E Beaumont, E Delahaye, E E Fraser, E Firth, E S Dwek, F Bennett, G K Chhina, G Manners-Armstrong, H Brentnall, H Burdon, H Dar, H J Sheppard, I M Silver, J Allsop, J Attueyi, J Austin, J Curtis, J M Palmer, J M Still, J R Peart, J Stoll, J Tindale, J V Armstrong, J Wacket, J Yarde, K C Hughes, K Pezeshki, K Rogers, K Singh, L A Yang, L Atchison, L Aumeer, L Brown, L Kang, L Slothuus, / 9DUGD[RJORX 0 & +H૸ HUQDQ 0 Fletcher, M Jenkins, M Veale, M Worby, N Antoniou, N J BuckleyIrvine, N Jaroszek, N Mashru, N Mateer, N Russell, P Gederi, R A Coleman, R Al-Dabagh, R Cucchiaro, R Gudka, R Hamer, R Holmes, R Illingworth, R J Charnock, R Serunjogi, S Chaudhuri, S Desai, S Gale, S H Low, S Lindner, S Newman, S Nissila, S Poojara, S R Williams, S W Leung, S Hang Low, T Poole, V A Wong, V Chan, X T Wang, Z Sammour

collective@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Online Editor Martha Petrocheilou

Hustings for this position will take place on Thursday, November 29th in NAB 2.04 at 3pm.

Collective

The Collective is The Beaver’s governing body. You must have contributed three pieces of work, or contributed to the production of three issues of the paper (editorially or administratively), to qualify for membership. If you believe you are a Collective member but your name is not on the list above, please email the Collective Chair at:

PartB Editor Venessa Chan Josh Jinruang

The Beaver will be electing a News Editor this week.

| The Beaver

If there is one good thing to say about last week’s student demonstration, it is that it was not violent. Anarchists did not steal the day away from the National Union of Students (NUS) and shopkeepers and the wider public alike were no doubt relieved. That is the only good thing to say about the demo. The NUS were expecting around 10,000 students to show up and march. Instead, it is estimated between 3000-5000 students were there.

Too bad

While there were, no doubt, a number of factors working against march orJDQLVHUV VXFK DV ŕŽ‹ RRGLQJ stopping buses from getting to London, a very poor march route, as well as the pouring rain towards the end of the march. There is no excuse for this kind of shambles. If you’re going to do something, then it is worth doing it well. 7KH PDUFK ன QLVKHG RŕŽ‰ with Liam Burns, NUS President, being egged and booed

RŕŽ‰ RI WKH VWDJH :LWKRXW question, this march has demonstrated one thing very clearly: there are deep divisions within the National Union of Students. Internecine fractures within a pressure group are to be expected, but if a body is going to claim to represent students then it should EH DEOH WR GR LW HŕŽ‰ HFWLYHO\ Until these are mended, the organisation will never be successful in changing the country as a whole.

Girl afraid This is the last week we harp on about the Sun, we promise. But events on Thursday warranted a mention in the editorial space of this newspaper. In protest of the decision by the LSESU, the Hayek Society decided to hand out copies of the Sun, for free, at an approved stall on Houghton Street. Their protest, however, was cut short

when a member of the Gender Institute at the LSE decided to take their newspapers and rip Page Three out of each copy. While it was much less than an “act of violence and terrorism� that stall organisers were claiming, it does remain worrying that students on campus feel as though they can make decisions for others.

We are sick and tired of having to remind grown men and women to respect the rights of others. If you disagree with something of this nature, ignore it. By taking it upon yourself to dole out ‘street justice’ you are only making yourself look like a spoiled little child. Grow up and handle things the way an adult would.

2ŕŽ‰ HQGHG" (PDLO us! editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk

8QLRQ %DVKÄ? All great plans... Making Murdoch proud: giveaways outstripped campus FT sales – almost. %DVKÄ? is the Beaver’s haiku poet. Some say he once modelled for Page 3 and was never one of Jason Wanke’s Bankside girls.

News

The Beaver | 27.11.2012

3

Hayek’s protest against removal of the Sun disrupted The London School of Economics Students’ Union Hayek Society’s protest against the recent decision to stop selling the Sun in the SU shop was cut short when, according to LSE Security, a member of the Gender Institute approached the stall set up by the society and began tearing up copies of the Sun. The Hayek Society, which seeks to promote civil liberties and free market economics, felt that removing the Sun from the SU shop violated freedom of press as well as freedom of speech. To campaign against the decision, the society handed out free issues of the Sun opposite the SU Shop alongside free cookies, which symbolised “a taste of freedom� according to student activist and member of the Court of Governors, Jason Wong. “She was tearing out Page 3’s,� stated Bjoern Christian Wolf, President of the Hayek Society, “we tried to stop her and rationalise that The Suns were our property and we were trying to peacefully campaign but she wouldn’t listen.� “Eventually security had to pull her away.� MSc Global Politics student, Nishma Doshi, who was responsible for disrupting the campaign, explained her motives to The Beaver; “a democratic decision was made by the student body to ban the sales of the Sun because of its misogynistic content. The actions of the Hayek Society were not about free speech as much as they were a spit in the face to all women at LSE and democracy in general.�

On her Twitter page following the event, Doshi tweeted, “they [The Sun’s] were free - I just enacted fair justice. They [LSESU Hayek Society] have the right to give it away. I have right to ULS RXW WKH RŕŽ‰ HQVLYH SDUWV ‍ڕ‏ Doshi’s comments sparked much controversy, with TheLDNStudent tweeting in response, “you do not under any common law in this country have the right to destroy someone’s property.â€? Speaking of the event,

thought I should clarify that “I am not in favour of free VSHHFK‍ ڕ‏GRHV QRW UHŕŽ‹ HFW /6( Students’ Union policy and it wasn’t an official Students’ Union response to the incident, it was in an informal conversation that took place at the stall.â€? She added, “I think there are limits on ‘free speech’, HVSHFLDOO\ ZKHQ ZH VSHFLன cally have policy against disFULPLQDWLRQ DQG VSHFLன FDOO\ in this case, sexism.â€? According to Jason Wong,

Doshi not only ignored out request outright, but openly mocked us before daring us to contact the authorities. This has regretfully left us with no choice but to take the issue up with the School.� In the Hayek Society’s Facebook page, the society wrote “the LSE, with its proud history of open debate and free speech, should not accept these kind of incidents. Banning newspapers is one thing, but stopping people from stating their opinion is

Alex Peters-Day, LSESU General Secretary, refused to condemn Doshi, stating the Hayek Society were being “deliberately provocative� and that “freedom of speech has a limit on campus.� After being accused by the Hayek Society for stating “I am not in favour of free speech� in the after-match of the incident, Peters-Day wrote on the Facebook, “So in light of the below just

the Hayek Society “have been in contact with the LSE Director and will be meeting with Pro-Director Paul Kelly next week.� Wong said, “We were keen to resolve Thursday’s attack on our stall in the calmest, most diplomatic way possible. We emailed Nishma Doshi asking for her apology and for her to cover the costs of the newspaper she had damaged. Unfortunately Ms

unacceptable.� In response, the Women’s Officer of the Students’ Union, Alice Stott, stated, “The Hayek Society were clearly aiming to provoke a response, given that the student body has recently voted against having the Sun on campus. That said, even given the provocation, I don’t think the right response was to tear up the papers that were being given out.�

KATIE HALE

Hayley Fenton, 6WDŕ­ź 5HSRUWHU

Stott emphasised that any follow ups on the issue would be dealt with by the school, rather than the Student’s Union. When asked about the motives behind giving out the Sun on campus, Wolf claimed that “freedom of press is a non-negotiable issue,â€? and “individual rights should never have been up for vote LQ WKH ன UVW SODFH UHJDUGOHVV of the motion passed in the UGM.â€? Wolf went on to state we cannot “pick and chooseâ€? when freedom of press is suitable and when it is not. The Hayek Society placed notes over Page 3 of The Sun. Titled “In Defence of Free Speechâ€? the note laid out the views of the society, stating that “university is a place for debate and discussion, not censorshipâ€? and while “some PLJKW ன QG 7KH 6XQ WR EH GLV WDVWHIXO WKH ULJKW WR RŕŽ‰ HQG is crucial in a free and open society.â€? The note also drew attention to the low turnout at the UGM, labelling the 0.5% mandate as “laughableâ€?. Wolf emphasised that the Hayek Society’s message was about freedom of speech and open debate. “Hayek Society are making a claim on civil liberties. This isn’t about Page 3 or sexism; it’s about us arguing against the SU having the right to decide on censorship.â€? Wolf explained that “banningâ€? any kind of newspaper was not the right response if someone found its content to EH RŕŽ‰ HQVLYH DQG WKDW DUJX ing and campaigning would EH D PRUH HŕŽ‰ HFWLYH SDWK IRU progression.

UNION JACK Jack was shocked – shocked and appalled – to see that the Munchkins who produce this esteemed organ last week printer Jack’s previous missive, rather than the correct one. Doubtless, the Beaver office will have been inundated with complaints as a result; Jack only received one letter, from a Mrs Trellis of North Wales. Therefore, dear reader, you will have to look for Jack’s column regarding last week’s Munchkin Meeting and the removal of a particular newspaper from the shop on the Beaver’s website. Do be careful if you search for the terms ‘Bea-

ver’, ‘Page 3’ and ‘Matt Worby’ at the same time. Jack must be having some HŕŽ‰ HFW WKRXJK DIWHU -DFN PHQ tioned their silence, Glinda, Elphaba, Jack Pumpkinhead and Tik-Tok all had announcements. Anyway, this week’s Munchkin Meeting was a veritable smorgasbord of outrage. Indeed, everyone was outraged DQG RŕŽ‰ HQGHG EXW ZH QHYHU did settle how much outrage FRXQWHG DV RŕŽ‰ HQFH 2QH RI the Marxists until Graduation from the Federation of Ozite Students hadn’t wanted to go to the annual Martyred Munchkin Memorial Meeting, and sent a naughty note to the

Primate of All Munchkins. The very strange result was that you John Dough and the Tin Woodsman agreeing that changing the instructions given to the Federation of Ozite Students after the fact was probably not a good idea, even if it was because of a silly, selfserving, publicity stunt. While Jack might be in favour of a brutal military dictatorship, not everyone who wears a red poppy is. Anyway, the MuGs were all terribly upset about war, capitalism, war, neoliberal cipher states, war and so on. Jack can’t help but feel that this all a bit irrelevant as the Fed-

eration of Ozite Students is a bit of a solution looking for a problem. While Jack well understands that the rare contributions of writing above the semi-literate standard to which the Beaver has become accustomed could have stunned a large proportion of the would-be denizens of Fleet Street, Jack fully expects that there will be no repeat of this, not least because he has arranged for several of WKH %HDYHU‍ڑ‏V VWDŕŽ‰ WR DFFLGHQ tally brutally stab themselves while shaving. “Jackâ€?

4

News

27.11.2012

| The Beaver

0RWLRQ WR ‍ڔ‏QR FRQૹGHQFH‍& ڕ‏RRSHU IDLOV Last Thursday’s Union General Meeting saw the motion to “no FRQனGHQFH‍' ڕ‏DQLHO &RRSHU newly elected Vice President of the University of London Union (ULU) fall by a margin RI RQH YRWH ZLWK YRWHV IRU DQG YRWHV DJDLQVW &RRSHU LQFXUUHG WKH ZUDWK of students across London ZKHQ KH SRVWHG KLV OHWWHU WR WKH 8/8 FKDSODLQ RQOLQH RQ 1RYHPEHU WK ZKHUH KH GHFOLQHG WKH LQYLWDWLRQ WR UHSUHVHQW WKH ULU in the Remembrance serYLFH KHOG E\ WKH XQLRQ ,Q KLV OHWWHU &RRSHU VDLG that while he “mourns and rePHPEHUV WKH GHDWK ‍ڔ ڕ‏PRXUQing the butchery of thousands RI RUGLQDU\ SHRSOH WKURXJK DQ act of remembrance side by side with the inheritors of an economic system which created the war is not something , ZLVK WR WDNH SDUW LQ ‍ڕ‏ &RRSHU ZDV DOVR DFFXVHG RI abusing the ULU logo and his title as ULU Vice President to DGYHUWLVH KLV RZQ HYHQW HQtitled “Our Remembrance: A ZRUNLQJ FODVV KLVWRU\ ‍ ڕ‏,Q WKH )DFHERRN SDJH RI WKH HYHQW LW ZDV VWDWHG WKDW ‍ڔ‏WKH SDWURQDJH QDWLRQDOLVP DQG PLOLWDrism that ‘Remembrance SunGD\‍ ڑ‏DQG WKH 3RSS\ DSSHDO DUH soaked in are an insult to those VHQW WR GLH E\ WKH UXOLQJ FODVV VDFULனFHG IRU WKH %ULWLVK (PSLUH ‍ڕ‏ 2Q WKH HYH RI WKH 8*0 many students took to FaceERRN WR FULWLFLVH WKH /6( 6WXGHQWV‍ ڑ‏8QLRQ‍ڑ‏V SURSHQVLW\ IRU KDYLQJ LUUHOHYDQW GHEDWHV with many feeling that it disWUDFWV WKH 68 IURP GRLQJ SURGXFWLYH ZRUN 2QH VWXGHQW ZURWH ‍ڔ‏WKLV liberal obsessions with comSOHWHO\ PHDQLQJOHVV GHEDWH LV simultaneously amusing and GHHSO\ GHSUHVVLQJ ‍ڕ‏ 1HYHUWKHOHVV WKH 8*0 managed to attract a larger WKDQ XVXDO DXGLHQFH ZLWK around 50 students attending to hear both sides debate on whether or not the SU should FRQGHPQ &RRSHU‍ڑ‏V DFWLRQV )LUVW WR VSHDN LQ VXSSRUW

&RQWLQXHG IURP IURQW SDJH

“Well in the UK you would cut the workforce by twenty SHU FHQW DQG LQ $PHULFD \RX would cut the workforce by SHU FHQW DQG SD\ PH SHU FHQW PRUH The high level of social coKHVLRQ LQ -DSDQ DOORZHG WKHP WR SHUFHLYH WKH V\VWHP DV D ZKROH DQG ZLWK LWV OLPLWV $V D small Island nation where the resources are constrained there is a strong theme that ‍ڔ‏WKH SLH LV ன[HG DQG QHHGV WR EH GLYLGHG XS ‍& ڕ‏RQWUDVW WKLV WR $PHULFD ZKHUH WKH VN\ LV the limit and there is an idea that the economy can always JURZ

RI WKH PRWLRQ ZDV %HQ 5RJHUV D WKLUG \HDU *RYHUQPHQW VWXGHQW 3RLQWLQJ RXW WKDW WKH )DFHERRN JURXS ‍'ڔ‏DQ &RRSHU Must Resign as ULU Vice3UHVLGHQW‍ ڕ‏KDV UHFHLYHG ‍ڔ‏OLNHV‍ ڕ‏DW WKH WLPH RI WKH 8*0 - more than double the amount RI YRWHV &RRSHU UHFHLYHG GXUing the ULU elections - Rogers VDLG WKDW &RRSHU KDV ‍ڔ‏RŕŽ‰HQGHG PDQ\ PHPEHUV RI WKH 8/8 ‍ڕ‏ )XUWKHUPRUH ZKLOH 5RJHUV UHVSHFWV &RRSHU‍ڑ‏V ULJKW QRW WR attend the Remembrance cerHPRQ\ KH FULWLFLVHG WKH 9LFH President for not sending in DQRWKHU VWXGHQW UHSUHVHQWDWLYH even though other students KDYH RŕŽ‰HUHG WR JR LQ KLV SODFH +H DOVR FRQGHPQHG &RRSHU‍ڑ‏V OHWWHU WR WKH 8/8 FKDSODLQ DV D ‍ڔ‏KLMDFN‍ ڕ‏RQ WKH ‍ڔ‏DSROLWLFDO‍ ڕ‏FHUHPRQ\ WR SURPRWH KLV SHUVRQDO SROLWLFDO EHOLHIV Rogers concluded his arguments by saying that while &RRSHU KDV KLV IUHHGRP RI VSHHFK VWXGHQWV DOVR KDYH WKH freedom to “democratically unVHDW KLP‍ ڕ‏IURP KLV SRVLWLRQ 7KH VHFRQG WR VSHDN LQ IDvour of the motion was Jon $OOVRS $FFRUGLQJ WR $OOVRS ZKLOH &RRSHU LV ‍ڔ‏HQWLWOHG WR KLV RSLQLRQ ‍ ڕ‏DV 9LFH 3UHVLGHQW he is also “accountable to all VWXGHQWV‍ ڕ‏ZKHWKHU WKH\ KDYH voted for him or not - and thus students can use their free VSHHFK WR ‍ڔ‏WXUQ DURXQG DQG VD\ ‍Ú?‏WKDW >ZKDW KH GLG@ LV RŕŽ‰HQVLYH‍ Ú• ڑ‏ &ODLPLQJ WKDW DQ ‍ڔ‏RYHUZKHOPLQJ PDMRULW\‍ ڕ‏RI &RRSer’s constituents disagree with KLV SRVLWLRQ RQ WKH 5HPHPEUDQFH FHUHPRQ\ KH VWDWHG WKDW &RRSHU KDV ‍ڔ‏QR ULJKW WR JURVVO\ PLVUHSUHVHQW WKH VHQtiments of students on this LVVXH ‍ ڕ‏DQG WKDW &RRSHU KDV RŕŽ‰HQGHG ‍ڔ‏VWXGHQWV ZKR ORVW their relatives to the war and H[SHFW WKHLU UHSUHVHQWDWLYH WR lay a wreath for something so SHUVRQDO WR WKHP ‍ڕ‏ 5RVV 6SHHU ZKR ORVW WKH election for ULU Vice PresiGHQW WR &RRSHU HDUOLHU WKLV PRQWK VSRNH LQ RSSRVLWLRQ RI WKH PRWLRQ $FFRUGLQJ WR 6SHHU WKH 8/8 KDV QHYHU YRWHG IRU D SROLF\ RQ 5HPHP-

2QH DWWHPSW WR EXLOG FRKHsion between the US and the (XUR]RQH LV WKDW RI WKH (XUR]RQH‍ڑ‏V DPEDVVDGRU WR :DVKLQJWRQ +LV WDFWLF LV WR DVVHUW that what went on during the (XUR]RQH FULVLV ZDV QHFHVVDU\ IRU WKH (XUR]RQH‍ڑ‏V னQDQFLDO VHFWRU WR SURJUHVV DQG LV PLUURUHG E\ SDWWHUQV LQ WKH 86 WRR *LOOLDQ UHDGLO\ DFFHSWHG WKLV LGHD ZKLFK SURvoked dissatisfaction from WKH /6( OHFWXUHU LQ (FRQRPLF $QWKURSRORJ\ -DVRQ +LFNHO +LV UHVSRQVH ‍ڔ‏WKH WKHRU\ WKDW FDSLWDOLVP FDQ XVH FULVLV RU GHVWUXFWLRQ WR SURPRWH LWV interests is called shock therDS\ WKHRUL]HG E\ QDRPL NOHLQ in her book “the shock doc-

EUDQFH GD\ DQG WKXV &RRSHU has no mandate to attend the FHUHPRQ\ )XUWKHUPRUH KH VWDWHG WKDW &RRSHU ‍ڔ‏ZRXOG QRW EH UHSUHVHQWLQJ VWXGHQWV ZKR have voted for him [in the ULU HOHFWLRQV@‍ ڕ‏KDG KH FKRVHQ WR OD\ D ZUHDWK DW WKH FHUHPRQ\ and that he was using his elections manifesto as his “guideOLQH‍ ڕ‏LQ PDNLQJ KLV GHFLVLRQ QRW WR GR VR 6SHHU DOVR UHIXWHG WKH

democratic right and “run for 8/8 93 QH[W \HDU‍ ڕ‏RU YRWH LQ VRPHRQH ZKR VXSSRUWV WKHLU YLHZSRLQW 1H[W WR RSSRVH WKH PRWLRQ ZDV -DFN 7LQGDOH WKH &RPmunity and Welfare Officer of WKH 6WXGHQWV‍ ڑ‏8QLRQ 7LQGDOH reiterated that the ULU has ‍ڔ‏QR SROLF\ RQ 5HPHPEUDQFH 6XQGD\ ‍ ڕ‏DQG WKDW VWXGHQWV FDQQRW ‍ڔ‏PDNH SROLF\ LQ UHWURVSHFW‍ ڕ‏MXVW EHFDXVH WKH\ GRQ‍ڑ‏W

'$1,(/ &223(5 8/8

6KX +DQJ

SURSRVLWLRQ‍ڑ‏V FODLP WKDW WKH FHUHPRQ\ LV ‍ڔ‏DSROLWLFDO ‍ ڕ‏DQG said that the ULU should “raise SROLWLFDO TXHVWLRQV UHJDUGLQJ 5HPHPEUDQFH ‍ ڕ‏$FFRUGLQJ WR 6SHHU WKH FHUHPRQ\ SURPRWHV WKH LGHD WKDW ZDU VDFULனFHV DUH QHFHVVDU\ D SRVLWLRQ DQWL ZDU SURSRQHQWV DUH XQOLNHO\ WR DFFHSW 6SHHU HQGHG KLV VSHHFK E\ urging students who disagrees ZLWK &RRSHU WR H[HUFLVH WKHLU

agree with certain actions of WKH 8/8 He added that no one has WKH ULJKW QRW WR EH RŕŽ‰HQGHG and that it was “absurd to deEDWH VRPHRQH‍ڑ‏V SULYDWH RSLQLRQ ‍ڕ‏ $IWHU WKH VSHHFKHV DQ LQtense Question and Answer VHVVLRQ IROORZHG Members of the audience SRLQWHG RXW WKDW QRW HYHU\ VWXGHQW GLVDJUHH ZLWK &RRSHU‍ڑ‏V

WULQH‍ ڕ‏7DNH WKH LUDT ZDU IRU H[DPSOH 7KH 86 GHVWUR\HG WKH FRXQWU\ HOLPLQDWHG LWV LQVWLWXWLRQV DQG WKHQ ZHQW about re-making it accordLQJ WR IUHH PDUNHW SULQFLSOHV amongst many other changes UH ZULWLQJ WKH FRQVWLWXWLRQ LQGHHG HTXLSLQJ WKH FRXQWU\ with some of the most radiFDO IUHH PDUNHW SULQFLSOHV LQ WKH ZRUOG 7KH VDPH WKLQJ can be done after a bust in WKH EXVLQHVV F\FOH $IWHU WKH னQDQFLDO FULVLV LQ WKH 86 FRQVHUYDWLYH SROLWLFLDQV started leveraging the idea RI D â€ŤÚ”â€ŹŕŽŠVFDO FULVLV‍ ڕ‏DQG VD\LQJ that the only way to solve it is to cut taxes and dereguODWH EXVLQHVVHV ORZHU ODERU

laws and so on to restart the economy and balance the EXGJHW 6R ZKLOH WKH FULVLV should have led us to take extreme measures to regulate WKH HFRQRP\ LQVWHDG ZH DUH GRLQJ H[DFWO\ WKH RSSRVLWH ‍ڕ‏ 'HVSLWH QHJOHFWLQJ VXFK LVVXHV *LOOLDQ GLG SRLQW to the short falling on the SDUW RI WKH EDQNHUV DQG HYHryone else as being the failXUH WR SHUFHLYH WKH ZRUOG DV ZRXOG DQ DQWKURSRORJLVW 6KH H[SODLQV ‍ڔ‏HYHU\RQH , VSRNH WR LQ WKH ZRUOG RI னQDQFH FRXOG H[SODLQ KRZ WKH OLWWOH SDWFK in front of their own nose RSHUDWHG EXW ORRNLQJ DW WKH system as a whole was very KDUG ‍* ڕ‏LOOLDQ HQGV KHU ERRN

SRVLWLRQ DQG WKDW PDQ\ â€ŤÚ”â€ŹŕŽŠQG LW abhorrent to see someone lay D ZUHDWK ZKLFK JORULனHV ZDU DQG LV RŕŽ‰HQGHG E\ WKDW ‍ ڕ‏ 2QH VWXGHQW VDLG ‍ڔ‏0\ IDPLO\ ZDV NLOOHG LQ ,UDT E\ %ULWLVK VROGLHUV 7KDW LV RŕŽ‰HQVH ‍ڕ‏ $OOVRS UHVSRQGHG E\ VD\LQJ WKDW &RRSHU VKRXOG UHSUHVHQW WKH HQWLUH VWXGHQW ERG\ ZKLFK he believes the majority of it ZRXOG னQG OD\LQJ D ZUHDWK WR EH WKH ‍ڔ‏UHVSHFWIXO‍ ڕ‏WKLQJ WR GR 7KURXJKRXW WKH VHVVLRQ PDQ\ VWXGHQWV DOVR H[SUHVVHG VNHSWLFLVP WRZDUGV WKH RSSRsition’s claim that “the overZKHOPLQJ PDMRULW\‍ ڕ‏RI VWXGHQWV VXSSRUW 5HPHPEUDQFH 6XQGD\ ZLWK VWXGHQWV SRLQWLQJ RXW WKDW QR RIILFLDO SROO RU VXUYH\ ZDV GRQH $OOVRS UHVSRQGHG ‍ڔ‏,I \RX ZHUH WR JR RXW WR WKH FDPSXV of any London university and DVN VWXGHQWV RQ WKLV PRVW RI them will say that this [laying D ZUHDWK@ LV D JRRG WKLQJ WR GR DQG WKDW LW‍ڑ‏V UHVSHFW ‍ڕ‏ 6SHHU UHEXWWHG WKDW WKH 8Qion can’t “assume students are IRU 5HPHPEUDQFH ‍ ڕ‏DQG WKDW there needs to be “some sort RI D YRWH‍ ڕ‏EHIRUH D FRQFOXVLRQ FDQ EH UHDFKHG Other members of the auGLHQFH SRLQWHG RXW WKDW ZKLOH &RRSHU GLG QRW YLRODWH DQ\ SROLF\ E\ UHIXVLQJ WR WXUQ XS WR WKH FHUHPRQ\ KLV FULWLFLVP of the ceremony “shows no UHVSHFW WR 8/8 VWXGHQWV DQG VWDŕŽ‰â€Ť ڕ‏ZKR IHHO VWURQJO\ DERXW 5HPHPEUDQFH 7KH SURSRVLWLRQ DJUHHG VD\LQJ WKDW LW LV ‍ڔ‏LPSRUWDQW WR UHPHPEHU ZDU GHDWK‍ ڕ‏ZKLOH stressing that the ceremony has “nothing to do with the PRUDOLW\ XQGHUO\LQJ ZDU ‍ڕ‏ $IWHU D VKRZ RI KDQGV LW was decided that the SU will not take any actions against &RRSHU 1HYHUWKHOHVV WKH RSSRVLWLRQ ZDV XQGHWHUUHG DQG ZDV VHHQ SHWLWLRQLQJ IRU &RRSer’s resignation on Houghton 6WUHHW ULJKW DIWHU WKH 8*0 The annual Remembrance service commemorates those who lost their lives in the First :RUOG :DU DQG RWKHU ZDUV

‘Fools Gold’ with the rebuke to all those criticisms she received from economists that DQWKURSRORJ\ LV ‍ڔ‏D VXEMHFW IRU KLSSLHV ‍ ڕ‏ZKHQ LW WDNHV WKH KROLVWLF YLHZ RI DQ DQWKURSRORJLVW WR SUHGLFW DQ HYHQW DV WDQWDPRXQW DV WKH FROODSVH RI WKH JOREDO HFRQRP\ *LOOLDQ 7HWW‍ڑ‏V னUVW ERRN ‍)Ú?‏RROV *ROG‍ ڑ‏H[SODLQV how the business in credit GHULYDWLYHV LQŕŽ‹XHQFHG WKH னQDQFLDO GRZQWXUQ )LQDOO\ H[WUDSRODWLQJ RQ WKH WKHPH RI FRKHVLRQ VKH ZLOO DOVR EH SXEOLVKLQJ D VHFRQG ERRN next year tackling the emergLQJ LVVXH RI 6LOR EXVWLQJ

News

The Beaver | 27.11.2012

5

Applebaum on the Gulag and why it matters around the room was “full of the fear of death.â€? What we know almost sixty years DIWHU 6WDOLQ‍ڑ‏V GHDWK VDLG $Splebaum, is that the Gulag V\VWHP DOVR NQRZQ DV 6RYLHW concentration camps, grew to 476 camps spread across WKH 8665 IURP 0RVFRZ WR 6LEHULD DQG WKH IDU 1RUWK through which roughly 18 million political and criminal prisoners passed. However, the number of people that experienced imprisonment and exile during this time could be as high as 25 million. Applebaum stated that although these camps were not inherently designed to kill, they were nevertheless extremely lethal, used by every LQGXVWU\ LQ WKH 8665 (YHQ WKRXJK WKH 6RYLHW JRYHUQment used mainly economLF MXVWLனFDWLRQV IRU WKH XVH

Rachel Browne, 6WDŕ­ź 5HSRUWHU

Anne Applebaum, American Pulitzer Prize-winning author for her book Gulag: A History and current Philippe Roman Chair in History and ,QWHUQDWLRQDO $ŕŽ‰DULV DW /6( ,'($6 VSRNH ODVW 7XHVGD\ WR DQ 2OG 7KHDWUH DXGLHQFH DV SDUW RI /6( ,'($‍ڑ‏V SXEOLF OHFWXUH VHULHV $SSOHEDXP‍ڑ‏V OHFture addressed what we now NQRZ DERXW WKH 6WDOLQLVW *Xlag system since the opening of the Gulag archives in the 1990s and why this dark period in Russian history matters WR PRGHUQ 5XVVLDQV (XURSHans, and the rest of the world. Applebaum began the lecture describing a chilling account of the moment beIRUH -RVHSK 6WDOLQ‍ڑ‏V GHDWK E\ KLV GDXJKWHU 6YHWODQD ZKR ZURWH WKDW KLV னQDO JODQFH

and expansion of the camps, though they were also a means to terrorize and subjugate the population, it turns out that the camps were utterly disastrous for the economy as they were so costly to construct and maintain. 6R ZK\ DUH WKH *XODJV seldom debated or even acknowledged in present-day Russia? For Applebaum, there is an extreme lack of public awareness, resulting in no discourse surrounding justice for victims, unlike what we have seen in post1D]L *HUPDQ\ :KDW‍ڑ‏V PRUH 9ODGLPLU 3XWLQ 5XVVLD‍ڑ‏V FXUrent President, a former KGB officer, seems to be creating an alternative post-commuQLVW QDUUDWLYH 7KH IDLOXUH WR “repent, discuss, and dwellâ€? has suited the political needs RI SRVW 6WDOLQ 5XVVLDQ UXOHUV

World Bank on poverty measures /DVW 7KXUVGD\ 0DUWLQ 5DYDOlion, Director of Research of the World Bank, gave a talk HQWLWOHG ‍ڔ‏0RUH 5HODWLYHO\ 3RRU 3HRSOH LQ D /HVV $EVROXWHO\ Poor world.â€? Chaired by Professor Craig Calhoun, the talk began with a quote from the entrance of the World Bank: “Our dream is a world free of poverty.â€? In his lecture, Ravallion explored the absolute versus relative measures of poverty, the LPSRUWDQFH RI VRFLDO HŕŽ‰HFWV RI poverty on welfare, and suggested new measures. He explained that the measure of absolute poverty is usually used in poor countries, for example the use of the $1.25 a day as the current international poverty line, whereas the measure of relative poverty is usually used in rich countries. After making the distinction between the absolute poverty measurement and the relative poverty measure, Ravallion argued that social inclusion matters in the poorest countries as well as the richest. He cited Yemen, where ten per FHQW RI DQ LQGLYLGXDO‍ڑ‏V LQFRPH LV VSHQW RQ NKDW FODVVLனHG E\ the World Health Organisation as a drug of abuse), as it is a “social inclusion need,â€? a basic human need in Yemeni society. Hence, the fact that consumption can serve important social needs has to be taken into account. Ravallion argued that as social exclusion matters in all countries, a sensible poverty line cannot rise and fall proportionally to average income, as in the relative poverty PHDVXUHV 7KXV UHODWLYH SRYerty measures need to include the social costs of poverty. He argued that the absolute measure should be the lower ERXQG 7KH DEVROXWH DQG UHOD-

due to the fall in absolute poverty. Policymakers should not have to choose between using absolute or relative measures; instead, poverty should be thought of as lower and upper bounds to the unknown absolute measure in terms of welIDUH )LQDOO\ 0DUWLQ 5DYDOOLRQ predicted that there would be a renewed focus on inequality when looking at poverty. 'U -XGLWK 6KDSLUR IURP WKH (FRQRPLFV GHSDUWPHQW DVNHG about the use of supplementary indicators in measuring SRYHUW\ WR ZKLFK 0DUWLQ 5DYallion responded that these indicators are very important in

number of people living on less than $2 a day, with the numbers on between $1.25 and $2 rising. Around 2000, the world reached a new trajectory, with a marked acceleration in poverty reduction outside RI &KLQD 7KH GDWD UHSUHVHQWV falling absolute poverty and ULVLQJ UHODWLYH SRYHUW\ 0RUHRver, although there has been an overall decline in inequality in the developing world, this has mainly been due to ChiQD‍ڑ‏V KLJK JURZWK VR LQHTXDOLW\ has not reduced within countries. 7KH OHFWXUH FRQFOXGHG ZLWK the view that eighty per cent of the rise in relative poverty was

capturing areas that we miss in the absolute and relative measures, citing child mortality rate as particularly important in measuring the level of healthcare. Yet, he argued it is difficult to use a mixed method on a global level. Robert Deegan, a second \HDU 0DWKHPDWLFV DQG (FRnomics student described the lecture as “fun and functional, with a good mixture of qualitative and (most importantly) quantitative explanations.â€? He DGGHG KRZHYHU ‍ڔ‏D JRRG னIteen minutes more would have really added to the presentation, as there were many loose ends yet to be tiedâ€?.

-8/,(1 +$51(,6

Selina Parmer

tive measures together should represent the upper bound, which would include the cost RI VRFLDO HŕŽ‰HFWV $V WKH JOREDO economy grows, the higher costs of social inclusion must be taken into account, which halts the pace of relative poverty reduction, despite falling absolute poverty. /RRNLQJ DW SDVW GDWD KH REserved that from 1981-2008, there has been progress for WKH SRRUHVW ZLWK WKH 0LOOHQnium Development Goal of halving global poverty being achieved in 2010, despite the னQDQFLDO FULVLV <HW WKHUH ZDV less progress on reducing the

What is unfortunate about the lack of public consciousness or interest in this area of history, Applebaum argues, is that young Russians are deprived of “heroes,â€? of stories IRXQG LQ VXUYLYRUV‍ ڑ‏OLWHUDWXUH that could enhance Russian pride. Another troubling question posed by Applebaum is why this topic has not permeated “Westernâ€? consciousQHVV WKH ZD\ 1D]L *HUPDQ\ KDV" ,V WKLV EHFDXVH WKH 6WDlin murders were “boringâ€? or because we have “heard it all before.â€? For Applebaum, there is a whole host of reasons why this is the case, including perhaps that there are very few images of the gulags to satisfy our image-driven culture and pique our interest. Other possible reasons, more

political in nature, surround the fact that, as a WWII ally, WKH 8665 FRQWULEXWHG WR WKH dismantling of German concentration camps, while proliferating their own. $SSOHEDXP‍ڑ‏V KRSH LV WKDW we view the history of the Gulag outside of Western tunnel vision, warning that if we fail to include what we now know into our own memory, we might fail to understand humanity itself and risk once again succumbing to our “dark side.â€? -DGH 6\PRQGV D VHFRQG \HDU %6F *RYHUQPHQW DQG +LVWRU\ VWXGHQW DQG /6(68 /DERXU 7UHDVXUHU WZHHWHG “those who [still] parade the hammer and sickle [a communist symbol] fail to recognize the atrocities that ocFXUUHG LQ WKH 8665 ‍ ڕ‏

The end of the Chinese Dream Arisa Manawapat, 6WDŕ­ź 5HSRUWHU

$V D FLWL]HQ RI WKH ZRUOG‍ڑ‏V ULVing economic power, would you be anxious about the fuWXUH" $XWKRU *HUDUG /HPRV H[SORUHG WKLV LVVXH LQ D /6( Asia Research Centre public lecture last Wednesday, in proPRWLRQ RI KLV QHZ ERRN ‍ڔ‏7KH (QG RI WKH &KLQHVH 'UHDP Why Chinese people fear the future.â€? What, exactly, is the end of the “Chinese Dream?â€? AccordLQJ WR /HPRV LW LV QRW MXVW WKH sharp slowdown in economic growth, or a transition to democracy. “It is the aspiration,â€? the author states, “of ordinary Chinese people.â€? Based on qualitative research in the provinces of &KRQJTLQJ DQG %HLMLQJ /HPRV found that Chinese people desire “a peace of mind, and a sense of security.â€? Contrary to WKH RSWLPLVP LQ WKH V /Hmos believed that doubling of state reform in the 1990s has left “millions of Chinese people feeling left out.â€? 7KHUH DUH WKUHH PDLQ groups in Chinese society, acFRUGLQJ WR /HPRV ZKR IDFH D “loss of personal optimism.â€? Firstly, due to massive labour surplus in the countryside, there is a “displaced agriculWXUDO SRSXODWLRQ ‍ ڕ‏0DQ\ PDUginal migrants in cities, the DXWKRU UHYHDOHG GRQ‍ڑ‏W KDYH DFcess to public health services. Finally, the older population is “permanently displaced from the labour market.â€? /HPRV EHOLHYHG WKDW RQH main cause of the loss of opWLPLVP LV &KLQD‍ڑ‏V 2QH &KLOG Policy, which is “outliving its usefulnessâ€? and putting an “enormous weight of expecta-

tionsâ€?, which the child deals ZLWK DORQH 6HFRQGO\ WKH healthcare system is “disproportionately borne by the individual themselvesâ€?, as insurance does not cover serious illnesses. 0RUH LPSRUWDQWO\ /HPRV highlighted a “sense of lonelinessâ€?, which may lead to “spiritual hungerâ€?, and nostalgia. However hard life was in the old days, there was always a VHQVH RI ‍Ú?‏EHLQJ LQ LW WRJHWKHU‍ ڑ‏ a certain solidarity.â€? 7KH VHQVH RI DQ XQFHUWDLQ future is “highly problematicâ€? IRU &KLQHVH OHDGHUV /HPRV drew attention to what anthropologists term the “Weapons of the Weakâ€?, or ways ordinary people express discontent, including the rise of gossip, satire, and ridicule of the government. 6R ZKDW FDQ WKH JRYHUQPHQW GR" /HPRV VXJJHVWHG policies that “will bring about procedural fairness.â€? However, with a centralized decision-making system, how can China ensure that policies at the local level will be “fair and cleanâ€?? “If you really want to do something,â€? the author believed, “there will have to be a reclaiming of optimism, which will be widespread, a sense of equitable social relations between the powerful and powerless, and a place for tradition, culture, belonging, community.â€? 7KH SDUW\ GLVFRXUVH RI ‍ڔ‏:H DUH D GHYHORSLQJ QDWLRQ‍ ڕ‏/Hmos stated, “is a code for staying ‘wait and see, your turn ZLOO FRPH ‍ ڕڑ‏,I SHRSOH VWRS EHlieving this, protest is inevitable. It will “change the way in which China sees itself.â€?

6

News

27.11.2012

| The Beaver

Students complain about overcrowded Stats seminars attention from the teaching VWDŕŽ‰ The ST226 (Actuarial InThe Beaver has received comYHVWLJDWLRQV )LQDQFLDO FRXUVH plaints from students of the Department of Statistics re- in particular has came under garding overcrowded classes, னUH IRU LWV VHPLQDU JURXS VL]H where certain modules under ZKHUH RQH WHDFKLQJ VWDŕŽ‰ KDV the department has been hold- been leading a class of 80 ing classes of up to 80 stu- since the beginning of term. According to a second year dents. Undergraduate classes of Actuarial Science student, the LSE are required under ‍ڔ‏7KH 67 WHDFKLQJ VWDŕŽ‰ KDV school policy to limit class been struggling to complete VL]HV WR னIWHHQ +RZHYHU WKH discussions on the weekly exStatistics department has for ercises as there are too many several years held “seminarsâ€? students and thus many quesin place of “classesâ€? for sec- tions were asked during the ond and third year modules . seminar. We have been lagWhile the format of seminars ging behind lectures for sevLV QRW PXFK GLŕŽ‰HUHQW IURP eral weeks now!â€? Meanwhile, another Actuthe format of classes held by arial Science student felt that other departments, seminars are known to contain a higher some of the classrooms where number of students, with the seminars are held do not have biggest seminar group ex- the necessary facilities to support large seminar groups. ceeding 80 students. Most Statistics students She felt that the inclusion of surveyed by the Beaver felt a mic so that students could that the efficiency of seminars “hear what he’s saying clearLV ORZ FRPSDUHG WR WKH னIWHHQ lyâ€? and better lighting would student classes held by other help with the efficiency of the departments, and that it was classes. “If you’re unfortunate impossible to receive personal

enough to sit at the back, you can’t see clearly as the lighting is dim and the whiteboard is small,â€? she said. The issue regarding the ST226 seminar was brought XS GXULQJ WKH 6WDŕŽ‰ 6WXGHQW Liaison Committee Meeting for BSc Actuarial Science. According to the minutes of the meeting, a student representative noted that the “ST226 class is too big and students talk during the class which is frustrating as then you [stuGHQWV@ FDQ‍ڑ‏W KHDU RU JHW WR னQish discussions.â€? Other statistics modules that are known to have large seminar groups include ST227 6XUYLYDO 0RGHOV ZKLFK LV H[pected to hold 50 students per class. According to Irini Moustaki, Head of the Statistics Department, the reason the department holds seminars instead of classes was due to the GLIILFXOW\ LQ னQGLQJ TXDOLனHG teachers to lead the classes. “Seminars for some of our second and third year courses, especially those related

Palestinian pressure

Islamophobia awareness month launched by SU

Shu Hang

Richard Serunjogi, 6WDŕ­ź 5HSRUWHU

In response to the recent hostilities between Israel and Gaza the London School of Economics Students’ Union Palestine Society has embarked on a programme of awareness-raising. The society collected over 200 signatures for a petition that will be sent to LSE Director Craig Calhoun this week, requesting him to release a statement about last week’s events and asking him to show support for our alumni currently in the FRQŕŽ‹LFW DŕŽ‰HFWHG DUHDV Monday saw the LSE Palestine Society host a vigil on Houghton Street; candles

were lit in memory of lives ORVW LQ WKH FRQŕŽ‹LFW +XQGUHGV of students gathered to hear speeches from members of the LSESU Palestine Society and from students across the school, about the importance of using our voice to speak out. The society welcomed Yael Kahn and Michael Kalmanovitz to the LSE on Tuesday, who gave a talk entitled “Confronting Zionism.â€? Both gave unique personal insights into their reasons for diverging away from their family’s roots in Zionist ideology and tackling the perceived mainstream public opinion supporting Israel. The words of both were hard hitting as Yael recalled

“I was nineteen when I found out that what I called home was built on Palestinian ruins. It hits you.â€? She went on to state “People have no protection whatsoever in Gaza.â€? )Lன .DUD 1HZWRQ VDLG ‍ڔ‏LW was moving listening to someone, stand up for what they believed was right, despite rejection from their families and KDV GHனQLWHO\ PDGH PH UHFRQsider some of the assumptions I would of made about the views of people from a particular backgrounds on this matter.â€? LSE student Bakr Al-Akku remarked that the talk gave him “an outstanding viewpoint of the Israeli occupation of Palestine from a le-

gal perspective� 2Q 7KXUVGD\ 1RYHPEHU 29, the LSE Palestine Society will be hosting ‘Football Beyond Borders’, an initiative set up by the British University football team, who recently visited the Occupied Territories of Palestine as part of a Middle East football tour. They will be coming to present their documentary, and to share their experiences. A further initiative, Project Connect has been launched which sees pairs LSE and IUG students to meet weekly over Facebook chat, Skype or through email and, to practice English or Arabic.

Rayhan Uddin

Last Tuesday, the LSE Students’ Union launched the inaugural Islamophobia Awareness Month with a lecture IHDWXULQJ VHYHUDO KLJK SURனOH speakers, chaired by Professor Paul Kelly. The lecture was accompanied by an exhibition on Islamophobia that was displayed in the Quad throughout the week. First to speak at the lecture was Myriam Francois-Cerrah, a well-known journalist who regularly appears on topical television programmes such as the BBC’s Big Questions, and is currently completing her PhD on Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford. Myriam began by speaking of the discrimination European Muslims often experience in the workplace, and how this can sometimes lead to alienation. She outlined the link between orientalism, neo-orientalism and Islamophobia in academia, with the idea that initial interactions with the “East,â€? where many British Muslims trace their origins back to, shape the perception of “Easternâ€? people amongst Britons. Dr Leon Moosavi was the next speaker, a sociologist of race and religion at the University of Liverpool whose works include a thesis titled “Islamophobia, Belonging and ‘Race’ in the Experiences of Muslim Converts in Britain.â€? His speech centred on examples of Islamophobia in mainstream media, alluding to the contrast between the Jimmy Saville child sex scandal and the Rochdale grooming scan-

to actuarial sciences, must be taught by teachers who are highly experienced and have expert knowledge in the subject,â€? she said, “the department believes strongly that LW LV WR WKH EHQHனW RI WKH VWXdents if seminars are taught by the lecturer in charge of the course, or at least by someone ZKR LV KLJKO\ TXDOLனHG WR GR so.â€? In response to complaints regarding ST226, Moustaki said, “As a result of the overshooting and the large number of general course students selecting ST226 this year, the numbers unexpectedly inFUHDVHG VLJQLனFDQWO\ RQ ODVW year. Taking into account this year’s difficulties in running the seminar with such a large number of students we will ensure that the seminar is split into smaller groups next year.â€? She added, “For this year we are arranging extra office hours for students studying for this course and solutions are already posted on Moodle weekly.â€? Moustaki also pointed out

dal, of which only the latter was reported by the media as having “religious connotations,â€? with many journalists at the time describing it as having “a clear link with Islamâ€?. He reasserted that Islam should not be immune to public criticism; however the problem occurs when this criticism turns and develops into crude stereotypes, false generalisations and discrimination. 7KH னQDO VSHDNHU ZDV $DUon Kiely, who is the Black StuGHQWV‍ ڑ‏2IILFHU IRU WKH 1DWLRQDO Union of Students and has worked consistently in tackling racism and other forms of discrimination on campus. He spoke of the economic crisis as a “cause in the far right’s growth to become a force in British politics,â€? groups which have consequently scapegoated and blamed the Muslim community for many of society’s problems. He reassured WKH DXGLHQFH WKDW WKH 1DWLRQDO 8QLRQ RI 6WXGHQWV 186 are working alongside Unite Against Fascism to keep the %13 ('/ DQG RWKHU IDU ULJKW groups away from university campuses. The talk was followed by a Question and Answer session with the panellists. Members of the audience included Myriam Francois-Cerrah, a representative from Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-MusOLP $WWDFNV D ZHEVLWH ZKLFK reports cyber-Islamophobia. Francois-Cerrah spoke of her own personal experiences of cyber-Islamophobia, often of a sexually explicit nature, in response to some of her articles. As well as the lecture, the

that the large seminar size did not stop students from performing well academically. “In the last two academic years, the failure rate of ST226 dropped from fourteen per cent to ten per cent and the percentage of 2:1 and 1st increased from 51 per cent to 68 per cent.â€? 1HYHUWKHOHVV 0RXVWDNL said that the department “constantly strives to make sure we provide the best teaching support to our students and we will continue to look into this matter to make improvements in the future.â€? The LSE has publicly declared that improving student contact time has always been one of the administration’s top priorities. An article published in the July 2008 issue of the Times Higher Education Supplement detailed that ‍ڔ‏DIWHU FRQVXOWDWLRQ ZLWK VWDŕŽ‰ and students, the task force recommended that ÂŁ1.5 million a year should be spent on new lecturers, to reduce class sizes.â€?

Students Union also hosted a week-long exhibition in the Quad that highlighted examples of Islamophobia within the United Kingdom. These exaĂŠĂŠmples included survey outcomes where Islam were deemed to be “incompatible with British values,â€? newspaper headlines and articles that generalise the actions of a handful of Muslims to represent the many, and anecdotal evidence of Islamophobic hate crimes. These anecdotes included the story of Yasir Abdelmoutallib who was beaten into a coma and left with severe brain damage when an antiMuslim gang attacked him on his way to the mosque. -DVLP 0DOLN D னUVW \HDU LSE student said, “The exhibition, lecture and campaign on the whole is a welcome initiative, which brings to light the dangers of the rising tide of Islamophobia in the UK, and the impact it is having on British Muslimsâ€?. Anti-Racism officer of the Students’ Union, Mohamed Harrath said “Islamophobia is a critical issue for universities and the Students’ Union welcomes the participation of experts on Islamophobia, the School through Professor Paul Kelly and students at the LSE in coming together to discuss how Islamophobia can be challenged to ensure the welfare of Muslim students.â€? He went on to say, “We hope this will be the start of a wider recognition of an incredibly harmful problem and an increase in SU campaigns across the country to counter the Islamophobia trendâ€?.

Comment

The Beaver | 27.11.2012

7

Comment Not poor enough

Frances Bennett thinks the real burden of disadvantage now lies with the lower middle class

MARSMET471

Frances Bennett

Once summer had drawn to a close, the pendulum of the academic year swung ever closer to that dreaded time of year: Internship Season. Yet as application fever has struck the LSE, the divide between those VWXGHQWV ZKR FDQ DŕŽ‰ RUG WR VDFULன FH PRQWKV IRU XQSDLG LQ ternships and those who have to work for money through the holidays has become increasingly pronounced. With a numEHU RI FRPSDQLHV DQG ன UPV QRZ RŕŽ‰ HULQJ VFKHPHV WR KHOS “disadvantagedâ€? young people participate in the scramble for placements and work experience, it would appear that both the very rich and the very poor are catered for. However, the disparity of the system has merely been displaced to lie with those who do not dwell at either extreme of the economic spectrum, but hover in the lower echelons of the middle. The real burden of disadvantage now lies with the lower middle class. The uncomfortable situation the lower middle classes ன QG WKHPVHOYHV LQ FDQ EH summarised in my outrage with the Law Department last week. A stench of antithesis lingered in the air. On Wednesday, it was politely suggested that I wasn’t disad-

vantaged enough to apply for a scheme aiming to widen access to the legal profession by providing paid internships for students. The following day, however, I attended a meeting about the Columbia University exchange scheme for Law students where I was advised that if I didn’t have $60,000 there was probably no point in me being there. It was jovially added that funding was imposVLEOH WR ன QG DQG ERDVWHG WKDW even “the best student we’ve ever hadâ€? was unable to take part last year as he could not ன QG ன QDQFLDO EDFNLQJ (ŕŽ‰ HF tively, in both situations I was told I had either too little or too much money to participate in the schemes assisted by the LSE, and the crux of the problem lies in the fact that there is no provision for those who, like me, are in the middle. The more privileged students among us have better chances at getting an internship for educational, economic and social reasons. Firstly, WKH\ KDYH XVXDOO\ EHQHன WHG IURP ன UVW FODVV HGXFDWLRQV DW some of the top schools in the country, or, judging by the international student base, globally. Smaller classes, better teaching and far more provision for extra-curricular activities have given them not only a wider skill base but also a self-assurance that

they ‘can do.’ Secondly, they have the economic backing to work without payment, travel to the best places in the world in pursuit of the best opportunities and attend summer schools and workshops to propel them even further ahead of their poorer counterparts. Thirdly, they have the contacts and connections to climb directly to the top of companies and organisations rather than having to start from the grassroots. These three elements boost the chances of students with more money to get the most, and the best, internships. Some may argue that this rosy picture of the richer students at LSE is distorted, arguing that any success they may have had is purely down to merit, and has nothing to do with extraneous factors. However, this is clearly not true; the positive discrimination exercised in schemes to provide for the “disadvantagedâ€? shows a distinct need to address the serious imbalances that plague the employability race. Those who get the best opportunities may well be the most able and the best equipped, but the question is the most able and best equipped in what sense? Best HTXLSSHG ZLWK WKH ன QHVW HGX cation money can buy? Most able to spend a whole summer

attending summer schools and working for companies for free? The meritocracy argument does not wash because the constraints acting upon the “middleâ€? category certainly do not include a lack of merit. In fact, the lower middle classes could be categorised in some cases to have the most merit of all. They have managed to reach an institution like the LSE through the adversities of state education, little to no EMA allowance and the narrow missing of eligibility for scholarships, grants and schemes catering for the “disadvantagedâ€? their whole lives. They have often managed to get to university through hard graft, sensible spending and saving, and a huge amount of VDFULன FHV RQ ERWK WKHLU RZQ parts, and that of their families and parents. All too often, these families are only one or two generations apart from their seriously “disadvanWDJHG‍ ڕ‏URRWV \HW WKHLU HŕŽ‰ RUWV towards social progression are now plotting their own children’s downfall. Now don’t get me wrong – it’s not that I think these schemes providing especially for the “disadvantagedâ€? should be abolished. If anything, quite the opposite; such schemes are an excellent way to put talent on the map that

would otherwise be left unrecognised. Those from poorer, less professionally educated or particularly prejudiced backgrounds should be given the chance to excel, and if that means some special concessions being made on their part I am undoubtedly in favour. Nonetheless, the “disadvantagedâ€? schemes fail to achieve their objectives if they do not recognise that the ன QDQFLDO DQG VRFLDO SUREOHPV they aim to remedy are farther-reaching than they originally thought, and that the net needs to be spread wider to cover the lower middle classes as well. Such changes to widen the participation in “disadvantagedâ€? schemes run by FRPSDQLHV DQG ன UPV LV QRW entirely unrealistic, but would certainly take a long time to implement and will not be happening anytime soon. Thus, in the meantime, students in this ‘middle’ category continue to be hindered by their backgrounds whilst being an invisible class in terms RI KHOS DQG EHQHன WV DYDLODEOH to them. The real “disadvantagedâ€? have become the middle classes; they are not quite poor enough. Slightly over 140 characters, I know ‌ #lowermiddleclassproblems.

8

Comment

27.11.2012

| The Beaver

Tragedy on Houghton St.

Discussing Thursday’s attack on Hayek Society’s stall as it promoted free speech following UGM motion Ben Rogers

Last Thursday bore witness to a tragedy on Houghton Street as the Hayek Society’s stall was violently attacked and vandalised for no other crime than for fighting for the preservation of freedom of speech on the LSE campus. This has become an ever more pressing issue as Alex Peters-Day and her illiberal, ultra-puritanical policies have enforced an act of gross censorship in devastating the rights of LSE students from being able to pick up a copy of the UK’s best-selling newspaper from their union shop. The brave and noble venture of the Hayek Society started out very well, garnering praise and positive comments from those who passed the stall on Houghton Street, which was handing out free copies of The Sun newspaper. Many who stopped to chat

at the stall felt that it gave sidiously further their own Society was forced as a them a rare platform from vested interests. measure of last resort to which they could voice However, it was soon call the brave men of LSE their anger at how voters proved that such a posi- Security to halt the defrom a UGM turnout of tive opening to the day’s struction taking place. only 0.5 per cent of the stu- events was only the quiet Instead of realising the dent body could possibly before the storm. The stall deep indignity that this lady be a mandate had brought for such emerupon herself gency powers “Many students across ULU have been left by publicly as press cen- speechless after this violent suppression of mauling a sorship at the student sothe freedom of speech and of publication. As LSE. Many ciety stall in told the Hayek if this wasn’t enough, the comments made on the middle Society that the scene by the General Secretary herself of Houghton were, in my opinion, deeply worrying.� they believed, Street as in coming to well as the LSE, that they would was soon attacked by a vio- breaching the peace on be joining a student body lent hooligan posing as a what is usually recognised which valued the central radical defender of female as one of Central London’s tenets of liberalism upon rights who decided that more calm and pleasant which any stable, open she had the special author- precincts, the radical then society is built. However, ity to take matters into her boasted of her actions on upon arrival, they have own hands. She started a social media websites. It is been shocked to the core rampage of criminal dam- clear that the frowning and to find out that such prin- age, destroying the private tut-tutting she received by ciples could be so easily property of the Hayek So- passers-by and those unmutilated by the small in- ciety by ripping up much fortunate to be present and terest groups prepared to of the literature laid out on caught up in the incident, use the scurrilous tactic the stall. After attempting did little to dent her selfof packing out meetings in vain to use the power of righteous zeal. to hijack the democratic words to halt this outburst Many students across procedures of the SU to in- of criminality, the Hayek ULU have been left speech-

less after this violent suppression of the freedom of speech and of publication. As if this wasn’t enough, the comments made on the scene by the General Secretary herself were, in my opinion, deeply worrying. The suggestion that the Hayek Society had this coming to them is not only a huge insult to the society itself and to those who have risked their personal safety to exercise their right to peaceful demonstration but surely also is a deeply irresponsible and lax stance to take against criminal damage of private property which can surely only serve to give the green light to other would-be politically inspired vandals. However, the overwhelming response of the student body has been to UH DIILUP EROGO\ DQG GHனantly, that thoughts on the LSE campus shall always be free.

Banning The Sun does not curtail free speech Why the Hayek Society’s arguments regarding The Sun are entirely misplaced munications for any rou- the example above. It is a tinely sexist, racist and in- corporate enterprise, govThe arguments put for- tellectually impoverished erned collectively by the ward by the newly formed paper (a category to which student body. It is is thus Hayek Society regarding I would add the Daily Mail entitled to sell or not to The Sun are entirely mis- and The Sun). Therefore, sell any paper it wishes. As placed. The LSE Students’ my decision to only sell a the recent vote in the UGM Union’s decision to ban (nevertheless diverse) col- determined, our collective The Sun, it says, is an act lection of worthwhile pa- ownership over the shop of censorship, a violation of pers is an exercise of free has determined that we no WKH ULJKW WR RŕŽ‰HQG DQG DQ speech, not an imposition longer want to sell the Sun. imposition of free speech. of it. To curtail speech I Therefore, there is no imHowever, this argument is would have to prevent oth- position on free speech. It is as simple as a misguided that. strawman. “The SU neither banned The Sun from That said, The SU neicampus nor banned access to The Sun’s the Hayek sother banned The Sun from website. In fact, its only action was to ban ciety has every campus nor the sale of the newspaper from our student right to hand banned access shop. Is this really an imposition on free out any publication it wishto The Sun’s speech?â€? es on campus, website. In even provocafact, its only action was to ban the sale of the newspa- ers from reading or selling tive ones. It has a right per from our student shop. any paper they want. This to do so without physical Is this really an imposi- would be wrong and, as harassment from others. If tion on free speech? If I, a liberal I would be com- the SU is at fault, it is befor example, were to open pelled to protect others’ cause it failed to prevent a newspaper shop I would right to say whatever they an attack on the society make a conscious decision wanted (even if I disagree and deal with the issue corto not sell certain types of profoundly with what is be- rectly. At the time of writpaper. I would choose to ing communicated). Fortu- ing, it remains to be seen not sell, for example, the nately, in this case the SU whether they will deal with publications of the EDL or is not engaging in a cam- the issue as they should. the BNP. Indeed, I would paign of curtailing speech. The SU shop is much like not want to channel com-

Marshall Palmer

Comment

The Beaver | 27.11.2012

9

Lending our symbolic support Standing in solidarity with Gazan students through LSE’s Right to Education scheme Yasmin Ahmed

The “Right 2 Education� (R2E) campaign was launched by the LSE Students’ Union Palestine Society two years ago. We work alongside our Palestinian university partners to facilitate the provision of higher education resources to Palestinian students. By providing further educational opportunities, the objective of the campaign is to assist in the mission to circumvent the obstacles facing students as a result of the, in my opinion, illegal occupation of Palestinian territories and the blockade of Gaza by the state of Israel. Whether it is through restrictions on mobility caused by Israeli roadblocks or the physical detainment of students by the Israeli military, Palestinians seeking an education face a constant uphill battle. Education is a universal human right, and we believe it to be our duty as concerned students and citizens of the

world to highlight and act upon this intrinsic entitlement. Last year we launched the “Short Introduction to the Social Sciences� online course for students at the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG), twinned with the LSE Students’ Union since 2009. It consisted of a series of lectures, delivered via Skype by four renowned LSE academics from the Law, International History and Government departments, and supported by a reading list. The aim of the course was to provide an insight into selected social science subjects which the Student Council at the IUG and staff requested. We are very proud to be the first society in the country to deliver an entirely student-led and student-organised initiative that has set an example of how creativity and innovation can produce campaigns that have the capacity to revolutionise the way we perceive and practice activism in the ongoing

struggle for justice, be it in Palestine or elsewhere. The R2E project was granted the “Best Society Event� award by the LSE Students’ Union at the Student Awards 2012. This year we are looking to expand the course to include economic and development themes. We are already in the process of liaising with academics in order to produce a preliminary schedule for the upcoming year. We have a lecture already scheduled to be delivered at the end of this term, with a keynote public lecture being organised for Lent Term 2013. Furthermore, we have just launched a fringe scheme, called “Project Connect,� whereby LSE student volunteers are partnered up with students from the IUG, with the aim of providing peer-to-peer exchange sessions in the context of different cultural and political circumstances. This scheme offers a unique opportunity for cultural exchange, mutual mentoring and the

sharing of experiences as students whilst providing an insight into two very different worlds; life in London and life in Gaza. It will also offer all participants a chance to practice their Arabic and/or English skills. We also hope that this initiative will be a particularly valuable opportunity for our Gazan participants, who face severe and crippling restrictions on their ability to travel abroad, including for academic purposes, due to the blockade. We students are not policy-makers, we are not diplomats, and we certainly do not have the capacity, alone, to bring a lasting and just peace to the region. However, through our campaigns and mobilization efforts, we embody a certain form of power. We manifest the power to lend direct and symbolic support through solidarity initiatives such as this one to students like us, who are living under very different and difficult circumstances. This campaign captures that

essence, and bypasses all the physical and material restrictions that Israel imposes on a population of 1.5 million people through its ruthless siege. Nelson Mandela famously stated that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.� Our ultimate goal, through the R2E campaign, is to provide the next generation of Gazans with tools to enable positive change and contribute to the ultimate goal: the liberation of Palestine. We have high hopes for the continuation of the R2E campaign this year. If you are interested in joining “Project Connect� or, more generally, the R2E scheme, drop us an email at su.soc. palestine@lse.ac.uk, or contact us through our Facebook page, LSESU Palestine Society. Alternatively, updates on the progress of the campaign will be made available on Facebook, or via our Twitter account, @LSESU_ PalSoc.

Opening up the higher education debate Discussing the response of CDBU on the perceived marketisation of higher education Abigail Malortie

Formed as a response to the perceived marketisation of higher education as driven by government policy, Council for the Defence of British Universities’ aim is to enhance education for the pubOLF EHQHனW ,W DGYRFDWHV XQLversity autonomy, freedom from short term economic concerns and the value of education for its own sake. The group hopes for a wide membership which will engage in public debate about the nature of higher education while lobbying government to alter its approach to the sector. Recent UK government reform has been controversial. Many have contested the increasing focus on “choice,â€? perceiving this as causing a shift in culture where students (and their parents) become consumers of education (and of the whole “student experienceâ€?) which itself then becomes subject to the forces of the market much as any other commodity. The success of one place over another must be proved by outcomes if it is to maintain its position.

Hence the growing reliance on league tables as the indicators of the inherent value of what is being provided at any given institution. And when a government னQGV LWVHOI LQ DQ HFRQRPLF straitjacket as it now does, outcomes inevitably become a condition of funding. Policy is thus directed at setting the parameters of who is to receive what, why and how, in order to secure those outcomes. And as public institutions in receipt of a great deal of public money, universities are no less to be subject to such policies. As if to reinforce this approach, government responsibility for higher education in the UK rests not within the Department for Education but rather within the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS). The stated aim of BIS is “makLQJ D GLŕŽ‰HUHQFH E\ VXSSRUWing sustained growth and higher skills across the economy‌working together for growth.â€? There is no doubt that higher education institutions contribute a great deal to the wider economy and society, and directly so, WKURXJK VFLHQWLனF UHVHDUFK the development of technol-

ogy and enterprise, to name but a few. The comprehensive picture of higher education funding is, of course, more complicated than I expound here. I am deliberately leaving aside the debate about student tuition fees, and the place of private or philanthropic investment in university research and infrastructure. And this does not constitute an attack on free market economics (I am enjoying writing this piece on my Mac!). My concern is broader than that. It is the question raised by the very fact that an organisation such as the CDBU has been established, and now. It is the question of why we are here, at the LSE. It is the question of what higher education is for. Because there are other, less tangible outcomes of higher education institutions which are less easy to measure. And unless these are articulated clearly and fought for loudly, they risk being overlooked in the drive to shorten the chain between what is taught in a university and Britain’s GDP. I have been the fortunate recipient of an incredibly privileged education. The

very fact that I am studying here, as a postgraduate at the LSE and living in London, is evidence of that fact. But if my limited life experience has taught me nothing else, it is that I have no more intrinsic right to be here than any other person. Because a responsibility fundamental in any civil society is that of ensuring its children are given the fullest possible range of tools with which to navigate through life. It is incumbent upon the state to provide this, particularly at primary level, for there the futures of most children are determined. The place of secondary education then becomes fundamental in ensuring that learning process continues and in securing open futures (regardless of socio-economic background). Whatever our motivations for studying and our concerns for the future, the establishPHQW RI WKH &'%8 RŕŽ‰HUV XV the chance to consider those things in greater depth. The group’s aim is to challenge the view that becoming a subject of the market is the sum total of our education, and that the guiding and overarching principle is economic - the monetary output

of our own, individual input. An education equips us with the tools to be free thinkers. Free thinkers are not those who repackage what’s gone before, but rather those who are unafraid to critique the very foundations of what they see, and then push the boundaries, making what was previously impossible at least conceivable. And where is that more to be discovered than in a place where the gold standard is expressed not in pounds and pence but rather in the ability to think critically and engage widely? The CBDU’s concern about the marketisation of higher education, then, prompts us to consider the intertwining of economics and politics, of education, of institutions and society. Yes, the practicalities are complicated. We even appear set on a course which cannot be deviated from. But if nothing else the presence of the CBDU will, I hope, open up the debate about what higher education should be and, as one founding member put it, encourage its ability to inspire “a broader, moral concern for nature and humanity.�

10

Comment

27.11.2012

| The Beaver

Britain should move towards “sociĂŠtĂŠ laĂŻqueâ€? The President of LSESU Forum believes there has never been a more appropriate moment to seize this chance Jon Allsop

The French are rightly proud of their secular society. Originating from when Napoleon Bonaparte aggressively unfolded the Catholic Church from the state in the early eighteenth century to end its status as a privileged feudal landlord, the concept of ‘laĂŻciW‍ ڑ‏ZDV FRGLனHG LQ DQG prevents the French government from endorsing any particular religion. The French experience has not been uniformly smooth, with detractors arguing that the secular principle has underpinned the general degradation of religion and led to illiberal legislation such as the contentious recent burqa ban. It is, however, an experience I believe that Britain should look to imitate. In my view, there has never been a more appropriate moment to institute a British laĂŻcitĂŠ. The Church of England’s General Synod last week voted to continue to ban women from serving as bishops, potentially kicking the

issue into the long grass for another three years. The fact that such an overwhelming groundswell of support for this measure failed to get it passed shows that the Church is institutionally stacked against change, with the fact WKDW SROLF\ PXVW EH UDWLனHG E\ a two-thirds supermajority in each house of Synod allowing an out-of-touch minority of dinosaurs and bigots to stymie any reform whiffing of even faint progressivism. The houses of Clergy and Bishops gave female bishops a resounding thumbs-up even under this more stringent criterion, although the House of Laity fell six votes short of such a majority and thus scuppered the proposed change. For me, the idea that the church is unable to ensure basic measures of equality is as alarming as the idea that it might be unwilling to. In the three years until this issue can come up for discussion again, several deserving women will be denied the opportunity to join the bishopric on the arbitrary grounds that they aren’t men. Writing

in the Guardian prior to the vote, opposition lay-member Lindsay Newcombe’s attempt to construct other reasons for the decision were deeply unconvincing, asserting limply WKDW ZRPHQ ZHUH ‍ڔ‏GLŕŽ‰HUHQW‍ ڕ‏ before seemingly attempting to devolve responsibility to a worldwide Anglican community as yet unready to make women bishops. In modern society, we must conclude that this stance is grossly indefensible, an indulgence LQ DQ RXWPRGHG V YDOXH VHW UHŕŽ‹HFWLQJ WKH LGHD WKDW women belong in the kitchen and not the pulpit. For me, the Church’s continued existence as an organ of the state makes the rejection of women bishops a very national embarrassment. The government’s credibility in pressing for gender equality and fair pay for all in the public sector and in business is undermined when it is so powerless to stop its affiliated religion from rejecting such a fundamental principle of equality. I do believe that religion can be an incredibly powerful force for good. Faith can

give people hope, teach them compassion and bring them together in a shared spirit of unity, respect and self-worth. I come from the sort of quaint Church of England village where the church binds together the local community, providing activities such as ŕŽ‹RZHU DUUDQJLQJ DQG EHOO ringing for the elderly, and organising schoolchildren’s harvest donations. Its architecture can be inspiring, providing even the faithless with opportunities for peaceful VSLULWXDO UHŕŽ‹HFWLRQ 0RVW LPportantly, it shapes the identity of its adherents, giving them the sort of existential meaning so important to a worthwhile life. +RZHYHU LW LV P\ னUP EHlief that religion should always be private rather public. We should prevent religious groups from running schools, not because they are bad at it but because children have the best chance of growing up to become tolerant adults if they have been educated in diverse classes from an early age. We should stop bishops from serving in the House

of Lords or at the very least open up parliamentary representation to other faiths, recognising that no one doctrine VKRXOG KDYH D XQLTXHO\ LQŕŽ‹Xential voice in our legislative chamber. The Queen should be removed from her position as Head of the Church of England, party to no symbolic endorsement of one religion over another. Ultimately, in a multicultural and increasingly heterogeneous society, it seems anachronistic to continue to harbour a state religion. While the Church of England’s position as ‘ours’ may be more or less entirely symbolic, symbolism is allimportant in religion. The symbolism of its decision to reject women bishops, therefore, provides a vital opportunity for its privatisation, showing with crystal clarity that the British people’s ofனFLDO &KXUFK LV QRZ ZRHIXOO\ out of step with fundamental principles of equality. With the Church of England mired in discrimination and discord, we must seize this chance to move towards a British “soFLÂŤWÂŤ ODÂąTXH ‍ڕ‏

It’s time to disestablish CofE

Why the link between Church and State is well past its sell-by date Liam Hill

On Tuesday night, the General Synod of the Church of England voted on what ought to be an uncontroversial issue. Two of its three houses, the bishops and the clergy, voted overwhelmingly to pass legislation which would have allowed women to become Anglican bishops. If a two-thirds majority of the lay members of the Synod had voted in favour of the legislation, the Church would be celebrating an historic step into a world where debate about gender equality is more concerned with how to implement an egalitarian solution than whether women should have the same rights and opportunities as men or not. But lay members failed to deliver a two-thirds majority by just six votes, which probably means that the Church will be unable to legislate again on the issue until after DQG WKH IRUPDWLRQ RI the next Synod. By denying women the same opportunities as men, the Church of England has

failed to drag itself into the WZHQW\ னUVW FHQWXU\ ,WV VWDtus as the established Church must be called into question. One reason this debacle has even had the potential to take place is the fact that religious institutions, including the established Church, DUH HŕŽ‰HFWLYHO\ SHUPLWWHG WR GLVFULPLQDWH WKURXJK VSHFLனF legislative provisions under the Equality and Diversity $FW RI ,I DQ\ RWKHU VHFtor were allowed to discriminate on the basis of gender in this way, many people would rightly call this an injustice. The exemption of religious institutions from equalities legislation should be challenged. Parliament could make this change which could potentially force the Church of England to accept the right of women to become bishops. (David Cameron has mentioned the need for a “sharp SURG‍ ڕ‏EXW DOVR VDLG 3DUOLDment must “respect individual institutions and how they ZRUN‍ ڕ‏+RZ KH ZLOO UHFRQFLOH these is not yet understood.) But what about of future of the Church itself? When an institution is brazenly willing

to discriminate against women in this way, why should it remain a part of the state? There is a strong case for the disestablishment of the Church of England and for the separation of Church and State. First, there is the simple fact that the Church has proved itself to be unrepresentative of the people it is supposed to represent. 42 of 44 dioceses responded in favour of women bishops when consulted earlier in the year. The Church is not only failing to represent society at large, it is failing to represent its own members. Second, the discrimination exhibited by the Church should be condemned by a responsible state which upholds equality, but the state cannot do this when the offending act is committed by a wing of the state. No institution, public or private, should have the right to discriminate against women, but when a public institution does so it undermines the state’s own ability to call out and punish similar discrimination elsewhere in society. This problem is further ex-

acerbated by the fact that the 26 bishops of the Church of England automatically have seats in the House of Lords (notably, only two countries, Britain and Iran, reserve seats in their legislature for the FOHUJ\ (ŕŽ‰HFWLYHO\ XSKROGing the prohibition of women bishops also means a de facto discrimination against women by Parliament, so long as it continues to allow twenty-six exclusively male members of the Church a place in its Upper Chamber. The altered demographic of this country also poses a problem for the Church. The British Social Attitudes Survey has shown a marked growth in people claiming not to belong to any particular religion, and a decrease in the number of people labelling themselves as Christian WR EHORZ SHU FHQW %ULWDLQ is a multi-faith country with a growing population who do not share the theological beliefs held by a wing of the state. This problem would be easily reconciled by the disestablishment of the Church. Perhaps the best and simplest reason for disestab-

lishing the Church is that it makes common sense, politically, legally and constitutionally. Removing the legal exemptions and elevated status of the Church would grant women equality and put the Anglican Church on a level SOD\LQJ னHOG ZLWK RWKHU UHOLgious institutions. It would end the legal and moral discrepancies between what the state expects of employers and what the Church itself is allowed to do. There is plenty that Parliament can do to overturn the singular injustice of the established Church’s rejection of women bishops, but while WKH னJKW IRU JHQGHU HTXDOLW\ will carry on well after women are allowed to become bishops, the issue of the established Church is also concerned with how we want the British constitution to work. The link between Church and State is well past its sellby date. Hopefully, now, we can see the paucity of the Church’s claim to moral authority in light of this sexist travesty. And, hopefully, the Church will be stripped of its unmerited power.

Comment

The Beaver | 27.11.2012

11

7KH K\SRFULV\ RI SRLQWLQJ ૹQJHUV :K\ DWWDFNLQJ (8 ‫ڔ‬LQH୿FLHQF\‫ ڕ‬LV D GDQJHURXV JDPH IRU 'DYLG &DPHURQ UK REPRESENTATION TO THE EU

DULLHUNK

Konstantin Sietzy

With the second round of EU budgetary negotiations having taken place last week, criticism of EU spending practices is topical. Yet a common misperception seems to be, perhaps more so on the continent than in Britain, that the British critique of European spending aligns it with states such as Germany, Finland or the Netherlands on the conservative side of the austerity-spending divide. Of course, given the tediously infinite commitment to keep throwing “good money after bad” in the Eurozone, every structural or cohesion fund Euro that gets taken out of Macedonia, Andalusia or Southern Italy will be replaced from one or the other of Europe’s northern contributors (i.e., if France’s downgrading flurry continues, soon-to-be: Germany). It is thus an expedient (and unashamedly obvious) method for Britain to shift the burden of European-scale transfer payments. Yet in the run-up to the present round of Multi-Annual Financial Framework talks (yes, the EU could save on complex names), British criticism of EU spending has taken on a different dimension. It is now increasingly directed towards the “inefficient” spending practices of the EU administration, rather than specific projects. The cause of this is blatantly political. It is apparently easier to take on the EU bureaucracy than stepping on any country’s toes by

challenging their access to prehensible to me; using sponse to media hype” and cohesion funding. Yet Da- such research as a basis the “cardinal example of vid Cameron has apparent- for general conclusions is poor, ill-thought-out reguly decided that going down more than questionable lation.” More householdin history as the PM that social science. common examples of pubtook Britain out of the EU On a more general lev- lic policy failure in Britain is slightly too big a project el, any student of Public include the NHS IT refor his risk-averse nature. Policy Analysis must per- form, the Single Farm PayContinuation of attacks on ceive charges of public ment scheme or the Buildthe EU per se, ing Schools though, continfor the Future ue to be a do- “Not only are charges of inefficiency p r o g r a m m e , mestic necessieach costing ty. Thus a new frequently incorrect, Cameron and coalition the taxpayer governmental eurosceptics walk a dangerous course when billions of hobby-horse is they attack Europe not on the basis of the pounds and/ to divert atten- numerous extant reasonable arguments but or delivering tion from aryears late. If guments why through a type of populism that downright you ever have it would be in invites opponents to point their fingers back your cynical British interday, sit in bed DW WKHP ‫ڕ‬ ests to leave with a cup of the Union, to attacking it inefficiency coming out tea and your laptop and from a more “objective” of the UK as grimly iron- browse the National Audit position that seems less ic. There exists an entire Office’s website. Hours of likely to put the British in subfield of academia ex- fun. isolation. This most recent ploring why (not “if ”) the The coalition’s second rhetorical shift reduces UK experiences the most, target of choice is EU burisk of international fric- and the most costly, poli- reaucrats horrendous overtion, while at the same cy failures in the Western pay they brazenly demand time placating the increas- world. In a wordplay on despite their inefficiency. ingly eurosceptic British old Western-genre movies, How it can be brought up public. It is therefore quite Britain is often called the in a pejorative manner that clever. country with “the fastest 214 of the 44,000 EU offiHowever, it is also stu- law in the West” – gran- cials earn more than PM pendously hypocritical. diose policy failures are David Cameron (approxiCriticisms of EU spend- usually explained in terms mately 220,000€ per aning “excesses” are gener- of Britain’s Westminster- num) is simply incompreally in the following form: style political system that hensible to me, given that I recently came across produces clear majorities they steer a union of 503 an article, admittedly in in the House of Commons million people (as opposed a German paper, listing (infallible since WW2 until to the UK’s 60 million) and six examples in which EU the last elections) and that $17.6 trillion GDP (as opfunding had been blown to allows for legislation to posed to the UK’s $2.4 trilthe wind in projects that be passed without a large lion). I have never heard a upon inspection turned out number of checks and bal- French or a German citito have been not, or only ances. This leads to overly zen complain that Francois partially, implemented. Of hasty, “knee-jerk respons- Hollande (approximately those six, three rested on es” to focus incidents that 180,000€ per annum) or singular cases (including spontaneously arouse pub- Angela Merkel (approxifunding for a non-existent lic interest: the 1991 Dan- mately 216,000€/annum) “ghost” flock of sheep). gerous Dogs Act is still em- have a lower annual salary How investigations like ployed in academia as “a than David Cameron, dethis make it into a respect- synonym for any unthink- spite both their countries able news outlet is incom- ing reflex legislative re- being larger in terms of

population and GDP. One of Cameron’s points of departure for Thursday’s summit was his demand to raise EU officials’ retirement age to 68, slash pay by 10 per cent and slash pensions. Need I say more about hypocrisy than encouraging you to imagine domestic reactions if the coalition proposed similar infringements on the UK’s 532,000 civil servants? There are certainly a significant number of cases of waste and misallocation of EU funds, and both researching these, and ‘name and shame’ politics are important to remedy them and prevent repetition. Yet with a bureaucracy the size of the city administration of Paris (Mrs Merkel’s position in the present talks, excessively expansionary in British terms, was to limit the EU budget to one per cent of national budgets) the strain of these failings on the individual member states are next to negligible. Not only are charges of inefficiency frequently incorrect, Cameron and coalition eurosceptics walk a dangerous course when they attack Europe not on the basis of the numerous extant reasonable arguments but through a type of populism that downright invites opponents to point their fingers back at them. Konstantin Sietzy is Chair of the European Sphere working group at lsesu forum. Their next debate will be held at 6pm on Tuesday 27th November in CLM G.03

12

Advert

27.11.2012

| The Beaver

Graduating in

2015? Spring Week

Spending a week at J.P. Morgan could transform your future. Our three Spring Week programmes will give you a true insight into our business, and could earn you a place on one of our much sought-after internships. Spring Week: Experience the Markets is a rotational programme on the trading floor where you’ll learn about the many roles and product groups within Sales, Trading & Research. Spring Week: Experience Investment Banking and Risk provides a detailed and comprehensive overview of our Investment Banking and IB Risk business areas, with presentations, interactive workshops, networking events and more. European language skills are beneficial. Spring Week in Technology highlights our cutting edge Technology offering through presentations, workshops and coding challenges. Open to students graduating in 2015, studying towards any degree discipline. To learn more and apply, visit:

jpmorgan.com/springweek

Our success depends on our people. Introducing Oliver, joined 2011. J.P. Morgan is a marketing name of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its subsidiaries worldwide. Š 2012 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved. J.P. Morgan is an equal opportunities employer.

The Beaver 27.11.2012

PartB

THEATRE MASTERSLUT

13

FILM PREVIEW BULLHEAD

14

27.11.2012 PartB

MEET OUR

F EDITORS

BULLHEAD

PartB

VENESSA CHAN JOSH JINRUANG partb@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Fashion

LSESU FASHION SOCIETY fashion@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Film

VENESSA CHAN VACANCY

೉ OP#WKHEHDYHURQOLQH FR XN

Food

LAURA RANDLE

food@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Literature VACANT

literature@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Music

TOM BARNES EMIR NADER

PXVLF#WKHEHDYHURQOLQH FR XN

GINGER WHOREBY

privateb@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Theatre

LAURENCE VARDAXOGLOU theatre@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Television

ISABELLA SILVER

tv@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Video Games

PHILIP GALLAGHER

YLGHRJDPHV#WKHEHDYHURQOLQH FR XN

Visual Arts ERIKA ARNOLD

visualarts@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Web

VACANT

partb-web@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Cover Art COURTESY OF NARGHEE-LA FLICKR

Write for us!

FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ANY OF US ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES TO WRITE FOR PARTB

PartB

SODA PICTURES

Private B

I

have not been as emotionally and psychologically disturbed by a film since Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem For a Dream. The erratic cinematography, coupled with tortured protagonists spiralling down a slippery slope to self destruction with undue thanks to an uncontrollable heroine addiction and a climatic soundtrack, ultimately reinforced why such psychological thrillers have been a personal favourite. Bullhead is, essentially, of a similar disposition to Requiem For a Dream, but perhaps even more tragic. Nominated last year for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category, Bullhead revolves around a ‘mafia-esque’ world where instead of a conventional rift between mobsters over weapons, drugs and/or money taking centre stage, the Belgian native director MichaĂŤl R. Roskam aimed to produce his own local equivalent of the perpetually famous Corleone family from The Godfather. He comments, ‘I wanted to do one in my own way, on my own soil, with my own background’. With this in mind, it is unsurprising that Bullhead is loosely based on a case in the late 1990s whereby veterinary inspector, Karel Van Noppen, was murdered for exposing the Belgian ‘bovine hormonal industry’. This not only raises concern for the welfare of the cattle in question as the insemination of artificial hormones to ‘beef up’ one’s cattle is morally questionable within itself, but this scenario also adds an innovative edge to the current trend of gangster thrillers. In light of this, Bullhead follows the termination of a proposed deal struck between protagonist Jack Van-

marseilles (Matthias Schoenaerts), a roguish veterinarian and a notorious beef trader which grinds to halt due to the assassination of a federal police officer and the reappearance of a painful reminder of Jack’s traumatic past, resulting in a ‘chain of events’ that lead to the catastrophic demise of Jack. But to view this as the literal premise of Bullhead, would outrightly discredit the fundamental essence of Roskam’s critically acclaimed work: the notion of the ‘complete’ self essentially relies on both physical and mental factors. The film is primarily set in Limburg, a rural Belgian town home to Jack, then a young cattle farmer who is characteristically introduced as the epitome of a ‘raging bull’. We are graced in the opening scenes with an extremely butch Jack in his bathroom, nude in disposition, limbering up and punching into nothingness, taking his next fix of a testosterone infused cocktail of ‘medicinal’ drugs. This here is our first clear indicator that this turbulent, hormonal figure clearly has unresolved, internalised issues that have yet to be fully understood by those who have some sort of affiliation with him. Yet, Schoenaert’s stunning depiction of Jack’s tormented self made it hard not to appreciate the beauty of such a masculine figure no matter how twisted, distorted and dark it may appear in the first instance. In this sense, the beauty of Jack lies within the story of his traumatic childhood experience that permanently strips him of his manhood and thus an element of his ‘self’. His violent, butch physical nature is simply a consequence of this morbid in-

cident, and such behaviour directly parallels the vulnerable state of the cattle in which his family have kept enclosed and artificially stimulated over the past decade. The most poignant moment in Bullhead was most definitely when Jack, on the verge of losing everything both physically and mentally, has a sudden epiphany that the cattle are effectively a metaphor of his very own existence, which aroused a highly sympathetic approach toward his character. Conflict between the ‘artificial’ and the ‘natural’, with respect to both Jack and the cattle, reinforced that such combinations have been the direct cause of ambivalent and unnatural events and mannerisms. Cinematographer Nicolas Karakatsanis brilliantly reinforced this with the placement of beautiful natural landscapes before and after each climatic scene involving an intense encounter with Jack’s battle between his past, the ‘natural’ self and his incessant need to secure his fix of illegal substances. Sexual tension is paramount in Bullhead and without it, the nature of Jack’s borderline psychopathic behaviour and relationship with the external world would be difficult to understand and empathise with. Take for instance Jack’s relationships with Dierdrick Maes (Jeroen Perceval), his

estranged childhood best friend and Lucia Schepers (Jeanne Dandoy), a woman with whom he has been infatuated with since his first encounter with her as a young child. Dierdrick, who has been inferred to have homosexual favourings which are kept hidden due to his gang affiliation, is somewhat portrayed as partially responsible for Jack’s inability to ‘know what it is to get love or give love... which completely messes him up’. Meanwhile, Lucia serves as the ultimate tormentor; Jack is unable to express his repressed sexual desire for her and as a result we see during his epiphanic moment at the end of Bullhead, the realisation that she has moved on and thus the ultimate finale: his self-destruction. Although at times the overall dynamic of Bullhead seemed convoluted and quite often unnecessarily grotesque, all in all this film was extremely well done. The strong acting performances with especial credit to Schoenaerts, as well as darker thematic approaches to love, loss and essentially man’s destiny, all accounted for the unresolved feeling of anguish left within me by the end of the film.

Koko Achia Owusu

PREVIEW IN CINEMAS 1 FEBRUARY 2013 Director 0LFKD­O 5 5RVNDP Cast 0DWWKLDV 6FKRHQDHUWV -HURHQ 3HUFHYDO -HDQQH 'DQGR\ %DUEDUD 6DUD೉ DQ Run time PLQXWHV

15

The Beaver 27.11.2012

Æ ESTÔGAMO

F

Food and its attractions.

WKH URDGVLGH UHVWDXUDQW (D JHU WR REWDLQ D UHDO EHG DQG PDNH KLPVHOI PRUH OHJLWLPDWH KH FKULVWHQV KLPVHOI ‫ݯ‬1RQDWR 3RFNHWNQLIH‫ ݰ‬+H RQO\ UHDOO\ EHJLQV WR JDLQ UHVSHFW WKRXJK ZKHQ KH UHYHDOV WKDW KH XVHG WR EH D FRRN DQG EHJLQV PDNLQJ ZKDW LQ WKH SULVRQ DPRXQWV WR D IHDVW IRU HYHU\ PHDO -RUJH XVHV IRRG DV D PHWD SKRU IRU SRZHU‫ݫ‬LQ IDFW IRRG LV XVHG WR JDLQ SRZHU ERWK LQ WKH NLWFKHQ DQG LQ WKH SULVRQ $V 5DLPXQGR 1RQDWR‫ݰ‬V IRRG EHFRPHV PRUH ZHOO NQRZQ LQ WKH QHLJKERXUKRRG KH ೉ QGV D EHWWHU MRE VRFLDOLVHV ZLWK WKH ‫ݯ‬LQ FURZG ‫ ݰ‬DQG KLV UHODWLRQVKLS ZLWK ULD VHHPV WR GHHSHQ ,Q WKH SULVRQ KH PRYHV XS LQ VOHHSLQJ FRQGLWLRQV DV KH PDQ DJHV WR JHW WKH LQJUHGLHQWV KH QHHGV WR VDWLVI\ WKH WRS GRJV LQ KLV FHOO‫ݫ‬FKLHI DPRQJ WKHP URVHPDU\ ZKLFK EHFRPHV KLV QHZ QLFNQDPH

BARBICAN CENTRE

LOPV DUH RIWHQ D UHೊ HF tion of their times, and 0DUFRV -RUJH‫ݰ‬V GUD ma Estômago: A Gastronomic Story SUHVHQWV D PLFURFRVP RI PRGHUQ GD\ %UD]LOLDQ VRFLHW\ 2YHU WKH SDVW \HDUV %UD ]LO KDV XQGHUJRQH WUHPHQGRXV HFRQRPLF DQG VRFLDO FKDQJHV HPHUJLQJ IURP YDULRXV HFR QRPLF FULVHV WR EHFRPLQJ E\ WKH ZRUOG‫ݰ‬V WK ODUJHVW HFRQRP\ ,QHTXDOLW\ DQG FODVV GLYLVLRQV DUH VWLOO ULIH KRZHY HU DQG WKH FDVW RI FKDUDFWHUV in Estômago KLJKOLJKW MXVW KRZ PXFK VWDWXV VWLOO PDWWHUV LQ WKLV K\SHUFDSLWDOLVW VRFLHW\ 5DLPXQGR 1RQDWR -R¥R 0LJXHO D VZHHW LI VRPHZKDW GLP DQG VORZ WDONLQJ PDQ IURP WKH FRXQWU\VLGH DUULYHV LQ WKH ELJ FLW\ ZLWKRXW DQ\ WKLQJ WR UHO\ RQ‫ݫ‬QR PRQH\ QR IULHQGV QR DFFRPPRGDWLRQ 6HUHQGLSLWRXVO\ ೉ QGLQJ ZRUN LQ D GXOO URDGVLGH UHVWDXUDQW KH TXLFNO\ PDVWHUV WKH IULHG FKLFNHQ FURTXHWWH DQG GULYHV XS EXVLQHVV $PRQJ WKH PDQ\ QHZ FXVWRPHUV LV ULD )DELXOD 1DVFLPHQWR D JLUO ZKR PLJKW QRW EH EHDXWLIXO E\ $QJOR 6D[ RQ VWDQGDUGV‫ݫ‬VKH ORYHV WR HDW DQG LV WKHUHIRUH QRW DV VNLQQ\ DV PRVW VXSHUPRGHOV‫\ݫ‬HW ZKR VWLOO H[XGHV VH[XDOLW\ 7KH VWRU\ LQ WKH NLWFKHQ ZHDYHV LQ ZLWK WKH VWRU\ LQ WKH SULVRQ ZKHUH ZH VHH 5DLPXQ GR 1RQDWR EHLQJ WUDQVIHUUHG IRU D FULPH QRW PHQWLRQHG +H LV JLYHQ WKH ೊ RRU WR VOHHS RQ MXVW DV KH ZDV ZKHQ KH ೉ UVW PRYHG LQWR WKH EDFNURRP RI

,I \RX DUH QRW LQWR DQDO\VLQJ WKH ೉ OP‫ݰ‬V V\PEROLF HOHPHQWV and have no appetite for the JRUJRQ]ROD FKHHVH ORYLQJO\ VOLFHG E\ WKH PDLQ FKDUDFWHU Estômago is also a feast for WKH H\HV DQG WKH HDUV 7KH FLQHPDWRJUDSK\ ZDV MDUULQJO\ UHDOLVWLF SULVRQ VFHQHV ZHUH ೉ OPHG LQ D UHDO SULVRQ DQG NLWFKHQ VFHQHV ZHUH ೉ OPHG LQ D UHDO NLWFKHQ +RZHYHU WKHUH ZDV DOVR DQ DOPRVW PDJLFDO WLQJH ZLWK YLYLG FRORXUV ‫ ݪ‬YHU\ appropriate for a movie set in %UD]LO‫ݫ‬RIWHQ VHW DJDLQVW D YHU\ VSDUH EDFNJURXQG LQ VORZ PRWLRQ SDQQLQJ VKRWV 7KH PXVLF RQ WKH RWKHU KDQG LV UHPLQLVFHQW RI WKDW LQ )HGHULFR )HOOLQL‫ݰ‬V ೉ OPV 7KUHH OLQJHU LQJ WKHPHV SOD\HG XVLQJ WUD GLWLRQDO %UD]LOLDQ LQVWUXPHQWV UHFXU LQ VFHQHV LQYROYLQJ WKH NLWFKHQ SRZHU VWUXJJOHV DQG WKH HFVWDV\ RI IRRG ORYH DQG SRZHU

0LJXHO LQ KLV VHFRQG PDMRU VWDUULQJ UROH VKLQHV DV D %UD ]LOLDQ YHUVLRQ RI )RUUHVW *XPS KLGLQJ D VLPPHULQJ YLROHQFH DQG WKLUVW IRU SRZHU QR SXQ LQWHQGHG EHKLQG DQ LQFUHGLEO\ YXOQHUDEOH SHUVRQDOLW\ ,Q WKH EHJLQQLQJ 5DLPXQGR 1RQDWR LV WDNHQ DGYDQWDJH RI E\ WKH RZQHU RI WKH URDGVLGH UHVWDX UDQW E\ WKH HQG RI WKH PRYLH KH KDV ZRUNHG KLV ZD\ XS WKH ODGGHU QRW RQFH EXW WZLFH +LV GRSH\ QDWXUH LV QHYHU FRP SOHWHO\ HUDVHG KRZHYHU DQG 0LJXHO FRPELQHV WKHVH FRQ ೊ LFWLQJ FKDUDFWHU WUDLWV YHU\ ZHOO 1DVFLPHQWR LQ RQO\ KHU VHFRQG UROH HYHU VHDPOHVVO\ JRHV IURP EHLQJ VHGXFWLYH DW D VWULS FOXE WR EHLQJ VH[X DOO\ YRUDFLRXV LQ EHG WR EHLQJ H[WUHPHO\ GRWLQJ DQG FDULQJ XSRQ 0LJXHO‫ݰ‬V FKDUDFWHU %RWK DFWRUV VLQFH WKH UHOHDVH RI Estômago KDYH JRQH RQ WR KDYH H[WUHPHO\ SURGXFWLYH FDUHHUV LQ WKH %UD]LOLDQ WHOHYLVLRQ DQG ೉ OP LQGXVWU\ 7KH VXSSRUWLQJ FKDUDFWHUV LQ WKLV GUDPD DUH IHZ EXW WKH\ DOVR VWDQG RXW %XML¼ %DEX 6DQWDQD H[FHOV DV D VWHUHR W\SLFDO SULVRQ FHOO OHDGHU ZKLOH WKH RWKHU LQPDWHV VKRZ PRUH

QXDQFHG VLGHV RI WKH SRSXOD WLRQ‫ݫ‬WKH RQH ZKR GRHV QRW WDON WKH RQH ZKR LV VXERUGL QDWH WR %XML¼ WKH IDOO JX\ ,Q WKH NLWFKHQ PHDQZKLOH WKH RZQHU RI WKH URDGVLGH UHV WDXUDQW DQG WKH RZQHU RI WKH PRUH XSVFDOH UHVWDXUDQW WKDW 5DLPXQGR 1RQDWR HYHQWXDOO\ PRYHV WR ZKLOH EHLQJ SK\VLFDO O\ VLPLODU DUH VNLOIXOO\ SOD\HG ZLWK VXEWO\ \HW QRWLFHDEO\ GLI IHUHQW OHYHOV RI FRQ೉ GHQFH DQG KHQFH VWDWXV OHYHOV 5DLPXQGR 1RQDWR QDUUDWHV WKURXJKRXW WKH ೉ OP Hೈ RUW OHVVO\ PDNLQJ WKH WUDQVLWLRQ EHWZHHQ NLWFKHQ DQG SULVRQ VFHQHV 7KHUH LV QR KLQW‫ݫ‬XQ WLO SHUKDSV WKH PDFDEUH WZLVW HQGLQJ V DW WKH YHU\ HQG‫ݫ‬WKDW KH UHDOLVHV DQG FDQ DUWLFXODWH WKH SRZHU JDPH WKDW KH KDV EHHQ SOD\LQJ 7KH G\QDPLFV RI SRZHU LQ WKH PRYLH HYROYH VORZO\ EXW ZKHQ PDGH REYL RXV \RX UHDOLVH MXVW KRZ PDV WHUIXOO\ 0DUFRV -RUJH KDV UHF UHDWHG %UD]LOLDQ VRFLHW\ $QG OLNH ULD \RX ZLOO DOVR EH OHIW FUDYLQJ VRPH IULHG FKLFNHQ FURTXHWWHV

-Hೈ 0R

BARBICAN CENTRE 'Seven Deadly Sins' Series Director Marcos Jorge Cast João Miguel, Fabiula Nascimento Run time 113 minutes

% GREAT EXPECTATIONS BBC FILMS

P

HULRG GUDPDV VHHP WR EH EDFN LQ YRJXH‫ݫ‬UHFHQWO\ Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Anna Karenina‫ݫ‬DQG WKH ODWHVW Rೈ HULQJ LV WKH 'LFNHQV‫ ݰ‬FODVVLF Great Expectations ,W LV D WDOH RI \RXQJ EODFNVPLWK 3LS -HUH P\ ,UYLQH ZKR DVSLUHV WR EH D JHQWOHPDQ 7KLV LV DOO EXW D GUHDP XQWLO D P\VWHULRXV GR QRU EHVWRZV 3LS D IRUWXQH WR DOORZ KLP WR OLYH LQ /RQGRQ DQG OHDUQ KRZ WR EH D JHQWOH PDQ $V 3LS WULHV WR ZLQ WKH KHDUW RI KLV VWHUQ XSSHU FODVV FKLOGKRRG VZHHWKHDUW (VWHOOD ZLWK KLV QHZ VWDWXV VHFUHWV DQG GHFHLWV DUH UHYHDOHG WKDW XQGHUSLQ 3LS‫ݰ‬V QHZ OLIH DQG H[ SHFWDWLRQV 7KH UHDO FDWFK RI WKH DGDSW

HG SHULRG GUDPD LV KRZ WR NHHS LW HQHUJHWLF DQG HQJDJ LQJ IRU D PRGHUQ DXGLHQFH" 7KHUH DUH XVXDOO\ WZR URXWHV HLWKHU D FUHDWLYH UH LPDJLQLQJ RI D FODVVLF OLNH -RH :ULJKW‫ݰ‬V Anna Karenina RU EH IDLWKIXO DQG EROVWHU WKH VRXUFH PDWH ULDO ZLWK VWURQJ SHUIRUPDQFHV VKDUS GLUHFWLQJ DQG FOHYHU VFUHHQZULWLQJ VLPLODU WR &DU\ )XNXQDJD‫ݰ‬V Jane Eyre 7KH LV VXH ZLWK 0LNH 1HZHOO‫ݰ‬V WDNH RQ 'LFNHQV LV WKDW LW IDOOV LQWR QHL WKHU FDPSV )URP WKH Rೈ VHW DOO WKH LQJUHGLHQWV DUH SUHVHQW WR HPEDUN RQ WKH IDLWKIXO URXWH LQ D VSHFWDFXODU IDVKLRQ 0XFK GHWDLO LV SDLG WR WKH FRVWXPH DQG VHW GHVLJQ WR UHFUHDWH WKH FRQWUDVW EHWZHHQ WKH GHVRODWH .HQW FRXQWU\VLGH DQG EXVWOLQJ

/RQGRQ LQ WKH th FHQWXU\ 7KH FDVW IXOO RI ELJ %ULWLVK QDPHV VXFK DV +HOHQD %RQKDP &DUW HU 5DOSK )LHQQHV DQG 5REELH &ROWUDQH WR QDPH D IHZ DQG VXUSULVH VXSSRUWLQJ UROHV IHD WXULQJ 6DOO\ +DZNLQV DQG 'D YLG :DOOLDPV <HW GHVSLWH DOO WKLV SRWHQWLDO DV D ೉ OP Great Expectations ೊ RZV VWHDGLO\ EXW QHYHU UHDOO\ ULVHV WR JUHDWQHVV 7KH PDLQ SUREOHP LV WKH ULJLG UHOLDQFH RQ WKH QRYHO DQG LQDELOLW\ RI WKH ೉ OPPDNHUV WR HGLW IRFXV DQG FRQWULEXWH WR WKLV DGDSWDWLRQ WR JLYH LW D GLVWLQFWLYH ೊ DYRXU 'DYLG 1LFK ROV‫ ݰ‬VFULSW GRHV ZHOO WR PDNH D FRPSOH[ SORW XQGHUVWDQGDEOH EXW GRHV OLWWOH WR H[FLWH 7R EH JLQ ZLWK WKH FKURQRORJLFDO OD\ RXW RI WKH ೉ OP VORZV GRZQ WKH SDFH SDUWLFXODUO\ DV WKH VFULSW LQGXOJHV LQ FDSWXULQJ LQVLJ QL೉ FDQW LGOH GHWDLOV DQG VFHQHV IURP WKH QRYHO SDUWLFXODUO\ ZLWK 3LS‫ݰ‬V FKLOGKRRG WKDW WKH ೉ OP FRXOG GR ZLWKRXW :KDW UH VXOWV LV D FRPSDFWHG VORZ DQG SHGDQWLF ೉ UVW KDOI 7KH XQGHU O\LQJ WKHPHV RI ORVW LQQRFHQFH WKDW UXQ WKURXJK WKH YHLQV RI WKH 'LFNHQV‫ ݰ‬QRYHO DUH DOVR EOXUUHG LQ WKLV DGDSWDWLRQ ZLWK ,UYLQH‫ݰ‬V 3LS DV FROG GDUN DQG XQOLNHDEOH IURP EHJLQQLQJ WR HQG ZLWK OLWWOH FDWKDUVLV 7KXV WKH JUHDW VKDPH RI WKLV DGDSWD WLRQ LV WKH H[FHVVLYH IRFXV RQ

GHWDLOV DQG QRW HQRXJK RI WKH JUDQGHU SLFWXUH 7KH OR\DOW\ WR WKH QRYHO LV DGPLUDEOH EXW LW XOWLPDWHO\ KLQ GHUV WKH ೉ OP‫ݰ‬V SRWHQWLDO 1HZ HOO‫ݰ‬V Great Expectations is an DGDSWDWLRQ ZLWKRXW LPDJLQD WLRQ ZKDW WKH ೉ OP EHJV IRU LV VRPH FUHDWLYH ULVN VRPH ERXW RI HQHUJ\ WKDW JULSV WKH YLHZ HU DQG PDNHV WKH ZKROH Dೈ DLU OHVV SUHGLFWDEOH )RU H[DPSOH LQ ODVW \HDU‫ݰ‬V Jane Eyre, the FOHYHU GHFLVLRQ WR RSHQ WKH ೉ OP ZLWK D VFHQH IURP WKH PLGGOH RI WKH ೉ OP DQG XVH ೊ DVKEDFNV FUHDWHG D P\VWHU\ IRU WKH YLHZ HU WR VROYH IURP WKH ೉ UVW IUDPH 7KLV NLQG RI HGLWLQJ UHWDLQV WKH DXWKHQWLFLW\ RI WKH QRYHO EXW FUXFLDOO\ VKRZV WKH VNLOO RI DGDSWLQJ WKH VRXUFH PDWHULDO WR FDSWXUH DQ DXGLHQFH ZKLFK Great Expectations VR ODFNV +RZHYHU IRU DOO LWV ೊ DZV WKHUH DUH VRPH VWURQJ SHU IRUPDQFHV ZLWK WKH VWDQGRXW EHLQJ WKH KDXQWLQJ UHYLYDO RI 0LVV +DYHUVKDP E\ %RQKDP

&DUWHU IULJKWHQLQJ LQ KHU URW WHQ ZHGGLQJ JRZQ DQG ZDUSHG KDLU 7KHUH LV DOVR D VRIW VH[L QHVV EURXJKW WR (VWHOOD E\ +ROOLGD\ *UDLQJHU WKDW SDUD GR[LFDOO\ PDNHV KHU PRUH FDO FXODWHG DQG UXWKOHVV LQ ‫ݯ‬ZUHDN LQJ UHYHQJH RQ WKH PDOH VH[‫ ݰ‬ 7KHUH LV DOVR D VWURQJ VFHQW RI FKHPLVWU\ EHWZHHQ 3LS DQG (V WHOOD ZKLFK EULQJV D QHZ KRU PRQDO WHHQDJH HQHUJ\ WR WKHLU URPDQFH FRPSDUHG WR SUHYLRXV DGDSWDWLRQV This Great Expectations PLJKW KDYH EHHQ LQFUHGLEOH DV D WHOHYLVLRQ ೉ OP EXW RQ D FLQHPDWLF VFDOH LW OXOOV LQ PH GLRFULW\ 6RPH LPSUHVVLYH SHU IRUPDQFHV D IHZ QLFH WRXFKHV DQG VHW IXUQLVKLQJV DUH LQVXI ೉ FLHQW WR OHDYH D PDUN RQ DIWHU ೉ YH WHOHYLVLRQ DQG IRXU FLQH PDWLF UHLQFDUQDWLRQV VLQFH 'D YLG /HDQ‫ݰ‬V FODVVLF DGDS WDWLRQ DQ XQIRUWXQDWH PLVVHG RSSRUWXQLW\ 6DUDK (VVD

IN CINEMAS 30 NOVEMBER 2012 Director Mike Newell Cast Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Jeremy Irvine, Holliday Grainger Run time 128 minutes

16

27.11.2012 PartB

‘ IN EXTREMIS

I

n 1895 Oscar Wilde was arrested for gross indecency after the police were DOHUWHG WR DQ DŕŽ‰ DLU KH KDG KDG

with a prominent young man —just one week before the beginning of the trial that was to cost him everything, Oscar

KING'S HEAD THEATRE

sought the advice of society palm reader Mrs Robinson. In Extremis puts us in that room. Kate Copeland’s Mrs Robinson is everything you would expect from a woman who was rumoured to have read for members of the royal family, and she begins by introducing the man who needs no introduction with charming admiration. As we wait for his entrance she whets the appetite with whispers that cloak him in the intrigue that preceded him at the time. After all of this, his entrance is, regretWDEO\ ŕŽ‹ DWâ€ŤÚŒâ€ŹLW ZDV LPPHGLDWHO\ obvious that Nigel Fairs is not the right person to play Oscar. Not nearly as impressive, not nearly as charismatic, not at all helped by an electric cigarette. Fair’s Wilde is depressingly unlikeable, smarmy, slimy—he oozes arrogance but in an obnoxious way. The lustful way he talked about “his boysâ€? was distasteful, of course Wilde did have sexual relationships with other men but more than that he did love the boys he surrounded himself with—further he recognised the severity of such a relationship. Fairs’ Wilde made the “love that dare not speak its nameâ€? something indecent and vile—granted this view is typical of the time but it was certainly not the view of Oscar himself. Stephen Fry’s SRUWUD\DO RI 2VFDU LQ WKH ன OP Wilde is more considerate.

Occasionally Mrs Robinson freezes him to address the audience and why not? This is her domain after all, she is used to having complete control over unsuspecting but nonetheless willing clients. Neil Bartlett bridges the gap between then and now in these scenes and allows Mrs Robinson to share her thoughts as we slowly begin to see her front unravel. Flustered by Wilde’s ambiguity she lies in order to appease him, to impress him even—he appears unaware of her dishonesty. Persuasive in her conduct but totally unreliable, Wilde’s coming is a shock to Mrs Robinson—what exactly was one of the most pre-emiQHQW ன JXUHV LQ SXEOLF OLIH RQH of the most celebrated and SUROLன F ZRUGVPLWK RI WKH PRG ern age, doing consulting her? A palm reader. Palm reading is by no means an exact science and those who claim to posses this gift are more often than not mere tricksters—charlatans. And yet charlatans always fascinated Wilde, many of his characters were exactly that—it would be most like

KLP WR ன QG PRVW WUXWK LQ WKHLU lies. Bartlett has Wilde churning out short wisdoms throughout the piece, and whilst this is to be expected from any attempt to portray Oscar if everything KH VD\V LV SUROLன F WKHQ WKLV takes away an element of humanity from a man who was so very in touch with the human condition. A lecture in Wildisms is a sure crowd pleaser but not at all necessary. His friends were, at the WLPH XUJLQJ KLP WR ŕŽ‹ HH WR France, his mother insisted he stay in London and appear at the trial as a man ‘should’. Of course we can never know what was truly said in Mrs Robinson’s room but Neil Bartlett’s on-the-whole thoughtful pondering suggests that the events of that night could have been pivotal in Oscar’s decision—and the rest, as they say, is history.

#Laurence Vardaxglou

THE KING'S HEAD THEATRE 2, 3, 9 December 2012 Written by Neil Bartlett Directed by Caroline Devlin Starring Kate Copeland, Nigel Fairs

MASTERSLUT

SOHO THEATRE

T

im Key is a comedianpoet. Best known as a contributor to Charlie Brooker’s excellent Screenwipe series. Graduating from Sheffield University he moved to Cambridge and joined The Footlights. It was here where he met the rest of his sketch group Cowards with whom he has produced series for both television and radio. His show, Masterslut, came to the end of its time in London last week after an incredible two year run. In a world of comedy that is saturated with average, Key is anything but. Waiting for the show to begin is a surreal experience. Key, already in character, saunters about VWDJH FDUU\LQJ D ŕŽ‹ RZHU OLNH a demented Morrissey. To the left of him is a bath with strawberry’s perched on the side for sustenance. Suddenly a seating plan (complete with route and instructions for audience interaction) appears behind him. It has begun. He dives back onto stage DQG VWUDLJKW LQWR KLV ன UVW poem. It is one that concerns a man and his brand new ox (lucky him). Written on the back of ‘saucy’ playing cards, it is these poems that will form the backbone of the show

but calling them such may be a touch misleading. They would be better described as short stories, seeming normal DW ன UVW \HW DOZD\V OHDGLQJ WR somewhere unexpected. The poems are funny in their own right but what really sells them is Key’s commentary that weaves in and amongst the prose. His inane quips regarding the characters’ personalities and situa-

tions disarm us keeping the audience susceptible to the surprise that is inevitably coming in later lines. This is taken to an extreme as we are shown on a projector over 40 drafts (after which I lost count) of a single poem. Some varying only slightly while others are completely distinct apart from the characters’ names. Some he fully dissects and others he lingers on for no

more than a second, each of us DOORZHG WR VSRW GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW MRNHV and thus creating an entirely personal experience. Then the whistlestop tour comes to an abrupt end and we are left exKDXVWHG ZLWK ODXJKWHU WKH ன

QDO GUDIW LGHQWLFDO WR WKH ன UVW Key at one point touches on the title of the show saying that it is a pun on the words mastermind (or masterchef) and slut. Apart from this brief mention the title is completely irrelevant. It is more of an irrelevant Key tradition (he has also called himself “The Slutcrackerâ€? and “The Slut in the Hutâ€?). And what about the bath? It serves as a versatile prop, both for ‘splash time’ and as a gateway into the VKRUW ன OPV SHSSHUHG WKURXJK out the show. He interrogates audience members on their bathing habits while boldly claiming that he often sneaks RŕŽ‰ GXULQJ GLQQHU SDUWLHV WR use the host’s tub. Key says that it will only be a matter of time before other comedians, RŕŽ‰ HULQJ 5XVVHOO +RZDUG DV DQ example, all have their own stage baths. Considering the quality of this piece I wouldn’t bet against a little bit of plagiarism down the line.

%Michael Owens

SOHO THEATRE Until 7 January 2013 Featuring Tim Key

17

The Beaver 27.11.2012

) DELS @ the shacklewell arms

O

that despite Dels’ YouTube videos reaching 6-figure hits (that crude 21st Century

detached from the mundane. Thus whilst Dels’ is a hip-hop artist, a genre bound to ‘the

and rather we are shown computer-generated worlds. The performance extended this as

DELS

n the 26th November Kieren Dickens, aka Dels, releases his latest record Black Salad. The Beaver visited the launch party for the EP at the consistently good Shacklewell Arms to see Dels premiere his latest batch of innovative electronic-styled hip-hop and left with a pretty favourable impression. Support on the night came from two-piece Kid A, who obviously didn’t get the memo about the Radiohead album which dwarfs any attempt to find the pair on Google (tried and failed). Kid A, however, do hold some promise. The female singer channels some very ethereal Bjork-esque vocals over a musical accompaniment rooted in that thriving UK electronic style popularised by Jessie Ware et al. It worked well, coming across as a more soulful Hype Williams. The problem however, which became a theme of the night, was a lack-lustre live performance. Perhaps nerves or inexperience were at fault but I did think to myself ‘I would rather be listening to this at home where the beer is cheap and the toilets are clean’. Enter Dels, who greeted a room of what seemed to be more approving critics than the lary comeback crowd one would expect. It suggested

fame-metric), his stature is still underground. The ‘underground’ in fact keys in with his aesthetic. This part-time graphics designer embellishes his art with the artificial; it seems

real’, and his lyrics deal with matters such as inequality and politics, the production itself is highly synthetic. On not a single of Dels’ videos do we see the urbane that usually frequents hip-hop videos

Dels rapped over his distinctive saw-wave synth tracks provided by a man-with-aMac, not a live band. A stripped back ensemble such as this may be blamed for an act that was to some

trousers, could compete with her effervescing charm. Over a painfully grooving rhythm section with Leo Genovese on keys and Lyndon Rochelle on drums, Spalding announces “I’m really glad you tuned into us… we’re gonna tell you a little something about philosophy, and how it relates to the radio.” Here began our musical adventure; the tunes interwoven with a musical narrative. Following one hell of on opening, was ‘Hold On Me’, the most swinging of the tunes on the record. Spalding’s vocals dominated the room—extra growls and riffs thrown in for good measure. You were looking at such a grown up Esperanza, who has a remarkable ability to let rip, yet always be in command. From the outset she didn’t just hold our gaze, but also of her entire band. A signature solo from Leo Genovese featured more tri-tones and altered chords than I ever thought existed, was followed by gravely muted trombone solo. What was never lacking was groove, ‘I Can’t Help It’ as a particular highlight. Musical Director and alto player Hailey Niswanger negotiated the harmony in this tune with particular grace. A duel between vocals and sax emerged, and Niswanger’s ability to answer Spalding’s questions was a

masterclass in musicianship. You were constantly overpowered by the sense of respect and friendship that hung over the group. It says an awful lot if your playing impresses Esperanza Spalding. ‘Smile Like That’ followed another monologue. So often, these narratives are slightly cringey, but with Esperanza it’s always very measured and genuinely refreshing. The tune built to a heavy climax of distorted guitar and pure power from the horns. The Royal Festival Hall’s soundmen are worth a mention here—I could (for obvious reasons) fully distinguish every note from Spalding’s bass lines from the sound, whilst still hearing every horn lick or ghost note. ‘Crowned and Kissed’ was also utter joy, the rearranged version featuring Rochelle’s drumming. This wasn’t a simple regurgitation of the whole album—it had been thoughtfully reconstructed for a live environment, but never milking anything too much at all. ‘Land of the Free’ demonstrated the wonderful talent of Chris Turner on backing vocals, and Genovese’s masterful work on organ. The seventh tune of the night was my personal highlight. ‘Black Gold’ was received with one of the loudest cheers all night and proved it is an even better tune live

than on the record. It confirmed the only problem I had all night—I didn’t want to be sitting down at all. The tune was almost too much to bear sat in my seat, especially during the no-frills modulation near the end. ‘Endangered Species’ showcased the harmonic complexity of Esperanza, delicately supported by the vocals of Turner and Leyla Cyr. Esperanza’s palette of colours forever keeps you on your toes, but it never lets go of the listener's hand. It had an air of Maria Schneider meets Kenny Wheeler. An extended solo from Igmar Thomas was especially rewarding, but reminded us of Spalding’s ability to suddenly switch from the forefront of any composition, to subtlety merge with the rhythm section. The gig concluded aptly with ‘Radio Song’, and again, I was not happy sitting. The tune is a perfect embodiment of the album’s message; it takes a lot of guts to write: “this song will keep you groovin’… this song’s the one” and actually make it the case. Encores followed, first a duel between drums and acoustic bass, and then ‘Cinnamon Tree’, much to the audience's delight. Amidst all the musical madness, Spalding was always able to punctuate it with humour. A desperate cry

degree un-engaging. However, the true onus for this tame performance is on Dels himself; if the Romans taught us anything it’s that crowds want to be entertained but Dels seemed unsure, pensive. At times he looked forgetful, as if he was unfamiliar with his material, yet this held for his older tracks too. Admittedly, Dels is more of a thinking man’s MC than a ‘Simon says get the f*ck up’ hype-man, but to a degree it rang unprofessional, nay rude, to not match the energy the crowd were offering. That said, certain highlights of the evening were spell-binding. ‘Eyesdown’, a collaboration with the spotless Bononbo, and ‘Bird Milk’, the most stand-out track from Black Salad, had the audience enraptured. Tracks of such undeniable quality redeemed the show such that, after closing with the juggernaut crowdpleaser ‘Shapeshift’, the room was palpably elated. Listen for yourself to Black Salad @ www.clashmusic. com/features/dels-black-salad

े Emir Nader

LIVE~ESPERANZA SPALDING T

ickets for Esperanza Spalding’s appearance at the London Jazz Festival 2012 were certainly some of the most sought-after. Playing to a packed Royal Festival Hall promoting her latest album Radio Music Society, Spalding delivered not just the performance of a lifetime, but one you really felt part of. A rare privilege indeed from an art form that can so easily make the audience feel simply as spectators. Esperanza gigs are always more dynamic than most; surprises always come thick and fast. In pitch-black darkness, the show began with subtle murmuring from the 7-piece horn section bubbling and fizzing into a mad climatic flurry. A radio kicked into life; white noise scatting between various stations with the band picking out brief snippets of bepop, soul and pop— ‘Careless Whisper’ even got a say (and a massive reception). To round off was the choraleesque section of Thad Jones’s wonderful chart ‘Us’, showing the nuance and ultimate control the group possessed. This wasn’t a glorified horn section; it was a proper full-on big band. I was excited. It was then Esperanza walked on stage—the epitome of cool. Not even Jef Lee Johnson on guitar, with his Teashade sunglasses and leather

from the auditorium of “Marry me!” was eventually met with “No…” with perfect comedic timing. Spalding’s showmanship at times is years ahead of her musical ability. Ever since snubbing Justin Bieber for Best New Artist at the Grammys in 2011, Esperanza had proven herself time and time again why she deserved it. She demanded fervent attention from the music community as a whole, by virtue of her ability to never rest on her laurels. Spalding has surpassed her success on Chamber Music Society, with Radio Music, and stands as a symbol for how jazz music can be a boundless vessel for all genres. Most importantly, you never feel subordinate to Esperanza, even when she’s on stage. She transcends the emotional barriers that jazz music so frequently puts up, and as a result will no doubt be around for a very long time. That’s certainly something you can’t really say for Justin Bieber.

े Tom Barnes

18

27.11.2012 PartB

SHOOT! EXISTENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

L

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S GALLERY

oad, aim, shoot, fire— photography and shooting hinge on twin actions that even share a common language. The photographic shooting galleries, which emerged as a popular fairground attraction in the years after World War I, play with the temptation to fight a duel with oneself, with the thrill of being one‘s own executioner. If the punter‘s bullet hit the centre of the target, a camera would respond and produce a picture of the person shooting. 'Shoot! Existential Photography' at The Photographer‘s Gallery London is an exhibition exploring the history of the now—defunct fairground diversion from Lunar Park sideshow to the re-appropriation by contemporary artists. The idea of photographic suicide seduced innumerable artists and intellectuals, including Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre and Jean Cocteau. Clément Chéroux, a photo historian and curator of the exhibition, collected an exciting variety of photographs of fairground marksmen, capturing their peculiar physiognomy—one skrewed eye, tense lips, stooped posture. Yet, what is sometimes more striking than the person shooting

Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre Fairground at Porte d’Orléans, Paris, June 1929

is the environment surrounding the marksman. An extraordinary example is the portrait series by Ria van Dijk, who began to acquire portraits of herself in a target-shooter position in 1936. More than sixty vernacular photographs document her biography from an unusual perspective, tracing the process of her ageing, of changing social environments and times. She still continues taking pictures of herself shooting at the age of 90. Photographs by Sylvia Ballhause and Emilie Pitoiset show

the special and unsettling relationship between the shooter, the apparatus, the target, and the viewer. In contemporary works by Jean-Francois Lecourt and Rudolf Steiner, the violent side of the shooting procedure takes the foreground, whereas the works of Nikki de Saint Phalle highlight gunshots as part of the artistic production process—of bullets creating the artwork, enabling birth and death at the same time. According to Susan Sontag, the act of taking photo-

graphs contains something predatory, something that violates the people being photographed. Photographer and viewer both experience something of the person portrayed that remains obscured to that person—vulnerability, mutability, and mortality. Photography as memento mori changes individuals into ephemeral objects. At the shooting gallery, the shooter even becomes his own object, and triggers his own annihilation. Despite the gun being an object of death, our daily exposure to images and portrayals of violence in the omnipresent media dulls people‘s perception and awareness of the existential threat emanating from gunfires. It is precisely these iconic media images of guns and gunfights from American Hollywood productions which feature in Christian Marclay‘s audiovisual Crossfire installation. Four large projections playing a rapid montage of characters handling a variety of guns—acts of loading, aiming and shooting—engulf the viewer in a charged, physical space of pulsating violence. Marclay plays with this twin

sense of fascination and dread putting the observer in a situation of constant assault— and successfully reinstates a sense of deadly awareness in the beholder. Viewing photographs of people performing the act of shooting may turn into a fairly daunting affair at some point, yet the size of exhibition is kept in manageable format. The fundamental issues informing the artwork displayed at 'Shoot!'—mortality, vulnerability and mutability—are potent aspects that have been shaping the art of photography since its inception. The exhibition merely scratches on the surface of this existential discourse, yet provides an interesting framework of investigation—the shooting gallery. At the end, the Photographer‘s Gallery invites visitors to experience the sheer delights of ‘shooting‘ one‘s own picture at a reconstructed shooting gallery courtesy of Martin Becka for the sake of a quick peep into the vertigo of self-destruction.

Erika Arnold

THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S GALLERY Until 6 January 2013

9 GEEKOUT: COWBOY BEBOP SUNRISE

E

From left to right: BeBop's Ein, Ed, Spike, Jet and Faye.

very exporter of culture has an influential series that is fundamentally forgotten inside the country of origin. Great Britain has always been rather sceptical of Alan Moore, whilst the United States offers a similar sense of stepping over adopted sons such as Vladimir Nabokov. Where Japan is concerned, PXFK RI 6KLQLFKLUď :DWDQ abe’s output suffers from the same. The creator of Samurai Champloo and Star Driver remains comparatively unloved in his home nation, but for Japanophiles in the West, his Cowboy Bebop is considered a masterpiece, perfectly combining science fiction with elements of spaghetti westerns, film noirs and crime movies of the late-eighties. Although relative domestic obscurity holds no barrier for cultural recognition, it is a truism that the show retains a far larger

base in America and Europe, testament to a westernised animation style that sits more comfortably outside the Far East. All the more bully for Japan, frankly, as Cowboy Bebop presents itself as a genuinely accessible programme that is able to flit between multiple genres whilst retaining an identity of its own. Set in 2071, when cataclysm has destroyed the Moon and rendered planet Earth an economic backwater, Mars has become the new centre of human society. Travel throughout the Milky Way is possible, but slow, with the cosmos now an unregulated area rife with piracy and interplanetary crime syndicates. With an ineffective police force incapable of patrolling the vast entity of space, privateers and bounty hunters have enjoyed a resurgence of their own, thereby offering

a very credible reason for a Wild West dynamic returning to human society. During the 26-episode run, the cast face ambush, starvation, an exceptionally poorly maintained refrigerator, interest rates, dark revelations and various politico-ideological conspiracy. The BeBop is one of the many ships thrust into this post-modern anarchy. Crewed by the hard-nosed ex-cop Jet Black, the relaxed martial artist Spike Spiegel, glamorous con-artist Faye Valentine, endogenous teenage computer hacker Edward and the computer enhanced Pembrokeshire Corgi 'data dog' Ein. All five possess characteristics more familiar to the audience that the setting would suggest, with Spike in particular representing a complex and well-regarded anti-hero, being one of the finest anime protagonists in history. Black offers a direct link to the show’s noir influences, being an archetypal fallen cop who would quite easily fit into The Maltese Falcon or Sunset Boulevard. The show also revels in anachronism, with personal space ships and Martian arcologies sitting comfortably alongside zippo lighters, six shooters and desert Saloons. Bebop’s success and longevity relies on the fact that none of these aspects feel forced or trite. Whilst a loose

series arc is in place, most episodes are self-enclosed, offering varying levels of action and quiet reflection to avoid the requirement of a marathon box-set session. Although a drama at heart, the series offers sufficient moments of comedy to prevent matters from becoming too heavy, which also acts to make the explosive denouement all the more effective. Yet it is Yoko Kanno’s exemplary soundtrack that has ensured Bebop’s legacy. The show’s theme tune, ‘Tank!’ an almost entirely lyric-free, latin-inspired jazz solo, has become almost as iconic as the series itself. By divesting with the typical anime opening, Bebop sets down a new direction from the first seconds, quite at odds from the usual asinine J-Pop love songs that pass for exposition in most productions. Kanno’s talents are made as much a part of the series as voice acting and art direction, at times substituting for dialogue entirely. Rather than relegating music to the background, Watanabe thrives on it, making it a genuine part of the viewing experience. Some pieces were improvised during post-production to better fit the action, an attention to detail that perhaps explains why John Williams considers Kanno to be one of his favourite composers.

Bebop did not spring entirely from nowhere. More dedicated aficionados of the medium may see inspiration from Lupin III and the films of John Woo. However, despite detractors who claim that it ‘isn’t really anime’, the show retains direct references to the yakuza film, a genre almost entirely unknown outside East Asia. The English dub, something that almost always detracts from animation, is almost unique in being superior to the Japanese original, it is best watched without subtitles, all the more so that the viewer can focus entirely on the action. Of course, Bebop is not without faults. At times, the animation falters against an overly dark colour pallet, some scenes are too drawn out. The show’s universe could have done with being slightly more fleshed out, with Spike’s various flashback to his days seeking martial arts training Venus being especially worthy of note. Yet instinctively, these criticisms seem like pointless nitpicking. Bebop is one of the finest animated serials of all time, it acts as superb blending of genres and provides an engaging and well-rounded storyline that leaves the viewer wanting nothing more in terms of resolution.

Jack Tindale

19

The Beaver 27.11.2012

™ THE TABLE

T

he Table is seven years old, and, scratching the itch which so often frustrates at the seven-year mark, has launched itself into the fray of “proper� restaurants that pepper our city. For until June this year, The Table had been a brunch table, and, from what I hear, a good, solid one at that—queues out of the door and everything. For a small venue (60 covers) that is slightly out of the way (behind Tate Modern, and in Southwark—in one of those parts that seems to sit in between everything else of interest) and competing with a brand new development complex opposite, that is pretty impressive. So, with the advent of a new head chef, changes are afoot: Italian-inspired dinner is where it is at. The place seemed quiet for a Saturday night, with a varied clientele ranging from families, complete with two year olds in a high chair, to groups and couples. The place feels spacious, in spite of its actual size—the high ceiling and glass on two sides seem to sink into one another. The exposed concrete and light wooden tables laden with candles strike a functionalist yet intimate tone. While a little too much of the kitchen is on display, evident in the fact that

they have more storage boxes than a Tupperware party, it was still a pleasure to watch the chefs at work—reassuring to know that your food really is as fresh as you hope. The lovely waitress gave us a potted history of the restaurant, including the fact that the architecture firm next door owns a 70% stake in the business. This explains the “distressed� floors (read: don’t want to spend the money on a refurb) and warehouse feel. Yet somehow it works. I guess that is why architects get paid so much. Following the ambience, the food, too, was simple, contained within a short menu

The Table, 83 Southwark St, SE1 0HX 020 7401 2760 Mon-Sat 7:30-11pm, Sun 8:30-4pm

Cuisine Asian Fusion Average spend ÂŁ30-50 (dinner) Meals Breakfast, lunch, dinner Reservations Yes

L

Boots: Chanel / Jeans: J.Brand / Top: Joseph / Coat: Brunello Cucinelli

and wine list. This turns out to be a blessing, as too much choice in food elicits the worst kind of indecision in me. The Table’s sommelier makes a point of choosing wine from small estates, so you will not find the big old classics here. A good excuse to try something new, and our Malbec was perfect. I was with two friends, so we were able to sample a good range of the menu. Complimentary bread, olives and a deliciously fruity olive oil got us going. Do not ask for seconds, though—we regretted having done so when the food arrived. Simple it may be; small it most definitely is not. None of this “food is art�—so minimalist you need a microscope to find it on your plate— for The Table. Our starters included the largest stack of buffalo mozzarella with marinated peppers that I have ever seen, the sweetness of the peppers complementing the gentleness of the mozzarella; a delicious fried pecorino with chestnut honey (yes, cheese and honey really does work); and scallops lightly grilled so that they melt in your mouth.

Not to be outdone by the starters, the main courses were positive mountains. The braised pheasant on a bed of porcini and risotto was very slightly overcooked but the risotto was rich, creamy and nutty, bringing out the earthiness of the porcini. My veal with chanterelles and red chard was cooked perfectly— medium rare and tender. Only one mark do I have against the mains—they were much too salty. That may be a personal thing (both my companions said they “like saltâ€?) but I felt that rather than bringing out the flavour, it just made the dishes taste too much like salt. We were far too stuffed to manage more than a couple of small desserts between us. The pannacotta was all you would want from that classic dish—real vanilla pods, creamy and smooth, offset by tart poached rhubarb and sweet cantucci biscuits. We also sampled a delicious elderflower sorbet, which tasted as elegant as it sounds. At about ÂŁ45 a head, including drinks, this is not the place to take a cheap date, although you could achieve that- somewhat at brunch, during which main courses range from ÂŁ12.50 to ÂŁ18. For the quality of food, the price is fairly average for London, so it will be interesting to see how well The Table does on its excursions into the dinner market. London has a great restaurant scene—you can more or less find what you want for the price at which you want it. The Table is a good addition to the choice. But perhaps save it for the special (someone else is paying) occasions. Anyone’s parents visiting soon?

,Abigail Malortie

CAMPUS STYLE

SE seems notorious for well-dressed students: instead of the onesiesand-Uggs combination expected of the average student, +RXJKWRQ 6WUHHW LV ೊ RRGHG with sharp tailoring, Ray Bans and Longchamp totes. The atmosphere created from being in the heart of such a fashion conscious and cosmopolitan city ensures that LSE students are always modelling the latest trends with their own inGLYLGXDO ೊ DLU 7KHUHIRUH WKH LSE SU Fashion Society felt it would only be appropriate to stalk around campus with a camera, snapping unassuming students for Campus Style: a weekly look at a selection of the best and quirkiest fashion WKDW /6( KDV WR Rŕłˆ HU As the weather this week turned bitterly cold and excessively windy, it is no wonder that when asked for their sartorial inspiration, most students we spoke to said they consider warmth and comfort the most important factor

S

eeing as the Israel-Gaza FRQೊ LFW RI SDVW ZHHNV has been halted, for now, E\ D FHDVH೉ UH ZH WKRXJKW ZH would celebrate and give you some drinks (for those who do not imbibe, fear not, we have included two non-alcoholic cocktails!) to break the ice at your next border party.

TEL AVIV STINGER 43 ml Blue Curacao liqueur 17 ml White Creme de Cacao 17 ml Light Cream Pour the Blue Curacao, White Creme de Cacao and cream into a cocktail shaker halfಟ OOHG ZLWK FUDFNHG LFH 6KDNH ZHOO VWUDLQ LQWR D FKLOOHG FRFN tail glass, and serve.

GAZA ON THE BEACH (NON-ALCOHOLIC) 60 60 60 15

ml ml ml ml

Orange Juice Cranberry Juice Peach Nectar Grenadine

Mix equal parts of orange juice and cranberry juice. Add necWDU DQG SRXU RYHU LFH 6LQN WKH *UHQDGLQH *DUQLVK ZLWK D SLQHDSSOH ZHGJH

EGYPTIAN INTERFERER 37 ml Vodka 44 ml Orange Juice 1 dash Grenadine 44 ml Pineapple Juice Pour over crushed ice into a &ROOLQV JODVV 7RS ZLWK *UHQD dine.

ARABIAN NIGHTCAP (NON-ALCOHOLIC)

when shopping at this time of the year. Thus, in the last few weeks of term we are looking forward to seeing plenty of examples of creative layering; a UDQJH RI GLŕłˆ HUHQW FRDWV IURP military style to capes; and the odd festive jumper in order to combat the arctic conditions of London in winter.

1 shot of espresso 3RXU RYHU LFH (QMR\ ZKLOH SDQ LFNLQJ WR ಟ QLVK WKDW HVVD\ \RX should have handed in last ZHHN

BLACK GOLD

WANNA BE A TRENDSETTER?

7ml Amaretto 7ml Triple Sec 7ml Irish Cream 1 dash Cinnamon Schnapps 7ml Hazelnut Liquer PO &Rŕłˆ HH

The LSE SU Fashion Society will be out again next week. So if you fancy being photographed for Campus Style, look out for a member of the committee with a camera and a notepad! Keep up to date with events and fashion news on our Facebook page Twitter, and blog. lsesufashionsociety.wordpress.com

COCKTAIL CORNER

0L[ HYHU\WKLQJ EXW WKH FRಝ HH and cinnamon schnapps in an ,ULVK FRಝ HH JODVV 6WLU LQ FRಝ HH DQG VFKQDSSV *DUQLVK ZLWK ZKLSSHG FUHDP DQG VKDYHG chocolate. Add a cinnamon stick to stir. Beaver Bartender 7RS 7RSVKRS 6NLUW 7RSVKRS &RDW 0LVV 6HOIULGJH

20

27.11.2012 | The Beaver

IS PUTIN-DAY THE NEXT DESERT ROSE? Ginger Whoreby The B can exclusively reveal this week that Mohammed Morsi will be receiving an honorary studentship for the LSESU, and that Putin-Day will be given the most glorious order of the Tahrir Cross. This is after a press release revealed “an unparalleled relationship developed over the past few weeks based on the coming together of strategic interests of all parties involved.â€? Already the agreement can be seen to be bearing fruit in Egypt, Putin-Day reYHDOHG WKDW ‍ڔ‏DW னUVW KH ZDV real nervous of declaring himself untouchable and unaccountable to the legisthingy, and them judgypeeps, but after I told him it’s wot I done he relaxed and really got into it.â€? It is currently speculated that in exchange for the purchase of the lucrative LSESU Libya Package™ by the Egyptian President.

Which of course, includes the brainwashing of several hundred civil servants, up to two family members receiving Philosophy Department PhDs and naming rights

to at least one lecture hall. Putin-Day was able to obtain one “real nice holiday to a place that hates free speech as much as I do.� and several camels for her LSESU

petting zoo project. This convergence of interests between the two has reportedly led to a string of love letters, each giving tips on how best to crush

dissent within their respective polities. Putin-Day suggested Morsi eliminate any potential threats to his office, much in the same way she destroyed the UGM, and Morsi suggested that Putin'D\ னQG D SHUVRQDO WURRS RI bodyguards. Current reports of the Hunney-Badgers seem to indicate only one, ultraloyal, subject has signed up. Guarding her all day, and almost all of Wednesday night. The B wishes the very best to the couple, and we hope that unlike the last time the LSE got into bed with a middle eastern tinpot dictator, this one has much EHWWHU SXEOLF UHODWLRQV VWDŕŽ‰ to avoid the same level of embarrassment. Any suggestions that this new partnership forged by the university is in any way corrupt would be completely fallacious. In no way is this merely another case of the money mad university jumping into bed with another despotic individual.

Private B’s X-Files: Houghton Street Hoax This week, Private B replaces his rather battered fedora with a hat constructed from tin foil, and attempts to deconstruct the rumours and conVSLUDF\ WKHRULHV ŕŽ‹\LQJ DURXQG FDPpus over the public sun-shredding that occurred on our glorious streets. The facts of the matter are obvious. Firstly, a stall was indeed present on Houghton Street. Said stall was attempting to give away The Sun, for free. Then, someone ripped up quite a few newspapers. But how much of this tale can you really believe? Official Party Line: A member from the “genderâ€? institute perpetrated this action. Truth rating: Astronomical. What even is a gender department? The likelihood of the moron destroying property because they disagree with a few mis-

guided and hopelessly optimistic students seems pretty far fetched. Then for this patsy to be as dense as identify themselves on social media? This particular investigative journalist isn’t buying it. Conspiracy theory 2: The destruction was perpetrated by a rabid Chelsea Fan.

Truth rating: Unlikely. What would Calhouligan have to gain from a cloak and dagger move like this? It’s not like the school is currently deciding how to move forward with their fees after their self imposed freeze expires. I’m sure no one has even considered raising them. There is a much more plausible explanation out there.

Truth rating: Conspiracy theory 4: Possible. With the sacking of Di Mateo ripping up the sun is just one step further than rending one’s clothes. Out of all the likely tales this seems like the most coherent. Why on earth would Abramovich not even give the man who conquered Europe at least until Christmas? Conspiracy theory 3: Calhouligan Wanted to distract the student body.

Jason Wanke destroyed his own newspapers. Truth rating: Probable. This is by far the most obvious explanation in this column. It is clear to Private B that Putin-Day has formed an unholy alliance with Comrade Wanke. Not only did she manipulate her cabal for his election victory. But now in another attempt

WR WKURZ WKH VWXGHQW ERG\ RŕŽ‰ KHU GHVpotic actions she has promised Jason true “powerâ€? as her right-hand man, in exchange for this “altercation.â€? Private B refuses to believe this wingnut would voluntarily continue this path of self-immolation. There is an ulterior motive here, mark my words. Furthermore: Has anyone asked how the Beaver were able to get onto the scene so quickly either? How is it that they were ready with both a reporter AND a camera? Normally those incompetent shits can’t even be bothered to drag themselves from the Tuns to a public lecture. Clearly there are insidious forces of evil at work within this Students’ Union. Not only is Putin-Day reestablishing contact in the Middle East, but she also has her most ardent “opposerâ€? dancing to her tune. Be careful. Trust no one. Just do your three years and get that job at the investment bank as fast as possible.

Advert

The Beaver | 27.11.2012

SACRED SPACES OF LONDON OPEN SUBMISSION PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION TO CELEBRATE INTERFAITH WEEK

FRANK DOBSON MP

COME AND SEE

UGM

WINNERS WILL BE EXHIBITED AROUND THE LSE CAMPUS

FRANK DOBSON LABOUR MP NOVEMBER 29TH 1-2PM THE OLD THEATRE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS 17/12/2012 FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK EMAIL SU.COMMUNITYWELFARE@LSE.AC.UK OR VISIT WWW.LSESU.COM/WHATSON

Keynote Speakers

The world’s largest student conference on

Hedge Funds & Private Equity

21-22 January 2013 Marriott London Grosvenor Square

Register by December 4 at www.lseaic.com Made Possible by

Jim O’Neill Chairman Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Stephen Pagliuca Managing Partner Bain Capital

Scott Minerd CIO Guggenheim Partners

Johannes Huth Head of Europe KKR

Dr. Douglas Greenig CRO AHL

Hardy McLain Managing Partner & Co-Founder CVC Capital Partners

Randall Dillard Co-Founder & CIO Liongate Capital Management

Francesco Loredan Managing Partner & Co-Chairman BC Partners

21

22

Features

27.11.2012 | The Beaver

Interfaith Fortnight

3HRSOH OLNH XV FXOWXUDOO\ HWK QLFDOO\ UHOLJLRXVO\ &KDUDF teristically Jesus told a story WKH 3DUDEOH RI WKH *RRG 6D PDULWDQ WR LOOXVWUDWH KLV XQ expected answer that your QHLJKERXU LV LQ IDFW HYHU\ “Who is my neighbour?â€? one, right up to those we That’s the question put ன QG EH\RQG FRQWHPSW 6SH rather cynically to Jesus by FLன FDOO\ -HVXV PDNHV D SRLQW a lawyer who wanted to give of describing someone (the DV WLJKW D GHன QLWLRQ DV SRVVL 6DPDULWDQ RI D GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW UH ble to the ancient injunction, ligious group. That’s a long way from the “Love your neighbour as yourselfâ€?. He was hoping for QRZ SRSXODU YLHZ WKDW UHOL some comfortable answer to gions are essentially clubs of WKH HŕŽ‰ HFW RI ‍ڔ‏SHRSOH OLNH XV‍ ڕ‏SHRSOH ZKR ORRN DIWHU WKHLU

RZQ ,Q D VRFLHW\ RI FRPSHW ing interest groups the faith FRPPXQLWLHV VRPHWLPHV DS SHDU WR H[KLELW \HW PRUH WULE alism, lobbying for their own concerns. But it’s not just the teaching of Jesus that FKDOOHQJHV WKLV VHOI LQWHUHVW All the World Religions have an ethical dimension that embraces the outsider, the QRQ EHOLHYHU DQG KDYH D YL sion of the common good. $V ZHOO DV EHLQJ DQ H[ WUDRUGLQDULO\ GLYHUVH FRP PXQLW\ LWVHOI WKH /6( LV OR cated in a multicultural part

RI ‍Ú?‏7LNNXQ 2ODP‍Ú? Ú‹ ڑ‏KHDOLQJ the world’ illustrates this. The great Kabbalist Issac Luria used this phrase to encapsulate the true role RI KXPDQLW\ LQ WKH RQ JRLQJ HYROXWLRQ DQG VSLULWXDOL]D tion of the world. We do not VHUYH * G VLPSO\ WKURXJK ULWXDO EXW WKRXJK WDNLQJ VR FLDO DFWLRQ IRU WKH EHQHன W of all. The word for ‘charity’ LQ +HEUHZ‍ ڋ‏7]HGDNHK ZKLFK means both righteousness and justice, underlines this concept of social justice. Giving charity in Judaism is not only a form of love but is DQ HVVHQWLDO PHDQV RI GHYHO oping social cohesion. Here at LSE we have an unique mixture of people

IURP PDQ\ GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW FXO tures and religions. We are D FURVV VHFWLRQ RI VRFLHW\ IURP DFURVV WKH ZRUOG IR cussed on the study of the VRFLDO SROLWLFDO DQG HFRQRP LF VFLHQFHV WKDW LQŕŽ‹ XHQFH the world we live in. This is UDWKHU OLNH WKH ELEOLFDO VWRU\ RI WKH 7RZHU RI %DEHO ‍ ڋ‏H[ cept it is in reverse. We have an amazing opportunity to understand and learn from HDFK RWKHU DQG WR ன QG D FRP mon language with which to solve some of the world’s SUREOHPV , OLNH WR WKLQN WKDW WKLV LV UDWKHU OLNH WKH -HZ LVK FRQFHSW RI 7LNNXQ 2ODP DQG LI ZH FDQ ன QG VRPH VROX tions, it is actually possible for us to ‘heal the world’.

phasised the importance of sharing ones earnings with VRFLHW\ 7KH WKLUG *XUX HV tablished the “langarâ€? or FRPPXQLW\ NLWFKHQ ZKHUH by any person regardless of religion, could come to the Gurdwara and get a free meal. The message could not be any clearer. 7KHUH DUH PDQ\ GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW names used for God in the Guru Granth sahib “Allahâ€? and “Ramâ€? are to name a couple. This illustrates the 6LNK EHOLHI WKDW LQ IDFW SHR ple of all religions share the same God, but simply chose GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW SDWKV WR UHDFK KLP ,QWHUIDLWK LQ 6LNKLVP GRHV not mean pretending that

all religions believe in the same thing, instead it means UHDOLVLQJ WKDW ZH DUH DOO KX mans and in fact we have a lot more in common than we PD\ WKLQN The phrase “Sarbhat dah phallaâ€? is said at the end of WKH 6LNK 3UD\HU RI $UGDV It translates as “may good FRPH WR DOO ‍ ڕ‏6LNKLVP KDV D long history of standing up IRU WKH GHSULYHG DQG WKH RS pressed. Religious freedom LV D FHQWUDO EHOLHI LQ 6LNKLVP DQG LW WUDQVODWHV LQWR VKRZ LQJ ORYH IRU DOO RI PDQNLQG QRW MXVW 6LNKV

follow your dharma (or duty) DQG GR JRRG WKHQ JRRG NDU ma will follow naturally from 7KH IXQGDPHQWDO SULQFL it. A dharmic citizen should SOHV RI +LQGXLVP DUH VWURQJ DVN IRU ‍Ú?‏VDUYD KLWD‍ ڑ‏HQKDQF ly supportive of the concept ing the common good for all of ‘the Common Good.’ A WRJHWKHU 2Q WKH RWKHU KDQG good Hindu for instance, will ‘adharma,’ the opposite of EDVH WKHLU UHOLJLRXV SUDFWLF GKDUPD ZLOO SURGXFH QHJD es largely on their belief in tive results and thus Hindus ‍Ú?‏GKDUPD‍ ڑ‏DQG ‍Ú?‏NDUPD ‍ ڑ‏,I \RX EHOLHYH WKDW ZH VKRXOG GHYHO op universal welfare based

RQ PXWXDO FR RSHUDWLRQ DQG respect. Perhaps the aspect of Hinduism most relevant to the theme of the ‘Common Good’ is the principle of no KDUP EDVHG FKLHŕŽ‹ \ RQ WKH idea that everything is one, and everything is the same. 7KLV EHOLHI RI QRQ KDUP against other species and KXPDQ EHLQJV DOLNH FDOOHG

Chaplain and Interfaith Advisor

Jess Miron

Jewish Society It is told in the Talmud (Shabbat 31.a) that a gentile approached one of the great Jewish teachers of the time, Rabbi Hillel and said to him “Please convert me, but teach me the entire Torah as I stand on one foot�. Rabbi Hillel answered, ‘To love your neighbour as yourself, this is the entire Torah, the rest is all commentary. Go and learn it!’ In Judaism the way in which we act towards our fellow man serves as the EDVLV IRU DOO RI WKH PDQ WR * d commandments. The Talmudic concept

Gurdeep Chhina

Sikh Society “Recognise the Lord’s Light within all, and do not FRQVLGHU VRFLDO FODVV RU VWD tus; there are no classes or FDVWHV LQ WKH ZRUOG KHUHDI ter� (Guru Granth Sahib, 2QH RI WKH PRVW IXQGD PHQWDO SULQFLSOHV RI 6LNKLVP is equality. The view that all humans are equal in the eyes of God and that we should ORRN DW KXPDQLW\ LQ WKLV ZD\ 7KURXJKRXW 6LNK WHDFKLQJV the message has been one of ZRUNLQJ WRZDUGV WKH JRRG RI DOO PDQNLQG 7KH IRXQGHU RI 6LNKLVP *XUX 1DQDN HP

Komal Shah

Hindu Society

of London where there is a strong need for a vision of the common good beyond sectarian interest. That’s ZK\ RYHU WKH ODVW ZHHN /6( VWXGHQWV RI GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW UHOL gions have been going into ORFDO SULPDU\ VFKRROV WR ID cilitate interfaith dialogue as well as showing that people IURP DQ\ UHOLJLRQ RU EDFN JURXQG FDQ EHQHன W IURP D university education. None of them have compromised their faith in doing so. Rather they have lived out their own SDUWLFXODU UHOLJLRXV LPSHUD

tive for the common good. These have been expressed below by representatives of RXU GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW IDLWK VRFLHWLHV ,QWHUIDLWK :HHN LV D UH minder that none of us can give a comfortably narrow answer to the question “Who is my neighbour?â€? That’s true for the children we’ve YLVLWHG WKLV ZHHN JURZLQJ up in 21st Century London. $QG LW‍ڑ‏V DV WUXH IRU XV VWXG\ LQJ DQG ZRUNLQJ WRJHWKHU RQ WKLV ZRQGHUIXOO\ GLYHUVH XQL versity campus.

SVADILFARI

The Revd Dr James Walters

DKLPVD LV EDVHG RQ RXU EH OLHI WKDW HYHU\WKLQJ HYHQ KX PDQV LV SDUW RI %UDKPDQ ‘every entity and organism is a part of one large extended family system presided over by Mother Earth.’ Therefore, causing harm to the earth or any other species has a QHJDWLYH HŕŽ‰ HFW RQ RXU UHLQ FDUQDWLRQ EDG GKDUPD DQG NDUPD FRXOG OHDG WR XV EHLQJ

a mouse or a tree in the next OLIH $V VXFK IRU D JRRG +LQ du it is important to follow WKH WKUHH SULQFLSOHV RI GDU PD NDUPD DQG DKLPVD QRW only as a pathway to positive HŕŽ‰ HFWV RQ \RXU QH[W OLIH EXW DOVR WR ZRUN IRU WKH XQLYHU sal good.

Features

The Beaver | 27.11.2012

23

JOHN BARNABAS LEITH

Antidisestablishmentarianism?

can now be ordained, what inconsistency or blatant disWell, that was unexpect- crimination prevents the exed. The General Synod of istence of women bishops? To sum up an incredibly the Church of England has, complex theological debate. against almost all predicaEvangelicals argue that tions, rejected the ordination the Bible teaches that the of women bishops. This represents an early defeat for church requires male headthe new Archbishop of Can- ship (1 Timothy 2:12). The other more Catholic wing terbury Justin Welby. Anyone who is currently reveres the traditions and living in a state of blessed ig- ceremonies of the Church. norance over Church politics Some believe a woman canPXVW EH VRPHZKDW P\VWLன HG not be a valid bishop and by its decision to shoot itself ordaining women prevents repeatedly in the foot over possible unity with the Roman Catholics. the issue of women bishops. When women priests And of course, politicians were introduced parishes are shouting about how to solve the Church of England were allowed an opt out, and problem. Apparently, be- could for all intense and purcause of this incident it no- poses ignore the existence longer has any right to voice of women priests by passing concerns on moral issues of what are known as Resoluthe day. Oh and the Church tions A and B. The opposiof England should be dises- tion to women bishops stems from the problem it is much tablished. Well, there are good ar- harder for these parishes to guments to be had regard- ignore the issue. The purpose of this moing both of those, but the illogicality of much of what WLRQ ZDV WR DWWHPSW WR ன QG D is going on at any other time compromise, that those who would be seen as ridiculous. could not in their conscience For a start, politicians elect- accept women bishops had ed (frequently) by a fraction the power to place themof the electorate are giving selves under the authority of WKH &KXUFK D ULJKW WHOOLQJ RŕŽ‰ a male bishop. Women bishops are a for only managing to achieve a pitiful 90 per cent+ of the VLJQLன FDQW LVVXH DQG WKHUH bishops, only 80 per cent of are certainly some theologithe clergy, and a pathetic 64 cal arguments against their per cent of the laity, and a ordination. Yet the fact remere 42 out of 44 dioceses mains that a huge majority in support of women bish- of the British people (74 per ops. Six more votes in favour cent) believe that women in the laity would have won should be ordained as bishthe day, but this was not ops, and the church has to close enough for the church make a decision on wether to avoid being described (yet RU QRW WR UHŕŽ‹ HFW WKH QDWLRQ whether to be the church again) as ‘out of touch’. In the 1990s, the Church of England or the church in of England accepted the or- England. But the basic fact is: the dination of women priests, Church of England has not probably the largest revision rejected women bishops – to the Church of England’s the House of Laity has, and governance since its inception. And women bishops is the rejection included 64 per WKH QH[W VLJQLன FDQW FKDQJH cent of the laity voting in faThe thing that is ques- vour. The Church of England tioned by most observers has completely and overis, given that women priests whelmingly approved of the

Chris Rogers

proposal. The only question QRZ LV KRZ WR ன QG WKH ULJKW wording and compromises to bring the various wings of the church together. There is one very simple thing that vast majority of those clamouring for the disestablishment of the Church seem to ignore: there are going to be women bishops within ten years, probably ZLWKLQ ன YH 7KLV LV D VLPSOH fact universally accepted by almost everyone within the church. The church has been in this state for two millennia, so I wonder why people are clamouring that because RI D GHOD\ RI ன YH \HDUV WKH Church should be disestablished? And the fact over 90 per cent of the leadership of the church voted for this change doesn’t seem to faze them. In fact, most of those calling for the disestablishment appear to be the usual characters, those who have long called for the introduction of a secular state, and the removal of the church from any public role. This is merely the next chapter in which the church has made a decision, however temporary, that has been leapt upon as the raison d’etre for disestablishment I’m guessing that the comment section of the SU’s 3DSHU LI ன OOHG ZLWK VXFK GH mands. Though if I might make a guess, I doubt if one of them understands how the voting in Synod works, let alone what the motion was. Indeed the church did not vote on whether or not to accept the principle of women bishops at all but whether or not to accept the compromise made on behalf of those Anglo-Catholics and Evangelicals who in their consciences could not accept the authority of a female bishop. Yet the vast majority of the Church did in fact vote

in favour of the motion. It simply wasn’t vast enough, as a 2/3rd majority in each of the houses is required to make changes to the way the church is run. As Nick Baines argued, how about, before we listen to someone outside the church complain, we link the disestablishment of the Church of England with say, a demand that MPs can only sit in Parliament if elected by 50 per cent in his constituency. Since these politicians feel that rallying 64 per cent of church wasn’t a good enough job. The point of the Church of England is we are not like Rome, we are not ‘eternal and unchanging’, and we are not an authoritarian system. The Archbishop of Canterbury lacks authority to set doctrine as the Pope can, he is more a shepherd guidLQJ KLV ŕŽ‹ RFN %XW ZH DUH QRW chained to principles established a thousand years ago either. When the church makes a VLJQLன FDQW FKDQJH WKH V\V tem is such that we need to take the church with us, the church makes collecive decisions rather than having them imposed from above. This is why there have been so many years debating compromises, this is why the opposition to the policy put forward has been suc-

cessful. Yet if politicians intervene to impose the legislation on the church, as threatened, there will almost certainly be a schism. Caesar will be reaching for what is God’s. And in response Rome beckons for the Anglo-Catholics, and the Evangelicals will break of and form their own ‘free churches’. In both cases the Church of England will be damaged, perhaps irreparably so. And I simply question, is such damage really worth it compared to merely waitLQJ DQRWKHU ன YH \HDUV JLYHQ the its taken two millennia to reach where we are today? Of course, there are secularists who see this exactly as an opportunity to create divisions between church and state in order to have the Church of England disestablished. If people genuinely want the disestablishment, then they are free to argue for that. Though I think we would be much the worse for it. But, as well put by George Pitcher, we should have a proper and informed debate regarding disestablishment. Certainly we shouldn’t condone those who seek cynically to use this vote to achieve absolutist secular ends. For that would certainly be an illiberal and discriminatory way forward.

CORRECTION Last week the article “The power of photographs� (Beaver, Tuesday, November 20th) was attributed to Abigail Marlotie. The article was written by Teresa Whitney. We apologise for the error.

24

Features

27.11.2012 | The Beaver

PRIDE WEEK ridicule afterwards was unbearable. So when I arrived It wasn’t too long ago that I, at college just a few months dear readers, was in a posi- later, having moved to a new tion that some of you may town, I told no one. I kept still be in. As a Fresher, turn- my identity a secret even ing up at LSE a little over from my closest friends, for two years ago, I was terri- fear of rejection, hatred and ன HG RI FRPLQJ RXW WR DQ\RQH loathing that might follow if :KDW ZRXOG SHRSOH WKLQN" I was ever honest again. But then I came to LSE, :RXOG WKH\ LQVWDQWO\ FDVW PH DQG , WKRXJKW ‍<ڔ‏RX NQRZ RXW" :RXOG , EHFRPH WKH ‍ڔ‏WR what? Screw it.â€? And I told ken gayâ€?? You see, when I was at someone. Then I told someschool, I told someone I one else. Just as these things thought I was gay, and they came up in conversation decided to tell everyone. The – casually. And what hap-

-RKQ 3HDUW /*%7 2ૻ FHU

pened? No one cared. Not a single comment. No slurs about me being a “f***ing queerâ€? or “a**e banditâ€?. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. :K\ DP , WHOOLQJ \RX WKLV" Because all to often people DUH WHUULன HG RI ZKDW RWKHUV might be think about them, but it’s important you know that LSE is one of the safest, most accepting communities I’ve been involved in. As LGBT Officer, I’m here to enable the welfare of students at LSE. If you have problems, concerns, or experi-

Your Rights 7KH ODZV DQG ULJKWV RI /*%7 SHRSOH GLŕŽ‰ HU IURP FRXQWU\ WR FRXQWU\ ,W‍ڑ‏V XVHIXO IRU \RX WR NQRZ H[DFWO\ ZKDW \RXU ULJKWV DUH ZKLOVW \RX‍ڑ‏UH OLYLQJ VWXG\LQJ DQG ZRUNLQJ LQ WKH 8. :H KDYH H[WHQVLYH ODZ GHVLJQHG WR SURWHFW /*%7 SHRSOH DQG WR HQVXUH \RX DUH DEOH WR have an open and safe time in London. Here’s an outline of what’s there to protect you: Equal age of consent LGBT people are legally entitled to consent sexual intercourse as of 16 years. Sexual Orientations Act ,W LV LOOHJDO LQ WKH 8. WR SURKLELW D SHUVRQ IURP DFFHVVLQJ JRRGV RU VHUYLFHV RQ WKH grounds of their sexual orientation or gender. Hate Crime Any form of homophobic abuse, be it physical or verbal, is illegal and reportable to the police. Civil partnerships As of 2005, it is legal for same sex couples to enter into a civil union. Civil partnerships entitle couples to similar rights to that of marriage, including property rights, inheritance, social security, pension, tenancy and life insurance rights. Military Openly LGBT people are able to serve in the military and police services as of Jan 2000. Parenthood Same sex couples are entitled to adopt and raise children, without discrimination based on their sexual orientation. Lesbians and their partners are also entitled to equal access of IVF and similar procedures to create a child.

FLன F WRLOHWV DYDLODEOH DW /6( In fact, we have seventyMany of you will have heard seven of them – around sixty that the School is building disabled access toilets, and gender neutral facilities the rest single occupancy LQWR LWV WZR QHZ EXLOGLQJV toilets. And we’ve had them the New Student Centre and for years. Most of the time it’s be52 Lincoln’s Inn Fields. This cause there simply isn’t is something that the Students’ Union has been proud space to put separate gento support and we have also dered toilets in these buildbeen in discussions with the ings, others because of a speSchool regarding the pos- FLன F GHVLUH RI WKH 6FKRRO‍ڑ‏V sibility of providing these management to be open and facilities in more buildings accessible to all. They have never, and will around campus – something never, be replacing existing that I explicitly supported in my manifesto when running IDFLOLWLHV QR VWXGHQW RU VWDŕŽ‰ for the position of LGBT Of- member has ever, and will ficer earlier this year. This never be forced to use them, has become somewhat of a if they wish not to do so. The proposals to have political “hot potatoâ€? in recent weeks thanks to vocal more gender neutral faciliminorities in the student ties around the School will body, and what’s actually EH QR GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW ‍ ڋ‏WKH\ ZLOO happening, and what has compliment, not substitute, already happened, has esca- existing facilities. And so, as will become a lated into a game of Chinese theme for the next few hun:KLVSHUV WKH OLNHV RI ZKLFK has only been matched by dred words, this is a win-win stressed students in the Li- situation. Those that feel brary’s silent working areas comfortable using ‘classic’ gendered toilets will be able during exam season. 6R KHUH‍ڑ‏V WKH GHDO :H DO to continue to do so. Those ready have non-gender spe- who do not, will have facili-

John Peart

ence homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, or any other kind of gender or sexual discrimination, let me know DERXW LW DQG ZH‍ڑ‏OO ன QG D ZD\ to support you and tackle the problem head on. Our Students’ Union has a zerotolerance policy one these issues, and we’re here to support you. Now, the decision to come out is not one that should be forced on anyone – you should tell people when you think you’re ready ‍ ڋ‏EXW NQRZ WKLV PRVW SHRSOH

at LSE won’t care, they’ll treat you like a human being and not a leper, and most importantly, if things don’t work out, there is support available for you. LSE isn’t, by any means, perfect, but odds are, if you’re honest with others, and honest with yourself, about who you really are, you’re going to get so much more out of your time here. Hopefully, this week’s 3ULGH :HHN ZLOO VKRZ \RX how accepting the LSE community is, and give you the courage to be yourself.

Advice Services Sometimes you’ll have a really pressing question or problem. Friends can be great for answering these, but you might prefer to seek advice anonymously. LSESU Advice Center The Advice Center’s team of professional advisers are on hand to assist you with a range of issues including housing, immigration, applications to the SU hardship IXQGV YLVD H[WHQVLRQV HPSOR\PHQW SUREOHPV ZHOIDUH EHQHன WV JUDQWV IHH VWDWXV and disability rights. The Advice Centre is situated in room E297 on the 2nd Floor of the East Building, Houghton Street, on the main campus. Call +44 (0)20 7955 7158 or email su.advice-centre@lse.ac.uk. LSESU LGBT Officer ,I \RX GRQ‍ڑ‏W IHHO FRPIRUWDEOH FRQWDFWLQJ PHPEHUV RI VWDŕŽ‰ LQ WKH 6WXGHQWV‍ ڑ‏8QLRQ RU WKH 6FKRRO DQG ZRXOG UDWKHU WDON WR D VWXGHQW LQ FRQன GHQFH \RX FDQ DOVR FRQWDFW WKH /*%7 2IILFHU LQ FRQன GHQWLDOLW\ RQ VX OJEW#OVH DF XN Ask Any Questions These student-led events are designed to support students who have questions or concerns about their sexuality or gender identity, and want to speak to other students going through similar experiences. The next Ask Any Questions event is being held this Thursday at 4pm. In order to ensure a safe space for students, we ask students register ahead of time. Register by emailing su.lgbt@lse.ac.uk for details of the location. London School of Economics Counselling Service 7KH /6( RŕŽ‰ HUV FRXQVHOOLQJ VHUYLFHV WKURXJKRXW WKH \HDU ZKLFK \RX FDQ DFFHVV IRU IUHH 7KHLU RŕŽŒ FH FDQ EH IRXQG LQ WKH 6WXGHQW 6HUYLFHV EXLOGLQJ .6:

ties in which they can safely go about their calls of nature. Those who feel comfortable using both – myself amongst them – and those with carers and dependents, will have an even greater choice. You might hear whispers that these facilities cost a lot of money. To this there are several responses. Firstly, cost is never a good excuse for denying acFHVVLELOLW\ :RXOG \RX FRP plain about the School installing wheelchair access around the campus? No – and rightly so. Cost is not a good reason for stopping people participating in our university. But fortunately, it doesn’t cost WKDW PXFK DQG WKH EHQHன WV are spread out just as the costs are. I’ve already said, anyone can use these facilities, but more importantly, the costs of making these facilities available is minisFXOH PRVW RI WKH WLPH LW‍ڑ‏V simply a case of putting a new sign on a door. Cheap as :ULJKWV %DU FKLSV $QRWKHU

win for students – everyone EHQHன WV DQG ZH SD\ QH[W WR QRWKLQJ IRU LW 1RQ JHQGHU VSHFLன F ID cilities will improve student safety. Trans* people are consistently harassed, assaulted, and abused for the simple act of entering a toilet. These people are ostracized from society for non-conformity to a gender stereotype that society constructed. Gender neutral facilities allow these students to safely go about their business. No doubt some will try and argue that allowing male, female and non-gendered students all to use the same bathroom will cause a spike in sexual abuse or sex in toilets. Hopefully, as members of one of the world’s most outstanding universities, you will see through this smoke screen. For one, these facilities will predominantly be (or are) single occupancy – only one person goes in, and they can lock the door behind them – and

besides this, toilets don’t come with gendered force ன HOGV VWRSSLQJ \RXU HQWU\ to the room depending on whether you’ve got a penis or a vagina. Let’s not buy into some ridiculous notion that gender neutral facilities are rape hotspots or a place where we’ll all go for D TXLFNLH WKH\‍ڑ‏UH UHDOO\ QR different from your other loos – the sign on the door is the only real difference. So again, gender neutral facilities are a win for students – they keep the most vulnerable safe. So the next time you here someone pipe up about how ridiculous an idea genderneutral toilets are, step-up DQG GLVSHO WKH P\WKV :H already have them. They really don’t cost us that much. You’ll still have access to gendered toilets. They improve student safety. And if they disagree with having a university that’s accessible to all, then they’re probably just a bigot.

Features

The Beaver | 27.11.2012

Gay Marriage and the Church luck with gay people if it emphasised those kinds of Everyone should have a fa- passage more, instead of govourite Bible verse. When LQJ IRU DOO WKDW VWXŕŽ‰ DERXW asked during the campaign, sin and man not lying with a President Obama chose Isai- PDQ ZKLFK SHUVRQDOO\ , ன QG ah 40:31 ‘But they that wait it harder to relate to. Of course when it comes upon the Lord shall renew their strength,’ whilst Mitt to the Church and the gays Romney (who skilfully avoid- we’d be doing fairly well if ed choosing either the story some people just left it at of Solomon’s 700 wives or that. Instead there’s a sigthat bit about ancient Jews QLன FDQW PLQRULW\ ZKR VHHP sailing to America) said he to take exception to far more preferred the words of Jesus than just my Zara short in Matthew 25: ‘For I was shorts. The Pope, for examan hungred, and ye gave me ple, is well-known for his litany of pithy one-liners; in his meat.’ My own choice would 2012 New Year’s speech he have to be James 2:3 ‘And commented that same-sex ye have respect to him that relationships ‘threaten huweareth the gay clothing’ man dignity and the future as personally I’ve never had of humanity itself,’ which, as the respect that I deserve far as New Year’s speeches whenever I’ve gone out in go, was pretty out there. WKRVH FXW RŕŽ‰ GHQLP VKRUWV , Not to be outdone, Cardinal Keith O’Brian, the head of got from Zara. Another favourite of mine the Catholic Church in Scotcomes from the Epistle of land, added in March that Jeremy where 1:8 tells of same-sex marriage was ‘gro‘a virgin that loveth to go tesque,’ akin to slavery, and gay,’ though sadly for Jere- would lead to the ‘further my his book never made the degeneration of society into ன QDO HGLW RI WKH %LEOH DQG immorality.’ Now you could say that was phased out from about they’d have a little more 1666onwards. A shame really, as his is a parable that credence on moral matters many of us could readily ap- were it not for the fact that ply to our own University ex- they both head up what is possibly the largest crimiperience. I’ve always thought the nal enterprise to come out Church would have more RI ,WDO\ VLQFH WKH 0Dன D FXU

rently being investigated the world over for mass child sex abuse and conspiring to pervert the course of justice by failing to report more than a handful of paedophiles to local police. But then you could also say, why let that stand in the way of a cracking New Year’s speech? In fairness it’s not just the Vatican that likes to have a little go. John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, managed the quite admirable feat of claiming in the very same interview that although introducing samesex marriage is something ‘we’ve seen dictators do’, that ‘does not mean you diminish, condemn, criticise, patronise any same-sex relationships because that is not what the debate is about;’ a statement that has about as much internal consistency to it as one that starts with the words ‘I’m not being racist, but...’ Lord Carey, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, also told a Conservative conference fringe-event to “remember the Jews in Nazi Germany,� when it came to judging their own opposition to same-sex marriage. Quite. Of course maybe I’m just being all weird and modern with my insistence on equality and some basic standards

Owen Alun John

of human dignity when talking about people you don’t like. After all, the Church and its Bishops have been counted on for centuries to take a strong and courageous stance on the important moral questions of the day, sometimes when it hasn’t made them popular: just like in 1791, for example, when they all voted against abolishing the slave trade. As longtime friend of the gays Archbishop Sentamu says (and he’s not trying to be nasty, honest) ‘Jesus actually was the odd man out. I’d rather stick with Jesus than be popular because it looks odd.’ And who can really argue against sticking with Jesus. To conclude then, perhaps we should just hear these people out more when they ask important questions like with regard to gay marriage: ‘Where will it all end?’ (or, more often, ‘WHERE WILL IT ALL END?’) For what it’s worth, I’ve always seen two clear options, either with an army of gays and lesbians coming to steal Christian children from their parents and forcing all of humanity to bow before the pagan god Gaga. Or with gay people getting married. For the moment, I’m as yet undecided.

5Hૺ HFWLRQV IURP $EURDG I have to admit, I actually really enjoyed the introduction ice breakers during the ன UVW ZHHN RI WHUP <RX NQRZ the same one you had in every class: say your name, where you are from, and if you were (un)lucky disclose a random fact or hidden talent. My appreciation for these activities didn’t come out of some sadistic pleasure in seeing awkward human interaction (I’m not saying that isn’t something I like‌ but that’s a whole other article). What I gained from these exercises was very direct proof that the LSE truly has an international student ERG\ WR EH KRQHVW DW ன UVW , was a bit incredulous when reading a claim on the LSE website that it’s the ‘most international university in the world’ with students FRPLQJ IURP GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW countries). Part of the allure of coming to the LSE for me was being able to study ZLWKLQ D GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW DFDGHPLF culture, as I’m from the US and have never studied or lived in the UK before. So far my expectations have been exceeded, as I’m additionalO\ ன QGLQJ P\ H[SHULHQFH HQ hanced by the contributions of my fellow classmates

around how particular concepts or theories play out (or GR QRW IRU WKHP LQ GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW cultural contexts. Being the International Officer for the LSESU LGBT Alliance has allowed me to bring together a few aspects of what I consider my identity as a queer person of color, and now an international student. Identity politics can often be a contested domain because of the common effect of inclusion at the cost of exclusion. Although I understand more dichotomous debates have their time and place, I’ve recently found myself appreciating the value of more nuanced discussions where I don’t necessarily arrive at any clear cut ‘answer.’ As we enter Pride Week (26-30 Nov), I think it’s important to think about what it means to be part of the ‘LGBT’ or ‘queer’ community through a transnational lens, especially given our international landscape. :KDW GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW LPSOLFDWLRQV do these identity markers carry for students across not only sex and gender expresVLRQ EXW DOVR GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW HWK nic, racial, socioeconomic, cultural and/or secular backgrounds? Which aspects, if any, of an LGBT or queer identity travel and which don’t? And for whom and

where and under which circumstances? Many of these questions were stirred up inside me when I recently saw the thought provoking documentary Call Me Kuchu, which follows the stories of LGBT rights activists in Uganda. Thanks to LSE Arts and AfULFD 7DONV WKH ன OP ZLOO EH screening on campus conveniently during Pride Week (Wed 28 Nov, 6:30PM, New Theatre). This screening is

year (and perhaps by the time this article is published there’ll be even newer developments). What reactions or actions, if any, should the UK as a nation have when it comes to the criminalization of homosexuality in other countries? What are possible implications when individuals and non-governmental organizations from other countries get involved? What would it mean for the UK to cease aid to Uganda, or any

extremely timely given the anti-homosexuality bill that DFWLYLVWV LQ WKH ன OP EDWWOH is still on the Parliamentary Agenda. Multiple media outlets reported earlier this month that Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament Rebecca Kadaga said the bill will pass before the end of this

other country based on similar anti-homosexuality legisODWLRQ" :KR ZRXOG EH DŕŽ‰ HFW ed, in the UK and abroad, and how? I found myself contemplating similar questions last month when I read an article about Olamiekan Ayelokun, a man in the UK who

GUILLAUME PAUMIER

Daniel Moretti

25

If I could marry Rosa Scheepers

If I were to get married I would wear a dress. I would choose ivory over cream. I would have wooden chairs not seat covers. I would have an open not cash bar. I would choose a live band at the reception and a DJ after 7. I would have colour photographs. I would have bridesmaids and bridesmen. I would invite my friends, I wouldn’t invite my ex. I would insist on classical. I would serve chicken. , ZRXOG QHYHU VHUYH ன VK , would wear my hair down. I would listen to Nat King Cole. I would have roses‌ everywhere. I would have a female justice. I would have my mother walk me down the aisle. I would take shots behind the bar. I wouldn’t stress. I would laugh. I wouldn’t make a speech. I would have my sister make a speech. I would write her speech. I would have champagne. I would serve South African wine. I would be carried to my suite. I would not do the carrying. I would end the night on my back. I would enjoy it. If. If I could marry the woman of my choice.

was recently deported to his native Nigeria allegedly due to lack of evidence to be granted asylum on the basis of being homosexual. What criteria currently is, can and should be used in deeming someone ‘homosexual’? How does this criteria vary across social and institutional divides? Who determines this criteria? In what ways does it have impact both on populations in the UK and in other countries? What are some of the opportunities and/ or limitations of the notion of ‘homosexual,’ ‘LGBT’ or ‘queer’ as global referents? I hope you will join us during Pride Week for a panel discussion (Thurs 29 Nov, 6:30PM, Clement House CLM 4.02) as we scrape the surface of some of these issues, particularly around asylum in the UK for LGBT individuals, with speakers such as Bisi Alimi (noted as WKH ன UVW PDQ WR FRPH RXW as homosexual on national TV in Nigeria, dedicated human rights campaigner, and asylee). I greatly look forward to hearing the diverse perspectives on some of these issues from my fellow students hopefully not just during Pride Week, but throughout my time at the LSE.

26

Features

27.11.2012

| The Beaver

The Online Teenage Dream young women in my small, rural town. Unsurprisingly, the six months I posted ads were rather unfruitful. Once, a girl VWRRG PH XS RQ D FRŕŽ‰HH GDWH Another girl I did not intend to meet-up with, but while shopping with my mother, we very awkwardly ran into each. She was the janitor. Since the days of Craigslist, my experience with online dating has increased. I have learned to avoid questionable sites, like Craigslist, and now stick exclusively with OkCupid—a safer, more established site through which to meet people. The thrill, unknown, and never-ending potential for awkwardness remains, though, and each new date has the potential for valuable life lessons. Lesson One: How to talk to anyone. While living in Asia, I received a message DVNLQJ PH WR FRŕŽ‰HH IURP D YHU\ FXWH JLUO VWXG\LQJ னOP A few days later, we met at Starbucks. Upon meeting, she introduced herself, and unlike online, she included her English name, Silence. It was clearly a bad omen. :LWKLQ னYH PLQXWHV ZH KDG run out of things to talk about. I pressed her for interests, hobbies, and anything else, but, like her name, she was mute. She liked to sleep. Period. She also failed to return any questions and in-

quire into my life. How I lasted over an hour talking with her is still incomprehensible. Thanks to dates like these, I truly can talk to anyone if necessary, a valuable life skill. Lesson Two: Online dating is for introductions only. Within a week of beginning online dating at university, I thought I had found a keeper. Our OkCupid messages were long and personal; we shared many of the same interests; and she is one of the most accomplished 20-somethings in the world (but actually). We PHW XS EULHŕŽ‹\ IRU FRŕŽ‰HH DQG got along well, but over the next two months, we were LQ GLŕŽ‰HUHQW FRXQWULHV :H immediately continued our OkCupid dialogue via email, and within a month, we were sending messages over 3,000 words, multiple times a week. I spent hours writing to this girl and was infatuated. I naturally assumed given the time that we had invested in our messages that we would try dating once she returned. :KHQ ZH னQDOO\ VDZ HDFK other again, I was ecstatic and my infatuation grew. The clincher, however, came the next day over Google Chat: “I just can’t do this. I am still in love with my ex-girlfriend.â€? Twenty thousand words of emails did not prepare me for that. I wondered how could

she do that to me, but then I realised. I did not actually know her. I knew a girl on paper, not in real life. Online dating is only a means of introduction; it cannot replace an opportunity to get to know someone in real life. Lesson Three: Online dating can work. I will admit that most OkCupid meet-ups are a failure if not disaster, EXW ZLWKLQ WKH VHD RI SURனOHV there are gems waiting to be discovered if you have time and patience. One summer, I received a message from a girl and agreed to meet for dinner. I noticed from her SURனOH WKDW VKH DWWHQGHG university in the States and was home for the summer. Without any preconceived notions, all of my expectations were exceeded. She was smart, funny, attractive, and we generally clicked. We dated for the rest of the summer, and it was the perfect VXPPHU ŕŽ‹LQJ ,W LV SRVVLEOH WR meet interesting, attractive people online, even though at times it may seem impossible. Through online dating, I have made friends, connected with LGBTQ communities, learned valuable lessons, and occasionally found someone special. However, I am troubled that I have continued to use it beyond the days of secondary school. Why in uni-

versity did I continue to feel like I was missing the quintessential dating experience and thus resorted to OkCupid? Obviously, the availability of an LGBTQ community is one constraining factor. But beyond that, why couldn’t I meet and pursue people through everyday activities? I was driven to online dating because I am timid. I am afraid to take a risk and approach someone without previously knowing her sexuality. Society, myself included, operates under a heteronormative framework that views the world as straight. I too often assume WKDW FXWH JLUO DW WKH FRŕŽ‰HH shop is straight and walk past. I would hate to make her uncomfortable, and I do not want to encounter homophobia. We must work together as a society and overcome homophobia and ultimately heteronormativity. Through this, we can build a world where gay is not “deviantâ€? but rather an expected and accepted commonplace. Only then will people—old and young—have a safe environment to muster the courage and approach their same-gender crush in hopes of experiencing the teenage dream.

UK National treasure. One of Britain’s most famous gays has made a TV programme about his bi-polar condition.

chitis and asthma. Later in life was visually impaired.

MARCO RAAPHORST

“Online WHAT?â€? I questioned in astonishment. It was Year 12 of secondary school, and my best friend had just told me that that he was going on a date with a guy he had met online. “You are crazy!â€? I exclaimed. “Meet someone in real life!â€? I, like most young adults, was shocked to learn that someone my age was online dating. Online dating was something I saw in movies or heard about from parents’ friends; it was not something people my age did, or so I thought. Once I became comfortable with my sexuality, I soon realised that while my friends gushed about their latest encounters with their love-targets of the week, I was left out, crushless. There was one other out lesbian at my secondary school, but frankly, she was not my type. I had also learned the hard way that straight-girl crushes are best avoided because they can ruthlessly break your heart and ruin friendships. Wanting to experience that illusory teenage dream, within a few months, I too entered the world of online dating. I posted myself on Craigslist. While posting myself to Craigslist felt a bit creepy (I am not for sale!), in fact, LW KDG WKH PRVW SURனOHV RI

disability to make an incredible contribution to UK sport. I also thought I’d include As I am an LGBT person who FDQQRW VHH ' னOPV GXH WR to following list, shamelessly non-stereopsis, and who is pilfered from – albeit slightly presently hobbling around abridged – the LGBT History GXH WR ZLQWULO\ LQŕŽ‹DPHG DU- Month UK (every February!) thritis, I thought I’d bring to website— everyone’s attention the fact Lord Byron that it is UK Disability HisPoet and bisexual. He was tory Month! As I hope you’re all already born with a deformity of his aware it is also LSESU LGBT IRRW ZKLFK DŕŽ‰HFWHG KLP DOO Pride Week, so I thought I’d his life. impart some knowledge to Edith Cooper those of you who do not alThe aestheticist poet and ready know who Lee Pearson is. An openly gay dres- writer, who wrote as Michael sage horse rider, Pearson Field with her partner Kathhas won ten Paralympic Gold erine Bradley. She had ill Medals over four Games and health all her life and was inhas overcome stigma about creasingly disabled by rheuLGBT people in sport and his matism. Charley Jarrett

Edith Craig Lesbian, feminist, theatre director and costume designer. Her early career as a concert pianist was prevented by chronic rheumatism in her னQJHU MRLQWV

Michelangelo Buonarotti The famous Renaissance Eva Gore-Booth artist, creator of David and )HPLQLVW VXŕŽ‰UDJLVW DQG painter of The Sistine Chapel poet. Had tuberculosis and VXŕŽ‰HUHG IURP HSLOHSV\ illness throughout adult life. Leonardo Da Vinci Marcel Proust Famous renaissance artFrida Kahlo Novelist. Asthmatic and ist who painted La Giocanda Mexican painter, born his life constrained by illness (The Mona Lisa) and The 1907. Kahlo was partially most of his life. /DVW 6XSSHU 6XŕŽ‰HUHG IURP disabled and rendered with epilepsy. a life of health problems in Happy UK Disability a traffic accident during her Awareness Month and Happy Ronald Firbank youth. Her self-portraits LSESU LGBT Pride Week! Novelist. He had poor graphically demonstrate her health and lung disease (pre- pain. sumably consumption) all his life. Edward Lear Writer artist and poet. Stephen Fry Had epilepsy, chronic bron-

Social

CLEOPEARSON

The Beaver 27.11.2012

27

“It’s my daily mood that makes the weather”

Jiayi Fan shows us how to think puddle half full, not half empty

L

ondon’s weather is going to kill me. To be more specific, every morning when I pull aside the curtain with earnest expectation of some sunshine embracing me through the window, instead I see an overcast sky with dark clouds staring at me angrily. Yes, a person with her crazy love of sunny days should never ever come to and live in a foggy city. But here I am, staring back at the heavy grey sky and feeling gloomy. I am even worried about whether I will have a dysthymia disorder by the time I graduate from LSE next year with my masters degree. Fortunately, at least I don’t need to buy any suncream, for less contact with sunshine and UV rays turn my skin pale white. However, I am a person with a strong subjective consciousness and I will not let the bad weather influence my mood or eat my optimism so easily. As the famous German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said: “It’s my daily mood that makes the weather.” My hometown Beijing possesses the most poetic autumn with its unique aestheticism and quiescence. It is a peaceful feeling standing on piles of brown and gold leaves, stretching your arms to hold the soft breeze tight, imagining yourself mentally communicating with nature, and sensing its greatness and charm. This pretty season allows me to hold the camera and take pictures whenever I catch sight of its beauty. However, it is the poetic fall that has the highest suicide rate. The falling down leaves and quiet lonely atmosphere can easily create a depressed emotion, not to mention that ancient Chinese poets congruously felt sad

with the coming of the autumn and the large amounts of sentimental poems written at this time of year to describe the harsh and desolate season and express melancholy towards unforgettable past time and unspoken love. Conversely, Liu Yuxi, one of my favourite poets from Tang Dynasty, showed his different attitude towards autumn: “The desolate scene of autumn has ever aroused lamentation/Yet I opine spring morn is not as fair as autumn day/When in the sunny sky a crane soars on the cloudy way/Towards the

It is fall that has the highest suicide rate. The falling down leaves and quiet lonely atmosphere can easily create a depressed emotion blue my heart would fly with poetic aspiration.” Can you see how it is his mood that makes the weather? Even though it may be a disheartening season, the poet was inspired with ambition. Flagstaff is another temperament. When I mention northern Arizona, does a small town encompassed by deserts and cacti run into your mind? I can understand that, for it is even hard for most Americans outside Flagstaff to believe there is a place in the dry and hot Arizona where heavy snow falls in the winter. Beijing has snow, but it will never bury cars, cover the ground for weeks, and close schools. My sense perception towards Flagstaff snow moves in a hilarious endless cycle. When the very first

snow comes in November or early October, I light up with pleasure, unfolding my joy and love by holding my camera wherever I go, having snowball fights with my best friends, making snowmen and decorating them with buttons and carrots. Nonetheless, the excitement is quenched by the low temperatures and muddy roads. From my love towards snow to the internal resistance, I do not jump for joy. Instead, I sigh when Flagstaff snows: “Oh, snow? I need to check my emails. Are my classes canceled?” Still, Flagstaff ’s snow sounds exciting to people outside the city. No wonder my Bostanian friend’s seven-year-old daughter begged me to take her to Flagstaff so that she would be able to make a snowman everyday. It may be impossible to control the weather, but it is not difficult to handle our mood. The reason Goethe claimed his daily mood could make the weather lies in this: “I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.” I believe I have the power to make my heart bathe in the sunshine even though I walk in wet rainy days. I believe I have treated myself as I ought to be, and I am capable of living the way I love and loving the way I live.

28

Social

*HWWLQJ PXJJHG R૸

27.11.2012

| The Beaver

Cleo Pearson on why she says no to charity muggers and from uiversity. In fact, my usual inner-monologue goes something a bit like this (on the tube station side of the road): “So. many. fucking. tourists. Must. get. through.� or on the other

topics which greatly concern me. I like to get a good amount of both in my life, everything in moderation you know. However, please don’t put them together. Cake and I need some un-

Cake and starving poor children in Africa are two topics which greatly concern me. I like to get a good amount of both in my life, everything in moderation you know. However, please don’t put them together. side next to Sainsburys: “Cake.� You can only imagine my surprise when this beautiful conversation with someone only as important as yours truly is disrupted by a charitable-being dressed in a brightly coloured rain jacket and shifting awkwardly to stop me from getting past. Cake and starving poor children in Africa are two

is that I feel like, even if I were to sign up to whatever they are selling, it is just that, a sale. I don’t feel like I am giving with compassion and I feel like I am buying guilt-relief. I feel that charitable giving is a major moral attribute which more people should embrace. I also understand that charities need money to keep doing what they do and it doesn’t

take an LSE economist to work out that these street teams must be making them some money. But where this equation doesn’t add up, is that I don’t think making people give through guilt or some means of force (in the sense of without choice as opposed to physical) is going to encourage them to become long-standing donors who do so with pleasure and principle.

ANDYINNYC

I

like to think I’m a fairly decent person. Well, you’ve got to have something that gets you out of bed in the morning. I might not be religious, but I have common courtesy. Even if that does mean having to resist the urge to shut the door the moment I notice the painted smile DQG UHOLJLRXV OHDŕŽ‹HW LQ WKH hands of those over-polite (but nonetheless unappreciated) ladies who turned up at my doorstep at 9am this Saturday morning. Athough I have no plans to join the church, I believe in a sense of morality. Yet one thing that continues to grate upon me is the swarm of ‘charity muggers‘ that nest themselves at the Holborn junction on Kingsway. Much as I love to take a walk and to contemplate whether I am still succesfully being a good human, it isn’t something I tend to do on my way to

interupted quality time together. And believe me, when I spend my summers volunteering in Africa, I always make sure that my attention is dedicated 100% to the children I am with. Let’s just say it’s fortunate they don’t make good cake in rural Africa, otherwise things could get tricky. My problem with street teams of charity workers

Travel Guide to Cozumel, Mexico

Liam Brown on the sun, sea and nightlife of Mexico’s dive paradise

D

rug cartels, violence, kidnappings and murder - that is what many people are beginning to associate with Mexico and its people. It’s sad, really, because despite the genuine problems in the country’s border regions, like the infamous city of Ciudad Juarez across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, there lies a beautiful country and a peoples with a rich history and culture. Recently, I visited Yucatan Peninsula - the Mayan Riviera - the latter name seemingly an invention from some marketing wizard deep in the offices of a huge multinational travel

divers drift dives with a plethora of life as well as trickier cavern and cave dives to wet the whistle of technical and cave divers seeking a more advanced dive experience. There are lots of dive shops on the island, many RŕŽ‰HULQJ WUDLQLQJ WKURXJK recognised international organisations like PADI. If you are staying at a resort on the southern coast, most GLYH RXWனWV ZLOO SLFN \RX up at your hotel dock and store and clean your gear company, for week of adven- throughout your trip. If you ture both on land and under look around for deals, you the sea. Many people are can get them, especially familiar with the Yucatan if you book a package of Peninsula for spring break dives together. The quality escapades and all-inclusive of compressed air can be a beach vacations, but stay- concern in Mexico, but in ing locked up in your resort Cozumel most dive shops of choice is a serious mis- get their air from a large take. Mexico has so much WDQN னOOLQJ FHQWUH KHOG WR standards. WR RŕŽ‰HU LW ZRXOG EH D FULPH international in and of itself to not go out Unfortunately, that does mean nitrox is pre-mixed and experience it. My trip was to Cozumel, and cannot easily be cusDQ LVODQG RŕŽ‰ WKH FRDVW RI tom blended. Perhaps the pinnacle of Playa Del Carmen (a resort city about an hour south of dive sites for many divers Cancun) that is known for is Devil’s Throat at Punta its world class scuba diving. Sur. A dark and deep swim Consistently rated among through cavern, Devil’s the top diving destinations Throat has divers enter the by travel and diving maga- at around 24 metres and ]LQHV DOLNH &R]XPHO RŕŽ‰HUV swim over twenty metres down to exit into a beauti-

IXOO\ EULJKW DQG OLIH னOOHG cathedral of coral at 41 metres. The dive requires special decompression procedures and should only be attempted by those properly trained, however if you are so trained, this dive is a must if visiting the island. For non-divers, CozXPHO RŕŽ‰HUV D JUHDW DUUD\ RI nightclubs and bars in its decidedly safe main town, San Miguel. Even if you are staying at one of the very well priced all-inclusive resorts on the island, I would recommend visiting San Miguel for an evening to get a taste of island life. If relaxing on the beach

and frolicking in the azure Caribbean Sea is not your cup of tea, there are lots of more adventurous activities available, from dune buggy tours of the island to zip line and cenote trips to the mainland (accessible by a wellpriced and quick ferry in San Miguel). No matter what you are into, there is something in Cozumel for you. Although certain regions of Mexico appear to be a powderkeg of drug fuelled violence and anarchy, Cozumel remains a great vacation destination for divers and non-divers alike. Divers, however, will get the real treat.

The Beaver | 27.11.2012

Social

29

Well this is awkward...

Anaita Tejpal speaks up about the silence of classes new level where people will stare out of the windows, at the paintings that decorate the walls of some classrooms or simply at the beautiful chalk white table to avoid answering a question! It is certainly an unwelcome occurrence but sadly this has become the norm in many of the classes. In an institution where everyone is desperate to network, make connections and make them stand out, I would have imagined that SHRSOH ZRXOG EH ன JKWLQJ WR have their opinion heard. How is it that this fails to occur? Is it because there is no incentive to perform well in class? However, if the blame only lies with the student body is debatable. The teachers, depending on

how lucky (or unlucky) you are, tend to simply wait for someone to answer their question – this usually ends with them simply proceeding and providing the answer. The sad truth is that, WKLV PD\ EH DQ H[WUHPHO\ simple answer, so much so that the question may seem rhetorical but it is still followed with a long silence. Is this perhaps the problem? Alternatively, is it that teachers ask these questions knowing that students know the answer and hence hope to get at least some minimal response? I am not blaming anyone for the awkwardness that H[LVWV LQ FODVVHV EXW VLPSO\ trying to understand why it H[LVWV 7KH /RQGRQ 6FKRRO of Economics and Political Science, an institution with

an incredible reputation, ranked 3rd in the university league table and renowned for its student body unfortunately fails to provide stimulating classes. Will a change come about, and if

so, is it by changing the student community’s attitude or does the responsibility lie with the teacher?

-())5<$1'0$0,

H

ow many of you have sat in a class without mentioning a word? I know I have and if you were honest, you would be included in this group too. Unfortunately, it seems to be that the majority of students do not engage in the classes. It surely is not the fact that they do not understand the concepts – these people are some of the brightest minds! So, why is it that in an institution renowned for producing some of the greatest thinkers, where networking is emphasised till the cows come home is there so much silence and lack of stimulating discussion? The ‘awkward silence’ is taken to a completely

Have your cake and eat it too Imogen Young on the soothing power of baking

M

id-term madness has descended, and whilst the ocFDVLRQDO VFRQH SURன WHUROH or eclair may not seem the most obvious solution, they ought not to be ignored. Indeed, though a fraisier may not be the most direct PHDQV RI DWWDLQLQJ D ன UVW the power of baking as a

blogs can be seen as evidence that it is becoming albeit gradually - more of a cultural norm than it has arguably been for decades. An aspect of this shift is compounded by noting that a recent report conducted E\ ‍ڔ‏7KH *URFHU‍ ڕ‏IRXQG WKDW baking is on the rise among men. Awful pun aside, this ZDV DOVR UHŕŽ‹ HFWHG E\ KDOI RI

‍ڔ‏FHOHEULW\‍ ڕ‏FKHIV ZKR FDQ be found on BBC iPlayer, or 4oD, with the accompanying ZHEVLWHV RŕŽ‰ HULQJ SULQWDEOH copies of recipes covered. Beyond that, most superPDUNHWV QRZ RŕŽ‰ HU UHFLSHV on their own websites, and there are a great number of blogs that are worth sourcing for something a little bit GLŕŽ‰ HUHQW 7KH *XDUGLDQ DQG Timeout both have a list of what they deem to be the Sitting alone in your room with Matildabest food blogs, which can esque amounts of cake is - apparently - socially be retrieved after a quick search via Google. Should frowned upon you seek inspiration further Dன HOG DQG ZLVK WR FRQGXFW means to conquer essay GBBO’s contestants being ‍ڔ‏UHVHDUFK‍ ڕ‏/RQGRQ LV KRPH woes is not to be underes- male. Such apparent gen- to a multitude of fantastic timated. der equality when it comes bakeries. My current faThe popularity of the to baking was certainly not vourite is the Hummingbird most recent series of “The to be seen even one genera- Bakery, in particular the red *UHDW %ULWLVK %DNH 2ŕŽ‰ ‍ ڕ‏KDV tion ago. velvet cake and “black botshown that such a pastime In pursuit of your own WRP‍ ڕ‏FXSFDNHV )ROORZLQJ has more of a following than culinary creations you need Thanksgiving, Konditor and many could have predicted, not fear - many supermar- Cook is also worth a menwith the show managing to NHWV QRZ RŕŽ‰ HU D ‍ڔ‏YDOXH‍ ڕ‏tion, as I have heard many DPDVV EHWWHU YLHZLQJ ன J range of utensils, vary- a good thing about their ures than ITV’s simultane- ing from that all important pecan and pumpkin pies ous coverage of England’s spatula, to rolling pins and respectively. Closer to the :RUOG &XS TXDOLன HU *%%2 whisks. Additionally, basics /6( EUDQFKHV RI ERWK WKH - as dedicated fans of HRH VXFK DV ŕŽ‹ RXU HJJV DQG EXW Paul and Patisserie Valerie Mary Berry refer to it - was WHU DUH QRW WKH PRVW H[SHQ FKDLQV RŕŽ‰ HU D VHOHFWLRQ RI so greatly followed that sive of purchases for the WUDGLWLRQDO )UHQFK JRRGV Morrisons reported a twen- occasional cupcake, with $VLGH IURP VKRSV /RQGRQ‍ڑ‏V W\ ன YH SHUFHQW LQFUHDVH RI dried fast action yeast and many food markets are also baking trays, and ten per- other ingredients need- worthy of a visit. I am a cent increase in the pur- ed for bread infrequently huge fan of the Brunswick’s chase of ingredients from surpassing ÂŁ1.60 in total. RŕŽ‰ HULQJV RQ D 6DWXUGD\ ŕŽ‹ RXU WR YDQLOOD H[WUDFW ,Q With regards to ideas as to most notably the array of the same vein, the upsurge what to make, there are a meringues. of cookery programmes and plethora of very reputable )LQDOO\ LW LV LPSRUWDQW WR

add that baking completely clears the mind of any niggling issues you may have, and if done correctly can result in a multitude of treats for you and your friends. &HUWDLQO\ P\ ŕŽ‹ DWPDWHV have slowly grown accustomed to my post-essay celebratory kitchen rampage, and once the cloud of icing sugar has descended, routinely consume that evenLQJ‍ڑ‏V RŕŽ‰ HULQJV ,Q WKLV OLJKW EDNLQJ FDQ DLG ŕŽ‹ DWPDWH cohesion, and also ensures that you aren’t solely landed with the task of eating

an entire cake. As alluring as this may seem, sitting alone in your room with Matilda-esque amounts of cake is - apparently - socially frowned upon, unless you’re Bridget Jones and the entire proceedings is set to the works of Adele. In terms of time-management, the precision of most bakes can be conducive to a more productive work ethic. All in all, it’s simply a matter of balancing your Rawls with your roulade.

30

Sport

27.11.2012

| The Beaver

Cinderella story for LSE men’s basketball Premier won’t be easy, this victory has demonstrated Kevin is skinny. Not thin. that this team can beat +H‍ڑ‏V VNLQQ\ +H RIWHQ JHWV anybody. With a full team, EXOOLHG RQ DQG RŕŽ‰ WKH FRXUW we will have a really good by bigger players, class chance of making a run in teachers, and particularly the Championship Cup next aggressive grannies. The sticks he has for legs were shaking as – with the team GRZQ RQH DQG ZLWK ன YH seconds to go in overtime against Oxford – he took WZR IUHH WKURZV +DG KH made one, we would have KDG DQRWKHU RYHUWLPH +DG he made two, we would have won the game. +H PLVVHG %RWK WLPHV <HW WR HYHU\RQH‍ڑ‏V DPD]H ment, after the second miss .HY PDQDJHG WR JHW WKH UH bound, rise for a layup, and put the bloody ball in the EDVNHW $QG WKH UHVW LV KLV tory. It hasn’t been an easy \HDU IRU WKH WHDP &RPSH tition in Premier League is extremely tough, and key players Iggy de Ferrari and term – hopefully becoming -DNH %URZQ KDYH EHHQ VLGH WKH ன UVW WHDP LQ /6( KLV lined the entire season so tory to make it to the top far either because of a bad OHDJXH‍ڑ‏V )LQDO HLJKW LQ DQ\ back (it’s always hard being sport. 6’8’’) or because of a lousy The game against Oxford WLPHWDEOH KHUH ZH‍ڑ‏G SDU wasn’t perfect. Actually, it ticularly like to thank the was pretty far from perfect. Geography department for +RZHYHU D QXPEHU RI WKLQJV KDYLQJ LWV WZR KRXU *< just went the right way. For session on Wednesdays at WKH ன UVW WLPH WKLV VHDVRQ 2 pm). Whilst remaining in IRXU SOD\HUV VFRUHG LQ GRX

Gio Graglia

a full night of sleep before the game. The future is bright. Next week will see the return to WKH WHDP RI &RQRU 0F'RQ ough after he managed to UHZULWH FRQWHPSRUDU\ KLV toriography with his three essays due in week seven, RI %MRUQ 8UEDQVN\ ZKR DS parently hasn’t stopped VQHH]LQJ VLQFH PRYLQJ WR /RQGRQ RI /XGZLJ +HUW] (out this week as he was working on a paper titled ‘The laws of physics applied to basketball: perfect arc and Jedi force’), and also of Eric Coles if he manages to get out of the grasp of his pet anaconda. Most of all, however, next week Felix Forster will have the chance to prove to everyone that he actually has a wife. 7R FHOHEUDWH RXU ன UVW YLF tory, we also have a little FRPSHWLWLRQ ZLWK SUL]HV 3OHDVH VHQG DQ H PDLO WR DX FOXE EDVNHWEDOO PHQV# DOVR SLOLQJ XS ன YH IRXOV LQ (and I swear I wish I was lse.ac.uk telling us who is the process, and David Lok, MRNLQJ WKH IRRWEDOO VHF your favourite player on the -DPHV +LOWRQ DQG -HUHP\ onds for cutting Josh Martin LSE Men’s Basketball 1sts &KHXQJ SURYLGHG D PXFK and allowing the 6’7’’ guy and why. The best reply will needed boost from the from Iowa to play for us, get an autographed picture bench. Of course there were Elsa Dulout for being our of Andrew Ben Salem. If you turnovers, lousy shots, and ன UVW UHDO IDQ VRUU\ /DXUD don’t win you could still get spurts of appalling defense, 6FKLHPLFKHQ -DPHV +LOWRQ RXU FRQVRODWLRQ SUL]H EHLQJ but we did get that W, so for showing up for practice allowed to touch Jeremey we’ll just ignore those until in a Mickey Mouse vest, and Cheung’s biceps. Yes, it’s all the people in Rosebery way better if you win. our next practice. As always, however, we IRU JLYLQJ WKHLU VXE ZDUGHQ EOH ன JXUHV 1HVKD )UDQFLF KDG D JDPH KLJK .HYLQ /XN KDG WZHOYH DQG FR captains Andrew Ben Salem DQG *LR *UDJOLD KDG ன IWHHQ and thirteen). Josh Martin played solid defense, whilst

wouldn’t have done it by ourselves. We’d like to thank all the representatives of Illinois Law Enforcement &RPPXQLW\ &RXUWQH\ /HZ LV‍ ڑ‏JLUOIULHQG IRU UH ன OOLQJ KLV box of cinnamon toothpicks

12 men get wet and dominate gers tried his best to keep up as LSE. After a brief period of pressure culled by the morale. The 2’s took to the pitch The LSE 2s begun the day with the standard nervous ZLWK D IRUFHG IRUPD bus journey made all the WLRQ GXH WR ODFN RI SHUVRQ worse by our favourite bus nel, headed by fresher/rap drivers, who I want to say megastar George Da Paul is called ‘Manuel’ but can’t DQG WKH GHDGORFN ZDV TXLFN FRQன UP TXHVWLRQDEOH QDYL O\ EURNHQ 2OLYHU 'RZLH SLFN gation and paper map. LSE ing up the ball in the middle arrived at Watford Training before spraying it wide to Ground home of UCL and &\USXV‍ Ú‘â€ŹŕŽŠ QHVW 6WHOLR +H UH WKH\‍ڑ‏UH PHGLFV PRUH FRP turned the ball to Dowie who monly known as RUMS, a slid through a delightfully plural of the beverage drunk weighted pass for Da Paul by pirates, with the wind to smash into the roof of the blowing but rain not falling QHW IURP \DUGV 7KH VWULN er silenced his critics who and spirits were high. Warm up pursued, some FODLPHG KLV ன QLVKLQJ ‍ڔ‏UH garbage keep ball that could sembled that of a one eyed have only been made better puppy trying to plant shrubs with the help of a labrador in with a used drumstick.â€? The KLJK YLV LW ZDV WLPH IRU WKH early goal shocked RUMS main event. The team then who capitulated under torrid hid for 10 minutes as the SUHVVXUH IURP PLGன HOGHUV heavens opened and Captain Elsom, Thickey and Josh and %HDUGVH\H PLQXV KLV ன VK ன Q it seemed they couldn’t cope with the conditions as well Matthew Smith

epic tackling and heroism shown by Club Captain and chronic exaggerator Smithy, the ball fell from the sky with a bow on it for Thickey WR FKHVW GRZQ DQG ன UH KRPH WR VHQG WKH ER\V XS JR LQJ LQ DW KDOI WLPH $IWHU D SDVVLRQDWH KDOI WLPH WHDP WDON IURP ‍ڑ‏V FDS tain Crispy Mississippi and an injury enforced change, )HOLSH FRPLQJ RŕŽ‰ IRU %%

Bowles, LSE continued their GRPLQDWLRQ RI WKH JDPH possession stats making painful reading for RUMS 1s’ half hearted attempt at a PDQDJHPHQW RXWன W ,W ZDVQ‍ڑ‏W ORQJ EHIRUH WKH SUHVVXUH EH FDPH WRR PXFK DQG ZLWK $Q dres pinning back RUMS’ ‍ڔ‏OHIW EDFN‍ ڕ‏6WHOLR ZDV DEOH to skip down the wing before ன ULQJ D VKRW RŕŽ‰ WKH SDOPV RI D KHOSOHVV JRDO NHHSHU DQG George Da Paul was there to rocket the soggy ball into the

unguarded net. The game ன ]]OHG RXW ZLWK WKRXJKWV FOHDUO\ RQ WKH SRVW PDWFK beer but the victory was ours DQG WKDW ZDV DOO WKDW PDW tered. It’s worth mentioning WKDW -RH 2‍ڑ‏%UL]]OH ZDV QRW forced into a single save as WKH ‍ڑ‏V VHFXUHG WKHLU ன UVW clean sheet of the season to take their points tally up to 7 OHDYLQJ WKH LQ D VWURQJ SRVL tion in BUCS division 1a. 7KH V WKHQ GULHG WKHP VHOYHV RŕŽ‰ DQG YRWHG 2OLYHU Dowie as man of the match URXQGLQJ RŕŽ‰ ZKDW KDV EHHQ troublesome week for the \RXQJ FHQWUH PLGன HOGHU /6( 2s face Imperial 3s this week in what can only be seen as a must win game. )RU ZHHN E\ ZHHN URXQG ups of results tune in to /RZ6HOI(VWHDPLQ‍) ڑ‏0 HYHU\ Thursday 4pm. #BigGame

Sport

The Beaver | 27.11.2012

31

Let them sing what they want been run by Jewish people; Lord Alan Sugar and Daniel Racism in any sphere, not Levy being recent notables. only football, is abhorrent London in the 70’s and 80’s and fundamentally wrong. ZDV D IDU GLŕŽ‰HUHQW EHDVW WR The sport unfortunately the one which we encounalways seems to act as a ter today. The cosmopolitan catalyst, with natural tribal melting pot that now exists, cultures creating a “them in the main peacefully, was against usâ€? marginalisation; previously infected by pera breeding ground for rac- secution and often hatred ism. Such problems have directed at minorities. The come to the fore in recent Jewish communities were ZHHNV W\SLனHG E\ UHIHUHQFH not immune to this. In the to names such as Suarez, face of such racism and vioTerry and now Lazio. Given lence the Tottenham comwhat happened in Rome re- munity, one of the poorest in cently, in a world where the London and itself marginalresponse of the relevant ised, wanted unity and idenbodies seems so weak and tity. Tottenham fans labelled LQHŕŽ‰HFWXDO LW LV ERWK RGG themselves the “Yid Armyâ€? and shocking that Totten- as a badge of honour and ham Hotspur Football Club solidarity with the neighshould be on the receiv- bouring Jewish communiing end of an attack from ties. If they could change lawyers over racism. Peter a symbol of hatred into Herbert and his Society of something collectively posiBlack Lawyers have taken it tive, then how could this be upon themselves to launch wrong? It became a proud a campaign against the per- association that continues ceived anti-Semitism, which to this day. they believe is rife in N17. The present Spurs fan History is perhaps useful base no longer has a parhere to explain the context ticularly large Jewish conof the situation. Tottenham tingent. Many other clubs, is traditionally seen as a for example Arsenal and Jewish club, because it is Chelsea, actually have situated close to predomi- larger Jewish fan bases. nantly Jewish areas of Lon- Yet the chants remain and don and in the main has still embody a sense of to-

getherness that all football fans aspire to. Peter Her-

After an enforced period of leave, this column will be returning to once again reveal those hazy events from the AU’s Wednesday night that we would all prefer to forget. The time of safely working your way around Zoo Bar is unfortunately over for many of you. That being said week seven with essay deadlines always seems to dampen even the AU’s appetite for waking up in an unknown part of London, with many teams forgoing the usual routine and cheating on Zoo Bar with a variety of other possibly more wholesome activities. With such a tame week to return on, revealing some of the gems from the last few ZHHNV LV GHனQLWHO\ LQ RUGHU Cricket ventured out to Brick Lane where Turkish made sure he got his money’s worth (possibly to the

detriment of his digestion) before being upstaged by a young Poly’s redecoration of the District line in subtle tones of korma. With rowing away this week we missed out on the delights of their rather uninspiring yet surprisingly successful chat. Success from an earlier week in response to “I’m sorry you look so beautiful, I must kiss youâ€? came to Field Marshall R Palmtree who managed to get his hands on a young addition to the club. This either proves that the music in Zoo was far too loud for her to hear or that if you can’t pull in Zoo you can’t pull anywhere. As per expectations, Rugby were successful in kettling the NUS Demo supporters in the Tuns. Loud, stubborn and generally unpleasant, the Demo crowd left shortly afterwards. After WKH XVXDO VLQJ RŕŽ‰ ZLWK WKH

TOTTENHAMFAN

Gio Graglia

my mind, all Spurs fans do is give a very positive tone to a term which has often been used elsewhere in a derogatory and insulting way. For this reason the Spurs behaviour is perhaps more deserving of praise rather than criticism. The club itself shares this exact view and instead believes more should be done to tackle the real anti-semites. Too often their fans are subjected to hissing noises by away fans to mimic gas chambers, a shocking and unacceptable reference to the holocaust. Even this week Spurs fans were attacked by Italian masked hooligans whose albert would no doubt argue leged motive was anti-semthat these chants are “40 itism. The club also make years out of dateâ€? and is the important point that the now threatening to bring law is on fans sides, as they in police to prosecute the say: “Our guiding principle so called racists, claiming in respect of the “Y-wordâ€? that “even if it comes from is based on the point of law Tottenham Fans, it is still itself — the distinguishcasual racismâ€?. Calling Jer- ing factor is the intent with maine Defoe a “Yidoâ€? when which it is used, i.e. if it is he does something positive used with the deliberate inon the pitch seems far from WHQWLRQ WR FDXVH RŕŽ‰HQFH‍ ڕ‏ racist, if anything it is quite They follow this by assertthe opposite. Perhaps if he ing that: “They do not use JRW KLPVHOI VHQW RŕŽ‰ DQG the term to others to cause then was branded as such, DQ\ RŕŽ‰HQFH WKH\ XVH LW DV D the argument may be more chant among themselvesâ€?. strongly grounded. Yet, for +HUEHUW ZDV P\VWLனHG

by this stance branding it “unbelievableâ€? and went further to suggest that even if they are a Jewish club, Jewish people would still be guilty of anti-semitic abuse. It may seem a little pedantic, but with this assumption we should probably lock up JayZ because I seem to recall him using the term “n***sâ€? in one of his songs. More alarmingly it seems Herbert knows absolutely nothing about football, which gives KLP QR TXDOLனFDWLRQ WR SDVV judgment on it. He seemed bewildered that fans at White Hart Lane didn’t behave the same as those at the Olympics; quizzically asking what would happen if a “yidâ€? chant were started at the Olympic Stadium? Perhaps it would be useful for Herbert to go to a game before making daft comparLVRQV WR D FRPSOHWHO\ GLŕŽ‰HUent event. We will see what the future holds for Tottenham and indeed for the Society of Black Lawyers. Personally I hope that this is not the start of something pernicious and unnecessary that will do nothing but harm to the game of football.

FC, rugby freshers escaped from previously witnessed Inbetweeners-esque displays outside the Tuns. Notable by absence from Zoo this week was the Hunney Badger, missing out on his pitcher in order to play with some jugs. While being kicked out of bed early come Thursday morning is never ideal, this power couple could be destined for great things. If the aforementioned animal FDQ னQG KLV ZD\ KRPH DIWHU that, navigating student politics shouldn’t prove to be much of a problem. Less fortunate was the general population of Zoo. Whether it was essay deadlines or by week seven the available talent is in increasingly short supply. Only one pair was witnessed leaving together; their identity is safe for one more week. It was a poor show on the

teams but generally to no avail. A third team northern stunner was pursued throughout the night by a sheepish young rugby boy but he unsurprisingly didn’t stand a chance. While the usual suspects found corners to hide in for their regular pulls, Rugby’s resident loveable drunk with his Hobbesian charms continued to gain favour with a Flower in women’s rugby; we can just hope he hasn’t made a habit of going commando come Thursday morning. The events of Pub Golf may have gone without suitable documentation but as Carol approaches and costume preparations get more serious, come week nine the already questionable levels of acceptable conduct in Zoo will look like a distant memory of good behaviour.

whole for the legendarily badly behaved AU. A rugby video of possibly the sweetest drunk might help to explain why. Far from getting a girl to go home with you, realising you aren’t in Vauxhall presents a notable challenge. Equally the majority of the rugby team appear to have black eyes, possibly putting some young ladies RŕŽ‰ 7KH EODFN H\H DSSHDUHG to work for Daniel Craig; proving ever popular with many young ladies even if their advances weren’t always welcome. Keeping it classy as ever in the corner and not learning from their initiations were hockey, downing pitchers but proving much less successful with the gentlemen. There were a few close calls with some gallant attempts across the sports

Sport

32

Sport

27.11.2012

| The Beaver

Inside тАл┌ЪтАм/6( 6SRUW тАл┌ЪтАм/HW 7KHP 6LQJ :KDW 7KH\ :DQW тАл┌ЪтАмThe Long Awaited Return of: :KDW KDSSHQV LQ =RR %DU

6RXWKHUQ 'LVFRPIRUW

Performance of the Home Nations gives Gatland headaches

RQO\ HPSKDVLVHV WKH H[WHQW WR ZKLFK WKH +RPH 1DWLRQV have been outclassed over WKH SDVW PRQWK ,I \RX LJQRUH the 14 tries scored against )LML LQ WKHVH YLFWRULHV WKHQ WKH 6RXWKHUQ +HPLVSKHUH WHDPV KDYH SODFHG WKH EDOO RYHU WU\OLQH WLPHV WR WKH +RPH 1DWLRQVтАл ┌СтАм ,Q FDVH *DWODQG KDGQтАл┌СтАмW JRWWHQ WKH PHVVDJH WKH SRLQWV WRWDO RYHU WKH

7RQHU IW LQ VWRQH

GRHVQтАл┌СтАмW PDNH VXFK D VLPSOLV WLF H[FXVH YDOLG DQ\ PRUH 0XFK KDV EHHQ PDGH RI WKH VHW XSV RI WKH UXJE\ OHDJXHV LQ WKH GLроЙ HUHQW KHPLVSKHUHV DQG WKLV FHU WDLQO\ KDV DQ LPSDFW ,Q WKH 6RXWKHUQ KHPLVSKHUH WKHLU GRPHVWLF FRPSHWLWLRQV DUH designed with the national WHDP LQ PLQG 2QO\ SOD\HUV SOD\LQJ DW KRPH DUH HOLJLEOH

RQV VTXDG LQ \HDUV WR FRPH 7KHLU ORVV WR 6RXWK $IULFD was overshadowed by a controversial red card to their *(2)) 75277(5

IRU WKH QDWLRQDO WHDP DQG WKH FOXEV DFFHSW WKDW WKH\тАл┌СтАмUH VHFRQG SULRULW\ EHKLQG WKH QDWLRQDO WHDP +RZHYHU WKH VWUXFWXUHV of the leagues in the United .LQJGRP DUH PXFK PRUH VLPLODU WR WKH IRRWEDOOтАл┌СтАмV 3UH PLHU /HDJXH )XHOOHG E\ H[ SHQVLYH VSRQVRUVKLS GHDOV WKH FOXEVтАл ┌СтАмUHODWLRQVKLS ZLWK WKH QDWLRQDO WHDP LV D ORW PRUH IUDXJKW 7KLV LV VRPH WKLQJ WKDW *DWODQG KDV H[ SHULHQFHG роК UVW KDQG ZLWK :HOVK SOD\HUV SO\LQJ WKHLU trade in France and England IUHTXHQWO\ EHLQJ UHIXVHG SHUPLVVLRQ WR DWWHQG HDUO\ training sessions with the QDWLRQDO WHDP 7KH 8.тАл┌СтАмV FOXE WHDPV DUH DPRQJ WKH EHVW LQ WKH ZRUOG EXW WKH SULFH SDLG for that is seen whenever WKH $OO %ODFNV RU WKH :DOOD ELHV FRPH WR YLVLW Maybe there is a strucWXUDO UHDVRQ IRU WKH 6RXWKтАл┌СтАмV VWUHQJWK EXW VXFK DQ DQ VZHU ZLOO QRW VDWLVI\ VRPH FULWLFV $IWHU DOO UHJDUGOHVV RI WKH GLроЙ HUHQFHV LQ GRPHV WLF OHDJXHV ZKHQ 6RXWK $IUL FD SOD\ (QJODQG LW LV PHQ DJDLQVW %XW IRU WKRVH RI XV ZKR ORRN IRU DQ RQ роК HOG DQVZHU WKHUHтАл┌СтАмV DQRWKHU VWULNLQJ роК JXUH WKDW PXVW EH WDNHQ LQWR DFFRXQW $W KDOI WLPH WKH +RPH 1DWLRQV ZHUH DKHDG LQ RI WKH PDWFKHV WKH\ ODWHU ORVW $ роК JXUH ZKLFK OHQGV LWVHOI WR WKH WKHRU\ WKDW PD\EH WKH ZHDNQHVVHV VKRZQ DUH PHQ WDO UDWKHU WKDQ SK\VLFDO &DQ DQ\ERG\ UHDGLQJ WKLV SLFWXUH DQ\ RI WKH ELJ тАл ┌ЛтАм6RXWK $I ULFD $XVWUDOLD DQG 1HZ =HD ODQG тАл ┌ЛтАмUHOLQTXLVKLQJ D OHDG KHOG DW KDOI WLPH" :KHUHDV LWтАл┌СтАмV DSSDUHQW WKDW WKH +RPH 1DWLRQV KDYH GRQH MXVW WKDW RYHU DQG RYHU DJDLQ %XW WKH /LRQV WRXU LQ WKH 6XPPHU LV DUJXDEO\ WKH OHDVW RI *DWODQGтАл┌СтАмV ZRUULHV +H UHWXUQV WR :DOHV WKLV ZHHNHQG WR роК QG D VTXDG ZKR KDYH H[SHULHQFHG WKH HYHU LQFUHDVLQJ LQроЛ XHQFH RI WKH 6RXWKHUQ +HPLVSKHUH роК UVW KDQG $ *UDQG 6ODP DQG DQ XQH[SHFWHG :RUOG &XS UXQ VDZ KLV :HOVK WHDP KHUDOG HG DV WKH WHDP ZKR PLJKW PDNH XS WKH VSLQH RI WKH /L

FDSWDLQ HDUO\ RQ DQG WKHLU SURPLVLQJ PDQ SHUIRU PDQFH KDG PDQ\ EHOLHYLQJ 3$2/2 &$0(5$

You have to wonder what Warren Gatland was thinking as he watches and reроЛ HFWV XSRQ WKH $XWXPQ VH ULHV RI UXJE\ PDWFKHV VR IDU $V +HDG &RDFK RI WKH /LRQV WRXU WKLV 6XPPHU KHтАл┌СтАмV XQ OLNHO\ WR EH IHHOLQJ SRVLWLYH DERXW ZKDW KHтАл┌СтАмOO FXUUHQWO\ KDYH VHHQ 7KH FXUUHQW WDO O\ VWDQGV +RPH 1DWLRQV 6RXWKHUQ &RQWLQHQW KDUG ly a record worth bragging DERXW 7KDW ERWK YLFWRULHV KDYH FRPH IURP PDWFKHV DJDLQVW )LML D WHDP UDQNHG EHORZ ,WD O\ LQ WKH :RUOG ,5% UDQNLQJV

JDPHV WKDW GLGQтАл┌СтАмW LQFOXGH )LML VWDQGV 6RXWKHUQ +HPL VSKHUH +RPH 1DWLRQV *ULP UHDGLQJ IRU DQ\ ERG\ ZKR SODQV WR VXSSRUW WKH /LRQV LQ WKH 6XPPHU 7KH UHVXOWV KDYH LQHYLWD bly led to a renewal of one of UXJE\тАл┌СтАмV JUHDWHVW TXHVWLRQV тАл┌РтАм+RZ GR WKH\ GR LW"тАл ┌СтАм2U WR UHSKUDVH WKH TXHVWLRQ ZKDW DUH WKH +RPH 1DWLRQV ODFN LQJ" 7KH VXFFHVV RI WKH $OO %ODFNV DQG WKHLU 6RXWKHUQ +HPLVSKHUH FRPSDWULRWV was once attributed to their VKHHU VL]H DQG SK\VLFDOLW\ EXW WKH HPHUJHQFH RI SOD\ HUV VXFK DV 6LPRQ 6KDZ IW LQ VWRQH DQG 'HYLQ

WKDW ZLWK DQ H[WUD PDQ WKH\ ZRXOG KDYH EHDWHQ 6RXWK $I ULFD +RZHYHU VLQFH *DWODQG WRRN XS KLV /LRQV UROH WKLQJV have been looking bleak for 1$7,21$/ $66(0%/< )25 :$/(6

*DUHWK 5RVVHU

:DOHV QDUURZ ORVVHV WR $XVWUDOLD LQ WKH 6XPPHU ZHUH VHHQ DV GLVDSSRLQWLQJ EXW ZLWK VRPH SURPLVH %XW these have been followed by

back to back defeats against $UJHQWLQD DQG 6DPRD FRXQ WULHV ZKRVH UXJE\ WHDPV KDYH EHHQ VWHDGLO\ LPSURY LQJ RYHU WKH SDVW \HDUV ,Q GHHG VKRXOG UHVXOW JR DZU\ IRU :DOHV DJDLQVW WKH $OO %ODFNV WKHQ 6DPRD KDYH WKH SRWHQWLDO WR OHDSIURJ :DOHV LQ WKH ,5% :RUOG 5DQNLQJV 'RLQJ VR ZLOO PHDQ WHDPV IURP WKH 6RXWKHUQ +HPL VSKHUH LQ WKH WRS SURYLG LQJ IXUWKHU SURRI LI DQ\ ZHUH QHHGHG WKDW WKH +RPH 1D WLRQV DQG WKH QRUWKHUQ KHP LVSKHUH LQ JHQHUDO QHHG WR XS WKHLU JDPH 7KH VLJQLроК FDQFH RI GURS SLQJ IURP WK SODFH WR WK SODFH IRU :DOHV FDQQRW EH RYHUVWDWHG VLQFH WKH VHHG LQJ IRU WKH :RUOG &XS LV IDVW DSSURDFKLQJ 'URSSLQJ WR WK ZRXOG VHH :DOHV GURS GRZQ IURP QG VHHG WR UG DQG ZRXOG OLNHO\ OHDG WR WKHP EHLQJ GUDZQ LQ D тАл*┌РтАмURXS RI 'HDWKтАл ┌СтАм5DWKHU WKDQ DYRLGLQJ ,UHODQG $U JHQWLQD RU (QJODQG :DOHV would be guaranteed to be GUDZQ LQWR D JURXS ZLWK RQH RI WKHP DV ZHOO DV RQH RI WKH ODUJHVW WHDPV 'HVSLWH KDYLQJ LQSXW LQWR WHDP VHOHFWLRQ DQG WUDLQLQJ ZKLOVW DZD\ IURP KLV :HOVK SRVLWLRQ *DWODQG KDV FRPH XQGHU роК UH E\ IRUPHU :DOHV stars for leaving the Welsh WHDP XQGHU WKH VWHZDUGVKLS RI 5RE +RZOH\ IRU WKH SDVW JDPHV 6R KH ZLOO FHUWDLQO\ EH GHVSHUDWH WR UHPLQG WKH SXEOLF DQG WKH SOD\HUV RI WKH TXDOLWLHV KH EULQJV WR WKH WD EOH DV KHDG FRDFK $QG ZKDW better way to do it than with D VKRFN YLFWRU\ DJDLQVW 1HZ =HDODQG" 6KRFN YLFWRU\ QRW MXVW EHFDXVH RI KLV VLGHтАл┌СтАмV FXU UHQW SRRU UXQ RI IRUP EXW because of the history of :DOHV 1HZ =HDODQG HQ counters that have seen Wales achieve victory only 3 WLPHV LQ DWWHPSWV 6KDXQ Edwards suggested that the $OO %ODFNV ZHUH тАл┌ФтАм7KHUH IRU the takingтАЭ after the World &XS EXW :HOVK IDQV ZRQтАл┌СтАмW be holding their breaths this WLPH DURXQG 0DQ\ KRPH QD tions fans will be wondering LI WKH\ HYHU ZLOO EH DJDLQ

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.