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FREE Newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union

Tuesday November 5 2013 | www.thebeaveronline.com | No. 796

The Feature Interview: Lord Andrew Adonis Former Transport secretary talks to the Beaver

Over 2000 vote in Michaelmas Term elections Sophie Donszelmann

THE STUDENTS’ UNION Michaelmas Term elections concluded last Thursday evening. After hustings, campaigning, and a candidate “meet and greet,” over 2,000 students voted for 65 different candidates on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Thursday evening, students gathered in the Quad to hear the Returning Officer, Joe Anderson announce the results.

Among the attendees was Tom Jordan, 2nd year Social Policy and Government student and treasurer of the LSESU Labour Society, who was “very excited to hear who won.” However, not all shared Jordan’s enthusiasm for the evening as “underwhelming” was a word used by some to describe the turnout to the election party. The Student Union, however, stated they felt the votes casted demonstrated a continuing “tradition of strong first term turnout.”

The announcement of the winners ran smoothly. One of the more notable incidents included the results for the Court of Governors, when candidate Jason Wong was heckled upon announcement of his election.

The winners of the democratic process were pleased with the results. Thomas Meaden, campaign volunteer to elected Student Member of the Academic Board, Sam Barnett, said “it has been a pleasure to work on Sam’s campaign,” as Meaden “believe[s] Sam is firmly committed to improving the LSE experience.”

Jamie Pelling, newly elected Student Member of the Academic Board, was accompanied by his campaign manager, Alistair Hughes, when he stated he was

“humbled to be elected to represent this great student body.

He looks forward to “working together to make LSE as great a teaching institution as it is a research institution.”

Throughout the election process the Returning Officer was responsible for ensuring candidates adhered to Election Rules and at some points in the past week, was forced to prevent some candidates from campaigning for the breaching of this code of conduct. One candidate received a one-hour offline campaigning ban on Wednesday afternoon for campaigning in the library. Sanctions were doled out to two candidates for printing posters in colour, which resulted in a reduction in their paper allowance.

Complaints were also submitted regarding the online content of two candidates’ campaigns for being “sexist” and “offensive.” Repercussions followed as the Returning Officer stated that “the Union will not tolerate discrimination,” and these candidates were forbidden from campaigning for an allotted period of time. Voting was not limited to the election of student representatives. Through a referendum, voting on motions proposed in the UGMs will now be moved online for a 24-hour period after Thursday’s weekly General Meetings. In a statement, Student Union General Secretary Jay Stoll insisted that UGMs would be kept, as a “valuable platform for debate, dialogue and accountability.” Many believe this will increase voter turnout following the previous UGM motion over the playing of the song “Blurred Lines” was determined by a vote of 89; only 0.86 per cent of the student population.

Allow me to illustrate p.9

LSESU

Lectures cancelled as UCU strikes for fair pay Chris Rogers

LAST THURSDAY saw the UCU initiate strike action, joining with UNISON and Unite to protest against their pay deal across the country. At the LSE the unions set up picket lines across campus.

Though pickets, and striking staff were visible across campus, the focus of the strike was in front of the Old Building, with members of the UCU giving speeches at various points throughout the day.

The strike action caused a number of classes and lectures to be cancelled as lecturers in the Union either manned the pickets or refused to cross them.

Members of the Socialist Workers were also present on campus with stalls at a number of points around campus. The strike was a coordinated 1-day of industrial action as part of nationwide industrial action over spending cuts in higher education.

The three Unions on strike, UCU, Unison and Unite represent a number of staff across the LSE in different departments and divisions, from academics to support staff and cleaners. The immediate cause of the striek was that the pay deal offered to members of staff, a one per cent rise, was deems unfair. The deal was not accepted and the LSE branch complained that using less than half of the LSE’s current £25 million surplus could completely restore wages which had seen a real cut.

Returning Officer Joe

Anderson announces the results of the election

Continued on page 2

IN THE NEWS Robert Farr passes away at age 78

Salinas’s speech at LSE controversial

Best: Britain spied on American allies

LSE’s Professor Robert Farr passed away on 11th October.

Former Mexican President Salinas spoke at the LSE on 28th October.

Dr. Antony Best uncovered British spying on American allies.

NEWS page 2

NEWS Page 3

NEWS page 4

Is capital punishment just in modern society?

Kaveh Farzad, Opinion page 8

ULU membership fees to be reallocated Mystery surrounds the reallocation of the £68,000 ULU fee.

NEWS page 5

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Robert Farr passes away at age 78 Brett Heasman

AS FAR AS academic to-do lists go, reversing the influence of Cartesian dualism on the study of psychology sounds both ambitious and impressive. Yet this is what the work of Emeritus Professor Robert Farr, former head of Social Psychology at the LSE who sadly passed away last month, helped to achieve.

“The significance of Rob Farr’s contribution to social psychology in the UK and on a global scale is still to be discovered,” explains Professor Martin Bauer fondly. “He basically thought that social psychology took a wrong turn somewhere between 1930 and 1955, and this wrong turn became paradigmatic… psychology did not recognise itself as a social science. It was reduced to how individuals respond to stimuli, and although they do that in the context of other people, other people were seen as a source of disruption.

This kind of individualism was his concern.”

Farr’s observations about the dangers of separating cultural orientation from experimentalist approaches helped to foster new perspectives on social attitudes and ideologies.

Yet despite being at odds with

the viewpoint of many social psychologists, particularly in America, Farr’s reputation as an exemplary academic continued to inspire those that knew him.

“We had many American psychologists who would come and spend their summers here.

Leonard Berkowitz and others all kind of admired him in one way or another,” recalls Professor Bauer. “There are lots of students who say how he has changed their lives. He changed my life as well. In 1993 I came to the UK for six months to collect some data and I am still here. I certainly always attended some of his lectures and I had great conversations with him over the years. He was also always in the bar with the postgraduates.”

Generous, driven, inspirational and brilliant - Robert Farr was a pivotal figure in the history of life at the LSE. With a fifty year anniversary of the Social Psychology department approaching in 2014, Professor Bauer hopes to be able to mark the moment fittingly. “We are hoping to do a whole day in honour of Rob Farr to highlight some of his writings and his achievements and to get some people that have been inspired on board.”

Police clash with UoL protesters at Russell Square On Thursday 24th of October a number of students and workers from the University of London convened around Russell Square to take part in a demonstration. These students were looking to continue their attempts to obtain better working conditions for the University’s lowest ranked employees.

Colombian ex-president talk at Senate House draws protest Protesters staged a demonstration outside Senate House today in opposition to a talk by a former South American president accused of human rights abuses.

Saw Swee Hock Student UCU demands Centre to open soon LSESU

Raisa Huq

THE SAW SWEE HOCK Student Centre is on target for completion in late 2013, marking the 50th anniversary of Professor Saw Swee Hock’s graduation from the LSE, with whom he has had a long-standing association.

Professor Saw Swee Hock received his PhD in Statistics in 1963, and went on to become a well respected expert on population and investment management, with a career spanning positions at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, the University of Hong Kong, and the National University of Singapore. Professor Saw has said that his time at LSE has played a huge role in his career devel-

opment, and feels privileged to support the creation of the Student Centre, which he believes will bring the student population closer.

The new Student Centre will house an array of state-ofthe-art facilities that will seek to transform the LSE student experience, which Professor Saw has felt been lacking due to the lack of such a building.

The basement will serve as a space for events, where students can gather, and the ground floor will be the new home for The Three Tuns Pub. The first floor has a café, and will also serve as an activity centre for students, while the surrounding large spaces serve as places to relax and study.

The first floor will contain

the media centre, housing offices for The Beaver, Clare Market Review, PuLSE radio, and LooSE TV. The second floor will house the multi-faith centre for those seeking an undisturbed and silent area. The Student’s Union will act as the hub from the third floor, while the fourth floor provides the gym and Careers Centre. The SU meeting space is to be found on the fifth and sixth floors.

O’Donnell & Tuomey Architects designed the project, and celebrated their work with a ceremony in April 2013 after the completion of the roof. The architects have delivered an unconventional arrangement of geometric shape to enable the space to be adaptive.

fair pay rises

Continued from front page The pay deal on offer was heavily criticised by certain union members who contrasted the deal with the pay and benefits for university leaders which had on average increased by more than £5000 in the last year, and many ViceChancellors earning approximately £250,000 per annum.

Any LSE staff participating in strike action will have faced a day’s pay deducted from their salary. We have asked the School to ensure that these funds go towards student hardship funds.

The LSESU stated that “lecturers and other staff should be properly supported and remunerated” and that it “Support the rights of all staff to challenge unfair practices, including to challenge pay and conditions which they democratically deem to be unfair.”

However, the SU did not explicitly endorse the strike action warning that it had concerns where industrial action unnecessarily and seriously impacts on students – including on the marking and assessment of work, and the ability of students to graduate.

Police and security dragged out demonstrators who had managed to position themselves directly outside the room where Alvaro Uribe, who ruled Colombia between 2002 and 2010, was speaking.

Statistics show great prospects for Russell group graduates The Russell Group have today commented on statistics released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

These numbers are evidence of the strong career prospects for graduates of Russell Group institutions such as Queen Mary, University of London.

UCL strikes out Thursday 31st October saw the first of what could potentially become “one of many” strike days by UCL staff from all three trade unions – UCU, Unison and Unite.

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News

‘Firing up feminism’ at LSE Imogen Young

LSE PLAYED HOST to some of the most vocal feminists of the moment on 24th October, setting the stage for the pilot session of the “Firing Up Feminism” scheme. The LSESU Women’s Officer, Imogen Young, worked in conjunction with Stella Creasy MP, Caroline Criado-Perez, Seema Malhotra MP and Victoria Zeeb of 50 Foot Women. The event was the first of its kind as the evening acted as a workshop to discuss activism and female leadership. The scheme is set to be rolled out to a national audience at a later date.

The night began with a discussion focusing on the experiences - both campaign-oriented and more general - of each speaker, under the premise that women helping other women is a key part to improving gender equality. Member of Parliament Seema Malhotra made direct reference to the point that, both in her work founding the Fabian Women’s Network, and later as a MP, “the sisterhood” was of such importance that change may not be possible without a network and support system.

Caroline Criado-Perez, the proponent of the recent campaign for female representation on bank notes, founder of the Women’s Room, and LSE alumnus, elaborated on how she came to discover feminism. Speaking more broadly, Criado-Perez dis-

cussed how she had come to ask herself why she personally needed feminism, with her younger self not taking an interest to the then “world of possibilities” that feminism later opened up to her.

Moreover, Criado-Perez noted that it isn’t the case that an individual simply “wakes up a feminist”, nor is it necessary to be a “perfect” feminist, rather that feminism is about teamwork, putting women at the forefront and trying to ensure that women are represented in as many fields as possible to the greatest extent achievable.

The final speaker, Victoria Zeeb, started her presentation with the need to change the perception of the capabilities of women - both in terms of the perception women have of themselves and otherwise. Zeeb, a Project Leader for 50 Foot Women, went on to comment on her experiences speaking to women who, although highly successful academically and in terms of career progression, lacked selfconfidence and subconsciously undermined themselves continuously. The work of 50 Foot Women sets out to help young female graduates via a mentoring scheme, creating the sort of network that all of the evening’s speakers held to be integral to activism, feminism and gender equality.

Following the speaker series, Stella Creasy MP directed the proceedings of the rest of the evening. Activities varied from

a questionnaire aimed to assess how much time, value and confidence each of the women in the audience had in themselves, to an open debate as to whether representation is the most important issue for feminism.

In an activity involving PostIts, Sharpies, and A3 paper, what some referred to as “the holy trinity of all participatory workshop tools,” the audience was asked to write what they would say to their 14 year old selves, 80 year old selves, the men in their lives, and their best friend, in order to change the world. The results were then displayed at the back of the lecture theatre, in what, for some, transpired to be both an emotional and therapeutic experience in equal measure.

The event was considered by many to be a great success, both in terms of turnout and the variety of discussion. The organisers were “both honoured and immensely grateful to be able to play host to so many incredible women.”

The evening concluded with a message from Stella Creasy MP which appears to be applicable to the entirety of the LSE student body - the need to own one ambition, and to embrace the knowledge that one is more powerful than one would let one’s self believe; a significant point, in what was evening celebrating the importance of feminism, activism and female leadership.

Salinas’s speech at LSE a source of controversy Esteban Zissou

Ben Moore

FORMER Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari gave a lecture at the London School of Economics on Monday, 28th October. The talk, ‘The Role of Citizenship in Building Democracy’ was organised by the LSESU Mexican society. Salinas was President of Mexico from 1988 until 1994, and has been credited by publications such as the Economist for turning Mexico “into an economic miracle”.

The President is not without controversy - the same publication states that this miracle was “built on corruption”.

Prior to the event, there were a small group of people outside the building who were handing out leaflets that accused the former Mexican President of having ties with drugs cartels and being responsible for the economic collapse in 1995 after the ‘miracle’ had occurred.

The event was held at the Wolfson Theatre in the New Academic Building, which, ac-

cording to the University’s website, has a capacity of 130. Several students, however, were denied access to the event due to ‘capacity problems’, despite having already received email stating that their registration had been confirmed. This happened despite the fact that there were reported to be spare seats throughout the lecture theatre, with the entire back row empty.

Salinas’s speech addressed ways to encourage citizen participation and the important role of this in democracies. Lupita Valdez, a student of the University College London and who was denied access to the event, found this ironic: “It is a shame that more than fifteen people... have been denied access, especially since there was space for us and because this was a chance for us Mexicans to have a dialogue with our former President, something this speech supposedly encourages”.

Whilst the lecture went without any note of controversy, the former President was confront-

ed outside the New Academic Building by an irate woman when the lecture was over. The exchange was recorded and has since gone viral on YouTube, generating 640,000 views in just over 4 days. In the video, the woman, who wishes to remain unnamed for “fear of reprisal”, can be heard asking in Spanish: “Is it true you are the most hated Mexican President? Is it true you signed the NAFTA agreement and condemned thousands of indigenous people to death?”. She later shouted: ‘You are not welcome here or anywhere!’

The video ends to the sound of a man shouting vulgarities at Salinas, before the former Mexican President, with the aid of a large security entourage, took refuge in Coopers restaurant by Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

Salinas currently resides in self-imposed exile in Dublin, Ireland, after his brother was found to have been complicit in a highprofile political assassination, several of which plagued the Salinas administration.

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Student consultation launched on changing the Academic year Chris Rogers

The London School of Economics is set to launch a consultation in to sweeping changes to the academic year. The consultation is set to report at the end of Lent Term, and changes proposed will start to take effect for students starting in 2015/16 Academic year.

The exact changes are being discussed by the Academic Advisor Committee, headed

by Paul Kelly and taking in the views from the consultation. However, Paul Kelly has said that he considers the current system, of two, ten week terms followed by a few weeks at the start of the summer term to be untenable, whilst the current system is also criticised frequently in student surveys every year.

The student element of the consultation will be taken predominately through the Staff Student Liaison Committees

and via the Students’ Union.

There are a number of proposed changes possible such as increasing term times, or changing to a semester based system. Such changes could introduce termly assessment, such as having exams at the end of Michaelmass and Lent Term.

Paul Kelly said that changes would be phased in and any changes are unlikely to be confusing to students, given the LSE’s huge international body, many of whom are used to drastically different systems than that which the School has at the moment.

The most likely changes to be introduced are for Lent and Micahelmas terms to be increased to twelve weeks with Summer term being compressed.

Such changes would enable reading / essay weeks such as those currently found in most other universities and the Law courses at Nigel Stead the

Rosie Coleman LSESU Education Officer “We are going to engage in a student wide consultation, engaging students both face-to-face via focus groups and on-the-street discussions, as well as utilising the SUs new and improved online presence. I also want to specifically encourage our SSLC reps to take Paul’s options to their cohort and feed back into our school-wide consultation.

I am wary of starting this process too soon however, as I will be focusing my efforts on the Teaching Task Force II student consultation between now and week 7.

The school year consultation is a year long process, but the SU and students have only till December to influence the Teaching Task Force outcomes.

Our consultation will very much focus on the issues that affect students in the possible new structures, for example the introduction of reading week, shorter Christmas/Easter holidays, or mid-year exams, to name but a few”

LSE. So far students have reportedly been in favour of a mid session break for essays, and recognition that 10 week terms are very intense.

Another issue the consultation will deal with is determining how the changes will be implemented. Whether exams will be held at the end of Michaelmas or in January, as with LSE 100, or whether the term will be shorted completely to nearer Oxford University’s 24 week terms rather than the 30 weeks at the moment and simply divided up differently.

Student views are expected to vary across degrees and department, and the committee will evaluate the views across the student body.

Changes to the term and ‘reading weeks’ will be the same across departments and not left to departmental digression, though departments would be allowed to decided how to utilise these weeks.

Such changes would also recognise those departments which already have pre-sessional courses which require students to be at the LSE early, despite the fact this is not recognized in the current system and timetabling.

The last time changes to these terms were proposed was in 1992-4, where changes were not implemented due to the School’s relationship with the University of London.

The body that will decided on the final proposals, the Academic Advisory group, set up as part of the Directors strategic review in to changes across the School will not contain a student representative, or Sabbatical presence, however the views of the student body are expected to be included via the consultation.

The final composition of the board is not yet finalised, as the Director may wish to make changes.

The student element of the consultation will be taken in though a number of avenues, however one of the major means of communication will be through the Staff Student Liaison Committees and via the Students’ Union. The service division and staff ’s views are also being involved in the process.

In Lent Term the final proposal will be submitted to the Academic Board for a vote.

On this board there are two elected student representatives, in addition to a number of the Sabbatical Officers.

LSE Out on Strike

Members of the UCU joined by UNISON and Unite protested along

Dr. Best: Britain Sophia Crabbe-Field

BRITAIN was engaged in the phone tapping of American diplomats during the interwar period, Dr. Antony Best, Senior Lecturer in the Department of International History, revealed this past Friday. Dr. Best discovered what appears to be the first evidence indicating the use of this practice by the British during times of peace.

While examining newly released materials from the Permanent Under-Secretary’s Department in the National Archives this past summer, Dr. Best came across the transcript of a telephone conversation between an American official, located in London, and the US Secretary of State.

The conversation seems to

have been recorded without the knowledge of either individual.

The official in question is Norman Davis, who was leading an American delegation to a conference in London on limiting US, UK and Japanese naval forces, which took place in 1934.

Dr Best says that American Diplomates had their phones tapped during the interwar period

In the transcript, Davis recounts his efforts to assuage the British government following reports, featured in the New York Times, describing the US State Department’s wish that then British Foreign Secretary, Sir John Si-

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News

ULU’s £68,000 is set to be reallocated to LSE student facing services Meagan Crockett

considered unfair. The strike action caused a number of classes

and lectures to be cancelled. Any staff participating in strike

action will have faced a day’s pay deducted from their salary.

spied on American allies to which the British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) has gone in order to avoid disclosing their massive Internet surveillance programme to the public. It also appears on the heels of reports concerning phone tapping of world leaders by the American National Security Agency (NSA), notably of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile.

Al-

UKDefense

mon, be dismissed from office.

According to Dr. Best, “Britain was clearly tapping the phones of the American embassy in peacetime. And it’s highly likely that we would have been treating other foreign embassies in the same way.”

This revelation came on the same day as the Guardian’s publication of another memo from whistleblower Edward Snowden highlighting the lengths

GCHQ - the centre for the Government’s Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) activities

though Dr. Best finds the public outrage directed at these organisations understandable, he was hardly surprised by the disclosures.

“I think there is a great deal of continuity in the way in which intelligence agencies gather information,” he explained. “If they have the technology to intercept a particular form of communication they will do so, unless restrained by political oversight.”

Dr. Best added: “The idea that one does not spy on friends is simply unrealistic, for relations between states nowadays cover such a huge area of concerns that while one may be allies in the security realm the target is still a rival in regard to trade, investment and technology.”

hugovk

Houghton Street, against a proposed pay deal, which the unions

The closure of the University of London Union (ULU) means from next year LSE will have and extra £68,000 to reallocate to other projects.

This closure came as the Union, which represents other London universities’ Students’ Unions (SU), was no longer seen to be profitable. The £68,000 that would have previously been spent on ULU membership is now free for LSE to do as they see fit with.

An LSE spokesperson has said that “the money which would have been used for ULU membership fees will be used for student facing services”.

These services include employment support, faith support, and leisure opportunities, many of which will be found in the new Saw Swee Hock student centre when it opens in January 2014. The spokesperson went on to state that there “has been a significant increase in money to the Students’ Union to assist with the move to new building.” Many students have questioned whether the move to the new building really justifies such a huge amount of money.

This scrutiny is unlikely to affect how the money is spent this year, but student input could be used to determine where the money is spent in the future.

The SU have suggested that a forum of debate should be opened for LSE students to express their views on where this money should be spent. Ellen CooperTydeman, a first year Social Policy student thought the money should go towards “more study areas throughout the school to overcome the shortage of space in the library, which can only get worse in the exam period.”

Oth-

ers have suggested the money should be invested into the Students’ Union to help them further their projects.

Following the shocking news this week that King’s College London students may not be seeing the effects of their £137,000 usually spent on ULU fees, the LSE Students’ Union said they received a commitment from the School the day it became apparent ULU was disbanding that the money spent on membership fees, in its entirety, would go to either Student Services or the Students’ Union. This news comes as a relief to many students who were unsettled after hearing the news from King’s.

This commitment from the School means the only area for debate is over the distribution of the money - how much should go to each of the two parties.

One student suggested that “more money should be focused on the Student Services as the SU clearly have enough money; they had a complete rebranding over the summer.” Others, however, have argued that as the membership was initially paid to ULU on behalf of the SU, the money should therefore be spent in other ways to support the SU, or be given directly to them. While there may be a debate between students, Jay Stoll, SU General Secretary, seems sure of what he believes the money should be spent on: “[the] money should go straight back into activities and events that help foster a greater sense of community.”

Although it may be a while until any effect of this reallocation is felt by students, it is reassuring to know however it is spent, it will be with students’ best interests at the front of everyone’s minds.

The University of London is abolishing ULU next year

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Whatever your bag save more with NUS extra Visit http://bit.ly/nusextracard to order yours online or visit the Student's Union Office to pick one up

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All details correct at time of printing July 2013

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Tuesday November 5 2013

Opinion

Strike Action at the LSE

Chris Rogers

Last week some students may have noticed that their classes or lectuers had been cancelled due to the strike action by members of the UCU, Unite and UNISON as students’ teachers and lecturers man the picket lines, or stay at home.

Many students support paying their lecturers more, and we know that the LSE gains its reputation from hosting some of the greatest academic minds in social sciences today.

Many were recently awarded honours in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in service to their subjects.

It is in our interest to ensure that we keep the best lecturers at the LSE. As Olli Hill argued last week, offering higher pay would help to increase productivity and raise morale, aiding our education.

Our lecturers and teachers can make or break our degrees, they are the ones who can help us understand difficult concepts and look after our welfare. They ensure we enjoy our degrees, and offer their expertise in helping us master a new discipline.

However, is this strike action - and the support for it - really the right way to go? When you look at the figures, doubts begin to grow in your mind.

Less than five percent of those who were employed in higher education actually supported the strike action we faced last week, and though the issues

are undoubtedly complex, very few students comprehended what was going on - or knew that a strike was about to begin in the first place.

Why is this such a serious issue? Does it matter that students are unaware of the issues surrounding why their classes and lectures have been cancelled? I would argue that this is of central importance.

This strike doesn’t affect LSE’s management in any meaningful way, nor does it put undue pressure on the national body, which negotiated the pay deal in the first place.

Rather those who are most

“Surely given that it is the students most affected by this action, it should be these same students who should be informed and convinced by it.” affected by this strike action are the students of the LSE who now face disruption to their timetables, a potential loss of teaching, and, for a number of students, a degree of uncertainty as to whether or not it’s worth the trek into school. Now, reallocating teaching time, when possible, may seem like a minor incon-

venience, but surely this would make you uneasy when you think that the majority of students at the LSE are currently paying over £8,500 a year for the privilege.

Surely given that it is the students most affected by this action, it should be these same students who should be informed and convinced by the it. Yet their relevant apathy to the strike, and lack of knowledge about it - other than the initial reaction that they are no longer having a class that day should be a pause for concern.

However, the issue of apathy doesn’t seem to be confined to the student body. Simon Hix (Head of the Government Department) boldly declared on Twitter that he would not be

striking and his GV101 lecture would continue as planned.

Likewise many other lecturers did not take the day off, and one told me that even if

“...only around 20 per cent of the LSE lecturers are members of the unions on strike.” their union issues a strike they would not take any notice.

Most lecturers didn’t seem to care and the picket lines seemed to be abandoned at

various points throughout the day. Instead the Senior Dining Room was packed by lecturers who crossed the picket enjoyed their lunch whist those few who remained outside continued their strike. The Students’ Union refused to explicitly express solidarity with the strike or tell us not to cross the picket lines as occurred at UCL. When even your Students’ Union don’t encourage a strike, this should be a reason to look in to the impact the strike is likely to achieve.

I was informed recently that only around 20 per cent of the LSE lecturers are members of the Unions who voted for strike action, and of that, just under half of those who voted, were against the strike in the first place. When you add all these things together, you have to wonder whether this strike action was actually productive in any meaningful sense, and whether such an action will achieve anything.

If the use of such an action is meant simply to send a message, can the same message not be sent in another, more effective way?

Strike action is a right – it’s a legitimate means to challenge and raise awareness of what those taking part consider unfair practices. However given the perhaps unintended impact strike action has on students and not on those who the action is meant to send a message, you have to wonder whether or not this is the right thing to do, and the right way to go about it.

Celebrating diversity in beauty

Raisa Huq

On September 15, Nina Davuluri was crowned Miss America 2014, the first Indian-American woman to win based on her platform of “Celebrating Diversity through Cultural Competence.”

Although celebrated for her beauty in the U.S., as well as ignoring racist comments made against her, the fact is that she would never have won a similar competition in India, the country she proudly represents as her ancestry. Not due to a lack of a talent, or because she doesn’t represent India well enough, but rather because she is a dark skinned woman.

Looking at the past list of India’s beauty pageants, the majority of the women involved are light skinned, and even if they are not, makeup artists

will lighten their skin tones – a similar practice takes place in India’s media and entertainment business. This bias towards light skin stems back to the historic caste system, when those who worked outside were considered undesirable by the higher castes, thus dark skin becoming synonymous with unworthiness.

Sadly, this preference for light skin has become an institutional part of Indian society’s consciousness. Lighter skinned Indians win more beauty pageants, and those with lighter skin break into the Bollywood industry and are celebrated for their light skin, which becomes synonymous with beauty. As the entertainment industry plays a huge role in shaping perceptions of beauty, it convinces the country that light skin means

greater beauty. Freida Pinto, who won fame for playing Latika in the movie “Slumdog Millionaire”, faced intense backlash from many within India for not representing India’s true conception of “beauty”, as she is dark skinned. When asked, she agreed that there is a “disturbing notion” in India that lighter skin is more attractive.

Our perception of beauty, both internal and external, reflect more than our opinions.

Rather, these perceptions give meaning to our values, and what we strive to achieve. As in the West with Hollywood looming large, we come to recognize those who are “beautiful”, in the traditional sense, as our models—ones we wish to emulate and become more like.

It is dangerous for these

“role models” to come from one homogenous group, all conforming to the same set of rules, none breaking the barriers on redefining the media and society’s judgments. As in India, the definition of beauty equates to light skin.

The definition has become restricted, abels the majority of the country as unattractive, and limits our appreciation of the contributions of those who are different, as society only promotes one brand of person that fits all the regulations imposed.

Of course, not all in India share this belief, and some celebrate their dark skin. However, the inclination towards lighter skin means those with this feature dominate industries, leaving many out. However, America isn’t perfect either; a Twitter fury arose as racists said Nina

didn’t deserve to win because she was an Arab, or not American. She didn’t fit into the “classic” stereotype of the “All American Girl”.

We should more carefully look at why we consider someone worthy of our admiration – whether due to their contributions or their beauty – and how this reflects our values and judgments. Both America and India are diverse countries, enjoying a vast array of different languages, culture, and definitions of beauty. However, it is wrong to throw away one type of beauty, just as it is to celebrate a single type as well. Nina Davuluri’s success is a testament for a desire to do both and push society forwards to accept all definitions of beauty.

Tuesday November 5 2013

Opinion

Sending the wrong message

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UNION JACK

Democracy has returned...

Sort of.

Jade Jackson Georgia Grayson We all have things that irritate us. Personally, I find it deeply upsetting when someone else swipes the last carrot juice from Pret before I can get my hands on it; made even worse when the perpetrator leaves the majority of it in the bottle – anyway, I digress.

My point is that we all have our own melodramatic quirks.

However, I strongly feel that there are some things our student body should agree on. One of these things is the representation of women. I am, in this case, referring to the use of the female form in advertisements or, more recently, in campaigns for positions within the LSESU. I think I should tell you that I consider myself to be quite an open-minded person. In fact, I am SOOOO tolerant that people often wonder whether I actually go to SOAS. Yet, on this account, I am sure I am going to sound like a prude to some of you.

The recent Wong-Petrocheilos campaign in the LSESU elections left me gaping at my com-

puter screen due to the offensive nature of the picture that they chose to use. Not visually offensive I must hasten to add, (Jennifer Aniston has a great pair of legs); but, symbolically offensive, especially, in the context I saw it used in this week.

The reasons for this are twofold; firstly, the overt gender stereotype; and secondly, how the creator’s have tried to pass this off as a joke. Does anyone see the humour in another unnecessarily sexualised image, especially in a culture that is already saturated with images of scantily clad females? It is undeniable that an attractive lady in a skimpy maid’s outfit is a gender stereotype.

As was kindly pointed out to me by one member of the campaign, when some people think of a cleaner what “naturally” springs to mind is a woman. Actually, I do not ascribe that profession a sex. For me, a cleaner is a gender-neutral term, just like any profession should be. We should not automatically think of men when we hear the words ‘banker’ or ‘doctor’ as this kind of image just

perpetuates gender stereotypes in the workplace.

Moreover, naturalistic terms only serve to reinforce traditional arguments that consigned women to domestic work as they were biologically programmed to do so.

Jennifer Anniston is depicted as the submissive; the maid and the sex object. Through her clothes, it is obvious to any half intelligent viewer that this inequality has been sexualised.

Her attire symbolises the archetypal male fantasy that has been born out pornography and sexual objectification. Not only did I find this offensive on a personal level, but suspected that it would infringe the policies deployed by many institutions to encourage equality and diversity. And, indeed, it did. Then, you might ask, why on earth was it used? Was it naivety? Perhaps, as a gimmick, to make students laugh? Well, it is funny – so, like, that makes it acceptable, right?

No, the underlying reason it was used was for a cheap sell.

Just like with Lynx and actually, when I come to think of it, just like with most things, the female

form was being manipulated to become a source of attraction.

The image was used to make people stare and to canvas some populist support for their populist policies. It certainly could not have been used to promote freedom of speech, as there is nothing free about it.

My only suggestion is that given Wong’s previous mishaps with the SU due to using similar images of women he was hoping to be censored so that he could run to Daddy Dworkin and cry “Big, Bad, Student Union Wolf” once again. In this instance, the creator’s are trying to sell a political campaign based on the freedom of speech. Of course, to anyone who has an ounce of common sense this is deeply ironic. Time and time again, such objectification has consistently deprived women of their freedom of speech and their right to be heard. Consequently, I find it deeply disturbing that a self-proclaimed champion for women’s rights like Petrocheilos can argue that this is in anyway amusing. Wong, might I add, is something of a lost cause.

letion of proven undesirables in their constituency, and if it is, in which instances is it morally just to be able to do so?

The UN’s hard line stance against capital punishment is upheld by many human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, drawing a clear line that the termination of the life of a citizen is always a negative act, no matter the sin of the person. Setting practical arguments of the death penalty aside (such as cost, and the effect of deterrence), this appears to be a fairly strong stance to take on capital punishment. The idea of a state that is empowered to take the life of its citizens is definitely justifiably unnerving.

If negative externalities like racism, indefinite guilt and cost

can be curbed the permanent removal of extremely dangerous, untenable citizens could possibly be a boon to society, but that seems extremely unlikely. Nonetheless, capital punishment is still favoured by a majority of Americans for moralistic reasons that are above any of those material concerns.

We all possess a certain duty to our society that is so high that we should be willing to die for our country and its freedom, but if you violate those principles to their utmost extremes, we kill you. We as a people always seek first to take collective revenge against villainy instead of trying to correct externalities surrounding those situations to try and better society, either by making the surroundings of those crimes more difficult to

fall into (poverty, poor mental health) or even by rehabilitating the criminals themselves (Norway and Sweden). This is all excluding, of course, the company we keep.

Americans are surely not having to choose between firing squad and crucifixion when we’re in a pinch, or executing people for sorcery to be sure, but when you are in the top 5 in the world in executions, and number one in prisoners incarcerated per capita, there needs to be a serious talk about what it means to be free in the land of the free. As one of the only democracies that maintains our stance on this issue, is finally time for Americans to re-evaluate our position on life, death, and revenge in society? We can only hope.

Is capital punishment just in modern society?

Kaveh Farzad

I’ve been made aware – by my trusted LSE student planner which cost me 5 quid – that next week marks the anniversary of the UK banning capital punishment. I come from a country (the U.S) where such a ban doesn’t exist. One of the more interesting debates in the perennial cycle of political discourse is the concept of capital punishment. The idea of life and death being not necessarily intrinsic liberties, but only a privilege granted you by the state for following the social contract, is a particularly juicy philosophical question. I think this breaks down into two main questions that we can that serve as the necessary thematic backdrop to this debate. Is it appropriate for a government to solve its criminal issue though the literal de-

All hail our elected officials. Proudly elected with anywhere between 1 and 5 per cent of the vote.

Democracy has triumphed again. To an extent. We now have many great leaders who will surely lead our Union in to a brighter tomorrow. Or maybe they will do exactly the same as everyone elected to the positions last year.

Somewhat akin to nothing.

Very few people were aware what their positions were standing for did. Particularly those who promised an increase in the AU budget standing for Court. Following the Tom Meaden school of politics. Pledges to cut class sizes on the academic board, and the like are similarly not within the remit of the positions, unless a vote were to be proposed by the school, which is unlikely to happen.

Elections themselves were not the most entertaining we have ever had. There were few mascots or campaigns that really captured peoples attention. Realistically it was possible this year to walk around all week unaware that elections were on going, and simply think some societies had become a little over eager with their posters.

This is probably linked to turnout being really low, despite what the Union would have you believe about ‘one of the highest’ in the country (though this may be true, its still frankly appalling on an absolute level) issues of democratic legitimacy emerge, or would if anyone cared.

This column seems to have descended into complaints about union apathy, but hopefully with the new online voting we may have more campaigns and more student engagement, well, apart from those people who don’t have Facebook or Twitter.

Since this passed by a somewhat large margin one would assume the union supports it on mass. Though lets be honest, I doubt many people paid attention to what it entails and just saw Jay Stoll post it on Facebook, saying please vote yes. Never the less our new leaders will usher in a new age of apathy and uninformed activity, the same as every year.

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Tuesday November 5 2013

Allow me to illustrate

Opinion

By Noam Rabinovich

Violence and patriarchy in India Anuradha Santhanam

There have been several articles by tourists to India describing variously how they felt (safe, unsafe, preyed upon, ogled at) when visiting or working in India. As an Indian woman myself, I feel obligated to comment.

In Uganda, rape is a war crime. In New Delhi, I wonder if it is even a crime anymore. If you’re Indian living in India, sipping your morning coffee and reading the paper, and you happen to read ‘Rape in New Delhi’, more than likely you’ll be angry and distressed, but not particularly surprised.

Saying somebody was raped in New Delhi is like saying it snowed in the Arctic. It’s something that never goes away. It isn’t just the rape capital of In-

dia, it might as well be the rape capital of the world.

India is still, sadly, largely patriarchal. We’re at the end of 2013 and still we’re consumed in a fight to break-down stereotypes that belong in the Middle Ages – stereotypes that much of the rest of the world has left behind in the 19th century. And we’re not doing a very good job of it.

Browse any online newspaper and marvel at how the comment boards are so totally consumed with misogynistic rubbish that put the blame on the victim.

See how the comments range from ‘the rapist lost control’ to ‘the girl was skimpily dressed’.

Recently, a 23 year old girl caught a Dwarka-Delhi bus with a friend after watching a film.

Not long after, the men on the bus beat her and began gang raping her in the bus driver’s cabin, nearly pulverizing her.

Her friend tried to protect her from the attackers, and was thrown out of the moving bus.

In spite of the fact that the bus passed five police checkpoints, no help came. No one bothered to look.

Police and law enforcement agencies in New Delhi are equally to blame. If a girl is raped, their first thought isn’t “How do we catch these men and what do we do to them?”

More often, the first question asked is “What was the time when the girl was raped?”

If it was nighttime, that is their rationale for justifying said rape. “What was she wearing?”

Saad.Akhtar

Because if she was skimpily dressed, she must have been to blame.

This sort of patriarchal ideal of the woman being unequal to the man - a sad little being that

depends on a man for everything, including to give her life meaning - is not something I see changing any time soon, simply because both women and men believe it.

The need of the hour is to stamp out patriarchy, but that can only begin to be realized once its existence is acknowledged, and once it’s seen as a social aberration by all Indians.

It won’t happen until enough Indians see it as an evil that needs to be eradicated.

Only when attitudes towards women and the violence against them are taken seriously will we see some tangible improvements. Until then, as an Indian woman, I am saddened to admit that India is unsafe for women, and will be for some time.

Zoon Politikon

Israel’s dangerous geopolitical dilemma Kaveh Farzad When Obama administration officials flew to Geneva in October to hold talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding their nuclear program, they didn’t expect to find waiting for them a country willing explore the framework for diplomacy and peace. The talks went surprisingly well, and both Iranian and American officials hailed the improved candour, pace, and mutual good will to try to solve the complex dilemma of Iran’s nuclear aspirations. In

“A diplomatic Iran and a Syria sans chemical weapons would leave Israel even more isolated in global opinion than it already is for its aggressive expansion with respect to the Palestinian territories.” return, American officials were willing to discuss Iran’s longstanding insistence that only way forward involves the United States lifting the crippling sanctions against them.

As the months progress, the seemingly cooperative Rouhani government will be put to the test. Will his country accept strict, non-negotiable limits against its nuclear program?

Will they be open to intrusive and continuous verification from the United Nations? The process gets no easier at home in the US, where Republican hardliners and strong, proIsrael lobbies are doing their damnedest to scupper any such

talk of a diplomatic solution with the Persians.

This welcome development comes at a time when efforts to find, secure and destroy the Assad regime’s chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria have been remarkably successful. Who could have thought—even as early as a few months ago—that we could actually be on the road to removing these hideous weapons from the world?

If indeed the efforts continue to succeed, the outcome would score a huge win for collective security in the region and abroad.

Imagine what the Middle East would look like if not one, but two Middle East powers lost the ability to proliferate, store and use weapons of mass destruction. If the talks with Iran conclude successfully (a big IF when you take into account the recent rhetoric of some Republicans in the American Congress), then it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that in the near future, we’ll see the makings of a new, more peaceful Middle East.

That is, of course, if Israel has anything to say about it. Assuming Assad’s chemical weapons are actually accounted for, and the talks with Iran conclude with control of that country’s nuclear aspirations, Israel would be left as the sole WMD power in the entire region, with none of their considerable stockpiles of chemical and nuclear weaponry under any international supervision. A controlled, diplomatically engaged Iran and a Syria sans chemical weapons would leave Israel even more isolated in global opinion than it already is. It would be difficult for Israel to argue that it needs to retain its WMD arsenal to deter the use of WMDs against them, since those WMDs will be neutralised. But this begs a seemingly common sense question: If the Iranians are actually serious about guaranteeing against the weaponisation of its

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nuclear program, and the United States—through President Obama—accepts that deal, why wouldn’t Netanyahu as well?

Many expect the answer to include a smorgasbord of ideological and existential differenc-

“Netanyahu has warned the UN on more than one occasion that an isolated Israel would resort to war.” es between Iran and Israel, but it’s really all about geopolitical manoeuvring in the region.

Israel has gotten used to enjoying a de-facto regional hegemony and the perks that come with it. Among those perks has been the freedom to behave (militarily) in ways other states wouldn’t be able to get away with, due in part to its dysfunc-

tional relationship with the U.S. Right or not, Netanyahu sees an independent, influential Islamic Republic of Iran as a threat to it’s substantial regional authority. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the threat of a nuclear attack is not important to Israel, but let’s not forget we exist in a world where numerous other countries such as Pakistan have nuclear weapons. Israel’s impressive nuclear arsenal is deterrence enough against any attack a nuclear Iran could launch against her.

Netanyahu’s posturing is first and foremost about heading off any possible rapprochement between Iran and the United States. Could these developments and an isolated, weakened Israeli state open the door for a possible two state solution with the Palestinians? No one can know. Netanyahu has warned the UN on more than one occasion that an isolated Israel would resort to war. But a diplomatic Iran—along with a WMD-less Syria—would certainly open the door to a more peaceful Middle East, and that’s a pretty good place to start.

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Tuesday November 5 2013

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Established 1949

Elections LSESU elections have finally ended. Though not many people will care. It is a sad state of affairs that the Union, which once had such a large number of people attending its weekly meetings, has now descended into such apathy.

Though the union may attempt to reverse the trend with online voting, if the last couple of years are anything to go by it will not increase participation in any meaningful way.

Sadly it seems that the days of grassroots democracy and enthusiasm are long gone.

Opinion

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Perhaps a better step is to adopt a more council based system, with representatives elected from departments or via a form of proportional representation such as found at UCL, containing the option for referenda, but the main issues are debated at these events as policies are presented to them.

This is surely better than the farcical nature of policy passing with a turnout of around half a per cent, and going to the executive committee as a recommendation which will then vote on it. The Executive all elected in one position races meaning a diverse views are not guaranteed, and they all tend to be one political alignment depending on which voting block runs the union that year, leaving so many students alienated, which is surely one of the reason turnout is so low in SU elections.

People just do not care, and this needs to be fixed.

School Consultation The university has begun a consultation about changing the academic year. This may sound dull, and realistically it probably is, but this will affect future generations of LSE students.

At the moment the term times are universally derided, with no-one enjoying the summer term weeks, and the lack of a ‘reading week’ that other universities (and the law department) enjoy.

This is a once in a generation change, last proposed in 1992-4 reformes were kicked into the long grass, and if we do not act now, it is likely to be just as long before any reform may begin again.

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05.11.2013 PartB

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MUSIC LOU REED: THE MAN WHO WALKED ON THE WILD SIDE THE MUSIC. THE LEGACY. AND THE MAN BEHIND IT ALL.

All your two-bit psychiatrists are giving you electro shock They say, they let you live at home, with mom and dad Instead of mental hospital But every time you tried to read a book You couldn't get to page seventeen 'Cause you forgot where you were So you couldn't even read Post-World War II nostalgic quest for moral purity, which largely defined America's national mood during the 1950s, soon gave way to voluntary collective amnesia, as the 1960s, with its hedonistic subculture of 'sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll' fully blossomed. Most musicians, however, were still behind the times. Too hesitant to shock their fans' bourgeois sensibility with revelations of seedy underground scene teeming with heavy drug use, urban degeneration, and sexual experimentation, these artists contentedly wrote songs that serve no other function but to satisfy their audience's overly sanitised taste.

And then, Lou Reed came along.

With fellow musician John Cale, whom he met working as an in house songwriter for Pickwick Records, Reed would eventually give birth to The Velvet Underground.

For a band that explored the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the brave new world it opened up, it was only fitting that their name was taken from a book which archived that same paradigm shift.

Velvet Underground by journalist Michael Leigh is a 1963 report on the diversification of American adults' sexual preference, covering everything from group sex, swinging, homosexual activites, to paraphilia.

In the same vein, the band's song, 'Venus in Furs', was similarly named after a book by father of Masochism: Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. In fact, The entire album explored subjects that had insofar been taboo, such as drug use ('Heroin', 'I’m Waiting for The Man') and BDSM ('Venus in Furs'). However, Reed always maintained that he never wrote solely for shock value—he read Ginsberg, was a fan of novelists Raymond Chandler and William S. Burroughs, and according to Victor Bockris’ The Velvet Underground biography titled 'Up-Tight', once mentioned that the thought of combining such transgressive subject matter with music was ‘obvious’, and if the lyric is readable, surely the song must be fun to listen to.

Coming together in a nucleur fusion of aesthetic eruption, Cale’s classical music training, Reed’s experimentative techniques and the raw, laceratedly open lyrics created something wonderful.

Ever so inventive with form as he is with content, Reed even came up with his own tuning the Ostrich Technique, whereby every string in a single guitar is tuned to the same pitch, resulting in a uniquely dragging, droning, squawking sound.

Still, no amount of avant-garde musical experimentalism could prepare them for a fateful meeting with Andy Warhol. The Velvet Underground’s collaboration with the seminal artist, who became their manager and mentor, would have immense influence on the band's creative direction. The relationship, however, was not without friction. Warhol's attempt to bring German singer Nico into the band as part of the act was met with resistance, as demonstrated in their joint debut album's title, 'The Velvet Underground and Nico'. Regardless, the role Warhol played in the band's popularisation and visual recognisability is undeniable. Even today, their single most iconic, instantly identifiable image is that of Warhol's illustration of a banana, originally the cover of the aforementioned joint album.

And yet, it was not until his second solo album Transformer, produced by another musical genius David Bowie and released in 1973, that Reed achieved a degree of popular success. More importantly, , the album signalled much welcome shift in public taste. 'Walk on The Wild Side', its breakthrough hit and rock classic, unapologetically brought into mainstream view lives socially disenfranschised and sexually marginalised. Transgender, prostitute and drug addict are sweetly lullabied and humanised by Reed's sweet, comforting voice.

Also on Transformer was another iconic Reed track only rediscovered by listeners in the 1990s.

Deviating from the musician's typically dark, melancholic, highly lyrical style, 'Perfect Day' is melodic, romantic, and musically complex, with Spider from Mars' Mick Ronson providing the uplifting piano. One could, of course, argue that the lyrics are, in fact, about the self-escaping effect of heroin:

KJ.VOGELIUS

Last week, the world lost a musical legend. Lou Reed, former lead singer of The Velvet underground and rock pioneer, died from liver disease on October 27th 2013 at age 71.

Punk rock, glam rock, alternative rock, noise bands; Lou Reed was the man who began it all.

However, for someone who would grow up to transform rock 'n' roll, the early life of Lewis Allan Reed was decidedly anything but. Born in Brooklyn in 1942 and grew up in Long Island, the son of middle-class Jewish accountants graduated with a degree in English from Syracuse University. His passion for art is rivalled only by an intense, often difficult relationship with life. As a man whose career was largely shaped by the contemporary cultural climate, the life of Lou Reed could only be understood in conjunction with his historical milieu.

His deadpan look and distracted stare belie hopeful cynicism, an acquired disposition which found itself an articulate expression in the form of music. This cathartic process grants us not only an insightful glimpse into the musician's tumultuous mind, but also an experiential account of a life lived under the shadow of an oppressive, less enlightened era.

As a bisexual teenager at the time when liberal tolerance was scarce and legal persecution draconian, Reed was pressured by his parents to undergo regular sessions of electroconvulsive therapy.

Such standard treatment for curing homosexuality, not to mention its dreadful result, would later be impressionistically documented in his appropriately-named song 'Kill Your Sons':

You made me forget myself I thought I was someone else Someone good...

You just keep me hanging on.

make one admire the man more, not less. Besides, as anyone whose heart has been gripped tight by the feverish hands of love can testify, the experience is without a doubt the best high one can ever achieve.

Unfortunately, The Velvet Underground, groundbreaking, inventive, and emotionally evocative as they were, never tasted the sort of commercial success many of their contempararies enjoyed. Financial quantification, however, is perhaps the least appropriate measurement of their legacy; prominent music producer Brian Eno said that while the first Velvet Underground album may have sold only 30,000 copies in its early years, "everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band".

It is unsurprising, then, that Reed's restless artistic impulse would find a way to pass itself forward, disseminating its essence in the minds of those whom his music has inspired. Reed was a pioneer, a true artist who constantly kept reinventing himself in endless defiance of social conventions and passage of time, sometimes even to the disgruntled bafflement of his own fans.

Perhaps what we can take away from the life of the man who irrevocably tranformed rock 'n' roll can be best summed up by Reed himself. In 1998 interview with NY Rock magazine, Reed spokeof his reinvention: "Never listen to your old stuff. If you do that, then you’re not a musician anymore, then you’re just a self-satisfied nostalgic idiot who’s not interested in inventing anything. I think life is far too short to concentrate on your past. I rather look into the future.“ Rest easy, Lou.

Such alternative interpretation, however, should by no means devalues the beauty of Reed's music.

The gravitation of his drug-addled mind towards love, even in the throe of existential despair, should

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MUSIC

DAN FLINT: YOU ME AT SIX

B

ritish rock band You Me At Six have returned to the UK with their new single, Lived A Lie, receiving widespread acclaim and hitting number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. We had a chat with drummer Dan Flint ahead of them setting off on tour around Europe with 30 Seconds To Mars. Time for us to reflect on what the band has achieved in the past year, and all their exciting plans for the future.

Good morning Dan and welcome back to the UK! How are you?

I’m doing quite well; I think I’m over the jet lag now! I’m just enjoying being home to be honest.

No worries! Tell me, what it was like headlining a sold out Wembley arena and joining the ranks of such iconic bands like Green Day? To be honest with you it was very hard to enjoy at the time, being the one on stage. It was so much pressure, and I’m so glad that we filmed it so that I could sit down afterwards and properly enjoy the show-side of it. All I remember thinking was…oh my god, just don’t mess up. But once we came off stage, that was when we hung out with our friends and family and were able to take in the fact that we just headlined the Wembley Arena! It was the most incredible night of our lives… In terms of being able to join the other bands in in the ranks, it’s an amazing feeling.

When we go around the world and meet other bands, the first thing they always say is “Oh, so you guys headlined Wembley!”. It’s definitely one of those bragging rights where we’re able to turn back and say like “Yeah, we did, no big deal…”. It’s an awesome feeling.

It seems to me that you guys have just seen such a huge growth just in the past few years. I remember going to see you at a small Banquet Records in-store in 2009 and it's unbelievable to think that in just 4 years’ time you would have progressed to selling out Wembley!

What do you think has contributed to You Me At Six's rapid success?

I think it’s mainly down to our fans. I mean, the last night of our American tour in Philly was sold out and we were just like… "since when did our band sell out a 1,000-capacity venue in Philadelphia?!" We’ve never had really major label backing over in America, it’s just down to fans spreading the word about good music. Over here in the UK we’ve been lucky enough to have some great support from Radio 1 which has really helped us.

You seem to have quite a good internet army as well; the Sixers are very passionate about you and keen to spread the message!

[Laughs] Yeah, they’re a crazy bunch!

They’re a lot of fun and we owe everything to them.

Your new album, Cavalier Youth, is set to be released in the coming months. I’ve heard that you guys are switching things up a little on

Wow! It’s like tour but extreme!

Yeah! We were literally stuck in a house and all we did was write music. There’s definitely some songs on there that have taken influence from different genres, so instead of just being a straight-up rock album, there’s songs on there that sound like 'Temper Trap' or something completely different. But then obviously we’ve got songs like 'Lived A Lie' which everyone’s heard already. So it’ll be the kind of record where if you’re already a fan of You Me At Six it’s going to be your favourite album to date, but if you’re new then you’d like it too. For example I played it to my mum, and this is the first time that she’s heard one of our albums and thought straight away “yeah I could really like this; I think it’s really good”.

Before, we wrote albums like Take off Your Colours when we were 16 or 17, and people of that sort of age would like it. We wrote Hold Me Down when we were 18, and probably 18 year olds liked it, and 20 year olds liked Sinners [Never Sleep]. I feel like Cavalier Youth has a far greater appeal to anyone from 8 to 80 years old, just because they’re well written songs. We’re really proud of it and can’t wait to have it out!

It also seemed like a really creative process, the way you guy recorded this album. I read that you guys even started switching instruments at one point and you got to play bass, how did that come about?

We did that more for fun. We were recording a part to a song with some huge drums and mallets, and Matt [Barnes] turned around and asked if he could do it, and I was like “yeah of course man, do it!”. It was more of a fun thing. And it came down to one of the last days, and I was like, “I haven’t played bass! If you got to play a section of drums then let me play bass!”. So I did one of Matt’s bass fills in one of the songs. And I think that sums up the record really, we had a lot of fun making it. It was just a bunch of people doing what they love to do. It was probably the most fun summer I’ve had in my entire life, and it’s great that at the end of it we came out with an awesome album!

So now you’re back and the next thing coming up for You Me At Six is supporting 30 Seconds To Mars on the European leg of their tour.

What are your expectations for that? Have you met the 30 Seconds To Mars guys yet?

Yeah we’ve met them a couple of times, we’ve done a few festivals with them.

We also used to be on the same label, EMI, so we met them a couple of times because of that. They’ve always been really cool to us; we’re just excited to get out there with them. We’re looking forward to going out into Europe and playing these huge venues there as that’s something that we haven’t really been able to do before. The opportunity

YOUMEATSIXOFFICIAL

I feel like a few congratulations are in order, it’s hard even know where to start! Congratulations on Lived A Lie and the great response it received, on having headlined Wembley, on the new album release...!

Thank you very much, that’s very kind of you!

this record and playing with your sound. Can you tell me a bit more about the sort of vibe we should expect from this record?

Well. It’s hard to define, but it’s definitely not the typical You Me At Six record. There are a few wild cards on there. We feel like we have some really well written songs this time, we spent a lot more time sitting down and making sure every part of every song was the best that it could be. When we were writing we went away and lived in a house in the middle of a forest in Reading for a few weeks, and one time we even got snowed in for a bit…

to be able to play to that number of people in those new markets will be an incredible experience but also a great platform for us to promote ourselves out there. I know that this tour has helped get us some press and radio across Europe that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. It’s been useful to say “We’re going on tour with 30 Seconds To Mars and playing these huge venues with them” and these radio stations are like “wow that’s amazing, we’ll definitely put your songs on the radio!”. Right now I think we’re on the radio in places like Norway, so yeah, that’s just another step in the You Me At Six journey! It ends this year at the O2 Arena which we’ve never played before, and like Wembley I really hope we get to headline it one day.

Now back to you, Dan. You've just released the first episode of your own cooking show, Cooking With Flint! Should we expect more episodes? A homely surrey edition or maybe a 30 Seconds To Mars special?

[Laughs] The thing is, being on tour is kind of boring at times. You’ll find yourself in a Hilton car park in Omaha, Nebraska, and you think to yourself "oh my god…what are we going to do today? It’s our day off, there’s no show, and we’re stuck here in a car park. We’ve gone through everything possible that we could ever do - we bought baseball gear and an American football and chucked them about the car park, we’ve already gone to the cinema twice that day" and we’re sat thinking “okay it’s still 5 o’clock in the afternoon, what are we actually going to do?!”

Film a cooking show is the answer!

Yeah exactly! We ended up having Tom Welsh with us on tour who makes amazing video updates, he’s the one that has come up with our video ideas.

People already know I like to cook, it’s all over my Twitter and Instagram, and Tom had the idea to film me cooking.

We thought it’d be funny; we’d film it in a very cheesy way. But people always send me tweets about it, so we’ll try and find the opportunity to do one in Europe. Maybe I will do one at home,

have a homely Surrey edition!

That’d be great! Maybe try and get some endorsement, get Ainsley Harriet on there…

I actually tweeted Jamie Oliver telling him to watch my video but he didn’t reply! So I used to be a Jamie Oliver fan… but…now I hate him.

Poor Jamie! Now from one hobby to another, I hear you boys are big fans of football and of FIFA... And what's more is that you're being featured on the FIFA 14 soundtrack!

That's so awesome, how did that come about?

It came about from Josh [Franceschi] being obsessed with the game. We got to meet the EA games people at one point and told them we absolutely love FIFA, and asked if they could get us on the game. So they came down to Wembley and even the LA Palladium to watch us play, and we ended up getting on with them really well. We had a few drinks and invited them down to the studio in LA. They sat down to hear 'Lived A Lie'and were like “this is incredible, we’ll put this on the game!” and we were like “really…? Naaah you’re lying” but then at one point we put in our copy of FIFA and the first song that played was Lived A Lie! You’re living the dream!

Living the dream! I think that describes us at the moment in our band’s career!

Right so. You have a few days off before you embark on your tour with 30 seconds to mars. What do you out have planned?

I plan to just hang out with some family and friends. I’m over the jet lag now so it’s just a case of seeing some people that I haven’t seen in the last month! I haven’t even unpacked my bag or taken it upstairs, I’ve left my suitcase by the front door ready to leave on Monday.

Sounds like a very hectic schedule!

Well thank you Dan for taking the time out of it to talk to us!

Thank you very much, it was great!

PANIZ GEDERI

05.11.2013 PartB

16

MUSIC / THEATRE

A FOOLISHPEOPLE PRODUCTION

strange factories

I

t is already dark as I approach the Cinema Museum in Elephant and Castle, slightly nervous about what I am about to experience. “Not everyone can survive the violence of creation,” read the flyer for John Harrigan’s cinema-theatrical fusion “Strange Factories”.

Two girls are already waiting below a streetlight in safe distance from the entrance of the dusky brick building. I reach out to open the door and it swings away from me, un-

locked by a woman wearing a white mask over her face. The inside of the building is completely dark. The actress ties a white piece of cloth around my wrist, hissing, “This is to show that you are a part of the Cinema Guild”.

Together with six other slightly nervous looking cineastes, I am led to the backyard of the Museum by several masked creatures. As the gate is locked behind us, there is no turning back.

An acting duo introduces us

to the obscure world of Stronheim’s Strange Factory, where “we will go through the dark and find the truth”—a truth that, so much is clear, will not be comfortable.

When it is time to enter the cinema room to see the movie, we are told to join hands and swear a peculiar oath. The prologue warns of paranormal experiences and panic. Yes, I am starting to get slightly nervy.

Strange Factories tells the story of writer Victor, possessed with his own terrifying story. His friends, all stage performers, have been missing since a theatre fire. On a walk through the countryside he discovers them in a remote settlement, living under the protection of the mysterious Stronheim, owner of a factory.

Victors commits to a dangerous agreement with the stranger, who agrees to rebuild the destroyed theatre. In return, Victor has to complete his story—regardless the consequences. As his friends come to life in his manuscript, Victor holds their fate in his hands.

The constant hum of a strange factory haunts the group in

dreams so terrifying that they can almost not be their own.

Inevitably both Victor and the actors around him lose their sanity throughout the movie, and the viewer is exposed to disturbing, obscene and absurd sights.

Finally, cinema and theatre melt into one as the actors on the screen appear on stage for the Grand Finale.

The interactive nature of this thriller is fascinating and scary at the same time. The entire storyline and film setting is already created on a surreal level, but as the characters in the film shift in and out of nightmares and visions, it becomes almost impossible to come to terms with the violence and absurdity that takes place on the screen.

The ever-changing, blurring and shaking camera angles and the dramatic soundtrack pull the viewer right into the story. Nevertheless, the film has its lengths and many strange occurrences remain unexplained.

As I leave the cinema three hours later, I am unsure what I think about Strange Factories.

Many twists and mind games alone can not carry a film – and I cannot help asking myself what there is to be learned or drawn from the movie.

Strange Factories certainly is not for everyone, and those who are easily shocked and disturbed should steer clear.

Still, the experience was very special and I have never seen anything like it. The talented cast and the brave experiment of mixing theatre and cinema in an interactive way make it worthwhile for thrill seekers to venture into Strange Factories this Halloween season.

camilla naschert A FoolishPeople Production Written and Directed

by John Harrigan Until 18 November

The Beaver 05.11.2013

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fog

park theatre

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Austin Hardiman (left) plays Josh Gilmore, a white athlete unaware of his privileged upbringing in a racially segregated nation.

15 minutes

interview

with austin hardiman

MICHELLE WARBIS interviews actor AUSTIN HARDIMAN about his upcoming peformance in The Dead Wait at The Park Theatre. Set in the Angolan Civil War in 1989, the play explores the idea of shared humanity amidst the backdrop of wartime brutality and racial division.

First of all I wondered whether you could tell me a little bit about the play.

A: It’s about the Angolan war and the new South Africa—in particular the transition between the new and old South Africa, and that period of history. It focuses on a young man called Josh—a national hero—a hero of the apartheid Government. He’s going to be the first white man to crack ten seconds in a 100 metre sprint, but he gets conscripted to the army. He is taken out of his comfort zone, and has to deal with the realities of war. He ends up going into an Angolan village with his commanding of ficer who he forms a close relationship with, and there they find an injured African National Congress (ANC) operative in the village. Josh is ordered to carry him to the border.

Though it highlights the atrocities of war, and how awful apartheid and the discrimination was, the play exposes humanity through friendships, and the way in which people are able to connect as human beings, which creates hope.

And Josh?

A: He’s a very privileged white South African who doesn’t really have any idea about the world; he’s been very sheltered. Whilst he carries the ANC operative on his back, he goes on a journey through their conversation. Slowly the man educates Josh, who becomes aware of the realities of South Africa and the apartheid regime. This of course strikes a conflict, and creates a battle between the three men, with Josh in the middle being pulled by both of these characters, and ultimately these experiences make him a man.

You’re a South African yourself, has that had an impact on the way you portrayed or understood the role of josh?

A: When Apartheid ended I was young, but old enough to be aware of what was happening, and unlike in a lot of schools I was educated by my teachers. It was a transition: for example black students coming to an all-white school.

You really remember these things, and they may not have a major significance at the time when you’re so young, but you become aware of that significance when you grow older. There were things that I grew up with, like not knowing about what was going on that Josh has experienced too, though he has been more conditioned by his family in terms of the apartheid ideology that black people are worthless.

My parents weren’t like that.

We were a much more liberal South African family. But still, the similarities did help a lot.

I know that time. I could feel there was something happening, and I know that world. I understand what Josh was going through, and of course it helps.

And similarly, the play is based on events of Paul Herzberg’s [the playwright] life. Does that make the play a more interesting or personally affecting piece to be a part of?

A: Well you instantly have a lot more respect for what Paul’s written. He knows what he’s talking about; he was there.

It’s added a massive value to the whole project. And as a cast we’ve been educated a lot with books, films, documentaries, all giving so many different perspectives. It was an

incredible war. It wasn’t just South Africa; there were so many international elements that are overlooked and lost.

Having Paul there to educate us properly was priceless. As actors our aim is to get into that world, and with Paul’s help we really have.

I wondered about your director, Joe Harmston, who’s recently got out a lot of prominent pieces of theatre. How was it like working with him?

A: He’s a fantastic director.

He’s so lovely. He worked with each person on their own level, and is extremely inquisitive about the details. To work with someone like him is an amazing opportunity. As a young actor, I need to learn from these experienced people that I’ve been gifted to work with. And it really is an absolute joy to have his guidance. You need a strong person to guide a play like this, with these types of themes, and Joe is definitely the person for it.

So as a learning experience, what do you feel that this play’s nature and the opportunity to work with an experienced team have taught you? What’s key thing you will take away from it?

A: Good question. Ultimately I now understand the importance of finding the real truth of the material. And to really get down to the bottom of what the message of the play is by understanding its content at a deep level. That’s been a key for all of us to really focus on :the truth of the writing. And in terms of the content, just to believe in myself—to have courage. Yes, that’s it: To be courageous.

PARK THEATRE Until 10 November Written by Tash Fairbanks, Toby Wharton

ituated by Finsbury Park station, The Park Theatre—labelled a new ‘Off West End’ theatre—is combined with a café-bar to host a truly unique and vibrant setting for the hard-hitting performance of FOG. The minimalist setting, which only consists of a solitary, flickering lightbulb shone upon a bare concrete room, as well as a light use of props, appropriately pave the way for the intimate, gripping performance by the cast. Set in a murky and depressing London council estate, all-important societal themes of damaged family relationships and class tensions are recurrent throughout the play. Fairbanks and Wharton skilfully ensure that even the regular bursts of humour remain tinged with darker underlying notions.

Meet Gary (Toby Wharton) —“this is the white boy shotter, got my trainers from foot locker”—an aspiring young entertainre-cum-drug dealer uprooted out of care and reunited with Cannon (Mark Leadbetter), his returning soldier father. Cannon, expecting a fresh start, revisits his family only to find a hostile daughter Lou (Anna Kovel), and a confused, naïve son, both of whom were broken by their scattered upbringings and unable to live up to his lofty ideals. Leadbetter is superb in his role as a man facing the two-sided battle between re-establishing the relationships with his children, while simultaneously having to contain his violent tendencies, the reason why their relationships broke down in the first place. We find ourselves at the edge of our seats, so absorbed by the actor’s hard and cold exterior that his anger, once flares up, becomes almost palpable.

Wharton is particularly effective in his role as a childlike, perplexed teenager trying

review

to live up to what he perceives as his father's expectations.

The disparities between Gary and Cannon created by time caused a huge strain on these efforts. The performances by Wharton, Leadbetter and Kovel are engrossing the entire way through as we eagerly anticipate whether this struggle to piece their lives together will transpire. The silences between the three speak for themselves, as they are laden with emotion and friction enough to give us an insight into the internal conflicts each character faces.

Fairbanks and Wharton weave the theme of social class tensions into the plot commendably, through the use of contrast between Gary’s family and his friend Michael’s.

The former remain confined to and trapped within the poverty-ridden council estate lifestyle, whereas Michael (Benjamin Cawley) and his sister Bernice (Kanga Tanikye-Buah) are seen to be aspirational, forcefully climbing their way up the social ladder. TanikaBuah is wonderfully charismatic in her role as overly optimistic, hopeful Bernise, lighting up the melancholic scene with her pulsating presence. The strain on Gary and Michael’s relationship caused by social climbing presents us with harsh realities, effectively captured by the writers and acting combined.

Tense, intricate and rather emotive in its portrayal of problems encountered by all corners of society; FOG is a strikingly stimulating play. It not only engages the audience with the sentiments of the onstage characters but also causes us to reflect generally upon the struggles embedded within society and our own internal realities.

mandeer kataria

AGF PRODUCTIONS / FOGtheplay

THEATRE

05.11.2013 PartB

18

THEATRE

front of house

W

LYRIC THEATRE

thriller

live



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another standout performance. Despite attending Saturday Drama School ‘Youngstars’ in Elstree just once a week, this little man is now a young star. He kicks off the show, centre stage, leading the Jackson 5 in the opening number ‘ABC’. His charisma and songbird voice sets the energy for the rest of the show, and leaves the audience raucously applauding, with most of them getting up on their feet within minutes. A responsive crowd can make all the difference to a tribute concert, and Thriller Live cleverly utilises the adorable Eshan Gopal to win us over right from the outset, breaking any hesitation one might have to get involved and sing along.

Feeling comfortable enough to clap, cheer and chant, I found myself able to close off from university stress and completely unwind after a long day of lectures and classes. It was such an enjoyable evening, a perfect offering for anyone needing a break from the library. With essay week already looming, I have no doubt that certainly includes most of you.

once the novelty of being in a West End theatre has worn off the job itself can sometimes prompt bouts of boredom, but that’s when the people around you make the job truly fun and unforgettable. There are drama school graduates, students, and those who have worked in the theatre for so long they’re an integral part of it and know all its secrets.

The Queen’s is a truly international environment too, attracting immeasurably lovely and talented people from all over the world. I’ve learnt how to say hello in Italian, follow a basic French conversation and swear in Polish.

When you spend eight shows and six days a week with these people, sharing cultures and stories and a love for Breaking Bad becomes the norm.

All of a sudden, wearing the uniform and constantly crying with laughter doesn’t seem so silly when everyone else around you is doing it too. Plus, no one understands the struggle of a killer double shift—10 hours, 2 shows, 45 minute break between the two —like those who suffer it with you.

I’ve learnt more about the West End and professional shows than I ever could have done from a book. I know all about follow spots, safety curtains and the perils of a revolving stage from the people that operate them. More than that, I’ve acquired knowledge of the business of putting on a professional show, of all the different departments that work together and how they all coordinate effortlessly in an emergency. Most importantly, I now understand the difference between the theatre and the company. When watching a show now I’m more attuned to the entire experience, watching everyone and looking out for the small things I wouldn’t have even thought to notice twelve weeks ago and would probably have taken for granted.

While I won’t be rushing to pay to see Les Misérables any time soon, I’ll only be able to look back on my time at the theatre with fond, warm memories. It’s opened my eyes to an industry I previous-

ly thought was impenetrable, and taught me more about the theatre than I ever thought was possible in a summer. Les Misérables will still hold a special place in my heart, and now so will the Queen’s. I’d go back in a heartbeat, just don’t ask me how to find the toilets.

Top 5 things I learnt at the Queen’s 1. There's a specific confused look that's easily identifiable and transcends gender, ethnicity and nationality. Sharing a common language isn't even required, and at times it can be spotted before the implementation of basic sign language. It roughly translates to "Where's the nearest toilet?".

2. It’s not uncommon to get through a cup of tea during each show, and there’s nothing comparable to the disappointment of being faced with Earl Grey teabags when you wanted PG Tips. It's the sort of discovery that can ruin a shift.

3. Everyone fancies Tam Mutu, London’s Javert. People that claim they don’t are either (a) lying or (b) need to take another look.

4. ‘Five Star Smiles’ form the cornerstone of the Cameron Mackintosh experience and despite feeling initially a little silly there’s no avoiding them.

However, they’re devilishly hard to fake when working with some of the loveliest, funniest and smartest people in the industry.

5. Theatre is without doubt one of the most beautiful, magical and spine-tingling art forms: an observation that is impossible to alter by how it is experienced, be it backstage, on stage, in the audience or at the doors. It is truly special, totally unique and being a part of something that brings joy to so many people is one of the best feelings in the world.

emma forth

darcey ball LYRIC THEATRE Directed by Gary Lloyd Starring David Jordan, Haydon Eshun, Andrae Palmer, Ricardo Afonso, Treyce Cobbins, Eshan Gopal No performance on Mondays

Queen's theatre

hroughout its time, Lyric theatre—the oldest theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue—has opened its doors to thousands of Michael Jackson enthusiasts, allowing them to celebrate his incredible career over two hours of nonstop chart-breaking hits such as ‘Dangerous’ and ‘Bad’.

Despite his demise over four years ago, the artist's legacy lives on; fans join together almost every day in musical Thriller Live, reminiscing about unforgettably electrifying performances from decades past.

Accepting that no production could truly emulate the genius that was Michael Jackson performing live, one must enjoy the show for what it is—a genuinely fun evening of live music, iconic choreography and legendary pop songs.

The five lead vocalists emphasise, rather than detract from, Michael’s enormous talent. Nowhere else is this more evident the fact that it takes five different artists, all at the top of their career, to recreate a sliver of the King of Pop's magic. Still, it is undeniable that all of them are notable talents in their own right.

Recent contestant from this year's The Voice UK Alfonso Ricardo, for example, boasts extensive experience in the musical theatre industry, demonstrating his craftsmanship by delivering a strong performance as the lead rock singer.

The emotion with which he sings in the musical's rendition of ‘She’s Out of My Life’ is both truthful and captivating.

Eshan Gopal, portraying the young Michael, provides

review

hile doing a degree at the LSE, saying you’d quite like to pursue a career in the performing arts once you graduate can seem a little odd and is often met by confusion, incredulous looks and the firm assumption that eventually you’ll see sense and end up applying for a training contract or selling your soul to Goldman Sachs.

All my friends seem to have their lives together, but I, on the other hand, have no idea what I intend to do with my life post-LSE. Thus I figured a good starting point would be doing what I enjoy, and there’s nothing I enjoy more than languishing for hours in a darkened auditorium watching an incredibly talented group of people bring the written word to life.

Front of House (FOH) was something I knew relatively little about prior to this summer, having only ever experienced the theatre before as either a Stage Manager or member of the audience. The first theatre to respond to my CV was the Queen’s: the home of Les Misérables.

As I quickly learnt, FOH tasks can range from anything, from bag searches on the front doors to directing patrons to the toilets like members of an airline cabin crew to explaining the difference between three almost identical CDs in the merchandise kiosk. One minute you’re selling ice creams and the next you’re fielding questions on the history of the theatre and telling people where to find the Stage Door (and the toilets). There’s also the somewhat stressful task of fixing double bookings; responding to people that incredulously ask if the cast really are going to sing all the way through or if they’ll stop at some point.

There’s also an awful lot of sitting down between acts and counting ticket stubs; standing at the back during the show getting goose-bumps watching men die on the barricade; and pointedly flashing your torch at patrons taking sneaky photos.

However, there’s no getting away from the fact that

The Beaver 05.11.2013

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FASHION / FILM W

TAILORED 101 Dress the part.

ith everyone starting to think about next summer’s internships already, now seems like the perfect time to start thinking about investing in some great tailoring to prepare for those all-important interviews. First impressions are everything in a job interview, so it is imperative that your outfit show that you mean business. Think sleek, tailored, and tidy. It is an open secret that one cannot simply think the part; they must look the part too. So rail up your wardrobe with tailored essentials such as a crisp white shirt and a trusty black blazer to ensure your professional prospects aren't derailed itself!

Whatever your student budget, the you can easily purchase these tailored essentials. Highstreet has so much to offer with fashion retailers from H&M to Reiss all drawing on the tailored trends spotted on the AW13 shows.

From left to right: River Island, Aldo, Reiss, Asos, Zara, Next and Next

WRITTEN BY HANNAH THOMPSON

Lessons can be learned from the catwalk, and translated into our everyday style even for those who enter the most conservative of industries. Whenever you get stuck with the "What to Wear" syndrome, remember these three simple tips to get you started, which will ensure your work wardrobe makes a bold, high fashion statement: 1) A crisp, white shirt will never go out of style 2) Great accessories will be your saviour 3) Workwear doesn’t need to be boring—play around with prints and colours. Opt for either clean primary colours, or neutral tones to maintain the professional feel.

Tips: All that tailoring need not be saved for the boardroom—play around with a white shirt and jeans or a sharp blazer over a camisole dress for a chic A/W look!

The Rentez-vous Initiative:

KATARINA PAHLSON

The perfect event for the fashion addicted

B

ored of your wardrobe? Your budget running low? Or do you simply just feel like socialising with designers, photographers, and artists?

Then attend the Rentez-Vous at The Wellington Club! Every month Rentez-Vous organises events all around London and Paris at only the most intriguing, cool and avant-guarde of places.

A haven for the style-conscious with a limited budged, the Retezvous Initiative is Fiona’s innovative fashion business where one (individual or designer) rents out clothes for a period of three weeks at a lower price. The individual who rents the clothes is responsible for the condition of the item, and must take it to a dry cleaner’s before returning it back (dry cleaning services are suggested—at a lower cost too).

Encompassing anything and everything a good night needs from mingling with the cool crowd, trying on hun-

dreds of funky clothes, and drinking cocktails, to having your make-up and hair done by professionals, this event is an unforgettable experience.

Both fun and creative whilst embracing fashion at affordable prices with a touch of boudoir…what's not to love?

Participating in the event as well was an array of up and coming designers known for redefining simple fashion statements with a modern 21st century twist. There I found my beloved designer Chelsea Bravo with her new Mens' collection that ticked both the originality and versatility boxes; I would not at all mind wearing them—even if it is for guys!

New designer Reece Curtis-Walwyn also attended the proceedings, renting out her incredible detailed, yet minimalistic collection. Also embodying the minimalist look with a collection heavily utilising monochromic palette of black and white, Marangoni’s graduate Katarina Pahlson-Moller was also very impressive. Entry prices for such events vary and might be dependant on participation—i.e. £10 for entry with a drink and the whole make-up/hairdo package, or if you are a renter you would probably join in for free.

RANIA KOUROS

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

Director: Paul Greengrass Writer: Billy Ray Starring: Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi Run time: 134 minutes

A fast-paced action film with substance and introspection... too good to be true?

s I walked into the cinema to watch Captain Phillips, the only concern present in my mind was that I may develop an irrepressible urge to shout 'WILSONNNN!' with alarming regularity during this latest installation of 'Tom Hanks at Sea II'. However, it was soon apparent that Tom Hanks had a lot more on his plate than a toothache and an enigmatically caricatured basketball as depicted Cast Away (2002). This latest flick from director Paul Greengrass (Bourne Supremacy/Bourne Ultimatum) depicts the real life hijacking of the American cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates.

Unfortunately, the exposition of Captain Phillips culminates in an opening scene that is clunky and awkward.

Greengrass mercifully plucks us from this relatively early on in the film and relocates the action from the US to Oman where Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) boards his ship and leaves the clumsy conversations with his wife, Andrea Phillips (Catherine Keener), a safe eight-thousand miles westward. What follows is a completely gripping motion picture from start to finish.

Greengrass masterfully builds tension with a signature high-adrenaline chase sequence and unleashes an explosive scene for the initial meeting between the Somali pirate and the Alabama's crew.

Furthermore, he

deliberately ensured that the actors were kept apart until this crucial moment, so that the initial wariness would be perfectly captured on screen.

Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd, brings his signature realism to the table with just the right dose of brooding so as not to over-egg. It appeared on occasion as though he had forgotten his tripod, which left cinema-goers wondering why the cinema had not stock-piled sick bags for the occasion. Top tip: if you are prone to motion sickness maybe take an aisle seat.

Does it feel uncomfortable being so totally engrossed in what is essentially a gungho Team America cavalry charge? At times. But despite the overtones of baddybashing World Police, Hanks and Greengrass manage to develop the film into an intense personal examination of Phillips' character. Hanks is pitch-perfect throughout and his performance in the final scene, an inspired offscript addition to the film, is breathtaking. Another true highlight is the claustrophobic scenes between Phillips and his Somali captor, Muse (Barkhad Abdi). Abdi plays a superb turn in his first major role; you feel those eyes boring into you as you leave the screen.

Greengrass does somewhat attempt to remove the film from a straightforward America-versus-genericforeign-'otherness' paradigm through an early scene on a

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review



Somali beach in which men vie for a position in the hijacking crew. This token backstory was built upon throughout the film with some thoughtful dialogue between Phillips and Muse that gave depth to the characters beyond the good-guy/bad-guy parameters. Inevitably, there has been some controversy over the real-life version of events, mainly surrounding the portrayal of Phillips as stoic protector of his crew, but whether Phillips is or is not a bit of a bastard is not really a primary concern of the film.

In the hands of Billy Ray (Hunger Games/State of Play), the script is generally up to heart-pumping form with a pummelling pace throughout.

Rapid action sequences are counterbalanced with poignant moments of reflection of the characters. The script's triumph lies in the room it gives the Somali actors to evoke sympathy from the audience despite their characters' misdeeds. If you are looking for a fast-paced action flick with a little less gloss and a lot more substance, then this is the film for you.

LILY KENDALL

The Beaver 05.11.2013

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COLLECTIVE

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Tuesday November 5 2013

Features

THE SOCIETY COLUMN features Grimshaw Club (IR Society)

JUSTICE, WITH YOUR CONSENT: Kenya and the International Criminal Court James Lo, Speakers’ Officer Grimshaw Club

W

hen Kenya’s supreme court unanimously upheld the 2013 presidential election results in March 2013, violence erupted across the streets of Nairobi. This may seem like a stereotypical fledgling democracy, where electoral results are resolved through violence, not mutual acceptance. Yet Kenya’s election has been unusually fair, exposing a critical flaw in the international legal system, not least because this time, the people of Kenya have anointed a president facing charges of crimes against humanity.

firming his election, Mr. Kenyatta proceeded to instruct his party to vote for a pullout from the Rome Statute, thereby removing Kenya’s recognition of the International Criminal Court.

POPULAR SUPPORT? How could the Kenyan populace elect such a divisive figure – were the elections rigged? Though local and international observers detected voting irregularities, both external organizations and the Supreme Court found them insufficient to sway the final result. Mr. Kenyatta is a formida-

ble political figure: the son of Kenya’s founding president, he has promised to provide free maternity care, laptops for children, cutting public spending and creating over a million jobs per year, all popular measures for a country in swathes of unemployment. Mr. Kenyatta’s support may be exaggerated, but it is abundantly clear that he was elected through a decent popular mandate. The clarity of his victory has created a dilemma for international law: by removing Kenya from the international court, the ICC will now have to decide whether to push forward their charges and continue the

UHURU KENYATTA President Uhuru Kenyatta, and his deputy William Ruto, face eight charges brought forward by the International Criminal Court (ICC), including rape, torture and persecution relating to the 2007 elections, when over 1300 died after the opposition refused to admit defeat. Mr. Kenyatta and Mr. Ruto were not candidates at the time, but rather Minister for Local Government and an MP respectively. After con-

If your society would like to be featured in THE SOCI ETY COLUMN, e-mail:

features@thebeaveronline.co.uk trial. Based on customary international law, both leaders will have to attend their trials regardless of their status. Mr. Kenyatta’s strong popular support, coupled with his power, even obligation as president to enforce national sovereignty, make the ICC’s charges appear more illegitimate than its mandate may seem.

LIMITED OPTIONS What options are there for Mr. Kenyatta and Mr. Ruto?

Ignoring ICC arrest warrants is not without precedent. Sudanese President Omar AlBashir has notoriously refused to yield. Yet the move has exacerbated Sudan’s status as a fringe state, subject to international embargoes imposed by the UN Security Council and the EU. In fear of extradition, Mr. Al-Bashir’s ability to travel has been severely restricted. For Mr. Kenyatta and Mr. Ruto therefore, refusing to appear for the trials is unwise if they wish to leave a lasting legacy of effective governance. Their broad array of economic reforms may be derailed by international sanctions. This perhaps explains why despite heated opposition against the ICC expressed in Kenyan parliament, both leaders have reluctantly travelled

to the Hague.

BEACON OF JUSTICE As with every other foreign policy issue, the United States has taken a remarkably strong stance against the Kenyan regime. President Obama has demanded Mr. Kenyatta to respect the ICC’s processes. The irony here is that the United States has yet to ratify the Rome Statute. After the furore over Iraq and Afghanistan, the past two presidents have realized that recognizing the International Criminal Court would mean they would face prosecution themselves. The sanctimoniousness of the US has proven to be a poor foreign policy strategy. It has played into Mr. Kenyatta’s rhetoric of Western hypocrisy, branding the ICC as a tool of the Western world to prosecute sub-saharan African leaders for deeds no different from their own. The ongoing trials in The Hague will be a vital test to the ICC’s authority, not simply in enforcing its own charges and processes, but also in the targets they select. If the ICC wishes to establish its status as an objective, global beacon of justice, it must first gain teeth of its own. Without it, it may only offer justice with the criminal’s consent.

R AG C ORN E R features RAG Gets LOST Team RAG preview this year’s RAG Gets Lost. In the past two years, students have been lost in Skegness and Bakewell.

Y

ou wake up at 8am.

Get blindfolded.

Sit on a coach for around four hours.

Get out. It’s misty.

It’s cold. You’re in the middle of nowhere. And you have to get back to London without spending a penny. Welcome to RAG Gets LOST! RAG Gets LOST sees all of Team RAG (that’s you, reader) heading to a secret location in the United Kingdom, and having to get back without spending a money. Last year RAG got lost in the luscious Skegness... some blagged a free bus ride, some walked a very, very long way to get out of Skegness, and others

got straight into a car.

Jamie Pelling, a member of Team RAG, had to get back to London from Skegness, and had this to say: “It was tough. At one point we thought we would be sleeping rough in Cambridge.

You lose all hope, and then all of a sudden someone comes along and saves you. It’s rather like relationships.”

Meanwhile, the winning team from last year managed to get down from Skegness to London in a mere six hours. Katie Budd, Vice President of RAG and winner of LOST last year said: “We had to win. Once we got to Houghton Street a security guard ran us to the finish line – some obscure room in Old Building.”

Sound like fun? Sign up! This year we’ll be getting LOST on the 23rd November so save the date, and get your team together! Teams need to be of two or

three people, including a male.

We’ll be giving you more information this week at 6pm, St.

Clements, S42, this Thursday so come along and then join our social (details TBC) following that.

Last year’s RAG Gets LOST saw students lost in lucious Skegness, raising money for charity via sponsorship in the process.

Money raised from RAG Gets LOST will be going to Foodcycle, one of our charities of the year.

You may have already heard from us about Foodcycle, but if not – here’s some more information.

Foodcycle aims to do two things: combat poverty and prevent food waste. It achieves this by taking surplus food from supermarkets and cooking it in donated kitchens across the country, giving out meals to people experiencing food poverty. LSE itself has a strong volunteer network for Foodcycle, with third year student Emily Goodwin one of the hub leaders. If you’d like to get involved volunteer wise with the charity head to LSE Volunteer Centre for more information and advice on how to get involved! See you at the meeting this week!

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Tuesday November 5 2013

Beaver

Features Eyes to the Left David Jenkins

Individuals will be free to help others in their own way

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n unconditional basic income (UBI) is a proposed policy of social welfare that would regularly provide each citizen with an income, irrespective of whether that citizen has work or is looking for work.

Funding UBI is easy: Land Value taxes, luxury consumption tax, closing of corporate loopholes and a higher top-rate of income tax would all add pennies to the pot. Additionally, there would be the savings consequent to the simplification and reductions to the current welfare bill.

But all this detail is up for grabs.

The EC Initiative mentioned below is intended as a means to answer these questions and will give us a firmer grip on the concrete details of implementation.

But why would we want UBI? Since I cannot here answer those objections which condemn our human nature to selfish indifference and idle stupor in the absence of enforceable obligations to work I will instead focus on UBI’s emancipatory potential.

A lot of work is either just plain boring or downright degrading. When people have a UBI they can refuse such work: No longer will the better part of their lives be spent dealing with it. This work can be shared out, delegated to technology or, if possible, just forgotten. With time released from the grips of tedium individuals will be free to help others in their own way, get creative with their time and energies, spend more time with their children and/or volunteer within their communities.

This is not just an argument of desirability. It is also a means of confronting the challenges and current transformation of our political and economic reality. With less work needed to create the same amount of wealth the demand to work as the sole means to earn a part of that wealth is becoming more than just a hindrance: It is becoming a specific form of torture. UBI is a way of civilising these transformations, of finding the means within evolving technological prowess to free ourselves from burdensome toil.

If you would like to write for Features, drop us an email at: features@thebeaveronline.co.uk

The Student Union Briefing: No-Platforming What ing?

is

No-Platform-

No-Platforming is a policy which bans certain individuals or groups from speaking, attending, debating, standing for election at or in any way taking part in events associated with the group with the no platform policy. One organisation with a no-platform policy is the National Union of Students this in turn affects the LSE. What is the NUS policy?

The NUS No-Platform policy as outlined in the NUS’s ‘articles of association’ applies a No-Platform policy to any group, individual or member of organisations deemed to be ‘racist’ and/or ‘fascist’ by the Democratic Procedures Committee (an elected group within the NUS responsible for the NUS’s policy procedures). However these are not the only reasons why a No-Platform policy can be applied, as the NUS also has a clause in their articles of association allowing for decisions of their National Conference to subject individuals and organisations to a No-Platform

policy. In theory this could happen without the organisation concerned being deemed racist or fascist by the Democratic Procedures committee.

So who is subject to the No-Platform policy?

The NUS lists five organisations who are, and whose members and associates are ‘No-Platformed’, which is to say they are deemed racist or fascist by the Democratic Procedures Committee: The British National Party The EDL Hizbut-Tahrir Al-Muhajiroun Muslim Public Affairs Committee

Further George Galloway, the Respect MP, was subject to the No-Platform policy in 2012 after comments he made trivialising the accusations and charges of rape levelled at Julian Assange. Tony Benn who made similar comments concerning Assange but apologised was not banned despite the NUS voting on a proposal to subject him to the policy. The NUS’s LGBT campaign also applies the policy to those they consider to be transphobic, specifically Julie Bindel, who wrote a controversial article on transsexuals in the Guardian entitled ‘Gender benders, beware’.

Is there opposition to the policy?

Yes. There is significant opposition to the policy from advocates of free speech, such as

the group ‘Academics for Academic Freedom’, who argue that fascist and racist speakers should be debated rather than banned. There have been disputes between the NUS and the Oxford Union regarding the policy, the University of East Anglia Student Union have voted to reject the policy and Durham’s Student Union has dissociated from the NUS following disputes around the No-Platform policy.

Does the LSESU have its own no platform policy?

There is no No-Platform policy to be found in the LSESU’s Constitution or ByLaws. Despite attempts to contact the LSESU about the policy the Beaver has received no documents specifying a NoPlatform policy.

From left: Anjem Choudary who is said to have led al Muhajiroun; an EDL street protestor; Nick Griffin, Leader of the BNP. All organisations have been no plaformed by the NUS

The International Briefing: Drug Laws Mike Pearson Features Editor

Last week, Ron Hogg, Durham Police and Crime Commissioner, suggested that drug addicts should have access to public “drug consumption rooms”. In light of Mr. Hogg’s comments, The Beaver looks at the international variation in drug laws.

DRUG ROOMS

CONSUMPTION

Drug consumption rooms are supervised healthcare facilities where drug users can use drugs in a safe environment, otherwise known as “shooting up galleries”. Over 90 consumption rooms have been established in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Australia, Luxembourg, Norway and Canada. The purpose of drug consumption rooms is to avert drug-related deaths, decrease injecting in public places and improve the health of drug-users URUGUAY In August 2013, the Uruguayan House of Representatives passed a bill to legalise marijuana. The distribution

and sale of marijuana will be regulated by the state, with Uruguay’s drug tsar stating that the country plans to sell marijuana at $1 a gram. The legalization bill still has to pass in the Senate, with a vote expected in mid-November. Users will be able to buy roughly 20 cannabis cigarettes per month. The Uruguayan Government hope the move towards legalization will cut organised crime.

PORTUGAL

MEXICO In 2009, the Mexican Congress approved changes in the law as to make it legal to possess 5g of cannabis, 0.5g of cocaine, 50mg of heroin and 2g of opiates.

CZECH REPUBLIC Similar to many other cases of drug liberalization, the Czech Republic has decrimi-

ECUADOR

In 2001, Portugal decriminalized the use of all drugs, tunring possession into an “administrative offence”. Studies have found that the number of drug users in treatment expanded and the number of HIV cases has reduced. The limit for posession of Heroin is 1g.

If users are found with more, then possession is considered as possession for sale.

The 2008 Ecuadorian Constitution does not view drug consumption as a crime. After a number of figures have said that the war on drugs has filed, as of June 2013, a government regulatory body has issued guidance on the maximum consumer amounts acceptable.

These include 10g of marijuana, 5g of cocaine, 100mg of heroin.

SWITZERLAND Possesssion of marijuana is a minor dismeanour and has effecitively been decriminalized as of October 1 2013. Adults will be able to pay a simple fine if caught in possession of upto 10g of cannabis, and will avoid the demeanour being shown on their criminal record.

nalized possession of small amounts of most drugs. If found in posession of any of the amounts considered posession and not posession with the intention of sale, then the offence is treated as a minor misdemeanor, with a fine as the excepted punishment. Under Czech law, users can carry; 15g of marijuana, 40 pieces of magic mushrooms, 5 LSD tablets and 1g of Cocaine amongst others (subject to a small fine if found in posession)

BELGIUM Citizens are allowed to grow 1 plant and carry posession of up to 3g for personal use.

President of Uruguay, José Mujica, is pushing ahead with plans to legalise marijuana

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Tuesday November 5 2013

Features Right Approch

The Feature Interview: Lord Adonis

Ben Rogers Hayek Society

Labour Peer Adonis talks of his work with Frontline: a graduate scheme for social work Lord Adonis is a member of the House of Lord and has had ministerial roles in the Labour Government between 2005 and 2010, including roles as Transport Secretary and Minister of State for Education. He is a Trustee of Teach First and is on the board of Frontline.

because they’re not committed to stay for more than two years, but in practice, I expect them to stay for more than two years because the training and support is so good and the role is so re-

many ways, what lessons can you learn from the way that scheme was implemented?

universities at all successfully in the recent past, and I hope Frontline can start doing that.

You start small and you scale up. Teach First started with

You’re well known for having a number of roles in your career that have had a focus on big infrastructure projects at the macro level, what was it about Frontline that encouraged you to get involved at a micro level?

Tell us about Frontline Frontline is seeking to do for children’s social work what Teach First did for teaching, which is to attract more of the brightest and best graduates into a profession that can make a real difference in society, but which has had difficulty recruiting in the past. Just as Teach First currently recruits more than 1300 teachers a year teaching in comprehensive schools in deprived areas, we hope that Frontline this year will be able to recruit 100 very-able graduates with the personal characteristics to make a real difference in society, and so far so good! We’ve already had more than 500 applications, and over 1000 expressions of interest, and I very much hope that LSE students who want to make a big difference will think of applying.

What’s the hardest challenge getting people looking into a career in this area?

What is it about the role that graduates would find so rewarding?

Every day you make a big difference and see yourself make a difference in the lives of the children who otherwise would be short-changed. It’s an absolute frontline job, day-by-day, dealing with children who are in care, dysfunctional families, the court proceedings and the care proceedings that surround them and helping to sort things out and give them opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t exist.

“We want those with good degrees from Russell Group universities to go into social work and far too few have been going into the profession in recent years” It’s hard to think of a more rewarding job. But you need proper support and training and Frontline will provide that and put in place the whole system of consultant social workers who will closely supervise the new graduates to make sure they get the support they need to make a success of their job You were involved in Teach First which is very similar in

150 places and is now 1,300, so it’s grown more than eight-fold and we’re doing the same with Frontline. We starting this year with 100 and as it succeeds, we’ll scale up.

Critics have labeled the scheme ‘elitist, by the focus there is on attracting graduates from Russell Group universities, how would you counter those claims?

We need the brightest and the best to go into social work as a profession if it’s going to be a successful profession, in the same way as we do in every other profession. It doesn’t mean to say that only those with Russell Group degrees are suitable for social work. Of course that’s not true. But equally, we do want a good number of those who have got good degrees from Russell Group universities to go into social work and far too few have been going into the profession in recent years. It is not in any way elitist to want the most able students to go into a profession, which hasn’t had enough of them in the past. It’s plain common sense.

So it’s a problem that those pathways into social work haven’t been there in the past for graduates?

Yes, and social work also hasn’t simply been marketed to graduates in leading

Well I was very much involved in the micro-level detail of Teach First, both as the Minister responsible for the expansion of Teach First but also as a Trustee of Teach First, as I am now. What you need to do if you’re going to make a success of social enterprises is to pay a lot of attention both to the macro and the micro; the big objective you’re seeking to secure, but also the design of the schemes that are going to get you there. That’s what I’ve been doing with Frontline, as I did with Teach First. Josh McAllister, the chief executive of Frontline, is an outstanding social entrepreneur, and that’s a good part of the reason why Frontline was established, because he had the will power to do it.

Frontline is still in its relatively early stages. Thinking long-term, what are the goals?

It crucially depends on how successful we are in the first year. If we succeed in recruiting 100 outstanding graduates who do well in the social work profession, then I would hope to s e e Frontline expand quite rapidly, but let’s get that first 100 in place first and take decisions after that!

Mike son

Pear-

WIKIMEDIA: MALKALIOR

The hardest challenge is in the past is that people had never thought of [going into this career]. Graduates going to universities like the LSE had not considered social work as a profession, and social work has never marketed itself to them as a profession.

Frontline is marketing itself very enthusiastically to top graduates and it creates a pathway into the profession that simply didn’t exist before. It’s a national scheme with national training targeted particularly at final year and young students getting good degrees and enabling them to get a salary and a job in social work almost immediately but with really serious support and only a commitment to stay for 2 years.

If they’re not committed to social work or if they think they might ultimately want to go into another profession which is also another important element of the scheme, it keeps young graduates’ options open.

In practice, as with Teach First, we would expect that most Frontline participants will stay for longer than 2 years because they will get hooked.The scheme makes it attractive for successful graduates to come in

Lord Adonis was involved in Teach First - an organisation that offers graduate schemes for a route into teaching through an intensive two-year development programme

warding

Guaranteed Basic Income will distort allocation and obstruct propsperity It should not be surprising for anyone familiar with free market economics that the Hayek society believes the ‘guaranteed basic income’ to be ridiculous and a farce no matter how well intended. The claim made by the campaign is that people around the world are becoming poorer demanding intervention, which is a quite absurd claim when the reality is that the citizens of Europe, of all social classes, have never experienced as higher levels of living standards as they enjoy today. And this is the product of free market capitalism and not of government intervention.

To institute such a worrying policy would be to create a massive precedent for yet more arbitrary legislation and interventions which in the name of human rights will only serve to violate the central right and liberty which underlies the unprecedented prosperity we now experience, namely private property.

To transfer money from one set of individuals to another with the objective of creating ‘social justice’ or a minimum standard of ‘dignity’, terms with no definable meaning, is a recipe for a system will only inevitably serge out of control as politicians lie to their electorates with promises of ever brighter tomorrows which they cannot possibly finance in the long run.

To offer a guaranteed income in a world that is still saturated with tasks requiring human employment and one that hasn’t yet been overtaken by complete mechanisation, as tantalising as the prospect might seem, the guaranteed incomes policy will also distort the market’s allocation of labour obstructing further enterprise which can bring us even greater future prosperity.

However importantly the elephant in the room seems to be that this idea on the face of it is essentially an attempt to reinvent the welfare system that European countries to varying extents already have in place.

Bolstering what is already a dysfunctional system which has disincentivised millions from employment, making it even more generous seems like a curios objective when restructuring the one we already have is a more urgent priority. Forget guaranteed incomes and research Milton Friedman’s negative income tax to see how this might be done.

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features@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Tuesday November 5 2013

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Features

Education - Tobacco Taxation and Autonomy Rob Graumans looks at whether tobacco taxation is justified Rob Graumans

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smoke, and so do 20% of the British adults, according to a survey held by the British “Action on Smoking and Health” society (the “ASH”). Is this a good thing? I don’t know. I believe that the act of smoking isn’t intrinsically good or bad; it is something that a person should decide for him or herself. However, what I believe is intrinsically valuable is human autonomy. By autonomy I mean the right each person has to decide for him or herself how to live his or her life without unjustified intervention from third parties. And it is this latter point I want to draw attention to.

According to ASH, in 2012, 77% of the price of a pack of cigarretes consisted of tax.

Multiply that by the packs of cigarretes sold, and you get an

amount of £10.5 billion raised through tobacco taxation. This is six times as much as the spending by the NHS (the National Health Service) on tobacco related diseases; these were “merely” £1.7 billion.

So the question that comes to mind is: what justifies the £8.8 billion that remains after subtracting the NHS costs from the money raised through to-

FLICKR: JAVIER IGNACIO ACUÑA DITZEL

bacco taxation?

The ASH claims that the inequality between the two numbers is no issue, since “tobacco tax is not and never has been a down payment on the cost of dealing with ill health caused by smoking”. But what then is its purpose? They claim that the high level of tax on tobacco in Britain serves two purposes: (A) to reduce smoking through the price incentive, and (B) to raise taxes from a source that has least impact on the e c o n o m y.

The latter point has been scrutinized extensively by economists, and I don’t

think I can add anything of value to that discussion. So let’s focus on the first point: the government’s goal of reducing smoking (through the price incentive).

In making this claim, the ASH implicitly assumes that it is within the government set of duties to reduce smoking among its citizens. But is it? One can justify tobacco taxation on the grounds of the health care costs incurred by the non-smoking part of society. However, as we have seen, this amount by no means adds up to the taxes levied on tobacco. So let me rephrase the question: is it within the government’s rights to push away its citizens from performing an activity that they (the government) don’t value? I believe this question directs us towards the more fundamental question of where it is that the boundary lies between justifiable government intervention and morally objectionable be-

havior. One could say, as I believe, that it is one thing (and justifiable) to prevent nonsmokers from being financially hurt by the actions of smokers, but it is a completely different thing (and not justifiable) to promote “non-smoking values” among its citizens, merely for the sake of – what appear to be – paternalistic motives.

As with any government intervention in society, the benefits of the intervention should be weighed against the costs.

Presumed that there might be an intrinsic value in having a non-smoking society, a point the ASH doesn’t provide any argument for, the costs of violating an intrinsically valuable human right (autonomy, that is) should be included in the calculation as well. And until that has been done, the question of whether the £10.5 billion in tobacco taxation is justified remains open for debate.

Social Policy - From the Lord to the Murderer Victoria Desmond: How should we approach sentancing reform?

Victoria Desmond

T

he issue of sentencing reform is never off the criminal justice agenda. We’ve gone from the days of judges handing down death penalties and shipping criminals to Australia to the system we have now which has been accused, amongst other things, of sending the guilty to criminal versions of Butlin’s holiday camps. The national tabloid press loves to report of criminals lapping it up in luxury.

Yet, behind the headlines there is a social science debate on our approaches to sentences which are more complicated than right-wing rage and lefty leniency.

It may surprise readers to know that Lord Leveson does not just devote his time scrutinising media moguls but he is also the Chair of the Sentencing Council. The aim of the council is to set the guidelines which the judges are to follow.

But Leveson seemed to be more concerned with the public perception of the process rather than the substantive content at the Howard League’s ‘Parmoor Lecture’. He asserted that people have a lack of confidence in the system and the process

needed to be demystifed. The public need to understand what judges are doing in their name and why. He points to websites that the council have produced that help give a simple account of the process. The website: www.youbethejudge. com is a fascinating one which has interactive video footage to show you facts of criminal justice cases and ultimately you decide on the sentence following the guidelines. The site should be praised for also giving a sense of the human face of crime.

This brings us to Ben Gunn, a remarkable character by anyone’s standards. He looks at sentencing reform from the perspective that we rarely hear in this debate: the prisoner’s.

Gunn committed murder when he was a child and whilst incarcerated he actively campaigned to improve prisoners rights, much to the dismay of the prison authorities. This meant that he served a longer sentence than he might have done had he just shut up. He spoke of the life tariff problem which can be simplified to an equation of “tariff plus how easy you are to live with”.

This means that your sentence is not predetermined and that punishment is not refined to the original offence but judgment in ongoing from the mo-

ment you step past the prison gates. In Gunn’s case “it costs

WIKIMEDIA: GHOSTIEGUIDE

to have a voice”. He proposed the radical idea of abolishing

prisons altogether and merely sentencing people in the community, which even though this was a Howard League event, the proposal lacked support from those who attended his lecture.

Given Leveson’s stance of improving the public’s confidence in sentencing, it is unlikely that all prisoners will be released into the community- you can imagine The Daily Mail having a field day. Prison reform will always be on the political agenda. It is more likely that Leveson’s nuanced approach will be the future direction and Gunn’s radicalism reserved to Utopia. Principles of rehabilitation favour a community focused approach, but in the mind of the mass public, prison should serve as a form of retribution and punishment.

The latter approach is clearly on the mind of the Justice Secretary Chris Gayling who just last week pledged a crackdown on prison’s perks. But a more community based approach has it’s advantages in terms of economic efficiency, prison is expensive.

Prison may be a place that makes bad people worse, but there is no other realistic alternative of how we can sentence those who commit crime.

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Tuesday November 5 2013

Diary of an LSE Student

diary@thebeaveronline.com

LSE events and gossip - know something is going on? Email us.

Social

LSE Tweets MCM London ComicCon Rania Kouros

Strike day = quiet library = win. @ERINBURBRIDGE Or maybe Halloween = scary library = quiet library = win? #understandingthecausesofthings #LSE @CLARE_DOOLEY One really shouldn’t feel THIS guilty for not working on ONE weekend... #Pressure #LSEproblems ‫@‏‬SANYAJEET Answering emails in the office whilst Rugby are screaming like Baboons in the Tuns is one of the more surreal sides of the job. @JAYSTOLL

The Tuns are alive with the sound of music Sanam Shah

As week 4 got underway and the inevitable panic over lack of work actually done kicked in it was time for music society to lead the way in helping us all to de-stress. So they brought us the first Open Mic Night of the year.

The Three Tuns played host to a large variety of acts and the quality was extremely high. From solo singing to juggling playing guitar, harmonica and singing all at the same time it was by all accounts an immensely enjoyable evening.

Moreover the event was well attended and a definite must for anyone who hasn’t been to one yet. The next Open Mic Night takes place on the 12th November from 7:30pm in the Tuns. If anyone is interested in performing then email laura@lsesumusicsociety.com.

ExCel, one of the largest expo places, in Victoria’s Docklands in London, was buzzing with fictional life from the 25-27 October. It was a time when science fiction met manga and anime aspirations and where batman, Superman, Lara Croft, Sailor Moon and the Cats, were all found in the same place being photographed or simply teased by the excited fans and the interested observers. This was the Comic Conference, the UK’s biggest modern popular culture show. The three days of the year where a person can be any hero he or she wants, where rationality and seriousness are two unknown and unfamiliar concepts.

I was never nerdy nor one to get fascinated by fictional characters or even comics to be honest! Nonetheless this event was one that appealed to everyone’s inner child, to everyone’s imagination and eagerness to explore the insane and limitless world of science fiction, drama, adventure…

Upon entering the exhibition the feeling of excitement grasped my entire being as I had mutants and super heroes, Wolverine and Batman, Bane and Hellboy passing by me! We all, or most of us at least, grew up falling in love with an idea of a supernatural world where one could cross the fixed boundaries and norms, where one could escape the banal routine of the real world! Comicon offers you the chance to travel with the Star Trek fleet through time and space, to explore new species, cultures and attitudes. To be saved by a super hero from some terrible danger! To develop the ability to fly…

Creativity, colours, passion, imagination… there was a plethora of all of these at the conference on Sunday! People queuing for autographs by their favorite actors and others trying out the newly released videogames! People on the floor absorbed by the new comics and the vintage editions of books they discovered! Children and grown ups ecstatic over their new purchases of games, dolls, accessories… and there was also a fans’ frenzy at the food stalls where they could try the foods all their beloved heroes enjoyed in the comics, movies etc.

At first I was making fun of all the “nerdy boys running around the expo in costumes partaking in virtual fights” however, I soon discovered that I was in fact sociologically fascinated by the phenomenon being unraveled in front of me. I’m referring to the need of certain people to reject their “outcast” and “misfit” titles and embrace those of their heroes and the personas that they worship. People often find the cities asphyxiating; they find it hard to fit in the norms created by societies…so they rebel in a metaphorical way!

They’re dressing up and passing through portals, entering in worlds where difference and peculiarity of character are actually embraced and promoted as a superpower rather than looked on as a weakness or something to pick on!

Tuesday November 5 2013

Social

Listings Tuesday (5th) Skip fit lessons.

Come along with a skipping rope to the Badminton Court in the Old Building from 1pm-2pm to get a free skip fit lesson from security officer and former boxer Daniel Becley.

Join SPICE at Diwali Dhamaka from 8pm - 3am in the Quad. Celbrate the Festival of Lights in Bollywood style including Indian food, puja, live performances, a ‘desi’ bar and ofcourse, a Bollywood DJ .

Tickets are £9 for non-members and £7 for members.

your ticket at lsetransdayofremembrance.eventbrite. co.uk.

Thursday (7th) Head along to the LSE Arts lunchtime concert from 1.05pm-2pm in the Shaw Library, Old Building.

Colin Stone (piano) will be performing André Tchaikowsky Inventions, Chopin Nocturne in D flat major, op.27 no.2 Chopin, Polonaise in A flat major and Chopin Ballade No.4 in F minor.

Careers Law Fair - go on LSE CareerHub to book a place.

Careers Law Fair Friday (8th) - go on LSE CareerHub to book a place.

Head along to Crush in the quad Wednesday (6th) for some friday fun!

A lecture given by Shakyk Ebrahim Bham comparing ‘South African and Israeli Apartheids’. From 6pm - 8pm in Clement House, Room 204.

Lunchtime film screening to mark Trans Day of Remembrance, LSE Equality and Diversity are screening Tomboy from 12.30pm-2pm in room B.09, 32 Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

The screening is free and open to all but places are limited - book

For more information on any of these events or other events you may be interested in go to www.lsesu.com or email events@lse.ac.uk or call 020 7955 6043.

If any societies would like a specific event mentioned in the listings section then please send a request to social@thebeaveronline. co.uk.

Beaver

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26

Alcohol: Social Fuel?

There have been growing concerns over the detrimental effects of social media on the ability of today’s generation to establish ‘face to face’ relationships with one another.

Even adverts for hotels now show how we have substituted a ‘digital’ self, leaving our real selves hiding behind our laptops unwilling to engage in actual conversation. However, as smartphones and facebook revolutionise the way in which we interact with one another, perhaps we are taking for granted the effects that a much older social crutch is having on our social skills.

Alcohol has long been used as a social lubricant; catalysing social situations, aiding relaxation and enabling the flow of conversation when things are just too awkward to comprehend (understandable in a work based situation). But, with the phenomenon of binge drinking rising in the UK is it possible that we are starting to use this liquid courage as the only basis on which to make our friends? It’s strange to think that so many intelligent and interesting people seem to resort to dissecting their drunken actions of the previous night in order to create conversations and relate to one another.

However, when questioned by doctors and medical forms, most of us seem to deny our own drinking habits. University College London Department of Epidemiology and Public Health carried out a survey under the assumption that when questioned, we underestimate our alcohol consumption by 40%. Such a large underestimation either suggests that we are too embarrassed to admit to the amount we drink, or that we’re too lazy to check the bottle and actually work out how many units are in it.

All questions of social laziness aside, shouldn’t we at least bother to find out how much alcohol we need in order to enjoy ourselves? And, if we seem to need more than the recommended daily allowance (3-4 units per day for men and 2-3 for women) perhaps we should instead question our choice of friends and why we need to drink so much in order to enjoy their company?

There also seems to be only one legitimate excuse not to drink during a social occasion: religion. Whilst following religious practise is an undoubtedly good reason to refrain from drinking alcohol, it seems a shame that those who don’t share this reason

are pressured or at least questioned as to why they aren’t ‘joining in’.

Religious or not, the choice to go out to a club and the choice to drink alcohol shouldn’t be synonymous. Alcohol effects both our judgement and our capacity to look after ourselves and therefore it seems only natural to limit its consumption to times when we feel safe enough to do so.

After all, if you’re with someone whom you know will carry you home no matter what happens, then where is the harm in letting off a little steam? Sadly, if all our friendships are solely based on a collection of blurry nights, then the sense of camaraderie ensuring that someone will actually make sure you get to bed safely simply isn’t there.

But, as university is a time of experimentation for most of us, perhaps pushing the limits of our alcohol consumption is simply a right of passage we have to go through in order to discover another part of ourselves. Whether we like this self, or want to carry on fuelling it once we’ve graduated is another story. After all: in vino veritas.

VancityAllie

the

Beaver

27

Tuesday November 5 2013

Social

The Pink Mohawk Man

Asha Tanwar

Asha Tanwar

Jeffrey Mo

Over the past few years at LSE, I have met people from many different backgrounds, some have shown me all that is good in the world, some have shown me all that is bad, while others have become friends just until I graduate and then I will never see them again.

Joe is different, not only because he understands my Krispy Kreme obsession, but also because he dutifully turns up to his IT Surgery every weekend, even after the hell he has been through over the past few months.

It has been three years since I met Joe, and I have finally begun to understand what he is saying at least half of the time. I have nothing against Geordies (Cheryl Cole is really hot), but this man takes the Northern accent into uncharted consonant territory.

I often adopt the nod-and-smile approach whenever he starts

talking, but I am sure he realises when he asks a question and I say, “Could you repeat that last part, slowly?”

I was inspired to write this article by Joe’s sheer bravery and strength through his sister Georgina’s cancer treatment. Joe found out about his younger sister’s diagnosis during his summer internship. I can only imagine the shock and helplessness he must have felt, hundreds of miles from home.

But whereas I would have probably given up on everything and been a big-weepy mess, Joe took a week off from his internship and returned to finish it, winning a graduate offer at the end.

Before the current Lex Luthor hairstyle, Joe had returned to university in September with a pink Mohawk. He insisted he did it to only raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust, but personally I think he was fulfilling

a life-long dream too.

Although I have not forgiven him for shaving his Mohawk, I have seen Joe struggle without accusing the world for his pain. I have seen him do his duty as Secretary of the Labour Party and give advice to freshers as a wise, old third year.

I have met many people at LSE over the past few years, and I could probably not say this to his face, but Joe, you are probably the bravest guy I know.

This article is dedicated to Joe and his sister Georgina.

Last Friday Georgina lost her fight against cancer as all the treatments had been exhausted. Georgina is an amazing singer, and to fulfil her wish, I would like to request that you take the time to share her father, Paul Anderson’s, status and listen to her song.

One of the girls on the show – she went in to be treated for genital warts but discovered that not only did she have genital warts, she also had a painful case of genital herpes and would clearly appear, in daylight, to have an unexplained outbreak of herpes all across her face.

If you could see that, and you wouldn’t be able to miss that even in a dark club, why would you sleep with her? And if someone is seeping pus from an orifice down there, wouldn’t your initial instinct be to stay away from down there? Hopefully, it would be – if you were sober.

Moreover, if you have to be drunk to sleep with someone, or even worse, if no one will sleep with you unless they’re drunk, then you’ve got a serious self-esteem problem, personality deficiency, or (and I don’t want to sound shallow but, after all, looking for a hook-up can be pretty shallow) physical unsightliness.

Baz

Luhrmann says that in twenty years’ time, you’ll look back and think about how fabulous you looked today – so basically, one day, when you’re older, no longer a student, and your problems have become even more ingrained since you’ve left them festering for so long, you’re going to find it harder to get even the most shitfaced person to sleep with you.

You’ll be that creepy old guy or girl at the bar, wearing clothes that are too tight (men with potbellies) or too skimpy (women with butterfaces), trying your moves on anything that moves. Students twenty years down the line will look at you with revulsion. And that’s even worse than being thought to have an STI. That’s not to say that drunk sex can’t serve some of your needs, some of the time.

I’d just like to hope that one’s always got another option too (and by the way, apparently Alanis Morissette’s song “Head Over Feet” was the first

time that the phrase “friends with benefits” was used … and that was less than 20 years ago).

And whatever you do, don’t place yourself in the painfully awkward situation of getting sex tips from your dad on how to make putting a condom on part of the joy of sex.

That’s not a standard part of ‘the talk.’

Pimkie

Unsafe Sex in the City

Some nights, when it’s late and I’m in my room alone, feeling tired but not yet wanting to go to sleep, I head to BBC iPlayer and pretend that I can actually afford a TV license. A few weekends ago, I discovered what must be the best introduction to British youth culture ever: “Unsafe Sex in the City.”

The premise of this show is that Britain’s young people are having a lot of sex, and that a lot of it is unsafe. Filmed inside the sexual health clinics of three English cities – Manchester in season 1, and Leeds and Exeter in season 2 – you see just what the doctors and nurses at these clinics see, including: A guy who hadn’t had an STI test in seven years and also was showing his ignorance by not knowing the difference between oral and anal sex.

A girl in a supposedly exclusive relationship arous-

ing her fiancé’s suspicions because of her continual STI checks.

Just how bad a fungal infection can get so that a circumcision is recommended.

(As a side note, I also found out that crabs are actually parasites that, under the microscope, look like crabs.

Who knew?) But what this shows really highlights, when they follow these guys and girls on their nights out, is that Britain’s youth drink a lot, and then they find someone to go home (or to a park, as was revealed by one individual to her rather horrified mother) with, and because they’re so drunk, they usually forget about the condoms and are in the STI clinic the next day.

There’s nothing really wrong with this – I mean, people can be as sexually liberated as they please, right? What I find really gross, though, is that people will sleep with anyone simply because they are too drunk to realise any better.

Tuesday November 5 2013

Social

Beaver Games Crossword

Beaver

Let the Beaver answer your questions...

Send your questions to social@thebeaveronline.com

Dear Beaver, I have noticed that people at LSE spend a lot of time talking about internships, investment banking and their potential future salary. I am concerned as I do not currently have a desire to work at Goldman Sachs - am I an oddity? How would you suggest I dealt with my confusion?

-Experiencing concern over next-stage Dear ECON,

www.alberichcrosswords.com ACROSS 1 Dry out in specially heated container? (9) 6 It’s unbounded gluttony, eating up the Indian bread... (5) 9 ...eating greedily, having energy for nothing, to be truthful (9) 10 He’ll have a loaf around with two 3s (5) 11 Old soak’s knocked back litre of alcohol (6) 12 3 needs a room without high rent (8) 13 Sounds like specialised skill? Not at all (5) 14 Appearing nervous of spelling test, first and foremost? (9) 17 Quiet, brave chap has lots of dosh that’s an attractant (9) 18 3 - the real one? (5) 20 Advise old Leo to make new plans? (8) 23 It’s funny in a way? On the contrary, 3’s transported by it (6) 25 Author’s ebb associated with Ecstasy?

(5) 26 Note leaves create train chaos - delay results (9) 27 One used to hear about second ending of Heartbreak Ridge (5) 28 Nothing by English novelist mentioned colour (4,5)

the

28

Set by Set by Alberich

DOWN 1 Miles ahead of 3? (7) 2 It’s lucky Regina puts on stockings before boot (9) 3 A clue for how to find Gallifreyan? (6,3) 4 Reassuring status report when in a frenzy? (4) 5 Be delighted by arrest in eastern Greece (9) 6 Time a boozer raised capital (5) 7 Dog drinks a bit of orange tea (5) 8 New driver in Prague breaking sound barrier (7) 14 Channel Tunnel’s opening just after 3 (9) 15 Struggling club’s recovering? (9) 16 Frequency of occurrence of violent events, say (9) 17 3 written with forward slash (7) 19 Agreement Northern Territory held in the past (7) 21 3’s arch foe is ‘ealthy, residing in Denmark (5) 22 Cut and run after the woman joins Academy (5) 24 Ethical but unmarried, it’s said (4)

This is a common problem faced by many an LSE student.

Indeed it seems as if economics is the only thing on the brain and people forget about the ‘Political Science’ end of the spectrum. First I would say there are many worthy careers out there and they are not all linked to the finance sector.

Short term gains may well be high in the banking sector however long term gains are perhaps greater in other careers. Don’t feel like an oddity as I think many silent fellow LSE students feel the same.

Pursue what you want to do with pride - if you try to strive for success people will respect you. Moreover the ‘internship fever’ is particularly heightened during Michaelmas term as this is when application forms have to be submitted.

Things should calm down a little in Lent…hopefully. My advice would be follow your dreams and don’t be afraid to tell others what they are.

-The Beaver ------------------------Dear Beaver, I really like this boy and we can talk for literally hours.

Our relationship however progressed further physically then I might have anticipated and now he no longer contacts me.

He seems perfect for me and I really want to get to know him better but I don’t know what to do...help?

Experiencing distraction, getting excitable.

Dear EDGE, First things first it is really hard to concentrate on anything when you really like someone however it is imperative you keep doing your work as it will make you feel better about this situation and life in general. Second do not bug him and give it time. Let him miss you so that he understands that he actually likes you. However if you do see him try to act like a friend but do not be so cold as to not make him think his attempts are in vain. Third learn from experiences i.e. do not get more physically involved if you are not sure you can handle the fallout from it. You could be direct and just ask him out yourself...I would wait a while before trying this. I hope this helps and you reach domestic bliss soon enough :) - The Beaver ------------------------Dear Beaver, I do not really like Halloween at all so did not go out with my friends last week. They all got dressed up and seemed to have a wonderful time without me. I am worried that I missed out big time and that now they will not like me as much because I seem a bit of a kill-joy.

What to do?

-Baffled over outing Dear BOO, You should not feel bad about not wanting to dress up and ‘celebrate’ Halloween. It is definitely not for everyone and your friends should respect that. If they don’t then you clearly cannot be yourself around them and therefore need to find some different friends. However if you are just unsure as to their feelings why not try asking them about their views or planning a day out that you enjoy so as to show them that other activities can be fun too.

- The Beaver -------------------------

29

5.11.2013 The Beaver

PRIVATE B ‘YOU CAN’T EAT A PLATITUDE’

THOSE SU ELECTION RESULTS IN FULL UNION DEMOCRACY AT ITS FINEST SU politicos and the casual gawkers alike came together to watch the last results night to be held in the Quad, a venue known for its small size, atmosphere and general unfitness for purpose. Turnout was laughingly described as ‘high’, with some candidates earning nearly as many votes as there are people in an average Hare Krishna lunchtime queue.

Returning Officer Joe Anderson MC’d masterfully, playing to the gallery and delivering all results in his unique brand of lyrical freestyle rap.

The biggest prize of the night went to Woody Wood, who triumphed against the odds, proving that even a tall straight white man endorsed by Labour Students can win under the Single Transferable Vote. As Postgraduate Officer, he plans to spend his year hitting his head on doorframes, getting things from high shelves for Rosie Coleman, and enjoying his new salary. Trebles all around!

It was a triumphant night for several of the SU’s veteran hacks and serial candidates.

Nona Bloody-Idea topped the bill for the NUS delegate role, pledging to take lots of selfies at NUS conference and to get very upset about things. Old Academic Board warhorse Sam ‘Bulls**t’ Barnett somehow blagged his way back into the job by telling

Dear Sirs,

people that he would do all the stuff he signally failed to do last year, and Rayhan of the Rovers was ‘Court ‘ shamelessly wheeling out his baby sister to drum up votes for Governor. There was one Union stalwart who didn’t win out, though- the Beaver’s own saintly Exec Editor the Rt Rev Rogers, whose plan to put more God in Governance proved to be something of a vote-loser.

I would just like to express my support for our striking lecturers this week. When they say cut back we say fight back!

There were some new faces, however. Unheralded Harriet Dinner-Platte took the second NUS slot. When asked if she had pandered to north-eastern regional stereotypes in order to win votes, HDP responded ‘Why aye man! Howay the lads!’

But the surprise package of the night was Jack ‘One-man wrecking crew’ Kelly, who came top of the Court of Governors vote and knocked resident troll Jason Wrong back under his bridge (ie into second place). The more popular half of the socalled MOJO slate, Molly Brian Ferry and check-shirted weirdo Dan Martin will join them. Jamie Repelling and his cardboard sword also gurned their way onto the Board.

Dear LSE Beaver

In other news, Laua Mertsching proved her credentials as the new Mature Student’s Officer by getting off her face in a very mature way.

D E

R O

S N

E C

Totally Legit Letters

*seriously, the SU actually censored it, it was about Wong, so you know

Yours in protest Saul E. Darity

I’ve been running on the same platform repeatedly for elections, specifically to end LSE100 and eliminate all the sabattical officers.

However my profile on campus is just getting lower and lower and I feel I’m not getting enough attention anymore. What should I do?

Yours chauvinistically Juan Trick-Pony

ACCEPTABLE AU CHANTS The Hacking Song (call and response) We like voting In the morning In the evening Late at night The returning officer’s from Redcar city He’s never reached a quoracy I met a hack girl, do not mock She checked out my voting bloc

This week's edition compiled by Tam Banters Frédéric Photochopin Col. Honey-Badger Captain Hack Sparrow Alf-Inge Haaland and back by unpopular demand Tanned Ale

Tuesday November 5 2013

Beaver

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30

LSE CC Indoor League Begins Ajay Suganavam

The LSECC Indoor league kicked off last week with a dramatic game, as Team B won a topsy-turvy affair by just 11 runs.

Batting first, team A were off to a reasonable start, with first pair Pranay and Amish putting on 35 runs.

However, some tight bowling by team A, notably Bhavya, Shantanu and Rama, meant that in the middle eight overs, only 49 runs were scored.

But Deep, along with team A’s captain Udit, rescued the innings, with some enterprising running between the wickets to put on 48 for the last pair

and lift the total to 134 after 16 overs.

After the break, Team A’s cause was not helped by some lacklustre fielding performances and numerous overthrows.

Some poor bowling, with several wides, also contributed to a solid start for Team B. However, the bowling subsequently improved and through some outstanding catching and very tight fielding, their second batting pair only put on a paltry 7 runs.

The tight bowling continued into the third pair, as Udit (who had an outstanding game as batsman, bowler and captain), Greg and Deep choked the innings. Canny

bowling changes meant that the batsmen Rohan and Bhavin struggled to keep the scoreboard ticking.

It came down to a stiff task of 57 runs from the final four overs - though Team A still had their star batsman Bhavya to bat. However, despite his best efforts he was unable to get team A over the line, with team B’s quick bowler Pranay holding his nerve in his final two overs to see his side to victory.

Overall, a cracking game to start off the indoor season, with some very talented players on show. The next game on the 16th of November also promises to be a cracker.

Women’s FC Rally To Beat Royal Holloway 3-1 Emily Giles

Anticipation was high on Sunday as LSE WFC travelled to Surrey for their first league game against last year’s runners-up, Royal Holloway.

The game was tense from the off; LSE created some great chances but struggled to convert, and Royal Holloway also came close a few times, calling for some challenging saves from keeper Jenny Hovland Johanson At half-time the score was still 0-0, and it was clear that the game could be won or lost with a single goal. The pressure was on. 15 minutes into the second half the hard work paid off – the keeper made a save but couldn’t hold onto the ball, which fell to the feet of striker Emily Giles for an

easy tap-in.

Bolstered, LSE defended hard and held on to the lead until 80 minutes in, when a quick counter-attack from Royal Holloway caught LSE off guard and saw the ball in the back of their net. But, putting on a collective brave face and summoning their energy, LSE went on the attack once more and within a matter of minutes had scored again, with a through ball from midfield finished by a lob from Emily.

The girls were on a roll then, and Royal Holloway broken.

Substitute Martha GloverShort was brought on to add some fresh legs to the team, and scored with a few minutes left to secure a 3-1 win.

Exhausted but very happy with a hard-fought victory, the girls are looking forward to more success this season.

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

BOO! Oh, hi there. Sorry if I scared you.

The FC got a scare on Wednesday night after they were initially refused entry from the Tuns, due to being mistaken for Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Rugby had been allowed in because the bouncers felt sorry for them winning one game from a possible ten this season.

When asked for comment, MC Sherry got on the mic to drop knowledge: ‘We’re shite.’

One FC Cock punched your Student’s Union Democracy Committee Member in the face after a dispute over their respective ladies, or lack thereof, having assured anyone who would listen in Zoo that he was A Big Deal.

Speaking of Big Deals (sic), a

certain erected official was reportedly spotted at Rosebery last Wednesday. When questioned, he allegedly claimed that he was there ‘with the express purpose of getting in the Zoo column’ #GeneralSEXretary #NotLiterallyABigDealCozHesReallyShort. All was not rosy however, as someone was spotted taking a sabbatical from proceedings in the corner, crying as if they’d consumed an entire pot of Colman’s mustard.

The FC social sec pulled off a fingertip save in a Chinese restaurant postZoo. The crowd went wild.

President The FBI Guy In Argo seems to have started a footballing trend for Zoo girlfriends (‘What about Cali boyfriends???’ - Captain

(Formerly) Lee, 2k13), as the FC Elder completed his Masters in Veterinary Science and a Tramp continued to be a great Briton. They were joined in their domestic bliss by cricket’s resident Dogg, who got amyable with a certain hockey player for the fourth week in a row.

A baby found Nemo, and must have fancied fish and chips as he took several bites out of her neck. Two rugby freshers had Good Samaritans to hold their hands on the way home but it was the second years who needed parenting - Le Biscuit and Get Yer Dick In Son were both reported to have wet the bed. Both the Poole and the Broadsword allegedly got hardwood, which must have been awkward upon their re-

turn home. The Poole refused to be ground down, however, when a Gale-force wind blew through the Zoo. Last week saw the circulation of a hilarious email from men’s hockey (apparently men play hockey) which rated the performance of the club’s members at Zoo (apparently men’s hockey go to Zoo).

2.2 - lacked original ideas.

Leave the Zoo write-up to the professionals, kids.

A festival of chun, chanting and culturally insensitive costumes. Just another Halloween in the jungle.

The Sports Editor has been in no condition to collect gossip in recent weeks, so get yours in to: zoobar@thebeaveronline. co.uk

the

Beaver

31

Tuesday November 5 2013

Beaver sports fantasy football

Do We Need The Capital One Cup?

Every week we’ll print the top three and the bottom three teams.

The TOP...

Monstars (Hitesh Gulati) 636 Points Poly FC (Robin Park) 591 Points Strutting Edge (Chris Edgington) 585 Points

Menton Marvels (Jon Allsop) 376 Points Los Diablos Verdes (Hari Prabu) 371 Points Shayree’s (Shaheer Ghoury) 281 Points Can you do better?

970297-228156

SPORT IN BRIEF Sebastian Vettel sealed his 4th Formula 1 World Championship with victory in last Sunday’s Indian GP.

England beat Australia 20-13 in their first autumn international test match, with tries from Owen Farrell and captain Chris Robshaw.

The League Cup gives fans who might not otherwise get a chance an opportunity to visit Wembley.

Ameya Badwe

Formerly known as the Carling Cup, the Capital One League Cup is a competition which does not offer the charm, the history, nor the giant-killings of the FA Cup. Why, then, it must be asked, does it continue to take up our time in the fixture list?

First, the Carling Cup is great way for a new manager to kick things off at a new club.

Jose Mourinho’s first trophy at Chelsea, during his first spell at the club, was the Carling Cup, preceding a successful spell at Chelsea. It is a great way to put some confidence in the squad; winning a trophy in February can give the team the boost needed to push through for major tournaments like the FA Cup, Champions League, Europa League and even the Premier League title. David Moyes might want to look at the Capital One Cup as a way to start making his mark on Manchester United.

Sir Alex has come out and said that the only way success can be achieved at the Red Devils is by winning a trophy, and the Capital One Cup could be a relatively easy trophy to start off with.

While winning it gives fans of teams like Swansea and Birmingham something to cheer for, in the modern game it is the finances that really matter. But with a winning prize of £100,000 does it really make a difference? Yes, it does. Winners get the chance to compete in the Europa League. Exposure to european competition can attract more investment to the club help a team attract better players, allowing them to move up the table. So in reality the Capital One Cup is really a great platform for teams to start

building a new era on and for clubs to secure long-term success. Michael Laudrup will hope that with his League Cup title and subsequent Europa League run, he can build a legacy in Wales with Swansea.

Many times the idea has been floated that requirements be introduced for the Capital One Cup that teams have to play a certain number of younger players. While some clubs, such as Arsenal, voluntarily play this way most other teams still field full or nearfull strength sides.. On the other hand, teams such as Southampton have sometimes fielded a totally reserve side

in the early rounds and has since scored the winning goal against Manchester United in the Premier League. Players who are out of the team can try to make a comeback with strong performances in the league cup, like Juan Mata this weekend and maybe even Wilfried Zaha. Arguably, giving a gem of a player of a chance to prove himself in the League Cup can be the entire worth of the competition, saving clubs millions of pounds in the January transfer window.

David Moyes has been known to complain about the Capital One League Cup, especially during his time at Everton.

making it clear that avoiding relegation was more important than the League Cup. Making it a U23’s competition, for example, could really help teams give runs to young players and see if they have the potential to make it to the first eleven. Wojciech Szczesny may be the best example of a player who made his debut in the Carling Cup and then went on to become a regular at his club. The Capital One League Cup undoubtedly has the potential to be the place where new stars are born. This year Saido Berahino hit a hattrick for West Brom against Newport

He said that while the competition was supposed to give mid-table teams a chance for glory it continued to be dominated by the big clubs with Liverpool winning it 8 times and Chelsea and Man Utd both winning it 4 times each. However, on several occasions it has given mid-table teams something to cheer about too, such as Swansea in 2013, Birmingham in 2011 or Middlesbrough in 2004. While the trophy was introduced as a second chance for teams knocked out of the FA Cup, however, it seems to have suffered from the association with this secondary status.

aromano

Roger Federer seals his place at this week’s ATP World Tour finals at the O2 arena. He is joined by countryman Stanislas Wawrinka, as well as mercurial Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Andy Murray is ruled out with an injury.

xxnapoleonsolo

And the BOTTOM...

The biggest downside with the Capital One Cup is the scheduling. Even if clubs try to give it the importance it deserves, almost all the games take place on weeknights meaning that usually clubs have to play in the Capital One Cup 2-3 days after a big Premier League game. This was seen this week where Chelsea had to play Arsenal, 48 hours after a big win at Manchester City.

This is exhausting for the teams involved. Also, stadiums can’t be packed on the week nights. The Cup can seem a waste of time, especially for spectators, if there are not maximum attendances and squads are not fully match fit.

Personally, I think the Capital One Cup is important because it gives all teams other than the so-called ‘Top 4’ or now even ‘Top 6’ a chance to win a trophy and qualify for Europe.

It provides a good break and distraction from the Premier League and the FA Cup for clubs with few prospects in either. Most importantly, it gives young players a chance to make a case for selection in the starting eleven. For the near future the Capital One Cup should be a part of the footballing calendar but if it loses the charm of giving teams like Swansea and Birmingham the opportunity to play in Europe then maybe it should be scrapped. Other than providing these teams with a fighting chance of making to the global stage, it is just a distraction, which doesn’t get much attention or investment from teams like the FA Cup or the Premier League. Rather than being the FA Cup’s sibling competition it, the League Cup is threatening to become the distant cousin that no one really likes.

the

Beaver

Tuesday November 5th 2013

Do we need the Capital One Cup?

Women’s Football Match Report

Sport LSECC Indoor League

WITH

32

ADDE

beaveronline.com/sport

D ZOO BAR!

LSE Beat KCL... (Again) Beaver Sport rounds up the winners and losers in this weeks fixtures at Berrylands

LSE results for you in full: Womens Hockey 1s lost 2-0 Royal Holloway 1st 2s won 6-0 vs Brunel 3s Mens Hockey 1s Lost 5-2 University of Essex Men’s 1st 2s won 1-0 vs Royal Holloway 2nds Mens badminton 1s lost 2-6 vs Imperial 1sts 2s won 5-3 vs Queen Mary

Hannah Richmond, A&D Officer

This Wednesday Natasha, our sports development coordinator and myself, the activities and development officer went down to Berrylands, our sports ground in Surrey to watch some of our top teams compete in their BUCS and LUSL leagues.

Firstly we went over to the netball courts to watch the 3rds play against St Mary’s College. With an almost entirely new team of freshers the 3rd team is already finding its feet and coming out with some impressive results. In the first half the 3rds managed to push ahead of the opposition with both teams scoring at an incredible pace. St Mary’s made some sloppy fouls, getting called

up for contact, distance and intimidation, with the Goal Defence screaming into the face of the 3rds Goal Shooter Nino Enukidze as she took her shot. This didn’t faze her as she showed incredible consistency, working brilliantly with the new Goal Attack Maddie Savage. The final score of 41-41 left the team incredibly frustrated but with a rate of more than a goal a minute it’s an incredible result for a new team.

Rugby 1sts were playing against KCL Medic 1sts. With most of LSE’s team out with medical complaints you would expect the Medics to have a huge advantage, but LSE didn’t let injuries hold them back. They continually drove forward to the try line showing great determination and

impressive skill from some of their new players. However, when it came to the highlight of the game, for me it was the incredible conversion kicked

by Hugo Coleman from just metres inside the touchline.

Men’s Football 1sts played Hertfordshire 2nds, drawing 1-1 with a nail biting finale as both teams fought hard to get a winning goal. According to 1st team player and AU President Harold Craston the team played ‘some lovely stuff in the first half, but lacked the decisiveness in the final third’ despite this LSE managed to prevent Hertfordshire from getting another goal with their strong defence. PhD student Emmanuel managed to score the only goal for LSE in what an exciting, but ultimately frustrating game.

Football 4ths were playing Kings Medics 3rds and ended with a 2-1 win. LSE 4ths spent most of the game down 1-0 but with a series of last minute goals put the Kings Medics back in their place.

Whilst any win against Kings is an amazing result the 4ths previous game with this team ended with a 7-3 loss, making this victory even sweeter for LSE. Natasha and I will be making the rounds at a number of different games over the term so expect to see us there with the camera taking shots of some of our top sportspeople.

If there are any particular matches you think we should be attending just drop us an email (Su.Activitiesdevelopment@lse.ac.uk) and we’ll try and come along.

3rds Womens Badminton Won 7-1 vs Queen Mary 1sts Mens Football 1s 1-1 University of Hertfordshire 2nds 3s lost 6-0 St Georges’s University of London Mens 1sts 4s won 2-1 Kings Medics 3rds Mens Tennis 1s won 12-0 vs Cardiff Metropolitan University 1s 2s lost 4-8 vs Imperial 2s Mens Table Tennis 1s won 16-1 Brunel University 1s 2s lost 7-10 KCL 2s Netball 1s lost 43-33 Queen Mary Women’s 1st 2s lost 29-21 Imperial College 3s 3s drew 41-41 St Mary’s University Mens Rugby 1s won 29-20 KCL 1s 3s lost 30-22 Portsmouth University 4ths