813 by The Beaver

THE NAB ‘HOW’D IT GET BURNED?!’ NICHOLAS CAGE CUTOUT BURNS DOWN SAUCY

Beaver Men’s Rugby Club in the

Issue 813 |07.10.14

newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union

Leaflet Bigotry Scandal

These images have been partially redacted by The Beaver and were highlighted by the LSESU Feminist Society.

Sophie Donszelmann News Editor COMPLAINTS WERE LAUNCHED against the content of flyers distributed by the LSESU Men’s Rugby Club at the Freshers’ Fair this past week. Members of the LSESU Feminist Society flagged up the flyer as being extremely offensive due to its derogatory references to women and homosexuals. Described by a student as a demonstration of “blatant and extensive sexism, homophobia and racism” the flyer informed news students of “everything this club holds dear, debauchy [sic] hedonism, and misogyny”. The leaflet, entitled “LSE Rugby Purple Warrior,” contained a photo of a semiclothed woman’s torso wearing the Rugby jersey. The seven

page document included an overview of the club’s events in the first week, a who’s who of club members and a glossary of club-related terms, all of which contained phrases with which students took issue. The literature promised prospective members a year including Tour and its “downright depravity of fag night” and hustings for club captains which would include questions “predominantly about their sexual persuasion” while assuring readers that “we at the LSE do not enjoy drinking urine or participating in various forms of homosexual humiliation”. Ironically, the same text also stated that “Wednesdays never fail to produce the perfect hedonistic cocktail of barbarianism, beverages and women all shaken well with a liberal lashing of homo-eroticism.”

An Apology

The Beaver would like to apologise to Nona Buckley-Irvine, who actually said that the Kung Fu Panda incident was “incompetent at best, racist at worst” rather than vice versa (issue 812, p7). An honest mistake: sorry!

The leaflet’s appendix contained references to “hockey, netball and rugby birds” as “beast-like women who play sport just so they can come out with us on Wednesdays” whilst adding “don’t let them tell you otherwise.” The Zoo Bar, a nightclub frequented by mem-

Read the full statements by the AU, SU and Men’s Rugby in Comment (p5) bers of the Athletics Union on a Wednesday night, was listed as the only place in the world where “so many mingers look so appealing,” while encouraging interactions with “netball slags” and opportunities to “pull a sloppy bird.” A club member was described as engaging in a “mandingo fight;” a racially offensive term.

The LSESU Feminist Society launched an official complaint with the Students’ Union against the distribution of the leaflet on the grounds that the text “contained numerous sexist, racist and homophobic comments…This contributes to a hostile attitude and environment for women and sexual minorities, putting students off participating in sport, in going to the AU night on Wednesdays, and in general making students uncomfortable on their own campus.” Students have reacted to excerpts of the flyer posted on social media, which have received attention from alumni and suggestions of a letter writing campaign to LSE administration to express their concern. The Men’s Rugby Club is an official member of the LSE Athletics Union.

The Beaver also believes that publication and distribution of such content is in potential violation of the School’s Ethics Code, in particular article 4, which calls for all members of the community to be treated with “equal dignity and respect.” In an apology released to the Beaver, the Men’s Rugby Club said that the flyers “contained inexcusably offensive and stigmatising language and we would like to make it clear that this absolutely does not reflect the views and values of our club ”. The Students’ Union released a statement saying that“We immediately confiscated all materials and launched an investigation. This investigation will be thorough... and will allow us to determine any appropriate action.”

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Tuesday October 7, 2014

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Jon Allsop on why the Men’s Rugby flyers must be utterly condemned

From the Executive Editor IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING that this newspaper utterly condemns the leaflets distributed by the Men’s Rugby club at last week’s Freshers Fair. Thoroughly repellent in any setting, their toxic and thoroughly offensive references to gender, sexual orientation and race ensured that a noxious fog descended over an event that ought to have been a celebration of the diverse clubs and societies that make LSE great. As I wrote last week, LSE is a melting pot completely unworthy of such sickeningly bigoted and divisive behaviour. No defence of misjudged irony or over-enthusiastic ‘lad culture’ can or will be allowed to mitigate these flyers. They will rightly be condemned across the Athletics’ Union, the campus and maybe even the entire country. We agree wholeheartedly with Natalie Nunn and Lena Schofield’s appraisal that actions must speak larger than

words going forward. The Rugby Club’s apology is encouraging of course, but contrition is only genuine if backed up by concerted efforts to make sure that this can never happen again. This is one of those rare cases where there is no debate to be had. It is important that the LSE community unites around this poisonous episode going forward, and uses its momentum to ensure that everyone on campus is and feels safe from misogyny, homophobia and racism whatever they choose to do or play. Men’s Rugby’s behaviour has rightly overshadowed what in The Beaver’s view was a reasonably successful first Freshers Fair in the Saw Swee Hock building. Whilst we report that some societies were left unhappy by the floor plan and SU bureaucracy, SU staff did well to ensure that people got around a peculiarly designed building whose angular bent makes it

an unsuitable location for large events. As a newspaper we were very happy to note such broad interest from new and returning students. If you signed up or picked up a paper then thank you. If you have come back for more then we hope that you will enjoy reading the many contributions from new students in this special edition of the Beaver. We hope that they will show you that writing for us is incredibly easy. Regardless of your experience or level of skill, regardless of your political views or level of interest in politics, regardless of your cultural background or whether you are an undergraduate or postgraduate, this is your newspaper. This is your voice. It is a voice for everyone on campus. Men’s Rugby should learn something from that. Tweet at the editor @beaveronline

From the Managing Editor

We’re electing new members of the editorial board within the next month, which is a great way to get more involved with The Beaver. We will be electing section editors for Features, PartB, The City and Sport. We will also be electing two News Editors, one of whom will have to be a first-year undergraduate student. To stand and vote in all elections, you must be a member of the collective. Currently you must have written for or contributed to three print editions of the paper to gain collective membership. We are hoping to change this to widen collective participation, and to reflect online submissions, soon. We’re also looking to appoint photographers, cartoonists and a Beaver business team. E-mail the editor if you are interested.

Alexander Fyfe on how you can get more involved in The Beaver this year ANOTHER FRESHERS FAIR, another burgeoning scandal. Welcome to LSE. We had hoped that this, our Freshers edition, would be produced entirely by new undergraduate and master’s students. However, recent events have once again dictated the news agenda and required a quick turnaround late on a Sunday night, meaning we haven’t quite fulfilled out original aim. Despite this, page four in Comment sees two new students debating participation in elections and Features has been entirely produced by Freshers. PartB also contains articles written by new students, as does The City. Maximising inclusion, particularly by streamlining submissions, is at the core of what The Beaver aims to do over the following year. That means it really is never too late to get involved, regardless of how committed you wish to be. If you

want to start writing, just head to our website and register. Elections for editorial positions will be taking place in the coming weeks, and are a great way to get involved with the paper in a senior capacity. Whether you’re interested in pursuing journalism post-LSE or want to improve your design skills, an editorial position is a fantastic addition to your CV- not to mention great fun. With this in mind, you’re probably wondering what an editorial position actually entails. It varies by section, but the weekly schedule remains fairly consistent; rising to a crescendo of caffeine-assisted beavering on a Sunday afternoon. Roughly speaking, the week begins with editors soliciting contributions through our mailing lists and website. By Friday, most of our content is in and the editor assumes the role of designer to get the print edition looking ship shape. This

requires a certain amount of computer literacy, as Adobe’s InDesign is used to produce the print edition. But if you’ve never used it, don’t panic, as we do provide plenty of training and advice. After the pages are completed, editors will schedule content with our Web Editor to appear online over the coming week, including any content that didn’t fit in print. Throughout the week editors liaise with press officers and writers; assigning articles to be written and occasionally writing themselves. It is a commitment, but it’s also one of the most rewarding things you can do in your time at LSE, so keep a watchful eye on our social media and website over the coming weeks for more details about the elections. Tweet at the editor @beaveronline

INTERESTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY? The Beaver needs you! We have the equipment, but we need your help to take pictures! From events, to arty PartB covers, whatever you’re into we would like to publish your pictures! Email the Editor for details

News

Tuesday October 7, 2014

UGM Under Threat from Student Council? Megan Crockett Deputy News Editor THURSDAY 16TH OCTOBER 2014 will see one of the biggest Union General Meetings (UGM) that there has been in a long time; debating the motion “Should LSE introduce a student council?” According to the motion, the Student Council will be formed of 45 students. 15 of those places will be held by the Student Executive, which is made up of the Sabbatical and Part-time Officers. 15 of the places will be chosen by an all-student vote in which two places will be reserved for postgraduate students and two for international students, based on the SU’s belief that the current UGM system disproportionately represents home undergradu-

ate students. The final 15 seats will be chosen from nominations made by randomly selected members of Clubs and Societies, the Media Group, Halls Committee Presidents, the Research Students’ Officer and General Course President. UGMs are open to the whole student community, but have, according to the motion, been criticised for being cliquey and exclusive. The motion states that the aim of the Student Council is to make the policymaking process fairer, more transparent, more accessible and more democratic. Under the terms of the motion, however, the Student Council will only return votes to the student body if a motion passes with 50 to 66 per cent in favour or falls with 50 to 66 per cent against. It is claimed that returning the vote to the student

body in these circumstances will ensure that the decision is truly reflective of what students want. Quoracy of votes taken by the Student Council is a super majority, meaning two thirds of members present. A condition of the Student Council is that there must be 66 per cent of the Council present when a vote takes place, or a minimum of 30 places when all seats are held. Of this minimum quoracy, one third of each bloc of 15 students on the committee must be present for votes to stand. It also seems that votes would become less frequent. Whereas UGMs normally take place on a weekly basis, the Student Council would only be required to meet three times per term in Michaelmas and Lent. As at UGMs, meetings of the Student Council would be open to everyone, with everyone having a chance to speak. How-

ever, unlike at UGMs, only those on the Council would have the right to vote on policy proposals. The Student Council being proposed is similar to ones recently introduced by the Universities of Nottingham and Manchester. Only time will tell if LSE will be following suit. First publicised at Freshers Fair on Thursday 2nd October, this motion has not had a long build-up. The Beaver received leaked emails about the motion and upcoming UGM on October 1st, the day before the motion went public. Senior SU sources originally denied that the motion was seeking to abolish the UGM, although the finalised motion does explicitly state that the Student Council would “replace UGMs as the policy and decision making body” of the Union. The motion was put in front of the Democracy Committee who suggested amendments to it. The Beaver understands that many of the Democracy Committee’s suggestions were not taken on board. Originally scheduled for this Thursday, the UGM will now be held on Thursday 16th October from 1-2pm. Whether or not it will still be held in the Denning Learning Cafe as originally intended is as yet unconfirmed. UGMs normally take place in the Old Theatre. To read the full motion go to http://www.lsesu.com/pageassets/yourunion/Should-LSESUintroduce-a-Student-Council. pdf. Something to say? E-mail comment@thebeaveronline. co.uk to write for our next edition

Reaction to Freshers’ Fair: Floor Plans, Paddick and A.S.H Kallum Pearmain Reporter OCTOBER 2ND AND 3RD HOSTED the LSESU’s Freshers’ Fair for the 2014-2015 academic year to welcome the 10,000 new and returning students to the school. New students had the opportunities to learn about societies and athletics clubs and sign up for memberships. This was the first year that it was hosted in the Saw Swee Hock Student Center. Despite the fact that the Students’ Union announced that they were very excited to be hosting the event in this new building “making sure [they] make the most of this space” many students expressed their disappointment about the layout of the fair, with overcrowding being the main inconvenience. There were

long lines to get into the venue and many new students complained that the barcode membership system was never explained to them. Lord Brian Paddick was denied entry to the LSESU Liberal Democrat stall on Thursday on the grounds of security concerns. Paddick was scheduled to attend the stall but the politician was asked to leave the venue by Students’ Union staff shortly after he arrived. Staff claimed that the arrival of Lord Paddick, a candidate in the London mayoral elections of 2008 and 2012, had not been organised far enough in advance for security concerns to be adequately addressed. Hari Prabu, Chair of the LSESU Liberal Democrat Society, was surprised by this reaction given that it was not the first time that the political society had invited politicians. “We have had outside

guests for many years at our stall such as Maajid Nawaz, parliamentary candidate for Hampstead, and Craig O’Donnell, the chair of Liberal Youth and have never had any problems with regards to security.” Baroness Alison Suttie, a Liberal Democrat politician and life peer in the House of Lords, was scheduled to attend the booth on Friday but the society cancelled her appearance. The Liberal Democrat Society expressed their disappointment with the actions of the SU, stating, “we believe the SU should not have brought the society into disrepute by, in this instance, being unnecessarily preoccupied with security and ejecting a very important guest to us.” In the Freshers’ Fair of 2013, the LSESU Atheist and Humanist Society made international headlines after they refused to cover the shirts they were wearing that

depicted the profit Mohammed and were subsequently removed from the Freshers’ Fair venue. This year, members of the society manned their stall wearing similar shirts. To The Beaver’s knowledge, no complaints or incidents regarding this stall were reported. The society declared it to be a “splendidly uncontroversial Fair in the company of Jesus & Mo”.

In Brief Centre Buildings Exhibition THE LSE ESTATES DIVISION will be holding a public exhibition all next week to display the designs for the planned Centre Buildings redevelopment. The exhibition will be open from 10am until 5pm every day between Monday 13th and Friday 17th October. It will be held in the old Three Tuns at the corner of Houghton Street and Clare Market. The exhibition will give LSE staff and students, as well as members of the public, the opportunity to comment on the proposed redevelopment of the Houghton Street area prior to the submission of an application for planning permission. Members of the estates team will be on hand to answer questions from 2-4pm on Monday 13th, 5-7.30pm on Wednesday 15th and 10am-12pm on Thursday 16th.

LSE Student Bloggers Needed THE LSE IS LOOKING FOR all sorts of students for the LSE Student Blog – whether you’re a fresher just arriving in London and finding your feet or a seasoned third year who knows all the best things to do and places to visit. Bloggers are free to write about their social and academic life while at LSE and in London. In the past this has ranged from choosing courses and making the most of career opportunities to going to musicals and finding the best pubs. Bloggers will be given training in guidelines and content as well as in how to use Wordpress. Every month we give out a prize for the best blogger, as well as a prize at the end of the year. Please contact ard.studentblogs@lse.ac.uk if you would like to get involved!

Library Lockers Available for 2014-2015 THE LIBRARY HAS A LIMITED number of lockers which are available for LSE students to use during the 2014/15 academic year. This year they will be randomly allocated following a ballot. To enter the ballot, students should email Library.Locker. Enquiries@lse.ac.uk before Friday 24 October 2014. If you are an LSE staff member, student or alumnus with an announcement to make then News in Brief wants to hear from you! Email news@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Comment Section editorial: “WORK HARD, PLAY HARD.” That’s what it said on the back of the purple LSESU branded t-shirts you may have seen people wearing around Freshers’ Fair this past week. It’s not an especially original sentiment and one pronounced more often than not by people who do more hard playing than work. Yet it bore a certain irony when, the new academic year barely having gotten off and running, the student community here at LSE was thrown into tumult. It’s times like this, however, that usually bring out the best in students and in this very section, Comment. We have here the opportunity to bring our sometimes considerable analytical abilities to bear on the issues that wrack the student body, its injustices, and its purposes. It can only be described as a shame then when, irrespective of your opinion on a subject, the way in which matters are brought to the attention of the student body forecloses the possibility of having it out in print for everyone to see. Making a considered decision depends on having considered arguments and hopefully in future you’ll be able to find them right here.

Comment

Sebastien Ash

Tuesday October 7, 2014

Section Editor: Sebastien Ash

Deputy editors Seb is looking to appoint two deputy editors. E-mail him to find out more.

comment@thebeaveronline.co.uk Tweet @beaveronline

1% Perspiration, 99% Participation

Two students new to LSE weigh in on falling voter turnout

Mahatir Pasha AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE young British population, I can openly say on behalf of my youthful counterparts that nothing is quite like turning eighteen. The anticipation of finally making it to the big one-eight has the ‘typical’ teen transform into something akin to a thrilled insomniac. Ask anyone who is currently enjoying the fruits of being eighteen why it’s so exhilarating and frequently you will get an answer something like, “the freedom to hit the pubs and clubs”. Whilst I can accept that drinking and dancing can be fun, I find it rather distressing to know that being granted the irrefutable right to vote, which many people have died for, is unable to make it to the top of the ‘benefits of being eighteen’ list. A low turnout of young voters is unfortunately the norm these days with an average of just 58.4 per cent of 18-24 year olds participating in British general elections since 1970. The turnout in the 2005 General Election, for example, was a record low of 38.2 per cent of young voters. It would be reassuring to be able to justify low turnout in our elections as a form of protest like that of the recent Bangladeshi general election or Bulgaria’s election in 2012, since this would prove that the population was still engaging in political activity. However, this is quite clearly not the case in our country. Political apathy has undeniably begun to surround British youth and it would seem that turnout isn’t the only thing suffering. The recent decline in party membership is also an indication of political apathy. Parliamentary documents reveal that between 1983 and 2010 that whilst the electorate has increased by 6.8 per cent (2.9 million voters), party membership has dropped from 3.8 per cent of the UK electorate to a now staggering one per cent. The number of young people who are members of the three main political parties is also disappointing.

History suggests young people inevitably drift towards becoming politically engaged as they became mature tax-paying citizens. However, it seems the once apathetic and disengaged youth have developed into the apathetic and disengaged middle-aged, and this is something to be concerned about. If this problem isn’t solved we could find ourselves in a situation where politics loses its sacred meaning. The evidence for apathy prevalent among the youth appears never-ending, while political scientists are on a mission to establish what the root causes of this social disease are. Many have advocated a rise in voter fatigue – essentially having too many opportunities to vote. Another view is the concept of ‘my vote won’t make a difference’, which makes getting off the sofa to walk to your closest polling station and vote seem increasingly futile. Despite the apparent truth behind these theories, I believe political apathy results from a lack of political knowledge. Not many schools offer Politics at GCSE level and by the time A levels come around, GCSEs have already influenced a student’s opinion of a subject which means politics is often ignored. Around 40 per cent of students then go on to university and by the time their education has finished, a great number have few ideas about what politics entails. Contrary to your naive friend (we’ve all got one) who says politics can be picked up easily, I’m of the opinion that it requires in-depth study. Once everyone has a basic knowledge, both of political theory and politics in practice, there will be more interest and subsequently less apathy. Therefore I believe Politics should be compulsory, like Religious Education and Citizenship are in some schools, at GCSE level, for every student. At a time when we are seeing European elections, local elections, the Scottish independence referendum and next year’s general election, we really are spoiled for choice. I for one want to encourage my counterparts to get back onto the sanctified political bandwagon and hope I’m not alone in this endeavour. Don’t reject your entitlement to vote, or you may as well stay seventeen.

Gabrielle Beran SCOTLAND DESERVES TO BE congratulated. The recent Scottish referendum produced the highest voter turnout in a British election since 1918. It is a shocking reminder that voter turn out in the democratic world is declining and the implications for our faith in democracy are in desperate need of being re-examined in light of this. 97 per cent of the electorate registered to vote in Scotland and of those who registered a full 84.5 per cent turned out to vote on polling day. If you account for a percentage of the registered population being unable (due to illness or other circumstances) to vote on the day, that is a remarkably small proportion of citizens who were too apathetic to vote. In the last general election, 63.8 per cent of registered Scots voted. Many reports have concluded that it was the importance of the issue at hand that drove Scots to the polls. But this is worrisome and, at the risk of offending patriots, I propose that every general election and every referendum is a question of leadership, governance, control and the future, each of which is incredibly important and decisive. This high turnout was also helped by the SNP’s intense campaign to register potential voters, especially focusing on the fringes of society, which again you might find troublesome because it took the engagement of highly motivated political actors with their own agenda to increase registration. Certain democratic countries have steadily high optional voter turnout, with Sweden and France consistently seeing something in the eighty percent range and Malta usually in the nineties. In the most recent US elections, the voter turn out has been estimated at a mere 57.5 per cent of the eligible population and the most recent peak in United States voters, in 2008, was just 62.3 per cent. Or, to magnify the problem, in 2013 42.5 per cent of eligible Americans did not vote. This pattern is replicated in many

other Western democracies. For example, Canada’s last election saw 61.4 per cent turnout and the UK as a whole had around 61 per cent. What is concerning about these figures is that the lower turnouts can be directly linked to lower socio-economic status. This can be attributed to less education about elections and fewer opportunities to get involved in political build-up but research shows it is also due to feeling isolated and removed from the workings of the democratic process. These groups in society reportedly feel that their vote is not worth casting. There is also a widely reported lack of participation from the youth cohorts in this country and others. Can we still call ourselves democratic countries if the young, the less wealthy or less educated citizens are not being fully involved? The problem is that if this isolation continues then marginalised groups are relying even more on the voting populace thinking about others, not themselves, in order for issues like poverty, inequality and financial assistance to be adequately addressed. Perhaps the solution is to make voting in general elections and referenda compulsory, as they do in Australia, Chile, Belgium, and 21 other countries (only ten of which enforce those laws). The turnout in the last Australian federal election, 2013, was 94 per cent, in keeping with past Australian elections. If democracy is built on the people having a choice over whom they elect, however, is a forced choice the same? If the people are not freely coming to the polls to vote, is that democratic in itself ? Recent democratic elections have tried a myriad of methods to propagate voter registration or enrolment and voter turnout, yet for most countries this is not enough. Scotland’s referendum has taught us that citizens will mobilise themselves with a strong commitment to voter registration by candidates and an issue deemed sufficiently important. The next question for the democratic process in this country, and others, is to figure out how to apply these lessons to every general election and encourage all the people, not just certain people, to have their say.

Comment

Tuesday October 7, 2014

These Men’s Rugby leaflets are gross and unacceptable Natalie Nunn and Lena Schofield LSESU Feminist Society DURING THE SECOND DAY OF Freshers’ Fair, we were given a leaflet that was being distributed by the LSESU Men’s Rugby Club, which contained an astounding number of sexist and homophobic comments. Women within the AU were uninventively referred to and reduced to ‘sloppy birds’, ‘trollops’, ‘netball slags’, ‘crumpets’, ‘tasty’, and ‘beastlike’. And, as if this weren’t bad enough, the leaflet then veered into full-fledged homophobia, noting that at the LSESU Men’s Rugby Club “we don’t tolerate Poly activities that involve…outright homosexual debauchery”. I think everyone can agree that this kind of ‘banter’ is neither funny nor harmless- especially given the marginalisation that women and LGBTQ+ sportspeople experi-

ence both at a university and at a professional level.

According to the NUS, a third of female students have received unwanted or inappropriate sexual touching A cursory glance over the Sexism At LSE Facebook page can give you a small insight into the constant aggression that women students experience on campus, discouraging social participation. The National Union of Students (NUS) recently published the results of a survey that showed a full third of female students have received unwanted or inappropriate sexual touching. This kind of behaviour can in part be attributed to certain attitudes of entitlement that dehumanise women, the likes of which were exemplified in this leaflet. Students

come to university expecting to expand their horizons; university is a place to learn and to socialise; hate speech and harassment have no place on campus. Considering the dialogue opened last year between the LSESU AU Executive and the liberation communities at the university, it’s disappointing to see Men’s Rugby waste this opportunity to turn over a new leaf and to improve the reputation of the AU as a whole. So many sports’ We the Athletics Union (AU) Executive Committee completely condemn the misogynistic actions and lack of respect demonstrated by members of the Men’s Rugby Club at the recent LSE Freshers Fair. The contents of the publication was disgraceful, and in no way representative of the views held by members of the Athletics Union, nor of LSE students and the school as a whole. So many clubs work hard to be inclusive and to have a diverse

membership base, so being associated with the sexism and homophobia displayed by Men’s Rugby does a disservice to their laudable efforts.

The time for lip-service is over. We need positive action to be taken The superiority complex that the leaflet evinces is nothing but bizarre. For example, whilst denigrating women and LGBTQ+ people, the Men’s Rugby Club frequently refer to themselves as ‘gentlemen’. Most laughably, alongside rampant hate speech, they have the temerity to say that “the boys of the LSESU Rugby Club define camaraderie [and] chivalry”. Such cognitive dissonance with regards to the toxic attitudes of their group, and the fact that this is how they choose to represent themselves to potential teammates, shows a deep and

endemic culture of exclusivity that the club leadership clearly aims to preserve. Despite this stumble, this academic year will not be defined by the actions of a toxic club but by how we as a community at the LSE respond to attacks on marginalised groups with support and solidarity and unite in the face of such overt discrimination. Last year, a motion for a much needed budget increase for the AU passed with an astounding majority, but with the caveat that teams found to be discriminatory could see their funding dockedand if this doesn’t constitute discriminatory behaviour, we’d like to know what does. The time for lip-service is over. We need positive action to be taken. The next wave of freshers need not have their first experience of the Athletics Union be such a negative one. The LSE community will progress and it would be a shame if Men’s Rugby fails to keep up.

Statement from LSESU Men’s Rugby

Statement from the LSE Students’ Union

Statements about the Men’s Rugby leaflets

The Men’s Rugby Club would like to extend a full and unreserved apology for the recent decision to publish a leaflet at the LSESU Freshers’ Fair 2014. It contained inexcusably offensive and stigmatising language and we would like to make it clear that this absolutely does not reflect the views and values of our club. LSE Men’s Rugby does not tolerate misogyny, racism, homophobia or prejudice of any description and the Club remains committed to the LSE’s equal opportunities policy. Clearly, on this occasion we not only failed ourselves, but the university which we are so proud to represent. We take full responsibility for what has happened and it has highlighted the need for any previously used club literature to be properly scrutinised be-

fore being reproduced. We want our club to be a safe and welcoming environment for all people - this is why we actively encourage social members. We can see that the language used in that leaflet must have alienated many potential members and we are ashamed and saddened by that. The Executive Committee will cooperate fully with the Students’ Union to ensure such behaviour does not take place in the future. As a club, we will be taking steps to ensure that something like this cannot happen again. We have a lot to learn about the pernicious effects of ‘banter’ and we are organising a workshop for all our members. No further comment will be made until the Union’s investigation has taken place.

We the Athletics Union (AU) Executive Committee completely condemn the misogynistic actions and lack of respect demonstrated by members of the Men’s Rugby Club at the recent LSE Freshers Fair. The contents of the publication was disgraceful, and in no way representative of the views held by members of the Athletics Union, nor of LSE students and the school as a whole. Following extensive interest

tional sporting activity. We wish to make it absolutely clear that the views expressed by a few individuals within the Men’s Rugby Club will not be tolerated by the wider AU, and do not conform to the high standards of respect and inclusion that we expect from all of our members. Not only did a few individuals within the Men’s Rugby Club break the stringent AU Code of Conduct, but, more importantly, they have attacked

minority groups and disheartened many members of the LSE community. Moving forward, the Exec will do our best to work with the Men’s Rugby Club to ensure the club ethos is realigned to conform to the exceptionally high standards that we set for ourselves, as both a leading UK university, and highly successful Athletics Union.

At the Freshers Fair on Friday 3 October we received a number of complaints regarding booklets distributed by the LSE Rugby Club. We immediately confiscated all materials and launched an investigation. This investigation will be thorough. It will hear from both individuals that complained and the Club itself.

Statement from LSESU Athletics’ Union Exec

This will allow us to determine any appropriate action. We are also working with the School as they have received a wide number of complaints. We are committed to our equal opportunities policy and safeguarding our members. However, further comment won’t be provided until the

investigation has been completed in order to keep our processes as robust as possible. We will also be responding to the deeper cultural concerns about discrimination within the AU. Gee LinfordGrayson, LSESU Women’s Officer, is hosting a Women’s Forum to discuss issues within the AU.

in Women’s Sport at Freshers Fair, anything less than severe punishment of their actions would serve to hinder developments that have been made in recent years to ensure that the LSE AU remains open and welcoming to all. Each year we work closely with liberation groups both on and off campus to ensure that we are constantly meeting the needs of our students, creating a safe space for all LSE students to enjoy both competitive and recrea-

A MASSIVE THANKS TO everyone who came to Freshers’ Fair and made our stall such a success. We gave away 500 water bottles and had even more guesses in our cash giveaway. Guesses ranged from £7.50 all the way up to £20,000! (King’s is just down the road). The lucky winner with the closest guess was Carlo Montino who guessed £104.71, just 63p off the actual amount of £104.08. Congratulation to Carlo, we hope you enjoy spending it. There will be no event on October 7th on account of the LSE Entrepreneurship launch, but we look forward to meeting you on the 14th October for a drinks reception with details to follow. In the meantime, like us on Facebook to stay up to date with all future events. NICK WHITWORTH

Tuesday October 7, 2014

Section Editor: Alexander Fyfe managing@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Features: Sport: LSE alumni launch Solarbox The AU Exec Page 14 Page 16

So You Want to Work in the City? Mika Morissette Careers Correspondent IT MIGHT SEEM FAR AWAY to those of you who have just entered LSE’s doors, but with job fair season just around the corner those in their 2nd/3rd year internship hustles or final year career search are probably already feeling career anxiety. Don’t panic though: unlocking that City job is a marathon not a sprint and these tips will help you get ready early in the game to avoid stress later. START EARLY BUT DON’T PANIC Start searching deadlines and career events early (they have a tendency to fly by!) and put them all together in one big list/wall calendar in easy view (preferably not by your bed though or you’ll never be able to sleep). Having everything in one place will help you get a better idea of the year to come and think strategically about your game-plan. If you are new to City-type jobs, don’t panic: look for short work placements and shadowing opportunities, available all year

Our careers expert Mika talks you through it

and especially during the holidays, which are good alternatives to harder-to-come-by internships and can be done during your final year. Also, remember to do your research: enthusiasm can sometimes make-up for lack of internship experience in an interview. BRUSH UP YOUR CV Basic advice, but remember that almost any experience can be a positive one: you don’t need to have accumulated internships at fancy banks to be able to list concrete skills learnt through working, whether it be from a part-time job, unpaid volunteering or an artistic/drama production. Many City jobs value transferable skills. Make sure to emphasize action verbs like “analyzed”, “organized” or “managed” and avoid dull words like “worked at” or “participated in”. For more help, the Career Service offers amazing CV sessions bookable on short notice as well as group events. GO TO THE CAREERS SERVICE! I’ll repeat that in case you

FUNDAMENTAL ANALYSIS:

LSESU Trading Society Trade Idea

The City

The Kangaroo has jumped off the cliff, tumbling since the beginning of September. This is predominantly a function of a stronger USD and elevated fears over a Chinese economic slowdown, declining iron ore prices and other persistent geopolitical tensions (risk aversion). Stronger USD- overall USD strength has been characteristic, especially in

high yielding currencies like the AUD, NZD, CAD and ZAR as the market continues to price in a June 2015 liftoff in the Federal Fund rates-a reflection of better economic realities in the US. Rise in US yields has correlated very well with a resurgent USD. Contrasting monetary policy between the US and other global central banks has been a key theme too. Chinese Economic Slowdown- Chinese Industrial

missed it: go to the Career Service! It’s infinitely accessible and the lovely consultants offer oneon-one guidance on everything from cover letter reviews to tailored advice on specific industries. They even have an appointment type called “Unsure of what to do”. Same-day fifteen-minute slots are bookable from 9:30 am onwards on CareersHub. It helps to call in advance to research which consultant is best geared towards the industry you want to get into. Their calendar also contains useful dates like the Consultancy and Finance Fairs coming up.

ASK YOURSELF ‘WHY DO I REALLY WANT TO DO THIS?’ You would be surprised at how many candidates cannot answer this basic question in an interview, but even before the interview it’s important to ask yourself why that company, that position or that field. Unfortunately “uh… well…. You know….” or “the pay is good” are not particularly convincing answers. It’s tempting Production and Retail Sales growth has been the weakest since 2008, registering 6.9% and 11.9% actual vs 8.8% and 12.1% forecasted. Moreover, Chinese leadership has proved to be adamant in sticking on with the restructuring a investment-led economy. This can continue to put pressure on the AUD as China is Australia’s largest trading partner –raw material export volumes like iron, copper and coal have fallen drastically in 2014.

to put off thinking about this because it requires a certain amount of soul searching and often leads candidates to wonder whether they really do want to work in the City. That’s a good thing. There are plenty of jobs out there, and no matter what you are interviewing for, your answer will be much more convincing after having thought it through properly. PRACTICE PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS AND INVEST IN A GOOD SUIT On that point, it’s not a bad idea to think through other interview questions including online tests. You can find loads of free mock psychometric and numeracy tests online so go have a look for the ones your prospective employer might use. Be prepared for anything, and make sure to come into the year with a good “dressup/dress-down” suit because you never know when a good opportunity will jump up. Even if an event is marketed as “informal”, it’s important to appear composed at put together, both physically and mentally.

BP Trading Game Wednesday, October 15, 2014 7:00pm 8:30pm Senior BP employees will demystify the trading profession and shed some light to the technical analysis of commodities trading. Sign up to the event online, at www.lse-traders.com

Exhibit 1: H1 AUD/USD maintaining technical bearish bias

Update: 28/9/14: We have closed half at +70pips and have lowered stop to 0.8820, targeting the 100% Fibonacci Retracement at 0.8670 Exhibit 2: AUD/USD (Green) and Citi AU Terms of Trade Source: Bloomberg

AUD/USD -SHORT 0.8890 (9AM LONDON 24/9/14) SL 0.8920 TARGET: OPEN, 0.8820 (1ST TARGET) (ROUGH 2.5X R/R) Technical Analysis: 1. Maintenance of bear trend that has yielded nearly 500pips from 8/9/14 (Bounce off downward trending resistance trend line 4 times in the past 4 weeks) 2. Series of Lower Highs 3. Consistent bounce off the bottom of hourly Ichimoku cloud 4. Price is still trading below 100H1 MA, 200H1 MA

Exhibit 3: AUD/USD AND Mining Capital Expenditure Source: Bloomberg

FUTURE PARLIAMENTARIAN PICTURED WITH OLLIE HILL

#SAUCYGATE3 SU TOP BRASS FURIOUS AS CRAP COMBUSTIBLE CAGE CUT-OUT CAUSES CONTENTIOUS CLUB CHAOS! H

apless Students’ Union officials were left red-faced on Friday night, after a cardboard cut-out of Nicholas Cage spontaneously combusted triggering a Saucy fire alarm. Literally tens of people were evacuated from The Venue (not at all sic) after it emerged that SU staff had accidentally purchased Nicholas Cage’s stunt double from the final scene of The Wicker Man instead of

a regular cardboard model. SU spokesperson Ian Pullout told the NAB that the gaffe had not been spotted earlier as “like, what if I were to say to you that, if anything, the cut-out is more lifelike than the real Nicholas Cage”. General Secretary Nona Buckley-Irvine-LSESUGenSec-woo-freshers was visibly upset, and could be seen walking around outside Saucy carrying

charred remains and repeatedly screaming “how’d it get burned???!?!?!?”, before being consoled by Seb Bruhn bringing her back her god-damn honey. shameless club and selfpromoter runny way said that “we here at lowercase events were not responsible for the sad incident involving mr cage. we remain fully committed to running outsourcey fridays.” mr way added that the rumour that the blaze was caused by

hot air streaming from his mouth was unfounded. Arrested Development Officer Alastair Duncan told our roving reporter Marry Haxwell that the Cage cut-out was a naughty naughty boy, whilst Education Officer Mad Maksymiw raged that “this regrettable incident was the result of an unfortunate error. An internal review process will soon be initiated to establish the causality of the occurrence”. Ouch!!!!!!

Tuesday October 7, 2014

Freshbook

Nona Buckley-Irvine shared Nona Gen Sec LSESU’s share of Nona Buckley-Irvine’s share of Nona Gen Sec LSESU’s share of Nona Buckley-Irvine’s share of Nona Gen Sec LSESU’s share of Nona Buckley-Irvine’s share of Nona Buckley-Irvine Gen Sec LSESU’s share of Nona BuckleyIrvine’s share of Nona Buckley-Irvine Gen Sec BuckleyIrvine LSESU’s share of Nona Buckley-Irvine’s share of Nona LSESU Buckley-Gen Sec LSEIRVINE’s.........SEE MORE LSE Memes Shat Out Something Unfunny and Predictable

#MichelleForSaucy #MaxwellForSaucy #AndyFarrellForSaucy #UGMForSaucy

Mark Eter Works at Barclays Runny Wei Self Promoter NOT LSE Memes Harry Maxwell is HOT Admin: Harry Maxwell

ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY GO TO KINGS (LOL KINGS) (#ROFLCOPTER KINGS) 216 Gullible Freshers Liked This 3 Comments LOL its funny cos its true #lol #imaginegoingtokings #poly No LOL its funny because Kings is an elite Russell Group institution.....JK LOLOL KINGS IS SHIT M8 Bring back Joel Rosen!

Tom Maksymiw was not tagged in LSESU’S album Fresher’s Week 2014

LSE One friend likes this; Muammar Gaddafi

Tuesday October 7, 2014

Society Listings LABOUR SOCIETY Welcome Party Everybody knows that there ‘ain’t no party like a Labour Party’, so come and join us at our welcome party which will be taking place in the evening of Tuesday 7th October (time and location TBC). There will be a variety of drinks and snacks and it is open to all students at LSE, whether you are a #labourdoorstep veteran or just trying to find out more about the Labour Party, we would love for you to join us. It is your opportunity to meet the current LSESU Labour and Cooperative Society committee, find out what we are doing this term and meet like minded students here at LSE. Please check social media and our website (www.lsesulabour.org.uk) for more details closer to the time.

Artichoke Society AGM Tuesday 7th October 16:00 - 17:00 CLM.3.04 LSESU WOMEN IN BUSINESS SOCIETY Freshers’ Meet & Greet Lunch Date : 8th October (Wednesday) Time : 11.30am-12.30pm Venue : 6th Floor Studio, SSH Sign up by sending an email to lsewomeninbusiness@gmail.com

ARTICHOKE SOCIETY Artichoke is the LSE’s alternative careers organisation. Too often, students feel like their career options are limited to a few sectors and organisations and end up in careers out of convenience. We aim to give LSE students an insight into broader career options. Our intention is to show students that they can be successful in fulfilling, socially beneficial careers. Inspired by Marina Keegan’s seminal Yale Daily News article, our name comes from our link with the Artichoke Fund at Yale University. At the end of the year we publish our Alternative Careers Guide, profiling individuals who have either taken an unusual route into their chosen career, or who have entered careers that many students are unaware of and believe are unavailable.

LGBT ALLIANCE: LGBTea and Scones Tuesday 7th October, 3.30-4.30pm Saw Swee Hock 6th floor LGBT Welcome Drinks Thursday 9th October, 6.30-9.30pm Saw Swee Hock 6th floor LGBT Alliance AGM Monday 13th October, 5.30-7pm Venue to be confirmed, followed by The Three Tuns

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Tuesday October 7, 2014

PH OTO PAGE - FRES HERS â&#x20AC;&#x2122; DIA RY

The Beaver needs you! We are looking for a dedicated team of photographers to attend important and newsworthy events for The Beaver, including parties, public lectures and Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union meetings. If you are interested in being a Beaver photographer, please email editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk

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Tuesday October 7, 2014

PARTB

Testing, testing: Hungry House Takeouts Last week we ran a giveaway by Hungry House exclusively for LSE Students. If that got your attention (or got you a free meal), here’s more about one of the UK’s largest takeout services.

Who:

How:

Why:

Hungry House is a takeout platform servicing most cities in the UK. Within London, most deliveries are free with a minimum spend of £5 to £30, average £13.

Taking commissions from the restaurants, Hungry House delivers the same prices that you would pay ordering directly from the restaurant.

Besides 9,000 partner restaurants, orders that qualify for HH Express get delivered within 45 minutes… or get refunded. Serious. Did we also mention that they have student specific orders? Till the 31st of October, get 25% off your order at: http://hungryhouse. co.uk/blog/studentdiscount/

seemed the most reasonable and reliable.

Location: LSE Library

Adding items to the menu & checking out was straightforward. SpeOrdered: cial requests, such as my Japanese – Hot meals paranoid demand that (Taro in London) the katsu and curry be Indian – Hot meals packed separately, can be (Ginger Spice) sent to the restaurants. After entering my postCaveat emptor: Restaucode, I could filter choices rants sometimes charge a by cuisine, ratings, price fee for card payments. and Top Takeaways. Helpfully, the estimatJapanese and Indian ed delivery time is also takeouts had the most shown, as well as whether choices and number of the order qualifies for the reviews, so from there HH express guarantee. I chose restaurants that

Test Drive #2: Mobile app order

SCorE easy:☻ value ☻

Herman Ze German

Most offerings are your typical takeaway fare by the restaurants you might have ordered from by phone in the past. The prices and quality of the food is thus still the same, but with discounts and policies such as HH Express (since few people like their food cold and soggy), some perks and a certain amount of consumer protection against tardy deliveries.

THE ROAD TESTS Test Drive #1: Website Order

Launching!

Location: Central London, off campus Ordered: Japanese – hot & cold (Sushi London) Having already created an account, the mobile site was quick and easy to use. I actually found it easier to navigate on the app, and with a few swipes and taps I had my order placed. Easy peasy.

Fitzrovia

This Thursday, wurst masters Herman Ze German open their third London Parlour at Charlotte Street. Creators Florian and Azadeh are bringing their beloved gluten-free, meaty wurst closer to more people. Don't let the heartiness fool you though, as Herman Ze German strives to be healthy with free-range meat sourced from a family butcher in the Black Forest, and air fried chips with only 5% air content. picture credits: Herman Ze German & Full Fat 33 Charlotte Street Fitzrovia W1T 1RS herman-ze-german.co.uk

PARTB EDITORIAL TEAM PARTB

FASHION

FILM

Alexander Fyfe (acting) Deputies: Vikki Hui & Alexandra Lulache

Sanya-Jeet Thandi

Jade Jackman Maryam Akram

partb@thebeaveronline.co.uk

FOOD

Dorothy Wong food@thebeaveronline.co.uk

fashion@thebeaveronline.co.uk

film@thebeaveronline.co.uk

LITERATURE

MUSIC

TECHNOLOGY

THEATRE

VISUAL ARTS

Ellen Wilkie

Conor Doherty, Will Locke &Dominic Tighe

Rohan Soni

Vacant

techonology@thebeaveronline.co.uk

theatre@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Jade Jackman Maryam Akram

literature@thebeaveronline.co.uk

music@thebeaveronline.co.uk

visualarts@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Tuesday October 7, 2014

PARTB

58th BFI London Film Festival: 4 films to look out for UK’s largest, annual public film event, the London Film Festival, kicks off this Wednesday and its organisers, the British Film Institute (BFI), have outdone themselves yet again with an impressive line-up which features more than 300 films and events from 74 countries.

R E T A W E ROS

As bookings commenced a while ago, tickets for the screenings of some of the galas and much-hyped awards contenders such as The Imitation Game, Fury, Foxcatcher and Winter Sleep are already completely sold out – instead, here are four other amazing films that you can still get tickets for (but hurry!):

WHIPLAS H of Maziar us ordeal journalist lo ri e p e th f d, Iranian caccount o a striking al), the London-basentroversial 2009 ele ys is r te a w a o n d c r e 8 e Rose 1 B th 1 r ía r to cove ined fo ael Garc Bahari (G nt to his homeland d subsequently detaspicion of being n se su a s n a d este tewart ime o who w as later arr Ahmadinejad reg ctorial debut, Jon S rtrayw t u b s n tio his dire ly elected n vivid po by the newintelligence agent. Inod balance betwee eration and coo rc a foreign y Show) strikes a g a of Bahari’s inca ’s name is taken (The Dail violence and traumthe mood. The film of rosewater. als of the ments that lighten who always smelled medic mo hari’s interrogator, from Ba

MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Based on Chad Kultgen’ s novel of the same name and Children explores the , Men, Women eff ily life and relationships. ects of modern technologies on famschool teenagers and the The film depicts how a group of high ir liferation of digital platfo parents react to and cope with the proogy. It looks into the impli rms in a time of screen-based technolpeople communicate an cations of being ‘wired up’ – on the way attempts to tackle social d perceive themselves and others – and raphy and infidelity. Jasonissues such as anorexia, internet pornogReitman directs a star-stud cast including Adam Sand ler, Jennifer Garner and ded ensemble Ansel Elgort.

Win 2014 S ner of both (Miles undance F the Grand Ju il T pushe eller), a hig m Festival, ry and the mons), d to his limit hly ambitiouWhiplash fo Audience aw llo who ap s s a pears t by his instru musical prodws Andrew Nrds at the ctor, T o be sin ig e y , gle-min erence F as he is ru yman thlessly letcher dedly o (J. bsessed with p K. Simerfectio n.

I CAN QUIT WHENEVER I WANT

check out Fans of Breaking Bad or Ocean’s Eleven should res of a ventu misad the this brilliant Italian comedy which plots to producgroup of retrenched university professors who turn selves out them pull to ing and peddling “not quite illegal” drugs e rich, becom and ss succe ve achie they after of the doldrums but law. the of sides both with they soon find themselves in trouble this edy’ Com ‘Best for es Glob en Gold n Italia This film won the se. relea its since Italy in year and has achieved a cult status

Features Section editorial: FIRSTLY AND INDEPENDENTLY of anything else, I want to say that it is great that all our writers this week are first time contributors. The Features section is a great opportunity for LSE students from all around the world to share their perspectives and to contribute to the discourse around the most divisive and contentious questions. This should be an especially good year for Features writers, in part because the UK general election is coming up in May. Features is also by nature the most inclusive section of The Beaver. Given its focus on national and world events, Features doesn’t require its writers to be in an AU club or to be involved or even interested in student politics. So please do send us your thoughts and analysis. Or try your hand at writing for the ‘Featurettes’ column, which is completely new to the section. I am awful at being succinct so I urge anyone who thinks they might make a better job of it to get in touch with me about next week’s Featurettes. Look out for elections for editor of this section, to be scheduled very soon! More information will also follow on appointed deputy editors.

Features

Liam Hill

Tuesday October 7 2014

Section Editor: Liam Hill (acting) features@thebeaveronline.co.uk

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Solarbox: how LSE graduates are changing London Harriet Lavin First year undergraduate IN LONDON THERE ARE OVER 8,000 phone boxes that sit unused and unnoticed. Kirsty Kenney and Harold Craston, two LSE geography graduates, have transformed these public spaces by upgrading the phone boxes into a solar panelled phone charging points. Paint a phonebox green, provide phone chargers and source the power through solar panels; a simple yet completely unique service. More often than not our phone battery life can’t keep up with the pace of our busy lives but now there’s an innovative and environmentally friendly solution. Anyone can step into the box and charge their phone from the selection of charging points and whilst you wait there advertisements play on a screen in front of you. In 10 minutes the box can charge nearly 17% of phone charge and its service is completely free. The first solar powered phone box in the world sits on the busy corner of Tottenham Court Road. The driven pair of graduates are hoping to open at least six by Spring. Many people may associate phone boxes today with antisocial behaviour and it is true that many of the phone boxes in London are dirty and damaged. Kirsty and Harold have addressed that issue

Solarbox:

Created by LSE alumni Kirsty Kenny and Harold Craston First active Solarbox at Tottenham Court Road 10 minutes charge can increase phone battery by 17 per cent The service is completely free

with Solar box through ensuring the boxes are cleaned once a day then locked up at night. The idea started June last year and through entering various LSE competitions the pair won funding. The Solarbox has won competitions outside the university too with UnLtd and the Mayor of London’s low carbon entrepreneur of the year award. ‘LSE has supported the idea from the start and we would like to thank them for the funding’ said Kirsty. Head of careers at LSE Lizzie Darlington and James McFadzean said ‘We are proud to be at the opening as we have seen it grown from simply an idea. Many people have come to us with ideas but don’t see it through. These two never gave up and now they have their own product on the streets of the capital city.’ Other guests at the opening included Richard Reed, owner of innocent smoothies, and Zac Goldsmith, MP. Zac Goldsmith described solax box as ‘An iconic symbol of London promoting green energy which the public in London will truly appreciate.’ Richard Reed congratulated the entrepreneurs and said he ‘was proud it started in London, the greatest city’. This brilliant battery powering box will no doubt be popping up in London in the months ahead and we are proud it originated from two LSE students.

Pocket Philosopher: Why is it unethical to harm a pet? Nandi HAD ANDRE ROBINSON BEEN born a few centuries ago he may not have faced a moral trial, let alone an arrest. The Brooklyn native, however, witnessed an instance that may very well lead to a broader cultural debate: should we punish humans who commit atrocities against non-humans? If so, should these be perceived in a similar way to human harm? Robinson uploaded a video where he ruthlessly kicked a stray cat, drawing laughter from his friends. According to the New York Times, he is scheduled for a trial on Wednesday, October 8. Meanwhile, district attorneys across the United States are seeking jail time

for animal abuse in general. There lies a deeper question concerning this issue though. Why do we think it is immoral for a person to harm a pet? After all, cats are not as cognitively close to humans as, say, dolphins and chimps are. And, as Robinson told the NYT, he is not “some menace”. Why do we as a society, then, frown upon such an action? Indeed, commentators in the New York Times and the New York Daily News had some valid points. The advocates who were intent on Robinson’s prosecution seemed less concerned about his extent of punishment. The answer to the ethics of Robinson’s actions dates back to the late 18th century. Immanuel Kant may be one of the most important persons we may not

have heard about. However, most modern debates on morality and ethics stem from his Categorical Imperative - a moral person must “act with a maxim that may become a universal law”. He classified every being and object into either a moral agent (who has the ability to make a moral judgment) or a moral patient (who is incapable of making a moral judgment). Most humans have moral agency, and as a moral agent, Robinson chose to treat the cat (a moral patient) against the Categorical Imperative. Kant is well supported by Professor Gail Melson of Purdue University, who says that “childhood animal abuse is linked to other forms of violence and psychopathology.” She advocates for “immediate intervention and

treatment” of children who abuse animals, which according to Melson “may escalate to extreme violence.” As such, we are not required to be animal rights activists to understand why non-human animals should be treated morally. Those of us who mistreat non-humans are as capable of mistreating humans. I’m not commenting on the nature of the trial that Robinson should or should not get. However, with more cases of animal abuse drawing our attention, we are perhaps collectively approaching a position that we need to treat every sentient being according to our own moral framework. Kant would agree that to be an ethical human is to act in a way that “may become a universal law”.

The Features section is the home of analysis, essays and interviews in The Beaver. Sign up on www.beaveronline.co.uk to write for us, and tag your posts under ‘Features’. If you have an idea for an article or an interview, let us know. Email features@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Features

Tuesday October 7, 2014

Deconstructing Europe: Tusk’s Task SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE HAS recently taken political centre stage in the UK and strong nationalist and separatist sentiments are in vogue across Europe: this week Marine Le Pen’s Front National won their first seats in the French Senate, and appear likely to make significant gains in the 2015 presidential elections, while on September 11th the 300th anniversary of Catalonia’s defeat in the war of Spanish succession saw the streets of Barcelona filled with cries demanding secession from the control of Madrid. Although these events should pose no direct internal threat to the EU, the founding principle of a union rooted in multicultural and international synergies means that the need for Brussels to adopt a deconstructive approach harnessing these often disparate fragments to form a cohesive whole has increased in importance, particularly with other threats at its periphery. After all, it was negotiating the association agreement between the EU and Ukraine that sparked the protests leading to the end of Viktor Yanukovych’s presidency. While comparisons between the torpedoed RMS Lusitania of 1915 with the Malaysian Airlines MH17 may be stretching things, it is striking enough to show how pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine has impinged on the civilian rights and safety of those in the EU. With varying geopolitical contexts considered and despite numerous sanctions of Russian markets by the EU, MH17 still has a haunting legacy - the 283 passengers aboard the Malaysian Airlines plane represents almost 10 per cent of total number of casualties in the Ukrainian conflict thus far, estimated to be approaching 3000 dead. Adding to the Ukraine crisis, the Eastern border still looks out onto Europe’s last dictatorship, pro-Russian Belarus, while further afield situations in Gaza, Iraq and Syria are increasingly the focus of joint attention. This means that in looking back to August’s election of new European Council positions, one could argue that it is the new EU foreign policy chief that has the brightest spotlight on her. The appointment of Federica Mogherini, Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, is geographically suitable, considering the many issues concerning plans to include Balkan states as well as a pressing agenda to address problems in Eastern and Southern Europe. However, her competence and experience have been questioned

by the press, and especially received strong criticism from the EU Eastern European states due to her pro-Russian sympathies. This focus can possibly explain why the accession of Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, to the position of EU Council President came with so little anticipation and much surprise. Back home before the nomination was announced there was little discussion of his possible candidacy, with most of the Polish media focusing on Minister for Foreign Affairs, Radoslaw Sikorski’s, suitability for Mogherini’s role. Educated at Oxford, and former member of the Bullingdon Club, Sikorski would probably find supporters at Westminster. However, in a time where the UK is sceptical about the EU, his appointment perhaps would have been less strategic. Tusk, on the other hand, remains in a friendly rela-

tive reaction to the Ukraine crisis is very promising for the need to deal with the EU’s Eastern borders. After the announcement of his appointment, he emphasised the EU’s ‘framework of responsibility’ in his speech. ‘We will help our neighbours in the East and in the South,’ he promised. So even though the foreign policy matters will be administered by Mogherini, Tusk’s role as a negotiator of common interests within the EU will undoubtedly benefit the further debate on EU’s neighbours: crisis in Ukraine, the situation in Libya, and the progress in the Balkans. A quietly impressive presence, he is arguably not even the Tusk most prominently in the limelight of the Polish media, with his daughter Kasia appearing on the Polish version of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and running her fashion and lifestyle blog. This lack of

Flikr: President of the European Council

Anna Gorska First year postgraduate

President with president-to-be: Donald Tusk posing with Herman van Rompuy.

tionship with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He speaks better German than English, although he did promise to brush up on the latter for the commencement of his presidency of the EU Council. Born in Gdansk, a city that for years was under German rule, Tusk began his tenure as prime minister in 2007 by rebuilding cautious yet meaningful ties between Poland and Germany. His government was the first to try and restore Polish-German relationships troubled by the countries’ history of hostility. In redirecting most of Poland’s trade dealings from Eastern neighbours towards the West and especially Germany, it was to be expected that the choice of Tusk for EU leadership must have been heavily backed by German politicians. Insofar as Tusk’s role will be relying on negotiation and interest representation, rather than legislation, his government’s address of the importance of ac-

baggage will be crucial in playing the role of what is essentially mediator between Merkel, Hollande, Cameron et al, requiring a firm belief in the European machine to produce lasting momentum. Indeed Poland here comes to the fore – in contrast to some states, Tusk has pointed out the 80 per cent Polish approval rating for the EU, declaring in his inauguration that shared “European dreams can become an important source of energy”. This attitude is definitely not something without grounding in reality. The Economist’s special report on Poland in June, outlining the success of its stabilised economic growth, praised the country’s economy for effectively avoiding the financial crisis, increasing exports, its gradual reconstruction of the bureaucratic post-communist social sector and, most importantly, its growing political voice on the matters of EU’s eastern borders. However, there is definitely a vast amount of work to be done

to improve Poland’s economy, social sector and investment. Significantly, the private pensions scheme was taken over by the government to cover the national debt, leaving the future pay outs of pension sums under question. The unemployment rate is still high, especially outside of city areas, whilst the constant emigration and only partial return of those who left the country previously are issues that need a firm strategy to deal with. Most importantly, there is a fear that Poles rely on overoptimistic results of joining the EU and receiving grants, which if used all at once will not provide for a stable future outlook. In fact, it is not hard to argue that Tusk would have been struggling in the polls for next year, especially when you consider that only one Polish prime minister since the fall of Communism has lasted more than one term in office. It was Tusk, of course, who bucked the trend, and now has done so again in bringing Poland into global focus. With euro-scepticism and growing nostalgia for nationalism in powerful EU member states, the appointment of a politician from a country with an idealistic perspective on the union brings hope of regeneration. With big questions to be answered in the EU’s near future, handing over the negotiation leadership to a Polish politician is telling of the EU’s principles: of bringing benefits to the powerful as well as the weaker member states with the firm belief that together we are stronger, especially with the shadows of the Kremlin and Kiev hanging over the East. It is reassuring that in his acceptance speech of his new position, Tusk pointed out the significance of common sense when facing the EU’s challenges, whilst stressing that imagination is also ‘very important’.

Donald Tusk: A profile Donald Tusk, who will become President of the European Council this December, was until his selection the prime minister of Poland and leader of the centre-right party Civic Platform. Elected as Poland’s PM in 2007, his re-election in 2011 is the only example of a sitting prime minister winning an election in post-communist Poland. Britain renegotiating its relationship with the EU or the election of the Front National in France are amongst the issues Tusk may face in his five year term.

Featurettes ISIS closing in on Syrian-Kurdish city ISIS FORCES WITHIN MILES of the city of Kobani, a Syrian city just a mile from the border with Turkey, also known as Ayn-al Arab. Defended by Syrian Kurdish fighters the People’s Defence Unit (YPG), Kobani is at risk of being captured by ISIS within days. Unlike Syria or Iraq, Turkey has not yet been drawn into a full military conflict with ISIS, in part because Kurdish fighters in northern Syria have insulated Turkey from the war until now. Unless US/UK air strikes repel ISIS it is only a matter of time until Turkey is confronted by the jihadist militia somewhere along its 822 kilometre border with Syria.

Lib Dems turn on Tories: political positioning? THE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT conference in Glasgow has heard Lib Dem ministers and MPs attacking their coalition partners. With only seven months remaining until the general election, the Lib Dems are emphasising the differences between their policies and priorities and those of the Tories. Nick Clegg has accused George Osborne of attempting to balance the books “on the backs of the poor”. Political messaging will be crucial to the Lib Dems at the next election as they attempt to hold on to as many of their seats in parliament as possible.

UKIP to win in Rochester and Strood? THE BY-ELECTION IN LIEU of the defection of Mark Reckless from the Conservatives to UKIP is likely to yield a UKIP victory, according to polling in Rochester and Strood. A Survation Poll for the Mail on Sunday found that UKIP have a ninepoint lead over the Conservatives, 40% to 31% with Labour in third on 25%. The Kent constituency, which Labour held from 1997 to 2010, seems likely to follow Clacton as the second constituency to elect a UKIP MP. The Clacton byelection takes place this Thursday and is widely expected to result in a victory for Douglas Carswell, the UKIP candidate who defected from the Conservatives in August. If you are interested in writing Featurettes for next week’s edition, please email features@thebeaveronline.co.uk

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