Beaver
Issue 835 | 6.10.15
the
Newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union
Give The Beaver A Go 8/10/15 The Venue - 6pm-9pm
Credit: @FuckParadeLDN
SU Break Bye-Laws By Introducing PTO Pay Ellen Wilkie Executive Editor
Protesters congregate outside Shoreditch’s ‘Cereal Killer Cafe’ on Fuck Parade 3
THE STUDENTS’ UNION OF THE London School of Economics (LSE SU) have confirmed to their Part Time Officers (PTOs) that their positions will be paid this year for the first time. This change is breaking the SU Bye-Law that requires amendments to be passed at UGM before being enacted. At time of writing, this information has not been made available to the student body nor has any attempt been made to put this to UGM, despite the introduction of payment already being in motion. The introduction of pay for PTOs would require a change in the SU ByeLaws, which currently do not specify any remuneration for these roles. Similarly, during the 2015 Lent Term elections when these roles were filled, the part time positions were all explicitly advertised in the election information booklet as being voluntary as opposed to paid Sabbatical positions. SU Bye-laws may only be altered by the Trustee Board in accordance with the Articles of Governance, which require that any amendment be passed through UGM. This is stated in Article 6 of the SU Bye-laws. Katie Flynn and Hari Prabu, on behalf of the Democracy Committee, commented that ‘We as a Democracy Committee cannot condone the arbitrary use
of executive power to force through a change that has deep implications for all LSE students. The introduction of salaries for PTOs has the potential to affect the SU’s spending in other areas and as such these changes needed to have been passed democratically through a motion at a UGM. At the moment the changes in essence contradict the defeat of the motion at the end of last year which called for the salaries of the Sabbatical officers to be increased. We strongly urge the Trustees to put a halt to these changes until they receive a democratic mandate from LSE students to introduce them.’ Nona Buckley-Irvine claims that ‘No bye-laws have been broken’. She states that ‘This approach used feedback from volunteers that the Union was asking them to undertake a number of tasks during the week and it affected their ability to undertake part-time work, and was then passed through the Trustee Board alongside other items in the budget... There has been a timing issue as ultimately we would have liked to have advertise pay alongside the Lent Term elections, but due to delays in budget negotiations with the university we were unable to do this’ The policy ‘will be reviewed in April 2016 to understand whether part-time officers feel better supported and widens access to these roles’ Continued on page 6
LSE Fellow Involved In Anti-Gentrification Protest Megan Crockett Managing Editor THE FACT THAT THOSE studying and teaching at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences (LSE) are politically active does not come as much of a surprise. However, on Saturday 26th September, Dr Lisa Mckenzie, an LSE Fellow from the sociology department exercised her right to free speech
and protest when she took part in Fuck Parade 3, a protest that sought to “stand up to gentrification”. The protest took place in East London, with more than five hundred demonstrators peacefully marching through Shoreditch. The group held placards as part of their demonstration, with Dr Mckenzie’s donning the slogan “We must devastate the avenues where the wealthy live”. Devastation did ensue; the
initially peaceful demonstration took a darker turn when it reached Brick Lane, and more precisely, the Cereal Killer Cafe. A small group of protesters threw paint and cereal at the window and wrote the word “scum” on the cafe. In addition, the window of a neighbouring estate agent office was smashed. During the violence a bottle was thrown resulting in injury to a policeman who was later hospitalised. Dr Mckenzie denies taking
part in the violence that was carried out by a small number of individuals. However, Mckenzie did tell the Daily Mail that “I really don’t care about the cafe - I have no feelings on it … I think the people who have run it have had far too much publicity. It [the protest] was about gentrification in East London not about a cafe.” Another defender and attendee of the protest was Simon Elmer who wrote on Facebook,
Comment Features
photo credit: see li photo capital
“Opening a shop that sells children’s cereal for £4 a bowl in a borough in which 49 per cent of the kids are living in poverty is an insult to the thousands of Tower Hamlets residents who have to eat on less than £4 a day”. This seems to be summarise the feelings of the protesters as a whole, as the main purpose of Fuck Parade 3 was to show their contempt at the fact locals Continued on Page 3
photo credit: sirimiri : commonswiki
What if Jeremy US Gun Crime is Corbyn was a woman? spiralling out of control Page 13 Page 28
Room 2.02, Saw Swee Hock Student Centre, LSE Students’ Union London WC2A 2AE Executive Editor Ellen Wilkie
editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk
Managing Editor Megan Crockett
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News Editors Esther Gross Suyin Haynes
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Ellen Wilkie on The Many, Many Problems She Has With The Introduction of PTO Pay
From the Executive Editor EARLIER THIS WEEK I wrote another editorial, alternate to this one that covered my opinions on the state provision of education in the UK, following a discussion I had at the Activism and Campaigns Social on Wednesday. It was neatly laced with fun references to my own Sunderland Comprehensive education (including but not limited to the time where the library was replaced with a unit to home the delinquents and pregnant year sevens, the time that the pool got Legionnaires Disease and the time when they put up a seven metre fence around the perimeter of the school that was sealed with a very large padlock between the hours of 8:30 and 3). I was going to run with that editorial until it came to writing this weeks cover story on the introduction of PTO pay. There are only a few topics that ignite enough passion in me to take me into full rant mode. While I have many pet causes the really big ones are vegetarianism, NorthEast devolution, music that falls under the broad banner of ‘indie’,
communism, the British education system and stupid decisions made by the SU. The PTO pay introduction falls very neatly into the last of those categories. Why, really, would the SU feel the need to break their own byelaws to push through the change, when so few would disagree with the notion that PTOs should be paid anyway? They work tirelessly in very public, very stressful positions with the huge responsibility of representing the student body. Had that student body been asked whether their representatives deserve to be paid they would undoubtedly have voted in favour. What they, or at least I, would not have voted in favour of though, is such a poorly thought through policy. As I mentioned earlier, representing students is highly stressful and time consuming. The seemingly arbitrary contract of four hours per week during term time is unreflective of the day to day responsibilities of a PTO, never mind , for example, the workload of the Anti-Racism or BME Of-
ficer in Black History Month, or the commitment required of the RAG President during Freshers Week. If PTOs actually worked for just the four hours that they have been contracted they would never achieve some of the fantastic things that they do. But really, four hours is well below the workload of any society president, AU Club Captain, Democracy Committee member or indeed Beaver Editor. Why is it that the valuable work done by PTOs is the only work valuable enough to receive remuneration? There are difficult questions that come with the introduction of a salary for PTOs that by undemocratically pushing this change the SU are shirking. We as students have the right to ask these questions, but are not being given the opportunity to by the continued lack of transparency in our union. And for anyone that is interested, I am still surviving without a timetable but do have a Glastonbury ticket so, yknow, swings and roundabouts.
From the Managing Editor Megan Crockett on UGMs, Speakeasies and Annual Bye Law Evasion NOT ONLY DOES THIS week see the first Town Hall Meeting of the year, where the student body gets together to discuss, debate and question the Director, Craig Calhoun, it also sees the first Union General Meeting (UGM) of term. For those of you who don’t know, and are too impatient to discover the definition for yourself, a UGM is a weekly event that takes place every Thursday 1-2pm in the First Floor Cafe in the Saw Swee Hock. If you’re new to the School, or have been shy of student politics up until this point, I think you should make it your challenge this Term to attend at least one! I know debating motions during your Thursday lunch time may not seem incredibly interesting but trust me, it’s a lot more exciting than you may initially suspect.
Now I can’t comment on the First Floor Cafe, as up until this point UGMs have taken place in the Old Theatre, but walking into a UGM, in my mind, is like walking into a speakeasy. There’s a buzz of conspiracy in the air, people flitting about trying their best at last minute persuasion before they take to the stage. I can only imagine that this year students will be surreptitiously eating their packed lunch under the cover of crumb covered , stickier than they really should be, tables, like they were taking swigs of moonshine. Now, I’m not going to lie, UGMs aren’t half as glamorous as a night at a speakeasy, but you should all be in attendance regardless. This week we’ll be debating Free Education, protests and the NUS, all things which will have an impact on your time at LSE.
UGMs are the only space you have as a student to vote on issues that affect you and the Students’ Union (when changes aren’t being forced through evading the bye-laws that is; but trust me, that only happens once a year, so we’re good until 2016)! I’m not going to try and pull the wool over your eyes by saying you’ll totally fit in at your first UGM. I spent my first UGM gawking at all the heckling, applaud and just complete lack of restraint from the majority of the audience. But I will say, if you’re going to embark into student politics, what a better place to start than the LSE? As I’m sure you’ve seen from the front page, LSE is full of politically active, in some cases anarchistic, people. So a weekly debate brings everything you could dream off (of life at LSE anyway).
Editorial Board Vacancies OUR EDITORIAL BOARD is still in need of a few more members before we will have a full team of Beavers. To stand for election you do not need to be a member of The Collective or have any editorial experience, you just need passion for your section and commitment to the paper. The positions we are seeking to fill are as follows: News Editor
x1
Part B Editor
x1
Features Editor
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Sports Editor
x1
Events Officer
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To apply for any of these positions email an 150 word manifesto to collective@thebeaveronline.co.uk. Hustings will be held on Monday 12th October. Applications for these positions close Sunday 11th October. There are also a number of non elected positions which we are recruiting for, that can be seen below. To apply for these, register your interest by emailing editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk. 6x News Staff Writers 3x News Deputy Editors 1x Halls Correspondent (from each hall) 3x Comment Deputy Editors 4x Sports Reporters 1x NAB (Satire) Editor 3x The City Deputy Editor To find out more come to our Give it a Go Session in The Venue at 18:00 on 8.10.15 or email editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk
LSESU RAG @lsesurag Thank you to the 73 people who have come to RAG elections. Also shout out to @ LSEcatering for all the yummy food! George Harrison @canarygeorge People who even think about clapping at the end of lectures need to seriously reevaluate their lives and get in the fucking bin Saanya Gulati @BombayDelhiGirl Keeping it class(room)y at the #LSE Wine Society. #StudentLife #WineAppreciation Tweet us @beaveronline to see your 140 characters in print!
News | 3
LSE Introduces £500,000 Scholarship Funding for Refugees
Rahat Siddique Staff Writer
ON FRIDAY 2 OCTOBER, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) announced it would be increasing the number of scholarships available to asylum seekers and refugees attending the School. Funding will increase to nearly £500,000 annually, improving access to education for students that have been displaced from their homeland. This move comes as a direct response to the refugee crisis, taking place across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The scholarships will cover tuition and the cost of living for refugees that have received an offer from the School, keep-
ing in line with its long history of ‘welcoming refugees’. The LSE has supported refugees after the Second World War, and after the break-up of Yugoslavia. School Director Craig Calhoun commented on the news, stating that “educating such students is part of our commitment to be Britain’s most global university and our mission to bring knowledge to making a better world.” The refugee crisis has affected thousands of people, many of whom have been displaced by war and social unrest in their countries. Scholarships and financial assistance for asylum seekers will mean that education and access to opportunity will not be limited to those from affluent or privi-
leged backgrounds. Although it has been noted that the School can still do more to enable students from disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds to attend the university, the increase in funding for refugee students is a step closer to achieving that change. Universities across the country such as Warwick, SOAS and Edinburgh have also been setting up scholarship funds for refugees in recent weeks. Earlier this summer, the LSE Students’ Union (LSESU) ran an emergency appeal, collecting donations from the public to be dropped off to refugees in Calais with an overwhelming response. LSE students also attended the National Day of Action in soli-
darity with refugees, to show student support for those that have been forced to flee their homes. The Careers Department has also been providing information and guidance to students that would like to help and volunteer for the crisis. Later this year, LSE’s Institute for Global Affairs will be hosting a conference on migration, to raise awareness, while also discussing ways policymakers can help tackle the current crisis. The collective action from the School and the SU has been welcomed by students, and it is hoped that more universities will follow suit in ensuring access to education does not affect those that have had to flee their homes due to domestic conflict.
Section Editors: Esther Gross Suyin Haynes Deputy Editors: Vacant
LSE Fellow Involved in AntiGentrification Protest Continued from Page 1
Britain who will share the little they have.” It seems that Dr Mckenzie is not shy in voicing her opinion, although it seems to be delivered in a very provocative manner. The Beaver spoke to Fekaiki with regards to Dr Mckenzie’s latest campaign, she told The Beaver’ “I’m totally against gentrification and I stand with the protestors who will fight against the forcing out of the local residents. However I will not accept Lisa McKenzie’s racialised rhetoric and analysis that only considers the pushing out of white working class residents. She has a racist approach that sees the silencing of the struggle of non-white working class residents that have lived in east london since the late 19th
century and chooses to pit one vulnerable community against another instead of looking at the bigger picture of the tory government’s austerity implications and privatisation of these areas.” Following the events that transpired at Fuck Parade 3’s protest last week, there was speculation that another protest would take place on Sunday 4th October at the Jack the Ripper Museum. The protest was due to take place to accuse the museum of glorifying sexual violence but was cancelled as the “Class War” group believed that going through with it would put activists at risk of arrest and also would hijack the message underpinning the protest.
News
...being forced out amid the “gentrification” of the area. Dr Mckenzie told the Evening Standard that businesses such as the cafe were “ruining the mosaic of life” in East London and perpetuating a form of “social cleansing”. The Beaver approached Dr Mckenzie for comment on the protest but under the advice of the LSE Press Office she withheld comment. This is not the first time this academic year that Dr Mckenzie has come under fire. The Students’ Union (SU) Community and Welfare Officer, Aysha Fekaiki, took to Facebook in response to an article written
by Mckenzie published in The Guardian in September. She wrote, “LSE academic Lisa Mckenzie gives a racist analysis to the refugee crisis and how it will affect the white working class the most in Britain… It’s our anti-austerity government’s problem not the iraqis and syrians fleeing the violence.” Fekaiki then went on to question, “how does she claim to be part of the left?” In the article entitled, “The refugee crisis will hit the UK’s working class areas hardest”, Mckenzie concluded that “While the wealthy and powerful make grand gestures of buying island and giving homes, and the liberal left offer their spare rooms, in reality it will be the working-class people of
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Tuesday October 6, 2015
LSESU FemSoc Become Intersectional Feminist Society And Elect New Committee Martha Van Bakel IFemSoc LGBT+ Officer
THE LSESU INTERSECTIONAL Feminist Society’s name change vote at the recent AGM was one of many of the society’s exciting commitments towards intersectional feminism and accessibility. The new president, Fathia Begum, is the first BME president in over 6 years and leads the first ever allBME executive committee. The turnout at Friday’s AGM was 66 members and the name change vote – from the previous title of Feminist Society – was the first item on the agenda. One of the main arguments for the change was that it reflects and reinforces the society’s work over the past year to increase the focus on intersectional feminism, with a message that is now arguably clearer than ever. Other changes to the society’s constitution included the creation of two new committee positions: Disability Officer and Interfaith Officer, after the scrapping of the position of Events Officer. Again, both of these positions were designed to increase the accessibility and representation within the society. The Disability Officer’s role is intended to increase the visibility
of disabled people, where the society had previously been dominated by able-bodied people. People of all faiths are encouraged to participate with the support of the Interfaith Officer, whose role reflects the diverse beliefs and needs of feminists. I-FemSoc also voted to introduce bi-termly discussion groups; a measure designed to encourage participation among the members of the society and enable newcomers to engage with feminist ideas in a supportive and open environment. The discussion groups will be attended and led by committee members but are intended for all to join. The new I-FemSoc executive committee is composed entirely of BME women. All four representatives expressed in their election speeches that they felt that the society had become far more open over the past year, but equally stressed their commitment to increasing BME participation in I-FemSoc activities and events to continue the positive trend. Promisingly, 75% of the current committee members are BME. The full 2015-16 committee is as follows: President: Fathia Begum Vice President: Cat Brooker Secretary: Malvika Jaganmohan
Treasurer: Purvaja Kavattur Disability Officer: Ellen CooperTydeman LGBT+ Officer: Martha van Bakel First Year Officer: Natasha Glendening Intersectionality Officer: Pascâlle Palmer Social Media Officer: Naomi Tawiah
BME Officer: Sherelle Davids Postgraduate Officer: Ashley Paige Ally Outreach Officer: Kim Ayoung Intersectionality Officer Pascâlle Palmer told The Beaver: “‘it’s great to see the FemSoc community committed to our being an inclusive society”. Members and non-members alike are welcome to contact members of the com-
mittee if they have any questions or suggestions. The position of Interfaith Officer remains open if anyone wishes to put themselves forwards for this role. Equally there is the potential to split the LGBT+ role and elect a Trans Officer – anyone who is interested in standing for this role may run for it anonymously if they prefer to protect their gender identity.
LSE Drops Four Places in The Times University Rankings James Clark Undergraduate Student
Photo credit:LSE Memes
THE TIMES AND THE SUNDAY Times have recently released their rankings for 2016, with the London School of Economics (LSE) falling 4 places from fifth to ninth resulting in the University of Surrey raising above LSE to eighth place this year. This follows a drop in LSE’s ranking in the Guardian’s University 2016 rankings, in which a drop of 5 places occurred. However whilst the Guardians rankings refer to the National Student Survey (NSS) of 2014, The Times uses the most recent NSS of 2015, in which the LSE’s student satisfaction has dropped 5 points behind the national average. LSESU General Secretary Nona Buckley-Irvine said, when asked about the rankings, “Unfortunately when it comes to the student experience, LSE is rife with complacency. We saw a drop in satisfaction last year and yet very little action was taken to address it. The issues are diverse and wide ranging but it is time for the LSE to step up and actually put students first.”
But it is not just the Sabbatical Officers who are unimpressed with the scores and the ranking. LSE Memes covered the rankings, culminating in their Facebook post asking “How Long is the Administration going to ignore this?” and stating, “our teaching and student experience scores are in the tank”. Comments on the post ask whether the School will try to address the problems causing these scores, such as improving the teaching experience, and problems with staff doing their jobs. The LSE is the only university in the top 10 of the Times Good University Guide rankings with a NSS rate under 80%. Pro-Director for Teaching and Learning Paul Kelly commented on National Student Satisfaction results that “each department must now develop a tailored strategy, using the NSS results, to ensure they are effectively responding to the needs of their student”. It remains to be seen whether or not the LSE can use these teaching improvements to combat both the drop in satisfaction overall and to address the problems experienced by minority groups at LSE.
Occupy LSE Make Their Return To Campus Suyin Haynes News Editor OCCUPY LSE HAS STARTED this academic year with a bang, holding their first workshop in Week 1, and making their presence known at the Banking and Financial Services Careers Fair on Thursday 1 October. The first workshop was attended by around 40 students in a relaxed environment, where introductions were made both between old and new members of the movement and what the action the movement took towards the end of the last academic year. It was explained that the occupation of the Vera Anstey Suite in the Old Building took place over a period of six weeks, campaigning for a liberated and non-hierarchical space operat-
ing on the basis of free education and collectively run through democratic consensus. The Occupation ended after achievement of nine demands made in agreement with School Director Craig Calhoun, including initiatives such as full availability of lectures to the public and creation of a permanent political space for students to exchange ideas. During the workshop, participants split into breakout groups to share experiences and discuss ideas based around the themes of Graduate Teaching Assistant salaries, cuts to maintenance grants, elitism and grading systems, and campaigning for corporations off campus. A founding member of the Occupy LSE movement from last year told The Beaver that the meeting was arranged in order to bring together those involved last year and for new
students across the university to get involved: “although we are no longer in occupation, we wanted to continue to organise and meet as a group committed to fighting for free education, through structures that are non-hierarchical and engage people in direct, participatory forms of politics. We are helping to organise an anti-freshers’ fair next week in Bloomsbury, and also have some ideas around challenging corporations on campus and campaigning to overcome the barriers to international students.” Anna, a First Year Social Anthropology student, commented that “it’s exciting to be part of something like this, this is what being a student is about - mobilising and taking action.” The group made their presence and commitment to action known the following day at the Banking and Financial Services Fair organ-
ised by LSE Careers with a banner emblazoned with the message: “28% of LSE graduates go into the City, we are the 72%: end corporate culture now!”. A member spoke to The Beaver at the Fair and stated that the purpose of Occupy’s presence there was “to provide an antidote to the corporate and internship driven culture here at LSE...we’re trying to challenge the corporate presence and the culture they create here. We decided to talk to people rather than go in or chant and shut the whole thing down, mainly because a lot of the people here are first years and have had their friends tell them they ought to go. We are a group who want to bring about a more liberated, more democratic change, and free education both in the financial sense and free from the influence of institutions of power.”
New Room Booking System To Launch After Frustrating Delay Kallum Pearmain Staff Writer
THE LSE STUDENT UNION Room booking system for societies will soon be in operation, with online training now available for societies and clubs. Over the summer, the SU designed the new online training modules for society committee members, and worked with LSE Room Bookings to launch a new online system, Resource Booker, that will hopefully make things easier for students to book rooms and keep track of timetables in one accessible place. Due to technical difficulties, there was a delay in the opening of the site, but LSESU Activities and Development Office Katie Budd, has advised all clubs and societies that the system should be up and running by the end of this week.
The delay came at a time of other administrative errors that proved disruptive at the beginning of term, namely the delay in the publication of personal student timetables. With the new LSESU system and room booking procedure, societies are required to have at least 20 members signed up in order to be able to book a room and complete the online training, and will only be granted room booking privileges if the society President, Secretary and Treasurer have completed the compulsory modules and the room booking module. Until the site is fully up and running, the LSE Room Bookings team will be processing requests, although clubs and societies are advised not to use this method unless absolutely urgent. For more information, contact Katie Budd at Su.Activitiesdevelopment@ lse.ac.uk.
News | 5
London Uni Roundup
KING’S COLLEGE London Student Union have launched a series of events to mark Black History Month, led by students. Events throughout the month include Black Voices: a night of Black performances, a soul night and The Black History of Comedy Show. Listings can be found via the KCLSU twitter, @kclsu.
MONEYSUPERMARKET. com, the price comparison website, has named UCL as the worst value for money university in the UK for the second year in a row. The results are based on accommodation prices, the cost of student essentials and insurance. In 201415, UCL came 75th out of 113 surveyed universities for student satisfaction in whatuni.com’s league table, and 104th for student support.
LEAKED DOCUMENTS at SOAS this week have revealed that the university’s management have drawn up plans to cut 184 ‘redrated’ courses; cutting over a quarter of undergraduate courses. In a statement by SOAS Students’ Union, it is claimed that the documents were sent to Heads of Department without any prior consultation of either students or staff. The statement is also highly critical of the “market-driven, unaccountable management”. A Union General Meeting will be held on Thursday 8th October to discuss the matter further.
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Tuesday October 6, 2015
RAG Elect New Committee and Select Charities For the Year
Kallum Pearmain Staff Writer
THE 29TH SEPTEMBER saw Raising and Giving (RAG) hold their Annual General Meeting (AGM) in the First Floor Cafe in the Saw Swee Hock. Eight people were elected into Committee Positions, with approximately eighty five people in attendance, voting for said positions. The first of the five positions elected were the two RAG on Tour Officers, with Sarah Thomas and Anurag Chandrasekhar successfully elected for the position. The attendees of the AGM then had to decide who their RAG Week Officers would be; they decided on James Bonner and Saaber Fatehi. Two RAG Hitchhike Officers also needed to be elected. The two successful candidates were Henry Eshel and Valentin Wiesner. The attendees of the AGM decided that Gemma Edom would be RAG’s new Campaigns Officer and Abbie True the new Tough Guy Officer. The position of Postgraduate Officer was also up for election, but sadly no candidates stood for the position.
It was not only their AGM that RAG members were voting for this week. As well as electing new committee members, RAG opened elections for their three charities on Tuesday; looking to elect a local, national and international charity. Voters were given a choice of eleven charities in total, three local, four national and four international. The vote was open to the whole student body. The local charity who won the most votes was St Mungo’s
Broadway, a homeless charity and a housing association who claim they are “rebuilding lives, day by day”. As a charity they provide a bed and support to more than 2,500 people a night who are either homeless or at risk, and works to prevent homelessness. In total they help about 25,000 people a year. Papyrus was chosen as RAG’s national charity this year. Papyrus “exists to give young people hope and to pre-
vent young suicide”. Every year thousands of young people contemplate suicide with over 1,600 actually taking their own lives; that is only in the United Kingdom. Finally, it was Farm Africa who was chosen by students to be RAG’s international charity for the coming year. Farm Africa works directly with farmers to help them “unleash their potential to feed Africa’s people”. In 2014, Farm Africa reached 1.4 million people in
Student Led Political Journal To Be Launched Eleanor Buxton UPR Social Media and Outreach Officer
T H I S AC A D E M I C Y E A R sees the birth of a new journal hitting campus; the London School of Economics Undergraduate Political Review (LSEUPR); the first undergraduate political journal. The Journal seeks to provide the opportunity for undergraduates to engage in political discussion via their blog, as well as seeing their research published in a peer-reviewed academic journal. The LSEUPR blog, which can be accessed at http://blogs. lse.ac.uk/lseupr, will be a space to engage with specific issues, debates or current affairs, with articles ranging from seven hundred and fifty to one thousand two hundred and fifty words. Articles will be uploaded to the blog weekly, in the hopes that this will produce a creative and dynamic platform for debate. As well as the blog, LSEUPR will also be publishing a
monthly journal which seeks to provide undergraduates who have taken on more extensive research a platform to publish their work. The LSEUPR team are looking for original insight and academic rigour in pieces between four thousand and six thousand words. To maximise their reach within the LSE Community, the LSEUPR team are liaising with the Teaching and Learning Centre and the LSE100 team. The LSEUPR team is comprised entirely of undergraduate students in editorial, administrative and outreach positions; they also represent a wide range of Departments which they hope to see mirrored in a diverse group of students submitting work. The LSEUPR welcome submissions that represent any and all voices and are committed to comprehensive representation, inclusivity and equality of access. With “the political” as a multifaceted concept, LSEUPR suggest they employ Robert Dahl’s definition to understand to understand it to refer to institutions, systems, practices,
or patterns of human behaviour that involve power, rule or authority. They also suggest they “see politics to transcend the boundaries of political science and to lend itself to multidisciplinary approaches, both empirical and theoretical”, welcoming submissions that engage with any subject matter political in nature. The LSEUPR are looking to recruit a Library Relations Officer, who will be responsible for managing the archiving of submissions and maintaining communications with Library Services. You can find out more about the position via the LSEUPR Facebook Page. The team will be out on Sheffield Street in Week Three of Michaelmas Term, Tuesday and Thursday between eleven and three, for students to get to know the team and discuss any ideas you may have. If you have any questions, get in touch with LSEUPR via their email lseupr@lse.ac.uk, their Facebook page, facebook. com/lseupr. Alternatively, you can tweet them, @lseupr #LSEUPR.
Eastern Africa. This year, with the help of RAG and other donations, they hope to be even closer to ending hunger and poverty permanently. James Wurr, RAG President, told The Beaver, “I’m really looking forward to working with all three of our chosen charities. I’m sure they will support us well with our fundraising and hopefully we can raise significant amounts for each. Also I’d like to say thanks to all the students who voted!”
SU Break Bye-Laws By Introducing PTO Pay Continued from the Cover The introduction of salary to these roles has been made with the intention of eliminating the need for a part time job alongside a time consuming position as a student representative. The rate of pay for PTOs will be £9.15 per hour, contracted for four hours per week during term time. Alex Leung, LGBT Officer for the 2014/15 academic year commented that ‘I am happy that PTO’s work is being recognised. From my experience last year, I worked at least 15+ hours per week, sometimes up to 30.’ Mark Malik, Disabled Students Officer for the 2014/15 session added that ‘Being a PTO is a huge time commitment and can mean that students do not have the opportunity to undertake paid work during their studies..It is right that PTOs receive some form of monetary compensation for their time so that students from all backgrounds can have the opportunity to participate. Whether this scheme is the best way to achieve this is an open question.’ The introduction of pay for PTOs
has come with the condition that regular accountability reports on PTOs will be provided. Mark Malik also stated that ‘PTOs should be held to greater scrutiny so that the Union retains the faith and support of the student body’. The uniformity of the pay rate does not reflect the uniformity of the workload of PTOs in the past, with visible disparity between the productivity of Officers. For this reason, accountability reports will need to be thorough in order to ensure that the pay is deserved. A third year student reflected that ‘the introduction of pay for PTOs is a step in the right direction for the SU’s recognition of its students efforts. The rate of pay offered, however, is hardly representative of the work that has been done by some PTOs in the past, but also drastically more than is deserved by some other former PTOs. By making this a salaried position, the SU have raised the question of what work deserves remuneration, when so many students on campus work long hours in aid of the SU for no pay.’
One State Reality, Two State Utopia? A Debate on the Future of Palestine Fazeela Jahangir Undergraduate Student
THE LSESU GRIMSHAW Club and the Politics and Forum Society co- hosted a debate on the future of Palestine on the Thursday 1st October, entitled ‘One State Reality/ Two State Utopia?’ featuring six panel speakers with diverse backgrounds and opinions. The motion debated was whether a single state comprising of both the Israelis and Palestinians was the ideal solution to the future of the region. Supporting the motion were Ghada Kharmi from Exeter University and advisor to Palestinian authorities, Caroline Rooney from the University of Kent and Jonny Neuman, an LSE graduate in International Political Economy and now a writer on Israel, religion and politics. Opposing the hypothesis was Yiftah Curiel, head spokesman of the Israel embassy in London, John Lyndon, Executive Director of the One Voice Movement and Sabah Choudhry, a third year Anthropology Student Activist from SOAS. Professor Chandran Kukathas from the LSE Government department chaired the event. Ghada Kharmi was first from the proposition to speak. Her main argument was that although in theory Israel and Palestine were understood as two different states, in reality the situation was one of a single but an apartheid state. Israeli incursions over the years have left strips of land, namely the West Bank and Gaza with the Palestinians that are, however, too small and geographically divided to create a meaningful state. Ms. Rooney adopted a similar stance and added that a single Arab Israeli state, like post- apartheid
South Africa is a realist and not an idealist utopia. Mr. Neuman was the final speaker in favour of the motion and provided arguments that the majority of the audience found radical and even prompted fits of snickering as the debate proceeded. He held the view that the Arabs ought to be punished for having intended to kill Israelis in the 1967 war through the surprise attack of five Arab countries upon the lone state, simultaneously, thus arguing that it was in line with justice that the Palestinians be denied a separate state as punishment. The supporters of the Two State Solution argued their case vehemently with the overall outlook more focused on the future than history. The first to speak was Mr. Curiel who argued that forming a single state paves the way for a future civil war as has erupted in Syria between the Druze and the Sunnis. He added that the majority of the actors (i.e. Israelis and Palestinians) as well as key players in the negotiation process such as the US and the UN also supported this solution. Sabah began by presenting a case study of a farmer, which she witnessed while on research, whose house was bombed after he refused to sell his land for money. Last to speak was John Lyndon, pronounced most charismatic and the favourite speaker by many members of the audience for the day. He used statistics from recent surveys to prove the point made by Curiel earlier that people in the region from both nationalities loathe to envision a future together as a single state. He further argued that the Arabs and the Zionists have a very heightened sense of their nationalities, dominated by sym-
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News In Brief LSE Launches PhD Academy
bolism (flags, religious symbols and so on) and are much more antagonistic blocs than any European comparisons that are drawn, for example,. between the Irish and English. Therefore, local solutions cannot simply be transplanted or forced upon the region of Palestine where the dynamics aren’t identical. On the other hand, a single state will be characterised by an entrenched economic difference, as the Israeli GDP as of now is twenty times more than that of the Palestinians, further lending to division. The floor was opened for questions. The most repeated and yet unanswered question was what form of constitution and democracy the unified state would form, if there was to be one. The audience were also keen to learn how the West Bank and Gaza would form a single state when they were geographically divided by Israel in between and were moreover ruled by different and unfriendly political parties (citing the example of Pakistan and Bangladesh that split in 1971). A vote was taken at the end of the debate, where only two members of the audience supported a sin-
gle state solution, the majority voted for a two state outcome following peace negotiations, and some members some abstained. The organisers were pleased by the turnout at their event and the audience was glad that the debate had been well meaning and purposeful. It was futuristic in outlook and gave both sides a fair chance to express their views. The mixed panel of Israel and Palestine sympathisers for both sides of the motion clearly showed that there was still hope for both parties to discuss something meaningful at similar yet higher levels of negotiations. John Lyndon was zealous about welcoming student interns, especially first years at the One Voice Movement. One Voice is an international grassroots movement that amplifies views on this issue from both sides of the spectrum and will hopefully continue to play the role as a positive agent as it has in the past. With the positioning of the Palestinian flag at the UNHQ and based upon the debate and reactions at this event, it seems all the more likely that a two state solution is being cemented for the future.
A NEW PHD ACADEMY opened at LSE today provides doctoral students with a specially designed space that includes a common room, a teaching room and central services all in one location for the first time in the School’s 120-year history. PhD Academy Director Professor Linda Mulcahy said the bespoke space will be a central point for professional development and advanced methodology training, career sessions and other events delivered by LSE experts. A formal launch of the PhD Academy will also be held on Tuesday 27 October.
CASE Study shows London Schools are Improving LESS THAN A QUARTER
(22%) of children on free school meals in inner London obtained five or more A*–C grades at GCSE or their equivalent (including English and Maths) in 2002. In 2013, this had risen to almost half (48%). New work, published by researchers associated with the Centre for Social Exclusion (CASE) at LSE and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), concludes that the improved performance largely reflects gradual improvements in school quality over time. Improvements in primary schools played a major role in explaining later improvements in secondary schools.
London Housing Crisis for Graduates FEWER THAN SIX PER CENT of new graduates who move to London come from the most disadvantaged 20 per cent of UK neighbourhoods, according to a report by LSE London for the Sutton Trust. In contrast 42 per cent come from the most advantaged 20 per cent of UK neighbourhoods. For many of the UK’s top jobs, London is the place to be, but young people, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds, are being priced out of the housing market.High housing demand has left many young graduates caught in a housing trap, where rising private rents leave them unable to save for a deposit. To make sure that working and living in London is a realistic goal for bright young graduates from all backgrounds, the Sutton Trust and the authors of the report are urging candidates in the 2016 mayoral election to consider innovative and new types of housing schemes to address the supply-side problem.
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Tuesday 6 October, 2015
What Does Black His TO MARK THE BEGINNING of this year’s Black History Month, we here at The Beaver asked some prominent BME students on campus to answer the question ‘What does Black History Month mean to you?’, encouraging them to draw on their own personal memories, experiences and opinions on the value of the month. This proved a fascinating insight into the continued value of Black History Month both to BME and non-BME students. Black History Month has gone from having little to no significance on campus last year to being a large scale event programme this year, that celebrates not only Black History Month but also Black Her-story Month. This follows the ‘Why is my curriculum white?’ and ‘Operation Liberation’ campaigns which were unavoidable in the last academic year. Turn to page 23 of this newspaper for the full events schedule for Black History Month, and if you want to report on what happened at one of them then email your story to news@thebeaveronline.co.uk. At the end of Black History Month we will be printing the first ever Blackout edition of The Beaver. This means that as much as possible the paper will be written and edited by politically black students. If you’re interested in getting involved with this, send an email to editor@thebeaveronline. co.uk, and we’ll find a place for you!
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Esohe Uwadiae Debate Society Committee ONE OF THE EARLIEST memories I have of Black History Month is sitting with my dad as he told me about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Whilst my parents never hid from me the fact that racism had existed to such an extent, I couldn’t properly conceive of the world like that and there was a profound disconnect from my history. My most re-defining memory of Black History Month was being 13 and sitting in a class full of year 8’s watching Roots. Several boys in my class laughed as Kunta Kinte was caught and shipped to America in the bowels of a ship and afterwards they re-enacted the scene where Kunta Kinte, re-named Toby, had his foot cut off after he failed
“Though they were technically strangers to one another, they were connected in their shared struggle, and I too was connected to them in this shared history of ours.”
to escape. They laughed and laughed and laughed and each one pierced me as though I was the subject of their amusement. I didn’t really understand my feelings until this scene where one of the captured men directed the others to learn their neighbour’s language. Though they were technically strangers to one another, they were connected in their shared struggle, and I too was connected to them in this shared history of ours. Black History Month is a painful reminder of what it meant to be ‘black’ and what it continues to mean to be ‘black’. Once a year, society gathers to pay respect to the history of a people so badly abused we still carry the scars today. In the past, whilst these scars were tangible manifestations of hate embedded into the skin of my people, nowadays, these scars are mostly intangible. But that does not mean they should be ignored or the pain they cause those who bear them diminished. That is why Black History Month is so important; it reminds us that we are still in the process of making history, that we have the power to make history. For this reason, Black History Month, to me, is also a time of empowerment. Living in a white, Eurocentric society is hard and tiring. We are not taught the full history or shown the full achievements of our people. Rather than learning about Hatshepsut or Nefertiti and the literal ways in which they were revolutionary for their times, we memorised the names of Henry VIII’s six wives and sang the song that dictated how they met their ends. In the media, we are not shown people who look like us unless they are notorious or conform to
an expected standard and then we are forced to watch how they are turned into some form of trophy, paraded around to show ‘how far things have come’ (or do you think people only voted for Obama for his policies?) It constantly feels like things will never be okay enough and that we should give up and accept that this is as good as it gets. However, Black History Month is a time where I feel strong enough and hopeful enough to stand up and say ‘Look at where we have come from. Look at what we have accomplished. Though there is more to do, we can do it’. It is a time that makes me believe that we do not have to settle for society as it is. I am able to hope that there can be more than this.
“Black History Month is so important because it reminds us that we are still in the process of making history; that we have the power to make history.” In response to the question what does Black History Month mean to me, the answer can only be everything. It is a month to remember the history of that which defines the parameters of my existence but to also remember that it defines me only as much as I let it. It is a month to remember what strength and sacrifice look like and I am given the motivation to continue to act, to challenge and to change. It is also a month of gratefulness to those people who paved the way so my life can be what it is.
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tory Month Mean To You? Mahatir Pasha BME Officer “IF A RACE HAS NO HISTORY, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated…” Historian Carter G. Woodson announced these powerful words at the launch of his event Negro History Week. In 1926, what we now know as Black History Month was restricted to the second week of February and then known as Negro History Week. Leaders of Black United Students at Kent State University first proposed the expansion of the week into a month in 1969. This was followed by the first celebration of Black History Month in 1970.
“One of my greatest disappointments is that prior to university, I have never been exposed to black history.” The United States government officially recognised the
informal expansion of Black History Week into Black History Month as a part of the United States Bicentennial in 1976. Through the leadership of Ghanaian analyst Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, Black History Month was first celebrated in the UK in 1987 and later became a national institution. And by 1995, Canada also joined in on the celebrations. Black History month is now a worldwide phenomenon and is indispensable for the comprehensive development of everyone. One of my greatest disappointments is that prior to university, I have never been exposed to enough black history. Perhaps nowadays schools across the country are better at celebrating Black History Month or integrating black history into the syllabus, but my pre-university education was an abysmal in this regard. I want to be able to say ‘in this year, at this tender age, when my teacher told me about Rosa Parks or Nelson Mandela I felt inspired’, but I can’t. The only thing I seem to remember learning in history is about empires, colonialism, the brutal world wars and the USA. When asked to write this article, I was asked to write about a memory about Black History Month. Unfortunately I don’t have one now, but I can surely say, after this month, I’ll have a memory that will die with me. Jasmina, Damien, particularly Aysha and I have been working tirelessly on putting together the biggest and best ever Black History Month the LSESU has ever seen! Black History Month is important in a number of ways. Learning about figures of
Black history not only informs us about the successes of the Black race but it lets everyone, in particular today’s black population, feel a strong sense of empowerment. These figures include Martin Robinson Delany (an abolitionist, writer, doctor and one of the first black people to be admitted into Harvard Medical School), Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Civil Rights leaders and electrifying orators, Mansa Musa (emperor of the Malian Empire and said to be the richest man ever to live).
“Let this great month allow us to enjoy some of the world’s richest history, but let it also empower us to fight for the changes we want to see, both at LSE and around the world. ” Though this great month is a time for celebration and appreciation, it also acts as a robust reminder that there still exists a struggle in the BME community. Let this great month allow us to enjoy some of the world’s richest history, but let it also empower us to fight for the changes we want to see, both at LSE and around the world. “Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jasmina Bidé Anti-Racism Officer THERE’S A HUGE responsibility on the shoulders of Black History Month, and any of its organisers or participants. So broad and complex are the scopes of “Blackness” and “History” respectively; so small and limiting the confines of a month, I find it incredible any consensus is ever reached on how to approach October. But consensus we must have if we are to make the most of this space in which we permit ourselves to proudly, unashamedly place the words “Black”, “Power”, “Anger”, “Excellence”, “Injustice” and “Beauty”, among others, in the same sentence without raising eyebrows. Consensus is necessary if we are to build upon this space and use it to move forward into the Black Present. This year the LSE Students Union’s Black History Month events, although varied and original, share an overriding theme of celebration and empowerment to them. Of course, there will be much stimulating, serious and significant discussion on the state of Blackness both globally and in the UK specifically, whether in terms of popular culture or academia (see ACS “Black Ascent debate” or the
“decolonise your mind” lecture for more on this). However, it is clear that through this Month’s events there is a general slant towards challenging the lasting effects of what I think of as “A Lack of Black History” through empowerment, and recognising the very real, if often forgotten, “Black History” through celebration. Dance classes, public speaking workshops and an exhibition celebrating the achievements of LSE’s black women are all testament to this broad theme. This is important. This is necessary. This must happen. However, one of my qualms with this month is that within the consensus, the big events, the broad themes and, yes, celebration, there is hardly any space for the ‘little’ Black Histories. These are the small and seemingly disconnected stories which together, in their invisibility, fail to mould our consciousness adequately and challenge what we know about history and thus the present. So, in honour of Black History, here are two of my favourite ‘little’ histories I think we should all know about. Happy Black History Month. The liberation of France was led by a largely Black FrenchSenegalese force, only to be white-washed as the force neared Paris. For the photo-op and “public morale” apparently. Women were as important and present as Black men in Civil Rights movements the world over, from South Africa to America to Britain. However, it is often men who were physically visible on the front lines of these, shaping the way we historically understand and celebrate the important figures and politics of these movements.
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Tuesday October 6, 2015
Say No to PTO Pay Proposal
PTO Pay is undemocratic, unfair and unreflective of real PTO workload James Wurr RAG President AS RAG PRESIDENT AND a Part Time Officer it might seem strange that I believe that PTOs shouldn’t be paid for the work that we do. It is undeniable that we as a collective group put in a huge amount of work which deserves rewarding. Julia Ryland (AU President) has spent hours this summer dealing with the lack of AU sponsorship, Jasmina Bidé has put on an incredible Black History Month programme with Mahatir Pasha and all other PTOs have begun work on their campaigns for the year. However, money isn’t everything and pay from the Students’ Union is not the best way to reward our PTOs for several reasons. Firstly, as explained to me by the General Secretary, the main point of paying PTOs is to reward them for the hard work they do as the time commitment prevents them from getting a part time job. The way the SU has calculated this pay is ludicrous due to the annual pay and the number of hours. The total amount paid to PTOs over the year will be approximately £1,200. When divided over the entire year, this will average out to around £25 a week. This is nowhere near enough to be classified as a substitute to a part time job which normally brings
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Section Editor: Mali Williams Deputy Editors: Vacant
in excess of £100 a week. In addition, PTOs are only going to be paid for 4 hours a week for 32 weeks of the year, totalling 128 hours. Even before the first week of term, I personally have already put in over 400 volunteer hours over summer including 74 in Welcome Week alone. By using this method of calculating PTO pay, the SU is undervaluing the work that we put in. If we are going to pay PTOs, now or in the future, we should at least pay them fairly. Secondly, paying PTOs opens a can of worms as to who else should be paid. I am a society President who is also elected to the SU Exec, so this raises the question as to why I should be paid and no other society or club leaders. Examples of this injustice includes Ellen Wilkie, the editor of the Beaver who puts approximately 50 hours of work a week into every issue and sees no financial reward for it or AU Club Captains who have dealt with an incredible amount of crap this summer and again have seen little reward. Alternatively, why don’t we pay other elected officials such as the Trustee Board, the AU Exec or members of the Democracy Committee. All of the students in these positions put an incredible amount of hard work in each and every week and yet they won’t receive any pay. In addition, being paid puts me in an extremely awkward and diffi-
cult position with the rest of my RAG Committee. For example, Julia Lawson-Johns (RAG VP Events) put in approximately 250 volunteering hours over the summer to achieve the success of the RAG Pack, which raised £25,000 for charity, and yet I am the one being paid for it. Paying the SU Exec negates the huge amount of effort put into campus life by a whole host of other students. Thirdly, the way that the SU has passed through the pay is undemocratic and opaque. The scheme was passed by the Trustee Board, during its June meeting, in the SU budget for the year, a full 5 months ago. Yet there has been no announcement made to the student body who will see money taken from other areas of the SU budget in order to accommodate our pay. In addition, although, under the current Bye-Laws, the Trustee Board can introduce PTO Pay, it must be ratified by a Union General Meeting, something which hasn’t happened showing the undemocratic nature of its implementation. In addition, the current SU Exec was elected based on the fact that they were volunteers rather than paid employees. Surely, this should have been a part of the voters decision when attempting to make up their mind who to vote for. The SU’s actions have been entirely opaque and undemocratic and if PTO pay is to be imple-
mented, we should gauge the opinion of the student body first through a UGM. Finally, it also disappoints me that the Students Union have prioritised paying PTOs over introducing a full-time Postgraduate Officer as the reason which I have quoted for them remaining part-time is due to a lack of funding. Once again basic maths tells us that if we took all the PTOs’ pay for the next year it would total £12,000. If we add this to the salary of the part time Postgraduate Officer (elected in MT) of £14,000 we have a total of £26,000, only £2,000 away from the current sabbatical officer pay. For a university with over 6,000 Postgrad students to only have a parttime representative in the Sabbatical team is a disgrace and something which needs rectifying quickly. The idea to pay PTOs is a good one in principle but should not be implemented in reality especially seeing as the SU has handled the situation itself horrendously. Not only has there been no communication with students about the scheme but the pay itself severely downplays the huge number of hours which the SU Exec put in. When combined with the debate about who else the SU should now pay and the lack of funding for a full-time Postgraduate Officer, there is a clear case against introducing PTO pay.
No Limits Nona Needs To Know Her Limits How PTO pay contravenes our student democracy Josh Hitchens Undergraduate Student
LAST YEAR, WHILE opposing the increase in Sabbatical Officers’ salary, I argued that the money would be better spent paying Part Time Officers to reflect the amount of work they do and the contribution they make to our Students’ Union. I also campaigned for Nona during last year’s election. Therefore, it’s fair to say that I didn’t anticipate proposing a motion to block her introducing PTO pay just a few months later. However, that is exactly what I and another proponent of PTO pay are now doing. The issue is not whether or not part time officers should be paid for their work, there seems to be an almost universal acceptance that they should. The issue isn’t the rate of pay either, that is a matter for the SU and
the PTOs. The issue is the total disregard for the SU’s byelaws, conventions and indeed members shown by Nona and the Trustee Board. Not only was the issue (contrary to the byelaws) not put to a UGM, but it is only good fortune that this paper or indeed anyone else heard about it. If it were not for the Part Time Officers sharing news of their pay increase, the student body would be none the wiser. Instead, the General Secretary has surreptitiously pushed a motion through the Trustee Board without letting a single member, who will ultimately pay for the increase, know. This deliberate secrecy and contravention of the bye-laws by the Trustee Board and General Secretary shows a contempt for the students that will ultimately be paying for the PTO pay. Sadly, this isn’t a new way of operating under the current SU leadership. The whole debacle has clear similarities
to the sorry ‘student council’ saga at the start of last year. In that miserable episode it was only as a result of being told by a fresher that this paper and the wider student body were able to discover Nona’s plan to radically change the SU’s constitution. Fortunately the sheer weight of student opinion on the matter has, for the moment, put the student council idea to bed. In order to maintain the democratic credentials of our union we must now take a similar stand over the PTO pay issue. PTOs should be paid and I have no doubt that they will be paid. However, the decision must be made democratically an in line with the Union rules following a reasoned and wide debate encapsulating the whole student community. In the meantime we need to show we show certain Sabbs that there aren’t ‘no limits’ to the General Secretary’s powers on campus.
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Vote to Support National Student Protest Take a stand against student fees and cuts to maintenance grants in this week’s UGM Deborah Hermanns Postgraduate Student
that is an argument not to have any universal public services at all. We have a progressive taxation system, and we should use it – income tax, corporation tax – to fund decent public services for everyone. At the same time, we should be fighting for democracy in our institutions, and for a funding system in which everyone is supported; where postgraduate study is accessible to everyone, and where international students are embraced and valued, not persecuted and impoverished.
On 4 November, thousands of students from all over the country will be marching for that vision and against the government’s cuts to maintenance grants. We should join them. And afterwards, we should be a part of the local actions, the occupations and the direct action, so that the government cannot simply ignore us. The money straightforwardly does exist to fund a decent education system. £34bn was lost to the taxpayer last year because of tax evasion. The UK isn’t poor
and impoverished – the state just has priorities other than education and decent public services. Free education isn’t a pipe dream: it’s becoming the norm across the whole of Europe. Our job, and the job of our union, should be to put our interests, and the interests of ordinary people everywhere, at the top of the agenda. If LSESU doesn’t do that, what is its purpose? So vote for the motion, and I’ll see you at the national demonstration on 4 November.
Credit: Flickr: Andrew Moss
O N T H U R S DAY, I W I L L be proposing a motion to the Union General Meeting, asking LSE students to take a stand against what the government is doing to our education. On top of the tripling of tuition fees, the out of control student poverty, the attacks on international students and university staff, the Conservatives are now proposing to cut maintenance grants for the poorest students, replacing them with more debt. Research conducted by the National Union of Students shows that up to a third of students would never have gone to university without access to grants. These measures, announced in the budget in July, will mean that students from the poorest families will graduate with debt in excess of £51,000. The average LSE student will end up paying £6,000 more in repayments. If you are a postgraduate student like me, that means more debt before you even start your course – and it further entrenches a system in which only those with rich parents or stellar grades can even dream of doing an MA or PhD. We can’t beat these cuts just by moaning, or by accepting the terms of debate offered to us by
the government. We need to mobilise, and we need to propose a genuine alternative – something that can capture the public imagination. That genuine alternative is free education; not just the abolition of tuition fees, but the wholesale transformation of our education system. Education is a social good, and benefits everyone in society. Opponents of free education often say that working class people should not be asked to contribute to the cost of ‘middle class’ university applicants, but
End the Departmental Disparities at LSE Student dissatisfaction at LSE is due to the prioritising of quantitative courses over others
Nina Webb Undergraduate Student I DON’T THINK I CAN count the number of times when I’ve had to repeat ‘...and Political Sciences’ with added emphasis, whenever anyone asks me which university I attend. When I applied to study at LSE, it was ranked second highest in the country for my course (BA History), so I thought I was going to graduate in 2017 as a thoroughly happy eager beaver, excited to take on the challenges of working life in London. After a year here, I realise I was wrong - and apparently I am not alone. I’m sure you all heard the news that, despite being ranked 3rd overall in the Complete University Guide 2016, LSE came in the bottom 20 in terms of student satisfaction, coming in at only 3.95 out of 5. Even so-called ‘universities’ such as ‘Leeds Trinity’ and ‘West London’ came in higher than us, at 4.15 and 4.00 respectively. But why do we all hate LSE? Is it just
a case of rich kids grumbling over nothing? Or is it because a sizeable minority of us is feeling ever-increasingly marginalised? Yes, we all know that the foundations of the school is Economics; and sure, the majority of the student body do indeed take these maths-related subjects, like A&F (Accounting and Finance, not Abercrombie and Fitch, for all the freshers out there), Economics, Maths, Economic History, etc. But sometimes, I think what the school is forgetting is the vast amount of other courses that are actually taught here, leading to the students that actually take these feeling increasingly neglected. Because so few people are admitted to these ‘other’ courses which come under the ‘and Political Science’ bracket (A&F admits around 140 undergraduates each year, while History only accepts 40) it’s easy to forget how much course variety there actually is at LSE. In fact, the number of other courses easily trumps the ‘economics’ base, including courses like Sociol-
ogy, Social Policy, Anthropology, Law, History, IR, Philosophy (for more examples, see the undergraduate prospectus - I may be at LSE, but even I can’t remember them all). With the number of degree courses increasing each year (I hear we’ve recently added PPE, so we can try even harder to be like Oxbridge), this sizeable minority will only become more vocal in future years.
“Basically, I dream of the day when, when I say to someone that I study History at LSE, and their first reaction won’t be ‘History? Since when has LSE taught that?’ ” Perhaps, therefore, it’s largely this minority which is making the difference between a 3.95 satisfaction and Imperial’s (the next highest in the league table)
4.10 satisfaction score. Personally, I don’t know what the A&F and Economics people have to grumble about. With their effective lecture captures, which mean that they can lie in bed watching Netflix and eating ice cream all day instead of actually going to university, and their nifty handouts, and their huge lectures in the Peacock Theatre meaning that, if they do crazily decide to go, they can fall asleep in the back without anyone batting an eyelid. I mean, I don’t know why they wouldn’t be satisfied. See, in the History Department, we can only dream of these things. Even the few modules that promised lecture capture last year only actually delivered on about a third of the lectures, which were often only put online a long time after the lecture actually happened. And don’t even get me started on the careers department. Every week there’s a new careers fair/ lecture/ seminar about banking or consultancy, but if you’re looking for an ‘alternative’ careers event such as for media,
or international development, you’ll be waiting a pretty long time. For those who don’t know what career they want to go into, looks like you’re going to try to be an investment banker, because that’s all anyone at LSE ever talks about. Obviously, since there’s a lot more Economics students, the natural bias would lean towards them. But still, I never expected that, with such a variety of other departments, the bias would be this huge, and I’m sure that at least some people from those “and political science” departments are feeling as dissatisfied as I am. Basically, I dream of the day when, when I say to someone that I study History at LSE, and their first reaction won’t be “History? Since when has LSE taught that?”
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|
Tuesday October 6, 2015
Nanny-Woes In A Masculinised Society
‘Nannying’ would be valuable on my CV if society did not devalue ‘feminine’ roles Julia Slupska Undergraduate Student THIS SUMMER I WORKED two jobs: one for a large City consulting firm, and one as a nanny. In the former, pencil skirts and heels were a norm, as were £30 champagne lunches with the team. In the latter, I spent perhaps too much time lying around on the floor purring, pretending to be a cat for four-year old clients. Despite the seemingly relaxed environment, the nannying was far more stressful: if you don’t come exactly at 4.45pm, Billy’s school bus will take him all the way back to rowing club forty minutes outside of London, as he stares forlornly at his neighbourhood receding in the distance, cheek pressed to the glass. And good luck making the twins eat their lunch while Bram tries to hide peas in his socks and Alice feeds crayons to the toaster. The consulting job, in comparison, involved mostly enormous boredom. My job was to read 2,267 news items about a certain accountancy firm and its competitors, and code each as positive, neutral, or negative while marking down the firm’s
spokesperson. This Sisyphean task made the second half of the internship, which included phone calls, Excel graphs, and moving around little text boxes on PowerPoint, seem frightfully exciting. Yet the difference that seems most important to me involves the crucial question, the one which students approaching graduation become painfully aware of: how will I fluff up this job on my LinkedIn? The consulting firm looks lovely on there: a pretty logo, sound-bite recommendations, and gobbledygook like ‘data analytics’ and ‘brand audit.’ But the nannying, at least as time consuming and lucrative, is of course absent. No one puts ‘nanny’ on LinkedIn. The word itself sounds silly, irrelevant and unprofessional. And yet nannying obviously requires so many of the elusive ‘transferable skills’ career advisers are always underlining on job fair leaflets. Take ‘responsibilities’: at your average big firm internship, you have almost none. Your work is closely supervised, and the worst mistake you could commit would maybe lead to a small dip in profits. The opposite is naturally true in nannying, you are by defi-
nition almost entirely unsupervised, and have full responsibility for the health and happiness of children – factors which are quite literally priceless to most parents. Or take ‘client interfacing’: at the average finance, media, or PR internship, intern contact with important clients is limited and carefully instructed, as such relationships are complicated and could be easily damaged. Nannies need to manage equally complicated and easily damaged relationships with multiple clients (mum, dad, children) with often different interests, all at once. So why isn’t nannying on my CV (or that of anyone else)? I imagine it has a lot to do with the way we divide ‘masculine’ jobs and ‘feminine’ jobs and prioritize one over the other. Even a fourteen year old girl could do a nanny’s job because childcare just ‘comes’ to women naturally. Of course many people more knowledgeable and eloquent than I have discussed this bias, and the way it economically and socially disadvantages thousands of childcare providers (male, female, parents, nannies). I am very aware that my inability to brag about what I do on
LinkedIn is a very minor harm compared to these massive and ongoing injustices. And so maybe rather than complaining in
The Beaver I should concentrate on the skills I am learning, and enjoy being out in the sun with children rather than in an office.
No Offence, Students’ Unions, But We Have the Right to Offend We should be very concerned about the censorship culture pervading our universities
Peter Lyon Undergraduate Student THE NEW UNIVERSITY year has brought with it yet another Freshers’ Fair scandal, although this time not at LSE. Last week, the Oxford University Students’ Union banned a newly created student-run magazine called ‘No Offence’ from being distributed to freshers. How did these aspiring student journalists incur the wrath of their Union? The content largely attempted a humorous take on identity politics, with Letters to the Editor including Les B. Anne’s tirades against the ‘bloody men’ and A. Wyatt Man’s desire to hear answers to ‘the hard questions about the muzzies’. Satire, which one would hope most students would find crass and insensitive, and certainly not hilarious. But still, satire. No one is seriously advocating homophobia or racism. Yet it was not required to be censored. These passages earned accusations of ‘making light’ of these deplorable attitudes. Aside from the impracticalities of reg-
ulating the jokes of the student body, it is wrong to censor a newspaper for trying to insert comedy into a difficult area of public affairs. Yet, it was not only the unfunny jokes which spurred the censor, according to Alasdair Lennon, OUSU’s Vice-President for Welfare and Equal Opportunities, but certain columnists’ unabashed stances on controversial issues like abortion and colonialism. As set out in their mission statement, the editors sought to ‘promote debate and publicise ideas people are afraid to express.’ These opinions were deemed to be too outof-the-mainstream to be heard by students. OUSU did not want students to be subjected to ‘the offensive views of a minority.’ Aside from the clear infringements on individual freedom, is not the point of going to university to be in the presence of minority views which challenge your own preconceptions? Universities have, until now, been bastions of free speech and open debate. It is vital that students are aware of opposing views held by classmates. In ‘On Liberty’, John Stuart Mill
made the insightful assertion that you can only really understand the reasons behind an opinion if you hear it from someone who truly holds it. This respectful and egalitarian style of debate aids students in clarifying for themselves what they believe and why, something which is especially necessary on
issues of serious contention like abortion. Therefore, we should all be deeply concerned by this culture of censorship in student unions, which is currently pervading in some of the country’s most prestigious universities. It seeks to ensure that only majority views and
ideas are allowed to disseminate across campus, setting a dangerous precedent that any opinion or point of discussion, from whatever political, religious or cultural background – crucial aspects of university life – can be shut down immediately by a high-minded union officer.
Comment | 13
Jeremy Corbyn Represents Politics of Hope
The Labour Party Conference demonstrated the popularity and conviction of Corbyn Daniel Shears Undergraduate Student
we should abolish the capitalist system and replace it with a completely planned economy, as would be the aim of Marxists. He recognises that Britain would never accept such a radical economic and political shake-up. Therefore, what he brings to the table is something far more reasonable: an economic system whereby essential public services are just that, a social system which enables true social mobility, and a political system that is truly representative of ordinary working people. Corbyn’s motives are noble. He seems to genuinely want what is best for Britain as a whole, not just those at the top. As he put it, quite simply, during his speech at the conference, ‘Tory economic failure’ has led to ‘an economy that works for the few, not for the many.’ This seems to best summarise Corbyn’s political outlook. His concern, as it has been since he was first elected to Parliament in 1983, is that the ordinary working people of Britain have been given a bad deal, something which he thinks must be fought. One of the key Corbyn soundbites to come out the conference was
that ‘the British people never have to take what they’ve been given’. This looks like it could become the Corbyn mantra as,
in revolutionary spirit, he takes on the establishment agenda and pursues a new politics of hope, change and equality.
Credit: Flickr: Garry Knight
AS THE NEWLY ELECTED Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn was recently given a highly publicised platform, namely the Labour Party Conference, upon which to broadcast his vision of a fairer, compassionate and more egalitarian Britain. Corbyn claimed that he wanted to create ‘a kinder politics’ and a ‘more caring society’ which has been repeatedly lambasted as idealistic by the right-wing dominated media. Even the Conservative Party itself led what some might call a smear campaign against Corbyn, painting him as a threat to national, economic and family security, as well as a terrorist sympathiser (taking quotes from Corbyn completely out of extremely relevant context). But is this myriad criticism of Corbyn’s apparent ‘hard left’ stance really justified, or is it simply a knee-jerk reaction from the establishment, which for the first time is having its politics-asusual agenda threatened? Think what you will about Corbyn’s ideological outlook,
he is a charismatic and engaging character who has successfully tapped into the psyche of some of the most disadvantaged groups in Britain today: the young, the unemployed, and the poor. His anti-austerity rhetoric suggests a radically different, and to some, a more hopeful vision of the future. Walking on stage to wild applause and a standing ovation lasting over two minutes at the Labour Conference gives us a signal as to Corbyn’s internal popularity; he is even popular among some Tories, who see his election as a guarantee of a Conservative victory in 2020. Corbyn’s political focus represents traditional socialist values of egalitarianism, democracy, public ownership, and worker’s rights. His plans to take the railways, as well as the gas and electricity industries, into public ownership, his stance on the current refugee crisis, his ambition to eradicate poverty and homelessness, and his aim to expand statutory maternity and paternity pay to self-employed people aptly demonstrate this. However, Corbyn is not so naïve as to believe that
Jeremy Corbyn, Women, and the Press
Following recent coverage, Corbyn ought to be relieved that he is not a woman in politics Mali Williams Comment Editor IF JEREMY CORBYN WERE a woman, would we by now have seen a photoshopped image of his face on Kim Kardashian’s semi-naked body? Would we have already read of his leftist ‘nagging’ and ‘squeaking’? Would we have seen a cartoon of him sprawled in bed alongside Gerry Adams? Would we have heard David Cameron again retort ‘Calm down, dear!’ during Prime Minister’s Questions? There is no denying that Jeremy Corbyn has faced a relentless attack from the majority of the press since his landslide victory to become Labour leader (albeit an attack temporarily interrupted by #piggate). Some personal favourite examples of the antiCorbyn onslaught have been The Telegraph’s headline, ‘Corbyn’s plan to turn Britain into Zimbabwe’; The Times describing his rather ordinary bicycle as a ‘Chairman Mao-style bicycle’; and a Sky News interview with Eamonn Holmes that contained frivolous questions and confusing football analogies. This press bias is of course deeply worrying, not only for those who care about journal-
ism, but for all those who value democracy. The lack of representation of all members in society, as well as the press’s fervid belief that it ought to decide the outcome of elections, warn of the dangers of power without responsibility. Yet, these attacks on Corbyn unashamedly lack the substance of argument, perhaps owing to Corbyn having thrown the media-game rulebook out of the window, leaving the press seemingly at a loss. Whilst these anti-Corbyn attacks are currently fresh, they will eventually become stale. It will be four years until the next general election, and whilst the press could continue to characterise Corbyn in such a way, the reality is that the more serious newspapers will soon have to consider the galvanised support for Corbyn, and offer a convincing counter-argument to Corbyn’s policies. Although currently dismissive of the duration of Corbyn’s leadership, the press will need to consider to what extent Corbyn will affect political discourse, especially as the tectonic plates of politics are liable to shift unexpectedly. In spite of the anti-Corbyn blitz, one cannot help but feel that he is somewhat better off because is not a woman. Females from all political parties have
been, and still are, subjected to appalling sexism in the press. Even within the recent anti-Corbyn context, when the past relationship of Corbyn and Diane Abbott was revealed, aside from a few puerile sniggers, the coverage focussed mostly on a quarrel Abbott had apparently had with a female colleague, which Corbyn failed to mediate. The implication was a portrayal of unprofessional bickering women, and also a suggestion that Abbott was appointed as Shadow Secretary for International Development purely because of her personal history with Corbyn (rather than a similar political ideology and a lifetime of campaigning together). Moreover, it is revealing to compare the recent attacks against Corbyn with the press coverage in the run-up to last May’s general election. Although she plays the media-game and presents an almost presidentialstyle image of herself, Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the SNP, became one of the most obvious targets for the press’s misogyny outlet. She was described as a ‘wee woman’, frequent attention was paid to her weight, her hair and outfits, and her personal life. A cartoon close-up of her breasts with Ed Miliband tucked into
her cleavage was printed. She was also photoshopped onto a wrecking ball wearing nothing but a tartan bra and mini-skirt. Yet, Nicola Sturgeon was not alone; Leanne Wood, leader of Plaid Cymru, was described as a ‘heart throb’ with a ‘sexy accent’ following the broadcasted leaders’ debate. Theresa May is frequently subjected to criticism of her outfits and shoes, and her ‘ice queen’ persona; a coverage that neglects to mention that she also happens to be the longest serving Home Secretary for fifty years. It is true that male politicians are also lambasted by the press. Furthermore, I defend the right to mock and criticise politicians; it is a fundamental part of democracy that we have a free press permitted to bash our politicians. However, it is the sexualised nature of attacks towards female politicians that gives cause for concern. Negative stereotypes of women are used to belittle female politicians, which in turn reflects a wider conception of the world of politics and the media, and even reverberate beyond into society. What we read, hear, watch through the media influences how and what we think, whether this effect happens openly or subliminally. For in-
stance, Bing’s suggested searches for Jeremy Corbyn are: ‘wiki’, ‘policies’, ‘twitter’, ‘MP’, ‘latest news’, ‘news’, and ‘shadow cabinet’. Nicola Sturgeon’s suggested searches on the same website are: ‘twitter’, ‘wiki’, ‘vogue’, ‘Peter Murrell’, ‘legs’, ‘wedding photos’, and ‘husband’. This example highlights the knockon effect of a sexualised portrayal of female politicians by the press. Characterising female politicians using sex not only prevents addressing the issue or policy being debated, but it also legitimises gender-based abuse within society. It ingrains prejudice against women, and perhaps more worryingly, it teaches young women and girls that politics is a man’s world, cruel and crude towards any woman who tries to endure it. Thus, even if the press continue with the anti-Corbyn onslaught up until the next general election, at least as a man, he will be spared an ounce of his dignity.
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| Tuesday 6 October, 2015
MUSIC
INTERVIEW
PLAYLIST
TOP 10 KRAUTROCK JAMS Will Locke
DANNY SHERWOOD
10) ‘Two Oldtimers’ – Moebius & Plank (from Rastakraut Pasta [1980]) Over the course of its seven-minute duration, it transforms from a disjointed yet jaunty intro, before elaborating into an emotive outro complete with falling piano cadences and searing effect-heavy guitars. It’s a beautiful piece of music, made all the more poignant by Moebius’ recent passing last year.
9) ‘Electric Silence’ – Dzyan (from Electric Silence [1974]) This jazzy and progressive piece of krautrock is the title track from Dzyan’s much-lauded final album. Its dizzying bass lines and constantly morphing rhythms make it a disorienting yet rewarding listen. 8) ‘Entrances’ – Embryo (from Rocksession [1973]) Its reported that in excess of 400 musicians have performed with the self-described ‘collective’, and this mixing pot of influences has translated into the music, with improvised synth, organ, and guitar solos littering ‘Entrances’ throughout. 7) ‘Dance of Circles’ – Gomorrha (from Trauma [1971]) At a relatively short three minutes, enough accomplished song writing and diverse instrumentation is packed into this underrated rollercoaster of a track to earn its place on this list. 6) ‘Isi’ – Neu! (from Neu! ’75 [1975]) The opener from the bands third album Neu! ’75, this rolling crescendo of tight yet rhythmic drumming, stirring piano progressions, and that haunting synth refrain culminates into my favourite Neu! song of all time. 5) ‘Dr. Caliguri’s Creeps Cabinet’ – The Vampires of Dartmoore (from Dracula’s Music Cabinet [1969]) The suitably haunting piece combines the use of noise and vocal sampling to create something that exists somewhere between dub reggae and krautrock before either genre had been fully actualised. 4) ‘Oh Yeah’ – Can (from Tago Mago [1971]) The band combines studio trickery, driving percussion, and rumbling bass to form a powerful whole in ‘Oh Yeah’. 3) ‘Dreams’ – Sunbirds (from Sunbirds [1971]) Although some may consider this to be more jazz rock than krautrock, ‘Dreams’ does not sound out of place in this catalogue by any means, and its improvised blistering synth work accompanied by messy yet smooth jazz drumming makes for a track as psychedelic and mindaltering as any other. 2) ‘Flesh-Coloured Anti-Aircraft Alarm’ – Amon Düül II (from Yeti [1970]) Narrowly missing out on the top spot, a track courtesy of a legendary band from a legendary album, ‘Flesh-Coloured Anti Aircraft Alarm’ is as eerie a listen as it sounds, with echoing violins, wailed backing vocals, and disconcerting lyrics recounting the tale of a human sacrifice, delivered in inimitable fashion. 1) ‘Fotschi Tong’ – Cluster (from Zuckerzeit [1974]) This transcendental and complex synth jam swills over a shuffling, off-kilter drum pattern to create something truly ahead of even our time, and no matter how many times I listen, it still grips something inside of me.
part
B
Danny Sherwood completed his Masters Degree in Sociology at LSE a few years back now but unlike the majority of LSE grads, he’s not working in finance but releasing his first EP with The Danny Sherwood Triage. The Hands EP was released on the 1st October, and you can listen to it at: soundcloud.com/danny-sherwood. We spoke to Danny about how the bloody hell he ended up treading such an unlikely LSE path to become a musician. partB: How would you describe your sound to someone that hasn’t heard the EP? Danny Sherwood: We call ourselves a folk blues act, but it’s always hard to sum up a sound up in two words. We have a piano, violin, cello, double bass and me singing on the album. My voice is low - it’s been compared to Tom Waits, Paul Robeson, and the man from Magnetic Fields who’s name I forget (Ed: Stephen Merritt). I’ve been a singer-songwriter for quite a while, so there’s a feel of that coming through, even with the band. Our songs range from sweet gospel-influenced pop to sparse, harsher blues. partB: Who are the main influences on your sound? DS: When I was a teenager I played in a folk band with my dad, and I still have a love for that sound. I was into delta blues from a young age - I always come back to Leadbelly especially. I listened to a lot of Bob Dylan, and he influenced the way I try to use words. I’m a big Tom Waits fan - I discovered him when someone said I sound a bit like him, and I’ve been listening ever since. I’d love to say Nina Simone too, although I might just be a massive fan! partB: Did you pursue music during your time at LSE? DS: I was playing while I was doing my Masters at LSE. I had an electric piano in my bedroom in halls on Drury Lane. I ran an open mic night in south east London on a Thursday night, and had hungover statistics lectures on Friday mornings! I had lots of nice friends in those halls, they’d come and see me play. partB: Are there any references to your time at LSE that we can recognise in the EP? DS: I’m afraid not! I’m always interested in people, which is why I studied sociology, but my songs focus more on individuals, not least me! partB: What advice would you give to an LSE student with an interest in music, both for their time at the school and for after they graduate? DS: Just keep playing. You’re surrounded by people - it’s a good time to make friends, play music to them, ask them to bring their friends. Listen to people’s feedback, but feel free to ignore it if it doesn’t feel right. Don’t do it for the money, or you’ll probably be disappointed!
editorial team partB
theatre
film
fashion
Vacant
Sarah Ku
Jamie Lloyd Maria Maleeva
Kemi Akinboyewa Vikki Hui music food & lifestyle Caroline SchurmanGrenier
Rob Funnell Will Locke
visual arts
literature
technology
Vacant
Vacant
Vacant
p a r t 15
REVIEWS
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Thomas H. Sheriff IF YOU’RE INTO METAL, or seriously into music for that matter, chances are you’ve heard of Deafheaven. In 2013, they released Sunbather, their sophomore album, which mixed black metal, shoegaze and post-rock (to name but a few genres) into a beautiful, crushing, overwhelming masterpiece which had critics all over the place rightly raving. Two years later, they have released their followup, New Bermuda, and the results are simply astonishing. Sunbather was so beloved by critics and fans that it was always going to be a challenge for Deafheaven to come anywhere close to its legacy (it’s only two years old, and we’re already talking about its legacy - this gives some idea of its immediate impact), but on New Bermuda they have managed to expand their sound, continue their experimental brilliance, and carry on yanking on our heartstrings with the force of four horsemen. The black metal, shoegaze, and post-rock influences are all still there, but this time round the band sound more direct in their power: the opener, ‘Brought to the Water’, kicks in with Slayeresque thrashing of a type never before seen on a Deafheaven
song. Similarly, George Clarke’s vocals, whilst previously low in the mix, and screamed long and high, arrive first as a short, guttural yelp; they are more direct (though still completely unintelligible without a lyric sheet). At first, they seem more like a ‘proper’ metal band. However they don’t, as many metal bands do, use the thrashing and screaming simply to obliterate the listener. This is undeniably heavy stuff, but it gives way to a gorgeous guitar solo which has more in common with Johnny Marr and the Smiths than it does Kirk Hammet and Metallica. This happens frequently on the album, with sections rooted somewhere in between doom and thrash metal succumbing to solos or breakdowns twisted from pop, alt-rock, jazz - Deafheaven are more eclectic than they’ve ever been here. The standout centrepiece ‘Baby Blue’ starts gently, becomes brutal, before the oppressiveness falls back and a muscular wah-pedal guitar solo comes out of nowhere. On New Bermuda, Deafheaven are more assured than they’ve ever been. Thankfully, this doesn’t mean that they are any less in touch with the emotional heart of the record. Every blast of blackness becomes heartbreaking, as
Photo credits to: Samantha Marble
NEW BERMUDA BY DEAFHEAVEN major chords turn to minors or vice-versa. Clarke’s lyrics, if you do pick up a lyric sheet (which I highly recommend you do), continue in the same vein as Subather: he paints pictures of hurt, depression and darkness with bright colours and beautiful imagery. “I imagine the gracious / Benevolent ritual of death / Grave and porcelain / With baby blue lips and pale pink eyes / Descending toward me” he sings on album closer ‘Gifts for the Earth’. He imagines the idea of a ‘ritual of death’ and describes its childlike, innocent colours with a grim inevitability, though referring to it as ‘benevolent’. Such a mixture of the painful and the pretty sums up much of Deafheaven’s work as a band. This is continued to great effect on New Bermuda. Each of the five songs are terrifying in gorgeous and equal measure - Deafheaven show us that often, the things that terrify us inspire us with awe, and that beauty can be frightening and terrible. It is not an easy listen, but that doesn’t mean that it is not a great one, and anyone interested in music at all should find it thrilling to listen to the latest chapter in the story of one of this century’s most important bands.
THAT’S THE SPIRIT BY BRING ME THE HORIZON Rob Funnell THE GENRE OF ‘METAL’ OR ‘heavy’ music has long lived an ostracised existence within the mainstream of popular music tastes. While bands such as Iron Maiden and Metallica have relied on extensive (and well deserved) fanbases to skyrocket their releases to commercial and critical acclaim, very few modern bands have been able to bridge the gap and appeal to a universally wide audience. Bring Me The Horizon, however, seem to have finally accomplished this goal, as their latest effort That’s The Spirit has achieved number 2 on the album charts and is set to propel them to international stardom and headline slots at festivals around the world. Oli Sykes and the band have distilled the best elements of their previous music that gave them such a significant underground following and amalgamated it with stadium rock grandeur akin to Linkin Park with surprisingly excellent results. ‘Throne’ is a particular
highlight - while by no means complex, the catchiness of the chorus and brilliant use of electronic effects by keyboardist Jordan Fish create the sort of song that many alternative rock bands have been trying to craft for decades. ‘Drown’ and ‘Avalanche’ follow in a similar vein, with bombastic yet accessible power chords effortlessly complementing Sykes’ dramatically improved vocals. These also give emphasis to the album concept of ‘a celebration of depression’ that allows the listener to really make an emotional connection to the personal experiences and hardships the frontman has had to go through in a turbulent career and make this more than simply another generic emo release. The inclusion of cheerleader chanting in the dark, ironically named yet surprisingly anthemic ‘Happy Song’ encapsulates the dramatic change of sound Bring Me The Horizon have undertaken with That’s The Spirit and, from this evidence at least, such a transition has only honed and progressed their sound. However while these standout songs show glimpses of the
band’s best, many of the others in the middle of the album show Bring Me The Horizon at their worst. Tracks such as ‘What You Need’ and ‘Blasphemy’ can only be described as filler - they’re completely bereft of energy and scarred with generic choruses and lyrics that are vague and impersonal on what is for the most part a truly emotive record. Furthermore, forcing in an Oscar Wilde quote as the main hook of ‘True Friends’ doesn’t come across as sophisticated - merely pretentious and fails to fit with the rest of the song on both a rhythmic and contextual level. However, the last track ‘Oh No’ redeems what is a weak second half of the album. While the Panic At The Disco influence is overbearing, the final track sticks to what the band do best - simple and ridiculously catchy tunes. Whether you like it or not, That’s The Spirit sets up Bring Me The Horizon for a permanent place in the modern music mainstream with an effort that is not particularly adventurous or technically advanced, but is enjoyable, addictive and a lot of fun to listen to.
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| Tuesday 6 October, 2015
COTTWEILER IN BERLIN
FASHION
Jamie Lloyd CONCEPT-DRIVEN MENSwear collective Cottweiler, known chiefly for cladding Skepta in pristine white tracksuits, recently put on an art installation exhibiting their Spring-Summer 2015 collection in Berlin. The brand is known for creating a cult-like aesthetic and using trappings of Hare Krishna, Buddhist and Hindu spirituality in their work. Whilst the fashion industry remains blithe to such accusations, the nature of Cottweiler’s collection and exhibition open it up to calls of cultural appropriation. The avant-garde nature of Cottweiler’s designs was compounded by this Berlin installation, which has variously been described as an ‘anti-fashion show’, as instead of creating an environment wherein the clothes were explicitly, almost luridly, on display (as in traditional catwalks)- in Cottweiler’s exhibition, the significance of the entire ceremony and environment was focused on instead. Holi powder, conch shells and Krishna inspired robes, set to metronomic cymbals, were used to create a heightened religious atmosphere. The timing of this event is also significant - the event being held during London Fashion Week, seen by some as a rejection of the rigid timetable that the fashion industry operates under as well as further highlighting the unique nature of the Cottweiler collective. The show can therefore be viewed as a rebellion against the norms of the fashion industry – yet there is something distinctly unsettling about the repurposing of elements of various Asian religious heritag-
es to make a critique of something as worldly as the fashion industry, and using such traditions to imbue the brand with a more avant-garde aesthetic. Perhaps this is an unfavourable reading of the Cottweiler exhibition – the designers were clearly trying to create an artistic experience, using ideas drawn from a wide variety of sources, chief among them Asian religious and spiritual practice. The knowledge, even respect, for such traditions is evident in the poise and articulation of the exhibit. Nevertheless, the use of such practices in an explicitly Western setting, in an industry with such a tattered history of cultural adoption as the fashion industry, surely requires us as an informed audience to question the art we have ingested. Within the context of the cyclical fashion industry, the sacred can easily become affectation, and the religious imagery employed by Cottweiler can just as easily become baked into the morass of large-scale cultural appropriation. Despite the obvious knowledge and acknowledgement of the inherent Eastern traditions presented in the exhibition – the care and detail of the presentation alone belies a simplistic catcall of cultural theft – the use of such rituals in such a manner nevertheless strikes me as profane. Symbols and their importance feature prominently in the Cottweiler exhibition, perhaps it would be illuminating to view the entire installation as a macabre symbol – a Western brand, having knowledge of Asian religious cultures, appropriating them in an artistic installation, and then using them to sell tracksuits for ninety quid.
REVIEWS
DOPE Thomas H. Sheriff
PERIOD FILMS ARE AND always have been common entities. Whether it be this year’s adaptation of Far From the Madding Crowd or Lawrence of Arabia from 1962, films have always been interested by the prospect of capturing a time and a place in history - sometimes so that the story is incidental, and only an excuse to make broader points about a given period. However, only a few brave filmmakers try to do this about a period of history that is still happening - but that is what Rick Famuyiwa has attempted with his fourth film, Dope. Dope tells the story of geeky Malcolm (Shameik Moore) and his geeky friends who become accidentally embroiled in a dispute between dealers of MDMA and finding themselves holding a large quantity of the aforementioned ‘molly’. What follows is an occasionally messy, frequently fun, definitely flawed, but thoroughly enjoyable odyssey through the mean streets of Los Angeles, told through a refreshingly unique lead character. Firstly, Moore is brilliant as Malcolm. He makes a convincing geek, with in undoubtably awkward edge to his mannerisms, but is human enough to avoid the pitfall of becoming simply ‘the geeky one’ from every American sitcom. Supporting players are also strong, with laudable
FILM scenery-chewing - as is necessary in a fast-moving mini-epic such as this. A standout is Roger Guenver Smith, clearly having fun being the slimy villain who occupies high-backed chairs and sits behind a thick wooden desk. Famuyiwa clearly has superb control of his actors, and whilst it might have been nice to see some of them breathe in their characters a little more (Blake Anderson plays a very typical, overdone stoner/conspiracy theorist/computer whiz), he does let this happen amongst the leads, who excel. Besides, they’re all too busy having an infectiously good time for it to be much of a problem. The world of Dope - the world of black Americans in 2015 - is full of hip-hop. The soundtrack is utterly fantastic, and wonderfully retro, like the story’s heroes. Any fan of nineties hip-hop will be in heaven (A Tribe Called Quest in one scene, Nas in the next? Yes please) and anyone uninitiated has good reason to go immediately to the nearest music shop and pick up as much Golden Age hip-hop as they can get their hands on. The plot bounces with the music; rolling from coincidence to revelation to comic relief to touching moment, whilst keeping one ear on the beat at all times. Pacing is fast, matching the confident swagger of the hip-hop aesthetic, so that the less successful scenes are easily forgotten as you’re carried along in the rush. But the less successful scenes
EX MACHINA Sarah Ku IN THE DIRECTORIAL DEBUT of Alex Garland, the screenwriter of a series of Sci-Fi related films including ‘Sunshine’ and ‘Never Let Me Go’, the 2015 film ‘Ex Machina’ centres around young, geeky tech employee Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) who embarks on a journey after winning a staff lottery to visit a research facility owned by his boss Nathan (Oscar Isaac). He is told by Nathan to carry out the ‘Turing Test’ on Nathan’s latest A.I. robot, Ava (Alicia Vikander). The ‘Turing Test’, named after Alan Turing who is the subject of the recent biographical film ‘The Imitation Game’, evaluates whether the tested subject passes off as a computer or a human with consciousness. When meeting Ava, it is evident that Caleb becomes completely mesmerised by her intelligence, innocent appearance and sweet demeanour, as he gushes about
how impressive she is, as if he has developed a crush on her. As the test goes on, his feelings for her eventually lead to unexpected consequences. Unlike most other Sci-Fi movies with complicated plotlines, ‘Ex Machina’ mainly focuses on just three main characters, Caleb, Nathan, and Ava. The relationship dynamic constantly changes throughout the film through power play, with Caleb slowly switching sides from Nathan to Ava. Originally, Caleb has deep admiration for Nathan, who has impressive credentials as a tech genius and the founder of the world’s most popular internet search engine. Yet, being naive and also lonely, evident in his relationships (or the lack thereof) and family background, Caleb is easily influenced by Ava’s advances and he becomes obsessed with her. Not only does he display obsessive, stalker-like behaviour such as staying up at night to stare at Ava through the CCTV monitor, he eventually
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remain. Where Dope falters, sadly, is when it tries to be too clever for its own good. One scene tells the same few minutes from two different points of view - a nice idea, but the execution falters and the overall effect is disjointed and a little confused, and you wonder whether it may have been more effective to just tell it straight. One blistering montage seems to be making some point about the Internet, or MDMA, or young people, or something, but the idea never feels fully realised. Even the title knows it’s clever - the film starts by plastering its different definitions on the screen, as if to say “look! Look how well we named our film!” It’s clear there is ambition, but Famuyiwa would do well to remember the useful axiom of ‘keep it simple, stupid’. When making a film about the current state of America’s black community, Famuyiwa had to be incisive (to avoid being weak) and fresh (to avoid being obvious). Whilst he succeeded in both, the problem comes from over-egging his incisiveness until it becomes earnest and a little preachy. Frustratingly, he almost succeeds - a revelatory moment in the third act is powerful and driven by character, so that its message regarding the effects of rampant crime amongst the youth goes down easily. But this is lost later on, when Malcolm breaks the fourth wall and speaks to us directly, clearly laying down what the film is saying in big loud
colourful words so that even the couple necking in the back of the cinema will get it: it’s hard to be successful if you are a poor, black American. The message is an honourable one, but it had already been made, without needing to make us feel stupid.
But, in the end, Famuyiwa has spun a quality yarn and he captures the feel of our times, which is no mean feat whilst they are still ours. When Dope falls down, it does so in the pursuit of great things, which is a folly easy to forgive.
plots her escape from the facility with the belief that she is a damsel in distress under Nathan’s oppressive control. Although these situations are all in Nathan’s calculation, Ava’s artificial intelligence eventually surpasses both men’s expectations. The film is constantly layered with various dichotomies. From the start of the film, the state-ofthe-art design of the research facility with its glass panels and modernist furniture contrasts sharply with the surrounding forest and elements of nature, which can often be seen through the glass panels and heard through the sound of chirping birds and the flowing river. This dichotomy between the natural and the artificial almost parallels the contrast between the humanness of Caleb and Nathan and the artificiality of Ava, as well as the conflict between humanity, nature and technology. Besides being one of this year’s most impressive films in terms of cinematography and CGI, ‘Ex
Machina’ explores a multitude of themes, ranging from emotions, psychology to sexuality. It also dives deep into the questions on artificial intelligence and existentialism. Not only does Ava have an eagerness to explore the outside world, she has a primal instinct to survive which motivates her to skilfully manipulate Caleb’s emotions and romantic feelings to achieve her goals. Although she is manmade, she has qualities found in humanity and in nature. Maybe her raw desire for freedom and lib-
erty makes her ever more human, but perhaps her calculating ways and her lack of sympathy make her fall short of being a genuine, intelligent and emotional human built with flesh and bone.
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| Tuesday 6 October, 2015
FOOD&LIFESTYLE
RECIPE
TIPS
Caroline Schurman-Grenier
Caroline Schurman-Grenier
DO YOU LIKE EGGPLANT? I love eggplant. I could eat it everyday. No jokes whatsoever. I also love pasta.Thus was born the Eggplant Parmigiana Pasta.
IT’S TIME TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL! I still can’t believe it’s October! Crazy stuff. Pretty soon I’ll be 82 and sipping tea while speaking to my granddaughter about her first day of kindergarten. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Starting university, whether it’s your first or 9th year (yes, PhD students, I am talking about you), is always a little scary. Don’t be too scared. Keep in mind that it’s all part of the university experience! If you weren’t nervous, I would be worried for you. With all that said, the best thing you can do when starting a new year is to establish some form of structure in your life. WHAT? That means I can never sleep in anymore, or eat ice cream, or spontaneously decide to go shopping? Of course not. The trick is learning how to create the life you want for the next year. In an effort to guide you a little bit, I came up with a few tips to help your back to school blues.
EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA PASTA
It’s not nearly as fancy as it sounds. It’s basically a tomato sauce with pasta, with eggplant in it as well. All garnished with far too much parmesan cheese, naturally. Real eggplant parmigiana is a little more labour intensive, but my dish is a lot quicker and just as yummy! I promise.Tomato sauce is very easy to make; so is pasta. All you do is boil the water and add the pasta. Students, don’t tell me this is difficult. It’s time to say bye-bye to the canned stuff and hello to some home cooked heaven in a plate! Get cooking! For 2 people and some leftovers, you will need: Olive oil 1 jar crushed tomato sauce (at least 500 ml) 1/2 onion 2 cloves garlic, crushed Salt Pepper Oregano 1 eggplant, cut into chunks 1/2 package whole wheat pasta (if you don’t want much leftover pasta, if not add the whole thing) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (you’ll thank me later) 1. Firstly, in a pot, add water, olive oil, a little salt and wait for it to boil. Add your pasta and cook for the amount of time it says on the bag. 2. In a pan, put some olive oil. When it’s hot, add your onions and garlic. 3. Stir around for 2 minutes or so, until the onions and garlic seem more golden and cooked. 4. Next, add some more olive oil, and add all the eggplant. Add salt, pepper and oregano while you’re at it. You’re going to want enough olive oil so that the eggplant can properly cook. 5. Put your heat down to medium and cook for about 10 minutes, until your eggplant seems tender and soft. Not too soft, but not too hard. Oh the struggle. 6. Next step. Add your can or jar of tomatoes and let simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes. 7. A while back you should have checked your pasta and strained it. Hopefully you did because all there is left to do is serve yourself ! 8. Grate a generous amount of parmesan and enjoy! Be sure to check out my student lifestyle blog www.mademoiselleaventure.com
BACK TO SCHOOL SURVIVAL TIPS
Make a Weekly Schedule Easier said than done, I know. At least try and figure out when you want to study, eat lunch, head home, do groceries, work out, relax... Just a basic idea in your head on Sunday night will make your week go so much smoother, I guarantee! Exercise I don’t care if you prefer to run, yoga, join the rugby team, go to the gym or just walk to uni. You need to stay active at some point during the day. It will reduce your stress level, keep you fit and honestly, it clears your mind. You’ll also have so much more energy to go on with your week, and you will sleep better! Eat Breakfast This is crucial. You need to eat in the morning or, once again, your body won’t be able to function during that 2 hour 9 am lecture. If you don’t like eating right when you get up, bring something with you! Banana and yogurt, porridge, toast, you need something! Find Your Study Space Study Efficiently For some people it’s their room, for others it’s a coffee shop, and mainstream students tend to live in the library. Wherever you feel most comfortable studying is where you should go! A few months ago, I read an article that said that you should study for 52 minutes and then take a 17 minute break. This proved to be the most efficient way to study, because your mind
has time to relax and wander off during those 17 minutes, and you’re so much more focused during those 52 minutes! Plus, you get excited knowing that there is a break coming up so you want to focus even more during those 52 minutes. Is it nonsense? It may be. The point I’m trying to make is that you should give yourself little rewards for concentrating on your readings. If you work well for 3 hours but can’t do anything after that, take a break! Go for a coffee. Everyone has different study habits. The trick is figuring out which one is better for you. Eat Well You’re talking to the girl who takes Mason Jar salads to school. Obviously, you don’t have to do that (although it looks really cool and everyone is jealous of my beautiful salads). Make sure you are getting enough fruits and vegetables in your day, less beige foods, without feeling that what you’re eating is boring! At loss of inspiration? I can help! And so can a million different chefs and bloggers, including Jamie Oliver and Deliciously Ella. Be creative in the kitchen, it does wonders for relieving stress. Take a Day Off To me, this is crucial. Your mind needs to work, but your mind also needs to rest. Plan your week so that you allow yourself to take an entire day off where you never think about school. I love doing this because it allows me to go out and discover a new part of London. Go to the museum, eat out, go to a movie, take a day trip away from the city, DO IT ALL. That doesn’t mean that I never think you should do fun things the rest of the week. I just mean that there is one day of pure fun where you needn’t feel guilty about not being at the library. Stress Less Easier said than done, I know. If you haven’t done all the work for a particular week, don’t worry about it! University is all about learning what you need to do and what you can allow yourself to not do. Students (myself included) often get wrapped up in wanting to get everything done and be perfect and run societies and cook and get the best grades while having a social life and don’t forget my early morning coffee or I may collapse. See how stressful that sentence was to read? Don’t let it become your life. Deep breath, calm down and believe in yourself. The rest will come naturally if you let it. That’s all for today! Hope you have a great first few weeks!
THE SOMMELIER SIPS AGAIN THE SOMMELIER VENTURED THIS WEEK to try two of Messrs Sainsbury and co’s French whites. The first a Petit Chablis to accompany turkey steak, and the other a Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc to cut through sea bass. The Taste the Difference 2014 Petit Chablis (£9.50) was sadly a disappointment. Although reasonably clear green apple was presented both in bouquet and on the palate, this was the only point of interest. The wine remained quite one dimensional, with little of the promised citrus. If I were to be kind, I would describe the lack of noticeable acidity or minerality, or indeed, alcohol, as balanced, but in truth, it was simply bland and
characterless. This wine served me better as part of a sauce the following day than it did in my glass. Hereusement, the Roc Saint Vincent, a 2014 Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc (£8.50), was much more satisfactory. Offering the characteristic green pepper in both aroma and taste, a tangy salinity on the palate, as well as gentle carbonation on the tongue, this provided a refreshing and sharp contrast to a rich garlic and truffle cream sauce. A more adventurous pairing might include tanginess and spiciness in the dish, but the Sommelier personally favours juxtaposition between drink and food.
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SCREENING OPPORTUNITIES
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1. The National Youth Theatre’s West End Rep Season 2015 Ambassadors Theatre, West Street, London WC2H 9ND Consensual Exploring teenage testosterone, teacher pupil relationships and the age of consent in the UK, Consensual examines the relationship between PSHE teacher Diane and her class, specifically fifteen year old Freddie. Wednesday 7 October, 7:30pm The Merchant of Venice Stoppard’s version, originally abridged especially for the NYT to perform at the Shakespeare School’s Festival and the subject of a BBC documentary, is a 90 minute whirlwind exploring the laws of society and how far your heritage dictates your destiny. Wednesday 7 October, 2:30pm If you’re interested in attending the above press performances, please RSVP to partb@thebeaveronline.co.uk by Tuesday 4PM.
2. BFI London Film Festival Interview Opportunities THE HERE AFTER / Magnus Von Horn - Friday 9 October THE FORBIDDEN ROOM/ Guy Maddin - Friday 9 October REMAINDER/ Omer Fast - Friday 9 October INVENTION/ Mark Lewis - Monday 12 October If you’re interested in attending the above interview opportunities, please RSVP to partb@thebeaveronline.co.uk by Wednesday 11:59PM.
PARTB OPPORTUNITIES If you’re interested in joining the partB team, we’re recruiting for the following roles: Literature Deputy Editor Technology Deputy Editor Theatre Deputy Editor Visual Arts Deputy Editor Please email partb@thebeaveronline.co.uk with a short paragraph about why you’re suitable for the role. We look forward to hearing from you!
NUS EXTRA: THE ESSENTIAL STUDENT DISCOUNT CARD Available to buy from the LSESU Shop and online: www.nus.org.uk/en/nus-extra
AND MUCH MORE
LSE VOTED MOST ATTRACTIVE UNI We’re missing Lisa Mckenzie,
In a definitely accurate study done by the definitely reputable pollster ‘Coffee Meets Bagel’ (Ed: The next Ipsos Mori amirite) that is definitely not the vanity side project of a certain General Secretary, LSE was found to be the most attractive University in the country. The NAB fully agrees with the conclusions drawn, so long as the independent variables were metallic onesies, self importance and pure unbridled capitalism
but you could call us the Fuck Parade 3
Craig Cal-who?
Find Out In This Tell All Autobiography (available on the LSE100 Reading List soon) Anyone that has been paying attention to Facebook this week will know that LSE’s resident prosseco (sic) peddling reality ‘star’ was featured in the autobiography of Lord Sugar. The NAB has taken a look inside the autobiography of our very own Director, a man that makes Sugar taste like salt. Learn the secrets of the man behind the beard: Calhoun’s favourite soft drink? Syco-fanta Favourite Fruit? bri-berries
‘Five Stars’ - BHP Billiton
CALHOUN:
‘Not a fit and proper person to run the LSE’ - John Sweeney
th a P ) l a c i g o L ( o i c o S e Th
‘No Comment’ - LSE Press Office The NAB managed to secure an exclusive quote from Calhoun himself:
Can B
e Bo ¥100, ught For: 000, (mora ls not 000 includ ed)
“In many of the tasks, Putin was actually the engine of the university. It just so happened that despite the work he put in, his teams never won. At one stage we debated whether two corrupt leaders in the university would confuse students, but both China and Russia were such brilliant countries, I insisted we keep them in.”
UGM Survival Guide By Megan Crockett - Think about where you sit - it used to go that you sat where you fit in the political spectrum. Of course this means that the right hand side is reserved solely for George Harrison. - Watch some action in the House of Commons and practice your “here, heres”. Verbal approval is heavily appreciated. - Similarly, verbal disapproval is equally appreciated - the throwing of paper and/or rotten tomatoes is morally dubious, but sometimes you just can’t help yourself - Don’t bring a crunchy lunch - no one wants to hear you chowing down on doritos during the somewhat frequent awkward silences. - Don’t expect to understanding anything that’s happening - SU politics, cliques and hackiness takes a while to comprehend, it won’t happen at your first UGM. But stick with it and you’ll be in the loop soon enough.
A Helping Paw At Exam Time Sadie Hale
MANY O F U S W I L L know the feeling. Crawling home at the end of Michaelmas term under the weight of several thousand unwritten words, something that can make you feel instantly better is a cuddle with your pet under the Christmas tree. Somehow, their non-judgmental eyes can be a source of comfort when the mountain of work ahead seems too much to tackle. It’s well-known that being around animals can have a powerfully therapeutic effect. Known as animal-assisted therapy (AAT), it’s practised by many organisations and can help to ease a range of problems. Animal visits are demonstrably beneficial, reducing levels of stress-hormone and boosting “happiness hormones”. And now universities are starting to catch on to the benefits. On campuses around the
world, pets have been brought in to help relieve stressed-out students of their exam worries. And AAT could be more needed than ever. Ruth Caleb, chair of Universities UK’s mental well-being working group, recently told the BBC that university counselling services are facing a sharp annual rise in demand of about 10%. With such demand for support, animals could play a small part in helping to relieve some of the issues faced by students. Pet therapy sessions are already commonplace in the USA, with dogs on hand to soothe anxious undergraduates at universities across the country. I spoke to a King’s College student who studied abroad this year at the New School, a liberal arts college in New York City. “One day during the end of year exam period, dogs just started popping up in the courtyard,” she said. “I was really confused at first – although
lots of people own dogs in New York, I didn’t understand why their owners were bringing them on campus. But then I saw how happily students were responding to them, and it suddenly struck me that this was deliberate – they’d been asked to come in and make people feel good.” I had a similar experience when studying abroad at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2013. Not only were free food and massages available to students during exam time, but Dog Therapy Days were organised to spread cheer throughout campus. “Simply petting a dog has been shown to lower blood pressure,” the event page reads, referencing two studies by David Sobel (1989) and Karen Allen (2003). “When people were asked to perform simple tasks with their best friend present and then again with their dog present, their blood pressure was lower with their dog. Researchers concluded
participants felt their pet was less judgmental.” And it’s not just in the States: Dalhousie University in Canada trialled a “puppy room” in 2012, creating a space for students to come and play with dozens of pups over the course of a few days during exam period. The response was overwhelmingly positive. On this side of the Atlantic, the same phenomenon has been spreading throughout 2015 – though it doesn’t seem to have reached LSE yet. The University of London’s Royal Holloway students were treated to Puppy Therapy sessions with dogs from Battersea Dogs Home, while Reading University chose to go down the less conventional route of a “reptile zoo”, with hundreds of students turning up to hold lizards, tortoises, snakes and bearded dragons. Warwick University hosted a PAT (Pets As Therapy) Day in February 2015 and plans to do the same this year, while in
May the University of Exeter year offered “a plethora of pigs, from guinea to micro” for students to pet. So, could LSE be adopting this idea for the coming year? Perhaps we’ll be seeing some furry friends at the Student Centre next summer. But even if LSE isn’t able to offer us some animal therapy, there are many places throughout the city where you can get a pick-me-up. Most of London’s City Farms are free to enter; Kentish Town City Farm has piglets and a cow, while Mudchute in the East has large fields with llamas, alpacas, goats and sheep, as well as a smaller playpen with rabbits and a ferret. Hackney City Farm has a friendly donkey, and there are pens of exotic birds, goats and deer at Clissold Park in Stoke Newington.
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Tuesday October 6, 2015
S G N I T LIS
nth Events o M y r o t s i ck H LSESU Bla
Sunday 18 th October Wednesday F il m S o ciety Givea 14th Octob way Friday 9th er @ 6.30pm WIn one of October @ s ix ti c 3 k pm Film Sc ets to see Free Yoga fo Fresh Dress reening: r self-definin e d a t 3 g pm, as BME wome Concerning part of the B n Violence, b F I L o ndon Film y LSESU Exe Frantz Fano Festival rcise Studio n and narra te d by Lauryn H ill CLM 7.02 Monday 19 th October Monday 12 @ 6.30pm th October @ 5pm Thursday 1 Decolonise 5th Octobe your mind: r Public Spea P Dee rsian Society colonising A king worksh p c re a d s e e m n o ts p ia for self-defi : Persepolis LSESU Ven ning BME w ue omen CLM 7 3rd Floor, S .02 aw Swee H ock Student Ce Tuesday 20 ntre th October Friday 16th @ 6 .30pm October @ 6.30pm African and Caribbean Tuesday 13 L SociG B e T ty: Black As + Alliance S th October sent ociety pre@ 6.30pm sents: Paria LSESU Ven h film scree ue n India Socie in g C L M 7.02 ty presents: A Screening o f Gandhi CLM 7.02 Friday 16th Wednesday October 21st Octob Film Society er @ 3.30-5pm Giveaway Win one of Self-defenc five tickets e class for s to see defi Mediterrane elfning BME w a at 9.15, a o m e s n part of the B LSESU Ven FI London F ue ilm Festival
t Centre
Studen
Thursday 2 2nd Octobe r@ 6.30pm BME Netwo rk Launch 6th Floor, S aw Swee H ock Student Ce ntre
erstory H k c a l B LSESU
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r @ 10-
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r@ y Friday Octobe r h o t t 7 s w 2 R y E a H d k omorro ac n- Tues T m l f o p B o 3 M s U r e S e c pla Naead LSE .30pm taking resent: omen L st: Black Wom 6 s p i W h y t t h t 0 h ie n 3 it c ho So mo f Fa iday Islamic nd ACS rk Event rism an a u th to Fr 6 lo 2 o y C a d m, or two tionalis r en’s Ne Room, 6th Flo h t Octobe ng nt y 30 Bao Ya k Stude r@ h-Frida c t e o 7 b 2 H o t y e c a e O Tuesd y 26th Saw Sw LL DAY ition A , r Monda e b ib Octo m p: Centre tory Exh ock s r e 3.30-5p story Worksho H k H ee Blac ber @ er Saw Sw h Octo t r Black H s 0 o 3 lo y F a t 1s Frid las er Gym C b o t e c u O n Ve 6.30pm story Film and y 28th a d LSESU s er e e n Wed Black H ussion - Cecil r@ e w b o r o r m t c o c p is O om @ 6.30 y 26th Panel D ers of T omd a e L Monda n kW Wome Emeke wee st: Blac op o H h 3pm S ip , Saw S tre r C H o A f lo o d F t y n n r h a to 6t Eve Cen The His etwork ock tudent N H S s e ’s k s e n c la e o w C H aw S Dance e Floor, S e u h n t e 6 V ntr LSESU dent Ce u t S @ r tobe 6th Oc 2 y a d Mon n xhibitio 6pm E y r o t s r er Black H aunch - with D L l Nationa wowo aI ck Vaness Saw Swee Ho r, 1st Floo
Friday 23rd October @ 6.30pm Feminist So ciety presen ts: SOLIDARIT Y with black sisters Hong Kong Theatre
Find out more about all the events on the LSESU & ACS Black History Month Facebook Group
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Tuesday October 6, 2015
S G N I T LIS
nth Events o M y r o t s i ck H LSESU Bla
Sunday 18 th October Wednesday F il m S o ciety Givea 14th Octob way Friday 9th er @ 6.30pm WIn one of October @ s ix ti c 3 k pm Film Sc ets to see Free Yoga fo Fresh Dress reening: r self-definin e d a t 3 g pm, as BME wome Concerning part of the B n Violence, b F I L o ndon Film y LSESU Exe Frantz Fano Festival rcise Studio n and narra te d by Lauryn H ill CLM 7.02 Monday 19 th October Monday 12 @ 6.30pm th October @ 5pm Thursday 1 Decolonise 5th Octobe your mind: r Public Spea P Dee rsian Society colonising A king worksh p c re a d s e e m n o ts p ia for self-defi : Persepolis LSESU Ven ning BME w ue omen CLM 7 3rd Floor, S .02 aw Swee H ock Student Ce Tuesday 20 ntre th October Friday 16th @ 6 .30pm October @ 6.30pm African and Caribbean Tuesday 13 L SociG B e T ty: Black As + Alliance S th October sent ociety pre@ 6.30pm sents: Paria LSESU Ven h film scree ue n India Socie in g C L M 7.02 ty presents: A Screening o f Gandhi CLM 7.02 Friday 16th Wednesday October 21st Octob Film Society er @ 3.30-5pm Giveaway Win one of Self-defenc five tickets e class for s to see defi Mediterrane elfning BME w a at 9.15, a o m e s n part of the B LSESU Ven FI London F ue ilm Festival
t Centre
Studen
Thursday 2 2nd Octobe r@ 6.30pm BME Netwo rk Launch 6th Floor, S aw Swee H ock Student Ce ntre
erstory H k c a l B LSESU
Month
r @ 10-
ctobe 30th O
r@ y Friday Octobe r h o t t 7 s w 2 R y E a H d k omorro ac n- Tues T m l f o p B o 3 M s U r e S e c pla Naead LSE .30pm taking resent: omen L st: Black Wom 6 s p i W h y t t h t 0 h ie n 3 it c ho So mo f Fa iday Islamic nd ACS rk Event rism an a u th to Fr 6 lo 2 o y C a d m, or two tionalis r en’s Ne Room, 6th Flo h t Octobe ng nt y 30 Bao Ya k Stude r@ h-Frida c t e o 7 b 2 H o t y e c a e O Tuesd y 26th Saw Sw LL DAY ition A , r Monda e b ib Octo m p: Centre tory Exh ock s r e 3.30-5p story Worksho H k H ee Blac ber @ er Saw Sw h Octo t r Black H s 0 o 3 lo y F a t 1s Frid las er Gym C b o t e c u O n Ve 6.30pm story Film and y 28th a d LSESU s er e e n Wed Black H ussion - Cecil r@ e w b o r o r m t c o c p is O om @ 6.30 y 26th Panel D ers of T omd a e L Monda n kW Wome Emeke wee st: Blac op o H h 3pm S ip , Saw S tre r C H o A f lo o d F t y n n r h a to 6t Eve Cen The His etwork ock tudent N H S s e ’s k s e n c la e o w C H aw S Dance e Floor, S e u h n t e 6 V ntr LSESU dent Ce u t S @ r tobe 6th Oc 2 y a d Mon n xhibitio 6pm E y r o t s r er Black H aunch - with D L l Nationa wowo aI ck Vaness Saw Swee Ho r, 1st Floo
Friday 23rd October @ 6.30pm Feminist So ciety presen ts: SOLIDARIT Y with black sisters Hong Kong Theatre
Find out more about all the events on the LSESU & ACS Black History Month Facebook Group
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Tuesday October 6, 2015
Piecemeal settlements aren’t good enough for women, or men. Genuine equality is better for everyone Janis Wong Women Leaders of Tomorrow President
DESPITE JEREMY CORBYN being a ‘big hit’ with a Hen Do crowd last week, the newly elected Labour leader came under scrutiny for having promised equality, but leaving women out of the four great offices of state – PM, Chancellor, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary. Corbyn fought off criticism by appointing more women than men for the shadow cabinet – the first time in history. He insisted that the real ‘top jobs’ were those that oversaw key public services. To some, it is sufficient to see an overall female majority in the big boy’s club of politics as an accomplishment. However, to believe that having more women at the top makes no productive or economic difference is a mistake. From 2007, female-led hedge funds returned 59 percent against an average of 37 percent. A recent McKinsey Global Institute report also found that if, by 2025, all women enjoyed the same labour participation and access to high-productivity jobs, world income would be around $28 trillion, or just over a quarter, higher. Whilst two of the world’s largest financial organisations, the US federal reserve and the IMF, are female-led, women are
The City
Section Editor: Alex Gray Deputy Editors: Vacant
We All Lose Out When Women Can’t Succeed still underrepresented at every level in the corporate pipeline; there is virtually no improvement in sight. Looking at Fortune 500 companies, there were 16 percent of women in the C-suite in 2012, and 17 percent now. This isn’t because of a higher leaving rate either. A joint report by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company found that women in leadership are more likely to stay in their company than their male counterparts, with 4.5 and 8.7 percent leaving respectively. At this rate, The Global Goal for Gender Equality in 15 years seems hard to reach. The West aren’t necessarily leading either. Despite being traditionally viewed as having a “macho” culture, Russia holds the best gender ratio for female senior manages and chief executives at 40 percent. As a result of World War I, the Soviet Union passed laws which allowed women to work. For example, at the time, accountancy was considered a clerical profession. Now a significant proportion of chief accountants in Russia are women. Meanwhile, Germany has no female chief executives in its top listed companies. It should be no surprise that Black and Minority Ethnic women, particularly the former, get the short end of the stick. BME women are, on average, 43 percent more interested in becoming a top executive than
white women and 16 percent more interested than white men. Very few actually do. Moreover, only half of Black women say they have received seniorlevel support in advancing their career, compared with about two-thirds of white, Asian, and Hispanic women. Whether conscious or unconscious, women suffer as a result of historically institutionalised gender and racial stereotypes. Even though half the population are affected more than the other, it is important that together, we become part of the solution. Some firms are already taking small steps into making the workplace a more transparent, inclusive environment. Policies include compulsory exemption of business travel for parents who return from paternity or maternity for a year. This removes the anxiety of having to ask for travel reduction and does not assume that only the mother would parent.
“Russia holds the best gender ratio for female senior managers at 40 percent” Generally, CEOs have high commitment to gender diversity and is cited as a top priority for
Source: Women in the Workplace Report 2015, McKinsey & Company
74 percent of companies. The message, however, is not reaching the majority of employees. Less than half of workers believe that gender diversity is a top priority for their CEO, and only a third view it as a top priority for their direct manager. In order for women to achieve their full potential,organisations as a whole need to significantly increase sustained investment to change company practices and culture. This need not be trickledown. Here at LSE, we are roughly evenly split. Ladies, take your male friends to the WLT’s coffee mornings, WiB’s socials, and FemSoc’s Solidarity spoken word night. Gents, make sure you have women sitting around the table. Most importantly, listen to them speak. By opening up our networks, we learn more about each other and value the different skills that men and women bring. Two summers ago, I visited the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Walking down the hallway leading to the Court, I remember looking at the judges’ framed photos and being impressed by the large number of women. Later, I realised that the numbers were 50:50. Let’s hope that for the next financial crisis, both genders will be equally blameworthy and thankful for each other’s company at the nappy table.
Contextualising Corbyn
The City |25
Situating Corbyn’s rise in the wider context of populism across the world is necessary to understand his huge support Aristeidis Grivokostopoulos LSE Undergraduate
UK, SUMMER 2015: A HIGH school educated backbencher steals the show in the race for the leadership of the Labour Party. Although this sounds like a story for an Oscar-worthy Hollywood film on outsiders succeeding and underdogs beating the system, the headline above is a reality in austerity-struck Europe. Mr Corbyn is the definition of post-GFC populism, a product of the failure of conventional politicians. Europe-wide, in combination with UK-only phenomena, either political, social or economic, have created the Corbynomania - a phenomenon of its own. Surprisingly, media outlets which are strong supporters of pragmatic rational politics (such as The Independent) have not hidden this new fashion in UK politics. To the contrary, by criticising and scrutinising Corbyn’s unconventional economic manifesto, the media have boosted this
outsider’s chances of winning the race. The American saying “any publicity is good publicity” may be spot on in this case and many other similar cases across the continent (like for Mr Tsipras and Mrs Le Pen).
From a similar perspective, the centre (both centreright and centreleft politicians) has failed Yet the media are doing their job of being part of the system, a system which adores austerity, ‘structural reforms’ and budgetary surpluses. Unfortunately for the media and the politicians they back, this system is unpopular. This system has brought about inequality and unfair labour market conditions for the youth. This system is responsible for the financial crisis and the loss of thousands of dreams of young men and women. This sys-
tem created the term ‘QE’, along with the asset price boom that has enveloped in recent years as a result. To put it simply, for millions of people in search of their first job and pay, this system has failed. From a similar perspective, the centre (both centre-right and centre-left politicians) has failed. This is the main reason why populism has popped up in ways that remind us of the mid-war period. Populism is the effect, not the cause. Corbyn is just one of the geniuses of our time, like Tsipras, Iglesia and Le Pen, who saw the rare opportunity and took it. This 66-year-old leftist Labour veteran is not an opportunist who barely believes in his manifesto of unorthodox Marxist economics. He truly holds these views, and he did so long before the financial crisis broke out. What makes Corbyn a genius is that he found a target audience (the British youth disappointed by politicians in general) and expressed these views loudly and with confidence. Confidence is what Ed Mili-
band, the unsuccessful leader of a meta-New Labour Party, lacked in. When I refer to ‘confidence’, it is not in the sense of speeches or oratory skills. Confidence in politics refers to the belief in your own ideas, however extreme they may be. The phrasing of speeches and manifestos follows this unclouded belief, helping in the transmission of a lucid message to voters. The electorate did not pick up any such lucidness in Miliband’s election campaign, and so he was ejected by both the centre (the group of voters that Tony Blair had as his target) and the hardcore left (Corbyn’s target). This is what Corbyn himself argues, as he feels that the diagnosis of the electoral disaster of his party is in this direction. In contrast to what happens in medicine, in politics a diagnosis is subjective. Putting your words into action is the best way to find out whether your diagnosis is closer to the truth. Corbyn and his colleagues have done that. By following the model of SYRIZA and promising radical measures which limit the free operation
of the markets (such as nationalising strategic industries), Corbyn’s comrades have surprisingly attracted staunch followers in an unpredictable race. That is why when I read Corbyn’s comment on SYRIZA, praising their efforts to change Europe and end austerity, I was little shocked. It may be that Corbyn’s differences more than offset his similarities with leaders of parties such as SYRIZA, Podemos or the SNP. He is not a nationalist, he is not against fiscal responsibility, while he is well-experienced in politics (MP since 1983). Nevertheless, prior to 2008, he was unelectable as these parties and their respective radical views were. Radical and extreme views offer results from either extreme. Corbyn is thus in the hands of fashion and trends - and for now, the wind is blowing behind him, not against him. Aristeidis also has his own blog, which you can view here: h t t p : // t h e s t u d e n t a n a l y s t . blogspot.com/
China: The Red Dragon’s Demise? Unpacking the dynamics of China’s recent, apparent economic slowdown Aristeidis Grivokostopoulos LSE Undergraduate OFFICIALLY, CHINA’S LATest annual GDP growth rate is 7%. Why would the markets in China and elsewhere be panicking with such a high growth rate? In a perfect world, this figure would suggest a healthy transition from a investment-dependent emerging economy to consumption-dependent advanced economy. In a perfect world, this 7% would be true and published by an independent institution. In a perfect world, this statistic would be welcomed by investors. Yet we do not live in a perfect world. We live in a world where all of the above is not happening. Nevertheless though, the Chinese government is determined for us to believe the opposite. The answer to the question of why has many dimensions. Primarily, the political dimension should never be overlooked in cases of regimes, such as China’s. It is in the regime’s interest to project a near ideal economic situation, although it far from any measurement of ideality. The regime does not wish to be overthrown by disgruntled citizens who are looking for any chance to democratise and modernise China’s state. It thus or-
ders the agency to tamper with the stats and present a figure that partially agrees with the target set by the state. At the same time, the agency is ordered to not present a full report of their findings and how they came up with that magical number. Manipulation and concealment of data - a reminder of the Soviet Union and the secrecy and guesswork which was dominant during the Cold War period. There is a slight chance that all of this is just pure false speculation. But if the West’s political interpretation of this statistic is wrong, why are the Chinese and commodities markets reacting in this way? Within a matter of weeks, the Chinese stock market boom has burst like a bubble. Within a matter of months, the talks of a commodities supercycle that will never end have disappeared. Markets are usually overreactionary to any new information, especially economic, so they may be ignored, or at least not given much attention. If the figure was close to the truth, then the slowdown is smooth. Markets seem to believe the opposite. My interpretation of the situation lies in between. This brings me to the second dimension of the answer to this ‘why’ question. Yes, I do believe that the rate of slowdown is un-
expected and surprising. But this is because of soviet-like tactics that have been going on for decades. Indeed, the level of data manipulation has escalated since the financial crisis. The slowdown has been smooth, but not as smooth. The mistake the markets have made is an assumption that the past figures are true. If this assumption is rejected, then the process of transition has been more drastic, yet linear, since the crisis. For example, 2014’s Q3 rate could have been 6-7% (not 7.3%), so this year it is normal for it to be in the 5-6% range expected by markets. In essence, the government’s tactics attempted to calm the markets by smoothing the curve since 2009. but now it is well above the real figure
which soon will appear. Still, smoothness is not the only problem here. More specifically, reaching the third dimension of my answer, the commodities market is panicking about the transition itself. Southeast Asia, East Asia, Australia and a large number of emerging markets are heavily dependent are part of a supply chain created by China’s manufacturers. China-dependence has been reduced, however though they cannot handle such a decrease in demand. “Assumption” is the word to remember in this and every dimension of my answer. Participants in this supply chain assumed a near double-figure growth rate when they expanded their capacity and scale of operation. When this as-
sumption is proven to be wrong, everybody realises that they have overinvested, thus they panic. So once again, the cover-up served the purpose of postponing a market reaction, maybe until the Party figures out an economic solution. As it seems, markets did not see the devaluation of the yuan and direct involvement in the stock market as a solution. They saw it as a threat. This in turn created a feedback effect of worsening their image of the Chinese economy and adding to the slump. Yet the real problem for the Communist Party is not market reaction, as it will soon fade. The problem lies in what follows a negative market reaction - a negative citizen reaction.
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Tuesday October 6, 2015
The turmoil surrounding the GOP House leadership race has begun to bear a striking resemblance to Dante’s ‘Inferno’... James Wilken - Smith Postgraduate student MITT ROMNEY EMERGED victorious in the 2012 contest for the Republican nomination despite a large amount of dissent from the rank-and-file members of the party. In search of a candidate who would better represent their values, these voters turned towards a parade of possible but increasingly implausible alternatives. Their support first went to Rick Perry before moving on to Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich (twice), and Rick Santorum. But the tide of anti-Romney sentiment never translated into continued support for any of these candidates, and Romney’s numbers kept ticking up until he had an unassailable lead. There are indeed many interesting connections between the Republican nomination in 2016 and its previous incarnation in 2012. However, those arguing that support for Donald Trump and any other political outsiders will dissipate in the same way that it did for Romney’s challengers risk being very much surprised when the Republican primaries take place early next year. Not only has Donald Trump stormed to the top of the polls, but so far the bubble around him has not burst. According to the RealClearPolitics.com polling tracker he has been leading the national polls since July 20th, meaning he has spent over 2 months as the nominal frontrunner. In comparison,
Features
Section Editor: Taryana Odayar Deputy Editors: Vacant
Republican Party Leadership Trumped by Chaos
Picture Credit: otherwords.org
none of the “anyone-butRomney” candidates lasted much more than a month at the top. Trump has successfully tapped into something these candidates didn’t, perhaps because his brash and outrageous form of anti-politics is exactly what the Republican base wants to hear, or perhaps because 4 years of disillusionment has weakened the political establishment even further than we currently realise. Trump is also not the only candidate riding this wave of discontent to the top of the polls. Ben Carson, a former neurosurgeon, and Carly Fiorina, a former CEO are second and third place in the latest polls respectively. The leading ‘establishment’ candidates are biding their time, hoping to ride out the storm of populist fury. However, many political commentators in the United States are still bearish on the chances that any of the outsiders have to eventually emerge as the Republican nominee. Turning to political science, they point to such works as The Party Decides, which finds that the most important indicator of primary success are early endorsements from established party figures. While Fiorina has a couple of endorsements from members of the House of Representatives, Carson and Trump are unlikely to gain any official endorsements unless they start to rack up primary wins. Nate Silver, political polling guru, is a supporter of this thesis and is highly sceptical of
the value that early polls can tell us about the strength of campaigns. According to this view, the establishment wing of the Republican party still holds the upper hand in the nomination, even if it doesn’t appear to right now. Nevertheless, we should recognise that 2016 is already different from the previous election cycles. The terrifyingly fast decline of Scott Walker’s fortunes, from frontrunner and perfect candidate on paper to withdrawing after only 70 days shows that being a media or establishment favourite is not sufficient to succeed. The other problem facing the establishment analysis is the sheer number of candidates in the Republican race. Presidential primaries are, at the most basic level, coordination problems between establishment actors and ordinary voters. In the past the former have generally been a lot better at choosing ‘their guy’, while the latter split between the candidates on offer before accepting the establishment’s choice. The 2000 Republican nomination is a case in point, where George W. Bush gained overwhelming establishment support early on (greater even than Hilary Clinton has now), but lost the New Hampshire primary to John McCain. The establishment came down hard against McCain in South Carolina and Bush swept to victory. Yet in this race, there are still 15 candidates even after two early withdrawals, and the anti-establishment voters have
flocked to Trump’s banner as well as to Carson and Fiorina. The establishment votes are split between a wide variety of candidates. Many of these candidates think that if they just get through the tough period now, they can be at the top of the polls later. Of course many of those running, like George Pataki or Jim Gilmore, are simply not credible candidates. But it is unclear that their support would coalesce around an establishment choice. Furthermore, the longer the establishment wing remains split the longer whichever outsider at the top has to gain a significant head-start. The two overwhelming favourites in the prediction markets are still the two seen as ‘establishment’ candidates – Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio. However, neither of them are polling well nationally, and in the key early states (Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina) they are both languishing in the middle of the pack. It may turn out that by the time the primaries take place one or perhaps both of them will be back leading the race and party establishment will be back in control. But if support doesn’t coalesce towards either of these candidates soon, and the anti-establishment fury of Republican voters doesn’t subside, then we could move into an even more uncertain 2016 where all bets for the Republican nomination will be off.
Transport Game-Changer: Uber VS the Classic Black Cab
A breakdown of Transport for London’s recent skirmish with the Uber taxi service and what it means for students. Chris Cadwallader Undergraduate Student AS A REGULAR CUSTOMER of the taxi service Uber, the cheap fares and convenient booking service serve as a metaphorical oasis in the desert of the metropolis, but the company has recently come under fire from Transport for London in the past week and has been threatened with higher levels of regulation. A quick search of the internet will reveal horror stories of axewielding drivers and horrendous to the point of hilarious instances of overpricing, but the issue of your safety and convenience does not serve as the motivation for TfL. Moreover, it is their obstinate struggle against evolution, regarding the delayed night tubes, and the transport market which provides the energy to TfL’s summer of fluffs. It is simple bureaucracy masked as a battle against hypercapitalism, and it is a struggle that affects us students as much as anyone else. While some may argue that Uber should reform to a certain level, especially as it defines itself shadily as a software company, the demands of TfL, leaked several days ago, are overwhelmingly unnecessary to the point of farcical. Firstly, TfL wants Uber’s booking service
reformed to the extent where a minimum 5 minute waiting time is enforced, taxi sharing is limited, an option to book a taxi 7 days in advance is mandatory, and the elimination of the map feature which allows users to see nearby Uber cars. Quite simply, what is the point? Not only does it make getting from A to B far more hassle but arguably it has made Londoners, especially students, far more at risk by wandering around in the early hours of the morning searching for a ride home. Secondly, TfL have targeted every other taxi driver not working for TfL by insisting that drivers must only work for one operator at a time (50% of Uber drivers work part time for the company, this measure will put livelihoods at risk), must pass a map reading assessment (as if every single taxi driver doesn’t already use a sat nav) and an English language test. These are not measures taken to improve passenger safety since every Uber is already tracked by GPS and taxi drivers claim to have been be deactivated by Uber if their rating falls below a certain average, rumoured to be roughly 4.6 out of 5. Finally, and perhaps most importantly for everyone who uses Uber, this will obviously mean that Uber will have to
increase fares to continue to operate in London. For example, currently the cost of an Uber taxi from XOYO to Passfield Hall costs £3.75. The price for a black cab, however, is over £13. That is the whole issue for TfL in a nutshell. They are being outcompeted in both price and quality of service by private taxi companies and would rather have us, the consumers, pay for their lack of innovation and adaptation than reform themselves. Even claims from the TfL that congestion and pollution in London is a major issue arising from private taxis are misinformed considering that UberPool, a taxi sharing service, would take 1 million cars off London roads. These measures are more likely to harm the transport services and artificially preserve outdated TfL services unwilling to adapt. Out of 100,000 drivers last year, less than 22,000 were black cab drivers and the future does not look bright for the traditional hackneys. However the answer to the taxi problem is not to discriminate against private taxi firms to the minor advantage of TfL cabs but it is to relax certain regulations such as the high cost of licensed vehicles (average of £40,000 per cab) and for TfL to modernize in order to curb the advantage
NEARLY 30 YEA RS ON from when the IntermediateRange Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed in 1987 between the United States and Russia, its influence is visibly weakening. The INF, which prohibits the development of groundsbased nuclear or conventional intermediate-range missiles (reaching over 500km), has recently been the subject of several suspected breaches. On September 23rd, Russia criticised the US for its planned deployment of B61-12 guided nuclear bombs to Germany,
catastrophic. Arguing for the Treaty’s dissolution, states have referred to the its constraints, preventing them from defending themselves against China’s growing landbased missile arsenal and the production of intermediaterange nuclear missiles by Korea and India, which are not limited by the Treaty. Whilst it is true that the more globally widespread development of nuclear weapons today than in 1987 is, in itself, a concern, it must not be forgotten that, together, the US and Russia still monopolise the world’s supply of nuclear weapons by a vast majority. Additionally, the dissolution
Edmund Smith Undergraduate student
of the Treaty, with its potential to kick-start another nuclear arms race, poses several difficult questions, renewing the debate about nuclear ethics. In this day and age, can it really be ethical to continue the evolution of technology which has the potential to endanger human life, and is it necessary to have Treaties as effective deterrents against nuclear conflict? New START, which limits nuclear warheads, has demonstrated the potential success of these treaties since it was signed in 2010, therefore, perhaps not all hope is lost. With any luck, President Obama and President Putin will come to see things the same way.
THE WORLD WE LIVE IN has a capacity to endlessly shock us. This occurs in everyday contexts: how much heat does it take to light a fire? How much weight should I use to turn my motorbike? How many drinks does it take to make me tipsy? As these experiences occur, my expectation of the world’s potential future behaviours is updated, and so are my dispositions to act. But this capacity to shock also extends to more troubling situations. After World War II, a great number of intellectuals had to revise their conceptions of humanity. They were driven to ask just how a society as technologically and culturally advanced as Germany could allow such atrocities to occur. Insofar as “what is the meaning of life? is a meaningful question, this capacity of the world to shock might explain why we ask this question. All of this has marked parallels with the Biblical book of Job. From Job’s perspective, God inflicts suffering upon him without cause. Job’s responses seem to cover the whole spectrum of human response to an uncertain world. If we want to think about life-affirmation in the face of suffering, Job would be an excellent place to start. Picture Credit: www.businessinsider.com
US-Russian Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty weakens as political tension between the great powers intensify. once again threatening to withdraw from the Treaty, and has itself been accused of developing and testing the R-500 ground-based cruise missile at ranges prohibited by the Treaty. As both states try to find ways to get around the Treaty, such as the US development of its sea-based missiles, this only serves to create an ever-more dangerous political situation as it comes close to destruction. With USRussian relations already at such a low point, exacerbated by the Ukraine crisis (EU and US sanctions on Russia are still ongoing), the revision of the INF Treaty at such a tense political moment could be
The Pocket Philosopher
The answer to the Evidential Problem of Evil may have been in front of us for centuries.
Is There A Nuclear War On The Horizon? Nina Webb Undergraduate Student
Features | 27
Send your own philosophical musings to: features@thebeaveronline. co.uk
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Tuesday October 6, 2015
US Gun Problem Spirals Out Of Control
How many more deaths will it take for the US to take action on its gun control and gun rights policies? Griff Ferris Postgraduate Student DETAILS OF THE MOST recent gun-related tragedy in the US are just coming to light, but it appears to be another of the multiple-victim murders which all too frequently plague America. These fatal incidents, in what must seem an unpleasant case of déjà vu to the American people, were again perpetrated by an individual, in some way disaffected, who as a result of the US obsession with the Second Amendment was able to arm himself and murder innocent people. These massacres have been a common occurrence in the last 15 years going back as far as the slaughter of 15 at Columbine in 1999. More recently there have been massacres at Virginia Tech in 2007, Tucson in 2011, the Sandy Hook and the Aurora Cinema shootings both in 2012, and just earlier this year, the Charleston church shooting. The isolated shootings of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis also deserve inclusion to this macabre catalogue. The list is endless; in fact the crowd-sourced Mass Shooting Tracker lists as many as 297 mass shootings (four or more victims) in 2015. As President Obama noted in the Oregon aftermath, such events have
become a ‘routine’ occurrence. As is the standard with such cases, the media seeks to establish the motives of the perpetrators, with the resulting US media coverage of the Oregon shootings focusing partly on the allegations that the gunman sought out Christian victims. Similarly, the Florida shootings of unarmed young black teenagers Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis by middleaged white men drew huge controversy, with the focus on accusations of racial profiling. Media attention dwarfed the ongoing presidential election and further centred on the ‘Stand Your Ground’ state law, which permits lethal force in response to a perceived threat. Admittedly, there are numerous substantial issues at play in many of these cases: issues of race, religion, mental illness, and social exclusion. However, the key issue was summed up neatly by the recent exchange between 2016 presidential hopeful Donald Trump, and the incumbent President Barack Obama; whereas Trump characterized the Oregon shootings and others like it as a problem with those who have mental illness, Obama’s precise response noted that all countries have those with mental illness, but not all of them have such easy access to guns and ammunition. The crucial concern in
all of these cases is the easy availability of lethal weapons: guns. It is a widely quoted statistic, most recently by Obama in his response to the Oregon shootings, that there is a gun for every man, woman and even child in America – more than 300 million privately owned firearms. In addition, the simplicity of acquiring a firearm is clear - in any Wal-Mart, the US supermarket - you can buy a high-powered rifle for as little as $150 (£100). Yet the US obsession with its Constitution being tantamount to sacred, specifically the Second Amendment, ‘the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed’, inhibits any attempt to introduce ‘common-sense’ gun safety laws. The considerable power of the pro-gun lobby headed by the National Rifle Association is a further stumbling block to any politician seeking to establish or strengthen any such laws. The NRA argues that by protecting the Second Amendment ‘right to bear arms’ it is protecting the constitution, branding any politician in opposition unpatriotic. In conjunction with its financial influence, the NRA therefore holds huge sway over many members of Congress, vehemently opposing any proposition, however modest, that might restrict gun ownership. The NRA’s stock response to
such shootings is not that there should be more stringent safety laws but, almost unbelievably, that there should be more guns for protection. After the Sandy Hook mass-murder, a heavily NRA-lobbied Congress rejected even moderate gun safety laws despite public backing, while the NRA saw both membership and profits skyrocket. The polarisation of the issue of gun ownership is clear in the vastly differing responses of US politicians. In response to the Oregon massacre, Obama stated that ‘the main thing I’m going to do is I’m going to talk about this’, a grotesquely weak response from the perspective of any country where private gun ownership is illegal, yet positively robust in the context of US perceptions on the right to bear arms. In a recent BBC interview, Obama described his inability to strengthen gun laws as his biggest failure in office, an area where he has been ‘most frustrated, most stymied’. Even more contentious were the Republican candidate Jeb Bush’s remarks on the Oregon shootings: ‘stuff happens, there’s always a crisis’. Such a denigrating opinion is perhaps to be expected from the man who, as governor of Florida, signed the ‘Stand Your Ground’ authorization of lethal force, together with a whole host of pro-gun legislation. Perhaps it is a relief that Hilary Clinton
has become the first of the US presidential candidates to address the issue head on, calling the shooting ‘sickening’ and declaring that she will take on the pro-gun lobby. Clinton admits that there is a ‘political mountain to climb’, and she has called for a ‘national movement’ to counter the NRA’s influence. There are a number of suggested solutions to the gunsafety issue, of which almost none consider full disarmament as a credible option in the US. Legal scholars advocate altering the Second Amendment to ‘the right of the people to keep and bear arms when serving in the Militia’, to prevent the supposed misinterpretation which allows private citizens to own guns. Public support for universal background checks, denied legislative legitimacy by Congress after Sandy Hook, remains extremely high. However even in the unlikely event that the gun ownership laws were changed, it is likely that such alteration would not survive legal challenge, with the US Supreme Court having liberally interpreted the constitution in favour of gun ownership in landmark decisions as recently as 2008 and 2010. The sad reality is that it may take more gruesome and tragic mass-murders, with many more lives lost, until the US is galvanized into successful action over gun-ownership and gunsafety laws.
Picture Credit: Independent
Features | 29
An American Absurdity; Gun Culture Of The World’s Superpower USA’s treasured gun culture and the domestic belief of “a good guy with a gun” is demystified.
THURSDAY NIGHT I SAT down with my internationally diverse flatmates and started flipped through the pages of grabagun.com. I have no idea what the different range of calibers and options mean, but I have heard of nine millimeters before, so I click on that page, and we are confronted with 1,047 different options of “beginner” handguns. My flatmates—from Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, and France—are already incredulous. The cheapest is a Hi-Point C9, for $148. We keep scrolling and then go through the filter options for other types of guns. 0.44 Magnum? That reminds me of playing Goldeneye for Nintendo 64 with my friend Paul after school during fifth grade, so I click on that. The bigger, deadlier handgun looks best in chrome: $1,405. Do I want to add a silencer? An extra $669. But we are getting bored with handguns, and so we move on to the bigger stuff. Assault rifles. The cheap, entry-level option is a Mossberg 715T, at $213. A reviewer wrote, “Imagine being a kid and getting this as your first rifle. How cool would this be to show off to your friends? Answer: Super cool.” Hmm. Stepping up a level, a Bushmaster—Adam Lanza’s gun of choice—is $590. A few 30-round cartridges to go with it would be just a bit over $7 each. And if we had the money, we could go all the way up the scale to the mean, serious, and military looking Barrett assault rifle, which comes with two little supports attached to the much longer barrel. $10,337. Plus a $5.99 flat fee for shipping. But the ease and convenience of buying my gun online, and without a background check? Priceless. Because America has decided that there is no price too high for the right to unchecked access to the weapons that make mass murder possible. The twenty kindergartners gunned down in January, 2013 in Newton, Connecticut wasn’t too high a price. The ten people shot and killed Thursday night at a community college in Oregon wasn’t too high a price. And the six month old baby who was shot in my hometown, Cleveland, Ohio, on that exact
Picture Credit: fineartamerica.com
Alex Hurst Postgraduate Student
same day wasn’t too high a price. “From our cold, dead hands!” the gun lobby cries. But how many actual cold, dead hands, feet and bodies have to litter America’s streets before we are willing to truly confront our obscene and irrational national obsession with guns? In yet another press conference addressing yet another mass shooting, Obama was both angry and defeated. How could he not have been? He’s already had to do this dozens of times this year alone. “Show America the numbers,” he challenged the media, and the numbers are astounding. There have been 994 mass shootings since Obama was re-elected in 2012, and there will undoubtedly be at least six more before he leaves office. Since September 11, 2001, 313 Americans have been killed by terrorism; over 313,000 have been killed by guns. None of the facts and figures are anything new. With a gun death rate of 2.97 per 100,000 people, the United States far outstrips its peer nations, including Australia (0.86) and the UK (0.26)—both cited by Obama as nations “like ours” from which we could learn. Indeed, Australia has walked a similar, yet divergent, path. In 1996, after experiencing a mass shooting that killed 35 people,
Australia banned semiautomatic rifles and handguns, and spent $230 million on the forced buyback of over 600,000 banned items; there hasn’t been a single mass shooting since, and both homicide and suicide rates have fallen drastically. “Make this a political issue,” Obama challenged voters, in a moment of frank truth that is becoming more common as he nears the end of his tenure in the White House. And yet, perhaps the problem before us is not only the politicization of guns, but that following in Australia’s footsteps would require a larger socio-psychological shift than the most strident gun control proponents would like to admit. From its own streets to its foreign policy, the United States has a flawed belief in the power of the gun; as a symbol of liberty and autonomy, and—in the hands of the mythic hero— to solve nearly any problem. Much has been written about the way geography has impacted the American national character: About how expansion into the vast, open west incubated a mindset of optimism and new beginning, along with an ardent individualism and skepticism of government. But all that land available for the taking also produced a belief in the use— the necessity, even—of force. A nation born in armed resistance
and a war fought largely by its citizen-soldiers looked to the gun once again as it and its citizen-pioneers annexed masses of western land. The space and distance from the populated east meant far weaker institutions of government, and a far greater ability and need for selfreliance. Collective action becomes less important and less possible when you can retreat into the plains. Unbound by the demands of social organization, the individual becomes mythologized; master of his future, his law his gun. This domestic belief in the power of “a good guy with a gun” was reinforced by America’s foreign policy. A nation that considered itself exceptional, given a special role to play as a force for good in the world, grew up with an increasing ability to successfully project power beyond its borders. At the same time, it only ever really knew the lash of war when it was self inflicted during its own civil conflict. The mythologies combine
and find harmony: The individual and the nation, both firmly in the right, with the power to their destinies and defend their ideals. My flatmates incredulity had turned to speechlessness by the time we had finished browsing the site. They didn’t really need to say anything; by any objective standard, the ease with which I could have purchased outrageous firepower is nothing short of absurd. Today, this ease is a uniquely American absurdity. It’s one we have the power to change— we can reinterpret the second amendment with more nuance, and we could pass common sense legislation restricting the sale of firearms, and to whom. It’s an issue Obama is right to call upon the body politic to greater politicize. But before any of that can happen, we might just have to turn away from the underlying American narrative about the power of one person with a gun to stand firm and beat back evil. Because right now, the gun is beating us.
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Tuesday 6 October, 2015
Win, lose or draw, send your results to sports@thebeaveronline.co.uk CALLING ALL FEMALE CRICKETERS
LSE cricket club are looking to start a Women’s Cricket Team. If you are interested email Cricket Club Captain Ed Harvey at E.Harvey@lse.ac.uk
Pole Fitness: The Beaver’s Club of the Week Zara Ash LSE Pole Fitness Captain LSESU POLE FITNESS club is entering its second year and we’re coming back strong! People tend to be unsure about trying pole because of the stereotypes surrounding the sport or sometimes even because of what you have to wear (shorts and a strappy top), which is unfortunate because it’s so much fun and amazing exercise. It involves dance and gymnastics and improves your strength and flexibility. There is bruising involved but it is definitely worth the pain, and it’s rare to have a sport without injury. We really encourage everyone to overcome the prejudice over it and have a go. This year we have arranged classes so that they will be up and running from the start of week two. Last year was a struggle for the club as we were often overlooked as part of the
AU and classes were very difficult to organise – they only ran during lent ter m. This year we are becoming more recognised and growing our number of members, with socials and classes running throughout the year. Pole is becoming a fashionable sport in general (and it’s amazing exercise) so hopefully we can attract lots of members and continue the club’s success and make Kimmy To, the founder and last year’s captain, proud. Our taster session ran for an hour on Wednesday in Week 1 at Pulse Dance studios near Angel and we had a great turn out. We had a brief war m up and then taught the freshers 3 beginners spin, with time to try them out and practice. There were a few people with a little experience but everyone seemed to get the hang of it, more or less, by the end and hopefully everyone had a good time! It was a great opportunity to have a chance for eve-
ryone to meet each other and try out the sport that loads of people are so unsure about. The session was infor mal because it was run by our committee so we could get a chance to meet everyone properly before proper classes begin. Starting next week, our teacher from last year, Aneta, will be returning to teach! There are both beginners and inter mediate/advanced classes running this ter m so no experience is necessary and they run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Membership for the year is 25 pounds and classes are 3 pounds each (way cheaper than doing it in an outside studio in London). We encourage anyone considering trying it out to join our Facebook group, as we post all infor mation on there. We are really excited for Pole Fitness Club to be a massive success this year so it can continue to grow in the years to come!
If you would like your club to feature in The Beaver as AU Club of the Week, please email sports@thebeaveronline.co.uk
AFTER A TEN WEEK hiatus from debauchery, depravity and downright tomfoolery, the LSE Athletics’ Union returned to that hallowed ground, that sacred land, that inviolable church – Zoo Bar. Filled to the rafters as though it were a UGM on disbanding Men’s R*gby, a new batch
of wide-eyed freshers were promised a utopia, the start of something special, an exciting beginning to a brand new chapter in their as yet uncorrupted lives. Nib? With initiations outlawed by the Third Reiland and her Strong and Sanctimonious followers, clubs AU-wide rElinquished their right (?) to make their new members suffer, Tessting each club’s inJennuity to the max. Instead, Welcome Drinks were conducted in plain sight, nothing to fear, nothing to Hyde. A fresh lick of paint on the walls of the Jungle masked the pungent smell of severe over-
crowd, leaving Men’s Rugby (at time of print still in existence) emerging from the night slightly bluer than usual. One rugger man so fortunate to have private health insurance, the quintessential Bupaman, a real Clarke Kent, felt secure enough in his medical safety net that he threatened to undo the Purity and philanthropy of the Men’s Rugby Working Group by turning from blue to Green. A cursory glance at a nearby calendar confirmed the masses’ suspicions that it in fact was not Week 6 Lent Term, so fists were Lily Lowered and the night resumed. Things simmered to a Boyle
for one footballing singer, but thank G it cooled before explosion. Another man Harried deep into the Abyss of Women’s Rugby in search of partnership, But he was left Savagely Mad when he tried to approach a hole already Doug. Later on in the Evening, inebriation turned to irritation as one FC man got severely Todd off by an ex flame. On the other side of the smoking section, the overtures of floodgates precipitated a widespread need for Henkerchiefs. He thought he’d got off Scott free as the opposition Peatered out - but alas, out of nowhere, a harsh tax was Levied upon his face!
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This Week’s Sport: In Short ENGLAND MANAGED TO SET a world record this week. The first ever Rugby World Cup host to crash out of the tournament before the quarter final stage. Granted they were placed in the most competitive group in World Cup history, however they still slumped to a defeat against a severely depleated Welsh side and, let’s be honest, a thrashing at the hands of Australia. The 33-13 loss to the Aussies would have perhaps been easier to swallow had there not been so much hype around this group of players. The current England side were seen as one who could challenge for a place in the final and were at one stage favourties to win
the coveted Webb Ellis Trophy. In the game itself, England were given a masterclass at how to perform at the breakdown. The Australian backrow of Fardy, Pocock and Hooper seemed to be challenging the English forwards at every breakdown, and winning most of them. Robshaw and co were not quick enough to react to this brilliance and were ultimately outplayed. The biggest worry for England moving forward was that they were outclassed not only at the breakdown, but also in the scrum. The idea of an Aussie scrum taking to pieces its English counterpart would have been laughable a
mere 12 months ago, however the job that Mike Cheika and his backroom team have done in such a short space of time is nothing short of extraordinary. They have taken a scrum that was comprehensively beaten by England last November, and turned them into a potentially World Cup winning outfit. England should be scared. To go out of their home World Cup in such a demoralising fashion is something that should not be taken lightly. A comprehensive review of the entire rugby set up needs to take place, from grassroots level up. However, this does not mean that the wrong leadership team are in charge.
BRENDAN RODGERS FINALLY got the sack as Liverpool FC manager this weekend. After a poor run of form that saw Rodger’s side pick up one solitary win out of the last nine matches, the Fenway Sports Group (the owners of Liverpool FC) informed Rodgers of hit fate. Their dull 1-1 draw with local rivals Everton was the final straw, with Rodgers leaving the club having a low 50% win rate (P166 W83 D41 L42). This may seem like a defendable set of stats, however having spent over £290 million on new players since his arrival in June 2012, bettter results were warranted. Principal owner John W Henry issued this statement on the Liver-
pool FC website. “We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Brendan Rodgers for the significant contribution he has made to the club and express our gratitude for his hard work and commitment. All of us have experienced some wonderful moments with Brendan as manager and we are confident he willl enjoy a long career in the game. Although this has been a difficult decision, we believe it provides us with the best opportunity for success on the pitch. Ambition and winning are at the heard of what we want to bring to Liverpool and we believe this change gives us the best opportunity to deliver it. The search for a new manager is underway
and we hope to make an appointment in a decisive and timely manner” Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti are two of the many names linked with the now vacant managerial position. With Ancelotti committed to his year hiatus, Klopp seems to be in pole position especially considering that in the past few weeks his attitude to the Premier League seems to have softened with him remarking “England is the only country I would work next to Germany.” The bookmakers seem to share this view making Klopp the odds on favourite at 1/3 with Ancelotti next at 5/2 and Frank de Boer at 14/1.
Why All Must Join Women’s Football Yasmin Adib LSE Women’s Football Social Sectretary THE WOMEN’S WORLD Cup was a massive success. The quality of play was incredible and captured the interest of the entire footballing world. The World Cup massively raised the awareness that we all have to Women’s Football and the introduction of Women’s International teams into FIFA16 will surely add to this. Whilst we may not possess the Hope Solos and Kelly Smiths of the world, LSE Women’s Football is a rapidly growing club and we’re looking forward to taking big strides this year. There are over 60,000 Women playing football in the UK and we want to do our part to help that number grow. This year we put even more effort into Welcome Fair and this showed in our turnout for trials. Last Sunday’s try-outs were a massive success with girls from all levels and back-
grounds joining in the fun. With the new decision of creating two teams this year, Women’s Football Club are ready to expand and grow bigger than ever. Plus, with all the talent we saw at try-outs, it would be criminal to let any of it go to waste! We’ve also got a new coach this year that is ready for the challenge of pushing us to victory, which is extremely exciting. Our give-it-a-go session on Wednesday was also a great opportunity to get more girls into football, and we hope as many come along to training as it is good way to improve your fitness and meet some fantastic people. What is so fab this year is that our trainings will be in central London in Coram Fields on Friday’s from 6-730pm – no more trekking to Berrylands, which I for one was not a fan of to say the least. This means it is in such a convenient location to get involved and play some football! Being Social Sec for the club this year I really believe that joining the AU adds a great social aspect to your time at
LSE, and I am really excited to organise lots of fun events for everyone. Whether it be nights out at Zoo, or watching live matches (where some of you may come to realise as a way of slowly imposing why everyone should support the Arsenal), or maybe even going to see Bend it like Beckham the musical live if anyone fancies it (lol).
If you want the chance to be a part of one of the fastest growing clubs at LSE, one of the funnest clubs at LSE and definitely one of the best, then you should definitely have a go and then subsequently join LSE Women’s Football. I’ve already had a great time being part of WFC so far, and I’m sure everyone who gets involved will too!
Got an opinion on what’s going on in the premier league? Want to write a match report? Got a view on Sport at LSE? Then The Beaver Sports section is the place for you! If you are interested in writing an article then please email sports@ thebeaveronline.co.uk
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LSE Hockey On The Up Following the Euros, LSE Hockey Club is set to reach new heights
Guest Editor: Alex Dugan Deputy Editors: Vacant
Perdita Blinkhorn LSE Hockey Outreach Officer
Sport
F O L L OW I N G A S O L I D performance by England in the EuroHockey Championships over the Summer, it’s no wonder so many new students are keen to play the truly beautiful game. In terms of participation it is one of the largest sport in British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS), second only to football which enjoys a far greater level of funding and media coverage. LSE’s men, women and mixed teams did exceptionally well last season and are working hard to ensure continuing success. In short, the future is looking bright for Hockey, both home and away. Everyone’s hero of hockey at the Euros was undoubtedly Maddie Hinch, England Women’s number 1 goalkeeper. As the home side took on the Dutch world champions at Stratford’s Olympic stadium, a 2-2 tie at full time meant that a shoot out was called for. Expertly saving almost every shot that came her way, Hinch was the miracle we didn’t know we needed to obtain a stunning victory against the Netherlands. Despite coming fourth over-
all, the England men had their share of impressive moments, particularly in their defeating of Russia by 10-1, with David Condon giving the side a cause for celebration after a first half hat-trick. Their final position was generally disappointing, as they were highly expected to take home the bronze and even be strong contendors for second place. There were surprising, yet exciting developments in hockey as well, with the Irish men not only successfully qualifying for the Olympics, but coming out with silver medals.
“In short, the future is looking bright for Hockey” Both the British men and women’s teams have already qualified for Rio 2016, but world hockey is quite a different matter to European only competitors. They will have to face the best hockey nations in the world, which are widely recognised to include the Netherlands, Pakistan, India and Australia. At the last games, the Dutch women won their third Olympic gold in a row, narrowly beating Argentina. Hockey seems to be steadily growing in South America, despite Argentina being the only country in the continent to have won hockey Olympic medals thanks to their women’s team. By comparison, both Ger-
many and Britain are seen as contestants for winning medals in any competitions with the big dogs, but are unlikely to hit the top spots. Having said that, we were surprised by the women and disappointed by the men in the Euros, so anything could happen. In reflection, the sport clearly has a lot going for it across the globe. It’s got a fantastic and thrilling history; for example, the Indian men’s team were undefeated Olympic champions from 1926 to 1956, and hockey is the only sport to have Olympic medal winners in every continent. I personally believe we have a lot to learn from the differences between the men and women’s games, which have clearly distinct characteristics. To me, women’s sport currently has more to offer in thrilling displays of stick skill and, dare I say, may even demonstrate a more successful side of the
sport than the men, both in terms of play and grass-root engagement. The men’s game certainly has excellent techniques that are less used by women, such as powerful aerials; ultimately however, which form of play is better is merely a matter of personal preference (supposedly). I shall be interested to see who will be the challengers to the status quo at Rio and whether the British men can step up to the plate to bring their dreams to fruition. In terms of club based hockey, it is vital for Britain to address the prevalent lack of available playing space to ensure the prolonged growth of the sport, particularly in cities. In the mean time, the LSE Hockey (Club of the Year)teams will just have to continue their own success; as their new hash tag states, I have been assured the teams will be #killingitdaily
Give Us A Go! The Beaver is hosting a Give It A Go Session this week. Come along to find out how you can get involved, meet the team and receive some free refreshments! 8.10.2015 The Venue, Saw Swee Hock Student Centre 18:00 - 21:00