844

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Beaver

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Issue 844 | 12.1.16

Newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union

Calhoun To Stand Down From LSE Directorship Ellen Wilkie Executive Editor

CRAIG CALHOUN, CURRENT Director of LSE, announced at the end of Michaelmas Term that he will not be seeking a second term, and will thus be leaving his position at the end of the 2016/17 academic year. Calhoun made this announcement on December 17th 2015, in an email to all LSE staff.The news was then circulated by email to students later the same day. The email declared that serving the school as LSE Director was ‘one of the most important things I have done’ and that he remains ‘enthusiastic about the LSE and its potential’. When addressing students, he admitted that he is ‘more than usually sentimental about the School and its wonderful students: you’. Directors of the LSE are selected and given five year terms. In Michaelmas term of the Director’s 4th year, he must specify whether he will be looking to continue his position for the following five years. Calhoun declared in his email to students that ‘I have loved my time at LSE and in fact I’m not leaving: my term runs for another year and a half.’ In a separate email to LSE Staff, Lord Paul Myners, LSE Chairman, wrote to ‘express appreciation for Craig’s leadership and service’. He

praised the Director ‘for his clear vision for the future of LSE and for his strenuous work to convert that vision into reality’. In his email to students it Calhoun outlined some ‘key objectives [that] will be the focus of my attention for the remainder of [his] term’. In the staff email, these are elaborated further to say: ‘I will write more about these later, but at the top of the list is securing a step-change in LSE’s provision of education and student experience – including support directly for students and for all the teachers who contribute so basically. It is important that the School seek to be as outstanding in education as it is in research. With other members of DMT, APRC and Department Heads, I will continue work to strengthen overall academic quality at the LSE. This will include sustaining and advancing our research and making sure that we have a strong supporting structure on both departmental and interdepartmental bases. During the next two months, Julia Black (Pro-Director for Research) will lead a consultation on how we may best focus and support LSE excellence and recognition in global public policy. Sustaining the strength of LSE public engagement is also important. And the pursuit of quality will

crucially mean following through on the review processes to ensure our teaching and research are strong across the board. Quality of service provision is also crucial, from Estates to IMT to HR and Communications. In January we will welcome a new Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Young. He will take on this job of providing better, more effective, and more cost-effective services and I will do all I can to support him and this effort. Another priority will be continue to help LSE prepare for a major fundraising campaign, which hopefully will start early in the tenure of my successor. Since direct government funding for LSE has fallen to some 7% of our budget, this is the most promising way to diversify revenue and reduce the burden on student fees. Of course, the work of DMT and the Directorate will continue; each leadership group has full agendas including crucial matters like bringing forward the report of the Task Force on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion and overseeing the School’s budget. And I will continue to the best of my ability to represent the School externally.’ Following the announcement, there was some speculation on Twitter about the timing and motivation of Calhoun’s departure.

LSE, Stop Increasing Halls Rents

Nona Buckley-Irvine LSESU General Secretary

YOU MIGHT BE FORGIVEN for thinking that the policy of increasing halls rents beyond inflation is a government policy, not the policy of a university founded by the Fabians. Yet, the LSE is acting unfairly to its students by increasing its rents year on year, meaning students have a net decrease in maintenance available to them. For years now, the price of rent in halls of accommodation has escalated at an unprecedented

rate. Four years ago, a basic single room in Bankside was £143.50. Now it’s £199.50. LSE justifies this high price by claiming that it accounts for the inclusion of full catering - but we are all aware that it doesn’t cost £56 per student for meal provision in a halls. The problem stems from looking at it upside down, with the needs of LSE above the needs of the students that comprise the university. Continued on Page 8

partB Photo

The end of Michaelmas Term saw the Graduation of the Postgraduate class of 2014-2015

David Bowie’s final work: 2015: A year in The Beaver Blackstar, reviewed cover photos Page 18 Page 12

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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Established in 1949 Issue No. 844 - Tuesday 12 January 2016 - issuu.com/readbeaveronline Telephone: 0207 955 6705 Email: editor@thebeaveronline.co.uk Website: www.beaveronline.co.uk Twitter: @beaveronline

TWEETS OF THE WEEK Nona Buckley-Irvine @nonajasmine Bloody love being #backtowork , so much to do, so much time when students are out to play Suyin Haynes @suyinsays now, I know it’s only been 7 days, but this is the best text I’ve had all year

managing@thebeaveronline.co.uk

News Editors Shwetha Chandrashekhar Suyin Haynes Greg Sproston

Ellen Wilkie unashamedly tears down the editorial fourth wall. Sorry.

Comment Editors Mali Williams

From the Executive Editor

news@thebeaveronline.co.uk

comment@thebeaveronline.co.uk

PartB Editors Kemi Akinboyewa Vikki Hui Flo Edwards

partb@thebeaveronline.co.uk

The City Editor Alex Gray

city@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Features Editor Alex Hurst Taryana Odayar

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The Nab Editor

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Sport Editor Alex Dugan

sports@thebeaveronline.co.uk

Online Editor Gee Linford-Grayson

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Collective Chair Perdita Blinkhorn

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MAYBE I HAVE BEEN watching too much Community over the course of the Christmas break, and maybe a long day in the media centre is not a conducive environment to develop irreverent and thought provoking editorial ideas, but at present, breaking the editorial fourth wall is the glass of water mirage in this drought of ideas. My tired and mildly delirious mind, in the absence of anything better, is going to shit out 500 words of editorial about the process of writing this editorial. I hope that you bear with me through this section. At present I have no idea where it’s going either. I had high hopes this morning for what I could talk about in this space. There was a time when I was considering using the 5m wide Newcastle puddle that went viral this week to illustrate a point. The editorial I wanted to write would have compared the liquid barrier to something about the US Presidential Election or the refugee crisis. I failed to come up with an

aquatic metaphor applicable to any real world situation or campus issue then, but as this stream of consciousness flows freely out of my incoherent-nine-hours-on-thesecond-floor-of-the-Saw-SweeHock-Centre mind, there is the beginning of an allusion to bring all of this full circle. The Newcastle puddle, beyond just being an excuse for me to ramble on about the north east of England as usual (<3 you Sunderland) is a metaphor not for a modern issue or a new trend, but for my exact situation right now. The white space that I am filling with these thoughts is a five metre wide puddle, blocking the path between Jesmond and the City Centre (blocking me from being able to go home) on a rainy day in Tyne and Wear (on a stressful day in student journalism). The interest in the puddle was fuelled primarily by people’s interest in the various methods used to traverse its depths. Surely that is what you, the reader, are still following this through for. Much like the viewers of the Periscope

feed of a five metre wide puddle, you are bearing with me, eager to see what happens next, and to see what haphazard method I use next in my journey from left hand column to right. Sadly, print media does not have the immediacy of an online live feed, so as I cross my own mental puddle I am still in the dark about whether my efforts will see people engrossed and infatuated, and devastated when I finally reach the bottom of this column. The end is getting ever closer, and I can only hope that this editorial will prove as unifying and engrossing as that puddle. Maybe somebody will shred this newspaper and put it in a bottle and sell it on ebay. Actually, shredding is probably all that this column deserves. Maybe for the good of humanity this newspaper should be shredded. Maybe I should try to come up with a less high concept editorial idea before print deadline tomorrow. Welcome back to LSE everyone. I am truly sorry to start term like this.

From the Managing Editor Megan Crockett on the beginning of the end of her time at LSE WELCOME BACK TO LSE everyone, I hope you had a wonderful christmas and a very happy New Year (although I have an inkling very few of you will be able to remember New Year’s Eve itself ...) I’m sure you’re all extremely excited to be back on campus. I spent the majority of my break in Canada, which sadly means I did little to no work and have spent the past week I’ve been back in a mad flurry of dissertation notes and essay planning; not quite the relaxing, post-holiday with the inlaws week I had imagined. Canada wasn’t as chilly as I expected; I was quite disappointed that we only had lows of minus twelve degrees celsius, I had imagined it as minus forty with blizzards and ice rain, the whole, arctic

shebang. I don’t think I’ll be the first to say I’m not particularly looking forward to this term. This is it really, the last leg of my journey at LSE, the last ten weeks of teaching (Summer Term “teaching� doesn’t really count if you ask me!), the last term of essay deadlines, the last term of panicking that I will miss said deadlines, the term where I have to submit the first draft of my dissertation, the term where I’ll be part of my last ever Lent Term elections, I could go on, but I know the very few of you who read this editorial will be expecting more than just a list of lasts and firsts for this term. It is a scary prospect though, and I have a sneaking suspicion I have had this angsty, still-wish-Iwas-a-teenager rant before, but

it is. This time next year who knows what we’ll all be doing? Hopefully I’ll have just started my second term of teacher training, but it’s still all up in the air at the moment. I really want to make the most of my last full term at LSE, but I know it’s going to be super difficult given that it is the last leg of my LSE journey. For all of those who are in the same boat as I am, I think we should have one aim, enjoy the little things and yes, I am quoting Zombieland, but I think it is really poignant in this case. So let’s do it, let’s enjoy the little things, whether that’s our amazing library, the cheap snakebites in the Tuns or, and I reckon this is probably what most of us will be enjoying, a Wright’s Bar bacon roll on a Thursday (or any) morning.

Craig Calhoun @craigjcalhoun C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S GRADUATES! It’s the wonderful degree ceremony season again at LSE! Hands to shake, photos to take, parents to appreciate! Bella Bicket @BellaBicket 2k16 aesthetic: the girl in hotline bling who started wearing less and going out more George Burton @George__Burton Couldn’t help but notice that all the managers in my situational judgment test had male gendered pronouns. đ&#x;˜‚ #GraduateProgramme The Beaver @beaveronline Putting at a blog or a statement “can really make a changeâ€? - .@nonajasmine #EGM Katie Budd @klebudd Massively in support of the LSESU #egm motion to condemn British intervention in Syria. We shouldn’t be de-politicising the Union. Katie Flynn @katieflynn95 Usual free speech brigade @ #LSE making waves again. Speakeasy~speakracist~spe aksexist~plsdontspeakjustfu ckoff

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News | 3

LSE Congratulates Staff Donation To Fundamentalist Christian Charity Kallum Pearmain Staff Writer IN AMONGST THE USUAL platitudes about LSE’s various successes and developments, the 26th November edition of the LSE’s ‘Staff News’ circular sent to all LSE and LSESU staff contained a message of thanks to all employees that participated in a large donation to Operation Christmas Child, a scheme run by a fundamentalist Christian charity. Operation Christmas Child is a scheme run every Christmas

to donate shoeboxes full of small toys and gifts to a child in need across the world. The scheme is organised by the charity Samaritan’s Purse. Samaritan’s Purse describes itself as a ‘nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world’. They distribute pamphlets filled with bible stories alongside the shoeboxes in a practise referred to as ‘follow up evangelism’. The message in the LSE email began with the quote “What goes into a shoebox is fun, but what

Source: Flickr: Norm Copeland

actually comes out of it is indescribable joy for a child!” This paraphrases the claim made on the Samaritan’s Purse website, which states that ‘what comes out is eternal!’, referring to the Christian faith that will be instilled in the child. The email went on to inform that ‘Staff across LSE responded with impressive kindness to the Rejoice Group call to participate in the Operation Christmas Child initiative, organised by the Samaritan’s Purse UK. Staff have so far donated over 75 packaged shoeboxes filled with gifts for children aged between two and 14 years.’ The LSE then offered their thanks to ‘everyone who participated and in particular, staff in the Finance Division, who donated generously and helped to take the boxes to the drop-off centre’. The work of Samaritan’s Purse has been criticised by other charities, for instance by Brendan Paddy of Save the Children. Referring to Operation Christmas Child, he said “it is dangerous when charities mix humanitarian work with the promotion of a particular religious or political agenda”. He instead emphasises the importance of neutrality when providing aid.

Other charities have also suggested that giving toys to children is an inefficient way to give aid. It does not take into account local needs or problems, and could in fact undercut the business of local vendors. Franklin Graham, the President of Samaritan’s Purse, has come under scrutiny for his radical, militant views, for instance on Islam and LGBT rights. Graham has been outspoken in his support for Putin’s anti-gay laws in Russia, claiming ‘Homosexuality and same-sex marriage — those are sins against God’ in an interview with Russia’s Moskovskij Komsomolets newspaper. Perhaps most controversial are Graham’s views on Islam in America. He has been quoted claiming that Barack Obama was ‘born a Muslim’ and that the US Government in Washington ‘has been infiltrated by Muslims’. He has recently supported Donald Trump’s call to prevent Muslims from entering the USA. Operation Christmas Child tend to target Muslim communities in their donations of shoeboxes. It has been speculated that this is with the intention of converting those children to the Christian faith.

Section Editor: Suyin Haynes Greg Sproston Deputy Editors: Joseph Briers Bhadra Sreejith

Motion To Condemn Syrian Bombing Campaign Passed At EGM James Clark Staff Writer

ing for a lively debate. The motion itself passed quoracy of 250 votes by an unknown number of students in a new first by the SU; announcements of previous motions have had voting numbers released, however for the EGM, it was announced the result in percentages with 71% of voters in favour of passing the motion. This means that LSESU General Secretary Nona will be making an offi-

Source: BBC News

cial statement condemning the bombing along with lobbying the National Union of Students to follow suit and put out a similar statement. Following from the bumper week of UGMs in Week 11, Week 1’s UGM will be related to LSESU taking a view on the UK’s membership of the EU; taking place in the 6th Floor Studio, Between 1-2pm on Thursday.

News

THE FINAL WEEK OF term is normally a time to unwind and hand in the last of the essays. However week 11 ended up with 3 UGM motions, two of which were submitted with the two week waiting period, and the third an Extraordinary UGM. Proposed by LSESU Community and Welfare Officer Aysha Al-Fekaiki and seconded by Layla Doyle, the motion whether LSESU should officially condemn the decision to bomb Syria by the British Government reached the two hundred and fifty full members of the Students Union required for the meeting to go ahead as per the LSESU bye-laws. Whilst LSESU’s General Secretary, Nona Buckley-Irvine, confirmed that 275 signatures were collected through the motion petition, there was issues with whether students online signatures would count towards the petition motion. Unfortunately LSESU’s Democracy Committee decided that online signatures would not be valid for the petition, resulting in a large effort from those involved to collect the signatures in

person to reach the two hundred and fifty members required. This resulted in the second Emergency UGM in 2 years, with the previous EGM relating to the thenproposed Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill in Michaelmas term of last year. However, the news of the motion reached national newspaper The Independent, with the report of how the previous week’s motion on whether LSESU should ‘condemn the Brutal Massacre in Paris’ failing to reach quoracy with only 35 students voting through the online portal. Former managing editor Liam Hill noted the “sad state of democracy at LSESU” along with “a sorry double standard if this week’s motion condemning British airstrikes in Syria passes”. The EGM itself was well attended with the 6th Floor Studio in the Saw Swee Hock Student Centre full, and with both alFekaiki and Doyle proposing the motion, and Conservative Society regulars Josh Hitchens and Victoria Murphy opposing. Following the lively initial debate, a large amount of questions were placed both to the proposition and the opposition of the motion allow-

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| Tuesday 12 January, 2016

LSE Appoints New Philanthropy Institute Directors Suyin Haynes News Editor

A DIRECTOR FROM THE University of Oxford and a Professor from Harvard will be heading up the leadership team of the Marshall Institute for Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship, with a tenure starting in 2016. LSE announced the appointment of Stephan Chambers as Director and Professor Nava Ashraf as Research Director earlier this month, who will be joining the new institute focussed on the transformative impact of private philanthropic action and improving the impact and effectiveness of private contributions to the public good. The Institute was founded by banker-turned-charity director Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett and hedge fund manager Paul Marshall, aided by the assistance of a £30 million gift by Marshall, with the aim of creating a centre at LSE to nurture the next generation of philanthropists Stephan Chambers joins as the Institute’s Director after a career in both the private sector and at Oxford University, where he chaired

the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and developed and led Oxford Saïd Business School’s MBA and EMBA programmes for many years. He also sits on the advisory boards of a number of companies, with a focus on academic publishing. Professor Nava Ashraf joins the Marshall Institute as its first Research Director, and the LSE as Professor of Economics. Currently Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, where she has been on faculty since 2005, Ashraf ’s research combines psychology and economics; specifically in the context of global development in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Her research on questions of intra-household decision making in the areas of finance and fertility, along with her position as is co-founder of Innovations for Poverty Action Zambia, will be a welcome force in the leadership of the Institute in directing its unique research and academic agenda. In an interview with LSE, Ashraf said “We live in a time where there is a tremendous desire to do good – but relatively lit-

tle that disciplines that instinct or helps us learn how to maximise its positive impact on society. I am deeply excited to work together with the Marshall Institute and my extraordinary new colleagues across LSE to launch frontier scientific research with impact in this

vital field.” The Marshall Institute will focus on the four key areas of learning, research and development, community and stewardship, with Master’s degrees and short course qualifications available. In the LSE’s often dichotomous environ-

ment of ‘owning the world’ versus ‘saving the world’, the Institute will strike a much-needed balance between the two in using the experience and skills of the former to improve and innovate practices of the latter.

News Seeking New Give-It-A-Go Relaunched for Staff Writers Week One of Lent Term Suyin Haynes & Greg Sproston News Editors

NEWS IS LOOKING FOR writers. Are you passionate about current affairs or interested in student issues? The news team is on the lookout for fresh contributors for Lent Term! It doesn’t matter whether you have any journalistic experience many of our contributors, and even members of the editorial board, have not written before working for

the Beaver. If you want to contribute but have no idea where to start there’s no need to worry, The editorial board suggests events for writers to cover every week so you’ll never be short on ideas. We encourage contributions from across the studentbase at LSE and never turn down articles that are fair and factual. If you’d like to know more and are interested in writing with us, drop an email to news@thebeaveronline.co.uk or join our group on Facebook “The News Team - The Beaver”.

Bhadra Sreejith Deputy News Editor

AFTER THE RESOUNDING success of the Michaelmas Term edition of Give-It-A-Go, LSESU will be following up with the Lent Term edition, which will be held in Week 1 of the new term. GiveIt-A-Go is a relaxed, no-pressure way to sample the various clubs and societies that the LSE has to offer. The taster sessions are for everyone who may have missed out on joining in to experience more activities this year. As Activities and Development Officer Katie Budd told The Beaver, “Give-It-A-Go is an opportunity for societies and clubs to showcase what they do best, and for students to try out a totally new activity, whether they’re already a member or not. Michaelmas GiveIt-A-Go was highly successful, with a record breaking number of societies and clubs involved. The Lent term round of sessions is ideal for anyone who wants a chance to re-discover a society halfway through the year, or missed out on something the first time around.” The Northern Society, who have advised that Southeners in possession of an Oyster card are more then welcome, will be holding the last event of Give-It-A-Go week ith a Friday Evening ‘Northern Line Bar Crawl’. Meanwhile, the cosmipolitan nature of LSE’s student body is reflected in the 5 cultural societies who have so far

committed to holding Give-It-AGo sessions. There are no membership fees or strings attached to trying out any of the clubs. Give-It-A-Go sessions will be held until the 15th of

January, by nineteen different societies, including the Dance Club and newly formed Coffee Society. A full schedule of Give-It-A-Go sessions is available on the LSESU website.

LSESU Launching Revitalised Arts Network to Begin Lent Term Robyn Connelly-Webster Undergraduate Student NEXT WEEK SEES THE launch of LSESU’s Arts Network with the first ever Arts Festival on campus. We can expect Sheffield Street and the Saw Swee Hock Student Centre to be overflowing with actors, musicians, artists and much more. While the SU is facilitating this new venture, the programme is set to be predominantly led by the creative societies, groups and individuals that LSE has been

hiding away. This means that we should be in for some surprises and something completely new on a campus which is not exactly renowned for its artistic tendencies. As previously reported in the Beaver, the preliminary meeting of the Arts Network saw members of societies and individuals with varied interests come together and start work together in order to assure an increased presence of the arts at LSE. There was a quick and unanimous agreement that these societies and groups have

many mutual interests such as the desire to improve the social side of this aspect of university life. The Music and Drama societies got the ball rolling in that department with a - rumoured to have been pretty wild - joint Christmas party at the end of Michaelmas term. Not only will this be a chance to show off the creative side of LSE students, it will also challenge the feeling that many have that sport is given far more attention and funding than the arts. Katie Budd, Activities and Development officer, ran her election campaign

in March last year that emphasised the importance of putting as much time and effort into the arts as we do for sports. This latest venture looks likely to impress those who voted for her on that mandate. Budd told The Beaver “In Michaelmas Term we held the first LSESU Arts Forum meeting. There it was decided that an Arts Network should be formed, with the purpose of raising the profile of the arts at LSE and encouraging collaboration among arts societies. It will also act as a representative body for these societies, for the SU to hear their concerns and to give them more power lobbying the school for better facilities and resources. Already we’re beginning to see the benefits of the network for the student community, with the Arts Festival lined up for Week 2 and other collaborative events being organised. The network isn’t just limited to arts societies, with any society that puts on creative events welcome to get involved.” Even LSESU’s very own Education Officer Jon-Rhys Foster is getting enthusiastically involved with the Arts Network as a longstanding member of the Drama society and also the current director of LSE’s best thespians in their foray into the world of Shakespeare. Will the Arts Network become an SU conglomerate to rival the Athletics Union? Will there be a new balance of power: creative types on one side, sports players on the other? January 18th could be the start of it all.

Education Officer Confident of Timely Exam Timetables This Term Greg Sproston News Editor

EDUCATION OFFICER JONRHYS FOSTER has expressed his confidence that the School will release exam timetables this year early than in previous years. Exam timtables remain a contentious issue at LSE; the releast date, which many students already consider to be too late, have been further delayed for a variety of factors in the past two academic years. With general timetabling issues plaguing the student experience for the entirety of Michealmas Term a degree of pessimism is to be expected, though the SU’s statement will be welcomed by the student body. Jon-Rhys, who was elected in lent term of the 14-15 academic year, ran a campaign which acknowledged frustration over the lateness of the exam timetable release. Since taking up his position, he has followed up on this

campaign with a meeting with ProDirector for Teaching and Learning Paul Kelly as well as a further meeting this week with the Head of Student Services, the body ultimately responsible for the creation and release of the Summer Exam timetable. In addition, Director Craig Calhoun has been written to in order to draw attention to a UGM motion, carried by a staggering 502 to 1, calling for earlier timetable release. Despite the overwhelming vocalisation of student concern, the Director’s office has , as yet, acknowledged neither receipt of the letter nor awareness of the motion. The timely release of the Summer Examination timetable takes on extra importance in this academic year. Owing to the adoption of the ‘New Academic Year Structure’, a change the majority of students are at best ambivalent about, the summer term is now considerably shorter meaning, on average, earlier exams for students.

John-Rhys Foster and the SU have stopped short of offering a

News | 5

London Uni Roundup

Goldsmith’s Student Union has announced that it has no plans to replace the full-time sabbatical officers who resigned last term. Instead, the SU will share the responsibilities of the departed sabbs and hang on until elections, which are expected to be held early this term. The Goldsmith’s SU has been at the centre of high profile scandals recently as Mustafar Bahar Mustafa was arrested and charged with sending malicious communications following an allegedly racist tweet. Mustafa, two other sabbs, and the editor of the Leopard all stepped down in the same week causing chaos at the college.

Universities across the country were hit with a cyber attack just before the Christmas holidays. UCL and LSE were amongst those hit by the ‘distributed denial of service’ or DDoS attack, the motive of which is as of yet unknown. The attackers were able to bring down various university networks using almost identical techniques those employed by the hackers who struck telecommunications giant TalkTalk late last year. IT technicians were able to repair the damage quickly but the incident resulted in a stressful start to the festive season for those unable to upload dissertations and projects.

concrete guarantee of an earlier exam timetable release.

Students at King’s have hit out at the awarding of an honorary doctorate to Andrew Mackenzie, the CEO of Mining conglomerate BHP Billiton. Mackenzie’s firm was forced to pay millions in compensation after one of its plants caused a toxic mudslide which destroyed a Brazilian town and is oftcondemned by environmentalist and politicians. Kim Beecheno, the PhD student who started the petition to revoke his doctorate says “King’s should be leading the way in showing respect to the global environment rather than awarding honorary titles to CEOs of companies that are deriving profits through irresponsible and harmful business practices”.

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| Tuesday 12 January, 2016

Lumiere Festival To Light Up London Joseph Briers Desputy News Editor WITH FESTIVE DECOR AND lightsabers slowly frittering out of our homes and minds, many will have expected their fix of neon and twinkling lights to have reached its peak. Yet, this week will see London once again burst into dazzling luminescence as the capital hosts its very first city-wide light festival. ‘Lumiere’, organised by arts

production company Artichoke in conjunction with the Mayor of London, will use huge projections and glowing installations to capture the artistic imagination of the public and bring new life to some of London’s ancient landmarks. Lumiere takes place over four evenings from the 14th - 17th January and will attempt to draw in crowds with over thirty different exhibitions made up of pieces from some of the world’s foremost artists. Highlights are set to include

American Janet Echelman’s giant net sculpture hanging between two building at Oxford circus, a 17 metre high illuminated diver at King’s Cross Pond, and the projection of ‘multicoloured martyrs’ by the renowned Patrice Warrener onto Westminster Abbey. The installation nearest to LSE will be Deepa Mann Kler’s ‘Neon Dogs’, a piece situated just off the Strand by the Nottingham-based artist which, like so many of us, takes inspiration from balloon

dogs at children’s parties. Lumiere curator and Artichoke founder Helen Marriage told the Evening Standard - “Lumiere London promises to be an extraordinary event, showcasing artists from across the globe, working with many forms of light to transform our public spaces. Using London’s buildings as their canvas and its streets as their auditorium, these installations sit firmly in the public realm for everyone to enjoy”. The light festival has already

experienced significant success in Durham over the last few years and makes the move to London as part of an attempt to boost visitor numbers and combat the usual new year lull. Lumiere initially took inspiration from Lyon’s Fêtes des Lumières, the hugely successful French light festival which has set the bar for inclusive urban light art since its inception and currently features over double the number of exhibits of the this year’s first ever London Lumiere. Both the event organisers and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, hope that London’s homage to its Gallic associate can emulate its success and ultimately become a worthy competitor. Johnson predicts that the festival will “transform the capital in spectacular style” and is confident that the Lumiere team can pull off a smash hit, “Artichoke exemplifies Britain’s creativity and ability to shock, surprise, and tantalise”. Lumiere is sure to be spectacular and looks set to be another welcome addition to the capital’s ever-burgeoning cultural calendar, providing a little light relief amidst the last stretch of dark winter evenings.

53,000 Doctors to Strike on Tuesday Following Breakdown in Negotiations Greg Sproston News Editor DOCTORS WILL GO ON strike the first time in a generation this Tuesday in what is expected to be the first of many industrial actions taken by the British Medical Association (BMA), the union for Doctors, after a breakdown in negotiations with the Government. Whilst the Conservative government’s narrative is one of disagreements over pay, the BMA maintain that the proposed contract being imposed on Doctors represents an existential threat to the future of the NHS, the terms of which reflect the position of a Government who are “riding roughshod over the genuine concerns doctors are raising about patient safety and doctors’ wellbeing”. At the core of the dispute is Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s plans to create a “7 day NHS” whilst ignoring the fact that many key NHS services such as paediatric care, A&E units and oncology departments already offer 24/7 provision. The strike is the result of 98% union members voting in favour of action with 76% turnout, a huge mandate indicating broad support for the walkout across the sector. The strike was initially called off, something

the Government was due to the offer of an 11% payrise. The BMA, however, have rejected this claim, noting that once changes to antisocial hours had been taken into account, the revised offer actually constituted a 26% drop in wages. Further, they note that the strike action was called off following the Government’s decision to allow the neutral Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) to mediate negotiations, something the the BMA had been requesting for months. Nevertheless, talks have yielded no success despite the involvement of ACAS. Londoners are warned that any outpatient appointments on Tuesday will be cancelled and all non-emergency services will be affected; it is also assumed that the the 24 hour strike, the first by Doctors since 1975, will have a knock on effect throughout the week. With more and more medicine graduates choosing to work abroad or even abandon the profession entirely, the BMA are hoping that the strike will illustrate the staffing crisis facing the NHS in stark terms. However, if the strike results in no further concessions from Jeremy Hunt, doctors will stage another nonemergency walk out on Thursday 26th January for 24 hours, before a third and final strike on the 10th

of February which will include doctors scheduled to work in emergency care departments. Despite 2015’s election delivering an unexpected majority for the Conservative Party, the BMA’s decision to strike enjoys huge public support according to a recent YouGov poll. Critics claim Hunt’s unwillingness to

Source: Flickr: Garry Knight

listen to professional concerns are representative of a party ideologically opposed to the provision of universal, state funded healthcare. The BMA will be running a picket line at University College Hospital throughout Tuesday in central London, and any individuals wishing to know more

about the strike and the dispute with government are encouraged to attend. In addition, the BMA have stated their hope that members of the public will visit picket lines around the country to show their support, though have asked anyone planning to do so to refrain from bringing literature or signage that is party political.

News Analysis : LSE Endowment Fund, Growth at What Cost? Alina Ryzhonkova Undergraduate Student LORD MYNERS, CHAIR of the Court of Governors and Council of the LSE, has revealed in an interview with the Financial Times that there is a plan in motion to boost the LSE’s endowment fund, which currently stands at £113m, to £1bn. While no concrete plan or timeline for this fund increase has been released, Lord Myners did reveal that the school will be approaching wealthy alumni and philanthropists, as well as taking advantage of the LSE’s central location, in order to achieve the £1bn goal set for the endowment fund. The current target surplus of 5% of the LSE’s £300m annual revenue is not enough to significantly boost the endowment fund according to Lord Myners; however, a few sizeable donations could go a long way toward reaching the goal. The announcement comes just months after a heated debate, sparked by an op-ed in the New York Times by Victor Fleischer, took place regarding the utility and ethics of college endowment funds. Not only were

universities accused of “hoarding money”, but the fees paid to fund managers, the opportunity that donations provide for people to buy their way into universities and the unethical sectors that the investments are often made in were widely criticized. Although the LSE’s endowment fund at the moment is relatively small, especially compared to that of other University of London colleges, the school does already have an endowment fund; so none of these concerns are new. Last term the LSE pledged to divest from coal and tar sands and updated its socially responsible investment policy, thus alleviating some of the concerns with its endowment fund and giving some assurance that future investments will be made responsibly. One of the biggest dangers of inviting large donations is compromising the school’s academic integrity in the quest for money. Lord Myners was quick to assure that “you can’t buy your way into the LSE” and that the school’s academic reputation comes before financial decisions. Nonetheless, actions speak louder than words and the LSE has accepted controversial donations in the past. While

lessons were certainly learnt from past mistakes, it is unclear what structural and procedural changes have been made in order to stop them from happening in the future, especially as large

donations have to be assessed on a case by case basis. Increasing the endowment fund will certainly benefit the students and the institution, but the question is at what cost will it happen?

UGMS ARE BACK. IF YOU are in the majority of the LSESU population and do not know what a UGM is then this week is the perfect opportunity to learn.

LSESU is the only Students’ Union in the country to still hold a weekly union general meeting; something the student body should rightly be proud of. It gives every single student the opportunity to propose a policy, whether to change the way the

News In Brief London Student Seeks Stem Cell Donor LARA, A 24-YEAR-OLD student at UCL, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in December 2015, and has started a website to raise awareness about donating bone marrow and to find a stem cell donor to save her life. Matching bone marrow types are an inherited trait, which is why Lara, who is of Italian, Chinese and Thai descent and studies Global Migration, finds it difficult to find a donor. Bone marrow registries across the world are joined together to enable doctors for leukaemia patients to search for potential matches. If you are interested in joining the bone marrow registry, please visit http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/

Link Between Race and Grades

UGM Returns Thursday But Debate Still To Be Decided Hari Prabu LSESU Democracy Committee

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Union is run, make the Union seek to change something about the LSE, or get the Union to back an external campaign. Moreover, each week the Student Union’s elected officers explain their latest work and opening themselves up to questions, criticism and

suggestions from students. Whether you want: more live sport in The Three Tuns, an optional LSE100, cheaper food from SU catering, or simply to have the Union condemn Jeremy Clarkson – the UGM is the place for you! UGMS are held every Thursday from 12-1 p.m. in the Sixth Floor Studio of your Students’ Union building. This term begins the 14th with a motion proposed by MSc student Giuditta Morandi calling on the Union to campaign in favour of staying in the E.U. We’re never one to shy away from being controversial and neither should you; let’s have your voice heard. Editor’s Note: The facebook event for this week’s UGM states that the motion is to be confirmed. Following conversations with the Chair of the democracy comittee, we can confirm this was originally due to some ambiguous sections in the original motion. This has been rectified and the democracy committee has confirmed that the motion titled “LSESU should support the UK’s continued membership of the EU” will be debated at this week’s UGM.

IN LINE WITH NATIONAL findings, the LSE’s BME students are 16.4% less likely to obtain a good degree than their non BME peers. This gap persists whether the BME students are home, international, undergraduate or postgraduate. They also are the least satisfied with their academic experience. In response, the Community and Welfare Officer is launching EMPOWERED, a programme of free events, workshops and activities for LSE’s BME community. The specifics of the EMPOWERED campaign are to be outlined by the SU at some point in the coming weeks.

LSESU Literary Festival Call for Submissions THE LSESU LITERARY competition Finals will take place on 23rd February, as part of the LSE Literary Festival. The theme of the festival is “Utopia”. Any type of work can be submitted including drawings, photography, poetry and creative writing, providing it fits into the criteria of escapism, idealism, imagination, nostalgia or philanthropy. First prize is £100. Submissions are open now, and will close on 2nd February 2016.

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LSE, Stop Increasing Halls Rents In putting students first, LSE must not increase unaffordable halls rents Nona Buckley-Irvine LSESU General Secretary Continued from Cover LSE is looking to make a surplus on its residences so it can use residences as a revenue stream. To be frank, we do not receive a teaching grant from the government and research funding is increasingly hard to come by, so there is need to look to additional revenue sources. However, putting the cost onto students is not the answer. We have to look at the problem from what is available to students. An English undergraduate with a family income of £26,500 - the average in the UK - will receive £9,651 a year from the government. Forty weeks of Bankside rent at £199.50 amounts to £7980, leaving £1,581 a year for students to live on. Thankfully, LSE provides bursaries, so a UK student would then receive a bursary totalling £3,500, bringing their annual income to £5,081… which is nothing. The cost of living crisis in London comes as no revelation, but being a student on that level of income becomes increasingly inaccessible and unaffordable, and in this case, the LSE is to blame. Now, rents don’t just stay fixed at that rate. Every year they

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Section Editor: Mali Williams Deputy Editors: Hakan Ustabas Nina Webb Dina Nagapetiants

have increased at a rate above inflation, and this year rents overall are set to increase by 2.5 per cent. At the Finance Committee in December, we successfully delayed the decision to increase them, but it will come to a vote again late this January. The yearly increase is somewhat of a different issue to the already high rate they are set at. While rents need a wholescale review, the principle that has been set at the moment is that it is acceptable for rents to increase at a rate higher than inflation, and indeed higher than the increases to maintenance that students receive from the Student Loans Company. Couple that with the fact that LSE bursaries do not increase with inflation, and it means that in real terms, every

“If LSE is to talk credibly about putting students at the heart of this university, they need to think critically about financial accessibility.”

“LSE may portray rent increases as necessary - but they aren’t. They are the products of choices: choices to run a surplus in the residential department.” year, students living in halls experience a net decrease in the amount of support available to them because of the regressive pricing policy we see here. There is a disturbing lack of transparency around halls rents and increases, because in the first place, not all of your fees are spent on you - it is saved by the LSE to be used to pay for future maintenance works. Meaning your fees could be used to pay for a future refurbishment, or lift replacement, or infrastructural improvement - that you will not be the beneficiary of. LSE made a conscious decision to not fund maintenance works out of their own budget, rather placing the cost on students. I fundamentally disagree with this approach and think it

is unfair to students who already struggle financially, to shoulder the cost of much needed maintenance. This is important in the context of rent increases. LSE may portray them as necessary - but they aren’t. They are the products of choices: choices to run a surplus in the residential department, and choices not to directly invest in halls works, and instead make students pay. It’s time to talk about the choices that students need to make in order to afford this. It may be the choice to take up part time work, taking away from the intense LSE degree and the overall student experience. It could be the choice to open up an overdraft in order to afford the fees, hence leaving university with even more debt. Or, it could be the choice to live at home, or not come to the LSE at all because of being priced out. If LSE is to talk credibly about putting students at the heart of this university, they need to think critically about the role that financial accessibility plays in this, including that of halls rent. For the mean time, it is a clear choice that they need to make to stop increasing rents above inflation and choose to be a university that moves closer to being affordable, rather than further away.

What’s On Our Students’ Minds?

Addressing its students’ mental health must be LSE’s priority this year Samiha Begum Student Trustee

LSE IS UNDER MORE pressure than ever to develop effective measures to tackle mental health issues on campus. Last month, the National Union of Students (NUS) revealed that 8 out of 10 students (78%) say they had experience of mental health issues in the last year. Of the 1093 students surveyed in further and higher education between November and December, 54% said they did not seek support at their institution. Maddy Kirkman, the NUS disabled students officer described the findings as ‘deeply concerning’ and that ‘it reaffirmed the stark challenges that persist around providing effective support to students in universities and colleges.’ While national statistics are meaningful, each campus must look internally at what kind of environment exists for students who have experienced mental health issues. LSE produces the leading research on mental health policy to the NHS, but how does the university fare

when it comes to the treatment of their own students? 47% of the NUS respondents declared financial difficulties to contribute to their mental health issues. It’s common knowledge that being an LSE student is costly, it was declared the most expensive university in the UK last year and students in their final year can’t graduate until they have repaid their debt to the school, without any right to appeal.

“There are many reasons as to why we are not seeking help. The social stigma of mental illness certainly still persists.” Alternatively, if we disaggregate the NUS figures between different marginalised groups we can see stark differences. For ex-

ample, 33% of the respondents overall said they had suicidal thoughts while for those who didn’t identify as heterosexual, the figure rose to 55%. Meanwhile, the 2015 Counter-Terrorism & Security Act put a statutory requirement on professors, advisers and health workers to report any behavioural change in Muslim students, creating a relationship of distrust between Muslim students and support services, thus making it difficult for these students to openly seek help. As mentioned earlier, 54% of those who reported they have mental health issues said they did not seek support at their institution, this figure has more than doubled since 2011 when 26% stated they did not seek treatment. There are many reasons as to why we are not seeking help. The social stigma of mental illness certainly still persists, there’s also worry acknowledgment of one’s own mental health issues may deter career progression or access to opportunity. On the other hand, scepticism, self-doubt and playing down one’s condition can be hurdles

one may face when it comes to seeking help. Here at LSE we currently have the LSE Disability and Wellbeing Service, Student Counselling and LSE Peer Support, but given a third of the NUS respondents stated they wouldn’t know where to get support, LSE needs a thorough review of the utilisation of its existing facilities. LSE needs to confront this issue head on. Currently, counselling sessions have a three week waiting time before the first session, facilities have always been available at LSE but how accessible are they? We also need to develop a more multi-layered approach to tackling mental health issues and stop looking at it in isolation but at the intersection of other issues such as financial hardship, marginalisation and harassment. We require an understanding and acceptance of the fact every individual’s experience and needs will be different; so we must harvest a community that not only encourages academic excellence, pursuit and debate but a strong sense of personal development and understanding of one’s own mind.

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LSE And Weapons Of Mass Conversion

LSE’s support of Operation Christmas Child is counter-productive and dangerous Megan Harvey LSESU Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Society FOR A SCHOOL SO renowned for its diversity and social awareness, associating with Operation Christmas Child is surely one of the most counter-productive ways it could have concluded 2015. Unfortunately, despite the LSE’s most recent statement on its socially responsible investment review, it seems directly aiding an organisation that imposes religious fundamentalism upon young, impressionable and impoverished children is not seen as a pressing issue. From my own experience with OCC, I can remember running home, eager to dive head first into every crevice of my house in the search for spare shoe boxes. I would upend drawers, scale the insurmountable 2ft step into my brothers wardrobe, and crawl beneath my parents bed with a dedication even soldiers would envy, just to battle against cobwebs, old toys and my mother herself in the hunt for anything that could be put to use. Once they had been collected, I would begin again: finding toothbrushes, toys, and food before writing letters wishing the receiver a Very Merry Christmas. Feeling passionately inclined to help others, with whom we have no direct connection with, is what Christmas personally embodies to me. When I made my first gift box,

I imagined there might be some direct line between my school and the child who would get my present. During the week leading up to it I would be imagining who it was exactly that would get my gift, and so I would go and ask, “What do they like? What’s their name? Can I send Chocolate?” and so my teachers would indulge me, just as they would weeks after when I asked, “Did they get my present? Did they like it? What did they say?” Although, truthfully, they wouldn’t know. All this imagining and I would have never have thought that my gift could be taken from me, from the child it was made for, and used to spread an ideology neither I nor the other child believed in or even fully understood. Having it brought to light that these presents have been used to spread religious propaganda, I find it curious that the LSE (so socially aware, as it is) would advocate it. The parents of these children have already expressed concern over the religious nature of these gifts, particularly in regards to how it enforces a feeling of obligation on the child to follow and believe what it says. Preaching about lives of sin seems particularly abhorrent to me and more akin to a militant, colonial style enterprise than a charity designed to alleviate suffering during a season designed for joy and giving. These aren’t presents at all; instead they are instead weapons of conversion, made with the calcu-

lated intent of indoctrination. Gift is not a word for it – it is bribery, incentive, religious propaganda designed to endorse the view of a prosperous religion in contrast to the poverty these children suffer. Potentially at odds with the faith of those around them, placing children in a position of dependency to be exploited in this way is cruel and clearly carried out with a goal in mind, more akin to an aspiring business looking for new opportunities to expand, upon the backs of children or not, it doesn’t matter: increased numbers must fit the end of year quota, after all. Cultural erasure hardly seems an issue to them in the face of impressing their own beliefs in areas where such influence could be suffocating, for while targeting war torn, destitute areas to give aid could not be applauded enough, it seems to me that OCC must be thankful for the opportunity, as it moves to flock and prey like vultures over points on a map. Development is clearly only beneficial for them when it evolves in a way that mimics their own cultural values, and as a charity it focuses far more on benefiting itself through fostering dependency rather than introducing a truly selfless support structure. Their aim is curious itself, ‘the advancement of the Christian faith through educational projects and the relief of poverty,’ a highly questionable aim to have considering the number of studies that link poverty with stronger religious beliefs.

Poverty is their breeding ground, and in order to relieve others of their poverty while keeping them as followers, charities such as OCC must first claim the credit to then later reap the benefit. For LSE to take part in their organisation is to bring its own values under fire. For freedom of religion in the case of OCC is a singular, not an inclusive plural, just as freedom of speech has been in LSE’s past. It seems what must be advocated must be to the benefit of the executive and cater to their biases and sensitivities. Craig Calhoun has not been subtle in his dislike for who he deems ‘militant atheists’ yet his support of questionable religious organizations and individuals have been scrutinized in the past. To slam secularists in this regard and yet to support a fundamentalist operation such as OCC is blatant hypocrisy. To criticise a charity that helps give children gifts might feel akin to declaring oneself as the Grinch, however, while I may share the traits of being a green, furry, disgruntled recluse, these qualities aren’t what motivate me to write down my criticisms. The genuine kindness of staff and individuals globally to help these children cannot be faulted, yet those in control who choose to either make a charity with this function or to support it must be criticized. The actions of this charity even echo the ignorant

and neo colonial style of thinking that is clearly evident in the 1947 Truman doctrine which created this separation between the first world and the third world, turning the west into a force of righteousness while casting aside the rest of the world into far darker territory: an error that the LSE, a leading social science institution, should be wise enough not to repeat by supporting such a misguided, misinformed, mockery of a charitable venture.

Credit: Flickr: Shannon B

A Controversial Choice Of Charity

Why did LSE choose to support an unsuitable charity for such a diverse university? Matt Cox Undergraduate Student A COMMON MEMORY FROM most of our childhoods was the annual ritual of preparing a shoebox full of gifts at Christmas to be sent to children less fortunate than ourselves. An innocent gesture, it’s unlikely that many of us – myself included – ever stopped to consider who was shipping the shoeboxes or what else might have been sent alongside our own gifts. Perhaps if we had, we may have thought twice about participating in Operation Christmas Child. It is a little known fact that every shoebox is sent with a collection of biblical stories and information about – and an invitation to join - the charity’s ominously named ‘Greatest Journey Program.’ Operation Christmas Child has been described in the New Statesman as a propaganda tool for Christianity, a heavy but substantiated charge. These boxes aim not only at bringing joy to these children but religious indoctrination, and

indoctrination of the world’s most vulnerable children at that. This is a highly questionable practice, but to do it through the medium of charity is something that ought to make us feel very uncomfortable indeed. Even worse, it’s apparent that most parents, and certainly most children, are totally unaware of the true nature of their gifts. The NGO behind Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan’s Purse, is an organisation subject to scrutiny and controversy, from people as philosophically dissimilar as Giles Fraser and Nick Cohen. Hodan Hassan, a coordinator of the Council of American-Islamic Relations, has described the organisation as demonstrating what happens ‘when you mix humanitarian work in a war-torn country with evangelisation.’ The preferential treatment afforded to Christian refugees of IS, and the attempt to convert people in the aftermath of humanitarian crises, exemplifies this dangerous mix. The founder and head of Samaritan’s Purse is, predictably, a man with what can safely be de-

scribed as strongly held beliefs. Franklin Graham admits sympathy for Putin’s laws against ‘gay propaganda’ and describes Islam as ‘a very wicked and evil religion.’ Not particularly charitable language. So given the concerning methods of Samaritan’s Purse and the bigoted views of Mr Graham, I could be forgiven for asking why the LSE and LSE Rejoice seem so keen to raise money for Operation Christmas Child. Is it really respectful towards Muslim and LGBT students to have such a charity endorsed by the university? Is it really too difficult to choose a charity that isn’t so obviously unsuitable for a multi-ethnic, multi-faith university? At the risk of sounding like what Craig Calhoun describes as a militant atheist, I should say that there is nothing wrong whatsoever with religious charities per se. The work they do is fantastic and even the work of Samaritan’s Purse, particularly during the recent Ebola crisis, has been of incredible value. But as Hodan Hassan describes, it is the mixing of religion with humanitarian aid, as opposed to the

parallel coexistence of the two, that is problematic. So too might the mixing of religious oversensitivity with public discourse be described as problematic. According to Calhoun, militant atheists (which I suppose includes me) make free speech an issue to ‘challenge the faith and beliefs of religious students.’ Free speech is already an issue precisely because the beliefs of students aren’t being challenged, so I shan’t lose any sleep if that makes me or indeed any other free speech advocate a ‘militant.’ But then this is a man who described the end of the dispute over the Jesus and Mo t-shirts in 2013 as a restoration of harmony; as if somebody should dare question the carefully crafted sphere of hypersensitivity at LSE. It is hardly surprising that he finds the challenging of any religious privilege unpalatable. This is not a problem solely at the LSE, but of all western universities. Everywhere, it is increasingly difficult to criticise the ideas of religion or many other irrefutable ‘truths’, something quite distinct

from criticising the adherents of such ideas. To make this distinction is important, not least so that we can counter the prevailing attitude that sees no divide between the political and the personal, between identity and ideas. A safe space policy entrenches this attitude and is also ‘safe’ for ideas and groups that are quite obviously bigoted but apparently too sacrosanct to address, just like Operation Christmas Child. We are quick to criticise those ideas which we deem to be a part of our own culture, but reluctant or even resistant to challenging those which may be considered part of a different culture. We must move away from associating with controversial charities and towards a more enlightening atmosphere of debate, without a so-called safe space policy. Universities exist so that all our established cultural sensitivities and norms can be tested and questioned; it is crucially important that the most recent and voguish components of our culture receive that same treatment.

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Highlight Of 2015: Irish Referendum

A popular vote for same-sex marriage demonstrated Ireland is a progressive liberal nation Thomas Chambers Undergraduate Student

broad church who recognised the importance of the issue for their loved ones. When the results were announced on the 23rd May, it was proof of the transformation Ireland has undergone in recent years. It was only in 1995 that divorce became legal in the Republic of Ireland in a referendum that had the slim margin of only 9,114 votes out of over 1.62 million votes cast. This time it wasn’t a narrow victory, with 62% voting in favour of same-sex marriage. This was Ireland signalling to the world that it was a modern liberal nation that is no longer the conservative, outdated backwater that some commentators had considered it previously. However, progress has only being achieved in the Republic of Ireland, the Northern part of the island remains in political deadlock on the subject. Despite the fact that

a motion on the issue received the backing of a majority in the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Democratic Unionist Party utilised the Petition of Concern mechanism (basically a parliamentary veto) which means that this will not trigger a change in the law. While I was scrolling through the multitude of Tweets on the day of the referendum there were many that displayed the resonance and the importance of the event. However, one journalist’s Tweet seemed to stand out for me. The Tweet by Donal O’Keeffe told of a man in his 80s in Castletownroche who said his Yes vote would probably be his last but ended with a sentiment that we should all strive for, “I want to leave Ireland better than I found it.” 2016 marks the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising: a landmark event considered by many to be

the major catalyst in the formation of the Irish State. During the rebellion on the steps of the General Post Office in Dublin, Patrick Pearse read out the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. The document includes the call for Irish Independence from British rule and the introduction of universal suffrage. But the lines that I consider the most important read, ‘The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities of all its citizens’ and promises to cherish ‘all the children of the nation equally’. It is this message of equality that I feel should be the true legacy of 1916 and I hope that after the steps towards progress that have been made in 2015, that in 2016, all people on the island of Ireland, north and south, will achieve equality by being able to marry whomever they love.

Credit: Yes Equality Ireland

IN A YEAR THAT WAS dominated by headlines often displaying the worst that humanity can do to itself, I found solace, hope and positivity in the Irish referendum on Marriage Equality. I should have really been revising 18th century Irish history for my impending History A-level exam but, instead, I was watching Irish history being made on Twitter. I was following a hashtag that made me even prouder to call myself Irish. The #HomeToVote referred to the thousands of Irish expats who made the journey home to vote in the same-sex marriage referendum. People were sharing their stories of their journey to the polling station, as the lack of a postal vote meant that it was neces-

sary to show up in person. People travelled by plane, trains and boats all to contribute towards Ireland becoming the first country to introduce marriage equality through popular vote. The positivity of the Yes campaign was displayed throughout the weeks leading up to the day of the vote; it was the telling of personal stories, making it relate to people through one of the cornerstones of Irish society: the family. The ‘Ring Your Granny’ campaign started by Trinity College Dublin SU was based on trying to get students (mainly viewed as Yes supporters) to engage with the older generation (mainly considered as undecided) on the issue of marriage equality. This led to some heart-warming exchanges that showed that liberal positions were not simply the monopoly of young people and the urban middle class, but rather a

The Need To Reform State Marriage Why should the state have a role in the marriages of its citizens at all?

Kacper Zajac Postgraduate Student THE ENACTMENT OF THE Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 has put an end to the long fight for marriage equality in England and Wales. Thanks to the coalition government, same-sex couples now enjoy the right to marry. While this is undeniably a move in the right direction, there is still an important point to be considered. Is the ‘right’ to marry actually a ‘right’ at all? The word ‘right’ indicates the inherent ability to act in a certain manner which must be recognised by the government. However, historically speaking, the institution of marriage was of purely religious nature, and thereby constituted a form of contract without the need for the input of the government. The so called ‘state marriage’

is a fairly modern invention, and it seems it has created more problems than it has actually solved. Inasmuch as state marriage, as long as it exists, should not differentiate between sexual orientations, the first question to be asked is whether it is really vital for the state to be involved in marriage at all. The institution of state marriage creates a number of issues. First of all, it confers legal status based on an emotional state of two people. I do not think I need to convince anyone how unstable this state is. Consequently (and inevitably) state marriage entails a large volume of workload for the courts upon the collapse of this fragile emotional state. By the same token, it requires two former partners to go through a mediation process and continue to interact with each other, which, at the post-break-up stage, is really awkward at best. Secondly, like it or not, there will always be people who

oppose same-sex marriages, and therefore there will also be a debate on the government policy around it — an endless debate turning people against each other while wasting the precious time of those in power. On top of that, one side of the debate will always be left unsatisfied. Thirdly, by maintaining state marriage, we invite the government into our lives in general and our bedrooms in particular — areas to which the government should not have access. It seems that it is high time people again grasp the idea that marriage can be a private contract which does not have to be regulated by the government at all. Why do we need the government’s permission to get married in the first place? We do not need it, as we never have in the past. After all, apart from the institution of marriage, the law of England and Wales also recognises so called ‘civil partnerships’. The con-

cept of partnership was introduced by the Labour Government in 2004 as a form of legally recognised relationship, equivalent to marriage but open to same-sex couples. However, since the introduction of the Marriage Act 2013, civil partnerships appear to have become redundant. One possibility is to repeal the 2004 Act and stick to the institution of marriage, which is now open to both sexual orientations. On the other hand, instead of repealing the Civil Partnership Act, consideration should be given to doing away with the concept of marriage licensing. There is no need for any law to regulate what kind of people can marry — should any church be willing to marry a couple, they will be married. It could be argued that for two people to request the government’s permission to celebrate their affection is nothing less than a slave’s mentality. It should be noted that part-

nerships could be dissolved more easily than marriages, while at the same time not triggering any aggressive reactions of people opposing same-sex marriages. Consequently, by maintaining the legal recognition of the institution of partnership rather than marriage, the reform would solve a number of problems. It would restore the certainty of law and ensure that the courts spend their time on more pressing matters; it would end the time-consuming debate on who is and who is not allowed by law to get married; it would ensure that people wishing to keep their marriage a completely private union could do so; and, last but not least, civil partnerships could be open to any two or more people, thereby pre-emptively dealing with the inevitable discussion on the ‘right to marry’ of people other than hetero- and homo- sexual couples.

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Cartoon by Marco Kuan Long Lam

Syrian Airstrikes: Evidence Of Its Failure The UK’s Syrian airstrikes campaign will not help to reduce ISIS presence in the region Nina Webb Deputy Comment Editor ON THE LAST DAY OF TERM, LSESU voted overwhelmingly to condemn the launch of UK airstrikes in Syria. For those who disagreed with this decision, a popular argument was the fact that whilst this may have been a difficult and extreme decision to make and may have, and indeed has, incurred civilian casualties, airstrikes were the most effective method in eradicating ISIS once and for all. But since the US-led coalition began bombing in September 2014, and since Russia began its campaign last September, how much success have the campaigns genuinely had? Seemingly not much at all. Total airstrikes since the campaigns began number 1188 in Syria and 3057 in Iraq. Whilst ISIS has lost a small amount of land between Kobani and Hasakah, its territory is otherwise largely unchanged. Additionally, airstrikes have not only failed to significantly reduce ISIS presence in Syria, but all this time ISIS has only made gains in areas beyond Syrian borders such as Yemen, Libya and Afghanistan, demonstrating the ever-growing failure of airstrike efforts. An analysis published in The Guardian of ISIS-held territory within 25 miles of four cities in

Syria (Hasakah, Kobani, Deir ezZor and ISIS’s main stronghold, Raqqa) shows the group lost the most territory in the time period of February-June 2015, before the UK, France or Russia had joined the bombing campaign. This was actually the time period when Kurdish advances were most successful: their militias advanced east from Kobani to Hasakah, mounting offences west and east of Hasakah. As the maps show, airstrikes elsewhere in the country were largely unsuccessful: only where airstrikes were supporting Kurdish-Arab forces on the ground do we see change, emphasizing the importance of ground troops and raising doubts about the success of airstrikes as a combative method. When looking at the below visual evidence, the Pentagon’s claim

that its airstrikes killed 2,500 ISIS fighters in December 2015 alone seems laughable. It is extremely difficult to see how many fighters have actually been killed, with estimates being wide-ranging. But what does seem to be obvious is that a large number of civilians have been killed, far more than the Pentagon cares to admit. There have been numerous stories in the news over the past few months about civilian casualties, owing largely to the imprecision of airstrikes as a tactic. In a US air strike on 1 May near Aleppo, more than 60 civilians were said to have been killed. Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, has claimed he believes that ‘[the US] got the wrong information. They thought it was ISIS, but it was not.’ With ISIS largely

Credit: The Guardian: Interactive - US-led airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria

“There have been numerous news stories over the past few months about civilian casualties.” making efforts to live amongst the civilian population, it becomes harder and harder to find genuine ISIS strongholds, especially from high up in the air. An additional problem is technology: the media has been quick to note large numbers of civilians killed since Russian airstrikes launched in September (some estimate up to a third of those killed in Russian airstrikes have been civilians - although there were plenty of civilian deaths before Russia even joined the airstrike campaign). Wael Aleji, spokesman for the Syrian Network for Human Rights, has attributed this to the fact that Russia has ‘less advanced guidance systems.’ However as the events of the 1 May demonstrated, imprecision with airstrikes is a problem for the coalition side of the bombing campaign, too, whether it is attributed to technology, false information, or ISIS tactics. Therefore, it is high time for a revision of the methods of the

campaign against ISIS. What has been going on for nearly a year and a half has proven generally ineffective in removing ISIS strongholds and has resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties and closures of schools across Syria, destroying homes and public areas, and leaving whole areas of cities in ruins. While many have claimed that it is better to have airstrikes than send ground troops, which would likely result in deaths for the UK or other countries in the US-led coalition, it seems that, as the Kurdish rebels have proved, ground troops seem to be the most effective option. Whilst many cite the predicted loss of innocent life as a reason not to send in our soldiers, innocent civilians die every day in Syria, so is that really any better? In the end, an innocent life is a life, whether Syrian or British. If it would help achieve a greater good in eradicating ISIS, increasing the power of the ground presence, to more easily identify ISIS members and strongholds, is a necessary step to make. Whether this means working more closely with and providing greater amounts of support to ground troops already in place that are favoured by the West, such as the Kurds, or supplementing these forces with our own troops, it is clear that a change of direction, away from the use of airstrikes, is necessary.

2015: A Year In Beaver

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Cover Photos

The NAB’s Big Christmas Quiz ANSWERS

A Starter For Ten... University Challenge Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Eight (8.64) Measure for Measure Yemen (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, 2006) Blue 1901 John Keats (the first line of Endymion) A Taste of Honey Escape velocity (ie at which an object will be able to exit completely the gravitational pull of a planet or moon) 9. Realpolitik 10. MCLXXX (is 590 x 2 = 1180) 1. The year began with an illustration by Jack Hodsoll, paying respects following the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris. 2. RAG week saw a Row-A-Thon on Houghton St. 3. ‘Beaver On The Loose’ team reach Vienna on Rag Jailbreak. 4. Women’s Rugby train with the England Rugby squad. 5. Former A&D Officer Alistair Duncan takes part in RAG Tough Guy. 6. Angelina Jolie and William Hague open the Centre for Women, Peace and Security at LSE. 7. The second most controversial interview The Beaver conducted last year with Tommy Robinson (I can’t tell you the first most controversial for fear of being CENSORED). 8. Houghton St. during Michaelmas term elections. Members of Maria Cannatella’s campaign team can be seen prominently in the photo #memories. 9. LSESU’s golden girl and two term General Secretary, Nona BuckleyIrvine, fresh from her second victory. 10. Another week another feature interview, this time with Emily Brothers MP. 1. In the first edition of this academic year, students pose in front of a colossal pile of donations collected in aid of the refugee crisis. 2. The sun shines over a controversy free freshers fair. 3. An action shot from the Fuck Parade, a protest against gentrification in East London in which LSE Academic Lisa McKenzie was involved. 4. The UN He For She panel that came under wide criticism on campus for some questionable claims made on the panel.

PuLSE Radio’s Puzzles 1. Oasis - Be Here Now 2. Florence and the Machine, Kanye West, The Who 3. Sam Smith 4. He fell off the stage 5. One Direction 6. Coldplay 7. Uptown Funk 8. 3 9. Mumford and Sons 10. The Stone Roses

Question Time, A Politics & Forum Quiz 1. Milifandom 2. Mhairi Black 3. Third 4. ‘Because it’s 2015’ 5. Rainbow filter for gay marriage 6. Hilary Benn 7. Cuba 8. Atomic Bomb blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki 9. Charles Kennedy 10. Election victories

SU Q’s 1. £75,000 2. £9.15 per hour, for 4 hours per week during term time 3. 6 Candidates 4. Three 5. Because he’d broken his leg 6. Societies (spelled ‘Societes’) 7. Coal and Tar Sands, Tobacco and armaments 8. Six (all of their #1 endorsements won) 9. One 10. ANUS

The Beaver Brainteasers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Anti-Gentrification Israeli Ambassador Inaccurate Review Beaver Investigation Meat-Free Mondays

Spot the Difference

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1. LSE SU’s Understanding Inequality Group take one for the team and stage the first whiteboard campaign of the year. 2. A selection of the Polaroid images by Aisha Arden that formed a collage on the cover for the first ever Blackout Beaver for Black History Month. 3. Students march for Free Education at the #grantsnotdebt protest 4. LSE mourns the attacks on Paris, following the news that LSE Graduate Valentin Ribet was one of the victims. 5. Students march for Divestment during LSESU Green Week 6. A student tells us ‘What makes you proud?’ during Pride Week 7. Men’s Football Club dress as Thatcher and the striking miners at AU Carol 2015

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FILM ALREADY TOMORROW IN HONG KONG 14

REVIEW Sarah Ku

DIRECTED BY EMILY TING, “ALREADY TOMORROW in Hong Kong” (2015) revolves around two nights in Hong Kong shared by Josh (Bryan Greenberg) and Ruby (Jamie Chung). While Josh is an American expat who has spent a decade in Hong Kong, Ruby is a Chinese-American toy designer from California who is visiting Hong Kong for work. The film has been screened at various film festivals around the world, such as the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Having watched Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise”, “Before Sunset” and “Before Midnight”, I find that “Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong” does have many similarities compared to the Before Trilogy with a bit of “Lost in Translation” thrown in. In essence, the film depicts the journey of two strangers, Josh and Ruby, walking around and exploring Hong Kong for a night while having a long conversation. Later, they bump into each other again on the Star Ferry after a one-year gap. Initially, I did not find Ruby’s character likeable, as she seemed too much of a damsel in distress. When she struggles with directions, Josh offers to walk her to Lan Kwai Fong. Yet, while she initially declines his help, she is so helpless that she still ends up having to get Josh’s help. Later on, she needs Josh’s help again at a local Indian tailor as

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she does not speak any Cantonese and she does not even bother to try communicating in English. She can often be passive-aggressive, stubborn and judgmental, as she makes condescending remarks about others, such as an interracial couple they see on a bus. Furthermore, there are plot holes in the film. For instance, they take very scenic yet unnecessary and almost illogical detours in Hong Kong when they travel between locations. It almost feels as if the director is attempting to fit in as many famous landmarks as possible, such as the skyscrapers in Central, the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, and Temple Street in Kowloon with stalls selling cheap, tacky and overpriced souvenirs that mainly cater for tourists. While these locations may be attractive to people who have never visited Hong Kong, as someone who grew up in the city, I found these typical tourist attractions to be unoriginal. Moreover, there are quite a few clichés. For example, Ruby encourages Josh to quit his investment banking job to chase after his dreams of becoming a writer. The use of a “some time next year” text overlay over a shot of a tourist attraction to divide up the two nights was also cringe-worthy. The conversations between Josh and Ruby cover a lot of topics, such as work, aspirations, and interracial and intercultural relationships. Yet, the conversations remain at a rather superficial level in comparison to the more insightful and philosophical discussions found in the Before Trilogy.

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Flo Edwards Kemi Akinboyewa Vikki Hui

The film ends with an open ending, as Ruby and Josh sit in a taxi and Josh is indecisive as to whether he should go to her place. At this point of the film, both Josh and Ruby have their own long-term romantic partners. From a cynical point of view, the whole film is a cheaters’ tale with both characters rethinking about their existing relationships and toying with the idea of having a relationship with someone else. Despite these drawbacks, there are elements that are praise-worthy. The film involves local music from Hong Kong musicians, such as a song by the indie duo “My Little Airport”, though ironically the content of the song is about a couple having a one-night stand in a district in Hong Kong known for love hotels. Also, scenes are often shot with a handheld camera, which can make the shots look natural and realistic. The cinematography is beautifully done with a great use of colour, even though I find the locations way too touristy and cliché. Considering that this film is a directorial debut, “Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong” is a good attempt at showcasing the glamour and attractiveness of Hong Kong with great cinematography. Yet, especially since the plot would attract comparisons with the Before Trilogy and Lost in Translation, the film clearly suffers from its lack of originality and depth.

editorial team fashion Jamie Lloyd Maria Maleeva music Rob Funnell Will Locke

film

food & lifestyle

literature

Sarah Ku Alexander Lye Camila Arias Tom Sayner Caroline Schurman-Grenier Buritica Sean Tan technology theatre visual arts Edward Tan

Noah D’Aeth

Hanna Lee Yo-en Chin

FILM

CONTROVERSIAL REVIEW

CAROL

Perdita Blinkhorn HAVING BEEN INVITED BY FRIENDS TO A LOVELY LITTLE PICTURE HOUSE in Hackney, I was anticipating with great excitement seeing the new release, Carol. Based on the Patricia Highsmith book The Price of Salt and co-staring Cate Winslet and Rooney Mara, this film promised to tell a passionate and thoroughly well-acted story of two women falling in love in 1950s Manhattan. The story follows Therese, a want-to-be photographer, as she engages in an affair with Carol, a well-off mother who is in the process of divorcing her husband. One of my great passions is LGBT+ film, so a feature length staring such big names that had a significant marketing campaign had intended to be a highlight of 2015 cinematography for me. You can image then, how deflated I felt when emerging from the cinema I would have rated Carol it a very average 3 out of 5 stars. I say this is a controversial review, as the film has received many accolades so far including a spot in the top 10 of the American Film Institute. There were things that I certainly enjoyed about the film; firstly, I cannot commend the actual cinematography enough. It was beautifully shot in a way that absolutely captured a nostalgic 1950s feel and drew the viewer in, almost like a dream sequence. It was also clear that the prop and costume department had gone to great lengths to ensure historical accuracy, including an army of vintage cars roaming around in many of the shots. My main problem (if we can call it that) with Carol, was that the relationship between the 2 protagonists, Carol and Therese, seemed very two-dimensional. While the film did well to avoid many tropes one might expect from a typical gay movie, the women’s romance seemed to arise from nowhere and the development of it from that point didn’t go very far. While I feel Winslet did very well to bring as much characterisation to her Carol as possible, she dominated the story line despite it being told from Therese’s point of view. This may simply have been a cleaver device to demonstrate how much of Rooney’s character’s life Carol was taking up however I don’t feel like I got to know much about Therese

at all. Despite having been advertised as a lesbian romance, I believe one of the most successful aspects of the film was the insight into how powerless mothers can be when threatened with the loss of their children in divorce proceedings. Winslet delivered deeply emotional and genuine performances in scenes regarding the character’s daughter that truly allowed the audience to empathise with the powerlessness Carol felt.

REVIEW

CREED Matt Razzano

MOST STEREOTYPES ARE EASILY BE PROVEN FALSE. Residents from the city of Philadelphia are expected to have a subtle inferiority complex (being stuck between New York and Washington), to posses a certain attitude, and most importantly, to have an enduring love for sports. Unfortunately, these stereotypes – at least the final one – are mostly true. Our professional sports consume even the most passive fan, and those uninterested few find their social lives still largely centred around: the time of the Eagles game, the traffic in and around the South Philadelphia sports complex, or the unavoidable conversation at the office water cooler. But Philadelphia sports culture extends beyond reality, to the realm of fiction. In 1976, the world was introduced to Rocky – a modern day, David-versus-Goliath saga about an unexceptional boxer from “South Philly” given the opportunity to fight heavyweight champion of the world, Apollo Creed. Philadelphians emphatically embraced this likeable and familiar character. Scarcely can one drive by the city’s art museum without seeing groups of tourists running up the steps, reliving the movie’s iconic scene. To energise crowds at events, what clips do Philadelphians show? Not the expected highlight reel, but rather scenes from Rocky. Philadelphia is home to Joe Frazier – Muhammad Ali rival and one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. But the most loved boxer is – fictional – Rocky Balboa. While the first picture was critically acclaimed, the series resulted in five additional films, each a familiar, perhaps stale, retelling of the original narrative.

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Now, fast-forward to 2015. Seven is rarely a number broached by serious filmmakers. It typically suggests lazy writing, introductions to new, tangential characters, and the unshakable feeling that Hollywood producers are trying to pull a fast one on loyal fans for a bit more money. Still, the pre-release hype for Creed felt comparable to that of the title fight depicted in the film. Ryan Coogler follows up the low-key, critical success of Fruitvale Station with a unique Rocky spinoff, injecting some much-needed vitality into the series. Creed picks up a few years after Rocky Balboa. Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the son of Apollo, hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps much to his mother’s chagrin. Departing for Philadelphia, the aspiring boxer seeks out the training and advice of Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). Hesitant at first, Rocky ultimately yields to the relentless Creed. Thus, the two begin their hard-fought journey together, with each teaching the other a few things along the way. Initially hoping to make it without the burden of the Creed surname, Adonis ultimately accepts his position and his background before his championship bout. Add some classic mentor-mentee drama, love-interest Tessa Thompson, and you have Creed. Though not a remarkably different story than previous films, Coogler inserts a gritty realism not seen in earlier installations. The new cast and direction make Creed distinctive, and solid performances by Jordan and Stallone capture the magic of the original. While not getting as much Oscar-buzz as some other 2015 films, Creed packs an emotional punch and offers a fresh look at an old tale.

Overall, I did think that this was a good film. Not amazing, but a well shot and well-acted performance of something that could perhaps have been scripted better. For me, the most important thing in any film is the plot, and while the movie showed nice details of the character’s lives, there was little wider context to it and a very bumpy relationship development. See this film without expectations and you will find it pleasantly enjoyable.

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MUSIC

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DAVID BOWIE...

BLACKSTAR Thomas H. Sheriff If you have ever tried, as I have, to instruct a grandparent how to use a smartphone, tablet, computer, digital camera, digital watch, or digital anything for that matter, then you will know, as I do, that the results are invariably disastrous. They’ll tap the wrong icon or they’ll flip the wrong switch and before you know it they’ve put their iPhone into Spanish and all hope is gone. The mind of a grandparent just does not seem to fit with post-2010 developments. But David Bowie, who turned 69 on Friday, seems more than up to date - in fact, he sounds like he’s operating in the future. Listening to Blackstar, you are taken instantly to a place only Bowie could take you: a funky outer space, with its finger gently on the pulse of pop and it’s mind somewhere in the vast expanse of jazz. The reason Bowie has managed to stick around for so long is well known: he’s a complete chameleon, always looking to adapt with the times and with his own artistic desires. The ten-minute title track (also the album opener) shows this wonderfully: it begins as skittish, electronic jazz, with Bowie sounding like a possessed oracle over a beat that refuses to settle, before giving way to a gorgeous string arrangement. Then the drums find their feet, the bassline joins them and the track hits the floor, letting Bowie’s voice swagger over it. And that’s before it’s even halfway through - this granddad is a master, and he’s certainly not retired yet. This is undeniably territory that Bowie (or anyone else) hasn’t yet explored, and listening to it is a thrill. But that isn’t to say that the album doesn’t recall Bowie of years gone by. The drug-starved paranoia of Low is often present, an album directly referenced in the final track ‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’ with a harmonica sample. Station to Station is felt in the deep grooves and the tangible influences from black music (Bowie says he listened to Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly a lot during recording). Ziggy Stardust’s theatricality and even some of Hunky Dory’s tenderness and make it through on the acoustic guitar and strings of ‘Dollar Days’, and the stark weirdness of Scary Monsters runs throughout. Lyrically, he also seems to be using himself as inspiration: “I’m not a popstar/ I’m a blackstar” he chants; “I’ve got

drama, can’t be stolen/ Everybody knows me now” he laments. He takes a long look at his life and his career, acknowledges his enormous legacy, and then sets his eyes once more on the future. He’s traded in his typewriter for an iPhone, but the writer is still the same, and the music is all the better for it. It should come as no surprise to discover that David Bowie has made a brilliant album. The reason he became such a revered artist, one who has easily earned the title of Pop Legend, is that he has the ability to write great songs. What is surprising though, is just how modern his album sounds on Blackstar, he doesn’t fumble with his new iPhone, he wields it confidently. ‘Sue (Or In a Season of Crime)’ has a propulsive drum’n’-bass beat; in places, he spits out his lyrics with a very 21st Century disdain (“I’m sittin’ in the chestnut tree/ who the fuck’s gonna mess with me?”). He’s as confident in his experimentation as he’s ever been, and this is his most experimental album since Low, or maybe Heroes. Although The Next Day was his official comeback after ten years of no material, this feels like the moment that Bowie really returned - he’s back at the forefront of music, venturing once again into the new and unknown. Second single ‘Lazarus’ seems to reflect this - naming the track after the biblical figure who rose from the grave does not look like a coincidence. Bowie may not have come back from the dead, but he has come back from the past, and he arrives in an intoxicating swirl of metaphors and allusions. Yet, despite all the ambiguity, the album leaves an impression that Bowie is being more direct with us than it first seems. His symbols take the forms of everyday objects: phones, shoes, money, magazines; but searching for the straightforward message or meaning is delightfully maddening. At one point, Bowie even seems to allude to his own immortality, and Blackstar reminds us why his legacy will outlive him, but also reminds us to not write him off just yet. After nearly fifty years of making music, David Bowie has returned with as much vitality as he’s ever had. Suggesting that Blackstar ranks amongst his best works is high praise indeed, but it’s true - and it proves that a person’s age has nothing to do with their ability to be cutting-edge. Having said that, I still won’t ever attempt to explain what a Photo Stream is to my grandparents.

“He became such a revered artist, one who has easily earned the title of Pop Legend.” part B

MUSIC

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LABEL OF THE WEEK:

NUMBERS Will Locke

Numbers is a Scottish label which formed in 2010 after three labels (Dress 2 Sweat, Wireblock, and Stuff) merged. It was founded by individuals that included celebrated DJ Jackmaster, and it went on to define ‘bass’ music in the post-dubstep climate through its unrivalled and inspired artists and repertoire. However, the label never settled on a particular genre or niche, releasing music across almost all styles. What binds it all together however is an infamous and infectious Glaswegian party atmosphere and genuine passion for good electronic music, regardless of age, genre, or context.

‘It’s Only Real’ – Denis Sulta (from It’s Only Real [2015]) ‘It’s Only Real’ was released in December of 2015, and was still debatably the biggest dance tune of the year – that’s how good this song is. The hype around this single was so real that if someone was asking for a track ID on a house set in 2015, there was a 75% likelihood that it’d be this song. Do yourself a favour a listen to it if you haven’t already.

‘Bax’ – Mosca (from Done Me Wrong / Bax [2011]) Although it could be argued that the UK garage scene had fizzled out by 2004, no one told Mosca. Somehow, he forged a garage hit in 2011, and the guys at Numbers somehow had the foresight to sign the single. This tune is extra special to me, because it closes Bonobo’s 2012 Boiler Room set, a set that helped spark my passion for dance music.

‘Lemonade’ – SOPHIE (from Lemonade / Hard [2014]) SOPHIE is one of independent electronic music’s most controversial figures, and has become the arch nemesis of house and techno’s integrity police for being vapid and uncultured. ‘Lemonade’ itself has been branded as ‘FisherPrice grime’, and although this has been taken to be an insult, I see it as a compliment. It’s screwed-up vocals, dollops of sub-bass, and noisy crescendos are bound by razor-sharp production and a playful demeanour. Ultimately, it bangs.

‘Portland (Extended Version)’ – Sparky (from Portland [2013]) Although Sparky’s Portland EP was largely known for its Ricardo Villalobos remixes, the original extended version is my choice from the release. I’m a sucker for electro, and this ticks all the right boxes for me: dreamy pads, a playful bass line, and (of course) a foundation of off-kilter yet rhythmic percussion. It’s ideal for driving at night to.

‘Acidronix’ – Lory D (from Strange Days, Vol. 1 [2011]) Lory D is not a well-known producer, but Numbers-founder Jackmaster talks about him like a messiah. This is because the cult producer has been continually challenging and pushing the boundaries of techno since 1989. To think that Lory D started DJing around the time of the acid techno explosion, and was still able to make an original acid track 22 years later is a testament to this man’s seemingly boundless creativity. Bravo Lory.

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MUSIC

| Tuesday 12 January, 2016

REVIEW ADELE, HELLO Muhummed Cassidy AFTER TAKING A BREAK FROM HER MUSIC CAREER FOR 3-4 YEARS, Adele returned in 2015 with her new album titled 25. 25 was released on 20 November, while the lead single from the album, “Hello” was released on October 23rd. In a statement made days before the release of her lead single Adele commented that “my last record was a break-up record, and if I had to label this one, I would call it a make-up record. Making up for lost time. Making up for everything I ever did and never did. 25 is about getting to know who I’ve become without realising. And I’m

sorry it took so long but, you know, life happened.” Well now we know that she had nothing to be sorry for given the sheer amounts of records her new album has broken. The video of her “Hello” single was viewed over 27.7 million times on YouTube in its first 24 hours, breaking the Vevo record for the most views in a day, surpassing the 20.1 million views for “Bad Blood” by Taylor Swift. It also become the First Single to Sell 1 Million Copies in a Week. As for the album itself, after becoming the 20th Album to Sell 1 Million Copies in a Week, since Nielsen Music began tracking music sales in 1991, it soon became the First ever Album to Sell More Than 3 Million Copies in a Week. Inevi-

tably there’s no way that she wasn’t going to end up with the biggest album of 2015. Adele’s 25 sold more copies in one week than the other best-selling album, Taylor Swift’s 1989, sold all year: that’s truly a landslide victory. She’s even breaking non-music records. The “Hello” singer’s comedy sketch on Adele at the BBC, in which she became an Adele impersonator called Jenny, has broken the record for the most-watched BBC video on YouTube after being viewed over 37 million times in just two weeks. All this record breaking will no doubt have been shooting up her bank statements. Although she spent her 3-4 year break lying low and caring for her son Angelo with

her partner Simon Konecki she was still saying hello to an influx of cash (you see what I did there with the ‘hello’). Figures have shown that Adele’s company, Melted Stone, raked in £16,996,737 last year alone, despite her not working, showing that her extended break between the release of her last album and this new one didn’t cost her a penny. Her earning during this period equates to a whopping £46,566 per day, which to put it into context is how much I would be getting for a one intensive year’s worth of work at a top Corporate law firm, as a trainee solicitor. The same goes for Justin Bieber, who has been fighting Adele for the top spot on the charts with his hit single ‘sorry’, from his new album. During the break between his last album and his latest one, he made a fortune, again despite not working, thanks to the wide publicity of his ‘bad-boy image’.

“my last record was a break-up record, and if I had to label this one, I would call it a make-up record. Making up for lost time. Making up for everything I ever did and never did. 25 is about getting to know who I’ve become without realising. And I’m sorry it took so long but, you know, life happened.”

FASHION Maria Maleeva IT’S FASHION WEEK season again and the here come new trends and, as a result, new spendings. It seems to me we just had variety of shows, where designers “rediscovered” ethnic/ minimalism/monochrome/fringe etc. Obviously, that is not enough. It’s not only my feeling that the fashion changes too quickly. There were series of articles in all of major fashion magazines about fashion collections overdose. It’s simply not possible to catch up with all the trends as they do not stay for long. The concept of timeless classic has

become vague and one can name only couple of investment worthy pieces of clothes. I personally agree with Hilary Milnes who writes in her article for Digiday that fashion has become “fast”. Designers have to make 5-6 collections a year in order to satisfy the audience and customers. It is not about art anymore. Milnes gives an example of Alber Elbaz who had to quit Lanvin due to business disagreements. So, money first. I don’t say that I will ignore these fashion weeks, I am just going to skip the part of buying the clothes. Firstly, because in couple of months there will be some new

Money is not supposed to be a significant influence for true artists, so let’s consider what people actually think about the substance of Adele’s new album? One fan commented that “I found myself missing people I don’t even know in places I haven’t yet travelled to and wishing I was young all over again. I am only twenty-one years old.” Another fan commented: “Definitely my favourite record by Adele so far and I still play 21 and 19 like they were released yesterday! She should be so proud of herself for creating such a timeless masterpiece. Beautiful production, stunning vocals and devastatingly honest lyrics” Others said “Hello was one hell of a belter and was the perfect way for her to get back into our ears and remind us of what we have been missing”. Indeed, I don’t know anyone who would criticise Adele’s work, not least because she can actually sing – unlike a number of successful artists, to which I would need more than my 10 fingers to count them. The British singer is now on track to becoming a billionaire before the age of 30. However, none of this should detract from her modest background; born in Tottenham and raised in West Norwood, Adele has a real cockney accent. Watching her on the BBC, she still seems down to earth and has not attempted to change her accent. This is probably why she was able to keep up her impersonating act on the comedy sketch Adele at the BBC.

FAST FASHION

CATCH IT IF YOU CAN collection and everything I have will look ridiculous again. Secondly, I don’t really want to participate in a process where all the fashion lovers are tested on mindless loyalty. The more we buy, the more designers will bombard us with “raw trends” – the garments that are not here to stay. Should we make a pause in order to let the fashion slow down a bit? I wish I still could fully enjoy my 50-s dresses no matter how many seasons ago they were in style. As I have already mentioned fashion should become slow again as it lacks new ideas. From year to year one or another epoch come back. We had 80-s, 90-s, 00-s but

somehow we don’t have anything defining for the last five years. Will 10-s be known as the time of borrowing from the past genius? Probably, the ones in charge of creating should take a long break, inspire themselves enough and then become innovators again. However, the fashion forecast is not favourable. When in the past the new collection was something desirable and unreachable, now it appears on web-sites seconds after the show. Talking about the shows, they have also become more open to general public. Democratization of fashion has led to its conversion into overpriced mass

market where the main purpose is to sell more. Thus, the variety should be on point. So, it takes us back again to quickly made high fashion that struggles to outrun less expensive brands and change the trends so no one, sometimes including the consumers, could keep up.

“Designers have to make 5-6 collections a year in order to satisfy the audience and customers. It is not about art anymore.”

LITERATURE

WE WERE LIARS

NOT JUST ANOTHER ‘TEEN’ NOVEL Caroline Schurman-Grenier WRITING A REVIEW ABOUT THIS BOOK IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE when you don’t want to give away the plot. As the title suggests, every character in this book is a liar, and when not even the protagonist Cadence Sinclair knows the truth, it makes the eventual revelation even more shocking. I didn’t want to put this book down when I picked it up, and neither will you. Cadence’s life has been marked by the summers she has spent with her family on their private island, and particularly the tight friendships she has with her cousins Johnny and Mirren, and an outsider, Gat. However, after a mysterious accident one summer incites some kind of mental breakdown and fractures through the Sinclair family, Cadence spends the following summers trying to piece together what happened. It’s best if I don’t go into the plot anymore, because the twists and turns that author Lockhart has written are genuinely surprising, and the truth is worse than you would expect from a ‘young adult’ novel. Apart from the shocking plot itself, the best thing about this novel was the characters. Normally, a story about a rich family and their self-pitying youth isn’t the type of story I am interested in, but Lockhart managed to make this about so much more. In particular, Cadence’s guilt about being set to inherit so much money and her gradual understanding that her family are not only selfish but racist as well felt honest and took the book to new depths. On the other hand, despite the ‘big reveal’ being a brilliant twist, the

aftermath of it was a bit of a letdown. There was no emotional reaction to follow the initial gasp. I reread the passage a few times, but for such an exciting build-up, I was hoping to see Cadence’s character react a little more strongly, and we barely saw any of the family members’ reactions. There were also some unfinished questions, like why anyone would think leaving a mentally scarred teenager alone to piece together such a traumatic incident.

‘It’s best if I don’t go into the plot anymore, because the twists and turns that author Lockhart has written are genuinely surprising’ I wouldn’t have picked up this book if I hadn’t heard so many positive comments about it, so I’ve learned my lesson. I usually avoid Young Adult fiction, but We Were Liars definitely impressed me. It didn’t go down the usual love triangle or forbidden love route like most books of its type, in fact, the romance was minimal and definitely not the main storyline. The characters were not likable, but they did feel genuine, and the plot was a real surprise. So if you’re looking for a quick and exciting read this January, this is definitely a book to try.

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AND MUCH MORE

PUBLIC HEALTH ANNOUNCEMENT Election Fever

Your Freshers Flu may have worn off but the new term brings with it a new, much more deadly health risk in the form of ‘election fever’. Lent terms at LSESU are plagued by this highly self indulgent illness. Electoral Candidates must be avoided to avoid infection; once infected, you will find yourself ostracised by the rest of society, within a group known as the ‘campaign team’ SPOT IT EARLY Some cases can be avoided if observed whilst still in the ‘invisible primary’ phase. Early signs include: • contantly talking about policy in hushed tones • forced socialising outside of usual circles • noticeably increased attendance of zoo bar/ society events/ugm • bulk buying block colour T-shirts • long jogs (known as ‘running’ for Election) • writing Beaver articles about how LSE needs to improve its welfare provision/cost of living/other • uncontrollable punning on their own name The invisible primary can begin at any point during Lent Term, with Election fever hitting its peak around week nine. In the wurrst cases, Election fever was contracted upon enrollment in first year and is left uncured and growing in intensity throughout their degree. CONTAMINATION CAPTURED ON FILM:

Election Fever comes in four different strains: C&W, A&D, EDU and Gensec. All involve sudden excessive interest in student experience, but GenSec, the most fatal, can be recognised by the swollen ego that sufferers invariably have. Election Fever is highly contagious Anyone an electoral candidate comes into contact with will experience symptoms of extreme lethargy, low mood and occasional desires to leave LSE and never come back. In previous years Houghton St has been repurposed as a quarantine zone for those enthused by democracy, but without access to it this year, the candidates could appear anywhere on campus. Tips for prevention: • Get a grad job • Get a life

24

| Tuesday 12 January, 2016

The crisis has ushered in a new age of politics, the crisis seems to have done as much damage to ideology as to the economies Aris Grivokostopoulos LSE Undergraduate

SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT of the European Parliament, the European centre-right is not an abstract definition of a political movement with common features, it is a party. The party that represents that part of the political spectrum in the Old Continent has a name; it is called the European People’s Party. Formerly called the European Union of Christian Democrats, the EPP, as it is frequently abbreviated, is a collection of national parties on the centre-right of the spectrum for each country in the European Union. Traditionally, and especially since the dawn of the 21st century, the party has been the most powerful force in European Parliament and in the respective national parliaments of its member parties. For example, Germany, the largest European economy and de facto leader of the Union, has had a centre-right led government for 10 years now and for most part of West Germany’s history. Another example is the UK, where the Tories did not only win the recent legislative elections, but also rid themselves of their coalition partner. Key to the success of the conservatives in both countries is their flexibility while in government, whether with or without a coalition partner. Why has this post-crisis political paradox arisen, namely that the centre-right is acting more like the centre, and less like the right?

The City

Section Editor: Alex Gray Deputy Editors: Henry Mitchell

Post-Crisis Victors are Swift Strategists, Not Hard Idealists

Credit: Flickr, World Economic Forum swiss-image.ch/Photo by Sebastian Derungs

As usual with politics, it isn’t the policies, but the political figures behind them, that are responsible for a victory or a loss. And the centre-right for Britain and Germany has been privileged to have both. Popular policies with popular leaders, such as Mr Cameron and Mrs Merkel, respectively. I don’t want to go into the details of either their policies or their political portraits. This has been done many times, either by economists or biographers. My comment is on the strategic aspect of their work and on how these two figures have drawn themselves apart from the rest. They have seen politics as a game, as a negotiation, as a bargain. They have managed to make everybody happy, along with themselves. The most worrying part for their opponents is

“How is it possible that Mr. and Mrs. Austerit, the front faces of the least popular policy objective since the onset of the crisis become Mr. and Mrs. European CentreRight” that they have made difficult decisions with harsh consequences, and still they have managed to

turn things around and make themselves look like heroes. Have a look at Cameron, who from an outsider in the 2015 election race after the spending cuts of his first term in office, has made it into a second term, making austerity seem like national responsibility on the way. And then have a look at Merkel, who has been selected to be person of the year by the Financial Times, in a year where she was responsible for the #thisisacoup becoming viral on Twitter. How is it possible that Mr. and Mrs. Austerity, the front faces of the least popular policy objective since the onset of the Crisis (whether Global or European), have become Mr. and Mrs. European Centre-Right? I believe that if either of them were to be asked the question above, their first reaction would not be direct answer, but a request for clarification of a term used. What is Centre-Right in Europe? As I explained before, there exists a party, and a formal leader, and a consensus on informal leaders. On the other hand though, the definition of what constitutes the fundamental ideals of the centre-right is open to interpretation. It can be Germanic ordoliberalism, it can be Latin social conservatism or it can be Anglo-Saxon neoliberalism, or it can be a combination of all three. The leader and the closed circle of policy-makers are those responsible for the mix of policies which define the political direction of the centreright in each European country,

given the circumstances and specificities of each country. For example, when referring to Merkel’s recent socially sensitive policies, raising the minimum wage and reducing the retirement age is not secular ordoliberalism, to say the least. The same goes for Cameron’s ‘living wage’, which is a minimum wage without the taboo name and a policy far away from the doctrines of his Tory predecessors. I can’t recall either Kohl or Thatcher, ever dictating the establishment of minimum wages well above poverty lines. This was not their definition of the centre-right, mainly because of its grounding to economic ideals, beliefs and faiths. Yet precisely, that is the reason why history will view them differently from our current leaders. Back then, the centre-right was not forced to be in coalitions. Back then, the centre in politics was not as vacant. More importantly, back then, there were no economic or migration crisis to resolve. When faced with new challenges, you follow new strategies. You adapt and make compromises. To stand out from the rest, you listen and act, because the reverse order will only keep you in power for as long as the endurance of your electorate’s patience. Times of crisis are usually not times where this endurance is long enough for risky politics to be rewarding. In such times, you act accordingly and rationally. You calculate and proceed, taking into account everyone and everything. Even your opposition, as he or she is your rival in the struggle for power. A wise politician steals policies from his opposition, even if they are neither forced to do so due to a coalition agreement nor threatened by their rise in popularity. When Merkel and her Christian-Democrat Minister for Energy decided to pull the plug for nuclear power generation in Germany, they weren’t even in coalition with the Greens. When Cameron and his right-hand man Osborne chose to establish a ‘living wage’ to offset their tax credit cuts, they stole policies from a doomed party, Corbynite Labor. Did they suddenly become environmentalists or redistributionists? Data on both issues suggests the opposite, as ecologists and the IFS like to point out, respectively for each policy. To conclude, maybe a flexible conservative party is not a paradox. It is a necessity for political stability, which should be the principal aim of conservatism.

The City |25

The EU: Someone say Referendum? The EU Referendum is set to be a crucial and lingering debate as we go into 2016 Louis Klineberg LSE Undergraduate WITH THE TURN OF THE New Year and a referendum promised by the end of 2017, it seems undoubtable that talk will turn to the Europe debate. It seems both Corbyn and Cameron are convinced of the benefits of remaining in the Union, but the issue is clearly splitting their parties and causing damage to both internal organisation and their all-important public image. With opinion polls constantly shifting, and the proven failure of pollsters during the 2015 GE, it’s hard to say which way the vote will go, but it is worth considering what the potential effects may be. Arguably not since the 1970s has this country witnessed such

a fierce debate over its future with the European community. In 1975, just over 40 years ago, the people of Britain were offered the opportunity to have their say, and their say was decisive – 67% of the population voted in favour of Britain remaining in the then EEC (European Economic Community). The reasons for the referendum then were similar to today, infighting within Wilson’s labour government had pushed the Prime Minister to opt for a referendum to decide Britain’s fate, and save his own party from self-destruction. Today, David Cameron’s decision seems all too familiar, calling a referendum amidst large infighting within his party over Britain’s’ future with the EU, largely fueled by the rise of

UKIP. However, this is where the parallels end. When Britain joined the EU, it did so as its 9th member, today there are 28. With this comes complications, some argue that the free market and free trade no longer benefits Britain, as it has become a haven for workers from less advanced European nations like Lithuania and Poland. This, they argue, is putting a strain on the traditional working class sectors of British industry, causing rising unemployment and falling wages. Britain’s contributions to the EU have also grown as Britain has been expected to carry the burden of the struggling Eurozone, infuriating those whose benefits are being slashed under the current government’s austerity measures. Many argue Britain has also lost its political autonomy, with estimations that up to 80% of laws/regulations passed under Blair’s government coming from Brussels rather than Downing Street – British Eurosceptics want their country back! On the other hand, these Eurosceptics seem all too quick to write off the possible implications of leaving the EU. Although free movement does leave Britain open to the possibility of mass immigration, such immigration is not occur-

ring, with net migration figures highlighting the fact that although the UK is accepting more immigrants, British citizens are also benefitting, with an estimated 3 million Britons in mainland Europe. The question of what will happen to them if Britain leaves the EU remains to be unanswered but there is nothing stopping angered members from forcing British citizens to leave if GB does decide to exit. The myth that immigrants are here to merely “benefit surf ” seems to be quickly debunked when one studies many of the data published which shows that immigrants are actually net contributors to the system, with many working more hours than the average British worker, in order to optimise their wage potential and improve the lives of themselves and their families.

“Arguably not since the 1970s has this country witnessed such a fierce debate over its future with the European community”

The question of Scotland must also be asked. Polls show that an overwhelming number of Scots are pro-Europe, with only 18% of the population adamant that they would vote to leave. It is therefore key to consider the possibility that leaving the EU would also cause the breakup of our Great British union, as Scotland would independently seek membership of the EU. The uncertainty that comes with ‘Brexit’ urges the conservative inside me to opt for the pro-Europe side. There also appears to be a lot of scaremongering and false flags raised by the likes of UKIP, warning the public of mass immigration that although under free movement laws is not impossible, is highly unlikely. They do however raise important issues – the increasing strain of public services like the NHS and schools is not being helped by immigrants, who tend to be young workers looking to set up families. Britain is also paying much more than others EU nations and continues to be an attractive destination for post-soviet nations with poor economic development. The question over Britain’s future seems as uncertain as ever, but one things for sure, this certainly won’t be the last article you read about it.

Credit: Flickr, Thijs ter Haar

2015 Was a Shit Year

A selection of some of the reasons why 2015 was the shittest year we’ve had for a while Christopher Wilburn LSE Undergraduate IF A WEEK IS A LONG TIME in politics, a year is an eternity. 2015 was no doubt one of the most tumultuous years of the past few, with economic issues taking centre stage at many points. The most obvious place to start would be with the general election, the low point of an already intensely vapid year. We were told in the days leading up to May 7th that it would be a hung parliament, most likely scenario being an SNP propped up Ed Miliband in number 10. In the event the Tories won a slim majority, something that surprised (dismayed) almost everyone with a heart. They have quickly set about doing everything that the Lib Dems stopped them from doing. You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, and now we really see the damage that the Tories, now un-

hinged and unimpeded are planning on doing. It is important to realise what the Conservatives accomplished, in terms of economics. It is almost unprecedented for a government implementing a policy of austerity, and promising more of it after the election to get reelected. The way that they did this was clever campaigning - playing on the fears of the many (english) marginal

“The most obvious place to start would be with the general election, the low point of an already intensely vapid year” seats with that Alex Salmond/ Ed Miliband poster; endlessly repeating the “long term eco-

nomic plan” (supposedly in contradistinction to Labour’s lack of); and playing to middle England’s generally awful worries about “Red-Ed” (and immigrants and benefit claimants and basically poor people). There was very little content to this. The Chancellor’s record (as reported throughout the year in this section) is almost unrelentingly shit. He has missed all of his targets for this year, repeatedly moving goalposts back as and when it suits him. His cuts have led to an explosion of private debt, and he is therefore stoking up another crisis in the near future. The short termism of the chancellor is something that will no doubt fill many more column inches going into 2016. Aside from the almost unmitigated disaster for the economy that was the UK general election, there are a number of other reasons to think that 2015 was a terrible year. Wages rose by under 3% last year, whereas house prices rose by 9.5% according to

one index. This points towards what many of us already know, that the dream of homeownership will for many remain just that, a figment of one’s nocturnal imagination. The high house prices mean that rents are on the rise too, as those who cannot afford to buy are left in the rented sector. Either we need to build more homes or get used to, and legislate for, the increase in the rented sector. This is a situation which will not change any time soon, and will almost certainly get worse as the Tories bring back right to buy, and extend it to include housing association homes too. 2015 was shit for China too. The Chinese economy has seen growth that is unprecedented in the history of the world, but a growth that appears to be slowing down. The normal measures can’t be trusted, so nobody really knows what is going on, but looking at Chinese consumption of raw materials, and power consumption it does seem clear

that they are at least in a worse situation than before. If China tanks, as it looks like it has already started doing in 2016, we can expect to feel the aftershocks across the world. In an already desperately unstable and weakened Europe, this will be intensely unwelcome. The final, and possibly main, reason to think that 2015 was a shit year for Economics is that it was basically the same as all the other years that preceded it. Nothing has really changed since 2010. Wages are still well below where they should be; homelessness and poverty are still massive issues that nobody seems to be talking about; Banking culture hasn’t really changed (they just scrapped a report looking into it). The financial crisis could’ve been a good opportunity to change some of the structural flaws in the economy. Instead, it has been a way of entrenching the status quo. And there’s no reason to believe that 2016 will be any better.

26| Tuesday January 12, 2016

Obama Aims, Fires On Gun Control The US President issues executive orders expanding some background checks Daniel Shears Deputy Features Editor

Features

Section Editors: Taryana Odayar Alexander Hurst Deputy Editors: Stefanos Argyros Daniel Shears Sebastian Shehadi

HAS OBAMA DRASTICALLY misfired with his Executive Action on gun control? Guns, guns, guns. Here we go again. It’s one of America’s favourite political debates and yet the one where the least progress has been made. Obama tried to push through significant gun reform in the wake of the horrific Sandy Hook massacre back in 2012; his administration’s proposed legislation would have expanded background checks as well as banning some semi-automatic weapons; disappointingly, it was defeated in the Senate in April 2013. This therefore seems to answer one of the main questions to arise from the recent news that Obama is planning to use executive action to reform America’s weak and vague gun laws: why has he waited so long? As already mentioned, his attempts to legitimately pass a bill to bring the 2nd amendment into the 21st century have been blocked at every turn, by both Congress and the Supreme Court. This is the political reality. Unsurprisingly, the pro-gun group the NRA took a much more cynical approach to Obama’s recent proposals, proclaiming that “the timing of this announcement, in the eighth

and final year of his presidency, demonstrates not only political exploitation but a fundamental lack of seriousness.” Serious cynicism indeed, especially given what seemed like genuine tears from the leader of the free world when he delivered a moving speech recalling the innocent young lives lost to senseless gun violence.

“Why has Obama waited so long?” Another question we might ask ourselves in the new year is what impact will this revelation have on the 2016 election? Quite frankly, not much. The predicable partisanship is clearly reflected in the reactions of presidential candidates of both parties, which plays into a wider narrative in America of political polarisation and lack of nuance or common ground across the political divide. Hillary took to Twitter to unequivocally support the President’s actions, writing “we can protect the Second Amendment while protecting our families and communities from gun violence”, and Sanders took a swipe at Republicans who he claimed favoured the gun lobby over the interests of “children and innocent Americans”. Contrastingly, all GOP candidates flat out rejected Obama’s (rather limited) proposal. Marco

Rubio claimed it was yet another link in the chain of Obama’s “obsession” with undermining the 2nd amendment, while Ted Cruz (famous of course for his astute and carefully considered political opinion) labelled the use of executive orders “unconstitutional”. Although Article 2, Section 3, Clause 5 of the Constitution states that the executive should “take care that the laws be faithfully executed” (implying that the President has unilateral executive authority over the federal bureaucracy), political commentators anticipate legal challenges. Those on the right will claim there is no basis in law for Obama’s actions to have any legitimacy, and moreover, many see Obama’s actions as an expedient attempt to make law without a democratic mandate. It really is a poisonous and predicable combination of Obama-bashing and hyperbolic gun-toting, liberty-loving rhetoric. Inconveniently for the political conservative right, it seems public opinion is not on their side. Support for the measures cross party lines with 85% of Democratic voters and 51% of Republican voters saying they support the moves (CNN). Confusingly however, 57% of people don’t seem to think the changes will actually be effective. Does this mean that Republican support is grounded

in the belief that this won’t be a huge burden on their ability to purchase arms? Maybe, although Democratic support for gun control actions they feel will be ineffective is harder to get your head around. Obama is adamant that, despite the division on the issue, “all of us can agree that it makes sense to do everything we can to keep guns out of the hands of people who would do others harm, or themselves harm”. Despite this, another CNN poll revealed that 54% of people disapprove of Obama’s decision to bypass Congress and implement changes using his executive power, suggesting that even though many people might agree with the political intention, they aren’t happy with the mechanism by which it is being achieved. Ultimately, it seems this political announcement has thrown up more problems than it solves. It seems such a shame that even small progress cannot be achieved in the wake of the political polarisation that characterises modern American politics. Regardless of the consensus Obama musters among the American people, it is the decision makers in Congress and the Courts that can create and maintain real change, and it looks as if they both have a gun held to Obama’s head.

The End Of Bipartisanship In Spain?

Alternative parties may find themselves with more power after Sunday’s election Eponine Howarth Undergraduate

ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20TH, 2015, Spaniards will be driving themselves to the nearest polling station in order to vote for their new prime minister. Given the 2013 recession, the rise in unemployment (currently around 21%) and several corruption scandals, substantial political changes are being asked for. With the rise of alternative political parties such as Podemos and Ciudadanos, the main question that awaits to be answered is whether the two-party system will finally come to an end in these general elections. After the death of General Franco in the 1970s, Spain underwent a democratic transition accompanied by strong bipartisanship ever since. For the past three decades, the traditional right-wing party - Partido Popular (PP) - and left-wing party - Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) - have been dominating the Spanish political scene. In 2011, during the last general elections, there was an emblematic decline of the PSOE (after Zapatero’s catastrophic mandate) and a clear win of the PP. What will the outcome of these coming elections be? Following the 2008 financial

crisis and 2013 recession, there has been a massive rise in unemployment especially among young people (50%) which has sparked several anti-austerity movements around the country. As a response, a new left-wing party, Podemos (“We Can”), was founded in 2014 by Pablo Iglesias. It aims to counter austerity, as Syriza in Greece did. The next most popular alternative party, Ciudadanos (C’s) led by the 36 year old Albert Rivera, was originally founded 2006. This new centre-right party (considered centre-left by others), seeking to promote social liberal democracy, had the initial purpose to oppose catalan nationalism. Where parties stand on issues like the independence of Catalunya and/or challenging the monarchy might also come into voter preferences. Can we expect a revival of Syriza’s flame with its Spanish equivalent Podemos? Polls seem to indicate that the new prime minister might not be so new. Mariano Rajoy will probably end up being reelected for a second mandate. However, the rise of these two alternative parties have certainly awakened Spanish politics and questioned traditional bipartisanship. Strategic voting will add to the uncertainty of the outcome of these general elections.

Boko Haram At Chad’s Doorstep

Features | 27

The world’s most deadly terrorist group could begin to prey on structural instabilities Alexander Hurst Features Editor CHADIAN MARKETS ARE a hectic blend of sun, sweating bodies, swatting flies, sandy red earth, the drone of different dialects, the exhaust from motorbikes, and the creative tension of bargaining in progress. In early December however, just such a market became a scene of horror when three suicide bombers from Boko Haram blew themselves up, killing 27 people and injuring 80 on an island on Lake Chad. Although in the aftermath of the Paris attacks the United States and Europe remain concentrated on fighting the Islamic State (ISIS or IS) in Syria and Iraq, they would do well not to overlook Western Africa’s Sahel. Chad has been a key component to regional stability, but a specific blend of sociopolitical characteristics makes the area a potentially fertile ground for the spread of IS ally Boko Haram and the perpetuation of generations of violence. A strain of rebellion, reintegration, and defection runs deep in Chadian political history. François Tombalbaye, the first president, was overthrown by his military commander, Felix Malloum, in 1975. Malloum then integrated a northern rebel, Hissène Habré, into his government as prime minister. In 1980, Habré launched a bloody coup attempt against a transitional government that had succeeded Malloum, inviting intervention by Libyan forces under Muammar al-Gaddafi. Two years later, Habré seized full power and defeated Gaddafi’s army with French and American help. He then began a bloody, two-decade reign that earned him the nickname “Africa’s Pinochet” and an ongoing trial for crimes against humanity. Eventually, Idriss Déby, his top general, defected to East-

ern Chad where he raised enough support among his Zaghawa ethnic group to return to N’Djamena in 1990 and oust Habré. This cycle hasn’t ended with the 25-year rule of Déby. In 2006, rebel soldiers that he had sent to the Central African Republic to install Francois Bozizé as president just three years earlier fought against him in the Battle of N’Djamena, which he narrowly won with French military support.

“The problem young men with fluid loyalties will only be solved by longterm economic and institutional development. Neither of these approaches is sexy; each is necessary.”

The cumulative effect of these decades of near constant conflict—or permanent state of entre-guerres, or “between wars,” as Marielle Debos, professor at the Université ParisOuest, terms it—means that Chadian society has become marked by legions of young “men-at-arms” for whom violence has become both a profession and a way of life. Less concerned with ideology than with a search for political and economic rents, these young men maintain fluid loyalties. In a chronically poor region largely stripped of economic opportunities, they sell violence to those seeking power, and once power has been attained, exercise violence with near impunity as violence itself becomes a mode of governing. But a real way out will only be found by a few, and so eventually they defect, and begin the rent-seeking search again.

The danger now is that Boko Haram could continue its move east from Nigeria into northern Cameroon and Chad, and exploit these larger structural factors present in regional violence and instability. Although the group’s foundations are undoubtedly ideological—it emerged from Salafi/Wahhabi groups in the late 1970s and pledged allegiance to IS in March 2015—Cambridge University researcher Adam Higazi writes that “the support base of Boko Haram may extend beyond the ideological core that began the struggle.” The US Institute of Peace found through surveys in Nigeria’s Sokoto state that high unemployment, poverty, and widespread corruption are major factors beyond ideology that push young men toward Boko Haram’s anti-government messaging and promises of loot. These same conditions are present in Chad and the border region with Cameroon, factors that Boko Haram could exploit in a move eastward. Reports have surfaced this past year that the group is recruiting by offering salaries as high as $800 a month—or eight times an average local income. However, exactly how much recruitment is coming from Chad itself remains an open question. In an email exchange, Higazi noted that “Boko Haram may be attracting fighters from Chad by paying them and enabling them to participate in the plunder of the region, but we’d need substantive evidence to confirm that.” If Boko Haram has not yet started to draw on the political, economic, and ethnic fractures present in Chad, that’s good news. Just such an expansion is what the United States, France, and the regional coalition of African states are trying to prevent. Unfortunately, for decades the US and France have answered the “stability” question by supporting a Chadian

“strongman,” first Habré—who received financial, logistical, covert, and direct military support—then Déby, who won permission from the World Bank to spend more of his nation’s oil revenue on the military. This constant short-term focus—whether on protecting economic interests (for France) or having a bulwark against communism (for the US)—has impeded the development of real institutions of government and governance, and even directly exacerbated cycles of violence. As the RAND Corporation reports, US military and security assistance has had little to no effect on reducing fragility in countries like Chad. In the past six years, Chad has received slightly over $18 million in such aid from the United States, although this certainly underestimates the combined foreign contributions to the Déby regime. France maintains a permanent military presence in the country, supporting and has even directly intervening on behalf of Déby. Part of the problem is that such support often fuels corruption, rent-seeking, a violencewith-impunity mode of governing, and the social resentment that follows—often along ethnic lines. The Chadian military has certainly been implicated in brutal conduct, even withdrawing from the UN peacekeeping mission to the Central African Republic after allegations that it was providing active support to the Seleka rebels. In supporting the Déby regime, the US and France should urge Chad to avoid heavy-handed crackdowns on ethnic groups like the Kanuri from which Boko Haram has recruited. Any attempt to combat the spread of Boko Haram should not sacrifice the broader and more long-term view for the immediate one. Although France has effectively implemented Band-Aid type interventions like that in Mali, such quick

fixes will never be big enough or long-lasting enough to solve the region’s long-term problems. To address those larger issues a combination of preventive and prescriptive measures is needed to prevent Boko Haram from igniting a wider religious conflict, like the one that has plagued the Central African Republic, and to develop inclusive institutions in Chad and its neighbors. For starters, American nonmilitary financial assistance to Chad could be increased and re-targeted to more effective institution-building. In contrast to military aid, the US has invested woefully little in the real economic and political development of the country—and this little became almost nonexistent in 2015: just $23,000, excluding direct food aid. Fortunately, despite the history of violence, divisions in Chad have been far more often political and economic, with a healthy dose of ethnic clan-ism, than religious. That reality is visible on the streets of the mixed southern city of Moundou, where Christians and Muslims shop together at markets and sit together in classrooms only a hundred kilometers from the Central African Republic. Local civil society is attempting to keep things this way. One initiative is working to create ties between imams and Christian pastors in the hopes that such links will filter down from authority members to their respective communities and prevent radicalization. But the problem of hopeless young men with purchasable loyalties will only be solved by long-term economic and institutional development. Neither of these approaches is sexy; each is probably necessary. As an ideological problem, Boko Haram is as difficult to defeat as any other intractable terrorist group. But at least if it is confined to ideology, it will remain an isolated—albeit dangerous—phenomenon.

Photo Credit: Alexander Hurst, 2014

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| Tuesday January 12, 2016

The Most Radical Pope In A Generation?

In last fall’s speech before Congress, Pope Francis may have revealed two poles of his moral compass

Alexander Hurst Features Editor “THREE SONS AND A DAUGHTER of this land, four individuals and four dreams,” Pope Francis said before a joint session of Congress, when he visited the United States for the first time last fall. He then proceeded to cite Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton, along with an ideal for which each stood. If the first two the Pope mentioned were a nod of the head to the widely-known American Pantheon, the latter two—lesser known and Catholic—were an indication of where, and with whom, the Pope’s heart truly lies.

“Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton are key figuyres in a little known, but radically progressive Catholic theological tradition” The poles of our moral compasses are staked out by those to whom we look for inspiration. As clearly as James Joyce and Jorge Luis Borges (One of Francis’s friends, back when he was Jorge Mario Bergoglio) can be seen bleeding through the pen

of Salman Rushdie, Pope Francis was telling us once again and unequivocally, just whose theology underlies his own. Merton and Day are key figures in a radically progressive theological tradition in the Catholic Church, though a tradition perhaps not well known to the broader public, or even to many Catholics. In citing these two social justice activists, the Pope gave a discreet, yet clear, signal to the values he holds dear, and to the real message that he intended to deliver to Congress, cloaked as it was in diplomatic boldness. Thomas Merton, a Catholic monk, mystic, and writer, was also a social activist and committed pacifist. A convert to Catholicism during his early adulthood, as a young man he first joined the peace movement during the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, pledging pacifism in any circumstance encountered by any government. In the following decades, as he drifted away from the lifestyle of an Oxford party-boy and deeper into monasticism and mysticism, his commitment to a radical social alternative grew. By the 1960’s, he had developed a personal and political radicalism. His personal life was characterized by a profound ecumenism, having lived among and been influenced by both Buddhist monks and Quakers—a religious openness that was far more countercultural in the 1960’s than it would be perceived today. His politics remained deeply rooted in nonviolence. In 1968, he published

an essay praising Simone Weil and her transition from passive nonviolence to radical nonviolent resistance, writing, “the void underlying the symbols and the myths of nationalism, of capitalism, communism, fascism, racism, totalism is in fact filled entirely by the presence of the beast—the urge to collective power.” Throughout this decade, Merton corresponded frequently with Ernesto Cardenal, one of the central thinkers of the Latin American liberation theology movement that spread throughout Central America and beyond during the 1970’s and 1980’s. Liberation theology held that the church should ally itself with the working class to oppose oppressive state economic structures. In the midst of the Cold War, the Church establishment viewed both liberation theology and Cardenal—who was a member of the Nicaraguan Sandinistas—with heavy suspicion. The connection between Latin American Jesuits (the Pope’s order) and liberation theology is deep, and its teachings undoubtedly influenced how a young José Mario Bergoglio understood his faith in relation to the world around him during his education and introduction to the priesthood. Dorothy Day was perhaps an even more radical figure than Thomas Merton. She was thrust into social activism by reading Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle as a teen, and wavered between socialism, communism, syndicalism, and anarchism as a young adult. After a conversion experi-

ence that brought her to Catholicism, she founded the Catholic Worker movement, attempting to reconcile her radical political beliefs with both her pacifism and her faith: “Far better to revolt violently than to do nothing about the poor destitute,” she would eventually write of the Cuban Revolution. “Is it not possible to be radical and not atheist?” she asked in the first issue of her newspaper, the Catholic Worker, in 1935. Over the next four decades, Day would go on to live out her radical beliefs, leading civil disobedience actions against nuclear weapons and the Vietnam War, and in support of workers. She was arrested numerous times, including in 1955, for leading pacifists in refusing to participate in civil defence drills, and in 1973 for picketing alongside César Chavez for migrant labourers’ rights in California.

“The poles of our moral compasses are staked out by those to whom we look for inspiration” Her Catholic Worker movement ultimately broke with its Church’s “Just War” doctrine, maintaining a commitment to active nonviolence. The more than two-hundred houses that her movement established across

The Washington, D.C. Catholic Worker protests the Iraq War in front of the White House on December 29, 2004. Photo Credit: Elvert Barnes, Flickr.

the United States and internationally continue to mix hospitality for the homeless with social justice activism based in the principles of active nonviolence. The thread that links these four is the same that has so prominently featured in Francis’s public statements and focus since his Papacy began almost three years ago, and remains the message of his first book, The Name Of God Is Mercy, released this year. That is, the idea of community, predicated on justice, be it economic, racial, social, or climate. As Pope, he has often been direct about calling out global inequality, trickledown economics, excessive consumption, a neglect of the poor, and the effects of unfettered capitalism on the environment, saying things like, “Inequality is the root of social evil,” and, “Our common home [the environment] is being pillaged, laid waste, and harmed with impunity. Cowardice in defending it is a grave sin.” Or at other times, calling Catholics away from judgement, and towards tolerance, inclusion, and mercy. In the context of a Church bureaucracy glacially slow to change, some might think that rather than a real turn towards the Church of Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day, Francis’s changes are more rhetorical and superficial in nature. But his reference to these two American radicals before America’s most powerful politicians indicate that as Francis’s Papacy goes on, he just might shepherd in a more progressive theology than anyone predicted.

Features | 29

One Kid, Two Kids, Many More Chinese Kids?

The effects of China’s two-child policy has the country headed for future demographic troubles

Kyi Yeung Goh Undergraduate OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, surprise policy announcements made by the Chinese government have become a seemingly regular feature in global news headlines. Here, policy moves ranged from the economic sphere as illustrated by China’s stimulus package aimed at stemming a stock rout to environmental ones such as the decision to implement a nationwide cap-and-trade program. Last week on 29th October, the Chinese government continued the trend by announcing that it will revise the decades old “One Child Policy” and instead, seek to ease family planning restrictions under a “Two Child Policy”. The reasons for enacting the “One Child Policy” in 1980, as noted in an open letter by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, were overwhelmingly due to material concerns. Here the CCP cited the need to maintain a certain standard of living, sta-

ble food supply as well as the desire to increase the gross domestic product per citizen. Arguably, little has changed in those 25 years with economic issues still featuring heavily in the official explanation for the policy revision. Firstly, one can look to the shrinking labour pool to gain some sense of why a shift was undertaken.

“Why has the Chinese government only altered the policy at this juncture?” To illustrate the scale of the problem, the number of citizens aged 15 to 59 fell 3.7 million to 915.8 million in 2014. More alarmingly, under the current social regime, the Chinese population will be expected to peak in 2025 at 1.37 billion citizens. This, when

viewed in conjunction with the recent economic slowdown in China, underscores the need for China to revamp its population policy if it were to increase its potential for future economic growth. As many commentators point out, the stability and legitimacy of the CCP is linked to the economic growth it can deliver. Here, an economic problem may trigger a larger political one. Furthermore, the increasing old-age dependency ratio could also provide an explanation to the revision. It is projected that by 2050, 50 percent of women over 60 would be supported by a single child should the “One Child Policy” continue. The economic strain arising from the need to support an ageing population may complicate matters further. However, the declining birth rates and its link to the economic issue has been observed for a period of time. Therefore, the question is why has the Chinese government only altered the policy at this juncture? Foremost, would be the issue of bureaucratic co-

nundrums. Currently, around 1 million government officials are involved in the enforcement of the policy. This, coupled with the room for corruption, has created some resistance to change. Secondly, it could be an issue of “saving face”. Clearly, the two-child policy was a natural evolution from the policy revision made in 2014 to allow a second child in certain circumstances. Had the Chinese government repudiated the two-child policy immediately it may have indirectly called to question the soundness of the one-child policy implementation and by extension, the CCP’s legacy. Next, the social implications of the policy may also shed light on the timing of the announcement. Foremost, the revision of the ‘one-child policy’ can be seen as an attempt to build social trust and boost political support for Xi and the party. Revising an arcane and perhaps, resented policy may build up political capital to tide through an economic slowdown. Next, the growth of

illicit activities such as bride smuggling due to the severe imbalance in gender ratios, has made a revision of the policy even more pertinent. Yet, the policy change is not without its problems. Here, Didi Tatlow cites the entrenchment of a ‘one-child’ mindset in the Chinese populace, one that requires much effort to alter. The increased cost of living as well as that of educational attainment lends much weight to the argument. Arguably, even if a population boom does occur, it will largely occur in rural areas where the additional labour will be engaged in agricultural or lower-skilled activities. Here, one may even consider the further widening of the rural-urban divide as possible fallout from the policy shift. Clearly, the lack of a comprehensive strategy to address the need to increase birth rates as well as the idiosyncratic policy of ensuring that couples have only two children may create a slew of longer-term problems.

From Bad Cop to Good COP: Paris Succeeds

When it comes to climate change, the world is starting 2016 off on the right foot Stefanos Argyros Deputy Features Editor THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE changed has all too often been perceived as an intractable issue, paradigmatic of the international community’s inability to foster meaningful change. Yet on the 12th of December 2015 leaders from 195 nations agreed on a global Climate Change Deal. The agreement was hailed by the French president François Hollande as being “a major leap for mankind” and prompted British Prime Minister David Cameron to state that “we’ve secured our planet for many many generations to come”. Despite the overwhelming praise from world leaders, some NGO’s and academics are sceptical about the substantive impact of the deal. Is it a merely symbolic moment or does it have the potential to effectively achieve its aims? From a diplomatic perspective, the agreement is undeniably an achievement. The previous 20 years of climate negotiations, culminating in the failed Copenhagen summit, had been undermined by mistrust and an unwillingness to act. The USA’s and China’s prominent role in sowing the seeds for the Paris Climate Deal lend the

agreement unprecedented political credibility. Further, imbued in the text is an understanding that a plethora of non-state actors including NGO’s, corporations and multilateral institutions are integral to the fight against climate change and their expertise should be fostered and captured.

“Thus while the Paris Climate Deal exceeded expectations and set up sets up a flexible framework, its success or failure ultimately depends on what governments make of it in the months and years ahead” The agreement has been criticised by some for being only partially legally binding and lacking in enforcement mechanisms. But as LSE professor Lord Stern has aptly pointed out it is precisely its flexibility and hybrid nature that attracted

widespread participation. In focusing on ‘Intended nationally determined contributions’ (INDC’s) in tandem with the creation of technocratic oversight bodies, the agreement appears to strike a pragmatic balance between flexibility and compliance. As such a key feature of the deal is an obligation on states to reassess and increase the ambition of their INDC’s each 5 years from 2020, thus moving towards the 1,5C- 2C target set by the agreement. Equally significant is that the Paris Climate Deal is a welcome step forward in matters of climate finance. Developed countries led by the USA, have pledged to raise 100bn a year until 2020 to help developing countries mitigate climate change. This will be achieved mainly but not exclusively through the Green Climate Fund. Crucially, big emitters among developing countries such as China will also be “encouraged” to contribute in raising the funds, signalling a shift from the previous developed/ developing country dichotomy. These financing pledges do not guarantee that the funds will be adequately used but there are reasons to be hopeful: the international community and developing nations in particular are increasingly understanding how

tackling climate change is concomitant with sustainable development goals. In the context of increasing urbanisation in the developing world, these funds could be crucial in creating climate friendly and efficient and productive urban areas, which are key features of economic growth. Perhaps more importantly, the agreement creates strong impetus to increase investment in renewable technology. International Institutions including the World Bank and the Asia and Africa development banks have embraced the idea of increasing their lending to that effect. The Paris Climate Deal thus seems to be permeated by a greater understanding of climate change and seems to foster an unprecedented global and multi faceted response. Yet we must be wary of viewing the agreement as a conclusive solution. Its virtues must not obfuscate its many flaws and the importance of the months and years ahead. The preamble of the deal reminds us that the INDC’s presented by the 195 nations will only lead to a 2,7C target, far from the aspirational 1,5C target set out in Article II of the agreement. As INDC’s remain voluntarily adopted, it remains to be seen whether countries

will not shy away from their commitments and whether they will increase them fast enough in the absence of strong legal constraints. Further, there is a risk that the 100bn a year pledge will not be enough and that developed countries might even divert funding away from valuable development aid to reach it. More broadly, the fossil fuel industry and other groups with vested interest in the status quo will continue to lobby against the changes. The ideational norms of the past are not easily overcome and technical difficulties in implementing the Paris Climate Deal could serve as pretexts for igniting diplomatic tensions and resisting change. Thus while the Paris Climate Deal exceeded expectations and set up sets up a flexible framework, its success or failure ultimately depends on what governments make of it in the months and years ahead. Crucially, as citizens we must not expect that governments will abide by their commitments. We must make politicians honour them by continuing to stress the importance of the fight against climate change, which is is interwoven with the fight against poverty and the aspiration to sustainable development more broadly. It is too important an issue for us to be complacent.

Tuesday January 12, 2016

The HocKEY To Success

Section Editor: Alex Dugan Deputy Editor: India Steele

Perdita Blinkhorn LSE Hockey Outreach Officer

PREPARING TO FACE THE

Sport

30 |

2016 half of the season as One Club, LSE hockey, have come back strong so far this season and seem to be echoing the success of our national teams. With the mixed team now in their third year of undefeated matches and all the men and women’s clubs having everything to play for, the hockey ballers of LSE are showing consistency in the game they love. The women are even preparing for their second instalment of Give It A Go sessions, “The HocKEY to Success”, at Mile End this Wednesday as hockey at LSE thrives. The men 1st team are currently tied for points with the Imperial 1sts in second place and just 6 points behind the Imperial 2nd medics, having enjoyed a highly successful season so far. With top scorers like Charles Parry helping to deliver goals, the men have managed to fight their way into the quarter finals of the cup and give themselves a healthy lead ahead of teams trailing be-

hind them in the league. They have every chance of having an equally successful second half of the season, but focus will be required to push themselves to that top spot. The women’s 1sts have been performing solidly, but had to fight hard this year; following their promotion at the end of last season into the 2A league, they’ve discovered things are not so easy at the top. The ladies have struggled to convert their efforts in extensive training- both on the pitch and in the gym- into goals in games, which saw them knocked out of the cup in week 9 in a very hard fought battle with the St George 1sts. While they currently hold a respectable third place in the league, work will be required to close the 6 point gap between them and the Chichester 1sts and the Portsmouth 1st. This, however, is certainly possible if they pick up in 2016 as the skill is there, they just have to want it enough. Meanwhile, the ladies of the 2nd team are storming their league. They currently sit at the top of the scoreboard, but they are treading a tightrope as they

are only separated from the Surrey 2s by a goal difference of 3. They remain in the challenge for the cup, having drawn with the Portsmouth 3s at the end of Michaelmas. Their next match brings them face-to-face with the Imperial medics 4th team, which hopefully should lead to a fairly comfortable win, however, complacency could be the team’s biggest enemy this year. Captain Lily Collis will need to ensure her leadership stays strong, even when revelling in success. The men’s second team have done well so far to not l have lost a single match so far this season in the South Eastern 6A, arguably placing them as the team with the strongest season so far in the club. They have had some incredible match moments this season, including the legendary game day against ULC RUMs 6th team, where every outfield member of the team (but one) scored, bringing the score at the final whistle to 30-0. It only remains for them to take on the Imperial 7s and Hertfordshire 2s, but with great performances all round and an excellent season from top scorer Ashil Shah, prospects of promo-

tion for this team look good. In the same league as the men’s 2s, the newly formed 3rd team are holding their own in the spot at third place. Having only been created this year following a rise in the number of men at LSE keen to take part, they have a comfortable 6 points and have only lost one game this season which, amusingly, was against the LSE 2nd team. Men’s Club Captain, Krishna Aswani, encompassed the excitement of every member of LSE hockey, explaining how it has been an “amazing 1st term - not only playing side, [but also] charity side, having professional film/ photographer at mixed hockey match, getting new sponsors ([the] sponsor workshop with Nomura was very insightful) and looking forward to an exciting term ahead with Amsterdam and the season climax.” Indeed, the men and women managed to raise exactly £1000 for Great Ormond Street Hospice, and following last year’s highly successful development tour, they will be returning for a second time to Amsterdam in February. Watch out Dam, the Beavers are coming.

Sessions are being held throughout week one Go to: www.facebook.com/lsesu to find out more!

Sport | 31

A Day In The Life Of The WFC Lessons Learnt Jenny Johanson Women’s Football 1st XI IT WAS THE 2ND OF December 2015, and WFC was ready to play their last Wednesday game of the term. We were playing the bottom team in the league, and I was excited to play as we had a very good chance of winning. Having been to the Nordic Christmas party the day before, I decided to take the train from Vauxhall and meet the other girls there, as I needed some more rest before the big game. Somehow, or as always, I was running a bit late, and had to leave my phone at home as I forgot to charge it the night before. As I rushed from the tube station up to the train platform, I realised that I had missed the train by one minute. I was annoyed with myself and mumbled some nasty words in Norwegian. I then decided to jump on a train to New Malden instead, which is the station before Berrylands, as I thought “at least I won’t be that far”. Waiting in New Malden was rather boring, and I decided to go and look for a bus instead. A bus driver told me there was a bus to Berrylands “just down the road by the

big fountain”. I had twenty minutes before the next train to Berrylands, and therefore thought I had enough time to go and find that bus. Without a phone or a watch, I went in the direction of “over there” thinking I was so clever, and relieved I wasn’t gonna be that late after all. I found several bus stops, but none had the bus I was looking for, and I kept walking further and further away to find this place. After checking out about ten bus stops and asking a handful of people for help, I realised that my mission was unsuccessful and that I needed to get back to the train station. However, the time was now 13.25, and the train left at 13.27 - which meant that I wouldn’t make it back to the station on time. I stressed around for a bit debating whether to get a taxi to Berrylands. However, I realised that I was already late for the start of the game, and might as well just come on in the second half as a sub. I waited another thirty minutes at the New Malden train station, where I had plenty of time to contemplate life, and feel annoyed and angry with myself. The train finally arrived at 13.58, and when I got to Berrylands station a few

Netball Women’s 1s vs St George’s 1s won 47-45 Women’s 2s vs Kingston 2s won 36-21 Squash Men’s 1s vs Imperial 3s won 4-1

minutes later I power-walked to the pitches like never before. After more than an hour and a half of travelling, I finally entered the sportsground. I went straight to the changing rooms, but they were all empty. I found Steve, the groundsman, and asked where our changing rooms were. He Football Men’s 1s vs St Barts 1s won 3-0 Men’s 4s vs Westminster 3s won 3-0 Men’s 5s vs Men’s 6s won 4-1

looked at me asking if I was in lacrosse, and said that the changing rooms were there and there. When I interrupted him saying I was in Women’s Football, he looked very confused, and said “didn’t anyone tell you? The game has been cancelled!”. I guess I have learned some

important lessons from this incident, that I would like to share with all of you. 1. Just don’t be late. 2. Be patient 3. Don’t cheat on the train to Berrylands. 4. Don’t try to find places in an unfamiliar place. 5. Always bring your phone. 6. Never drink on Tuesday.

Basketball Women’s 1s vs London Met. won 66-41 Men’s 1s vs Kent 1s won 51-44 Rugby Women’s 1s vs King’s College 2s won 32-0

Win, Lose or Draw, send your results to sports@thebeaveronline.co.uk

AU Exec Update: A Michaelmas Term Review Jenny Johanson LSE AU Outreach Officer

As the first elected Engagement Officer in the Athletics Union (AU), last term involved a lot of figuring out and exploring the new role. I have been lucky to work with so many committed people in the AU and the rest of the school body - all working towards the same goal of a more inclusive campus. Yet, the AU receives a lot of negative criticism based on false accusations that the “AU is only about drinking”. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to celebrate some of the great achievements of the AU last term - both on and off the sport pitches. During Freshers’ fair, all clubs pledged to be an “AU for All”-club, a campaign which aims at making the AU more LGBT+ inclusive, empower women, respect diversity and welcome all abilities. This shows that the clubs are thinking about and engaging with these issues pro-actively. The introduction

of Outreach Officers in the majority of the clubs have also helped in working actively towards making the AU more open for all. Clubs have used this role to for example promote school wide and AU events, work with Active LifeStylE to offer more sports sessions for people outside the AU, raise money for charity, establishing fairer election procedures, initiate talks and workshops, and offer coaching for younger schoolchildren in their respective sport. On the events side, we have tried to diversify the AU events (with varied success!). The AU President, Julia Ryland, and Men’s Rugby’s Outreach Officer, Tom Carmichael, worked hard to organise the very successful “Tackling Homophobia and Sexism in Rugby”-event. This event fostered some great discussions about various issues in Rugby - that can also be extended to other sports. Other AU socials have seen different formats this year, with the Olympic Party organising people into year groups instead of sports

teams, the Tour Launch party held off campus with a new organiser, and many clubs and teams organising joint socials with other clubs and teams. The interest in Carol this year was also incredible, with 750 tickets being sold way ahead of time! The people of the AU are extremely hardworking, and there have been many successes so far! Women’s Rugby have entered a second team in BUCS, in addition to having a development squad. Kabaddi has been working hard to set up a Women’s Team, Women’s Football has finally entered BUCS, Tennis is again playing outstandingly, Athletics are training hard (and winning!) as always, Dance has stepped up where the Contemporary Team and Hiphop Team placed 3rd in a big competition, Men’s Football’s team captains are doing great jobs as coaches, managers and organisers, and Hockey - this should be well known for all readers of this newspaper by now are smashing it week after week.

In addition to all this, clubs have raised plenty of money to a range of charities, as well as participating in RAG’s Naked Calendar, where all proceedings go the the newly elected AU Charity, StreetGames. When people say that the AU is only about drinking and Wednesdays nights, I get quite upset, simply because that is not true. The Athlet-

ics Union consists of hardworking people. These people are working to make their and others’ university experience as fun and rewarding as possible, and are some of the most pro-active and engaging students on campus. We have many games, socials, events and elections to look forward to this term, where we expect the successes to continue.

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