November 2020 by The Founder

The Founder

VOL. XII, ISSUE III | NOVEMBER 2020 |

@RHULFOUNDER

Stay Safe! Join a Renter’s Union! pandemic. Some landlords 020 has been a are not taking this into n e r v e - w r a c k i n g consideration, and are not year for private renters. cutting tenants the slack Coronavirus has resulted that they deserve – they in thousands of people are failing to respect the being laid off, and many rights of renters at a time more are experiencing cuts when evictions are more to their income due to the destructive than ever.

ALED IESTYN LEWIS

With this in mind, a group of us from Egham and the surrounding areas (including RHUL students and members of the wider community) are looking to establish a renter’s union presence, and are already in talks with ACORN to set

Index

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organising for a fairer deal for communities across the UK. It started as a few neighbours tackling dodgy landlords, but has now grown into a national organisation with thousands of members. ACORN is democratically led by its members, and they are not afraid to get the goods for their communities through direct action.

Since its founding in 2014, ACORN branches across the country have been fighting for affordable housing, for a stop to rent raises, and against ‘no fault’ evictions. After the roll out of Universal Credit in 2018, many housing benefits recipients experienced huge delays in receiving their payments. ACORN branches around What can a renter’s the country won assurances union like ACORN do for from landlords and letting agencies that tenants would you? not be evicted due to delays Simply put, being a in receiving their payments. member of ACORN means you will have access to Continued on p. 11

Source: Acorn the Union

News....................................................................................2 Opinion And Debate............................................................6 Features..............................................................................11 Lifestyle.............................................................................13 Arts: Arts and Culture........................................................16 Arts: Literary Reviews.......................................................18 Arts: Film...........................................................................21 Arts: Music.........................................................................24 Sports..................................................................................27

up an Egham branch. But legal advice and support if we need your help to get your landlord ever tries to things started. exploit you. It also means you will be able to tackle the What is ACORN? bad practices your landlord ACORN is a mass might already be engaged membership organisation in with the backing of a of low-income people national organisation.

COVID-19 Vaccine p.3

Cure for Homesickness p.14 The

Election

p.21

2 NEWS

THE FOUNDER November 2020

Joe Biden Wins 2020 Presidential Election to Become 46th US President

The Founder Board 2020 - 2021 Editor in Chief Izzi Vaughan editor@thefounder.co.uk

Managing Editor Alex Whiteman managingeditor@thefounder.co.uk

Publishing & Creative Designer Laura Nietfeld designer@thefounder.co.uk

Source: Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

DOMINIC TAYLOR fter over a week counting votes, Joe Biden has officially won the Presidential Election with Kamala Harris to become the first Woman of Colour to serve as Vice President.

Needing just 270 electoral college votes to win, Biden managed to claim 290 with Trump claiming 232. The State Secretary for Georgia announced a revote due to the narrow margin of victory for Biden (49.6% versus 49.2%). His margin of victory could change further despite Georgia historically voting Republican. Three key states (Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania) went Biden’s way, providing 11, 16 and 20 electoral college votes respectively. Trump and his team instantly spoke out. First,

there were mixed messages of stopping the count or ‘all votes matter’ depending on who was leading. When Trump’s initial lead began to decrease, the momentum swung in Biden’s favour and there were unfounded claims of electoral fraud. Pennsylvania received extra criticism from Trump, who drew on the state’s corrupt history to claim electoral fraud. Trump himself claimed Pennsylvania in 2016. A few days after threats from his legal team, they dropped their lawsuit. Trump and his team have failed to provide any evidence of any crime or fraud committed during the votecounting process. Besides Joe Biden becoming the President, Kamala Harris has made history by becoming the first woman to become VP; as she is from Jamaican and Indian heritage, she will also become the first mixed-race woman to be VP. She said:

‘While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last.’ In the wake of the worldwide racial protests in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, it seems fitting that the first Woman of Colour has become VP. In all honesty, it shows the importance of voting sensibly. It was not just the black community that celebrated Biden’s victory but also many marginalised groups. They have experienced their rights threatened or actively attacked under the Trump administration. We can only hope now that the transfer of power will be more peaceful. If politics is anything to go by, that is highly unlikely.

News Editor Carlota Santos Movilla

Illustrator Rebecca Weigler

news@thefounder.co.uk

illustrator@thefounder.co.uk

Features Editor Sela Musa

Arts Editor Tessa Pinto

features@thefounder.co.uk

arts@thefounder.co.uk

Opinon and Debate Editor Abra Heritage

Literary Review Editor

Mercedes-George Mayes

opinion@thefounder.co.uk

literaryreview@thefounder.co.uk

Lifestyle Editor Katie Upton

Music Editor Amelia Morris

lifestyle@thefounder.co.uk

music@thefounder.co.uk

Sports Editor Eliot K. Raman Jones

Film Editor Lewis White

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film@thefounder.co.uk

The Founder is the independent student newspaper of Royal Holloway, University of London. This means we are not affiliated to the student union or the college. We pride ourselves on our investigative journalism and aim to keep our readers up to date with news on and off campus. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Editor, particularly of opinion and debate pieces. Every effort has been made to contact the holders of copyright for any material used in this issue, and to ensure the accuracy of its stories. To book ad space in The Founder, contact our managing editor at managingeditor@thefounder.co.uk. THE FOUNDER is printed in Cambridge by Iliffe Print

NEWS 3

THE FOUNDER November 2020

COVID19 Vaccine: Boris Johnson Announces it is ‘90% Effective’ ALEX WHITEMAN | MANAGING EDITOR On the 9th November, Boris Johnson announced a vaccine for Coronavirus has been developed by the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech.

the toot is louder, it is still some way off’. For example, the complete safety data of the vaccine has not been released and it needs to be peerreviewed. He also guaranteed that once it is approved, the government will be ready to roll out an NHS-led, UKThe vaccine has been wide distribution program. tested on 40,000 volunteers. It appears to be 90% effective at Over 40 million doses protecting the individual from of the Pfizer vaccine have the virus; more effective than been ordered, along with any of the alternatives. The 300 million more from other Prime Minister stressed the candidates. Scientific experts development of this vaccine is and a joint committee of still in its early stages: 'While vaccination and immunization

will decide the order for people to be vaccinated, based on its effects and the participant’s health condition. The potential of a vaccine and the current slew of COVID-19 tests are not replacements for the nationwide restrictions, nor the government guidelines. Johnson said: 'The biggest mistake we can make is to slacken our resolve’. Source: Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash He finished by stating that authorities. Similar testing During this second hundreds of thousands facilities over the last couple lockdown, we seem to be one of lateral flow tests have of weeks will be distributed to step closer. been dispatched to local universities shortly.

P o l a n d ’s N e a r- To t a l Abortion Ban R a i s e s Te n s i o n To w a r d s t h e G o v e r n m e n t

Source: Lukasz Katlewa (Creative Commons) Image caption: Protests in the streets of Gdansk shortly after the abortion ban was announced ANNA-MARIA LEST oland’s near-total abortion ban was announced on October 22nd. Some people could have foreseen that this ruling

would lead to mass outrage and protests, the likes of which have not happened in Poland since the fall of communism 30 years ago.

The new decree outlaws abortion in all cases except when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or when it endangers the mother’s life; an amendment to the 1993 abortion law, which also permitted it in the case of fetal abnormalities. This alteration was made possible due to the extensive support from Poland’s ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS) and the Catholic Church. PiS went as far as bypassing Parliament to get the new legislation passed by the Constitutional Tribunal, which is, for the most part,

their supporters. Despite the pandemic, large-scale protests erupted in Polish cities after the announcement. On October 30th, over 100,000 people took the streets of Warsaw. Currently, Polish women are still holding regular protests in churches during Sunday mass services but protests have quickly moved beyond restrictive abortion laws. Instead, they have transformed into a widespread attack against the government. The PiS party has been in power since 2015. It is accused of eroding the

democratic foundations of the country. Additionally, protesters are calling for more effective separation of the church and state in the country. Poland, although a secular country, remains heavily influenced by the Catholic Church. After weeks of protests, the government has responded by postponing the new decree. President Duda has proposed that the old abortion law be upheld. However, Polish people are not happy with these weak compromises so the protests continue.

4 NEWS Vienna Plot to HARRY MEAR

n the 2nd of November, a man armed with an automatic rifle, a pistol and a machete, opened fire in Vienna’s famous nightlife area (known as The Bermuda Triangle). He killed four people and injured 23. Many were out socialising before the national midnight curfew when at 20:00 CET; the shooting began. Some mistook it for fireworks but the police were quick to respond. The terrorist attack took the lives of two women and two men in the nine minutes before the gunman, wearing a fake bomb vest, was killed by police.

THE FOUNDER November 2020

Terrorist Strike

Attack: European

The two men were a 21-year-old footballer and a 39-year-old Austrian man who was in front of a bar. Of the two female victims, a 24-year-old German student was shot in front of her workplace and a 44-yearold Austrian woman died from her injuries in hospital. There were 23 other wounded with 13 injured by gunfire, including a police officer aged 28 who was severely hurt but is Source: UnratedStudio from Pixabay recovering. There were six and Macedonian citizenship crime scenes as the attacker who engages with radical made his way around the Islamic terrorism. Fejzulai Fleischmarkt, and Vienna’s had previous convictions nightlife area. according to Austria’s Interior Minister, Karl Nehammer. The gunman was Kujtim He had been sentenced to Fejzulai, a twenty-year- 22 months in prison in April old with both Austrian 2019 after attempting to join

the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in Syria. He left in December 2019 under more lenient terms for young adults for which the Austrian authorities are now under heavy scrutiny.

IS Cities

This attack in Austria has occurred as part of a string of similar terrorist plots that have recently struck some of Europe’s cities: Paris, Nice and Dresden. France has experienced three attacks since September. One being the murder of Samuel Patya schoolteacher decapitated for showing a picture of the prophet Muhammad naked. Additionally, the Borno state of Nigeria and Kabul University in Afghanistan have also been targeted and in Mozambique, terrorists have beheaded more than 50 people. Austria has now become yet another victim of radical Islamic terrorism. The war against terror continues.

Remembrance Day Goes Ahead ‘We will get through this’: Boris Johnson Announces During Second Lockdown Second National Lockdown CARLOTA SANTOS MOVILLA | NEWS EDITOR emembrance Day is on the 11th of November- a memorial day in the United Kingdom. It is a day dedicated to respecting all those who died fighting in war since the end of the First World War. Usually, there is a two-minute silence at 11 am; this year has not been exempt. It is also known as Armistice Day.

in a public manner but it happened as a closed event. However, it was broadcast live on BBC One on Sunday the 8th of November. Royal, Governmental and Armed Forces representatives were allowed to be physically present. Some Remembrance services were held with strict social distancing measures in places

In places like Scotland, where lockdown is more extreme, public events were suspended and were shifted to the private sphere instead. Several alternatives to paying our respects are offered by the UK Government official website. The annual Sunday, March past the Cenotaph did not take place this year

We are all actively encouraged to participate in the Poppy Appeal to fundraise money for the Royal British Legion, especially during this challenging year. You can donate money online, participate in virtual Poppy runs and donate poppies. These are all ways to support the Armed Forces community.

GRACE ROLLISON

is banned, although people are permitted to meet one ddressing the nation other person from another on 31st October, Boris household outdoors publicly. Johnson announced a second national lockdown for England. The Prime Minister has Despite previously defending promised the nation this is not his localised three-tier system another lockdown like that of to avoid another nationwide March and April, but instead lockdown, the Prime Minister will be less intense. To support has now declared a lockdown businesses, Chancellor Rishi essential to prevent a disaster Sunak has announced a for the NHS. five-month extension of the furlough scheme, in place From 5th November to 2nd until the end of March 2021. December, pubs, restaurants, Meanwhile, the government gyms and non-essential shops is currently developing a plan will close. Schools, colleges to conduct mass testing on and universities will stay university campuses to get open. People are to remain students home for Christmas. at home unless they have a specific reason to leave, such Royal Holloway will as grocery shopping, exercise continue to provide a mix or volunteering. Meetings of face-to-face and online indoors and in private gardens learning.

Crossland’s, Café on the Square, Tommy’s Kitchen, Kimiko and Imagine have been designated study support spaces and will stay open and serve food and drinks. The library will also be open from 7 am until 11 pm. All of Royal Holloway’s sports facilities will be closed; all training is suspended. The measures have come into place as the number of COVID-19 cases has risen since late September. Johnson announced: ‘No responsible PM can ignore the message of those figures.’ The number of deaths from coronavirus in the UK has since passed 50,000.

NEWS 5

THE FOUNDER November 2020

Tragedy Falls Upon France: Recent Terrorist Attacks ANTONIN LEFEBRVE

rance has undergone a quick succession of terrorist attacks within a few weeks. In September, French people had to recall a painful memory with the beginning of the Charlie Hebdo attacks’ trial, which occurred back in January 2015. Panic in every single street, police sirens, citizens in shock and cordoned off is, unfortunately, a bloody scenario that revives the nightmare of 2015 for the French.

On September 25th, a machete attack took place around Charlie Hebdo’s former headquarter causing three serious injuries. On October 16th, the teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded in Conflans-Sainte Honorine (Val d’Oise), after having shown the newspaper’s caricature of Muhammed during a class on freedom of expression. On October 29th, three people were killed in Nice’s basilica, NotreDame de l’Assumption.

The French President Emmanuel Macron has affirmed one more time that France is: ‘Standing against barbarism’. This lead to a boycott of French goods by many countries from the Gulf States. Why exactly are this tension and sensitivity around Islam’s blaspheme? One of the main French value is ‘laicité’ a word that does not exactly have an equivalent in English. It means the respect of all

beliefs as long as these manifestations have occurred remain in the private domain. after the Paris’ attacks in 2015. Since 1905, the Hexagon has separated the Church and the State, imposing freedom of conscience and the equality of all citizens before the law. France is the country of ‘Lumières’, of liberty, equality and fraternity. The three concepts are also the national motto and the symbol of the French Revolution. The fight for the respect of these values is not new: similar

Newspapers still aim to promote the freedom of expression. Something sometimes misunderstood about the French values is that it applies to all religions and beliefs: Charlie Hebdo blasphemes all of them and thoroughly condemns the Islamophobia rising in France. Radical Islam is still targeting France: no one is ready to let any room for obscurantism.

6 OPINION AND DEBATE

THE FOUNDER November 2020

Coronavirus Doesn’t Discriminate: Capitalism Does IZZI VAUGHAN | EDITOR IN CHIEF he Coronavirus crisis has revealed not just a crisis of health, but a crisis of severe poverty in the midst of obscene wealth hoarding. During this pandemic, billionaires have seen their net worth increase by $637 billion dollars, according to Business Insider, while statutory sick pay in the UK remains at just £96 a week and four out of ten key workers are earning less than £10 an hour (Trade Union Congress).

In the UK, the crisis couldn’t have come at a more vulnerable time. After 10 years of Austerity weakening our public services and having a disproportionate effect on the poorest in society (EHRC), the country was illprepared for any crisis, let alone one of such magnitude and threat to life. Although the UK had recently seen rising employment levels, work had increasingly lacked a guarantee for an adequate standard of living, and with homelessness on the rise (EHRC), it was inevitable that the poorest in society would be most at risk of this pandemic in a system which shows such disregard for the lives of the working classes. The coronavirus crisis has only exacerbated the injustices of systemic inequality. The poorest in society have been the ones more likely to have to go to work, more likely to be furloughed, and less likely

to receive adequate sick pay (TUC). 1.8 million employees in the UK don’t earn enough to qualify for statutory sick pay because they don’t get paid enough money, with a further 5 million people unqualified because they are self-employed (TUC), amounting to around 10% of the UK population ineligible for statutory sick pay in the midst of a pandemic which has so far seen 1.45 million cases in the UK. 26% of employees, around 7 million people, are not offered further sick pay from their employers, and so only receive £96 a week if they fall ill. And if you need further income support, then you have to apply for Universal Credit, which remains at around £96 a week despite a £1000 increase in March (TUC). The foodbank charity Trussell Trust reported its busiest ever period, with 81% more food parcels distributed in the last two weeks of March 2020 (compared to the same period in 2019). The self-employed have received little to no help at all throughout this pandemic. One local business in my home town only received a £257 bursary to cover three months’ worth of profits. Their bursary was calculated based on the average trading profits of the last three years. However, because their shop had only been open for the past two and a half years, they were left with an average of £3,000 for three years after the costs of setting up the business

Source: The Christian Post

had been subtracted. This was divided to give the three months bursary qualification, and then subtracted 20% to give them 80% of their “profits”. And even with the small bursary they received, it is still a taxable income. This is just one story of many who have been victimised by the Conservative’s unjust governance throughout this pandemic. The failings of the Conservative government are not just a measure of

their ineptitude and immoral views, but of the wider economic system which facilitates such devastating poverty while the rich perpetually get richer. The Conservatives have failed spectacularly at every turn throughout this crisis. But the failures which have led us to where we are now ought to be accredited to the capitalist system which is structured for this exact purpose: to sacrifice and exploit the working class for the greed of the wealthy.

To help those most affected by this crisis, I encourage you to donate as much as you are able to your local food banks, and to ask what they are most in need of. There are also mutual aid groups set up across the country to help those isolating which you can help with if you are able. Lastly, I encourage you to join a union, including the Renter’s Union Acorn to protect yourself as much as possible from the failures in this crisis.

THE FOUNDER November 2020

OPINION AND DEBATE 7

Extinction Rebellion Need to Change Their Message to Achieve Their Goal AUGUSTUS BAMBRIDGE-SUTTON

n 2nd September this year, having a day off from work, I took the train up to Parliament Square in central London to participate in the Extinction Rebellion (XR) protests. Not intending to get arrested, I was happy to be a part of the event. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience, and the festivallike atmosphere provided a cohesive sense of purpose that was both jubilant and admirable. Yet two things were cause for concern. Firstly, the sheer number of police that had turned up to what was, by all definitions a peaceful protest from a group with little history of violence. Secondly, later in the day, the sight of a woman angrily harassing one of the officers on duty because their salary ‘could go to the NHS.’ The reason for the mass police presence was clear: sending a message that the XR activists were radical ideologues, considered dangerous by polite society, and more specifically, by those in power. The second incident, however, was perhaps more concerning, as it gave this image validity. The incident, while small in itself, was emblematic of a problem in the way the group conducts itself: instead of trying to appeal to as many people as possible, it presents an image of a group of ideologues with an ‘us and them’ worldview

that is hostile to cooperation with outsiders, presenting a group more concerned with ideological struggles than with its mission: stopping climate change. Worst of all, it buys into an existing public and government bias about the group, and arguably, by extension, its aims. The group’s decentralisation is part of the issue. It has, of course, been an organisational strength, allowing the mass protests to take place with little troublesome bureaucracy. But it is also its greatest weakness. My local group is led by a female vicar who has spoken about the group on BBC Radio 4, presenting its ideals as accessible, respectable and morally just. Yet it is the ideologues, not constrained

by anything resembling centralised organisation, who are most visible in the public eye and thus are most effective in strengthening the public’s negative view of the group.

Even Boris himself took to Twitter to defend freedom of speech. The aim of the action – to attract attention to the group – had clearly worked.

Yet it was for all the wrong reasons. There was the The September protests predictable outcry from the attracted a matter of media right-wing media (‘liberalattention, at first largely baiting’ journalist Douglas dwarfed compared to previous Murray somehow found a years by the attention of Black way to use the incident to Lives Matter and Covid-19. describe teaching children Yet this changed when a small about climate change as group of rebels blockaded the ‘child abuse’). But even leftprinting presses that distribute leaning newspapers were Rupert Murdoch-owned often against the move: The newspapers such as The Daily Guardian (who one protestor Mail, The Daily Telegraph told me is ‘the only paper that and The Sun. The group was is on our side’) published a suddenly catapulted into the piece appealing to the group to attention of the great and use ‘persuasion, not coercion.’ powerful. Priti Patel, the Yes, the move got the group Home Secretary, described it into the public consciousness, as ‘a threat to our way of life.’ but it was alienating,

Source: Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

not rallying, to potential supporters. Unlike the Wolf of Wall Street, a decentralised environmentalist group can’t afford to play by the principle that ‘all publicity is good publicity.’ Movements surrounding climate change need to appeal to as many people as possible, because climate change is something that will affect not just a marginalised group or particular nationality, but everyone on Earth, and the more people who realise this and act on it, the better. The strong media bias against the group doesn’t help, of course, and it’s not always their fault. A recent headline sensationalised an encounter with beloved environmentalist Sir David Attenborough, accusing the group of ‘confronting’ him at his home while he was sheltering from Covid-19. Yet anyone who took the trouble to read the full story would discover that they simply turned up at his house to propose an alliance: hardly a ‘confrontation.’ Still, the group’s loudest members are guilty of cultivating an ideologically dominated, dogmatic image for the group, giving the impression that they’d rather fail on their own terms than succeed through compromise. Whether or not this is actually the case, it is a deeply troubling image to promote in regard to an issue as serious as climate change. We cannot afford to alienate potential supporters. The clock is ticking.

8 OPINION AND DEBATE

THE FOUNDER November 2020

Ethiopia’s Tigray Conflict: A Looming Global Migrant Crisis? PHOEBE HUNT

t is certain that 2020 has been a year like no other, especially with the ongoing crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. But for Ethiopia this year has been especially challenging with the ongoing conflict. Alongside facing social and economic challenges, the violent outbreak of conflict between the government and other forces in the Tigray region is the tip of the iceberg; not just for Ethiopia, but for its people. The conflict spread into the neighbouring region of Eritrea, marking a continuing resurgence from the border war that occurred between the two regions twenty years ago, leaving thousands dead and many more displaced. Despite the Ethiopian prime minister denying any major impact from the conflict, this is not the case for the people of Ethiopia. The latest events have been more disastrous than thought and marks an upsurge in conflict, with analysts claiming thousands

Source: Dreamstime

of people have recently been displaced. According to the United Nations refugee agency, over 20,000 people have fled to Sudan and this is increasing by the day. As the conflict continues and tensions escalate, this humanitarian crisis will only worsen. But what will this mean for Ethiopia?

From the evident displacement of many of its people, it is clear that the recent conflict has led to a looming migrant crisis, as a result of the escalating humanitarian disaster. With Ethiopia being one of the most populous African countries with a rapidly growing economy,

its stability is vital for the horn of Africa. Despite the government resisting to diplomatic intervention, advisers from the United Nations have urged the government to protect its population and seek out International intervention. The world is all too

familiar with migrant crises, especially with the European migrant crisis that has been ongoing since the 1990s, with the ever-increasing numbers of displaced migrants in and around Calais hoping to come to the UK in search of a better life. Is it possible for the recent Tigray crisis to lead to a similar situation? The majority of the migrants in Calais often come from Sudan, Afghanistan and Iraq, escaping their war-torn homes and conflict-ridden nations. With the displacement increasing in Ethiopia, it is clearly all too possible for there to be a similar situation to the European migrant crisis. Ultimately, the expanding conflict in Ethiopia has inevitably led to a humanitarian disaster along with a looming migrant crisis in the works. It is safe to say that foreign governments as well as the United Nations, certainly need to do more in order to aid the prevention of not only further conflict, but also the displacement and danger imposed upon the people of Ethiopia.

A Return to Normal Isn’t What We Need ABRA HERITAGE | OPINION AND DEBATE EDITOR

there’s a collective pining for a return to a life pre-Covid. Of course, nobody wants to ou hear it every day: ‘I live through a pandemic, but can’t wait to get back to are we right to be fantasizing normal’. Strangers at Tesco about the lives we led before? tell me in checkout queues, The destruction that my friends and family write it in every text, the dream for a Covid has brought upon return to our old lives is found many is a result of preinequality. The in just about every social existing interaction I have. As a nation, ease of exploitation in zero-

hour contracts made many unemployed, not Coronavirus. The digital inequality in the UK made countless children miss out on vital education, not Coronavirus. The thousands that are missing cancer treatment and screening services is a result of an underfunded and understaffed NHS, not of Coronavirus. The devastation

that has swept the nation could have been avoided, and we can’t blame Covid, we have to blame our governing bodies. After Lockdown, after a vaccine, after a need for social distancing, these inequalities will still exist, and aren’t they a danger as desperate for a solution? For many, these inequalities already affected everyday

living pre-Pandemic, but for others, these engrained injustices are only just coming to light. A wish for a return to normality seems naïve when the destruction that Covid has brought upon people will continue to plague lives until basic social and economic inequalities are overcome.

THE FOUNDER November 2020 I’m sure that those who wish for a return to a life pre-Covid aren’t actively considering the inequalities that surround them, and it is natural to pine for a normality in which we can be surrounded by others again and see family and friends when we want to. But sometimes it’s hard to remember what ‘normal’ really was. On a local level it’s appealing. The memories of open pub doors, travel and live events (these luxuries remain accessible only to those with economic freedom)

OPINION AND DEBATE 9

make many long for a life preCovid. But on a national level? Normality wasn’t sustainable, fair, or, dare I say it, ‘normal’ at all. After all, our previous ‘normal’ contributed to the situation now, where millions are facing unemployment, poverty, education inequality and health inequality. I know it’s hard to believe, but I really don’t mean to sound morbid. We just can’t trick ourselves into thinking that our situation was ever fitting of a description of normality.

Heads Up. The Real

In my books, until we have a system that genuinely helps to house, feed, educate, and support its people, we are far from normal. So, let’s never forget the tragic governance of the UK in the pandemic, and let’s never settle for our old normal. To start? Redefine normality. Remember that austerity is a political choice, not an economic necessity. Let’s start demanding a real ‘normal’.

Source: br-photo, Getty Images

Trump May Be Gone, But Struggle is Just Beginning. To put it briefly, Donald Trump is the only man who refuses to acknowledge the objective reality. The election is over – Biden is the winner. Even if this show would probably continue for a while, it is important to accept the facts and move on, because, let us be clear – the real struggle for America and the world is just starting.

Source: Matt Siciliano-Salazar, The Signal ZAFIR ZAFIROV

s of Friday, 13th, the day I am writing this article, President Donald Trump still appears to be questioning the results of the US presidential election. Angry tweets—the president's speciality—are being posted every couple of hours, claiming that he is the winner, and the results and process are both fraudulent. Not only that – the president's team has launched a legal fight campaign, with none other than Rudi Giuliani in charge, to oppose and challenge the results.

Needless to say, both the angry tweets and the court cases appear to be insufficient for what the president is trying to achieve. His tweets are not taken seriously by anybody, even more so after Twitter decided to flag some them as misleading and spreading misinformation. As for the court cases – the president's team has already lost a number of them in key states (Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona) with more apparent loses on the way.

Trump may have lost the election, but his legacy, Trumpism, is unlikely to disappear soon from the political arena. It is the fake populist appeal, the shameful lying, the divisive and hateful rhetoric, the rejection of diplomacy and science, the unending solidarity with billionaires and authoritarian leaders – those, do not be misled, are here to stay. Add to the mix the nepotism, the shadiness, the Trump's favourite 'Democrats = all bad' babbling, and the countless terrible policies throughout the years, and there you have it. Far-right conspiracy theorists such as Laura Loomer and Marjorie

Taylor Greene already ran in this election cycle, and, more frighteningly, one of them won, and the other received more than 150 000 votes. Unsurprisingly, both candidates had Trump's blessing. And while Trumpism will be here, at least for the foreseeable future, its future and consequences, are far from a foregone conclusion. In fact, it will be up to progressives and activists to stand up to it and to ultimately send it to the dust bin of history. The new presidential administration will also have a vital role in the future of America and the world. Let us be honest – Joe Biden is far from the progressive champion that many claim he is—his political record stands as the best evidence. Change, however, through activism, education, and hammering on the issues that are of greatest importance, is possible. Bold, progressive ideas, such as Medicare for All, tuition-free education,

a guaranteed living wage, Green New Deal, rejection of aggressive foreign policy, amongst many others, are possible. The fact that the overwhelming majority of Americans support those ideas, as well as the fact that numerous progressive candidates, who run on those issues, are continuing to win electoral battles, is all a good sign in the right direction. The fact that Biden also included some, if not all of those, in his platform, is also encouraging and he should be constantly remembered that those have to be realized – in reality, not only on paper. The reactionary agenda is strong, undeniably, and it does not end with Trump in the US. If this election cycle has proven one thing, it is that the real fight is just beginning. It will not be an easy one, surely, but it is one worth taking. And, in my mind, it is good that will prevail in the end.

10 OPINION AND DEBATE

THE FOUNDER November 2020

‘America is back’ – What Can North-East Asia Expect From Biden’s America? EMILY HOWE

s President-elect Joe Biden takes office in January, the world will wake up to a different America. Times have changed since Biden was last in the White House, he will have to move on from the heydays of the Obama-era. What will a Biden America mean for the East? China, the auspicious superpower and secondlargest global economy, and Biden used to have a close relationship. The Presidentelect once boasted that he had spent more time with the Communist leader, Xi Jinping, than any other. How the US will fashion its most consequential relationship, is dependent upon the global view of its pacific neighbour. Biden, the multilateralist, will lean on co-operation and unity with its global allies to hold off the rise of China, doing what he can to mend the broken relationships from the isolationist Trump era; forming an international coalition that China couldn’t dare to ignore. More diplomatic and cooperative rhetoric will become the default American response in foreign policy. On the contrary, this does not mean that Biden will become soft on China. Biden recently called President Xi a ‘thug’ and demanded that China ‘plays by the rules’. This toxic relationship between the two great powers will require balancing on a knifes’ edge; Biden cannot be too linenette in the pursuit of co-operation for popular policies, or, too cliquey and push the world towards a new Cold War.

Because of this, we may see a mixed approach from the US. America will become increasingly internationally competitive on technological advancements and confrontational on human rights abuse, such as the illegal declining democratic status of Hong Kong or the suspected 380 ‘reeducation’ facilities imprisoning thousands Source: Gage Skidmore of Uighurs Muslims. Whilst cooperative on Historically, North Korea issues such as climate tests every Presidential-elect policy and fighting the with a missile test. In October global pandemic, through 2020, the DPRK unveiled collaboration for vaccine the world’s largest mobile development. intercontinental ballistic missile, it is therefore likely China’s uncertainty that we will soon see another and cautiousness on a missile test. Presidential Biden are evident. Its congratulations Biden cannot follow his came days after the election previously preferred method was called, coming not from of ‘strategic patience’ with President Xi, but a Foreign North Korea. However, his Ministry spokesperson. hard-line approach may However, congratulations continue to damage relations do not equate to approval. further. Resulting in the demolishing of South Korean China’s authoritarian, hopes of an end to war, peace dictatorial neighbour, and a unified peninsula. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, has kept Close ally the Republic a close eye on the election of Korea acts with complete and are yet to extend juxtaposition, being one of congratulations to the the first nations to extend President-elect. Biden has congratulations to Biden. demanded the destruction South Korean President and complete abandonment Moon was quick to emphasise of North Korea’s nuclear the strong bond between the weapons programme, two countries and called for before any staged pseudo- a quick, smooth transition events for a political photo- into the White House. Which op can happen. Biden was swift to reiterate, stressing that he will Such a hard line is likely ‘stand with South Korea, to encourage a return to ‘fire strengthening our alliance to and fury’. Biden having safeguard peace in East Asia judged Supreme Leader and beyond.’ Kim Jong-Un a ‘thug,’ with Pyeongyang declaring This lasting relationship Biden ‘a rabid dog’ who results in a 28,500 US should be killed. Forces Korea (USKF) armed

the continuation of the joint security treaty.

presence on the border, yearly military drills and international security from their violent neighbour. President Trump, however, called for a significant increase in Seoul’s financial contributions to the forces, equating to $5 billion a year, from 2019’s $900 million; all on the threat of a significant withdrawal of troops. President-elect Biden, a plenipotentiary, is unlikely to continue threatening one of America’s most important allies. Instead, arbitrating for a modest increase. Seoul, however, must be cautious, a successful technological competitor to America and economically tied closely to China; would do well to not appear to be taking advantage of the US. However, a Biden America will serve the two countries well, with a renewed commitment to the robust ROK-US alliance. Japan, similarly to South Korea, a close ally to America, was among the first world leaders to congratulate Biden on becoming President-elect. Their prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, spoke with Biden, where the two reaffirmed a deep commitment to defence and

Prime Minister Suga was keen to emphasise that this extended to the duel-claimed and disputed Senkaku Islands, five rocky islands administered by Japan; too claimed by China, as the Diaoyu Islands. In Biden’s first foreign-policy move, he reaffirmed his commitment to his allies and moved against China; thus, reasserting his intended foreign-policy path. ‘America is back’ Biden avowed in Delaware on the 10th of October, after speaking with world leaders. The US after this election has shown itself to the international community be a deeply polarised nation. One home to a President who threatens the very foundations of democracy through his refusal to concede; despite losing an election. Who encourages the normalisation of conspiracy theories and has effectively given up governing. America has made it clear, Trumpism is here to stay. Biden promises to the world a united front, the return of the ‘world-leader’ who will take charge and bring the global community back together. Whether he can accomplish this is another question, damaged and tense relations with both allies and adversaries ensures that Biden has a tough path ahead of him. China, North Korea, South Korea and Japan all await to see what Biden’s America awaits them; for some, a relief, others, perhaps another four tumultuous years.

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THE FOUNDER November 2020

Continued from the front page: ACORN Bristol provided support to survivors who had been bullied out of their safehouse, winning them safe rehousing. ACORN Newcastle played

a leading role in exposing landlords who were taking advantage of the housing crisis to extract sex from desperate tenants, making national television for doing so. This same branch also successfully

campaigned for the removal of flammable cladding (similar to the cladding that led to the Grenfell fire) from accommodation blocks in their area.

Because of COVID-19, the national organisers at ACORN need to prioritise which groups they help get started by membership density. That means the more people that sign up, the quicker we can

How Women Turned Witch B Season into Their Embrace

ALI KAUSOVER

eing called a witch used to be the peak of an insult. A dutiful religious woman would have been humiliated but modern women made it sound sexy. The sixties were especially somehow progressive with their spin on feminism. Such shows like Bewitched gave a typical housewife a new kind of power through magic. Though women of that era were still finding their own word, their intuition and weirdness started to be appreciated.

Source: Flickr

What seems like a new trend today has been here forever. Every now and then a new piece of literature or film is released, praising women’s mystery again. It was not The Love Witch but perhaps our mothers’ tarot card readings that made us into another generation of astrology-obsessed creatures. Teenage girls have taken over and one of their hobbies is scaring men by explaining their star signs to them. But the women, who were witch-hunted before us, were not burned at stake for renouncing a Virgo man. They were intimidating enough just by being women. The power of womanhood must be from within as many women got removed by not saying anything. That may be the reason why women have naturally decided to

start helping people get a fairer deal. So please, whether you are a private renter or in university accommodation, join ACORN at acorntheunion. org.uk/join today!

push it further and celebrate being slightly mouthy. It is not that there is nothing to be afraid of today; there still are many things to fight for in the eye of feminism. Such as embracing what was once a women’s crime. Combining that thought with a bit of witchcraft gives it an interesting twist as a nowadays witch takes an anti-feminist idea but makes it her own thing. So did Hester Prynne, the heroine of the Scarlet Letter, who was literally made to wear her humiliation in public. When her sins suddenly got forgiven, she stuck to her punishment, giving the letter her own meaning. Though she would not love it, she may be one of the role models for witches today. Even more so knowing she was based near Salem! As witch season, Scorpio season, Halloween, and all those other forms of autumn are coming to an end this year, one thing stays for sure: women are strange but they make it fun. And perhaps nothing puts a spell on a man better than being a bit nuts but owning up to it. Though this may not be everyone’s kind of feminism and not everyone’s intentions are putting man under magic, still well done on not getting burned this year, ladies!

12 FEATURES

THE FOUNDER November 2020

Donald Trump – ‘I Won This Election, by a Lot!’ SELA MUSA | FEATURES EDITOR

‘E

very time Donald thinks things are not going in his direction, he claims whatever it is is rigged against him…He lost the Iowa caucus, he lost the Wisconsin primary, he said the Republican primary was rigged against him. Then Trump University gets sued for fraud and racketeering, he claims the court system and the federal judge is rigged against him. There was even a time when he didn’t get an Emmy for his

TV programme three years in a row and he started tweeting that the Emmys were rigged against him,’ (Hillary Clinton, The Independent). With only 214 Electoral College Votes, Donald Trump not only becomes the first president to lose re-election since 1992, but he also lost Republican stronghold states such as Georgia and Arizona to the Democrats. Whilst the whole world recognises his failure to become a re-elected incumbent, Donald Trump, tweets on November 7th: ‘I won this election, by a lot!’.

Source: Rebecca Weigler, Illustrator

Source: Twitter

Whilst many of us eventually ‘got used to’ to the arrogant, misogynistic, and conspicuous character of Epstein’s close friend over the last four years of his presidency, it still never fails to leave you speechless and stuttering at times like these. Whether he is bragging that ‘the beauty of me is that I am very rich,’ (ABC ‘Good Morning America’) or stating that he would date Ivanka if she was not his daughter, or even offering his observations that he has ‘never seen a thin person drinking diet coke’, the only thing you can do is just think… ‘what is that… man?’ What goes through his head? It is as if he constantly thinks of what the most inappropriate, skin-crawling

thing to say would be, and then chooses to say it to invoke the most discomfort on the largest number of people. And this is not even to touch on his flat-out racism and his worryingly predatory attitude. Like the time he said that Mexican people ‘are not our friend…They’re rapists,’ or when he said that ‘laziness is a trait in blacks’. Perhaps one of the most terrifying things he has ever said is, ‘I just start kissing them… I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything… Grab them by the pussy,’ (Access Hollywood). How did the US President make such comments about raping women and get away with it? How did it take an election

that came at its scheduled time to finally, finally, get him out of office? The defeat of Donald Trump in the US election feels like one of the only good things that has happened this year. Whilst his ideals and his beliefs will still persist for a long time, resonating with his supporters and every racist, sexist, homophobic, and misogynist, November 7th was a heart-warming, if not unexpected, victory for all women in the world, and every single minority group that Donald Trump has targeted, mocked, and failed to ever see as people.

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THE FOUNDER November 2020

Livin g w it h t y p e o n e Top 5 Movie/ Series Picks for T diabetes: Lockdown 2.0 CHLOE STORER

KATIE UPTON | LIFESTYLE EDITOR

ou may think that you’ve fully exhausted every boxset and every movie on all your subscription services but today I want to share with you some of my top five entertainment picks for the current lockdown. I’ll give each of them a rating out of ten based on my personal opinion. To access most of these you will need a subscription to the service provider. 1. Modern Family – Netflix - 7/10 I’ve recently just started this after many recommendations, but the premise of the show is essential the dysfunctionality of your average American family. The sitcom tackles many issues such as gender stereotyping and age in a light-hearted, comical show. Episodes are relatively short so great to put on whilst you’re doing other things, or you only have time for something brief. 2. The Mandalorian – Disney + - 9/10 Who wouldn’t love the thought of a show based around the life and challenges of The Child – commonly known as ‘baby yoda’. I hadn’t seen any of the Star Wars movies prior to watching this show and honestly it doesn’t make any difference. You can quite easily understand the storyline and still enjoy the show without this

knowledge. The first series is out on Disney+ and the second series has just started with an episode being released every Friday. An all-round firm favourite of mine at the moment.

3. The Holiday – Prime Video 10/10 I have to include a festive related movie, an all-time favourite feel good watch. If you’re swamped with work or in need of a pick-me-up then this is the movie for you. It’s about two women who go on a vacation rental for two-weeks and switch lives, finding their dream men, embracing work successes and the embodiment of feminine liberation.

he 14th November 2020 was World Diabetes Day in celebration of Frederick Banting, the man who first discovered insulin - a drug which has saved millions of people’s lives, mine included.

There are in fact two types of diabetes, type one and type two. While they have stuff in common there are also LOTS of differences. For instance, type 1 affects 8% of everyone with diabetes while type 2 affects about 90%!

Type one diabetes, which I have, is a serious condition where my blood glucose (sugar) level is too high because my body cannot make a hormone called insulin. This happens because the body attacks the cells in the pancreas that makes the insulin meaning I cannot 4. Workin Moms – produce any at all. We cannot live without insulin. My Netflix 9/10 body still breaks down the A series about Canadian carbohydrates I eat and drink Moms who meet at a mom and turns it into glucose but and baby group in Toronto when the glucose enters my and are struggling to manage bloodstream it cannot be life after maternity leave. A allowed into the cells as there genuinely hilarious series, is no insulin, as this builds showcasing the highs and up so does my blood sugar, lows of motherhood. making me feel very unwell! 5. Gogglebox – Netflix/ It is this that can then lead to complications. Channel 4 - 8/10 How could I not include this, a national TV favourite, such an easy watch whether you’re looking for a chill evening in bed or something to put on whilst doing some housework. What could be more entertaining than watching people watch TV, you become the fly on the wall in families homes across the UK.

Source: Shutterstock

What is a hypo? The full name is hypoglycaemia and is what I would call a low blood sugar. This happens when my blood sugar goes to low and the symptoms, I often get include irritability, confusion, tingly lips, shakes and hot and cold sweats however other symptoms include being hungry, tearful, getting a headache or not being able to concentrate. There are many more symptoms, and they vary between diabetics, but I have always been prone to hypos despite medicating properly, and it’s not always easy to determine why this is! If a hypo is not treated it could lead to unconsciousness or fitting or at worst, a coma.

Living with diabetes is difficult, and it affects everything I do, it is like a second job. I often wake up in the night with high and low blood sugars and have to be careful of this when at work, at university, with regards to driving, taking exams, and going out with my friends! What is a hyper? The main things that effect A hyper is the opposite type one diabetics are hypos of a hypo! It is when my or hypers.

blood sugar goes too high! Symptoms of this include weeing a lot, being VERY thirsty, getting headaches and being lethargic. I get all of these, often at once! I am also often sick. For me, hypers are worse as the recovery time is far longer and it sets me off for longer, particularly since I began controlling my diabetes better as my sugars are more in target, when they are higher now, I feel far worse! If hypers are not treated, you can develop something called ketoacidosis. If unchecked, ketones can build up and make the blood acidic leading to serious illness and lasting damage or a potentially fatal coma. If you wish to learn more I have an Instagram account dedicated to diabetes: @confessionsofatypeonediabetic

14 LIFESTYLE

THE FOUNDER November 2020

Temporary Cures for Homesickness RUBY EASTON

t is not a radical assumption to make that, as university students, we all struggle with a degree of homesickness. This is particularly true during a national lockdown which makes even visiting our loved ones an unviable option for most of us. When you are feeling like this, it is easy to belittle yourself. You may feel embarrassed for seeming ‘childish’ or overly sentimental. However, a mere glance online can quickly teach you that you are far from isolated when it comes to these feelings; articles, videos, and posts on various confession websites pile up with shared experiences and advice on this welldocumented phenomena. So here, today, are some temporary cures to help you through.

even if your interactions may be limited to social media. It is worth making the most of this time away, even if it is not exactly the experience you envisioned. Cure Number Two: Surround yourself with comforting reminders of home. Is there a particular meal that reminds you of home? A scent? A stuffed toy? Often students surround themselves with pictures of family and friends, creating what is almost a shrine to their loved ones, but sometimes this can only make you more aware of missing those you care about.

Try adding more subtle you are, even if it takes a bit addictions to your lifestyle of time. to soothe yourself without Cure Number Four: constantly reminding yourself of the people you Keep in touch. miss. You may be away from Cure Number Three: home, but in today’s world, Give yourself things to look no one is truly further than a phone call. Send pictures forward to. to the people you miss and Plan one nice thing to ask for pictures in return, of do every day, even if it is them, of pets, of anything that something small. Study in a has changed where they live. new place, try a new drink Try scheduling regular calls from the Café on the Square, and interactions with your rearrange or decorate your loved ones when you both room, make time to watch a have time. It is important, film you love after a day of however, to also live your work. These little things will life independently and try to build up and make you feel keep from focusing all your far more content with where attention on the people and places you miss, as difficult as it is not to do so. Cure Number Five: Let yourself miss home. Pushing a feeling down never makes it go away, bottling up your emotions is not helpful for anyone, least of all for you and your mental well-being. Find a way to express your feelings that works for you whether it is writing them down, speaking to a friend, or even contacting well-being. This is absolutely not a sign of weakness; it is instead a sign of humanity.

Cure Number One: Enjoy where you are. This may feel like a tall order at times, but there is value in throwing yourself into your environment. Start simple by beginning your day by writing a list of positives about being where you are, like the view from your window, or the people you have met. If you are able, go for a walk around campus and discover new places. Make new friends on your course, or join a society,

Source: Rebecca Weigler, Illustrator

Drinking in Lockdown: Should You Cut Down Your Alcohol Intake? ALEX WHITEMAN | MANAGING EDITOR

n the midst of another lockdown, many people are looking for ways that they can live more healthily; it’s the reason Joe Wicks has become a household name and exercise bands have tripled in sales. With the closing of pubs and restaurants, many people might also be looking to reduce their alcohol intake. I personally have not had a drink for almost a year (at time of writing), and while cutting alcohol from my life entirely has worked for me, it is not a solution for everyone. Here is my advice for whether teetotalling is right for you. During the first lockdown, alcohol was (somewhat understandably) used by many people to cope with the sudden change; not being able to work, have human contact or see your family has a toll on one’s mental health individually, let alone all together. But as we all know, relying on it too much can have devastating consequences. In excess, people can develop dependencies and addictions to alcohol, have a numbing effect on the body, and increase the risk of high blood pressure. It is also a depressant, so while it may relieve depression on a shortterm basis, it ultimately perpetuates it in the long run. When misused, alcohol can be a damaging alternative to good mental health

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THE FOUNDER November 2020

practices, and part of what makes sobriety so difficult is that you’re required one to confront these issues without a numbing agent. That said, there are many ways in which drinking can be good for you. There’s no harm in drinking a certain amount and given the disaster of a year 2020 has turned out to be, taking the edge off and socialising over Zoom with some friends is probably healthier than teetotalling outright. It’s like anything;

too much of it can be disastrous. But that does not make it inherently unhealthy. In fact, studies show that drinking can reduce the risk of heart disease. If the intentions behind drinking are healthy, then drinking can be too. In fact, the reason you might want to reduce your alcohol intake could be incredibly mundane; to reduce your weight. Alcohol is quite high in calories, particularly beer and wine, so cutting those out can help with weight loss.

Alcohol intake is locked in a complicated dichotomy; it can be incredibly rewarding in measure, but being addictive and toxic, that measure is hard to find. If you find you are using alcohol as a coping mechanism, or drinking in excess, cutting down your intake will be difficult, but potentially necessary. If you are looking to lose some weight or work on your mental health, then drinking less will certainly be beneficial. However, with everything that 2020

Lockdown Loungewear KATIE UPTON | LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Lockdown 2.0 is well underway; we’ve become accustomed to life inside our own four walls. Whilst this may be a difficult time for many there are small things you can do to uplift yourself and add some positivity to your life. Making yourself feel comfortable in your environment is one of the first key features in getting through lockdown, especially if you’re working from home which a large proportion of people are at the moment. Loungewear allows for an elevated, pulled together look whilst still ensuring maximum comfort. In the words of some of our favourite fashionistas, why let your sartorial standards slip whilst you’re staying at home. Historically speaking, loungewear has always been a popular choice stemming from the 1920s Chanel to the 70s silk feather co-ords. Fashion brand and retailer Lyst have reported a 106% increase in searches for loungewear and activewear

Source: Angelle Collection since the first lockdown in March. During a prolonged period of uncertainty everyone needs wardrobe essentials that spark joy every time you go to wear them.

Source: Financial Times has thrown at us, if the odd drink helps you unwind and relax, that may honestly be healthier than teetotaling.

Everyone has their own relationship with alcohol; my only recommendation is that you examine yours.

In 2019, Youtuber and Influencer Elle Darby created Angelle Collection after noticing a gap in the

pride themselves on the smaller details that you may not initially notice. Whether that be, the quality of fabric or simplistic care instructions. They are perfect for the women of the world who require the perfect comfy outfit to pop to the shops or enjoy a night in on the sofa. The latest collection to drop is Neutrals, comes in three main colours; oatmeal, diamond and rose the perfect array of pastel shades. They cater for women of all shapes and sizes and inclusivity is a huge factor in their marketing campaigns, showcasing many different body types. Unlike other luxury loungewear brands, Angelle portrays the down to earth and genuinely caring persona which is what so many love about shopping from a small business. Now more than ever its crucial to support our small businesses. All fabrics are sourced from UK suppliers and put together in England so you can rest assured knowing Angelle uses the highest quality materials. Be sure to visit their website [www.angellecollection.com] for more updates on the release of the neutral collection and future campaign drops.

market for what she felt she was truly missing in her wardrobe – luxury, high quality, flattering, cosy, and comfortable loungewear that didn’t come with the hefty designer price tag. Fully in house crafted and designed, Angelle

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THE FOUNDER November 2020

Achilles – the 21st Century Journey of Europe’s First Bisexual Icon Troy is an entertaining watch, but it heteronormalizes a character who was arguably the first bisexual in European literature. To justify Achilles’ extreme grief at the loss of Patroclus, the writer of the film chose to portray Achilles and Patroclus as cousins, but their bond was much more than that.

Source: Wikimedia

TOM BARRETT

ost people have heard of Achilles and his infamous heel, and many have watched Brad Pitt playing him in Troy (2004), but what does that film get wrong? Most classicists will squirm if you simply mention the film, and for good reason. The film is an actionpacked rendition of the battle of Troy, based on Homer’s

Iliad from the 8th Century BCE. The plot follows the Ancient Greek Warrior Achilles who, after having his slave woman Briseis unlawfully taken away by his commanding officer, refuses to fight the Trojans. As a result, the Greek army begins to lose the war and his closest friend Patroclus dies, causing Achilles to wreak a horrific vengeance that leads to the victory of the Greeks and the fall of Troy.

Madeline Miller’s adaptation of the Iliad entitled The Song of Achilles (2012) takes a different approach, in that the entire novel is a love story between Achilles and Patroclus. Yet this interpretation is also in danger of simplifying one of the most complicated Classical figures: Miller writes him as exclusively homosexual and committed to Patroclus, justifying his fathering of a son as the result of a one-off union he did not want, and entirely omits his attraction to at least three named women over the course of his life.

The text is a beautiful read and eloquently encapsulates their love in a way that explains Achilles’ grief and fury at Patroclus’ death, but in portraying the characters as purely homosexual, it unintentionally contributes to the bi-erasure that has been centuries in the making. Real men like Freddie Mercury, who openly identified as bisexual, but who was portrayed as gay in the film Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) have been victims of this same treatment. However, attitudes and awareness of sexuality has developed a great deal even since 2012, with BBC’s Troy: Fall of a City (2018) portraying Achilles as openly bisexual for the first time on television screens. In a more accurate representation of the original text, Achilles has sexual relations with both Patroclus and Briseis – both separately and at one point at the same time on the beach

of Troy. He treats both of them with tender affection, respect, and love.

Achilles has been portrayed in different ways for almost three thousand years, but his journey in the 21st Century has been monumental. From the beginning of the millennium, when Hollywood could not fathom how to justify a man’s grief over another man unless they were blood relatives, to the early 2010’s when Achilles swung entirely the other way and was firmly reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community as a gay man, right up until more recently when his sexuality is beginning to be recognised as more accurately bisexual, Achilles has gone on an important journey. This paragon of masculinity and heroism has been reclaimed as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and should now be recognised as Europe’s first bisexual icon.

Pandemic Objects: Understanding the Pandemic Through Everyday Design TESSA PINTO | ARTS EDITOR series of ‘objects’ – a term

Source: fatosdesconhecidos.com

hat links playgrounds, bread, bicycles and door handles? All are objects which have taken on a profound significance during the outbreak of the coronavirus, according to the V&A’s Pandemic Objects project. Since May 2020, the online project has curated a

used generously to denote entities of many different scales and materialities – as a way to record our social response to the biggest global health crisis in over a century. At a time when studios are churning out novel design solutions tailored to living

THE FOUNDER November 2020 through a pandemic, it might seem odd that the UK’s foremost design museum has instead chosen to document the pandemic through everyday things. Pandemic Objects focuses instead on how our relationship with the familiar have become complicated and fraught in unexpected ways, on the premise that this actually tells us more about contemporary life and the new and strange modes of living we have collectively been thrown into.

invested into the things which structure our daily existence, Pandemic Objects facilitates a reflection on the pervasive nature of design in our lives. ‘Every object has been subject to a design process, even if it isn’t immediately obvious to us’ says Ella Kilgallon, a design curator at the V&A who has written about Google Street View for the project. ‘Our lives are constantly mediated by the things that we use, and we are interested in what this relationship can tell us about the society we By exploring the new live in.’ meanings that have been

ARTS & CULTURE 17 Not only does Pandemic Objects force us to reassess preconceived ideas about what constitutes design, but it throws into question the role of the museum itself. Museums have historically been repositories for highly valued objects – the focus instead on the mundane and the ubiquitous represents an interesting move away from traditional approaches. A traditional museum is also concerned with collecting, interpreting and exhibiting the past, not the present. Should a museum be documenting contemporary

events? Without the passage of time, can we really know what aspects of our current experience will be truly significant in the future? ‘Pandemic Objects draws from a method called rapid response collecting, which operates at a different time scale to normal collecting. There is a risk that if we don’t collect some objects, they will simply disappear’ says Ella. Pandemic Objects is currently an editorial project, but there are plans to collect homemade NHS signs for the museum of childhood. The project itself currently acts as

a database for the curatorial team who have compiled it, and as a resource for the public – but possible future outcomes are a ‘coronavirus collection’ and an exhibition. It seems unlikely that museums will be opening again this side of Christmas, but Pandemic Objects is available online through the V&A website and offers an array of thoughtful reflections on a diverse range of objects. If you’re looking for a cultural fix this winter, look no further than your laptop.

St John the Baptist, Buildings of Egham top, its circular base makes it appear disjointed from the tower itself, almost as though it could be a later addition. The interior opens into a wide sweeping nave with galleries either side. It is a useful, if not school-disco-like, space.

Source: Josh Rice JOSH RICE

he second stop in my journey to find a building of architectural value in Egham is the parish church of St John the Baptist. It sits at the eastern end of the High Street and was built 1817-20 by Henry Rhodes, who seems to be a relatively unknown career architect. The church is in the late Georgian style of Sir John Soane. Soane was an important architect

whose portfolio includes the Dulwich Picture Gallery and the main façade of the Bank of England on Threadneedle Street in the City of London. St John’s in Egham is a box shape with a central tower that rises up above the main entrance at the front of the building. The tower is quite stout and has a clockface halfway up it. A pyramidal hat sits on the

Some genuinely attractive and interesting churches were made in this style such as Holy Trinity church in Marylebone, but regrettably this is not one of them. In his Buildings of Surrey, Nikolaus Pevsner describes the church as ‘a very ugly building’. I think Pevsner is disappointed because he sees the potential that was lost in designing a church in this style with limited ambition. For Pevsner the church follows ‘Soane’s ideas of proportion and detail without Soane’s spatial imagination’. Pevsner writes about the ‘clumsy detail’ of the church’s design. He describes the interior as plain, though ‘ferociously ham-handed’. I would argue the church looks best from

Runnymede meadow, where the tower can be seen sitting above the rest of the High Street, but that is probably because the viewer is quite far away from it.

decay in the early 1800s. The lychgate is Grade II listed and follows the rule that the most interesting aspects of this church are found outside it.

I think the most interesting features of the church are in the grounds surrounding it. In the churchyard lies the grave of the last person to die from a formal duel in England: a Frenchman named Lt. Frederic Constant Cournet in Englefield Green, 1852. The victor, an Emmanuel Barthelemy, hopped on a train in Egham and was greeted by a crowd at Waterloo Station eager to hear the result of the duel in order to settle bets they had made on the outcome. Another piece of interest found in the churchyard is the lychgate – the roofed entrance to the churchyard - which is actually the fifteenth century porch of a twelfth century church which occupied the site until it was demolished due to

Overall the church has some interest in the sense that it is unique in Egham. There are no similar buildings of the period and it is always agreeable for a town, particularly one as small as Egham, to have a variety of architectural styles. However, Pevsner was right, the church is quite boring. It is safe and conservative, a tedious copy of what was briefly popular in contemporary church architecture. But leaving aside the banality of the church, I think Pevsner’s assessment of it being ‘a very ugly building’ is harsh particularly in comparison with the buildings in Egham that surround it – lets upgrade it to ‘ugly’ without the ‘very’.

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THE FOUNDER November 2020

The Memory Police: Worth Remembering? MERCEDES-GEORGIA MAYES | LITERARY REVIEW EDITOR

hortlisted for the International Booker prize 2020, The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa is a dystopian novel detailing the actions of its unnamed female protagonist as her world becomes increasingly entangled with the routine ‘disappearances’ of different worldly objects. These disappearances leave no trace, with the residents of the small island unable even to remember exactly what they have lost. Yet each loss becomes more and more pervasive as people begin to lose the very fabric of their reality. With each disappearance not only luxuries but livelihoods are erased. There is plenty that we individually can live without in our day-to-day, but what of everyone, every day? A wool hat may not be

much use in summer, but if it had disappeared by winter, and there was nobody who remembered how to make them, one might start to feel the cold. To make matters worse, each disappearance is monitored and enforced by the Memory Police. At first this force appears gently coercive, offering jobs and opportunities to those who remember when they should not and whisking them away, but before long they grow more transparent in the execution of their own ‘disappearances’ and it becomes clear that there is no benign intent behind their actions. It is in this world that the protagonist, along with her friend, the old man, conspire to help those in need to escape the growing authoritarian regime of the police force. She has seen the callous way in which they

The Night Circus

GRACE FROST rin Morgenstern's The Night Circus traces the lives of Celia Bowen and Marco Alisdair, competitors in a secretive and mystical competition fraught with illusion, manipulation and enchantment. The novel is Source: Eric Tompkins, Unsplash split into five parts and is set in an ahistorical Victorian centre lies the magnificent London with the traveling bonfire, the fuel of the circus, 'Le Cirque des Reves': circus’ magical properties and Marco’s tie to it as it The Circus of Dreams. moves around the world. On This mysterious circus opening night the bonfire is opens sunset to sunrise ceremoniously lit via twelve and contains a plethora of archers with flame arrows, identical black and white each resulting in a new colour tents as far as the eye can engulfing the iron cauldron. see, each holding a unique With the final arrow the fire act, performance or spectacle erupts in crisp white flames for visitors to explore. At the matching the monochrome

handle the disappearances, through the sudden and complete loss of her parents, and as she grows more aware of the fear culture moving her neighbours to buy into the system and endanger others to save themselves, she realises she must act. Despite the danger, when she discovers that her editor has remembered something he should not, it is clear to her what she must do. The Memory Police is well structured, taking the reader on a steady journey where the implications of the disappearances grow and multiply. What at first seems a mere quirk of the world quickly builds to a crescendo with greater and greater memories being lost, and more and more interference from the police. It is constantly engaging, interspersing the current action with brief snippets of

the past and excerpts from the narrator’s own novel. Through this framework Ogawa examines the nature of memory in our construction of the world. She looks at what we lose when we forget, and simultaneously questions the forces at work in the world today that seek to erase the collective memory of events.

Source: Jon Tyson, Unsplash

aesthetic of the circus, and disbelief just long enough we begin our exploration of to wonder if there really is its deeper secrets. some magic at work here. Along this journey, Morgenstern includes pages dedicated to particular tents, giving the reader a guided tour of its secrets. These pages are stand alone, appearing before a new chapter or section, and they address the reader directly. The change of narrative voice draws you further in, with the narrator paying close attention to note what you see, the movements you take, the overwhelming smell, and your changing emotions as you traverse the mysterious space from the moment you enter to the moment you leave. This level of detail, fuelled by stunning imagery and establishing realism, suspends your

With the events that have transpired over this past year, I cannot think of a better time to curl up with, and connect to, this inspired novel. Perhaps it is more chilling than can be considered comfortable with its Orwellian parallels, but I know that I shall be returning to this read year after year, to reignite my revolutionary spirit, and remember that which must not be forgotten.

Two notable stops on this tour include the Ice Garden and The Wishing Tree, created by Marco and Celia respectively. The Ice Garden’s striking white interior reflects that of the bonfire’s flames, standing out against a background of dark black. Celia describes her experience in the tent as “like walking into a dream. As though it is someplace else entirely and not simply another tent.” The Wishing Tree is just as elegant. Inside this tent lies the tree, lit up by candles which hang on the branches. Each candle is lit by one already burning and signifies a wish by the person who laid it there, so

everyone’s wish is ignited by someone else's. The Night Circus is the perfect cosy winter read allowing you to submerge yourself in a magical world and explore the circus alongside the characters. You are not alone in your adventure, joined by characters much like you such as Bailey for whom the circus “was nothing like he had ever seen. The lights, the costumes, it was all so different. As though he had escaped his everyday life and wandered into another world”. So take a step back and enter the world of 'Le Cirque des Reves'.

THE FOUNDER November 2020

LITERARY REVIEW 19

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

CHLOE BOULTON

recommend Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower so often it could well be assumed that I am paid to do so. The novel follows fifteen-year-old Charlie, the ‘wallflower’ to whom the title refers, through his first year of high school. Charlie narrates the novel, writing a series of anonymous letters as though to a trusted confidant- but with only our prying eyes to bear witness. In these letters Charlie shares the story of his freshman year, along with all his thoughts and feelings about the events that transpired, and the people involved.

Charlie’s ‘wallflower’ status is highlighted early on in the novel when his English teacher Bill suggests that he “participates” more. This is something that Charlie takes on board wholeheartedly, perhaps due to how much he looks up to Bill, and from that moment forward he “participates”, beginning by befriending Sam, a girl who Charlie wishes to date, and Patrick, Sam’s stepbrother who is in Charlie’s shop class. Though Sam and Patrick are three years Charlie’s senior, they take him under their wing and Charlie becomes emerged in a world of music, parties and the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley KINZA AZIR othing quite says ‘snuggled by the fire’ than a cosy lodge in the Scottish Highlands, covered in snow and surrounded by your closest friends; except, murder. Lucy Foley’s The Hunting Party is not shy of being considered a staple on ‘whodunnit’ lovers’ bookshelves- and its appeal does not stop there. This Sunday Times Bestseller, published by Harper Collins in 2018, boasts everything that constitutes a stand-alone mystery masterpiece- from ample suspense, infinite drama and more secrets than even the characters can bare.

Foley’s story is set over the Winter holidaysfollowing a group of friends in their thirties on a trip to the far north. Since their day’s at Oxford University the dichotomy between them

Source: Dino Reichmuth, Unsplash

has differed- most married, some with children and a few, gravely alone. When one of the friends is found dead in the woods by the Lodge staff, and the snow is so thick that help cannot reach them- the myriad of frictions spice up the mystery of whodunnit? Foley, quite intelligently, keeps not only the murderer’s identity anonymous but

Chbosky writes nothing short of beautifully and remains unflinching and unafraid when exploring darker themes in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, such as substance abuse, trauma and mental illness, and it is Charlie’s own struggles with mental health that Chbosky tackles most effectively. Though it is never explicitly mentioned what it is that Charlie is suffering from, his mental health declines throughout the novel – at various points it is alluded to that whatever he struggled with in the past was at its worst after his Aunt Helen died and again after his best friend Michael killed himself earlier in the year. Charlie’s declining mental state is emphasised by the immense importance he places on his guilt whenever he feels he has done something wrong, and more obviously in how he sees sadness in everyone, everywhere he goes. Charlie had a desire to understand also- the victim, providing so much mystery it is almost impossible not to finish. Further, there is something quite satisfying about reading a novel which feels familiar, yet so far removed- creating an atmosphere of eeriness you even question your own friendship groups, thinkingwho would it have been? The novel is an excellent fireside read from the comfort of your own home with a hot drink in one hand and the book in the other- anxiously flipping pages till the secrets spill out. The novel is told with alternating perspectivesswitching between a range of the main characters and flicking between first and

Source: Daniel Jerez, Unsplash

other people, to unpack what makes a person who they are, to find out who caused them to be this way, and in turn who caused those people to be who they are. In the epilogue, Charlie writes to tell the reader that he has been in hospital. In this final letter Charlie writes about how he was starting to make peace with the things that had once hurt him (or perhaps more fittingly, the people). He insists that the reader “believe[s] things are third person to orchestrate an unescapable rotation, making sure no details are missed and all angles are covered in both the readers’ Poirot work and the murderer’s cover up. Whilst the novel works spectacularly as a ‘one-night stand read’, it is questionably not one to go down in history as a literary masterpiece. The writing style is basic, and plot driven with not as much depth into the scenery of snowy Scotland as we might like but instead focusses more on the many characters and their individual dramas. It could definitely be argued that there are perhaps too many main characters- some much less useful than the others for the advancement

good with [him], and even when they’re not, they will be soon enough”. I think this perfectly encapsulates The Perks of Being a Wallflower, because even with the difficult themes, and the emotional hardships the characters go through, they also share some of the most incredible moments together and can be happy in spite of it all. It is this overarching positivity that makes the novel so heartwarming and life-affirming; one to return to again and again. of the plot. Overall, the novel is a perfect escape into the possibilities of lust, greed, jealousy and power between a group of overly entitled and unlikeable characters who have tried their best to rekindle bonds which were better left severed. The novel is practically unsolvable without reaching the last page, so the game is to immerse yourself in the mystery of it all and have Lucy spin the story for you. Lucy Foley’s new book The Guest List has now hit shelves in 2020 and makes an excellent follow-up novel if you are left craving more mystery.

20 LITERARY REVIEW Bridget

ALI KRAUSOVA he 1996 novel Bridget Jones’s Diary was a hit when it first came to the scene in all its down-to-earth glory, and it continues to make us laugh today. Throughout the novel our narrator Bridget creates a fantastic illusion of intimacy, making it feel as though we are really reading her most personal thoughts. Delivered with a healthy dose of humour and sarcasm, these thoughts are most often pathetically selfindulgent (and far too often relatable), but every diary keeper knows that this is how you make solid progress.

Though a noted favourite of many, it has also stirred controversy. A well-known

Jones’s

scene from the film depicts the chubby Bridget desperately trying to lose weight, whilst the novel says she is only 9 stone! Though clearly being held to a diabolical beauty standard, Helen Fielding is not to blame, only pointing out the reality of how we all sometimes feel – like massive whales, whilst being perfectly slim. In fact we should perhaps stand in solidarity with Bridget’s struggles, after all, we can probably relate to them. Weight loss fads have been trendy before and continue to be after Bridget, but hers is one of the pioneering fictions that brought to light the shared struggle of trying to achieve magazine perfection. Now imagine Bridget in a world

Diary

Source: Ali Krausova of Instagram comparing herself to the Hadid sisters! Poor Bridget would have lost her mind...well, more than she already seems to in her day-to-day. Indeed, alongside these image goals, her hopeless running after love is overdramatic, repetitive,

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and at times serendipitous, but when your life has been inspired by a Jane Austen novel I suppose some concessions can be madeafter all, who could resist chasing after Mr. Darcy? Bridget is constantly trying to be in control but fails to be so, from quitting smoking to gaining her inner poise, as difficult as that may be with her mother being “an actual nutcase!” Though persisting in being a clumsy chainsmoker, the truly important things are working out for her. She knows how to get ahead professionally by freely speaking her mind and sticking to her journalistic convictions. So, despite all the fretting, she actually is a fabulously independent woman who gets by well enough.

My Dog Stupid by John Fante H

ANTONIN LEFEBVRE

ere we are again. November signals the come-back of evening skies at three in the afternoon, and the multiple ruminations of friends thinking: ‘not sure I will go to that lecture’. The lockdown does not help. For a month, at least, you cannot throw darts at the Happy Man, enjoy a ‘Two for Tuesday’ at the Packhorse or escape into a good movie at the cinema. Not all is lost, however, take my hand and follow me. My Dog Stupid is a novel written in 1987 by John Fante. The writer, the son of an Italian immigrant, was born in Colorado in 1909 and died in California in 1983. A greedy reader, the young man accumulated small jobs to support his love of writing and reading, and his first work Bandini, published in 1938, was highly autobiographic,

telling the story of an Italian immigrant in the US. His success unfortunately remained limited during his life. Though in his death a very convincing adaptation of My Dog Stupid from Yvan Attal has recently been made in France.

Henri Molise is a disillusioned writer who lives on the money made by the success of a book published twenty years prior. Disillusioned also, because Henri secretly dreams of returning to his motherland: a return in Italy fantasizing about a peaceful life on the sidewalk cafes of Piazza Navona in Rome. The main character is caught between his family considered as ungrateful and his questioning about his writer’s talents. The tumultuous existence of the family is turned upside down

Source: Unsplash when a gigantic dog decides to move into the house, to the delight of the failed author but the chagrin of the rest of his tribe. Quickly, the reader understand that the dog is not just a dog but a mirror, the animal representation of Henri. Thus, it is not surprising that the family’s

father creates a moving bond with the pup. This story is perfect for any reader with its two levels of reading. On the one hand, the book simply tells a funny story about one family’s dramatic difficulties, including conflict between

Though her portrayal is silly, she has good intentions which pull her through marking her out as a regular, good-hearted girl. The film takes something away from the novel through its glamorised depiction of London living, and its harsher imposition of beauty standards, even going as far as to make Renée Zellweger gain weight for the role. All in all, the film is as brilliantly funny as the novel but the book remains victor if you are looking for quality, and gives you the authentic chance to see just how much of a Bridget you are- which, I assure you, is quite a wonderful thing to be.

the generations and a laborious marriage, all navigated around the arrival of the mysterious dog. It has elements that involve every reader through the way it accesses common, but emotional topics. On the other, a more in-depth look uncovers other details. Indeed, Henri Molisse embodies the traits of homesickness among other things. John Fante’s work can thus be read as an examination of an ethnic American’s struggle to make peace with both American culture and his Italian heritage. A distinction between the physical ‘house’ and the sacred ‘home’ is observed and is a prominent concern in suburban fiction, as material comfort is seen to limit the spiritual life to which the protagonists feel entitled. So whether looking for something light or emotionally resonant on these chill autumn nights, this touching story is a must!

THE FOUNDER November 2020

ARTS: FILM 21

T h e C ro w n : H o w t h e S t u f f y M o n a rc h y D r a m a B e c a m e t h e A n t i - E s t a b l i s h m e n t P ro t e s t t h e P e o p l e Wa n t e d

LEWIS. J. WHITE | FILM EDITOR he Crown (2015 - , Morgan. P) has finally released it’s much anticipated fourth season this month on Netflix. For the last three seasons Peter Morgan’s drama has focused on the interpersonal relationships and the lives of the those in the royal family of United Kingdom. Starting in the 1940s with Elizabeth Windsor’s (played at that point by wide eyed and young Claire Foy) marriage to Prince Phillip and being the daughter of King George VI to becoming the Queen of the United Kingdom following her father’s tragic death in 1952. The first two seasons focused mainly on her struggling with ruling postwar Britain and grappling with the concept of not being a person but a divine figure of authority. These seasons were critically adored and mostly non-critical of the royal

Source: thefancarpet.com

family, staying safe as mostly such disasters. This was just a an interior look at the lives of taste of the direction Morgan the sovereign. was taking the show; but one could never have predicted However, for its third that the fourth season would season Olivia Coleman took go to the extremes it does. over the reins as Elizabeth and her now aging grandeur. Season four of The Crown With this change in cast largely presents the main seemingly came a change narratives of famously hated in perspective for how the Prime Minister Margaret royal family is perceived. Thatcher and famously With episodes in the third adored, and tragic, Diana season such as Aberfan and Spencer. Morgan takes the Tywysog Cymru becoming fourth season into territories increasingly more critical of the show had thus far not gone the sovereign and her role to, covering certain historical as the ‘ruler’ of the UK. The events that actively challenge former of those two, covering the apolitical perspective of the crisis and tragic accident the crown. The season begins in Aberfan, Wales in 1966, Thatcher becoming Prime we see our Queen struggle to Minister in 1979 and how she show any emotion towards is perceived as the first female the people of Wales and Prime Minister and a heavily becomes more increasingly controversial figure, even apolitical in a time where it amongst her own conservative was almost impossible for party. The season then touches someone of her stature to on perhaps the royal family’s remain apathetic towards most controversial figure:

Diana. Princess of Wales. Presenting her as a child and a dreamy eyed princess struggling with bulimia and her husband Charles’ frequent adultery with Camilla ParkerBowles Diana is one of the seasons key sympathetic characters. Morgan does not stary away from presenting the royal family as uncaring and frankly horrible to young Diana in her transformation from young girl to princess. Perhaps Morgan’s shining moment in this season is the fifth episode of the season: Fagan. In 1982 Michael Fagan, an unemployed man living off state benefits, broke into Buckingham Palace and spoke with the Queen to show her of the atrocities Margaret Thatcher was committing towards the working class of the United Kingdom. This episode centres itself on the historical contexts of

the UK’s economic failures and public dissatisfaction in regards to the government but unconventionally for the drama series, we leave the stuffy and privileged perspective of the Queen but follow Fagan through the turmoil’s and struggles he experiences as a member of the working class under Thatcher’s government. The episode shines in criticising the privileged lives of our would-be protagonists and sympathising with Fagan despite his illegal actions – Fagan is presented as sorrowful and struggling. The discussion in the episode was heavily needed and makes for the most important moment of this season, perhaps in the whole show. The fourth season of the show could be seen as being anti-monarchy, antiestablishment, perhaps even anti-privilege. Peter Morgan constructs a season that criticises the family and the sovereign as a whole. The show’s political objectivity and perspective drive the season’s narratives and performances to its high’s, with scene stealing performances from Gillian Anderson and Emma Corrin. Season four of The Crown may be one of the best pieces of media from this year given it’s political and narrative excellence and presents a shift in the show’s direction that moves with the time and the audiences’ perspective. As an 80s band once proclaimed: The Queen is Dead.

22 ARTS: FILM

THE FOUNDER November 2020

Robert Pattison is the Batman: What is More Terrifying, the Magnitude of TILLY BENNET face backlash from both critics ith all superhero movie and the fandom, but they have the Legacy or the Global Pandemic?

adaptations or in this case anti-hero adaptations comes huge responsibility and pressure. Mainly caused by the unique, pre-conceived idea of the character that many viewers will have prior to watching. However, Robert Pattinson, who was handed the Bruce Wayne Batton last year, is no stranger to taking on a franchise with a dedicated fan base as is evident with his role in The Twilight Saga. Although Pattinson’s career has evolved with roles such as Thomas Howard in The Lighthouse (2019, Eggers. R)) ensuring he is recognised as an actor with range.

also had a global pandemic to battle. Batman is often one to divide opinion with Christian Bale being arguably the most popular actor to depict Batman staying in the role for three films directed by Christopher Nolan. However, technically speaking Ben Affleck is the last actor to depict the caped crusader in Batman Vs Superman (2016, Snyder. Z) which was not very well received. When Pattinson was initially announced opinion was well and truly divided; some saying they would’ve preferred a perhaps safer choice for the lead role such as Armie Hammer or John Hamm. Whereas others This year not only has the were excited by the different Batman cast and crew had to interpretation Pattinson

brings to the role. Despite the opinions, Pattinson has admitted to thriving of the pressure of a large audience saying he ‘weirdly enjoyed it’ during his time on the Twilight Saga. The Batman initially had to take a hard hit with a 6 month delay due to the global pandemic which, of course, has changed life insurmountably for many people. However, more setbacks where yet to come with star Robert Pattinson testing positive for Covid-19 just 3 days after shooting resumed. Therefore, halting the filming of the highly anticipated

movie for a second time and prompting speculation from many media outlets. In response to the speculation Warner Bros issued a studio response in September stating, ‘Following a hiatus for COVID-19 quarantine precautions, filming has now resumed on The Batman in the UK.’ Confirming that ‘The Batman’ has begun again but remaining rather inconspicuous about Robert Pattinson’s role in the film and more importantly his health. It is said they have now gone ahead with further and more rigorous health and safety measures. The DC comic books and

figures are held in high regard by those who read them, and various adaptations have fallen short in the eyes of fans adding further pressure to the role of Batman. In addition, with Joker (2019, Phillips. T) being met with mostly praise and Joaquin Phoenix winning the Oscar for best actor for his exceptional role as Arthur Fleck (the joker). The expectations for Pattinson become increasingly high. However, it cannot be denied that Pattinson is tenacious for transforming the depiction of Batman and remaining seemingly unphased by the external pressures of the role and issues posed by coronavirus.

2020 and the Rise of Female Filmmakers: Female Directors You Should Know

Source: Variety

ARIANNA PALADIN ithin the film industry female directors are a tiny percentage compared to that of men, showing that we are a long way from gender equality in this workplace. Festival committees have long underestimated female filmmakers’ achievements, production companies have been reluctant to fund their projects, and as male authors' stardom grew, their female counterparts were largely forgotten. Since the Academy awards were established in 1929, only 5 women were nominated in the best director

category, with Kathryne Bigelow being the first and so far, last to win in 2010 with her gripping drama The Hurt Locker. Here’s a list of female filmmakers you should definitely know: Greta Gerwig: Probably among the most known female directors in the current cinematic scene, Gerwig became famous thanks to her debut film Lady Bird (2017) In this coming-of-age story, a teenage girl faces adulting, conflicts and heartbreak. In

2019, Gerwig created a new version of Little Women with sensitive retelling for a timeless story. In the film, the sequential narrative line of the original novel is questioned, and self-determination becomes the main theme of the story. Despite the movie being widely acclaimed, the American director was snubbed at the 92nd edition of the Academy Awards. Sofia Coppola: In Lost in Translation (2003), Coppola majestically encapsulated the feeling of being lost and isolated in a modern society and in a city, Tokyo, where everything moves at a relentless pace. The director portrayed melancholy and nostalgia mixing together to create indecipherable feelings, while analysing the malaise caused by the feeling of not being totally understood.

Ava Duvernay: Powerful storytelling is what characterises all DuVernay’s movies and documentaries. In Selma (2014) she told an indelible page of history with uncompromising immediacy, to give a vivid and realistic portrait of the battle of an entire community and of Dr. King himself. Céline Sciamma: In 2019, Sciamma added a precious gem to French cinema with her movie Portrait of a Lady on fire, where powerful closeups and vividness of colours triumph. The French director captured every emotion in a distinct and deep way, while using glances and gestures to portray a forbidden love story between two women in the 18th century. Sahraa Karimi: First and only woman in Afghanistan to have a PhD in cinema and filmmaking, Karimi presented her fiction feature debut Hava,

Maryam, Ayesha at the Venice Film Festival in 2019. With simplicity and effectiveness, Karimi explores and connects the stories of three Afghan women from different social classes. They all have something in common: facing and fighting a suffocating patriarchal society. Autumn De Wilde: With a re-adaption of Austen’s novel Emma (2020), De Wilde makes her debut on the big screen. The universality of Jane Austen’s world is honored by this new, vibrant and feminist praise where most of the shots look like paintings. Lulu Wang: with a very personal family comedydrama, The Farewell (2019), the Chinese-American filmmaker creates a delicate pastel-coloured fresco made up of small details, an invitation to let yourself be touched by emotions without them taking over you.

ARTS: FILM 23

THE FOUNDER November 2020

Wes Anderson:

Why his Kaleidoscopic, Sensual Filmmaking is The Royal Tenebaums that not only is his style picture, centring around a the Escape we all Need.

TILLY BENNET

ith the reality of our current climate feeling rather bleak, a great way to escape reality is to turn to the world of film. Directors such as Wes Anderson provide a kaleidoscopic respite from the outside world. Coining his individual signature through use of intricate detail and colour, Anderson creates a viewing experience like no other. Anderson very much dictates viewer experience, allowing viewers to understand, see and feel only that which he discloses in his films. It cannot be denied that through use of charming characters, distinct colour palettes and eccentric plotlines Anderson sets out to create a captivating experience. Despite the escapism that can be found in his films,

Anderson is no stranger to obstacles put in place by Covid-19. Anderson’s highly anticipated tribute to journalists The French Dispatch was set to come out in July of this year however has been pushed back with little information on how or when it will be released. The film set to star an Anderson favourite Bill Murray alongside many other big names such as Timothée Chalamet and Tilda Swinton is to be set in the fictional French city of ‘Ennui-sur-Blasé’ during the 20th century. Touching on expressionism, the difficulties of being a student/ artist and of course, journalism. With an exceptional cast and promising teasers, it is set to be another great success. With indefinite delays here are some of Anderson’s great works to keep you busy in the meantime:

(2001) When talking about Wes Anderson, it would feel wrong to not begin with this picture.

inimitable but also versatile. Transporting viewers into the adventurous world of Mr. Fox voiced by George Clooney. A story of three Both humorous, enthralling exceptionally flawed and and at times, upsetting, it is a talented children struck by triumph from Anderson. their parents’ divorce and later The Grand Budapest forced to reunite. Love it or Hotel (2014) hate it, The Royal Tenebaums A quirky and memorizing is an iconic film filled with movie which not only detail and touching moments showcases the measure which gives the film real heart of established actors who and relatability. It is rare to feature in his movies but his create a picture that is both individual aesthetic. It is often evocative of indie cinema and regarded as the best Anderson one’s entire body of work, but Anderson managed to create this magic in The Royal Tenebaums.

European ski resort, a murder and an overly dedicated concierge (Ralph Fiennes). This movie will be sure to have viewers laughing and utterly enthralled.

The beauty of Wes Anderson is that each of his movie’s has their own little universe. They are a visually stimulating, imaginative whirlpool which will transport you from your screen into a world you may have never imagined.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) A defining moment of cinema for Anderson and his career, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a charming adaptation of Roald Dahl’s enchanting children’s book. Showing his audience Source: pitchfork.com

Parasite: Bong Joon-Ho’s Masterpiece ARIANNA PALADIN ecently added to Prime Video, the film directed by the South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho is a must watch, Palme d’Or at Cannes and winner of four Academy Awards including Best Film and Best Director. A film of rare beauty, to be enjoyed in one breath, where a perfect strategy hides unpredictable consequences.

The Plot: At the centre of the story we find a real class struggle between two Korean families: the Kims and the Parks. The first is poor and lives in the slums of Seoul, the second is rich and lives in the most unbridled luxury. Due to a series of coincidences, the two families will find themselves

living under the same roof, but coexistence is not easy. That fragile house of cards wobbles considerably when a murky secret emerges from the Parks’ basement endangering all the characters in the story. Here are three reasons to watch this masterpiece:

Parasite naturally mixes drama, comedy and thriller: Bong Joon-Ho was able to combine, with a pinch of sagacity, three different genres and three distinct and separate universes, without ever making them collide with each other. He told a complex but, at the same time, very enjoyable

story that spans across different levels, without ever losing the rhythm of the narration. In fact, for the entire duration of the film, the director always manages to amaze the audience with brilliant ideas and dizzying plot twists.

A family saga that hides a struggle between social classes: Beyond the intrigues and subterfuges, Parasite is a shining and uninhibited tale of two social realities compared together. Each of them has its own skeletons in the closet and each of the characters has a reason to make a certain choice. The director wants to make the audience understand how

thin the line is between wealth and poverty, common sense and madness. A real classicist battle is staged, the result of which is unpredictable.

A universal film in which there are no losers or winners: Parasite displaces the audience because it stages a truthful story, something that until now had never been seen on the big screen. Korean society, with all its limitations and all its contradictions, is not that far from ours. This is a universal film, which shows the best and the worst side of the society we live in. Why is Parasite a big deal?

Parasite was the first foreign movie to ever win an Academy Award in the Best Movie category. It opened everyone’s eyes to a whole new dimension of films, with stories that apply to different countries. Watching foreign films can also be a great way to get introduced to new cultures and accept the prominent diversity that is strongly present in this world. Parasite was also a truly ground-breaking experience which introduced mainstream audience to a whole new world of movies. As Bong Joon-Ho said during his acceptance speech, ‘Once you overcome the 1-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films’.

24 ARTS: MUSIC

Music and Nostalgia

RENÉE LEWIS icture this: You come across a Spotify playlist jam-packed with throwback hits from the early 2000s. You press play and the opening bars of Kiss Me Thru The Phone by Soulja Boy fill your headphones. You’re suddenly eight years old again, skating around an ice rink with your friends and singing along with them at the top of your lungs. As the playlist progresses, you find that you still remember all the words to every song, and memories from your childhood and early teenage years that were once lodged in the back of your brain begin to resurface. At least, that’s what happened to me and it made me wonder: why did hearing these songs

again bring back such clear memories from when I was younger, despite not having listened to them in such a long time?

TAU NELL ua Lipa didn’t expect to release Future Nostalgia the way she did; the journey was far bumpier than anticipated.

endless leaks, a pandemic, and a somewhat preoccupied audience, Lipa’s experience is a whole different story. Still, the Londoner chose to push on, releasing Future Nostalgia ahead of plan, thus setting it up to be a strange era’s defining sound.

According to psychologists, our brains undergo rapid development between the ages of twelve and twenty-two, which coincides with the various hormonal and emotional changes we experience during this period and when we are trying to figure out who we are as individuals. These have been identified as some of the reasons why we remember our adolescent and early adult years much more vividly than any other period in our lives, and this phenomenon has been

labelled the ‘reminiscence bump’. The music we listen to and love during this time also plays a key role in identity formation, and the strong neurological connections the brain makes to this music means that it has a powerful hold on our emotions (Stern, Neural Nostalgia). Looking back on these past events in our lives – whether that be memories of hanging out with friends, going to events at school or first experiences of romance – as well as listening to and remembering our favourite songs from these moments often causes us to feel nostalgic (a sentimental longing for/imagining of a period of the past. Music’s power to evoke this emotion has been proven in various

THE FOUNDER November 2020

studies. Zetner, et al. (2008) found that participants’ feelings of nostalgia were frequently triggered by music, and in a 2010 study where participants were played clips from songs that charted on the Billboard Top 100 in pop, hiphop and R&B when they were between seven and nineteen years old, they experienced more music-evoked nostalgia when hearing songs that were autobiographically significant or familiar to them (Barnet, et al.).

particular song or album, what we were doing at the time, who we were with, and how it made us feel. These songs form a soundtrack to our formative years, and its significance stays strong throughout our lives.

In becoming associated with significant moments in our early youth, these songs become memories in themselves, which is why we can often remember where Source: Boldsky we were when we heard a

The Sound of Lockdown: Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia D

First there were the leaks: one day after Lipa announced the album’s drop date, hackers snatched three unreleased songs from her grasp. As if this wasn’t distressing enough for the 25-year-old, her entire album later leaked, a week before its scheduled release. Simultaneously, the world was entering a state of panic, confusion, and chaos like none in living memory: lockdown had just begun. An artist’s follow-up to their debut album is always a daunting affair, but faced with

Our first taste of the record came from the smattering of singles that dominated the pre-lockdown airwaves. Physical, Don’t Start Now, and Break My Heart were radio staples of commutes, clothes shops, and cafés, but with the world still running at full speed, few had time to stop and listen. Only when everything ground to a halt in late March did people notice the music’s oddly prophetic lyrics.

Source: Vox

In Break My Heart Lipa sighs ‘I should have stayed at home / Cause I was doing better alone’. Concurrently, UK residents were being

bombarded with ‘Stay-atHome’ orders, and many went into self-isolation. Don’t Start Now’s catchy refrain ‘Don’t show up / Don’t

come out’ was another eerie echo of the government’s guidelines. But these singles represented more than just spooky coincidences; they

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THE FOUNDER November 2020

Music for Social Change

were a turning point. Dua Lipa replaced formulaic radio fodder with good pop music. Excitingly, these tracks are OLIVIA ANDERSON just the tip of the neon iceberg. hy is music such an effective vehicle Slick, suave, and streamlined, Future Nostalgia for social change? Maybe delivers on all fronts. Its beats messages sink in more when work their way to your feet we can hum along to them, we while Lipa’s voice, warm find ourselves inadvertently and crackling like a vinyl memorising lyrics that speak record, melts seamlessly of politics and social change. into swooping melodies and Each decade has its anthems; pulsing synths. Hallucinate is a the songs that function as encapsulations, dance playlist essential, Good cultural in Bed is a cheeky charmer, harnessing the historical Levitating is a much-needed moment out of which they are escapist time warp. On first born. inspection, the record’s sonic When Bob Dylan influences may seem obvious: 80’s, right? Not quite. Listen asked, ‘how many years closely to appreciate the huge must some people exist / range of inspirations behind Before they’re allowed to its sound. Love Again opens be free?’, the world listened. with weeping, Lana Del Blowin’ in the Wind is about Rey-esque violins, which questioning, seeking, and morph into groovy 70’s not finding, speaking for a disco strings, later backed by generation that was beginning 1930’s trumpet samples, and to find its own voice. Urban all tied together with a sultry legend has it that Dylan wrote 90’s bassline. Lipa proves the song in ten minutes – nostalgia doesn’t have to be regardless of the veracity of confined to one decade, and the story, clearly the issues of that the sands of time can be social injustice, conflict and mixed and matched in ways oppression were top of mind in 1962 in the midst of the we never even imagined. polemical Vietnam War and The album’s title as the civil rights movement encapsulates it perfectly: its was reaching its zenith. heart is in the past, but its eyes In the 1970s for the first time look unrelentingly forward. The result is something in history people saw pictures unmistakably modern and of Earth taken from space. dazzlingly Dua Lipa. People They began taking stock of hereafter will long for more the large-scale environmental music like this; music with destruction around them and movements substance, personality, and environmental contagious enthusiasm. For grew exponentially. Joni that reason, this record will Mitchell wrote Big Yellow be an endless source of future Taxi in this particular social climate in 1974. Lamenting nostalgia. the incursion of the man-made and the commercial into the natural world, the ‘big yellow taxi’ perhaps emblemises the metropolitanism that

threatens nature. Mitchell’s song is a rallying cry to end the destruction of the environment, immediately recognisable from the lyric that sums up the song’s entire premise: ‘they paved paradise, put up a parking lot’.

defining political issues of the 1990s – gang violence, drug dealing and the HIV/AIDS epidemic – the ‘three letters’ that take the song’s subject to ‘his final resting place’. The unmistakable beat disguises the melancholy of lyrics that tell of an inescapable cycle of Beneath the windbreakers violence and decline. and shoulder pads the 1980s were a time of political and M.I.A’s catchy, upbeat social turmoil. U2’s Sunday hook in Paper Planes feels Bloody Sunday epitomises antithetical to the song’s this zeitgeist; a response to deeper meaning. She the Bloody Sunday massacre samples The Clash’s 1982 of 1972, the song foregrounds hit Straight to Hell, a fierce the epidemic of violence indictment of discrimination Ireland bore witness to during against immigrants, playing the Troubles. The relentless on Western perceptions of drumbeat and searing lyrics immigrants from developing convey unceasing violence, countries in a way that is as loss and desperation – a subversive as it is meaningful. requiem to injustice, and an She turns anti-immigrant example of how history and rhetoric on its head – ‘sticks music coalesce. and stones and weed and bongs’ – by invoking Waterfalls by TLC is not familiar, harmful stereotypes immediately identifiable as of migrants who just want a song about social change, to ‘take your money’. but it touches on some of the Paper Planes challenges

Source: Rolling Stone

xenophobia, giving a voice to society’s foreign Other; power inheres in this subversion. Alright is a different kind of anthem. Although the lyrics express hope the appropriation of the song as the anthem of the Black Lives Matter movement at a protest in Cleveland in 2015 gives it a sombre tenor. Lamar speaks to a community at breaking point in the aftermath of the deaths of Sandra Bland and Tamir Rice, fracturing under the ever-present threat of police brutality. His message is one of defiance and grim recognition of America’s ever-deepening racial divide. Perhaps the cultural impact of Alright demonstrates how little has changed since the civil rights movement of the 1960s; as Lamar testifies, the police still ‘wanna kill us dead in the street’.

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THE FOUNDER November 2020

Review: The Unexpected Protect The Land: S ys tem Of A Down’s Pop Perfection of Little Res pons e to an Armenian Tragedy. Mix’s Confetti

AMELIA MORRIS | MUSIC EDITOR eleased on the 6th November, Little Mix’s latest album, Confetti, is the group’s first venture outside of Simon Cowell’s infamous label Syco. It’s no coincidence, therefore, that on Not a Pop Song the four sing that they ‘don't do what Simon says’, a line that was perhaps more publicly discussed than the song itself. As someone who would have previously been neutral about Little Mix’s albums as a whole (although what selfrespecting queer teenager didn’t cry to Secret Love Song pt.II once or twice?) and only enjoyed their hits on a night out pre-Coronavirus, I went into this album with few expectations. Confetti, however, is the triumph of the band’s career.

ALEX WHITEMAN | MANAGING EDITOR

The opening track, Break Up Song, features an 80s synth backing reminiscent of Bleachers or, more recently, Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia, which perfectly showcases distinctive vocals. These vocals are part of what marks the Little Mix women out from many past and present editions of the so-called ‘girl band’ and this is highlighted particularly on the gorgeous friendship anthem that is My Love Won’t Let You Down. Summer hit Holiday layers soaring melodies with slick production on the closest to a manufactured pop song on the record but with a dangerously catchy hook and gorgeous harmonies.

n 6th November 2020, heavy metal legends System of a Down released their first single in over fifteen years.

Source: Independent

Confetti feels like a sleepover with your closest friends, sharing relationship highs (Holiday) and lows (Breathe) over a bottle of wine. Perhaps one of the contributing factors to this vibe is Little Mix’s refusal to tear other women down. In what could be a classically resentful break up song, A Mess (Happy 4 U) the girls instead sing of their ex’s new woman ‘She’s in the same cute tee that you bought me/She rockin' it though’. Despite the hurt, Little Mix - now in their late twenties have the emotional maturity to say that there’s ‘no hard feelings/Cause love’s looking good on you/If you're happy, I'm happy, I'm happy for you’. The empowered flirtatiousness of Rendezvous and Nothing But My Feelings show the band’s growth from teens on X Factor without sliding into the realms of cliche.

With every member of System of a Down being born Armenian, the band has always written music that highlights the struggles of Armenia, including the recognition of the Armenian genocide in songs such as Chop Suey and Holy Mountains. Following the attack, they wrote, recorded and published the singles whilst in lockdown. They issued the following statement on their Facebook page:

Forming in 1994, the band gained popularity in the early 2000’s with the release of their second album, Toxicity. They took an extended hiatus in 2006, shortly after the release of their fifth album. Despite ‘There is an immediate need having been reuniting since for global citizens to urge their 2010, System of a Down respective governments to not had not released any new The album’s closing track, only condemn the actions of music. Until now. Breathe is melancholic and the corrupt regime leaders of clearly inspired by 2000s The new tracks, Protect Azerbaijan and Turkey, but to RnB, punctuated by fellow X the Land and Genocidal also insist world leaders act Factor alumni Harry Styles’ Humanz, were written as with urgency to bring peace unmistakable shout of ‘hey’ a response to the recent to the region and rightfully over church bells and organ attack on the Republic recognise Artsakh as the along with a percussive of Nagorno-Karabakh, independent nation it is.’ backing and soaring vocals. known colloquially at Gloves Up (reminiscent of While the rest of the world Artsakh, by Azerbaijan. 2016’s Power) is where you’ll focuses on the pandemic and With a large Armenian find the most satisfying drop the transition of power in population, the Republic into the chorus, complete America, raising awareness of Nagorno-Karabakh with a boxing bell. Latest for a crisis on a scale such as gained independence from single Sweet Melody and this is incredibly important, Azerbaijan in 1988 and has the title track Confetti round and System of a Down does been an independent nation out the highlights from this an incredible job of making ever since. album and, in normal times, political awareness attractive both would be destined to As of 11th November, to metalheads across the become club hits. But instead, a peace treaty has been world. they will likely spend the signed by the leaders of winter soundtracking solo All proceeds for their Azerbaijan, Armenia, dance parties in kitchens single, whatever the platform, Turkey and Russia. While internationally. are donated to Aid For Artsakh the conflict has stopped for and the Armenia Fund. now, all the areas taken will remain under Azeri control, potentially leading to the displacement of thousands of Artsakhi citizens.

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Sport-Light: Women’s Rugby President Sophie Beckwith ELIOT K. RAMAN JONES | SPORTS EDITOR

hat can you tell me about Women’s Rugby at Royal Holloway? Sophie Beckwith: So we’re quite an active group! We’d normally have training twice a week and play matches in both BUCS and LUSL twice a week, as well as having weekly socials on Wednesdays. We take individuals from all walks of life and many different backgrounds, whether or not they have any experience with rugby, and we hope to build up from the basics and get each member gameready within a few weeks. How many teams does the club support? SB: We’ve just got the one team, mainly to support our own “One Team, One Dream” mentality. Obviously this does foster a bit of competition within the club to get into that team but we’re all a very tight-knit bunch and it’s a very friendly type of competition. We do also vary it throughout the year so everyone will get some match experience and game time. Has the team seen much competitive success over the last few years?

SB: It has, yes! I can’t quite remember the exact

we’ve got an event coming up about organising a food bank on campus, and we’re trying to reach out to the community and see if we can help struggling members of society out.

stats but we’ve been in BUCS 1A for a while now and we frequently score highly in LUSL as well, generally placing within the top 3 in both leagues. When did you personally fall in love with Rugby? SB: When I first came to Royal Holloway I looked for a sport I hadn’t done before, and even before I applied I saw that they had a Women’s Rugby team. I liked their page on Facebook and got a message from their then captain saying “Hi, are you interested in coming along? Here are the session times!” and I went to the taster, and loved it. All the girls were a really nice bunch, and I stayed at the club throughout my first year. In my second year I joined committee and took more of an admin role. I suffered an injury in my second year which limited my playing time, but I applied for the role of President to help give something back to the club that had taken me on when I was a fresher. I knew things were going to be difficult this year because of the coronavirus, but I still wanted to make a difference at the club. During the first lockdown, many sports got in contact with their members online to keep fit and keep in touch. Now that we’re into the second

Are there any particular goals that you want to have achieved by the time your tenure as Women’s Rugby President is over?

nationwide lockdown, do you have any similar plans for getting engaged with Women’s Rugby from home? SB: We’ve definitely reduced our activity a great deal with the second lockdown, but we’re still doing big things like fundraisers for charity. We did a 5K run for Show Racism the Red Card, and we’ve had a few virtual socials so far.

I think this time we will be holding a few more socials, as over the course of the first lockdown it was the end of term anyway so contact was reducing naturally. But we’ll adapt and try to keep people in the loop, as they’ve still paid their membership and are still a part of this club. We’ll be putting a few fitness challenges up, and if people are isolating together they can do some rugby exercises at home. A lot of our fundraisers are online anyway, and

SB: There’s a few things I’m keen on doing. If or when competitive fixtures do restart, I want to introduce a club physio, because Rugby is a contact sport and you do need professional sports care to keep everyone’s bodies in check. I’ve set some of this plan in motion already, but I do need some confirmation on budgetary requirements and other details like that. The big thing will be to see if we can keep everything ticking over throughout coronavirus until the next President takes over. It’s often hard to believe quite how hard it is to attract new members when the club has so little at this moment in time to offer, as the restrictions are so tight. How would you describe Women’s Rugby at Royal Holloway in a sentence? SB: We’re a really friendly and ambitious bunch of people who love playing Rugby!

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Who is in Danger of Relegation from the Premier League this Season?

BEN ROWE he 2020/21 season promised to be unpredictable. With eight rounds of fixtures played (and another international break beckoning), the current Premier League table could not have been predicted. Leicester City at the summit? Southampton and Aston Villa in the top six? Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United swimming in the mediocrity of mid-table?

What may not surprise us, however, is the current bottom five. With just one point from eight matches, Sheffield United are propping up the Premier League. Burnley (two points) and West Bromwich Albion (three) complete the relegation zone, with Fulham just one point clear in 17th. Brighton and Hove Albion FC, with a win and three draws, are four points behind 15th-placed Leeds United. While we are only eight games in, I begin to consider who is in real danger of relegation? For me, Brighton fans should not be concerned. Their four defeats have come against Chelsea, Man United, Everton and Tottenham (with a 100th minute penalty giving United the win back in September) and they convincingly beat Newcastle at St James’ Park back in September. The attractive style that Graham Potter has implemented means that Brighton have already scored 11 goals this season. Potter

has averaged 1.08 points per game as Brighton boss, translating to 41 points over a season. The last time a team would’ve been relegated on this tally was 2002/03. With only one win between them so far this season (Fulham 2-0 West Brom), the current bottom four are in severe danger. Sheffield United are suffering from real secondseason syndrome, with Wilder’s unorthodox style bearing little fruit. The concession of 14 goals is not a huge issue – five teams have conceded less or the same – but only four goals scored so far spells trouble. Against an xG (expected goals) of 8.7, Sheffield United’s forwards are having trouble finishing this season. Blades fans will be looking to big-money signing Rhian Brewster to fire them up the table, but his lack of top-flight experience means this is much more of a hope than an expectation. Only Burnley have scored less than Sheffield United so far this season (3). Since their Premier League return in 2016, they have not finished below 16th. They spent just £1m this summer however, and the lack of funding is enraging boss Sean Dyche, who has undoubtedly overachieved with a team of this caliber season upon season. If he goes, Burnley are in big trouble; if he stays, he has a mountain to climb with a small squad and minimal room to maneuver in the transfer window.

Winless West Brom have amassed the highest xG against so far this season, with 15.8; while also having the lowest xG for, with 4.8. The Baggies too have been characterised by managerial unrest this season, with Slaven Bilić looking increasingly unsettled in press conferences. Signings of the likes of Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson are a statement of intent, but perhaps a different approach is required should West Brom desire any significant chance of survival this season. Fulham have looked incredibly shaky at the back so far, and their uninspiring performances were summed up by Ademola Lookman’s penalty miss against West

Ham. While they outplayed West Brom at Craven Cottage a few weeks ago, Parker’s side have been lacklustre at home. Their away performances have been slightly more encouraging, with all four of their games being close, but turning performances into results in the Premier League is far easier said than done…

A quick note: while Newcastle and Crystal Palace (led by the exciting likes of Saint-Maximin and Eberechi Eze respectively) have started the season very steadily, their small squads and restricted budgets will certainly be called into question as this congested season progresses into the winter.

Source: The Times

‘Project Big Picture’ and the F u t u re o f E n gl i s h Footb al l

ith the November national lockdown suspending grassroots football indefinitely, all levels of the English game have been affected one way or another by the coronavirus pandemic. However, while fans have been lobbying parliament to be allowed back into spectator sports at any capacity, it is ‘Project Big Picture’ that has been the main point of discussion in the past month. But what exactly is it and why now has it come to light? Project Big Picture is a major proposal put forward by the biggest clubs in England to drastically alter the professional football pyramid

for years to come. After it emerged that Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, along with Manchester United had drawn up plans in 2017, the main points now made official are: • Premier League teams reduced to 18 from 20. • The EFL Cup and the Community Shield to be scrapped. • Only six of the nine longest-serving clubs need to vote for major change (Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City, Southampton, Tottenham, West Ham). This removes the

one-club, one-vote policy. • £250m paid upfront to the EFL and £100m to the Football Association. • 25 per cent of Premier League annual revenue (up from four per cent) would go to the EFL clubs. • The women's professional league would become independent from the Premier League and FA. • £20 cap on away ticket prices. • Implementation safe standing.

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While the proposal has been strongly rejected by the Premier League, the EFL chairman Rick Parry is openly in support of the project as it would release much needed funds to struggling English Football League clubs. The tension between the Premier League and EFL has always existed since the inception of the former in 1992, and due to the astronomical rise in television broadcasting revenue and the pandemic, the EFL and Non-League

Six

The overwhelming response has been a pushback and rejection of Project Big Picture by not only the majority of the top-tier clubs but the general public and the government too. Criticism largely labels the project as a ‘power grab’ by the big-six clubs to make more profit, buying off the Premier League and EFL with token gestures. Having the game potentially controlled by the richest clubs seems like a scenario that goes against the long-term interests

Nations

PETER GEDDES rather belated final weekend of the Six Nations brought to a close a rather unpredictable tournament. England secured another championship with a bonus point win over Italy while France prevented Ireland from mounting a challenge with a 35-27 victory. The most interesting result to me was the least consequential to the outcome of the tournament. Wayne Pivac’s Wales slumped to a self-inflicted loss to a less than clinical Scotland. No doubt Scotland were the better team who enjoyed the greater share of the opportunities, but it is hard to shake the feeling that a Warren Gatland team would have won that game. In recent years Scotland have played better but not got a result. This time around the Scots gave Wales plenty of openings; missed kicks at goal, needless penalties, wayward lineouts, yet the Welsh could not overcome their own indiscipline. A team previously renowned for hard work and quality at the breakdown were outplayed at times by Jamie Ritchie and co.

have urgently been requesting a bailout. It is no surprise that behind the scenes ‘Project Big Picture’ has been used as a yardstick to push for an emergency deal. It now seems likely that after the EFL refused two initial offers from the Premier League, League One and League Two clubs are on the verge of obtaining a £50 million support package to cover for the losses of fan revenue since the last quarter of the 2019/20 season.

Scotland’s organised defence was caused few problems beyond the first half try which came from a Scottish error in the lineout. Despite Wales’ lack of flair there was still a sense of foreboding until late in the second half. The game felt very familiar; spirited Scotland waste their opportunities, a more experienced side of seasoned winners takes the spoils. Only the awarding of a penalty in the 78th minute put pay to fears among the Scotland faithful that this would be the same old story. The fact that it did not turn out like that is a credit to Gregor Townsend who took a beating in 2019. One win in the Six Nations for the first time since 2014 and a group stage exit from the World Cup put Townsend under all sorts of pressure. His methods and selections were questioned. The criticism only got louder when he fell out with star player Finn Russell. The exGlasgow coach has come through all that and has started reforging this team. New coaching appointments have had a marked impact

of English football, no matter how much money is on offer. Still, with the idea now made public there is hope that deals can be made to save the football pyramid from collapsing, as well as the reputation of the once working-class game. The issue of money and redistribution of income has always been an issue since 1992; the onset of coronavirus has simply shown that the English football pyramid is

2020

on the brink on a scale never seen before. With football league clubs like Bury and recently Macclesfield going bust, while Wigan and Bolton barely survived into this season, local communities face the risk of losing their clubs if nothing is done. Project Big Picture may not come into fruition but some of its proposals may save English football for years to come.

Wrap-Up

Source: craigwatson.co.uk

on Scotland’s defence, they conceded the least points in the tournament ,59, a record low for a team that did not win the championship. Scotland are now hard to beat but they have lost some attacking acumen. The task now is to make this team a contender. They have quality throughout the squad, a top-quality full back and fly half, excellent flankers, a good front five. For me, the only questions remain around

number 8 and the centres. If there are stable selections and good performances in those positions in the next few internationals, we might see something alien to the 21st century, a championship level Scotland team. From a Wales perspective, Pivac has work to do. There is still quality in this Wales squad but it is taking time for him to impart his way of

playing onto the team. This performance was a distance away from the kind of high energy, exciting rugby that he was known for at Scarlets. He has the players, but the transition has not been as smooth as supporters would have liked. The inquest has already started, if he does not get positive results soon the road to the next world cup will be a hard one.

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Royal Holloway Netball Sport-Light: President Mattie Redmond go into matches so early on in the year like we usually do when nobody knows their team properly, so this can be a good way to ensure that by January all the teams will have bonded and will be ready to go! Have the teams seen a lot of competitive success in recent years?

ELIOT K. RAMAN JONES | SPORTS EDITOR o tell me a little bit about Netball at Royal Holloway.

Mattie Redmond: I think Netball is a really great team sport in general, it’s very international and I think the club at Royal Holloway are a very inclusive group of super-friendly girls. I think it’s a really good opportunity for girls to get back into sport after sixth form or school or college. Last year we had four teams but we’ve actually added a fifth team this year which is really good for maintaining inclusivity. We have a lot of girls trial every year, we had around

100 this year which was great because it meant we didn’t have to cut any girls, as the fifth team is a friendly team this year which we will develop into a competitive one next year, and we’re also looking at adding a sixth team next year as well. How does the club function right now due to the impact of COVID-19? MR: Obviously a lot has changed with Covid, and we’ve had to make some modifications but we’re lucky that netball is one of the sports that gets to start earlier. We can’t play competitive fixtures this term due to the SU regulations,

but in January we’ll be starting BUCS games and we’ll be waiting to hear back about LUSL as well. It’ll be great to get back to playing competitive netball, but right now we’re treating it like a really long preseason, hoping everyone is really fit and healthy so when we can play again everyone will be at their best. I think it’s something we can use to our advantage. We’re very lucky to have two amazing coaches, one of whom is a personal trainer, so we’re going to make sure to utilise her expertise this term so that when we get back on the court we can win as many matches as possible. I think it’s always really difficult to

MR: Yes! In my first year, so two years ago, the first team reached the LUSL final and came second overall in BUCS, and last year our second, third and fourth teams all won their LUSL leagues and our second team got promoted in BUCS. I think we’ve had a lot of success despite some really tough opponents for the first team in particular. The Southeast region that we’ve been categorised into is incredibly tough, but we’re really fortunate to be playing against other great teams, which can only make us better in the long run. How did you personally get involved in netball? MR: I’ve been playing netball for years, I started playing when I was around 6, and when I checked out Royal Holloway on UCAS I looked up the Netball team and when I joined I just fell in love with the club. The two coaches and all of the alumni I’ve met over the years are all really amazing, and they inspired me to run for President for this year. I was Vice-President last year so it made a lot of sense for me to try and become

President this year and get more involved with the club that I love. What are your plans for the job? MR: One of the most important parts of my manifesto was to bring back Social League Netball, which the SU have now made possible through Active Sessions. I think these are really important as they allow girls to pay as they play on a non-committed basis, which also allows them to try out different sports. Girls tend to drop out of sports faster than guys after school finishes, so sessions like this are important to help keep girls in sport. In the past we haven’t utilised our fitness coach, but I think that going forward I will try and make fitness a core part of our club so we can win more matches and progress into higher leagues. I also think we’ve been very good at raising money for charity and I hope that for this year we can make a greater impact on that front too. How would you describe RHUL Netball in a sentence? MR: Royal Holloway Netball is a safe space for girls to play sport, have fun and make friendships which will last a lifetime both on and off the court.

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Sport-Light: ELIOT K. RAMAN JONES | SPORTS EDITOR Congratulations on the new job. Can you tell me a bit about Lacrosse at Royal Holloway? CW: At Lacrosse in Royal Holloway we have five teams comprising of a Women’s First Team, a Women’s Second Team, and a Men’s First Team as well as a Mixed First Team and Mixed Second Team. The majority of players play in the BUCS league (those in the single gendered teams) and those in the mixed teams play in LUSL. We have socials every Wednesday and opportunities for playing

friendlies, and hopefully in term 2 the ability to play fixtures as well. Lacrosse in particular has a reputation for being quite a niche sport, and more associated with the United States, rather than with the UK. What are the advantages of joining Lacrosse instead of a more traditionally popular sport? CW: I personally joined it because I’d never played it before, or tried it at school and I was very interested in starting something new at uni. I knew I wanted to be part of a society or club and also I

knew that joining a sports team was comparatively cheaper than joining the gym. It was also more of a sociable way of keeping mentally and physically fit and healthy, so while it is a niche sport, it’s something a bit different and I really enjoy it. We’ve got a close family-like community. You train together, you socialise together, play matches together. Often a lot of people in Lacrosse move into houses with other players in second year thanks to that bond. Even though a lot of people in the club haven’t played Lacrosse before university, a lot of them come to meet new people. Has the club seen much competitive success over the last couple of years? CW: Yes. One of our most successful teams is the Mixed First Team. They’ve won the LUSL leagues and cups for quite a few years now. I’d say for all the teams, game time is important, because it’s the best way of learning the game itself. Learning all the different rules of how to play Lacrosse is so overwhelming at first so you can only really learn it properly by being told, “You can’t go past that line,” or “You can’t do this, you can’t do that,”. We have rules sessions, but it’s a lot to absorb, so with beginners especially we try and get as much match practice as possible. We try to make players as

RHUL Lacrosse President Charlotte Wassell competitive as they can be, but fundamentally everyone is doing it because they want to have fun. How did you get into Lacrosse and how did you go from a fresher with no experience to the President of the club? CW: I first got into Lacrosse after seeing them at the Fresher’s Fair, and after going to a few taster sessions I quickly became obsessed with it. In my second year I was elected club captain. I think we’re quite dissimilar from other clubs, in the sense that we have five captains, one for each team, and then a club captain, who works very closely with them to organise matches, transport, pitches and coaches, who works on all that admin side and very closely with the president. That gave me a very good overview of how the club worked, and I worked closely with the SU organising the club. When I was able to make the transition to president I had all that prior experience from that role and knew how to solve the problems that could come up. Do you have any particular goals that you wanted to achieve in your time as President? CW: Obviously there’s only so much we can do in the current climate. Ideally, I’d hope that coronavirus will become less severe in term

2 so we can have a great time competitively, so we can hopefully compete in Varsity, hopefully have loads of matches, and start to have more of a “normal” term. In terms of what I can control, I’d quite like to set up an employability and careers event where we get alumni to speak about graduate careers online, and hopefully forge a link between the alumni and our current members that can benefit them in the future. I also want to do more charity work, and we’ve been quite active on that front already. We did a food bank collection, we’ve worn all pink to raise awareness for Breast Cancer, and we also did a virtual sleepover to raise money for the local Windsor Homeless Project. Our next project is Movember, and we want to make that as big a project this year as we can. If you could sum up Lacrosse at Royal Holloway in a sentence, how would you do so? CW: Lacrosse is a very fun and unique sport that caters for a wide range of abilities, and provides a way to meet a lot of great people along the way.

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