The Journal - Edinburgh Issue 043

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ISSUE XLIII

EDINBURGH'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

WEDNESDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2011

Scotland at the ballot box » 11/12 On 5 May, voters will give their verdict on the first four years of Alex Salmond's SNP government at Holyrood. The Journal examines the political landscape in Scotland

Israeli diplomat silenced by student protests

IN NEWS >> 3

Luck o’ the Irish

Fraught scenes at Appleton Tower as pro-Palestine activists mount stage invasion DAVID SELBY

Marcus Kernohan Editor-in-chief A GUEST LECTURE at the University of Edinburgh was brought to an end mere moments after it began on Wednesday, when demonstrators stormed the stage in protest against Israel’s policy towards the Palestinian people.

The speaker, Ishmael Khaldi, who is of Bedouin origin, is a senior aide in the Israeli foreign ministry and among the most senior Muslim officials in that country’s diplomatic service. He was scheduled to discuss his experiences with an audience of around 100 people in an Appleton Tower lecture theatre.

But despite a pre-emptive plea from event organiser Matthew Carroll to “please keep your behaviour decent”, Mr Khaldi was able to speak just long enough to introduce himself before around 40 protesters rose from the crowd and mobbed the stage.

In a co-ordinated surge triggered by a verbal outburst from second-year international relations student and Edinburgh Students for Justice in Palestine president Liam O’Hare, activists from SJP and the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign mounted the dais waving Palestinian flags and chanting, quickly forcing proceedings to a halt.

Speaking later, Mr O’Hare told The Journal: “We object to any official representative of the apartheid state of Israel speaking on our campus.

Continued on Page 2

IN NEWS >> 7

The art school dodger The principal of ECA announces his retirement one day before the merger becomes official

IN COMMENT >> 13

I do, but can I? Editorial: The glib ambassador

The debate: Both parties make their statements on the protest

Ishmael Khaldi is an advisor to the racist Avigdor Lieberman, who calls for the arrest and even assassination of Palestinians who commemorate the ethnic cleansing of 1948.

I would like to stress that roughly half the audience took part in the protest, and of the other half many more were sympathetic. Although the protesters were mainly students, we were delighted to be joined by the wider community, including many local Palestinian refugees.

-- Liam O'Hare - president, Edinburgh SJP

» 12

We usually don’t intervene in politics as a religious society, nevertheless if we are requested to hold an event which creates a dialogue and a platform for peace, we are more than happy to host them.

The fact that this has created an environment in which Jewish students feel intimidated on campus, and might even feel the need to hide their identity is absolutely unacceptable.

-- Matthew Carroll - event organiser -- Timothy Abrahams - president, Edinburgh JSoc

Discontinued course to be reinstated at Napier University administration relents on earlier decision to close their communications and PR degree programme Amanda Svensson Falk General News Editor RECENT CUTBACKS AT Napier’s accredited Communication Advertising and PR (CAPR) course left students facing a lack of information from university management and concerns about the

With a general election on the horizon, The Journal explores the events that brought Ireland to the point of despair

future of their degrees.

As previously reported by The Journal, a letter was sent out to students in April last year from Mark Passera, then programme leader, stating that due to financial pressure their course was to be discontinued.

The letter went on to assure current

students that the university remained committed to them and to the subject area.

Talking to The Journal last week, Lorna McCallum, class representative for the third year group said: “Our initial concerns began in April 2010 when all CAPR students received notification

that ‘the university has decided to stop recruiting to the programme’.

“Since then we have been endeavouring to discover the likely impact this will have on all current students especially in light of the university’s staffing cuts.

Continued on Page 2

Civil partnerships are one thing, but there’s still little progress on marriage equality for gay couples

IN THEATRE >> 17

Beckett Lives Traverse make Beckett's gruelling trilogy engaging and accessible

2 News

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

This week in The Journal

» ONLINE

The cost of doing business Top universities will charge £9,000 tuition fees, confirms Russell Group chairman

School of Education

» 7 Virtual

Redevelopment plans for Moray House are reconsidered after local residents object to some of the proposals

Cellist

» 17

The Virtual Cellist weaves videos and music into a technicolour reality

Israeli diplomat silenced by student protests Continued from p1 “Until Palestinians are given their fundamental human rights and the right to self-determination then we will continue to protest officials from apartheid Israel and call for the boycott of the racist, colonial state.

“The BDS movement will maintain pressure on Israel until it abides fully with international law.”

Mr Khaldi did not leave the stage immediately, remonstrating with protesters for almost an hour after the protest began. University security personnel, including chief security officer Adam Conn, formed a protective cordon around the lectern, but were unable to prevent demonstrators from taking control of the microphone.

Refuting accusations of antisemitism, SPSC chair Mick Napier told the audience: “If they’re against human rights, they can go to hell – whatever their religion.”

Amid tense scenes between demonstrators and bystanders who felt the boycott was preventing debate on a very contentious issue, one audience member was heard to shout, “It’s not free speech if you don’t let him speak.”

Others expressed similar unease with the protest. First-year University of Edinburgh student Stephen Donnelly told The Journal: “I never thought I’d see the day when students are crushing debate.”

A statement from Mr Carroll and JSoc president Timothy Abrahams blasted the protesters’ “intimidating and hostile behaviour”, and accused the group of

having “little interest in freedom of speech or insight into Israeli society.”

Much of the protesters’ ire focused on Mr Khaldi’s relationship with Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, for whom he works as a senior policy advisor.

A deeply controversial figure in Israeli politics, Mr Lieberman leads the nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party, a minority partner in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition government.

Initial plans for Mr Khaldi’s appearance to be hosted by either the Politics Society or the International Relations Society are understood to have foundered over the weekend when the memberships of both societies voted against their involvement. The invitation to speak was eventually extended by members of the university’s Jewish Society, including Mr Carroll.

Sources inside SJP privately confirmed that the group lobbied IRSoc over the weekend to withdraw their invitation to host the event, which they did on Monday evening. A statement from IRSoc president Ledys Sanjuan claimed that the society “was not aware that Khaldi was an advisor of Lieberman. He was portrayed as a member of a minority who was coming to speak about his experience as a member of a minority in Israel.”

Ron Prosor, the Israeli ambassador in London, has expressed his unhappiness with the protest, telling The Jerusalem Post: “These attempts to suppress [Mr Khaldi’s] freedom of speech come as no surprise. Once more a British university views this intimidating mob-rule as acceptable.”

Discontinued course to be reinstated at Napier Continued from p1

Six of one, half a dozen of the other...

» 23

The current Six Nations tables give little fuel for prediction - but The Journal tries anyway

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We have been assured that the ‘degree is still viable’ and would ‘continue to be recognised by the industry’ for the current cohort of students. However our main concern throughout has been the lack of communication.

“Our tutors appear to be as much in the dark as we are and despite several meetings with management and an agreed willingness to engage in proactive communication, this has not been the case.

“A recent example was the agreement to update the reps regarding staff redundancies in mid-December. To date, no contact has been made.”

After being approached by The Journal, the university disclosed their plans to reinstate the course, with some alterations, in a statement made on behalf of the School of Creative Industries: “After a review of the School’s portfolio of courses, we now plan to continue to offer the BA Communication, Advertising and Public Relations programme. However, in the future it will only be accessed by new students applying to third year.

“We will shortly be communicating this decision to current students to highlight the status of the programme and to seek their involvement in a review of the course over the coming months.

“Unfortunately we could not tell students earlier as this has been a recent decision.”

Since the letter was sent out in April Mr Passera has left the university, and after the Christmas break students from the Creative Advertising master’s programme were recruited as module tutors

for trimester two.

This sparked a sense of worry among some third years who felt that the postgraduate students might not necessarily have the adequate qualifications for the modules they were set to teach.

The university did not address the tutoring by master’s students in its statement, but said: “All lecturers teaching on the course are experienced and have been teaching on the programme for a number of years, so the teaching is of the standard to retain our current CIPR accreditation.

“As a School, we have not received any specific complaints from students regarding the programme or teaching.

Indeed, the module feedback from the first trimester is positive.”

Chris Mitchell, a fourth year CAPR student who is taught a visual communication module by master’s students with undergraduate degrees in the same subject, is however happy with the arrangement.

He said: “These guys really know what they are talking about, both in terms of design packages and the theory behind what we do, which is covered by the lecturer in the lecture sessions of the subject anyway.

“The master’s students have been great because they can obviously relate to us and our projects and our position as fourth years since they are not long out of their final undergraduate year.”

Shortly after The Journal began making enquiries a notification was sent out informing third-year students taking the online communication module that, in the future, both tutorial groups would be taught by the lecturer.

General News 3

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

The fall of an island The Celtic Tiger is in reverse as Ireland faces financial and political hardships which may linger for the next 15 years Paul Foy

HAVING BEEN BAILED out by the EU, and with confidence in its banking sector and government decimated, these are trying times for the people of Ireland. Now, The Journal takes a look at the events that led to the economic implosion of the island.

Ireland officially went into recession in September 2008 with a Fianna Faíl (Green Party) coalition at the helm.

The downturn was preceded by the most economically prosperous era in the Republic’s history.

The Celtic Tiger had been roaring since the early nineties, largely thanks to Ireland’s low corporate tax: at 12 per cent it was the lowest in the EU. This led to massive investment from multi national companies, and the boom drove the minimum wage up and up, peaking at almost nine euros per hour in 2007. At this point the standard of living in Ireland was one of the world’s highest.

The recession hit Ireland hard, and a culture of banks lending money to developers almost completely on credit was exposed. Many of the corporations that brought their riches to Ireland moved their business elsewhere, notably Dell to Poland, and unemployment soared.

The next 12 months saw three emergency budgets, with approximately €8 billion in cuts.

The country’s largest bank, Anglo Irish, was nationalised after it suffered massive losses, a collapse in share price due to a scandal over loans to company directors, and fury over bonuses given to top-level executives.

A surge in emigration from the country followed, reaching the highest levels since the 1980s. Among the worst hit were tradesmen who had just finished their apprenticeship.

Tina Mullins from Kildare, Ireland, has seen her son Barry, a newly qualified joiner, be forced to go to Australia to make a living for himself. She told The Journal: “I was devastated at first but could see the sense in it. The country has left countless young men like Barry out to hang, so why would he fail himself by trekking into the dole office to lift the weekly pittance.”

Tina doubts that her son will return home for more than a holiday anytime soon: “There’s plenty of work out there for them. He can go start a family and have a real go at life. Barry’s got a chance that many don’t, and many more won’t.”

Damian O’Loughlin, originally from Wexford, Ireland, is a recent immigrant to Australia. He has 20 years experience as a senior civil engineer. As with many Irish, he feels disenchanted by how warning signs of a bust were not heeded. Speaking to The Journal, he said: “We got incredibly greedy. Second houses, cars, what was the point?

They were told it wasn‘t sustainable, but there was no proper warning to the workers.

“Young people going to college weren’t told that degrees in civil and construction engineering were going to be worthless to them without a visa for Australia or Canada.”

With the public showing major contempt toward politicians and bankers alike, the coalition was in free fall, and

“We got incredibly greedy. Second houses, cars, what was the point? They were told it wasn‘t sustainable, but there was no proper warning to the workers."

Protesters show their dissatisfaction with Taoiseach Brian Cowen's Fianna Fail government outside the Dail building in Dublin September 2010 signalled the beginning of the end.

Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Brian Cowen hit headlines worldwide after being forced to deny being drunk whilst appearing on a morning radio show, the night after a Fianna Faíl conference.

When challenged about the allegations at a press conference, Cowen’s response was very short: “I’m sorry. Absolutely not. I mean that’s ridiculous. It’s not true at all.

Please.”

Opposition Fine Gael politician Simon Coveney posted a comment on Twitter saying Cowen had been “half way between drunk and hungover and totally disinterested” at the interview.

In November, a week after denying that the government had approached the European community for emergency funds, Cowen accepted an 85 billion euro bail out package to keep the country afloat.

In December this was followed by Budget 2011, the most draconian in

the state’s history and the most telling example of just how backwards things had gone, and at a time when the majority of Europe’s economies had finally started growing again.

The first month of this year has seen the country enter a period of flux.

Things have moved fast as the other political parties endeavoured to usurp Fianna Faíl. The Green Party, under pressure from Sinn Féin, Labour and Fine Gael, abandoned the coalition, forcing a general election.

Taoiseach Cowen has resigned as leader of Fianna Faíl, but decided to carry on as the country’s leader. He cited the need to get the Finance Bill, a crucial element of the bailout, through the Seannad (Irish Senate) as justification for this decision.

The bill was passed and the government was dissolved on 1 February. A general election will take place on Friday 25 February.

Economists have given an optimistic estimate that the country will be back on its feet in about 15 years time.

Read more news online @ www.journal-online.co.uk

Give US haggis with our neeps and tatties Officials want to end a US ban on haggis and allow for the Scottish speciality to reach new markets

Threat to Highland Games Park A century-old Highland Games Park has to make way for new housing as part of a nationwide development plan

4 General News

Beyond

Edinburgh Egyptian protests go 2.0 People across the world are engaging with the ongoing Egyptian protests by joining protest marches, signing petitions on Facebook, or expressing their support of the Egyptian public on Twitter.

The Harvard Crimson reports that the co-director of Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society has called on the two social media giants to live up to their special role as tools in organising the protests by establishing a code of conduct or joining the Global Network Initiative (GNI).

Members of the GNI should “respect, protect and advance user rights to freedom of expression and privacy, including when faced with government demands for censorship and disclosure of users’ personal information”, according to their website.

Closer to home Closer to home, a senior lecturer at the University of Sunderland has resigned in protest against increased tuition fees.

Dr Tristan Learoyd, a 29-year-old pharmacy lecturer, is the youngest person to have been elected to the English National Pharmacy Board, and was said to have a promising academic career ahead of him.

In his resignation letter, he said: “I refuse to teach where it will be the content of somebody’s wallet, not the content of their character, that will determine their academic success.”

In a comment to the BBC he added: “The tragedy of this is that there are plenty of people who have the ability to go to university, the ability to excel and be real stars of the future for this country who now have been put off going to university.”

Dr Learoyd plans to work as a pharmacist and continue teaching – but not in universities.

Back across the pond Back across the pond there is proof that universities beyond Edinburgh are easily affected by heavy snowfall.

Yale Daily News reports that 12 inches fell during one night at the end of January, and emails were sent out to all students urging them to use care when travelling to campuses.

They were also asked to check the student portal in case classes had to be cancelled due to the unexpected weather conditions.

Those taking part in an organised snowball fight at midnight on 28 January seemed to care little about logistics as freshmen and sophomores on one side fought juniors and seniors on the other for eternal glory.

Amanda Svensson Falk

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011 KRISTIAN JOHANSSON

Chaos in the Middle East Experts claim protests in Tunisia and Egypt might lead to a 'chain reaction' in the region Tom McCallum

OVER THE LAST month protesters across northern Africa have been taking to the streets, calling for democracy and clashing with authorities amidst escalating violence.

The uprising in Tunisia that led to the toppling of president Zine alAbidine Ben Ali’s government sparked protests in Egypt calling for an end to president Hosni Mubarak’s long running regime, and experts are talking of a domino effect.

Despite demands for a change in the autocratic ruling of Tunisia and Egypt, the powerful countries of the West that have long supported democracy in the region have played a subdued role.

Khaled Elmahdi, founder of the Egyptian Community in Scotland, spoke to The Journal about his views on the West’s lack of moral support. “[The] US, UK and the EU in general don’t wish to show their support to the people and show resistance in changing the regime. I believe this is due to their fear that Egypt would be controlled by the Islamists and thus get into conflict

with Israel,” he said.

There was much speculation on this point after Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu suggested to the press that Egypt could end up with an Islamic regime as radical as that of Iran.

However, Dr Ewan Stein from the Department of Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Edinburgh told The Journal he believes peace will remain a priority for Egypt.

“What the Israeli Prime Minister may be worried about ... is that a democratic Egypt will be less indulgent of Israeli interests than authoritarian Egypt has been. Even here though, I would predict that unless something really dramatic occurs, peace with Israel will remain an Egyptian strategic priority.”

Mr Elmahdi continued by expressing his hope for the future of Egypt when Mubarak is gone: “As per post Mubarak, the opposition already listened to the voice of the public and have managed to put aside their differences for the common goal. Today they’ve created a collation representing all the parties and the youth ready to take over whenever Mubarak steps down.”

However, an eyewitness in Cairo,

Protesters crowd a bridge in central Cairo last week Kristian Johansson, told The Journal that he believes Egypt faces many shortterm problems before it can move into a more stable future.

He said: “I have spoken to locals at the hotel, airport, and elsewhere, and they told me that they have a lot of hope but to a certain degree fear of what might happen if things continue like

this – food shortages, further loss of tourism income and so on.”

With reports of protests coming from Yemen and a reshuffling of government in Jordan, the events in Tunisia and Egypt could spark a chain reaction across autocratic states in the Middle East.

British front runners at 2011 Oscars The King's Speech and Edinburgh-set film The Illusionist are among the favourites Aleksandra Jurczak THIS YEAR’S OSCAR scene is full of British nominations, and top of the list is The King’s Speech with 12 nods.

The story of King George VI’s struggle to overcome his stammer has been recognised as one of the best motion pictures of the year, winning the best film category at the Producers Guild of America Awards and receiving 14 Bafta nominations.

Leading man Colin Firth is a strong contender for the Best Actor award having already bagged a Golden Globe in this category as well as a Screen Actors Guild accolade.

Supporting actors Helena Bonham Carter, as Queen Elizabeth, and Geoffrey Rush, as speech therapist Lionel Logue, can also hope for a golden statuette.

Nominations also include a Scotland-based production, The Illusionist, which had its premier at the Edinburgh Film Festival last year. It will be competing in the best animation category against Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon.

The Illusionist’s story is about a magician who, unable to find inspiration in Paris, travels to Edinburgh in what has been described a fairy-tale depiction of Scotland.

The French director Sylvain Chomet, previously nominated for an Oscar for Belleville Rendez-vous, set up a studio

Oscars 2011: biggest contenders:

in Edinburgh after visiting its film festival seven years ago.

Vicki Haworth from ink.digital, who worked with Chomet on animating The Illusionist, says the production involved 30 people including graduates from Scotland and the rest of the UK. She admitted the project was

(12)

The King’s Speech: best picture, director, actor, supporting actor, supporting actress, original screenplay, art direction, cinematography, sound mixing, original score, costumes, film editing

(10)

True Grit: best picture, director, actor, supporting actress, adapted screenplay, art direction, cinematography, sound mixing and editing, costumes

(8)

The Social Network: best picture, director, actor, adapted screenplay, cinematography, sound mixing, original score, film editing

(8)

Inception: best picture, original screenplay, art direction, cinematography, sound mixing and editing, original score, visual effects

(7)

The Fighter: best picture, director, supporting actor, supporting actress (2), original screenplay, film editing,

(6)

127 Hours: best picture, actor, adapted screenplay, original song, original score, film editing

(5)

Black Swan: best picture, director, actress, cinematography, film editing

complex and difficult, but was thrilled that all the hard work and talent has been recognised: “I’m still amazed and very, very proud. It is a great achievement for the whole team and we’ve done extremely well with getting the nomination. And winning would be out of this world!”

Caroline Parkinson, Director of Creative Development for Creative Scotland, told The Journal: “The Illusionist is a beautifully-crafted animation and a wonderful calling card for Edinburgh and Scotland. From gritty urban locations to romantic mountainsides, Scotland has a lot to offer film companies.”

Local News 5

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

Edinburgh celebrates Hume tricentennial

Pandas will cost £6 million

Edinburgh's University is hosting a year-long programme of events to mark the 300th anniversary of David Hume's birth

Questions arise over who is to foot the bill DAVID SELBY

Rebecca Low

Rosalind Brown

THE UNIVERSITY OF Edinburgh has launched a year-long celebration of David Hume to mark the 300th anniversary of the Scottish philosopher’s birth.

The series of lectures, activities and exhibitions is being hosted by the University’s Institute for the Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH). A number of speakers and Hume scholars from across the UK, Europe, and the USA have also been invited to participate in the celebrations.

IASH has also proposed to establish an annual David Hume Fellowship at the University, aiming to “once again make the University of Edinburgh a centre for Hume studies.”

David Hume is regarded by many as one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy. He was born and educated in Edinburgh and was originally encouraged by his mother to pursue a career in law. However, shortly after starting his academic career, Hume turned his attentions wholly to the study of philosophy.

Throughout the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century, Edinburgh was an intellectual centre for works of science, art, literature and philosophy.

Hume and his contemporaries, including philosopher Dugald Stewart and economist Adam Smith, were at the heart of this cultural revolution.

Throughout his life, Hume produced many historical and philosophical works, including “The History of England” and “A Treatise on Human Nature”, which is today considered to be one of the greatest philosophical works in history.

Although Hume lived and worked during the 1700s, his work is still hugely relevant today. Professor Susan Manning of the University of Edinburgh and the IASH is one of the panel members

EDINBURGH ZOO HAS found itself at the centre of controversy after wildlife charities have labelled its panda deal “animal exploitation”.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), which owns Edinburgh Zoo, and the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) recently struck a historic deal to bring over their first pair of giant pandas.

Tian Tian and Yangguang will be the first pandas to live in the UK for 17 years. The loan was confirmed last month but was met with outrage from conservationists. Questions were also raised about who would foot the £6 million bill.

A spokeswoman for RZSS said: “We hope there will be private sponsorship and anticipate a significant uplift in zoo visitor numbers as a result of the pandas being here. In fact, zoos around the world have experienced a rise of around 70 per cent in visitor numbers. The zoo has had informal discussions with a variety of potential private sponsors and can now firm them up.”

RZSS treasurer Max Gaunt said: “We have a board meeting in a couple of weeks and all these matters will be discussed then.”

Alex Salmond, who championed the deal, has refused public money to be invested since the intended sponsorship by The Royal Bank of Scotland has fallen through.

Will Travers, Chief Executive Officer of the Born Free Foundation said: “I am convinced Scotland does not need pandas any more than pandas need Scotland. It appears commercial sponsors, quite rightly, have other priorities and may share our view this whole thing is little more than animal exploitation.”

Mr Travers has stated his belief that the panda-loan project should be stopped and the Chinese government should be supporting projects that enable the animals to flourish in their natural habitat.

Gary Wilson, Edinburgh Zoo’s chief operating officer, said: “The best chance of survival of this very special species is to have in place a carefullymanaged captive breeding programme while at the same time working with pandas in the wild and on the protection of their environment.

“The RZSS is a world leader in animal conservation and can offer expertise in animal nutrition, genetics, embryology, immunology and veterinary medicine, all vital areas of research for giant pandas.”

DAVID SELBY

Hume continues to rank among the University's greatest alumni taking part in a celebration to mark David Hume’s birthday on 26 April.

“Hume is probably the greatest philosopher ever to write in English,” she said, “and he lived and worked in Edinburgh for most of his life. He was also a wonderful essayist and literary stylist, and one of the most important historians of the eighteenth century.

“Although he was never appointed to a Chair in the University, his friends

and associates included the other great figures of the Scottish, European and American Enlightenments. His ideas revolutionised the study of philosophy and continue to resonate through fields of study as diverse as religion, cognitive science and literary theory, and permeate the discourse of ordinary life.”

The tercentenary celebrations run throughout the year until February 2012.

Council introduces battery recycling Batteries and plastic bottles are to be recycled with home collections Assa Samaké A NEW RECYCLING incentive for used batteries and plastic bottles has been introduced in Edinburgh, with kerbside boxes being distributed for home collections.

Residents can now recycle plastic bottles and batteries with colour coordinated boxes provided by the council.

Plastic bottles will be collected in red recycling boxes, whereas, batteries will be picked up from blue boxes.

Cllr Robert Aldridge, the environmental leader, said: “It is important as a city that we lower the amount of rubbish sent to landfill and the introduction of these new services will make it easier for residents to recycle even more materials.”

Edinburgh City Council carried out a consultation which showed that inhabitants mostly enquired about bottles and batteries’ recycling policies. The

European Recycling Platform revealed that only three per cent of all household batteries in the UK were recycled, and more surprisingly that 29 per cent of the population did not even know they could be recycled. Moreover, the latest YouGov studies showed that 275000 tonnes of plastic are used every year in the UK, the equivalent of 15 million plastic bottles each day.

Batteries can be brought to shops and council recycling centres but recycling them directly at home will make things easier and could be an incentive for many people to change their attitudes towards improving the environment.

This innovation is a response to the “Zero Waste Plan” published by the Scottish Government in June 2010. Key targets include separate food waste collections to be introduced in 2013, a ban on recyclable waste from landfill by 2015 and a ban on biodegradable waste from landfill from 2017. The council has a

target to increase recycling to 75 per cent by 2020.

The target aims to reduce taxes paid on landfill. The city council currently spends £7 million on landfill tax, and it is expected to increase to £12 million if no action is taken to help people produce less waste. This initiative will prevent waste ending up in landfills and the environment being polluted by batteries’ toxic releases.

Cllr Aldridge said: “We are really stepping up our recycling activity in Edinburgh with the introduction of a food waste pilot due to start soon, and now householders will also be able to recycle batteries and plastic bottles at the kerbside.

The food recycling scheme is set to trial in the east of Edinburgh and will be extended to the rest of the city if successful.

Editorial: Pandering to commercialism

Read more local news online @ www.journal-online.co.uk

New look for the old Chasers Brewdog promises good quality beer with high alcohol content after commencing the restoration of the old Chaser Bar

TIE incur more charges from tram contractors Legal disputes continue between Edinburgh Trams and contractors

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6 Student News

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011 JACK HYNES

Tuition fees in Northern Ireland set to rise Education minister says Northern Irish students must pay more, while Welsh and Scottish students avoid the rise in tuition fees Jessica Abrahams Student News Editor NORTHERN IRELAND WILL increase tuition fees at its universities, while Welsh students will avoid paying more for university education.

The Welsh Assembly announced last month that they would not be falling in line with Westminster’s proposals and would instead meet the cost of higher fees for Welsh students studying at any UK institution, effectively freezing tuition fees at £3,290.

English students studying at Welsh institutions will pay the increased fees of up to £9,000.

The Northern Ireland Assembly is yet to vote on tuition fees but an independent report commissioned by the Ulster Unionist Party recommended that Northern Ireland follow the Welsh example, and the government are under intense pressure to do so.

However, Danny Kennedy, Minister

for Employment and Learning, has claimed that Northern Ireland cannot afford to peg tuition fees at current rates. This is because Wales takes in more students than it sends out, while there are only 200 students from other parts of the UK studying at Northern Irish institutions.

Replying to an assembly question, Mr Kennedy said: “Unfortunately, this essential fact and its impact on the financing of the Welsh proposal means that it is not really a feasible option for Northern Ireland.”

Speaking to The Journal, Ciarnan Helferty, President of NUS in Northern Ireland, said: “Let’s be very clear on this issue: the position Minister Kennedy has reached on fees is a political one for which there will be political consequence come the Assembly elections in May. It’s a position he reached with no public debate, consultation or discussion.

“Students are clear that they will not

accept any further increase. Parents are clear that they cannot afford any further increase. Public opinion is clear in saying that they don’t want a further increase.

“The Minster can choose to remain on the wrong side of public opinion if he wishes: but if he does I doubt he will remain a Minister very much longer.

“Devolution is about local politicians finding local solutions to local problems… [Mr Kennedy’s] ‘Northern Ireland solution’ looks remarkably like the English one – a system which guarantees students and their families nothing but increasing levels of debt.”

In a recent Green Paper published by the SNP, the government promised that tuition fees would not be introduced for Scottish students. Fees will be raised for English students studying at Scottish institutions but the details of university funding won’t be finalised until after the upcoming election.

The A* grade is designed to help identify exceptional students

Prestigious universities New schemes help students will require A* grades with money matters New schemes launched by NUS and EUSA aim to help students facing financial difficulties Sarah Vesty

THE NATIONAL UNION of Students has launched an initiative to educate students about finance, as Edinburgh University Students’ Association rounds up its Money Week.

NUS collaborated with Credit Action, a debt and finance charity, to help students understand the different options available to them in terms of finance and credit. They also created a guide, Credit Crunching, aimed to help those who are vulnerable to financial difficulties.

The scheme follows a survey by NUS Scotland last year which revealed that 36 per cent of Scottish students had considered dropping out due to lack of funds. It is hoped that the guide will help inform people about the pros and cons of borrowing credit.

Joanna Parsley, associate director of Credit Action, said: “With the future of student finance in the spotlight it is essential for students and graduates to both understand credit and use it wisely.

“Credit can be enabling, but can also be an easy entry into debt difficulties, so it is vital students and graduates are clued up on what different products mean for them.”

EUSA has begun its own initiative to help educate students on budgeting and money options during their recent Money Week. They held various events throughout the seven days ranging

from one-to-one meetings with financial advisors to workshops advising students how to find part-time work.

Ronan McLaughlin, a fourth year student at the University of Edinburgh who attended one of the workshops, told The Journal: “I never really knew where to look for a job; I just assumed it would come to me. They really helped at the workshop and by telling me what skills most employers are looking for I was able to change my CV and make it

more attractive.

“I really think schemes like this are needed during the credit crunch because there are always alternative lenders out there willing to take students for a ride and effectively leave them in even more debt.”

Research shows the average student graduate has more than £23,000 debt which is set to rise following the re-introduction of tuition fees in parts of Britain.

Research suggests 35% of students are in some financial trouble

More universities are to demand A* grades, while the coalition government considers overhauling the admissions procedure Sarah Purvis

MORE UNIVERSITIES WILL be raising the entry requirements to their institution following this year’s leap in UCAS applications.

Plans have been proposed to change the admissions procedure to avoid the reliance on predicted exam results.

Some of the UK’s leading universities have announced they will be asking prospective students for A* grades at A Level in order to secure a place.

The A* grade was introduced last year to help universities select exceptional pupils after more than a quarter of A Level entries were awarded an A grade. Students must achieve an average of at least 90 per cent across their A2 examinations to secure the top grade.

Four higher education institutions, Imperial College London, University College London, Warwick University and Cambridge University, implemented this as part of the entry requirements for their most competitive courses.

Earlier this month, Cambridge announced that its standard offer would be A*AA for 2011 entry. The University of Oxford will also be asking for A* grades for most of its science and maths courses. Both universities will require at least two A* to study combined degrees in maths and philosophy. Bristol, Exeter and Sussex will also demand A* grades for entry to some of their courses.

Ian Blenkharn, head of admissions at Exeter, said that the decision “reflects

the exceptionally high quality of applicants” and “the considerable competition for places”. It is claimed that 47 per cent of its applicants to economics had been predicted at least one A* last year.

The news comes as the Russell Group, an organisation of the UK’s leading research universities, warned students against taking “soft” subjects at A Level as this could reduce their chance of being accepted to the most competitive universities. They recommend studying “facilitating subjects”, such as Mathematics, English and Languages.

Joshua Smith, an A Level student applying for university entry in 2011, told The Journal: “I feel like the A* grade adds more pressure to an already stressful situation.

“Applying for a university requesting high grades is always a risk as you don’t know how you will perform on the day of the exam and might miss out on a place at university despite getting good grades.”

The changes to the application system are aimed to tackle the problem of inaccurate predictions this year. Under the current system, applications must be submitted to universities by 15 January and are accepted or declined based on teachers’ predictions rather than actual results. Evidence suggests that up to 55 per cent of predictions are inaccurate.

The coalition government has suggested making fundamental changes to tackle this, including moving A Level examinations to earlier in the year to establish actual results sooner.

Academic News 7

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

ECA principal retires as merger reaches final stages Pending final approval by the Scottish government, the merger between Edinburgh and ECA could take effect 1 August 2011 Lily Panamsky Academic News Editor PRINCIPAL OF THE Edinburgh College of Art Professor Ian Howard, a strong advocate of the merger, has announced his retirement, effective 31 July 2011.

The news comes as the merger between the University of Edinburgh and ECA was approved by Michael Russell MSP, cabinet secretary for education and lifelong learning.

Prof Howard, who has been principal of ECA and an honorary vice-principal of the University of Edinburgh since 2001, has stated that he wants a new leader to direct the newly-merged college of art.

In an email detailing his decision to step down from his position, Prof Howard said: “Now that we are at the brink of a merger with the University of Edinburgh, I feel it is entirely appropriate that there should be an orderly and planned transition through which a new Principal can take the College forward into a bright future which will provide more opportunities for our students and staff while preserving the best of what we have offered in the past.”

The merger proposal was initially drafted by the University of Edinburgh and ECA and submitted to the Scottish Government in September 2010.

Following the Scottish Government’s written consultation exercise, as well as formal advice from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) asking him to support the merger, Mr Russell gave his approval.

The proposal will now be taken to the Scottish Parliament for final ratification.

If approved, the merger between the two institutions will take effect on 1 August 2011.

In an official letter addressed to Prof Howard and Professor Sir Timothy O’Shea, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, Mr Russell highlighted the benefits of the merger, stating that additional support from the University will allow ECA to develop its “identity, ethos, pedagogy and studiobased culture”.

Mr Russell remarked on ECA’s

TIMELINE OF EVENTS MARCH 2010 Initial talks of a merger begin between the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh College of Art. SEPTEMBER 2010 ECA Board of Governors and University of Edinburgh Court agree to submit a merger proposal to the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council.

JANUARY 2011 MSP and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Michael Russell approves merger. The proposal awaits the final decision from the Scottish Parliament 31 JULY 2011 Professor Ian Howard will stand down as Principal of ECA 01 AUGUST 2011 The date set for the merger between the University of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh College of Art (pending final approval)

Education minister Michael Russell slammed ECA senior management in his report on the merger financial instability, citing it as the main reason behind the merger. He wrote: “The SFC’s advice makes plain that the financial situation within the College is unsustainable in the medium to longer term.

“This position should not have been allowed to develop, and it points towards very significant weaknesses in ECA’s internal controls and governance structures at crucial stages in recent years. I therefore regret the fact that the positive option of merger has been overshadowed by these factors.”

If the merger is approved, the SFC is

expected to report back to Mr Russell during the first half of the 2011/12 academic year on the financial and academic conditions of ECA. EUSA president Liz Rawlings spoke to The Journal about the benefits the merger will bring to University of Edinburgh students: “I believe the merger between the University of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh College of Art will have significant benefits for students at both institutions.

In particular there are exciting opportunities for inter-disciplinary collaboration and for students at the University to take

outside courses in subjects such as photography, fashion or design which currently aren’t on offer.”

Francesca Miller, president of ECA’s Student Union, also gave her support: “The introduction of Arts, Culture and Environment into Edinburgh College of Art could afford collaborations and integration of methodologies and practices across the creative disciplines, expanding the potential of students already engaged with such areas of interest and those who may never have considered such a field.”

Scot researchers in stroke funding plea It has been estimated that hypothermia treatment can help over 40,000 brain stroke patients per year Sophie Marion de Proce SCOTTISH SCIENTISTS ARE awaiting approval for EU funding to get involved in a Europe-wide trial of hypothermia treatment for brain strokes.

The European Stroke Research Network for Hypothermia (EuroHYP), a group of researchers from 20 countries, has the preliminary evidence to suggest that brain cooling can boost survival rates of stroke patients and reduce brain damage.

Brain stroke affects over 10,000 people every year in Scotland alone.

Inducing hypothermia to protect the brain in stroke victims could improve the outcome for around 40,000 people every year in Europe.

What happens directly after a brain stroke is crucial to prevent any permanent brain damage, and although neuroprotective agents have been developed to reduce brain damage, they are not currently efficient enough.

Reducing the body temperature can decrease brain damage after heart attacks or birth injuries. The positive effect of decreased brain temperature after a stroke has been tested on animals.

Cooling down the body by a couple of

degrees using intravenous drips and ice pads slows down the metabolism and therefore the amount of oxygen needed for the brain to keep functioning. This delays the activation of respiratory pathways that are less efficient and release harmful chemicals into the brain.

Dr Malcolm Macleod, head of experimental neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh, spoke to The Journal about the research experiment: "Animal studies suggest that [cooling the body] could give up to two to three hours to allow the administration of clot busting drugs, or the body's own clot busting mechanisms."

Dr Macleod added: "Hypothermia does have some risks, particularly of pneumonia, but this risk is far outweighed by the potential benefits in terms of outcome.

"Given that there are no effective neuroprotective agents, hypothermia has a clear advantage."

Despite science funding being difficult in the current economic situation, Dr Macleod remains hopeful that Scottish researchers will secure funding for the trial.

He said: "We got through phase one in December, and expect a decision on phase two by July. Fingers crossed!"

Moray House upgrade faces setback New building plans are delayed as the teaching campus faces cuts Lily Panamsky Academic News Editor THE UNIVERSITY OF Edinburgh’s teaching campus is facing independent cutbacks to its revamping plans and to its teaching staff and students.

University bosses initially had plans to tear down the 50-year old buildings of the Moray House of Education, located just off the Royal Mile, and to replace them with new teaching facilities, student apartments, offices, shops, bars, pubs, and restaurants.

Objections came quickly from local residents and community groups. In particular, they were concerned that the height of the two tallest buildings would negatively impact the city’s historic Old Town, a World Heritage Site.

Changes to the initial building plans include scaling down the height of the two tallest buildings from 77m to 70m, and switching from private-owned flats to postgraduate student accommodation.

The student accommodation will house a total of 912 rooms, down 80 from initial plans.

Jane Johnston, University of Edinburgh estate development manager, explained that the decision to build university-owned student accommodation was due to the drop in the price of the property as well as the need for more postgraduate rooms.

City Council planning officials have now approved the building scheme and have recommended that the project carry on.

Moray House is also facing cutbacks to its teaching staff, as the Scottish Government has decided to temporarily scale back on the number of new teachers being trained to reduce current teacher unemployment.

One quarter of the current staff of the Moray House are at risk of losing their jobs because of the University’s reduction in teaching places. The number of positions for the one-year primary Postgraduate Diploma of Education (PGDE) programme has been reduced from 280 last year to 66 this year, while the one-year secondary PDGE programme decreases from 186 to 142 and the four-year Bachelor of Education primary teaching programme from 185 to 125.

A total of 40 staff risk losing their jobs because of the class size cutbacks.

Several education lecturers have publicly stated their opposition to the cutbacks. Terry Wrigley, senior lecturer in education at Moray House and the University and College Union’s Edinburgh representative, argued against the temporary scale-back, stating: “Within a year or so they will have to raise the numbers again but, by that time, they will have thrown away vast expertise.”

Staff members are expected to be officially alerted of the cutbacks by the end of February.

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

Student Politics 9 TOM PARNELL

EUSA promises 'improved' graduation ball VPS Sam Hansford attacks claims that the union are ignoring students Megan Taylor News Editor EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' Association has abandoned talks with a group of fourth-year students about the upcoming Graduation Ball, following the appearance of a negative article in the Student last week.

The article quoted members of the Graduation Committee criticising EUSA’s approach to organising the ball, claiming student opinions were being ignored.

Among the main points of contention was a dispute over where to hold the event. The committee conducted a survey in which 96 per cent of students identified the Corn Exchange as their preferred venue. However, this survey was not endorsed by EUSA, and it has since been claimed that the union plan to hold the ball in Teviot Row House.

Responding to these accusations, Vice President of Services Sam Hansford insisted that EUSA were taking students' opinions into account. He told The Journal: "We absolutely are listening to students. It’s quite upsetting to me that a small group of students feel

I haven't been helping them input into their unions, this really couldn't be further from the truth.

"Everything EUSA does, whether that's campaigning on education cuts or running comedy gigs is all about doing what students want us to do. The graduation ball this year will be vastly improved based on two years of feedback from people who have attended it and the input of current students."

However, he could not confirm the final choice of venue, and denied the existence of a formal Graduation Committee, saying: "At the moment, we're not announcing the full details.

"At no point was there an Edinburgh Uni Graduation Committee as this has always been something that EUSA has organised.

"I met a small group of very interested final-year students and their feedback was great and really appreciated. Of course, this will go alongside the huge amount of feedback that we have from other students and people who have been to the ball before."

Pressed for comment, committee members Lauren Rhodes, Rebecca

Merger issues set to dominate ECA student elections Al Innes Student Politics Editor

The Corn Exchange is still students' preferred Grad Ball venue Kellaway and Judith Payen released a statement to The Journal, saying: "We are disappointed with the decision EUSA have taken to dissolve the Edinburgh Graduation Ball Committee, as we were really enthusiastic and willing to give up our own time to try and represent fourthyears in the plans for the graduation ball.

"We feel that EUSA had their own agenda from day one and they cared little if it did not match the wishes of

the student body. Students will be able to make up their own mind about what happened but we can be safe in the knowledge that we did our best for our fellow students.

"We sincerely hope that they will make a genuine effort to solicit student opinion, considering a significant number of fourth-years have expressed what is important to them in this graduation ball.”

QMU wins e-Government National Award QMU's award winning designs will generate thousands of pounds in savings Ashley Buchan QUEEN MARGARET UNIVERSITY (QMU) has won an e-Government National Award 2010 in the category for sustainable ‘green IT’ or ‘carbon-efficient’ services.

The ceremony, which took place 26 January at London’s Guildhall, was supported by the Prime Minister, David Cameron. The awards ceremony is considered to be one of the most prestigious events in the public sector calendar.

QMU won the award for going beyond its successful implementation of thin client technology throughout the institution and for further reducing energy and carbon consumption from its IT systems.

Fraser Muir, QMU’s Director of Information Services, who received the award on behalf of the institution told

The Journal: “We are delighted that our work in delivering ongoing reductions in energy consumption and reducing carbon emissions from our IT processes has been recognised at such a high profile event.”

A total of 11 e-Governmental awards were given out to various institutions in the UK. In a speech via video link, Mr Cameron explained: “The e-Government National Awards recognise some of the brilliant work done by digital specialists working across national and local government.

One of our big ambitions is to make government more transparent, open and accountable, and digital communications will play a massive part in that.

“I congratulate all the nominees and encourage all digital specialists across the public sector to follow their good example and innovation.”

ECA election to take place despite merger

Queen Margaret was praised for 'carbon-efficient' IT systems The e-Government National awards were developed to provide a benchmark for quality in various categories covering current IT innovation and best practice technology implementation at all levels of government.

Some of QMU’s carbon-efficient

Read more political news online @ www.journal-online.co.uk

services include a new building design that requires minimal air conditioning and mechanical ventilation, which will save nearly £47,000 per annum, more server virtualisation and automatic powering down of ICT equipment when not needed.

STUDENT ELECTION DATES

Ban on tobacco advertising in Scotland to face appeal

Lib Dem resigns over Nick Clegg's 'lack of political will'

QMU

A piece of legislation to ban the advertisement of tobacco products in Scotland has provoked an appeal

A former regional Liberal Democrat chairman has quit politics

Nominations opened on 24 January and close 25 February.

Election on 14 and 15 March.

NSA

Nominations closed.

Election will be held week commencing 28 February.

THE CURRENT PRESIDENT of the Edinburgh College of Art Students’ Union, Francesca Miller, has said that whoever is elected to the post following the current elections will play a ‘vital’ role in shaping the future of the institution.

The term of the next student president will include the next phase of the merger set to go ahead on 1st August. Day two of last year’s elections saw the announcement of the merger.

Ms Miller feels that student politics at the college has definitely been shaped by the event over the last year. She told The Journal: “It was a definite game-changer and it kept it pretty lively whereas this year you know to an extent what the job will entail and it will be very much merger-focused: but how much more you can be involved in that is hard to tell.

“Obviously in June and July a lot of students will be away and that will be a period where a lot of decisions are being made, and that will be very difficult without that student body to go back to and make formalised decisions.”

Ms Miller also emphasised the importance of the work that has already been done to keep the voice of the student body at ECA as strong as possible during the process.

“I think it will be very difficult to put exact things you could deliver on... I think it would be fantastic if someone could keep up the momentum. This merger is a fantastic opportunity for the college if it is handled properly and if the student’s voice is heard.

“I don’t know what the provision will be for the future: obviously we have no guarantees and can only make suggestions and stress certain areas.”

Ms Miller, who sits on the Operations Working Group, the Academic Integration Group and the Student Liaison Group for the merger, has been attending other meetings.

She said: “I feel that there is an area that needs input from the student body before I can go back to them and make sure their voice is heard. I feel like I’ve been given pretty good guarantees.

“Our hope is we can keep our community and our generally really distinct relationship between tutors and their students and I’ve made certain provisions that these are to be maintained.”

EUSA

HWUSU

ECA

Nominations opened 7 February and close 17 February.

Election on 3 and 4 March.

Nominations opened 28 January and close 11 February.

Election on Friday 25 February.

Nominations opened 4 February and close 12 February.

Election on Friday 4 March.

10 National Politics

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

2011 Scottish Parliament elections

Scotland goes to the polls

News

Four years after a landmark election for the SNP, The Journal examines the Scottish political landscape in 2011 Dr Nicola McEwen, co-director of the Institute of Governance at the University of Edinburgh, told The Journal that the current backdrop of “fiscal restraint” in the British political discourse may affect the progress of this election.

“What will make this election distinct to previous Holyrood elections is that it’s the first against the backdrop of a Conservative government. In addition, it’s the first election set against major fiscal restraint over the UK. “It will also raise the important question of which prospective First Minister can stand up for Scottish interests.”

Jonathan Baldie National Politics Editor WITH THE SCOTTISH Parliament elections scheduled for 5 May, voters will determine whether to grant Alex Salmond’s SNP government another four years in office.

Since devolution in 1999, Scottish voters have been entitled to elect their own government at Holyrood. British citizens and the citizens of EU member states and qualifying Commonwealth countries are eligible to vote if they are resident in Scotland.

Dr McEwen also highlighted the importance of youth participation in these elections, saying: “It is very important for all UK-based students in Edinburgh to take part in the May election, and to remember the pivotal role that the Scottish Parliament holds, and its responsibilities.”

Under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998, the Scottish Parliament has legislative competence for a number of policy areas, including education, health and justice.

Elections to the Scottish Parliament are held every four years. Constituency MSPs are elected by simple majority,

but electors also cast a second vote for a party’s regional list using proportional representation. The use of a single ballot for both votes caused chaos at the 2007 election, when up to seven per cent of ballots were spoiled. In the Lothians, returning officers rejected over 9,000 votes.

Edinburgh is divided into six constituencies, with a further seven list MSPs. The city is regarded as a key battleground for the major Scottish parties, and the campaign is likely to be highly competitive.

Nationwide, the battle is likely to be between the SNP and Labour, but

the use of proportional representation makes an overall parliamentary majority less likely, meaning that smaller parties may be influential. The Greens played a crucial kingmaker role in 2007, and although the Conservatives in Scotland were all but wiped out at Westminster in the 1990s, they still control 16 seats at Holyrood.

Political blogger Mark Pack told The Journal that despite ongoing negative publicity around their role in the Westminster coalition, “another Parliament with no overall majority may give the Liberal Democrats an increase in political power.”

JEZ DUNN

2007 Holyrood Election Results Malcolm Chisholm

Votes Lab

11020 34.8

Lib Dem

8576 27.1

Davie Hutchison

SNP

8044 25.4

Iain Whyte

Tory

4045 12.8

Mike Crockart

Edinburgh West

Votes

Margaret Smith

%

Lib Dem 13677 39.4

Sheena Cleland

SNP

7791 22.4

Gordon Lindhurst

Tory

7361 21.2

Richard Meade

Lab

5343 15.4

Edinburgh Central

Votes

Sarah Boyack

%

Lab

9155 31.1

Lib Dem

7962 27.1

Shirley-Anne Somerville

SNP

7496 25.5

Fiona Houston

Tory

4783 16.3

Siobhan Mathers

Edinburgh Pentlands

Votes

%

David McLetchie

Tory

12927 37.6

Sheila Gilmore

Lab

8402 24.4

Ian McKee

SNP

8234

24

Lib Dem

4814

14

Simon Clark

Lib Dem hold

Tory hold

Lab Hold

%

Edinburgh South Mike Pringle Donald Anderson

Votes Lib Dem 11398

% 35

Lab

9469 29.1

Robert Holland

SNP

6117 18.8

Gavin Brown

Tory

5589 17.2

SNP gain from Lab

Lib Dem hold

Lab hold

Edinburgh North & Leith

Edinburgh East & Musselburgh

Votes

Kenny MacAskill

SNP

11209 37.4

Norman Murray

Lab

9827 32.8

Lib Dem

5473 18.3

Tory

3458 11.5

Gillian Cole-Hamilton Christine Wright

%

National Politics 11

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

A new phase of Scottish politics

Comment

For the first time, all the main contenders in a Scottish election bear the scars of previous governments Evan Beswick

FOUR YEARS AGO, in May 2007, an insurgent SNP made Scottish electoral history, pushing Labour to their first Holyrood defeat in the history of the devolved parliament. “It’s time,” sermonised Alex Salmond in party broadcasts.

“It’s time for safer communities; time to bring our troops home from Iraq; time for a parliament with real power.”

“It’s time,” he announced beneath a ticking clock, “for the SNP”.

And right he was: 2007 was indeed a

turning point in Scottish politics, handing the reigns of power to a set of brand new faces.

But with that clock now counting towards 5 May, those SNP faces look somewhat less fresh having spectacularly failed to deliver a referendum on independence. Labour, meanwhile, were supposed to have lost what Salmond called their “divine right to rule Scotland” - but the smart money now is on them clawing it back, meaning Scotland would have to accept another first: in Iain Gray Holyrood would end its streak of first ministers with, at the very least, a modicum of charisma. For the first time

since devolution, the choice is between two parties who bear the political scars of governing Scotland.

Elsewhere, the Lib Dems are likely to be firmly and successfully presented by both Labour and the SNP as coalition stooges. The Tories will simply be hoping not to repeat their abysmal Scottish performance of the 2010 Westminster elections.

So that’s it, is it? Actually, it’s far too easy to oversimplify the Holyrood election, forgetting firstly that nearly 150,000 ballots were spoiled in 2007, with voters confused by the use of a single paper for both constituency and regional votes.

2011 Holyrood elections

Commentary from major parties' representatives

LABOUR

John Park MSP (Labour, Mid Scotland and Fife), Scottish Labour election co-ordinator "Labour's plans for jobs and growth in Scotland will be the focus of our campaign over the coming weeks. Scots worried about their employment deserve a government that will get our country back to work again. After four years of broken promises by the SNP we believe that Scotland deserves better. Labour is taking nothing for granted and will be fighting for every vote to win the trust of Scots again."

Secondly, only five of the SNP’s 20-seat gain came from Labour, Lib Dems or the Conservatives. In short, smaller parties got screwed where people failed to realise they could vote for a first-past-the-post MSP, plus a different party under proportional representation. Those smaller parties will certainly be looking to regain some of that ground.

What’s often forgotten is that 2007 it was also, apparently, time to “dump student debt” – a landmark pledge which the SNP had abandoned by November. Public finances look set to be the election’s defining issue, but whether it’s Labour or SNP who win in May, cuts will be on the

2011 Constituencies & Candidates Edinburgh Central Population: 86,326 Labour

Sarah Boyack MSP

Liberal Democrats

Alex Cole-Hamilton

SNP

Marco Biagi

Conservative

Ian McGill

Green

Not contested

Edinburgh South Population: 82,725

LIB DEM

George Lyon MEP (Liberal Democrat, Scotland), Lib Dem campaign manager “Liberal Democrats will be campaigning right up until polling day to protect and create jobs, reform public services and restore Scotland’s reputation for excellence in education. The public has less than 100 days before going to the polls. They will be reflecting that in Government the SNP didn’t dump the debt, they failed cut class sizes and they didn’t even try to scrap the unfair council tax.”

TORY

Gavin Brown MSP (Conservative, Lothians) “Our primary focus is on doing all we can to ensure that Edinburgh University and others are globally competitive, so that our graduates remain highly regarded and can find the right job... We are realistic and we note the SNP made a big mistake in promising to dump student debt – we think there does need to be a graduate contribution, repayable when a certain salary threshold is met... During the campaign we are going to tell it like it is and be upfront with the electorate, even if that involves difficult choices.”

SNP

Liberal Democrats

Mike Pringle MSP

Labour

Paul Godzik

SNP

Jim Eadie

Conservative

Gavin Brown

Green

Not contested

Edinburgh Pentlands Population: 79,856 Conservative

David McLetchie MSP

Liberal Democrats

Simon Clark

Labour

Ricky Henderson

SNP

Gordon Macdonald

Green

Not contested

Edinburgh North & Leith Population: 87,795 Labour

Malcolm Chisholm MSP

Liberal Democrats

Dan Farthing

SNP

Shirley-Anne Somerville

Conservative

James Halcro Johnston

Green

Not contested

Edinburgh East & Musselburgh Population: 76,392 The SNP were approached for comment for this article but declined to speak to The Journal

SNP

Kenny MacAskill MSP

Labour

Ewan Aitken

Conservative

Cameron Buchanan

Liberal Democrats

No candidate announced

Green

Not contested

agenda – and neither party owns a particularly proud record protecting funding of universities or students. Students and student representatives will want to ensure they don’t bear the brunt of the recession; to make sure they don’t find themselves an easy target in the new parliament. Perhaps, then, the choice for students might not be which old faces they want to see in government but, with their second vote, which faces they want keeping a close watch while they’re at it.

Evan Beswick is a former editor of The Journal, and was EUSA Vice-President for Societies and Activities in 2009/10.

The Scottish Greens: kingmaker?

Marcus de Wilde

THE 2007 ELECTION saw the elevation of the Greens to national prominence in Scotland, as the party’s two MSPs – Robin Harper and Patrick Harvie – chose to prop up the SNP’s minority government. The move was far from the formation of a coalition: rather, it demonstrated a more rational, progressive form of political nous that is absent from Westminster politics.

Nick Clegg insisted recently that the Scottish electorate “will see through the SNP and Labour”, but he failed to pay attention to the events at Holyrood four years ago, when the Greens were able to play the role of kingmaker without becoming a pawn.

There were a few substantial rewards for the party: Mr Harvie became the convener of Holyrood’s committee on transport, infrastructure and climate change, and the Green ‘voice’ in Scottish politics became far more resonant in the halls of Holyrood.

Scotland has become the focal point of a Green Conscience: the £6.4 million renewable energy technology deal between Scotland and China, the floating of Edinburgh for the UK’s new green investment bank to channel private sector funding into low carbon businesses and the role of Transition Edinburgh all represent the Green identity transcending social labels.

The Greens have to some extent come to represent a civilizing power within Scottish politics, gaining a solid political base in Edinburgh, where there are councillors on the Leith Walk, Southside/Newington and the Meadows/Morningside wards. Equally, they are gaining ground in Glasgow, where five wards have Green councillors. With a reasoned and transparent election campaign, they should be able to reach those who are currently apathetic towards mainstream politics.

12 Editorial

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

ISSUE XXXVI

EDINBURGH’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Proposed ECA and Edinburgh University merger

A marriage of convenience?

EDINBURGH’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

ISSUE XLIII

Israeli diplomacy

The glib ambassador THE CIRCUMSTANCES Of the proposed merger of the University of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh College of Art are notOF entirely fortuitous.

MUCH THE rhetoric usedEarlier by boththis summer, weIshmael were promised a thorough sides of the Khaldi affair at the consultation and told that the University of Edinburgh last2013 weekwas - first earliest possible dateinfor merger at the protest and then theaslew of to take place.and Now, however,which we hear statements comments fol- that financial forced lowed - hasexpediency been imbuedmay withhave no uncerthe amount acceleration of these ECA’s tain of hyperbole.

Theplans. protesters lack to ofIsrael transparency about the state refer as ‘an apartheid state’ andof their balance sheets Avigdor has led Lieberman to rumours to its foreign minister ofafiscal at lauriston Place. as ‘Nazi’,instability while the event’s organisers The been negotiations thusthe far have taken have quick to label demonstraplace behind closed doors, leading to tors ‘antisemitic’ and ‘undemocratic’. claims that wewading are witnessing “hostile But without into that avicious takeover”.The Journal notes that one argument, The to merger is not, in itself, a bad reaction Thursday’s turmoil stands idea; who can argue with a free out as a beacon of glibness. Ron Prosor,and egalitarian exchange of academic the Israeli ambassador in London, told expertise andin resources?

But rushing an newspaper his home country that the process, attempting to force “these attemptsand to suppress [Mr Khaldi’s]

two very different institutions together mindless of their histories and their traditions, has the potential to prove a costly ECAactivism is rightfully proud he feels mistake. that student in Britain of its community goes toosmall, far. Hecollegiate is wrong. If Britain’s and its well-respected academic stature.

Its universities and students’ unions are perstaff and studentsdemonstrations will not take kindly missive of energetic on to becoming the University’s Departcampus, that should be cause for pride. ment of Art. of campaigning young The tradition Theis not question representation people uniqueof to Britain, but it is is a vibrant crucial here one.as ECA’s student president as it is anywhere. acknowledges the possibility that her The point in question here is not positionthe may disappear as a result of whether conduct of the Edinburgh the merger.

There is yet to be protest was appropriate or not, buta frank and open discussion of howwith ECA’s 1,600 rather the weary resignation which students, with their distinct Ambassador Prosor seems to sighlocation “once and representative culture,this willnewsbe repmore”.

In previous editorials, resented in the new violence unified institution. paper has condemned at student The priority must ensure protests in London.

Butbewetohave also that they by possess an equal they must stood our belief in the voice; right to peacenotprotest, feel disenfranchised ful and we do so now.or outcast.

The campuses may remain physically The events at Appleton Tower were

divided, but in spirit there can be no division.

In principle, The Journal supports the mergerOn - as it is by a union ‘acceptable’. an long issue as clouded of equals, and bloodshed andproperly terror, weconsidered - and Ambassacarefully executed.

If money truly dor Prosor - should be thankful for acts is the forcewhich driving mergersuicide forward, of protest do this not involve then soorbe it: weon must act to protect the bombs attacks blockade-busting future of art education in Edinburgh. flotillas.

In Furthermore, any case, improved access to should various the ambassador resources for students atcomes both in instituacknowledge that activism tionsforms can only make theirthe educational many - from invading stage experience richer.

The two already and waving flags to sending a senior share a close bond, and there is policy advisor abroad on what oneno reason this referred cannot to continue grow and organiser as “a PRtodrive”. develop the benefit of all previstudents One of to Ambassador Prosor’s andappointments staff. ous within his governthere resentment aboutonthe mentIfsaw himis oversee Israel’s policy nature of this marriage-cum-bailout, ‘strategic affairs, counter-terrorism and however, we run the risk of ending nuclear disarmament’.

He has been atup in a ‘staying together the in kids’ scenario the sharp end of thefor spear terms of - a situation rarely ends happily.

Israeli foreignthat policy.

Now, however,

freedom of speech come as no surprise once more, a British university views this intimidating mob-rule as acceptable.”

It would appear that Israel’s most senior diplomat in Britain feels that this country’s university administrators are too tolerant of campus protests. Clearly,

not violent, and they were not destructive: it is a great shame that Mr Khaldi was unable to speak, and that there could not have been a more bilateral debate - but it is not the case that the protesters broke any laws or crossed an invisible line marking what is

as one of his country’s most senior officials abroad, he is responsible for a rather more softly-softly type of interaction. Perhaps he should adopt a more diplomatic approach next time he feels the need to attack his host nation’s campaigning traditions.

JK Rowling MS donation

Harry Potter and the Regenerative Neurology Clinic Pandering to commercialism Pandas at Edinburgh zoo

THE ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL Society of The Journal J. K.Zoo, RowlScotland, which APPlAUDS owns Edinburgh ing for her altruism donating have finalised a deal withinthe Chinese £10 million Conservation to the University of Edinburgh Wildlife Association to to establish new -research centre bring two giantapandas Tian Tian and studying -treatments for bears’ multiple Yangguang to the capital. The sclerosis. arrival will mark the first time a panda Rowling isforlikely theButmost hasMs resided in the UK 17 years. the successful author generation. venture is a huge risk,of andour it may well not Theoff. current Sunday Times Rich list pay estimates herasfortune at such somerare £512 As exciting it is to have million.

Of all possible uses for and beautiful animals being shipped such to wealth and there are of few Scotland fromstatus, far-flung corners themore worthy. hailed byhostthe world, it isHer hardbequest, to ignore the cost of co-director ofinthe University’s Centre ing the pandas Edinburgh: estimated at for Multiple Sclerosis Researchtimes as a some £6 million.

Even in exuberant

for zoos - which these are certainly not “generous donation”, that is a vastand sumfar-sighted to raise. willEdinburgh undoubtedly advance Zoo, in help particular, is in our understanding of the disease. no such purple patch. RBS have shied Multiple sclerosis lacks the profile away from their initial offer of corporate of cancer. Tomeanwhile, many, it First is seen as less sponsorship; Minister damaging.

But it is not.

It is a terrible Alex Salmond, though he championed the illness; protracted degeneration deal, has a now categorically ruled out anyof the human subsidy body that destroys families government of Tian Tian and his and compromises the sufferer’s abilmate. ity The to zoo liveare comfortably and indepenrelying on the whirlwind dently.

In the UK alone, 100,000 people of publicity around the pandas’ arrival to suffer from disease.

MsofRowling’s help cover thethe significant cost keeping mother, whom the clinicthis is to be them, butafter it is doubtful whether named, died from agedto just panda-monium willthe lastdisease long enough 45. the zoo’s dwindling ticket sales - or revive

to ensure for Tian Tian and Yangguang this stage,ofwith cure yet the At high standard livingno necessary forin sight,toour mustof bethem on treating the there be focus any chance breeding. disease’s effects; on mitigating, where But perhaps worst of all is the lingerat question all possible, its Edinburgh worst excesses. ing of whether Thisiscan only happen careful, Zoo a suitable home forthrough the pandas. methodicalCity clinical research, properly Edinburgh Council recently issued a fundedcritical and supported.

Wecondihope and highly survey of living expect theand Anne Rowling Regenertions at that the zoo, failure to pass their ativeinspection Neurology will make a signext inClinic 2012 could see the nificant contribution to that research. zoo lose its licence. Surely it would be Ms Rowling has administrators already lost a advisable for the zoo’s loved onethat totheir MS.current Her commitment to ensure wards to ensuring that others will not the have are well cared-for before bringing to is fundamentally undeniably crown jewels of the zooand world to the praiseworthy. city?

Edinburgh’s uniVErsiTY nEwspapEr Publisher Publisher DevonWalshe Walshe Devon Editor-in-chief EditorsKernohan (Acting) Marcus Marcus Kernohan Creative Director Megan Taylor Dorothy Butchard Design Team LeadLangdale Designer Joni DorothyCockburn Butchard Stuart Jez Dunn Deputy Editor (News) Production Manager Megan Taylor Bethany Ridley-Moran Picture Editor David Selby

General News Amanda S. falk Deputy Editor (News) LocalTaylor News Melissa Wong Megan National Politics Jonathan Baldie General News Amanda Svensson Falk Features Emily Johnston Local News Melissa Wong National Politics Jonathan Baldie Deputy Editor Academic News Lily Panamsky (Arts & News Entertainment) Student Jessica Abrahams MarcusPolitics Kernohan Student Al Innes Deputy Editor (Comment & Features) Theatre Amy Taylor Richard Martyn-Hemphill Art Rachel Cloughton Comment Joe Coward Comedy Emily Carson Features Alexa Caldecott Interview/Profile Robbie Marwick

Picturing your name in this box?

MusicEditor Kane Mumford Deputy (Arts & Fashion Jessica Heggie Entertainment) Food & Drink Ben Kendall João Abbott-Gribben Theatre Amy Taylor Deputy Editor (Sport) Art Matthew Macaulay Jonny Brick Comedy Emily Carson Food & Drink Ben Kendall Photography Editor Music Saskia RothsteinEdmund Fraser Longaretti Fashion Jessica Heggie Deputy Editors (Sport) Jamie Timson, Mark Simpson, Sean Gibson Subeditors Jen Owen, Ruth Jeffery

The Journal is currently recruiting. Visit www.journal-online.co.uk/recruitment or email us to find out more about joining our team.

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The Journal is currently recruiting: visit www.journal-online.co.uk/get_involved or email us to find out more.

JOIN OUR TEAM Crossword Editor-in-chief Working with a large team of writers, editors, layout designers and photographers the editor-inchief supervises the production of The Journal from commissioning to final layout and proofing. It’s a big responsibility, but it offers an amazing opportunity to take a hands-on approach in shaping the direction of Edinburgh’s independent student newspaper.

What we’re looking for The editor is responsible for making key decisions about the paper’s coverage and development, and so must take an active interest in all areas of the publication’s coverage, from news and comment to arts and sport.

We are looking for a person who: • is a great writer and editor • is confident and comfortable with managing a large and diverse team • has a sense for a compelling and eye-catching story • is passionate about both print and new media COMPILER: JON BALDIE | DESIGN: JONI LANGDALE

Deputy Editor Across: 1.Comment Whipping (12) 1. Civil-war era town in New-Jer& features 2. Crazed individual (4) sey USA (4,3) Down:

a team three junior and reporting directly 3.With The sum of allof markets and editors 4. Childminder (5) on a large scale (7) 6. Managing director (3) & toindividuals the editor-in-chief, the Deputy Editor (Comment 4.features) Home to ‘The Canaries’ 7. Prefix, all oversees the(7) commissioning of(4) informed, incisive 5.opinion Up for anpieces awardand (7) in-depth features 9. ___ Howard, American filmto that are relevant 8. Embroiled, perhaps (12) director (3) both our audience and the key10. issues of the day.

9. Not yet cached (3) At this instant (3) 14.Kel Dor member of Jedi Coun- 11. Scottish variant of 23) across (4) You must be: universe (3,4) 12. Not high (3) cil in Star Wars 15.

Band of small-time soldiers 13.figures Commonfor prefix in UK govern• relentless in chasing public comment, (7) ment organisation titles (2) whether politicians, journalists, academics artists 16. Mucking about (7) 17. Indefinite article,or precedes 18.

Speak (3) words beginning with vowels (2) • adept at writing and editing thoughtful, balanced 21. Five US cents (4) 18. ___Lanka, country off Indian commentaries on tight deadlines sub-continent (3) • tuned in to current affairs19. onType a local, national of gemstone (4) and 20. Of that kind (3) international plane 21. Lacking moisture (3) Looking for the 22. Midday (4) answers?

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Deputy Editor Sport

With four universities and three colleges, Edinburgh’s student sports scene is a busy place. The Deputy Editor (Sport) is responsible for ensuring that The Journal continues to provide broad, interesting coverage of both student and professional sport in Edinburgh and across Scotland.

Letters You need to possess: •

a wide general interest in a range of sports, and a solid

EUSAunderstanding take UKBA fight toof Holyrood government makes, doing sports no favours what’s going on in Edinburgh to a Labour Party that desperately (particularly at the universities) Thanks for publishing this. The effect needs the public to believe they have of legislation is going to be a credible economic plan match of their own.

• thisgood writing skills indeva range of formats, from astating to the to academic and high - Tom Coward, via web reports interviews and opinion pieces tech sectors of the UK. The idea that • great ideasfrom about to develop enhance the for pubpeople with PhDs our how top uniClimateand change: the battle publication’s sport coverage versities should not be allowed to lic opinion remain is patently absurd. One can • the ability to turn around tight, highly readable copy only conclude that Damian Green and It’s remarkable that an article can be on tight deadlines the rest of his party must be disgust- written lamenting the lack of belief in ingly anti-intellectual, and no doubt, climate change science in the UK in racist. - Nathan Skene, via web December 2010 without a mention of the weather, where it was the coldest Head to www.journal-online.co.uk/recruitment Balls in Miliband's court December in 100 years and the economy suffered a decline in for quarterly or email recruitment@journal-online.co.uk Ed Balls has already proved he can GDP because of the cold weather. You moretheinformation. attack Conservative-led govern- may have charts, graphs and all the ment: he tore Michael Gove to shreds "science" on your side but the reality over academies and free schools, but people see out the window and feel perhaps he is too aggressive. There is blowing through their coats is what a chance that, with Balls as Chancel- they believe. - Sean Wise, via web lor, Labour will attack every cut the

Comment 13

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

Discussion&Debate

Comment Let's be civil about this Civil partnerships closed the gap between heterosexual and LGBT couples - so why is progress on marriage equality so slow?

DARCYANDKAT ON FLICKR

When my fiancée put a ring on my finger, she didn’t ask me to 'merge our tax affairs'.

She asked me to marry her.

Carrie Lyell

I

’M GETTING MARRIED next year.

Well, I say ‘married’ - that’s not strictly true. According to the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1997, marriage is defined as between a man and a woman and prohibits samesex unions. So while my fiancée and I will get many of the legal perks of a marriage, we’ll have to settle for what many believe is second best.

Since 2005 gay couples have been allowed to legally register their relationship and qualify for virtually the same benefits available to heterosexual couples, but there’s still a big difference in the eyes of society. While LGBT people view the introduction of civil partnership as a huge step forward, most do not consider it to be equality. In a detailed survey of 430 LGBT people conducted at the end of 2009 by the Equality Network, 85 per cent said the law should be changed to open up marriage to couples regardless of gender. The same percentage rated this as a priority issue.

It’s not just the gays that are fighting for their right to be wed. Many heterosexual couples are angry that inequality in legislation means that they can’t choose to be civilly-partnered - thought that is perhaps a less catchy term than ‘married’.

Just one of those couples are Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle, who are taking their case all the way to the European Court of Human Rights.

But why would a straight couple want a civil partnership? As Ms Doyle explains: “The division between civil marriage and civil partnership reflects a division, or a perception of division in society. As it stands, it regards straight couples as different to gay couples, and that’s not right.”

Mr Freeman, meanwhile, says: “Often when a gay couple is mentioned in the press, the word ‘husband’ is used to refer to one or other of the partners. The implication being that it’s not a ‘real’ husband.” Those inverted commas are the bane of my life. But it’s not as simple as removing the punctuation, or even coming up with another word for a husband or wife. Hilary Third from the Scottish Government Equality Unit told me in 2009 that equal marriage was a long way off. Why? If the legal rights are pretty much the same, then what’s in a name?

Quite a lot, it seems. More than simply amending a document, allowing equal marriage in Scotland would cause a constitutional nightmare, according to the government.

be debated in the next Parliament, with the Scottish Liberal Democrats and Green Party backing the principle of one union regardless of gender mix, while several Labour and SNP MSPs have also pledged their support to the campaign.

Leader of the Greens, Patrick Harvie MSP said: “There has been dramatic progress in recent years toward family law which recognises the equality of same-sex relationships, but the job clearly isn’t complete yet.

Civil partnership has been a huge step forward, but there are still those who regard anything other than marriage as having a second class status. I always saw civil partnership as something which should be open to mixedsex or same-sex couples on equal terms, and I can’t see any reason why marriage shouldn’t be the same.”

Tim Hopkins, director of the Equality Network said: “Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are still discriminated against by the law in a way no other group is. It would be thought completely unacceptable if any other minority was singled out and told they can’t get married, but must have a separate status called civil partnership instead.

“Same-sex couples say: ‘Will you marry me?’ just like any other couple.

The law should recognise that commitment and treat us all the same.”

When my fiancée put a ring on my finger, she didn’t ask me to ‘merge our tax affairs’. She asked me to marry her. Love isn’t gendered, and neither should marriage be. I’ll leave the government to iron out the constitutional headaches - I’ve got a wedding to plan.

Although marriage is a devolved issue, they say changes would have to be made at national level to allow Scottish couples equal marriage rights including changes to immigration, pensions and inheritance law.

Last week, the Equality and Human Rights Commission Scotland hosted a symposium in Edinburgh to

discuss the ongoing equal marriage campaign, with many delegates arguing that the best way forward would be to push through a bill in Scotland to bring the country in line with others such as Norway, Spain and Portugal who already allow same-sex marriage - effectively leaving England behind.

Kaliani Lyle, Commissioner from the Equality and Human Rights Commission Scotland said: “As with Section 28, Scotland has the opportunity to lead the way in terms of legislative foresight and equality, and the Commission will continue to support such development.” The Equality Network say they hope the issue will

Carrie Lyell studied journalism at Edinburgh Napier University. She currently works as a freelance writer in Edinburgh, and has written news and features for several publications, including Pink Paper and DIVA magazine. She marries her fiancée Sarah next March.

Comment 15

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

Mr Murdoch, tear down this wall!

The News Corp CEO launches his iPad-only newspaper - but perhaps paywalls aren't really the future DAVID SELBY

Richard Martyn-Hemphill Comment & Features Editor

R

UPERT MURDOCH, THE domineering CEO of media titan News Corporation, has added another newspaper to his gargantuan collection: The Daily.

But there is a twist - this new publication is a newspaper without the paper.

The publication is entirely digital, channelled through the Apple iPad tablet. And in a bid to find a solution to the floundering profits of the media industry, The Daily’s content is entirely shielded by a paywall, with only paying subscribers granted access.

This is only the most recent salvo in Mr Murdoch’s war on free content: his most lucrative publications - The Times, The Sun and the Wall Street Journal all resist giving their content away for free. But this is a strategy that must be changed; for the good of the media, the web community - and News Corp itself.

The reason paywalls may bear less fruit than Mr Murdoch expects is down to a miscalculation: he underestimates the capacity of people to live by the gospel that ‘the best things in life are free’. As long as there continues to be an abundance of high-quality free content available at the click of a mouse, people will continue in their reluctance to pay.

Even if The Daily manages to produce the finest news content on the market - a doubtful prospect - most will still opt for the free sources on the basis of principle.

This was all too true of The Times.

Since the introduction of that paper’s paywall, much of its online following has deserted it, finding refuge on the free sites of competitors like the Guardian and The Independent. Visits to The Times’ websites have decreased

by a some 87 per cent, crashing from 21 million hits per month down to a far humbler 2.7 million. The strategy failed to increase sales of the print edition, and the income gained from those who purchased the £2 weekly subscriptions to the site was largely negated by a rapid

fall in advertising revenue.

Peering into his crystal ball, Murdoch prophesies a boom in the tablet industry to fuel sales for his new ‘paper’ and thus vindicate his paywall policy. It is not impossible that we are now on the cusp of a vast increase in tablet sales, but

with an abundance of free news apps on offer The Daily would need to bring something truly exceptional to the iPad to achieve the mass appeal its developers hope for. And they may well end up watching their envisioned subscription profits trickle away before their eyes, given that operating the subscription via iTunes will allow Apple to take 30 per cent of the sale by way of commission.

He may feel, with all the stubbornness of an old man well accustomed to profiteering, that it is too late to back down now: the creation of The Daily was far from cheap. Reports suggest that News Corp invested up to $30 million in developing the publication, with estimated weekly running costs of $500,000 to pay for his 100-strong phalanx of newly-hired journalists. But it is not too late to open it up, nor to reopen his other publications to the world beyond the paywall. A more sophisticated advertising strategy, using the latest developments in consumer-tracking technology could go some way to making up the shortfall in income.

News well told is like a drug: if you like it, you inhale it time and time again.

A return by News Corp to the open web would again broaden the diversity and quantity of the readership - a natural aspiration of journalism of any stripe.

After all, news is to spread, not sheltered. If Murdoch decides to perservere with fortifying his paywalls, it may prove as futile as old King Canute wishing to turn back the tide.

Unpaid, Unfair The voice of intern advocacy online offers his advice for the generation of students marching into a cycle of unpaid work MARIO KLINGEMANN

Alex Try

I

GRADUATED WITH a 2:1 in History in 2008. It took me over a year after graduating to find my first paid job: temp work with a charity in London. In between I applied for dozens of jobs, spent weeks on work experience placements and cut my teeth in the working world during a three-month unpaid internship at a Westminster think-tank.

I am sure my experience is a common one. In fact, I know it’s common, because over the past two years I’ve been running a blog for graduates to describe the problems they are having in the job market. Interns Anonymous provides a forum for paid and unpaid interns to describe the work they do and how they feel about.

Some interns’ experiences are great and some are terrible. The vast majority fall somewhere in between. But what almost every intern that writes to us agrees on is that internships have become a prerequisite for getting on that first step of the job ladder.

Politics and the media are traditionally notorious for unpaid work, but now it’s very unlikely that you will be able to make it as a lawyer, an accountant or a graphic designer without slaving away for free for months on end. The only people who get ahead

are those that can afford to get ahead.

The knock-on effect for social mobility is obvious. What’s more, previously paid entry-level jobs are now being replaced by rolling three-month unpaid internship schemes. This is why we are campaigning on the issue.

National Minimum Wage laws are

very clear. If you do more than shadowing for a few weeks, are relied upon to produce work, have set hours – and don’t get paid – then you can take your employer to court and claim back a wage. Sadly, the competition for jobs is so fierce that only a small minority of interns are willing to complain.

If you are going to fork out the money to do an internship – and getting experience on your CV is undoubtedly important – then you really need to be ruthless in knowing what you want.

Tell your boss what gaps you want to fill on your CV and what projects you want to work on. Don’t waste your time

making cups of tea. It’s your experiences that count, not just the name of the company you are working for.

Always remember that you are not doing your boss a favour. This is your money and your time that you are investing. If you have signed up to a three-month internship, and after two months feel like you have got everything out of it you can, then get leave and move on.

The majority of internships will not lead to jobs. Yes, you need to impress and work hard, but don’t be fooled into thinking a job will be there at the end of it. Your employer should expect a reference request to land on their desk every time you apply for a job (which will be often). This is why you are investing in the internship in the first place.

I think the most important advice of all is: don’t feel trapped by an unfair system. My internship did not get me my first job. What I base my job applications on is setting up a website, campaigning on problems in the graduate job market and showing I can do something myself. Try and do something a little out of the ordinary. This will get an employer’s attention better than any big-name brand on a CV. Alex Try runs Interns Anonymous, a campaigning blog focusing on the graduate employment market.

Arts & Entertainment 17

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

The Journal On the horizon THEATRE TUESDAY 22 - SATURDAY 26 FEBRUARY

Blues Brothers Party

03/02/11

Alan Bates: Comedy Hypnotist PLEASANCE THEATRE, £5 (STUDENTS £3)

FESTIVAL THEATRE. £19 - £25

Bates thrusts his volunteers into a series of hilarious and bizarre situations that are sure to leave the crowd mesmerized.

TUESDAY 22 – SATURDAY 26 FEBRUARY

15/02/11

Jake and Elwood return to tell their story of car chases, gospel, nuns and a lot of soul.

Propeller: The Comedy of Errors KING’S THEATRE, £14.50-£27.50

An all male cast present one of The Bard’s most famous comedies.

WEDNESDAY 23 - SATURDAY 26 FEBRUARY

Propeller: Richard III KING’S THEATRE, £14.50 - £27.50

Tom Stade THE STAND £10

This Canadian immigrant has worked on everything from Frankie Boyle’s Tramadol Nights and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow.

CLUBS 10/02/11

Theatre

Music

The Beckett Trilogy: Molloy, Malone Dies & The Unnamable

Musique Boutique Makes A Triumphant Comeback

The Gare St Lavare Players bring Beckett's infamous trilogy together and it's not for the faint-hearted

Masquerade

Georgina Bolton

This is the largest display of works on paper to date by the internationally renowned artist, Rosemarie Trockel.

7:00- 10:00 £5 (£4) WEE RED BAR

THE FLYER READS ‘due to popular demand, Musique Boutique is back’, and tonight’s jam-packed event is undeniably stamped with some throbbing vibes and a somewhat irritating confidence.

After an unnecessarily long wait in Edinburgh’s sub-zero temperatures - despite already having tickets to this ‘sold out’ event queuing is soon justified by the distant tease of heavy, rippling bass.

Those heart-buzzing vibrations turn out to be Glasgow’s ‘Bass Alliance Sound System’ playing in Room 2. Responsible for the dirty, dubby drum ‘n’ bass/garage mixes are Indra, DJ Kokoro, Edinburghbased Duck & Jacou and Ali T, who, alongside the wacky street cone installation by AIDRAFT, infuse Room 2 with massive energy and heavy vibes that pull you into the communal bounce, taking no prisoners.

If in need of some breathing time, Room 1 hosts a slew of live bands and the chance for some comfortable dancing space. Digital Jones serves up deliciously funky electro sounds to the crowd, whilst Chasing Owls and The Horndog Brass Band satisfy lovers of friendly, jazzy folk.

An obvious low-point of the evening is the embarrassing up-hill struggle of The Caves to cope with the influx of musicgreedy Budvar-guzzling youths.

Fire alarms and a full cloakroom cock-up put an unfortunate damper on what was set to be a blip-free night out. Hope is not lost however, with Room 2 relentlessly pumping out heavy tunes at ridiculous decibels until the end of the night, and Room 1 seeing the return of Duck & Jacou for the closing set, supplying the remaining committed cave-goers with one final hit of innovative, quality sound.

The Caves; Thursday 20 January; £6 in advance

COMEDY

21/02/11

Mogwai

The same all male cast present the dasterdly deeds of King Richard II

ART

CAVES £10 ADVANCE, £12 ON THE DOOR

Jean-Marc Bustamante

Masked ball at Caves, Night includes free massages, fire eaters and a photobooth. Dress code black tie and masks.

FRUITMARKET GALLERY, FREE

18/02/11

UNTIL 3 APRIL

An eclectic mix of materials and media from one of France’s senior artists.

12 FEBRUARY – 10 JULY

Artist Rooms: August Sander DEAN GALLERY, FREE

August Sander has dedicated his life to photographing the German people, and his work forms an important social document.

UNTIL 1 MAY

French Drawings: Poussin to Seurat NATIONAL GALLERY COMPLEX, FREE

From its first showing at the Wallace Collection in London an eclectic exhibition of French drawing comes to Edinburgh.

18 FEBRUARY - 3 APRIL

White Knight COLLECTIVE, FREE

Show investigating the concept of architecture as a frame.

FRIDAY 25 FEBRUARY – SUNDAY 5 JUNE

Marcus Adams: Royal Photographer THE QUEENS GALLERY, £5 (STUDENT)

An exhibition celebrating the work of Marcus Adams, who depicted generations of royal children.

UNTIL 30 APRIL

Rosemarie Trockel: ‘Drawings, Collages and Book Drafts’ TALBOT RICE, FREE

FANGS Confusion is Sex BONGO £12

Where the Weird is Normal Celebrating gore with unrelenting bloodlust 12/02/11

Musika LIQUID ROOMS ADV TICKETS: £8 (+BF)

Club/House/Techno night. The fourth birthday of the event, featuring John Digweed & Maetrik.

MUSIC 12/02/11

Shots Were Fired 7:00- 10:00 £5

New band with 1500 plays on their bittersweet toned down melodiesthey deserve more and they’re gonna get it.

12/02/11

Conquering Animal Sound 7:00- 10:30 £5 (£4) SNEAKY PETE’S

Delicate experimental pop using found sounds who are not afraid of harsh but perfectly blended noises.

18/02/11

The Streets 7:00- 10:00 £17.50 HMV PICTURE HOUSE

Mike Skinner and The Streets, cheeky London chap spoken word with catchy riffs.

19/02/11

Rob St John, Ziggy Campbell, Thirty Pounds of Bone Lineup selected by music blogger Song, By Toad

7:00- 10:00 £TBC

01/02/11

It’s Mogwai, post rock genius.

Eric Lampaert and Rob Heeney

21/02/11

PLEASANCE CABARET BAR, £5 (STUDENTS £4)

Eric Lampaert looks to perform an energetic and enthusiastic set as someone called “delightfully weird”

by Time Out

Penguin Café (Portico Quartet) 7:30- 10:30 £15 (£12.50)

A rare chance to see two great classical bands (Penguin MADE Napoleon Dynamite) well worth the price tag.

Ali Quaile DIRECTED BY JUDY Hegarty-Lovett, the Gare St Lazare Players Ireland bring to the stage an adaptation of Samuel Beckett’s seminal trilogy in a marathon performance that reaches almost three-and-a-half hours. The sole performer Conor Lovett enacts a brilliantly lucid performance of Beckett’s writing that captures his humour and absurdist style, whilst making accessible the recondite nature of his material. Devoid of props, Lovett is aided only by a single spotlight; appropriate for Beckett’s minimalist approach, yet sufficient enough for storytelling.Through Lovett’s facial expressions clarity is given to the piece, as distinctions between the characters portrayed in each story are made more obvious.

As the play lacks an ongoing narrative and prolonged character development, it is difficult to define any semblance of a plotto someone unfamiliar with Beckett’s work. However, whilst Malloy and Malone Dies do feature characterisable protagonists and a determinable story - the former following a vagrant man who visits his mother for charity, despite not knowing where she lives, and the latter a bedridden man who recounts stories whilst waiting for death - The Unnamable has no coherent storyline.

Instead, it favours a philosophical

exposition of one character’s questioning of the metaphysical.

This final act is the most dark, questioning the point of existence and attempting to comprehend the ‘nothing’ prevalent in death.

Beautifully capturing the torment of a being that can no longer exist and yet who fears the transition to death, Lovett exquisitely delivers the closing lines: “I can’t go on, I’ll go on”.

The confusion of the protagonist, combined with the ontological incomprehensibility of this tragic character, is incredibly powerful. The climax of this impenetrable position is shown by the character’s fear of silence and the loss of his voice, which leads him to question whether they exist as a person or merely in the language used to describe a person.

Overall, it is very well acted, with Lovett doing an excellent job of capturing the essence of Beckett’s writing. While a difficult trilogy, Lovett transforms Beckett’s works into an accessible watch. However, due to the nature of the play, it is arguably too intense to be viewed in a single sitting, as its lack of a narrative structure and deep existentialist questions make it a lot to take in.

Traverse Theatre | Fri 21, Sat 22 Jan, 7:30pm | £16.00 (£12.00)

18 Arts & Entertainment Music

Read more online @ www.journal-online.co.uk Art

Theatre

Gill Russell: 'Uamh' TTT

The Cunning Little Vixen TTT

Ceal Foyer TTTT

The Last Miner TTTT

SALONVERT TT

Clubs

Social Documents: The Ethics of Encounter TTTT Folk, Yarn & Fancy: Paintings from the RSA TT

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

The Virtual Cellist

Ultragroove: A House Oddity? TTT Comedy Russell Kane: Smokescreens and Castles TTTT

Art

Window to the West: The Rediscovery of Highland Art The Highlands has more to offer in terms of culture than just Nessie

Matthew Barley makes the virtual a reality at the Queens Hall Georgina Bolton

SHUFFLING APPREHENSIVELY INTO the striking duck-egg blue pews of Edinburgh’s transformed church-cum performance space, The Queen’s hall is a disappointingly non-student audience. The music-hungry congregation is anticipating the ‘celebration of the marriage of art and technology’, ambitiously orchestrated by cellist Matthew Barley and his talented VJ Nick Hillel. The talented duo manage not only to achieve their claim, but transcend and immortalise it through their ground breaking audio-visual melange.

Barley enters the stage with a humble yet mischievous grin, introducing the so-called ‘virtual’ performer who invites us into his sensuous world for just two precious hours. Barley’s MacBook elegantly balances on a low level tabletop, this cutting edge side-kick used to loop live riffs and play pre-recorded samples. By visually blending the slick aluminium aesthetic with the cello’s organic maple composition, the techno-apple successfully rivals

the cello as a mesmerisingly modern sculptural object in itself.

Opening with a hypnotic rendition of John Metcalfe’s ‘Lonely Bay’, Barley’s swift transition into tantalising improvisation, followed by Bach’s Prelude no.1 in G substantiates, through a masterly command of his instrument, his reputation as a world famous experimental cellist. Spending the first half teasing the audience into a relaxingly spiritual surrender, it was in the second half that Barley and Hillel’s organic fusion of music and video projection proved how in Hillel’s words, “stage and screen can be united as one”.

Hillel’s visuals invite a hauntingly haptic engagement with the screen, as abstract ballet dancers

move majestically across a greyscaled live feed of Matthew’s performance as if lifted straight from a Degas sketch. Flashes of a South American shaman, engulfed in swirling smoke, inaugurate the poetics of the melting of screeninto space-into audience mediation, creating an all-engulfing entropic experience.

Here it is not the traditional case of classical versus modern but classical becoming modern. In the Queen’s Hall this blustery Edinburgh evening, the virtual has very much become an un-missable, albeit ephemeral, reality.

The Queens Hall; Tuesday 1 February; £10

Comedy

Eric Lampaert and Rob Heeney Madeleine Mason THE NOTION OF rediscovery invokes an impression of long-forgotten tradition, of visiting old haunts, of brushing the dust from a once wellloved book. With this exhibition, the act of rediscovery assumes the air of a mythical journey as the viewer gazes through the mysterious ‘window to the west’ in search of a glimpse of ‘Gàidhealtachd’, or Gaelic Scotland.

This strange and beautiful word captures the feelings of unfamiliarity and awe with which many visitors must view this exhibition’s depiction of the Western Highlands. This terrain is at once sublimely rich, as visualised in the Scottish Colourists’ jewel-like paintings of Iona, and starkly bare, as illustrated by hazy video footage of vast skies and marshlands, accompanied by the sound of an empty, howling wind.

The very existence of the term

‘Gàidhealtachd’ also reflects the sense of pride felt by the Scottish artists who have chosen this landscape as their subject. This sentiment flows through these works with the same spirit as the St Ives School’s heartfelt portrayals of rugged Cornish beauty.

This union of identity and environment is strongly present within the show, and finds powerful expression in Chris Drury’s ‘Four Scottish Mountains’, in which sections of O.S. maps are overlaid with enlarged fingerprints made in local peat.

Through such an intertwining of picture and place, ‘Window to the West’ seeks to establish the importance of visual interpretations of Gaelic history, geography, and language; reminding us that there’s more to Scottish tradition than Nessie.

Window to the West: The Rediscovery of Highland Art; City Art Centre; Until 6 March; Free

Two contrasting acts justify the Cabaret Bar's reputation for great comedy Lawrence Head ERIC LAMPAERT, THE first act at tonight’s Pleasance Cabaret show, has a website which emphasises his ‘unusual’ and ad lib night of laughs.

This, however, does not do his 100 mile-per-hour act justice. This man is off-the-wall and a pleasure to watch.

Granted one doesn’t get a set which has been tried and tested across Europe, but what he does bring to the table is a frankly refreshing form of on-the-spot humour.

It was quite apparent he had very little material cocked, locked and ready to rock; he chose rather to play off the reaction from the audience

and immerse himself in his own aura of bizarre insanity involving monologues of mind-boggling ridiculousness. Many of the laughs originated from the sheer intensity of his performance; however this should not detract from the originality of his impromptu comedic talent.

The following act, Robert Heeney, exhibited a much steadier form of comedy, which also had a greater impact. Despite looking deceptively young, Heeney is in fact 40 years old.

This entirely justified his slightly jaded and cynical side-splitting anecdotes about man’s natural distrust of his fellow man, until said man asks if he’d like a drink and regales him with a story of drunkenly mistaking

a wardrobe for a lavatory.

When Heeney took the stage the first thing he did was move the microphone off-stage, instantly creating a far more amicable and intimate atmosphere, inviting the audience not just to be silent witnesses to his routine, but to feel as if each and every member was being spoken to. His set cannot be praised highly enough. It was steadily paced and calculating, sweating out every laugh from his captive audience. A resounding thumbs up to the Cabaret Bar for yet another enjoyable line-up.

Eric Lampaert and Rob Heeney; Pleasance Cabaret Bar

Arts & Entertainment 19

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

Art

Music

Rosemarie Trockel: Drawings, Collages and Book Drafts

Why Do Songs Have Lyrics?

Art questioning art; Rosemarie Trockel at Talbot Rice

Highly qualified lyrical experts discuss how and why we put words to music

Kathryn Lloyd THE TALBOT RICE’S exhibition of the internationally-renowned German artist, Rosemarie Trockel, plays host to more than 200 of her works on paper. Trockel’s contemporary art practice is widely regarded for its idiosyncratic mistrust of authoritative and male-dominated art systems. Her attempts to undermine these codes have granted Trockel a command of various disciplines, and this exhibition successfully highlights the innovation with which she subtly subverts established art structures.

Her work is drenched in art history; with direct references to Warhol, Grosz, Rubens and Kollwitz, and with more indirect, aesthetic allusions to

artists such as Marlene Dumas, David Hockney and David Shrigley. ‘Remember Uncle August, the Unhappy Invention’ creates a clear parallel with Grosz’s 1919 collage ‘Remember Uncle August, the Unhappy Inventor’, and directs attention to the notion of ‘male artist’ as an invention, rather than inventor, of academia.

Trockel is more prominently known for her ‘knitted pictures’, but her paper works are a vital part of her practice, functioning almost as snap shots of fleeting thought, immortalised through line. Even her materials work as an addition to the notion of discardable ideas; employing coloured crayon, parchment, photocopy paper, and acrylic paint with the translucent appearance of watercolour. ‘Schlafmohn’ (Opium Poppy), introduces

Saskia Rothstein-Longaretti Music Editor

one of Trockel’s reccurring motifs: the black hat or mask. The subject of this drawing, crouched on the floor like an animal, has his head obscured by a black mask, which resembles an upright flower. This absence of a face is something frequently found in Trockel’s work, rendering her images ambiguous and inaccessible.

Rosemarie Trockel’s work encompasses a delicate, clumsily visceral

texture, with a crude brutality, while feminine it is not reduced to feminist art. The Talbot Rice has presented a collection of her work which engages in the very nature of art itself, creating a thoughtprovoking, unsettling but engaging exhibition.

Talbot Rice Gallery; Until: 30 April; Free

Theatre

My Best Friend Drowned in a Swimming Pool The second play from student playwright, Eva O'Connor, highlights the issues of loss, death and sex Francesca Parker

MY BEST FRIEND Drowned in a Swimming Pool is the latest play by young playwright Eva O’Connor who stormed the fringe with her debut Clinical Lies, and it is clear O’Connor has not, under any circumstances, taken a back seat whilst writing her second play.

Funded in part by the English Literature Performing Grant, this new play was suitably performed in one of the university’s own buildings, Adam House theatre. My Best Friend explores the issues of grief and loss during the transitional period of adolescence, whilst showing how and

in what ways loss is a very individual emotion. O’Connor takes us on a journey into the minds and workings of four characters - Liam, Eleanor, Chloe and Connor - caught up in the aftermath of a sudden death.

The play itself is powerful, using both evocative language and expletives to remind the audience that those affected are not too far removed from reality. O’Connor approaches current issues with a sense of cynicism and irony, portraying recreational drugs quite simply as just that: recreation rather than an addiction. There are also references to casual sex with one character portrayed as being particularly liberal, highlighting the stigma attached to

overt feminine sexuality.

The music is one of the most influential factors throughout the play, and the transition between scenes is heavily assisted by carefully selected alternative music which the audience may not be accustomed to.

However, this does not detract from the play as it helps to expose certain characters’ states of mind. The main criticism is of the production’s staging; the set was neither so full that it was interesting nor so stark that it was abstract, which was a little

confusing.

However the audience’s connection and comprehension is reestablished when each characters’ emotional monologue is delivered spotlit and centre stage. The actors were certainly well cast and the production capacity as a whole was undeniably emotive. O’Connor’s writing is a force to be reckoned with.

Adam House: Thu 17 - Sat 29 Jan, 7:30pm

AS THE WORLD’S first UNESCO City of Literature, Edinburgh has teamed up with Glasgow - the UNESCO City of Music - to celebrate with a month-long event called ‘Let’s Get Lyrical’, kicking off with ‘Why Do Songs Have Lyrics?’.

Providing insight are Kenny Anderson (aka King Creosote), Ziggy Campbell (songwriter of The Found), writer Ian Rankin and Simon Frith (Head of Music at University of Edinburgh).

The crowd is of all ages, and there is a palpable sense of excitement. Ziggy Campbell walks on with his guitar, he is professional yet remains intimate and disarming: when he forgets the lyrics to his own song the audience completely forgives him. One song which stands out is about a boy he knew that killed his own father: it begins, “What’s that? Listen, a frequency so sad it aches…’

The evening begins, we hear each panellist’s favourite song lyric, and they quickly agree that Morrissey is one of, if not the, greatest lyricists of all time. His gift for humour, insight, and broad ‘songwriters dictionary’ means he ‘works on paper’, where apparently many don’t. Among many names dropped are Arab Strap, Belle and Sebastian, Neil Young. Leonard Cohen’s ‘Suzanne’ is revealed to have ‘rhythm rather than rhyme’ which makes me desperate to analyse it.

Sadly the conversation moves on.

Kenny points out that sometimes the lyrics you imagine are much better than the originals. Ziggy reveals that he writes the melody first and fits the lyrics around it.

The panel talks about how if you’re happy, you’re much less likely to find yourself sitting at the kitchen table writing a song about it. We finish with a beautiful performance by Anderson. Although the evening is interesting, I find myself wondering where the burning insights, fierce debate and analysis of the world of words and music is.

However, this is the first one and I’m inspired, with a list of bands and songs to listen to, and still looking forward to attending as many ‘Let’s Get Lyrical’ events as I can over the next month.

The Caves; Tuesday 1 February 2011; Free

20 Food & Drink Drinking

The Arcade Lose yourself in the comfortable acceptance of this side-street pub Ben Kendall Food & Drink Editor NEVER HAS A bar been more welcoming and inclusive than Arcade. Its constitution is almost encyclopaedic: antiquated, yet reverberating with a knowledge of the new. The stone flags are every-man’s-land, the yielding armchairs thrones for prince and pauper alike. Arcade is for everyone; affable acceptance permeates the air.

This welcoming disposition is most notably encapsulated in the pub’s perfect combination of old-time wisdom and youthful animated zeal. Games are played regularly here and none more enthusiastically than chess. On the night that The Journal visited, two disharmonic characters were engaged in bellicose piece-shuffling, a trendy scrub-clean Celtic beauty of a barmaid played against a time-encrusted regular whose corrugated face had been furrowed by the advancing years. Ordinarily, locution between such individuals would be thought unusual at best; but in this context of chess pieces and draught Guinness there exists not such divisionary prejudices.

Chess is a game not limited by stereotypes. It is not exclusive or bigoted, but inhabits a pseudo-world in which the trivialities of age, gender and race matter not. It is the process, the organic, beautifully tactical ebb and flow, the patience, the elegant logic of chess which matters. As with the game, so too with the pub. At the Arcade the only thing of aesthetic importance is the beauty of time well spent, not the categorisation of persons according to appearance, nor the agonising over what constitutes legitimate inclusion.

The Arcade is a haven for the thoughtful, a metaphysical cubbyhole wherein anyone may rest and ponder the curious magic of being, or be simply submerged in the warmth of old furniture and good ale.

This demeanour of universal acceptance exudes comfort, and it seeps into every element of the pub: the smiles, the seats, the sentiments of the bartenders. It is a handsome retreat, both gentle and rugged like an old country house. There is an amniotic calmness about the place, a womb-like warmth which coaxes the mind into placidity and stops time. Last-orders comes as a chilling, biting reminder of the world outwith Arcade. For who wishes to inhabit reality all of the time?

48 Cockburn St, EH1 1PB, 0131 220 1297

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

Drinking

Henrick's Somewhere comforting and reassuring to rest your mind on a windy mid-week night Caroline Bottger HENRICK’S IS LIKE a BBC period drama: it does not try to expand your knowledge about anything in particular, but it is undeniably fun and comforting. In this odd world of civil unrest, strange technology and Channel 4, we are all in need of this comfort.

This joint is cosy and unexpectedly chic for a bar so close to the family warrens of Bruntsfield. The name of the bar is inscribed above the door in an unfortunately mawkish typeface, which gives the impression of a chain establishment; but this is trickery, dear readers, trickery! The interior is truly charming: comfortable sofas alternate with more stiff-backed, wooden chairs allowing for pleasant chats or lively debate. Instead of being customarily boring, the walls of Henrick’s are covered in wallpaper depicting huge thistles in black ink, which remind you of calligraphy.

Although the font in which the name is set is slightly off-putting, Henrick’s provides all the old usuals, with a very impressive wine menu to boot, ranging from South African Chenin blanc to French Shiraz Malbec. The range of gins on offer is also not to be sniffed at: who knew that Tanqueray Ten existed? (OK, some of you probably did, but I don’t get out very much.)

The service is exceptional, and the staff are charming, even when they ask for identification or are kicking you out at the end of the evening. They

effortlessly reel off the names of everything behind the bar without batting an eyelash, making you feel inadequate with your sieve-like memory for things like historical dates, literary terms and

equations.

A sign of a good bar, like a good movie, is being able to forget that the outside world exists, so head over on a week day and forget your worries while

I try to end this article without sounding like an Aretha Franklin song.

1 Barclay Place, EH10 4HW, 0131 229 2442

Clubs

My Big Fat Gypsy Evening: Balkanarama Balkan beats and celebrating the cimbalom Rebecca Monks Clubs Editor STUDIO 24, EVER the willing host of eccentric evenings, is no stranger to a little diversity. From swing to indie, the club has spanned the musical genres and challenged the tastes of Edinburgh club goers week in, week out. With a mash up of gyspy jazz and klezmer tunes on the menu, Balkanarama is no exception.

The event, hosted regularly by

Studio 24, is a celebration of Balkan culture, and reflects the fast paced, quick beats of Balkan music mixed with folk and fun. This month’s line up featured Mr Robert Soko and the Baghdaddies as well as the Black Cat Gypsy Klezmer Orchestra. Playing the best in Balkan beats was DJ Lemon Slice, ensuring that the crowd were kept spinning, singing and shouting throughout the night.

The biggest names in Balkan music are regularly drawn to the event. In

the past, the event has even featured Hungarian star Kalam Balogh on the cimbalom, a chordophone capable of great sounds which provides for consequently great dancing. Balogh, considered to be one of the greatest players of the cimbalom in the world, is a great example of the dedication to detail that Balkanarama ensures.

Friday nights in Edinburgh are too often spent in standard student haunts, listening to well worn tunes and dancing well danced dances.

Balkanarama is a ticket to a different culture, and a different night altogether. Featuring the best in Balkan and Gypsy music, generous drink offers and a great deal of energy, the level of organisation that goes in to ensuring this event remains unique and celebrated at Studio 24 is extraordinary.

Where else could you find belly dancing, Balkan beats and a cimbalom?

Venue: Studio 24; 4 Feb; Price: £7 before 11pm, £9 onwards

Fashion 21

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

Brand New Scotland Using fashion and design to create a new brand for Scotland

How to be beautiful in a hurry Tips for saving those precious minutes in the morning rush for beauty Anna Warren

Jessica Heggie Fashion Editor

E

DINBURGH NAPIER UNIVERSITY has continued its quest to promote both the University and Scotland as a whole within the USA. Each year, second and third-year Graphic Design students compete to have their work shown in New York’s ever-expanding Tartan Week celebrations. This year’s brief is to design a campaign promoting Scottish Education.

Tartan Week, and particularly the Dressed to Kilt charity fashion show, have received significant media attention over the past few years, providing the perfect platform for budding Scottish talent. Tartan Week comprises a variety of events including Whisky Live, an evening of Scottish food and whisky, the Tartan Day Parade, a 10k run throughout Central Park, and the Dressed to Kilt charity fashion show, all designed to celebrate Scottish-American heritage

and culture.

The proceeds of the Dressed to Kilt show all go to charity. This year the show is supporting the Wounded Warrior Project, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Erskine Hospital in Scotland.

Unbelievably, Dressed to Kilt is the highest profile Scottish event in the world - even including those in Scotland! Last year Sir Sean and Lady Connery hosted the event, and Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl heartthrob) modelled for Edinburghbased designer Joey D. Not only is the fashion show highly frequented

by A-listers, but it also features some of the world’s top designers such as Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood.

Last year’s winner, Vikki Cameron, 3rd year Edinburgh Napier graphic design student, is a prime example of what a success the competition has been in previous years.

Each graphic design student was asked to design a piece of clothing

incorporating the Edinburgh Napier tartan. Cameron won over the panel of judges with her proposal, had her dress design made by Kinloch Anderson kilt makers and was featured in the Dressed to Kilt show. She travelled to New York as part of her prize and had the opportunity to meet influential figures within the fashion world, increasing an ever-valuable contact base as well as having the trip of a lifetime.

This year the students are again competing for the once-in-a-lifetime trip. The brief is to ‘sell Scotland’, re-branding Scotland as well as promoting higher education at Edinburgh Napier University. One of the many groups competing for the prize of a trip to NYC in order to implement their proposal is a group of six second and third-year students from Edinburgh Napier.

Joni Langdale, Rebecca Moyes, Rachel Gilchrist, Louise Scott, Jamie Duncan and Samuel Ngai have been working on a proposal to promote

the idea that education in Scotland is taking on new forms, expressed via the concept of a changing tartan. As such, the campaign aims to fit perfectly within the Tartan Week in New York. Through the use of illustration the group have developed the idea of using varying multimedia in order to show these changes while still keeping it very Scottish.

Using the tagline “Design education in Scotland is taking on new shapes, and is cheaper than The States” in conjunction with a plethora of visual images and videos, the group hope to win over the judges and take part in a once in a lifetime experience. www.woundedwarriorproject.org www.pva.org www.erskine.org.uk www.tartanweek.com

STUCK FOR TIME? Me too! My daily morning routine often resembles getting up half an hour before lectures start, having just about enough time to scrape my hair into a half decent style, and perhaps topping up last night’s make-up. Counting all of the products currently spilling out of my make-up box, it’s clear that the pressure is on to keep up a beauty regime, no matter how limited for time I am.

So, how can we maintain that ‘healthy glow’ without having to sacrifice the extra hit on the snooze button? Here are some quick tips for when you’re running out the door in the morning.

Why not use tinted moisturiser?

With moisture and cover up in one handy bottle, it’s a perfect time saving product and great for dehydrated, tired-looking skin. Benefit does a decent tinted moisturiser, ‘You Rebel’, and for those with a fairer complexion, ‘You Rebel Lite’. At £23.50 this will officially become your early morning lifesaver.

If you’re looking for a tinted moisturiser on more of a budget, Olay have brought out Olay ‘Complete Touch of Foundation’, which is a classic moisturiser from their complete care range and contains a touch of Max Factor foundation.This product goes onto the skin exactly like a moisturiser whilst giving the coverage and colour of a normal foundation. Priced at around £10, this is a great buy for those wanting beauty on a budget.

To add colour to your cheeks and lips in a hurry I would swear by a two-in-one. Many cosmetic brands include products in their range which can be used to add a rosy glow to the cheeks while doubling up as a lip tint. Benefit recently brought out a clever little product, aptly named ‘Rush Hour’, which is two-in-one stick that can be used to add sunblushed colour to the cheeks and lips for that ‘straight from the slopes’ glow we all yearn for. Rush Hour comes in a conveniently slim-line stick for girls on the go, and priced at £17.50 it’s a must have for your time saving make-up kit.

If this still seems a bit pricey, and you would rather save your pennies for that grande double shot Americano to make you look remotely human in the morning, then Collection 2000 also do a fantastic cheek and lip tint.

‘The Cheek of It’, priced at about £3, leaves a lasting colour on your cheeks and lips, acting like a stain and giving you the life and warmth your complexion needs on the days you need it most.

We have no excuse now; cosmetic brands are on our side and are giving us the support we need to maintain our hectic lifestyles.

22 Sport

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

Lance Armstrong – The man, the myth, the leg-end of the road?

Hacker examines potential demise of a sporting legacy unlike any other Jamie Timson Sport Co-Editor

O

N 2 OCTOBER 1996, a 25-year-old American is diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer. The doctors give him only a 40 per cent chance of survival. Less than three years later this individual wins the toughest competition in professional sport – the Tour de France. In the space of the next ten years he becomes the most successful cyclist in the history of the Tour, notching up another six consecutive triumphs, retiring - and then returning to finish third at the sprightly age of 37. He is now preparing to retire for a second time, this time he claims, for good. Lance Armstrong’s life reads like a Hollywood script but in the next

few weeks, events in those fabled hills may decide whether he gets his happy ending or a nasty twist in the tale.

Described as “capturing the eyes of a nation and the hearts of the entire world” by none other than Vice-President Al Gore in 1999, Armstrong holds a unique place in American culture. However, there have always been doubters, those who suggest his superhuman feats are just that – superhuman. But nothing really damaging has ever stuck. Every accusation of performance-enhancing drugs has either been too complicated for general public consumption or happily explained away by Team Armstrong. As Armstrong retires for a second time, however, a shift in opinion seems to be occurring, could the all-American hero be the biggest

sporting fraud of all time?

Last May Floyd Landis, the 2006 Tour winner and a former teammate of Armstrong, confessed to doping throughout his career. After four years of protesting his “innocence” Floyd admitted that he too had become a footnote in the history books of a sport all too closely linked to performance enhancement. However, far from going down quietly Floyd pointed the finger at Armstrong, claiming he had systematically cheated whilst team leader of the US Postal Service. Not only that, but Landis claimed that Johann Bruyneel – team manager and Armstrong’s longtime confidant – had bribed the sport’s governing body UCI to keep quiet about a positive drugs test in 2002. On its own these claims wouldn’t have

found much of an audience, given that many in cycling - particularly those in France, who see Armstrong as the overrated American - view him as the one who got away with it. However, the Food and Drug Administration of the US government decided to follow up on Landis’ claims, beginning a formal investigation.

This investigation is now coming to a close, it appears: witnesses have been put before a grand jury and should an indictment follow, Armstrong would no longer have to answer to just his critics but also to the law. His star is beginning to fade.

Vast swathes of the previously proLance American media have broadcast the claims made against him and should he have to stand trial, the very nature of the grand jury investigation

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process means he would be proving his innocence rather than defending it.

The real sadness lies in where this leaves the sport. Before the murmurings became cries of discontent, professional cycling could boast arguably the greatest sportsman of all time within its number. However, just as it loses another Tour de France winner to doping – Alberto Contador, who tested positive following this year’s tour and has been banned for a year – all eyes return to its White Knight. Armstrong claims he is the most tested athlete in the world and to this day he hasn’t officially failed a single drugs test. Nevertheless, should he and his legacy be put on trial, it would be the final nail in the coffin of a sport so desperately in need of an Armstrong-esque revival.

A swift glance at the last fortnight's sporting goings-on

By Sean Gibson, Mark Simpson & Jamie Timson Blues have Torres but Reds have three points Although many of you wouldn’t have seen it due to some dubious scheduling by the BBC in Scotland, this week’s Premier League fixtures yielded a record number of goals and a whole host of major incidents. The highlights being the matches at St James’ Park – where Arsenal managed to throw away a 4-0 lead – and Molineux where league leaders Manchester United lost their first game of the season to a spirited Wolves side 2-1. Chelsea were unable to capitalise on their rivals’ failings, going down 1-0 to a Torres-less Liverpool team determined to show their former talisman the error of his ways.

Green Bay send the Steelers packing As Christina Aguilera turned the American national anthem into the ‘Star-Mangled Banner’, the Vince Lombardi trophy returned to its namesake’s team. The Green Bay Packers defeated the

Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in an action packed Super Bowl. Stand-out quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes, while safety Nick Collins’ interception score was a play of real beauty. Despite the loss the Steelers showed real resolve to consistently drag their way back into proceedings. Their “steely” determination was almost rewarded when their 17-stone quarterback ‘Big’ Ben Roethlisberger threw an inch-perfect floated ball into the arms of Mike Wallace to bring them to within three points. However, a dream comeback was not to be and Green Bay secured their fourth Super Bowl triumph.

Rangers and Celtic scrap over sixth-round spot The Auld Firm showed on Sunday that they are still capable of producing quite a spectacle. Both teams had a man sent off with quality strikes from Scott Brown and Jamie Ness, in an exciting 2-2 draw. Celtic will be the happier of the teams, having

been a man short for a large portion of the game. With a home replay to come, a larger squad to deal with the extra fixture, and fewer games to play between now and the end of the season than their rivals, Celtic may have gained an advantage in more than just the Scottish Cup. Kubica’s season blown before it begins?

F1 star Robert Kubica has had major surgery following a rally accident last weekend. He suffered fractures of his right arm and leg and a partial severing of his right hand. This certainly rules him out of the first few races of the season, if not more. The Journal wishes him a speedy return to fitness.

Sport 23

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

The beasts awaken Who has emerged in the best shape from Formula One’s winter hibernation?

F1PHOTOS.ORG

Sean Gibson Sport Co-Editor RACING – AND, more importantly, hopeless speculation – resumed in earnest last week as Formula 1 took to the Valencia circuit in Spain. The familiar engine-roars announced that it was finally time for restless veterans and excited greenhorns alike to blow away the cobwebs of winter – and that’s just the fans.

For many it has been a long winter.

2010 saw a five-way title scrap that has caused perhaps more drivers than ever before to enter the new season with a point to prove. Add the respective frustrations of Felipe Massa, Robert Kubica and the whole Mercedes team to the delights and disappointments of last years title contenders and it is obvious that, more so than usual, the drivers will have been dying to get their hands on the new machinery.

Which is why McLaren’s decision to delay the launch of their car until after the Valencia test has raised a few eyebrows. Running a modified version of last year’s car, pilots Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button will still have gained valuable data, but it is difficult to see this as anything other than a setback – no matter what soundbites are thrown the way of the press.

Certainly, teams such as Ferrari have more than once delayed the arrival of their new car in the past decade and still achieved success, but that was before the days of

heavily-restricted winter and midseason testing. Test days are like gold dust in the modern era, but this year particularly, with the advent of adjustable rear-wings and the return of the Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS), not to mention the switch to

Pirelli tyres, every lap counts.

Hopeless speculation is a given in the Formula 1 off-season. However, the aforementioned technical changes are but the tip of an iceberg (even just the word ‘diffuser’ has me reaching for the solpadeine) that could well befuddle

even the most ardent of F1 followers.

Quite why the sport’s hierarchy insist on such frequent tinkering is another article entirely, but ultimately it further renders the pre-season posturing as redundant. Hot air abounds in the testing sessions and as much as

one can malign the speculative nature of the press at this stage, there really is little else to be done.

Driver opinion is divided on the quality of the new tyres, and nobody in the pit lane seems to agree on how KERS and adjustable rear wings will affect overtaking. KERS, regardless of its environmental pretensions, still receives criticism as a system too costly for smaller teams to run effectively and as an artificial element tainting the purity of racing.

In the same vein, drivers are complaining of having so many buttons on the steering wheel that they can barely focus on actual driving.

There are positives, though. Red Bull and Ferrari have begun in ominous form, looking to continue their fascinating duel; Paul Di Resta will become Britain’s newest F1 entry as he slips into a Force India seat with an impressive CV; and is this the season in which we finally see Robert Kubica fulfil his potential? In his new Lotus-Renault (let’s not start a ‘Lotus’ argument – will they give us permission to use their name here I wonder?) he looked initially very quick, but his preparation has been ruined by the arm and leg fractures he received whilst rallying last weekend.

Even in a sport known for its unpredictability, no-one knows if we’ll be witnessing the sublime or the farcical come Bahrain in March. Let’s just hope 2011 is memorable for the right reasons.

Six tribes go to war

Frugal Scots dampen deadline day madness

In the aftermath of the first round of Six Nations matches, The Journal consults its crystal ball for the weeks ahead

Liverpool are held to ransom by Newcastle for every penny they milked from the Fernando Torres deal

Michael Mawdsley, Laurence Wilson, Jamie Timson WITH THE LAST three tournaments being won by three different grand slam winning sides it would be a brave person who confidently predicted the outcome of this year’s competition.

Having beaten Wales in Cardiff, England look to have cemented their credentials as a title winning side. Once purveyors of the rucking and rolling game they now have a back-line capable of demolishing most opposition. The back three of Foden, Ashton and Cueto mixes pace and power, with genuine attacking nous. The clash between England and France at Twickenham it seems will now have a genuine bearing on the destination of the trophy. The Irish stumbled to a laborious 13-11 win over a hugely unlucky Italian side. Typically slow starters, Ireland, boosted by mercurial backs with a strong experienced forwards platform and inspired by talismanic captain Brian O’Driscoll, will certainly be tough to beat, particularly at

Landsdowne Road. The best game of the weekend involved two sides playing counter-attacking running rugby, the fact that it was won by France will be no surprise. However, that their opponents were a Scotland side willing to try the unexpected, away from home, bodes well for the Murrayfield contingent. France blew away the cobwebs of a shaky Autumn to show that, regardless of the inconsistency of their selections, their sheer strength in depth will ensure they’ll be in the hunt for the title come Super Saturday. For Wales a brave defeat does not spell doom for the proceeding weeks as they retain a team of great strength and depth. Continuity is their major failing, but with young starlets such as Hook and Roberts, a bit of flair could go a long way. The Italians look to be making steady progress and perhaps the safest prediction that can be made, is that they will cause one surprise result. So, to the final prediction, there will be no grand slam for any side, France will take the title, followed by England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and then Italy. You heard it here first.

Mark Simpson Sport Co-Editor THIS YEAR’S JANUARY transfer window will be remembered for the deadline day madness that led to a striker with more millions of pounds on his transfer fee than goals in his career, joining Liverpool to replace the even more extravagantly expensive Fernando Torres. But it was also a busy window for Scottish clubs, if not quite as expensive.

Colin Calderwood was given the backing of the Hibs board to ring the changes at Easter Road, with former favourites Merouane Zemmama and Chris Hogg being replaced by a host of new faces. Richie Towell, the Celtic loanee has already invoked the wrath of both his employers, as on his Hibs debut against Rangers his slack back pass handed Nikica Jelavic the opener.

However, he and three other fresh faces helped Hibs finally get on the score sheet, not once but twice against fellow strugglers St. Mirren in their next match, earning them only their third win under Colin Calderwood.

Hearts left it late with their main

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transfer activity, Evaldas Razulis following many of his countrymen before him in making the trip from Kaunas on deadline day, whilst former Jambo Andy Webster arrived after the window as a free agent from Rangers. Webster’s move is sure to provoke mixed emotions from Hearts fans due to his perceived betrayal when cancelling his contract to join Wigan in 2006, but with a nomination for SPL Player of the Year last season, he will almost certainly add quality to the team provided he remains fit.

Celtic caused a surprise by only signing two players in the whole of January.

Kris Commons and Freddie Ljungberg will surely add valuable experience to Neil Lennon’s bulging squad. Rangers even more surprisingly managed to sign three whole players in the space of two days. Kenny Miller’s departure has financed David Healy finally joining Rangers after nearly five years of speculation, Arsenal youngster Kyle Bartley joins on loan, and the infamous El Hadji Diouf, hated by Celtic fans for spitting at them in 2003, will now have further opportunities to provoke them in a loan deal from Blackburn.

24 Sport

The Journal Wednesday 9 February 2011

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League Table

Edinburgh University’s team make a spirited but unsuccessful defence of their Scottish Universities Indoor Championship title Sean Gibson Sport Co-Editor Edinburgh University were the city’s major representatives in Glasgow last weekend, but the reigning champions could not resist the strong local team. In spite of Glasgow’s clear points advantage, Edinburgh can be proud of their efforts and a number of gutsy individual performances on a day of thrilling action at the Kelvin Hall track.

The competition got underway with the 60m and Edinburgh began well with both James Wade and Oliver CalvoPlatero making the semi-finals; Wade in particular did well to qualify from a tough heat. Glasgow’s Cameron Clark took the win in the final after a strong run of 7.27s.

The women’s event saw Emma Storey-Gordon, Christina Micanovic and Kirsty Barr all go as far as the semifinals, with Barr going through the final.

She was unlucky to finish fifth, only 0.1s off second place, but no-one could match Alison Wylie of Robert Gordon’s and her phenomenal starts, as she took gold in 8.00s.

Bronze for Emma Bodiam in the 60m hurdles was quickly followed by gold in the Long Jump for Simon Herron in the men’s – who had plenty in hand over Napier’s second-placed Donald Tod – and Kirsty Barr in the women’s.

Edinburgh were more than holding their own in the field, as Barr herself went on to finish second in the High Jump and third in the Triple Jump – just behind

Susan Peddie in the latter.

The men were doing their bit, too, as Sean Gibson and Shuhei Muramatsu took third and fourth respectively in the Triple Jump, and Ray Bobrownicki took first in the high jump – jumping an untouchable 2.12m. Andrew Russell jumped 1.94m and was unlucky to miss out on second.

After lunch, four of the women’s 60m finalists rejoined battle in the 200m final.

This time Wylie of Robert Gordon University was edged out, finishing fourth as Strathclyde’s Diane Ramsay finished strongly to take the gold.

The men’s 200m was arguably the most competitive event of the day, with mercilessly tight qualification from the heats catching several athletes out. Fraser Adamson of Edinburgh and Craig Ritchie of Heriot-Watt did well to reach the semis, with Ritchie coming within a fraction of a second of making the final.

As it was, the impressive Ian Garioch of Aberdeen claimed gold in 22.73s, but not without having to fend off the tremendous challenge of Glasgow’s Jamie Sinclair, whose inside lane draw allowed him to pressure Garioch right to the line.

Heriot-Watt’s Graham Evans came mighty close to winning the men’s 1500m, only to be beaten by Simon McCluney of Glasgow. They were not to be denied gold in the Shot Put, though, nor in the men’s 400m, with strong performances from Christtel Ramirez and Andrew Raeburn respectively. That 400m race was notable also for a storming final bend from Isaac Baldwin of Edinburgh, as he pipped one of three Glasgow athletes to the bronze.

FOOTBALL BUCS Scottish Conference Men’s 1A P W D L F A GD Pts

Edinburgh Uni 30 Aberdeen Uni 3 WITH THE LARGEST and loudest crowd of the season to date, the pregame atmosphere was electric, both teams were buzzing, knowing full well that the victorious team would take control of the league. Aberdeen kicked off the first half with the viciously strong wind behind them, making it very hard for the home side to kick out of their own half. So instead of kicking,

5 3 2 0 13 3 10 11

Glasgow 1st=

5 2 1 2 9 12 -3

7

Edinburgh 2nd

6 1 2 3 4 9 -5

5

Strathclyde 1st

6 1 1 4 5 17 -12 4

RUGBY P WDL F

A

GD Pts

Edinburgh 1st

5 5 0 0 222 33 189 15

Aberdeen 1st

5 4 0 1 186 97

89 12

St Andrews 1st 5 3 0 2 174 111 63 Stirling 1st

9

4 1 0 3 84 193 -109 3

Heriot-Watt 1st 5 1 0 4 60 166 -106 3 Robert Gordon 1st 4 0 0 4 31 157 -126 0

In the women’s 800m final, Emma Butcher came in in fifth with a brave run that ultimately proved too taxing, having only sealed qualification in an exciting final few yards of her heat. Carlos Garcia showed tremendous endurance to secure bronze in the men’s 800m final – having edged a tight heat – before running both the 4x200m and 4x400m relays.

Glasgow dominated the relays, winning both the men’s and women’s 4x200m and the men’s 4x400m. Edinburgh were never far behind though, claiming second in each aforementioned race and the women’s 4x400m.

Come the end of the day, Glasgow had run out clear winners of the

championship. Disappointment at second place for Edinburgh should not diminish what was a great effort and there is little more you could have asked of the athletes. This performance bodes extremely well for the British University Indoor Championship in a few weeks time, and the forthcoming outdoor season.

Championship Result 1. Glasgow - 146 2. Edinburgh - 114 3. Dundee - 47 4. St. Andrews - 30 5. Strathclyde - 27 6. Stirling - 27 7. Aberdeen - 24 8. Heriot-Watt 19 9. Caledonian - 16 10. Robert Gordon’s - 11 11. West of Scotland - 8 12. Napier - 5 13. Abertay - 0 14. Highland - 0

Edinburgh University rugby club battle the elements to go three points clear at the top they drove themselves out metre by metre using the power and control of their forwards, who were fantastic all day. Remarkably it was Edinburgh who enjoyed the majority of possession and territory even though the wind was making it impossible for any sort of running game. This didn’t go unrewarded, as within minutes Edinburgh’s pack was able to crash over to give them a 7-0 advantage courtesy of their number eight James Morrison. The remainder of the half consisted of Aberdeen using the wind to pin Edinburgh into the corners, but this was to no avail as Edinburgh’s powerful ball carriers were able to edge their way back up the

6 4 0 2 14 4 10 12

Heriot Watt 1st

BUCS Scottish Conference Men’s 1A

Edinburgh in the driving seat Andrew Mackereth

Edinburgh 1st

field time and time again.

In the second half it was now Edinburgh’s turn to play with the wind behind them, which they utilized to great effect. With Edinburgh’s forwards being so effective it was near impossible for Aberdeen to stop them from coming down the field. Very soon Edinburgh found themselves once again attacking the try line of the opposition.

This time it was a superb driving maul which enabled them to touch down in the corner to make it 12-0. Aberdeen, determined to get back into the game came back at the home side with a new found aggression and for a good 15 minutes had Edinburgh camped on

their own try line. However, huge hits from likes of Phil Lucas caused them to spill the ball and allow Edinburgh to kick to safety. From that moment on it was all Edinburgh. A penalty from Rob Cuthberson and tries from Jamie Doubleday and winger Calum Williams put the game to bed. The score finished 30 points to three but had it not been for the wind it could well have been more.

Edinburgh are now three points clear in the league and will want - in next week’s game - to stretch the margin even further.

Man of the Match: Phil Lucas

HOCKEY BUCS Scottish Conference Women’s 1A P W D L F A GD Pts Edinburgh 1st

7 7 0 0 22 5 17 21

St. Andrews 1st

7 4 1 2 16 10 6

13

Glasgow 1st

7 4 0 3 15 14 1

9*

Edinburgh 2nd

7 1 1 5 11 24 -13 4

Caledonian 1st

6 0 0 6 2 13 -11 3*

BUCS Scottish Conference Men’s 1A P W D L F A GD Pts Heriot-Watt 1st

7 6 0 1 25 6 19 21*

Edinburgh 1st

8 7 0 1 25 7 18 21

Glasgow 1st

8 3 0 5 16 24 -8

Dundee 1st

7 2 0 5 9 24 -15 6

Aberdeen 1st

6 0 0 6 9 23 -14 -3*

9

* = points deducted/awarded

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