The Journal - Edinburgh Issue 017

WWW.JOURNAL-ONLINE.CO.UK

EDINBURGH’S UNIVERSITY NEWSPAPER

ISSUE XVII

WEDNESDAY 28 JANUARY 2009

OBAMA: MORE OF THE SAME? » 18 NEIL SIMPSON QUESTIONS WHETHER BARACK OBAMA’S PRESIDENCY WILL BRING A CLEAN BREAK WITH THE FOREIGN POLICY OF HIS PREDECESSORS

» IN NEWS

» EDINBURGH CHARITY FASHION SHOW 2009

More bad news for graduates Graduate jobs study suggests students are entering worst employment market for two decades

NATIONAL STUDENT NEWS » 8

Love thy neighbour £5000 made available to research animosity between students and their local community

STUDENT POLITICS » 10

Public health Scottish Parliament to address “democratic deficit” in local healthcare provision

NATIONAL POLITICS » 11

Everything must go Cuts in property prices highlighted for the first time in an attempt to attract new buyers

EDINBURGH NEWS » 10 The launch of 2009’s show heralds more ambitious fundraising targets for the organisers (www.edinburghcharityfashionshow.com)

RAE may strip Russell Group of £140m research funding » Change in evaluation techniques could result in more recognition for smaller institutions Hiran Balasuriya hiran.balasuriya@journal-online.co.uk THE UK’S TOP universities could lose up to £140 million in funding following the findings of a research group.

The cuts in funding could come as a result of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) findings which were published last month. They found that high-ranking top-rated research was more prevalent in most of the universities than formerly thought.

The Russell Group, a collaboration of twenty leading universities that is given two thirds of universities’ research grant funding in the UK, has said that its members face the danger of “haemorrhaging money” when the government announces this year’s funding allocations in March.

This means that the funding council may spread the £1.2 billion that is allocated to universities across a broader pool of institutions, leaving the Russell Group with less money.

Research in 150 of 159 participating institutions was deemed “world-leading.”

The RAE is a government study into the quality of research in leading universities, and takes place every five to seven years.

The University of Edinburgh, a member of the Russell Group, has welcomed the RAE findings but has not commented regarding a possible decrease in funding. Sir Timothy O’Shea, Principal of UoE, said: “Research at the University of Edinburgh is constantly expanding the depth of human knowledge and making an impact on the wider world, improving quality of life for people in

» HOW THE RAE WORKS In previous years, the RAE awarded university departments a single score for the quality of their research, with marks ranging from 1 to 5*. The system provided a concise reflection of the overall quality of each department, but was criticised for a perceived oversimplification of achievement levels, and for failing to distinguish between awarded the highest score.

The 2008 RAE assesses individual pieces of work by researchers, awarding each a mark from 1* (nationally recognised) to 4* (world-leading). These results are used to provide a graded profile of the department, which shows the proportion of members awarded each mark. Critics have claimed that the complexity of the new system can make it harder to reach a balanced overall judgement of a department’s research.

Scotland and further afield.”

Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group, was optimistic, viewing the results in terms of how it could help the recent economic slump. “This success is good news for the UK, as major research-intensive universities are vital to promoting economic prosperity and improving quality of life in this country,” she said. “Now more than ever our research-led institutions have a crucial role to play in helping the UK survive the economic downturn and stimulate a recovery.”

If the Higher Education Funding Council for England funds all “worldleading” research, which has been found in an overwhelming majority of participating universities, the Russell Group could lose 10% of funding.

Continued on page 2

» IN FEATURES

No place for a lady Eman Mansour on the horrific fate of Afghanistan’s women

COMMENT » 14

The world’s worst banker?

Sir Fred Goodwin the rise and fall of a national hero

PROFILE » 17

2 News

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

THIS WEEK AT JOURNAL-ONLINE.CO.UK

“THE NETWORK” LAUNCHES TALENT SEARCH New scheme is set up in association with Media Guardian to help young people get a head start in the television world

RAF RESCUES BABIES RAF airlifts premature twins from Stornoway to mainland

MEADOWS MARATHON City Council finally gives chairty event the go-ahead

MILIBAND DISCREDITS ‘WAR ON TERROR’ Foreign Secretary disowns term fast becoming obsolete under new American administration

CEASAR MONROY

GUANTANAMO: Detainee camp at the centre of human rights abuses to be shut within the next year, says president Barack Obama

WWW.JOURNAL-ONLINE.CO.UK

RAE may strip Russell Group Holyrood debates democratic health boards » Scottish Parliament to address “democratic deficit” in local healthcare of £140m research funding Continued from page 1 Despite being wary of a potential loss in funding, Piatt said that the Russell Group was “keen to remind people of the importance of critical mass and maintaining world-class universities.”

The RAE restated the University of Edinburgh’s position as one of the “world-leading” institutions for research.

63 per cent of the university’s research was classed in the highest two categories. 1,684 individuals at the university, or more than 90 per cent of university staff, submitted their work to be assessed, spanning 39 subject areas.

Whilst NUS Vice President for Higher Education, Aaron Porter, praised the results as well, he also warned of the possibility of disproportionate funding allocations: “The concentration of research funding to ‘elite’ institutions may result in denying the wider cohort of students facilities and research-informed teaching that funding brings and all students need.”

The questions over allocation of RAE funds have reopened the debate over the democratisation of higher education, with many new institutions and promoted polytechnics submitting research to the assessment for the first time.

Writing in The Guardian, Luke Georghiou, Science and Technology Policy professor at the Manchester Business School said: “Part of the problem is that the RAE’s architect, the late Sir Gareth Roberts, had only half of his proposals adopted.

“His 2003 review had called for a multitrack assessment which would take out of the exercise the least research-intensive.

“Noting that 40 out of 132 English HEIs had research accounting for less than 2% of their income he suggested that those in this category should stay out of the peer-reviewed quality assessment and be compensated with a basic level of income.

“Others would enter on a subject-bysubject basis. “

Liam Martin liam.martin@journal-online.co.uk IN A MOVE aimed at reducing a perceived “democratic deficit” in the provision of health care, the Scottish Parliament has assented to support the key principles of the Health Boards Bill.

The bill, which has the support of both Labour and the Conservatives, was debated and backed by the Holyrood parliament on 15 January. The vote means the first draft of the bill has now been approved, and may move forward in the consultation process.

Cabinet Secretary for health and wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon, said: “Accountability, transparency and responsiveness must be at the very heart of public sector decision-making and direct elections to health boards are an obvious and logical way of achieving this.”

If passed, the bill would see health boards consisting of a majority of elected

EDINBURGH’S UNIVERSITY NEWSPAPER

Editor Evan Beswick Deputy Editor Chris Williams Art Director Matthew MacLeod Board of Directors Ben Judge, Matthew MacLeod, Devon Walshe

General News Sarah Clark Edinburgh News Nick Eardley Academic News Rob Church-Taylor Student News Matthew Moore Student Politics Megan Taylor National Politics Ross Melton

Deputy Editor (News) Paris Gourtsoyannis Deputy Editor (Comment/Features) Simon Mundy Deputy Editor (Sport) Graham Mackay

Comment Helen O’Shea Music Jacqui Kavanagh Theatre Lucy Jackson Art Colleen Patterson

Design Assistants Cecilia Bertilsson & Luke Miller

Crossword Junta Sekimori Chief Illustrator Lewis Killin Photo Editors Giulia Frontini & Silvia Pavlova Foteva Web Editor Marthe Sandvik Editorial Assistants Abi Buglass & Anna Murray

Copy Editors Helen Broadfoot, Andrew Ferguson, Lotti Fyfe Laura McCaffrey, Gemma Pirnie, Alex Reynolds

Football Elvira Kemp Rugby John Geddie Hockey Emily Glass

members, both local councillors and directly elected officials. This would be achieved by way of elections every four years, using the form of proportional representation known as single transferable vote, and with a reduced voting age of 16.

Before the proposed scheme is rolled out nationwide, at the potential cost of £20m, there will be two pilot elections staged in order to asses its viability. The pilots are to last for a period of up to seven years.

Despite the bill’s apparently laudable aim of further democratising a public institution, some have expressed concerns.

Tory shadow cabinet secretary for health and wellbeing, Mary Scanlon, said: “The main concern is the fact that these funds will come from front line NHS services.”

She also expressed concerns about the potential “politicisation” of health boards.

The City of Edinburgh Council has been largely supportive of the bill. A spokesperson said: “The Council understands the need for improved

transparency, accountability and scrutiny in public decision making and welcomes the position of the Scottish Government to encourage greater public and patient involvement in the planning and delivery of local NHS services in Scotland.”

The council did, however, offer some cautionary words: “enhancing and strengthening current arrangements would be a more cost-effective approach to the accountability and control of NHS Boards.”

Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Ross Finnie, has also expressed concerns regarding the specifics of the bill: “Liberal Democrats believe we should be driving for full integration of community health partnerships. Accordingly, we have concerns that pitting majorityelected Health Boards against elected local councils will not help to achieve this end.”

The bill will now progress to the next evaluation stage of parliamentary scrutiny.

JOIN THE JOURNAL Want to get involved? http://recruitment.journal-online.co.uk The Journal is published by The Edinburgh Journal Ltd., registered address 52 Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JB. Registered in Scotland number SC322146. For enquiries call 0131 662 6766 or email info@journal-online.co.uk. The Journal is a free newspaper for and written by students and graduates in the City of Edinburgh. Contact us if you’d like to get involved. Printed by Morton’s Printers, Licolnshire.

Copyright © 2008 The Edinburgh Journal Ltd. Elements of this publication are distributed under a Creative Commons license - contact us for more information. Distributed byTwo Heads Media, www.twoheadsmedia. co.uk. Our thanks to PSYBT, Scottish Enterprise, and all who make this publication possible.

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION call our sales department on 0870 919 4909 or send an email to ads@journal-online.co.uk

News 3

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

Politics and personalities » Meet the University of Edinburgh’s brand new rectorial candidates...

GEORGE FOULKES A GRADUATE OF the University of Edinburgh with a degree in Psychology, the Right Honourable Lord George Foulkes of Cumnock MSP—to quote his full title—currently represents the Lothians region for the Labour party in the Scottish Parliament, as well as holding a seat in the House of Lords. In addition, he was an MP from 1979 until 2005.

In politics, Mr Foulkes has made enemies both on the left and the right, vocally supporting the war in Iraq, university topup fees and identity cards, while at the same time leading the way on issues such as a public smoking ban and a national “opt out” organ donation

register. In his native Edinburgh, the Bruntsfield resident also arouses partisan passions due to a far more personal allegiance: Lord Foulkes is Chair of Heart of Midlothian Football Club.

As a student Lord Foulkes was President of the Student Representative Council and president of the Scottish Union of Students – the precursor to NUS Scotland. He describes himself as a “passionate believer in the value and power of education,” and says that he believes “the staff and students of the University need a local, working rector who can really wield some influence in the corridors of power.” However, critics have claimed that the pressures of being an MSP and a peer, with a full schedule

ROBERT VEAL

at both Westminster and Holyrood will prevent Mr Foulkes from fulfilling his promise. The fact that, since the start of the campaign, Lord Foulkes has made just two public campaign stops on campus, and no press events, may confirm their suspicions.

With his manifestos to be published on 29 January, Lord Foulkes has thus far taken policy positions on supporting the £150,000 refurbishment of the Bedlam Theatre, and a planned extension of the Pleasance Centre for Sporting Excellence. He has also promised to promote the extension of sports bursaries targeted at students in the run-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

» POLLS OPEN 11-12 FEBRUARY IAIN MACWHIRTER IAIN MACWHIRTER, THE veteran political journalist and commentator, recieved his postgraduate degree from the University of Edinburgh in the 1970s. His 30 year career in broadcast and print journalism have seen him make his name primarily as a BBC correspondent and columnist based at Westminster, and latterly as the founder in 1989 of the Sunday Herald newspaper. His position as an observer of, rather than a participant in, party politics is, as Mr Macwhirter told The Journal, his greatest strength as a candidate.

“I’m not a member of any political party, though that’s not to say I’m unpolitical; but it’s a great advantage not to be constrained by any one set of positions. I think students are inherently suspicious of party figures,” says Mr Macwhirter.

“The rectorship is far too important to be dominated by personalities, or become a political football.”

Mr Macwhirter enjoys the support of nearly every representative student political group, with endorsements

forthcoming from people who are rarely found to be in agreement: EUSA President Adam Ramsay, and president of the Edinburgh University Conservative and Unionist Society Harry Cole, as well as the leaders of the student Scottish Nationalists, Young Greens and Liberal Democrats, have jointly expressed their support of Mr Macwhirter’s candidacy.

Current rector and former Green Party MSP Mark Ballard is also supporting Mr Macwhirter.

The cornerstone of Mr Macwhirter’s campaign platform is his committment to establishing a £7,000 minimum income guarantee for students with the support of government. “I think that figure is wholly reasonable; we are where we are with the current state of the economy, but with banks not willing to offer lending and overdraft facilities, and graduate employment collapsing, many students are going to find themselves with £15-20,000 worth of debt when they graduate.

“The government should also be passing on the cut in interest rates to those repaying student loans,” Mr Macwhirter

said.

The candidate, who lives in Edinburgh on the Pleasance, has also indicated he would champion student views on issues such as reducing the cost of accomodation for students in Edinburgh; rewarding excellence in teaching, particularly for student teachers; improving the quality of academic feedback; and better representing the 10,000 students studying at the King’s Buildings. He is, however, particularly motivated to tackle the growing problem of lack of contact time for in humanities degree programmes.

“I was astonished to learn that some students are recieving as little as four hours contact time per week. That is completely unacceptable – the University of Edinburgh is supposed to be a centre of higher learning.

“The focus on research at Edinburgh can be clearly seen through developments such as the new Informatics building—that undergraduates aren’t even allowed to use—but the university has got to honour its contract with students to provide top quality teaching,” he said.

Clockwise from top: George Galloway, George Foulkes, Ian Macwhirter

“Be nice to George!” - but how could I not? » Rectorial candidate George Galloway is first off the block to hold a press conference, but can he pick fights like he used to?

Paris Gourtsoyannis

Deputy Editor

paris@journal-online.co.uk

I

T’S WHEN YOU meet George Galloway face to face that you realise he is a figure defined by the battles he has fought. Though it may be a concession to the cliché that people always look taller on television than they do in real life, the figure at the centre of a gathering of students and supporters in the courtyard of Old College doesn’t do justice to Galloway’s operatic set-piece battles with big business, government, the Labour party, the United States Congress, Jeremy Paxman, and the Celebrity Big Brother viewing public.

Perhaps Galloway’s years in the political arena have finally taken their toll. There is more than a suggestion of a grandfatherly desire to don his

housecoat and slippers, pick up his pipe and get cosy by the warming glow of applause on the lecture circuit, rather than to pick another scrap in the frosty Edinburgh outdoors. The polite laughter when Galloway dismisses his personal vendetta with rival candidate George Foulkes, saying he has “more powerful enemies”—certainly the truth—is sympathetic, like a gentle admonition to watch his knees.

But, still, picking fights is what George Galloway does best – as I am to find out. The past decade has often seen Galloway out of favour with the media, so perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised to immediately find myself in the crosshairs for asking how he plans to win with student political groups, from EUSA to the Tories, rallying around his opponents: “You can’t count the ballots before they’re cast,” he admonishes.

“Thousands of students will be voting in February, and few of them are going to make their minds up based on the views

of a few chairmen.”

“I’ll be seeing you at the count on 12 February,” Galloway says. In case I hadn’t got the message, he later adds, “I bet you’d love it if I won.”

The mark of a master political firebrand is the art of mauling your opponent while remaing utterly disarming – and true to form, its impossible not to be charmed as I’m discreetly disemboweled, laughing along with the rest of the crowd at my own ridicule. The whiskers and spectacles may be grandad’s, but Galloway’s claws are still sharp.

He digs them into his opponents, who are unlikely to be as impressed.

Veteran journalist Iain Macwhirter is lucky to get off lightly with a dismissal: “This race is going to be between myself and Lord Foulkes,” pronounces Galloway.

The local candidate with more student endorsements than any other isn’t invited to this game of political football, it appears.

When addressing the target of his

venom, Lord Foulkes, Galloway goes for the eyes. “George Foulkes spends as much time at Westminster as I do,” he says. “I should know, because I’ve looked at his expenses – and if he doesn’t, then he’s in a bit of trouble.”

I once more dare to tread on the ice to ask the MP for Bethnal Green & Bow precisely what meetings Galloway will commit to attending as rector. As with his manifesto this is demanding too much for the time being. There’s a sense that the campaign is, so far, somewhat of a hurried affair. As the two bemused university security staff confirm— between taking mobile phone pictures of the candidate—no request was put in to have the event staged indoors. An upstart insurgency this may be, but a last minute one, to be sure.

Galloway’s stump speech consists of the sort of old-left vitriol which brought him fame and infamy in equal measure: “Edinburgh needs more working class students,” he argues.

“When George Foulkes attended the University of Edinburgh, he did so for free, using my taxes and those of many other ordinary British people to do so,” he says.

“The moment he and New Labour came to power, they took steps to prevent my children from being able to do the same. I’m very bitter about that.”

It’s compelling stuff, but given Galloway’s earlier assertion that “this election is going to be a referendum not only on student rights, but on the issues young people are demonstrating so clearly that they feel passionately about”—read Gaza—one finds it hard to accept his sincerity.

As the huddle follows Galloway off towards Teviot and a public consultation meeting, I stop some of his campaign staff – all of them students, mostly of politics. “Be nice to George! I think he’s great,” one of them says. But I do too, I protest; it’s just that he clearly needs a rest.

4 News

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

Ketamine use on the rise across the UK Emma Blinkhorn emma.blinkhorn@journal-online.co.uk THE DRUG KETAMINE, a horse tranquilliser that was used to treat soldiers in Vietnam, is being taken recreationally by more and more young people, according to a recent report.

The drug—which can be swallowed or injected—was previously considered a drug for ravers, but it has increasingly been taken up as the party drug of choice due to its low classification, cheap price, and perception that it is safer and “cleaner” than other drugs.

Known colloquially as as “special K” or “raver’s smack,” the popularity of the sedative has almost doubled over the last decade – from around 60,000 users in 1998 to an estimated 113,000 in 2008.

Increased usage of the drug has been reported in Portsmouth, London, Bristol, Ipswich, Birmingham, Nottingham, Sheffield, Blackpool and Newcastle. Individuals have also posted videos of themselves using the drug on you tube.

“Evidence of young people using

ketamine is a particular concern, especially as many users may underestimate the risks involved. Ketamine’s harm increases considerably at high doses and injecting users risk exposure to bloodborne viruses such as Hepatitis C or HIV,” said Martin Barnes, chief executive of the public body DrugScope.

Professor David Nutt, chairman of the government’s drug advisory panel, ranked it as the sixth most dangerous illegal drug on the market, overtaking ecstasy and cannabis.

One user, a 27-year-old marketing executive who takes the drug once a week said: “I see it as a fun, sociable drug. It makes you feel anaesthetised to your worries. You forget about your normal life and everything is euphoric. Sometimes I’ve had bad trips, but I’ve never felt angry when on ketamine. I think it is a lot safer too.”

However, the physical effects of the drug can cause heart and lung failure, with 23 recorded deaths between 1993 and 2006. Ketamine was classified as a Class C substance in January 2006, while cannabis has been reclassified as Class B.

US student auctions Mobile drugs tests trialed in Scotland virginity to fund degree » Grampian Police take fight against drugs onto the streets with new device Lidija Liegis lidija.liegis@journal-online.co.uk A CALIFORNIAN STUDENT is auctioning off her virginity in order to fund her master’s degree in family and marriage therapy.

The auction, conducted in association with Moonlite Bunny Ranch, a Nevada brothel, opened bidding in September 2008 at £162,000. The price set for the student’s coveted maidenhead has now risen to £2.5 million. Allegedly, there are 10,000 bidders competing.

The 22 year old student, operating under the pseudonym Natalie Dylan, has stated that this is not a regular online auction and she is not simply looking for the highest offer: “It’s not like an eBay auction…I don’t have to take the highest bidder. I’m taking time to get to know the guys. We contact each other back and forth.”

Ms Dylan added: “I’m looking for intelligence and I’m looking for an overall nice person.”

Ms Dylan has a degree in women’s studies from Sacramento State University. She holds that her endeavour is a serious one and part of preliminary

research for her master’s degree, explaining on The Tyra Banks Show: “My sister and I are going to go into our master’s and we’re doing premature research for our thesis project.

We wanted to study the dichotomous nature between virginity and prostitution, and there have been so few case studies of it.”

Dylan was inspired by a Peruvian woman who in 2005 auctioned her virginity to pay for her mother’s medical treatment, although ultimately she rejected the $1.5 million bid.

Previous attempts at auctioning virginity to fund higher education include Carys Copestake in 2007, and Rosie Reid, a then 18-yea-old Bristol University student.

Moonlite Bunny Ranch owner, Dennis Hof, supports Ms Dylan’s venture.

He explained that she had undergone a lie detector test in New York that conclusively proves she is a virgin. Rather more conclusively, though, she is also willing to undergo a physical examination.

US radio host Laura Ingraham suggests Dylan will not undergo her venture and that it is a publicity stunt.

Dylan has reportedly just signed a book deal.

Nina Conlon nina.conlon@journal-online.co.uk LOTHIAN AND BORDERS police have confirmed their hope to introduce the hand-held machine across Scotland after a successful pilot in Aberdeen.

Known as the “itemiser,” the device allows door staff or police officers to swab, as a condition of entry, a person’s hand for traces of drugs when entering a licensed premise. A portable machine then detects traces of illegal substances, including cannabis, ecstasy and heroin in seconds.

Licensed premises have taken part on a voluntary basis and, following a trial period carried out in October 2008, police in the North East of Scotland have received positive feedback.

Chief Inspector Innes Walker of Grampian police said that pub and club owners had broadly welcomed the introduction of the itemiser: “The device provides reassurance to

regular pub and club goers, while deterring unwanted drug dealers and consumers.

“A trial project was initiated in October and the initial reaction from the public, the licensed trade as well as local police officers was extremely positive. People had a greater confidence that they could enjoy a night out without fear of encountering drugs.”

Detective Superintendent Willie MacColl, National Drugs Coordinator for the Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency, confirmed that the device could soon be used in Edinburgh: “We hope that over time the model can be developed and used by community partnerships in other towns and cities across Scotland to reduce the harm caused by drugs,” he said.

The scheme has also been trialled in South Lanarkshire and Tayside.

The decision on whether to introduce the itemiser in Edinburgh’s bars and nightclubs will be made by Lothian and Borders police in due course.

News 5

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

NUS embraces reform at extraordinary conference

Leading black figures condemn NUS reforms » NUS president attacks “cynical political ploy” Rebecca Sibbett rebecca.sibbett@journal-online.co.uk

» 90 percent majority for package of measures designed to make national student representation more effective Megan Taylor megan.taylor@journal-online.co.uk AFTER A MERE two years of negotiations, NUS is officially on the road to reform. Delegates from all around the UK voted last week by an overwhelming majority of 90 per cent for the longawaited constitutional changes to be put into action.

Following the tense events of the last extraordinary conference back in November, a clear two-thirds majority was needed for the new constitution to be ratified. The votes at last weeks extraordinary conference, held again in Wolverhampton, were so convincing that no official count was necessary.

NUS President Wes Streeting remarked on the significance of the result: “This is a turning point in the history of NUS. The student population has changed dramatically in the past decade, but NUS has stood still. Today, that inertia comes to an end.

“It’s the most radical turn NUS has taken for a generation, and one that will put students’ interests and students’ needs at the forefront of a dynamic, relevant and effective organisation.”

The main changes involve structural leadership shifts. The creation of 5 “zone” committees who will specialise in certain areas, is hoped to give members better access to the head council and limit the amount of trivial suggestions wasting time at future conferences. All relevant information will be passed to the newly-elected National Executive Council (NEC), allowing specialist minority groups to get their views across more effectively.

The NEC will remain the union’s political arm, while a new Trustee Board consisting of both elected student officers and professional finance and legal experts, will be created to focus on the smooth-running of the Union. Proreformers see this as an attempt to rectify the mistakes made in the past.

Concerns that the true democracy of NUS would be ruined, since the reforms would technically cede overall power to the board, were dismissed. Voters appeared happy with the new system, under which the NEC retains the right to refer suggestions straight back to the board for review and, in theory, can remove any individual from the Board.

Referring to this shift in power, Streeting said: “That’s there for reassurance, but the board was never intended to be in massive conflict with the council.

“The system isn’t designed to encourage conflict. The NUS will remain a student-led, student-run organisation and the political leadership will remain in charge.”

Students’ Unions around the UK will also have the power to call a ballot between conferences, which prevents the NEC from taking policy decisions or launching campaigns without

Above: YouTube footage of the stage invasion by leftist protesters Below: NUS President Wes Streeting

» IN BRIEF: NUS REFORMS Increased representation: guaranteed representation for mature students, part-time students, and postgraduate students and increasing representation for international students. Council seats will be reserved for representatives of further education colleges.

The introduction of a Trustee Board, compromised of full-time elected officers of NUS, students and professional financial and legal expert, to focus on scrutinising the finance and administration of the organisation.

Creation of Zone committees—higher education, further education, welfare, union development and society and citizenship—to provide scrutiny, advice and direction for NUS Vice-Presidents and run conferences where formative policy discussions would be held to avoid such basic decisions having to be taken at annual conferences.

An extrodinary conference was held on 18 November 2008 to finalise amendments to the constitution. The vote on the amended reforms passed with 614 delegates in favour and 142 against.

After two years of wrangling, ast week’s vote finally ratified the new constitution by a margin of 90 per cent.

consulting the membership.

The small minority of “no” votes were mainly based in the south of England. On the morning of the conference, a facebook group was created by a student from Sussex students’ union, calling a meeting on 7 March in order to discuss what to do next if the main motion for the reform passed.

They claim that the new constitution will mean the “gutting of our national union’s democracy.” So far the protest group has only managed to attract 34 members.

In a dramatic—some say farcical—turn of events, the end of the voting was disrupted as the stage was invaded by pro-Palestinian protesters.

Those attending report that the conference was left in disarray as a crowd reputed to be from one of the socialist groups mounted the stage, armed with a megaphone.

“It was pretty chaotic,” said attenting delegate Kath McMahon. “The people on the stage were chanting ‘free Palestine’; the delegates on the floor were shouting ‘free the stage.’

“Certainly, a lot of us had different attitudes towards the [constitutional] review, but it was quite frustrating as the protesters didn’t represent the views of most of the people on the left.”

When, following a break, it became clear that the group was unlikely to

move, the vote was held despite the fact that certain amendments regarding the timetable of the reforms had not been debated fully as per the conference schedule. While some have expressed disappointment at this, the curtailment of debate time seems unlikely to have thrown the vote for new constitution.

As The Journal reported back in November, the history surrounding NUS attempts to reform has been riddled with controversy and embarrassment.

The saga began in 2007, when new plans were drawn up on how to run the struggling institution. These were accepted by the first conference, yet on April fool’s day last year, at the annual meeting in Blackpool, the proposed constitution was thrown out by the narrowest of margins.

It has since taken nine months and two extraordinary conferences for the union to agree on reform. This has angered some student groups who claim that, since 2009 is the year the government are planning to review the cap on tuition fees, a strong union is essential for ensuring students get a fair deal in the upcoming talks.

Streeting acknowledged that most students “care less about constitution and structures and more about outcomes”, and promised: “This constitutional reform is about being able to deliver those outcomes.”

THE RECENT DECISION by the National Union of Students (NUS) to ratify the new constitution has been taken amid a backdrop of controversy over the union’s handling of racial equality.

Concerns have been raised by a small group of black students who feel that the new amendments will greatly disadvantage them, as well as other minority groups within the NUS. They claim the new constitution will significantly lessen the influence held by their elected representatives as plans include removing officers of the minority groups from the most important body of the NUS. The major restructuring of the NUS is hoped to provide students with a greater opportunity to have their say, although some groups have argued that it will, in fact, severely limit the amount of input they have on important issues.

Backed by a number of well-known figures such as Doreen Lawrence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, poet Benjamin Zephaniah and MP Diane Abbott, black students launched a campaign in an attempt to persuade the NUS that before the reform took place an equality-impact check needed to be carried out.

In the days preceding the vote, Doreen Lawrence said in a joint statement with the other two famous figures: “I am disappointed to hear that, as the 10th anniversary of the Lawrence inquiry approaches, the NUS is planning to roll back black students’ representation. I was proud to support the creation of a black students officer in the NUS. The position is vital in ensuring the NUS properly represents black students, and challenges institutional racism.”

However, in response to this campaign, NUS president Wes Streeting rejected the protests as “cynical political ploy” to block reform. The requested assessment sought to consider the effect the new structure will have on minority groups, such as black, disabled, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual students, as well as women. However, the elected officers for women and disabled students have already pledged full support for the implementation of the new constitution.

Those campaigning claim the NUS had promised to carry out such a report last November, but that the vote now has taken place without any such assessment being commissioned.

Wes Streeting stated that the new changes will not be implemented until the summer, giving “plenty of time for an equality assessment to be completed and acted upon,” though he did not detail whether plans for this to occur have, as yet, been drawn up.

He added: “The reform proposals actually double the number of dedicated black students’ representatives on the NUS national executive, and improve support for our liberation campaigns.”

Doreen Lawrence, mother of murdered student Steven Lawrence

6 Edinburgh News

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

Usher Hall events cancelled as costs spiral DECLAN EDGAR

Lidija Liegis

problems which have pushed up costs.

“The sums involved in making the venue available and the potential impact on the project further down the line means that it’s just not possible to host these four events.

“This is a very difficult situation but our main focus must remain on getting the project completed in the summer and delivering a world class venue that will attract major events to Edinburgh in the future.”

A spokesman for Edinburgh City Council reiterated that the problems were unanticipated: “It was made clear to us at one point during the renovation that there was a possibility to re-open the Hall for a short period – the event bookings would not have been taken if we had been aware of the escalating costs.

“To make these events happen we would have had to stall for another month, which would have pushed costs up further, possibly impacting the festival. This would again have increased costs, causing a knock on effect which we wish to avoid.”

However, opposition leaders have criticised the council’s handling of the project. Councillor Andrew Burns told The Journal: “It is extremely unfortunate that the bookings had to be cancelled, and all parties involved have my sympathies.

“The bookings were taken very recently and it amounts to extremely bad planning. Ultimately it is the council’s responsibility and there are questions to be raised about the management of the whole project.”

The first stage of the development

lidija.liegis@journal-online.co.uk COSTS OF THE decade-long renovation of Edinburgh’s Usher Hall have risen by 20 per cent in recent months due to unforeseen construction problems.

A first phase of renovations was completed at a cost of £9.75 million, funded largely by Edinburgh City Council. However, costs of the current phase of works which began in March 2007—originally estimated at £20 million—have now risen to approximately £25 million.

The news comes in the same week that the council was forced to cancel four planned April events at the Lothian Road venue, again caused by rising costs.

The overhaul aims to provide enhanced protection of the hall’s acoustics, improvements to access and circulation within the building, a new glass wing housing a café-bar, a new box office area and extended office space.

It was initially hoped that the venue could be re-opened in April to host three concerts and a conference, but the £600,000 preliminary budget rose to £1 million, resulting in the abandonment of the re-opening.

Both the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra to were forced to reschedule events at smaller city venues as a direct result of the delay.

Edinburgh City Council culture leader Deidre Brock said: “These bookings were taken in good faith but the project has experienced unexpected

was completed between March and August 2007, including piling the foundations and digging the basement to support the new glass wing, as well as carrying out internal demolition work to construct new backstage facilities.

Temporary facilities were put in place to accommodate performers and audiences for the 2007 Edinburgh Festival, but following this the site was closed off again to allow the major elements of the construction work to take place.

Development plans had to be updated in November 2008 following the discovery of a range of difficulties with the construction site. A dig into the basement revealed that foundations would need to be reinforced to support the new glass wing and the unearthing of unexpected rock formations resulted in structural engineers ordering deeper pilings to ensure the integrity of the building.

Other factors contributing to cost increase include high demand for contractors, as well as public objections to the necessary traffic disruptions.

Furthermore, issues remain over the strength of certain walls, due to the addition of new stairwells.

A spokesman for Edinburgh City Council told The Journal: “There is always the chance that when you dig into foundations and into wall space, you will come into unexpected problems – that is what has happened, unfortunately.”

Originally due for completion in late 2008, the renovations will be finished in July 2009. Events are scheduled to recommence in August 2009.

£100,000 slashed from First time buyers take advantage capital house prices of weak housing market HOLLY PRIESTMAN

Camilla Conrath camilla.conrath@journal-online.co.uk AS HIGH STREET stores offer discounts in the annual January sales in an effort to attract customers, prospective housebuyers are also being encouraged to check their local estate agents for deals this month.

In light of the recent dramatic drop in house prices, estate agents across the capital have decided to market their properties with a difference, allowing first time buyers to see the size of the savings up for grabs.

In an attempt to entice reluctant home-buyers onto the market, around 200 Edinburgh properties will be advertised showing their original valuation alongside their “sale” or current asking price. Figures show that up to £100,000 has been slashed from the asking prices of a number of homes in an effort to kickstart the city’s property price cut.

For the first time since the start of Britain’s economic woes, the Edinburgh and Lothian Property Guide has revealed just how much house prices have dropped since they were first valued. By exposing these substantial reductions estate agents across Edinburgh are hoping buyers will be encouraged to grab a bargain before property prices begin to rise again.

However, in an effort to allay fears that the move may further depress the housing market, a spokesperson from Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre (ESPC) emphasised that the price cuts are “no secret” and involve nothing “startlingly new”.

“People are aware of the realities of the market at present and confidence is low. Had this information been published over six months ago, it may be different,” he said, adding that “buyers are out there, so this move will be to their advantage.”

Steve Spencer, senior partner at Neilson’s Solicitors said: “We’re trying to underline the fact that this situation is unique and temporary and that over the next six to eighteen months prices will go up again.”

With house prices in Edinburgh dropping by more than ten per cent during the last quarter of 2008 according to the ESPC, the average sale price of a home has now fallen below £200,000 for the first time since early 2007.

When asked about the outlook for the property market in 2009, the spokesman from ESPC stated that it was “possible we’d see an upturn in the number of sales over the duration of the year.” However, it was acknowledged that there was “little in the way of expectation that the property market will indeed rise.”

A similar situation exists in London—once at the centre of the property bubble—with house prices dropping between 15 to 20 per cent in some areas.

Although large local estate agents such as Hamptons are not actively advertising cuts in house prices, they are available on request.

However, they may, too, be forced to display discount figures in an attempt to inspire new buyers before long, as a spokeswoman from Hamptons told The Journal: “A lot of agents are doing it – it’s the right mindset and something that could potentially work well.”

Corinne Redfern corinne.redfern@journal-online.co.uk AS THE UK officially slid into recession on Friday, less pessimistic economists have identified an area of financial opportunity within the housing market.

Despite falling house prices affecting home owners and prospective sellers, figures released last week by BBC Radio 5 suggest that it is currently easier for first-time buyers to work their way up from the bottom of the property ladder than it has been for over half a decade.

The housing market has been more resistant against the economic downturn than the service sector, as high quality homes continue to be sold at high prices demanded by sellers. However, the recession is increasingly obliging owners to compromise, and therefore, lower the asking price.

Two-bedroom homes have lost approximately 12 per cent of their value since the financial crisis began last year; the most severe decline in value for any type of housing, particularly in comparison to one bedroom houses which have suffered a drop of eight per cent over the past twelve months.

Such a difference in the rate of change has made it appear more attractive for first or second time buyers to upgrade to larger homes.

David Kuo, head of personal finance at fool.co.uk explains that there are a lot of people who will have delayed buying their first property before the recession hit the housing market.

Mr Kuo said: “This is one opportunity

that comes around once every ten tears and as far as they are concerned the best thing that can happen would be if house prices fell to a level where [firsttime buyers] would be able to afford to get onto the housing ladder.”

As the economy continues to weaken, greater movement on asking prices is to be expected, as sellers finding it harder to resist the prevailing financial conditions are forced to reassess their own needs.

Fionnula Earley, Nationwide’s chief economist said: “While there will always be a rump of sellers who will

need to move in order to accommodate job or family changes there will be others who are affected by economic conditions more acutely. So we should expect a moderation of price expectations on the part of sellers in a weaker economic environment.”

It is these sellers who are driving the change; many people may now be living beyond their means, and may be forced into downsizing to adjust to the new economic climate. With these people in need of cheaper housing, and so desperate to sell their current properties, the price gap between the two is lessening.

Academic News 7

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

Edinburgh in space race against climate change

Cameron Robinson cameron.robinson@journal-online.co.uk IN A BID to help curb global warming, researchers at the University of Edinburgh are to analyse data from two new satellites built by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA. The American and Japanese-built crafts, The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) and the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) respectively, are designed to analyse the levels of CO2 in the earth’s lower atmosphere.

At present, scientists are able to calculate emissions for large areas such as cities or whole oceans. The data from OCO and GOSAT would enable researchers to monitor the range of regions in between, such as entire countries or remote areas where data collection has previously proved impossible.

Edinburgh University researcher Paul Palmer and his team have been involved with research groups from both OCO and GOSAT by analysing some of the data produced as a result of measurements taken by the two satellites.

Working at the university’s school of geosciences, they aim to infer relevant physical, chemical and biological processes on land, ocean and in the atmosphere from the mass of data.

» EDINBURGH... IN SPACE!

GOSAT:

$390m 1750kg 23 Jan

Total cost Mass Lift-off

OCO:

$273m 441kg 29 Feb

Total cost Mass: Lift-off

Special feature:

Three-channel grating spectrometer

Speaking to The Journal, Dr Palmer said: “My analysis starts in a few months when measurements start to be produced and we can start looking at the real atmosphere.”

The immediate implications of such data are numerous. Monitoring the CO2 output of individual countries could enable scientists to pinpoint the worstpolluting areas. In turn this would furnish the international community with valuable information in terms of where political pressure ought to be applied to force polluters to cut emissions. This is the primary goal of the Japanese GOSAT craft (locally know as IBUKI), which was launched into orbit last week. Built in association with Mitsubishi, Japan’s Space Agency JAXA hope it will “contribute to the international effort toward prevention of (global) warming.”

America’s OCO satellite is NASA’s first spacecraft specifically dedicated to mapping CO2 and, in contrast to the Japanese project, is concerned with areas which are absorbing as opposed to emitting greenhouse gases.

Such regions, known as “carbon sinks”, are thought to absorb over 50 per cent of all carbon emitted into the atmosphere. Oceanic and densely wooded areas are known examples of these. However, quite which areas absorb the most, and are therefore of greatest importance

Scottish scientists pioneer blindness cure Rob Church-Taylor & Joe Gallop news@journal-online.co.uk UNIQUE STEM-CELL TECHNIQUES are to be tested in Scotland in the hope of providing a breakthrough cure for corneal blindness.

The treatment could help the millions of people who suffer from the disease worldwide, the majority of whom are elderly.

Headed by Professor Bal Dhillon at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh, working with the Gartnavel General Hospital in Glasgow, the trial marks the first occasion on which the techniques are to be used on humans, rather than solely in the laboratory.

Professor Dhillon said: “This study is the first of its kind anywhere in the world and it is exciting to be involved in such groundbreaking work. I probably see two or three new cases of corneal disease every month. On a larger scale, it’s a significant problem.”

Although other stem-cell techniques are being trialed elsewhere in the UK the Scottish tests are the first to use a special type of stem cell called limbal cells.

These cells are found in the eye, in a layer between the cornea and conjunctiva – different cell layers at the front of the eyeball. As stem cells have the potential to replace diseased cells, researchers hope their introduction into the damaged area will result in improved sight.

The limbal stem-cells are taken

from a deceased donor and cultured in the laboratory before being surgically transplanted into the damaged cornea, replacing the diseased cells. The new cells then grow and enable the patient to regain vision.

A wide-ranging and complicated condition, corneal blindness encompasses many types of inflammatory eye diseases which cause scarring to the cornea, eventually resulting in functional blindness. The only current treatments available are cornea transplants or tissue grafts. However, both carry the risk of infection, while donor corneas for transplant are often in shortage.

The clinical trials, which are funded jointly by the UK Stem Cell Foundation and Scottish enterprise, are to be tested on 20 patients at first, before being scaled up to larger studies.

In addition, the research will test the use of immunosuppressant drugs to reduce the risk of cell rejection by the body’s immune system once the transplant has been carried out. However there is also the potential for the donor cells to come from the patient themselves, which would cause no complications regarding immune rejection.

This study will attempt to emulate the success of a similar study in the United States last year. The University of Pennsylvania study involved injecting a corrective gene into the eyes of patients with inherited blindness, after which patients experienced a dramatic improvement in their eyesight.

and in need of greatest protection, is unclear. Furthermore, knowing the properties of a good carbon sink could lead to the development of further natural or artificial sinks to boost CO2 absorption.

Both OCO and GOSAT are to measure the quantity of CO2 in the atmosphere by breaking up the sunlight reflected off the Earth’s surface into its construct colours and analyzing the resulting spectrum.

The two craft, however, employ different approaches and harbor substantially different onboard instrumentation to do the job. GOSAT uses a spectrometer and imager in tandem to obtain its data while OCO contains an alternative spectrometer which provides greater spatial resolution.

The two different methods, it is hoped, will provide complementary results. “Comparisons of CO2 retrievals from these two measurement techniques could help to identify and correct subtle measurement biases that might otherwise be missed,” explains Dr Palmer.

When in orbit the two satellites will join a larger array of satellites concerned with monitoring and analyzing the atmosphere known as the “The A Train”.

GOSAT was successfully launched from the Tanegashima Space Center on Friday morning GMT. The launch of OCO is scheduled for 23 February, should weather conditions prove suitable.

Delays expected for ‘On the Road’ magazine Marthe Lamp Sandvik marthe.sandvik@journal-online.co.uk WHETHER GOING TRAVELLING during spring break, or just to get away for the weekend, students in Edinburgh have been promised new inspiration when making their travelling arrangements. But the launch of travel magazine On the Road has been delayed by a funding shortfall.

While the articles for the first issue are all finished, problems with advertisement have made it impossible to go to print as yet. While the group behind On the Road are looking into all types of funding, they are unlikely to receive financing from the Edinburgh University Students’ Association.

“We’re aiming to print hopefully by the end of the month,” joint editor John Sannaee told The Journal.

Created by a group of well-travelled students, the magazine seeks to satisfy what the creators see as the need for a journal consisting of student-orientated travel news. Accordingly, the magazine aims to provide information on far-off and more adventurous journeys alongside articles on affordable trips in the UK, things to do around Edinburgh, interviews, opinion pieces, and reviews of travel literature.

“We intend to cover travel from a student point of view,” said Mr Sannaee.

“Through this we aim to both inspire students to travel, give them new ideas, and help their money go further.”

The plan is to print three issues this academic year, to be distributed free of charge across the University of Edinburgh campus, as well as at other venues.

TM

Work and travel in

America or Canada Spend your summer holiday exploring North America, making lifelong friendships and gaining invaluable CV-enhancing skills Summer Camp USA is a low cost programme offering you the chance to be a role model to kids as a camp counsellor Work Canada provides you with a flexible working visa – exclusively available through BUNAC Work America allows flexible work and travel anywhere in the USA KAMP sets you up with a summer placement in the USA helping with the day-to-day running of a children’s camp.

Join The Journal while you still can www. journalonline. co.uk

Upcoming Summer Camp USA Interviews in Edinburgh 7th February 2009 1st March 2009 22nd March 2009

For more information visit

Book your interview online

www.bunac.org

020 7251 3472 enquiries@bunac.org.uk

8 Student News

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

More grim news for graduates

Minister issues funding threat over student numbers

Amy Grant & Laura Robertson

Anthea Humphreys

news@journal-online.co.uk ACCORDING TO NEW research, students graduating this year are facing the worst job prospects in over two decades.

The Graduate Market in 2009, a study of graduate vacancies and starting salaries carried out by High Fliers Research, reveals that overall intake of new graduates has fallen by 17 per cent.

“Many top employers have already received a record number of applications for their 2009 graduate vacancies and most have either filled their remaining places or have closed off the application process,” managing director of High Fliers Research, Martin Birchall said.

He continued: “For those who have yet to begin job hunting, the chances of landing a last-minute place on a graduate programme now seem very slim.”

The survey covered companies drawn from The UK Top 100 Graduate Employers 2008, including firms as diverse as Microsoft, MI5, HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Procter and Gamble and Innocent Drinks.

A study conducted with over 1,000 soon-to-be graduates shows that 90 per cent were pessimistic about finding a graduate position this year.

The current economic climate has resulted in employers seeking experience

first, and subsequently financial sectors are being hit hardest, with more than 2,500 entry-level positions being cut from graduate recruitment programmes, and the biggest reductions occuring within retailing, accountancy and engineering. In particular, investment banking has suffered the worst blow, with 47 per cent fewer entry level jobs available than last year.

Additionally, the report warns that 18 per cent fewer graduates than expected were employed last year, meaning that this year’s graduates face competition from the class of 2008.

Kyle McAulay, a final year student of Economics at the University of Glasgow, commented: “Reading about the current employment situation in the papers everyday doesn’t make me particularly hopeful about finding a job at all, never mind one I actually want.

“I know graduates from last year who are still currently looking for graduate positions, what chance do this year’s graduates have?”

Two thirds of employers reported a significant increase in applicants for graduate degrees. Furthermore, the UK’s top employers promoted over 40,000 graduate vacancies during the 2008/2009 recruitment seasons, but 7000 were either left unfilled or outright cancelled.

The research registers a shift in

priorities of students as well as employers: two thirds of final year students said they had made job hunting a high priority, and one in five have applied to companies they have little or no interest in. Moreover, half of the students polled foresee themselves accepting any position which they are offered.

“It’s been a massive consideration when thinking about the next year or two,” said Donald Chapman, a final year engineering student at Glasgow University. “I’m thinking about applying for a PhD or doing a TEFL course, so that in a few years when I do start looking for a proper job, the job market might have recovered.”

Those fortunate enough to actually secure an entry level position will benefit from these developments, as average starting salaries are expected to increase by almost six per cent from last year.

Those seeking work in the public sector will be pleased to learn that it is the only area where job numbers have increased, with 51 per cent more positions available since 2007. The Armed Forces for example have increased recruitment for the Army, RAF and Royal Navy by 17 per cent over the last two years.

Ministers have proposed plans for an internship scheme to help graduates develop the necessary experience to find employment.

anthea.humphreys@journal-online.co.uk UNIVERSITIES THAT OVER-RECRUIT students may face financial penalties, ministers have warned.

In the latest letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Universities Secretary John Denham asked that universities “minimise and preferably eliminate overrecruitment” in 2009-10.

In the clearest threat to the sector yet, university funding for the coming year will be reduced by £19 million as ministers have revised the number of additional places universities are to offer this year.

Rather than the 15,000 estimate initially forwarded by the department for innovation, universities and skills, growth in the UK’s universities will now be restricted to 10,000 more students.

The move follows the admission by ministers that they had underestimated the number of those additional students who would be entitled to a full student maintenance grant, and the corresponding costs involved. The oversight has left a £200m black hole in university finances.

Denham’s annual letter to the HEFC suggests that universities will not just be penalised for any financial benefit they

may have gained from recruiting more students, but also for the cost of additional student support then incurred.

The cap on student admissions comes just after a recent UCAS report shows a 11.4 per cent rise in number of university acceptances in 2008, alongside a 10.1 per cent increase in applications. This compares to an increase last year of seven per cent in acceptance numbers. Accordingly, competition for places is likely to be fiercer this year as increases in applications are not matched by a greater number of university places.

Shadow education secretary, David Willets, said the move will make it impossible for universities to meet the government’s target of getting 50 per cent of young people into university by 2010.

Willets said: “These figures will come as a shock to sixth formers taking A-Levels and diplomas, to people who want to up-skill during the recession and to employers needing higher skills. We cannot hope to emerge from the recession in a competitive state until there is a clearer strategy for higher-level skills.”

Chief Executive of Universities UK, Diana Warwick, expressed further concern on placing limits on the growth of higher education, saying: “What the sector needs is stable, sustainable funding to assist higher education institutions in their forward planning.

Student News 9

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

Edinburgh institutions sign up to become “Universities that Count” STUART CAIE

Matthew Moore

MIKE MURRY

matthew.moore@journal-online.co.uk AT A TIME when green issues look to be increasingly at the periphery of the agenda, Edinburgh, Napier and Queen Margaret Universities have signed up to a newly-launched scheme designed to encourage more environmental and corporate responsibility.

Universities that Count (UTC) is the first independent benchmarking initiative aimed solely at higher education institutions. 70 universities across the UK have signed up for the project, which will measure the performance of all members and use the data as benchmarks.

Tasked with ensuring that the University of Edinburgh’s report submission properly reflects its policies and practices, David Somervell—sustainability adviser at the institution—said Edinburgh had chosen to participate in the more challenging Corporate Responsibility index, meaning that they will get feedback on the social issues, as well as organisational and environmental issues, that impact the wider community.

The programme is based on the Corporate Responsibility index proposed by corporate responsibility charity, Business in the Community. Its aim is to promote open and fair practices, thus allowing measurable sustainability indices in both corporate and environmental spheres.

Mr Somervell said: “We are participating fully in this benchmarking exercise and we hope that this will identify those areas where the university is well placed against the rest of the sector, as a proactive and responsible university which is addressing issues of sustainability and social responsibility. It will no doubt identify some areas where we can do better and which the sustainability and environmental advisory group will be working on this coming year.”

Frank Lopez, spokesman for Napier University responded: “The university will benefit as it will give us a structured way of benchmarking corporate responsibility throughout all facultys and professional service areas. Every effort will be made to ensure that we comply with all areas of the programme, whilst making a commitment to improving our performance.”

Participating universities are required to complete a questionnaire of eighty questions and submit a portfolio of evidence outlining all formal policies and performances across a range of environmental and social issues.

The scheme encompasses more than just corporate services: it is focused on improving delivery of learning and teaching as well as research and knowledge exchange.

Business in the Community (BITC) is an outreach charity established by Prince Charles in 1982. Its work is dedicated to measuring environmental and corporate responsibility efforts within big business.

The UTC scheme is to adopt the same methods and incorporate them at the member universities, who will then be able to effectively measure and manage their green initiatives and ethical practices. The project is being financed by the UK higher education funding council, with contributions from each university.

IPOH

Heriot-Watt have not committed to the scheme yet; however spokeswoman Caroline Dempster outlined the university’s plans: “We are not as yet formally signed up to the scheme but our representatives have attended a workshop and have been reviewing the two indices, to assess policies and procedures and the improvement that is being driven by them. We are currently awaiting clarification on some matters before deciding whether to proceed at this time.”

The move has been welcomed by the University of Edinburgh Students Association (EUSA). Adam Ramsay, president of EUSA, said: “Edinburgh University is a huge organisation with a substantial impact on the world around us. It’s great that the university is committed to ensuring the impact is as positive as possible. The Universities that Count scheme is a useful step along that road.

It’s important that the university continues to look at it’s impact, and what it can do to improve it.”

The scheme is being led by the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC), after a successful pilot in 2007. Iain Patton, executive director for the EAUC, has said the nature of the scheme would praise good work and help those with poor performances see how they can improve.

Mr Patton said: “The EAUC welcomes the sea-change in the sectors willingness to report publicly on its environmental and social performance. The high media profile which is part of Universities that Count will bring recognition for some excellent pioneering work done by EAUC members while bluntly reminding any that need it that this agenda is here to stay.”

In 2004, the Yorkshire and Humberside branch of BITC, provided a benchmarking service to large private and public organisations in the region free of charge. The Universities of Leeds, Bradford and York participated in the project and were able to progressively hone their environmental engagement – eventually standing strongly beside or above other public sector and private sector companies in the region.

Join The Journal while you still can www. journalonline. co.uk

10 Student Politics

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

Edinburgh’s universities receive failing grade in student experience survey Sarah Clark sarah.clark@journal-online.co.uk THE TIMES HIGHER Education Supplement’s annual student experience survey, which ranks the perceived quality of students’ time at university, has shown Edinburgh’s universities falling in students’ estimations over the past year.

Although three Scottish institutions appeared in the top 15 rated UK universities, none of Edinburgh’s universities featured. The highest placed Edinburgh institution was HeriotWatt in 24th place—down 13 places from 2008—followed by the University of Edinburgh at 43—down 11 places from 2008—and Napier University at 93.

As universities with less than 30 student respondents were not included in the final analysis, Queen Margaret University and Edinburgh College of Art did not feature in the survey.

Loughborough University, for the third year running, topped the survey, with Oxford and Cambridge in second and third place respectively. St Andrews was the highest ranking Scottish university in fifth place.

The poll aims to show which universities offer the best all-round student experience – an issue which has grown in importance in recent years with a sharp increase of staff whose roles are dedicated to developing this area of university life.

The survey, conducted by student market research specialists Opinionpanel, is unique in that students themselves pick attributes that are most important to their university experience. Non-academic factors such as a good social life, community atmosphere

and extra curricular activities and societies ranked alongside high teaching quality and well structured courses in student’s key concerns.

The research, conducted between October 2007 and May 2008, asked 12,000 students to rate their institution based on 21 factors, with a maximum of seven points allocated to each.

Heriot Watt University’s lowest scores were for a “good student union” (5.1) and “cheap bar/shop/amenities” (5.2). However, they scored highly on “good environment on campus/around university” (6.4).

Heriot-Watt Students’ Union president, Ruth Bush said: “Regardless of this survey, improving the student experience is at the heart of everything we do as a students’ association, and the university is also beginning to put it high on the agenda. Some of the things we are currently working on include getting improved learning spaces around campus with 24 hour access, state-of-the-art IT facilities, improved feedback on our assessed work, and providing volunteering opportunities for our students.”

Although the University of Edinburgh scored relatively well on a good social life (6.0), extra curricular activities (5.9) and sport facilities (5.9), they performed badly in terms of accommodation, industry connections and personal relationships with teaching staff, all of which were rated at 5.2. In line with Heriot-Watt, they were also revealed to have poor bar/shop/amenities (4.9). Edinburgh students gave their students’ union a score of 5.4.

Adam Ramsey, president of the Edinburgh University Students Association (EUSA) told The Journal: “I don’t think the other sabbs or I would have run for our jobs if we thought EUSA

HOLLY PRIESTMAN

Student-led criteria such as the quality of bar and shop amenities were among the categories polled

» WINNERS & LOSERS 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Loughborough University University of Oxford University of Cambridge University of Sheffield University of St Andrews

--13.

24.

25.

93.

University of Glasgow Heriot-Watt University University of Edinburgh Napier University

--97.

98.

99.

100.

101.

Birmigham University Middlesex University London Metropolitan University University of Westminster University of East London

was perfect. This year we are systematically evaluating all our services to see how we can improve them and have made a number of changes.”

Mr Ramsey continued: “The annual EUSA student survey shows students think we are improving. We have a new chief executive starting in March, and I’m confident he will help EUSA continue to improve.”

Anthony Blackshaw, currently the general manager of Essex University’s Student Union, will take up his position on March 2.

Mr Ramsey concluded: “It’s crucial that the university similarly takes the student experience at Edinburgh seriously, and learn the lessons of those universities which have managed to move up the league table.”

Napier University, which ranked amongst the lowest of all the UK universities analysed, performed poorly in accommodation (4.0) and their student

union (3.8). However, they received higher scores for helpful, interested staff (5.4) and good personal relationships with staff (5.4).

Critics of the survey have raised concerns over the percentage of students represented in the research performed. The 12,000 participants are only a small proportion—approximately one per cent—of the total student community. The low sample sizes for individual universities and the fact that not all universities are represented enough to be ranked may also skew the results.

However, Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, has fully endorsed the poll: “While some cynics may be quick to dismiss the results as ‘just another league table’, what makes this survey stand apart is that students themselves determine the factors important in delivering a high-quality experience.”

EUSA secures funding to ease community relations

Heriot-Watt finally goes fairtrade

» £5000 made available to research animosity between students and their neighbors

» Students’ union moves to ethically restock its outlets

Alice French

Abi Buglass

alice.french@journal-online.co.uk EDINBURGH CITY COUNCIL last week pledged £5000 to tackle the causes of community discord across the university city of Edinburgh after a bid by Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA) proved successful.

Antagonism between students and residents in Edinburgh is by no means a new phenomenon, but it came to head last summer when local government threatened to limit the number of Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in certain areas.

Fortunately for students living in such residences, these plans were abandoned following massive protests backed by EUSA’s “Right to Rent” campaign. Nonetheless, the problem still remains and is frequently cited by residents as a serious obstacle standing in the way of good community relations.

In light of this, steps have been taken towards tackling what student representatives have claimed to be underlying cause of this issue. At the

end of last year EUSA’s External Affairs Convener, Thomas Graham—who was instrumental in the Right to Rent campaign—forwarded a bid for a grant from the City of Edinburgh Council, in order to commission a survey into why there is such antagonism within the local community. Last week the council announced this bid had been successful.

Mr Graham said: “It is clear that we need to do more to improve our links with community groups and more to address problems that exist in communities.

“Students have a massive role to play in our communities and bring vibrancy to them. This research is an opportunity for us all to start addressing the fundamental problems that exist, dispel the myths and for us to find out the areas which we aren’t doing enough.”

The council has granted EUSA £5000, and an outside body has now been appointed to administer the poll. A student city forum has also been set up, at which students’ associations, MSPs and local councillors can raise concerns.

Early indicators suggest that the major problems appear to be fear of areas such as Marchmont, Sciennes and parts of Newtown becoming “ghost towns” during university holidays, increased litter, dissolution of community spirit, minor instances of antisocial behaviour and noisy neighbours.

The intention of this initiative is therefore to try and find ways of decreasing such instances, but also to show local residents that the student body itself is making an effort to listen to their grievances.

EUSA has also secured a grant for around £1000 towards production of a so-called “community living guide” for students, to raise students’ awareness of the gravity of the situation and also provide them with advice on how to avoid contentious situations with residents.

While the guide is only in its initial stages at present, Mr Graham expressed his hope that it will be available to distribute either to first year students with their welcome packs, or to second years before they move into flats.

abigail.buglass@journal-online.co.uk THE HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY Students’ Association (HWSA) made steps this month in finally pushing their parent institution to officially commit to Fairtrade status.

Having seen an increase in Fairtrade options across campus over time, the students’ association is keen that a policy be put in place which sees the university officially endorsing the social and economic scheme.

After negotiations throughout last semester, HWSA president Ruth Bush confirmed that the university now appeared open to movement on the issue.

“I will be bringing a draft policy to the next meeting of the university infrastructure board in February myself in an attempt to get things moving,” she told The Journal.

“Up until this year our university has not had ethical issues high up its agenda and this is such a shame. It may have been a slow battle but I am hugely excited that, finally, we will be in a position to

apply for Fairtrade university status later this year.”

While all stockists in the Edinburghbased university sell Fairtrade options, there is as yet no policy on the subject in place. The university is therefore under no obligation to continue stocking such products. As a result, there is no official acknowledgment of the university’s commitment to use or stock Fairtrade goods.

Fairtrade is an independent and nonprofit organisation which “seeks greater equity in international trade.”

Backing the aims of the movement, Ms Bush said: “We have a huge responsibility to promote Fairtrade products to our students. These products ensure better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for the farmers and workers involved in producing that product.

“Universities have a unique opportunity to set a good example and get people thinking about fair trade. Companies and brands desperately want to advertise to the student market because the buying habits we develop during our time as students very often stay with us for the rest of our lives.”

Student Politics 11

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

Sixth cancer death renews Manchester radiation fears

Heriot-Watt launches Target 50 volunteer scheme » HWUSA aims to get half of students into voluntary work

GENE HUNT

Alice Stanes alice.stanes@journal-online.co.uk A SEVENTY-YEAR OLD professor is said to have become the sixth victim of Rutherford’s radiation at the University of Manchester, which is thought may already have claimed five lives.

Room 2.62 and the rooms adjacent to it at the university—used at the start of the 20th century by physicist Ernest Rutherford to conduct nuclear experiments—have been at the centre of a storm of suspicion in recent years following a cluster of cancer cases amongst people who worked there for long periods of time.

Professor Tom Whiston is the latest former occupant of one of the rooms to develop pancreatic cancer, following the deaths of two of his former colleagues, Dr Hugh Wagner and Dr Arthur Reader – aged 62 and 69 respectively. Both men also died of pancreatic cancer.

The University of Manchester have been reluctant to admit to any connection between the deaths and potential sources of radiation within the buildings. A spokesperson said: “We believe the evidence presented to date does not support a connection between the deaths of former staff and possible exposure to radioactive contamination.”

The rooms surrounding 2.62 have previously been investigated following the death of psychologist Dr John

Clarke, who worked in the room below and died from a brain tumour in 1992.

Computer assistant Vanessa SantosLeitao, who worked directly next to 2.62, also suffered from a brain tumour and died in February 2008 at 25 years of age.

Suspicion was originally aroused when the history of Rutherford’s experiments was uncovered. Dangerous levels of radioactive radon and polonium were used in many of the laboratories

up until 1947 – prolonged exposure to which is known to have a direct effect on the growth of malignant tumours.

Professor David Coggon from the Medical Research Council was called in following the radiation scare, to lead an independent review into possible health risks associated with the university buildings. The University will await the results of this latest investigation before taking any further action.

Despite acknowledging the necessity for an independent review, the University of Manchester did not believe there to be any risk to the current occupants of the Rutherford Building.

A spokesperson revealed: “The Rutherford Building was surveyed by an independent specialist company as part of the refurbishment in 2006 and some minor contamination—below levels reportable to the Health and Safety Executive—were found in a limited number of locations. This was removed by specialist contractors and the building was re-surveyed prior to the move into the building of its current occupants.”

However, Liz Graham, who is acting as solicitor for Hugh Wagner’s widow, said: “Pancreatic cancer is not a common form of cancer, and three cases is a startlingly high incidence,” maintaining that a possible link between radioactive material in the buildings and the cancer deaths still existed.

Other former occupants of the Rutherford Building are also said to be considering a claim against the university.

Bumpy start for Heriot-Watt semesterisation programme Geneva Burleigh geneva@journal-online.co.uk HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY HAS come in for criticism from its students after the recent decision to switch to a two semester system. The process, whose benefits were expected to include more time devoted to teaching, fewer exams, and a longer summer holiday, has left some students concerned that the quality of their education has been compromised.

The Facebook group “I hate RAY [Restructuring of the Academic Year]” has been set up as forum for annoyed students to air their grievances. To date, the group has some 122 members.

Students have expressed concern over the switch for a variety of reasons, foremost being the worry that there is insufficient time for revision. “No revision time and then exams without any real rest in between is not good for anyone,” said Simon Eltringham, a member of the group.

Other students expressed concern that the implementation of the plan had gone badly: “Our lecturers try their best but they’re just not quite sure what’s going on sometimes,” wrote Derek Jamieson, another member. He continued: “Due to the lecturers not knowing submission dates it does mean I’ve had

one less presentation and two less progress reports to do so it’s not all bad!”

Not all students objected to the restructuring. Student Meri Ingebrigtsen suggested that the longer semester made it “easier to digest information when you have more time to do it,” and that “the [coursework] weightings reflect the fact that you should work more during term and not just cram for exams.”

Heriot-Watt Students’ Association president Ruth Bush confirmed that many students had expressed concern that the restructuring of the academic year had not been handled effectively by the university. She said: “The issues arising from the semesterised system are a major priority for the Students’ Association. We will be holding a series of focus groups and information stalls on campus over the next two weeks to answer the many questions that students have.

“We have both an emergency workstream, for issues that need to be dealt with immediately, and a second workstream that deals with problems that can be fed into the official University review of the system later this semester.

We hope this will get some of the problems resolved immediately to ensure that students’ degrees—particularly finalists’—do not suffer any more as a result of the changes.”

GOT A POINT? Get online and have your say on student politics in Edinburgh LETTERS@JOURNAL-ONLINE.CO.UK | WWW.JOURNAL-ONLINE.CO.UK

Join The Journal while you still can www. journalonline. co.uk

Nick Eardley nick.eardley@journal-online.co.uk A CAMPAIGN TO get students involved in volunteering has been launched

by Heriot-Watt’s Student Association (HWSA) in what student leaders have described as an attempt to improve the overall university experience of the university’s students.

The Target 50 project aims to get half of all students involved in volunteer work, with students being asked to register any voluntary activities that the participate in.

Speaking to The Journal, HWSA president Ruth Bush said that she believed the campaign would benefit students in a number of ways. She said: “Participation in volunteering is a brilliant way to learn new skills, help the local community and meet new friends.

The Students’ Association is always looking for opportunities to give our students the best experience possible at university and we think volunteering is a fantastic way to do this.

“Not only this, but when students start applying for jobs it will important that they have wider experience than just their studies and its extremely important we give our students as much support as possible in gaining this.”

As part of the campaign, the students’ association will offer help to students looking for voluntary work.

It has already built partnerships with

groups such as Crew2000 and the Samaritans to provide opportunities for voluntary experience. Students will also be offered opportunities to volunteer on campus as well as in the association itself.

However, it is not yet clear what impact the new campaign will have.

Although the association has said that hundreds of students have signed up to receive information about the campaign, of the Heriot-Watt students spoken to by The Journal none said that they had any plans to take up volunteer work in the near future.

Nonetheless, Ms Bush said that she hoped that the project would grow as it received more help from the university: “The university has aspirations to achieve the profile of a 1994 group university, and a particular characteristic of universities in this group is that they are very keen on enhancing the students’ experiences, and they often have a high participation rate in things like student societies and volunteering.

“Of course, there is a limit to the amount we can do as a students’ association, as we have very limited resources at the moment. However, we will be submitting an opportunity proposal to the university to get funding for a staff member to fully support this project and develop it further. We very much hope the university will support the proposal as it will contribute to the university’s strategic vision of a ‘focus on the future.’”

Comment 13

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

Comment Discussion&Debate

University fundraising:

Please give generously » Bristol vice-chancellor Eric Thomas hit the headlines last month when he donated £100,000 to its centenary campaign – more

than half his salary. But as he explains below, charitable giving alone will not be enough for Britain's top universities

DIANE MELOT

Eric Thomas eric.thomas@journal-online.co.uk

B

 

RISTOL, THE UNIVERSITY of which I am vice-chancellor and which celebrates its centenary this year, was founded on philanthropy, and the speed and scale of its early development were heavily dependent on the generosity of individuals and families. Chief among them was the Wills dynasty, whose numerous gifts amounted to some £400 million in today’s money. Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds, Birmingham and many other institutions also owe a great deal—perhaps their very existence—to charitable giving.

This is one reason why I have never had much time for the argument that philanthropic fundraising on any serious scale is something only American universities can do. There is a tradition of philanthropic giving to UK universities – though perhaps we allowed it to slow or even cease in the period after the Second World War, and are only rediscovering it now. It is a tradition on which we would be foolish not to build.

In 2004, I chaired a government task force that produced a report on voluntary giving to higher education. It sought, among other things, to encourage universities to invest in professional fundraising operations on the basis that whilst a culture of giving existed in the UK, the higher education sector had not developed a very sophisticated culture of asking. The report suggested that instead of feeling intimidated by, say, the size of Harvard’s endowment, British universities should remember that as recently as 30 years ago, many American institutions that are now reaping huge benefits from philanthropy did little by way of fundraising. It is also worth remembering that aggressive endowment management has contributed enormously to the astonishing growth in North American endowments over the past few decades and that now, in the credit crunch years, many US universities are feeling big pinches.

Of course, in the five years since my report was published, the economic climate has changed dramatically. It is too early to say with certainty what the effects on charitable giving will be, but there is no doubt that people will continue to support campaigns that are well articulated, inspiring and genuinely transformational. Universities

have the capacity to change the lives of the people within them and to make an impact on some of the greatest problems facing mankind. There will always be those who wish to make a contribution to the support of talented students, to the conduct of groundbreaking research and to the development of world-beating educational facilities and environments.

In all this, there are two essential caveats: charitable gifts can never be a substitute for other sources of income, and they must never distort an institution’s mission. Philanthropy in universities works alongside other, core sources of funding – particularly,

of course, the government, students and business. Fundraising is not about changing what an institution is or what it does, but about helping to make it even better than it could otherwise afford to be.

It follows that the growing emphasis on philanthropy in universities will not be accompanied by any diminution in the intensity of the debate about levels of undergraduate fees or the potential impact on budgets of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). Some vice-chancellors—me included—will continue to argue that, with appropriate safeguards for students from poorer backgrounds, there

is a case for raising the current cap on fees. (Not that there is likely to be much movement on this any time soon – it is hard to imagine that any party would wish to go into the next general election on a ‘raise student fees’ ticket.)

And no amount of success in philanthropy will make it easier to accept the likelihood that, as a result of RAE 2008, some of the UK’s more research-intensive institutions will see a drop in their quality-related research funding. It looks as though the existing RAE funding will be spread more thinly across the sector, but it is emphatically not the role of charitable giving to compensate for that.

At my university we have just publicly launched our Centenary Campaign. Our aim is to raise £100 million by 2014, and we had reached £40 million by the time we held our launch event. We are optimistic that we will reach our target by maintaining a highly professional approach and through sheer hard work. What we won’t do as the campaign progresses is let up for an instant on our pursuit of the essential core funding on which, in the final analysis, the institution depends.

Eric Thomas is the vice-chancellor of Bristol University

14 Comment

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

Heathrow:

Wrong time, wrong place » Gordon Brown's desire for a third runway at Heathrow is the plan of a man stuck in the past John Stewart john.stewart@journal-online.co.uk

T

HE DECISION TO give the green light to Heathrow expansion is likely to haunt Labour for years to come. The columnist Polly Toynbee put it well: “Whenever Labour tries to say or do anything green, the groundswell of protesters will shout back ‘Heathrow!’

End of argument.”

Politically, too, the decision appears near-suicidal. The Conservatives (and the Liberal Democrats) have said they would scrap all plans to expand Heathrow. Since the detailed plans for expansion would not be ready for approval until after the next general election, it would be the next government, not this one, which will take the final decision. In the words of one Tory councillor in West London, there would be “clear blue water” between the two main parties in the run-up to the election. Analysts believe it could cost Labour up to a dozen seats – enough to make a real difference in a close contest.

So why did Gordon Brown and the transport secretary Geoff Hoon defy almost half the Cabinet and over 50 rebel Labour MPs to give expansion the green light? Since his days in the Treasury Brown has been swayed by the voice of the aviation industry whispering in his ear. It has argued that, if Heathrow does not expand, business will locate to other European

cities, such as Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam, which have larger airports and, as a result, Britain will lose out in the globalised economy. There is no independent evidence to support this assertion. The fact that only 241 nonaviation firms in all of Britain chose to express any opinion in last year’s consultation on the government’s plans for Heathrow hardly suggests that business is clamoring for a third runway.

But Brown has refused to take off the blinkers. He’s compounded his

error through a belief that a third runway is the kind of large-scale project which is vital to drag the country out of recession. This is the mind-set of a man who can’t adapt to the realities of the 21st century: a world threatened by runaway climate change, where cheap oil is coming to an end, and faced with a recession which spells the end of untrammeled globalisation.

There are viable alternatives to the expansion of Heathrow. Over a quarter of the flights which use the airport are to destinations in the UK

or near-Europe which could be served by a fast, affordable rail service. The French, Germans and now the Spanish have shown how investment in fast rail can cut short-haul flights. Fewer short-haul flights at Heathrow would free up slots for the expected increase in flights from the growing economies of China and India. And then there is video-conferencing. Recent research from WWF showed that almost 90 per cent of the UK’s major firms expect to fly less and use video-conferencing facilities more in the next few years.

But the exploration of alternatives is being taken further and deeper than just rail and video-conferencing.

Progressive elements within the trades union movement are now talking about the “just transition” from jobs in unsustainable industries to those in more sustainable ones. And few industries are more unsustainable than aviation.

It is not surprising that, in this changing world, Brown’s eagerness to cling to the outdated concept of a new runway has not only made him look like an anachronism, but has given a buoyant self-confidence to the vibrant movement which opposes the runway. Armed with sound arguments on economics and climate change, it believes it can win. The fight against Heathrow is becoming an iconic battle.

Never before has such a wide-ranging coalition opposed plans to expand an airport: local residents; trades unions; local authorities; politicians of all parties; national environmental and development organisations; direct action activists; and countless individual environmentalists. As the Daily Telegraph—not a paper famous for its left-leaning credentials—noted, “There is an anger and a potential rebellion than runs from eco-warriors through to merchant bakers.” Against this vibrancy, Gordon Brown and Geoff Hoon look like yesterday’s men peddling the solution of the day before.

John Stewart is chairman of HACAN Clearskies and spokesman for AirportWatch

Fundamental injustice » The barbaric forced abortion carried out on a 14-year-old Afghan rape victim shocked the world. But such atrocities are increasingly common in present-day Afghanistan, where American promises of liberty seem ever more empty Eman Mansour eman.mansour@journal-online.co.uk

A

FTER NATO’S INVASION of Afghanistan in 2001, most people thought the world had finally remembered and rescued a country drowned in pain and sorrow. But despite the attention paid by the international community, today Afghanistan is one of the poorest, most under-developed countries in the world. The false slogans of “womens’ freedom” and “democracy” by the US helped it justify its invasion but today the people, especially women, feel betrayed by those false promises.

The US government brought back to power the men who devastated the country and the lives of the people like no government before. These are the criminals of the Northern Alliance who fought among themselves from 1992-96, immersing the country into deep turbulent years of unimaginable crimes: abductions, torture, rape, looting and forced labour. The warlords involved like Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf, Burhanuddin Rabbani and others enjoy high posts in the so-called democratic government today – but the people want to see them on trial in courts. In a nutshell, the present government today is ideologically no different from the Taliban.

To throw dust in the eyes of the world, they sent 68 female members to the parliament as a showcase – but in fact the vast majority of them are fundamentalist women who were sent to the parliament by warlords. The Women’s Ministry is another showcase that has done nothing for Afghan women. Malalai Joya, the only MP who dared to draw attention to the plight of Afghan women, was quickly expelled from the parliament.

Today the United States claims to have freed Afghan women, but women’s lives are still as painful as under the misogynist regime of the Taliban.

The story of Bashira, a 14-year-old girl, is a telling example. Bashira was gang-raped by three men, one of them the son of an infamous warlord in Sare-Pul (Northern Province) called Haji Payinda. Although she raised her voice and demanded justice, the boy is free today with no action taken against him.

Previously, President Hamid Karzai pardoned three men from influential tribes in the Northern Alliance convicted of raping and then killing a woman.

Even if the matters are taken to the courts not much hope exists for the victim, as the judiciary itself is manipulated by the warlords for their purposes. In a larger view, the parliament being filled with the same criminals, there is less probability of

laws being passed which would be in the favour of rape victims and against armed, influential men of their kind. In fact, a report showed that many female prisoners accused of having illegal sexual relations or having run away from home, are actually rape or abduction victims.

Though these cases have caught the attention of the world, many cases of domestic violence have gone unnoticed.

These sufferings include beatings, cutting of toes, hands, noses and many other horrific acts. Because of these hardships, the depression rate among Afghan women is over 90 per cent and scores of women commit suicide by self-burning every month. Afghanistan has the highest mortality rates in the world. One in nine women dies at childbirth.

The three decades of war has left one million widows. These widows are not supported by the corrupt government and have no option except begging, prostitution and suicide – the most common means of escape. The recent imposed law banning beggary reduces this range of options still further.

The growing influence of the Taliban and other extremists create a real atmosphere of fear. The recent acid attack on schoolgirls is just a trailer of the actual show of violence the medieval-minded fundamentalists can

put on. Even most of the civilians massacred by the US/NATO bombardments are usually women and children.

Afghanistan is a narco-state and drug lords have a grasp over the whole country. Afghanistan supplies 93 per cent of the world’s illicit opium, and the volume produced has risen every year since the US-led invasion. In such a lawless country, no-one expects the women’s rights situation to be improved.

Afghanistan has been pumped with an astonishing $15 billion, but all that money seems to have disappeared inside the corrupt government.

Today the international community is supporting a government brimming with fundamentalist warlords, war criminals and drug kingpins, all armed to the teeth.

RAWA believes that no other nation can liberate Afghan women, and it is their own responsibility to raise and fight for their rights. In this hard fight we need the support and solidarity of peace-loving and democratic-minded people of the world.

Eman Mansour is a campaigner with the antifundamentalist human rights group, the Revolutionary Association

Comment 15

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009 LEWIS KILLIN

NUS constitution:

Get over it » Britain's 7 million students should be prepared to hit the government where it hurts

Adam Ramsay adam.ramsay@journal-online.co.uk

S

then why is it an issue if Muslims take to the streets? After all, the longheld Western tradition of freedom of speech guarantees their right to speak their minds, even if it led to bouts of violence like it did that day when masked protestors burned firecrackers, threw missiles at riot police and even attacked a Starbucks shop near the Israeli embassy.

On the disturbances, author Tariq Ali told The Guardian: “You always have on any demonstration a group of people who get very angry and sometimes that comes out in violence, but for me the most appalling violence is happening in Gaza. A few punch-ups outside the Israeli embassy is neither here nor there.”

While there is no denying emotions could run high on an inflammatory issue such as Gaza, the only good prevailing from fired-up cheerleaders screaming at the top of their lungs “Allahu Akbar!” (“God is Great!”) and “Burn, burn, Israel” back to back is getting the crowd’s adrenaline pumping against the cold weather.

In fact, exclusivist chants and violent tendencies could only alienate non-Muslims (some of whom had participated in the protest) and above all, cheat the Palestinians of world sympathy. Far from helping those in Gaza suffering Israel’s military incursion, such behaviour reflected nothing more than a desire to quench individual anger. It was selfish.

O, NUS HAS a new constitution.

After years of arguments, the structure of our national union has changed for the first time since the 1970s. In a room full of nearly 1000 student activists, nothing is ever dull. Even a discussion about organisational structures and trustee boards ended with an occupation of the stage.

Fun fun.

But it passed by the required 2/3 majority. Whether or not this was a good thing is no longer the question. After such a long process, even the most hardened student hack is now bored with the debate.

But we are left in a difficult situation. Both sides of the argument made their case forcefully. If you believe the advocates of the changes, the NUS will now be so strong that it will easily bring down the government the moment they even whisper about increasing student fees. Believe the opponents and the organisation is dead.

The truth is that NUS is still the biggest organisation in the UK fighting for the future of higher and further education. It is still our national union. It is still what we make of it. NUS will only ever be as powerful as the passion of the students it represents. It will only ever be destroyed by the apathy of its members. While organisational structures are important, the real questions about NUS were not answered at a chaotic conference in Wolverhampton.

But they will be answered soon. It looks likely that, in the near future, the government will attempt to lift the cap on top-up fees in England, blowing a hole in both the social mobility of lower middle-class school leavers, and the funding system of Scottish universities.

NUS’s biggest failure was its defeat over top-up fees. Its greatest success was that the vote was the closest Labour had seen to that date.

At the time, the then president refused to run a non-payment campaign similar to that which defeated the poll tax. Apparently she told a colleague that she “didn’t want to damage the Labour Government that much.” Negotiations with the powerful require that you speak softly but carry a big stick. NUS is very good at speaking softly. The question it may need to answer is whether it can wield enough stick.

That is partly a question for the present national president, Wes Streeting. As a member of Labour Students, Streeting is open to criticism that he will not be willing to hit the government too hard – and he will need to prove his doubters wrong. But it is also a question for you. NUS does not have much money. It does not have the resources of the big business lobby, or other interest groups.

But it does have you. With more than 7 million members it represents more people than almost any other organisation in the UK. When businesses negotiate with government, they talk tough, because they know they have the funds to hit the government where it hurts. If you want to make sure your voice is heard, NUS must be able to do the same. Hopefully the new constitution will make that easier.

But without students willing to engage in these fights, NUS will be broken.

Nazry Bahrawi is a politics student at the University of Edinburgh

Adam Ramsay is president of Edinburgh University Students’ Association

Gaza protests:

An unwelcome distraction » Protestors making religious issue out of the Gaza violence only detract from the humanitarian crisis Nazry Bahrawi comment@journal-online.co.uk

B

Y ANY MEASURE, the Gaza crisis is a human tragedy of biblical proportions. At first glance, the slew of protests that had mushroomed across major European cities since late December when Israel launched its military offensive would suggest many saw it such.

But a closer look at the footage and images of these protests will reveal a most disturbing fact: most participants are of Middle Eastern descent.

For the white man in the street, it seems Gaza is still largely perceived as a preoccupation for that “other” community – the Muslims.

There were of course exceptions, notably here in Edinburgh. A smallscale student protest on 15 January proved to be a multiracial gathering, while another one held a week later on Barack Obama’s inauguration day saw non-Muslims make up roughly 60 per cent of the participants. Yet this was not the norm.

In Istanbul, I witnessed first-hand an overbearing Arab/Muslim presence at a Gaza protest in the early days of Israel’s Operation Cast Lead – not surprising, given Turkey’s demographic.

But I observed it too in London a week later as a participant of what had been described as the United Kingdom’s largest protest march on Gaza to date. To be fair, its organisers, Stop the War Coalition had tried including

non-Muslim voices through the likes of celebrities Annie Lennox and human rights activist Bianca Jagger, who both spoke prior to the march.

When people started walking, I also noticed pockets of non-Muslims in the crowd that day – members of political parties, and even Jews who were against the oppression. There was a further spattering of non-Arab faces that looked like they did not belong to either group. But in a city of some 7.5 million residents (of which nearly 70 per cent are people of white descent according to the 2005 census), a spattering among an estimated 20,000 that had marched from the Speaker’s Corner to the Israeli embassy at Kensington Park that snowy afternoon is not encouraging.

But perhaps part of the reason why many in the UK did not decide to turn up, or perhaps did not even identify with the Gaza crisis, can be surmised from the conduct of those among the crowds who keep reeling in the Gaza crisis back to a parochial turn. Their chants kept reminding the marchers that Gaza is a Muslim issue.

Despite the organisers’ best effort to couch Gaza as a human tragedy, Stop the War Coalition could have done more to minimise the brooding sense of exclusivism that had blanketed the march. For one thing, they could have at least had official crowd rousers leading chants that were along the inclusivist stand that they wished to take.

But not everyone sees this as a problem. If Palestinians are Muslims,

16 Editorial

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

Letters letters@journal-online.co.uk EDINBURGH’S UNIVERSITY NEWSPAPER | ISSUE XVII

Fairtrade:

A late arrival EDINBURGH IS ONE, St Andrew’s is one and Oxford Brookes has been one since 2003. From an unsteady start with just two universities getting onboard, Fairtrade mania has swept across UK campuses in the last six years so that there are now more than 70 higher education institutions officially listed as Fairtrade Universities.

With a penchant for the more Gradgrindian pursuits of science and engineering over the romantic distractions encountered in Edinburgh’s George Square, it is perhaps not surprising that Heriot-Watt University has waited until now in its preparations to jump onto this particular bandwagon.

But—better late than never—they are to be encouraged into the fold with cautious enthusiasm.

Fairtrade cannot be viewed as a panacea for financial injustice; the individual certainly benefits in the short term but the message it implies—that farmers must accept, at best, a wage that will never enable them to live the lifestyle of their Western patrons—remains part and parcel of the scheme.

Coffee prices are notorious for their devastating fluctuations. However, not even universal participation in the Fairtrade plan would solve the essential problem in this market of overproduction. Indeed, to a certain extent, Fairtrade

exacerbates this situation, acting in favour of some producers and neglecting others, with the result that efficiency and innovation are no longer rewarded.

Shielded from those market pressures which encourage improved productivity, supply and demand become detached.

One classic example is of European buyers’ insistence on purchasing expensive Caribbean bananas over the cheaper South American alternatives, a choice that does both regions’ producers a disservice: Venezuelans are punished for their investment in agricultural reform whilst West Indians are encouraged to maintain unmechanised farms.

Nevertheless, Fairtrade as a political force must be praised for its highlighting of the plight of those farmers who live outside the quixotic worlds of Ambridge or Emmerdale. Without doubt, those universities who have already committed to the scheme must have had this ideal in mind when putting their weight behind Fairtrade products.

The recently established Universities That Count initiative—a programme that aims to involve all higher education institutions in the practices of environmental sustainability and corporate and social responsibility—shows that the commitment to forging a greener, more socially responsible path to the future remains a key concern on the agendas

of higher educational institutions. Edinburgh, Napier and Queen Margaret universities, who have signed up to the proposal, can also be praised in this regard.

While it cannot be said that those who have so-far shied away from UTC have instead committed themselves to the opposite path of shady dealings in back alleys, it does seem odd that Heriot-Watt University has declared the plan unnecessary in the face of 64 universities already committed to it. The process of review that UTC proposes is essential to identify all the implications—both positive and negative—of universities’ activities. Heriot-Watt would surely benefit from the ability to measure progress towards its stated goal of increased environmental and corporate sustainability.

So Heriot-Watt can be accused of lagging in adding its crest to commitments outlining shared ethical goals. But where Fairtrade has proved so successful—and where the university, should they choose to sign up, is to be praised— is that it has written social concerns onto the metaphorical statue books of our institutions. Sure it’s a little late, and Fairtrade is no cure-all, but the addition of another “Fairtrade university” to the list of those publicly announcing that ethics must form a part of decision-making is very good news indeed.

DEAR SIR, Following the close of nominations it is apparent that Iain MacWhirter is the only credible candidate for Rector.

He is the one candidate standing in this election willing to set aside petty party politics and deliver for both students and staff. He has spoken out passionately, time and time again, on issues that really matter to students such as ID cards, top up fees and student funding. He will ensure that our university and students get a better deal and that our voice is heard.

Only by challenging all politicians to deliver for students can we secure the funding higher education needs and deserves, particularly during this period of financial uncertainty. With Iain as Rector we can all be confident

that our future is in safe hands. We might not always agree with Iain on the issues or indeed each other for that matter but what we can agree on is that Iain is the best man for the job.”

Ross Stalker, President of Edinburgh University Liberal Democrats Matt Lawson, President of Edinburgh University Scottish Nationalists Harry Cole, President of Edinburgh University Conservative and Unionist Society Devin Dunsieth, Edinburgh University Young Greens Adam Ramsay Oliver Mundell

Crossword #9 - Cryptic

Research cash:

Lost in the detail IT IS THE eternal dilemma of the British university system: how to promote fairness and equity across the board, while being sure not to undermine the country’s prized academic elite? If the latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) is any guide, it seems higher education funding chiefs are still a long way from the answer.

The controversy surrounding the RAE centres on the new method used in the seven-yearly survey, which abandons the old system of assigning each university department a single score, from 1 to 5*. Instead, individual members of staff are assessed on the quality of their research, and the department judged on the proportion of its researchers who reach the higher levels of a four-point scale. The RAE allots more than bragging rights: it is used to determine the distribution of £1.5 billion of government cash and, while the details of the next funding round have yet to be decided, it seems likely that any department that has produced any

work deemed worthy of the 4*—“worldleading”—ranking will receive designated funds.

The old system struck many as grotesquely simplistic – how can an entire university department be summed up adequately in a single number? But in many ways, this broad perspective made sense. A consistently well-run, highly achieving department will have an incalculably greater impact on its field than one which sporadically produces pieces of research considered “world-leading.” But under the new system, the division between exceptional and generally mediocre departments has become blurred – and millions of pounds will now be diverted from the former to the latter. In a choice between the extremes of simplicity and complexity, the RAE seems to have embraced the greater of two evils. As the London School of Economics’ Ray Paul put it, “this method of assessment is similar to assessing the quality of a lawn by measuring the length of each blade of grass

– you get a measure, but of what?”

As Bristol vice-chancellor Eric Thomas makes clear on page 13, our leading universities are presently facing a tough fight to remain financially competitive. The projected £140m cut in research funding faced by the Russell Group universities is no laughing matter. Les Ebdon, head of the Million+ group, voiced the triumphant sentiments among the new universities— many of which are anticipating a huge rise in funding—saying: “If these people [in the Russell Group] are as good as they say they are, they will have no trouble finding the money elsewhere.”

But alternative sources of funding in the private sector, with a need to invest in research that makes business sense, will be far less willing than the state to fund research if it looks unlikely to yield a profit – no matter how academically significant it might be. Top-level research in less fashionable fields, now with diminished support from the government, could be in for a rough ride.

JOIN THE JOURNAL Edinburgh’s award-winning university newspaper is recruiting writers, designers, illustrators and business developers HTTP://RECRUITMENT.JOURNAL-ONLINE.CO.UK

ACROSS 8 Distraught, I verge on weeping (6) 9 Mixed up dates but it’s on the tip of my tongue! (5,3) 10 Blame site with troubles, with all due respect (9) 11 Dread piece with scales (5) 13 Type of remedy that can be extracted from other balm (6) 15 Tally up people on the outside and drive them round the bend (6) 17 Rude rev turns green (7) 19 Eagerly cover point backed by parent (7) 21 Urchin writes off aluminium cars (6) 22 Give birth and heartlessly burn to ashes (6) 24 Conscious of a conflict against the East (5) 25 Help needed to get around New York City without a map (9) 28 Ate diner salad and remembered it (8) 29 Represent malformed embryo with daughter taking over from king (6)

DOWN 1 Unfocused and angry-looking!

(5-4) 2 Asian goddess appears as a tailless demon (4) 3 Tailed demon requires closer study (6) 4 Leaving the port, confused mole comes across an unknown astronomer (7) 5 A fascist policeman and a fool (3) 6 Heart no longer beating? (4,6) 7 Head measure (5) 12 Made up cheese (4) 14 Top-down management going disastrously since this morning!

(3,4,3) 16 Epic diets blamed for the death of insects (9) 18 Cries endlessly in torment for food (4) 20 Up-to-date, revised edition underscores place where Davy Crockett fell (1,2,4) 22 Opera about F1? (6) 23 Jacket worn by skinny person after last night (5) 26 Retreats when heads of enterprises buy back shares (4) 27 Lodger’s better half is a good worker (3)

GET LAST ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS ONLINE AT WWW.JOURNAL-ONLINE.CO.UK

Profile 17

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

The world’s worst banker Sir Fred 'the Shred' Goodwin rose from humble beginnings in Paisley to become the most powerful man in Scotland. But the baby-faced RBS chief never saw his downfall coming, writes Simon Mundy

T

HE SUMMER OF 2004 was a good one for Fred Goodwin.

Four years into his time at the helm of Royal Bank of Scotland, it's fair to say he'd made his mark: top of the Scottish Power 100, incumbent European Banker of the Year, and to cap it all, a knighthood at just 45. Amid all the fawning adulation, Sir Fred probably failed to notice the lone, cautionary voice of the anonymous banker who warned in the Observer: "He will go on, unless something goes wrong – in which case I can't see many people jumping to his defence." Something did go wrong, of course, in the form of the worst financial crisis in decades; and Goodwin's defenders are indeed few and far between as he gets used to his latest accolade: FT Alphaville's World's Worst Banker Award, 2008.

Goodwin will writhe, as one friend said last week, at being labelled "some sort of inept banker" – after all, this is still the same man whose formidable business brain saw him turn RBS from a second-rate regional concern into an international superpower, spreading from China to the American Midwest. But he'd be the first to admit—now watching from the sidelines after an ignominious departure in October—that the numbers don't look good. A stunning plunge in value last week saw RBS shares trading at just 10 pence—a fall of 98 per cent from their 2007 peak—and with nearly three quarters of the company now in the hands of the state, commentators have begun to write off RBS as "not a bank, but a former bank." Pumped up by his throbbing ambition, they say, Goodwin's business model was a bubble that was bound to burst, leaving his firm grossly overextended when the credit crunch moved into its semiapocalyptic post-Lehman phase. And with all the nation looking for a banking scapegoat as Britain sinks into recession, who better than "Fred the Shred" – with his irritating baby-face, his twin Ferraris, and the intimidating air of menace that led one RBS executive to whine: "You sense that he could tear you limb from limb, and you are ever so grateful when he doesn't."

Goodwin might have fared better had he retained a little more of the down-to-earth, Presbyterian values of his childhood in Paisley, where he was born in 1958. His law course at Glasgow saw him become the first member of his family to go to university, and he put his education to use as he rose up the financial ladder – first as an accountant, and later at Clydesdale Bank, where he became chief executive at the tender age of 37. It was there that he earned his famous nickname, "shredding" employees in their scores in a tireless drive for greater profitability.

It may not have endeared him to his ex-employees, but Goodwin's ruthless efficiency soon got him noticed at RBS's Edinburgh headquarters. Two years after his 1998 arrival, Goodwin masterminded the biggest deal in British banking history: RBS's £23.5bn hostile takeover of the troubled National Westminster Bank. This was a stunningly audacious move, something akin

TOM HUNT

to expand RBS's international presence with a number of deals in the United States. By 2003, he was Forbes Global Businessman of the Year.

The year of his knighthood might have felt great at the time; but in retrospect Goodwin will be wondering whether that was where things started to go wrong. The $10.5bn takeover of Charter One Financial made RBS the seventh biggest bank in America, but the price was widely considered too high. And when the following year saw Goodwin buy a 5 per cent stake in Bank of China, a top analyst warned that many saw Goodwin as "a megalomaniac who cares more about size than shareholder value." A chastened Goodwin finally promised to put a stop to the big acquisitions.

One RBS executive whined: “You sense that he could tear you limb from limb, and you are ever so grateful when he doesn’t”

to a buy-out of Manchester United

by Wigan, or an invasion of China

by South Korea. Natwest was three times the size of RBS, and no hostile takeover of a major European bank had ever before been successful. But thanks to Goodwin, RBS pulled off one of the deals of the century, entering the banking major league at a

stroke. Named chief executive in 2001, Goodwin basked in ever-growing profits and shareholder acclaim.

Natwest had barely been digested before Goodwin became hungry for more. His aggressive attitude spilled over into his statements to the press – early in his reign he caused a stir as he discussed possible "mercy killings"

of weaker rivals. And he wasted no time in embarking on an aggressive acquisitions strategy, snapping up Churchill Car Insurance and the Irish mortgage provider First Active within his first year in charge. Even a humiliating mugging at one of his own cashpoints failed to dent Goodwin's swaggering enthusiasm, as he looked

His ego was coming under threat from other quarters, as well. The construction of a vast new headquarters outside Edinburgh saw the Sunday Times run a series of stories that alleged, among other claims, that Goodwin had ordered the construction of a special kitchen for preparing scallops close to his office. An abortive libel action betrayed Goodwin's tendency to take himself unusually seriously – a trait well known to those familiar with the executive meetings known as "morning prayers," and Goodwin's "five-second rule," which dictated that his first response to a given situation was nearly always right.

This self-belief, ultimately, was Goodwin's undoing. In 2007, he put his gut instinct above his promise to his shareholders in launching a vast bid for the Dutch bank ABN Amro – right at the peak of the market. RBS was already using a dangerously small amount of capital to finance a large amount of lending. With ABN Amro now on board, the RBS group had acquired a huge level of exposure to the US subprime loan market, just in time for its disastrous collapse.

RBS's fortunes duly plummeted – but Goodwin didn't go down without a fight, carrying out Britain's biggest ever rights issue to raise new funds in April, even as shareholders were calling for his head. While RBS lurched into a new level of crisis in October, his confrontational spirit was still in full evidence as he said of the first government bail-out package: "You know, it's more a drive-by shooting than a negotiation." But the writing was on the wall, and within days Goodwin was out of a job, with nothing but an £8.4 million pension pot to console him. Still, there's always those awards to look forward to.

18 Feature

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

Obama’s interna

Barack Obama has rightly pledged to make a break with the disastrous policies of the Bush era. But he should be careful not to take his mission of change too far, writes Neil Simpson

SRA KATHRINE MCDOWELL

Neil Simpson neil.simpson@journal-online.co.uk

A

FTER BEING INAUGURATED as the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama invoked the Battle of Trenton in his acceptance speech. This was an appropriate historical point to bring up; the battle, like Obama’s inauguration, was staged in freezing conditions with a nation needing something to rally round.

The invocation of Trenton also raised a lingering question that has been troubling Jefferson’s “Empire of Liberty” ever since the battle was fought in the winter of 1776 by America’s future first president: how does America reconcile the ideal of liberty with its own security? A more appropriate—although admittedly less glamorous—historical example which Obama could have drawn on was the Whisky Rebellion of the early 1790s, centred in West Virginia. Sparked by the federal government attempting to tax its citizens, the rebellion was a direct challenge to order, and provoked a dilemma over the place liberty would have in the future republic. As one supporter of government, Fisher Ames noted, “elective rulers can scarcely ever employ the physical force of a democracy without turning the moral force, or power of public opinion, against government.”

This is as true now as it was in the 1790s. Obama, like Bush before him, is going to need to get the balance right between very real threats to security and American ideals of liberty. Arguably he has already begun this, and it was telling that Obama’s speech mixed a sense of elation with less than honeyed words about the “gathering clouds and raging storms” of the future.

Sending a message to countries such as Iran and Russia, he extended a hand of friendship, but only “if you are willing to unclench your fist.” He then added— in a statement reminiscent more of Robespierre than Roosevelt—that the world’s dictators were on the “wrong side of History.”

Obama did however note, in a swipe at his predecessor, that “we reject as false the choice between our safety and ideals.” Stirring indeed, and surely the stuff of Jefferson – but the grim reality behind the soaring rhetoric and semantics is very different. *** George Washington was certainly clearer on matters of force and liberty when crossing the Delaware River. His men—cold, hungry and demoralized— surprised a British station manned by German mercenaries, killing around ninety and capturing many more. This was a victory of tremendous political value and inspired hope in what was by then a dilapidated cause. Conversely America has of late, despite its military muscle, looked like a worn out cause.

Guantanamo Bay and neo-conservative unilateralism have done much to dent the ideal of America.

But, unlike at Trenton, the United States now dwarfs Her Majesty’s Forces.

Indeed the United States now dwarfs every force that can be amassed against

Obama noted, in a swipe at his predecessor, that “we reject as false the choice between our safety and ideals.”

Stirring indeed, and surely the stuff of Jefferson – but the grim reality is very different it; it is the most powerful force the world has ever seen. As a result, and in spite of the recent success of Russia in Georgia and comparisons to the British Empire in decline, the United States remains the world’s only “hyperpower.”

Russia, for example, spends a paltry $50 billion a year on its armed forces.

In comparison the American “colossus” spends over $500 billion, employs cutting edge “smart” technology, and has a navy larger than the next 13 combined – 11 of which are US allies.

This is, despite the European centre-left knee-jerk reaction, not a bad thing. In a world of actual tyrants such as Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe or Kim Jong Il in North Korea, we should realise that America has the potential to achieve a great deal of good. Indeed, Obama’s foreign relations, despite his mantra of “change,” will necessarily have to remain fairly consistent with many of George W. Bush’s foreign policy decisions. While “peace” in Afghanistan was mentioned in the speech, and a call for dialogue with Islam was invoked, Obama also talked of “nuclear threats” as well as a “global responsibility.”

Consequently, the overuse of the word “historic” throughout the last few months is premature in terms of foreign relations. Obama’s inauguration speech will certainly stand out in history, and domestically a great sense of hope and unity has been spread. The next few months assure him a political honeymoon like no other, and will make it next to impossible to read anything bad about the man – Private Eye aside.

Indeed, what with the vast sales of Obama mugs, badges, T-shirts, stationery and fridge magnets, one would be forgiven for thinking that, through this alone, America could lift itself out of recession.

But, geopolitically, Obama’s inauguration may not be as earth shattering as has been assumed. Francis Fukuyama’s claims regarding the “end of history” marked a false summit. As the recently deceased historian Samuel P. Huntingdon argued, we should look at history not through the prism of ideologies, which are

often shifting, fleeting or meaningless.

Rather we should consider the deeper roots of global conflict. As Huntingdon argued: “With the end of the Cold War, international politics moves out of its Western phase, and its centrepiece becomes the interaction between the West and non-Western civilizations and among non-Western civilizations.” This, Huntingdon argued, merited the term “clash of civilizations,” and justified looking into the deeper fault lines in history and beyond mere policy change, ideology or rhetoric.

W

HILE THERE ARE valid criticisms of Huntingdon’s monolithic and static conception of opposing civilisations, his assertion has been, to some extent, played out in present day Russia: despite its move from monarchy to communism to democracy, the state continues to betray many imperialist, centralising and “czarist” characteristics. As a result we should be careful not to expect Obama to turn American foreign policy on its head as deep-rooted global currents continue. Consequently while Obama’s words may warm the hearts of hopeful Americans, it is unlikely these will do much to thaw relations with the likes of Vladimir Putin, or President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. Indeed relations with Russia have declined as Dmitri Medvedev’s administration—far from liberalising as many hoped—continues to interfere aggressively in its neighbours affairs. As one former British diplomat to Moscow noted: “The fall of the Soviet Union did not wipe the slate clean. The Russia that we are dealing with today, with its fear of encirclement, its suspicion of foreigners

Feature 19

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

ational tightrope A Tale of Two Speeches?

2

15

3

27

-4

and natural appetite for autocracy, is as old as the hills, long pre-dating communism.”

Added to this, Russian defence spending has continued to grow at a rate of no less than 15 per cent each year since 2005, and the results of this resurgence can be clearly seen in Georgia, and Eastern Europe. On 16 September 2008, Putin announced a 27 per cent increase in spending on “national defence and security” for 2009.

Israel’s recent invasion of Gaza, as well as Iran’s continued development of nuclear weapon, highlight the fact that Obama will need to live up to the responsibility he espoused in his speech. This will often mean using “hard” power, and unpopular decisions.

The democratic dilemma about using force abroad has characterised US foreign policy since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The attacks on America in 2001, however, acted as a wake-up call to America that a laissez-faire approach was no longer an option. While this necessitated dialogue with European allies, and had some espousing hopes of a new “multilateralism” to foreign relations and an end to domination by the “hyperpower,” far more pertinent was the power of US arms.

Multilateral solutions also opened up the problem of a potential lack of

30

any leadership, with bickering and UN resolutions replacing coherent active measures. This happened in Kosovo when NATO was forced to side-step UN resolutions in order to reimpose order and end ethnic cleansing. There is indeed a danger, as Professor Niall Ferguson has noted, that a lack of a coherent global leader has the potential to lead to an “apolar world,” in which no dominant power exists. This contradicts the commonly held view that power, “like nature, abhors a vacuum.” This was a view held by Paul Kennedy in his study, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. US decline, he asserted, will be replaced by a stronger Japan or China.

A

S FERGUSON ARGUES, this is not always the case. In 1919, for example, another President with an Ivy League background went to Europe and was received by ecstatic crowds. Yet President Woodrow Wilson failed to gain support at home for joining the international body of the League of Nations, and the global results were disastrous.

Despite Ferguson’s Calvinistic pessimism, the point is well made. International affairs, just as at the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth-century and before, are not self-ordering. Words like “natural” or “vacuum” distort the

AMERICA

5

FREEDOM

0

Barack Obama’s inaugural speech marked a shift from the language used by George Bush in 2005 – and a pointed focus on the challenges currently facing America

LIBERTY

0

TYRANNY

7

CRISIS

BUSH

OBAMA

reality of the situation. Russia’s recent swipe at Georgia highlights this point.

Despite the French President, Nicholas Sarkozy, using negotiations to “resolve” the war there was little evidence of a new, “multipolar” world. Indeed, the recent fighting in the Gaza strip helped to show that Hilary Clinton’s recent invocation of “smart” power falls short of the brutal realities of unilateral force. This is morally unfortunate, even repulsive. Yet to consider the issue in moral terms is to distort perspectives. It remains the case that whoever is “right” or “wrong” is subservient to the party with the might of force behind them. As a result no amount of rallying, graffiti or international concern stopped Israel from achieving military objectives in Gaza. Morally dubious or not, the deed has been done.

But America is not Israel and, unlike Israel, it aspires to lead the world, not only militarily but also morally. The United States remains a politically and economically open and tolerant country.

If this is not always in absolute terms— Rupert Murdoch, for example, has too much control over television and influence in government—it certainly is in relative terms.

After all, the Russian government has a monopoly on all broadcast TV. And while it may use means which

clash with its ideals, it nonetheless still has these ideals. As a result George Bush, who strayed too far from liberty towards security, exits office with one of the lowest approval ratings in US history. States such as Russia and Iran are neither open nor tolerant of political dissent or civil liberties. America, then, is the best of a bad bunch. It is by no means the perfect “Empire of Liberty” that Jefferson dreamed of; a “flawed democratic superpower” may be a better description. Yet it continues to aspire to certain fundamental human and political rights, which remain engrained in its conscious.

The long tradition of American interventionism, as neo-conservative thinker Robert Kagan has recently observed in The Return of History and the End of Dreams, was “not invented by the Bush administration and will not vanish when it departs.” Kagan notes that between 1989 and 9/11 the United States intervened with force in foreign lands more frequently than at any time in its history. Obama may be able to end the PR disaster of Guantanamo Bay, although it is doubtful he will be withdrawing American troops from bases in—to name a few—Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Oman, Qatar and

the Philippines in the near future. As a result the steely resolve in the speech should come as no surprise. We should not expect a drastic change to the preceding decade of US foreign policy. Like Bush, Obama’s hands are essentially tied over foreign policy, and he will have little option but to continue using “hard” power. Intervention has become less a matter of ideology or choice, however; especially since 2001, it has become a matter of necessity. Indeed, were the US to withdraw from difficult global decisions, as it did in the 1920s, it would do damage not only to the nation’s credibility as a force of moral good, but also to the rest of the world in practical terms – starting with the Middle East.

As a result we should all pause for thought before we jump on the “Obamawagon” and blindly call for “change” to America’s liberal interventionist role abroad. This happened in the wake of the American debacle in Somalia, when Bill Clinton shied away from the crisis of Rwandan genocide a year later. Let’s hope Obama can prevent such a catastrophe happening again, and back up his convictions and ideas with assertive action abroad.

Neil Simpson is a history student at the University of Edinburgh

20 Arts & Entertainment Feature

Boring Brits

THIS YEAR’S BRIT AWARDS LOOK SET TO PROVIDE THE USUAL SLEW OF LUDICROUS AWARDS – BUT IT JUST DOESN’T SEEM TO MATTER ANYMORE Chris McCall

chris.mccall@journal-online.co.uk

Theatre

The Man Who Had All the Luck

 An acomplished yet empty production

ROYAL LYCEUM 16 JAN- 14 FEB Lucy Jackson

lucy.jackson@journal-online.co.uk

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009 FLICKR.COM/THISSTAGE

JONATHAN ROSS SWAGGERED back into our consciousness last week with a cheeky grin, a few wisecracks and a schoolboy-like apology. It worked well: the audience laughed, the Daily Mail didn’t choke on its own indignation and the general public breathed a sigh of relief that this non-story was finally at an end. You can be sure that Ross’ opening gambit was the result of weeks of hard work, no doubt involving scores of BBC gag-writers chained to their desks, frantically trying to nail a few one-liners that would serve as both an apology and a sufficiently funny comeback.

Being consistently funny is a tough task, as anyone who’s sat through a Lee Evans stand-up set will testify.

Which is why you’ve got to admire the Brit Awards – when it comes to making people laugh, no one does it better than those clever folk at the British Phonographic Industry. Every year, for the past couple of decades, the Brits have reduced the nation to tears with their hilarious attempts at recognising musical talent. Who can forget them awarding Travis the best British band title not once but twice?

They do more racy humour as well, of the sort that will wind-up even the most liberal-minded of us – such as when they declared Robbie Williams’ ‘Angels’ the best song of the twentieth century. Perhaps their greatest moment, however, was the truly inspired choice of declaring Steps, them of bad Bee-Gees covers, best live act. Not even Tony Blair could have made that announcement with a straight face.

Presuming that the Brits are just one big joke being cracked at the public’s expense is the only way any rational individual who has two working ears can take them seriously. If you can’t laugh at the sight of Tom Jones being presented with the best British male award, a full 30 years after he released his last

passable song, then you have no soul.

This year’s Brit nominations more than meet the high standards we’ve come to expect. Coldplay are for up for crimes against humanity—sorry, I mean best band—and whoever won X Factor is surely a shoo-in to claim the best single gong for their sterling cover of ‘Hallelujah.’ That’s if they can fend off the stiff competition offered by Scouting For Girls and Adele. Laughing aside, the fact is that the Brits are now utterly irrelevant.

FEW COMMENTATORS HAVE been able to resist comparing our current global recession to America’s dark days, so it would seem an opportune time for the Lyceum’s revival of Arthur Miller’s Depression play. Unlike some of Miller’s more straightforward allegory plays, The Man Who Had All the Luck goes further, delving into the relationships between men, as well as the invisible arbitrations of fate and destiny. The play itself may not be as well crafted as Miller’s later and more famous works, yet it can possess a gravitas and tension that John Dove and the Lyceum Theatre Company fail to fully grasp.

David Beeves (Philip Cumbus), a young and idealistic mechanic, is on the way up. The obstacle preventing him from marrying his childhood sweetheart Hester (Kim Gerard) is removed, and a talented stranger helps him to repair the car of a grateful millionaire.

His luck doesn’t stop there, however, and seems on the ascendant almost at the expense of those around him. Forced to question the balance of the universe, Beeves degenerates into a state of near madness, succumbing to a damaging paranoia.

The Lyceum profits from incredibly talented directors, designers and actors who have proved themselves time and time again in varied roles.

However, in addition to a couple of dodgy accents there is also a sense of complacency in this production that refuses to allow any of the grit of the play to show through. Cumbus brings great energy to his performance as the well-meaning, suggestible Beeves, but the slick veneer of the production belies the anger, resentment and near-tragedy of the play. There are, admittedly, gaps in Miller’s text, yet any possible scope for the passion of tragedy and euphoria of hope is not exploited by Dove and

his cast. As usual the quality of the set and lighting design is exceptional, but there remains a lack of urgency to the play, which undermines Miller’s strongest themes. The weight of a man struggling against unseen odds, the crisis of the American family and the American dream feel like clichés that we have become used to, rather than been forced to examine, in this accomplished yet empty production.

Not in terms of recognising genuine musical talent, because they were never about that. The Brits congratulate money-spinners; they offer a very public slap on the back to whichever clothes-horse karaoke singer sold the most albums in that particular year. In simple terms, it is a chance for record company execs, PR firms and other corporate lackeys to have a free piss-up and celebrate their work in flogging the public dodgy CDs. But the glory days are over. Record sales

have collapsed, and with them, the record companies. Anyone with access to a computer knows that paying money for music these days is, well, a tad stupid. You can get what you want, when you want it, for sweet FA. The institutions that traditionally dictated what the public should listen to are all dead or dying; NME, Top of the Pops, Smash Hits – all quirks of the last century, soon to be forgotten. The Brits are next. It looks like the public will have the last laugh after all.

Arts & Entertainment 21

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

Music

RSNO: Beethoven, Haydn, Respighi

 Old favourites mix well with neglected masterpieces FESTIVAL THEATRE 21 JANUARY Sarah Mitchell

sarah.mitchell@journal-online.co.uk

BEETHOVEN’S FIFTH IS certain to pack out any concert hall. Freed from the constraints of the bottom line, conductor Roberto Abbado—nephew of Claudio— indulged himself in the selection of two of the more obscure features of the cello repertoire – an inspired choice that provided the perfect counterbalance to the familiarity of the Beethoven.

Rossini’s William Tell Overture opens under an atmospheric haze and builds throughout to release its iconic theme.

The strings display a richness of texture and the brass possess the control to produce the perfect dynamic, especially during their fanfare phrases, which resonate over the other textures to envelope the room.

Ottorino Respighi’s Adagio and Variations must surely be one of the most underestimated works of the twentieth century. It has lyrical passion in abundance, and cellist Mario Brunello plays the piece’s graceful melodies with flowing confidence. His ability to portray this lyricism is maintained throughout the contrasting fast-paced passages. The use of a soloists’ platform, however, while helping to project his virtuosic qualities, does somewhat detract attention from the orchestra. Otherwise, the balance between orchestra and soloist is well

maintained and rich harmonies are never allowed to become muddied under the brilliance of the solo passages.

Haydn’s first cello concerto also proves itself to be somewhat of a hidden gem. A smaller accompanying ensemble gives the work intimacy whilst maintaining the previous richness of sound. Here Brunello presents a contrasting persona in the confidence and ease with which he states the opening theme. His abilities with lyrical passages still draw us in, as do his subtle implied harmonies.

The cadenza also deserves an honourable mention, with its carefully conceived and delicately portrayed statements.

It is in the Beethoven that Abbado really emerges to dominate the orchestra with a passionate interpretation. Changes of mood and dynamic are dramatic in their execution and flare is particularly shown in the handling of the strings’ almost pastoral phrases, contrasting with the ominous opening. The wind instruments are remarkably well balanced and the brass section shine with their precision of intonation and dynamic.

Credit must go to the RSNO for bringing these powerful, underplayed works to audiences underneath the more well loved headliners of Beethoven and Rossini; we eagerly await more.

ON THE HORIZON...

THEATRE

MUSIC

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Luke Slater

Traverse Theatre Friday 6 Feb, £8-13 1927’s multiple award winning production cleverly combines sensual, powerful storytelling of the macabre with stunning films and animation

Student Theatre Festival

ART Mid-Point: The Third-Year Work In Progress Exhibition

Coast

Edinburgh College of Art 23 Jan - 4 Feb, free Come to ECA to see the mid-year show from students from all twelve disciplines at the School of Design.

Music

Queen and Country

Sam Amidon/ Go Away Birds





Sensitive exhibition brings home the losses of the Iraq War

Gritty and authentic – and just the right side of twee

Private Scott ‘Casper’ Kennedy, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, died 28 Jun ‘07, aged 20

SCOTTISH NATIONAL GALLERY OF MODERN ART UNTIL 15 FEB Richard Hanrahan

richard.hanrahan@journal-online.co.uk

slid out, each one containing designs for a soldier, their face repeated in a grid.

Though oddly reminiscent of Warhol’s disaster series, the presentation of seemingly endless faces creates a contrasting effect: whereas for Warhol the mechanical reproduction is used to highlight the distance created by the media from the tragedy of death, the impact of McQueen’s faces are overpowering – for once, these lives are raised from a Newsnight statistic into flesh and blood. With every groan and slide, the drawers reveal another life, and with a brief glimpse, they are remembered. For some, the encounter may be overwhelming, and even for those with the most staunch political views, the experience is one that is heartening. Steve McQueen has gracefully addressed a shortfall in contemporary art, and with it perhaps made the most astounding political point of all – remembering what has been lost through all the brouhaha. Hopefully, if the project is accepted by Royal Mail, it will allow some closure for those who need it.

The View

Picturehouse Thursday 12 Feb, £13 Edgy rock ‘n’ roll from the Dundee foursome touring their second album, Which Bitch. Genuinely interesting act who claim to make music that "weaves its way from rip-roaring heads-down boogie to Tayside seashanties via moments of real beauty."

Bedlam Theatre Monday 26-Saturday 31 Jan EUTC showcase new writing by talented students.

Art

FEW EVENTS IN recent memory have had a greater impact on this country’s art than the Iraq War. From countless slogans scrawled on street walls, to Mark Wallinger’s Turner Prize-winning replica State Britain, the conflict has left a searing mark on British culture.

However, the majority of these reactions could be described as Protest Art – works deliberately positioned as scathing attacks against the circumstances surrounding the war. Though they are created from legitimate political concerns, they so often ignore the human reality that many families face, through fear or loss – feelings no doubt exacerbated by intense media coverage and the protest in general.

It is refreshing, then, to find an artist as high-profile as Steve McQueen (director of the acclaimed film Hunger) dealing with this reality. The project proposed is simple: for every fallen British soldier, a postage stamp bearing their face is made, and displayed. The actual piece is a solemn affair – a large wooden box, a giant’s coffin, in an empty room. On either side, drawers can be

The Caves Saturday 7 Feb, £11 Heavy electronica and grimy beats delivered by British DJ renowned for his intensive five-hour sets.

BOWERY BANDSTAND 11 JANUARY Sarah Mitchell

sarah.mitchell@journal-online.co.uk

Sneaky Pete’s Tuesday 10 February Toronto-based indie kids tour their unique brand of nineties throwback disco pop.

EDINBURGH’S BOWERY BAR/BANDSTAND/THEATRE and all-purpose gathering point for the trendy is potentially the most interesting thing to have happened to live music in this city for some time. The line-ups so far have featured acts with just enough fans to be avant-garde chic but not enough to be considered even marginally mainstream.

The performance headlined by Sam Amidon and supported by the Go-Away Birds serves as a wonderful embodiment of this approach.

The Go-Away Birds, a duo from County Cork, opened with unbelievable clarity and warmth into ‘Bells.’ Having recently had her wisdom teeth extracted, singer Catherine Ireton announces that her voice may not be up to scratch. She proceeds to sing with such a vivacity and soulful ease that one isleft wondering how she could have sounded more lovely with a couple added teeth. The music made by the Go-Away Birds fuses lazy folk guitar with a clean, jazz-inspired voice which passes discreetly over shattering lyrics such as, “The world is falling down around us and you don’t grab my arm; you grab your lip balm.” The strange thing is that by any usual standards the duo should come over all twee, but just when you think they might be heading to the wrong side of charming, the Go-Away Birds add the gritty lyrics which drag the music back to its distinctive strength.

Sam Amidon looks about 17 rather than his full 27 years. Many of the songs he sings are many times his age, folk songs which are now so unrecognisable to the majority of his fans that they are unquestioningly believed to be his own.

Amidon doesn’t do much to shrug off this assumption, but he does bring something entirely raw to the old classics’ shape and meaning. Amidon has that pesky old head/young shoulders syndrome which does at times come across as arrogance – notably here in his rather sugary comic recitation of Henry James.

However, we are undeniably watching a beautifully trained musician who moves seamlessly from banjo to guitar to fiddle without missing a beat. His voice is aged and smoky – and unlike many trendy young folksters around, it is clear this is no fraud. Hailing from the woods of Vermont, Amidon has a refreshing authenticity which can’t be learned. His own song, ‘Wedding Dress,’ the chillingly hushed highlight, comes rather too soon in a show that could have done well to have been tightened up time-wise. While there is something to be said for a teasingly abbreviated set, Amidon makes the right choice going out on his fiddle solo ‘Will Adam’, which leaves us in no doubt of his genuine and rising young talent.

Property

Abbeyhill Kyle Place, 625, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9448 Meadowbank Terrace, 625, 1, 1D, 0870 062 3700 Abbeymount, 1035, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700

Balerno Main Street, 500, 2, UF 2D G, 0870 062 9522

Blackford Blackford Glen Road, 485, 1, 1D G PG O, 0870 062 9434

Bonnington Powderhall Rigg, 650, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9488

Broughton Dunedin Street, 650, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9592 Mcdonald Road, 650, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9522 Broughton Road, 450, 1, 1D CG O, 0870 062 9320

Bruntsfield Brougham Street, 550, 1, 1D E CG Z, 0870 062 9558 Montpelier Park, 1360, 4, 1S 3D G CG Z, 0870 062 9362 Barclay Place, 1290, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Gillespie Place, 1260, 3, 3D G O, 0870 062 9324 Bruntsfield Place, 1100, 3, 3D G O, 0870 062 8252

Canongate Canongate, 495, 1, G CG Z, 0870 062 9320

Canonmills Ettrickdale Place, 500, 1, 1D G CG P, 0870 062 9594

Central Tron Square, 800, 3, 3D G Z, 0870 062 9688 Rose Street, 750, 2, E O, 0870 062 6604 Lothian Road, 525, 1, 1D Z, 0870 062 9334 Hillside Street, 500, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0870 062 9474 Lochrin Terrace, 500, 1, 1D 1B W O, 0870 062 9362 Crighton Place, 1650, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Parliament Square, 1400, 2, 2D G Z, 0870 062 9478 South Charlotte Street, 1100, 2, 2D G Z, 0870 062 9478 Merchant Street, 1000, 4, 1S 3D E Z, 0870 062 9326

Corstorphine Glendevon Terrace, 925, 4, UF 4D G PG P, 0870 062 9234 Carrick Knowe Avenue, 620, 2, 2D G PG O, 0870 062 9488 Mayfield Place, 550, 1, 1D G, 0870 062 9422 Forrester Park Gardens, 550, 2, UF 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9234 Kaimes Road, 1275, 4, 4D G PG P, 0870 062 9234

Crewe Toll Ferry Road Drive, 625, 3, 3D G CG O, 0870 062 9384 Royston Mains Place, 595, 2, 2D G, 0870 062 9384 Ferry Road Avenue, 550, 3, , 0870 062 9384

Dalry Murieston Crescent, 700, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Murieston Crescent, 675, 2, 2D, 0870 062 3700 Caledonian Place, 650, 2, UF 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9558 Dalry Road, 600, 2, 2D E CG O, 0870 062 9558 Dalry Road, 540, 1, 1D E CG Z, 0870 062 9382 Duff Street, 475, 1, 1D G CG O, 0870 062 9326 (3F3) Caledonian Place, 450, 1, 1D G CG O, 0870 062 9434

Davidsons Mains Corbiehill Road, 485, 1, 1D G, 0870 062 6782

Drum Brae Drum Brae Walk, 1475, 6, UF 1S 5D G PG P, 0870 062 9488

Duddingston Lady Nairne Crescent, 625, 2, UF 2D G PG O, 0870 062 3872 Duddingston Park South, 575, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9384 Duddingston Row, 1200, 3, 3D G PG P, 0870 062 9522

Easter Road Hawkhill Close, 900, 3, 3D G P, 0870 062 9522 Alva Place, 720, 3, 3D 1B G PG O, 0870 062 9522 Easter Road, 600, 2, 2D E, 0870 062 9558 Easter Road, 600, 2, 2D W Z, 0870 062 9424 Hawkhill Close, 540, 1, 1D G P, 0870 062 9522

Edinburgh Colinton Mains Drive, 625, 2, 2D G PG P, 0870 062 9478 Stenhouse Street West, 550, 2, 2D O, 0870 062 3712

Ferry Road East Pilton Farm Crescent, 700, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9320 East Pilton Farm Avenue, 660, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9302

Fountainbridge Upper Grove Place, 525, 2, 2S W O, 0870 062 9326 Mcneill Street, 515, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0870 062 9312

Gorgie Sinclair Place, 675, 2, 2D G CG P, 0870 062 3768 Caledonian Road, 610, 2, 2D Z, 0870 062 9324 Gorgie Road, 500, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9234 Gorgie Road, 495, 1, 1D O, 0870 062 9324 Wheatfield Terrace, 495, 1, G O, 0870 062 6782 Westfield Street, 475, 1, 1D E CG O, 0870 062 8252 Gorgie Road, 450, 1, 1D G O, 0870 062 3768 Stewart Terrace, 430, 1, W CG O, 0870 062 9688

Granton Colonsay Close, 850, 3, 1S 2D G P, 0870 062 9522 Saltire Street, 510, 1, UF 1D G P, 0870 062 9388

HOW TO USE THE LISTINGS Meadows

Area Agent phone number

Buccleuch Street, 750, 2, 2D W CG Z, 0870 062 9434

Bedrooms Monthly Rent Location

Waterfront Park, Edinburgh, 495, 1, UF 1D G P, 0870 062 2414

Grassmarket West Port, 625, 2, 2D W Z, 0870 062 9314

Haymarket Torphichen Street, 850, 2, 2D G PG Z, 0870 062 9474 Morrison Street, 1420, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Morrison Street, 1400, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Morrison Street, 1360, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Morrison Street, Haymarket, 1125, 3, 3D G Z, 0870 062 2406 Morrison Street, 1000, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700

Hillside Brunswick Street, 1300, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Montrose Terrace, 1005, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700

Juniper Green Lanark Road, 795, 3, 2S 1D PG, 0870 062 3712

Leith Great Junction Street, 960, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Cables Wynd, 895, 3, 1S 2D G CG P, 0870 062 9460 Balfour Place, 750, 2, 2D G O, 0870 062 9384 Springfield Street, 675, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9320 Springfield Street, 675, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9320 Albert Street, 625, 2, 2D G Z, 0870 062 9478 Giles Street, 625, 2, 2D E P, 0870 062 9456 Stead’s Place, 620, 2, 1S 1D G P, 0870 062 9592 Pilrig Heights, 610, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9488 Albert Street, 600, 2, G CG O, 0870 062 9238 Brunswick Road, 575, 2, 2D G O, 0870 062 9488 Giles Street, 575, 2, 1S 1D G O, 0870 062 6772 Prince Regent Street, 550, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9688 Pirrie Street, 550, 1, 1D 1B W O, 0870 062 9312 Lindsay Road, 525, 1, 1D P, 0870 062 2414 Lorne Street, 525, 1, UF G CG O, 0870 062 9434 Lorne Street, 500, 1, 1D G CG O, 0870 062 9522 Albert Street, 495, 1, 1D E CG O, 0870 062 9238 Sloan Street, 475, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0870 062 9320 Buchanan Street, 450, 1, 1D O, 0870 062 3782 (1F2) Lorne Square, 440, 1, UF 1D CG O, 0870 062 9434

Kirk Street, 1625, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Smith’s Place, 1500, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Leith Walk, 1350, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Easter Road, 1280, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Easter Road, 1200, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Easter Road, 1200, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700

Leith Walk Dalmeny Street, 900, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Haddington Place, 850, 4, 2S 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9688 Papermill Wynd, 640, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9488 Coburg Street, 600, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9488 Sloan Street, 525, 1, 1D W CG O, 0870 062 9460 Brunswick Street, 475, 1, 1D E CG Z, 0870 062 9424 Crighton Place, 1350, 5, 1S 4D G, 0870 062 9468 Crown Street, 1290, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Dalmeny Street, 1200, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700

Liberton Kilngate Brae, 700, 3, 1S 2D G PG P, 0870 062 9424 Captains Drive, 680, 3, 3D G CG O, 0870 062 9522 Alnwickhill Grove, 525, 1, 1D G PG P, 0870 062 9424 Carnbee Crescent, 525, 1, 1D W P, 0870 062 9424 Alnwickhill Grove, 500, 1, 1D G PG O, 0870 062 9424 Double Hedges Park, 465, 1, 1D G PG P, 0870 062 9234

Lochend Bethlehem Way, 599, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9456

Marchmont Warrender Park Road, 675, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9334 Marchmont Road, 1420, 4, 4D G Z, 0870 062 9362

Maybury Glasgow Road, 750, 3, 1S 2D G P, 0870 062 9334

Meadowbank Meadowbank Place, 650, 2, 2D E CG O, 0870 062 9382 Meadowbank Terrace, 625, 1, 1D, 0870 062 3700

Morningside Balcarres Street, 750, 3, 2S 1D G CG O, 0870 062 8252 Craighouse Gardens, 735, 3, 3D E CG P, 0870 062 9302 Comiston Terrace, 650, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9558

Bedrooms: Heating: Garden: Parking: Furniture:

Craighouse Gardens, 650, 2, 2D E CG P, 0870 062 9592 Craighouse Gardens, 550, 1, 1D E PG P, 0870 062 9478 Balcarres Street, 500, 1, 1D G CG O, 0870 062 3768

New Town East Broughton Place, 950, 2, UF 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9424 Barony Street, 780, 2, 2D W CG Z, 0870 062 9688 Dundas Street, 700, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0870 062 1108 Gayfield Street, 700, 1, 1D P, 0870 062 9320 Cumberland Street, 450, 1, 1D, 0870 062 3700 East London Street, 450, 1, 1D, 0870 062 9558 Rose Street, 435, 1, 1D Z, 0870 062 9316 Eyre Place, 2000, 3, 3D G P, 0870 062 9300 Gloucester Place, 1800, 5, 5D G Z, 0870 062 9446 Northumberland South East Lane, 1550, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9300

Newhaven Ferry Road, 750, 2, G CG O, 0870 062 6604 Annfield, 550, 2, 2D G PG O, 0870 062 9460

Newington East Crosscauseway, 990, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0870 062 9558 Rankeillor Street, 960, 3, 3D 1B G CG Z, 0870 062 9434 Buccleuch Terrace, 950, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Buccleuch Terrace, 900, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Blackwood Crescent, 700, 2, 2D G O, 0870 062 9488 West Savile Terrace, 700, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9424 Blackwood Crescent, 650, 2, 1S 1D G CG Z, 0870 062 9688 St. Leonards Street, 625, 2, UF 2D G CG O, 0870 062 6772 Gilmours Entry, 620, 2, 1S 1D G P, 0870 062 9322 Bernard Terrace, 600, 2, 2D G PG Z, 0870 062 9424 Buccleuch Street, 500, 1, 1D E CG O, 0870 062 9558 Cowan’s Close, 500, 1, 1D P, 0870 062 9234 West Nicolson Street, 495, 1, 1D W, 0870 062 9320 St. Leonards Hill, 450, 1, 1D CG Z, 0870 062 9320 Dalkeith Road, 420, 1, 1D W Z, 0870 062 9324

PROPERTY LISTINGS PROVIDED BY WWW.CITYLETS.CO.UK

S Single D Double T Twin B Box G Gas Central W White Meter E Electric PG Private CG Communal Z Zone O On-Street P Private UF Unfurnished

Parkside Terrace, 1900, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Mayfield Road, 1400, 4, 4D, 0870 062 9316 West Nicolson Street, 1230, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700 Blackwood Crescent, 1010, 3, 3D, 0870 062 3700

Old Town High Street, 795, 2, E, 0870 062 3780 Cockburn Street, 500, 1, E O, 0870 062 1108

Oxgangs Oxgangs Crescent, 595, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 6782

Peffermill Drybrough Crescent, 525, 2, UF 2D G P, 0870 062 2414

Pilton West Pilton Street, 625, 2, 2D E PG P, 0870 062 9302

Polwarth Bryson Road, 670, 2, 2D W O, 0870 062 8252 Watson Crescent, 525, 2, 1S 1D CG O, 0870 062 9334 Watson Crescent, 480, 1, 1D G CG O, 0870 062 9522 Bryson Road, 420, 1, W CG O, 0870 062 9688

Portobello Kings Road, 600, 1, CG O, 0870 062 9688 Kings Road, 590, 2, 2D W CG O, 0870 062 9688

Powderhall Powderhall Rigg, 675, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9592

Prestonfield Clearburn Gardens, 620, 2, 2D G PG O, 0870 062 9522 Clearburn Crescent, 575, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9460

Restalrig Loganlea Place, 630, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9522 Restalrig Road South, 600, 2, 2D G CG P, 0870 062 9388 Loaning Road, 570, 2, 2D G P, 0870 062 9558 Loganlea Gardens, 530, 2, 1S 1D G CG O, 0870 062 6782 Restalrig Crescent, 500, 2, 2D PG, 0870 062 9326

Saughton Broomhouse Grove, 640, 3, 3D G PG, 0870 062 3768

Shandon Cowan Road, 288, 4, 4D G PG O, 0870 062 9334

Sighthill Calder Drive, 550, 2, 2D 1B G CG P, 0870 062 9234

Silverknowes Ferry Gait Drive, 595, 2, 2D W P, 0870 062 9384

Slateford Hermand Crescent, 850, 3, 3D G P, 0870 062 9522 Moat Terrace, 500, 1, 1D G O, 0870 062 3768

South Queensferry Farquhar Terrace, 575, 2, UF 2D G PG O, 0870 062 9326

Stenhouse Stenhouse Drive, 640, 2, G CG O, 0870 062 9522

Stockbridge Comely Bank Avenue, 650, 2, 2D G CG O, 0870 062 9558 Bedford Court, 575, 2, 2D E, 0870 062 9326 Dean Park Street, 550, 1, 1D G Z, 0870 062 9320 Bridge Place, 525, 1, 1D G Z, 0870 062 9424

The Shore Giles Street, 695, 2, 2D E O, 0870 062 9594 Commercial Street, 675, 2, 2D E P, 0870 062 3872 New Bell’s Court, 430, 1, UF 1D P, 0870 062 2414

Tollcross Glen Street, 595, 2, 2D CG Z, 0870 062 9334 Glen Street, 275, 1, 1S G Z, 0870 062 9478 Lauriston Gardens, 1875, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Panmure Place, 1520, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700 Lothian Road, 1240, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700 Tarvit Street, 1240, 4, 4D, 0870 062 3700

Trinity Darnell Road, 565, 2, 1D 1T O, 0870 062 9320 Newhaven Road, 525, 2, 1S 1D G CG O, 0870 062 9334

West End Morrison Street, 775, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0870 062 9558 Grindlay Street, 1240, 5, 5D, 0870 062 3700

Wester Hailes Hailesland Gardens, 625, 2, 2D 1B G P, 0870 062 9234

Sport 23

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

SPORT

SHORTS SNIPPETS OF SPORTS NEWS AND EVENTS FROM THE LAST FORTNIGHT NAPIER TO FIGHT FOR PLACE IN LAST 16 OF AMATEUR CUP

Sparks but no fire It takes more than just a manager to cut the big-money mustard at City

Napier University’s footballers will face Dunbartonshire side St Pats FC in the Foster’s Centenary Scottish Amateur Cup on 31 January.

The university side is the last representative of the Lothian & Edinburgh Amateur FA remaining in the competition, and will secure a place in the last 16 if they are able to overcome St Pats at the end of the month.

The competition is the largest single cup event in Scotland, attracting over 700 teams per year, and Napier are believed to be capable of advancing to the next stage if they field their strongest team on Saturday.

The club’s approach the match on a high following their victory over St Bernards in the Logan cup.

Napier slotted three goals past the opposition at Soughton Park, and despite a late St Bernards comeback, the university men came up trumps winning 3-2.

MCLEOD SET FOR MURRAYFIELD?

Abu Dhabi: a far cry from Eastlands

Graham Mackay graham.mackay@journal-online.co.uk

I

HAVE NEVER before felt the need to begin this column with something resembling the health warning on a packet of cigarettes.

However, in the interest of doing all in my power to ensure that it is read from beginning to end, and not simply abandoned at the mention of a scatalogical four-letter word, I feel that at least some form of cautionary message is necessary: WARNING: This article will make passing references to Manchester City’s failed attempt to lure Kaka to Eastlands.

If you’re still reading this, thank you; your support has not gone unnoticed.

But do, dear reader, allow me to make one thing perfectly clear: my goal is not to offer a personal take on the story that has proved to be the most over-hyped anti-climax since a certain former England captain jetted across the pond.

Despite the fact that last Tuesday marked the end of Sheikh Mansour’s earth-shattering attempt to sign the player considered by many to be the greatest of his generation, a further thread in the rich Arabian tapestry that is Manchester City has since been sewn.

Less than 24 hours after the Brazilian passed on a £107 million move that would have re-written the football history books, it was revealed that his fellow countryman, Premier League-record signing Robinho, had left the club’s Tenerife training ground without permission and returned to his homeland.

Unsurprisingly, Robinho’s audacious

abandonment of his merely-mortal colleagues has sparked rumours of a rift between the Brazilian sensation and City manager Mark Hughes, who presently looks to be as out of his depth as Phil Scolari at an English language convention. But should we really be surprised that this is the case?

Without wanting to tarnish Sparky’s ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ reputation in too cruel a fashion, I must admit that I am not convinced that he is the man to oversee the financial revolution that his multibillionaire employer is looking to fund.

Big money means big players, big players mean big egos, and big egos need to be kept under control by a manager who doesn’t take crap from anyone.

Let’s be honest, there’s a reason why the ex-Real Madrid man was clearly not too phased about indulging in a cheeky sojourn in Sao Paulo; the only thing waiting for him when he got back would be a reticent Welshman who barely raises his voice above point five of a decibel when organising his players from the dugout. Sure, Robinho’s probably going to get hit with a two-week wage fine, but when you’re earning 150 grand a week, that probably doesn’t mean you’re going to have to remortgage your 18-bedroom house to keep food on the table. I mean, can you imagine Christiano Ronaldo deciding on a whim to jolly-off to the other side of the world because the team didn’t have a match that weekend? No. Why? Because he’d be coming back to a purple-faced Glaswegian lunatic who kicks football boots at people.

But it’s not just the lack of managerial venom that makes Sparky a

less than perfect boss for the world’s richest club. The likes of Martin O’Neill and, despite the launch of his recent anti-Ferguson outburst, Rafa Benitez, have shown us that a less aggressive approach to management can prove highly effective. Unlike Hughes, however, they have managed to steer their respective teams into genuine contention for the Premier League title. Sparky, on the other hand, currently finds himself teeter-tottering a mere four points above the relegation dogfight at a point in the season where every result counts massively at the lower end of the table.

Moreover, with the obvious exception of Robinho, there are also the so far empty promises of big-money signings that Hughes assured the blue half of Manchester would transform the fortunes of the floundering club. Well, technically that’s not quite true, but in the real world, where huge sums of money are traditionally spent on players of immense talent, it appears that Sparky has once again failed to deliver. The £10 million spent on England bench-warmer Wayne Bridge seemed excessive, but last week’s signing of Dutch midfielder Nigel De Jong proved that City are literally paying the price for their impatience in the transfer market.

Whilst the £17 million paid for De Jong may be little more than loose change for Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the fact that the player had a diminutive £2.3 million release clause on his Hamburg contract that would have activated in just four months speaks volumes about Sparky’s approach to managing the richest club in the universe: pay exorbitant amounts of money

for players and hopefully the hordes will leave their torches and pitchforks at the Eastlands front entrance, believing that any player worth such a colossal amount of money must unquestionably be the answer to City’s problems. I mean, the same is true about Kaka when you think about it; yes, he is an unparalleled talent, but unless you’re dealing in Zimbabwe dollars, no footballer on the planet is worth paying 107 million for.

It’s not that Sparky isn’t a decent manager; history has proved that he quite clearly is. The problem in City’s case is that it’s actually not about football anymore. Just ask any lower league manager how spends an average day at work; he’ll tell you that he takes the players for a jog, plays a bit of fivea-side, scribbles down tactics for the weekend, and maybe, just maybe, has a quick glance at his transfer shortlist to see if there’s any chance of raiding the coffers for a decent addition to the squad. That is football, and that is the world Mark Hughes grew up in. On the other hand, I can only assume that Sparky is currently sitting at his desk sweating bullets over how to justify the power that has been bestowed upon him before the transfer window closes – something he is clearly finding harder that he had first anticipated.

In fact, unless Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi–based owners are able to appoint a consortium of former Freddie Mac employees to truly take advantage of the billions at their disposal, I struggle to see how anyone, particularly a veteran of old-school English mud and pork-pie football, could ever fulfil the club’s now epic expectations.

Edinburgh Rugby have been linked with a move for ousted Scotland star Scott McLeod.

The Scottish second row currently plays for Llanelli Scarlets, but has reportedly been informed that he is no longer part of the club’s long-term plans.

Recent speculation that he may be bound for Murrayfield has been fuelled by concerns of the long-term fitness of second row Matt Mustchin, who last week had surgery on an ankle injury and will be out for three months.

McLeod has been capped 21 times for his country and was part of the 2007 World Cup squad. 2008 was a roller-coaster year for the 29-year old, who was announced to have tested positive for banned substance Terbutaline, only to be retrospectively cleared a few hours later.

RBS COMMITTED TO £20M SIX NATIONS SPONSORSHIP DEAL The sponsorship of the Six Nations looks to be safe with reports claiming that a deal was struck with the Royal Bank of Scotland before the full effects of the credit crunch were made clear.

The deal, struck last year, will cost RBS £20 million over four years.

Speculation abounded in late 2008 as to whether the Royal Bank would be able to sustain its sponsorship of the tournament in the wake of the global economic crisis, which resulted in the government taking a majority stake in the bank.

Until last week, representatives from RBS had refused to comment on whether or not the bank would continue to sponsor the Six Nations.

24 Sport

The Journal Wednesday 28 January 2009

Sport

Hearts edge out Inverness in dying moments at Tynecastle Football

Hearts 3 Inverness CT 2 Graham Mackay at Tynecastle

graham.mackay@journal-online.co.uk LARYEA KINGSTON’S LAST-MINUTE winner capped off a goal-fest at Tynecastle just minutes after Inverness Caledonian Thistle though they had salvaged a much-needed point.

Managerless Inverness twice drew level courtesy of Pavels Mihadjuks and Dougie Imrie, who cancelled out goals

by David Obua either side of half time, though Hearts brought home the spoils in the 90th minute when Andrew Driver set up his third goal of the match for Kingston to tap in with his first touch of the ball.

The result left Inverness at the bottom of the SPL after their eighth straight defeat, whilst Hearts leapfrogged Aberdeen, taking fourth spot.

Despite a reasonably dull first half, both teams came out guns blazing after the restart, making for a second forty-five minutes that had both sets of supporters on the edges of their seats.

Deep-defending Caley provided the first half-chance of the game after ten minutes when Russell Duncan hit a shot on target, but his tame strike was easily collected by Hearts ‘keeper Jamie MacDonald. Five minutes later, Hearts midfielder Michal Stewart pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the eighteen-yard box, but his half-volley effort was sent well wide of the mark.

Shortly after the 20 minute mark, the away-side had a penalty claim waved

away by referee Steve Conroy, who saw little in a penalty-box tussle between Imrie and Robbie Neilson.

However, the deadlock was broken in the 38th minute when a Driver cross from the left flank was met by the head of David Obua, who sent the ball into the back of the Caley net, possibly taking a deflection off defender Roy McBain as it crossed the line.

Signs of a comeback from Caley appeared in the second half, when Mihadjuks provided a statement of intent, heading wide from a Cowie corner, and it was not long before Hearts paid the price for allowing the attacking threat from Inverness to continue pushing forward: on 56 minutes, Mihadjuks rose to a welltaken free-kick from Cowie and powered the ball into the back of the net, leaving MacDonald totally stranded and bringing the game back onto level terms.

Moments later, Caley almost looked likely to take the lead, but a horrible miss

by Ross Tokely was sent high from mere yards off the goal line.

Tempers flared in the 68th minute when Driver was brought down by McBain in the penalty area and a penalty was signalled by referee Conroy, with McBain receiving a yellow card for the foul.

The afternoon looked to have taken a fatal turn for Inverness as Michael Stewart stepped up to take the spot-kick, but a diving save to the right from Esson kept Caley’s hopes alive. However, the awayfans’ joy was short-lived as just moments later McBain was shown a straight red following a verbal altercation with the referee’s assistant.

Hearts looked to immediately make the most of their one-man advantage, but

AMADEUS FINLAY

Hearts pile on the pressure as Caley defend in numbers Karipidis’s header was tipped over the bar

by Esson.

However, the visitors could only hold on for so long, and a second goal from Hearts came in the 79th minute when Driver and Obua linked up for the second time, the winger providing an excellent cross that was once again met by the head of the Ugandan, restoring the home side’s advantage.

A Hearts victory seemed imminent with two minutes remaining, but Inverness were not yet beaten, and Tynecastle was left aghast when a superblytaken free kick was curled into the top

left-hand corner of MacDonald’s net by Imrie from 25 yards out, to the eruption of the tiny pocket of Caley supporters.

But there was still time for one last turn, and late substitute Kingston sealed the points for Hearts with a simple tap in.

Again the architect, Driver whipped in a low cross from the right flank, and Kingston wrapped the game up with seconds to go.

After the match, disappointed ICT caretaker manager John Docherty said: “We came away from the game with nothing and I felt we deserve something. I think we showed fantastic spirit and really dug

in in the second half. We can take a lot of positives from the game.”

When asked about the vacant manager’s position at the club, Docherty said: “the process [of recruiting a new manager] has started and we will hopefully have a result by Tuesday. We will be speaking to four candidates and two have so far been interviewed”.

Hearts boss Csaba Lazslo commented: “It was a good performance. I spoke to the players and tried to prepare them for this game. It is not easy to come back three times, and the bench gave us something extra, not only from Laryea Kingston.”

Edinburgh rout Glasgow in men’s hockey showdown Men’s Hockey

Edinburgh 6 Glasgow 0

Tom Bristow tom.bristow@journal-online.co.uk FOUR GOALS FROM Richard McCorkell secured the Scottish Universities Championship for Edinburgh in resounding fashion, firing the club into the British Universities’ elite league.

The hosts were dominant from the offset, pushing their rivals back into the D and forcing three short corners early on.

In the 16th minute, Edinburgh capitalized on their early pressure. A weak pass from Glasgow’s defence was intercepted

by the lively Paddy Thompson, who crossed the ball into the danger zone from the right hand side for McCorkell to blast home.

Ten minutes later, Edinburgh doubled their lead. Andrew Duke opened up the opposition’s defence with a fine through ball leaving Paul Heron to finish off an impressive move with a reverse undercut from close range.

Glasgow were offering little in attack and allowed Edinburgh to push them even further into their own half. Michael Witchel took control of the midfield and Dan Sims should have added a third minutes later. But he opted to pass to Heron instead of shooting, and the follow-up flew over the bar.

Glasgow’s defence were breathing further sighs of relief shortly afterwards. A

well-worked move found the industrious Witchel, who hit his powerful shot past the right hand post.

Seconds after the restart McCorkel and Witchel burst through the Glaswegian defence and in the 39th minute Edinburgh netted their third. Skillful interplay from Witchel and Andrew Duke down the right hand side resulted in a cross to McCorkel who, unmarked, smashed the ball past a helpless goalkeeper to score his second of the game.

Glasgow responded well to this latest setback and put pressure on the Edinburgh defence. They should have pulled one back in the 43rd minute, but took too much time in front of goal, allowing the home defence to recover.

Glasgow created their best chance of the game in the 53rd minute when a

foul in the Edinburgh D prevented what appeared to be a certain goal and the umpire blew for a penalty flick. The ensuing hit, however, was a miserably soft shot to the right hand corner, allowing goalkeeper Dave Forrester to foil the Glaswegian’s effort with his foot.

Glasgow continued to try and push forward, but the visiting defence struggled to clear the ball, whilst opportunities were restricted up front. The visitors then received a lesson in attack from in the 61st minute when McCorkell drove a powerful shot home from the centre of the D after some more effective stick-work from Witchel. Edinburgh’s fifth goal was a simple tap-in. Scotland international Fraser Hurst, drove down the left hand side and crossed to McCorkell, who prodded home with the goalkeeper in no-man’s-land.

The home side finished the game with a flourish. Thompson came close to opening his account in the 68th minute with a diagonal shot from five yards out, but was thwarted by the upright. Minutes later, Edinburgh celebrated their sixth goal with a powerful drive from captain Simon Sampson, which coach Graeme Stapelton rated as the best goal of the game.

Stapelton praised his team’s levels of fitness and work rate in their first game back since the Christmas break, and will be taking his side to the BUSA championships to face England’s best universities with “reasonable confidence”.

Edinburgh remain unbeaten at Peffermill and with two national players in their side, will be hoping to ruffle a few feathers south of the border come February.