The Journal - Edinburgh Issue 59 by The Journal

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EDINBURGH’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

ISSUE 59

THURSDAY 10 MAY 2012

Council Libs Dem-olished in bruising local election » 80% of Lib Dem councillors in Edinburgh, including council leader Jenny Dawe, lose their seats » Re-energised Labour likely to seek to form new coalition in the capital, narrowly beating SNP as largest bloc IN NEWS NEWS / 4 3

Don Paterson: rockstar poet

The celebrated wordsmith reflects on the path which led him from performing in jazz and rock bands to a career as one of Scotland’s brightest literary lights

IN NEWS /

4/5

IN NEWS / 7

NUS: No change at UoE the top One-horse race for rector Incumbent presidents ofover NUS from UK Peter McColl will take and MacWhirter NUS Scotlandon both re-elected at Iain 1 March, union conferences following uncontested election

Tycoon donates £500k to Napier Hong Kong entrepreneur makes large donation to support Chinese students in Edinburgh

IN COMMENT / 11

IN MUSIC / 17

Local politics: students pay heed A EUSA sabb argues that students need to pay greater attention to local government elections

Little Dragon The Swedish electro-pop quartet spread their wings and set Liquid Room ablaze

IN BOOKS /

Seoul-mates: why Britain and South Korea need each other Britain’s ambassador on the importance of Anglo-Korean relations

IN COMMENT /

2 / CONTENTS

The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

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THIS WEEK INSIDE THE JOURNAL...

Heriot-Watt in vogue

Six graduates of Heriot-Watt University nominated in the 2012 Scottish Fashion Awards

Le Havre

Outspoken Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki’s new film is simple in structure, but with a universal message

VIEWFINDER

Revellers perform at the twenty-fifth annual Beltane Fire Festival on Calton Hill in Edinburgh’s city centre last week

20 Chris Rubey

The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

STUDENT POLITICS / 3

@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk

Incumbents win out in NUS elections Liam Burns elected to second term as NUS UK president, while Robin Parker returns as head of union’s Scots wing Sian Williams, Gareth Llewellyn & Margaret Sessa-Hawkins

Liam Burns has been re-elected as the

president of the National Union of Students (NUS), seeing off multiple challengers in a hard-fought campaign. Mr Burns received 57 per cent of the vote, defeating NUS vice-president Ed Marsh who obtained 43 per cent of the vote. In a statement Mr Burns said: “I am delighted students have put their trust in me and re-elected a second term.” Robin Parker of NUS Scotland moved to congratulate Mr Burns on securing victory stating: “It’s a testament to Liam’s past achievements as President of NUS Scotland, as well as his more recent work at NUSUK, that students have continued to show faith in his leadership.” Mr Parker also expressed his delight at the strong influence of Scottish student unions on the national stage, explaining: “This is the most Scottish delegates to run for NUSUK positions than we’ve seen in some time, and reflects the number of talented student representatives and campaigners that Scotland is lucky to be home to.” In a separate election Robin Parker was re-elected president of NUS Scotland seeing off a challenge from Strathclyde Student’s Union president, Charandeep Singh. Speaking to The Journal Mr Parker said: “I’m honoured to get the opportunity to carry on working alongside people who have just been inspirational in the last year. “There’s no doubt about it, a lot of this

year has been measured in terms of the passion, commitment, and dedication that student campaigns have put in, and that’s the best thing about getting to rerun, and getting to do the job again - you get to work alongside those people.” Mr Parker also hailed the campaign run by his opponent, saying: “A lot of credit to Charandeep for running a very positive campaign, [he] put forward a lot of good ideas for how NUS Scotland goes forward, and it’ll be good to meet up with him once things have died away and talk about some of the good ideas in [his manifesto].” The elections mean that both incumbents will remain in office until 2013, both pledge to continue the fight against cuts to higher education and to promote student involvement in politics through the ‘Voice Your Vote’ campaign. The presidential election took place during the annual NUS conference in Sheffield, which passed a number of initiatives. Speaking after re-election Liam Burns stated that it was vital to continue the fight against fees and cuts to higher education: “With the government’s abandonment of the proposed higher education bill, scrapping of EMA, and presiding over record youth unemployment, so many of their wrong headed reforms are taking place behind the scenes and we will continue to vigorously contest them out in the open.” In one campaign, the union urged vicechancellors and businesses to invest in the new NUS programme to give support for

fair access to higher education. Mr Burns argued that the chancellors had “no excuse” not to contribute to the fund given the tax break received in the latest budget: “The government has increased fees and cut taxes, so that the average undergraduate will face thousands more every year in fees, while the average vice-chancellor will be paying £3000 less every year in tax.” Mr Burns claimed that as a result of this close to a million pounds could be raised each year. The proposal has been piloted by the NUS with student unions organising outreach activities, but the new proposal is said to be more substantial than existing plans. However, support from vice-chancellors for the proposal has been limited. Brian Cantor, University of York ViceChancellor, has already ruled himself out of any contribution despite critics stating that Mr Cantor earned £258,473 last year including employers’ contributions to the USS pension scheme. A spokesperson for the University explained: “The Vice-Chancellor will be making, as usual, a substantial personal donation to the University of York during 2012-13, and therefore declines to support this cause, worthy as it is.” In addition to this, the conference also voted for a NUS national demonstration in London next year to oppose government higher education policy, the first of such events since 2010. A vote also passed to condemn police tactics at the national ‘Campaign against Fees and Cuts’ demonstration last year.

David Monteith-Hodge

Burns defeated a challenge from VP Ed Marsh Gareth Llewellyn

Parker alongside his rival, Charandeep Singh

EUSA trustees overturn boycott HW head backs Edinburgh Boycott of brewing giant SABMiller posed financial risk to union, say trustees as major mandate from first-ever campus-wide referendum is quashed

Student Forum manifesto

Greg Bianchi News editor

Edinburgh University Students’ Association’s board of trus-

tees has chosen to repeal the boycott of brewing giant SABMiller’s products, which was passed by a majority of students in a campus-wide referendum in February. In a statement, the trustees said that the decision was not taken lightly. They explained that the decision for the repeal of the boycott “was taken on both financial and reputation grounds”. The statement also explained that following the boycott a “serious deterioration” had occurred with some of the brewers that supply EUSA. EUSA has claimed that the SABMiller brewery firm does practice an ethical tax structure and other brewers feared that they may be boycotted in the future as SABMiller is seen as an ethical company within the international market. As a result EUSA stated that some sponsors and suppliers for the festival were withdrawing their contracts which meant the association faced losing hundreds of thousands of pounds. The campaign to boycott SABMiller products was proposed by the Bollocks to Poverty association which is affiliated with the charity ActionAid, which released a report on SABMiller claim-

ing that the corporation failed to pay tax in many developing states in Africa. The report has been refuted by EUSA claiming that a number of claims made by Action Aid were not completely accurate. In a statement to The Journal, ActionAid tax justice campaigner Chris Jordan, hit back at claims that the report was unreliable, saying: “We are extremely surprised that the EUSA trustees concluded there was no “concrete evidence” that SABMiller abuses loopholes in the international tax system to avoid paying its taxes in Africa.

“Our research, recently cited by the IMF and based on SABMiller’s own accounts, show the company is systematically shifting profits out of Africa and into tax havens.” In a statement on their official Facebook page, Bollocks to Poverty Edinburgh stated that they felt the repeal of the boycott was “undemocratic” and lacked transparency. Despite this, EUSA stand by their decision to repeal the boycott which they felt was misleading and cited the legal obligation they had to protect the association’s reputation and financial stability. Hannah Killoh

SABMiller brands include Grolsch and Peroni

major parties and was part of the NUS ‘Voice Your Vote’ campaign for students to become more involved in politics. Steve Chapman, Principal of In a statement on the ESF website Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh Robin Parker, President of NUS Scothas added his signature to the Edin- land congratulated the ESF on bringburgh Student Forum manifesto. ing student issues to light saying: “It’s The manifesto campaigns on a excellent to see students at colleges number of important student issues and universities in Edinburgh working including widening student participa- together to ensure local authority cantion in elections, seeking to stop HMO didates address issues that affect stuquotas being introduced and improving dents’ lives.” student safety in the city. The ESF represents a number of In a statement on the Heriot-Watt students associations across Edinburgh website Mike Ross, President of Heriot in order to create student solidarity Watt University Students Association across the capital. The forum debates (HWUSA) has been campaigning to a number of wide ranging issues which ensure that all political parties speak to affect students including public transstudents and that all students partici- port and accommodation. pate in the local elections on 3 May. In a statement to The Journal Mr Ross said: “The university’s support for the Edinburgh Student Manifesto recognises [the role] that local government can play in helping to improve the experience of students within Edinburgh. Being a campus-based university gives an excellent opportunity for our students to engage with the local community and really do something excellent.” The ESF held a hustings for the local elections at Teviot, at which a number of student association leaders were present. It involved candidates from all Professor Steve Chapman

4 / LOCAL NEWS

The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

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CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL ELECTIONS

Low turnout and botched ballot-papers mar crucial Edinburgh council elections

Only 43 per cent of the capital’s electorate cast ballots — and almost 2,000 votes were rejected by returning officers Marcus Kernohan

Cllr Steve Burgess, convener of the council’s Green group, campaigning in Newington with former party leader Robin Harper last week Dominique Cottee Local News editor

Changes to the timing of the elec-

tion, the banning of election posters, voter indifference and the single transferable voting system are being blamed for low turnout across Edinburgh in last week’s local council election. Only 42.6 per cent or 141,552 of 331,954 eligible voters showed up to cast their ballots, down from 58.3 per cent of voters in 2007. Participation was higher than predicted on Thursday night after poll booths shut. After a poor show at the ballot boxes across the city, some candidates were predicting wards with 20 per cent or less of voters taking part, and only 30 per cent of voters participating overall. Edinburgh’s turnout was considerably higher than elsewhere in the UK - in Manchester and Bristol only 24 per cent of voters turned up. Sighthill/Gorgie saw the lowest voter turnout of all seventeen Edinburgh wards, with only 34.56 per cent turning up to vote, down from 49.6 per cent in 2007. The seat saw two SNP and two Labour candidates elected. Forth likewise had one of the lowest percentages of turnout in the city - only 37.7 per cent - a result made worse by the 136 ballot papers that were rejected in the ward. Colinton/Fairmilehead was the only ward to register turnout above 50 per cent, with a 51 per cent turnout, the highest of all the wards. It saw two Conservatives and one SNP candidate elected. Nonetheless, it was still 25 per cent fewer voters than in 2007. Meadows/Morningside, where Council

Leader Jenny Dawe lost her seat, also saw a 25 per cent drop this election. By comparison, in 2007 only one ward - Sighthill/Gorgie - registered turnout below 50 per cent. SNP leader Steve Cardownie expressed disappointment at the poor showing, adding that “no politician is pleased with a low turnout - it weakens the mandate they have.” The low levels of participation prompted questions as to the sense of moving local elections to a different day than Scottish Parliament elections. The last time the local elections were held separate to the Scottish Parliament elections was in 1995, when voter turnout was similarly low, at 44.5 per cent. It is also the first local election after the SNP and the Conservatives voted to ban the displaying of election posters in June last year. On his blog, unsuccessful Pirate Party candidate for Meadows/ Morningside, Phil Hunt, pointed to the lack of posters as a reason for the small number of voters, saying: “Posters make people aware that there’s an election going on, and might nudge them to think about the issues.” Second-year Medical Science student Shinjini Basu told The Journal that she didn’t vote in the local elections “primarily because I had no idea there were elections.” She added that if she had seen election posters around the city, it “maybe” would have encouraged her to vote, but “probably not because I wouldn’t know if (as a Commonwealth citizen) I would be allowed to vote.” Other suggestions for encouraging greater voter participation included changing the day of voting from a Thurs-

day to a weekend – a suggestion that was likewise supported by Cardownie. However, voter discontent with parties across the political spectrum may have also played a large part in the disappointing numbers, with many instead staying home either out of protest or general disinterest. Re-elected Conservative councillor for Colinton/Fairmilehead, Jason Rust, said it was hard to tell if low voter turnout was a protest or apathy. Angrier voters chose to register their discontent with the political system by turning up to the booths simply to lodge a protest vote by way of invalidating their ballot paper. Lucas McGregor-Paas, President of the Edinburgh University Scottish Nationalists Association, told The Journal: “I fear that this poor turnout may repeat itself in the European Parliament Election in 2014 unless the political parties of Scotland start to work together to re-engage the public.” In Meadows/Morningside, there were reports of a ballot paper with “I hate you all” written on it. Another report came out of a ballot paper with “TRAMS - ENOUGH SAID, EH?” written across it in lieu of a numbered preference of candidates. Many other ballot papers were reportedly used to make some reference to the trams instead of being used as a voting card. Former city council leader Jenny Dawe said following her unsuccessful re-election attempt that “it was the right thing to do, if somebody doesn’t approve of the trams they have the right not to vote for anybody because all the major parties at some stage voted for the trams.” Other voters had spoiled their ballots by putting an “X” in the box instead of

the numbered preferences required by the Single Transferable Voting system. Confusion or lack of understanding over voting by numbered preferences as opposed to marking an “X” has also been cited as a reason for voters staying away,

Ward Colinton/Fairmilehead

with Labour MSP Kezia Dugdale tweeting: “Let’s be honest – this electronic counting malarkey takes all the fun and drama out of the count.” Overall, 1,868 votes across the city were rejected as invalid.

2012 turnout 2007 turnout (%) (%) 51

67.6

Inverleith

47.9

64.4

Corstorphine/ Murrayfield

47.41

62.6

Craigentinny/ Duddingston

45.9

60.6

Southside/Newington

45.3

57.5

Pentland Hills

44.43

61.5

Almond

44.29

66.3

Drumbrae/Gyle

44.18

60.1

Fountainbridge/ Craiglockhart

59.9

Portobello/Craigmillar

54.5

Liberton/Gilmerton

39.9

55.3

Forth

37.77

63.4

Leith

37.6

52.6

City Centre

36.6

50.8

Meadows/Morningside

Leith Walk

36.2

53.3

Sighthill/Gorgie

34.56

49.6

OVERALL

42.6

58.3

The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

LOCAL NEWS// 5

@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk

Labour and SNP unlikely bedfellows in new City of Edinburgh Council coalition Labour’s Andrew Burns tipped to become council leader, with SNP chief Steve Cardownie the likely deputy leader Dominique Cottee Local News editor

Labour and the SNP are to form a coa-

lition to lead the Edinburgh City Council for the next five years, after an inconclusive council election which left no party with an overall majority on Edinburgh’s city council. The surprise announcement was made on the evening of Monday 7 May after a weekend of “intense negotiations” following large gains in the council elections held on Thursday. Labour won 20 of 58 seats in an election that saw the Liberal Democrats routed and council leader Jenny Dawe

Party

Councillors

Change

Labour

Scottish National Party

Conservatives

Greens

Liberal Democrats

-13

ousted. Although the largest number of seats taken by any running party, it was not enough to secure them the 30-seat majority needed to take full control of the council. The new coalition with the SNP will see the two parties holding a 38-seat majority, after the SNP grabbed 18 seats overall in last week’s elections. Labour group leader Andrew Burns said the coalition was formed “after listening to the will of the electorate and and after intense negotiations over the last few days.” “Edinburgh electors gave a very clear mandate to Labour and the SNP, delivering 38 out of 58 councillors. “A Labour-SNP coalition will now provide the stability and certainty needed to move Edinburgh forward.” SNP group leader Steve Cardownie also expressed his confidence in the newly-formed coalition, adding: “The SNP looks forward to working in partnership with the Labour group with a progressive and exciting agenda to meet the challenges the city faces. “With this strong partnership we are best placed to ensure Edinburgh serves its citizens well and emerges from the recession quickly and strongly. “Our groups’ economic policies are almost one and the same and we are confident they will deliver for the people of the city.” The two parties also reached an agreement on how various council positions will be divided. Labour will nominate candidates for the roles of Leader and Lord Provost, while the SNP will nominate candidates for Deputy Leader and Deputy Lord Provost. Councillors will be appointed to these roles when the new Council meets for the first time on Thursday 17 May. The agreement came as a surprise to many observers, who had expected a newly-emboldened Green group to play

Edinburgh Labour

a kingmaker role. But group leader Steve Burgess announced that the party had ruled out a coalition role, saying: “We looked seriously at various options over the weekend but recognised that the arithmetic meant that Green councillors would always be dispensable and that would be a major weakness. However, by making our intentions not to enter coalition clear earlier today we ensured that a Labour-Conservative coalition was no longer attractive to Labour either.” Last week’s election saw Labour claiming 20 seats, SNP with 18, Conservatives with 11, Greens with six and Liberal Democrats with three. Labour gained five seats in the wards

of Drumbrae/Gyle, Forth, City Centre, Leith Walk and Craigentinny/Duddingston, giving them the highest number of seats in council, in what the party called “a great day for Edinburgh and Labour.” Labour have spent the past five years in opposition after losing 15 seats in the 2007 elections. Fifteen Labour councillors - including Group leader Andrew Burns - were also returned to their wards. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats saw their numbers plummet, losing a total of 14 seats and holding on to only three. Leader of the Edinburgh Council and of the Lib Dem group Jenny Dawe was unseated in her Meadows/Morningside ward, polling only 1,285 votes. She blamed her loss on anti-Clegg sentiment and on a combination of national and local issues. Transport convener Gordon Mackenzie was also voted out of his ward in Southside/Newington in what was seen to be voter backlash against the mishandled trams project. In a demonstration of just how badly the Lib Dems fared, Independent candidate Mike Ferrigan, aka “Professor Pongoo”, a six-foot ‘intergalactic penguin’, gained 74 more votes than rival Lib Dem candidate Stuart Bridges in Pentland Hills. Neither were eventually elected. In Liberton/Gilmerton, the Lib Dems were voted out in favour of a Conservative candidate. Other nearby councils likewise saw devastating result for the Lib Dems, with East Lothian Council losing all six of their Lib Dem councillors. Midlothian Council similarly didn’t return any Lib Dem candidates. The Greens saw their best results yet, gaining three seats on the last election, and winning six seats overall. They were particularly successful in the wards of Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart and Southside/Newington, where they took

Burns (centre, seated) with Labour parliamentarians and council candidates the majority of first preferences. The party gained seats in Inverleith, Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart and Leith, and retained their seats in Southside/ Newington, Leith Walk and Meadows/ Morningside. Former Liberal Democrat Councillor Tim McKay blamed the loss of his seat on the order of the ballot paper, where successful Green candidate Nigel Bagshaw was listed first. The SNP also saw favourable results, gaining six more seats than the 2007 local election, in the wards of Costorphine/ Murrayfield, Sighthill/Gorgie, Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart, Meadows/Morningside, Southside/Newington and Colinton/Fairmilehead, giving them an overall win of 18 seats. But their strategy of nominating more than one candidate in the same ward did not pay off for the SNP in Leith, after Deputy Lord Provost Rob Munn was not re-elected.

SNP candidate Ian McVey instead claimed victory in the ward, again prompting questions about the order of the ballot paper, where McVey appeared before Munn. SNP Group leader Steve Cardownie, was returned as a councillor in Forth. The Scottish Conservatives maintained a steady seat count of 11. Despite losing a Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart seat to Greens candidate Gavin Corbett, Conservative candidate Nick Cook took a seat in Liberton/Gilmerton from the Liberal Democrats after eight stages of counting. Across Scotland, the SNP and Labour both made gains, with the former winning 424 seats, and the latter winning 394 seats. Lucas McGregor-Pass, President of Edinburgh University Scottish Nationalists Association, heralded the results as a “phenomenal achievement for us, as this year we have not only won the highest number of councillors in our

history but also won an overall majority in two Councils for the first time.” He told The Journal: “I personally feel that the people of Scotland have rejected the centre-right politics of the current Westminster Government and are continuing to support the social democratic policies of the Scottish National Party, the Scottish Labour Party and the Scottish Greens.” Meanwhile, the Conservatives lost 16 seats, bringing their total across Scotland to 115. The Lib Dems also performed poorly across Scotland, losing 80 seats and in the end grabbing only 71.

A referendum on the coalition? EDITORIAL & COMMENT

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6 / ACADEMIC NEWS

Heriot-Watt graduates nominated for Scottish Fashion Awards Recent Heriot-Watt graduates up for designer awards Jenny Kassner // Staff writer

Six

Heriot-Watt

University

graduates have been nominated in the 2012 Scottish Fashion Awards. Natalie Traynor, Joanne McGillivray, David Black, Catriona Clark, Coryn Dickson and Deborah Morgan have all been short-listed for the Graduate of the Year category of the Awards which is now in its seventh year. The ceremony will be hosted by Alexa Chung and will be held on 11 June at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow. Tessa Hartmann, founder of the Awards in 2006 said in an interview with The Herald: “It’s a big step for us to move to this impressive venue that is the Clyde Auditorium, but year on year we receive so many requests from young fashionistas all desperate to attend this global event. “We are delighted to welcome our incredible judging panel flying in from across Europe, Australia, the US and Dubai all contributing to our aim of placing Scottish fashion talent on the global map. With style icon Alexa Chung as our host, all eyes will for sure be on Scotland’s most fashionable red-carpet night of the year in 2012.” Among the 15 categories are nominees for Scottish Designer of the Year, Scottish Retailer of the Year and a Hall of Fame Award. The nominees will be evaluated by a panel of judges made up of professionals in the fashion industry, including designers and journalists. The awards are a chance for young and upcoming designers to have their work presented to the attending fashion community, consisting of designers, models, retailers and celebrities, and be recognised by influential people in the industry. At the same time it celebrates the best of what the Scottish fashion industry has to offer in fashion, design and textiles.

Scottish Fashion Awards

The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

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Edinburgh University to host GB swimming team’s Olympic Swim Camp ahead of Games Team GB will use Commonwealth Pool and Pleasance Gym for strength and conditioning Katie Richardson Academic News editor

we are now thrilled that talented students view Edinburgh as a place they can come to combine their higher education and sporting ambitions too. The GB swimming team has chosen “Many national sports agencies, the University of Edinburgh as the such as GB swimming, value our comvenue to host their final preparations mitment to identifying and developing for the Olympics this summer. sporting talent, and we are seen as a The team will use the newly refur- willing partner in promoting sporting bished Commonwealth Pool and excellence. the university’s Pleasance Gym for “Our Individual and Team Perstrength and conditioning sessions formance Sport programmes seek to from 18 to 24 July. provide a rounded multi-disciplinary Jim Aitken, Director of the Centre package of athlete support around for Sport and Exercise, told The coaching, sports medicine, fitness conJournal: “We are delighted to have ditioning, flexible study, cash support secured the Olympic Swim Camp, and and the like, which have helped the Volleyball Camp too (in June), and produce a growing number of internathis has really captured the imagination of everyone who has an interest in sport. “These events have created quite a stir, and we are really excited about the benefits they will bring and it’s a real privilege that we’ve been chosen to host them. “It’s clear GB Swim officials were much impressed by the fantastic new Royal Commonwealth Pool and the sporting facilities and performance sport culture we have at the University. “We all want the Edinburgh Camp to be the perfect preparation for the swimmers ahead of the London Games, and everyone’s working really hard to achieve that.” The university has been in discussions to secure the deal for over a year, with its reputation for combining both sporting and academic achievements being an influential factor. The university is already renowned for its sporting legacy, the latest being Sir Chris Hoy’s triple cycling gold in Beijing in 2008. Mr Aitken added: “The university is rightly respected world-wide for the quality of its teaching and learning, but

tional athletes from the university.” Swimmers who will be taking part in the camp include the university’s Michael Jamieson, who also swims for Bath, and will be competing for the title in the 200m breaststroke. Mr Jamieson said: “It’s a fantastic place to come and I think that’s shown with the fact that the British team have chosen Edinburgh to host the holding camp for the Olympic games and to entrust it with the final stages of preparation really speaks volumes for it. “Obviously at the university here you’ve got everything under one roof, the gym, the physio and the sport staff are all on hand and that’s important in selecting a training base.”

Mr Jamieson is excited to be on the team and competing for an Olympic place: “It’s great to be following in the footsteps of sporting idols here from Edinburgh and hopefully we can deliver some similar results. Edinburgh is a home away from home for me.” Chris Jones, Head of Performance Swimming at the University of Edinburgh said: “The University has continued to invest in facilities such as this to train the athletes to train and find that extra cutting edge, as a coach it’s going to be amazing. “Facilities here are among the best in the world and that’s why GB swimming will keep coming here to train.” Chris Rubey

British hopefuls are set to train at Edinburgh University’s athletic facilities

QMU wins award for peddling sustainability Musselburgh university commended as a ‘Cycle Friendly Employer’ by charity Cycle Scotland Daniel do Rosario // Staff writer

Queen

Margaret

University

(QMU) has announced that it has been awarded a Cycle Friendly Employer (CFE) award for providing a “full range of incentives” for staff and students to cycle to the campus. The award is organised by Scotland’s largest cycling charity, Cycle Scotland, and is contingent on meeting a set of 12 criteria that display a commitment to increasing travel to work by bike. The university provides services including bike-lockers, showers, workshops and repair kits, which they claim has led more staff and students to travel to university by bicycle than ever before. Matt Sanders, QMU’s Cycle Friendly Employer Green Travel Champion, said: “We are continuously promoting the benefits of cycling to work and it’s wonderful to know that our efforts in this area are resulting in an increased level of people travelling by bike. “We are also pleased that our drive to support cycle users by providing a range

of good facilities, useful information and advice as well as group activities is being recognised in this way.” The university campus is based on the eastern fringe of Edinburgh, near Musselburgh, and is approximately 6 miles from the city centre. Students or staff travelling from the city centre can expect to burn around 160 calories and save almost 2kg of Carbon Dioxide emissions with a lowintensity cycle to campus, according to Cyclestreets.net, a cycle route-planning website. The Scottish government has committed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, but Scotland’s transport alone emits enough carbon to cover the 14 million tonne total emissions target for 2050. It is estimated that a decarbonised transport sector would have to be well on its way by 2030, and sustainable transport initiatives will have a key role to play in reaching this target. QMU, which prides itself on its sustainability credentials, has said that it is “delighted” to win the award.

Stuart Caie

QMU has introduced several cycling initiatives

The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

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ACADEMIC NEWS// 7

Casino magnate donates £500k to Napier Hong Kong entrepreneur Lawrence Ho’s grant will help support Chinese students wanting to study at Napier Jon Baldie Comment & Features editor

A Hong Kong entrepreneur has

invested £500k into Edinburgh Napier University, to help students from China, Hong Kong and Macau study there. Lawrence Ho’s fund will also be open to applications for Edinburghbased students wishing to study abroad for a semester, or a full year. This is the second donation Dr Ho has made to Napier University, the largest UK provider of international education in Hong Kong. Professor Dame Joan Stringer, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University, said: “Today’s graduates are faced with a highly competitive jobs market where standing out from the crowd has never been more important. “This very generous gift gives students both in Scotland and in China, Macau and Hong Kong the chance to benefit from a once in a lifetime opportunity to study and work abroad, and

will help further grow the economic, educational and cultural ties between the two countries. “The fund will also allow us to increase our business and education collaborations in a region we have operating in for over 20 years now, producing thousands of graduates who have contributed to the economy and long term prosperity of Hong Kong.” Edinburgh Napier University announced the launch of The Lawrence Ho Scholarship and Research Fund at a ceremony in Hong Kong on Thursday 2 April. The launch was attended by the Principal, Professor Dame Joan K Stringer, Sir David K P Li and Dr Lawrence Ho. Hospitality management student Rosalynn Dinnen spoke of the benefits she personally experienced from previous money donated by Dr Ho: “I am now undertaking a PhD in Hospitality and Tourism and I hope to focus on the various aspects of Human Resource Management with the approval of Mr Ho. “As I won the Lawrence Ho award,

I have decided to do my case study on Mr Ho’s organization, Melco International Development Limited, located in Macau on the southeast of China. I hope to go out to Macau early next year for six months to work with the Vice President of Melco.” 34-year-old Mr Ho is the chairman and chief executive officer of Hong Kong-listed Melco International Development Limited, and was elected as one of the “Ten Outstanding Young Persons” in 2006. His personal fortune is currently estimated at over $1 billion. Mr Ho is the son of the Honourable Dr Stanley Ho, one of the richest men in Asia, who held the monopoly on gambling in Macau for several decades before deregulation of the gaming industry in 2002. Mr Ho built his first large casino in 2007, followed in 2009 by a major casino resort during a boom in casino construction that has seen the tiny special administrative region become the biggest gambling destination in the world.

Horasis

Mr Ho, 34, is CEO of a major casino conglomerate

£1.3 million windfall for Heriot- Napier seek inspiration Watt’s mathematics institute on how to enhance the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences receives government student experience grant estimated to finance its research for the next four years Sim Scammell

A donation of £1.3 million has

been made to the Heriot-Watt University International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS) by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). They hope the grant will assist the ICMS in continuing its work hosting research workshops for mathematical scientists. The grant is to cover the work of the ICMS for a total of four years, from 2012 to 2016. The EPSRC expect that their donation will help young mathematicians, in particular, benefit from the workshops which they claim provide them with the chance to work with senior researchers, industry and the government. In a statement in response to a query about their reasons for

making the donation, the EPSRC praised the high quality of ICMS’s workshops, saying:”[the workshops] nurture the next generation of mathematical scientists by encouraging the participation of young researchers at the events. “The events offer considerable opportunity for networking, opening up wider possibilities in terms of career paths for younger participants. There is also greater scope for them to be offered crucial training opportunities either in the UK or overseas.” The EPSRC also emphasised the global relevance of the ICMS, continuing: “The meetings also attract scientists from all over the world so offering a forum for communicating new ideas and techniques from their country.” The EPSRC say that the workshops can effect change by develop-

Graduation celebrations at 21212

ing ideas within multi-disciplinary sciences that will be of aid to businesses and the government in the future. While the grant’s benefits aim to maintain and possibly improve the standards of the ICMS’s workshops, by cultivating knowledge in the mathematical sciences, graduates of these disciplines might enter into better working environments in which to develop new ideas. This fits in with the EPSRC’s long-term goals in promoting innovations which also have commercial benefits, as stated on their website. With regards to the relevance of the ICMS itself to academia, a spokesperson for Heriot-Watt University said: “I am told [that] the professors get support to organize workshops at ICMS and the PhD students get funding to attend them.”

‘Open Minds’ competition includes £3,000 prize towards postgraduate study Jenny Kassner // Staff writer

Edinburgh Napier University is

giving students the chance to win £3000 to put towards their postgraduate degree. The ‘Open Minds’ competition asks existing or potential students to submit their ideas on how to enhance student experiences at Napier university based on three key areas of academia, technology and social life. The best ideas will be chosen by a panel of judges made up of lecturers from the faculties of Business, Health, Life and Social Sciences Engineering, Computing and Creative Industries at Napier University and the winning entry will win £3000 to put towards their postgraduate degree. The judges will also ask the general

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public to pick their favourite submission in a separate competition and the idea that proves to be most popular with voters will win a Kindle e-reader and a £100 Amazon voucher. Paola Renucci who is a judge on the panel said: “This is a chance to make a positive difference to student life and we’re looking for creative and innovative ideas to help us do this.” However, it is not guaranteed that the winning ideas will actually be implemented by Napier University. A university spokesperson told The Journal: “We don’t say that ideas will be implemented so prospective student submitting are not under that impression. It really is just looking for ideas at this stage. If the idea has real potential and is feasible the university may well look in to it further”

Restaurant with Rooms

8 / STUDENT NEWS

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The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

Trades unions condemn government over new youth unemployment revelations Figures show that unemployment has risen dramatically during last five years, prompting criticism from STUC Greg Bianchi News editor

Youth unemployment in Scot-

land has reached a five year high, new figures show. According to figures obtained by The Scotsman, the number of young people claiming job seekers allowance for more than 12 months in Scotland has risen by more than 1,100 per cent in five years. The news comes at a testing time for Scotland’s youth as graduate prospects appear bleak for some final year students. The rise in unemployment has affected all areas of the United Kingdom but Scotland has been hit particularly hard. Figures released by the Scottish Trade Unions Congress (STUC) stated that 5,210 Scots between the ages of 18 and 24 had been receiving job seekers allowance for more than 12 months. Georgina Wardrop, who is a member of the STUC’s youth commit-

tee is set to lead the campaign against youth unemployment. In an excerpt of a speech obtained by the BBC Ms Wardrop said: “It is time that government at all levels takes meaningful action to provide hope and avoid another lost generation”. In addition to this Ms Wardrop also called for the coalition government in Westminster to “abandon austerity”. Stephen Boyd, who is the STUC’s assistant secretary supported Ms Wardrop when he stated: ““The increase in the number of people unemployed for more than a year demonstrates the scale of the problem and it’s a message that’s in danger of being lost. “We will be left with the human, economic, and social consequences of this decade for some time.” The news comes following moves by NUS and NUS Scotland to guarantee more places for students at university in the ‘Funding Our Future’

Plans for Edinburgh ‘super college’ put to Scottish Government

campaign. In a statement on the NUS website the campaign claims that policies being passed by the coalition gov-

ernment are “pricing students out of education” and that there is a need to ensure a prosperous future by invest-

ing in education and encouraging students to attend university by cutting tuition fees. Allan MacDonald

Anti-cuts campaigners at a recent Edinburgh demonstration JISC infoNet

Proposed merger of Jewel & Esk, Telford and Stevenson colleges is a cost-cutting move Leighton Craig Student News editor

Plans have been published for a

merger between three Edinburgh colleges potentially creating a ‘super college’. The proposals were put forward to the Scottish Government by the city’s Telford, Stevenson and Jewel and Esk Colleges last week. The plans come amidst a nationwide reorganisation of higher education facilities in a bid to help cut costs. The individual boards of the three colleges approved the business case and merger proposal for submission to the Scottish Government in late March. The new college will be named Edin-

burgh College and, if approved, has a planned vesting day of 1 October 2012. As well as cutting costs, a potential merger will open a range of possibilities for college education in Edinburgh. A statement on the Stevenson College website says: “The merger will ensure that, given the constraints and challenges of the economic and public funding environment, the new college will maintain and, where appropriate, enhance the services currently provided. Building on educational, commercial and international successes of the partner colleges.” Over the past year, the Scottish Government have held a number of consultations and released publications outlining their aim for educational reform in the country.

Telford College, one of three Edinburgh colleges set to merge under the plans Education Secretary Mike Russell told MSPs in a statement last year: “Ideally I would wish to see emerge regional groupings of colleges, with a spread of specialist, higher-level and access-level provision delivered locally, greater collaboration between universities, with the possibility of mergers where that makes educational and financial sense.”

The merger comes as the government revealed the need for budget cuts to colleges earlier this year. Colleges across Scotland have voiced concern that they will struggle to meet costs in the next educational year. However, participants in this new merger are hopeful that it will ensure a more stream-lined approach to college education in Scotland as well as being more economically

viable. Jim Ewing, chair of the three colleges’ Merger Partnership Board, said: “Working together as one college will provide more opportunities for students, staff and the community, and reflects the growing desire of the Scottish Government for colleges to work together to deliver a smarter, more economical model going forward.”

New union bar for Napier Students’ Association A year after the closure of the old premises, NSA president Tom Zanelli reveals plans for new bar to open in 2013 Leighton Craig Student News editor

Plans are in place for the building of a new state of the art student union bar for Edinburgh Napier University students. Napier students have been without a recognised social space since the failing and unprofitable old union bar in Merchiston closed down last September.

Since then, NSA has launched a successful weekly club night at Opal Lounge on the city’s George Street, however many students have deemed this to be unacceptable. The lack of a union bar was one of the biggest issues which NSA received feedback on in their recent ‘1 Thing’ campaign in which students were asked to write down one thing they liked and one they disliked about their university.

Since taking office, NSA president Tom Zanelli has campaigned for a student bar making it his remit to instil one through lobbying the university and creating a petition which garnered over 3000 signatures. Mr Zanelli initially faced opposition from the university on the matter, he told The Journal last October that “It seems I have to prove to everyone at Napier that a union bar is needed. If it’s done right, it can

be successful.” However, it would appear that he has persuaded the university and says in a recent statement: “When I started less than a year ago, nobody at the university was interested in having a union bar for Edinburgh Napier students which is a joke considering it was the issue which kept coming up time and time again as the main thing which our students disliked about

the university.” As well as the very important learning side to university it is equally important to enjoy the student experience.” The new bar is likely to open in 2013 and will be located in the centre of town. Mr Zanelli has also revealed that he may look in to the possibility of having a temporary student bar until the new one is unveiled.

The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

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NATIONAL POLITICS / 9

Donald Trump gives evidence to Scottish Parliament committee over wind-farm plans Property tycoon has lobbied against proposal to build wind-farm near his Aberdeenshire golf-course development Rory Scothorne // Staff writer

Billionaire American tycoon

Donald Trump brought Hollywood to Holyrood this month when he appeared in front of a Scottish parliamentary committee. Mr Trump, who has faced criticism from environmental groups for his controversial golf course development in Aberdeenshire, was called to give evidence to the Scottish parliament’s economy, energy and tourism committee. The committee of MSPs had invited Mr Trump to give his views as part of an inquiry into renewable energy after his outspoken criticism of the Scottish Government’s support for wind farms. Mr Trump claimed that he had received assurances from First Minister Alex Salmond and former First Minister Jack McConnell that a proposed 11-turbine offshore wind farm near his golf course would not be built if he went ahead with his project. With his executive vice-president George Sorial at his side, he said he felt “betrayed” by Mr Salmond and his predecessor, telling MSPs:

“What they did is lured me in. I spent this money and now I might regret it. I think that other people that want to invest in Scotland are watching me and they’re watching what happened, and I think they’re going to say: ‘We’re not going to invest in Scotland’.” However, Mr Salmond’s office has dismissed the claims that Mr Trump received assurances as “total nonsense”. “Absolutely no assurances have been given at any time by the First Minister or anyone in this administration to Mr Trump or his organisation, and any claims to the contrary are wrong.” “The suggestion that any assurances were given at a dinner in New York in October 2007, which was attended by other businesspeople and potential inward investors in Scotland, is merely the latest in a long line of bizarre twists and claims.” Mr Trump attacked turbines for their appearance and cost, encouraging the committee to “recognise the serious situation and to encourage the Scottish government not to destroy Scotland with these horrendous, costly and highly inefficient industrial turbines.”

He added: “Your pristine countryside and coastlines will forever be destroyed and Scotland will go broke.” Mr Trump’s appearance drew protests from both pro- and anti-windfarm groups, who greeted the billionaire with both jeers and cheers as he left the building. Many of the pro-windfarm campaigners were also there to protest Mr Trump’s golf development on the Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire, which has been the subject of controversy since its announcement in March 2006. Mr Trump’s handling of the golf course development has come under fire after alleged mistreatment of local residents was exposed in Anthony Baxter’s documentary ‘You’ve Been Trumped’, which has won a number of international awards. Scottish Green Party leader Patrick Harvie hosted a screening of the film at the Parliament on the eve of the enquiry. Mr Trump’s appearance intensified pressure on the SNP, who are keen to deflect charges of being too close to wealthy elites after revelations over Mr Salmond’s relationship with beleaguered News International chief Rupert Murdoch.

Gage Skidmore

Donald Trump

Northern Irish students First minister vetoes calls for could avoid RUK fees Holyrood hacking probe Dual-citizenship loophole means students could receive free education under EU rules

Alex Salmond is accused of “arrogance” by opposition MSPs, as he refuses to confirm or deny whether his own phone was hacked

Andrew Barr National Politics Editor

Jon Baldie Comment & Features editor

Students

from

Northern

Ireland may be entitled to free education at Scottish universities due to dual British-Irish citizenship. The Scottish Government has kept university tuition free for students resident in Scotland, and due to European law has had to offer the same free education to applicants from the rest of the EU. As some residents in Northern Ireland have dual nationality and the right to opt for Irish passports this means that many applicants are considered as EU rather than UK applicants for Scottish universities. However, it is understood that some universities in Scotland have told these applicants they will be classed as UK nationals and will have to pay fees. Scottish education secretary Michael Russell has said universities would have the final word stating: “The purpose of the regulations is to guarantee Scottish students free access. It is not to find ways around for other people. Because of European law, people coming from other jurisdictions do get the same treatment as Scottish students but those in the rest of the UK don’t.” The DUP East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell said: “Northern

Ireland’s citizenship issue is unique to that of the rest of the United Kingdom in that someone living in Belfast can hold both a British passport and an Irish passport. They can officially be an Irish citizen and a British citizen.” “With such a unique situation, the Scottish executive should take an equally unique approach to Northern Ireland students.” Mr Campbell went on to explain that the system shouldn’t force Northern Irish students to adopt Irish citizenship and that fees for students from Northern Ireland should be scrapped by the Scottish government to avoid a situation where Mr Campbell claims that Northern Irish students who wish to retain British citizenship would be “disadvantaged to the tune of £27,000. If such a decision was taken it would likely raise the issue of UK citizens from England and Wales being charged to attend university in Scotland. In August, human rights lawyer Phil Shiner announced his intention to mount a legal challenge to the RUK regulations, claiming that they breach both the European Convention on Human Rights and the Equality Act. Mr Shiner previously represented two students seeking a judicial review of England’s fee structure. In February, the High Court ruled that the rules did not breach human rights legislation.

Tobias Hase

First Minister Alex Salmond

has rejected a call from MSPs to hold a phone-hacking inquiry, calling it unnecessary. Last week Mr Salmond defied a report by the UK House of Commons culture, media and sport committee that said that Rupert and James Murdoch demonstrated “wilful blindness” to phone-hacking in News Corporation. According to evidence released in previous weeks, Jack McConnell, Mr Salmond’s predecessor as First Minister, and Joan McAlpine, his parliamentary advisor, had their mobile phones hacked by the News of the World. The first minister was accused by MSPs of “arrogance” and of treating the Scottish Parliament with “complete contempt” after he declined to confirm whether his phone had been hacked. Mr Salmond will appear before the Leveson Inquiry on 13 June, and has said that he will not confirm or deny any details of his phone being hacked until then. His reluctance to reveal whether he had been a victim was condemned by opposition leaders, piling more pressure onto his struggle to justify being the world’s only political leader still enjoying a close relation-

James Murdoch ship with Mr Murdoch. The separate Leveson Inquiry last week learned from emails that Mr Salmond offered to lobby the UK government for Rupert Murdoch’s planned takeover of BSkyB “whenever” News Corporation wanted. Johann Lamont, the leader of Scottish Labour, said: “The First Minister treated his party, the parliament, and the people of this country with complete contempt, refusing to answer questions and failing to justify his lobbying for Rupert Murdoch. Three times he was asked by three party leaders if his phone was hacked, three times he

ignored the question, and he refuses to be held accountable for his actions. “When a Nationalist leader is hiding behind an inquiry in London as a reason to resist calls for a parliamentary inquiry here in Scotland, then we really are through the looking glass.” Willie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, said: “In the last few days we have learned that phone hacking reached the very top of government in Scotland. It is right and proper that the Scottish Parliament has the opportunity to look into the phone hacking scandal in its own way and in its own time.”

10 / EDITORIAL

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SU DOKU

EDINBURGH’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER Local government elections

A pox on all your houses Left-of-centre pundits are still,

days after the event, lining up to reliably inform us that the electoral cataclysm which befell the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in last week’s UK-wide local government was a watershed moment; a premonition of certain political doom for this government come the 2015 general election. But while that prediction is surely premature, this was nonetheless an impressive political detonation by two of Britain’s largest political parties. The election results make decidedly grim reading for David Cameron and Nick Clegg. The prime minister’s party lost a dozen councils, and over 40 per cent of all Conservative councillors nationwide. For Mr Clegg’s Liberal Democrats, the toll was even greater: 75 per cent of Lib Dem councillors were unseated, including almost 90 per cent of their Scottish cohort. Conversely, it was a remarkable night for the Labour party, who gained control of 32 councils and added over 800 new councillors to their ranks. Superficially, at least, it would appear that the British public have

resoundingly rejected the coalition’s agenda — and understandably so. Sleaze, scandals, needlessly brutal austerity measures and an abject failure to rescue the UK’s economy from recession have painted a picture of a consistently and spectacularly wrongfooted government. On the NHS, on higher education policy, on integrity in public life, this government has had precious few successes. But the public aren’t yet ready to jump back into bed with Labour. Britons have a long memory of thirteen years of war, sleaze and economic chaos, and the public are far from convinced by the party’s bland leader Ed Miliband. Indeed, a YouGov poll on 6 May put Miliband’s party 12 points clear of the Tories — yet Labour’s approval rating nonetheless topped out at an anaemic 43 per cent. Equally, in Scotland, the SNP fell short of expectations. Party insiders were convinced last week that they could break Labour’s decadeslong grip on Glasgow’s council, but in the event Johann Lamont’s party defended their stronghold at the cost

of just one councillor. In Edinburgh, a ferocious SNP assault did not produce quite the expected result: Labour narrowly beat the nationalists to become the largest party, and as The Journal went to press the two parties agreed a surprise coalition agreement — thus avoiding the unpalatable alternative of a partnership with either the increasingly toxic Tories or Lib Dems. What these elections show is a British public increasingly dissatisfied with Britain’s entire political establishment — so much so that less than a third of voters turned out to the polls. Labour should be pleased with their result, just as the coalition parties should mourn theirs, while the SNP can hang their hats on a mildly underwhelming advance in their political dominance north of the border. But in the long term, this was a victory for none of them: it is abundantly clear that, at this moment in time, the public dislikes and distrusts politicians, and there is much work to be done if any of the parties wish to restore the electorate’s faith in politics.

Roy Hodgson

Ritual defamation begins with The Sun Last week, The Sun chose to herald

the selection of Roy Hodgson as the new manager of the England football team by running the spectacularly meanspirited headline ‘Bwing on the Euwos’ on their front page. The jibe, a reference to Mr Hodgson’s speech impediment, was dutifully branded “disrespectful” by the FA, and the newspaper faced a wave of complaints – including their own former editor David Yelland, who took to Twitter to condemn the “pointlessly cruel, pointless hurtful” headline. This was not merely an example of a newspaper running short of ideas

and taking their eyes off the ball in a moment of deadline-induced haste. The carefully-selected accompanying image and the crude hammering-home of the rapidly-deteriorating ‘joke’ in the standfirst (punchline: ‘Fwance’ and ‘Ukwaine’) point to the kind of thorough and well-planned hatchet job for which the red-top is notorious. There was no angle being worked – the only news to report was that of Mr Hodgson’s appointment – so the joke was nothing more than a lame crack at the expense of sufferers of rhotacism; a mild disability, but a disability nonethe-

VIEWFINDER

less. If it were at least a clever cheapshot, there might have been a defence for it – but alas, no. It was senseless, insulting, and laid bare the paper’s cynicism – particularly towards the England manager, whomever it may be: even before there is any material to exploit, the papers are ready to tear him apart. But surely, with this latest crossing of the line, it is finally time to reassess this most base and distasteful of approaches. It’s an anachronistic prejudice, and reflects poorly on all who were associated with it. Chris Rubey

REACTIONS Lord Steel warns against bungled intervention in independence debate Actually, SNP party membership received an 8% boost over two to three weeks after David Cameron’s intervention, with almost 1, 600 new members joining the party. The SNP are currently at 49% in the polls, whilst Labour (their nearest rivals) are at 23%. The issue of independence is the stick that will drive Westminster towards granting the electorate in Scotland further powers for the Scottish Parliament. If that stick is taken away, it is unlikely that a second referendum will

appear. If Nick Clegg and others want a separate referendum on devolution, they should bring it forward before the independence referendum. Those who hope the SNP support will evaporate after losing a referendum on independence are deluding themselves; it is more likely that the momentum for change will remain and be channeled towards greater powers. Given that this is the likely scenario, it is baffling why the socalled devolutionists are not bringing forward their proposals now. - Gregor, via web

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COMMENT// 11

DISCUSSION&DEBATE

COMMENT Penguins, politics and prospects for democracy Can an interesting local council election show political trends on the national level?

Meryl Kenny & Fiona Mackay Yes, Edinburgh trended worldwide as the city where the Liberal Democrats were beaten by a penguin in the May 3 elections. But there is more to the Scottish local council elections than Professor Pongoo. A focus on Edinburgh provides a window to wider issues and trends in local, Scottish and UK politics – and gives us reasons to be optimistic as well as pessimistic about democracy. Local elections are viewed as ‘second order’ elections which test the (un)popularity of national governments. But local issues are also important and can decide outcomes. In Edinburgh, this resulted in a double whammy for the Liberal Democrats: damned for their part in UK Coalition government; and damned for presid-

ing over the trams debacle; with former council Leader Jenny Dawe losing her seat. What were the wider trends? Political pundits generally agree that the results have been Good News for the SNP: cementing its position as the largest party in local politics with the majority of the popular vote. Good News, also, for Labour: demonstrating a strong resurgence in support after modernizing and building up from the grassroots again, and securing key victories in Glasgow (with a working majority) and Edinburgh (as the largest party). Can we read anything off these results for the forthcoming independence referendum? We know there’s no straightforward relationship between voter party choice and constitutional preferences:

there is significant support for independence amongst Labour supporters and there are SNP voters who support the union. In short, there’s everything to play for. What do the elections tell us about the state of democracy? Local government in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK is seen to be ‘in crisis’ around issues of legitimacy, representativeness and quality. Predictions of low turnout and voter apathy were widespread. And the options available to prospective voters appeared to be ‘male, pale, and stale.’ In short, the general consensus was that the ‘health’ of local democracy in Scotland was failing. Scottish politics isn’t off the danger list yet – but the results of the 2012 elections have served as a wake up call for parties, councils and governments to consider

decisive action on equality and turnout. In terms of councils ‘looking like’ the communities they serve: while women are less than a quarter of Scottish councillors elected (24.3 per cent), these results represent a modest increase on 2007 and a new high in women’s representation in local government. We don’t have figures yet on ethnic minority councillors because there is no routine monitoring. But we do know that the numbers will be small. Turnout reached a record low in Scotland (38 per cent overall, falling to 20 per cent in some areas). In Edinburgh, the turnout was above the national average at 42.6 per cent. But, as Ross Martin of the Centre for Scottish Public Policy observes, while 40 per cent is a pass at university, turnout could and should be much higher,

particularly among young people. Indeed, calls are growing for compulsory voting, such as that used in Australia where turnout is regularly above 90 per cent. Local politics matters for the quality of everyday life. In Edinburgh, we have the first Labour-SNP coalition in a major city. This is a heartening move, which should ensure stability and strong leadership for the city and the challenges it faces. And, who knows, maybe some of you may even get to ride the trams before you graduate! Meryl Kenny is Visiting Fellow at University of Edinburgh and Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at University of New South Wales, Australia. Fiona Mackay is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Edinburgh.

Councils have a huge impact on your student life Local politics is where potentially national ideas gain momentum, argues an Edinburgh University student officer Philippa Faulkner

I consider myself pretty interested in

politics and yet I still couldn’t manage to get excited about this year’s election. In my ward all the candidates were men and the majority of winners are over 45. It’s difficult not to roll your eyes and dismiss local government as out of touch, not relevant to students and unimportant. Well the first might be true but your council has influence over some pretty important stuff: transport, housing, schools, waste management to name a few, all of which have an impact on students.

The Edinburgh Students’ Forum which is a collaboration of all college and university student unions in Edinburgh launched the Voice Your Vote campaign this year which aimed to raise the profile of student issues during the council election through a student manifesto. The manifesto had cross party support and unions will be working to make sure those promises become reality. A commitment that is particularly important is the one to not introduce House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) quotas which would mean a cap on the number HMO properties in places like

Marchmont. Some councillors think that HMO quotas will reduce the number of dodgy landlords and improve housing quality but we know its a lazy solution and quotas just price students out. What we really need is the council to follow through on threats to remove bad landlords from the landlord registration list and prosecute them if necessary. The Edinburgh Private Tenants Action Group have been doing some great work on this but you should also write to your councillor if you feel strongly about it. Perhaps a slightly more subtle impact is the effect local election results have on

national politics and how that might affect the students of the future. The Conservatives and Lib Dems took a huge hit on Thursday showing, I think, how fed up people are with cuts and giving a slight glimmer of hope for the 2015 general election. Now is the time for students to be increasing the pressure for publicly funded not privatised universities and colleges and in my mind these election results smash the idea that students can never win public support for those ideals. I was also very pleased at the gains the Green party made in Scotland because lets face it students are the ones who are going to be

dealing with the future effects of climate change not members of the current cabinet. Councils are the places where national campaigns gain momentum. If you are reading this piece and are one of the many who weren’t registered to vote this time you can still be involved in your local community. Join a community council, lobby your councillor and visit aboutmyvote.co.uk to get ready for next time . Philippa Faulkner is Vice President (Services) at Edinburgh University Students Association

12 / FEATURE

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The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

Cyber-war: keep calm and log on Bleddyn Bowen explains why talk by doomsayers of an imminent ‘cyber-war’ is nothing more than alarmism, Bleddyn Bowen

The BBC recently published two

articles (to coincide with a radio documentary) pushing the theme of the dangers inherent in the cyber realm. The first, by Katia Moskvitch, lists the five ‘biggest threats’ in an interview with the Chief Executive of the Russian anti-virus firm Kaspersky Lab, Eugene Kaspersky. The second article, by Michael Gallagher, looks at intentional governmentsponsored cyber-meddling and how this may define the “blitzkrieg of the future.”These two articles are classic cases of cyber alarmism (hyping the threat and constantly playing on worstcase scenarios), use the metaphorical meaning of the word ‘war’ to death, and miss the most important characteristic of activities in cyberspace: the difficulty of attribution. I wish to clear up some of the points made and language used – public debate and government policies are increasingly confused, and conflate many different phenomena in the cyber realm under such terms as ‘cyber war’. According to Kaspersky, the Stuxnet virus which sabotaged Iranian uranium enrichment centrifuges in 2010 is “exactly” what cyber warfare will be about in future. “Entire nations could be plunged into darkness if cyber-criminals decided to target power plants. And there is nothing – nothing – anyone could do about it.” Kaspersky has conflated many different phenomena together into one vague doom-saying statement. Putting aside the discussion over cyber ‘war’ for later, the kinds of offensive operations in cyberspace can vary greatly from just

that the computers fail to function and disrupt normal trading). Stuxnet is not the be-all and end-all of offensive cyber operations. These are a few, not all, possibilities within what is known in the field as ‘strategic information warfare’. It is particularly odd that Kaspersky claims that no-one could do anything about cyber-sabotage (as that is what disrupting/disabling infrastructure is, short of a physical military offensive). Protecting computer systems is Kaspersky’s business. Is his entire industry impotent and taking anti-virus subscription money for nothing? I do not think so. The global computer anti-virus industry is incredibly robust, in both financial and capability terms. Governments more often than not depend

“According to Kaspersky, the Stuxnet virus which sabotaged Iranian uranium enrichment centrifuges in 2010 is “exactly” what cyber warfare will be about in future.” inserting a clever virus. Stuxnet is one kind of cyber sabotage, designed to attack very specific equipment without affecting (after infecting) every computer system it touches. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) activities are another kind, which are well known due to extensive media coverage and examples of them on Estonian and Georgian websites in 2007 and 2008 respectively. Subtler offensive operations can be to use the enemy’s information infrastructure to produce certain results (for example, by turning the heating up in the Wall Street Stock Exchange so

Everaldo Coelho

on companies like Symantec, and others, to provide the latest intelligence on new virus forms and patterns, as their antivirus software is constantly being tested by hackers and coders across the globe. Iran’s Stuxnet incident proves this point – Iran effectively crowd-sourced solutions to Stuxnet, and international antivirus companies were eager to deal with it as it had infected tens of thousands of computers globally. Computer viruses only work where there are weaknesses – once a virus is out, work begins immediately by the private anti-virus industry (and government agencies if they are targeted) to create patches to provide immunity. Therefore, an incident like Stuxnet may not be repeated, at least by using the

same software method. And if claims over its complexity are to be believed, it may take some time to develop another virus to achieve similar results. Developing ‘immunities’ to computer viruses is something that is often overlooked and leads to cyber alarmism – this is exactly what happens in Gallagher’s article: “The attack vectors and exploits used by Stuxnet - they can be copied and re-used reliably against completely different targets. Until a year ago no one was aware of such an aggressive and sophisticated threat. With Stuxnet that has changed. It is on the table. The technology is out there on the internet.” The Stuxnet virus is out there – but so is the anti-virus software. Also, the

vulnerability of energy grids are only assumed in most media (and academic) accounts. If it was so inherently difficult and complex to create a virus such as Stuxnet, which only disrupted, and didn’t stop, the Iranian nuclear enrichment efforts, wouldn’t crippling a complex energy grid be more of a challenge? Kaspersky believes that social media can be used for all sorts of organisational purposes. He believes that some organisers in the Arab Spring were based outside of the countries involved. He may be right, he may not be. Either way, it is irrelevant to understanding ‘threats’ from cyberspace. Crime in cyberspace is indeed a problem; I do not dispute that. However, there is yet an element of alarmism with Moskvitch: “No computer is safe from viruses. Every day, cyber criminals are infecting thousands of machines around the world.” But the world continues to function. This is a valid concern by Kaspersky – any prolific users of the internet struggle to avoid handing over information to companies on the internet. Recent UK government attempts to allow Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) to access private telecommunications information is a case in point. However, as with all information, it is usually a two-way street. The proliferation of information and connectedness has made it much harder for governments to control information in the hands of the citizens – cracks in the Great Firewall of China are old news. Another thing that is old news is the fear of an erosion of privacy. Bureaucratic capabilities from the nineteenth century in the UK could reach a new level of information about citizens. Concerns about the government (mis)using this kind of data is not new. Furthermore, if one is concerned about a police state, one needn’t have the internet to construct one. The answer, as usual, lies in politics – not technology. Removing personal data on the internet, or any government bureaucracy, does not make the government less likely to be autocratic. The second article, by Michael Gallagher, mentions DDoS attacks, industrial sabotage, and the future connectedness of everyday devices to the internet. For him, DDoS attacks and industrial sabotage come under the terms of ‘cyber war’, and the US military and its allies have ‘cyber warriors’ to perform cyber ‘attacks’. The connectedness of everyday devices in future serves to dramatise the point Gallagher tries to make about how dastardly an enemy would be if s/he, with envious eyes, could turn our refrigerators against us. Cyber ‘war’ will not happen – but cyber espionage, subversion and sabotage may not have much of a future either. Understanding the limits of using the cyber realm from the point of view of governments trying to control an actual war hopefully puts a wet blanket on cyber alarmists. We’d sooner need Bruce Willis to save us from a meteorite impact than a crippling nationwide cyber sabotage. Bleddyn Bowen is a postgraduate student at the University of Aberystwyth’s School of International Politics

The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk

COMMENT / 13

Battle for the Élysée: the inconvenient truth In light of François Hollande’s election as president of France, Chris McCourt argues that although they don’t realise it yet, the French will miss Nicolas Sarkozy Chris McCourt Nicolas Sarkozy developed a reputation ahead of the election in 2007 as someone who was not afraid to say what needs to be said, or do what needs to be done. This was really his greatest strength coming into the 2012 election on Sunday, and in my view it was generally to Mr Hollande’s detriment that he tended to take a diametrically opposite approach and thereby draws attention to the contrast. It is widely accepted that Sarkozy’s program of long-overdue reforms was somewhat derailed, or at least significantly diluted, by the advent of the financial crisis in 2008. Sarkozy’s conception of political leadership was one in which the president takes the country where it needs to go, regardless of popular opinion, as distinct from leadership which follows the flavour of the month and seeks shortterm gains in popularity at the expense of a longer-term, sustainable vision. Of course any elected official must strike a balance between leading his people and being led by the whim of his people. A politician who acts in defiance of popular opinion will not and should not last. But neither will those who leave themselves open to the accusation of telling their constituency what they want to hear, rather than what they need to hear (a good definition of pandering). Mr Sarkozy’s election tally of 48.3 per cent on Sunday was more to do with style than substance (which is not entirely trivial, but more of that later); let us not forget that he won a convincing victory in 2007 and that while unions and other vested interests were strongly opposed to his reforms (fancy that), the majority was clearly in his favour. Starting with economic matters, president-elect Hollande is quintessentially anti-business. He is on record as having said he just doesn’t like the rich, and he plans to complicate France’s tax system by introducing two new bands of income tax. French politicians of all stripes tend to favour a bigger state, but Hollande doesn’t seem to have noticed that the coffers are bare, pledging 60,000 new teachers over five years and 1000 new police per year. There were fundamental temperamental differences between the two: Sarkozy is a real son of the Fifth Republic (which strengthened the executive after the weak and vacillating parliamentary Fourth Republic) and is

admired by many for his decisiveness; Hollande favours taking the country in a new direction constitutionally, away from the Fifth Republic (while not quite endorsing the establishment of a Sixth Republic as outlined by Jean-Luc Mélenchon and others). A look at Le Figaro’s comparison of the two men’s positions on a variety of subjects re-inforces this distinction: Sarkozy finds himself, almost without exception, either Pour or Contre, while on a number of important issues

“Hollande’s position is completely selfserving and he has jumped the bandwagon (or scooter) of financebashing which has become very popular among French politicians (and elsewhere).” Hollande finds himself Entre Deux (Undecided). However, Mr Hollande was not honest with the French electorate. His highly questionable flagship policy to tax the incomes of those earning over €1 million at 75 per cent (amounting to almost 90 per cent when other levies are taken into account, a policy described by The Economist last month as “dottier than a pointilliste painting”) is not only a potential disaster for a French system which is already uninviting enough to many businesses; it also risks making France the laughing-stock of Europe (and beyond). Either Mr Hollande will not get away with imposing such a levy or France will lose all credibility as a probusiness nation for doing so. Either way, his potential for credibility is low, and the potential for significant damage to France’s business credentials is high. The Economist again: “The ambitious will risk their savings, borrow money and toil punishing hours to create new businesses that will, in turn, create jobs and new prod-

Jean-Louis Aubert ucts. But they will not do this for 25 per cent (or less) of the fruits of their labour. Zurich is only an hour away; French politics seem stuck in another century.” Hollande’s position is completely self-serving and he has jumped the bandwagon (or scooter) of financebashing which has become very popular among French politicians (and elsewhere). Furthermore Hollande will partially reverse Sarkozy’s most important reform, the gradual increase of the pension age from 60 to 62, and restrict the tax exemption for employers and employees on hours worked beyond the disastrous 35 hours to companies with fewer than 20 employees. This would take France back ten years and would represent the reversal of hard-won if modest steps forward in the muchneeded reform of France’s bloated social model. I do not have space to go into the foreign policy dimensions, in which Mr Sarkozy was stronger (think Afghanistan, NATO, Libya, Georgia), but the most important distinction is that Hol-

lande plans to withdraw all French troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year (another potential disaster for that country), whereas Sarkozy, who has been hard on Hamid Karzai in recent months, plans a more reasonable and measured drawdown. In short, the strongest argument in favour of Mr Hollande seems to be that he is not Mr Sarkozy. It is difficult for outsiders to understand why there is such visceral anti-Sarkozy feeling among some French voters, even among some in the centre or on the right. Sad to say, it seems mostly to be an image problem: Sarkozy was considered to be too “vulgar” and “bling” and not sufficiently an embodiment of a traditionally very solemn post (though much of that erstwhile solemnity was superficial, as we know from Mitterand’s secret taxpayer-funded family and Chirac’s corruption). There are no serious suggestions of impropriety surrounding Mr Sarkozy’s conduct; as banal as it may sound, he just seems not to be liked. Then there is the media. The Elysée blog, which has followed the elections

for the past month or so, has highlighted the peculiar nastiness of the media campaigns against Mr Sarkozy, concluding: “French journalists tend to be leftwing. I’ve just looked up the election results for the works council at France Télévisions, for instance, and the top place (with 37 per cent) went to the Communist-backed CGT.” It is true that Mr Sarkozy veered to the right with some absurd talkingpoints such as halal meat, which should hardly be a priority in a time of financial crisis, but the electoral facts are what they are: regardless of his performance in the first round (and let’s remember there was very little in it), he would have always needed to attract some of Marine Le Pen’s votes in both rounds. French voters did not make the sane choice on Sunday. What they did choose was to play an unintentional practical joke on Europe, but more importantly on themselves and on their country’s global standing. Chris McCourt is project manager at translation agency Oxford Conversis.

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The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk

FEATURE / 15

Korea: the land of contrasts

strange-lands.com

The UK’s ambassador in Seoul gives a broad view of South Korea, a country with a flourishing economy and a unique culture Ambassador Scott Wightman

Korea. Mention the name and

many people’s thoughts are of a secretive state and despot dictators. Others may think of Park Ji-Sung or leading electronics brands. On a divided Peninsula, split since 1953 by the communist Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the north and the thriving Republic of Korea to the south, both sets of impressions are pertinent in my role as Britain’s Ambassador to the Republic of Korea. The mystery, intrigue and, occasionally, fear generated by the DPRK can’t be ignored in South Korea’s bustling capital, Seoul. However, the reality is that as South Korea’s famously hard-working and fast-paced citizens jostle for space on the subway, cheer on their favourite baseball team or enjoy a postwork soju, they spend far less time thinking about their northern neighbours than others in the international community. This is a country that, in just 40 years, escaped the clutches of poverty and rose to become a major G20 power and twelfth largest economy in the world, with a per capita GDP four times higher than China’s. A country that is home to huge conglomerates like Samsung,

/ IN BRIEF

Source: CIA World Factbook

1953 Establishment of ROK 99,720km2 Total land area 48.8m Total population (2012) $32k GDP (per capita) 97.9% Literacy (2011) 3.4% Unemployment (2011) 4% Inflation (2011) 2.7% (of GDP) military budget

LG and Hyundai. And a country where speed matters – with superfast broadband that can reach 1Gb per second and KTX trains capable of reaching 220mph. Through this rapid economic transformation and the presence of a stable, democratic and forward-looking government, South Korea has become a crucial partner for the United Kingdom and a country with which we enjoy a long, close and fruitful relationship. The British Embassy in Seoul has stood on the same plot of land for 130 years. The foundation stone at the Residence that I am lucky to call my home was laid in 1890. From those days of the first British Legation through the tragic Korean War, in which over 1,000 British service people lost their lives, to the present day where we have an embassy employing more than 70 staff, the two countries have stood together in friendship and solidarity. Korea’s vibrant economy and focus on international trade make it an increasingly important partner for the UK. In 2011, UK goods exports to Korea were worth £2.4bn; exports of services were even higher. The recently concluded Free Trade Agreement with the EU should create up to £500m per year in additional opportunities for UK businesses. In the other direction, cash rich Korean companies are keen to diversify their investments. According to the most recent figures, Korean investments into the UK were worth £550m in the first half of 2011. The UK is the first choice destination for Korean firms in Europe, attracted by our qualified and flexible labour force, knowledge-base, innovation, creativity and business-friendly environment. Most recently, global giant Samsung announced plans for its first European offshore wind project in Fife.

This is expected to create more than 500 new jobs and could be worth up to £100m to our economy. It’s not just businesses that are looking to the UK either. Approaching 20,000 Korean students a year come to our world class universities like Edinburgh to study and prepare themselves for the global job marketplace. Edinburgh’s Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Stephen Hillier was in South Korea last month to explore the scope for strategic links with top Korean universities. Korea has contributed more than 400 troops to NATO operations in Afghanistan and is a contributor to UN peacekeeping operations around the world. We work together on issues like human rights and cyber security and have just increased the size of the embassy’s political section to enable us take advantage of the opportunities for cooperation in these and other fields. So the depth and sincerity of the partnership is clear. But, as is always the case, there is a great deal more to be done. We recently commissioned a survey looking at Korean perceptions of the UK. The affection for the UK that I encounter in my daily business was borne out, with the UK ranking amongst the most favoured foreign nations and the most popular country amongst under 30s. Koreans also seek out information about the UK more than they do for any other country – 34 per cent of respondents said they look for information about our country. But the reasons for this affection and interest are often based on stereotype and are outdated. We are seen as a nation of gentlemen (sic), blessed with great buildings and a world class football league (sadly EPL not SPL) but burdened by incessant rain. We should certainly make the most of such impressions where we can. But in the Embassy we are trying to move perceptions towards a more modern, creative and innovative United Kingdom. And, in actual fact, Edinburgh is drier than Rome! The Deputy Prime Minister recently launched our GREAT campaign in South

“We can’t and don’t allow the DPRK to be the exclusive or even primary focus of our work in Seoul, or to impede the tremendous progress we are making with South Korea.” Korea. This draws out the UK’s many strengths across sectors as diverse as shopping and education, music and the environment. It also combats the misperception that we don’t make things any more. Yet automotive manufacturing alone is worth more than £10bn to the UK economy. And our innovations are world famous. The internet, GSM services for mobile phones, fibre optics – some of the most successful innovations of the last 25 years all have key parts designed, developed or made in the UK. A core part of my job is explaining these strengths to Koreans and encouraging business leaders, politicians and the media to take a fresh look at the UK. While our relationship flourishes and South Koreans continue their relentless push for success, we can’t ignore events in North Korea when carrying out our business. We maintain a small embassy in Pyongyang that pursues a policy of critical engagement with the DPRK authorities. In our view, having diplomats in situ who can report on developments, make representations and contribute to a more international perspective is a valuable asset. Project work is the principal focus for the team in Pyongyang, with programmes like English language training

for teachers – run in conjunction with the British Council – a centrepiece. In the wake of Kim Jong-il’s death last December, our embassy in Pyongyang was able to provide invaluable analysis of the situation on the ground. They told us the atmosphere was subdued but calm, as North Koreans pondered a future without their “Dear Leader.” They watched carefully as power began to shift towards Kim’s youngest son, observing the reactions of ordinary people on the streets rather than the staged images on North Korean TV. We all hope for the day the Korean Peninsula can be peacefully re-unified, but for now stability, and protecting South Koreans’ peace and prosperity are more realistic goals. But the DPRK often surprises. Two weeks after striking a deal with the US on food aid in exchange for commitments to allow nuclear inspections and stop nuclear and missile development, they announced their intention to launch a satellite. Most observers see this as a thinly veiled test of long range missile capabilities, a move that would violate UN resolutions. By the time you read this, that test may well have taken place and, if so, will have led to international condemnation. The DPRK’s actions can rarely be predicted and, when trouble flares, I spend many hours talking about North Korea with colleagues here in South Korea, in Pyongyang and back in London. But we can’t and don’t allow it to be the exclusive or even primary focus of our work in Seoul or to impede the tremendous progress we are making with South Korea. If Korean views on the UK can shift away from Big Ben and Buckingham Palace towards innovation and renewable energy, then I hope UK views on Korea will focus more on the bustling land of opportunities to the south than the unpredictable neighbour to the north. Scott Wightman is Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Korea.

Abbeyhill

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

Bedrooms Monthly Rent Location

North Fort Street, 550, 2, 2D W CG O, 0844 635 9558 Rossie Place, 550, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Dickson Street, 550, 1, E CG O, 0844 635 6872 Duke Street, 425, 1, 1D G O, 0844 635 9456 Seafield Road, 425, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 2418 Duke Street, 420, 1, 1D G Z, 0844 635 9560 Duke Street, 420, 1, 1D G O, 0844 635 9560 Duke Street, 420, 1, 1D G Z, 0844 635 9560 Leith Walk, 395, 1, 1D E O, 0844 635 6450

Leith Walk Kirk Street, 1250, 5, 5D G O, 0844 635 9234 Antigua Street, 1750, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 9679 Leith Walk, 1450, 4, 4D G O, 0844 635 9679 Barony Street, 1350, 4, 4D G P, 0844 635 9460 Leith Walk, 1250, 4, 4D G O, 0844 635 9460 Leith Walk, 1100, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Albert Place, 1040, 4, 4D G P, 0844 635 4830 Allanfield, 1050, 3, 3D P, 0844 635 9460 Mcdonald Road, 960, 3, 3D G P, 0844 635 9460 Dalmeny Street, 850, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Arthur Street, 795, 3, 3D G O, 0844 635 9679 Dicksonfield, 765, 2, 2D G, 0844 635 3330 Leith Walk, 750, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Allanfield Place, 700, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 6872 Balfour Street, 700, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 6872 Leith Walk, 695, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Leith Walk, 650, 2, 2D G O, 0844 635 9460 Smith’s Place, 645, 2, 2D G PG P, 0844 635 9316 Smith’s Place, 610, 2, 2D G CG P, 0844 635 9316 Duke Street, 495, 1, 1D E CG O, 0844 635 9679 Leith Walk, 495, 1, 1D E, 0844 635 2152

Marchmont Sciennes Road, 1625, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Marchmont Crescent, 1600, 4, 4D G PG Z, 0844 635 3780 Argyle Place, 1575, 4, 1S 3D G O, 0844 635 9322 Spottiswoode Street, 1575, 4, 1S 3D G CG O, 0844 635 9322 Spottiswoode Street, 1500, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 3876 Thirlestane Road, 1395, 4, 4D G, 0844 635 3780 Marchmont Road, 1350, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 2287 Warrender Park Road, 1339, 3, 3D G, 0844 635 3330 Spottiswoode Road, 1290, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9322 Strathearn Road, 1250, 3, 3D G, 0844 635 3780 Marchmont Crescent, 1200, 3, 3D CG O, 0844 635 9314 Thirlestane Road, 1185, 3, 3D G CG O, 0844 635 9322 Warrender Park Terrace, 1185, 3, G Z, 0844 635 9322 Arden Street, 1150, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9322 Warrender Park Road, 1110, 3, 3D W CG Z, 0844 635 3876 Marchmont Road, 1100, 3, 3D Z, 0844 635 9314 Marchmont Road, 1075, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9322 Spottiswoode Street, 1075, 3, 1S 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9322

Marchmont Crescent, 1070, 3, 1S 2D G CG O, 0844 635 9322 Marchmont Crescent, 1070, 3, 3D E CG O, 0844 635 9322 Spottiswoode Street, 1070, 3, 3D G CG O, 0844 635 9322 Marchmont Road, 960, 3, 1S 2D 1B G CG, 0844 635 9318 Warrender Park Road, 960, 3, 3D G, 0844 635 9560 Roseneath Place, 900, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Gladstone Terrace, 715, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 2287 Moncrieff Terrace, 460, 1, 1D CG Z, 0844 635 9334

Meadowbank Dalgety Avenue, 600, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 6872 Wolsley Terrace, 595, 2, 2D O, 0844 635 9318 Meadowbank Terrace, 575, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 6872 Dalgety Road, 550, 1, 1D W P, 0844 635 2418 Dalziel Place, 530, 1, 1D G O, 0844 635 9234 Hawkhill, 525, 1, 1D G, 0844 635 3330 Wishaw Terrace, 495, 1, 1D E CG Z, 0844 635 2418 Dalgety Avenue, 485, 1, 1D CG O, 0844 635 9460 Dalgety Street, 475, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9424 Parsons Green Terrace, 475, 1, 1D G O, 0844 635 6450 Dalgety Road, 425, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9312

Morningside Morningside Road, 2100, 5, 5D G, 0844 635 2287 Morningside Road, 1900, 5, 5D G CG Z, 0844 635 2418 Morningside Road, 1875, 5, 1S 4D, 0844 635 9334 Strathfillan Road, 1500, 4, 4D G CG O, 0844 635 2154 Morningside Road, 1400, 4, 4D G CG Z, 0844 635 9334 Tipperlinn Road, 1400, 4, 4D G CG Z, 0844 635 2418 Morningside Road, 1380, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1380, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1350, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1200, 4, E CG, 0844 635 3880 Morningside Road Edinburgh, 1100, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9324 Morningside Road, 1095, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Morningside Road, 1050, 3, 3D G CG O, 0844 635 9334 Craighouse Park, 1025, 3, 3D G CG O, 0844 635 2287 Steels Place, 1020, 3, 1S 2D, 0844 635 3700 Comiston Gardens, 1010, 3, 3D G CG O, 0844 635 2418 Comiston Gardens, 995, 3, 3D G PG O, 0844 635 9330 Comiston Road, 990, 3, 3D G O, 0844 635 9322 Balcarres Street, 980, 3, 3D G, 0844 635 9330 Falcon Avenue, 975, 3, 1D E CG Z, 0844 635 9558 Balcarres Street, 970, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Ethel Terrace, 960, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Falcon Avenue, 950, 3, 1S 2D O, 0844 635 9314 Balcarres Street, 945, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Comiston Road, 900, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Craighouse Gardens, 900, 3, 3D W P, 0844 635 7736 Morningside Road, 900, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 3780

Bedrooms: Heating: Garden: Parking: Furniture:

Springvalley Terrace, 730, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9478 Falcon Court, 700, 2, 2D G CG P, 0844 635 4478 Springvalley Terrace, 695, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9324 Craighouse Gardens, 625, 2, 2D E P, 0844 635 9322 Steels Place, 550, 2, 1S 1D G, 0844 635 9318 Springvalley Terrace, 500, 1, 1D 1B G, 0844 635 9318 Ethel Terrace, 315, 1, 2D W CG P, 0844 635 9234

New Town Gayfield Square, 2000, 5, 5D G Z, 0844 635 9320 York Place, 2000, 4, 4D Z, 0844 635 9314 York Place, 1980, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 9362 Henderson Row, 1760, 4, G CG, 0844 635 9362 London Street, 1735, 4, 4D G, 0844 635 9316 Dundonald Street, 1600, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 2418 Dundas Street, 1400, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 9316 East Claremont Street, 1400, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 9320 Barony Street, 1390, 4, 1S 3D G Z, 0844 635 9688 Brandon Terrace, 1360, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 9320 Great Stuart Street, 1300, 4, G Z, 0844 635 9392 Canon Street, 1220, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Drummond Place, 1225, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 St Stephen Street, 750, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 St. Stephen Street, 725, 2, 2D G CG, 0844 635 2418 Cornwallis Place, 720, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9578 Royston Terrace, 700, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Jamaica Mews, 650, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0844 635 4830 Gayfield Street, 560, 1, 1D G O, 0844 635 9302 Jamaica Mews, 475, 1, 1D P, 0844 635 9324

Newington Nicolson Street, 3200, 8, 8D G Z, 0844 635 9679 Newington Road, 2100, 7, 7D, 0844 635 2418 St. Leonards Bank, 2250, 6, 6D G PG Z, 0844 635 9302 East Preston Street, 2100, 5, 5D Z, 0844 635 9314 Dalkeith Road, 1725, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700 Dalkeith Road, 1600, 5, 5D, 0844 635 9558 Viewcraig Gardens, 1500, 5, 5D E P, 0844 635 9302 Dalkeith Road, 1300, 4, 4D G O, 0844 635 9340 Dalkeith Road, 1280, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Newington Road, 1450, 3, 3D Z, 0844 635 9314 Dalkeith Road, 1100, 3, 3D G, 0844 635 9560 West Savile Terrace, 1100, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 3920 Brown Street, 1080, 3, 3D G P, 0844 635 9302 Mayfield Road, 1050, 3, 3D E O, 0844 635 9558 South Oxford Street, 1050, 3, E Z, 0844 635 9314 Blackwood Crescent, 1010, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 Sienna Gardens, 995, 3, G CG P, 0844 635 3780 South Oxford Street, 990, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9424 Lutton Place, 980, 3, 3D Z, 0844 635 9384

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

Oxford Street, 975, 3, 3D G, 0844 635 9318 Grange Loan, 950, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9334 Mayfield Road, 950, 3, 1S 2D G CG O, 0844 635 9334 Montague Street, 900, 3, Z, 0844 635 9314 Ratcliffe Terrace, 775, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 6604 Dalkeith Road, 750, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Lutton Place, 730, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9560 Causewayside, 725, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9592 Findhorn Place, 725, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 9334 Causewayside, 715, 2, 2D W CG Z, 0844 635 2287 Blackwood Crescent, 650, 2, 2D G CG P, 0844 635 9324 West Nicolson Street, 635, 2, 2D E Z, 0844 635 9434 East Crosscauseway, 550, 2, 2S G Z, 0844 635 9312 Mayfield Road, 595, 1, 1D 1B G CG O, 0844 635 9302 Buccleuch Street, 575, 1, 1D G Z, 0844 635 9424 West Newington Place, 525, 1, 1D G, 0844 635 2287 Drummond Street, 475, 1, E, 0844 635 6872 Causewayside, 405, 1, W CG Z, 0844 635 9688

Old Town South Bridge, 1200, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3931 Bread Street, 1050, 3, 3D G CG O, 0844 635 3876 Teviot Place, 1000, 3, Z, 0844 635 9314 High Street, 850, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9324 High Street, 795, 2, 2D E, 0844 635 3780 Inglis Court, 750, 2, 2D G, 0844 635 3931 Jeffrey Street, 750, 2, 1B Z, 0844 635 9384 Bells Wynd, 700, 2, 2D, 0844 635 9316 Causewayside, 700, 2, 2D G, 0844 635 9602 Greyfriars Place, 650, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9474 Canongate, 550, 1, 1D E, 0844 635 6872

Polwarth Polwarth Gardens, 1470, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 9322 Polwarth Gardens, 1400, 4, 4D G CG Z, 0844 635 9592 Polwarth Gardens, 1395, 4, 4D G CG O, 0844 635 9334 Polwarth Gardens, 1350, 4, 1S 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9334 Polwarth Gardens, 1275, 4, 4D 1B G, 0844 635 9245 Polwarth Gardens, 1250, 4, 4D G CG O, 0844 635 9334 Polwarth Gardens, 1200, 4, 4D G Z, 0844 635 9392 Tay Street, 1100, 3, 3D G CG O, 0844 635 9468 St Peters Place, 1050, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9460 Mertoun Place, 1000, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9446 Polwarth Gardens, 990, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9478 Fowler Terrace, 960, 3, 2S 1D, 0844 635 3700 Polwarth Crescent, 895, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 6450 Dundee Terrace, 850, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9334 Ardmillan Terrace, 795, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9324 Thistle Place, 725, 2, 2D G CG, 0844 635 9330 Tay Street, 695, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 2287 Watson Crescent, 695, 2, G P, 0844 635 2418

Watson Crescent, 695, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 2418 Watson Crescent, 695, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 2418 Watson Crescent, 695, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 2418 Angle Park Terrace, 610, 2, 1S 1D G CG, 0844 635 9330 Watson Crescent, 600, 2, 1S 1D G CG O, 0844 635 0020 Mertoun Place, 645, 1, 1D 1B G CG O, 0844 635 6450 Watson Crescent, 510, 1, 1D G, 0844 635 9560 Watson Crescent, 510, 1, 1D W O, 0844 635 9324 Watson Crescent, 495, 1, 1D G CG, 0844 635 9318 Bryson Road, 475, 1, 1D E, 0844 635 9318 Watson Crescent, 475, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0844 635 9592 Watson Crescent, 450, 1, E O, 0844 635 9334

Portobello Ramsay Place, 595, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 9330 Magdalene Drive, 585, 2, 2D G PG O, 0844 635 1312 Portobello High Street, 475, 1, 1D G, 0844 635 9334

Prestonfield Dalkeith Road, 1850, 5, 5D G O, 0844 635 9478 Dalkeith Road, 1700, 5, 5D G, 0844 635 9558 Dalkeith Road, 800, 3, 3D O, 0844 635 9314 Prestonfield Avenue, 595, 2, 2D G PG O, 0844 635 9558

Sciennes Fountainhall Road, 1750, 5, 5D G Z, 0844 635 9560 Livingstone Place, 1070, 3, 1S 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9322 Sienna Gardens, 835, 2, 2D G CG P, 0844 635 9322 Sciennes, 500, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0844 635 2287

Slateford Slateford Road, 995, 3, 3D G CG P, 0844 635 9234 Slateford Road, 750, 2, 2D G CG P, 0844 635 2154 Appin Street, 650, 2, 2D G PG P, 0844 635 2287 Hermand Crescent, 650, 2, 2D CG, 0844 635 8696 Slateford Road, 650, 2, 2D W P, 0844 635 9318 Ardmillan Terrace, 498, 1, 1D W O, 0844 635 9688 Slateford Road, 495, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 2287

Stenhouse Gorgie Road, 1450, 4, 4D E P, 0844 635 9314 Stenhouse Gardens, 625, 2, 2D G CG P, 0844 635 9362 Stenhouse Street East, 610, 2, 2D G, 0844 635 3330

Stockbridge Royal Circus, 1800, 4, 4D Z, 0844 635 9314 St. Stephen Street, 1250, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3780 Perth Street, 1100, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 0020 Cheyne Street, 1060, 3, 3D, 0844 635 3700 St Bernards Crescent, 1050, 3, 3D E Z, 0844 635 9314 Dean Street, 1025, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9340 Dean Park Street, 850, 3, 1S 2D, 0844 635 3700

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The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

A&E / 17

@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk

The Dumb Waiter & The Lover

Despite what Harold Pinter thought, his work remains an incisive document of social trends of his time and ours on two characters (or three, depending on your interpretation). However, it’s the deviation within these two shows that consume one’s interest. The Lover unfolds in the opulent home of a couple in the late 60s and Charles Tyrer early 70s. Focusing on the bourgeois middle class, it deals with concepts Harold Pinter once remarked such as free love in a traditional mar‘I’m not an authoritative or reliable riage. Its counterpart, The Dumb commentator on the dramatic scene, Waiter, follows two hit men in a basethe social scene, any scene’ he was also ment waiting for orders from above. reluctant to divulge or even acknowl- The class contrast enables a more edge the politics and critical theories rounded examination of relationin his work. However, it’s a common ships, as, despite our predetermined consensus that society reflects itself preconceptions regarding the level and its thousands of faces through of intimacy the couples supposedly art, and regardless of Pinter’s view, by share; two equally dark environments looking at the landscape of the late 50s unfold, in which the need for power and 60s and analysing his early works and control manifest themselves in The Lover and The Dumb Waiter, we perpetually passive narcissistic games. can be sure he was a voracious social Director Jonathan Kemp balances and political commentator from the these dark worlds perfectly with the outset of his career. abundant comedy ever prevalent in Both of the one act plays in this Pinter’s work. The pieces are so arrestdouble bill explore human themes in ingly enticing that jealousy is felt interpersonal relationships; trust, sub- towards those on the front row. Both servience, and dominance. They focus pieces were written amidst the cold

Theatre

war, in a time of great distrust within society, as an ever prevalent counterculture was developing and state institutions were increasingly distrusted. The general consensus was that human behaviour mirrored the techniques used in war strategies such as ‘game theory’ where people were selfish and uncommunicative as a result of the suppression suffered within the current system they lived. Interpersonal relationships were as a result inevitably affected. Arguably, in the aforementioned sense, contemporary society is mirroring its predecessors, and what makes this double bill all the more introspective is the difference in social class. How Pinter could ever have concluded he wasn’t political, or a social commentator is unimaginable. The fact remains that his work continues to resonate meaning in the 21st century. VENUE: BRUNTON THEATRE DATES: TUE 27 MAR, 7:30PM PRICE: £11.25 ( £6.00 - £9.25) Seher Sikandar

Little Dragon The Scandinavian quartet prove they are less puff and more fire as they set the Liquid Room ablaze

MUSIC

Swedish electro-pop four piece, hold no such complex. Perhaps because of the muted reception to their third studio album Ritual Union, or perhaps because despite being fairly commercially successful, the band haven’t quite ‘made it’ yet, Yukimi Nagano and her boys shimmy on stage and praise the crowd for turning out to see them. Little Dragon capsize the omniscient musician mould and illustrate how in this oh-so-fickle business, the power really does lie with the punters. Through the Looking Glass is a fairly solid place on which to build, but I have to peer very closely at Nagano to see if she is actually singing.

Sophie Alexander Music editor

Edinburgh’s Liquid Room is the

busiest I have ever seen it. From my position on the balcony, looking down upon the heaving mass of tangled limbs, I get a fairly concrete idea of why some bands develop such God complexes. Thankfully Little Dragon, the

Books agenda

So powerful and pulsing is her voice, the heads of the devotees long after that there is no dissimilarity to be she has moved on to another resonatfound from her studio sound to her ing note. performance this evening. MusiHigh praise indeed from this cians are often criticised for the con- reviewer: seeing Little Dragon live tradistinction between their live and seems to renew my interest in them. recorded outputs, but Nagano simply They are not a middling electro pop sounds superb. The sonorous notes of quartet as first thought, but an edgy, her voice explode into the rafters like slick, dance act complete with readya firework, and continue to float onto made keneticism and pulsing bass.

Add to this mix one heck of a frontwoman and three guys in matching white tees - repping their lanky swag like stick men on a mission - and the formula seems pretty much perfect.

by Jon Vrushi

How did chicken stoning in France lead to the betting pool? Mark Forsyth talks us through it... MARK FORSYTH THE ETYMOLOGICON (Faber, £14.99)

This is a book for people who revel

in language, taking the reader on a delightful trip through the exotic origins of English words. Forsyth’s

account is tumultuous, whisking the reader between Viking invasions, Starbucks and monks as he meanders from one word to the next, exploring their linguistic connections. His misanthropic tone makes it highly enjoyable to read. However, someone looking for a more focused

exploration of the English language will find it a little disappointing. At moments Forsyth employs a methodological approach to demonstrate the root of European languages, but many of the explanations seem unconvincing, and appear to amount to little more than folk etymology. Some of

the historical details are also rather dubious (he uses the example of a cabal formed against Charles II, for which there is no evidence) and the author is not afraid to admit that he has used Wikipedia for much of his research. Thoroughly entertaining, nevertheless.

VENUE: THE LIQUID ROOM DATES: 28 FEBRUARY PRICE: £10.00

18 / A&E

@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk

The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

Don Paterson: “I don’t sleep. That’s my secret.” The Journal meets the celebrated poet after a reading at the University of Edinburgh to reflect on his life and unusual career path

David Selby John Hewitt Jones Literary editor

It’s hard to tell from the unassum-

ing exterior and corduroy trousers that Paterson is a writer who began his career playing jazz and rock gigs. Neither is it immediately obvious he’s won every major poetry prize in the UK, including the T.S. Eliot award on two separate occasions. An OBE came in 2008, followed by the Queen’s Gold Medal for poetry in 2010. Glass of white wine in one hand – he excuses the choice of drink, muttering “bloody beta blockers” – Paterson adjusts the microphone and begins to read in a quiet, reflective tone, drawing the audience in with verse that ranges from the comic to the positively bleak. Particularly memorable is his recitation of ‘The Forest of the Suicides’; a poem taking inspiration from the thirteenth canto of Dante’s Inferno, written in memory of Sylvia Plath. Paterson came to poetry through a different route. Instead of pursuing further education, he left school to focus on a career in music, and after several years playing with local rock and jazz bands in his home town of Dundee, moved to London in the early eighties. There he spent much of his time taking guitar lessons and per-

forming with improvisation groups. Writing, it seems, wasn’t an urge that came to him until fairly late on: “that’s how it works with compulsions like this; they’re kind of wound up, ready to go. It takes a certain convergence of circumstances before it kicks in and interacts. In my case I was 21, living in London, working as a musician, and I saw Tony Harrison on television which made a big connection; I was blown away by him. The density of what Tony was saying, and the emotion of the language was very striking.” Music is still very important to Paterson; he was a central member of the jazz-folk group Lammas until it disbanded in the early 2000’s, and continues to perform on the guitar. Around the time of his move to London Paterson started to write, publishing his debut collection Nil Nil in 1993, which took the Forward Poetry Prize for Best First Collection. Six collections of poetry and three books of aphorism later, I wonder how he perceives the connection between the role of musician and poet: “these two things occupy the same physical space, so you draw connections between the two; they’re naturally expressive of the same temperament. The one thing I would say is that I think people get it wrong when they equate poetic performance with

“The real analogy is to do with poetic composition and musical performance. You prepare for them both in the same way.” musical performance; the real analogy is to do with poetic composition and musical performance. You prepare for them both in the same way – you do your reading and your studying in the same way that you do your five-fingered exercises and your arpeggios, so that you’re prepared when it comes to the gig. A musical training also hones your ear. If an aspect of poetry is to do with the tiny calculations about the timbre and the heft of vowels, then there’s no doubt that a training as a musician is going to tune you into it.” One of Paterson’s most recent publications is an accessible commentary on 101 of Shakespeare’s Sonnets. He’s adamant that the content of a poem is

much more important than the form, but says that sonnets fascinate him because of their intrinsically human force. “If you could take it out of everybody’s head, give it twenty-four hours and it would be back again.” It seems the Elizabethan Bard’s form of choice is perfectly constructed; the length of fourteen lines constitutes an optimum length of text for us to absorb; it also adheres surprisingly closely to the Golden Ratio. Paterson has held the position of Writer-in-Residence at the University of Dundee and is now Professor of Poetry at the University of St Andrews. In 1996 he was appointed Poetry Editor at Picador. I ask him if the experience of having to teach and edit other peoples’ work has influenced the way he approaches his craft: “Self-consciousness is the death of art…but later in a poem’s composition you need to be able to stand back and anticipate the condition of publication and to see how other people would read it; to make those final and often brutal revisions to the thing. You have to develop a sort of stereoscopic vision. One skill is technical graft, the other purely creative. I am conscious though that I don’t want to do so much teaching and editing – as has happened to friends of mine – that I lose the very basic childlike, primal feeling

for the poem.” Having moved between London and Scotland several times, travel is an understandably important theme of his poetry. The question of whether or not he regards himself as a Scottish poet provokes a strong response: “I see myself as a Scot, but just to think of oneself as a Scottish poet is utterly meaningless; I don’t think nationality has anything to do with art in that way. There’s no doubt that it influences you in as much as it’s part of your make up, but I think to call yourself a Scottish poet is utterly pointless. It’s accurate, but it’s the same as calling yourself a male poet, or a heterosexual poet, or a materialist poet; what does that mean? There tends to be this absurd attitude of self-censorship…but I think the notion of a Scottish poet is ridiculous. A writer’s country is his language, and I write in English. That’s as far as it goes.” Most of his poems require a gestation period of around a year before they are ready for publication. I ask him how he manages to balance the jobs of university professor, editor and poet:”Really really badly.” He responds “I don’t sleep, that’s my secret.” before taking another slug of wine. Paterson’s most recent collection, Rain, is published by Faber (£12.99)

The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk

A&E / 19

Calistoga: New Town’s hidden-gem Shake up your routine by discovering this delightful Californian eaterie tucked away in the depths of New Town

Food & Drink Caroline Bottger Food & Drink editor

When one edits a newspaper section

devoted to life’s culinary pleasures, one is often asked the same questions: “Are there are any nice restaurants in Edinburgh?” “Isn’t it all deep-fried?” “Do you even like whisky?” While those questions are tiresome, the question I live for is of course “What is your favourite restaurant?” because my response is practically instantaneous: Calistoga Restaurant on Rose Street. Calistoga is a Californian restaurant, I explain. Does California have a unique cuisine? they enquire. No, I respond, but they only serve Californian wine, so there you have it. Calistoga’s very existence is based on the state’s oenological output. In a lesser restaurant, the food might suffer due to this emphasis on drink over food, but since Calistoga is anything but a lesser restaurant, this is not true. The menu changes every month based on the machinations of Gordon Minnis, the owner, and is reminiscent of The Kitchin’s capacity to come up with fascinating, unique combinations which seem familiar but are probably like nothing you have seen or tasted before. The starters are typically unexpected marriages between meat and veg-

etable: from their May menu, Calistoga offers smoked haddock, corn, potato, and pepper chowder or pressed smoked pork, shallot, and sweet pepper with raisin citrus honey to start. What even is raisin citrus chutney? Order it and find out, because that’s the American way. The main selection of grills, sauces, and sides (all for under £20 and excellent quality) is also a more than compelling reason to cross the Princes Street divide. For dessert, you’d have to be a cheese-eating surrender monkey to not be moved by the blueberry and vanilla cheesecake. But Calistoga would not be what it is today without the American pioneering spirit of doing things Europeans do, except better and weirder. At the Judgment of Paris in 1976, a Californian chardonnay and a red wine beat out their French cousins, and the French have been smarting ever since. Calistoga’s wines, from its pinot noirs to its zinfandels, may make you question your allegiance to the Old World wines which are the staple of supermarkets and drinks cabinets in this country. But Gordon Minnis acknowledges that Californian wine is a difficult beast: “Californian wines comprise some of the best and the worst in the world.” But what would dining be without varying pitfalls? Calistoga will lead you off the beaten path, but you will never go over a cliff as long as you stay critical and alert. A unique evening guaranteed. Calistoga Restaurant, 70 Rose Lane EH2 3DX

The Last Supper: how to celebrate graduation Be even more of a financial burden on your parents by celebrating the end of your degree in style

Food & Drink

soon as possible. It has a wine and whisky bar attached to the main restaurant in case you want to hit the booze more directly and have the food be a side attraction. The Caroline Bottger menu is an eclectic choice of macaroni and Food & Drink editor cheese or devilled calf’s liver for mains. If it’s all a bit overwhelming, opt for one of the ‘At the beginning of the academic year, excellent burgers and end the night with we told you where to bring the parents a whisky from the restaurant’s extensive when they came to Edinburgh to drop selection. you off to begin your new life. Please now The Witchery by the Castle (The Royal imagine that you have fast-forwarded three Mile) will appeal to family members enamand a half years, and are now on the cusp oured with Edinburgh’s castle. (And you of an even newer life: that of the univer- as a graduate can enter it now! Accordsity graduate. Therefore, celebrations are ing to legend, if an Edinburgh University in order! Make your dinner memorable by student crosses the threshold before they going to one of these classy joints. complete their degree, they will fail.) Built The Kitchin (78 Commercial Street) in 1595 and called Boswell’s Court after down in Leith is part of the area’s growing James Boswell, the underground dining status as a popular culinary destination. space is a cross between a Scottish queen’s Michelin-starred chef Tom Kitchin and boudoir and a Roman symposium without his predominantly French waiting staff the couches, with velvet drapes illuminated create an ambience that is slick and elegant solely by candlelight and ludicrously attenbut also very enjoyable - a difficult balance tive servers. A word of warning: emergto strike. The menu is, in a word, fascinating back into the 21st century after an ing: octopus carpaccio to start, followed by evening at the Witchery will result in mild hake, with the most delicate, impossibly disappointment. tasty lemon souffle for dessert. Also go for Whether you go to a chippy or a the adventure of exploring the area, and 600-year-old cloister, this is an evening first profit from the fact that Bond No. 9, one of and foremost about you and the people Edinburgh’s best cocktail bars with some who got you to where you are today. Good top-notch motown on the sound system, is luck everyone! right next door. Hotel du Vin (11 Bristo Place) is closer The Kitchin, 78 Commercial Street to McEwan Hall and therefore more acces- Hotel du Vin, 11 Bristo Place sible if you want to start celebrating as The Witchery by the Castle, Royal Mile

D. Wilkinson

20 / A&E

@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk

The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

Le Havre Aki Kaurismäki’s new film has a simple storyline but universal significance

FILM Alexandre Johnston

One of the most attractive features of

Aki Kaurismäki’s films is their setting: the Finnish director has a talent for creating warm, vivid atmospheres from places that one would usually consider drab and uninspiring. He has done this many times in Helsinki (notably in The Man With No Past), but Le Havre, with its post-industrial waterfront, was an ideal candidate. The story centres on Marcel Marx (André Wilms), an ageing man living modestly on his job as a shoe-shiner,

whose life is disturbed suddenly by two momentous events: his wife Arletty’s (Kati Outinen) sudden illness and departure to the hospital, and his encounter with a young illegal immigrant from Mali (Blondin Miguel) who is fleeing the police. On a superficial level everything is straightforward: the story, the dialogue, the character’s actions and their motivations – yet this apparent simplicity only serves to bring out the film’s depth of vision. The dialogue appears artificial: the actors, especially the excellent André Wilms, speak few words and slowly enunciate each of them. However, what they say is always pregnant with meaning – and often, as if unintentionally, very funny. Reviewed at Filmhouse

Tony Swain and the Fruitmarket Gallery

Tony Swain The broadsheet takes on a new form through the work of Tony Swain, elegantly displayed here at the Fruitmarket Gallery

Visual Art

interplay between the printed elements and the hand-painted ones that makes his work all the more contemporary. The exhibition has been spaced thinly, giving the viewer plenty of Isaac Nugent room to peer closely at the relatively small works individually. If a reviewer were being face- Hung without frames, the transitious he might say that Tony tory nature of the work is emphaSwain’s subject is The Guardian. sised (newspaper will, of course In his new exhibition at the Fruit- eventually fade), even if it makes market, the ubiquitous broadsheet the smallest pieces look a little is pasted, painted, and generally sparse. altered to the artist ’s content. Swain has a knack for exploitBut Swain does more than just ing the gap between representacollage; he constructs paintings in tion and abstraction. Whilst some which newspapers play a key role. works conjure up exotic locations, Interlaced with the collaged ele- others are highly ambiguous and ments, he paints in acrylic with some border on mere pattern. the relish of a Post-Impressionist Newspaper photography is amidst a tonal palette of greys, crowded with bits of other newsrusty reds, and rich blues. It ’s the papers and patches of painted

Talent Night in the Fly Room Theatre With Peter Arnott’s take on genomics, it’s survival of the funniest of mankind. Attempting to recapture the information lost and the meaning behind it, four scientists tune in via headphones Applause and laughter flood to the database that once held so much the audience as Peter Arnott leads clarity for them. The resulting hypnotic an hour-long performance flitting hymns are strewn with a history of genombetween the philosophical, religious and ics, realisations about who they really are moral. Arnott is the playwright in resi- and insights into the genetics of all living dence with University of Edinburgh’s things. ESRC Genomics Forum and the piece Although a comedy, Talent Night being performed, Talent Night in the Fly in the Flyroom approaches some very Room, is the result of his partnership with serious questions: is genetic modification the Traverse Theatre - genomics has never morally permissible; do we have the right been so amusing. to culture hybrids of animals or crops, just Strewn with live piano and scientific because we have discovered how to do so? sing-a-longs, the play is set in a library What might be the implications of such that once held all the genetic information actions where we, in a sense, ‘play God’? Jared Cohen

Working with experts as they explore the subject of genomics which Arnott states is a “catch all term for techniques and research developed in the life sciences since the specific event of the sequencing of the human genome”. Arnott’s goal is to raise awareness about the various discoveries within genomics, and stir up excitement and interest in the field. He sees Talent Night in the Flyroom as a prelude to a fuller performance that he hopes will run at The Traverse permanently. VENUE: TRAVERSE THEATRE DATES: THU 29 MAR, 7:30 PM PRICE: £6.00

colour. Notwithstanding the exhibitions variety, Swain makes works that look tactile and visually appealing. Giving works titles such as The liar’s several attempts or First time with a lasso displays a certain flippancy towards subject matter. He clearly places more focus on qualities like colour and surface, not trying to do anything exeedingly complicated with what each piece might represent. This decision is overwhelmingly positive, meaning that he can spotlight formal merits to an extent that one might even call beautiful. VENUE: THE FRUITMARKET GALLERY DATES: UNTIL 1 JULY PRICE: FREE

The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

SPORT// 21

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Five things we’ve learnt from the 2011/2012 season A lot has changed in football in the past year. The Journal considers five key learning points from across the game Jamie Timson Sport editor 1. ALL HAIL THE GREAT SCOUTING NETWORK OF THE NORTHEAST. It’s grim up north, or so they say, however this season’s dark horses have galloped into Champions League reckoning from their hallowed turf on their country’s northeasterly tip. Newcastle United look set to get their passports out next season and its in no small part down to Alan Carr’s father. Yes that Alan Carr, of the Frankie Howard/Noel Coward/Graham Norton (delete depending on age/taste) variety, the camp comedian’s father Graham heads the Geordies’ prolific scouting network. Not content on serving up one unknown African goal-machine from the Bundesliga named Demba, in Demba Ba. Carr’s scouting network

ensured Manager Alan Pardew picked up another unknown African goalmachine from the Bundesliga named Demba, in Papiss Demba Cisse. Through Ba’s goals in the first half of the season and Cisse’s astonishing return of 13 goals in his first 12 games in the second half on the season, Newcastle have rode roughshod over many Premier League defences. “Re-Demba the name” The Geordies shout, after this season how could we forget.

and this was no more so the case than when the two promoted clubs met in February. A 1-0 lead for Swansea quickly became a 3-2 defeat as the Norwich 4-4-2 became a 4-3-1-2 and Lambert’s men enjoyed an extra man in midfield that stymied the quick passing of Swansea’s Xavi-light midfielder Leon Britton. Lambert’s on the fly reading of the game has been a breath of fresh air and has rejuvenated those who love to re-invert the pyramid.

2. TACTICS WIN MATCHES.

3. ASHLEY YOUNG’S NOTHING BUT THE FALL GUY.

This has been the season for the chalkboard Charlies to have their say. Paul Lambert’s Norwich and Brendan Rodgers’ Swansea have been the best promoted sides the Premier League has seen in quite a while and its got a lot to do with the way they set their teams up. Norwich’s formation has chopped and changed to great effect

Ashley Young looked ready for a season of success, serenity and silverware when he expertly curled in a shot from 25 yards as his Manchester United side beat Arsenal 8-2 in August. However, it was not to be as he became embroiled in one of the most debated topics…well ever.

Forget evolution vs creationism, good vs evil even eagle vs shark. To dive or not to dive became the question of the moment. That was until Gary Neville spoke the most sense since his grandfather decided to name his baby Neville. Using his giant iPad screen thingymajig on Sky Sports, Neville pointed out that which every football fan has known yet oddly refused to accept. Diving is part of the beautiful game. The defender who foolishly sticks his leg out in the penalty box might as well have gift wrapped it for the attacker to make contact and go to ground. Some do it more spectacularly than others – Ashley we’re looking at you here – but its not going to be eradicated any time soon. 4. BLUE SIDE OF GLASGOW LEFT LOOKING LIKE LONE RANGERS. It’s still not really clear to football fans in Scotland, just how disas-

trous this season might turn out to be for the Old Firm. The millions of pounds are still owed, the players are leaving Rangers in their droves, and the boardroom is still in turmoil. The only fans who really know the ins and outs are Celtic’s, who take great glee in regaling anyone who will listen, just how up the spout Rangers truly are. However, there is an element of sadness to the story, after all who hasn’t fallen for a charming man promising riches beyond their wildest dreams. As far as Rangers do fall – which incidentally isn’t that far considering even a new football team will still start in the SPL it seems – one can’t help but wonder what this says about the state of Scottish football as a whole, surely its time for the SFA to take control once and for all

5. That No.10 for Barca still looks pretty handy…shame teammates though...

about

Opera. Worth a second look.

Get £10 tix if you’re under 26. Any seat. Any performance.

Tosca 23 • 25 • 27 • 31 May | 2 Jun Festival Theatre Edinburgh 0131 529 6000

For more info, visit scottishopera.org.uk Registered in Scotland Number SCO37531 Scottish Charity Number SCO19787

his

22 / SPORT

The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk

CLASS ACT by Sean Gibson

Alexander Dale Oen 2011 world champion, 100m breaststroke One of the gold-medal favourites

for this summer’s Olympics, Alexander Dale Oen, died last week of a suspected cardiac arrest at the age of 26. Attending a high-altitude training camp at Flagstaff Arizona in the United States, Dale Oen’s sudden passing has rocked not only his home country of Norway, where he had become a sporting icon, but the whole swimming community. Dale Oen won Norway’s firstever world swimming medal in 2006, before winning the country’s firstever Olympic swimming medal with a silver in the 100m breaststroke at Beijing 2008. 2011 saw him reach new heights by becoming World Champion at Shanghai in the 100m breaststroke, overcoming trauma to qualify and win gold in the three days following the Breivik attacks which claimed 77 lives in his home country. He became a national hero and dedicated his triumph to the Norwegian people. His final message on Twitter expressed happiness at the prospect of returning home: “Two days left of our camp up here in Flagstaff, then it’s back to the most beautiful city in Norway – Bergen.” In a country more renowned for its winter sports, Dale Oen proved a tremendous inspiration to his country’s young and aspiring swimmers, who are still pushing for improvements in facilities and funding. Tributes flowed in from peers, rivals and even the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg – the latter remarking: “A small country has lost a great athlete.” This summer’s Olympics will be much poorer without the presence of such a positive and influential athlete who, approaching the zenith of his talent, was set to make his career on the biggest stage.

You heard it here first! The Journal charts a sporting map to summer 2012. Place your bets now, thank us later... Sean Gibson Sport editor DWAIN CHAMBERS WINS 100M OLYMPIC GOLD Having scraped into the final, Chambers is out in lane 1. Usain Bolt in lane 5 runs so fast that he disappears into thin air after 40 metres – the trail of flames left by his feet engulfing Tyson Gay and Yohan Blake either side of him. In the confusion, Chambers nicks the win ahead of elder statesman Kim Collins. The result is subject to Bolt managing to get back to the future, but for now Chambers takes home the gold.

ENGLAND DOMINATE EURO 2012 After a humiliating defeat in the opening game, Hodgson’s men execute a spectacular recovery to reach the final, where a 1-0 win is secured in extra time. Emile Heskey latches onto a Gareth Barry through-ball and coolly slots home. Heskey’s immediate panicked reaction to being so far from his comfort zone is quelled as he is mobbed by team-mates Danny Murphy, Paul Konchesky and all the other greats whose names will go down in the history of English football. ANDY MURRAY CAUSES WIMBLEDON STIR Andy Murray exits Wimbledon in

straight sets in the first round, defeated by a 15-year-old wonderkid. Murray celebrates wildly, as this is enough of a balls-up to drop him to fifth in the world rankings – the monotony of fourth is thus broken. “I’m glad I could give the fans something to get excited about after years of struggle,” says the Scot. “This new approach came a lot more naturally to me.” HAMILTON-SCHERZINGER LOVE OVERCOMES FIA VILLAINY After a hit-and-miss start to the season, Lewis Hamilton is finally showing his champion pedigree and dominating the European Grand Prix in Valencia. Sod’s Law dictates though that the McLaren

runs out of fuel on the last lap and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso spares the stricken Britain a cheeky wave as he cruises past him into the final corner to win his home race. There is, though, a touching homage to British athlete Derek Donovan’s run in the 400m final of the 1992 Olympic games when Nicole Scherzinger sprints out of the McLaren garage, vaults the pit wall and pushes Hamilton’s car inch by inch over the finish line. Hamilton is later disqualified from his eventual ninth place by the heartless and biased FIA stewards – the British media pointing out that this move sees German champion Michael Schumacher claim a point in tenth.

SNOOKER

Classic World Championship serves up the perfect pot With action on and off the table, The Crucible stands steady in the eye of a snooker-crazy storm Ruth Jeffery Assistant editor (Sport)

Exciting action both on and off the tables has made this year’s Snooker World Championships a limelight-stealing tournament. Controversial comments, broken records and the retirement of one of the sport’s greatest players have made the whole world chalk up a cue. Mark Allen has accused a whole nation of cheating; Mark Williams called the spiritual home of snooker a ‘shxthole’; legend Stephen Hendry got a 147 and then bid the sport goodbye, and Luca Brecel became the youngest ever debutant. The viewing figures are 20 per cent up on last year and the prize money has more than doubled since the takeover of Barry Hearn as Chairman in 2010. Mark Allen accused Cao Yupeng of failing to declare an illegal push during the first round clash where Allen went out. He went on in the post-match press conference to say that other Chinese players had been involved in ‘fouls and blatant cheating.’ The Irishman’s comments were called into question, and he was rewarded with a £1,000 fine. Allen’s comments were seen as damaging to snooker’s legacy abroad, as the sport is growing ever more popular in China. Five ranking tournaments are to be held there next season. He had also made derogatory comments about the place he was staying during a tournament in China in March. Hearn has said: “Time and time again Mark seems unable to control himself in public statements. Sometimes I am speechless.” Mark Williams also found himself on

the wrong side of the respected Chairman when he tweeted “World Championships just around the corner. Shame it’s being played in the Crucible, shxthole, hopefully it will be in China soon.” The treasured Sheffield venue has been home to the World Championships since 1977, and is seen by many as a sacred arena. The two time winner’s comments were heavily criticised by the Crucible faithful, and Hearn himself retaliated by saying that he would host the tournament there “until the day I die.” Both of these outbursts, whilst seen as scandalous and disreputable for the game, have actually done it a big favour. The sport is being talked about by nonsnooker fans and is causing much excitement in the mainstream press. With the BBC a loyal as ever commentator, the sport is in roaring good health. The legend Stephen Hendry has delivered many surprises this season. The seven times World Championship winner got his 11th Crucible 147 against Stuart Bingham in his 27th consecutive appearance at the competition. The holder of the most world ranking titles with 36, Hendry retired this season in a blaze of tributes, sadness and admiration. His retirement comes after a long run of bad form, and his decision to quit while ahead has been viewed with respect by fans. The announcement prompted a surge of tributes to the Golden Boy, adding to the current hype around the tournament. There is nothing quite like a few surprises to add some intrigue to a sport. The demise of so many top seeds in the early rounds of this World Championships

has shocked the Crucible. World number one Mark Selby, last year’s winner John Higgins and tournament favourite Judd Trump have been amongst the fallen, upping the competitive spirit of the event. Youngest ever debutant, 17 year old Luca Brecel, joined them on the way out but made his mark in an impressive first round match against Stephen Maguire. He lost 10-5. It’s no wonder the eyes of the sporting world have turned to the World Champi-

onships this season. Critics were becoming cynical about the future of a seemingly declining sport, but will be swiftly swallowing their words as the excitement around the sport heightens. The off-table drama appealed to non-snooker fans this season, but there have been plenty of surprises on centre stage to satisfy the old timers too. The Crucible — ‘shxthole’ or not — is as good as it gets, and this year that’s very, very good indeed. Vanessa Chettleburgh

The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield: the spiritual home of British snooker

The Journal Thursday 10 May 2012

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@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk

FOOTBALL

Edinburgh University’s Zorro joins swashbuckling Scotland Seniors University player set to represent Scotland at international tournament in Thailand in June Jak Purkiss & Sean Gibson

The squad of 22 players is divided into three age categories which are 38-43, 44-49, Believe it or not – Scotland are in a and over 50s. Zorro qualifies in the second football World Cup. category. Although Scotland finished in Neil ‘Zorro’ Irvine, a member of Edin- last place at the 2011 tournament, 2012 has burgh University AFC, has been selected to brought a fresh approach that sees only play for Scotland Seniors at a World Cup three players remaining from that squad. tournament in Thailand next month. Zorro told The Journal: “We have a The national stadium in Bangkok will good squad, full of winners. host the competition and with football “We have been playing several matches enjoying a swell in popularity in Thailand and things are taking shape. All the players right now, big attendences are expected. have played at senior level and fitness in

most cases is really good, so we are going over to have a real go at winning the cup.” The opposition in Thailand will include representatives from England, Iran, New Zealand, Australia as well as the host country. The holders, Iran, had nine former internationals in last year’s victorious squad. During their ten-day stay the Scottish players will be coaching football to young children who lost their parents in the 2004 tsunami. In an effort to raise funds the

team has been running various events in the past month across Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh, including an auction of signed football tops, a race night and an Irish bingo night. Zorro concluded by revealing the importance of his involvement in the University set-up: “To be honest if I wasn’t training and playing with the University, and fighting for a jersey, I don’t think I would be in the squad, so my thanks to all the guys for pushing me.”

2012 LONDON OLYMPICS

Scots will be left without legacy from London’s ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ Legacy of Olympic Games not set to reach Scotland as England alone benefits from funding Jamie Timson Sport editor

The legacy of the 2012 London

Olympics has been called into question numerous times since the winning bid was announced in 2005. However it has never been so pertinently posed as recently, as it has become apparent that Scotland will get little of the benefit the rest of the country - the southeast in particular – has been promised. It has become widely known that following the closure of the 30th Olympiad in the UK capital this August, the flagship legacy programme heralded by Games chairman Lord Coe amongst other luminaries will focus solely on England. This programme which has promised to pump £135 million into grassroots sports facilities and coaching initiatives over the next four years will greatly enhance the future generation of sports stars – but for the English only. This news has been announced amongst widespread disbelief from those who cite the £150 million of Scottish National Lottery money that is being ploughed into the ‘greatest show on earth’ this summer. While those behind the Games legacy cite the benefits of the Games to the nation’s wellbeing and morale, those in Scotland are quick to point out that the funding for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 is 24 times less than the windfall England is to receive as part of the programme put in place by Coe. While the legacy previously promised to Scotland was the economic boost that the two Olympic Football events held at Hampden Park there are fears that the stands will be embarrassingly empty, as tickets for the women’s group stage match between Columbia and North Korea are hardly flying off the shelves. It is also a worry that holidaymakers not wanting to attend the games will avoid the rest of the UK particularly Scotland as they look to warmer and

potentially less busy climes. This lack of tourism might affect the economy at a particularly inopportune time for those north of the border. The prevailing optimists mention the hope that the Edinburgh Festival will entice the masses after the Olympic Games, but there is a thought that the Olympics will detract from the festival’s charm this summer. Despite the wealth of training resources and spectacular scenery north of the border, only two nations – Namibia and Zambia, neither of whom are quite powerhouse athletics nations – are to site training camps

north of the border. SportScotland has consistently invested more than £6 million pounds in total for facilities this year and most will receive little or no use in the run up to the Games. Of the companies awarded tenders for contracts relating to the construction and running of the Games’ infrastructure, only a tiny proportion have been awarded to Scots companies. This is all under the auspices of an Olympic Programme for the whole nation and millions of pounds of Scotland’s regeneration funding has been diverted to London from investment in local infrastructure. Grassroots

sports clubs north of the border have also claimed the diversion of the cash has left them short of funding. “I think the question we have all been asking is ‘what legacy’?” said Graham Bell, spokesman for the Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC). “It will be absolutely minimal. The promise that this will benefit the whole country has not been realised. They have run away with a large proportion of our Lottery money to pay for the Games – it is a very poor show and as a share of the dividend, what we stand to gain is nothing like 10 per cent.” Shawn Carpenter

by Ruth Jeffery & Sean Gibson

Edinburgh athletes leave mark onOlympic Stadium The BUCS Outdoor Athlet-

ics Championships took place at the Olympic Stadium in London last weekend, with the Edinburgh University contingent more than holding their own amongst some of the best young athletes in the country. There were personal bests for women’s captain Nicci Chapman in the 1500 metres, Claire McNicol (400m), Claire Taylor (200m) and Steph Lawrie (800m). Kirsty Barr (High Jump) and Faye Nicholson (Long Jump) reached their respective finals, while early medals were delivered by Julia Siart (gold) in the Shot Put and Emily Stewart (silver), fresh from her fourth place in the World Universities Cross Country Championships, in the 2000m Steeplechase.

Four-time Irish Hennessy Cup winner dies The legendary racehorse

Florida Pearl died on Saturday aged 20. The Irish thunderbolt suffered from a malignant cancer of the blood vessels which caused vets to put her down. Owned by Violet O’Leary and formerly trained by Willie Mullins, the horse won a record four Irish Hennessy Cups. Other career highlights included winning the Punchestown Gold Cup, the Martell Cup at Aintree and the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Out of 33 starts Florida Pearl won 16 races, nine of which were in Grade One Company. He spent the last five years of his life at the Kildarebased Irish National Stud. His retirement in 2004 came after his fourth Irish Hennessy Cup win, a fitting end to the career of a muchmissed horse.

Caught-out cricketer Asif released from jail Pakistani cricketer Mohammed Asif was released

The Olympic legacy programme is set to pump £135 million into grassroots initiatives — but only in England

from jail this week after serving half of a 12-month sentence for his part in a fixing scam. The 29-yearold former world number two test bowler was one of three Pakistani cricketers to receive custodial sentences last November. Salman Butt, 27, was jailed for two and a half years; Mohammed Amir, 19, was released from Portland Prison in February after serving six months. Sports agent Mazar Majeed, 36, was a key figure in the scam which saw a News of the World journalist bribe him with £150,000 to set up the scam. He was jailed for two and half years. Majeed paid Asif and Amir to deliver three no-balls at specific points during the test between Pakistan and England in 2010. Each of the three cricketers received a five-year ban from the game.

Hacker:

SPORT /

Five lessons from 2011/12

Hacker seeks out the learning lessons from the past year in the beautiful game...

21 Chris Rubey

Donegan wins race for EUSU presidency Results announced at quickest-ever sports union general meeting Sean Gibson Sport editor

Anna Donegan has been elected

Edinburgh University Sports Union president for the 2012/13 academic year. Donegan told The Journal: “The other two candidates were quite strong, so I went into today thinking ‘who knows what’s going to happen?’”The intriguing three-way battle ended in disappointment for Kirsten Chung and Michael Henderson-Sowerby. Despite the defeated

candidates featuring more significantly at the hustings several days prior, Donegan was suitably impressive to secure the students’ approval. Said Donegan: “I didn’t get asked that many questions so I wondered if they actually knew who I am.” Asked what her first priority for next year will be, the president-elect said she would be “working on making sport inspiring to everyone involved.” The election result was announced to generous applause at EUSU’s Annual General Meeting, held in George Square Lecture Theatre, before elec-

LEAGUE TABLES

tions were held for the Union’s other executive offices. An Alternative Vote (AV) system was used in the presidential election, with students able to cast their votes through their MyEd accounts over a two-day period. This year is the first in which electronic clickers have been used to register votes, resulting in perhaps the most fast-paced Sports Union AGM ever. Sweeping painlessly through the President’s and Treasurer’s reports, the election of next year’s executives gave the crowd a chance to try out the new equipment. It was, perhaps sur-

prisingly, a simple voting method with few if any teething problems.With voting open for one minute, returning officer and current presidential incumbent Sam Trett expressed his disappointment at being unable to secure a Countdown-clock for the evening. Rob Tate was elected unopposed as honourary treasurer before Josh Hooper beat Catherine Sykes to the post of vice president. Saul Gerald was elected unchallenged to the post of vice president of intra-mural sports while Sally Abernethy, Kirsty McCo-

IN SPORT / 22

Classic World Championship delivers the perfect pot FOOTBALL

BUCS Scottish Conference Women’s 1A P W D L F

The Crucible stands steady in the face of a snooker-crazy storm

HOCKEY

Scottish Conference Men’s 1A

A GD Pts

P W D L F

8 8 0 0 48 9

Edinburgh 1st

8 6 1

1 31 14 17

Edinburgh 1st

7 5 0 2 39 14 25

Heriot-Watt 1st

8 4 0 4 24 18 6

Abertay 1st

7 2 0 5 10 29 -19 6*

Dundee 1st

8 3 1

4 14 24 -10 10

Aberdeen 1st

7 2 0 5 17

Glasgow 1st

8 2 2

4 16 26 -10 8

Heriot-Watt 1st

7 1

Strathclyde 1st

8 2 2

4 22 25 -3

28 -11

RUGBY

P W D L F

IN SPORT / 21

Scottish Conference Women’s 1A A GD Pts

P W D L F

A GD Pts

Nottingham 1st

14 11 0 3 349 225 224 33

Edinburgh 1st

8 8 0 0 39 4

Durham 2nd

14 10 0 4 415 221 194 30*

Glasgow 1st

8 5

Birmingham 1st

14 9 0 5 340 237 103 27

Edinburgh 2nd

8 3

2 3 8

13 -5

Loughborough 2nd

14 9 0 5 333 242 89

St Andrews 1st

8 1

24 -17

Edinburgh 1st

14 8 0 6 344 279 65

Strathclyde 1st

8 0 2 6 2

Manchester 1st

14 6 0 8 325 263 62

Nottingham 2nd

14 1

0 13 119 548 -429 3

Worcester 1st

14 2

0 12 139 447 -308 3*

2 19 14 5 6 7

2012 Olympic legacy won’t extend beyond the border England the sole beneficiaries of the 2012 financial windfall

HOCKEY

BUCS Men’s Premier North B

IN SPORT / 23

A GD Pts

Robert Gordon 1st

0 6 14 48 -34 0*

nnell and Carla Santoni were elected similarly unopposed to the posts of publicity officer, alumni officer and intra-mural coordinator respectively. Sarah Nimmo then edged the absent Jo Richardson to secure events officer. The evening concluded with Trett in bullish mood, ensuring proposed new measures were pushed through. The University’s cheerleading and kickboxing clubs have each been made full member clubs for next year, while the clay pigeon shooters have achieved associate member status.

24 16

20 -18 2

Full standings available at: www.bucs.org.uk

You Heard It Here First! The Journal charts a sporting map to summer 2012. Place your bets now, thank us later.