MULTIMEDIA PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR 2012 » Scottish Student Journalism Awards
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EDINBURGH’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
ISSUE LXIII
WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012
10,000 march against government austerity
EXCLUSIVE
Unions lead major anti-cuts march in Glasgow
IN NEWS /
5
Galloway libel fight escalates Legal experts predict long, expensive court battle as MP sues NUS for defamation
Being Angus Farquhar
IN NEWS /
3
IN ARTS /
The creator of Beltane and founder of Scottish arts charity NVA reflects on projects old and new
20
IN INNEWS NEWS// 46
IN INNEWS FASHION / 4 / 25
IN INNEWS ARTS / 21 4
Referendum deal One-horse race forreached UoE rector After months of haggling, Peter McColl will take overUK from andMacWhirter Scottish governments Iain on 1 March,agree terms of independence plebiscite following uncontested election
The fortnight fashion One-horse raceinfor UoE rector Karl Lagerfeld settake to show Peter McColl will overin from Scotland, while the backs Iain MacWhirter on V&A 1 March, designer Hayley Scanlan following uncontested election
Behind therace masque One-horse for UoE rector The National Museum of from Peter McColl will take over Scotland amazeson with its night of Iain MacWhirter 1 March, amusing animal antics election following uncontested
British Ivy League?
Buckingham vice-chancellor outlines his vision for a new university system in Britain
IN COMMENT /
15
2 / CONTENTS
@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk
THIS WEEK INSIDE THE JOURNAL
Waste of Space
Council allay fears over stray fumes from proposed waste plant
The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
VIEWFINDER
12
Chris Rubey Chris Rubey
Stone to Stone
A German Jewish tradition is examined in the 21st century context
19 Pro-Palestine activists protest BAE Systems’ presence at the Edinburgh University careers fair
BREAKING NEWS: Israeli ambassador to speak at Edinburgh Uni As The Journal went to press, reports were starting to emerge of a growing controversy over the planned appearance of the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, Daniel Taub, at an event at the University of Edinburgh. The closed event, which is organised by the department of politics and international relations and PIRSoc, is set to take place on Wednesday
24 October, though details are still sketchy. Pro-Palestine activist group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the Middle Eastern Society — who, a source said, were initially involved in organising the the event — have written to the organisers demanding that the talk be cancelled. Activists are also understood to be planning a protest
action today, but security is expected to be extremely tight. Ticket-holders were warned to bring both their passport and student ID card, and to expect to be searched upon entry to the venue, which had not been disclosed at the time The Journal went to press. For full reporting, log on to the website at www.journal-online.co.uk
For advertising information Lanced the boil
The Journal investigates the fall-out from the Armstrong affair
30
Call our sales department on 0131 560 2830 or email ads@journal-online.co.uk The Journal is published by The Edinburgh Journal Ltd., registered address TechCube, 1 Summerhall Square, Edinburgh, EH9 1PL. Registered in Scotland number SC322146. For enquiries call 0131 560 2825 or email info@journal-online.co.uk. The Journal is a free newspaper for and written by students and graduates in the City of Edinburgh. Contact us if you’d like to get involved. Printed by Morton’s Printers, Lincolnshire. Copyright © 2008 The Edinburgh Journal Ltd. Elements of this publication are distributed under a Creative Commons license - contact us for more information. Distributed by Two Heads Media, www. twoheadsmedia.co.uk. Our thanks to PSYBT, Scottish Enterprise, and all who make this publication possible.
The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
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NATIONAL POLITICS / 3
Hard road ahead in Galloway-NUS libel row Defamation battle between George Galloway and NUS over “rape denier” motion could prove long and costly, experts say
EXCLUSIVE Marcus Kernohan, Greg Bianchi, Gareth Llewellyn & Callum Leslie
Experts have warned that a difficult legal battle between George Galloway and the National Union of Students could lie ahead, as the outspoken MP’s lawyers fired the first formal salvo in a defamation row that has simmered for weeks. Mr Galloway last week formally initiated legal action against NUS (see below), claiming that a motion passed by the national executive council last month, taking Mr Galloway to task over his widely-reported remarks on the Julian Assange rape case, included allegations that were “extremely damaging and more important completely untrue.” In a damning condemnation of Mr Galloway’s remarks, the NEC motion branded the MP a “rape denier” for saying that Mr Assange’s alleged actions constituted only “bad sexual etiquette”, and added him to the union’s ‘no-platform’ blacklist. But legal experts interviewed by The Journal have indicated that NUS’ legal position may not be as secure as senior union figures had privately hoped, and suggested that if the case ends up in court it is likely to be a complex, timeconsuming and expensive battle. William O’Brian, an associate professor of law at the University of Warwick, told The Journal: “There is little doubt
Read the full text of the letter from Galloway’s lawyers JOURNAL-ONLINE.CO.UK
that the NUS statements are defamatory, that they have been published, and that they refer to George Galloway. Thus all of the elements that a claimant is required to prove in a defamation action seem to be satisfied. “The matters that would negate liability on the part of the NUS are all defences on which NUS would have the burden of proof on a balance of probabilities.” NUS declined to comment, but sources told The Journal that they are seeking fresh legal advice and have sent a holding response to Mr Galloway’s solicitors. The Journal was unable to obtain a copy of the letter prior to publication. Speaking last week, a senior union source would say only that: “We have now received communication from solicitors acting on behalf of George Galloway regarding policy passed by our NEC. “We intend to respond in due course. We will not be commenting further at this time.” Prof O’Brian, who specialises in tort law, added that there are two possible defences open to NUS. “The first defence is that the statements were true, or ‘justification’, which would be for NUS to prove,” he said. “This might be a difficult defence to win on here in view of the use of the general term ‘rape denier’ with respect to Galloway based apparently only on his comments regarding Assange.” “The more promising defence here is the honest comment defence... The critical issue here is whether the statement is a matter of opinion, as the defence only protects statements of opinion. “Although the [pre-action protocol] letter asserts that they are statements of fact, I think it is likely in light of the Spiller case and the important decision by the Court of Appeal in Singh v British Chiropractic Association... in this context the courts are likely to treat them as matters of opinion, as if they had asserted ‘in my opinion, based on his comments in the Assange case, Galloway
David Martyn Hunt
The controversial Respect MP looks set for the legal longhaul is a rape denier.’” Brian Pillans, a lecturer in media law at Glasgow Caledonian University, observed: “In recent defamation cases, the courts have changed their view on the distinction between fact and comment... courts may now conclude that a ‘value judgment’ is a comment rather than a statement of fact. “Thus, if a court was persuaded that the NUS had expressed a value judgment about George Galloway in its resolution, [they] should be able to rely on the honest opinion defence to escape liability — unless Galloway could satisfy the court that the NUS was misrepresenting its position on the matter.” Both academics noted the prohibitive cost of defending a defamation action in England and Wales. Costs were estimated at over £2 million in the ultimately unsuccessful four-year court
battle waged by discredited author David Irving in the late 1990s, against accusations that he was a Holocaust denier. A libel reform bill is currently being given a second reading by the House of Lords. Mr Galloway has a long history of doggedly pursuing litigation against media outlets. Asked about his latest action, a Galloway aide said that the Bradford West MP had “a 100 per cent record in libel cases”, telling The Journal: “It is defamatory to allege that George is a rape denier. It is tantamount to asserting that he condones rape. This could hardly be a more serious or mischievous libel. “He had no other course than to give notice that he was launching the action... he is very confident that he will win it. The proceeds will be donated to the Julian Assange defence fund.”
AS IT HAPPENED: GALLOWAY’S LAWYERS FIRE OPENING SALVO IN LATEST LIBEL ACTION George Galloway’s declaration of judicial war against the NUS marks only the latest twist in a series of controversies surrounding the decision to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to face trial for rape in Sweden. Mr Assange’s prosecution relates to separate allegations by two women that he had sex with them while they were asleep, and without their consent. Swedish prosecutors successfully sought his extradition from the UK, leading him to seek political asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has remained since June. In August, Mr Galloway was recorded saying
that having sex with a sleeping woman does not constitute rape — at worst, he said, it was “bad sexual etiquette.” The national executive council motion, passed by a large majority on 26 September, roundly condemned these remarks, describing Mr Galloway as a “rape denier”, and banned NUS officers and staff from sharing a platform with the Bradford MP. On 1 October, Mr Galloway publicly claimed that the “rape denier” claim was defamatory, threatening legal action. On 15 October, his lawyers had sent NUS a formal pre-action protocol letter, demanding a full retraction of the
motion, a public apology and payment of costs. NUS sources had inititally expressed confidence in their position. But in the days since Chambers Solicitors, the Bradford firm favoured by Mr Galloway, issued the PAP letter, the union has gone into lockdown, with multiple NEC councillors contacted by The Journal declining to discuss the case until fresh legal advice has been received. An official spokesman had no comment prior to publication.
—Greg Bianchi
LITIGIOUS LEGACY
£2.15 million Total award in 2006 showdown with The Daily Telegraph over Galloway’s relationship with Saddam Hussein.
£50,000
Estimated settlement in 2004 libel action against Christian Science Monitor, again relating to Hussein connections.
£15,000
Damages awarded in 2008 suit, against JCom Radio over allegations of antisemitism. JCom forced to close as a result.
£1+ million NUS UK president Liam Burns
Total out-of-court payout by News International to phone hacking victims, which included Galloway.
Postgraduate Open Day
11am-4pm: Friday, 9 November 2012 To register for the event go to: www.glasgow.ac.uk/pgopenday The University of Glasgow, charity number SC004401
For further details about postgraduate study opportunities go to: ww.glasgow.ac.uk/postgraduate
The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
NEWS// 5
@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk
Thousands join STUC’s Glasgow march against government austerity
UNISON Scotland
Students from across Scotland in successful anti-cuts protest march Gary Paterson Student Politics editor, Glasgow
Almost 10,000 people marched through Glasgow in an anti-cuts demonstration organised by the Scottish Trade Union Congress. The demonstration was supported by education, employment and student campaign groups, congregating in George Square for speeches from trade union leaders before setting off on a march through the streets of Glasgow city centre to Glasgow Green. There was a heavy student presence as representatives from students’ associations across the country, NUS Scotland and student campaign organisations supported trade unions. NUS Scotland president, Robin Parker, said: “Students are standing sideby-side with trade union and community members from across Scotland because we don’t want to see Westminster’s austerity policies dump an entire generation on the scrapheap. “There is a real threat that the UK Government’s plans will result in a lost generation caught in a perpetual cycle of unemployment. Our generation needs a future that works.” “The reality is the UK Government is simply not doing enough to provide opportunities for those who need it most. It needs to back down on its austerity plans, and get to work creating jobs that will reduce youth unemployment.” More than 110,000 people took to the streets in Glasgow, Belfast and London
as protesters called on the government to reverse cuts and to invest in job growth. STUC general secretary Grahame Smith told supporters that the government’s priority should be a living wage, investment in quality jobs and strong employment rights. He said: “The Prime Minister says he doesn’t want to defend privilege, he wants to spread it. Privilege of course means giving few an advantage over the many. “That’s why it’s tax cuts for the rich and benefit cuts for the poor. We don’t want an extension of privilege we want an extension of fairness and justice. “We have an economy that’s in crisis and what’s George Osborne’s priority? To try to entice workers to sell their employment rights for a few company shares and a tax bribe.” President of Edinburgh University Students’ Association James McAsh led a group of 40 students at a cost of £300 to the association. He said: “I think the reason behind it and these are reasons it is really important that students don’t see our own struggles against tuition fees, against education cuts, against privatisation as isolated from wider struggles against austerity. “In that view, I think that it’s really important that students do work together with trade unionists, with the unemployed, to say that this situation at the moment created by this government and indeed previous governments is not fair, and we should be demanding
a better future for all of us.” Marian Craig, psychology student at the University of Strathclyde and Labour Students campaigner said: “It was great to see so many people at the march yesterday from all walks of life - children, students, adults and pensioners uniting in solidarity to send a clear message to David Cameron that we need a plan for jobs. “The only way we can win the fight against austerity is by joining our comrades on marches like October 20 to show this out of touch government that they will not get away with dumping an entire generation on the scrapheap while they line their own pockets.” McAsh added: “I think that these events could always be better. That they could be bigger, better, more vibrant, get more media coverage...overall it was fairly good. I wasn’t disappointed with it.” In a month’s time students from across the United Kingdom will take to London’s streets in a national demonstration organised by the NUS to call on the government to improve education opportunities and employment prospects. Transport provision for students is being arranged by students’ associations across the country with a number of buses being arranged by EUSA and University of Strathclyde Students’ Association. Additional reporting by Daniel do Rosario.
UNISON were heavily represented in Glasgow Gary Paterson
The protest went off peacefully on the whole
Audit Scotland: Youth Health minister in abortion row unemployment at 20% Alex Neil says he believes limit on abortion should be halved to 12 weeks Daniel do Rosario Political editor
New Unemployment figures
released on Thursday 18 October showed that one in five Scottish youths are out of work, leading to renewed concerns about cuts to Scotland’s colleges. Audit Scotland, an independent public auditing body, expressed concern about whether colleges would be able to provide training for out of work young people with 24 per cent real-terms cuts to their budgets. In a statement made shortly after the figures were released, NUS Scotland vice president Graeme Kirkpatrick said, “These figures show that the Westminster Government needs to back down on its austerity plan and begin creating jobs for school leavers and graduates to help boost our economy. “We must also ensure that young people have educational opportunities, and that they are properly funded.
Scotland’s colleges have already been hit by cuts, and the Government has now proposed a further £34.6 million reduction in funding. “If we’re to help young people prosper, we must make sure college’s prosper as well and see this proposed cut reversed between now and the final Budget.” In an interview with the BBC, First Minister Alex Salmond reiterated that budgetary restraints from Westminster were part of the problem, but argued that college funding had not been cut if both revenue and capital sides were taken into account, and stressed that places for young people have been maintained. When The Journal asked for clarification, the Scottish Government said they were unable to provide comment to student media due to short staffing. Total unemployment figures in Scotland have risen for a second consecutive three-month term to 8.2 per cent, just as average figures for the whole of the UK have continued to fall to 7.9 per cent.
Atalandi Meleagrou-Dixon Staff writer
Scottish government health
secretary Alex Neil caused controversy last week, after publicly stating his view that tighter limits should be placed on abortion. He later clarified that it was only his personal view that the current 24 week limit should be decreased to 12. However, since the public backlash Mr Neil has distanced himself from his original statement, pointing out that abortion is an issue reserved for Westminster not the Scottish Government and that it was not an issue currently under discussion. A number of feminist and women’s groups have moved to criticise the views of politicians, suggesting that lowering the limit should be considered. In a statement to The Journal, the Edinburgh University Feminist Society said that the group was horrified by the views aired by Mr Neil. The
society explained their stance: “It is a step backwards in women’s rights and not what should be happening in this day and age. The limit should not be lowered and that should be the end of it. “If a women is brave enough to have an abortion then it is clear she has thought about the consequences of having a child and realises she is not able to provide the adequate support.” The society also went on to state that lowering the abortion limit could lead to a rise in illegal abortions which could be a greater danger to women. Some politicians have found themselves in hot water recently after claims that scientific evidence had been uncovered that meant the issue of abortion limits should be discussed. The controversy started after the UK’s health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, stated that he personally backed limiting abortion to 12 weeks — something that prime minister David Cameron quickly moved to say was Mr Hunt’s personal view, not that of the government.
Scottish Government
Alex Neil replaced Nicola Sturgeon
6 / NATIONAL POLITICS
The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
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Historic referendum deal signed in Edinburgh Alex Salmond and David Cameron sign Edinburgh Agreement, which sets out terms for 2014 plebiscite on independence Daniel do Rosario Political editor
Prime Minister David Cameron and First Minister Alex Salmond last week signed a historic agreement, which paves the way for Scotland to hold a legally binding referendum for independence in two years time. The ‘Edinburgh Agreement’ confirms that only one question will be asked in the referendum and that there will be no second option for greater devolved powers, something sen by pundits as a victory for David Cameron. However, the agreement confirms the Scottish Government’s option to extend the voting franchise to allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote, which the unionist parties have previously opposed. Mr Salmond is now understood to be working on a ‘paving bill’ to be put before the Scottish Parliament, in a move seen by some as a precursor to the potential reduction of the voting age to 16 in all Scottish elections. In a statement released after the signing, Alex Salmond said: “The Edin-
burgh Agreement will ensure that the people of our country will make for many generations is made here in Scotland for the benefit of all those that live and work here.” It has been confirmed that the wording of the question, the rules for campaign financing and the date of the referendum will be legislated in Scotland when the Referendum Bill goes through parliament — although the Electoral Commission will still have a role. The following details a timeline for the events that will follow today’s landmark agreement: Later this month, the Scottish Government will publish the long awaited results of the public consultation on the referendum, which received 24,000 responses. Towards the end of 2012, the Electoral Commission – the independent body that regulates and oversees electoral matters – will examine the fairness of the proposed referendum question. In February 2013 the United Kingdom’s Privy Council will formally pass the Section 30 order to grant the
Scottish Government the legal powers to hold a referendum. Following this, the Scottish Government will introduce the referendum bill to Holyrood, and a final vote on the bill is expected by this time next year. The bill is likely to be passed given the governing Scottish National Party’s clear majority in parliament, after which the bill will be sent to Her Majesty the Queen to receive Royal Assent. Only then will the Scottish Government publish its White Paper laying out the full case for independence, which Alex Salmond has said will be consistent with any legal advice they have received regarding questions such as an independent Scotland’s place in Europe. By the summer of 2014 the campaigning will begin, leading to the referendum that will determine Scotland’s future in autumn of 2014 — a potent historical anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
Scottish Government
Salmond and Cameron at the agreement signing
Cameron backs EU referendum calls But PM rejects demands for an ‘in or out’ vote BIS
Daniel do Rosario Political editor
David Cameron has given his personal backing to a future referendum on Europe, describing it as “the cleanest, neatest and simplest way” of getting the public’s consent on the nature of Britain’s membership in a changing EU. However, Mr Cameron remains opposed to the sort of ‘in or out’ referendum that he has just granted to the Scottish Government for 2014. In an interview with the BBC, Mr Cameron said that he was not in favour of leaving the EU, but stressed that he was not happy with the status quo, suggesting that he instead sees it as a way to negotiate a new position within the EU. The Journal spoke to Alex Paul, a politics student at the University of Edinburgh who has worked in British politics and written on UK affairs for political science journal, Leviathan. Mr Paul said, “I think that a referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU is long overdue, if only to end the longrunning speculation over it. “Recent events show that the EU is at a defining point in its development. A referendum would allow the British people to decide whether they want to continue to be part of this development or not. “It would also give the UK Government a clear position from which to negotiate with our European partners and ensure that, in the future, Britain’s interests in Europe can be represented in the best way possible.” A fellow member of the society, Greg Lass, is more skeptical: “The referendum wouldn’t even be a talking point if referenda weren’t an incredibly hot topic right now. The looming referendum on
David Cameron Scottish Independence set for 2014 is an important contributing factor to this. “This is a classic example of political brinkmanship. Cameron et al remind the EU that the UK’s membership is not guaranteed, in order to loosen tongues and extract concessions. “Cameron’s pledge is long-standing and has not happened for good reason. It is politically incendiary. The Euro-skeptic wing of the Conservative party would pipe up loudly and the pro-Europe LibDems would have another reminder of the painful differences between them and their coalition partners.” He added, “The referendum will probably never happen but talking about it can be politically expedient.” David Cameron launched his plans for a new settlement at an EU summit on banking union on Friday, criticizing the 100,000 annual salary for 16 per cent of EU commission staff and stating, “The plates of Europe are moving and changing. Just as the eurozone is changing, and there are fresh settlements there, so there are fresh opportunities for Britain as well.”
The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
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STUDENT NEWS / 7
Lecturers’ strike Edinburgh student dies in action launched Newington traffic accident 23 October strike an escalation of pay dispute
19-year-old Ameen Merchant dies following collision in Nicolson Square
Atalandi Meleagrou-Dixon Staff writer
Emma Logan
Chris Rubey
Tributes have been paid to a Univer-
Scotland’s largest education
union yesterday walked out on strike, following a stall in negotiations with university and college administrators. The Educational Institute of Scotland, which represents almost 60,000 members from the higher and further education sectors, has been locked in a long fight over wages. An EIS spokesperson told The Journal that strike action “is not a decision that has been taken lightly, as lecturers do not want to strike but feel forced to do so,” and said they hope “that students will understand and support the lecturers’ position.” UK lecturers’ pay increases have consistently been below the level of inflation since the onset of the recession in 2008. EIS argue that this has meant they have faced increasingly low realterms wages. It has been calculated that over the last three years the average real-terms pay cut for lecturers has amounted to 12.2 per cent, in cash terms this is around £5,000. EIS had previously announced that it would be conducting a ballot of its members to determine whether industrial action, including striking, was a viable course of action. The results of the ballot revealed that
Susan Quinn, president of EIS 72 per cent of its members wanted some form of industrial action, and that 54 per cent were in favour of strike action. On this small majority the EIS has decided to go forward with the strike. Controversy has previously arisen over the consequences of strike action on university campuses, largely with regards to the impact it can have on student education. If the strike is unsuccessful in securing an additional pay increase, it is unclear what the union’s next move will be. The EIS has said that “further action cannot be ruled out unless an improved offer is received from the universities,” suggesting further disruption for students is possible in the near future. For full coverage of the strike, go to www.journal-online.co.uk.
Prospects positive for graduates in Scotland Scots enjoy higher starting salaries, says report Benjamin Lebus
Scotland is one of best places in
the UK to be if you are a recent graduate seeking work, a report from the Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU) has revealed. The ‘What Do Graduates Do 2012’, report, released last week, indicated that Scotland is one of the best places in Britain to find a graduate-level position; eight per cent of graduates in 2011 found employment with an average starting salary of £20,509, around £600 higher than the UK average of £19,935. A Scottish Government spokesman hailed the report, saying: “Scotland’s universities lead the UK in graduate employment while also showing a decrease in unemployed graduates, and our starting salaries for graduates are the best in the UK.” Following reports in July 2012 confirming a consecutive quarter of negative growth in the British economy, many feared there would be a heavy impact on the labour market, especially for the newly graduated section of the population. However, whilst there has not been any growth in the graduate employment rate, it has remained relatively resilient during the period.
However, the report also found that 14.6 per cent of those graduating in 2011 in the UK had resorted to work in the low-skilled industries, such as catering and retail, a revelation rued by NUS Scotland president Robin Parker, who said that “too many [are] working in non-graduate-level jobs.” Charlie Ball. deputy director of research at HECSU, added: “The figures show that jobs are not spread equally around the UK”, with 21 per cent of graduates finding first time employment in London. On a more positive note, though, Ball dispelled the claim that “there aren’t any jobs for graduates in parts of the UK” outside of London, something which is supported by the relative success story of Scottish graduates. Although some of the figures released in the most recent HECSU study are certainly worrying, it is encouraging to see some levels of resilience in the graduate employment rates, which were “better than feared” according to the report’s authors. Moreover, Scottish students will certainly draw hope from the study as a Scottish government spokeswoman said: “It gives further evidence that studying in Scotland gives students a firm footing in the jobs market.”
sity of Edinburgh student who tragically died following a road traffic accident near the university’s main campus. Ameen Merchant, 19, was involved in a road accident in Nicolson Square on Saturday 29 September. He was rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, later transferred to Western General’s special trauma unit, but passed away there on Friday 5 October. A 20-year-old woman was also involved in the collision with a blue Volkswagen Passat, but sustained only minor injuries. The driver of the car involved is cooperating with police inquiries. Lothian and Borders Police are asking witnesses to step forward with any further information. Mr Merchant, originally from California, was in his second year of an undergraduate degree in history and politics. His parents flew from the USA to be with
him in his final hours. Funeral prayers were held on 8 October at Central Mosque, Potterrow in Edinburgh and a service of commemoration took place on 16 October at Cecilia’s Hall. In an email to students, Professor Alvin Jackson, head of the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, said: “Ameen contributed to many aspects of the life of the School and University, and his loss will be very widely and painfully felt.” One friend told The Journal: “Ameen Merchant was unmistakably sharp and hard working without ever making a show of it. What I liked the most about him was that he always knew how to keep it real, speak sincerely and still know how to laugh and have a good time. He will surely be missed by his vast network of friends and family around the globe.” Mr Merchant was a highly rated American Youth Leader; one of his friends described him as being “White
Nicolson Square House-bound”. Mr Merchant dedicated most of his time to California YMCA Youth and Government, a state-wide mock legislature and court that has more than 2,500 high school participants across the state. During his junior year he was elected to the programme’s highest honour as Youth Governor of California.
8 / LOCAL NEWS
The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
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Princes St sexual assaults spark police hunt Officers trawling CCTV footage and appealing for witnesses following three sexual assaults in the city centre in recent weeks Lydia Willgress Local News editor
Police have stepped up their
investigation into a string of sexual assaults in central Edinburgh, after a new victim came forward in relation to the attacks on Thursday 11 October. Previously, it was reported that two separate assaults were carried out on women between 8.15pm and 8.20pm. A 20-year-old woman managed to prevent a man from kissing her while she was waiting at the bus stop at the Mound on Princes Street. Just five minutes later, a 26-yearold woman was followed from the Mound towards Princes Street before being indecently assaulted at a bus stop on the westbound carriageway of Princes Street. After both assaults, the attacker ran off. Both incidents were reported that night. However, a third suspected victim came forward on Tuesday 16 October claiming that a man grabbed
her from behind while she was waiting at a bus stop on George IV Bridge. The attack is thought to have happened around 8pm. Although the descriptions given by three women differ slightly, the man is described by all three as having long dark hair, with a wavy or curly fringe. The first victim described the man as between 35 and 45-years old, and alleged he was dressed smartly. The woman involved in the second incident placed her attacker as slightly younger and wearing a hoody. Police are connecting the incidents due to the similarity in time and type of attack. They are now going through CCTV records to discover if a clear image of the attacker was caught on camera. Although all three attacks took place in particularly busy areas, no witnesses have come forward. A police spokesperson confirmed their investigation. He said: “Lothian and Borders Police are continuing with their enquiries into two indecent assaults that took place on
Camilla Hoel
Princes Street and the Mound on Thursday 11 October. “During the course of our investigation a third report of a male behaving suspiciously at a bus stop on George IV Bridge was received and is being processed by detectives.” Some claim that universities, particularly the University of Edinburgh which has the largest city-centre campus, have done too little to notify students about the attacks. Rebecca Miles, a third-year student at the University of Edinburgh, said: “The attacks have worried me as I would usually walk from George Square to Princes Street quite happily by myself. “Although the assaults were not too serious, I would feel happier if I knew more about what the police and university were doing to prevent this kind of assault happening again.” Anyone with information should contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The busy city centre street in worrying scenes
Council launches Bin collections hit by ‘teething petitions scheme problems’, say city council Officials hope to strengthen citizen engagement Jonathan Langley
Edinburgh Greens
The City of Edinburgh Council’s
new petitions committee was officially launched on Monday 8 October. The first meeting of the committee is scheduled to take place on Monday 3 December. The scheme aims to encourage individual members of the public, as well as community groups and organisations, to get involved in the council’s activities by starting or supporting petitions. It will also provide a channel for members of the public to draw the council’s attention to issues of public concern. The council hopes that the petitions committee will help to create a more inclusive and accessible organisation by encouraging participation in its decision making process. The council will also be webcasting meetings of the committee live as part of a year-long pilot programme designed to encourage a more open democracy in the city. Councillor Maggie Chapman, convener of the petitions committee, said: “The petitions committee will give a voice to members of the public who wish to raise issues the council is not already addressing. I urge people to use this new opportunity to participate in local politics and to help improve the lives of people living, working and visiting our city. “I am pleased that, in addition to the meetings in the City Chambers, we will also be taking the committee ‘on tour’ to reach a wider audience, and we will also ensure our young people are included by having youth focussed events.”
Responding to rubbish complaints, council promise to empty backlog Chloe Duane
Edinburgh City Council has admit-
ted “teething problems” remain with the city’s new bin collection regime that was implemented over a month ago. The new bin collection service came into effect on 10 September in the capital, which sees green wheelie bins now being emptied every fortnight. The new regime has been put into action in a bid to encourage Edinburgh city residents to use their recycling bins instead of their refuse bins. Edinburgh City Council state on their website that, “we want to help meet national targets for reducing waste to landfill sites by achieving a 50 per cent recycling rate in the next two years.” Currently, residents recycle over 30 per cent
of the city’s waste but the figure must rise to 50 per cent by 2014 and 70 per cent by 2025 in order to meet targets. Householders throughout the city have complained that changes in service have seen their fortnightly collections delayed or missed altogether. Councillor Lesley Hinds, Transport and Environment convener, confirmed in a council meeting last week, there had been some issues in getting all rubbish collected with the new shift patterns and working methods, but said that 90 per cent of the refuse had been collected. In another statement on the topic Cllr Hinds said: “I would like to apologise to any of the individuals or areas that have suffered, not getting the service I would expect.
“Four weeks in and we are getting to the back of it, we are addressing the issues.” On 12 October, Edinburgh council were experiencing delays with communal and trade bins in eight different locations including Meadowbank and Portobello as well as delays in food waste and chute bin collections in 11 other areas. Staff are working extra hours in order to combat these delays. A council spokesman said: “Like any massive change that you bring in there will be things that you will need to change... “Some of the routes will be changed in the next couple of weeks and we’ll take on board what the staff are saying and how they’re dealing with it.”
Cllr Magige Chapman Petitioners can make use of the council’s e-petition facility on the council’s website. Paper petition forms are also available to download from the website. Alternatively, petitioners can collect them from libraries and other council buildings. Petitions from individuals need the signatures of at least 500 people living in Edinburgh, although petitions with 250 signatures may be accepted at the discretion of the convener of the committee. Petitions from local businesses require the support of at least 20 other businesses within Edinburgh if they are to be considered. Further guidance on satisfying the criteria for a valid petition can be found on the council’s website.
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LOCAL NEWS / 9
@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk
Futher flak for Police go Deegan for clues Creative Scotland in Hibs star’s assault case Artists “summoned to see the headmaster”
Gary Deegan on the sidelines for six weeks following George Street attack
Rachel Barr Staff writer
Frank Clarke
Sir Sandy’s reaction was met with a stony response from many of the artists involved, including Greig who was One hundred of Scotland’s leading quoted in The Scotsman, condemning the artists have expressed criticism and response as “totally inadequate”, appealdismay towards the latest response ing that Sir Sandy’s letter treated artists from culture minister Fiona Hyslop and like “pupils being summoned to see the former Standard Life chief executive Sir headmaster”. Sandy Crombie regarding the crisis that is Writer Janice Galloway similarly currently “engulfing” Creative Scotland. voiced complaints in The Scotsman, Artists including writer Janice Gal- claiming that the response was a “masterloway, playwright David Greig and Scot- piece of resentful condescension”. land’s Makar Liz Lochhead addressed Ms Galloway said: “Sir Sandy is a letter of protest to the flagship body in still refusing to accept the scale of the charge of the cultural sector earlier this problem by trying to use bigger words week. and insisting artists simply don’t underThe purpose of the letter was to stand them”. outline the growing problems they have She also directed criticism towards with the agency, including its “ill-con- Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop’s lack of ceived decision-making; unclear lan- action in the crisis, arguing that policy, guage and lack of empathy and regard for not interference, is necessary from the Scottish culture”. government. This arose after complaints that the Ms Hyslop insists that the Scottish trust between artists and those funding government could not participate in decithem was “low and receding daily” and a sions taken by Creative Scotland but has growing clamour for Ms Hyslop to order taken the recent criticisms “very seria review into the running of the agency. ously”, said it is imperative that these Calling for “management not money”, issues are sorted. the letter was not received well by CreaSir Sandy has similarly agreed not to tive Scotland’s leader Sir Sandy Crombie take the issues raised lightly, claiming who fiercely denied claims that his organ- that he has already begun to set up meetisation was not listening to artists and ings with local artists to allow them to offered to meet with those behind the voice their issues and has directed some letter in order to “engage with as many Creative Scotland staff to “examine thor006692 160x265 Student 17/10/2012 people as are willing Edinburgh to engage with us”. ad V3__ oughly every point13:19 raised”Page with1them.
Cathy257
Police are appealing for witnesses
to the late-night attack which will see Hibs’ midfielder Gary Deegan out for several weeks following surgery for a broken jaw. The Irishman was punched in the face in the early hours of Sunday 7 October outside Hard Rock Café on George Street, Edinburgh. A Hibs spokesperson described the incident as an “unprovoked attack”. Deegan had been celebrating Hibs’ 3-0 victory over Dundee earlier that day in the nearby Le Monde nightclub with team mates. After leaving, a male assailant attacked the player and immediately fled, possibly with a second male. Police are searching for the suspect, believed to be white, over 6ft tall, between 20 and 25-years-old with a slim build and short fair hair spiked at the front. He was wearing a checked shirt, dark skinny jeans and dark shoes. Speculation has centred on the motives for this purportedly unprovoked assault: Was the attack carried out entirely at random, or had the attacker had identified Deegan as a Hibs player? Having transferred to Hibs only several months ago, and with just nine appearances for the club, Deegan is unlikely to be a central figurehead for
George Street, the scene of Gary Deegan’s assault disgruntled fans, of any stripe. Discussion on a Hibernian fans’ forum online revolved around whether it was responsible behaviour for Deegan to be on a night out in an environment so likely to involve close contact with intoxicated young men, including fans of rival clubs. As Steven Gerrard’s trial, and subsequent acquittal, for an affray in a nightclub in 2009 demonstrated,
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professional footballers are not immune from that part of British culture which mixes young men, alcohol, and all too often, violence. At 25, Deegan is not much older than most students, and questions have been asked as to how appropriate it is for football stars to visit public establishments; particularly where this involves late night drinking.
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STUDENT POLITICS// 11
Referendum branded ‘wash-out’ EUSA’s familiar No EUSA referendum questions reach quorum to form binding policy NUS delegation Callum Leslie Student Politics editor
The recent Edinburgh Univer-
sity Students’ Association (EUSA) referendum period has been branded a failure as none of the six questions up for debate managed to reach a total of 1,500 yes or no votes, meaning that none of the results are binding. As results were read out, sabbaticals read out a prepared statement about how this was “by no means the end” for these issues, and that they would be taken to EUSA’s councils and passed, or not passed, into policy that way. One EUSA insider blamed the difficulty in voting as one of the reasons for the debacle — many students complained the voting was not easy to access as it was not on MyEd but instead required students to log in on the EUSA page. Motions on boycotting The Sun and G4S got more votes in favour than against, but EUSA’s trustee board did overturn the referendum result in 2011
boycotting SABMiller, so some speculated last night that the same may happen again in the case of G4S. EUSA currently use G4S for cash transportation, and EUSA officials have confirmed that no other company is currently able to provide that service. Motions on ethical investment and procurement had more votes in favour than against, while the motion to put Tony Blair on trial was rejected, as was the question on disaffiliation from the NUS. The NUS vote was handsomely defeated, with 81 per cent of voters rejecting disaffiliation. EUSA president James McAsh commented on the failure, saying: “I’m disappointed that more people did not vote in the referendum. We’re operating with new structures and there’s bound to be teething problems. We will look into improvements that can be introduced for next time. Speaking at the count, EUSA vicepresident services Max Crema said: “While we’re obviously disappointed
Charlotte Klein
Veteran activist Liam O’Hare joined by several oldtimers on union’s NUS conference delegations Callum Leslie Student Politics editor
Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA) have
Hugh Murdoch and Andrew Burnie that none of the questions reached quoracy, I’d remind people that they will be going through the appropriate democratic structures. We encourage all students to come along and have a say as they go through the various councils. This is by no means the end.”
selected the students who will represent the student body at the coming year’s National Union of Students conferences. Ballots took place for delegates to both NUS UK and NUS Scotland conferences, with both votes being topped by Liam O’Hare. 2012 EUSA presidential candidate Hugh Murdoch was also elected to both positions, coming in second for Scotland and third for the UK behind Aurora Adams. Adams is a member of the far-left grouping within EUSA, as is former SRC Editor Mike Shaw who was also elected to NUS Scotland. Hugh Murdoch was joined by fellow Labour Students members Stephen Donnelly (UK and Scotland) and Charlotte Pope (UK only). While all delegates to NUS Scotland were members of factions, unaffiliated students Tommer Spence and Alexandra Johnston were elected to NUS UK. Given that EUSA President James McAsh is automatically a delegate, this
means that Labour Students and the far-left both have three delegates for NUS UK, with the far-left having a 4-3 advantage for NUS Scotland. This could all change for Scotland however, as a late in the day reallocation of delegates means that EUSA will have another seven delegates to elect at a later point. Liam O’Hare commented: “I stood on a platform of free education...I think students have voted for that, and to defend international students.” He went on to say that “the NUS should be a fighting body.” Aurora Adams agreed with O’Hare on international issues, saying: I’m really looking forward to going back to conference and I hope [NUS] take international student issues more seriously this year.” Tommer Spence, said he was very pleased to be elected, commenting: “After all the hard work I put in it’s a very good feeling. I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s like and meeting all the people that represent us on a national level.” Hugh Murdoch said that he was looking forward to representing students in his third stint as NUS delegate.
Sabbs’ Twitter spat over NUS affiliation Callum Leslie Student Politics editor
EUSA
sabbatical
officer
Andrew Burnie openly clashed with National Union of Students president Liam Burns on Twitter, as the Edinburgh University union voted resoundingly not to disaffiliate with NUS. Vice-president academic affairs Mr Burnie alluded to a threat of legal action by an NUS staff member during the NUS referendum campaign — comments which he later withdrew. Mr Burns began, in a tweet about the EUSA result, by hitting out at union officers “artificially forcing the question” of disaffiliation being debated, though later claimed this was not directed to Mr Burnie, who, originally submitted the question. But the VPAA stressed he was doing so to provoke a debate, not because he necessarily believed in disaffiliation. — though he later took to his personal Facebook account on the day of the election to support a vote in favour of disaffiliation, citing “personal reasons”. He later accused NUS staff of attempting to talk him out of submitting the question, and even “threatening to sue EUSA if we disaffiliated over a wording technicality.” The Journal understands this is in reference to the use of a figure showing the supposed financial benefit of NUS membership that Mr Burnie felt should be quali-
fied as being disputed, as the figures were provided by NUS themselves. However, Mr Burnie was quick to retract his comments last week, saying he had misunderstood the remarks of the staff member he claimed had threatened to sue. Clarifying his remarks, Mr Burnie commented: “The tweet that I put out last night was based on a misunderstanding of a conversation that happened in the office before the referenda. The full details have now been clarified. “It now appears I wasn’t in the full conversation and did not realise that the suggestion of EUSA being sued had in fact been raised by another of our sabbaticals, not by the member of NUSSL staff. This staff member had simply pointed out that the trustee board had accepted the statement of benefits that included those figures. It has been confirmed by [EUSA president James] McAsh that this member of staff had, in fact, said that suing EUSA was not something that would happen, whether or not it was technically possible. “I have offered my apologies for this misunderstanding to the member of staff involved and therefore retract the contents of the tweet.” An NUS spokesperson was keen to stress that Mr Burnie’s original claims were unfounded, commenting: “I’m glad that any confusion regarding legal action, which NUS never considered, has been resolved.”
12 / ACADEMIC NEWS
The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk
QMU toxic fume Report suggests university fears laid to rest staff are unusually stressed Council dismiss concerns over new waste plant Deadlines and funding cuts heighten stress for uni staff, UCU survey says Steven Dinnie Staff writer
Concerns at Queen Margaret University (QMU) about a new waste plant given the go-ahead by council planners recently have been laid to rest, allaying widespread anxiety at the Musselburgh university. Suspicions that QMU would be upwind of the new anaerobic digestion incineration facility at Millerhill, and thus at risk of any erroneous emissions from the plant appear to have been allayed. In a statement, Edinburgh Council said that any waste facility has to conform to rigid emissions controls in place from the Scottish EnviStuart Caie
QMU’s toxic problems just science
ronmental Protection Agency. The plant, set to commence operation by the end of 2015, will provide a longterm solution for treating food waste from Edinburgh City and Midlothian councils. It was suspected that the plant, just across the road from QMU, would place staff, students and visitors of the university at risk. Furthermore, it was rumoured that the University had agreed not to protest against the construction of the plant in exchange for free energy from the plant operator – Alauna Renewable Energy. In a statement, QMU and Edinburgh City Council said there had been meetings between them, but that such provision had not been discussed. QMU, a carbon-neutral university, said it supported the plant for minimising waste in Edinburgh city. Fergus Boden, Environment and Ethics officer for Queen Margaret University Students’ Union (QMUSU) was unavailable for comment. Local residents are opposing the construction of the plant, claiming Edinburgh City and Midlothian Council have placed it at the edge of East Lothian so the prevailing winds will take emissions out over East Lothian and not their own areas. There are at least 50 similar plants already in operation in the UK.
Heriot-Watt wins EU research grant €3 million grant awarded to quantum physicists Atalandi Meleagrou-Dixon Staff writer
Two Heriot-Watt physicists have been awarded a three million euro grant that will further their research and could revolutionise the field of quantum physics. The European Research Council (ERC) funding has been given to Dr Daniele Faccio and Dr Brian Gerardot from Heriot Watt’s Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences. Both men are working on different projects, but they share an interest in how light, energy and matter interact with one another. Dr Faccio, whose previous findings have been picked up by The Economist and Wired, plans to use his grant to further his research in the inner workings of black holes and is hoping to recreate the conditions to investigate how light reacts when it travels through such an environment. Dr Gerardot’s research is focused on the relationship between quantum mechanics and technology, and he plans to test and control how elementary particles interact with one another in computer chips. It is hoped that this research will allow for the development of a new semiconductor device that can transmit
and process information on a far greater scale than is currently possible, resulting in dramatic changes to communications systems. Dr Gerardot told The Journal: “The goal is twofold, firstly, discover the reasons for why these fragile quantum states lose their information and secondly, to try to engineer the environment of these quantum states so that we can reach the ultimate limits.” He added that he hoped “quantum technologies [will] eventually be realised in the marketplace to benefit society”. The grant will enable both scientists to have greater flexibility in the areas they wish to explore, and how they wish to finance their research. Dr Gerardot is planning on spending his portion of the grant on new equipment and salaries for PhD and postdoctoral students, or as he says ‘quantum engineers’. The ERC is an independent body and is part of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, a pan-European funding agency that awards several grants every year, amounting to roughly 250 million in various areas of study. The process is highly competitive and applicants have roughly a 13.5 per cent chance of success.
Stanley Liew
Students not the only ones to find University life stressful Emma Logan
A crucial report has suggested
that universities throughout the UK suffer from a considerably higher level of stress than the rest of the British working population. The survey, conducted by the University and College Union (UCU) and released on 4 October, used a standard Health and Safety Executive questionnaire to measure individuals’ stress relating to the demands made on them at work. In a statement, UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: “With funding cuts, increased workloads and rising expectations from students and parents paying much more for their education, the situation is likely to become even worse.” Respondents rated a series of statements about a variety of demands, on issues such as long hours, work intensity and time pressures. Nearly 100 institutions took part in the survey and their responses were translated into a numerical score (1.00 being highest level of stress - 5.00 being the lowest). An average was then calculated for each institution and pre-
sented in a table. A second table ranks universities by the percentage of full-time respondents who work more than 50 hours a week. The survey, which took place from 16 April to 4 May 2012, found that the workload stress levels for UCU members in higher education have got worse in the last four years. In 2008, members scored a level of 2.61 on the stress scale, compared to 2.52 in 2012. An important result from the survey found that over half of all fulltime respondents at the University of East London, Oxford Brookes University and Canterbury Christ Church University work, on average, more than 50 hours a week. In Scotland, Heriot-Watt University had the highest percentage, just fewer than 41 per cent, of full-time respondents working over 50 hours a week. This was followed by the University of Glasgow with just over 37 per cent and the University of Aberdeen had the lowest percentage score in Scotland with 28.5 per cent. The survey continued to find that at another 72 institutions, more than 30 per cent of all full-time respondents reported working over 50 hours
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a week. The University of Glasgow was revealed as being in the top 20 universities in the UK with the highest stress levels; it was the only university in Scotland to be included in this list. A University of Glasgow spokesperson said: “The University of Glasgow takes the physical and mental wellbeing of staff very seriously, and offers support through our Occupational Health Service and Employee Counselling Programme.” Anglia Ruskin University, in Cambridge, was ranked as the most stressful university for staff in the table. Ms Hunt commented on the report saying, “Many academics and academic-related staff are clearly under far too much pressure and we know this level of stress in the workplace can be very damaging to mental and physical health.” She continued to say, “‘UCU is committed to negotiating with universities to tackle rising stress through our current national workload campaign.” The report is likely to act as the stage from which UCU launch their campaign against excessive workloads in post-16 education.
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STUDENT NEWS// 13
@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk Chris Rubey
Drug use on campus less high than believed Survey finds image of students as prolific drug users exaggerated Janina Engler Staff writer
The university drug culture is largely a myth, a recent study has revealed. Studentbeans.com has produced a survey into the prevalence of drugs on university campuses, finding that drugtaking among students is much less common than many perceive it to be. Despite 90 per cent of students believing that many of their peers are experimenting with and taking illegal drugs, it has been revealed that the percentage of actual users is far lower. The reality is that 54 per cent of students have tried some form of illegal drug, with 77 per cent of respondents stating that cannabis was their drug of choice at university. The common perception that the university environment encourages drug-taking and experimenting was also
shown to be incorrect with almost four out of five students who had used drugs admitting to doing so before arriving at university. There are many misconceptions surrounding drugs at university, evident from the fact that, when asked, 61 per cent of students said they believed ecstasy or MDMA to be among the most commonly used drugs at university. However, according to the survey, in reality only 39 per cent of students have been using, or have tried it, since attending university. Oliver Bran, editor of Student Beans, who conducted the survey, said the worry was that students were “very peer led” and thus could potentially feel pressured into drug use under false pretensions. Most students stated that they found information on drugs via the internet, or consulted a parent or doctor. The perception that students are indiscriminate in experimentation with
“Pills, thousands of ‘em.” Or not. drugs has also been proven false. There are a number of drugs that students stated they had no desire to try, particularly cocaine. The majority of students also stated that they take drugs rarely, with only 11 per cent taking drugs once per week and even fewer doing so on a more regular basis. Cost could be a contributing factor as over half of the students spent ten pounds or less per month on illegal drugs.
The Original Mosque Bongo upbeat as Kitchen & Café new home found Bongo’s eviction really got students’ goat
Iconic nightclub to occupy new digs beneath Central Library, following deal with city council Marcus Kernohan Editorial director
Much-loved Edinburgh nightspot Bongo Club has finally secured
a new home today, ending months of uncertainty following the University of Edinburgh’s abrupt termination in February of the club’s lease. Bongo will take up residence on the Cowgate, in the chambers beneath Central Library, in January 2013. The announcement comes following a deal between the City of Edinburgh Council and the Out of the Blue Arts and Education Trust, which created the club. In a statement, Out of the Blue manager Rob Hoon said: “The Bongo Club is a much loved Edinburgh institution attracting thousands of people to an all year round programme of live music, clubs and other arts for both performance and practice. “Thousands of people have supported the quest to find a home for The Bongo Club and we are delighted with the Council’s support to help make it happen.” Cllr Richard Lewis, the council’s culture and leisure convener, said: “Over the last few months the Council has worked closely with Out of the Blue to find a solution. “Now we’re hoping that by working in partnership we can provide more creative opportunities for young people and attract a new audience to the Central Library.” The university’s decision to cut short Bongo’s lease at their long-time
home in the Moray House complex on Holyrood Road, citing a need to repurpose the space as offices for the Office of Lifelong Learning, was greeted with outrage when it was announced early this year. Following a vocal campaign including dozens of Edinburgh students, the university agreed to a stay of execution in June, extending the club’s lease until 15 January 2013. Edinburgh University Students’ Association vice-president services Max Crema, who helped lead the ‘Save the Bongo’ campaign, told The Journal he was “delighted that the campaign to save Bongo Club has been so successful, and immensely happy for both the staff and regulars of the Bongo Club. “This is an example of how community organisations and campaigns can affect the very fabric of the city to the benefit of those who live in it. My thanks and congratulations go out to everyone who was involved in the campaign.” The city council have agreed to grant an 18-month events license, clearing the first legal hurdle, but Bongo are yet to secure planning permission, listed building consent and an alcohol license. Under the terms of the deal, they must also pay the council five per cent of their 2013 trading profit, and undertake to “improve the current condition of the building”. The club’s new home is better known as the August hub for the Underbelly, one of the largest Edinburgh Fringe venue groups. Underbelly will continue to use the space during the festivals.
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14 / EDITORIAL
EDINBURGH’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER Freedom of information
Through a government, darkly Despite the fact that former prime
minister Tony Blair once described the Freedom of Information Act 2000 as part of a “progressive programme of constitutional reform” creating “a new Britain with a revitalised conception of citizenship”, it is hard to ignore the dwindling enthusiasm with which each successive government has viewed freedom of information, and with it the broader notion of transparency in public life. Recent weeks have seen a pair of shameful defeats for FOI, both of which place political expediency before the public’s right to know and which suggest the British political establishment are falling in line behind Mr Blair’s view of FOI as the act of a “naive, foolish, irresponsible nincompoop.” The decision by attorney general Dominic Grieve to exercise his ministerial veto — a rare occurrence, given the red flag such a high-level intervention raises — to quash a court order that correspondence between the Prince of Wales and seven government departments be
released was a crude effort to prevent embarrassment. Mr Grieve’s claim that the correspondence, described in his statement as “particularly frank”, was part of Prince Charles’ “preparation for kingship” is no defence at all. The royal family should be transparent when they are engaging with and potentially influencing the direction of public policy. The prince’s manifold views on a range of policy issues is no secret; his advocacy of those views at the highest levels of government should be exposed to public scrutiny. More worrying still is an effort by the speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, to prevent the parliamentary ombudsman from releasing information likely to show MPs renting property to one another in order to skirt parliamentary expenses rules. That the speaker would attempt to meddle with the work of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority — a regulator established in the aftermath of the expenses scandal
to help restore public trust in our representatives — is outrageous, and his insistence that the disclosure would pose a security threat to MPs is little more than fatuous scaremongering. Freedom of information legislation has been a crucial tool in holding public servants to account. Without it, journalists would not have uncovered the cashfor-honours debacle under the previous Labour government, or exposed rampant corruption in the parliamentary expenses system. Bureaucratic whinging over the time and money spent servicing requests, or the fear of embarrassment as a result of disclosure, is of no consequence at all. FOI is not meant only for journalists seeking a scoop — though it is of course that. But it is also a mechanism by which the public can be better informed about the administration of their communities and their country, and thus better equipped to engage constructively with the governing process. It is a tool to be cherished and protected at all costs.
Judicial extradition
We must have our day in court The unjust extradition of a man suffering from Asperger’s syndrome to face trial before an American court has come to pass. A man whose crime was being in the wrong virtual space at the wrong time; the fact of whose illness it was hoped would help sense prevail and halt the unfair extradition process. But it is likely that the man’s name will ring no almost no bells. On 16 October, Gary McKinnon was spared extradition following an intervention by home secretary Theresa May. But on 5 October, in an uncannily similar case, Syed Talha Ahsan was put on a plane to Connecticut. Caught in the riptide of Abu Hamza’s extradition, the tabloid press were able to count Mr Ahsan as a casualty of the crusade against terrorism — despite the fact that his case simply doesn’t fit that crude narrative. For Ahsan, those 11 days have made all the difference. The introduction by Ms
The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk
May, shortly after her announcement that she would block Mr McKinnon’s extradition, of a forum bar — legislation referring all extradition decisions to the judiciary — is an abdication of judicial power from the hands of politicians. Ms May exercised her legal power in service of a good cause — and then ensured that she couldnever do so again. Much of the controversy surrounding Mr Ahsan’s case stems from the fact that his alleged crimes took place in Britain — and that the Crown Prosecution Service had already declared that there was insufficient evidence to try him in a British court. But no two cases are the same, and in this case it is easy to see how the perception of Mr Ahsan and his supporters, and of the British Muslim community in general, has led to the application of one standard to the McKinnon case — and entirely another to Mr Ahsan’s.
VIEWFINDER
Mr McKinnon’s reprieve is joyful news for those who have fought for a decade to prevent a miscarriage of justice. But the government’s work cannot end with a pat on the back for a job well done. The government must act on extradition, and the home secretary should reflect on the value of the Human Rights Act, which she pledged to scrap in her party conference speech this year. As we pay tribute to those who stand up for what they believe in — in particular Mr McKinnon’s mother, Janis Sharp — it is imperative that those less fortunate are not forgotten. We must have strong legislation against further extradition injustices. Surely no-one should be placed in foreign custody by our government without even the most basic case being made in a British court. We do, after all, occasionally take pride in our judicial system.
Allan MacDonald
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Editors’ note: Mistaken identity Due to a production error, two articles in the previous edition of The Journal (Wednesday 10 October 2012), were incorrectly bylined:
Letters: Galloway to sue NUS Contrary to what Mr. McAsh says, I suspect many students won’t mind contributing to the Assange and Manning legal funds in this way. Well done, Gorgeous George. • ‘EU questions legitimacy of mini- - ‘Jimby’, via web. mum alcohol pricing’ (News) was written by Charlene White. George Galloway’s problem is that he is a privileged bully that • ‘Rowling thanks city residents for abuses his position to get his own privacy’ (News) was by Rachel Barr. way far too often for his own good. He is happy to smear two women The Journal would like to sincerely by calling them liars but doesn’t apologise to the authors of these like it when the shoe is on the articles, and to our readers for the other foot. error. - ‘Jubileegirl’, via web.
Incensed, interested or confused? Write to us at letters@journal-online.co.uk
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The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
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COMMENT// 15
DISCUSSION&DEBATE
COMMENT The Great Train Snobbery: the Tories just can’t get over their class problem...
by Jen Owen
Why Britain needs its own Ivy League culture In an excerpt from his Gresham College lecture, the head of Britain’s first private university explains his call for a ‘British Ivy League’ Professor Terence Kealey
Most universities in the world
today are state universities, and since higher education and scholarship are conventionally described as public goods that require government money, economic theory predicts that independent universities should languish at the bottom of the three major international university league tables. Yet the converse is true. The Shanghai Jiao Tong Ranking is based primarily on measurements of science (numbers of papers in top journals, numbers of citations, numbers of Nobel laureates on the staff. The Times Higher survey methodology is a mixture of the first in that it is based primarily on research output (65 per cent of the final score) but it integrates a total of 13 different indicators in its final score including research and industrial income, staff student ratios and teaching reputation. Currently Shanghai places Harvard first, Stanford second, MIT third, Berkeley fourth and Cambridge fifth; the Times Higher calls CalTech first, Oxford and
Stanford joint second, Harvard fourth and MIT fifth. Those tables employ different methodologies, yet they produce similar, credible, rankings. A great determinant of university excellence must be GDP per capita – rich countries would have good universities – yet though Europe’s wealth is comparable with the US’s, its universities trail in the global league tables. Why? It may be partly because institutions such as the French Grandes Ecoles do not fit well into the tables, but it is largely because there is a second determinant of university excellence – autonomy. Why is autonomy an independent variable for university excellence? One answer is monopoly: when a government has nationalised the universities and – as generally happens – has abolished fees, then that government enjoys a monopolistic control of higher education. Why, therefore, would it put into the universities a penny more than the absolute minimum? Yet the consequences are, as the EU Commission reported in its 2003 Role of the Universities in the Europe of Knowledge that: “American univer-
sities have far more substantial means than those of European universities – on average, two to five times higher per student.” Since one source of university excellence is money, free-market America beats monopolistic Europe because students and their parents will contribute more in fees than will governments. And then there’s academic freedom. In his 2008 book Academic Freedom in the Wired World Robert O’Neil, the former president of the University of Virginia, reported how a politician, on disagreeing with Professor Rodney Smolla of the state-owned College of William & Mary, threatened him with: “Your institution will pay for this” to which Smolla replied with: “I’ve just moved to the [independent] University of Richmond.” It is no coincidence that many of the challenging thinkers of our time, from Milton Friedman (Chicago) on the right to Noam Chomsky (MIT) on the left, have been based in independent universities. Autonomy fosters academic excellence in one other way: academic governance. The myth is that academics are otherworldly inhabitants of ivory towers
who need help from governments or from lay external non-executive trustees in the simplest of tasks. But the empirical evidence establishes the opposite, namely that the best universities in the world are the ones where the academics have the greatest say in their management. Thus Oxford and Cambridge are run by the academics themselves, and though the Ivy League is run by councils of trustees, the president of the university is often the executive chairman of the council and, in any case, the Ivy League is marinated in a culture of academic autonomy. The secret of good university government, therefore, is a group of trustees who empower, not disempower, academic autonomy, and that is more likely to be achieved when Government, too, is not seeking to disempower the academics. We thus have an experiment between different types of university, and the global league tables show that – overlooking outliers - the American independent research universities are collectively the best in the world; the Anglophonic legallyindependent-but-financially-dependent universities such as Oxford, Cambridge
and UCL come next; the state universities come after them. Do league tables matter? It could be argued that they are irrelevant or even misleading, but inasmuch as they stimulate competition then they must also stimulate excellence. An Ivy League university is independent in its undergraduate teaching, with none of the caps on fees or numbers - nor any of the subjections to agencies such as OFFA - that shackle our own. But it has competitive access to government research funding. Ever since Mrs Thatcher’s introduction in 1980 of fees for foreign students, Britain’s universities have grown ever more independent (witness their everimproving performance in the global league tables) so let us finalise that liberalisation and create our own Ivy League. Prof Terence Kealey is vice-chancellor of Buckingham University, the first private university in the UK. This article was adapted from a lecture he gave at Gresham College on 17 October 2012.
16 / COMMENT
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The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
The search for a new Scottish foreign policy As independence becomes a real possibility, attention is turning to the debate over Scotland’s foreign policy future Dr Daniel Kenealy
The truth of the matter is that issues of foreign policy will not determine the outcome of the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014. Issues of identity, economic prosperity, and the possibility of a Scottish social model that is distinct from that of the UK will be of far greater significance in the debate. But the foreign policy implications of an independent Scotland matter and, thankfully, attention is starting to turn to them. Last week the House of Commons Foreign Affairs committee held its first evidence session for an inquiry on the topic and at the recent SNP conference a genuine debate was held about an independent Scotland’s membership of NATO. This is progress. Three issues are of particular importance. First, what are the implications of independence for the foreign policy of the rump-ofthe-UK (RUK)? Second, what might an independent Scottish foreign policy look like? Third, how can the security of our shared island be secured? The first issue requires a heavy dose of common sense. The notion that somehow the departure of Scotland would lead to a significant loss of standing and prestige for RUK within inter-
national society ought to be dispelled. RUK will be smaller in terms of territory, have fewer people, and a smaller GDP, but power and influence within international society rest on more than metrics of state size, population, and GDP. RUK will inherit all of the rights and obligations of the UK, including a seat on the UN Security Council. The claim, popular in SNP circles, that independence would lead to the dissolution of the UK has to be seen for what it is, namely a legally dubious and politically improbable one. Scotland would be seceding from the UK. RUK would be the continuing state. With or without Scotland, UK foreign policy will have to adjust to middle power status over the coming years. With or without Scotland, there are cuts to military expenditure on the horizon that must be handled prudently and in a way that does not undercut power projection capabilities. And with or without Scotland there is an increasingly complex and precarious relationship with Brussels that has to be managed. If London maintains the capability and commitment to contribute to multilateral diplomatic and military activities, and sorts out the increasing mess that is its relationship with the EU, then RUKs standing should be secure. The notion that Scotland’s departure
would fundamentally alter the dynamics of these difficult challenges is too flattering of Scotland. The second issue is perhaps the most uncertain. The shape and scope of an independent Scotland’s foreign policy must be debated over the coming months and years. The SNP conference last week saw a vote in favour of an independent Scotland joining NATO although Scottish territory would not be used to house nuclear weapons. NATO membership will certainly bring more security and certainty to Scotland’s defence policy, but what about Scotland’s active foreign policy? Economically, Scotland would share RUKs interest in maintaining and defending an open trading system. It would desire EU membership and, given that any decision on that matter would be taken in the shadow of the EU’s courts and its desire to deepen the scope of EU citizenship, would almost certainly get it. Scotland’s existing and distinctive development policy would likely continue and build on its efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. But the biggest questions concern conventional foreign policy and defence policy. A debate needs to be had on what role Scotland ought to have in the world. It seems likely that Scotland would seek to carve
out a niche role as a small power that could contribute to multilateral military missions through the EU and NATO. The precise force structure is, however, a question that can only be answered once the foreign policy question has been settled. The third issue is certainly the trickiest one. Scotland and RUK are destined to share a common island space and the security of that space must be ensured. Terrorism, serious organised crime, and cyber-crime are likely to remain palpable threats for many years to come. Scotland and RUK would need to develop appropriate and robust intergovernmental mechanisms to manage these issues. Given that both states would have a common interest in ensuring the security of the island there is no reason why such structures cannot work effectively. Lessons can be learned from Anglo-Irish security cooperation and it is imperative that scaremongering about the possibility of our enemies exploiting Scottish independence does not crowd out cooperation between London and Edinburgh. A debate on the foreign policy implications of independence, for both Scotland and RUK, has now been launched. Let us hope that it represents the beginning of a serious and thoughtful dialogue.
Dr Daniel Kenealy is a teaching fellow in international politics and law at the University of Edinburgh.
The right to vote? It is an age old problem The opportunity to vote for 16 and 17 year-olds is a step towards a fairer democracy for Scotland and the UK Michael Mawdsley
As David Cameron and Alex Sal-
mond’s pens inked paper on Monday 15 October in St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh, they were drawing up more than just the documentation surrounding the Scottish National Party (SNP) referendum planned for August 2014. The success of a single question aside, something the SNP and Salmond had argued fervently against for the majority of the elongated and long-winded discussion, it represented the next step in terms of evolving the British democratic process further and the reestablishment of hope following the disastrous failure of the Alternative Vote referendum during the 2010 general election. For the first time in the history of the United Kingdom, 16 and 17-year-olds will be granted the opportunity of voting in an election. This progression by both the prime minister and first minister is a resounding statement in terms of democracy in this country. In terms of the preliminary connotations of the decision, the battle lines of the Independence referendum have already been drawn, and adding another hundred thousand individuals into the vote offers the most fair and democratic decision as a result of the outcome. It provides a target for the Yes Campaign and Better Together to garner votes, and provide more support for their campaigns. More importantly, as Robin Parker, NUS Scotland president, stated, it will provide a greatly increased prerogative to encourage “dedicated resources for voter education” as well as to enhance the turnout substantially. After all, had it only been the Scottish Parliament Electoral Roll from 2011 that
were eligible to vote, an election only 50.4% of the population actually voted in, you’re talking about half of the nation deciding on an ineligible but significant percentages’ future. That was something which should, and now will not, be allowed to happen. The reasons for these individuals being granted the vote for the referendum are simple and on the whole positive. Firstly it is regarding their own right to decide their own and their country’s futures. Tom Nash, EUSA’s Welfare Officer, stated that it would be “exceedingly unfair to exclude thousands of young people from being involved and responsible in the debate and for their future.” The facts stand that an independent Scotland is not something temporary. It will affect the entire population, their children and grandchildren for centuries. To deny them the right to vote in such an event is verging upon criminal. A further argument is that at the age of 16 the numbers of rights given to this percentage of the population is incredible. As Andrew Burnie, EUSA vicepresident academic affairs stated, “They can be married, give consent to sexual intercourse, leave school and most important of all they begin to be taxed, but have no control of how any of those items are governed.” They can also join trade unions and political parties, as this author did at 16. Put simply, the decisions of these individuals represent the foundations of their entire life. In terms of marriage and sexual intercourse, the fact that those decisions represent the beginnings of adulthood in a cultural sense, and if voting is indeed an adult responsibility, why has this not been established previously? With the latter,
Votes at 16 Coalition
“no taxation without representation,” the evoking epitaph of the American Revolution springs forth. When adolescents pay subsidies to the state without actually getting to vote for the government who will represent their interests, there is something unfair and insubstantial about that outcome. In terms of the effect this will have upon the outcome of Scottish Referendum, the difference is potentially neglible or alternatively potentially devastating. There is a riposte potentially from the SNP, who believe that by giving the vote to adolescents it will encourage a positive response to the question, rather
than actually making a genuine political statement. However, if we aren’t being cynical and judgemental, the facts stand that adolescents overwhelmingly are not in favour of independence. In the Mail on Sunday last weekend, a poll revealed that 59 per cent of under 18s would not vote yes to independence. Professor John Curtice commentating on the piece, said: “This shows the assumptions made by some that younger voters tend towards independence are some way out.” It is generally assumed that the majority of under 18s will vote the way their parents have. As it stands in Scotland, in the most recent YouGov
poll, 70 per cent or thereabout of the adult population in Scotland were in favour of remaining in the Union. However, ignoring the small minority of individuals who chose to join parties at a young age, the vast majority of under 18s from this could be said to politically inactive. The fact is, as it stands, they are disenfranchised. When you include them in a vote, I believe they will vote in numbers. While they may not add a degree of “independent thought” to the debate, if their turnout can be guaranteed, and one camp is successful in inciting their support, they may prove crucial at the close.
The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
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COMMENT// 17
STUDENT Student apathy poisons TICKETS
this perfect democracy
Festival Theatre
edinburgh
Edinburgh Anonymous Thanks to the insights of a few of
this column’s keener followers, Edinburgh Anonymous has experienced something of an epiphany this past fortnight. Ever astute in their level-headed appraisals, those readers rightly commented that last edition’s column was somewhat lacking in the fact department and was coloured by an ever-so-slight reactionary tone. Well, Anonymous is certainly big enough to learn from past mistakes. Confounding the predictions made here a fortnight ago, not all of the motions in the EUSA referendum were passed – indeed, all of them failed to pass. The assertion that a mere 100 signatories would secure the presence of a sure-to-pass question among the referenda was, of course, wrong. Instead, it turns out that a whopping quorum of 1,500 is in place to ensure
Sadler’s Wells presents ZooNation’s
Tue 6 & Wed 7 November
A New Adventures Production
that no tiny fraction of the student body can force through an unrepresentative motion. Thank goodness for that. After all, the only thing more laughable than an unrepresentative motion being passed would be a failure on all counts to meet a pathetically low quorum. Perish the thought! However, given that EUSA’s gargantuan target could not be met – not once – in the referenda, we students must ask how we are to scale the sheer face of this quorum of 1,500. Having previously advocated the right of a student to his or her bone-idleness while resident at Edinburgh, this columnist has made quite the volte-face in light of recent results. You lay-about students should, in fact, be ashamed of yourselves. What are you doing now, wasting time sifting through the dreamy musings of a wideeyed optimist like Edinburgh Anonymous? Get on your feet and engage in this wonderful democracy! After all, no-one will pay you a blind bit of notice once you graduate to big-boy politics. Student politicians, however, are so evidently starved of external positive
thought that they might actually listen to you. Then you’ve only got to get 100 duffers to sign a piece of paper to get your question on the agenda, and you’ll have access to that vast pool of money that the Union sets aside for campaigning. Come on – are there no egotists out there? Wouldn’t you like it to be your cardboard tat adorning the elegant railings of Teviot? It is only by taking such an active stance, arm in arm with your student comrades, that you will stand a chance of tackling that lean, mean quorum of 1,500; only then will you stand a chance of fully deploying democracy to force through measures that really matter. Motions advocating a citizen’s arrest of Mr Blobby or a boycott of The Economist until it introduces a suitably explicit centre-fold won’t pass themselves, you know. There is clearly nothing wrong with the system. You work-shy swines, on the other hand, need to shape up and get political; otherwise, we might never see so elegant and well-crafted a democracy as EUSA’s put through its paces.
Fans’ reactions — 10 October, Issue 62 Music by
Tue 27 November to Sat 1 December 2012
Edinburgh Anonymous: “EUSA’s online referenda questions have received more than 100 signatures from a student body of 30,000. So then they must be representative, right?”
James McAsh: INSPIRED BY THE MUSIC, LIFE AND TIMES OF
Mon 3 to Sat 8 December 2012
Thu 13 to Sun 30 December 2012 “Sheer theatrical magic” The Times
We have a quorum of 1500. This means that not only does the question proposer need 100 signatures before the question is asked, 1500 people must also vote For or Against for it to count. If students don’t think that a particular question matters to them then they don’t have to vote in it. But clearly some people do, and for EUSA to clamp down on their right to democratically change the direction of the organisation would be very problematic in my view. Also, personally I feel that these questions *do* affect students. Students have a right to decide whether we support the objectification of women through our product choice. Students should be able to decide
whether or not we campaign on national issues like the Jail Blair campaign. And students definitely have the right to input into whether or not we are a member of NUS, an organisation which EUSA a) spends money on, b) buys the vast majority of its products through (saving hundreds of grand a year!) and c) campaigns alongside for the benefit of all students. So maybe some students don’t care about our referenda - and they have the right not to. I’m sure lots of people don’t care about this article either but you should still be able to print it. James McAsh is president of Edinburgh University Students’ Association.
Hugh Murdoch: £10 student standby tickets on the day of the show* *Only available in person with valid ID after 12pm on the day of the performance. Subject to availability. Ask at Box Office for full details.
BOX OFFICE 0131 529 6000
edtheatres.com FESTIVAL THEATRE, 13/29 NICOLSON ST EH8 9FT Booking fees. Registered charity SC018605.
Many thanks to your Edinburgh Anonymous article and its lazy understanding of democracy and representation. With regards the questions that were submitted to EUSA’s recent referendum period: the act of getting 100 signatures to support such a question is not the act that affords it its democratic legitimacy. It is the vote on that referendum question that does so – if that vote goes in favour. It is worth noting that in spite of the commentator’s assertion that all of the referendum questions would pass, this was not the case
with the both the NUS disaffiliation and the Tony Blair questions falling. The student body does not require a council to “vet” these questions: they’re perfectly capable of doing it themselves. And as for the macro point about students’ unions as organisations, where do you think the free buses between campuses, the increases in study space and other university services that you take for granted come from? They’re not just there because an altruistic university read students’ minds and granted them.
They’re there because while you were “watching rubbish TV and eating takeaways”, there was a students’ union and student reps advocating and campaigning for them. So please stop taking such great pride in being lazy. If you can’t manage that, fine, but please don’t feel you have to go out of your way to chastise those who don’t choose to be lazy with you . HughMurdoch is a student trustee of Edinburgh University Students’ Association, and a 2011/12 candidate for president.
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Inverleith Inverleith Place, 775, 2, 2D G, 0844 635 4820 Inverleith Row, 850, 2, CG Z, 0844 635 9308 Inverleith Place, 1400, 3, 1S 2D G CG P, 0844 635 4820
Joppa Joppa Road, 750, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 4820 Seaview Terrace, 450, 1, 1D E, 0844 635 9332
Leith Balfour Street, 525, 1, 1D G, 0844 635 3330 Buchanan Street, 500, 1, 1D E O, 0844 635 9318 Commercial Street, 620, 1, , 0844 635 9338 Dickson Street, 550, 1, E CG O, 0844 635 6872 Halmyre Street, 495, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9312 Lorne Street, 500, 1, 1D, 0844 635 3700 North Junction Street, 450, 1, E, 0844 635 9558 Prince Regent Street, 450, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9592 Sandport Street, 700, 1, 2D G O, 0844 635 1312 Springfield Building, 550, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 4820 Bonnington Avenue, 615, 2, CG O, 0844 635 9308 Bonnington Road, 600, 2, 2D 1B W, 0844 635 4820 Fox Street, 650, 2, 2D, 0844 635 3700 Giles Street, 550, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 9318 Lindsay Road, 600, 2, , 0844 635 0623 Maritime Lane, 700, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 6872 Mill Lane, 750, 2, 2D G, 0844 635 9318 Pitt Street, 650, 2, , 0844 635 6450 Portland Gardens, 775, 2, PG P, 0844 635 9308 Portland Row, 725, 2, P, 0844 635 9308 Salamander Court, 650, 2, 2D G CG P, 0844 635 3780 Sandpiper Road, 665, 2, CG, 0844 635 9308 Sheriff Park, 575, 2, E P, 0844 635 2418 Springfield Street, 700, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 4820 Springfield Street, 625, 2, 1S 1D G, 0844 635 4820 Thorntreeside, 750, 2, 2D G CG P, 0844 635 4478 Western Harbour Brkwater, 950, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 4820 Western Harbour Midway, 625, 2, , 0844 635 0623 Madeira Street, 815, 3, G CG O, 0844 635 2418 Tinto Place, 850, 3, , 0844 635 9338 Madeira Street, 1000, 4, O, 0844 635 9308 Pitt Street, 1125, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Bonnington Road, 1250, 5, 5D, 0844 635 3700
Leith Links Academy Street, 525, 1, 1D E CG Z, 0844 635 2287 Halmyre Street, 480, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9478 Salamander Court, 680, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 9679
Leith Walk Dalmeny Street, 475, 1, E CG, 0844 635 2418 Iona Street, 675, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 6872 Mcdonald Road, 675, 1, 1D 1B G Z, 0844 635 4820 Shaw’s Street, 550, 1, 1D G PG O, 0844 635 8696 Albert Place, 675, 2, 2D G O, 0844 635 9464 Balfour Street, 675, 2, 1S 1D G O, 0844 635 9679 Hawthornden Place, 695, 2, 2D E P, 0844 635 9446 Mcdonald Road, 695, 2, 2D G, 0844 635 9320 Mcdonald Road, 625, 2, , 0844 635 9338 New Orchardfield, 649, 2, 1S 1D G Z, 0844 635 1127 New Orchardfield, 595, 2, 2D E P, 0844 635 9578 Great Junction Street, 795, 4, 1S 3D G CG O, 0844 635 9488 Lorne Street, 850, 4, 2S 2D G O, 0844 635 4820
Liberton Bellenden Gardens, 495, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9558 Robert Burns Drive, 525, 1, G CG Z, 0844 635 6450 Gilmerton Road, 650, 2, G CG P, 0844 635 2418 Burnhead Grove, 695, 3, 1S 2D G CG O, 0844 635 3337 Craigour Crescent, 695, 3, 3D G PG O, 0844 635 9424
Lochend Albion Gardens, 650, 2, G P, 0844 635 2418 Loaning Mills, 595, 2, 2D G, 0844 635 9456
Marchmont Marchmont Road, 950, 2, , 0844 635 9338 Moncrieff Terrace, 675, 2, 1S 1D G O, 0844 635 9679 Spottiswoode Street, 1000, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 4820 Warrender Park Terrace, 2500, 5, 2S 3D G, 0844 635 4820
Meadowbank Cambusnethan Street, 575, 1, 1D G O, 0844 635 4820 Dalgety Avenue, 495, 1, 1D E CG O, 0844 635 3337 Dalgety Road, 525, 1, 1D CG O, 0844 635 3780 Dalgety Street, 580, 1, 1D G O, 0844 635 2287 Dalgety Street, 515, 1, 1D G, 0844 635 9384 East Norton Place, 520, 1, G CG O, 0844 635 2214 Mcdonald Road, 300, 1, , 0844 635 5501 Abbey Lane, 800, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 4820 Meadowbank Crescent, 715, 2, 1S 1D G CG O, 0844 635 3337 Piershill Place, 650, 2, 2T G O, 0844 635 9434 Queens Park Court, 695, 2, , 0844 635 9338 Queen’s Park Court, 720, 3, 3D CG P, 0844 635 9448
Meadows Lauriston Gardens, 760, 2, 1D 1T G O, 0844 635 4820 Simpson Loan, 4500, 3, 3D G P, 0844 635 4820 Simpson Loan, 4500, 3, 3D G P, 0844 635 4820 Simpson Loan, 2495, 3, 1S 2D G P, 0844 635 4820
Morningside Balcarres Street, 495, 1, E CG, 0844 635 2418 Springvalley Terrace, 730, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 9478 St Margarets Place, 895, 2, G CG P, 0844 635 2418
Murrayfield Kinellan Road, 1695, 3, 3D G CG P, 0844 635 9594 Murrayfield Avenue, 950, 3, 3D G O, 0844 635 9320 South Beechwood, 850, 3, 1S 2D G PG, 0844 635 2287
Musselburgh High Street, 475, 1, 1D O, 0844 635 6450 Newbigging, 475, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9488 Parsonage, 550, 2, 1S 1D E P, 0844 635 9320 Albany Street Lane, 650, 1, W, 0844 635 9300
New Town Brunswick Street, 700, 1, 1D G CG P, 0844 635 4820 Cumberland Street, 800, 1, 1D W PG Z, 0844 635 4820 Eyre Place, 600, 1, 1D E, 0844 635 4820 Hanover Street, 895, 1, 1D G, 0844 635 6450 Henderson Place, 845, 1, 1D G CG P, 0844 635 1127 Jamaica Mews, 550, 1, 1D E Z, 0844 635 6872 Scotland Street, 825, 1, 1D 1B G Z, 0844 635 4820 Cumberland Street, 750, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9448 East London Street, 775, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 4820 Fettes Row, 695, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9424 Gayfield Square, 795, 2, CG Z, 0844 635 9352 Gloucester Place, 1100, 2, CG Z, 0844 635 9308 Gloucester Square, 850, 2, 2D G, 0844 635 2287 Great Stuart Street, 1650, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 4820 Great Stuart Street, 1650, 2, 2D G, 0844 635 6450 Huntingdon Place, 1000, 2, 2D G CG P, 0844 635 6872 Huntingdon Place, 800, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 4820 Nelson Street, 1200, 2, 2D 1B E CG Z, 0844 635 4830 Royal Circus, 1425, 2, CG Z, 0844 635 9308 Ainslie Place, 1100, 3, 3D W Z, 0844 635 4820 Albany Street, 1500, 3, PG P, 0844 635 9308 Cumberland Street, 1680, 3, 1S G, 0844 635 6872 Dublin Street, 1500, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 6872 East London Street, 1200, 3, 1S 2D G, 0844 635 6872 Eyre Crescent, 1200, 3, Z, 0844 635 9308 Eyre Crescent, 1150, 3, 1S 2D G Z, 0844 635 4820 Heriot Row, 1695, 3, PG P, 0844 635 9308 India Street, 1600, 3, CG Z, 0844 635 9308 Randolph Crescent, 1500, 3, O, 0844 635 9308
Bedrooms: Heating: Garden: Parking: Furniture:
Cumberland Street, 1680, 4, 1S 3D, 0844 635 6872 St Vincent Place, 2750, 4, , 0844 635 9308 Henderson Row, 1595, 5, 5D G CG Z, 0844 635 9334 St Vincent Street, 2300, 5, O, 0844 635 9308
Newhaven Annfield, 495, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9446 Newhaven Road, 675, 2, 2D G O, 0844 635 4820 Western Harbour Midway, 725, 2, 2D E P, 0844 635 9679
Newington Causewayside, 540, 1, P, 0844 635 9352 Dalkeith Road, 695, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 9679 Richmond Place, 695, 2, 2D G PG Z, 0844 635 9424 South Clerk Street, 760, 2, 2D G, 0844 635 9245 South Clerk Street, 750, 2, 2D, 0844 635 4820 West Nicolson Street, 660, 2, 2D E Z, 0844 635 9434 Dalkeith Road, 1360, 4, 4D, 0844 635 3700 Dalkeith Road, 1275, 4, 1S 3D G CG O, 0844 635 9578 St Albans Road, 1650, 4, G PG P, 0844 635 2418 Mayfield Road, 1400, 5, 4D G CG, 0844 635 9316
Old Town Portsburgh Square, 625, 1, 1D G, 0844 635 3780 Robertsons Close, Cowgate, 600, 1, 1D G PG Z, 0844 635 9578 Webster’s Land, 550, 1, 1D, 0844 635 4820 Brighton Street, 625, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 4820 High Street, 650, 2, 1S 1D W Z, 0844 635 9320 Jeffrey Street, 750, 2, 2D 1B Z, 0844 635 9384 Lawnmarket, 650, 2, E, 0844 635 2418 Simpson Loan, 2500, 3, 2S 1D G P, 0844 635 4820 Ramsay Garden, 3250, 4, 1S 3D G Z, 0844 635 4820
Polwarth Bryson Road, 525, 1, , 0844 635 9338 Mertoun Place, 600, 1, 1D 1B G CG, 0844 635 9245 Polwarth Terrace, 495, 1, , 0844 635 9338 Watson Crescent, 650, 1, G P, 0844 635 2418 Harrison Place, 750, 2, 2D G O, 0844 635 4820 Watson Crescent, 750, 2, G P, 0844 635 2418 Watson Crescent, 750, 2, G P, 0844 635 2418 Watson Crescent, 750, 2, G P, 0844 635 2418 Watson Crescent, 695, 2, G CG, 0844 635 2418 Dundee Terrace, 825, 3, CG Z, 0844 635 9352 Harden Place, 950, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9592
Portobello Kings Road, 575, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 1312 Marlborough Street, 575, 2, 2D W CG O, 0844 635 9334 Portobello High Street, 650, 2, 2D 1B G O, 0844 635 9679
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
King’s Meadow, 600, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 8696 Dalkeith Road, 1750, 5, 5D G, 0844 635 9314
Ravelston Ravelston Garden, 995, 3, CG P, 0844 635 9308 Ravelston House Park, 995, 3, 2D 1T W P, 0844 635 9324
Restalrig Loaning Road, 550, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 9558 Lochend Drive, 650, 2, G O, 0844 635 2418 Piershill Square West, 625, 2, , 0844 635 0623 Restalrig Road South, 650, 2, PG P, 0844 635 9352 Restalrig Road South, 795, 3, 3D G O, 0844 635 9460
Roseburn Roseburn Street, 495, 1, E CG O, 0844 635 2418 Russell Gardens, 725, 1, 1D G, 0844 635 4820
Silverknowes Craigroyston Grove, 525, 1, , 0844 635 0623 Ferry Gait Drive, 615, 2, 2D W P, 0844 635 9384
Slateford Moat Street, 550, 1, , 0844 635 9338 Moat Street, 495, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9312 The Maltings, 625, 1, CG P, 0844 635 9352 Hermand Crescent, 675, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 8696 Hutchison Cottages, 650, 2, , 0844 635 6260 Moat Street, 665, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9560 Slateford Road, 800, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 3920
South Gyle South Gyle Mains, 550, 1, 1D G P, 0844 635 4820 South Gyle Mains, 475, 1, , 0844 635 9338 South Gyle Park, 535, 1, 1D G O, 0844 635 9679 South Gyle Road, 575, 1, PG, 0844 635 9352 Gogarloch Syke, 650, 2, 1S 1D W CG P, 0844 635 4820 South Gyle Mains, 675, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 9594 South Gyle Wynd, 625, 2, 2D CG P, 0844 635 9460
South Queensferry Echline Rigg, 525, 1, E CG P, 0844 635 2418 Hillwood Place, 595, 2, 1S 1D O, 0844 635 9594 Hopetoun Road, 750, 2, G, 0844 635 2418
Stenhouse Stenhouse Drive, 650, 2, 2D E CG O, 0844 635 6450 Stenhouse Drive, 650, 2, 2D E CG O, 0844 635 6450 Stenhouse Gardens, 625, 2, 2D G CG P, 0844 635 9362 Stevenson Drive, 650, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 9679 Stenhouse Drive, 850, 3, , 0844 635 9348
Stockbridge
Prestonfield Clearburn Crescent, 650, 2, 2D G CG O, 0844 635 9558
Comely Bank Row, 575, 1, 1D G CG Z, 0844 635 9320
Comely Bank Row, 495, 1, E CG, 0844 635 2418 Deanhaugh Street, 595, 1, 1D G, 0844 635 3780 Saxe Coburg Street, 750, 1, 1D G PG Z, 0844 635 4820 St. Stephen Street, 600, 1, 1D Z, 0844 635 9320 Comely Bank Grove, 800, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9390 Dundas Street, 625, 2, 1S 1D G Z, 0844 635 9578 St Stephen Street, 875, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 4820 Bedford Street, 1200, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9322 Clarence Street, 1250, 3, 3D G CG Z, 0844 635 9464 Marys Place, 1100, 3, 3D G O, 0844 635 6874 Saxe Coburg Street, 1400, 3, 3D G Z, 0844 635 9424
The Shore Giles Street, 750, 1, P, 0844 635 9352 Quayside Mills, 550, 1, 1D G P, 0844 635 4820 Sandport Street, 595, 1, 1D, 0844 635 9332 Sandport Street, 550, 1, 1D G O, 0844 635 9594 Ocean Drive, 750, 2, 2D G P, 0844 635 9384 Ocean Way, 700, 2, G CG P, 0844 635 2154 Sheriff Bank, 625, 2, 2D E P, 0844 635 9390
Tollcross East Fountainbridge, 825, 2, G CG, 0844 635 2418 Glen Street, 675, 2, , 0844 635 9338 Simpson Loan, 2495, 2, G CG, 0844 635 2418 Lothian Road, 1550, 4, Z, 0844 635 9308
Trinity Chancelot Terrace, 575, 1, 1D G, 0844 635 9320 Gosford Place, 580, 1, 1D W, 0844 635 9332 South Trinity Road, 500, 1, 1D G O, 0844 635 9478 Newhaven Road, 575, 2, 1S 1D G CG O, 0844 635 9334
West End Eglinton Crescent, 675, 1, E, 0844 635 2418 Gardner’s Crescent, Edinburgh, 700, 1, 1D G P, 0844 635 6450 Palmerston Place Lane, 675, 1, 1D G Z, 0844 635 9478 Chester Street, 1200, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9320 Drumsheugh Gardens, 995, 2, 2D G Z, 0844 635 9320 Grosvenor Crescent, 1950, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9390 Grosvenor Crescent, 1950, 2, 2D G CG Z, 0844 635 9390 Palmerston Place, 975, 2, G CG P, 0844 635 2418 Rothesay Mews, 1400, 2, PG P, 0844 635 9308 Rothesay Place, 825, 2, G, 0844 635 2418 Eglinton Crescent, 1200, 3, Z, 0844 635 9308 Rothesay Terrace, 1450, 3, , 0844 635 5501 Eglinton Crescent Tf, 1995, 4, CG Z, 0844 635 9308 Grosvenor Street, 1500, 6, G, 0844 635 9314
Wester Hailes Barn Park Crescent, 450, 1, , 0844 635 0624 Barn Park Crescent, 450, 1, 1D G CG O, 0844 635 1312
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The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
FEATURE / 19
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Stolpersteine: never forgotten, never again FRESH As the Second World War draws further and further out of focus, traditions and cultural conventions become ever more important in modern day Germany Medienzentrum EPB
PERSPECTIVE by Johanna Smit
Our international student columnist goes culinary...
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Grace Wermenbol
The laying of Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) takes place a few times a year in the various districts of Berlin. On such a day around 20 stones, mostly ordered several years earlier, are placed in the sidewalks, outside houses where victims of Nazism used to live. On this occasion, the rabbi who will say the kaddish (one of the most important prayers in Judaism for the dead) and an initiator for a stone, a grandson of murdered Jews, who flew in specially from California, will remain present throughout the day. It has a somewhat loaded effect. One placement after another takes place, and it appears difficult for those involved to evoke emotion. Any emotions expressed seem fabricated
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EU and the Nobel prize Following the award of the Nobel Peace Prize, Tom Colson airs some grievances
Cameron’s war error In commemorating the anniversary of the Great War, Nash Riggins argues the PM is favouring the living over the dead
and unreal and only comes between conversations on everyday banalities. This is perhaps understandable, as the laying of the Stolpersteine takes place almost 70 years after the war, in broad daylight. Within ten minutes, part of the pavement has been dug up and the small, cobblestone-sized memorials have been placed. Initiators, prior to this moment, have usually undergone years of preparation and personal attempts to process a family or national history. Especially in a vibrant city like Berlin the dualism of life and death seems to create an anticlimax. Traffic rushes past, in the background there are giggling schoolgirls and crowded cafes are filled with the lunch-crowd. ‘Das Leben geht weiter’ (Life goes on). Efforts are made to think about the horrors that the people we are remembering must have experienced. Expelled from their homes and on their way to the unknown; usually their only hope out of all the misery being death. People who now initiate stones to commemorate neighbours they never knew no longer close their curtains and look on as the Stolpersteine are being put in front of their doors, forming a constant reminder of a past that cannot be forgotten. It has become part of a politically correct memory culture. Second- and thirdgeneration Germans, who only know the war personally through the tales of their grandparents, still feel the responsibility of taking on the guilt of the past. No longer can we merely speak of generational mea culpa. 60 years after the end of the war, it is rooted in what the historian Mary Fulbrook has characterized as “a collective German guilt culture”. Thus, each year new initiatives are conceived, heavily supported by the German government, to make a new, younger generation aware of the past, with a constant aim
“It has become part of a politically correct memory culture. Second- and third-generation Germans, who only knew the war personally through the tales of their grandparents, still feel the responsibility of taking on the guilt of the past.” of ‘Nie Wieder’ (never again). Some are modest; others play an uncomfortable role in daily life. Since the 1990s, for example, street signs in the Bayerisches Viertel in Schöneberg commemorate racist anti-Jewish pamphlets from the 1930s, while in a local playground graduating pupils place stones in a wall each year for Jews who were deported from the homes they now inhabit or from surrounding areas. Creating a personal connection to the deceased — similar to the concept of Stolpersteine — is central in this latter initiative. Incomprehensible numbers are thus reduced to the individual, allowing emotional identification with the victim. The initiator from California is wearing a t-shirt with the details of his murdered grandparents, which also constitutes the inscription for
the Stolpersteine. He poses in pictures with the inhabitants of a building, who initiated a Stolperstein for another victim in the district of Charlottenburg/Wilmersdorf, and begins to cry. He explains that his grandparents were murdered and looks at them questioningly. They apologize to him and he seems to appreciate that. Later he says that in his travels through Germany he wants to talk to third generation Germans who feel guilty for the war, and tell them that he does not hold them accountable for what the Nazis did. Empty words, which need not even be pronounced. Outdated guilt and forgiveness, which are not anyone’s to render or acquit, just like the terms ‘direct victim’ and ‘perpetrator’ of the Holocaust, are archaic among the current, third generation. Other residents and bystanders stand by during the placement of stones. No critical words about the initiative pass anyone’s lips. Some wonder whether deported Jews used to live in their homes and if so, whether a stone can be initiated in remembrance of them. Here it becomes clear that it does not necessarily concern a personal relationship with a victim, but rather perhaps people’s fascination with misery that plays the most important role in the resonance of these kinds of initiatives. Still, it should be noted that these initiatives are mainly meant to retrospectively grant victims the dignity that they were deprived of in their lives. However, it must be guarded against that they become a method for the current generation to differentiate themselves based on exhibition of politically correct behaviour. This also means that critical voices should not be silenced due to lack of conformity; neither can difficult questions be refrained from asking. After all, learning from the past is necessary, living in the past, however, is undesirable.
Everybody told me how much I would miss home when I moved ‘up North’. At the time home was a daily routine that, in retrospect, was deeply undervalued. Home is not only the geographical region where one’s family lives, but also includes the area’s culture, weather, traditions and food. No doubt after living away from home for just over a month international students are now craving the Char Kway Teows, Wiener Schnitzels, Biryanis, Croquettes and Tacos typically served at mealtimes. These are a far cry from the dishes served at the universities’ catered facilities and unimaginable to the selfcatered student now accustomed to microwave and instant meals. So what is an international student to do in order to satisfy their cravings for home made dishes, and overcome constant salivation when thinking ‘what would I be eating if I were at home right now?’ Finding the best substitution in the form of a restaurant is a good start. That noodle, meat or rice based meal will abate the hunger once or twice, but be warned: this is only a temporary fix. The cravings will return once you begin to notice the curries have been sweetened, the seasonings altered and the meats changed due to local availability — or lack thereof — and the Scottish palate. Self-catered students at least have the essential kitchen facilities to attempt a proper homecooked meal. Perhaps lacking in a mortar and pestle, rice cooker, raclette machine, bamboo steamer and crepe pan, the basic oven and stove should suffice. But which first-year student would splurge on filet mignon and remember to marinate it for 24 hours according to mum’s recipe? And who would bother with complicated baking when papers must be written, books must be read and social lives must be led? Not to mention home-made meals also require a lot of cleaning up… possibly not worth the high risk of failure when attempting naan and butter chicken. The quality of food typified by roadside stalls, hawker centres and mum’s kitchen can only be achieved whenever the international student returns home, and in that case indulges excessively until the inevitable return to university life. . Johanna Smit is a first-year student at the University of Edinburgh.
20 / A&E
The Journal Tuesday 23 October 2012
@EdJournal / journal-online.co.uk
CULTURE&LIFESTYLE
ARTS&ENTS ARTS Society of spectacle
Alexander Lerche
The Journal meets Angus Farquhar, creator of the Beltane Fire Festival and founder of NVA, the arts charity that is bringing landscape art into Scotland’s cultural conversation Laurie Goodman Arts & Entertainment editor
Angus Farquhar arrives in hiking shoes and a bicycle helmet, cheeks slightly flushed. Over the course of an hour, it becomes immediately apparent that Farquhar is one who fosters an enduring engagement with his surrounding environment, wherever it may be: London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth or — in the case of his latest project — Japan. Farquhar spends the majority of lunch with the side of his head resting against the wall; his eyes often glance away towards the infinite horizon through our window. One assumes that perhaps this is a calmer moment in his schedule: along with creating Beltane Fire Festival in 1987, he is also the founder of Glasgow-based Scottish arts charity Nacionale Vitae Activa (NVA). From the moment of its incep-
tion, the tale of Farquhar’s involvement in the creation of NVA is one of protest, politics and the search for a new kind of ‘public’ art. We meet in a bistro near the small station of Partick in Glasgow’s West End, not far from the new, warehouseesque Riverside Museum by Zaha Hadid. The area has a certain raw, industrial quality that is evocative of Glasgow’s appeal to Farquhar as a place for establishing the charity: “When I moved back to Scotland, Glasgow was at a point of cultural awakening. Edinburgh, by comparison — mostly because of the fringe and EIF [Edinburgh International Festival] — felt too well-established. Too tight. Culturally, Glasgow seemed like a much more interesting place to make work.’’ We begin with a discussion of his postgraduate years in London, during which he developed a ‘proto-industrial’ band, using scrap metal to create new instruments and performing in unconventional locations such as railway stations, tunnels, arches, old factories and power stations. These are abandoned, quiet and lonely locations that Farquhar’s band, Test Department, sought to archive through their performance. “We were essentially anti-rockand-roll. We performed anonymously: we attempted as much as possible to present ourselves without an individual leader. ‘I was the posh boy in the band. I had a pinstripe suit of my grandfather’s that he had used in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in the 50s. I used to go along to meetings with the owners of really unusual locations like British Rail — these strange corporations in
London — and negotiate the use of spaces. I had a special skill, which was the ability to negotiate with authority...which was ironic, because we were creating anarchy.” The various phases of Farquhar’s projects seem to cluster and hybridise, fluctuating in momentum and overlapping conceptually: dates and individuals are of no interest. In the depths of the creative cloud, Beltane inevitably arises: we speak only a little about the birth of the fire festival, but Farquhar’s comments are vehemently political. “Beltane was a pre-internet concept that attempted to allow individuals to form networks that weren’t affected by the great political landscape. Beltane was about escaping from a life that is dominated by a government that you didn’t believe in. In our case, it was Thatcherite materialism and individualism. We really stood against that. Beltane was a way of saying that, irrespective of the political landscape, you can still have a sense of wonder of the place you live in, and a sense of wonder at the seasons. It was quite romantic.” Over 20 years after its conception, Farquhar describes how the project is now run by much younger individuals. He seems detached, and rightly so: NVA has established itself as the premier creator of public art in Scotland; Beltane seems primitive in comparison. He explains the founding philosophy of the charity: “I actually discovered the phrase by reading it over somebody’s shoulder on a train. The phrase nacionale vitae activa dates back to the establishment of the Roman forum, as one of the founding principles of democracy: the ability
and necessity of the general public to comment on and engage with society. Nacionale vitae activa is the idea that the whole of society have the ability to take part in the critical debate. It’s the idea of active citizenship.” I question the relevance of this information to the general public: to what extent is this terminology understood by the participants of NVA’s various public projects? Farquhar’s answer is that it is not important whether participants have any idea as to what the founding principles of the organisation are. “It dates back to Test Department — we didn’t like authors. The work should be about the audience and the idea that through active participation in the work, you’re helping complete it. People will remember the projects they participated in, but they won’t remember NVA. Sometimes this is a problem...but then again, this is state art. We’re paid for by public money to make art. Maybe it’s not important if the public remember us.” Arguably NVA’s seminal work is the recent Speed of Light. ‘Performed’ 20 times over the period of a month during the Edinburgh International Festival, the installation saw 1,000 members participating on Salisbury Crags and the summit of Arthur’s Seat in a mass-choreographed light display. The relationship between the installation and the city-at-large during the festival period was key to its success. During my own experience of Speed of Light on its opening night, the crowd were partially distracted by the distant chatter of the Tattoo fireworks leaping from Edinburgh Castle. There became an immediate dialogue between lights
“People will remember the projects they participate in, but they won’t remember NVA. Sometimes this is a problem, but then again, this is state art. We’re paid for by public money to make art. Maybe it’s not important if the public remember us.” from the castle and our own phosphorescence: Speed of Light was subtle and almost pilgrimage-like in its silence, our glowing staffs ebbing and flowing in rhythm with the stars. The fireworks — by contrast — were boisterous, yet sadly toy-town and distinctly pathetic from our elevated perspective. Along with this was the additional pressure of collaboration with Legacy Trust UK, the organisation established to help preserve a lasting legacy from London 2012. Speed of Light’s presentation in the midst of Olympic hype tainted its success with the expectation of spectacle. In light of this, reception to the event was mixed. The Independent offered a particularly scathing report on the performance, describing it as ‘underwhelming’; The Guardian as ‘dwindling into insignificance.’ Farquhar explains, “I was really disappointed with that response. In some respects my work is a critique of the spectacle. It was monumentally quiet - it asks you to fill that space in.” Public response was also varied. While some saw the work as a poignant microcosm, others saw the experience of a guided night walk as an oppressive experience. On my own visit, I found the majority of participants in the dubious middle-ground between baffled and completely besotted. Farquhar comments that on several occasions, he had to avoid the performances in order to escape audience members who “just didn’t get it.” The same can be said of the majority of NVA’s productions — the public often search for direction in their participation; on ‘how’ to experience the work. And they will be hard-pressed to find it from Angus Farquhar. Perhaps he’s our own Guy Debord, or perhaps he’s a pretentious nutcase. He could, quite possibly, be both. Whatever the result, never before has Scotland’s natural beauty been harnessed in such an innovative fashion: this kind of landscape art has the power to transport you into the realm of the sublime.
The Journal Tuesday 23 October 2012
Celebrating Catherine Museum gets an opulent after-dark revamp Marcus Kernohan
Laurie Goodman Arts & Entertainment editor
On Friday 19 October, the National
Museum of Scotland (NMS) transformed their Grand Gallery into a masqueradethemed wonderland for the second installment of their RBS Museum Lates. After the success of their previous Egyptian-themed evening event in February, tickets were sold out at 1,800 for what was described by NMS as “the most exciting cultural event on Edinburgh’s calendar.”
The evening, entitled Behind the Masque, celebrates the ending of Catherine the Great: an Enlightened Empress on Sunday 21 October. Running from 13 July, the exhibition displayed artefacts from the illustrious life of the Russian Empress and was widely lauded in its critical reception. The choice for a masquerade event comes from its favour as a popular form of entertainment among European rulers in the 18th century. Along with a mandatory fancy-dress requirement, activities such as mask workshops, mixology tables and animal handling (both alive and taxi-
dermy, although not in the same setting) were all part of the package. Guests were equipped with a mask on arrival and even the museum’s caterers from Benugo were required to participate in the event with painted faces. These were pitted nicely against a selection of carnivalesque performers in feather and sequinadorned constructions. Labelled as a ‘contemporary take on the masquerade ball’, the evening also included a performance from Glasgow DJ Miaoux Miaoux and ANAKANAK. Events in the Grand Gallery were accompanied by the ever-popular silent disco in the Imagine Gallery, featuring the Silk Cut DJs from the University of Edinburgh. To add to this, the event took a debaucherous turn with the presence of cabaret and can-can in the finale. Events such as the RBS Museum Lates have become increasingly commonplace in museums and galleries (and occasionally, zoos.) Last month, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art hosted an evening entitled Picasso by Night as part of an attempt to broaden their clientele and - for avid art fans - allow deeper insight into curatorial impetus behind their exhibitions. Behind the Masque arrives in Edinburgh in collaboration with the Year of Creative Scotland 2012 - a year long programme designed to place Scotland’s cultural heritage on a global platform during the Olympic period. Creative Scotland announced at the beginning of the year that over £6.5 million from their National Lottery Fund would be invested in projects that would celebrate the diversity of Scottish art.
Man Booker 2012: readability wins over innovation books
On The Road
Film
An over-stylised betrayal of the beat classic James Burnham
Walter Salles’ adaptation of the quintessential beat novel, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, plays more like an extended Gap commercial than the seditious narrative that helped agitate a generation. Salles, who cut his teeth in the road movie genre with 2004’s The Motorcycle Diaries, has crafted a film with all the hallmarks of a decent picture – it is cleanly shot and successfully recreates the setting of a rapidly modernizing America. However, the defiant impetus and immediacy that characterized Kerouac’s original text is absent, and the film’s overly glossy sheen merely serves to expose this fact. This is a film that suffers from its wealth of resources. It is crowded with Oscar-ambitious tropes such as superfluous cameos (aside from Viggo Mortensen as Old Bull Lee, the novel’s analogue of William Burroughs) and meticulously calculated moodiness, which betray little of the original novel’s anti-establishment ethos and ultimately stymie its ability to bring anything fresh to the table. The film sits on the safe side of dangerous, begging the question, ‘What’s the point?’ Released 50 years after the publication of a book that has inspired
a loyal, almost cultish devotion, this film merely serves as an illustrated version of Kerouac’s travelogue, no doubt to defend itself preemptively against that perpetual criticism - ‘they left so much out of the film.’ It provides little more than a vehicle for Sam Riley (Sal Paradise) and Garrett Hedlund (Dean Moriarty) to up their ‘indie street-cred’ and an opportunity for Kristen Stewart (Twilight series) to shed her teeny-bopper status by getting her tits out. The whole affair just rings hollow and vain despite its grandiose objectives.
T H E
COMEDY CLUB
Vivek Santayana Staff writer
Hilary Mantel won the Man Booker Prize for a second time this year for her historical novel on Thomas Cromwell, Bring Up the Bodies (incidentally the sequel to the 2009-Booker-winning Wolf Hall). This represents a very conservative choice, considering the other frontrunner was Will Self’s Umbrella, which utilises a great deal of stylistic and formal innovation. It also begs the question whether or not the third instalment of her trilogy will enjoy immediate favour with Booker judges by virtue of the series’ double-acclaim. The absurdity of Mantel to be the first novelist to score a Booker hat-trick with a single historical trilogy is daunting. Delegates at this year’s Edinburgh World Writers’ Conference have already taken several jibes at the Prize in August at the Book Festival, labelling it ‘exclusionary, middle-brow and English-chauvinistic.’ The overwhelming emphasis on readability and conventionalism detracts from the oft-repeated philosophy of the novel to always be, true to its name, ‘new and experimental’. The cumulative professional and academic credentials of the judging panel are not particularly inclined to embrac-
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ing the challenging or unconventional: academics specialising in Victorian literature, a historian and an actor. As Will Self pointed out in the reading event the night before, “attitudes towards the difficult are themselves quite difficult”. The most dismal development of the Booker Prize is its increasing focus on the commerce of publication. During chairing proceedings at the Booker Prize readings, James Naughtie described the Booker Prize foremost as “an explosive boost to sales and readership.” For a former chairperson of the judging panel to have such a narrow-minded, commercial outlook of the Prize is disappointing.
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Upcoming Arts & Music | 6th Oct - 24 Nov A HERO OF THE TRUE WEST JIM MARSHALL’S PHOTOGRAPHS OF JOHNNY CASH “Could have any other photographer who happened to be standing by the bus... have opened a wider window into my father’s soul? No-one but Jim Marshall.” - John Carter Cash
Mama Baer Kommissar Hjuler & Violet Storm FLUX+(TST/P)OR(M/N)
New exhibitions: STRANGE BEATS - HENRI CHOPIN AND REVUE OU - FROM THE FREDERIC ACQUAVIVA COLLECTION DON’T FOLLOW LEADERS - BOB DYLAN IN THE “JUDAS” YEARS. PHOTOGRAPHS BY BARRY FEINSTEIN
Also showing: JUBILEE - SIXTY PUNK SINGLES THE POSTERS OF PUNK SKIN MUSIC - A MUSIC INSTALLATION BY LAUREN HEYS
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The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
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Johnny Foreigner
music
The Birmingham four-piece present their most impressive 8release yet to an angst-fuelled crowd at Edinburgh’s Electric Circus Ella Bavalia
Rebecca O’Malley Music editor
True to form, Johnny Foreigner offered Edinburgh a high adrenaline show that left its audience electric, taking to The Electric Circus to showcase their critically acclaimed third album, Johnny Foreigner vs. Everything, and the musical talents of their second guitarist and longtime cover artist, Lewes Herriot. Their performance was a comfortable blend of new and old material, played to an audience wellversed in their back cataloue. Barely pausing to catch their breath, they hammer out song after song, all the while jittering and jerking along with an audience who obsessively sing every word. Front man Alexei and bassist Kelly kick off the show with a microphone-less rendition of their opening song, sauntering through the crowd towards a sign that prompts the audience to sing ‘Oh My God’, in an attempt to get them involved in what they repeatedly refer to as the ‘Johnny Foreigner Karaoke’. Standing amongst the 30 strong crowd, it soon became clear that
Johnny Foreigner are reliant upon their audience to keep the energy flowing; the crowd respond in kind to the musical havoc onstage, in turn contributing to the energy that pulses through the small and intimate setting. The boundaries between the band and the audience are constantly blurred; there clearly exists a bond of mutual appreciation between the two. It is refreshing to come across a
band that, after three well received albums and a borderline obsessive fan base, don’t take themselves too seriously. Their sound is noisy and obnoxious yet as raw and naïve as it was when they started out. Let’s hope they never grow up. VENUE: ELECTRIC CIRCUS DATES: 17 OCTOBER PRICE: £7
Andy Zaltzman: Armchair Revolutionary
comedy
The satirist arrives in Edinburgh with a bounty of crowd-provoking puns James Woe
At the very least Armchair Revolu-
tionary represents quality for money. The laughs start before the show, beginning with a ‘facts about Andy Zaltzman’ session and ‘jokes that will not be appearing in this show’ announcements. Whilst on stage, Zaltzman produces a fantastic hour-anda-half show. Armchair Revolutionary represents a best-of from previous shows and even repeated jokes from
other sets were a pleasure to hear, the jokes expertly crafted. Zaltzman’s running commentary on how the show was going was also a source of great joy. Although most of the jokes rely on contrived, over-elaborate analogies and similes, this is an intelligent show. Zaltzman represents a rare breed in comedy that refuses to dumb down content for the audience. Anyone lacking know-how in the historical or geopolitical department could be easily left behind.
Liberal Arts
However, the main flaw in the show was a series of unrelenting puns, each met with a rightful groan from the crowd. With that said, any fan of The Bugle - Zaltzman’s weekly podcast has come expecting more than a few of these. The show represents satire at its best, whilst still remaining silly, deeply funny and thought-provoking. VENUE: THE STAND DATES: 14 OCTOBER PRICE: £10
Film
An effortless illustration of the charms of relationships between the young and the old Charlotte Keeys
Character-driven films can
be tricky as they rely almost exclusively on individual actors and their ability to convince. Thankfully, that is not something either Josh Radnor or Elizabeth Olsen lack: the 94 minutes fly by as we follow the story of Jesse (Radnor) and Zibby (Olsen). Liberal Arts is an examination of three generations and how they affect each other: Professor Peter Hoberg (Richard Jenkins) is on the edge of an unwelcome retirement, his former student Jesse is stuck in the transition to adulthood and 19-year-old
Zibby is bursting with the exuberance of youth. Jesse and Zibby’s atypical and oldfashioned flirtation –through classical music and hand-written letters – allows the veil of age to fall away and their relationship to burgeon. However, the difference in age soon becomes a constant shadow hanging over Jesse: he is caught in limbo, feeling 19 but knowing he has to grow up. A discussion of ageing and our coming to terms with it might seem a little much for 90-odd minutes, but Josh Radnor, who wrote and directed the film, manages to pull it off. The
characters’ lives interweave effortlessly, and the university campus provides the perfect background for an examination of the different stages of life. This could be a heavy piece, yet it successfully combines the chemistry between the lead characters and a thread of quiet humour that flows through the whole film. Liberal Arts is a small story about what it is to age, but it comes alive through a perceptive portrayal of generation, and above all through the sheer likeability of the characters. Reviewed at the Cameo Cinema.
24 / A&E
The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
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Capturing India
Visual art
Haunting Julia
New exhibition displays work from 19th century photographer Fred Bremner
Unconventional ghost-story fails to pack a punch
Caroline Horwich Staff writer
Roxy Cook
Ella Hickson’s seemingly semiautobiographical new play The Authorised Kate Bane focuses on both the authenticity of a remembered past, and the authenticity of a theatrical performance. When Kate Bane (Jenny Hulse) stays the night at her parents’ house with her boyfriend, Albin (Nicky Elliott), she questions what she remembers about her childhood. Her memories appear to be based on photos or items stored in boxes that line the back wall of the stage, quaintly illustrating Hickson’s preoccupation with documenting the past. The final scene depicts Albin reading the play the audience have just watched, undermining the authenticity of the entire performance by asking the audience to question why we blindingly trusted the legitimacy of this set of events. Ultimately, the play’s strengths lie in the study of the family. Hickson’s perceptive, witty and poignant rendering of the effect familial relationships have on our lives displays her talent for intelligent characterisation and her nuanced understanding of a domestic world. Kate’s mother’s (Anne Kidd) cautionary proclamations about marriage and
theatre her father’s (Sean Scanlan) defence of a middle class upbringing are enormously insightful comments; unintentionally it is this that speaks louder than her exploration of authenticity. Additionally, Hickson’s script was a delight. Diverging thematic concerns were successfully drawn together by neatly written comments, jokes and gestures. Unfortunately the production is somewhat let down by the standard of acting and the direction as a whole. Performances were often stilted and uneasy, and there were some directorial decisions that resulted in an unwanted awkwardness. However, it must be said that the cast delivered Hickson’s comic lines successfully, which is not to be understated, and by the end of the performance the characters felt inhabited and convincing. VENUE: TRAVERSE THEATRE DATES: UNTIL 26 OCTOBER PRICE: £13.50-£17.50
Forty Years, that accompany many of the photographs. Migration Stories curator Sheila Asante will give a lecture, “Portrait Gallery Insights: Lucknow to Lahore: A Scot’s Vision of Indian” on Thursday 8 November 2012 from 5.30pm to 6pm. VENUE: NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY DATES: UNTIL 7 APRIL 2013 PRICE: FREE
how three men ‘haunt’ a ghost, rather than being perpetually plagued by her presence. The play is set in a museum that has been built around a room in which Julia - a young musical prodigee has allegedly committed suicide. We enter the story as her adoring father (Duncan Preston) invites a local psychic (Richard O’Callaghan) to revisit the scene of the death and finally answer his questions. After an hour and a half of quarreling, reminiscing and attempting to reconnect with her ever-present spirit, the audience finally witness a climatic exorcism of the unhappy spirit. While the unconventionality of the ghost story’s characters, script and setting is interesting in concept, the plot lacks the suspense that is the selling point of any chilling and memorable ghost story. Incidents like a sudden security alarm inform the audience of their own anticipation for shocks and horrors, but ultimately did not forgive the script’s lack of them. Despite this, the stage and lighting design work fantastically, as do the special effects in the spookier closing
scene the audience had been waiting for. The actors only contributed towards this naturalistic aesthetic with well developed characters who move in a flawlessly realistic manner. Richard O’Callaghan was especially charming as a friendly Yorkshire psychic. Overall, an engaging and perfectly executed production, but ultimately the plot felt incomplete within the ghost story genre and left the audience waiting for a genuine ghoul that never arrived. VENUE: KING’S THEATRE, EDINBURGH DATES: RUN ENDED PRICE: £14-£29
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A commercial photographer from Aberchirder, Aberdeenshire, Bremner arrived in India in 1882 and remained there for forty years. Whilst many photographers at this time stayed in the well-known metropolises, Bremner instead opted to visit and document the rarely visited areas of Baluchistan and Sindh. He ultimately set up his studios in Karachi and began to photograph commissioned portraits as a way to support himself, several of which are featured in the exhibition. The photographs also have a deeper meaning, if the contemporary context is taken into account. For Bremner and his British contemporaries, India was perceived as an unknown, foreign land that was simultaneously enchanting and alarming. The subcontinent thus provoked high levels of interest in Britain and several exhibitions, namely the International Exhibitions of London (1886) and Glasgow (1888) that depicted Indian life were held. However, the images within these shows were often at the expense of the indigenous people, in that they emphasised the legitimacy of the British Empire. Indeed, this procolonial attitude pervades the exhibition through the various quotations taken from Bremner’s memoir, My
The Authorised Kate Bane Lucy Arditti
theatre
Haunting Julia is a ghost story about
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Tucked away on the second floor of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Lucknow to Lahore: Fred Bremner’s Vision of India gives a small insight into Imperial India in the 19th century through several images taken by the Scottish commercial photographer. Although the exhibition occupies a very small space, it is nonetheless striking in comparison to the other, more airy rooms of the Gallery. The bright orange walls and single panel in the middle of the room provide an intense backdrop to the twenty-four monochrome and sepia photographs that are from the original negatives. Framing the exhibition at either end of the room are also two maps, one of which pinpoints the various locations across the subcontinent that Bremner visited and photographed. Although divided into separate categories based on their subject matter, the photographs offer a comprehensive depiction of India when viewed together. Many of the photographs portray typically exotic landscapes, whilst others depict simple Indian daily life scenes, such as fishermen seated on the side of the River Indus sewing their nets, or potters crafting their wares in the street. Whilst the scenes themselves are relatively understated, the real beauty of the works lies in their composition. None of Bremner’s photographs are candid action shots that capture a fleeting moment of life on the subcontinent; rather, it is clear that Bremner carefully arranged each and every figure and object into the pose that he desired. Yet, this structured composition does not make the photographs stilted or awkward, but instead artfully balances the images to maximise their aesthetic appeal. Lucknow to Lahore also provides an insight into the photographer himself.
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A&E / 25
Topshop’s move to minimalism falls flat New spring/summer 2013 collection from the Unique label sacrifices wow-factor for wearability Laurie Goodman & Oliver Giles
Coco Chanel reportedly
once said “simplicity is the true keynote to all elegance.” This statement underpins the new spring/summer 2013 collection from Topshop: whilst the brand are famous for their highly theatrical and idiosyncratic collections, this season saw the in-house design team producing clean and highly wearable pieces. Instead of Where the Wild Things Are paws and whiskers, we have the catwalk equivalent of The Weakest Link. The latest show from the label offered a stark contrast to the spring/ summer 2012 collection, which was feminine and vivacious, and where floral prints and pastel colours were the trademark. Instead, the 2013 collection screamed minimalism; monochrome dominated the colour scheme, indicating a collection for a new, professional woman. One of the key looks of the collection was wide-legged trousers in shades ranging from acid yellow to black, and although monochrome does dominate the colour scheme, pieces including a sequinned skirt and metallic trousers brighten up the looks and add a
glamorous edge. Along with this, highly-structured asymmetric jackets and an oversized grey sweatshirt both added to the futuristic feel of the collection. Transluence was also incorporated into many of the designs; short, sheer dresses with matte panelling were some of the collection’s standout pieces. The collection was complimented by the implementation of a new purchase policy from Topshop: customers were offered the ‘unique’ opportunity of being able to buy the clothes and beauty products the moment they hit the catwalk, which would then be delivered three months before the clothes arrived in store. This provided an appealing facet to an otherwise reserved and back-of-the-book collection. The advertisement of any collection as the product of an in-house design team -rather than a single creative director - is not always an instant recipe for disaster. Additionally, minimalism does not always demand a collection lacking in personality. What has been achieved here, however, is a seamless blend of lack both in personality and aesthetic interest.
• V&A backs Hayley Scanlan • Chanel rescues Barrie Knitwear • Lagerfeld to show in Scotland Hayley Scanlan
Oliver Giles Fashion editor
It’s not often that a 77-year old Scottish grandmother is guest of honour at a London fashion party. However, this is exactly what happened last week when Beatrice from Aberdeenshire was given pride of place at the launch of Mulberry’s Brilliant Britain guide in Harrods - a new, interactive website and guide that aims to celebrate the best of British craftsmanship and design. Earlier this year Mulberry tracked down Beatrice and a local group of highly skilled knitters in Aberdeen with the help of Scottish knitwear design house Eribé. Since then, Beatrice and the group have been busy knitting the Aztec-inspired accessories and knitwear that formed a key part of Mulberry’s autumn/winter 2012 collection. The Eribé knitters described Mulberry’s design as a “tricky one” due to the intricate pattern that Mulberry demanded. To celebrate the success of their work together, Mulberry also released a short documentary, entitled ‘Spinning a Yarn’, to accompany the Brilliant Britain launch. However, Mulberry wasn’t the only brand delving into fashion film. Glaswegian
design duo Obscure Couture also released their first short film, called The Lithium Party, which is designed to showcase their autumn/winter 2012 collection. The film follows one girl, played by TV-star Laura McMonagle, through an emotional rollercoaster of ecstatic highs and depressing lows over a period of twenty-four hours. The Lithium Party shows off the bright, youthful and risqué collection to great effect, as the girl flits from party to debauched party in a glitter-soaked frenzy. The film can now be viewed on Obscure Couture’s YouTube channel. Elsewhere, there was exciting news for Scottish Young Designer of the Year Hayley Scanlan: the V&A Museum at Dundee has announced that they will be supporting Scanlan launch her first collection of her diffusion line ‘HS’ on 3 November at the McManus Art Gallery and Museum in Dundee. Scanlan commented that the first HS collection - ‘Velvet Venom’ - will consist of 20 looks that will be more wearable and affordable than her previous collections. The HS look book suggests that we can expect more geometric prints, studs, and subtle leather detailing from Scanlan, all of which form part of her signature style. Last week Chanel came to the rescue
of Scottish cashmere manufacturer Barrie Knitwear when they bought it from its previous owners Dawson International. The acquisition is expected to save nearly 200 jobs and insure a sustainable future for the manufacturer. The move comes after a 25-year-strong relationship between Chanel and Barrie, who are responsible for producing Chanel’s iconic two-tone cashmere cardigans. Chanel’s fashion president Bruno Pavlovsky said that the acquisition reaffirms Chanel’s “commitment to traditional expertise and craftsmanship, and our wish to safeguard their future and support their development.” Meanwhile, Karl Lagerfeld has announced that he will host the next Chanel Metiers d’Art show at a secret location outside of Edinburgh on the 4th of December. The Metiers d’Art shows are celebrations of the incredible craftsmanship produced by Chanel’s ateliers and have previously been held in global fashion centres including Paris, Tokyo, and New York. Each Metiers d’Art collection has a clear theme, ranging from the Indian opulence of the pre-fall 2012 collection to the chic Chinoiserie of the Paris-Shanghai autumn/winter 2010 collection.
The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
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FOOD&DRINK / 27
Celestial Suppers Dinner at Forth Street restaurant a delectable engagement Ben Kendall Food & Drink editor
Comprehensively lauded for
its bounteous breakfast and tea-time treats, Urban Angel on Forth Street is practically synonymous with brunch. Certainly, their Eggs Benedict – reviewed here to gluttonous acclaim not two years ago – is among the best in the city. However, evening indulgences at Urban Angel inarguably match, if not outstrip, their matutinal munchables. We start with sardines on toasted sourdough (£5.40) and sweet potato & spinach tortilla with a feta salad (£4.50). The fishes come whole but de-spined, crisply fried and nestled on a bed of bitter leaves, whose piquancy
strike a delicate counterpoint with the oily salt-rich, almost steely flavours of the flesh. The sourdough is as all toast should be: firm exterior, but chewy inner. The tortilla is an exercise in contrast: soft nutty-flavoured flamecoloured potato enrobed in yielding folds of egg, all set alight by the feta’s vicious tang. To follow comes partridge with roast potatoes, iron-dark wilted kale and cubes of earthy root-sweet turnip (£15.90). Though a bird often disparaged as dull and dry, this take boasts the subtle gaminess and tender grain of finer species, melting at the knife. A thickish thyme sauce is draped silkily on top. For pudding came one of the moussiest baked New York cheesecakes ever relished. Utterly devoid of
the endemic stodginess which plagues many a cheesecake, Urban Angel’s rendition enjoyed a certain bounciness of texture. A comfortably light close to supper. Not only is dinner at Urban Angel a delectable engagement, but just like its brunch-time iterations is tremendously good value too. Most main courses rise no higher in price than eleven quid (the partridge, alongside a steak, were the day’s specials) and there is the option of mixing three starters for £12 as a sort of tapas supper. Wine, at around £15 a bottle, was a very lovely Nero d’Avola from Sicily; perfect evening company. 1 Forth Street, EH1 3JX 0131 556 6323 www.urban-angel.co.uk
There’s no place like Hemma Boda: Edinburgh’s original Swedish bar The Swedes have come to Holyrood
Down with the bland of New Town; eclectic delights await on Leith Walk
Amy Newsome
Amanda Bottomley
Twinkling
brightly
from
inside its glass exterior, Hemma shines like a jewel down Holyrood Road. Despite its sharp architectural surroundings – it sits next door to a smart Pizza Express and opposite The Scotsman offices – this new cafe/ bar from the Scandinavian duo Anna and Mike Christopherson is an oasis of comfort: cosy, relaxed and refreshingly thought-out, without a Swedish meatball or ball-pond in sight. Thom Yorke hums in the background, free Wi-Fi is provided, and a mezzanine with chilled Sky Sports corner and down-to-earth staff provide the perfect surroundings for socials, meetings, catch-ups or dates. It uses a primary colour scheme while the candles, fairy lights and modern wooden features lends Hemma a cheerful and friendly air. The drinks menu is a well-curated cocktail affair including ‘Tesco Bag – should only be consumed in the event of a global catastrophe’, ‘Death of a Ladies’ Man’, and ‘Siberian Mist’ – a beautiful concoction of coconut, almond, egg white, cherry, lime and
fresh basil served in a wickedly large coupette. A glass of Absolut Wild Tea and Cranberry cunningly eases students from the copious cups of somewhat lacking library tea into a lively night out (yes, it really does taste of fruit tea). Anywhere that boasts “’I’m not sure what I want yet’ is music to our ears!” clearly enjoys a leisurely pace and you could certainly wile away an evening here after a hard day’s studying. There is a good variety of vegetarian options on the cafe menu and the drinks are not expensive - £8.50 for a cocktail and vodka mixer. If you draw a picture of Hemma you’ll even receive a Tunnock’s teacake or caramel wafer for free! The perfect reward for venturing off the dark end of the Royal Mile. Nurturing a bustling Scandinavian social scene in the heart of Edinburgh, clearly these Swedes have mastered the good life. In Swedish, Hemma means “at home”; a most appropriate name. 75 Holyrood Road, EH8 8AE 0131 629 3327
Malgosia Stelmaszyk
A mere 10 minutes up Leith Walk will
take you to Boda Bar, the land of elderflower cider (amazing), free Friday nibbles between 5 and 7 (delectable, a range of toppings and snacks alongside crusty sliced baguette pieces), and a big shark (look upwards). Warmwinking from its corner-spot, the owners of Boda Bar’s first bar have homed all types, student and local, since 2004. There are plenty of comfy chairs and cosy nooks in which to get lost for several hours. There is coffee, hot chocolate and WiFi available all day. There are flower baskets. All this and more, set to a Trance/Electro, very Scandinaviansounding soundtrack. There’s a reason for the music (don’t worry, it’s good). Boda bar is one of a group of several Scandinavian bars from the same team across Edinburgh and celebrates its “subtle Swedish twist” through imports of speciality ales and ciders. Their elderflower cider is incredible, and there are other intriguing flavours for the adventurous. However Scandinavian it may be, the Bohemian interior illustrates a very community-conscious locale. Neighbouring clothes shop ‘Pie in the Sky’ feature their
designs hung around the bar, and there are countless flyers trumpeting local events and businesses. The result is not cluttered, but lively and spirited. It adds a personal touch missing in sleeker bars, with a real sense of friendliness between staff and punters. Boda Bar has all the character of the coffee shops for which Edinburgh is famed, with the happy addition of mood-lighting and absinthe jelly shots. The house cocktail – the Bodalicious – is made of St Germain, Miller’s Gin, soda and lime, and looks a treat. The staff are
chilled, friendly and enthusiastic, and openly advertise an upcoming Halloween party on 27 October. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, the Facebook page is littered with events, past and future. There is always something going on in this bar. Boda bar is fairly tongue-in-cheek, and doesn’t try too hard: it just doesn’t have to. And that is almost more refreshing than the cider. 229 Leith Walk, EH6 8NY 0131 553 5900 www.bodabar.com
Malgosia Stelmaszyk
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The Journal Wednesday 24 October 2012
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Sporting stars should stick to the back pages The public’s respect for sporting heroes soon diminishes when athletes break out into a foxtrot Ruth Jeffery Sport editor
I blame Phil Tuffnell. Ever since
his victorious stint on ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’, the sport star has been transformed on our small screens into a preening reality-TV personality. Tuffnell is the epitome of such creations, appearing on various panel shows, a quip and cheeky smile always at hand. He later was caught throwing shapes on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, proof that one soul-bearing expose was not enough. The first line about Tuffers on Wikipedia reads “English former cricketer turned television personality.” The BBC this week announced
the judges for the ‘Sports Personality of the Year’ award, to be held on an evening in December where Gary Lineker and Sue Barker will exchange smirks and pat Olympians on the back. Two of those may well be Victoria Pendleton and Louis Smith, fleetfooted athletes currently treading the boards on ‘Strictly’. Cricketer Michael Vaughn is also waltzing your Saturday evening away, joining the long line of athletes-turned-reality stars. A third of ‘Strictly’s’ winners have been from the sporting world. Mark Ramprakash, Chris Hollins and Darren Gough are guilty as charged. Fans have always been interested in the personalities behind their favourite sporting heroes, but surely
Legend Frankel’s Farewell
Poulter rewarded for European Delight
Unbeaten legendary horse
Ian Poulter has been named the
Frankel has retired after his final victorious outing at the Royal Ascot this Saturday. Ridden by jockey Tom Queally, the horse competed in the Champion Stakes and won easily. The Sir Henry Cecil-trained horse has won 14 races from 14 entered, a record which has seen him named by some as the greatest horse in history. Frankel’s first win came in 2010 at Newmarket, and he has been unstoppable since. His thrilling win at the Royal Ascot this year in June was a highlight in a particularly bright career. The fouryear-old flat-racer is being retired for breeding and will be sorely missed on the racecourse.
Lee Allegations Upset Snooker Schedule A snooker Premier League match has been rescheduled for 25 October after Stephen Lee’s alleged match-fixing scandal caused it to be cancelled. Lee was due to play Mark Allen in a double-header on Thursday, but the game was called off while the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) investigate corruption claims. Lee has allegedly been involved in match-fixing patterns since 2010 and received a ban after his 4-2 loss to John Higgins last week. All of his Group B matches in the Premier League have been declared void.
‘Race to Dubai Golfer of the Month’ for September after his impressive performance for Europe in the Ryder Cup last month. Poulter, who will receive an engraved alms dish and a jeroboam of Moët & Chandon champagne, has previously competed in four Ryder Cups, always on the winning side. He has also represented England in the World Cup five times and has won the Seve Trophy with the Britain and Ireland team three times. Individually, the 36-year-old has won 11 European Tours and one PGA Tour. Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Paul Lawrie are amongst the other 2012 recipients of the award.
Young Prospects in Abu Dhabi Esteban Gutierrez and Robin Frijns have been entered by Sauber in the young driver test next month in Abu Dhabi. Gutierrez is a prospective 2013 race driver, and will compete in the final two days of the November event, in the C31. The 21-year-old Mexican finished third in this year’s GP2 series, and has become a regular for Sauber. His young teammate Frijns is in the running to be crowned this season’s Formula Renault 3.5 champion. The young driver’s test will be his first race at F1 level.
an endless parade of respected athletes performing tricks to entertain a panel of judges is too far? Squeezing a successful Olympian into a spangled leotard and making them do a foxtrot seems less like valid entertainment and more like a degrading novelty. The athletes’ reasons for taking to the dance-floor are all too clear. Money. Fame. Sponsorship opportunities. Probably not to spend three months worth of weekends with Tess Daly. But whilst it may be obvious that Louis and co. are on our TV screens to further their public careers and rack up some advertising jobs, it’s less clear why we, the public, care. I enjoyed watching Smith help Team GB to its first group gymnastics medal during
the Olympics. But that doesn’t mean that I want to see how good his rhumba is, or hear him being admonished by Len for not turning up his toes. And worryingly, this sports-starinto-TV-star is a growing trend. We’re all used to seeing ex-footballers exchange the strip for a suit and chat about Manchester United on leather couches, but the phenomenon of the reality-TV athlete is a relatively new one. I was dismayed two years ago when legendary goalkeeper Peter Shilton joined the ranks of reality competitors on ‘Strictly’. A bit of fun, possibly, but it lessened my respect for him to watch him shuffling around a dancefloor in a sequined shirt. Worse than the dancing was pos-
sibly ‘I’m A Celebrity’, where the likes of Jimmy White, Linford Christie and John Fashanu were subjected to what I can only describe as idiotic and disgusting ‘trials’. Tell me how to admire someone after seeing them eat kangaroo balls and behave like a fool in a jungle, and I’ll give you a pound. There is nothing inherently bad or offensive about seeing sporting heroes on reality TV shows. Nothing terrible comes from Louis Smith dazzling Darcy Bussell with his tango. The effect it has on this sports fan is more one of melancholia than outrage. I don’t feel entertained or riveted, just saddened that the sport figures I had so much respect for clearly have none for themselves.
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FOOTBALL
SPORT// 29
SPORTING SPOTLIGHT
The coming of the victory enthusiasts
All change for Edinburgh University women’s rugby
The most detested fan in football, the
Ollie Bunting
‘glory-hunter’ needs an image makeover Gordon Marino
Edinburgh University team ready to tackle Newcastle Edinburgh Ladies Rugby Club are preparing for their match against Newcastle this week with a new focused training programme which should improve their game. They have lost their last two games in the BUCS North League but are hoping for a change of fortunes when they host Wednesday’s match at Peffermill. Catriona Knott, Vice-Captain and temporary number nine with the 1st team, spoke to The Journal about the new training sessions. She said: “What we do is we have two training sessions a week. We train on a Monday and focus on our Wednesday matches on a Monday and we focus on our Sunday matches on a Thursday night. And currently what has been letting us down in our games has been our defence and our tackling, so we chat to the coaches and get a plan of what we expect from them and what they expect from us and take it from there. And we decided that defence was what we wanted to work on for the next couple of weeks.”
The club previously held training sessions on the same day as matches, a system that failed to give the club the energised performances needed. This year they have also teamed up with Royal Dick Vets, allowing the Edinburgh 2nds to play more matches. This means that some of the Edinburgh squad play in the National Development League on a Sunday, regular fixtures which introduce freshers to rugby in more friendly matches. Knott says that Thursday training sessions have enriched the squad: “It’s always a worry with a club when you have an influx of new players and you’ve got existing old players that are not going to get the right training because you focus too much on the highly-skilled stuff. But our Thursday training has allowed us to go over some basics and get everything grounded for the new people as well, and it’s a more relaxed training environment on a Thursday compared to a Monday.” The new 3G pitch at Peffermill has made a significant difference to the squad also, as training and games are not weather-dependent. Last week the club
played a match on the 4G pitch at Murrayfield, an advantageous facility, which prevents weather from becoming a deciding factor in games. Edinburgh plays against all English teams in BUCS, some of which are stronger rivals than others. Knott said: “We really would love to smash Leeds Met again. Leeds Met and Loughborough are very strong teams for us and we would love to smash them.” She added: “I think we find with a lot of the English teams, we are the underdogs. Because we do feel like there’s more money in the English system for rugby in general, and consequently women’s rugby. But generally we’ve always been pretty strong in our home matches.” Edinburgh’s next fixtures in the BUCS North League are against Newcastle, Durham and Loughborough. And Knott thinks the new players are up to the challenge: “We’ve got really good freshers this year in both our teams actually, and they’re really keen and seem to be enjoying it. Despite the fact that it’s rained on every training session that we’ve had.”
SNOOKER
Higgins plays Trump card in Shanghai Masters Matthew Dunne Miles
Saturday afternoon comes and I
wait in anticipation in the pub. My eyes peeled to the Sky Sports projection, that chalk outline of a murdered pint-glass in the corner. It was the week of the last international break and due to either an administrative error or possibly a water damaged tape of ‘Premier League Years’, Sky Sports had no other option than to show League One’s Coventry City host Stevenage at home. The nation as a whole would give a collective shrug, but I could imagine the population of the West Midland’s second city in front of their TV sets, sky blue scarves around their necks, father and sons side by side on the sofa. In fact I could imagine them at any other event or location; except at the Ricoh Arena to watch the game in person, because clearly they were not. From what was obtainable from the TV coverage, the atmosphere at the stadium was at best... hushed. So quiet in fact, that any fan present would have bled from the ears at the harsh sounds of a library aisle. It was the silence of a beatendown fan base, who had not seen a win in League One since relegation last season. It was a silence I mimicked from behind my beer in Edinburgh, as Stevenage soared from a goal behind to snatch away three points from my home team. Questions are raised when you have watched your chosen side plummet from plucky Premiership mainstays to lower league no-hopers in the space of your life time. One of those questions is ‘how much longer can you support a team who give
you nothing to cheer about?’. The answer from true football fans, of course, is that your relationship with your chosen club is akin to that of a marriage; through thick and thin, for richer for poorer, from Walter Smith to ‘New Co’, till death do you part. But perhaps the grass pitch is greener on the other side? I’m talking of course about the only people in football more detested than poor-sighted linesmen and El Hadji Diouf; Glory Supporters. Manchester United fans miles from the Northwest of England, justifying their choice by explaining they once drove past Stockport whilst playing The Stone Roses and felt a kinship to those ‘Red Devils’. The continuous trophies? Never really thought about it at the time. But perhaps it is time to stop this stigma? What’s so wrong with being a supporter of ‘glory’? Surely it’s us, the blind-sighted patrons of the continuous stragglers that have been stubborn fools? No one is more content than a fan who watches his team play the beautiful game properly, play top opposition across Europe and bring home trophies. Would it not be nice to see one of the world’s best in the same strip as you? It may be time to scratch the term ‘Glory Supporter’ and instead respect these ‘Talent Advocates’ or ‘Victory Enthusiasts’. So I urge the ‘Ability Scouts’, do not fake a Mancunian accent and Gallagherswagger. You are what you are, someone who enjoys winning. Embrace your decision, completely unlimited by geography and stop this taboo. Step out of the shadows and maybe more shall follow and say no to disappointment and mediocrity. Viva La Barca.
Snooker tournament full of surprises as world number one bows out Alex Neal
John Higgins came from behind in a close encounter at the final of the Shanghai Masters tournament, winning it by ten frames to nine. Higgins was 5-0 down to youngster Judd Trump, having had minimal time on the table due to frame-winning breaks from Trump. But Higgins fought back in the sixth frame with a maximum 147. Trump stayed in the driving seat until the interval, where he went in 7-2 up, but Higgins came out all guns blazing to take an 8-7 lead. The pair traded frames until it was 9-9, with Higgins taking the deciding set to claim his 25th ranking title. The finalist’s path to the final wasn’t easy, however. In the opening round, John Higgins and Judd Trump played Jamie Jones (ranked 33) and Barry Hawkins (ranked 20) respectively. These were formidable opponents, with Jones previously holding the record of the youngest player to ever have a 147 break, and Hawkins, former number 12 in the world, on the back of his first ever title win at the Australian Open. The first round also saw the defeat of world number one Mark Selby at the hands of 26-year-old Jamie Cope. The 32 ranked player took advantage of mistakes by Selby and punished him by sending him home earlier than most expected. In the second round, Higgins beat Ryan Day, and Trump knocked Marc
Allen from the tournament, the former world number 7 losing 5-2. The Quarter Finals saw some of the best games of the tournament. Trump beat the Scot Graeme Dott 5-4, while Mark Williams emulated that score line against Joe Perry. The Williams and Perry game was very tight, with the pair taking a frame each until the final frame decider at 4-4. Perry sportingly called a foul against himself, which gave Williams the opening he needed to take the game. In the semi’s, Higgins, who had qualified with a 5-3 win over Ali Carter, faced Shaun Murphy, who had beaten Stuart Bingham 5-1. It was more of the same
from Higgins who confidently outclassed Murphy with a 6-3 victory, ensuring his place in the final. Trump reached the final with a 6-4 victory over Williams. The tournament itself, however, was played without World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, following his self-imposed exile from the sport. This has resulted in a review of the rankings, leaving O’Sullivan 17th in the world due to his break from the game. Some thrilling encounters took place during the Shanghai Masters, with shocks and dramatic comebacks throughout. Once again, the Chinese have delivered a brilliant snooker tournament. maz0otuv
30 / SPORT TEST CRICKET
England’s Indian winter
INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL Greg Smith
Levein’s position untenable Following another woeful display in Brussels, Scottish football needs a change Gary Paul Staff writer
Alex Neal
The England cricket team are ready to embark on a tour of India which will see them play four tests against the Indian national team, as well as various tour matches to warm up the team before playing the fifth-ranked team in the world. Much of the focus, however, is on the squad for the tour, as opposed to the tour itself. The 16-man squad for the opening part of the tour includes two previously uncapped batsmen – Nick Compton of Somerset and Yorkshire’s Joe Root. The two youngsters join Alistair Cook’s squad which also contains three spin bowlers (Panesar, Patel and Swann). Much of the talk will also be about one man who has only recently been added to the team – Kevin Pietersen. The batsman has been involved in controversy, following texts supposedly disclosing England’s tactics for facing world number one South Africa, the country in which he was born. The England Cricket Board’s recently decided to allow Pietersen to play for his national team once more, with views to him being integrated back into the squad by the end of the calendar year. His early acceptance back into the fold ensures that every other player in the squad, notably the two new additions, are playing to keep their international places. The opening game, with the Lions’
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opponents yet to be confirmed, begins on 30 October. The squad then plays two further matches against unnamed opposition, before commencing a four-match test series on 15 November. At the end of the four tests, there are plans for two Twenty20 games on 20 and 22 December. Following a break for Christmas, the tour recommences on 6 January, with two One Day Internationals versus undisclosed opponents, prior to five ODI’s against India. The hectic winter schedule sees England play a variety of games, before travelling to New Zealand to begin another tour. The squad will be looking to bounce back after summer saw England lose two tests and draw the third at home to South Africa. England also drew 2-2 in ODIs against the Proteas. The England squad departs on 25 October, in what is sure to be an exciting winter of cricket.
A late equaliser for Poland in Warsaw on Wednesday aside, there has been precious little for Scottish football fans to cheer about this past week. And even a sly laugh at our neighbours over the border feels a bit hollow when things are as grim as they are at Hampden. Only the most delusional or pathologically optimistic member of the Tartan Army would have predicted a result for Scotland in Brussels on Tuesday but in truth, the departure gates for Rio were closed long ago for Craig Levein’s side. That it took almost 70 minutes for the home side to break the deadlock and a moment of brilliance from Vincent Kompany to double that lead moments later is testament to Scotland goalkeeper Alan McGregor’s heroic performance, but also belies yet another woefully impotent performance under Levein. The first half was essentially Belgium v McGregor as the Scots sat in and threatened only sporadically, and even then only from long-range freekicks. Expecting all-out attack would be naïve- especially against such a talented and exciting young Belgian squad- but what has gone before really explains a nation’s discontent with their side and its manager in particular. Friday night in Cardiff was the culmination of this. Riding on a wave of positivity with the return of Darren and Steven Fletcher to the first XI, there
was a real belief that Scotland could get back on track and salvage something from this campaign with a result against Wales. A first-half goal from the impressive James Morrison set the wheels in motion for a vital away win. However, the introduction of Charlie Adam at half time saw a very mobile midfield become static, allowing the Welsh to turn up the pressure as Scotland sat in once again. Ending the match with just Adam and an exhausted Darren Fletcher in midfield, the team was overrun and again Levein had seemingly done his best to suck any belief out of the support (and perhaps the players) as the home side won 2-1. Scotland now lie bottom of their qualifying group and there is a belief that the current group of players are better than this position. With a mere two points from 12 in this campaign, and just three wins from his 12 competitive matches (two against Lichtenstein and one at home to Lithuania) the blame
must lie squarely with Craig Levein. Admittedly, the likes of Alan Hutton, Charlie Adam and others have failed to perform at times throughout his tenure, but the manager must bear the brunt of the criticism. His handling of the Steven Fletcher situation was poor regardless of the player’s actions and his failure to harness the squad’s attacking strength will unfortunately define his reign. But for a frighteningly negative approach to the first three games (home to Serbia and Macedonia, and away to Wales), Scotland could have been in a very promising position; seven points was not unrealistic and would not have left them relying on a miracle in Brussels last Tuesday. A disastrous start has rendered his position untenable, but a worryingly long contract will need to be dealt with as Levein will go nowhere of his own accord. It is time for the SFA to show some conviction and make a positive change.
Ronnie MacDonald
CYCLING
Poster boy’s fall from grace an ill omen for cycling community Orla O’Muiri Staff writer
Another legend stumbles, and he falls as he raced- hard and fast. Lance Armstrong is no longer the unstoppable hero of a sport; he is human and he is a cheat. Former US Postal Service cyclist Lance Armstrong received a lifetime ban on 24 August this year after an investigation by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) found him guilty of doping. His offences Elizabeth Kreutz
include using the performance enhancing drug EPO, corticosteroids, growth hormones, undergoing blood transfusions as well as helping his teammates do the same. The seven times Tour de France winner chose not to fight the charges pressed against him. He will be disqualified from all competitive results after 1 August 1998 and forfeit any medals, titles, winnings, finishes, points and prizes. USADA’s report describes it as “the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen.”
Armstrong’s story is legendary, a mere mortal who survived cancer and went on to win the greatest race in the sport; the Tour de France a total of seven times. A man who built an empire out of his tale and branded it Livestrong, not to find a cure for cancer but to raise awareness of it. Armstrong is a master of marketing. However this fairytale had a sell-by date. One by one his former US Postal teammates stepped forward and outed him for what he was- with it they sacrificed their own reputations and admitted their own guilt. Among them stood
self-confessed dopers Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis. 500 drug tests were all clean, as his advocates roar. But this, his primary argument, falls short as the tests were apparently impossibly easy to evade or pass. There was no test for EPO until 2000, blood transfusions continue to remain undetectable and teams frequently knew in advance when testers would be coming. The solution to that was saline drips which would cover up any evidence of the crime. Armstrong is not to be pitied for falling prey at the hands of other dopers,
and caving under pressure. He has been described by USADA as the “ringleader of biggest doping conspiracy in sporting history.” Every day the story thickens, another element added to the ever-growing jigsaw. Recently, the UCI admitted accepting a donation of more than $100,000 from Armstrong in 2002. They deny that it was connected to any cover-up of a positive doping test. The question is; will the sport of cycling ever be credible again after this poster boy’s fall from grace?
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UNIVERSITY SPORT
SPORT// 31
FOOTBALL Ella Bavalia
First-half goal-fest eases Heriot-Watt to victory Arran Ponton
‘Logistical nightmare’ hits university clubs’ CSE training Needs not appreciated, say Athletics Club, as EUSU responds to overcrowding with training changes Sean Gibson Editor-in-chief
Edinburgh University Athletics Club (EUAC) is unhappy at
enforced changes to its training schedule at the Centre for Sport and Exercise (CSE), following recent complaints of overcrowding. The point of contention is the club’s use of the CSE’s circuits gym, with troubles aired at a meeting called by Edinburgh University Sports Union (EUSU) for all clubs on Wednesday 3 October. Up for discussion were “the rules and code of conduct whilst within [CSE Pleasance],” with the matter deemed grave enough to warrant a threat of training suspension for any non-attendant clubs. The Athletics Club has operated its circuits session for several years in its current slot of Monday, 20:3021:30, but recent complaints prompted
EUSU to limit the session to a capacity of 30 people – roughly halving EUAC’s numbers – with only shared use of the room. Exclusive-use slots were made available to the Athletics Club – on Wednesday night and on the weekend – and a mid-afternoon Saturday slot was chosen to replace the Monday night session. However, members are far from placated: “Obviously Wednesday isn’t an option as that’s when we train at Meadowbank [Stadium],” commented Nida Sajid, women’s captain of EUAC. “Hence the move to Saturday, which is very inconvenient. I asked if we could get the sports hall on Monday nights and was told that’s not possible. “Turning people away from a training session would be unfair to our club members who have paid membership to train with us. Moving to a less convenient weekend slot will not guarantee the same turnout, which is disappointing considering circuits has always been our most popular training session.” Mike Hamill, training secretary of EUAC, agreed: “The concern is that suddenly the most popular session of the past few years is half-empty. “I think the main issue with this is that the needs of a rapidly expanding club aren’t being fully appreciated.” At the inaugural EUAC Saturday circuits session, numbers had dwindled to such an extent that exclusive use of the
room was unquestionably not required. Neither was it imposed, in fact, as other gym-users mingled freely throughout the session. Anna Donegan, president of EUSU, said of the recent changes: “[Training] wasn’t limited, it was just trying to rearrange it so [the CSE] could actually comply with health and safety regulations. “Capacities are obviously limited and they’re trying their best, but with all these different clubs it can prove a logistical nightmare. “The CSE’s been working really hard so that it’s not detrimental to the clubs, obviously, because we want to keep memberships high.” Meanwhile, Edinburgh University Boat Club (EUBC) – which suffered the same complaints of overcrowding as EUAC – has adapted comfortably to their own enforced schedule changes. Marina Seergova, publicity officer of EUBC, told The Journal: “We have sorted out training sessions that are slightly shorter but involve the whole of the squad. But also a great deal of our training is outside of the gym. “There is no issue with the CSE apart from the inevitable lack of space and a few remarks about making the [Katherine Grainger] room and the circuits room available to normal gym users when it is required, even if it is during training.”
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Heriot-Watt men’s 2nds dispatched the University of Aberdeen’s 2nds last week in a comfortable 6-0 win at the Heriot-Watt Sports Academy. A delayed kick-off had no effect on the home side though as they blitzed the Aberdeen defence, scoring three goals in the first ten minutes to effectively end the game before it had begun. Heriot-Watt coach Craig Bell was delighted with his team’s performance and couldn’t have asked for any extra. “If we’d gone for it a bit more we could’ve got a few more in the second half but scoring six goals and keeping a clean sheet, you can’t really ask for much more. A lot of good goals, we kept the ball well and the movement was good.” The hosts were rewarded for a positive start only four minutes in, as centre -back Calum Davies skipped the midfield and played a ball straight over the top for striker Ewan Henderson to run onto. Henderson had plenty of time to pick his spot and slotted neatly into the bottom corner for 1-0. If there was any hope of Aberdeen getting back in the game it was diminished in the 28th minute when Orr swung in a corner for Davies to get himself on the score-sheet from a yard out. Not the most impressive goal of the day but perhaps the most important as Aberdeen were starting to find their form. A flurry of goals startled Aberdeen and they didn’t look likely to reply so tried their hand at long range. Daniel
BUCS Scottish Conference Cup
HERIOT-WATT 2nd
6
ABERDEEN 2nd
0
McCusker fired in a shot from outside the area but it was saved by McKendrick low to his left. The last goal of the first half came in the 33rd minute, when Dargo was brought down in the area and the referee pointed to the spot. With no objection, Henderson stepped up to convert for his hat-trick to make the score 5-0. The second half began in the same way as the first and the pace of HeriotWatt wingers Nathan Gray and Fergal Doherty were giving Aberdeen some real problems. The rout was complete in the 60th minute when Daniel Spiller made a long overlapping run from right-back to blast the ball over the goalkeeper and into the top corner for 6-0. The second half had provided much less entertainment than the first as the game lost its momentum and the frustration on the faces of the Aberdeen side was clear in the end. Heriot-Watt face the University of Edinburgh 2nds next week at Peffermill and Bell is expecting a more challenging match. “It’ll be a tougher test but I think today’s a good run out and the boys will be up for it. Playing against Edinburgh Uni they’re always up for it.”
RUGBY UNION
Edinburgh salvage bonus point in Durham defeat Ruth Jeffery Sport editor
The Edinburgh rugby men’s 1sts
lost to Durham 2nds 25-20 on Wednesday but managed to collect a bonus point away from home. Durham is currently top with eight points in the BUCS Premier North B, while Edinburgh sits sixth with three points. The home side had beaten Birmingham 1sts by a margin of 15 points the week before, so club captain Adam Davidson was pleased to get so close: “They were the champions of our league last year so it’s not too bad. Actually reasonably pleased. “It’s quite a difficult place to go and as the season progresses I don’t think too many teams will go down there and get a bonus point out of it, so not terrible but it was close and we also could have won.” Edinburgh competes with English teams such as Nottingham Trent, who have two teams in the league, both positioned below the Scots in the table. They last week drew with Manchester 1sts with 20 points apiece, a good result against the team second in the table with seven points. This is Edinburgh’s second season in the BUCS leagues. Davidson said that last year was a successful one: “We were promoted out of the Scottish Universities Leagues the year prior to that so it
was our first year in BUCS and we did pretty well. We finished fifth in that league, which was pretty good going to begin with. We enjoyed it. It was a bit of a challenge, a lot of travelling, a higher standard than we had been used to, but it was a lot of fun and a move in the right direction.” The next match for Edinburgh is at home in Peffermill against Nottingham Trent 2nds. The following weeks will see them take on Sheffield Hallam and the Nottingham Trent 1sts. They also play a couple of special competition events over the season. One such tournament is played against their neighbours. Davidson said: “One of the biggest things we go away and do is our big varsity which is against St Andrews which is held down in London, which we all get taken down there for, which is a really big day and a lot of fun.” They will also travel to Casablanca to play South African student teams later in the year. Edinburgh men’s 1sts play Nottingham Trent men’s 2nds at Peffermill on Wednesday 10 October at 2pm. BUCS Premier North B (Men’s)
DURHAM 2nd
25
EDINBURGH 1st
20
A little less ‘personality’, a bit more action from our sportsmen, please
Hacker:
SPORT /
Strictly No Dancing
28 Ray Bobrownicki
Edinburgh storm athletics meet University has successful day out at Freshers’ Match in Glasgow Ruth Jeffery & Tom Bateson
Edinburgh and Napier Universities both took part in their first competition of the season this week. The ‘Freshers Match’ took place in Kelvin Hall Glasgow on Wed 10 Oct and saw 17 Scottish universities compete. The absence of Glasgow University meant that Edinburgh fielded the largest team of the day, and were the only team to compete in the Women’s 4x200m and 4x400m and the Men’s 4x400m. Glasgow’s funding had been changed by the university and they were unable to afford the tournament. The competition from outside Edinburgh was made up by the likes of Stirling, Abertay, Dundee and Aberdeen. Possibly the most strongly contested event of the day was the Men’s 60m Final, which was won by Napier student Oliver Lawson with a time of 7.12 seconds. His teammate Donald Tod took third place with 7.26 seconds and was closely followed by
Edinburgh’s James Wade, who came fifth with 7.42 seconds. The men’s triple jump was a strong event for Edinburgh as Alex Ing-Simmons took the top spot with 11.42m and third place went to Hans Neufeld with 10.38m. Also a successful jumper for the university was Rachel Roberts, who won the women’s long jump category with an impressive 3.80m. Claire Taylor was another stellar performer for Edinburgh, winning both the women’s 200m final and the 60m hurdles with times of 26.50 seconds and 9.2 seconds respectively. Edinburgh athletes also took second and third place positions in both events. Nida Sajid, Women’s Captain for Edinburgh said: ‘We had a brilliant turnout on the day and some great performances by everyone with one of our athletes (Claire Taylor) breaking the Women’s 60m Hurdles record. “We hope to continue our initial successes at our next major competition, the Scottish Indoor Championships, on 12 January.”
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P W D L F
A GD Pts
3 2
1
1
4
7
Durham 2nd
2 2 0 0 52 31 21
8
Edinburgh 1st
3 3 0 0 13 3
10
9
Aberdeen 1st
3 2
0 1
5
5
0
6
Manchester 1st
2 1
7
Glasgow 1st
3 1
-5
4
Edinburgh 1st
3 1
1
5
6
2
4
Loughborough 2nd 1
1
0 0 77 15 62
5
Dundee 1st
2 1
0 1 4
4
0
3
Heriot Watt 1st
3 1
0 2 3
5
-2
3
Sheffield Hallam 1st 1
1
0 0 35 19 16
5
Edinburgh 2nd
3 1
0 2 8
8
0
3
Glasgow 1st
4 1
0 3 6
10 -4
3
Birmingham 1st
2 1
0 1 59 26 33
5
Heriot Watt 1st
3 0 1
12 -5
1
1
P W D L F
BUCS Hockey Scottish 1A
Stirling 2nd
0 5
1
A GD Pts
0 50 41 9
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P W D L F 1
1 6
2 7
A GD Pts 11
Full standings available at: www.bucs.org.uk