The Journal - Glasgow Issue 21 by The Journal

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GLASGOW’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

ISSUE XXI

WEDNESDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2013

‘It’s not just offensive, it’s wrong, and plays to the right-wing.’ IN NEWS / NUS face off against Scottish Labour

Russell “arrogant and dismissive” Journal interviews with convener and deputy convener of Holyrood education committee suggest deepening rift between parties over the direction of education policy, as Labour MSP launches attack on minister

IN NEWS /

IN NEWS / 3-9

• Glasgow 2018 shortlisted • GU campus redevelopment • Accommodation safety fears • Indyref debate at QMU • Burns manuscripts found • GUSRC elections

THE ANATOMY OF AUTONOMY

IN ARTS / 19-25

• Music: Villagers • Film: Movie 43 • Books: W.H. Auden • Food & Drink: Riding out the horsemeat scandal

Six Nations: a Scotland resurgence? • Interview: Allan McNish • Celtic’s European campaign • SSS indoor cricket

IN SPORT /

26-31

Defending your wee bit hill and glen Leading politicians and defence experts consider the future of Scottish security

IN FEATURES /

12-13

2 / CONTENTS

NEWS

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THIS WEEK INSIDE THE JOURNAL

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SHORTS

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Harlem Shake meme hits Edinburgh A GROUP OF STUDENTS from the University of Edinburgh organised a flashmob with over 130 students taking part. The video has over 10,000 views and has been featured on the Huffington Post UK. This is part of the wider global phenomenon of the Harlem Shake where participants take part in a spontaneous video, dancing to the song ‘Harlem Shake’ by the artist Baauer. The video can be seen on YouTube and was shot in Bristo Square in the Central Area of the university campus.

Jeremy Paxman branded “a bully” over University Challenge smackdown JEREMY PAXMAN HAS been criticised by viewers for ‘bullying’ a student on the popular quiz show University Challenge. In the show a wrong answer by a UCL contestant led to Paxman describing the student as “very wrong.” The offending incident occurred when Paxman asked the question: “’The liberties of England and the Protestant religion I will maintain.’ Which royal figure made that claim when he landed at Brixham, in Devon, in 1688?” and the contestant answered William I. A number of viewers took to Twitter to defend the student while others defended the presenter saying that the answer was indeed ‘very wrong’. The mother of the contestant defended Paxman’s response saying: “I think Paxman is always a little tough with the contestants. But I think it is all in good spirit. It is a challenge after all.”

5 3 6 1 8 5 9 4 Auteur or autess? The Journal meets American indie filmmaker Laura Colella

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BRITAIN’S EURO TUNNEL VISION The UK’s bizarre relationship with the European Union may be blinding us to European institutions’ vital importance

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Level 2.25

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STUDENT FILM AWARD TRIUMPH Scottish students look set to take on Hollywood, as young filmmakers win at Baftas and the Royal Television Society

Students occupy Sussex University over job outsourcing STUDENTS AT SUSSEX University have reacted angrily to plans to outsource 10 per cent of their staff. This would mean that contracts for over 200 staff would be transferred to external contracts which protesters say could undermine their terms and conditions as student staff. The protesters have occupied a conference room on the campus of the university despite opposition from the university. The protest has attracted a great deal of media attention and has been supported by well-known names Noam Chomsky, actor Peter Capaldi and local Green Party MP Caroline Lucas.

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FRIGHTENED RABBIT GET BRAVE The indie folk superstars’ frontman Scott Hutchinson talks to The Journal as they unleash fourth album Pedestrian Verse

THE JOURNAL PODCAST Listen to The Journal editors and reporters discuss current affairs, student life, sport and more on our new fortnightly podcast

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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 Edinburgh and Glasgow. Contact us if you’d like to get involved. Printed by Morton’s Printers, Lincolnshire. Copyright © 2013 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.

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Senior education committee members clash over funding

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In Journal interviews, education and culture committee convener Stewart Maxwell comes into conflict with deputy convener Neil Findlay over the future of funding for Scottish universities and colleges

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Two prominent members of the

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Scottish Parliament’s Education and Culture Committee have clashed over the future funding of education in Scotland. In exclusive interviews with The Journal over the last month, committee convener Stewart Maxwell (SNP) and deputy convener Neil Findlay (Scottish Labour) disagree over education funding, public services and how parliamentary committees should work in practice. Speaking before finance secretary John Swinney announced a £24.6 million cut to college funding in 2013/14, Findlay said: “The whole issue with colleges has been a major issue for the last 18 months and the Scottish government has very deliberately singled out colleges for very swinging cuts. “I know for the last few years, the NUS has been running fantastic campaigns, and last year over 100,000 students contacted MSPs — that’s phenomenal, and if the government doesn’t take heed of that, then they’ve got a problem. “This year, they’re proposing another £34m cut, we’ve already lost 1,600 jobs for college lecturers and the support staff, and it’s critical support staff who could provide bursary support, or teaching support, or IT support. “We’ve had massive cuts to the teaching budget which has meant fewer lecturers, fewer courses, fewer places, and all of this at a time of rising and very stubborn youth unemployment just doesn’t make sense to me.” In response to the same question on cuts to college funding, and speaking after the budget was approved, Maxwell hit back to correct the £34.6m figure after the finance secretary found an additional £10m of funding for 13/14. He said: “There is a reduction, and nobody is trying to deny that, but [John Swinney] also announced an additional £51m in 2014/15 because the original planned expenditure on colleges was for £470m and it will now be £522m in 13/14 and £522m in 14/15 so effectively that’s an additional £61m above the planned expenditure and it provides good stability going forward for

colleges. “So effectively, although there is a cut — and I wouldn’t deny it — in the budget this coming year, I think it’s manageable in the circumstances.” Amid ongoing regionalisation: cutting the number of colleges across Scotland to reduce duplication of provision and lower costs, the education committee members also disagreed strongly over the perceived protection of university funding while colleges suffer year-on-year budget cuts. Findlay went on the offensive about education secretary Mike Russell’s ‘tainted view of the world’after the denial of college waiting lists, labeling him a ‘Walter Mitty’ figure. He said: “The reality is that [the Scottish government] appears to be protecting university budgets and cutting college budgets. Now I’m not saying there has to be one or the other, but they’re deliberately making that choice and that impacts disproportionately on people from poorer backgrounds who really are the ones who need to get education and training. “I don’t know why, you’d have to ask Mike Russell, the education secretary, but there seems to be a very deliberate policy. “Mike Russell has a personal style that is very arrogant and very dismissive of anyone who doesn’t share Mike Russell’s tainted view of the world, and this is not just me saying that: it’s students, it’s college lecturers, it’s college principals. “He has said that [college waiting lists] are a ‘false concept’. Now tell that to all the young people who are waiting on a place at college. I think Mike Russell is a bit of a Walter Mitty figure.” Maxwell claimed to have heard that argument before and refused to accept it. He said: “The overall education budget is increasing, now what I don’t accept is the interpretation that is placed upon the increasing budget for universities. “The universities budget was increased for very particular reasons. We had made a commitment going into the last election that we would maintain free education in Scotland and would not introduce tuition fees, so effectively

that is what we did. “There’s always a cost to that, but we also committed that we would agree to fill what was called the funding gap between higher education funding in Scotland and higher education funding in England, post the increase in fees down south, but if you accept that that funding gap exists, all parties — as I understand it going into the 2011 election — had agreed that that funding gap should be filled. “I make no bones about supporting that position, I think that it’s a good thing for students in Scotland and very good for the higher education system in Scotland.” Maxwell went on to denounce further education as a Tory free-market competitive system of the early 1990s and said it was to blame for the state of further education in Scotland, which, he said, is what the SNP is trying to reform. He added: “I think to try and suggest that there’s some sort of taking money from the poor and giving it to the rich is frankly two-dimensional and incorrect.” As a former college student, Findlay outlined his appreciation for the benefit they bring to local communities, particularly in providing young people with skills with a view to employment, and criticised Scottish government decisions that have led to so-called waiting lists preventing young people from receiving the education and skills to find work. He said: “To solely focus on 16–19 year olds excludes the whole of the other people who are obviously getting less support, and in my own area, the Hall’s meat processing factory recently closed, 1,700 jobs there — most of them are above 16–19 — so what are we doing for those people? “I think it’s fair enough to have a range of options for people. Different people will need a different support and skills and have different ambitions, but we have to have quality projects that allow people to get to where they want to be rather than some of the anecdotal evidence we’re getting that some of these are not good quality.” For the full interviews and analysis, log on to www.journal-online.co.uk.

4 / STUDENT NEWS

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Survey: Scottish student homes least safe in UK Survey suggests that over two-thirds of students feel taken advantage of by landlords, and raises serious safety concerns Louise Wilson Staff writer

68 per cent of students feel that their

experience of sub-standard accommodation is caused by landlords taking advantage, according to a studentbeans.com survey. Students in Scottish accommodation are much worse off regarding general safety, but few report hygiene issues such as infestations. The online survey, in which 2,030 UK students took part, revealed that 68 per cent of student accommodation does not have carbon monoxide detectors fitted and 8 per cent lacked smoke alarms. A mere 40 per cent of Glasgow Caledonian students have smoke detectors. These serious breaks in HMO law can put student lives in danger. However, 94 per cent of students attending Scottish universities, excluding Glasgow Caledonian, reportedly have smoke alarms fitted. The severe lack of carbon monoxide (CO) detectors is particularly worrying as many students are not aware of the dangers. In contrast to those students with smoke detectors, across all Scottish accommodation, over 50 per cent of tenancies lacked a CO detector. Glasgow Caledonian again fared worse here, with none of those surveyed having a CO alarm. CO gas is transparent and has no smell, but inhaling the substance can lead to blood poisoning and death. When third-year Geography student at Glasgow University, Rebecca Madden, first moved into her flat, a CO detector was missing. This issue has since been resolved.

She said: “When I moved into that flat, there was no CO detector anywhere. This was especially worrying because my room has the boiler in it, so I was more at risk. I contacted my landlord immediately, and within 3 days he had dropped by a detector and instructions on how to use it. The first few nights in the flat were pretty scary! But it has been sorted now and I test the alarm once a week.” The survey also revealed that few burglar alarms are installed in student flats. Across the UK, only 31 per cent of student flats contain burglar alarms, with most Scottish accommodation falling short of this. Robert Gordon and Edinburgh Napier were the only universities to exceed to national average, yet still with just 33 per cent and 43 per cent respectively. The survey also revealed that 35 per cent of Scottish students revealed they had some kind of animal infestation in their flats, compared to the 37 per cent national average. This included mice, rats, slugs and cockroaches. In a separate survey taken out by studentbeans.com, slug infestations were a common of complaint, though Scottish universities had the lowest slug infestation rates according to the 3,983 students surveyed. The University of Dundee had the largest amount of slug infestation, with a rate of 8.7 per cent among Dundee students surveyed. The highest infestation rate among students was 45.5 per cent, belonging to Queen’s University, Belfast. All other Scottish universities scored less than 6.5 per cent, with Glasgow Caledonian and UWS students stating they had never experienced any slug infestations.

Stanley Liew

Many other student accommodation for the universities also boast a 0 per cent rate of infestation. “The issues raised by this survey are certainly worrying. Poor quality student accommodation, and the inability of student tenants to act due to a lack of information or fear of eviction, is a significant problem within the private rented sector in Scotland. To drive up quality, student tenants must know their rights, know where to go to get the resources they need, and act without fear of eviction.

SRC you at the polling booth as Glasgow election kicks off

“We are also deeply concerned about the lack of affordable housing for students in Scotland, both in the private rented sector and provided by institutions. Students’ associations in Scotland have reported that some purpose-built student housing is unnecessarily expensive, pricing out lower income students, particularly in areas where there are few alternatives in the private rented sector. In addition, NUS’ own research has found that the average cost of a room in university owned accommodation in the UK doubled in just ten years.

“To ensure students have access to affordable and quality private rented accommodation that fits their needs and is responsive to their concerns, local authorities should work with educational institutions to ensure all students are given affordable, quality options. “Students must also feel empowered to challenge landlords over substandard accommodation without fear of reprisal. “We urge any student wanting advice on housing matters to contact their association’s advice centre, Shelter Scotland or Citizens Advice Scotland.”

Beth Chalmers

Nominations open for election to 38 positions on Glasgow University Students’ Representative Council, including the four paid sabbatical jobs Hollie Jones Staff writer

Election fever is stirring on

Glasgow University campus as nominations were opened on February 11th for positions on the Student Representative Council. The Council is the democratic forum for undergraduates and postgraduates of Glasgow University and is run by a body of elected students. The members deal with pertinent student issues, welfare and equal opportunities for particular groups, and academic matters in different faculties. The SRC was beleaguered in the past when former President Stuart Ritchie was pressured into resigning after controversial e-mails surfaced demonstrating his support for increased tuition fees. The SRC were forced to delegate the president’s duties between the three remaining Executive members for the remainder of the term. The petition that emerged at the time calling for Ritchie to stand down established the necessity for a candi-

date to be in touch with the needs and interests of the Glasgow University student body. Last year, candidate Chizzy Chisholm provided some comic relief to the proceedings by promising to “implement the Sorting Hat to pick every students’ course at the beginning of first year” and that “University Avenue will be transformed into a canal [and] SRC buses will be replaced with party gondolas.” While his manifesto was clearly intended to be a joke the amount of support it received from the student population demonstrated that not everyone appreciates the importance of campus politics. Although the University does have a legal duty to support student representation they attempt to promote student input at every level. A new version of the academic transcript, the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR), was implemented last year which may provide a more comprehensive incentive for students to run for a position on the Council. The report recognizes students’

extra-curricular and co-curricular activities on their transcript, of which participation in student politics would be a notable addition. The GUSRC was involved in the development of this as it recognized the beneficial service it will present to graduates by providing ‘an indication for potential employers to the kinds of activity undertaken alongside studies as a University of Glasgow student.’ There are 38 positions available on the Council including four paid sabbatical positions which attract a considerable amount of interest; President, VP Media and Communications, VP Learning and Development and VP student support. The SRC also consists of eight Welfare and Equal Opportunities Officers, nine Course Convenors and 18 School Representatives. The council meets at least six times a year to discuss student issues and pass policies. Nominations close on February 22nd and voting will take place on 5-6th of March. for more information visit: glasgowstudent.net/about/elections

NUS ELECTIONS GATHER STEAM Keep up with The Journal’s coverage online of the race for the top jobs at the National Union of Students and NUS Scotland.

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cerns me because if someone went in with no opinion, they would have left in support of the SNP. “I thought that the SNP campaign was quite idealistic. They were definitely making out that if Scotland were to go independent, there would be no problems. “There was a good point made by a student that criticised Scotland’s desire to be absolved of responsibility for the UK’s actions. He said the notion seems to be that if we separate ourselves from the UK, we somehow wash our hands of the problems there.”

Astrobiology MOOC has 18,000 participants in opening week Louise Wilson Staff writer

Almost 40,000 people have enrolled in a course offered by the University of Edinburgh that discusses the search for other life forms in the universe. The course, entitled ‘Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life’, is a free online course that was first offered in July 2012. The latest instalment began on 28 January and in its first week attracted over 18,000 active students. It is one of six courses offered as part of Edinburgh’s Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), in partnership with the Coursera consortium. The Astrobiology course, taught

by Professor Charles Cockell, has attracted students from all over the globe, including India, Canada and Kosovo and aims to question the origin of the Earth as well as examine the possibility of life on Mars. Professor Cockell was very positive about the popularity of his course. He said: “MOOCs can act as a way for people to get a taste of different subjects for free and in a quite short space of time. “This way people can make more informed choices about higher education as well as learning about a new subject at the same time.” Professor Cockell also admitted he had been surprised at the overall response. He added: “So far no one has actu-

ally spotted anything extra-terrestrial yet but in general the feedback for the course has been very positive.” The MOOCs overall have been a success, gaining over 300,000 students. In the past two months alone, enrolment has increased by 50 per cent. Enrolment numbers are evenly spread across the six courses. ‘Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life’ covers many topics including life in extreme environments, the origin of life and conditions to be found on other planetary bodies. It uses a series of lectures of between 10 to 20 minutes in six modules over five weeks to communicate the key ideas of astrobiology.

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The foreign policy choices for an independent Scotland were argued at length last Wednesday by key political speakers in Glasgow’s Queen Margaret Union (QMU). The debate was held as part of a series of talks on Scottish independence ahead of a student referendum on the subject later this month. The debate was attended by senior political figures including Humza Yousaf MSP, Minister for External Affairs and International Development in the Scottish government and Willie Rennie MSP, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Key speakers also included Isobel Lindsay, chair of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and former army officer Stuart Crawford. Issues involving the future of Trident were first brought to question, with first speaker Dr Phillips O’Brien, director of the Scottish Centre for War Studies, discussing the future, or lack thereof, for Faslane. He argued: “There is no way an independent Scotland could keep Faslane (Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde) going. Faslane has no future. Faslane is in the worst possible place you can imagine. The one thing an independent Scotland should be able to do is control its oil and gas. Getting from the oil fields to Faslane is the most difficult single journey in Scotland.” Humza Yousaf spoke of his optimism for the global platform Scotland will be granted if the country gains independence: “Not even our harshest critics could doubt Scotland will prosper economically, financially or even as a trading nation. This vote in 2014 is about choices. Those choices not to get involved in illegal wars, the choice to tackle climate change, to tackle world poverty and to

choose not to keep nuclear weapons on our soil. It means we don’t condemn a dictator’s brutality one year, and the next year canoodle with them.” Isobel Lindsey argued for Scotland’s right to remove nuclear armaments: “We have nuclear weapons not because they have any military use but because it gives us status. It has the assumption of empire behind it and wanting to be important in the world. Scotland is dragged along as the British state on the coattails.” She claimed that under an independent Scottish government, it would take under two years to remove nuclear weapons from Faslane. The SNP’s stance was criticised by Willie Rennie, who argued the SNP was trying to evade responsibility for their involvement in Britain’s colonial past: “The nationalists like to create this impression that we’re all benevolent pacifists. The Scottish parliament voted for the Iraq war. For numerous elections, Scots voted for a Trident Labour party. Just because Scotland will be independent, doesn’t mean these islands will be free of nuclear weapons.” Tension heightened as questions from the audience were taken for the guest speakers. The Yes supporters were more willing to speak up in their defence of independence, meaning a stream of probing questions for the Liberal Democrat leader. One student, propelled by jeers from the crowd, directed his anger at Rennie’s speech about Scotland and Empire, shouting: “Your arguments are so old and out of time, very similar to your own party.” Olivia Begg, a fouth year student in Spanish, was left worried and frustrated by the outcome of the debate: “As a pro-unionist, I was disappointed by the Better Together campaigner. I don’t think he put a strong argument across for the union. It con-

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A USERS GUIDE TO CITYLETS LISTINGS Meadows

Area

Govanhill Garturk Street, 595, 33D, 0844 635 9472 Allison Street, 525, 22D 1B G CG P, 0844 635 9472 Coplaw Street, 525, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 0072 Dixon Avenue, 500, 2G CG O, 0844 635 2012 Westmoreland Street, 495, 2G CG O, 0844 635 9396 Allison Street, 475, 22D G O, 0844 635 9584 Cathcart Road, 475, 22D G O, 0844 635 7774 Calder Street, 470, 21S 1D, 0844 635 2012 Allison Street, 450, 20844 635 9346 Victoria Road, 450, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 9380 Torrisdale Street, 435, 11D G, 0844 635 9350 Prince Edward Street, 430, 11D E O, 0844 635 9400 Allison Street, 415, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 9380 Govanhill Street, 410, 11D G, 0844 635 9380 Allison Street, 400, 1G O, 0844 635 9372 Bankhall Street, 400, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 9380 Calder Street, 400, 11D 1B E CG O, 0844 635 9380 Calder Street, 400, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 9380 Daisy Street, 395, 11D G O, 0844 635 8716 Inglefield Street, 395, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 0072 Langside Road, 395, 1O, 0844 635 6881 Calder Street, 385, 11D, 0844 635 9380 Allison Street, 380, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 9380 Allison Street, 365, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 9380 Bankhall Street, 365, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 0072 Daisy Street, 350, 11D E CG O, 0844 635 9380 Garturk Street, 325, 11D G O, 0844 635 9584 Allison Street, 320, 0E O, 0844 635 9396

Hyndland Hayburn Lane,new Queensborough, 1650, 33D G P, 0844 635 9566 Kirklee Gardens, 1200, 3PG, 0844 635 2422 Hyndland Road, 895, 22D G O, 0844 635 9378 Dudley Drive, 645, 20844 635 9346 Hyndland Avenue, 645, 20844 635 9346 Hyndland Road, 625, 10844 635 9346 Clarence Gardens, 595, 21S E CG P, 0844 635 1986 Airlie Street, 575, 11D G O, 0844 635 1986 Airlie Street, 570, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 3762

Ibrox Copland Place, 550, 3G CG O, 0844 635 9232 Langshot Street, 550, 33D G CG O, 0844 635 0072 Copland Road, 495, 2G, 0844 635 9566 Elizabeth Street, 450, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 9472 Ibrox Street, 395, 2G O, 0844 635 2012 Paisley Road West, 395, 10844 635 9346 Middleton Street, 350, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 9380 Middleton Street, 350, 1G CG O, 0844 635 9380 Percy Street, 350, 11D G PG O, 0844 635 3328 Copland Road, 325, 11D E CG O, 0844 635 4826

Kelvindale Innellan Gardens, 595, 22D G P, 0844 635 9368 Kelvindale Road, 550, 20844 635 9346 Gairbraid Court, 500, 22D PG P, 0844 635 4471 Fortingall Avenue, 450, 11D W CG O, 0844 635 9368 Fortingall Place, 450, 11D W CG Z, 0844 635 3774

Kinning Park Plantation Park Gardens, 595, 33D G CG P, 0844 635 0072 Mavisbank Gardens, 595, 10844 635 9308

Agent phone number

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

Bedrooms Monthly Rent Location

Milnpark Gardens, 475, 20844 635 9346 Milnpark Gardens, 470, 22D W P, 0844 635 9566 Rutland Court, 450, 11D G P, 0844 635 1986 Paisley Road West, 415, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 9470 Walmer Crescent, 395, 10844 635 9346 Paisley Road West, 360, 11D CG O, 0844 635 9454

Langside Millbrae Road, 645, 20844 635 9346 Cartside Street, 575, 22D G, 0844 635 4471 Camphill Avenue, 550, 11D W CG P, 0844 635 3714 Cartvale Road, 495, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 3762 Camphill Avenue, 375, 11D E O, 0844 635 9380

Maryhill Murano Place, 650, 33D G P, 0844 635 9372 Firhill Road, 599, 22D G CG P, 0844 635 9230 Trossachs Court, 595, 22D G P, 0844 635 0012 Maryhill Road, 575, 22D G CG P, 0844 635 9454 Murano Street, 550, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 1986 Shuna Street, 550, 20844 635 9346 Sandbank Avenue, 495, 22D E CG O, 0844 635 9350 Cumlodden Drive, 450, 22D G CG P, 0844 635 9230 Herma Street, 440, 2W CG O, 0844 635 9372 Lochburn Road, 425, 10844 635 9346 Lochburn Road, 375, 10844 635 9346

Merchant City Blackfriars Road, 950, 33D E CG, 0844 635 3786 Ingram Street, 750, 22D W P, 0844 635 9368 St. Andrews Street, 750, 22D G P, 0844 635 9368 Blackfriars Road, 650, 2E CG, 0844 635 3786 Ingram Street, 650, 22D E, 0844 635 9470 London Road, 650, 22D G P, 0844 635 9230 Blackfriars Road, 650, 1E CG, 0844 635 3786 Ingram Street, 650, 11D G, 0844 635 9364 Parsonage Square, 625, 22D W PG P, 0844 635 9354 Bell Street, 595, 22D E P, 0844 635 9470 Charlotte Street, 550, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 9398 Moir Street, 550, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 9398 Turnbull Street, 550, 21S 1D E P, 0844 635 9380 Blackfriars Road, 540, 1E CG, 0844 635 3786 Chisholm Street, 500, 10844 635 9346 Alexandra Parade, 460, 1G O, 0844 635 9396

Newton Mearns Duart Drive, 895, 22D G PG P, 0844 635 9372 Ayr Road, 700, 22D G, 0844 635 1986 The Beeches, 595, 20844 635 9346 Castle Court, 525, 22D W CG O, 0844 635 9440

North Kelvinside Belmont Crescent, 750, 22D G O, 0844 635 9566 Garrioch Quadrant, 600, 11D G O, 0844 635 9370 North Woodside Road, 595, 22D E CG P, 0844 635 3504

Kirkland Street, 560, 22D G O, 0844 635 9400 Hotspur Street, 545, 2G CG O, 0844 635 9596 Lyndhurst Gardens, 525, 11D G O, 0844 635 1986 Hathaway Lane, 370, 11D G O, 0844 635 6350

Partick Crow Road, 795, 33D G O, 0844 635 3342 Chancellor Street, 695, 33D G O, 0844 635 6350 Stewartville Street, 695, 33D G O, 0844 635 3342 Chancellor Street, 650, 33D O, 0844 635 9378 Dumbarton Road, 650, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 3762 Merkland Street, 550, 22D G, 0844 635 9376 Thornwood Drive, 550, 11D G O, 0844 635 6450 Thornwood Drive, 550, 10844 635 9346 Crathie Drive, 525, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 3714 Maule Drive, 500, 11D G O, 0844 635 9470 Apsley Street, 495, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 3714 Dumbarton Road, 450, 11D E CG O, 0844 635 1986 Merkland Street, 450, 10844 635 9346

Pollokshaws Barrland Street, 595, 1G CG P, 0844 635 9470 Pollokshaws Road, 580, 22D, 0844 635 9400 Barrland Court, 575, 22D G P, 0844 635 9400 Thornliebank Road, 495, 20844 635 9346 Calder Street, 400, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 4826 Torrisdale Street, 350, 1G O, 0844 635 9376 Mcculloch Street, 695, 30844 635 9596 Shields Road, 575, 20844 635 9346 Barrland Street, 550, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 9226 St. Andrews Drive, 525, 22D G CG P, 0844 635 9440 St. Andrews Road, 475, 11D G CG P, 0844 635 9380 Darnley Street, 450, 2G CG O, 0844 635 9226 Maxwell Grove, 450, 11D G P, 0844 635 9380 Maxwell Drive, 425, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 0072 Maxwell Grove, 395, 11D E CG P, 0844 635 9482 St. Andrews Drive, 375, 22D O, 0844 635 8716

Rutherglen Millburn Avenue, 595, 31S 2D G PG, 0844 635 9376 Lloyd Court, 550, 20844 635 9346 Main Street, 485, 22D G O, 0844 635 9542 Hillfoot Avenue, 460, 22D G PG O, 0844 635 9400 Stonelaw Road, 425, 21S 1D G, 0844 635 9354 Cambuslang Road, 400, 12D G CG O, 0844 635 9398 Cambuslang Road, 325, 11D E CG O, 0844 635 9398 Princes Gate, 325, 1W O, 0844 635 8716

Scotstoun Harefield Drive, 600, 33D G PG O, 0844 635 2012 Victoria Park Drive South, 550, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 9364 Larchfield Avenue, 495, 20844 635 9346 Dumbarton Road, 450, 22D G O, 0844 635 9354

Bedrooms: Heating: Garden: Parking: Furniture:

Earl Street, 450, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 2012 Harland Street, 450, 22D G O, 0844 635 9350 Primrose Street, 430, 10844 635 9346 Harland Cottages, 400, 21S 1D O, 0844 635 9410 Scotstoun Street, 400, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 3506 Burnham Road, 395, 11D G O, 0844 635 9350

Shawlands Tantallon Road, 635, 3O, 0844 635 9396 Pleasance Way, 625, 22D, 0844 635 2408 Pleasance Way, 595, 22D G CG P, 0844 635 9372 Quentin Street, 595, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 2156 Waverley Street, 595, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 8716 Camphill Avenue, 575, 22D G, 0844 635 2422 James Gray Street, 575, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 9400 Kilmarnock Road, 575, 22D G CG P, 0844 635 3714 Minard Road, 575, 22D 1B G CG O, 0844 635 3506 Mount Stuart Street, 575, 22D G O, 0844 635 8716 Newburgh Street, 575, 22D G O, 0844 635 8716 Camphill Avenue, 575, 1G O, 0844 635 9376 Deanston Drive, 570, 22D G O, 0844 635 8716 Eastwood Avenue, 550, 22D G P, 0844 635 9378 Moss Side Road, 550, 22D G O, 0844 635 8716 Pleasance Street, 550, 22D G P, 0844 635 9372 Pleasance Way, 550, 22D G CG P, 0844 635 9378 Pollokshaws Road, 550, 22D G, 0844 635 8716 Trefoil Avenue, 550, 22D G O, 0844 635 8716 Afton Street, 525, 1G, 0844 635 9596 Edgemont Street, 515, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 3762 Cartha Street, 495, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 9472 Deanston Drive, 495, 22D G O, 0844 635 0072 Deanston Drive, 495, 22D G O, 0844 635 8716 Skirving Street, 495, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 9350 Riverford Road, 495, 11D G P, 0844 635 9350 Walton Street, 490, 11D G O, 0844 635 9400 Coustonholm Road, 475, 10844 635 9346 Kilmarnock Road, 475, 11D G, 0844 635 8716 Norham Street, 450, 2G CG O, 0844 635 9226 Coustonholm Road, 450, 11D G O, 0844 635 9566 Deanston Drive, 450, 11D G O, 0844 635 9230 Westclyffe Street, 445, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 2012 Kilmarnock Road, 430, 11D, 0844 635 8716 Deanston Drive, 395, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 0300 Skirving Street, 395, 11D CG O, 0844 635 9368 Skirving Street, 395, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 9398 Minard Road, 390, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 2012 Camphill Avenue, 375, 10844 635 2422 Camphill Avenue, 375, 1E O, 0844 635 9376 Ettrick Place, 350, 11D G O, 0844 635 9350 Coustonholm Road, 345, 11D O, 0844 635 4826

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

Southside Allison Place, 550, 22D G P, 0844 635 9376 Victoria Road, 525, 22D G CG P, 0844 635 9440 Bowman Street, 500, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 9440 Annette St, 450, 22D, 0844 635 5525 Niddrie Road, 450, 22D, 0844 635 5525 Westmoreland Street, 450, 22D, 0844 635 5525 Westmoreland Street, 450, 22D, 0844 635 5525 Barlogan Avenue, 375, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 9466 Preston Street, 350, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 9230

Springburn Springburn Road, 550, 22D G P, 0844 635 9566 Springburn Road, 550, 22D G P, 0844 635 9566 Springburn Road, 550, 22D G P, 0844 635 9566 Springburn Road Glasgow, 550, 22D G P, 0844 635 9566 Elmvale Row, 450, 22D E P, 0844 635 9420 Elmvale Row, 450, 22D E CG O, 0844 635 2629 Hillkirk Street Lane, 350, 1G O, 0844 635 9232

Strathbungo Nursery Street, 725, 13D G P, 0844 635 1986 Barrland Street, 575, 22D CG P, 0844 635 9398 Pollokshaws Road, 480, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 9380 March Street, 425, 22D G O, 0844 635 8716 Westmoreland Street, 375, 1G CG O, 0844 635 9398

Thornwood Thornwood Avenue, 525, 10844 635 9346 Thornwood Avenue, 495, 1G CG O, 0844 635 2316 Dumbarton Road, 475, 11D G O, 0844 635 9496 Kennoway Drive, 475, 1G O, 0844 635 9376 Thornwood Drive, 450, 1G CG O, 0844 635 6350

Tollcross Tollcross Road, 495, 22D, 0844 635 2316 Eversley Street, 425, 22D W P, 0844 635 9542 Eversley Street, 425, 11D E P, 0844 635 9542 Wellshot Road, 395, 1G CG O, 0844 635 2316 Tollcross Road, 375, 11D G O, 0844 635 6350 Tollcross Road, 375, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 3504 Wellshot Road, 375, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 3504 Fairburn Street, 350, 11D G O, 0844 635 2629 Crail Street, 325, 11D E CG O, 0844 635 3504

Tradeston Wallace Street, 800, 22D E CG P, 0844 635 9596 Wallace Street, 575, 21D E, 0844 635 9596 Wallace Street, 575, 22D E PG P, 0844 635 9596 Wallace Street, 575, 2E O, 0844 635 9596 Wallace Street, 575, 21D E, 0844 635 9596 Wallace Street, 560, 22D E CG P, 0844 635 2012

Wallace Street, 550, 22D E P, 0844 635 9596 Wallace Street, 550, 22D E P, 0844 635 9596

West End Hughenden Terrace, 1750, 33D G PG, 0844 635 2422 Royal Terrace, 1500, 44D G Z, 0844 635 9364 Lancaster Crescent, 1295, 20844 635 9346 St Vincent Crescent, 900, 22D G PG Z, 0844 635 9364 Highburgh Road, 825, 22D G, 0844 635 9364 Stewartville Street, 795, 33D G CG O, 0844 635 4826 Dunaskin Street, 725, 22D G P, 0844 635 9496 Gibson Street, 700, 22D G Z, 0844 635 4471 Dumbarton Road, 610, 22D G CG P, 0844 635 9394 Ancroft Street, 595, 22D G CG O, 0844 635 9364 Wilton Street, 595, 2E O, 0844 635 9376 Fergus Drive, 585, 11D G PG O, 0844 635 4826 Ferry Road, 575, 22D G CG P, 0844 635 9440 Kelvinside Drive, 550, 22D CG P, 0844 635 9230 Hayburn Street, 550, 12D G P, 0844 635 2422 Hayburn Street, 550, 1G, 0844 635 9376 Queen Margaret Road, 550, 11D G, 0844 635 2422 Henderson Street, 525, 22D G CG P, 0844 635 9364 Houldsworth Street, 525, 22D O, 0844 635 9232 Beaconsfield Road, 500, 11D E P, 0844 635 9368 Esmond Street, 499, 11D, 0844 635 3894 Leyden Court, 495, 10844 635 3894 Raeberry Street, 450, 1E CG O, 0844 635 6350 Grovepark Gardens, 425, 11D W CG P, 0844 635 4826 Crescent Court, 350, 11D E CG P, 0844 635 7774

Yoker Bulldale Place, 560, 2G CG P, 0844 635 9396 Bulldale Place, 525, 22D G CG P, 0844 635 9470 Bulldale Place, 525, 22D G O, 0844 635 9410 Bouverie Street, 450, 22D E O, 0844 635 2629 Greenlaw Road, 450, 11D G PG O, 0844 635 9398 Greenlaw Road, 400, 20844 635 9346 Dumbarton Road, 400, 10844 635 9346 Dumbarton Road, 395, 1G CG O, 0844 635 3502 Dumbarton Road, 375, 11D G CG O, 0844 635 6350 Dumbarton Road, 375, 11D G O, 0844 635 3506

Yorkhill Thornbank Street, 675, 20844 635 9346 Ferry Road, 625, 2O, 0844 635 9376 Yorkhill Street, 575, 11D W O, 0844 635 9372 Esmond Street, 525, 11D G O, 0844 635 9376 Nairn Street, 480, 10844 635 9376 Blantyre Street, 450, 1G O, 0844 635 9376

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The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

@GlasgowJournal / journal-online.co.uk

ACADEMIC NEWS / 7

Radical campus change at Glasgow University University to hold consultation on biggest redevelopment of its West End campus since the 19th century Rebecca Day Student News editor

The University of Glasgow is beginning plans to reconstruct the Western Infirmary hospital site as part of a huge renovation project to extend the campus. The site was recently bought by the university and talks are now taking place to decide what to do with the space. The renovation project is part of a £700 million development plan for Glasgow’s hospitals. The university released a statement claiming the reconstruction will constitute: “The biggest redevelopment of the university campus since the move to Gilmorehill in 1870.” A consultation session for students and staff will be held next week, to allow students to air their views on how the space should be utilised. This will be the first of a series of consultation meetings throughout the year. The university is remaining tight-

lipped on initial plans and the cost of the renovation, but SRC vice-president of media and communications, Craig Angus, is excited by the prospect of the new development. He said: “The Western Infirmary development is an indicator of a prosperous future for the University of Glasgow. In addition, by moving a large part of the campus down towards the Clyde, it will offer a fantastic opportunity to regenerate the area between Dumbarton Road and the fringe of the city centre. “It’s difficult to comment on what specifically will be done, but the university seem keen to involve students in their consultation. Hopefully future students at Glasgow University will reap the benefits of a redevelopment that is both forward thinking and respectful of a long-standing tradition.” Alison McNaughton, a 4th year History and Spanish student, said: “I think it’s great that the university have

the financial means to develop the campus in this economically unstable environment. “However, as an arts student I’m worried that the university will only invest into departments like science and business as they see them as more profitable areas of study. “I hope it doesn’t detract from current departments that are struggling, yet are equally as enriching and vital to providing a holistic further education. Glasgow University prides itself on offering a range of subjects to study, and this rich educational environment is, for me, more important than making money.”

Beth Chalmers

The student and staff consultation will be held on Wednesday 20 February at the Welcome Point, John McIntyre Building. The session will run from 10am to 7pm. To get in touch with the renovation team, email: estates-strategy@glasgow.ac.uk

Unknown Burns manuscripts uncovered Academics hail discovery of unseen manuscripts shedding light on the private life of Scotland’s well-known poet Kirsten Waller Academic News editor, Edinburgh

Carrying out research in the field of literature can be a relatively predictable task. Unlike science, it is rare for new discoveries to be made, either on a ground-breaking or small scale. The body of knowledge is not constantly being added to by previously unknown facts and theories, as most primary sources have already been found and catalogued. The study of poetry, plays and novels usually involves careful reanalysis of existing documents and arguments, with students and scholars keen to find a new angle from which to approach well-known works. So when a previously unseen, or famously lost document is unearthed, it can be incredibly exciting – a oncein-a-lifetime chance to get a more accurate picture of writers long dead. The writer in question is Robert Burns, and the find comprises seven documents: four letters; some from Burns, some from his close friends, two poetic manuscripts and one epistle addressed to Burns himself. The papers were found in a copy of ‘The Works of Robert Burns’, edited by W. Scott Douglas, dating from 187779. The book is thought to have been in the possession of William Paterson, Douglas’ publisher, and it is thought that some of the papers may have at one time been owned by Dr William Maxwell, Burns’ physician and personal friend. Indeed, one of the letters, previously unpublished, is from Maxwell to Clarinda (otherwise known as Mrs McLehose) – a very intimate correspondent of Burns’, despite being a married woman. The letter consists of Clarinda begging for the return of her notes, in case they should be published and her infidelity revealed to her husband. She also asks Maxwell for details of Burns’

last moments, as the physician was present when the poet died. Professor Gerry Carruthers, CoDirector of the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Robert Burns Studies, spoke of the impact that the manuscripts could have on how scholars viewed, among other things, Burns’ death and creative process. Carruthers stated that “the Maxwell-McLehose exchange [brings] poignant and important additional detail to the immediate aftermath of Burns’ death and its effect on those whom he had loved.” He added: “it is very exciting that such lost manuscript material continues to emerge in the 21st century.” The researcher responsible for this excitement is Chris Rollie, a conservationist for RSPB Scotland and a Burns enthusiast. Born and brought up in New Cumnock in Ayshire, Rollie first started reading Burns as a teenager; and a passionate hobby soon became a part-time professional occupation. In an interview with The Journal, Rollie described himself as “pretty steeped in [Burns for] most of my adult life.” He has published a number of articles and several books on the subject, including Robert Burns in England, focusing on the time the poet spent travelling away from his native land. Rollie describes Burns studies as a small field, a fact that will seem surprising to some, given the cultural and popular clout that the poet wields in Scotland. “There are people interested in Burns all around the world but in terms of [a] degree of study and expertise...there are a number but not all of them are academics.” Having established a reputation as a reliable source on Burns-related texts, Rollie received a phone call in 2010 from an old friend, enquiring about a 19th Century copy of ‘The Works...’ that had been in her house for decades. He receives such calls relatively regularly, and says that usually,

the results are disappointing. “99 times out of 100, I have to let them down gently and say, well they might be very nice […] but they’ll probably be of very little monetary value and even less scholarly value, because there were thousands of them produced.” However, something about the way the texts were described made him take notice: “there was just something she said that made me want to have a look…she came, had tea and [once alone] I got the books out and had a look at them...” “...within 15 minutes I could see that there was original material in there...these were really special.” The book was bought by James Boyd - presumably after it had passed out of the possession of William Paterson. Originally from Paisley, Boyd was in the textile business, and moved to Kintyre in the early 20th Century. He was a prolific collector of both Scottish art and Scottish literature and filled his home, Carskiey House, with extensive examples of both. After his death in 1915, Boyd’s house was sold twice, in 1947 and 1963; both times with full contents, meaning the original collection was preserved more or less intact. The lost manuscripts had been bound into the book sometime after publication — why is uncertain — and remained unexamined for almost 50 years until Rollie examined them. The book was re-examined by specialist antiquarian dealers, who confirmed that the documents were indeed original. They were then sold to a private collector. Rollie says he feels lucky to have been able to examine the manuscripts, and to have made sure that they didn’t remain ignored for ever: “They might just have been sold with the house [and then] who knows how long they might have sat there with the new owners of the house not being interested and not realising...It’s a chance

in a lifetime really; I feel very privileged to have been involved in it.” Having been able to further examine the texts after they were sold, Rollie gave a small summation of his findings at the World Burns Federation Conference in Peebles in 2011. He has recently delivered a much more extensive paper at the Glasgow Burns Conference, on 12 January. Among other findings revealed were a series of corrections to ‘Phillis the fair’, one of the songs that Burns composed, and the re-discovery of Address to a Woodlark, which was

presumed lost. As he put it, “it’s fair to say it’s caused a fair bit of interest.” Burns clearly holds a special place for Rollie, as he seems to for many people in Scotland and further afield. When asked what he thinks it is that sparks this often very personal attachment, Rollie states it very plainly: “he appeals to just about everyone; regardless of their colour, creed or background.” Given the enthusiasm that has already been shown in his findings, it seems unlikely that fans of Burns will be losing interest any time soon.

8 / NATIONAL POLITICS

@GlasgowJournal / journal-online.co.uk

The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

UK launches formal inquiry into independence Legal advice collected by the UK government conflicts with previous assertions of pro-independence camp Scottish Labour

Jon Vrushi Comment editor, Edinburgh

The UK government formally

NUS Scotland cross swords with Labour over Sarwar comments Union incensed by Labour deputy leader’s remarks on tuition fees in a speech in Glasgow, as party figures go on the defensive Greg Bianchi News editor, Edinburgh

NUS Scotland president Robin Parker has criticised a speech by the deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party Anas Sarwar, in which the Labour MP seemed to suggest that the Scottish Government was wrong to focus on free tuition fees over success rates in Scottish schools. Meanwhile, the deputy convener of the Scottish government education committee has moved to defend Mr Sarwar. In a speech at Gorbals church in Glasgow, Mr Sarwar decried the issue of many Scottish students being failed in their basic education. He criticised the SNP for focusing “relentlessly on free tuition fees while ignoring the needs of pupils from the most deprived areas who have little or no chance of getting to university.” In a response seen by The Journal, president of NUS Scotland Robin Parker criticised the Labour MP’s statement, saying: “It’s extremely disappointing to see the Scottish Labour Party, yet again, seeming to threaten to introduce tuition fees into Scotland. Scottish Labour stood on a manifesto pledge ruling out any kind of fees ‘up-front or back-end’ for higher education in Scotland and every single

Scottish Labour MSP signed up to a personal pledge to students to rule out tuition fees. “Their assumption seems to be that many of our poorest people don’t currently have the talent or potential to make it to university. That’s not just offensive, it’s wrong, and plays to the worst of many right-wing commentators.” Following this statement by the NUS, the deputy convener for the Scottish education committee Neil Findlay defended Mr Sarwar. Speaking to The Journal, Mr Findlay defended his Labour colleague’s remarks, saying: “NUS Scotland have got this completely wrong — it is the Scottish Government that is cutting college budgets, sacking lecturers and support staff and reducing places for part time student by 85,000. Scottish Labour’s policy has not changed – we need an honest debate about how fund education and our other public services - knee jerk reactions and misrepresentations like that of Robin Parker do not help!” Mr Sarwar’s speech was aimed at setting out his and Scottish Labour’s opposition to both the SNP-controlled administration in Holyrood and the coalition government in Westminster. He suggested that many Scottish people had lost faith in both their governments.

During the speech, the deputy leader also claimed that there is a divide in Scottish education. Citing statistics, Mr Sarwar stated that “in 2011 only 50 young people from Scotland’s poorest areas got 5 As at higher level” and went on to criticise the First Minister, stating: “So while Alex Salmond plays politics when talking about the right to a free education being written into a Scottish Constitution — by his own actions now in failing to tackle inequalities — he is actively denying thousands of young people access to something he says is a right.” Despite these claims, NUS Scotland has suggested that Mr Sarwar’s comments are overtly divisive and unhelpful. In the same statement, Mr Parker conceded that “cuts to colleges are unacceptable” but went on to stress that he felt Scottish Labour “playing colleges and universities off of each other is simply playing Scottish communities against each other, something Scottish Labour accuse others of doing.” The Scottish Labour Party has come under pressure from student organisations in the past. During the debates on raising tuition fees for rest of UK (RUK) students, there was much finger-pointing by student protesters towards Labour, who were criticised for introducing fees in the first place.

launched the Scotland analysis programme on Monday 11 February in a bid to equip Scottish citizens with information surrounding the debate on Scottish independence. The UK government website says that the Scotland analysis programme will: “provide comprehensive and detailed analysis of Scotland’s place in the UK,” and will “set out the facts about a range of constitutional, economic and policy issues that are critical to considering Scotland’s future.” The executive summary of the analysis says that: “It is crucial that the referendum debate is properly informed. People in Scotland expect and deserve good information on which to base their decision.” The first publication in the series, ‘Scotland analysis: devolution and the implications of Scottish independence’, is concerned with the legal implications of an affirmative vote in the 2014 referendum. The document is made up of an analysis paper which examines the UK’s constitutional setup as well as the legal implications of independence and a legal opinion written by two international law experts and endorsed by the UK government. The legal opinion argues that an independent Scotland would have to create a new set of domestic and international arrangements as well as re-apply for EU membership. Conversely, it argues that the UK would not have to negotiate new international treaties or memberships. Referring to the paper, Michael Moore, the Scottish secretary, said: “our paper is very clear: independence would end devolution. It is not an extension of it. But devolution is not just about the things that are devolved to the Scottish Parliament. It is also about the things that are looked after at Westminster. Devolution means that Scots can continue to benefit from being part of a larger UK.” However, first minister Alex Salmond has consistently stated that both Scotland and the rest of the UK would be two new states following Scottish independence. In our previous edition, The Journal reported on an interpretation of public law, propagated by Ambassador Professor David Scheffer, which supports Salmond’s claim.

ANALYSIS /

A GATHERING STORM? So far, the position of both the

UK and Scottish governments has been that in the case of an affirmative vote, the process of separation would be guided by friendly negotiations between London and Edinburgh. However there is a major caveat to that point; that these negotiations should lead to a consensual agreement. Following the publication of the first ‘Scotland analysis’, it is clear that the Scottish and UK governments are endorsing two conflicting points of view. The implications of this could be very serious because unless the two governments converge to a mutual consensus, it will be down to the international community to resolve matters. Once put to the international community, one might expect that the decision will be a political one, influenced by diplomatic manoeuvers and lobbying. Considering the greater diplomatic power that the rest of the UK would wield in comparison to Scotland, it is very likely that a Scottish government will find itself ill at ease with such an exercise in diplomacy. Furthermore, the fact that countries such as the USA, Spain and, to a certain extent, France have all but discouraged wholesale independence could put Scotland at a greater disadvantage.

The central argument of that interpretation was that both Scotland and the rest of the UK would be co-equal successor states. For the time being, the Scottish and UK governments have chosen to endorse conflicting legal interpretations regarding Scottish independence. Over the next year and a half, the Scotland analysis programme will also look in detail at other issues including but not limited to: the UK’s place in the world, energy, welfare and pensions.

CENSORSHIP SCANDAL RUMBLES ON Furore over Edinburgh students’ union’s censorship of The Student newspaper continues, as sabbs break EUSA’s wall of silence

The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

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LOCAL NEWS / 9

Glasgow shortlisted for 2018 Youth Olympics City to compete against Buenos Aires and Medellin to host Summer Youth Olympic Games four years after Commonwealth Games Gareth Llewellyn Deputy managing editor

Glasgow has been confirmed as one

of three shortlisted cities to host the third Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2018. International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge announced the shortlist which includes South American cities Medellin (Colombia) and Buenos Aires (Argentina). Rotterdam (the Netherlands) and Guadalajara (Mexico) had also submitted bids, but failed to make the shortlist. Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “Glasgow is extremely proud to have been granted the privilege of being shortlisted by the

IOC. We will continue to work hard to show how this city can be a valuable partner of the Olympic Movement to better the lives of young people both here and across the globe. “Glasgow’s commitment to its young people is unwavering as we continue the journey to transform our city and its economy and so create opportunities that can help our young people to become champions in their own lives.” The IOC Executive Board determined the shortlist after reviewing a report by the IOC Working Group chaired by German Olympic silver medallist and world champion fencer, Claudia Bokel after the group had considered files and documentation from the candidate cities.

The shortlisted bids will be subject to further assessment by the Evaluation Commission with video conferences with representatives from the three candidates before a report is submitted to IOC members. Shona Robison, Scotland’s Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, said: “Having the opportunity to host the Youth Olympic Games is hugely exciting for Scotland. Glasgow 2018 will put the aspirations and talents of young people at the centre of the Games, and my congratulations go to the young people at the heart of the Bid. “Being shortlisted by the IOC is a great honour that cements Scotland’s reputation as the perfect stage for world class sporting events. We look forward to

further contact with the IOC as they continue to assess our bid ahead of the final vote in July.” Young people from Glasgow and across the UK celebrated the news Glasgow had successfully made it to the next stage with more than 100 young people gathered in Glasgow Central Station for a contemporary dance flashmob to celebrate the news, calling on the UK public to back the bid to bring the 2018 YOG to Glasgow. Olympic athletes and politicians also hailed the decision and pledged to continue to work to win the vote in July. The bid team, a partnership between the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and the British Olympic Association, has pledged to continue the journey started by London 2012 for the UK and the Olympic Movement and seize a historic opportunity for a guaranteed legacy from last summer’s Games. Britain’s most successful female

rower and London 2012 gold medallist, Katherine Grainger, said: “For many young athletes the Youth Olympic Games will be the first step towards competing at the very highest level and it is fantastic to think that they may be taking those steps in Glasgow. “The city has a proven track record of delivering major international sporting events in world-class facilities in front of passionate crowds - something that any young athlete would respond to. At the same time Glasgow has shown a very real commitment to developing sport at all levels, particularly for young people, making the city the perfect host city for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.” The second Summer Youth Olympic Games will be held in Nanjing in 2014, followed by the second winter edition in Lillehammer in 2016. The host city will be elected on Thursday 4 July, 2013 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Police body unveils plans to make Scotland’s roads safer Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland are to crack down on dangerous drivers nationwide Keira Murray Local News editor

Police officers in Scotland are

cracking down on drivers that are breaking the law in a new campaign that has been launched to keep Scotland’s roads safe. Superintendent Denise Mulvaney from Lothian and Borders Police has announced plans for police officers to target drivers that they deem to be unsafe. She says: “There are many ways in which drivers can put themselves and other roads users at risk —speeding,

failing to obey traffic signals and signs and using a vehicle which is just not fit for the road.” On Wednesday 13 February, police forces across Scotland took part in a day of action commissioned by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS), which allowed officers to target dangerous drivers. Targets of the scheme include uninsured drivers and those failing to wear seatbelts, as well as those using their mobile phone whilst driving. Also, police will crack down on cars that are not fit for the road, such as those with worn out

tyres or mechanical defects, that can be fatal for other road users. While the overall death toll on Scotland’s roads has fallen to its lowest level since records began, experts say more could be done to reduce fatalities on the most dangerous stretches. Neil Greig, director of policy and research at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, says human error is the biggest cause of road accidents, but that there is a “strong case” for improving road design. He said: “Most people tend to go up and down these roads quite safely, but when things happen on certain roads in

Scotland, the outcome tends to be very bad.” The campaign is part of the Scottish Police Service’s year-round commitment to reducing the number of casualties on our roads. Speeding has long been accepted as a major cause of accidents, a factor regularly highlighted by ACPOS. According to the Association of British Insurers, who submitted proposals to the Department for Transport in 2012, one in eight drivers are under 25, but they account for one third of the number of people who die on the country’s roads.

The proposals state that an 18-yearold driver is three times more likely to be involved in a crash than a motorist 30 years older. In 2012, drivers between 17 and 19 were involved in 12,000 crashes, of which more than half resulted in serious or fatal injuries. Mulvaney concluded: “I would encourage all road users to respect the speed limits and drive appropriately for the road conditions and surroundings. The speed limits are there for a reason — to keep you and others safe and all officers will be vigilant to ensure they are obeyed.”

10 / EDITORIAL

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The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

GLASGOW’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER Games funding

Politicians are out of touch with society Last week it was confirmed that Glasgow had been shortlisted to host the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, along with South American cities Buenos Aires and Medellin. Given those choices, most selfrespecting Glaswegians would say that without question, Glasgow will host the Games. While this paper is proud of much of our city, we cannot help but question whether hosting the Games is really a further legacy of the 2014 Commonwealth Games or a costly sideshow to justify exorbitant public spending in the name of regeneration. In 2012, we were told that Glasgow would get a new diving pool and BMX

track, because the west of Scotland does not have such facilities, with the remaining facilities coming from pre-existing venues in and around the city. What remains a mystery is how the Scottish Government continues to justify funding 70 per cent of the cost of hosting the games — £161 million — with the city council coughing up the remaining £69 million. We’ve all heard the desperate cries from MSPs and council leaders about cuts from those nasty, unfair, out-oftouch Westminster types in London — the ‘sorry, we can’t fund this, or afford to repair that’ excuses ‘because there has to be savings because of the budget cuts’.

At a time when there are bigger issues facing Glaswegians and fellow Scots across the country, how can the Scottish Government justify spending so much money on an event in its third year that even the most passionate of sports fans would be lying if they claim they had heard of it? The same question is true of the council, who recently scrapped a controversial plan to dress up George Square in time for the Commonwealth Games pageantry. For parties that apparently care about social justice, this smacks of being another crude way of appearing to invest in communities, but that is not their primary aim. It appears one-upmanship

Oscar Pistorius

Resisting the urge of presumption The death of Reeva Steenkamp —

model and girlfriend of Olympic track star Oscar Pistorius, at whose home police found her body — was followed by the predictable press furore. Some publications’ coverage was more sensitive than that of others. Some outdid themselves: The Sun, as usual, provided the most boorish splash, using a full-page photograph of a bikini-clad Ms Steenkamp alongside a headline laden with insinuation. Such seismic news concerning an international icon inevitably prompts pressure for immediate answers, as so many people have invested own personal emotions in one individual. However, that individual is essentially a complete stranger about whom few consumers of the current coverage know the first thing. There may be pressing questions, but there are no clear answers forthcoming.

Horses for main courses...

Forensics teams are far from finished combing Mr Pistorius’ home for evidence; the results of the post-mortem are not to be made public; meanwhile witnesses’ accounts are sought out, seized and distorted prior to the refinement of the court procedure. Nothing definite or positive can come from ‘reading into’ the current reports of Pistorius’ tears in the courtroom as he heard the murder charge, or of the fact that he and Ms Steenkamp had only been involved for a matter of months. The matters of alleged previous police calls to Mr Pistorius’ address and the rumoured presence of numerous weapons in his home should not be presumed relevant. No matter how neatly we think the dots join up, if Mr Pistorius is charged with murder and he contests the charge then there is only one judgement to be made -

and it will not be made by any of us. Such wide-ranging speculation as the past few days have witnessed can quickly gather pace as everyone struggles to comprehend what the tragedy means to them personally. But it is distastefully self-serving to fuel the hearsay with ill-informed arguments, no matter how decent the intentions. Some respectful distance, borne from acknowledgement of our ignorance, is what the current situation requires. Patience is all that will see this matter resolved satisfactorily and, no matter who is guilty and who is innocent, a continuation of such gossip - masquerading as critical analysis - not only does each of us a disservice but will only make the truth that much harder to deal with for those at the centre of this case who, one day, will have to try to resume their lives.

by Jen Owen

is more important, but the reality is that our politicians in Glasgow and Edinburgh are no less out of touch than their London counterparts. What benefit will there be to young families struggling to make ends meet in deprived areas of Edinburgh or Dundee or even across the many areas of Glasgow classes as deprived by hosting the Youth Olympic Games? Before the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council look to turn our city into a goldfish bowl for the a few million people around the world to tune in from afar, they would do well to look after their number one priority and reassess what is really needed to help reduce the gap between the wealthiest and poorest in society. Private investment should be encouraged, not resisted based on spurious political ideologies.

// REACTIONS Northern Ireland “held to ransom” by Belfast rioters Dear Aoife, it’s really important that people (including journalists!) go to the ‘Loyalists Against Democracy’ page and check it out. It is a million miles from ‘hate-filled’ bigotry it parodies and exposes! It is quite patently a send up and a very funny one at that. As a Catholic living in east Belfast and married to a Protestant, it has given us a much needed focus and outlet for humour during these last few weeks of ‘fleg’ protests. The one thing we can say about our wee Norn Iron is that whatever else happens we will never surrender our sense of humour. It is at times like this we need it the most. - E. Dowling, via web. The Anatomy of Autonomy: Scottish identity and nationhood An interesting piece, very much agree Scottish identity (and all human identity) is a very fluid and dynamic thing. One issue though, this statement seemed a wee bit unfair towards the independence movement (although I agree with the sentiment that isolationism is bad) ‘Scottish identity and nationalism should not be a facilitator of an isolationist attitude’. I assure you, the independence movement is not isolationist. Scotland will in all likelyhood remain in the EU, NATO, CoE, the Commonwealth etc. That’s the plan anyways. - Scott Dearden, via web. Please direct all letters, complaints, threats and general rants for publication to letters@journal-online. co.uk. Letters may be edited prior to publication. To contact a specific member of staff, email firstname. lastname@journal-online.co.uk. Alternatively, follow us on Twitter (@EdJournal and @GlasgowJournal) and like us on Facebook.

PUBLISHER Devon Walshe EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Marcus Kernohan MANAGING EDITOR Olivia Pires DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR Gareth Llewellyn MANAGING EDITOR (DIGITAL) David Selby LOCAL NEWS Keira Murray STUDENT NEWS Rebecca Day NATIONAL POLITICS Daniel do Rosario STAFF WRITERS Aoife Moore, Rachael McHard, Émer O’Toole, Hannah Rodger, Colm Currie, Hollie Jones, Gemma Clark, Stef Millar, Lorne Gillies FEATURES Katie O’Hara DEPUTY EDITOR (ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT) Lorne Jackson MUSIC Harris Brine Jamie Brotherston FILM Blair C. Dingwall FASHION Nadine Walker BOOKS John Hewitt Jones STAFF WRITERS Jonathan Whitelaw, Lauren Simpson, Connor Macgregor DEPUTY EDITOR (SPORT) Craig W. Ritchie ASSISTANT EDITOR (SPORT) Sean McGowan STAFF WRITERS Callum Carson, Kierran Allardice, Kieran Thomas PICTURE EDITOR Christopher Rubey STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Jassy Earl Beth Chalmers Malgosia Stelmaszyk LAYOUT DIRECTOR Alina Mika GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kristin Yordanova MARKETING DIRECTOR Andrew Robinson SALES Arran Walshe Charles Beare

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COMMENT// 11

DISCUSSION&DEBATE

COMMENT

Workfare does not work — and isn’t fair The government’s back-to-work schemes are a convoluted shambles that only help large corporations Charles Beare

ECAP

The coalition’s workfare scheme has been one of the

goverment’s most high-profile policy directives since they came to power. On the face of it, the idea sounds great. For those long-term unemployed, why not get them back into the practice of working for hard-earned money? A way to end the culture of welfare dependency and preventing benefits fraud at the same time not to mention discouraging the proliferation of so- called ‘benefits tourism’, which has apparently plagued our nation since the introduction into the EU of countries filled to the brim with lazy do-nothings. What could be a more sensible method to kick start the Big Society? This is no new idea, implemented in the United States, Australia and Canada to name but a few. What selfrespecting Daily Mail reader could possibly disagree with such a scheme? Sarcasm aside, to that end the coalition has introduced a plethora of schemes, all with different sets of qualifying atttributes which mean that almost anyone can be referred to these ingenious ‘hand-up, not handout’ contrivances. The Work Programme, the Mandatory Work Activity and BacktoWork are but a few of the programmes that fall under this umbrella scheme, which ultimately provide free labour to large businesses who do not have need of it. There have even been well-publicised cases of individuals losing their jobs only to be then forced by the programme to work the very same job, only this time without the benefit of being paid for their effort. Perhaps justifiably, the implementation of this policy has come under a great deal of criticism from those liberal socialists whose agenda wishes only that the state provide all things for nothing to everyone. So much so, that the government has continuously had to reimagine the policy in response to legal challenges, which assert that the policy is needlessly punitive and does in fact not attain its stated objective — that is, to help people back into paid employment and provide training. Instead the policy drives many into a form of unpaid ‘forced labour’, leaving those unwilling to play ball in destitution by way of sanctions. The backlash to the plain defectiveness of the programmes has been such that a large number of companies have disengaged with the workfare system fearing the justified damage it has done their ethical reputation. In the last week, an important judgement has been handed down which may pave the way to rescinding (or once again restructuring) the workfare programme. Cait Reilly, a

24-year-old geology graduate with ambitions to work in museums, had found herself a voluntary position working at a museum in order to provide herself with the work experience necessary to gain a foothold in an industry befitting her training. The Jobcentre was fully aware that she was doing this voluntary work, but decided that it would be a far better expenditure of her time to send her on a ‘mandatory’ scheme to stack shelves unpaid in Poundland. Quite apart from the fact that the Jobcentre had done nothing to help her find relevant work, Ms Reilly already had plenty of experience in shelf stacking. Furthermore, it turns out that the placement was in fact not mandatory at all and that she had either been deliberately misled or that the regulations concerning these workfare schemes are so convoluted as to render Jobcentre staff incapable of making appropriate referrals. The judgement held that the scheme had breached Ms Reilly’s human rights protecting her from forced labour. The implications are that all those who have lost benefits through sanctions for not taking part in workfare are entitled to their money back. However, a spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions has said: “We have no intention of giving

What could be a more sensible way to kickstart the Big Society? What selfrespecting Daily Mail reader could possibly disagree? back money to anyone who has had their benefits removed because they refused to take getting into work seriously. We are currently considering a range of options to ensure this does not happen.” In a typical display of the Old Boys Club mentality of conservative party thought, Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, attacked her as a ‘job snob’ and dismissed critics of the scheme as a ‘commenting elite... [with] an unjustified sense of superiority’. Apparently, Duncan Smith has

no sense of irony. For her part, Ms Reilly has stated publicly that “I don’t think I am above working in shops like Poundland. I now work part-time in a supermarket. It is just that I expect to get paid for working.” As noted by Tom Walker, employment law partner at Manches, “This judgment upholds what is perhaps the key tenet of employment, namely the ‘work wage bargain’... If someone gives their labour to a company, they should be paid for it. However wellintentioned a workplace scheme may be, it is very dangerous to introduce compulsory unpaid labour into the UK employment market”. Prior to the implementation of the workfare policy, the government commissioned its own report into the likely effectiveness of the scheme, including data from similar schemes in other countries. The conclusions were not promising: “There is little evidence that workfare increases the likelihood of finding work. It can even reduce employment chances by limiting the time available for job search and by failing to provide the skills and experience valued by employers... Workfare is least effective in getting people into jobs in weak labour markets where unemployment is high.”

In a government which had any interest in facts, this would signal a necessary rethink of policy, but in timehonoured tradition, the coalition ploughed forward (similar intransigence was seen late last year with the crossparty report on drugs policy). Recent figures from the ONS show that the discrepancy between the number of unemployed and those claiming out- of-work benefits is now at its highest since 1992, when there was virtual parity. So how are those unemployed who are not claiming jobless entitlements providing for themselves? In a system that favours cutting welfare costs over increasing employment numbers, it seems that the coalition is working not to help the citizens who voted them into office, but instead to ‘boost’ the economy by helping large corporations to lower their costs with free labour in the hope that GDP figures will convince us that their policies are having the desired effect, while ignoring the fact that numbers of people in poverty are rising and income inequality is at its highest in years. Perhaps it is too much to hope that a Conservative-led government may one day learn that ‘trickle down’ economics has been both discredited and led to some of the worst social mobility that our nation has seen.

12 / FEATURES

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The Anatomy of Autonomy

PART III: SECURITY AND DEFENCE

YOUR WEE BIT HILL AND GLEN

Unionists and nationalists argue their cases for the future of Scotland’s defence

Ministry of Defence

Humza Yousaf

Scottish National Party The foreign, defence and security

policies that an independent Scotland would pursue are a subject of interest not just to those who, like many students in Scotland, will vote in next year’s referendum, but to our neighbours and friends around the world. Scotland is recognised as a country with a strong and enduring commitment to democracy, the rule of law and fundamental human rights. Under devolution our involvement in international development and climate justice has demonstrated the kind of ambitions the Scottish Parliament has and the role many of us see Scotland playing in the world, yet with independence our roles and responsibilities would reach much further than they do now. For many people in Scotland, myself included, the decisions taken by the UK on defence and security are one of the reasons we favour independence. It’s a decade since hundreds of thousands of Scots marched against the war in Iraq. A war that the UK entered without the intelligence to back up its claims of weapons of mass destruction. Scots clearly opposed entry into the Iraq war but without the powers to make our own decisions we were left looking on as the UK government acted in our name. One option under independence would be to enshrine in a written constitution the grounds on which Scotland’s defence forces could enter overseas action. Similarly whilst the UK prioritises spending on nuclear weapons with independence Scotland would secure the powers to remove from our nation both the financial cost – estimated to the Scottish taxpayer at around £163 million each year

– and the moral burden of Trident nuclear weapons. Scotland could realise the opportunities that cancelling Trident would bring, by developing Faslane into a conventional naval base and by investing in the conventional defence forces, public services, jobs and infrastructure projects that a progressive and socially just Scotland would need. As with any independent state, Scotland would need to secure our borders, land, airspace and sea, deter attacks and protect our citizens and assets. We will protect our wider national interests and economic well-being, alongside promoting the key values and underlying principles that support Scottish society and our way of life. We would maintain strong links with the rest of the UK, with Ireland and our closest neighbours, reflecting our cultural history and family ties, our shared interests in trade and security. But an independent Scotland would make defence and security decisions in line with the values and interests of its people, and would take its international defence and security responsibilities seriously, working together with allies and partners through bilateral relations and key international institutions. Our international engagement could be an opportunity to increase respect and understanding in relation to human rights worldwide, and to advocate socially just foreign, defence and security policies. Work on defence and security in an independent Scotland is being taken to develop responses and a model for defence and security functions that would meet the needs of Scotland in the 21st century. The Scottish Government will publish a series of papers, covering the main arguments for independence, leading to the publication of a White Paper this autumn that will set out the government’s proposals for an independent Scotland. Humza Yousaf is the Scottish Government’s minister for external affairs.

Willie Rennie

Scottish Liberal Democrats “We want peace. We want a peace

which will be just, but not vindictive… Above all, we want to protect the future against a repetition of the horrors of this war…” Speaking to the Commons before he left for the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 Lloyd George sold the virtues of global unity to MPs, many of whom had cut their teeth in the days of Splendid Isolation. Four years of war across and between Europe, across the Aisne, on the shores of the Gallipollo Peninsula, and to the Dalmatian coast had made clear that John Donne was right when he proclaimed no man is an island entire of itself. It was this new understanding of interdependency in a shrinking world that put the UK on a path which would see it become a founding member of the League of Nations and onto a permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council. It’s the same path that led to the United Kingdom becoming a senior member of Nato and a member of the G8 and the G20. It is a path of achieving power and of understanding of how to use that clout responsibly. Each nation within the UK has helped shape its journey. Each nation benefits from working closely together in pursuit of common values and aspirations. As part of the UK, Scotland benefits from a comprehensive military defence system that ensured the UK’s safe passage throughout the turbulent 19th and 20th centuries. It was our soldiers in the Black Watch who spearheaded the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, secur-

ing the first Allied return to Europe. It was our soil on the banks of the Clyde and under the runways at Lossiemouth which gave security to our partnership of nations during Khrushchev’s and Brezhnev’s grip over the Eastern bloc. In more recent and testing times, it was a Scot who bankrolled the contentious war in Iraq. Gordon Brown. The nationalists blame the rest of the UK for all of our ills but gloss over Scotland’s role and the role of Scots in those bad decisions. It was a Scot, Alex Salmond, who wanted to leave the Kosovans high and dry in their hour of need. It was the Scottish Parliament which gave a further stamp of approval to the Iraq war. For good and for bad, Scots have stood together with the rest of the UK. In addition to our security, which employs thousands in Scotland, the UK uses its clout in the world to secure peace against the conflicts of tomorrow. The advancement of climate change and a population which doubled to over six billion people in the last thirty years of the 20th century will pose tremendous challenges to our food and natural resources. With our influential seat at the UN we have lead the way on efforts to reduce the impact of climate change in developing countries, bringing order and making progress at the Cancun climate change conference and providing £2.9 billion through the international change fund. Bolstered by the world’s biggest diplomatic network, it is Scots in East Kilbride working in the Department for International Development who deliver that aid budget and steer change which saves lives. Scotland benefits from being part of the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom benefits Scotland being within it. Nearly 100 years on from the Paris Peace Conference, the same partnership of nations which steered through wars over centuries across the world received

THIS WEEK WE TURN OUR ATTENTION TO THE DELICATE ISSUE OF SECURITY AND DEFENCE. AS WITH MANY OTHER DIMENSIONS OF THE INDEPENDENCE DEBATE WE BELIEVE THAT THE VOTERS MUST BE EQUIPPED WITH THE BASIC KNOWLEDGE ON THE FUTURE OF THE DEFENCE OF SCOTLAND BEFORE THEY VOTE IN THE REFERENDUM. WE HAVE TRIED TO DIVERT THE FOCUS FROM THE DOMINANT DISCUSSION ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT IN FAVOUR OF OTHER CONSIDERATIONS. THE SCOTTISH CAMPAIGN FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT (SCND), IS PUSHING FORWARD THE IDEA THAT IF AN INDEPENDENT SCOTLAND SAYS NO TO TRIDENTS, THE REST OF THE UK WOULD ALSO BE DEPRIVED OF A NUCLEAR DETERRENT FOR AT LEAST 15-20 YEARS, GIVEN THAT THE UK WOULD BE UNABLE TO STATION NUCLEAR SUBMARINES ELSEWHERE IN THE ISLAND. WHILE WE RECOGNISE THIS ASPECT OF THE DISCUSSION AND RESPECT THE EFFORTS OF THE SCND WE DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE IS SUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO SPECULATE ON SUCH AN ISSUE. IF AND WHEN THE UK GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES AN OFFICIAL REPORT ON THE ISSUE WE WILL REPORT AND COMMENT. ON THIS PAGE, MR WILLIE RENNIE, CHAIRMAN OF THE SCOTTISH LIBERAL DEMOCRATS AND MR HUMZA YOUSUF, MINISTER FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS IN THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT, ARGUE WHETHER SCOTTISH SECURITY AND DEFENCE WOULD BE BETTER LOOKED AFTER AS PART OF THE UK OR UNDER AN INDEPENDENT SCOTLAND. OFFERING AN EXPERT OPINION, MR STUART CRAWFORD, WHO SERVED AS AN ARMY OFFICER FOR OVER 20 YEARS BEFORE BECOMING A DEFENCE CONSULTANT, ANALYSES THE FUTURE OF AN INDEPENDENT DEFENCE FORCE IN SCOTLAND AND HOW FEASIBLE IT WILL BE FOR IT TO CARRY OUT THE CRUCIAL TASKS OF A NATIONAL ARMY. a Nobel Peace Prize as part of the European Working IN Union. FIGURES / together at home and in the world has brought us stability and protected us when enemies took on different guises as broad ideological

SCOTS AT WAR

11,190

Military personnel in Scotland.

Scottish regiments in the Army.

Soldiers from Scottish regiments killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 — 6.6% of the total British death toll.

31.5%

Percentage of the MoD’s total land holdings located in Scotland. groups rather than states. As part of the UK, Scotland can ensure that we use our clout responsibly and as a force for good. On climate change, intervening in international conflict when we can’t just stand aside, and with international aid saving the lives of millions of children and educating more, the United Kingdom will continue to lead the way to guarantee some shelter against the uncertainties of tomorrow. With Scotland driving that force, we can look towards a closer and more stable world and not back to Splendid Isolation. Willie Rennie is the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

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FEATURES / 13

NEXT ISSUE (out Wednesday 6 March): SOCIAL POLICY

THE DEFENCE OF THE REALM

A former army officer and defence expert explores the shape a Scottish Defence Force might take

Stuart Crawford Defence consultant

The looming Scottish independ-

ence referendum throws up a number of interesting questions: one of the most interesting is whether Scotland could run its own defence forces if it were an independent state. To answer that we have to start at the beginning, and ask ourselves what defence forces are actually for. Conventional wisdom is that they have two main functions; to defend the state and its national interests against external aggression, and, less popular in these politically correct times, to preserve the democratically elected government of the day against undemocratic internal subversion, attack, and insurrection. Aside from these two main functions, all other military commitments are a matter of choice. This is where foreign policy plays its part. Here we have to take an educated guess, for there is no statement of foreign policy of an independent Scotland for obvious reasons. So let’s just assume that there would be no hankering after our shared Imperial past, and we would be happy to relinquish any residual ambitions to be a global player and be content with a European regional focus. That’s not to say that Scotland might not choose to contribute to world military affairs, but almost certainly not on its own. And it would need to be able to have some sort of mechanism for extracting Scottish nationals from various places around the world if things turned nasty. But, again, not necessarily on its own. So, for argument’s sake, let’s assume that

an independent Scotland would adopt a Eurocentric defence posture with the facility to influence global events in conjunction with others, if it so chose. So, how would we design our armed forces to suit? Well, we can say pretty confidently that there would be no place for Trident, or our ‘share’ of it; there’s no appetite in Scotland for it, and arguably the UK’s ‘independent nuclear deterrent’ is neither independent, as it could never be used without US approval, nor a deterrent (who seriously believes it would be used against them? The Taliban? I don’t think so.) Then we have to consider what we are actually defending, apart from our people, Scotland’s most precious asset. What do we have that other people might want, or seek to disrupt, disable or destroy? This is a bit of an academic exercise because, aside from the normal small-scale terrorist threat of the likes of Al Quaeda and dissident Irish groups, plus the outside chance that organised crime might up its game several notches, there is no real credible military threat to Scotland. We have only a few strategic assets that might be coveted by hostile nations. Our energy sources are the obvious one, perhaps, comprising the oil and gas fields offshore and the refining facility at Grangemouth. Then there are the fishing grounds, which have been fought over before. Also, I suppose, we should include the last vestiges of the shipbuilding industry on the Clyde and Forth, plus some of the electronic manufacturing plants in the central belt. But that’s about it. Our whisky and tourism industries may be major revenue earners and have a worldwide reputation, but nobody’s going to invade Scotland to take them over. Similarly, that new panacea for all

‘We have to consider what we are actually defending, apart from our people, Scotland’s most precious asset... aside from the normal small-scale terrorist threat, there is no real credible military threat to Scotland.’ Scotland’s economic woes, the renewables sector, is hardly at risk; I can’t see anyone trying to capture any offshore wind farms, can you? What Scotland does have, though, is an important geopolitical position which influences regional and global communications. The country is well placed to influence sea routes through the North Sea, the Irish Sea, and the North Atlantic. It also sits under transatlantic air routes, as the Lockerbie bomb sadly illustrated. Our communications — electronic communications included — are important for the wellbeing of the population and our economic and social survival, and accordingly would require a military capacity to protect them. Taking all of this together, it’s likely that any independent Scottish Defence Force (SDF) would encompass naval, air, and ground forces. The Scottish

Navy would be required to protect the fishing, oil and gas fields, keep the sea routes open, and be able to counter any small to medium scale seaborne threats like inquisitive submarines and spy ships. It might also be required to be involved in extraction of Scottish nationals in peril overseas, but not necessarily without help from others. The scale of naval forces required depends very much on the politics and economics of the day. There would be no need for anything as sophisticated as an aircraft carrier, for example. Two or three frigates, a handful of fishery and coastal protection vessels, and some minesweepers might fit the bill; Faslane and Rosyth are obvious bases. As for air assets, there would be no need for anything as sophisticated as the RAF’s Typhoon fighter. An independent Scotland would require no more than a squadron’s worth of Hawk trainers or F-16 type fighters for its air defence/strike requirements, depending on budget. Helicopters and transport aircraft would be important, as would air/sea rescue helicopters. Leuchars and Lossiemouth are exisiting bases, and civilian airports could also be used. The army has long been Scotland’s most recognisible military asset, most noticeably the Royal Regiment of Scotland (RRS), which boasts 5 regular battalions. Whether all of them would be needed is a moot point. Possibly a future Scottish army might be based on two light brigades, perhaps one regular and one part-time, and comprise, with HQ and supporting person-

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nel, roughly 10,000 soldiers overall. Permanently stationed in Scotland, they would be deployable overseas and available to assist domestically if and when necessary. Barracks in Edinburgh and elsewhere offer plenty of accommodation. An independent Scotland would therefore most likely have modest defence forces. However, they would be more appropriate for a small, modern nation on the edge of Europe in the 21st century. The big question is could Scotland afford even these modest resources? The recent Royal United Services Institute report ‘A’ The Blue Bonnets’, of which I am coauthor, estimates an annual defence budget of £1.84bn per annum. The SNP has said £2.5bn will be their defence budget, so it seems affordable. I have little doubt that an independent Scotland could fund, raise, train, resource and deploy its own credible armed forces. Such forces would be modest in comparison to some, and have a regional as opposed to global focus. Whether the political will exists to go down this path, or whether even the most diehard nationalists now see the wisdom in participating in a UK-wide defence structure, remains to be seen. Stuart Crawford is a former lieutenant colonel in the British Army, who now works as a defence consultant and commentator. He is a former member of and party parliamentary candidate for the Scottish National Party.

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The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

Time to give Roxanne the green light? The Journal considers the difficult question of whether prostitution should be decriminalised, and how to regulate one of society’s great taboos — but more importantly, how to protect sex workers from the dark side of their trade Lorne Gillies Staff writer

Involvement in the sex industry is still seen as taboo and with that taboo comes the danger of forgetting the people who work within the industry — who eventually become victims of their trade. From young women going into sex salons to work or exotic dancing to pay off student loans to women who need to resort to prostitution to fund their drug habits, turning a blind eye to their situation can lead to serious consequences. Prostitution, paying someone for sex, is not regulated in the United Kingdom and is still legal, but activities involved around prostitution are illegal; these include organised sex activities such as pimping and running a brothel. Times are beginning to change — last year members of the Scottish Parliament attempted to bring in a law making prostitution illegal in Scotland, but would this help sex industry workers? Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, proposed the Purchase of Sex Bill to Parliament which was quickly rejected by Holyrood, but this raises the issue on how we can keep sex workers safe if prostitution were to become illegal. Becoming a prostitute, working as an escort or in a brothel cannot be seen as a welcoming career choice for many. The dangers when working on the streets are rife for sex workers. Violence is expected with every

turn, with the Against Violence and Abuse Project (AVA) stating on their website that ‘68 per cent of women in prostitution will experience violence’. Many women who fall into this life have had troubled pasts and require support to get out of the sex industry, or even support on how to care for themselves while working. The legality of prostitution creates a sense of acceptance that some women work the streets — most often as their last option — and that they are protected by the law for their work. Since joining the European Convention of Human Rights Act in 1949, the UK made a promise to ensure that every member of the State’s basic human rights were being upheld. This includes those who work in the sex industry. Even though prostitution is legal in the UK there is still a taboo which leads to more danger for sex workers. How do they know that if they become a victim of violence or rape they will not be judged by authorities? SlutWalk is an organisation which works, unfunded, to help women who are victimised for being raped, as well as supporting the legality of sex workers. The first SlutWalk march took place in April 2011, in Toronto, Canada to show unity towards the victims of rape and the workers and former workers of the sex industry. SlutWalk London 2012 held walks to highlight that women who are raped are not at fault — no matter what situation it happened in, and to ensure

that sex workers feel safe and have the same opportunities as every other person. A member of SlutWalk London, Anastasia Richardson, described what the criminalisation of prostitution would mean for sex workers. She said: “Criminalisation is the single biggest obstacle to sex workers staying safe from rape. Sex workers don’t report rapists because they know that since they are criminalised by the law, the police will pursue them for prostitution offences rather than pursuing their violent attackers.” Working in the tabooed industry means that sex workers are constantly at risk due to the fact that their attackers may never be prosecuted. Richardson continued: “This means that rapists go free to rape again, knowing that the law fully condones their actions. “Rapists have actually told the police that they attacked sex workers because they didn’t think sex workers would report.” If MSPs tried to pass a law to criminalise prostitution again, how many women would be failed by the system and sent to prisons, or be victims of violence but too afraid to speak up? The AVA website states that ‘street prostitution is estimated to be ten times more dangerous than working from a house or flat’ and this is why safety for sex workers must be ensured; prostitutes must know that they can rely on the police and government to help them through violent attacks. Making prostitution illegal would

Trey Ratcliff

mean many dangers for sex workers. The risk of violence would be even greater, there would be less remorse towards people who were attacked and it would also mean working alone would become more dangerous for sex workers. Richardson concluded: “The criminalisation of clients would also make sex workers more vulnerable to rape, as sex workers wouldn’t be able to check if clients were dangerous or not

as they would have to take the client straight away to stay secret.” The government needs to ensure vulnerable sex workers are kept safe and protected by authorities, despite their profession. To make prostitution illegal in Scotland, and even the rest of the UK, the industry would become even more tabooed and hide vulnerable women, whose lives are in danger, due to their potential ‘illegal behaviour’.

2013 Academy Awards: Roll out the red carpet This year’s Oscars race is the most open in recent memory, argues one of The Journal’s resident film critics Nathanael Smith Film editor, Edinburgh

Many serious film fans look down

on the Oscars, dismissing them as irrelevant and not representative of the quality of films in any given year. They have a point — the Academy is just one select group of (mostly old, white and male) industry insiders who arbitrarily decide to name some films as being better than others. The heavy weighting towards a certain kind of cinema – prestigious, American, emotionally manipulative —further shows that this only reflects a tiny portion of what film has to offer. Add to that a history of really bad decisions and the Oscars become increasingly unimportant. Yet every year, when awards season rolls round, the allure of red carpets and lengthy self-congratulatory ceremonies proves too strong for most. Speculation as to possible winners is rife, and there is always a latent fear that a rubbish film may just take it (a fear that was realised in 2005 when Crash won Best Picture). It’s a night of pretty people and pretty dresses, and around three hours

dedicated to talking about and celebrating cinema. However much people complain, we love it really. This year is no exception, and the buzz that builds up before the Oscars is even bigger this time as it is arguably the most open race in years. People with a fondness for betting on these awards have no idea where to begin. While Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln) and Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables) have already cleared a space on their mantelpiece for their Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress statuettes respectively, other categories are far more hotly fought. Emmanuelle Riva’s shock win at the BAFTAs for Amour could see the 85-year-old French actress win again, ahead of favourites Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) and Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook). Perhaps most unpredictable of all is Best Picture. Traditionally a film needs to also have Best Director and Best Editing nominations in order to win Best Picture, setting up Stephen Spielberg’s Lincoln to take the big prize. Yet Ben Affleck’s taut, Iran-set thriller Argo has won every other major award, making

it favourite to win on the night even without a Director nomination for Affleck. Ang Lee and Michael Haneke, also, cannot be ruled out for Life of Pi and Amour. Plus, there is that horrible suspicion that the rather trite mental health comedy Silver Linings Playbook could come and sweep all the awards. So with such a difficult awards race to call, film fans around the country will inevitably be glued to their screens at 1am, watching a dodgy stream of E! online as they wait to see if their predictions are right, or whether their favourite film wins anything. For what it’s worth, this writer would love to see the unthinkable happen and for Benh Zeitlin’s magicalrealist fairy tale Beasts of the Southern Wild to win on the night. One final tip: for the risky gamblers it might be worth putting money on Fast and Furious 6 to win Best Picture next year. It’s a shoo-in. What are your Oscars predictions? Log on to Twitter or Facebook, or comment on the website, and let us know.

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The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

The EU is speaking — so why isn’t the UK listening? With the lowest voter turnout of all regional elections, the European Union seems to be at the bottom of people’s list of priorities. Given that it’s one of the most powerful organisations in the world, surely that shouldn’t be the case?

Sean McGowan

You couldn’t list the roles and

responsibilities of the European Union (EU) on just one page, nor the benefits it brings to its members or the amount of times it has bailed out a country or averted a crisis, yet statistics show that the people of Britain — and Scotland in particular — just don’t seem particularly interested. Voter turnout for European Parliament elections has steadily declined across the EU since the first elections in 1979. With an overall voter turnout of 34.5 per cent across the United Kingdom, reaching just 28.5 per cent in Scotland, it doesn’t seem to gather the amount of interest that it warrants. The EU currently has a total of 27 member states — with several more countries hoping for membership — and continues to grow and prosper. As one of the most omnipotent organisations in the world it has the ability to start wars or end them. It has strengthened international relationships and made life easier for its 500 million citizens. So why aren’t people paying more attention? In a recent poll hosted by the Cardonald Courier, a student-run Glasgow newspaper, 46.2 per cent of participants said that they were interested in the EU and its roles and responsibilities, yet 92.3 per cent of them couldn’t name a single one of their regional Members of the European Parliament (MEP). A meagre 15.4 per cent stated that they had ever felt the need to contact them, leaving the majority indifferent to their presence. Worse than this, 65.4 per cent that couldn’t see any way in which the EU was affecting their day-to-day life. The EU has always been reaching out to constituents through MEPs and representatives, so why aren’t more people taking an interest?

Scottish MEP Alyn Smith, whose constituency encompasses the whole of Scotland, thinks the answer is simple: “People that want to know will find a way of knowing,” he says. “The information’s all there. We’ve done our job. It’s up to people to have a look. It’s the same as local politics; if a person’s interested then they’ll keep up-to-date with it. The only problem is that it doesn’t have the same immediacy as local politics, so naturally there’s less of an interest.” But is that really an excuse not to get involved? As society progresses and the world grows more integrated, shouldn’t Britons open their minds to the fact that there are in fact other countries in Europe? Rather than concentrating or our own problems, we should be looking at the bigger picture. With the EU a hot topic for the UK prime minister and the Scottish first minister right now, people ought to know what it is that they’re on about. James Temple-Smithson, head of the Edinburgh Office of the European Parliament, feels that it’s the country’s responsibility to teach pupils about the EU and its dealings. “I think they should be teaching this in schools,” he says in an interview with the Courier. “The people of Britain should have more knowledge of something that affects their daily life; from the restriction of the 60-watt bulb to the legally required labels on the food you buy, the EU will play a part. “I think it’s made more of a problem because the HQ is over in Brussels, so you don’t have that physicality —you can’t see the EU at work — but now, thanks to the internet, you can watch live debates and get more involved. People don’t realise that a lot of the bills passed in parliament are direct results of rules or guidelines set by the EU.” The voter turnout for EU parliamentary elections has decreased in the majority of UK regions since the last

vote in 2004 — down 3.9 per cent across the UK by 2009 —with just three regions seeing less than a 5 per cent increase each in their number of voters. TempleSmithson believes this is a problem that the government should be addressing, especially since it intends to hold a referendum on EU membership. Voters should know what it is they are voting on. The government needs to dispel some of common misconceptions of the EU, and of Britain in the EU. “There seems to be this idea that Britain is leading the EU; that it’s the golden child of Europe,” Temple-Smithson says. “There’s a saying that goes

“There seems to be this idea that Britain is leading the EU; that it’s the golden child of Europe..." around quite often: ‘Germany makes the rules, Britain follows the rules and France breaks them.’ It’s a common misconception that we’re the perfect member and a great example to everyone else but if you look at the amount of guidelines or rules that we follow, we’re not at the top of the list. In fact, France is above us. “We’re by no means the best in Europe. We have a lot to contribute but we have to stop this mentality that we’re better or that we can leave when we want, because eventually the other member states are going to get tired of the constant back and forth. We need to

break all the myths and misconceptions and start understanding what the EU is all about and how we can have a bigger influence on it.” Another discouraging statistic taken from the Courier’s poll is that just under a quarter of the participants could think of three ways in which the EU affected them. Perhaps the lack of knowledge and low voter turnout are connected. If so, where does the problem lie, and how can it be fixed? With another round of European Parliament elections due next year, it’s unlikely that the voter turnout will increase unless the government give more funding to campaigning for it and thrusting it into the public eye. With Euroscepticism rife in Westminster, and a referendum on Britain’s membership due to take place in the next couple of years, Britain’s voters need to get up to speed or else the low voter turnout is likely to remain the same. The EU is a multinational organisation with international influence — it’s one of the most powerful organisations in the world, right up there with NATO and the UN — and if Britain wants to be a part of it, something that has come under questioning in recent times, then it has to make itself a part of it. “If we can help people wrap their heads around the EU and how it works, they’ll be more likely to vote,” says Temple-Smithson. “But we are doing our part; we’re campaigned, we’re getting involved with social media and we’ve got the information up there — but people just don’t seem to be biting.” There’s no point in being a part of something that people aren’t paying attention to, which makes the referendum on EU membership a rational move; it’s just up to the powers that be to make sure that voters possess the requisitelevel knowledge on the subject to make an educated, well-informed decision.

The constant debate on the UK’s membership isn’t going down well with other nations. “A lot of the other member states are beginning to tire of Britain’s ‘hokeycokey’ attitude towards the EU,” says Temple-Smithson, “It all looks a bit childish. Britain needs to decide whether it wants to be one of the leading countries in the European Union or continue to drag its heels. “Though I still believe that when it comes to voter turnout, it’s just as much the individual’s responsibility as it is the government’s; if they want to get involved, it’s up to them to do it. All the information is there if they want it, it’s just getting them to want it that’s the problem.” Having been a part of the EU for nigh on 40 years, Britain is one of its oldest members, yet the Courier’s survey results show that the public isn’t entirely aware of the organisation that is part of this country’s history. With a referendum on Scottish independence, the possibility of being outside the EU following a Yes vote is being debated on throughout the country. But do people actually know what the politicians are talking about? “It’s our job, that’s why we’re in place. People that are interested in politics go into politics so that those without an interest don’t have to pay attention,” says Temple-Smithson. “It would be great if people were more curious about it, but if not then so be it; we just need to carry on with our jobs.” Temple-Smithson is correct in saying that it’s a two-way street, it’s just a question of how the government can get some more traffic from the other direction. With referendums planned on both Scottish independence and EU membership due in the next couple of years, the clock is already ticking.

The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

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Social media: beyond the long arm of the law? Sending a tweet, or posting a Facebook status might seem risk-free, but social networking can have legal pitfalls Katie O’Hara Features editor

Social networking was once considered a lawless land; trolls and cyberbullies could tweet whatever they wanted without any fear of repercussions. However, the consequence-free time of the internet has already started to fade, and, as Facebook, Twitter and Google plan to establish their European bases in Dublin, the future of the internet trolls is beginning to look even more uncertain. Social networking sites, like Twitter and Facebook, were set up as a way for people communicating with friends quickly, or keeping up with long-distance relatives, but soon became a safe haven for cyber-bullies. The bitter and the angry could let off steam directly at celebrities, journalists, classmates and strangers without having to fear a face-to-face confrontation, or any form punishment. Sending a tweet, or posting a Facebook status might seem risk-free, but social networking falls under the same law as all other forms of formal communication. Brian Pillans, media law lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University, explained that most people don’t actually realise that messages on social media can be taken seriously. He said: “Most people treat their

social media messages like they would their conversation down the pub with friends. They might think a message is only for their friends or followers, but it’s in public domain and falls under the same communications laws that a statement made in a newspaper or radio show would.” The move to Ireland will open the internet giants up to EU defamation and privacy laws like never before, but looking back at 2012, there has already been some high-profile cases stemming from defamatory or abusive tweets, which should serve as a warning to bloggers and tweeters who think that they are immune to the law. Probably the most infamous story of 2012, concerning a Twitter libel case, was between ex-Tory party treasurer, Lord McAlpine, and Sally Bercow, wife of the Commons’ speaker. Bercow had sent a tweet linking Lord McAlpine to child sex abuse, and, after weeks of denying that her tweet was defamatory, she is currently being sued by the former Tory politician for £50,000. McAlpine has also stated that he will be going after other “high-profile tweeters” over defamatory statements on the social networking site. It is not just defamatory comments that social network users need to be careful about. Malicious or harassing tweets have also resulted in

repercussions. Over the summer last year, amongst the Olympics festivities, emerged an unusual case when 17-yearold Twitter-user, Reece Messer – who goes by the online name of Riley 69 – discovered that there can be consequences to hateful tweets aimed at celebrities. After Olympic diver, Tom Daley’s final dive, Messer tweeted the Olympian several malicious tweets including ‘you let your dad down I hope you know that’ (the diver’s dad had passed away less than a year previously) and ‘Hope your crying now you should be why cant you ever produce for your country your just a diver anyway a over-hyped p****.’ Daley retweeted Messer’s messages to his followers, which was followed by an outcry from Twitter users and eventually led to police involvement and Messer’s arrest. Facebook and Twitters’ presence in Ireland will make it easier for lawyers to sue the companies on behalf of clients who have been subjected to defamatory or malicious messages. The large majority of internet users aren’t trolls intending on causing harm, but can still face consequences for their tweets and blogs. In response to the McAlpine scandal, Bercow tweeted an apology and has admitted herself that she had been naïve in sending the original tweet, forgetting how many people could see it, or what their reaction

Will Brenner

would be. Pillans says: “There are no immediate plans on the horizon to change the law on social media in regards to protecting the naïve. “However, the CPS [The Crown Prosecution Service] has stated that they would take into account an immediate apology on the platform that the offending message was sent. It’s interesting, though, that there has been nothing like

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that said in Scotland.” So, it might seem like a good idea sending that tweet to Piers Morgan telling him what you really think, but there could be serious consequences. Even if you think the message is only going to be seen by your friends, it can be retweeted or shared countless times, so that spur of the moment tweet could land you in the middle of a lawsuit , or with the police knocking at your door.

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The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

Auteur or autess? A conversation with Laura Colella Blair Dingwall talks to US indie filmmaker Laura Colella about her latest film, Breakfast with Curtis

Blair C. Dingwall Film editor

Emerging into the American indie

scene in the 1990s, Laura Colella’s debut feature Tax Day confirmed her as a filmmaking talent. With 2004’s Staying Until Tomorrow, Harvard graduate Colella established herself internationally as a versatile and intelligent writerdirector, all the while tutoring at the Rhode Island School of Design. It’s late morning when we meet at the Glasgow Film Theatre’s Cafe Cosmo, the establishment’s trademark inner-city serenity shattered by the constant bustle and buzz of avid film lovers. It is, after all, the third morning of the Glasgow Film Festival. Strikingly approachable, intelligent and articulate — even through the jetlag — Colella discusses her new film, Breakfast with Curtis, for which she threw filmmaking convention into the abyss. Blair Dingwall: So how are you liking Glasgow? Laura Colella: I’m having a great time, I just got here yesterday afternoon and saw one film and then went to parties last night. I’m only here for two nights so I was kind of trying to stay on American time. I stayed up until 5 in the morning. B: Breakfast with Curtis is quite unique. Where did the idea come from to include people like friends and neighbours? L: I was trying to get a different project off the ground, it was a bigger budgeted project, and it kept sort of stalling out, and I just wanted to make a film that was very hands-on. And [I] looked around at the sort of great characters and locations around me and said

that could make a story, and I could make it for no budget. It was very attractive [and] satisfying for me because I started out making short films in a much more hands-on way, and then I made two features with sort of big crews which is also fun. [Breakfast with Curtis] I shot it myself, edited myself, I had a little part in it where a couple of other people helped me shoot those parts. So yeah, we had a great time, my friends had a great time doing it too. B: Did you find it a tough or an easy shoot? L: It was a pretty easy shoot. You know it’s never easy, it’s always a tonne of work. That was the easiest time I’ve had on a project just in terms of: I got a couple small grants that covered the whole budget basically and I didn’t have to fundraise on a bigger scale. We didn’t have to sort of wait I just went right into production. When I had the script and I was happy with it I just started right away. That was really great. We work with a tiny skeleton crew all the time, and that made the actors very comfortable and it was a charmed kind of shoot. B: Would you say it’s quite a personal film? Are all your films? L: I think any movie that somebody writes and directs is definitely personal, so I don’t think it’s any more personal really than any other director-driven film. B: This sort of approach has been done in other films, like Slacker, where you just get a camera and sort of go for it; was making Breakfast with Curtis an effort to prove that making films doesn’t have to be overly complex? L: It’s nothing like Slacker, it’s nothing like other movies made in this

way. I think there can be a tendency to try to categorise movies and it usually does the movie a disservice. I’m sorry, I’m just responding to the idea of it being like other movies made in this vein. Not to say, like, ‘my movie’s is unlike anything’, but I think it’s true of any movie that it never helps to sort of put them in a category or genre. That way it’s made doesn’t really affect what it’s about. I know a lot of people see the movie and they have no idea that I used people that I knew in the cast and they thought they were professional actors. I never told my agent that I was working with my neighbours as actors because I didn’t want him to cut me off, he’d think I was crazy! And when he saw the finished film he was like “where did you find that amazing ensemble of actors?” And when I told him he was like “What? What are you talking to me about?!” (laughter) B: On your doorstep... L: What it does give, I think, is a sort of deeper connection between the characters because they know each other, so underneath there’s something going on, some texture and it’s very real. And the locations have a real authenticity, so the production design is beautiful — but it’s more or less what’s actually there — so those are really the only things I think someone might pick up on, at least subconsciously. That it has a real feel. I think most people watch and think that they’re professional actors, unless they know the story behind it. B: They must be some talented people then. You’ve appeared in this film, and a few of your shorts, do you enjoy acting as well? L: This is the only one I’ve been in, there’s a short film that I made actually many years ago that I was in. But yeah

it sort of made sense for me to be in it because I recruited everyone who lives in my house and everyone who lives next door so it kind of made sense to be in it. I do enjoy acting and it’s something I would do more often if I had the chance, but my main focus is really filmmaking. B: Obviously when you emerged it was the mid-to-late 90s when a lot of indie directors were cutting their teeth. Do you think that it’s easier or harder to be an indie director in the modern world? Because I know it was harder to get films off the ground before the digital conversion. L: For me I’d say it’s easier because of the technology now. This is the first project that I’ve shot digitally. I used a Conon 5D Mark 2 so it just gave great results to me that I hadn’t seen before shooting with video on that budget level. So you know being able to shoot something on a camera like that that looks really great on a huge screen, it looks sort of amazing. And you know, that’s unique to this moment really or the moment that I shot it. B: Do you miss filming with film? L: Definitely, I mean I love shooting film and I hope I will again, but I couldn’t have shot film on this budget that I had. So this one had to be digital, yeah. B: Obviously you’re a teacher as well, do you think it’s important to you to be helping other directors get on their feet? L: Yeah I really love teaching and the course that I’ve taught for many years is a 16mm introduction class. Seeing what students make for the first time on 16mm film is always great because it’s a beautiful medium and they’re working in a great, fresh kind of way, and that’s

always a joy to watch. But yeah film is a great way to learn. It’s a very rich way of learning filmmaking, actually working with 16mm. But I don’t know how much longer that will continue. B: Whenever Kathryn Bigelow makes a film there’s always talk about there not being enough mainstream female directors, it’s been in the media quite a lot over here, do you think things like the GFF and the indie world show that female directors are maybe making some of the best films about? L: I don’t see enough movies to sort of make any sweeping judgements that woman make better movies, but I think evening the number of movies that are made by women and men will only make the options better because there are definitely different approaches to storytelling and we don’t see enough of it. There’s no doubt that it’s hard for woman, the higher up you get to the budgetary questions, and if you’re doing something that’s not completely mainstream it’s even harder for women. B: I wasn’t sure whether to bring that up or not, everyone seems to be talking about it right now... L: No it’s good, I’m glad they’re talking about it; it’s definitely a huge issue that sort of gets swept under the rug, and has been swept under the rug for a long time. And it feels like there’s some momentum behind it, more awareness for it, which is great. B: Would you describe yourself as an auteur? L: I guess by definition I’m pretty much an auteur yeah (laughs) or maybe an auteuss? I’m just kidding, that’s like a female version. Writing, editing, directing — you can’t get much more in control of the product as that.

The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

@GlasgowJournal / journal-online.co.uk

A&E / 19

CULTURE&LIFESTYLE

ARTS&ENTS Bullhead Michaël R. Roskam’s debut is given another shot at the Glasgow Film Theatre

FILM Blair C. Dingwall Film editor

Many films have touched on the connection between man and beast over the years, whether it be the the fullblown killer ape theory of Sam Peckinpah’s films or the furious animosity of Raging Bull. And as the title clearly suggests, Michaël R. Roskam’s Bullhead, released to a limited audience in 2012, does the very same, and it does so

beautifully. Bullhead is the story of Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts), a Flemish cattle farmer mentally and physically defined by a sickening act of violence against him in his youth. Sculpted by a mix of hormone replacements and steroids into an aggravated, dangerous brute, Jacky’s involvement in the Belgian ‘steroid mafia’ casts him unwillingly into a crime syndicate on the brink of eradication. Crucially, it also reunites him with old friend Diederik (Jeroen Perceval), neither of whom have spoken since Jacky’s ordeal; an act of violence which has defined his life. In many ways, Bullhead is an exploration of acts and events which cause

ripples and changes across time, and its story, though dense in emotion and drama, never veers away from the smaller details. The result is a crime drama filmed with style, heart and clarity: it is a great distance from the likes of The Long Good Friday and Goodfellas, because the ‘crime’ and the ‘drama’ are two noticeably separate elements of the film’s plot. While a cleverly crafted crime thriller unfolds on Diederik’s side, an engaging character study unfolds on Jacky’s, and for the duration of the film the two sides fight an uneven battle. The aggressive Jacky, more Minotaur than man, has a sadness lingering beneath his giant frame; an innocence

behind his eyes indeed comparable to the gaze of a bull, one that seems to whisper ‘It’s not my fault I’m this way’, the way the eyes of cattle do. His relentless love for Lucia (Jeanne Dandoy) is predestined for heartache; his life, a tragic study of angst and superficial manliness. That said, Jacky’s bursts of fury and violence are spontaneous and rarer than the title would have you believe, set against the canvas of Belgium’s cultural divide, Yet some may not appreciate how open Bullhead is in addressing its metaphors and themes — instead of subtly letting us guess at hidden meanings, they are openly addressed in often over-

dramatic speeches. Bullhead also cuts short its patiently layered plot somewhat unceremoniously, replacing what at first promises to be an ‘all-guns-blazing’ finale with a low-key, yet astounding and almostelegantly violent, dramatic finale; more befitting perhaps of Jacky’s bitter and frustrated life. Roskam’s debut has grit and ambition, injected with captivating visuals. Where attempts to include comic relief fail, a flair for tension and suspense redeems it. The central character of Jacky is endlessly fascinating, and Schoenaerts gives an wonderful, unsettling performance that will linger for years to come.

ments that were cheeky and audacious. But what was wrong? Why is there so much hate for this film? Perhaps because it relies on grotesque humour very much directed to a specific target audience: young people. This leaves adult audiences isolated by the fact that they won’t enjoy or even appreciate the humour the film offers. The film-makers should have tried more broad styles of comedy in

order to lure older audiences to the film. Instead, they attempted to go a somewhat edgy and alternative direction, disgruntling the film community, making little money at the box office and earning critical displeasure. Movie 43 is an experience to watch. Whether it’s a good or bad experience is entirely up to you. Either way, be prepared for a film that will leave you with a very weird feeling.

Movie 43 A comedy so bad it’s good, and we’re only in February

FILM Connor Macgregor Staff writer

It’s not often in Hollywood that films will get universally panned by the critics. You may get at least one or two a year, at the usual time of summer blockbuster season. But we’ve only passed one month of 2013 and the cinematic world has

now borne witness to the year’s first almighty stinker in the form of Movie 43, an anthology comedy film with an all-star ensemble cast participating in a series of “side splitting” shorts. Yet Movie 43 is actually somewhat enjoyable. The film’s raunchy humour appeals directly to a young audience, who find this sort of comedy appealing. And with an all-star cast attached, it has the potential to guarantee big bucks. The humour works with several shorts, and does muster some amusement a number of times, even if it is often very cringeworthy to watch. The shorts have no connection to

each other, and consist only of inappropriate sexual or toilet jokes in order to throw the target audience off their seats in waves of laughter and shock. Some shorts work and others don’t. A sketch with Liev Schreiber and Nicole Kidman was just perfect. It was funny, bizarre and well written with a clear idea of their comedy and how they wanted it to be executed. Another one featuring Chloe Grace Moretz, while inappropriate in its story, was very amusing. A superhero sketch featuring Kristen Bell in a Supergirl costume was quite tame and slapstick in most respects, but it did have raunchy ele-

Lore Newcomer Saskia Rosendahl shines in Cate Shortland’s tale of life and society in Germany immediately post-war

FILM Blair C. Dingwall Film editor

Honest, unflinching and authen-

tic - that’s how Cate Shortland’s Lore instantly feels from the unflattering, opening close-ups. Lore is a film which shows the reality of immediate postworld war two Germany through the eyes of a girl coming to grips with the horrors of the Holocaust, and the true nature of the world. An adaption of Rachel Seiffert’s The Dark Room, the tale follows Hannahlore Dressler, played beautifully by newcomer Saskia Rosendahl, the teenage daughter of an SS officer, as her family goes into hiding. When her parents are

discovered and both sent, presumably, to await trial or death, as the eldest of the five children, Lore is given the task of escorting her siblings (including her baby brother, Peter) to their grandmother’s home. On the perilous trip, the children are exposed to a devastating reality which shatters their propagandised, idyllic views of ‘the fatherland’. Filmed with grit and realism, Shortland’s film makes war-ravaged Germany look believable without the need for grand, overblown sets or green screen technology. Adam Arkapaw’s cinematography aids the films themes of disillusion with his Loach-esque realism, the camera often lingering where you feel it shouldn’t. This is best seen when Lore discovers the body of a suicide victim, the head wound shown in graphic detail to the audience. Another great scene sees Lore, devoid of any valuable possessions, offer up her body to a fisherman in exchange

for safe passage across a river, all the while Thomas looking on in jealousy. Lore also explores the German reaction to the horrors of the Holocaust, and it does so in an affecting and frank way. Upon visiting a farm house in an attempt to buy food, they find a widower convinced that the photos shown of Jewish prisoners in concentration camps were “actors” paid by the Americans. Another scene upon a train sees them listen in on a conversation between young, cardplaying Germans convinced the allies are “exaggerating” the Holocaust, and that the photos taken are all of the same camp from different angles. Where tales of wanderers bearing witness to the devastation of war in their land can often fall into the melodramatic or absurd (see: Cold Mountain), Lore defies pretentions and cliché in its depiction of post-second world war Germany. Here, the unreadable Thomas is not her true love, allied sol-

diers are not painted as heroes, but trigger-happy threats, adults are deluded and more uncertain than the young, and the world — despite its explored, noticeable moments of beauty — is a bleak and hard place. And Lore — despite her central role — is by no means a loveable character, and here the credit goes to the talented Rosendahl in her captivating, gripping and believable performance. Straight out of Hitler Youth, the character of Lore’s head is filled with the sinister ideals of the Nazi regime, and we watch as her perceptions alter across encounters with loyal Nazi supporters and images of Holocaust victims, all adding to the film’s sense of consternation. Shortland’s film is thoughtful, often brutal and consistently genuine; whose themes are conveyed by an unforgettable central performance. Running on natural light and an almost contemporary realism, it’s the most believable

war drama for some time, showing the impact of world war two from an alternative, little-explored perspective.

20 / A&E

The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

@GlasgowJournal / journal-online.co.uk

ON THE HORIZON Your quick reference cultural guide for the weeks ahead

Banana tea loaf w/ passionfruit icing Sam Stern

MUSIC 21 February

Mazes

(BROADCAST, £7) Touring new album Ores & Minerals, Manchester trio bring their distorted pop to Scotland.

Pre-heat oven to 180C/

gas 4. Grease a 900g loaf tin and line base with baking paper. 2. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Beat the egg in a cup. Mash bananas with a fork. 3. Tip soft butter into a second bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon to cream it up. 4. Add the sugar. Cream together with a rapid beating movement until light, pale and airy. Don’t stint this bit of the process. It could take 5 minutes. 5. Add beaten egg a bit at a time, beating hard during/between additions. If the mix starts to split (curdle) add 2 good pinches of the flour and keep beating. 6. Add the flour. Fold together with a large metal spoon and a few light scooping movements. Add the mashed banana, date, rind, vanilla, a bit of juice. Don’t overwork or beat the mix. Add a drop of milk or lemon juice if it seems dry. It should drop easily off your spoon. 7. Spoon into the tin. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Take a look after 30. Cover tin with baking paper if browning too soon. See if done: insert a cocktail stick/strand of dry spaghetti into the centre. It should come out clean, the cake golden and risen. It may crack a bit but don’t worry. 8. Remove to a rack. For a glazed finish, brush the top immediately with a bit of honey or apricot jam dissolved in a bit of water. For an iced finish, allow to cool first. 9. ICING: melt the butter and leave to cool. Cut the passion

28 February

Frightened Rabbit (BARROWLANDS, £15) Indie folk stars play a final string of UK shows before heading off on US tour in support of their new album

age when everything can be bought at one location, an age when the thinking process surrounding consumerism has concentrated focus on the final product rather than its origin and packaging, is it any wonder that this case of fraud has passed unnoticed for so long? Following the revelation of horsemeat found in beef products across the UK and EU, there has been considerable public outrage at this deception. Some, such as Environment Secretary Owen Paterson have even gone so far as to say that it is “as if an ‘extensive’ criminal conspiracy may have taken place.” Fraud, yes, but as a conspiracy, this scandal is more of a stand-up comedy than a Watergate. Within minutes of publicising the transgression, the horror was matched by an equal quantity of jokes, puns, and

(KING TUT’S, £6) Spearheading the Birmingham revolution, SWIM DEEP return with Glasgow exiles Father Sculptor in tow

2 March

CHVRCHES (THE ARCHES, £8) Hotly-tipped electronic outfit initiate their debut headline tour with Arches show.

Sigur Ros

fruit across. Scoop contents into a sieve over a bowl and push the juice through. Sift icing sugar into a larger bowl. Add melted butter, a teaspoon of passion fruit juice, a bit of lemon juice and rind. Beat to create an icing which is neither thick nor runny. Taste as you go. It should fizz on your tongue. Add a bit of milk and then a bit more icing sugar if you need to. 10. Spoon the icing evenly over the cake keeping it light by the sides so not too much of it drips down. Place the bits of cranberry randomly over the top. Leave for an hour or so to set. Variations: change the texture and up the energy/protein value by adding some roughly chopped walnuts at step 6. Glazed top or plain cake is great for breakfast/lunch to go/ — spread with butter and enjoy with a mug of hot Yorkshire tea. Passionfruit juice: add any leftover juice to your daily fruit smoothie. For more recipes and tips, visit www.virgintoveteran.com.

INGREDIENTS 225g self-raising flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 75g very soft butter, room temperature 110g caster sugar 1 large egg, room temperature 3 medium/large very ripe bananas, peeled 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract 50g dates, snipped Grated rind ½ a lemon and a little juice 2 teaspoons milk (only if you need it) Passion Fruit Ice 1 tablespoon juice from 1 passion fruit 10g melted butter 150g icing sugar, sifted (possibly a bit extra) A little grated lemon rind ½ - 1 teaspoon milk Extras A few dried cranberries or nuts

The Journal muses on the wider implications of Europe’s horsemeat scandal

Let’s stop horsing around. In an

SWIM DEEP/Father Sculptor

28 February

From stable to shattered Mary Kinsella

22 February

sarcastic comments on various media websites. Compiled with the ongoing, constantly shifting blame-game among food production bigwigs such as Comigel and Spanghero, it is clear from this juxtaposition that the unsettling atmosphere that has now come to surround the food industry arises from outrage with the fiction, not the fact. After all, for the majority of carnivores, the difference between eating beef and eating horsemeat is minimal. They are both animals that provide food. Both are slaughtered, both are eaten. So why the outrage? Imagine coming home from a long day, ready to eat that all-familiar beef burger, lasagne, or bolognese, only to discover once your plate is clean that the beef you expected and believed you were eating had been adulterated with horsemeat without your knowledge? I, for one, would be furious. But not because there is horsemeat present. Expectation and knowledge are

very powerful, especially when personal choice is concerned. There is a blind trust that we give to those who provide us with food, giving them the benefit of the doubt and confidence in their delivery of the desired and specifically chosen life-sustaining meal. Therefore, the horsemeat scandal transcends itself, demonstrating to the public that their trust should not be given so easily. Consumers have become carefree, and food institutions such as Tesco and Findus have as well. This discovery is a wake-up call for all. The future’s main concern then is figuring out how to remedy this fracture in public trust. It is not as if the public has been told that their favourite pop singer lied about his or her name; rather, a component of our everyday survival has come into question. It will now be a race not only to fix the fraud but also to find something to make the public’s trust stable once again.

(SECC, £27.50) Icelandic group puncture world tour with SECC date, complete with 11-piece band and new material.

CULTURE Opens 21 March

More than a Game (KELVINGROVE GALLERY, £3/5) This exhibition of football team strips, memorabilia and original footage looks back at Scotland’s passionate 600-year history with the game

20-27 February

Queerfest

(UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW, VARIOUS) In celebration of LGBT History Months, Glasgow University hosts a weeklong festival of LGBT and queer culture include workshops, panels and a masked ball.

THEATRE, DANCE & FILM 7 March

Cafe Flicker (TRONGATE 103, £3) Cafe Flicker is an informal networking event at Trongate 103, allowing filmmakers to screen their work and discuss it with others.

28 February - 2 March

Rambert Dance Company: Labyrinth of Love Tour (THEATRE ROYAL, £6-28) Britain’s leading contemporary dance company present Marguerite Donlon’s Labyrinth of Love, which celebrates love in all its heartbreaking and joyful glory.

25 February

APAPAP: Most Favoured (ORAN MOR, £10) As part of the A Play, A Pie and A Pint series, Oran Mor presents a romantic comedy about a young American tourist and a 30-something Glaswegian woman who have a one night stand.

10 March

Bolshoi Ballet: Don Quixote (GLASGOW FILM THEATRE, £8-13) As part of its dance season, the Glasgow Film Theatre presents the world-renowned Bolshoi Ballet’s Don Quixote, captured live in March 2010, as thefirst of four performances to be screened from March to May 2013.

VISUAL ART 4 March - 22 March 2013

Jenny Wicks: Correct

(THE BRIGGAIT PROJECT SPACES, FREE) Photographer Wicks explores how researchers at the largest criminological centre in Scotland approach the study of crime and punishment.

22 February - 27 May

Rachel Mimiec: Plough (GOMA, FREE) This installation centres on reproducing landscapes and nature through the mixed media of paint and appropriated images.

26 January - 23 March

Economy

(CCA, FREE) Unveiling the economy as an inescapable social truth, focusing on seven keywords: work, sex, life, enclosures, spectres, crisis, exodues.

19 January - 28 July

Liz Hingley: Under Gods (ST MUNGO MUSEUM, FREE) This photographic exhibition explores the complexities of daily religious life around Soho Road, Birmingham and examines issues of inter-faith coexistence.

The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

@GlasgowJournal / journal-online.co.uk

A&E / 21

Frightened Rabbit: becoming well versed Scott Hutchison reveals how maturity and objectivity helped shape the band’s long-awaited fourth album

MUSIC Sean McGowan Staff writer

Taking time out of his busy

pre-album launch schedule, Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit speaks to The Journal about their new album, Pedestrian Verse, and how they’ve changed over their 10 years in the industry. Their latest album, which was released earlier this month, had been a while in the making as fans were left waiting for nigh-on three years. While the hiatus was sprinkled with EPs, there was still a longing for something more substantial. Surprisingly, the album has been finished for almost half a year now. Hutchison explains the reason for holding it back, one which is both frustrating and understandable. He said: “It seems to be more effective to release an album at the start of the year rather than the end. In terms of the music industry, that period is absolutely overtaken by the sludge of the X Factor. “You’ve got no opportunity to promote yourself. That was the main

reason, there were no creative things going on; it was done, we were happy with it and it was mastered. “It’s been a long time in the making. I think being a five-year-old at Christmas is the only feeling I can compare it to. It’s really exciting; it’s great to finally get it out.” It’s clear from the offset that the band has changed since their last fulllength album, The Winter of Mixed Drinks. Hutchison regards the album as a much more adult affair, with their songs oozing a maturity that wasn’t present in previous efforts. Having been in the business for over 10 years now, it’s no surprise that they’ve matured and their subject matter has shifted. He added: “I’ve taken a lot more time on the lyrics, certainly more than I did on the last effort. “I definitely spent more time on it. Also, some of the songs are not about my life any more. I’ve written for quite some time now about my own personal experiences, and there is some of that on the album, but it’s less focused on that. “It’s more the idea about ‘pedestrians’ outwith me. I think that’s the decision I made at the start: to try and widen the lens of what I was writing

about. I’ve spent so long writing about myself that I’m starting to feel really self-obsessed and selfish. “I didn’t want to start sounding like that or become predictable and, although there are a couple of songs on [Pedestrian Verse] are like that, I think I managed to start something that will hopefully continue on to other efforts where I don’t focus quite so heavily on my experiences and instead try to write from the perspective of someone else, anyone else. “When I look back, I hear immaturity. There’s certain songs that I’ve written in the past that I just could not write now, they seem so daft to me. I mean I’m 31 now and we started out when I was about 20.” Speaking about the album, and the tour which will follow it, the seasoned songwriter had a lot to say about how the band has become a lot more comfortable with their own identity. Nervousness has been replaced with eagerness, as the band looks to surpass the success they have already seen with previous efforts. Hutchison said: “Obviously there was a bit of extra expectation, but I do feel that we didn’t have to send it off before feeling that it [was] absolutely done and we were completely happy

with it. “So I think this is the happiest I’ve been at this stage of a record; I don’t really have any nerves, much more excitement. I’ve very proud of what we’ve achieved too, so let’s begin!”

Pure Love

MUSIC Introducing...

Anglo-American outfit’s Glasgow debut at Tut’s tainted by lacklustre ticket sales

Honeyblood

MUSIC

Glasgow all-girl crunch pop duo perfectly blend cute and cut-throat

Daniel Lawson

Fans of Gallows will certainly recognise the name Frank Carter, the lead vocalist who quit the hardcore punk band in 2011 following disagreements over creative approaches. What they may be less familiar with is his new musical enterprise, Pure Love, who reached King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut on 7 February as part of their premier tour. Carter’s first appearance in Glasgow with his new entourage — formed in part with his friend (and former Hope Conspiracy guitarist) Jimmy Carroll — comes as a result of their new album Anthems, which was released at the beginning of this month. The album marks a significant departure from the genres of their earlier projects, with Pure Love taking on a lighter rock sound that both men seem more comfortable with. Pure Love were not let down by either of the supporting acts. The Vestals start off well, their single ‘Perfect Pain’ shows them at their best and certainly worth a listen. They should stick to the moody, emotional guitar rock that suited them, and cut back on the aggressive act that they force through on occasion. They are followed by Turbogeist, a grungy garage group of London lads who pick it up a notch. Their lead singer has a broken arm, but refuses to let this hinder his energetic dancing. Pure Love enter to an instantaneous

crowd reaction, which seems to surprise them. Carter admits that most people would not be familiar with them yet, but a substantial hardcore at the centre of the crowd have clearly already digested the album and cheer along with gusto. Such a reception intensifies no end when it becomes clear that Carter intends to play the majority of his set in the crowd, with the entire band and most of a drum kit joining him in the middle of the pack for the finale. This final song, ‘Riot in the Streets of England’, and the slower yet increasingly intense ‘Burning Love’ are the two songs to watch out for from their new album, and are excellent live. Unfortunately, the King Tut’s crowd is not a sell out, which no doubt disappoints Pure Love, as their enthusiasm and talent deserves more. In a gig that takes the fabled intimacy of King Tut’s to new heights, many miss out on this great live band, and The Journal would encourage them not to do so in future.

Frightened Rabbit’s fourth album, Pedestrian Verse, is out now via Atlantic Records. Frightened Rabbit play the Barrowlands in Glasgow on 28 February.

Harris Brine Music editor

When

Daisies

[Sedmikrasky]

was released in 1966, the Soviet-controlled Czechoslavakian authorities were outraged at the actions of its two female protagonists. Their acts of rebellion, depicted through surrealism, were citied as promiscuous and consequently banned, with its director prohibited from working in her homeland for nearly ten years. Fortunately since then, there have been major advances in the allowance of free expression and the film’s suppression has been lifted. Fifty years on and across the other side of Europe, Glasgow duo Honeyblood list the film as their main influence. Formed after a strange ‘line-dancing’ first meeting, Kiwi drummer Rah and former Boycotts frontwoman Stina [since ditched her ‘Twee’ moniker] make up Honeyblood, recently described as a “mixture of all the band’s I love” by Stina, who writes and sings all of the band’s songs. Their two-part set-up is reminiscent to The Black Keys, although Rah’s drumming is more Meg White than Patrick Carney. Much like Daisies, Honeyblood contain two young girls, but their creative output does not rely on surrealism to portray their messages. First single ‘Super Rat’s’ “I will hate you forever/ Scumbag, sleaze, slime-ball grease” pulls

no punches whatsoever, unashamedly setting a scathing but indomitable tone, an attribute that fits Hineyblood’s simplistic drum/guitar sound perfectly. Last year, Honeyblood travelled down south to support Mazes and Deap Valley (bands very much their ilk, all-beit a touch faster) and performed more recently at King Tut’s’ New Year’s Resolution. This February heralded their first anniversary as a band, a month which swiftly welcomed a ‘Best Newcomer’ nomination at this year’s Scottish Alternative Music Awards. ‘The Girl On My Left’ and ‘No Spare Key’ are worthy first attempts; masked in the distorted hazy vocal static familiar to Mazes fans, they are completely unrecognisable to the buoyancy of Stina’s previous efforts from Boycotts. ‘Super Rat’ seemed to reinstate the emphasis on her vocals, a welcome restoration also present in new single ‘Biro’.

As piercing vocals stab the air, Stina’s influences from across the water seep through the slits, particularly in her drawl of “Every page printed is honest truth/ Trouble’s when they plagiarise you” in ‘Biro’. We already know Honeyblood have a penchant for Daisies, which is fitting seeing their girlish appearance and Stina’s saccharine voice conjures up sweet images of the aforementioned flower, but this is where the daisy link abruptly ends. These two girls are more likely to be found pressing discarded stems into the dirt with muddied Converse to make space for a guitar and drumsticks. Not before having individually torn off each of its florets and uttered numerous ‘He loves me not’s’, of course. Honeyblood play Glasgow’s Bloc on 16 March.

22 / A&E

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The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

MUSIC

Down with Doldrums The Journal attempts to decipher the face of Doldrums’ Airick Woodhead

MUSIC Lauren Simpson

With skinny jeans, an oversized coat and messy hair teamed with sparkly brown eyes, Airick Woodhead — otherwise known as Doldrums — fits in perfectly with the trendy Stereo cafe. Despite it being his first time in Scotland, Woodhead is no newbie when it comes to touring, having spent seven years prior to Doldrums playing with the band Spiral Beach. “I had missed out on life with touring, because I stopped going to high school, so basically I just wanted to be really free for a while,” he says. Clearly a creative, artistic person, Woodhead is engaging; but his eyes wander and he careers off into his own little world. His second project, Doldrums, was a case of natural progression. He adds: “I was just thinking of it more like an art project and was collaging videos and multimedia stuff, and the music was also like a collage.” Perhaps an apt description, his music

mixes samples from all over; one track wavy synths, another pulsating beats. On stage, he is joined by two other musicians who he describes as “both really talented in their own right.” With band members changing regularly in the past two years, Woodhead feels each has brought their own “spice” to Doldrums. Stereo is one of the best places for electro acts in Glasgow; Doldrums filling the space with bizarre sounds and intensity while supporting fellow Canadians Purity Ring, after they previously toured with Grimes in 2011. “One thing I’m really happy about now that I’m touring is that the people who like Doldrums — even though I’m not headlining each tour date — I’ve been able to express myself to a degree that people similar to myself would want to come see the show.” During the set, Woodhead charges through, barely acknowledging his audience. ‘Jump Up’ and ‘Egypt’, from his previous EP mix; sample African beats, drum mixes and up-beat electro — leave the crowd in awe. This year sees his debut album Lesser Evil released on Arbutus Records. “I guess there’s an interesting thing going

into a project knowing that you’re making a life body of work, because prior to that I’d only ever made one song at a time.” Lesser Evil was created on a broken laptop he borrowed from label-mate Grimes, and will include recent single ‘She Is The Wave’, along with a bizarre, trippy and eventful video shoot in the desert. “It was honestly life threatening,” he says. “Our phones weren’t working cause we were in the desert, then the car ran out of gas, we thought we were gonna be stranded there.” As for the remainder of Lesser Evil, his inspiration has varied across the scale from fellow label artist Grimes, to the Beastie Boys and Wu-Tang Clan. His previous EPs, Empire Sound and Egypt, were a broad mixture of samples, but the album promises to be more his own. “It’ll be a little more like I’ve designed all the sounds as opposed to stealing them so much from other things.” After demos and mixes, Doldrums’ fans will be finally treated to a full set of tracks exclusively by Airick Woodhead. Everything about Doldrums seems weird and kooky, but it is difficult to envisage them otherwise.

The promise of PEACE The Journal speaks to one of the UK’s hottest indie acts

MUSIC Harris Brine & Jamie Brotherston

At first glance, NME poster boys

PEACE could just be another four hipsters with their hand-rolled cigarettes and retro wardrobe. Yet the likely lads from Birmingham are indie rock’s latest heroes, and they have been making waves since their explosion onto the scene last year. Performing as part of the NME Awards Tour, alongside Palma Violets, Miles Kane and Django Django, the boys are relaxed after an intense set. Quick to dispel any assumptions that the praise surrounding the quartet has gone to their heads, straggly-haired guitarist Doug Castle opts to goof around their frenetic trajectory.

“Next big thing? I think Palma Violets are the next big thing. We’re the second next big thing,” he says. Forming in 2011, PEACE quickly rose to prominence. After releasing their debut single, ‘Follow Baby’, (which was limited to 500 7” vinyls) the band have gone from strength to strength; garnering heavyweight support for their grumbling haze of new-age indie. While Doug jokes, the band’s frontman is more reserved and brooding in a black tassel sleeved cowboy jacket. With a lock of black hair lying across his eyebrow, Harry Koisser addresses the pressure facing them to deliver with their debut album, In Love. “Doing the EP has taken some of the pressure off, we were able to test the water,” he says. “I met The Vaccines at the very beginning, and I said ‘you guys must

be under so much pressure to do a good album’, but they said ‘no we’re not. Just fucking ignore it’. Fair play, I think.” On sharing the stage with fellow young guns Palma Violets, they’re quick to praise; drummer Dom Boyce speaking especially kindly of their compatriots. “They’re the sweetest guys. They make me feel like a bastard, and I’m really nice.” The band agree, until bassist and cheeky looking brother of Harry, Sam, pipes up. “I want them to be my best friends, but I don’t want them to be my girl.” Their manner juxtaposes the phantasmal meandering vocals of Koisser and the harrowing, striking licks of their haunted surf-pop guitars. High from the show, after packing up the van on a freezing Glasgow evening, they are relaxed

Local Natives Cait Gillespie

If a band is able to provoke a ruckus among suited-and-booted hipsters with a fondness for finely-groomed beards, then they are worthy of attention. Local Natives released their second album Hummingbird last week - it, too, is worthy of a lot of attention. Tonight they have sold out Edinburgh’s intimate Electric Circus, and after a powerful support set from Belgium’s Balthazar, Local Natives launch in to the new album’s first song ‘You & I.’ It is a delicate song, not to be thrashed out too hard, but this is what Local Natives do. The constant growling and chugging bass suggests that a train is about to burst through the wall behind them onto the stage. Their whole set is dogged by a bass-centric sound and too much reverb which tends to obscure some of the more fragile features of their songs. Local Natives’ music is intricate but powerful. Pounding drums keep eerie little melodic twists grounded. There are a lot of comparisons to be drawn with Brooklyn’s Grizzly Bear. There is not a main vocalist amongst the five-piece, and the singing moves between them in an almost organic

way. When they break down into their respective parts — for guitar, keyboard or vocal solos — the delicacy of it is slightly lost in the live setting. This is the case for single ‘Breakers.’ When they loosen up and slow down, the performance becomes weaker. But when they all crash in together and play in cohesion, they are an incredible musical force. They are almost bursting out of the small venue. Towards the end of the set they play ‘Colombia,’ another song from Hummingbird, which is a piano-led song of profound emotion. Played live, it is truly special. It begins slowly and gradually develops a lyrical refrain which repeats over and over again, “Am I loving enough?/ Am I?/ Am I?”. The song’s crescendo leaves you reeling. But, once again, the over-bearing bass frustratingly detracts from the beautiful vocals. For their encore, Local Natives play a short set of old material. The audience is delighted with this revisit to 2009’s Gorilla Manor. But in all honesty, if you aren’t a devout Local Natives fan, this older stuff falls a little flat. Their new stuff is excellent; they should be brave and remember that.

and mischievous. Talk of the future, however, reins the boys in, and when America is mentioned the band reveal a levelheaded sense of perspective. “It’s something we’ve had a lot of discussion about,” says Boyce. “We want to spend as much time as we can in America. Obviously, the UK is our priority, but we want to go back and forth. It makes sense.” Harry goes on to discuss the new dimensions that their popularity has offered them, in a creative sense. “When it came to finishing up the album, in particular a song from the album, ‘Toxic’, we put it together at SARM in London; and having the opportunity to be in a great studio with a basic idea and put it together as a band was great. Something we’ve never had before.” Boyce underlines the importance of the right mix, and working alongside producing legend Jim Abbiss. “He’s a great guy to be in the studio with. He sets things up like you’re going to play live, and goes from there.” Castle adds: “He’s understands us individually and as a collective. It’s the perfect match.”

Sam, wedged in between his brother and beat man Boyce, speaks up. “He’s worked with Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Bombay Bicycle Club...but also a lot of techno and acid house, like DJ Shadow. Its good when you want to experiment. If I wanted an old-school piano sound, he’d go and get the fucking keyboard they actually used.” Their eclectic dress sense swings the chat to the comparisons between PEACE and the Manic Street Preachers, with whom the boys became familiar after supporting the Welsh legends. “Nicky Wire had a lot of kind words to say about our dress sense,” says Harry. “They really put us at ease, made us like we were allowed to play with them. They make you feel at home.” After divulging top secret information about their plans for the festival season, Castle, with a grin on his face, ends by talking titles. “I’ve always liked the connotations of ‘peace’, owing to growing up with hippie parents, I suppose. Complete world peace would be fucking boring though”.

The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

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Villagers’ Conor O’Brien reveals his methods of finding peace with existence during the making of {Awayland} Harris Brine Music editor

“The songs off the new album are a

little bit more uplifting,” a relaxed Conor O’Brien notes in his thick Irish accent. “There are some aspects of melancholy in them, but ultimately it’s less nihilistic than Becoming a Jackal.” Melancholia and nihilism have been kind to O’Brien; the front man and driving force behind Irish folksmiths Villagers. Such despondency, which beautifully weaved its way through the fabric of debut album Becoming a Jackal, provided O’Brien with material which has since earned him an Ivor Novello award, a Mercury Prize nomination, coveted support spots on the tours of Elbow and Grizzly Bear and this year, a 32-date worldwide headline tour. Last month bore witness to the release of {Awayland}, an album lauded by critics for its rich, convoluted imagery and intricately constructed melodies. Despite being “conscious” of the pressures of delivering a strong followup to Villagers’ debut effort, O’Brien instead opted for {Awayland} to take a more natural evolution in its creation than its predecessor, and utilised his touring experiences over the last two-and-a half years for material. “I think when you’re touring you’re seeing more of everything. Obviously you’re in hotels a lot but every now and again, you get to escape. Touring does have monotonous aspects, but we’ve also seen parts of the natural world that we’ve never been to before. We toured the Californian desert and the Appalachian moun-

tains; both were incredible,” he grins. “In {Awayland}, there’s more references to the natural world running through the songs. I think there’s lots of references to travelling, so touring’s made its way in there. I think I used it as a metaphor for internal travelling. Travelling in your mind, changing and growing as a person, you know?” When asked what he will be taking on tour with him, the obligatory “underpants, socks and toothpaste” barely finds space amongst his excitement for “reading some good books”. “I’m going to bring a Virginia Woolf book. Also, a book on Van Gogh’s letters to his brother Theo, which someone gave me after a gig recently, and Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi, who wrote Persepolis. She was growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. I just read it recently and it’s one of my favourite graphic novels.” Although he admits, through a smile, that he’s “more drawn to a melody than a lyric”, O’Brien becomes instantly animated when the subject of books arises. He immersed himself in the poems of Leonard Cohen during the creation of Becoming a Jackal, and at the time Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five was whetting his fiction tastebuds. Villagers’ songs are well-known for their allegorical lyrics, and such veiled imagery appears to be paramount in each of their numbers. O’Brien’s lyrics, such as, “Let me show you the back room/ Where I saw the dead/ Dancing like children/ On a Midsummer’s morn/ And they asked me to join”, on Becoming a Jackal’s ‘I Saw The Dead’ conceal just enough behind cloaks

MUSIC Recommendations Harris Brine Music editor

We might have collated the opinions

of a drummer, a guitarist, two vocalists and a backing band in the name of Lady North, but forming a new super-group was an inadvertent part of the process of acquiring some recommendations. For 10 years, Calum Doris thrashed out Flood of Red songs on his guitar. He has since left the band to focus on new project Bad Luck, but had enough time to provide The Journal with his recommendation. “ERAS are one of the most exciting young bands around. Having formed in the ashes of other bands, they grouped together to build melodies that really explore beyond the standard post-rock ethos. They have one of the tightest live shows I’ve seen in a while and are certainly ones to watch to showcase the future of the UK music scene!” Motherwell’s rock/hip-hop group The LaFontaines are currently in the middle of a large UK tour, but Jamie Keenan took time from drumming to recommend another Scottish act. “I think The Imagineers are going to do really well. All of them are amazing musicians without showing off and write perfect, subtle pop songs leaning on a 60s vibe with Teenage Fanclub harmonies and a really cool bohemian retro image. Perfect blend of rock’n’roll and professionalism!” “I think Poor Things have a great deal of potential,” says French Wives frontman Stuart Dougal. “Their song writing is

really strong for a band in its infancy and while they’re still a little rough around the edges live, it’s almost part of their charm and gives the songs an energy or life that other bands don’t always replicate. They’ve also got a really positive attitude and are really passionate about the music they make and that of their contemporaries, which is somewhat of a rarity in Glasgow.” Andrew Lindsay might have been keeping things relatively quiet since the release of his debut EP The Whittling, but he had plenty to say when we asked him to recommend a stimulating Scottish act. “Armed with his trademark pint of Stella, Glasgow-based songsmith Shambles Miller has been rolling through the city’s pubs and clubs for some time now, and I’ve yet to witness a crowd indifferent to his charming tunes. His songs, a mixture of the personal and the political, are highly melodic peans to the likes of: IRN-BRU, strikes, hangovers, raptures, and beards. Dae it.” Finally, the unashamedly idiosyncratic duo Lady North are no strangers to energy, having furiously plugged away at countless gigs for the last two-and-a-half years, although they did find a spare second to take a breather and recommend. “Vasquez! A behemoth of a band hailing from our very own Edinburgh. We have been lucky enough to play with them on occasion and holy-Mary-surrogatemother-of-Jesus they are good. They’re instrumental and mathy in the same vain as ourselves, but they pack a hardcore upper cut that’ll empty your bowels.”

of metaphor, but not too much so that the lyrics are rendered completely cryptic. New album {Awayland}, which he says has ”more humour — a tragi-comedy”, is also steeped in such rich, camouflaged imagery, although the focus leans heavily on the oceanic elements, such as the sea, waves and rainfall, particularly in

‘My Lighthouse’ and ‘In A Newfound Land You Are Free’. It’s something he doesn’t attribute purely to travelling but, once again, to his literary itinerary. “I think all of the imagery was more about what I was reading at the time”, he utters ebulliently; O’Brien’s great passion for reading is clear.

MUSIC

Villagers: finding a home

“I was taking in a lot of the astrophysicist Carl Sagan’s Cosmos during the album’s creation. He talks about the cosmos in a way that is easy to understand. If anything, {Awayland} is about the childish wonder of existence. I think the title, which in essence is the opposite of homeland, reflects that perfectly”.

Providing us with their recommendations this fortnight: The LaFontaines, French Wives, Bad Luck and more

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The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

Auden: Rake, Radical and Librettist The Journal takes a look at The Rake’s Progress and calls for a re-evaluation of W.H. Auden as a fusty traditionalist John Hewitt Jones Literary editor

Following the terrorist attacks

of 9/11, American newspapers and cable news networks were quick to band about the saccharine sound byte ‘Those to whom evil is done/ do evil in return.’ It’s a quotation taken from ‘September 1, 1939’; one of Auden’s most well-known poems written just a few days after the start of the Second World War, during his first sojourn to America. The recurrence of this phrase as a stock truism is something that the writer would have grossly objected to. He so much regretted penning this phrase in fact, that in the 1945 edition of his collected poems, the verse doesn’t appear at all. It’s aphoristic quotations like this that anyone who’s encountered Auden before will be most familiar with. Notably, perhaps, his poem ‘Night Mail’ (‘This is the Night Mail crossing the border…’) written to accompany a propaganda film made by the General Post Office film unit. Much of the author’s work, at a first glance, has an accessibility and memorability that’s contributed to the conception of the author as a quaint, fusty pillar of the British literary establishment. But that’s not really what Auden’s about. In fact he is an author who is as radical as T.S. Eliot or Samuel Beckett. Rather than creating meaning by pushing language to the point of dissolution, Auden’s poetry and prose subverts from the inside. Much of his work pokes fun at traditional forms by reinventing conventional conceits. And it’s for this reason that his writing is often dubbed ‘postmodern’. There’s no better example of this than his opera written in collaboration with Igor Stravinsky, The Rake’s Progress, which takes the Faustian tradition and turns it upside down. The Rake’s Progress is a tale of damnation and disappointed love. An eligible young bachelor is lured to London, away from his bride-to-be, Anne, after a servant brings news of an inheritance that’s been left him by a dead uncle. Having led his young master astray, the servant reveals himself to be the devil, and attempts to take Rakewell’s soul before cursing him, leaving him insane. The thing about this work is that Auden cleverly puts everything together the wrong way around. Anne’s father isn’t a domineering figure like Egius or Polonius which Shakespearian drama has set us up to expect, but instead seems quite content for Tom Rakewell to marry his daughter. His declaration that she may marry a poor husband, ‘but will never marry a lazy one’ seems both tragic and prescient as the narrative unfolds. The treatment of such heavy subject matter by both author and composer is surprisingly light-hearted. There are moments of intense tragedy — especially poignant is the penultimate scene, in which the mad Rakewell sings an aria, imagining himself to be Adonis and Anne to be Venus. But even these classical allusions are framed in such a way that parodies the melodrama; the opera ends with a crass quartet warning the audience of the dangers of behaving immorally. Such a tacked-on, moralising conclusion is discomforting to watch, as it doesn’t appear to relate to the emotional content of the preceding action onstage. This work is a union of two art forms pulling in exactly the same direction. At a

There is a conception of W.H. Auden as a quaint, fusty pillar of the British literary etstablishment... in fact, he is an author who is as radical as T.S. Eliot or Samuel Beckett. first glance, Auden’s plot structure would appear to lend itself well to the structure of typical Shakespearean comedy; young love struggling against extraneous social pressures, eventually to prevail in the end. However, The Rake’s Progress presents the audience with a complete inversion of this. What appears as idyllic love at the beginning of the work rapidly unravels, reaching a denouement as the anti-hero ends up marrying Baba the Turk; a creature to whom he has no emotional connection and who certainly won’t end up bringing him salvation. Just like the libretto, Stravinsky’s music has a surprisingly vacillatory structure. It’s written in a disquieting neoclassical idiom that jumps between simplistic, classical phrases, such as the brassy opening prologue in E major, to the dark orchestral interlude of the graveyard scene of act three, which consists of musical phrases with harmonic structures dark enough that they could be taken from a piece of Strauss or early Schoenberg. Post-modernist, neoclassical, whatever you want to call it; both artists write in forms that re-invent conventional modes of expression. Stravinsky had the idea for the opera in the late forties, after seeing William

Hogarth’s series of paintings A Rake’s Progress which tell the story of the life of a young man who follows a path of immorality and self-destruction after inheriting a fortune from his father. Aldous Huxley encouraged the composer to approach Auden for the libretto; an unusual choice for Stravinsky, who was notoriously serious and had a particular admiration for T.S. Eliot. Preliminary discussions, however, showed that the writer and composer would get on extremely well, and the entire structure of the work was plotted within a week. Auden would collaborate on the libretto with his close friend and long-term lover, Chester Kallman, a talented writer and musician who he had met in Brooklyn in 1939. Rakewell is an extremely complex character. At his core lies an innocence that preserves his resolve to begin again each time he falls into the traps laid for him by the servant, Nick Shadow, who pledges his service to him. Auden was an avid reader of both Freud and Jung (his interest in literature originally having been started by the hours spent reading psychology books in his father’s library as a young boy), and the devil-figure of Shadow is highly suggestive of the Jungian ‘shadow’ or ‘lame shadow’; the form of the alter ego that represents all a character’s inferior qualities manifested by the uncontrolled emotions. Just like Auden, Stravinsky uses a style that’s largely tonal, eschewing the breakdown of tonality that occurred in classical music at the beginning of the twentieth century. This opera employs segments of a simplistic, classical sound world that’s disquieting because of the strange context in which its employed. This is exactly what Auden achieves in much of his literary output, and refutes the label of ‘traditionalist’ that’s often assigned to him. He is marked out by an uncanny ability to wrench tropes and linguistic structures out of their conventional context to create new structures that are often rich in rhyme and complex in allusion.

Christopher Brookmyre - Bedlam Deftly written ode to video games provides enough for both fans and outsiders

books Stef Millar Staff writer Waking up to find yourself trapped in a video game is hardly a new concept but it is one that Scottish author Christopher Brookmyre approaches with fresh eyes and sharp wit. Bedlam sees Ross Baker finding out there are worse ways to spend his day than in Stirling on its dreichest day when he wakes up to realise he has become a lowly alien/human hybrid grunt in his favourite game, Starfire. What starts off as a hilarious romp around several classic and widely recognisable video games ends up as a discussion about digital consciousness. Albeit a discussion that takes place with laser rifles, respawns and the traditional Brookmyre humour. As a life long gamer himself, Brookmyre manages to capture the world of video gaming perfectly. There are a few little references that only the most die hard gaming fans will be able to catch, but they are written in such a way that if you don’t know you’re missing them it makes no difference to the enjoyment of the story. Fans of Brookmyre’s other novels will quickly be able to recognise his unique voice and delight in the perfectly timed swear words and hilarious swipes at Daily Mail readers.

Despite being a considerately crafted love song to gaming, Bedlam is an enjoyable read to both fans and the uninitiated of video games. There are a few points in the novel that jerk you out of the narrative to show you parts of the real world that are jarring at first, but other than that the story telling is superb. The plot twists are often set up to be seen by anyone paying close enough attention, but then turned around into new and exciting directions that are unexpected and always a mix of heartbreaking and hilarious.

The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

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• Scottish designers prepare for LFW • Holly Fulton wins Fashion Forward support • Alasdhair Willis takes over at Hunter Oliver Giles Fashion editor, Edinburgh

With fashion month now in full swing, the international press are gathering for London Fashion Week (LFW) where leading designers are showcasing their autumn/winter 2013-14 collections. For the first time in years, Scot-

tish designers are arguably the main attraction, with Christopher Kane and Jonathan Saunders hosting the most highly anticipated shows and leading the resurgence of Caledonian cool. Scottish heritage brand Pringle of Scotland has made the unusual decision to show their latest collection at LFW in a presentation format, rather than a more conventional fashion show.

Although Pringle hosted a successful presentation to showcase their spring/ summer 2013 collection, it does seem an odd move for such a large and internationally-respected brand to choose the intimate setup generally favoured by up-and-coming designers. However, in some ways it is a brave decision, as it allows the entire collection to be more closely scrutinised by the gathered press.

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As well as showcasing her latest collection, Scottish designer Louise Gray has also collaborated exclusively with Triumph lingerie for LFW. Triumph approached Gray to design a custom piece for their LFW exhibition, and she readily agreed. Talking of the collaboration, Gray explained, “I have brought all these elements from my main collection to the lingerie to create something with

interesting texture and pattern, it’s definitely a Louise Gray piece.” Alongside the established designers, three emerging fashion design stars are jointly exhibiting their work from 10-25 February at a Scottish luxury brand showroom they have opened in London’s Hardy Tree Gallery. Belinda Robertson Cashmere, Bebaroque, and Iona Crawford are all showcasing their latest collections in the shared space. Speaking exclusively to The Journal, Crawford explains, “since launching our showroom earlier this week, we have seen an excellent response to the autumn/winter 2013-14 collections being shown by Bebaroque, Belinda Robertson and myself. “A fabulous mix of both international and national buyers and press have visited the showroom, as well agents representing an array of performing artists, private clients and London-based celebrities. “The location of our showroom within the Hardy Tree Gallery on Pancras Road, right by St Pancras, Kings Cross and Euston stations, makes us perfectly situated for visitors passing through central London. As London Fashion Week gets under way today, we anticipate an extremely busy weekend and continued interest in each of the exhibiting collections. Thereafter, Bebaroque are headed to show at Premiere Classe in Paris, while my brand prepares for international business trips to Beijing and New York.” Another young Scottish designer making her mark in London is Holly Fulton, who won the support of the Fashion Forward initiative run by the British Fashion Council at the end of January. The main aim of Fashion Forward is to enable designers to showcase their collections at LFW and to give them access to a range of leading advisors to help them grow their business. One of three recipients this year, Fulton is the latest in a line of Scots to have won Fashion Forward backing: both Kane and Saunders have previously been supported by the initiative. Back in Scotland, Edinburgh-based brand Hunter boots announced on the 14 February that Alasdhair Willis will take over as their creative director with immediate effect. The London-based entrepreneur and husband of fashion designer Stella McCartney has previously worked as publishing director of ‘Wallpaper*’ magazine, and is also the founder of furniture company ‘Established & Sons’ and brand consultancy ‘The Anonymous Partner’. “Alasdhair Willis brings amazing creative talent, style, and commercial realisation to the helm of Hunter,” explains Hunter CEO James Seuss. “Alasdhair will define the vision for the brand and develop our creative voice, while working closely with our strong commercial team to bring the world of Hunter to consumers worldwide.” Favourites of everyone from the Queen to Kate Moss, Hunter boots are a British institution. Willis was recently described by GQ as “one of the sharpest dressed British men right now,” and it will be fascinating to see what this creative talent brings to the heritage brand.

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The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

@GlasgowJournal / journal-online.co.uk CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

SP RT & TWEET Celtic’s long, unforgotten dream of European glory

Matt Holland @mattholland8: “Pancake day CREPED up on me - but after that Celtic result I’m feeling very FLAT.....” Former Republic of Ireland and Charlton Athletic captain Matt Holland was left feeling rather deflated following Celtic’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Italian champions Juventus. Goals from Alessandro Matri, Claudio Marchisio and Mirko Vucinic put paid to any chance of Celtic progressing to the next stage. On the other hand, Holland had Pancake Day to enjoy and keep his mind off the result.

Paul Paton @PaulPaton4: “Hope everyone has there Ramsdens cup final tickets. Looks like it’ll be a sell out.” Partick Thistle centre back Paul Paton took to Twitter to encourage supporters of the Firhill club to snap up briefs for Thistle’s Ramsden’s Cup final clash with Queen of the South. Partick defeated Cowdenbeath in the tournament’s semi final in order to seal their place in the final. However, Allan Johnstone’s Queen’s side produced the biggest shock when they knocked out Rangers, at Ibrox in the quarter finals. The tie takes place on April 7 at Livingston’s Braidwood Motor Company Stadium. Stuart Hogg @StuartWHOGG_15: “No better feeling than winning in a Scotland jersey. Now time to kick on in the 6 nations. Thanks to all for the kind messages.” Scotland try scorer Stuart Hogg thanks fans following the side’s fantastic victory over a stubborn Italian team at Murrayfield. In what was an important Six Nations fixture Hogg scored a spectacular 80m try after intercepting an Italy pass. This set Scotland well on their way to securing an emphatic 34-10 win.

Joseph Barton @Joey7Barton: “Does Pirlo ever give the ball away? He also has beautiful, god like hair!”

Always one to speak his mind, Joey Barton, the Englishman-exiled-inFrance, watched on admirably as Andrea Pirlo marshaled the midfield at Parkhead for Juventus. However it seems it was not only the Italian maestro’s footballing skills that he was fascinated by but also his fantastic ability to grown a mane an ordinary man could only dream of. Barton, currently playing for Ligue 1 side Marseille recently received the first red card of his stint in France. Asafa Powell ?@officialasafa: “Morning..Sad news about @oscarpistorius & fatal shooting of his girlfriend he’s a true inspiration & amazing athlete. A real tragedy for all” Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell speaks of his sadness after hearing the news of the death of Oscar Pistorius’ partner Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius is currently being held by South African police pending an investigation. It is claimed that he shot his partner but he maintains he is innocent and that her death was an accident. He became the first competitor to compete at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games last year in London. Esmael Goncalves @IsmaGoncalves “Training finish my feet was frozen wow” St Mirren’s Portuguese whizz-kid Isma Goncalves found the cold Scottish weather a shock to the system as he trained during the week. Judging by his broken English he is used to the sunny shores of Portugal and must have found the mildness at St Mirren’s Ralston base as a new experience. Goncalves has made an instant impact since his January loan deal from Rio Ave, scoring four times in as many games for his new club.

Despite recent successes Scotland is still not an international footballing force to be reckoned with Craig W. Ritchie Sport editor

Here we go again.

In this Champions League fortnight there has been an air of optimism. But just as it reached its peak it has been extinguished once again. This is not a dig at Celtic. The boys from Glasgow’s east ended up in one hell of a fight against the mighty Juventus on Wednesday night, but the Turin giant’s killer touch proves yet again that a Scottish side will never win the Champions League. The holy grail for all European club sides, the Champions League and all the glitz and glamour attached to it has long been the prized aim for ambitious sides such as Celtic and Rangers. Yes, Celtic did win it in 1967 but football has changed beyond recognition since that day in Lisbon. These days the game is all about money. Look at the likes of Juventus with Mirko Vucinic up top, Madrid with Ronaldo out wide or even Manchester United with David De Gea in goals, all three of those players no doubt cost more than the majority of the Celtic side put onto the park. Man for man across the park Juventus arguably had a superior player. Buffon - Forster, Pirlo - Mulgrew and Barzagli - Wilson. The wealth of the vistors could even be seen on their bench, Nicolas Anelka sitting alongside Sebastian Giovinco in the Parkhead dugout. Scottish football is in a state of decline and it has been for around 10 years now. The Old Firm have of course reached Europa League and UEFA Cup finals in that time but it hasn’t been since 1983 when Aberdeen defeated Real Madrid to win the Cup Winners’ Cup that a European trophy has been won by a Scottish side. There is no longer money in our

game. These days the Scottish elite of Celtic and Rangers can only compete with English Championship sides for players. No longer are they dishing millions out like they did for players such as John Hartson and Chris Sutton, outspending Premiership teams at the time. Now they themselves are looking around Championship and League One clubs for a bargain, like they have done recently with Gary Hooper and Adam Matthews. Credit must be given where credit is due and Lennon has assembled a decent squad of players evident in their recent victory over Barcelona. We must not forget, however, that freak results do happen; Celtic themselves went on to be defeated by a St Mirren side worth less than Gary Hooper alone. That said, we can always dream. Fans of provincial clubs such as your Motherwells and your Dundee Uniteds long for even a shot at the Champions League. Most fans would love to watch their sides abroad. The excitement a few years ago when Motherwell faced French side Nancy was fantastic as fans packed out Fir Park. In recent times the likes of Gretna and even Queen of the South have tried and failed at the first hurdle — never mind Dunfermline’s shambolic attempt

against Icelandic side FH and Swedish minnows Hacken. Even this season St Johnstone faced Eskisehirspor in the Europa League, and that was greeted with much enthuasiasm by the club’s fans and is still looked upon as a great achievement despite their rapid exit. It is these moments that fans of clubs like this live for. Celtic and Rangers have come to expect European football and demand to be competitive; fans of St Johnstone and Motherwell, on the other hand, hope to compete but know fine well that they will meet a stumbling block at either the first or second hurdle, taking anything more as a bonus. They know their players such as Gregory Tade and Keith Lasley are never going to be good enough to challenge on the European stage. For the foreseeable future Scottish sides are no closer to breaking into the quarter finals never mind the final of the Champions League. The fact that we view reaching the second round as a resounding result for Scottish football shows that. In true Scottish fashion this campaign will be seen as a glorious failure, defined by the result against Barcelona, but there is a long way to go before the rest of Europe takes a look at our sides with an ounce of fear in their minds. Ronnie Macdonald

LEAGUE TABLES FOOTBALL

FOOTBALL

BUCS MARS Football Scottish Men’s 1A

P W D L F

Men’s Rugby Union Scottish 2A

P W D L F

A GD Pts

Stirling 2nd

5 3

10 4

Glasgow 1st

4 4 0 0 13 12 21

Glasgow 1st

3 3 0 0 50 9

Edinburgh 1st

5 2

2 1

Robert Gordon 1st

4 2 1

1 7

Heriot-Watt 1st

4 3 0 1 19 9

-5

Heriot-Watt 1st

5 2

2 -1

Edinburgh 1st

4 2 1

1 2

Edinburgh 2nd

4 1

0 3 45 3

Aberdeen 1st

4 2

0 2 -1

-2

Abertay 1st

4 1

0 3 -7 3

Aberdeen 2nd

3 1

0 2 -15 3

Glasgow 1st

5 1

0 4 -6 3

-4

Aberdeen 1st

4 0 0 4 -15 0

Robert Gordon 1st

4 1

0 3 -99 3

-5

A GD Pts 9

FOOTBALL

BUCS MARS Football Scottish Men’s 1A

Christopher Rubey

RUGBY

BUCS MARS Football Scottish Women’s 1A

A GD Pts

RUGBY

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

P W D L F

Men’s Rugby Union Scottish 2A

P W D L F

A GD Pts

Stirling 2nd

5 3

10 4

Glasgow 1st

4 4 0 0 13 12 21

Glasgow 1st

3 3 0 0 50 9

Edinburgh 1st

5 2

2 1

Robert Gordon 1st

4 2 1

1 7

Heriot-Watt 1st

4 3 0 1 19 9

-5

Heriot-Watt 1st

5 2

2 -1

Edinburgh 1st

4 2 1

1 2

Edinburgh 2nd

4 1

0 3 45 3

Aberdeen 1st

4 2

0 2 -1

-2

Abertay 1st

4 1

0 3 -7 3

Aberdeen 2nd

3 1

0 2 -15 3

Glasgow 1st

5 1

0 4 -6 3

-4

Aberdeen 1st

4 0 0 4 -15 0

Robert Gordon 1st

4 1

0 3 -99 3

-5

P W D L F

A GD Pts

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

The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

@GlasgowJournal / journal-online.co.uk

SPORT// 27

MOTORSPORT

Allan McNish: a very fast 25 years The former F1 driver, now a touring car competitor, talks to The Journal about a long career behind the wheel Craig W. Ritchie Sport editor

Allan McNish has been involved

in motor racing for as long as he can remember and he wishes to continue once retirement rears its inevitable head. Having raced all over the globe, motorsport has been good to Allan. From his humble beginnings in Dumfries and Galloway he now tours the globe with the Audi Sport Team Joest garage to the likes of Bahrain, the US and Japan. But he doesn’t forget the people who have helped him to get to where he is today, one of the world’s finest racing drivers. He credits his idol and mentor David Leslie as the man who helped him on the way to success along with, more closely, his mother and father. His upbringing in a small Scottish town had a massive effect on the young Allan and was in an area deeply steeped in racing talent. “Coming from Dumfries obviously you wouldn’t think it had a great tradition in motorsport, but just along the road Innes Ireland was brought up and Innes was the first Scot to win a Grand Prix. “More closely than that David Leslie, who was a family friend, both father and son came from Dumfries. When I was a little boy just 11 or 12 years old he was starting his career. He was lap record holder at Le Mans 24hrs and title contender in British touring car and a host of other titles. “When I was a little boy and impressionable I suppose then I followed David and his career and he was one of the lights if you like to take me into the path of motorsport.” Growing up Allan followed the sport closely. “In terms of car racing yeah I like Ayrton Senna because of the drive he had and I was very fortunate that when I was at McLaren testing in the early nineties he was there as one of the race drivers. “I grew to understand a lot about what made him successful and my admiration only increased. David Leslie definitely was someone I liked. David was the one I followed from being a little boy but I wouldn’t necessarily idolise people, I followed their careers and I liked what they were doing.” Allan credits David Leslie for giving him his big break in motor racing. “I started racing karts when I was 11 years old. Funnily enough [running the team was] David Leslie. Back then it was very much on an amateur basis. These days karting is a professional business run by professional teams. “Then it was me, mum, dad making the bacon rolls and a cup of tea so on that side of things it was more of a family event than a professional philosophy. But I won at that at every level and I suppose it became more of a professional hobby than necessarily anything I dedicated my life to.” Following on from Allan’s success at karting the natural progression was into car racing. Once again local help was on hand and David Leslie helped

“Winning Le Mans in ‘98 was probably the most pivotal moment in my career. Driving the McLaren Formula 1 car for the first time was amazing. Probably overall, having such a long professional career, coming on for 25 years, I’ve got to say is one of the best achievements in reality.” Allan with the aid of his sponsors. “One of my sponsors, Hugh McCaig, had his own racing car team. Ecurie Ecosse was run by Hugh and he suggested that it would be worthwhile for me to look into car racing. So we did. Once again David Leslie was there and he ran the team as I started out in Formula Ford.” Afterwards it was off to the glitz and glamour of Formula 1 for Allan. Formula 1 is where most drivers aim to be, the pinnacle. Allan had a successful time and became established among a wealth of talent including Michael Schumacher and Mika

Hakkinen. “I started in Formula 1 in 1989 when I completed the first test I did with McLaren. “They then gave me a contract with them for three years. Afterwards I moved on to Bennetton and then to Toyota for two years. I then went to Renault in 2003 so it was many years with some of the best teams in the world alongside some of the best manufacturers in the way they go around their motor racing. “It gave me the chance to work with some legendary drivers and also legendary engineers and designers whether it be Rory Byrne or Ross Brawn and working with Ron Dennis, there are so many different things there. “ But it was not all plain sailing. Having joined as main driver for Toyota in their maiden season on 2001, Allan alongside Finn Mika Salo, Toyota suffered major difficulties in adapting to the sport. Plagued with technical issues, the team lost many points that should have been converted thanks to a lack of understanding of the sport in the team. “In terms of racing, I have to say if you are like in any form of motorsport if you are at the front of the grid in a competitive car that can allow you fight for podiums and victories that’s one thing. If you are not then it is a very very different way. I have to say it’s a fight from start to finish. “Unfortunately for Toyota it was their first year and I think they misunderstood and misinterpreted much how difficult motor racing was at that sort of level. “It was frustrating more than anything else. There were a lot of point positions that slipped through the fingers, there was Malaysia in the second race or Monza where under

normal circumstances we should have finished fourth but only for a design fault in the front suspension. But you know these things are in the past and you look forward to the next one. “One big thing for me that was very interesting was at the end of that season. Toyota went a different route and me and Mika were replaced by Olivier Panis and Cristiano Da Matta. Immediately I got a telephone call from Renault’s Flavio Briatori and Pat Simmons to go to them as a test driver. My first lap in the Renault was in Barcelona and was quicker than my qualifying lap in the Toyota the year before and it reminded me that the car had been lacking.” Allan had always dipped in and out of competitions but his first major success came in Le Mans in 1998 when he won the 24-hour touring car event. “Winning Le Mans in ’98 was probably the most pivotal moment in my career. Driving the McLaren Formula 1 car for the first time was amazing, that is a major thing for any driver. Probably overall having such a long professional career coming on for 25 years as a professional racing driver I’ve got to say is one of the best achievements in reality considering the career I have had.” It has to be said such a long career in motorsport can be rare. Approaching 43 in December, however, Allan has achieved more than most drivers can ever hope of. However had it not been for the design of his Audi at Le Mans in 2011 his career and essentially his life may have been cut short. A spectacular crash near the end of the race left many shocked and horrified. A couple of minutes of panic ensued as Allan remained in the wreckage of his

car. However, amazingly he walked away from the crash with only a few cuts and bruises. “Your law of averages says you are going to be in accidents and you know if there are more high speed corners, there are going to be one or two high speed accidents, it’s the way life is. “Nowadays motorsport has been going through a lot of changes especially in the last I would say 15 maybe 20 years since Senna and Ratzenberger’s deaths. “It has been a constant push to improve safety and fortunately I am in a time in that era where you do have your law of averages incidents but on that side of things drivers do tend to step out of crashes to fight another day, which if I look back to Jackie Stewart’s time wasn’t necessarily the case.” Although some would say Allan was approaching the end of his career he is determined to explore new avenues of racing in order to continue his everlasting success. “I always keep pushing, there are new goals, new targets. Every race there is a new target, a new goal. ”I think beyond this part of my career I would like to do Dakar or Baja 1000, Baja is probably a bit more realistic to be honest because I am not sure about two-and-a-half weeks through the deserts in South America as a kick off, but the Baja 1000 would be a fantastic bit of fun, pure fun and after a lot of years of having to focus and the pressures and working to achieve sole success it would be nice to get back to the pure fun of driving. “To be honest probably the best moment of my career is yet to come. “The passion for the sport is still burning very brightly so I would say it will be difficult to keep me out of the paddock.”

28 / SPORT

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The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

INDOOR CRICKET

Edinburgh cricketers seal hat-trick succeSSS EUCC celebrate hat-trick of indoor 6s titles as Scotland become inaugural European indoor champions Ben Cohen Staff writer

Edinburgh University Cricket

Club overcame a competitive St Andrews University side to win their third consecutive Scottish Student Sport indoor cricket 6s final on Saturday. In a tense final, EUCC held their nerve to win by three runs in closely

contested final after Scotland’s two premier sides won through to the final after finals day in Aberdeen. Batting first Edinburgh opened with wicketkeeper Alex Baum and captain Keith Allen, and with just 18 runs on the board Baum was run out for five, the first of four run outs in the innings while Allen held the innings together and reached 25 when before ‘retiring’.

Richard White (21) and Jonty Poward (22) helped Edinburgh to reach 98 all out in the tenth over, with Allen, who returned after the fall of the fourth wicket, finishing as his sides top scorer with 30. Peter Greene was the pick of the St Andrews attack conceding only 16 runs from his 13 deliveries as his side managed the impressive feat of not bowling a single wide during the IM Stewart Photography

VIEWFINDER

The University of Stirling 2nds take on the University of Edinburgh 1sts in a BUCS fixture last week that ended 3-1 to Edinburgh

David Selby

match. With only 98 on the board the Edinburgh bowlers had their work cut out to retain their title. John Lowe and Greene opened for St Andrews with Ed Abel Smith and White trusted with the ball for Edinburgh. Lowe and Greene batting sensibly, steadily building a solid partnership, taking the score to 52 before a smart stumping from Alex Baum dismissed Greene in the sixth over for 24. With the score on 58 Lowe was clean bowled for 12 by Kevin Meier leaving St Andrews requiring 41 runs for victory from 21 balls. Meier and captain Allen held their nerve to bowl out the final overs to see Edinburgh home by three runs. Meier finishing with figures of 1/21 from his two overs and Allen with 1/19 from two overs. With the cricket teamas due to switch their focus to the outdoor season, EUCC upheld their record as Scotland’s finest indoor cricket team despite the tough opposition from ancient rivals St Andrews. Speaking after the match, a delighted Allen said: “Although it was not the best we have played, we showed great fight to get the job done.” He also paid tribute to St Andrews, acknowledging that they were the hardest team they had faced this season. Later in the day, a Scottish Students team emerged victorious from the inaugural European Student indoor 6s with an impressive 76-run win over the Netherlands in their final match to secure the title. Scottish Students coach and event organiser Iain Stewart was delighted with the Scottish victory. He said: “The lads have again shown the quality we have in Scottish Student Cricket. They can be really proud of their efforts today. “This tournament is a new exit route for our indoor programme that is so popular. This group of players keep buying into our values of enjoying our cricket and working hard and as long as we stick to this approach they can achieve more indoors and out.” Scottish Students were one of four countries epresented, with England, the Netherlands and Ireland also taking part. Scotland got the tournament underway when they faced Irish Universities. Batting first, the Irish found runs difficult against an experienced Scottish Students side which featured three full Scotland caps, Craig Wallace, Calvin Burnett and Ewan Chalmers in their side. Ireland could only muster 87 for 4 from their 10 overs with captain Arslan Afzal top scoring with 26. Chalmers was the pick of the home attack taking 2 for 12 from his three over spell. The experience of Wallace and Chalmers came to the fore as they opened the batting and both had to ‘retire’ on reaching 25 to leave Alex Baum and Ed Kneale to see the hosts home without the loss of a wicket and two overs to spare. In the second match, Dutch Universities batted first and were bowled out by England in the last over for 97, with Allema (24) and Reedyke (29) the main

contributors. Ben Hawker of Southampton University was the pick of the English attack with 2 for 23. The match as a contest was virtually over after the first Dutch over. Olivier Lodder opening the attack for Holland had extreme difficulty controlling the ball bowling numerous wides and failing to pitch the ball in the batsman’s half of the pitch resulting in no ball being called. His one over cost 40 runs and from there it was a stroll for England to reach their target which they did from 4.2 overs. Dan Young (27* and Ethan Fogarty (25*) were best with the bat, but the top score was extras with 40 The next match saw the clash of the ‘Auld Enemy’. Batting first, the hosts found runs more difficult to come by against tight English bowling and wickets fell at regular intervals to leave the host in trouble at 83-5, but last batsman Burnett batted with skill and maturity to bat out the 10 overs finishing on 41 not out to give Scotland Students a respectable total of 121 for 5. When English Universities took the field they faced an inspired Scottish side who bowled with pace and fielded with intensity and purpose. Dan Young was the only batsman to show any resistance finishing with 29. There were three run outs with the other three wickets falling to Keith Allen who finished with 3/9 from eight deliveries. He was ably assisted by keeper Wallace who took two smart stumpings and a fine catch standing up to the stumps. Match four saw the losers from the first two matches meet. Dutch Universities batted first and made 74 all out in the eighth over. Lodder top scored with 35, and the Dutch cause was not helped with three run outs in their innings. Liam Higgins was the pick of the Irish attach with 2/13 from 17 balls. The Irish Universities side were made to work for their ruins as the Dutch, having learnt from their match against England, were much more disciplined and it took the until the ninth over to get over the line with the loss of four wickets. Ryan Sugrue top scoring for them with 17. Scotland then faced the Dutch in the penultimate match knowing that victory would see them take the trophy. They batted first and plundered runs against a Dutch attack that again faltered to find any rhythm or length. Wallace (25*) and Chalmers (26*) again opened the attack and both retired not out as the home side raced to 163 for 2. In reply the Dutch could only muster 87 for 4 with Nick Worries hitting 23 to see the Scottish Students victorious by 76 runs, and the celebrations could begin In the final match English Universities beat Irish Universities to seal second place. The English Universities posted a daunting 171/2 in their 10 overs, the highest of the tournament, with skipper David Foster of Leeds University setting the tone with 36. The Irish started well in reply and skipper Afzal raced to 26 before a hat trick from medium pacer Young ended the Irish innings on 102.

The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

SPORT// 29

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FOOTBALL

St Mirren to continue as Scotland U21 host St Mirren Park in Paisley has been selected as Scotland’s UEFA 2015 Under 21 qualifying home Craig W. Ritchie Sport editor

St Mirren will continue to host Scotland’s U21 side for their Euro 2015 qualifying campaign. The Paisley side’s St Mirren Park ground will host all four qualifiers following the side’s impressive unbeaten record during the Euro 2013 qualifers. Coach Billy Stark was delighted to be returning to familiar surroundings when the qualifying campaign kicks off against Luxembourg on 25 March. Former Buddies star, Stark, said: “I’m pleased that we have managed to secure St Mirren Park as our home for the 2015 qualification campaign. “The club were fantastic hosts for us in the last qualifying round so it’s great news that we will be back there for the new campaign. “Having a recognised base for these important matches means the players can once again familiarise themselves with the ground and that should benefit us on the pitch. “We have always received great backing at St Mirren Park and I hope that will continue for our matches against Luxembourg, Slovakia, Georgia and the Netherlands.” The side, which ultimately failed to qualify for 2013, will also face Slovakia,

Tom Brogan

Georgia and the Netherlands in their bid to reach the 2015 event in the Czech Republic. The U21 team has already blooded young talent Jordan Rhodes and Danny Wilson in recent campaigns, and will provide rising stars including St Mirren’s Kenny McLean a chance to prove themselves to new national manager Gordon Strachan. The need to build again is one that irks Stark slightly, but he seems to revel in the challenge. Stark said: “You know it will be a very difficult task because you need to win five games out of eight, six to be guaranteed and you go into every game knowing that there is no margin for error at all. “The previous squads have not been too frightened about it, they have not been too far away. “I would love to think this squad could take that final step and get us to finals but it is going to be really difficult. “You feel by getting so close with the last squad that, if you kept working with them, you could maybe just find that wee bit extra but then they become too old and you have to start again.” Brian Caldwell, St Mirren chief executive, added: “We are delighted to have been selected once again as the host venue for Scotland’s Under 21 home qualifying matches. This is great news for the club and the town of Paisley.”

HEINEKEN CUP RUGBY

BASKETBALL

Warriors steal overtime win against sinner Saints

Clan sink Stingrays

Northampton Saints snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at Scotstoun meeting

Basement sides Hull and Braehead do battle as the Clan come out on top in tough match at Braehead Arena

Ben Cohen Staff writer

Mark McGeever Staff writer

Glasgow Warriors won their first European game of the season in a thrilling 27-20 win over Northampton Saints. Peter Horne scored an impressive overtime try as Glasgow ended Northampton’s Heineken Cup at Scotstoun Stadium after Waller was sent to the sinbin with a minute remaining and the score level at 20-20. Two penalties from Warriors stand-off Ruaridh Jackson in the opening ten minutes gave the hosts the lead, but a Dominic Waldouck try and a conversion and penalty from Stephen Myler put Saints 10-6 up. Warriors’ Josh Strauss and Saints’ George Pisi traded tries before Nikola Matawalu crossed with Scott Wight converting both home tries. Ben Foden’s late unconverted try looked to have secured a draw to give Saints a reasonable chance of qualifying for the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter finals, but Horne’s 50-metre burst gave Glasgow victory as 4,200 Warriors fans roared him over the line.

Northampton dominated most of the first 40 minutes, but could manage just one try despite aiming for four to keep their Heineken Cup dreams alive. The Warriors emerged for the second half a different side and Saints’ problems were compounded when impressive second row Courtney Lawes was taken off after a blow to the head. The visitors were soon back in the lead as Samoa centre Pisi stepped inside and powered over out wide but Ryan Lamb missed the conversion. The game yo-yoed through the second half as Fijian international Matawalu continued his recent impressive scoring streak, stealing the ball from Foden before burning 50 metres to score. With 15 minutes remaining, Glasgow led 20-15, but Northampton continued to attack and Foden went over again to make up for his earlier error. Lamb missed another conversion to leave the score level at 20-20 and Northampton were unable to get the much-needed bonus point before Horne evaded four Saints players and went on to convert his own try.

Just a single point separated Clan and Stingrays going into Wednesday’s match, with the top flight’s bottom two clubs both in search of a morale-boosting win to kick-start their season. A second minute strike from Matt Hanson settled the nerves of a smallerthan-usual crowd at the Braehead Arena. Following build-up play by Jordan Krestanovich and Matt Haywood, the defender from Midway, British Columbia slithered the puck past Hull goalie Ben Bowns to the get the crowd on their feet and inspire self-belief in the often misfiring Glasgow team. The visiting keeper was the busier of the two stoppers in the opening period, being called on to make 13 saves in a 20 minute spell where Clan always looked the more dangerous side. The hosts were playing with a confidence and determination too often lacking from their game, and it paid off when Robert Farmer doubled the lead three minutes from the first interval. A week after starring for Great Britain in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Latvia, the forward put his club firmly in the driving seat when

he converted a neat pass from Clan captain Ash Goldie. Three up after 40 minutes the points were all but secure, though Jeff Smith ended Clan keeper Daren Machesney’s hopes of a shutout when he found the net with 14 minutes left in the game. The powerplay goal gave the Stingrays a lifeline but they never looked like staging a comeback. As full-time approached coach Sylvain Cloutier pulled his side’s goalie to throw on an extra attacker, but the last-ditch gamble only saw Clan’s Krestanovich cap a fine performance by scoring into the empty net with 30 seconds remaining. With all five clubs in the Gardiner Conference separated by only two points the win sees Braehead jump to the top of the section, one point clear of Dundee Stars. The Conference championship race seems sure to go to the wire with the title still in the sights of every one of its teams. In the overall Elite League table, the result had an equally clear impact, as Clan leapt from ninth place to sixth. damage than they did. Needless to say, they could afford to give away a few points here and there as their lead continued to grow with several baskets each from Mike Ringgold and Brice

Fantazia, including two sublime threepointers from the Portuguese guard. In the end, the Glasgow sides free-flowing play was too much for the Sharks as the gap increased to an astonishing 20 points before the final siren went, with an end-score of 85-65. Speaking after the match, player-coach Sterling Davis was very pleased with the performance, as he felt it showed how the players intend to continue their recent good form and that it meant a lot going into Friday’s trophy tie: “I think it was good for us, especially with the way things have gone against Sheffield this year and hopefully it will continue on Friday”, he said. “We have it on tape now to see how we played against Sheffield so hopefully we can duplicate that.” Davis also put down any rumours of a replacement to cover the recent departure of forward, Owen McNally: “We’re not necessarily looking to bring in anyone for him, we have got Venderbeken now so he steps in on that role anyway.” Whether or not the Rocks can take their blistering performance down south for the reverse trophy tie against the Sharks this Friday is unclear but, judging by today’s match, they clearly have the potential to do so.

30 / SPORT

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The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

SCOTT JOHNSON SPEAKS... Affable Aussie head coach reflects on Scotland’s heroic Italian job “We’re in a tournament” “We’re really happy with the score-

board, and why wouldn’t we be? We’re in a championship and we want to win the championship so while there were some really good things in that game and much improvements in the areas that we needed to improve in there’s still plenty left out there on that pitch. “I think we had some opportunities to put them away. We did really well in the defence for most of the game, and there was a real turning point in the game when Hoggy took it from one end of the field to the other which was really a 14-point turnaround, but there were events which occurred just before that which were disappointing and you know the scoreboard could have switched pretty quickly. “We’ve got a potent backline and the ability to put sides away, but we just have to keep doing our work...we have to acknowledge that we have to keep improving and that’s what we’ve got to do - we’re in a tournament.”

“We’re striving to get better and better” “Very rarely I sit up here and extol

the virtues of one single player - today, there’s things you wouldn’t know, Ryan Grant was in a lot of pain...they’re the kind of things you can’t write about - it just says so much about the person. He didn’t want to come off, and not only did he not want to come off, he did his job, so I think there’s a lot in this team. “[Rob Harley] did some good things, he did and it’s funny. he had an opportunity in the first few minutes to really make his mark on the game and missed a tackle, and I would have put every money on him making a forcible impact. “He did some really, really good things, but once again, there’ll be an honesty call here, that we’re striving to get better and better and better. “Fact is, I’m really happy for the lad [Kelly Brown]. He did really, really

well. I think Greig [Laidlaw] did terrific too - he’s starting to mature, he didn’t stand in the front of the queue for athleticism, but he did in mind and it’s amazing when you’ve got good resolve how quick you can get and I’m very, very pleased with him and his development.

“We can score points” “There was part of [today’s win] that says we can score points, but when you’re scoring you put pressure on the opposition, but there’s one honesty again, and that’s the scoreboard, sometimes the scoreboard hides some ills.”

Johnson was speaking at the postmatch press conference immediately after his team defeated Italy at Murrayfield on Saturday 9 February.

Analysis: Scotland have every right to expect victory over Ireland on Sunday Dynamic backs and unwavering forward grunt are capable of causing further upsets Gareth Llewellyn Deputy managing editor

the Pro12, ot the confidence to control a match the way they did against Italy. It is testament to that one performScotland finally came of age ance earlier this month that many fans against lacklustre Italy in a tournament now expect victory when Ireland come which has done very little to endear the to Edinburgh. Unjustified expectation the thousands of passionate fans who is a phrase often put to over-excitable descend on Murrayfield. Scotland fans when it comes to sport, The rampant backline of Stuart but against a stuttering Irish side Hogg, Sean Maitland and Tim Visser with injury problems and suspensions, with Matt Scott and Sean Lamont and a near full-house expected, why marauding through the centre lit up shouldn’t a win be expected? round two of the 2013 Six Nations as Scotland can declare to anyone who France vs Wales and Ireland vs England will listen that they boast one of the turned into low-scoring attritional most exciting back fives in European affairs a far cry from the magic wit- rugby and if they play with the same nessed by the 50,000 Scottish rugby belief shown already in the tournafans who left Murrayfield desperately ment any nightmares of another year awaiting the arrivals of Celtic cousins of potential only to end in humiliation Ireland this week to see if the future can be swatted away in the manner that really is as bright as it looked for 80 Sale Sharks lock Richie Gray disposed minutes against Italy. of Edoardo Gori in the second half. Scotland proudly sit second in the A championship title shout this year championship behind tournament is probably a step too far, but in a year favourites England, and few would or two, who knows? It’s only a matter of have predicted Scott Johnson’s side time before Scotland’s time comes. could have made produced a stunning performance off the back of a humili- What do you think of Scotland’s ating defeat to England just a week chances against Ireland? Log on to before,, but there is an aura around the website, and let us know your Scottish rugby at the moment. From the thoughts, and your predictions for the Glasgow Warriors side riding high in upcoming Six Nations action.

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IN NUMBERS / Scotland’s hopes

201

Metres made by Stuart Hogg in his first two matches with 121 coming against Italy at Murrayfield

Turnovers made by Scotland captain Kelly Brown, two more than any other player

Debutants in the Six Nations year so far, two fewer than the record lowest set in 2011. Of those, Scotland have fielded five

Starting XV vs Ireland We analyse Scott Johnson’s selections after Thursday’s squad announcement

Passionate analysis Our rugby correspondents give their thoughts on Scotland’s chances against Ireland

85%

Lineout success rate for Scotland after two matches, ,winning 22 out of 26 lineouts on their own throw

The Journal Wednesday 20 February 2013

@GlasgowJournal / journal-online.co.uk

SPORT// 31

THE MASSACRE AT MURRAYFIELD Scots redeemed, Italians shamed as Scott Johnson’s 15 crush insurgent Azzurri 34-10

Scotland and Glasgow Warriors centre Sean Lamont breaks through the Italian lines to charge down the field for a try likely to linger in Scottish sporting memory for some years to come Jacques Brunel’s Italy in an unexpected display of dominance at Murrayfield on Saturday 9 February, ending a gruelling string of defeats and demonstrating a level of confidence unprecedented in recent Scottish rugby. In a commanding display, Scott Johnson’s backs delivered a dazzling performance, putting down a rare four tries at home in a stunning 34-10 victory over an Italian side who didn’t show up until late in the second half. Scotland were menacing from the kick-off, Edinburgh winger Tim Visser should have scored the opening try within two minutes, but a scrappy defensive line and momentary hesitation denied him the chance. The home side drew first blood with a neat Greig Laidlaw penalty in the 15th minute after an Italian knock-on. From there, the Scots found their momentum — at 25 minutes, Italy were penalised for collapsing the maul, penalty duly converted. Just after the half-hour mark, another Italian fumble put the ball into Visser’s hands, and the winger showed why he’s one of the most promising young players

in European rugby, weaving around the Italian forwards before gliding across the line in the 29th minute for his fifth try in seven international appearances. On 39 minutes, the Scots were guilty of conceding another unforced error — not rolling away — allowing Luciano Orquera to reduce the scoreline to 13-3 at the break. A fast passage of play from the lineout delivered the ball into Matt Scott’s waiting hands, and an out-of-formation Italian defence were unable to stop the Edinburgh man galloping down the centre for a beautiful converted try on 42 minutes. Then minutes later, an Orquera pass found its way into Stuart Hogg’s waiting hands, and the winger charged majestically down the pitch. Laidlaw again added the conversion for an unassailable 27-3 lead on 47 minutes. Not to be outdone, Sean Lamont turned a drubbing into a disaster for Italy with a spectacular charge through the ruck to stroll straight between the posts unopposed for another converted try. Incensed, the Italians fought back and restored some pride as Alessandro Zanni evaded two despairing tackles to crash across the Scottish line five minutes from time.

Christopher Rubey

P W D L F A Pts

STANDINGS

A reinvigorated Scotland crushed

1. England

2 2 0 0 50 24 4

2. Scotland 2 1 0 1 52 48 2 3. Wales

2 1 0 1 38 36 2

4. Ireland

2 1 0 1 36 34 2

5. Italy

2 1 0 1 33 52 2

6. France

2 0 0 2 24 39 0

Christopher Rubey

Matt Scott barrels over the line — only for referee Jaco Peyper to disallow the try on the basis of a forward pass

Matt Scott dances across the Italian line for his well-deserved try Christopher Rubey

Richie Gray puts his height advantage to good use in the lineout

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