Issue 2 - Hilary Term 2015

Volume 72 Issue 2

Thursday 22nd January 2nd Week

oxfordstudent.com

Oxford police criticised for begging arrests • Police condemned as “cruel” and “inhumane” LUKE MINTZ NEWS EDITOR

PHOTO/ HANNAH LOVELL

Underage drinking at Oxford University ‘Lash’ Club • Labour Club criticised for serving alcohol to underage students at campaign launch event • ‘Peachy Mandelson’, ‘Tonic Benn’, and ‘Tory Sex Scandal on the Beach’ among drinks offered OXSTU NEWS TEAM

Oxford University’s Labour Club has come under fire after allegedly serving alcohol to underage students, at an event held in Corpus Christi College on Monday night.

At least one Corpus fresher, aged 17, was given alcohol at the event, held to launch the club’s 2015 General Election campaign.

The underage student repeatedly vomited on College property after drinking cocktails provided by the club, and was unable to walk. He has since been disciplined by College authorities.

One senior member of OULC was also required to have a meeting with the College Dean Robin Murphy, for apparently failing to check the ages of the students being served.

The event, held to launch a new OULC commitment to 2,015 hours of campaigning before the May General Election, was attended by the Labour MP for Oxford East Andrew Smith, as well as the Labour candidate for Reading West, Vicky Groulef.

Charging £3 entry, the event provided unlimited cocktails, all named after senior Labour figures, including ‘Peachy Mandelson’, ‘Tonic Benn’, and

‘Tory Sex Scandal on the Beach’.

The Oxford Student understands that the OULC members working behind the bar were unaware that underage students were present.

Corpus Christi has since taken action to ensure that underage students are not again served alcohol on college premises, with photographs of all college members aged under-18 placed in the college bar.

The underage Corpus fresher reportedly shouted ‘Vote Labour’, ran around the college garden, and recited Latin after becoming intoxicated.

OUSU Welfare Officer Chris Pike

commented: “Of course, organisers of any event including alcohol should ensure that those in attendance are legally allowed to drink there; we musn’t assume that students are over 18, just as we musn’t assume that students are below a certain age.”

Pike continued: “Every event must do what it can to ensure the welfare of those in attendance, and this includes, for events involving alcohol, making sure that nobody is provided with or sold too much booze – whether or not they’re over 18.”

Continued on page 5 »

Features, p.20

Sport, p.23

Are colleges doing enough to support Oxford’s trans students?

Netball Superleague: The rise of a too often underappreciated sport

Oxford police made 96 arrests for begging over 2013 and 2014, according to new Freedom of Information figures obtained by The Oxford Student.

Police conducted 63 arrests for offences related to the 1824 Vagrancy Act in 2013, and 33 in 2014. Whilst Oxford residents account for only 6.7 per cent of the Thames Valley population, Oxford begging arrests accounted for 62.7 per cent of the total arrests made in the Thames Valley area over the same period.

The police faced criticism from a number of student activists. Freya Turner, Chair of OUSU’s homelessness charity On Your Doorstep, commented: “I don’t feel that police arresting beggars is the best way to tackle the problem, because it doesn’t address the root causes of why they were begging; and I think it contributes to harmful stigma around such vulnerable groups in society.”

Turner, a second-year History student at Hertford College, continued: “Begging and rough sleeping are undoubtedly problems in Oxford, but this speaks to something much bigger than individual arrests by police can solve – namely that we are facing a massive housing crisis in Oxford, which is an increasingly unaffordable city.”

According to a 2011 government report, Oxford has the fourth highest number of rough sleepers in the country. The average home in Oxford costs 11.3 times more than local average earnings, making Oxford the least affordable city in the UK. A spokesperson for Oxford Homeless Continued on page 3 »

EDITORIAL

2 Editorial

22nd January 2015

Community ties

T

he problem with featuring two stories on our front page is that we often end up positioning two radically different aspects of Oxford life side by side. Although this is not always a bad thing, this week there is an uncomfortable juxtaposition between underage drinking exploits at an OULC event (run-on page 5) and the harsh realities of living on the streets in this city (run-on page 3). It’s a sobering reminder that, much as we enjoy having our own in-jokes, being one of the lucky few who make it into this University does not make us the only people in the community. Getting stuck in the ‘Oxford Bubble’ doesn’t just mean remaining in a certain area, it means getting so caught up in being a student here that you become less aware of anything outside of the Bod, the quad, and the Cheese Floor.

We’re often more in touch with what’s happening internationally than what is going on a few doors down from our student houses. A wider awareness of the world, both at a local level and beyond, is a good thing to have.

Yet some people find that there is a lack of understanding in our own university community. Even though we should accept how privileged we are, that does not mean we ought to ignore issues which students have while they’re here. Many can face prejudice or discrimination due to race (page 11) or gender identity (page 20), whilst a huge number of

people often find, at some point, that they struggle with the stresses of Oxford life. This week, we report on two new campaigns: ‘It Gets Brighter’ (page 3) and ‘Whose Oxford?’ (page 6). Both are focused on aspects of student welfare, the latter taking its inspiration from Cambridge’s ‘Whose University?’ campaign.

Obviously Oxford’s environment has several similarities with that of The Other Place, so it is certainly worth thinking about what kind of culture we have here and how it affects everyone. Striking the balance between being a conscientious member of the community and looking out for yourself can be difficult, but it’s something worth trying to achieve.

A welcome distraction

Much as we pride ourselves on reporting important stories and featuring well-informed comment pieces, we also recognize that, for many, The Oxford Student is something which you pick up absent-mindedly in the college bar and flick through. That’s why we want to make sure that, if you just want a break from reading about law and politics, there is something here to amuse, interest or entertain you.

Whether you like hearing about the latest in Oxford drama or deciding which film to go and see at the Picture House, OXII is once again your main source of culture picks. If you turn to the very centre of the paper, you’ll see a fantastic

fashion spread, shot in a sweet shop, which really just sums up what we want to offer you: a chance to treat yourself.

There are some excellent Sports features at the back of the paper, and a few handy tips on where to go for your next Tinder date in Features (page 21). If you want something to keep your brain active which doesn’t involve hexidecimals or Feudal Revolution, you could complete our Oxford “odd one out” quiz (page 17). You could even fire up Spotify and listen to the Music section’s (OXII page 5). There’s a whole load of creativity in these pages, and much as we love being able to bring you updates on the latest news, we also strive not to take ourselves too seriously. That’s why things like HackDaq and Cliterary Theory exist (both page 16), for you to enjoy them and take some time out.

As much as we put our time, effort, and occasional tears into this newspaper, the copy you’re holding right now will probably end its life as part of some horrific bop costume.

It is yours now, so go forth, do what you will with what we have created, and as a very wise man and woman once said: Treat. Yo’. Self.

If you like what you read and want to get involved, email editor@ oxfordstudent.com

News 3

22nd January 2015

New funding to target “low expectation” students in England and Wales ‘It Gets Brighter’ • Oxford University launches new outreach projects to support low engagement areas DANIEL CUNNIFFE & LAURA WHETHERLY NEWS TEAM

Students from areas of “low expectation” are being targeted by Oxford University in new outreach projects launched this week.

Both the English and Welsh governments have announced new funding for projects aiming to support students from areas with traditionally low engagement with Oxford and Cambridge as part of a wider project to encourage young people into Higher Education.

This will be delivered through separate initiatives in Wales and England, due to the localised nature of the projects.

The launch of the first three Welsh “Schools Hubs”, centres dedicated to supporting these students, was held in Cardiff last week.

Jesus College has been particularly involved in this process, with links to two schools within these hubs: Gower College for Swansea and St John Baptist High School for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf. Dr Beth Mortimer, Access Fellow for Jesus College, commented: “As a College with a historical link with Wales and a long-standing commitment to access, we are delighted to be involved in the new hubs being established in Wales which seek to increase the number of successful applications to Oxbridge. As Access Fellow, I’m very excited to be a part of this initiative and hope to provide

academic-based activities to the hubs to support their students over the long term.”

Welsh applications to Oxford University in 2013 hit a 14-year low.

A review into this lead by former Welsh secretary, Paul Murphy, found “low self esteem” and “lack of academic self confidence” to be key to the problem of attracting Welsh applicants.

Emily Bamber, a first-year at St Peter’s from North Wales, commented: “My school had only just started even bothering to help students consider Oxbridge this year, because I think the access team had only just got in contact with them. I don’t think I’d have considered it without the access people coming to visit and give talks”.

Benjamin Sadler, Caplan of Oxford University Welsh Society and Jesus College member, added: “The Welsh have a long tradition of studying at this university, and at Jesus College in particular. I hope that this initiative will insure that tradition’s continuation in future years. However, while I am pleased to see that the Welsh Government has launched this initiative, I have to ask whether the current policy of using the higher education budget to subsidise students choosing to leave Wales benefits Wales in the long term.”

Oxford University has also become a member of National Networks for Collaborative Outreach (NNCO), a £22 million government scheme aiming to reach 1600 English schools

BERTRAM BEOR-ROBERTS DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR

PHOTO/krymzon

with low engagement with Oxford and Cambridge. This will work in partnership with the Welsh government’s “School Hubs”.

The initiative plans to create a new website with online seminars from admissions staff and a single resource for information about access events for both universities. The universities hope that online resources will improve communications with prospective students from schools with a low number of high-achieving students, in addition to those situated in geographically hard-to-reach areas.

More locally, there will be increased resources available for schools linked

with colleges.

Dr Samina Khan, director for undergraduate admissions and outreach, stated: “Oxford’s work with the National Networks for Collaborative Outreach will add to the already significant amount of targeted access work the collegiate University undertakes across the UK. “While this particular programme is funded by the government and Hefce to target students in English schools, the resources Oxford will be making available include a substantial amount of online support that can be accessed by anyone across the UK.”

Homelessness laws and policies condemned by students • Police work alongside City Council and Street Outreach Team to combat issues LUKE MINTZ NEWS EDITOR

» Continued from front page Pathways said they “would never condone the practice of arresting beggars without any further follow up”, and that arrests were generally used as a “last resort”.

Lesley Dewhurst, Chief Executive at the homelessness charity, contin-

ued: “We do know that the police are working closely with the City Council and the Street Outreach Team on this issue. There is a specific PC who is assigned to working with homeless people (and he is backed up by colleagues who also know the client group when he is absent).

“The practice they are trained to follow is to offer support to those individuals that they meet who are begging. I believe that arrest would be

PHOTO/jaggers

• Web campaign launched

the last resort and a lot of other steps would be taken first – e.g. friendly chat, requirement to move on, and warning.”

One second-year History student with close family experience of homelessness, commented: “The practice of arresting rough sleepers for begging is completely inhumane and unnecessarily cruel. The whole process is extremely humiliating for the individual involved. These people have literally nothing; we should be helping, not punishing them.”

The student, who wished not to be named due to the sensitive nature of her comment, continued: “When my mother was living without a fixed address the police treated her like she wasn’t even human. That was back in the 1970s, and I hoped things had improved since then. But I think these figures confirm what a lot of us have suspected for a long time – that police in Oxford and elsewhere view beggars as a problem that need to be removed, rather than a vulnerable minority that need to be helped.”

Student activist Alice Nutting voiced similar criticism, commenting: “Being homeless is not a choice. Laws against begging fail to help the vulnerable, instead only making their situations worse. It’s saddening yet unsurprising that the Oxford police force has demonstrated so little compassion on

this matter.”

According to The Guardian, begging prosecutions “rocketed” by 70 per cent during 2013, a development it blamed on government cuts to support services.

London-based homelessness charity Thames Reach, however, said that arresting beggars helps drug addicts reach treatment. Speaking to the Evening Standard in June 2014, spokesperson Jeremy Swain described arresting beggars as part of a “co-ordinated approach” between police, local authorities and charities.

Katherine Backler, the outgoing President of the Society of St Vincent de Paul’s Oxford branch, a Catholic homelessness charity, stated: “Arresting beggars does not address the root causes of homelessness, but I doubt it is intended to: that is the job of policy makers and not of the police service on their beat.”

Backler, a third-year Classics student, continued: “If we ourselves are keen to see an end to begging, we should give more, and give in ways that will affect structural change: for example, by giving our time to speak to homeless people and those who serve them … and by supporting affordable housing initiatives.”

Thames Valley Police did not respond to our request for comment.

A new web-based campaign is to be launched in Oxford, encouraging the public to post videos discussing their experiences with mental health issues.

Oxford based organisation ‘Mind Your Head’ are launching the website on 28th January, under the name ‘It Gets Brighter’.

The campaign is spearheaded by Oxford graduate students Josh Chauvin, Chair of the organisation, and Emma Lawrence, Campaign Manager.

Lawrence, a DPhil student at University College, noted her motivations for the campaign, saying: “Young people often feel that they are by themselves in encountering mental health issues.

That can lead to a perceived stigma of such experiences, and prevent them from accessing support. We hope our videos will help them recognise they are in fact not alone and encourage them to seek appropriate support.”

Chauvin spoke of his desire to create a “culture of openness” around mental health.

He commented: “We welcome anyone and everyone who wants to submit a video. You don’t have to have a personal experience of mental illness to support those among us that do. Telling others that you’re there to listen can be just as strong of a message. We need to have a culture of openness about mental health.”

‘Mind Your Head’ has received support from several prominent figures.

These include Stephen Fry, who spoke of his support for the charity, and in particular his concerns over the levels of self-harm amongst young people, at an oversubscribed Oxford Union event in Michaelmas. Others who have provided videos include the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, whose daughter has suffered from depression.

The campaign’s website, “Thunderclap”, claims to have reached in excess of 160,000 people.

This initiative has been welcomed by many. Merton first-year Roísín McCallion, who runs a popular blog about mental health issues, said: “At times dealing with judgement from others due to the stigma attached to suffering from a mental illness can be as difficult as dealing with the illness itself. I strongly believe that a key part of the solution to overcoming this stigmatisation is speaking out – through making people aware of the truth about what mental illness really is through the sharing of our own experiences. The ‘It Gets Brighter’ campaign provides people with a platform to do just that and I am incredibly hopeful it will have a highly beneficial impact upon the situation.”

PHOTO/Roger Askew

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AUGUST 2014

22nd January 2015

Big Narstie has a big night at Wadham

• London-based grime artist spends the evening at student house party after tour of Oxford BERTRAM BEOR-ROBERTS AND LUKE MINTZ OxStu News Team

It appears that being an international grime artist doesn't exempt you from the rules as far as Wadham porters are concerned.

London-based musician Big Narstie, who has worked with artists such as Ed Sheeran, N-Dubz, and Professor Green, delighted Wadham students by attending a house party in their College on Friday Night.

Big Narstie appeared as a guest artist at a Cellar grime night, and accepted the offer from several Wadham students of a "tour of Oxford", which led back to an after-

party, which Wadham student Lea Kambskaro-Bennett Sayago noted "will go down in Wadham history".

The evening consisted of such varied events as Big Narstie and his friends dancing in a Wadhamite's room, discussion of politics, and the famous musician being told by an angry porter to get off the grass in the quad.

Wadham fresher Ella Adjei spoke of the excitement in college: "I came back from Plush at about 2am and saw two friends coming back into college from Cowley, and they explained that Narstie was in Wadham having an afterparty. He stayed until about four or half past."

The evening was documented and

broadcast to Big Narstie's 36,000 followers on Instagram in a series of videos, uploaded in the early hours of Saturday morning.

In one clip, Big Narstie jokes: "Hey Mamma, I made it, I'm at Oxford University!"

Later videos show students in a tightly-packed Wadham room with the artist's voice in the background saying: "Ay ay Oxford University!

We're in the dorms now", as well as clips of him smoking and wearing a mortar board.

Adjei contiued: "He kept freestyling at various points but saying the same thing over and over including "I'm big like a branch not a twig".

Kambskaro-Bennett Sayago was

also present at the event. She commented: "To be honest, I don't think he managed to string many sentences together at all; mostly just a few remarks and random words [...] He also enjoyed complimenting female Wadhamites and nearly won me over with his thoughtful 'I like your tights.'"

In another Instagram video he names a female undergraduate "rainbow tits" in reference to her colourful top.

Big Narstie's impromptu visit seems to have made a lasting impact on students. Sayago concluded: "It's not every day your friends from back home spot you on a grime artist's Instagram."

News 5

Wadham alumnae nominated for Oscars Of five nominees for the Best Actress award at this year's Oscars, two are alumnae of Wadham College.

Rosamund Pike, who starred in Gone Girl, and Felicity Jones, who starred in The Theory of Everything, both attended Wadham. The awards will be announced on 22nd February.

Other nominees for the award are Julianne Moore, Marion Cotillard, and Reese Witherspoon.

Marine Le Pen protest announced A protest is being planned against Marine Le Pen's appearance at the Oxford Union, to be held on 5 th February.

An event entitled "No to Fascist Marine Le Pen at the Oxford Union! Oxford Union – rescind the invitation!" has been announced on Facebook, with over 1,300 invited to attend.

The event states: "Giving a platform to fascist and racist speakers only promotes and legitimises racism and fascism in wider society."

They aim to get the Oxford Union to rescind the invitation for Le Pen to speak at the Union.

Merton tapestry game Merton College have challenged their students to come forward with a translation of a code concealed within the dots and dashes of a tapestry hanging in the Porter's lodge.

They are releasing weekly clues via Facebook and Twitter, but so far, nobody has come forward with the correct translation.

The "overall hint" provided by the college states that "the artist is not a puzzle master or code writer... do not be intimidated – this is not rocket science. If you're not having fun, you're trying too hard!"

Underage drinking at Oxford University ‘Lash’ Club • Oxford University's Labour Club comes under criticism for serving alcohol to underage students OXSTU NEWS TEAM

» Continued from front page Pike continued: "Every event must do what it can to ensure the welfare of those in attendance, and this includes, for events including alcohol, making sure that nobody is provided with or sold too much booze - whether or not they're over 18."

In an official policy on the 'mis-

use of alcohol', the University claims it is "concerned to try to make students aware of the potentially harmful effects of excessive drinking".

The statement continued: "Depending on individual circumstances, unruly behaviour caused by excessive drinking, including that associated with finals celebrations, may lead to disciplinary action under university or college codes."

An outraged OULC member

commented: "It seems that the club has taken Champagne Socialism and Bolly Bolshevism too far this time. You would not find this at Port and Policy. I think some members may have interpreted the principles of the Beveridge Report a little too seriously."

At the event, Labour MP Andrew Smith criticised coalition policies for apparently puting thousands into poverty and creating "food bank Britain". He urged the mem-

bers present to join the club's campaigning efforts in the coming months.

Recently the national Labour Party announced policies to crackdown on underage drinking, with Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham advocating the prohibition of cheap super-sized bottles of ciders.

OULC and Corpus Christi College have both declined our requests for comment.

£16,000 puppy retrieved A rare lilac British Bulldog puppy worth £16,000 has been found.

The puppy, called Lila, was stolen from its home in Surrey in October, and was found by Thames Valley Police at a Grove address in Oxfordshire.

Earlier this month, five Oxford men were arrested on suspicion of stealing the puppy.

A 29-year-old woman has also been arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods.

Lila has since been reunited with her owners.

6 News

22nd January 2015

Whose Oxford? campaign launched at Wadham

• More than 100 plan to attend open launch meeting • Campaign aims to encompass a broad range of issues

LAURA WHETHERLY NEWS EDITOR

A new campaign challenging colleges about prioritising the needs of their students is being launched on 22nd January.

The open meeting is to be held at Wadham, with the event stating that it is “aimed at building upon the work of the original “Whose University?” campaign and to start organising an Oxford version”.

The “Whose University?” project was launched by Cambridge University students during November last year, with the aim of addressing “a distinct lack of clarity about who has ownership over college spaces” within Cambridge.

The project’s website states that it is about “reclaiming the university/ colleges for students and looking at/exposing the ways in which students and their needs/welfare are often sidelined by other interests in colleges."

At the time of writing, over a hundred people on the Oxford event’s Facebook page have said that they plan on attending. Organising the meeting are students Isaac Rose, Xavier Cohen, Charlotte CB, Rivka Mikhaela and Callum Zavos MacRae. A statement on behalf of the event organisers stated: "The event is an

open planning meeting on Thursday to explore the possibility of setting up a campaign here like the one that has been started in Cambridge. The Cambridge campaign is drawing attention to instances in which the needs of students don't seem to be the priority for colleges or the university, for example in the case of conferences.

“We're hoping that the question Whose University? will come to encompass a broad scope of issues in Oxford, such as mental health provision and corporate entanglement in academia. The open planning meeting is for anyone connected to the university to bring their ideas and discuss how we could take positive action. Everyone is welcome and we hope the simplicity of the question Whose University? will have a broad appeal.”

Cambridge's “Whose University?” campaign, which has the official support of Cambridge University Students’ Union Women’s Campaign, has been gathering testimonies from students who feel “devalued” by their colleges or the university has a whole. These are published on the campaign’s Facebook and Tumblr pages.

The University declined to comment, citing the fact that they are "in no position to regulate" college activity.

PHOTO/SKITTLEDOG/FLICKR

Man charged for triple arson attack Graduate pay inequality • Farmer in court accused of damaging 85 per cent of council building • Careers Service reveals 'gender gap' in employment MARY GEORGE NEWS REPORTER

A 47-year-old man appeared in Oxford Crown Court on Saturday, accused of setting fire to the South Oxfordshire District Council building and two other properties last week.

Andrew Main, a farmer from Roke Marsh in the Wallingford area, was charged with one count of arson with intent to endanger life, and two counts of arson reckless as to whether life was endangered.

He was arrested on suspicion of arson on Thursday morning. Gas canisters were discovered at all three locations, and a burnt-out vehicle was found in the foyer of the council building, where the fire is thought to have started.

According to the BBC, the fire damaged around 85 per cent of the council building.

Oxfordshire chief fire officer Dave Etheridge described the fires as the “biggest challenge” to the fire service in more than a decade.

Etheridge told the BBC: “We had gale force winds, coupled with freezing temperatures, coupled with a huge fire – absolutely one of the most challenging nights we’ve had in Oxfordshire.”

At the height of the blaze, 27 crews from the Oxford Fire and Rescue Service were called to tackle the fires, which started within ten minutes of one another.

The fires broke out early on 15th January, with the police called to the

PHOTO/SNAPSHOOTER46/FLICKR

fires at the council building and a nearby funeral parlour at 3.24am. The police were later called to a third fire at a thatched cottage in Quakers Corner at 3.41am.

The fires have had a serious impact on the South Oxfordshire District Council’s ability to operate effectively over the past few days. John Cotton, the Council’s leader, told the BBC that the planning department “has pretty much disappeared”, adding that “it’s going to be very hard to provide any services that are provided directly from here […] Happily that isn’t too many in the short term”.

Cotton said that the departments for Environmental Health and Housing were also seriously damaged.

The council’s IT system will take around a week to restore.

No injuries were reported, although 30 people were evacuated from nearby buildings. One person affected was Jean Gladstone, 80, who managed to escape unharmed from her thatched cottage on Quaker’s Corner.

On Monday, 72 employees returned to work for the first time since the fire.

Main was remanded in custody, and will appear at Oxford Crown Court again on 30th January.

In October 2014, a student suffered burns after a kitchen fire broke out at an Oxford Brookes student residence.

Oxfordshire Council did not respond to our request for comment.

ALEXANDER HILL NEWS REPORTER

A study conducted by Oxford University’s Careers Service has reported a significant ‘gender gap’ in the employment of university graduates six months after leaving.

The study, published this month, used data gathered from seven universities, including Oxford, and found that 90 per cent of male leavers securing graduate-level jobs six months after graduating compared with 81 per cent of female leavers.

This discrepancy between men and women was also identified in terms of salaries, with the average male leaver earning £25,000 six months after leaving compared with £21,000 for women.

Jonathan Black, Director of Oxford University's Careers Service, commissioned the research. He said: “Of all the factors we explored, gender has the biggest effect, with a statistically significant lower proportion of women than men achieving a graduate level job within six months.

“Recruiters tell us that they are keen to recruit and retain women, which made us focus our research on students' attitudes and behaviours to see if we could learn what is causing this gap, and what programmes we might create to address the situation.”

The study found that male

undergraduates tended to start thinking and acting on their career goals earlier in their education. Female undergraduates tended to focus on their academic and extra-curricular activities instead.

Research into attitudes suggested that male and female undergraduates have similar priorities when looking for a career, often citing factors such as intellectual challenge, work/life balance and location. All students, regardless of gender, gave a low priority to jobs that enabled them to have a family. However, women tended to seek out jobs that had a “worthwhile cause” at rates significantly higher than their male counterparts.

Katherine Skingsley, a 2013 History graduate from Keble, commented: “The gender bias of certain degrees is also a factor; E&M, PPE, and the sciences are male-dominated subjects, and there are many well-paid jobs in the fields that those degrees naturally feed into.”

In 2013, over 60 per cent of accepted applicants for Economics & Management and PPE undergraduate courses were male.

Skingsley added: “I also think that female graduates should be credited with more agency in their choice of career path after university. Salary is not, and should not, necessarily be the main criteria in a graduate's chosen job path.”

News 7

22nd January 2015

Calls for Hindu temple in Oxford • International backing supports local campaign

Magdalen creates BME and Disability Reps • JCR motion to make new officer roles passes STEPHANIE STAFFORD NEWS REPORTER

PHOTO/Diane Black

CONOR HAMILTON DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR

Local calls for the first Hindu temple to be built in Oxford have been backed by the President of the Universal Society of Hinduism, Rajan Zed. Zed urged the international Hindu community to come forward and support the Oxford Hindu Temple & Community Centre Project in a statement made in Nevada, USA. On 3rd January, Zed also Tweeted: “There is urgent need of #Hindu temple in Oxford England to meet spiritual needs of about 10,000 area Hindus & #Oxford University students”.

St Edmund’s Hall student Suriya Prabhakar commented: “As a former president of the Oxford Hindu Society and having had quite a religious upbringing, it always upsets me that there is no religious site to which we Hindu students can go to pray. Of course we have the OCHS (Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies), but although we have a weekly aarti (prayers and discussion), it is restricted to a maximum of two hours every week, which makes it difficult for students who are either busy at that time, or who would prefer to go somewhere to pray in solitude, so to speak.

“I very much respect the facilities

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that the OCHS has to offer, because it is the only thing I have that is closest to going to a temple, which I was extremely grateful for particularly at the beginning when I found out there was no Hindu temple in the Oxford area. So all in all, I find that this campaign really has potential, and the fact that Rajan Zed is backing it is definitely a positive thing. I hope that the plans can be implemented soon and although I can't speak for all Hindu students, I believe a Hindu temple would be a great addition to Oxford for the local Hindu community."

While Zed has stated there are around 10,000 Hindus in the Oxfordshire area, the 2011 census only identified 3878. The Facebook group for Hum Soc, Oxford University’s Hindu Society, has 789 members.

Oxford Hindu Temple & Community Centre Project chairman, Dr Gyan Gopal, said he was “surprised” that Mr Zed had backed the project but “really pleased that it’s gone international”.

The project called for international support in August 2009, but Mr Zed’s comments are the first breakthrough in the international arena since then.

Dr Gopal continued: “Of all the major faiths, Hinduism is the only one not to have a communal place of worship in the county of Oxfordshire.”

Laura Kennedy and Alys Key Nasim Asl, Sachin Croker, Asya Likhtman, Rupert Tottman, Alice Troy-Donovan and Sid Venkataramakrishnan Thomas Barnett Ed Roberts Nasim Asl Luke Mintz and Laura Whetherly Richard Higson and Hugh McHale Maughan Marcus Li and William Shaw Augustine Cerf and Demie Kim Alice Jaffe and Stephanie Kelley Kate Bickerton and Henry Holmes

While there are no public Hindu temples in Oxfordshire, there is a private temple in Middleton Stoney.

In order to build a place of worship and meeting for the Hindu community in Oxford, the project has a fundraising target of £500,000.

To date, the project has raised £110,000, through a combination of donations and fundraising events, including their annual Summer Mela, which raised £4,500 last year.

Zed further argued in his statement that Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council should contribute towards the project.

Previous applications for funding to the two bodies have been unsuccessful, and neither Council were able to provide further information as to the reasons behind this.

Dr Gopal said that the councils were “all very supportive of the idea, but they are unable to provide any serious support”.

The project is now considering using the funds raised towards getting a mortgage to buy a property, but need more people on regular donation plans to demonstrate they have regular income to meet the payments.

Currently, only 15 families are contributing every month.

Oxford University Hindu Society declined our request for comment.

Screen Editors Stage Editors Sport Editors Deputy Online Editors Deputy Broadcast Editor Deputy News Editors

Magdalen students have voted to introduce JCR officers for Disabled Students and Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Students.

Three-quarters voted in favour of the special motion at Sunday’s meeting.

Particular attention was drawn to the fact that Magdalen College currently has LGBTQ and Women’s officers on the JCR Committee, yet no JCR representative for Disability or BME Students.

The motion was submitted by JCR Vice-President Harry Winter.

Winter commented: “I'm delighted with the outcome of motion I proposed, as there was overwhelming support both in the General Meeting in which the motion was passed and the JCR as a whole for increasing Magdalen's Equal Opportunities JCR provision. It is vital that JCRs continue to promote these initiatives, as they make a real difference.

“The motion helps make Magdalen an inclusive place where everyone can thrive, with any specific concerns they might have addressed through the best channels possible.”

Opposition to the motion was raised over concerns as to the precise definition of the roles to be played and the responsibilities that the new officers’ roles would entail.

After discussion, it was decided that the officers would be “points of liaison with college who can articulate the

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voice of students with disabilities and of BME backgrounds to the deans and the Development Office and support any individual’s communication with them”.

They will also “work with the LGBTQ Officer and Women’s Officer to form a comprehensive Equal Opportunities Team”.

Somerville and Balliol are among the colleges with specific JCR Student Officer roles for disabled and BME students. In October last year Christ Church JCR voted against the motion to create an Equal Opportunities Officer.

Chris Pike, OUSU Vice-President for Welfare and Equal Opportunities Officer, commented: “It is incredibly exciting that Magdalen JCR has passed this motion, and I extend my congratulations to Rosie [JCR president] and all those in Magdalen who fought for this change.

“Ensuring that all common rooms have these Liberation Reps is a big priority for me and for OUSU in the coming two terms, and I will shortly be announcing an open evening to bring together everyone who wishes to see these reps introduced in their own JCR or MCR. Some have called these reps an unnecessary addition which make common room committees too large; I say that without these reps, standing up for underrepresented and undervalued groups in our society, then common room committees are missing an essential part of the reasons why they exist in the first place.”

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22nd January 2015

COMMENT

Comment 9

PHOTO/ duncan c

Censorship is more dangerous than offence T welve people were shot dead in Paris, allegedly because of a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed. Much of the horror and outrage arose understandably – from the horrific nature of the shooting.

Yet much also came from the idea that just because people disagree with you, your voice can be taken away. Vast crowds have come together, including more than a million in Paris, to condemn this assault on one of the most hard-won and treasured values in our society.

The attack on Charlie Hebdo was a particularly violent and disturbing attempt to silence free expression, but there are less shocking examples of it everywhere, everyday; they come on every level and from every political leaning. From the sentencing of Raid Badawi to ten years in jail in Saudi Arabia for creating a website for political debate, to the closing down of the Oxford Students for Life (OSFL) debate on ‘Abortion Culture’ – censorship comes from diverse political viewpoints. It is becoming increasingly common for people and groups to be sanctioned for something they have said, or ‘no-platformed’ for what they might say if they had the chance.

Those arguing for the no-platforming of individuals do so because they believe that the censorship of free expression can be justified where one person’s right to free speech conflicts with someone else’s right to protection from its harmful consequences.

Yet this leaves us on a sticky wicket: how do we determine and quantify ‘harmful consequences’? By harm, do we mean death? Injury? Mental distress? I believe it is right that the law protects people from the incitement of hatred that can directly lead to physical or mental harm. However, we are increasingly seeing examples of debates shut down purely because they are deemed ‘offensive’ to others, and it is with this argument that I contend. Offence alone is hardly sufficient grounds to close down a debate.

The OSFL debate was not the only debate to be shut-down in Michaelmas term – a debate on the Cuntry Living Facebook page about the eradication of gender was also shut down, on the grounds that it was offensive to trans people and incited violence (which in my view it did not).

Such knee-jerk reactions to comments deemed, by some, as offensive are baffling, especially in institutions where

one would hope that freedom of expression would be highly valued. This is especially true when others take offence on behalf of the supposedly offended parties.

There is no logic to the argument that we can have freedom of expression for some but not for others. It should be obvious that by silencing non-conformists, the ‘no-platformers’ are demonstrating the kind of moral superiority which other societies use

We cannot simply suppress all potentially offensive viewpoints

to deny people their freedom and much more. They are insistent that their moral code is correct, but if there is one thing that an increasingly globalised world and a quick scan of history can tell us, it is that there is no such thing as a universal moral code. What is deemed ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ changes both temporally and spatially.

Yet those against the OSFL or the gender eradication debates decided

that their offence was so great, and their opinion so right, that debate was not an option. This is an untenable position – who are they to decide that their offence is so great that an opinion should be silenced? As John Stuart Mill pointed out, quashing speech can keep us from discovering truths, and stops us from reconsidering and reinforcing our own beliefs. Silencing ideas has a history of backfiring – it does not destroy them, it merely leads to their re-emergence later down the line in a more potent form. We cannot expect views we disagree with to go away if we do not confront them.

Silencing the pro-life society will not persuade them to support abortion rights.

Censorship is not the solution, nor is it a neutral position. A newspaper printing a controversial opinion piece or a college hosting a controversial debate is a neutral position. Offence itself is not objectively created – it is subjectively taken. It is up to those listening to decide whether they will be offended, and those who are talking to decide how much offence they might cause. Free speech is eroded for a veneer of social harmony, built upon a paternalistic approach to opinions;

ESTHER FISHER Harris Manchester College those deemed unsuitable are simply silenced. Our society has become intolerant of intolerance. We are no longer allowed to upset or offend people in the slightest. In most circumstances, that is fine – most reasonable people exercise consideration for others and try to refrain from offending without reason. But the most important aspect of free speech is about challenging social, cultural, and political taboos and values. In these matters, we need to speak up where we do not agree, or else we will never see change.

Many religious groups were offended when the same-sex marriage bill was passed, but did we no-platform LGBTQ rights campaigners? We did not, and we should not.

I am offended by the drivel that comes out of Nigel Farage, Nick Griffin or Marine Le Pen, but should we silence them? No, we should not. Different groups will always be offended by different things – we cannot simply suppress all potentially offensive viewpoints. We need to engage with people we disagree with, understand their arguments, debate them, and refute them. Silence, not offensiveness, is the real crime against society.

10 Comment

C

YES

hed Evans is a convicted rapist: that is indisputable. What happens now he has finished his prison sentence, however, remains to be decided. The campaign to prevent his re-employment is seriously flawed, and raises questions about how we treat those convicted of serious offences.

Firstly, we need to clarify what sort of life Ched Evans would be going back to. Exact figures are hard to judge, but the average salary in League Two is around £65,000. He would be well paid, but a return to football would not make him a millionaire. Lower tiers of professional football are also not as prestigious as Evans’ critics suggest. Most League Two games draw crowds of a few thousand. Will going into League Two football really make Evans into a role model, or does it represent a slide into relative obscurity?

If we take the view that convicted rapists should not be hired for ‘prestigious’ position, it raises serious questions about how we deal with those who have been convicted of serious crimes.

Generally speaking, further punishment once an offender has been released from prison does not benefit society. If

22nd January 2015

JAMES MONROE

The Queen’s College we prevent the convicted from finding work according to their talents, is it any surprise if they return to crime?

As a convicted rapist, Evans does not neatly fit this profile. Still, we need to consider this general principle if we are to demand that he is barred from professional football. People who are convicted of crimes, no matter how serious, should not be denied the potential for rehabilitation. The campaign against Evans rejoining professional football is flawed in other ways. Ched Evans is, depressingly, far from the only rapist in Britain. The campaign against him has achieved disproportionate momentum.

We must trust the justice system to punish fairly; allowing online activists to decide these matters is not the recipe for a just society.

Ched Evans is not the victim of this drama, but that does not mean we must rush to condemn him beyond what the law has already done. Allowing Evans to return to the lower echelons of football does not deny that he is a rapist, nor does it heap fame and riches upon him. We should not prevent this man from returning to his career, but allow him to simply fade from the public eye.

SHOULD CHED EVANS GET A SECOND CHANCE AT FOOTBALL?

PHOTO/flickr/footysphere

CHARLOTTE VICKERS

Pembroke College

M

any of you will have followed the story of convicted rapist Ched Evans, the footballer released from prison last October. Having served half of a five-year sentence for raping a 19-year-old girl, his attempts to return to football have been unsuccessful. Any club that makes a move to sign him faces criticism from the public, and their sponsors.

There are legal issues too. Both Evans and his employer must meet probation officers every week. Many fans do not want their team represented by a sex offender. They proved this with a 150,000 signature strong petition against Evans re-joining Sheffield United, his former club.

Some argue if anyone has committed an offence and served their time, it is in the past: it should not affect their future. Whilst I believe most crimes should follow the “if they have served their time…” rule, rape and sexual assault simply cannot follow this pattern due to the prevalence of rape culture. Rape culture exists in a society in which rape is widespread and accepted due to societal attitudes. You only need to look at those claiming Ched Evans has done nothing

NO

wrong, and attempting to blame and identify his victim, to see this in action.

This brings us to the pattern of victimblaming – focusing on the behaviour of the victim, not the rapist, when assigning fault. We laugh away ‘laddish behaviour’ even in children – how many times has a boy ‘only been teasing a girl because he likes her’? We teach girls to stay off the streets, instead of focusing on the education of men. We teach women to not get raped, rather than teaching men not to rape. Employing Evans in a highprofile role reinforces the view that this is just another case of ‘boys being boys’.

There is also the issue of repentance.

There is a huge difference between someone who has committed a heinous crime, served their sentence, and is filled with remorse, and someone who maintains they are blameless. Ched Evans maintains that he is innocent, but he has been found guilty in a court of law. A return to football endorses this version of events. Placing sex offenders and rapists in positions of influence promotes the idea that the crime he has committed is acceptable. Rape and sexual violence are too disturbing, too dangerous, and too common to be swept under the rug.

CARTOON/ Harriet Bourhill

22nd January 2015

The NHS is headed for A&E L

ast year was not great for the NHS. Between the Mid Staffordshire Trust Inquiry and managerial scandals at hospitals across the country, a fresh start is badly needed.

Unfortunately, 2015 hasn’t offered this – instead, 15 A&E departments have already declared ‘major incident’ status as they struggle to accommodate patient numbers. With the General Election this year, the battle for votes will certainly shape the NHS in some way or another. But what are the actual needs of the NHS – and will they be met?

Despite promises of reform and increased funding in the year’s first Prime

sense. In PMQs, Cameron stated that the NHS in England (which he controls) is doing better than that of Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Yet is the NHS not a service of the United Kingdom? Without overarching and regional consistency, the NHS is likely to continue to suffer.

What we need is for politicians to address the specifics: not just how much money is being poured in and where, but the actual methods of improvement. A lot of the demand is coming from the ageing population, and solutions must respond directly to this. The government could aim to incentivise doctors to en-

What the NHS needs, first and foremost, is politcal solidarity

PHOTO/ London Permaculture

TYLER ALABANZA-BEHARD Christ Church College

T

he 1st week edition of The Oxford Student struck several chords. As an ex-Co-Chair of OUSU’s Campaign For Racial Awareness and Equality (CRAE) and an ex-OUSU Part Time Officer for Access and Admissions, I was on the one hand heartened; heartened to read a long overdue feature on the burgeoning efforts of BME (black and minority ethnic) activism in Oxford; heartened to see CRAE’s 100 Voices Report achieve front-page publicity, and therefore begin a necessary debate about whether such a broadly condemning report should be made public. However I was at the same

ter pressured specialities such as A&E, oncology and orthopaedic surgery (all of which cater significantly to an elderly population). To help with this, foreign medical students should be encouraged to stay in the country, contrary to Theresa May’s recent proposals. The UK has some of the world’s best medical schools and it has been consistently shown that students trained here, whatever their nationality, outperform others in exams for entrance to professional bodies such as the Royal College of Surgeons.

A little more support for physicians themselves wouldn’t hurt either. After all, alongside patients, doctors are experiencing the strain first hand. Take NHS 111: the majority of doctors will tell you that replacing a triage nurse with a call handler is flawed. 71 per cent of GPs actually voted that they had no confidence in the directive. The reason

PHILOMENA LIP

Christ Church College why is obvious: common symptoms like shortness of breath could be signs of conditions as varied as panic attacks and heart failure. Is it really possible for someone to judge which it could be over the phone?

More importantly, however, the NHS badly needs structural reform which will divert it from its current path towards privatisation: profit has no business in national healthcare. Why should a third of contracts for provision of NHS services have been offered to the private sector in the first place? It destroys public confidence that the treatment patients are receiving is in their best interest. Instead, it suggests that the treatment was offered because it is particularly wellfunded by a private company. The recent collapse of Hinchingbrooke Hospital management under private company Circle shows the real risks to hospitals run as Private Finance Initiatives (PFI).

The NHS is caught in a tangled web of politics and economics, a combination which rarely leads to better patient care. I don’t envy our government for having to find a solution to a problem so complex. In order to do so, they need to recall the founding principle upon which the NHS was created in 1948 offering healthcare that was free at the point of service, funded 100 per cent from taxation. If we, public and politicians alike, cling to this one notion, then surely something can be salvaged from this current critical state. As it stands, however, 7th of May does not seem to be the light at the end of the tunnel the NHS so badly needs. Instead, it is a darkening horizon, regardless of the electoral outcome. Whoever wins, the health service loses.

On rustication, race and remedy

I made the decision to rusticate midway through Hilary 2014. For at least a year I had been suffering from various symptoms of depression: my eating habits fluctuated, I constantly overslept, I failed to meet deadlines or keep to social and extra-curricular commitments, and, most prominently, I was beset by a total lack of motivation. Oxford University - a place that I had dreamt of attending from an early age, and had wholeheartedly enjoyed during my fresher year – now existed as little more than a waking nightmare. For many sufferers of clinical depression, it proves impossible to pinpoint a ‘reason’ for such a drastic

I expected greater levels of tolerance from the world’s brightest minds time stilled by both pain and discomfort; though anonymised by the 100 Voices Report, I immediately recognised my own words form the headline quotation: “I’ve successfully made myself fit in to Oxford, and, in that process, I’ve actually lost myself’’. By sharing briefly my experience of race and rustication, I hope to open up a new dialogue concerning the ways in which racial identity factors into mental health at Oxford, as well as offering validation to any reader who might be experiencing something similar.

Minister’s Questions, neither Cameron nor Miliband actually presented any precise policies for reform. Cameron continually quoted statistics in a desperate attempt to prove he has made improvements. Miliband continually used the NHS as a “political football”, to quote Cameron. Neither of these methods seem conducive for reducing waiting lists in A&Es across the country, nor solving wider structural issues.

What the NHS needs, first and foremost, is political solidarity. The two leading parties have been criticised for having increasingly similar policies.

Where the NHS is involved, this isn’t a bad thing. Unity and stability are, after all, what it needs. Such a large organisation does not respond well to turnabout changes every time a new party is elected, driven primarily by the need for votes rather than common

Comment 11

and constant lowness of mood. However for me, much of my depression stemmed from a deeply negative construction of racial and socio-economic identity, and the feeling that these critical facets of myself were being suppressed and marginalised by aspects of Oxford life.

Coming up to Oxford as a mixed race (African-American/White British) kid from a council estate, state comprehensive school, and a singleparent background, I did not expect to be in the majority. With that be-

ing said, I did expect greater levels of tolerance and racial sensitivity from the world’s brightest minds. When I think about ‘why’ I rusticated, I recall the instances during which I’ve had my Blackness questioned: friends either proudly anointing me as “the whitest black guy” they know, or, going a step further, categorically denying that I am in any way black. When I consider why I feel uncomfortable in my own skin at Oxford, I remember the many times I have heard the word ‘nigger’ used by white peers – it is usually followed by some vague ‘free speech’ argument, or the assertion that replacing ‘er’ with an ‘a’ makes usage somehow acceptable. When I reflect on why my college seldom feels like a home, I visualise the moments that I have been accosted at the door by porters - time and time again demanding my Bod card, often in slow and exaggerated English. To have the above happen on a weekly basis was both exasperating and exhausting; I felt drained by constantly having to defend my identity - as if it existed in opposition to Oxford. Worst of all, with few people to talk to about race, I felt my problems were invalid: I just didn’t believe racial identity crises to be real, or worth taking seriously.

Eventually I reached out to two American postgrad friends, suspended studies, and I am now doing much

PHOTO/OUSU

better; I have a greater confidence in who I am, and in my right to exist unapologetically as a minority at Oxford. In fact, in coming back after a lengthy absence, one rediscovers the many things there are to love about our University: its stellar facilities, the challenge of tutorial-style learning, and, most of all, the sheer talent of fellow students. It is because of this abiding love that I have for Oxford and my gratitude for all it has given me - that I want to see the University

become more racially inclusive and diverse. This should be our strength, and not our weakness. As CRAE’s current committee debate whether to make 100 Voices public, I would urge them to keep in mind that the report has the potential to not only encourage an Oxford-wide dialogue on race, but, considering the possibility of national news coverage, it might also provoke the administration into finally acting with the urgency that this issue demands.

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22nd January 2015

MUSIC

At ‘The Last Garrison’ with Enter Shikari

E

nter Shikari were the soundtrack to the late noughties alt-teenage dream. They played year after year at Reading and Leeds Festivals, where, combining metalcore guitars with crazed industrial synth lines, they introduced thousands of post-GCSE students to mosh pits and their roared condemnations of global politics. Now, with the release of their fourth album The Mindsweep, they’re on the brink of another round of extensive global touring. In this calm before the storm, I talked with Rory Clewlow, the band’s guitarist.

For a member of one of the biggest British rock bands in the last decade, Clewlow is a pretty unassuming interviewee. There’s a charm to him that’s not quite the boy-next-door, but more like his older brother who’ll buy you cigarettes and cider on weekends. He speaks casually and there’s definitely no air of celebrity to him; he talks about his 15-month old daughter with the same amiable openness and optimism as when he discusses the band.

Despite all Clewlow’s humility, Enter Shikari has always been notable for their pioneering experimentations with genre.

When they were starting to get big in

2007 they received praise for innovation from all corners of the music press. I ask about their position in the British music scene, and being called ‘metal’, a label that can be very alienating for a band nowadays.

“We’ve never really considered ourselves a part of the metal scene… Our music is more influenced by hardcore and punk than metal.” He then talks about their very instinctual way of songwriting: “As soon as you start trying to think ‘I want to write like this, I want to write like Radiohead’ or whatever then your music just becomes diluted and boring.” He keeps restating this spontaneous approach, saying “It’s never too contrived, we always try to just let the creativity flow naturally”, and he seems to particularly view the creative process of Rou Reynolds, the band’s lyricist and vocalist, with a lot of respect.

“Rou writes lyrics about the things that interest him and the things that he thinks are important… We all are, especially Rou, interested in the state of society and the world.” In line with their iconoclastic lyrics, he states that the band’s overarching enemy is the idea of “just accepting the way culture is because it’s always been like that. Just because

it’s what you’re used to doesn’t mean it’s right”.

It’s in this attitude that we can see the band’s hardcore influences: just as Napalm Death and The Dead Kennedys did, they’re going for constant attacks on societal norms. While the band has been criticised for having simplistic views on the issues they cover, they are out there and actively engaging with a large community who wouldn’t otherwise be paying attention – it doesn’t seem totally misguided to call Enter Shikari the Russell Brand of post-hardcore.

Although in the songwriting stage they try to remain musically isolated, one of the overwhelming feelings coming from Clewlow is his admiration for other bands on the circuit. While Enter Shikari has been in the popular consciousness for years now, the rest of the music industry are only just starting to notice the bands that they associate with, all of whom Clewlow is overwhelmingly positive about. Bring Me The Horizon, a metalcore band who in recent years have started to follow Enter Shikari’s lead into the electronic sphere, are selling out Wembley. Don Broco, a band who apparently started out at a similar time to Enter Shikari but never quite took

off at the same pace, have now been on the Made in Chelsea soundtrack, having taken eight years to record a debut album (admittedly one that Clewlow describes as “mind-blowingly good”). As well as this, these bands are being played on Radio One, which unexpectedly Clewlow is a big fan of.

“Radio One’s a big influence on, or Radio One’s more of a big reflection of the youth taste in music”. They’ve developed a relationship over the years with the station, and Zane Lowe espe-

Music 3

HENRY HOLMES

Wadham College have fans that will come out and see us play live and buy our merchandise[...]

We don’t really make money from record sales.” Enter Shikari’s fan base is famously loyal, and Clewlow seems very grateful to them, but is wary of the issues that can arise when art mixes with money. “How much disposable income you have shouldn’t correlate with how much access you have to art of any kind - art should just be out there for the good of the world. But, at the same time, without money, we can’t tour and,

It doesn’t seem totally misguided to call Enter Shikari the Russell Brand of post-hardcore cially seems to be a big fan. “They seem a lot less afraid of playing music with like heavy guitars and screaming[...] It’s becoming a lot more commercially acceptable. It’s just great for heavy bands like us”.

However, the band’s relationship with the music industry isn’t totally smooth.

Clewlow takes a very pragmatic approach to the realities of combining art and business, and realises the rarity of their situation. “We are lucky enough to

well, we can’t make the music… but I’m not going to have a hissy fit if people download our music for free if they can’t afford to buy it.”

Clewlow keeps repeating how much he’s looking forwards to touring again.

It’s a cliché, but the most important thing to him really is the music, and while Enter Shikari have their critics, there will always be a place in the world for music that’s as straightforwardly loud, angry and heartfelt as theirs.

PHOTO/POMONA

22nd January 2015

4 Music

The rap battle over appropriation and Iggy’s pop I

n one corner: Iggy Azalea, Australian rapper, number one hit maker. In the other: Azealia Banks, viral sensation, Twitter-active rap star. As celebrity feuds, go, theirs is one of the most public to come out of Hollywood in the past few months. However, what could be just one of many tabloid catfights actually raises much more serious issues over celebrity, activism and cultural representation.

All around the world, race is a hot topic - from people coming to blows over comments from a loud-mouthed UKIP politician to the Ferguson race riots in the USA. Last month, Azealia Banks called out both the music industry and Iggy for what she felt to be yet another attempt by white culture to appropriate some-

thing that isn’t theirs. When she said “That Iggy Azalea shit isn’t better than any f******* black girl that’s rapping today, you know?” she made her message quite clear: Iggy is only getting the awards and recognition because she’s white and not because of merit.

You might ask why she’s creating so much fuss – after all there are white rappers like Eminem or Macklemore that manage to do well, with the latter particularly respected. However, you’d be in serious denial for suggesting that the hip-hop/rap scene isn’t deeply entrenched in AfricanAmerican identity. From the days of Motown, Isaac Hayes and James Brown, many of the pioneers of hiphop and rap come from the AfricanAmerican community. Banks’ view

that rap is a part of black identity is by no means unfounded.

But this leads us to questions about the extent to which artists are expected to be a symbol for anything other than their artistic output. After all, they’re musicians, not activists.

By no means am I belittling what it seems Banks truly believes: that African-Americans should fight for a part of their cultural identity that they can tangibly claim is theirs. But at the same time, if we ask artists to become advocates for things far bigger than themselves, it could end up turning these issues into a popularity contest.

For every Angelina Jolie or Emma Watson that gets lauded for a valid point, there’s some airhead ‘celebrity’ simply putting her name on some-

thing so that others will follow. It’s a tricky line to toe and one that I think artists, with their huge superstructures of media management, haven’t yet balanced.

The notion of musicians being figures more public than they might have bargained for is not a new one, so I wonder why these industries haven’t been more responsive. In 2015, race is not just an issue in the musical arena. It’s on the fashion runways and in the recent Oscar nominations too. It’s fair to say the music industry is lagging behind somewhat.

It’s not to say that some artists aren’t trying to achieve that balance: Macklemore recently made a statement saying he’s “aware of where the music comes from.” Clearly it’s still an uncomfortable statement, toeing

PHOTO/ LAURA MURRAY

T

same reputation as composers such as Brahms and Schumann.

The Heath Quartet brought Wolf’s ‘Italian’ Serenade’s optimistic yet witty nature to life. They captured its Italiante spirit through the contrast created between flamboyant, romantic declarations and jaunty themes. The cellist rev-

Magdalen College the PR line nonetheless. Eminem is well known for giving credit to the many people of colour he works with - credit where credit is due is an important thing.

Banks’ point is one that transcends music. I believe the best person should get the job and if there are rappers – particularly black ones – that are better than Iggy Azalea of course it’s natural to feel that they’re being short changed, and that this is indicative of a bigger problem in society. But at the same time, this isn’t a discussion to be bandied about like playground insults on Twitter.

Musicians, actors, models are all so for a reason, and instead of rallying round them like it’s a popularity pageant, perhaps we should let their artistic output speak for themselves.

PHOTO/ POONEH GARNER

Charmed by the Heath Quartet’s Coffee Concert

he Holywell Music Room’s Coffee Concert series welcomed back the Heath Quartet to serenade us with Wolf and Dvorak.

This second performance of the series saw people queuing onto Holywell Street in the hopes of securing a ticket.

Many would have been disappointed, as the show sold out immediately after the tickets were released, demonstrating the quartet’s devout following.

The Heath Quartet is part of a new generation who exude energy and youthfulness. Formed in 2002 at the Royal Northern College of Music, their rise to fame in recent years provides an inspirational success story for aspiring musicians. In addition to their glittering recital schedule, the quartet are committed members of the faculty at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. This year they will make their Carnegie Hall debut as part of a USA tour. Clearly, they have a busy future ahead.

For this recital, the quartet chose to perform lesser-known nineteenthcentury pieces. Despite the popularity of some of Dvorak’s works, he does not have the status of the German Romantic greats, and although Wolf was German, he does not enjoy the

AIMEE KWAN

elled in the melodic richness of his solo line, producing a truly operatic persona.

The work’s uplifting ending prompted many smiles between members of the group, and their obvious enjoyment was transferred to the audience who responded with rapturous applause.

The Heath Quartet provided the

audience with moments of more profound emotion in their interpretation of Dvorak’s Quartet No.13. Composed in 1895, No.13 is defined by its constant variation of texture across all four movements. The group embraced this challenge with gusto, and were not afraid to use a hard edge to their

PHOTO/ LAURA MURRAY

CHARLOTTE PARR

Jesus College

sound in dramatic climaxes for additional impact.

Dvorak, a viola player himself, would have approved of the luscious tone displayed in the solo viola lines, and the movement ended with a virtuosic firework display that showed both impressive energy and ensemble skills.

Various landscapes were conveyed in the Adagio, from bleak expanses portrayed by the accompanying cello’s fifth figuration to other worldly heights achieved by the delicate upper registers of the violins. The Finale started with a delicately precise Andante section, which quickly gave way to spontaneous interplay between all four members. The constant change of texture provided a whistle-stop tour of human emotion. During the final bars of the concert, the audience were swept away by the ensemble’s dazzling energy which left an obvious lasting impression.

The Heath Quartet successfully renewed the audience’s optimism for the year ahead and for the younger generation of chamber music. Hopefully the quartet will continue to return to Oxford, bringing along their passion for chamber music, despite their increasingly hectic schedules.

Music 5

22nd January 2015

You’re Not The One OxStu’s 2nd Week Playlist

America The Staves Atlantic

Touch the Leather Fat White Family Universal

The Black Lodge Foe Mercury Records Ltd.

The Beer Kimya Dawson Important Records

Falling out with Fall Out Boy’s new album

AIMEE KWAN

Magdalen College

T

he blaring horns on the opening track of Fall Out Boy’s new album American Beauty/ American Psycho are a flashy spectacle, but don’t offer too much more from what we’ve already heard from them.

Save Rock and Roll, their 2013 offering, was a tour de force of a record.

Using catchy anthemic hooks and compelling guest vocals, they created a musically cohesive collection of songs.

However American Beauty/American Psycho doesn’t quite hit the same spot.

The lyrics themselves explore the same old tropes of love and relationships. Fall Out Boy has always been good at expressing the hopes and tribulations of the young without making it seem overly sappy or sentimental, and their new record again carries on this trend.

Songs like ‘Uma Thurman’ or ‘Fourth of July’ serve up easy, appeal-to-masses pop rock. ‘Centuries’ is typical of the strong vocals that Patrick Stump is well known for. His conviction certainly helps lyrics such as ‘we’ll go

PHOTO/ FERNANDO LOZ

down in history/remember me for centuries’.

However, I feel like I’m describing the same thing over and over: catchy beats, a well blended cross of pop/ rock and that’s it. That said, it is an album that will serve loyal fans of the band well. Why change a formula that works and attracts many fans?

Unfortunately on their now sixth al-

bum I think they’ve stuck to safe and similar for too long, making many of the songs non-entities when people compare it to their previous material.

Beyond being a good entry into the band in these days of more baby faced ‘pop rockers’ and a way to show that pop-rock can still involve headbanging, American Beauty/American Psycho is not much more. It’s a welcome

contrast in the pop music landscape for sure, contrasting against the utterly EDM dominated market, but it’s not a grabbing record overall. That’s not to say there isn’t anything to like in the 40 minute run time – I’m definitely giving ‘Irresistible’ several more spins before I’m done writing this – but I think Fall Out Boy can serve up something more interesting for sure.

OxStu Music’s pet hates The 1975 Naomi Southwell Hailing from Manchester myself, many are shocked by my contempt for my fellow Mancunians, The 1975. Manchester has an incredibly vibrant and influential musical history, which is being vehemently pissed on by this faux “indie rock” band. The 1975 seem to rely on Matt Healy’s “edgy” image, complete with trendy shaved quiff and token leather jacket, to sell their records. Admittedly some of their riffs may be catchy, in an entirely predictable way, but their frequent referencing of stoners and weed in their lyrics reeks of try hard, not ‘Chocolate’. The reality of this style-over-substance vibe is ever present in their music videos. The video for “Girls” sees the band intermittently replaced by conventionally attractive white women in lingerie. This video was supposedly an attempt to poke fun at the standard pop music video formula that sees women frequently used as props for male fantasies. The irony is that a video where the band played in their underwear surrounded by fully clothed women would have been a better satire but this may not have been quite edgy enough.

If we have to rely on bands like The 1975 for the future of British rock, then it’s not going to be a bright one.

Out of the Blue

Henry Holmes There are a lot of bands I despise, and thousands of words of vitriol I could unleash about the soul-destroying state of the modern music industry, but most of these bands already have prominent critics. However, the one act that seems to go totally unscathed is Oxford’s own Out of the Blue. I’m pretty sure all male a capella groups are one of western culture’s greatest crimes against itself, and while it usually seems to be quarantined to America, the perfectlyharmonised miasma somehow managed to descend upon our dreaming spires. There’s a reason choirs have both men and women in them, and it’s so nobody has to attempt to beatbox just to fill out the utter lack of any interesting texture. My gripe may be with the genre rather than this specific group, but can anybody really tell the difference between them all anyway? Yes, there’s the initial novelty of it all, but then you realise you could actually listen to the actual songs instead of having to pay attention to some Mariah Careyworshipping blue-suited twink for more than the thirty seconds that you can keep the bile down.

So, in in a language that they’ll understand: “Can you not?”

Coldplay

Lucy Clarke A quick visit to Urban Dictionary presents a dichotomy of opinions about Coldplay. On one hand, you have your slavish devotees, citing the powerful emotional succour of lyrics like ‘and it was all yellow’. On the other, you have those who recognise the crippling awfulness of a band led by the human personification of beige.

Perhaps some people enjoy listening to music that leaves next to no impression upon them.

I, however, am almost insulted by the blandness of a band that seems to take inspiration from whatever’s successful... and then make it boring. It’s almost impressive how an album subtitled Death and All His Friends could be so painfully unmemorable.

Whether over-played earworms or horrific dirges, Coldplay’s music crucially lacks heart. Ballads like ‘Fix You’ and ‘The Scientist’ seem calculated to hit at some generic feeling, while Chris Martin counts his royalties under cover of minor piano chords and appallingly trite lyrics, while ‘anthems’ like ‘Paradise’ and ‘Viva La Vida’ are just wails of nonsense with absolutely no soul (or stage presence, for that matter). There’s an emptiness at the centre of their songs that no amount of flashing concert wristbands can disguise.

Led Zeppelin

Alex Bragg I could have used this space to smack down Bieber, Swift, Sheeran or any other of the nauseating denizens of the hit parade, and indeed, I would have relished it. But, it seems to me a simple truth that to truly, deeply love an artist, you must be aware of their flaws. Therefore, it seems it falls to me to expose the many and varied flaws of Led Zeppelin. As a younger music geek, I venerated them as no less than the greatest band in history, it’s probably thanks to the late great John Bonham that I first picked up a pair of drumsticks, and even recently, I would have done terrible, unforgivable things to get my grubby mitts on a ticket to their 2012 reunion. They brought a frenetic fury to rock and roll that the sedate likes of the Beatles and even the Rolling Stones lacked. But this doesn’t excuse the wholesale, uncredited pilfering of their beloved forbears’ material (‘Whole Lotta Love’ is nothing more than a reworking of a Muddy Waters song with a Hendrix riff tacked on), the Spinal Tapinspiring proto-prog silliness of some of their later material, the monstrous pseudo-reggae misdemeanour of ‘D’yer Maker’. Also, Robert Plant’s ubiquitous chest hair was a bit much.

6 Fashion

Q&A: Pari Dust

22nd January 2015

FASHION

DEMIE KIM

Exeter College

F

ashion meets art in the work of Pari Ehsan, who coordinates whimsical high fashion ensembles with works of art and architecture and captures these pairings in striking photographs on her blog and Instagram @paridust. OxStu Fashion spoke to the Instagrammer, who was recently awarded by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, about her creative process, the world of blogging, and the dynamic relationship between fashion and art.

Could you briefly describe what your blog is about, including its premise, its goals, and its audience?

It is about the nexus between art, fashion and design. The concept is to educate readers on the artists that I admire and respect through the lens of fashion – also to provide style inspiration and visual candy. My audience is anyone who has an interest in either of these worlds, much like the eclectic mix you would find at an art opening.

What is your background in fashion and in art, and how did you become interested in the intersections between the two?

My formal training is in architecture but my original loves have always been art and fashion. When I began Pari Dust, I was craving offset to the more rigid architecture and interior

PHOTO/Tylor Hou

design I was doing at the time, I wanted to do something that felt more natural for me, something freespirited. I’ve always been interested in creating visual relationships; I started by collaging images from fashion and design magazines on top of each other, and this idea evolved into me creating my own imagery.

What is your creative process?

The process is very intuitive. I try to see as much as I can and usually when I see something I know right away that I want to try to create a relationship and document it. I think that’s what is so appealing about art – that it evokes

PHOTO/Jason Gringler PHOTO/ vspressroom.com

feeling – and ultimately when I style a pairing, elements of that feeling must carry through.

What are the formal qualities in a work of art that you find particularly open to sartorial connections?

I think that texture and materiality plays an important role in the pairings.

I am also interested in the interplay of light and materials. The relationship between the fabric and the medium creates a certain level of depth and intrigue.

How do you stay informed in the contemporary art scene?

I am lucky to be surrounded by many

creatives, artists, and collectors. And we are always talking and sharing. Every Saturday, I’ve made it a ritual to visit new exhibitions that have opened. The art scene in New York is always thriving so there is constantly something to see and discover.

Which brand collaboration has been the most exciting to you?

Collaborating with Nars, the beauty brand, was a very special experience.

The idea of focusing on beauty in its relation to art was a new facet to explore. I wore a different shade of Nars lipstick with the works of Tom Wesselmann, the American artist

Striking couplings: art and fashion

F

PHOTO/Flickr user smalljude

ashion is art, and you live your life in it. Or at least that’s what Stanley Tucci professes to Anne Hathaway in that emotional speech in The Devil Wears Prada, and, let’s be honest, we could all learn a thing or two from that film. There have been hundreds of collaborations between designers and artists over the years, from Levis and Damien Hurst to Elsa Shiaparelli and Salvador Dali, but here are a few you might actually one day aspire to wear (I won’t broach the subject of David Lynch Louboutin’s – seriously, unless you can levitate, these are a no go).

The most striking coupling of art and fashion remains Yves Saint Laurent’s first foray into the abstract. The Mondrian Dress is so beautifully full of swinging sixties sexiness it resides in the Metropolitan Museum. It’s become a true masterpiece and is curated as such. The mini shift dress was in good company, appearing alongside an entire collection of garments inspired

by Mondrian’s block colour patterns.

Big blocks of colour were also the result of a meeting of minds between the artist Daniel Buren and designer Marc Jacobs, creator of the SS13 collection for Louis Vuitton. Buren was roped in to create a set for the catwalk show,

PHOTO/ason Gringler

known for his exploration of the female form. The collaboration was shot in the late artist’s studio; it was quite intimate, which I think made the imagery that much richer.

What do you think is the key to successful fashion blogging?

I think you just have to exist in a vacuum for a bit and really find a concept that speaks personally to you. If you find a specific focus that is weird or a little off, you never know – people might take to it. As long as it is fulfilling to you creatively, I think that is what’s really important and the rest will come.

COLETTE SNAPE

St John’s College

which was staged in the centre courtyard of the Louvre. The modern artist, well-known for his use of colourful horizontal lines in vast spaces, created a yellow and white chequer board floor, complete with escalators down which the similarly-clad models could descend (as if their job wasn’t straight-forward enough). The block–like bralets and mini skirts and the streamlined maxiskirts channelled the structured nature of Buren’s work and were, let’s face it,

artists from around the world to inspire her SS14 collection. The marvellous murals lined the walls of the catwalk; their colours and portraits of women were transposed onto the dresses, coats and skirts of the collection. This is not quite ‘street style’ though. No, what Prada spawned were sophisticated ensembles for those wealthy few who can afford to swan about in Prada, whilst exhibiting the art of those who surely could not dream of wearing such items

to die for.

Andy Warhol’s infamous hand was once commissioned in the name of fashion when Carmel Snow and Alexi Brodovic asked the pop-art master to create illustrations for Harper’s Bazaar in the 1950s, furthering Warhol’s notion that art is for everybody. The sketches of dresses, shoes and perfume bottles were a real tour de force; they are currently being exhibited as part of a larger collection of the pop artist’s work at the Tate Liverpool until midFebruary.

Mrs Prada went one step further into the breach, and commissioned street

– and, quite possibly, wouldn’t want to.

The whole tableau left me wondering whether the murals might have looked more at home, and much more spectacular, on the side of a high rise building in Brazil. But there’s no denying the sheer beauty of the designs and the brilliant innovation of the collaboration.

When art marries fashion, it spawns truly cutting-edge, hybrid brainchildren. I wait impatiently to see what the next generation of partnerships gives rise to: until then, raise your glass with me in wishing art and fashion all the best in what ought to be a long and beautiful relationship.

Mrs Prada commissioned street artists to inspire her SS14 collection

Fashion 7

22nd January 2015

STYLE HERO: FRIDA KAHLO

Photographing the female form

CLEMENTINE HAXBY

Worcester College

Here’s a five-step fast-track to channeling Frida’s unique style for your next fancy dress fête: 1. Slip on tropical print top and a long flowing skirt 2. Throw a burgundy pashmina over your shoulders 3. Locate the largest floral headband you can find (or make your own!)

4. Unearth your chunkiest dangly earrings

Bourdin’s works, both haunting and glamorous, lack any human presence.

5. Coat your lips in the reddest red and draw a simple black line on each eyelid PHOTOS/ The Guy Bourdin

I

’d never seen fashion photographs displayed in any context other than the glossy pages of ridiculously expensive magazines; so naturally, when I saw an advertisement for the retrospective of Guy Bourdin’s work now exhibiting at London’s Somerset House, I thought I’d go.

Known for his provocative fashion images, Bourdin was a French fashion photographer who rose to fame in the 70s. He was surrealist Man Ray’s protégé in the early 50s, an influence that clearly resonates throughout the striking photographs of disembodied women exposed on the walls of the gallery. His campaigns for shoe designer Charles Jourdan monopolise the onset of the exhibition, and these quirky anthropomorphic compositions command most of my attention as I wander through the gallery.

Bourdin’s works, both haunting and glamorous, lack any human presence.

Consisting only of the lower legs of a plastic mannequin, these images offer a radical alternative to the conventional fashion images, which highlight beautiful faces and clothing in the foreground.The photographs provoke loaded questions concerning the necessity of the fashion model, whose presence within the fashion world has been forever ubiquitous yet totally impersonal.

For example, why must we constantly strive to find ideal beauty in real women when the focus should be on the product? In the fashion industry, models merely act as a medium for the self-expression of others. Whereas the presence of iconic models such as Kate Moss, Cara Delevigne and

Jourdan Dunn are now key to the promotion and selling of the brands they represent, Bourdin’s shots refocus our attention on the fashion itself.

In art, as in designer clothing, it is the name of the maker that sells. This is an unfortunate reality that has led to the inevitable demise of authentic artistic appreciation, in fashion and in art. An obsession with labels and names has enveloped both realms, rendering true creative talent irrelevant.

In his time, many critiqued Bourdin for his explicit objectification of women. I disagree.

For me, his works emphasise the aesthetic allure of the intended object – Charles Jourdan’s high-heels – and point to the reduction of society’s respect for fashion as artistic creation.

By blurring the line between advertising and art and making the models inhabit ambiguous spaces in his campaigns, he questions the role of models in fashion photography and in the industry in general.

I’ll conclude in a Ruskinian vain by looking back to the Middle Ages, when works of art were appreciated in themselves as objects imbued with the artist’s presence and not merely embossed with a label – a time when artistic creativity stemmed from workshops which were recognized for the quality of their group production.

Fashion houses are, after all, workshops for the creation of wearable art.

Bourdin’s oeuvre reminds us to appreciate the art of fashion, which should take precedent over any million-dollar price tag or face.

Galliano returns with opulent masks and denim shorts PHOTO/ @wahnails

INSTAWORTHY Founded by Sharmadean Reid, WAH nails is a cult east-London nail art salon. They’re almost criminally hip, they’re always one step ahead of the trends and they will paint whatever the hell you want onto your nails. It’s more than just a salon: they have jumble sales, record launch parties, art shows, film nights. Their instagram is a joyous conglomeration of crazy imaginings and funky designs transposed onto nails – follow to keep innovation at your fingertips.

R

ising like a well-groomed phoenix from the ashes and flanked by fashion royalty Kate Moss and Anna Wintour, John Galliano showcased his first collection in nearly four years for Maison Martin Margiela’s Spring 2015 couture collection on 12th January.

The four-time winner of the British Fashion Designer of the Year award was exonerated from the spotlight in 2011 following a public meltdown involving anti-semitic remarks made in a Parisian bar.

The fine he incurred was negligible compared to the impact that the event had on his career; he was sacked from Dior, as well as his eponymous label. Since the events, Galliano has undergone a metamorphosis, personally and creatively. He has certainly toned down his flamboyance in this collection (which received a rave review from Vogue — he’s obviously doing something right). The looks were in great contrast with one another; an opulent mask here, a pair of denim shorts there. Continuity was clearly

CHARLOTTE LANNING

Pembroke College

not a point of importance.

The colour palette tied the looks together: scarlet reds, warm beiges, charcoal blacks and animal print were featured in most outfits. Bar the gilded

Many pieces had a damanged quality that still exuded beauty mask, some of the looks wouldn’t be out of place in a less casual setting—a bizarre quality for a couture show. Many pieces had a damaged quality that still exuded beauty.

In a 2011 interview for the book British Fashion Designers, Galliano declared Britain to be his inspiration: “Be it literature, art or music. I love the street culture, the uniforms, Savile Row, I love it all.” It is only fitting that he is back home, where his creative genius can continue to be nourished for future collections that will stun us all.

PHOTO/ flickr user Marcus Bollingbo

8 Fashion

POP!

22nd January 2015

Photographer: Anna Bellettato Models: Ioana Jecan and Ella Harding Concept and Styling: Demie Kim and Augustine Cerf

22nd January 2015

Fashion 9

10 Arts & Lit

ARTS & LIT

Can computers understand beauty? When aesthetics meets logic

I

n the wake of 2014, the year of Morten Tyldum’s The Imitation Game and the centenary of the First World War, the achievements of Alan Turing in breaking Germany’s Enigma Code are at the foreground of the cultural mind. Never more frighteningly evident than during our radically transformative digital age of computer programming and smart technology, the resemblance of man and machine hovers ominously over the concept of beauty and the creation of art.

Brian Greene aligns physics and art,

could it not?

And we cling to art, to beauty and to aesthetical instinct as an enduring pillar of humanness, providing an anchor amidst the unremittingly metamorphic, turbulent waters of the digital world. We separate culture from science because it is a sphere in which we can retain that unpredictability – that elusive perception divorced from logic and tied more firmly to the instincts of the individual soul.

It is this emotional, artistic intelligence that separates us from computers. A computer can be programmed to be a

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”—John Keats

PHOTO/CHRISTOPHER_BROWN

logic and creative expression, under this central premise that, in both, “symmetry is a key part of aesthetics”. This version of aesthetics evokes a beauty black and white and far removed from the vague, personal, “mysterious” source of art Einstein proffers. The idea that scientific theory can be appreciated for its beauty should not come as a surprise to us. But in a society that so rigorously separates truth from beauty, fact from fiction, and science from the arts, how

formidable opponent for a chess champion, but that computer cannot delight in the aesthetic pleasure of the game in the same way the human can.

Yet 50 years ago Alan Turing sought to demystify any emotional intelligence of human beings – to reduce that special, intangible, distinctive quality of innate “humanness” that makes us capable of appreciating beauty to mere mechanistic output. Turing went in search of the sources of beauty and mystery and un-

B

en Lerner’s second novel 10:04 needs to be understood in the context of his first, Leaving the Atocha Station. In 2011, Leaving the Atocha Station was a highly praised debut. It told the story of a young American poet, Adam Gordon, struggling his way through a prestigious, Madrid-based fellowship due to his unfortunate failure to learn any Spanish before moving there.

Desperate to avoid other Americans but baffled by the complex, Spanishspeaking arts world in which he finds himself, Adam spends most of the novel wandering around the city, drunk or high, bluffing his way through literary events, misconstruing conversations, losing Spanish girlfriends, and doubting himself at every turn. Yet in the process, he develops an extraordinary meditation on the nature of projection — how we project words on to others when we don’t understand their language, how we project thoughts on to our partner when we don’t understand them in a relationship, and how we project when we read a poem.

The drama of Atocha Station was fuelled by the first two dynamics, but its brilliance came in the way it built them into the third, and into Adam’s eventual acceptance of poetry as a legitimate art form. A short novel of fewer than 200 pages, it managed to come to a surprisingly satisfying thematic denouement, even as its char-

PHOTO/ABHI SHARMA

Ben Lerner’s new release 10:04 acters and plotlines fall apart.

There was a great deal of anticipation for Lerner’s follow-up, 10:04, published in late 2014. Named for the moment in Back to the Future when lightning strikes the famous DeLorean, 10:04 is a longer, non-chronological work about a New York-based writer having difficulty completing his second novel after the unexpected success of his first. Even if you knew nothing of Lerner, alarm bells might ring. As Giles Harvey put it in the New York Review: “Haven’t we read this one — the one about the postmodern novelist

struggling to write his next novel — several dozen times before? Do we really need another 250 pages on the rarefied agonies of fiction-making?”

The protagonist now deals with the issues of his thirties, not his twenties: there is a lot of fun in his internal monologues as a brilliant humanities scholar struggling with child-minding, cooking, mortality, and the artificial insemination of his 36-year old best friend. The awkwardness of the social interactions comes up a notch, in part because they’re now wholly in English.

The scenes are sadder, stranger, more

NATHAN LAMBERT

Said Business School dramatic.

More than anything though, the sharp eye that Atocha Station showed for projection —for gaps between perception and actuality — returns in 10:04, and is much more widely cast.

Flickering realities are everywhere.

The memory-altering effects of anaesthetics are linked to the memoryaltering effects of false history and the memory-altering plot of Back to the Future. The way characters perceive every-day objects when viewing them as art is linked to the way they perceive them when high, or in a disaster

22nd January 2015

EMILY PARKER

Kellogg College veiled a mathematical truth at the depths of the universe; indeed, many point to his Enigma machine as the first actual model of a computer.

Our world places so much emphasis on the digital – on ease, shortcuts, the over-condensing and over-availability of information – that it is in danger of neglecting the real. Art is about the physical and, by nature, its process is time-consuming, laborious, and circuitous. That innate Einsteinian mystery of beauty disappears in the predictability of programming. Algorithms in nature may be an example of natural programming, but nature continues to disrupt, to surprise and to distort. We have a duty to do the same, to initiate, innovate and distort, and to not become lost in the never-ending reaches of the unchangingly coded expanse of the digital landscape.

Beauty and art are undeniably linked to symmetry and order. But we must hold on to that truth that exists outside of logic – in the chaotic element of beauty, and of art; the truth that can only be felt, not thought. Turing, for all his brilliance, had it hopelessly wrong.

For a man so unparalleled in the field of mathematics and algorithms, it was the human code that he could never quite crack. zone, or high in an art gallery in a disaster zone. Activists discover their identities are based on parents’ lies; the families of a cancer sufferer wish for anything but the truth. The novel itself moves back and forth between dissertation and fabrication. Long sections set out Lerner’s real-world thoughts on Donald Judd’s Marfa installations or Christian Marclay’s The Clock or Ronald Reagan’s Challenger speech — they themselves of course derivative works. References pile upon references. Everything is art and the experiencing of art. If all this sounds horrifically sophist and post-modern, it’s not. It’s a genuinely sincere novel, with political leanings if not an outright agenda. But with its everexpanding array of motifs and structures, 10:04 has no chance of coming to the coherent, pointed conclusions of Atocha Station. In retrospect, it makes you realise how important they were.

A novel about ambiguity can’t afford itself to be too ambiguous.

In that regard, 10:04 is more like a 1.5th novel than second. It poses a tantalising question about Lerner’s next work. If it is very different, 10:04 will end up looking like Atocha Station II — like a companion piece, and in a good way, I think. But if it is the same again, reflexive and exegetical, then Lerner will start looking less like a great novelist and more like a great critic-masquerading-as-novelist. He will definitely still be worth reading.

22nd January 2015

Arts & Lit 11

RUSKIN PROFILE: Ollie Bass

Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum

O ELEANOR TREND

Pembroke College

“N

ormality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.” (Vincent Van Gogh.) You don’t have to be an expert to realise Van Gogh chose flowers and turbulence over comfort. Just standing in front of his masterpiece ‘Sunflowers’ (1888), I was overwhelmed by the beautiful wildness of his vision, the chaos and dynamism which he generated from a still life. But while his paintings are the most eloquent expression of his complex mind, the story of the man behind the canvas is equally gripping, and adds a whole new dimension to his art. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, where the vast majority of his works are housed, has recently re-hung its collection to foreground the painter’s biographical narrative: to expose “Vincent Van Gogh the person, who he was, what drove him and what motivated him” (Alex Rüger, Museum Director).

Before the renovation, almost 100 of Van Gogh’s paintings were showcased on the first floor of the four-storey 1970s building, while contemporary artists’ work could be found on the higher floors. Now Van Gogh’s are spread across the four stories, and set in the context of contemporary artists, periods of his life, objects which he owned (like his paint palette and a vase which frequently appears in his paintings), and a collection of his letters.

This shift to a narrative approach really drew attention to two aspects of Van Gogh’s work that I hadn’t previously appreciated. Most striking of the two, was how extremely his style changed in his lifetime. Walking into the first room of the second floor, it quickly became apparent that the painter had not always seen life in bright swirling colours, or preferred nature over figures as artistic subjects. His early artwork could not have been more unexpected. Focusing upon the gnarled hands and faces of hard-working peasants in Nuenen,

llie Bass, second year Fine Art student talks about why he wouldn’t define art.

What are you most interested in?

My work primarily revolves around an exploration into gestural abstraction, working out ways in which to coherently orchestrate and choreograph seemingly disparate marks into one single entity. I’ll often sit in front of a canvas for far too long trying to reach a feeling of comprehension that never comes – it’s usually the work that comes after this (the stuff that you spend no time at all over) that’s the most successful.

I try and foster a pervading sense of sparseness and quietness to the most of the work.

What artist inspired that interest?

The first artist that really got in my head and has long since been an influence is Cy Twombly – he’s the master of gesture and has such a strong sense of how to use colour effectively. Basquiat also is someone I often refer to; he has such a definitive style which is so strong in his work.

PHOTO/VAN GOGH

the Netherlands, a source of fascination for Van Gogh while he was living there, these are dark and gloomy, but strangely absorbing works. In the largest, ‘The Potato Eaters’ (1885), he wanted to expose the novelty, in the modern civilised world, of food being consumed by the same hands that produced it. Painted in “the colour of a good dusty potato, unpeeled of course”, Van Gogh even considered it (we learn in a letter adjacent to the painting, written to his sister Willemina, 2 years later) to be “the best thing I did”, despite negative reactions from his brother and friend.

The other myth that was quickly dispelled as I continued to walk through the gallery was the widespread belief that Van Gogh was a “lone genius,” living in isolation. On the contrary, it appears that he was highly engaged with the current developments in art and sensitive to the work of his contemporaries. He discovered the potential of bright colours and impressionism when he moved to Paris and met the painter Gauguin (1887), an important figure in his life who would

go on to paint him painting ‘Sunflowers’. By setting paintings alongside each other, the museum’s new arrangement also exposes the similarity between his experimentations with pointillism (‘Garden with Courting Couples’, for example), and Seurat’s work. But the most striking comparison displayed, was that of “Young Woman at a Table ‘Poudre de riz’” by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1887 and Van Gogh’s “In the Café: Agostina Segatori in Le Tambourin”, created in the same year. The composition is virtually identical, both depicting a woman sat at a table, at the same angle, with arms crossed, and slightly warped eyes.

The viewer’s consideration of Alex Rüger’s re-hang reveals just how much the order and display of art can affect our understanding of the works. In this case, the change has been hugely successful: before the renovation, the exhibition was closer in form to a gallery than a museum, but now, with the arrangement’s illuminating contextual insights, the museum decidedly merits its name.

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on some pieces that are exploring the line of distinction between sculpture and painting. It’s a curious space to work in, because of this push and pull between the two disciplines. It’s often about working towards getting a balance throughout a series of works. I never make one piece at a time – if I get obsessed over one painting, it’s a dead loss.

How has working at the Ruskin helped develop that?

There’s always a discourse about your work in relation to the larger contemporary art world with tutors, or at least that’s been my experience.

If you had to pick one other academic subject that influenced your interest and engagement with art, what would it be?

It’s very difficult to pinpoint one area; influence is such a circumstantial thing. My mood often dictates what I’m going to be most receptive to. But if I was going to say it would probably literature – I feel there are the same struggles of balance and working towards some feeling of cohesion.

How would you define art? Or would you define art?

Would I define art? Probably not – it would feel a little arbitrary to me. I find it hard to even define my own art.

Which three famous works would you want in your house and why?

Twombly’s Achilles Mourning the Death of Patroclus – it’s one of the most incredible paintings I’ve ever seen. He creates so much from so little. Basquiat’s Riding with Death – it’s a truly haunting image; the canvas is so sparse, but it’s just deeply powerful, and kind of prophetic.

Also, Freud’s Head of a Girl – it’s a lesser-known work but emanates this amazing atmosphere of serenity.

12 Screen

SCREEN

Is horror in danger of being killed off?

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f we think on it for a moment or two, we will all be quick to recognise that there is something very distinctive that separates the vast majority of horror movies from almost all other mainstream pieces of cinema. Cast your mind back to the last trailer you saw for any horror film. Ask yourself this. Did it make a point of who the actors were? Did it even bother to tell you who the actors were? Chances are, it did not.

Most horror trailers don’t bother.

And we are so accustomed to this absence that we generally don’t stop to think how remarkable it is. When was the last time you saw a trailer for any non-horror movie – unless it was some low-budget indie drama doing the rounds on the festival circuit – that did not make a key point of advertising the names of the stars? In what other genre can any filmmaker afford to try to sell us a movie without even bothering to tell us whom we will see in it?

The fact is that most moviegoers approach horror films in a different spirit from the way they approach comedies, dramas, musicals, or what have you.

When we go to see a comedy or a dra-

ma, we are usually motivated to some extent by the desire to be entertained by talented actors. This is obviously truer with some films than with others; in many cases we may be intrigued by subject matter, or we may seek out the work of a particular director or (less commonly) a writer - but it is rare that we are completely uninterested in the performances. The film industry rests, above all, on actors for its marketing, and therefore for its profits.

This is how horror is different. From the perspective of marketing and moneymaking, horror films occupy a special category of their own, because they are the only films that do not usually need recognisable actors to attract viewers. We go to horror films principally for their technique – for the director’s command of the cinematic artistry that can shock us and scare us.

The actors do of course remain vital in allowing the director’s work to take effect, but from the audience’s perspective, it is still the director who bears the central responsibility for the film’s success. In a very real sense, horror is the only genre in which the average viewer expects their entertainment to be supplied not by the people on the

screen, but by the people behind the camera – by the auteurs.

This makes horror films peculiarly vulnerable to the postmodern malaise of the over-savvy audience. We live in an age when moviegoers are more and more typically clued in to the conventional tricks of the horror trade. The post-Tarantino generation has grown

When was the last time you saw a trailer that did not make a key point of advertising the names of its stars? up watching self-aware, self-referential exercises in the subversion of conventional genre. We are all more or less alert to cliché, and we know most of the classic tricks when we see them.

And horror is a genre that leans much more heavily on a standard repertoire of tricks and techniques than most.

This leaves mainstream horror in an awkward dead end: the average horror

film depends so much more completely on directorial technique than does the average comedy or drama, and yet directorial technique is the one thing that an audience today is ever more likely to see right through, assuming it’s executed in anything like a traditional or conventional way.

Thus we have films like the Scream franchise, or more recently Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods, that depend on their audience’s awareness of horror movie clichés, to turn them to comic effect. Even if you haven’t seen many horror films, you probably know the conventions of the genre: they are among the most unvarying in popular culture, and they’ve crossed over into common understanding. This makes them ideal material for talented satirists. Who can watch The Cabin in the Woods, which mercilessly deconstructs and demolishes the typical B-grade Hollywood horror formula, without feeling that they will never again be able to watch a conventional horror film without feeling alienated from the story by its predictability? The fact is that viewers with much movie-going experience cannot now approach ordinary horror films without a sense of

22nd January 2015

PHOTO/Way to Blue

ROBERT SELTH

University College irony. We are so completely saturated with our awareness of how they work that we cannot suspend our disbelief anymore.

Where next, then? How will filmmakers rescue the genre from this quandary? There are, essentially, only two ways forward for mainstream horror. One is that we just accept that conventional horror movies are not to be taken seriously, and when we go to see them, we expect not to be fully immersed, but to watch them in at least a partial spirit of ironic detachment. That would be fun for a while, but it would ultimately suck the life out of the genre. The alternative is simple: we need a radically imaginative new generation of horror filmmakers to find completely new ways of scaring us. We need filmmakers who will ditch the old conventions entirely, who will refuse to admit a single trick, or employ a single technique, that could be called a familiar horror trope. We need adventurous directors who will re-think the genre from the ground up. Then, and only then, will we be able to surrender ourselves completely to the experience of being terrified by a movie again.

22nd January 2015

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Birdman has us securely in its talons

ANTHONY MASKELL

t’s hard to approach a film that has been unanimously lauded for “changing cinema” with an objective and fresh perspective, and even harder when you remember that it’s spearheaded by one of the greatest living directors cinema has to offer. But, leaving the screening, I can only bask in the magnificent aftertaste Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel) has left in my mind.

Ultimately – and perhaps inevitably – Birdman has me securely in its talons.

The first thing you need to understand about Birdman is that it’s filmed as if it were one continuous take. The result is a picture of immense kinetic power.

We’re constantly moving, and we’re never bored.

We are quickly introduced to our protagonist as he hovers mid-air whilst meditating (the boundaries between reality and fantasy are already obscured).

Michael Keaton is Riggan Thomson, a dwindling movie star who wants to carve a more respected name for himself. After a string of appearances as the eponymous superhero “Birdman” in 90s blockbusters, Riggan finds his celebrity status empty and dissatisfying. But he

and lover Laura (Andrea Riseborough) tells him that she is pregnant and he responds in jest “are you sure it’s mine?”

At the other end of the spectrum is the ludicrously committed method-acting prima donna brought in to salvage the play at the last minute, Mike Shiner, hysterically played by Edward Norton.

Largely due to Norton’s erratic performance, but also indebted to the film’s scathing tongue-in-cheek screenplay – rather unexpectedly – Birdman is uproariously comical. Perhaps its cheekiest feature is that Iñárritu has chosen to plug it firmly in the real world of the entertainment industry that we know so well. Riggan enviously watches Robert Downey Jr. reap fame on his television; and, at one point of crisis, his attorney and producer (Zach Galifianakis) tells him that they’ll get in touch with the surgeon who did Meg Ryan’s nose job.

It’s more than just a satire of the real world: it’s an immersion.

Birdman is, first and foremost, a motion picture of unfathomable depth and delicious self-consciousness. Yes, it’s about actors, celebrities, egomaniacs, but it’s most importantly about people. The world of Birdman will stay with you.

I

learns that he can never truly get rid of Birdman. He is Birdman. It is both his blessing and his curse that he owes his career to such a successful but damaging superhero, and Riggan is frequently overcome by dream-like hallucinations of Birdman controlling him, speaking to him, chastising his own worthlessness.

Riggan is fed up of his vacuous film star image (he is told by Lindsay Duncan’s theatre critic: “you’re not an ac-

else. Or, in his own words: “a chance to do something right”. In one scene when Riggan’s dressing gown is caught in a door when he is smoking outside, he is forced to scramble through Times Square in nothing but his underwear and this is a perfect metaphor for the entire experience for him. He is open, exposed, raw, and the whole world is watching to see if he’ll fall or fly.

But this is as much of an ensemble

He is open, exposed, raw, and the whole world is watching to see if he’ll fall or fly tor, you’re a celebrity”). He has written and is now directing and starring in a version of Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, and has invested every shred of his own worth – both financially and artistically – in order to get it off the ground. It is a tragic portrait of a man seeking not to relinquish his fame, but to transcend it. However, it soon becomes apparent that the play itself isn’t really what is important – it’s what the play represents for Riggan. For the washed-up film star, it’s a second chance, above all

piece as it is about Riggan, and it’s not so much about Riggan’s professional career as his personal connections with those around him. For starters, he’s hired his drug-addict daughter, Sam (Emma Stone), as his personal assistant in some kind of last-minute effort to connect with her after a negligent presence in her childhood. We also occasionally see Riggan’s ex-wife and Sam’s mother (Amy Ryan), who reminds him of the family he tore apart in search of his fame. We witness Riggan’s fear of intimacy and commitment first-hand when his co-star

Trinity College

COUNTDOWN

THREE TERRIBLE FILMS SHOT IN OXFORD

3

PHOTO/Flickr/jun_biker

Oxford Blues A young Rob Lowe plays the title character in this ridiculous 80s comedy about a University of Nevada dropout who comes to England to pursue the beautiful Lady Victoria, a student at Oxford University. He bags himself a place at Oriel College, which features heavily in the film, but soon finds out that Lady Victoria is involved with a rower from Christ Church.

Drama.

2

The Avengers I’m not talking about the critically acclaimed Marvel film, but the 1998 American action spy film adapted from the British television series of the same name. Despite having a star studded cast, including Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman and Sean Connery, this film received a whopping 17 nominations for worst film, even winning ‘Worst Remake or Sequel’, ‘Worst Director’ and ‘Worst Resurrection of a TV show’.

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PHOTO/Fox Searchlight

W

THOMAS BANNATYNE

St. Hilda’s College

e all know The Voice’s thing. It’s like The X Factor except with spinning chairs. I remember finding it quite inventive when it started and then I forgot about it. And then Kylie was on and I watched one episode. And then I forgot about it. Now it’s back, and it’s going to be forgettable again.

The first episode began with an introduction to the judges, and they sang us a song to show us their credentials. Or, at least, three of the four did. will.i.am shouted into his microphone and was just there. These guys are supposed to be ‘superstar coaches’. I’ll give you Sir Tom Jones.

But really, would you want will.i.am coaching your singing? The most notable thing Rita Ora has done in the past year is join Sinead O’Connor in the over-the-top section of the new Band Aid song. At least Ricky Wilson out of the Kaiser Chiefs is an upgrade on Danny from The Script.

So, the first contestant comes on.

She sings. She’s not spectacular, but she’s good. The judges do their spin-

ning thing, and the entire thing fills up with all the familiar clichés. “You really felt it.” “You have so much passion.” That’s alright, I guess, but then the judges have to persuade her to join their team. It becomes like the boardroom of The Apprentice, with all four selling themselves – Tom Jones’ experience (i.e. his age) is basically all anyone talks about.

The bickering is the show’s best feature. Just as The X Factor worked best when there was some tension between Simon Cowell and everyone else, or when Louis Walsh was irritating people, the interaction between the judges is the main source of entertainment. We don’t care that much about the singing, what we want are some jokes and some fighting.

Half an hour in, Rita Ora is getting on my nerves, and will.i.am hasn’t built on the one joke he cracked early on. It’s starting to drag, so I check how long I’ve got left. Oh dear. This episode is ninety minutes long. The whole of High Noon is ninety minutes

long, and that won four Oscars and was nominated for three more. This is one episode, and it’s not winning anything at all. Why are they doing this to me?

But then something interesting happens. Kym Marsh, who was a member of Hear’Say when it formed on the TV show Popstars in 2000, turns up with her 16-year-old daughter. Again, she is good, but unspectacular. No one turns around. will.i.am likens her to medium-rare steak (I don’t know why). She is crying, Kym is crying. Frankly, I don’t know how Emma Willis, who is on hosting duties, is holding it together.

She isn’t the only young contestant to depart in tears this week, and it makes for incredibly uncomfortable viewing.

Here, the comparison with The X Factor is worth looking at again.

Even without the spinning chair gimmick and with Simon Cowell, whether you like it or not, The X Factor can keep things going with the terrible and delusional acts.

The Saint An espionage thriller film starring Val Kilmer, this film was a financial success, but there ends the list of positive things about this film.

Kilmer plays a high-tech thief and master of disguise that becomes the anti-hero using the names of various saints whilst living in the underworld of international industrial theft.

Apparently a story about saints and thieves doesn’t work so well. The film still managed to get a mention at an awards ceremony – Val Kilmer was nominated for Worst Actor at the Razzies (Golden Raspberry Awards), an award ceremony in recognition of the worst in film.

There, although it is fairly easy to see which way the audition is going, there are jokes and awful people to liven things up. There is no point watching rubbish people singing to the backs of chairs – they only have any worth when they are face to face with the judges, and have a dialogue with them afterwards.

In that respect, The Voice is probably more politically correct, but it is also far less entertaining. And given the way that The X Factor has gone in recent years, that is a damning indictment. It tries to take itself seriously, but can’t consolidate that with will.i.am talking rubbish (at one point he describes Tom and Ricky as ‘soggy monsters’). Next week will be more of the same, and when the auditions are over, the show loses its only good aspect.

Once the spinning chairs gimmick goes, this is just a budget version of The X Factor. I can’t tell you the names of any of the previous winners of The Voice, and that’s not likely to change this year.

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STAGE

22nd January 2015

PHOTO/Gaby Jerrard PR

Mark Watson brings his ‘Flaws’ to Oxford M

arking his tenth year of making us all laugh, Mark Watson, Bristolian comedian and writer, is coming to Oxford with his most recent show, ‘Flaws’.

Having premiered the show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2014, he is now travelling across the country, with 65 tour dates. Oxford has “tended to be a happy venue for [him]”, and one that he is looking forward to returning to, he tells me.

He is a much-lauded performer, having won Best Newcomer at the 2005 Perrier Awards and Time Out Critics’ Choice Award in 2006, and is a regular on television shows such as Mock The Week and Never Mind The Buzzcocks. He has performed on Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You, and multiple radio shows, and is the author of five books.

Unfortunately he can’t prescribe any specific path for achieving similar success. Times have changed since he was making the transition from comedy regular at university, to having a successful comedic career, he says, with more of a “specific comedy industry” around now. “You can opt for it as

a career and have a plan.” For Mark then, comedy was “more something you kind of fell into”.

With very little stand-up on television, there were no great role models for him to look up to. He took part in some open mic sessions during his time at Cambridge University, and was part of the revue as well as Footlights, but his main inspiration came instead from watching live music, where he loved the atmosphere and sense of live performance and occasion.

We agree that it’s a well-known fact that everyone wants to be in a band, and according to Mark, “being a comedian is basically the way you can live out that dream if you don’t have any musical abilities”.

On the subject of ability, I ask how plausible it is to learn comedy. “The discipline itself is something with its own rules,” he says, so in that sense there is a lot to learn. Learning how to command a stage, how to structure a joke, through formal training or through observation of other comedians is invaluable, and necessary, but a “spark of talent” and occassional

“bits of luck” don’t go amiss either.

Ultimately, Mark advocates hard work as the most important factor in success. It’s not all glamorous television appearances and mythical overnight fame. “Working at it is the most important thing”, he says. “The best people just tend to be people that want it the most and put the most effort in.”

“The best people just tend to be the people that want it the most and put the most effort in.”

An aspect of comedy that Markparticularly enjoys is that performances are never predictable. With his show, ‘Flaws’, now touring, he feels the piece has been given a new lease of life because of the variety of audiences he is playing to. Where performing the same show over and over can become over-familiar, touring has given this one “a certain vitality”.

Reflecting on growing up, the re-

sponsibility of parenthood and our own human flaws, this is a more personal show than we have seen before, and so something that he is really enjoying performing. “It is comic territory that I haven’t visited really that much before”, he adds.

Though he will always have a plan or skeleton for the show, he encourages budding comedians to be open to whatever their audiences throw at them and look forward to the moments when something strange or unexpected happens. “The more I get to go off from my plan, the more fun it is for me.”

There are ups and downs too, of course. Mark recalls a particularly inhospitable gig where “the crowd just wouldn’t shut up”, something that, especially as a young comedian, can hit you pretty hard. “It’s the only time before or since that I’ve really felt a dread of ever doing it again.”

He recommends getting “back on the bike” as quickly as possible after an experience like that. It is important to remember not to blame yourself for an audience who just won’t listen.

At the same time, he talks about the

AMELIA BROWN

Jesus College

24-hour marathon comedy shows that he has put on in the past at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, an incredible feat and one of his favourite experiences, which he describes as being “different from everything else”.

Another favourite gig of his was performing at the Sydney Opera House.

“You’re in the opera house and your poster’s up,” he says, excitedly. His mum even spontaneously came out to Australia for one of these shows to surprise him, so he has plenty of good associations with it.

As well as a comedian, Mark is also a writer, with another book due out next year. Comedy has to come first, he says, as “it’s the main way I earn my living”. However he adds that standup can be “quite a lonely pursuit”, so Mark really values the chance to have other things going on.

It’s always good to dream, and Mark tells me that his dream is to be the first comedian to perform in space. “It’s a long term goal”, he assures me, but we’ll be watching out for him.

Flaws comes to the Oxford Playhouse on 22nd January.

Stage 15

22nd January 2015

Inside this Pinter classic

PHOTO/Cecilia Wright

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wo hitmen, waiting to find out what the name of their target is for the evening, wait in the cellar of a restaurant. Between them, a dumb waiter occasionally sends down orders for Greek dishes they cannot pronounce and they send up the only supplies they have with them – Eccles cakes. And then, “there’s a twist”, promises Tom White, director of The Dumb Waiter.

In the space of the Burton Taylor Studio, the team have tried to create a constrained area, so that every square metre of space is contested by the two characters and a sense of “claustrophobia” is created. Usually on separate sides of the room, the space in front of the dumb waiter, the small lift for carrying food to the

restaurant above, is a dangerously neutral area, where the power struggle between the two characters is most evident.

It is “completely absurd”, one of the actors tells me. Matches in envelopes slide inexplicably under doors, whilst the pair discuss their instructions for the assassination. “I’ve always been an ardent football fan,” says one of the hitmen, Gus, played by Adam Leonard. Kicking his heels, he wonders whether it would be possible to catch a game of the Villa whilst up in Birmingham. Ben, played by Tom Marshall, continues to read his newspaper, reading out an excerpt every now and again.

A seasoned actor on Oxford’s theatre scene, this is Tom White’s di-

AMELIA BROWN

Jesus College

rectorial debut. It is a “short, tight play”, he says, meaning that during rehearsals the focus can really be on the details of the acting and the play itself.

An intimate two-hander, the relationship between the two characters is particularly important and they have had time to focus on “how they work together”. It’s been “quite intense” as a rehearsal process, the cast tell me, focusing on every inflection, every movement, between the two of them.

And it seems to have paid off – the pair work well together, with a strong repartee and impeccable comic timing. Both have strong stage presences which makes the power struggle between them particularly convincing and interesting to watch unfold. Already looking slick and well-rehearsed, their relationship is entirely believable, maintaining a natural credibility even amongst the more absurd elements surrounding them.

Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter promises absurdity, laughter and claustrophobia, a play of underlying politics and dark comedy. An earlier Pinter play which is often considerd to be one of his best, this production will certainly do it justice. Sharp, funny, well-acted – this play seems guaranteed to entertain and is a production not to be missed.

Not to mention that when rehearsing in The Three Goats Heads one evening, a customer said they “sounded really good” – what more recommendation could you need?

The Dumb Waiter is playing at the Burton Taylor Studio from January 27th – 31st January at 21:30

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THE INTER-VUE

he Revue’s Audreys are back this term. The comedy nights run by the Oxford Revue are going to take place on Tuesday of 1st, 4th and 8th week at the Old Fire Station. Barney Fishwick (one of the presidents) and Dan Byam Shaw, the producer of the Audreys tell us the committee are looking for people to take part in each of them.

From chatting to the committee members, the mysteriously named ‘Audrey’ comedy nights (no-one seems to know why they’re called that) sound incredibly diverse. The nights encompass stand up, sketch shows and anything inbetween.

Pieces range from four to ten minutes long and can be on anything you like: “we just look for something that makes people laugh,” says Barney. As the Revue scouts out some of their members from the Audreys, this could be your perfect way into the Oxford comedy scene.

The committee are holding auditions before each of the nights so keep an eye on their Facebook page for details if you’re interested. Many members of the Revue came through the Audreys and the two comedians advise those considering auditioning to “just set yourself a deadline and write some material to perform”.

Another tip is to go along and get inspiration from the other performers and comedians which might help you write your own piece and reflect on what works well in comedy. At the Audreys nights you can always chat to people afterwards and ask them about their experience to see if it would be something for you to try yourself.

Why exactly is it that we laugh at satire?

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s I sat this week in the plush Theatre Royal Haymarket amidst hoards of laughter watching Richard Bean’s delicious satire, Great Britain, a recurring thought was plaguing my mind: are we laughing at these characters because we agree with the playwright’s spotlight parodies of them, or are we laughing because the portrayals are so ludicrously far from the truth?

Bean’s play takes no prisoners. Its mission is to tackle the three Ps – the press, police, and politicians – and it rarely misses its targets. The production consists of a series of short, succinct and punchy scenes, which seem to exist purely for Bean to take a shot at one of his many victims. It may sound cruel and brutal in practice but the playwright is shielded by the cloak of ‘satire’.

Of course, satire has theoretically existed for as long as theatre itself. But the form of satire as we know it first kicked off in the early 1960s with the stage revue Beyond the Fringe, written by and featuring Peter Cook, Alan Bennett, Dudley Moore and Jonathan Miller. These Oxbridge-educated comedians attempted, effectively, to not only shed a humorous light on the state of current affairs, but also to subvert and undermine the very establishment within which they existed. In exposing the holes and flaws of a powerful system

PHOTO/NT Press Images

(such as the government, the judiciary, or public schooling, for example), it somehow seemed that one could render that system impotent, or at least prevent people from taking it so seriously. We recognise similar modes of satire in our own culture now through shows such as Have I Got News For You, The Thick of It, and Yes, Minister.

The targets are more often than not those at the top of the establishment.

It’s easy and convenient for us to attack politicians and suggest that they are

somehow inferior to us, for it grants us the belief that we – the mere voters – cannot be blamed for the sorry state of the affairs we are watching. We are simply victims, of course. Could we say then that satire’s ultimate aim to create scapegoats? Perhaps we revel in the mockery because we the audience are safe from its clutches. We know that at the end of the play, we are able to rise from our seats and leave the theatre, still sniggering, but the characters remain.

There is nowhere for them to run.

What is it about satire that excites us so fervently? Bean’s play, after all, shows us nothing new. What we see ridiculed is what we have already seen in reality – phone hacking, political corruption, greedy corporations – the playwright is not offering us anything novel. Thus, this satire does not undermine society; it simply replays it for the stage. And yet we laugh. But did we laugh when the news first broke out on our television screens, in our newspapers, or when we discussed it with our friends and family?

For some reason, seeing the scandalous events of reality transposed into and encapsulated by the realm of theatre is incredibly comical to us.

Great Britain was so current and fresh that it had to be rehearsed in secret and its entire existence was only announced a few days before it opened.

This was to avoid contempt of court, as the phone hacking inquiry had yet to reach a verdict, but it begs the question: is there something inherently dangerous about satire? Understandably, satire is a form that walks hand-in-hand with controversy; it is not something that can really be undertaken half-heartedly.

That being said, a mode that prides itself on attacking established structures undoubtedly has the potential to be threatening and damaging to them in the long run. It seems odd

Having been through the audition process the current president talks about his first Audrey. He says he stood in the background playing the maracas whilst his friend played the guitar adding that it “felt like I was in some weird brothel” so it sounds like you really can start with anything that takes your fancy material-wise.

You certainly shouldn’t be afraid to put something a bit more unusual out there.

This term the Audreys have a new venue in the Old Fire station on George Street which Dan says will be less daunting for first-timers. “There will be a run-through beforehand and the process will be much more collaborative and supportive.” As the new venue has a proper small theatre the whole thing seems like a step up from those open mic nights in college bars to something a little bit more professional.

Having said that, they say very few people have any experience before their first Audrey so it’s a good way to try out your skills as a comedian and see if you might like to take it a little more seriously. They emphasize the fact that you shouldn’t get disheartened and should keep auditioning for the Audreys and trying out new things if it’s something you want to get into.

The shows are a way to gain experience doing comedy and in their own words the Revue aren’t “setting the bar too high and are aiming to encourage people to perform.”

For information on events, shows, auditions and comedy in Oxford, sign up for the Oxford Revue mailing list by emailing oxrevue@gmail.com.

ANTHONY MASKELL

Trinity College

that something designed to give us a good chuckle also has the ability to be so tensely precarious.

Hare’s 2004 play Stuff Happens, about the Iraq War, is similar to Great Britain and is also based on real events. Both plays receive numerous laughs when onstage but it seems odd to find comedy in dramatisations of politics and events that actually transpired. The simple fact of the matter is that people like to laugh, and comedy needs targets.

If the satirical playwright is right – if we are laughing because we recognize the hopelessness and preposterousness of what we see on stage – then surely laughter is the most inappropriate response of all. A few giggles in a theatre do not instigate social change.

Why are we laughing when we ought to be shocked and appalled? Laughter is a conditioned, shared, and collective reaction. It seems more and more obvious that we laugh at satire because we simply have no other response. We agree with the playwright, what we are seeing is terrible, but we also acknowledge that it is not within our power to change things. Soon enough, the play must end, we must exit the theatre, and, though we leave amused at what we have just seen, there is something significantly less funny about the real world.

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15th January 2015

OXSTUFF

OxStuff 15

COME DINE WITH ME: BALLIOL FOOD AND DRINK 5/10

Having shelled out the princely sum of £14.20 I was expecting a true feast.

Unfortunately that’s not quite what I got. The starter of tomato, courgette and mozzarella terrine was pleasant enough, and thankfully free from the jelly made from baby tears and Satan’s ball sweat that blights meat terrines. The main, salmon en croute with potatoes and spinach was again, pleasant but uninspiring, and while tiramisu is a personal favourite, it is hard to give any real marks for effort.

ATMOSPHERE 5/10

Balliol formals, once a week every Tuesday, aren’t really much of a tradition bar special occasions. Balliol’s hall is also enormous, and given that

An Evening with Mozart 24th Jan, 8pm Sheldonian

Mark Watson 22nd Jan The Oxford Playhouse

Society ft. Zane Lowe 24th Jan, 10.30pm O2 Academy

it was only a third full, there was a little bit of a strange vibe to the evening. A little bit sedate, but unavoidable given the circumstances.

has left me a twisted shell of a man with no regard for architecture, so it's probably that.

PRICE

CONVERSATION AND COMPANY

£14.20, plus £10 for a bottle of wine that you have to buy from the hall itself (somewhere Boris Johnson, Balliol’s favourite son, is laughing), is extortionate. Forget the Vice Chancellor's pay packet, this is the real outrage…

9/10

2/10

WOW FACTOR 6/10

Balliol’s hall is undoubtedly impressive, but the lack of atmosphere left something missing. Although a degree’s worth of despair staring at the ornate ceiling of the upper rad cam

Reading in the Spirit of Blake 23rd Jan, 4.30 Ashmolean

In the end, this is all that matters right? Contraband wine under the table, a hilariously awkward conversation between a girl and a newly single guy to my left about ‘spreading his seed’ and a very merry birthday boy; top marks.

TOTAL SCORE FOR BALLIOL: 27/50 PHOTO/BALLIOL COLLEGE

Woman in Black 26th-31st Jan The Oxford Playhouse

Testament 23rd Jan, 7pm Blackwell's Bookshop

PICK OF THE WEEK Gaz Coombes 26th Jan Truck Store

General Election talk 23rd Jan, 5pm Nuffield College

Remembering Radcliffe All Week Bodleian Library

Warhol/Morris All Week Modern Art Oxford

Alexander Darby, New College

Richard Parker 27th-31st Jan BT Studio

The Ouse Party 23rd Jan, 9pm3am Cellar

16 OxStuff

CLITERARY THEORY PHOTO/Flickr user Piers Nye

PHOTO/ OULC

So it turns out the term ‘champagne socialist’ is a lot more literal than we thought, especially when it comes to winning over the nation’s politically disaffected youth. It’s heartening to see under 18 year-olds really getting stuck in: they may not be able to vote, but at least they can get into the OULC spirit with a few (too many) ‘Tory Sex Scandal on the Beach’ cocktails and a spot of Latin recitation… If running round Corpus shouting ‘Vote Labour’ isn’t a demonstration of unerring political allegiance, we don’t know what is. With the election campaign in full swing, how many youngsters will OULC entice with free booze?

OUL(ash)C

ALASTAIR HOLDER ROSS Following the resignation of Joel Nelson, Ali rose above the misty murks of ex-Seccies to take his rightful place amongst the Union’s Standing Committee. Although last term’s ballot had an almost too perfect ratio of candidates to positions available, it’s meant that the void left by Joel’s departure could be filled by any Union member. Nothing personal to Ali, but we’re sure that the Pres missed a trick when picking someone - why not coopt Rhodes Scholar Bill Gates, honourary member Malala Yousafzai or one of the OxStu’s resident BNOCs? Bring back Joe Miles, this writer says.

PHOTO/Roger Askew

F. BUDDY

Creative Erector

W

e’ve all heard the stats.

We don’t remember them exactly, but we sense their looming presence. A LOT of people meet their future spouse at university. A staff member from my college kindly mentioned this during her speech in the Freshers’ tent. I believe her exact words were, “you could be sitting next to your future spouse right now!!” It was immensely awkward.

Now, some of you may be thinking: “Great! It could be that guy I saw in the library the other day!

He smiled when he walked past.

Obviously wants me. Maybe I should add him on Facebook?

Too soon. Be cool, you deserve someone that appreciates you enough to just have to make the first move.

So I’m keeping it totally casual.

I wonder what we’d name our 13 children…”

But if you’re anything like me (I m ean, don’t get your hopes up - you’ll never be THAT much like me) you probably hear the words ‘spouse at university’ and run to the nearest toilet to vomit. I know that finding ‘the one’ may be great when it happens,.But is it really just me, or do couples our age that plan their weddings look unbearably like kids playing house?

And that is why, ladies and gentleman, I have decided to redefine that term: ‘the one’. Maybe in later life ‘the one’ can mean somebody you want to sit down with to read the paper or remind to feed the dog, but right now, who has the time?

Finding ‘the one’ at university is something entirely different.

Instead of all this heteronormative, oppressive, capitalist nonsense, all we want is someone to be in our bed at 2am when we finish work for the night. Somebody we know we have great sex with (and so never have to awkwardly fake it with). Somebody that won’t mind you getting with the guy from the

library when you finally end up at the same club, but will also come over when the guy from the library turns out to be dull/a dick. And they’re not coming over to console us. We don’t need their help, just like we don’t need to listen to them moan about their day or have pointless chit-chat. Why bother, when we can be doing something infinitely more fun?

I know what you’re thinking: “find me one of these immediately.

He can live in my cupboard. And possibly cook all of my dinners”.

Oh, but if only it was so easy.

There are several common pitfalls in this area, and it pains me to see young hopefuls heading out into the big bad world with such honourable dreams of perfect casual sex, only to be disappointed by the cruel reality of emotional confusion and jealousy.

In the hope of alleviating your struggles, I’ve made a few rules to follow when looking for the one: 1. Don’t pick somebody you love hanging out with. If you think he’s a great dateable guy, and then love having sex with him, you’re heading straight into a relationship that neither of you wanted.

2. Don’t pick the dick. If he’s downright disrespectful, screw him. Not in that way. Ok, maybe you can in that way, but then probably don’t screw him again.

3. Tell him when he’s doing it wrong. In the context of your life, there is literally no point in this person other than to satisfy you.

If they’re not good at that, find a someone new.

4. Choose one with a six-pack. I refuse to explain this one. If you don’t get it, stop reading now because I’m not sure we can ever see eye to eye.

Good luck with the hunt, dear readers, and remember: doing and losing is much more fun than loving and losing, so don’t be afraid to try on many a ‘one’ before you find the real thing.

22nd January 2015

ONE TO WATCH

PHOTO/Caucasian Chalk Circle

DOMINIC APPLEWHITE Dom was one to watch long before his arrival in Oxford. He started acting at a young age, and in 2008 he bagged a role in popular E4 sitcom The Inbetweeners. He appeared in six episodes of the show as Simon’s mischeivous younger brother.

He later went on to receive minor roles in box office hits, The King’s Speech, in which he played one of Lionel Logue’s children, and Les Miserables.

Since coming to Oxford, Dom has starred in several of the most prominent productions of the last year.

The second-year musician from New College burst onto the drama scene immediately with an original entry in Drama Cuppers 2013 (for which he was nominated for Best Actor) and a role in Pericles in his very first term at Oxford.

He has since gone on to perform in Caucasian Chalk Circle, Orlando, and played one of the four leading roles in smash hit, The Pillowman, in which his performance was describesdas ‘superb’ by The Oxford Student.

As if all that wasn’t enough, Dom also directs some of the most popular productions in Oxford. How does he have the time, you ask?

We’re not sure! We’re also very impressed, and very jealous.

His innovative production of Lord of the Flies received five star reviews, and the whole of Oxford is currently buzzing with talk of his upcoming production of West Side Story, which will hit the Oxford Playhouse in third week. He even directed a short film over the summer called ‘Twenty’.

Dom is also, incidentally, one of the friendliest people you will ever meet. So basically, we can all expect great things from him for many years to come.

We simply can’t wait for him to become Hollywood-famous so that we can be credited with having spotted him first.

OxStuff 17

22nd January 2015

Quiz: Oxford Odd One Out PHOTO/Rosie Shennan

Which of these famous former Union presidents did not have to run more than once to gain their presidency? a) b) c)

Which of these fictional colleges does not appear in the Inspector Morse series? a) b) c)

I

used to look at cyclists with a certain degree of nostalgia.

They were relics of a past age, drenched in the nostalgia of penny farthings, Victorian moustaches, and top hats. Ever since the automobile came chugging along, putting us on the road to species-wide suicide, cycles seemed doomed to go the way of the horse. (Unlike the horse, they lack the advantage of being edible/ convertible to glue). As someone bereft of the motor skills to cross the road on two feet, the idea of adding to the difficulty by putting myself on two wheels never had much appeal either. Still, if you were going to make a life choice, being a cyclist didn’t seem a particularly bad one.

That was before I came to Oxford and promptly realized just how wrong I was. Because rather than the majestic riders of yesteryear which I’d imagined, cyclists were, are, and always will be little more than the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

I trust pedestrians more than cyclists, because pedestrians don’t move at speeds which mean a collision might remove my head. I also trust car drivers more than cyclists.

It’s not because I think they’re good people – some of them own BMWs, for crying out loud – but because they were sensible enough to protect themselves from the wind, rain, and other people with metal boxes. Compare that to someone who chooses to embrace the weather and potential hazards like bollards, children, and firejugglers whilst moving at lethal velocity – I know which one I think is sane. Cars also have a tendency to make more noise when they’re on the verge of turning you into highway jam. Cyclists have an almost malicious tendency to speed silently, only alerting you to immi-

nent crushing at the last moment.

They come in different breeds too, each with their own nauseating characteristics. You can tell the posers from half a mile away, with their perfectly coifed hair flowing in the wind, and their eyes glazed over as they enjoy the city of Dreaming Spires. The screams of pedestrians as toes become pulp don’t even faze them as they stare dreamily into the distance. You know that in two weeks they’ll end up in the river after attempting to take a selfie over Magdalen Bridge,

do the Tour de France. The fact that their lungs are little more than Swiss Cheese seems lost on them.

“It’s the thought that counts!” they chorus, shoving their quads in your face in the machismo-driven counterpart to a peacock’s mating display. Yeah, the thought – that, and the student loan they’ve blown on a bike you could cross the Alps with, in order to get to Iffley Road.

You can’t always tell a cyclist apart from normal humans, and that’s what makes them so dangerous. They can pose as acquaintances, tute partners, friends, even as they spend their days flattening Freshers beneath their treads, racing through red lights, and causing multi-car pileups without remorse. Over the last year, I’ve tried to come up with a list to help you, fellow pedestrians, to detect these monsters.

Do they have the tell-tale smell of grease? Does the mention of the world ‘cars’ bring them into the apoplectic rage? Are they always early to lectures yet never seem to break a sweat? These are the signs of a cyclist, friends, and no matter how close they are to you, it’s time to make a choice – cut them off, or call for an exorcist. Helping them escape the grasps of the cycling demon may be hard, but at least you can say you tried.

Oxford is in the middle of a cyclist crisis – numbers are endemic, and growing day by day. I propose a three strike solution. Cyclists who stray from allotted routes – preferably deserted areas like old industrial estates or abandoned military test facilities – are given three chances to stay away from civilised society, before we send them off to the Australian Outback.

Oh, and whilst we’re at it, why not send some of those tourists over too?

All neon clothes and attitude, they stare down from their lofty perch of selfrighteousness, ‘Olympic spirit’ and chafing but you’re all right with that: they probably deserve it. At least it’ll keep them off the road for a while.

Then you have the ‘serious’ cyclists, stern-facedly puffing and panting with a rucksack the size of a small house strapped to their backs. They ride down Cornmarket Street at 70 miles an hour, dinging their ridiculous bells, and then have the nerve to complain about having pedestrians in the way, or that guy who tried to knock them off their bike with a broomstick.

Extra evil points go to those bearing children on the front of their murder-machines, presumably as some kind of padding. That, or they’re brain-washing them into the “Two wheels good, four wheels bad” cult of insanity.

The worst, though, are the pseudo-Wiggins. All neon clothes and attitude, they stare down at pedestrians and drivers alike from their lofty perch of self-righteousness, ‘Olympic spirit’, and chafing. Even though their lycra and expensive cycle are the equivalent of the midlife crisis cocktail of Rogaine and Porsche, they still feel like they can

Benazir Bhutto Michael Gove Boris Johnson

Lady Matilda’s College Wolsey College Jordan College

Which leading lady was an undergraduate at Cambridge rather than Oxford? a) b) c)

Kate Beckinsale Thandie Newton Rosamund Pike

Which women’s college was the last to to go mixed? a) b) c)

Somerville College St Hilda’s College Lady Margaret Hall

Which Oxford pub shares its name with a classic Taylor Swift single? a) b) c)

The Crown The White Horse The Half Moon

Which university, according to General Melchett in Blackadder Goes Forth, is “a complete dump”? a) Oxford b) Cambridge c) Hull Which college was never used as a filming location in the Harry Potter franchise? a) b) c)

New College Christ Church University College

Last week’s solutions

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To find out more go to www.ousu.org

  The IT Innovation FUND

22nd January 2014

FEATURES

Features 19

PHOTO/ PHILLIP BABCOCK

Andrew Barnes gets down to business

A

ndrew Barnes (left, with business partner Chris Eigeland) is a man on the move. A Rhodes Scholar and Oxford University student (MSc Education – Learning & Technology), he is impeccably polite, and possessed of an energy which calls the phrase ‘human dynamo’ to mind. A serial entrepreneur who started his career as a teenager, Barnes is the CEO and co-founder of GO1, an online learning management software platform called Aduro.

With a long list of international clients, a host of awards, and several startup ventures already under his belt, the fastidiously dressed Barnes was invited to speak at the Oxford Launchpad last term.

Barnes greeted guests with his infectious smile and Aussie hospitality. Wielding his remote control and walking back and forth across the front of the room in his smart yet relaxed attire, Barnes shared inside stories about his journey as an entrepreneur, including lessons he had

learned, struggles he had faced, and successes he had experienced. “Ideas are the easy part,” Barnes explained to his eager listeners. Launching a viable product or service, he continued, requires tenacity, adaptability, and dedication. Startups by their very nature are risky, and they often pose significant sacrifice and financial uncertainty. Nevertheless, he said with conviction, being in business pays many dividends, particularly for those who want to move beyond the confines of more dependable career paths.

He stressed the fact that business leaders must exude confidence, even if they are not completely sure on every detail. Faking it, he assured his audience, is sometimes part of the job description. He also pointed oput that growing and expanding businesses requires scalability. Having a product rather than a service makes it easier to maximize revenues while reducing costs. Ultimately, he advised, it is simpler and smarter to

duplicate products rather than hiring more people. Businesses need to possess a proven value proposition and to address real market needs. Since success breeds success, it is important to build on previous achievements and to acquire a reputation for excellence. As a businessperson, people constantly judge you, he confessed, and it is imperative that you give them your best.

Today you need to be a superstar to really make your mark.

Furthermore, we are living in an age where clients and customers want the very best and are able to acquire it anywhere in the world. Just being good isn’t good enough anymore, since entrepreneurs are now competing in a global, winner-take-all marketplace. Today you need to be

a superstar to really make your mark.

Businesses also require creativity and flexibility, so they can adapt to new circumstances and changing conditions. Coca-Cola, Barnes noted, was originally a medicinal drink while eBay was first envisioned as a distribution site for Pez candies. These businesses would have shut down years ago had they not adapted their marketing plans.

Some of Andrew Barnes’ personal stories and anecdotes also shed valuable light onto the life of an entrepreneur. In the early stages, he said, the startup founder does everything: from scrubbing the toilet and taking out the garbage to answering every phone call and paying all the bills.

However, as the company grows, the founder’s role changes from direct hands-on involvement to a managerial position. Founders who cannot make the switch will discover that they create a bottleneck in the system that in turn inhibits and discourages growth. The answer, Barnes said, is to

PHILLIP BABCOCK St Stephen's House hire outstanding people who complement the skill sets already possessed by the business leadership.

Modest and self-deprecating, Barnes admitted that he had made mistakes along the way. In hindsight, Barnes realized that had he been more knowledgeable about the red tape, he would have avoided many of his early mistakes. “Always get things in writing,” “don’t make the same mistake twice,” and “don’t let your lack of knowledge stop you but learn quickly,” he counseled.

Wrapping up the evening, Barnes saved one of his best morsels for last: “Done is better than perfect.” Do not let perfection paralyze progress, Barnes exhorted his listeners, because nothing is truly flawless and everything can be improved. Like a polished professional, Barnes ended the evening just as he had started it – in perfect synchronicity with the clock. He’s been in business long enough to know the importance of time management.

20 Features

22nd January 2015

Trans matters at Oxford

CRASH WIGL;EY New College

C

oming out as transgender can be very difficult for anyone.

In coming out, trans people sometimes risk losing their friends, ending relationships and severing ties with their families. They may experience violence or disownment.

It is a brave thing to do. But trans students at Oxford face an additional hurdle when coming out: the reactions of their colleges.

The University has done a significant amount of work to meet the needs of trans students, which has culminated in the University Transgender Policy.

However, most colleges have done little in considering how to react to a student who tells them that they’re going to transition. Coming out as trans tends to require a lot of admin if you want to change your name, title and gender records, or to be known by a different name or pronouns, you’re going to have to speak to your college officially at some point.

In the absence of preparation, colleges tend to react in an ad hoc fashion, so individual experiences vary wildly. Some colleges have reacted very supportively, listening carefully to what students need, and getting training for staff who needed it. These colleges often made all the difference to the wellbeing of potentially very vulnerable students.

Last year, I decided to change my name to Crash. I told my friends, and I was happy to be no longer burdened by my old name, having hated it for a long time. I then needed to inform my college and tutors, and make sure that from then on I would only be referred to by my new name and pronouns (‘they’). I knew how to make some changes myself, like my Nexus address (and I later compiled an online resource for the LGBTQ Society about this), but I had no idea who to approach at college. I was advised by the University’s Equality and Diversity Unit to speak to my Senior Tutor, whom I very nervously emailed.

The reply I got was disheartening.

I was told that there was little they could do without an official deed poll - something I couldn’t get at the time due to family considerations.

(The story of being told ‘nothing can

PHOTO/Bi Magazine Staff

happen without a deed poll’ is one I’ve heard a number of times, but a legal change of name is only required for the updating of the official name on your student record.) I also asked if he could pass a message on to my tutors explaining that I’d changed my name and wanted to be referred to by different pronouns. He told me this was something I’d have to negotiate personally, and was not for him to pronounce upon.

Luckily when I did contact my tutors they were all supportive - my senior tutor passed my details on to the academic administrator, who was very kind and sorted everything out. A few months later, a problem arose when

one of my old tutors was organising tutes for me and told my new tutors what my old name was. That was very upsetting, but I spoke to him and he was very apologetic.

The difficulties I faced weren’t caused by individuals being malicious. But when caught off-guard and unsure of what they’re meant to be doing, people make mistakes and can seem unsympathetic. The issue is that at many colleges, trans students genuinely have no idea what kind of reaction they’ll get - so I know many people who live a double life, out to their friends and closeted to their colleges. Or they never come out at all, and fear of how colleges will react

is part of that. That has a serious effect on people.

Over the last year the OUSU LGBTQ Campaign has been working on a plan to get colleges to improve this situation. After a consultation with a few colleges over the summer, we distributed a briefing to all Senior Tutors in Michaelmas. We made four recommendations: to affirm the University Transgender Policy, to identify the changes a college might need to make if a student wants to come out, to suggest points of contact for individuals to approach for support, and to communicate this information to students on their website.

These recommendations would make

Distant Voice: pearls of Hong Kong O

ne cannot be quite certain which aspect of Hong Kong hit the news hardest recently– the “Umbrella Revolution” prodemocracy protests or the hosting of the premiere of Michael Bay’s Transformers 4. Though consisting of only 7 million inhabitants in an area of 1,104 square kilometres, this city is not to be underestimated. Hong Kong is to China what New York is to the USA or London to the UK. It is best for its east-meets-west culture. A full English breakfast is as easy to get as a bowl of savoury egg congee with fried bread stick. One has to look no further than the streets to witness the influence of British

rule as they exerted their authority by putting their names on road signs.

We have a Queen’s Road, King’s Road, Princess Margaret Road, Prince Edward Road…

But Hong Kong has more to offer than gimmicky tourist attractions. An economic way of seeing the central district is to take the old doubledecker public tram from the Kennedy Town to the Shau Kei Wan, which costs only 20p a ride. The tram is a distinct part of Hong Kong’s culture and has remained despite its lack of speed as opposed to the mass-transit railway. It allows you a clear view of the streets, from the traditional bamboo scaffolding used in building

construction, to its prominent neon signs that dangle over the streets.

If you want to go beyond the standard trip and actually immerse yourself in the culture, walk through one of its many parks. The most popular is Victoria Park, in which the many football fields hold large-scale events such as the New Year Flower Markets, the lantern displays for Mid-Autumn Festival, and the annual candlelight vigil for the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

During mornings you will find elderlies practicing Tai Chi and fan dance. They are very welcoming to enthusiastic passers-by wanting to join in their routines and impart their

wisdom.

Hong Kong is heaven for all foodies.

CNN reported in 2012 that there is one restaurant for every 600 people.

It is now common to say that the “camera always eats first”, so get your phones out and start making some food porn. Unmissable street food include egg tarts and pineapple buns. The chain restaurant Tsui Wah is open 24 hours and delivers even under the infamous Typhoon Signal No.8. Their crispy buns served with sweet condensed milk are sublime, especially when paired with local milk tea – tea made from black tea and evaporated milk whose smoothness can soothe your palate. Head into

a huge difference in encouraging trans students to ‘take the leap of faith’, and ensuring adequate support from colleges. Unfortunately, only one college has followed all of them (hooray for Merton!). So this term, the LGBTQ Campaign, with our new LGBTQ Officer Jenny Walker, is going to work closely with JCRs and MCRs to make sure that colleges take note of what we’ve said and make necessary changes.

Trans students make themselves hugely vulnerable by telling people at their colleges that they’re trans.

Colleges need to put systems in place to ensure they get the support they deserve.

LATIFAH SAT

St Catz College the former fishing villages to sample some freshly-made creamy shrimp pâte. For any locals, this brings back a yearning sense of nostalgia before it became an urban jungle. During winter, forget about pumpkin spice lattes or hot chocolates and try a hot malt-flavoured Vitasoy instead. This drink is the butterbeer of our boring muggle world. They can be purchased in glass bottles in most stores.

As a Hong Kong dweller for almost two decades, I never find myself lacking in entertainment. Situated close to major destinations in East and Southeast Asia, Hong Kong is definitely worth a visit on your next oriental ventures.

Features 21

22nd January 2015

Top four Tinder dating spots T

Oxford etiquette

ROSIE SHENNAN

St Peter’s College and is perfect for grabbing a quick drink with your favourite match. The lack of alcohol available means this one is not for the faint-hearted, but it has a phenomenal location and a lovely ambience. One for a more laidback date.

3. G&D’s Ice cream can make for the perfect date, and G&D’s is a much-loved provider of the same; the St. Aldate’s branch is a particularly good spot.

Furthermore, the place clearly employs some sort of mad genius wizard, given that they have found a way to combine ice cream and hot chocolate into one drink, so who knows, maybe some of that magic will rub off on your match. Plus, you can easily escape, ice cream in hand, if things get awkward or the chemistry is lacking.

4. The Bear Often called “the cutest pub in Oxford”, The Bear seems to be actively trying to avoid potential customers, hidden as it is down two back-alleys and behind a large wall. But The Bear is a lovely, relaxed and intimate setting for a date. Plus, like all Oxford pubs, it once played an essential part in an episode of Inspector Morse, so that’s a potential conversation-starter right there.

Oxford – busy, compact amd teeming with interesting people – is perfect for Tinder dating, so fire up your phone and get swiping! Dismiss your inhibitions, hop aboard the ‘try new things’ bus, and give the newest version of dating a go!

siasm. Every element was a warm shade of beige, with the somewhat overpowering mustard sauce rendering the dish regrettably one-note.

Unfortunately the gnocchi in wild mushroom sauce wasn’t much better.

Instead of a heady, woody sauce, the fluffy potato dumplings were drizzled with a watery grey concoction.

This did not tarnish my view of the Brasserie however, as dessert was the stuff of dreams – a sticky toffee pudding which made almost every other dish ever to bear the name weep bit-

terly into its custard. It was gooey and sweet, served piping hot with vanilla-flecked ice cream to balance the delicious richness of the toffee sauce that the pudding was bathed in.

Yes, the main was a little disappointing, but at under £15 a head it seems somewhat churlish to complain. If you’re after some tasty French cooking (perhaps the parents are visiting) bypass the big names and take a stroll up Walton Street. Brasserie Blanc will not let you down.

PHOTO/ Brasserie Blanc

he most recent and marmiteish of popular apps, Tinder has transformed our dating lives. Love it or hate it, you’re either on it for the ‘lols’ or secretly marvelling at those who are. It’s been dubbed the “shallow” dating app of the 21st Century, but the flood of heartwarming stories of Tinder-based romance make the benefits of giving it a go undeniable. If you do plan to step into this brave new world of internet-assisted dating, it’s generally a good idea to take your date somewhere that’s nice and busy, but also intimate and tasteful. Fortunately, Oxford has no shortage of those, and the following all come with a hearty recommendation: 1. The Four Candles Wetherspoons is a classic. The alcohol is reliably cheap, there are always people around, and snobbery about the general quality of the pubs can be a good ice-breaker; “It’s a bit rubbish here, but that’s student life for you, isn’t it?”…You get the idea. The Four Candles provides ample opportunity for people-watching, which can be the perfect antidote for those awkward pauses. Spoons rarely disappoints, since expectations are never very high to begin with.

2. Waterstone’s Café ‘Café W.’ is worth it just for the potential conversations it sets up; “So, what are you reading right now?

What authors are you into?” etc, etc.

Centrally set, it looks out over the Sainsbury’s/Tesco flurry on St. Giles,

CHARLOTTE SAMUELSON

Jesus College

F

ar from the pretentious town centre eateries, Jericho’s Brasserie Blanc is certainly not to be overlooked. It does exactly what it says on the tin – the food is uncomplicated, but immensely satisfying, and the staff are prompt and polite, almost to a fault. It is clear that this small but swiftly growing chain, established by superstar chef Raymond Blanc, has got the formula spot on.

We opted for the three-course set menu, which at lunchtime costs a reasonable £14.45. The blue cheese

beignet starter was sublime. The mature cheese melted perfectly in your mouth, bursting out of the thin batter casing onto the pear, walnut and, surprisingly, candied apricot salad beneath it. It was warming and just light enough to leave me ravenously anticipating my main course –haddock and poached egg.

Sadly, I was presented with a pretty lacklustre dish. Sure, the fish was cooked beautifully and easily fell apart into flaky chunks on my plate, but that was the extent of my enthu-

M

any an Oxford student has made a fool of themselves in a nightclub. This is as it should be. Indeed, one can’t help feeling that the nightclub experience would be immeasurably improved if fewer people insisted on maintaining a certain level of dignity, and simply basked in the beautiful hedonism and debauchery that is a proper evening at the nightclub. The poor lost souls who hover at the edges of the dance floor, refusing to actually engage in any physical activity, lest their precious self-regard be tarnished, resemble no-one so much as Mr Darcy, and at least he was played by Colin Firth.

No, to truly enjoy an evening at a nightclub, one must cast aside one’s dignity as one might a restrictive garment; clubbing is far too important to be taken seriously.

However, the abandonment of one’s dignity does not equal the abandonment of one’s manners. The release of inhibitions which constitutes correct clubbing procedure does not exempt you from the normal standards of politeness; one should always treat one’s fellow revellers, as well as the club staff, with respect, not least because negatively impacting the enjoyment of others is the opposite of what we might call the clubbing ethos.

Nor are you exempt from that essential British institution, queuing.

In Freshers’ week I witnessed the rather unfortunate spectacle of a bouncer very patiently explaining to one young man that his Entz-rep purchased ticket did not give him the right to automatically jump the queue of approximately 1,000 people that had formed outside that most reputable of establishments, Wahoo.

This young man apparently had yet to realise that there is little overlap between the type of club where one’s status as an Oxonian grants one special queue-jumping privileges and the type of club where one can dance energetically to the music of Jason Derulo.

One must be courteous when dancing; try and leave everyone else room to flail about as ineptly as you. Respect personal space as much as possible. Beyond that, embrace the beat.

Surrender to the rhythm. Put your hands in the air.

22 Sport

Blues women’s football team make winning start to New Year The women’s Blues managed to overcome a typically aggressive Worcester 1sts side to record a 2-0 win that will no doubt fill the team with confidence. The Blues showed no signs of faltering in their first match back after a six-week long break from football, managing to hold off the strong Worcester side with some clever passing and intricate forward play. Kat Nutman and Mary Hintze were named joint Player of the Match.

Success across the board for Oxford Tennis squads The Men’s Blues started the term with a tough fixture at home against Imperial 1sts. Some close matches ensued, resulting in a 3-3 draw.

Next wee they face LSE, where OULTC old boy Dave Malcolm will be gunning for a big win.

The Men’s 2nds put in a fantastic performance in beating title contenders Birmingham 1sts 4-2 yesterday. Performance of the day must go to Lukas Feddern, who annihilated the previously undefeated Birmingham number 1.

After being robbed of their epic victory in the cup from last term, the Men’s 3rds were forced to replay their match against Warwick 2nds. The Women’s 3rds had their longawaited first match against Coventry 2nds yesterday at Iffley. A fine performance from the team resulted in a 3-3 draw, almost clinching the victory.

Blues football grab convincing win against Kent in cup Goals from Will Smith, Peder BeckFriis and James Tunningley saw the Men’s Blues take a 3 - 0 victory over a strong University of Kent. The win ensures the Blues go one step further into the cup competition.

The OxStu sports team wants you!

Want to see your club feature on our new University sports side-bar? We would love to hear from you. Please send in your brief team reports and news updates to oxstu.sport@gmail. com or get in touch with one of our esteemed editors David and Alex at david.barker@some.ox.ac.uk and alexandra.vryzakis@st-hildas.ox.ac.uk

29th January 2015

Are sleeping giants Valencia waking up?

• Valencia hope to return to the Champions League after a debt ridden decade in the wilderness For the weaker and poorer clubs, La Liga can be a dark place. The famous duo, Real Madrid and Barcelona rule Spanish football with an iron fist. Taking 85% of TV money allocated to the league and routinely poaching the best players from every other club in Spain, together they have divided up every league title since 2004, with the single exception of last year’s title, won by an Atletico side led by the Joker-esque evil genius of Diego Simione and his band of anti-footballers.

However, this season perhaps promises the start of something different. Yes, the usual suspects look set to contest the title between them, but there will be no repeat of the 2011-12 season that saw Barcelona finish 2nd, 30 points ahead

promising however are Valencia. With a new billionaire owner, an exciting young manager and a talented and improving squad, could ‘Los Murcielagos’ (‘the bats’) be the ones to topple the robber barons of Real and Barca? Could they be the heroes La Liga needs and deserves?

Valencia, one of Europe’s classic clubs and the 3rd best supported in Spain, have had a turbulent recent history. After getting to 2 successive Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001 and winning La Liga in 2002 and 2004 under club legend Rafa Bentiez, there has been precious little to cheer about in recent years. Barely staving off relegation under Ronald Koeman in 2008 the club have been battling with almost crippling debts of over €400 million and have, in recent years, had to sell a procession of stars, from David Silva to Juan Mata, just to stay afloat. Along with this was the absurd suing of the club

of Valencia in 3rd. Sevilla, Valencia and surprise packages Villarreal are, with half the season gone, still within touching distance of the leading pack and, more than merely promising an exciting battle for the final Champions League place, look set to continue to have a stake in the title race for months to come. Villarreal and Sevilla, as is too often the case with upstarts in this league, look set to have their teams dismantled, with Villarreal centre back Gabriel having already joined Arsenal and vultures the size of Liverpool circling around Sevilla’s lethal Colombian forward Carlos Bacca. Much more

by DC comics last year for the use of a bat symbol on their proposed new logo too similar to that of Batman. Valencia, perhaps fearing the wrath of the caped crusader, quickly redesigned it.

However the acquisition of the club

by Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim has seen a complete turnaround in fortunes. Clearing the club’s debt, the new owner has sanctioned a spending spree with ambitious signings with centre back paring Argentine international Nicolas Otamendi and Germany star Shkrodan Mustafi coming in along with Manchester City’s Alvaro Negredo and January

RUPERT TOTTMAN DEPUTY EDITOR

The acquisition of the club by billionaire Lim has seen a complete turnaround in fortunes

PHOTO/ VICTOR NAVARRO

signing of the prodigiously talented playmaker Enzo Perez for the princely sum of €25 million. While the poaching of defender Jeremy Matthieu and wonderkid left-back Bernat, by Barcelona and Bayern Munich, respectively is a stark reminder of just how far Valencia still have to go to regain their place at European football’s top table, Valencia’s spending this season has already topped €85 million, a splurge comparable to that made by Chelsea and Manchester City during their first seasons under billionaire ownership. Peter Lim, Valencia’s very own Bruce Wayne, has certainly put his money where his mouth is.

One area where Valencia eschewed their new found wealth over the summer was, however, with the manager.

Complete unknown Nuno Espirito Santo was plucked from Portuguese also-rans Rio Ave amid howls of derision from the Valencia faithful. If the appointment was a gamble, it has come off spectacularly.

The young Portuguese has moulded his numerous new signings and inherited players such as talented young striker Paco Alacer, a Michael Owen-esque diminutive poacher and goalkeeper Diego Alves, the world expert on penalty saving having incredibly saved over 50% he has faced during his career, into an offensively flexible and defensively organised outfit, This new found menace was best seen in his side’s entirely deserved 2-1 victory over Real Madrid earlier this month, ending their run of 22 consecutive victories.

With his charming, gentlemanly manner, any comparisons with his compatriot Jose Mourinho are wide of the mark. Instead he has been christened by sections of the Valencia media as the heir to Rafa Benitez, a moniker that fits in more ways than one.

Valencia will keep spending, keep improving, and as the grip of Real and Barcelona loosens, reassert their rightful place among Spanish football’s aristocracy.

What does the future hold for test cricket?

• Declining crowds and press interest in the five-day format leave purists worried for its survival PRANNAY KAUL STAFF WRITER

With the meteoric rise of T20 and the wave of franchise competition sweeping through the cricketing world, is the time of test cricket and the purist almost up?

Watching test cricket today, the aggression seen by the likes of David Warner and Brendan McCullum as well as the unorthodoxy of Steve Smith and AB de Villiers, must make the cricketing purists of yesteryear turn in their graves.

The limited overs game and especially T20 cricket has come a long way since Sunil Gavaskar batted a full ODI innings for 36 runs at a strike rate of 20.68 at the first cricket world cup in 1975. If such an innings were to recur at this years world cup the innings would be declared a farce.

The carrom ball, dil-scoop, knuckle ball, ramp shot, palm ball and the switch-hit would be total unknowns in cricketing terms at the turn of the millennium, but the innovation and improvisation required by the condensed game has forever changed the way cricket will be played. When Kevin Pietersen showed the world

PHOTO/SRINIG

the switch hit back in 2008, there was a real debate about whether or not the shot is legal, a question rarely asked before in its previous 400 years.

This revolution of cricket will forever be the hallmark of the T20 game.

Test cricket is now rarely sold out over all five days unless played in an Ashes series, and the story for test cricket in the sub-continent is

dire to say the least. The first day of any test cricket in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the UAE is never sold out.

The simple problem is with all the monetary power of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the Indian market is set to dictate which forms of cricket prosper and which decline. Unfortunately the Indian

market is firmly set on T20 cricket, the root cause being economic more than anything else. The average person in India simply cannot afford to take a whole day off to watch test match day let alone the full five days.

The story is similar in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The damage T20 has done to the world’s appetite for test cricket may mean the revival of the longest and oldest format to its former glory during the 20th century may prove an impossible task.

Five match test series are an infrequent occurrence aside from Ashes Series and much how international T20 started as a one-off at the beginning or end of a tour, if a one-off test match becomes a reality is yet to be seen, but it is likely.

In my book, a enthralling test match session is more entertaining than any limited overs game, but the impetus is on the ICC, India England and Australia to keep test cricket above water and to help it capture the imagination of the youth around the world much as it did to my father in the 70s and 80s.

Anyone who thinks test cricket is set to continue for the next 200 years is living in a dream world.

Sport 23

22nd January 2015

Natalie Haythornthwaite Vice Captain of Yorkshire Jets will be hoping her side can reach the playoffs this season after a dissapointing campaign in 2014

PHOTO/YORKSHIRE JETS

Netball Superleague: a sport shooting for the stars • Sky to broadcast sixteen live matches beginning with Manchester Thunder vs Surrey Storm on 26th January DAVID BARKER SPORTS EDITOR

There is no disputing the popularity of netball in the UK. Over one million of us currently play the sport on at least a weekly basis and it is safe to say that most of the female population have at some point in their school careers donned their trainers and had a go. Why then, with such a high uptake, is netball so under-exposed, respected and funded? For someone such as my naive, younger self, who had never had the chance to watch or appreciate what the sport was really about, it was very easy to dismiss as an unimportant and marginal undertaking.

It didn’t take long to realise after sitting down to watch a televised broadcast of a match that my understanding of the sport was so overwhelmingly misguided. Despite continually struggling to come to terms with some of the more technical rules (more confusing than the offside rule will ever be to non-football fans), I have found myself absorbed into a captivating, expressive and complete sport.

Atop the sport sits the Netball Superleague. Also known as the NSL, the competition, showcasing some of the greatest netballing talent from across the world, features eight teams from all corners the UK. Each team plays 14 home and away games with the top four in the league format progressing to a playoff stage to finally decide who will take the season’s title. With regular broadcasts on Sky Sports, sell-out crowds in the thousands and a growing presence in the media, the NSL is in many ways similar to its older and significantly more decadent cousin, football’s Premier League.

Due to a lack of extensive funding, most of the home-grown talent is forced into balancing their netballing dreams with more practical commitments.

Players are committed to a professional schedule of media work, gruelling weekly training and a packed schedule of matches for a Superleague team, a

secondary club and oftentimes University or National team, whilst simultaneously undertaking undergraduate and graduate degrees or working full time jobs. This helps to provide countless relatable storylines from both on and off the court. This season’s Superleague promises to be the most intriguing and thrilling offering yet, with a number of scores to settle after a remarkably tight conclusion to 2014’s edition.

Surrey Storm, favourites for last season’s title after going unbeaten in the league phase, were no doubt thoroughly disappointed to lose by a single point in the final to Mancunian franchise Manchester Thunder. Player/captain Tamsin Greenway’s outfit has strengthened its squad to entrench its position amongst the frontrunners once more. Constructed around a reliable and experienced

capable of being deployed in both attack and in the mid court and will add international quality to the team. If pre-season form is anything to go by, Thunder are showing no signs of slowing having convincingly beaten Yorkshire Jets in a friendly as well as coming out on top at the Mike Greenwood tournament. A repeat final would be no surprise.

Coach Sam Bird’s Herfordshire Mavericks remain largely unchanged, but have brought in a few new faces to try and improve on last season’s third place finish. Louisa Watson, a Mavericks veteran, two-times NSL champion and Commonwealth bronze medallist has been brought back in to bring experience in attack alongside the New Zealand International Miriama SelbyRickit. With an exciting prospect in the form of Sophie Carter, making the

I have found myself absorbed into a captivating, expressive and complete sport core of England internationals Greenway, Dunn and Cookey, Storm have looked to strengthen across the court, poaching the trio of Austin, Huckle and former New Zealand youth international Borck from long-term rivals Hertfordshire Mavericks. Greenway will be satisfied with no less than another unbeaten run and a first title for the Surrey based franchise, however, the other front-runners have made important tweaks to ensure that the title race will remain open right down to the wire.

Last season’s champions and two time title winners Manchester Thunder will no doubt be gunning for a repeat of 2014’s spellbinding final in the Worcester Arena. Tracey Neville, (incidentally from the same illustrious sporting family as brothers Gary and Phil) has chosen to name a largely unchanged team, unsurprising considering the quality it displayed last season. Thunder’s only change comes in the form of Australian star Chelsea Pitman, a versatile player

transition from the youth squad,new additions including England superstar sisters Sasha and Kadeen Corbin and Oxford medical student and 2014 player of the season Layla Guscoth in defence, Mavericks certainly have the personnel to make things very difficult for their rivals. It will be interesting to see what youthful players such as attacker Sophie Hankin can bring to the table, having shown flashes of brilliant at points last season.

Yorkshire Jets will be amongst those teams looking to make a vast improvement on last year’s team performance.

Coach Anna Carter’s side finished a miserable seventh last season scoring just three wins. However, with the changes they have made, they should rightfully have ambitions for the playoffs. In Grenadian Lottysha Cato, a proven shooter for Celtic Dragons last season, the Jets have arguably the most powerful presence in the final third. In addition, Sally Butters, imported from

Australia, has demonstrated exceptional form in training and is sure to be an exciting prospect throughout the season.

Captained by Jets veteran Lauren Potter, the Leeds based outfit have named a very youthful squad featuring proven seventeen year old attacker Brie Grierson, one of the most exciting talents in the competition. It remains to be seen what young additions Megan Clark, Bea Skingsley and Lydia Walker can bring to the table, having impressed in their youth careers, they will no doubt be fighting for as much court time as possible to warrant first team selection.

The most exciting prospect for this year’s competition comes in the form of last year’s bottom placed side Loughborough Lightening. Having failed to score a single point in a dismal season last time around, the team have pushed to make significant changes across the board. Ex-Mavericks coach Karen Atkinson has been brought in and will set her targets very high following a successful season last year. Lightning have brought in some international superstars, with South Africa captain Maryka Holtzhausen, possible the biggest surprise signing of all is joined by compatriot Phuzma Maweni in defence as well as Ugandan shooter Peace Proscovia who will bring some much needed height into the side. However, as well as making some huge additions, Atkinson has reiterated her belief in some of the squad’s players from last season. Some strong performances in the pre-season period make Loughborough a surprise bet for the playoffs It is always difficult to take five time title winners Team Bath out of the picture. Having won the most titles of any team in the Netball Superleague, Bath has the pedigree and experience to go all the way. A fourth placed finish last season will have been a disappointment for 2013 champions, and in response the team has signed its first overseas player in its history. Celtic Dragons, the competition’s Welsh representa-

tive and mid table regular, may struggle after the loss of key attacker Lottysha Cato who has moved to Yorkshire Jets.

Similarly Team Northumbria, having finished sixth last season will hope to improve although with the high profile changes made by the front runners it seems unlikely that they will be able to reach the playoffs.

This season’s opener between last years finalists, Manchester Thunder and Surrey Storm promises to be an exciting advertisement for the exciting and engaging sport of netball and the upcoming NSL season looks to be just as thrilling as the last.

Surrey Storm vs. Manchester Thunder is live on Sky Sports on Monday 26th January at 19.45.

PHOTO/SCRUMPIX

Layla Guscoth Oxford medical student and defender for Hertfordshire Mavericks was named player of the season in 2014

FOOTBALL

Van Gaal: More mastermind than Moyes

Page 22

SPORT

NETBALL

2015 Netball Super League preview

Page 23

PHOTO/MARCELO CASAL

Ginola joins Sepp Blatter in FIFA election farce

• Election to be fought between Champagne, Al-Hussein, Blatter and bookie backed joke candidate Ginola • Commentators expect to see Sepp Blatter re-elected despite a remarkably poor PR record as FIFA President ALEX VRYZAKIS SPORTS EDITOR

Though campaigning has only just begun in earnest, the upcoming Fifa elections look to be another farcical episode in the less than illustrious history of this tainted institution. Amazingly, there are four candidates in the running this time round, but should football fans should not be rejoicing just yet.

First up is Sepp Blatter. Though his announcement to stand for a third term came shortly after revelations about corrupt practices surrounding the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, Blatter’s response was the habitual spiel about allowing the internal investigations to run their course. This typical reply was indicative of the events that have caused such disbelief and anger in the footballing world. Under Blatter, Fifa is an organisation that is viewed in the same manner as hedge funds and banker bonuses. It is an institution crying out for transparency and change.

There is also the issue of Blatter’s PR

nightmares. Over the years he has managed to accrue gaffe after gaffe, and he shows no signs of stopping. In 2004, he urged women footballers to wear skimpier outfits so as to increase the popularity of the women’s game, in an unbelievable show of sexism. In 2011, Blatter announced that football does not have a problem with racism on the field, and that any such incidents should be swiftly resolved with a handshake, causing many to openly condemn and criticise the Swiss official. Blatter has been called to resign many times, leading only to the tightening of his grip on football’s international governing body.

Sadly, the second candidate appears to be just as unpromising. Jérôme Champagne, a French diplomat turned international football consultant, worked as an executive for over ten years at Fifa.

While considered to be a reformist in footballing terms, it is doubtful that he will be able to provide the overhaul needed to create a fairer and more transparent Fifa. How can someone who has worked for so long under Blatter defy

the incubent president and change the way the institution is run? It is hard to see past his previous associations with the Blatter presidency, and as such he will simply serve to split the opposition vote, if that.

The third candidate, Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, is similarly associated with Fifa. He has been the Vice President of Fifa for Asia since

Ginola has been given £250k of financial backing by a big name bookie January 2011, and while he could be lumped in with Champagne as a Blatter crony, there have been many examples of fairer decision-making on his part.

In 2014, Prince Ali successfully championed the lifting of Fifa's ban on the hijab in women's football, and he was also one of the Fifa officials to call for the publication of the Garcia Report,

looking into allegations of corruption surrounding the Russian and Qatari bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively.

It is hard to know how clean Prince Ali is himself, despite running on an anti-corruption platform, but his actions are looking to speak more loudly than the words of the bumbling Blatter.

Finally we have what appears to be a saviour on the way. Everyone’s favourite L’Oréal mascot, former France international David Ginola is being backed by a bookmakers to try to take down Blatter. According to his campaign, known simply as Team Ginola, voting for him is a vote for democracy, transparency and equality”.

He is not, however, the hero that football so badly needs and deserves.

During the meeting to announce his candidacy, he was easily tripped up by questions about the International Football Association Board and was unable to mention even one member of the Fifa executive committee, although he has since promised to improve his knowledge. It was a deflating and depressing

moment. If this is what we are supposed to pin our hopes on, how can we ever count on there being a time where a fair Fifa will reign?

Ginola’s campaign is also under scrutiny due to the fact that he is being paid £250,000 by the bookmakers for just taking part in the apparent publicity stunt. There is also a suggestion that he will be getting at least ten per cent of the money that must be ‘crowdfunded’ for the campaign. This makes it hard to not draw comparisons with the current power-hungry presidency, once again undermining any real hope of credibility.

It is a sad state of affairs when the most respectable candidate is essentially a bookmaker’s glorified publicity stunt.

It is emblematic of a governing body that has been brought into disrepute far too many times, due mostly to its own failings.

If Ginola were to go on to win the presidency, there is a very real possibility of Fifa collapsing under the weight of its own incompetency, but perhaps that would not be a bad thing at this point.