The Citizen - Special Edition 2016

HE CITIZEN

What it means to live in the age of globalisation 16-page supplement inside

THE CITIZEN

Weekly newspaper of City of London School www.CLSB.org.uk Special Edition Wednesday 24 February 2016

Blues battle over Brexit

 Boris joins Vote Leave campaign  Pound devalues by nearly 2%  Cameron defends reform package Will Evans S6 JPS

The blonde bombshell of the Conservative Party struck like an unkempt, dishevelled bolt of lightning out of the blue. Boris’ decision to campaign for Britain to leave the EU has not come as a surprise, yet his potential ability to sway the many undecided voters will have David Cameron worried. His decision was cited as an explanation for the unprecedented plunge the pound recently took, as it slumped by nearly 2% – the lowest point since March 2009. Boris’ charisma will undoubtedly inject some much needed momentum into the leave campaign, which remains locked in disagreement as to which group should lead the movement, however, the question is whether the ‘Boris effect’ will be enough to win voters over and defeat the campaign to remain in the EU. The Prime Minister’s achievement in obtaining a package of reforms which – to varying degrees – match those which he set out in his party’s manifesto, is unquestionably worthy of praise, regardless of whether they are enough to win your vote.

Persuading 27 other countries – many of whom were hostile to the changes – to approve these reforms that are designed to satisfy the demands of just one country is the mark of a skilled negotiator. One would have to be naive to have expected a deal identical to the proposals set out in the party manifesto; that is not how politics works: compromise is always a key component to politics, regardless of the situation. It is neither possible not practical to play the role of CEO and simply expect to get your way. This, of course, will not be enough to sway voters. The problem facing voters as 23 June approaches is a dire one: who can they believe?

We are only days into the debate there have already been claims and counter-claims, adding to the confusion, rather than giving voters clarity about what each vote would mean.

Those campaigning to leave the EU naturally have more of an uphill task convincing the population of

the cause. Similarly to the Scottish Independence referendum, where advocates of leaving the union struggled to persuade voters that Scotland could still thrive economically if they became independent, those arguing that we should leave the EU may find this a sticking point. David Cameron has already made much of how a ‘Brexit’ would be “leap into the dark”. Fear of the unknown won the day in Scotland, and it may well save the pro-EU campaign. Fear has become a key component to politics and scaremongering will be a tactic deployed by both sides. The potential for economic chaos in the event Britain leaves will be a core point that Better Together will look to hammer home, while the migrant crisis and concerns over immigration will likely be emphasised by the leave campaign. There is, however, more pressure on the remain campaign: David Cameron’s position may become untenable if he loses this vote.

Moreover, the SNP would likely use this to trigger another referendum over independence. It is possible that these risks may lead people to vote tactically, rather than by the real issues concerning EU membership and the changes David Cameron has obtained.

The arguments over this issue look set to become ever-more convoluted as the referendum approaches.

Michael Gove has already suggested that the package of reforms negotiated by the Prime Minister would not be ‘legally binding’. While this seems a spurious claim, few can deny that the EU does not take to change well.

Even Business Secretary, Sajid Javid, has said that the EU is a ‘failing project’ requiring ‘urgent reform’. JeanClaude Junker became EU President on the premise of reforming the EU and cutting red tape, yet no such changes have materialised. It has taken a member country of the EU to try and tackle these deep-seated issues. Whether this suggests that the reform package is not just what Britain but the EU as a whole needs, or whether it shows that its time for Britain to leave is up for discussion now.

British player wins Euromillions £24.6 million draw Jake Simms J6SKW

A lucky Briton has won the massive £24.6 million Euromillions draw, the second citizen of the UK already this February to win big. After matching the numbers 23, 25, 32, 37, 42 and the Lucky Stars 01 and 11, they were the lone winner of Tuesday’s draw. A spokesperson from National Lottery said: ‘This year is certainly turning out to be a lucky one for UK National Lottery players,’ although with odds of 1 in 116,531,800 it is unlikely that the majority of contestors would agree. It will be interesting to see what the winner does with their earnings, although with 70% of lottery winners going bankrupt it is statistically unlikely to end well. Earlier in February a UK winner scooped a jackpot worth more than £24.7 million. That makes two UK winners this year already, compared to nine throughout the whole of 2015.

Alex Persianis J6CRW

This has undoubtedly been a triumphant year for the Charity Committee, breaking records, setting up numerous events and executing tasks flawlessly. The entire school has aided us in our ceaseless efforts to tackle hunger in Africa and we hope to continue raising enormous sums.

Farm Africa is a non-profit organisation that helps farmers sustainably grow their crops and (we quote) ‘end hunger forever’. Farm Africa’s research indicates how the support provided to small agriculture businesses is the key to rural economic development in Africa. Their ambition and resilience have been inspiring to all pupils of CLS and together we strive for a better future.

Our total amount raised stands at £21,025.61. Our first Mufti Day raised

exactly £1,800, surpassing the previous record by £100. Our yearly ‘Quiz night’, during which the Head’s table laid waste to all other parents and teachers, raised an incredible £1,100.

Through countless cake sales and other events such as sponsored fasts, most of the lower school have managed to contribute huge sums to our overall one. Specifically, we would like to acknowledge 3A for raising over £3,000 in just these few terms.

The recent Ceilidh held by the school was initially considered unorthodox, but we had a phenomenal turnout with a bountiful amount of Haggis, raising north of £2,000.

We hope that you will all continue to raise as much as possible and help Farm Africa and the chairmen in their ambitious efforts to help farmers throughout Africa.

IN THE NEWS Politics Society

Labour MP Gisela Stuart visits CLS, page 3

Is Trump a chump?

The US Presidential Election so far, pages 5-7

Einstein was right!

The low-down on gravitational waves, page 13

Boycott or ban?

The argument for freedom of speech, page 30

Football moves east

The Chinese footballing revolution, page 24

What is English cuisine?

We investigate, page 16

And finally...

“Scandal, sexual politics and ideological intrigue”

Review of ‘Waste’ at the National Theatre, page 18

CITIZEN

2 | Wednesday 24 February 2016

Editorial Shayon Mukherjee J6GJD SENIOR EDITOR

Having just passed the halfway point in the school year, after last week’s half-term, we are at an optimal time to look back and reflect upon what the school has accomplished so far and indeed, I can state with some certainty that this last year has been one of the most eventful that I have experienced yet, not only because A-levels have made my days seem like they are 25-hours long. From November’s mightily successful school performance of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to the return of the mightily infamous Cheese Appreciation Society, the new school year brought about a series of innovative changes that truly make school a better place for all.

The tumultuous changes have affected not only the school as a whole, but also our own humble newspaper. At the beginning of the year, myself, Charlie Pentol-Levy, Victor Jack and Zak Lakota-Baldwin took up the mantle of senior editorship with much merriment and mirth and launched into our new roles

“Our school prides itself on its core values of equality, unity and openness” with appropriate vigour and energy, which, I am glad to say, has persisted to this very day. Moreover, our editorin-chief Mr. Charles Fillingham was poached by the Francis Holland School in December, ushering in a new era under the leadership of Mr. Andrew McBroom, lending The Citizen his steady, guiding hand and the school’s large, open wallet.

City of London School has always prided itself on its core values of equality, unity and openness and The Citizen is the perfect manifestation of all of these; the freedom of the press is one of the most valuable freedoms that modern society has and The Citizen’s aim is, and has always been, to provide a means of expression for each individual pupil. Motoring and food, sport and travel, theatre and economics; the students at City have a range of interests, skills and hobbies and every weekly edition showcases this passion and enthusiasm to the highest degree.

This longer, special edition of The Citizen is the culmination of the efforts of over 80 boys in the school, with specialties ranging from design to polling and even to the culinary arts. What is more, what makes this edition truly special is our featured pull-out, focusing on globalisation and what makes a global citizen. Our series of features attempt to shed light on some of the most pressing issues facing the international community at this time. These commentaries approach globalisation from a variety of perspectives, whether economic, ecological, sociological or political. Led by senior editor Victor Jack, this exposé is exclusive to The Citizen – it is doubtlessly a must-read.

It has been, and continues to be, a privilege to work alongside such a dedicated team of fascinating, passionate individuals and I feel an immense pride at what we have collectively achieved over the past school year.

The CITIZEN

NATIONAL NEWS

Fear the Brexit

Why the current account deficit is a serious problem and why it shouldn’t bore you.

Alexandros Persianis J6CRW

We often disregard the current account deficit and refer to it as ‘that other deficit’, unimportant and unable to be rectified without the existence of a recession. However, truth be told, it is far more important than the government deficit we seem to care about so much and we need to start paying more attention, especially as we begin to face the risk of a ‘Brexit’. I must acknowledge the possibility that you may be bored to the core about the subject and that nothing I say or do can convince you otherwise. Regardless, I am going to attempt to persuade you.

First of all, what is the so-called current account deficit? Aggregate Demand (that crucial entity that runs the economy) consists of four elements: consumption, investment, government spending and the current account. These four elements stimulate the total or ‘aggregate’ demand of the economy. More or less, three of these four are functioning just fine in the U.K’s economy and we can all disregard them for the sake of time and word count. However we need to focus on (X-M), or in other words, the current account. ‘X’ represents the value of exports of the UK economy. ‘M’, on the other hand, represents the number of imports that come from other nations. To put it frankly, our ‘M’ is a plentiful amount greater than our ‘X’. Thus we have amounted to a huge deficit. How big an amount? £17.5 billion to be precise; that is over 6% of GDP. I suspect that

I have your attention now. The figure itself isn’t the problem, but rather what it insinuates: the UK economy is not productive enough.

The UK industry fails to produce a large quantity of goods which are of a high enough quality, so that citizens of foreign nations demand them.

Without a sustainable car, technology or textile industry, the UK has essentially nothing to account for when it comes to exports. When bringing up the subject to author Ha Joon Chang (‘23 things they don’t tell you about capitalism’ and ‘A user’s guide to economics’) he recognised that the fundamental problem was the “decline of the manufacturing sector” or more specifically, the divergence into the financial service sector instead of physical, quantifiable manufacturing. Moreover, we are collectively not exporting nearly enough goods and services as whole, and this is perhaps the most serious problem.

Our productivity as a nation is at an all-time low and we need to rectify it without debate. For some reason, we regrettably insist on neglecting the current account and assume, as Ha Joon Chang put it in my interview with him, that the UK economy can continue to “chug along” with both the government and the public remaining completely oblivious to the impending threat. The key thing to understand here is that we are essentially ‘borrowing money’ from other nations.

Now the most imperative question of all: what relevance does this have to the possible ‘Brexit’? You

"Our productivity as a nation is at an all-time low and we need to rectify it without debate." may have noticed that following Boris Johnson’s announcement, the value of our beloved domestic currency has dropped significantly. In fact, it currently stands at the lowest value in years. This means that our ‘X’ value shall increase and our ‘M’ value will fall. ‘Surely this is good’, you claim. Counter intuitively, it is not. While the current account improves as a result of both foreign and domestic consumers buying more of our domestic product, it also worsens because of a single group of people: investors. Since the value of the pound falls, investors who buy bonds demand a bigger risk premium to continue to fund the current account.

Thus the UK bank provides a greater

rate of return and our CA worsens in the short run.

So how do we fix it? One solution is devaluation, but we have already discussed its vices. However, in the long run, if we keep the value of the domestic currency low, our imports may eventually be outweighed by our exports. Although in the long run, do we really want to rely on a solution which is temporary and does nothing to alter productivity as well as being completely dependent on not only the price elasticity of demand of both foreign and domestic citizens?

The government could impose trade tariffs, but it runs the risk of a trade war, which could be (to say the least) catastrophic. So what is the optimum solution? Simple: increase productivity and start manufacturing physical goods. There are no two ways about it. We would be improving the current account and employing thousands in the process. If we are truly willing to reach the levels of China and Germany, we will have to make a conscious effort to be more productive as a nation. It won’t be easy, but the government and the people need to collectively shift their awareness to this critical issue and once and for all tackle ‘that other deficit’.

Britain and the modern world How far have the mighty fallen?

Sami Kardos-Nyheim 5H

On 2nd December last year, this nation’s parliament decided to authorise RAF airstrikes over Syria. What this did, far from just authorising another British military engagement in a faroff land, was ensure Britain’s prominence on the world stage for the next quarter of a century. Though the days of the British Empire may be bygone, and thankfully so, many may say, the distant echoes of “Rule Britannia” still persist to this day.

Since the end of WWII, the UK has taken a increasingly reserved role in world affairs. After the Great War, Britain was left scarred, changed and vowed “never again” to confront the “face of tyranny” which it later did just two decades later. The end of WWII meant a further plunge into debt. Despite Clement Attlee’s desperate negotiations with America, 4.33 billion dollars was still owed. We finished paying this back in 2006.

And so, from the peaks of the proud British imperial and bellicose mountaintops of the mid-1920s, on which the “Sun Never Set” and where “the Royal Navy” was the only one worth mentioning, there emerged a battered and wearied Britain not wanting to carry on.

The nobly-called “SelfDetermination Era” which ensued meant the independence from Britain of dozens of countries around the world from the end of the 1940s, including the likes of India and

several Middle-Eastern, African and Asiatic nations.

With lessons learnt from France’s reluctance to give up Vietnam after WWII and then Britain’s intervention in Suez, (both of which didn’t end particularly nicely), Britain’s power faded into the abyss.

Then, with the final handing over of Hong Kong to China in 1997, the mighty giant fell once and for all.

19 years on, it’s still falling. Britain’s “soft power”, (its diplomatic, cultural and economic impact on the world) may remain only equalled by the United States, however, “hard power”; military and strategic importance and capability has been seriously diminished thanks to years of budget cuts to the foreign, home and defence ministries.

This has put the international community’s patience to the test. The

“Special Relationship”, which existed between this country and America was one once hailed as the closest between any two countries in the world. Now it seems to be drawing to a close, with France and Germany (in Europe) overtaking Britain on the world stage in both how fast and how decisively they respond to world events. What’s more, Britain’s “slow” reaction to ISIS and the Paris attacks of last year has drawn into question how willing this country is to put itself forward into the line of fire for what it believes in.

But I ask this, what is the right response? Is there one? We may be diminished, but make no mistake, Special Relationship or no Special Relationship, Britain still remains a capable and truly relevant force on the world stage. And going to war just to appeal to allies and flex muscle

doesn’t seem quite the convincing case. From previous wars in the Middle East, we know that with even heavy bombardment and ground troops, success at diminishing the enemy can be minor and temporary at best.

When Parliament did vote for the armed forces to strike in Syria, it’s safe to say that this was not designed to stop the killing — or resolve the conflict in any way. Far from it.

MI6’s formed Director-General, John Sawers, has said that further military intervention will, for sure, only add ranks to the extremists, not only in Syria, but in Britain too.

Perhaps the time has come redefine what is means to be a world power, from one that not only has power, to one which uses it as a force for good — and for peace.

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | 3

The CITIZEN

NATIONAL NEWS

The New Day

A new dawn in a digital age Jude Horspool 2S

Trinity Mirror, the newspaper group behind the Daily Mirror and the Sunday Mirror, has created what it calls 'the nation's first standalone national daily newspaper for 30 years', The New Day. It will be launched on Monday 19th February, but Chief Executive Simon Fox stressed that it would in no way be a sister title to the Daily Mirror. It will be available for free from 40,000 retailers on the day of launch, then a two-week trial at 25p. It will then settle at 50p, its full price. Reports hinted it would replicate the success of the 'i', a lighter version of the Independent, which will be sold to Johnston Press (behind The Scotsman) for £24m. The Independent and The Independent on Sunday will go online, following in the footsteps of BBC Three, amongst other media moving onlineonly. Their last print editions will be published on 26th and 20th March respectively.

The newspaper will give a 'ruthless edit of the day' for 'time poor' readers, the editor has said. Alison Phillips said that readers 'only have 30 minutes' and the paper would only write about 'what they need to know'.

Unlike most newspapers, The New Day would be a politically neutral newspaper with no editiorial leader column, saying they are trying to 'create a mood of optimism and positivity that is lacking elsewhere'. An optimistic venture with paper and ink in a world of phones and alerts.

Will it work?

The Independent moves online Alex Bridges 2S

The Independent newspaper will stop printing editions in late March and move entirely to a digitalized format. This move will have serious consequences for the number of people working for the Independent, and jobs will inevitably be lost.

However, is this such a surprising move? For the past decade, the influence of newsprint has been declining. Printing rooms have shrunk, and fewer professionals are being employed. Newspapers have increasingly relied on online viewers to generate revenue.

Many people oppose the Independent’s development – and one can see why. There is nothing quite like the feel of an actual newspaper; having to navigate around on your phone-as well as having detrimental effects on eyesight-is annoying and fiddly.

The Independent had plenty of reasons to move online-they have been running at a loss and business has not been good. In the words of the owner of the paper, Evgeny Lebedev, ‘the costs [could] not be sustained’. ‘[The readers] are showing us that the future is digital. This decision [to move online] preserves the Independent brand and allows us to continue to invest in the high quality editorial content that is attracting more and more readers to our online platforms’.

But is Lebedev right? The major selling point of all newspapers is the fact they are convenient. If bored or in need of something to read, one can pick one up from almost any tube station, and take it with them to work.

Unless you particularly favour one newspaper, the morning or evening paper you pick up to read on your commute depends on how you feel.

The truth is, if the Independent moves online, its readership will probably drop massively-most Londoners are simply not bothered to download a specific newspaper.

Maybe the Independent would have more of a chance at success if they had launched their website earlierhowever, the Independent only took their online edition seriously in 2008 with their website relaunch, and various owners never invested enough into the online edition for it to ever kick off.

The Independent was seen as a very radical paper when it was first published in the 1980’s. It purposefully promoted liberal views and prided itself on being unbiased-and in a time of political upheaval with newspaper industry dominated by right-wing publications, it will be sorely missed.

Wearing the colours of the line she will be named after, the queen yesterday travelled to Bond Street station to unveil the new name for the 15 billion pound enterprise Crossrail.

Transport for London later tweeted that ‘The Elizabeth line will provide a lasting tribute to the UK’s longest serving monarch.’ Crossrail, which has supported 55,000 jobs and 543 apprentices, will be opened at its full length in December 2019 - when it will be called The Elizabeth Line - but an earlier section will be opened between Liverpool street and Shenfield (now TFL rail) in May next year. The line is set to transform east to west transport through Central London, and it is estimated to bring £42 billion to the economy, and approximately 200 million passengers are expected to use Crossrail every year. The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, yesterday said: ‘I think it is truly wonderful

City head to Krakow Jake Simms J6SKW

Last week, a group of Sixth formers set off to Krakow on a trip that would prove to be shocking, extremely interesting and great fun! The first day, Thursday, saw us head to the Schindler’s factory, now turned into a museum, which contained a wide range of insights into Nazi-occupied Krakow. From the plight of the Jews, to the Nazi’s destruction of historic monuments, it was absolutely fascinating to see what a huge effect the Nazi’s invasion had had on every aspect of life. If what we saw there was terrible, it was nothing compared to what was to come next. Auschwitz, encompassing Birkenau, was one of the most shocking experiences of our lives. Our trip there lasted the whole day and we were led by a hugely experienced guide. After walking past the famous sign ‘Arbeit macht frei,’ we entered a variety of buildings – each more appalling than the last. Seeing the living conditions the prisoners suffered in was truly upsetting but perhaps the most poignant moments were the personal

Shayon Mukherjee J6GJD

that such a significant line for our capital will carry such a significant name from our country." He had hinted that the line may be named after the 89 nine year old monarch two years ago, but the idea has not been mentioned since. 28 metres underground she unveiled the iconic roundel with the new name printed on it and met London Transport Commissioner Mike Brown, Crossrail chairman Terry Morgan and the project’s chief executive Andrew Wolstenholme. She also viewed the new ticket hall at Bond Street, progress on platforms and tunnels and spoke with workers. In March 1969, the Queen travelled on and opened the Victoria line – named after her female predecessor – and now a new line is to be named after royal blood, the Victoria, jubilee are already and now the Elizabeth line. After the 42km (26 miles) of tunnels were joined in June last year using eight 1,000 tonne tunnel boring machines,

monuments. A room full of women’s hair, cut off after they had been gassed to death, and a head high stack of children’s shoes left us all speechless. Despite knowing what to expect we all were in a complete state of shock at how something like the Holocaust could ever have taken place.

The trip was a fantastic mix of education and fun, however, and in the evening we went bowling – an event that turned out to be highly competitive. Thanks to Mr Fenton, who organised the trip, as well as to Miss Wallace and Mr Silvester. On the Saturday we had a tour of the city which is full of amazing sights. From the great cathedral to the high-up castle, built to keep out invaders, and the market square - the biggest one in Europe - were particularly impressive and indeed there was a real mix of old and modern buildings. We were given the afternoon to explore and complete a few challenges before returning back to the hotel for our last night. It was a fantastic trip all in all, and I would absolutely recommend it to any of the students studying philosophy next year.

Politics Society hosts MP Gisela Stuart

A new name for a new line Tom Davies 2C

School News

“Very fitting this vital link across our capital will be named the Elizabeth line.”

(Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin) the reality that the job could be completed dawned on many people, after 10 new stations were built, and 40 existing ones slightly regenerated. It has taken 7 years to get to this point, and there are many years left till the full extent of the line is opened but, as Terry Morgan, chairman of Crossrail said: ‘ The opening of the Elizabeth line in 2018 will be a significant moment for London.’

On Monday 22nd February, City’s Politics Society hosted the Labour Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgebaston, Gisela Stuart. Mrs Stuart has recently been in the public eye on account of her support of ‘Brexit’, the recently coined term used to describe Britain’s potential departure from the EU. Her public stance on this matter is especially contentious given Labour’s overwhelming support for remaining in it. With June’s referendum fast approaching, her insights into Europe’s current political climate were all the more thoughtprovoking and she proved to be a valuable addition to the roster of speakers the society has hosted over the past year.

“I wonder what Neville Chamberlain would have

thought if he knew that the better part of a century later, his very seat would be occupied by a female, German, Labour socialist.” Gisela Stuart remains a staunch defendant of Blair’s government and was very vocal in her beliefs regarding defence and security – she is strongly for replacing Trident and was steadfast in her belief that the Iraq War was necessary, even though she admitted, now with the benefit of hindsight, that she would have changed certain policies and tactics. Mrs Stuart was open in her criticisms of Corbyn, stating that the divisions in the Labour party that came about as a result of his controversial cabinet changes and reformed political agenda.

Join us next Monday at 1:10 in the Asquith Room for a talk by MP Bernard Jenkins, Shadow Secretary of State for the Regions.

4 | Wednesday 24 February 2016

The CITIZEN

OPINION

The rise of extreme politics

Can socialists drink champagne?

A look at the modern socialist elite Rufus Pickles J6JTC

The ‘liberal metropolitan elite’, as Nigel Farage puts it, are all over North London. Some of them inhabit large Georgian-era houses in leafy Hampstead. Others unapologetically live in Primrose Hill and frequent artisan bakeries. Most of them order lengthy Wine Society deliveries before Christmas. Some of them think it's alright to own Italian villas like the columnist Polly Toynbee or in the words of my uncle: ‘that ridiculous woman’.

A lot of the ‘liberal metropolitan elite’ seem to be completely at ease with making money and leading a comfortable life. Some of them are even left-wing politicians like Ed Miliband and have two kitchens in their home. One of them by the name of Diane Abbott wanted the best for her children and sent her son to this school.

One particular group of this species exists in large numbers in the middle-class ghettos of Islington. We shall call them the Corbynistas. They think it's acceptable to want to end the cuts to disability benefits and tax credits whilst sitting at home, chewing on ciabatta rolls. The question I

shall be answering in this article is ‘can socialists drink champagne?’

To answer this question the ideology of contemporary socialism that the guardianistas so fervently practice should be explained. This branch of thought is called liberal or democratic socialism. Liberal socialists are not as exciting as the Marxist revolutionaries that stormed St. Petersburg Palace. They don’t run through the streets hurling molotov cocktails or hold the red flag high. Instead they prefer to use the polling booth as their means of changing society.

Many of them elected that man who still has his top button untied, Jeremy Corbyn. These liberal socialists aren’t interested in purging the aristocracy or making everyone's income equal.

Whilst they do want people on higher incomes and often themselves to pay higher taxes, they have no qualms with making lots of money.

They want to pay higher taxes so public services are better funded and are of better quality. Socialists believe that a more collectivised, communityorientated society with strong, well funded public services and welfare is a far better way to tackle issues like poverty and extreme inequality than charity or individual actions. This

goes to explain why socialists can for example justify sending their children to private school. The individual action of deciding to send your child to a state school rather than a private school will not solve the inequality of opportunity crisis; better funded state education will solve the problem. Socialists aim to improve the sometimes appalling state of state education by wanting to pay higher taxes that will enable better funding.

There are no strict personal rules of conduct that socialists have to adhere to other than the duty to pay fair taxes that are used to redistribute

and fund good public services. There is no obligation to be poor or to give most of their income to charity because according to the central ideology of socialism the state should be charitable; individuals don’t have to be. Socialists don’t have to be saints and can therefore live luxurious lives and spend as much as they want on themselves. This explains why for instance Labour voters are able to live with themselves after a trip to Waitrose. To finally answer my initial question, socialists can drink champagne, though perhaps not vintage Krug Clos d’Ambonnay.

Below: Ed Miliband and his wife relax in their “second” kitchen in Primrose Hill

Is new-wave liberalism an attack on modern society?

Raphael Kay J6NB

Right now, Europe is at a crossroads and there is no question that the world is facing possibly the largest refugee crisis in the last century.

Many believe that we have an obligation to take in a considerable amount of those refugees and migrants flooding Europe’s borders; many believe that it is our duty to do so, and it may well be. They even unashamedly and undeniably believe that we should accept and embrace those cultures that are dissimilar to ours–however, amidst the chaos that is the world today, it seems that the one thing that we do not believe in is ourselves.

We, as members of a democratic, liberal and enlightened society that is Europe see it as our duty to stand up for our minorities and cultural diversity. Yet we have done this at a cost to our own values. Let me be blunt; Europe’s project of multiculturalism has failed on a monumental scale–the attacks on women in Cologne by migrants for one and terrorism by attackers raised in liberal societies; 7/7, Lee Rigby and the Paris attacks have at least shown us that much. We, as a tolerant society, have been willing to tolerate too much. We have been afraid or unwilling to say that perhaps–just maybe–our values

are superior to those promoted in the countries of many refugees and of extreme ideologies.

It is a fact that women, from Afghanistan, to Syria and to the countries of most migrants or refugees, are viewed quite differently from the way in which we do. Does that mean that every refugee and migrant is a rapist or a misogynist?

Of course not; that, we can say, is quite ridiculous. However, would it be true that the values of those who come to Europe are starkly different to ours or that they do not hold the same moral equivalency as ours?

The answer to that is, quite clearly, yes. We must be brave enough to say that these liberal, democratic values are not optional, they are a part of our very identity. We have done relatively little to enforce this and to integrate those from outside to become part of our society rather than merely members of it, practicing a parallel moral system to us while seemingly being free to do so under the guise of a cultural relativism–that is pure fantasy. That is, of course, unless you count the classes that some refugees have been given in countries like Norway to make them aware of ‘Western sexual norms’.

Despite being a multicultural society, however, these lessons were

optional; optional classes were held even on ‘Western sexual norms’! I’m sure that these will wholly reassure the victims of the New Year’s Eve attacks in Cologne and across Germany.

Even their attackers, most of whom ‘may never be caught’ (according to the Chief of Police in Cologne) are being offered optional classes on how to treat women properly. If this is how we view and protect our own liberal values, how can we be surprised by events like this?

If we ourselves see our values as optional how can we be shocked when we see individuals, who have been born and bred in Britain and educated in some of the top institutions in the country, up and leave to decapitate journalists and aid workers? From Jihadi John, who went to Queen Mary’s University, to Ahmed Omar Sheikh, an alumnus of LSE, and then to Al Qaeda in Pakistan, where he had the opportunity to chop Daniel Pearl’s head off: there is certainly something of a pattern that we have failed to detect. These, as well as Lee Rigby’s killers and all four 7/7 bombers were raised, if not born in Britain. Despite this, they failed to absorb our liberal values because we did not compel them to. They felt estranged from our society because, in fact, there was no society to be a part of.

Furthermore, these are people that were raised in our liberal democracies yet were allured by an ideology that gave them an identity and a belonging, something that we, accepting of all cultures have failed to provide such that those that come into Europe from around the world often fit awkwardly within the identity of non-identity that is multiculturalism.

A culture that only accepts other cultures is not really a culture per se. We have ended up with a society made up of many mini societies with directly opposing views, rather than one society of shared values that would celebrate diversity.

The 'Regressive Left' seek to defend 'cultural relativism' and 'free speech'.

They say it is unfair to shut down

jihadi websites while allowing those like Charlie Hebdo to exist. We must not shy away from the fact that some ideas are unacceptable, while no ideas are above scrutiny. This belief that those cultures are equivocal given their context is simply wrong.

The banalisation of honour killings and rape that can be found in certain cultures that are now coming to Europe is not acceptable in any context. Again, this is not to say that all refugees maintain such an attitude.

The question is whether tribal leaders in Afghanistan and fathers in Syria may tolerate it. As one refugee, Abdu Osman Kelifa from the Horn of Africa, now in Norway, said to the New York Times: “men have weaknesses […] if someone wants a lady he can just take her.”

We are at a precipice. Europe is dealing with a problem far graver than a Brexit and the only way it will survive is if it creates a society united by the values that people keep rather than the country that they happen to live in. It is easier said than done to create a shared liberal, democratic, enlightened and truly tolerant identity among people that are so far from our view of the world and from so many parts of it, but we must ask ourselves what will happen if we do not. Do we continue to embrace the false reality of multiculturalism to our doom or endure and fully state our pride in our values, which deserves to be shared and declared rather than kept in the shadows?

Demanding that others adhere to liberal, pluralist values on others is not easy, in fact it might even leave a nasty taste in your mouth, but will it make our society a better place?

I think we all know the answer to that, now it is simply a question of whether we have the conviction and belief in ourselves to go through with defending the liberal society that we cherish and evidently take for granted or letting it crumble. As Dumbledore said to Harry: “We must all face the choice between what is easy and what is right.”

Ollie O’Neill 2A

The most worrying of recent political trends is the rise of extremism throughout the western world.

Never before has the political system been so dominated by hard-left and right politicians. After the last election, you would be able to fit all the remaining Lib-Dem MPs into an Uber taxi. From London to Washington, the hard core politicians are ruling the roost. We have our very own Jeremy Corbyn, earnestly trying to convince the media and the public that he is not actually mad, whilst the Americans suffer on with Donald Trump trying to crow his way to an electoral victory.

Further examples are not hard to find. Marine Le Pen of Front National, for example is scarily rightwing, and her party came perilously close to victory in the regional elections, only stopped by some tactical voting. Whilst it seems that this wild extremism is increasingly normal, this should not mean the loss of reason and measured argument in Government. It is a place for more than wild hotheads attempting to shout each other down. The US presidential race has in places descended into more of a playground shouting competition than serious political race.

There has been a polar shift in expectations of the public too.

Politics has become more about Us V Them in recent times, polarizing opinion to the extent that the middle ground has been wiped out. Ted Cruz, Donald Trump’s competitor for the Republican nomination, has been made look decidedly mainstream by Trump, despite holding views that include ‘carpet-bombing Syria until the sand glows’ and ‘building a wall that works on the US border’. When someone like Cruz is seen as closer to the centre ground than his opponent, something has gone wrong.

Especially when he is leading the party of Abraham Lincoln.

It is not hard to find the reasons for this shift-the economic insecurity resulting from the 2008 recession has made people feel insecure and they are living with a lower living standard. But this is exacerbated by the way that the elite are apparently unwilling to help. People are bored of the same promises from bland politicians and so alternatives have been found. There is also the undoubted influence of extremist groups such as Isis. In a way, people feel safer when their leaders are promising to build big walls.

However, the middle ground is still worth preserving. Where once it was a key element of gaining votes, and whoever claimed the centre was thought to have made a smart decision, it is now shunned by new politicians keen to tap into the rising surge of identity politics. To do away with it as we are seemingly doing would be madness. It might be a while yet before centre-ground parties make a comeback but they should not be muscled out of politics.

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | 5

The CITIZEN

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

US Presidential Elections The rise of the unexpected Seth Weisz 5H

After many months of campaigning, the first results from the Democratic and Republican primary nominations are emerging and with them come clear winners for both parties: Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, both of whom managed a fairly strong showing in Iowa but managed to win outright in New Hampshire with over 20% more of the vote than any other candidate. Whilst many political commentators are claiming to have foreseen such an outcome from the start, we now have to look at the reason why two candidates who were originally labelled as ‘a joke’ (Sanders) and ‘a publicity stunt for his TV show’ (Trump) by the mainstream media are now emerging as frontrunners. However, such a unique situation couldn’t be the consequence of a single factor, but rather a perfect storm of unprecedented shifts in economic, political and media climates. Here are ten factors behind Sanders’s and Trump’s success:

1. A clear political message.

Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush were the original favourites for their respective party nominations yet have no defining issues. Trump and Sanders, on the other hand, are well known for their radical solutions to the U.S.A.’s problems. Every voter in America knows of Donald Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico and his desire to clamp down on what he calls a ‘cheating’ China, as well as his more recent xenophobic proposal to ban Muslims from entering America. Furthermore, Senator Sanders is equally synonymous with his own form of socialism, including solving major income inequality and offering universal healthcare (approximately 30 million Americans currently have no medical insurance).

2. Dissatisfaction with the seemingly hereditary role of President.

American politics has long been a family business – in 2006, if you served more than one term in Congress, there was a 40% chance that another member of your family could do the same. It is not much different with the Presidency, whose dynasties include that of Roosevelt and Bush. Furthermore, families such as the Clintons and Kennedys have had both a President and a Secretary of State. Sanders, however, was born to Polish immigrants, whilst Trump’s father was a real estate mogul.

3. The U.S.A. is more polarised than ever.

Gone are the days when Hoover (Republican) could win with 84% of the electoral vote in 1928 whilst Roosevelt (Democrat) won with 89% in ’32 and 98.5% in ’36, or more recently when Johnson (D) took 90% of the electoral vote in ‘64 but Nixon (R) took a 97% majority in 1972. Nowadays, as Mitt Romney (R) rather crudely stated in the run-up to the 2012 election, each party has a hold on approximately 47% of the electorate, who’d never consider voting for the other side regardless of the candidate they would be voting for (ironically, Romney himself only received 47.2% of the popular vote). This polarisation helps both

candidates, as Donald Trump is one of the most right-wing candidates in the party, whilst many Democrats feel that they will be rewarded if they move further left towards Sanders, just as the Republicans have moved much further right in recent years (though it should be noted that some Republican Party leaders have claimed that they would actually support Sanders over Trump in a potential match-up between the two).

4. Both are viewed as “outsiders” to the current government.

After seven years of a President who has failed to deliver on many of his promises and a Republicancontrolled Congress that has been set against enacting any form of progressive legislation, every candidate has attempted to distance themselves from mainstream party views. Trump’s lack of involvement with the Republicans is fairly obvious – until recently he was known only as the billionaire star of The Apprentice in America and his views are so different to those of the GOP (Republican Party) leaders that they’ve taken vast measures to try and stop his campaign in its tracks.

Equally, however, Bernie Sanders also has little association with the Democrats. He is only running as a Democrat to avoid a three horse race for the presidency, having been an independent politician in Congress since being elected in 1991 – one of the few elected independents in the USA. Furthermore, his self-described ‘socialist’ views have distanced him from all but the most radical Democrats in Congress.

5. The promise of a reinvigorated Congress.

After years of little progress, voters are looking for candidates that they think will be able to bring back the old, more collaborative Congress that seemingly died in 2008. Whilst electing one of the two most radical nominees may seem counter-intuitive to this aim, the American public has viewed this aspect of the race as a matter of personality. Donald Trump has managed to tap into the electorate’s anger, projecting the image of himself as a man who “makes things happen” and is the “world’s best negotiator,” having published a book in 1987 titled ‘The Art of the Deal’. The Democrats, however, believe that if they manage to elect Sanders to the presidency, Republican congressmen will be forced to sit up and take notice of what would appear to be a large shift in public opinion. Furthermore, most Republicans deeply dislike Hillary Clinton and their congressmen would believe that they can block most of her policies whilst still retaining public support.

6. Neither is controlled by rich private backers.

Money is seen as the most corrosive force in American politics, having likely resulted in spiralling healthcare costs and minimal action on climate change. Therefore, it is no surprise that Trump, who described himself as a “buyer” of candidates for many years, has received much support for his self-financed

campaign. Equally, Senator Sanders’s presidential bid has run entirely on small donations averaging about $20-30 per person. Once again, there is a huge contrast between these two and Bush & Clinton, both of whom have received vast sums of money from insurance underwriters, pharmaceutical companies and big banks. The fact that they are receiving millions of dollars from traditionally ‘evil’ political donors (Big Pharma and Wall St. are very unpopular names in public politics) has also been damaging to Jeb and Hillary.

7. The ability to draw massive crowds and dominate media coverage.

Once again, this category was more Donald Trump’s forte, but Bernie Sanders has also performed well here. Sanders has been managing crowds of up to 30,000 whilst Trump received 40,000 in Alabama, far outweighing the 1,000-2,000 that Clinton draws and embarrassing the 300-500 that Jeb Bush can just about muster. Whist this may seem more like an effect than a cause of success, American elections are oft-plagued by worryingly low voter turnouts – especially for the Democrats – so Bernie Sanders’ apparent success here makes him appear much more electable. Meanwhile, Trump’s complete domination of media coverage has helped him immensely, as his campaign has relied somewhat on his personality and celebrity status, whilst the extent of focus on him also helped distinguish him from the 17 other candidates who were originally running alongside him for the nomination.

8. Charisma.

An area in which both candidates have performed head and shoulders above the rest of the field. Trump’s style is one of confidence, which he often backs up with his record in the world of real estate, where he made his fortune. Sanders, on the other hand, favours a New York-esque finger-jabbing approach, as if accusing someone of something which they know they’ve done wrong, which he often is. In fact, Sanders and Trump’s appeal is so magnetic that they can silence any sort of personal or weak criticism with either a vicious glance and wave of the hand (Sanders) or a literal shrug of the shoulders (Trump). This is very different to Jeb Bush, who is viewed as “low energy” by both Trump and much of the Republican electorate.

9. Break from previous style.

Even more superficial than charisma, Sanders and Trump seem to appeal simply due to their originality and unconventionality – never before have we really seen a candidate quite like Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders – but the demand for something new in politics has actually allowed them to use this to their advantage.

However, to understand why there is both conscious and subconscious support for these candidates, we have to look at the most important reason of all:

10. The economy, and how it influences the public’s view of American politics.

On 9 August 2007, the U.S. entered its worst recession since the Great Depression in 1929. Both were followed by the election of Democratic

candidates promising change and a government that does more for the people. However, whilst Roosevelt succeeded in enacting groundbreaking legislation from 1933 until the start of the war, Obama has struggled to pass meaningful bipartisan reform and has therefore been forced to defend a lacklustre economic recovery (despite a negligible increase in the everyday American worker’s wages and living standards). The difference between what the government has told people and what they are actually experiencing has now become large enough that a ‘credibility gap’ has surfaced. This gap – if wide enough – can cause the people to lose all trust in the government, or at least cause widespread disillusionment. Whilst seemingly unrelated to their rise in popularity, the political undercurrents caused by this public disillusionment may actually be the single most important factor in the success of both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, as the economy has always been the most reliable determinant of Presidential elections (see 1992 Bill Clinton vs. George Bush sr.).

Whilst Democrats and Republicans alike try to dispel the notion that two candidates with such different values could have possibly risen to political prominence on the same wave of political anger and frustration, they often fail to understand the different motivations behind the two parties’ voters. Sanders appeals to the average Democrat, who supports increased social security, reduced income inequality, action on climate change and more government regulation. Trump however, appeals just as directly to his far-right base, which is more concerned about national safety, de-regulation, lowered taxes and reduced immigration.

6 | Wednesday 24 February 2016

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

America’s badly needed injection of Democratic Socialism Rufus Pickles J6JTC

The issue of income inequality in America is killing the ‘American dream’ and is the greatest problem facing America at the moment. It has meant that the American economy no longer serves the majority of the population. The Republican party chooses to ignore it and the Democrats are divided over it. Only Bernie Sanders has pledged to take action to stop its corrosive effects.

During the 2009-12 period the wealthiest 1% of the American population took around 95% of America’s economic growth. From 2000 to 2012 American middle class families faced an 8% fall in income while the costs of higher education rose by 62% and rents rose by 7%. In 2012 the incomes of the top 1% rose by 20% and the bottom 99% received income increases of just 1%.

Income inequality is not just ethically problematic; it is harmful to the American economy. When the chairman of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers, Alan Krueger concluded a set of research studies into the effects of income inequality on the US economy a variety of deeply negative effects were found.

Economic growth is slowed by income inequality because as more incomes shift to the highest paid, consumption decreases as the top percentiles of the American population tend to spend less of each marginal dollar. Social and income mobility (the essence of the American dream) falls because parent’s incomes are more likely to predict their children’s incomes. To make up for lower incomes the middle classes and the working classes borrow more to continue their current levels of consumption. This rampant borrowing was a key factor in the 2008 financial crisis.

Unfortunately there are no other politicians in the American presidential race other than Bernie Sanders that want to seriously tackle income inequality. Sanders aims to start to tackle it by introducing a minimum wage, pushing up the incomes of the bottom sections of American society. His calls for better social security will provide much needed support for the thousands in poverty across America. He has been campaigning for much more progressive taxation, reminiscent of America’s ‘golden age of capitalism’ in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

Only democratic socialism and the restructuring of the American economy can tackle income inequality. There are no other easy answers to this crisis that are palatable to everyone including the super rich and the current Washington establishment. Hillary Clinton has too much funding from Wall Street to properly want to tackle this.

The lack of an adequate, serious welfare state is holding America back as a modern, fully industrialised rich country. America used to be a country of progressive policies in the 1930s with the New Deal that lifted millions out of poverty and starvation. Now it lags far behind the social democracies of Europe. An astonishing 21% of children in America live in poverty with 1.5 million children experiencing homelessness in a year according to a 2014 study. 13% of men and 16% of women live in poverty.

Ethnic minorities are particularly impacted by poverty. African American communities have been subjected to it for years.

None of this poverty is necessary in a fully developed country like America. Just as European democracies embraced welfare systems and universal systems after the Second World War, America should finally

follow suit. In war-ravaged, impoverished 1945 Britain when the naysayers said we couldn’t afford free health care and proper social security safety nets the reforms were still passed and millions of lives were changed for the better. This kind of optimism was last seen in America during the New Deal when the economy was in dire straits. The Republican party is unable to put forward a remedy to poverty and destitution other than Marco Rubio’s recommendation of a fuller embrace of the ‘American free-market system’ and the dying ‘American dream’. Hillary Clinton is not prepared to deviate enough from the narrow post-1980s neo-liberal consensus and will most likely keep the status quo of poverty.

Bernie Sanders’ democratic socialism is the only realistic answer to fight poverty and income inequality.

Just as with Franklin D Roosevelt’s New Deal it is not idealistic or fantasy, just a matter of choice.

The only true Democrat?

David Gringras 4M

Last year at the end of April, a notoriously dishevelled but nonetheless passionate Bernie Sanders, in front of no more than 10 reporters announced his candidacy for the President of the United States. At this point he polled at no more than 3% and to consider him anything more than a ‘protest candidate’ would have been deemed absurd. Yet here we are, almost exactly 10 months later, and not only must we take Bernie seriously, after he beat Hillary to clinch the New Hampshire primaries but for all you undecided or uninformed lefties and conservatives alike, in my opinion it would be a crime not to back him, and here is why. Many a politician have likened him to new labour party leader Corbyn, or Premier League leaders Leicester City, an underdog. It does not take Karl Marx to come to the conclusion that everyone loves an underdog. Nevertheless this Vermont Senator is so much more that an underdog, he is so much more

than red or blue on a ballot and he is so much more than just the lesser of two evils, as inordinate numbers of his predecessors have been.

Bernie has devoted his life to fighting the evil that is corporate America.

In 1962, seven years before the moon landing, a young, idealistic Sanders was arrested for protesting for desegregation. After 40 years in politics he is the same, albeit slightly older exceedingly principled man. For the large majority of those years he was not running as a Democrat, often labelled ‘Republican light’, he was independent, standing up for his beliefs and facing the Republicans head to head, day in day out. This is in stark contrast to his opposition in the democratic primaries, Hillary Clinton.

Not only is Clinton in Wall Street’s pockets but she is also overwhelmingly disliked; over 53% of Americans have an ‘unfavourable impression’ of the ex-First Lady, this makes her the most disliked presidential nominee in modern history. In fact, I could argue that her campaign is reminiscent of blackmail, ‘Vote for me because I am the only one who can stop the Republicans from breaking your arms and taking away your abortion rights’. Now not only is this argument distasteful, but it is also wholly incorrect. The 74 year old socialist beats Cruz, Trump and Rubio in hypothetical match ups, scoring above Clinton comfortably.

Additionally, Sanders notoriously stays on the right side of history,

whether it be the Iraq war, where he, unlike his opponent, voted against the bill, or his continual fight for racial equality and the elimination of police brutality. If Hillary, a neoconservative ex-Secretary of State, becomes the next President, she will undoubtedly send more troops to Iraq, increase the war efforts in Syria, and prolong the stay in Afghanistan, dragging the rest of the democratic world, including the UK with her.

This dangerous, Bush-like foreign policy would be avoided by Sanders, and he would, as he has done throughout his political career stand up for what he believes right. He would stand up for middle class and the poor working class America and would fight to end social injustices, he would stitch up a wounded America and bring it back to the greatest democratic power in the world. I have no doubt that, if elected, an unwavering Bernie Sanders would act as the true Democrat he is and would go down in history books as one of the greatest presidents in American history; Feel the Bern.

Trump: the reasons behind his success Emerson Murphy 3H

As the Republican election unfolds, there has been growing confusion amongst foreigners as to why Donald Trump has been so popular with American Voters. Trump has taken a very different approach to the other candidates – with his controversial views on Mexicans, Muslims, illegal immigrants and ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests shocking the world–but what is it about Donald Trump that has been so appealing to so many Americans?

Firstly, his determination to address the job crisis has attracted many of the middle to lower class and those without college degrees who have been most affected by this issue. His proposition to deport 11million illegal immigrants has been welcomed by many, especially by those competing for the same, low skilled, jobs as those immigrants. A recent poll showed that two out of three of Trump’s supporters believe that immigrants weaken American society, and almost half of all GOP voters agree that immigrants should be deported and the US should not take in any refugees.

Predictions stating that whites will be the minority by 2044, has caused America to begin to re-segregate with racism beginning to re-emerge, making Donald Trump’s propositions to ban Muslims from entering into the US extremely appealing.

Daesh have also increased the sense of fear among Americans and for many, there is very little difference

between the extremist group, and the broader religion of Islam.

It is not, however, just Donald Trump’s policies that the common American can relate to. His bold personality has won over thousands of supporters across the USA who find his fearless tendency to speak his mind and to bring up controversial topics, that your standard politician would never dream of referring to, very refreshing. His simple ideas can be understood by even the poorly educated, and his unique decisiveness and energy makes it seem that he knows what he is talking about.

Finally, Trump plays on American ‘deep-seated’ patriotism, insisting he could ‘Make America Great Again’.

The Republican candidate has also claimed that he is the ‘most militaristic candidate’, promising to build the ‘greatest army’: “We’re going to be respected. We’re going to be really respected”, he said.

As a result of Trump’s dramatic rise in popularity, influential figures such as Susan Sarandon, Barack Obama and Pope Francis have joined the debate and heavily criticized his ideas.

Susan Sarandon even went as far as to compare him to a ‘drunk uncle speaking at a wedding…legitimizing hatred and racism’ and Pope Francis even questioned Trump’s Christianity.

These comments are certain to affect the voting, but by how much will the views of Americans be altered, and will it be enough to knock Trump and his ego off the top spot in time for the Republican nomination on July 18th ?

Trump: genuine GOP contender or Clinton saboteur?

Theodore Ashdown 5C

When I heard at Donald Trump’s Comedy Central Roast in 2011 that he was planning to run for office, one thing came to mind: PR. However, now as the months have passed into the competition for the Republican candidacy, the various opinion polls have shown Trump to be a serious contender to become the official GOP presidential candidate. The success in the polls have transferred into the State votes as Trump has stormed to victories in New Hampshire, North Carolina and on Tuesday evening Nevada.

But the question puzzling me is can his supposed loyalties to the Republican Party be trusted if he fails to win the candidacy and subsequently decides to run as an independent. Furthermore Trump’s campaign has been rife with controversy and has thus lead to a decline in the moderately positive light the party was previously seen in. Distasteful comments about Mexicans and illogical policies on Immigration have lead his rationality being questioned, and a sudden change in stance to

becoming Pro Life. This contradicts Trump’s political standings from 2001 -2008 where his belief as well as donations were going to the opposing Democratic Party. This was backed in a CNN interview a couple of years ago he said ‘I probably identify more as a democrat’ and on the US economy ‘it seems to do better under the democrats rather than the republicans’. As Trump has said on various occasions he has lined the pockets of member’s from both parties and as a result his loyalties must be questioned, as it could be a case of him asserting leverage even if his presidential hopes don’t follow through. Strangely enough despite contributing generously to various competitors he continues to push on and attack his ‘friend’ Clinton by attacking her Super PAC donors and asserting himself as superior as ‘he is the only candidate rich enough to be incorruptible’.

All in all if Trump does succeed to fight the Democrat choice, probably Clinton herself, despite a recent surge by self-proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders, 2016 will be an exciting year for American politics.

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | 7

The CITIZEN

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

The common trend: from terror to Trump Sami Kardos-Nyheim 5H

The Nevada Caucuses Matteo Bellani J6PCM

The Nevada caucuses have been the latest clash between the primary candidates in both the Republican and Democratic parties; a caucus differs from a primary in that voters, instead of casting votes in a ballot, have to gather at a precinct and hear arguments for and against candidates before gathering in the designated area for their respective candidates and be counted. Whilst Iowa and New Hampshire are important as the first Caucus and Primary respectively, they provide little indication of how the party selectorates and the electorate in general will vote as they are two states lacking racial diversity and large populations. Having moved south, the latest contest provided the candidates with an opportunity to recover from any defeats in the first two primaries which would allow them to continue being seen as strong contenders for their respective nominations.

On the Democratic side, the Nevada caucus was a vital contest to win for both candidates to show they are viable candidates. Hillary Clinton needed a solid win in the state as she had performed poorly in Iowa, where she eked a 0.3% victory, and New Hampshire, where she got trounced by a 22% margin. The need to show that she could actually win in Nevada was a necessity, especially since pundits described it as tailor-made for her: southern and full of ethnic minorities. Polling from December showed it was in the bag for her, however once the focus shifted from New Hampshire, polling suggested that Bernie Sanders could even surpass her; even exit polls showed Bernie had won with Latinos, a group Hillary is supposed to be strong with. Thankfully for her, she edged ahead with a 5% lead – not impressive, but enough to get the media off her back. The result also places her in pole position to win in South Carolina. Nevada was an opportunity for Bernie to prove himself, as he tends to perform well with white liberal voters, and

thus needed to broaden his appeal amongst the Latino population of the state. Although he didn’t win, the close result was a clear indication of the surge of appeal for a candidate no one knew ten months earlier. If Bernie wants to become the nominee, he must appeal to black voters in South Carolina and win impressive delegate counts on Super Tuesday, 1st of March.

The Nevada Caucuses promised to be another blood bath in the Republican primaries for the nomination. The frontrunners emerging from South Carolina were Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, trailing Ben Carson and John Kasich, and Jeb Bush who dropped out.

Having deprived his rivals of any delegates in South Carolina, Trump was seeking to entrench his lead in Nevada. Doubts were raised as to whether he could win a caucus, having lost to Ted Cruz in Iowa, especially in a Latino-heavy state, where comments about Mexicans being rapists were not well received.

Trump’s third consecutive win, at 46%, has dispelled doubts he’s “a winner” (at least in the primaries) after his second place finish in Iowa, a distant memory now. Meanwhile, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are vying to take on the mantle of Trump’s main challenger; the Republican establishment seems to be coalescing around Rubio now that Bush is out, whereas Cruz is trying to court the Far Right.

Second place in Nevada is better than fifth in New Hampshire, however, with a streak of 3rd,5th,2nd,2nd in February’s contests, the question on everyone’s minds is: will Rubio ever win a state? Of course, it’s a massive comeback for the senator who was deemed “robotic”, but to win the nomination he must make leaps and bounds on Super Tuesday and win in delegate-heavy states. Likewise, Cruz must broaden his appeal beyond Evangelical voters and have a strong showing on Super Tuesday, otherwise he also risks fading into irrelevance.

Hillary or Ted? Victor Jack J6SKW

The US elections are as tumultuous and unpredictable as ever, with the entering of anti-establishment candidates such as Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders into the presidential race (perhaps reflecting people's growing weariness involving the nature of politicians).

With the youth of America campaigning for Sanders, Matteo Bellani J6PCM argues Hillary's case. On the other side of the spectrum, the quiet ultraconservative candidate Ted Cruz is on the rise and Cruz-ite Leon Clark J6SKW tells us why he should be considered.

2015 was a hall of mirrors. Terror and violence dominated the headlines; the unimaginable became material on the streets of Paris and in countless other places around the world, yet humanity made remarkable advancements in the fields of DNA, in fighting against cancer, promoting human rights, ended the Ebola outbreak and marked the 70 years since the end of the world’s costliest conflict to Man. As ever, there seems to be a flip side to every success and every glimpse of hope.

And when one asks “why, this mortal squall?”, there is a knee-jerk reaction to every crisis or perplexity there exists: to throw money at it, and hope it goes away. A good, yet perhaps exaggerated example can be seen in a certain Mr. Trump across the pond. Amongst his many faculties, including the presence of hair on his head which resembles more a floor-cleaning device/carpet/Persian rug than a haircut, and which which makes Boris’s look like a masterpiece, his policies include building a wall to border Mexico–or in his very words: “I will build a great wall—and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me—and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall”.

He has also, perhaps more sinisterly, pledged to deport all Muslims from the country and those pending deportation to wear identification. Yet somehow, this man moved from the space of ridicule to the reality of becoming the likeliest Republican to be elected President of the United States: the world’s most powerful head of state. But how? On 23rd February, he answered this question. Having won the Nevada Caucus, at his victory speech he proclaimed: "We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated.” Funny and ridiculous and rude as this may seem, here Mr Trump has cracked the code.

Through a clever combination of advertising, self-aggrandising and preying on the stereotypes prevalent in the United States, Donald Trump has come to be unstoppable.

He has preyed on the misconceptions common in the less-educated sectors of American society, turning the headlines of radical terrorism into “the hatefulness of Islam” and mass migration from war zones into “job-stealing immigrants”. This view, though to us quite wrong, to a number of America’s population, a country in which the news is privately funded by political interests such as

Hillary Clinton Despite the scandals hanging over her, I’m still supporting Hillary Clinton for president. Hillary’s a resilient and intelligent woman who has spent 25 years in the Washington machine, so admittedly her message isn’t too exciting but that’s because she understands the limitations of the current political climate. Clinton is passionate for change–ranked 10th most liberal Senator during her time in the Senate–which her record clearly demonstrates: upon leaving Yale Law School, she went to South Carolina to investigate and make changes to juvenile sentencing as well as exposing segregation in schools in Alabama after it was made illegal. In Arkansas, she provided free legal advice to families who couldn’t afford it and reformed the school system there; as First Lady she brought healthcare to eight million children in need and

Trump’s, is all that they are exposed to. And though we might say that Trump’s policies are unfounded and uneducated, that is precisely why they are so successful. They are the “easy way” to deal with the world’s problems; by looking through a lens through which the world appears in black and white.

Quite strikingly, Trump came to such fortitude on the 70th anniversary of defeating the similarly narrowminded view that Nazi Germany took to minorities. Yet he did so for the same reason, and with the same strategy: misinforming and preying on the poorly-educated. The solution seems simple: educate. Correct what’s wrong. Do not stand by. Do not be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. If these three steps were taken in Nazi Germany, it is likely that the Nazis would not have ascended to power, or that if they did, they wouldn’t have lasted for long. The reason this didn’t happen was the indoctrination of the German people.

It started, irreversibly, in schools.

Maths textbooks taught aiming with artillery and compulsory literature included Mein Kampf. The young generation that grew from this was frighteningly obedient to Hitler and would later prove invaluable to

carrying out Hitler’s evil deeds. Jews and Slavs were portrayed in stereotypes as wretched and conspiring.

Then Hitler offered an “easy way”: extermination. The people then took it because it was easier to allow it then to intervene. They lived in blissful ignorance. The ensuing horrors made the world swear: “Never again”, though the route to such horror, we are beginning to see materialise before us. To actually achieve “never again”, we must stop living in the blissful ignorance that, slowly but surely, many parts of society are slipping into. From Rwanda in 1994, to Bosnia, in even recent times, the consequences of such ignorance and the unwillingness to enquire or to challenge is all too obvious.

The moral is simple. Blissful ignorance does not equal a blissful future. Governments must be willing to divert enough funds to education to inform and instil value systems which create more harmonious and inclusive societies.

As Walter Cronkite said: “Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”

As Stephen Fry said: “If ignorance is bliss, why aren’t there more happy people in the world?”

made an influential speech at the UN declaring “women’s rights are human rights”; as Secretary of State, she championed LGBT and Women’s rights as well as working for an “AIDS Free Generation”. I believe she has common-sense solutions to problems everyday Americans face and can work to preserve Obama’s legacy as well as building on it by using her Republican contacts from her time in the Senate to break the gridlock. A Clinton presidency would be a truly great one as it would be one where barriers are torn down so that everyone can live up to their potential.

choose Cruz is he is a fierce conservative–his voting record is 97% conservative and his adult life has been dedicated to protecting the Constitution and The Bill of Rights. Moreover, he can beat Hillary Clinton; Cruz has been attacked by the left, the right and the media for three years, yet he still beats Hillary in the polls, with Hillary yet to answer for her corruption, emails and covering up her husband’s sexual assaults. Today, America is flooded with problems, ranging from illegal immigration and debt to a soon nuclear Iran and a stagnant economy and Cruz is the only candidate that can save America from the America-hating left and return the land of the free to its principles of individual liberty, small government and morality. The last time the Republican Party nominated a conservative, Ronald Reagan, in 1980, he won two landslide victories and brought years of prosperity.

Cruz is Reagan on steroids.

Ted Cruz Why vote for Ted Cruz? Firstly, the man is a leader: he has led the fights against immigration reform, Planned Parenthood, gun control and countless other issues in the Senate, often standing alone, earning the scorn of both Democrats and the Republican leadership. The second reason to

8 | Wednesday 24 February 2016

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

An Islamic view on women’s rights Zayd Ahmed 2A

The extent of women’s rights around the world is an important indicator in understanding global well-being.

A major women’s rights treaty was signed by most of the world’s nations a few decades ago. Yet, despite many successes in enforcing woman’s rights, numerous issues still exist in almost all areas of life for women, whether it be social, economic or political. These issues crop up in every nation around the world, even our own – there is no single culprit.

However, the people, or groups, that take most of the blame are the religious ones. And of these, the monotheistic religion of Islam definitely takes the most.

We have all heard of extremist ‘Islamic’ groups such as IS and the

Taliban, who kill people according to their religion, and are extreme malesupremacists. These groups may give you a tainted view of how Islam, and religion in general gives more importance to men than to women, yet according to religious texts this is not true. Carla Power, a non-Muslim Western journalist, recently started a study on the Quran in order to discern if there was any evidence encouraging extremist and terrorist activity and the active oppression of women, only to conclude her study in vain. What she actually found is that Islam strongly discourages violence and prejudice, with the word ‘Islam’ itself meaning peace and submission to god.

In this study of the Quran, which commenced in 2012, Carla worked with a Sheikh (religious scholar)

bearing the name of Mohammad Akram Nadwi. When Carla’s friends started asking her questions, she directed them right at the Sheikh and one of the questions that caught her attention was: 'Why do Muslim men treat women so badly?' All too often, people read the Koran selectively, the Sheikh explained, taking phrases out of context. The ‘issue’ of women’s rights in Islam is partly due to great misunderstandings and mistakes, coupled with the misbehaviour of some Muslims which has been taken to represent the teachings of Islam.

The primary source of all Islamic knowledge comes from the Quran, which Muslims believe is the actual word of God. The Quran’s message to men is to "Dwell with your wives in kindness for even if you hate them, you might

be hating someone in whom God has placed so much good… Women have the same rights (in relation to their husbands) as are expected in all decency from them.” These few translated sentences from the Quran tells us how Islam, and many other major religions, believe that both woman and men should have equal rights, and that religion as a whole does not encourage gender equality.While women’s lives have improved enormously in many ways, women still make up 70 per cent of the world’s poorest people and two-thirds of those who cannot read and write and there is a danger that some of the rights they have won are slipping away. The true question that everyone must ask themselves when discussing gender rights is this: who is to blame?

ISIS’s growing child army Alex Persianis J6CRW

As ISIS continues to grow in the East, it has begun to expand its military; now forcing children and adolescents alike to take part in their brutal war of attrition. A recent study carried out by Unicef’s Peter Salama has indicated that over 400 children have been killed on the battlefield in the past year, excluding deaths that have come as a result of the 4,000 school attacks. Salama describes ISIS’ insistence on training the youth as “insidious” and condemns their violation of human rights.

Often abducted and placed on the front line, many of the children are relentlessly forced to confront enemies of ISIS, with the majority of the younglings under the age of 15. Many of these children have received little to no education and have no future or prospects outside the army. Over 4.5 million children in Syria are located in areas which are hard to reach and cannot be retrieved without risking the possibility of conflict. A recent conference in London has placed a large amount of pressure on Unicef to fund education and has aimed to educate around 3 million Syrian children. The UN is attempting to raise around £806 million pounds to fund human rights both in Syria and in other nations, as well as trying to pour money into Syria’s education system, in the hopes that children can be educated and can gain the skills to eventually lead a far different life.

The migrant crisis Pranaven Tharmarasa 1B

Why is Islamic State so hard to defeat?

Gabriel Shear J6AJB

The terror attacks in Paris on Friday 13th November 2015, which killed over 120 people and injured many more reflect a turning point in the West’s effort to crush the Islamic State. Following the attacks, France, the United States and the UK all stepped up their efforts, with Parliament passing legislation legalising airstrikes over Syria. Francois Hollande declared France to be ‘at war’ with IS following the attacks, and Barack Obama declared that France and the US would be engaging in a ‘joint response’ against ISIL. Initially focused on expanding into a worldwide Sharia-based caliphate and eradicating all opposition, the group has changed its strategy and is now staging attacks on opponents outside the region. ISIL might resemble a regular terrorist group, but dealing with it is much more complicated than the elimination of a typical organisation, such as Al-Qaeda or Al Shabaab.

ISIS is not a simple terrorist group.

It consists of cells and affiliates reminiscent of the IRA or Al-Qaeda, but

it also administers the entire region encompassed by its ‘caliphate’, including the maintenance of a military network, and the transportation of basic goods such as food, water and oil. Therefore, ISIL is an amalgam of statehood and terrorism, making its defeat all the more challenging. ISIL benefits from its skilled recruitment methods, using the internet to draw in a steady flow of budding terrorists with the dissemination of brutal beheading videos, as well as its Englishlanguage magazine, Dabiq.

The IRA held an archetypical terrorist group structure: there was a strict hierarchy, its undertakings were highly secretive and recruitment was competitive and selective.

That transparent leadership design meant that strategies of ‘beheading’ the organisation with the assassination of the leadership usually resulted in the discontinuing of a terrorist organisation’s rise, and thus made their survival dependent upon their leaders’ wellbeing. ISIS has been able to endure for longer by introducing a more horizontal hierarchical system, meaning that eliminating one cell doesn’t affect the organisation’s

strength. This means that while coalition airstrikes on ISIL have killed notable figureheads such as Abu Nabil in December, their effect is decreased by the instant appearance of new cells ready to die for the group.

ISIL also thrives due to its constant stream of income. Most terrorist groups around the world rely on organised crime, such as heroin distribution, to fund their activities.

However, ISIS has the power to be more flexible with its finance. Much of it comes from the expansive oil and gas reservoirs that have fallen under the borders of the territory. In addition, ISIL has been able to take control of banks, and repossess economic assets, as well as kidnapping foreign nationals for ransom and benefiting from donations. By not relying on foreign funding, the group is not at risk of downfall from a sudden loss of support. Criminal opportunities offering pecuniary windfall motivate the group, providing a constant flow of revenue to fund further attacks.

Though the organisation is transnational and cellular, it also has a healthy structure capable of planning intricate attacks and offering

the financial support necessary to inflict maximum damage. The one thing uniting the entire terrorist network is the ideology of radical Islam, prevalent since the religion’s roots in the 7th century. It is often noted that ideologies are notoriously difficult to eliminate, and the story with ISIL is no different.

Simply killing ISIS’s top leaders and destroying its resources and supply lines will inevitably prove to be ineffective. Despite possessing an armed corps estimated to be only 50,000 men strong, against an international coalition of over 60 countries, ISIS is still going strong, and shows no signs of going away: it has made ventures into Libya and the Balkans, providing more headaches for Western leaders.

While a negotiated ceasefire between Russian-backed government forces and recognised rebels will go some way towards making the fight against ISIS easier, a more inventive form of warfare will be needed to tackle this very modern threat.

More than a million migrants have been compelled to leave their home country, due to war, financial difficulties or other issues, so they come to Europe. This sparks crisis for countries as they try to cope with the influx.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said that the total amount of refugees and migration coming into Europe has illegally passed over 1,000,000. The majority have arrived by sea. In 2015 there have been 1,015,078 arrivals by sea, and the winter hasn’t halted many voyages as there have already been 80,754 arrivals by sea in 2016.

The main sources of the surge of migrants are: Syria because of the conflicts of war; Afghanistan due to the ongoing violence; Eritrea because of the abuse and Kosovo due to common poverty. Most of them come via the Mediterranean Sea. They pay thousands of pounds for smugglers to get them into countries such as Greece.

The EU states have started to devise a plan with Turkey. Their deal could stem the wave of migrants coming in. Many migrants come in from Turkey hoping to get into Austria and Germany so tightening security there could have a big effect, although this plan has still not been agreed on.

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | 9

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Fukushima: five years on

Crimean Crisis: 24 months later

Santiago Tricks and Alex Bridges 2S

Freddie Bartlett-Evans J6KPR

On March 11 2011 at 2:46 pm disaster struck Japan. An earthquake, 9.0 on the Richter scale, which the epicentre was just 130 km away from the large city Sendai in north Japan, struck. It lasted six minutes but then an even bigger danger was charging at 700 kilometres an hour towards the coast. A giant tsunami 128 feet high (39m) reached the coast at 2:53 pm.

This flooded areas nearly 10km inland and affected the coast of Hawaii and other coastal areas of the US. When hit it caused a nuclear meltdown within the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant. The tsunami destroyed the cooling systems for the spent fuel ponds (when nuclear fuel cannot be used any more, it is sealed in secure containers and usually placed in deep pools that prevent the local area from radiation and eliminate fire risk).

When the fuel ponds lost coolant, diesel generators kicked in and tried to power the cooling system.

This would have worked, but for the fact that the tsunami destroyed the diesel generators. The resulting disaster was relatively well contained, but even so, it was the only nuclear disaster to receive a Level 7 classification-the worst of the worst, on par with Chernobyl. This led to 15,893 people to die and around 23,000 lost their homes and where evacuated.

Now, five years on, how has Japan progressed from this devastating incident?

Five years have now passed since the disaster and Japan seems to be

working its way towards reconstructing new communities. Although there have been delays in rebuilding them there has been some significant progress in the reconstruction and restoration of essential services in towns and communities along the battered coastline. The Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) has been instrumental in rebuilding hospitals, medical facilities, kindergartens and public housing. Most of these largescale reconstruction projects are either finished or nearing completion.

On the other hand though, 160,000 people remain in council houses or state funded homes.

The big danger still remains of all the nuclear waste that was left in the area. Japan have used some significant techniques to help judge how dangerous the most radioactive areas remain. Methods included using a snake shaped robot and an improved method to remove radioactive caesium from soil.

Controversially Japan has reopened there first nuclear power plant since the disaster in the southern region of Kyoto. The Japanese public have strongly expressed their opposition to this. Also a recent study has shown that it will take decades to clear out all the nuclear waste from the area and make it safe to live in.

Though Japan has made progress to move forward from the disaster lots of work still has to be done to fully recover from what it has caused.

In March 2014 the world held their breath over the increasing tensions between Russia and the West over Crimea, but what has happened in the two years since then?

Crimea had been a part of Russia until 1954 when the Soviet Union decided to hand the province over to the Ukraine. The crisis began in November 2013 when the previous president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, renounced a financial agreement with the European Union which would otherwise bring Ukraine closer into Europe, thus maintaining the Ukraine’s ties with Russia. Following this, Ukrainians from across the country began protesting against this decision, and these were met with harsh reactions from the Ukrainian police force. 88 civilians were killed during two days of intense protesting which resulted in political outcry from across the globe. This forced Yanukovych to flee from the country, creating a temporary vacuum in which a ProEuropean government was formed.

This angered Russia, who sent troops into Crimea under the pretence that they were protecting Russianspeaking citizens in Crimea, and

forced a referendum which would decide whether Crimea should remain a part of the Ukraine or join the Russian Federation. 97% voted in favour of joining Russia. Some argued this was due to the vast majority of Russian speakers in the Ukraine, while the West attacked Russia for the occupation, claiming that the election had been rigged.

Two years on, there are still mixed feelings from Crimeans and a bitter taste in the West’s mouth. Many Crimeans who voted in favour of the move to Russia feel that they aren’t being given the support they expected from Russia: ‘Crimea deserves more than it has got over the past two years, it should have been an example region of what can be done ... instead it feels like we are Russia’s unloved stepdaughter’ complains Leonid Grach, the last communist leader of Crimea. His views seem to echo many Crimeans. Sergei Aksyonov, who is the current regional governor, is supposed to have been previously involved with criminal organisations. There are multiple other complaints of corruption within the country: ‘The money has not gone to solve problems but has lined the pockets of the Crimean nouveaux riches’ argues Grach, whilst a citizen

who was pro-Russian during the referendum now protests that ‘It’s a government of goblins’.

The region has been struggling financially following economic sanctions by the West, and a mass blackout was caused after Ukrainian political activists destroyed pipelines entering Crimea. This does not mean that Crimeans necessarily regret the decision of the referendum–many feel even more distanced from the Ukraine than to the sanctions, and a monument has even been built to commemorate the Russian troops who helped to annex Crimea, but there may still be a feeling of disappointment over the current state of affairs. There have even been reports of increased censorship in the region – a drama school has been compelled to close due to its apparent encouragement of Ukrainian nationalism – which could add to this feeling.

Many people in the West still feel that Crimea’s annexation to Russia was undemocratic and unjust, and there is some discontent among the citizens of Crimea. However, perhaps the West should come to accept the fact that many Crimeans are pro-Russian and are very comfortable with the move, even if slightly dissatisfied.

Fashion victims in the global economy Will Evans S6 JPS

History reveals the many and varied dangers involved in being a slave to fashion. Highly toxic arsenic was used to dye Victorian clothes a fashionable green; hazard-ous chromium salts were used in leather tanning and the textile dyeing process; poisonous lead was commonly used in paints to embellish surfaces such as buckles and fastenings. Lewis Carroll's Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland displays the classic signs of mercury poisoning: erratic behaviour, trembling and irritability. Mercury was used in the lengthy felting process which treated the fur of small animals and hat-makers therefore experienced prolonged exposure to mercury vapours, making the profession a highly hazardous occupation. In fact, even now exposure to histori-cal artefacts such as felted Victorian hats and textiles or costumes containing haz-ardous substances is still considered risky. Such dangers, sadly, are not confined to history. In 2013, Indian made belts on sale at ASOS were found to contain radioac-tive Cobalt-60, leading to a worldwide product recall.

The garment manufacturing industry epitomises the essence of globalisation. A world market of consumers, linked by a global culture, fed by mass media, has ho-mogenised the way we look and has made branding ubiquitous. Massive fashion consumption in wealthier countries, however, is wholly dependent on cheap labour in developing countries.

The sometimes tragic, often difficult plight of the textile worker is nothing new. In Das Kapital (1867), Karl Marx used fashion, with its rapid pace of change, as a metaphor for–and an indictment of–capitalist society: 'The

THE CITY OF LONDON SCHOOL presents a STUDENT PRODUCTION of

GRAHAM LINEHAN’S murderous, meaningless caprices of fashion'. He saw fashion itself as the generator of the Industrial Revolution and thus responsible for the exploitation and alienation of factory labour. The global landscape of textile production today means that gar-ments are manufactured in low cost economies such as Vietnam, India, Bangladesh and China where conditions may sometimes be no less exploitative than those in the 'dark Satanic mills' of Victorian England.

In Bangladesh, for example, infamous for the disastrous 2013 factory collapse in which over 1000 garment workers died and thousands more were injured, rock bottom wages of about £70 per month, around half the amount considered a living wage for the country, have helped to push the garment industry to prominence and it accounts for 80% of all national exports.

While global clothing brands have scrambled to take increased responsibility for their supply chains since then, including an awareness of the environmental impact of their activities, it is sobering as a consumer to remind oneself of the very real dangers still involved in the manufacture of our clothes.

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10 | Wednesday 24 February 2016

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Whatever happened to a simple boycott?

Sam Rubinstein 4H

‘Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it.’ So said the American author Mark Twain, and yet, metaphorically speaking, the entire modern day adult population is confined to consuming only purées and breast milk.

The relatively recent phenomenon of censorship frequents all walks of modern life, but it perhaps presents itself best in Britain’s precious universities, where the institutions that were once lauded for being dynamic environments where intellectuals could share their thoughts and have their ideas challenged have morphed into dull ‘safe-spaces’, where young men and women on the threshold of adulthood can carry on picking and choosing the facts and opinions they encounter. The rise of ‘no-platforming’ in universities is at best pathetic and at worst a dangerous witch-hunt after those deemed politically incorrect. The removal of an individual’s right to freedom of expression is just as corrosive to society as any other heinous act that flies in the face of the freedom of speech that is a tenet of the democracy we all hold dear.

One month ago, a group of students at the London School of Economics, exasperated by the Student Union’s attack on debate and discussion, created a Free Speech Society. ‘Just say no to No Platform’ reads its green and white banner. As if to prove the point of its founders, students are now (somewhat ironically) voting on whether or not the society should be banned.

It wouldn’t be the first time that a Student Union has banned a society, ideology, or speaker. There have always been bans in place against neo-Nazism and radical Islam, but it is only fairly recently when this ban has (in some cases) extended to Zionism, to euroscepticism, to anti-feminism. Take the vehement anti-feminist Milo Yiannopoulos, for

example, who has been banned from speaking at Manchester University; despite being over 20 years old, these students are still apparently incapable of hearing an opinion that differs from their own. As a feminist myself, I would be more than happy to listen to one of Yiannopoulos’ riveting talks – if only to point out the insufferably blatant flaws of his arguments.

Here’s the strange bit, though. It’s not just the right-wingers that the traditionally liberal student unions are hunting down. In what can only be considered a bizarre and unexpected twist, the angry mob has turned its torches and pitchforks on the progressives, the feminists, the secularists alongside the likes of Yiannopoulos. For example, last October the feminist writer Julie Bindel was banned from speaking at Manchester University following a judgment courtesy of its Student Union claiming that her views on transgender people could ‘incite hatred towards trans students’. It is worth noting that Bindel – who won Stonewall’s Journalist of the Year award in 2008 and is ranked 88th on the Independent’s ‘Pink List’ of the most influential LGBT people in Britain - has rarely even commented on transsexuality, and should be celebrated for her momentous work in lesbian rights and for her law-reform group Justice for Women, which opposes violence against women and helps those who have been prosecuted for killing violent male partners.

This story gets stranger and stranger, as the feminist and Islamic societies of Goldsmiths College bonded over a mutual disdain over Maryam Namazie, an Iranian born secularist who campaigns against Islamic extremism. For reasons that I cannot quite fathom, these two student organisations considered her lecture on ‘apostasy, blasphemy and free expression in the age of ISIS’ ‘Islamophobic’.

As the British Humanist Association pointed out, ‘to argue that someone

“By taking away their platform in its entirety, you not only admit defeat; you gnaw at the freedom of speech that illuminates modern democracy” speaking out against the harms of any ideology should be banned from even having their ideas heard is Kafkaesque’. ‘Too often we see insecure student groups try to assert control over spheres of discussion through cynical maneuvers asserting ‘safe spaces,’’ the deservedly irritated humanists go on to say.

It’s not that difficult. If you passionately disagree with a speaker at university, then by all means boycott them. Encourage your peers not to attend the talk – maybe even debate against them, if your convictions are strong enough. Go to the talk, and call them out on their mistakes, just as I’d

love to do with Mr. Yiannopoulos.

Prove them wrong, and humiliate them. But by taking away their platform in its entirety, you not only admit defeat; you gnaw at the freedom of speech that illuminates modern democracy, and you create a generation of immature, arrogant halfwits who are yet to have been exposed to anything remotely ‘controversial’.

Universities are not supposed to be safe from ideas. Universities are where ideas should be challenged.

Continuing with Twain’s analogy, the entire modern day adult population is confined to consuming only purées and breast milk because we choose to pander to the babies.

‘A university is not a “safe space”,’ tweets the oft-outspoken biologist Richard Dawkins. ‘If you need a safe space, leave, go home, hug your teddy & suck your thumb until ready for university.’ If the system allows an entire generation to grow into their early twenties without ever having their opinions, ideas and beliefs challenged and questioned, then the system has failed. So if you are genuinely opposed to a speaker then choose a more sensible, mature course of action. After all, whatever happened to a simple boycott?

Last week, over 500 delegates from 70 countries convened in New York for the UN Youth Assembly. The focus was on young people’s role in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN’s long-term plan for tackling such global issues as poverty, inequality and climate change. With inevitably varied backgrounds, delegates shared little in common, except for a unanimous appreciation of the importance of the SDGs and the role of youth in their achievement.

The two-day conference was an undeniable success, with renowned panellists and engaging delegates all keen to share their experiences and passions. But seeing little value of dwelling on such evident positives, I would like to remark upon three observations which must be addressed in order to accelerate the progress which our planet requires.

1. Education is the first step onto the ladder of engagement In the past, the phrase ‘youth engagement’ could often have seemed oxymoronic. No longer. More and more, people are starting to realise that it makes sense for us to have a say in the world which we will inherit. The problem, however, is in that young people’s interest in issues on such a vast scale is formed too late. Indeed,

while anyone between 16 and 26 was invited to apply for the Youth Assembly, very few of the attendees were still at school.

I think that part of this, especially in more developed countries where extreme poverty isn’t so visible an issue, is down to the education system.

So often, as is the case in England, children are passed through primary school with a minimal (if any) focus on poverty. We are taught that water is H2O before learning that over 600 million people don’t have access to it.

We are well-versed in Shakespeare before learning that over 700 million people can’t read. Even before we go to secondary school, we have been educated based on a distorted view of modern priorities. To create a generation of teenagers aspiring to fix the world’s problems, education must be the first thing we look at.

2. A bigger picture greater than the sum of its individual parts In the run-up to the finalising of the SDGs, everyone wanted to get a word in. It’s understandable – everyone had their own ‘favourite issue’ and wanted to see it emphasised strongly in this vital document. In many ways, this was a very healthy state of affairs–with people discussing all these issues, awareness was spread for each of them. But now the goals have been decided, this attitude must

Jake Simms J6SKW

A small Tara Air airliner in Nepal carrying 23 people has crashed into a mountain near Kathmandu today, killing all on board. Despite the Tara Air spokesman, Bhim Rai, claiming that the weather was clear for the flight, air traffic controllers lost connection with the vehicle after 8 minutes and the rescue effort has been hampered by foggy weather.

Tara Air is a sub-company of Yeti Airlines, who are notorious for being unsafe, with another fatal accident having occurred in 2010. With Nepal still recovering from the devastating earthquake of last April, incidents such as this have damaged its tourist industry – indeed a City of London trip to Nepal in 2014 used the same airline. While the cause of the crash is still under investigation, previous incidents have been put down to inexperienced pilots, bad weather and maintenance problems. In 2013, the European Union banned all Nepalese airlines flying to their territory and indeed there have been 70 crashes since 1949. While the victims have not yet been identified, the effects on the families will surely be devastating and it has to be a matter of time before the Nepalese government carry out decisive action to prevent such events happening again in the future.

A microcosm of the world's biggest economic power Barney McDowall 3H

The building blocks of sustainable development George Rosenfeld J6WER

Nepal plane crash kills 23

change, lest we start pitting global problems against each other.

At the Youth Assembly, it was unsurprising that every delegate, including me, was particularly passionate about one or two of the goals.

Indeed, it is this issue-specific focus from which an overall desire for global improvement stems. It is undeniable, however, that there is no single goal which isn’t implicitly linked to another. I agreed entirely with Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, when he said “The SDGs are an indivisible tapestry of priorities for collective action.” By way of an example, Goal 6 (water and sanitation) is closely connected with goals on poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, good jobs, wealth inequality and sustainable cities. Need I go on? The point is that whilst individual goals provide a focus to inspire and engage people, such a narrow viewpoint risks bypassing the inherent interdependence of the SDGs.

3. Rich countries must roll their sleeves up My final observation was that at the Youth Assembly, there was a shocking underrepresentation of Europeans. Admittedly, I didn’t have a chance to speak to everyone, but I met more delegates from Afghanistan than the whole of Europe. Whilst this clearly may have been an isolated example, it exposes a

broader pattern – people from richer countries tend to ‘take action’ less. It only takes a brief glance at history to see that those who have experienced greater hardship have had a greater influence – take Mandela, Malala and Gandhi as examples.

This long-standing trend will be highlighted now more than ever if we fail to address the imbalance.

The SDGs’ prequel (Millennium Development Goals) placed a far higher emphasis on the role of rich countries to fund the changes, whereas the SDGs require a far more integrated approach, with all countries taking an active role in the physical implementation of the changes.

For generations, anti-internationalists have been arguing that rich countries support the poorer ones too much, saying that ‘charity starts at home.’ But the time has come when we can no longer fight ‘each for their own’. Technology has shrunken the planet down to the size of a smartphone, and just in time too. We have reached crossroads in the future of our civilisation – as the UN Envoy on Youth said: “We are the first generation which can end extreme poverty and the last which can end climate change.” The time to act is now and we need to work together. If charity ever did start at home, it’s time to step outside the front door.

At the American festival Mardi Gras, plastic beads are carved and sold in return for ‘flashing’. The beads are given away by the thousands at the festival there. However, they are made in a factory in China; more specifically, at the Tai Kuen Bead Factory in Fuzhau where the conditions inside the factory are cramped, overly-loud and dangerous. There are many work stations where the actual beads are made–however, a worker said that there was the possibility of getting your hand chopped off. Also, all of the machines going at the same time make ear-deafening sounds and the long hours sitting down are back-breaking work. A typical worker may have started work at 14 years old and their day will go something like this: rise at 5:45am, begin working at 6:45am, then from there it is usually a 14 hour work day.

Tabs are kept on the ‘lazy’ workers and sometimes money is taken out of their salary. The punishment and reward system works as follows: poor work means a 5% pay decrease and good work results in a 10% increase.

Quotas have to be met yet they are mostly realistic as the majority of workers reach them.

The Bead Factory is in China due to several reasons; One of these is that it is a lot cheaper as the corporate tax rates are much lower abroad. Also, there is a higher demand for jobs and the government are likely to accept as it raises the economic profile for the country. However, one of the cons of globalisation is how it affects the MEDC. This is that when the factory moves abroad, many people lose their jobs. While globalisation may give people jobs and raise the economy of developing countries, it might not be good for the workers of the LEDC as they can receive very poor treatment in the workplace.

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | 11

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

The Tory-Google tax deal disgrace Rufus Pickles J6JTC

The recent tax deal that George Osborne secured with Google is the latest in a long line of tax evasion cases that stretch back through the Coalition government’s term and the New Labour years. On this occasion after many meetings with Osborne Google paid a staggeringly low £130m of tax on £9.6bn worth of profit in 2014 as well as all the profits which they haven’t declared in the past. To put this in perspective £130m of tax amounts to around 3% of the profits that Google should have been taxed on in the last decade.

To fully understand why this deal was so pitiful and shameful a number of factors should be taken into account. Firstly it should be stated that

this deal is a symptom of the often too friendly relationship between large corporations and the political establishment. In the lead up to the ‘sweetheart’ deal, senior Conservatives met with Google executives 25 times.

The Google chairman, Eric Schmidt spent five years as the business adviser to the Prime-Minister from 2009 to 2015. He has given a keynote speech at the Tory Conference. David Cameron met with Google executives three times after he was elected as Prime Minister.

An example of the influence that Google wields on the Conservative party can be seen in a recent Observer investigation into the Tories’ efforts to protect the Google tax haven of Bermuda. Tory MEPs have lobbied the EU to remove

Merkel will be remembered for her compassion, not her popularity Jake Simms J6SKW

You could very easily be forgiven for thinking that Angela Merkel’s response to the refugee crisis has been a disaster. Over half the German population think she should resign, the far right are riding high in the polls at her party’s expense and politicians, including the German president, have distanced themselves from her policies. Someone who was deemed to be the most powerful person in Europe just 2 years ago is now teetering on the verge of collapse and while the 2017 federal elections will almost definitely finish her off, many doubt she will last that long. And yet what we have witnessed over the past 12 months is an incredibly rare display of heroism from a politician, where she has put virtue and common sense above her own career prospects.

Adopting an open door immigration policy has given over a million refugees fleeing devastating wars and climate change a safe place and the opportunity to restart their life.

Indeed, Merkel has led by example in maintaining our cherished European values of openness and kindness, when so many others turned their back on the worst humanitarian crisis in decades. If every European leader had done what David Cameron refused to do and sign up to the EU’s quota system, Europe would have been able to absorb the influx of refugees and avoid the disastrous situation we now find ourselves in.

While many are quick to say that we can only take a certain amount without inconveniencing ourselves, they miss the blindingly obvious point that if the refugees don’t come here, they are forced somewhere else. And that ‘somewhere else', more often than not, is the developing world. Despite what the right wing media are implying, over 80% of refugees, mostly Syrian, have settled in neighboring, developing countries.

The strain that this has put on countries such as Egypt, Iraq and Jordan is enormous, yet these countries keep their borders open because it is the right thing to do. These nations, and indeed Germany, are putting Britain to shame.

The question should not be: is it convenient for us to take them, but what is the alternative? As one of the richest countries in the world, that alternative is almost invariably worse.

We cannot possibly justify allowing

just 20,000 refugees into Britain in the next five years while Lebanon, a country with a population of just 4 million, takes a million. In what world can that possibly be fair, practical or just? Germany have led the way in showing what is possible and necessary and while many are quick to point to the sexual attacks carried out in Cologne, to stereotype all refugees as primitive barbarians is unhelpful at best and outstandingly racist at worst. Britain have been one of the leaders in providing financial support to relief efforts in helping refugees, but it is time we cut out the close-mindedness of advocating ‘practical solutions’, and open our borders to those who have risked their lives to get here.

Why then, is Angela Merkel being scapegoated for her noble efforts?

While it is easy to point the finger at xenophobia and German nationalism, the truth is that people have some genuine concerns, particularly over integration and the ability to house them. What I am not doing is dismissing these concerns, but pointing out that all these issues will be magnified tenfold if we leave it to poor, developing countries to shoulder the burden instead. Accurate estimates put the refugee presence in Britain at 0.18% of the population. In Lebanon, a country far poorer than Britain, the figure is 30%. Experts are calling the situation there an “existential crisis”, and yet they continue to do all they can. What excuse do we have now?

Britain is a country characterised and defined by immigration. You would have to go a long way to find someone who could not trace their roots back to one country or another.

Furthermore, immigrants play a vital role in upholding our social services, paying taxes into the treasury, and bolstering our national prosperity.

Merkel is a lone figure, but is on the right side of the argument. History will view her extremely kindly as one of the driving forces behind solving this refugee crisis. The redistribution of refugees will invariably continue to be a problem until peace in the Middle East is secured. In the meantime there are real people that need our help, and Angela Merkel deserves real credit for all she has done in the face of inevitable electoral suicide. So when the U.N top migration official, Peter Sutherland, calls her ‘a hero’, who can honestly disagree?

Bermuda from the European list of blacklisted tax havens. These same MEPS were told to vote against EU proposals to clamp down on aggressive corporate tax evasion.

This evidence would back up John Mcdonnell, the shadow chancellor’s words that ‘we can’t have mate’s rates when it comes to taxes’.

The second factor that has contributed to this deal is the appalling state of HMRC. It has been cut back massively over the last few years with 13,000 jobs lost in the first few years of the Coalition’s austerity package. HMRC has been given resource spending cuts of 15% and 44% capital spending cuts. On top of this the government body is seriously lacking investment. It has long ago fallen behind the accounting and tax avoidance industry which is made up of what the BBC investigative journalist Michael Robinson described as the ‘well-paid armies of lawyers and accountants which large companies and banks now muster to help cut their taxes’.

However the Tories cannot be solely blamed for the deteriorating state of HMRC. Since 2005 during the last Labour government HMRC has had to cut half of its workforce. The lack of a properly funded and equipped tax collection body has contributed significantly to this recent example of Google tax evasion.

The third reason for explaining the deal is the darkest. There is an ideological opposition to proper levels of corporation tax by the current Conservative Party. David Cameron and George Osborne view tax as a form of theft. Their ideological ancestor Margaret Thatcher claimed that you could always spend the pound in your pocket better than the state can. Pressure groups such as the Taxpayer's Alliance that develop Conservative policy have visions of abolishing all tax with flat tax rates.

Osborne has is aims set on a ‘low tax, low welfare society’ and the Google tax is in his eyes an insignificant issue in his ideological priorities. Less tax revenues mean less spending and more austerity to cut back the state further.

Anniversary of emancipation of the serfs Will Evans S6JPS

Last week, the 155th anniversary of the emancipation of the serfs in Russia passed. Had it not been for the October Revolution in 1917, this might have been the most momentous occasion in Russia history.

Under Alexander II’s guidance, over 20 million serfs – approximately 35% of the population–were granted freedom from their feudal masters and a limited degree of civic rights.

While the idea of emancipating the serfs had been under consideration since the days of Alexander I and the Napoleonic Wars, it was not until Alexander II’s reign, half a century later, that the serfs were granted their freedom. Emancipation also laid the groundwork for further reform to many aspects of Russian society, including the law courts, local government and army. While the serfs may have been emancipated on paper, the terms imposed on them were highly restrictive largely due to the fact it was their former masters, the nobility, who implemented emancipation.

The redemption payments they had to provide their erstwhile lords with, for example, often forced the supposedly free peasants to remain tied to

the land they had worked as a serf to cover the costs of these payment.

For this reason, history has often painted Alexander II in an unfavourable light, as a liberal Tsar unable to control a conservative nobility. However, this was not the case. While Alexander was, to some extent, influenced by liberal thought, he was by no means a radical Tsar, but compelled by necessity to make changes to Russia which remained mired in the quagmire of a deeply reactionary autocracy. Therefore, when Alexander emancipated the serfs he had to balance the desires of the serfs with the interests of his aristocracy, which were naturally at odds with one another. Alexander was not ignorant of the issues concerning emancipation: he had sat

on a government committee to consider the possibility of freeing the serfs during the reign of his father, Nicholas I, and was therefore aware of the requirements his emancipation decree would have to meet in order to be effective.

In being bold enough to remove what was an inhumane, economically detrimental and outdated medieval system, Alexander had to compromise and, as so often happens in such situations, neither party emerged satisfied. This leaves little room for praise, either from Alexander’s contemporaries or posterity. However, Alexander had chosen to end slavery in Russia nearly two years before Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in America. Indeed, while Alexander’s decree caused cases of unrest throughout patches of the empire, the issue of slavery in America had precipitated civil war.

The implementation of emancipation in Russia may not have solved all the issues blighting former serfs, yet Alexander was brave enough to undermine a fundamental pillar of Russian autocracy, which he himself was head of, to bring positive changes to Russia.

12 | Wednesday 24 February 2016

The CITIZEN

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Old Citizen: William Henry Perkin Sean White 4C

Quinine, in 1856, was a rare treatment for malaria, and needed in huge quantities by the European empirebuilding powers. Extremely hard to get, anyone who synthesised it artificially would get a fortune. However, when Old Citizen William Perkin took up the challenge he found something completely unexpected.

Quest for Quinine The cinchona tree was first discovered by the Quechua (an Inca tribe) of Peru. They used its bitter bark, mixed with sweetened water, to stop shivering. Its full potential was unlocked by Italian born apothecary and Jesuit priest, Agostino Salumbrino, who lived and worked in Lima. He observed how the Quechua tribe used the cinchona bark to stop shivering, and prescribed for malaria with it.

His experiments were successful, and in 1631 it was first used to treat malaria in Europe, in Rome. Throughout the 17th century, cinchona bark, called at that time Jesuit’s bark or Peruvian bark, was used as a cure for malaria in the swamp-ridden area surrounding Rome, as malaria had caused the deaths of many cardinals.

It saved the lives of many important figures, including King Charles II, which popularised the bark with affluent Londoners.

Quinine, the active ingredient in the cinchona bark, was not extracted until 1820, by two French chemists and pharmacists Pierre Joseph Pelletier and Joseph Bienaimé Caventou. Previous to this, the cinchona had been ground into a powder and dissolved in wine (as ethanol dissolved it better than water).

Quinine, in its pure form, allowed precise quantities of the cure to be measured out.

From Malaria to Mauve Enter William Perkin. Born in east London, near Shadwell, in 1838, he attended City of London School when he was 14, where he was encouraged by the school to pursue a career in chemistry. A year later,

he left, and joined the Royal College of Chemistry (now part of Imperial College London).

At the Royal College of Chemistry, Perkin became an assistant to the head of the College, August Wilhelm von Hofmann. Hofmann was interested in whether one could synthesis quinine from aniline, made from coal tar when gas was extracted, a waste product. Quinine and aniline were thought to have the same sort of chemical structure, and quinine was very expensive, but aniline cheap.

During the Easter of 1856, Hofmann went on a visit to Germany, and left Perkin to continue his investigations into aniline. Perkin tried to oxidise aniline using potassium dichromate (this was thought would make quinine). However, the chemicals reacted to leave a black sludge – not at all like the white powder that was quinine. However, Perkin persevered and after using ethanol he managed to extract a deep purple colour from the sludge. Intrigued, he found that it dyed silk and did not wash off.

At the age of 18, Perkin left from the Royal Society of Chemistry, and took out a patent for his new dye. With the help of his father and elder brother, both architects, he set up a dye works on the Grand Junction Canal, at Greenford. Calling his dye mauve or mauveine, it made an affordable replacement to ‘Tyrian purple’ a dye made from mucus secreted by certain molluscs, which was extremely expensive and variable in quality.

Mauve, named after the French for the mallow flower (a purple flower), was popularised when both the Empress Eugénie (wife of Napoleon III) and Queen Victoria wore it, as it was thought that mauve even looked better than Tyrian purple.

Perkin made brightly coloured clothing affordable for the masses.

After the success of mauve, Perkin continued researching aniline and managed to derive many more cheap synthetic dyes to replace the more expensive natural ones. These included aniline red (1859), aniline black (1863), alkalate magenta (1864), Britannia violet (late 1860s), Perkin’s

Yesterday, officials at the Royal Free Hospital confirmed that, once again, Pauline Cafferkey had been ‘transferred to the [Royal Free] Hospital due to a late complication from her previous infection by the Ebola virus’. Cafferkey was initially admitted to the Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital from where she was transferred to London by an RAF aircraft, and has been admitted by the Royal Free’s specialist unit for treatment in the UK. She is currently stable after a night in care, but is continuing to be under monitoring. Cafferkey has been in the news multiple times before, as one of the few Britons to contract the Ebola virus during the time of the outbreak in west Africa in 2014. At the time, Cafferkey had just returned from a deployment of UK medical staff to help at the Kerry Town Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone. She originally passed through safety screenings at Heathrow despite raising concerns about her temperature before returning to Glasgow where she was officially diagnosed with Ebola. Despite her condition deteriorating to the point of ‘critically ill’ she was successfully treated with a combination of experimental antivirus drugs, and plasma

from fellow nurse William Pooley who also recovered from the virus.

Despite almost a month in isolation, and being released declared free of infection from hospital, Cafferkey was readmitted to the Royal Free Hospital again in October 2015 when it emerged that some small levels of Ebola had remained inside her Central Nervous System that the previous anti-body treatment she was given was unable to treat. She was diagnosed with meningitis, and was treated with an experimental antiviral drug called GS5734 developed

by Gilead Science, with the hopes that this would help clear her completely of the virus which they had

The science behind gravitational waves Freddie Bartlett-Evans J6KPR

green (late 1860s), and a synthetic version of alizarin, a vibrant red colour previously derived from the Madder root (1869). In 1874, at the age of 36, after making a fortune from his dyes, Perkin sold his company and retired, as Germany had a near monopoly on all other dyes. In 1907, aged 69, he died from pneumonia and a burst appendix.

Perkin’s left a legacy of founding the synthetic dye industry, and showing that previously naturally derived chemicals could have equivalents synthesised artificially. His dyes provided cheap but vibrant colours, and went beyond mere decoration by being used to stain bacteria, allowing scientists to identify the microbes behind tuberculosis, cholera and bacteria. Quinine, which Perkin failed to synthesise, was later made artificially by the USA in 1944 under the pressure of the Second World War, as their normal supply of quinine was cut off. However, it was extremely expensive to make, and was not commercially viable during peace-time.

Today, we still use quinine for severe forms of malaria.

The City of London School undoubtedly played a part in producing Perkin as a chemist. Had it not been for his attendance, it is likely he would have followed his father’s profession of architecture. Our school is lucky to have had such a renowned pupil attended who made such a significant scientific contribution to society.

‘Ebola Nurse’ returns to hospital Michael Kay 4M

‘I told you so’

failed to do before. However, doctors at the Royal Free emphasised that it was highly experimental, and did not clarify whether they thought it had helped to improve her condition. It is uncertain now, what has exactly transpired within Cafferkey’s body, but the Royal Free confirmed that ‘she will now be treated by the hospital's infectious diseases team under nationally agreed guidelines’. The public should be assured that ‘The Ebola virus can only be transmitted by direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person while they are symptomatic, so the risk to the general public remains low’.

Many people have read and heard about the latest major scientific discovery of Gravitational Waves – ripples in space-time – but most do not understand the science behind them or why they help prove Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.

Prior to Einstein, Newton’s laws of mechanics implied an absence of an absolute standard of rest. All this means is that there is no way of knowing whether an event which is occurring is stationary within space.

Take any reader sitting down reading this article – to their friend they would appear to be still. However, to anyone observing them from the moon, they would appear to be moving relative to the earth’s orbit. This also implied an absence of absolute position in space – there is no way of knowing exactly where something is positioned in the universe. Take the instance of the man on the moon again. The reader will think that they’re sitting in a fixed position, yet relative to the man they will be constantly changing position.

Here comes the sciencey bit: relativity states that light travels at a constant speed. Since speed depends on distance and time and there is no absolute position or distance in space, by definition there is no absolute time either–different people in different positions in space would measure a different time with their own watches, just like in the film ‘Interstellar’.

This means that time and space are dependent on one another, and are closely interwoven, hence the concept of space-time. This is difficult to imagine as it disagrees with

the human belief of linear time and events occurring on a timeline, but is true nonetheless. But what has this got to do with gravitational waves?

Relativity also states that mass distorts space-time. A good way of imagining this is to picture spacetime as a tablecloth held over a pit (bear with me). Placing a bowling ball in the middle of the tablecloth will create an indent, just as a mass will distort space-time. Placing a smaller ping-pong ball on the side of the tablecloth will cause it to rotate around the bowling ball, exactly like a moon orbiting around a sun. When these masses move, the curvature of either the tablecloth or space-time alters, causing gravitational waves to be emitted–hence why they are called ripples in the curvature of spacetime. The larger the mass, the larger the distortion. The reason as to why gravitational waves have never been discovered before is that they are incredibly faint.

However, when the two black holes collided, their masses were so great that we were finally able to pick up a large enough signal from the waves, thus proving the theory.

Perhaps if we listened to the signal carefully, we would hear a faint ‘I told you so’ emanating from Einstein beyond the grave.

Is nuclear energy ultimately beneficial?

Alex Bridges 2S

The increase of the global population and the wants of civilisation have made it vital that everyone is supplied with energy. In what must have seemed a brilliant idea at the time, the governments of the Twentieth Century decided to invest in nuclear power-maybe to appear more sustainable, maybe to wrest the control of electricity and energy from big corporations.

The above phrase 'nuclear power' conjures up many different visions.

For some, it represents the fascinating march of scientific progress. For others, the word 'nuclear' brings pictures of Hiroshima and Nagasakiand the horrendous events that happened there. The question is-what are the effects of nuclear energy?

In nuclear power stations all around the world, a lump of uranium is bombarded with neutrons (microscopic particles) going at very high speeds. The uranium nucleus (the centre of the atom) promptly splits, creating massive amounts of heat.

This turns water into steam, which then powers turbines.

The big advantage of nuclear power is the 'chain reaction' effect it creates. When the nucleus splits, it releases some more neutrons, which in turn shoot into another nucleus, and so on. When you want to stop this process, you shove huge rods of Boron (element number 5, essential in the making of silly putty) into the reactor core (where this process goes on) to 'soak up' the neutrons there.

So far, so good. We have enough uranium to power the world for roughly 60,000 years (admittedly, using separation techniques that are

not economically viable now) and nuclear power does not produce any kind of greenhouse gases. But, like anything that appears free at first, nuclear power has a very large catch.

Nuclear fuel can be used many timesup to six years if need be. However, once the fuel is used as many times as it can, the pressing question is this-what do you do with the spent fuel? It is highly radioactive-it will take many hundreds of thousands of years for its radioactive properties to disappear. When the governments of the world found out about this-what did they do? Did they shut down their nuclear program and concentrate on getting rid of spent nuclear fuel? Nope, they shoved the nuclear waste into what are essentially Olympic-size swimming pools and hoped for the best.

The innate stupidity in this decision was further augmented by the fact that governments allowed the nuclear power to continue. Nuclear disasters happened very quickly after this, due to impatience by governments, stupidity of workers, and general incompetence-back then (and even today) we don't fully understand nuclear power.

To conclude, I think that nuclear power presents an unacceptable risk to the safety of humanity. There have already been several nuclear disasters (see Fukushima Daiichi article) and only luck has prevented a fully-fledged nuclear fallout. Even if we do find a place to put all the spent nuclear fuel, it is still very volatile-and any workers moving it to a secure location would be placed in unacceptable danger.

Don’t be a mug. Don’t use nuclear energy.

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | 13

The CITIZEN

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Gravity waves

How they were discovered Daniel Valdavicius 3A

Einstein’s theory finally proven Isaac Sanders 2C

Almost a century ago in 1915, Albert Einstein created the general theory of relativity, which hypothesized that massive objects cause a distortion in space-time, which is felt as gravity, but its vagueness had left modern scientists in a trouble of proving it, until very recently. The theory which, physicists described as ‘one of the most beautiful concepts ever‘ has finally had scientists retrieving some empirical evidence to prove the elusive prediction.

Albert Einstein was born into a Jewish family, under parents Hermann and Pauline Einstein on March 14th, 1879 in Ulm, Germany. Not long after his birth Albert and his family moved to Munich where Einstein attended primary school. At school, he was typical student, but very interested in mathematics and science. In 1905, Albert published his theory of relativity after studying for a diploma in Aarau, the most famous formula on Earth: E (Energy) = M (Mass) C (speed of light) 2, stating that matter is able to converted into energy. In the same year that the First World War broke out, Einstein was called to Berlin to work there scientifically in 1914. Between the years 1909 to 1916 Albert Einstein worked on his two theories, the general and special theory. In 1919, Einstein’s theory was proven when an experiment showed the deflection of light by the sun’s gravitational field. Einstein instantly became famous and in 1921 he received the Nobel Prize for Physics.

Due to political reasons, Einstein’s family had to leave Nazi Germany permanently and from 1933, his family lived in Princeton, USA. During the last years of his life, he worked on a new theory, the ‘unified field theory’, but came out unsuccessful.

At 76 years old Albert Einstein died on April 18, 1955.

On September 14th 2015, detectors in Louisiana and Washington detected this milestone of a century; in a galaxy a billion or so light-years away, two black holes collided, shaking and trembling the fabric of space and time causing gravitational waves. Back on Earth, the two giant detectors on opposite sides of the United States shook as gravitational waves flew over them. The reason why there were two rather than one detector is to ensure the wave was not a local singularity and to help

pinpoint its source. The marvel had finally been felt by the detectors after decades trying to directly detect the waves, by the newly upgraded Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (Advanced LIGO), marshalling in a new era of astronomy and physics.

However, many will not know what gravitational waves actually are. They are ripples of colossal cosmic collisions in the curvature of spacetime mainly due to the collision of black holes or neutron stars which propagate as waves, travelling outward from the source, rattling spacetime itself. General relativity predicts that ripples in the fabric of spacetime radiate energy away from such catastrophes. The ripples are too faint to be felt and by the time they reach Earth, some compress spacetime by as little as one ten-thousandth the width of a proton. It is like measuring a millimetre on a measuring stick one billion light years long or spotting an ant from space.

“In a galaxy a billion or so light-years away, two black holes collided, shaking and trembling the fabric of space and time”

phenomena, distinguishing what type of signals to expect from various gravitational wave sources. For example: Supernovas – Vigorous and beautiful explosions triggered when an enormous supergiant star dies, (they are so big it shines as bright as 10 billion suns and outputs more energy than the suns total output in its lifetime, around 1044 joules), which causes tremors in space and blast the universe with a burst of gravitational waves; supermassive black hole pairs–(bigger than normal black hole pairs, over a million times bigger than the sun and larger than the ones Advanced LIGO detected) two colossal black holes, which radiate immense, surging waves, identified by looking for subtle variations in the steady beats of pulsars; and spinning neutron stars–the core of a massive star is left behind after exploding, causing a tremor in space-time. An example of a massive collision in space is of course the Big Bang which triggered universe-sized gravitational waves 13.8 billion years ago, leaving an imprint on the first light released into the universe 380,000 years later which can be still seen today on the CMB. Even though it is highly renowned, LIGO isn’t the only astronomical detector in town when it comes to hunting for gravitational waves. There are a few other ongoing and future projects, for example:

•

The waves, detected by LIGO, were detected by two L-Shaped structures with arms 2.5 miles long. A laser beam would shine down each arm from the crux of the "L," and mirrors at the ends of these arms reflect the light back. After rebounding back and forth 400 times, turning each beam’s journey into a 1,600 kilometre round-trip, the light recombines near its source. If the beams from both arms arrive back at the core at the same time, they cancel each other out, and no signal is produced in the system's light detector. But if one of the beams arrives a bit late, a signal is produced, which could be evidence of a gravitational wave.

As well as black holes colliding, there are other sources of gravitational waves, which scientists can identify by studying computer simulations of astrophysical

Pulsar timing arrays – In order to detect the traces of massive colliding black holes, scientists are monitoring pulsars – highly magnetized, rotating neutron stars (the very dense stars formed from the cores of massive supernovae which have collapsed), which emit regular beams of electromagnetic radiation. The pulses produced have very precise intervals ranging from milliseconds to seconds. Three projects — the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array in Australia, NANOGrav in North America and the European Pulsar Timing Array in Europe — are all monitoring a number of pulsars for changes in the beams of radiation emitted that may reveal evidence of vast black holes colliding with each other throughout the universe.

•

Cosmic microwave background polarisation – Scientists believe that gravitational waves released shortly after the Big Bang would leave evidence on the cosmic microwave

In 1915, Albert Einstein created his General Theory of Relativity, and used this theory to predict Gravity Waves in 1916. Now, with the use of cutting edge technology, we have confirmed this 100 year old theory, possibly confirming the Big Bang.

On 14th September, 2015, the LIGO labs in Livingston, Louisiana and Hanford all discovered ripples in the fabric of space, at 5.51 am. This brings more evidence to the Big Bang theory, and shines yet more light to Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity; this is how it was done.

A laser was shot into a beam splitter, which splits the light into two.

These two lasers split into an “L” shape, being sent 4km away, where it hits a mirror. The mirror sends it back, and then it goes to a laser photodetector. This measures the time it takes for both lasers to hit it, which is normally the same, unless something (like gravity waves) distort it, meaning that the space increases, meaning the time it would take to get back would be distorted. The reason this hasn’t been detected before, is because the difference in time was so minuscule, it would be very easy to miss. To be precise, the difference would be 10-7 seconds, or 0.0000001 seconds (100 nanoseconds).

Another problem with finding these waves is that they are so tiny, that most of the time, they are

background (CMB). The CMB is the radiation which permeates the universe, left over from the time that light was first able to move through the universe and it is believed to show proof of the way which space expanded massively immediately after the Big Bang. Various researchers have their telescopes trained to seek this evidence by searching for specific patterns in how the CMB light waves align with one another.

•

Ground and space-based interferometers - Interferometers are machines, usually electromagnetic, that are used in order to extract information about the waves. Many detectors analogous to ones like LIGO are situated on land in Europe, for example, the Virgo detector, near Pisa, Italy, which is currently being renovated. Interferometers are also being implemented into space as well!

Sound is never heard in space due to the fact that space has no medium for sound waves to go through and sound waves cannot travel without a medium. Therefore, researchers

undetectable. For the most part, this is good, otherwise we would constantly be jittering. But, for scientists, this is quite annoying, as they have to wait till a huge explosion happens, like two black holes colliding. Luckily, this is what we predicted has happened. We believe that these black holes, both with diameters of 150km, collided 1.3 billion light years away from us. This collision, even though it was 1000th the size of a proton, was enough for us to detect it.

This could possibly be the most important discovery of the 21st century, being compared to the discovery of the telescope, which (literally) changed the way we see the universe. But, how are we sure that this wasn’t just a distant earthquake? At the time we weren’t, but after a couple of months of analysing weather patterns on that day, and whether or not there was a nearby earthquake.

But, after 5 months of crunching the data, LIGO scientists were certain that they had legitimately found gravity waves.

Because of this discovery, we can search the universe with a new method. Before, we used to use the electromagnetic spectrum to search the universe for interesting celestial bodies. The major floor in this, is that things like black holes don’t emit light, but they do emit gravity waves.

Also, we could reverse engineer this, to find where the big bang happened.

have been promoting the European Space Agency to plant a LIGO-like detector in space — the Evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna — sometime in the 2030s, to detect the waves as well as gravitational waves.

Proving that gravitational waves do exist with firm evidence shows how Earth’s technology and science is improving. The discovery of gravitational waves is just as similar as the time of Galileo and Copernicus, the initiators of a new era of astronomy, who were the main and preliminary astronomers to really understand space, stars and planets, which we knew very little of beforehand.

Other galaxies were not thought off and mankind were oblivious to the enormity of the universe. As we have learned from ancient astronomers like Copernicus and Galileo and gravitational waves, the rest of space’s beauty is unimaginable and we are never going to stop finding out new and mind-blowing discoveries from it.

14 | Wednesday 24 February 2016

The CITIZEN

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Junior doctors “too good” for government offer Olly Davies 1H

“If the government wants more seven-day services then, quite simply, it needs more doctors, nurses and support staff, and the extra investment necessary to deliver them.”

That’s what Dr Johann Malawana, who chairs the BMA’s junior doctor committee, had said after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt decided to impose a new contract on junior doctors. Described as unfair, the government plans to change the consultant contract by altering working hours, pay and safeguarding. It has let many to question whether the government care about junior doctors, or whether they are more concerned with dogmatically implementing a manifesto pledge.

David Cameron’s official spokeswoman said: “It’s regrettable if they are going to strike again. I’m sure discussions will continue”. Evidently, this means that they don’t want junior doctors to strike and will undoubtedly be keen to continue talks.

The contract being imposed makes Saturdays between 7am and 5pm part of a junior doctor’s normal working week for the first time – an issue the BMA refused to negotiate during the talks. Jeremy Hunt is also extending normal working to 9pm between Monday and Friday. Doctors are not

happy about this and want to have this changed but the government are refusing to change their stance.

Although talks will continue, this does not bode well for both sides reaching a compromise.

The removal of safeguarding means that junior doctors can work long hours and not complain and if they do not stick to these hours, they are penalised by paying a fine to the company. This makes the new contract seem like a way of businesses making money out of junior doctors and penalizing them for refusing to work more than a standard day. This is wholly unfair and doctors seem to be in the right by refusing to put up with these terms.

These new working hours will have serious repercussions for the junior doctors, who will have to sacrifice even more of their precious time off under the new terms of their contract. This means that if doctors are ill or are on leave, hospitals will have to employ standby doctors who will also have to work long hours and may not be experienced. Moreover, the contract would leave even more junior doctors with insufficient experience in the firing line. While the disruption will no doubt affect some people, we must hope that it forces the government to change its position.

YouTube: a global phenomenon Miles Vanlint 4B

Remember when your parents were the place you would go to when you were confused? You don’t? Well, neither do most people, and that is because of all of the social media available to us. YouTube, for example.

A media platform expanding so rapidly that it is leaving everything else in the rear view mirror. Why would you ask your parents how to boil and egg and embarrass yourself when you could ask YouTube? You could ask one of the billion people that use YouTube, surely a quicker and more efficient way than asking your parents. YouTube is obviously a global platform and has over six billion hours of videos posted every month.

That is a lot of content and coupled with the one billion people using it equates to a total of four billion video views per day. Obviously, YouTube is a good place for people to learn things or be helped to understand things (boiling an egg) and is now threatening Wikipedia as a source of online reference. But that is only one

aspect of YouTube’s global growth.

Another, and arguably more influential aspect, is that people can now use it as a forum to demonstrate talent or ideas. A perfect example is Gangnam Style which is a music video that “went viral” in 2012 by an artist from North Korea. Before the existence of YouTube only a select few in North Korea would have had the chance to listen to the song. With the powers of YouTube however, a video like that can be viewed all around the world and go on to be watched 2.5 billion times. This phenomenon is known as “going viral”. That’s a very big audience and a very easy way to get yourself noticed. Psy (the artist) went on to be signed by a much bigger record label and put out another song that, admittedly, didn’t do anywhere near as well, but Psy still made a sizeable sum of money out of one song he put onto a media platform for free. This is entirely due to the global nature of YouTube and in fact, all social media, a picture posted in Iceland can be viewed by someone in Taiwan or a video posted in Brazil can be accessed

in Russia. People who upload gaming videos for others to watch are now classed as celebrities, they rack up millions and millions of views. Take wroetoshaw, he is a FIFA “youtuber” who posts videos of himself playing.

He has been doing this for a few years and has since amassed 5.9 million subscribers and 1.3 billion total views. He is now making a living out of YouTube, this is solely down to the fact that he can broadcast on a global scale. He can now attract the attention of anyone with a smartphone and internet, as opposed to a much smaller amount of people in the grey skies of his home country. It all boils down to the fact that all social media platforms, especially YouTube, are being used and broadcast on a global scale and available to anybody with access to the internet. It catches the attention of anybody looking for new talent or, just to watch something to keep them entertained. Either way, YouTube is expanding rapidly and will very soon be the main platform for content sharing in the world.

How the internet changed the world Its economic and social influence has been colossal, but not all the change has been constructive.

Saul Lew J6SKW

Johnson and Johnson hit with $72m damages after talc cancer case Jude Horspool 2S

The pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson has been ordered by a jury in the US state of Missouri to pay $72m (£51m) to a family of a woman who say her death was linked with the company's Baby Powder talc. Jackie Fox, from Birmingham, Alabama died from ovarian cancer last year aged 62. Her son said she used it for decades, and 'it just became second nature, like brushing your teeth'. The family say J&J knew about the risks of using this product and did not do enough to warn users of them.

J&J deny this and are considering an appeal. The family's claim seems not to be backed up with evidence however, as researchers say links with ovarian cancer have not been found or proved.

This lawsuit is part of a wider claim in the city of St Louis circuit court involving over 60 people. The firm has come under criticism from others about possible harmful ingredients in its No More Tears baby shampoo as well.

Professor Karol Sikura, a consultant oncologist at Hammersmith Hospital in West London, says it is

difficult to prove a link between talcum powder and cancer. 'I don't see how you can prove it one way or the other', he said. Low level cancer risks 'intrigue everybody' but are 'difficult to prove'. According to him, the reason why the court paid out this family is because 'they were hiding some data that they'd gathered which seemed to enhance the cancer risk'.

He says it's 'plausible' but 'basically unlikely'.

In some studies, there has been a risk noted, but these tests are considered biased as they rely on people remembering on how much talc they actually used, therefore these tests are virtually worthless.

Using talc: dangerous or safe to use?

It is hard to appreciate how important the Internet has been in the development of the modern world as well as how imperative a part it plays in our day-to-day lives. It is hard to believe that such an important part of our social and economic culture is under 25 years old. In August 1991 the World Wide Web became publically available and we haven’t looked back since as it continues to shape our present commerce and will inevitably play a vital role in our future as it continues to grow and develop. The internet has influenced such a wide range of fields that it would be impossible to cover them all so instead I will focus on two of the most pertinent; its impact on our economic and social culture.

Following the Industrial Revolution our global economic future looked immensely encouraging so when the Internet was introduced to the economic world forecasters were certain of further growth.

Their predictions came to fruition sooner than expected as through the 1990s the equity markets catapulted forward with the Nasdaq index rising to over 5,000 between 1995 to 2000. The main reason for this growth; the Internet.

With news channels such as CNN running stories like “The New Economy: Boom Without End?” the economy felt healthier than ever.

Investors were putting their money into internet based companies due to speculation that the internet had the potential to flourish. This therefore meant that companies could increase their stock worth simply by adding “.com” to their name. The investors had put their confidence in these companies to turn a profit and when they didn’t things began to look perilous. The root of the problem; stock prices had outgrown the actual worth of the companies.

Inevitably the stocks plummeted to the companies’ actual worth and the stock market crashed, Nasdaq falling

80% in just two years. Companies went bankrupt and reported huge losses. The internet, introduced to aid the world, had indirectly caused an economic crisis. It therefore seems as though the Internet has been a negative influence on the economy, the overwhelming consensus however is the opposite. The internet plays a vital role in everyday commerce and business and is often the medium through which economic activity takes place.

The internet is the home of major

“51% of social network users claimed social media had effected them in a negative way” industries such as online retail with companies like Amazon dominating the market. Moreover, the internet plays major roles in key economic activity such as trading and banking.

Communication through E-mail also allows businesses to communicate across the globe and research using the vast expanse of information now available leads to better investment and overall growth. The economy has become so reliant on the internet that to claim it hasn’t changed the world is not feasible.

The social implications of the internet have been substantial. Checking social media has become habitual for many with an astonishing 1.79 billion signed up on social networks.

The power of Social Media should not be underestimated enabling you to contact your friends wherever you are and keeping you up to date on breaking news and other information. However, it can’t be denied that there are various drawbacks. A survey found that 51% of social network

users claimed social media had effected them in a negative way and cyber bullying is ever-growing becoming a serious problem which needs to be tackled. The internet has also made pornography more accessible and made it easy to pirate films, TV and software. These negative aspects shouldn’t however take away from everything the internet has done to change the world for the better. An example of this is how the internet is used for diagnosis by many doctors to literally save lives and the immense availability of information has led to many scientific breakthroughs and discoveries. Another positive effect the internet has had on our social culture is the introduction of online dating websites. It is easier than ever to find someone with similar interests to you and dating websites are now generally more accepted with one in five adults aged 25-34 having used them. Overall, the internet has been immensely successful in bringing the world together through social media and enabling new relationships to form through online dating.

When the internet emerged in the late 90s the possibilities were endless.

Economic activity such as trading and banking had a new platform and the availability of information led to greater investment which could potentially project the economy into a new era of sustainability. The internet can’t be liable for the crash following the dotcom bubble as blame should primarily fall on false speculation driving investment. Socially, despite some drawbacks, the internet has made it easier to communicate with friends and has made the world closer than ever. The internet has changed the world, that is undeniable, it hasn’t all been positive but the overall picture is clear; we are living in an age of information with more possibilities than ever thanks to a major breakthrough in our cultural and economic history: The Internet.

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Wednesday 24 February 2016 | C2 Page 1

In this supplement…

POLITICS 4 IMMIGRATION 6 TERRORISM 8 SCIENCE 10 CULTURE 12 ECONOMICS 14

C2 Page 2 | Wednesday 24 February 2016

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A Citizen of the World Victor Jack J6SKW Zak Lakota-Baldwin J6WER SENIOR EDITORS

No man is an island, Entire of itself …

Any man’s death diminishes me, Because I am involved in mankind

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hese are the words of the poet John Donne, written almost four centuries ago in his Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, but the philosophy espoused within them is both ancient in origin and strikingly modern in its relevance. From Buddhism to Christianity, mysticism to economics, the concept of interconnectedness and interdependence is not a new one, nor is it unique to a single culture or religion, though it should matter to all of us now more than ever.

We live in a world filled with problems – problems that cannot be solved by one person, one group, one nation alone.

Moreover, these are far-reaching issues that impact all of us in different ways, and the repercussions of how we handle them are felt across the world. Therefore, we need

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global solutions – united efforts from those who are best placed to help, for the causes that need them the most. There is no single country that can bear the weight of the immigration crisis on its own, no lone organisation that can solve the pandemics that are still the scourge of the developing world.

The greatest scientific leaps come now from the efforts of international teams, the most effective humanitarian initiatives from disparate groups unified by a common goal.

Where, then, is the place of the individual in all of this? At a time when some find national identity more fragile and nebulous a concept than ever, while others fall back on it as a knee-jerk reaction to the changing makeup of their country, we can look to the wider world for a sense of belonging and connectedness. To be a citizen of the world is

not to try and be a member of all countries and cultures, but to understand and respect them, to know the issues that affect them and be aware of how they affect you. We are all connected, all dependent on one another in some way, and to ignore these connections is to deny the reality of the modern world. Confronting this reality isn’t always easy, and it might be simpler to look the other way as war and terrorism rages through the Middle East, or the Zika virus wreaks havoc on vast swathes of the world, but we have a responsibility to be informed and, wherever possible, to be involved. Try as we might to shut ourselves off from the reality of the world, we no longer live in an age where total isolation is an option.

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | C2 Page 3

A global citizen is mindful of…

POLITICS

Is the President of the United States the President of the World?

Jamie Robertson J6AG

T

he President of the United States is often seen as being not only the President of America but also as the President of the entire world. This view comes largely by looking at the global influence that America has had, such as economically and culturally. Economically, the US has prided itself on being a superpower for the last century. According to the Federal Reserve, the US dollar is the most preferred transaction currency around the globe, accounting for half of the world’s foreign exchange reserves. Similarly, you only have to look at the global economic crisis that occurred in 2008, and how that crisis began, to see that this influence can also have a negative impact. Whatever your political opinions, you should be able to recognise the role that Wall Street played in the crisis coming about, and the severity with which it hit some. Culturally also, the evidence is there to support the claim that America is a leading influence in the world.

From Coca-cola to Hollywood, you are never far from an advertising board for one of the many large American brands.

However, has America’s influence on the world reduced through the years? The mantle of the most powerful country in the world arguably used to belong to Britain, due to her enormous empire, and large presence in the world. The idea of POTUS being the President of the world first really started post WWII, when the rest of Europe was recovering from war. America had a strong economy and a strong presence in a difficult time in the world’s history. It emerged out of the Second World War as one of the major superpowers of the world, along side the Soviet Union. Post Cold War the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India and China) have begun to challenge the status of the US and thus POTUS’ status. These countries are the fastest growing and largest emerging markets.

They account for almost 3 billion people, and in recent times, BRIC countries have

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also contributed to the majority of world GDP growth. According to economists, it is only a matter of time before China becomes the biggest economy of the world. This will surely challenge the US presidents’ authority over the world as the BRIC countries convert their growing economic power into political power.

On a more social level, Jeff Daniels in The Newsroom, the popular HBO TV series, berates the claim that the US is the greatest country in the world, with a passionate diatribe citing how far the US lags behind the rest of the world in so many ways – ‘there’s

absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we’re the greatest country in the world. We’re 7th in literacy. 27th in math.

22nd in science. 49th in life expectancy.

178th in infant mortality. 3rd in median household income. Number 4 in labor force and number 4 in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: Number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies.’

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A global citizen is mindful of…

POLITICS

Euroscepticism: Justified or Dangerous?

Daniel Lewis J6AJH

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uroscepticism; the very name evokes images of EDL rallies, racist chants and white vans. But is this perception accurate, and are the extremists really representative of the Out campaign? More importantly, are the concerns of Eurosceptics valid or are they merely expressions of bigotry, and how should this affect how people approach the referendum?

The EU certainly has some severe problems, particularly with regards to its democratic deficit (which David Cameron’s recent deal did essentially nothing to address). The people who have complained about this have not all been on the far-right – the late left-wing firebrand Tony Benn, for example, stood resolutely against the Union for this very reason; more recently, the Grassroots Out campaign has attempted to act as something of a broad church, transcending party lines and one-dimensional spectrums (and has succeeded in a sense, uniting mavericks and gadflies to form an alliance as unholy as one could imagine – namely that of George Galloway and Nigel Farage). But does this mean that we should feel comfortable voting to leave?

For me, the answer is still no; a few “token lefties” cannot hide the fact that those who are most vocal about leaving the EU are often doing so - not because of issues of democracy, but as a protest against the Union’s better aspects; they are often the ones we hear railing against environmental regulations, spouting anti-immigrant rhetoric and

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opposing any attempt to curb the power of big business. These are people with whom I would most certainly not want to be associated with, and their dominance of the Out movement is something that I’m sure would put off many who might otherwise at least consider voting to leave.

Yanis Varoufakis, the former Greek Minister of Finance, recently said that “neither withdrawing into the safe cocoon of the nation state, nor giving in to the disintegrating and anti-democratic EU, represent good options for Britain.” On this I am inclined to agree with him. He proposes that, while we should vote to stay, we should not allow Cameron’s deal to pacify us, and instead push for a democratic constitution to replace all existing European treaties and for a full-scale democratisation of the Union. The Guardian and New Statesman columnist Owen Jones has echoed similar sentiments, saying that the course of action that the left should take should be to

vote to stay while making a concerted effort to unite with others from all over Europe to campaign for reform.

These arguments are definitely the most compelling ones to stay for someone like me, who shares people’s concerns about Europe but is worried by the anti-migrant sentiments and isolationism espoused by many of the high-profile figures in the Out campaign. But, I have yet to be fully won over – as Gisela Stuart, one of only eight Labour MPs who have said they will vote to leave, said when she visited City of London school on Monday, we always hear about what the implications of a vote to leave will be but never think about what message a mandate from the British people to stay would send to the world. At this point, however, what Varoufakis and Jones propose appears to be, if not the best option, then at least the least unappetising, and so I feel forced to have become a reluctant Europhile.

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while we should vote to stay, we should not allow Cameron’s deal to pacify us.”

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | C2 Page 5

A global citizen is mindful of…

IMMIGRATION

Migration around the world.

Is it really as bad as it seems?

Ronan Patel J6OJD

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hroughout history, migration has always been the most important driver of human progress and dynamism. Indeed, economic evidence indicates that migration helps economies, both in the developed and developing world. Globally, the estimated 231 million migrants in the world make up about 3% of the world’s population. Yet arguments around migration are often driven by fear rather than facts.

We live in an era of two competing narratives.

The first suggests that migrants are flooding across our borders, and that they are stealing jobs and eroding our country’s social fabric in the process.

Alternatively, the second argues that in spite of minor short-term dislocations, international migration is a boon: it generates innovation and dynamism while fuelling long-term economic growth. My view is that both of these caricatures are too simplistic. The economic evidence is clear: migration helps economies, both in the developed and developing world. As is the case with trade and in the realm of the free flow of ideas, shutting ourselves off from each other is harmful.

At the end of 2012, three out of four migrants live in a small group of 24 countries, with the USA being the most significant home for migrants.

Approximately 70 million migrants have migrated from one developing country to another, and approximately 65 million have gone from developing to richer countries, with about 55 million migrants having moved between the different OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, and a rapidly growing number – currently around 20 million – having left the OECD for emerging markets, where job opportunities are multiplying rapidly.

The European Union is the world’s largest experiment with visa-free labour migration. Even though emigration from comparatively less rich countries such as Romania and Poland was substantial, Germany, Italy and the UK were both leading sources and leading recipients of migration.

The main lesson from Europe is how few people migrate, with migration levels seldom much higher

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than those in the periods when greater restrictions applied. Given the levels of youth unemployment of over 50% in Greece and Spain, it is remarkable that so few young people have migrated. This highlights how the arguments around migration are often driven by fear rather than facts. Opportunities regarding employment as well as housing and other key determinants of demand are at least as important as the supply-side push factors that contribute to migration.

It is dangerous to generalize about migration.

Of the annual flow of around 15 million migrants, most fit into one of four categories of crossborder movement: economic, student, social and refugee/asylum. There are around 5 million economic migrants each year. High-skill migrants bring special talents or training across borders to fill gaps in the native workforce. Low-skill migrants tend to fill shortages in physical labour or jobs that are less desired by the native labour force.

About 3.5 million students migrate each year.

While some countries, such as the UK, insist that students leave, others such as Australia and the USA have gained talent by allowing certain students to stay. For example, 68% of foreign students who received doctorates in the USA in 2000 were still there five years after graduation. Social and family reasons account for about 2 million migrants a year, as individuals and families aim to be reunited with loved ones. This is most common in the nations built largely by more recent generations of immigrants (the USA, Canada and Australia) as well as the former colonial empires (especially the United Kingdom and France).

Conflict and persecution push people from their homes and across borders. Refugee and asylum seekers account for an average of about two million migrants per year. At the end of 2012 there were 15.4 million officially recognized refugees worldwide, with 80% of these refugees hosted by developing countries, up from 70% ten years ago.

It is impossible to know how many undocumented migrants there are in the world, but in the USA the estimates are that there are about 11 million out of a total number of around 50 million migrants, or about 20% of the total.

If migrants play such a vital role, why is there so much concern? The first myth is that migrants take jobs and destroy economies. The truth is the opposite; migration makes economies more dynamic, creates jobs and sparks long-term growth. In the USA, migrants have been founders of companies such as Google, Intel, PayPal, eBay and Yahoo. In fact, skilled migrants account for over half the Silicon Valley start-ups and over half of patents, even though

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they are around 15% of the population. There have been three times as many immigrant Nobel laureates, National Academy of Science members and Academy Award film directors than native ones.

Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco recently concluded that “immigrants expand the economy’s productive capacity by stimulating investment and promoting specialization…This produces efficiency gains and boosts income per worker.” Research on the net fiscal impact of the immigration of Polish, Czech and other migrants to the UK from the ten countries that joined the European Union in 2004 showed that the migrants contributed “significantly” more in taxes than they received in benefits and services.

On a global scale, according to the World Bank, increasing migration equal to 3% of the workforce in developed countries between 2005 and 2025 would generate worldwide economic gains of 356 billion US dollars. Some economists predict that if borders were completely open and workers were allowed to go where they pleased, it would produce gains as high as 39 trillion US dollars for the world economy over 25 years.

First, when these countries become professional training centres, they can produce far more skilled labourers at home than they did before the “drain” began. The Philippines, for example, provides one of the largest sources of migrant nurses to developed economies. But while doing so, it now also has more nurses per capita in its domestic labour market than comparable countries and even some much richer ones, including Great Britain.

Second, remittances (money sent home from migrant workers to their families and friends) from abroad are integral to many developing economies.

Remittance payments lift people out of poverty.

Their impact, if used for entrepreneurship or investment at home, is often many times the original value. In 2012, officially recorded remittance flows to developing countries reached an estimated 401 billion US dollars. For Tajikistan, these flows amount to almost half of GDP and for Liberia and Lesotho around 30%. If managed appropriately, with good governance and smart investments, the “brain drain” can become the “brain gain” for developing economies. Promoting “brain circulation” by which skilled migrants are able to return to their home countries and bring with them the technologies and investment opportunities derived from their migrant experiences can also play an important role in launching domestic growth, as Taiwan, Israel and India demonstrate.

In conclusion, contrary to popular belief, migration isn’t really as bad as it seems, and it can actually have a positive impact on the country and help further its development.

migration makes economies more dynamic, creates jobs and sparks long-term growth”

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A global citizen is mindful of…

IMMIGRATION

The Rise of The Right: A cross-examination Jorrit Donner-Wittkopf J6GWD

A

li Kattan came to Schwerte, a small town in the West of Germany, in November 2015 as one of that month’s 250,000-strong influx of refugees. Kattan’s family are still in the embattled Aleppo, Syria, where he completed an undergraduate engineering course just two months before the bombs started falling.

Now, he welcomes us into his humble 4 x 4 metre room, an hour’s walk from the nearest town, doing his best to convey an air of comfortable domesticity in his whitewashed cell.

Boiling rice on a Bunsen, he explains his journey from the Levant unfolded in fluent German his views on the Syrian conflict.

Kattan receives visits from the surrounding hamlets, drawing sympathy because of his dilapidated accommodation and his tormenting circumstances. And yet not all Germans want to help Ali it seems – on the 15th February 2016 (the same night Ali celebrated 3 months in Germany) a short train ride away in Duisburg, Pegida’s hooligans are out in full force, hollering slogans into the frosty air.

‘Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West’ is a right-wing, anti-Muslim movement which exploded from the backward ex-DDR city of Dresden–its East German heartland. Through 2014-15

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its proliferation throughout Europe within a matter of months silenced critics and elevated Pegida status to that of a serious, ambitious movement. While the Duisburg branch of Pegida is wanting in both size and gravity, the movement draws vast crowds in other working-class areas across Germany – Berlin, Köln and Munich see regular marches.

Indeed Pegida’s every move is scrutinized by journalists; thousands of anti-racist protestors swamp each march. And yet Pegida’s vehement call-to-arms continues to draw these worried citizens out onto the streets on those cold November nights – the snowball gathers momentum day by day with similar groups such as Soldiers of Odin in Sweden gaining ground.

What is even more worrying about Pegida – especially in Germany and Sweden – is the nasty undertones which surround otherwise relatively peaceful, legitimate protest. 2015 saw more than 250 arson attacks on refugee homes in Germany, and dozens of lodgings were torched by hooded neo-Nazis in a spate of attacks last November. The Right does have brains however, in the AFD party (Alternative for Germany) which has sprung up, mingling with its volk and giving speeches at the apparently ‘unaffiliated’ Pegida marches. In 2014,

according to the Pew Research Centre, 55% of Germans thought that the borders should be less porous – so once again there is indeed a certain demand for representation (the closest thing to the AFD is the moderate, centre-right CDU party).

The rise of far right parties is not a trend which is exclusive to Germany and Sweden.

Like-minded groups are becoming increasingly prominent throughout Europe. Marine Le Pen of the National Front capitalises on the same underlying sentiments as Pegida, yet translates the hate and fear into a political discourse. Her family’s brainchild (Jean-Marie, her father started the Front in ’72) recently won a historic victory in the first round of the regional elections, garnering more votes than any other party in the first round. Le Pen won by calling voters to ‘choose their suburb’ – that with a veiled woman or without, and preaching of the fall of civilisation through the rampant Islamism which ‘ails’ her homeland.

Ultimately, the popularity of the Right is often associated with the severity of the refugee crisis and can correlate to the rising ubiquity of terrorism. It is a phenomenon to behold which could have disastrous consequences for the seemingly paralyzed moderates and left wing.

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | C2 Page 7

A global citizen is mindful of…

TERRORISM

Is the West responsible for the state of the Middle East?

Victor Jack J6SKW

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t seems the Middle East is on the news every day, each time for reasons more devastating and turbulent than the last – the talk of corrupt dictatorships, institutionalised murder and the rise of the Islamic State permeates our lives constantly. Yet, most recently, with the deaths of 46 political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, 3000 civilians in Yemen and over 300,000 in Syria, it still remains unclear as to who is behind the initial, fundamental root of the constant horrors.

Firstly, oil has played a persistent and highly destabilising role in the politics of the wider Middle East and gulf region in general. This started In the 1950s with Iran nationalising its oil industry under Mossadeq, and the company controlling it at the time, BP, permitted this on the condition that it would be the sole distributor of the oil; this monopolisation

by BP and other similar companies in the Gulf meant they could manipulate the amount of oil bought and distributed depending on the global supply and demand without care for the regional economy. After the OPEC group was formed in 1960 (consisting notably of oilrich Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia), there was a period of economic prosperity, due to increased production and need for oil; some countries became as rich as those in mainland Europe, while others, such as Yemen and Jordan, remained among the poorest in the world. In July 1986, due to overproduction, the price of oil fell from $28 to $10 per barrel, drastically reducing export earnings and growth in all of the Gulf countries – oil-producing states lost jobs and non-oil-producing states lost foreign aid through the sacking of “guest-workers” they had sent to their oil-exporting neighbours. Moreover, the income gap continues increasing to this day, with 60% of the wealth from oil is owned by only 16% of the total Middle Eastern population. However, since the increased dependency of the West on North Sea Oil and the reserves in the US, less oil is being bought from OPEC members ipso facto (with them supplying just 7% of Britain’s fossil fuels, for example).

The ramifications of the Gulf wars have also had dreadful consequences on the Persian Gulf. The impact of the Iraq-Iran war (1980-88) meant that only in 2012 did Iraq’s oil production levels return to pre-war levels of around 3million barrels/day – a staple of the country’s economic landscape. Iran’s own production also suffered, with its ‘nor east nor west’ isolationist policy – yet

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Iraq’s reliance on other Gulf states was far from a better solution, morphing into an owed debt of over $100billion (mainly to the Saudis and Kuwaitis). Hussein’s reign of terror didn’t end there, as his annexation of Kuwait in the ‘first’ Gulf War pulverized its economy, which is still recovering from the 700 oil wells destroyed the Iraqi army after George H.W. Bush intervened in his annexation of the country in 1991.

The invasion of Iraq by the US and Britain not only paved the way for a neo-Cold War between Saudi Arabia and Iran (through sectarian tensions), but arguably allowed IS to flourish into the abhorrent, gigantic force it is today.

Through creating a power vacuum in the country, training ‘rebels’ and leaving tanks and weapons for them to freely collect, Daesh now has power and influence not possible in its wildest dreams pre-dissolution of the Hussein regime.

Colonial legacy is perhaps the most significant and damning (for the West) reason why the Gulf is as it is today. In 1916, the clandestine, British-led Sykes-Picot Agreement carved up the entrails of the smouldering Ottoman Empire, creating most of the borders that exist today: France was to have control of the land that is now Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia while Britain Iraq, Palestine (then including Jordan) and Yemen (while Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain remained British colonies). The Western powers divided the countries up discounting sects, ethnic minorities and various groups – some historians argue this was the intention, as the internal chaos allows more power and influence for the ruling elite. Iraq is a staple case: it was given to the Hashemite Kingdom for loyalty against the Turks during World War One and created from 3 exOttoman client states. With a populace consisting of 20% Kurds, 50% Shi’ite Muslims and 30% Sunni Muslims, it is no surprise that there has been constant unrest there. The 1.5billion Sunni orthodox Muslims have always condemned and fought Shia Muslims (who follows the descendants of Muhammad starting with his cousin Ali and are 200million strong) and the West was either allowing or even encouraging this friction.

With a similar pattern of a large youthful population without access to jobs,

held together only by dictatorships and sporadic supplies of black gold throughout the Gulf, strife, revolt and belligerence are therefore inevitable.

The tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia is also a major factor behind the situation today. As the two biggest powers in the Gulf and the Middle East

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the clandestine, British-led Sykes-Picot Agreement carved up the entrails of the smouldering Ottoman Empire, creating most of the borders that exist there now.” with a nominal GDP of $416billion and $745billion respectively, a game of who’sthe-most-powerful-and-influential is inescapable. Relations have been waxing and waning since the 1979 Iranian revolution, where Iran developed a strong anti-Monarchist government, directly opposing that of the Saudis.

The escalating enmity has been fuelled

by Iran’s ominous nuclear program, the 2011 Iranian government-tied assassination plot of US Saudi Ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir and, most importantly, the power in the hands of the Shias in Iran versus the Sunnis in Saudi Arabia.

Diplomatic relations were finally cut off on the 3rd January of this year, after the Saudis executed the Shi’ite preacher and activist Nimr Al-Nimr. Their animosity has destabilised the economy of the Gulf, with Iran upping the production of oil to make it cheaper while Saudi Arabia decrease their production in an attempt to raise prices, leaving other oil-producers in the area to cope with this desperate balancing act. But their rivalry has spilled out dangerously onto neighbouring countries, as the Saudis airstrike Sanaa (with both the backing and arms from the US and Britain) in an attempt to reinstate President Hadi’s Sunni regime while Iran is secretly funding the Shi’ite Houthi rebels. The Syrian revolution is just as much a proxy war, with the Saudis this time funding Daesh while the Iranians give aid to Assad’s Alawite (similar to Shi’ite) regime. It is clear that the intervention of these powers has exacerbated conflicts and increased the death tolls greatly.

The 2011 Arab Spring was just

another foot added to the stamping pile.

Street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi’s selfimmolation in Tunisia in late 2010 was a catalyst leading to the consequent fall of regimes in Egypt, Yemen and Tunisia (with revolts in Kuwait as well). But the underlying reasons behind this also highlight categorical problems with Gulf regimes; Bouazizi’s problems are a microcosm of these: he faced a lack of economic opportunities as he was poor and could not get better job, he experienced corruption in the form of policemen stealing his wares and was consistently humiliated and put down by the authoritarian Tunisian regime. The wider problems of money in the hands of autocrats, human rights violations, massive income gaps, political corruption and dictatorships acted in the exact same way and ultimately prompted a wide-scale revolt in a range of countries in the Middle East region; though, undoubtedly, the US and Russia did not help the present situation by pouring money and weapons into Arab countries, sometimes arming the more dangerous parties.

Finally, the less discussed but important factor of climate change has also vastly influenced the contemporary Middle East. Climate change in general has impacted Syria, firstly: there were droughts for 3 years leading up to the 2012 revolution. This was 2-3 times more likely to have been caused by human-based climate change and meant Syria’s large agricultural workforce suffered great losses, also resulting in the migration of 250,000 families to Aleppo or Damascus. The extreme poverty in the camps where these people lived was a catalyst for the start of the civil war.

Further still, as precipitation has fallen by 10% in the last 50 years and continues to fall, it is unavoidable that Lebanon will not be able to comply with the current Jordan River irrigation system as well as Iraq, in its downstream location, is already suffering from the lack of potable water in the foreseeable future.

So what can be deduced from all these factors? It seems that the Occident is in fact the main perpetrator of the Middle East’s chaotic state – not only did the formation of the countries create an extremely unstable and weak bedrock, but the consistent, self-motivated intervention since the 1950s (due to oil, arms, proxy wars, full-blown wars etc.) has resulted in the convoluted, tragic and volatile nature of the modern-day Middle Eastern states. Sadly, the area has always been used to feed the West’s imperial and economic needs.

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A global citizen is mindful of…

TERRORISM

Islamic State: A global institution Jack Curtin J6WER

Afghanistan

Europe

As of January 2015, it has been confirmed by Afghan officials that Islamic State has a military presence in Afghanistan.

However, during the coming months it was reported that many militants and their top Afghan recruiter had been killed by a combination of Taliban attacks and drone strikes. However, their presence in the country is still worrying and they have more recently, in January 2016, attacked the Pakistani consulate there.

In January 2015, Islamic State claimed to have smuggled over 4,000 fighters into Europe under the guise of refugees. This number is widely believed to be exaggerated, although it has been acknowledged that Daesh does have some presence in Europe. Evidence of this was of course the two devastating attacks in Paris that happened in 2015.

Algeria Some Islamic State operations have even reached North Africa.

They have been claiming territory here since September 2014.

A notable event was the beheading of French tourist Herve Gourdal, also in that same month. Since then forces loyal to the Islamic State have been relatively silent in the region.

Egypt As of June 2015, Islamic State has laid claim to territory in Egypt, namely the Sinai Peninsula. In October 2014, The Egyptian insurgent group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis pledged allegiance to Islamic State providing a foothold in the area. Since then, Islamic State have been showing their desire to expand into Africa by ambushing army patrols. They place a threat to oil supplies further west into Africa.

Iraq This is where it all began. We can trace Islamic State’s origins to fallout of the 2003 invasion of Iraq as ‘al-Qaeda in Iraq’ (AQI) and formed the Mujahideen Shura Council in 2006 which later merged with other insurgent groups to form the Islamic State of Iraq. Later, in 2014 as the ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levent’, it launched its ‘Anbar campaign’ which resulted in ‘ISIL’ capturing the city of Mosul. This is the event that firmly placed Islamic State in the western spotlight as a clear and present danger to stability in the Middle East.

Libya Libya was the third country for Islamic State to gain control of territory in, after Iraq and Syria. Influence properly began in October 2014, when 800 militants captured the Libyan city of Derna who then pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Islamic State’s leader. They have since recruited some of the ex-soldiers of Muammar Gaddafi to carry out their operations which include the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians in early 2015.

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia has been known to finance Islamic State, often under the guise of the money being intended for ‘humanitarian charity’ but has technically been at war with Islamic State since late 2015 due to the formation of a Saudi-led coalition which planned to train soldiers to fight Islamic State. Despite this, Islamic State still lays claims to some territory in the kingdom and refuses to accept Saudi rule.

Syria This is a major base of Islamic State operations. Following the outbreak of Syrian Civil War in August 2011, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi took the oppor tunity to start operations in Syria. They gained great influence in Sunni-majority Al-Raqqah, Idlib, Deir ez-Zor, and Aleppo provinces. IS continues to conduct ground attacks on government forces and rebel factions.

Yemen There has been Islamic State activity in Yemen starting in January 2015 since the collapse of the Yemini state. Islamic State are in direct conflict with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), who rejected the legitimacy of Islamic State in June 2014. There have been public executions of Yemini soldiers by Islamic State and several car bombings.

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Wednesday 24 February 2016 | C2 Page 9

A global citizen is mindful of…

SCIENCE

The age of extinction

Globalisation and the natural world Will Evans S6JPS

O

ur planet is now in an age of mass extinction. While this is a natural phenomenon - this is the sixth wave of mass extinctions since the dinosaurs were wiped out 65 million years ago - the current crisis is caused not by giant meteors or volcanoes but almost entirely by man. It is sobering to consider that 99% of endangered species are at risk because of human activities, mainly driven by habitat loss or fragmentation and global warming. While I am not a proponent of the anti-globalisation agenda, it cannot be denied that globalisation has contributed to the degradation of the natural environment, with all the ramifications that brings.

The OECD, in its 2013 report on the impact of globalisation on the environment, claimed that “globalisation has accentuated damages we’re experiencing today, even though it’s only indirectly responsible.” This argument, somewhat spuriously, separates globalisation from developments such industrialisation, mass consumption and the increased energy and food needs of a growing global population, all of which can be seen to be contributing towards climate change, depletion of resources and species extinction. The report concludes that greenhouse gas emissions will continue to grow and mean temperatures on earth will rise, leading to a further loss of biodiversity. The authors advocate a spirit of “green growth” and - confusingly and somewhat paradoxically - assert that globalisation is compatible with a healthy and resourcerich environment provided it follows sustainable but undefined path.

Over the past 55 years globalisation and modernisation have become unstoppable forces as well as prominent goals for all the nations on earth. While increased prosperity is a clear benefit, the loss of cultural diversity and the homogenisation of our world sit uncomfortably alongside the loss of biodiversity and massive environmental degradation as the other, darker side of the globalisation coin. The rise of globalisation has seen an exponential increase in species extinctions: all over the world, species of animals and plants which were once numerous are disappearing. A striking fact

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in the extinction crisis is that the majority of primate species (the group that includes humans) are endangered, mainly because their forest habitats are disappearing. In the news this week, Professor David Cahill, a NHS obstetrician, was called to Bristol Zoo to perform an emergency caesarian section on a critically endangered western lowland gorilla which was showing symptoms of potentially fatal pre-eclampsia. Prof Cahill, who called the safe delivery of the baby gorilla “one of the greatest achievements” of his life, has also helped with fertility treatment for the gorillas at Bristol Zoo, which are part of an international conservation breeding program. Other efforts being made to address the decline of the species, whose numbers have fallen by more than 60% in the last 25 years, include encouraging eco-tourism and tackling unsustainable logging and mining practices in the Congo Basin. Companies exploiting natural resources to feed the global demand for oil, gas, minerals and wood have opened up huge swathes of once remote forests in the region, facilitating poaching and the bushmeat trade and spreading disease as well as destroying habitats. The deadly Ebola virus is believed to have originated in Central Africa and it is known to have killed a large number of gorillas and chimpanzees there, probably spreading to humans through the butchering and handling of primate bush-meat.

Globalisation encourages deforestation, which itself is a significant cause of the greenhouse effect. Forests are converted into agricultural land, as well as for mining and logging. In Brazil, for example, agricultural exports to China have rocketed as a result of globalisation: annual soy exports have risen from 15 000 to 6 million tonnes in less than ten years. This dynamic growth certainly involves deforestation and the impact of this is to impoverish biodiversity. Similarly, industrialisation (and the massive urbanisation which accompanies it) and pollution of ecosystems are accelerated by globalisation. In Malaysian Borneo, popular global demand for teak hardwood furniture has pushed teak and some other woods into the threatened species category.

The global demand for palm oil, used as an ingredient in everything from ready-meals and lipstick to detergent and ice-cream, has led to the loss of much of the natural forest and there are no consequences for those who violate the land protection laws. It is estimated that almost one third of Borneo’s rainforest has been completely deforested and 80% of the forested areas have been heavily impacted or degraded in some way by logging. As one of the last remaining habitat for orangutans in the wild, this can only be bad news for the survival of the species and only 1 500 individuals are believed to remain today. Borneo is also home to pygmy elephants, the critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros, the clouded leopard, the sun bear, the amazing proboscis monkey and a range of incredible flying squirrels, among myriad other mammalian species. Between 1995 and 2010, more than 600 species have been discovered in the heart of the Bornean rainforest and these statistics are repeated in rainforests across the globe for while tropical rainforest covers only 7% of the world’s land surface, it is the most richly diverse habitat on earth, home to half the world’s species. Dr Richard Leaky, the paleo-anthropologist and conservationist, has called the rainforest “a cauldron of evolutionary innovation” and, indeed, medical research supports this metaphor, bringing to light the possibilities inherent in new compounds from rainforest plants that could herald breakthroughs in disease treatments so long as this beautiful wild habitat remains.

The UN climate summit in Paris last year did reach an agreement on global efforts to tackle climate change by reducing carbon output but how effective this will be in practice remains to be seen. There is, however, now a global awareness of environmental issues and perhaps also an awareness of the way in which globalised trade and economic development is driving the threats to endangered species across the world and imposing a fearsome burden on biodiversity. Life, in all its forms, is a precious and wonderful thing, the result of aeons of evolution and deserves our protection.

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A global citizen is mindful of…

SCIENCE Learning from Ebola: A global effort is needed against epidemics Clemens Von Stengel J6AZ

O “

ver one trillion pounds is put into military expenditure every year on this planet, but hundreds times less is spent on protecting the world against epidemics. However, it is far more likely that a virus, not a war, will be the cause of tens of millions of deaths during our lifetimes. Therefore, countries need to work together against viruses which threaten all of humanity, rather than wasting money on resources intended for killing.

necessary accuracy; In order to contain a virus, its needs to be understood; this cannot happen without careful planning well in advance, which would allow an emergency response unit to access the scene of an outbreak much more quickly.

The Ebola virus and the inadequacies in dealing with it highlighted our inability to respond to such an epidemic and should serve as a wakeup call that something needs to be done. In this instance, despite the many tragic and avoidable deaths, we were lucky. Two key factors meant that the scale of the epidemic was far less than it could have been: firstly, the virus is not transmitted by air, which slowed its rate of transmission; by the time a sufferer is contagious, they are often bed-ridden and thus less likely to spread the disease.

Secondly, there was never a severe urban outbreak of Ebola; if it had found its way to urban centres, the effects could have been far more catastrophic. This was dumb luck, and a similar outbreak that is transmitted more readily could have a death toll in the millions if no global effort is made in preparation of this.

Another key issue with our current responses to these outbreaks is the lack of global perspective. Western media focusses on the threat epidemics pose on western civilisation – this distorts our view that the threat epidemics pose on poorer countries, and it has also led to the wrong kind of response. With the global hysteria of the risk of Ebola spreading to richer countries, inevitably a large chunk of the effort against Ebola was spent on inappropriate measures such as airport screenings. This kind of response is often used to appeal to voters, whilst detracting resources from where they actually matter. This is highlighted by the recent Zika virus, which is a poverty-related disease, so poorer populations are disproportionately affected.

Despite this, many of the responses by western politicians and media have been coming up with ways to stop the virus from becoming a global epidemic. Not only

The Ebola virus and the inadequacies in dealing with it highlighted our inability to respond to such an epidemic and should serve as a wake-up call that something needs to be done.”

Our global effort against epidemics has not been sufficient. In 2014, the Ebola virus took the world by surprise and as a result, it had disastrous effects. Since the outbreak 11,315 people have been killed by the disease; it has caused an uproar in Western media, ripe with paranoia that the epidemic would spread to these richer countries.

The extent of the damage caused by the Ebola virus was due to the fact that we have not taken the steps necessary to prepare for an epidemic. Healthcare in poorer countries such as Sierra Leone is not fit to deal with an epidemic. International organisations, like the World Health Organisation, therefore need to plan well ahead. Health workers and equipment should be deployable instantly. Without such a system in place, it took far too long to get the thousands of medical professionals necessary to West Africa when the Ebola outbreak happened, and a larger epidemic would need many times more.

It is not just doctors that need fast access to the scene of an outbreak. By the time data scientists got their hands on the information needed to understand how to contain the epidemic, over a year had passed. Even then the results lacked the

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does this ignore the fact that the Zika virus cannot survive and spread in the colder environment of western countries, but it also runs the risk that the outbreak has a worse effect due to wrong response.

Something needs to be done to protect us from the viral epidemic that will inevitably come our way. Philanthropist Bill Gates has suggested that we integrate a medical emergency response unit into the military, and use military resources, such as training and funding as a tool against epidemics. The vast flow of the world’s resources that are being spent on military can be put to good use. The military can provide the training and deployment to get medical professionals to a site of an outbreak as fast as possible, and government spending on military can have dual purpose; NATO have “alert and response” teams which have all the necessary training to deal with a military emergency.

These go through simulations known as “war games” and thus have perfected fast response times. Equivalent measures designed for epidemics do exist, but have been extremely underfunded and thus ineffective. Integrating emergency response systems into the military would be a great use of our current resources, but would require a level of global cooperation that we unfortunately haven’t seen yet.

The World Bank estimates that a flu epidemic similar in kind to that of the Spanish flu in 1918 could cost the world trillions with millions of lives lost. Investment into research and healthcare needs to be a coordinated with global efforts and this is one of the many reasons why we need to move towards a more unified society.

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | C2 Page 11

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CULTURE

The Two Schisms: The Pope and the Patriarch Aman Sair J6VWA

O “

n the 12th February 2016, a cosy wood-furnished room in the José Martí International Airport near Havana hosted of one of the most significant meetings in the history of Christianity, if the years are anything to go by. Almost a thousand years earlier the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and the head of the Orthodox Church, Michael Cerularius, was excommunicated in 1054 by a Papal legate for refusing to give up his title and accept the Pope’s status as the mother of the Church (ignoring the fact that he was dead at this point). Very few at that point in time would have known what this excommu-

in Constantinople: a Greek Orthodox mob indiscriminately massacred Catholics in the Byzantine capital in 1182 as a ‘celebration’ of the new, firmly Greek Emperor (a stark and refreshing contrast from the Westernised and Latin-leaning past ruler). This horrified the leaders of Western Christianity – ByzantineWestern relations fell to a new, tempestuous low. Yet matters took a brutal turn for the worse in 1204, the year of the Fourth Crusade.

At first Crusaders under Venetian leadership agreed to stop off at Constantinople to bring Alexios Angelos (a Byzantine prince) to power in return for financial assistance. But when Alexios was killed during a popular uprising, the prospect of payment vanished. Faced with poverty, resentment against the Orthodox Byzantines (many of those killed in 1182 were Venetian merchants) caused them to make a decision which would cripple the Byzantine Empire, and Orthodox Church’s relation to the rest of Christendom for centuries. The Crusaders sacked Constantinople: looting, burning and slaughtering as they ravaged the city of its former glory. Countless statues and relics from the Ancient period were destroyed or stolen, many being taken back to the West to adorn their churches. The East-West schism was complete, its consequences never being successfully resolved.

But today, a new schism has unearthed itself once again. Rivalries between NATO and Russia have reached a slightly worrying zenith; rivalries unbeknownst to us since the end of the Cold War. In April 2014 NATO suspended cooperation with Russia due to the Ukrainian crisis. In July of the same year the US accused the Russians of breaching the INF treaty on missiles, signed during the waning of the Cold War by Reagan and Gorbachev.

More recently, there have been many doubts over Russia’s intentions in the Syrian conflict: they are seen as ‘not discriminating between ISIL and the legitimate Syrian opposition groups’, in the words of David Cameron. Closer to home, British jets have been scrambled seven times this year alone to intercept Russian bombers near the UK. Lieutenant General Evgenny Buzhinsky, a retired Russian officer, said ‘it is a matter of interpretation…because the situation has changed it is suddenly considered a threat…everything depends on the context.’ He then went on to say there was ‘nothing unusual’ about it. He may be right about the context having changed, but surely

After all, the Pope is the most influential figure in the most influential religion on the planet: what he says and does affects the decisions of millions.” nication would mean for the future of the two churches, but none could have thought that a millennium later, the two leaders would meet again in an unknown land.

The glaring divisions caused by the dual excommunication (naturally Cerularius returned the favour to the legate, but interestingly the Pope was never himself targeted) became over the following centuries more deep-rooted and bloody at times. Those who were once seen as brothers in faith were increasingly being viewed as adversaries.

The Crusades, intended to reclaim the Holy Land for Christendom, only set up Latin Catholic states. Open violence also bloomed

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this is telling in itself. He has acknowledged the altered atmosphere that we find ourselves in today – for many, this is a regression to the numerous conflicts that marred the Cold War. It was seemingly far removed from this context that the Pope Francis and the Patriarch Kirill convened near Havana earlier this month. They conversed amicably, with the Pope expressing a millennium of estrangement as he exclaimed ‘Finally! Now we are brothers.’ In their discussions they covered their shared spirituality, and the ‘challenges of the contemporary world’: issues raised included the refugee crisis, the persecution of Christians throughout the Middle East, and the split of the Orthodox community in Ukraine following the chaos blazing through the region. Their joint declaration concluded with a call for Catholic and Orthodox Christians to work together to spread the Good News of salvation in these difficult times. The two figureheads departed in good friendship: commendable, taking into account the often troubled and sometimes hostile relationship between the two churches in their lengthy past.

But why was this meeting organised now? It is clear that those Orthodox-Catholic divisions which are so deep-lying could not possibly be solved by one meeting, or even many. Both the Patriarch and the Pope are well aware of this. So evidently the former schism has been brushed aside, for another time. Thus, perhaps the object of this momentous meeting was to remedy the second: Putin’s reputation in the West is becoming increasingly dubious, the more so due to his apparent indifference to this. It is plausible to believe that Francis was being used by Putin to give him some Western support. After all, the Pope is the most influential figure in the most influential religion on the planet: what he says and does affects the decisions of millions. Concerning Kirill, there has been much criticism towards him due to his close relationship with Vladimir Putin.

The Patriarch backed the current President in his 2012 campaign, calling him a ‘miracle from God’. Has he merely appeared before the Pope to promote the Russian leader’s views and ideas?

Many pressing questions unfurl themselves as a deeper look is taken into the geopolitical implications of this historic congregation. It remains to be seen whether the meeting will indeed have any long term impact, and where the developing conflicts taking place in the world will lead. Nonetheless, it is refreshing to see even token displays of goodwill and cooperation amongst the all too frequent reminders of carnage and violence.

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CULTURE

Can the Global War on Drugs Be Won? Matteo Bellani J6PCM

S

ince the start of the 20th century, governments have cracked down on recreational drug use with increasing severity. Considering that in 2016 the number of people using illegal substances has not decreased shows that drugs policies adopted by the global community are not making any significant headway. The UN is convening a General Assembly Special Session on Drugs in April of this year to discuss solutions to some of their shortcomings since the last Session in 1998, where countries naively agreed to eradicate the drugs trade by 2008. But if harsh measures show no difference, then what will?

The reason harsh measures don’t work is because they increase social inequality by fixing people into a particular class of society. It’s true to an extent that abuse of drugs can be bad, but more often than not, giving criminal records to those in possession of these substances will do more harm to society as a whole and ingrain the drugs trade. Often those who take drugs are from disadvantaged backgrounds, such as those in poverty and those with mental health disorders; attacking the most vulnerable in society will only exacerbate the drug trade because it gives them no incentive to change, thus drug abuse will only continue to remain prevalent in these communities unless alternative strategies are pursued.

In 2014, Bill Clinton spoke about his controversial crime policies that saw the mass incarceration if black youths, mostly for drugs crimes, saying:

“

I believe that drugs have destroyed many lives, but wrong government policies have destroyed many more … trillions of dollars have been wasted, millions of people have been incarcerated, thousands have died and countless lives have been destroyed in the name of fighting a ‘War on Drugs’.”

Kofi Annan, UN Ex-Secretary General

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“We wound up…putting so many people in prison that there wasn’t enough money left to educate them, train them for new jobs and increase the chances when they came out so they could live productive lives.”

UN Ex-Secretary General Kofi Annan spoke retrospectively about the 1998 UNGASSD, in which he declared it was time for countries to say ‘yes’ to eradicating drugs, noting the damage recent policies have had in his region of Western Africa; he stated: “I believe that drugs have destroyed many lives, but wrong government policies have destroyed many more […] trillions of dollars have been wasted, millions of people have been incarcerated, thousands have died and countless lives have been destroyed in the name of fighting a ‘War on Drugs’.”

Governments need to stop political posturing for votes and accept that waging a ‘war’ on drugs is unwinnable, instead taking measures that strike the suppliers rather than the purchasers. The illicit drug business is worth billions of dollars each year, part of which is used to corrupt government officials and poison economies; by decriminalising illegal drug use, the power is shifted away from the cartels, which allows for the pursuit of strategies that focus on helping the consumer. An estimated 160,000 people have been killed in drugrelated violence as a result of the Mexican Drug War. If we were to somehow stifle the power of the drug cartels and force them into the open, many more of these kinds of casualties would be prevented. Additionally, ending prosecution of possession would divert police resources to deal with the gang violence and crimes that matter, which would to an extent reduce crime rates.

Legalising drugs would allow governments as well to regulate the drugs that citizens are consuming, as if they were regular medication. Legal highs are circulating as a way to circumvent laws against possession of other illicit drugs; legal highs are more dangerous than traditional drugs because no one has done research on them.

An example is Spice, a range of synthetic cannabinoids sprayed on some fibres that

when smoked has similar effects to cannabis - however, being 100 times stronger, it can have detrimental side effects such as high blood pressure, blurred vision, heart attacks, seizures, hallucinations and paranoia. Legalising cannabis ensures that its THC content can be regulated, reducing possible neurological damage from high THC strains; as well as this, separation of cannabis markets from other illicit drug markets would reduce the number of cannabis users who go on to use more dangerous drugs. We should additionally allow addicts and other serious consumers to obtain the drugs they want or need from legally regulated sources in order to wrestle the trade out of criminal hands and bring these people onto a path of reform that does not penalise them.

Currently a few countries have decided to take drug policy into their own hands and have made some promising steps. In the US, 25 states have legalised cannabis in some form, and the federal government is working on reducing the prison population locked up for drug-related crimes. Uruguay has legalised cannabis and the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeaux, hopes to follow suit. Portugal decriminalised all drugs in 2001, whilst The Czech Republic in 2010 reversed its previously harsh stance on decriminalisation; neither country has plunged into an addiction crisis. As well as this, Switzerland - along with Denmark, France and Ireland, who are testing the same strategy - has created supervised heroin-injecting clinics in which addicts are given clean heroin and weaned off of it.

From what we have witnessed, the status quo is no longer suitable and the UN needs to encourage an approach that no longer aims to eradicate drugs or punish consumers, instead promoting solutions that uphold human rights, harm reduction and support treatment for those who use drugs. The answer to the titular question is simply that the war will never be won, and it’s time to end it and focus our resources on dealing with Global Warming, starvation and global pandemics.

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | C2 Page 13

A global citizen is mindful of…

ECONOMICS

Globalisation: The Good and The Bad

Ronan Patel J6OJD

N

owadays, your shirt will be made in Mexico and your shoes in China. Your phone comes from Japan. You can travel to Moscow to eat a Big Mac there and you can watch a Brazilian film in Rome.

Globalisation is growing quickly.

Today goods are made and sold all over the world, thanks to globalisation. Globalisation lets countries move closer to each other.

People, companies and organizations in different countries can live and work together. We can exchange goods , money and ideas faster and cheaper than ever before.

Modern communication and technology, like the Internet, cell phones or satellite TV, help us in our daily lives.

Globalisation lets countries do what they can do best. If, for example, you buy cheap steel from another country you don’t

have to make your own steel; you can focus on computers or other things. Globalisation gives you a larger market. You can sell more goods and make more money. You can create more jobs. Consumers also profit from globalisation. Products become cheaper and you can get new goods more quickly.

Globalisation causes unemployment in industrialised countries because firms move their factories to places where they can get cheaper workers. Globalisation may lead to more environmental problems. A company may want to build factories in other countries because environmental laws are not as strict as they are at home. Poor countries in the Third World may have to cut down more trees so that they can sell wood to richer countries.

Globalisation can lead to financial problems. In the 1970s and 80s countries like

Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia and Brazil got a lot of money from investors who hoped they could build up new businesses there.

These new companies often didn’t work, so they had to close down and investors pulled out their money. Some of the poorest countries in the world, especially in Africa, may get even poorer. Their population is not as educated as developed countries and they don’t have the new technology that we do. Also human, animal and plant diseases can spread more quickly through globalisation.

In general, it is inevitable and is happening whether we like it or not, so we might as well embrace it rather than face it as though there are many disadvantages to globalisation - there are more beneficial advantages for us as individual people.

“

It is inevitable and is happening whether we like it or not, so we might as well embrace it rather than face it.”

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Wednesday 24 February 2016 | C2 Page 15

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MOTORING

New jobs for south Wales

The Ferrari 488 Spider

Aston Martin creates 750 new employment opportunities

Euan Lawrence 2C

Ferrari has created another beautiful car. The 488 is the Ferraris 458’s younger sibling but the only thing that they share are a retractable, hard-top roof. And did I mention that the 488 is the most powerful mid-engined convertible that the company has made? On top of that you have the designers at Ferrari who have managed to make another jaw-dropping design. This is what separates Ferrari from Lamborghini.

Lambo’s seem hard and rigid while with Ferrari everything seems to flow.

Underneath the bonnet there is a turbocharged V8 which produces 660bhp at 8000rpm. This means 0-62mph takes just 3.0 seconds and 0-124mph takes 8.7 seconds. The car can carry on to 203mph. Ferrari never seem to disappoint on speed and power. To help wit corners the car is also 23% stiffer than its predecessor.

What more could you ask?

There is not much to say on the looks. The car is simply breath taking. Just like most Ferraris. Then you have the beautifully crafted interiors. You have leathers seats and leather quilted side panels. You sit low into the road and touches of carbon fibre just add to the luxury of the car. Of course there are various buttons inside to change the modes of the car and since it’s a sports car, launch control.

Why wouldn’t you want a 488?

In my opinion it is better than the Lamborghini Hurácan (its rival).

They are around the same speed but the Ferrari looks so much better. That is what makes Ferrari better. They can produce faster cars than Lambo but they are more luxurious. Also, this car will be good not only the road but on the track. Who wouldn’t want to get one?

Jack Curtin J6WER

The R8 V10-Second Generation Euan Lawrence 2C

Audi have decided to release the second-generation R8. At the moment there is only the V10 and V10 Plus models available but it is expected for a V8 and an e-tron to be added later down the line. The R8 also remains an all-wheel drive car and Audi created the second-gen by using the same platform of the first-gen, which is why the car looks pretty much the same. However the car is wider, lower and slightly shorter.

Of course you’d expect it to be fast, and it is. The V10 takes 3.5 seconds from 0-62mph with the Plus model taking 3.2seconds and reach 205mph.

The R8 also has a lot of power under the bonnet with 602bhp for the Plus model and 533bhp for the regular V10. That's a lot of power for an everyday supercar. With all this power the car creates a furious roar as you have multiple pistons moving at a chaotic 8,700 rpm. More of the car is also made of carbon fibre, which makes it stiffer and lighter (it weighs 1,555kg). This is why I’ve always liked

Yes, in an astounding turn of events, there is some good news about a car company. Aston Martin is doing its part for the British economy by providing much needed jobs to the people of Wales. How, I hear you cry in anticipation? The car company have decided to construct their second global factory in manufacture their new DBX crossover model in Wales after constructing their second factory, the first being in Gayden, Warwickshire. The British car company, best known for being the luxury, go-to choice for the James Bond

films, chose Wales to be the site for its second factory even after ‘fierce competition from other potential sites across the world’ said Carwyn Jones, Welsh first minister. In fact, the new plant is estimated to create as many as a 1000 jobs to the local community with new local supply chains and the boost it will give to local businesses.

This will also be the ‘first time in 50 years’, according to Welsh economy minister, Edwina Hart, that cars have rolled off a production line in Wales.

Aston Martin seems to be breaking new ground and giving the Welsh economy a much needed boost.

the R8; it is cheap for a supercar but still packs a nasty punch.

Since it’s an Audi, you will have a luxurious cabin. You have a lovely leather seats and side panels but also what Audi calls ‘virtual cockpit’. It is similar to the one the TT has but it is slightly more sophisticated than that version. The steering wheel also has a flat bottom, which allows you to change modes, open exhaust flaps and start and stop the engine which makes it really easy to use. This might make it sound like a salon but it is still low-hung so it still feels like a supercar.

I can’t say much about the outside of the R8. It looks practically the same: but that is not a bad thing. The R8 looks like a magnificent beast with power. There have only been little changes. There is not much more to say about the R8. It is a brilliant car, and one that will only cost £119,500 for the V10 and £137,500 for the V10 Plus. I know, cheap. This is why it will triumph over its rival, the Porshe 911; it looks better and is faster.

Hot hatch shootout Xavier Sharif-Choudhry 1C

Our contenders for the ‘hot hatch shootout’ are the Ford Focus RS, VW Golf R, Mercedes A45 and the Honda Civic Type R. In the world of hot hatches this is a very special line up!

First up to the plate is the Focus RS. From the radical looks to the 350bhp output this car is definitely a contender for the top spot today.

The handling is said to be ‘acrobatic’ and the performance impressive. The four cylinder turbocharged 2.3litre engine has been stolen from the most recent Mustang and skillfully tuned by Cosworth in order to boost the power to 345bhp, propelling the vehicle to a top speed of 167mph. In typical RS style the aggressive body is loud, featuring a high rise spoiler perched on the tailgate. The gaping grill has a matte surround and a splitter placed underneath. Ford have also been very smart by catering to practical needs like boot space and the need for rear seats, which allows this hot hatch to appeal to a much wider audience. The Focus RS costs a comparatively reasonable price of £29,995. On the flip side, the ride quality is said to be poor on bumpy English roads. So not perfect, but a worthy contender and a definite all-rounder.

Next we have the Volkswagen Golf R, the historic go-to hatch. First of all I would like to start with the price, £31,120. This is slightly more than the Ford, but still less than the astronomical price tag of the A45 that we will discuss later. From the outside the Golf manages to look both sporty and classy, sitting on new rims and featuring mean looking quad-pipes. It has considerably less power than the Ford at 296bhp, but is reported to still churn out the usual level of satisfaction. This is made possible thanks to the re-worked 2.0litre turbocharged engine from the GTI hiding beneath there bonnet. When in manual mode the Golf will get you from 0-62mph in a quick 5.1seconds. This car can also be bought in estate form, adding an extra 79kg, although once tested they were said to feel equally fast. The Golf R’s sat nav system has encountered some teething issues that are worth noting. The system is meant to give you traffic updates but seems to “cry wolf” by telling you there is gridlock. Additionally, it is arguable whether it is worth paying an extra £4,000 for the R when the GTI is still available. Apart from the minor sat nav issue that I'm sure will be rectified by VW, the Golf R is a competent hot hatch that lives up to it’s long-standing legacy.

Next up, the new kid on the block– the Mercedes A45 AMG. Under the bonnet lives 360bhp bursting from a 2.0litre turbo motor which allows this hatch to do 0-62mph in 4.2seconds. That’s supercar territory!

And the cost of this grunt? Around £37,960. Now that’s a hefty price tag, especially for a hot hatch, even if it is the ultimate pocket rocket. Among other options, Mercedes offers a locking front differential, adaptive suspension and an AMG exhaust system that'll burst your eardrums.

The 2.0litre unit is said to be so highly tuned by AMG that it feels like the engine from a race car. Inside the Merc is paradise, incorporating neat patches of carbon fibre and Alcantara. The outside is beautifully designed too–just the right blend of aggressive sportiness and class. The A45 would certainly appear to be the most luxurious and fastest of the hot hatches, but is it the best?

Last but not least we have the Honda Civic Type R, which is priced at the same level as the Ford. It packs a 306bhp punch, hitting a top speed of 167mph in just 5.7seconds. Honda have also included their new suspension system–DASFS. This bit of tech manages to reduce torque steer by 55% by minimising the camber change on the front wheels during cornering. The engine is a four

cylinder 2.0litre direct injection VTEC turbo. So far so good, but there is a flaw. This time the problem is with noise. What comes out of the quad exhausts is a long out of tune groan that is not pleasing to the ear.

To me this is a great shame, as part of the driving experience of any performance car, barring EVs, is about the sound. The interior is a standard affair, nothing special, but acceptable all the same. Boot space is impressive and there is plenty of head room.

It’s good in the bends too, achieving exit speeds perilously lose to the

four-wheel-drive Golf R. All in all, an excellent hot hatch, if slightly tainted by an average interior and displeasing exhaust note.

All of these hot hatches are deeply impressive machines, although each and every one has its flaws. My personal favourite is the A45, however I recognise the steep price tag is simply ridiculous. The car that wins the day overall has to be the Focus RS–value for money, good looking and a characterful drive. To quote Top Gear, this hot hatch is a “game-changer.”

16 | Wednesday 24 February 2016

The CITIZEN

FOOD

A Mars a day helps you work rest and play... and now ingest plastic Jude Horspool 2S

Mars has had to recall chocolate bars in 55 countries including the UK after a customer reported finding a piece of red plastic in a Snickers bar. It may cost the multinational company millions of dollars. The customer complained to the company, which then traced the plastic back to its factory in the southern Dutch town of Veghel, where it transpired the plastic came from a protective cover used in the manufacturing process. Affected products include bars of Mars, Snickers and Milky Way, Celebrations boxes and Mini Mix, according to a statement issued

by Mars. The recall was 'voluntary' and was being done as a precautionary measure. A Mars Netherlands spokesperson said: "We cannot be sure that this plastic was only in that particular Snickers. We do not want any products on the market that may not meet our quality requirements, so we decided to take them all back."

Only products manufactured at the Dutch plant are being recalled, so doesn't extend to the US, where Mars is based. Figures are sketchy,

as the company hasn't announced how many bars are affected or how much it will cost. The products in the UK that are affected are funsize bags of Mars and Milky Way, Family Favourites, Party Mix, Celebrations and Snickers Miniatures. The Food Standards Agency has advised people not to eat the affected products and contact Mars' consumer care team if in doubt. Mars is one of the biggest food companies in the world with 29 chocolate brands including M&M's, Galaxy, Twix, Bounty and Maltesers, also making Wrigley gum (Juicy Fruit and Doublemint amongst others made), Uncle Ben's rice, Dolmio pasta sauce and Pedigree pet food.

This is not a unique event. In 2006, Cadbury recalled more than a million chocolate bars over fears they were contaminated with salmonella, caused by a leaking pipe at their Malbrook plant near Leominster in Herefordshire. It eventually lost the company £5m in sales, £7m after insurance, but cost the company all in all £20m.

A year ago, Nestlé had to destroy 400 million packets of Maggi 2 minute instant noodles in India, after food safety authorities banned their production and sale after high levels of lead and MSG were found.

The ban issued by the Indian courts were soon lifted, at a cost of £44.5m to the company.

The hidden sugar in everyday food Rahul Shah 4C

With the charity and campaign group ‘Action on Sugar’ having recently found that Starbucks' Venti Grape with Chai, Orange and Cinnamon hot mulled fruit drink contains 25 teaspoons of sugar, and with other very popular coffee chains such as Costa and Caffe Nero having been shown to be equally guilty, is it time to have a long, hard think about sugar, and try to stop it making its way into nearly all our food?

Often, the sugar that causes tooth decay, diabetes and obesity in food is released and has the greatest effect due to the way the foods are prepared. Whole fruits, such as oranges, contain lots of sugar, but have a very small effect on teeth as the naturally occurring fructose is locked away within the fruit’s structure. However, when the fruit is juiced, the sugars are released and have much greater effect, sticking to the enamel of our teeth and causing tooth decay much more readily.

Similarly, instead of having sugary food during mealtimes, when the body’s natural response to sugar is at its peak and is able to fight the sugar much more easily, we snack between meals, catching our body ‘off guard’, so the sugar is able to do much more damage.

As humans, we are programmed to enjoy sugar – its dense energy content and sweet taste made it incredibly useful for ancient primates as a short-burst power source for hunting and other similarly strenuous activities. However, sugarcane actually entered our diet by accident.

Originally, it was used to fatten cattle, before someone began to chew on

“Sugarcane entered our diet by accident.

Originally, it was used to fatten cattle” the stalks themselves, and sugarcane began fattening us. Normally, our bodies burn calories found in carbohydrates to provide energy, but as we consume more and more high-calorie sugar, and exercise less and less, our bodies can’t do anything with the extra calories but store it away as fat, and we become obese. Fructose also allows hormones that make us feel hungry to run riot, so we don’t know when to stop eating, again causing obesity. And it’s such a big problem nowadays as we aren’t hunting for food anymore, so get very little exercise compared to out ancestors.

Prof. Simon Campbell, a professor of psychology at Liverpool University recently said that ‘sugar is the new tobacco’, and, although at first sight the comparisons seem ludicrous, there are many similarities between the two substances. Both were taken to be healthy when first discovered, and both quickly spurned slave trades and became very expensive. And both are addictive. Increased glucose levels in the blood causes a release of the insulin to try and control it, by stimulating its storage, and the glucose level duly drops. However, the insulin level in the blood takes much longer to fall, stimulating further storage of glucose (this causes obesity) and pushing the blood sugar level further and

further down. As blood sugar drops below the optimum, we get a craving for sugar, and the cycle continues to repeat. Tobacco causes a very similar cycle, but with adrenaline instead of insulin. The similarities continue: both substances stimulate the release of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, which also cause areas of the brain associated with reward to become active. This, matched with the fact that these areas of the brain degenerate so the stimulus needed for mood to improve is greater, causes an addiction.

Tobacco is already very heavily taxed and by the same logic, sugary food and drink should also be.

Campaigners such as Jamie Oliver and Jeremy Hunt have come forward in favor of such a tax, saying it would cause obesity to plateau at 29%, and prevent 37 million more cases.

Disturbingly, data compiled by Public Health England also shows that teenagers aged 11-18 get almost 16% of their total energy from added sugar (the recommended level is under 5%), something that a sugar tax would dramatically reduce. The reduction in obesity is also expected to save the NHS £10m every year until 2025. On the other hand, there are arguments that the tax will have no effect on the rich, and that drink companies will simply put prices up to counter it. Overall, however, it should make a significant difference to a problem that will continue to grow rapidly out of proportion.

Going for an English?

Leo Bear J6RE

London’s diasporic restaurant scene boasts the greatest range of cuisines and styles in the world. But what direction are we going in?

At its peak, the British Empire covered a quarter of the globe, controlling 500 million people. Over the last 50 years, London’s food scene has developed and expanded laterally, now with thousands of foreign cafes and restaurants to boast of, representing far more cultures and cuisines than the world’s largest empire could ever have imagined. However, the most significant change has only occurred within the last decade. Our capital is fortunate to be home to a plethora of not only traditional, established places, but also those of more modern and innovative styles. But is London’s range of eateries losing sight of the traditional, or moving in a brave, new direction, one to be proud of?

And are we filling every gap in the cuisine landscape or simply trying too hard to please?

Curry, for better or for worse, is often regarded as Britain’s national dish. After all, legend has it that chicken tikka masala was in fact invented in Scotland. Indian restaurants have been around for far longer than it is generally thought.

The first curry house was opened in an upmarket area of London in 1809, serving herb-infused meat and vegetable dishes. Substantial subcontinental immigration began to accelerate after the breakup of the empire and the more so after the Second World War. Initial south-east Asian restaurants would tend to be simple, affordable, and primarily serving the local community. As the world became ever more connected and food

became a fashion form of its own, the desire for 'something more' became greater and subsequently the entire other end of the spectrum opened up. Such a phenomenon occurred in many other former colonial countries. While Indian food is engrained in British culture to this day, North African cuisine in France and even Indonesian in the Netherlands are just as prevalent. London has forever been the first stop for immigrants, and this is the root of its distinguishing feature: a range of international restaurants, diverse not only in terms of price range, but also simply the cuisines and styles that they offer. So where do we stand now? As always, the explanation lies in the smallest of cafes, as well as the flashy new chains.

One of the most undiscovered gems in central London is Seoul Bakery. This South Korean café has no more than fifteen seats, all close together, and a menu of unassuming, delightfully cheap dishes. They serve a tasty bibimbap (the national dish of rice, vegetables and meat) and several other kimchee and tofu plates. Everything is served quickly and many packaged products from South Korea are available to buy.

The majority of customers are of East Asian descent and the owners publicise themselves very little; without a website, one understands why a place like this manages to avoid becoming the polished, exciting fusion restaurants that seem to be ubiquitous in the city. At another point on the same side of the spectrum lies Koya Bar, a Japanese udon joint that took over after the full Koya restaurant closed down. On a calm street in Soho, their English Breakfast udon soup is served, comprised of thick

“Familiar and unchallenging, or innovative and exciting?”

noodles, bacon, a fried egg and shiitake mushrooms. Despite not selling the most chopstick-friendly food, anyone bored with tempura prawns and sushi, but not wishing for an overly pricy meal, will no doubt find something here to satisfy them.

Chains are opening more and more frequently in London, often after the successes of the first branch. In fact, around four restaurants open up in the capital every week and a large proportion go on to open other branches. Such a chain is Dishoom.

A few years ago Dishoom’s first appearance burst onto the scene as a pop-up on the Embankment. Now there are a handful of branches scattered around London. Neither a hectic curry house, nor a tight, formal setting, it claims to be a modern take on a British tea room in Bombay, with Zoroastrian, Iranian influences.

Confused? Perhaps. Yet it is still undeniably popular. Its King’s Cross branch is situated just round the corner from the Granary Square, where a string of successful restaurants have appeared, Caravan, Grain Store.

While not being as cheap as some of its Indian rivals, the food itself provides something that could be seen as formerly lacking in the capital. Take, for example, the well-established and more authentic feeling Lahore

Kebab House. Although my local branch in Kentish Town closed after a short-lived existence, this chain of Pakistani grills feels more family run and approachable than somewhere like Dishoom. While the slightly hectic atmosphere and Bollywood films playing non-stop in the background may not be ideal for some, there is no doubt that these familiar qualities are what draw customers back. In a similar way, Mangal restaurants, unpretentious and reasonably priced Turkish grills, have a friendly atmosphere, managing to stay polite yet informal. The question arises: which will outlive the other? Familiar and unchallenging, or innovative and exciting? A further example of a close group of foreign restaurants is the esteemed Royal China. A handful of branches showcase the impressive interior décor, very “Chinese” in

ambience, with their weekend dim sum arriving in double time. Long queues and steep prices bookend a meal at a branch of Royal China, yet one never feels as though the meal was too simple or too lacklustre.

So what do Londoners look for in a foreign meal? It can be hard to know exactly what is traditional and authentic, and what is unheard of in the native cuisine. It seems that if you’re looking for something, you’ll find it in the city. Restauranteurs of London provide citizens with a choice of locations to eat that few other capital cities can boast of. From modest to pricey, simple to thrilling, a restaurant awaits you, and if it doesn’t exist yet, watch this space. At the current rate, it seems every possible setting of every single cuisine will be on the scene in due time.

Below: Dishoom’s food, including their famous okra fries

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | 17

The CITIZEN

FOOD & TRAVEL

The weird and wonderful of the world A taste of all seven continents Tom Davies 2C and Jude Horspool 2S

after the Second World War. As they say in French, bon appetit!

North America

•

El Salvador: Pupusa

Pupusa consists of a thick corn or rice flour tortilla, stuffed with Quesillo cheese (Swiss or mozzarella will do) , refried beans (frijoles refritos), sometimes replaced or added with chicharrón and the loroco flower.

Chicharrón is cooked meat, almost always pork, ground to a paste consistency or thereabouts, and loroco is a flower native to this part of the Americas with edible flowers. These are a typical street food sold by vendors or at special small restaurants called pupuserías, served with curtido (lightly fermented cabbage relish, looks similar to coleslaw) and salsa roja (literally “red sauce”, usually made from tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic and fresh cilantro [coriander]).

Since countries in this area have similar cuisine (they were all conquered by the Spanish), pupusa is popular in neighboring Honduras, too.

If you want a taste of this tasty fare, no need to travel to a pupusería, since Salvador and Amanda have restaurants in Covent Garden and Bloomsbury, where you can eat your way to El Salvador.

Africa

•

Cameroon: Ndolé

This dish is a kind of casserole made up of stewed or ground nuts, ndolé or bitter leaf (which is why the dish is called ndolé), and beef, preferably with bones on. Shrimp can be added, this makes the dish more authentic as its this unlikely crustacean which gives Cameroon its name Portuguese for shrimp is Camerões. Variations include using peanut paste instead of stewing the nuts, and adding some veg. This dish is almost always accompanied with some yam, fufu (a staple dish of West Africa made with cassava flour), ordinary cassava, rice, bobolo (type of manioc, similar to cassava) or fried plaintain (the bigger, greener and less sweet version of a banana). If you are unable to find ndolé, kale or spinach could be reasonable substitutes, but you will miss the key characteristic of ndolé: its bitterness.

The Sawa tribe in Cameroon were the creators of this dish, and hard times are still upon the Cameroonians today, as onethird of families income is spent on food, and not all children receive vital vaccinations against diseases such as polio, measles and tuberculosis.

Mbangang Cameroonian is a Cameroonian restaurant in Clapton, where you can sample this delicious dish without travelling 4,000 miles, or on the other side of London, the bigger Maestro’s Bar and Restaurant in Deptford, which has a more French feel, as it was the French that was given Cameroon from the Germans (who colonised Cameroon in 1884) by the League of Nations

Isaac Deayton 4C

tuck in to turkey, the Guyanese will definitely be having some pepperpot.

Nanny Outar’s, a pop up stall, can give us some taste of Guyanese cuisine, so check on well known search engines to see if they pop up near you, or try Umana Yana, a Guyanese takeaway in Herne Hill.

Australasia

• Asia

•

Japan: Fugu

Fugu is the Japanese word for pufferfish and also the dish prepared from it. It is traditionally eaten in a Chirinabe – a Japanese fish and vegetable hot pot.

Due to the fish’s naturally occurring tetrodotoxin, it has to be carefully prepared by specialist chefs who have undergone a special 3 and a half year training course. Poisonous parts must be removed before serving. 20 people have died from eating Fugu since 2000, as it is 1200 times deadlier than cyanide. However, the organs are the only poisonous sections and the skin is fine to eat if treated correctly.

The Japanese have been eating Fugu for over 2,300 years, and literature in China about Fugu dates back before 400 BCE. It is the only food the Emperor of Japan is not allowed to eat, as it poses to much of a danger to him. It has been banned many times, and the liver (sometimes thought of the tastiest but deadliest part of the Fugu), has been banned since 1984.

Sadly, due to the risks, the EU have banned it all over Europe. Usually in Japanese restaurants, you buy a ‘full course’ of Fugu, with lots of varieties of dishes, which can cost 10,000 Japanese yen (£62), making it one of the most expensive dishes in Japan, due to the preparation methods.

Papa New Guinea: Mumu

Traditionally made in one pot and cooked in a ground oven or a pit hole with hot stones then it is lined with banana leaves and the food is layered: the ingredients are formed mainly of vegetables and fruits.

Leafy greens, root and starch vegetables are layered with meat, spices then more leafy greens and topped with a lot of coconut milk. Banana leaves are then wrapped on top, to keep the vegetables and meat cosy. It can similary be made in a drum and then covered with banana leaves.

You can make it out of most things, be it poultry or other meat and any vegetables, which means many colonies have adapted the traditional recipie. Many if not all of the family will play a part in the preparation of the dish. A ‘mumu’ means, in Papa New Guinea, the earth oven that it is cooked in. The fire pit method has been used in Papa New Guinea.

Traditionally, despite the use of any types of meat in the modern day, the Mumu feast used to be made from pork only. Kau kau (sweet potato is a staple vegetable traditionally eaten in Papa New Guinea along with sago (starch made from the pith found inside the trunks of the Metroxylon sagu [a tree]), so these are layered in the fire pit frequently as well.

South America

•

Guyana: Guyanese pepperpot

Europe

• Guyanese pepperpot is a meat stew handed down from the Amerindian people (who the Guyanese are descended from) made up of some meat (which is usually beef, pork or mutton, though some people have been known to use chicken), Caribbean peppers, cinnamon and the unique ingredient of cassareep, which makes this truly Guyanese.

Cassareep is a thick black liquid that can also be a preserve made from the cassava root, which is poisonous when not cooked properly as there are high amounts of hydrogen cyanide. The root is boiled down and flavoured with salt, brown sugar, more cinnamon and cloves to give a bittersweet taste when added to the stew. Cassareep has antiseptic qualities despite its poisonous nature, and has been known to been used as an ointment in the treatment of some eye diseases.

Since this dish takes long to prepare, it is usually only reserved for special occasions, but while we

A ginger in China

Vienna: Wiener Schnitzel

First mentioned in a recipe book under the name ‘eingebröselte Kalbsschnitzchen’, Weiner Schnitzel is made up of a pan fried cutlet made of veal. A legend in Vienna tells the story of a field Marshall (Joseph Radetzky von Radetz), who bought the recipe to Vienna from Italy in 1857. However, in 2007, a linguist found t6hat this story was untrue and the dish was mentioned with the Radetzky name had been an astronomy book in 1969. Be4fore then, the myth was unknown in Austria. The legend, however, comes from a story in which Franz Joseph I received a notice form Lombardy, in which he mentions the dish. The emperor then requested it to be made for him.

Traditionally in Austria, the dish is served with Kopfsalat: lettuce with a sweet vinaigrette dressing, occasionally served with onions and chives.

There are many restaurants in London that serve this dish, including a restaurant in Marylebone called Fisher’s, where you can get Weiner Schnitzel from £11.00, or other types of Schnitzel from £12.00.

“When you are a ginger life is pretty hard Years of ritual bullying in the school yard Kids calling you Ranga and Fanta Pants No invitation to the high school dance…”

(Tim Minchin) Most of my life I’ve been teased for having red hair. Maybe that’s part of the reason why my mother decided to enroll us both in a kung fu school when I was only 6 years old. The style we study is White Crane, one of the five ancestor styles that came out of the Shaolin temple about 400 years ago. Its home is in Fujiian province in South Eastern China.

This year China hosted an international White Crane kung fu competition and festival and invited my club to attend. Suddenly I was off to China with Master Ngo, my mum and 15 others to represent Great Britain.

As we all assembled in our matching club tracksuits at Heathrow airport for the first leg of our flight Master Ngo gave us a last minute reminder of the rules and etiquette of our trip. “You may be given strange foods; eat what you’re given. Don't make a face if you don't like it and don't clack your chopsticks together – they are brothers and when you tap them you are bringing discord between the two brothers. Always drink a shot of neat spirits before the meal to ward off tummy bugs but don't get involved in kanpei (a Chinese drinking game)”. He turns to me, “And you especially – don’t accept any gifts from women, especially tea. That is a marriage proposal and I don’t want to have to extract you from an inadvertent betrothal. I’m serious!”

When we get to Yong Chun, even though it’s 2am, they have prepared a banquet for us in the hotel. The main dish is a whole giant turtle, still in it’s shell, and as the youngest of the party I have to taste it first. This tradition continues for the rest of the trip and I am forced to eat a goose’s beak and tongue, a chickens foot and various other so called ‘delicacies’. It is also my job to spoon out bowls of rice and soup and pass it to all the others before I can eat. Every meal seems to be a 15 course banquet – even breakfast, where the food is almost identical, except that there are also big sticky dumplings and a kind of rice porridge called congee. There is no milk (The Chinese are almost all lactose intolerant) and cereal soon goes on the list of Things I Miss along with cold drinks, Facebook, Google and Youtube which have all been banned in China.

When the two days of the competition are over, we start training with a local kung fu master on a boardwalk along the river in the daytime and at his dojo after dinner when it’s cooler. When we aren't training we get taken to visit to the local incense factory and the temple dedicated to Fang Qiniang, the female monk who

invented White Crane style. There is also a seemingly endless round of official banquets with government officials and local dignitaries.

I have also suddenly become a minor local celebrity. Foreigners are very rare in the provincial city of Yong Chun and a teenager like me with pale skin and red hair causes a sensation. Everywhere we go people want their picture taken with me.

Also gathering attention from the locals is Werner, a tall black guy in the team, who causes a couple of locals to almost fall off their bikes in shock and curiosity when they see him.

We start rehearsals for the opening ceremony of the White Crane Festival – a huge stage show on which the government has reputedly spent more than 100 million Si yuan (£10,000,000). If it were anywhere else in the world it might seem weird that the opening ceremony was taking place at the end of the festival, but this is China. Despite it snowing in Beijing, here we were sweltering in the heat as we practised our pattern in unison to perform.

It’s all quite good fun, but when we turned up for the dress rehearsal along with several hundred teenage boys and girls, things started to go a bit berserk. By day two I have my own body guard to stop me being overwhelmed by crowds of teenagers wanting selfies with me. Soon enough my picture is posted on the Chinese equivalent of Facebook and goes semi-viral in China. “You’re like a Justin Bieber of Yong Chun” the guide remarks as they hurry me onto the coach to make a quick getaway after the show.

If my head swells a bit from all the attention I get in China, it shrinks almost the minute we touch down at Heathrow airport, and someone next to me in the passport queue makes a comment about something being “about as welcome as a ginger stepson”. As the red-haired actor Damian Lewis recently said in an interview, “In England we burnt redheads at the stake, because we thought they were witches.”

Well, now I know that there’s at least one place in the world where my kind are appreciated, so if there are any other redheads out there that want a boost to their self esteem and are willing to travel halfway across the globe, you can always go to Asia and become a ginger ninja.

18 | Wednesday 24 February 2016

The CITIZEN

ENTERTAINMENT

The white man cometh:

The story behind #OscarsSoWhite Jack Curtin J6WER

For the past few weeks, Twitter has had its gaze firmly on the world of film as award season rolls around once more and with it, the seemingly obligatory controversy. Yes, a mere two years after ’12 Years A Slave’ took home the Oscar for Best Picture, the Academy has yet again presented us with a roster of all white nominees across all the acting categories (but don’t worry, the screenplay for ‘Straight Outta Compton’ got nominated, having been written by two white men). Of course, one could say that all these people are completely deserving of their nomination, which is arguably true, but the lack of any ethnic minority nominations over two years seems to be a statistic too worrying to ignore. The Academy has been argued to have a lack of diversity that is unwilling to take risks in its nominations and would much rather stay in the familiar realms of a traditional biopic, such as this year’s ‘The Danish Girl’. However, with all of Twitter’s rage, the Oscars are perhaps not the issue we should be focusing here. The problem is much bigger than that.

Some say that the problem lies in Hollywood itself and that there are simply not enough roles for non-white actors to go around. This seems true on the surface; after all, apart from ‘Beasts of No Nation’ (Starring Idris Elba as an intimidating African Warlord) and ‘Straight Outta Compton’ (Starring O'Shea Jackson Jr. as his father, Ice Cube), how many

of other films with a cast ethnic minorities can we name this year?

This suggests a problem with the studios: perhaps they prefer to bank on films they can cast already well known white actors in than risk their capital on films that will rely on unknown minorities. In fact, even when there are roles for ethnic minorities, such as Ridley Scott’s ‘The Lone Ranger’, it would appear more economically viable to cast a well-known white actor, such as Jonny Depp as that famous Native American character: Tonto. Acting has yet again become a privileged art, dominated by the rich, white man that hardly any ethnic minorities get the opportunity to make it to the top.

The story behind #OscarsSoWhite is evidently one that is much larger than the Oscars themselves, and perhaps even bigger than Hollywood, this year’s Brit Awards, for example, have also been bestowed with whitewashed nominees. So where does the racial problem lie, and why is it still around in the year 2016? These problems are something that need to be dealt with from the out-of-touch academy to the mistreatment and lack of opportunity of ethnic minorities. Let us hope that Twitter’s rage spurs the film industry into action.

Nominated actors suffer from Oscars controversy Gabriel Shear J6AJB

Yet again, with only white nominees in the four acting categories, the ‘whitewashing’ debate rages on for another year. The hashtag #oscarssowhite trended on Twitter for three days following the nomination announcements. Tensions have flared on both sides of the debate, with proponents of an Oscars boycott including prominent figures in the industry such as Jada Pinkett-Smith and husband Will Smith, and critics including Michael Caine. PinkettSmith argues that the nominations are evident of characteristic neglect for African-American acting, declaring that ‘we are rarely recognised for our artistic accomplishments’, and that black actors missing out on nominations was ‘unfair’. In the Hollywood press over the last month, almost all of those willing to comment sided with Pinkett-Smith and the sentiment that the nominations were ‘embarrassing’, according to Straight Outta Compton producer Will Packer. Those willing to criticise the Oscar boycott have found themselves in the midst of significant backlash, as Charlotte Rampling found out. She labelled the movement ‘racist to whites’, and argued that ‘perhaps the black actors did not deserve to be on the final list’. She was immediately denounced, and though the part she played in the controversy was largely forgotten a week later, it opens up an overlooked but important discussion: are the nominated actors suffering?

Regardless of whether Hollywood or the Film Academy suffer from inherent racism, or whether black actors are entitled to representation at every Oscars ceremony, the nominated actors suffer from invalidation of their accomplishments. Though the statement that we should sympathise with actors seems somewhat laughable, considering their substantial wealth, fame and ostensibly easy lives, it must be remembered that for those in the acting profession, an Oscar nomination or victory is the pinnacle of their career. Most actors dream, from their very appearance, that they will one day be considered an acting ‘great’, a title usually solidified only with the merit of an Oscar nomination. Therefore, the negative aspects of the #oscarssowhite campaign must be taken into account.

When the attention shifts away from the merit of the actors’ work, and towards whether they should have given their place up to accommodate equal representation, then

Rampling’s comments, however inflammatory, gain some credence. Her anger is both justifiable and understandable: why should her achievements be marked with an asterisk because the Academy decided that the 20 best performances came from white actors?

When Oscar day comes, the attention will not be on the winners, but on those who have decided not to turn up out of protest. The newspapers will focus more on Will Smith’s Twitter page than the winner of the Best Actor award. In an industry where the most important matter is the opinion of others, actors cannot afford their accolades to be forgotten. So spare a thought for Leonardo DiCaprio. Yes, he might have forty five model girlfriends, and spend all his time having waterfights on his giant yacht, but he has been trying to win an Oscar for 20 years. Let’s hope that if DiCaprio finally gets his deserved big win, he’s not overshadowed by anything.

Theatre

Music Album

Waste

Kanye West: The Life of Pablo

Shayon Mukherjee J6GJD

Scandal, sexual politics and ideological intrigue all blend together in the Lyttelton Theatre to create Harley Granville Barker’s political magnum opus, Waste. The drama is centred on the independent MP Henry Trebell and his affair with a former Irish republican’s wife, Amy O’Connor, resulting in the death of his bill to disestablish the Church, his political career and ultimately, the death of Trebell himself. Charles Edwards led the cast as the tragic epitome of crude, logical amorality; devoid of empathy, Trebell struggles to relate to the play’s principal love interest, played by Olivia Williams, which leads to an unwanted pregnancy and her eventual suicide.

The play is rooted in ideology and philosophy much more than it focuses on plot and character: characters would often turn to each other and launch into lengthy speeches about social class, the faults in modern politics and the disassociation of politicians from the common people, often

“The dialogue was lengthy, cutting and layered” in the style of a soliloquy. The dialogue was lengthy, cutting and layered with a bleak satirical humour, arising as a result of the hypocrisy of the most senior politicians, usually with several contrasting opinions due to the number of characters onstage. The sets were changed in a very smooth and sleek manner, with large boards momentarily obscuring the audience’s view while the actors sneaked onstage.

Barker emphasises the fact that women are victims of male power structures, shown by the continual repetition of ‘we must live through our husbands’. This contentious feminism that permeates the play has a profound impact in the audience’s understanding of politics; Barker is stressing the inequality that exists in politics by portraying all key politicians as old, white, rich men. This hard-hitting truth remains poignant today, despite the fact that the play was written over a hundred years ago, in 1907. It is truly a mark of a significant play when their messages stand the test of time, which is exactly the case for Waste.

Gabriel Shear J6AJB

The three years between Yeezus and the Life of Pablo has marked the longest wait for a Kanye West album.

Despite promising in early 2015 that the album, then-title So Help Me God, that his 7th studio album would be out later that year, scores of devoted fans would be forced to wait until February 11th 14th to have their first listen. The tone of the album seemed to change with each iteration of the tracklist and title during January 2016. First, we had So Help Me God, with its apparently triumphant theme, throwing away the sorrow and self-contempt of Yeezus and 808s & Heartbreak. Next, we had Swish, seemingly continuing this theme, but supplying his self-comparisons to sports stars, as exhibited in the promotional single ‘Facts’. Then, Kanye settled on Waves, triggering a spirited defence of the apparent subgenre from Wiz Khalifa, and subsequent entertaining Twitter beef. Finally, Kanye arrived at The Life of Pablo, featuring an expanded 17-song tracklist, including 58 minutes of song.

Yet again, Kanye West has managed to polarise opinion. Both the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph reviewed the album at three stars.

The Daily Mail, was less kind, awarding just one. The American press, however, as well as his fans, have displayed a far more positive reaction.

Rolling Stone and Complex both offered favourable reviews, but it is the fanbase itself which has responded most eagerly, validating Kanye’s Twitter claim that this would be the ‘album of the life’.

When the album is bad, it’ s baffling. Highlights is not a highlight, while Lowlights certainly lives up to its name. I found Father Stretch My Hands pt. 2 to be wholly unnecessary, and both Facts and Fade to be an uninspiring way to end the album.

No one has yet been able to explain Silver Surfer Intermission to me, and while Feedback and 30 hours are catchy, they are lyrically mediocre.

However, when the album is good, it’s amazing, showcasing the best of Kanye’s abilities, setting him apart from the waves of rappers that appear to come and go, traversing the American rap scene every year. The album opens with its masterpiece, Ultra Light Beam. Featuring the best guest appearance on the album from Chance the Rapper, the song explodes with energy, gospel notes and spiritual verses from both Kanye and Chance. On first listen, it seemed possible that Kanye’s claim of a gospel

album might come true. However, the next song, Father Stretch My Hands, quickly dispelled this possibility. In a song somehow devoted to his father, Kanye shows off his most explicit lyrics, in a sonically challenging twoparter, that seems both disjointed and brilliant in parts. However, it is good enough to be considered one of the ‘hits’ of the album, along with Real Friends, Wolves, Famous and FML. Real Friends was met with instant acclaim upon its promotional release, and though the album version of Wolves disappointed many with the removal of Sia and Vic Mensa’s additions, it still makes for an excellent song. Similarly, while Famous’s inflammatory remarks regarding Taylor Swift provoked immediate controversy, it does resemble classic Kanye. FML started out as my least favourite song on the album, suffering from a lack of beat, and an uninspiring verse from Kanye. However, after repeated listens (similar to Yeezus), the song became my favourite of the album, showcasing the best of The Weeknd, with uplifting melodies, but melancholy lyrics.

With his 7th studio release, Kanye has maintained his ever-changing style, and excellent production technique. Defying the critics, and impressing even the casual listener, Kanye has managed to create another winner. I expect the album, like Yeezus and 808s, to age extremely well, and go on to be viewed more favourable.

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | 19

The CITIZEN

REVIEWS Television

Film

The Assassin Victor Jack J6SKW

The Assassin is a reasonably unknown Chinese quasi-martial-arts film that, in fact, won the award of Best Director at Cannes. The director, Hsiao-Hsien Hou, known more for telling emotionally charged stories of growing up in Taiwan (after moving there as a teenager), now takes us, with the film as a medium, on a tour of picturesque rural China. It’s interesting to see a woman in the role of the protagonist highly-skilled in the art of fighting: a rare occurrence in the genre.

The plot, admittedly, is somewhat thin: it follows our female assassin, Nie Yinniang, in 7th Century China, where she is tasked with killing a political leader who also happens to be her cousin – a challenge from her master, who recognises the young woman’s skill but decides to test how unflinching her nature really is. As she returns to her homeland, she must overcome long repressed feelings concerning her parents, as well as her cousin and his wife. The rest of the film sees her wavering and

Deutschland 83 “A cinematographer’s selfindulgent daydream” contemplating what she should do, in a moral sense.

It is patent why the film was as lauded as it was by many: it is a cinematographer’s self-indulgent daydream; every shot is calculated and astounding in lighting, and mesmerising in colour, putting across a more layered and richer version of the Chinese countryside than anyone can ever imagine. However, it almost seems as though the director, walking through different regions and seeing a nice landscape, decided that the shot must absolutely be in his film, regardless of its relevance, plot-wise. The film occasionally feels like a sequence of great-looking shots were thrown together with no intent behind them. Unfortunately, the dialogue feels strained as well and her inner conflict feels overshadowed by everything else in the film; it is neither character nor plot driven, which makes it feel a little superficial.

However, the score is impressive as well as the costumes and, ultimately, so is the acting (despite a lack of a need for it); it also would have been nice to see some more, or longer fightscenes as the ones included were masterfully choreographed. Slowburning is an understatement and patience is required for the 1h45min duration, yet worth a watch if you’re in an arty or intellectual mood.

Film

Deadpool Ben Morris J6ALR

“Call me Deadpool. It rhymes with no school, too cool, ain’t no fool and, ‘I’m the best there is at what I do’-ool.”

Ultimate Spider-Man S2E16, ‘Ultimate Deadpool’.

There are two types of people who’ll go to see Deadpool: those who know who and what Deadpool is, and those who don’t. Both will have similar expectations for this movie. And oddly enough, it won’t quite fit either of them.

First, for the uninitiated; Deadpool is insane. Utterly insane. There is, of course, the endless swearing, puerile humour and gory action that everyone should expect at this point. Yet Deadpool’s selling point, and what his fans will come to see, is his constant breaking of the fourth wall. Indeed, asides to the audience, pop-culture references, and jabs at the movie’s own clichés and budget, abound, and the opening credits are an absolute treat. Oh, and there’s an end-credits scene – stay for it.

This is Deadpool through and through. What the fans won’t be expecting – those fans who’ve read the comics, love the character, and may just recognise the quote at the top – is the amount of movie underneath.

Deadpool is three movies. One is your typical origin story. Wade Wilson, a mercenary, develops terminal cancer. So he seeks help from a mysterious scientist, who calls himself Ajax, and ends up put into a super-secret experiment designed to turn people into something more.

When he emerges, it’s with his famed healing factor, which repairs the cancerous cells faster than they can form and can render gunshots insignificant to boot. Yet it’s also with a horribly disfigured face, making him look and feel repulsive. Hence the mask.

The two other movies accompanying this arc are a love story – with a prostitute Wade meets in the early minutes – and a revenge movie, with the thrust of the plot being Deadpool’s murderous vendetta against the guy (Ajax) who made him the way he is.

Both these elements, whilst being fairly shallow and predictable, are played surprisingly genuinely. You will feel for this smart-ass, casually murderous brute throughout the movie. And Ryan Reynolds plays it as if he’d been waiting ten years for it – which of course he has. He brings the emotion, the pain, but he brings the humour best of all, delivering everything with a mischievous wink that will unfailingly capture your attention.

Be warned that Deadpool will satisfy no one fully. If you don’t know Deadpool, you’ll have to contend with a bare-bones plot and constant obscene jokes. If you do know him, you’ll chafe slightly at how weirdly conventional the movie seems. But it’s undoubtedly worth it for the humour and heart that Deadpool works to provide. Whatever your expectation, prepare to be surprised.

Marc Doria D’Angri J6VWA

A German-speaking series which aired on Channel 4 on 3rd January 2016, it has become one of the most watched foreign dramas on British television with its opening episode, Quantum Jump, earning 2.54 million viewers. It stars up-and-coming German actor Jonas Nay as Martin Rauch, an officer working for the East German border guard, who is sent to West Germany as an undercover spy for the Stasi, the East German secret service.

As the title suggests, the espionage drama is set in 1983 at the height of the Cold War in the 1980s, when the United States announced the deployment of Pershing II missiles in West Germany as part of a military exercise, Able Archer. Wary of this American action which would suddenly end the period of détente, the Stasi send Rauch to gather intelligence inside a Bundeswehr base in Bonn, the capital of West Germany under the alias of Moritz Stamm (or Kolibri, as he’s known to his Eastern colleagues), the aide-de-camp of a hard-line General. As well as being set in Bonn, the drama shows the enigmatic intrigue of the Stasi in East Berlin as they attempt to consolidate Rauch’s information from inside the Bundeswehr, and the life of Kolibri’s family in a desolate, run-down East German town is also depicted.

The show expertly depicts the tension during a period in which miscommunication between the two countries either side of the Iron Curtain almost resulted in the emergence of World War III, with back and forth shots showing the reaction of the Stasi and the dignified stance of NATO. Moreover, the

cinematography is excellent, with the juxtaposition of the dilapidated Stasi offices and the recently constructed underground bunkers of NATO generals highlighting the extreme differences in infrastructure between the Capitalist West and the Communist East. Jonas Nay’s virtuoso portrayal of Kolibri makes the audience root for him and hope that his real identity doesn’t get discovered, emphasised by shocking plot twists in which the East German government goes through all means necessary to prevent their inside man in the Bundeswehr from getting exposed. Finally, the score, which wasn’t composed by someone but instead included some of the biggest hits of 1983, brings a nostalgic feeling to the programme and reflects the tense nature of the possible nuclear confrontation between NATO and the Eastern Bloc. Some famous songs comprise of: ‘Under Pressure’

by Queen and David Bowie, ‘Blue

“It has become one of the most watched foreign dramas on British television” Monday’ by New Order and ‘White Wedding’ by Billy Idol.

The head of UFA Fiction (the company that produced Deutschland 83), Wolf Bauer, has stated that there is a possibility of releasing a second season, Deutschland 86, and a third season after that, Deutschland 89.

The whole series is available on 4OD to watch, and I’d highly recommend watching this if you are a fan of espionage dramas and everything Cold War related, or if you’re simply looking for a new, exciting programme to binge watch.

20 | Wednesday 24 February 2016

The CITIZEN

AMERICAN SPORT

What Happened On NBA Trade Deadline Day Ogi Ovidev J6JCLM

The trade deadline is one of the most anticipated days of the NBA season, as fans hope their favourite team are able to acquire that one player that could be a catalyst to their playoff hopes, or maybe even the final piece in order to contend for the Larry O'Brien trophy at the end of the season. This year the deadline brought about some interesting trades, but, comparing it to other years, it was relatively quiet.

There are a couple of reasons as to why this occurred. Kevin Durant, arguably the best player in the league on his day, is entering free agency, and with no clear report on whether he will leave Oklahoma City, or jump ship and maybe join another championship contending team; there has been some talk that the Golden State Warriors are looking for his services.

Another reason has to do with the rising salary cap, which is set to skyrocket to almost $85 million over the next two years. The way that this affects this year’s trade deadline is that with everyone wanting to sign “first and second-tier” free agents, team prefer to either offload cap room or build for the future by trading away players for draft picks.

Feb. 16: Hornets acquire Lee from Grizzlies in 3-team deal

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Charlotte Hornets get: Courtney Lee, SG (from Grizzlies)

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Memphis Grizzlies get: P.J. Hairston, SF (from Hornets); Chris Andersen, C; and two conditional second-round picks (via Miami) and two future second-round picks (via Charlotte);

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Miami Heat get: Brian Roberts, PG (from Hornets) All three teams came out of this trade as winners: Miami: Got some desperately needed cap room by offloading Andersen’s contract, which they will certainly use to pay Hassan Whiteside’s expiring contract when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer. Brian Roberts is a mediocre pickup at best but they immediately traded him away to the Portland Trail Blazers for cash considerations.

It can be said that out of the three teams, the Heat got the short end of the stick.

Grizzlies: P.J Hairston is a solid “3 and D” player, however he’s been riddled with personal issues since he entered the league. With Marc Gasol out for the rest of the season, the “Birdman” was desperately needed as their only other proper center is Brandan Wright, who is still a solid contributor down low, but nothing compared to the former Defensive Player of the Year Gasol. Four secondround picks were dealt to Memphis, and even though two of them are heavily protected to the bottom end of the draft, they could still be useful trade chips come offseason time.

Hornets: Courtney Lee is another player who can dial it up from downtown and can be a source of offense, whilst being able to guard his man on defense, holding averages of 10 points per game, along with being a 38% three point shooter over his career.

He was also brought in to replace the now injured Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, so expect the Hornets to make some serious pushes up into the top 6 in the Eastern Conference.

Feb. 16: Pistons deal Jennings, Ilyasova for Magic's Harris

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Detroit Pistons get: Tobias Harris, SF

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Orlando Magic get: Brandon Jennings, PG; Ersan Ilyasova, PF One of the bigger trades that came out of the deadline, however both teams exchanged their players for different reasons: Pistons: Detroit are starting to look like one of the biggest surprise teams in the NBA, as they try to rekindle their success from the start of the millennium. Their backcourt is filled with talented young players, and if and when they re-sign Andre Drummond, who leads the league in rebounding (15 rebs per game) and averages 17 points per game, they could make a serious playoff push in the coming years. Harris can play at both small and power forward, and has the ability to stretch the floor and take pressure off their scorers and also Drummond, who not only broke the record for missed free throws (23 in a game), and holds a career average of 39% from the free throw line. The only problem with Harris is that his contract comes at quite a hefty price: $64 million over 4 years, but with the rising cap, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for the Pistons. Stan Van Gundy is really doing a good job in Detroit, reviving an

almost dead franchise into a potential powerhouse.

Magic: Brandon Jennings’ expiring contract will be of some worth if they want to splash out on a big name free agent in the summer, but until then, he offers instant offense and tempo and to a certain extent experience to a young Magic team. He will most likely play as a backup to Elfrid Payton, and the two could cause some troubles for defense coaches, due to their conflicting styles of play: Payton isn’t known as a shooter, but more of a passer and an inside scorer, whereas Jennings can be solid from the 3 point line. Ilyasova is a great pickup for the Magic. Even though they lost Channing Frye, they definitely got someone better in return. Similarly to the JenningsPayton combo, Ilyasova can be used as a stretch 5 in small ball line-ups, or alongside Vucevic. Furthermore, almost dunk contest winner Aaron Gordon and Ilyasova will surely be used to also cause matchup problems, as Gordon can shoot decently, and Ilyasova is a very good 3 point scorer.

Overall although the Magic don’t look like a playoff team this year, the two acquired players can help them for next season, and as for the Pistons, they look like a team with a extremely versatile and skilled starting five, but their bench as a whole needs many improvements. If they can sign some players in the summer, expect them to leapfrog most of the team in the East and fight for a top 3-4 position.

Feb. 18: Cavs get Frye from Magic, send Varejao to Portland

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Cleveland Cavaliers get: Channing Frye, F (from Magic)

they sometimes implement that system by playing LeBron at power forward and Kevin Love at centre, but Frye provides an enormous boost defensively, compared to Kevin Love, who is tremendously gifted on offense, but not so much on defense.

Frye comes at a hefty price to an already historically expensive team, and at $8 million a year, the Cavs better hope that he provides a good boost to a reasonably weak bench. It is clear from this trade that Cleveland means business, and its championship or bust.

Blazers: Varejao was almost immediately waived, and the first round pick should be reasonably useful in quite a deep draft.

Magic: Similar to the situation of the Blazers. Cunningham won’t receive much playing time, and the second round pick contains some small value.

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Feb. 18: Suns send Markieff Morris to D.C.

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Phoenix Suns get: Kris Humphries, PF; DeJuan Blair, PF; protected first-round pick

Portland Trail Blazers get: Anderson Varejao, C (from Cavs); conditional first-round pick (from Cavs) Orlando Magic get: Jared Cunningham, SG (from Cavs); second-round pick (from Blazers) This was the second biggest trade of the deadline, which says something about how good it was compared to last year, where big players such as Reggie Jackson, Goran Dragic, Brandon Knight and Isaiah Thomas were traded.

Cavaliers: Many low-end forwards and centres were traded, and Channing Frye is just that. It should work quite well in Cleveland, where

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Washington Wizards get: Markieff Morris, PF Suns: Lost a good and young player in Morris, but he seemed to be much of a distraction to the other players in Phoenix. He’s been suspended multiple times by his former club, which is unfortunate considering the potential he has. Hopefully he is able to calm down in Washington, with veterans such as Nene and Marcin Gortat (who played with Markieff in Phoenix in 2013). DeJuan Blair was immediately waived, but on the other hand Kris Humphries is a solid power forward, who recently developed an outside shot. The former Brooklyn player is also good on defense, and can act as a tutor to players such as Alex Len and Archie Goodwin.

Wizards: Morris will probably end up being the starter at power forward, and as mentioned previously, if he can stay out of trouble, he can definitely propel his new, albeit very disappointing team this season, to new heights.

Feb. 18: Clippers get Green, send Stephenson to Grizzlies

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Los Angeles Clippers get: Jeff Green, SF

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Memphis Grizzlies get: Lance Stephenson, SG; 2019 first-round pick

Finally the best is always saved for last. This should have a big impact on not only the respective teams, but also the Western Conference, especially considering both teams in high playoff positions.

Clippers: The Los Angeles Clippers have not had a proper contributing small forward in years. Matt Barnes was a good defender, but lacked an offensive spark. Before him, Nick Young was too in consistent and lacked any perimeter defence. The presence of Green will be much welcomed by the Clippers, as they added a wing player who can play at power forward, shoot a three pointer and have great athleticism. He will most certainly start at small forward, and he is reunited with his old coach from his Boston days, Doc Rivers. LA now has four out of five players that can average almost 20 points a game.

Green’s talent hasn’t gone unrecognized whilst he’s been in the league, with analyst and NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley saying that Jeff has the talent to be a “perennial All-Star”.

The only problem is that the Clips now have no more first-round draft picks that are tradeable until 2021, so it’s now or never to win a ring.

Grizzlies: The Grizzlies had a minirebuild during the trade deadline, dealing and sending the most players out of any team. The first-round pick will likely be top 20, so Memphis can use it in potential trades in the future in case it’s a weak draft, but Lance Stephenson is the real question here. If he can return to the form that he displayed in Indiana, there’s no doubt that the trade is a steal for the Grizzlies, but if he has to play another bench role and can’t step up during the games, he looks like he’s headed to the waiver wire instead.

Sadly, this story happens too often in the NBA, and in American sports in general; a player will have a breakout season but then suddenly he’s not able to regain his form, and in a business such as the NBA, there’s no time for mediocrity.

Overall there were a lot of winners from this trade deadline, and no team really lost out. Even teams that did small deals, such as the Miami Heat, were affected in a big way. But in my eyes, there are two big winners, and one potential big winner: the Clippers because of their acquisition of a good wing player, and the Cavaliers, who really boosted their bench and offensive talent. The potential trade that could pay dividends in the future is the Markieff Morris trade. Morris should become an even better player due to his age and skill set, so if he can average or even do better than his breakout season in 2014-2015 (15 ppg, 6 rebs and 1 steal), then the Wizards could be looking at a long-term steal in him.

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | 21

The CITIZEN

AMERICAN SPORT

MLB Spring Training Preview: Central and West Jonas Cohon J6GHB and Dejan McCreery J6GJD

Central

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Kansas City Royals: After winning their first World Series since 1985, the Royals took a relatively slow approach to start the offseason as their only significant move before the New Year was bringing back Joakim Soria and resigning Chris Young. However they were very productive in January, re-singing gold glove outfielder Alex Gordon to a four year, $72 million deal and then Ian Kennedy, a durable middle of the rotation starter, to a five year, $70 million deal. Kris Medlen, Chris Young and Danny Duffy look to battle for the final two rotation spots. The Royals will have it hard fought to return to the World Series, let alone win their division with the improvements of the Central in general. (Ranking: 6)

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Minnesota Twins: After a surprisingly successful campaign in 2015 the Twins look like a team primed for regression. They did nothing to upgrade on a starting rotation that was below average but did bolster their offence with Korean slugger Byung-ho Park who looks to slide in as a designated hitter. Prospect Jose Berrios will figure to battle for one of the final two spots in the rotation, whilst number two MLB rated prospect Byron Buxton will look to assume the centre field job with his five tool skills. (Ranking: 18)

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Cleveland Indians: Rarely do the Indians spend in free agency however this year they signed speedy outfielder Rajai Davis, and sluggers Mike Napoli and Juan Uribe for a total of $16.25 million. Last year they lacked a solid left handed reliever and they failed to sure up this position over the offseason, only signing veteran relievers Joe Thatcher and Ross Detwiler to battle it out for that position. However as always they will have the starting pitching to remain relevant in a stacked AL central.

(Ranking: 16)

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Chicago White Sox: The White Sox did their best to improve their lacklustre offence over the offseason, acquiring slugging third baseman Todd Frazier and second baseman Brett Lawrie, which in turn will improve their infield defense. Their biggest position battle will be at catcher where newly acquired Dioner Navarro and Alex Avila will fight for the starting job. (Ranking: 20)

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Detroit Tigers: After winning four straight AL Central titles, the Detroit Tigers bottomed out in a big way last season as they finished 74-87 and slipped to last place in the division standings. Jordan Zimmermann and Mike Pelfrey were signed to fill out the 3rd and 4th spots in the starting rotation, and they look to someone from the young trio of Daniel Norris, Michael Fulmer and Buck Farmer to emerge as the No. 5 starter. Their Achilles’ heel was also addressed as they traded for Francisco Rodriguez and Justin Wilson whilst signing Mark

Lowe to round out their bullpen staff.

They also added a huge power bat in outfielder Justin Upton singing him to a six year, $132.75 million deal.

(Ranking: 9)

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St. Louis Cardinals: Despite being ranked 24th in the league in offense last year the Cards managed to put up the best record in baseball last year. Whilst they failed to bolster their offence, they acquired Japanese League closer Seung-hwan Oh to end their search for a right handed reliever. They have managed to fill the hole left by Jayson Heyward from inside the organization in concordance with a remarkable reputation of doing so. An outfield battle between Randal Grichuk, Tommy Pham, and Stephen Piscotty looks to light up this year's Grapefruit League for the Cards. (Ranking: 5)

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Pittsburgh Pirates: They lost J.A. Happ and Charlie Morton alongside their bullpen pitcher Antonio Bastardo but they managed to replace them with Jon Niese coming in from the Mets, and top prospect Tyler Glasnow later this year. Talented pitching coach Ray Searage has Neftali Feliz and Yoerviz Medina coming in for Joakim Soria, and looks to help them hit their ceilings in what should end up being a successful venture up in Pittsburgh. Prospects Tyler Glasnow who can hit 104mph with his fastball looks to place up with the elite this spring. (Ranking: 11)

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Chicago Cubs: After a successful 2015 season, their offseason additions make them the team to beat in baseball.

Jason Heyward joining from St. Louis on an 8 year, $184m deal and versatile Ben Zobrist will beef up their outfield and help their strikeout problems. The team is set for a huge year and with no real holes in their squad, look to bring a World Series title to Chicago. (Ranking: 1)

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Milwaukee Brewers: After trading Adam Lind and Francisco Rodriguez to acquire prospects, and picking up the versatile Colin Walsh from the A’s, the Brewers set about picking up young talent in small deals. Pitcher Zack Jones was picked in the Rule 5 draft, providing some relief for their losses in the bullpen.

Among other top talents lies shortstop Orlando Arcia, who is at the forefront of the Brewers' rebuild.

Despite a small, 165lb frame limiting his power, he looks to show a glimpse of his All-Star potential this spring.

(Ranking: 27)

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Cincinnati Reds: If there’s a phrase to describe this, it’s Farm Story. The trades of 3rd baseman Todd Frazier and superstar pitcher Aroldis Chapman show just how much of a rebuild the Reds are in. Pitcher Robert Stevenson is their top prospect this spring, but has seen his stock drop due to control problems in recent years. This year is going to be one similar to the Braves' but the Reds have had a successful offseasonyouth they wanted and youth they got. (Ranking: 28)

West

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Texas Rangers: A very complete team, the Rangers have remained quite quiet this offseason, only re-signing starter Colby Lewis to a one year, $6 million deal. Their bullpen was one of their main strengths but the additions of both Japanese league pitcher Tony Barnette and Tom Wilhelmsen make it a powerhouse. They also have slugging third base and left field prospect Joey Gallo who stands to make some noise this spring but remains blocked at both those positions by Adrian Beltre and Josh Hamilton. (Ranking: 4)

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Houston Astros: The team’s main priority over the offseason was to acquire a proven hard throwing reliever who they could slot into the closer position and they did just that by trading for dominant reliever Ken Giles from the Phillies. They also managed to retain leftie reliever Tony Sipp who had an outstanding year mustering up a 1.99 ERA. They have some upcoming significant position battles at starting pitcher where Doug Fister, Scott Feldman and Mike Fiers will fight for two rotation spots.

At first base, John Singleton will try to take over after Chris Carter but will have strong competition from up and coming prospect A.J Reed who hit a whopping 34 home runs in the minors last year. (Ranking: 12)

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Los Angeles Angels: After finishing third in the West last year, they did little to upgrade their squad without acquiring shortstop defensive wizard Andrelton Simmons from the Braves and also failed to upgrade in left field. Their fifth starter position and one bullpen spot is due to be filled by a combination of Matt Shoemaker, Hector Santiago and Nick Tropeano. (Ranking: 24)

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Seattle Mariners: Always led by ace starting pitcher Felix Hernandez, their reliance on developing pitching depth again took centre stage this offseason with their acquisitions of Wade Miley and Nate Karns. They also strengthened their bullpen with Steve Chisek and Joaquin Benoit. Adam Lind and Jesus Montero also look to form a productive platoon situation at first base and designated hitter. (Ranking: 17)

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Oakland Athletics: After their bullpen was a complete disaster last year, ranking 28th in the majors, they added two solid pieces in Ryan Madson and Liam Hendriks, as well as John Axford. Whilst the addition of starter Henderson Alvarez could pay huge dividends in their pitcher friendly park. The late trade for Khris Davis from the Brewers will also help to solidify their offense.

(Ranking: 21)

YEAR WINNER

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Los Angeles Dodgers: After the loss of Zack Greinke they quickly adressed the hole in their rotation signing leftie Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda from Japanese giants Hiroshima Toyo Carp to slot in alongside Brandon McCarthy and others. Their acqurining of superstar prospect Micah Johnson, Frankie Montas and Trayce Thompson have made their farm system even deeper. Young shortstop Corey Seager looks to secure his place on the big league roster, having hit .337 with a brilliant .986 OPS in 27 games last year. Baseball's No.1 prospect should create much entertainment and his activity this spring is one to watch. (Ranking: 14)

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San Francisco Giants: The Giants are really going for it this year and after missing out on Zack Greinke, they did very well to sign both Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto. They also filled the hole in left field duewith the 3 year, $31m acquisition of Denard Span. If he breaks out he could even unseat often injured Angel Pagan as the centre fielder. They look like the driving force in this division now and should be an exciting team to watch this spring. (Ranking: 3)

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Arizona Diamondbacks: A lack of depth in the starting rotation that left them 3rd in the division was solved by the brilliant if expensive acquisition of Zack Greinke on a 6 year $206.5m ‘deal’, and a fairly good deal on Shelby Miller from the Braves, widely regarded as a smart move. The big storyline heading into spring is their infield. GM Dave Stewart has suddenly cast Nick Ahmed's shortstop position into doubt, suggesting that Jean Segura could replace him with a battle at second base with Chris Owings. They're definitely in contention for the NL West pennant in what looks to be a good year for the D-backs. (Ranking: 15)

1995 Atlanta Braves 1996 New York Yankees 1997 Florida Marlins 1998 New York Yankees 1999 New York Yankees 2000 New York Yankees 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks 2002 Anaheim Angels 2003 Florida Marlins 2004 Boston Red Sox 2005 Chicago White Sox 2006 St. Louis Cardinals 2007 Boston Red Sox 2008 Philadelphia Phillies 2009 New York Yankees 2010 San Francisco Giants 2011 St. Louis Cardinals 2012 San Francisco Giants 2013 Boston Red Sox 2014 San Francisco Giants 2015 Kansas City Royals

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San Diego Padres: It’s been a confusing offseason for the Padres who seem to be torn between rebuilding and going for a win now approach. A smart move was dealing closer Craig Kimbrel in exchange for top class prospects in Manuel Margot and surprise talent Javier Guerra. The losses of Kimbrel, Joaquin Benoit, and Shawn Kelley have left great holes in the side that are looking hard to fill, and won’t be unless their replacements really hit the bar in performance this season and the next.

(Ranking: 25)

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Colorado Rockies: The Rockies came flat out last in Major League Baseball last season in ERA (5.04), meaning the one thing they needed was good pitching. They signed two relief pitchers Jason Motte and Chad Qualls who are solid with a 3.91 and 4.38 ERA respectively. Potentially they’ll look to deal Carlos Gonzalez to shore up support for their bullpen, but even with this new-look bullpen it’s not looking good for the team with the 3rd worst record last season- it looks like another repeat. (Ranking: 29)

22 | Wednesday 24 February 2016

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African football: why progress has been slow and what the future holds Yassine Tebib J6DPR

For decades, European and South American football has dominated the game, with every World Cup winner being from one of these continents.

European football has been seen as the elite of club football, and for most players in other continents it is a dream to play their trade in Europe someday. Brazilian footballing legend Pelé famously stated that “by the end of the 20th century, an African team will win the world cup”, however itt is 2016 and this is yet to happen, and still seems far from materialising in the near future.

There have been a few moments where success seemed achievable within the last decade. One of these came at the 2010 World Cup, which was hosted by South Africa, making it the first ever to be hosted on African soil. Ghana, the lone African team to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition, carried the hopes of the continent. After a tense 120 minutes of football against Uruguay, it seemed the game was destined to be decided through a penalty shoot-out, but drama struck in the final seconds. Asamoah Gyan saw a shot cleared off the line, and a Jonathan Mensah header followed.

Luis Suarez, who was Uruguay’s star performer throughout the tournament, appeared to head the ball off the line, but in what will go down as one of the most memorable moments in sporting history, he cleared the ball off the line with his arm. The referee dismissed him and awarded a penalty. Gyan stepped up to take the penalty but he could not handle the pressure of billions watching, and hit the crossbar, with the referee immediately whistling for penalties. It was heartbreak for Africa, as Ghana went on to lose the shoot-out.

This is the furthest an African team has ever made it, and considering Africa is populated by one billion people and 54 countries, this comes as quite a shock when you look at the immense amount of talent that the continent has produced. The 2012 African Cup of Nations was won by Zambia, who were lacking of superstars and were ranked 71st in the world and 16th in Africa. Although this came as a great upset, many interpreted this as a sign of Africa’s inability to produce quality. Two years later at the 2014 World Cup, three of the five African nations were eliminated in the group stages, Algeria and Nigeria being the only two to advance to the knock-out stage. Algeria notably went through for the first

time in their history, and came up against Germany, looking to get revenge for the 1982 World Cup where the favourites West Germany lost 2-1 at the hands of debutants Algeria.

However, the Germans eliminated Algeria by conspiring with Austria to win 1-0 in the final group match, proceeding to pass the ball for the whole game, a result that saw both sides progress to the next round. This went down as a disgrace, and fans in the stadium were seen burning notes in a gesture against corruption. Algeria gained many supporters amongst neutrals, playing some exciting attacking football rather than taking a defensive ‘park the bus’ approach, taking the game to extra time, but ending up losing.

“At the domestic level, corruption has been a stain on national leagues” We have seen flashes of excellence in recent years, which begs the question what is holding back African national teams, as well as players and domestic clubs from making a mark on world football? This comes down to a number of factors which include doping within African leagues, a lack of facilities and the issue of dual nationality.

At the domestic level, corruption has been a stain on national leagues.

Recently, four top division players in the Algerian league were suspended by the FAF for doping. Amongst these names is 23 year old midfielder Youcef Belaili, who featured for league leaders USM Alger. Many regarded him as the next star to emerge from the Algerian league, following in the footsteps of Islam Slimani who has taken Europe by storm this season. A lack of regulation allowed many players to slide under the radar, and it is only recently that these issues came to light.

Following these tests, most players were suspended for two years, a move which has been widely criticised by fans and journalists alike.

Walid Zekaoui, a writer for DZFoot, a website which covers every aspect of Algerian football, tweeted his thoughts on the FAF’s take on doping, saying “It’s a question of retribution vs rehabilitation, the FA’s approach is the first, just hand out maximum punishment instead of rehab”. It was

Above: best African born XI (those who play for European national teams)

understood that Belaili took drugs for recreational purposes, which had little impact on his actual footballing ability. The suspension was disappointing considering his enormous potential and the fact that he will be at least 25 when he returns, leaving him with little time to get back into the rhythm of competitive football and showcase his talent in the hope of attracting European clubs.

Undeniably the biggest factor holding African football back is the poor standard of facilities and lack of infrastructure. Stadiums have often been used as political centres rather than being used for football, such as the Mogadishu Stadium in 1990 during the Somali Civil War. In Cameroon, a nation which has seen its fair share of glory with the national team, suffers due to a scarcity of infrastructure. A stadium in Bamenda, Cameroon, is described as “nothing but a wall around a gravel pitch, where goats can freely walk onto the pitch and six teams train on it a day”. Children are forced to play football in the streets and so scouts miss out on potential talents.

This has transitioned into the domestic leagues. They’re often criticised for the weak level of play, and this shows in the Club World Cup every year, where the African Champions League winners participate against winners from other continents. No African team has ever won it, with TP Mazembe and Raja Casablance coming close as runners up in 2010 and 2013. Last season, the Algerian League was incredibly close, with only 10 points separating the champions and relegation.

Several local journalists claimed that this was due to teams preferring to draw rather than lose in order to avoid incurring the wrath of fans, resulting in less points being earned and rankings to be tighter.

FIFA have launched campaigns in order to provide facilities, with the hope of providing a means of enjoying the game of football properly, improving the lives of young players and discovering gems who would never have been found otherwise.

‘Football for Hope’ is the most recognised effort to improve the lives of young people in LEDCs, extending past the boundaries of football into fields such as HIV/AIDS education, gender equality, conflict resolution and so on.

With regards to the national teams, it seems that there are still lasting effects of colonisation, albeit on a more minor scale. Several players of African heritage are born in European lands, notably with African players in France.

Although these players have the option of playing for both, they face a serious decision of whether they should choose to represent their motherland and play for the sake of pride and heart, or choose the country of their birth simply for the sporting challenge it brings. Ten out of twenty-three of the recent French squad are of African heritage, a squad which doesn’t include star striker Karim Benzema who was left out due to his involvement in the Valbuena sex tape scandal.

His parents are Algerian, and in an interview in 2006 with French radio station RMC he said ‘Algeria is the country of my parents, it is in my heart, but as far as football is concerned, I will play for the French national team’. Zinedine Zidane, who was in the same position as Benzema, has also been quoted as saying ‘Algeria is in my heart’, which creates an idea of how good African national teams could be

Above: best African XI

if players chose to play for passion rather than success.

On the other hand, this has led to African federations doing exactly what they should not be doing, neglecting the development of domestic players. There is an unexplainable desire to recruit players who hold Afro-European nationalities ahead of spending resources on training local players and fortifying youth teams with the hope that the next superstars will be developed at home rather than abroad. Algeria’s national team consists of mainly French-born players, with Islam Slimani, El Arbi Hillel Soudani and Azzedine Doukha being the only regulars who were born in Algeria (Ishak Belfodil, Abdelmoumen Djabou and Baghdad Bounedjah have also featured recently). Though the youth squad features local players, this is mainly due to the fact that French-born players often represent the French youth teams, and very few players actually end up representing the senior team, which defies the whole purpose of a youth squad.

“Nonetheless, the future is finally looking bright. Over the last two seasons there has been a surge of African prospects playing abroad” Nonetheless, the future is finally looking bright. Over the last two seasons there has been a surge of African prospects playing abroad. For the first time in recent years African footballers have been making headlines all across Europe. This season’s remarkable story of Leicester City’s challenge for the Premier League title has been in no small part thanks to two star players in Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez and Malian midfielder N’Golo Kante. Kante has been labelled the best transfer of the season for a mere £5.6 million and Mahrez is amongst the favourites to be PFA Player of the Year after what has been an outstanding season, which has seen his transfer value soar from £400,000, the price Leicester paid for him in 2014, to 100 times that, with many valuing him at £40million.

Nigeria’s Odion Ighalo has broken through this season as well, propelling Watford to promotion last season

and helping them maintain their position in the top half of the Premier League with 14 goals. Borussia Dortmund’s Gabonese international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has ripped defences in the Bundesliga, scoring 21 goals this campaign, only 1 goal behind the league’s top scorers Robert Lewandoski. Islam Slimani attracted several Premier League clubs, most notably Manchester United, after averaging almost a goal a game, scoring 18 goals in 22 games for Portugal’s Sporting CP. Sofiane Feghouli, who is a right winger for Valencia CF and Algeria (yet holds dual nationality and could’ve played for France), recently stated in an interview with La Gazette du Fennec that “it is better for young players to play for Algeria rather than France as they are not sufficiently accepted by society”, and it seems that youth players are taking this to note. Yassine Benzia and Adam Ounas, who are impressing in their first season of regular first-team football, also had the option of playing for both national teams yet both have opted to represent Algeria. This comes as a huge boost, as both players are under 23 which makes them eligible to represent Algeria at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Serge Aurier also notably chose the Ivory Coast ahead of France two years ago which pleased fans, especially as he had the quality to be a starter for France. With the Olympics coming up in the summer and three African teams participating in a tournament of 16 teams, there is a real chance for success on a global scale, due to the fact that teams consist of squads of U-23 players and three senior players, with Algeria, Nigeria and South Africa all boasting youth players rich in quality.

It must be remembered that football is by far the most popular sport in Africa. Young people will do whatever it takes in order to be able to play, and with the development of infrastructure which provides a platform for the youth to further their skills will create endless opportunities. Should national teams attract foreign born players whilst also heavily investing in the nurturing of local players, we’ll soon be able to see African teams compete with the elite of Europe and South America in upcoming World Cups, as well as being able to witness individual talents gain more recognition at club level.

Wednesday 24 February 2016 | 23

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Manchester United: rotten from top to bottom Ben Nohr J6VWA

Its midsummer 2014 and Louis van Gaal waltzes into Carrington, a palpable aura surrounding him, on the back of taking his unfancied, native Netherlands side within a penalty shootout of the World Cup final.

Having announced his arrival on the European managerial scene in 1995 by winning the Champions League with a youthful Ajax side, van Gaal has then gone on to manage two juggernauts of the European game in Barcelona and Bayern Munich and so strides into Manchester, his bulging reputation before him, for, what seems for the world like surely a final swansong. Approaching godfather status in the game, van Gaal’s arrival in Manchester surely signals an inevitable return to the top after a brief blip under David Moyes.

Swashbuckling, uncompromising and confrontational, arrogant, stubborn and narcissist; words that have aptly described van Gaal throughout his career; rarely has a manager been so influential and significant in the game; laying the foundations for the modern day dominance of Barca and Bayern, whilst influencing both Guardiola and Mourinho, the managerial heavyweights of recent years during his stint in Catalonia.

It has always very much been van Gaal’s way or the highway. Ever the arch pragmatist, he was the man who sacrificed Dennis Bergkamp enroute to European triumph with Ajax, the man who did away with his career-long possession-based philosophy to drop deep and counter to win the league with AZ for their first triumph in almost thirty years, the man who, when faced with the absence of Kevin Strootman, his best midfielder, due to a long-term injury, switched from the traditional Dutch 4-3-3 to a pragmatic 3-5-2, much to the angst of the country, to take what many deemed the most average Dutch squad in recent memory to a World Cup semi-final.

However despite all his previous successes, van Gaal decided that in the cauldron of the Premier League, once his players stepped onto the fabled Old Trafford turf, matters were completely out of his hands. Even the septuagenarian Ferguson rose from his seat once in a while to rouse his team and the crowd but van Gaal, neatly mirroring his side, has never deterred from the monotony of the bench; his incessant scribbling in the dugout begs the question what he could possibly be doing as Ryan Giggs sits by his side, head in hands, game after game, loss after loss. Van Gaal, previously tenacious, is now a sad shadow of his former self with the press, pathetically asking journalists for apologies after speculation that consecutive defeats to Wolfsburg (a defeat that meant elimination from what should have been a routine Champions League group), newly promoted Bournemouth and Norwich, and Stoke meant his job was hanging in the balance. Though this was the first, widespread rebellion against van Gaal’s tenure, dissent had been building since the start of the season especially during a run without a goal that lasted almost six hours. In truth, in a grave indictment of van Gaal’s rotten tenure, United’s ardent away supporters, who had vociferously backed Moyes until his dismissal, lost hope after a dismal 0-0 draw at Palace in late October. Van Gaal’s obsession with possession and elimination of risk has seen in lifeless, insipid and slow passing football with any players that dare try to inject any excitement into the game

and deviate from van Gaal’s game plan exiled.

Whilst the oft-sighted statistic of a £250 million spend is an unfair indictment given that the net spend is in fact much lower, there is no arguing that dealings in the transfer market have been calamitous. Widely credited for shifting deadwood from the squad he has proceeded to simply replace it with his own mediocre signings. With the exception of Anthony Martial and perhaps Daley Blind none of his other signings could be deemed unqualified successes. Wayne Rooney, though capable of the sublime on his day, has been in decline since 2011. Ferguson saw it and tried to shift him but he stayed and United’s hierarchy, well aware of his invaluable, world-wide commercial attraction offered him a new deal that, with image rights factored in, is believed by some to be worth as much as up to £500,000 a week. Van Gaal, however, decided that Rooney could be relied upon to consistently perform as the club’s sole senior striker with van Persie and Hernandez having been sold in the summer of 2015. It was obvious at the time to everyone save Louis van Gaal that poor form or injuries on the part of the aging Rooney would leave the team desperately short of firepower and the inevitable has come to pass. At the other end of the pitch, United’s defence has not fared much better. An impressive defensive record in the early parts of the season suggested hope but as time has progressed it has become clear that this was only on account of the fact that United were playing so defensively and risk-aversely as a team. On the rare occasion that van Gaal and United have switched from their usual dull, dreary, conservative set up to a more attacking style, their defensive shortcomings have been woefully exposed. After near on two years in the job, van Gaal has failed to create any sort of balance in his United side.

Having said all this, any analysis of United’s downturn in fortunes leads

back to Florida, the year 2005, Tampa Bay and the Glazers. It is a deep-set malaise at United and it has been inevitable since the Glazers bought the club with leveraged payments plunging the club into nearly £800m of debt in the process. Since their fateful takeover they have run what was once upon a time a club with close community ties like a heartless business. By their own terms they have succeeded; United consistently vie with Real Madrid at the top of the football rich-list; they have become a monstrous business behemoth, but at the expense of first the soul and then, more recently, the success of the club. The Glazers have, of course, benefitted greatly from this, taking millions out of the club annually in dividends and, until recently, giving almost nothing back. In the Ferguson years, the lack of investment was criminal with Sir Alex routinely covering for his employers with the ‘no value in the market’ mantra that he regurgitated every transfer window.

The most damning indictment of this underinvestment was the summer of 2009 in which, having received a then world record fee of £80m for Cristiano Ronaldo, United spent just £17m of the proceeds on Michael Owen, Gabriel Obertan and Antonio Valencia. The Glazers have run the club like a family cash-cow and they were able to consistently get away with this due to unrepeatable genius of Sir Alex Ferguson but the Glazers’ mistakes have been aired for all to see following the great Scot’s retirement.

The Glazers are also responsible for the walking talking muppet that is Ed Woodward – a Glazer puppet who has consistently put money above football. There is nothing that sums up the Glazers ill-fated ownership more aptly than the appointment of a banker with no football experience as chief executive, and thus responsible for all football activities, for a club reeling from the retirement of the most successful manager in British history. Unfortunately for Woodward, as CEO of the world’s biggest club, his shortcomings have been

woefully exposed. In his first transfer windows in his post, he publicly pursued Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas only to fail on both counts and have to resort to paying well over Marouanne Fellaini’s release clause on deadline day. In subsequent summers he has been used by top player after top player to gain a new deal at

“There is a deep-set malaise at United and it has been inevitable since the Glazers bought the club” their club with Woodward falling for the ruse every time. It is Woodward who possesses the big, red button to dismiss van Gaal but remains the only man in the Greater Manchester area who doesn't see the sense in pressing it. Woodward has on his desk a photo of the scoreboard of the Champion League night in Piraeus against Olympiacos that was said to have decided the fate of David Moyes to mark the low point of his tenure as chief exec that he would look back on when he enjoyed more fruitful periods in the future. His desk must be getting cluttered now with photos from the 0-0 at Cambridge, the 2-1 at Wolfsburg, the 2-1 losses to Norwich and Bournemouth, the 2-0 at stoke, the 2-1 at Sunderland and the fateful night in Midtjylland to name only a few. The explanation behind his steadfast refusal to dismiss the Dutchman, despite reports on three occasions that the beleaguered manager offered his resignation, lies purely in self-interest. If he gave into popular demand, that would be open admittance by Woodward that the second of his managerial appointments has gone the same way as the first – abject failure – and

consequently it might be his job on the line next. How can a man with no knowledge of football be in charge of footballing matters for Manchester United? But this is entirely believable given that Manchester United’s board of directors (the group holding the real power at Old Trafford) is without a single ‘football man’ on it; comprised only of the extended Glazer family and their favourite bankers.

It is widely believed that Woodward will wait until the summer when the club and van Gaal will have an amicable separation of ways. Speculation has been rife over the identity of the next man to take up the Old Trafford hot-seat with Jose Mourinho the bookies’ favourite. Short-term success may follow the appointment of a new manager but with the Glazers still at the helm it will never extend beyond the short term. United had the chance to cement their position alongside Barca as a super-club with solid investment when they reached three Champions League finals in four years in 2008-11 but the Glazers passed on this opportunity because, for them, what was the best move for the club footballing-wise was not the best move financially. The club’s soul has been destroyed by the ownership of the mysterious, Americans; even the famed academy that produced the Class of ’92 is failing (the u-18s recently lost 10 games in a row) due to – yes, you guessed it – lack of investment on behalf of the Glazers who have recently demanded cost cutting measures in the youth sector. Much like the Conservatives, the Americans are pursuing a policy of austerity but, unlike the UK’s ruling party, they are not reeling from the aftermath of a catastrophic financial crash but instead stand at the top of a club who routinely post extortionate income figures. For them, it is purely down to maximising profits for their own gain regardless of whether the club lose out. It is a deep-set malaise at Old Trafford and it has been coming since 2005.

24 | Wednesday 24 February 2016

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The Chinese footballing revolution Charlie Pentol-Levy J6ALR

If you have been following the footballing news recently, you will

have probably come across the staggeringly high amounts of money that Chinese football clubs are paying to lure European players to the Far East;

the transfer record broken three times in under ten days. Amongst these phenomenal transfers are Chelsea midfielder Ramires to Jiangsu Sunning for a reported £21 million, Colombian striker Jackson Martinez who left Athletico Madrid for Guangzhou Evergrande for an exorbitant £31 million, and Liverpool target Alex Teixeira from Shakhtar Donetsk to Jiangsu Sunning for a record breaking £38.4 million. They have joined the likes of Gervinho and Fredy Guarín; the pair previously moved to Hebei China Fortune and Shanghai Greenland Shenhua respectively.

The most surprising aspect of these transfers is that the players involved have all left strong domestic clubs, some of whom participate in the Champions League, for the footballing standard equivalent of League Two. Although some may put forward the argument that the influx of players to the Chinese Super League is little different from what has happened in the MLS over the past

decade or so, the age of the players moving to China is worryingly low.

With the likes of Premier League legends Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Thierry Henry pursuing the latter stages of their careers in America, there are obvious similarities. However, these players were mainly in their thirties; their best footballing years very much behind them. Comparatively, , Alex Teixeira is a mere 26, Ramires 28, and Jackson Martinez, the eldest of the three major signings, is just 29.

Whilst Chinese clubs evidently have no limit on the money they are prepared to spend, the January transfer window has also demonstrated a lack of rules and regulations regarding just how much money they can spend. In America, the Designated Player Rule (widely known as the Beckham Rule) was put into place in an attempt to help American teams compete with the European giants, but a strict salary cap of $3.1 million per team remains, whilst no one player is allowed to earn more than $387,500 a year. However, in China there is no such rule. Gervinho is

earning around £160,000 per week, as is Robinho, and Assamoah Gyan is enjoying a hefty salary of over than £10 million per annum. With players tempted by extortionate wages in the modern game, these staggering figures are the precise reason Chinese clubs are able to attract the world’s best, and may continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

The question on the minds of football fans is where exactly this money is coming from. President Xi Jimping has claimed, “My greatest hope for Chinese football is that Chinese teams can become one of the best in the world”, and has consequently encouraged such transfers in an attempt to boost the image of Chinese football. In a recent financial milestone, the China Media Capital outbid the regular broadcaster for the Chinese Super League’s television rights in a deal worth over $1.2 billion over a period of five years. With phenomenal amounts of money and increasing attendances, Chinese football is on the verge of joining the likes of England and Spain as one of the world’s best.

A promising young squad, including Jack Butland, Ross Barkley and Jamie Vardy, have broken through in the last few months of 2015 and look as if they can carry on through 2016 and the Euros.

and have earned themselves a place in France this year, led by captain Steven McAuley, but with the group they are in, sadly we do not see them getting past the group stages.

must up their game but a semi-final place is reachable.

Wales:

Predicted Squad: Forde, Elliot, Randolph, Coleman, Wilson, O’Shea, Pearce, Keogh, Clark, Kristie, Ward, McShane, Whelan, McGeady, McCarthy, McClean, Meyler, Brady, Quinn, Hoolahan, Keane, Long, Walters.

Ireland has been superb during the qualifiers with a deserved draw against Germany! Robbie Keane has led the team through a tough few matches but they have come through and we think they could even make it to the last 16.

EURO 2016 preview Dan Cohen 1H and Matt Davies 1C

Euro 2016 this year should be one of the hardest fought tournaments in the history of the cup. Already the qualifying stages have seen a few surprises, teams such as; Albania, Romania, Austria, plus the whole of Great Britain and Ireland, excluding Scotland, who only narrowly missed out on a place, have booked a spot. But the most shocking of missed opportunities was definitely the Netherlands, who after finishing third in the recent World Cup, just managed to get into the playoffs, before getting knocked out. Euro 2016 is surely going to be more exciting than ever this year.

Group A: France, Switzerland, Romania, Albania

This group is easy as it comes for this tough competition, and we believe that the hosts and their near rivals, Switzerland, will come through against Romania, and star player Costel Pantilimon. France has automatically qualified for the tournament, whereas Switzerland overcame a tough group containing England.

Group B: England, Wales, Russia, Slovakia

This group shall be very interesting for the English, Welsh, Russians, Slovaks and neutrals alike. Nobody expected any of the Home Nations to be drawn together, and the two best are in the same group. We would like to comment on the outrageousness of England vs Wales being televised at 2pm on a school and working day!

(Thursday 16th June for any lucky person who can watch it!) Russia are a tad shaken, and will attempt to justify their position as 2018 World Cup hosts. Slovakia could also cause problems, so rule no one out in this tournament!

Group C: Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Northern Ireland

We are sorry to say that Northern Ireland have surely been knocked

out before the competition has even started. Germany and Poland know each other well from the Qualifying stages, and frustrated each other in their matches. World Champions Germany has pressure piled upon them to win the Euros, so they need to perform, however, Ukraine could cause a few surprises.

Group D: Spain, Croatia, Czech Republic, Turkey

Spain have got to pull their finger out if they are going to succeed and regain their reputation of the 20082012 team who won the Euros, the World Cup, and the Euro again, all in a row. The mastermind behind all this though, Del Bosque, is retiring. All in all, we predict Spain and Croatia to go through.

Group E: Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Ireland

A death group if ever there was one but Ireland was sure to have said goodbye to the Euros as soon as the draw was made. Cracking clashes will prevail in Group E, with star players such as Lukaku, Ibrahimovic and Pirlo going head to head. We think that it will be too close to call!

Group F: Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Iceland

This group should be a breeze for Portugal, but then again the World Cup proved anything could happen.

This should be one of the easiest groups in the tournament to predict, with Portugal and Austria going through, with Hungary making the playoffs.

HOME NATIONS England

Predicted Squad: Hart, Butland, Forster, Smalling, Jagielka, Cahill, Stones, Bertrand, Gibbs, Jones, Clyne, Walker, Milner, Henderson, Lallana, Barkley, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sterling, Walcott, Rooney, Kane, Vardy, Sturridge.

England should be in contention for at least a Quarter Final spot in June.

Predicted Squad: Hennessey, O.Williams, Letheren, A.Williams, Gunter, Dummett, Taylor, Walsh, Davies, Fox, Collins, Mathews, Aaron, King, Ramsey, Bale, MacDonald, J.Williams, Huws, Robson-Kanu, Vokes, G.Williams.

Wales have had an emotional qualifying campaign, seizing their place in their first major tournament since 1958, much to the thanks of manager Chris Coleman, Gareth Bale of Real Madrid, and Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey, all of whom guided a determined Wales team that we predict will not to make it past the group stages.

Northern Ireland

Predicted Squad: Carroll, McGovern, Carson, C.McLaughlin, McAuley, Baird, Hodson, Lafferty, McCullough, J.Evans, McGivern, Ferguson, Clingan, S.Davies, Brunt, C.Evans, Lund, Dallas, Ward, Norwood, Lafferty, McGinn, McKay. Already it has been an incredible campaign for Northern Ireland, although being in a relatively easy group with the likes of The Faroe Islands, they have powered through

Ireland:

FAVOURITES: Germany:

The current World Cup champions definitely have it in them to do the double. Joachim Low has been guiding his team through the qualifiers and with Ozil on form, the final is definitely a realistic target.

France

The hosts will definitely look to have a go at the cup, but to do so they must keep a cool head and key players such as Hugo Lorris, Antione Griezeman, Alexandre Lacazette, and Paul Pogba,

England

The Three Lions must be at the top of their game if they are going to succeed in this tournament. They need to put the World Cup behind them and if the young players turn up a semi-final may be possible.

Spain

The Euro 2008 and 2012 winners need to bounce back from their poor campaign in the 2014 World Cup and work extra hard if they are to get anywhere in this tournament.

Belgium

Possibly a surprise entrant on this list but with the young talent they have they are definitely capable of going somewhere in France. Players such as Hazard, Courtois, and Lukaku need to be on top of their form and carry Belgium through.

Italy

Gli Azzurri (The Blues) have come so close in the past few years so they will want to finally get the job done, and with manager Antonio Conte guiding the team well, we predict a solid final place for them.

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Excellent results for City water polo team in Paris Patrick Isaacs J6JTC

Monthly preview Yannick Hunter-Thielemann 2C

Football

This upcoming month looks fantastic for all tournaments with the North London derby coming up. This derby is the most important in years between the two rivals, as it could be a title decider. The second legs of the Champions League are also soon, and hopefully there can be some even more fantastic matches. The highlight of the first leg was also a solid performance by a dominant Barcelona side, which easily saw off Arsenal. Also Manchester united play Manchester city on the 20th of March, but the big question is will Louis Van Gaal still be in charge or will Mourinho be at the helm?

Furthermore, it's soon time to see the winner of the FIFA election, here are five candidates: Prince Ali Al Hussein – he's the head of the Jordan FA and he was the runner up to Sepp Blatter in the 2015 election. His main manifesto pledges are that he would invest more in women's football and that he would increase the world cup to 36 teams.

Sheik Salman - he's the favourite and has been working for FIFA since 1996, his main manifesto pledges are to help global programmes and separating financial and football aspects of FIFA'S governance.

Gianni Infantino -he has done the Champions League draws a few

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times and his main manifesto pledges are expanding he world cup to 40 teams and reconnecting with former players.

Tokyo Sexwale - he's a South African businessman who helped with the South African World Cup. His main manifesto pledges are sponsorship on national jerseys and an 11-person international advisory board.

Jerome Champagne - He was a key figure in Sepp Blatter's 2002 re-election and his main manifesto pledges are doubling financial aid for the 100 poorest countries and building 400 football pitches over the next year.

Tennis

Next month will signify the start of two very important ATP and WTA tournaments in the form of Miami and Indian Wells. All of the top twenty will be playing and hopefully even Roger Federer. This is huge news as he has just been out of tennis for a whole month because of an operation on his meniscus. Of course we all want the Brits to do well in both tournaments. The problem is that the Robot-like Djokovic will be trying to stop anyone trying to take his Miami title from last year! Most players that can; will play in both tournaments because they still have a three-day resting period between tournaments. The Indian Wells tournament is ten days long and has a total prize money of $7,107,445, which is £5,108,216. Djokovic also won the

Indian Wells last year so I'm sure he will want to defend both of his titles.

Rugby Union

The next rounds of the Six Nations are coming up in March, with some great matches being played on the 12th and 13th. These include Ireland vs. Italy, England vs. Wales and Scotland vs. France. There is also big news for the England team because Maro Itoje is starting for the first time ever. This was due to many strong second half performances especially against Italy in mid February. Also in the Under 20's Six Nations England have some thrilling fixtures coming up against Wales and France in the fourth and fifth rounds.

Formula 1

The Formula 1 2016 season is starting on March 18th in Melbourne and it looks like an exciting season, because they might change the qualifying format. They will keep the three part qualifying session, but it will be longer and as it's an elimination process a driver will be removed after 90 seconds. Also there will a 90 second shoot-out for pole position. Do you think they will change it? I hope so. Testing has started in Barcelona at the moment and Vettel in his Ferrari was fastest on the first day of practice and Mercedes are off the pace. Can Mercedes do what they did last year, or will it be a different story?

A cold Thursday afternoon provided the backdrop for the City Of London Water Polo Squad to speed to Paris and after a short metro journey to Montmarte, play the Regional 2 water polo team. A terse yet touchy game followed with notable finishes from Anderson, Gadaski, O'Cionna, Naylor, and a penalty save from McCreery saw the squad check into our youth hostel happy but tired after a long day and a 12-5 win. Next morning the team put on the coats and travelled down to the Paris Catacombs. This vast necropolis managed to force meaningful reflection into even the most distant of our group and many profound S6th conversations were had over lunch.

The evening saw the team play Racing Club De France, who fielded a weaker team than normal, City were too strong for their hosts and won the match easily.

The next morning saw the City boys head off to scratch our cultural itches at the Musée D'Orsay, making the art department proud! The Eiffel Tower in the pouring rain was next on the itinerary where Mr Ortiz's photography skills came to the fore.

Returning briefly to the hostel, the team meticulously planned our evening journey to play Livry Gargan's academy side and then watch their senior team in the French National League against Reims. It would

require four changes of transport, but promised to be a challenging and entertaining evening. Arriving just on time, the squad was prepped and ready to go, under the echoes of a live bass drum and sizeable loud crowd. The game got off to a fast start under the watchful eye of referees, leaving City 3-2 up at the end of the first quarter. It was at this point that Peter Yates began his masterclass in defending Livry's centre forward, ruining his game and indeed his week.

Ably assisted on defence by Nurney, Greenhouse and Forsyth, the ball was well worked up the pool for some divine shooting from DonnerWittkopf. Playing consistently, City was able to close out the game 18-10 and then sat down to watch the National League match. What followed was a feast for the eyes of any sportsman. In a game full of drama, blood and emotion, mid table Livry gave league leaders Reims a great game before succumbing narrowly 12-9.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. However, the team is stronger, wiser and ready to keep up the good work. Finally a huge thanks to Mr Silcock for his fantastic coaching and immeasurable patience and Mr Ortiz for all his help on the trip.

The Squad: McCreery, Yates, Isaacs, Forsyth, O’Cionna, Evans, Anderson, McDonald, Naylor, Donner Wittkopf, Nurney, Greenhouse, Gadaski.

Football’s moneyball?

Anthony Bolchover J6KPR

FC Midtjylland was only founded in 1999 but that didn’t stop them from beating one of the most famous and prolific clubs in world football Manchester United. After this shock historic victory last Thursday, people are wondering how such a small Danish Club have become so good in such a short space of time. In fact, FC Midtjylland’s has been completely transformed by the use of football statistics, just like the Oakland Athletics Baseball team had been in the Moneyball story in 2002. In this article, I will discuss how the club have evolved into becoming a team who could overcome the most famous teams in Europe, but also how they have used statistics and data analytics to give the team an edge over their opponents which money cannot buy.

Only 2 years ago, the Danish club were for a long period of time a below par league team in Denmark’s Superliga and were on the verge of near backruncy. However, in July 2014 an English man called Matthew Benham bought a majority stake in the club and completely

revolutionalised how the club conducted its affairs. Benham had made his millions from his company called SmartOdds, in which he used mathematical and statistical modelling to predict the results of football matches. His mathematical formula to assess performance is very secretive and complex but in simple terms Benham’s theory evolves around the fact that goals aren’t solely a good indicator of performance and instead he uses a statistic called Expected Goals Method. If in one game a team takes 5 shots but only scores 1, their shot conversion rate would be 20% by mutliplying the number of goals scored by 100 and dividing it by the total shots to give a percentage. One can also find the shot conceeding rate in which you multiply the number of goals by the oppostion by 100 and divide it by the total shots by the opposition to give a percentage just like shot conversion rate. Then by subtracting the shot conversion rate by the shot conceeding rate you get a new number, and that is the team’s expected goals. The advantage of this statistic is you can compare the expected goals of teams from different

leagues and countries even if they have never played before.

The Expected Goals Method has already been used to scout for players at FC Midtjylland. The data team created a list of the top 20 teams in Europe according to Expected Goals Method and the 5th best team, in

amongst the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich was a relatively unknown German 2nd divison side Greuther Firth who had an anomolously high Expected Goals Method and had players with comparatively low price tags. Most notably, Greuther Firth had a midfielder called Tim

Sparv who had a staggeringly high conversion rating. FC Midtjylland took no time in buying Sparv and he has become one of the most important players in the club roster.

By the end of the 2014-2015 season, the club had been completely transformed by statistics and they consequently managed to win the Superliga that season for the first time ever.

Once they won the Superliga FC Midtjylland were then elligeble to play in European competitions and managed to beat the Premier League side Southampton in the Europa League Prelimary rounds which helped the team progress into the group stages. They consequently came second in their group and hence qualified for the knockout stages in which they drew Manchester United, one of the most famous teams in the world. In the first leg last Thursday, the Danish minnows shocked the football community when they beat a below par 'Red Devils' side 2-1. It remains to be seen whether they can replicate their performance on Thursday and knock Manchester United out of Europe completely.

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T20 World Cup preview

on, but, for his country, and his own benefit, his bowling will hopefully do the talking: his recent hat trick in the PSL proves his match winning (rather than match-fixing) potential.

New Zealand

Harry Tanner 4H

England

Though T20 Ram Slams and Big Bashes come at two-a-penny in this age, cricket’s shortest – and most popular – form of the game is rarely showcased on an international scale. Besides the odd throwaway game, we are seldom treated to the most explosive and entertaining players representing their countries.

So with the T20 World Cup fast approaching, here is the lowdown on the top eight of the ten qualified teams competing in India (no Bangladesh or Zimbabwe), due to the fact that they are such outsiders for winning in less than two weeks’ time.

Having shown plenty of promise in the shorter form of the game recently, a humbling at the hands of South Africa brought English expectations for the World cup back down to earth. Though filled with talented young stars, Eoin Morgan leads a relatively inexperienced English side into the Indian heat. Fireworks and batting collapses are promised in equal measure.

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India When naming a favourite in the competition, it is close to impossible to overlook the hosts. In their own backyard, and in ominous form having white-washed Australia in their recent series, India look strong heading into the tournament. Having won the inaugural competition in 2007, the men in blue will look to repeat that success in front of their adoring fans in Kolkata on April 3rd.

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One to watch: With MS Dhoni now in the twilight of his career and his star seemingly on the wane, look for Virat Kohli, to bear the largest burden in a team full of stars. Kohli’s form has been nothing short of sensational, averaging 50 at a strike rate of almost 140 in all T20 internationals. Bowlers be warned!

Australia The reigning one day world champions and 2010 T20 runners-up are another strong pick to be successful in India. However, despite boasting arguably the strongest batting line-up in the tournament, featuring Aaron Finch, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell, questions remain over their inexperienced bowling attack in unfamiliar conditions. Look for the Aussies to be involved in some high-scoring affairs, but coming out unsuccessful in the end.

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One to watch: The subcontinent wickets should offer plenty of support for slow bowlers and spinners and for this reason, though not a household name yet, Adam Zampa, is worth keeping an eye on. What the young leggie lacks in experience, he makes up for in talent and his performances could be key to the Aussies progress in the tournament.

One to watch: Jos Buttler. Who else? England’s success in the tournament rests – almost solely – on the shoulders of the mercurial wicket-keeper batsman.

If Buttler can reach his destructive best, scoring 20-ball half centuries for fun, England can beat anyone, but without him, with the exception of Alex Hales, the England batting order looks fragile. Will an English sports team finally be victorious on the world stage? Maybe, but best not to get our hopes up.

South Africa: South Africa may be peaking at just the right time. Though struggling early on in their one-day series against England, South Africa may just be hitting form at the perfect time. With a fantastic squad, who are all capable match-winners, the Proteas are safe bet to reach the semifinals at least here. Though certainly talented enough, they may struggle to progress any further than that as they continue to wrestle with their infamous ‘chokers’ tag: the Proteas have never won the ODI or T20 world cup.

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One to watch: AB de Villiers reminded us all against England why he is one of the game’s most feared batsman. His brutal 29ball 71 not only propelled South Africa to a comfortable nine wicket win, but terrified the unfortunate bowlers tasked with keeping him quiet at the World cup: Good luck!

Pakistan Preparations for the tournament have been marred by the ongoing controversy surrounding convictedmatch-fixer Mohammed Amir. Sadly, on the field, Pakistan’s cricket has not done the talking, after a series defeat to New Zealand most recently and their chances of winning are certainly not realistic.

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One to watch: The aforementioned Mohammed Amir will be in the spotlight in more ways than one. His previous matchfixing will certainly be focused

The 2015 ODI World Cup runnersup will be looking to avenge their loss to Australia in the final of that competition. Another team with an explosive batting line-up and an ordinary bowling attack, the Kiwis are without recently retired talisman Brendan McCullum and are led by the equally able Kane Williamson.

Though their chances are not looking as strong as at the previously mentioned World Cup last year, the Kiwis will surely provide us with an attacking and entertaining brand of cricket.

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One to watch: Perhaps, Corey Anderson has not quite reached his full potential in white ball cricket for his country, but when he ever he goes out to bat there is always that feeling that he can take apart an attack single-handedly: much like in his then record-breaking 36ball century against the West Indies. His powerful batting

is complemented nicely by his tricky left-arm bowling too and, if all goes right for him, we could be in a for a fantastic tournament from Anderson.

Sri Lanka Without the old-guard of Mahela Jayawardene (now in an advisory role for the England team) and Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan team, with the exception of Lasith Malinga, looks lacking in both leaders and star names. Perhaps, if anything points to Sri Lankan success in this tournament, it is their previous winning experiences in the World Cup and the competition being played in familiar conditions, but the signs do not look promising for their fans.

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One to watch: Whilst he does not have the same aura and star power of his teammate and captain Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath has always proved to be an extremely canny bowler capable of match winning spells, or at the very least, taking wickets for few runs. Herath has often proved the difference for Sri Lanka in the past and will look to do the same in two weeks time.

West Indies Sadly for 'everyone's second-favourite team' things do not look good.

With star players like Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine pulling out of the squad because of squabbles with the national cricket board, the West Indies already slim chances are continuing to decline. Their win in 2012 seems a long time ago now and the likelihood of a repeat is near impossible. At least for the Windies their U19 World Cup will prove slightly more successful.

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One to watch: Is there a bigger name in T20 cricket than Chris Gayle? 'GayleForce' has been in the news more for his antics off the field in the last year, but all will be forgotten if the shortest form's most successful batsman can replicate his best form. Already holding the fastest century in cricket – just 33 balls – it would take a brave man to bet against him breaking it.

Can Wasps win the Champions Cup? Marc Doria D’Angri J6VWA

Wasps have made their mark in Europe this season, qualifying for the European Rugby Champions Cup quarter-finals as winners of Pool Five, an honour given how fiercely laborious this Pool was, having overcome the three-time winning galacticos of Toulon, 2011 & 2012 champions Leinster and Bath. As a reward for their impressive efforts, a home tie against Aviva Premiership rivals Exeter Chiefs awaits them and their confidence will be sky-high after having achieved a series of compelling victories against their Pool Five opponents.

So why exactly are Wasps doing so prolifically on the continental side, although they are only fifth in the Aviva Premiership? The most obvious answer is the astute tactics of Director of Rugby Dai Young, who has blended an eclectic mixture of power, grit, youth, experience and a willingness to attack that has enabled their talented players to shine. Their forward pack has bulldozed their way into Wasps folklore, featuring Captain James Haskell, towering lock Joe Launchbury and rampant number 8 Nathan Hughes, who is the closest person Wasps have to replicating the legendary Lawrence Dallaglio.

The backline has been somewhat of a revelation this season,

“Their confidence will be sky-high after having achieved a series of compelling victories against their Pool Five opponents” often proving to be the difference in matches, contributing to Wasps’ 186 points accumulated in the Pool stage. Scrum-half Joe Simpson, whose rapid movement and alert offloads have allowed his clinical backs to explode into their opponents’ half, especially against Leinster on 23rd January when Wasps ran in seven tries against the beleaguered Irish defence. Centre Elliot Daly has been the star of the Wasps backline, putting in a vintage, virtuoso performance against Leinster. His performances have gained the attention of England coach Eddie Jones, who has called him up to the 23-man squad to face Ireland this weekend at Twickenham, and bearing in mind his stellar form continentally and domestically, who would bet against him starting at number 12 alongside

Jonathan Joseph? Special mentions should also go to fly-half Jimmy Gopperth, whose accurate kicking has proved the difference in matches against Bath and Leinster, and Frank Halai, whose commanding presence on the right-wing has played a part in the 19 tries scored by Wasps this season in the Champions Cup. Such formidable players possessing immense amounts of skill and promise makes Wasps dream of winning a second Champions Cup a possible reality in Lyon come May. Wasps are still evolving as a side, but their over-eagerness to attain big results and their hubris under their current run of form could prove to be their downfall. However, their fantastic squad and their attentionto-detail coach won’t be fazed by the pressure to repeat their 2003-04 European winning season when they were dominant and unbeatable on the continent. For now, they will look ahead to their home quarterfinal win against a challenging opponent who, like Wasps, overcame a tough Pool to qualify. If they do manage to beat Exeter, it remains to be seen whether, for the rest of their European adventure, Wasps’ sting has more venom to add.

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Thrilling Juventus comeback stuns Bayern Charlie Pentol-Levy J6ALR

In Pep Guardiola’s final season in charge of the German giants, his Bayern Munich side will be disappointed by only managing to secure a draw against Juventus as they let slip a two goal advantage.

The first half was a show of utter domination by Bayern who not only controlled possession but restricted Juventus chances and created many of their own, with Gianluigi Buffon’s goal coming under a plethora of pressure. Soon after kick-off, the Italian shotstopper did brilliantly to keep out an Arturo Vidal volley, who was playing his first game against his former employers since his transfer in the summer of 2015. The visitor’s chances continued, with experienced forward Thomas Muller being unable to convert a fantastic goal scoring opportunity after great play from Lewandowski, however it wasn’t long until the deadlock was finally broken. In the 43rd minute, prolific

"The crowd grew with anticipation and the atmosphere suddenly sprung into life at the ‘Juventus Stadium’ in Turin"

winger Arjen Robben over hit a cross into the box, only for Douglas Costa send it back to the awaiting Muller who this time converted with no issue. This capped a phenomenal display on the behalf of the German champions in which the home fans were glad to hear the whistle blow for the break.

To the dismay of the Juventus players, the Bayern side picked up where they left off. Just a mere ten minutes

later the away side countered in a similar fashion when Lewandowski broke and delivered a through ball to Robben who switched it to his left foot and curled it past Buffon, giving him no chance of a save. The result of the game was considered to be decided, and along with the two away goals that Bayern had scored, the tie too, but nevertheless, last year’s runners still had hope and made a double substitution, introducing both Stefano Sturaro and Alvaro Morata.

Little did the Bayern team known that these two players would completely change the scoreline.

The renewed belief that Juventus now had translated in chances for home side. In the 63rd minute of the game came the opening goal for Juventus, who, after a Joshua Kimmich error, played the ball through to substitute Dybala and placed it beautifully into the bottom right hand corner of the goal. The crowd grew with anticipation and the atmosphere suddenly sprung into life at the ‘Juventus Stadium’ in Turin.

Bayern seemed to become a little nervous and the Italians capitalised on this through multiple chances, including Juan Cuadrado’s effort which was well saved by an abruptly busy Manuel Neuer.

The momentum shift continued in Juventus’ favour and this resulted in a second goal just under fifteen minutes later. Another Kimmich blunder allowed Sturaro to poach the ball, putting away the great cross from Mandzukic. However, Mandzukic was lucky not to have been sent off minutes earlier after getting into a dispute with opposition striker Lewandowski and seemingly attempting to head-butt him.

Despite not wanting to go into the second leg with a defeat, both teams were still desperate to grab a winning goal in the final minutes of the game, with Andrea Barzagli manging to clear Robben’s cross from getting to the Polish striker and Mehdi Benatia’s header going just over the crossbar.

Juventus were then able to get on the front foot, however, they were unable to create any clear cut chances.

The game ended at 2-2, a fantastic display for the neutral. Bayern must go into the second leg as favourites to go through on 16th March, but it must be expected that Juventus will give all they have in a game which simply has to be watched.

Racism in Sport Lewis Selwyn 2C

Tennis

Racism in sport is something that we have all heard of and seen at some point. Usually the people performing the racist acts are rightly punished but a lot of the time athletes get less of a suspension than they are due. We all know that FIFA have always made campaigns about stopping racism, but that is only for football, therefore racism still occurs in all other sports and there is nothing being done to stop it. In this article, we hope to explain some of the incidents of racism that have happened in the sporting community of the last few years.

Australian Olympic legend Dawn Fraser was accused of racism after she told young tennis star Nick Kyrgios to “go back to where his parents came from.” These horrific comments were made after outrage spread over Kyrgios’ alleged throwing away of a game during the 2015 Wimbledon event, as he had thrown his racquet and gave up in four consecutive points. After the match Kyrgios tweeted “Throwing a racquet, brat. Debating the rules, disrespectful.

Frustrated when competing, spoilt. Showing emotion, arrogant… Blatant racist, Australian legend."

Football A few Chelsea fans were accused of being racist after there was a video of supporters singing “We’re racist we’re racist and that’s the way we like it” as they refused to let a black man on a train before a Champions Lea g ue match a gainst PS G in March 2015. In 2013, Kevin Prince Boateng a Ghanaian player in the Serie A walked off the pitch with his teammates after "monkey" gestures were aimed at him by supporters of the opposing team. French footballer Nicolas Anelka made a hand gesture, called the quenelle, while celebrating a goal in 2013. This was extremely anti-Semitic as the Quenelle is an inverted Hitler salute and French officials are trying to ban it.

Basketball The ex-owner of the Los Angeles Clippers Donald Sterling was recorded on tape making racist remarks against African Americans to his lover V.Stiviano. According to a video Sterling is heard insulting Stiviano for bringing African American’s to the game and posting photographs with her posing with them. This resulted in Sterling being forced to sell the team after an inquiry into the matter.

Athletics Although this act of racism was quite a long time ago (1936) you have probably all heard of Jesse Owens, the record-breaking Olympic sprinter and the best athlete of his time. In spite of all his talent, Jesse had a hard time at the Berlin Olympics, simply because he was black. Seeing as Hitler was in power at the time he and the other leaders in Germany snubbed Jesse when he won his four gold medals in the 100m, the 200m, the long jump and the 4x100m. Jesse Owens spent much of his life struggling with issues of race, as unlike other athletes of his era, Owens' dayto-day life was unfairly restricted by his skin colour. He suffered humiliating treatment even as he was revered as one the most successful athletes ever.

All of these acts of racism are obviously totally unacceptable and could probably be stopped, with any offending fans being stripped of tickets and heavily fined, or maybe even sent to prison. There is simply no room for racism in sport and society in general, and more must be done by governing bodies.

ITIZEN FOOTBALL, RUGBY, CRICKET, WATER POLO, TENNIS, FORMULA 1, BASEBALL AND BASKETBALL

SPORT

Messi masterclass shatters Arsenal

Arsenal’s Champions League hopes were dealt a crushing blow as a Lionel Messi brace secured a 2-0 win in the first-leg of their last 16 encounter at the Emirates Stadium.

Angus Taylor J6CRW

Despite Arsenal’s stubborn defensive display, Barcelona’s perseverance was rewarded as Messi scored his first goal against Petr Cech to break the deadlock in the 71st minute.

Messi doubled Barcelona’s lead from the spot twelve minutes later, after being brought down by Mathieu Flamini in what was his first contribution to the game.

Barring a miracle at the Nou Camp in three weeks, it leaves Arsenal all but out of the Champions League; potentially their fifth successive exit at this stage of the competition.

Barcelona themselves remain on course to become the first side to win successive Champions Leagues.

Arsenal started the brighter of the two sides, having made nine changes from their weakened team against

Premier League Weekend in Review Matt Davies 1C and Dan Cohen 1H

Main game: Manchester United 3-2 Arsenal

Manchester United severely dented Arsenal’s title hopes with a crushing blow last Sunday, as new hero Marcus Rashford struck twice, for the second time in four days. Rashford only started United’s Europa League clash with FC Midtjylland because

Hull City in the FA Cup. Mesut Ozil, encouraged by a valiant home support, teed up Aaron Ramsey just inside the penalty area, only for his shot to be blocked by the charging Barcelona defence.

The home side continued to threaten on the counter attack, and almost took the lead when Ozil pulled the ball back across goal following a swift move, only for Hector Bellerin’s shot to be blocked. However, the Gunners should have taken the lead when the deflected ball found its way into the path of Oxlade Chamberlain whose weak shot failed beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The build up to the game was dominated by talk of Barcelona’s lethal strike force, comprised of Messi, Neymar and Suarez, the latter subject to a comical Arsenal bid of £40 000 001 in the summer of 2013.

Barcelona demonstrated their attacking threat when Neymar slipped the ball through to Messi, but Suarez failed to capitalise on his neat flick.

Just seconds later, wonderful play between Dani Alves and Sergio Busquets once again presented Suarez with a golden opportunity, only for the Uruguayan to steer his header just wide of Petr Cech’s far post.

Arsene Wenger’s tactics were seemingly spot on in the first half, as the La Liga leaders failed to register a single shot on target in the first half.

Barcelona started the second with more intent and could have taken the lead, only for Neymar to be denied by a smart save from Cech.

A tight game began to open up as both sides searched for a winner; Messi finding space with ease in the Arsenal box, only for his powerful

shot to be tremendously blocked by the widely criticised Per Mertesacker, before Suarez steered a shot just wide of the near post.

Arsenal seemed to lose their discipline, and when Olivier Giroud’s misplaced pass was intercepted

by Gerard Pique, the Catalan side steamed forward with frightening speed, as the Emirates stadium witnessed a clinical counter attack of the highest order. A quick exchange between Neymar and Suarez split open Arsenal in a flash, and when the Uruguayan set Messi free, there was only going to be one outcome; the five-time Ballon D’or winner lifting the ball over Cech to give the Spanish side a crucial away goal.

The attacking masterclass shook the Premier League side, and their La Liga counterpart could have been further ahead when Suarez rifled a

shot past Petr Cech, only to be denied by the woodwork as the Arsenal faithful looked on.

As the game drew to a close, Francis Coquelin was replaced by Mathieu Flamini, in what proved to be a defining moment of the match. A typically poor clearance by Per Mertescacker was collected by the magical Messi, only for the Argentinian to be brought down in the box by Flamini just moments after his introduction.

Messi dispatched the penalty with ease as Cech watched on, before celebrating in front of the ecstatic away end with his Barcelona teammates.

The lead could have been increased, but for Neymar’s unchallenged header being well saved by Cech. The tie is by no means over, but Arsenal have a mountain to climb if they are to progress further in this season’s Champions League.

of a warm up injury to Anthony Martial. Rashford, who was at the world famous United Academy since the age of nine and rejected offers from numerous clubs such as Liverpool, Everton and Manchester City, scored two prolific goals which sank Arsenal, and almost certainly their title hopes with them. Arsenal responded through Danny Welbeck, but an assist by Rashford in a 20-yard deflected strike by Ander Herrera, meant that United’s lead was unassailable, even after Mesut Ozil’s goal.

At half time, Arsenal legend Lee Dixon Tweeted: “This is it. The season here right now. 45 minutes. Man up.”

Arsenal did not man up. A disappointing show featuring absent stars such as Theo Walcott, who didn’t get a mention in the commentary before he was taken off, apart from the fact that he was being taken off and that he was absent from the game. But if the game was one of two managers, with Arsene Wenger who, after seeing rivals Tottenham come from behind to win and capitalise on his side’s defeat thus opening up a three point lead over them, “looked like the person who had lost at the Oscars” (5

Live), but Louis Van Gaal may well have accidentally stolen the show.

With an absurd protest at what was an Alexis Sanchez dive to earn a free kick in a promising position, he came out to the technical area, something he has been criticized for never doing many times by the world of football, protested to Fourth Official Mike Dean, and dived onto the ground, clipboard and notebook in hand, to justify his case and state clearly the dive he saw. Commentator Steve Bower called it “The comedy moment of the Premier League, something that will be talked about for some

time afterwards.” Is it a tad too late for Van Gaal to collect an Oscar?

The win will prove a stepping stone for injury plagued United, who will begin the end of season charge with 4th place to aim for.

Elsewhere:

West Brom beat Crystal Palace in a thriller, Leicester edged Norwich to maintain their stay at the top of the Premier League and write another chapter to their fairy-tale push for the title, and Chelsea remain unbeaten under Guus Hiddink in the Premier League.