Issue 2 Volume 58 Trinity News

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SIPTU rep speaks out about cuts

Phil denies committee is in “disarray” over Griffin

Dublin University Senator David Norris begins canvassing in wake of Friday’s debate

 Trinity services understaffed  Employees “angry”

Fiona Ridgway Deputy College News Editor

 Plans for service improvements Manus Lenihan College News Editor

“MORALE IS low, and people are angry” among Trinity staff affected by government cuts, according to SIPTU representative Jack McGinley.

The Trinity Library employee, who is a National Executive Committee member of the workers’ union, cited the pension levy, universal social charge and recruitment moratorium in an exclusive interview with Trinity News.

McGinley points out that while academic staff, represented by the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT), have been “sharing the pain” in many regards with SIPTU, full title the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union: “Academics are still being appointed and are still in training while administration and support services have seen 18 staff members leave in the last two years without replacement.”

McGinley continued: “When staff are absent temporarily with serious illnesses, no replacement is brought in, increasing the workload “Support services have seen 18 staff members leave in the last two years without replacement” for all.

Meanwhile, the college’s early retirement fund now looks unlikely to be used for the benefit of staff.”

The resultant effect on library services has been felt by students: the Early Printed Books section is open two nights a week and opening times remain behind the national average.

Most recently, the college announced a curtailment in its Mail Room services.

According to the Facilities Officer Noel McCann: “Reductions in staff numbers are impacting on a number of services provided by the Facilities Office. The impact of these reductions is being mitigated, where possible, by the reassignment of staff and the introduction of new work practices.”

These include reduced hours and a once-daily collection service, effective from yesterday.

McGinley was keen to point out there are plans for an improvement of certain university services. This includes the introduction in the library of self-issue and self-return systems such as currently operate in NUIM and UCD. The system, which will eliminate the use of paper dockets, will be used Continued on page 2 

SS Senator David Norris in Dublin City Hall with Michael D. Higgins, Labour Party Candidate. Photo: Aidan Crawley, The Irish Times

Norris tops presidential poll  DU Senator’s campaign in full swing  Clemency letters resurface during debate  Race heats up as FG criticises McGuinness Kate Palmer Editor

THIS WEEK Trinity College Senator David Norris continues his campaign for the presidency, after an 11th-hour scramble to secure the necessary four council nominations. Norris will start the campaign trail at the Ballinasloe Horse Fair, which runs until 9 October.

With “Changing Ireland for the better” as his campaign slogan, Norris is expected to run on a ticket advocating better child protection, pro-equality, and has also spoken out against the bank guarantee.

Norris will face six other candidates in the presidential polls, including Eurovision winner Dana Scallon, Fine Gael’s Gay Mitchell, Labour’s Michael D. Higgins, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness and independent candidates Mary Davis and Séan Gallagher.

Norris’s nomination has put the senator in the running to become the first-ever openly homosexual head of state. The candidacy of Martin McGuinness marks another first for the Irish presidential election, as Sinn Féin have not previously put forward a party candidate.

All seven nominees began their pitch for electoral support in an initial presidential debate, broadcast Friday 30 September on the Late Late Show.

During the debate, Norris continued to be questioned over revelations that he sent letters seeking clemency to

the Israeli government on behalf of a former partner. The independent senator drew a line under the issue, commenting that he would not be releasing any further letters out of concerns for the welfare of the victim.

“The issue should be parked,” Norris said, “I do not want any collateral damage in my campaign.”

When asked how much money Norris would be spending on his campaign, he commented that it is “worth spending money on” and that he had already gone into overdraft. He says he would accept money under the rules and regulations, which stipulate the maximum donation allowed in one calendar year is €2,500.

It has been revealed that businessman and supporter of the Special Olympics Denis O’Brien “I do not want any collateral damage in my campaign” - David Norris, during a televised debate has already invested this amount in independent Mary Davis’s campaign.

While Norris did not disclose a campaign budget, his opponents gave estimates of their campaign spending, including Séan Gallagher (€200,000), Mary Davis (€200,000), Michael Higgins (€321,000) and Gay Mitchell (€350,000). Sinn Féin candidate Martin McGuinness said his campaign would

cost “significantly less” than that of Higgins and Mitchell, but that the total spent would be contingent on the amount of money he raises.

While Norris said he would put the majority of the presidential salary of €350,000 in an independent fund should he be elected, McGuinness said he would draw only an “average industrial wage” and use the rest of the money to create jobs.

The gloves came off when Mitchell accused the Sinn Féin candidate of being an “awful name-dropper”, in reference to McGuinness referring to his critics as “West Brits” in a comment to the media. Mitchell said McGuinness “wants to be the head of a country that Earlier in the campaign, Sinn Féin candidate Martin McGuinness referred to critics as “West Brits” he will not call ‘Ireland’,” and that “people should not be called ‘West Brits’.” In response, the former senior IRA member said he would “abide by the Irish Constitution”.

Norris was successful in his reentry into the race on Wednesday 28 September, after securing the support of Dublin City as his fourth council nomination. Norris expressed his delight at being nominated: “I am honoured and indeed humbled – a word I don’t often use – by the wonderful exercise in democracy that we’ve had here.

“I’m in love with this country and thank God for it. Thank God for democracy, democracy was vindicated Continued on page 2 

PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY Auditor Eoin Ó Liatháin has denied rumours sparked by the Irish Times that the society is facing major internal rows amid a proposed debate at which BNP Leader Nick Griffin has been invited to speak. An Irish Times article from 26 September said that the Phil had been “thrown into disarray” after the society invited Griffin to speak in favour of the motion that “This House Believes Immigration Has Gone Too Far.” In response, Ó Liatháin said the rumours mentioned in the article were “unfounded”. Ó Liatháin commented: “The Phil is a neutral forum for discussion. We do not endorse the views of any of our speakers. Griffin has been invited to speak solely on immigration.

“The debate will be balanced, with two guest speakers on each side of the motion.”

Individual Phil members have also denied the claims of Simon Darby, BNP press officer, that a “BNP delegation” was to accompany Griffin. Rumours that a video of the debate is to be livestreamed onto the internet have yet to be confirmed.

The debate is due to go ahead on 20 October despite mounting opposition.

John Palmer, who sits on the Governing Board of the European Policy Centre in Brussels, was due to speak on the opposing side for the debate, but withdrew when he heard of Griffin’s involvement, calling his invitation “totally unacceptable”.

Many students have expressed fears that allowing Griffin to speak will divide the student community and promote racism and hatred in the college.

Numerous student societies in college have also declared their opposition to his speaking, including the Socialist Party, the Socialist Workers Student Society, Muslim Students’ Association and Q Soc, as well as the Union of Jewish Students.

This is not the first time such controversy has arisen in a college debate. In 2007, Griffin was invited to take part in a debate at Oxford University and had to be escorted in by security guards after heavy protests outside the building. During a recent interview on Classic Hits FM concerning the proposed Phil debate, an anti-racism campaigner hung up her phone after Griffin came on the air.

Plans are already in motion leading up to and on 20 October by various groups, including a Facebook event entitled “RALLY AGAINST FASCISM. After Norway - Never again!!” which over 300 people are due to attend at the time of going to print.

A proposal by Love Music Hate Racism to hold a protest gig on campus on 20 October has been opposed by College Management and the Students’ Union.

Vol 58 Issue 2

04 October, 2011

2 NEWS THIS FORTNIGHT THEY SAID

“Thank God for democracy, democracy was vindicated here” David Norris in reaction to his support from Dublin City Council, which secured his presidential nomination

NUMEROLOGY

18

Trinity services staff have left in the past two years without being replaced

€350k The annual Irish presidential salary, concidentally the same figure Gay Mitchell plans to spend on his campaign

7.1

Births per 1,000 population in Ireland, making it the fastest growing EU country

62,400 The number of unemployed graduates living in Ireland

CORRECTION In Issue 1, Volume 58, the article of 20 September 2011 “Celebrated author dies” was written by Una Kelly

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EDITORIAL STAFF Editor

“Griffin’s “They deserve “I am not the invitation death. Death, mouthpiece of the Catholic is totally certainly” Church” unacceptable”

“It is a major preoccupation, and it is unavoidable”

John Palmer, member of the Governing Board of the European Policy Centre, in reaction to news he had been invited to speak at Trinity along with a BNP leader

Provost Patrick Prendergast speaking at his inaugural address, in defence of his focus on financial matters

Martin McGuinness, Sinn Féin Presidential candidate, speaking in 1966 when asked “what the punishment would be for any of his comrades who help the other side”

Presidential candidate Dana speaking on the Late Late Show

Staff fear increasing pressure from cuts Continued from front page

for a trial period in 2012. Automated Stacks Requests will allow students to order books from home.

McGinley insists that such reforms are not attempts to replace staff with computers. “SIPTU is not a Luddite union,” he stresses. “Staff are can-do and customer-focused.” These reforms are among those going before a ballot on 13 October as part of the Croke Park Agreement. Held in mid-2010 between

the Irish government and various public sector unions, the agreement included a government promise not to impose public sector layoffs or further public sector cuts. Public sector unions agreed in turn to co-operate on wide scale reforms in the public sector.

As a reminder of the severity of the situation, McGinley describes how some staff members who work on a week-on-week-off basis will not be able to make it in on 13 October to vote, because they cannot afford to budget

for leaving their homes during a week off. McGinley reminds us that SIPTU President Jack O’Connor has warned of “the mother of all battles” if the Croke Park Agreement is breached.

“Given that social partnership is now dead,” says McGinley, “the attitude of college management needs a shakeup in the form of an internal forum on industrial relations.” Such bodies exist within RTÉ and ESB, involving powers of referral to the Labour Relations Commission. However, while

complaining that “some managers don’t think,” McGinley insists “Trinity is a good employer and has always had a reputation as such.”

With regard to the funding crisis and recent comments of the Provost Patrick Prendergast calling for an end to university funding cuts, McGinley points out that the Provost has “couched fees in terms of those who can afford it. Progressive taxation rather than student fees should be the answer.”

Library Societies see record sign-ups disruption continues Kate Palmer Editor

Manus Lenihan College News Editor

DISRUPTION OF college foot traffic is likely to continue until “close to Christmas”, according to Library management. The podium in front of the Berkeley Library was closed off over the summer for maintenance work as the books and library materials stored below were threatened by the former state of the building. The project, begun in August, is taking longer than expected and one of the main arteries linking the arts and the science halves of campus will remain shut for most of term. Access to the BLU libraries will also be highly restricted at times over the coming weeks, with the Lecky entrance in the Arts Block being the only way in.

MANY OF Trinity’s clubs and societies have seen record sign-up figures during Freshers’ Week, after a series of events took place to kick off the academic year.

This included a performance by Trinity Orchestra of Arcade Fire, at which over 300 spectators gathered in the Graduates’ Memorial Building.

Trinity’s debaters set the standard with the motions “This House Believes in God” by the Hist and a comedy debate by the Phil: “This House Believes there’s More to Life than Being Really Really Ridiculously Good-Looking.”

Trinity’s newest society, Knit Soc, staged a PicKnit whilst DU Players staged a comedy night with performances from Frisky & Mannish, A Betrayal of Penguins, No Pants Thursday and Kevin Lockard.

The next society recruitment drive will take place during CSC 4th week.

SS Freshers’ Week events included an Orchestral performance and comedy night Photo: DUMSS

Kate Palmer

Deputy Editor Trinitynews.ie Chief Copy Editor College News

David Barrett Josh Roberts John Colthurst Manus Lenihan Fiona Ridgway National News Claire Acton Mairead Cremins International News Jack Farrell Nilgiri Pearson News Features Molly RowanHamilton Maya Zakrzewska Business Owen Bennett Paul McAufield Features Evan Musgrave David Babby World Review Aine Pennello Elly Friel Travel Maud Sampson Sophie Fitzgerald Science Anthea Lacchia Stephen Keane Opinion Michael Gilligan Sports Features Kate Rowan Sarah Burns College Sport James Hussey Shane Curtis

Áras an Uachtaráin countdown to the election

Continued from front page

here,” added Norris.

Norris was not without his opponents, however. The failure to gain the support of Tipperary South TD Mattie McGrath proved a significant blow to his campaign.

Controversy over Norris’s private life meant that the lawmaker decided not to support his nomination.

McGrath commented to RTÉ: “I put the question to my supporters tonight, ‘Should Mattie nominate David Norris?’ and then I put it to a vote. 71 people voted and of that 71 people, 75% of them said ‘no’.

They are my core group that run my campaign so I had to listen to them.” Furthermore, after failing to secure the necessary 20 signatures from members of the Dáil and Oireachtas, the independent senator suffered a setback after South Dublin failed to endorse his campaign by a single vote.

Printed at The Guardian Print Centre, Longbridge Road, Manchester, M17 1SL. Trinity News is partially funded by a grant from DUPublications Committee. This publication claims no special rights or privileges. Serious complaints should be addressed to: The Editor, Trinity News, 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2.

Appeals may be directed to the Press Council of Ireland.

Trinity News is a member of the Press Council of Ireland and supports the Office of the Press Ombudsman. This scheme, in addition to defending the freedom of the press, offers readers a quick, fair and free method of dealing with complaints that they may have in relation to articles that appear on our pages. To contact the Office of the Press Ombudsman go to www.pressombudsman.ie

SS The seven presidential candidates take part in the first debate in the race for the Áras on the Late Late Show

FOR MORE ON THIS STORY SEE OPINION 19

TRINITY NEWS

3 news@trinitynews.ie

Prendergast makes his pledge  Provost makes inaugural speech  Attended by ministers and ambassadors  Spoke of political and financial challenges  Stressed deregulation of universities John Porter Contributing Reporter

PATRICK PRENDERGAST made his debut public appearance as the 44th Provost of Trinity College in his inaugural address on 19 September in Trinity’s Public Theatre. His speech focused on the themes of the purpose of higher education, the difficult position faced by the government in terms of funding, Trinity’s role in providing employable graduates, creating equal Ruairí Quinn signed a pledge with the USI promising not to increase fees or cut grants opportunities in the university, and segmenting Trinity’s leadership in research.

Prendergast’s audience contained a number of notable attendees, including the American and UK ambassadors, and the Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn. It was an address that drew heavily on Trinity history, with the new Provost quoting from the big three: Burke, Swift and Goldsmith.

Prendergast stressed the benefits of high quality university education for society in his speech. As he noted on several occasions during the address: “Higher education is not only a private good but also a public good.

“The graduate within the community provides indispensible expertise in areas that benefit the public.”

Prendergast’s recurrent emphasis on the societal benefit of university education takes place within the current context of weighty budget cuts for third-level institutions.

The address certainly had a heavy focus on political and financial matters, as Prendergast himself recognised: “To anyone who feels I have strayed too far

from education and devoted too much time to matters political and financial,” Prendergast told his audience, “I can only make the same excuse: it’s a major preoccupation, and it’s unavoidable.”

It appears that the major concern for the Provost’s 10-year term will be maintaining high standards on shrinking levels of investment.

Prendergast did recognise the difficult position in which the government now found itself and noted that the doubling of expenditure on universities during the boom may no longer be possible.

However, he did highlight one very pertinent fact; even in 2008, before university funding had been cut, Ireland ranked 10th out of 12 EU countries in terms of expenditure per student.

The failing, in the eyes of Prendergast, can be partially attributed to the fall in private contributions to university funding during the boom period; Ireland being the only OECD nation to see such a fall. Indeed the Provost went on to assert that “we have no right to prevent those who want a high quality education from paying for it if they can afford to do so.”

In response to these challenges, Prendergast said “Trinity has risen by a combination of stubbornness and adaptability: we have been stubborn about sticking to our values; we have been adaptable about the ways and means of delivering on our commitments.”

The former bio-engineering lecturer also criticised the method of Irish university funding, in which money is allocated solely based on numbers with no form of quality assessment being applied. The rapid intake of students during the boom is something that Trinity has struggled with and Prendergast indicated that taking on more students also meant

Kate Palmer

TEACHING SS Provost Patrick Prendergast makes his address in Public Theatre

taking on “more staff and having more resources” available, all of which is an added financial burden.

Of course there is no easy solution to the issue, as the Provost recognised in his address. His belief that a reintroduction of third-level fees is necessary has been well documented before and he did not dwell on the point excessively.

Instead he suggested the potential benefits of philanthropy and pointed to what he called “improved interaction within the innovation ecosystem” as potential ways to meet the shortfall.

Whether such methods will be sufficient appears questionable and Dr. Prendergast recognised that ultimately most funding must come from state and private hands.

The address also stressed the need for a deregulation of the university sector: “When regulation threatens to emasculate decision-making I feel the need to cry halt.”

Dr Prendergast suggested that the effect of heavy state regulation on university decision-making was holding Trinity back from “competing globally.”

Manus Lenihan College News Editor

Kate Palmer Editor

FOR 12 hours the airwaves were silent as the Trinity FM website fell victim to an internet hacker.

The security breach was carried out by the pseudonym “TIGER-M@ TE”, a notorious cyber hacker who made headlines in January this year for breaching the Bangladeshi Google website, Google.com.bd.

The hacking was not a targeted attack, but involved over 700,000 websites hosted on InMotion Hosting of which TrinityFM.org is a site.

According to the TFM Committee, “The website shares its server with several other web addresses. One of the other websites that is hosted by the same server has been hacked to steal personal information, most likely credit card details and sadly it has had a knock on affect to our website.

04 October, 2011

Fortunately, the TrinityFM Website has no personal information stored on it. We’re back up and running now.”

The targeting of TrinityFM.org is the latest among a series of hacking incidents involving websites affiliated with Trinity College. In an unrelated case, the Trinity College School of English homepage was modified by pranksters who featured a false staff member “Dr. Conan T. Barbarian”, named “Long Room Hub Associate Professor in Hyborian Studies and Tyrant Slaying”. Prior to this, an email was sent out to Trinity undergraduates under the alias “trinity.cat@tcd.ie” with the message: “CAN WE HAS OLDD TIMETABLE BK PLZKTNX.” In an email to its customers, InMotion said: “At around 4am EST, our system administration team identified a website defacement attack [...] It appears that files named index. php have been defaced.”

Business links up with global group TWO PRESTIGIOUS business-related academic organisations have teamed up: Trinity’s School of Business and the Chartered Investment Analyst Association (CIAA).

The CIAA is an independent, nonprofit organisation which specialises in investment. It has offices across the globe, and Trinity’s Business School is the first Irish partner to join up with the CIAA. This represents the third academic partnerhip agreement for Trinity’s MSc in Finance programme.

This is good news for budding investors at Trinity - students will now get discounts on CIAA examination fees, as well as enhanced linkages to with the Irish and global investment community.

Prendergast concluded by emphasising the symbiotic relationship which exists between Trinity and Ireland, claiming that “what happens in Ireland affects Trinity and, ultimately, what happens in Trinity affects Ireland”.

On a more personal note, Prendergast spoke briefly of his background: “I remember, as if it were yesterday, being accepted for Engineering in Trinity and my parents driving me up from our home village, Oulart, in County Wexford, to live with my aunt in Blackrock.

I remember that sense of expectation, of new choices and new opportunities.

It’s a feeling that I know many here today have also experienced, because I know my family is not unusual in Ireland. Since my generation, higher education has opened up opportunities for many, way beyond the experience of our parents or grandparents.”

Prendergast continued: “Access to university, based on aptitude and intellect rather than status or family position, is one of the great success stories of the twentieth century, in Ireland, as in many parts of the world.”

Trinity FM website “Our say, our rights” targeted by hackers campaign underway

SS The TrinityFM.org homepage while hacked, TFM says no damage was done

INTERNATIONAL

A UNIQUE tapestry of over a hundred separate panels is on display at Trinity’s School of Nursing and Midwifery in 24 D’Olier Street. The “Our Say, Our Rights” tapestry is made up of the contributions of 147 people with intellectual disabilities, each providing a square representing an important human rights-related issue in their lives.

The “Our Say, Our Rights” project was organized by IDRights: Human Rights and People with Intellectual Disabilities (www.idrights.ie), an action movement set up in 2008 by Dr. Fintan Sheerin of Trinity’s School of Nursing and Midwifery. The movement has in the past been involved with the “Right. Let’s stand up for ourselves” campaigns of 2009-2010 in Dublin and Limerick.

Its purpose is to publicise human rights issues with regard to people with intellectual disabilities and link disparate campaigns on such issues into a national forum. Many individuals registered on the National Intellectual Disability Database experience discrimination in many areas, including access to healthcare, education and public services.

Many local groups and campaigns have emerged as a result of instances of such marginalisation of people with disabilities, but these have yet to be drawn together into a cohesive national campaign or forum. Dr. Sheerin hopes

to open a Trinity Centre for Intellectual Disability Rights to achieve this.

The artwork was launched on 14 September when over 130 people gathered in the D’Olier Street building.

Dr. Sheerin, speaking at the event, emphasised that the project “gives voice to a group of Irish people who are often not heard or, indeed, listened to”. Dr. Sheerin went on to say that the event proved that people with intellectual disabilities want the same things as any other member of society: “above all, equality, respect and meaning”.

Dr. Sheerin has been the author of many academic works relating to people with disabilities as well as being involved with campaigns like those of IDRights. The movement itself was set up with help from Trinity Equality funding and is closely connected to the School of Nursing and Midwifery. The “Our Say, Our Rights” project received funding from People with Disabilities Ireland and Starbucks Coffee.

An Authentik award A TRINITY College-based language teaching and learning company has been awarded a European Language Label. Authentik, which supplies magazines, CDs and downloadable products, calls itself “the next best thing to being in the target language country”.

The company, throughout its 25-year history, has been based on “extensive groundbreaking research into the benefits of using authentic materials” when learning a language. All Authentik’s written and audio material is based on unaltered extracts, producing what Company Director Dr. Ann Devitt calls “a language-rich, media-rich, empowering environment”. Dr. Levitt is also a lecturer in Trinity’s School of Education.

The awards recognize companies which have found creative ways of promoting language learning. Four Irish companies have received the awards in advance of September’s tenth anniversary of the European Day of Languages.

Manus Lenihan

CAREERS

Trinity students set up graduate website TRINITY STUDENTS are among those working in a new business designed to match up graduates with suitable employers, and vice versa.

Gradpool.ie, described as “Ireland’s first online careers fair for students and graduates”, was launched on 21 September.

For students and graduates, it matches selected criteria with possible employers.

Already businesses such as Microsoft, KPMG, Aldi and Deloitte have signed up to the programme. Richard Bruton, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, called the project “an exciting new Irish business”. Gradpool. ie is being run by two Dublin graduates.

Paul Vance, Head of Resourcing at KPMG Ireland, said: “Gradpool.ie creates great efficiencies in the graduate recruitment process, making it significantly easier for suited graduate applicant and employers to find each other.”

Manus Lenihan

FOR MORE ON THIS TOPIC SEE FEATURES 13 SS The quilt on display in D’Olier Street

4 COLLEGE NEWS

Culture night ’11 keeps Trinity awake  Trinity took part in Dublin Culture Night  Involved Science Gallery & Long Room Hub  Wax Museum & Guinness Factory involved Hildegard Ryan Staff Reporter

FOR ONE night only Trinity College opened its doors for a late night of entertainment as part of Dublin’s Culture Night 2011.

Dublin University made its mark on the events map by taking part in Dublin’s annual Culture Night. The college lent its artistic, historical and scientific attractions to the event, which incorpoated Trinity’s Old Library and Book of Kells Exhibition, the Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity Arts Workshop, the Science Gallery and Douglas Hyde Gallery.

Since its establishment in 2005 Culture Night offers a night of “Culture night is one of the highlights of Ireland’s cultural events calendar” - Jimmy Deenihan TD adventure, entertainment and discovery for friends and family as towns and cities across the country encourage the public to explore and engage with the artistic and cultural heritage of our nation.

On Friday 23 September, Trinity College joined Dublin and 30 other locations around Ireland in celebration

of the event, which is organised by Temple Bar Cultural Trust (TBCT) and the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan TD. At the launch of Culture Night, Minister Deenihan hailed the evening as “one of the highlights of Ireland’s cultural events calendar”.

Begun in 2006, the annual event sees museums, galleries, cultural centres, places of historic interest and tourist attractions open their doors to the public until late, free of charge.

Street performances of music, dance and theatre also took place on the night.

Culture Night offers a unique opportunity to all city dwellers, in particular students who, although living and studying in close proximity to Dublin’s rich cultural heritage sites, often find many top attractions outside their budgets.

Year-on-year the amount of cultural offerings has steadily increased, allowing people of all ages and interests an opportunity to engage with the history and culture of the nation.

Some of the venues which took part included the Old Jameson Distillery, Kilmainham Gaol, the Custom House and the National Wax Museum.

Culture Night volunteers were on hand in the streets to provide directions, advice and information to the public.

Broad sections of Dublin

SS Left: The Campanile lit up for Culture Night. Right: Dancers in Dublin City Centre as part of the city-wide event

participated in the night’s festivities, with local radio station Near 90fm broadcasting a special Culture Night programme, and Dublin Bus providing a free shuttle bus service between the various locations throughout the city.

Jessica O’Connor (JS Geography and Politics) took part in Culture Night, visiting the Guinness Factory, Dublin Castle and Christ Church.

The Guinness factory supplied all visitors with the customary free pint of Guinness, and Christ Church offered an audio commentary for its guests.

O’Connor praised the event in glowing terms: “It was a brilliant night, the streets were absolutely buzzing.

There were all sorts of people out,

tourists, Irish, families and people of all ages.” O’Connor felt the event was “really well organised” - in particular the shuttle buses.

“I would definitely recommend the places I went to tourists or visiting families. Not for students though, it’s too expensive.”

Barry Price (SF BESS) also enjoyed Culture Night’s festivities, especially the “pleasant carnival atmosphere” lent to Temple Bar by its many street performers. Price commented however on the long queuing time for certain attractions: “We were queuing for an hour and a half for the Guinness Store House, and then spent ages wandering around the streets.

You just don’t have enough time to see everything you’d like to see. It should be on more than once a year.”

Price said that despite pitching itself a t all Dublin citizens, he saw mainly tourists availing of what Culture Night had to offer.

Although TCD.ie did feature the event on its homepage in the days coming up to the event, Price felt students were not made aware enough of the night. “A lot of students are quite ignorant of Dublin’s cultural sites so it’s something we should take more advantage of.”

Belfast, Cork, Galway and Kilkenny were among other Irish cities taking part.

Trinity in its element Schizophrenia  Chemistry Department celebrates 300 year-anniversary  Science Gallery holds “Elements” exhibition as part of event  Over 53,000 visitors arrived at exhibition, now located in Italy

Laura Kennedy Contributing Reporter

Fiona Ridgway Deputy College News Editor

AFTER THE successful “Elements” exhibition in the Science Gallery, Trinity’s School of Chemistry has begun to wind down celebrations of its tercentenary. The Elements exhibition ran from July through to late September, attracting a staggering 53,000 visitors, and has now moved on to Italy.

Attractions included an “atomic kitchen” where visitors could conduct their own experiments and 32 handson workshops for younger visitors.

Members of the public could also bring in items containing specific elements in order to make a gigantic three-dimensional periodic table as part of “BYO Elements”.

Further attractions included provocative paintings inspired by the elements, music and even art classes.

Visitors got to use a Geiger counter to measure levels of dangerous radiation in various objects.

Other events to mark 300 years of Chemistry in Trinity College included “An Afternoon of Radioactivity” where Helene Langevin-Joliot, granddaughter of Marie Curie, gave a talk.

The afternoon also included talks

finding by TCD

SS Artistic elements on display at the Science Gallery exhibition

with such titles as “Discovery of the Radioactive Elements”, “Radioactive Elements in Medicine”, and “Radioactive Ireland”.

A tercentenary lecture was also given by Professor Dermot O’Hare of Oxford University on the issue of global warming and pollution entitled: “Tackling Tricky Chemical Problems: from CO2 to PCBs”.

On 17 November a public lecture will be given by Professor David Phillips, President of the Royal Society of Chemistry, on the photodynamic therapy of cancer, entitled “A Little Light Relief”.

The School of Chemistry is also awaiting finishing touches to be put to the new Biosciences building, of which it will occupy the seventh floor and part of the sixth floor.

The School of Chemistry, which

now has 19 academic staff, started off in 1711 with the appointment of the College’s first dedicated lecturer in Chemistry.

It now boasts a very strong research community and received nearly €6m in 2010 as research income from national and international sources. 2011, as well as being the Tercentenary year for Chemistry in Trinity, has also been the International Year of Chemistry.

The Elements exhibition, launched in the International Year of Chemistry, was curated by David Grayson, Daniel O’Donovan, Hugh AlderseyWilliams and Michael John Gorman, and is a partnership between Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin and the BergamoScienza festival, with the assistance of researcher Brigid Lanigan and advisor Silvia Giordani.

RESEARCHERS FROM Trinity College have played a key role in a research consortium which discovered the common genetic variants that contribute to a person’s risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

These findings provide new evidence that 11 regions of the genome have strong, confirmed association with these diseases. The researchers also found that many of these DNA variations contribute to both diseases.

Research on schizophrenia and bipolar disorder by the Psychosis Research Group at Trinity is funded by Science Foundation Ireland, the Health Research Board and the Wellcome Trust.

One of the researchers, Professor Aiden Corvin, commented: “These two large studies, which included participation by more than 4,000 Irish people, represent a significant step forward for our field. They offer promising insights into the underlying biology of the risk genes.” Corvin is Head of the Psychosis Research Group at Trinity College Dublin and one of several co-authors from Psychiatry at Trinity College.

“In the case of the schizophrenia findings, we found five new genes which are linked with the disorder.

Perhaps the most significant finding was that one of these genes seems to act as a type of master key with the potential to control about three hundred other genes,” commented Corvin. “This is likely to be the key to a genetic network of hundreds of genes which regulate the development of neurons in the brain. Understanding and targeting this process may open up new molecular targets for the treatment of schizophrenia.

“This research comes at an exciting time, with parallel discoveries in neuroscience making it increasingly possible to investigate the underlying biological causes of conditions like

schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Knowing more about the biology is key, as the development of new treatments has stalled over several decades, and these findings provide potentially important new treatment targets,” concluded Prof. Corvin who was also a member of the management committee for the project.

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are common and often devastating brain disorders. Some of the most prominent symptoms in schizophrenia are persistent delusions, hallucinations and cognitive problems. Bipolar disorder (or manic-depressive illness) is characterised by episodes of severe mood problems including mania and depression. Both affect about 1% of the world’s population and usually strike in late adolescence or early adulthood. Despite the availability of treatments, these illnesses are usually chronic, and response to treatment is often incomplete leading to prolonged disability and personal suffering.

Family history, which reflects genetic inheritance, is a strong risk factor for both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and it has generally been assumed that dozens of genes, along with environmental factors, contribute to disease risk.

Formed in 2007, the Psychiatric Genome-Wide Association Study Consortium is the largest consortium ever in psychiatry. Over 250 researchers from more than 20 countries have come together in an unparalleled spirit of cooperation to advance knowledge of the genetic causes of mental illness. Crucial to the success of the project was the willingness of many groups to share genetic data from tens of thousands of patients collected over many years.

The research was funded by numerous European, US, and Australian bodies including awards from the Health Research Board, Science Foundation Ireland and the Wellcome Trust to the TCD group. Funds for coordination of the consortium were provided by the US National Institute of Mental Health.

TRINITY NEWS

5 news@trinitynews.ie

Stark warning by prize lecturer  Trinity Prof Michael Coey wins medal  Prestigious award for Nanoscience  Speech predicted “death of privacy”  Named Ireland’s most cited scientist Manus Lenihan College News Editor

A TRINITY College Professor has warned against the “death of privacy” in a public address on nanoscience.

Professor Michael Coey made his comments on receipt of the inaugural RDS Intel Ireland Prize Lecture for Nanoscience on 27 September. Coey, an experimental physicist specializing in magnetism and spintronics, remarked that the cost of creating a page of information has fallen from €1,000 (which was probably the real value of a page written by a medieval Irish monk) to under a cent today.

This proliferation of easilyaccessible information, as well as threatening privacy, can allow a wellplaced individual to “bring down a bank”. These grim warnings, however, were in the context of a speech entitled “Tales from the Nanoworld, Billions of Magnets for Billions of People”, which had many optimistic features to balance pessimistic predictions relating to changes brought on, already and in the future, by advances in computer technology.

Professor Coey received the new award for his work on the development of next-generation information storage devices, with technological innovations

centring around the use of new magnetic materials, better magnetic recording and spin electronics. The award requires the recipient to give a free public lecture on their work.

Prof. Michael Coey is Erasmus Smith’s Chair of Natural and Experimental Philosophy at the Naughton Institute at Trinity College Dublin. In 2006 he was named Ireland’s most highly cited scientist.

A fellow of the Royal Society, member and gold medallist of the Royal Irish Academy and foreign associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences, Coey is the author of 574 papers and 4 books. His work typically involves dealing with objects a billionth of a millimetre in diameter - one thousandth the width of a human hair.

Former deputy Director of CRANN (Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices), Professor Coey’s accomplishments are in the fields of magnetism and spin electronics. Through scalability, the reduction in the size of magnets while maintaining their fundamental properties, Professor Coey and his team are breaking new ground in magnetic recording on a nanoscale.

Creating magnets which are 1 million times smaller than the head of a

SS Professor Michael Coey is an expert in the fields of magnetism and spin electronics

pin, these tiny magnets are radically transforming science and industry in Ireland. These advancements will lead to the development of faster, smaller and more powerful computer and other electronic devices in the future.

Professor Coey in his RDS lecture warned of the consequences of his own research, with a vast and cheap array of knowledge now “being marshalled by people whose interests may not be our own”, but concluded that, “We need a hefty dose of humanity to moderate all of this.”

Established by the RDS in partnership with Intel Ireland, the RDS Intel Prize Lecture recognises the significant achievements being made

by Irish scientists and scientists based

in Ireland to the field of nanoscience.

This award recognises also those individuals who have a commitment to communicating their research to a diverse audience.

Professor Coey has a strong commitment also to scientific outreach and communication and played a key role in the development of Trinity’s Science Gallery, Ireland’s first centre solely dedicated to scientific outreach and engaging the public with science.

The lecture was open to the public.

The RDS and Intel Prize Lecture for Nanoscience, supported by The Irish Times, will be awarded annually and will alternate between a scientist based in Ireland and an Irish scientist based abroad.

Trinity’s Grene recounts a life like no other Manus Lenihan

animals. Attending the local national school with 13 other students, Grene later gained entry to Drogheda Grammar School before moving to the fondly-remembered Belfast Royal Academy. During this time, Grene records the divorce of his parents and his mother gaining the post of Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Queen’s University, Belfast. Grene won a scholarship to Trinity in 1965.

Many Trinity students will know Professor Grene from English Literature courses on Irish Writing, Shakespeare and the stage, as well as Irish poetry and English-language Indian literature. Professor Grene is author and co-author of many works on these and related subjects. He has taught and studied at Cambridge and Liverpool as well as spending three

College News Editor

BROUGHT UP in Co. Wicklow with professors (and farmers) as parents, descended from Polish, Jewish, American and Irish ancestry, the life of Trinity graduate Nicholas Grene is far from conventional.

Now Professor of English Literature at Trinity College, Grene has published his life memoirs. The book, entitled Nothing Quite Like It: An American-Irish Childhood tells the story of Grene’s upbringing in rural Wicklow in the 1950s.

Having moved from Illinois at the age of five, Grene writes about growing up in an eccentric 19th century farmhouse in Ballinaclash, Co. Wicklow, surrounded by innumerable

separate terms as head of the English Department in Trinity, to which he returned in 1979.

Writing in the Irish Times, author Patricia Craig said Nothing Quite Like It shows: “Great good humour, self-deprecation, zest and alertness, and makes invigorating reading,” particularly in its evocation of the author’s “Protestant-Anglo-IrishAmerican-Polish-Jewish” background.

Sebastian Barry said of the memoir: “Pitched somewhere between Virgil and Seamus Heaney, between Samuel Butler and Holden Caulfield, Grene has written a genuinely lovely book.”

Since his undergraduate days, Professor Grene has continued to farm part-time at Ballinaclash, where he lives with his wife and four children.

CAREERS

Find your perfect job CALLING ALL jobseekers: Trinity Careers Week is taking place until 7 October.

In addition to a number of career sector panel discussions, a wide array of events geared towards equipping rising undergraduates with the knowledge and skills necessary to gain employment in the modern labour market will be run. A series of “job search” workshops, mock interviews and CV Clinics will be conducted in which all TCD students are entitled to participate.

Features geared toward postgraduates and graduates will also be on offer. Podcasts of the talks will also be available and should open with Apple QuickTime. Students more interested in doing a Master’s or PhD will be well-catered for as well, with advice on everything from subject matter to funding. Events will be conducted by a mix of graduates, employers and professionals working in these sectors. Most events will be held in the GMB, but a small number will take place in the Panoz Institute.

The Careers Advisory Service also reminds students that it runs workshops throughout the academic year in 3 College Green.

Daniel Collum

RESEARCH

Inter-ethnic study carried out in City FOUR AUTHORS attached to the School of Social Work and Social Policy have published the largest quantitative study yet of relations between local and migrant primary school students in Ireland. “Where To from Here? Inter-ethnic Relations among Children in Ireland” looks at the experience of 330 local and migrant children from seven separate schools in Dublin’s North Inner City.

The report identifies serious challenges to integration at this vital early stage, along with no easy answers. Differences in language and culture, social values, home life, attitudes toward education, along with the very experience of migration itself, are among the factors that separate migrant from local children.

Avoidance of social contact with other groups therefore seems to be a common feature of inter-ethnic relationships.

The report, which was launched

by Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald, was published by Trinity College Children’s Research Centre in association with Liffey Press, and funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Manus Lenihan

College research uncovers hardship facing Irish carers Manus Lenihan College News Editor

THE OFTEN harrowing experience faced by former full-time carers is the subject of a new report by the School of Nursing and Midwifery along with Care Alliance Ireland. The first report to examine the plight of former careers in Ireland, it is entitled, “Between worlds: The Experiences and Needs of Former Family Carers”.

One of the 40 former carers involved in the study summed up the experience of bereavement after a long time spent caring for a loved one on a full-time basis: “You’re in no world, your pre-caring world has gone, your caring world has gone, you’re left with no world.”

As well as bereavement, former carers face a certain emptiness as they return to the workforce without the skills or experience necessary to sustain them and the Carers’ Allowance is discontinued. On a social and community level, many of the former carers involved were left isolated after lengths of time as carers varying from six months to 27 years.

04 October, 2011

In the study, former carers describe how becoming a full-time carer meant losing the life they had with all its social contacts, work and other opportunities. Subsequently, when the person they cared for died or moved to a care home, they experience further losses associated with their role and identity as a full-time carer. Losing both these worlds creates a profound sense of loss and emptiness. At the point where their “caring world” has just ended carers often feel caught “between worlds”. They do not belong to any particular place and do not have any particular label or identity that applies to them. They experience a range of emotional reactions, such as guilt, relief and anger.

These are made worse often by the feeling that they have been “dismissed” and devalued by State services and this can become a barrier to “moving on” and creating a new world for themselves. Other barriers include significant money problems and finding it hard to return to the workforce where previous skills for employment had been lost.

The factors that help former carers

to move on include family support and support from carers’ organisations.

In moving on they begin to care for themselves, keep active, become involved in their community, and “get out of the house”. For some former carers, “moving on” involves taking on other informal and/or formal caring roles giving the skills they had acquired while being full-time carers.

Head of the School of Nursing & Midwifery, Professor Mary McCarron, Principal Investigator for the report, spoke of this “significant emotional, social and financial impact” of the transition from being a carer, an impact which has so far gone unacknowledged.

There are no state support services whatsoever for former carers, SS Ms Marie Lynch Board Member Care Alliance Ireland, Prof. Mary McCarron Head of the dropping many into poverty and long- School of Nursing TCD and Mr. Pat Kelly, Former Family Carer term unemployment when the one they were caring for passes away or is taken Liam O’Sullivan, Executive Director to their loved ones.” into a nursing home or hospice. Family of Care Alliance Ireland, stated: “For It is estimated that there are 274,000 support and support from carers’ the first time in an Irish context, this family carers in the Republic of Ireland organisations often help former carers research documents the unmet needs and while there has been significant “move on” but the report recommends of Ireland’s former Family Carers. We progress made in the provision of state an extension of the Carers’ Allowance in Care Alliance Ireland will do all in supports for carers, there is relatively and more flexibility in social welfare our power to secure suitable supports little primary research on carers and regulations, as well as a “toolkit” for and recognition for this group of people none published on the post-caring and former carers to return to the world. who have given so much of themselves care transitions phase.

6 NATIONAL NEWS nationalnews@trinitynews.ie

Galway students to host Slut Walk Mairead Cremins

“sluts” in provocative clothing.

Participants protested against explaining or excusing rape by referring to any aspect of a woman’s appearance.

The protest takes the form of a march, mainly by young women, where some dress in ordinary clothing and others dress provocatively, like “sluts”.

There are also speaker meetings and workshops. Some objectors to the Slut Walks have remarked that this approach is an example of women defining their sexuality in male terms.

The idea spread to include major cities around the globe. Jessica Valenti says: “In just a few months, Slut Walks have become the most successful feminist action of the past 20 years.” Slut Walks have been attended by thousands of women and men, and debated in the media.

Deputy National News Editor

THE GLOBAL movement known as the Slut Walk is coming to Ireland. The movement was sparked by the remarks of a Canadian police officer earlier this year, when he said that women should not dress like “sluts” in order to avoid being raped.

It all started in Toronto where men and women who were outraged by the remarks demonstrated their frustrations by taking to the streets.

Donning their most provocative clothing they marched through the city.

NUI Galway’s Students’ Union has since latched onto the idea and has organized its own Slut Walk for 5 October between 1pm and 4pm during the university’s Equality Week.

Union Equality Officer William O’Brien commented: “The Slut Walk was born to illustrate that a woman’s dress should in no way provoke unwanted sexual attacks, name calling or any other form of negative attention.”

O’Brien continued: “The event seems to have provoked a lot of heated debate around campus, we actually had a girl who was attacked here a few weeks ago and there is criticism that the message of the Slut Walk is to undermine people’s responsibility for their own personal safety. I think this is nonsense, Slut Walk is about not blaming yourself and victims of rape for their ordeals, not about prevention or personal protection.

“More than anything the event has sparked debate and conversation concerning the many opinions and points of view with regard to the treatment of rape victims. I am very pleased with this as this is exactly what I wanted to happen. I have overheard dozens of conversations and arguments

SS The SlutWalk started off in Toronto to defy excusing rape on the basis of appearance

in the college about the event and I really think that it is making people stop and think about issues that are so often taboo in Irish culture,” he added.

The event has the support of the Rape Crisis Network and the Galway Rape Crisis Centre. The event is being “The event provoked a lot of heated debate around campus, we actually had a girl attacked here” advertised on Twitter and Facebook, using the slogan: “Society teaches ‘Don’t get raped’ rather than ‘Don’t Rape’”.

When asked how he expected the event to go, O’Brien said he had “no idea what to expect on the day, I guess the weather will play a pivotal role here as it always does in Galway. I know that there are members of feminist groups

travelling up from Cork and Dublin to attend and I am expecting a large turnout from the local, non-student population. If the weather is nice enough I wouldn’t be surprised to see a good few hundred out for it.”

He went on to say: “The whole event is about educating people and about making them reconsider what they may have assumed for a long time, a large part of this is provocation and confrontation.”

The Slut Walk protest marches began on 3 April 2011, in Toronto, Canada, and became a movement of rallies across the world. Over 3,000 women gathered at Queen’s Park, Toronto.

The day began with speeches before moving to the Toronto Police Headquarters. Although the website publicising the gathering requested women to dress in everyday wear to symbolize ordinary women sexually assaulted in ordinary life, many women dressed as

SS A SlutWalk protestor

USI criticism of emigration is challenged Mairead Cremins Deputy National News Editor

AN ACADEMIC at Trinity College has challenged claims by the USI that young people are being forced to emigrate due to a lack of available work, and that the emigration rate in Ireland indicates a bleak future for the state.

The USI backed its claims on the recent revelation that unemployment is up to 14.4%, and has called on the government to tackle the problem.

According to the USI President Gary Redmond, the government is making “little attempt to retain the future drivers of the smart economy, our graduates, from emigrating to seek job opportunities on foreign shores”.

Last month, the standardised unemployment rate rose by 0.1% to 14.4% in August as an additional 1,600 people signed onto the Live “Emigration should not be treated as an unmitigated disaster, it is now act of life” Register.

Professor James Wickham, Director of the Employment Research Centre in Trinity College, challenged this view by saying that emigration should not be treated as an “unmitigated

disaster”. According to Wickham, migration is now a fact of life for different generations, such as young people who form relationships abroad and retirees living in another country.

Wickham stressed that effort should be put into encouraging educated people to return with skills later.

“Graduates are leaving college with two options: emigration or the Live Register” The USI also made claims that the actual unemployment figure is much higher and is being masked by the increasing numbers of young adults who are going abroad in search of employment.

Thousands of valuable graduates have already left Irish shores and the USI believe that the government must work harder to prevent many more thousands of graduates from emigrating in the future.

This, they say, should be done by creating sustainable jobs in Ireland.

According to Redmond, “Decisive action must be taken to combat the rising levels of unemployment in this country. Graduates are leaving college with two options: emigration or the Live Register.

“Job creation must be made a

SS The USI claims graduates are forced to emigrate to look for work

priority of the government to stop more of our highly skilled graduates leaving the country, many of whom will never return.”

Redmond claims that emigration, and the government’s perceived inaction with regard to emigrant levels, is “crippling the future of Ireland’s ailing economy”.

Redmond continued: “It is ridiculous to deny our graduates any opportunity to repay that investment by forcing them to emigrate. The USI is again urging the government to start taking drastic action in tackling the crippling unemployment crisis that is forcing graduates to emigrate

in search of job opportunities in other countries.”

It was noted by Wickham, who is also Jean Monnet Professor of European Labour Market Studies in the School of Social Science and Philosophy, that the concept of a “brain drain” caused by emigration is giving way to a more modern concept called “brain circulation”, whereby people tend to move countries more often before returning to their home state.

“There has been a huge growth in so-called love miles, people following their girlfriend or boyfriend and living in their country,” he said.

UL hosts innovation roadshow ffUL venue for Irish Times Innvoation Roadshow ffEvent for business leaders and entrepreneurs Claire Acton National News Editor

OVER 100 business leaders, entrepreneurs, academics and researchers from the Limerick region collaborated in the Irish Times Innovation Roadshow hosted by the Kemmy Business School at the University of Limerick (UL). The theme of the event, “Innovating Cities and Communities of Practice” included a number of key speakers: Dr. Stephen Kinsella, UL Lecturer in Economics; Donal O’Connell, Managing Director of Chawton Innovation Services Ltd; and Dick Meaney, Vice President, Converters at Analog Devices.

The aim of the event was to debate how leading Irish cities and their respective industry communities and economic development agencies can best develop more competitive and sustainable regional and local economies through innovative business practice.

Dean of the Kemmy Business School, Professor Donal Dineen commented: “It is fitting that the Irish Times Cities Roadshow takes place in Ireland’s most innovative business school, where there is a strong focus on developing the entrepreneurial talents of our graduates.”

The first speaker at the event, Donal O’Connell, author of Inside the Patent Factory and former VP of R&D and Director of IP at Nokia, said; “Innovation starts with thinking differently. It is a process of questioning, experimenting, learning and adapting.”

He noted that innovators get a kick out of challenges, embrace change and learn to tolerate failure.

He spoke of different forms of innovation where it is not always focused on products but also in services, adding that services innovation is where much of the boom is taking place.

Stephen Kinsella, economist and author of Ireland in 2050, opened with what he called reasons to be cheerful, which included a Greek default and the government’s tougher stance on banks. These events he claims will help to restructure the economy and allow credit to re-flow. Credit, he stated, is the lifeblood of innovation.

He continued: “Limerick could be a city thriving on innovation in the 21st Century. What we require is the correct approach to encouraging genuine innovation, rewarding success, but also encouraging failure.”

The final speaker, Dick Meaney, who is also a former graduate of UL, spoke on technical innovation and innovation in the semiconductor business. For innovation he claims one must do something new that hasn’t been done before and where the outcome is uncertain.

UL has been granted in excess of €40 million in research funding for the past year and continues to outperform international benchmarks for delivery of commercial licences and spinouts per euro invested.

W is for Writer.

Be one.

www.trinitynews.ie TRINITY NEWS

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04 October, 2011

8 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NUS challenges Labour fee cap pledge ffLabour promises to cap university fees at £6,000 ffMeanwhile Miliband accused of weak party leadership ffNUS concerned Labour policy is an electoral tactic Frederik Rasmussen Staff Reporter

IN AN attempt to gather political momentum, Labour leader Ed Miliband is attempting to align himself with what he calls the “squeezed middle”.

The Labour leader, who has come under increasing pressure because of his perceived “weak leadership of the party”, has now announced one of his biggest policy decisions during his first year as leader. In a move to win back the vote of the large number of students who turned to the Liberal Democrats in the last election, Miliband has announced that Labour would cut university fees to £6,000 if they were “Labour are mistaken if they believe students will shift their allegiance to the party.”

NUS President, Liam Burns

in government. Miliband claims that the policy would help lead to a greater variety of young people being able to go to university, helping to create a more equal society.

From September next year, universities will be able to raise fees from the current maximum level of £3,375 to £9,000, following cuts of 80% in government grants to universities.

This announcement led to the violent and destructive protests witnessed in London last November.

Against predictions, more than a third of universities across the UK plan to charge the maximum rate of fees. Miliband would help finance his plan to cut the increase in fees to £6,000 by reversing a corporation tax cut for banks, and by asking graduates earning more than £65,000 to pay higher interest on their loans.

According to Miliband, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are jeopardizing the future of young people as well as the economy by cutting too much, too fast.

Miliband argues that it will be impossible to “build a successful economy if kids from all backgrounds are put off going to university.”

However, the plan has been met by criticism from several circles.

Centre Forum, an economic thinktank, has argued that Labour’s tuition cap policy only benefits the richest graduates, benefits of which are most likely seen 28 years after graduation, for people earning about £72,500.

Centre Forum argues that the proposal will not make any student better or worse off while studying, as university payments are not made upfront.

Adding to the opponents of this

SS Miliband speaking at last week’s Labour Conference in Liverpool. He promised Labour would cap fees at £6,000

latest Labour initiative is President of the National Union of Students (NUS), Liam Burns, who claims that Labour are mistaken if they believe students will shift their allegiance to the party at the next election, based on such a proposal.

After promising not to increase fees at all, simply adopting a position of

“only doubling the amount” is simply not good enough, according to Burns.

However, if Miliband’s proposal were an immediate solution only, then Burns would support the initiative.

Universities Minister David Willets has claimed that the move away from a graduate tax represents a complete U-turn on the part of Labour, as well

as evidence of weak leadership on the part of Miliband.

Shadow business secretary John Denham maintains that Labour’s longterm goal is to introduce a graduate tax.

Labour is attempting to rebuild its economic credibility, part of which is to position itself as more financially sensible than the current government.

Harvard targeted in 10 US students charged for Syrian cyber attack disrupting Israeli lecture ff10 Muslim students found guilty by jury of disrupting lecture by Israeli ambassador ffSpeech was on US-Israeli relations at University of California, Irvine in February 2010 ffCase has been subject to debate on freedom of speech among Californian attorneys Ailbhe Durkin Contributing Reporter

SS The website was hacked Monday 19 September, it is now functioning normally

Breanne Lehodey Contributing Reporter

HARVARD UNIVERSITY’S homepage fell victim to a cyber attack on Monday morning as visitors to the site were greeted with the message “SyRiAn ELeCTronic ArMy WeRe HeRE”, accompanied by an image of the Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad, in full military uniform standing in front of the Syrian flag. Harvard spokesman John Longrake said “the attack appear[ed] to have been the work of a sophisticated individual or group.”

Syria has been rocked by violence throughout the Arab Spring, and both pro- and anti-government activists are increasingly turning to the internet in attempts to spread their messages abroad.

The Syrian Electronic Army (SEA), a pro-Assad hacking group that has claimed responsibility for the attack, has mounted electronic attacks on opposition figures and their perceived backers. It “appears to be part of a coordinated campaign by the embattled [Syrian] government” to crack down on anti-government protestors, NPR reported.

The Atlantic Monthly claims that the SEA has “led by far the most sophisticated and highly visible online proregime effort of the 2011 Arab uprisings.” It has also allegedly been aided

by Iran, which has encouraged Syria to counteract its enemies’ online activi-

ties instead of closing off the country to information altogether. SEA activities have largely been a response to anti-government protestors that have infiltrated at least twelve Syrian government websites in recent months, uploading graphic videos of assaults on protestors and using these platforms to spread their messages of reform.

The frequency and sophistication of attacks from both sides are on the rise, targeting news media, government and education websites and progressively higher profile Western websites to draw the attention of international news organizations and public opinion.

Other websites that have reportedly been targeted by the group include those of Oprah Winfrey, Newsweek magazine and Brad Pitt, whose partner, Angelina Jolie, is a UN goodwill ambassador. The hacking of Harvard’s website also involved a threat in broken English in response to American support of anti-government forces: “Do you support the war on Syria? If you are you, as well as the following Syria’s population of 23 million people. This means 23 million mobile bomb. Imagine what we could do.” This threat of violence against opponents of the Assad regime is a departure from past hackings. The attack came days after a Trinity College-affiliated website was hacked under the same pseudonym as recent hackings in Bangladesh on websites such as Google and Yahoo.

A JURY found 10 Muslim students guilty of disrupting a lecture by the Israeli Ambassador at a Californian university on Friday 23 September in a case that has provoked a compelling debate about free speech.

The students were also convicted of conspiring to disrupt Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren’s speech on USIsraeli relations in February 2010 at the University of California, Irvine.

The students were charged with misdemeanour counts for having stood up one by one to shout prepared statements at him, despite university officials repeatedly requesting the crowd to behave. Statements such as “propagating murder is not an expression of

free speech” roused cheers from supporters. The event was subsequently required to be cut short by university officials.

Defence attorneys argued for the students’ right to protest, but prosecutor Dan Wagner told jurors the students “acted as censors to block the free flow of ideas” and thereby infringed on the rights of the 700 people present on the Irvine campus to hear Oren. Each student was sentenced to three years of probation, 56 hours of community service and $270 in fines by Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter J. Wilson, who found that the incident did not warrant jail time and who permitted the probation period to be reduced to one year upon the required community service being completed by the end of Janurary 2012.

The case has roused an impassioned debate about the right to free speech.

Prosecutors argue that the students broke the law by interrupting Oren’s speech, causing it to be cut short. Ultimately, the line which the court wished to draw was between those protests which are lawful and those which are not. The Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas labelled the argument as a matter of censorship after the verdict was announced. “Anyway you look at it, this is censorship. It’s not against or for any particular group.

This is strictly about the rule of law and not allowing one group to shut down another.”

The students plan to appeal the ruling, thereby challenging a law that broadly defines a disruption of speech irrespective of context.

Gene-ius breakthrough in UA Orla McManus Contributing Reporter

NEUROLOGISTS AND Researchers at the University of Alberta have made a potentially life changing breakthrough for those suffering from the disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS). They have found a gene that could lead to new treatments for MS sufferers. The discovery made by Dr Chris Power and his team could lead to a new treatment which could halt or reverse the symptoms of MS. This type of research is particularly significant to the University of Alberta as Canada has one of the highest rates of Multiple Sclerosis in the world. The research was funded by the Canadian MS Society as well as the Canadian Government.

MS is a neurological condition which affects around 7,000 people and families throughout Ireland. It affects the

myelin sheath around the nerves of the central nervous system and can cause the distortion “MS is a difficult disease because it’s so life-altering. To watch people lose their mobility is always difficult” Allison Kraus, scientist at UA

or blockage of messages through the brain. As Multiple Sclerosis is often unpredictable it presents different symptoms ranging from problems with speech, balance, vision, memory and in severe cases, a person’s mobility.

Researchers at the Canadian university have established that those suffering from MS have lower levels of chemicals called neurosteroids. Dr. Power claims to have discovered that the genes responsible for the production of neurosteroids are suppressed in MS patients.

It is thought that an increase in these neurosteroids in the brains of MS patients could potentially regress or even cure the disease. Lab mice with MS which were treated with the particular neurosteroid allopregnanolone were found to have reduced inflammation levels and increased levels of mobility.

Neurosteroids are derived from cholesterol and it is thought the use of them in treatment should result in minimal or no side effects. It is hoped that the treatment would be available for daily oral consumption. Medicine in the form of a daily pill would be a drastic change for sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis, many of whom regularly undergo a variety of treatments and symptom management methods.

Although experts are in the preliminary stages of this research they are hopeful that this pill will become available within the next 7 years.

TRINITY NEWS

9 internationalnews@trinitynews.ie

No sign of thaw for Chilean Winter ff5 months of protesting against government ffChilean state offering limited reforms ffApproval ratings low despite good economy Jack Farrell International News Editor

THE STUDENT protests in Chile look set to continue into a fifth month as talks with the government about reforming the education system broke down, leaving the education system at a standstill. The protests resumed on 22 September with over 10,000 students taking to the streets of the capital Santiago in a 30-block march.

The dispute centres around the running of universities as businesses rather than for the benefit of Chile’s youth, with a student loan system in place that exploits the most disadvantaged in Chilean society; high interest rates mean that some students may end up paying double the fees of others.

In what has become known as the “Chilean Winter”, students began

SS The “Besa-thon”, translated as “Kissathon”, is just one form of the Chilean students’ protest against the university structure

protesting in May after the previous Minister for Education (removed due to the unrest), Joaquín Lavín, announced government funding for

“non-profit” universities which can work the system in order to create profits. Students responded initially with creative protests, such as kiss-

ins and dressing up as superheroes, which attracted the attention of global news sources. The protests escalated in early August when students clashed

with police after attempts to march towards the presidential palace were thwarted with tear gas. A member of the Tupacel Jimenez, the Chilean Congress, condemned the actions of the authorities and demanded that those involved face sanctions. In the clashes that followed, over 800 protestors were arrested and close to 100 police injured.

The running of universities as profitmaking organisations underpins the Chilean Winter. The legacy of Pinochet persists, as the government continues to run universities as businesses and vigorously represses any protests.

President Sebastián Piñera has an approval rating of only 26%, the lowest of any leader since the emergence of democracy in Chile.

He has promised to spend billions to implement some of the reforms demanded by the Confederation of Chilean Students. Despite the lack of popular support, Piñera points to the success of the Chilean economy, which grew 8.4% during the first half of 2011, whilst the rest of the world suffers recession.

There appears to be no easy solution to the problems facing the Chilean congress. The student movement has continued to gather support and unlike many of their European counterparts, they are unlikely to stop until their demands have been met.

UC students hold Students scammed by “racist” bake sale made-up UK university ffA fake “Glastonbury University” was made up to fool students to pay tuition fees ffTrading Standards called on overseas companies and Florida FBI to investigate Sam Quirke Contributing Reporter

SS The bakesale gave discounts to ethnic minorities and women

Daniel O’Gorman Contributing Reporter

THE UNIVERSITY of California, Berkeley, often renowned for being a bastion of left-wing politics, played host to an incendiary and thoughtprovoking stand-off this Tuesday past.

The incident which came to both local and national attention in the US began with a Facebook event page created by the Berkeley College Republicans (BCR), where they planned to satirise and draw attention to Senate Bill 185.

The aforementioned bill which currently awaits Governor Jerry Brown’s signature would see California universities being allowed to take into account the race, gender, ethnicity and national origin of prospective student admissions proposals.

There still remains 1996’s proposition 209 which bans officials from granting admission based on ethnicity alone. This Bill, which would invariably lead to positive discrimination, has been welcomed by some including Berkeley’s student government who have already endorsed it. The bake sale was seen as the BCR’s response.

Baked goods were to be sold at different price marks depending on one’s race and gender. The pricing structure was posted on the Facebook event page which quickly became a hotspot for

04 October, 2011

online clashes between proponents of either side. The prices were listed as follows: $2 for a white man, $1.50 for an Asian man, $1 for a Latino man, 75c for a Black man and 25c for a Native American man.

Women were to be given a 25c reduction on the prices listed for men of the same race. BCR President Shawn Lewis agreed that the event was inherently racist but claimed that was the point, responding, “It is no more racist than giving an individual an advantage in college based solely on their race or gender.”

The bake sale was between 10am and 2pm Pacific Time at the campus’s Sproul plaza, which has seen political protests over tuition fees turn violent as recently as last week.

Fortunately this time it remained calm, if tense, and everything passed off without any disturbances of a violent nature. According to Lewis some BCR members were verbally abused and threatened; this contrasts to student government president Vishalli Loomba’s position, who said “that this makes students feel uncomfortable on campus.”

This is a sensitive issue that is bound to arise on a more statewide basis in the near future, with the BCR claiming success over the heightened media awareness of the issue.

A BELIEVABLE - albeit bogus - website, advertising the fictional Glastonbury University in England has been delisted by trading standards officers. Based in Malaysia, the university intended to rip-off foreign students, with the website boasting a university offering extensive courses including business, politics, art and design, engineering and architecture up to doctorate level. It had claimed that one of its engineering programmes awarded “a coveted 5 for Research in the last Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) in 2001.”

The website described Glastonbury University as “a leading private and independent university of world standing.”

The pictures used on the website of the “university” were in fact photographs taken without permission of Leicester University’s £32 million library. The registered address of Glastonbury University was found to be a disused office of a local accountancy firm located in Glastonbury town centre.

The Florida FBI assisted in the investigation, fronted by the Metropolitan Police e-crime unit. The unravel-

SS The con used Leicester University’s £32 million library as the image of the university

ling of the scam began when a London university contacted the Met, saying they had received applications from students claiming to have studied and obtained degrees from one Glastonbury University. Somerset County Council, in which Glastonbury town is located, were contacted as a result.

The Council confirmed that under no circumstances did a University of Glastonbury exist.

SS Glastonbury is known primarily for its annual music festival, not academia

Local county councillor David Hall commented, “I’m pleased that swift action was taken to remove this outrageous fake university site. I hope this is the last we will see of the fake Glastonbury University but it may well appear under another name.”

University of Leicester spokesman Ather Mirza said they were first made aware of the use of their images in August. Mr Mirza said: “The University of Leicester had no association with the University of Glastonbury and had not sanctioned use of any images or materials on its site.

“We regard breach of our copyright and misuse of our property as very serious offences and alerted our copyright team, as well as senior management, to the misuse of an image of Leicester’s award-winning library on the website.”

He expressed satisfaction and said he was pleased upon learning that the site had been taken down.

A similar scandal occurred in Dublin last week when an investigation by the Higher Education Authority began into the “European University of Ireland” which is an unlicensed university operating on the premises of a registered private institution, offering “Postgraduate & Post-experience programmes at affordable cost.”

10 NEWS FEATURES newsfeatures@trinitynews.ie

WORLD FOCUS: CHINA

The Capital Playboys Meadhbh McGrath Contributing Writer

DESPITE THE ongoing financial crisis, 2011 has been a record year for China’s rich. On 7 September, the Hurun Research Institute released the Top 50 of the Hurun Rich List. The list ranks individuals with a personal wealth of over $310m, the cutoff point rising from $220m last year and $150m in 2009. The average wealth of a Hurun rich-lister shot up to $924m, a remarkable 60% increase from $577m in 2010.

“China’s rich have defied the global financial crisis with another record year of growth” said Rupert Hoogewerf, Chairman and Chief Researcher of the Hurun Report.

China’s ultra-rich also continue to prosper. The number of billionaires on this year’s Hurun Rich List has risen to 271, up from 189 last year and more than double that of 130 in 2009. China now has the second largest concentration of billionaires in the world, following the US with over 400.

“You can double the real number of billionaires in China to nearer 600,” says Hoogewerf. He felt that there could be the same number of billionaires again who are hiding their wealth and trying to keep their assets quiet in fear of official scrutiny fearing a similar fate of previous billionaires who ended up in jail, such as Huang Guangyu, China’s one-time richest man, fined US$88 million and jailed for 14 years for bribery, insider trading and illegal business dealings.

Many of the newly rich have asked to be excluded from Forbes Asia’s rival Rich List, wanting to avoid publicising their wealth. “There’s a lot of concern in China about the wealth gap,” says Russell Flannery, a senior editor at Forbes Asia magazine who oversaw the compilation of the list. In stark contrast to the individuals ranked on the Hurun List, nearly 500m people in China live on less than $2 a day, and the growing rich-poor divide is becoming even more monumental.

The growth in wealth is largely due to China’s construction boom, along with a growing domestic retail market. China’s export economy has undergone a structural change in recent years, with low-value goods such as toys having a much slower export compound annual growth rate, usually single digit, from 2003-2008 than in previous years. However, high-value goods such as costly machinery and construction equipment have a growing rate at 40-50%, according to David Lee, a China-based partner with Boston Consulting Group, who specialises in industrial goods.

China today has 960,000 individuals with a personal wealth of 10 million Yuan or more (US$1.5mil/€1.1 million), according to the Hurun Wealth Report 2011 released in April this year, rising 9.75% from last year’s 875,000 and 2009’s 825,000. China today also has about 150 million people living below the United Nations poverty line of US$1 a day, according to the China Development Research Foundation Feb 2011 report.

The average rich lister on the Hurun Rich List 2011 was born in 1960, making him 51 years old today. This makes him significantly younger than the average Irish rich lister of 67 years old.

In comparison, Ireland’s ultra-rich are officially shrinking in number. The 2011 Forbes Rich List saw the elimination of Seán Quinn, cutting the total of Irish billionaires to a mere five. In 2010, Quinn had an estimated worth of US$2.3 billion, placing him just behind telecoms entrepreneur Denis O’Brien.

Quinn had previously headed the table of Irish billionaires with a US$6 billion estimated fortune. However, the Fermanagh businessman’s fortune crumbled when the Quinn Insurance business was placed in administration shortly after the 2010 Rich List was compiled, and now Quinn has fallen right off the list due to his massive debts.

Ireland’s best-known property developers have been largely withheld from the list as a result of major debts and doubts about the accuracy of land and property assets valuations.

Sinn Féin’s presidential paradox Even if the party’s chance of victory at the presidential polls are slim, Issy Thompson tells us why Gerry Adams thinks they have a chance WHEN GERRY Adams proclaimed that his party needed to ‘lead by example,’ few would have envisaged the eventual extremity of his claim. Adams has recently indicated that his party will, for the first time, put forward a candidate for Irish Presidency in the oncoming elections, to replace Mary McAleese, who has now served two terms. He told over 2,00 delegates at the annual Ard Fheis meeting in Belfast that Sinn Féin would “support the nomination of a candidate who is capable of winning the support of progressive and nationalist opinion and who will reflect the broad republican spirit of the Irish people at this time.” Having set the bar high and modestly ruling himself out from the Presidential race, there was great speculation as to who can fulfil the high expectations of Adams and his party.

However, it is unlikely that the presidential candidate Martin McGuinness

“Sinn Féin’s ultimate and fundamental goal is further away from fulfilment than ever before” will be successful in his bid for the Áras. Despite dramatically increasing their support base in the last election, it is probably not enough to prompt the election of a Sinn Féin president, and thus severely unbalance or alter the current political structure of Ireland.

It appears that Sinn Féin supporters believe the party’s ideals in a general sense, but when it comes to the nittygritty aspects of their goals, their fol-

lowers do not quite pull through. A recent Life and Times survey revealed that 73% of the Northern Irish population wished to remain in the United Kingdom, a viewpoint shared by 52% of Catholics. In a recession, it appears that people favour financial security over political viewpoints. The public have not forgotten their objectives, but have put them to the side, preferring to think in the short term than the long, which is unreliable and intangible. Despite strong leadership, clear principles and drive, Sinn Féin is facing a paradox, a Catch-22. It enjoys widespread and passionate support from a wide base of followers (it is the fourth largest party in the Irish republic) yet its ultimate and fundamental goal is further away from fulfilment than ever before. The precarious finances of the South are, for many, unappealing. Thus, theoretically, Sinn Féin are greatly supported, as Adams himself believes, there are many who ‘share Sinn Féin’s goals’. On a practical level, however, particularly in a time of financial woe, Sinn Fein’s ideals are too extreme for the majority, who choose food, jobs and security over turbulence and change.

Yet Adams is too experienced and too shrewd not to be fully aware of the above. He hopes for chance, and change, but ultimately knows that his party is not very likely to procure the Irish Presidency. Perhaps then he is more interested in the message that lies behind his recent announcement. This bid for presidency is a short and robust way of telling the people that Sinn Féin is now an important and ingrained part of the political fabric of Ireland. It shows the party as highly organised, with scope, vision and crucially the means and desire to move forward and progress. The intended message is one

SS Gerry Adams back in 1960. McGuinness now claims to be the “people’s president”

that is meant to be greeted with open arms by the financially struggling and politically disillusioned majority. Adams has made a sly and very political move. A move which has, as he and his advisors would have predicted, provided Sinn Féin with great publicity.

Thus he has created a platform and a spotlight, upon which they can express their views and ideals and aims on a national and international stage. They aim to be seen as a serious political party, to shed certain aspects of the history that shrouds them, and to be seen in a novel fashion. People are sure to pay attention. Gerry Adams has taken yet another step towards pure politics,

and away from his supposedly murkier past. Although he emphatically denies all allegations attributed to his name, it is indisputable that his image was tarnished with accusations of violence and terrorism. Thus, Sinn Féin’s latest move is yet another of regeneration and reinvention. They are trying to show that they have shed their negative aspects and retained their ideals- they have not weakened but changed. Gone are the days of the Thatcher voice bans, arrests and controversy. Sinn Féin, in putting forward a candidate for the election have shown that they are to be taken seriously and that they too can ‘set the agenda.’

Baby boomers in an age of austerity Ireland’s hit another baby boom. Is it because of the recession or are we just bored? Maya Zakrzewska-Pim investigates IRELAND’S FINANCIAL collapse was followed by what is considered to be a record baby boom. The birth rate in the Republic is higher than in any other country of the EU, with more than two children per woman. Statistics show it is currently at 17.8 births per 1,000 of the population, with 19,950 births registered in the period of January to April, which is a 7.6% increase on the same period in 2010. According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), this is the highest number of births registered in a quarter since the series began in 1960.

There also seem to be more boys than girls, with 10,221 of the former and 9,729 of the latter born respectively. Hospitals have problems with overcrowding in their maternity wards, and they have reported a surge of births between August and September of this year of babies which would have been conceived during the so-called ‘Big Freeze’ last winter. It seems the ‘snow baby’ phenomenon proves that bad weather, combined with a rather poor economic situation, results in an increase of Ireland’s birth rate.

Mother of 5 Martina Ward commented on the baby boom: “Everywhere you look people are pregnant and it’s all down to the recession. Men are bored. There’s nothing else to do.”

The National Maternity Hospital representative continued: “Some wom-

SS Ireland’s birth rate is the highest in the EU, up 7.6% from last year

en also explain the current situation by bleak career prospects, which serve as extra motivation to have children.”

Figures show that the average age of first-time mothers is 29.7 years old, and 31.7 years old for mothers overall.

The vast majority of the mothers, as much as 78 %, are of Irish nationality, with 10.4% being from EU accession states. A third of all the babies were born out of wedlock, which accounts for 6,768 of children, and Limerick city had the highest percentage of these, at 52%. Overall, there have been 329 less marriages registered in the first three months of this year than in 2010, the total being 3,052. Its seems that Fingal has had the highest birth rate, at 25.3 per 1,000 population, and South Tipperary has had the lowest, at 12.6 per 1,000 population.

Ireland recorded 67 deaths among babies in the period between January and March of 2011, giving an infant mortality rate of 3.4 deaths per 1,000 live births. The country’s population is now at 4,581,289, while last year it was

4,470,700. It is still nowhere near the 8.2m that it was in 1841, when the entire island was still part of the UK. This fell to 5.1m after the famine a decade later, and decades of emigration left only 2.8 million in the country in 1961. The birth rate and population, though, as shown by the records, has risen since the 1960s. The baby boom is the cause of this rise, and the resultant figure is higher than it has been in 150 years, and has risen around four times faster than the EU average, even though the collapse of the economy has caused a wave of emigration in 2008.

However, part of this growth is due to the migration which occurred before the collapse, as more people arrived in the final years of Ireland’s booming ‘Celtic Tiger’ economy than left when the problems began. All in all, the birth rate now is almost a third higher than it was at the height of the ‘Celtic Tiger’ in 2002.

Ireland’s population is predicted to increase by 23.4% over the next 25 years, which is a large figure when

compared to the rise of 4.7% over the EU in general, according to the EU statistics agency. The head of the Irish statistics service, Gerry O’Hanlon, said that “We are getting older but at a slower rate than most of our neighbours, and that will be a feature of our population for some time ahead.”

It remains to be seen whether the poor economic situation will continue for long, and how it shall impact the Republic’s birth rate in the future.

Currently, in the first half of the year Ireland still depended mostly on exports, and the national income (GNP) grew by just over 1% in the quarter, although this does not include the profits of any foreign companies.

However, the country’s figures also show a steady fall in Irish prices, as a result of which the money value of the economy is deflated. This value fell by 0.3%, even though the output GDP was 2.3% higher than in 2010. Budgetary

“Everywhere you look people are pregnant and it’s all down to the recession” targets therefore pose a larger challenge, as they are measured against the money value of GDP, and tax revenue for the Government is limited. The euro price of multinational exports has been reduced due to the falls in the dollar.

According to Dermot O’Leary, this is because not enough attention has been paid to the current account position with the rest of the world. “The surplus over the last 12 months to June was the biggest since 1999, which makes it clear large savings in the private sector are offsetting the budget deficit in the public sector.”

TRINITY NEWS

BUSINESS 11

business@trinitynews.ie

European ideals are obscured Louise Fitzgerald analyses the current tensions within the EU and laments the return of a ‘zero-sum logic’ to EU affairs

T

he economic storm that has swept through Europe has wrought perhaps irreparable damage, the extent to which has yet to be fully comprehended. Without the benefit of economic growth to smooth over tensions, the crisis has laid bare the cracks in the armour of “fortress Europe”. The threatened failure of the euro, the love child of economic integration, has dealt a considerable blow to confidence in the EU. The euro had to be saved at all costs as politicians, trapped as they were by the “remorseless logic” of a single currency, found themselves compelled to subscribe to a closer fiscal integration to cope with the overwhelming economic problems. Such measures however do not signal the onward march of European integration for its sake alone. Merkel moved to save the euro, not for the sake of integration or the European project itself, but rather because it was “good for Germany”.

She added afterwards that the crisis called into question the future of the EU as a whole.

The loss of confidence in the European project in the wake of the financial crisis cannot be underestimated and an analysis of the attempts of the EU to cope with it point to problems, not merely economic,

“The European project succeeded in transforming politics from a zero-sum game”

brewing at the heart of the European project.

The difficulties of the EU in the management of the crisis have revealed its vulnerability, lacking as it is in the policy tools of a complete federal unit to fully protect the economies of its interdependent states.

The tensions surrounding the necessary bailout packages reveal another inherent weakness with the EU. Unlike federal entities such as Germany or America, there are not the same bonds of citizenship within the EU to capitalise on when difficult decisions are needed. As such it is unsurprising that the Germans have felt resentment at the need to carry the burden of Greek and European debt, in the hope of preventing contagion.

For the first time since the world wars the states of Europe have come to see each other as “threats” which need to be “contained”. Albeit financial and economic in nature, such threats can be just as effective in subverting outlooks as military ones. Indeed it is the change of perspectives within the EU, as well as elsewhere in the world that has led commentators such as Gideon Rachman to lament the return of a “zero-sum logic” in global affairs.

Such a move away from the “win-win logic” which recognised the benefits of co-operation based on mutual gains signals a drift away from the politics which made the success of the EU possible in the first place and could

SS The EU has shifted away from the “win-win logic” associated with cooperation

deal a decisive blow to the future of the European Union as a whole.

The crisis has been as much political as it has been financial and the

“There are not the same bonds of citizenship in the EU to capitalise on” threatened return of a zero-sum logic has manifested itself in the political manoeuvring and delays surrounding the bailouts, the reluctant half-hearted measures to develop a European solution to the crisis and the rise of economic nationalism within Europe.

One need only briefly glance over history to see the potential dangers of such logic. The Great Depression was

undoubtedly deepened and prolonged by economic nationalism and both world wars were born of a zero-sum world. It was the European project which succeeded in transforming politics from a zero-sum game, and it is within the EU that the greatest hope for a solution lies, not only to the economic problems Europe faces but to the issues of climate change, resource depletion, population growth and other pressing global issues.

The extent to which the political landscape in Europe has been changed by the crisis remains to be seen, however European co-operation remains the best policy.

Politicians should not lose faith in the European project or allow themselves to be swept away by the nationalistic tide bred of recessionary politics. World politics is turning fast, let’s just hope politicians keep their feet firmly on the ground.

Unsound Greek economy must go Matthew Taylor examines why the Greek economy is fundamentally unsound, and why this is bad for the eurozone

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ontagion is a word all too familiar with the mediaconscious nowadays.

Whether it is some new pandemic-in-waiting, or the European debt crisis this word crops up in news reports on a weekly basis.

When once we had been sceptical about the reality of economic contagion, we now know that it is all too real a threat and that unless dramatic steps are taken Ireland and the rest of the European economy could be irreparably infected.

The problem with Greece, as opposed to Ireland or Portugal, is that their economy is fundamentally unsound. Tax evasion costs the

“The increasing likelihood of default means the euro is shackled to a Greece which is tumbling off a cliff” 04 October, 2011

government €20 billion per year and rioting breaks out over new government taxes and cuts that are simply a matter of course for most European nations.

Civil servants have been up in arms over cuts to their bonuses, shortened holidays and cuts in overtime.

The public sector, which could be called sluggish at best, accounts for 40% of GDP. The problem, however, is not the austerity but the response to it.

Ireland seems, for the most part, to have accepted the necessity of austerity and, as such, investors are looking on Ireland more favourably. The volatility of the Greek population to any economic change or hardship makes it extremely unattractive.

The inability to implement effectively its austerity measures makes a Greek default increasingly likely, and while the decision of the Bundestag to extend its bailout agreement is welcome news, the fact is that throwing money through an ineffective system is a bandage for a bullet wound.

It is unsustainable to keep extending bailout funds. Most worrying about a Greek default is its effect on Ireland. While our economy is in a fundamentally better condition, markets have lumped Ireland together with Greece and Portugal so if one PIG fails, so will all the others.

On 30 September, “Troika” (EU/ IMF/ECB) inspectors were locked out of government buildings in Athens

SS Constant rioting has damaged the Greek economy

by civil servants showing a continued resistance from Greeks to austerity, and a lack of appreciation for the fact that they would not have a government department to lock if not for the Troika.

The increasing likelihood of default and the lack of will to do anything about it mean that the euro is shackled to a Greece which is tumbling off a cliff.

To preserve the currency, the union and the stability of the member states, the need for a Greece-free Eurozone is obvious. While the argument often espoused by Greek and EU officials is that without Greece, there is no euro, the fact remains that to stop the contagion we must cut off the source of infection.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF US

Poker stars’ Ponzi scheme is foiled THE US Attorney General has charged the world-famous poker stars Howard Lederer and Christopher Ferguson, along with other directors of the website “FullTilt Poker”. The executives are accused of turning the multimillion-dollar company into a Ponzi scheme. Over $440 million of players’ online accounts are alleged to have been siphoned out to the board, leaving depositors in anxiety.

It is the latest in a series of efforts by the US government to crack down on online gambling. In April, betting sites FullTilt, Absolute Poker and PokerStars were indicted on allegations of bank fraud. Prosecutors sought to recover $3 billion from offshore accounts.

Online gambling is illegal in the United States, however there have yet to be any full convictions. It has continued through foreign bank accounts in jurisdictions such as Costa Rica, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man. Many players are calling for congress to pass legislation to allow online poker, so that it may be properly regulated in the US to “protect American consumers”.

Earlier this month, it was announced that up to 250 Irish jobs were at risk in the offices of PokerStars in Cherrywood, Dublin, due to FBI probing forcing them to withdraw from the US market.

FullTilt players are now in limbo waiting to see if cashing out is possible.

Some are trading their viral money at a discount in the hope of damage limitation. Whatever the outcome, it has been a major blow to one of the fastest growing industries in recent times.

Stephen Denham

IRELAND

Water water, all around FINE GAEL’S introduction of a water charge in Ireland has caused public and political consternation.

A €175 flat-fee will be instituted until a usage-dependent system is operational in 2014. The delay is due to the logistics of rolling out meters into every home in the nation.

Eventually it is estimated that average residential water charges could approximate those in Britain, roughly €400 per annum. Considering the fiscal situation, and the underlying sense of charging people the full economic cost of their consumption, the moves to instate fees for water are to be welcomed.

Moreover, the government is apparently obliged by EU/IMF dictate to take this course of action. Disturbing as it is to see Ireland’s sovereign status set back 90 years, the charges are inevitable if we want to retain access to “bailout” funding.

Furthermore, if we wish to regain credibility on sovereign debt markets Ireland must be seen to grab all “lowhanging fruit” in returning to fiscal sustainability.

The flat-fee has the benefit of acting as a quasi-“poll tax”, allowing the government to extract much-needed revenue in order to shore up a gaping deficit without stunting economic growth.

When the meters are eventually installed over-consumption of water in homes will be reduced, saving millions in costs whilst simultaneously providing a new revenue stream for local government. It also has the advantage of taking a step closer to positioning the various water schemes for a future privatization.

As many proponents have pointed out, Ireland is almost unique among developed nations in not having a water-charge system. This alone, however, is far from a convincing argument to introduce one… now if your country is flat broke, well, that’s a different story altogether.

Ted Nyhan

12 FEATURES

The name’s bond, Bail Bond Evan Musgrave enters the very American world of Californian bail bonding, finding a peculiar character or two to shed light on the industry along the way

T

“Each bail agent is essentially selling the same thing; a temporary escape, serenity before the impending storm...

24/7 opening hours, quick and easy payment of surety and ‘se habla espanol’ are ubiquitous”

BAIL BONDING EXPLAINED The price of prison bail is determined by the crime accused and the flight risk of the individual.

The defendant is required to pay 10-15% of the bail fee (surety) to the bail agent for this service. If the defendant makes all court dates, the bail fee is returned to the agent.

If the defendant skips court, the bail agent must forefit all of the surety to the court, or track down the defendant and return them to custody themselves.

he San Diego County Jail is situated just a few blocks north-west of the heart of Downtown. Thanks to the neighbouring skyline, it remains partially shaded during the daylight hours. When evening descends, the streets around the imposing grey prison welcome the glow of neon light, which shine relentlessly until dawn, as the businesses continue their practice illuminated by the Californian sun breaking through gaps in the skyscrapers. This is “the jail district” - also known as “the bail district”.

The daily transactions taking place in the quarter solidify such a marriage of terms, as people stream in to the 24/7 establishments in the hope of improving a vital consonant in these grave words.

Bad Boys Bail Bonds is situated on the corner of Union Street; one hundred metres away lies Aladdin Bail Bonds, one of the big players in the district. Their selected logo is a Disney-esque magic lamp; the font of choice is pointedly mysterious; the combination ensures that the word “escape” features heavily in the subtext. One of their most popular - and most blatant - advertising campaigns featured an image of a bearded man prising prison bars apart placed on top of the phrase “Because jail sucks!”

It’s a bizarrely esoteric tradition.

I’m sure many people, myself included, have spent years watching Dog the Bounty Hunter on Bravo wondering how on earth he was allowed to chase after and apprehend bad guys in his jeep. Bounty hunters (officially called “skip tracers”) receive a hefty fee for their services, which involves using any means necessary to recover absconded defendants, and often forcibly returning them to jail. It is testament to the system’s uniqueness that the USA and the Philippines remain the only two states in the world in which such a practice is legal. Bonding has existed since the 13th century as part of British common law; its modern form can be traced back to San Francisco in 1895 and the great American frontier tradition that necessitated legislative amendments.

Perhaps the most perplexing element of the business, however, is the glaring similarity of products on sale. Each bail agent is essentially

� Bail bonding is common in the south of the USA

selling the same thing; a temporary escape, serenity before the impending storm. The additional services offered tend to be identical: 24/7 opening hours, quick and easy payment of surety and “se habla espanol” are ubiquitous. Reputation is the primordial element. Bail agents are chosen in times of fear; hence an effective campaign of public awareness is what all bond agents strive for. This mindset of relentless publicising is epitomised by nobody better than Bad Boys’ and Aladdin’s aggressive neighbour, King Stahlman Bail Bonds - a company whose advertising campaign revolves around the phrase “It’s better to know me and not need me than to need me and not know me”.

During my time in the district, I had the pleasure of speaking with those in charge of running this highprofile firm. As you enter into the reception of the downtown offices, a colossal framed photograph of King Sr. posing in front of his white Cadillac (the licence plate reads “BAIL KNG”) sits on the confronting wall. The south-facing wall of the property is adorned with a threestorey painted American flag beside a small billboard advertising the company. Further up the street there is a larger billboard with a cartoon image of “The King”, the same one that is displayed alongside the majority of the city’s major throughways. In the back room there are boxes of

“King” merchandise: bobblehead toys, car stickers, magnetic business cards, t-shirts, caps. King Sr.’s ubiquitous presence in the business continues despite the fact that the man actually passed away in 2009 aged 85; the combined effect causes me to repeatedly question my preliminary research on the King which had informed me he was deceased.

His son, George Stahlman Jr. (I’m told to he only answers to “Junior”), who has taken over the reins as president of the company, explains the advertising campaign: “People still recognise him as the king, he’s the heart of the bail bonds business here, people still feel they’re better off knowing him just in case”, paraphrasing the longevous company motto. Indeed, one never really gets the feeling that such a marketing tribute would have neared poor taste in King Sr.’s eyes; the man has been quoted in San Diego Magazine saying, “I want to be stuffed and stood out in the front office when I die.”

Junior takes me through some of the facts and fictions associated with his father over the years, admitting “he had a healthy obsession with advertising”. Junior recounts tales of his near-constant CCTV monitoring from his head office. He would reportedly spot a child coming in to ask for directions in an office across the other side of town, and quickly ring reception to make sure they got a free bumper sticker. One of the most

memorable stickers I spotted on a car nearby read: “My child was citizen of the month at King Stahlman Bail Bonds”. Junior’s stories advance, taking in his father’s war hero status (he was awarded a Purple Heart in WWII), and are often punctuated by Stahlman Sr.’s long-time motto: “Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise.”

At this stage I begin to feel like I’ve entered a Louis Therouxtype existence, in which the word “eccentric” plagues every sentence I’m hearing.

Junior is certainly less of a showbiz type, however, and is notably reserved and introspective is his demeanour.

With the help of his brother-in-law, Mike Hardwick, they maintain much of the PR legacy left by the founder of the business. All his employees are required to have a King Stahlman decal pasted somewhere on their car for instance, a tribute which is insisted upon by those in charge, and fervently respected by all involved.

The bonding industry remains an institution of freedom enshrined as an integral thread in the fabric of Southern Californian society. The pugnacious world of bonding and bounties persists as a fixation in the panorama of personal rights insisted upon by this vast and gripping populace – a reality in which, as the historian Lewis Mumford once put it, “a man of courage [may] never need weapons, but he may need bail.”

It’s the year of the international volunteer Voluntary Tuition Programme member Aísling Flanagan writes to “Trinity News” about the core duties of one of College’s most established charitable societies

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ince the early 1970s there have been Trinity students tutoring children in the Pearse Street area.

Students, parents and the community worked together to provide support tuition, with the grinds taking place in the children’s homes. By the mid 1980s, community members began to recognize the value of education in seeking employment and sought to find a way to keep their children in education and help them achieve their academic potential.

The Voluntary Tuition Programme took shape as a joint effort between the Social Service Centre in Westland Row, Trinity College and the VEC, which produced a student society centred on providing free educational resources to the community. In the first year of

the programme the VTP began with just one second-level student and one Trinity student providing lessons.

By the end of the year, there were seven children on the programme, all managed by the same single tutor.

Jump forward to 2011, the European and international year of volunteering, and the VTP and Trinity College are working on cementing the relationship between the programme, the students and the college as whole. This year the VTP hopes to provide one hour per week of one-to-one tuition, during the college term, to over 400 children and young adults in centres close to Trinity College.

When you sign up to the programme by emailing us on vtaccess@tcd.ie, you are signing up for an enriching experience.

All we ask is for one hour of your time every week during college term: this can be your hour in the library spent online instead of trying to write that essay, this could be your hour when you stare into space and do nothing. This one hour is a minimum: you can give more time if you want, you can do as many activities with us as you want, it’s all up to you.

The choices are endless. If you prefer working with younger kids and you have free

time during the afternoons, we have a programme for you. If sport is your forte then teaching children how to play tag rugby could be ideal. Perhaps you may feel more at home brushing up and running through some Irish with our primary grinds, or running your own Glee experience in our Music and Drama Club; the VTP can accommodate such possibilities.

We also work with young adults at risk of leaving education, we have a programme for unaccompanied minors and for children with Special Needs.

So why would you join VTP? Apart from my effort at journalistic propaganda, the reasons are many. If you’re starting in college, it’s a great way of meeting new people, not just from your course in college but in the wider college community. A reference from the Voluntary Tuition Programme is worth its weight in gold, looking great on your CV.

Another reason to join VTP as a student of Trinity College is to encourage the kids to aspire towards one day going to college.

Our Community Chairperson Betty Watson told me that for years the children of Pearse Street felt they couldn’t walk through Trinity; they felt that people would think they didn’t belong. We want to stop them thinking that Trinity College can’t be somewhere where they could study and, by tutoring them and telling them about the college, you are giving them the confidence to believe they belong.

This year we’re working to get a more social element into VTP with club nights and VTP nights out in conjunction with Ents in the college.

We will also be holding our famous annual “coin day” fundraiser where we try and line up enough €2 and €1 coins to reach from the front arch to the Campanile in Front Square.

For National Volunteering Day, we will also be holding a “helping hand” collective art project in the Rose Garden in college.

TRINITY NEWS

13

features@trinitynews.ie

Allow me to be a Frank Returning from a year abroad, Chris Soikans reflects on his encounters with French culture, antiquated amenities and the disturbing bureaucracy that goes with it

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rasmus, the 16th century Dutch humanist of whom we now have the famed Erasmus exchange program, would be turning in his grave if he knew the stress and anxiety involved with the whole malarkey, especially if the destination you choose to go to is “La Belle France”. Strasbourg, a charming city in France’s eastern province of Alsace seemed like an idyllic location for any budding Junior Sophister European Studies student: chic cafés, beautiful architecture and, well, Germany literally on your doorstep (of which we will discuss more later).

However this angelic facade was soon to be replaced by a bureaucratic nightmare, which I just about managed to get my head around, and a university system so at odds with our own, it is amazing I actually survived!

Arriving on a scorching September’s Sunday, I eagerly looked forward to securing my accommodation in the bizarrely named “Residence La Somme”, homage to the famed First World War battle of 1916. The grim connotations associated with the name didn’t inspire an awful lot of confidence in me but I chose to dismiss these concerns. My first rendezvous with the place was, indeed, one of trepidation; the entire building looked like it had been transported directly from Cold War-era Moscow and dumped against its will in France. I had been told it was “renovated”, which I assume

to a French student means limited internet access and running water; hardly the Botany Bay experience I have the pleasure of this year. I was assigned to the third floor, again believing that I had an ensuite but, no, I shared a bathroom with an entire floor which had the luxury of having toilet seats introduced as early as three months after my arrival, and an “equipped” kitchen which, again, I can only assume to the French mentality

“Erasmus, the 16th century Dutch humanist would have turned in his grave” corresponds to a ratatouille-encrusted hob which chooses on its own whim whether to work or not. Indeed my life there would be a close contender to what those beleaguered British soldiers endured in 1916! A delightful start to the year it seemed, but this was a mere a taste of things to come.

Registration in France it seems, in my case, involves queuing up for hours in lines and a needless amount of paperwork. In one such line where I believed I would receive my student card, it turned out, in fact, to be an induction for students of applied languages, my mistake no doubt failing to amuse the natives and indeed myself in my frantic state. But, yes,

I triumphed against les bleus: I was a registered student which meant I could now eat in one of the “fine dining” cafeterias the University of Strasbourg had to offer; no more awkward interactions with Said from Morocco in the residence kitchen for me! Again, you’d think this cafeteria food hailing from France, arguably the culinary capital of the world, would be of an exquisite standard...lol jk...it was of an extremely dubious nature. From what appeared to be cheese wheels filled with what I can only describe as a malodorous puss of meat, which for all intents and purposes could very well have been last year’s Erasmus students, the university fed me for almost a year.

Now we move to the classes.

Imagine how many hours you do per week in Trinity (ok, only if you are an Arts student) and multiply it by three, at the very least! Add to this two weekly 8am starts, delightful 9am Saturday catch-up classes and general classes that can last seven hours...et viola, you have French academic life. In semester one I was being punished with an overwhelming 27 hours of classes, a far cry to the nine I have at the moment, which I am already complaining about.

The lecturers themselves ranged from the arrogant Gallic types to the more baffled ones who wondered who in their right minds would want to take a class in old French through new French not knowing any French in the first place. But we soldiered on!

The reader might discern that I had an absolute fail of an Erasmus

� It turns out the laid-back French stereotype is a mere myth

year but, caveat emptor, the year had its positive aspects. Firstly, I had the honoured pleasure of being a member of Strasbourg’s equivalent to Team England, cruelly missing out the chance of joining the Trinity branch in first year! I think being the awkward foreigner was also an interesting aspect of the whole experience, the whole failing at French life and being crushed by the system of continuing basis. One had a break from Strasbourg life in the haven of Kehl in Germany which was just a short bus ride away, where we found solace in cheap chocolate and lined paper (lined paper being a luxury in France, oh how they love writing on graph paper to the bemusement of us Anglophones). All the negativity aside I had an absolutely fantastic Erasmus

year in France and you just have to take it as a fact of life that France makes you complain; you effectively become French! You will leave with two long lasting impressions: firstly, France always wins and, secondly, WTF actually stands for “Welcome to France”. Vive la France.

“The accommodation looked like it had been transported directly from Cold War-era Moscow”

� Strasbourg in France has a disturbingly high degree of bureaucratic rules

Pooling resources in the ocean of unemployment David Babby takes a look at the rise of online job fair enterprises, and whether they will be the saving grace for Ireland’s unemployment rate

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“A sample group of graduate jobseekers who tried out the site report the jobs suggested to them were of a narrow range” 04 October, 2011

ast month saw the launch of Gradpool. ie, Ireland’s first online careers website dedicated specifically towards graduate students. With large companies like Microsoft, KPMG, Aldi and Deloitte already on the books, the enterprise has been lauded as an “exciting business” by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton.

It is hardly surprising that the Minister has only good to say of such a venture. The latest CSO figures show that there are currently 62,400 graduates unemployed in Ireland, with 110 Irish nationals emigrating each day. Any fresh endeavour to alleviate the difficulties in finding employment can only be welcome. But are online job sites the saving grace they are hoped to be?

The story as to how the company came about is a pleasant one. The men behind it, David Egan and Andrew McGreal, are graduate students themselves. After experiencing the stress and difficulties of looking for

employment, the pair decided that there had to be a more efficient way system available. McGreal says: “We wanted to make the process of researching careers easier for students, so rather than let the student spend hours comparing and contrasting companies online, we contacted the companies, collected the information we knew the students would be interested in and built an interactive tool which showcased that information in a user-friendly way.”

It is unclear to what extent the graduate-only nature of the site will be a boon. Considering that most decent jobs require a good quality degree in any case, such a “USP” may not be the helpful filtering mechanism it once was. However the real test as to whether or not Egan and McGreal’s venture will succeed will be if they can build on their base of companies involved.

Though some influential businesses have already been secured, a sample group of graduate jobseekers who

� There are currently 62,400 unemployed graduates in Ireland - can a website help?

tried out the site report that the jobs suggested to them were of a narrow range. Even when our testers varied the range of options and combinations available on the site, they received almost identical results. A frequent criticism was that there was a narrow focus on accountancy-type jobs, with one participant describing the posts

currently available as “being entirely oriented towards BESS people”. Time will tell whether Gradpool.ie will be warmly received by a wider range of companies.

In the mean time, BESS alumni, get right on it. The rest of you might be as well sticking to LinkedIn until – if – the site secures more contacts.

14 WORLD REVIEW SPECIAL REPORT: THE LIBYAN CRISIS

The rejects of revolt Reporting from Libya, Jean Carrere discusses the struggles faced by the country’s African immigrants

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Where do they expect us to go?

To the sky? We cannot fly!” laments al-Hajj Al-Hassan, whilst staring at the fences surrounding the Salum border camp between Libya and Egypt. He is stuck here, along with 750 refugees. Even though he called Benghazi his home for 24 years, he cannot go back. Nor can he go to Sudan, where he was born. “I will wait, and maybe they will let me go to America. They cannot let us in here forever,” he says. This was June 2011. Three months later, the number of refugees at the border has increased to 1,000.

As the Libyan conflict approaches its conclusion, many question the ability of the National Transitional Council to offer the country a peaceful transition and eventual political stability. The rebels not only have yet to find former leader Muammar Gaddafi, but also need to address many internal issues among them, the treatment of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.

Covered widely in the press recently, the issue notably went unmentioned during the early stages of the revolution. But dark-skinned migrants have been facing hardships since the beginning of the uprising, and it is far from over.

Gaddafi’s pan-African policy attracted many migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to come and work in the country.

When the war broke out, Gaddafi tried to draft many of them to form militias and indeed some of them joined, lured in by promises of high wages. This led to many false assumptions among the rebels that all black migrants were soldiers working for Gaddafi, resulting in persecution.

At the moment, thousands of these migrants are stranded at the border - around 3,000 at the Tunisian border and 1,000 at the Egyptian border according to Amnesty International.

They live in dreadful conditions, many of them awaiting an unlikely approval of their application for asylum in a European country.

According to many testimonies, persecutions began as soon as the civil war broke out. The majority of refugees stranded at the no man’s land between Libya and Egypt claim they were attacked by rebels, often beaten up, and deprived of most of their possessions.

Occasional killings were also mentioned.

To get safely to Salum, some have endured Odyssey-like voyages, with refugees claiming to have paid up to $2,000 to get a taxi to bring them through the

� A boat with 500 Libyan refugees runs around Italy. Photo: AP

� A crowd of refugees wait on the Libyan side to enter Tunisia at the Ras Jdir border crossing. Photo: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters

desert and to the border by night, in order to avoid the coastal cities of Tobruk and Benghazi.

The other option was to find shelter

“Dark-skinned emigrants have been facing hardships since the beginning of the uprising, and it is far from over” in the Red Crescent center in Benghazi, and get on a protected bus from there to the border. Dr. Ahmed Baitelmal, Head of the Red Crescent refugee camp stated, “the African migrants were not at risk”. However he could not provide an answer when asked why they were all so eager to leave the country.

Jalal El-Gallad, a spokesman for the council, said mistakes had been made, but he did not provide any details. “It was difficult at the beginning to distinguish between mercenaries and ordinary citizens. But the mistakes were not intentional; they just happened,” he said. “We did everything to prevent them.”

Inside the border camp, refugees live in dreadful conditions. The Egyptian Red Crescent provides most of the support, but many complain that clean water is too scarce. In addition, men are not allowed to spend the night with

As the manhunt for Gaddafi continues, a new Libya struggles to maintain the balance between capturing its former dictator and rebuilding the country. Aine Pennello discusses Libya’s limbo

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s one Libya falls, another attempts to rise from the ashes. With heavy fighting still raging between Gaddafi loyalists and the rebels, Libya’s interim government, the National Transitional Council (NTC), postponed the creation of a new Libyan government until the entire country is under its control – making the hunt for Colonel Muammar Gaddafi its number one priority.

Five weeks after Gaddafi’s downfall and the whereabouts of the former dictator remain elusive as ever. Since Gaddafi lost power on 23 August, he has been rumoured to be dead, alive, hiding in Libya, fleeing to Algeria, heading to Zimbabwe on board Robert Mugabe’s private jet, and travelling to neighbouring Burkina Faso via military convoy. Only rumours of Gaddafi’s death have been safely dispelled, as the ousted leader continues to give radio addresses, encouraging his remaining followers to fight on. Meanwhile,

Gaddafi’s spokesman Moussa Ibrahim continues to claim Gaddafi is still in Libya, refusing to leave the country he ruled for so long. “He is safe. He is very healthy. He is in high morale,” Ibrahim revealed in a telephone conversation with Reuters. Upon witnessing the fighting in Sirte, Ibrahim more recently told reporters that Gaddafi is, “very happy that he is doing his part in this great saga of resistance”. In a telephone call to a Syrian television station, Gaddafi himself announced that he will not be leaving Libya, calling the rebels “rats” which can be beaten.

The claims, whether true or part of a last effort of machismo and bravado, have certainly grabbed the rebels’ attention, which is more than likely what Gaddafi wanted. Rebel attacks on possible hiding spots for the former ruler, including the pro-Gaddafi strongholds of Bani Walid and Sirte, are ongoing.

NTC forces have been attacking the towns since mid-August but have yet to take control as pro-Gaddafi loyalists put up a tough fight. As the risk of

insurgency remains ever present and rumours of Gaddafi’s whereabouts change almost daily, it seems the fate of the new country is tied to finding the ultimate escape artist.

Meanwhile, the NTC has a country to rebuild. While the hunt for Gaddafi has certainly taken up much of the NTC’s time and efforts, the creation of the new Libyan state is also a main priority and its successes on this front should not be ignored. On 16 September, the NTC was awarded Libya’s seat at the United Nations, a huge boost to the council’s ability to represent its people and country.

That same week, British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited the country to continue their support. The two leaders received a hero’s welcome with chants of “One, two, three – Merci Sarkozy” while banners proclaimed messages of thanks to France and the UK. In a speech delivered in Tripoli, Cameron gave a clear message to Gaddafi and his supporters: “It is over.

their families, adding to their distress.

While women and children can sleep under large tents bearing the UNHCR sign, men have to improvise, making their own shelters from random materials and scavenged pieces of tents. Inside, most of them live in great destitution. Here and there, old radios, family pictures, and battered suitcases can be found - all relics from another life.

But what they find most unbearable is the unfairness of the situation – many of them have been living in Libya for years, but must now suddenly flee.

As they come mostly from unstable countries where they are likely to face harsh persecution, they cannot go home. Their only chance lies in an unlikely asylum.

Human rights groups have been overtly critical of the lack of response from European countries in addressing the crisis. Bearing in mind military involvements, countries such as France or Britain are partly responsible for the refugee crisis.

However with thousands waiting in anguish at the border, EU countries offered only 700 slots, according to a report from Amnesty International.

The report, published last month, also states that the lack of reaction leads African migrants to go back into Libya to try and reach Europe by boat, “on a perilous sea journey [believed] to have claimed more than 1,500 lives since the start of the conflict.”

The situation of these migrants has not ameliorated as the conflict reaches its end. After the fall of Tripoli, the

rebels improvised numerous jails to hold the migrants on suspicion of being mercenaries. Human Rights Watch emergencies director Peter Bouckaert told the New York Times, “It is very clear to us that most of those detained were not soldiers and have never held a gun in their life.” Nonetheless, the migrants are deemed guilty until they can prove their innocence.

Throughout a conflict that was mostly regarded as a legitimate struggle for freedom, these migrants have suffered from paranoid xenophobia.

Where do these people fit in the revolution? Neither part of the overthrown

Give up.”

Countries around the world have also begun to unfreeze Libyan assets following a meeting held between the NTC and world leaders in Paris. The assets, which amount to a total of $170 billion, originally belonged to Gaddafi but were seized in accordance with EU sanctions.

International oil companies have also begun to return to the country. At a conference with business leaders in London, the NTC’s UK co-ordinator, Guma al-Gamaty, predicted oil exports would reach 1.3 million barrels a day within six months, adding $40-50bn to the country’s income per year.

For the moment, life after Gaddafi is a mixed bag of improved living conditions, optimism, impatience and violence. In Tripoli, beaches are crowded by carefree locals, markets are busy and many talk of a hopeful future. But for those outside the NTC’s control, troubles continue to be endured. UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator of Libya, Panos Moumtzis, said last week the UN is, “extremely concerned about civilian people being caught up in the middle of the conflict”.

Cars continue to stream out of Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte as do machine guns and grenades, while NATO bombs take innocent lives. In total, an

estimated 25,700 people have fled Bani Walid and Sirte since fighting started.

In addition, political analysts fear the NTC lacks enough collectivity and organisation to get the country moving again. Weeks after their capture of Tripoli, the council has yet to establish a seat of power there, instead continuing to operate from its original rebel base in Benghazi used during the protests.

Whether the NTC can honour its promises of elections and a new constitution in 18 months remains to be seen. The postponement of a new government was certainly a blow to many Libyans who had hoped to move forward. In speaking to UK business leaders on the financial situation in Libya, Al-Gamaty said, “We are like someone who has just moved into a new house.

Everything is still in boxes” – a metaphor applicable to all components of the new Libya.

“They cannot go home, nor can they go to back into Libya.

Their only chance lies in an unlikely asylum” authority nor the revolutionary, are they simply casualties? The cost of a fight for freedom?

If the NTC wants to advance towards political stability, this is an issue they need to address quickly - and certainly not with violence.

As suggested by human rights groups, it is time for European nations to take responsibility for their actions and provide assistance to these victims of war, rather than abandoning them in camps in the desert.

“The creation of a new Libyan state is a main priority and its successes should not be ignored” TRINITY NEWS

15 worldreview@trinitynews.ie

Egypt’s never-ending troubles Now that the Arab Spring has won in Egypt, dissatisfaction with the new rule is surfacing once more. Niall O’Brien asks why

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“Unpleasant cracks are starting to appear in the new Egyptian facade and the country is in the news again, as the military remains in supreme control”

ompared with the long-drawn-out, tooth-and-nail rebellion Libya waged for months to oust erstwhile leader, Col. Muammar Gaddafi, neighbouring Egypt’s own Arab Spring has been a much quicker and less costly affair. It took only 18 days of protests and far fewer casualties before former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak agreed to face the inevitable and stand down.

When he did on 11 February, fortunes looked brighter than ever before for the Egyptian people and real change seemed to be on the horizon. The transitional military government of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), to whom Mubarak surrendered, assented to all fourteen of the protestors’ specific demands by April and free elections were promised. In May, it was announced that Mubarak and his two sons would stand trial.

The orderly transition of power and the clear, progressive vision of a new Egyptian society under the interim government were praised by the media. Egypt faded from the limelight.

But now, a few months down the line, unpleasant cracks are starting to appear in the new Egyptian facade and the country is in the news again.

To begin with, the military remains in supreme control. While the government has insisted that this is only a temporary arrangement, no clear timetable has even been set out for a civilian takeover.

The storming of the Israeli embassy by a minority of protestors in Cairo last month resulted in a heavy-handed demand for law and order from the government, which some see as all too reminiscent of the Mubarak era. Egyptian pro-democracy activists were especially taken aback by the government’s response, as the interior ministry announced that the controversial Emergency Law would continue to be kept in force and stay in operation until July 2012. In place since 1981, the Emergency Law effectively places Egypt under a state of emergency: extending police powers, suspending constitutional rights and legalising censorship. While it seems all but certain that the transitional government will eventually allow elections, it is yet to be seen what remnants of their rule will continue and how much influence the SCAF will retain over the new

� Illustration: KAL, The Economist

and presumably civilian government when it arrives. How far the SCAF will allow democracy to go in a country so unused to it is anyone’s guess.

In the long run, having a military government in power for a long period of time rarely stands to a country’s favour. The SCAF’s rule to date has not been a paragon of transparency.

Recent revelations, for instance, show that the SCAF has put 12,000 civilians on trial since late January and doled out thousands of convictions, but rising public criticism caused the practice to be discontinued last month. Many see this latest move as an ominous sign of the Egyptian military’s determination to keep the entire population in check. “The council’s decision has opened the door wide for expanding the enforcement of this law on the pretext of protecting the public order and confronting acts of thuggery and reporting false news,” claimed one of the 22 activist groups that demonstrated against the law.

The government is rapidly gaining a reputation for dithering and not honouring its promises. For example, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf

promised to address the cronyism and massive inequalities of pay that existed in Egyptian universities under the previous regime, but has yet to do so. Also, in spite of the brave role women played in the revolution, none of the positions within the new regime have yet been occupied by females, nor were they given the opportunity to provide any input into the writing of the new constitution. Its repressive overtones are another cause for concern. Yet the problem is not that the government isn’t speaking the language of reform, but that they are not acting on it – at least, not fast enough.

The recently released Arab Barometer survey (a project dedicated to carrying out nationally representative surveys throughout the Arab world) reveals some interesting points about Egyptians’ feelings toward the current government. The survey found that while most Egyptians approved of the SCAF and Prime Minister Sharaf’s government, Egyptians were less satisfied with their achievements. On a ten-point scale measuring satisfaction, with ten indicating high satisfaction, only 52.2% rated them at six or higher.

While it is clear that the government is making the right noises, they sorely need to be backed up with the right actions.

The Prime Minister believes that the Emergency Law is important in order to stop those who may try to ruin the 25 January Revolution. But for a man who promises to be a progressive leader and speaks the rhetoric of change so well and so convincingly, Sharaf’s enforcement of a repressive and hated law is surely a mistake. The combined armed- and police-forces under his authority are more than enough to keep order in Egypt without declaring a state of emergency and perpetuating major negative historical overtones.

Furthermore, the government still retains broad popularity, which hardly suggests that the regime is in imminent danger of destruction. Sharaf could better serve his purposes by fulfilling his government’s promises and making the transition to a directly elected parliamentary democracy as quick and transparent as possible.

Only by doing so can he make sure that it is not a military elite that ends up truly ruining the revolution.

It’s the end of the world, all over again As the European economy looks set to enter a double-dip recession, Neil Warner weighs up Europe’s economic prospects In a famous scene in The West Wing, White House rookie Annabeth Schott is confused by negotiations over the raising of the US debt ceiling and tries to get some clarification on the process from Communications Director, Toby Ziegler. Is the predicament “routine or the end of the world?” she asks. “Both,” Ziegler replies.

The same could be said for for the EU economy. Crises have now become the norm, especially for the Eurozone.

So consistently is the Eurozone on the brink of total destruction that a week when it is not on the verge of breaking down has become something of a rarity.

Such has been the case since at least early 2010, when the full extent of Greece’s debt problem began to become apparent and a borrowing crisis for its government escalated, leading European authorities to a stopgap bailout last April. Only 18 months on and already we have witnessed three more bailouts of one sort or the other Ireland, Portugal and Greece again this May - as well as announcements by the

04 October, 2011

European Central Bank (ECB) that it would start buying Spanish and Italian bonds. Each of these decisions has been precipitated by panic in financial markets at the viability of one of more countries’ debts and the catastrophic contagion that might arise.

There is a difference, of course, in the implications of these events and the scenario described by Ziegler. Until this year, and certainly at the time this episode of The West Wing was written, American debt ceiling negotiations were a largely tolerable feature of the American political system. The crisis in Europe, on the other hand, places the continent, its economy, and its political relations on a permanent precipice.

The collapse of the eurozone has been discussed as a catastrophic yet realistic possibility for nearly two years now.

Adding more strain are the serious pressures faced by major German and, especially, French banks, which are highly exposed to the debts of many of the countries in question.

Once again, the latest panic arises from speculations that the Greek government will likely default on its loans, and soon. Many analysts now predict that a significant Greek default is almost inevitable, with the only question being whether it will be orderly or disorderly. A Greek default would not only have an enormous impact on precariously sustained major financial institutions, particularly French banks, but would also have a contagion effect on other struggling European governments.

If Europe goes down it would have a knock-on effect across the whole global

“The latest panic arises from speculations that the Greek government will likely default on its loans, and soon”

economy and could potentially bring the world back to the abyss it witnessed after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. Even the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) nations have offered financial aid to Europe, illustrating not only the realignment of global relations but also the enormous fear the European crisis provokes in the rest of the world.

But all of this has become a regular feature of political life merely through the disturbing absence of even medium-term solutions by European leaders and through contagion and continual escalation of the stakes in question. To the degree that the two can even by separated at all, calling this an economic crisis is accurate in that its symptoms so far have been largely economic ones. The underlying causes of the problem, on the other hand, are profoundly political. There really is no need for help from the BRICS countries, Europe has the resources it needs to address the problem.

What it does need is the political will and co-ordination to put them into action. Instead, Europe is locked into a stalemate.

The problem of the sovereign debt

crisis arises from and relates to the structure of the Eurozone as a whole and will not be solved until these questions are properly dealt with. The funding of a currency depends on the viability of government finances, yet governmental finances in the case of the Euro are utterly fragmented. The attempt at co-ordination made in the Stability and Growth Pact is both impossible to enforce and economically destructive in its blinkered focus on limiting yearly deficits. Meanwhile, borrowing remains solely the remit of national governments. Key European institutions and leaders continue to be driven by a destructive fixation on stopgap measures and domestic authority, while failing to grasp the scope of the crisis at hand. Until the Eurozone establishes some genuine system of properly-enforced and enlightened fiscal co-ordination, including a system of Eurobonds, this crisis will continue and its consequences will grow.

FOR MORE ON THIS TOPIC SEE BUSINESS 11

16 TRAVEL travel@trinitynews.ie

Czech out Prague’s nightlife Sophie Fitzgerald explores the Czech Republic’s capital, and finds a city steeped in history

P

aris. London. Milan.

Prague. Prague, you say? Hailed as a “crown jewel” among European capitals, Prague was once the capital of European culture. As university students who have yet to explore much of the world, many of us may first experience the Czech Republic’s capital city in the general chaos and confusion that is interrailing, whereby one will stumble off the train at Prague station perhaps a little dishevelled and not entirely aware of the beauty that awaits.

However, it only takes one glance at the cobbled streets of the Old Town, at the magnificent architecture of enchanting old buildings and churches, at the wonder that is Prague Castle, for the realisation to strike like a lightning bolt: Prague is not too shabby a place.

Quite simply this city, situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, is nothing short of stunning. Its pure architectural magnificence means that a whole afternoon can be spent simply wandering around taking it all in, without spending a penny. Explore the Jewish Quarter or the Old Town, which features houses and churches dating back to the 13th century as well as one of the city’s most famous landmarks, the Astronomical Clock.

Alternatively, amble over the majestic Charles Bridge amid the hustle and bustle of countless market stalls, artists

“As you soak up the general atmosphere and admire the incredible views, it soon becomes apparent why Prague is the sixth most visited city in Europe”

and street performers. As you soak up the general atmosphere and admire the stunning views, it soon becomes apparent why Prague is the sixth most visited city in Europe.

However, if one is to truly make the mere mortals who stayed at home suitably jealous, saying “we just walked around, really” isn’t going to cut it. So, what specifically should one see? The most popular site in the city is the sublime Prague Castle, which stands on top of a hill overlooking the river and hosts walking tours daily. Now, when you hear the word “castle” in this day and age, it’s easy to imagine a desolate old building looking slightly the worse for wear; not so for Prague Castle.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the largest coherent castle complex in the world, featuring, among other things: numerous towers, museums, art galleries, several palaces and St. George’s Cathedral, which is often the venue for early evening classical concerts.

Be warned: a walking tour may take some time. In nice weather, the castle gardens are also stunning to visit. But even if you can’t fit a proper visit into your busy schedule, be sure to have a cheeky look in the castle’s front gates at the changing of the guards, which takes place every hour in the front courtyard.

Another must-see is the richly ornamented Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square which, dating back to 1410, is unique in the fact that it is the oldest of similar structures where the original clockwork has been in operation for six centuries.

Every hour a large crowd gathers at the clock’s base to hear the bell toll and watch a small trapdoor open at the top of the tower; an occurrence that, despite being quick and subtle, never fails to create a certain thrill among the packed crowd. As long as sharp elbows are put to good use, it’s sure to be a memorable experience.

Feeling a little overwhelmed by culture at this point? Why not pay a visit to Prague Zoo, just a few kilometres from the city centre? Alternatively, if

� Above: Prague’s Old Town Square Right: Behind Karlovy Lázne’s ordinary exterior is a club with an eclectic mix of dancefloors

you’re in the mood for something truly random, the very reasonably priced Museum of Torture is right by Charles Bridge and will certainly provide some gruesome facts to impress and/or disgust your friends with. You’ll never be in need of a conversation-starter again.

So, you’ve spent a long day in Prague, soaking up the beautiful architecture and enriching your mind with fascinating historical facts. What better way to end your day than to lay your head on a nice, soft pillow and get a great night’s sleep, right? Eh, funnily enough, wrong. For in Prague, the fun only starts when the sun goes down and the quaint streets become, shall we say, a little more lively. Young families ambling along the cobblestones are now replaced by throngs of enthusiastic students stumbling down them, with merry cries of “IRISH PUB CRAWL 2011” providing regular background accompaniment to the chiming of the clock tower.

One of the most popular destinations for said pub crawl is Double Trouble Bar & Club, a quirky little bar located between Wenceslas Square and Old Town Square. Its

slightly shabby entrance makes it rather hard to discover, but don’t be put off. The venue is cosy and drinks are extremely reasonably priced, so that people happily sit chatting until about midnight, when the dancing begins,

“The most popular site in the city is the sublime Prague Castle, the largest coherent castle complex in the world” be it on the dancefloor, the chairs or wherever else seems like a suitable place at the time. Still not convinced?

Just wait ‘til you meet the all-tooobliging DJs, who are willing to put up with song requests from the sublime to the utterly ridiculous: Michael Jackson and the Ghostbusters theme song being regular favourites.

Another great way to spend a night

is to visit Karlovy Lázne, the largest club in central Europe, located right off Charles’s Bridge. This place has countless different dancefloors, each one playing a different genre of music so that there’s something for everyone: chart songs, house music, AfricanAmerican music and (gasp) 90s hits, to name but a few.

There’s even a designated chill-out area located on the top floor, with a bar and comfy couches on which to collapse and recharge your batteries before the next round of bopping commences.

This is also a great meeting point for you and your friends because, be warned, with so many different dancefloors, you will decide that African-American music complements your dancing style perfectly, and you will all get separated at least once.

So all-in-all, to return to where we started: Paris. London. Milan. Prague.

Day or night, this beautiful city has everything you could ask for: rich in culture, rich in atmosphere, rich in absolute banter.

Whether you stay for two days, a whole summer, or go all out and book a one-way ticket, it will be an experience you’ll never forget.

An Austrian adventure Jimmy O’Connor lands in Salzburg and tells a tale of horse-drawn carriages in Salzburg, a buzzing music scene and a castle in the mountains

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his year I decided to take the risk and go on holiday with my ever so slightly mental family.

Our destination was Austria; whatever possessed them to choose a nation with as much personality as a cardboard box, I do not know, but that is where we were headed. The trip began with us being herded like cattle onto a Ryanair plane; sardines feel more comfortable in their tins than I did on that p l a n e . As we came down

to land in Salzburg, the Alps to the left of me, a vomiting child to the right, we hit a patch of turbulence that would knock the wig off Elton John. We had arrived in the land of the yodel with a bumpy start.

On the way to our accommodation my dad decided to stall the car in the middle of the motorway, which resulted in many laughs. We stayed in a massive chalet house in an area known as St. Johann in Tirol, framed by the stunning alpine scenery.

While in Austria, we thought it best to try and see as much of the country as possible, and this of course meant m a n y car journeys with my dad at the wheel, and my chances of surviving the holiday seemed

increasingly diminished. Our first port of call was Salzburg, the birth place of Mozart.

Horse-drawn carriages lined the streets and people stared in wonder at the various musicians who performed on the pavement. The architecture was stunning and you could smell the culture in the air. Well, it was either that or the horse urine. We strolled around the Mirabell Gardens, which were a safe haven from the heat of the city. To cap the day off, we walked through one of the many local markets; a pungent cheese market in fact, bearing in mind the weather was over 40 degrees. When my dad’s face turned purple with the effort to stop himself from gagging we knew it was time to return to the chalet.

� Above: Salzburg’s Mirabell Gardens Below Left: Neuschwanstein Castle

We visited the formidable Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria, an awesome sight at 3798 metres high. We crossed the border into Germany to visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, which inspired Walt Disney to create his Cinderella Castle.

It was my sister Josie’s 10th birthday and we thought it would be fun to celebrate the day in Ruhpolding, an amusement park in Bavaria. When we arrived, it was like wandering onto the set of a horror film involving countless badly painted dwarfesque figures. We wondered why there were hardly any sounds of laughter there, and then we remembered we were in Germany; these people don’t do overt happiness.

Despite the family dramas, I would recommend Austria and the surrounding countries to anyone.

The people are lovely and the food is

excellent. The scenery is mesmerising and there are countless activities available to any tourist.

As we piled once more onto the Ryanair plane for the journey home, I looked out at the Alps and said in a low, Germanic voice: “I’ll be back.”

“Horse-drawn carriages lined the streets and people stared in wonder at the various musicians who performed on the pavement” TRINITY NEWS

SCIENCE 17

science@trinitynews.ie

Waiting for the Higgs boson Stephen Keane explores the realm of particle physics by tracing the search for the elusive Higgs boson, which has yet to be found in an experiment

“The Higgs boson remains the Holy Grail of the day for particle physicists” among particle physicists has led to some in the media calling it the “God Particle”. This was met with ire by the physics community and, after a competition in The Guardian for a less sensational name, it became known as the “Champagne-Bottle Boson”.

The search for Higgs bosons is carried out in hadron colliders. These are circular tracks that use magnetic fields to accelerate particles to speeds approaching the speed of light. The particles are then crunched together and the energy released is high enough to create new particles for short bursts of time. CERN began their current batch of experiments to find a Higgs boson in 2010. This was when they

MEDICINE

Alzheimer’s insight � First suggested by Peter Higgs in 1965, the Higgs boson is a theoretical particle created (if it exists) by a “Higgs field”

began using the Large Hadron Collider, with its 27km long track straddling the Swiss-French border.

One of the reasons the new collider was commissioned was specifically to locate the Higgs boson. It also sparked brief fears at the time that it would end the world when it was first switched on. All that resulted was the collider breaking down for six months. The data released by CERN researchers in August caused a stir in the media when they announced they were optimistic about finding a Higgs. They had noticed an excess of “W bosons”, particles associated with the weak nuclear force, which the current theory states should be an early indicator of the presence of a Higgs boson.

When more data was taken the excess faded and disappeared. This is often the case in experiments such as these and the researchers had been clear to state at the time that they needed a larger data set before they could proceed further. After colliding more particles it was discovered that the excess had been a statistical anomaly.

Physicists have since gained a greater understanding of the processes surrounding W bosons which allowed them to reinterpret the results. The search for Higgs is now proceeding by checking in the dark for areas where the boson might be hiding. The theory

associated with the particle does not provide a single estimated energy where it can exist, so experiments are being carried out across a broad spectrum. The most recent batch of tests was carried out between 120 and 149 gigaelectronvolts (GeV), the standard unit used in particle physics. Confidence in these tests is measured in sigma, with 5 sigma being a definite discovery and 3 sigma being an observation. The initial data announced last month were 2.8 sigma and this has since dropped below one sigma since the W bosons disappeared.

So while the existence of the Higgs boson in this range has not been ruled out, it does mean there is a 95% chance that it is not there.

The difficulty in detecting the new particle is in separating it from all the background noise of all the other particles produced in a collision. The Higgs boson is just one of many, but we can be sure that once scientists learn how to identify one, more will start to appear in experiments as they become easier to recognise. The next round of investigation is set to check lower and higher energy ranges; however detecting the elusive boson here will be decidedly more challenging. The efforts of researchers at CERN have been matched by a group using the Tetravon collider in Fermilab outside Chicago.

In 2010 there were even rumours, later denied, that Fermilab had beaten CERN to the discovery. The Tetravon, with a 7km track, has been rendered obsolete since the LHC began dedicated testing in 2010. As a result, it was announced that funding for the Tetravon was going to be withdrawn at the end of September. Researchers there have accepted that they won’t have time to prove the existence of the Higgs boson but they plan on narrowing the

“Scientists are confident they will confirm whether or not the Higgs boson exists by the end of next year” search while they still can. As it stands the Higgs boson remains the holy grail of the day for particle physicists. Some forms of the theory surrounding it allow for multiple Higgs particles while others omit its existence altogether. In any case, scientists are confident they will have confirmed whether or not the Higgs boson exists by the end of next year. Until then it’s just a game of hide and seek in the dark.

Have a lie in, it’s good for your BMI Eimear Gleeson Contributing Writer

WE ARE all familiar with the story of Sleeping Beauty: a beautiful princess pricked by a spindle and cursed to an eternal slumber, who is awakened one hundred years later every bit as radiant and fair as the day she fell asleep.

People generally accept that this fairytale is, well, just that: a fairytale.

However, many of us do believe there is a link between sleep and our physical appearance and it turns out that this may not be fantasy.

A

04 October, 2011

First aboriginal genome

THE COMPLETE genome of an Aboriginal Australian has been sequenced for the first time by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. The study has just been published in the journal Science. The research team isolated DNA from a tuft of hair dating back to the 1920s, donated by an Aboriginal man from Western Australia. The results suggest that Aboriginal Australians descend directly from the first human explorers that ventured into Asia some 70,000 years ago.

This migration occurred thousands of years before the population movements that resulted in presentday Europeans and Asians.

D

espite early signs of an impending discovery last month, scientists have still not found the Higgs boson.

Findings by CERN, the European Centre for Nuclear Research, have concluded that the elusive particle does not exist in the expected energy range, but they remain optimistic that they can find it elsewhere.

The Higgs boson has been sought after since it was first postulated by Edinburgh-based physicist Peter Higgs in 1965, independent and almost simultaneous to separate groups of physicists working in Belgium and London. Higgs proposed the particle to explain why certain subatomic particles have mass.

The Higgs boson is the only particle yet to be confirmed in the standard model of particle physics. Its discovery would allow physicists to unite electric, magnetic and weak nuclear forces into the electroweak force. Its high value

GENETICS

recent study published in The International Journal of Obesity has identified an association between sleep duration and body composition. The HELENA study (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescents) analyzed the lifestyles of adolescents in eight countries across Europe between 2006 and 2008. A wide range of information was collected for each of the 3,311 participants, including: dietary intake, attitudes to nutrition, body composition, physical activity, vitamin and mineral status, and sleep duration. After detailed analysis, researchers have found that body composition varies depending on the number of hours spent sleeping each night.

Study

participants who got less than the average eight hours sleep a night were deemed to be “short sleepers” and were compared to similar participants who were deemed to have normal sleep duration. The short sleepers had higher values for body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage and total fat mass than those who got their full eight hours a night. Female adolescents with short sleep durations were particularly likely to have a higher BMI. This study made use of retrospective epidemiological research methods to identify the association between sleep duration and body composition and so presents the classic “chicken or egg” dilemma. Which is the causative factor?

Does sleep deprivation predispose people to increased weight gain, or is it possible that obesity causes people to spend less time sleeping? Another study carried out by researchers in Columbia University indicated that although sleep deprivation does not affect hunger or appetite, it does have an effect on the food choices we make.

In the HELENA study the members of the short sleepers group were less likely to consume adequate fruit,

vegetables and fish, and were more likely to have poor food habits.

The relationship between sleep deprivation and our food choices is a particular cause for concern given the fast pace of modern life. As children we spend a greater proportion of time sleeping, but during adulthood we are expected to settle into a pattern of seven to eight hours a night. The demands of today’s society however - long working days, shift work, and the expectation of 24-hr access to goods and services - mean that, for many, the traditional “eight hours a night” is unachievable. As a result, the average daily sleep duration among westernised populations has decreased, and complaints of chronic tiredness and fatigue have increased.

Scientific research has now presented us with evidence that sufficient sleep plays a vital role in our attitudes towards food and, as a result, a vital role in our health. The idea that a good night’s sleep will make us more beautiful unfortunately probably belongs in a fairytale. However, we can be reassured that a good night’s sleep may significantly benefit our health.

A COLLABORATIVE study between the Trinity Institute of Neuroscience, the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline and St James’s Hospital Dublin, has used innovative technologies to further understand drug dynamics. The study focused on a commonly prescribed medication for Alzheimer’s disease and tested the effects of these drugs on healthy individuals. The results helped to understand the effects of the drugs on non-sufferers and confirmed the importance of not restricting future testing to target audiences.

ZOOLOGY

Virulent bats a threat

SPREAD OF infection from bats to humans is a serious threat in parts of Asia and Africa. In the past 40 years, some of the worst viruses to affect humans are thought to have spread from disease-carrying bats. The risk is particularly high in West Africa, where urbanization is forcing people to live in close proximity to bats and where bats are becoming a popular food item, replacing traditional bush meat. Current research at University of Cambridge and the Institute of Zoology, London, is trying to determine how exactly these viruses spread to humans. The findings are due to be published later this year in the journal Biological Conservation.

IMMUNOLOGY

Blow to cancer cells NEW RESEARCH by Stephen Quinn, a postgraduate student in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology, has helped understand the link between metabolism and cancer cell death.

The work focused on mitochondrial fusion and fission dynamics in the HeLa cancer cell line. His research showed that by varying sugar supply to cancer cells, these cells can be can be rendered more susceptible to death. These findings were presented at the International Mitochondrial Physiology Conference held recently in Bordeaux.

Anthea Lacchia, Science Editor

18 OPINION PROFILE LUKE “MING” FLANAGAN

Ming the Moderate

Illustration by Sinéad Mercier mercier-long.blogspot.com

Matthew Taylor assesses the political career of Luke “Ming” Flanagan and asks whether his entry to the Dáil has forced a compromise of his initial policies

o

“The fire-brand, used to spending nights in jail, stooped to putting up election posters, canvassing and refraining from damaging public property”

f all the candidates elected to the 31st Dáil, Luke “Ming” Flanagan is probably the most unlikely. With his long hair, pointed Fu Manchu-esque beard and controversial opinions, Ming is not your traditional public representative and probably the strangest political animal stalking the dusty corridors of Leinster House.

“Political animal” is, however, the most accurate description. This is a man who eats, sleeps and breathes politics, and has done so since his first foray in the 1997 general election.

Those of us who have seen the famous documentary, The Life and Crimes of Citizen Ming, have seen that politics is his life. He famously once tried to put down his occupation as politician on an electoral register, having never won an election. He put on club nights and comedy gigs, as well as street performances to raise money to run campaigns, and when not contesting elections he put all his efforts into pestering politicians and getting himself arrested to gain notoriety for his next attempt, infamously sending joints to every elected member of the Oireachtas, including then-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

He is no friend of the media, and the media is no friend of his.

Often portrayed as a lunatic, hashhead hippie, Luke has often been snubbed at debates and in profile pieces. During the 1999 European elections, he tried to break down the studio door of RTÉ West to make his voice heard during the candidates debate. He subsequently labelled RTÉ “fuckers”: they don’t call him “Ming the Merciless” for nothing. Witnesses to his 2002 general election campaign

will have noticed a distinct softening of his approach.

The firebrand, so used to getting votes by spending the night in jail, stooped to putting up election posters, canvassing and refraining from damaging public property.

Where once he had been the “legalise cannabis” candidate, he has moved towards reasonable, electable positions. He supported organic farming, easing restrictions on turf cutting, protecting services at Roscommon hospital and investment in local infrastructure to provide an alternative activity to drinking for his would-be constituents. All very reasonable. How much of a front it was to decriminalise marijuana, I cannot say.

Success finally came for Ming in the 2004 local elections, where he was elected councillor for the town of Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. Not only this, but he topped the poll on the first count. He was re-elected in 2009, and in 2010, leading an unlikely coalition of Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, he was elected Mayor of Roscommon. What, if anything, did he achieve in his seven years in local government? Not much, to be frank. His own website admits as much in the “About” section. It lists his electoral record, what elections he

contested and how he did, but in terms of achievements his CV is a little lacklustre.

Then was the great protest election of 2011, which saw a gang of rag-tag protest candidates trundle their way to elected office. The freshman class of the 31st Dáil saw such public luminaries as Mick Wallace and Richard Boyd Barrett, entities with clothes more distinctive than the people wearing them, and of course Ming.

Elected on a platform of “I don’t like Fianna Fáil, you don’t like Fianna Fáil, let’s hang out some time and smoke a joint”, Ming’s greatest achievements so far have been insulting a fellow member of the Dáil and kicking up a fuss about putting on a tie. He did lead a fairly raucous rally over the closure of Roscommon hospital, and signed Martin McGuinness’s nomination papers without really thinking it

through, but that’s about height

the of it.

The fact that Ming is a political animal is exactly the problem. Having spent the best part of a decade and a half in the political sphere, he has become completely side-tracked with votewinning and forgotten what the votes are there for: so that he can get a job done. I have no doubt that he is a lovely man, but he seems to have become the thing that he campaigned against all of his public life, someone who’s just there to keep the seats warm. His loose lips have cost him the respect of some of his peers, and his decision to quit cannabis shows that his drift to the centre is nearly complete.

One wonders what the point of Citizen Ming is anymore.

Message to the Irish psyche: money isn’t everything David Barrett questions the recent Irish obsession with the economy, and wonders whether a nation should be reduced to its bank balance

A

curious obsession appears to have come over Ireland, as insidious as it is dangerous. You see it on the news, in the newspapers and in day-to-day conversation. While not as irrational as the soccer qualifications, the Rugby World Cup and GAA (which our delightfully anglophiliac university escapes) it is nonetheless pervasive. It is the economy.

The recession appears to have done something to the collective psyche of the Irish people. A full two years’ endless talk about bank guarantees, tax increases, emigration and unemployment seem to have created a pervasive belief in the ultimate supremacy of Ireland Incorporated. We seem to have become convinced that our little republic is sort of a territorial version of Enron or Lehman Brothers – a massive corporation whose sole purpose and reason for existing is to create as much wealth and “growth” as humanly possible and that has somehow, through the irresponsibility and… well… stupidity of the CEO, suddenly and spectacularly collapsed.

The problem is that this view is wrong. Ireland is not a corporation, and thank god for that. Ireland does

“We seem to have become convinced our little republic is a sort of territorial version of Enron or Lehman Brothers” not hold embarrassing Christmas parties where everyone gets drunk and bellows out “Galway Girl” at two in the morning (well at least not at the state’s expense). Ireland does not have a HR department that asks everyone how they are doing and whether they are achieving their “career goals”,

and Ireland is certainly not an engine geared towards increasing the profits of its bondholders, sorry, I mean shareholders. Contrary to appearances, this is not what any state anywhere in the world aspires to be about.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with the idea that states should try to acquire money.

Money is a great enabler. It allows us to do things like have a health service and have little things like roads and “free” university education (the prohibitive registration fee not withstanding).

My gripe is that people seem to have forgotten that wealth is just that – a tool to acquire things that are actually useful and that you actually want.

Money is not a goal in and of itself for anyone other than Ebenezer Scrooge. Money will not keep you warm at night – unless you burn it but that’s a whole other kettle of fish or create a vibrant society that people will want to be part of. Let’s face it.

There are plenty of countries that have first world level wealth. There are plenty that even speak English for those not linguistically gifted. No one wants to live in a society where the highest ambition is to literally pave the

streets with gold. Money cannot buy happiness.

What seems to be forgotten is that we live in a society, not an economy.

After the financial collapse some people expressed a hope that this would reverse the crass materialism of the Celtic Tiger, where the only dinner party conversation was property values, when the next trip to the Algarve would be and when the next Irish restaurant would acquire a Michelin star. What seems to have actually happened is some kind of wistful nostalgia and an almost pathological desire to return to those days. Rather than creating a togetherness, a “we’re all in this together and can pull through” sort of attitude, what has resulted is an almost comically divided Ireland. Public sector against private and rich versus poor conflicts litter our newspapers and party political rhetoric. If anything the situation has

“The Michelin stars are not coming back - it is time we accepted this”

“After the financial collapse some people expressed a hope that this would reverse the crass materialism of the Celtic Tiger” worsened. It seems like something may have been irretrievably lost in our rush to be property oligarchs.

Call me naïve or old-fashioned but I quite like the idea of community values.

I quite like the notion that if we do not hang together we will hang separately.

I believe that a good society and a good economy are not fundamentally incompatible goals, but if I had to choose I would take the former. The Michelin stars are not coming back and our future prosperity is at the whims of faceless and mercenary bondholders and the European Central Bank. It is time that we accepted this and move on. Let’s focus on what is our most important asset, and the only one that is solely in our hands.

TRINITY NEWS

19

opinion@trinitynews.ie

Election, reflection

THIS TOPIC IN HISTORY

“Why not hang them?”

By Lewis Hawser, QC

The candidature of Norris and McGuinness exposes intolerance and complacency in Irish society, according to Kate Oliver

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emocratically elected, the president is given a mandate to represent the nation as a whole.

In Ireland, where the president wields much less power than her foreign equivalents, the role of representing the nation is of primary importance.

The president doesn’t just represent Ireland as a nation, she reflects the sort of idealised nation that Ireland wants to be. Marys Robinson and McAleese represented a nation that you could be proud of, one that was committed to promoting human rights, equality and peace. Ireland may not be this idealised nation, but it wanted to become it. But as McAleese’s tenure draws to a close and election day looms, we must once again evaluate who we are as a nation and who we would like to be. Two men dominate the discussion about how we should vote in October, David Norris and Martin McGuinness. Both aspiring candidates subvert the idea of an ideal Ireland and an ideal Irish president.

Contemporary Ireland may geographically be as far away from Europe, Britain and America as ever, but culturally we are closer than we have ever been before.

The internet and an increasingly globalised media have eroded the distance between Ireland and the

rest of the world, and consuming the same news and entertainment as our more cosmopolitan neighbours leads us to see ourselves as increasingly cosmopolitan too. The Irish do not want to be seen as backwards, bingedrinking leprechauns who are at the permanent beck and call of the Catholic Church. More than ever we view ourselves as players on a global stage, a mature and sophisticated nation. That perception is reflected in the way we live our everyday lives and the unspoken assumptions we make about how broad-minded and progressive we are.

David Norris gives the lie to these assumptions. It seems absurd that a person could be so exceptional that they might merit the highest position our country can offer, whilst simultaneously being so abnormal that they don’t deserve a right which the rest of us take for granted and would be outraged to be denied yet the legislation of our country currently upholds both of these positions by denying homosexuals the right to marry. A superficial culture of tolerance has allowed us to ignore the intolerance embedded in our political institutions, but David Norris brings this injustice back to the forefront of our political discourse. It is discomfiting to be forced to confront such a stark truth: we like to think of

� The

race for the Áras is a signal for Ireland to reflect on its democratic ideals

ourselves as a great bunch of lads, but we continue to deny some of those lads basic civil rights for no better reason

“The Irish do not want to be seen as backwards, binge-drinking leprechauns at the beck and call of the Church” than because it makes some people uncomfortable.

Martin McGuinness provides a similar challenge to our complacency.

A long period of relative peace and stability has allowed many in the South to mentally disengage and distance themselves from Northern Ireland.

After all, it’s far away, and a lot has been going on here in the meantime – have you heard the latest about the IMF? But the Republic of Ireland is still a relatively young country, and one that has seen a huge amount of

bloodshed since its foundation. We can’t just wipe our hands and avert our eyes and pretend we’re over that whole business with the six counties. The riots in Belfast this July were evidence that tensions are still simmering under the surface. It’s easy for us in the South to excoriate McGuinness and Adams for the terrible things they’ve done, but much harder to accept that they and men like them are nonetheless making an important contribution to Irish politics on both sides of the border. The South has a huge role to play in helping to resolve the problems which still plague the North of Ireland, and McGuinness is a visible reminder that many of us have been shirking that duty and ignoring the difficulties which still beset the North.

An election is a good spur to reflection, and the candidacy of Norris and McGuinness should remind us that while Ireland has come a long way, there are some problems we continuously fail to engage with.

We don’t have to vote for Norris or McGuinness - there are lots of very good arguments for not voting for either of them - but it is time we acknowledged our failure to do right by significant portions of our society and resolved on a way to do better in future.

Death penalty, in a democracy?

Eoin O’Driscoll Contributing Writer

IN THE early hours of Thursday two weeks ago Troy Davis was executed by the US State of Georgia by lethal injection. He had spent 16 years on death row, throughout which time he protested his innocence. All but two non-police witnesses withdrew their testimonies since his conviction, many of them citing coercion on the part of the police to ensure Davis’s conviction.

One of the two remaining witnesses is the alternate chief suspect who is implicated by 9 seperate witnesses’ affidavits. The case for Davis’s conviction was devoid of any physical evidence.

I am no legal expert, nor do I claim any unique knowledge of this or any other legal case. However, one of the integral principals of any democracy based on rule of law is the presumption

of innocence until proven guilty.

The issues with evidence for Davis’s conviction would seem to me enough to cast considerable doubt as to his guilt, certainly enough to warrant clemency of execution.

Davis is dead now. The State of Georgia killed him. There is no going back on that decision. No future revelations will make any difference now that the ultimate punishment has been dealt. That a man can be sent to his death by a modern, democratic state on seemingly questionable evidence, all the while adamantly protesting his innocence, is troubling.

The Troy Davis case, if nothing else, raises serious questions about the use of the death penalty by any state and has added credence to the many advocates calling for its abolition.

The death penalty has come into play, albeit in a small way, in our own presidential election here in Ireland.

Gay Mitchell’s strong advocacy for its abolition and letters seeking a stay of execution for murderers sentenced to death abroad have sparked headlines both congratulatory and condemnatory in nature.

In the past Ireland has led the way in fighting apartheid, rolling back colonialism and fighting nuclear proliferation on a global basis. Would it not be fantastic to see our Uachtarán nua utilise his/her role to put Ireland at the forefront of a global fight to abolish the death penalty?

The presidency is regularly dismissed as being powerless and useless but this is not the case. The preisdency may not have much in the way of hard, concrete, legislative power. However, the president is the head of our state. They can have a huge impact in shaping the consciousness of the nation and in scripting the national discourse. They can hugely

influence the nation’s self perception and vision of its future. One need only look at the liberalisation of Ireland spearheaded by President Robinson to see that this is the case.

The death penalty is wrong and its implementation by a state is a tacit endorsement of violence as an acceptable means of retribution.

More pointedly, however, the death penalty is ineffective. Its abolition in Canada, where crucially life still means life (capital murder leading to a mandatory 25 years in jail), has seen a marked decline in murder rates and a doubling of conviction rates.

The next Uachtarán should be striving to raise our nation’s prestige and make us, once again, involved players on the international scene.

We should once again take a stand for what is right in the world and lead the charge internationally for the abolition of the death penalty.

Trinity News, Vol. XII No. 8 Thursday 4 February 1965 Archives are fully searchable at trinitynewsarchive.ie

“Ireland’s Call” cannot express national unity

I

have admired Irish rugby from the time I arrived at Trinity in 1968 when one of the first tasks assigned to me was to teach Old English Philology to Rob Davies, a Welshman from Cowbridge GS but also, as it happened, a formidable lock forward and vice captain of one of the greatest first XVs to represent Dublin University.

Who will ever forget the two matches against St Mary’s with their array of emerging internationals in the final of the Leinster Senior Cup in 1969? But, like Morgan Kelly, I have less respect for bankers and rugby administrators. Thus it came about in 1993, when Irish rugby was at a low ebb, that I distributed at my own initiative and expense and with the stalwart support of two far-sighted

04 October, 2011

students, Tom Brace (St Mary’s) and John Greene (Longford), fifty

A VIEW FROM NEW SQUARE

GERALD MORGAN

thousand song sheets for the home internationals against France and England at Lansdowne Road.

The IRFU, in so far as it acknowledged this initiative on my part at all, set up the committee which brought “Ireland’s Call” into the world. It was an acknowledgment that Ireland had remained united on the field of rugby (albeit not without difficulty) from its beginnings in the united Ireland of the nineteenth century.

By common sense and generosity (qualities not always to the fore in our troubled history) this unity has prevailed through two world wars, an Easter Rising, a civil war, a war of independence and the tragic conflict in Northern Ireland in our own time.

Quite an achievement. But the unity

remains a fragile unity and has to be constantly renewed by continual effort as we see from the controversy over the anthem that has broken out once again in the midst of a Rugby World Cup. An anthem must do two things. It must express the unity of the team’s identity and it must inspire the players to raise their game on great occasions.

I understand the need for “Ireland’s Call” as an expression of harmony and reconciliation if we wish to continue the tradition of an All-Ireland side, but it fails to inspire and too often it attracts derision.

The rugby anthem must touch the hearts of all Irish people, players and supporters alike. Only “Danny Boy” in my opinion is capable of healing the rift between the six counties and the rest of Ireland. But why rely on my opinion?

Why not ask the people of the thirtytwo counties (as if in a democracy) for their opinion rather than accepting the judgment of the IRFU which has already in its infinite wisdom sold the name of our famous old stadium?

Ireland is a land full of songs expressing love of county and country.

Sadly we shall come second in the battle of anthems against Italy in Dunedin.

Let us hope that our players, with or without the encouragement of an anthem, rise once again to the heroic levels displayed against Australia and on many occasions in the past.

gmorgan1066@gmail.com

20 EDITORIAL

HEAD TO HEAD: NICK GRIFFIN’S VISIT TO TRINITY

TRINITY NEWS Est 1953 towards some revival of the collegiate spirit, which modern conditions tend to discourage

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A POLITICAL CLASS IS DICTATING ÁRAS FUTURE AS A sanguine seven line up for the President’s job, the process of electing Ireland’s next head of state will at last enter the realm of democratic choice.

The public can now reclaim the reigns of the race from the political monopoly that is the presidential nomination process. The method of selecting presidential candidates - while a transparent process - remains a bastion of the political class dictating public choice.

This does not mean to say that the race for the Áras has so far been opaque. All seven candidates have been in the media spotlight to varying extents - but not for the benefit of the public. It is to the members of the Oireachtas, Dáil and the councils that their electioneering has been directed.

And it is exactly these members to whom the public can attribute the self-proclaimed “biggest comeback in Irish political history”. David Norris’s words on the Late Late Show have proven to be no hyperbole, and his nomination has been hailed as a positive signal to progression of Irish democracy, not least by Norris himself: “Thank God for democracy, democracy was vindicated here.”

Indeed, the transition from gay rights activist to presidential candidate over the course of 30 years is just one facet of a transitory Ireland. It is hard to believe that until only 18 years ago, archaic legislation such as the criminalisation of homosexual acts remained in force.

Yet the Senator’s 11th-hour struggle for support - while successful - has shown a fundamental flaw in Irish democracy. Despite widespread public backing, the electorate has so far been a mere onlooker to Norris’s bid for the presidency.

Furthermore, the successful nomination of the Sinn Féin candidate casts an air of doubt over those hailing Norris’s nomination as the advent of Liberal Ireland. It is only after the race began in earnest last Wednesday - as a campaign for the benefit of the electorate - that questions are being asked about the propriety of his candidacy.

Now that the race for the Áras has passed to the Irish electorate, it is the responsibility of the media to act as a channel for public scrutiny. While the public may not have had a direct say in the selection of the seven candidates, they may now call on the press to provide the necessary exposure, interviews and evaluations. A rigorous approach to the election is entirely appropriate for an individual who is, after all, to be our national incumbent and representative.

t

CHALLENGES CALL FOR UNITY BETWEEN COLLEGE UNIONS COMMENTS BY a university employee regarding the “underhanded” tactics of the Students’ Union is just one example of the mutual mistrust that exists between students’ and workers’ organisations in Trinity.

The comments were made in reference to a library sit-in that took place in Michaelmas Term last year, during which it is also claimed staff felt “intimidated”. This newspaper does not wish to condone nor condemn the protest by the Students’ Union. Yet, it is these very actions which prevent university employees, particularly those belonging to workers’ unions, from co-operating in the student interest.

It should be remembered that both students and staff are facing a common challenge. The fiscal situation should promote unity, not division, between the two groups in this university.

“Preventing Griffin would constitute a dark day for college” OWEN BENNETT

THE MODERN ideal state is generally considered to be a liberally democratic one, a social institution in which the basic liberties of free speech, property rights and other fundamental rights of man are guaranteed by means of social contract. Few can meaningfully argue against the superiority of this political philosophy relative to its alternatives. Encouraging such freedom is bound to have some distasteful results, with the possibility of citizens lawfully exploring and promoting views many of us would consider undesirable. But this must be regarded as a necessary evil, an unavoidable social cost stemming from the fundamental principle of freedom which our states are built upon. As such, it is regrettable that a section of Trinity College has protested against the impending visit of Nick Griffin. Is such behaviour not incompatible with the freedoms we so readily support?

Essentially, the main arguments put forth by those opposed to Griffin’s visit are riddled with moral hypocrisy. These people argue that Griffin should not be allowed to speak at the Phil owing to the hateful and inflammatory nature of his views (a position clearly incompatible with the principle of free speech). Admittedly, no rational agent could ever meaningfully support the BNP’s views regarding race and gender.

But if he is clearly wrong in what he believes, as many of the anti-Griffin camp are quick to point out, surely he can be easily brushed aside in the structured, uncompromising world of the debating chamber? In the chamber, Griffin’s weaknesses can be exposed, and even an orator of mediocre skill could humiliate him to the point of ridicule. In this context, it is surprising that the anti-Griffin camp is not actively encouraging his visit to Trinity. If he is wrong, then there should not be anything to fear when he debates.

Moreover, since Plato founded the Academy in Athens over two thousand years ago, university has always been considered a forum for the exchange of ideas and thought. To prevent Griffin from expressing his views, Trinity would be taking a massive step backward. In effect, the

college would be reverting to a time of archaic censorship, where views which are incompatible with the status quo are suppressed. Such a state of affairs cannot be allowed to occur, even if we must allow this very morally warped man to grace the grounds of the college.

The BNP is a party which evidently incites hatred and fosters intolerance. Regrettably however, they are not alone. This week, the Socialist party is set to explore the possibility of physical protest in response to Griffin’s impending visit. This is hugely ironic. On the one hand the party criticizes Griffin for inciting hatred, yet on the other it encourages its members to actively prevent his coming here - an obvious act of intolerance. Physically protesting against Griffin’s visit is most definitely not the answer. It will undoubtedly foster more anger and will act as ammunition for the far-right who play on the hypocrisy of liberals and socialists.

One final point which, owing to their ideology, the anti-Griffin camp has conveniently brushed over, is the nature of the debate the BNP leader is actually engaging in. The motion of the Phil debate is “This House believes immigration has gone too far”. Many will agree that this is a moot point. There are a number of logical arguments which can be made on both sides of the motion. Clearly then, someone like Griffin, who is so passionately of the belief that immigration has gone too far, should be given the opportunity to champion his case. If he is misguided, as is so adamantly believed, then he will easily be defeated. It’s that simple.

As such, while Griffin is clearly an individual with a warped moral compass, it is absolutely necessary that he is not prevented from fulfilling his invitation to speak at the Phil. In this time of momentous economic and social change, Trinity must, at all costs, uphold its position as a bastion of free-thinking and liberalism. Any measures which diminish that, such as preventing Griffin from debating, would constitute a very dark day for the college.

“We need to stop Griffin, and we need to do it ourselves” MANUS LENIHAN

SOME PEOPLE are telling me that everyone, no matter how disgusting, has the right to freedom of speech. Others say not to worry, that Griffin is just a “psycho” who will be “exposed” by the Phil when he speaks.

I think both positions are naïve and complacent.

We should not make heavy weather over the right to free speech for a man who has only ever abused that right to attack the most vulnerable people in his society - who uses his freedom to limit that of others. It’s a question of prioritizing principles. Of course, state repression would set a dangerous precedent. That’s why we have to do it ourselves.

Secondly, I don’t believe that, to quote a recent University Times editorial: “The core principle of democratic society is that in free, unhindered discourse the best ideas carry the day.” Griffin is an articulate, intelligent man who has spent all his adult life making presentable and convincing the ideas of his neo-Nazi roots. He will almost certainly be opposed by a body of predominantly white, economically privileged students who are very distant from the issues and will carry no authority to the huge audience the Phil hopes to achieve by live-streaming the debate.

That’s not the issue, though. If the Phil were somehow to convince the very best of speakers to share a platform against Griffin, I’d still oppose the event. If they cancelled the live-streaming, I’d still oppose the event.

Ireland’s committed racists are currently a tiny, isolated few without public support. For such people it is very encouraging if a far-right leader speaks in an institution like Trinity without anybody making a determined stand against him. The far-right won’t have to bother achieving popular support and setting up meetings, when groups like the Phil are willing to

bypass that requirement for them for the sake of the headlines.

The website of a tiny laughing-stock of a racist group based in Kilkenny and Limerick has been abuzz with excitement since the news broke. While in Ireland, Griffin is to be invited to speak on their weekly video blog, and if he does, it will be the biggest audience they’ve ever had.

Utopian ideas about the best ideas winning the day and free debate deciding conflicts unfortunately have no basis in history. They also prove to be tragically inadequate once the farright organises itself; violent attacks against immigrants, LGBT and left-wing activists follow like clockwork.

If Griffin speaks, nobody will care what is said on the podium. The message will be clear: he can organize and publicize and inspire, and people are not willing to stop him. Trinity, Dublin and Ireland are “soft on fascism”. This is a validation of the ideas of a tiny number of isolated wannabe fascists in Ireland, in Dublin and possibly on campus who currently lack confidence and organisation.

On the other hand, what a message it would send out if instead of being met by a quiet debate or by a row of passive placards, Griffin was opposed by a determined and organized mass campaign that was not going to let him speak, no matter what.

Let’s have a debate on immigration sometime by inviting actual immigrants along, rather than thinly-disguised fascists with other motives.

Meanwhile, over the next few weeks, let’s convince these people that there’s no point trying to organize here. Let’s do that not by dressing in suits and coming up with clever speeches, but by standing in solidarity and not giving an inch.

TRINITY NEWS

21 letters@trinitynews.ie

LETTERS

Letters should be sent to letters@trinitynews.ie or to Trinity News, 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2. We reserve the right to edit submissions for style and length. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Trinity News.

LETTERS@TRINITYNEWS.IE

USI INACTION OF FORMER YEARS MAY NOT CHANGE Madam Forgive me for being skeptical upon reading the article of Issue 1, Volume 58 of Trinity News: ‘High court challenge to grant reforms.’

I seem to remember the USI’s slogan of “Education not emigration” from last year. This highly misleading catchphrase, while ticking the a l l it e r at ive - r o l l s- o f- t h e - t o n g u e and-looks-good-on-a-t-shirt box, undermines what could be a credible organisation.

Instead of making claims that don’t really make sense (why does the re-introduction of tuition fees have anything to do with Irish emigration?), the USI should be focusing on student matters on a more individual level.

Let’s hope that the USI can get the students back their grants - or at

least pave the way for a fair system of student financing.

Yours, etc.

Cillian Smith Co. Meath

A HEARING TO DISCIPLINE WHAT, EXACTLY? Madam At the stroke of midnight last week, an Assistant Junior Dean knocked down my New Square door to break up a party. Fair enough you might say, except that my “party” involved two guests watching Match of the Day. Despite acknowledging that there had been no complaints about our tiny gathering, my guests were unceremoniously sent packing, and I was hauled up for a disciplinary hearing this morning.

unheard of in Trinity’s gutwrenchingly inept bureaucracy, so on one level I must congratulate the AJD. However, her zeal in interrupting my quiet evening follows too much the letter of the law and completely ignores the spirit of it.

This is my third year living on campus - I am happy to say that I have rarely had any brushes with the disciplinary authorities, because I know full well that I can’t throw loud parties late at night without disturbing fellow campus residents.

I don’t need to be treated like a child by the office of the Junior Dean to force me to be a good neighbour, and, in my experience, neither do the hundreds of other sensible adults who live here.

Yours, etc.

Tom Lowe New Square

COLLEGE, KEEP LETTER IN YOUR GATES OPEN SUPPORT OF OUR Madam UNIVERSITY At the risk of sounding incredibly SENATOR lazy, and thus living up to the student stereotype, I would like to request that College opens its side gates more often. Students coming from the North end of College must battle their way through reams of tourists to enter the University through Front Gate, when a perfectly adequate entrance is situated in Pearse Street, by the Dining Hall and Botany Bay.

Why must the university sporadically shut this gate? It would save plenty of students coming from this end of College (and those whose buses go the same direction) a good 5-10 minutes on their way into the university. Just saying.

Yours, etc.

Disgruntled Commuter, JF TSM

This level of efficiency is practically

Madam I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Senator David Norris, of the University of Dublin, on securing his nomination to run for the Presidency.

Out of all the candidates running for this office, Senator Norris has by far the most integrity and possesses the most suitable values.

In essence, he is by far the most “Presidential”. I hope that my fellow Trinity students will also join me in supporting their Senator in the race for the Viceregal Lodge.

Yours, etc.

Ben Hutchinson SS History

Oarsman, pugilist, doctor and war hero

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OLD TRINITY PETER HENRY 04 October, 2011

arsman, pugilist, doctor and war hero: Michael Patrick Leahy was a Trinity man who distinguished himself in his sporting endeavours and remains a model of sportsmanship today, 100 years after he wore the Trinity badge in competition.

Leahy, best known as “Mick” to his contemporaries, came up to Trinity in 1899 to read for a medicine degree.

Introduced to rowing by Bram Stoker of Dracula fame, Leahy was lucky to join the Boat Club during one of its healthiest periods.

The Dublin University Rowing Club and Dublin University Boat Club had amalgamated in 1898 and moved from Ringsend to placid Islandbridge, where the new boat house and grandstand were built.

Stories of the bad old days were still fresh in the rowers’ minds, and Leahy tells us of the “choppy sea water, with planks, dead rats, and flotsam and jetsam of all kinds” his forbears had to contend with. The flat-calm water of Islandbridge took Trinity’s rowing men in a positive direction, and sights were set on Henley again, which had not been won since DU Rowing Club were successful in the Wyfold Challenge Cup back in 1881.

One of the famous rowing men of the time came to Dublin to coach Leahy and Trinity’s best in 1903.

Cambridge man Rudolph Lehmann was determined to see the Trinity crew succeed, and some tough training preceded a hopeful trip to Henley Royal Regatta.

In 1903, the men in black and white travelled to England, hoping to take both the Ladies’ Plate and the Thames Cup at Henley Royal. Magdalen College, Oxford, beat the gallant Dublin oarsmen by just three feet in the Ladies’ final. Leahy recalls that one of his own men was so exhausted after the morning final that he had to be doped with brandy for the Thames final that afternoon! Nonetheless, the nine friends beat Kingston Rowing Club to lift the prize: a Henley victory repeated only once since, when the Ladies’ Plate was won in 1977.

Leahy’s humorous prose shows that he appreciated the coming together of Boat Club men over a few drinks, as he recounts the night of the Henley win: “Dear old Andy Jameson sent us a crate of champagne, and that night we didn’t know much of what happened on earth. I do remember Arthur McNeight and I determined to put out

Michael Patrick Leahy (left) studied Medicine at Trinity and joined the University Boat Club in 1899. He went on to fight in the Great War, after which he continued to fight in the boxing ring despite his harrowing experiences �

all the lights in Henley High Street.

“We had nearly completed our mission when the Henley police got into action, but we got the two last lights out, leaving the street in darkness, and then ran. I have painful recollections of scaling a high wall studded with glass, which removed the seat of my trousers and a large portion of my tail. Arthur, the longlegged devil, escaped unhurt.”

Familiar to anyone who puts effort into sport in college, Leahy’s academic progress wasn’t helped by his dedication to the greater cause of sporting glory. He passed his half-MB examination on the fourth effort and remembers gleefully the Professor of Anatomy delivering the news: “Leahy, I congrratulate you!” said Professor Cunningham. “You’ve displayed the maximum of ability. You got through

on the minimum of marks. You got one mark more than was necessary.”

After taking the lead as captain of the Boat Club in 1904, the talented Leahy turned his attention to boxing.

Boxing in college was in its infancy during Leahy’s time, and was overseen by the Dublin University Gymnastic and Lawn Tennis Club.

Mick, his brother Eugene, and a band of Trinity men were Ireland’s top fighters of the time. Leahy himself was the most successful, beating all comers to take Trinity’s heavyweight championship in 1905 and 1906 and the Irish amateur heavyweight championship in 1908 and 1909. He represented Ireland against Scotland in 1913.

Leahy joined the Royal Army Medical Corp after taking his MB in 1906. He had his leg blown off while

serving in Flanders in September 1914.

Captain Leahy, as he was by then, was taken prisoner and remained captive until the following July.

A missing leg and a war experience like Leahy’s would mark most people’s retirement from sport. His friend and rowing coach Professor Ernest Julian had been killed in Gallipoli, and he undoubtedly lost many other close friends during the Great War. But Leahy’s sporting nature was unhurt, and he was back in the ring in 1917. He beat Sergeant Norfolk, also lacking a leg, in a charity match which helped raise funds for boxing equipment for troops still serving in France.

He is remembered in the RAMC as the army champion heavyweight boxer who trained at Millbank and, “pivoting round on his artificial leg, he met the onslaught of all comers, giving a good deal more than he received.”

He never forgot his rowing roots, and had managed to row for Leander after the war. Trinity returned to Henley in 1923, trying again for the Ladies’ and the Thames, which were won in the end by Trinity Oxford and Trinity Cambridge respectively.

Leahy, by then raised to the rank of Major, was delighted to see his successors back at Henley, and wrote a long letter of encouragement to the oarsmen, to be published in the College weekly, TCD. Henley was a regular destination for Leahy. He was there in 1934 and 1946, urging on the men in black and white as they lost in final of the Ladies’ both years to Jesus College, Cambridge. He returned in 1953 to commemorate the glory of 1903, sculling the famous course in his old zephyr, recalling old crewmates, such as Jack Langrishe, who had since died.

Leahy died in December 1965 at Bramley in England. His recollection of rowing through Dublin city brings a smile to today’s oarsmen, and exemplifies his attitude to life and sport. Dublin’s undesirables have not changed their ways: Leahy says they, then as now, “lined the bridges and dropped anything from pebbles to brickbats on us as we shot the bridges.”

But, says Mick, “life is fun, and that was great fun.”

pehenry@tcd.ie Read more at: trinitynews.ie/oldtrinity

22 SPORT FEATURES sportsfeatures@trinitynews.ie

The Dubs’ day of redemption Sarah Burns relives a historic day for Dublin Gaelic Football, looking at how the Boys in Blue reclaimed the Sam Maguire for the first time in 16 years

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“What made it unreal was that this victory was so out of character. True to form, Dublin had played the better first half, turned around a point to the good, and only a goal from the Gooch kept Kerry in it”

s I ran up Buckingham Street and into Summerhill the streets were deserted. It was in sharp contrast to most Dublin appearances at Croke Park. There were no last minute pints before the match, no “sure they’ll delay throw-in” talk. Today was different.

Nobody wanted to miss one minute of Dublin’s first All-Ireland final in sixteen years.

Growing up, I’d been brought to Dublin matches religiously, watched them win a few Leinster championships, progress to the AllIreland stages and subsequently suffer defeat at the hands of heavyweights Kerry, Tyrone and more recently Cork.

Dublin had become renowned for “choking” in big matches. Would there be more nail-biting heartbreak like 2007, when Dublin lost in the closing minutes of the match, or a similar scenario to 2009 when the Kingdom thrashed Dublin by seventeen points leaving the capital utterly shellshocked?

In the intervening two years, dramatic changes had been made to the Dublin setup by manager Pat Gilroy. Of the starting 15 who played against Kerry in the 2009 quarter-final, only eight remained.

Veterans Jason Sherlock and Ciarán Whelan hung up their boots, while Conal Keaney and Shane Ryan picked up hurleys. Mark Vaughan mysteriously disappeared, and in came a transfusion of new blood: Michael Darragh MacAuley, Diarmuid Connolly, Kevin McManamon and Eoghan O’Gara.

However, the most notable aspect of Dublin’s new game was its defence. In previous years it had become the norm for Dublin to surge ahead, only to be pinned back by scoring bursts from the opposition. Now they were leaner and meaner. Of the six backs that

� The Boys in Blue celebrate their victory at Croke Park

played against Kerry in 2009, none of them were in defence this year. Barry Cahill, captain Bryan Cullen and Denis Bastick had all been redeployed.

Would these changes be enough though? As Amhrán na bhFiann was belted out, I had my doubts. How wrong I was. That murky Sunday afternoon I witnessed one of the great All-Ireland finals, with Dublin securing the Sam Maguire by the unlikely route of their goalkeeper slotting over a last-minute free from the 45 meter line (before disappearing down the tunnel and never being heard from again).

As the full-time whistle blew I watched as Hill 16 erupted into a volcano of blue while Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys are Back in Town” blasted throughout the stadium: a fitting end.

Dublin had waited a long time for this day and the fact that Kerry were on the receiving end made the win that bit sweeter.

What made it all particularly unreal was that this victory was so

out of character. True to form, Dublin had played the better first half, turned around a point to the good, and only a goal from the Gooch kept Kerry in it.

Not long into the second half Dublin promptly got pinned back, handing Kerry a selection of easy points with stupid fouls in their own half.

Had the game stuck to the usual script, the Dubs would have been beaten by four points, leaving their loyal fans more traumatised than ever.

Instead, Dublin somehow mislaid the last page, and wrote their own glorious ending.

Stephen Cluxton and Kevin McManamon along with the rest of the team will go down in Dubs history as heroes, taking their place in folklore alongside Bernard Brogan and Jimmy Keaveney. They will be remembered for beating an extremely talented Kerry side that contained the likes of Colm Cooper, Paul Galvin and the Ó Sé brothers.

Just over a week after Dublin won

the All-Ireland final, celebrations dying down, I found myself flicking through photographs I’d taken at the match. I stopped at a picture I’d taken of the winning team parading the Sam Maguire around Croke Park on their lap of honour. Suddenly, I recognised a face that’s been in the papers every day since the final, the mystery Dublin fan Stephen Molloy who snuck onto the pitch to join in with the team’s celebrations.

He had been photographed beside everyone from Pillar Caffrey, the former manager (who was on duty that day as a garda), to Brogan. He’d “borrowed” Eamon Fennell’s top, in order to blend in, and it was not noticed admidst the euphoria.

Within a few days the tabloids had worked out who he was and discovered a chequered past. But rather than distance themselves, the Dubs embraced him. Fennell even signed his top and let Molloy keep it.

Redemption for him, and for them.

A redemption day.

Europe’s fairytale finish in Solheim duel Conor Bates was on the course at Kileen Castle, Co. Meath to report on all the action and drama from the Solheim Cup

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he Solheim Cup’s roots stem all the way back to 1990, when a ladies’ competition to rival the men’s Ryder Cup was decided upon. In nearly all the 21 years of its existence, the USA has held sway, but in this first hosting of the Solheim Cup in Ireland, Europe were hoping to claim back the trophy that has evaded them since 2003. Set in Killeen Castle this year, and being played on a course designed by golf’s greatest ever player, Jack Nicklaus, the 12 best golfers from Europe and the USA prepared for three days of fierce battle, led by their respective captains, Alison Nicholas and Rosie Jones.

The grandeur of the competition was on display in the opening ceremony on Thursday evening as President Mary McAleese made an address and Louise Solheim, widow of Karsten Solheim, whom the trophy is named after, was made an honorary member of the European Tour. The USA were favourites on paper, but many pundits acknowledged that a win for Europe was a fair possibility.

Very early on Friday morning, the first shots were fired, as the morning session of foursomes got underway.

This session displayed a good mix of young and old with American veteran Christie Kerr partnering prodigious

talent, Michelle Wie, and the very exciting debutante, Melissa Reid, taking on Paula Creamer in their pairings. After the first session both sides had claimed two points for their efforts - a compelling and telling start to the weekend.

The afternoon four-balls were given a rousing send-off as Laura Davies, the only player in history to have played in every single cup, took the tee. The respect and admiration pouring in from the gallery for the English superstar was palpable; however it didn’t seem to help her or her partner, Reid, as they found themselves down early on before losing on the last hole via a great putt

by Morgan Pressel in the best game of the day. The third match saw Sophie Gustafson and Caroline Hedwall romp to victory by five holes in a dominant display. Day one finished with Europe up by a point, 4.5 to 3.5, and a multitude of fans yearning for similar performances over the next two days.

Gustafson and Hedwall were reunited for the first foursomes match of day two and another powerful display from the pair saw them win by a margin of six holes, marking their names in the running for pairing of the tournament. Pressel and Ryann O’Toole, and Maria Hjorth and Anna Nordqvist, each took a point for their team, while the final duel of the

morning was halved on the final hole, when Kerr missed a makeable putt.

Reid, who cites Laura Davies as “the reason I play golf”, was paired with her idol again in day two’s four-balls, and the mentor-mentee combination stormed past misfiring Michelle Wie and Brittany Lang to claim a point.

The other three evening contests were closely fought but the US ultimately claimed all three points, levelling the scores. A great feature of the day for the 30,000 spectators was the total of eight eagles during the day, with six of them on the 7th hole.

A steady downpour of rain marred the morning of the final day, but it couldn’t dampen the spirits of the fans who had turned out for the finale.

The rapturous receptions at the first tee box, and the jovial chanting of the grandstand fans welcomed the competitors to the course for a final day’s battle. An early concession by Christie Kerr, suffering a wrist injury, gave Europe a point headstart at the top of the singles matches, and that was quickly followed by a win for Catriona Matthew.

Brittany Lang and Christina K i m guaranteed points for t h e US with monstrous wins in their matches.

As the pairings made their way past the halfway mark on the final day, there was a feeling that this trophy could end up with either team.

The nervous tension was visible in the faces of the crowd, the players and the

captains. Dramatically, the decisive blows were struck in the last three pairings. Suzann Pettersen did battle with Michelle Wie in a nail-biting affair. Pettersen was impeccable in her play, as she parred the first 11 holes, birdied the 12th and birdied the last three to beat Wie in exciting fashion.

The score was now 13.5 to 12.5 for Europe.

It could have been a Cinderella story for US rookie Ryann O’Toole. O’Toole was selected as a captain’s pick, and went on to miss three successive cuts before the Solheim Cup, making her a controversial pick in the eyes of the American media. However she took 2.5 points from her first three games and held a dormie-2 through 16 against Swedish rookie Caroline Hedwall.

In a truly last ditch e f f o r t , the resilient Hedwall c ap it a l i s e d o n t w o b o g e y s from O ’ T o o l e to halve the match, and deny the US star a perfect

up the 18th, first-timer Azahara Munoz held a 1-up lead over the seasoned Angela Stanford. With a half point already secured from this match, at least, Europe had retaken the Solheim Cup. Both players sportingly conceded their putts and Europe began their celebrations: a victory of 15 points to 13.

It was a great weekend for women’s golf. The competition garnered significant media attention, all players involved put on a great show for the fans, and in the end the trophy found its way into the arms of a teary-eyed Alison Nicholas. In a fairytale finish to a wonderful contest, the home fans left elated, as Europe, with some sparkling play, toppled the odds to reclaim the biggest trophy in ladies’ golf.

finish to her Solheim debut.

As the last game came �Suzanne Pettersen and Sophie Gustafson celebrate their team’s win

TRINITY NEWS

COLLEGE SPORT 23 collegesport@trinitynews.ie

Coyleing up for London 2012 Natalya Coyle speaks to College Sport Editor James Hussey about her ascent through the ranks of the ultra-competitive world of the modern pentathlon

� Trinity Sport Scholar and pentathlete Natalya Coyle practising with the Dublin skyline as her backdrop

been really flexible with my schedule and have played a major part in helping me compete in my sport.”

The modern pentathlon is a gruelling mixture of running, swimming, shooting, fencing and horse riding. Finding the right balance between the various disciplines has added pressures for an athlete, in training and in competition.

“Fencing is definitely the toughest event out of the five. It is such a finesse sport and there is so much technique involved. Whereas with running and swimming you can put in the hard yards and improve your fitness, with fencing it is just so technical.”

Currently ranked 43rd in the world at senior level and in the top 10 at junior level, Natalya’s sights are well and truly trained on the London Olympics in June next year.

“To qualify for the Olympics, you need to be within the top 36 in the world. Currently, I’m number 43 so this year is all about improving

and making the grade for London.

The main competition is from the Eastern European nations as modern pentathlon is a very popular event over there. In Ireland at the minute there are two other modern pentathletes at the elite level, both male, so the sport has some way to go in this country.”

The demands of training lead on to the invaluable experience of competition. In the past few years, Natalya has been in three continents, competing in World Cup events.

“For the World Cup I have been to Palm Springs in California and Chengdu in China. The World Championships were held in Moscow so the different time zones need different adjustments to get ready for the competition. We try to get there as early as possible, financially and otherwise, to adjust to the conditions.

It can have a big effect on performance so it’s crucial to adjust in time for competition.”

Our interview is conducted soon

after Natalya has returned from the Junior Europeans (maintaining her top 10 ranking at junior level), and she will travel to the Junior World Championships in Buenos Aires in two months’ time. The Olympics remains firmly in her sights; the only issue remaining is getting into that allimportant top 36.

“You can’t think beyond the Olympics, it’s the only focus right now. The way college is at the minute, I’m splitting second year into two years to accommodate my training and competing. After the Olympics, it’s normal for athletes to have a ‘light training’ year and this would allow me to get back into a full third year (junior sophister) here.”

The challenging discipline that is modern pentathlon demands serious commitment. The balance struck between college life and being a professional athlete is truly admirable.

London 2012 in her sights, the only way is forward for Natalya Coyle.

Trinity law man patrols Dublin midfield Conor Bates talks to Paddy O’Higgins, No.8 midfielder for Dublin Minor Football and Senior Freshman Law student at Trinity

W

atching the AllIreland Minor Football Final, one could not have missed the six-foot tall Paddy O’Higgins patrolling the midfield for Dublin.

The Raheny clubman represented the nation’s capital in every stage of this year’s competition, wearing the No.8 jersey and rising to dramatic heights to field any ball that came his way.

“I’ve been playing for Dublin since under-13 level, when the county board selectors assembled a development panel, and I’ve kept with it since then, right up to minor level,” says O’Higgins, adding that, “it got pretty intense as we went on.

“We used to just meet a couple of times every few months and gradually we would get together more and more every year. In my first year of Dublin minor football we started training around October, and this year was no different.”

The Senior Freshman Law student remembers training three nights a week with Dublin, in addition to his club training and matches, then “just training with Dublin five nights a

04 October, 2011

club profiles: Duhac & Duafc

DUHAC

T

he sun shines down on Front Square during an unseasonably warm September afternoon. On the Chapel steps, amidst tourists and students basking in the unexpected rays, I am talking with Trinity College’s newest international sporting revelation: Natalya Coyle, modern pentathlete, Olympic hopeful and Trinity Sport Scholar is very much a force for the future in an event that is fast gaining global media recognition. Firstly, we talk of Coyle’s introduction to the ultracompetitive, yet niche, world of the modern pentathlon.

“I started with the tetrathlon through pony club while I was in secondary school. I gradually added the fourth and fifth events throughout my teenage years and have got to where I am today. I now have a highperformance coach and funding provided by the Irish Sports Council to help me compete in the modern pentathlon at events across the world.”

The issue of balancing college life and study with the training and competition of professional athletics is one that Natalya handles well, especially due to the help of Trinity College.

“As a professional athlete, I basically study part time in Trinity. I combine 12 hours of lectures with 25-plus hours of training every week. A typical Tuesday could mean a run from 7 until 8am, followed by a shooting session. I would then have college hours until lunchtime and fencing practice from 2 until 5. The Tuesday schedule would be finished off with a swimming session. Trinity have

THE COMMENTARY BOX

week, closer to the games.”

The regime of training, which began a full seven months before the first round was played, had a profound effect on the team. “I had a great year with the whole panel. We were training so much that we all bonded together as great mates and became a brilliant team. We set out to win Leinster and see what happened from there. It was great to get a medal in the pocket though.”

Paddy fondly marks the Leinster final victory over Meath as his favourite game of this year’s championship: “That was a brilliant day. Winning the province was great, and I played really well that day so I enjoyed it especially.

“I really enjoyed the whole year.

Balancing the commitments of Dublin practice and studying for law exams was difficult, but when you really want something you just have to set your goals and make it happen.”

The tough question about his AllIreland final experience came next.

“Yeah, obviously I was sick about it.

We played a great game the whole day and to lose in such tight circumstances was very tough.”

The Dubs were up throughout the whole game and only lost after

� Paddy O’Higgins, wearing the No. 8 jersey, patrols the midfield for Dublin.

Photo: Raheny GAA Club

conceding a last-ditch goal to a strong Tipperary side. “They say losing an All-Ireland final is one of the hardest things a footballer can go through and I truly understand that now. It’s still pretty tough even now.”

Despite this unfortunate setback, the future looks bright for Paddy O’Higgins. “The dream is to follow in

the footsteps of Rory O’Carroll,” he says. O’Carroll won an All-Ireland with the Dublin senior team this year at his first attempt, at only 20 years of age.

“The plan for the future is to keep playing football at this level. I hope to get on to the under-21s panel next year and within a few years try to get a place on the Dublin seniors.”

WHY RUN? The most over-asked question runners hear. Aside from running being the cheapest, most straightforward and natural activity – the foundation for all sports – which provides a cardiovascular workout assisting in fat-burning, muscletoning, natural highs and strength, there is more to the story here in Trinity.

Dublin University Harriers and Athletics Club (DUHAC), founded 1857, has signed up more new members than ever before in the last two years.

College Park has held races since this time, witnessing events such as the first recognised world record for a flat race. Jumping to the 1860s, the first Colours race against UCD took place in College Park. The proposals for the construction of the Pav date back to 1881, where, like today, heavy drinking was the norm around events such as college races. These days you can see our Tuesday interval session galloping around the pitches in rain or snow.

DUHAC can boast international athletes such as Bryony Treston (a European XC athlete), Liam Tremble (European Junior XC athlete) and Becky Woods. This past summer witnessed DUHAC’s talented pentathlon star Natalya Coyle reach the final in the World Championships, and proving her Olympic ambitions to be fixed firmly on the agenda.

If you are an absolute beginner, a novice, an out-of-shape athlete from any sport looking to tune up or a complete pro, DUHAC has something to offer you. Aside from having training sessions virtually every day of the week, there are a host of intervarsity, Colours and fun races to join.

Darragh McCashin DUAFC THE DUBLIN University American Football Club is one of the quickest developing clubs in the entire college.

Founded in 2007, the team has gone from strength to strength in recent years.

Last season, the team achieved record numbers of participants and won their first trophy as a club. The College Bowl was secured in November by beating IAFL legends, the UL Vikings. With a final scoreline of 12-6, DUAFC marked their place in the Irish American Football history books. They followed up their success in Limerick with more brilliant performances, including a 20-16 victory against college rivals UCD, and a 59-14 demolition of the Dublin Dragons.

Success was enjoyed by both new and more established players last season, with Stephen Carton, Rob McDowell and Hunter Inman warranting special mentions for outstanding performances in an excellent campaign.

The team battled well throughout the regular season but fell short of securing a hard-fought playoff berth.

This season, the club has the ambition of pushing for the playoff place, which they narrowly missed out on last year.

With captain David Barker and head coach Darrin O’Toole at the helm of a superb bunch of players, and knowledgeable, experienced coaching staff, this is definitely an achievable goal. The DUAFC believes deeply in its motto - “We Love Football” - and strongly encourages anyone who agrees to get involved.

American Football is one of the fastest growing sports in Ireland, with more new teams joining every year. This squad is one of the most progressive in the country, and has big plans for the coming season, including retaining the College Bowl, with even bigger plans for years to come.

Conor Bates

SPORT

collegesport@trinitynews.ie

Mixed afternoon for DUFC 1sts and 2nds  1st XV defeat Cambridge in home game  2nd XV loss put down to experience Conor Bates Rugby Correspondent

RESULTS:

PADDY LAVELLE was the hero as Trinity defeated Cambridge University 17-6 on the Wednesday night of Freshers’ Week before a packed home crowd in College Park. Lavelle, a senior freshman, had come off the bench early in the second half for his senior debut and promptly seized his opportunity.

The centre broke the midfield deadlock to set up a try and then score a second as Trinity claimed a memorable victory.

DUFC 1sts - 17 Cambridge 2nds - 6 DUFC 2nds – 9 Cambridge 2nds – 17

“Trinity started well with Ed Barry conjuring a try out of nowhere on the right wing” The match had earlier been locked in a vicious stalemate. Cambridge had travelled to Dublin on Monday afternoon eager to hit the ground running and avenge a loss to Trinity at home last March. They began with sustained aggression with outhalf Greg Cushing playing the corners well to keep play in Trinity’s half.

However Trinity’s rugged but energetic defence, led by captain David Joyce, held firm. Cambridge, unable to cross the tryline, had to settle for a penalty from fullback Tom O’Toole and a drop goal from Kristian Cook.

Fullback James O’Donoghue kept Trinity in touch with a penalty to end the half 6-3.

The first half had been a war of attrition. A well-drilled Cambridge maul had dominated, driving back Trinity 20 to 30 metres at a time.

However Trinity forced penalties from the opposition scrum through the strength of props Ian Hirst and Paddy McCabe. Warren Larkin had won

valuable ground as the home side’s best ball-carrier in attack. The second half seemed set for a similarly tense arm-wrestle before the introduction of Lavelle.

His impact was immediate as he cut through the midfield from 60 metres out before offloading to winger Niyi Adeolukon who took the ball to within a metre of the line before being tackled.

O’Donoghue picked from the resulting ruck to cross and put Trinity in the lead for the first time in the match.

Lavelle struck again moments later.

In a clever set play, Joyce fired the ball behind two forwards back to the onrushing centre who sprinted through a hole in the defence to score beneath the posts. Trinity sealed the win on a scoreline of 17-6, the Dublin University side victorious for the second time this year against Cambridge.

Despite the persistent wind and drizzle, plenty of onlookers turned up to see Trinity’s 2nd XV take on their collegiate counterparts from Cambridge.

The Cambridge team were arguably more experienced, Trinity coach Derek Dowling explained, as this was a side comprised mostly of under-20s who were building for the future.

The game began with Trinity receiving the kickoff, and the home side started promisingly, winning the first lineout and the first scrum, and hitting hard in the ruck.

The opening ten minutes were dominated by clever and varied Trinity attacks with a good mix of powerful forward play, skilful backline passing and effective kicking from Trinity’s halfbacks.

Throughout the first half, Cambridge did appear to be in the

� Photo by Peter Wolfe

ascendancy, and Trinity’s defence looked a bit undercooked, but whenever Trinity were under pressure the necessary tackles were made, and the team responded in kind with forceful and dynamic attacks.

After a very solid Trinity start, the game became more frenetic with possession changing hands more quickly and neither side dominating outright.

The first score came in the 33rd minute, when a loose Trinity pass found its way into the hands of the Cambridge scrumhalf, and he touched down in the right corner. The conversion was successful, although it struck the left post on its way over.

At the half, Trinity were punished for another mistake; a sloppy lineout was collected by Cambridge which resulted in a try in the same corner.

The conversion was dispatched again, leaving the score 14-0 to Cambridge at

the whistle.

The home team, disproportionately in arrears, came out firing in the

“The unpredictable nature of VIIs means any game can turn in a minute” second half, recovering their kickoff almost immediately and working a penalty underneath the posts.

Costigan converted with aplomb. Five minutes later they were on the attack again; a great period of possession featuring Costigan, Dargan, O’Connell and outside centre Paddy Owens, saw

Trinity advance to 15 metres out before winning another penalty. Again, Costigan dispatched it with ease.

The game stagnated after this passage, with neither side making any ground. In the 57th minute Costigan slotted a penalty over from right under the posts, making the score 14-9 with 20 minutes to play.

Cambridge were the recipients of a penalty of their own almost immediately, however, and reinstated an eight point lead without much ado.

The rest of the game played out with both sides progressing well in possession, but neither side were able to capitalise on their opportunities with the ball. When going forward, Trinity again made good ground with Dargan and O’Connell pressing forward.

However the game finished at 17-9, leaving Trinity beaten in a game where they performed admirably yet were punished for some first half errors.

Freshers’ Week kicks off the sporting year  Record number of sign-ups for many of teams in Freshers’ Week  Accessibility of the club and events cited for increased interest James Hussey College Sport Editor

Freshers’ Week is a pivotal time for the college’s sports clubs. New members and seasoned veterans stake their claim for a place on their respective teams, representing the future of sport in Trinity College.

Trinity News caught up with captains from across the university’s sporting spectrum, enquiring about the ongoing success and importance of Freshers’ Week.

Surfing club captain Callum Swift was delighted with the amount of people signing up to participate. “We had a record number of new signups in Freshers’ Week, around 450, and are very excited about the year to come. We are starting off the year with the eponymous Surf/Sailing/Sevens Festival.

“Then we will be organizing a smaller trip for the intermediate and advanced surfers in Trinity, followed by our hugely popular annual Halloween trip.”

David Barker, captain of Dublin University American Football (DUAFC), was looking forward to a promising year at the helm of one of the college’s quickest developing

sides. “Freshers’ Week was great for DUAFC. This is our first full year as a fully affiliated DUCAC and we were delighted to see so many new players sign up. We hope to successfully defend our college title and either go abroad to play or play an American team here.”

The college’s oldest sporting club was well represented on the sign-up sheet. Men’s Captain Paul Ervine spoke about Dublin University Harriers and Athletics Club’s (DUHAC) plans for the year ahead.

“All in all we’re delighted with the number we attracted during the week with over 250 sign-ups. This is a significant improvement on the numbers seen over the last few years. We’re in the fortunate position that the club appeals to the entire college community so we get plenty of postgraduate and staff members signing which supplements the undergrads we attract.

“It’s really important to us that we are a club that appeals to all members regardless of ability. We have some promising athletes already training with us and hopefully with some training, we can unearth some new talent.”

Tennis PRO Stephen Ludgate emphasised the accessibility of the

club, including its social calendar.

“Freshers’ Week was a great success for the Tennis Club with a huge number of incoming first years signing up, along with all of our returning members. The Club will look to build on last year’s success, by once again gaining promotion for our second and third teams in the floodlight leagues, while our first team will hope to go all the way in Class 1.

“The men’s and women’s clubs will head into intervarsity competition with real aspirations of taking the title home. Another successful year is also expected off the court with many great social nights already lined up.”

Soccer Captain Conall O’Shaughnessy was happy with yet another promising Freshers’ Week for DUAFC. “There’s been a huge level of interest with well over 100 players signing up to take part in trials that took place last week. These numbers will be whittled down to about 20 who will represent the college Freshers’ team this year.”

Trinity’s fencing club showed a marked increase in uptake this year, according to club captain Ned Mitchell.

“DU Fencing has had a far busier stand this year, with interest from both old and new students well up. This year’s

� Dublin University’s Hockey Club began the season with a win

main challenge is to engage these new fencers and keep up the high competitive standard of the fencing club (and history of beating UCD). We need to build a solid foundation for the years to come, starting by encouraging as many of the new recruits as possible to take part in the Schull Beginners competition in Cork. All in all a promising start to what will be a good year for DUFC, where investment in our beginners is key.”

Dublin University Hockey Club (DUHC) began the season with a

big win against league newcomers Mullingar. Sean Flynn made his long-awaited return to the fold, the Messianic return welcomed by one and all in DUHC. Despite the lack of competitive games during the summer, coach Billy Evans had the team welldrilled and organised, ready for the new season.

A fitting sentiment with which to finish, the freshers of today will carry on the university’s proud sporting tradition, and for that, these clubs are looking to the future.

TRINITY NEWS