The University Times, Volume 3, Issue 2 by The University Times

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The University Times Irish Student Newspaper of the Year

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Sleeping with your roommate

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Does he still have a chance?

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Rory O’Donovan‘s “Domestic Discomfort”

Senator David Norris writes for UT

Slut Walk/Europe/ Working Clas Heroes

FEATURES P6

OPINION P13

Phil accuse anti-fascist group of sabotage Higgins beats Norris in campus poll

»» “Trinity Against Fascism” urged sponsors to withdraw support »» Future Phil guests urged to cancel appearances Ronan Costello Editor THE PHIL have accused an anti-fascist organisation based in Trinity of attempting to sabotage the society’s finances and scheduled guest appearances. The allegations come in the wake of the cancellation of this Thursday’s debate on immigration at which British National Party leader Nick Griffin was to speak. The University Times has seen an email which the anti-fascist group, Trinity Against Fascism, sent to one of the Phil’s sponsors, KC Peaches. In the email, which carried “KC Peaches Sponsoring Event with Holocaust Denier” as its subject line, the organisation’s founder, Rónán Burtenshaw, explains the mission of the organisation and then goes on to say that anti-racist groups had alerted the members of Trinity Against Fascism to the possibility that Griffin would use the Phil event to meet with and organise violent, far right groups in Ireland. He then goes on to outline some of the statements and crimes of Griffin before saying the following: “We would ask that KC Peaches

not sponsor an organisation that is giving a platform to such hatred. We wanted to make your organisation aware of any potential association between KC Peaches and this kind of hatred. It is possible that pictures from the event might include signs with your brand. Certainly the cards needed to access the event carry your brand.” it is clearly stated at the end of the email that request to cancel sponsorship of the Phil is conditional on the withdrawal of the invitation to Griffin. The Phil regard the above request as an attempt to sabotage their society and have written proof that Trinity Against Fascism sent similar letters to most of their sponsors. Phil Steward, Lydia Rahill, said that some of the sponsors contacted the Phil to let them know of Trinity Against Fascism’s emails. “There was no significant effect on The Phil, primarily due to the hyperbolic nature of the emails and transparent attempts at misrepresentation. We clarified the situation, stating that Mr Griffin was to speak for 10 minutes on immigration in the context of a debate, and was not to be given a political platform for a hate speech or

USI to organise sleepout in Dublin Leanna Byrne News Editor THE UNION of Students in Ireland (USI) is launching a national “Freeze the Fees, Save the Grant” campaign in response to a figure in The Irish Independent that suggested that the registration fee for students may increase to €5,000. The campaign intends to organise a march and sleepout in Dublin next month to fight the speculative figure. The feeling in USI is that more radical action must be taken, therefore a sleep-out would be more effective and would mirror the “Occupy Wall Street” protests. The demonstration is to begin on the afternoon of November 16th, and the USI expects to place a few

thousand tents on either O’Connell St or preferably Kildare St. The demonstration is not expected to be as big as last year’s “Education not Emigration” march as there is limited enthusiasm from constituent organisations for another march. Tralee IT and the western universities and ITs were particularly reluctant to mimic last year’s efforts. Speaking to The College Tribune, President of the USI Gary Redmond explained that if fees rose to €5,000 in December’s budget then “tens of thousands” of students would not be able to afford to attend college next September. In addition, many students have questioned the continued on page 2

UT POLL Leanna Byrne News Editor

A dance troupe for the Bollywood film, “Ek Tha Tiger”, rehearse for the cameras. a ‘paid-up opportunity for him and the BNP to organise with the Irish far-right’. The sponsors who contacted us were ultimately unimpressed by the correspondence from TAF,” said Rahill. While some of the sponsors who contacted the Phil may have been unimpressed by TAF’s correspondence, the proprietor of KC Peaches was persuaded and assured Burtenshaw that no sponsorship for such an event would be forthcoming. In an email response to Burtenshaw, the proprietor said the following: “Thank

you for your message and for bringing this to my attention. KC Peaches is not a political organisation and we take no public political stance. However, personally, I am completely opposed to Fascism and am also personally opposed to Nick Griffin speaking at The Phil. You cannot debate with someone, who in my opinion is completely pigheaded and disillusioned with reality. I will of course inform The Phil of my personal distaste for such activity and really appreciate you informing me as I was not

aware of the debate prior to your message. I will also inform them that no monies from KC Peaches can be allocated to such a venture.” An official statement from Trinity Against Fascism makes no apologies for any approaches made to Phil sponsors. “We stand by our actions in this matter. We broke no rules. Contacting sponsors is an established and legitimate tactic of protesting against an organisation. We have contacted the sponsors over this weekend to let them know that TAF no longer has objections to any

Photo: Ronan Costello sponsorship of The Phil in the wake of the withdrawal of the invitation.” Trinity Against Fascism also made representations to future guests of the Phil, including documentary film maker and political activist, Michael Moore who was scheduled to speak at the Phil yesterday evening. There is no evidence to suggest that Moore’s cancellation of this event had anything to do with emails sent by Trinity Against Fascism. continued on page 4

IN A recent poll by The University Times Michael D Higgins pulled ahead of the other candidates with 31% support from students. The poll was conducted on Thursday, October 6, and 404 students were polled with a 199/205 male to female split. The poll was carried out as part of a nationwide poll in Irish third level institutions, co-ordinated by UCD’s The College Tribune. Higgins’s closest competitior, Trinity Senator David Norris, received 21% of students’ first preferences. This was a surprising defeat for

The numbers: Total polled: 404 Total Males: 199 Total Females: 205 Percentage who said they would be voting: 82% Percentage who said they would not be voting: 16% Percentage who didn’t know if they’d vote: 2%

Norris and was reported on by The Irish Times and Journal.ie. Support for the remaining candidates from students was extremely low. Sean Gallagher only garnered 8%, while Davis received 6 per cent and Mitchell and McGuinness both tie with 2% support. Scallon did not get any support among Trinity students. Support for McGuinness has shown to be higher in national opinion polls, whereas student support for Davis and Scallon seem to be in line with general opinion. Continued on page 2

Percentages based on replies of those who said they would be voting. HIggins: 31% Norris: 21% Gallagher: 8% Davis: 6% McGuinness: 2% Mitchell: 2% Scallon: 0% Don’t know: 30%

Hist treasurer pressured into resigning UT Investigation Leanna Byrne News Editor FOLLOWING FINBARR Begley’s resignation as Treasurer of the Hist, somestudents have questioned the validity of operations within the Hist in relation to spending and its decision making process. Begley took his position as Treasurer at the end of the last academic term following his election. On the September 28 Begley stepped down, but did not attend the announcement of his resignation. This was made during the Hist’s private business meeting. Although Hist Librarian Ian Curran has issued a statement saying “Finbarr underestimated his workload” and

therefore gave up his post, others close to the Hist have claimed that he was asked to step down because targets were not met and that if he didn’t take the decision to resign himself, he would be asked to do so at a committee meeting. Either way, it has become clear that Begley’s decision to step down was not made willingly. A source from the Central Society’s Committee (CSC) denied that the recent resignation was due to targets not being met as deadlines or targets are not set for their accounts. A member of the Hist committee who wishes to remain anonymous suggested that there may be over €1000 lost due to bad management of funds. Auditor Liam Ó’Néill refused to comment on any of these points.

Shortly after Begley’s resignation John Engle filled the Treasurer position uncontested. However, various members of the Hist expressed their disappointment with the committee reshuffle. An email was sent last week to members stating that the auditor would be accepting applications for debates convenor,

all. This practice disregards the CSC regulations that insist that societies hold an EGM whenever a committee member steps down. This year the Hist is attempting to recover from a huge drop in membership. Fresher’s week provides the Hist with a boost in revenue as every year they take in at least 2,000 new mem-

Hist Auditor Liam Ó’Néill would not comment on the resignation of Begley.

whereas the Treasurer post was not mentioned. One member of the Hist committee that wishes to remain unnamed claimed that elections were either held “under the radar” or not held at

bers. Students pay a fee of €5 to join, giving the Hist €10,000 extra to spend. Furthermore, approximately €30,000 is given to the Hist from the CSC. Spending during Fresher’s Week

is also kept to a minimum as goodie bags are generally procured free of charge from sponsors and advertisement covers the majority of the cost of the magazine sent in the Fresher’s mail-out. Despite the boost to the accounts that the Freshers and new members provide, the quality of the events organised have been questionable for a number of years. In 2010 the alternative Freshers’ Ball was held in XXI and promised first years the opportunity to get to know other new members and the committee. Yet, unknown to many students not used to frequenting XXI, the majority of the clientele are not Trinity students. Furthermore, the Hist committee were given wristbands that admitted them to a VIP area, disassociating themselves from any Freshers.

This year the Hist hosted the club night “Histeria” in the Purty Kitchen. Even though it was described as “the best and cheapest Freshers’ night out”, a leading source close to the committee explained that “all the old guard was there, mostly on the bottom floor, mostly sitting down, drinking and talking amongst themselves, while only a handful of Freshers’ were strewn about the empty club, looking fairly disappointed with (for some of them, presumably) their first night out in Dublin.” During the year costs include one-day in-house debating competitions, like Maidens or the Freshers’ Masters. The insider source revealed that

continued on page 3

Tuesday, October 18 2011 | The University Times

TIMESNEWS Contents

A week in the life of Trinity’s Twitterati

TIMESFEATURES

Brian Lucey

SenDavidNorris

@brianmlucey

@ SenDavidNorris

@SeamusConboy wonderful to see the sf guff evaporating in the cold light of a mature, stable democracy.

Speaking at the gates of Leinster House on the betrayal of the Irish people yet again though the Keane Report #aras11

Rachel Barry

RoryO’Donovan talks to students who have stepped across the domestic line and slept with a housemated

@rachelbarry

Lousy day for the #occupydamestreet lads. If you’re passing by, give them a bit of encouragement

Tim Smyth writes a stunning piece on realising he was suffering from depression and how that realisation was the beginning of a new chapter in his life

Darragh Genockey

@ronanburtenshaw

@genockey

@barratree

Dana vowed to quit the election if her family were brought into it again. They have been, and she’s not quitting. Would you vote for a LIAR?

James Hagan talks about the life of transgender students in Trinity and the world over

TIMESOPINION

Rónán Burtenshaw

Barra Roantree

Finished writing statements for Trinity Against Fascism. But the cause endures. We will keep fighting the fight against organised hatred.

@universitytimes I dunno, Tom Lowe would have had the entire of Blackrock College begging for mercy by now. Up the game. ; )

Higgins leads the pack with students

Trinity’s Senator David Norris gets one last chance to make his case to Trinity students Hannah Cogan examines the rational behind limiting free speech in the wake of the Nick Griffin saga

continued from front page

Rob Farhat explains the EU/IMF bailout for those who don’t read the FT

Students were shown to be uncertain about which candidate to choose. 30% of students questioned said that they did not know which candidate they would be voting for, a preference that surpassed a vote for Norris. Yet, this did not mean that students are going to abstain as 82% of students questioned said that they would be voting in this election. A mere 2% of students did not know whether they were voting or not. Only 6% of students who are eligible to vote are not registered, 3% of students “don’t care” and 1% of students will not be able to get home to their constituencies to vote.

TIMESSPORTS The Trinity Player brings some exPremiereship expertise UT Sports Matt Rye reports on the DUSSC EGM and the election of a new club captain to see them through the year In an Olympic year Ronan Richardson tries his hand at sprinting, ending up wheezing and shaken

The University Times

Magazine

Higgins’s support among students is in contrast to a Sunday Business Post national poll that shows Sean Gallagher leading for the first time. The national poll shows support for the independent candidate rising 18 points to 39 per cent, 12 points ahead of Mr Higgins, who rose two points to 27 per cent. These figures depict the presidential election to be more of a two-horse race. The differing figures in both opinion polls could be the result of a more liberal outlook on the election than the rest of the population. The large support for Higgins from Trinity students contests the idea that Gallagher will pull the young vote. Higgins has recently

had to retort to suggestions that Gallagher’s youth and business background would make him a favourite among young and old. “I would regard that as deeply insulting not only to me, but to everyone over the age of 60,” Mr Higgins said to The Sunday Business Post. Despite this, Mr Higgins commented in the latest series of interviews with candidates on RTE Radio that he has the track record for the role of president ahead of Gallagher and is keeping faith. He claimed that his wisdom and experience in judgement would be an advantage if he was voted into the Áras. Michael D Higgins leads the poll among Trinity students ahead of the election.

Tommy Gavin spent some time in Brussels and saw that the EU is an organisation run by interns Rachel Lavin went on the slut walk in Galway and was won over The Shebeen Chic has closed. One of the hangouts of the trendy bourgeoisie, we reflect on its demise The Culture section features the best student writing on film, fashion and theatre

Credits

USI plan mass march and sleepout continued from front page validity of the campaign considering where the source came from. The Irish Independent quoted a senior university manager stating that “around €5,000 a year were needed to put universities on a sound footing”. However, there has been no known source inside the Department of

USI President Gary redmond says that the governement could bring in 5,000 euro fees

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Despite this, Murphy claims that without the efforts of the USI that fees would be €3,000 this year and that it was extremely important for students to oppose fees early in the budgetary process. “If students don’t take part then the government can put whatever price they want on education,” said Murphy.

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to make sure that students get involved with campaigns to make an impact. Another issue that students have with the new campaign is that USI are implicitly implying that they will no longer be campaigning for the removal of fees. Some students are disappointed that USI have dropped the campaign for free education.

TRINITY’S “FINA NCIAL BREAKING POIN T” Barra Roantree interv iews the Vice-Provost on p3

was important to keep students in the loop because the increase “is always a

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Education or the government that has confirmed this figure. In a recent interview with The University Times Deputy President, Colm Murphy said that “the figure was tossed around” and that no decisions had been made in regard to the registration fee by any governmental departments. Murphy then went on to explain that it

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EDITOR Ronan Costello DEPUTY EDITOR Rónán Burtenshaw NEWS EDITOR Leanna Byrne FEATURES EDITOR Rory O’Donovan OPINION EDITOR Hannah Cogan SPORTS EDITOR Jack Leahy DEPUTY NEWS EDITOR Ian Curran DEPUTY FEATURES EDITOR Tomás Sullivan DEPUTY OPINION EDITOR Max Sullivan DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR Matt Rye PHOTO EDITOR Apoorv Vyas Magazine Editor Tommy Gavin Magazine Deputy Editor Luke O’Connel CULTURE EDITOR David Doyle CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dargan Crowley-LOng WEB EDITORS Peter Twomey & Melanie Giedlin

The University Times | Tuesday, October 18 20 2011

TIMESNEWS

Bollywood star charged with homicide hit-and-run »» Overseas travels were restrictied following conviction for poaching

»» Khan’s ex, Ashwarya Rai, claims that he harassed her after their breakup

Niall Donnelly College Affairs Editor

As stated earlier the actor was originally charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder but the charges dropped after a Bombay High Court order. According to Bollywood news outlets,“The high court had held that Section 304 part II of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was not applicable in the case and the actor be tried under 304A of the IPC for rash and negligent driving and other relevant sections.” Despite this, the Supreme Court had later set aside the order stating the magistrate was free to charge Salman with more serious offence based on evidence presented at the time of trial. If guilty, he could face up to ten years in jail. We await the outcome of the latest proceedings. Khan’s troubled legal past does not end there. On the 17th February 2006, Khan was sentenced to one year in prison for hunting an endangered species, the Chinkara. The sentence was stayed by a High Court during an appeal. Nonetheless, on the 10th April 2006, he was sentenced to a term of five

The shooting of Bollywood blockbuster movie Eh Tha Tiger on campus has caused a mixture of excitement and controversy. Through a quick investigation of various records, the leading man and superstar Salman Khan has been found to have a history of legal troubles. Just last month a Rajasthan court finally relaxed Khan’s legal requirement of applying to Court every time he wishes to leave the country. Previously, Khan was required to submit a detailed application, despite his acting career frequently taking him all over the world. This sanction was handed down due to poaching offences for using firearms to kill endangered Blackbuck in Jodhpur. Now the 13 year old restriction has finally been relaxed. However, he currently faces another day in Court relating to a hit and run incident in 2002. On the 28th September 2002, Khan was arrested after his car ran into a bakery in Mumbai. One person

died as he was sleeping on the pavement outside the bakery and three others were injured in the incident. Khan was arrested for rash and negligent driving, and subsequently charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. These charges were later dropped. Nevertheless, in March of this year proceedings were again commenced against him relating to the same offence. The prosecution had filed an application in the Metropolitan magistrate’s court at Bandra seeking to charge Salman of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in addition to other charges levelled against the actor. The prosecution has claimed that there is sufficient direct and circumstantial evidence on record to prove the actor guilty under the enhanced charges. In response the actor’s lawyer stated, “For charging someone for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, both knowledge and intention are required,” adding, “Salman neither had the knowledge nor the intention to kill anyone”.

years in jail for hunting the endangered animal. He was remanded to a Jodhpur jail, and remained there until 13th April where he was granted bail. The Jodhpur sessions court upheld the five year jail term for Khan after rejecting his appeal against the judgement handed down in 2006. Khan himself did not attend the proceedings as he was busy with a shooting elsewhere. As a result of the judgment, he was placed under house arrest in Jodhpur after a Rajasthan court upheld a prison sentence passed upon him for poaching. After spending six days in jail for the offence, Khan was released on bail on the 31st August 2007. His relationship with actress Ashwarya Rai was controversially reported in the Indian media. The couple broke up in March 2002 and soon after Rai accused Khan of harassing her. According to reports, she claimed, “Khan was not able to come to terms with the break up and harassed her until her concerned parents lodged a complaint”.

BESS students taking a spin for Leukaemia charity

Salman Khan, Bollywood’s most popular male actor, has had serious brushes with the law.

Photo: Ronan Costello

Miller to break world record Saoirse O’Reilly Staff Writer On Wednesday, October 26 Ireland’s story on mental health will be rewritten, when the record for “most people to write a story” will be attempted. For 12 hours, from 8am to 8pm, Trinity College Dublin’s Physics Garden will be taken over by a marquee where students from all over Ireland will gather to add their line to the story. The previous record was achieved by 838 people in Vanuatu in 2009, so the aim is to receive 900 contributions. With over 17,000 students in Trinity alone, this record is hoped to be easily broken. “Mental health is a part of everyone’s story” says Louisa Miller, TCDSU Welfare Officer. “It affects us all either directly or indirectly. It does not mean that you are

suffering from an illness, it is about your whole outlook on life and how you deal with it. This is why there needs to be awareness. So what better way to do this than to break a Guinness world record?” See Change is an alliance of organisations working through the National Stigma Reduction Partnership that bring about positive change in mental health attitudes. They have teamed up with Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union, the Union of Students in Ireland and ‘Fighting Words’ to try and break a world record and send this message out loud and clear that mental health affects everyone. The story will begin with a paragraph outlining characters, after that it is completely up to the contributors to write whatever they

wish. This will be typed up as it is written, and will then be projected on a large screen for everyone to see. The story may be completely disorganised but this represents mental health in everyone’s lives. “Like any realistic story, everyone’s mental health has its ups and downs, twists and turns,” explains Kahill Thompson-Coyle from See Change. “This will be an exciting and fun event for everyone who gets involved, but we need everyone’s help.” DU Player’s will be joining in on the action by acting out the story as it is written and there will be goodie bags handed out. This will be an entertaining event that will bring a huge number of people together. It will help to “reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with mental health

problems” as ThompsonCoyle puts it. Louise Miller, Trinity College Dublin’s Welfare Officer said that this event can be nothing but positive. Although it is highly likely that the record will be broken, even if it is not, the event will spread awareness about mental health. The enjoyable nature of the day will encourage a positive outlook on the subject of mental health that people assume is all negative. However, spreading awareness will not stop here. On Tuesday, October 25 the Dragons Den will be heating up. An event inspired by the television series that will be organised with Trinity’s “Psych Soc” will encourage students who have an idea how to change the view of mental health, to battle for 2000 euro funding.

Hist practices under scrutiny Two Trinity BESS students are aiming to put college and Ireland on the map with a World Record Attempt for the longest continuous ride on a ferris wheel, in aid of Bone Marrow for Leukaemia Trust. David White and Hugh Gallagher, both Senior Sophister BESS students are planning to attempt to break the record already set, and to ride on a Ferris Wheel for 24 hours. The location for their attempt is the iconic

“Wheel of Dublin”, which has become synonymous with the Dublin skyline, the 60 meter revolver is located at the O2 in the Point Village complex at the Docklands. The unique event is due to start at 7am on Saturday October 22. Both Gallagher and White are hoping to raise €2000 to go toward helping to maintain vital support for the running of the Hematology Department in St James Hospital in Tallaght,

Irelands only allogeneic transplant centre. Coincidentally, St James Hospital is also the base for many of College’s health science courses including nursing and medicine. Helping them in their mission and world record attempt is Trinity Ents, who they have teamed up with to help raise profile and of course extra money for the charity. Ciarán Nolan

Trinity showcases innovation Hilary Grubb Staff Writer On the October 6 2011, new inventions were showcased in Trinity College Dublin. Trinity exercised its excellence in many areas including health and intellectual technology producing various advanced innovations in the field. In the field of cancer research was Ursula Bond’s study of biomarker peptides. Cancer accounts for approximately 7 million deaths annually. In order to find improved methods to diagnos cancer and to find a cure for cancer one must first discover what the distinction is between cancer cells and normal ones. However, in relation

to cancer diagnosis Dr. Bond compared it to “looking for a needle in a haystack.” “The approach we have taken is to try to reduce the size of the haystack,” says Bond. “Instead of looking at the whole cell, we use just one protein called Heat Shock Protein(HSP) 70. This protein is induced when cells are stressed and the environment of the cancer cell is a stressful one. HSP70 carries around small bits of other proteins called peptides. This pool of peptides is like a barcode of the cancer cell and some of these peptides can boost immune responses against the cancer cell. What we are trying to do is to find molecules that can recognise peptides within this pool. The recogniser

molecules are then tested to see if they can discriminate between the normal and the cancer cell. If they can, then these recogniser molecules can be used as biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, and even to deliver drugs directly to a tumour.” In addition to innovation in health, there were showcases in technology. Privacy and security have failed to keep up the pace with evolving technology. In his research, Impartio, Hitesh Tewari’s goal was to “greatly alleviate the task of users who would like to assert their right to privacy, and yet enjoy a wide range of existing online services.”

continued from front page students organising the competition were “told to keep costs down” and they “did not feel financially supported”. The source went on to highlight that other major first-year and new member orientated events, namely Tea and Toast, also ensured that costs be kept at a minimum. “A lot of Freshers’ help to fund the Hist’s operations, and very little of that money is spent on showing those people a good time. By the end of last year, debates were only half or one third full because the committee failed to provide something which its members would be interested in.” So where does the money go? A strong debating record is vital for the society. The majority of the Hist’s budget is allocated to pay for the expenses of a very small and experienced group of debaters who attend competitions all over the world. The

college funds these competitions by issuing the Hist with grants from the CSC. This obliges them to keep a competitive record. Debaters are requested to cover their transport costs that are generally subsidised, while the registration fee for each debater is paid by the society. The biggest costs incurred cover the European Universities Debating Championship and the World Universities Debating Championship with registration fees amounting to $450. Nevertheless, the greater part of the society’s members will never reach this level, excluding them from this privilege. “While some societies run table quizzes for fun, or others do it for charity, the Hist ran a Harry Potter table quiz last year in order to subsidise the attendance of a few of its best debaters at a competition in Botswana,” said our source. “Many of these debaters could have otherwise afforded what

was essentially a holiday. The same can be said of all the high-profile competitions that the Hist sends teams to.” Although the Hist pays for one or two Irish Intervarsity competitions for younger and less experienced debaters the registration fees are lower. Later in the year the committee limits the number of teams they will pay for and prioritises the students that win competitions. Debating workshops for new members consequently come to an end. This puts pressure on students to become highquality debaters in a short space of time or else secure a place on the committee if they want to be active in the Hist again. Another significant expenditure are the guest speakers. Last year, flights of a high profile guest were paid for in advance and if the guest cancelled, the money was lost. This money comes from CSC and the

Hist’s own purse but due to CSC regulation, societies can only cover speakers’ travel expenses up to €200, give them entertainment expenses up to €60 and offer them accommodation for two nights up to a maximum of €90 per night. Also, Irish speakers may only given travel expenses and only 1 night’s accommodation. Dublin speakers are only promised entertainment. The Hist regularly exceeds the limits set down by CSC. Even though the Hist prides itself on high quality debating that attracts a number of high-profile guest speakers, this does not attract the members who have signed up during Fresher’s Week. The Hist plays to, and caters for, a small number of people interested in particular topics. Except during Freshers’ week, when they are interested in attracting revenue.

For daily posts on college news, go to universitytimes.ie

Tuesday, October 18 2011 | The University Times

TIMESNEWS The Nick Griffin saga: Machinations and recriminations continued from front page The Phil regards these tactics as not only underhanded but also detrimental to TAF’s credibility. “The Phil respects the right to peaceful protest within college. However, we feel that TAF’s tactics were at times irresponsible and sometimes without regard for the principles behind their own movement. Their misrepresentations along with their attempts to sabotage future events entirely unrelated to the immigration debate crossed a line that has, we feel, undermined their legitimacy to some extent,” said Phil Steward Lydia Rahill. “Moreover, it is our view that there was by no means a conclusive resolution by the student body at large against this debate. We feel

that instead of sourcing a legitimate mandate amongst the student body to gauge support, members of TAF self-appointed themselves as moral representatives of the student body. In attacking the Phil and undermining its ability to act autonomously and with funding obtained through hard work on the part of council, we feel TAF may have acted without regard for the paid membership of the Phil (a large portion of the student body) and their right to access of Phil events not just related to the issue in question, but year-round.” Following the withdrawal of the invitation to Griffin, BNP spokesperson said the following said that the cancellation of the event was due to “an insignificant, unelected mob” that has “now established that it

can control exactly what and who fellow students are allowed to listen to. They are banned from hearing any argument that is contrary to those held by the newly appointed ministry of truth.” “I know a lot of Irish people, some of them good friends, I cannot think of one of them who would stand for being told what they can and cannot hear. On that basis I must say that I am surprised that unlike Oxford University, the students at Trinity College rolled over so easily.” Nick Griffin, with whom The University Times had scheduled

a video interview, said that the he was disappointed. “I was looking forward to giving reasoned argument to show that immigration has not been to the benefit of the Irish (and indeed British) people. I wanted to convince people, through debate, that economically and culturally any benefit from immigration was far outweighed by negative impacts. I will not now have that opportunity. More importantly, those attending will no longer have the opportunity of considering the other side of the argument to that presented in the establishment media.” However, The Sunday Times, a mainstream broadsheet newspaper, was evidently disgusted that the invitation to Griffin was withdrawn so hastily. In a particularly

pointed attack on the Phil, The Sunday Times implied that the society was betraying its prestigious heritage by inviting the scandal that Griffin was inevitably going to bring. It went on to say that this tendency towards headline-grabbing guests had become a trait of the Phil’s in recent years to the detriment of real debate. The piece finsihed as follows: “The controversy about Mr Griffin was as tediously predicatbel as the with drawal of his invitation. If the Phil needs to plug a schedule gap, we recommend the following motion: That this society has become a shameless attention-seeker”.

Nick Griffin’s Letter to Phil patron, Sir Bob Geldof Dear Sir Bob, I write to you in your capacity as Honorary Patron of Trinity University’s Philosophical Society along with others bestowed with that responsibility and privilege. As you may well know, a debate involving me was due to take place in Dublin on 20th October. I had been invited by students at the Philosophical Society in order speak on the motion: This House Believes That Immigration Has Gone Too Far. Unfortunately last Thursday night a mob of around thirty far-left activists caused a disturbance on campus, intimidating and threatening students to such a degree that the proposed debate was cancelled on safety grounds. Members of the Philosophical Society were left shaken and in no doubt that physical violence would meet any attempt to hold their debate with the further threat of additional violent protestors being imported from Northern Ireland. It is my understanding that students and college staff alike have been left so terrorised and intimidated by these recent events that they are too scared even to put in complaints to the police. In Irish law, blackmail, harassment and certain organised levels of intimidation constitute criminal offences. I hope that you will agree, whatever your own political persuasion, that such a shocking and flagrant attack on free speech on the oldest student society in the world cannot be allowed to succeed. Consequently, as an Honorary Patron charged with “protecting the Society and using their good names to ensure its continued survival”, I am appealing to you to intervene. Such an attack on free speech is an affront to our democratic values and a particular wrong against the Irish people themselves. A proud and independent nation cannot be allowed to be subjugated by the extreme left to such an extent that it is effectively denied the opportunity to even discuss its own identity. This matter has moved beyond the realm of party politics to become a matter of fundamental principles of free speech, democracy and self-determination. I therefore trust that you will raise this issue with the Philosophical Society as a matter of urgency.

CC: AL PACINO BERTIE AHERN DAME HELEN MIRREN THE EDGE FRANÇOISE BOURGUIGNON LORD MARK MALLOCH BROWN GABRIEL BYRNE MOHAMED ELBARADEIi NIALL FERGUSON NEWT GINGRICH RUTH BADER GINSBERG JOHN HUME FW DE KLERK SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN JOSEPH NYE GEORGE RITZER SIR SALMAN RUSHDIE EDWARD SAID OLIVER STONE ARCHBISHOP

Yours sincerely Nick Griffin MEP

Statements made by both parties to UT Below and to the right are statements made to The University Times by both Trinity Against Fascism and The Phil, repsectivcly. Over the past week, these two groups have been going back and forth, monitoring the activities of another and generally insisting that the opposing side was morally compromised and should give way. Trinity Against Fascism’s goal was simply to have the invitation of Nick Griffin. Now that this has been achieved, they thank the Phil for taking a “responsible course of action”. The Phil, on the other hand, were less willing to engage in verbal fisticuffs last week and now seek to document their complaints with the tactics employed by Trinity Against Fascism and the arguments

made to justify those tactics. Having kept a record of everything that was said on the Trinity Against Fascism facebook group (invite only), the Phil point to the comments made by the organisation’s founder Rónán Burtenshaw who they claim used the threat of violence from ambiguous third parties to “consistently and insidiously” intimidate The Phil. They also refer to posts by an unnamed SU representative and UT journalist who referred to both organisations in his posts (this journalist made no contribution to any of UT’s Griffin coverage). Finally, The Phil invite a group of people from Trinity Against Fascism to debate on Thursday night.

Trinity Against Fascism opposed a platform being given to Nick Griffin and the organised racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny and other forms of hatred he represents. We did not see Nick Griffin’s invitation as a free speech issue. Nick Griffin is free to travel to Ireland and to speak whenever or wherever he wants. The invitation for him to speak in a prestigious institution goes far beyond his right to free speech. It gave him a platform to use in the spread of organised hatred in Ireland. Gaining platforms in prestigious institutions is an established tactic of the far-right. They do not do it to sway the opinion of students. Nick Griffin is on-the-record as saying that “well-directed boots and fists” are of more importance than “rational debate” in the pursuit of his ideology. The BNP try to gain these platforms for two reasons. Firstly, to gain legitimacy for their hateful ideology. They want to associate themselves with institutions of standing, like Trinity College and The Phil, and thereby gain credibility. Through their invitation to The Phil they also sought to bring their ideas into the mainstream of the Irish debate on immigration. Immigration is a serious issue – playing an important role in economic and social policy. The BNP hope to insert into the conversation demagoguery and ‘white nationalism’, thereby distorting or destroying serious debate.

In the interest of safety and in the wake of threats of violence the Phil is in agreement with the administration of college that to go ahead with our planned debate on immigration would pose too great a security risk to the students and staff of Trinity. We find this situation deeply regrettable. We are writing with a view to express our disappointment as a college society with the manner in which the opposition to the event has behaved and to propose a productive step in moving froward from this point. Whilst the Phil is in agreement with college authorities, we feel we must express our disappointment as a college society with the manner in which the opposition to the event has behaved. Without creating a mandate from the college population and with little evidence of grass-roots support from the student body at large, groups such as ‘Trinity Against Fascism’ have, it is felt, appointed themselves as the university’s moral representatives and acted in an underhand manner to ensure that their particular set of beliefs are prioritised at any cost. As outlined in a recent article in the University Times, representatives from ‘Trinity Against Fascism’ and the Socialist Workers Student Society have falsely claimed that the Phil actively censored speeches in the debate, postured and advertised Mr Griffin as a speaker on and off-campus, rejected TAF representatives in applications to speak because of their political views, planned to deny access to college writers to the event; and that Mr Griffin’s participation in the debate was as part of a ‘tour’ of the country during which he might foster links with Irish political groups. All of the above accusations are fictional and were consistently used as a means to build an emotional and aggressive opposition to this debate. In contacting all of the Phil’s sponsors, TAF made no mention of the context of Mr Griffin’s speech - a 10 minute speech in a two-sided 68 minute debate on immigration - and implied that we were providing a platform for a hate speech. In addition, several individuals within opposition organisations have consistently suggested that proceeding with the event would provoke a violent reaction. The threat of violence by ambiguous third parties was consistently and insidiously used to intimidate the Phil into reconsidering the event. ‘Trinity Against Fascism’ repeatedly communicated and shared information with bodies opposed to the event external to campus. Online the group stated: “The following are *potential* consequences of the demonstrations that will ensue from extending – and deciding not to withdraw –the invitation to Nick Griffin: Physical or verbal abuse directed towards Trinity students or staff members. Physical or verbal abuse directed towards members of migrant or minority groups in Trinity and in the surrounding area. Injuries to members of Trinity’s security staff. Injuries to members of the Gardaí should any confrontations ensue. Arrests of Trinity students, anti-racist activists or those who wish to demonstrate against Mr. Griffin’s presence in college. Damage to Trinity College property. Disruption to the memorial service held on campus that evening. (TAF will be doing our utmost to respect that service in any way possible.)” (R. Burtenshaw)

Their second intention was to give encouragement to hateful and potentially violent racists in Irish society. They want these racists to sow division in our communities along racial, ethnic and national lines. They also want these racists to organise, as demonstrated by their previous association with the failed Irish National Party. The consequences of encouragement to Irish racists cannot be known. Nor can the effects of their organisation. In Britain organised racism has led to hate campaigns and violence. What is certain is that these consequences and effects would be felt by the most vulnerable and marginalised in Irish society.

In building a hysteria fed off of by external organisations, attempting to undermine Trinity’s ability to present a secure campus for the night and consistently pointing to violent third parties, TAF greatly decreased the possibility of the Phil holding the event safely. We feel that had they not acted as irresponsibly and, in our opinion, encouraged such an escalation , we would have been far more likely to have been in a position to proceed unhindered as most Phil debates do. Though the Phil of course considered the invitation as something which would naturally demand a high security safeguard, we could not have anticipated the extent to which that safeguard would be threatened and compromised by bodies internal and external to the college. In addition, we feel that members of TAF used resources intended to serve the general student body to instead serve the TAF agenda. A member of SU council and a section-editor of the University Times who was a strong proponent for organising a walk-out, for example, on more than one occasion stated that they would use those resources to influence the ability of the Phil to proceed with their event:

Trinity Against Fascism also asked was the invitation worth its potential consequences. The direct consequences were that someone would get hurt on the night. Evidence from forums demonstrated that far-right groups were organising to attend. Large protests were being co-ordinated also. This posed a risk to Trinity students and staff, minority and migrant groups and any of those invovled in security.

“That’s not on. I’m a member of the Phil and if I try to attend - which I won’t - and get rejected I will stir some shit. If only I had some sort of mass media outlet...” “Actually screw it. For the SU to pass this, I suggest that [an SU Council motion] reads something like the below. I can modifying [sic] it through my brother until Sunday at 11pm so any suggestions, pass them on...”

The indirect consequences are less obvious. But our call to withdraw the invitation was endorsed by leading Irish anti-racist groups and civic organisations on the grounds that it was likely to contribute to the development of hateful racism in Irish society. We should be very clear about this: the result of an organised racist element in Irish society is real thugs making real people’s lives hell. It is the firework through the letterbox, the assault outside a pub or the hate call in the middle of the night to an immigrant family. These consequences would fall to people in much more vulnerable positions than the vast majority of Trinity students.

We feel that this manner of behaviour was intended to prevent the Phil proceeding with this debate through the use of resources clearly not granted with the purpose of serving the TAF agenda. We submit that in many ways the student body in Trinity were deprived of the opportunity to autonomously come to a conclusion on the invitation of Mr Griffin and his right to speak in the chamber on the matter in question. With a view to effecting that conclusion and facilitating a public discourse on this matter, the Phil invites opposition members Mr Ian Curran, Mr Ronan Burtenshaw, Mr Jack Leahy, Ms Ruthi Hymes, Mr Manus Lenihan, and Mr David Doyle to take part in an open debate to defend their motives. The debate, entitled “This House Believes That Trinity Should Adopt a ‘No Platform Policy’ for Extremist Politicians” is scheduled for Thursday, 20th October at 7:30 in the GMB. We hope those listed are able to accept and we can, for the first time, have a proper debate on this issue.

We stand by our campaign. It broke no rules and resisted any engagement in personal animosities. It stood up for Ireland’s and Trinity’s migrant and minority community. It opposed the use of our college as a hub for hate.

Sincerely, We thank The Philosophical Society for the withdrawal of their invitation. We feel that it is a responsible course of action.

The Council of the University Philosophical Society

Tuesday, October 18 2011 | The University Times

TIMESFEATURES

DomesticDiscomfort

Rory O’Donovan talks to those who’ve crossed the domestic line and slept with a housemate.

he bond between housemates is often an unspoken one. A mutual tolerance habitually emerges that is unconsciously but sincerely appreciated by all parties. Food is shared, a bathroom is shared, parties, stories, money, feelings, clothes, cigarettes … Those more experienced in the house or apartment-sharing field would, if they were being honest with themselves, accept that they have come to appreciate certain knowledge of how to choose a ‘good’ housemate. Even those who have only had positive experiences with housemates know - from visiting other houses, from hearing the stories – that they have been extremely lucky. Good housemates often are, or become, great friends. What happens when this sacred bond is defiled? What happens when the bond is obscured to the extent that it is no longer a bond at all, but an uncomfortable divide? What happens when you do the unthinkable and fall into bed with the one person you are definitely fairly sure you shouldn’t do that with? I spoke to Trinity students about their experiences with the often fateful crossing of that critical line … Marina* began by telling me about her relationship with Chris* when they first moved in together in second year: ‘I became friends with Chris early on in first year and we always got along well. When he and another male friend approached myself and a girlfriend and asked if we would like to live with them in second year, it was a no-brainer. The first few months were great. We all got on with each other’s friends and were spending a lot of time together. Chris and I actually weren’t becoming closer, if anything I was getting along better with the other two.’ But just before the Christmas holidays, Marina and Chris ended up getting a taxi home together after a friend’s birthday party. ‘We had

had a great night with all of our friends and exams were done. When Chris suggested a nightcap I gladly agreed and we sat down at the kitchen table. Half a bottle of whisky later we had worked through a whole host of disturbingly personal topics. We had discussed our bitterness towards our relevant ex’s at length. When he leant in to kiss me at five in the morning, I didn’t stop him. We went upstairs and spent a surreal and, if I’m being honest, wholly awkward night together. I took an early train home the next day and we didn’t speak over the Christmas holidays.’ ‘When we returned, things seemed relatively normal for a week or so. I got the impression he, like me, had told a couple of close friends, but the other two in the house didn’t yet know. There was a moment when I believed the whole thing would be forgotten. Then after another night out, Chris and I were again the last two up. As soon as we were alone he tried to kiss me, and when I stopped him, he began telling me at length how much he liked me. I didn’t really know what to say, I certainly didn’t feel the same way. I made my excuses and went to bed.’ ‘The weeks that followed were excruciating to say the least. Our other housemates found out, and whilst, at first, their reaction was one of amusement, as an uncomfortable atmosphere began to develop between Chris and myself, they began to resent us (mainly me) for having hooked-up. I remember one of them saying to me after another awkward dinner in earlyMarch “there is a reason why people say don’t sleep with your housemates”.’ ‘When I met the guy who is now my boyfriend, Chris’s attitude changed. Whereas before he had occasionally attempted to broach the subject of our relationship becoming more meaningful, and generally acted like the victim, he suddenly became snide and hostile towards me. He would stew in his room for days on end and then pass comments that would sometimes have me in tears. The year ended on

a sour note as Chris moved out first, claiming he “couldn’t live with me any longer” and the other two became explicit in blaming me for the whole affair. I still see the girl sometimes, but I haven’t heard from or seen Chris or the other boy. I think it would be fair to say I wouldn’t recommend doing what I did. It seems the repercussions are not unlike those reserved for perpetrators of incest.’ Frank*’s depiction of his domestic dynamic is a very different one. He moved in with two female friends at the last minute, before starting his third year. ‘I had nowhere to live and they needed someone to help with the rent. It was certainly done for convenience, but I was actually friends with the two of them. It was a tiny apartment and I shared a room with one of the girls.’ Frank proceeded to tell me how, during the course of the year, he ended up in bed with not one, but both of his housemates – ‘not at the same time though,’ he was quick to confirm, ‘that would have been weird.’ ‘In the space of a fortnight I had pretty much the same experience with both of the girls. We were on a night out with friends, had shared a taxi back, and one thing had led to another. When it happened the first time, nothing was said afterwards and to be fair I don’t think either of us gave it much thought. But the second time it happened – with the girl I shared the room with – the other one came in, in the morning, and found us in the same bed. That was kind of awkward I think.’ This happened relatively early on in the college year and Frank tells me that he felt it didn’t really have a significant effect on the dynamic of the house: ‘We only really spent time together when we were drinking with friends, as we all had quite different timetables, so there weren’t many sitting-around-in-an-awkward-silence situations. A few times though, we were all watching TV together or something, and I did have to hide a grin or text someone to tell them how strange it felt. Drunkenly, it happened a

few more times with my roommate, but it was rarely spoken of when we were sober and if it was, it was made a joke of. We all moved into different accommodation the following year. Though we’re perhaps not as close as we were before, I’m still friends with both the girls and see them occasionally.’ Whilst Frank and Marina both appeared to be ‘messers’, who I could imagine in the scenarios they described, I hope Darragh* will forgive me for saying that he seemed far more straight-laced. When I met him and he told me that he too had been involved in an awkward scenario with a housemate, I was curious to hear if it would be a scenario similar to Frank’s … it wasn’t. Darragh’s story is the only one I encountered that didn’t involve alcohol: ‘In second year, six of us moved in to a house together. We were all great friends, and, for the first half of the year, it seemed we were the perfect fit. One unusually sunny Saturday afternoon, Clare* and I were sitting in our garden. The rest of the house were away for the weekend and we had planned a quiet couple of days of lazing about in the sun and trying to get some college work done. That day we ended up having a serious and prolonged conversation about relationships … our past experiences, what we had seen happening amongst our friends. Out of nowhere, Clare asked if I had ever seen the two of us as more than friends. I was unsure as to how to answer. I certainly fancied her, but would never have done anything about it because we were friends, and, more importantly, housemates.’ ‘I thought perhaps one of the lads had told her I liked her and she was about to let me down gently. But I decided to be honest and she said she felt the same! I don’t think either of us really knew what to do then. We didn’t kiss for the first time until much later that evening and didn’t have sex until weeks later. Gradually, she let the girls in the house know and I the boys. Everyone was happy for us.’

‘Whilst the first month or so was bliss, it quickly became clear that one major issue with our blossoming romance was the fact that we lived under the same roof, with a group of close friends. I think although we had both considered the repercussions amongst our friends due to us becoming a couple, neither of us had thought through the practicalities of being a new couple and living together. As well as natural feelings of claustrophobia and emerging irritations, our housemates all knew exactly what was going on between us at any given moment. The lads in the house were my closest friends and the girls hers and it was like they were living the relationship with us.’ ‘It became clear that the situation couldn’t continue and, as neither of us wanted to move out, we decided to end our relationship, before it had begun really. The rest of the year – exams were shortly starting for everyone – seemed to fly by and we were both in different places for the summer, so we never gave it another go. We’re still friends and sometimes talk about ‘what might have been’. I think we’d both agree that in a lot of ways we regret it happening, as it has unquestionably changed our friendship – starting something like that when you live together amongst friends magnifies everything to the extent that it makes a ‘normal’ relationship impossible.’ I heard from countless others on the topic, both those involved and those who, due to the existence of a lease, became witnesses to the drama. Whether it would be unbiased to state that it appears the situation is one that is best avoided, I am not the one to say. It seems though one thing is for sure, when this aspect of domestic discomfort occurs, it’s certainly never dull. Names and some minor details have been altered to preserve interviewees’ anonymity

Is taking a vow of chastity sexually liberating? Claire Neville discusses the decision to remain chaste in the face of an overtly sexualised university population.

PON ARRIVAL IN front square for Trinity Freshers’ week as an eager first year, or indeed a worldly sophister, students plough through stands debating as hard as the Phil and the Hist combined as to which society offers the best nights out and student discounts. As we party our way through free popcorn and hangover cures, we are all the while building up quite a generous collection of condoms. There is no doubting that this is a practical addition to Freshers’ packs as an STI or an unwanted pregnancy aren’t exactly the ideal companions to a new academic year. Yet there remains the question as to whether or not this is a little

pressurising. Is this collection to suffice for the night, a week, the year? If by graduation they still remain untouched, lining the bottom of the drawer, has one failed at an important aspect of college life? Perhaps there are those among us who do not feel ready to delve into the often complex realms of sex, or others who consider a life of chastity. When one mentions the word chastity to a group of people today, there is often a collective shudder. When I asked Trinity students what words came to mind when they thought of chastity, “church”, “stupidity” and “impractical” were popular. It has lucid associations with the harrowingly repressive

attitudes of the 19th and 20th century, which in many ways have scarred the Irish identity. Once we reach the age of consent we have the right to have consensual sex as we please and with society seeing this as a norm, we have reclaimed ownership of our bodies and sexuality as a nation. But there are many who feel that we have gone too far. Who feel that perhaps choosing not to have sex, asserts as much of a sense of liberation as being sexually active. If you are inclined to read something perhaps less mentally stimulating than the University Times and examine various women’s magazines, there is a clear indication that sex

comes with its own pressures, when articles are titled “the grossest thing my girlfriend ever did” and “six surprising things that turn off guys”. Have the tables now turned and we feel that

or to maintain a relationship? As Jane*, a recent college entrant who currently practises chastity told me “I decided to remain chaste when I began to ask myself why I wanted to have sex. I

I decided to remain chaste when I began to ask myself why I wanted to have sex. I realised that I was worried that if I didn’t I would end up alone. we must have sex to keep up with social expectations

realised that I was worried that if I didn’t I would end up

alone. I realised I had been willing, in a sense, to prostitute myself for affection”. Jane continues, saying that “it’s not that I think sex is a bad or negative thing in any way at all, or that I’d force this view on others, but for me this is a way of maintaining my happiness and ensuring that someone loves me for who I really am. For me it’s not a prudish or repressive lifestyle like some people think it is.” For many, there is a binding link for those who are chaste, between their chosen lifestyle and their faith. Mark*, muses that “it is easier for those who have felt the love of God in their lives to want to lead this way of life”. On the website Chastity.

com a recurring theme is that chastity is a romantic and freeing ideal. “Romance without regret” and the thought that “true love waits” define the chastity movement. At Harvard University in September 2006, the first True Love Revolution general meeting took place. True Love Revolution defines themselves as a group “who seek through publicity and campus events to promote respectful and open minded discussion of issues relating to abstinence, sex and marriage”. Similar organisations can be found in Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of technology and Arizona State University. Here in Ireland “Pure in Heart”

is an expanding Catholic organisation which promotes chastity amongst youths between the ages of 18-35. Some might say that it is a little naive and impractical of a young person to swear themselves to a period of abstinence, and that with effective contraceptives there is absolutely no need to avoid sex. In effect it’s up to every individual as to whether or not they want to wait ten minutes or until their wedding night before sleeping with someone and as free thinking and tolerant university students who are we to criticise anyone for making either choice.

The University Times | Tuesday, October 18 2011

TIMESFEATURES

“Using the disabled toilets” Transgender life in Trinity James Hagan Staff Writer All gendered pronouns have been replaced with the word “ze”, which is a transfriendly gender neutral term. It seems that in any argument which involves the relationship between Trinity and the rest of Ireland the phrase “liberal bubble” often appears. This phrase can be used in derision, but it can also be a celebration of Trinity as a culturally forward institution. Yet despite a largely tolerant and inclusive atmosphere, there are notable concerns for transgender students in college. Problematic circumstances for transgender students in Trinity reflect a lack of recognition of trans issues in Ireland, according to trans activist and Trinity PhD student Leslie Sherlock. Ze told The University Times, “Dr. Lydia Foy first applied to have her gender legally changed on her birth certificate in 1993, yet she still waits. While legislation has been promised by the Irish government, we are still one of the last countries in Europe to provide this basic human right to trans people....there is no recognition

that trans people live in Ireland and deserve rights.” The lack of legal recognition of the existence of transgender people can obviously have a huge impact on their lives. Often transgender people may find it difficult to fit in to the male/female gender binary which informs many aspects of our culture – the lack of recognition of atypically gendered people in our legal institutions further compounds this needless alienation. It is an alienation that robs transgendered people of their rights, and also robs society at large of much potential contribution to the common good from transgendered people because of the ways in which they are excluded. Worse still, Sherlock says that “statistics for transphobic hate crimes and even transphobically motivated murders are incredibly high.” Although we can reasonably hope that there are no transphobic hate crimes happening within Trinity, we engage with attitudes and services that are informed by strict notions of gender every day. Sherlock says that “because there is so little informed education on transgender issues

in our society, and transgender representations instead heavily rely on stereotypes ... many people are ill-informed and lacking in sensitivity”. Ze also identifies specific areas of college life in which gender norms can make life difficult for trans students. Male and female toilet facilities can leave people transitioning between genders, and those who do not identify with either gender, with no comfortable option. This can result in trans students using disabled toilets, more likely to be gender neutral, and this “takes away from the services designated for those who have a disability.” Single sex sports teams and changing facilities can also discourage trans people from taking part in college sport. Another obvious problem that arises for trans people within a society that has institutionalised gender fixity, is that of name changing on official documentation. Sherlock told The University Times that name changing is usually done on an ad-hoc basis and that ze has never heard of anyone running into issues with this in Trinity. However, a name change on a degree can be much

more problematic once the student has graduated. Rachel Barry, Student’s Union Education Officer, said “I have only had to deal with one retroactive degree name change request, though it was not due to gender transition. We managed to get it sorted. In general, Student Records have been very helpful when I bring issues like this to them.” There is a sense of Trinity services being accommodating when confronted with individual issues. But this raises the question of why transgender issues aren’t more considered in the formation of policy so that this wouldn’t be necessary. For example, a policy in which materials produced by college did not mention gender unless the topic related specifically to gender issues could be a positive step in including people who identify outside of traditional gender roles. College’s Equality Officer, Karen Campos McCormack, told The University Times that the lack of transgender specific policy reflected Irish legislation, but that college also had best practice procedures which helped with individual cases. Ze said that ideas like

Pictured is Amanda Simpson, a transgender woman who was appointed by the Obama Administration as a Senior Technical Advisor to the Department of Commerce. the aforementioned gender neutral terms rule may be able to be worked in to future policy. When Barry was asked about this issue, ze said “I like the idea of policy changes such as this, but in college even the changes that seem

simple can often be difficult to implement.” Yet ze went on to say that ze saw great merit in pursuing such avenues in an effort to make the college community more inclusive: “We want to make Trinity as safe and enjoyable a place to study as possible,

for everyone. Even though there is no legislation for trans people in Ireland at the moment, why shouldn’t we as a university be progressive and lead the way?” It is with attitudes like this that we can see the “Trinity bubble” as more than either

an out of touch ivory tower or an isolated refuge, but as a potential agent for change in the wider Irish context.

The lessons of Leas Cross still haven’t been learned Prime Time revealed the abuses occurring on a daily basis in some Irish nursing homes, yet more recent cases demonstrate that the HSE has been slow to reform the nursing home sector. By Max Sullivan.

N 2005, RTE’S Prime Time captured evidence of dangerous levels of neglect at Leas Cross nursing home in Dublin, causing its closure. The story became a national scandal, and one might have been forgiven for assuming that it would result in urgent and effective action to prevent future mismanagement and abuse in Irish nursing homes. Indeed, Mary Harney urged “all those concerned in any way with residential care for older people to learn the lessons from it.” Six years on, the HSE are still regularly obliged to step in and protect standards of hygiene, nutrition and safety which should be the most fundamental priority to those managing and working in homes for the elderly. In June 2011, the Health Information and Quality Authority took control of Rostrevor House nursing home in Rathgar following reports of violent abuse committed against five residents dating as far back as mid-2008. While HIQA now acknowledge “an alarming history of falls, injuries and incidents”, they reported no serious concerns about the home when they inspected it in 2010, belying a serious lack of rigour in the authority’s inspection process. Only a month later, the mother-and-daughter directors of Avondale home for the elderly in Kilkenny were seen boarding a bus for Dublin airport, one day after the closure of the home by HIQA. They left amid allegations of having coerced residents into writing them personal cheques of up to €5,000, drawing a resident’s pension at a local post office, and allowing food stocks to become dangerously low. Participants in an Age Action study published in June, who had experienced life in nursing homes, believed there was an incentive for

homes to implement minimum standards in order to maximise profits, and that their families needed to visit regularly in order to ensure their basic needs were met, and their dignity respected. Thus, the lessons Mary Harney wanted people to learn from Leas Cross in 2005, were not learned. It seems like time to ask why. Undoubtedly, there are many nursing homes which provide an adequate level of care, and where the residents are contented. However, there are so many homes where conditions have been found inadequate, and even abusive, that it suggests a serious problem with how our nursing homes are run. Government bodies have failed to take timely action; too many nursing home directors have failed to manage properly; too many carers have failed to care. While all parties agree that the kind of abuses recorded at Avondale, Rostrevor and Leas Cross cannot be tolerated, its seems that another condemnation and another reassertion of health and safety standards is not enough. The best approach may be to re-learn how to care for the elderly - from homes which are famous for their care - rather than infamous for it. Charles de Yongh is the founder of a home for the elderly, 30km east of Antwerp in Belgium, where to question whether the residents’ basic needs are attended to would be ridiculous. After nine years of planning and financing, the home opened in 1997. Means-tested government subsidies mean that by charging the same as public homes, Charles ensures that the residents in his private home come from a diversity of backgrounds. Around seventy elderly people occupy either rooms, where they are catered for, or apartments, where they can

keep pets, cook for themselves and tend their own small, back garden. A path runs through a communal garden at the back of the home which is populated with trees, wooden benches and one or two rose bushes. Beside one of the wings of the home is a wooden bike shed, where residents can be seen embarking on a cycle around the home’s quiet residential surrounds. Volunteers are essential to the day-to-day running of the home, and Charles is conscious of not alienating them. “If they were to see me driving a sports car,” he laughs “it wouldn’t work.” Nor do they see him returning to an extravagant home in the evening, as he and his family live in an apartment on the top floor of the home. Some of the staff choose to donate money to the running of the home, but Charles dismisses the prospect of taking extra money from residents as one in which they could not make a free choice - unlike the directors of Avondale nursing home. Charles believes that when his residents feel empowered and are given opportunities to engage in a range of activities, they need less medication to feel satisfied. Compare this with suspicions that the high rates of inappropriate medication given to some of 630 patients in Northern Ireland and Cork was for the convenience of nursing home staff. Karina, Charles’ wife, runs a colourful and homely cafe called ‘The Listening Ear’ on the same grounds as the home, which offers a small daily menu, as well as gifts made by Karina and her daughter Pia. Residents stroll over to the cafe either on their own and talk to Karina, who knows them all intimately, or come with relatives who are visiting them at the home. Even with the high

standard of facilities, and a collection of warm staff and volunteers, Charles says he worried that more was needed for his residents: “They can have twenty activities a day and still be waiting for death.” Thus, Charles now focuses much of his attention on overseeing and financing the construction of a new creche next to the home for the elderly. Once finished, there will be frequent interaction between the young children and the residents of the home, which, Charles thinks, will be beneficial for both groups. “When a child comes into the home, you can see the faces of the older people, they just light up.” This holistic and considerate approach towards caring for the elderly seems to create a community which is immune against every problem facing Irish nursing homes. Nonetheless, Belgium does face some of the same challenges as most industrialized countries, including Ireland, in its care for the elderly. These challenges are, as put in a 1992 paper on geriatric care, an “insufficient number of hospital beds adapted to the needs of the elderly in both general and psychiatric hospitals” and an “insufficient availability of long-term care and residential facilities.” Indeed, 81 patients were medically fit to be discharged from Beaumont Hospital last year, but no beds were available in nursing homes for them. Add the abuses which have plagued Irish nursing homes in recent years to these more common problems, and it becomes clear that a new attitude towards caring for the old, and a new type of nursing home, is needed: Modern homes, founded by those with a real vocation for caring for the elderly, with a level of care which is above and beyond any regulatory standards.

An element of Harney’s tarnished legacy

After Leas Cross, former Health Minister Mary Harney sought to enforce a better set of standards for proprietors of private nursing homes in Ireland. Sadly, Leas Cross wasn’t to be the first and last nursing home scandal to hit the sector. Avondale House in Kilkenny followed Leas Cross and Rostrevor House in the series of nursing home scandals. Avondale was shut down in summer 2011, six years after the Prime Time special on Leas Cross.

Tuesday, October 18 2011 | The University Times

TIMESFEATURES Tomás Sullivan on the PR industry

S A SS English student, like all the other final years in the arts block, I’m don’t just have to pick which employers or grad schools or countries to send my CV to, I have to pick the actual industry I want to try to break into as well. Of all the industries on offer we only understand a few of them fully. The questions I’ve found myself asking are: What skills do you need to get into the web industry? What kind of jobs are there in a publishing house? What’s exactly marks the marketing apart from advertising? Who’s eligible to apply for consulting, accounting and law firms? Over the next few issues of the paper I aim to answer these questions, to decipher what unique job an industry does and what kind of people make up that industry, by talking directly to the people involved. This week I met up with a consultant in the Public Relations business. Emily Maher has worked in Carr communications and headed the Garda press office. She’s also a former English student here.

What does the PR industry do?

Learning to cope with depression Tim Smyth writes about realising he suffered from depression and how that realisation marked the beginning of a new life.

I Everything ends up stewed down to its component fibres because you’re looking at it all so hard.

T TOOK A long time for me to realise that I was depressed. If I try to trace my way back through the muddle I was in up until about three months ago, I find myself back in Transition Year, upstairs in my bedroom wondering why I wasn’t able to enjoy myself the way everyone else seemed to, and wondering when the whole process of growing up would start to seem exciting rather than merely terrifying. The details of whatever situation you find yourself in become overwhelming. You’re in a café, you’re talking to someone, and you’re not even able to listen to what their saying: the other customers’ cups grate too loudly on their saucers, you’re worried you’ve offended the waitress because you forgot to say “please”, and of course you don’t want your mate to realise you’re not paying attention. Everything ends up stewed down

to its component fibres because you’re looking at it all so hard. One of the hardest things people find about dealing with someone who’s depressed is that they can sometimes seem to be ‘off in their own little world’. It’s a charge I completely accept, because I knew I was choosing to live in my own little sealed-off bubble all along. Even though nothing could touch me, I could still see through the skin of that bubble, and it all scared me: the past, with all the things I winced to think of; the present, which just looked like a whole load of wasted time swirling down the drain; and, most of all, the future, with all its attendant decisions about careers, relationships and insurance companies. The worst thing, though, wasn’t the terror: it was the sense that I needed to be scared in order to function. The fear and gloom just

became the backdrop and loomed across everything. Friends, girlfriends, nights out, nights in, failures, successes, work and play: it was a full life, that was for sure, but I couldn’t see any of it except through the smoked glass of my grim moods. I eventually took myself in hand because I met someone special. I made an appointment with the college health service in April of this year, which equipped me with the tools I needed to get going. I’m sceptical of definitions, but hearing that this thing I’d been living with was called ‘depression’ meant that I could isolate and to a degree contain the whole situation. I was also put on a mild dose of antidepressants, and, in practical terms they give me just that extra little bit of resolve when it comes to getting through the day. I used to hope there would be a time when it

would magically disappear. I used to imagine that somehow this would all be worth it, that someday I would make my ‘great escape’, and that somehow I would be able to exchange all these sufferings for a reward. Life doesn’t work like that. Depression doesn’t work like that. It’s not a problem that you can solve, it’s not a disease that you can cure, it’s not an adversary that you defeat: it’s a condition that you live with, and it’s something that you need to work to control. Luckily, though, the more you put in that effort, the stronger you get. At the moment it’s enough for me to be able to keep back the gloom, but I know that someday I’ll be able to engage with it with even more success. It took me a long time to realise I was depressed, but that realisation marks the starting-point of what feels like a whole other life.

Confessions of the beleaguered among us Rory O’Donovan Features Editor

RRIVAL AT UNIVERSITY brings with it all manner of welldocumented positives: unprecedented freedom and a collection of truly unique experiences and opportunities: Sex, Drugs and Rock n’ Roll, or something to that effect - fun, frivolity and fascination. Surely every fresher is currently stumbling wideeyed around Trinity with a gleeful grin across their face? Surely, as students, all of our lives are relatively care-free and predominantly entertaining? An outsider might comment that that is certainly the impression we give off as a societal group. Whilst this impression of student-life certainly encourages people towards third-level education, it can also act as a stubborn obstacle to those in it who aren’t perhaps enjoying life as much as everyone else is, or at least seems to be. Dealing with personal problems or facing mental illnesses can be particularly challenging in an environment where happiness is often taken for granted. Many struggle to understand how individuals ‘with so much going for them’, supposedly living out the ‘best days of their lives’ can be unhappy. I spoke to two Trinity students about their encounters with the less glamorous side of student life … Damien* told me that he

doesn’t like to think about what may have happened if he hadn’t finally started to talk about how he was feeling with those around him: ‘The first couple of months of first year, I just didn’t feel right. I felt like I was running on a very different energy to those around me, like I didn’t fit. I was drinking a lot, but wasn’t really making the effort to make new friends. I quickly felt like I was being left behind and started to retreat within myself more and more. I lived in a busy apartment in Halls with some seemingly popular people, but I just didn’t feel comfortable being sociable at that time. I felt lonely and hopeless. If my family or friends asked how things were going, I would lie and tell them things were great.’ Having been home for the Christmas holidays, Damien persuaded himself that things would be different when he went back, but they weren’t. ‘When I was at home for Christmas, it was easy to pretend things were OK, as I had friends and family around me to distract me, but when I returned in January things felt even worse and at one point I didn’t leave my room for three days. I knew something had to change.’ ‘I eventually opened up to one of the guys I was living with in Halls. I was shocked at how sensitively he dealt with me. He seemed to be living the freshers dream and I couldn’t believe he was

giving me the time of day. After a few days of talking things through with him, he persuaded me to book an appointment with the college health service and my recovery began from there. It wasn’t easy by any means and it wasn’t instantaneous. But allowing myself to lean on someone else, no matter how briefly, was what changed my life and I don’t like to think about how low I could have become.’ Mary* shared a story with me about Jane*, a close friend of hers who attempted suicide halfway through their second year: ‘College had been nothing but good times for me at that stage. Having moved up from the country, I was nervous coming to Trinity, but I quickly made new friends – both in halls and on my course – and I genuinely missed Dublin over the summer. In second year, I moved in with 4 other girls and we lived a five minute walk from another house with five girls in – the ten of us were a close bunch. Jane lived in the other house and, whilst we saw her at parties and on nights out, she was perhaps the one that those in my house saw least – she always seemed to be busy when we all went for lunch, or went to the gym or the cinema or whatever. Particularly in the weeks leading up to her suicide attempt, we all noticed we were seeing less and less of her, and one of the girls in her house had confided in

me that she thought Jane was struggling.’ Towards the end of October, Jane took an overdose of painkillers and, if one of her housemates – upon returning from a night-out – hadn’t gone into her room to check on her, she would probably now be dead. ‘The following morning was when I first heard,’ Mary tells me, ‘one of the girls in her house called me to tell me what had happened and told me to tell the rest of the girls, but no-one else. All nine of us went to hospital that morning and spent the best part of two days there – before Jane’s family instructed us all to go home and get some rest. We had been told Jane would make a full recovery. We all went back to our house and collapsed in the living room where a silence descended upon us. With the immediate panic over, I could tell everyone had begun to reflect on what had happened – and what it meant.’ ‘I remember originally feeling overwhelmed by it all. Then I began to feel disappointed – hugely disappointed; in myself and in the girls sitting around me – my closest friends. How could we claim to be good friends to each other if, amongst us, one was struggling to that extent and we had barely noticed? Although it may be hard to believe, as a group of girl-friends, we rarely argued. But in the days that followed there were some furious rows. Accusations

were fired around, blame was passed from person to person; it was horrible. I remember about a week after it had happened, Jane’s older sister – who knew us all well – asked if she could meet us all in the house that Jane had lived in. She spoke so generously about how much Jane loved us and how important we all were. She told us that these arguments we were having were ways of venting anger and dealing with a very natural feeling of shame that was encompassing us all. Just before she left she turned to us and said – ‘But there are important conversations to be had girls. You have to look after each other. When you’re at college you are each others siblings, mums and dads. Remember that, it’s crucial.’ Mary admitted that college was never the same after that. ‘Jane decided to spend some time at home and never ended up coming back to college, although we do all see her regularly. But I for one still felt her presence everywhere. For me, even though she is so much better now, she represents a friend in need that we all failed. That I failed. Too wrapped up in relatively pointless pursuits, I struggle to comprehend how I didn’t find the time to properly check up on a friend I knew was ‘struggling’. I would have always thought of myself as a considerate and relatively unselfish friend before college. Whether it was because

my life became so much busier, or my priorities more skewed, I don’t know, but I certainly couldn’t honestly say I had been wholly considerate or unselfish as a friend since I came to college.’ ‘I endeavoured to change that in my last two years and would like to think I did. I learnt the hard way what being a true friend actually means but, as Jane jokes morbidly whenever I gush all of this self-pitying shit at her, “at least nobody died”. But someone nearly did, very nearly – and many others in similar situations have. Students, me included, have to take some time to dwell upon their responsibilities towards each other, as Jane’s sister said: You have to look after each other. When you’re at college you are each others siblings, mums and dads. Remember that, it’s crucial.’ I asked Damien if he could offer one piece of advice to freshers and continuing students alike, what would it be, he replied: ‘Obviously enjoy every minute it of it, but remember there may be friends in your life you have known for a long time, or you have recently become fond of, who are really struggling – look out for them. And if you’re not enjoying it, talk to someone – anyone. Generally you will find they have some experience of a struggle in their life – most of us do.’ *Names changed.

PR is about communicating messages to one or more audiences. This might be for an individual, a business, the public sector or a charity. Really, it is about having a conversation between the client and their audience. To do this we use both traditional media and, increasingly, new media. New media, like twitter and facebook is growing but traditional media is still very important. Local radio is particularly strong in Ireland for example. Online websites of traditional media are also on the increase. Then there’s different tools like social events, product launches and networking. In general if there is a particular problem of how a client is perceived then we get involved. Increasingly we work with employers and employees to get them talking and improve their relationship.

What job roles make up a PR agency? The entry level position is account executive. It has different names but the role is basically the same. It involves a lot of tasks, though responsibility for making decisions and dealing directly with clients increases as your experience grows. They do a lot of research, mostly online nowadays. They talk to clients, draft press releases, write articles, get quotes from suppliers and write the minutes of meetings. It’s very varied and the idea is that they do whatever a client wants. Then there’s the account manager, who does the same kind of thing but also manages the account. The position requires making proposals to clients and conducting the day to day contact. Then the position of managing director or accounts director involves a strategic look over a range of accounts. No one is above any kind of job in the PR industry and when things are very hectic then it’s all hands on deck.

What societal, economic or technological changes, etc are affecting the industry? The recession is a big challenge for the PR industry. PR is seen as something dispensable that can be cut from corporate budgets. We now have to defend our role and we try to get across that PR is not something you can simply cut off without consequences and that what we try to do is get the maximum value for money for the client. It’s not about spin and throwing extravagant parties but about building relationships and trust. In many ways the recession is positive as talent within the industry is really recognised now more than ever. The effect of social media is that the industry is now 24/7. It used to be that when posting something at 6pm it wouldn’t be used until the next morning but now everything is distributed immediately. As well as that social media makes journalists of us all. You can’t get away from social media talking about your company. Which is perfectly fine!

What kind of skills are you looking for in graduates? It tends to be people who are good at writing work well in the industry. It’s a big part of the job. This is writing for many different forms of media. Part of this is good organisational skills and the ability to draw up a plan. You need to meet tight deadlines and to do that you need to manage your time across several projects. Having creativity and thinking independently, as in coming up with your own ideas, is important. Thinking outside the box is a terrible cliché but that’s what we need. There are different routes into the industry: we hire graduates and journalists and there is promotion of non-PR staff within a company to a PR role in their in-house department. This was often the case in the Garda press office for example. Right now people tend to have a qualification or an internship behind them when they enter into a PR firm or department, because from the very start you are telling a firm what to do. What do you think of Trinity students? I had a great time in Trinity and my advice to anyone who comes in would be to take advantage of the opportunities there in terms of societies and the different publications. Trinity provides great experience outside of the lecture theatre.

The University Times | Tuesday, October 18 2011

TIMESFEATURES

The Myth of Free Fees For years now, students have marched for free fees having been told that they were doing so because free fees are a social equaliser. Lucy Byrne questions this assertion.

NIVERSITY STUDENTS SEEM to be unanimously keen on keeping third-level education as it is – free and ‘accessible to all’. There is no selfishness in their desire to keep education this way, as it proves that we live in an egalitarian society, and that the system provides equal opportunities to those from different socio-economic backgrounds. Upon the introduction of the ‘free fees’ initiative in 1996, The Department of Education and Science declared, “These decisions are a major step forward in the promotion of equality. They remove important financial and psychological barriers to participation at third level.” This belief is a desirable one – the education equivalent of believing Band Aid made a difference, or that your clothes aren’t made by children. In other words, it is a myth. College educated people, more than ever, prove to predominantly come from middle to upper-class backgrounds. They come from homes which could generally have afforded fees, had they not invested so much money in providing a private secondary education for their children instead. In an Irish Times article in November 2010, it was reported that the progression rate of schools in south Dublin to third level education was “more or less 100%”, while many schools from poorer areas of Dublin showed a progression of rate of less than 10%, and that these rates of entry “have hardly changed at all over the 15 years of ‘free fees’”. These statistics make complete sense. The introduction of free third-level education made little difference to those from disadvantaged backgrounds, as they have always been entitled to receive free or partially funded third-level education through grant systems. Thus, the introduction of free thirdlevel education essentially made it free for those who could already afford it – the middle and upper-classes. Naturally, the introduction of free third-level education also changed priorities within the secondary school system. In Ireland, entry into university is based entirely upon Leaving Certificate results. Therefore, families from higher socioeconomic backgrounds who no longer had to worry about paying for third-level education, could now pour cash into ensuring that their children would get the best possible secondary education, thus improving their chances of getting into the best courses in University, and placing those from working-class backgrounds at a greater disadvantage than they had been before. It is estimated that up to 70% of Leaving Certificate students take grinds. Grind schools do not provide education – they provide training in how to answer

Photo: Apoorv Vyas

Last year’s November 3 march was for free fees.

questions in the Leaving Certificate. Schools such as The Institute – which has seen no drop in numbers since the beginning of the recession – teach their students the best way to achieve high points, and thus enter university, rather than trying to actually educate them for the sake of education. Although attempts have been made to change the education system so as to avoid this learning-by-rote system perpetuated by grind schools, not much has been achieved. As a result of all this, those who can afford a better secondary education are more likely to get into college while, prior to the introduction of free third-level education, those with money spent it on University, while those who couldn’t would receive a grant. This ensured that most students would receive the same free second-level education – an education which awarded a student’s natural ability and merit, rather than their ability to learn passages written by clever grind-school teachers by heart. Further proof of this pattern in education comes from the shocking statistic that not a single student entering a course in pharmacy or medicine in 2008/9 came from an unskilled background (i.e. from parents who had not been educated at third-level themselves). Not only have free fees helped only those who could already afford fees, and created a greater divide in educational advantages at a secondary level, but they have also proved detrimental to those unable to afford university, through a depleted grant system. Government funds go to maintaining free fees, therefore forcing cuts in the grant system. This means that those who have already struggled to make it to third-level, are now unable to receive sufficient financial assistance to attend university. This year, the non-adjacent rate has been changed from living 24 kilometres from your university, to 45, making an enormous amount of commuting students unable to afford travel expenses. Also, the actual requirements to be eligible for a grant have become more extreme. This leaves students at the bottom of the socio-economic spectrum without the means to attend their hard-earned places in university, inevitably causing an even greater disparity between the economic classes in education. It is for these reasons, amongst others, that the notion of free fees being an equalising initiative is a myth, which has proven over the fifteen years since its introduction, to have only hindered rather than assisted the less wealthy of Ireland’s citizens in achieving a better education.

Democracy not Nato’s aim in Libya Paul Kenny Staff Writer

As of 2007 Ireland had the ninth highest rate of antibiotic prescription in Europe.

An irresistible argument Derwin Brennan Staff Writer

INCE THE WIDESPREAD availability of antibiotics transformed medicine in the 1940s the average lifespan in the United States has increased by ten years. In context, curing all forms of cancer would add three years to the national average. Antibiotics have made lifesaving treatments affordable and available to the masses and have vastly improved human welfare. In modern times the explosion in drug-resistant bacteria has blunted the curative sword that is antibiotic medicine. Joshua Lederburg noted omniously in 1994 that “we are running out of bullets for dealing with a number of infections. Patients are dying because we no longer in many cases have antibiotics that work.” Drug resistance in bacteria is a serious problem which

leads to prolonged illness, increased healthcare costs and failures in treatment of life-threatening illnesses. According to the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland report on Irish antibiotic use, the reliance on antibiotics in medical treatment in Ireland is high and increasing. As of 2007 Ireland had the ninth highest rate of antibiotic prescription in Europe. In contrast, the UK was 18th highest. It also notes that Ireland is one of only three European countries where antibiotic consumption has increased since 2000, at a rate of 3% per annum. Since the 1980s relatively few new antibiotics with novel mechanisms of killing

bacteria and other invasive organisms have been introduced to the market. According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America, between 1983 and 1987 the US Food and Drug Administration approved sixteen new antibacterial

Resistance, while inevitable, can be slowed considerably. Almost no one person develops drug resistance bacteria in their own body; it happens over generations of treatment in hospitals where bacteria are present in high numbers and often mix. The solution is to change our approach to antibiotics. We treat them as consumer goods … Antibiotics should be used only when necessary and very carefully, instead of being dispensed in the face of any medical malady regardless of actual efficiency. In Ireland we see the phenomenon of doctors prescribing antibiotics to those suffering from influenza, a viral infection.

As bacteria becomes increasingly resistant to our existing armoury of drugs, we are not replacing those with new weapons at a sufficient rate drugs for human use. Between 2003 and 2007 it approved just six. As bacteria become increasingly resistant to our existing armoury of drugs, we are not replacing those with new weapons at a sufficient rate.

While this may make their lives easier by placating patients demanding drugs, it adds to a growing problem. The RCPI notes a need for public education, creating wider awareness of the fact that antibiotics should not be used as a panacea for all maladies; and changes within hospitals to provide for audits on antibiotic use and the use of expert advice from microbiologists and professionals familiar with the issues to help formulate antibiotic policy. The RCPI optimistically notes with the right actions taken it is possible to reduce the use of antibiotics in Ireland to levels seen in countries with low resistance. Resistance is a quiet but growing problem and needs to be tackled immediately, not just in Ireland but across the world.

N 1953, THE world watched silently as Iran’s democratically elected government was torn down in a military coup led by US and UK intelligence agencies. The reason: the Iranian government wanted to nationalise their oil and keep the profits for the Iranian people. The US and the UK disagreed. Upon renegotiation with the new authoritarian regime, both US firms and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company each gained a 40% share in Iranian oil. This year, the leader of Libya, a country home to Africa’s largest oil supplies, failed to learn from Iran’s history. In 1974, US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, announced publicly the previously implicit threat that the US would invade uncooperative oil exporting countries- a threat that most took very seriously after Iran’s fate. Col. Muammar Gaddafi did not. In 1979, then US president Ronald Reagan declared Libya a “state sponsor of terrorism”, eventually culminating in the 1986 bombing of Libya, killing fifteen civilians. The move was a power play and Gaddafi learned from it and began offering oil concessions to western companies. In recognition of this kindness, UK and US intelligence agencies happily began to assist him in crushing opposition to his authoritarian rule. Ironically, this repression included the capture and torture of current rebel leader, Abdul Hakim Belhaj, by the CIA and MI6 in 2004- followed by his deportation to a prison in totalitarian Libya. That very year, Tony Blair, the then UK Prime Minister, arrived in Libya to shake hands with

Gaddafi and announce that the two nations had “common cause” in counter-terrorism operations. Then Gaddafi made the same mistake as Iran: he began to talk about keeping Libyan oil for Libyan people. In 2009, Reuters reported his announcement that he would nationalise Libyan oil if it did not reach the minimum of $100 a barrel which he had expected when he began oil infrastructure programmes in Libya. In 2010, oil prices hovered at $73. In 2011, NATO, spearheaded by France and the UK, began bombing Libya. The connection is not hard to see. On the 23rd of August, Gaddafi was removed from power by rebel forces and the world cheered: major world media were blinded by the illusionary tale of the great underdog triumph against the evil tyrant and it was pretended that that had been NATO’s goal from the beginning. Democratic zeal was allowed to triumph over the principle of sovereignty and Libyan oil began to leak away from the Libyan people. Although it cannot be ignored that Gaddafi led a cruel and tyrannical regime, unlike Iran’s, we must remember that bringing democracy to Libya served only to legitimise NATO actions, rather than spur them on. This is clear from the fact that crueller regimes do not receive the same attention as the regime which holds the keys to the ninth largest oil reserves in the world. This is made clearer still as even now, just weeks after the overthrow of Gaddafi, the UK and France have already secured new oil arrangements which are far more favourable than Gaddafi’s alternatives. Although the UK were quick

to play down their interest in Libyan oil, it has been reported that “BP has already held talks with the new opposition leaders and are preparing to re-enter the country”. France meanwhile have faced the embarrassment of their deal “to assign 35 per cent of crude oil to France in exchange for its total and permanent support of our Council” being quickly uncovered. Unsurprisingly, in line with the call to back down from nationalisation, the National Transitional Council have already announced a plan to scale back the responsibilities of the only authentic Libyan oil company drilling for Libyan oil: the National Oil Corporation. Rebel leader Abdul Hakim Belhaj recent allegations of western compliance with Gaddafi’s brutal and repressive regime are a stark reminder that the relationship between NATO and the NTC is only a marriage of convenience. Political analyst Noam Chomsky has stated that in the wake of the Cold War two superpowers still remain: the United States and world public opinion. The struggle for democracy in Libya merely represents an attempt to pacify the latter however we should not be surprised when democracy collapses and the world does nothing to stop it. Neither should we be surprised when another dictator rises up to take Gaddafi’s place. The government of Libya will only survive if it is permitted to survive- regardless, Libyan oil will remain in the hands of the west. Perhaps it would be benefiting the Libyan people better if the second superpower had not proved so easy to cow.

To write features for UT email features@universitytimes.ie

Tuesday,October 18 2011 | The University Times

TIMESOPINION

LETTERS to the Editor

Letters should be posted to “The Editor, The University Times, House 6, Trinity College” or sent by email to letters@universitytimes.ie We cannot guarantee that all letters will be published. Letters may be edited for length and/or style.

ISS perspective on data leak Dear Editor, I refer to a front page article which appeared in The University Times (September 20th, 2011) titled ’55,000 students and staff in huge data leak’ in addition to your editorial of the same edition titled, ‘College Network is a National Joke, ’ both of which were factually inaccurate and which I would like to correct. The first article incorrectly stated that there was a “breach” of data security in the Library and of the College network, the IT systems that are maintained by IS Services. In fact, the situation occurred due to a genuine human error made in the Library where the information was inadvertently made accessible on the local College network. Staff and students were advised of this error in a College email in which the College Librarian also apologised for any inconvenience caused. In keeping with legislation the Data Protection Commissioner was also notified of the matter. There was no responsibility attached to IS Services or its staff and the article was extremely misleading and factually incorrect in this respect. In the same article it was stated that no one was available to comment from IS Services. IS Services has no record of any contact made by UT on this matter. The University Times editorial also incorrectly reported on another alleged “breach”, this time of web security concerning the posting of a webpage ‘Conan T Barbarian’. In fact this particular incident occurred due to a staff member posting the web page on their School site. While the newspaper certainly has a right of free speech, this comes with a responsibility for accurate reporting. The journalism here is lazy, inaccurate, shows poor research and very little attention to what is, after all, a specialist subject. The reporting of these stories and the manner in which they were reported on has caused damage to both the reputation of IS Services and its staff. This situation needs to be addressed in your next edition. I would suggest that you place an apology on the front page of your next edition and on your website for the inaccurate reporting and for the reputational damage you have caused to this department and its staff. Yours Sincerely, John Murphy Director Information Systems Services

Student Union’s stance on Nick Griffin visit a disgrace Sir, While the withdrawal of the University Philosophical Society’s invitation to British National Party Chairman and MEP Nick Griffin is to be welcomed, the affair leaves some serious issues to be debated by the students of this University. Of these, none seems more important to me than the failure of the Student’s Union to take a stand in favour of the rights of its members, notably those from the minority backgrounds endangered by Mr. Griffin’s deplorable organisation. The verbal gymnastics performed by the Union in declaring it would neither oppose the visit of Mr. Griffin, nor organise any demonstration against the racist, homophobic and violent politics of Mr. Griffin’s organisation epitomised the contorted and vacuous nature of student politics today. The primary objective of the Union being to “provide for and defend the interests of [its] members without discrimination based on nationality, age, parentage, race, sex, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, creed or political group, and that this objective is pursued independent of any political, racial or religious ideology” was cited as the reason for inaction. The banality and emptiness of the statement should be seen for what it was - a pitiful attempt to avoid the Union’s duty to stand with its members against the hateful ideology of Mr. Griffin and the BNP. The irony of the decision to issue such a pathetic statement from the Union’s offices in Mandela House (House 6) would be laughable did it not betray the staggering mediocrity of our student politics. Was it really too much to expect that Trinity College Dublin Student’s Union would organise demonstrations showing the opposition that exists within the College to Mr. Griffin’s agenda, as Student’s Unions have done across the UK? Those involved in the Student’s Union frequently bemoan the political apathy amongst the remainder of their colleagues. It should come as no surprise, if the highest aspiration of the Union is provide a steady supply of cheap drink and weekly deals. Yours etc, Barra Roantree MSc Economics

Pro-life movement gains ground Matthew Berkeley

bortion has been a dominant social issue in Ireland for a number of years. Ireland is currently one of the most pro-life countries in the EU, but after the ABC vs Ireland ruling in the European Court and increasing pressure from the UN Human Rights Council to legislate in that regard, it looks to become a political issue again. With the increase in legalized abortion around the world, there has been a surge in the number of pro-life organisations working on a national and an international level to raise awareness on abortion and its implications and push for a return to a worldwide pro-life culture. As the two coalition partners, Fine Gael and Labour, reconcile their differing views on abortion, progress in the prolife movement has allowed for new impact. Last week marked the beginning of the ninth “40 Days for Life Campaign” worldwide. “40 Days for Life” is an ecumenical Christian organization committed to the protection of life from conception to natural death, particularly life in the womb. Twice a year since 2007 the campaign has been rolled out, reaching more countries every time. 337 cities in the US, Canada, Australia, England, Northern Ireland and Denmark are participating, and in March earlier this year Ireland took part for the first time. Shawn Carney, one of the founders, says “40 Days for Life began because of the sense of urgency that abortion calls us to.” The campaign has been phenomenally successful, due largely to its approach, tackling one of today’s most controversial issues in an entirely

peaceful way. During each campaign, there is a “focus on prayer to end abortion, fasting, 40 days of peaceful outreach, and at the centre of the campaign, a forty day non stop 24-hour peaceful vigil outside the local abortion facility.” The facts on their website show significant results for their efforts: after the first 40 Days campaign, local abortion numbers in Texas had decreased by 28 percent; to date, over 4,300 unborn lives have been saved due to local 40 Days campaigns; fourteen abortion facilities have completely shut down and fifty three abortion workers have quit their jobs and walked away from the abortion industry. Abby Johnson worked as director of Planned Parenthood in Bryan, Texas, until September 2009, when she witnessed an ultrasound-guided abortion, which provoked her to leave the abortion industry for good and become an avid pro-life activist. She recently released a book about her experiences in Planned Parenthood, “Unplanned”, which has become an Amazon bestseller. Planned Parenthood, the world’s largest abortionprovider, recently found itself in trouble in America after a series of incidents in which they failed to report cases of sexual abuse, including that of minors. In February of this year the House of Representatives in America voted overwhelmingly in favour of reduced funding for Planned Parenthood as part of spending cutbacks, but the motion failed to pass the Senate. However, the publicity generated by the scandals and the unprecedented motion signaled a definite shift in the public attitude toward Planned Parenthood. The abortion debate has been polarizing, largely because of the aggressive tactics employed by small groups of people on both sides. Graphic

images of the remnants of aborted babies are damaging and unconstructive. For the pro-life movement, the most effective tool has been information, presented openly and rationally. According to Project Ultrasound, an organisation which has been formed “for the purpose of raising awareness about the effectiveness of ultrasound machines in deterring abortions”, between 70 and 90 percent of ‘abortion-minded’ mothers who see an ultrasound change their mind and choose life. There are a number of pro-life organisations active in both the North and the Republic, including the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, Precious Life, Youth Defense, LIFE Pregnancy Care, and Rachael’s Vineyard, an international group that provides post-abortion counseling and healing weekends for those who have been hurt by abortion. Trinity College is one of only two Irish universities yet to have a recognised Life Society. NUI Galway hosts an annual Life Week in College, with a focus on celebrating life at all stages. This culminates with the LifeSoc Intervarsity, a gathering of representatives from all the thirdlevel Life Societies in Ireland. The abortion debate seems likely to be one that continues into the foreseeable future. Pro-life organisations worldwide are well-structured to offer information and support services where it counts. The ultimate goal is the end to abortion worldwide. Unlikely as that seems in the current cultural climate, their progressive tactics and political engagement allow for a hope that society will return to a full appreciation of the sanctity of life, forty days at a time.

Would a defender of freedom demand your conformity? Hannah Cogan Opinion Editor

s institutions go, the Ku Klux Klan has a rocky history. Founded in the immediate aftermath of the civil war, it evolved as a multistate terrorist organisation designed to frighten and kill emancipated slaves. In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant spoke before the House of Representatives- ‘They aim, by force and terror, to prevent all political action not in accordance with the views of the members, to deprive coloured citizens of the right to bear arms and of the right to a free ballot, to suppress the school in which coloured children were taught, and to reduce the coloured people to a condition closely allied to that of slavery’. The Klan did their work through pamphleteering and public speaking, whipping up huge hate rallies encouraging lynching, shooting, burning, whipping, and a thousand forms of organised, violent intimidation. Stetson Kennedy, a Georgia journalist, is acknowledged as a critical force in destroying the Klan’s political influence. Social isolation proving ineffective, he turned to mass communication. For nearly a decade, his radio show, working with Klan insiders, detailed the goals and rituals of the organisation. He detailed the use of codewords and the preference for kl- prefixes by telling stories about Klansmen having Klonversations in a local Klavern about the laws listed in their Kloran. Kennedy explained their ridiculously-named hierarchy as it proceeded from a local to a national level;

an Exalted Cyclops and his twelve Terrors, a Great Titan and his Twelve Furies, a Grand Dragon and his nine Hydras, and the Imperial Wizard and his fifteen Magic Genii. As the aims and methods of the Klan became clear, they found they could not longer move freely. Businesses no longer offered their support. Their politicians lost office. The raw power of information became apparent; public engagement allows aims can be questioned and methods confronted. Including Nick Griffin in an immigration debate has nothing to do with his right to speak and be heard. Rather, it is the right of everyone in this college to listen and to hear. To shelter someone’s view by refusing to allow public engagement with it is to encourage it. It’s worth wondering what you would do if you ever met a Flat Earth Society member. How can you prove the earth is round? How sure are you about the theory of evolution? You know it’s supposed to be true, you’ve always been told it’s true. Here’s someone who says there’s no such thing. We are the results of intelligent design, living on a flat disc. How sure are you of your own views? If you can’t engage with fringe opinion, you have taken refuge in the

false security of consensus and aren’t thinking hard enough. Limiting the scope of a debate on grounds of good taste is incredibly damaging. Racism and white supremacy are real and ugly parts of the debate on immigration and should be treated as such. Irish multiculturalism speaks of integration but limits actual cultural diversity. Veiled Muslim women are seen as an impediment to progress, practices like forced marriage are outlawed without providing protection to trafficked women or offering asylum to women whose children are in danger, and asylum seekers and undocumented migrants are dismissed entirely. Organised and violent racism has already found a place in the Irish political spectrum, represented by the Immigration Control Platform and the Democratic Right Movement. Human beings don’t lose all rationality upon being confronted by demagogues,

and targeting those agitators is certainly no way to address the idiosyncratic motivations of the violent and disenfranchised minority who carry out racist attacks. Dozens of groups including criminal gangs, extreme nationalists, and the wackier spectrum of religious organisations employ similar tactics to the BNP with a similarly violent effect. Disregarding the underlying cause is exceptionally dangerous. Whilst Griffin’s rants may offer guidance to violent incentive, it certainly doesn’t pull it out of thin air, and refusing to acknowledge the underlying cause condemns us to a violent and retrogressive society long term. Reactionary protest movements often fail to consider long-term perception or strategy. It’s unfair to entirely dismiss #occupywallstreet because of its incoherent demands - French artistocrats said much the same thing around 1789, shortly before being separated from their heads by an angry, directionless mob but it is worth questioning the efficacy of an unspecified grievance. Movements without clear messages become Rorschach protests; politicians and newspaper commentators stare and see what they want to see. What the American left hope for is a progressive counterpart to the Tea Party, balancing America’s sharp pull right in recent years and

capitalising on the same fears; lost jobs, gridlock in Washington, and a dissatisfaction with political bureaucracy. What they got was an incoherent jumble that looks unlikely to have any real effect on the Democratic establishment. When the Tea Party took to the streets, they learnt their way around elections and how to scare candidates in primaries; to bring about real change in real democracies, you have to deal with real politics. Thwarting Nick Griffin’s speech isn’t a victory of any sort. Whilst affording an unrefuted platform to the BNP, it has completely undermined the nature of political debate in this college. The protesters at last Thursday’s Phil debate failed to put forward any clear ideology other than the reactionary removal of a man they disagree with. I should be clear that not all opposition to Nick Griffin’s speech can be considered the same way; groups like Trinity Against Facism have done outstanding work raising awareness on the potential dangers of such a visit and doing so in legitimate and open forums. The possible negative outcomes of Nick Griffin’s speech can’t be dismissed, but a priori censorship isn’t effective or morally right. It’s hypocritical to demand unity in defence of freedom and far less damaging to the BNP when they’re sheltered from the full force of public engagement. Free debate is most often limited when its participants can’t be trusted and the events of the last week have supported that limitation. There has never been a time or place in history when ideas have flown freely. That’s certainly something worth fighting for.

The University Times | Tuesday, October 18 2011

TIMESOPINION

#OccupyDameStreet and the EU/IMF bailout Economise This Rob Farhat Editor of the Student Economic Review 2011

ast week saw hundreds of protesters #OccupyDameStreet, with the mission to “end corporate corruption”, demanding that “the International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank stay out of (Ireland’s) affairs.” So what exactly are they protesting against? On the fateful night of September 28 2008, thenTaoiseach Brian Cowen and Finance Minister Brian Lenihan, having consulted with the obviously-unbiased heads of Bank of Ireland and AIB, decided to place a blanket guarantee on all deposits, bonds, senior debt and subordinated debt. This was an unprecedented guarantee - if the Irish banking system were to collapse, the government would be liable to for over

three times Ireland’s GDP. An impossible task. While initially thought to be a masterstroke“the cheapest bail-out in the world” according to Lenihan - it quickly became apparent that the banks had failed to admit the massive losses they were making due to over-exposure to a collapsing property boom, and that the Financial Regulator has failed to notice. The guarantee had been made under the assumption that the banks merely had a liquidity problem (difficulty raising funds to make transfers quickly), but were perfectly solvent (had the assets to back up their liabilities). This clearly wasn’t the case: the banks were horribly insolvent,and now that the government had linked itself so intrinsically to

the banks’ finances, the insolvency problem was as much the government’s as it was the banks’. Most significantly, every cent that had been lent to Irish banks through purchasing their bonds was guaranteed by the State and had to be paid back by law, thanks to the government’s guarantee. The banks were subsequently recapitalised. After an initial measly €2 billion each for AIB and Bank of Ireland (BoI) and €1.5 billion for Anglo Irish Bank in December 2008, this was quickly revised to €3.5 billion in February 2009 for AIB and BoI and the complete nationalisation of Anglo as its heavy losses became more apparent. Another supposed financial saviour, the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA), was concocted in

April 2009. It was an attempt to emulate past successful ‘bad banks’ – most notably in early 1990’s Sweden – and was at least initially quite highly regarded internationally. It operates by buying €88 billion-worth of bad loans from Irish banks at a severe discount (an average of 58%), and eventually selling them on once they regain value. However, by purchasing these bad loans at a discount – perfectly understandable from NAMA’s point of view – it created a further hole in the banks’ balance sheets, driving the need for further recapitalisation. In March 2010, the government had to inject a further €20 billion into the banks: €9 billion for Anglo, €7 billion for AIB, €3 billion for each of BoI, EBS, and Irish Nationwide, totalling two thirds of the government’s annual revenue and contributing to a deficit of 32% of GDP in 2010. In September 2010, the government renewed the bank guarantee, this time wisely choosing to drop subordinated debt, and it became apparent that the banks’ losses were greater than had been imagined

and they would require further capitalisation still. The markets lost confidence in Ireland’s ability to repay its sovereign debt and the interest rate on government bonds rose above 5% . Ireland lost its ability to finance its debt in the markets, and the EU-IMF troika stepped in. This of course was not helped by the fact that contagion was spreading through the rest of the European periphery, with Greece having already had to resort to a bailout and Portugal following soon after. The EU-IMF programme totalled €85 - €22.5 billion from the IMF, €22.5 from the European Financial Stability Mechanism (EFSM), €22.5 billion from the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF), and €17.5 coming from the state itself. The average interest rate on the loan was initially around 5.8%, but has since been substantially lowered to 3.5% in July and then 0% on the EFSM loan in September. This is significantly less than the interest rate the government would have to pay were it to borrow from the private bond-market, with rates

there having reached highs of 14%, and recently settling around 8%. Moreover, the programme hasn’t forced the government to pursue any budgetary course it wasn’t already planning for otherwise – Ireland has in fact been lauded as an exemplar, obedient student of austerity, purely due to the government’s own policies. Despite Nicolas Sarkozy’s best efforts, Ireland’s low corporate tax rate is still intact. Now Ireland looks likely to be able to re-enter the private market to finance its debt in two years time, something which looked improbable only six months ago. So what, if anything, is not to like about the deal? Most importantly, it forces the government, and hence taxpayers, to continue footing the bill of the banks’ debt. While subordinate bondholders – whose loans are more risky by definition – have rightly been harmed severely, any suggestion of enforcing losses upon senior debt holders has been met with fierce resistance from the European Central Bank. Due to the guarantee, any haircuts to the banks’ senior debt would essentially entail

a sovereign default. There are numerous reasons to avoid this: it would make further borrowing much more difficult as confidence in Ireland’s willingness to meet its obligations would be severely damaged, and it could potentially cause a Lehman Brothers-like shock to the European financial system that could either bring the whole Eurozone project down or at least see Ireland booted out. That said, if Greece, which is in far worse shape, is allowed to default, it would certainly make Ireland’s continuing support of its banks comparatively unfair. Part of the rational is that a default would cause losses for the Eurozone core’s banks, primarily German, that would then require recapitalisation by their governments. But their loans to Irish banks were clearly “bad loans” too, so shouldn’t the government have to bail them out by the same logic? Simply enforcing the Irish taxpayer to fully make up the funds to recapitalise the banks allows the likes of Germany to avoid having to do the very same thing for its own banks.

So are the protesters right to #OccupyDameStreet? While they certainly have ample cause to feel unfairly beholden due to the action of reckless bankers, Ireland looks more likely than not to come out of this crisis intact thanks to the EU-IMF deal should the Eurozone survive the debt crisis as a whole which looks less likely by the day. Occupying Dame Street itself does not fully make sense – while the Central Bank and Financial Regulator were undoubtedly at fault by not having recognised the banks’ reckless lending in the run up to the crash, it is not the source of the greed that drove the crash and has since hired highly qualified people in the form of former Trinity Professor Patrick Honohan as Governor and Matthew Elderfield as Financial Regulator. The real culprits are the banks themselves, and to a certain extent Messrs. Cowen and Lenihan for ill-informedly and hastily implementing the original Bank Guarantee. Occupying the IFSC may have been more appropriate.

Palestine’s bid at statehood Donal Kennedy

Obama’s use of drones and signing off on due-process-free assassinations are reminiscent of George W. Bush.

Obama’s vague and vicious war Jack Sheehan

he targeted assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki was legally, morally and constitutionally wrong, and is merely the latest example of the quietly escalating war being waged by the Obama administration. Al-Awlaki, US born and residing in Yemen, was known for his fiery hatespeech advocating the wholesale murder of Americans. The White House also claimed he was an active and influential member of al-Qaeda, linking him to the Fort Hood shooting and the failed Christmas Day bombing. Proof of this is, of course, concealed behind the veil of ‘state secrets’. In May of last year, al-Awlaki became the first US citizen to be listed by the CIA as an active target for assassination. This move, approved by president Obama, was met with some criticism from what remains of the anti-war American left, notably Glenn Greenwald and several other influential bloggers. The idea that a US citizen, ostensibly enjoying the protection of the constitution and entitled to the due process laid out in the Fifth Amendment, would be murdered in this way, made many uncomfortable. It remained largely an academic question until the early hours of Friday morning, when a car carrying al-Awlaki and another U.S.

citizen was hit by a targeted Hellfire missile strike shot from an American. To quote Greenwald, in his immediate response to the attack, “The due-process-free assassination of US citizens is now a reality.” The Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution states that no citizen shall be ‘deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law’. A special exception provides for situations of war, in which an American is fighting on a battlefield for an enemy. There are deep and disturbing questions about whether an attack like this can be reasonably be considered a battlefield situation. A remotely activated missile strike is hardly conventional warfare, and surely not what the framers of the amendment had envisaged. Barack Obama was elected in 2008 with promises of dismantling the odious security apparatus that had been constructed by his predecessor, and returning American foreign policy to sanity. The extraordinary, not to say constitutionally dubious, steps of the Bush regime would be walked back or eliminated. In many areas of national security, President Obama’s actions have been as bad or worse than those of George W. Bush. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles or ‘drones’ is something that President Obama has embraced without hesitation, and to a far greater degree than Bush before him. These remotely controlled aircraft, capable of destroying a convoy or village with precisely targeted thermobaric weaponry, first saw widespread use

as recon devices during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since 2007, however, their purpose has shifted to search-and-destroy missions, of which the attack on al-Awlaki was merely the latest. The statistics on the use of these machines are startling. During President Bush’s entire tenure in office, approximately 42 offensive drone strikes were carried out over Pakistan. In the two and a half years since Obama’s inauguration, he has sanctioned 228. Somewhere between 1400 and 2500 people have been killed in this manner on the president’s watch, not counting those killed on the fronts opened in Yemen and Somalia, where no war has been openly declared. The apparent violation of the US constitution by the murder of a citizen is troubling, but the mass slaughter of thousands of people under the guise of counter-terrorism is sickening. The official line of the White House is that those targeted are ‘militants’ and ‘high-level al-Qaeda operatives’. Al-Qaeda has always been a nebulous concept, a lightly connected network of independently operating cells of varying ability and reach. This makes them hard to destroy, but also a convenient byword for anyone considered an enemy of America. Al-Queda in the Arabian Peninsula, Al-Shabab, The Haqqani Network, all of these organisations, of questionable relation to the men who planned and carried out the 9/11 attacks, have been targeted by drone strikes.

Rather than bringing a responsible end to the costly and ill-conceived ‘War on Terror’, Obama has opened broad and dangerous new fronts in the fight, and thousands of people have paid with their lives. Even if every one of those killed were militants, drone warfare as a process is far from sound. International law allows certain actions in war because of its chaotic and uncontrollable nature. To suggest that a methodical assassination of an individual is comparable to a soldier being shot on a field of conflict is the same kind of facetious legal lie which was used to justify the torture and internment of alleged terror suspects in the period after 9/11. I am not suggesting that the alternative to Obama would be any better. On the contrary, the Republicans in Congress and running for the presidential nomination have shown nothing but naked bloodthirstiness and utter disregard for civil rights and the constitution, but the actions taken by this president since his ascent to power have been marked by secrecy, extension of executive privilege and a cold commitment to fighting Bush’s quixotic war. Whether you consider these actions to be as egregious as W’s or not, Obama has disappointed and horrified many of those who saw his presidency as a chance for international reconciliation and a possible return to normality.

n late September, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas addressed the UN General Assembly calling for recognition of Palestine as a sovereign and independent state as part of his Universal Declaration of Independence. His speech, notably confrontational, was remarkably bereft of any attempt to reconcile with his closest neighbour, the State of Israel. The tone of his speech differed starkly to that of Netanyahu’s who appealed to Abbas to join in him in direct talks in New York. Netanyahu is paying a significant political price for this proposal back in Jerusalem where the body politic, including his own Likud party and more so his Yisrael Beiteinu coalition partner led by Avigdor Lieberman not to mention nationalist elements of the media objected angrily to this daring but peace-seeking proposition. “Stand With Us”, an international, not-for profit organization aimed at informing debate on the Arab – Israeli conflict points to fundamental reasons why the UDI will not bring peace. SWU emphasises that acceptance of the PA’s plea would not only establish a dangerous legal precedent but also explicitly violate the prevailing legal standard of statehood. Since 1933, a state has been defined by the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States as possessing the following credentials: “a) a permanent population; b) a defined territory; c) government; and d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states.” The Hamascontrolled Palestinian entity in Gaza and the Fatahgoverned West Bank do not

meet these: there are two rival governments with two separate prime ministers and neither territory have a functioning legislature. Secondly, the UDI directly violates past Palestine Liberation Organization-Israel negotiated agreements. The Oslo Accords signed by both parties in 1993 and 1995, explicitly called for directly negotiated agreements in order to resolve the issues of the status of Jerusalem, the determination of final borders and the permanent status of the West Bank. The Accords unambiguously state that unilateral steps would be prejudicial in determining the final status of the disputed territories. Despite this, Abbas who is President of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the entity that was created by these very accords is now taking

of Gaza after Israel’s withdrawal in 2005, is designated a Jihadist terrorist organisation by the EU, US, Russia, Canada, the Kingdom of Jordan and Japan. Its Founding Charter calls for the “obliteration” of Israel and the replacement of Israel with an Islamic theocracy. Terrorism continues to manifest itself in subtler ways. In the schools of Gaza, children are taught anti-Semetic propaganda, examples of which are easily available online. 10000 rockets have been sent into Israeli civilian centres and Hamas continues to smuggle in higher-grade weapons through Egypt. SWU avows that to support the UDI would be to give official sanction to Hamas. Israel, a democratic state according to its basic laws, recognises it’s 20% Arab population, 20 minority religions and awards Arab citizens the same civic and social rights as other citizens. To ensure this, it engages in affirmative action to promote full social inclusion and equal opportunity. Palestinians must renounce terrorism and accept the Jewish state’s right to exist within secure boundaries. As earlier noted, Abbas still has not given up claim to Israel and has said he will not recognize it as a Jewish state. The PA continues to issue maps depicting the entire region, including Israel as “Palestine”. Since the UN bid, Netanyahu has formally accepted an invitation issued by the Quartet, to resume talks but the PA will only accept if Israel agrees to preconditions. To support the UDI would be to empower the Palestinians to continue making unreasonable demands, likely by force of arms, as Hamas is still doing, undermining any desire by moderates to construct a peaceful co-existence.

In the schools of Gaza, children are taught anti-Semetic propaganda unilateral steps which will not only stall peacemaking but will further distance the possibility of a final settlement of this conflict. The UN Security Council’s Resolutions 242 and 338 call for negotiated land-for-peace agreements that will lead to “secure and recognized boundaries”. What is commonly referred to as “The 1967 Border” separating Israel and the West Bank was in fact initially an armistice line but were demarcated at the end of the Arab War against Israel in 1948 and were never regarded by UN resolutions as viable borders to ensure Israel’s safety. The one most pressing obstacle to peace is terrorism. Hamas, who seized control

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Tuesday, October 18 2011 | The University Times

TIMESOPINION

Marginal Opinions

Seán McGrenaghan

A Room of One’s Own Newly appointed Provost Dr Patrick Prendergast and SU President Ryan Bartlett took a tour of Front Square for the national press on Monday September 19. At 4pm that day the Provost delivered his inaugural address, the first given by an Provost in Trinity’s history. Photo: Ronan Costello

Out of the frying pan and into Front Square Jenny Duffy

here is no one word that can describe Freshers’ Week. There is no one emotion you can pin to your very first week of college, and no one moment that defines it. There is however, a moment it all starts. My first day at Trinity. My first time to walk onto campus as a student. I have no shame in admitting that

I was terrified. Excited? Yes. Scared? Absolutely. School had become so comfortable; I knew who everyone was, where everything was. I had my friends, my routine. I knew what I was doing. Here I knew nothing. There wasn’t even a uniform. All certainties had flown out of that famed Front Arch. As I tottered over the

cobblestones in high heeled boots (rookie mistake) I was stunned. There were so many stands, so many people. I wandered cautiously into the fray. Leaflets, free food, eager smiles, enthusiastic pitches-you have to admire the dedication of society committees. If an arm was thrown around your unsuspecting shoulder to bring you to a stand, you were being offered lessons to throw someone over your own shoulder. Madness, but in the best sense of the word. It’s incredible how

many societies there are here and I wish I had time for them all. Then there was registration (why aren’t you warned before the picture is taken?!) and I was issued with my shiny new student card and given my tour of the library. Course meetings, peer mentors and tutors-I was fully immersed in the Trinity experience and looking forward to starting lectures. With the academic side of things covered, I was off to sign up to some societies. I had never guessed was

how tiring college would be. I only spent a few hours in Trinity each day, but I was exhausted. When some of my fellow firsties were out pub-crawling or silent-discoing I was resting at home, utterly shattered. Finding out where everything is, what’s going on, travelling to college, meeting new people- it’s an exhilarating experience that leaves you drained at the end of the day. Initially I found it all a bit overwhelming and crazy. But it was fun too! Day one

was utter panic; I despaired of ever actually even talking to someone, let alone making a friend. By the end of the week I had talked to people from my course, navigated most of the campus, filled my wallet with membership cards, and amongst all those society arms around my shoulders, gained some comfort and maybe even found my way. Freshers’ week made me feel welcome in a way no introductory lecture ever could. It’s going to be a great year Trinity. Bring it on.

To all hack begrudgers: Get off the sidelines James Hagan Staff Writer

t the Trinity St. Vincent de Paul Intro Night on September 29, society president Nicholas O’Brien gave a speech to an overflowing Edmund Burke Theatre in The Arts Building. The majority of the evening consisted of VDP activity leaders going through what they do for the information of attendants who may want to get involved. This display of the multitude of activities in which Trinity VDP engages in was inspirational in itself. Although these presentations were made primarily to inform and attract recruits, the collective impression they made was heartening- they indicated that a large amount of Trinity students commit time and energy every week to projects that benefit the wider Dublin community for no personal reward. As an adjunct to this inspiring display, O’Brien’s speech focused on the benefit of charity work to the individual who does it. He even talked about the satisfaction inherent in as minor an act of goodwill as giving up a bus seat for an elderly person. According to O’Brien, the ripple effect of something so small is significant, as everyone involved benefits emotionally from the exchange.Not only is there no harm in being nice, there’s help in it too. Approaching each situation with the charitable attitude espoused here defines positive community engagement. Using your abilities and place in society for constructive acts that help others, rather than submitting to seductive apathy

and cynicism leads to mutual inspiration and benefit. Part of the “personal satisfaction” that we feel when we commit an act of kindness or charity stems from the innate human intuition that when we help others we help ourselves as wellthat an act of kindness towards one is an act of kindness towards all, and that our community inevitably benefits and improves from that increase in happiness, by however small an increment. Humans are hardwired to cooperate more than they are to compete, so acts of cooperation engender content. This opinion may be more easily stomached by many when it is applied to the specifically demarcated field of “charity work” under which the VDP can be placed. In other areas of activity, less credulity towards such optimistic motivations may be tolerated. There is a distinct cynicism in Trinity towards extra-curricular

The Phil’s members are frequently criticised as being cliquey, yet events like last year’s visit of Stephen Fry enrich college life for all. Photo: Dargan Crowley-Long activity outside of this instantly identifiable charitable realm. Year after year, the same criticisms are leveled against students who devote much of their time to the Student’s Union and college societies, especially larger ones like The Phil, The Hist and Players. Students who become heavily invested in these organisations are derisively known as “hacks” and are accused of commitment motivated by self-interest that is destructive to the student body at large. There is a widespread perception that so-called hacks have ignoble motivations for their involvement; CV padding, the perks they experience as “insiders” profiting from their place in corrupt, hierarchical systems, and for the ego boost that being a well-known name amongst

students provides. These are all legitimate criticisms, yet professing such arguments and then refusing to engage with extra-curricular activities because of them is too simplistic an argument to touch on reality and an easy way out by embracing apathy. Since I started in Trinity I have tried to engage with extra-curricular activity in a meaningful way. I have met some extremely hard-working people who have committed their time to a number of successful projects and I have also become convinced of the reality of the aforementioned ripple effect. Being involved in college life has improved my life and has taught me that working on projects with other people is one of the most satisfying things I can do. The activity

is intrinsically valuable and worth engaging in and not for the undeniable perks and ego issues which go along with it. I will admit that I have flirted with perks - it’s human nature to enjoy them when they’re there. Yet when I stop and think about it, these are not the things that I really enjoy the most. Rather, it is working with others on an equal level and experiencing new ideas and personalities that is most enjoyable. Ultimately, the indulgence of ego and shortterm gratification is destructive to the overall positive reward I get from these activities, breeding jealousy and undue competition. I’ve noticed many people who put in hours of work into projects they care about every week wasting time on anger and jealousy and I’ve

seen pointless infighting because of it. I challenge everyone involved in Trinity’s extra-curriculars to spend more time thinking about why they do the things they do and which products really make them happy- college life will improve immensely if they do. Equally, I challenge those who criticise the culture from the sidelines to use these resources and organisations and take a step towards things being done in ways they prefer. Trinity’s societies are a crucial part of the community and a broader engagement with them would be beneficial for all.

t’s October, and with the leaves browning and the skies above Trinity slowly beginning to match the stonework in Front Square, continuing students can once again can look towards a packed autumn. This time of year sees Trinity as its best, with students refreshed after long summers and untainted by the stresses that lie before them. Many students though, close out the summer feeling anything but refreshed. For many, the frantic search for accommodation has rendered them drained before the year even begins. Finding private accommodation is a stressful business. I spent the summer working for the Student’s Union Accommodation Advisory Service and regularly (as well as truthfully) informed many a mammy and daddy of first year students that finding accommodation would be the most stressful thing their son or daughter would do all year. For first years, searching for accommodation is particularly nightmarish. Even at a time when Trinity Hall’s fees are notably uncompetitive, demand remains high. After a slight fall in demand last year, Halls was once again this year, oversubscribed. This has left high numbers of first years, attempting to find ‘a room in a house’, with the implication that any room and any house will do. In its promotional material, Halls describes itself as providing a ‘soft landing’ for first year students. True, if only because the alternative is akin to being dropped on concrete from a height. Searching for accommodation in Dublin is a minefield for the experienced student and infinitely worse for first years who know little about signing leases, and even less about transferring bills or handing over deposits. They’re fresh meat for nefarious landlords, so desperate to find somewhere before college starts that they often panic and settle for a high priced slum. One first year that I met even had to restart her search after unwittingly moving in with a drug addict in Summerhill. While it is true that all students will eventually find ‘somewhere’ to live, for a first year ignorant of Dublin’s geography, Sheriff Street is ‘somewhere’ in the same way that Ranelagh is ‘somewhere’, and once the deposit is paid, there is little prospect of escape. Living in private accommodation can be just as difficult as finding it. Over the past few years, I’ve been at the butt-end of burst pipes, collapsing kitchen ceilings, leaking showers and a neighbor with an air-rifle who shot through the kitchen window. Granted, there was some fairly loud electro blaring but it’s a question of proportionality of response. For many first years, the process of finding a place in a new city, while dealing with often unregulated landlords is simply too much. This summer, I encountered tears, despair and, on more than one occasion, a reconsideration of university choice. While this all sounds like hysteria to the experienced student, it does not negate the fact that the search for accommodation places an intolerable strain on some students who, through moving away from home, already feel the acute sting of upheaval. There is a strong temptation to brush off the issue. After all, it’s a difficult market and a tortuous search is simply the nature of the beast. In fact, it’s character-building. However, the failure to provide a satisfactory solution for incoming First Years blunts Trinity’s competitive edge in a key area of concern among prospective students. Many universities in England place emphasis on ensuring sufficient university owned accommodation as a cornerstone of guaranteeing student welfare. The University of Manchester, for example, guarantees Halls accommodation to all first year students. This really does make a difference to the prospective student, particularly when they are met with Trinity’s alternative; a vague promise that first years might get Halls and little more certainty than that. Naturally, this is a problem that is not going to be solved overnight. Trinity-owned accommodation is in short supply. The long term answer is simply to create more of the same; multiple, more economical Trinity Halls. This may be impossible at present, and like most leaps of progress, is inextricably tied to the outcome of the fees debate. In the short term, however, progress can be made. Closer cooperation between the Accommodation Office, Trinity Hall and the SU Accommodation Advisory Service will allow more efficient solutions for students to be found. Selection criteria for college-owned accommodation must be transparent so that students can be advised on their prospective chances of securing college-owned accommodation and can search for private accommodation at the earliest possible juncture. At present, student accommodation is an issue that is perennially placed on the backburner of college affairs. This is the price, it seems, that we pay for a city-centre campus. However, it is an issue that deserves concerted attention at the highest levels of college administration if it is ever to be tackled effectively. First years spending Fresher’s week in a hostel is one tradition that Trinity can probably live without.

The University Times | Tuesday, October 18 2011

TIMESOPINION

The University Times O

USI MARCH AND SLEEPOUT

ld SU hands, be they from Trinity or further afield, will tell you that a sabbatical officer has up until Christmas to make an impact in College. By January, and certainly by the time the new officers are elected, College representatives are less quick to pick up the phone, less likely to take a meeting and certainly less likely to act on the suggestion of a sabbatical officer. It’s no wonder then that this time of year can now be called “March Season”, for every autumn the third level students of Ireland will be called upon by their representative overlords in USI to take to the streets ahead of the December budget. It’s a worthy cause and it genuinely has made a difference. Combined with traditional lobbying, for which USI is criticised for enagaging in but which is actually the most effective tactic of any political organisation (see the IFA), the student marches of recent years have staved off particularly onerous increases in the student registration fee. It is widely believed that last year’s increase to €2,000 was well on its way to being €3,000 before 40,000 students took to the streets of Dubin with whistles in their mouths, paint on their faces and

resistance on their minds. While the violence that broke out during the sit-in at the Department of Finance took away from the overall spectacle, it was noted by many student representatives that had the march not happened, government would have seen students as a soft target and fired accordingly. This year the task is greater than ever for students and their representatives. An increase in the registration fee of up to €5,000 has been plucked out of the air by USI as an option that the government may be looking at. Minister Quinn has explicitly ruled out the introduction of a student loan scheme on numerous occasions, not least in the last issue of this newspaper, and has pledged to guard against an increase in the registration fee. However, follwing the disastrous results for Irish universities in the THE University Rankings, heads of universities are baging down Minister Quinn’s door - our own Provost included. Therefore, we must march. We have precious few options but to march, sleep out on Kildare St or O’Connoll St and tweet the relevant hashtags until the Minister takes notice and decides that it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to honour his pledge.

ANTI-FASCISTS VERSUS THE PHIL A TYPICALLY TRINITY BATTLE

t various stages throughout the past week, UT Magazine editor Tommy Gavin would guffaw at an email sent to the editor by a party to the fight over Nick Griffin’s visit to Trinity. The laugh would then be followed by a statement along the lines of “This whole thing is quintessentially Trinity.” He was right. The machinations and recriminations behind the scenes of the Nick Griffin saga were typical of the tribal warfare that occasionally breaks out on campus. Having read our lead story, a lot of people will cry foul at the tactics employed by Trinity Against Fascism, the anti-fascist group set up specifically to force the Phil to withdraw the invitation to Nick Griffin. By targetting their sponsors and guests, the organisation was going after the lifeblood of the society. TAF have justified these actions by saying that such tactics are frequently employed by similar groups in the UK against universities who have toyed with the notion of inviting holocaust deniers to their campus. They’ve also said that the boycott requests to sponsors would only stand as long as the invitation to Griffin. The Phil regard them as troublemakers. While Rónán Burtenshaw’s belief in what

he was doin is beyond question, as is Ian Curran’s, the Phil felt put upon by these tactics and the forceful characters who employed them. The Phil committee adopted a conspiratorial mindset, monitoring all the activities of TAF and its members. Quite a few UT staffers were involved in TAF, but none of them played any role in our coverage of this story. Yet, it was understandable that the Phil thought at one point that this newspaper was against it too. It seemed everyone else was. It was this mindset that gave their opponents reason to characterise them as a committee that realised it had made a mistake but who were too proud to admit it, prefering instead to censor speeches and bar any college journalists from the event, just two of the spurious claims made by members of Trinity Against Fascism. In the atmosphere that surrounded this conflict, the claims rang true. So, who won? The members of Trinity Against Fascism certainly feel gratified that their efforts have paid off. Messages of congratulations were sent from anti-racist campaigners from around the country and from further afield. However, when UT posted the news that Griffin’s invite had been withdrawn, the more moderate

students who hadn’t been vocal during the conflict over the invitation suddenly piped up and it became clear that a silent majority had been looking forward to seeing Nick Griffin destroyed in a public debate. That most students were more likely to buy into a more traditional notion of freedom of speech than that advocated by Trinity Against Fascism is no surprise. That they did not speak up during the week-long conflict over the invite is also no surprise. The kind of moderates who spoke up when the debate was cancelled would not, by nature, go out of their way to set up an organisation like Trinity Against Fascism. And it’s in this that the Phil make a valid point. Trinity Against Fascism was comprised of a group of committed and ideologically driven people who got what they wanted. And perhaps it was at the expense of their fellow students. Students who are smart enough not to be influenced by Griffin’s claptrap views. Students who weren’t consuled by TAF, whose views could have been canvassed by TAF if it had submit a motion to the first SU council of the year, at which there will be at least 250 class reps. Instead they chose to go alone and follow their agenda to the end. Admirable conviction, but next time, maybe canvass first.

Senator Norris: Battling on as the faithful despair Once the clear favourite, now languishing in the polls, Trinty Senator David Norris’s bid at the Presidency looks like it will end in failure. Here, Senator Norris makes his case one last time to Trinity students while Conor Murphy reflects a mood felt by many who had supported Norris and now feel let down. UNDEFEATED AND STILL FIGHTING

ONCE HOPEFUL, NOW PAST CARING

Senator David Norris Independent Presidential Candidate

Conor Murphy Disillusioned student

he headlines of history can be written with a small pen. It can blossom from an idea planted here, an opinion disseminated there, a small stand made by an individual against overwhelming odds. I firmly believe each of us has the desire to right each enormous wrong when we find it, inspired by that courage to lead a change. Each of us has a Rosa Parkes within us. Discovering that courage, that sense of fairness, that conviction that it does not have to be always this way, that the bad guys don’t have to win all the time, is a wonderful and liberating thing. The Presidential Election on October 27 is a chance for every voter to discover that. It is a chance to do the decent thing. It is a chance to elect someone to Áras an Uachtaráin who believes in human rights, who believes in fairness, who believes in bringing the margins back from the edges of society, to represent our core values that are so dearly held by the whole of society, instead of the vested interests who have played the tune to which we danced throughout history. That is why I am running for president. That is why I dream, and hope and believe that history will be made on October 27th when the highest office in the land passes from the establishment political parties for the first time. I have a special affection for The University Times and, more importantly, the University in which it circulates. It is from the culture of Trinity College that I have drawn strength for many of my battles. The battles have been against overwhelming odds and I was often told that it was not worth the fight. I was often told that I should shut up and put up with the boundaries set by people on their expressions of culture, or the encumbrances cast upon them because of their sexual orientation. This is not the Trinity way. The culture of Trinity has always been to question, to challenge and to confront. Our university has set a beacon for change, during its proud history of representation. For every generation over its five hundred years of history, it has become a symbol of something different. I have had the honour of heading the poll at some of those elections, among an electorate of over 60,000. It gave me honour, but it came with a great responsibility to be true to the values which this university represents – the quest for honour, compassion, fairness and the

bravery to take the unpopular stand. It is the university where great ideas are celebrated and men of action thrive. There are few institutions as inexorably associated with transition, with great social and political change as Trinity College. It managed to straddle that great bridge in world history between the coloniser and the colonised, a university of Ireland and of the empire at the same time, the university of Robert Emmett and Edward Carson. It found a place in the affections of the new nation that was created by opponents of much of what it stood for. It provided colonial administrators to the old regime, revolutionaries and the first, seventh and eighth presidents to the new, and all the time is served as a beacon for those who served the status quo and also to those who were sceptical of the consensus, whose eyes were focussed not on the baubles of power but instead on those consigned to the margins of political culture. Serving all of those contradictions in the senate was a challenge, but a joyful one. Freedom to stand up for the marginalised was an obligation on behalf of the constituency which I represent. Now I am looking to another constituency, one even more diverse, one with even more contradictions. The challenges will be great. Overcoming them will bring rewards to all of those whose often-hopeless causes I have kept alive. It has honed my mind or the task ahead, should I be so fortunate as to be chosen by the people on October 27th. The writing of the headlines of history can be done again on October 27th, when our pens will be used in the ballot box. At a time when people’s homes are in danger, it is time to foreclose on the establishment. To repossess Áras an Uachtaráin.

David Norris topped the poll in Trinity’s Seanad election. Photo: Peter Fingleton

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANT TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? CONTACT OPINION@UNIVERSITYTIMES.IE AND WRITE FOR UT

am a cynical man. I barely ever believed in Santa, I never believed in God and I most definitely do believe that it is most definitely not butter. Last summer I fell for a cheeky fantasy with an upper-class bourgeois swagger and a plain dirty-class wink. He was camp and smart and had an intricate history of defending the weakest peoples’ rights and winning. I wasn’t hoping for the second coming in David Norris and I wasn’t looking for camp Carry On film shot in the Aras. I was just looking forward to a man full of intelligence, vigour and topped off with a good ounce of smart-arse. I was hoping for a man with a cynic’s memory and an optimist’s imagination; the best of the Irish. I got that, for a fortnight. He burst his way into headlines here and abroad, noted as an interesting, unpredictable and intensely popular candidate in a field of lacklustre rumours rather than real contenders. He gained back slapping support from independent TDs and county councils quickly, but storm clouds gathered long before the safety net of official nominations became a reality. At the end of July the infamous pedestary comments and the letters of clemency came to the fore. Then the implosion came. The spluttering and wavering on the radio. His complete inability to sit back quietly and formulate a sensible response. This was July. What had he to lose by saying he was wrong to write the letter? It would have been long forgotten by September, let alone the election three months away. Even the people who didn’t agree that it was a vote changing issue (read: most people) were concerned by his ineptitude under fire. This man who brought a challenge to the European Court of Human Rights suddenly couldn’t handle RTE news. It was as confusing as it was disheartening.

The smarter rats started started to swim for brighter shores, and the inevitable conclusion happened on the second of August. Forebodingly for a man who entered a presidential race, he said he had dropped out ‘to reassert as far as possible control of my life and destiny’, a statement that was out of touch for a man competing for the confidence of a conservative country with so colourful a past as his. I was furious at him for giving up so easily, over an issue none of the electorate really cared about . A Facebook campaign based on those original hopes and aspirations grew new life and he returned from holidays with a new colour and a new plan. We all hoped that a month abroad and a new ‘communications director’ might have tempered his ego, allowing him to handle the issue with grace whilst he finally talked about his hopes for the country. Tubridy scuppered that. Same old evasions hopped out of his mouth, and I felt that familiar plunging of my hopes again. Then the charade over the votes and councils came, then the other seven letters, then the awful debate performances, then the failing under Vincent Browne’s plainly obvious questions and then claims of disability allowance brought out that epitaph of all the most heinous of political falls, ‘it was a different time’. I don’t care anymore. I don’t care that a man who once held 40% of the public’s vote is now at a square dozen. This was a character who had enthralled me so much that I trolled online forums defending him completely. I turned around in a pub to resolutely defend him against a man I had never met. I believed in politics in a way I never had before. I believed that Norris getting into a powerless position could help grow Ireland into its full potential; a testament to both his original potential and the extent of his failings. I hope the other candidates will do well now and I’ll still vote, but I wish there had been change I could believe in, just once. When apathy is rife among not only the electorate at large but the youth in particular, it is heart wrenching for all that the person most championed by the youth of Ireland is the one to fail our hopes the most. But at least I’m not really annoyed, I just don’t care anymore

The University Times

Tuesday, October 18th 2011 | The University Times

TIMESSPORTS The Trinity Player Clubs work their young players to the bone to encourage an ethos of hard work. Not all of them make it ‘Oi you lot, move your bloody arse up that hill!’ would be the prevalent term used by coaching staff when you are thrown into the gauntlet that is also known as pre-season training. This form of ‘punishment’ is significantly important to prepare your body for the long season ahead. As a 17-year old starting out your apprenticeship, you are subtly given the message that slackers will not be tolerated and only sheer dedication will win through. Obviously some of my former teammates never really saw it that way as they left a trail of sickness behind them on an infamous hill in the local park. All aspects of your body and diet are scrutinised in these early stages. My first visit to the weighing scales clocked up an almighty 9 and a half stone! To bulk up, you engaged in some serious keep-fit drills for the first month and consequently felt absolutely fantastic with yourself afterwards. In fact, I would say that serious vanity kicks in as you start to actually believe you bear a resemblance to one of the Greek Gods. You may be lucky enough to get on the pre-season trip away to Europe somewhere for a prestigious youth tournament, but I am afraid that’s where the glamour ends. Upon entering the club you are given a list of jobs that in the club’s eyes will ‘make a man out of you’. I didn’t mind getting my hands dirty but you could tell some of my teammates were obviously completely mothered for the duration of their teenage years. The coaching staff would recognise this and place the offending individuals in charge of toilet duties to toughen them up. I can tell you now; it’s no fun having to clear a blocked jacks out after around 40 professional footballers have ‘lightened the load’ on a daily basis. Other jobs like mopping absolutely everywhere, general cleaning, painting, moving heavy equipment constantly, etc. all added to the day’s fun at our training ground. On one occasion, I was even ordered up to the managers house to clear up his two-acre garden. He would laze back in the sunshine whilst my mate and I were sweating profusely raking up the debris. ‘You missed a bit there boys, keep it going’, he would comment with authority. The most important task was cleaning the senior pros’ football boots on a daily basis. You dare not have your assigned pro coming into training and grubby boots waiting on his peg in the boot room. I actually loved this part of the routine; I was ordered to have the boots so shiny that he would be

able to ‘see his own face on them’. The other element of this was the Christmas bonus or tip from your senior Pro. Most lads would get £20-£50 which was brilliant, however a couple high profile professionals at the club had the reputation of being complete tightwads and boy they did not disappoint come Christmas time when handing over the Pounds. This new-found responsibility, I feel, was crucially important in terms of development as a person and introduced a disciplined routine so we took absolutely nothing for granted. The apprentice footballer of today in the Premier League generally does not have to engage in these types of chores, and I believe this lack of responsibility could be to their detriment in later years. Johnny Giles stated in his autobiography how he had a part time job away from Man United as a kid and even when he began playing in the first team, he was hopping on the local commuter bus with the fans. There was no easy money handed out back then, when men were real men. They also used to send us to college once a week on a Thursday to participate in a Health and Safety course. There were 22 players from the youth team who were split up in to two sections. One group who achieved the equivalent of three honours or more in their Junior Cert (O-Levels) and the others did not make this target. Ninety percent of the lads did not have this required level of competency. This is probably a failing of the football system in general where kids are allowed completely park school in their teens to become rich and famous and not be encouraged to have alternative plans. Even in the more advanced class, some of the teachers were probably wishing the day would end as cocky teen footballers would openly read the tabloid newspapers (Page 3 a particular favourite) whilst tuition was in full flow. Ultimately, the youth team is a self-discovery period. It can be mighty craic altogether in the dressing room with some serious mischief been carried out. There is less pressure in that you are playing against teams your own age and size. The football is a really good standard and you are living the dream. I recall in one period thinking to myself that I would play for free because I was enjoying it so much. This was youthful enthusiasm on my part and I would soon learn that the nature of this industry was cutthroat. At the end of every season, another bunch of young players would be shown the exit door and entering back into the real world where an uncertain future awaited. However traumatic, at least they knew in their hearts they were good enough to be signed by a professional club initially and that experience will never leave them.

The Trinity Player is an ex-pro.

RONAN RICHARDSON: OLYMPIAN Ronan Richardson Olympian-elect

Having never even run for a bus in his twenty years, Ronan takes on the 100m sprint under the guidance of Harriers’ captain Garret Dunne I’M A man who likes his food. And I must say, that the last little morsel of black pudding dipped into the fried egg is a thing of beauty to behold. Similar, in many respects to the Great Pyramids at Giza, or indeed the Cliffs of Moher. 10:30am; better get a move one. Just enough time to down the cuppa and sure we’ll have the toast on the bus. It’s a beautiful Tuesday morning, perfect weather for me to try the 100 metre sprint. I don’t really enjoy rain, you know, it can induce arthritis. Yes indeed, each edition I, Ronan Richardson, the University Times Olympian, introduce yet another wonderful facet of Trinity’s exciting sports life. This week we meet Dublin University Harriers Athletic Club, (DUHAC) along with their captain, Garret Dunne, who very kindly offered us assistance with timing and allowed us the use of starting blocks. He also kindly showed me how to run. Showed me how to run, I hear you ask? Surely sir, such is elementary! Well I thought so too. As I wandered over to meet Garret, I felt really confident about this one. In fairness, although I may not be built for weight lifting, or even cricket, my physique - thin and light - would surely be conducive to running like Shergar? In-house Rugby pundit Cal Gray even joked that maybe DUHAC would want me to run cross-country for the college. I felt sure I’d surprise them all with my ability and sheer brilliance. I’ve seen athletics on the television, if Usain Bolt can do it, so can Ronan Richardson. Myself and Garret went to ready ourselves in the Sports centre while our cameraman David Cullinan and Sport Editor Jack Leahy went to ensure conditions were appropriate. Funnily enough, the track and field closet for those of you who have never seen it contains many interesting things. Besides such items conducive to athletic development, there were also several packs of semi-eaten biscuits. Indeed, to quote Garret, it was as if someone had emptied their attic into it. I digress… We arrived at the running track outside the Pav to tumultuous applause from hoards of

Ronan takes his marks. Photo: David Cullinan spectators who sadly missed out on the European athletics finals but were happy to consider us second best. We were very professional and hence we started out with some light stretches. Although I must admit, that I went along and agreed that yes, I felt the burn, or the strain or whatever but realistically I didn’t, but equally didn’t want to be awkward like…

I literally felt like I was having a heart attack Following a can of Bav and a cigarette... I mean a bottle of water and energy bar, it was time to get into some warm-up jogging. We started off lightly around the track. As I mentioned, I felt my running ability was fine, pretty on p a r with the great and good of Irish athletic life. Sadly, this was most misguided. Garret gave me some great advice, though: Keep a straight back, bend the arms at a forty five degree angle, and always focus on something some distance away. It is also important, he added, to try and feel a slight strain in your solar plexus. And believe me, there was no chance of me not feeling

such a strain. We did two laps of college park and then it was time to get ready for the sprints. Now, when someone instructs you to assume the starting position that can mean lots of things, none of which you would imagine pertain to bending over with your posterior in the air applying undue pressure onto your fingers. Welcome to the world of athletics. ‘On your marks…. GO!’ I was off. The wind was blowing in my face like a gale. My hair was flapping about me like the mane of a ferocious lion. I was unstoppable. Literally. If it weren’t for the bush who knows where I would’ve ended up. I felt I’d really achieved something though; I was certainly sufficiently out of breath. I enquired as to how I did. Jack and Garret exchanged sideways glances. University Times policy on embarrassing sporting personalities ensured that I had to try again. ‘On your marks… GO!’ I was off like a light, but God did it hurt. I literally felt like I was having a heart attack and I wasn’t even half way near the finishing line. I was faster this time; I started quicker and gathered my pace quicker. I was there. Done. Time? 18.69 seconds, compared to 18.70 with the first attempt. Surely a record! Well not exactly. Turns out I’m only half as fast as Bolt himself, who can run twice the distance in .4 seconds more. Apparently I’m as fast as the world’s fastest ninety one year old. I always said, modern medicine is a wonderful thing!

The power of sport to distract you mid-senten.... Howard Helen Staff Writer It began, circa 2007, with George Lee warning disbelieving RTE viewers that our lifestyles were not sustainable. What were then theoretical bursts in both the property and construction bubbles have become concrete blotches on Ireland’s economic landscape. In 2011, that demise forms the bedrock of Irish current affairs discussion. Irish conversation, be it at a bus stop, at a checkout or in the local pub, has focussed on unrelenting economic doom and gloom, and has done since the average Senior Sophister found themselves of (legal) drinking age. The Irish Paddy has been forced to add ‘fiscal stimulus’, ‘IMF’ and ‘Christine Lagarde’ to his lexicon, with little capacity for actual comprehension. Front-page reports of €600,000 severance packages for top public sector workers, of Anglo’s infamous Christmas

parties and of indiscriminate bonus packages to banking officials smacks the unemployed mortgage-holder across the face. Conversely, the public sector frontline is being crippled with successive salary cuts in the face of cost-cutting measures, crying out at the inconsistency (in relative terms) between top earners and middle-income households. There is a growing frustration amongst communities at the government’s inability to restore Ireland to her boomtime glory. As the Irish rugby team return home this week, following their quarterfinal defeat at the hands of Wales, our disappointment is two-fold. There is an unavoidable feeling that the performance in Wellington ruined what was Ireland’s best chance of reaching a World Cup final for the foreseeable future. Expectations were raised to dizzying heights following impressive performances against Australia and Italy, yet against Wales we returned to pre-tournament

form. The Irish team will be criticised for a lack of physicality, graft and innovation against a beatable Welsh side. Safe in ignorance, we can speculate that we would’ve reached the final. But the bigger disappointment that comes with O’Driscoll et al’s unexpected departure is that we are stripped of a distraction. For the past fortnight, those players lifted the spirits of a nation that has been in the dark for quite some time. For me, that is the true beauty of sport – its ability to unite people, if only for eighty minutes. For a short period, those idle words at the bus stop, the checkout and the pub, centred on selection decisions at out-half, the indomitable Sean O’Brien and the hapless punditry of the RTE panel. Now we can expect a return to the risk of default and double-dip recessions. Judging by our football team’s Euro 2012 play-off draw, another distraction is definitely forthcoming in the near future.

Dashing Assets proving irresistible for sporting superstars Booty, balls, and big bucks: the Kardashians and the athletes they date Melanie Giedlin Senior Staff Writer Although most tabloids are more concerned about Kim Kardashian’s ample backside and what it is made of (Her own flesh? Silicone padding? The cash Vivid Entertainment made from her sex tape?), a more pressing question about her and her family is their penchant for hooking up with sports stars. Throughout their illustrious and scandal-filled lives in the press, the Kardashian sisters Khloe and Kim have dated some of the sports world’s most bankable stars. The most well known of the Kardashian-pro athlete liaisons was that of Kim and Reggie Bush, running-back for the Miami Dolphins and formerly of the New Orleans Saints. From 2007 to 2010. The drama of their on-off relationship created as many headlines as his rushing average and Superbowl win with the Saints. Winning numerous awards during his college football seasons with University of Southern California (including a 2005 Heisman Trophy that he later forfeited due to the infamous 2010 NCAA investigation), creating buzz by sports

analysts during the 2006 draft, and ultimately being drafted as the Saint’s second pick, Bush had a promising career as an NFL pro. However, post-Kardashian, he seems to have hit a slump career-wise and now his stats have dropped. After Bush, Kim moved onto Dallas Cowboy’s wide receiver Miles Austin and his two consecutive Pro Bowl appearances, impressive receiving stats, and his huge, thick, massive…$57 million six-year contract extension. However, their relationship was short-lived, and it was Kim’s transition to NBA pro basketball player Kris Humphries that cemented her trend of dating pro athletes. Neither a star in the basketball world nor a nobody, Humphries is a reliable forward with some fairly impressive career highs in his 2009-11 seasons with the New Jersey Nets. But all of that will never outshine his 2011 marriage to Kim and the media circus it created: magazine covers, interviews, and regular appearances on her hit reality TV show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Even with a start as a free agent in 2011, Humphries may forever be Kim’s husband first, pro athlete second. Kim’s sister Khloe has also had a string of relationships with athletes as well, ending in her marriage in 2009 to L.A. Laker’s forward Lamar Odom. Under her belt

are also a relationship with Texas Legends shooting guard Rashad McCants and a brief dalliance with Houston Texans running back Derrick Ward. So what is it about the Kardashians that makes them so attractive to pro athletes, many of whom are up-andcoming players with promising careers? On one hand, the publicity they garner helps their careers, but on the other, makes them look ridiculous. It’s hard to take seriously an athlete who is more well known by the general public for his fragrance and reality show than his NBA stats (I’m looking at you, Lamar Odom). Both Kardashian spouses, Odom and Humphries, are now managed by their mother-in-law and media juggernaut Kris Jenner. There’s another way to look at it, too: maybe dating successful athletes is a way of making Kim and Khloe look more legitimate as celebrities. Instead of being solely known for tabloid appearances and reality shows, they are bonafied A-list as the significant others of pro ballers, boosting their profiles every time their better half scores a point or gets an award. Maybe it’s simpler than that, though. Maybe the unmistakable connection between the Kardashians and sportsmen boils down to the most basic human instinct: booty. I mean, come on, have you seen their asses? Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn.

Kim: (sports)maneater?

The University Times | Tuesday, October 18th 2011

TIMESSPORTS

DUCAC paying the price for poor investments as finances dominate AGM discussions Matthew Rye Rebecca O’Keeffe DUCAC AGM THE DUBLIN University Central Athletics Committee (DUCAC) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) Thursday last in the Edmund Burke theatre. The Committee, which is responsible for all sporting activity in the college, has not met since it was required to call an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) in April of last year. The agenda was mainly dominated by election notices, although the overwhelming theme of the meeting was how DUCAC planned to cope with the currently bleak economic circumstances, which all thirdlevel institutions are suffering from at the moment, without sacrificing standards and involvements in all levels of sport. One of the most controversial topics up for discussion was how the Committee was planning on rectifying a 65,000 Euro deficit on its books in 2011. Senior Treasurer John Lumsden mainly put this down to lack of capitation from college sources, due to the previously-stated trying times that Trinity College finds itself in. Another factor for DUCAC’s lack of economic viability is the large expenditure bill which intoxicates the balance sheet. Much of this expenditure comes from the redevelopment of facilities which DUCAC has undertaken. These include the refurbishment of the Santry training and sporting facilities, and reconstruction of our cherished Pavilion Bar roof, the fruits of which can still be seen. However on closer inspection, some of these expenses seem rather avoidable, and problems in crucial areas

seem to persist. It appears DUCAC has either invested impetuously in their prized facilities, or has failed to maintain them to a sufficient standard. They are now literally paying the price for poor choices. It seems facilities continually have to be repaired, replaced or rebuilt. Since the introduction of the new sports centre in 2007, there seems to have been consistent problems with the plumbing of the new gym and training facilities. A new water feature on the gym ceiling had been added last Tuesday, presumably because the water pipes in the changing rooms above are being used consistently. The swimming pool was out of service for two months during the summer, due to the adjustable floor being repaired. A set of electronic windows in Ancillary Hall have failed to work since their introduction, the continued inadequacy of which has become a source of frustration for many patrons. The female bathrooms in the Pavilion continue to have poor water pressure, rendering them useless for the most part. A recent small fire in the sauna has led to further payments on its repair. Continued expenditure on these items will result in less money available for sport scholarships which we could use to attract top class sporting talent to our university. It’s not all bad news, however, depending on your vantage point. Firstly because despite the 65,000 EURO deficit, it is still an improvement on last year, and secondly, because considering the sacrifices DUCAC has had to make, numbers don’t seem to be dwindling at all. There are already 9,500 registered gym-using students, and a

Senior Treasurer John Lumsden addresses DUCAC members.

considerable amount of participating athletes, and it’s still only October. The new centre managed up to 60,000 bookings last year alone, indicating that there is still a huge demand for sport. As well as this, the new centre, during the summer, facilitated a series of children’s and community camps, which must be written down as good

to breed innovative ideas to attempt to stimulate the sporting eagerness of the Google generation. It is not just the governing body which needs to be more engaging, but also the individual sports clubs who have to be more encompassing in their recruiting. So as the saying goes, you must first remove the log in your own eye before

will, even though the fruits of the labours may not be seen yet. Whether the DUCAC image is destined to be a Charge of the Light Brigade-esque effigy of courage in the face of trying circumstances, or one of sheer incompetence remains to be seen. What is certain, is that the newly formed committee of 2012 will need

Comolli and Kop get sabermetric on inflated transfer market Conor Spellman Contributor JORDAN HENDERSON’S transfer to Liverpool during the summer was the subject of much debate, not least due to the enormity of the transfer fee: a reported £20 million. Furthermore, a lingering doubt remained as to whether young Henderson is actually... well, any good. However, the transfer intrigued me for an entirely different reason: according to official statistics, Henderson created the 4th most goalscoring chances in the Premier League last season (82, if you’re asking). While on the face of things this may seem like quite an arbitrary stat to begin an article with, if you scratch the surface a bit you begin to find what is a very interesting story, one which could result in changing the way football teams operate their transfer policies. In order to do the story justice, we must first travel back in time, to another country and an entirely different sport, namely to Oakland, California, 1995, when the Oakland A’s Baseball team was taken over by Stephen Schott and Ken Hoffman. The A’s new owners’ first action was to tell the General Manager (GM) at the time, Sandy Alderson, to slash the clubs wage bill due to excessively high running costs. Mr. Alderson did this by becoming the first GM to employ a new form of scouting technique, which shunned the classic system of scouting for physical specimens who could, for example, throw a lightening fast pitch or hit home runs so far they went out of the stadium. The new system of scouting was all about statistics. It is inspired by what is known as “Sabermetrics” a term steaming ‘SABR’ (the society for American baseball research), and ‘metrics’, or measurement (as in econometrics). Sabermetrics had been practiced, as a hobby, by what were essentially a group of baseball nerds since the 1980s, and

was concerned with statistically measuring every possible aspect of a players’ performance. Some aspects of performance are more important than others, and some of these were massively undervalued thanks to being overlooked by the popular scouting system, for example the percentage of times a player ‘gets on base’ has a huge impact on a games result, however base percentage played no part in the old scouting system. While Alderson was the man who began to employ these techniques, the A’s really began to reap the benefits of their radical new idea with the employment of Alderson’s successor, Billy Beane, and his sabermetric partner in crime, Paul DePodesta, an economics graduate of Harvard, in 1998 and 1999 respectively. Beane and DePodesta together began to create a team who were statistically great, but undervalued for reasons like body shape (i.e. too fat) or old injuries. They ended up with a team that had one of the lowest wage bills in Major League Baseball, yet who consistently made the playoffs almost every year. To give you an idea of the odds Beane was working against, in the 2002 season, in which the A’s made the playoffs, their wage bill was less than one third of the New York Yankees’. The story of Beane’s success with The A’s is told in a far superior way than I ever could by Michael Lewis, a London School of Economics graduate, in his book ‘Moneyball: The art of winning an unfair game’, which followed the A’s into the playoffs during the 2002 MLB season. (‘Moneyball’ is now a major movie, with Brad Pitt playing Beane). * What has this got to do with football? I can hear you ask. Bear with me; we’re almost there. The first team to copy these sabermetric, or “Moneyball” techniques, were the Boston Red Sox in 2002, when they were taken over by their new owner. His promise was that he would break the “Curse of the Bambino” (a name give to the fact that the Red Sox hadn’t won the World Series since 1918 when they sold ‘The Bambino’, Babe Ruth, to the Yankees). Within two years, in

2004, they had done it. And they did it again in 2007. Who was this new owner? None other than John W. Henry, now chairman of Liverpool F.C. Hopefully now you can see where I am going. Henry’s transfer policy since taking of Liverpool smacks of the Moneyball approach. Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez were the first in, immediately after the take over. It was last summer however when Henry’s influence really began to take hold. He first employed Damien Comolli as director of football. Comolli sights himself as a personal friend of Billy Beane and has talked of how he used Moneyball techniques to sign players for Tottenham when he was employed there. Last summers’ signings go even further to show the Moneyball influence. Stuart Downing had the highest percentage of successful crosses in the Premiership last year. This seems like quite a good fit when you have Andy Carrols mountain-esque frame to aim at. Charlie Adam had the 8th highest pass completion rate in the league (remember he also played with a relegated team, so 8th is quite impressive) and also provided the most goals from corners in the league, indeed Alex Ferguson has been quoted as saying “Charlie Adam’s corners are worth £10 million”. For anyone Liverpool fan who has had to put up with 10 years worth of corners from Steve “Captain Fantastic” Gerrard, this alone is a cause for celebration. The application of economic and econometric methods to baseball has seen an almost 100-year-old curse removed within two years and a team of Davids take on a league of Goliaths for years. Will John W. Henry’s time in charge of Liverpool prove as successful? Will his application of Moneyball economics see the return of English footballs top prize to Liverpool after over 20 years? In an age where instant success is expected by some and demanded by others, any success Liverpool achieve under Henry signal the dawn of a new way to do transfer business? I for one look forward to finding out.

DUGC: a fairway to go in recruitment drive Billy Nash Senior Staff Writer For many, Dublin University Golf Club has the unenviable reputation of being an elitist and patriarchal society consisting mainly of fat, ageing alumni and their posturing grandchildren. This stereotype could not be further from the truth. Indeed, much in keeping with international golf trends, DUGC is vibrant and youthful. Refreshingly, it also places a huge emphasis on friendship and craic, rather than self-preservation or who your father works for. Being an avid golfer and DUGC member, I have experienced firsthand the sense of comradery that pervades society gatherings and outings. Therefore, when I met fellow Limerick native and current DUGC club captain Darragh Garrahy, we were not short on discussion material. Although we spent a lot of time discussing the intricacies of the game, as well as our various experiences on and around the course, Darragh was keen to stress the accessibility of DUGC and how easy it now is to become a member of a growing Trinity College society with a bright future. “What many people don’t know is that a huge proportion of our members are freshers, thirty out of seventy-five, and we are very eager for them to become actively involved in the club. As far as DUGC are concerned,

accomplished golfers with mid- to low-figure handicaps already have a good idea what to do and where to go if they fancy becoming involved with the club”. Therefore, the society’s efforts are, for the majority, concentrated on finding and integrating people who would have a more relaxed attitude towards the sport, people who are perhaps intimidated by the stereotypical image of an ‘old man’s game’. A key part of this new drive for youth and inexperience is the appointment of Ruari Kennelly as the club’s social secretary, a new position within DUGC that concentrates solely on the lighter aspects of society membership. Kennelly has the responsibility of organising two ‘activities’ each month, ranging from pub crawls to golf trips and everything in between. Indeed, trips and excursions play a large part in the DUGC itinerary. The annual weekend in Lahinch takes place at the start of November and is perhaps the highlight of the club’s social calendar. It is also organised very much with freshers and beginners in mind. The club has a sizable proportion of female members, captained by Sibeal Cole, who take an active part in club outings and events. Darragh was also a member of the eight-man Trinity first team, who recently returned from a tour of Scotland, having played matches against the universities of Dundee, Stirling and the prestigious University of Edinburgh.

“Yeah, that was great. Those Edinburgh guys were really tough opponents. They had a great knowledge of links golf and how to play to their strengths.” In other words, Trinity were beaten. If being good enough to compete against Scottish scholarship golfers isn’t achievable for you right now, DUGC hold lessons in conjunction with PGA professional Zak Rouiller at Spawell driving range each Wednesday evening for just ten euro, accessible via a number of bus routes. It seems that there is no excuse for even the most reluctant of golfers to get involved. If you wish to contact Darragh and DUGC, their email address is dugolfclub@gmail.com. They would love to hear from you and are eager to get as many beginners as possible into the range and onto the course during the next six months.

Photo: Matthew Rye attempting to remove the speck in your neighbours. As such, DUCAC will also need to increase the level of student involvement in their own activities. The only election which took place was for Vice Chair of the Committee, which was won by Susannah Cass, as she was re-elected against DUFC representative Gerry Kelly.

Irish eyes are smiling after favourable draw Jack Hogan Armchair Footballer IT MUST be with some relief that the Republic of Ireland find themselves drawn against Estonia in the play-offs for Euro 2012. With the decision to seed the draw (meaning Ireland could have faced Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro or Turkey), Trapattoni’s men must be glad to be facing “somebody easy” as Shay Given put it. This will be a tough one to call. Looking at it from Estonia’s point of view, surely they were hoping to draw Ireland rather than the powerhouses of Portugal, Czech Republic or Croatia out of the top seeds. Trap himself was the first to comment on their ‘quality and mental fortitude’ and finishing second in a group containing the likes of Italy and Serbia is quite an achievement. Nonetheless, we can be glad of securing the second leg at home – an huge advantage in what will be an extremely tough fixture. The prospect of 51,000 screaming fans at a packed Aviva Stadium can no doubt serve to help the Irish cause. Despite having only played 20 minutes of Premier League football this season, Simon Cox will offer quite an imposing attacking threat in Kevin Doyle’s suspension-induced absence. His ability to hold the ball up and win it in the air would be complimented beautifully by Shane Long’s pace and urgency. However, given Trappatoni’s baffling refusal to start either Long or Seamus Coleman (with a combined Premier League price tag in the region of £15 million) it is likely that Cox will be joined up front by Jonathan Walters. Walters has impressed this season for Stoke City and is more than likely to have cemented a place in the Irish team after his late appearance against Armenia, in which he showed some serious Premier League class. Elsewhere, the return of Richard Dunne in defence, though important, went somewhat unnoticed as Armenia opted to shoot from distance and offered little in the box or from set pieces. Spotting the Championship player in the team wasn’t too difficult with Sean St. Ledger’s fundamental inability to clear a ball using his feet being particulary prevalent. John O’Shea and Stephen Kelly were painfully average as usual. As were Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews (who I believe should not be allowed within 100 metres of a spherical object ever again). But, it’s not all doom and gloom. Damien Duff was as energetic and creative as ever against Armenia and Aiden McGeady has shown some serious signs of improvement since his move to Russia. However, what makes this fixture so difficult to call is that, despite knowing how well Ireland can play under Trap, we have not seen them reach these heights since winning the Carling Nations Cup in May. If we fail to reach another major tournament, questions must be asked about how much further Trapattoni can bring Irish football. Moreover, let’s just hope we qualify and worry about the performances when we get to Poland and Ukraine next summer. Roll on November 11th! refereeing. Moreover, let’s just hope we qualify and worry about the performances when we get to Poland and Ukraine next summer. Roll on November 11th!

UTsports October 18th 2011

Inside

Ronan Richardson Tries the 100m sprint

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DUFC powerless to stop refined Bective Bective 19 DUFC 12 Bective RFC Jack Leahy Sports Editor In the second game of the 2011/2012 All-Ireland League season, Dublin University Football Club (DUFC) were overcome by an efficient Bective side led by their superlative out-half Gearóid O’Grady. Both sides exchanged early penalties, with DUFC captain David Joyce scoring first before O’Grady bisected the posts four minutes later. The pattern was repeated in reverse towards the end of a largely uneventful first half as O’Grady’s effort from a difficult angle was cancelled out by Joyce ten minutes later. The sides appeared to be heading for the dressing rooms level at half-time before the home side took a deserved lead as number eight Ben McGarry finished emphatically following a swift counter-attack. Bective led 13-6 at half-time with both sides otherwise equals on the pitch. Joyce, whose good form with the boot put gloss on an indifferent performance in-play, gave his side hope with an early second-half penalty, only for O’Grady to cancel it out once again soon after. From this point on DUFC were effectively out of the game as a disciplined and clinical Bective side turned the screw on their collegiate opponents. Joyce lessened the arrears to four with seven minutes remaining, but any hope emboldened by the proximity on the scoreboard was soon tempered by the O’Grady’s radar-like right foot. The score was 19-12 with a minute to go, and the home side managed to hold out for a well-deserved victory. The opening exchanges were in DUFC’s favour as a charge upfield from winger Neil Hanratty culminated in Joyce striking home from the opposition 22 as the otherwise flawless O’Grady was pinged for offside. Hindsight, however, informs us that a bad omen for the rest of the game was cast in the build-up to the try, with Joyce’s attempt to make touch from a penalty failing to make touch. He would go on to miss four more efforts and cost his team valuable field position. Bective were denied possession for the first five or six minutes, but immediately looked dangerous when gifted possession by a needless knock-on. From the ensuing scrum, they drove the heavier visiting pack back five metres and O’Grady took the chance to level presented to him by a careless offside. DUFC began to give away a worrying number of penalties on the floor as the Ulster branch referee came down hard on Ireland U-20 international Dominic Gallagher. Nonetheless, the side managed to mount a decent attacking move that lost momentum and ended anticlimactically with Ciaran Wade’s knock-on. O’Grady created the next score entirely of his own abilities; after a lull in play, he found a long-range touch with a penalty and converted brilliantly from the touchline after the rugged DUFC defence were forced to step out of line.

Scrum-half Michael McLoughlin delivers the ball on a tough night for him and his backline. Jack Kelly pursued Joyce’s ensuing kickoff and gathered expertly in the air, giving his side a platform to eventually earn a scrum in the middle of the opposition 22. Not for the last time, an aimless flick pass from scrum-half Michael McLoughlin ended his side’s attacking phases and almost gave away an intercept try. With Bective dangerous on the counter-attack and the batteries on his radar empty, Joyce began to get some joy from turning to inside centre Patrick Lavelle. The massive Lavelle operated as an effective line-breaker, but the captain’s propensity to turn to the converted flanker in the number twelve channel would soon manifest itself as incurably narrow play. Another careless pass from McLoughlin almost had the same result as the last, but it wasn’t to matter as an offside from a Bective front-row gave Joyce the opportunity to convert from a difficult angle and leave the scores at 6-6. Having missed yet another kick at touch late in the half, Joyce’s first successful effort at the line was flung wildly over Kelly’s towering

hands. Bective managed to get a foot to the ball, bearing down on Hanratty, who did well to fashion a long clearance. DUFC heads switched off for a microsecond when the ball was cleared, allowing the Bective back row to burst into the 22 and neatly exchange passes. McGarry collected the ball 20 metres out and used his deceptive pace to take him over, under the posts and unopposed. O’Grady’s neat conversion was to be the last play of a half in which DUFC’s suicidal willingness to dance with danger finally went punished. Bective had little to offer the half in their own right, but were responding clinically to the numerous opportunities presented to them. The gusto with which the visitors began the second half was once again brought to a halt by their own errors. A large pursuing contingent hounded the recipient of Joyce’s drop-out into touch and Kelly was raised high into the Donnybrook sky to reclaim at the line-out. Gallgher charged into the 22 with characteristic menace before his off-load came a second too soon for the supporting cast.

Undeterred by yet another self-inflicted aberration, huge forward pressure from the Trinity pack in defence gave Joyce an opportunity with the boot he was not to miss, stroking home from a difficult angle to narrow the deficit to four points at 13-9. Within five minutes, the landscape of the came had once again changed in Bective’s favour, with DUFC lucky to still be in the game at that stage after a series of penalties forced them into their own half. So often their tormentor, their cause was salvaged by the referee’s whistle after full-back James O’Donoghue added his name to those guilty of aimless flicks that nearly caused trouble. With fifteen minutes remaining, any doubts that Bective and O’Grady were in complete controlled were dispelled by two particular decisions. On being awarded a penalty, the backline rushed to the pack to encourage them to ‘scrum again’, such was their dominance in the set-piece. A directly ensuing penalty – in a good position to create an attacking line-out – was instead struck over the bar by the Rhys

Photo: Ben McQuillan

Priestand-esque out-half’s boot to compound his excellence. Having audaciously but unsuccessfully launched a counter-attack down the left wing, Joyce took advantage of an increasingly rare opportunity to put points on the board after the entire Bective team strayed offside. His accuracy made it 16-12 with seven minutes on the clock, but O’Grady popped up once again to nullify his opposite number’s efforts and knock the stuffing out of DUFC for once and for all.

Star Man (DUFC): Jack Kelly

The second year lock was imperious in the line-out, powerful in the ruck and led the pack by example with his brute strength.

MacDonald elected DUSSC captain for the year at EGM Jack Leahy Sports Editor Following Mick Birmingham’s decision to step down as captain of Dublin University Snow Sports Club (DUSSC), members present at an EGM have elected Cara MacDonald as the woman to put the club back on the right slope. Birmingham made a brief appearance at the meeting to inform members that he had to step down over the summer for ‘personal reasons’ and that MacDonald had temporarily replaced him as captain for the summer period. Well-placed sources within the College and the club have confirmed to The University Times that Birmingham submitted his resignation to the committee having sought an alternative ski-trip provider to Wasteland Ski, who organised this year’s infamous trip to Les Deux Alpes. There followed a dispute with Wasteland Ski after which Birmingham stepped down as club captain. A source within the club told us in early September that the committee had “no real idea who was in charge” at that stage, and confirmed reports that Birmingham stepped down. Our source was also keen to point out that no external pressure was applied to

Birmingham to resign from College’s end, adding that the decision was ‘totally his own’. “The reason that we’re having this is because I had to step down for personal reasons,”said Birmingham at the event held in early October, “Everything’s still as planned and it’s going to be a great year.” MacDonald was the only nominee for the captaincy and was passed by all present without dissent. “We’ve had a really good summer,” she said upon election, “and our trips are now totally planned.” The club is planning on travelling to Les Arcs for this academic year’s ski trip and will do so under the organisation of Wasteland Ski. As a result of MacDonald’s promotion to club captaincy, a by-election was held for the position of secretary directly after the captaincy election. Cancer Society chair Becca Roche comfortably triumphed, defeating Caoimhe Adams by twelve votes having alluded to the importance of ‘dealing with Wasteland’ in her hustings speech. Cariosa Kennedy was elected first year rep. MacDonald brings to the club a wealth of experience from her tenure as DUSSC secretary, and hopes to steer the club in the right direction after a difficult year.

Additional reporting by Matthew Rye.

MacDonald was elected unopposed by DUSSC members.

Photo: David Cullinan