Issue 6 - May 2016

WessexScene.co.uk University of Southampton’s Student Magazine

APRIL 2016

6

Welcome

BRIDIE PEARSON-JONES Editor

WESSEX SCENE TEAM Want to write for us?

Get in touch with a section editor.

Editor BRIDIE PEARSON-JONES editor@soton.ac.uk

Deputy Editor MICHAEL OLIVER

deputy-editor@wessexscene.co.uk

Head of Design SEBASTIAN STEELE design@wessexscene.co.uk

HEAD OF IMAGERY JORDAN STEWART image@wessexscene.co.uk

Features ELLIE WERMTER

features@wessexscene.co.uk

Features ALICE HEARING

features@wessexscene.co.uk

Science & Environment natasha dennington science@wessexscene.co.uk

Politics SAMUEL WILLIAMS

politics@wessexscene.co.uk

This is (almost) it. Our penultimate issue.

This year we’ve had 6 standard issues, three special issues, and a special website and I can’t quite believe it’s all coming to an end, with only one more print magazine to go. I guess time flies when you’re editing hundreds of articles and distributing thousands of magazines every month!

By the time this is printed, we’ll have elected a new committee to take over in July and keep the Scene going from strength to strength next year.

This is one of our most diverse issues yet. With articles on everything from baking to the Panama papers. This issue also discusses the much debated EU referendum, and looks at the future of science.

This has been one of our busiest times of the year, after just about recovering from elections and varsity, we went to Loughborough Student’s Union (yes, that L-L-L-L-LSU) for the Student Publication Association National Conference, where Wessex Scene won the highly commended award for Flash Friday meaning, we’ve been picked up nationally more than any other paper in the country this year. We also learned lots from the likes of editors at National publications and some of the best journalism training schools in the country such as News Associates and Press Association.

We’ve also recently joined forces with Warwick Boar and a number of other student publications to launch a national investigation into racism at Universities. Head to our Facebook page for more details.

Opinion FREYA JEFFRIES

Don’t forget, it’s not too late in the year to get involved. If you like what you see and want to join us, drop an email to the relevant section editor.

Travel NUALA MCBRIDE

That’s all for now. Have a happy spring, and don’t spend too much time revising!

opinion@wessexscene.co.uk travel@wessexscene.co.uk

Lifestyle Laura Cox

lifestyle@wessexscene.co.uk

International CAMERON RIDGWAY

international@wessexscene.co.uk

Bridie

Sport JACK PETHICK

sports@wessexscene.co.uk

Sport SEAN O’BRIEN

sports@wessexscene.co.uk

News REBECCA LAKE

news@wessexscene.co.uk

News TOM MORGAN

news@wessexscene.co.uk

Pause TOM RANDALL

pause@wessexscene.co.uk

MARKETING DAN LINSTEAD

publicity@wessexscene.co.uk

VP DCI KERRY SCLATER vpdci@susu.org

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FRONT COVER IMAGE BY SEBASTIAN STEELE WELCOME

OPINION 08 The Kids Are Alright: Children and Sexting - Karly-May Kavanagh. Image by Ollie Silvester

ISSUE 6 APRIL 2016

FEATURES

Student Shaves Hair to Raise Money for Manavata Charity Are Naked Selfies Empowering Women?

05

Restaurant Review: Neighbourhood 21 I Don’t Eat Cake: Problems of a 22 Baker

06

TRAVEL

NEW APPROACHES TO TRAVELLING

24

08

SOUTHAMPTON2MONGOLIA: THE FOLLOW UP

26

10

INTERNATIONAL

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THE CHANGING FACE OF CUBA Life in Brussels: armed police and chocolatiers

OPINION

The Kids Are Alright: CHILDREN AND SEXTING Is Paedophilia A New Sexual Orientation?

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

space exploration: what does the future hold?

SPORT

POLITICS

wessexscene.co.uk @wessexscene fb.com/wscene WELCOME

the eu: a brief history Much ado about Panama: Why Tax Clampdown is a Pipedream

16 18

LIFESTYLE

Exercise to beat stress

27 28

20

Professional Video Gaming: Sport or Not? What does Leicester winning the Title say about the Premier League?

30 32

PAUSE

EU: IN OR OUT?

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3

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Features

Student Shaves Hair to Raise Money for Manavata Charity Snigdha Tiruvuru, a third year English Literature student at the University of Southampton, has chosen a different way to celebrate her 21st birthday this April. Here, Lifestyle Editor Laura Cox catches up with Snigdha, who explains how the money she raises will benefit others.

Which charity have you chosen to support?

I have chosen to help a charity called ‘Manavata’, which means humanity or humankind, and its aim is to create a ‘Healthy, Happy and Harmonious world.’ It is a charity registered in India, the UK and the USA which focuses on alleviating multiple societal ills, such as climate change and poverty. It focuses on Tree Plantations, Natural Farming methods, Humanitarian Aid for those in need and also homes and educates orphaned children. Moreover, Manavata also focuses on personal development and health by organising healthy-living and employment training workshops around the world.

How will this help others?

The main reason was losing people close to me to cancer and seeing them without hair and the low self-esteem that this entailed. If giving up my vanity would mean that the people who have gone through immense pain have a reason to smile, it would be an honour to give up my hair. The wigs actually cost £350 to make, but they are given to patients by the Little Princess Trust free of charge.

When did you decide to raise funds in this way?

I have wanted to donate my hair for a while, especially after seeing and experiencing the devastating impact of cancer. Also, I wanted to give up something that mattered to me and would make a real difference. I have chosen to donate my hair to the Little Princess Trust as they make wigs for children who have lost hair through their battle with cancer. I’ve chosen to do this on my 21st birthday because I think that this is what would make my birthday most special - giving back to other people.

Manavata means Humanity in Sanskrit - the human virtue of tending and befriending others through love, kindness and social intelligence. It is from this very spirit that ‘Manavata’, a voluntary, not-for-profit, humanitarian organization was created over twenty years ago. Since its foundation in 1991, it has welcomed over 8000 volunteers, with new volunteers joining all the time, and new projects taking place every year.

FEATURES

About the charities The Little Princess Trust was set up in 2006 and aims to help provide the highest quality wigs possible to young cancer patients.

“I wanted to give up something that mattered to me and would make a real difference”

If you’d like to read more about Snigdha Tiruvuru and her story, visit justgiving. com/snigdhatiruvuru for more information and to support the charities.

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Features

Are Naked Selfies Empowering Women?

WORDS BY ELLIE WERMTER IMAGE BY JORDAN STEWART

Naked selfies became a controversial topic back in March, when Kim Kardashian posted a naked photo of herself in the mirror (with strategically placed censored bars) above an amusing caption, ‘when you’re like I have nothing to wear LOL’.

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FEATURES

Features The photo gained 1.7 million likes on Instagram and went viral within seconds, causing many to criticise her nakedness, with Instagram users commenting, ‘Set a good example to your children!’ and ‘so inappropriate.’ Whilst others heralded her confidence, ‘Love!’, ‘You are AMAZING’. Either way, it was a photo that divided opinion. It was, of course, one of the world’s most famous women, boldly baring all from her own Instagram account. Controversy only heighted when Kim Kardashian wrote in defence of her picture, describing it as ‘empowering’.

Kim wrote, “Hey, guys. I wanted to write a post elaborating on my tweets last night. In all seriousness, I never understand why people get so bothered by what other people choose to do with their lives. I don’t do drugs, I hardly drink, I’ve never committed a crime—and yet I’m a bad role model for being proud of my body?”

“It’s 2016. The body-shaming and slut-shaming—it’s like, enough is enough. I will not live my life dictated by the issues you have with my sexuality. You be you and let me be me,” the celeb wrote. “I am a mother. I am a wife, a sister, a daughter, an entrepreneur and I am allowed to be sexy.”

Kim raised some valid points. The criticism of her post commonly referenced her role as a mother and as a wife, but since when were the two incongruent to being a sensual person? Is being a mother and being sexy completely inconceivable? It would appear to be the opinion of many online, although this view is archaically sexist and supports an outdated view of what it means to be a woman. Kim Kardashian’s post had included instances of slut-shaming and body-shaming, too, notably, by comedian Bette Milder, who tweeted, ‘Kim Kardashian tweeted a nude selfie today. If Kim wants us to see a part of her we’ve never seen, she’s gonna have to swallow the camera.’ Whilst actress, Chloe Moretz, appealed to Kim’s human side, tweeting, ‘@KimKardashian I truly hope you realize how important setting goals are for young women, teaching them we have so much more to offer than just our bodies’.

But is publically sharing our naked bodies, empowering or inappropriate? Sian Duncan, a psychology student at the University of Leicester says, ‘she has as much right as any other woman, or indeed man, to publicly express herself in such ways. But the interesting part of the Kim K naked selfie phenomena is that its perfectly acceptable when it is shared publicly for the male gaze, however, when a woman takes control of her own body, images, social media presence and chooses to sexualise herself, it is deemed shameful, slutty and undesirable.’

FEATURES

It would appear that this may be the differentiation in sexualized images. Naked magazine covers and photo-shoots are obsessively idolised by fans and exalted online for their beauty. Perhaps the difference is the collaborative effort to obtain a beautiful image, whilst Kim’s naked selfie was her alone in her bathroom mirror. Perhaps then it is the individual seizing and performing their own sexuality that makes people uncomfortable. The actress, Emily Ratajkowski certainly agreed with that interpretation when she waded into the selfie row with a comeback to Piers’ Morgan’s attacks on Kim’s photo. She tweeted, ‘Love when a man comments on a woman’s decision to post a nude photo. Her body, her career.

Sexist bullsh*t. @KimKardashian’, and later posed for a joint naked selfie with Kim as a sign of solidarity. At this point, it appeared as though Kim Kardashian had started her own version of girl power. Who’d have thought it?

Matthew Shaw, a Geology student at the University of Southampton commented, ‘Kim Kardashian (and celebrities in general) constantly post images containing unattainable body goals. These repetitive and unrealistic images can only have a negative impact on the younger generations they so heavily influence. Kim Kardashian is wealthy and has had a lot of work done, her naked selfie is not a realistic or healthy image to expose to ‘normal’ people.’

So rather than it being the fact it’s a woman posting the naked images being contentious, it could be the identity of the person posting a naked picture that makes sharing of an intimate image, controversial. Kim is a divisive figure, as a product of reality TV and a star in her own sex tape. So, despite this supposed celebratory moment of empowerment of women, we do need to bear in mind that at the centre of this debate is Kim Kardashian, the author of her own 300-page collection of selfies, the 2015 book, ‘Selfish’. Was this image really about female empowerment, or just another example of her dazzling self-obsessive narcissism? Even if her naked selfie had empowering intentions, it is difficult to disentangle Kim Kardashian from her self-gratifying lifestyle and the influence she holds over so many people with her distinct lack of credentials.

The naked body, especially Kim Kardashian’s it would seem, will always divide opinion, and even, in some instances, ‘break the internet.’ There will always be discrepancies in taste, in style and in intention. But in response to the question, do naked selfies empower women? Why don’t we ask the woman? Modesty empowers some women, nakedness empowers others. It’s about time we accepted both forms of presentation, as empowering of women, in whatever form, is something we should encourage, support, and let flourish.

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Alright

WORDS BY CARLY-MAY KAVANAGH IMAGE BY OLLIE SILVESTER

The Kids Are

Children and Sexting

Opinion

A recent poll of 1,300 teachers found that more than half of them know of their pupils using social media for sexting, according to the NASUWT teachers’ union.

The majority of children involved were between the ages of 13 and 16, involving photos of genitals sent and explicit videos shared.

O

f course, there has to be a cut-off point for it being okay; namely the legality of the situation, but that’s really only a concern if photos of children and teenagers are being received by people over the age of 18.

There has been discussion around why sexting happens in the first place. Aside from the obvious, the prominence of social media and technology is more prevalent now than it was even for me as a child, let alone when our parents were children. Phones and apps like Snapchat - where photos disappear after 10 seconds max - make it so much easier for sexting to happen. And the temporary nature of the photos makes the consequences seem minimal, because no one can see it apart from the one person it’s being sent to. Unless it’s ‘screenshotted’...

Some children, and even some adults, just aren’t mature enough to deal with what happens should their explicit photos get out. It’s all too easy for someone to promise not to screenshot or share a sext around in order to win someone’s trust, and for it to then to be spread all over school that same 8

night. Once something is online, shared and saved, it’s very hard to get rid of it. And young people may not be aware of the implications of photos of themselves, even if they were sent with no sexual motives, getting into the hands of someone over the age of 18, and the implications on that person if they are caught with it. Children are not being educated enough on just how easily photos can spread across the internet, even if someone promises to keep a photo to themselves.

But if someone’s sharing photos with someone they trust, and there’s no pressure from either side, then what’s wrong with sexual expression and exploration? People, especially children as they develop, seeing their peers bodies will be beneficial in that is makes nudity less shameful. Exposure to ‘normal’ bodies alongside photoshopped models in magazines will prevent young people from comparing their bodies to unattainable standards of socially approved beauty. All of a sudden ‘abnormalities’ or just blemishes and imperfections, that are erased from models photographs, can be viewed as normal, because of the power of shared photos and body exploration.

OPINION

Opinion

Also, let’s face it, kids do ‘weird’ things. They do things that aren’t socially acceptable for adults, like running around with no pants on or showing each other their ‘things’. They have an innate curiosity about the world and each other, and finding out about bodies is another part of that. Little Timmy asking his friend what his thing looks like probably isn’t sexual or perverted, it’s just him wanting to know things.

Except now, it’s via Snapchat because it’ll disappear after a few seconds anyway. Of course, things can be saved and shared, but honestly, kids are just curious. They’re very unlikely to be malicious towards each other and get a kick out of sharing a dick pic because why would they? That’s done between male teenagers to discuss the size or by an ex for revenge after a bad break-up, or just to embarrass someone they don’t like - not between kids who are learning about how their bodies work.

Whereas, to older children, those probably in puberty and developing an interest in people romantically or sexually, (but who are still definitely minors) aren’t lewd texts just the love letters of this century? No longer are chaperones and awkward first dates the norm; more like Tinder conversations made up of gifs and Snapchat names. Sexting doesn’t have to be a shameful practice, and for teenagers exploring their sexuality and desires, it can promote intimacy and trust in relationships.

On top of that, to discourage the practice can make the children carry that shame into adulthood. We all know about OPINION

the negative repercussions of enforcing, deliberately or otherwise, negative body image. Clothing manufacturers have been shamed across social media news for slogans like ‘I hate my thighs’ on girl babygrows, there are all kinds of discussions about women being body positive, and the problems with encouraging diets around young children. Isn’t discouraging sexting similar, just it’s shaming sexual desire instead of bodies?

As long as no adults are involved in the messages and everyone is trustworthy with keeping the photos and messages to themselves and it’s all above board, there shouldn’t be any problem with people of any age ‘sexting’. Exploration of bodies and curiosity about them is a natural human instinct, and nobody should be shamed or discouraged from finding out about them. If everything is consensual, then there’s no need to worry; the kids are alright.

“

“Isn’t discouraging sexting similar, just it’s shaming sexual desire instead of bodies?”

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Opinion

Is Paedophilia A New Sexual Orientation?

WORDS BY BRUNO RUSSELL

Recently,

experts have claimed that paedophilia ought to be seen as a type of sexual orientation, just like hetero or homosexuality. But should it be seen in these terms and what are the implications of this new label?

The first issue, naturally, is if such a label is appropriate. By sexual orientation we mean ‘an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction.’ The atypical trend has been to avoid giving paedophilia this label and refer to it as a psychological disorder. In 2013, however, Dr James Cantor (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) proved that it is a ‘biologically rooted condition that does not change’ and affects 2% of men, suggesting that it is a natural condition that cannot be ‘cured’.

In terms of LGBT+, the majority view has been to stress the natural-bias on sexual orientation, so homosexuality or asexuality are not seen as “choices” that an individual makes but rather features of their personality. Thus, holding Cantor’s widely-accepted evidence and our standard 21st-century attitude to sexual orientation, paedophilia does stand as a sexual orientation.

So why does this matter? It means that paedophilia is no longer a choice, and cannot be treated medically or psychologically.

But this leaves us locking away potential paedophiles because their threat to children and imposing medication on them to suppress (but not treat) their urges. This, seemingly, makes a paedophile look more like a victim of the system than a criminal, which is obviously problematic. We wouldn’t be locking them away in virtue of them having done something wrong, but rather in order to protect young children. Equally, in reforming them we would simply be ordering them not to act on their natural sexual impulses. We have to remember that fifty years ago the same attitude held to homosexuality.

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But because we hold on to notions of consent, we thus say paedophiles are wrong in their natural sexual construction.

But if they have not chosen it and have not acted on it, have they really done anything wrong?

Perhaps there is a loop-hole here. We cannot say that attraction to children itself is immoral per se, but acting upon such an attraction is. Thus the fact that paedophile’s make comments such as “We do not choose to be attracted to children, and we cannot make that attraction go away,” are irrelevant when considering the actual act of child abuse committed when a paedophile acts upon their desires.

This has two implications. The first is that society ought to no longer see sexual desire towards children as immoral or perverse. This may seem outlandish, but to do so would bear a fatal contradiction and injustice. Paedophilia is a biological attraction, and thus to object to its very occurrence is equal to objection to homosexual desires. To object to a person on the grounds of such a desire is to fatally misunderstand it and to unfairly subject and demean individuals. Furthermore, their admittance of their desire may help them to not act upon it. Non-abusive pedophilic desire is not wrong. The second is that we take a high ground on sexual desire. 98% of the population see their sexual desire as permissible to act upon, and stop the other 2%. This is less worrying; there are plenty of desires we have that are deplored (the desire to smoke, for example). The only factor here is that if you have pedophilic desires exclusively you would have to abstain from sex. But this a fair price for child protection.

There are some serious issues to deal with now that paedophilia is being seen as type of sexual orientation. The law and society as a whole may need to re-evaluate exactly how we approach this taboo area of sex, especially by removing stigma from the simple having of (but not acting upon) paedophilic desire.

OPINION

Science & Environment

Space Exploration:

What Does the F WORDS BY NATASHA DENNINGTON

For many decades now, scientists have been exploring as far into space as possible – putting men on the moon, sending probes outside of the solar system and even putting telescopes into space so they can see other worlds where life may exist. But what’s next for space exploration and will we ever see man set foot on another planet?

Back in January 2015, NASA announced their plans for an exciting new age of spaceflight, which could see man back on the moon before the decade is out. But why is the moon such an important part of our exploration of space and do we really need to go back?

Honestly, yes. In order to explore more distant worlds, mankind needs to be able to carry out extended lunar stays to learn more about the expertise needed for the desired much longer-term space missions. With a base on the moon, astronauts will be able to learn vital skills to further human presence into deeper space such as the ability to replenish rocket fuel and oxygen supplies from local material. After obtaining these new abilities, there’s no telling where mankind will be able to go to next- Mars or maybe even further afield.

Addressing the National Space Symposium in April, NASA’s Administrator Charles Bolden reiterated just how much he believed Mars mattered in space exploration. Noting how far humans had come compared to six years ago, when President Obama announced that he believed NASA should pursue a human mission to Mars, Bolden remarked “we’re closer to sending human beings to Mars today, than anyone, anywhere, at any time, has ever been”.

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However, national organisations like NASA aren’t the only ones looking into space exploration and in recent months, it seems like other places may just reach their goals sooner.

SpaceX, the private-sector space transportation company, have in the last month had their first successful upright landing of the Falcon 9 rocket at sea on a remote-controlled barge. Being able to land a rocket back on Earth, upright and intact, is a huge technological feat. It seems even more amazing when you realize that the SpaceX landing pad was only 250 x 150 feet. One landing is not a proven technology, but if SpaceX can perfect their landing technique, the cost of launching stuff into space may be reduced significantly.

Alongside reusable rockets, the Falcon 9 launch was also host to some very precious cargo. The capsule onboard held the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM. This module could solve the decade long conundrum on the limit of cargo size in spacecraft. The module itself was condensed to less than its final intended size, loaded and fired into orbit, before expanding in space. This technology means that it is possible to have two-thirds the size of the International Space Station launched in less than five percent of launches.

It’s not just manned space exploration that is seeking to explore further than before. The planned launch of the SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

Science & Environment

Future Hold?

SpaceX Falcon Heavy

James Webb Space Telescope ( JWST) in 2018, a telescope the size of a tennis court, aims to look deeper into space than any of its predecessors.

With goals such as understanding the formation of the first galaxies, and the formation of stars and planets, the JWST may be the next step in answering some of the big unknowns in the field of astronomy and cosmology.

Some of the big names in the field of science and technology are also jumping on the exploration bandwagon. The Starshot Project has many well-known faces backing it, among them physicist Stephen Hawking and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The aim of the project is to send “nano craft” deep into space to be able to explore far more remote regions than humans have ever done before. Talking at the projects announcement, Hawking said, “The limit that now confronts us is the great void between us and the stars. But now we can transcend it, with light beams, light sails, and the lightest spacecraft ever built. Today we commit to this next great leap into the cosmos, because we are human and our nature is to fly.”

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

With the tiny rockets that the Starshot project plan to use, it will be possible to the reach the Alpha Centauri system (which is 25 trillion miles away) in just 20 years. Since the small craft will be able to take pictures, it is thought that they may be able to send back images of possible planets, leading to the potential of finding life on other worlds. Eventually, with the decreasing price of the computer components required to build such craft, each rocket would only cost a few hundred thousand dollars to build. This means that we would have a much more affordable way of reaching all that much further into the deep void of space.

The quest to explore space has not been this exciting since the 1960s. Humans have barely adventured far from our little blue dot. With the current advancements in both manned and unmanned space technologies, it may be about to change in the years to come. For now though, humans are very much remaining on terra firma.

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Politics The European Union (EU) was borne out of a European need for unity in the aftermath of WWII, but the current EU is a long way from what it started out as. Here’s a brief guide to how the EU became what it is today, via a considerable number of treaties.

1948

Hague Congress: Creation of the European Movement International, where the future leaders of Europe would study together.

1952

Creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, which was ‘the first step in the federation of Europe’.

1957

Creation of the European Economic Community, with the signing of the Treaty of Rome. Participants were Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany.

1967 1973 1975 1979 1981 1985

The Merger Treaty came into force, which paved the way for the creation of the European Union.

1986 1988

The European Flag was used for the first time; Spain and Portugal joined.

Expansion, which incorporated Britain, Ireland and Denmark.

UK referendum on whether to remain in the EU. We voted to remain (62% to 38%).

The first elections to the European Parliament were held.

Greece joined the EU.

Schengen Agreement was signed. This allowed for open borders and no passport control within the EU. The UK elected not to be part of this agreement.

Margaret Thatcher’s famous ‘no, no, no’ speech in response to increased European influence on British governmental systems.

1990

After the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, East Germany unified with West Germany and subsequently became part of the EU.

POLITICS

1993 1995 2002

he name ‘European Union’ came into force due to the 1992 signing of the Maastricht Treaty.

Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the EU.

‘Eurozone’.

– The Euro replaced the previous currencies of 12 nations. These countries are known as the

2004

The biggest enlargement of the EU to date, with 10 new nations joining, including Poland, Hungary and Cyprus.

2007 2008

Romania and Bulgaria became EU members.

The financial crash of this year saw several countries having to be bailed out over the next few years, including Greece (multiple times) Ireland, Portugal and Spain

2009

The signing of the Lisbon Treaty merges all previous European organizations, such as the European Community, into one ‘European Union’.

2012

The EU received the Nobel Peace Prize, for having ‘contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy, and human rights in Europe’.

2013 2015 2016

Croatia becomes the 28th member of the EU. Refugee Crisis sees vastly different responses from many European states UK to hold a referendum on EU membership, 41 years after the last one.

WORDS BY MICHAEL OLIVER IMAGE BY SEBASTIAN STEELE 17

Much ado about Panama: Why T The 11 million document strong emergence of “The Panama Papers” this April, pertaining to the alleged offshore tax arrangements of over 140 politicians from 50 countries in tandem with corporate giants, has given rise to a global outcry- public calls for a substantial, sustainable crackdown on evasive wealth management and illegal tax avoidance. Though well-intentioned rhetoric is plentiful, meaningful reform may not come as easily.

Supporters of tax restructuring, including the European Commission and the United States government, hope the largest offshore data outflow in history will provide a new impetus to long-awaited efforts to bring to order the covert and competitive world of tax.

Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany’s Federal Minister of Finance, has devised a 10-point plan to tackle global tax evasion, though there are more hurdles than helpful hands between Panamanian wrongdoing and internationally sound finances. Tax reformation, it seems, on a national level is plagued by public misconceptions over tax arrangements, media bias and the perception that taxes just aren’t used efficiently.

On a pan-European and global scale, taxation law improvement is hindered by the European Union’s foot in the door, unaccountable EU officials made questionable by the papers and long18

term failures of haven blacklisting.

All in all, the components preventing transparent taxation, stand in solidarity opposing what would have otherwise been a success been for Schäuble and financial stability the world over.

Here in the United Kingdom David Cameron’s alleged ‘dodgy dealings’ have prompted widespread lobbying for investigative and transformative measures to be taken by the government regarding tax policy and regulation.

Is UK tax evasion as severe as we think, comparative to our European and International counterparts, or has the public over-stigmatised offshore investment due to a lack of understanding?

Mr John Beloishe, Iron Holdings Ltd. “Man makes modest investment and pays all hisbonds tax.” $78,000,000 share

James Quarmby, Tax Expert, in a BBC interview stated the headline that the papers should have printed. The Prime Minister had invested in an investment fund-commonly known as a hedge fund- regulated in Ireland. Hedge funds of this nature are a common investment, made by pension funds- what Quarmby called a “mundane investment”.

This particular fund invested in commodities. There is no tax at fund level, but there is tax at dividends level. Typical of any distributor fund, profits are distributed proportionally to the number of shares owned and every penny appears on the tax return for the native country of the tax payer. It really is a very tax inefficient method; stigmatisation arises over misconceptions surrounding distributor funds.

The point of situating a fund offshore is to enable a fund to be set up much more quickly with a better equipped network of professionals. The fund being regulated in Dublin, Ireland is hardly a

tax haven, an EU country abiding by EU tax law offers no tax benefits in Ireland.

There are thousands of offshore investment funds of this nature and many millions of people in Britain own shares, many of whom hold them through unit trusts. Such funds, including those listed outside of the UK are included in the pension funds of local government, most of Britain’s largest companies and indeed some trade unions. Even a quick look shows that the BBC, The Mirror Group and The Guardian all have these sorts of overseas investments.

Mr John Beloishe, IronAvoidance Holdings Ltd. Mutually-Assured

Without a doubt the British media is a mud-wrestling, no holds barred political arena. A quick look at recent and historic cases of Labour’s tax avoidance reveals that the media sensationalise conservative tax avoidance, when in fact it’s a mutually-assured, nonpartisan issue. Therein, lies the problem.

Complete tax crackdown, for the UK alone, cannot occur when neither party’s hands are clean.

Whilst the press is rife with tales of Cameron’s mother transferring around £200,000 to him there exists widespread neglect to mention fiscal faux-paus of the shadow party. Corbyn- yes even Corbyn- has his own questionable investments. In the last three years he declared a collective amount in excess of £10,000 in payments from Press TV (the Iranian State Television Channel) as well as Al Jazeera (the Doha-based Qatarbacked channel). Qatari corporate tax rates don’t exceed 10%.

Schäuble’s 10-Point Plan: A share bonds Preface$78,000,000 to Failure? $5,945,316

On the matter of trumping tax evasion on a global scale, the proposals championed by Germany’s Finance Minister are gaining the most traction with international officials. They shall POLITICS

Tax Clampdown is a Pipedream feature at the International Monetary Fund’s meetings over coming weeks, as well as in in the G20 in July. From Obama to Hollande, world leaders have spoken out in support of the 10-point plan. This is an attempt for Germany to take the leading role. What does the plan entail, and why won’t it work?

Schäuble’s plan involves global registry of people using shell companies, a blacklist of countries that harbour tax evaders, and a reinvigorated pressure on banks, amongst other service providers, to stop partaking in suspicious business.

Germany is not faultless on this matter; if Germany aren’t capable of enacting and enforcing their own Finance minister’s plan, then the chances that the rest of the world will are less than favourable.

Between 1981 and 2007 German corporate tax rates have decreased by over 22%, the second highest in Europe.

Staff numbers for tax investigation and enforcement have been cut by over 10%.

There is no surprise that loopholes and pitfalls in German tax law have come to light. The combined cost of two famous scandals which were allowed to fester for years in Germany, Becker and Volkswagen, have a combined value of over £30 billion.

Lord M. Levington OBE - Party Cue OECD: Schäuble’s Lordthe M. Levington OBE - Party gratuity: £2,900,000 Blacklist is more of a Wish List gratuity: £2,900,000

The transparency plans of Schäuble’s blacklist have come under fire from Fabio de Masi, a leftist German MEP. Masi pointed out that these plans fail to include trusts, one of the major vehicles for tax minimisation found in the Panama Papers. He also recognised Germany’s hypocrisy, accusing Schäuble in particular during continuing discussions. In light of recent events, these denunciations aren’t without merit; Germany blocked an attempt to make public registers for owners of shell companies.

POLITICS

Cue the OECD. The Panamanian case demonstrates how only a global deal can resolve issues surrounding tax.

Concurrence between the world’s economic powers is no easy fix. In the wake of the financial crisis, this group of affluent countries escalated their campaign against tax evasion. Their envisaged ‘peer-review’ system aimed to promote information exchange between authorities. Progress has slowed and as time since the crisis has gone on the tide of corporate opinion has changed, ebbing from proponents to opponents of change.

The European Union’s Foot in the Door

For a long time the European Commission in tandem with the governments of France and Germany, have been concerned about businesses or individuals using EU member countries to evade taxes. However, led at the time by the current Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker- Luxembourg, as well as Austria, blocked reforms.

The emergence of years of tax misconduct originating from Luxembourg in the so called ‘LuxLeaks’ of November 2014 highlight Juncker’s inability to facilitate significant and effective tax reform.

With the vast majority of instances having occurred under the current Commission Presidents leadership of Luxembourg the scandal is the legality, not the illegality, of it all. PepsiCo Inc., FedEx Corporation and Amazon have all profited through subsidiaries in Luxembourg, avoiding billions in each respective case. FedEx paid less than 1% tax in the country where 35% of all Gross National Product derives from financial services.

Party gratuity:Caught £2,900,000 EU Officials in the Fray

As though serious, long-lasting change on a European and global level wasn’t challenging enough, the presence

of many EU officials in the Panama Papers hardly better the chances of change. To name but a few: Domecq Solis Beaumont, Energy Commissioner, makes an appearance.

The Panama Papers allege that his business interests in bull breeding benefited from EU agricultural subsidies in more tax efficient locations. Her husband was an advocate for EU funds to subsidize the industry when he was an MEP (1986-1999).

Stavros Papastavrou, Greek Bailout Expert. It has been revealed, after a taxevasion probe discovered an undeclared bank deposit of around $6.9 million in a Swiss HSBC account with his name on it. Papastavrou denied the money was his and has been forced to settle charges of tax evasion and money laundering with a $3.6 million fine.

The Cypriot Connection to the Ukrainian President- while his nation’s soldiers were battling in a bloody conflict, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko set up an offshore firm in the British Virgin Islands purely with the intention of avoiding tax. He registered Prime Asset Partners Ltd, and records show that he is the firm’s only shareholder.

All in all, the future of world finance and tax arrangement hardly echoes the optimism of our politicians. This being said, an OECD pact would bring nations a step closer to transparency.

However, it remains difficult to culture cleaner finances within Europe when a vast amount of tax law is dictated by unaccountable officials.

WORDS BY FLYNN DAVIES

19

Exercise to beat stress IMAGE BY OLLIE SILVESTER

As the third term is well under way, many of you will be busy with assignments and revision at this time of year. It becomes especially important to take care of yourself at what can be a very stressful time. Exercise can be a great way to help keep yourself fit, healthy and alert. It’s also a good way to fill your breaks from revision, and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time out of your day.

Here, Lifestyle Editor Laura Cox shares some of the best exercises to help you beat stress over the exam period.

1.Yoga

Yoga can be a great way to relieve the tension in your body and help to alleviate stress and boost both your physical and mental well-being. It also can help you to increase your strength, flexibility and balance. Southampton University YogaSoc runs classes for students at all levels. Each class costs £5 with membership and £8 without. To view a class schedule and book, visit susu.org/groups/yogasoc.

2.Zumba

Zumba is well established as a fun dance based exercise class.

However, it also provides a very intense workout! The catchy soundtracks used to accompany each session will help to boost your mood and put a smile on your face. Bokwa is also another great option, which I found to be slightly easier than Zumba. It’s based on a series of steps which can then be combined within different routines.

Southampton’s Zumba + Society currently offers three Zumba classes and two Bokwa classes throughout the week, priced at £3 for members and £5 for non-members. See susu.org/ groups/zumsoc for more information.

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3. Running

Now that the weather is improving and evenings are lighter, there’s no better time to head out for a run. Southampton is home to some beautiful green spaces including the Common. Southampton parkrun is a free weekly 5k in which participants are timed, meaning you can track your progress each week. Visit parkrun.org.uk/ southampton for more information and to register.

4.Swimming

Swimming can have a great effect on your mood. When you’re swimming, the water of the pool ‘dulls the amount of sensory information that bombards your body, helping to bring on feelings of calm’, according to a study published in Pain Research & Management. By taking an hour out of a busy day to go for a swim, you can use your break time effectively.

Swimming provides an all-over body workout and can help you to increase your endurance capacity, which is especially helpful if you also take part in other sports.

5.Walking

While the physical benefits of walking aren’t quite as intense as some of the other options listed here, it can still be a great way to help cut stress. A short stroll with your friends can provide some much needed relief at times of stress. Again, the Common and the green spaces around Avenue and Highfield campuses are great locations to take a short walk and a break when the stress is getting to you.

LIFESTYLE

Guildhall Square in Southampton’s city centre has been revamped in recent months and boasts a range of new restaurants and apartments. I headed over to check out one of its newly opened restaurants, Neighbourhood.

My guest and I headed to the restaurant at about 7pm, at which time it was only half full and with few diners. As it was a Friday evening, we weren’t sure why it was so quiet. However, at around 7.30, the bar area was vibrant and buzzing and there were many more dining customers. This led me to wonder about customer perceptions of Neighbourhood; it seems that most viewed it as a place to have a drink with friends. A wide variety of drinks are available, including craft beers and an extensive cocktail menu. However, the food was also fantastic!

In this review, I’ll show you why Neighbourhood should be fully appreciated as a restaurant in addition to its popularity as a venue for drinks.

The Food

If you can’t decide exactly what you fancy eating when you’re going out for dinner, Neighbourhood is a good choice as there are a wide range of options on offer. In addition to vegetarian options, the restaurant offers pork dishes, steak, burgers, and fish dishes.

For my starter, I chose the Barbecue Pork Hash, which was a delicious mix of pork, sweet potato and red onion. Be aware - this starter was very generous, (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing!) but you might like to keep this in mind if, like me, you’re visiting for a three course meal.

WORDS BY LAURA COX

Restaurant Review: Neighbourhood

For my main course, I chose the buttermilk chicken burger, and it’s fair to say that 7Bone has a rival in Neighbourhood!

The chips were also delicious, with a sprinkling of paprika.

Lastly, for dessert, I selected the Mixed Berry Sundae, which was the perfect sweet treat with raspberries, ice cream and whipped cream.

The Atmosphere

Having been built recently as part of the Guildhall Square upgrade, Neighbourhood boasts a modern and spacious interior. With its high ceilings and metal fixtures, the building has an almost industrial feel. This is offset by the use of warm brass and bursts of brightly colours on tables and chairs.

The staff were very attentive and friendly, and no request was too much trouble. They were committed to ensuring that all guests were enjoying their evening.

Evaluation

Neighbourhood is a welcome addition to the restaurant scene in Southampton, with a wide range of delicious dishes to suit everyone’s tastes.

I had a fantastic evening at Neighbourhood and will certainly be heading back soon! The varied menu in combination with its relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff ensures that it’s a welcome addition to Southampton’s restaurant scene.

For more information about Neighbourhood, its menus and special offers, visit: faucetinn.com/neighbourhood-southampton LIFESTYLE

21

Lifestyle

I Don’t Eat Cake I

Problems of a Baker

know, it’s almost a crime against nature, but I haven’t eaten cake since I was 10.

Many people seem to struggle to understand why I love baking, but don’t eat the fundamental item that aligns every shelf in the baking section of a supermarket, or takes centre stage at a bakery: cake. Now, since Easter has just flown by, many baking and chef accounts on Instagram have been overloading our feed with Easter themed tray bakes, cupcakes and indulgent cakes. I marvel at them, but couldn’t think of anything worse than eating them.

So when Bake Off ’s professional counterpart Bake Off: Crème de la Crème graced my screen last week, I couldn’t think of anything more indulgent to watch and to taste. Now, I love baking as much as the next person, I just can’t muster up the guts to actually eat what I bake. Having not eaten cake for 10 years, part of me doesn’t exactly remember what I’m missing.

Staying away from cakes and muffins for almost half my life, it hasn’t lessened my love for the art of baking.

Many people have found it odd that for such an avid baker, I don’t like eating cake, but those people are forgetting that baking is not just limited to the traditional Victoria sponge or lemon drizzle cake. It’s pastry, tarts, cookies and patisserie (for those, like myself, who love a challenge when it comes to baking). However, this isn’t to say that I don’t find the appearance luscious and decadent. I would happily stare at cake all day when it’s decorated and patterned beautifully. The smell is delicious, but it’s still not enough to entice me to buy that chocolate cupcake on the top shelf at the bakery.

Baking is therapeutic, cathartic if you will. It requires little fuss, unless you’re going all out to create a Croquembouche, and that’s what makes it fun. And I can’t say that I’m not guilty to receiving a few cookery books for birthdays and Christmas over the years. I will happily slave over a mixing bowl, covered in flour, just to create something that pleases other people palette, even if I don’t get to share their indulgence. And it’s 22

LIFESTYLE

Lifestyle

not just me that finds baking as a therapeutic method. It calms people down, and if done right, you have a sweet treat on your hands to enjoy.

Baking as a hobby has gained momentum over the past few years, thanks to the overwhelming success of the Great British Bake Off; which proved that you don’t need to be a top chef to great something everyone can enjoy. It seems to be one of those things that seems to be passed from one generation to generation, slowly depleting with the current generation of young teens, but slowly being picked back up, with people wanting to emulate the marvellous creations of Mary Berry, Delia Smith, Nigella Lawson, and of course, the silver fox himself, Paul Hollywood. These chefs seemed to have made something that was once perceived to be a duty for the 1950’s housewife, to something cool, almost like a craze. Seeing an increase in baking utensils; such as cake pop moulds, random shaped cookie cutters, even silicone baking tins (which are a must have), baking has thoroughly cemented itself into our lives. And judging by the popularity of cooking shows, amongst every age bracket, it’s here to stay for a while.

My love for baking won’t go away, and just because I lost my liking for eating cake, it doesn’t mean I have to restrict or stop my baking habits. Or will lose the love for the sweet scent that wafts passed you as you walk passed a bakery. So much so, that I’ve signed up for a masterclass to make meringues, with the Instagram worthy Meringue Girls. I won’t let my non-cake eating self from limiting my baking habits.

So, with the influx of baking programmes and books, even Youtube channels dedicated specifically to baking, why not pick up a recipe and see for yourself? There’s something that caters for every type of taste.

WORDS BY ELLEN JENNE IMAGES BY ZOE COLLINS

So since we have also seen the rising success of healthy eating, and the recent craze of veganism, why not hop on the bandwagon, and indulge yourself in some sweet and savoury baking. Although it may be seen as an overload of sugar, we can allow ourselves just one mini cupcake, right?

LIFESTYLE

23

Travel

g o r p a p c n i hes A l l e w v T a o Tr Ne

W

e all have our own idea of what travel WORDS BY RHYS FAIRLIE planning involves. For me, it’s always IMAGES BY SAMMIE BURSTOW been a case of asking a group of friends if they want to go away and then, coming to a consensus about where and when. It’s tried and tested; but it’s not the only way it can be done. After drawing inspiration from a lady, whose tactic was to plan and book everything before knowing she had the money to pay for any of it (then using that as motivation to raise funds), I decided to think of a few new ways one might approach planning an adventure of their own.

The first and maybe the least consistent way is to buy a book of countries (they are available) and to simply flick through, stopping on a random page and plan your trip from there.

It may not be foolproof; but if you stick to the country you land on, then you are will always get something you weren’t expecting. This can often be the best part about travelling, if you read an itinerary about a boat tour and then book it you will likely get what you read in the summary, it may be fun; but imagine the excitement of a totally random new experience!

things to consider; but again this can get stale. Why not go to a country based on its very unique bird life? Or you could search for the country with the highest density of trees in the world.

You might be sceptical, because someone would argue that if you go somewhere with amazing bird fauna it might offer nothing else. At this point, I would remind you that travelling and adventure come not from the country; but, also, the traveller! There are marvels wherever you go and it takes you to make the most of them.

My second idea is to change your criteria for choosing where to go. My criteria usually consist of - what temperature will it be or how expensive will flights be to get there? Important

Then I thought, why not travel with two purposes? The first being to explore the country, town or area, then the second is to learn something new. You might go to Indonesia to learn to dive for a week, then spend a week exploring. Or perhaps the west coast of Australia to learn to surf.

My final idea and probably the best for students who are trying to keep their wallet healthy is to go onto Skyscanner and search for the cheapest flights. Then, you have your destination.

Alternatively, search for flights in a specific price range. This way you control how much you spend on flights; but also you have minimal bias as to where you can go.

Your travel is your own and I’m not saying these are the only ways to approach it; but they are suggestions you can draw inspiration from. It is clear that the way we travel nowadays is ever-changing and therefore, we must change how we approach it.

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TRAVEL

Southampton2Mongolia The Follow Up WORDS BY NUALA MCBRIDE

Last summer,

four University of Southampton engineering graduates (George Tuckey, Callum Livingstone, Oli Hampton-Martin and Will Sexton) drove a Landrover, that they had converted into an ambulance, from Southampton to Mongolia. Mongolia is a very sparsely populated country; therefore, access to healthcare is limited and, thus, ambulances are in high demand. Over the 57 days, the team travelled through 19 countries, covering 10,000 miles, to deliver the ambulance to Mongolia.

I could tell you a tale of adventure. I could tell you a tale of the struggles. I could tell you a tale of travelling. But, after chatting with George the thing that struck me the most was the consistent kindness of humanity that they encountered along the journey.

In the world that we live in, there seems to be hatred left, right and centre. However, the journey of the Southampton2Mongolia team proved how different cultures and ethnicities can come together for the common goal of delivering an ambulance to people who have little access to healthcare. There were countless tales of people who choose to go out of their way to help these four graduates on their overland journey. Without this help, the ambulance would have never made it to Mongolia. The whole project was reliant on the kindred spirits of people - from donations of money, time or expertise, to simply places to camp.

As one can imagine, with a journey this ambitious there were many tales to tell upon their return. There was one tale, however, that stuck with me, as it showed how easily the kindheartedness of someone can change the outcome of a pretty dire situation.

It was late on a Friday evening and the team were driving round the ring road of Ashgbat (the capital of Turkmenistan).

This is an Islamic, autocratic country, which blocks all forms of social media and the government has complete control of the media. As they were driving along the engine temperature, suddenly, rose very high – something was very wrong with the engine of the ambulance. In a haze of confusion they pulled over to investigate, only to discover that not only had the fan belt disintegrated (which could be easily replaced); but, also, the bearing on the fan belt had broken. They were stuck on a ring road, in Turkmenistan, with no access to a garage as everything was shut for the weekend. Having never seen a Landover in this country, they knew that if they needed a spare part the chances were very slim of acquiring one. It was 26

not a good situation to be in.

Randomly, a guy in a white Lexus pulled up and opened his passenger door. He shouted, in broken English, something to Will. Will hopped into his car, with the door barely shutting before the car was doing a hundred miles per hour down the ring road.

Miraculously, about 20 minutes later Will returned, in the white Lexus, with a tow truck. There was hope. The ambulance was towed away to a garage. Well, I’m not sure you could call it a garage from how George described it. There was an extended family sitting around the workshop on sofas, children in baths and a pit in the middle. The team were unsure that the ambulance would be able to be fixed here – maybe there wasn’t hope. However, the mechanic tinkered away on the Landrover, beer in hand, and sure enough there was the sound of the engine running in a matter of no time – there was hope!

A vehicle is not that reliable and even less so when it is being forced to travel over 10,000 miles in a mere 57 days. It is a recipe for a disaster and a lot of garage pit stops – something that can’t be planned for! The situation was rendered - from being stuck immobile in a three ton ambulance, on the edge of the city, on a Friday night with the added pressure of having a set amount of time allowed in the country to having a working ambulance and new friends. It just shows how one act of kindness can go a long way.

These four graduates managed to plan and execute a journey of a lifetime, that to many people would seem impossible, with the simple vision of delivering an ambulance to Mongolia.

They had to overcome many obstacles which they wouldn’t have been able to without the help of multiple characters that they met along way. But helping one another is part of humanity, isn’t it?

TRAVEL

International

The Changing Face Of Cuba.

The recent landmark announcement by America that it was going to normalise diplomatic relations with Cuba and formally re-establish links with the Island has led to wave of new international confidence and investment in the once isolated communist state, leading to a growing opinion in some quarters that the Island will eventually be converted into a more IMAGE BY JORDAN STEWART ‘westernised’ nation and economy. WORDS BY CAMERON RIDGWAY

S

ince Barack Obama’s announcement, a number of US companies have announced that they will expand their operations and investment into Cuba.

American plant companies General Electric and Caterpillar have both signed new procurement deals with the Cuban government, while on the consumer side hotel chains including Marriott and Radisson Blu, as well as service companies such as PayPal, have all announced that they plan to sell their products and services within the country.

Tensions, however, do remain. In a recent joint press conference with Cuban president Raul Castro held during Obama’s visit to Havana in in March this year (the first such visit by an American president for nearly a century), the two politicians exchanged claim and counter-claim about issues such as Cuba’s record on human rights when quizzed by reporters, prompting INTERNATIONAL

Castro to claim: “Did you ask if we have political prisoners? Give me a list of the political prisoners and I will release them directly. Give me a name or names ... It is not correct to ask me about political prisoners in general.”

Such comments were rapidly responded to by human rights campaigners, who published their own lists of political prisoners and accused the Castro regime of detaining 8,000 people for political reasons last year alone. The US congress has also remained sceptical of further engagement with Havana, with many congressmen remaining resistant to lifting the 50 year old blockade.

Although, rising demand from US exporters small and large means that opposition in some states is becoming increasingly hard to justify.

For former Cuban president Fidel Castro, it would seem that the US remains too

great a threat to the communist state established by the revolution of 1959.

In a scathing open letter titled ‘Brother Obama’, published in Cuban state media soon after the US president’s historic state visit, he condemned Obama for developing ‘theories about Cuban politics’ and insisted that the Island state was ‘capable of producing the food and material wealth that we need with the work and intelligence of our people’ without the intervention of US investors.

How open and ‘westernised’ Cuba will become very much depends on the extent to which it is prepared to adapt from its traditional values, and whether US antipathy related to the history between Havana and the US can be overcome. The first high level talks between the country in over a generation already indicate that the playing field has shifted significantly, but whether Cuba can change completely remains to be seen.

27

Life in Brussels armed police and chocolatiers WORDS BY KIM PULLINGER IMAGE BY OLLIE SILVESTER

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INTERNATIONAL

International

Life goes on in Brussels. The horrific headlines both abroad and in the Belgian capital are a constant reminder that all is not well, but the city has most certainly not come to a standstill. In a world as fast as this one, it simply can’t.

Last week, I visited family in Belgium. My mother and I were supposed to fly to Zaventem, but after early optimism that the airport would reopen a few days after the bombings, our flight was cancelled (and would only partially reopen on Sunday with 6 flights, instead of the usual 150). My family live in the Flemish-speaking region of the country that struggles to find a common identity, and as we drive through there are no clues that there had been major terrorist activity only a week earlier.

I can only speak for my experiences and those of my family, but that’s already much more than you get from the British media. There was no additional security at the ferry ports in Dover or Calais; it’s only when you get to the capital city that you realise that there has been a major incident. The multiethnic residential areas lie very close to plush high-streets, chocolatiers and diamond traders, and the cobbled streets and medieval churches make Brussels a charming place to be. The now infamous municipalities of Molenbeek and Schaerbeek certainly have their problems, but you wouldn’t know it as you drive through the historic areas that house the famous Tour&Taxis site, the former industrial and office buildings. I spend an afternoon wandering around with my family, hearing languages from all around the world and taking in Brussels’ best-known attractions.

In the centre of the city is the memorial to the victims of the suicide-bombings, outside the stock exchange building.

Messages written in chalk on the outside of the building offer sentiments of peace and support for those affected, but ‘fuck Daesh’ (ISIS) was also prominent. The front of the building, covered in more chalk messages, as well as flowers, tributes and candles make for a beautiful and sobering sight. At the top of the steps, a white flag with the words, ‘this is not Islam’ hangs amongst flags of countries from all over the world. A cardboard cut-out of one of Belgium’s most famous fictional characters, Tintin, and his dog, Snowy, catches the eye. Tintin, his famous quiff coloured in the black, yellow and red of Belgium’s flag, walks forwards while Snowy raises his leg and pisses on a rifle.

There was a peaceful, melancholy atmosphere, but people are clearly angry. Behind the tributes, a man is drawing a large chalk picture on the ground, while a French-speaking black INTERNATIONAL

man is eagerly having his photo taken with an Asian man and a white man, keen to promote solidarity.

Back in my cousin’s house after a family dinner, conversation gradually turns to politics. ‘Where are you going for your year abroad?’ gives way to ‘Do you think Donald Trump will win?’. What do Belgians think of the terror attacks? Much the same as we do. How do Belgian Muslims feel now? Scared. I heard about a Muslim friend of my cousin who had to drive to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle airport the day after the Brussels bombings. He was less than enthusiastic. How would people react to seeing dark-skinned men with long beards in a major European airport? The men who attacked Zaventem were wearing “regular” clothes, it was pointed out. Even worse, Muslims in Brussels feel that people are suspicious of them on the metro, on the bus and in the streets.

Another thing to consider here are the employees of Zaventem airport. On Sunday, I had lunch with a family friend who works as a psychologist for a post-trauma charity. Going back to work 12 days after a major terrorism incident can’t be easy. The family friend told us that the automated security messages continued to play over the airport’s PA system after the attacks, warning people not to leave baggage unattended.

Several hundred staff took part in simulations in the days leading up to the reopening to trial a temporary system.

Would you want to go back to work less than a fortnight after an incident like this? On the Flemish radio on our way home, Zaventem had just partially reopened. There were interviews from the directors of other Belgian airports that had dealt with re-directed flights in Zaventem’s twelve-day closure. Sure, it had helped them financially, they admitted, but it had mainly been about helping Belgians. Zaventem wanted to open as quickly as possible. Terrorism is bad for business.

The reaction of ‘far-right’ protestors in Brussels hardly came as a surprise, and I’m sure that lots of people are worried about what the political reaction to the attacks will be. But for now, at least, what is there to do but hug your loved ones close and keep calm and carry on?

29

Sport

Professional Video Gaming: Sport or Not?

With rising tournament prize money, the hours of practice required to be the best and Youtube now being a job (and a well-paid one at that), Sport Editor, Jack Pethick, evaluates whether or not Video-Gaming should be classified as a Sport.

IMAGE BY BILLY STOREY For some years now, a debate has existed within the sporting and gaming community as to whether or not professional video gaming should be classified as a sport. Those within the gaming community would of course, say yes, arguing that the hours and hours of practice required in order to win the huge prize money that the international tournaments now offer make it unquestionably a sport. Those in the more traditional sporting corner, however, would strongly argue that video gaming should stay firmly in its place as a recreational activity, citing the fact that any lazy slob who sits on his sofa all day can become good at video games.

games such as FIFA and World of Warcraft. Furthermore, there are a number of video games which not only require immense skill, but also hours and hours of practice in order to be successful; in order to win the huge money prizes on offer at tournaments, players practice weeks on end to make sure they are at the top of their game come tournament time. In addition, a lot of video games do require the use of intelligent tactics; games such as Call of Duty or again FIFIA for example, can be won by the use of clever tactics and anticipation of the opponents move, just as any chess player would do for instance.

Ultimately, what side of the fence you are is decided by what characteristics you believe to make up what classifies as a sport.

For me personally, there are four key aspects which define the make-up of a sport. Firstly, and arguably the most crucial aspect, a sport must have a competitive edge to it. Period. It is this aspect which differentiates the term sport from leisure.

Secondly, a sport must be one that demands either extreme skill, or either physical superiority in some capacity over your opponent(s); whether it’s being stronger, faster, more skilful or fitter than your competitor. Thirdly, a sport must also have the practice element to it, requiring hours of training to maintain the high level of skill or physical trait required to be successful within that sport. Finally, due to its competitive nature, a sport is something which demands both mental stamina as well as cleverness; often what separates the top sportspeople from the others is their ability to stay mentally strong and dig out results, as well as being tactically more intelligent than there opponent. Of course sports can fulfil these characteristics in a variety of ways, but in my opinion, they nevertheless have to fulfil all of these characteristics in some manner.

It is also hard to ignore factors such as the huge money that professional video gamers and Youtubers make in this argument, as well as the entertainment it brings to huge fans bases across the world. In huge multi-billion dollar sports such as football, golf, and American football, these are characteristics which help increasingly to define the nature of the sport in some respect. Video gaming tournaments are increasingly starting to bring in similar big sponsors, money and fan bases that big sports such as football has, and this increasing factor is arguably what is starting to spark the debate we are having now and whether or not professional video gaming should indeed be seen as a sport.

To an extent, professional video gaming does fulfil these defining characteristics. It is certainly competitive, with huge international tournaments taking place for instance, over SPORT

Undoubtedly this is a topic that will continue to cause debate and divide opinion. Furthermore, it is also a debate that will continue to grow in the public eye as the money and fan bases of professional video gaming continue to grow, and as virtual reality technologies continue to develop. However, as to whether or not professional video gaming does stand in the category of being a sport, I would certainly argue so as it has the basic characteristics of what I would deem makes up a sport. After all, professional video gaming is surely a sport if we think that some fat blokes who drink beer and throw darts at a board is!

31

What does Leicester winning the Title say about the Premier League?

WORDS BY MAX SAAKYAN

L

eicester City, a team who were so close to relegation last season, are seven points in front of the nearest ‘rivals’ Tottenham, at the time of writing this article. They are three wins away from their first ever Premier League title. Now, this is great to see everyone loves an underdog, don’t they? However, looking at it in a larger perspective, I don’t think this is great for the Premier League.

A couple of months ago there were some worries that our beloved fourth Champions League spot would disappear due 32

to the dipping standards of the English teams in Europe. If things didn’t go our way, Serie A could have had that benefit instead of us - but fortunately Juventus conceded a stoppage time equaliser against Bayern Munich which saw them out.

With City in the semi-finals of the Champions League, we are in a more confident position.

In the current UEFA coefficients rankings, England lay in third behind Spain (1st) and Germany (2nd). A drop to fourth would see the prized Champions League fourth place position go - handing it over to Italy. Luckily for us, Manchester City and Liverpool have saved the Premier SPORT

Sport League this worry for the moment, as it lies just under two average points ahead of Italy this season.

“Their average possession last season was 44.8% this season it’s 45%.

Plus their passing accuracy has actually decreased by a percent (70%). The worst in the Premier League this season”

However with Leicester City now guaranteed Champions League football, this could destabilise the league’s position. Of course Leicester could overachieve again and do well in Europe, however I feel with more games to play and more added pressure, they’ll crumble. On the plus side, we could see five English teams in the Champions League with the potential that Liverpool could win the Europa League. A huge achievement and a great step in English European dominance.

Let’s look at the positives of Leicester City winning the league. It’s a remarkable achievement and it gives greater confidence to the smaller Premier League sides looking to overachieve and even potentially have a whiff of Champions League football.

If they do go on to win the league, this will be the most remarkable top division win in England since Brian Clough’s win with Nottingham Forest in 1978. Harry Kane is currently the top goal scorer in the Premier League and Jamie Vardy is a close second, who would have thought we would see two Englishmen as the top goal scorers. In fact, it’s the first time this has happened since the 1999-2000 season where Kevin Phillips for Sunderland and Shearer were in the top two.

So many people have been claiming this has been one of the most entertaining Premier League seasons. How does it compare to the last? Of course it’s not all about goals, but currently this season averages more goals per week than last season. However, top of the league Leicester have only scored 57 goals, ‘boring’ Chelsea scored 73 in their successful campaign while City

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scored over 80 goals.

I think we can agree that Leicester have been the most improved side, however their average possession last season was 44.8% - this season it’s 45%. Plus their passing accuracy has actually decreased by a percent (70%). The worst in the Premier League this season. But this style of play works, and this statistic backs it up with Leicester City scoring more counter attacking goals than any other Premier League side. Leicester have also been very clinical, with Vardy scoring 21 goals already this season.

For a footballer coming up from the football league fairly recently this is outstanding. He performs in the big games as well. Mahrez, who Leicester got for close to nothing, has been unbelievable. The winger has scored 16 goals and assisted 11 times this season in the Premier League - no player has more goals and assists this season than Mahrez. Another outstanding player who recently scored on his France debut: Kante. The Frenchman has intercepted 134 times this season, more than any other player. He’s also made the most successful tackles in the league this season with 146. Claudio Ranieri has made Leicester so hard to beat, with the players clearly stepping up to the plate So what will happen next season?

Will Leicester City retain the Premier League? My brain is screaming no chance. The advantage of being the underdog is that you don’t have the pressure of winning - you play with a lot more ease. However you have a lot more games with the Champions League, which could lead to more injuries and players needing rest. So as I said before, I can’t see them doing well in Europe and I’m predicting an 8th place finish for them next season. What do you think?

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The EU referendum is a confusing debate with many issues. Stella or Old Speckled Hen? Jamie Vardy or Cristiano Ronaldo? Boris Johnson or Nick Clegg? To help you make an informed decision on the 23rd June, we caught up with a representative from each campaign and asked them to sum up their cases in concise terms, covering as many of the major issues as they can.

Firstly, from the pro-withdrawal campaign group Stop the Barmy Brussels Bureaucrats, Ban the Burka and Make Bitter Great Again, we spoke to the group’s chairman, BrigadierGeneral Sir Reginald Chomedley Ponsonby-Smythe, Honourary Colonel of the Royal Devonshire Fusiliers and treasurer of the West Wiltshire branch of CAMRA. We found him, pint in hand and rosy-cheeked, down the Pitbull and Hammer in Devises. Asking him to summarise the viewpoint of his campaign and why Britain should leave the EU, he told us the following:

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Those Barmy Brussels Gravy-Train Eurocrats want to destroy Britain and our way of life, bygod! They are planning regulations to ban hot cross buns and good old English pints of proper bitter for their ghastly croissants and europiss lager, but postponing them until after Shameron’s rigged referendum to fool the honest beer drinker into voting for their ghastly shower.

Not only that, but they will install Ken Livingstone as the Commissar for our region of the future EUSSR [He began to

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Pause foam at the mouth at this point – Ed], who will personally oversee 4.6 million convicted sex offenders and jihadists immigrating into this country for their free council mansions and cars, all paid for by the honest and hardworking British taxpayer. You couldn’t make it up. The Queen will be nationalised and used to pay for a fleet of luxury limos for Eurocrats, all made in Germany of course. Not only that, but they will ban Mother England from taking part in The Ashes.

The EU is an outrage to our common decency and democracy as honest Britons. By voting Leave on June 23rd we can secure our very way of life from the clutches of those who despise our very existence. After leaving the EU, we can use a series of minor earthquakes to dislodge our island from the continental shelf, and use what remains of the Royal Navy to tow it across the Atlantic to just off the coast of Newfoundland, putting us finally with our American and Canadian cousins for a prosperous country under the wise rule of Margaret Thatcher’s reanimated spirit.

In response to this passionate argument for Britain leaving the EU on June 23rd, we have a statement from the ProEU campaign group Lambeth and Hackney Social Media Anarcho-Socialist Feminist Collective for a Corbynocracy given to us by their non-gendered-spokesperson Mary ‘Citizen’ Brown, Executive Diversity Co-ordinator at some overfunded London borough [read ‘Tower Hamlets’ – Ed] that escaped George Osborne’s attention. We found her in a Costa, drinking an overpriced coffee and wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt (Made in Vietnam) while writing a blog post about the evils of capitalism. Asking her to explain to us why her campaign group is advocating a vote to remain in the EU on the 23rd June, she told us the following:

We need the EU to protect us from both the Bullingdon government and the bastards who keep voting them in. Not only that, but the BBC have already announced that they would get rid of their foreign arthouse cinema from BBC4, replacing it with endless re-runs of the Carry On films and Heartbeat.

Utterly barbaric! It is only because of EU regulations that this hasn’t happened, or that 15 year olds have not been forced to carry out National Service, spending three years defending the Falklands.

Europe is the only reason we have democracy or freedom in Britain [apart from that one time – Ed] and by leaving it we condemn ourselves to a Tory one-party democracy dedicated to taking Britain back to the ‘good old days’ of workhouses, no vegetarian options, children down the coal mines and repressing the Irish. When we stay in the EU we can add smoking gauloisers, riding bicycles down canals while stoned and black and white Italian experimental cinema to the National Curriculum, ensuring a happier and more cultured Britain.

We at Pause hope this article has helped to sum up the main arguments for staying in or leaving the European Union on the 23rd June and will help you to make an informed decision.

WORDS BY TOM RANDALL IMAGES BY JORDAN STEWART

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The European Union is the only thing stopping Britain from becoming a patriarchal, 1950s, neo-Dickensian, Thatcherite, Imperialist state. It is only because of EU regulations on clean air that the coal power stations aren’t using the bodies of orphans to provide power for the sweatshops where children as young as three would work 15 hours a day making real ale, cigarettes and Barbour jackets for their dark overlord Sir Nigel. The worst thing about this referendum is that people who didn’t go to university and don’t live in London will make uninformed decisions and make life jolly awful for those of us who can make good decisions.

If Britain leaves the EU, within 6 days, 87% of all houses in Britain will be bought by Kuwaiti buy-to-let landlords, all helped out, of course, by their little friend George Osborne.

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