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Day: 4 October 2012

An interview with Owen Jones

Written by Eve Fensome on . Posted in Opinion.

Owen Jones is not your stereotypical best-selling writer.

Born in Sheffield and brought up in Stockport, the ‘Chavs’ author speaks with a noticeable Manchester accent and, as he admits on his Twitter page, looks like a 12 year-old.

In the last year he’s made regular appearances on TV and radio including being on the Question time panel. When I met him at the Labour Party Conference last week he had spoken at numerous fringe events, and had been in great demand all week.

Mr Jones was born in Sheffield but grew up in Stockport. He attended Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College (previously Ridge Danyers Sixth Form College) which is about five miles away from Fallowfield, and read History at University College, Oxford.

I ask him how where he grew up has affected his views: “All areas I’ve lived in by varying degrees were really badly hit by Thatcherism. The primary school I went to in Stockport, I was the only boy to go to sixth form and that wasn’t because I was bright but because the odds were stacked in my favour.”

“My dad worked for Sheffield City Council, he was senior shop steward for his trade union – Unison, and my mum taught IT at Salford University. The people who I grew up with, their parents did very low paid work, struggled to make ends meet, a lot of them had gone through unemployment. So to me this idea that there was no class, that we’re all middle class seems frankly ludicrous.”

He goes on to mention his political roots, even including his great granddad who was in the general strike as a train driver, adding “he refused to stand up for the national anthem.”

“So I think socialism runs through my family but certainly growing up in communities, predominantly working class communities that were hit by Thatcherism affected me.”

I ask him what he feels has been the most striking feature of the Labour Party Conference.

“I think for me if I was to say compare where the Labour Party was with high Blairism I think it’s in a very different place, whether it be in the attitude to inequality, trade union movement… I think there has been a shift in terms of its attitude as a party; I think there’s a determination to take on the failures of austerity.

“So I think there’s lots of positives but I don’t think yet that the Labour leadership is offering a coherent alternative to austerity. It’s lined up behind the Tories on (the) real terms cuts to public sector workers pay which doesn’t make any economic sense. It will suck demand out of the economy when we need it most.

“So there are problems, but I do think there’s a common determination to take on the Tories over austerity. Certainly party activists are very angry about what’s happening to this country and there’s been a real shift from new Labour and the disappointments and betrayals.”

He goes on to say: “Labour lost five million votes since 13 years in power. The Tories only won one million votes in the same period. And if you look at the breakdown they kept many of their middle class voters, there’s only a small drop.

“Amongst skilled workers there was a huge drop of 21 points, so they haven’t defected into the arms of the Tories, some of them may have gone LibDem, and tragically some of them have gone BNP, but overwhelmingly there was a shift, people just stopped voting, and there’s a huge gap in class turn out. The poorer you are the less likely you are to vote, that has a huge impact on Labour because Labour proportionally draws their support from those groups, so unless they reconnect with those working people, Labour are not going to win another general election.”

I ask him what he thinks Labour needs to do to reconnect with these core voters.

“Housing crisis,” he says emphatically. “Five million people languishing on social housing waiting list, it’s a very destructive impact on our communities, people feel like they’re in competition for lack of housing.

“Building houses would create jobs, reduce the social housing waiting list and bring down welfare spending by not wasting billions on housing benefits lining the pockets of wealthy landlords.

“A living wage would also bring down the billions spent on tax credits which are a lifeline for millions but are a subsidy for low pay because firms aren’t paying their workers properly.

“An industrial strategy like in Germany where through an active state they’ve created hundreds of thousands of jobs in the renewable energy sector. Also, I think public services need to be publicly accountable. The railways for example rip off their prices at the moment because we’ve got a privately run inefficient railway system, public ownership would be cheaper because we spend four times more on public subsidies.

“Those are the key things that would help rebuild our communities and give us something to vote for.”

Mr Jones’ book, ‘Chavs: the Demonization of the Working Class’, spoke about the hostile discourse surrounding people claiming benefits, how can the left change this discourse?

“Well for me, that point I make in the book is the air brushing out of existence the working class in favour of this idea that everyone’s middle class apart from a feckless work shy caricature which is false.

“And I think that the way to change that is working class representation; to get more working class journalists for example. Over half of journalists according to the Sutton Trust are privately educated. Just over one in 10 went to a comp, so if you have people who’ve mixed with people from different backgrounds, or are themselves working class, then journalists are far more likely to understand the issues in various communities and actually represent them or reflect them more accurately. It’s the same with politicians, to have MPs rooted in working class communities and understand those issues.

“To me it always come down to voice and to power, because what we’ve also seen is that social problems have turned into individual failings, personal failings. So I’d like to see a platform, a voice given to people who are unemployed, to people who are disabled and are having their disability benefits taken away. In the first ten months of last year 1,100 disabled people died after being found fit for work. We don’t see that reality, we normally see disabled people who are claiming disability benefits portrayed as a bunch of scroungers, so we need to give a platform for people to counter that false stereotype and caricature.”

But how do we actually get more representative people involved? I ask.

“Working class people traditionally got involved in politics at the highest level through trade unions or local government but they got really weakened so we need to strengthen the trade union link in the Labour party to actually get more supermarket workers, call centre workers, nurses, bin collectors, people like that selected as candidates. There’s a responsibility on the trade union to train up their members, get them involved in the party and get them selected as candidates.

“To increase representation in journalism we need to abolish unpaid internships. Now unpaid internships have grown across professions which are a first step in the door to many aspiring journalists, but you can only do it, particularly in London, if you can live off the bank of mum and dad, so only the most affluent people can afford to do that. It stops working class people being able to get into journalism or the media, or other professions as well, so they’re completely unjustified and have to be abolished.

“We also need more scholarships. Particularly with places like City University where you have to do expensive qualifications like a masters for £9,000 a year on top of having to live in London we need to make this accessable to people from different backgrounds.”

What can students do to enact change? I ask quite innocently.

“I think students should organise together and link up with other campaigning groups, particularly trade unions, to fight for a just society, for a living wage, against unemployment, against austerity, against the cuts to rally around a coherent alternative, because you only change things through struggle from below, from people fighting from below. As I said yesterday, Frederick Douglass the 19th Century African American statesman said,  ‘Power concedes nothing without a demand, it never did and it never will.’ People have to fight, students must unite with other people, we’re all in this together apart from the people at the top. Otherwise the future of young people is bleak, it doesn’t have to be this way, so I’d say to people; don’t feel impotent or don’t feel despair, go out and fight because your future is at risk.”

At last year’s conference Owen Jones’ approach might have been considered heretical but now as austerity bites, it’s merely radical, and I wonder whether in a year’s time it will take a step closer towards Labour Policy, or if Labour will creep closer towards the centre ground.

Owen Jones is the writer of Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class (2011) which was listed by The Sunday Times as the bestselling politics book of 2011 and is currently a columnist for The Independent.

Transcendental Youth – The Mountain Goats

Written by Sam Dumitriu on . Posted in Music.

John Darnielle’s fourteenth album with The Mountain Goats is one of stark contrasts. While it keeps with the dark themes of much of Darnielle’s back catalogue, Transcendental Youth is surprisingly upbeat.

The best example of this is ‘Cry for Judas’. Sung from the viewpoint of a sad and angry teenager who has given up all hope of ever understanding what his limits are. For all intents and purposes this should not be a cheery track, yet it features a startlingly optimistic horn section suggesting there is more to the protagonist than the suggested anger.

Darnielle’s writing is at its most powerful when he’s talking about surviving emotional torment and mental illness. Songs like ‘The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton’ and ‘Hast Thou Considered The Tetrapod’ worked so well because of Darnielle’s deep understanding of the mind-set of tormented youths, whether this is thanks to his experience as a psychiatric nurse, or his experience of an abusive stepfather, what matters is that this is a subject matter he intimately understands.

It is this which he draws from in Transcendental Youth. In ‘Harlem Roulette’ he talks about Frankie Lymon, who found superstardom aged 13 but couldn’t handle the fame, and struggled with a heroin addiction, while ‘In Memory of Satan’ deals with a young recluse who’s taped over his windows.

Prior to releasing the album, Darnielle had performed it live with accompaniment of the a capella quartet Anonymous Four. It’s interesting to see how versatile the songs are, able to make the transition from classical singing accompaniment to punkish acoustic guitar. It shows how Darnielle has developed over the years from urgent and lo-fi to pensive and well produced.

Transcendental Youth while lacking the power of The Sunset Tree is a strong entry in The Mountain Goats’ discography, featuring great lyrics, which blend the tragic and the comic, and two anthems in ‘Cry for Judas’ and ‘The Diaz Brothers’ that will surely be requested by The Mountain Goats’ faithful at future gigs.

George Galloway sues NUS over “rape denier” claims

Written by Jonathan Breen on . Posted in News.

Respect MP George Galloway is suing the National Union of Students after they banned him for being a “rape denier”.

The NUS action last week comes after Mr Galloway, a public Julian Assange supporter, rubbished the claims of rape against the Wikileaks founder in a podcast in August.

Mr Galloway said in the podcast, “Even taken at its worst, if the allegations made by these two women were true, 100% true, and even if a camera in the room captured them, they don’t constitute rape.

“It might be really sordid and bad sexual etiquette, but whatever else it is, it is not rape or you bankrupt the term rape of all meaning.”

Following the comments, the National Union of Students put forward a motion to ban the Bradford West MP from speaking at NUS organised events and ban its members from speaking on a platform with Mr Galloway.

The motion went ahead despite an email by a member of Mr Galloway’s office to the NUS executive trying to smooth over the situation, in which it said Mr Galloway’s views on Mr Assange were “widely held on the left of the political spectrum.”

Ron Mckay, a spokesman for Mr Galloway, said they have sent a letter to the NUS and court action would follow depending on how they responded to it.

“We’ve written the legal letter and depending on how they respond the next stage is a writ and the court process creeps into place,” Mr Mckay said.

“George is not suing because he has been banned,” he added. “The NUS (executive) can ban whomever they like for whatever reason they conjure, what they cannot do is put down a motion and pass a wording which is clearly defamatory without consequences.

“And to call someone a rape denier is undoubtedly defamatory. There could hardly be a more serious accusation.”

When contacted, the NUS refused to comment because they had not received any direct communication from Mr Galloway.

Mr Galloway wrote on his Twitter account he would give any money he recovers from the NUS to the Defence Fund for Julian Assange and Bradley Manning.

University of Manchester Students’ Union Womens’ Officer Tabz Obrien-Butcher condemned Mr Galloway’s comments and said she stood behind the NUS ban.

“George Galloway’s comments are utterly disgusting,” she said. “I am so incredibly proud to be a part of a movement that has categorically said no to rape apologism.

She added: “If his alleged attempt to sue the National Union of Students for standing against rape apologism is proven to be true, Galloway will have further shown his lack of respect for our right as students to voice our opinions, and our right as women to demand our safety.

“His statement on Twitter, in which he pledged to give any monies received from the NUS to Julian Assange’s Defence Fund clearly evidences how right we were to refuse him a platform in our unions and a voice in our movement.”

Tory MEP Roger Helmer has also been banned by the NUS for alleged controversial comments about rape.

The man who changed history

Written by Edward Dowd on . Posted in Opinion.

Before the war history was the study of Kings, Queens, wars and revolutions. Historical journals separated the subject into a series of narrow arguments. Questions like “What caused the industrial revolution?” dominated, with history broken down into a set of almost scientific debates about cause and effect.

Eric J. Hobsbawm – who passed away last week aged 95 – and his peers changed all that.

Along with his colleagues E. P. Thompson and Christopher Hill, he founded the social history journal Past & Present in 1952. Heavily influenced by the French Annales School, Past & Present set out to bring together intellectuals who wanted to do more than argue about institutions and treaties.

For undergraduates during the 1950s and 1960s, the impact of the journal was dramatic.

“Suddenly nothing was off the table,” explains the historian Simon Schama. “You could write a history of food! The whole of human behaviour was up for historical vision.”

As Hobsbawm himself put it in Radio 4 interview earlier this year, the journal was “about trying to fertilise traditional history, historical and institutional narrative, by marrying it to, or getting inspiration from, the social sciences.”

Dr Leif Jerram, a lecturer in modern History at the University of Manchester says that he achieved this in style.

“Hobsbawm got people to face up to how underlying structures that we might view as being obvious or just given are in fact all produced in self-concious ways. That was his great methodological contribution,” he says.

“If you pick up a history book in Waterstone’s it will be called something like ‘Britain in the Age of…’ or they’ll be some kind of assumption in the title. Hobsbawm was able to say ‘take one step back: who invented this thing called Britain? Why is it there? What is it for?’ That one further step back is the great contribution I think he made.”

Born in Alexandria, Egypt in June 1917, Hobsbawm’s early years saw him live through one of the most tumultuous periods in European history. His family, which was Jewish, moved to Austria when he was a toddler, before arriving in Berlin just in time for the young historian to witness first hand the disintegration of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Hitler.

This early exposure to high political drama inevitably had a bearing on Hobsbawm’s politics. The historian, born just months before the Russian revolution, was a lifelong communist.

“I suppose my childhood in Vienna prepared me a little bit for the later development; after all it was a highly political atmosphere,” he told the BBC earlier this year. To emphasise his point a clip from a recording made in 1996, which sees him returning to his school classroom in Vienna, reveals that the young Eric carved the words ‘down with Hitler’ into his desk.

I put it to Dr Peter Gatrell, an historian at the University of Manchester, that Hobsbawm’s politics made him a somewhat controversial figure.

“People who jump to conclusions about Hobsbawm fail to understand just how extraordinary a time the 1930s was,” he argues.

“To accuse Hobsbawm of being blinded by the Soviet Union negates the fact that he and so many other people were taking seriously the challenge of Nazism not in 1939 or 1942, but in 1933.

“Hobsbawm’s ideology was forged in the late 1920s and early 1930s and firmed up by the realisation that Nazism was an extraordianary challenge to humanity and to civilisation.”
For the legendary historian Tony Judt, Hobsbawm’s was first and foremost a great historian.

“On everything he touched he wrote much better, had usually read much more, and had a broader and subtler understanding than his more fashionable emulators. If he had not been a lifelong communist he would be remembered simply as one of the great historians of the 20th century.”

Talking to The Mancunion, Dr Pedro Ramos Pinto echoed Judt’s sentiment.

“He was a great writer. He could be talking about big processes on huge scales such as the industrial revolution or the transformation of global capitalism, but within a sentence he brings you back to the streets of London or Vienna and gives you a sense of the human consequences and human experiences. Every historian aspires to write like Hobsbawm.”

Described by the New York Times as “a cool introvert” and a jazz fan – the historian wrote under the name Francis Newton in homage to the trumpeter Frankie Newton for the New Statesman – Hobsbawm fled Germany following the death of his parents in the 1930s and came to London, before winning a place at Cambridge University.

He graduated from King’s College with the highest possible honours in 1939 and, in between serving in World War Two – where, much to his chagrin, he remained on the sidelines of the conflict – he managed to complete a Masters in 1942 before completing a doctorate in 1951. He married Muriel Seaman, a civil servant and communist in 1943 but the marriage lasted only seven years.

He is survived by his second wife Marlene Schwarz whom he married in 1962; as well as his daughter Julia, his sons Andrew and Joss Bennathan; plus seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

I ask Dr Leif Jerram whether he believes the academic world will be a poorer place without this eye-witness 20th century historian.

“His greatness lay in his ideas, not his existence,” he says – matter-of-factly.

With Hobsbawm’s seminal works ‘The Age of Revolution’, ‘The Age of Capital’, ‘The Invention of Tradition’, and ‘The Age of Extremes’ remaining integral to any history undergraduate worth their salt, his ideas will certainly live on.

Suffragette City

Written by Eve Fensome on . Posted in Opinion.

Manchester, the birth place of Christabel Pankhurst – suffragette and co-founder of the Women’s Social and Political Union and tireless campaigner for women’s rights. I wonder how she would have felt last week, more than a century later, to see 800 women descend on Manchester for the largest national women’s event of the year; the Annual Labour Party Women’s Conference.

Frances O’Grady as she addressed the all-woman audience received thunderous applause at Women’s Conference for becoming the first ever female General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

I was delighted when she told me: “I went to university in Manchester; I did politics and modern history in 1977. I loved Manchester because it was the time of new wave and plenty of occupations in Manchester; it was a very lively vibrant city.”

However, things began to change. “When I left it was 1980 so we went through the Thatcher years. We had this terrible paradox of a woman in power who did more to hurt ordinary working women and poor women than what had happened for generations. Many communities in the North West and elsewhere are still suffering the consequences of deindustrialisation, of attacking trade unions, and of many women who took the brunt of that attack on ordinary working people.”

Her voice rises passionately, she continues: “I think life’s pretty tough for young women, especially coming out of college looking for a decent job rather than an unpaid internship. Women have a right to expect a more equal life but I’m afraid that we’re being pushed onto dole queues or dead end jobs or back to the kitchen sink.”

But, Francis is positive about Women’s Conference, saying; it “had a real sense of strength to me and I also got the feeling that we were taking real solidarity from each other. I felt like we’re not going to be pushed back into our box. Adding: “So it’s tough times but as sisters we have to stick together.” And she means it, when we first met she gave me a big sisterly hug!

Angela Eagle became the first openly lesbian Member of Parliament when she came out publicly in 1997. She is now on the front bench and set to be in the next cabinet.

I asked her about what Women’s Conference meant to her:

“Well I think it’s important that we manage to get women together ahead of Labour Party conference to talk about the issues that most concern them. You often get issues like violence against women that aren’t always featured in ordinary party political discussions and certainly don’t appear on the news.

“We also hear about how women are in the forefront of the cuts and are having to cope with the withdrawal of benefits and support for children and older people.”

I asked her what she thought women could personally do about this.

“These women at conference are actually involved in politics and are fighting to keep services and get a government elected that’s going to care about social justice rather than just the top one per cent… if we had a Labour government then they’d be making very different choices. And they wouldn’t be giving a tax cut to millionaires, they’d be trying to preserve services and get young unemployed people back to work.”

I ask her for a final comment for women students: she doesn’t hesitate, saying: “join the Labour Party, get involved, politics is the way you change society and it’s not a spectator’s sport so come and join us.”

Yvette Cooper, Shadow Home Secretary spoke proudly about the event saying:

“We’ve had a brilliant women’s conference, women from all over the country, Labour women, getting together to talk not just the about the things that women care about, but also the pressures that women are facing across the country as a result of the frankly shocking things that this Tory-Liberal Democrat government is doing.”

“They’re cutting taxes for millionaires, most of whom are men, but they’re also cutting tax credits, child tax credits for women on low pay. It’s deeply unfair what they’re doing and that’s why women across the country are angry, and that’s the kind of thing we’ve been talking about today.”

She adds “There is a lot of anger. David Cameron famously said calm down dear…” but before she gets into full stride Harriet Harman began her address to the many tea drinking ladies and Yvette was whisked away.

I left feeling quite excited about Women’s Conference; it felt as though heavy barriers had been lifted where the obstacles between individuals had broken down and we were all able to come together, talk and share (and hug!). And the hurdles we need to pass to enact political change seemed a whole lot smaller with the support of other women. We have come a long way since Emily Davison died whilst throwing a suffragette banner in front of the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby just less than one hundred years ago but there is still a fight that continues to this day.

But perhaps there’s a man out there who would like to tell me to ‘CALM DOWN DEAR!’

 

Mancunians, lend me your ears!

Written by Josephine Lane on . Posted in Theatre.

Five Stars out of Five

The last century saw its fair share of the rises and falls of African dictators. How fitting, therefore, it seems for the Royal Shakespeare Company to set their latest production of Julius Caesar in modern East Africa.

I went to see Gregory Doran’s fresh new interpretation at The Lowry last week and afterwards I caught up with Adjoa Andoh, who plays Brutus’ (Paterson Joseph) wife Porcia in the play.

The setting of the play could not have been more perfect to rouse an audiences’ attention to a play that is, in my opinion, not performed often enough. Pre-curtain, the auditorium is filled with the sights and sounds of an African band drumming and singing as the witch-doctoresque soothsayer proudly introduced himself through striking dance.  This was merely a taster of the new vibrancy magnificently breathed into the play. The all-black cast, along with flawless African accents gave the words a new sort of rhythm and pace. Andoh tells me she knows of people who hated Julius Caesar at school (herself included) but after seeing this production, finally understood and liked it. Roused is right.

Whilst renovating the play entirely, the piece does not overlook the original Roman context. Michael Vale’s giant stone steps was somewhat reminiscent of Ancient Rome, but with its rusty metal wire structure occasionally peeping through, it was not a million miles away from modern Africa either.  The conspirators donned swish black togas for he infamous murder scene, bringing the classic historical image sleekly into it’s modern context.

 

On top of this, the cast of Julius Caesar are all second to none. Paterson Joseph was wonderful as Brutus and handled it with humor, sensitivity and depth. Andoh tells me of her respect and fondness for Joseph, which certainly came across in their scene together, where Porcia tries to get Brutus to share what it is he has been keeping from her. Andoh goes on to tell me more about Porcia’s character:

“Porcia is the daughter of Cato, the stoic philosopher and politician, who was driven to suicide due to his severe antagonism towards Caesar’s dictatorship. When we see her with Brutus we can see they have an respectful relationship where they can talk about politics as equals,” she says.

This certainly came across in Andoh’s portrayal, Porcia was all-woman: sexy, strong and courageous. Ray Fearon’s Mark Anthony was also stunning and whose ‘Friends, Romans, Countrymen’ speech was excited, passionate and raw. A performance not to be missed.

Andoh finishes by telling me about the cast’s personal connection to the play. All the cast are from African or West Indian roots so all have parents or grandparents who have experienced political unrest. She says:

‘Theres an energy that comes from our history we put back into the play’

This energy Andoh speaks of certainly shines through. If this is new direction for the RSC now that Doran is artistic director, then I say keep on going. If you can, you must see Julius Caesar!

Julius Caesar ran at The Lowry Theatre from the 2nd to the 6th October. 

Interview: Fatboy Slim

Written by Sophie Donovan on . Posted in Music.

It’s been an exciting summer for Fatboy Slim. The Brighton based DJ and producer has enjoyed some of the biggest audiences of his career, playing to over 40,000 people at Big Beach Boutique 5 at the Amex football stadium – home to his beloved Brighton and Hove Albion FC – and of course there’s “that little Olympic ceremony”. But Fatboy Slim AKA Norman Cook tells The Mancunion, that scaling back to more intimate venues is a labour of love.

“The autumn for me is all about getting back to grassroots and into clubs and I enjoy that equally. It was a big thrill playing at the Olympics, but I didn’t get to stretch my muscles as a DJ – in a club you have to really work hard to get the crowd going and it’s the time where you can try out new tunes for next summer.” Cook was the only DJ at the Olympic closing ceremony where he performed ‘Right Here, Right Now’ and ‘The Rockafeller Skank’ aloft a giant inflating octopus. Cook was paid just a token £1 for appearing, but expressed that money didn’t come into it: “It was such an honour, I was the only DJ  involved, so I felt like I was representing team GB for DJing and British club culture”.

With two Manchester dates on his second annual 5 Night Stand tour, Cook seems excited to return to the North, “I’ve heard good things about Sankeys. I’d say it was in people’s top 5 clubs to play at so I’m looking forward to it.” Fatboy Slim will also perform at Warehouse Project “I’ve played there before, but I hear it’s moved venues – it was a car park before though wasn’t it? That was one of the reasons I loved it” he confesses. “The crew who run it have really got forward thinking ideas; there’s something exciting about how they’re putting stuff on in a new venue rather than the same old clubs that people have been going to for years.” The 49 year old will play alongside fellow veteran Pete Tong, but when asked if he feels old, the question is met with an incredulous laugh.

“I never feel old when I’m on the stage, when I’m playing I feel as if I’m about 17!” He professes. “The thing is, if you’re in a boy band, you’ve got a limited shelf life because you can only work while you’re still attractive looking, but people like myself – or David Rodigan for example – we were never oil paintings in the first place, it was never about our looks. So, as long as we can stay up late enough to do it and we still have the passion for music – who’s to say when we should stop.”

Belonging to the first generation of ‘Superstar DJs’, Cook seems content with the uncertainty which surrounds their retirement age, “no one actually knows what the right age is, and we are determined to push it as far as we can. I’ll carry on as long as the crowds are enjoying it. I’m loving it more than ever, and especially now that I’ve quit drinking – I can remember it all! There’ll be day when I feel too old to do it, but not yet.”

With outstanding success and a long career, Cook has undoubtedly gained the respect of the younger artists with whom he now shares the bill, but he confesses if they ask him for advice, his response could be a little dated. “I’m famously not hugely up with technology, social media or anything like that, so I can’t give much advice on how to get themselves heard, or how to promote themselves.  Although, my main advice to DJs that are starting out is, get out of your bedroom, get out there and play in wine bars where people aren’t expected to dance. All the people that I came up with like Carl Cox and Pete Tong – we all used to do weddings, and if you can rock a wedding, you can rock a nightclub.”

It was during Cook’s time at the University of Brighton when weddings were rocked and impromptu wine-bar -dances encouraged, but there was no famous Fatboy Slim alias then. “At uni I was called DJ Quentin.” When asked why, he replies, “I was born with the name Quentin, but I decided to change it to Norman when I started working in the serious music business.”

Despite gaining at 2.1 in Combined Humanities, Quentin acknowledges that he was more interested in music. “I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t totally connect with the student experience, I was DJing and working at a record shop the whole time. I was way too into nightclubs, I didn’t live with students, and I didn’t hang out in student bars. I only went in for lectures.” But this lack of commitment hasn’t affected such a glittering career. A collection of admirable achievements can’t have left much on Fatboy Slim’s bucket list. “The only proper ambition I’ve got left is to score a film soundtrack.  I worked on Moulin Rouge with Baz Lurman and I did stuff for Charlie’s Angels, but it’s usually just one tune or they use some of your work. But, I sort of feel like I’ve been to the mountain top and everything from now on is just a bonus.”

Catch Fatboy Slim @ Sankeys on Friday 12th October 2012.

£20 tickets available at www.sankeystickets.co.uk

See www.sankeys.info for further October line-ups including shows from Lauhaus, John Dahlback, Mass Prod, Jaguar Skills and Magda

Big Beach Boutique 5 DVD out 5th November

Could ‘One Nation Labour’ appeal?

Written by Helen Stevenson on . Posted in Opinion.

At the Labour Party conference this week, much was said about the new direction of the party, and the rousing opening speech from leader Ed Miliband.

I attended a live debate on the Victoria Derbyshire radio show on Monday morning before the official start of the conference. From the outset, the overwhelming sentiment of the 250 audience members was very clear: Labour lack direction and Ed Miliband isn’t an inspiring leader.

Before the conference, Labour’s tactic of attacking the government’s policies whilst not formulating many of their own has caused disillusionment. Although numerous opinion polls show they are 10 points ahead of the Conservatives, others show that voters actually prefer David Cameron and George Osborne to handle the economy than Ed Miliband and Ed Balls.

The criticism of Labour’s inactivity is not fairly levelled.  Ed Miliband has only been leader for two years. We have three very uncertain years ahead before the next general election. The ongoing Eurozone crisis, coupled with a double-dip recession in the UK, means Labour have no idea how the books will be balanced should they regain power. Labour cannot make policies so far removed from a general election because they don’t know whether they’ll be able to keep them. I do not accept Nick Clegg’s apology for raising tuition fees after campaigning against them, and I will not accept any apology from Ed Miliband if he reneges on a promise.

Ed Miliband’s opening speech on Monday set the tone for the rest of the conference. Not only did his conversational and humorous delivery, without the use of notes, dispel the notion that he could be a character in a Wallace and Gromit episode, but the speech also had substance. Borrowing the rhetoric of ‘One Nation’ from Benjamin Disraeli crossed party lines and combined nostalgia with optimism for ‘One Nation Labour’.

Miliband has been successful from moving away from New Labour, which was characterised by the Blair-Brown split and the financial crash, towards a Labour that is more cohesive and focused. His presence, charisma and ability to lead have often been called into question, but at the moment he is the only leader with total support from his party. His speech will resonate with Liberal Democrats more than Clegg’s did a week ago.

But has he done enough? He was elected with huge support from union members and affiliates, with his brother David receiving the majority of Labour MPs’ votes. But after expressing his disapproval at the public sector strikes in 2011 over pension cuts, he may have bitten the hand that feeds him. And with the ongoing row between Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, Labour’s biggest donor, and the party leadership, Labour’s relationship with the unions is becoming increasingly fractured.

I oppose public sector pay-cuts; having higher employment is not only more beneficial to the economy in the long run, but also to individuals’ wellbeing. This feeling will be shared by the core of Labour voters and many members of the trade unions too. The feud between the unions and the party would have hurt Old Labour, but ‘One Nation Labour’ has evolved and protected itself from a union backlash.

Upon leaving the debate on Monday morning, I questioned other audience members as to whether their views about the party and its leadership had changed. The mood was still bleak – most were questioning the inactivity of the party, speaking of how they feel that they can’t connect with Ed Miliband. From his speech on Monday, to the party political broadcast in which he talks about his comprehensive education, it is impossible not to warm to him. Every time he speaks about going to Haverstock, we are reminded that Cameron went to Eton.

In terms of connecting with the electorate, this has been a successful week for Mr Miliband. A week is a long time in politics; two years is much longer. It is definitely too early to assume this year’s conference has catapulted the party into a very secure position. However, Miliband, bolstered by a cohesive party, has the ability to lead ‘One Nation Labour’ and push the party forward.

Column: We are not amused

Written by Daniel Jones on . Posted in Music.

Last week, Muse reiterated their seemingly fervent ambition to try and fuck up everything that they have achieved in the past decade or so.  The release of The 2nd Law – their sixth studio album – has confirmed our fears that, as a band, they’ve either completely lost it or they just can’t be arsed anymore.

Now I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that I used to have a lot of time for Muse.  The first three records are expertly crafted examples of a band doing what they do best, particularly Origin of Symmetry and Absolution, which have to be up there as two of the best alt/prog rock albums of the 00’s.

Take nothing away from Showbiz, but the sheer production and arrangement quality of these two records is unparalleled.  Tracks like ‘Space Dementia’, ‘Bliss’, ‘Apocalypse Please’ and ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ exhibit Matt Bellamy’s soaring falsetto and Chris Wolstenholme’s distorted bass at their very best.  Dom Howard is pretty good for a southpaw too.

But even out of the studio, by the time they played their two-date spectacular at Wembley Stadium in 2007, the trio were being heralded as the best live act in the world.   Their shows, like their music, became increasingly influenced by science fiction and included giant satellite dishes, translucent sets and a light show that could rival the Death Star for the amount of lasers it contained.

Looking back though, this was probably the beginning of the end for Muse.  It was never going to be easy to follow an album as grandiose as Black Holes and Revelations, and, having toured off the back of it for over two years, the challenge to continue to evolve was greater than ever.  Unfortunately, the lukewarm reception that 2009’s The Resistance received seems to have done little to shake the life back into Bellamy and co.

What gets me is that, usually, bands struggle with their second album.  Should they keep it along the same lines as the debut, or should they make a radical departure into pastures new?  For the first four albums, this was never an issue for Muse.  They gradually developed their own style and sound, their own political/sci-fi context, and in the process, gained legions of dedicated fans.   Their method was by no means broken, but unfortunately for us, they decided to fix it anyway.

I must say at this point that I was nearly sick when I heard the official Olympics song.  ‘Survival’ is five minutes of overblown pomposity and includes some of the most moronic lyrics I’ve ever heard – “Yes I am prepared to stay alive / I won’t forgive, the vengeance is mine.” – eh? I never knew that  vengeance played such an integral part in the pinnacle of sportsmanship.

Worse still, following a flurry of bad reviews, Dom Howard stated that he “didn’t care whether people hated the song or not, as long as it provoked a reaction.”  That’s like Kebab King saying, “I don’t care if the donner meat gives you food poisoning or not, we’re still getting paid regardless of how much you vomit.”

As for the rest of The 2nd Law, Bellamy has traded in any thought-provoking lyrics for a plethora of what can only be described as funny alien sounds.  Also, why they’ve even considered going down the dubstep route is completely beyond me.  Fair enough that they want to try to implement new styles and genres but some stones are definitely better left unturned.  You wouldn’t see Burial doing a cover of ‘Time is Running Out’, would you?

I do hate to say it but it seems like that’s it from one of the best bands of this generation.  There’s no shame in throwing in the towel when you’re at the peak of your powers, because at least you recognise that you’ve achieved all that you set out to achieve.  It’s the classic Fawlty Towers situation.   Sadly, there is shame in releasing an album that is no more than a lackadaisical attempt to get an established band back in the pop charts.

Appeal after Whitworth Park assault

Written by Jonathan Breen on . Posted in News.

Police are appealing for information after an assault near Oxford Road.

A man was found with life threatening head injuries in Whitworth Park on the night of the 11th September.

Detective Inspector Theresa Carter said: “Since we found this man in a life threatening condition, a number of inquiries have been made to find out what happened.”

When police arrived at the scene around 9pm they discovered the 38 year old man with injuries police believe were caused by a weapon.

The victim, a homeless man, was taken to hospital, where he remains in a stable but critical condition.

“We have been speaking to others who sleep rough in this area,” Det Insp Carter said. “We now believe that he was the victim of a vicious assault and was hit with a weapon.

“I would therefore like to appeal to anyone who was in the park from early evening until 9pm on the 11th September, to come forward and tell us what they saw.

“He was last seen at a day centre on Denmark Road at 11am on the 11th September.

“I would ask that anyone with information calls police as soon as possible.”

Police have asked anyone with information to call them on 0161 856 4146 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

News in Brief – 8th October

Written by Pippa Allen-Kinross on . Posted in News.

Model dies in Northern Quarter Hotel

A 23 year old Latvian model fell to her death from the balcony of a Northern Quarter hotel.

Laura Pahomova, living in Blackburn, fell from a rented apartment at the Light Boutique ApartHotel, landing on another balcony nine floors below.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

An inquest is expected to be held, but her death is not being treated as suspicious.

 

Man rescued after sausages start fire

Firefighters forced their way into a house after a man fell asleep cooking sausages.

The 60 year old, from Baguley, was given first aid at the scene before being taken to Wythenshawe Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

David Acton, Chairman of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority, said the incident was a warning of “how easy it can be for a fire to start if something distracts you from cooking.”

 

Teenage girl attacked in Rochdale

The 18 year old had her leg dislocated and may have fractured her jaw after being attacked outside Dali Bar in Rochdale.

She did not recognise her attackers, who grabbed her by the face and throat. She has no memory of what happened.

The assault happened between 2am and 3am on 23rd September. Police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

Students lobby Labour over plans for NHS

Written by Khalil Secker on . Posted in News.

Over 100 campaigners gathered outside the Labour Party Conference in Manchester to lobby for a reversal of NHS cutbacks and privatisation.

They were also calling for Conservatives’ controversial Health and Social Care Act to be repealed if the Labour Party is elected.

Campaigners included students, trade unionists and activists from the ‘Save Trafford General Hospital’ campaign – a local hospital facing closure.

Sarah Webster, a PhD Sociology student said: “For students, the new Health and Social Care Act will likely limit access to free and important sexual and mental health facilities – like the Hathersage Road walk in clinic.’

Suzanna Dickson, a 3rd year Neuroscience student and member of the ‘Save Our NHS’ campaign said: “The NHS has always been the sole reason I’ve been proud to be British. Now that care services are being sold off to private companies, it means care will be poorer and waiting times longer.”

Mike Tippett, a medical lab assistant from St. James’ hospital in Leeds said: “We’re facing 700 job losses within our Trust. Our cytology department is having to compete with a private service, meaning the NHS service might be put out of business. If they get the contract it’ll be because they work faster, even though the actual quality of care is poorer.”

At a time of huge spending cuts it’s often the cheaper provider – rather than the higher quality provider – who gets the contract. The NHS Partners Network, (the representative for private NHS providers) claims that the Health and Social Care Act could lead “to a race to the bottom on price that would almost certainly threaten quality.”

Mike Tippet went on to say that in Leeds: “13 community mental health teams have been cut down to just three, which means less time for each patient and a potentially increased risk of suicide.”

Cat Gray, Wellbeing Officer at the Students’ Union said: “Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust admits to spending the lowest amount in the country on community services, but is cutting its spending by 20 percent. At least 1 in 4 students experience mental health problems, so these cuts will seriously impact student wellbeing.”

Andy Burnham, the Labour Shadow Secretary for Health, passed by the demo and reassured activists that “It is absolutely the position of the party to repeal the Health and Social Care Act.”

300-million-year-old insects seen for first time

Written by David Lack on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

300 million year-old insect fossils have been imaged for the first time in a pioneering use of an everyday technology.

A team from the University of Manchester’s School of Materials used High Resolution Computed Tomography (CT) to construct an image of the fossils encased in rock. Taking over 3,000 images from different angles to create 2,000 ‘slices’ of the fossil, the team were able to construct 3D images of the insect larvae.

Speaking to The Mancunion, Dr Garwood said: “It has been a long-standing problem that by using normal techniques you end up with a 2D image of a 3D problem.”

The technology creates a 3D-image that previously has not been possible. A single complete image of the insect “depends on the fossil, some take three or four days to a month [to create].” The complexity of the insect determines how many scans are needed and the time it takes to create the image.

The technology gives new insights into the larval form of ancient insects which have not survived intact and therefore cannot be seen using normal techniques. This allows researchers to see what the insect larvae looked like. But it will still be difficult to analyse the relationships of insects. Insects change dramatically between their larval stage and their adult form. A process that is not fully understood yet holds a lot of interest for researchers.

Dr Garwood hopes that the work will shed some light on the biology and development of early insects. This research is important as the majority of animals on the planet are insects.

In an interview Dr Garwood said “we have a poor understanding of insect evolution, for example we don’t know how insect wings evolved”. The research team are focusing on the metamorphosis that occurs in insects as they grow, Dr Garwood wants to “scan lot of juvenile insects to see how complete metamorphosis evolved”. The study of how insects evolved is important as they pollinate plants and provide other vital roles to the ecosystem.

This technique has currently been focussed on imaging two insect fossils. One was a new species of cockroach larvae had spines along its back. It is believed the spines were used for protection, as it couldn’t fly and would not be able to escape predators. The team thinks this larva could even pre-date the split between modern cockroaches and their close group, the mantises.

Dr Garwood thinks this technology could be used bring about some major breakthroughs in insect evolution.

“Oh, but it wasn’t rape-rape…”

Written by Emma Bean on . Posted in Opinion.

The world is awash with what can politely be described as misunderstandings of what constitutes rape and what consent actually is. Whenever conversations on the topic spring up, the most marvellously, shockingly incorrect things are too often said, “well, that wasn’t proper rape, they were really drunk” , “to avoid being raped, women shouldn’t dress like sluts”, “they might not have said yes, but they didn’t say no all that much either” .

Let’s just add some clarity with the actual, legal definition of rape. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 defines rape as: A is guilty of rape if he intentionally penetrates the vagina, mouth or anus of A (the complainant) with his penis, if B does not consent to the penetration and A does not reasonably believe that B consents.

The definition of consent is an important provision within the act also, defined as “if she agrees by choice, and has the freedom and capacity to make that choice”. Freedom and capacity are two words that are particularly pertinent, for the sort of rapes that Todd Akin would perhaps not define as “legitimate”. The majority of rape and sexual assault occurs within relationships, where real free choice could certainly be easily diminished.

Abusive and coercive relationships, such as those featured in the recent home office campaign aimed at young people which tries to highlight these rapes, are a particularly common sort of rape. They’re not the down-a-dark-alley-way “forcible rapes” that Paul Ryan recognises, but they represent a far more common sort of rape that shows an incredibly harmful side to power structures within relationships, where the victims are coerced into sex.

If we look at power structures within relationships and the world more broadly, we see that it is women who are more likely than men to be on the receiving end of sexual violence and domestic abuse, and the two are often inextricably linked. The act of rape has been used as an act of exerting dominance and power over a person or conquered group since the year dot, and it would be incorrect to consider rape and sexual based abuse and violence outside of this historical and societal context. For a man to be raped by another man is an act intended to emasculate and make him ‘less of a man’. Though of course, the current legal definition of rape is rather too couched in heteronormative understandings of sexual encounters to entirely deal with the issue of relationship based abuse or sexual abuse more broadly. One of the highest risk groups for such things is the Trans and Queer community, and of course in same sex relationships issues relating to sexual and domestic violence can occur. In opposite sex relationships, men can be subject to abuse and this is something that is often ignored in legislature, and is also of course very damaging.

If we look at the culture of ‘slut-shaming’, victim blaming and the Slutwalk movement inspired by some distressing comments from a Canadian police officer, we see a culture where victims of sexual violence and harassment are told to accept it, that they should hold some of the blame and that they should be ashamed of their own choices regarding their sexuality. This is just a further continuation of positively medieval notion of sexual morality, that women are the gate keepers of propriety in the face of men’s uncontrollable all encompassing sexual desires and that if men should see even the slightest hint of the ‘feminine form’ that they can no longer be held responsible for their actions. Put quite simply, in addition to being incredibly offensive to all of humanity whatever their gender identity, this just doesn’t make a single scrap of sense when we look at the actual legal definition of rape. Or to quote a particularly good Slutwalk placard “a dress is not a yes”.

This culture is something that affects women, the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer) community and the whole of society not just in terms of sexual assault but also when you look at how common street harassment is, and how people are told quite categorically that they should just accept it, that they should regard it as a compliment, and that it is something that isn’t worthy of police time.

This quite simply is not good enough, and trivialising this so is very offensive, not just to those who are the victims but for men who this logic suggests are nothing more than animals driven solely by their reproductive urges.

One in four women students will be victims of sexual assault. If the figures can so stark amongst a group that is most likely one of the most educated in the importance of gender relations and liberal thinking, the sort of people who recognise that being outwardly homophobic or racist would be most certainly wrong, how bad must it be amongst other groups?

Whilst the UK is no longer at the stage of say America, where basic abortion provision is something that still needs to be fought for, there are still some very serious issues that need to be dealt with that hinder women’s liberation. For consent, sexual autonomy and rape to be so broadly misunderstood and misrepresented across almost all of society is truly distressing and shows how much more needs to be done.

 

Should we value the National Student Survey?

Written by Emma Bean on . Posted in Opinion.

The results of the National Student Satisfaction (NSS) survey, have been published to show that the University of Manchester has continued its tradition of getting relatively poor scores.

We have, however, increased on last year’s overall satisfaction rating by four percentage points (79-83%) and are now on a par with the University of Edinburgh, as well as no longer being the worst institution in the Russell Group, having passed that accursed baton onto Kings College London.

Let us not also forget, what the question that universities are falling down upon is, it’s not a test of students being overwhelmingly happy with their course and the institution, but rather just that they are satisfied, the academic equivalent of being described as merely “nice”.

The NSS could well be perceived as being a ranking system that gives unfair advantages to certain types of institution, such as campus universities. The University of Loughborough, for example, consistently performs very well in terms of student satisfaction, but is a far smaller institution than our own, with only 16,000 students, and most of its students are based on just the one campus in suburban Loughborough.

With their Students’ Union having regular club nights that are massively popular – many students’ social lives being structured around the University and the Students’ Union – it’s not surprising that they would be more satisfied with their university in broader terms, and that this might transfer onto a greater level of satisfaction with their courses as well. I find it hard to believe that students at Loughborough absolutely never have issues with feedback, for example, but when this is but one aspect of their university experience and everything else is so positive, it might seem like less of an issue.

Whilst we might not be entirely distressed by being beaten by a university like Loughborough, when the University of Teesside can consistently outperform us in these statistics, most would intuitively feel that there could well be a problem with the system, or at least with its popularity.

During the clearing process, NSS scores are often used by less traditionally-valued institutions as a way to appeal to desperate would-be students during the stressful time. Hearing that your peers are 100% satisfied with an English Studies BA from the University of Teesside, compared with a meagre 53% for English Language at our own dear university, could well be very persuasive at such a time.

When such value is placed on a ranking system that is entirely done on a relatively informal basis, with incomplete data sets, by people who are not impartial, nor experts, this seems fairly problematic.

Within some departments, and within some institutions, there are vastly differing numbers of people actually completing the surveys. In the figures quoted above, just 35 students completed the form at Teesside and 60 completed it at Manchester. With incomplete data, it does make the statistics seem less reliable, so it seems peculiar that despite this, they are still used as a way to rank institutions.

Students are not neutral actors either. The motives behind a student’s completion of the survey, whether positive or negative, might not be just to give the most accurate reflection of their time at university.

Indeed, even if they are just giving an accurate interpretation of their time, it might not be true to say that it is entirely objective. It seems plausible that if an individual feels happier in their non-academic university life, this could affect peoples general happiness, possibly influencing how they fill things out.

Whilst people’s overall experience at Manchester might well be very positive, the University itself probably often isn’t the best aspect of it. As people’s social lives often aren’t connected particularly to the University directly, unlike at other institutions, this shan’t lead to them thinking any more positively about the University. Geographically, the University is at a disadvantage through no particular fault of its own. It doesn’t seem to be awfully fair to have the same sort of measures for something so entirely subjective as a person’s level of satisfaction.

Dr Leif Jerram’s attempts to influence official student survey in 2011 show how much of an effect it can potentially have on a department’s funding, and perhaps also on employer’s perceptions of the value of a course or degree.

Two years ago he sent out an email to students who were due to complete the survey in which he said: “If our own students keep saying that this History department is failing to provide a satisfactory education, eventually employers will listen to that official verdict. You will suffer, and the value of your degree will collapse.”

When you have a system where so much value is placed on non-expert opinions from non-neutral actors, surely it should not be a nationally valued survey. Could it be imagined that any other survey with so many variables could be so widely or highly regarded?

Of course, some aspects of complaint are legitimate, such as those regarding appalling feedback in numerous departments; things that universities should act upon. Feedback issues are an incredibly widespread problem, and for people to be unhappy with this is reasonable; students have every right to be feel unsatisfied.

But, it does not seem right that these sorts of very real and pervasive issues are being judged in a way that cannot be equally applied to all institutions in a fair and objective manner.

Expert-led research into the problems of student satisfaction, which are often based on legitimate complaints, would be a very good thing to include alongside how a university scores for research or teaching. But to have it done in the present manner opens it up for numerous avenues of inaccuracies and distortion, and ultimately renders the very important data far less persuasive.

100,000 science graduates needed to maintain economy

Written by Anthony Organ on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

The UK needs an annual minimum of 100,000 graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) just to maintain the economic status quo, according to a report published by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

There are currently only 90,000 STEM graduates each year and around a quarter of these go on to non-scientific careers, meaning that there is a significant shortfall. The median age of a Chartered Engineer, who is master’s degree qualified and registered with the Engineering Council, was also found to increase by a decade every 14 years.

The report, Jobs and growth: the importance of engineering skills to the UK economy, found that even more annual graduates would be required in both engineering and non-engineering jobs to help the economy to grow.

Professor Colin Bailey, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Manchester, welcomed the report and said that “well-educated engineers, in all disciplines, are key to the future UK economy.”

He continued: “The University is working with industrial partners to ensure that our engineering graduates have the required skills to face future challenges.  We are also engaging with school children of all ages to introduce them to the wonders of engineering, as a future career, to address the significant skill shortage facing this country.”

Across the economy demand for STEM graduates exceeds supply and Professor Matthew Harrison, Director of Education at the Royal Academy of Engineering warned that the shortage was getting worse.

“In the last 10 years the general wage premium for graduates has been dropping, but over the same period the graduate premium for engineering has been going up.

“Engineering firms are crying out for engineers. They can’t get the people they need. Although they have been very very vocal about the subject it has not translated into public policy yet.”

The report acknowledged that women, ethnic minorities, disabled people and disadvantaged people were under-represented in applications to STEM degrees and recommended government support focusing on the strategic value of such qualifications to improve this.

Universities ‘still advertising vacancies’ days before term starts

Written by Michael Williams on . Posted in News.

More than 13,500 university courses are still advertising vacancies, just days before most universities begin the academic year.

24 universities had 200 or more courses which were unfilled, and Manchester Metropolitan University was cited by The Telegraph as having one of the largest numbers of course vacancies alongside Northampton, Sunderland and Hull, amongst others.

 “Like most universities nationally, we are slightly down on last year”, stated a Manchester Metropolitan University spokesperson.  “However, this year we have recruited more students with top AAB grades than we have done previously, while still finding places for the students with slightly lower grades”.

Places were still being offered as of Friday the 28th September from prestigious institutions such as York, Surrey, Leicester and Lancaster – the latter three all begin their academic terms this week, while York’s term begins on the 8th October.

When courses such as Higher National Diplomas and two-year foundation courses are taken into account, the figure soars to almost 21,000.

UCAS’s ‘Clearing’ facility was closed on Sunday, but many courses still remained unfilled. Students now must contact individual universities directly to claim places.

Analysis showed that Universities with the largest number of vacancies ‘almost always’ sought to charge average fees of between £8,000 and £9,000 – fuelling more speculation that the government’s new tuition fees regime is discouraging students from applying.

“There is real concern that the government’s experiment will lead to many who would benefit not going to university,” said general secretary of the University and College Union Sally Hunt.

Figures published last month showed that the number of British and EU students accepting places onto degree courses had fallen by almost 57,000 – a 12 percent drop.

‘Go-Compare’ style website lauched for university courses

Written by Ellen Conlon on . Posted in News.

Key statistics about all university courses are now provided on a website available to all prospective students.

The website, called Unistats, will provide details such as course costs, teaching hours and graduate earnings.

All 31,000 higher education courses available in the UK are able to be viewed and compared on the website, which went live last week.

The information, which has been collated for the first time, is aimed at giving advice for students facing the higher tuition fees in 2013, and hopes to provide greater transparency on course expectations.

Students are able to draw up their own lists of possible courses and compare them according to their own preferences, such as their fees, student satisfaction ratings or how many hours of contact they will have.

The Business Secretary Vince Cable said that the website represented “a major step forwards for students, their parents and their school and college advisors.”

“Applying to university is a big decision and we want to ensure that all students, whatever their background, have the key facts at their fingertips to help them make the right choice for them,” he said.

The Russell Group, who represent some of the UK’s leading universities said: “We welcome anything which makes it easier for prospective students to make choices about which university they would like to study at.”

“But it is important to remember that all data can have its limitations and we urge students to read up on courses, go to open days and talk to careers advisors and others to find out what degree course will suit them.”

But the University and College Union (UCU), say the website’s emphasis on cost and financial benefits suggests the government is “trying to justify the massively increased cost of degrees.”

UCU General Secretary Sally Hunt, said: “Unless the government changes policy and invests more in supporting potential students, this new website will go the way of previous similar initiatives.”

“Students need proper support, not gimmicks.”

Mr Cable denies this: “We are not apologising for the system of pay put in place and we think it is a very good system that people from all backgrounds can benefit from.”

“Before, universities could pick and choose their students out of the batch that had applied. Now, students can compare universities based on past-student feedback among other things and make an informed decision about where they want to study.”

 

Confessions of a student activist: shunning the neo-liberal lifestyle

Written by Jak Dyehouse on . Posted in Opinion.

There was once a time when I was sure of myself as a faultless advocate of economic and political reform who was totally able to avoid becoming implicated by the neo-liberal lifestyle which dominates the modern world. Nevertheless, I must say kudos to Soapbox Issue 02 ranter who pointed out my hypocritical ways. One might say I experienced an epiphany, or perhaps a breakdown, after I read the following rant:

“Calling all student activists, how about you take a look at yourselves before you preach to me and the world about the evil ‘big companies’. What’s that, you’re tweeting about how bad Coca Cola are from your iPad? Funny, that.”

So shocked was I by my displayed cognitive dissonance through the internal contradictions manifesting themselves in an incompatibility between my beliefs and actions that I have attempted to rectify them post-haste.

My first step was to rid myself of all my clothes, given that they were produced by large corporations or subsidiaries of large corporations. Initially I planned to replace them with ethically crafted clothing, until I realised that there was no way I could guarantee that the production process was entirely squeaky clean; the machinery used to create my clothing and the vehicles used to transport them raised ethical concerns of their own. In the end, I settled on making my own clothing to cover my modesty. Hours of work later, I now have a single set of 100 per cent ethical duds to keep me warm and covered, unsightly and uncomfortable though they are.

I then set about radically altering my diet so that my pesky necessity to eat would not infringe upon my political ideals. Initially I considered switching to fair trade-only foodstuffs, lucky as I am that I am able to afford them, until I realised that this was not enough; even the act of buying fair trade would require going through a middle-man such as a supermarket, whose ethical credentials I could not be sure of. Not wishing to inadvertently help uphold the very system I sought to oppose, I resigned myself to a self-sustaining lifestyle. It’s been arduous – I’ve had to spend a lot of time learning to till the earth with my own hand-crafted tools, and waiting for the first harvest meant I was forced to eat but a little at first. What’s more, I’ve had to restrict my variety of desired foodstuffs to account for the limitations of the Great British climate. Despite this, I’m finally beginning to see some small fruits of my labour (well, those fruits which can survive the weather).

Finally, I’ve dispensed with my consumer electronics – I don’t own an Apple product, but it turns out that few tech companies are thought to be wholly ethical. To avoid this difficulty, I chose to build my own computer, internet access being such an important part of modern life. I set about constructing a shopping list of parts, until I realised that those companies which manufacture the components are subject to the same ethical difficulties as Apple, Toshiba and the rest. I eventually settled on designing my own computer from scratch, built from parts that I designed and manufactured myself (using machines which were also subject to the same principles). At the moment, my computer is little more than an LED that blinks on command, allowing me to communicate with anyone well versed in morse code within a 10-metre radius in an environment which is suitably dark, but I have no doubt that it won’t be long until I’m browsing the web and interacting with people from all over the world just like before!

Oh darn, I’ve just realised that the coffee I’m drinking while writing this down is made from a blend that is not ethically sound, in a cup which might be a bit iffy as well. I suppose I should fire up the kiln to replace it (after I’ve figured out how to build a kiln using ethically sourced materials), although trying to start my own plantation is going to be the real challenge – if I want to enjoy coffee any time soon I’ll need to get cracking!