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Day: 3 March 2015

Hopping for hopscotch

Written by Andrew Georgeson on . Posted in Sport.

Alice Smith isn’t the archetypal student. Whereas most of us made a News Year’s resolution of going to the gym or eating healthier before giving it up by February, she had different ideas.

Unfortunately for Alice, who was a contestant on Junior Apprentice, she suffered a shatter dislocation to her ankle, total tibia fracture and several partial fractures to her fibula, in only her second match for the Women’s Rugby team in December. This resulted in spending New Year in a wheelchair, and an operation which resulted in 35 pins being insered in her ankle. Yet when I met up with her last week, now walking about on crutches, she seemed unfazed by her injury, and more determined than ever to raise money for her Uganda trip that she is going on in June with charity ‘East African Playgrounds.

Mancunion: So, when you were in hospital had you already signed up for the trip to Uganda?

Alice: ‘I had already signed up for the trip before my injury. However, I was in hospital for 11 days, during which the staff were very ambiguous about what they were going to do. At one point, they told me had I been 16 that they would have amputated my ankle. My ankle was also too swollen to operate on for some time.

Another problem was that I was in Liverpool as that’s where the injury took place, so my parents drove up from Leicester everyday whilst the doctors were deciding what to do. However, I was determined to sit my exams in January still so I didn’t have to re-sit my exams in the summer and miss the trip.

M: Can you tell me a little bit about the charity and when you came up with the idea of the run?

A: It was when I was doing a blog for the Endometriosis UK, a charity I am also a Trustee for, when it hit me that the rug can be pulled from under your feet at any time, and you need a contingency for when things go wrong. I became focused on finding a way to turn this experience into a positive, and that’s why I thought of doing this run.
The charity itself is located near to where I live. Unlike other charities which are still intent on making money, the money for his project goes straight into building the playgrounds. It’s a far more effective use of time and resources and done for proper reasons.

The only reservation I have about going is that I’m worried I won’t be able to do the physical work. I’ll probably have to be a bit sensible, which isn’t going to be easy as I like pushing myself. But the whole point of charity is that it is meant to be hard, and that it costs something to you, as someone who is the position of being able to give.

M: I have to ask what your time on the Junior Apprentice was like?

A: At first, I applied because I never thought that I would get in, but one thing left to another and it snowballed a little bit. That being said, it’s a lot worse than it looks on the television, it’s really intense and you can’t be alone at any time… not even to go to the toilet. It wasn’t exactly a nice experience to be in, but I can be appreciative of I now as it’s probably been one of the most important things I’ve done, it certainly has opened a lot of doors and people read my emails now.

M: What would you say to anyone who wants to get involved in charity who feels like they can’t because of physical injuries or other problems?

A: I would say do things that are important to you. It doesn’t have to be big or dramatic. A massive thing that I achieved was giving blood just before my 19th birthday, whereas for others that is just seen as an everyday thing. Giving blood is as important as going to Uganda, or writing a blog. Once you achieve your goal, you’ll continue setting more, it’s infectious.

M: Finally, to my knowledge, Stockport is quite hilly. Have you visited the couse?

A: It is quite hilly… I really will be the last person, but I will have my bucket with me as well! I’m still looking forward to it though, hopefully people will ask about the charity and I can get the word out about it!

As well as raising money for ‘East African Playgrounds’, Alice is also a trustee for ‘Endometriosis UK’. Her run will take place on the 1st of March in Stockport, and you can donate to her efforts via her Virgin moneygiving page:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AliceSmithUgandaBound

How much are our MPs really worth?

Written by Isaac Atwal on . Posted in News, Opinion.

There’s nothing more that we love in this country than catching out somebody who is in the public eye and then watching them squirm, grovel, hide and, if we’re lucky, get angry in front of the ensuing cameras. Not content with a mere fall from grace, we–through our notoriously vicious tabloid press–bay for their blood until the excitement of the kill wears off and whoever had just been subjected to the mauling of a lifetime is left to pick up the pieces.

This is not always a pretty or honourable sight. The tabloid press can and does embarrass itself, and by extension us, in its relentless pursuit of some. However, when it comes to a directly elected representative of the people, caught seemingly discussing the exchange of political influence for money, it is open season. And quite right too.

We like to think that our society has extremely low levels of corruption and our public servants are among the most dedicated in the world; we sorted our expenses scandal, remember?

Maybe not–recent revelations concerning the Rt Hon Jack Straw and the Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind have again raised awkward questions regarding the finger-to-pie ratio of some of our most experienced legislators. In a joint investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Telegraph, both Rt Hon members were caught on camera allegedly offering to further the interests of a Chinese company looking to expand in Europe. Both, as former foreign secretaries, are well placed for this kind of work.

Sir Malcolm boasted “I can see any ambassador that I wish to see” and Straw talked of a previous conquest of changing laws in Ukraine. Needless to say that this is extremely unfortunate for the two gentlemen concerned, they will miss out on what was no doubt going to be handsome payment for their services, up to £8,000 a day it would seem.

Whilst this scandal had, in no more than 48 hours, claimed the political careers of two Westminster heavyweights, it also raised serious questions about how much our MPs should be paid and how much they should be allowed to earn outside of parliament–the earning potential is obviously there.

Our society will forever benefit from hardworking investigative journalists exposing wrongdoing. However, in the aftermath of these stories, we often fail to ask the right questions to ensure that whatever was broken before can be properly fixed this time round. Instead, it is much easier to maul a public figure for a while and sit and wait for the next exposé.

Our MPs enjoy a salary that is more than twice that of the average Briton, and are able to claim expenses for conducting their parliamentary duties. This is fair enough, they work for us and it is only right that they have the necessary support to run an office, stay in London when on parliamentary business, and have the appropriate expenses for travel paid for. It is also necessary that doing the job of an MP be seen as worthwhile.

These are, after all, the 650 people out of a population of more than 60 million people who we entrust to run our country. We want to be attracting the most knowledgeable, desirable people for the job so that we get the best out of our parliament and thus our population. This is a logical process of thinking, and is the reason that I think that MPs should be handsomely paid; otherwise, what is to stop our best and brightest choosing the private sector every time?

The real issue, however, is not that two MPs have been caught offering influence for cash–we all know this is and should be illegal; it is that the salaries of our MPs are whilst high by national standards at £67,000, lower than what some MPs would expect to earn in the private sector. In Japan lawmakers earn £165,945, in Australia £120,000, and £108,000 in the US. Couple this disparity with the fact that in this country there is no cap on MPs earnings outside of parliament and we have a problematic situation. What is a fair amount to earn outside of parliament, and should you be barred from certain jobs whilst a serving MP?

According to the Register of Member’s Financial Interests, Jack Straw earned £41,000 from speaking since 2014, and Rifkind more than £250,000 from holding various non-executive board posts. Many people would find that hard to say no to. Whilst is it not suggested that these outside earnings resulted in any lobbying, the size of the amounts earned will raise eyebrows and sit uncomfortably with many.

So, how much should our MPs earn? If we raise their salary can we expect them to then not take extra jobs? Should a business owned previous to being elected be treated differently to a consultancy picked up after election? These are the questions we should be asking, and answering in a mature manner, instead of rushing to grab the pitchforks and demand all our MPs live in a cardboard box under Westminster Bridge, eating cold beans.

That kind of debate serves no one except those advocating the status quo.

Campus Style Guide

Written by Sarah Kilcourse on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Brunswick Street:

Home to many of Manchester’s science students, the Brunswick Street style is focused on practicality. These are people who stand up in labs for long periods, people who actually spend eight hours of the day at University—people who require comfort. Trainers and hiking boots are almost mandatory for the residents of Brunswick Street if they are to make it through the day. Another vital part of their attire is a University of Manchester hoodie, T-shirt or if you’re going the extra mile, varsity jacket. A friend of mine (a physics student) described the typical Brunswick inhabitant’s style as: “I shop at Next.” Admittedly, there are those on Brunswick Street who favour a different look: The simple style, often involving branded clothing (Levi’s, Hollister or Vans) that is equally comfortable, but a bit more… style conscious.

Samuel Alexander:

Arguably, this is the most fashionable part of the university—it certainly tries to be. There are a greater variety styles on show in the Sam Alex building compared to other areas. Some of the staple characters include: The Topshop girl—she buys everything from the ‘New In’ section online; Secondhand chic—formerly known as ‘hipster’ but has become too popular for that title now—expect oversized everything and a flashback to the 90s; the Fashionistas—they probably have a blog, and accessories are their best friend. Safe to say there is no dress code in the Samuel Alexander building, wear whatever you like, you’re an Arts student and the world needs to know!

North Campus:

I cannot deny that the North Campus is an enigma to me—a place I have heard tales of but never visited. From what I have heard, it is mainly home to an eclectic mix of engineers with textile science students. Nevertheless I do know some engineers. Generally, I would categorise the engineer style as practical but preppy, as similar to the Brunswick Street residents, engineers have a large amount of contact hours. Unlike Brunswick Street though, the majority of students wear branded or logo-ed clothing, aligning themselves with the image of a select few brands. North Campus does not play host to many female students, automatically reducing the variety of looks on show but the female engineer is casual and a good pair of skinny jeans is a must.