Skip to main content

Month: December 2015

2015: Our Sporting Highlights

Adam Selby reports on Stuart Bingham winning the 2015 World Snooker Championship.

As a long-time fan and follower of the annual World Snooker Championships, for once it was refreshing to witness a competition of such all-round quality, rather than dominance of one or two individuals throughout the two week tournament. And with a growing number of amateurs continuing to break onto the professional circuit, partly because of changes made to the traditional format, but largely due to the thriving crop of talented young stars in the game, the 2015 World Snooker Championship final made for an excellent end to an exceptional tournament. Not only that, the 2015 tournament marked only the fourth time in the sport’s history where all four World Championship semi-finalists were English, which too bodes well for the future of English and British snooker.

After scraping through the semi-finals, only narrowly beating the promising Judd Trump by one frame, 17-16, Stuart Bingham defied the odds and even a late comeback from Trump, who produced some scintillating snooker, to produce back to back century breaks to reach his first ever World Championship Final. However, awaiting the debutant was Shaun Murphy, the only former World Champion to reach the last four, and a player who is still no stranger to regular participation in the latter stages of ranking events. The 2005 World Champion comfortably cruised to a 17-9 victory against fellow Englishman Barry Hawkins, even though Hawkins salvaged five frame wins out of eight in the penultimate session of the tie to take the game to a fourth and final session, thus restricting Murphy from winning the game outright with a session to spare.

So with the bookies rightly favouring Murphy given his previous success and consistency throughout the 2014/15 snooker season, Stuart Bingham, who was available to back as a  50/1 outsider before the tournament, was very much the underdog going into the final. But in retrospect, this position, alongside Bingham’s experience gained in all levels of the game, aged 38 years and becoming the oldest first-time finalist since 1978, in fact probably helped guide Bingham in the best possible way to his eventual victory. Given the narrow circumstances he defeated Judd Trump by in the previous round, Bingham’s determination shone throughout the game, coming back on several occasions from three or four frames down to peg it back to a level playing field or to take a slender lead into every session.

It was in the third session where Bingham finally hit his top gear and arguably his best form of the competition, reproducing some of his form from the earlier rounds to establish a three-frame lead. Bingham’s break-building helped him along the way too, with his break of 123 in the 14th frame breaking the previous record of 83 centuries set throughout the competition in 2009, whilst six frames later Bingham missed a golden opportunity to make what was looking more and more like an impending victory even more special by missing the final red when on course for a 147. Despite a late fight-back from Murphy, Bingham maintained his cool and ploughed through to an eventual 18-15 victory over Shaun Murphy for his first ever World Title.

 

Toby Webb reports on Japan’s victory over South Africa at the Rugby World Cup 2015.

September 19th will go down in rugby history: the day South Africa, two times World Cup winners, were defeated by Japan, who were coming in off the back of an 18 match World Cup losing streak. While the result was completely unforeseen, the manner in which Japan played was nothing short of exceptional. The match set the bar for the Japanese team in the tournament, winning 3 out of their 4 games, narrowly missing out on qualification to the knock-out stages.

The match had everything you could ask for. South Africa demonstrated their characteristic strength and bruising power, executing an unstoppable rolling maul for the game’s opening try. In a first illustration of bravery, Japan responded with a powerful rolling maul of their own to score their first try, playing South Africa at their own game. It finished 12-10 to South Africa at half-time, Japan’s performance already remarkable. However, what ensued in the second half was completely unexpected.

South Africa again utilised their prized characteristic with the forwards breaking the line twice to score. However, on each occasion Japan rose to the challenge. Their first response was a try to behold, the try of the World Cup for me: A perfectly executed, free-flowing backs move of high complexity and speed, traversing the length of the pitch and finished in the corner. One of those moments in sport which leaves you speechless, overcome with awe. It was pure audacity. Japan weren’t just here to take part, they were here to play.

Following this, every neutral, both in the stadium and watching on television, was rooting for Japan. The final five minutes, with Japan trailing 32-29, were electric; one of the biggest sporting upsets was truly on the cards. Could they make history?

Japan were awarded a penalty within kicking range, an opportunity to clinch the draw. They chose instead to kick to touch: they wanted a try, they wanted the win. This was bravery of epic proportions, bravery that was rewarded in the most breathtaking of ways. Several phases down, and deep into overtime, Japan spun the ball down the line for one last roll of the dice. A crucial hand-off by number 20 sucked in the defenders and left space out wide to score. Pandemonium ensued. Japan had achieved the impossible. One struggled to avoid getting caught up in the emotion of the moment; fans in a state of euphoria and players strewn across the pitch in tears. Japan had announced themselves on the world stage of rugby.

The match-winning try was characteristic of the Japanese performance: bravery and perseverance backed up by speed, skill and strength. Everyone loves an underdog story. While the match fell into this category, it was unique in the way Japan matched South Africa in every aspect of play, surpassing them in fearlessness to clinch the win.

 

Adam Selby reports on Chris Froome’s victory at the Tour de France 2015.

When Team Sky’s Bradley Wiggins made history in 2012 by becoming the first rider from the United Kingdom to win the yellow jersey and be crowned the winner of the Tour de France, nobody ever expected Chris Froome to not only repeat the remarkable achievement earned by his team-mate but to also win it in such quick succession only one year later. And given the continued success of British athletes in the Olympics and World Championships in all areas of the sport, even I began to ponder whether or not this was the dawn of a new era in cycling and whether Britannia would once again rule the waves (or the roads in this case). My aspirations for Froome and Wiggins to continue flying high at the top of the charts at the Tour de France every year were soon quashed, however, after Italian Rider Vicenzo Nibali, the bronze medallist podium finisher during Wiggins’ 2012 tournament win, capitalised on both Froome and Spanish rider Alberto Contador’s misfortune after crashing out early on in the tournament, to break the back to back wins of British riders, and claim the iconic yellow jersey.

Therefore, 2015 was a big year for several parties. Not just Chris Froome, not just Team Sky but Great British cycling as a whole on the biggest stage in the sport. Clearly in the build up to the competition, Team Sky had focused all of their attention on making sure Froome, the best placed rider to win the tournament outright, reclaimed his position on the podium and the yellow jersey that went with it. In typical fashion, as the 21 stage race got underway, it was very difficult to tell from the early stages just exactly who was going to win it from the opening stages of the campaign. But after early strokes of luck with an in-form Fabian Cancellara crashing out on stage three, as well as fellow yellow jersey holder Tony Martin’s withdrawal from the race early on, the stage was set for Froome to win his second Tour de France, so long as he avoided injury and maintained both his concentration and determination throughout the competition.

The Englishman had a taste of success after Stage three and wore the yellow jersey for the following stage, but it took until stage 7 for Froome to reclaim the coveted jersey and position as leader of the competition. An important win in stage 10 in a 104 mile mountain climb from Tarbes to La Pierre Saint-Martin was the turning point, where his fellow riders finally once again took notice of Froome as a serious contender for the overall victory, but again avoiding both injury and any loss of time to his closest competitors would prove to be the obstacles that could prevent what was increasingly looking like his second competition win.

Coming into the race as a favourite alongside the 2014 winner Nibali, Froome continued to live up to his pre-competition reputation with a number of impressive performances in the mountain stages. And although he wasn’t imperiously winning stage by stage, his lack of complacency in the all-important mountain stages meant the Englishman in fact lost very little time to his closest competitors. Just as they were getting the champagne on ice, Froome had to fend off the threat of being pipped to the post by Colombian rider Nairo Quintana, the eventual winner of the white jersey awarded for the best young rider, who challenged Froome right until the end. Quintana’s achievement of gaining an impressive eighty seconds over Froome in the penultimate stage must not be overlooked, but this mighty feat was not enough, and Quintana had to settle for second place.

 

Alex Whitcomb reports on the first Test at Lord’s against New Zealand.

You might think it a bit odd that out of all of the cricket this year, I’ve not picked anything from the Ashes. The fact is, the Test against New Zealand was one of the most thrilling matches in years. Both teams played an exciting brand of cricket and it ended up going down to the last session of the final day, in front of a packed house. It was as good as test cricket gets!

To understand why it was so good, you have to remember the build up to the match. England had just lost one of the dullest series in recent memory in the West Indies, and pressure was building for a massive shakeup of the team. Peter Moores was sacked as head coach, and Captain Alastair Cook was being roundly criticised by former players and media. Throw into the mix the bags of runs being scored by the exiled Kevin Pietersen for Surrey, and you had what seemed to be an England setup on the brink of collapse.

The first morning brought exactly that. England 30-4, Boult and Southee swinging the ball with perfection, and seemingly utter disaster for the home side. Then stepped out Ben Stokes, and he and Joe Root steered England back into the game, scoring 98 and 92 respectively.

New Zealand then began a classical batting onslaught that had England firmly back on the wrong side of the game. The top end of the scorecard read: 70, 59, 132, 62 and 42. The Kiwis were making it look easy, with Kane Williamson displaying his utter class with the bat. At the end of a two-day-long New Zealand innings, the Kiwis had scored 523, and a win for England looked impossible.

The fourth day began with the same inevitable disappointment as had punctuated the previous two. Ian Bell caught behind off the third ball of the morning, audible groans from those at the ground who’d made it in for the start. However, Root and Cook began what became a stunning comeback. Root scored 84 before being caught on the boundary, and Cook completed his first test century in two years, eventually going past 150. Stokes then raised the roof for a second time by scoring the fastest hundred ever at Lord’s, in just 85 balls.

The fifth day was an on the door sell-out and they witnessed an inspiring day’s play. Wickets tumbled, and both teams were playing to win. In the final session of the day, with the night drawing in, Moeen Ali performed a stunning catch at third man to win the match for England, right in front of a gleeful Lord’s Pavilion. English fans finally had something to cheer about.

As a game goes, it was nothing short of a classic. Very rarely does a match swing from one side to the other so much, and go right down to the wire. It’s why I love test cricket, and it’s why it’s my favourite sporting moment of 2015.

 

Adam Selby reports on Valencia reaching the Champions League.

Perhaps a strange choice being a life-long Manchester City fan, but as a student of Spanish spending my year abroad in Valencia, perhaps one of the best moments I was lucky enough to experience first-hand was Valencia’s progression and eventual achievement in reclaiming a position amongst the European elite in this season’s Champions League. Clearly my own team’s recent success in the Premier League obtaining regular Champions League football has undeniably been nothing short of brilliant to watch in the past few seasons, something I never try to undervalue and I don’t think I’ll ever forget that mixture of adulation and relief a year on from the frustration and all round disappointment I had felt when Peter Crouch condemned Manchester City to another season without European Football. But after following Valencia very closely and attending regular matches at the magnificent Mestalla, Valencia you could say became my adopted Spanish side, and their voyage to secure Champions League football was enjoyable, gripping, and totally deserved.

Despite the club falling upon harder times of late, culminating in the appointment of Gary Neville, who will now join his brother Phil out in Spain, Valencia CF were a real joy to watch. The appointment of the former Rio Ave manager, Nuno, initially proved to be an inspired choice given that this was the first season since 1997-98 that Valencia would not compete in any European competition. Somebody with fresh ideas was much needed and although Valencia fans will still explain to you that they dreamt and continue to dream of one day winning the league, a realistic aim for Nuno and his side was to simply obtain European Football. Therefore, Nuno’s message was simple—get Valencia back into the Champions League. And with this determination and this refreshed outlook, Valencia hit the ground running, earning 17 out of a possible 21 points in the club’s first seven games, notably including an impressive 3-1 home victory over the then league title holders Atlético Madrid. The difference was instantly significant from the word go; a stark contrast to the dreary, dilapidated and downright disappointing end to the previous campaign. Nuno’s side were not just winning games, but they were comfortably beating the sides around them by several goals, scoring 17 goals in their first seven games, and they even sat at the top of the table five games in. Campeones… ¿ole ole ole?

Perhaps not.

Inevitably, because of the superior size and stature of the El Clasico pairing of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid alongside an Atlético Madrid off the back of league success in the previous La Liga campaign, not forgetting the Europa League winners and bitter rivals Sevilla, it was always going to be a tough ask, a difficult feat for Valencia to maintain such form. Yet the investment pumped into the club by Singapore businessman and now too the co-owner of Salford City FC, Peter Lim, again revitalised the side and offered a sustainable long-term plan with murmurs of financial difficulties cast aside in the space of 24 hours. Therefore, given this influx of guaranteed money, even at the half-way point through the season, Valencia could now begin to flaunt their financial muscle in the transfer window, turning loans from the previous Summer into permanent deals, and even purchasing players outright for significant sums of money. Enzo Perez joined from SL Benfica for a fee of €25M, a figure that is largely unseen both in the winter transfer window in Spain, and also at Valencia in recent years.

Valencia therefore progressed, continuing to defy the odds in the race for Champions League football, and beat the likes of Villarreal CF and former manager Unai Emery’s Sevilla, whilst picking up valuable points against close rivals Athletic Bilbao and Celta Vigo, as well, to keep alive any hope of a fourth-place finish, or at that point maybe even higher! There was even a surprise home victory against Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid at the Mestalla, which kick-started the New Year in the best way possible. But in what is often referred to as a team game, with individual results meaning nothing if you fail to reach your pre-season target, for me perhaps the most impressive spell in their quest for Champions League football was the club’s form between February and March, the key months often cited as the crucial period after the New Year in maintaining the togetherness with regards to form and performances, as well as avoiding injuries. Throughout this period, between the start of February and April, Valencia re-gained their level of performances from the start of the season and cruised to seven wins out of a possible ten only to be halted by a defeat to the eventual league winners FC Barcelona at the Nou Camp. This certainly stood them in good stead as Gameweek 38 neared ever closer.

However despite Valencia’s good form, their fate still went down to the wire with a victory needed away at Almería, who themselves were fighting for their lives to avoid relegation and needed three points. Valencia fans crammed into bars, huddling around screens small and large, dreaming of mixing again with the upper echelons of European Football. In what had been a very nervy build up to the game in the week leading up to it, such tension filtered onto the pitch with fierce rivals Sevilla ready and waiting in the wings to catapult into fourth place and pip Valencia to the Champions League. In a feisty encounter, which saw four first-half goals, seven yellow cards and a red during the course of the game, with the game locked at 2-2, even I along with those watching it with me continued to hope that Valencia could make it through. Although I was merely a visitor, somebody enjoying the fruits of the city during my period of residence abroad, you could clearly see how much a place in the Champions League meant to the growing crowds of Valencia supporters, gathered round any means possible of watching the game. As both sides pushed for a late goal to seal each other’s fate one way or another, cometh the hour cometh the club’s top scorer Paco Alcacer in the 80th minute, who slotted the ball away to send fans across the city into a frenzy—a magnificent moment to witness as my year away came to an end. The full time whistle sounded and with that cheers of joy, sighs of relief and the chants of “Amunt Valencia” (Come on Valencia) echoed from bar to bar, from house to house and from fan to fan.

Now, personally speaking, a place in Europe is something that, although I personally still see as a real achievement in the modern-game, it is perhaps expected more so of the bigger sides in England than perhaps it is in Spain. Valencia fought hard during the 14/15 campaign against sides with as much power as they to reach the Champions League, and their place in the league was fully deserved, because their football proved frequently to be a pleasure to watch. Perhaps even more of a contributing factor away from the pitch was their loyal fans and the atmosphere they created prior to every home game, and the travelling support they took across Spain to every game, doing everything possible, even in the final stages, to give them a much-needed boost and push them over the line. This is, for me, why Valencia reaching the Champions League was, in a way, almost like a trophy win itself, and one of my highlights of the year.

Naughty and Nice: A letter to Santa

When we were young, we were constantly threatened with being on Santa’s naughty list when we misbehaved. We were told that we’d get coal instead of presents, and that Christmas Day would be ruined because of our wrongdoings. What if I told you that being a little bit naughty only brought all things merry and bright? Here is my ultimate Christmas lift that is bound to bring a bit of naughty to your nice:

Dear Santa,

For Christmas I would like:

1) Mulberry’s Cara Delevingne bag covered in snow

2) Everything from Charlotte Tilbury’s makeup collection

3) A spa day at the fanciest hotel around

4) The Sweet Temptations Ambre Vanillé Luxe Body Collection from Laura Mercier

5) Black Opium fragrance by Yves Saint Laurent

6) ‘Let there be Bright!’ skincare set by Benefit

7) Nourishing Shea Butter collection by L’Occitane

8) The GHD Metallic Collection

9) Fired Up Face Set by bareMinerals

Santa, these treats may be naughty and indulgent in price, but every good girl and boy deserves a little treat in their stocking this year. So, go ahead—get out your purse and treat yourself this year. After all, naughty and nice are always at their best together.

Review: Verbose and Bad Language

Last week I attended two Spoken Word nights, Verbose, at Fallow Café, on the 23rd of November, and Bad Language, at The Castle Hotel in the Northern Quarter, on the 25th. Both events were full and lively with some of the most consistently quality performances I have seen in my travels through Manchester’s Spoken Word scene.

Verbose started the week nicely. The night is run by Sarah-Clare Conlon and consists of a group of headliners who write together in some capacity, and ten or so open-mic performers—there is an email sign-up which I strongly recommend if you’re interested.

This time, travelling as a lone audience member, I worried that I would stick out, but from the get-go several people recognised me. There was a great mix of performers from first-timers to the headliners, Manchester Speculative Fiction Group, who read some gory, peculiar and fantastical work. I even saw performers that I had seen before do some new work, which is always fun.

A highlight for me was Tammy McDonald’s piece involving a Tinder date and some ornamental grapes. Sarah Jasmon’s short story on pregnancy in a speculative world where memory insurance is needed in order to retain your own thoughts, was also poignant. She also now has a book out, The Summer Of Secrets, which looks to be a fantastic read.

Verbose was one of the first Spoken Word nights I attended in Manchester last year and it remains one of my favourites. It takes place monthly, although not in December this year, from 8 – 10pm on the fourth Monday of the month. It is extremely accessible, full of local talent and right in the heartland of students, so no excuses!

The second night I went to with some friends was Bad Language, this time to perform. If any night manages to distract me enough from worrying about my own performance, I’m impressed, and this one certainly did. Bad Language currently holds the title for the best Spoken Word Night 2015 and it is totally deserving. Intimate, with people sitting on the stage, a supportive audience and well run with the MC Fats Roland giving out anagrams of each performer’s name. Bad Language is run similarly to Verbose, with an open mic (email in advance) and one headliner each night. This time the headliner was Marli Roode, promoting her new book Call It Dog. She read from a new piece set in a bathroom in a club. The piece was visceral, hilarious and incredibly of the moment; a new voice emerged.

The open mic was also fruitful, although I can’t speak for my own work! Some stand-outs were Alabama Griffiths, who read a powerful poem about a relationship that rocked the room and a man so mysterious I can’t remember his name, who read short comic pieces of social commentary and drawing of cows having uneventful sex.

It is worth pointing out that the friend I dragged to this event is not a writing person, and was so enthused by this event she vowed to write some poetry soon! I think this speaks for the inspiring and unintimidating nature of the evening. Bad Language runs on the last Wednesday of every month (except December again, there is a Bad Language Christmas party on the 12th which you can find on Facebook) and has been going for six years. If you’re looking for an event to hear some great work and perform alongside some of the greats of Manchester this is the one!

All of these events are on Facebook and easily searched and if you are interested in Spoken Word nights in general. There is a cohesive list currently on the Manchester Creative Writing Society 2015 Facebook page and look out for some Manchester University student events coming soon!

Two-thirds of female academics are unhappy with work-life balance

Academic leaders are regularly working well beyond their contractual hours, according to a report in the Times Higher Education.

According to the Higher Education Leadership and Management Survey, 90 per cent of the male respondents and 85 per cent of the female ones said they work more than 48 hours per week.

The survey also highlights a gender difference concerning the satisfaction with academic work-life balance. Female academics are more likely to suffer from stress and find it difficult to cope with pressure. 23 per cent said that they felt unable to manage the stress caused by their job.

The survey’s results show that 60 per cent of men occupying a leadership position in the academia are happy with their work-life balance. Among female academics, less than 40 per cent said they were satisfied with it.

The report, carried out by the Leadership Foundation for Times Higher Education, comes to the conclusion that long working hours are a widespread phenomenon: “A culture of long working hours is clearly evident [which] translates to a significant number of academics and academic leaders reporting dissatisfaction with their current work-life balance.”

The survey also investigated whether having flexible hours could be a solution. However, the respondents said that this would have little or even no impact upon the stress levels and the overwhelming dissatisfaction.

The report stated fixing the levels of stress within academia staff is a factor, which can increase “greater institutional pride, a willingness to help contribute to institutional success, and a desire to continue working within the institution.”

Although several academics expressed dissatisfaction, the survey shows that many of them said that work-life balance is an “active choice.” They answered that career aspirations often are in conflict with family commitments and to focus on one can undermine the other. Some academics were reluctant to embrace a workaholic attitude, because they wouldn’t be ready to sacrifice family for career.

We must not repeat our mistakes in Syria

Rightly or wrongly, our foreign policy of the last 20 years has been one resulting in unending destruction across the Middle East. Yet again, we have committed to another intervention, which will see our involvement in the region increase to Syria, the chosen targets on this occasion being IS. Irrefutably, this barbaric group is one of archaic destruction, wishing to re-establish a caliphate based on their warped interpretation of the original texts of the Qur’an. Nonetheless, our policy must not solely be reactionary in its nature. From the various failures from our past interventions, we must attempt the adoption of different tactics in the face of terrorism.

There have been a plethora of reasons which were presented by the anti-air strikes campaign which was convincingly defeated in parliament—by a majority of 397 to 223, sum of 174 votes. I would argue that there are three key themes, which I hope are addressed from the past. The first of these is what bombing achieves. The government highlight that they will be targeting key infrastructure, such as IS training camps and oil refineries in their control, with their extremely precise Brimstone missiles claimed not to have killed one innocent person in a whole year of bombing in Iraq. A claim, which will remain unproven. With densely populated towns like Raqqa where insurgents disperse amongst the local population and hide in tunnels when fired upon, our efforts will undoubtedly result in ‘collateral damage’—a factor that our government must admit to.

Whilst our entrance shows to our international partners, we are a part of a united coalition to stop IS and the terrorism it also represents more than that. Eliza Manningham-Buller, the head of MI5 from 2002 – 2007, highlighted that the joining in of the Iraq war had brought out the conception of the view of the West threatening the Islamic world, allowing for anger and resentment to grow amongst its inhabitants. These impending attacks will be further seen as an attack against the Arab world. We are feeding the IS propaganda reel, fuelling their vicious rhetoric about our ‘imperialistic’ countries attempting to obliterate the Islamic world, facilitating their demand for the personal obligation of every Muslim to defend Islamic lands against the penetration of the infidels.

In combination with our further disdain and neglect to cope with the migrant crisis and the subsequent rebuilding of borders across Europe, this will combine to exasperate the anti-imperialist rhetoric espoused by the hate group. Since the bombing of Iraq, terrorism has exponentially increased, estimated at around the 600 per cent mark. In 2014 alone, terrorism had increased by 80 per cent. Despite our nation already facing a grave threat from a terrorist attack, Manningham-Buller argues that bombings have “undoubtedly increased the threat” after Iraq—a claim that David Cameron had also made about the Russian bombings in 2013.

Secondly, boots on the ground. Military leaders and politicians alike have all acknowledged that without boots on the ground, air strikes will be rendered completely ineffective. David Cameron’s response was to produce a spurious number of 70,000 free Syrian troops ready for combat despite being hundreds of miles away from the desired area, consisting of many different factions, with largely different intentions—most of whom are not in-line with our own. History should have taught us about funding, training and arming militias with unknown intentions. Both Afghanistan and Libya provide examples of this. During the first war in Afghanistan, it has been known that the West had adopted a similar policy which we wish to adopt today with the original mujahideen—ultimately resulting in the displacement and collapse of the Soviet Union, accompanied by the formation of the Taliban and the subsequent proliferation of Al Qaeda, backed and armed by a coalition of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the US.

Libya however, provides a more congruent example. In the deposition of Gaddafi, UN Ground Forces were not deployed. Instead various armed militias such as the Libya shield and Libya Dawn were encouraged—resulting in the growth of Jihadist groups. Given the ready availability of arms, this led to the further destabilisation of Libya with these militias allowed to roam unchecked, establishing their own territories, destabilizing the situation and undermining the goals of the West. Many factions of the various Free Syrian Army has held the overarching aim of defeating Assad, a despot who had murdered an exponentially higher number than IS but continues to be propped up by our allies, the Russians. It must be questioned—will they simply throw in the towel with Assad in pursuit of our goals? And furthermore, can we trust groups we do not fully know?

Finally, reductionism and short-termism. The situation we now face has become increasingly complex and multifaceted. A theme that has been inherent in our foreign policy, has been the continued lack of understanding and consequent lack of planning for the aftermath of our interventions. In Afghanistan, we had failed to understand the various power struggles between different creeds and racial groups, resulting in a labelling of various groups as ‘Taliban’ whether affiliated or not.

Similar criticism can be levied with Iraq, where the failure to understand the struggle between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims and local conflicts had resulted in the creation of a government that did not represent all communities, resulting in marginalisation and proliferation in terrorism. Both conflicts had failed to implement a clear exit plan. In Libya, after decades of autocracy and little democratic history, post-Gaddafi power vacuum and ensuing chaos should have been predicted. The current melting pot in Syria consists of the IS, who had gained their ideology from Wahhabism which originated from Saudi Arabia. They coincidentally have funders who support the group yet remain the West’s ally, whom oppose both IS and Assad. With Assad being supported by the Russians, who are also the West’s ally despite bombing the Free Syrian Army. The West wish utilise the Free Syrian Army against IS along with the Kurds—who are the enemy of Turkey. Turkey is also the West’s ally, yet are enemies with Assad, Russia and the IS. However, it has been supposed that Turkey and other G20 countries have purchased oil from IS…

The conflict we face is non-linear, presenting endless contradictory variables. The impalpable situation we face in Syria now has its roots stemming from our previous interventions. Vested interests subversively dominate whilst death and displacement are inherent. The existential threat IS present is enormous, exemplified by the events in Paris. Regardless, we produce less emphasis on why the phenomenon of terrorism occurs, simply prioritising the who, what, and where. It is unknown as of yet what our participation in this will achieve—we can only hope the failures of past interventions are taken into consideration to prevent a reoccurrence.

Home Sweet Home

The blustering winds chased our furrowed brows, frozen toes and rather dampened spirits over the threshold of the cosy Northern Quarter gem Home Sweet Home. True to its name, the American-style kitchen offered a homely haven away from the depressingly dark and dreary weather that whistled and whirred outside. Closing the door against the cold, the instantly-felt warmth of the charming diner brought some colour back to our cheeks and a quick glance at the indulgently iced slices of colourful cake on display brought rumbles to our bellies.

Although the cake looked utterly scrumptious, having trawled through Black Friday sales with swathes of fellow shoppers, my friend and I had moved beyond afternoon tea temptations. Our efforts certainly deserved the reward of hot comfort food.

Handed our table number on a wooden spoon, and politely asked to sit on the rosy red bar stools until an available table, it was clear how popular this quirky spot was. Completely booked up with young families, groups of friends and couples—the sound of chatter and laughter against upbeat disco records made for a bustling yet personal atmosphere. Our wait was short but dangerously long enough to witness extravagant chocolate, peanut-caramel milkshakes and stacks of pancakes drenched in maple syrup, blueberries and bacon waft by, awakening our numb nostrils to the variety of salty and sweet dishes we could devour.

Luckily a table for two materialised quickly, so our full attention could now be granted to the tempting menu. Plates range from classic beef, veggie and ‘hash-a-go-go’ burgers to smaller plates of sticky chicken wraps and fish tacos. Delicious goats cheese, vegetable and salmon salads were also available but we were here for the famous ‘Home Sweet Home’ comfort food, which they aptly claim ‘Speaks to everyone!’ My friend, as a vegetarian, went for the ‘House Hummous’ with crunchy corn and taco crisps, accompanied with sweet potato fries, whilst I decided on one of their classics: ‘Chicken in a Basket’.

Our smiley and friendly waitress made us feel very at home and recommended the house rosé alongside our beautifully bottled tap water in an old glass milk bottle. With feeling slowly returning to our chilled bones, aided by the refreshingly sweet wine, around us the relaxed ambience unfolded. Our food arrived in good time but was definitely more than just fast food.

Like an autumnal firework, the house houmous was a beautifully presented explosion of pink beet circular swirls across the plate, dotted with mixed seeds, juicy pomegranate and slices of radishes to finish. This was accompanied by crunchy fried corn and taco chips in a little white and blue enamel mug, complimenting the homely kitchen style and decor. Generous helpings of fries and my chicken joined the succulent scene, which just like its label said, was presented in a thatched red basket.

Photo: The Mancunion

Fried in buttermilk, the chicken was deliciously crunchy yet tender, each soft bite encased in its crispy coating with the little pot of hickory BBQ sauce adding a rich flavoursome kick. Homemade creamy coleslaw, with the ingenious addition of apple, was the perfect touch to the already mouthwatering meal. At a reasonable £10 per dish, with nothing to fault, other than the chef’s overly generous portion control of fries (but can one really ever complain about having too many of these salty delights?!) it was safe to say ‘Home Sweet Home’ does what it says on the tin.

Sadly there was no room for the American pancake stacks covered in maple syrup and blueberries or the colourful cakes we had spied earlier. Like a family meal at home, we were satisfyingly nourished and restored with the perfect excuse to make a second visit for afternoon tea. Gathering ourselves to fight the elements once more, our coats may still have been damp but our spirits were no longer. Thank you for having us ‘Home Sweet Home’, you were a delicious delight.

Price ££ (2 out of 5)

Food 5/5

Drinks 4/5

Service 5/5

Atmosphere 4/5

Value 5/5

Turkey’s new HE laws blow to academic freedom

Turkish private universities could be shut down under new laws if their staff criticise Turkey’s government.

The regulations drafted by Turkey’s Higher Education Board (YÖK) have given the government the power to close down private universities “that have become a focal point for activities against the state’s indivisible integrity,” as reported by Today’s Zaman.

In addition to closure, any private university identified as being a centre of opposition to the government could also face losing their academic independence and be placed under the administrative and financial supervision of YÖK trustees. Essentially, this would silence any remaining voices of protest within higher education, and as a result, the regulations are being seen by many as a severe blow to free speech in Turkey.

The Turkish government have been able to silence voices of opposition from public universities for some time, including removing university staff. An outspoken critic of the government Sedat Laçiner, a former rector of the public Çanakkale 18 Mart University (ÇOMÜ), and professor of international relations, was removed from his position in April and transferred to a faculty 100km from Çanakkale as punishment for criticising the Erdogan regime.

This change in regulation faces opposition from inside the academic community. Despite recommended alterations, YÖK is adamant in its insistence to keep a clause that allows it to close down private universities at will.

These changes come amid other concerns about freedom of speech, such as a court decision in October to take over television stations Bugün TV and Kanaltürk, as well as the Bugün and Millet newspapers—on charges of supporting the anti-government Hizmet movement, run by Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen.

This group is in opposition to the Erdoğan government, and as such its educational institutions and businesses qualify for closure under new regulations.

There are currently 30 Turkish journalists in jail on charges from espionage, to overthrowing the government, and arguing that the restriction interfered with the legally-guaranteed freedom to receive or impart information and ideas. Many of those willing to level accusations of dodgy-dealings, corrupt practices, or covert government operations are silenced, and now this has been extended to academia.

These proposals, however, do not just extend to controlling the influence of opposition groups, but they also regulate the quality of Turkish higher education. The same regulation states that any university that does not continue its educational operations for a period of three years will be shut down indefinitely.

A measure that was initially intended to improve university education has been used instead to reduce the amount of opposition and scrutiny placed on the Turkish government.

Bierkeller Christmas Party

The Bierkeller bar and restaurant chain has branches in Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool, with a new addition launched in Cardiff earlier this year. The Manchester Bierkeller located in The Printworks city centre complex has four rooms, each with a different theme.

The Shooters Sports Bar boasts an Xbox gaming area, pool tables and giant TV screens airing live sports and entertainment, ideal for catering for the footie fans on game night. Decorated in the style of a ski chalet, the cosy booths of the ground floor Ski Lodge Bar offer a more relaxed post-work drinking atmosphere, while the Around the World in 80 Beers Bar provides a range of over 150 draft and bottled beers from all over the globe.

The main attraction, the Bierkeller cellar bar, has huge wooden tables and long bench-style seating begging to be danced on after one stein too many. Which is just as well, considering that’s the main aim of the majority of guests. The waitresses in lederhosen brought a playful element and catered to our every whim.

Famed for their German beers and party atmosphere, I had high expectations for a great night. The Christmas Party Platinum Package promised entry to the live Oompah band along with a shot, a stein, and an authentic sausage meal, usually sold for £30. When I was invited to review my first experience at Bierkeller, I expected a rowdy bash with lots of beer, and that was exactly what I got. Although I’m not sure £30 was the best value for money.

The food menu was reasonably priced, though it can’t compete with many of the surrounding restaurants & cafés. We also found the steins a bit on the pricey side, considering how weak the cocktails were. But I suppose you pay for the experience.

The live Oompah band started up at 7pm in the packed Bierkeller cellar beer hall. Sing-a-longs and audience participation were enthusiastically encouraged, although the clapping games fell somewhat flat due to the muddled instructions. The playlist was also odd at times—I distinctly remember Yellow Submarine playing at one point. I think they hoped the crowd were inebriated enough not to notice, which was definitely the case for majority, to be fair.

Bierkeller style themselves on the bars in the Bavarian region of Germany, although quite how authentic they are I couldn’t tell you. What I can tell you is that they can offer a good time for a festive booze-up. If you’re looking for a rowdy office party venue, or a quirky spot to watch the footie with the lads, Bierkeller is the place to go—but it won’t suit all tastes.

Price: ££
Food: 2/5
Drinks: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Atmosphere: 3/5
Value: 2/5

The Printworks
Withy Grove
Manchester
M4 2BS

thebierkeller.com/manchester-bar

The Conservative Future scandal and career politicians

Recent allegations involving the leadership of Conservative Future, particularly in regards to Mark Clarke and the suicide of Elliott Johnson, need to be taken seriously, and attempts at remedying the situation need to be thorough. The issue involving Johnson’s suicide is the gravest concern resulting from the scandal, and there needs to be an independent inquiry that establishes liability for those involved, particularly considering the allegations of bullying, sexual harassment, and sadly, Johnson’s death.

My biggest regret, taking political orientation out of the equation, is that we have lost an intelligent and dedicated mind from the world of politics. Clearly he was a talented individual with an aptitude for political writing and debate, becoming Political Editor at Conservative Way Forward earlier this year.

What the scandal has led me to consider is the role of those at the top of the organisation and whether their motives were right or not. The point of this article, however, is not to vilify any individuals in particular, since no-one has yet been formally charged. Questions need to be answered over the leadership’s role and how the organisation was run under their control.

Fundamentally, this scandal is the result of poor organisation and personal mistakes of individuals, both in terms of the allegations themselves and the inability of the organisation to uncover what is being reported. As Kate Allen and George Parker said in their article for the Financial Times, Grant Shapps’ resignation is reflective of how he has tried to claim responsibility for the scandal, but it is not going to go away. If the allegations are true, there needs to be a serious look into the way Conservative Future was being run, and thus what can be done to make sure that, under new leadership, the organisation goes back to doing what it was and is meant to do; some of which, was focusing on issues affecting young people, and encouraging bright new minds into the Conservative Party.

Rightly or wrongly, the scandal has led me to reflect upon the role of career politicians, but also in this case, whether power has been given priority over conviction. It is clear that the allegations of blackmail made by Johnson suggest that Clarke was heavily invested in control, and that much of this culture of intimidation became apparent in RoadTrip2015, of which he was in charge.

Isabel Hardman’s blog for The Spectator points to Clarke’s insistence on wanting to be selected for a safe seat, and that this led to an entanglement of power struggles between individuals wanting to keep their political networks in tact. Hardman also questions whether those entering politics are doing it for the right reasons, and whether we get the ‘wrong politicians’ as a result. This suggests that perhaps the party as a whole is not solely to blame. It can be questioned, however, the power that these individuals held at the top of Conservative Future, and whether the organisation was thwarted as a result of their leadership, and to what extent it will be tainted in the future by this scandal.

I saw a friend’s post on Facebook which drew attention to the fact that many members of Conservative Future want their career to entirely be in politics, rather than having politics as a hobby. Interestingly, an article written in The Telegraph earlier this year by Asa Bennett drew attention to research done by the UCL Parliamentary Candidates project. It looked at the rise of professional politicians in the mainstream parties, compared to those wanting to become MPs from within the party, whether in the form of activists or lobbyists.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Scottish National Party had the least number of people from outside politics, and the Conservatives were narrowly pipped by UKIP in the number of people with business backgrounds involved with the party.

The standard argument against career politicians is that they are out of touch, having never experienced life in the work place as the general public have. Perhaps they lack the insight into ‘ordinary’ working lives. Tony Blair once argued that it is a problem in Western democracies that people go straight from university, as both Ed Miliband and David Cameron did, into the party as researchers, for example. He argued that this means they lack experience and would be “better able to see the world” if they had had a job prior to entering politics.

Whether you agree with this or not, it is good to see that the number of politicians who have had other employment experience outside of politics is on the rise, and as Asa Bennett draws attention to, it looks to remain this way for the foreseeable future.

In regards to the Conservative Future scandal, there needs to be fundamental changes made to the leadership following the banning of those whom the allegations have been made against, from the party. Jack Murray, Manchester Conservative Future Chairman, has said in light of the scandal:

“Whilst the events at the top of Conservative Future have of course been awful, the actions of those few are in no way representative of the organisation as a whole. Each and every time I meet members of Manchester CF, I see honest, hardworking members who campaign and help to create a better country and city. From selling poppies, to volunteering on World AIDS Day, members continually make a difference. Don’t mistake a rotten apple for a rotten tree.”

Hopefully, following the scandal, therefore, Conservative Future can remain an active influence on the party as a whole, and continue to expand its membership. Fundamentally, however, there needs to be justice for Elliot Johnson’s family, and to ensure his death changes the way the organisation is run and the motives of those involved.

Held hostage by Trump

The man the world has been lampooning is a quiet genius. We laugh at his take-no-prisoners insult style and imitate his boisterous demeanour. But what Donald Trump is attempting to do dangerously outdoes the Koch Brothers or any corporate figure buying congressional races. By manipulating the US electoral structure, Trump is in the most powerful position he’s ever been.

A poll conducted by The Washington Post in July analyses the hypothetical outcome of Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush winning their party’s primaries. Bernie Sanders is trailing closely behind, but as of November, Clinton is still leading with 9 points. If the Republican electorate begrudgingly consolidates behind Bush, the difference in a Democrat or a Republican taking office would narrow into the margin-of-error territory. If Trump makes a third-party bid as an independent, he would steal enough votes from Bush to push Clinton into the finish line by 16 points.

There’s method in his madness. By going unscripted, Trump is attracting the disillusioned with robust, patriotic declarations, as well as raising the stakes for the Republican Party’s national committee to make a decision. That decision is whether to include him and tarnish the Grand Old Party’s already stigmatised image, or risk handing the race to Hillary Clinton when he runs as an independent. Trump initiating a three-way race will not be cheap for Clinton, as he will be the reason that she sails through to the White House. And if he doesn’t, the Republican Party will owe him for not giving it to Clinton. It’s a win-win situation.

By constantly churning out contentious quotes that oversimplify foreign and domestic issues, Trump is able to draw in loyal jingoists. Even if he were to cease all word vomit, his misplaced popularity would ensure that he stays in the spotlight. In addition to his willingness and financial ability to fund his own campaign, Trump has explicitly said, “I’ll have to see how I’m being treated by the Republicans—if they’re not fair, that [running as an Independent candidate] would be a factor.”

The question stands, why would Donald Trump help Hillary Clinton obtain presidency?

It’s public knowledge that the real estate magnate donated to Clinton’s previous races for the New York State Senate in 2002, 2005, 2006, and 2007. But he has also been generous with the power couple’s charity, the Clinton Foundation, where he has donated at least £66,299. He’s also shared his precious life events with her; Hillary having attended Donald and Melania’s wedding in 2005. But Clinton isn’t the only candidate he’s been a helping hand in putting into office—Harry Reid (D-NV), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have all received funds that can be traced back to Trump. His political spending has reflected his Democratic leanings, his stances shifting almost as soon as his money moved to Republican candidates.

In the beginning of his donating career, Trump told Playboy Magazine in 1990 that “if I ever ran for office, I’d do better as a Democrat than as a Republican—and that’s not because I’d be more liberal, because I’m conservative. But the working guy would elect me. He likes me.” He went so far as announcing that Republicans are “too crazy right” in 1999. Before his presidential run, he had expressed support for a 14.25 per cent wealth tax, single-payer healthcare, and an assault weapons ban. As recent as 2004, Trump had told CNN that he didn’t see himself as a Republican.

The Center for Responsive Politics charts his publicly available contributions (omitting the untraceable funds of super PACs) as totalling to over £990,000, adjusted for inflation since 1989. Being a businessman, Trump did not lean entirely to one or the other party; but from 1989 to 2009 he has given more than half of said amount to Democratic interests. 2011 was the first year he gave almost entirely to the Republicans (he donated around £552 to Democrats in 2013) and it’s been consistent since then.

Trump could want political favours from his best friend in the Oval Office. Considering he and Bill Clinton exchanged a private telephone conversation right before the reality TV star announced his intentions, it wouldn’t be a completely ridiculous suggestion. In 1996, the still emerging mogul tried to force an elderly widow out of her home so that he could build a casino on her land—using Hillary Clinton as his own personal puppet wouldn’t be the first time he’s acted amorally.

What the American people are seeing is a new level of corporate control infiltrating their democratic system. Some honest, hardworking citizens are being fooled that this orange monstrosity is the second coming of Reagan (or the Republican Obama) that they’ve been waiting for. Even without scrutinizing his campaign and political history, one can predict that a man so obsessed with vanity would never want a position that so drastically ages you. Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is a joke that will only be funny if the Republican Party successfully defeat him.

Manchester discovery reveals how genetic interactions increase disease risk

Scientists from Manchester and Cambridge have shown that gaps between genes can interact to influence the risk of acquiring certain diseases.

The expression patterns of genes within our DNA determine our observable human characteristics, physiological properties, and behaviour. As DNA strands are up to two metres long, they are required to fold to fit inside cells. Gap regions within DNA strands are known to interact with each other during this folding. This interaction turns on genes, controls gene expression, and therefore influences many aspects of an individual.

In a recent article published in Nature Communications, Manchester scientists have shown how these gap regions physically interact with these genes—both nearby and distant from the gap region. If regions of DNA that influence different diseases ‘meet’ at the same gene, a risk of these diseases will increase.

In this collaboration of researchers from the University of Cambridge, the Babraham Institute and the University of Manchester, it has been revealed that such interactions can increase the risk of arthritis, psoriasis, and type 1 diabetes.

Funded by Arthritis Research UK, the findings suggest that individual genes may influence the risk of several diseases, depending on their regulation by the gaps and where in the DNA strand they sit. The genes found to interact with the gaps in this study were not previously thought to be directly involved in disease, which highlight how gap regions are crucial in the understanding of disease and in the development of potential treatments.

Dr Stephen Eyre, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, said: “It used to be the case that researchers would seek to identify a gene which caused a particular disease by a ‘nearest gene’ approach, to the gap regions.”

“The reality is much more complex than that. Not only do the gaps between genes have an effect but, as we show in the new study, the gaps don’t necessarily affect the nearest gene—they can work over longer distances to turn distant genes on or off.”

Future research in this field could identify more of these complex interactions in different types of cells—further enhancing the understanding of how genes and the gaps in them interact and can increase a risk of disease.

Dr Eyre also added that: “This research shows just how complicated the interactions within our cells are—much more so than was previously thought. However, by gaining a better understanding of this process we open up many more possibilities for research into cures and treatments in the years ahead.”

1847: A Vegetable Supreme

The debate between omnivore and vegetarian can be likened to that of Christian vs. atheist and left vs. right. It is ongoing and often inconclusive. When I’m being meat-shamed by a vegan, I tend to remain passive, but sometimes I’ll play the devil’s advocate. Hypothesising that the life of a carrot is equal to that of a pig; sentience is not a factor.

My current diet isn’t as meat-centric as it used to be. I, like many others, have been driven towards a vegetarian diet because it’s cheaper. There has been a noticeable shift in the perception of vegetarian food, even in the last five years. Chefs like Rene Redzepi and Yotam Ottolenghi will champion the cauliflower over famous cuts of meat.

Damien Davenport, the owner of the vegetarian restaurant 1847, operates in the same vein. What initially attracted me to his bistro, nestled in the shadow of the Manchester Art Gallery, was the re-appropriation of classic dishes for a vegetarian audience. For example; Beet Bourginion.

I went for a Thursday night dinner with the charming Mr Kean, a political commentator and musician. To our surprise, the drinks menu was not a list of grass-based smoothies, but a pretty eclectic mix of beer and wine. Meantime London Lager, from a Greenwich-based brewery, delivers something akin to a German pils. I opted for a wonderful glass of American Merlot.

The atmosphere is just shy of sterile, lots of white paint and glass. A large mirror leans against one wall. Small, leafless trees float from the ceiling. I suppose the diners provide the colour.

I started with the Crispy egg, which I ordered out of curiosity more than anything. A soft-boiled egg coated in panko breadcrumbs. Really excellent, easily one of the top-five eggs of my life—a much deliberated list. It came with a celeriac and pearl barley risotto. The texture was perfect. My companion had the onion bahji, which was authentic and what you would expect from a good bahji and raita.

‘Fish’ and chips substitutes a real fish with lightly ginger ale-battered chunks of halloumi. Perhaps a subtle middle finger to the hypocrisy of pescatarians? It was delicious, accompanied by serious triple cooked chips and pea and basil emulsion. The whole dish was tied together by an inspired savoury lemon curd. Mr Kean’s Merguez and Mash was our least favourite. The merguez sausage was replaced by a lentil spring roll, the puy lentils lacked in flavour. But the turnip mash and red onion gravy did provide a rich, hearty garnish.

After being lectured, by my friend, on the pitfalls of the pudding dogma rife in today’s dining society, we declined to see the dessert menu. I did notice some pears being ferried to a nearby table, seeing as we are right in the middle of pear season, this provides some evidence that the winter menu is to some degree seasonal. A lot of restaurants claim seasonality because it is rather on trend, but only occasionally shuffle things around and keep favourite dishes on the menu for months.

The meal came to £23.50 a head. A very reasonable price for two courses and a drink, and the amount the average student will blow on a rather inconsequential night out without even blinking.
This meal certainly changed what I think about vegetarian cuisine. Despite being so accustomed to meat or fish as a focal ingredient, I didn’t for an instant notice their absences. What’s more, you leave the restaurant feeling full, yet relatively light. Unlike limping out of a steak house feeling sluggish and dripping with meat sweat.

1847 was the year in which the Vegetarian Society was founded here in the North West. It is not a stretch to see Davenport as a continuation of that legacy, and his success speaks volumes with additional locations in Birmingham, Bristol and Brighton. With V-Rev, a vegan diner, set to open in the new year as a continuation of their current Oldham Street location, there seems to be an interesting future for vegetarian cuisine in Manchester.

Price £££ (3 out of 5)

Food 5/5

Drinks 4/5

Service 4/5

Atmosphere 3/5

Value 5/5

Ode to Christmas 2015

These days, any mention of Christmas spirit or joy is received with apathy or even active resentment.

It is as if it has become ‘cool’ to hate on Christmas; even among students, arguably the people with most reason to cherish this time of year. Yet, it is a time when deadlines can be forgotten and time and money are no longer valid excuses not to socialise. So why are people so committed to hating it?

It is understandable for a strapped-for-cash family to experience stress in December when spending seems to be the ultimate motive for much of the Christmas decoration we see on a walk through town. It is understandable that people forced to spend Christmas alone don’t have such a positive attitude towards the season as I do. These are regrettable situations that we should aim to eradicate, but these are not the people who are heard providing seasonal sneers towards the festivities.

I hear students with families and friends at home complaining about the way Christmas has become a victim to our consumerist culture whilst all the while making sure to pop out to pick up a John Lewis telescope. I hear them complaining about the way the meaning of Christmas has been completely forgotten as if Christianity has always held a place in their hearts.

Sure, it is true that consumerism certainly dominates much of the modern Christmas spirit, but only if we let it. And yes, it is the case that the birth of Jesus Christ is not such a big deal to many people at this time of year. But is that really a problem? Almost all the reasons for this Christmas cynicism seem to me like thoughtless attempts at party-pooping for the sake of being part of the counterculture.

It certainly is frustrating how each year the adverts begin earlier, their budgets grow bigger, and the excitement surrounding said advert gets closer to exceeding the excitement for Christmas itself. It is a sad sign of the gradual domination of capitalism over Christmas. But just because it dominates our TVs, it doesn’t have to dominate our thoughts.

Turn it off. If you don’t see the advert, it can’t run through your psyche all day, using sentimentality to guilt trip you into spending money. If you do see it, don’t talk about it. Even by complaining about the adverts, you are giving them what they want, providing fuel for the flames of Christmas capitalism.

Sure, presents are involved, but only as a tiny part of the bigger picture. You may spend up to an hour unwrapping presents on Christmas Day, but the day hardly revolves around this. If we are really honest with ourselves, we could all do with a few presents anyway. But it’s not even gifts that are the problem, really. Giving a present is not just pledging allegiance to the dark side, and realistically we are not selling our souls to consumer capitalism. It’s simply a sign of appreciation.

We just don’t have to let the incessant advertising hijack our Christmas spirit. But as students, we shouldn’t complain. You haven’t stopped complaining about your lack of money since September, so for one hour, of one day of the year, let your consumerist side take over.

If you truly hate how much of Christmas is being wrongly appropriated, change it up.

Don’t make your Christmas about the presents if that’s not what you’re into. Instead, make it about the people. It is an opportunity to go out without any looming pressures. It is what you’ve been waiting for since your first deadline. It is the only few weeks of the year where everyone is bound to be back home.

Friends you haven’t seen for a year or two are all back home. Though I’m sure there are reasons why you haven’t seen them for so long, for one night of the year, indulge them! You might even enjoy yourself. The same thing goes for your family. Of course, there are some members whom you would rather not spend all day with, but they are related to you. If there’s something wrong with them, it’s probably wrong with you, too. So put up with it. Have another drink.

That leads to alcohol, the fuel to the flame of Christmas’s past, present and future. It seems as if this has become as integral to the season as Santa and snow, and with understandable reason. You might not have anything to say to the friend you haven’t seen for years, or you may struggle to cope with the politics of your relatives, but with another drink, you may just about make it through.

I’ve heard some argue that it’s times like these, where we are expected to have fun, that are some of the hardest to enjoy. But expectations stem from the wonderful experiences that we have all had before, so we should make sure it happens again! We are expected to have a good time because most of us do. So that’s no reason to be mopey this year.

There are many legitimate reasons to be grouchy as Christmas comes around, but are yours really that legitimate? Would you really be happier without Christmas, or are you just jumping on the bandwagon?

Though it might not still have the same meaning as it originally did, it doesn’t deserve all this hate. There’s so much to love about the Wonderful Season, so cut out all of the bad stuff, and replace it with what’s great this Christmas.

Not giving a toss? Cricket’s pitch problems

England’s cricketing summer was undoubtedly a great sporting success story. Captain Cook’s men defied all of the pundits after a disappointing World Cup by playing brilliant, positive cricket to easily beat Australia in order to regain the Ashes. But the recent 2-0 loss to Pakistan has highlighted not only the problems that England still have, but also the fact that the pitch is becoming such an important factor in deciding Test matches. This caused the ECB to take the unexpected step of getting rid of the coin toss in County Championship matches from 2017 onwards.

In the 1980s, around 30 per cent of Test matches were home wins—compared to about 50 per cent now; 11 of the last 15 Ashes Tests have been won by the home side. The only major team to have defied the trend are South Africa—the current masters of Test cricket—having only lost two of their last twenty Test series, with both losses being at home. The game of cricket is hard pressed—selling Test matches to those who aren’t aficionados of the sport—and the fact that they are becoming more predictable doesn’t help their case, either. The ease of success at home is probably the reason why in 2005—when England had not won the Ashes for 18 years—victory was met with huge celebrations in London, but in 2015, it was received with far less attention than it did before.

So the problem that cricketing authorities are grappling with is how to balance the advantage back towards the away team. To understand how they are trying to do this, you have to look at why it’s happening in the first place.

The amount of professional cricket being played around the world is increasing, meaning that tours by national sides are being cut short in order to accommodate the new T20 tournaments. Lacking the time to acclimatise to a country’s conditions, as well as its time zone, is one way that tourists could put themselves at a disadvantage. However, this is one factor that is out of the ECB’s control, and thus will have to simply be tolerated as part of the modern game. Commercially, players and boards cannot afford to reduce events like the IPL or Big Bash League.

Pitch preparation and familiarity with conditions has always been a part of international cricket. It will always be the case that teams will exploit the conditions to their own advantage, and for England, this is in making green wickets that make the ball swing far more than average in terms of pace. This had caused chaos amongst the Australians at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge this year, which resulted in one of the most spectacular batting collapses by the baggy greens in Ashes history. It’s worth remembering that Australia won the World Cup on their home turf less than four months before. The problem is that if all English pitches are like this, English players will become too acclimatised to it, and won’t be able to win Tests away from home.

One solution is giving sanctions to teams that prepare unfair pitches, but the ECB have now changed the rules regarding the pre-match coin toss. In all matches of the 2016 County Championship, the visiting captain will be given the option to bowl first. If he declines, the coin toss will go on as normal. This is one way that the opposition will be given a slight tactical advantage.

It will also provide the counties an incentive to produce pitches that are likely to turn later on, into a four or five-day match. The classic English green wickets don’t deteriorate enough at the end of a match to suit spin bowling. This has meant that pace bowling has been England’s main strength—with the downside that the spin has been side-lined. According to the ECB, only 21.5 per cent of overs in the 2015 Championship were bowled by spinners. Creating spin friendly wickets is widely seen as the way forward if England are to eventually fill the Graeme Swann-shaped hole in the England team. The loss to Pakistan had showed how the spinners of Ali and Rashid still aren’t at the level of Swann, and the likelihood of another match winning spinner coming from the Championship is fairly low—without some change to how pitches are being prepared.

Changing the toss isn’t going to solve all these problems immediately, or even at all—much like the day-night Tests. However, what it does show, is how the ECB are willing to change traditional parts of cricket in order to try and preserve the longer format for the future. If it helps to even out the pitch advantage or produces England’s next king of spin—even only in a small way—then it can’t be a bad thing.

NME’s enemy is my friend

The year is 2015. The chiming guitars of ‘So Here We Are’ kick in, and a solitary tear falls down the cheek of our sad indie lad protagonist as he goes through a series of realizations: Bloc Party have truly finished making good songs; Joe Lean and The Jing Jang Jong will never release their mythical debut album; and worst of all, his beloved NME now has Justin Bieber on the cover and is being given away for free on the streets. For many like him, the new incarnation of NME has been a heavy blow, but we are actually years too late in sounding the magazine’s death knell. It is time to acknowledge that NME have been awful for years, and to maybe even congratulate them for making the transition to a full on piece of shit so that people can no longer pretend that they aren’t otherwise.

NME has long obsessed over and encouraged a deluge of dull British guitar bands whilst amazing music has been made all around it. The magazine is partly responsible for the so-called landfill indie era—an endless succession of lazy rock bands that had plagued the mid to late noughties. This led to the majority of the population getting tired and seeking out new styles. Pop took over the charts again and indie fans with any sense had sought out creative American alternatives like Dirty Projectors and TV on the Radio.

NME however, continued to prioritise this bland rock style. By fretting so much about the possible death of British guitar music and focusing on a narrow and reductive set of bands, it actually hammered the final nail in the coffin. NME have continually championed the wrong acts and contributed nothing to the musical landscape, from past rubbish like the Pigeon Detectives and The Twang through to thoroughly mediocre modern day acts like Slaves and Royal Blood.

It is still is dreadful, but I’d actually like to thank the magazine for making this move into a new era, think of the updated NME as a glorious act of trolling towards its former readership, whom thoroughly deserve it. I imagine a Venn diagram of people genuinely angry about the new NME and people who sign petitions against pop or hip hop artists headlining festivals in each circle. In a year where Justin Bieber really is making better music than Bloc Party, we need to stop pretending that NME was ever any good.

Live: Megadeth

O2 Apollo

12th November

7.5/10

With quite possibly the biggest metal line-up in the UK of 2015, Megadeth had set the bar high for themselves with a five-hour show of some of the most prime riffs the world has ever seen. Consisting of Sylosis, Children of Bodom, Lamb of God and of course, Megadeth, the show was understandably completely sold-out with a queue almost lapping the building by the time the doors opened.

Opening with the banger ‘Hangar 18’, Megadeth slapped down their mission statement to the roar of the crowd, but following on from such a phenomenal set from Lamb of God, it was a little underwhelming. With pulses raised from the intense physicality from the previous set, the tempo felt just a little too low— maybe starting with something with a little more oomph could’ve cured this.

Moving through the set, things really started to pick up pace with ‘Sweating Bullets’, more or less turning the entire venue into a giant karaoke session. One of the highlights of the set had to be the newest stormer ‘Fatal Illusion’, doing away with the poppier sensibilities of Super Collider, ‘Fatal Illusion’ swings the pendulum back the other way and brings some of the thrashiest music Megadeth has ever produced.

The real shining grace of the show, however, was that Megadeth had by far the best musicality of the night. You’d never realise Chris Adler was pulling double-shifts for LoG and Megadeth unless someone told you—throwing in fills all over the place—and the newest guitarist replacement Kiko Loureiro handles every solo like it’s child’s play. Unsurprisingly, the sound is crystal clear and packs a punch; for a band that’s been around for over 30 years, they’ve got their sounds nailed right down. If you’re lucky enough to be heading to Download festival this year, they’re definitely worth checking out.

Proteins discovered tell body cells how to move and feel

A new study from a University of Manchester team has shown how a collection of proteins allow cells in the body to move and feel. The discovery, published in the journal Nature Cell Biology, found that a group of 60 proteins enable body cells to sense differences in their environment and communicate this information to each other.

All the different kinds of cells in our bodies react differently to different surfaces and environments. For example, tumour cells move more slowly on soft surfaces in comparison to harder surfaces. Stem cells can also develop into entirely different cells depending on the environment that they are in. Until now, however, the way cells do this—by sensing their environment and developing accordingly, has remained largely a mystery.

The study focused on a group of transmembrane receptors called integrins. These normally function by providing a scaffold for interactions between cells, or between a cell and the extracellular matrix. Once activated, integrins send signals in order to trigger a variety of chemical pathways that can result in many responses, such as changes to a cell shape which add more receptors to a cell membrane, or helping with an immune response. Proteins can cluster around integrins during these interactions.

The study assembled global data of proteins in order to understand the workings of the integrin protein clusters. They found a group of 60 proteins that cluster around integrins. Ed Horton, a member of the team, said that these proteins are “the essential mediators of the information exchange between integrins and the outside world.”

The result of this research is the new knowledge that integrins work with the 60 proteins in clusters to coordinate functions, hopefully providing a new avenue for research for scientists. This knowledge could be especially useful in the case regarding diseases with tumorous cells such as cancer.

Interview: Alt-J

“Manchester has always sort of been a home away from home for us, so it’s always a gig we look forward to massively,” enthuses Alt-J’s Gus Unger-Hamilton on a bleary Friday morning just prior to the start of their UK tour. “It was a city we used to go to play a lot. When we were all students living in Leeds, we’d go on the train to Manchester and always got a good reception. We’ve also built up a really good relationship with [promoters] Now Wave.”

Fond memories of the North aside, the elephant in the room when it comes to Alt-J is the level of success they have achieved in such a short space of time. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the scale of their live shows has grown at equal rate, with the band having sold out the 20,000 capacity O2 arena in London and headlined Latitude festival this year.

Gus dismisses any accusations that this ascension might have been too fast: “We haven’t skipped any of the stages in our gig-playing career, but we have been lucky enough to move up through the levels quite rapidly. We don’t take anything for granted, but we feel that we have proceeded through all the right levels to get here.” As to whether the band is still daunted by playing live: “We get nervous of course!”

The band released their second album This Is All Yours last year. After the huge commercial and critical success of Mercury Award winning debut album An Awesome Wave, it is surprising to hear that the pressure of their sophomore album didn’t daunt the band. “We realised that we had a nice big fan base, who were very open to the fact that we are a bit weird, so in that sense we weren’t too worried about the reception to the second album. We knew our second album was good, so we had a quiet confidence about it.”

While clearly more understated than their first album, it’s clear the band’s songwriting ability has improved. “Songwriting used to take a long time. In the first few years it would take us months and months to finish a song, because we were still trying to find our feet while being perfectionists. I feel on the second album we were much more slick on knowing where we wanted to get with a song, and how to get there without too much messing about. We’re still perfectionists, but we’ve got better at knowing what sort of sounds we’re capable of making, and what sort of sound would suit a particular song.”

No more apparent is this ability than on ‘Warm Foothills’, in which three vocal tracks are beautifully chopped up into one smooth composition. “Joe came up with the idea of getting guest vocalists to sing a different word each, and then chop it up like that. He got it from a BBC television program, where they got different presenters to all sing ‘Perfect Day’. The track turned out to be really cool.”

Part of Alt-J’s charm is the many levels that build throughout their music while retaining an overwhelming element of subtlety. Translating this to a live setting was no mean feat. “We spent about a month last summer after we’d finished the album and it was all done, figuring out how to take the songs live. In some ways it was a bit of a grind! But in the end it was worth putting in that time, to be able to make it sound as good as possible on stage.”

A historical ambition for many British bands, Alt-J have built a large following stateside. “We’ve been lucky enough to achieve that, so it does still feel big news to us. Although I suppose in maybe 15 or 20 years time bands will be trying to crack China, who knows,” acknowledges Gus humbly. Despite this success, “the studio is still mainly what we love, and we see our albums as the things we’re proudest of. We’d prefer to be remembered for our studio albums over a big show, I dunno… some gig at Knebworth or something! Oops, I forgot this was for The Mancunion!”

Survey reveals 70 per cent of students back staying in the EU

A recent national survey of 1,005 participants revealed that given the chance to take part in a referendum, 70 per cent of full-time university students would vote in favour of Britain remaining in the European Union—with female students less likely to back leaving than male students. After the survey was carried out, Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), one of the conductors of the survey, released a report in which it expressed doubt that university students truly represent a credible or strong opposition to the out-campaign.

Nick Hillman writes in HEPI’s report that “students are not a lost cause for those campaigning for the UK to leave the EU. Around one-third of students have said that they have given the topic only ‘little thought’ (21 per cent) or ‘no thought at all’ (13 per cent), and a similar proportion have said that they hold their views ‘not very strongly’ (27 per cent) or ‘not strongly at all’ (6 per cent).”

HEPI points to the large number of students who are either undecided or have expressed disappointment with the UK government’s progress in negotiating EU reform, stating that “an unsuccessful renegotiation could see 12 per cent of the 70 per cent of students who would vote for the UK to stay in an EU referendum held tomorrow change sides.”

In a statement to The Mancunion, third year history student Adam Merrill commented on government renegotiations, saying that: “As a matter of moral principle, unless there is significant structural changes made by the EU in a negotiation, I would have to vote out. I feel that it was a good idea at first that has not worked out as well as it should and could be.

“For me it is far too undemocratic, it doesn’t give fair trade deals, and undermines the British legal system. It would be better if we stayed and helped to change the EU inside structurally, but if that’s not possible, then it’ll be an out for me.”

An opinion poll conducted by The Mancunion revealed that an overwhelming majority of 83 per cent of University of Manchester students would vote in favour of staying in the UK, with 11 per cent backing the decision to leave and 6 per cent remaining undecided. On his decision to vote in favour of leaving the EU, University of Manchester student Alex Lovatt says: “Currently I’d vote to leave, as it stands the EU is in a position where it is dictating British laws and overriding British policy. It’s undemocratic and a clear overreach of the institution we’ve joined and our governments push for reform hasn’t had a positive reception.”

Lauren Rosegreen, third year law student, opposes this argument, saying: “From a law point of view our human rights and mental health laws in particular would be nowhere near as advanced and protected as they are now without us being in the EU and having to abide by EU legislation.”

Commenting on the relevance of the national survey, Jack Murray, chairman of Manchester Conservative Future, says that “if the 2015 General Election has taught us anything: Don’t always believe in opinion polls.”

He adds that the results of the survey are not necessarily surprising, stating that: “Students are ‘net gainers’ from Europe: Higher Education receives significant funding from the EU, Britain’s membership allows us to study abroad with ease and it also allows us to travel to the continent relatively unimpeded. There is also a significant bias within university staff, who see the European Project as the be-all and end-all with no other possible alternative. This is unhealthy.

“Students should be given the facts and allowed to make their own minds up. Yay or nay, the referendum is a hugely important decision and everyone must vote according to their own beliefs, without interference.”

Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, has recently agreed to assist Cameron in resolving UK-EU negotiations before Christmas, stating that: “If Cameron is sure December is better for him as the organiser of this referendum, I will be helpful and I am ready to convince our officials.” The renegotiations are approaching fast and, as the national student survey and HEPI’s report has revealed, decisions made by the UK government on EU reform will have a large impact on student votes.

Newcastle University relaxes zero tolerance policy on drugs

Newcastle University has changed its rules in relation to illegal drugs and the consequences for students found in possession of them. The blanket ban on even small amounts of all drugs which in the past saw students evicted from their halls of residence with immediate effect has been amended.

Rather than being hit with a swift expulsion from university accommodation, students caught in possession will be summoned for an “interview” where they will receive a formal warning and the opportunity to take up special support.

The shift from zero tolerance to a softened approach coupled with systematic support signals a “welfare over deterrence” attitude.

This kind of mentality has long been championed by drug reform campaigners and has seen increasing levels of adoption in recent years, and not just by universities. In neighbouring Durham, police last year softened their approach to individuals caught in the possession of cannabis.

The University of Manchester’s drugs policy states it aims “to help those with an alcohol or drug problem to be restored to health quickly to the benefit of themselves, their colleagues and the university.”

Similar to Newcastle University’s newly adopted approach, one of the principles of Manchester’s official policy says that “the university recognises that addiction to alcohol and drugs may in some cases be considered a medical condition and should be treated as such.”

Critics of zero tolerance policies argue that it worsens the situation for students who may already be vulnerable. Drugs campaigner Zoe Carrer said “if they’re kicked out of accommodation it can actually put vulnerable people at more risk of harm.”

Campaigners will claim Newcastle University’s change in tact further goes to show the inconsistency between the enforcement of drug laws and the hard-line government rhetoric, recently outlined in the widely criticised Psychoactive Substances Bill.

The Bill, produced in October, states that a ““psychoactive substance” means any substance which—(a) is capable of producing a psychoactive effect in a person who consumes it, and (b) is not an exempted substance.”

Critics argue that the government’s approach is ideologically-driven and ignores the scientific facts surrounding drugs and the harm they do. Former government advisor turned drug reform campaigner David Nutt, has long been an opponent of conservative drug laws and claims they immorally control people’s behaviour and actually hamper scientific research.