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Day: 15 March 2016

Public support for junior doctors stays strong as third strike is carried out

Written by Charlie Spargo on . Posted in News.

Support for junior doctors in their dispute against the government’s imposed contract changes remained high as medical professionals went on strike for the third time on the 9th of March.

A 48-hour strike began at 8am on Wednesday, with junior doctors walking out again in the hopes of reversing the decision, though yet again emergency cover remained as more than 5,000 appointments and surgeries had to be postponed.

A poll by Ipsos MORI for the BBC in fact showed that opposition to the strikes had fallen from 22 per cent to 17 per cent since before the February walkout. Support remained strong at 65 per cent.

In the same poll, opinion that the government was the party at fault remained the highest at 57 per cent, though this has fallen from above 60 per cent, with an increased number saying that both parties were equally at fault—up 10 per cent to 28 per cent.

The three walkouts have caused a total of 19,000 treatments to be postponed and two more are planned for April. The strikes, beginning on the 6th and 26th of April 2016, will both last 48 hours and emergency care is planned to remain.

However, worries have been raised that momentum may begin to drop off the longer the dispute carries on, particularly after the imposition by the Health Secretary of the unpopular new contract.

However Dr Max Thoburn, an FY2 doctor from the Central Manchester University Hospitals, says “If anything, I think the imposition has made things easier, as people have become even angrier and more determined. In a sense, we have absolutely nothing to lose now. The worst has already happened and so we can only achieve improvement from this point.

“I think that the reason for such strong public support has been our clear and honest message that this is about the future of a sustainable NHS and certainly not greedy doctors trying to grab money. As we go into the future, we are looking to again emphasise this message and further tie in to issues such as cuts in social care, disability benefits and health education, each of which  serve both to persecute the vulnerable and put an ever greater burden on the NHS.

“By showing our solidarity with their plight, I think the public see that the entire dispute is, at its core, for their benefit. For that reason, they will stay on our side.”

Dr Anne Rainsberry, of NHS England, said: “This is clearly going to be a difficult couple of days. A 48-hour strike will put significantly more pressure on the NHS and the cumulative effect of these recurring strikes is likely to take a toll.

“The safety and care of patients is always our number one priority and staff across the NHS are doing all they can to minimise the impact on patients of the action.”

Helen Pankhurst speaks to The Mancunion

Written by Georgie Hines on . Posted in News.

Continuing the commemoration of women throughout the week, The Global Institute held a special screening of British historical period film Suffragette—starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter and Meryl Streep.

Suffragette follows the story of Maud Watts, a working class woman with a family, who, along with a small but determined group of women, loses everything in the fight for a woman’s right to vote. Whilst most action portrayed in movies is dramatised, the militancy shown by the women in this film and the horrendous treatment they received is real.

The film is inspired by the suffragette movement—spearheaded by Manchester’s own Emmeline Pankhurst. Whilst her appearance in the film was fleeting, her speech made sure that her presence was felt. The action of suffragettes can be described by one of Pankhurst’s most famous quotes: “I’d rather be a rebel than a slave”.

The screening was followed by a Q&A session chaired by Professor Uma Kothari, Director of the Global Development Institute. The panel consisted of three experts on women’s rights and its history: Penny Summerfield, Professor of Modern History at the University of Manchester, Sohela Nazeen, Professor of International Relations at the University of Dhaka and Helen Pankhurst, CARE International UK’s campaign ambassador and great-granddaughter of Pankhurst.

After the Q&A, The Mancunion spoke with Pankhurst personally about why this story is important to be told. Ms Pankhurst said: “I think it’s still relevant today, a lot of the issues they were campaigning about still apply here and globally.

“It’s really important that it doesn’t get forgotten,” and we should remember “how much our ancestors, not just mine” sacrificed for the rights that UK women have today.

She spoke about the perspective of the movie and why it was significant that the suffragette movement was told by an average working class woman. “It universalises it”, she said. It’s “told about somebody that anyone can relate to, rather than just a biopic.”

But just because women now have the right to vote does not mean that the issue of gender equality has ended. There are many problems still to solve and Ms Pankhurst says that “it’s up to each one of us to decide which ones we feel most passionately about.

“I think the wonderful difference between the world we live in now and a hundred years ago is social media” and “you can make a difference to both local causes and to more global ones.

“We want to get there this generation [but] there are so many issues to still campaign about”, she said. “If each of us just tackle a little bit, we’ll get there.”

Ms Pankhurst has spent her life dedicated to international women’s rights after witnessing the situation in Ethiopia during her childhood. “[It] made me particularly interested in international feminism, which is relevant to us more and more because we live in an interconnected world.

“If we don’t listen, if we don’t care what’s happening in other countries it will come back and haunt us” because “we don’t exist in isolation.”

This belief led to her disagreeing with the comments of minister Priti Patel, who likened leaving the EU with the suffragette movement.

After being asked why she spoke up about the issue, Ms Pankhurst replied that “I objected to the name being used in a way that I felt was so opposed to what I felt and I stand for,” and “I just felt I couldn’t be silent about it.”

But if she were to say anything more about the EU, it would be to vote. “This is probably the most single important vote you could use as women and youngsters.”

The event highlighted that with the referendum just around the corner it is important for women not to waste the vote that the suffragettes fought so hard for us to have.

The University of Manchester Jiu Jitsu club’s Randori success

Written by Will Kelly on . Posted in Sport.

The University of Manchester Jiu Jitsu club enjoyed a successful outing at the Randori nationals the weekend of the 27th of February, an event that celebrates the Judo heritage of the Jiu Jitsu style.

For those who do not know much about Jiu Jitsu, it is a sport that encompasses a wealth of throwing techniques from both Judo and Aikido. The latter involves a lot of arm locks and wrist techniques, which were essential to samurai combat, since the goal was to land the opponent on their unprotected neck or to break a joint such as their arms or knees.

Over the years, Japanese Ju Jitsu has existed in many forms under various other names before it settled at ‘Shorinji Kan’ in the 1950s. It was this that reshaped traditional techniques to form a more realistic self-defence, using them to defend theirselves from bottle attacks, knives, batons and chains. This is the current style of the University of Manchester club.

The goal is to throw your attacker to the floor, whilst staying on your own two feet to stay safe and keep control of the fight. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu differs from this style in the sense that it’s essentially a 1v1 sparring sport dominated by ground pins and holds.

Ten of the club’s members travelled to Wolverhampton to compete against sixty other clubs from around the country. Those below the green belt (3rd belt) did ground fighting, aiming to pin their opponent to the ground, while those above did both ground fighting and standing judo.

Ged Parkinson enjoyed notable success, winning silver in the ground fighting and bronze in the green belt standing Judo competition, while Joshua Buckingham-Bostock put up a good enough fight to secure bronze in the purple belt standing Judo competition. Kamila Polujanski also showed she was no pushover as she competed against grades two belts higher than herself and still managed to secure silver.

Kamilla recognises that there are significantly less women involved in the sport but was pleased to see that at least a third of participants competing at the Randori were women. Team captain Tom Rosso explained that grappling martial arts has not been a sport that traditionally attracts women but, due to the recent success of many female fighters, he believes that womens’ participation is on the up because the fighters are showing that women can be successful.

“It’s becoming socially acceptable for women to actually go out and fight”, Kamilla added, “It’s a big thing at the moment because it’s not feminine really”.

An increase in female participation at the club is certainly on the agenda, with James Sharples even going as far to say that they were looking into creating a women’s officer role for the club. In fact, increasing overall participation has been Tom’s target since the start of the year so he is delighted to hear that more members of the club are competing.

“Last year we only had 2 members of the club travelling down for the Randori Nationals so to get 10 people going down this year was great to see! Martial arts is growing in popularity but the end goal is really more about getting people to feel secure enough to compete”.

There is certainly a real community feel for Jiu Jitsu in the north-west of England, whereby members of the University of Manchester club often join up with other universities to train together. James recently attended a training session in Liverpool where he made new friends with members of their club. At the Randori nationals he lost against one of these friends and, although he had wanted to win himself, said that, “it was great to have that sense of camaraderie between the clubs”.

James met members of the Liverpool club again Saturday the 12th March, as the Manchester club underwent its grading, an assessment to demonstrate all the available techniques and to prove that you can apply them under pressure. While in Judo you can gain your belts through competing, Jiu Jitsu requires that you be graded before you are promoted to another belt, despite being able to win medals at competitions.  “If you do particularly well in the grading, you will get a particular stripe on your belt called a mon”, added James.

It is the rise of Manchester’s club that has caused concern amongst Christie cup rivals, Leeds and Liverpool. Tom tells us that the other clubs are trying to have the rules changed to favour them. “Many of our members have been successful at the ground fighting aspect of the sport and some of the clubs want to limit that aspect. I assume it’s because they don’t feel confident”. The team is certainly one to look out for in their quest to bring home the Christie cup.

An overview of the decline of Aston Villa

Written by Kyle Huggins on . Posted in Sport.

To paraphrase Lemony Snickett, if you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading something else… The rollercoaster of turmoil which Aston Villa Football Club have ridden for the last five years appears to almost be at an end, with even the most optimistic of Villa fans embracing our impending relegation.

A lethal combination of poor football, lacklustre performances and the draining of confidence have led to the manifestation of the current position of the club. However, these are the factors displayed on the pitch, yet only represent the tip of the iceberg in terms of the deep-rooted problems faced by Villa. Further analysis reveals a complex, multifaceted combination of variables behind the demise from potential Champions League qualifiers to bottom of the Premiership, nine points from safety.

The times of Young, Downing, Milner, Barry, Mellberg, Laursen, and Carew hailed quick, aggressive, attacking football, and goals were never amiss at Villa Park—the combination of Agbonlahor, Downing and Young being a central feature of an explosive attack, Barry and Milner controlling in midfield and Laursen and Mellberg solid in defence a long with many others who played a role.

These times came at an extraordinarily high price fiscally and psychologically. 120 million in four seasons with a net spend of £81 million, and a wage-to-turnover figure that reached 85 per cent. Yet many argue it wasn’t the signings of the stars of the show which led to the degradation of this wage situation, but instead the carelessness of O’Neill investing in players rarely used on large wages who were hard to remove subsequently. Nonetheless the seeds of doubt were sowed into Randy Learner’s mind around the extent to which the Villa project could be a success.

A change in tactic ensued, with cost-cutting starting up front replacing spending to success, despite the proven record of Chelsea and the rising success of Man City at the time. O’Neill jumped ship days before the start of the 2010 season, with the holes which had started to appear in the hull unable to be repaired thus proliferating the sinking ship that Remi Garde inherited.

Firstly, the loss of quality players, with the instalment of various incoherent transfer policies starting with ‘young’, ‘hungry’, and ending with ‘foreign flair’ players, in essence gutted the squad of all quality. Out went Milner, Downing, Young, Petrov and others. In came Holman, El Ahmadi, Sylla and Tonev along with a raft of others who simply have not made the cut for the Premier League.

Undoubtedly, Vlaar—when fit—managed to put in good performances, Delph came of age and started to look like a world beater on his day and Benteke, being the cream of the crop, putting in many ‘unplayable’ performances. Yet even with these three in the team, Villa limped to safety each year, consistently holding on to a below-mid-table finish since 2012.

Yet the recruitment policy of the last two transfer windows is indicting of the board’s reluctance to fight for survival and re-establish the club. Upon the back of an extremely lucky escape last season, the club took the position to sell the spine of the team. The extent to which they had a choice is unknown. And they further gambled with signing untried and untested players from Ligue 1, a player from Barcelona B, and put pressure on 19-year-old Jack Grealish, who undoubtedly has talent, but is not ready for the weekly strains of the Premier League as yet. Needless to say how this gamble worked out. The board’s reluctance to spend a penny in the January transfer window despite being stone bottom, clearly signalled to the footballing community the intentions of Randy Learner.

Lacklustre, recruitment of managers further encapsulates Villa’s woes. Although finishing ninth, Gerard Houllier’s short tenure at the club was also poor, characterised by the inability to score goals or win games. A flurry of last minute wins at the end of the 2010/11 season temporarily covered the cracks in the hull left by O’Neill.

The replacement with Alex McLeish who had just been sacked by Birmingham City, however, was the first nail in the coffin and a great insult to the fans. Renown for defensive football, and sacked by local rivals, it was inevitable the Villa faithful would never take to him. The football was poor, and he admits himself he was “drained from the Birmingham City experience.” His management signified the loss of the reminisce of the ‘old guard’.

Paul Lambert started his career with a slight optimism due to the good job he had performed at Norwich, yet it was clear that the board did not back him as they had failed to financially back McLeish, and even more clear after two seasons that he was not the man for the job, yet there was the insistence for him to remain, and in congruence the football quality was degraded. Lambert’s sacking being poorly timed should have happening sooner after scraping survival two seasons running.

When we were finally put out of our misery as relegation looked like a certainty, enter the fray with his cockney swagger Tim Sherwood. And possibly the most cliché and predictable footballing stories, Sherwood getting a short-term reaction from the players but quickly being found out for his lack of tactical knowledge this season, giving away a plethora of winning situations and leaving us dead bottom of the Premiership.

This left Remi Garde, personally recommended by Arsene Wenger himself, a potential bridge to the French players in the squad; yet without backing; with a squad of such poor quality; without Premier League experience; a cynical person may say he was doomed to fail from the get go, with Learner reportedly choosing Garde over David Moyes. It would not be unfair to say that although to a certain extent Garde’s hands are tied, his inability to inspire passion or a bit of fight from the players is his largest shortfall. All the managers were betrayed by the lack of support from the board with financial management being priority over team management.

Ultimately, any blame, any criticism and all accountability lies at the feet of the board and Randy Learner. It is not a secret Learner has tried and failed to sell the club for a few seasons, but his disdain for the club has become its largest hindrance to the development of the club. And the owner’s apathy towards the club and lack of empathy for what the club means to the fans. Until we are rid of Learner and the rest of the misfits on the board we will not be able to re-establish ourselves. Revelations from inside the club reveal the firing of staff who had worked at the club for years and replaced with agency staff, players being held back an hour after the game to avoid fans, bodyguards being hired for board members, staff being sent home from matches at half-time to save money. Relegation is hard, but it’s the manner and timing of relegation which is most hard hitting with a £5.41 billion TV deal for the Premiership commencing next year. Teams of the calibre of Blackburn, Bolton, Fulham and others who were once staples of the Premiership have been incapable to return.

“We want our Villa back” are the calls from Holte End, representing the voice of the fans who look around and just see mediocrity and decay of a once great club all around. But no matter how hard we hold onto being one of the founding members of the league, one of the most successful English clubs in history, our European cup win, or the fact that we haven’t been relegated since 1987—before my own birth no less—no team has a divine right to inhabit the Premier League. The last five years undoubtedly have tarnished any fond memories of Villa, and when pondering whether we will be missed, the answer is unquestionably no.

91 per cent of Manchester life scientists concerned ‘Brexit’ could impact research

Written by Tori Blakeman on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

A opinion poll by The Mancunion exploring the impact of Britain’s European Union membership status on life science research received 56 responses in less than 20 hours, with the majority of respondents expressing concerns over an EU exit. The 56 respondents included both academic and research staff from the Faculty of Life Sciences here at the University of Manchester.

73 per cent of respondents expressed concerns that leaving the EU would result in reduced funding for their research, with one staff member stating: “The UK is among the largest beneficiaries of European funding for research. If we lose this funding source these amounts will most certainly not be matched by the UK government.”

However, nine per cent were not concerned about potential funding reductions, with belief that research funding would be more wisely spent if Britain were to separate from the EU: “For life science research the British government would get better value funding spending its money in the UK, through the UK research councils, as opposed to contributing to EU research funding”, said one.

Others commented on the bureaucracy of the EU: “UK funding is merit-based, whereas other factors such as politics play a greater role in dictating how research funding is spent in the EU. The EU funding schemes are also extremely bureaucratic.”

More, however, seemed to be concerned over the potential disruption to the “collaborative endeavour” of science, with 82 per cent worried that an EU exit could damage Manchester research partnerships with European universities.

One correspondent stated that an EU exit could portray Britain as a nation unable to collaborate: “We should undertake [science] for knowledge and subsequent understanding to benefit as many as possible. We are best able to do this in international collaborations [EU or not], and leaving the EU at a time it is expanding has the potential to portray Britain as an insular, petulant nation unable to partake in effective collaborations.

“We are better in the EU, as we will then be able to partake in meaningful discussion about issues, funding—anything that concerns us, instead of just having it imposed on us.”

Further respondent comments considered the impact of tighter border control that would implemented if Britain left the EU: “Leaving the EU would restrict free movement of people and would make it more difficult for academics, postdocs, and Ph.D. students to enter the UK.”

“I think that the attractiveness of Britain for European scientists could decrease [with an EU exit]. Now many scientists are highly motivated to come here to develop their research, but leaving the EU I think this will change.”

When asked whether Britain should stay in or leave the EU, from a solely scientific perspective, 94 per cent stated that they’d prefer for Britain to remain within the EU.

Despite the results being significantly skewed in favour for EU membership, interestingly, responses in the opinion poll were very all-or-nothing. The large majority of respondents were either completely concerned that an EU exit would impact life science research, funding and collaborations, or wholly sure that an EU exit would not impact any of these things.

Researchers and academics from the Faculty of Life Sciences are clearly concerned that ‘Brexit’ could impact research, however, it is apparent that there are opinions that life science research could go on as normal despite Britain’s membership with the EU.

Manchester Film Festival Diaries

Written by Nicole Tamer on . Posted in Film.

After receiving my press pass and having made acquaintance with two film directors from New York and Sydney on my way, I found out that I only had one hour left to get ready for a Gala night at Cloud 23 at the Hilton Hotel. Since I just came from the university, I had my most comfortable clothes on and was as bare-faced as could be. I realised that going home to change was not an option and decided to buy a whole new outfit and to put some glamourous makeup on within that hour.

Surprisingly, I succeeded and managed to spend less than £35 on the whole outfit (thanks to sales at Primark and H&M) and apparently looked presentable in the end—a skill that clearly should be added to my resumé. After meeting up with a film contributor, we were escorted upstairs to the high echelons of Manchester society. After shuffling around intimidated by the vast amount of well-dressed and important people, awkwardly clinging onto our champagne glasses, we started a conversation with two guests who looked somewhat approachable.

As it turned out, they were directors from Italy and one of them—Giuseppe Oliverio—directed the short documentary A Conscious Dream which featured at the festival. He had also been at the Academy Awards Ceremony the weekend before—which must have made the Manchester Film Festival experience a tad underwhelming. We then went over to the red carpet into the AMC which was a very surreal experience, and the camera flashes made my eyes hurt. I don’t want to imagine how strained the eyes must be of actors at big award ceremonies.

Dennis Violett—A United Man premiered on that day and it was a very informative documentary. Though it was not my cup of tea since I am not much of a football fan. The short film selection shown before the documentary on the other hand, was captivating. Break and Strange Weather were especially well-received and starred big names such as Sir John Hurt and Maxine Peake. These short films were moving and featured breathtaking scenes set in beautiful locations. The buzzing evening ended with a Q&A session with the directors.

The rest of the festival was not as glamourous but still as enjoyable. I made acquaintance with incredibly inspiring people who have worked hard to showcase their talents and network with people at this weekend. Some of the nominees complained that some things did not go as smoothly during the projection of the films and there had been some uncertainties about accommodation arrangements. A lot of the films were not very well visited and the Q & A sessions turned out to be a bit meagre, too.

Overall, the festival was highly enjoyable and brought culture into this very scientifically minded city. Films from all over the world inspired like-minded people with the aim to enjoy and discuss documentaries, shorts and feature films. Since the film festival is not as established, there is a lot of room for development but it was still an unforgettable experience which proved once again that Manchester is a city of substance instead of mindless superficiality.

Manchester takes in £47m as universities announce record £1.8 billion surplus

Written by Paul Scott on . Posted in News.

In 2015, universities across England gathered a collective surplus of £1.8 billion, which has largely been attributed to the rise in tuition fees in the 2012/2013 academic year.

The highest ever surplus figure published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency for 2014/2015—up £0.7 billion from the previous year—preceded a record number of successful university applications in August last year. Over 400,000 students were accepted onto higher education courses starting in Autumn 2015 after the government lifted a cap on university places.

However, while overall university enrollment is on the increase and universities are enjoying record surpluses, part-time and mature student applications are down. As news of the record £1.8 billion sum was announced, the Open University declared a deficit of £7 million as well as falling applications.

As a largely “distance learning” institution, the Open University is primarily used by those unable to attend university full-time—often by those already in employment or with families. Despite being a non-taught university, where degree programmes are studied for solely using academic materials and resources, students still incur a payment of £1,393 per module.

The Open University prides itself on its accessibility and their “mission,” according to their website, is to “promote educational opportunity and social justice by providing high-quality university education to all who wish to realise their ambitions and fulfill their potential… We are committed to promoting equal opportunities for all.”

The drop in numbers will certainly be cause for concern for the Open University and for proponents of equal access to higher education.

Conversely, like many English universities, the University of Manchester has seen an increase in student numbers and currently has the highest student population in the UK, with a total of 37,925 enrolled.

However it is Oxford University that tops the surplus table, registering a considerable £191 million; Imperial College London also gathered a healthy surplus, with £143 million; Liverpool behind them, posting £65 million and the University of Manchester retained a surplus for 2014/15 of £46.9m (4.6 per cent of income) according to a university spokesman.

A University of Manchester spokesperson added: “Our surplus is used for investment in the University, such as funding our capital investment in new facilities. Until a few years ago we used to receive formula capital funding from the Higher Education Funding Council of around £30/35m per annum, however this is no longer the case, so universities need to generate surpluses to fill this gap.”

Development works are well underway in Manchester, as the university sets out to transform the campus through its “£1 billion Campus Masterplan.” Recently the university outlined plans to revamp its Oxford Road campus by creating “a parkland at the heart of campus to benefit staff, students, visitors and the local community“.

While universities like Manchester say they’ll be able to invest in new facilities, more widely accessible institutions like the Open University are struggling to even break even. The university being £7 million in the red attests to the precarious future of part-time and adult higher education in the UK, while mainstream universities reap great financial rewards.

The dark side of the pharmaceutical industry

Written by Heather Jackson on . Posted in Opinion.

On Wednesday February 19th, Manchester Youth Stop AIDS society hosted the 10th annual Speaker Tour. Manchester Youth Stop AIDS is part of a national network of groups and societies who are passionate about campaigning to bring about an end to AIDS. There is currently no cure for HIV, however, with the currently available treatment, the continuous spread of HIV could be prevented. This is why one of the three targets Youth Stop AIDS wishes to achieve by 2030 is zero new infections. The other two goals are zero AIDS-related deaths and zero stigma and discrimination.

The Speaker Tour visited 17 different locations over a three week period, eventually finishing in the Houses of Parliament. George and Brian were the two HIV-positive speakers that spoke in Manchester. Brian, who was born HIV-positive in Uganda, spoke about the shame he felt when his teacher asked him—in front of his entire school class—about the pills his teacher had found. Those pills were Brian’s HIV medication, and after that day he felt ashamed and excluded from the rest of his class. George, from England, told us about the drastic side effects he had experienced when he first started taking his medication and about his feelings towards his status—both now and when he was initially diagnosed. Both George and Brian told us about their desires to turn their HIV statuses into something positive. They believe that, through speaking out about their own personal experiences with the virus, they will inspire more people to do the same—but not just those living with HIV.

There is a myriad of problems surrounding HIV and AIDS. The stigma that has historically been associated with the virus still remains today, meaning that many people are incorrectly fearful of HIV-positive people based on how they believe the virus is transmitted; the consequences of a diagnosis; and the types of people that can catch it. By speaking out about HIV, we are helping to reduce this stigma so that a HIV diagnosis does not come attached with other non-health-related problems.

Over 36 million people are currently living with HIV, however only 15 million of them have access to the treatment that they desperately require. This treatment reduces the chance of transmission by 97 per cent, meaning that it could essentially be used as a prevention method. Not only that, the life expectancy of a patient on treatment can be the same as someone without HIV. It seems completely counter-intuitive that, given its efficacy, this treatment is only accessed by few. The reason for this inequality is based on the current system of biomedical research and development.

Currently, more money is invested into research for treatment for Male Pattern Baldness than HIV and AIDS, this is due to the enormous discrepancy in the amount of revenue that can be generated from the subsequent drugs developed. This situation does not apply to HIV alone. The first Ebola outbreaks occurred in 1976. However, there was limited research into the means by which Ebola could be treated, due to the epidemiology of the virus. Consequently, the most recent Ebola epidemic killed five times as many people as all the previous Ebola epidemics combined. Is it even worth speculating about the number of lives that could have been saved if pharmaceutical companies had been interested in developing treatment for Ebola back in 1976?

The stringent patents applied to the drugs in question also mean that treatment for HIV, and other diseases, can be extortionately expensive due to certain drug companies having a monopoly over the prices of the drugs. As a result, even if the appropriate drugs did exist, the possibility of being able to afford them is completely out of the question for many people. This is especially the case in Sub-Saharan Africa where 70 per cent of the world’s HIV-positive population live.

Until “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli hiked up the price of Daraprim from $20 to $750 per tablet, the flaws of the pharmaceutical industry have rarely been exposed in mainstream media. Daraprim is used to treat toxoplasmosis, a condition sometimes developed by AIDS patients that can be fatal if untreated. Shkreli justified his 5500 per cent price increase by comparing the medication to cars, stating that “if there was a company that was selling an Aston Martin at the price of a bicycle, and we buy that company and we ask to charge Toyota prices, I don’t think that that should be a crime.” His actions have been deeply criticised by people with varying levels of knowledge in the biomedical industry. He was subsequently considered to be the personification of the dark side of the pharmaceutical industry and was nicknamed the “pharma bro”.

An article published previously in this paper, written by Jessica Chow-Lau, defended Shkreli and his actions. In this situation, however, it is essential that the overall picture is taken into consideration, rather than simply the actions of individuals. It is completely absurd that the man who pays $2 million for a one-of-a-kind album by Wu-Tang Clan also has the control over the price of life-saving medicines. Such people like himself should not be able to prevent access of essential medicines to those who require them.

If healthcare was truly considered to be a basic human right, large companies and individuals would not be able to profit from the lives of others, as is currently the case. The entire system is focused around the ultimate profit made from the drug developed, however there appears to be some discrepancy between the real cost of drug development and that stated by pharmaceutical companies. This is exemplified by the Indian drug company, Cipla, who have offered anti-retroviral medicines (to treat HIV) at under $350 per year, per patient.

Given the complexity of the system of biomedical research and development, there is no simple solution to how the price of drugs should be determined. Despite this, a shift is urgently required so that health is prioritised over profit with respect to the reasons for drug development. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) have been a driving force in ensuring that this switch occurs by pioneering new approaches to the ways in which affordable, essential medicines should be developed. As a result, the World Health Organisation (WHO) are holding a meeting later this month to push for reforms to the research and development systems to take place. Currently, the UK government are yet to confirm their attendance at this meeting. Youth Stop AIDS however, would like to change this. Their petition to convince the UK government to attend the meeting is rapidly acquiring signatures—indicating that people really do believe that global health should be prioritised over profits. As a result of the Youth Stop AIDS Speaker Tour, it is hoped that an increasing amount of people are aware of the issues associated with the pharmaceutical industry and are inspired to push for the essential changes that must take place in order to save millions of lives.

To find out more about the work of Youth Stop AIDS, and to sign the petition, head over to www.youthstopaids.org.

We need to talk about North Korea

Written by Joely Thomas on . Posted in Opinion.

North Korea has threatened (again) to deploy nuclear weapons, so shouldn’t we be a bit more concerned? The threat, targeted at the US and South Korea, comes after the two countries began joint military exercises that are carried out annually to test their defences against the regime. The exercises were the largest yet, following claims by North Korea regarding its fourth nuclear test in January and a rocket launch last month that supposedly sent a satellite into orbit.

It seems odd, therefore that no-one is particularly bothered. There is certainly much eyebrow-furrowing taking place at state level, mostly between white men in military uniforms talking in cinematic tones, but among the general public, no-one seems to be too panicked about this increased threat to the human race. The media successfully whips people into a frenzy over ‘terrorist threats’ from the Middle East, but dangers originating from the Far-Eastern part of the globe are frequently played down, mocked even. Like a screaming child, our reaction appears to be one of closing the door and waiting for the tantrum to end. CNN’s Paula Hancocks even gives assurance that such threats are to be “expected at this time of year”, as though the North Korean dictator was simply experiencing a particularly heavy menstrual cycle.

The questionable haircut certainly doesn’t help his case, and reassures us that in Kim Jong Un’s barber exists an ally whose scissors might one day be directed a couple of inches lower. But we are also encouraged into denial by the belief that, even if such a danger is real, there is nothing we can do about it.

Many believe that the only options currently available to the international community are more sanctions and resolutions, with the UN Security Council, last week, passing a resolution to impose the toughest set of sanctions on the country for two decades. They attack 50 per cent of the country’s export market, whilst unilateral sanctions initiated by the US and South Korea seek to completely exclude the country from the global financial system, as well as closing industrial projects employing tens of thousands of North Korean workers.

Yet many believe that such moves risk turning threatening words into devastating actions, and Andrei Lankov, a professor of Korean Studies in Seoul, argues that the regime now has “nothing to lose”. Others claim that sanctions will have little impact on those in charge but will rather starve a population already suffering under tyrannous rule.

There also exist those who believe a ‘firmer’ approach should be adopted, and talks recently took place in the US at the end of February in which a Republican Senator and the Commander of U.S. Forces Korea agreed that military action should be “on the table”.

That North Korea’s threats were issued in response to South Korean-US military exercises, however, suggests that more military bravado is the one thing we could do without. Such military exercises are a display of militarism at its most arrogant and, though they are claimed to be training exercises, they also act as shows of force to display to the opposition that violent tactics will be employed if necessary.

It is therefore understandable that such drills can be seen as being used as much for offensive as defensive purposes, and can easily be manipulated to provide an excuse for “pre-emptive” action. The security dilemma also shows that when one side increases its fire power, the other seeks to match it, leading to scenarios that can result in conflict even when previously desired by neither party.

Though many children respond positively to having their sweets banned or being threatened with a light smack, we must remember that there exist Kevins in the world who remember the time when they were given a black eye, and one day turn from sulking toddler to killer youth. While we certainly don’t want states who take the threat of North Korea less seriously to supply the country with arms (on this point, what father buys their son a bow and arrow, anyway?), to reduce the threat from North Korea, such ostentatious shows of power are not conducive, and short-sighted attempts at military action could prove fatal.

Watch the Tapes: Are Cassettes Making a Comeback?

Written by Joe Casson on . Posted in Music.

You’re unlikely to read any thinkpiece on the music industry without being reminded of the startling resurgence in vinyl sales over the last five years. Sales last year reached levels last seen in the 1990s, challenging conventional wisdom about music consumption that has declared the death of physical formats on an almost monthly basis. And now, a curious development suggests we might need to shelve that obituary for a good while yet: Are cassette tapes really set for a comeback?

The National Audio Company, one of the last remaining cassette manufacturers, announced it had produced 10 million units last year, with sales up 30 per cent. That’s nothing compared to digital album sales, or even CD sales. But few formats seem to attract as much derision as the cassette tape; when asking friends and family for their thoughts on this purported renaissance, I didn’t receive a single positive response and most were incredulous that anybody could feel affection for them. “The hissing…”, my Dad sighed—he certainly didn’t sound wistful. A New York Times editorial claimed, “The cassette is the embodiment of planned obsolescence… each time you play one it degrades. Bad sound gets worse. Casings crack in winter, melt in summer. Inescapably, a cassette tape unspools: It’s only destiny.” Even in The Mancunion Music section, of all places, I don’t know a single Walkman-owner.

So what, then, explains this revival of interest in a product many consider to be rightly dead and buried? Esther Ford, owner of Withington’s Deco Records, believes nostalgia is central to why her shop’s cassettes have sold so quickly. Having bought her first albums on cassette, Esther is well-placed to discuss their appeal. As music consumption becomes increasingly digitised, she says, many are drawn to the artwork and detailed liner notes offered by physical formats. This has been highlighted as a factor in vinyl sales, but seems particularly appropriate to cassettes; as she shows me boxes of intricately hand-decorated mixtapes and speaks of hours spent taping and splicing tracks, the sentimental appeal is evident. Numerous online services boast of their targeted playlists and recommendations, but are unable to match the mixtape’s personality.

In the current musical climate, a fondness for something truly one’s own is understandable. As increasing numbers of people use Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal to stream music (okay, I’m joking about Tidal), music ceases to be ours as we rent it rather than own it—even mp3s can be copied and burned to disc. That’s why Kanye West is at liberty to pull online-only The Life of Pablo from all official outlets on a whim—his control and ownership is absolute. Contrast this with the lyrics to Bow Wow Wow’s ‘C·30 C·60 C·90 Go’, the world’s first ever cassette single, which boasted “I don’t buy records in your shop, now I tape them all on Top of the Pops”, and you might see the tactile, portable cassette’s appeal for those concerned about the implications of renting music.

This isn’t to say cassettes will take the world by storm soon or ever. Sales remain comparatively low and are only rising from a lower starting point. As such, an industry has yet to form around cassettes as it did around vinyl; while the latter’s profitability is fuelled by the premium price tag attached to new releases, cassettes have attracted minimal commercial activity. Most cassettes sold are second-hand or independently-released: Esther tells me about local independent artists, reacting against polished production techniques, recording straight to tape for its warm, warped effect. There is some evidence this could change—Justin Bieber is now available on tape—but for the time being, the format’s staunchly alternative market seems unlikely to propel the cassette industry towards commercial viability.

All in all, it is difficult to proclaim a ‘cassette renaissance’ when the format overwhelmingly attracts a small market of independent-minded musicians and consumers nostalgic for a cheap, unpolished medium they don’t remember: The cassette tape’s profitability and reach remain limited. What use is Cassette Store Day when, as Esther reminds me, there aren’t any cassette stores? On these grounds, it’s hard to see cassettes becoming the commercial juggernaut they once were. Then again, in a world where I can play Justin Bieber on a Walkman, I think I’ll decline to make any predictions.

Government restrict living cost support for EU students in the UK

Written by Emily Hulme on . Posted in News.

The government has announced plans to make it harder for EU students in the UK to access to financial support with living costs.

Currently, EU nationals studying in the UK are entitled to apply for support for their living costs if they have lived here for more than three years. But this looks as if it will change as the government have increased the years of residency to five years as a new requirement. Given that most degree programmes are three years long, the government are essentially removing the accessibility of financial support from EU national students.

The National Union of Students have spoken out against the government stating the changes will have an “enormous impact” on those who cannot afford to study without extra financial support for their living costs. They reported that these students “will be shut out of the education system and forced to put their lives on hold.”

The student campaigners say it is difficult to tell exactly how many students will be affected by the latest announcement but previous statistics show that “about 35,000 students from the EU applied for support for the 2014/2015 academic year, but a proportion of them will have been in the UK for five years or more.”

University minister Jo Johnson justifies the announcement by comparing the UK to other EU countries such as France and Germany, “who generally require five years’ residency in the home country before students become eligible for living cost support.”  Mr. Johnson adds: “The higher education student support budget is under pressure from increasing numbers of applicants from the EU, and the government is taking steps to manage the burden on the taxpayer.”

Johnson states that the government “recognise this will have a deterrent effect as EU nationals may not meet the proposed new residency requirement.” He adds: “It is not the intention to deny access to higher education in England.”

Responding directly to this is NUS International Students’ Officer, Mostafa Rajaai: “This is yet another attack on the rights of migrants in the UK. The government doesn’t miss a chance to vilify migrants for not contributing enough to society, yet it keeps putting up barriers to prevent them from attending college and university.”

The change will impact students beginning their courses 2016/17, who will have to demonstrate five years residency. It will not affect EU students already studying in the UK, who will be entitled to the existing requirements of only demonstrating three years residency.

The bodies nobody cares about

Written by Ola Youssef on . Posted in Features.

Women have been used, objectified, and sexualised in the media since the media became a thing.

We’ve been used to sell beer, motorcycles, and even cheeseburgers—whilst ironically being told that all these things are not for us. So when it comes to a debate about women’s body image, we all know the drill: Barbies are evil, everything’s Photoshopped, and Victoria’s Secret is bulimia; I know it, your grandfather knows it, and, if you don’t know it by now, then how is that cave you have been living in for the past ten years? Is it rough during the winter months? I bet it is.

But in more recent years, men have been getting in on the body shame game too, with six-packs on Abercrombie & Fitch bags, the Calvin Klein bulge, and G.I. Joe’s shrinking waist and growing shoulders, it begs the question: When it comes to men’s body image—should we care?

I asked around about what peoples’ thoughts and experiences with the issue. The responses I got were broadly of three types.

The first: “…”

It turns out an awful lot people have actually never thought about it. The whole concept of men having issues with body image, eating disorders, or dysmorphia, is talked about so little that the gears don’t start turning nearly as quickly as when you mention women’s body image.

The second type of response was a “Yes… and no…”

People told me that they felt men have their problems, sure, but they are not as common as those faced by women, and they have not been an issue for nearly as long. They seem to think that with all that women go through, it seems almost petty to ask the world to turn its attention to men.

Finally, the third type: Near outrage. “Of course it’s an issue! Men have bodies don’t they? Your mental and physical health shouldn’t matter any more or less because of your gender.”

These responses were pretty evenly split between men and women, but as I was not specifically gathering data here, I won’t attempt to present any trend. What I will say is, they all make sense.

When you look to the media, the stereotypical image of eating disorders is a fragile young woman, preferably in black and white, throwing up on the regular and wincing at the sight of food. Meanwhile, the image of body positivity is a middle aged, size 16 lady, who just doesn’t care what you think, dammit! So, having it never cross your mind that men can even experience these issues is understandable.

It’s also undeniable that the media puts more pressure on women to try and get them to feel bad about themselves. There’s a whole industry dedicated to it, in fact. Have you ever seen a man star in a dieting ad? Me neither.

But when it boils down to it, in my search for opinions, I have talked to men who starve themselves to be skinny, men who do not feel that it is fair that they are forced to erase any hint of femininity from their image when masculinity in women is so celebrated, and I have talked to men who just plain have a hard time looking at their bodies in the mirror. The more you notice it, the more it starts to become apparent that this problem of mental health in relation to body is not as rare in men as its level of representation would have you think.

But what to do the professionals say?

I talked to counselling psychologist Dr Heather Sacco to find out what her thoughts were on the issue.

According to Dr Sacco, dysmorphia and eating disorders in men and boys is “on the rise”. As usual, it seems the media has a definitive role to play, as she notes that the increase in numbers correlates with the rise in male objectification in the media.

She also notes how much easier it is for the problem to be missed in men; partly because some men with Body Dysmorphia Disorder (BDD) are more geared towards gaining muscle rather than losing weight, otherwise known as muscle dysmorphia (or ‘Bigorexia’ for those of you who follow the tabloids). However, it is mainly because men, are on the whole, less likely to actually recognise the problem, as are their friends and family.

(As a side note, the fact that we have given a disorder that involves over-exercising, being ashamed of one’s appearance, obsessing over diet and looks, and—especially when steroids are involved—poses serious health risks, and is usually accompanied by depressive moods and suicidal tendencies, a name as silly as ‘Bigorexia’, is further proof that we are not taking men’s mental health seriously enough; but I digress.)

This is also common for problems that are seen as ‘women’s issues’, and a similar phenomenon is seen in cases of domestic abuse and rape. The fact that body issues are so regularly viewed as being ‘women’s issues’ means that men who do recognise they have a problem are less forthcoming in seeking help for fear of stigma. We need to bear in mind that people with mental health issues such as anorexia or muscle dysmorphia are hyper-aware, to the extent of paranoia, about how they are viewed by others, so this stigma would be a prominent fear in their minds.

In the end, dysmorphia is a mental illness and it is always very hard to convince the sufferer they have it, adding in our twisted ideals of who should and should not need help and the problem can only grow.

So. Back to the big question. Should we care?

Yes. Yes we should.

It is true that these issues affect women more, but simply because a problem affects one group more than another does not give us a pass to ignore issues in the latter completely. The idea that a boy or a man can brush off an illness with the throwaway statement, “But I’m a guy,” (yes that is a real life example) and everyone around him can nod and move on, is not okay. He will get worse. And then what?

As we slowly (so… very… slowly…) work our way towards gender equality we are going to have to drop our rigid stereotypes. We are going to have to stop viewing women as weak, and characterising asking for help as feminine and therefore weak by association. We are going to have to stop telling men to “man up” and ignore their problems until they are catastrophes; and then ignore them some more.

We need to be vocal and to help people realise that when it comes to mental health, everyone can be affected, and that everyone who is needs and deserves help. We need to care.