Year: 2017

Manchester University “uncertain” two-year degrees will benefit disadvantaged

Written by Cameron Broome on 11th December 2017. Posted in News.

The University of Manchester has told The Mancunion that it is “uncertain” two-year degrees will improve student experience or help to attract disadvantaged students.

Several Manchester University students have also criticised the proposals, questioning whether the proposals would benefit applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds as well as whether students would get the same all-round experience during an intensive two-year course.

Universities Minister, Jo Johnson MP, will allow Universities in England to charge up to £14,000 a year for fast-track two-year degree courses under current government plans, expected to be implemented by 2020.

A University of Manchester spokesman told The Mancunion: “The University of Manchester does not currently offer two year intensive undergraduate programmes, though we will keep this under review.

“Our current thinking is that there would be considerable challenges for a research intensive university to run two year undergraduate programmes alongside three year programmes.

“We also think and that the benefits for improving student experience and attracting disadvantaged students are uncertain.”

Jo Johnson MP said they would not mean a “flight” from traditional three-year courses rather would offer an alternative for those with different circumstances, needs and wants.

The Universities minister said: “Take from example, someone who is in their mid to late twenties, who didn’t go to university, who has already been in the workforce but wants an opportunity to retrain and acquire a level of skills they haven’t got.

“They don’t want to spend three years studying and want a faster pace of learning than the classic three year model would allow.”

The Universities Minister suggested that two-year degrees would not only be attractive to mature students but disadvantaged students too, due to the saving of one year’s living costs, though this claim has been questioned by the University of Manchester and its students who are sceptical about the proposals.

Commenting on the proposals, Rosie Latchford, a Politics and Philosophy student at the University of Manchester, said: “I think it’s an awful idea. It will reduce the standard of education, less well off students might be pushed towards taking these kinds of degrees whilst well-off students continuing to study for three years only increasing what is already a massive problem, education inequalities.

“Why not just lower what is a ridiculous cost to pay for an undergraduate degree rather than doing stuff like this?”

Matthew Worswick, a third-year Theological Studies in Philosophy and Ethics student, told The Mancunion: “I don’t like the idea, trying to cram stuff into two years wouldn’t work at all. And that’s talking purely academically, let alone all the personal development that happens over the three years.”

The Department for Education has suggested that students on an “accelerated” degree course would save 20 per cent in tuition fees compared to peers on a traditional three-year course.

Two-year degree courses are already offered by a few Higher Education institutions present, with government analysis suggesting around 2,5000 undergraduates opt for a fast-track degree.

The proposals are aimed to give greater financial incentive to both students and Universities to offer “accelerated” degree courses.

Imogen Gray, a University of Manchester student, said: “Universities haven’t adopted these two year degrees maybe because unlike the Tories they see the holistic experience university should be, not just being trained or taught as quickly as possible so you can go out and work, so you can pay your taxes and pay off your huge student loans.

“You have 60 plus years to be working after university why the hell would you want to ‘fast track’ anything.”

University of Manchester PhD student and former Durham University undergraduate Jack Barton, added:” I buy the argument for mature students – that is fair. Sounds like an awful idea for those just starting university unless you only care about the piece of paper at the end.

“We had a saying in Durham, ‘Don’t let your degree get in the way of your education’ and longer, cheaper, degrees will facilitate this – not this rubbish.”

Jack added that the proposals were “a step above the insulting millennial railcard but only just”, referring to the announcement in the 2017 Autumn Budget of a railcard which entitles holders to a third off all rail tickets for those aged between 25 and 30, akin to the 16-25 railcard, which also faced criticism from several students at the University of Manchester.

Despite the widespread criticism from students at the University of Manchester, there were some students who welcomed the proposals.

Luke Dykes, a Physics with Theoretical Physics student at Manchester University, said: “It gives students more choice and freedom over their own education. We therefore, will have more of an opportunity to pursue our future goals.

“For some people two year degrees may be a bit tough, but for others a three year degree is far too slow so allowing the student to decide what length they want to pursue makes a lot of sense.”

Shadow Education Secretary, Angela Rayner MP, said that was “no concrete evidence” the proposals would benefits students and viewed the proposals as “another plan to raise tuition fees.”

The Ashton-under-Lyne MP said: “It seems that every higher education policy from this government comes with another plan to raise tuition fees, with students on part time degrees now facing charges of over £11,000 a year.

“With universities facing uncertainty over Brexit, ministers must address concerns like the impact on staff workload before imposing more major changes.

“So far they have offered no concrete evidence that squeezing three years of learning into two will stem the huge drop in part-time students, or lead to better outcomes.”

Student anger at Trump’s Jerusalem announcement

Written by Elizabeth Rushton on 11th December 2017. Posted in News.

Manchester student groups will take to the streets on Saturday 16th December to protest US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The pro-Palestine Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) campaign has said that the US’s swift change in policy “exposes the US blindly adhering to Israeli policy to ethnically cleanse Palestine and to set the Middle East ablaze”.

The demonstration, which will take place at Piccadilly Gardens under the name “Hands Off Jerusalem”, was originally planned to mark the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a revolutionary socialist group and founding member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). The group is regarded as a terrorist organisation by powers including the United States and the European Union for a range of armed attacks, including hijackings and suicide bombings, against significant Israeli targets since the 1960s. The demonstration is being co-organised by the Manchester branches of Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! (FRFI) and Action Palestine, alongside the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network.

Students have already gathered to protest Trump’s policy switch on Friday 8th December, when activist groups led a march from the university to Piccadilly Gardens.

Both these demonstrations come just weeks after activists staged a sit-in under Whitworth Arch during a meeting of the university board of governors to demand divestment from fossil fuels and corporations with investments in Israel.

President Trump’s sudden change in policy marks a dramatic break from the trend of the international community’s stance on Jerusalem. Whilst the city is the largest in Israel, the seat of its government and its declared capital, the United States now joins Czechia as the only other countries to officially recognise this. The rest of the international community acknowledges the second largest city, Tel Aviv, as the capital, and many countries have their embassies there.

The long-standing source of the dispute surrounding Jerusalem’s status is due to its significance to the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths, and as such it is believed by some to be the capital of Palestine rather than of Israel. The EU has consistently referred to the city as a corpus separatum – a “separated body” in which Jerusalem could be the two states’ shared capital under international jurisdiction as outlined in the UN’s 1947 partition plan for Palestine.

The US’s intentions to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is no recent phenomenon: the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act made a first commitment to recognising it as Israel’s capital. However Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama all placed a waiver on this legislation, citing reasons of national security – this waiver was lifted by President Trump in June of this year, 22 years after the act was passed by the US Congress.

Rugby League World Cup Final 2017: Australia 6-0 England

Written by Jamie McEvoy on 11th December 2017. Posted in Sport.

Boyd Cordner scored the only try in an arduous face-off between the co-hosts and England on Saturday, meaning Australia claim their 11th World Cup trophy.

England went into the final without skipper Sean O’Loughlin and hooker Josh Hodgson which undoubtedly was a hammer blow for the side, yet their side’s performance against the Kangaroos was nothing short of valiant and dogged, in the home nation’s first final since 1972.

Australia went ahead early on after a flurry of penalties were conceded by their opponents, with Cordner surging through the England line to go over 15 minutes in. Captain Cameron Smith sealed two further points with his successful conversion, yet England replied immediately and will have been furious they did not go into the half time break level. The in-form Jermaine McGillvary had a golden opportunity to burst through into space, yet he mishandled the ball, handing possession back over to the Aussies.

Ultimately, it appeared to be this lack of composure and sense of panic which were England’s major downfalls. Time and time again Wayne Bennett’s side found themselves reaching the Australian 20-metre area, only to spurn their chances.

Yet the co-hosts most definitely were on the back-foot for the majority of the second-half, backs to the wall against a resilient wall of white. It was a game of patience, with Australia foiling attack after attack, whilst England denied their opponents any opportunity to further their lead.

In the dying moments Gareth Widdop lead an England attack two tackles in, yet inexplicably chose to prod the ball through the Australian line and into touch. Accusations of ‘going for glory’ or ‘bottling it’ would not be unjustified, yet it would be incredibly harsh to lay down any blame on the Dragons fullback for any failure to break down the Aussie defence.

As referee Gerard Sutton (interestingly an Australian himself…) blew for full time, the England players sunk to the ground, devastated. Nonetheless, it has been an excellent tournament for the nation and a massive achievement for a side who have made their first final in 45 years.

For Australia, it’s one more string to add to their bow and they are deservedly the World Champions after conceding a mere three tries all tournament. However, the 2017 Rugby League World Cup will rightfully be remembered for its upsets and dark horses and come 2021 the reigning champions could find their opposition will be out for revenge.

Rugby League World Cup 2017 Champions: Australia

Runners-Up: England

Top Try-Scorer: Valentine Holmes

The Mancunion’s Player of the Tournament: Jason Taumalolo

Review: The Tempest

Written by Anuli Changa on 11th December 2017. Posted in Theatre.

Directed by Jack Waterman and assistant director El Royle, The Tempest follows the story of Prospero (Georgia Carney), the rightful Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda (Emma Hill). They are banished to sea following betrayal by Prospero’s brother Antonio (Tom Bass), and now live on an island.

Prospero rescues a sprite, Ariel (Harriet Taylor), who had been imprisoned by the witch Sycorax. Ariel is now bound to serve Prospero, but desperately wishes to be free.

The final inhabitant of the island is Caliban (Daisy Shuttleworth), the child of Sycorax and the devil, who is also unwillingly enslaved by Prospero. Following Prospero conjuring a storm to bring his enemies to him, comedic chaos ensues.

This performance dealt well with the multiple subplots of the play arising from Prospero’s storm, which can easily be confused. From the king’s son, Ferdinand (Nick Kane) falling in love with Miranda, to the comical duo of the court jester Trinculo (Gabrielle Kirk) and the butler Stefano (Emily Fitzpatrick), there is a lot going on to keep you entertained.

Kirk and Fitzpatrick were a fun comedy pair as they got drunk on beer from New Zealand Wines, sang chart toppers and plotted to kill Prospero with Caliban. The work done on the physicality of the ‘non-human’ characters of Ariel and Caliban was very effective and enhanced by some minimalistic but sophisticated makeup.

Particularly, the relationship portrayed between Prospero (Carney) and Ariel (Taylor) was beautiful and very believable; the affection was clear, and the moment Ariel was set free carried great poignancy.

A haunting and psychedelic atmosphere was created with live music inspired by, and including songs from, David Bowie. Use of live music definitely enhanced this performance of The Tempest, beginning with the opening of ‘Life on Mars’ sung largely a cappella by Daisy Shuttleworth and leading into a harrowing storm sequence by the band, and accompanied by strobe lighting.

Productions at The Globe often include live music, but this version had the unique quality of marrying rock, classical and funk (music arranged by Madeleine Brooks). Although the music was at some points a little too loud, it was such an entertaining addition and often portrayed the feeling on stage so well that you didn’t mind missing a sentence or two.

Antwerp was an ambitious and unorthodox venue, and it was impressive what was achieved with some fabric and fairy lights. A comparatively light-hearted Shakespeare play (due to the lack of body count) interestingly interpreted and well performed!

Lucky draw for England in the World Cup group stage

Written by James Gill on 11th December 2017. Posted in Sport.

England fans across the country rejoiced as they saw the Three Lions get a favourable draw on Friday afternoon. They were drawn into Group G, arguably the easiest, alongside Belgium, Panama and Tunisia.

With England placed in Pot Two there was going to be a lot of nail biting as we waited to see which Pot One team we were faced with. Out of the eight teams there were only three that looked favourable for England, Poland, Russia and Belgium.

Poland rose to seventh in the FIFA rankings from fifteenth in 2016 due to choosing favourable friendly match-ups as well as no friendlies at all on occasion to use the flaws in the system to their benefit. Russia are regarded as the weakest seeded team, ranked 65th in the world, but the home advantage they receive makes them unpredictable and would have been a risky draw.

Belgium, who England did draw, have a fantastic squad of individual players but can’t gel together, much like England. Seven of the starting eleven who played in Belgium’s last international game, a 1-0 win at Japan, play in the Premier League and England may benefit from having played with them regularly. Their manager, Roberto Martinez, is formerly of Everton and so we benefit from knowing a lot about his practices, although the same could be said the other way round.

Then it was time for Pot Three, which contained many teams that could give England a good challenge such as Sweden, Egypt and Iceland, obviously. The ball that was picked out contained Tunisia who, alongside Iran, were the best opposition for us to face. Tunisia have only qualified four times previously as an independant nation, the last was Germany 2006 where they drew one and lost two.

Almost all of their players play in the Tunisian league with their most talented trio playing in France for Ligue 1 sides Dijon, Rennes and Nice respectively. Currently ranked 28th in the world, England should have no trouble getting the result here. The harrowing memory of the 0-0 draw against fellow North African side Algeria in Cape Town 2010 is still all too fresh in the memory and a repeat or worse would lead to further national embarrassment.

The last team England drew was Panama from Pot Four. It is difficult to predict which team would be the hardest to be facing as these smaller nations, who don’t qualify regularly, can cause upsets. Panama for instance have never qualified before this and knocked out the United States to get to Russia 2018. One of their best players, goalkeeper Jaime Penedo, is the backup to Juventus loanee Laurentiu Branescu at Dinamo Bucuresti.

What this means is that we should, emphasis on should, beat them comfortably. I can picture the moment already when we lose 1-0 to an 87th minute header from a free kick given away from a clumsy Dele Alli tackle. Southgate will emphasise that this is a project with the aim to give players the “World Cup experience” and that 2022 is when we stand a real chance.

The order in which the Three Lions will play the games is Tunisia first on June 18th then Panama on June 24th before finally facing Belgium on June 28th. I personally think this is the best possible route to play our group games. Two wins will most likely see us progress regardless of the result against Belgium.

After watching the World Cup draw I played the little game on The Guardian’s website where you see who wins the tournament based on the final groups. England made it all the way to the final and beat Germany to make it two stars about those three glorious golden lions. So you heard it here first, it’s coming home.

Interview: Solardo

Written by Yasmin Duggal on 11th December 2017. Posted in Music.

Any discussion of Manchester’s unique musical heritage always reverts back to the acid house, baggy days of the early 90s, when raves hit the mainstream and there was a demand for space. Nearly three decades later, the conversation seems to turn to the closing down of venues, of gentrification, drug-related deaths and the clamping down on cultural space. But how important is it to fight for these institutions to stay open?

Solardo recently shared a petition to reopen The Rainbow Venues in Birmingham, after its licence was revoked following the death of a young clubber. The Mancunion spoke to one half of Solardo, James Elliot, about how crucial it is to keep the underground dance scene thriving.

You’ve had so much success this year, and support from some of the biggest in the business… how has that been?

Let me tell you… 2017 has been an absolute whirlwind. We worked out that by the end of this year we will have done 187 gigs, which equates to about six months of the year gigging. It’s been very intense, but I’m not going to sit here complaining, because I’d be complaining if we didn’t have all these gigs.

This year was the launch of Solardo Sessions and our first full season in Ibiza… I think we did 18 shows over there. Everything has been sold out. We’re the third biggest selling tech/house act on Beatport, so we’ve done really well.

Are you looking forward to taking the music to Europe next year?

Yeah I’m looking forward to Europe. I think you’ve got to conquer everywhere, when you’ve got the backing from your hometown and you’ve gained a fan base. We were in South America a few weeks back and it was mad — people had Solardo t-shirts on with songs printed on them in Brazil, Peru and Mexico. We were in Australia too and fans were dressed like us!

When I’m there I don’t think about it, but talking to you now, it’s just bizarre. We did 30 gigs in North America and it’s crazy that people knew who we were.

Talking of your hometown fan base, do you think it’s helped you, being from Manchester?

100 per cent. Back in the early days we used to go to the regular club nights at Gorilla, South and Sankeys, when it was open. We have a studio in the Northern Quarter and we used to come out of the club and just shout “afterparty!” and drunk people were willing to go anywhere that was going to play music.

That’s how we built our fan base.We grew up around acid house merging into the new school house and techno in Manchester, so it’s been a massive factor to our success, starting up in this city. And to come back and play Warehouse Project in our city is special.

You recently pledged support to keep The Rainbow Venues open in Birmingham. How important are these musical institutions to you guys?

Absolutely. And Fabric too. Listen, when Sankeys closed, I felt it was an extremely sad day for Manchester. All these premier clubs like The Hacienda and Sankeys, they’ve gone. You see them in Birmingham and Nottingham, but Manchester doesn’t have it anymore, so it’s important to keep these venues open.

Warehouse Project takes place for three months of the year, but for the rest of the calendar there is no regular underground club scene, where you know every Friday and Saturday there would be a top house DJ set, like there was at Sankeys.

There’s such a big gap there, and there’s some decent venues like Hidden, but nothing like Sankeys. It hurts my heart that Manchester no longer has a genuine underground club scene. I’d love to bring that back to Manchester. If I had more time, I’d do it, but I barely get time to see my kids, let alone set up a club in Manchester.

You’re returning to Manchester for Warehouse Project on Boxing Day for Solardo Sessions. How does that feel?

It’s absolutely unbelievable. It is the proudest moment, to have our own event on the most important day in that calendar, in our home city, in a venue we’ve been going to for ten years. I went to the very first Warehouse Project, at Boddingtons Brewery.

My mate showed me a poster and said I had to go to this venue, and I’d never heard of any of the names of the line up. But yeah Warehouse Project and Sankeys have been massive influences.

Thanks so much for chatting to us, James.

You can catch Solardo Sessions at The Warehouse Project on Tuesday 26th December.

A day at F.C. United

Written by Sam Cooper on 11th December 2017. Posted in Sport.

The day started at Grey Horse Inn in central Manchester, where I was to meet members of the F.C. United Students’ Society. Beforehand, I was unsure of what to expect. I was thinking there would be one or two fans in the corner of this pub while others set about their standard Saturday drinking, but upon arrival, I realised that couldn’t have been further from the truth.

Fans of all ages were packed into this small pub, each with the red and black of F.C. United on them. Some were chatting about events happening in their lives, others were watching the Ashes on a TV above the bar, and some were discussing F.C. United’s recent fortunes.

The majority of fans there are also Manchester United fans but to my surprise, there were two fellow Ipswich Town fans like myself. The supporters had been here since ten o’clock, and by the time I arrived, many were getting ready to head over to the ground.

Photo: Sam Cooper @ The Mancunion

The F.C. United Students’ Society currently consists of two members; Jake Worrall, one of the members, told me that while he’d like to have more members, this society was unique in that every member has a 100 per cent attendance record. Jake spoke of the efforts to get more university students over to F.C. United by offering a chance at affordable, live football that resembles the traditional values of the beautiful game.

Midday rolled around and we piled into a minibus to make the 4.6 mile trip to Broadhurst Park, home of F.C United.

On the ride over, I spoke with George Baker, a board member at the club, and he explained how the board is elected. There can be up to eleven members on the board at any one time, and they stand for a two-year period before needing to run for re-election. They must receive over 50 per cent of votes and have been a member for two years. This is all part of an attempt to remain a club belonging to the fans, and goes back to the reasons why the club exists in the first place.

F.C. United of Manchester started after a growing discontent towards the way Manchester United was being turned into a corporate entity, rather than a club; so, in 2005, an alternative was born. After a settling on the name F.C. United of Manchester (F.C. United was deemed too generic by the FA), the club was registered with the Manchester County Football Association on the 14th of June 2005.

The club’s manifesto says: “Our aim is to create a sustainable club for the long term which is owned and democratically run by its members, which is accessible to all the communities of Manchester and one in which they can participate fully.” The club also has a list of core principles that it strives to abide by:

The board will be democratically elected by its members;
Decisions taken by the membership will be decided on a one-member, one vote basis;
The club will develop strong links with the local community and strive to be accessible to all, discriminating against none;
The club will endeavour to make admission prices as affordable as possible, to as wide a constituency as possible;
The club will encourage young, local participation — playing and supporting — whenever possible;
The board will strive wherever possible to avoid outright commercialism;
The club will remain a non-profit organisation.

F.C. United is now the largest fan-owned club in the UK and enjoys one of the highest home attendances in English non-league football. Since its inception, the club has risen quickly through the tiers of the English football pyramid, and the team now play in the sixth tier of the National League North.

After initially sharing Bury F.C.’s Gigg Lane, May 2015 marked a turning point for the club as they moved into their new permanent home of Broadhurst Park. The ground holds 4,400 at its capacity and was built at a cost of £6.3 million, which the club funded using various schemes and grants.

Arriving at the stadium, my initial impression is that it doesn’t look stereotypically non-league at all. As a man who has seen his fair share of non-league grounds, which have ranged from a small falling-down stand to a shed placed next to a field of grass, this is clearly a cut above.

The fans that travelled over early are here to help set up. One fan is carrying the corner flags, another is helping behind the bar, and someone is preparing a small stage for pre-match entertainment.

Jake, who is one of those helping behind the bar, explains how busy it gets here before a match. The bar and stage are located underneath the St. Mary’s Road End stand and the walls are decorated with memorabilia of footballing years gone by.

The floor is covered with patches of artificial turf and a collection of chairs has been spread about for fans to sit on, ranging from benches to pink leather armchairs. The Jake’s father, another fan of the club, told me some of the stories behind the stand.

Photo: Sam Cooper @ The Mancunion

On the ironwork holding the stand up are big stencils reading ‘PROPERTY OF FCUM.’ Tim Worrall, a board member for two years until recently, detailed how when the stadium was still being built, these pieces were sitting in a construction yard and one day that yard went bust. Under the fear the council may claim the ironwork as payment towards the yard’s debts, an F.C. United fan snuck in in the dead of the night to stencil the iron bars and make sure they weren’t taken away. Despite the stadium now being fully constructed, the stencils remain as a symbol of their origins.

Hung from one of these iron bars is an Adidas Tango ball. The ball is part of the pre-match entertainment, and is a call back to a famous Arsenal penalty miss against Manchester United. Arsenal – United is the 5:30 pm kick off that day and as many fans are United fans as well, the game will be shown under the stand after F.C. United’s match.

The pre-match entertainment has taken on an Arsenal theme, with fans invited to guess how high the ball is suspended off the ground (99 inches for those wondering) and a quiz later on focuses on F.C. United and Manchester United players with a Yorkshire twist. Prizes are handed out ranging from a bottle of Jack Daniels to a signed United shirt, and a small jar of Brian McClair’s snot (don’t ask).

Photo: Sam Cooper @ The Mancunion

The fans have been piling in under this stand since one o’clock, and by the time two o’clock rolls around, it is fairly packed down there. It is very much a family atmosphere with fans greeting each other with hugs and cries of “I haven’t seen you for ages!” You could be forgiven for forgetting this is a football match and not actually a big family gathering.

With kick-off edging ever closer, I head to the main stand and take my seat. Today’s fixture is a tricky one, as F.C. United face Harrogate Town, a side that sat second in the league.

F.C. United, meanwhile, have had a difficult start to the season, and one that saw their manager Karl Marginson leave by mutual consent. Marginson had been the manager since the club’s inception, and after 12 years, the job now falls to Tom Greaves, a striker. Greaves is playing today, and he hopes to help lift his side out of the 19th spot they currently find themselves in.

There is a unique occurrence that happens as soon as you take a notebook out at a football game; seemingly everyone then wants to talk to you. The gentleman sat next to me talked about how he wished Greaves was just a manager, and compared him to the managers of Harrogate, who were very animated on the touchline. He spoke of how the team needed more organisation, and Harrogate’s first goal was a testament to this.

After a fairly even opening, Harrogate were enjoying the more dangerous chances. Goalkeeper Lloyd Allinson was needed to keep the score level but with 26 minutes on the clock, Harrogate got their breakthrough.

A corner to the far post was met by the unmarked Jack Vann who happily headed home. The goal was a fair reflection of the opening exchanges but F.C. United bounced back to finish the half well. Scott Kay and Craig Lindfield both had chances that came close.

The halftime whistle blew at 1-0 to the visitors, but it was not long before the home side were back level. After a run of three dangerous corners, Linfield met a low, whipped cross to flick the ball into the net and tie the game. The fans I had been speaking to pre-game underneath the stand where now in fine voice on top of it.

The home side were pressing for the goal that would put them ahead. Kieran Glynn fired away a low, hard shot from the right of the area that required a fingertip save from Harrogate keeper James Belshaw, and F.C. United were the side on top in the second half.

With time running out and it looking like the game would end in a draw, player/manager Greaves stepped up. Again from a corner, Greaves was in the perfect spot to head the ball in from the centre of the goal. The crowd went ecstatic as they looked to be getting one over on a team near the top of the table, but the drama wasn’t to end there.

90 minutes came and Greaves once again found the net; a quick counter-attack allowed Lindfield to square the ball into the path of Greaves. He slotted the ball past Belshaw, and in doing so scored his 100th F.C United goal. A late penalty to Harrogate was not enough to spoil the party as F.C. United ran out 3-2 winners, with Greaves becoming the club’s all-time top-scorer in the process.

Photo: Sam Cooper @ The Mancunion

Speaking to The Mancunion after the game, the player/manager was delighted: “I’ve dreamt about that 100th goal a lot over the last couple of years, and to do it against Harrogate Town, a team of that quality, at home in front of our fans and as player/manager… can’t beat that.”

When asked about his aims for the season he responded with “avoid the drop zone. First and foremost, avoid the drop. We can’t look at anything else at the minute. One result you get sucked in, one result you fly up the table so we want to avoid relegation.”

I also asked him about what challenges he faced taking over from a man who had been the manager since the club’s inception. “Big boots to fill. I’ve got a lot of respect for Margy [Karl Marginson] and he’s been great to me over the years. It was kind of dropped on me a little, but it’s something that I couldn’t have said no to. I am absolutely loving being at this club and if it keeps me here for another few years then fingers crossed. It’s a new era now and fingers crossed we can get ourselves out of this position and climb up the table.”

Finally, I asked him about what makes F.C. United different. “You just been out there, haven’t you? Did you hear them? They’re unbelievable, I’ve never played for fans like it. I’ve loved every single minute of every club I’ve been at but this club just makes you feel so special. I’ve played 240 odd games now and it still feels weird a young lad wants a selfie or something like that. Just special fans and I’ve loved every single minute of being here.”

As Greaves entered the bar where the fans had gathered he was met with chants of “Greavesy! Greavesy! Greavesy!” It’s this kind of interaction with the fans that distinguishes non-league football from the elite level. The fans know the manager and are able to have a pint with him post-match, an opportunity that they treasure.

I also had a chance to speak with Damian Chadwick, the CEO of the club about his plans for the future. “The short-term goal is to continue to be sustainable. We’ve had a bit of an issue recently financially and how the clubs been operating. We’ve had to change. I think it’s fair to say the club struggled when it came into its new £6 million ground to come to terms with it, I feel that we are doing that now and I think we are now trading on a more even keel.

“That’s in the short term, in the long-term or medium-term it is just to gradually grow within our own time and our own means. We’re fan owned so there’s no rich benefactor bankrolling it and writing cheques like confetti, so we’ll do it our own time. What I want to do is to reach out into North Manchester and beyond with our networking on football, and try to encourage Manchester lads to represent F.C. United.

“There are about six or seven that are Manchester based so it bodes well for the future, and that’s what we have to encourage. We’re not going to be signing players for transfer fees so what we have to do is to produce our own. So that’s what I’ve been concentrating on over the last few months.”

Attracting youth to the club is key for survival, so I asked Damian about how F.C. United plan to do that. “We’ve got our Manchester United connection, so we’re a well-known football club. It’s doing outreach; we go to 12 schools in the area and give free tickets away, encouraging them to come, and as you’ve seen today, it’s not sterile. It’s not the Premier League. It’s a boisterous family atmosphere where everyone has a good time, and that’s usually the case irrespective of what happens on the pitch.

“Hopefully, like when I was a kid and I got taken to the Stretford End in 1978, with the atmosphere and the feel of it tonight, young kids and kids of Moston and North Manchester and wider will come here and experience that and go ‘I enjoyed myself, I want to go again.'”

With the dust settling on the afternoon’s match, fans settled into the bar to watch their other team away at Arsenal. Two early goals for the Red Devils ensured their mood was not spoiled, and fans went home happy with wins for both F.C. United and Manchester United combining to make a perfect Saturday.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and one that harks back to football of yesteryear. As the Premier League continues to rise in terms of money and popularity, there can be no doubt that there is still a place for non-league football and F.C. United of Manchester.

Review: Hitler’s Dad/Therese and Isabelle

Written by Orla Quilligan on 11th December 2017. Posted in Theatre.

The University’s Drama Society presented a double-bill of Hitler’s Dad and Therese and Isabelle at The Three Minute Theatre as part of their Autumn Season; an evening of entertainment and intrigue, in the case of both plays.

Ollie Norton-Smith both wrote and directed Hitler’s Dad, which started off the ninety minutes with a terrific bang, using a tight cast of four who were completely believable, comfortable and captivating to watch.

Up next was Therese and Isabelle, a two-hander written by Wanda Pendrié and directed by both Pendrié and Tom Chambers, rounding off the night on a very thought-provoking note.

Hitler’s Dad took place in a mundane workplace break room, shown simply by two chairs and a small table, which was completely contrasted by the excitement, shock, and hilarity we felt as we tried to keep up with the character’s unremitting discussion.

It all started with a question of social media, posed by Sam (played by Aled Williams) to break the painful silence between himself and Char (Holly Willmott).

Williams was an intensely watchable presence at this moment and seemed to have the entire audience under his thumb, warming everyone up into bouts of laughter at his slapstick eating of a hard-boiled egg.

Even while watching, I wouldn’t have been able to explain how the conversation then jumped from the annoyances of social media to masturbation and then onto determinism, but that was the beauty of this play – I felt wonderfully lost and overwhelmed by the surrealism of the situation.

It was when Crerar Antony burst onto the stage as Lou that there was a real explosion of energy and vibrancy on the stage, and the stylistic nature of the play really came into its own.

Norton-Smith is seen as a bit of a physical theatre aficionado within the Drama Society and in this play, it certainly became clear why. The movement only heightened the comedy and the cast pulled it off brilliantly.

There were a couple of moments after what seemed to be a peak of the action, where I felt it was pushed a little too far and the movement slightly lost its worth.

But ultimately this play was a masterclass on just how to really captivate and thrill an audience in only twenty minutes.

Therese and Isabelle was also very funny at times, amidst some contrastingly touching and intriguing moments.

Therese’s character seemed to have the most depth as only she shared monologues with the audience that really reached into the dark and sad nature of the relationship between the two women.

Patience Kanjira performed her monologues very well, which would certainly have been challenging due to the whirlwind of emotions they encompassed.

However, it was hard to understand the real intentions of the play. Perhaps it needed a longer running time in order to really help us understand the nuances of the text.

Instead, when written to a length of only around twenty-five minutes, it seemed a little too condensed and superficially explored and I was unsure if the play was meant to come across as very symbolist or purely naturalistic.

At the ending of the play, the symbolism really came to light through two final scenes as Isabelle had paint smeared all over her body by Therese and finally, in a very sinister and compelling crescendo, Therese choked Isabelle by force-feeding her.

Whilst I felt a little uncertain of the intentions and drive of the play at times, perhaps this was itself an intention of the directors, which certainly resulted in a very provocative piece.

The Double Bill was the third production in the Drama Society’s Autumn Season. Tickets for the remainder of the season can be purchased from here.

Live review: A Tribute to Manchester

Written by Yasmin Duggal on 11th December 2017. Posted in Music.

Friday 1st December, Manchester Academy

It was paint-splattered bucket hats, it was vintage Adidas track jackets, it was a Paul Weller coat, a pretty green t-shirt and a sea of three-stripe kicks. Cliché, you say? Nah, bloody brilliant.

As much as we scorn at the registered trademarks of Manchester culture, it’s so easy to get swept away in the magic of it all, the criteria of the 80s and 90s which made this city the hub of popular culture.

It’s become an institution of its own, that Liam Gallgher walk, Ian Brown attitude and Morrissey’s political lyricism. But if it culminates in a mass sing-song of the anthem which brings this city together, as it did last night, then God bless it.

The Verve Experience

The Verve Experience kicked things off, paying tribute to Richard Ashcroft and those classic tracks embedded in the history of northern music. ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’ was crooned out with the reverence it always delivers, sparking a moment of contemplation in a night of joyous nostalgia. The band fulfilled their purpose; reminding the crowd of the forgotten gems of Verve discography.

The Smiths Ltd

Morrissey reigned as the highlight of the night. From the swinging of a noose (“Hang the DJ!”) to the bashful touch of a flower to the cheek, if you’d shut your eyes you were magicked back to the 80s. Vocals absolutely spot on, The Smiths Ltd sensationally and comically captured the essence of Morrissey and Marr, and the sombre fascination which consumes the tracks. Putting on a performance for every new adventure, from the withdrawn ‘Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want’ to the drama of ‘How Soon Is Now?’ they were spellbinding in their parallels.

Oasish

Now, Liam Gallagher 2.0 was a spectacle if ever there was one. When that parka coat, tambourine and side-burn trademark swagger on stage, you know you’re in for a treat. Everything down to the wiping of the mouth in between verses was just so very Liam. They picked an eclectic set list, welcoming on a string quartet for ‘Whatever’ and bringing the house to its knees with a traditional take on the beautiful ‘Champagne Supernova’.

The Clone Roses

Looking slightly less like the real McCoy than the other front men who came before, Ian Brown made up for it with a vocal indistinguishable from the Roses singer. Baggy dreams were fulfilled, as the crowd got down and low to dance that swanky dance of the Mancunians. ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ seemed to transport the room back to the chemical plant of Spike Island; for a moment we were bathing in the sun of May 1990, and what a day it was.

After the year Manchester has faced, and after rising up stronger than ever, it seemed fitting that the first day of the final month was saturated with Mancunian pride in a space celebrating everything we love about this city. As ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ rang out and mates were held in arms, nostalgia rippled down spines and one thought sprung to mind…

And on the sixth day, Manchester created music.

9/10

Interview: DMA’S

Written by Yasmin Duggal on 11th December 2017. Posted in Music.

DMA’S have unveiled their new single, ‘Dawning’, and are currently in the UK supporting The Kooks, adding their own headline shows at London Heaven and Motherwell Centre.

‘Dawning’ sees DMA’S make a strong return with a tune that illustrates the band’s much-loved talent for songwriting, and offers lyrics and a melody that clash stylistically for the purpose of creating wider meanings to the music.

The band’s debut album, Hills End, was released in 2016 to wide critical acclaim, and now the boys are back, heading in a new direction and raring to go.

You guys are back on the road again…how does that feel?

Alright, yeah. I was quite enjoying some time off actually, but it’s an exciting time. With the second album coming out, it’s exciting that people are really on board with this one.

How is it supporting The Kooks?

Yeah they’re good blokes. I’ve actually got a new favourite venue. Usher Hall in Edinburgh is my new favourite after this tour.

Do you enjoy being over in the UK? You’ve been described before as a kind of Australian Oasis.

Yeah they’re into it in the UK so it’s really cool. That’s not a bad thing to be called. Liam Gallagher came to our gig and he’s into it, so that’s good. Wouldn’t be good to be compared to a band who hated you. I remember our first gig in Manchester at Night and Day actually. Good venue.

The new single is out on 2nd December — is it going to be different from your older stuff?

It’s tough to say because I’m in too deep. The production is different on this one. The first was recorded in a bedroom. Kim Moyes from Presets helped produce this one and he brought some different flavours to it. It was time for us to step it up really for the second album. The songs are still there at heart. Maybe by the fourth album or something we’ll go back to recording in a bedroom.

Is ‘Dawning’ setting the tone for the second album?

No, it’s more like the old album. The next single will be different, we have to move forward, but we back the songs.

Will you be out on a headline tour next year then?

Yeah, there will be a lot of travelling. We’ll be all over the place, but definitely back in the UK for most of the year. We want to hit the festivals too.

Who would you say is your biggest musical influence?

Bruce Springsteen.

Finally, what’s top of your playlist at the moment?

I’m listening to Socialites a lot at the moment — they got some really great melodies. Planete as well have an EP, and another coming, you’ll have to check that out.

Thanks for chatting to us!

Cheers.

Britain’s shameful abandonment of Libya needs to end

Written by Elizabeth Rushton on 11th December 2017. Posted in Opinion.

You could be forgiven for not being aware of the horrific reports from Libya which have gained momentum in some parts of the press this week.

I emphasise the word some — within the last week, no broadsheet paper has featured on its front page the story which should be unthinkable in 2017: that West African refugees are now victim to a slave trade which has sprung up in the Libyan hinterlands, far from the squalid detention centres on the coast where as many as 15,000 have been holed up for months. CNN footage shows men being sold as farm workers for as little as the equivalent of $400.

As far as I can tell, this level of coverage has constituted the greatest emphasis on this human disaster for the best part of a year — it seems, at least in English language media, that outlets including the BBC, the Guardian and The Independent first reported on the dire situation in Libyan refugee camps in February 2017.

Yet many of us are only really hearing about it for the first time now, with the release of CNN’s report. How did a situation arise in which reactions to news over nine months old have been described as ones of shock? Maybe we have become too numb to terrible news — dealing with that is an altogether different question.

We can still ask ourselves how this crisis came to be and what can be done to fix it — questions for which there is no simple answer. We can lay blame on the heads of Europe for not having done enough to offer relief allay the dangers faced at the source of the refugee crisis, despite efforts by some to accommodate those who arrived on the continent.

But the thousands who didn’t survive one of the treacherous boat voyages over the Mediterranean are testament to the fact that prevention is better than cure, and in this vein, Britain needs to take a more active role in ending this nightmare for Libya’s refugees — because it’s a mess that we had a large hand in starting.

The 2011 military intervention in Libya which resulted in the removal and death of Colonel Gaddafi, Libya’s ruler of over 40 years who was described by some as a dictator, was one in which Britain had a large role, only in the aftermath to shirk any responsibility to reconstruct the country.

No sooner had a transitionary council been installed, which in the end never provided the necessary foundation for a stable government, NATO troops were withdrawn from Libya. None of the communities destroyed by fighting, thousands of displaced people, and widespread factions of gangs, extremists and militia were considered reason enough to establish some kind of medium term support on the ground. Six years later and Libya is deemed too unsafe to be reached by diplomats — the airport at Tripoli has been shelled beyond use.

President Obama would later accuse David Cameron and the then French president Nicolas Sarkozy of being responsible for what he called the “shitshow” in Libya, not having fulfilled their obligation to deal with the aftermath of their military campaign and restore order to the country.

At least France is now behind efforts to evacuate those who wish to leave the detention centres, with Macron announcing an EU “Marshall plan for Africa” of $44 billion to fund this action as well as investigations aiming to dismantle slave trade rings, and to address the issues causing mass migration from the continent.

Meanwhile, the cause has yet to be granted so much as a mention in Parliament — although a petition signed by almost 240,000 at the time of writing will ensure that possible action will at least be considered for a debate.

Now the Guardian reports that the rhetoric of the man whose hand our government has held since the start of his presidency is being used to stop help reaching the most vulnerable, making relief efforts more difficult. President Trump has turned the red card of ‘fake news’ frequently shown to him during his presidential campaign into one of the most valuable in his hand, using it liberally to denounce any story that doesn’t speak favourably of him.

The broadcaster Libya 218 used his latest Twitter tirade against CNN to dismiss reports of a slave trade as ‘fake news’, playing into the hands of Libyan diplomats who would rather deny the deepening crisis in their country than end this scourge.

Theresa May was right to condemn Donald Trump’s retweets of racist, falsified videos created by Britain First, a basket of deplorables in the truest sense. Let’s also not forget that their name was shouted repeatedly by the terrorist who murdered Jo Cox in her constituency last summer.

Yet even despite this, a state visit offered to Trump with frightening haste after his inauguration will still not be cancelled. May’s criticism was tame, amounting to little more than a slap on the wrist. “It was the wrong thing to do”, she said — a blanket response which applies just as much to another of his gaffes as it does to the perpetuation of lies which are detrimental to efforts to end barbarity in the 21st century.

In the same thread, we could also call Britain’s lack of support for Libya as it emerged from a harsh civil war as the wrong thing to do. But the hundreds of thousands gathered there from across Africa who have been left behind by Conservative military intervention deserve to hear much more than that.

Live: We Were Promised Jetpacks

Written by Callum Lunn on 11th December 2017. Posted in Music.

The 27th of November 2017 — Soup Kitchen

Playing an extremely intimate gig in Soup Kitchen, the Scottish foursome are embarking on their first tour this year. In past years, their touring schedule has been hectic; the band took the last 12 months off to write new music.

It has taken me a while to write this review; my primary complaint with the gig had nothing to do with the band; it was instead an extremely bad audience that left the experience feeling somewhat lacking. I have to repeat that this isn’t the band. Despite his personal circumstances, frontman Adam John Thompson gave the gig his all, with rousing performances from all the members of the band.

The gig was primarily composed of the aforementioned new music, which featured the band’s trademark sound and energy — dramatic build-ups and powerful sections interspersed with quiet, soulful breaks. I look forward to hearing the music in recorded format.

Playing some of their older music too, with tracks from their amazing 2009 album These Four Walls, the band captured an energy only possible in a live situation — their performance of ‘This is My House, My Home’ took on a whole new meaning, and I heard it in a way far superior to the recorded version.

Adam also did a great job of deflecting a heckler, which, in a space as small as Soup Kitchen, really tends to put a downer on the event, among other questionable behaviour from some of my fellow audience members.

All in all, I wanted to enjoy this gig, and the band put on a performance worthy of a much better audience than the one they got. I don’t think a rating would do them justice.

?/10

Momentum’s ‘loyalty-tests’ are an affront to democracy

Written by Will Phillips on 11th December 2017. Posted in Opinion.

Momentum has found itself again at the centre of disputes within the Labour Party.

It was reported last week that the left-wing pressure group is now asking future parliamentary candidates to take ‘loyalty tests’ by signing contracts agreeing to the “political objectives” of Momentum, in order to receive the group’s backing. This would essentially commit future MPs who have signed the contract to vote according to the values of Momentum and Corbyn in future Parliaments and implement all manifesto commitments.

On the surface this seems a pragmatic, perhaps even reasonable move to ensure unity within the party and secure loyalty to Corbyn’s leadership. Such a move in restricting divergence from the dominant Labour narrative could exploit the current disarray and divisions within the shambolic Tory government.

Even if this was the case though, the move remains a concerning one. Due to the growing dominance of Momentum in some areas of the country, it is increasingly difficult to achieve selection without the group’s support — meaning that MPs must either sign up to Momentum’s brand of politics, or face being shut out of the party.

As one Labour MP suggested to The Observer, the loyalty contracts signal a “Stalinist approach to politics”.

This hyperbolic language is unhelpful, as the selection process within the Labour Party does not in itself pose a problem. It is democratic and indeed acceptable that the membership should be involved in who can stand as an MP. Where the issue lies and is rightly challenged though by dissenting Labour MPs, is in the nature and implications of the loyalty tests being implemented by Momentum.

Firstly, there is a bemusing irony that a group supporting Corbyn is implementing a toe-the-line policy against MPs under his leadership. As is widely known, Corbyn voted 428 times against Labour whilst the party was in power from 1997–2010. By forcing MPs to vote based not on their own principles, but along the lines dictated by an influential and increasingly powerful pressure group, Momentum is undermining Corbyn’s legacy as an independent and free-thinking member of Parliament.

The imposition of contracts is both inconsistent with Corbyn’s values, but also undermines the very traits which made him so appealing to Labour members —his conscience-oriented voting and his integrity in doing so.

Secondly, Momentum’s drive for loyalty is at odds with Labour’s tradition as a broad church party. The refusal to allow MPs seeking election to diverge from the group’s views, appears as an almost Orwellian imposition of ‘groupthink’. Labour MPs must either abandon their principles and align with Momentum, or risk being shut out.

Corbyn of course needs the support of the PLP, but this should not be enforced through Momentum imposed contracts. Labour needs to promote cooperation and convince those in the party that Corbyn’s world-view is one worth pursuing, not assert an authoritarian demand for ‘loyalty’.

Finally, Momentum’s attempts to impose voting habits onto Labour would-be MPs, is an affront not to just the pluralistic tradition within the Labour Party, but also a threat to British democracy in a wider-sense.

Members of Parliament have a duty in the House of Commons to think independently and vote — as Corbyn has done for decades — based on their conscience.

Their job is not, as the loyalty contracts would surely dictate, to turn up and regurgitate the views of Momentum. MPs are expected to vote according to the interests of their electorate, to whom they are accountable, not according to the interests of a pressure group. It is obviously not unfair to expect that MPs should vote through Labour’s next manifesto, but the signing of loyalty contracts essentially undermines the independence of elected members of Parliament.

It should of course be recognised that Momentum’s work during the election was remarkable and deserves the praise it received in helping to mobilise the vote and recover the initially thought irrecoverable gap in the polls prior to the election. But the group’s performance does not give it the right to split Labour and strengthen factionalism, deterring any on the right of the party from seeking election.

Nor is it appropriate that Momentum should dictate to MPs how to vote. That is the matter for elected representatives not pressure groups.

Momentum may be part of the Labour Party, but the Labour Party is not Momentum. Its members should realise this, and acknowledge that they have no right to monopolise the values within an intellectually diverse party.

Mapping Sheffield Street

Written by Joe Taylor on 11th December 2017. Posted in Food & Drink.

Manchester is a city that recycles space well: from old mills into new-build apartments and art spaces (Vulcan Mill and Islington Mill respectively), underground railway arches into expensive rave venues (Warehouse Project (yes, I did just call it a rave, and no, I am not old)), and disused M.O.T. garages into music spaces (The White Hotel).

Where there’s space, a hoard of creative people are setting up shop. So too is this the case on Sheffield Street, a short road of railway arches just east of Piccadilly Station, that has been re-used as places for tasty food, drink, and mixed martial arts should you so get the inclination.

Cloudwater Barrel Store Tap Room

Closest to Piccadilly, and probably the most established little venture on the strip, is Cloudwater Brewery’s tap room. The Brewery has a selection of between eight and ten beers on at any one time, all of which abide by their modern, seasonal beer ethos.

Each beer is £3, and you’ll get this in either a 1/2 pint or 2/3 pint glass, depending on the alcohol content. Should you get hungry, bread baskets are available with a mixture of oils and olives, the former of which is sourced from Pollen Bakery just a few doors down.

Drinking in the tap room is lovely, and while the space is cavernous, with long tables filling the centre of the corrugated iron-lined arch, and huge racks of ageing casks lining the walls, the music, festoon lighting and selection of blankets makes the it a cosy place to sit and drink.

Open from Thursday to Sunday at varying hours, see their website for more details.

Pollen Bakery

At the end of the row, Pollen is a small-scale bakery and Viennoiserie run by Hannah Calvert and Chris Kelly. Having opened just over a year ago, Pollen now supplies restaurants and cafes around Manchester, as well as opening its doors each week to sell beautiful loaves and pastries to hungry punters.

All of their bread is sour dough, and is left to prove for at least 28 hours before being baked so that it, as the owners say, “unlocks all the nutrients it has locked away, develop great flavour and also makes [their] bread more digestible.”

As well as a variety of loaves, Pollen also specialise in pastries, with croissants, cruffins (mix between croissant and muffin — totally delicious), brownies, sweet and savoury tarts, all on sale for reasonable prices. The only downside to Pollen is that it’s hugely popular, meaning you have to get down as it opens to be in with a chance of securing a pastry!

Open from Wednesday to Saturday at varying hours, see their website for more details.

Track Brewing Company

Something of Cloudwater’s understudy in terms of size, Track Brewing Company’s space is mainly used for brewing, and becomes a makeshift tap room just two evenings a week. This is not to say, however, that it doesn’t warrant commendation, and what it lacks in size, it makes up for in price, taste and fun.

While you pay a deposit for your glass, Track’s selection of beers are cheaper and, may I say so myself, tastier than Cloudwater’s, with their Mosaic IPA especially crisp and fruity. Track also seems to be less busy than Cloudwater, and has a ping-pong table set in amongst the fermenters, which makes for a fun pastime while sipping beers that were made not two feet away.

Open on Friday and Saturday evenings only, see their website for more details.

Letter from the Editor – DO NOT PUBLISH

Written by Kirstie O'Mahony on 8th December 2017. Posted in Uncategorised.

It feels as though this semester has absolutely flown by. It seems as if I have blinked and am now writing my second letter to our readers.

It’s been a fairly tumultuous semester: one that’s seen the world of student news go on quite a rollercoaster. We’ve had a spate of violence in an area many of us call home, we’ve seen an exhausting yet inconclusive Executive Officer referendum (although as you’ll read on this week’s front page, the matter has been decided through other means), and building works that have, among other things, caused the union to have an unbearable and unrelenting stench of faeces… it’s certainly been an interesting few months.

It has been an extremely trying semester for all students and staff at the University of Manchester, not least because of the staff redundancies and consequent strike. This has certainly been the case for an organisation that is close to my heart, the Manchester Media Group. Our team of dedicated volunteers have had to deal with one of the most stressful and momentous moves in its history. They have dealt with it admirably, and I commend each and every person within it for all their hard work and grit through what has been a very difficult period.

But now we come to the festive season, and a well deserved break for all us here at the Manchester Media Group and the rest of university as well. I hope that, as well as stuffing yourself silly, you relax and come back next semester refreshed and rearing to go, because when the union fully reopens in the new year, you’ll need your energy for all the exciting things that are to come. Watch this space!

Happy Christmas (or whatever you may celebrate) from myself and my Deputy, Tristan. We’ll see you in the New Year!

Student launches petition for halls to house homeless

Written by Cameron Broome on 8th December 2017. Posted in News.

A Manchester University student has launched a petition for vacant spare rooms in University halls to be opened “for the homeless or vulnerably housed to use over Christmas.”

Launched on Sunday the 3rd of December, the petition had received over 650 signatures by Friday the 8th of October and is directed to Manchester University Residential Services Director Helen McGlashan.

The petition is described by its creator, Spencer Kay, as “essential…to make sure that people don’t die on the streets”, with the winter of 2018 expected to be the coldest since 2010.

Speaking to The Mancunion, the student nurse said: “It was something that I did in Brighton when I volunteered with a charity which re-purposed an abandoned nightclub in the centre of town to become an impromptu shelter amongst other things which formed an interest.

“Also, I like to give a sh*t about people, I’m a trainee nurse so it kind of comes with the packet.

“Why sign? I’d like to say that it’s because it’s the right thing to do. When you have the means you give, and even though we are poor students we are still able to give some of the services that we are paying for to others.”

The mission statement of the petition suggested that proposal could be “implemented by giving them a temporary lease for a month” and that “this is important as part of the mission statement of the University was to ‘tackle homelessness’ in the city.”

The petition proposed that vacant spare rooms, such as in Allen Hall and the top floor of Owen’s Park tower, be opened up and allowed to be vacated over the Christmas by those who are homeless and in need of temporary accommodation, though a University spokesperson told The Mancunion that Allen Hall was no longer University owned.

Erfanullah Mazloon, a University of Manchester student, signed the petition and told The Mancunion: “If there are rooms available or flats, the University should allow them to be used in the winter season as it gets freezing outside.

“Everyone deserves a warm place to sleep. The University takes pride in being welcome and integrating with Manchester s why not help homeless in Manchester?”

A University spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, all of our accommodation sites are occupied by students during the Christmas period. Furthermore, the University’s halls are not permitted to be occupied by non-students during the academic year or they will lose their status as student residences. However, we are extremely active in helping people in our community who are homeless.

“Through our employment programme, The Works, we have successfully provided jobs at the University to previously homeless people. We also are signatories to the Manchester Homelessness Charter and as part of this commitment, staff and students are supported by the University to volunteer and fundraise within the city.”

Commenting on the creation of the petition, Jack Houghton, Students’ Union Communities Officer, said: “It’s really, really good to hear that people are interested in homeless and it makes me proud to hear that students are taking an active measure to do that.

“I cannot say whether it will be effective or ineffective, however, what I would say is that I hope more people are housed in some way, shape or form. There’s a lot of ongoing initiatives city-wide to try and house people. The winter provisions are actually going on so that when the temperature drops below a certain temperature, extra provisions are put forward by the council to get the many people that are actually sleeping rough into temporary accommodation that way.

“So any way we can get more people into temporary accommodation I would fully support but I want to be able to work with charities in doing this. It can’t be student-led, it can’t be university-led, it’s can’t be council-led — it has to be collectively-led, working most importantly with the charities that are involved in this, that’s the only way anything works if everyone works together over this issue.”

The Students’ Union Communities Officer helped found the charity, Love For the Streets, which tackles the issue of homelessness and Houghton describes as “a brand new campaign that me, as well as many other people, are running.

“It’s so innovative and new, focusing on things like marketing, culture, music and art so it funnels to people into the issues of homelessness.”

Review: The Dealer App

Written by Millie Nettleton on 6th December 2017. Posted in Food & Drink.

If you’ve walked past Café Muse on Oxford Road you might have seen the little top hat and moustache they’ve drawn on the board that usually advertises rainbow cake. This is the logo of ‘The Dealer’, an app you can download on your iPhone, that will get you various deals on food and drink spots throughout Manchester.

The concept of the Dealer is simple. You pick from the available locations, such as Fallow Cafe or Kro Bar, choose your deal (’50 per cent off coffee’ ‘Free fries with your sandwich’) and then book an e-voucher for up to six people. When paying for your goods, you give your phone to the vendor who types in a code. You’re then given the option to give a little of the money you’ve saved, 50p, to a charity of your choice (currently the choice for Manchester supports the homeless; a great cause in these winter months.)

So, in reviewing this app I set out with a budget of £30, with the intention of eating out as much as possible within the week. Here’s the rundown:

Monday — Tea
The Deal: 50 per cent Off Pizzas at PLY for 2, Northern Quarter
The Fare: A delicious sourdough based Pizza topped with ham, mozzarella and mushrooms at £12.
The Experience: The waitress looked a little confused when I suggested my bill was 50% off; I showed her the app, and she went to chat with someone. She came back with a code, knocking 50% off the pizza. I’d forgotten that drinks didn’t come as part of the deal, and we’d ordered a £2.00 Raspberry Seltzer each (delicious).
The price: The meal came to £5 each, meaning a saving of £3.

Tuesday — Lunch
The Deal: 50 per cent off All Food at KroBar, Oxford Road
The Fare: Tuna melt and a Side of Chips
The Experience: As always with KroBar, nothing’s quite perfect — my sandwich was cold in the middle, but it was decent enough. The Dealer was obviously known to the staff, who instantly knocked 50% off.
The Price: £4.45, saving me £4.45

Wednesday — Tea
The Deal: 50 per cent off food for 2
The Fare: Chicken and Chorizo Quesadillas served with Nachos, guac, salsa and hot cheese. YUM.
The Experience: This popular bar for MMU students has a very relaxed sports vibe. Packed with students, it felt lively, but the food took an age to arrive. The Dealer went down smoothly, once again.
The Price: £7.00 for the two of us, so a saving of £7.00

Thursday — Brunch
The Deal: 50 per cent off Food Foundation
The Fare: Avocado on sourdough with Dukka (my inner white-girl is delighted)
The Experience: Hurried to the nearest Northern Quarter Cafe to warm my frozen hands after a morning of flyering. So flustered when I got to the bar I panic ordered a £5.00 milkshake. £5?! Although, it was delicious.
The Price: £2.50 for the bagel, but £7.50 in total (damn milkshake!)

Thursday — Tea
The Deal: 50 per cent off Grand Daddy’s Diner
The Fare: One whopping cheeseburger — no, seriously, it was the size of two regular ones — and a side of fries
The Experience: Forgot to ask for the deal. Hassle paying. Also forgot to order fries; just a bit of a mess really. But that was on me.
The Price: £5, saving £5

TOTAL COST: £30.45 including three 50p donations to charity (I think — see below). Total Saving: £21.95

Notes:
All in all, I’m actually amazed by the success of the app. You do, however, get the feeling it’s still in its prototype stages.

There were two hitches; twice I went to bars where the kitchen staff had stopped serving despite the app offering deals at the times we went. That was a little frustrating, but I suspect it’s down to the venue rather than the app — Joshua Brooks and Stage and Radio, shame on you. Perhaps a possible update would be for venues to ‘check in’ so users don’t have to wander round in the cold looking for a place to serve them.

The other thing that confused me was the process of donating to charities — I had assumed that when clicking ‘donate’, the price would be added to my bill. Turns out that isn’t the case. Nevertheless, a few months should give the creators a chance to recognise any design flaws and adapt accordingly.

In fact, in the most recent update of the app, they have made improvements to the donation process and apparently give you a how-to. Next time I use it, I’m sure I’ll appreciate the sense of giving rather than just being slightly confused.

My favourite thing about the app, though, was definitely the fact I’ve discovered so many new places to eat. The deals are particularly beneficial in the city centre, where the price of a meal is so much steeper.

The hipster within likes the fact that, unlike UNiDAYS, the Dealer allows you to get great deals on independent cafes and restaurants, not just Pizza Express and all the chains that the great variety of Manchester allows you to avoid. There are also great perks, such as if you recommend the app to enough friends, you can get £5 to spend at a restaurant. Free cocktail, anyone?

The long and short of it is; you’re a fool if you don’t get this app. You can simultaneously save a bit of dosh, whilst actually giving those pennies to the homeless that you swear you’ll do next time you actually have some change on you — because you just use contactless, now, right? Don’t worry, I feel your pain. You can explore Manchester’s exciting independent scene too — what more could you want?

Plus you can make the joke about just checking with your dealer.

The Dealer is available now on the App Store.

Preview: LANY

Written by Alice Berkeley on 6th December 2017. Posted in Music.

LA alt-pop band LANY are set to return to Manchester in a string of UK and European tour dates this December. Comprised of frontman Paul Klein and Les Priest — both of whom play guitar and keyboards — and drummer Jake Goss, the trio previously played at Gorilla in March. They have since released their self-titled debut album — peaking at number 5 of Billboard’s alternative chart — and gained many devoted fans as a result.

Their music is a distinctive blend of revamped 80s vibes, swirling synth, and smooth keyboard solos, all paired with angsty lyrics about past flings — though the band miraculously avoid cliché in this department. A LANY gig is a perfect opportunity to have a dance and to get a bit emotional. They bring a unique approach to pop: their tracks are by no means simplistic or stereotypical of the genre. But don’t be under the illusion that they aren’t incredibly addictive or easy to listen to.

With 83 million Spotify streams on their most popular song ‘ILYSB’, LANY are certainly promising and highly original. This is reflected in their unique music videos, such as ‘Super Far’, the complexity of the track reflected in mind-bending camera work and surreal choreography. Just like their music, it is unexpectedly mesmerising.

The trio have previously supported huge acts such as Halsey, Troye Sivan, and John Mayer. They toured with Ellie Goulding in 2016, wowing audiences in venues such as O2 Arena in London and Manchester Arena. Yet there is no doubt that they are certainly earning their own headliner status: meteoric success in the UK seems one chart hit away. They have undeniably achieved it across the pond.

LANY will be joined by electro-pop group Colouring, who are fresh off tour with the 1975. All three bands fit nicely into an emerging genre of fresh, inventive alternative pop. Catch them before they themselves are headlining the Arena.

LANY will play the O2 Ritz on the 13th of December.

Synergi Project reveals effect of ethnicity on mental health care

Written by tabitha hanks on 6th December 2017. Posted in News, Science & Tech.

The University of Manchester has partnered with Queen Mary University London and Words of Colour Productions to form the Synergi Collaborative Centre. The project aims to work with partners to collect data regarding the inequalities in mental health care due to both ethnicity and disadvantage and to find solutions to the problem.

It is to be a focal point for action, promoting system change through the development and implementation of solutions to inequality, through gathering and analysing evidence on the risks associated with disadvantage and ethnicity on mental health and access to treatments.

Synergi is directed by Professor Kamaldeep Bhui, Professor of Cultural Psychiatry & Epidemiology, from lead partner Queen Mary University London. Professor James Nazroo of the University of Manchester is co-director, alongside Joy Francis from Words of Colour Productions. The project partners provide combined expertise in psychiatry, sociology, communication, and journalism.

Each partner has authored work on the role of ethnic inequalities in mental health care, forming a team with specialist knowledge and experience.

“A co-production approach will allow us to recognise and address the significant challenges in this area and develop shared meaningful and creative solutions,” says Professor Nazroo. “This is crucial as there are marked and conflicting understandings of ethnic inequalities in severe mental illness: the nature of them, what is driving these inequalities and, consequently, how we might tackle them.”

This month, the Synergi Collaborative released their first briefing paper: ‘Ethnic Inequalities in UK Mental Health Systems’. It highlights the serious divide in mental health diagnoses, care and attitude between white and ethnic minority individuals.

The analysis revealed that compared to a ‘white reference population’, African and Caribbean people are more than four times more likely to be diagnosed with Schizophrenia. Furthermore, African and Caribbean people are 34 per cent less likely to be in contact with a GP while almost 4 times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act.

The centre was commissioned by the Lankelly Chase Foundation, who have provided over £1.2 million in funding. The Foundation works to combat the causes and consequences of disadvantage by changing the systems that sustain it.

The centre has recently received a further £10,000 grant from the Centre for Public Engagement at Queen Mary University London. The grant supports the ‘Visual Reflections of Mental Health: Realities of Severe Mental Illness for Ethnic Minority People and Those Involved in Their Care’ project.

Synergi will use the project to empower and engage the disadvantaged communities, using personal accounts to uncover how ethnicity and disadvantage and mental health interact to augment each other, and the role of ethnicity in impeding access to effective care. It is this focus on personal accounts which sets the centre apart from other research organisations.

The research conducted by Synergi and its collaborative approach hope to direct and push forward reform; tackling the causes of inequality, perceptions of mental illness and cultural attitudes and overcoming obstacles preventing people from receiving appropriate and effective treatments and care.

In February 2018 the centre will also launch The Synergi Network allowing for further public engagement in the project. It will be a space to share and discuss the problems and solutions brought to attention by Synergi research.

Review: Chaology

Written by Aiswarya Kishor on 6th December 2017. Posted in Food & Drink.

Braving the Mancunian winds with arms full of Black Friday shopping, my friend and I entered the doors of Chaology. A friendly server greeted us with a bow and guided us to a chalkboard counter on which was displayed an impressive range of sweets, matchas, and teas. What was most striking, however, was the atmosphere. The quintessential Japanese décor, neutral colours, and minimalist aesthetics lent the teahouse a sense of absolute tranquillity. In order to maintain the decorum, the staff spoke in whispers and even encouraged customers to not use the flash on their phones.

After giving us a few moments to settle down, the server explained to us all the items on the menu, took our order and showed us to our seats. The seating area – in typical Japanese style – comprised of a raised wooden platform with a low table, flat black cushions and a basket to store belongings. Within moments of being seated, our food was brought to the table. First, we tried the kuri mochi (sticky chestnut rice cakes filled with red bean paste) that had the Goldilocks amount of subtle sweetness. Next came my personal favourite, a jar of matcha tiramisu, followed by a slice of unexpectedly creamy houjicha (roasted green tea) cheesecake.

All three desserts were unquestionably delicious but it was the tea that stole the show. We had ordered two loose leafed green teas: the sencha (an umami-rich deep steamed variety) and the houjicha (a milder roasted variety with traces of almond and coffee). Our server demonstrated the simple yet meticulous tea preparation process that involved the use of several utensils including a kettle, water cooler, kyusu (teapot), and a teacup. After preparing the first infusion, she left us with detailed instructions on how to prepare the second and third infusions. Each subsequent infusion required a shorter steeping time and lower water temperature, resulting in tea with a more bitter taste and stronger colour.

In retrospect, the teas and sweets were brilliant but what made Chaology truly memorable was its serenity. As you bite into its gastronomical delights and listen to the soothing music, you are compelled to take a break from the mundane and appreciate the little things. If, like me, you dream of experiencing Japan’s unique culture or crave a break from the buzz of the city, Chaology is the place for you.

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