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Day: 29 January 2018

Carillion’s liquidation is disturbing for many reasons

Carillion, one of the government’s largest contractors and the UK’s second largest construction company, was forced to go into liquidation early last week with less than £30m in remaining cash and over £2bn in liabilities.

The fallout has been devastating, not only was Carillion a multinational behemoth but it had been responsible for hundreds of vital government services. Even though the jobs of those working in public services are protected under the government’s Insolvency Service, the estimated 8,500 individual livelihoods of people working within Carillion’s private-sector are now under threat as well as the millions of pounds Carillion owed to hundreds of subcontractors and smaller businesses now left in severe financial uncertainty.

The Carillion case clearly demonstrates that conventional models of free market regulation are grossly insufficient. The costs of failure for large corporations is at odds with fundamental socio-economic rights of people due to the integral function they play in the economy or by the nature of the services they provide. When the collapse of Carillion put thousands of jobs at risk and disrupted important public services, it rightfully prompted a much-needed revision to the UK’s Corporate Governance Code which questioned why things had gone so disastrously bad when Carillion, in many ways, was a model of good governance.

Carillion’s directors were a collection of young economic experts with vast arrays of experience in both public and private sectors. The chairman was Philip Green who served as the advisor on corporate responsibility to David Cameron, the head of the remuneration was Alison Horner, the former operations director at Tesco, and four different directors were all professional accountants. And long-standing entrenchment was not a problem either, the longest-serving director had only joined the board in 2009.

With a board of directors and chairman that were, on paper, an ideal governance model, it is a mystery as to exactly why this same board had such irrational optimism in its December 2015 financial statements which were followed by a profit warning six months later that eliminated three-quarters of Carillion’s market value. Why this same board allowed the build-up of liabilities while continuing to pay out large dividends to shareholders and absurd bonuses to top executives when the company was clearly failing on objective performance markers.

Carillion’s insolvency also spelled a government failure. On January 1st this year, Carillion requested a £150m short-term loan from taxpayers to provide a much needed capital injection to sure up debts and inspire confidence in its investors. After the request was rejected, it is uncertain whether the current situation is costing the government more to contain its fallout. With a relationship so intimately tied to the government, Carillion over-relied on temperamental state contracts with thin profit margins but yet the state had set precedence for this behaviour, increasingly outsourcing core operations in defence, healthcare, and transport, setting a tone of favourable political support.

The revisions to the Corporate Governance Code in December 2017 were a welcome respite. The driving motivations behind the revisions were principally radical. It called for companies to “generate value for shareholders and contribute to wider society” and advised companies to have chairmen that would step down only after serving on the board for nine years, and for executives to have their bonuses locked as shares for five years, ensuring their ability to seek long-term benefit. However, it is unlikely that the revisions will be sufficient to address the immensity of the situation. The issue no longer just addresses Carillion alone but the future of similar corporations like Serco and Capita which are caught in quasi-incestuous relationships with the state.

On the 24th of January, all voting MPs agreed unanimously to release the government’s risk assessments of outsourcing contracts. There is suspicion that departments failed to follow correct risk-management procedures after three profit warnings, drawing even more attention to frictions in current modes of public-private interactions. The inseparable nature of public and private interests means that the state can no longer act as solely a “customer” to public service providers, and that new forms of regulation both within the government’s economic decision-making bodies and corporations have to be innovated.

Is it still okay to like anything made by anyone anymore?

On the 14th of January, the online zine Babe published a story that would eventually result in one of the industry’s most powerful and influential comedians being labelled a sexual predator. Aziz Ansari, one of Hollywood’s only minority comedians, has joined the ranks of many media figures who have been accused of sexual misconduct in the past few months.

A string of controversy that had started with Harvey Weinstein has now proliferated in the mainstream media, affecting the likes of Louis CK, Kevin Spacey, and Casey Affleck. With a rapidly growing list of accused sexual offenders, some of whom make up history’s most profoundly impactful content creators, it’s important to examine our relationship with the culture that we consume and the people behind it.

In 1992, Woody Allen was accused of molesting his 12-year old adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow. Since then, Woody Allen has directed 26 movies and has been involved in the writing and/or production of over 40. Whether our enjoyment of his work fuels his own material gain and the system which rewards talented and abusive men, is a question that is hardly new, but just as resonant today as it was throughout the timeline of artistic canon.

There is perhaps a superfluous argument about how our support of their movies directly profits the sexual predators who are involved in them. But there is a larger signaling effect sent to the industry that casts them or bankrolls their next music album: that the mainstream consumer base is one that is easily exploited in its hypocrisy. As long as the vast majority of people are willing to overlook the transgressions of powerful men, there isn’t any reason to replace their entrenched role as artists.

However, the effect on us, the consumer, is probably much more interesting to examine. Whenever we walk into a movie theatre or watch a stand-up comedy, we, to some extent, agree to suspend our disbelief for our own enjoyment. That is to say when I watch House of Cards, I don’t question why Kevin Spacey is so deeply invested in a political power struggle when he’s really a Hollywood actor. I allow myself to believe the characters and their stakes in a conflict are authentic.

The point here is that media has an unprecedented power to suspend that disbelief even after we walk out of the theatre, making it immensely difficult to draw a dichotomy between an artist and their work. Unlike 20 or 30 years ago, an artist’s private life has become integral to their performance and success. Our ability to access their personalities through interviews, press junkets, and social media means that the lines between the professional and the private have become blurred, and that it has become easy for us to create an illusion of intimacy.

This is especially true when we connect with their work on a more emotional level — we often begin to conflate their artistic talent with moral goodness; their ability to convey powerful human emotions becomes a proxy for actual character. There is a dissonance that is created between the horrific acts committed by these individuals and our inclination to genuinely like them.

Even when we are aware of the allegations they face, our ability to suspend our disbelief for the sake of our own enjoyment only exacerbates the effect of this dissonance. Once we continuously engage with the professional and the personal narratives that predators have the power to control, it becomes much more tempting to side-step or forgive their moral transgressions. Our dissonance causes us to justify their actions or question the allegations against them, perpetuating the culture that lionizes powerful and talented men. And at its most fundamental, our willingness to put our moral quandaries aside makes the suffering of their victims subservient to our own pleasure, trivialising the kind of moral severity we should be treating sexual crime with.

That is not to say that you should boycott every media appearance of every alleged sexual predator ever. Not only would that be impractical (there are more predators than you think), but it would drastically harm the content creators attempting to make art with inherent worth. In the movie Frida, Salma Hayek plays the titular role of Frida Kahlo, a powerful but, until then, untold story. Though the movie was distributed by Weinstein’s company and Harvey himself had allegedly insisted on a gratuitous nude scene, boycotting the movie would punish the woman who worked tirelessly to make the movie a reality.

Unfortunately, this leads to a non-answer of whether it is okay to enjoy Toy Story or House of Cards: it depends. It depends on our ability to segregate what we know to be true and what we would like to be true. It depends on whether we continue to publicly decry the acts that these men commit. It depends on whether we hold ourselves and each other to those same standards in everyday life, or whether we choose to hide behind comfortable fictions.

Ex-MMU student to fight Turkish forces in Syria

Huang Lei, 24, is one of the estimated three Britons who left the U.K. to fight against Turkish-led forces with the Kurdish Militia (YPG) in Syria.

Lei, a Politics alumn from the Manchester Metropolitan University, had initially gone to Syria in 2015 to fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

He told the BBC that it is his “duty” to fight.

However, on the 24th of January, a new video was released by the YPG militants whom Lei is travelling with. It shows an American volunteer stating they are “ready to go and fight in Afrin, against the invading force of Turkey.”

This statement comes after a recent attempt by the Turkish government to force out what it believes to be “terrorist Kurds” from Afrin, a region in north-west Syria.

After the near-total defeat of ISIS in both Iraq and Syria, many volunteers are shifting towards different goals — one of which is to defend what the Kurds claim to be Kurdish territory.

The British Foreign Office has issued multiple warnings against fighting abroad. The Government has also made it clear that Huang and others like him would be arrested if they attempted to return to the UK under the Foreign Enlistment Act of 1870.

The punishment could be very severe, given international attitudes to the YPG and its possible affiliation with the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), who are largely viewed as a terrorist group.

Though some news outlets have stated that Lei was a University of Manchester student, after some research the University Press Office has discovered that he was a Manchester Metropolitan student.

Bamo Nouri, Ph.D. student and international politics seminar tutor, weighed in on the matter, stating: “Hearing [about] a Manchester student [going] to fight is not something I personally condone but it speaks volumes for the failures of our foreign policy and therefore government.”

“To such an extent that people from the public feel obliged to voluntarily defend the oppressed from the oppressors. As unlike any other organisation, the Peshmerga [YPG army] do not actively recruit but seem to be getting many volunteers from all over the world! Hopefully, the western governments will intervene to stop the innocent from fighting, as diplomacy should be the way.”

 

Female creatives launch campaign to buy theatre

A group of female creatives are crowdfunding to buy the West End’s Theatre Royal Haymarket in order to encourage and support female-led work.

The collective, Bossy, was founded in 2016 by Jonna Blode Hanno and Laura Thomasina Haynes to provide a forum for women in film, theatre, and the performing arts and has over 13,000 members on its Facebook group. Recently, the group has become a supportive online space for positivity and empowerment in the wake of campaigns such as #metoo and #timesup. Now, the group is launching their own campaign: #bossybuyout.

It was announced this week that the 68-year lease for the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London’s third oldest playhouse, is to go on sale. The theatre has been owned and run by three generations of the same family since the early 1970s. The freehold of the theatre is owned by the Crown Estate with Louis I Michaels Limited’s subsidiary Theatre Royal Haymarket Limited holding the lease.  Arnold Crook, the chairman of LIM has said of the sale, “it is now time to hand over the reins to the next generation of dream-makers.”

The campaign to buy the theatre on behalf of Bossy began life as a Facebook post discussing the news of the sale. The crowdfunding page itself was started by group member Natalie Durkin, who says, “I put out a jokey question to see if anyone would be interested in crowdfunding, but the support was immense and I thought, why not?”

The aim of the GoFundMe is to raise £3M, and whilst the asking price for the theatre is currently unknown, within 22 hours the group had already raised nearly £3000. If unsuccessful in raising sufficient funds the money will go towards a female arts festival in London, with theatres already offering space for this event.

Read more about the GoFundMe campaign here.

Review: The Vaudevillians

Since 2009, RuPaul’s Drag Race has been shaping the popular face of the drag scene, moving the art form away from an underground club culture and towards mainstream television and Netflix repeats. One of the show’s most memorable winners, Jinkx Monsoon, ‘Seattle’s premier Jewish narcoleptic drag queen’ — her own words — has gone on to tour the world since her 2013 win with the old-Hollywood glamour and incredible set of pipes that made her a star.

The Vaudevillians, Monsoon’s queer comedy cabaret extravaganza with musician Major Scales may have been on the road for four years, but the actors’ endless energy keeps the show feeling fresh and new. We follow touring jazz-age musicians Kitty Witless (Monsoon) and Dr. Dan Von Dandy (Scales) who, having been frozen alive during an avalanche (don’t ask) in ‘nineteen-bigotry-two’ have found themselves defrosted almost a century later and ready to perform their show again.

The show plays upon the musical trend made popular by acts such as Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, with contemporary pop hits — of which The Vaudevillians were, of course, the original artists — being performed in a swing style. Where we see this mixed up, however, is through the pair’s comedic chops; Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’, for example, becomes a darkly comic ode to Marie Curie that has the audience rolling about in their seats.

The script is hilarious and expertly executed by the actors; references to Henrik Ibsen are intercut with endless cocaine jokes and add to the crazy cabaret feel of the show. As a result, The Vaudevillians can be seen to lack a little cohesion as we leap from one topic to another and there is very little in way of plot throughout the show besides a vague link used to string the scenes together.

Jokes aside, the talent exhibited by both artists is undoubtedly unparalleled. Monsoon is undeniably the star of the show and the vocal range that made her famous, from manly grunts to incredible falsetto highs is well demonstrated throughout and whilst Major Scales is understandably overshadowed by her, the show would not be the same without his excellent arrangements and jazz piano improvisations.

A warning: if audience participation sends you out in hives then The Vaudevillians is not the show for you. No-one is safe from Kitty Witless, as we see audience members sat on, licked and pulled up onto stage. The lights are brought up on the crowd to remind us that even those sinking into their chairs are only drawing more attention to themselves; you can’t help but feel sorry for those chosen to join in with the show and it is this relief at not being chosen which, when mingled with the comedy, gives the humour more impact.

Anyone entering Contact Theatre expecting a low-key, relaxed night of smooth jazz might be somewhat horrified watching The Vaudevillians. If, however, you fancy a dazzling 70 minutes where microphones are deep-throated, headstands and splits are performed simultaneously, and there’s a good chance you might have fellatio simulated on you by a drag queen, then this is the show for you.

The Vaudevillians is quirky, funny and outrageous and Jinkx Monsoon shows Drag Race fans exactly what they are expecting to see: Monsoon’s charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent.

2018 Manchester Scran Update

Another year, another mouth full. What will we sip upon this year? Where will we eat? Which food delivery service will we collectively take advantage of via loopholes in their ordering systems?

What will be, will be.

So, Odd Bar has closed all three of its sites. Say goodbye to Odd on Thomas street, Oddest in Chorlton, and the Blue Pig on High Street. Odd was opened in the Northern Quarter back in 2005 and was the brainchild of a lovely lady called Cleo Farman. MCR Confidential referred to Odd as one of the Northern Quarter’s “longest-standing bars” but that part of town is getting competitive and the tone is somewhat shifting.

Somewhere like Tib Street is still representative of what makes the NQ the NQ. It has a mixture of culture, craft, and sex shops. It’s like the Soho of Manchester.

Odd was at one time very intrinsically NQ, but are places like it becoming outdated?

In 2018, Chorlton will be getting a fantastic new restaurant and bakery called The Creameries. Having worked with both of the lovely people behind this restaurant, naturally I am very biased towards it. It will be a great success, and everyone must go and spend their student loans there when it opens.

Manchester Beer and Cider Festival returns on Thursday the 25th of January. Manchester may just be the beer capital of Britain, if not the world. Tired of your four pack of Tyskies? Try something weird with loads of sediment and mad flavour at this festival, which is held at Manchester Central Convention Complex.

Hatch is a pop up next to Manchester Metropolitan University made of old shipping containers where you can get coffee, beer, and street food.

Just in case you haven’t spotted V-Revolution, everyone’s favourite vegan diner has opened its new site. They currently hold the Mancunion Award for the best burger name in the city, the Whopper Flocka Flame. Bricksquad Monopoly!

Stockport, which is fast becoming its own food destination, has a new Korean BBQ place called Baekdu. Seriously, Stockport is killing it.

Speaking of Korean, the people behind Ban Di Bul are opening a new BBQ place with claims of “the Northwest’s biggest Korean BBQ house.”

 

‘The Devil’s Dung’: why Christianity should be progressive

Manchester is arguably one of the UK’s most left-wing cities, and yet opposite the university’s main campus is Holy Name Catholic church, dominating part of Oxford Road. It’s a beautiful building both inside and out, yet you can’t help but feel like it is the sight of two worlds crashing — the liberal world of the university and its students, and that of the church and its socially conservative views.

The modern narrative of religion in the West is that it is the antithesis of progress, especially Catholicism. With its ardent opposition to abortion, traditional attitude towards homosexuality and its numerous past issues with paedophilia, Christianity has for the past 50 years been decades behind what is widely socially accepted. Churches are now preaching beliefs that even large parts of its congregation do not even believe in anymore.

There is now a commonly held idea of religion as purely politically conservative and the rhetoric used by the right in the US and UK supports this. Republican Party slogans and campaigns have for years appealed to extreme evangelical Christians in America, combining God and capitalism in what has proved to be the most unholy of unions. In the UK it is less subtle, but no less the case; Theresa May once claimed that “her faith in God will guide us through Brexit”, but the way things are going her faith must not be very strong.

Yet Christianity should be a progressive force in politics and indeed has been. Socialism in Britain has always had a unique and close bond with Christianity, an ethical and Christian socialism being a major influence on the Labour party far more so than Marxism. It is motivated out of a belief in a universal humanity and the idea that vast inequality and unbridled capitalism goes against the core teachings of Jesus, who some like to see as the first socialist. The responsibility we have for one another and the need for an inclusive economy are much more Christian than the individualistic ideals of conservatism and our current neoliberal discourse which has merely strategically co-opted religious language, using and twisting religion since the Thatcher and Raegan days. Capitalism is rooted in greed and sin, representing the very worst of humanity and is far from “love one another as I have loved you”.

Its influence on Labour and progressive British politics in practice is not hard to see, especially in earlier years; many of the early liberal reformers and socialist thinkers were influenced by the Catholic Thomas More’s ‘Utopia’, and The Fabian Society and its members, such as R.H. Tawney along with Sydney and Beatrice Webb, helped found Labour whose very first MP and leader, Keir Hardie, was deeply motivated by his religion, his evangelical preaching in his earlier years helping him to learn the art of public speaking.

Today we can still see Christianity’s progressive core, despite the discourse going against this. In Ireland’s referendum on Gay marriage in 2015, 60 per cent of voters backed it in a nation in which 80 per cent identify as Catholic, meaning at least half of all Catholics supported it. In the last presidential election whilst evangelical Protestants voted overwhelmingly for Trump a plurality of Catholics voted Clinton while Pope Francis has stirred continued controversy about whether he is himself a socialist after making comment after comment against capitalism which he describes as “the devil’s dung”.

One of the Labour Party’s anthems is William Blake’s “And Did Those Feet”, as a result of Clement Attlee’s love and constant reference to it. Himself not religious, Attlee was obsessed with the hymn for its idea of fighting “’til we have built Jerusalem in England’s green and pleasant land” and ultimately this represents what is at the heart of Christianity and Catholicism; building a better world for everyone, “a new Jerusalem”, and ridding the world of sin, and therefore capitalism. The Catholic church especially has become too focused on social views based on the old testament that a large part of even it’s own followers no longer believe in, and that society is rightly leaving behind and if it continues to refuse to change, it will die. It has become distracted from the core, progressive essence of Christ’s teachings.

Any Christian that claims their faith supports the poverty, inequality and moral backwardness of neoliberal capitalism is utterly misguided. Even more so is this the case for Catholics, who have been persecuted effectively in its name. In the words of none other than Pope Francis, “Once capital becomes an idol and guides people’s decisions, once greed for money presides over the entire socioeconomic system, it ruins society, it condemns and enslaves men and women, it destroys human fraternity, it sets people against one another and, as we can clearly see, it even puts at risk our common home.”

Manchester homes to fund Council cuts

Council tax in Greater Manchester is set to rise as of April 2018.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has faced increased austerity measures since 2010, which have seen budgets reduced by almost a third. As an attempt to cope with these cuts, households in the Greater Manchester area could face the brunt of the costs due to increases in council tax.

The overall yearly increases are dependent on council banding and range from £14 to £42 and will help fund policing and Andy Burnham’s mayoral office.

The new ‘mayoral charge’ will be in addition to police and fire taxes. Average households (Band B) will pay an additional £7 a year to “help deliver Mayoral priorities” that focus on the revised Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, tackling congestion, and eradicating rough-sleeping by 2020.

The precept would also contribute towards funding the administration and office costs for Andy Burnham himself.

The Mayor has said: “I recognise that it is a big ask for people to pay more, especially in these difficult times. But at the same time, I am facing pressure from the public to go further and faster on tackling homelessness and congestion while protecting green spaces. I have tried to get the balance right, keeping bills down but also keeping Greater Manchester leading the way.”

In addition to this, GMCA have confirmed plans to raise the police element of council tax. Band B properties will incur an additional annual fee of £9.33, while those in Band G will face an increase of £20.

Local police services receive funding from central Government. However, this grant has been cut by £250 million since 2010, resulting in a loss of 2,000 police officers and 1,000 non-police staff.

It is believed that the increased police charges will generate an additional £8 million funding, which will be used to enhance essential services, such as recruiting 50 additional police officers, improving the non-emergency 101 service and maintaining PCSO numbers.

Bev Hughes, Deputy Mayor, said: “This increase will not make up for the hundreds of millions of pounds the government has cut from our police service but will help to mitigate to some extent the worst effects of these continued cuts.”

Andy Burnham has assured that the budget for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service will be protected, remaining at £46.62 for the average Band B property.

The proposals will be discussed at Friday’s (January 26) meeting of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, ahead of the final budget-setting meeting in February.

How to apply for mitigating circumstances

Hopefully everything is going well for you and you are able to focus on your studies. However, sometimes things happen at the worst possible time and you find yourself struggling to meet an essay deadline or unable to attend an exam.

This is where the university’s mitigating circumstances policy can help you. Whilst filling out a form might not seem to be your top priority, it really should be.

Submitting a completed form and supporting evidence in time for the deadline is the best thing you can do to protect your studies. If at a later point you are unhappy with a mark and have not submitted mitigating circumstances at the correct time, there is no guarantee that the university will consider them.

Mitigating circumstances can include a wide range of issues. You might be physically ill, struggling with mental health issues, or had a close family bereavement. Severe financial difficulty may also be considered if it is having an impact on you.

To meet the university’s criteria, the circumstances must be unforeseen, unpreventable circumstances that have had a significant adverse effect. You must also be able to submit independent evidence of the circumstances. This might be a death certificate or a letter from a doctor or support service.

How to submit mitigating circumstances will vary depending on your school. You might need to complete a paper form or submit one online. It’s best to speak to your school support office or a tutor to check what you need to do. There may also be guidance in your course handbook. The deadlines for submitting the form and evidence usually coincide with your academic deadline, so you would need to submit before your essay deadline or before the exam period starts.

For circumstances that arise during exams, a few extra days may be given, so check with your school what the deadline is.

Remember, everyone experiences difficult circumstances at some point and the university has these policies in place to help you. If you have any questions about mitigating circumstances, contact the Students’ Union Advice Service and our professional advisers will be happy to help.

Art on exchange: Copenhagen’s best exhibitions in 2017

I arrived in Copenhagen in mid-August, which I was thrilled to find landed me in the middle of Copenhagen Art Week 2017.

Not only was this a wonderful introduction to the city and a great way to socialise, but it was also a fantastic introduction to the vibrant and diverse art scene that Copenhagen has to offer.

This first week inspired me to explore all the galleries and exhibitions that Copenhagen has to offer.

Here are some of my highlights so far:

 

Tove Jansson: Art, Love and Moomins at GL Strand

I find it hard to imagine that there is anyone who doesn’t love the endearing tales and illustrations of Moomins and Moominland. Tove Jansson’s Moomins are loved universally and this exhibition was an exploration of their charming world.

It featured a vast array of Jansson’s original sketches, illustrations, posters, and more. The final room of the exhibition featured a Moomin forest drawn on the walls, which guests were invited to colour in and elaborate on — a fun touch which played on the childhood nostalgia that the Moomins invoke for so many people.

 

Marina Abramović’s ‘The Cleaner’ at Louisiana

For those who have never heard of Abramović, she is a performance artist who has shocked and delighted audiences with the powerful use of her body in performances.

She is famed for her early works, such as Rhythm 0 (1974) in which she provided her spectators with a variety of objects (think — loaded gun, knife, razor blades) and allowed them to do whatever they wished to her for the six hours that the performance lasted.

More recently, Abramović was recognised for The Artist is Present (2010) in which she spent almost three months in the MoMA’s atrium, sitting silently opposite a member of the public.

Although The Cleaner did not include live performances from Abramović, I was captivated by it because it offered a vast and meticulously curated display of her life’s work, spanning over fifty years.

The exhibition was Abramović’s first major European retrospective, and it made for a challenging yet powerful viewing.

 

Rineke Dijkstra’s ‘The One and the Many’ at Louisiana

The appealing thing about Dijkstra’s photography is its deeply personal nature.

Her focus is on people in transitional periods of their life, such as bullfighters after a big fight, mothers just after childbirth, or a refugee child who has just arrived in Holland.

Most relatable to me was her beach series, in which she photographed teenagers on various holidays, awkwardly positioned for the camera. The photos are bright, bold and comically reminiscent of the awkwardness of adolescence — or mine anyway!

An unconventional gap year

Aisha Rodriguez is an environmental consultant embarking on a journey of a lifetime to Kenya. She has taken a six month sabbatical from her city job in London to volunteer with a social enterprise called Balloon Ventures via the International Citizen Service (ICS) Programme. Balloon Ventures works with micro —entrepreneurs in African communities to help bring them out of poverty through economic empowerment.

Q: What is ICS and how did you hear about it?

A: International Citizen Service (ICS) is a UK government-funded volunteer programme that brings together young people to make a difference in some of the poorest countries across the world. ICS aims to bring about three things: projects that deliver a positive impact, personal development of volunteers, and the creation of active citizens. ICS partners with organisations and charities which work across the globe. Each of these focus on different issues, ranging from education, climate change, health, and hygiene.

I found out about ICS through a friend who had been on a placement with the charity, VSO, two years ago. She said it was “the best experience of her life” and after hearing all her stories, I was sold!

Q: How does one apply to ICS?

A: I would first visit the ICS website — https://www.volunteerics.org — and have a good read through the profiles of the different partner organisations and charities. Once you have found two or three organisations who fight for a cause you’re passionate in, and once you’ve roughly figured out when you can take some time off to volunteer, fill in the application form online — a crucial question will be why you’d like to volunteer with ICS. Have a good think about this, treat it like a personal statement. The better the quality of your application, the more likely you will be invited for an interview!

Q: Tell us about the organisation you will be volunteering with.

A: Balloon Ventures (BV) stood out to me the first time I researched ICS. They work with micro-entrepreneurs in Africa to help develop their business through giving them the skills and ideas to grow. I had always wanted to learn more about how social enterprises work, so it really is a win-win situation as we get trained in the BV tried and tested entrepreneurship curriculum as well as gaining hands on experience.

As volunteers we will help train the entrepreneurs in this curriculum and test different business ideas. Balloon Ventures has helped thousands of micro-entrepreneurs in Africa over the last 6 years — it embodies the old proverb “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Q: Have you got any tips for those who are interested in volunteering with ICS?

A: Sign up ASAP! ICS is funded through the UK Government which has announced it will stop funding the programme from summer this year. This doesn’t mean the opportunities to volunteer will stop then, but it does mean that the funds will dry up soon after, so get those applications in! This is an opportunity of a lifetime you don’t want to miss! Also, you can help keep this incredible programme going — sign this petition to ask the government to continue to fund ICS: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/203939

Follow Aisha’s journey on Instagram @wheresaisha

Review: Bright

Do you remember Suicide Squad? Do you remember how bad it was? Because I do. Do you remember who directed it? His name was David Ayer and he’s the antichrist of cinema. But ruining cinema is too great a task for one man alone. Enter writer Max Landis to aid him in his quest. So while David steers the proverbial ship, Max writes the s****y shanties for their crew to sing.

What we get is Bright, a film so disjointed, fractured and incohesive that it’s no surprise no studio would take it on. Frankly it says a lot that Netflix gave Ayer $90 million despite his previous outings, go back and watch Fury, I promise it isn’t as good as you remember (oh and by the way Shia, pulling out your own tooth doesn’t make you a good actor).

So, while Bright is an incomprehensible mess, I’ll make this review as structured as possible. Let’s start with the concept. Orcs, Fairies, Elves etc have lived alongside mankind for millennia following a great war with (get this) the ‘Dark Lord.’ Sure it’s generic, but it serves its purpose of setting up the most thinly veiled metaphor for racial/class tension you’ll ever see. Orcs are depicted as gangbangers, drug traffickers, and second-class citizens while the Elves live in their fancy district with their fancy clothes and fancy faces. Humans live in the middle, all bitter and racist. Magic exists, but only through wands which can only be wielded by those known as ‘Brights’ (more on that later). So when a criminally underused Noomi Rapace comes to reinstate The Dark Lord Sauron as supreme leader, we have our plot.

Onto the acting. Will Smith stars as Will Smith in a role he’s been milking since Independence Day with no signs of stopping any time soon. As always, he’s a safe bet. It’s difficult to fault his performance because it’s just so cosy and familiar that to do so would call into question his entire career. Similarly to Suicide Squad, it’s a terrible script that Smith manages to draw some life from, though he never quite manages to break through the clichés, jarring as they are. By his side is Nick Jakoby, the Force’s first orc officer played by an unrecognisable Joel Edgerton.

The make-up is fantastic. The orcs do look good, that’s undeniable, but it’s to Edgerton’s disadvantage. Background extras with minimal impact can snarl and growl and look utterly impressive, but Edgerton is a main character: he has lines. So, while he grunts through the script, subtitles are your friend. Thank god there wasn’t a cinema release. It’s to the film’s detriment however, as Edgerton proves the most sympathetic, engaging, and watchable character on screen. Shame those tusks get in the way of every other word.

Earlier I mentioned the presence of magic and wands in this universe. Wands channel magic, and only ‘Brights’ can hold and use a wand without disintegrating. It’s a pretty neat concept, but if you had questions surrounding it, the film has no interest in answering any of them. How does someone become a Bright? How do the wands work? Can anyone be a Bright? The film doesn’t have time to explain any of this, so sit down and shut up.

With a sequel already green-lit perhaps these questions will be answered in the future, but it’s too little too late. All tension is ruined by the fact that literally anything can happen, because literally nothing has been established. Magic can do everything so death means nothing. When the stakes are this poorly set up, you have nothing to care about because no one has given you any good reason to root for the good guys or be afraid of the bad. The Dark Lord is returning to destroy mankind? Let him. Mankind have been nothing but racist backstabbers this entire film.

I can’t in all good consciousness recommend anyone see this film. If you want orcs, elves and a Dark Lord, watch The Lord of the Rings.

1/5

Suffrage Centenary celebrations kick off

Organised by Girl Gang Manchester and The Pankhurst organisation, the Centenary Launch Party began celebrations of 100 years since some women won the right to vote in Britain.

The night included an unveiling of a new bust of Emmeline Pankhurst by Jane Robbins, speeches, live music, and a fashion show.

The house of the well-known suffragette was full of women of all ages and backgrounds. Girl Gang Manchester told The Mancunion that their organisation aims to give all women safe, creative spaces, where they have the opportunity to “meet like-minded people,” and “establish creative partnerships.”

When asked what Universities could do to help make female students feel safe and supported, a representative of Girl Gang said that Universities should take some responsibility for the nightlife culture, wherein many circumstances it is “normal to get groped.”

But Universities should not be the only ones held responsible. “It needs to be taught in schools… that this is not the right way to act.” “It’s not right or fair.”

Julie Hesmondhalgh began the speeches, talking of the work we have to do in 2018, the “year of the woman.”

She said; “This should be a place for remembering and honouring the past but can also be a place of resistance, of refuge, of radicalism, of raging against the patriarchy. A place where women of all backgrounds can work together for lasting equality.”

The Centenary Launch Party is followed by the Wonder Woman festival, a series of events taking place across Manchester celebrating the Centenary and International Women’s day. Led by the People’s History Museum (PHM), “the festival explores Manchester’s legacy as the birthplace of the suffragette movement from a contemporary perspective.”

Helen Antrobus, 2018 Programme & Events Officer at the People’s History Museum, says, “Wonder Women 2018 is a festival that will create a space and environment in which to reflect upon and be inspired by the achievements, endeavours, strength, spirit and creativity of the women who fought for the vote and those for whom the quest for equality continues. The Representation of the People Act in 1918 was a catalyst moment in the fight for equality, but this is an ongoing story with much still to be resolved. We need to use the centenary as a way of turning up the volume on these issues.”

Among creativetourist.com’s top picks are:

Lost Voices exhibition and launch event

“Lost Voices (opening 3 March) will recapture the voices of the women during the ten year period from 1918, when legislation was passed giving some women the vote (over the age of 30 and who met certain property qualifications), to 1928 when all women were given equal voting rights.”

Contact Young Company: She Bangs The Drums at the Museum of Science and Industry

Opening March the 8th, She Bangs The Drums is a provocative piece of contemporary theatre which looks back at one of the key landmarks in British democracy.”

The Women in Media Conference

From Saturday the 3rd to Sunday the 4th March, the People’s History Museum will be hosting a ground-breaking student conference celebrating women in media and hearing their stories.

Click here for more information on Wonder Woman events.

Music in 2018

A big warm welcome back to you all, hopefully, most of you have just about survived the typical Manchester cold and all of your exams and deadlines. Now’s the time for turning a new page and going onto the next chapter, and with that, I think of finding new artists to be the new soundtrack of your year, not only this but here are just a few things that you should be (or at least I am) looking forward to in 2018.

New Artists to watch out for:

Photo: Album Cover
Khalid (Album Cover)
  1. Khalid – The singer of ‘Thunder’ and ‘Young, Dumb and Broke’ (3 things I am definitely feeling right now) is on tour from January up until July 2018. The 19-year old is performing in Manchester on the 17th February at Manchester Academy… just 6 days after his birthday, so make sure you go down and celebrate with him. I have no doubts it will be anything less than flawless.
  2. Pale Waves – The Manchester-based indie-pop band has been ‘making waves’ in the industry recently, pardon the pun. The group who met at BIMM and frequently performed at Night & Day recently toured with The 1975 and now are working on releasing their debut EP soon, and an album towards the end of the year too.

    Photo: Olivia White
    Pale Waves (Photo: Olivia White)
  3. Lewis Capaldi – The Scottish soul singer released ‘Bruises’ in 2017, and has been on repeat on my Spotify ever since. His voice is raw and powerful. He’s doing a handful of tour dates and performing in at Club Academy in Manchester on the 16th February as well as at the Neighbourhood Weekender on the 26th May. Lewis Capaldi will be one of those artists you get to brag about that you saw him in Club Academy way before anyone else.

    Photo: APB
    Lewis Capaldi (Photo: APB)
  4. Superorganism – Superorganism, is fun and wacky and twisted. The 8 piece has taken off very quickly, and it only takes listening to tracks like ‘Everybody wants to be famous’ and ‘Something For Your M.I.N.D’ to see why. I spoke to the group recently and they talked about how their shows create a whole new world and experience, something similar to a mushroom trip. The group are performing at Gorilla on the 7th March.
Superorganism (Photo:Jordan Curtis Hughes)
Superorganism (Photo:Jordan Curtis Hughes)

Big Releases for 2018:

  1. ARCTIC MONKEYS ARE COMING BACK, I REPEAT ARCTIC MONKEYS ARE COMING BACK. I’m just going to get that one out the way first, and before you roll your eyes at this i’ll just remind you that there has probably never been a time when you have not completely lost yourself to listening to ‘I bet that you look good on the dancefloor’ on a night out, considering that was one of the first hits for them, it remains to be a complete banger. Their last album AM was released back in 2013, their next album is long overdue and eagerly awaited.
  2. The 1975, Music For Cars – Whilst there hasn’t been an exact date for this, it is being predicted that the new album will fall on, or around the 1st June. The Northern pop group have been hinting at fans for a while on social media, with big things in the pipeworks. The 1975 like to reinvent themselves and experiment with their music, I’m interested to see what they do this time in 2018.
  3. George Ezra, Staying at Tamara’s – The new album is being released on March 23rd, The ‘Budapest’ singer has finally returned after 4 years gracing us with his new album, Staying at Tamara’s. He also has plans of touring during March and April too!
  4. Avril Lavigne??  Whilst this has no album name or actual real confirmation if this is actually happening, there are still many a rumour about Melissa — I mean Avril — Bouncing back into life into the music scene. I wonder if she’s gone back to her ‘Sk8r Boi’ days or has evolved into something else entirely… my inner 10-year-old rock chick is screaming with excitement.

Robot scientist aids drug-resistant malaria treatment discovery

There are currently a number of drugs being used to treat malaria, but the disease is becoming increasingly resistant to such drugs. Malaria kills over 500,000 people each year, many of these deaths are in Africa and Southeast Asia and concern is rising over the disease becoming untreatable.

When a malaria infected mosquito bites someone, the parasites enter the bloodstream through the mosquito’s saliva. The parasites then make their way to the liver, where they reproduce and take over red blood cells to spread around the body. This causes the observable symptoms of malaria, which can be potentially life-threatening.

Triclosan is an ingredient commonly found in toothpaste and may be a promising step in developing a new treatment to stop drug-resistant strains. It helps prevent the build-up of plaque by inhibiting an enzyme known as enoyl reductase (ENR). Previously, scientists found that triclosan can stop the growth of the malaria parasite when it is in its later stages, and it was thought to be because of the ENR enzyme.

But new research, with robot scientist Eve’s help, shows that it is actually the inhibition of a different enzyme, DHFR, that is more significantly implicated in the stopping of malaria parasite growth. This enzyme is found in the liver, which is especially promising as it may mean that a drug could be developed which can target malaria in its earlier stages when in the liver, as well as later blood-stages.

Current drugs already target DHFR and inhibit the enzyme, but in Africa resistance to such a drug is not uncommon. Scientists in Cambridge were able to show that triclosan could act on this enzyme even against drug-resistant parasites.
Eve, the robot scientist, was designed by scientists at the University of Manchester, with colleagues at the Universities of Aberystwyth and Cambridge, to help speed up the drug discovery by automating the process. Hypotheses are automatically developed, tested and results interpreted by Eve, who is capable of testing over 10,000 compounds per day.

“Artificial intelligence and machine learning enables us to create automated scientists that do not just take a ‘brute force’ approach, but rather take an intelligent approach to science”, says Professor Ross King of the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, who led the team that developed Eve. He went on to explain “this could greatly speed up the drug discovery progress and potentially reap huge rewards.”

Currently, Eve is able to use machine-learning and statistics to predict new structures that may score better in tests of quality. It is thought that future versions of Eve may even be able to incorporate a feature where she is able to synthesise compounds.

Tim Peake’s space capsule coming to Manchester

In June 2016, Major Tim Peake returned to earth in the Soyuz TMA-19M after the six month long Principia mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Major Peake is the first British astronaut to walk in space and the first European Space Agency astronaut to visit the ISS.

The space capsule is currently on display at the Science Museum in London. It will be arriving at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester on March 10th and will be on display until May 13th in their Great Western Warehouse.

“The Soyuz is an iconic item, and I am very excited that the Museum of Science and Industry is part of this incredible tour,” said Sally MacDonald, the Museum of Science and Industry director.

One of Major Peake’s primary goals on the Principia mission was to run scientific experiments in the weightless laboratory of the ISS. The mission’s name hails from Isaac Newton’s famous physics text, Naturalis Principia Mathematica, in which he describes his law of gravity and three laws of motion.

In December 2016, the UK government announced its commitment and billion euro investment into the UK’s role in future ESA space programme. The ESA also announced in early 2017 that Major Tim Peake will once again fly into space and undertake a second mission, the timing of which is still to be confirmed.

MacDonald adds: “We know our visitors have followed Tim Peake’s adventures closely, and this will be a fantastic opportunity for them to see first-hand the capsule that was part of his important mission.

“Manchester is the home of industry and innovation, and what could be a greater symbol of that than this important piece of the history of space travel?”

You can find out more about the exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry’s website.

Top 10 British Sportswomen of 2017

10.) England Women’s Rugby Union team
The despair of losing a World Cup final is one that will stick with the England squad forever, but the team can take pride in the fact that they forced eventual winners, New Zealand, all the way. Losing the final 32-41 should not detract from the achievement of reaching the event in the first place. The year ended on a high with a 3-0 whitewash over Canada.

9.) Team GB Women’s 4x100m relay team
If you ever need a reminder of the sheer emotion caused by sport, look no further than the final of 4×100 metres relay at the World Championships in London. The quartet of Asha Philip, Desiree Henry, Dina Asher-Smith, and Daryll Neita secured a superb silver just 0.3 seconds behind winners USA but that did not stop them dancing in delight in front of a home crowd.

8.) Jodie Taylor 
2017 for English footballer Taylor can be described by one word: goals. Whether it was in the red of Arsenal or the white of England, the 31 year old was never far away from the back of the net. Her goals powered England to the semi-finals of Euro 2017 and Arsenal to third in the FA WSL Spring Series, just one point behind leaders Chelsea and Manchester City.

7.) Bianca Walkden
In her second World Championship, Walkden recreated the feat of her first. Winning gold in the heavyweight category, she defeated American Jackie Galloway to become the second Briton in history to defend a taekwondo world title. The gold was the ninth of her career and she also become the first to win all four Grand Prix events in a single season.

6.) Elinor Barker
Barker’s exceptional 2017 can be attributed to her relentless work ethic. 2017 saw her win eight out of 15 races including a World Championship and she began the year by being awarded an MBE. Studying for an Open University degree and learning sign language shows she is one of a growing number of athletes looking to better themselves outside of their discipline. A role model for all young cyclists.

5.) Johanna Konta
British fans’ hopes of a competitive female tennis player were finally satisfied as Konta reached the semi-final of Wimbledon. She was knocked out by Venus Williams but she became the first British woman to reach this stage since 1978. Konta sparked new life into the future of British women’s tennis and the hope is real for this Australian born Brit to go one step further at 2018’s Championships.

4.) Tammy Beaumont
The safe hands of Beaumont mixed with her appetite for runs made 2017 a year to remember for the Kent player. Her total score of 410 was the highest at the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup, a tournament which England won, and she along with Sarah Taylor set the highest 2nd wicket partnership in the history of the tournament. A phenomenal year was capped off by being awarded an MBE.

3.) Hannah Cockroft
The undisputed queen of T34 wheelchair racing, Cockroft became a ten time world champion with three gold medals in the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships. At only 24, she set her sights on the 2019 Championships stating it would be a no-brainer to come back and defend her 100% record. She has also made waves away from the track, highlighting issues such as athletic disability tests and unemployment.

2.) Elise Christie
One day Christie will look back on the 2017 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships as the pinnacle. Winning the world title in the 1000m and 1500m, she became the first British and European woman to win the overall gold in the event’s history. The feat landed her the title of Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year, an experience she described as if she “just won the World Championships again”

1.) Eniola Aluko
During a shameful for year for the FA, Aluko fought tirelessly to ensure justice was done. Whistleblowing on her once manager Mark Sampson caused fractions within the squad but when The Department of Culture, Media and Sport confirmed Sampson had made discriminatory marks, Aluko’s actions were vindicated. For a woman with past achievements such as being the first female Match of the Day presenter, this may be her finest hour.

Where will Alexis Sánchez fit in at United?

One of the most protracted transfer sagas is over as Alexis Sánchez has completed his move to Manchester United. The winger adds some much-needed quality to this United side, and the pace and skill of the player is a dangerous weapon to add to United’s attacking lineup.

Left Winger

LW
The most natural position for Sánchez is on the left wing. He is naturally right footed meaning he can cut in and fire off shots with his stronger foot but his left foot is also good enough to be able to deliver accurate crosses from wide areas. His pace out wide will also put him into one-on-one situations against fullbacks and, given the player’s skill, it is likely he will be able to win the majority of these.

Left Inside Forward

Inside forward
An alternative to the left winger model is to sacrifice the width and play more as a left inside forward. This will create an overload in the centre of the pitch which will cause problems for the defence. They will not know whether to go out to meet Sánchez or to continue marking Romelu Lukaku. If they choose the latter, space will open up for the Chilean to get shots in at goal. This does, however, increase the attacking work of the left fullback.

Lone Striker

Lone Striker
A position Sánchez adopted on occasion during his Arsenal days was that of a lone striker. He has the pace and finishing ability to be a success in this position but this also limits the amount of time he will be on the ball. If Mourinho believes his midfielders are good enough to consistently pick out Sánchez then he could deploy the player in this role but it is more likely he would favour another so that Sánchez has as much ball exposure as possible.

Strike Partner

strike partner
The little and large combination is one rarely seen in modern football especially at an elite level. However, Chelsea’s public search for any English player over the height of 6ft 3 shows the tactic is not entirely extinct. With the aerial prowess of Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimović in the team, Sánchez can operate as the receiver of the knockdown. Running onto the end of headed passes and may give United a sight at goal especially against difficult-to-break-down teams.

Number Ten

n10
If you wanted to maximise the best of Sánchez’s passing ability, the most suitable role would be a number ten. On the other hand, this would limit the use of his most dangerous skill — his finishing. Jesse Lingard has flourished in this role despite being seen as a conventional winger in the past while other wingers such as Raheem Sterling have struggled. If given the chance, time will tell if Sánchez can perform in this role. Given the form Lingard is in, however, it is unlikely Mourinho would drop him.

Formations created using https://www.buildlineup.com

A tale of two teams

The final day of the fifth test can be used as a symbol of England’s fortunes in the Ashes. With day-4 temperatures reaching a record 47.3C, England faced another defeat and an overall 4-0 loss in the series. Test captain Joe Root was not present at the start of play due to a bout of severe dehydration that left him hospitalised and although he eventually returned, he was forced to retire ill. His side succumbed to Australia’s bowlers and finished the match 123 runs behind the hosts having played an innings more.

The series was a brutal one for England. Bereft of any encouragement, players were forced to rely on the hope that “we were better than the scoreline suggests” but the reality is Australia were a class apart. Steve Smith comfortably batted away any chances of an England win and the final ball of the series brought questions of the future of English cricket.

The mood of the nation was understandably low but the adventure down under was not over just yet. England and Australia would come together to compete in a five-match ODI series. Joe Root was one of few test players to make the ODI squad but he was liberated from the captaincy, as long-standing ODI captain Eoin Morgan took control.

For fans used to waking up and checking their phones to see yet another English collapse, the morning after the ODI was a welcome relief. Headlines of “Mitchell Starc takes four wickets as England fall to another defeat” were replaced with “Jason Roy hits record-breaking 180 as England win the first ODI”. An opening win was the perfect antidote to the Ashes hangover and a convincing one at that.

The second ODI was another English win. Aaron Finch was the only Aussie to score highly and Joe Root took two wickets to give England a 2-0 win in the series. A fantastic batting performance from Jos Butler saw England win the series in the third match and, at the time of writing, they have the chance to complete the 5-0 whitewash.

The disparity between the test and ODI side could not be bigger at the moment. The ODI squad is full of young, in-form talent while the test side is plagued with senior players living on past glories. Stuart Broad and Alistair Cook were largely anonymous aside from the occasional good day and James Anderson was the only senior player to be consistently good throughout the series. Meanwhile, the less said about Moeen Ali’s performances, the better.

It’s not as if the young talent made the most of their chances either. Jake Ball, James Vince, and Gary Balance failed to impress and although Tom Curran and Mason Crane looked bright, it was not enough for test fans to be overly optimistic.

Perhaps it is time to give the ODI squad a chance at test level again? While Morgan has made no secret of his belief his test days are over, players like Roy deserve a second chance if their stellar ODI form continues.

The next challenge for the test side is a four-match series against New Zealand. The first two matches will be played in New Zealand before the England squad return to home soil at Lord’s and Headingley respectively. This could be the chance for a freshen up of the squad. Preparation must begin now for the 2019 Ashes Series because, although it is on home soil, Australia looked good enough in the series gone to mount a serious challenge for the urn.

My experience with Greater Manchester Police

On Wednesday, December 13th, eight of my nine housemates and I left our Withington home just before 8pm. In the final days before the Christmas holidays, we wanted to take one of our last chances to raise a glass together and celebrate the end of a long and demanding semester.

Although Withington high street is not replete with Manchester’s hottest nightlife venues, we had tracked down a quiz at local bar Solomon’s. Despite our best efforts, we were bested in the final rounds — but unbeknownst to us at the time, our evening’s losses were about to get much, much worse.

About an hour later, at a friend’s house, my phone started buzzing – rarely a good sign when it happens so late. My housemate told me frantically down the line: “We’ve been burgled. Most of the guys have had their laptops stolen”.

Whilst we had been out, at least one burglar had climbed over our back wall, smashed the glass back door, reached through and opened it. Tracking mud and footprints through the house, they had gone into every open room and pinched everything of value they could find.

What the intruders didn’t know was that one of my housemates had actually been home at the time — watching football in his room at the top of the house. As they reached the second floor, they nudged open his door, and without properly looking, he had called out: “Yeah?” Suddenly finding that they were not alone, the perpetrators fled, down two flights and out the front door with their pilfered loot.

None the wiser, he continued watching as his side eased to victory. It was only later, when he came downstairs, that he realised how close he had come to encountering a dangerous, possibly armed criminal face to face in his own home.

None of us are sure how long the burglar or burglars were inside, but they had managed to swipe six laptops, a purse, a passport, an iPad, and some of the girls’ jewellery. Interestingly, after unwrapping it, they had neglected to take the vinyl player we had bought for an upcoming birthday in the house.

Reaching for a stress-relieving tipple, another of us noticed that in addition to his laptop and passport, the thieves had also pilfered his bottle of knock-off Baileys and a bottle of wine. Only four rooms were left untouched — two of which had been locked, and the two other top-floor rooms, which had been unwittingly protected by my unsuspecting friend.

I rushed home to find my housemates huddled together on the stairs, comforting each other and joking around — making the best of a bad situation. Whilst there was a warm sense of camaraderie it was clear that some of them were quite shaken up.

Although everyone was clearly safe and unhurt, the first question I asked was whether the police had been called. Yes, one of us had called at around 10.30pm when he realised what had happened. Someone had also called our landlady, who had been distraught to hear our news — she had already sent a handyman who had come and boarded up our back door within an hour.

As the time approached 12.30am, we began to wonder whether a police officer would ever turn up. “I might become a burglar if this is the sort of response time the police are working with”, someone joked. About two hours after the original call, I phoned the GMP non-emergency number to inquire. I was told that someone should have been sent by now, along with a forensics officer, and that they would be along shortly. I gave her my number and she told me that I would receive a call.

Another hour passed – my phone remained still and silent in my pocket. Our doorbell also remained worryingly untouched. The time ticked past 1.30. I decided to call back, this time slightly more indignantly. It was only then, three hours after our original call, that we were told nobody would be coming to the house until morning.

In a tone that suggested I was irritating her, the woman on the line told me that our house was secure, we weren’t in danger and that there were “more important things for the police to be doing.” I pointed out that no one had assured the police of our safety and that, in fact, we had not even been asked what had been stolen or if the thieves had left any evidence.

Begrudgingly, she informed me someone would visit in the morning. We all retired to bed just before 2am, the smashed glass and muddy footprints of the burglars who had invaded our house still decorating the floor. But for the kindness and initiative of our landlady, we would still have had a gaping hole in our back door.

By late morning on Thursday December 14th, I had still not received a call from the police. Again taking matters into our own hands, one of my other housemates made two further calls to GMP. At last, they admitted they wouldn’t be able to send anyone to our house as we were part of a long ‘waiting list’.

It didn’t matter, apparently; according to the police, the burglars were “probably wearing gloves”, and their capture was therefore out of the question. We were told we could clear up after them — not that we had ever been told to preserve any evidence.

Perhaps the most galling injustice came when a Whatsapp message from our house group pinged into my inbox later that day. It was a screenshot of a tweet that GMP Fallowfield had shared the previous evening: “Extra officers out patrolling Fallowfield & Withington overnight on #studentsafe operation. If you see anything suspicious please call us straight away.”

 

 

Burglaries in South Manchester are not uncommon — and, realistically, none of us really expected the police to be able to track down the perpetrators who had ransacked our home — we are all aware of the budgetary constraints from which GMP suffers. All we wanted was the reassurance of the police, some instructions on what to do next, and the comfort to know that we were safe. It speaks volumes that our landlady was able to offer better and more prompt support than our government’s tax-funded officers of the law.

It is a great shame that recent action on student safety in South Manchester has, as yet, amounted to nothing. A petition presented to Andy Burnham with over 9500 signatories as well as measures from the Student’s Union so far seem ineffectual. And worse this incident, alongside others like it, not only highlights the desperate lack of funding resources available to GMP.

At the same time, it calls into question their duty of care towards students. Was this Tweet an expression of a genuine commitment to improving crime conditions in Fallowfield and Withington, or a mere PR stunt, as students are left to fend for themselves?